* 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.
          [00:00:04]
          OKAY, WE'LL JUMP IN. 
          [CALL TO ORDER]
UM, COMMISSIONER LUHAN WILL BE HERE ONE SECOND, BUT OTHERWISE WE HAVE QUORUM. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. 
          UM, WE'LL CALL IT TO ORDER AT 2:40 ON THIS 4TH OF NOVEMBER. 
          UM, AND WE'LL START, I THINK THAT THE MESSAGE IS THAT THERE'S NO, NO REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS, BUT DOES ANYBODY HAVE A REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS? HEARING NONE SEEING NONE, WE'LL CONTINUE. 
          UM, 
          [APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
AGENDA ITEM TWO, OR OTHER AGENDA ITEM ONE IS THE, UH, APPROVAL OF OUR PRIOR MINUTES. 
          AND, UM, HAVE, HAVE COMMISSIONERS HAD A CHANCE TO GLANCE AT PRIOR MINUTES? ARE THERE ANY SUGGESTED CORRECTIONS OR AMENDMENTS, IMPROVEMENTS? HEARING NONE, I'LL INVITE US TO, UM, A MOTION TO APPROVE PRIOR MINUTES. 
          MAY I GET A MOTION? I'LL MOVE THE MOTION. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          LET ME FOR - UH, APOLOGIZE PROFOUNDLY. 
          HANAN ALWIN IS OUR NEW, UM, ONE OF OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS, AND I APOLOGIZE I DIDN'T FIRST AND FOREMOST SAY HELLO TO YOU TODAY, SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THAT. 
          AND, UM, WELCOME TO THE COMMISSION. 
          UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU AND, AND, UM, APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE ON THIS JOURNEY THAT WE'RE ALL ON TO, UM, UM, DO WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN VIA THE COMMISSION HERE. 
          UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF OR GIVE US AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND OR TELL US WHAT YOUR INTERESTS ARE? I KNOW WE HAVE MANY MEETINGS TO LEARN MUCH MORE, BUT INVITE YOU TO MAKE A COMMENT NOW IF YOU'D LIKE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          UH, MY NAME IS HANAN. 
          UM, LET ME KNOW IF YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME OKAY TOO. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, AWESOME. 
          MY NAME IS HANAN. 
          UM, I'M A BORN AND RAISED AUSTINITE, SO VERY HAPPY. 
          UM, THIS MISSION IS LIKE MEANS BEYOND, UH, WORDS FOR ME. 
          UM, I CURRENTLY AM A STATE EMPLOYEE WITH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. 
          I HAVE A MASTER'S IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND I ALSO STUDIED PUBLIC HEALTH IN MY UNDERGRAD. 
          SO THIS IS MY CAREER. 
          UM, I'M A DAUGHTER OF ETHIOPIAN IMMIGRANTS. 
          SO, UM, I'M PART OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES HERE IN AUSTIN AND I'M EXCITED TO SERVE AND WORK ALONGSIDE Y'ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU AND YOUR, YOUR INPUT AND YOUR PARTICIPATION. 
          SO WELCOME AGAIN AND WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE'LL GO ON TO, 
          [2. Presentation from Dr. Katherine Brown regarding the potential public health impacts of the proposed Dogs Head Development]
UM, REALLY DISCUSSION ITEMS NOW, I GUESS. 
          AND THE FIRST THING IS WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR DR. 
          CATHERINE BROWN TO, UM, TALK TO US ABOUT THE DOG'S HEAD DEVELOPMENT. 
          SO, UM, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. 
          THE GREEN BUTTON IS THE KEY TO TALKING AND, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION. 
          I WAS ASKED PRIOR TO, UM, THE START OF THIS MEETING TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF MY BACKGROUND. 
          SO, UM, I WILL FIRST SAY THAT I AM SPEAKING NOT IN MY PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY, BUT, UM, AS A, UM, AS A LONG TIME, UM, AUSTIN RESIDENT WHOSE FAMILY HAS LIVED NEXT TO THE DOG'S HEAD FOR OVER 30 YEARS. 
          I AM FROM EAST AUSTIN ORIGINALLY. 
          UM, WAS RAISED THERE BACK IN THE '60S AND '70S. 
          UM, ENDED UP AT UT EVENTUALLY STUDYING CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, AND THEN BECAME AN, UM, MOVED OVER, WON A SCHOLARSHIP TO DO MY PHD IN THE UK. 
          UM, BUT I HAD IN PHYSICS, BUT I'VE WORKED AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES MOST OF MY LIFE, PRIMARILY IN THE AREA OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 
          SO A LOT OF MY ACADEMIC RESEARCH HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS, DIAGNOSTICS, THERAPEUTICS AND VACCINES FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 
          I'VE WORKED WITH BOTH THE US AND UK MILITARY AND BEEN VERY ENGAGED WITH MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF HEALTH PROVIDERS AS WELL AS INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT MY LONG CAREER. 
          I'M IN MY EARLY 60S NOW, AND I THINK IT'S SPANNING MORE THAN 35 YEARS I'VE WORKED IN THIS FIELD. 
          UM, SO IN THE CONTEXT OF MY CURRENT EXPERTISE, UM, UH, I ALSO AM INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF MORE RECENT PROJECTS INVOLVING ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND DISEASE MODELING, SOME OF IT, UM, EXPANDING TO USING NOVEL AI TECHNIQUES, UM, BUT TO INTEGRATE THESE DIFFERENT MODELS TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THE EMERGENCE OF, UM, INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 
          I HAVE A SPECIALTY IN, UM, TROPICAL DISEASES. 
          I'VE SPENT A LOT OF MY TIME LOOKING IN THE TROPICS, PRIMARILY DISEASES THAT ARE DRIVEN BY SOIL, WATER, AND INSECTS. 
          AND THIS HAS A LITTLE BIT OF RELEVANCE IN WHAT I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT 
          [00:05:01]
TODAY. 
          UM, BUT, UM, AS I SAID, I AM NOT REPRESENTING MY PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY. 
          I WILL RUN TWO LABS, ONE HERE AT UT AUSTIN AND ONE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE IN THE UK. 
          SO, UM, I DID A PRESENTATION FOR CITY OF AUSTIN ON DOGSHEAD. 
          I AM ALSO WELL KNOWN TO THE, UM, CITY COUNCIL. 
          I THINK I PRESENTED MORE THAN 12 TIMES IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL ON DOGSHEAD, RAISING ISSUES PRIMARILY RELATED TO, UM, HEALTH ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN, UM, UNDERSTUDIED AND, UM, PROBABLY IN NEED OF SOME ASSESSMENT AS THIS DEVELOPMENT, UM, PROGRESSES. 
          UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN IN, IN FRONT OF THE, UM, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, I THINK AT LEAST THREE TIMES NOW, AS WELL AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S BY CHANCE MY, MY EXPERTISE IN SOME AREAS OVERLAPS WITH, UM, MY CONCERNS AS A, UM, AUSTIN RESIDENT AND MY FAMILY'S LONG, LONG HISTORY OF LIVING OUT IN THE DOG'S HEAD OR NEXT TO THE DOG'S HEAD. 
          SO THE, THE QUESTIONS THAT, UM, I, I'M, I WILL BE AS, UM, CANDID AS I CAN ABOUT WHAT I KNOW AND AS, UM, TRANSPARENT AND CRITICAL AS I CAN BE ABOUT WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM MANY OF THE DIFFERENT PRESENTATIONS, INCLUDING THAT FROM ENDEAVOR, WHO IS THE, UM, COMPANY THAT'S, THAT'S PRIMARILY DRIVING THE DEVELOPMENT OUT THERE. 
          UM, WHAT I THINK WOULD BE A GOOD INTRODUCTION FOR YOU IS TO START WITH A VIDEO, WHICH WAS, OKAY, SO THIS WAS PREPARED BY SAVE AIR SPRINGS. 
          IT WAS, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT FOR CONCERNS ABOUT DATA CENTERS OUT IN THE DOG'S HEAD. 
          I HAVE MY OWN, UM, OPINION ON DATA CENTERS. 
          IT'S NOT, DOESN'T NECESSARILY ALIGN WITH, WITH, UM, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT, UM, BUT IT, IT REALLY GIVES YOU A GOOD INTRODUCTION IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE AREA. 
          I WILL SAY THAT, UH, YOU'VE PROBABLY DRIVEN BY IT MANY, MANY TIMES. 
          UH, AS YOU, AS YOU HEAD TOWARDS THE AIRPORT WHEN YOU DRIVE ACROSS THE 183 BRIDGE, ON THE RIVERSIDE IS WHERE YOU WOULD FIND KIND OF THE NECK OF THE DOG'S HEAD AS YOU LOOK TOWARDS THE RIVER AND YOU FOLLOW IT ALONG AND THEN YOU COME TO THIS LARGE PIECE OF LAND OVER 2,600 ACRES, UM, WHICH IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SIZE OF DOWNTOWN THAT IS GOING TO BE DEVELOPED. 
          SOME PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT AS THE SECOND DOWNTOWN. 
          UM, AND, UM, WELL, LET'S SEE THE VIDEO AND THEN I WILL GO FROM THERE. 
          THE RIVER IS WHAT DREW US HERE, IS WHAT IS THE REASON WHY WE RELOCATED HERE. 
          IT'S THE MOST EXCITING, SATISFYING PLACE I'VE EVER LIVED IN MY LIFE. 
          THIS IS MINE. 
          AND I WOULD RATHER LIVE NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD BUT HERE, NOWHERE. 
          SEEING ALL THE SPECIES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS, SEEING A BOBCAT OR A FOX IN THE BACKYARD, IT'S, IT'S REALLY SPECIAL. 
          IT'S DEFINITELY THE ANIMALS, THE WILDLIFE. 
          UM, JUST TO SEE IT, UM, SO NATURAL AND THE WAY IT WAS INTENDED. 
          JUST TO LIVE QUIET AND PEACEFUL. 
          BEING ABLE TO SEE THE SUNSETS. 
          THIS FEELING OF BEING IN THE MIDST OF NATURE. 
          I THINK IN WEST AUSTIN, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A TWO-YEAR PROCESS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          HERE, WE WERE CONTACTED BY THE DEVELOPER'S LAWYER EIGHT DAYS AFTER THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO DO ALL OF THIS. 
          I MEAN, I DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT IT UNTIL AT THE END. 
          SO WHAT WORRIES ME ABOUT, UM, WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW WITH THE DEVELOPMENT IS JUST THE, THE ABSENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS, JUST ADDING MORE POLLUTION TO THIS PRISTINE WATER ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. 
          OH, THE DEVELOPMENT? OH MY GOSH. 
          UM, I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST IS THE DISPLACEMENT OF MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBORS. 
          MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR GENERATIONS. 
          YEAH, I THOUGH WE WERE WELL BEYOND LIKE DISPLACING PEOPLE FOR CORPORATE GREED. 
          THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN'S DRAWING SHOWS OUR LITTLE RESIDENTIAL STREET, WHICH IS 30 FEET WIDE, BEING POSSIBLY TURNED INTO A 
          [00:10:01]
2F CORRIDOR, WHICH IS 92 FEET WIDE. 
          WELL, LET'S DO THE MATH. 
          MY HOUSE IS 17 FEET FROM THE CURB. 
          MY HOUSE DOES NOT EXIST IF THEY DO WHAT'S IN THE ASMP. 
          WHEN I STAND ON THE MONTOPOLIS BRIDGE, ON THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, AND I LOOK TOWARDS THE DOWNTOWN SKYLINE, I SEE PROTECTION THERE. 
          I SEE TREES, I SEE HABITATS, I SEE WETLANDS, I SEE PROTECTION. 
          THE FUTURE I WILL HOPE FOR IS THE SAME FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT. 
          IF I COULD HAVE AN AUDIENCE WITH CITY COUNCIL, I WOULD SAY BUILDING CONTROLS, DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS THE CURRENT RESIDENTS THAT ARE ADJACENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT. 
          HOW IS IT BEING HANDLED AS IN TERMS OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY? I THINK THERE'S BEEN AN ABSENCE IN THAT. 
          NO ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT FROM THE CITY, 100% PERVIOUS COVER, UNLIMITED CUT AND FILL, UNLIMITED HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS, UM, NO WILDLIFE REGULATIONS. 
          THEY CAN'T, UH, PROVIDE ANY SPECIFICS ON HOW THEY'RE GONNA PROTECT. 
          THE PROCESS IS TERRIBLE AND IT SETS A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTIN, A PRECEDENT EXCLUDING THE COMMUNITY. 
          WHEN I WENT UP THERE AND SAW THAT YESTERDAY, IT JUST KINDA, YOU KNOW, LOWERED MY SPIRITS TO THINK, "OH MY GOD, THEY COME TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY TAKING WHAT THEY WANT." NOT ONLY HERE THEY UP THERE JUST SCOOPING IT UP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA, AT LEAST YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT BETTER IMPRESSION, AT LEAST OF WHAT THE LAND LOOKS LIKE, WHICH, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WAS, UM, NOT REALLY WELL DESCRIBED BY THE PROPERTY DEVELOPERS AT THE TIME THAT THE, UM, THE, THE, UM, AGREEMENTS WERE MADE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WHICH I WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT. 
          UM, SO, AND INFORMATION, I THINK, ABOUT DOG'S HEAD UP UNTIL QUITE RECENTLY HAS BEEN VERY LIMITED AND ALSO STILL CONTINUES TO BE VERY CONFUSED. 
          SO, UM, SO THIS IS THE LOCATION OF IT. 
          IF YOU LOOK AND SEE, YOU KIND OF SEE THIS SHAPE AROUND IT, UM, WHICH, UM, THREE SIDES ARE BORDERED BY THE COLORADO RIVER, AND THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT IMPERVIOUS COVER AND FLOODING, WHICH I WILL MENTION. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE, LIKE A DOG'S HEAD, THAT'S WHERE THE NAME COMES FROM. 
          UM, MY FAMILY'S HOME IS RIGHT KIND OF AT THE NECK OF THE HEAD, UM, AT THE TOP NECK OF THE HEAD, UM, NEAR THE, UM, NEAR THE CO - AND FACES THE COLORADO RIVER. 
          SO, UM, AS I SAID, THAT'S BEEN MY, IN MY, MY FAMILY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, THREE GENERATIONS OF US HAVE LIVED ON THE PROPERTY SIDE TOO, SO. 
          BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, THE, THE BORDER MAKES A DIFFERENCE HERE AND, UM, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT TOO. 
          SO THIS GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF THE HISTORY. 
          SO IN MAY 2026, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE CHURCH. 
          I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS. 
          UM, IT WAS BASED IN PART FROM STATEMENTS MADE BY THE PROPERTY DEVELOPER, UM, WHO DESCRIBED THE DOG'S HEAD AS BOMBED OUT AND BLIGHTED AND, UM, AND TO JUSTIFY THE NEED FOR PUBLIC TAX SUBSIDIES TO FINANCE INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          NOW, THE STATEMENT DISAGREES WITH, WAS JUST IN DISAGREEMENT WITH A LOT OF THE STATEMENTS BY RESIDENTS WHO ACTUALLY LIVED THERE. 
          I WILL SAY THAT A CERTAIN PROPORTION OF IT HAD BEEN USED FOR MINING AND MINING THE GRAVEL, AND THIS IS ALSO PART OF THE REASON WHY THAT AREA TRADITIONALLY HAS NOT SUFFERED GREATLY IN TERMS OF FLOODING. 
          NOW, UM, WHAT WE DO KNOW ABOUT THE DOG'S HEAD IS THAT THERE'S A SPECIAL AQUIFER THERE THAT EXCHANGES WATER BETWEEN THE COLORADO AND THE LAND UNDERNEATH. 
          THIS WATER IS ALSO THE AQUIFER THAT CAN, THAT FEEDS SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND, UM, DOWNSTREAM TOWARDS BASTROP AS WELL, OBVIOUSLY. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S AN INTERESTING AREA BECAUSE OF THAT GRAVEL, IT MEANT THAT WATER THAT WOULD GO ON THIS LAND WOULD DRAIN VERY EASILY. 
