* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] GOOD AFTERNOON [I. Call to Order] EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE SEPTEMBER MEETING OF THE CAP METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS. TODAY IS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2026, AND WE ARE IN THE ROSA PARKS BOARDROOM AT 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET, AND THE TIME IS 1204. FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA [II. Safety Briefing] IS THE SAFETY BRIEFING FROM OUR CHIEF SAFETY OFFICER, GARDNER TABBAN. THANK YOU. AND, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. MY NAME IS GARDNER TABBAN. I SERVE AS CAPITAL METRO'S EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF SAFETY OFFICER HERE TODAY WITH YOUR, UH, SAFETY BRIEFING. SO YOU ARE LOCATED HERE AT 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET IN THE ROSA PARKS, UH, BOARDROOM. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY THAT WOULD REQUIRE DIALING 9 1 1, WE DO HAVE STAFF OUTSIDE OUR SECURITY STAFF AS WELL AS, AS WELL AS, UM, STAFF WITHIN THIS ROOM IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY THAT REQUIRES AN EVACUATION, PARTICULARLY THAT DOOR THERE. UM, AND IF YOU HAVE MOBILITY CHALLENGES, WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD WAIT ATOP THE STAIRS AND SOMEONE WILL COME ALONG SHORTLY TO ASSIST YOU DOWN AGAIN, IF WE NEED TO EVACUATE. WE DO HAVE AN ASSEMBLY POINT. UM, AT THE END OF THE, UM, THE, THE, THE EAST PARKING LOT, THERE'S A SIGN, THERE'S A GREEN AND WHITE SIGN, UH, THAT IDENTIFIES THAT ASSEMBLY POINT. UH, ALSO, SHOULD THERE BE A NEED FOR AN A ED, THERE IS ONE LOCATED TO THE LEFT OF OUR ELEVATOR, JUST OUTSIDE AND THROUGH BY SECURITY AND AGAINST THE WALL. ALSO, SIR, I'M GONNA HAVE TO ASK YOU TO, I HAVE TO POINT , SHOULD WE NEED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. UH, THERE'S ONE HERE LOCATED AGAINST THE WALL, AND THAT CONCLUDES YOUR SAFETY BRIEFING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE SAFETY BRIEFING. WE WILL NOW TAKE PUBLIC [III. Public Comment (Part 1 of 2)] COMMENT. WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES. WE HAVE SHERRY TAYLOR AS OUR FIRST SPEAKER. I DON'T SEE SHERRY TAYLOR. WE HAVE ZENOBIA. JOSEPH HAS ZENOBIA JOINED YET, DOES NOT APPEAR. SO, AND THEN THOMAS WOODARD RIGHT HERE. OKAY. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. THREE, AND IF YOU CAN HIT THE LITTLE BUTTON ON THAT MICROPHONE BASE AT THE BOTTOM. THAT'LL TURN THERE. PERFECT. THANK YOU. AM I LIVE? OKAY, THANK YOU. PERFECT. THANK YOU. UM, YES, I JUST WANTED TO BRING ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE ISSUES IN REGARDS TO SAFETY WITH CAP METRO. AND GENERALLY, I THINK WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF SAFETY WITH CAB METRO, THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT AN ENVIRONMENTAL OF THOSE THEY HAVE TO DO WITH AROUND THEM ALSO USING THE SERVICES. UH, THE ELEMENT I'M BRINGING ABOUT TODAY IS CAPITAL, UH, SAFETY. WITH REGARDS TO OPERATORS OF CAP METRO, I'VE GOT THREE INSTANCES MYSELF WHERE I WAS ASSAULTED BY THE BUS AT THE, UH, UH, MECHANICAL ERROR, WHATEVER YOU MIGHT WANT TO CALL IT, UH, OF THE OPERATOR, UH, ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. UM, UH, THE LAST ONE BEING, UH, THE SEPTEMBER 18TH OF LAST WEEK, UH, WHERE BOARDING THE BUS, THE DOORS WERE CLOSED ON ME. IT WASN'T A INADVERTENT TYPE THING. THE DOORS OPEN, I GET ON DOORS CLOSE. I MEAN, I WAS VERY WELL SEEN GETTING OFF THE BUS. I WAS ALSO ASSAULTED AGAIN. UM, AND WHY THIS PARTICULAR MATTER DRAWS ATTENTION TO ME IS THE ENTIRE TIME FROM, UH, SO OOR IN SOUTH CONGRESS ALL THE WAY UP TO MUSEUM STATION, LET'S SAY A MILE AND A HALF, TWO MILES. THE OPERATOR, EVERY TIME SHE WOULD STOP, UH, SHE WOULD ACCELERATE THE ENGINE, LET OFF THE BRAKE, AND THEN HEARTBREAK AGAIN, JERKING THE PEOPLE. SO THIS, IN MY OPINION, LED TO BELIEVE THAT THIS PARTICULAR OPERATOR HAD SOME PERSONAL ISSUES, PROBABLY OUTSIDE OF CAB METRO THAT SHE HAD BROUGHT TO WORK. SHE WAS NOT FIT TO DRIVE THAT DAY. UM, I FILED A, A CLAIM. UM, I HAD GIVEN IT TO MR. EDWIN EASTON, AND, UH, SO HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DISTRIBUTE THAT OUT. I REALIZED THERE, UH, AND THAT GOES TOWARDS, UH, ACHILLES AND, UH, CAPTAIN METRO AS WELL. I REALIZED THERE'S A DIVISION IN BETWEEN THE, THE MECHANICAL, THE BUS AND THE OPERATORS WHO ARE UNDER THAT. UM, AND SO THE REASON, UH, WITH THE THREE OTHER INSTANCES, UH, LOW BAR, UM, LOW HIRING, UM, LOW BARRIER BARRIER HIRING PRACTICE, I'M SORRY, UH, AND THEN THE COVID-19 ERA, UM, POLICIES THAT WERE REINSTATED THAT I SEE SLOWLY BEGINNING TO BECOME RE REPEALED. BUT I THINK A LOT OF THAT AUTHORITARIANISM FROM THE COVID ERA STILL EXISTS. I'M, I'M THE BOSS AND YOU'RE NOT. AND I MEAN, THAT'S NOT A GOOD WAY. UM, AND I THINK OVER LONG TERM, EVEN FAUCI COME BACK AND SAID A LOT OF THOSE POLICIES WERE NOT REALLY LEGITIMATE, BUT I THINK OVER A LONG TIME, UH, BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE IMPLEMENTED IT AND TOOK THEM AT FACE VALUE, I THINK THEY'VE HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR [00:05:01] ENVIRONMENT. UM, SO MOVING FORWARD, I THINK THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT POSSIBLY COULD BE EXAMINED OF WHAT COULD BE LET GO OF THAT MIND FRAME OF THAT MINDSET AND, UM, BETTER TRAINING OF, OF THE EMPLOYEES. UH, I, I REALIZE THAT THE HIRING POOL'S GOTTA BE SLIMMING DOWN. I MEAN, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE IN AUSTIN, THEN YOU START HIRING FROM OUT. UM, BUT YEAH, WE NEED NOT ONLY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT I THINK WITHIN, UH, REEXAMINING ALL THE SAFETY POLICIES WITHIN CAP METRO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS THAT HAVE ARRIVED OR SIGNED UP LATE? ANY MORE SPEAKERS? ANY MORE SPEAKERS? I DON'T SEE ANY. NEXT, WE'LL RECEIVE OUR [IV. Advisory Committee Updates] MONTHLY ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES, AND I BELIEVE PETER BRETTON MAY BE THE FIRST ONE ON DECK. WELCOME, GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ILIAN, VICE CHAIR ELLIS PRESIDENT, CEO WATKINS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME IS PETER BRETTON AND I AM THE STAFF LIAISON FOR OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEES. SINCE LAST MONTH'S UPDATE, OUR ACCESS, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEES MET AT THEIR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TIMES, THE ACCESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ADVISORY COMMITTEES, BOTH RECEIVED PRESENTATIONS ON THE PROPOSED 2027 JANUARY, 2027, SERVICE CHANGE FROM SENIOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNER, JORDAN MCGEE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECEIVED PRESENTATIONS ON THE NEW SECURITY DASHBOARD FROM JONATHAN HARTMAN, DATA WAREHOUSE ARCHITECT TWO, AS WELL AS ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES FOR JULY AND AUGUST, 2026. FROM RENEWAL, RENEWAL, BOWIE, CHIEF OF POLICE, AND TROY OFFICER, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR THIS MONTH. THANK YOU. AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. FANTASTIC. ANY QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS? DOES NOT APPEAR. SO THANK YOU. WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO [V.1. Operations, Planning and Safety Committee] THE BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES. WE'LL START WITH OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE BY CHAIR VELA OF THAT COMMITTEE. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. WE, UH, APPROVED A BUNCH OF ITEMS THAT ARE ON OUR AGENDA, UH, FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA. UH, WE HEARD FROM STAFF AND, UH, AND RECOMMENDED A NUMBER OF ITEMS, UH, FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA. UH, AND THEN HEARD THE PRESENTATION ON, UH, THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS INCLUDING, UH, VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE, UH, RELIABILITY, AND HAD A GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT. AND, UH, THAT WAS ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. THE NEXT COMMITTEE [V.2. Finance, Audit and Administration Committee] MEETING IS FINANCE, AUDIT AND ADMINISTRATION. I BELIEVE BOARD MEMBER HARRIS IS GIVING THAT UPDATE. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, FINANCE AUDIT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE MET APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS AGO. UH, IN ADDITION TO APPROVING THE MINUTES, WE ALSO APPROVED A RESOLUTION, WHICH IS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, CONSENT AGENDA, RECOMMENDING THE ADOPTION OF THE CAP METRO INVESTMENT POLICY IN ADD. FINALLY, WE ALSO HEARD FOR SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS AND AN UPDATE FROM MR. FULMER ON THE INTERNAL AUDIT, UH, VARIOUS STATUSES OF THE VARIOUS PROJECTS. THANK YOU. FANTASTIC. AND THAT WILL [V.3. CAMPO update] LEAD US TO THE CAMPO UPDATE, SO THE BALL IS STILL IN YOUR COURT. OKAY, THANK YOU. UH, THE TRANSPORTATION, UH, POLICY BOARD MET ON SEPTEMBER THE 14TH. IN ADDITION TO HEARING, UH, CONDUCTING A PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE 27 20 27 TO 2030 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, THE 2050 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN, UH, WE ALSO TOOK ACTION ON A CEDAR PARKS APPLICATION FOR A SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BLOCK GRANT, UH, APPROVAL, UH, USING, UH, CREDITS THAT HAD, THEY HAD AVAILABLE TO THEM. AND IN ADDITION, WE ALSO HEARD AN UPDATE FROM STAFF ABOUT, UH, THE, UH, 27 20, EXCUSE ME, THE TWENTY EIGHT THIRTY ONE CALL FOR PROJECTS, UM, AND SPECIFICALLY, UH, HOW STAFF HAS WORKED WITH SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE CONSIDERED AT RISK AND WEREN'T APPROVED IN THE ORIGINAL, UH, PROPOSAL. AND SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE NOW BEING MOVED AND WILL BE COME BACK TO US, UH, THIS FALL FOR APPROVAL AND ADDED TO THE CALL FOR PROJECTS. UM, IN ADDITION TO THE MEETING, WE ALSO CONDUCTED, AND FORGIVE ME, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE. UH, WE, UH, HAD A A HALF DAY WORKSHOP AT THE THOMPSON CONFERENCE CENTER WITH ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS. AND IT WAS ACTUALLY A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION ABOUT WHERE BOTH THE ROLE FOR CA, THE ROLE THAT TRANS, THAT, UH, CAMPO PLAYS IN TRANSPORTATION AND WHAT IT CAN AND CAN'T DO. AND THEN WE ALSO GOT JUST A GOOD, SOME GOOD FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS, UH, DURING THAT HALF DAY CONFERENCE. GLAD TO HEAR IT AND THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS [V.4. Austin Transit Partnership Update] AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP UPDATE, AND WE HAVE CHAIR TAVION JOINING US REMOTELY TODAY. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD MET ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST. UH, WE RECEIVED OUR STANDARD REPORTS, [00:10:01] BUT WE ALSO TOOK ACTION ON ADOPTING THE FY 2027 BUDGET APPROVING THE INVESTMENT POLICY APPROVED TWO, AND THE LOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH CAP METRO, WHICH ARE ON OUR AGENDA TODAY AND APPROVED SEVERAL CONTRACTS RELATING TO REAL ESTATE AND RIGHT OF WAY, UH, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FACILITIES, UH, THE ERP SYSTEMS AND APPROVED ITEMS, ITEMS RELATED TO THE A TP OFFICE SPACE. OUR NEXT MEETING HAS NOT BEEN SCHEDULED YET, BUT AS SOON AS IT IS, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT UPDATE AND THANK YOU EVERYONE. THIS BRINGS US TO THE ACTION [VI. Consent Items] ITEMS FOR TODAY, BEGINNING WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA. COULD I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA MADE BY MAYOR PRO TEM VELA, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, AND THAT IS GOING TO INCLUDE ITEMS NUMBER ONE THROUGH 10. DO I HAVE TO READ THEM ALL OUT OR CAN WE JUST KEEP THEM ON CONSENT? ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT AS A CONSENT AGENDA. SO IT'S BEEN MOTIONED AND SECONDED. THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE CONSENT AGENDA, SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AND I'VE GOT OUR TWO REMOTE PARTICIPANTS VOTING FOR APPROVAL. AND ANYONE OPPOSED? NO. SO THAT IS UNANIMOUS ON THAT VOTE. UP NEXT WE HAVE ACTION [VII.1. Approval of a resolution adopting the Fiscal Year 2027 Operating and Capital Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan.] ITEM ONE, APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET. IS THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THIS ITEM? YOU WANT PRESENTATION FIRST? ALRIGHT, LET'S DO THE PRESENTATION ON ITEM NUMBER ONE. YEAH, THANK YOU AND GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ELLIS, BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF WATKINS. MY NAME IS KEVIN CONLIN AND I SERVE AS CAP METRO'S CFO. THIS IS A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE FISCAL YEAR 2027, OPERATING IN CAPITAL BUDGET AND FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 IS $701,460,005 FOR OPERATING AND CAPITAL EXPENSES. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD'S SENIOR LEADERSHIP, CAP METRO STAFF, AND OUR WONDERFUL BUDGET TEAM FOR THEIR DIRECTION AND HARD WORK IN PUTTING THIS BUDGET TOGETHER. THE RESOLUTION CAPTURES THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET THAT THE BOARD AND ITS COMMITTEES HAVE BEEN BRIEFED ON FROM JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER AND TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU AS A BOARD HAS SET FOR THE AGENCY. THE BUDGET'S STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND BALANCED, AND I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT WE'RE PROJECTING TO MEET ALL OF OUR RESERVE REQUIREMENTS FOR NEXT YEAR. A COPY OF CAP METRO'S BUDGET DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE IN MORE DETAIL POSTED ONLINE ON THE CAP METRO WEBSITE, WHICH THE BOARD WAS PROVIDED A COPY. SO AGAIN, I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT FOR THE BUDGET IN THE BUDGET OVER THE LAST FOUR MONTHS AND HAND IT BACK OVER FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS? I DON'T SEE ANY HANDS UP, SO WE'LL GO BACK TO GETTING A MOTION ON THE TABLE. MOTION TO APPROVE THE BUDGET. MOVED BY BOARD MEMBER BENGAL, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER ROSS. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AND WE'VE GOT OUR REMOTE PARTICIPANTS BOTH SUPPORTING THE MOTION. DO WE HAVE ANY OPPOSED? NO, IT'S UNANIMOUS. THEN ON THE DAIS, [VII.2. Approval of a resolution adopting amendments to CapMetro’s Fare Policy and Fare Structure, approving the Title VI Fare Equity Analysis related to increasing fares in January 2027 and January 2029, expanding CapMetro’s Reduced Fare ID Card program, and retiring the Equifare program and Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs).] ITEM NUMBER TWO IS APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO CAP METRO'S FAIR POLICY AND FAIR STRUCTURE APPROVING THE TITLE SIX FAIR EQUITY ANALYSIS RELATED TO INCREASING FARES IN JANUARY, 2027 AND JANUARY, 2029, EXPANDING CAP METRO'S REDUCED FAIR ID CARD PROGRAM AND RETIRING THE EQU FA PROGRAM AND TICKET VENDING MACHINES. AND WE HAVE MR. COLLIN WITH THIS ITEM AS WELL. THANK YOU AGAIN, CHAIR ELLIS. UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO PRESENT THE RESOLUTION FOR CAP METRO'S FAIR INCREASES, REDUCE FARE PROGRAM EXPANSION AND EQU PROGRAM AND TICKET VENDING MACHINE RETIREMENTS. I WANNA THANK THE BOARD FOR ITS GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS AND OUR LEADERSHIP AND AFFAIRS TEAMS FOR DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MINIMIZE THE IMPACT ON OUR LOWER INCOME CUSTOMERS WHILE STILL MAINTAINING CAP METRO'S LONG-TERM FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY CAP METRO'S PROPOSING TO IMPLEMENT THE FAIR INCREASE IN TWO PHASES. THIS WILL ALLOW OUR RIDERS TO GRADUALLY ADJUST TO THE PROPOSED CHANGES WHILE HELPING CAP METRO ADDRESS THEIR RISING COSTS OVER TIME. CAP METRO'S ALSO PROPOSING UPDATES TO THE REDUCED FAIR PROGRAM TO SIMPLIFY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF FAIR INCREASES ON OUR LOWER INCOME CUSTOMERS. SO THIS IS A TABLE OF OUR PROPOSED FAIR INCREASE. IN THE FIRST COLUMN, WE HAVE OUR PROPOSED OUR CURRENT FAIR STRUCTURE. SECOND COLUMN WOULD BE OUR PROPOSED INCREASE ON JANUARY 10TH, 2027. AND THEN FINALLY IN THE LAST COLUMN, OUR PROPOSED JANUARY, 2029 [00:15:02] INCREASE AS WELL. AND JUST TO NOTE, FAIR CAPPING OF COURSE WOULD CONTINUE ACROSS LOCAL PICKUP AND COMMUTER SERVICES WITH FARES BEING KEPT BOTH ON A DAILY AND MONTHLY BASIS. THERE WOULD ALSO BE UPDATES TO THE REDUCED FARE PROGRAM. THESE CHANGES WOULD NOT AFFECT THE CURRENT PARTICIPANTS OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH ARE SENIORS RIDERS WITH DISABILITIES, MEDICARE RECIPIENTS, AND ACTIVE AND RESERVE, UM, MILITARY PERSONNEL AS WELL. THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO KEEP THEIR 50% DISCOUNT. ELIGIBILITY FOR THE REDUCED FARE PROGRAM WOULD EXPAND TO INCLUDE VETERANS AND CUSTOMERS AT OR BELOW THE 150% FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL. LASTLY, THE EQU FAIR PROGRAM WOULD BE COMBINED WITH THE EXPANDED REDUCE FARE PROGRAM. THE CURRENT EQU FARE PARTICIPANTS WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE ENROLLED IN THE REDUCE FARE PROGRAM AND RECEIVE A HIGHER 50% DISCOUNT. THESE CHANGES WOULD PROVIDE A DEEPER DISCOUNT TO MORE CUSTOMERS AND SIMPLIFY THE DISCOUNT STRUCTURE FOR OUR RIDERS WITH THESE PROPOSED CHANGES. CAP METRO ENGAGED IN THREE TITLE SIX EQUITY ANALYSIS STUDIES. THE FIRST WAS THE TWO STEP FAIR INCREASE FOR 2027 AND 2029, AND THIS WAS APPLICABLE EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE TO OUR FIXED ROUTE SERVICES. THE SECOND WAS FOR OUR REDUCED FARE PROGRAM EXPANSION AND EQU FARE PROGRAM RETIREMENT. AND THEN FINALLY FOR THE RETIREMENT OF OUR TICKET VENDING MACHINE AT BUS TRANSFER LOCATIONS AND RAIL STATIONS, WHILE STILL MAINTAINING AT LEAST ONE TVM AT OUR RAIL STATIONS. ALL THREE STUDIES RETURN NO DISPARATE IMPACT ON OUR MINORITY CUSTOMERS OR DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN ON OUR LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS AS WELL. AND THEN FINALLY, WE'VE COMPLETED A VERY BROAD EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORT, AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT THAT EFFORT RESULTED IN MORE THAN 3,500 CONTACTS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, MORE THAN 87,000 CONTACTS THROUGH CAP METRO ALERTS AND EMAILS, AND MORE THAN 58,000 SOCIAL MEDIA VIEWS AND OVER 3000 WEBSITE VISITS. SO THAT'S GONNA CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION ON THIS RESOLUTION, BUT I'D LIKE TO HAND IT BACK OVER TO THE BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS? I JUST HAVE A COMMENT. THANK YOU MR. CONLIN. SURE. UM, I JUST THINK THIS IS NOT AN EASY DECISION AND I KNOW IT'S ONE THAT WE'VE TAKEN OUR TIME ON. IT'S NOT A KNEE JERK REACTION. UM, THE TRUTH IS COSTS HAVE GONE UP. UM, MAINTENANCE COSTS, FUEL COSTS, OPERATION COSTS. I'VE SEEN IT IN OUR, MY OWN ORGANIZATION. UM, AND IT'S A TOUGH CALL AND IT'S, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE STAIR STEPPING AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE NOT DONE IN 10 YEARS. UM, SO THAT'S WHAT I'M TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION. I APPRECIATE HOW WE'VE APPROACHED THIS, HOW WE'VE GONE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND TALKED ABOUT IT. UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP UP WITH OUR SERVICE AND OUR BUS SERVICES AND OUR TRAIN SERVICES. SO I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THIS ITEM, BUT I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THIS IS A TOUGH ENVIRONMENT AND THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT ANYONE REALLY WANTS TO DO. UM, BUT THIS IS A, A BUSINESS DECISION THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS CHECKING THE TV SCREEN AS WELL? I DON'T BELIEVE SO. WE STILL NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THIS ONE, RIGHT? LET'S GO WITH BOARD MEMBER ROSS. SECONDED BY MAYOR PRO DEVELA. UH, SO ITEM NUMBER TWO, ALL OF US IN SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AND OUR FOLKS ONLINE, YOU BOTH SUPPORTING, SORRY. IT'S RIGHT IN MY DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT. UM, ANYONE OPPOSING? NO, IT DOES NOT APPEAR. SO, SO ITEM NUMBER TWO IS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CONLAN. ITEM NUMBER [VII.3. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to implement the January 2027 Service Changes, and accepting the results of the Title VI Analysis.] THREE, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HER DESIGNEE TO IMPLEMENT THE JANUARY 20, 27 SERVICE CHANGES AND ACCEPTING THE RESULTS OF THE TITLE SIX ANALYSIS. AND WE HAVE JORDAN MCGEE PRESENTING. PERFECT. GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR. CIVILIAN MEMBERS OF THE CAP METRO BOARD AND PRESIDENT AND CEO DOTTIE WATKINS. I'M JORDAN MCGEE WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND TODAY I'LL BE PRESENTING THE PROPOSED JANUARY 20, 27 SERVICE CHANGES, WHICH INCLUDE MINOR FREQUENCY AND SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS INTENDED TO IMPROVE DAY-TO-DAY RELIABILITY AND BETTER ALIGN SCHEDULED SERVICE WITH AVAILABLE OPERATING RESOURCES. SERVICE CHANGES ALLOW CAP METRO TO RESPOND TO CUSTOMER NEEDS, OPERATING CONDITIONS AND CHANGES IN TRAVEL PATTERNS WHILE USING OUR RESOURCES RESPONSIBLY. THE PROCESS IS GUIDED BY OUR BOARD APPROVED SERVICE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES WHERE STAFF MONITOR RIDERSHIP, PRODUCTIVITY ON-TIME, PERFORMANCE, CUSTOMER FEEDBACK, RESOURCE AVAILABILITY, AND MAJOR EXTERNAL FACTORS SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION [00:20:01] AND DETOURS. SERVICE CHANGES TYPICALLY OCCUR IN JANUARY, JUNE AND AUGUST TO ALIGN WITH LOCAL SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY CALENDARS. SERVICE PLANNING, HOWEVER, IS CONTINUOUS BETWEEN SERVICE CHANGES. WE MONITOR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AND WORK WITH CUSTOMERS, OPERATORS, COMMUNITIES, MEMBER CITIES AND REGIONAL PARTNERS TO GUIDE FUTURE SERVICE CHANGES. FOR THE JANUARY 20, 27 SERVICE CHANGES, THE CENTRAL OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCHEDULE CUSTOMERS SEE AND RELY ON IS A SERVICE THAT ARRIVES. AS SUCH, STAFF COMPLETED A DETAILED SYSTEM-WIDE ASSESSMENT OF HOW AND WHEN CUSTOMERS ARE USING THE NETWORK BY ROUTE AND BY TIME PERIOD, AS WELL AS ANY CONDITIONS AFFECTING OUR RELIABILITY AND ABILITY TO DELIVER SCHEDULED SERVICE. WE LOOKED FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SMALL CHANGES AMONG THE SYSTEM THAT COULD EASE PRESSURE ON OUR RESOURCES. AND THESE MINOR DATA INFORMED ADJUSTMENTS FOCUSED ON LOWER DEMAND PERIODS CAN THEN HELP CREATE OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE CAPACITY FOR VEHICLE AVAILABILITY, PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, VEHICLE REPAIRS, AND SCHEDULED RECOVERY. SO THE INTENDED OUTCOME IS MORE DEPENDABLE SERVICE AND SCHEDULES THAT CAT METRO CAN MORE CONSISTENTLY OPERATE WHILE PRESERVING ACCESS WHEN CUSTOMERS NEED IT THE MOST. BASED ON THE SYSTEM WIDE REVIEW STAFF PROPOSED MINOR WEEKDAY FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENTS TO RAPID 8 0 3 BURNETT SOUTH LAMAR, ROUTE 3 37 KANAN COLONY PARK IN CAT METRO RAIL UNDER CAT METRO'S BOARD APPROVED TITLE SIX POLICIES. THE PROPOSED CHANGES DO NOT MEET THE THRESHOLDS FOR A MAJOR SERVICE CHANGE AND THEREFORE DO NOT REQUIRE A SERVICE EQUITY ANALYSIS. STILL, CAPT METRO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT MINOR FREQUENCY CHANGES RESULT IN CUSTOMER IMPACTS AND EVALUATED A WIDE RANGE OF OPTIONS WITH THESE IMPACTS CAREFULLY CONSIDERED THE PRESENTATION WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF EACH OF THESE PROPOSED CHANGES AND ASSOCIATED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. STARTING WITH ROUTE 3 37, UH, CANAAN COLONY PARK. THIS ROUTE PROVIDES CROSSTOWN SERVICE BETWEEN CENTRAL NORTH AUSTIN AND NORTHEAST AUSTIN THROUGH KANE LANE. AND LOYOLA LANE, AS SHOWN ON THE MAP, INTRODUCED IN 2018 AS PART OF CAV REMAP. THE ROUTE WAS DESIGNED TO EXPAND ACCESS TO DESTINATIONS IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN BY ENABLING CONNECTIONS TO MULTIPLE FREQUENT ROUTES SINCE THEN, RAPID 8 37 EXPO CENTER NOW OFFERS OVERLAPPING HIGH FREQUENCY SERVICE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN, DIRECTLY CONNECTING RESIDENTS TO DOWNTOWN UT CAMPUS AND SEVERAL TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES. AND PICKUP DECKER SUPPORTS ON-DEMAND NEIGHBORHOOD TRAVEL IN COLONY PARK AS PART OF THE SYSTEM-WIDE REVIEW. ROUTE 3 37 EMERGED AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A SMALL ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE OF ITS RIDERSHIP TRENDS. THE ROUTE PERFORMED WELL AT ITS START, BUT POST PANDEMIC RECOVERY HAS BEEN CHALLENGING CONSISTENT WITH BROADER NATIONAL TRENDS REGARDING INCREASED REMOTE WORK AND MORE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERED TRAVEL. ROUTE 3 37 HAS YET TO RETURN TO ITS PRE PANDEMIC RIDERSHIP LEVELS AND RIDERSHIP HAS CONTINUED TO DECREASE AS SHOWN IN THE GRAPH IN THE CHART ON THE SLIDE SHOWS ITS RIDER PER HOUR THROUGHOUT THE DAY. AND THE DASH LINE REPRESENTS A BOARD APPROVED STANDARD FOR FREQUENT SERVICE AS SHOWN ROUTE 3 37 IS BELOW ITS WEEKDAY PRODUCTIVITY STANDARD FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE ROUTE LACKS VALUE, BUT IT DOES IDENTIFY PERIODS WHERE THE SERVICE SCHEDULED IS GREATER THAN THE CURRENT DEMAND. SO AS SUCH, WE CAN MAKE A SMALL ADJUSTMENT DURING THESE, THESE PERIODS RATHER THAN APPLYING A MORE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OR MAKING CHANGES WHERE CUSTOMERS HAVE FEWER ALTERNATIVES. WEEKDAY SERVICE WOULD RUN EVERY 20 MINUTES FROM 7:00 AM TO 6:30 PM AND EVERY 25 MINUTES FROM 6:30 PM TO 8:00 PM INSTEAD OF EVERY 15 AND 20 MINUTES RESPECTIVELY, EARLY MORNING, LATER EVENING AND WEEKEND SERVICE WOULD NOT CHANGE. AND THE PROPOSAL RETAINS ALL DAY SERVICE, THE EXISTING SPAN OF SERVICE AND IMPORTANT CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS. AND RAPID 8 0 3 BURNETT SOUTH LAMAR IS ONE OF CAT METRO'S ORIGINAL RAPID LINES LAUNCHED IN 2014, SERVING AS A MAJOR NORTH SOUTH CORRIDOR CONNECTING DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING THE DOMAIN CENTRAL AUSTIN, UT DOWNTOWN AND SOUTH LAMAR. AND THE INTRODUCTION OF RAPID 8 0 3 HAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE FREQUENCY LEVEL OF SERVICE AND RIDERSHIP ALONG ITS RESPECTIVE CORRIDOR. AND WHILE THE ROUTE PERFORMS STRONGLY BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, IT HAS YET TO RETURN TO ITS PRE PANDEMIC RIDERSHIP LEVELS AND RECOVERY HAS BEEN SLOW. SIMILAR TO ROUTE 3 37 AS SHOWN ON THE SLIDE. RAPID 8 0 3 IS BELOW ITS WEEKDAY PRODUCTIVITY STANDARD FOR MUCH OF [00:25:01] THE DAY, CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SLIGHTLY ADJUST THE SCHEDULE DURING THE PROPOSED PERIOD WHILE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE FREQUENT HIGH CAPACITY SERVICE. STAFF PROPOSE CHANGING THE WEEKDAY FREQUENCY FROM EVERY 10 TO 11 MINUTES AND FROM EVERY 12 TO 13 MINUTES BETWEEN 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM AND LOCAL ROUTE THREE WOULD CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UNDERLYING SERVICE ALONG MOST OF THE 8 0 3 CORRIDOR. AND RAPID 8 0 1 WOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CUSTOMERS ALONG ITS BUSIEST SHARED PORTIONS OF THE ALIGNMENT AND CAP METRO OPERATES A 32 MILE RED LINE FROM LEANDER TO DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, SERVING LONGER DISTANCE TRIPS, CONNECTING RAPIDLY GROWING SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES WITH MAJOR DESTINATIONS WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA. DUE TO ITS LARGELY SINGLE TRACK CONFIGURATION AND SHARED OPERATIONS WITH FREIGHT, THE RED LINE HAS LIMITED SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY. AS A RESULT, WEEKDAY SERVICE FREQUENCIES VARY SIGNIFICANTLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY FROM APPROXIMATELY 25 MINUTES TO OVER 60 MINUTES WITH HOURLY SERVICE, UH, DURING MIDDAY PERIODS AND NO MIDDAY TRIP SERVING LEANDER TO SUPPORT FUTURE SERVICE EXPANSION AND RELIABILITY. CAT METRO HAS BEEN ACTIVELY INVESTING IN IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS DOUBLE TRACKING PROJECTS AT KEY SEGMENTS, UH, THE UPCOMING NEW NORTH BURNETT UPTOWN STATION, THROUGH ITS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND ONGOING UPGRADES TO ITS SYSTEMS. AND DURING CONSTRUCTION OF THESE PROJECTS, TEMPORARY SERVICE IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED RESULTING IN THE NEED FOR A MORE FLEXIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE SCHEDULE. SO AS SUCH, STAFF PROPOSE THAT KE METRO RAIL OPERATE EVERY 37 MINUTES ON WEEKDAYS AS A MORE CONSISTENT, CLEAR AND RELIABLE SCHEDULE. THE PROPOSAL WOULD REPLACE THE CURRENT PATTERN OF HIGHLY VARIABLE WEEKDAY, UH, FREQUENCIES, RANGING FROM EVERY 25 TO OVER, UH, 60 MINUTES AND SERVICE HOURS WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED, INCLUDING THE EXISTING MIDDAY FREIGHT WINDOW WHEN TRAINS DO NOT SERVE LEANDER, THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE REFLECTS FEEDBACK TO BETTER STANDARDIZE AND IMPROVE RAIL FREQUENCIES, PROACTIVELY ACCOUNTS FOR FUTURE CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS, AND PROVIDES ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE TIME TO SUPPORT RELIABILITY. AND THE NEXT PROPOSED CHANGE IS A MINOR ADJUSTMENT TO THE PICKUP EAST, A TX SERVICE ZONE, WHICH PROVIDES ON-DEMAND SHARED RIDES WITHIN ITS DESIGNATED SERVICE AREA. THIS PROPOSAL WOULD MAKE A SMALL BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT TO INCLUDE CAP METRO'S EXPANDED CAMPUS AT 31, UH, EAST FIFTH STREET. THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHANGE IS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER AND PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC MEETINGS HELD AT THE EXPANDED CAMPUS AS SHOWN IN RED. AND LASTLY, IN ADDITION TO THE FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENTS PRESENTED TODAY, STAFF PROPOSED SELECT MINOR TRAVEL TIME AND STOP LOCATION ADJUSTMENTS. THESE REFINEMENTS ARE INTENDED TO IMPROVE ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY WHILE RESPONDING TO EVOLVING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY, DETOURS AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS. AND THIS INCLUDES CONTINUED COORDINATION FOR I 35 CONSTRUCTION AND OTHER ROADWAY PROJECTS. OVERALL, THE JANUARY, 2027 SERVICE CHANGES INCLUDED A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN DESIGNED TO NOTIFY STAKEHOLDERS, GATHER FEEDBACK, AND PROVIDE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT. ENGAGEMENT BEGAN ON AUGUST 24TH AND STAFF SOUGHT INPUT FROM CUSTOMERS, OPERATORS, ADVISORY COMMITTEES, MEMBER CITIES, SCHOOL COMMUNITIES, REGIONAL PARTNERS IN THE PUBLIC. PUBLIC FEEDBACK HAS PRIMARILY EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIABLE AND CONSISTENT SERVICE. AND SEVERAL COMMENTARIES HAVE NOTED THAT DEPENDABLE AND RELIABLE SCHEDULED SERVICE IS ESSENTIAL TO RETAINING EXISTING CUSTOMERS AND ATTRACTING NEW ONES. CAP METRO STAFF FULLY AGREE WITH THESE SENTIMENTS, AND AS SUCH, THE PROPOSED SERVICE CHANGES PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON IMPROVING RELIABILITY AND DELIVERABILITY OF SCHEDULED SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM. IF APPROVED TODAY, THE CHANGES WOULD TAKE EFFECT STARTING ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 10TH, 2027. AND LASTLY, THESE ADJUSTMENTS ARE PART OF CAP METRO'S BROADER EFFORT TO MAINTAIN DEPENDABLE SERVICE THROUGHOUT CENTRAL TEXAS. WHILE COORDINATING CLOSELY WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS, CAP METRO CONTINUES TO WORK WITH MEMBER CITIES, CARTS, , AND OTHER PARTNERS ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, DETOURS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMER IMPACTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH I 35 CONSTRUCTION GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND PLANNING TEAMS CONTINUE TO ENGAGE COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE SERVICE AREA ON NETWORK PERFORMANCE, NEAR TERM OPERATING NEEDS AND LONGER TERM SERVICE PLANNING. AND WITH THAT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND I'D LOVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. DO [00:30:01] WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS AT THIS TIME? IT DOES NOT APPEAR SO, AND IF YOU'RE LOGGED IN REMOTELY, JUST HOLLER IF YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP AND I CAN'T SEE YOU. OKAY, LET'S KICK IT OVER TO BOARD MEMBER OF VELA. YEAH, NO, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT WE HAD A, A GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS IN THE O OPERATIONS, UH, UH, COMMITTEE, UH, AS WELL. UM, AGAIN, SUPPORTIVE OF THE CHANGES AND THEY MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, ESPECIALLY ON THE, ON THE RAIL FRONT, GETTING THAT KIND OF REGULAR, UH, UH, UH, CONSISTENT TIMING, UH, SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE, UH, UH, HELPFUL ALL AROUND. RIGHT? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION ON ITEM NUMBER THREE? I'LL MAKE A MOTION. IT'S MADE BY MR. CHANG AND SECONDED BY DIANE BENGAL. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT. THAT APPEARS TO BE UNANIMOUS. ANYONE OPPOSED? I DON'T HEAR IT. SO WE'LL CALL THAT ONE APPROVED. THANK YOU. I DO SEE ONE PUBLIC . YES, MS. JOSEPH [III. Public Comment (Part 2 of 2)] IS HERE. SORRY. MR. BOWMAN, LET'S GET OUR, OUR PUBLIC SPEAKER TAKEN CARE OF AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM. WELCOME TO OIA. YOU SIGNED UP ON I THINK, TWO ITEMS, SO YOU WANTED FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK? SURE. MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU. MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS. I'M ZENOBIA JOSEPH. I ONLY HAVE THREE SLIDES, SO SHE'S PULLING THEM UP. I I TRIED TO SEND THEM ON TIME, BUT I DIDN'T PUT THE ATTACHMENT AND THANK YOU. I, UH, WANTED TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO CONSENT AGENDA ITEM THREE. I KNOW YOU PASSED IT, IT'S SPECIFICALLY TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT. I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THERE'S LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT TRANSIT DEPENDENT RIDERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT ITEM, BUT LATER ON WHEN YOU'RE PASSING THE RESOLUTION, IT TALKS ABOUT RIDERSHIP. AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE RIDERSHIP LANGUAGE IS A FALSEHOOD. AND SPECIFICALLY MY COMMENTS AS THEY ALWAYS ARE IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN. I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT I SAW THIS MORNING AT REPUBLIC SQUARE, AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE WHITE TRANSIT, UM, ARE NOT GONNA GET OUT OF THEIR CARS TO SEE, UH, THE POVERTY UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. YOU CAN SEE THE PEOPLE SLEEPING ON THE BENCHES, SLEEPING ON THE GROUND, AND YOU DON'T SEE WHITE PEOPLE IN SUITS THERE. NEXT SLIDE. I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE SPECIFICALLY THE LANGUAGE THAT'S IN YOUR BOARD PACKET FOR ITEM TWO. IT'S ABOUT YOUR FAIR EQUITY ANALYSIS. AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT WHILE IT SAYS A DOLLAR AND 25 CENTS, IT IS REALLY COSTING PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE LEAST AMOUNT THE MOST. AND SO I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE, AND YOU CAN'T SEE IT BECAUSE OF THE PANEL THAT'S THERE, THE VIRTUAL MEMBERS, UM, BUT YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S NO TRASH CAN THERE. CHEETO VELA, I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE FOR THE FIVE STOPS ON 3 25 ON THE SOUTHBOUND SIDE LOOK LIKE THIS, THE TRASH CANS ARE REMOVED AND THE TRASH IS ON THE GROUND. THE SAME AT GEORGIAN OVER AT THE RIGHT WHERE BARRINGTON ELEMENTARY IS BEING REPURPOSED. IT'S ALSO THE SAME ON THE OTHER SIDE OF GEORGIAN, AND I SHOWED YOU A PICTURE OF THE BENCH. THAT'S THE OLD GRAY BENCH AND THE TRASH CANS REMOVED. YOU CAN ALSO SEE A REMOVAL AT NORTH LAMAR AT OAKS, AT NORTH LAMAR. THERE IS NO, UH, REGIONAL MOBILITY. AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT IT WAS THE 2014 NORTH CORRIDOR PROJECT CONNECT LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE THAT SAID THAT 58% OF THE JOBS WOULD BE IN THE NORTH CORRIDOR, AND IT WAS IN 2021 WHEN CAMPBELL DESIGNATED PALMER LANE AS ONE OF THE REGIONALLY SIGNIFICANT CORRIDORS. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS THE 3 25. AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE NO TRASH CAN, BUT THEY ACTUALLY CLEAN THIS AREA. THEY CLEAN IT ON THE GROUND, THEY PICK IT UP WITH THE LITTLE CLAMPS NOW, BUT THERE IS NO TRASH CAN. SO I RESPECTFULLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO IS THE RACIST STAFF MEMBER WHO CONTINUES TO REMOVE THE TRASH CANS NORTHEAST OF US. 180 3. IT IS THE SAME ON ROUTE 3 92. IT IS THE SAME ON 2 43 AT THE HEB FM 18 18 25. I WANT YOU TO SEE THIS MAN ON THE LEFT, AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO PLEASE BE SENSITIVE AND STOP MAKING THESE ANNOUNCEMENTS TELLING PEOPLE THEY CAN ONLY TAKE OUT ONE SEAT WHEN YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY WITH YOU. IT IS HARD TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN FLIP THE SEAT AND TAKE UP THE FRONT PART OF THE BUS. I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THE LADY WITH HER BABY IN A STROLLER TAKES UP THE SAME AMOUNT OF SPACE. [00:35:01] A PERSON WITH THEIR SCOOTER TAKES UP THE SAME AMOUNT OF SPACE. SO IF YOU'RE TARGETING PEOPLE WHO ARE UNHOUSED, YOU NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S A SYSTEMIC ISSUE. AND I HAVE SHOWN YOU PICTURES OF WHEN YOU USED TO HAVE THE RACKS ON THE 1 0 1, UH, THE 100 FLYER THAT WOULD GO TO THE AIRPORT. AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE IF YOU HAD SOME TYPE OF SERVICE