          AND HAVING LIVED THERE, WE HAVEN'T, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CERTAIN AREAS LIKE CARSON CREEK, BUT DOWN BY THE RIVER AREA, WE HAVE NOT BEEN SUBJECT TO INTENSE FLOODING BECAUSE THE AREA'S NOT BEEN COVERED WITH IMPERVIOUS COVER, RIGHT? UM, THERE HAS BEEN A LAWSUIT 
          [00:15:01]
THAT'S BEEN FILED IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, UM, WHICH IS CHALLENGING THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE TERMS THAT CAN BE USED FOR BLIGHTED AREA BECAUSE OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF IT BEING A BLIGHTED AREA. 
          UM, IT ALLEGES THAT THE DEAL FUNCTIONS AS AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL GIFT OF PUBLIC FUNDS TO A PRIVATE ENTITY, AND IT CLAIMS THAT THE CITY HAS UNCONSTITUTIONALLY SIGNED AWAY ITS LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY POWERS BY ALLOWING THE DEVELOPER TO VETO MUNICIPAL ZONING, WATER QUALITY, LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS FOR THE NEXT 45 YEARS. 
          THE, UM, SO THIS AREA AT THE MOMENT DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME, UM, GUARDRAILS THAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY FIND IN ANY OTHER PART OF AUSTIN THAT'S BEEN ANNEXED FROM ALL KINDS OF PERSPECTIVES, INCLUDING, YOU WOULD SAY, ENVIRONMENTAL, ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AS WELL. 
          UH, MANY, MANY ISSUES HERE. 
          UM, DOGSHEAD.COM, UH, IS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT. 
          IT'S BEEN PREPARED BY ENDEAVOR, WHICH I MISSPELLED UNFORTUNATELY, UM, REAL ESTATE GROUP. 
          UM, I WILL SAY THAT I HAVE LOOKED AT IT QUITE THOROUGHLY, AND YOU NEED TO BE VERY AWARE THAT SOME OF THE NUMBERS AND SOME OF THE CALCULATIONS, I WOULD SAY, ARE A BIT DUBIOUS, AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY, UM, LATER, BUT IT LOOKS, IT'S VERY PROFESSIONALLY DONE. 
          IT DOES GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT'S BEING PLANNED OUT THERE UP TO NOW, BUT AS, UM, AS, YOU KNOW, FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, AND I'VE CHALLENGED THEM ON THIS IN PUBLIC, IT'S NOT CLEAR THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S SAID THERE IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S DONE TO ALIGN WITH THE TIERS, RIGHT? TO, TO, TO PUT IT IN, I WOULD SAY, THE WORST STATE POSSIBLE. 
          SO WE'LL GO ON FROM THERE. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF KEY CONCERNS. 
          UM, THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT SET VERY MINIMAL REGULATIONS. 
          IT ORIGINALLY ALLOWED UP TO 100% IMPERVIOUS COVER ON THIS LAND, UM, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN COVERED VERY MUCH IN THE PAST. 
          UM, IT IS 2,600 ACRES, UM, AND THEY HAVE REVISED THIS BACK TO 79% FOR IMPERVIOUS COVER, WHICH LEAVES ABOUT 384 ACRES FOR OPEN SPACE, BUT IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM A TYPICAL, UM, AREA THAT WOULD BE DEVELOPED WITHOUT A RIVER SURROUNDING IT IN THE AREA OF AUSTIN. 
          SO OF COURSE THERE'S WATER AND FLOODPLAIN IMPACT. 
          UM, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS UNDER THE, UM, PURVIEW OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY BEFORE. 
          TRAVIS COUNTY HAS A SETBACK OF 400 FEET, THE CITY 200. 
          SO THIS HAS BEEN REDUCED TO 200, AND IT VARIES IN SOME AREAS. 
          SOME AREAS, IT'S, IT'S LARGER THAN THAT BECAUSE OF ISSUES RELATED TO EROSION ON THERE. 
          UM, BUT, UM, IT'S TO ENABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ROADS, UTILITIES, MAYBE GOLF CART TRAILS. 
          UM, IT PERMITS UNLIMITED FLOODPLAIN MODIFICATIONS, WHICH IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT ONE WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT. 
          UM, AND THE ACREAGE IS A LITTLE BIT UNCLEAR. 
          I'VE SEEN SEVERAL DIFFERENT ESTIMATES, BUT WE'LL SAY IN WHAT'S CALLED THE, UM, CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, THE CWQZ, THIS IS ABOUT 234 TO 266 ACRES. 
          SO THIS IS THE AREA THAT BORDERS THE RIVER, WHICH WOULD NEVER BE DEVELOPED ANYWAY. 
          SO WHEN YOU, UM, TAKE THAT AWAY, IT LEAVES ABOUT 150 ACRES OF THE, UM, REMAINING AREA FOR DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE SIDE AND WHAT WAS PRESENTED IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL WAS WE'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, HAVE A LOT OF OPEN SPACE. 
          THEY, THEY QUOTE THE LARGE ACREAGE, BUT IN FACT, IT'S A LITTLE BIT, UM, OF A MISNOMER. 
          IF YOU WERE THEN TO BLOCK OFF THIS AREA AND THEN SAY, "ALL RIGHT, OF THE AREA THAT CAN'T BE DEVELOPED WHERE WE HAVE THE, UM, WE HAVE THE GREEN, UH, THE GREEN, THE GREEN ZONE OR THE CRITICAL WATER ZONE, WHICH IS PRIMARILY, UM, POST OAK SAVANNAH DOWN THERE, THE AREA UP ABOVE IS BLACKLAND PRAIRIE, BUT THIS IS PART OF WHAT MITIGATES FLOODS. 
          IT MAINTAINS THE ECOSYSTEM. 
          AMONGST THAT, UM, THIS GREEN CORRIDOR IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE ECOSYSTEM THERE IS ALSO PART OF YOUR NATURAL PEST CONTROL FOR MOSQUITOES. 
          AND, UM, WE CAN SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT DEFORESTATION DEVELOPMENT NOT ONLY CREATES NEW MOSQUITO HABITATS, BUT ALSO, UM, REDUCES NATURAL, YOUR NATURAL PEST CONTROL. 
          AND THE IDEA HERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE LAST TRUE, 
          [00:20:01]
UM, DAM, IF YOU WANNA CALL LONGHORN DAM, A TREE DAM, IT'S NOT A CONTROL DAM, IT'S JUST AN OVERFLOW DAM, IS THERE. 
          THERE IS NO DAM FROM THERE DOWN TO THE COAST, AND IT IS, IT IS TRYING TO BE MAINTAINED AS A GREEN CORRIDOR FOR WILDLIFE. 
          SO PART OF THE SETBACK WAS TO PROTECT THAT, THAT WAS GOOD. 
          UM, BUT SAY YOU BLOCK OUT THIS, THEN YOU HAVE THE REST OF THE LAND. 
          SO IT LEAVES ABOUT 150 ACRES, AND WHAT'S THAT LEFT, BY MY CALCULATIONS, MEANS THAT THERE'S APPROXIMATELY 93% OF THAT LAND COULD BE COVERED WITH IMPERVIOUS COVER, WHICH IS A LOT. 
          WHEN I TALKED TO THE DEVELOPER LAST WEEK AND THEY HAD THEIR, UM, THEY HAD THEIR ENGINEER OUT, I ASKED HIM FOR IT AND HE WOULDN'T QUOTE ANYTHING. 
          AND I SAID, "WELL, SURELY YOU CAN DO THE CALCULATION." HE GOES, "OH, SURE. 
          IT'S GONNA BE AROUND 82%." IT WASN'T. 
          AND, UM, AND SO AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WEBSITE, BE VERY CONSCIOUS. 
          THEY WILL ALSO SAY THAT 80% OF THE LAND WAS USED AS, UM, IS, IS, IS FOR GRAVEL MINING. 
          WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERHEAD MAPS THAT YOU SAW IN THAT PICTURE, YOU WILL SEE THAT THAT DOESN'T REALLY REFLECT THE TRUE STATE. 
          AND IN THE PAST, IF YOU WERE TO SAY THAT, UM, WHEN TRAVIS COUNTY HAD ITS 400 FOOT SETBACK ON THAT LAND, THAT WOULD HAVE LEFT 80% OF THAT LAND, WHICH WOULD MEANT THE ENTIRE LAND THAT'S LEFT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR GRAVEL MINING, WHICH CERTAINLY WASN'T THE CASE. 
          SO AGAIN, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION HERE. 
          UM, WHAT I THINK THE, THE LOCAL POPULATION IS CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, IS THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF GREEN SPACE, URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECTS THAT WOULD NATURALLY COME WITH THIS, INCREASED FLOODING RISK IF THE, UM, DEVELOPMENT IS NOT DONE IN A THOUGHTFUL AND, UM, REASONABLE WAY. 
          UM, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S, UM, NOT CLEAR IF THE PLAN FOR, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE FLOODING, WHICH INCLUDES A LARGE HOLDING POND, WILL WORK. 
          I'VE ASKED THEM IF IT'S EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. 
          I DON'T GET AN ANSWER. 
          I'M ASSUMING IT WILL WORK. 
          IT WILL BE A VERY LARGE HOLDING POND, AND I'VE ALSO CHALLENGED THEM ABOUT THE NECESSITY FOR AERATION, BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE A LARGE, LARGE, ESPECIALLY DURING RAINS, A VERY LARGE AREA OF STAGNANT WATER. 
          DR. 
          BROWN - I THINK THE LAST THING WE WANT IS A - LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. 
          DO WE HAVE FOUR MINUTES LEFT IN THE ALLOTTED TIME? IS THAT WHAT WE SAID? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I THINK WE GOT - THAT WE'LL GO THROUGH CONCERNS. 
          SEVERAL MORE SLIDES. 
          YES, AND I CAN - I WANT YOU TO KNOW. 
          I CAN... 
          THE REST WE CAN SKIP. 
          SO, YEAH. 
          SO, BUT THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PART TO BRING UP AGAIN, IS, IS THE NECESSITY. 
          LET'S GO TO NUMBER, THE FOLLOWING SLIDE. 
          UM, UNRESTRICTED CUTS AND FILL, THIS MEANS THAT THEY CAN DIG AS DEEP AS THEY WANT AND RAISE AS HIGH AS THEY WANT. 
          THEY BYPASSED A LOT OF THE NORMAL REGULATIONS TO APPROVE VARIANCES, DEVELOPMENT CODE WITHOUT PUBLIC HEARINGS, OR CITY COUNCIL VOTES. 
          NEXT. 
          UM, THE... 
          WE TALKED ABOUT THEY'RE USING FORMER MONI - MINING PONDS FOR WATER QUALITY WITHOUT ADEQUATE OVERSIGHT ON LEGACY POLLUTANTS THERE. 
          UM, THE REQUIRES LANDOWNER CONSENT FOR CITY TO AMEND OR TERMINATE THE AGREEMENT WHILE ALLOWING THE DEVELOPER TO UNILATERALLY TERMINATE IF THE TAX BREAKS AREN'T GRANTED OR FOR WHATEVER REASON THEY WANT. 
          SO THEY CAN PUT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND DECIDE WE'RE GONNA WITHDRAW FROM THE CITY AND BECOME ANOTHER WESTLAKE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          SO FOR NOW, THIS IS A BIG ECONOMIC CONCERN FOR THE AREA TOO. 
          NEXT. 
          UM, LOTS OF BROAD PERMITTED USES. 
          UM, USE OF DATA CENTERS IS CONTROVERSIAL. 
          UM, FINANCIAL EQUITY ISSUES FOR THE COMMUNITY, OBVIOUSLY. 
          GENTRIFICATION IS A CONCERN. 
          DISPLACEMENT OF THE RESIDENTS. 
          UM, FUTURE PARKS, TRAILS, JOBS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS SUBJECTIVE AT BEST. 
          YOU KNOW, THEY, THERE'S A 20%, UM, 20% REQUIREMENT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IF THEY ACTUALLY BUILD HOUSING, BUT THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED EITHER. 
          NEXT, PLEASE. 
          UM, I WILL GO THROUGH THIS VERY QUICKLY. 
          YOU HAVE THE SLIDES, YOU CAN READ THEM. 
          THERE ARE A LOT OF ECOLOGICAL AND WATER QUALITY RISKS HAVE BEEN RAISED, UM, SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE'S NO BASELINE THAT'S BEEN DONE OUT THERE. 
          UM, A LOT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND EQUITY CONCERNS. 
          UM, PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT RAISING ISSUES OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, LAST FIF - AND, UM, LACK SUFFICIENT LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL SAFEGUARDS OUT THERE. 
          NEXT. 
          UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THIS IS PROBABLY THE LAST IMPORTANT SLIDE. 
          THERE ARE A WHOLE RANGE OF VULNERABILITIES FROM EXTREME HEAT AND HEAT DOMES, AIR QUALITY, CONCERNS OVER ROAD DEVELOPMENT, SOIL QUALITY. 
          I DON'T THINK 
          [00:25:01]
THERE HAS BEEN ANY, UM, CORE, CORE WORK DONE RECENTLY. 
          AND THIS WAS AN AREA WHERE, UM, PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT TOXICITY, PARTICULARLY AS THE LAND IS BEING DISTURBED NOW. 
          FLOODING, A BIG ISSUE. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT'S IT. 
          CAN I SEE THE LAST SLIDE? YEAH. 
          AND YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN THE PICTURES. 
          SO I CAN STOP HERE. 
          I'M WILLING TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND, UM, AND, UH, I WOULD SAY IT IS WORTH GOING TO LOOK AT DOGSHEAD.COM. 
          THEY UPDATE WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE SITE QUITE REGULARLY. 
          BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT, I THINK, THAT THERE'S INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT DONE OUT THERE. 
          MOST OF THE CITY IS BEING DRIVEN BY WHAT THE DEVELOPERS ARE SAYING. 
          AND I THINK HAVING, HAVING MORE INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT EVEN FROM CITY ORGANIZATIONS IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL AS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PLEASURE. 
          WHAT QUESTIONS DOES THE, DOES THE COMMISSION HAVE? UM, WELL, ALSO, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR THE THOUGHTFULNESS AND YOUR ADVOCACY FOR THIS AREA. 
          I MEAN, I AGREE, YOU KNOW, UM, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF, UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC FEEDBACK AND, YOU KNOW, RIGOROUS ASSESSMENT HAPPENS BASED ON WHERE THE LAND IS, RIGHT? UM, CURIOUS, UH, AS TO, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR OTHER EFFORTS WITH OTHER AREAS OF GOVERNMENT, HOW HAVE THOSE GONE AND, AND HOW DO YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS COMMISSION CAN HELP, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, BE A PART OF THE OVERALL WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE SO FAR? OKAY. 
          SO THERE, THERE'S ONE, MAYBE ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, ADVOCACY GROUP AS LONG AS, ALONG WITH SAVE AIR SPRINGS AND SEVERAL OTHER GROUPS, PODER HAVE ALSO BEEN INVOLVED OUT THERE. 
          UM, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS, BASICALLY, IT WAS A DONE DEAL BY THE TIME IT SHOWED UP TO CITY COUNCIL. 
          AND SO ONE OF THE PROBLEMS NOW IS, UM, TRYING TO ROLL BACK SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE, UM, LACK OF REGULATION IN THE AREA, RIGHT? UM, I THINK THE ADVOCACY THAT'S BEEN DONE WITH CITY COUNCIL HAS, UM, CERTAINLY ALLOWED SOME OF THE, UM, MORE OVERSIGHT FROM SOME, LIKE, WATERSHED IS OUT THERE NOW, THEY NE - WERE NOT. 
          IN THE PAST, UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME EFFORTS TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSIONS WITH RESIDENTS, SOME PUSHBACK ON IMPERVIOUS COVER, BUT IT'S STILL QUITE VAGUE AND STAR - QUITE LIMITED. 
          MY VIEW FROM, UM, LET'S SAY A HEALTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WHAT SORT OF ASSESSMENTS COULD BE DONE OUT THERE THAT WOULD BE IN THE INTEREST OF THE RESIDENTS AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC HEALTH OF AUSTIN. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, IT IS A LARGE AREA. 
          IF YOU THINK ABOUT HOW WE SET UP, FOR EXAMPLE, MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE, RIGHT? THIS IS AN AREA THAT'S DOUBLE THE SIZE OF DOWNTOWN. 
          THERE IS NO MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE OUT THERE AS FAR AS I'M AWARE BECAUSE IT WAS, UNTIL RECENTLY, PART OF TRAVIS COUNTY, NOT PART OF CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          SO IT'S ONLY JUST BEEN RECENTLY ANNEXED IN MAY. 
          UM, BUT WATER QUALITY AND, AND MONITORING OF WATER QUALITY AS, UM, AS THE DEVELOPMENT OCCURS. 
          WE'VE ALREADY SEEN DEGRADATION RELATED TO THE TESLA PLANT ON THE RIVER, BUT WITHOUT SORT OF, SORT OF HAVING REALLY PEOPLE GOING OUT THERE AND DOING SOME OFFICIAL BASELINE MEASUREMENTS, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE NOW? WHAT ARE THE, UM, IMPLICATIONS OF HOW WATER, AIR, HEAT, ALL THESE THINGS FOR PEOPLE THAT WERE LIVING THERE NOW, AND IF THEY WERE TO DEVELOP IT FOR PEOPLE THERE TO LIVE THERE IN THE FUTURE, YOU WANT IT TO BE A, A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO LIVE. 
          YOU WANT IT TO HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF, UM, PROTECTIONS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT ANYWHERE IN THIS CITY FOR RESIDENTS. 
          AND THAT IS A MAJOR CONCERN. 
          SO MY VIEW WOULD BE, UM, A GROUP LIKE THIS COULD TAKE A LOOK AT IT FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH STANDPOINT AND ASK WHAT MORE COULD WE DO OUT THERE NOW TO ENSURE THAT AS THE DEVELOPMENT TAKES SHAPE, THAT, UM, RESIDENTS WHO LIVE THERE ARE SAFE, THE LAND IS, THEY, THEY SAY THEY'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT ANY WORSE, BUT THERE'S NO WAY ABOUT THEM KNOWING WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE IT ANY WORSE IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHAT A STATE IS RIGHT NOW. 
          SO, SO THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING KIND OF AS, UM, BASIC, BASIC, UH, INTERVENTION, JUST DO A BASELINE ASSESSMENT JUST TO KIND OF SEE WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS AND MAKING SURE THAT - EXACTLY. 
          THEY'RE NOT... 
          YOU KNOW, 
          [00:30:01]
MORE NEGATIVE THAN WE HAD ASSUMED PERHAPS. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, AS THE DEVELOPMENT EXPANDS, RIGHT, IF WE SEE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, THE QUALITY OF THE LAND, THE QUALITY OF THE WATER, THINGS BEGINNING TO DEGRADE, THEN THAT GIVES EVIDENCE THAT CAN DRIVE POLICY TO MITIGATE, RIGHT? BUT IF WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE, IT'S VERY HARD TO ARGUE FOR MITIGATION WITHOUT HAVING EVIDENCE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? OH, PLEASE. 
          UM, I'M WITH TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND JUST TO ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE DISCUSSION, MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DO MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE ALL OVER TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          SO THAT IS TAKING PLACE. 
          UM, IT, IT, THE, THE PROCESS THAT THEY USE, UH, I THINK THEY COULD ACTUALLY ANSWER IT MUCH BETTER THAN I WILL, BUT, BUT THAT THERE IS SURVEILLANCE ALL OVER THE COUNTY BECAUSE WE KNOW MOSQUITOES DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE CODES. 
          WE KNOW THAT TOO, YEAH. 
          I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I JUST WANTED TO, UM, CLARIFY. 
          SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS STATEMENT THAT TYPICALLY GOES WITH, UH, DEVELOPMENT SUCH AS THIS IS NOT BEING PROVI - HASN'T BEEN DONE? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES, AND THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE AGREEMENT THAT WAS MADE, RIGHT? THE, THEN THAT'S WHY THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH PUSHBACK, IS JUST THE AGREEMENT WAS MADE WITH EFFECTIVELY LITTLE TO NO REGULATION OUT THERE. 
          IF IT WAS ANY OTHER PLACE IN AUSTIN, YOU WOULD HAVE THOSE GUARDRAILS. 
          BUT BECAUSE OF THE, UM, BECAUSE OF THE NATURE AND THE PROCESS THAT IT WAS DONE AND THE VIEW THAT IT WAS GOING TO GENERATE A LOT OF EVENTUAL TAX REVENUE FOR THE CITY BY ANNEXING THIS VERY QUICKLY, UM, THEY, THEY BASICALLY, UM, DID NOT FOLLOW THE SAME LEVEL OF REGULATION THAT ONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED FOR CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          YES. 
          OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE TIME AND ENERGY TO COME TODAY AND TALK TO US IF A TEACHING IS ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT TOPIC. 
          AND, UM, I GUESS WE'LL REFLECT AND CONSIDER WE MAY BE BACK IN TOUCH TO ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND WE MIGHT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, WALK A PATH, UM, THROUGH OUR OWN RESOURCES THROUGH PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS. 
          SO WE THANK YOU AND APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. 
          SURE. 
          I KNOW THE RESIDENTS WOULD BE DELIGHTED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. 
          NEXT ITEM 
          [3. Presentation from Kelly Nichols, Carmen Llanes and Chris Reyes on food access and equity. ]
IS PRESENTATIONS FROM KELLY NICHOLS, CARMEN LAINES, AND CHRIS RAY'S ON FOOD ACCESS AND EQUITY. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. 
          YOU'LL PUSH THE GREEN BUTTONS TO TALK. 
          AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR BRINGING THIS INFORMATION TO US. 
          MAYBE YOU COULD SAY YOUR NAMES AND, AND AGAIN, WHAT YOUR TITLES ARE. 
          I'M KELLY NICHOLS. 
          I AM A PRINCIPAL OF WOOLARD NICHOLS TAURUS CONSULTING AND A CONTRACTOR ON BEHALF OF THE CITY U- UTILIZING COUNTY FUNDING, UM, FOR, UH, TO DEVELOP THE CREATION OF THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN COLLABORATIVE. 
          I AM CHRISTOPHER REYES. 
          I AM CURRENTLY AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT, BUT HAVE HAD YEARS OF WORK WITH VARIOUS FOOD ACCESS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          AND I'M CARMEN JAMES. 
          I'M THE, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GOAUSTIN, VAMOS, AUSTIN, OR GAVA. 
          UH, WE ARE COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS WORKING, UH, TO CREATE HEALTHIER NEIGHBORHOODS IN NORTH AND SOUTH AUSTIN AND HAVE BEEN, UH, A LEADING ORGANIZING PARTNER IN LAUNCHING THE, THE DELL VALLEY FOOD COOPERATIVE. 
          I BROUGHT JUST, JUST A HANDFUL OF SLIDES TO TALK ABOUT THE FOOD PLAN COLLABORATIVE. 
          IS THAT A GOOD... 
          SHOULD I GO FIRST? SURE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, SO WE CAN, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE FIRST SLIDE. 
          UM, SO SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR AND KNOW THAT WE HAVE A, UM, IN, IN 2024, UM, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL APPROVED AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, COMMISSIONERS ACCEPTED OUR COMMUNITY'S FIRST FOOD SYSTEM PLAN. 
          AND I DIDN'T BRING YOU ALL THE WHOLE, UM, THE WHOLE PLAN, BUT I BROUGHT YOU ALL, UM, HERE, WHO ARE HERE IN PERSON, A SUMMARY. 
          UM, AND, UM, COMMISSIONERS ONLINE, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE FOOD PLAN AND THE SUMMARY. 
          UM, PROBABLY THE 
          [00:35:01]
EASIEST WAY IS JUST TO GOOGLE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN. 
          YOU'LL GET TO OUR WEBSITE THERE. 
          SO, UM, SO WE SPENT TWO YEARS AND, UM, WILLARD NICHOLS TORRES, UM, WAS HONORED TO, TO, UM, WORK CLOSELY WITH THE COUNTY AND THE CITY IN LEADING, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT FOOD PLANNING PROCESS WITH, UM, 3,500 PLUS COMMUNITY, UM, MEMBERS, UM, WHO PARTICIPATED IN THAT PROCESS IN A VARIETY OF WAYS. 
          UM, IT WAS REALLY, TRULY AN INCREDIBLE PROCESS. 
          UM, AND WE WERE THRILLED THAT OUR, UM, THAT OUR DECISION MAKERS, UM, UH, REALLY AT, AT THE END OF THAT PROCESS SAID, "YES, THIS IS, UM, UM, WE, WE WANT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY TO SUPPORT THAT," AS WELL AS MANY OTHER, UM, ENTITIES WHO HAVE, UM, CONTINUED TO BE ENGAGED, WHO, WHO WERE ENGAGED IN THE FOOD PLANNING PROCESS AND WHO HAVE CONTINUED TO BE ENGAGED. 
          SO HERE WE ARE, UM, IN 2026, AND, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE DEVELOPING THE COLLABORATIVE OR BROAD NETWORK TO MOVE THIS, UM, THIS WORK FROM VISION INTO ACTION. 
          UM, AND I REALLY COMMEND THE CITY AND THE COUNTY FOR HAVING THE VISION TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY TO BE STRONG PARTNERS IN THIS WORK, BUT WE DON'T WANT THE CITY AND COUNTY TO LEAD IT. 
          WE WANT THE, WE WANT THIS TO TRULY BE RESIDENT-LED. 
          UM, AND, AND SO THAT REALLY IS THAT LAST POINT ON THIS SLIDE IS THAT, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE CREATING THIS COLLABORATIVE SO THAT THE PEOPLE MOST IMPACTED BY FOOD INSECURITY, MOST IMPACTED BY THE HARMS OF THE FOOD SYSTEM ARE, ARE AT THE TABLE, ARE LEADING THIS WORK, NOT JUST, NOT JUST BEING CONSULTED, NOT JUST BEING INFORMED. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          SO, UM, ON THE LEFT, UM, THAT GIVES YOU A SNAPSHOT OF THE, THE NINE GOALS IN THE FOOD PLAN. 
          THERE ARE NINE GOALS AND 61 STRATEGIES, UM, THAT SPAN, UM, IT'S A VERY HOLISTIC PLAN ACROSS OUR FOOD SYSTEM. 
          SO EVERYTHING FROM HOW WE'RE GROWING FOOD, UM, WHO, WHO GROWS THE FOOD, UM, LOOKING AT OUR FOOD WORKERS, UM, UM, HOW, YOU KNOW, WE DEEPLY RELY ON THEM TO GET FOOD ON OUR TABLES, HOW WE MANAGE, UM, THE FOOD SYSTEM AND EMERGENCIES, WHICH WE HAVE ALL, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCED, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, COVID AND WINTER STORMS IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, HOW OUR INSTITUTIONS PROCURE, UM, UH, FOOD THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT HAS THE VALUES THAT WE WANT ATTACHED WITH THE FOOD. 
          OF COURSE, FOOD ACCESS. 
          UM, I ASSUME, UM, PROBABLY THIS COMMISSION'S INTEREST IS MOST ALIGNED WITH GOAL SIX, UM, ALTHOUGH, UM, LOTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, CONNECTIONS TO ALL OF THE GOALS. 
          GOAL SEVEN, GOAL SEVEN IS ABOUT FOOD RECOVERY. 
          SO WHAT HAPPENS AFTER, UM, WE SERVE FOOD? HOW DO WE, UM, UM, UH, UH, HOW DO WE GET FOOD TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S, UM, MAYBE BEING USED FOR MORE FOOD ACCESS, UM, AND RESCUE, AND ALSO THEN DIVERTING IT FROM THE, UM, FROM THE LANDFILL. 
          GOAL EIGHT IS ABOUT PRO CLIMATE AND PRO-HEALTH FOODS. 
          SO LOOKING AT THE CLIMATE IMPACT OF OUR FOOD, UM, AND LOOKING AT WAYS TO, TO LESSEN THAT IMPACT. 
          AND GOAL NINE UNDERGIRDS THE WHOLE PLAN IS REALLY ABOUT, UM, THE COLLABORATIVE, UM, AND THE OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO, UM, TO MAKE THE PROGRESS THAT'S OUTLINED IN THE, IN THE PLAN. 
          SO, UM, WE ARE BUILDING THIS COLLABORATIVE RIGHT NOW. 
          WE HAVE QUARTERLY COLLABORATIVE MEETINGS. 
          OUR LAST ONE WAS IN SEPTEMBER. 
          WE'LL MEET AGAIN IN JANUARY. 
          AND WE HAVE FIVE WORKING GROUPS THAT ARE CARRYING THE WORK IN BETWEEN MEETINGS. 
          UM, SO WE THOUGHT NINE WORKING GROUPS WAS AN AWFUL LOT. 
          SO WE'VE, SOME GROUPS HOLD ONE GOAL, SOME HOLD TWO. 
          SO GROW LOCAL FOOD, BUY AND SERVE BETTER FOOD, SUPPORTING FOOD WORKERS, GETTING FOOD TO PEOPLE, AND RESCUE AND REUSE OF FOOD. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, BUT YOU ALL MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN WHO'S AT THE TABLE, UM, WITH THE COLLABORATIVE. 
          WE REALLY ONLY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR ABOUT NINE MONTHS AND, UH, WELL, OKAY, 11. 
          WE STARTED IN JANUARY. 
          UM, SO AT THIS POINT, WE HAVE, UM, 220 FOLKS WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, SIGNED UP TO BE A PART OF THE COLLABORATIVE, HAVE SAID THEY WANNA BE ENGAGED, AND 121 OF THEM ARE ACTIVE. 
          THEY'RE SHOWING UP FOR MEETINGS, PARTICIPATING IN WORKING GROUPS, UM, WORK, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ACTIVELY WORKING. 
          UM, AND A THIRD OF THOSE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS, I REALIZE MY GRAPH'S NOT SHOWING UP SUPER WELL THERE, BUT A THIRD, OVER A THIRD OF THOSE, UM, P - ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS ARE IDENTIFYING AS FOLKS WHO, UM, WHO, UH, I'M GONNA, I NEED TO COMMIT THIS LANGUAGE TO MEMORY, BUT BASICALLY HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED, UM, UM, IN THE FOOD SYSTEM. 
          THEY'VE EXPERIENCED FOOD S - INSECURITY, THEY'VE HAD OTHER, UH, OTHER FOOD SYSTEM CHALLENGES. 
          UM, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US. 
          UM, AND, UM, WE THINK, WE THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, UM, PROPORTION OF FOLKS BRINGING, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED, BRINGING THAT EXPERIENCE, AND WE WANNA CONTINUE TO ENGAGE, 
          [00:40:01]
UM, EVEN MORE FOLKS. 
          WE HAVE REPRESENTATION ACROSS THE FOOD SYSTEM, UM, WITH PROBABLY UNSURPRISINGLY HEALTH AND FOOD ACCESS BEING ABOUT THE LARGEST SHARE. 
          SO WE'VE ASKED FOLKS TO IDENTIFY WITH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT FOOD SYSTEM AREA ARE YOU, ARE YOU, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE MOST AFFILIATED WITH? AND ABOUT A THIRD OF THOSE SAID HEALTH AND FOOD ACCESS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE COLLATER - COLLABORATIVE, UM, WE ARE WORKING ON DEVELOPING A CHARTER, UM, WITH A GROUP OF REALLY COMMITTED FOLKS, UM, SO THAT WE SORT OF ARE ARTICULATING OUR VALUES AND OUR PROCESSES, UM, OUR PURPOSE, OUR MEMBERSHIP, OUR DECISION MAKING, OUR EVALUATION PROCESSES. 
          SO WE ARE HOPEFUL TO BRING A, UM, UM, A CHARTER THAT IS READY FOR ADOPTION BACK TO THE FULL COLLABORATIVE IN, AT THAT JANUARY MEETING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN SORT OF BEGIN TO FORMALIZE OUR REGULAR PROCESSES. 
          WE HAVE A, WE'LL HAVE A LEADERSHIP GROUP, WE'LL HAVE OTHER CIRCLES, UM, DOING WORK AND BUILDING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ALL OF THOSE GROUPS. 
          WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON BUILDING SHARED WAYS TO TRACK PROGRESS ON FOOD PLAN STRATEGIES AND GOALS. 
          WE'VE ACTUALLY, UM, BEEN MEETING, UH, UM, DOING WORKSHOPS WITH OUR WORKING GROUPS TO REALLY GET INTO, UM, HOW WE'RE DEFINING PROGRESS IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS. 
          I'VE HAD SOME GREAT CONVERSATIONS THIS WEEK. 
          AND, UM, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO PURSUE SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR RESIDENT-LED LEADERSHIP SO THAT FOLKS WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED, UM, CAN STEP UP AND STAY IN, IN LEADERSHIP ROLES. 
          WE WANNA COMPENSATE FOLKS. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FOOD, WE HAVE KIDS ACTIVITIES, WE HAVE TRANSPORTATION, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, UM, ALLOWING FOR THOSE ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WE KNOW PEOPLE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE. 
          SO, UM, AND WE NEED MORE FUNDING, FRANKLY, TO DO THAT. 
          SO THAT'S ONE OF OUR, OUR KEY AREAS OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT OVER THE NEXT YEAR. 
          SO I THINK I HAVE ONE FINAL SLIDE, UM, WHICH IS M- MY MESSAGE FOR YOU ALL. 
          HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, TALK MORE ABOUT THIS, BUT, UM, UH, HOW YOU, HOW CAN YOU ALL AS PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONERS MOVE THE F- FOOD PLAN FORWARD? A COUPLE OF IDEAS. 
          UM, ONE IS YOU YOURSELVES CAN GET INVOLVED IN THE COLLABORATIVE. 
          WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU. 
          UM, AND ALSO ANY- ANYONE ELSE YOU KNOW, UM, WHO YOU THINK, MM, WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF THIS WORK, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY IN- INTERESTED IN FOLKS WHO ARE DOING SORT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND, FOOD, UM, WORK IN THE FOOD SYSTEM, UM, TO PLUG IN, UM, SO FOLKS CAN JOIN A WORKING GROUP, THEY CAN COME IN AT THE, YOU KNOW, AT THE QUARTERLY, UM, LEVEL TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          WE WILL ALSO HAVE A FOOD, UH, OUR FIRST AND HOPEFULLY THEN ANNUAL THEREAFTER FOOD SUMMIT WILL BE HAPPENING IN MAY. 
          UM, SO THAT'LL BE A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO BRING, UM, A BROADER GROUP OF, OF FOLKS TOGETHER. 
          SO HELP US CONNECT WITH THE RIGHT FOLKS AND GET THEM PLUGGED INTO THE COLLABORATIVE. 
          AND SECONDLY, UM, IN TERMS OF POLICY AND ADVOCACY, I JUST WANTED TO PUT A, UM, MAKE A PLUG, UM, FOR YOU ALL TO, UM, POTENTIALLY, UH, COORDINATE WITH THE FOOD POLICY BOARD, THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD. 
          THAT GROUP IS THINKING DEEPLY ABOUT, UM, THESE ISSUES, ABOUT FRANKLY, HOW THEY ARE COORDINATING WITH THE, UM, IMPLEMENTATION COLLABORATIVE. 
          AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF POTENTIAL ISSUES, UM, THAT YOUR VOICES TOGETHER, UM, COULD HAVE A, A REALLY IMPORTANT IMPACT FOR OUR POLICYMAKERS. 
          I'VE ALSO GOT A QR CODE HERE. 
          UM, THAT IS HOW YOU CAN SIGN UP TO STAY INFORMED, UM, AND PLUG IN WITH THE COLLABORATIVE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, AND, UH, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, FOR THE INVITATION TO SPEAK TODAY ABOUT THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, UM, TO ME AND TO A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          UM, AS I SAID, I WORK WITH VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, NAMELY, YOU KNOW, THE FOOD BANK, FARMSHARE, AUSTIN, UM, I'VE ALSO WORKED WITH SUSTAINABLE FOOD CENTER, SEVERAL TOO MANY TO COUNT AT THIS POINT. 
          UM, AND IT'S, IT'S A TOPIC THAT A LOT OF US CARE ABOUT. 
          UM, I, I WANNA BEGIN BY FIRST RECOGNIZING SOME OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE HAVE HAD IN RECENT YEARS, UM, NAMELY THE PASSAGE OF THE FOOD PLAN, WHICH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, UH, YOU KNOW, GREATER FOOD SYSTEM OVERALL, UM, INCLUDING FOOD ACCESS. 
          ALSO, THE SUPPORT THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM, UH, THE CITY WITH THE BRINGING OF A GROCERY STORE TO DELL VALLEY, WHICH IS A, A FOOD DESERT IN A WAY, UM, ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN. 
          UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE REALLY SHOULD CELEBRATE, YOU KNOW. 
          WELL, I'VE BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE, THE FOOD CO-OP 
          [00:45:01]
AS A MEMBER RIGHT NOW, BUT PREVIOUSLY AS A BOARD MEMBER AND GETTING THINGS ESTABLISHED, UM, YOU KNOW, S - THINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO DO ON YOUR OWN, BUT WITH SUPPORT FROM, FROM GOVERNMENT AND COMMISSIONS SUCH AS YOURSELVES, UH, THINGS, THINGS CAN REALLY MOVE A LOT FASTER. 
          UM, THERE IS A LOT OF WORK STILL TO BE DONE. 
          SO, UH, FEEDING AMERICA'S 2024, UM, REPORT FOUND THAT TRAVIS COUNTY HAS 18% OF ITS RESIDENTS BEING FOOD INSECURE. 
          THAT IS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, UM, A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN TEXAS OVERALL, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN ALL SAY THAT 18% OF RESIDENTS BEING FOOD INSECURE IS NOT A, NOT A GOOD THING AT ALL. 
          UM, ALTHOUGH A LOT OF ATTENTION WHEN TALKING ABOUT FOOD SECURITY, FOOD ACCESS IS USUALLY LIKE THE PHYSICAL AVAILABILITY OF FOOD, SUCH AS A GROCERY STORE NEAR YOU, I THINK A- AN IMPORTANT TOPIC TO TOUCH ON IS ALSO THE AFFORDABILITY, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE FOOD'S ON THE SHELF DOESN'T MEAN A FAMILY CAN TAKE IT DOWN AND TAKE IT HOME WITH THEM. 
          UM, TO IMPROVE AFFORDABILITY, I SEE THREE REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES. 
          UH, ONE IS IMPROVING THE RATE OF SNAP PARTICIPATION. 
          YOU KNOW, SNAP IS ALREADY, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S FUNDED THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 
          IN TEXAS, 75% OF ELIGIBLE FAMILIES PARTICIPATE, MEANING THERE'S A 25% GAP OR, OR AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE MORE PARTICIPATION. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, CENTRAL HEALTH HAS PARTNERS WITH THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK TO ASSIST PEOPLE IN THE LONG WINDING ROAD OF APPLYING TO SNAP, AND THAT HAS TO HAPPEN ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. 
          UM, IT'S A DIFFICULT THING TO DO, LOTS OF PAPERWORK. 
          SO, UH, I'M NOT SURE EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. 
          I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY KNOW THAT UNTIL A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, AND I THINK MAKING, BUILDING THE AWARENESS OF THOSE SORTS OF THINGS AND MAYBE EVEN BUILDING ON TOP OF IT, INCREASING ACCESS, UM, NOT JUST IN CERTAIN FACILITIES, BUT A- AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. 
          SECOND THING, UM, WE SHOULD FOCUS ON INCREASING PURCHASING POWER AND, UH, BOOTSTRAPPING THINGS SUCH AS SNAP IN, IN OTHER PROGRAMS. THE SUSTAINABLE FOOD CENTER DOES HAVE SOMETHING CALLED DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS. 
          THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT DOUBLES THE VALUE OF SNAP BENEFICIARIES, UM, PURCHASING POWER WHEN THEY PURCHASE HEALTHY FRUITS, VEGETABLES, FOOD PRODUCTS AT PARTICIPATING LOCATIONS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU HAVE $1 TO SPEND WHEN YOU'RE A PARTICIPATING LOCATION, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE $2 NOW. 
          SO THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALSO WORK ON INCREASING THE AWARENESS OF, POSSIBLY TRYING TO THINK OF CREATIVE WAYS THAT WE CAN EXPAND PROGRAMS LIKE THAT INTO LOCATIONS THAT DON'T TRADITIONALLY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS OR EVEN SNAP PARTICIPATION. 
          ON THAT NOTE, UM, I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN OF THE RECENT BUDGET CUTS TO THE FRESH FOR LESS PROGRAM, THE $400,000 THAT WERE CUT RECENTLY, UM, THROUGH THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING TO FRESH FOR LESS. 
          THIS IS A, A PROGRAM THAT HAS FOR YEARS DEMONSTRATED HOW FLEXIBLE FOOD ACCESS CAN MEET PEOPLE EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE, EITHER THROUGH MOBILE MARKETS OR THROUGH THEIR HOME DELIVERY. 
          AND IN A TIME LIKE THIS, FOOD PRICES GOING UP, UH, FOOD INSECURITY RATES NOT BEING WHAT THEY OUGHT TO BE, CUTTING SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS THAT HAVE CONSISTENT RESULTS IS, IS NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. 
          SO GOING BACK, THE THIRD THING THAT WE SHOULD DO IS ALSO INCREASING LOCAL PRODUCTION OF FOOD. 
          WE ALL KNOW LAND AROUND AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND FARMS AND FARMLAND HAS BEEN DECREASING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AT A RAPID RATE. 
          UM, THAT DOESN'T LEAVE MUCH ROOM OR OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO START NEW FARMS OR SMALL GROWERS TO EXPAND OR CONTINUE THEIR OWN OPERATIONS. 
          WE SHOULD THINK OF WAYS TO, UH, HELP THEM EITHER THROUGH EASIER ACCESS TO LAND, POSSIBLY ANYWHERE THAT'S PUBLIC LAND THAT'S AVAILABLE, MAYBE SOME SORT OF INCENTIVES FOR, FOR GROWING FOOD, UM, LOCALLY, UM, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP SMALL GROWERS BRING MORE LOCAL FOOD, UH, WHERE, YOU KNOW, CITY OF A MILLION PEOPLE AND NOT ENOUGH FOOD GROWN HERE TO ACTUALLY FEED EVERYONE. 
          EVERYTHING HAS TO BE SHIPPED IN AT THIS POINT. 
          SO, UM, IMPORTANTLY, THESE THREE PRIORITIES, INCREASING PEOPLE'S ABILITY, OR IMPROVING PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO APPLY TO SNAP, UM, INCREASING SNAP BENEFITS, PURCHASING POWER, ALLOWING OR MAKING IT EASIER FOR SMALL GROWERS TO ACTUALLY GROW FOOD WHERE THEY LIVE, IF WE PUT THOSE 
          [00:50:01]
THREE TOGETHER, THEY CAN ACTUALLY REINFORCE EACH OTHER. 
          SO IF WE WERE TO IMAGINE A FOOD SYSTEM WHERE WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS FOOD INSECURE AND THEY ARE HELPED WITH APPLYING FOR SNAP, THEY THEN GET THOSE SNAP BENEFITS AND THEY'RE TOLD THAT IF THEY SHOP AT A CERTAIN LOCATION, POSSIBLY THE LOCATION THAT SELLS, UM, FOOD THAT'S GROWN HERE, THAT LOCATION CAN ACTUALLY GIVE THEM TWICE THE AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO, UM, THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD THROUGH PROGRAMS SUCH AS DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS. 
          UM, SO TO THIS COMMISSION, I, I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THAT WE SHOULD HELP ADVANCE THESE PRIORITIES TOGETHER, AND WE SHOULD ALSO ADVOCATE TO SUSTAIN INVESTMENTS IN PROGRAMS THAT HAVE PROVEN RESULTS SUCH AS THE FRESH FOR LESS PROGRAM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          SO FIRST I WANT TO EXTEND GRATITUDE TO ALL OF YOU AS COMMISSIONERS BECAUSE I KNOW MANY OF YOU WEAR OTHER HATS AND YOU DO A LOT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN YOUR DAY JOBS AND YOUR, UM, EVERYDAY LIFE. 
          UM, AND SO YOU'RE FINDING THE INTERSECTION HERE WITH OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTY AND ALL OF THESE VARIOUS, UM, EFFORTS WHEN IT HASN'T BEEN SO EASY TO DO PUBLIC HEALTH IN TEXAS IN THESE LAST FEW YEARS, TO SAY THE LEAST. 
          UM, SO JUST TO GIVE A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAVA'S, UH, INTERACTION WITH FOOD ACCESS IN AUSTIN, UM, WE ARE NOW VERY, VERY MUCH A COMMUNITY ORGANIZING NONPROFIT WORKING ACROSS THE EASTERN CRESCENT AT THE INTERSECTION OF, UH, OF FOOD JUSTICE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY HEALTH EQUITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD STABILITY. 
          UM, BUT WE ACTUALLY BEGAN IN 2012 AS A CHILDHOOD OBESITY INTERVENTION CATALYZED BY THE MIKE AND SUSAN DELL FOUNDATION IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN, NOT IN DELL VALLEY, BUT IN DOVE SPRINGS. 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE THE LONGEST HISTORY. 
          AND SO OVER TIME, UH, WE HAVE USED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND LEARNING FROM HISTORY AND, UH, PUSHING ALL OF OUR INSTITUTIONS TO HAVE A MORE HOLISTIC VIEW OF WHAT PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, REALLY IS AND THE, THE ROOT CAUSES OF DISPARITIES, UM, TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE TALK EXPLICITLY ABOUT THE BARRIERS PEOPLE ARE FACING, UM, NOT JUST IN FOOD ACCESS, BUT ALL THOSE INTERSECTING, UM, ISSUES THAT MANY OF WHICH ARE TOUCHED ON IN THE FOOD PLAN. 
          UM, AND SO THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT STARTED, UH, WITH AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS, ARPA FUNDS. 
          UH, IT WAS THE AUSTIN COOPERATIVE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION APPROACHED GAVA BECAUSE THEY KNEW OF OUR LONG TIES AND THE EASTERN CRESCENT SAID, YOU KNOW, "WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GOING AFTER THIS FUND?" AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF, OF COUNCIL AND, UM, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, WE WENT AFTER THIS, UH, FUNDING SEED MONEY TO CREATE A STEERING COMMITTEE AND A TWO-YEAR PROCESS, VERY INTENTIONAL. 
          NOW, THIS WAS ALREADY AN UPHILL BATTLE BECAUSE STARTING A, A, A NEW BUSINESS IS NO EASY FEAT. 
          UM, STARTING A NEW BUSINESS IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES IS EVEN HARDER. 
          UM, STARTING A, UH, A COOPERATIVE  IS EVEN MORE AGAINST THE GRAIN IN A CAPITALIST ECONOMY. 
          AND THEN DOING IT IN A PLACE LIKE DEL VALLE, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY OUR MOST, UH, LATINA, HISPANIC, UM, MEXICAN AND MEXICAN AMERICAN AND, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE DIASPORA, RIGHT, AT A TIME WHEN THERE IS LITERALLY A STATE ATTACK ON OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          AND YET, WE DECIDED TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE COMPLEX BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT THE EASTERN CRESCENT IS NOT A MONOLITH. 
          AND ACTUALLY, OUR DIRECTIVE WAS TO LOOK AT ALL OF THE FOOD INSECURE PLACES, INCLUDING NORTHEAST AUSTIN, INCLUDING, UM, CLASSIC EAST AUSTIN. 
          WE BROUGHT TOGETHER LONGTIME NEIGHBORS FROM EAST AUSTIN, NEWCOMERS. 
          WE BROUGHT TOGETHER IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITIES, AND WE ACTUALLY RAN OUR STEERING COMMITTEE, UH, MEETINGS IN FOUR LANGUAGES AT ONE POINT. 
          WE WERE DOING THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, ARABIC, AND PASHTO. 
          UM, AND THAT ONLY REPRESENTED ABOUT HALF OF THE LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY THE ACTUAL STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ALSO PLAY LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THESE VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. 