WHERE YOU HAD THE RACKS, THEN THE DRIVER COULD TELL THEM TO CATCH THE NEXT BUS WITH THE RACKS. THOSE ARE ALL OF MY SLIDES. I JUST WANNA SPEAK TO THE PROPAGANDA THAT YOU HAVE OUT ON THE BUSES AS IT RELATES TO THESE PROPOSED CHANGES. YOU CAN TAKE THE SLIDES DOWN. I'M DONE. I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE SPECIFICALLY IT HAS RIDERSHIP. AGAIN, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIDERSHIP AND COVERAGE. AS YOU ARE WELL AWARE. JULY 25TH, 2016, JARED WALKER TOLD YOU THAT RIDERSHIP IS THINKING LIKE A BUSINESS AND COVERAGE IS WHEN YOU PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF SERVICE TO EVERYONE. YOU GOT THAT INFORMATION ON FEBRUARY 10TH, 2016 AS WELL. AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS IT RELATES TO THESE FAIR CHANGES, ACL YOU GIVE THEM FREE SERVICE TO THE SOCCER GAME AND THEN YOU ADVERTISE WITH OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS. SO I AM REALLY IN OPPOSITION TO YOUR, UH, YOUR INVESTMENT POLICY BECAUSE ALL IT TALKS ABOUT IS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT. IT DOES NOT MAKE MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT EVERYONE SHOPPING IN THE STORE, PAYING THE SALES TAX. AND SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS AGENCY, BUT YOU HAVE CATERED TO THE WHITE CHOICE WRITERS 5,000 SURVEYS YOU HAD IN 2016, AND THE MAJORITY WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE WHITE MILLENNIALS. AND I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE NORTH LAMAR ON PAGE 2 0 9 IN YOUR BOARD PACKET 1 98 AS WELL, THREE PEOPLE. THAT'S ALL YOU SURVEYED AT OAKS OF NORTH LAMAR. UNBELIEVABLE. OUT OF 3,655 SURVEYS OR WHATEVER INFORMATION YOU GAVE TO THE PUBLIC, YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT PEOPLE OF COLOR OR BLACK PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THAT THE COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC HEARING ARE IN THE, IN THE BOARD PACKET ON PAGE 2 0 9. OKAY? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. CERTAINLY THAT WILL TAKE US TO THE NEXT ITEM. AND I JUST WANTED TO BRING EVERYONE'S ATTENTION TO THE NUMBERING ERROR. IT GOES 1, 2, 3 THAT WE'VE ALREADY APPROVED, AND NOW WE'RE ON FIVE AND SIX, SO THERE IS NO FOUR. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS, UH, CLEAR WHAT IT WAS THAT WE WERE WORKING ON. THIS ONE [VII.5. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to finalize and execute an Interlocal Agreement with the Austin Transit Partnership for ATP to provide funding for CapMetro design support services for Austin Light Rail for an initial term of two years ending September 30, 2028, with up to two one-year renewal terms.] IS THE APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HER DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE, EXECUTE AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP FOR A TP TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR CAP METRO DESIGN SUPPORT SERVICES FOR AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL FOR AN INITIAL TERM OF TWO YEARS ENDING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2028, WITH UP TO TWO ONE YEAR RENEWAL TERMS. AND WE HAVE BRAD BOWMAN TO ADDRESS US. UM, WELCOME. THANK YOU, UH, CHAIR ELLIS, BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF WATKINS. UH, I'M BRAD BOWMAN, CHIEF COUNSEL, AND I'M PRESENTING THIS ITEM. THIS IS A, UH, INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP TO PROVIDE SOME NEEDED FUNDING FOR CAP METRO'S SUPPORT ROLE IN THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR, UH, FOR LIGHT RAIL. AND, UH, IT DOES THIS IN TWO WAYS. UH, THERE ARE, THERE'S STAFF AUGMENTATION FUNDING FOR, FOR THAT THROUGH ATP'S DELIVERY PARTNER ACOM. SO THERE ARE CONSULTANT RESOURCES THAT CAP METRO CAN DRAW ON, UH, TO HELP IN THIS, UH, DESIGN WORK. AND, UH, SECONDLY, THERE'S REIMBURSEMENT FOR TWO STAFF POSITIONS, TWO NEW STAFF POSITIONS AT CAP METRO, A UH, UH, SENIOR LEADERSHIP POSITION AND A FACILITATOR POSITION TO HELP COORDINATE ALL OF THESE, UH, DESIGN ACTIVITIES THAT CAP METRO IS, IS, UH, PROVIDING ASSISTANCE WITH. UH, THIS IS FOR A TWO YEAR INITIAL TERM. AND THEN THERE ARE TWO ONE YEAR OPTIONS, UH, THEREAFTER. AND THE, AS AS, UH, UH, CHAIR TVI NOTED THE A TP BOARD APPROVED THIS ITEM, UH, AT THEIR MEETING, UH, LAST WEEK. AND I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS? IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT WE DO. SO WITH THAT, WE'LL TAKE A MOTION. SO MOVED ALL MOVED BY CHAIR PAVILION. SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER BENGAL. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AND I'VE GOT REMOTE PARTICIPANTS VOTING IN FAVOR. ANYONE OPPOSED? IT DOES NOT APPEAR SO, SO WE WILL CONSIDER THAT TO BE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED. THE NEXT ITEM [VII.6. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or her designee, to finalize and execute an amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with Austin Transit Partnership for Capital Reimbursement of the Expo Center and Pleasant Valley Rapid Projects for the Project Connect System Plan, extending the term of the Agreement through March 31, 2027.] IS NUMBER SIX, APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HER DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE AN AMENDMENT TO THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP FOR CAPITAL REIMBURSEMENT OF THE EXPO CENTER AND PLEASANT VALLEY RAPID PROJECTS FOR THE PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM. PLAN EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT THROUGH MARCH 31ST, 2027. AND AGAIN, WE HAVE BRAD BOWMAN TO ADDRESS US. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, THIS, UH, AMENDMENT, UH, SIMPLY EXTENDS THE TERM OF THIS EXISTING ILA, UH, TO MARCH 31ST. [00:40:01] AS YOU KNOW, UH, THESE PROJECTS, THESE METRO RAPID LINES ARE FULLY OPERATIONAL NOW. THERE ARE STILL SOME WRAP UP ACTIVITIES HAPPENING AND SOME ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS, INCLUDING CLOSE OUT OF THE GRANT, WHICH WE ANTICIPATE THE FEDERAL GRANT FOR THIS PROJECT, WHICH WE ANTICIPATE IN MARCH OF 2027. SO THIS TAKES THIS, UH, AGREEMENT AND EXTENDS IT, UH, OUT TO THAT, UH, TIMEFRAME. AND I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. SOUNDS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS? IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT WE DO, DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ONE? OH, ALRIGHT, SO MOVE MOVED BY CHAIR ILION. SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER VELA. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT. APPEARS UNANIMOUS. UM, ANYONE OPPOSED? SILENCE. ALRIGHT, WE WILL CONSIDER ITEM NUMBER SIX TO BE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE ACTION ITEMS FOR THE DAY. OUR ONLY ITEM REMAINING [VIII.1. President & CEO Monthly Update - September 2026.] IS GONNA BE THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, WELL, CHEYENNE GETS US, US PULLED UP AND BEFORE I DIVE INTO MY MONTHLY UP MY NORMAL MONTHLY UPDATES, I DO WANNA TAKE A QUICK MOMENT TO STOP AND SAY THANK YOU TO THIS BOARD FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT ON THE TOPICS WE, UM, UNCOVERED TODAY. UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, THE BUDGET IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY BIG DEAL FOR US. WE NEED IT TO OPERATE THE FAIR INCREASE, UM, HAS BEEN SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN CONTEMPLATING THE NEED FOR FOR A LONG TIME. UM, AS WELL AS A SET OF SERVICE CHANGES THAT ARE REALLY ALL FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT WE AS AN ORGANIZATION ARE PREPARED TO HEAR, TO ADDRESS THE THINGS THAT WE, WE CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM OUR COMMUNITY AND FROM THIS BOARD. UM, IT IS NOT ON ACCIDENT THAT OUR VERY FIRST CRITICAL RESULT IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS RELIABLE AND SECURE SERVICE. UM, AND LOOKING AT THE RELIABILITY AND SECURITY OF OUR SERVICES, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO. UM, AND I AM AM CONFIDENT THAT WE HAVE, UM, GOOD PLANS TO CONTINUE ATTACKING, UM, HOW WE CAN MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN THOSE AREAS. UM, AND ALL THREE OF THOSE BIG ITEMS THAT Y'ALL APPROVE TODAY WILL HELP US GET THERE. SO I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE GIVEN US VERY FREELY OF YOUR TIME FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS, PARTICULARLY ON THE FEAR INCREASE ITEM. THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE JUST CAME UP WITH ON OUR OWN. UM, YOU GUYS ALL GAVE US A LOT OF, UM, INPUT INTO THAT. AND SO WE REALLY ARE APPRECIATIVE OF OF THAT EFFORT. UM, WE TAKE SERIOUSLY THE FEEDBACK WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITY THAT IF WE'RE GONNA RAISE THE PRICE, THEY EXPECT US TO GET A GOOD PRODUCT. UM, AND WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE, UM, FOCUSING ON THOSE THINGS. UM, WE'LL BE BACK, UM, IN THE COMING MONTHS TO SHARE, UM, DETAILS OF OUR MOST RECENT CUSTOMER ENG ENGAGE EXPERIENCE, UM, SURVEY SO THAT WE CAN SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD AS WELL. UM, AND THEN I ALSO WANT TO, BEFORE I, I GIVE THE STANDARD PRESIDENT'S REPORT, GIVE AN ENORMOUS THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE CAT METRO STAFF. UM, IT IS A HEAVY LIFT TO PUT A BUDGET TOGETHER. IT'S A HEAVY LIFT TO DO A FAIR INCREASE. IT'S A HEAVY LIFT TO DO A SERVICE CHANGE AND TO DO ALL THREE OF THOSE AT THE SAME TIME. AND ALL OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING HONEST AND TRUTHFUL AND, AND AND ACTUAL ENGAGED FEEDBACK FROM OUR COMMUNITY IS A HEAVY LIFT. SO, UM, MANY THANK YOU TO, I WON'T TRY AND NAME NAMES 'CAUSE I WILL LEAVE SOME OUT, BUT TO ALL OF THE CATME STAFF THAT HELPED GET US TO THAT POINT, UM, WE ARE WELL POSITIONED TO START A NEW FISCAL YEAR LATER THIS WEEK. UM, SO WITH THAT, I WILL START OUR STANDARD PRESIDENT'S REPORT. UM, FIRST UP WITH CAT METRO IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO, TO START BY HIGHLIGHTING THE WONDERFUL WORK OF OUR SYSTEM-WIDE ACCESSIBILITY TEAM. UM, THEY WERE JOINED BY AN ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY SPECIALIST AND CURRENT STUDENT FROM THE CHRIS COLE REHABILITATION CENTER FOR SOME HANDS-ON WAY FINDING. UM, WE ARE, WE CONTINUE TESTING TWO DIFFERENT, UM, WAY FINDING TECHNOLOGIES, BOTH NANDS AND WAY MAP. UM, WHILE WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE KIND OF BEST WAY TO HELP PROVIDE WAY FINDING SUPPORT TO PEOPLE, UM, WITH DISABILITIES, UM, VARIOUS, NOT, NOT EXCLUSIVELY FOR, BUT UM, TARGETED TOWARD PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS, UM, AND HELPING THEM NAVIGATE TO HOW TO EXACTLY, UM, WORK THEIR WAY THROUGH OUR SYSTEM. UM, SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THOSE, UM, PARTNERSHIPS. WE ALSO SEE HIM, THEM HERE AT THE, UM, COALITION OF TEXAS DISABILITY CINEMA, UM, TOUCHING DISABILITY 2026 FILM FESTIVAL. WE WERE PROUD TO, UM, HELP SPONSOR THAT EVENT AND TO SUPPORT, UM, MANY OF THE LONGTIME ADVOCATES, UM, FOR DISABILITIES AND USERS OF OUR SYSTEM, UM, AT THAT EVENT. UM, NEXT UP LAST WEEK WAS, UM, OPERATION LIFESAVERS C TRACKS THINK TRAIN WEEK. UM, AND AS TYPICAL, WE, UM, PARTICIPATED IN THAT, UM, WITH A, A NATIONAL, UM, WE JOINED THAT NATIONAL EFFORT WITH, UM, A PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN. UM, SOME GREAT PICTURES OF OUR STAFF OUT AT A VARIETY OF OUR RAIL STATIONS, UM, INCLUDING OUR, UM, NEWEST CUTEST FAN UP THERE ON THE TOP RIGHT. UM, A FAMILY WHO ACTUALLY JUST RELOCATED TO THE AREA, UM, AND USED THE RED LINE, UM, FOR, UH, DAD TO COMMUTE TO WORK. SO, [00:45:01] UM, IT, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE REMIND, UM, EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY OF THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSIDERING RAIL SAFETY, KNOWING WHAT TO DO IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF, UM, STUCK ON A RAILROAD TRACK. UM, QUICK NOTE, CALL 9 1 1, LOOK FOR THE BLUE SIGN ON THE RAILROAD CROSSING. THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THERE. UM, AND WE'RE, UM, THRILLED TO HAVE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, ON THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY EDUCATION TOPIC. UM, ALSO EARLIER THIS MONTH, UM, I ATTENDED AS DID A NUMBER OF OUR STAFF, THE MOVABILITY SUMMIT. UM, MOVABILITY IS THE TRANSPORTATION, UM, DEMAND MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION FOR THE REGION. THEY REALLY HELP, UM, BUSINESSES PRIMARILY HELP THINK ABOUT WAYS THAT THEY CAN, UM, ENCOURAGE THEIR, THEIR WORKERS TO GET TO WORK, UM, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO BE ABLE TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO USE, UM, ALTERNATIVE MOTIVES OTHER THAN JUST DRIVING ALONE. UM, THERE WERE 12 CAP METRO TEAM MEMBERS THAT THAT JOINED US AT THAT EVENT TO EXCHANGE IDEAS WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS. UM, THIS PHOTO IS ACTUALLY FROM A GREAT SESSION THAT TALKED ABOUT, UM, OUR ONGOING, UM, DESIRE TO IMPROVE OUR MEGA REGION TRANSPORTATION. THAT'S, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, JUDGE ANDY BROWN AND TRANSIT FORDS ISCA, UM, GANGLY TALKING ABOUT, UM, THAT CONNECTION. UM, WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY COME BACK WITH, I, UM, ENERGIZED WITH IDEAS ABOUT HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO ENGAGE ON A BROADER LEVEL. SO WE'RE VERY THRILLED, UM, TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS YEAR'S MOVABILITY SUMMIT. UM, OUR CUSTOMER CARE NUMBERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST, UM, AUGUST CONTACT VOLUME WAS, UH, DRIVEN BY A REAL SET OF CHANGES FOR OUR RIDER, INCLUDING THE AUGUST SERVICE CHANGE, WHICH IS ALWAYS, UM, GETS A LOT OF ATTENTION AS WELL AS THE RESTART OF OUR BIKE SHARE PROGRAM. YOU'LL RECALL THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST, WE WERE ABLE TO START PUTTING THE BIKES, UM, OUT THERE AS WELL. UM, WITH AUGUST COMES ALL MANNER OF EVENTS, THINGS FROM THE PRIDE PARADE TO AUSTIN FC GAMES, UM, TO THE START OF TEXAS LONGHORNS FOOTBALL SEASON. AND SO REALLY ANSWERING ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT, WELL, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? WHERE'S THE, YOU KNOW, WHERE'S THE BUS GONNA GO AND ALL OF THAT. UM, SO OUR CALL VOLUME CONTINUES, UM, UH, TO BE UP, BUT WE CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE CALLS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME. UM, WE'RE, UM, QUITE PLEASED WITH THE WORK OF OUR CUSTOMER CARE, UM, CENTER THERE. UM, IN TERMS OF CAT METRO AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS, I HAVE A FEW THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT. UM, STARTING THERE WITH A PICTURE ON THE LEFT, UM, THE, UM, RECENTLY, UM, ULI AUSTIN, UM, AWARDED THE REDLINE PARKWAY, UM, THEIR 2026 NEXT BIG IDEA AWARD. AND THE REDLINE PARKWAY IS A NONPROFIT, UM, THAT WORKS TO HELP, UM, RAISE SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT FOR PUTTING, UM, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN TRAILS, UM, ALONG THE CAT, MITCHELL RED LINE, UM, AND PICTURED IN THERE ALONGSIDE TOM WALL. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THAT ORGANIZATION IS OUR OWN JORDAN MCGEE, UM, WHO YOU HEARD FROM EARLIER. UM, WE HAVE WORKED HAND IN, IN GLOVE WITH THE RED LINE PARKWAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S AVAILABLE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY, UM, TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT, UM, AND ARE THRILLED TO RECOGNIZE THAT OTHER, UM, PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THINGS OF LAND USE ALSO SEE THE VALUE IN INVESTING ALONG OUR RED LINE. UM, I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF HIM, BUT I WANTED TO CALL OUT THAT CARLOS BALDERAS, WHO RUNS OUR SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS, UM, ON OUR PROCUREMENT TEAM RECENTLY COMPLETED THE LATINOS AND TRANSIT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. UM, GREAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR CARLOS TO DEVELOP HIS OWN, UM, SKILLS FOR THE BENEFIT OF US ALL. UM, BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO CARLOS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROGRAM, UM, AND COMPLETING THAT AS WELL. UM, AND THEN LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST ON THE FAR RIGHT THERE, TAMMY QUINN, WHO, UM, AMONGST MANY OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED, IS OVERSEES OUR VAN POOL PROGRAM. UM, WAS RECENTLY, UM, ELECTED AS AN AT LARGE DIRECTOR FOR THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION BOARD. UM, SHE, IN ADDITION TO LEADING OUR VAN POOL PROGRAM, HAS ACTUALLY LED THE, UM, AREA, UM, ACT, UM, CHAPTER FOR A LONG TIME, UM, AND WILL NOW SERVE, UM, IN THE UPCOMING YEAR ON THE NATIONAL BOARD. AND SO WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HER, UM, FOR HER GREAT WORK, NOT JUST IN OUR, AT AT IN OUR ORGANIZATION, BUT IN THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE. UM, AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, JUST A FEW OF THE PLACES I'VE BEEN. IT FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE IN THE LAST MONTH. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF OF GREAT FUN. UM, SO I'LL START ACTUALLY THERE. UH, I'LL START ON THE BOTTOM LEFT. UM, IN THAT PICTURE OF FOUR LOVELY GENTLEMEN THAT I AM NOT IN, THAT WAS ACTUALLY FROM THE GREATER AUSTIN CHAMBERS, UM, VOICES OF OUR REGION, UM, WHICH FEATURED AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYORS OF, OF MAYNARD CEDAR PARK, UH, BASTROP AND ROUND ROCK. UM, WE, I WAS QUITE THRILLED TO BE AT THAT LUNCHEON AND HEAR MAYOR CHRIS HARVEY FROM MAYNARD TALK ABOUT, UM, HOW THE CITY OF SOME OF WHAT THE CITY OF MAYNARD IS UP AGAINST. AND A THANKS FOR, UM, KA METRO'S, UM, BUILD CENTRAL TEXAS PROGRAM, HELPING THEM FUND SOME OF THE ROAD [00:50:01] STUDIES THAT ARE NECESSARY, UM, FOR THEM TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THEIR REGION FORWARD. SO, UM, THAT WAS FUN TO SEE. UM, ON THE ABOVE THAT YOU'LL SEE A PICTURE ACTUALLY THAT'S FROM, UM, UL I'S AUSTIN WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE. THEY HAVE A LUNCHEON WITH LEADERS SERIES. UM, I WAS HONORED TO SHARE MY JOURNEY, UM, AT CAT METRO FROM DRIVING A CAT METRO BUS TO BECOMING CEO, UM, WITH THAT GROUP OF, OF WOMEN LEADERS, UM, AND HELPING ENCOURAGE OTHERS, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, FOLLOW THEIR AUTHENTIC VOICE AND, AND TAKE A GREAT PATH. UM, I WAS ALSO, I DIDN'T GET A GOOD PHOTO OF IT. THRILLED ALSO THIS MONTH TO PRESENT TO THE REAL ESTATE COUNCIL OF AUSTIN'S, UM, YOUNG LEADERSHIP GROUP AS WELL, UM, ABOUT ALL THINGS GOING ON AT CAP METRO AND ALL OF THE AMAZING WAYS THAT THE, UM, FOLKS WHO CARE ABOUT REAL ESTATE SHOULD CARE ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSIT. UM, AND THEN THE LAST PICTURE THERE IS ACTUALLY FROM THE VISIT AUSTIN ANNUAL MEETING, UM, THE PULSE OF AUSTIN, UM, TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE AMAZING WORK, UM, GOING ON, UH, TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT CONVENTIONS CONTINUE TO HAPPEN IN AUSTIN EVEN WITHOUT, UM, THE CONVENTION CENTER. UM, THEIR DIRECTOR, UM, KATIE Z MESNICK, WHICH YOU SEE THERE ON THE, IN THAT PICTURE, UM, SHARED A MAJOR MILESTONE THAT THE FIRST VERTICAL STEEL HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON THE NEW AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, AND IT REMAINS ON TRACK TO OPEN, UM, IN 2029. AND SO WE'RE, UM, FALLING THAT AS WELL. UM, THERE'S A LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS THAT WE DID NOT TAKE PICTURES OF. I WAS THRILLED TO JOIN TECH, UH, TDOT LAST WEEK AT THE, UM, RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE OAK WILL OAK HILL PARKWAY PROJECT. UM, THAT, UM, UH, ROADWAY PROJECT IS AN IMPORTANT, UM, CONNECTIVITY TO THAT REGION, UM, AND INCLUDES A LOT OF AMAZING AND IMPROVED SIDEWALK INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO BETTER PROVIDE TRANSIT SERVICE OUT IN THAT PART OF TOWN. UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, ATTENDED THE CENTRAL TEXAS ALLIANCE LAUNCH EVENT, UM, WHICH IS A GROUP OF, UH, LOCAL AND CIVIC LEADERS FROM THE AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO MEGA REGION TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, HOW WE ALL THINK ABOUT THE NEED TO WORK BETTER TOGETHER, UM, AS OUR COLLECTIVE COMMUNITIES GROW INTO A REAL MEGA REGION OF, UM, NONSTOP POPULATION. UM, SO IT'S BEEN A VERY BUSY MONTH. WE HAVE BEEN IN BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, AND, UM, IT HAS NOT BEEN, UM, IT HAS BEEN NOTICED. UM, BEFORE I CLOSE, I DO WANNA A QUICK CALL OUT AND REMINDER IN CASE YOU HAD NOT HEARD, UM, THAT THE WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING ACTUALLY, UM, RUNS, UM, STARTING OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH OCTOBER 8TH WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING IS A NATIONAL CHALLENGE. ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT SPENDING A WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. ROUGHLY 30% OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION DOES NOT DRIVE FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. AND SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO TRY AND REPLACE A TRIP THAT YOU MIGHT NORMALLY DRIVE, UM, WITH ANOTHER MODE, WHETHER THAT'S TAKING A MEETING REMOTELY OR WALKING TO THE MEETING OR BIKING, TAKING TRANSIT WOULD BE A LOVELY OPTION. UM, AND AT THE VERY LEAST, IF, IF, UM, THAT YOU, THAT YOU TAKE SOME TIME IN THE COMING WEEK TO THINK ABOUT, UM, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE CAN DO AS A COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE THIRD OF FOLKS, UM, AMONGST US, UM, THAT DON'T DRIVE, UM, THE WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING IS A FUN EVENT AND WE'RE HAPPY TO BE, UM, ONE OF THE MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS HELPING TO PROMOTE IT THIS YEAR. UM, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESIDENT'S REPORT. THANK YOU. THAT'S WONDERFUL. SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN VERY BUSY, AS HAS THE STAFF FOR CAP METRO. UM, AND I ALSO REALLY APPRECIATE THE PLUG FOR WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY TRY NOT TO SAY EVERYONE SHOULD GIVE UP EVERY MODE, BUT THAT PEOPLE SHOULD TRY NEW THINGS AND THEY SHOULD THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND REALLY ENGAGE WITH THEIR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. SO THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. ARE THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT ANYONE NEEDS TO BRING UP OR ADDRESS AT THE MOMENT? I THINK WE'VE REACHED THE END OF OUR AGENDA. ALL RIGHT, THIS WILL CONCLUDE THE SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING. THE TIME IS NOW 12:57 PM THANKS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.