          AND SO WE WERE REALLY PUSHING WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE CULTURALLY ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, RELEVANT FOODS? UM, AND WE TOUCHED ON ALL KINDS OF OTHER TOPICS THAT HAVE PLANTED SEEDS IN OTHER AREAS LIKE COTTAGE FOOD CERTIFICATION FOR, UH, ENTREPRENEURS IN THE RUNBERG AREA, AND HOW MIGHT THIS ACTUALLY SOURCE THIS CO-OP OR OTHER FOOD BUSINESSES IN THE FUTURE, UM, OTHER INTERESTS IN GROWING FOOD LO- LOCALLY THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO SOURCE FOR THE CO-OP OR OTHER FOOD INITIATIVES. 
          UH, AND SO HERE WE ARE TODAY WHERE, UM, DESPITE A LOT OF HURDLES,  THESE FOLKS HAVE MANAGED TO... 
          WELL, AND ALSO, I SHOULD SAY, THAT INCREDIBLY DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE, NONE OF THEM ACTUALLY LIVED IN DEL VALLE, BUT THEY ALL CAME TO THE CONSENSUS DECISION THAT THAT'S WHERE THIS FIRST BRICK AND MORTAR OR COOPERATIVE NEEDED TO BE BECAUSE OF THE REAL NEEDS THERE AND BECAUSE THEY KNOW IF THEY CAN DO IT IN SOUTHEAST, WE CAN MAKE IT WORK FOR THE WHOLE EASTERN CRESCENT. 
          SO THAT WAS VERY INSPIRING FOR ME AND FOR ALL OF US AS COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS TO SEE THAT VERY CLEAR VISION. 
          UH, IT'S 
          [00:55:01]
NOT ABOUT CHARITY, IT'S ABOUT CHANGING A FOOD SYSTEM AND TAPPING INTO SOMETHING THAT CAN ACTUALLY WORK FOR PEOPLE. 
          UM, IT'S NOT A GET, GET RICH, UH, PLAN. 
          IT'S NOT GONNA BE, IT'S GONNA NEED TO BE HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED FOR SOME TIME, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SOURCE IN A WAY THAT WE WANT AND MAKE THIS ACCESSIBLE TO FOLKS. 
          UM, BUT I AM REALLY AMAZED AT WHAT THIS COMMUNITY, UH, HAS BEEN DOING. 
          AND I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE OTHER INTERSECTING WAYS, BOTH PARTNERSHIP WITH CENTRAL HEALTH, UH, AND THE DELL VALLEY, UH, CLINIC, AND ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO CROSS PROMOTE, BUT EVEN POTENTIALLY PILOT WAYS OF SUPPORTING PATIENTS ON THE MEDICAL ACCESS PROGRAM TO BENEFIT FROM THIS CO-OP, IDEALLY BEYOND JUST ACCESS TO SOME FRESH, HEALTHY FOOD, BUT REALLY TO MORE COMMUNITY EFFORTS THAT CAN BE CONNECTORS TO OTHER NON-MEDICAL, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT SUPPORT US IN NON-MEDICAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH. 
          ANOTHER NOTE ON THAT, BECAUSE THAT IS THE, THE JARGON DU JOUR, RIGHT? AND PUBLIC HEALTH, AGAIN, HAS NOT BEEN WELL-FUNDED. 
          UM, ECONOMIC MOBILITY IS THE, IS THE BUZZ WORD OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN RIGHT NOW. 
          A LOT OF US HAVE A CRITIQUE ON THAT PLAN, AND I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO IT, BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT THE INDICATORS OF NON-MEDICAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH ARE ALSO THE INDICATORS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDICES OF ECONOMIC MOBILITY. 
          IE, WHEN WE DO THINGS FOR ECONOMIC MOBILITY, WE'RE SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH IF WE DO IT IN AN EQUITABLE WAY AND VICE VERSA. 
          SO I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOU ALL WILL USE YOUR EXPERTISE TO INTERSECT WITH THESE OTHER COMMISSIONS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND HOLD OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO ACCOUNT FOR THEIR PROMISES IN ADDRESSING THIS FOR COMMUNITIES THAT NEED IT MOST. 
          UM, AND GET US SOME MORE SEED FUNDING, BECAUSE THESE FOLKS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY LEVERAGE IT. 
          WE CAN GET GRANT FUNDING. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT HFFI, HEALTHY FINAN - FOOD FINANCING INITIATIVE AND OTHER, UH, FEDERAL, UH, SOURCES OF FUNDING. 
          AND IT'S A NEW DAY IN TEXAS. 
          WE MIGHT EVEN GET SOME SUPPORT WHERE WE, WHERE WE LEAST EXPECTED IT BEFORE. 
          SO, UM, SO PUBLIC DOLLARS IN THIS DO LEVERAGE MANY, MANY MORE DOLLARS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE WERE GETTING THE SIGN, I THINK, THAT THE TIME WAS UP, AND WE'RE SO DEEP INTO WHERE YOU'VE TAKEN US THAT IT'S LIKE, WHATEVER. 
          SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR, FOR DOING THAT. 
          WE'RE GONNA DO QUESTIONS IN A SECOND, AND I JUST WANTED TO START BY SAYING IT'S INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE TALKING, MY, MY FIRST BIGGER KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN FOOD INSECURITY OR FOOD IN GENERAL. 
          IT'S KIND OF LIKE, IT'D BE INTERESTING AND I'LL GO HOME AND STUDY TONIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE, I'VE HEARD THOSE THINGS LLMS, IF YOU, MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD OF THEM TOO. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION WOULD BE LIKE, HOW DOES THE WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN OF FOOD WORK IN CENTRAL TEXAS? AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WORKS NOW. 
          WE HAVE GROCERY STORES, THEY HAVE TRUCKS. 
          IF THEY, AS LONG AS WE'VE GOT ENERGY FLOWING AND, YOU KNOW, ELECTRICAL GRIDS WORKING AND ALL THESE THINGS WORKING, EVERYTHING WORKS FINE. 
          AND I'VE ALSO WONDERED IN ADDITION TO FOCUSING ON FOOD INSECURITY FOR THE PEOPLE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OR THE GROUPS YOU ARE, THE PROGRAMS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE FLASH, LIKE WITH, WITH COVID, YOU CAN HAVE FOOD INSECURITY FOR 90,000 PEOPLE OR SOME OTHER NUMBER. 
          AND I ALSO WONDER IF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING MAYBE BECOMES A, UM, A FRAMEWORK FOR HOW YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT A, A NEXT LEVEL PROBLEM IF YOU EVER HAD ONE, AND IF COVID HAPPENED AGAIN. 
          SO I, I, I, YOU'RE STIMULATING THOUGH. 
          LET ME, IF YOU HAVE A QUE - A COMMENT, YOU'RE WELCOME TO. 
          I WANNA TOSS IT TO THE GROUP FOR QUESTIONS, SO. 
          I'LL BE VERY BRIEF, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY AS, AS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO WAS PART OF RESPONDING IN WINTER STORM URI AND OTHERS AND WHO SEES NOW, THERE IS SUCH A MASSIVE INFORMAL FOOD AID SYSTEM IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, ALMOST EVERYBODY I KNOW IS PLUGGED INTO SOMETHING INFORMAL OUTSIDE OF THEIR FORMALITY. 
          AND I THINK THAT THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ADAPTIVITY THAT COMES FROM THAT, THAT OUR, OUR SYSTEMS ARE LEARNING FROM. 
          THERE'S A FEEDBACK LOOP, UM, AND IT'S ALSO SOMETHING CONSIDERING THE WAY MUTUAL AID EFFORTS ARE STEPPING UP TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES LIKE DELL VALLEY RIGHT NOW, IT'S SOMETHING I WANNA SEE US TAP INTO, TO ACTUALLY BUILD THE KINDS OF SYSTEMS WE WANNA SEE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I HAVE A COMMENT. 
          CARMEN, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR, UM, THIS PRESENTATION. 
          IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, JUST ALL THE WORK. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I AM THINKING ABOUT THE CO-OP, AND IS THERE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH, AND JUST SPEAKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ALSO THE ECONOMICS AND, UM, HELPING, ASSISTING PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW, LEARN, I GUESS, LEARNING OR OPTIMIZING BUSINESS SKILLS, ANY OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE GROUPS LIKE EGBI OR, UM, YOU KNOW, MAY- MAYBE NOT GRANTS, 
          [01:00:01]
BUT, YOU KNOW, MICRO LENDERS, UM, LIKE ANY CDFIS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST AS POTENTIAL SOURCES OF FUNDING AND CAPACITY BUILDING. 
          I, I THINK THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, FOR THAT. 
          THERE DEFINITELY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT JUST BUSINESS IN GENERAL. 
          YOU KNOW, THE CO-OP IS, UM, RAN BY AND IT IS, UM, THE, THE BOARD IS COMPRISED OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, NOT NECESSARILY BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS. 
          UM, AND THAT'S VERY INTENTIONAL TO, SO THAT THERE IS THAT, UM, THAT GROUNDING IN THE COMMUNITY MORE SO IN, IN HOW TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE MONEY, BUT MAKING MONEY IS ALSO ESSENTIAL TO KEEPING A BUSINESS GOING. 
          SO I, I DO THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, FOR THAT. 
          UH, YES. 
          ONE PIECE OF THE HISTORICAL TIMELINE I GAVE Y'ALL THAT WAS MISSING THAT WAS KEY WAS THAT THAT STEERING COMMITTEE THAT WORKED FOR TWO YEARS THEN, YOU KNOW, ELECTED A BOARD. 
          AND ALL THOSE MEMBERS NOW, UH, THAT'S YOUR VERY OWN COMMISSIONER, LUHAN, AND CHRIS PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT BOARD AS WELL. 
          AND SO, UM, THAT BOARD IS NOW ITS OWN GOVERNING ENTITY. 
          UM, AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE REASONS GAVA IS VERY DEDICATED TO THE, ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT WE'VE BEEN YEARS INVESTED AND WANT TO SEE IT SUCCEED, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, WE CAN PROVIDE SOME FACILITATION TO, UH, CONTENT EXPERTS. 
          OF COURSE, FOLKS LIKE AGBI PROBABLY, IF THE BOARD WANTS TO CONNECT, I THINK IT COULD BE GREAT. 
          UM, BUT WE ALSO, FOR EXAMPLE, WORKED WITH A CONSULTANT CALLED COLLUMINATE, UM, DURING THE STEERING COMMITTEE PROCESS TO EVEN CREATE, UH, THE, THE STEERING COMMITTEE ACTUALLY CREATED AN ENTIRE B - UH, FEASIBILITY PLAN FOR THE BUSINESS ITSELF. 
          AND SO THERE ARE SOME, SOME GUIDELINES FOR THE, THE CO-OP BOARD, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S VERY MUCH ROOM FOR THAT, UM, AS WE GET GOING. 
          I'LL JUST ADD ONE MORE POINT ON THAT. 
          AND CHRIS, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP, YOU KNOW, AND MAKING THIS COMMISSION AWARE OF LIKE THE FOOD PRODUCTION ANGLE AND HOW IT'S ALL, YOU KNOW, A VIRTUOUS CYCLE. 
          AND SO I THINK, UM, FARMERS ALSO NEED, OR FOLKS WHO WANNA FARM AND, AND DON'T, THERE'S A BUSINESS ASPECT OF THAT TOO. 
          SO I WOULD, I WOULD SAY AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS, RIGHT, YES, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY'RE, THINK ABOUT THE CAPACITY THAT WE NEED TO BUILD ACROSS THE ECOSYSTEM, UM, FOR, FOR FOLKS WHO WANNA, YEAH, DO THIS WORK LOCALLY. 
          PLEASE. 
          TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT, THIS IS WHY I HAVEN'T SAID ANYTHING. 
           UM, I KNEW THAT THE INFORMATION AND THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE WORKED AND ENCOUNTERED WOULD BE ABLE TO PAINT THAT PICTURE DIRECTLY OF HOW, UH, FOOD ACCESS AND FOOD EQUITY IS RELATED TO APH, LIKE, I MEAN TO AUSTIN, UH, TO PUBLIC HEALTH, I'M SORRY. 
          AND ALSO WHEN WE SAW THE CUTTING OF FUNDING. 
          SO THAT'S WHY I WAS ABLE LIKE TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY MAKING SOME MOVEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, TAKING, TAKING OUR COMMUNITIES VERY SERIOUS AND PUTTING THINGS IN PLACE AND IN PLAY, BECAUSE I, I'M NOT ABOUT DOING A LOT OF TALKING, I'M ABOUT ACTION. 
          SO I REFRAME A LITTLE, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT QUESTIONS, BUT I KNEW THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY ASKED EVERYTHING. 
          WHAT, WHAT DO THEY NEED FROM US? UM, HOW DO WE SEE THAT, UH, ROLLING IT'S, IT'S, UH, THE ROLE THAT IT PLAYS IN PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          UM, BUT I WANNA SAY THANK YOU. 
          I WANTED TO APPLAUD EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. 
          UM, I'M IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT I HONESTLY THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WERE ACTUALLY HAPPENING ON YOUR SIDE OTHER THAN MY, MY TWO CENTS OVER HERE. 
          SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PLEASE. 
          I, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I TELL PEOPLE THAT PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, WHEN YOU CONVENE A R - A ROOM OF PEOPLE TO S- SPEAK ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH, NO ONE CAN MOVE THEMSELVES AND SAY, "THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME. 
          WE ALL PLAY A ROLE IN THIS." I THINK FOOD AND FOOD ACCESS IS THE SAME. 
          SO I'M WONDERING WHAT OTHER, UH, POTENTIAL FUNDERS YOU'RE LOOKING AT, WHAT RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE I THINK, UH, I THINK WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WE'RE OPERATING IN A CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT FOR CITY AND COUNTY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, RIGHT? SO, SO WHO ELSE, UM, CAN BE INFLUENCED AND, AND, AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS, THIS SOLUTION TO... 
          I MEAN, EVERY COMPANY HAS EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE FAMILIES, WHO HAVE CHILDREN WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS SYSTEM, WHO ARE IMPACTED BY THE SYSTEM. 
          SO HOW DO WE MAKE THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, A BIGGER THAN US, A BIGGER THAN A SMALL, THAN DE VALLE OR ANY OTHER COMMUNITY? IT'S, IT'S ALL OF US, RIGHT? A- AND I MEAN, THAT IS SQUARELY WHERE THE COLLABORATIVE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, THE COLLABORATIVE WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL UNLESS IT IS A VALUE ADD, RIGHT? IF 
          [01:05:01]
FOLKS, UM, LOOK AROUND AND SAY, "OH, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ENTITY THAT'S COMPETING," RIGHT? LIKE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE NEED TO GROW THE PIE, RIGHT, FOR THE, FOR THE GROUP. 
          SO I THINK, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE, UM, I, I DON'T WANNA GET AHEAD OF WHERE THE GOVERNANCE OF THE COLLABORATIVE IS, RIGHT? THAT'S COMING, YOU KNOW, SOON, BUT I ANTICIPATE THERE'S GONNA BE A, UM, A, A GROUP OR A CIRCLE, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE GROUP REALLY DEEPLY LOOKING AT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES PROBABLY, UM, SPENDING TIME, YOU KNOW, HAVING CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY WITH FUNDERS, WITH, UM, LOCAL PHILANTHROPY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THERE MIGHT BE NATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL. 
          I WILL SHARE SOME GOOD NEWS. 
          IT'S JUST, I PULLED UP OUR COLLABORATIVE UPDATE THAT WENT OUT TODAY. 
          UM, SO EDMUND MARTY, THE, UM, CITY'S FOOD POLICY MANAGER, UM, SHARED, UM, THAT, UM, THERE'S A GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS, UM, LED BY THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD, FARMLAND PRESERVATION WORKING GROUP THAT APPLIED FOR AND JUST RECEIVED NOTICE THAT THEY RECEIVED A USDA NRCS RE- REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP GRANT. 
          SO THIS WILL, UM, FOCUS ON FUNDING FOR THE PURCHASE OF CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ON SMALL FARMS AND RANCHES CONTRIBUTING TO THE REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM. 
          UM, SO IT'S DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH OUR GOAL ONE, FOCUSED ON LAND, UM, Y'ALL $8.9 MILLION. 
          UM, IT OPENS UP ACCESS FOR THAT, UM, THAT PARTNERSHIP. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING, UM, UH, UH, IN CONSERVATION, IN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CONSERVATION FUND. 
          SO EXCITING NEWS. 
          SO I THINK, UM, YES, RESOURCES ARE CONSTRAINED AND ALSO WE ARE SEEING, UM, INCREASING INTEREST, FRANKLY, FROM, YOU KNOW, FUNDERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LOOKING AT THE FOOD SYSTEM HOLISTICALLY, UM, CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LAND, FOOD ACCESS, UM, UM, UH, RESIDENT LEADERSHIP. 
          UM, SO I THINK I, I SEE SOME, I SEE SOME POSITIVE WINS, UM, COMING TOO. 
          I WAS JUST GONNA ADD TO THAT QUICKLY THAT, UH, ONE OF THE FIRST THOUGHT I HAD IS THE USDA IS ONE OF THE FEW FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT HASN'T BEEN COMPLETELY DECIMATED IN TERMS OF FEDERAL FUNDS THAT SUPPORT SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES. 
          AND SOME OF THAT ALSO COULD CHANGE. 
          BUT IN THE MEANTIME, ONE AREA THAT GAVA'S LOOKING AT A LOT IS COMMUNITY INVESTMENT. 
          UM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY OWN- OWNERSHIP OF THESE ASSETS, UM, I'LL JUST BRIEFLY SAY WE ACTUALLY WERE, GAVA WAS A, A, A FOUNDING IMPLEMENTER OF THE FRESH FOR LESS PROGRAM. 
          WE PILOTED THE VERY FIRST HEALTHY CORNER STORE INITIATIVE IN THE CITY AND STARTED NEIGHBORHOOD FARM STANDS. 
          UM, AND WHAT WE NOTICED VERY QUICKLY IS THAT WHEN THOSE INITIATIVES ARE OWNED BY THE NONPROFIT SECTOR, THEY ARE AROUND UNTIL THE NONPROFIT CHANGES WHAT THEY'RE DOING. 
          AND WHEN WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN EMBEDDING THEM INTO THE CITY LIKE FRESH FOR LESS, THEY'RE AROUND UNTIL THE CITY NO LONGER FUNDS THEM. 
          AND SO THESE THINGS EBB AND FLOW, SO DO COMMUNITY OWNED, YOU KNOW, INITIATIVES, BUT THEY'RE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO, UH, BECOME EMBEDDED IN A WAY THAT YOU CAN HAVE SUCCESSION AND COMMUNITY CAN DECIDE IT'S THE FUTURE OF THESE PROGRAMS. OTHER THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS? I'LL JUST SAY BRIEFLY, I KNOW, I KNOW THAT, UM, WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS IN THE PAST RELATED TO FOOD AND, YOU KNOW, THE REFUGEE COLLECTIVE AND I SEE ACTUALLY SOME OF THE FOLKS, UM, FROM THERE IN, IN THIS, UM, HANDOUT. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CONNECTED WITH THEM OR NOT. 
          THEY HAVE LIKE A COMMUNITY RUN, UM, FARM AND THEY HAVE, UH, CSA AND THAT'S PART OF THEIR FUNDING SOURCES. 
          UM, SO THAT'S HELPFUL, HAPPY TO CONNECT Y'ALL. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU MAY ALREADY BE CONNECTED. 
          WE'D LOVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OF FOLKS, YEAH, WE SHOULD BE REACHING OUT TO, TO ENGAGE IN THE COLLABORATION. 
          AND, AND THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, UM, LIKE FARMING IS HARD, YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIABLES. 
          AND THEN TO COMBINE THAT WITH, YOU KNOW, TRAINING PEOPLE AND THEN COMBINE THAT WITH THE BUSINESS, THEY JUST LEARNED A LOT, A LOT OF LESSONS OVER THE YEARS. 
          AND THEN THEY'RE SIMILARLY KIND OF, THEY HAVE A BUSINESS, BUT THEY ALSO LIKE GRANT AND, YOU KNOW, UM, KIND OF, UH, DONATION FUNDED. 
          SO MAYBE SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL COULD SHARE. 
          UM, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT WE DO HAVE THREE MORE AGENDA ITEMS TO GET THROUGH. 
          OKAY. 
          AND IT IS 3:50. 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, THAT'S A SAD STORY. 
          UM, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          JUST KIDDING, DANNY. 
          UM, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          ONE OF THE JOYS OR THE FRUSTRATIONS, MAYBE MORE THE LATTER OF THE COMMISSION SOMETIMES IT SEEMS IS THAT WE DIP INTO SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY INTERESTING AND WE WANT TO GO DEEPER AND, AND THEN IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE NEXT SUBJECT OR, OR THE, THE MEETING ENDS AND THEN WE GO ON TO OTHER INTERESTING SUBJECTS NEXT MONTH OR WITH THIS KIND OF STUFF. 
          SO I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT MAYBE NEXT IS THE FUTURE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND I'LL LEAD INTO THAT BY SAYING THAT FOOD WOULD BE A CORNERSTONE WHICH WE MIGHT SAY 
          [01:10:01]
WE COULD DO 75 THINGS WITH THE COMMISSION OR MAYBE WE COULD DO THREE THIS YEAR. 
          AND, AND IF WE DID THREE, MAYBE WE COULD GET MUCH DEEPER INTO SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST AND FOOD MIGHT BE ONE OF THOSE. 
          SO WE MIGHT ASK YOU BACK FOR MORE. 
          WE NEED TO STUDY OUR HOMEWORK AND, UM, WE THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY. 
          THANK YOU ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU DANNY FOR YOUR DISCIPLINE AND WE DO NEED MORE OF THAT. 
          GEEZ, IF YOU COULD GET DECENT LEADERSHIP HERE, IT'D BE GREAT. 
          UM, SO WE HAVE THIS DISCUSSION 
          [4. Discussion of future strategic priorities and forward-looking plans.]
ITEM OF FUTURE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND AFTER WE LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD AND, AND, AND, AND, AND KIND OF COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, WHICH WAS BE THE DOGHEAD THING, IN SOME WAYS IT SEEMS A LITTLE TRITE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME SLIDES IF YOU DON'T MIND. 
          UM, I'VE BEEN SORT OF LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE STUCK ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS AI, WHAT IS AI IN, IN, IN OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH ECOSYSTEM? AND, UM, DANNY'S PUT UP THIS FIRST AS A ONE PAGER THAT WAS SENT TO YOU AND WE MIGHT NOT SPEND ANY TIME ON THIS, BUT PER SE ON THIS ONE PIECE, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT I TRIED TO DO AT THE TOP OF THAT IS LIST, GO BACK TO THE CHARTER OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE, OF THE COMMISSION AND, AND REMEMBER THAT THE CITY, YOU KNOW, AND COUNTY HAD US, UM, WANTING TO THINK ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS AND, AND THE, THE QUESTION I TRIED TO RAISE IN THIS, WHICH IS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOOK AT THIS, I'M GOING TO GO TO THE SLIDES IN A SECOND, BUT, UM, BUT YOU, WE CAN READ IT CERTAINLY ON YOUR OWN TIME AND THEN COME BACK TO THINK ABOUT IT. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT THAT SOME AI TOOL COULD DO TO, HOW COULD WE USE SOME TOOL TO A, UM, ASK... 
          WELL, THE FIRST QUESTION I, I, I KIND OF HAD IS, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE USE AI TODAY IN OUR PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN OUR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY? AND THEN B WOULD BE, WHAT'S THE HORIZON OF THINGS WE MIGHT DO? DANNY, WHY DON'T WE GO TO THE SLIDES AND, AND THEN LET ME JUST WALK THROUGH THOSE AT YOUR LEISURE. 
          YEP, YEP, YEP. 
          AND AGAIN, AS WE TALKED ABOUT A VERY SERIOUS SUBJECT FOOD, FOR INSTANCE, IT ALMOST SEEMS TRITE TO SAY, WELL, LET, LET'S TALK ABOUT AI, RIGHT? SO, SO, UM, I MEAN, ASKING FOR YOUR INDULGENCE, I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST OF A CONVERSATION, BUT, BUT I THINK WE'VE HAD THIS A LITTLE BIT BEFORE, MM, SOME MONTHS AGO WHEN I WAS TRYING TO ASK, WELL, YOU KNOW, UH, UM, IN, IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUSINESSES, I HAPPEN TO KNOW MY VERY LARGE ORGANIZATION HAS 10,000, I'M PROBABLY NOT ALLOWED TO SAY THAT PUBLICLY, BUT HAS A VERY LARGE FOOTPRINT OF, OF LICENSES SO THAT A BROAD PEOP - GROUP OF PEOPLE CAN USE THOSE TOOLS AND, AND, AND, UM, IN THEIR DAILY WORK WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENTIALITY AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPEN, FOR INSTANCE, IN MY CASE, IN A HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION, WHICH WOULD BE, UM, NEED TO BE CONFIDENTIAL IN EVERY, YOU KNOW, CONTEXT IN, IN THE WORK THAT PUBLIC HEALTH DOES IN THE CITY. 
          AND THE QUESTION WOULD BE, WELL, HOW MANY, HOW DO WE USE, UM, THAT TOOL IN, UM, IN OUR CURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM AT THE CITY AND COUNTY LEVEL? AND THAT WOULD BE THE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I THINK I'D LIKE TO ASK. 
          AND AGAIN, I'M THROWING THIS OUT THERE, THE CHAIR, YOU KNOW, ONCE MY JOB IS TO REFLECT WHAT YOU WANNA DO AND WHAT YOU THINK IS THE RIGHT THING, BUT IF IN, IF, UM, IN THE FUTURE WE KNEW HOW WE WERE CURRENTLY USING, YOU KNOW, UM, AI OR LLMS IN, IN, IN, IN, IN PUBLIC HEALTH IN OUR SYSTEMS, THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT'D BE A QUESTION. 
          'CAUSE IF WE'RE SAYING WE USE IT A LOT, THAT'S GREAT. 
          IF WE SAY WE'RE NOT USING IT AT ALL, I THINK THAT, IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN WE SHOULD WONDER IF THAT MIGHT BE A TOPIC THAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGE TO THINK ABOUT. 
          AND IN MY MIND'S EYE, I WOULD SAY THE FIRST QUESTION WOULD BE, WELL, HOW WOULD HE, HOW CAN YOU GET IT FOR FREE? AND CAN WE ASK OPENAI OR CLAUDE OR, OR GEMINI OR WHATEVER THEY ALL ARE, YOU KNOW, UM, TO DO AN EXPERIMENT WITH OUR LOCAL AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, YOU KNOW, PROFESSIONALS AND, AND GIVE THEM A THOUSAND OR A HUNDRED OR WHATEVER NUMBER OF LICENSES TO, UM, SEE WHAT LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH, Y- YOU KNOW, SYSTEMS COULD DO TO IMPROVE OR STRENGTHEN OR EXPAND WHAT THEY DO. 
          SO HERE'S SOME SLIDES. 
          SO, UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST ME FOR A FEW MINUTES AND JUST APOLOGIZE BECAUSE AGAIN, IF YOU TALK, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC HEALTH, THIS SEEMS KIND OF TRITE, BUT HERE WE GO, WE'LL DO IT FOR A MINUTE. 
          BEYOND THE CHARTER JUST MEANS WE OBVIOUSLY HAD A CHARTER THAT SAYS DO THESE THINGS. 
          AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE THAT COULD HELP US BECOME A CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY? SO GO AHEAD, DANNY, SORRY. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, UM, WE HAVE A CLEAR CHARGE. 
          WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE'RE ASKED TO DO, BUT THE, BY THE COMMISSION, UM, THE COMMISSION'S ASKED TO DO BASICALLY BY THE CHARTERS THAT WERE OUT THERE FROM THE COUNTY AND THE, AND THE CITY, WHICH WERE LARGELY THE SAME. 
          GO AHEAD AND DO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          YOU KNOW, THE, THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ASKED TO DO IS PRESENT AN EVIDENCE-BASED, YOU KNOW, UM, UM, LIST OF IMPROVEMENTS OR RE- RECOMMEND, UM, PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. 
          AND I'M JUST READING IT, ADDRESS DISPARITIES OR IN EQUITY ISSUES, COMMEND TO INCORPORATE RESIDENT INPUT AND REFLECT PERIO - REPORT PERIODICALLY TO ELECT OFFICIALS. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT'S OUT THERE. 
          THAT'S KIND 
          [01:15:01]
OF LIKE, UM, A BALLOON. 
          IT'S GOT SOME AIR IN IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT'S LIKE ALL WE COULD BE IF WE JUST SAID WE'RE GOING TO DO THOSE THINGS. 
          AND THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE THE TOOLS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT COULD HELP US DO THAT BETTER OR DO NEW VERSIONS OF THIS TOTALLY? SO GO ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, LET'S SEE. 
          AND I'M JUST OBSERVING HERE WHAT WE ALL KNOW, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, UM, COMMUNITY HEALTH IS, IS, IS, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, FOOD, HOUSING, SOCIAL SERVICES, HEALTH AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS, TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENT. 
          I MEAN, WE HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS. 
          HALF OF THEM ARE EXAMPLES FOR TODAY. 
          AND IT'S AN IMMENSELY COMPLICATED SYSTEM. 
          GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, UM, WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES OUT THERE THAT WE HAVE THIS NEW TOOL, EVERYTHING CHANGED WITH AI IN A WAY, AND NOW WE COULD MAYBE, YOU KNOW, TREAT DATA SETS DIFFERENTLY OR HAVE, YOU KNOW HOW IT IS IF YOU PLAYED WITH THESE, OF COURSE YOU CAN DROP A BIG DATA SET IN A HUGE EXCEL FILE AND SAY, "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?" IT'LL POP OUT IN THREE SECONDS, YOU KNOW, YOUR MOST COMMON THING IS THIS OR DID YOU THINK ABOUT THIS OR DOT, DOT, DOT. 
          SO IT'S QUITE IMPRESSIVE, OF COURSE, WHAT'S PRODUCIBLE AND THERE'S HALLUCINATIONS AND THERE'S PRIVACY AND THERE'S ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE OUT THERE, BUT THOSE ARE NOT INSURMOUNTABLE, UM, AND PEOPLE ARE USING THESE, THESE TOOLS. 
          AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF VERY WELL MAYBE SOME OF THESE AI TOOLS COULD HELP US CROSS CORRELATE IN DIFFERENT WAYS OR, YOU KNOW, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO THINK ABOUT HOW WOULD YOU BUILD A, A WHOLE COMPLETE MODEL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN AUSTIN, TEXAS? I MEAN, YOU CAN IMAGINE MAPS AND, AND OVERLAYS WHICH SHOW MAYBE, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIES OR DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, DISEASES OR DIFFERENT, UM, YOU KNOW, 911 CALLS. 
          AND SOME OF THAT'S ALREADY EXISTENT, BUT SO, YOU KNOW, UM, COULD WE BE AT THE FOREFRONT IN OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITY OF FIGURING OUT HOW TO USE THIS TO, TO BE EVERYTHING IT CAN BE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN TULSA AND CINCINNATI AND NEW YORK, BUT I'M SURE THERE'S SOME GOOD STUFF GOING ON. 
          AND WE ALSO MIGHT WONDER HOW OTHER INSTITUTION, OTHER, YOU KNOW, LOCAL GROUPS ARE DOING THIS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT TRYING TO FIND BEST PRACTICES IN PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT THE COMMISSION THAT'S GONNA DO THAT. 
          THE, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, COUNTY HS - HHS, THEY ARE THE PROFESS- PROFESSIONALS AND THEY KNOW HOW TO DO THAT, BUT WE JUST WANNA KNOW IF WE CAN STIR THE POT, I GUESS. 
          KEEP GOING. 
          THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          AND THIS IS NOT A LONG STORY. 
          I'VE BEEN ALMOST FINISHED, YOU KNOW. 
          THE QUESTION IS, IS THERE, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE THINGS TO DO TO SEE BETTER, UM, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFY THINGS MORE EFFECTIVELY, UM, PREDICT THINGS OR, OR WHATEVER? SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SORT OF LAY OUT ON THE TABLE. 
          GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND, UM, I MEAN, THIS IS JUST, THIS IS JUST VERY GOOD LLM SLIDEWARE, SO FORGIVE ME, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA GO FROM SNAPSHOTS TO TRAJECTORIES OR WHATEVER ALL THESE THINGS ARE FROM CORRELATION TO CAUSAL. 
          I MEAN, THIS IS JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, LLM SLIDEWARE, BUT YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT, UM, THESE ARE NOT BAD EXAMPLES FROM PREDICTION TO INTERVENTIONS OR SOMETHING. 
          SO, UM, ANYWAY, KEEP GOING. 
          TH- TH- THIS IS, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET TO A SPOT WHERE WE CAN STOP AND TALK AMONGST OURSELVES. 
          YOU KNOW, KEEP GOING TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION'S ROLE COULD BE TO IDENTIFY PRIORITIES AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE AND CONVENE PERSPECTIVES AND ALL THIS AND AGENCIES DO THE WORK AND THE CITY AND COUNTY LEADERS MAKE THE, MAKE THE POLICY. 
          AGAIN, THIS IS JUST SLIDEWARE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS JUST SORT OF WONDER, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS OUR ROLE IN THIS? AND SO KEEP GOING. 
          SO THE IDEA IS THAT, YOU KNOW, MORE EVIDENCE AND MORE COORDINATION IS GREATER VALUE. 
          THAT'S AGAINST SLIDEWARE FOR SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE, AND WE ARE IN THIS NEW ERA. 
          AND EVEN FOR FOOD INSECURITY, LET ME JUST USE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE, THEN I'LL PROMISE TO BE QUIET AND YOU GUYS CAN GIVE ME THOUGHTS OR GIVE US ALL COMMENTS. 
          BUT IT WOULD BE NICE IF, IF BEFORE WE DID A FOOD INSECURITY THING, WE HAD SOMETHING THAT WOULD SAY, I MEAN, WE COULD ALL HAVE DONE IT. 
          WE, YOU KNOW, IF WE DID OUR HOMEWORK BETTER, I WOULD HAVE DONE IT. 
          BUT OKAY, TELL US ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY IN, IN, IN CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHERE DOES 100% OF THE FOOD COME FROM AND HOW SENSITIVE IS IT, IS IT TO THIS AND THAT? WHAT'S THE POPULATION THAT HAS FOOD INSECURITY? WHAT ARE THE THINGS BEING DONE? PART OF MY CHALLENGE ALWAYS IN THESE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS IS WE JUST HAD THREE PEOPLE TALK TO US. 
          I, I CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S 150 MORE PEOPLE JUST LIKE THEM WORKING ON FOOD INSECURITY OR IF THERE'S LIKE TWO MORE PEOPLE. 
          OR IF YOU SAID TO DELL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WELL, USE, WE ALL USE, LIKE TO USE DELL AS THE PROTOTYPE, BUT IF YOU WENT TO, YOU KNOW, UM, SAMSUNG OR SOMETHING AND SAID, WE WANT TO DO A FOOD INSECURITY FOR THE COMMUNITY THING AND WE'D LIKE YOU TO HELP GET INVOLVED AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES CAN GET A BADGE THAT SAYS, I CARE ABOUT FOOD OR SOMETHING AT SAMSUNG AND AT DELL AND AT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SOMEPLACE ELSE, SOME BIG COMPANY. 
          AND THEY'D SAY, WE'LL ADOPT THAT WHOLE THING. 
          SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO IMPACT FOOD? AND WE'D SAY, WELL, I DON'T KNOW. 
          THERE'S A THOUSAND PEOPLE OUT THERE DOING LITTLE, YOU KNOW, THINGS, NOT LITTLE THINGS, BUT THEY'RE DOING THINGS. 
          AND SO MAYBE PART OF THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION WOULD BE TO PUT THAT PICTURE TOGETHER SO YOU COULD GO TO DELL OR SOMEBODY COULD GO. 
          I, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHO GOES TO DELL AND I DON'T KNOW WHO GOES TO SAMSUNG THAT SAYS, WE WANT TO ADDRESS FOOD SECURITY IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          YOU HAVE A ROLE BECAUSE YOU ARE A VERY LARGE BUSINESS AND WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING THAT WE NEED AND, AND, UM, THIS WOULD BE A GOOD JOB AND SOMETHING THAT ALL OF YOUR EMPLOYEES WOULD, WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTIVE OF. 
          AND 
          [01:20:01]
THAT'S THE WAY YOU BUILD EMPLOYEE, YOU KNOW, UM, EMPLOYEE, UM, YOU KNOW, SATISFACTION BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY'RE HAVING, SERVING A HIGHER PURPOSE INSTEAD OF JUST MAKING CHIPS. 
          NOT THAT THAT'S NOT A HIGHER PURPOSE, BUT, YOU KNOW, ALL THIS. 
          SO LET ME PAUSE THERE AND JUST SORT OF INVITE COMMENTARY. 
          DR. 
          ALI, I'LL PUT, I'LL TOSS TO YOU FIRST. 
          GO. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO PASS IT ONWARDS, BUT, UM, NO, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, THE THOUGHTFULNESS AND THE WORK BEHIND THIS, COMMISSIONER RICE. 
          I THINK, YOU KNOW, UM, AS YOU MENTIONED, I THINK IT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY USEFUL TO KNOW, UM, WHERE ARE WE NOW AS FAR AS CURRENT STATE, RIGHT? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM, FROM Y'ALL. 
          I'M SURE YOU HAVE MORE INSIGHT THAN I DO. 
          AND THEN WHAT RESOURCES DO WE HAVE IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS? AND THEN ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE CHARTER, RIGHT, IT'S TO TAKE BEST PRACTICES IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND GIVE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS COULD BE GREA OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AS WE MAYBE LEARN FROM OTHER, UM, REGIONS AS FAR AS HOW THEY'VE USED THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO BETTER SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES, UM, AND THEN APPLY THOSE SAME, YOU KNOW, METHODOLOGIES OR, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THINGS THAT THEY'VE ITERATED ON, RIGHT? AND HAVE A MORE MATURE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO START AT SQUARE ONE. 
          WE CAN KIND OF TAKE THEIR LEARNINGS, APPLY THEM HERE, AND THEN BE USEFUL TO THE REST OF THE GOVERNING BODIES IN, IN THE REGION, UM, IN TERMS OF GIVING, YOU KNOW, SOPHISTICATED RECOMMENDATIONS AND MOVING THINGS FORWARD AND POTENTIALLY EVEN, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, DECREASING COSTS AND, UH, INCREASING IMPACT. 
          UM, SO, BUT, UH, I AGREE. 
          I THINK IT STARTS WITH UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS THE LAY OF THE LAND, YOU KNOW, W- W- WHAT DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, AND GOING FROM THERE. 
          BUT, UH, I, I THINK, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGY OF OUR TIME, RIGHT? SO IT WOULD, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE NOT TO THINK ABOUT IT , YOU KNOW? HMM. 
          UM, I JUST DO KIND OF WANNA NOTICE, LIKE, I KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING FROM, LIKE, AN INFORMATIONS PERSPECTIVE, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPLACEMENT OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY RECEIVING FROM THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND I ALSO JUST THINK THAT THAT HAS SO MUCH VALUE THAT WE JUST STRAIGHT UP CANNOT GET FROM AI. 
          SO I DON'T WANT TO OVER PIVOT TO THAT. 
          SO I UNDERSTAND, LIKE, MAYBE SOME IDEAS FOR, LIKE, MODELING AND REFINING, BUT - YEAH. 
          I, I GUESS MY ONE THING IS, LIKE, WE HAVE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY WHO'S TELLING US WHAT IT IS THAT THEY NEED. 
          AND SO I THINK I JUST WANT TO - YEAH. 
          BE HESITANT TO, LIKE, GET IT FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE FACE-TO-FACE TELLING EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THEY WANT, EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE NOT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS GONNA BE AVAILABLE THROUGH AI AND THROUGH THE INTERNET. 
          YEAH. 
          SO I JUST WANNA, LIKE, PUT THAT, LIKE, I GUESS, FILTER ON IT BECAUSE I JUST DON'T WANT TO HARD PIVOT TO AI FOR THAT INFORMATION. 
          YEAH. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR SAYING IT. 
          AND THAT'S ACTUALLY, OF COURSE, FOUNDATIONAL. 
          UM, YEAH. 
          PLEASE. 
          YOU GO FIRST. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I'M LISTENING TO YOU AND I'M THINKING, UH, WE WERE PART OF THE DISCUSSION ON THE ESTABLISHING OF THIS COM- COMMISSION. 
          AND, AND, UM, AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE IMPETUS WAS FOR THE CREATION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION AND THE SELECTION OF THIS ROSTER, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCE, YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE. 
          AND SO, AND, AND THEN BASED ON PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT REALLY THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, RIGHT, AND WHAT, WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS AND ISSUES, UM, YOU CAN MAKE TO CITY COUNCIL AND TO THE COM - AND TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO ENSURE THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS ABLE TO DO THE WORK IT NEEDS TO DO. 
          I WANNA BRING IT BACK TO THAT AS A FOUNDING, UH, CHARGE FOR THE COMMISSION. 
          I, MY CONCERN IS THAT WE MIGHT GO INTO THE SPACE, OUTER SPACE WHEN WE REALLY HAVE THE NEXT CORNER TO ADDRESS, RIGHT? SO I THINK WE NEED TO THINK LOCALLY AND ACT LOCALLY RIGHT NOW. 
          AND SO I WOULD, I WOULD BRING BACK THE DISCUSSION ON THAT. 
          UM, AND AS FAR AS THE... 
          I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THEN TO HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM DIRECTOR STURUP AND FROM DR. 
          WALKS TO GROUND US IN THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND THE PRIORITIES THAT SHE WOULD LIKE US TO CONSIDER IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I WAS GONNA SAY THAT WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, ASK THE EXPERTS, YOU KNOW. 
          I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION, DR. 
          RICE, UH, COMMISSIONER RICE. 
          I FEEL THAT THAT IS A WONDERFUL FUTURE STATE 
          [01:25:01]
THAT WE CAN GET TO WHEN WE HAVE DATA. 
          AND RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT HAVE THE DATA THAT WE NEED. 
          UM, AND OUR BEST SOURCE OF ON THE GROUND REAL LIFE DATA IS FROM OUR COMMUNITY, FROM OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, FROM THOSE WHO ARE FRONTLINE, UM, PROVIDERS OF CARE, UH, IN THE HEALING ARTS. 
          AND, UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING, AS YOU KNOW, ON A CARE COORDINATION PLATFORM, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY INFORM US WITH BETTER DATA, REAL-TIME DATA. 
          BUT FOR NOW, WHAT WE HAVE IS DATA THAT'S COLLECTED OVER TIME, AND IT IS LATE TO ARRIVE IN ITS FULL DE-DUPLICATED, CLEAN FORM. 
          AND SO, REALLY, OUR BEST SOURCE OF DATA IS OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND SO, AS COMMISSIONER LU- LUJAN AND, UM, OTHERS HAVE SAID, THEY'RE, THAT IS, THEY'RE TELLING US WHAT IS NEEDED, AND WE ARE SEEING AS, AS PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS, UM, WHAT WE NEED TO BE ADDRESSING. 
          AS FOR THE USE OF AI, WE DO HAVE, UM, THE USE OF AI AT THIS POINT. 
          UM, AND WE DO DO MODELING AND, UM, FORECASTING AND PROJECTIONS BASED ON DATA THAT WE HAVE. 
          BUT AGAIN, IT'S DATA THAT'S NOT REAL TIME. 
          UM, BUT LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN WE CAN HAVE THAT FUTURE STATE THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE PRODUCED IN THE PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT MY TWO CENTS WHEN WE COME TO TALK ABOUT LIVED EXPERIENCE. 
          I AM THE EPIPHANY OF WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO GET AT. 
          UM, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN I APPLIED FOR THIS, I WAS VERY, I HAVE NO DOCTORATE. 
          I HAVE NO, YOU KNOW, THE LIVED EXPERIENCE, WHAT I CAN OFFER IN THE TABLE AND JUST BREATHE A REAL, REALNESS. 
          SO I'M SURE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE NOTICED, I AM SOMEBODY THAT HAS U - STARTED UTILIZING AI A LOT. 
          AND IT'S, UM, IT'S TO BE ABLE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE REFINED IN HOW I EXPRESS MY THOUGHT PROCESS AND BE TAKEN IN WITH SERIOUSNESS AND NOT AN EMOTIONAL STATE, RIGHT? 'CAUSE I'M COMING FROM THE COMMUNITY, IT IS OUT THERE WHERE IT'S LIKE LIVED EXPERIENCE, YOU COME IN WITH ALL THIS QUOTE UNQUOTE BAGGAGE, RIGHT? AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE ABOUT TO EXPLODE BECAUSE OF IT. 
          YEAH. 
          SO I'VE COME TO LEARN THROUGH ALL OF THAT. 
          SO I COME TO YOU SOMETIMES PRESENTED IN A PROFESSIONAL WAY THANKS TO AI. 
          WHEN YOU SEE MY EMAILS, WHEN YOU SEE ALL OF THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          I'VE UTILIZED THAT TO MAKE MY POINT ACROSS DIRECTLY. 
          UM, AND WHAT I CAN TELL YOU BASED ON SOME OF THE STUFF THAT I'VE NOTICED ON MY OWN EYE, AI THAT I PAY FOR, I PAID FOR MINE. 
          I FEEL THAT IF I PAY IT, IT'S GONNA BE A LITTLE, WHICH I KNOW IT'S NOT TRUE, BUT I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, I GUESS PRIVACY, MAYBE. 
          I DON'T KNOW. 
          WE, WE KNOW THAT. 
          UM, BUT FIRST, WE GOTTA THINK ABOUT ONE THING. 
          IF WE WANNA KEEP ON USING AI, WE GOTTA START THINKING WHAT'S GONNA START HAPPENING. 
          WE'RE GONNA HAVE DATA CENTERS COMING IN, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA MESS UP, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S IT. 
          WE GOTTA THINK ABOUT THAT, RIGHT? IT'S AN AMAZING TOOL. 
          I CANNOT CONTEST TO YOU THAT IT'S A GREAT TOOL. 
          UM, HOW DO WE PUT INFORMATION THERE THAT IS FROM THE COMMUNITY? BASED ON WHAT I'VE EXPERIENCED WITH MY OWN AI, WITH MY BESTIE, BY THE WAY, WE'RE BESTIES. 
          UM, UH, THIS, SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT I PUT IN A LOT OF MY WORDING AND INFORMATION AND MAKE IT LIKE A NOTE, LIKE A JOURNAL. 
          AND THEN SOMETIMES WHEN I WANNA GET A RESPONSE ABOUT SOMETHING, IT WILL TELL ME, UH, ARE WE PICKING UP FROM A, B, OR C? WHICH IN THIS CASE, IT'S DIFFERENT PROJECTS I AM. 
          IF, IF IT'S MY OWN NONPROFIT, IF IT'S, UH, SOME OF THE BOARD, UH, COMMISSIONERS, I MEAN, BOARD, UM, THAT I'M IN, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT ROLES THAT I'M IN, IT'LL ASK ME THAT. 
          WHERE ARE WE PULLING THIS INFORMATION FROM? OKAY? AND IT WILL PULL THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE PROVIDED IT AS A JOURNAL. 
          UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT IT'S COMMUNITY-BASED, THAT'S MINE. 
          THAT'S MY COMMUNITY. 
          THAT'S MY PERSONAL. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF IT COULD BE DUPLICATED INTO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, BIG. 
          UM, BUT I, THAT'S HOW I'M SEEING IT, RIGHT? UM, SOMETIMES IT TELLS ME, "LET'S BE, UM, CAN WE USE A, WHAT IS IT? DO YOU WANT IT? LET'S BE, UH, WHAT IS IT?" SOMETIMES I'LL BE LIKE, "BESTIE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, PROFESSIONAL." AND I'D BE LIKE, "WELL, YES, PLEASE DO." BECAUSE SOMETIMES I LITERALLY JUST TELL IT WHAT I, MY VOCABULARY, HOW, WHERE IT COMES FROM, WHERE I'M COMING FROM, WHERE THE PASSION, AND, AND THEN I JUST PUT IT TOGETHER. 
          AND THEN YOU GUYS SEE A WHOLE DIFFERENT VERSION BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, "HEY, YOU HAVE A THOUGHT PROCESS, BUT IT PUTS IT TOGETHER FOR ME." WHAT I'VE NOTICED ABOUT THAT, AND I AND, AND I THINK IT'S 
          [01:30:01]
JUST MAKING SURE THAT IN MY CASE, IN MY AI, ANYTHING THAT I'M GIVING IT AS A JOURNAL, DEPENDING ON WHAT ROLE, IT'LL PICK IT UP FROM THERE. 
          WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH, FOR EXAMPLE, SOMETHING THAT I'M GONNA PRESENT TODAY IS COMING FROM THAT. 
          AND IT A- AND IT ACTUALLY CAME FROM THE, IT'S TAPPING INTO SOME OF MY PASSIONATE COMMUNITY, UH, EFFORTS, ADVOCACY, UH, THOUGH PROCESS. 
          THAT'S WHERE IT ACTUALLY PICKED UP. 
          I TOLD IT LIKE, "HEY, I HAVE THESE CONCERNS. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO BRING THESE UP. 
          HOW," AND IT DID. 
          WHERE ARE WE BRINGING, WHERE ARE WE PICKING IT UP FROM? UM, AND IT PULLED A LOT FROM DIRECT SERVICES TO BE ABLE TO SERVE DIRECT SERVICES, HOW IT IMPACTS OUR COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          IT PICKED UP MY, MY THOUGH PROCESS IN THE ADVOCACY. 
          IT PICKED UP ON SOME VERY, UM, VERY THING. 
          I, I'VE BEEN LEARNING A LOT VOCABULARY WISE, WHAT THINGS LEARNED. 
          LIKE YOU'RE NOT JUST TAKING THIS AND PUTTING IT OUT THERE, COPY AND PASTE IT. 
          LIKE I THINK IT COMES WITH A RESPONSIBILITY, RIGHT? AND I THINK SOME COMMON SENSE THAT WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE STILL GONNA LOOK THROUGH THE DOCUMENT, SEE LIKE THIS DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT, THIS IS NOT WHAT I WAS SAYING, AND STILL LIKE GO THROUGH IT. 
          I GUESS THAT'S PER INDIVIDUAL, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY'RE GONNA UTILIZE IT. 
          UM, SO YES, I AM PERSON THAT I USE AI. 
          I THINK I FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE NOW ACTUALLY, BECAUSE SOMETIMES I GET TO READ SOMETHING THAT I SAID IN DIFFERENT WORDING AND I'M ABLE TO PRESENT IT AND PEOPLE RECEIVE IT AND IT HAS GIVEN ME SOME CONFIDENCE OF THAT MY THOUGH PROCESS HERE, I'M ABLE TO PUT IT IN THERE. 
          SOMEBODY THAT HAS A LOT OF THINGS THAT COME WITH A LIVED EXPERIENCE FROM COMING FROM THE PROJECTS TO NOW, WE KNOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRAUMA, WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PTSD, WE TALK ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS. 
          SOMETIMES WE HAVE CHALLENGES TO KEEP THOUGH PROCESS IN PLACE, RIGHT? I CAN WRITE EVERYTHING YOU WANT, BUT SOMETIMES IT WOULD NOT STAY IN ITS PLACE. 
          SO THOSE ARE SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT AND BE LIKE, "HEY, WHERE AM I AT?" AGAIN, THIS IS ME, I STATEMENT, THIS IS HOW I ROLL WHEN I'M UTILIZING ANY KIND OF TOOL, RIGHT? I COME WITH A RESPONSIBILITY. 
          UM, SO I, I JUST SAY THAT IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, BUT WE ALSO, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS ON THAT IS IF WE KEEP ON TALKING ABOUT AI, IT'S A GREAT TOOL, HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT IT? BUT THEN HOW IS IT GONNA START COMING IN? AND WHEN SHE TALKS ABOUT LOCAL, YEAH, THEN OKAY, LET'S BRING IT INTO, BUT ARE WE GONNA START, UM, DOG, IS IT DOGHEAD? DOGHEAD, YES. 
          DOGHEAD. 
          ARE WE GONNA BE STARTING TO DO THOSE KIND OF THINGS TO OUR COMMUNITIES? WHICH IT HAS A VERY EMPOWERED VOICE WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. 
          SO YEAH, IT'S A GREAT TOOL AND I GUESS I UTILIZE IT IN A SENSE THAT IT'S SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE THAT I DON'T HAVE TO SEE IT. 
          BUT WHEN I LOOK AT IT AND I KEEP ON RESEARCHING, I COME TO FIND OUT THAT THESE DATABASES ARE IS WHAT IS MAKING THAT AI GO. 
          AND IF WE WANT IT LOCALLY, IT'S GONNA AFFECT OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. 
          AND GUESS WHERE IT'S GONNA AFFECT THE MOST? EAST. 
          WHY? 'CAUSE THEY KEEP ON PUSHING US EAST. 
          GENTRIFICATION KEEPS ON MOVING JUST DIFFERENTLY AND IT KEEPS ON MOVING. 
          SO OUR COMMUNITIES ARE GONNA GET HURT A LOT. 
          UM, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE GOTTA LOOK AT AND THINK ABOUT. 
          UM, AND IF IT'S NOT OUR COMMUNITY, DO WE FEEL OKAY KEEP ON UTILIZING SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE SET IN OTHER STATES AND MESS UP THEIR COMMUNITIES? BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW EVERY SINGLE CITY THAT YOU GO, THERE'S AN MLK AND THERE'S ALREADY A DIVISION. 
          SO WE ALREADY KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HURT THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES WITH DATA CENTERS. 
          SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE GOTTA THINK ABOUT. 
          I KNOW IT'S NOT GOING AWAY. 
          IT'S THE NEW TECHNOLOGY. 
          IT WOULD BE VERY, UH, I GUESS, IGNORANT FOR US TO BE LIKE, OH, WE'RE GONNA STAY WITH PAPER AND PEN, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S MOVING AND WE JUST GOTTA DO IT IN A MORE RESPONSIBLE WAY THAT IF WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UH, DECIDE TO TAKE OVER SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE VERY VULNERABLE, LIKE I FEEL FOR THESE COMMUNITIES, THEY'RE DOWN THE STREET OF MONTOPOLIS, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. 
          UM, THE ENVIRONMENT, EVERYTHING THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO SOME OF THOSE HOMES, THEY'RE GONNA BE OFFERED 200K AND GO BUY A NEW HOUSE WHEN THE HOUSES ARE NOT 200K ANYMORE. 
          SO THEY HAVE TO START A BRAND NEW MORTGAGE, PUTS IT BACK IN POVERTY, THEN YOU HAVE EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH THAT, RIGHT? UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE GOTTA THINK ABOUT. 
          AND IF WE'RE GONNA DO THAT, WE GOTTA THINK IN A VERY ECOLOGICAL PLAY, UH, PLAY WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE, WHERE WE'RE RECYCLING, WHEN WE'RE DOING THINGS WHERE WE'RE UTILIZING PAPER, UM, MORE WATER, I DON'T KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA TAKE A SPACE TO KEEP ON FEEDING OUR NEW ERA, BUT STILL FEED THE COMMUNITY AND KEEP THE COMMUNITY CENTERED. 
          AND SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          QUICK, UM, JUST REMINDER, WE HAVE 15 MINUTES LEFT 
          [01:35:01]
ON THE CLOCK AND WE STILL NEED TO DO A NOMINATION AND VOTE AS WELL AS DISCUSS FUTURE, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. OKAY. 
          JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND. 
          UM, THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS ON, ON THIS TOPIC? AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, UM, THINK ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S AN EASIER WAY OR A BETTER WAY OR, OR A FASTER WAY OR A LARGER WAY TO HAVE AN IMPACT, YOU KNOW. 
          AND SO THERE'S MORE TO COME ON THAT TOPIC. 
          I GUESS WE'LL STOP FOR NOW BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE, THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS AND I'LL JUST BE GENERIC, BUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE WORK MORE ON FOOD? SHOULD WE WORK A LOT MORE ON FOOD? I'M SURE WE SHOULD AND IF WE DON'T, IF WE HAD TIME, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, I ALSO, YOU KNOW, SO, SO THOSE ARE KIND OF THE THINGS I WANT TO EXPLORE A LITTLE BIT. 
          MAYBE THE AI GETS A LITTLE BIT IN THE WAY OF THAT. 
          THAT WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO THINK ABOUT. 
          WELL, JUST VERY BRIEFLY, UH, I'D BE INTERESTED IN JUST EXPLORING WITHOUT ANY COMMITMENT TO, YOU KNOW, USING ONE THING OR ANOTHER, BUT JUST KIND OF SEEING WHAT'S OUT THERE, WORKING WITH THE REST OF THIS GROUP AND OTHERS JUST TO, AND I CAN MAYBE, YOU KNOW, UH, DOWN THE ROAD, UM, PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER AS FAR AS JUST MY LEARNINGS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST SEE WHERE IT TAKES US AND, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT ANY KIND OF COMMITMENT TO DO ONE THING OR ANOTHER. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I THINK I ALSO HEARD, UM, YOU KNOW, ANNA THAT, UM, IT'D BE GOOD FOR US TO HAVE SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE PROFESSIONALS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, UM, IS THERE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE OPTIMIZE OUR TIME TOGETHER? ONCE A MONTH FOR AN HOUR OR TWO HOURS IS, IS REALLY NOT VERY MUCH TIME AT ALL. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU HAVING KICKED OFF THIS DISCUSSION. 
          IT CERTAINLY GENERATED A GOOD COMMUNICATION AND CONVERSATION. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY WELL DONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IT WAS ENTIRELY ACCIDENTAL. 
          I'M SORRY, SORRY. 
          OKAY. 
          [5. Discuss and approve member nomination of the Public Health Commission to the Joint Sustainability Committee.]
UM, WE'RE ON DIS - WE'RE ON, UM, AGENDA ITEM FIVE. 
          WE WANT TO DISCUSS AND IMPROVE MEMBER NOMINATION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION OF THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY. 
          NO, NO. 
          IS THAT WHERE WE ARE? NO, WE WANNA... 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONERS WAS ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE IN THE PAST, AND THAT PERSON IS NO LONGER ON THE COMMISSION. 
          AND SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION PERSON TO JOIN THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. 
          AND SO THE QUESTION IS, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO TAKE THAT ON? AND I WILL, THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS. 
           AND YOU CAN SELF-NOMINATE, YOU CAN NOMINATE SOMEONE ELSE. 
          AND, AND - LET'S PUT IT OUT THERE. 
          IS THERE A SYNOPSIS OF WHAT THE JOINT, DOES EVERYBODY KNOW WHAT THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE DOES? I JUST SAY THAT, THAT SOUNDS LIKE SUSTAINABILITY. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF TOPICS THAT HAS RELATED TO, TO US. 
          UM, SO JUST, UH, REALLY BRIEF, BRIEFLY, I PULLED THIS UP. 
          UM, SO THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE IS ESSENTIALLY MADE UP OF DIFFERENT, UH, COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS. 
          UM, AND THEIR ENTIRE ROLE IS TO COORDINATE AND OVERSEE THE CITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE POLICIES. 
          SO HOW EVERYTHING, UM - TO COORDINATE AND DO WHAT? UH, COORDINATE AND OVERSEE THE CITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE POLICIES. 
          UM, UH, ADVISE CITY COUNCIL AND CONVERSATIONS OF, AND SUSTAINABILITY WHILE MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION, GOAL SETTING AND EQUITY OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, CLIMATE AND CLIMATE EQUITY PLANS. 
          GOT IT. 
          SO ESSENTIALLY JUST A WAY OF MAKING SURE, UM, DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE, OF COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES, UM, ARE ABLE TO KEEP - RIGHT. 
          CITY COUNCIL IN CHECK. 
          SO IT COULD BE, IT COULD BE THAT COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO STUDY AND REVIEW THAT BEFORE WE MAKE A DECISION. 
          SO WE COULD EITHER ASK FOR A MOTION TODAY IF SOMEONE IS, HAS INTEREST AND PASSION TO DO THAT, OR WE COULD ALSO, UM, INVITE EVERYONE TO LOOK AND STUDY THE, UM, THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AND COME BACK NEXT MONTH. 
          UM - I WILL SAY ALSO JUST, UM, SO YOU GUYS ARE AWARE OF THE COMMIT- COMMITTEE, I MEAN THE COMMITTEES, UM, WHAT IT WILL BE REQUIRED IF WHOEVER IS CHOSEN TO DO THIS OR TAKES ON THIS ROLE, UM, ESSENTIALLY IS A, AN ADDITIONAL MEETING ONCE A MONTH ON THE FOURTH WEDNESDAY AT 6:00. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          AND IT'S A VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON AS WELL AND IT'LL BE HERE. 
          WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SELF-NOMINATE OR NOMINATE, UM, YOUR FELLOW COMMISSIONER? IT'S KIND OF LIKE A, UM, A MECHANISM THAT COULD BE OUT THERE OR DO YOU WANNA REFLECT ON IT AND RECONSIDER THE ITEM NEXT, NEXT MEETING? IS IT POSSIBLE TO MOVE IT TO THE NEXT MONTH, TO NEXT MONTH'S MEETING OR YOU, DO YOU 
          [01:40:01]
NEED AN ANSWER TODAY? NO, I'M, I'M GONNA SAY THAT ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE. 
          UH, I DID GET CONTACTED BY CITY CLERK'S OFFICE BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO VOTE ON THIS LAST MONTH. 
          GOT IT. 
          BUT THAT WAS PUSHED OFF TO THIS MONTH. 
          SO THEY HAVE ALREADY FOLLOWED UP WITH ME AS TO WHY I HAVE NOT PROVIDED A NEW - OKAY. 
          MEMBER. 
          SO WE WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED TODAY, BUT IF NEED, PEOPLE NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT, I THINK THAT'S CERTAINLY REASONABLE. 
          SO ESSENTIALLY YOU WOULD JUST BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE, OF US. 
          YOU WOULD JUST, UH, BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING, REPRESENT US, AND, UM, IDEALLY YOU WILL COME BACK, UM, AND PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON WHAT THE, UH, JSC IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND HOW IT OVERLAPS WITH OUR WORK AND HOW WE WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM AND VICE VERSA. 
          AND THAT YOU WANT A MEMBER, THE PERSON THAT DOES THAT COULD ATTEND RE- REMOTELY OR IN PERSON? YES. 
          AND THE MEETING, IS IT HERE AND, AND, UM - YES, IT'LL BE HERE IN, IN CITY HALL. 
          CITY HALL. 
          I, I HAVE A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION. 
          IS THAT A REQUIREMENT OF EACH COMMISSION TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE? THERE IS A LIST OF THE, UM, UM, ON THE CITY CHARTER, THERE IS A LIST OF THE, UM, UM, COMMITTEES THAT ARE PART OF IT, AND I JUST SCROLL PAST IT. 
          UM, AND OUR NAME IS SPECIFICALLY ON THERE. 
          VERY NICE. 
          WELL, THIS IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY, BUT I, I THINK THAT WE COULD EITHER TAKE IT NOW OR TAKE IT UP NEXT MONTH AND I KNOW THAT THEY WOULD LIKE US TO TAKE IT UP TODAY, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IF WE, IF PEOPLE WANNA STUDY IT AND LEARN ABOUT IT. 
          UH, UH, BUT I, IT'S THE, I'LL LEAVE IT TO, DOES ANYONE NOMINATE, DOES ANYONE WANNA NOMINATE THEMSELVES OR WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO? AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE DON'T VOTE ON IT TODAY, WE DON'T VOTE ON IT TODAY. 
          UM, IDEALLY WE, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, BUT IF NO ONE IS WILLING TO MAKE THE, UH, NOMINATION OR WANTING TO NOMINATE SOMEONE ELSE, I HAVE NOTHING BUT YOUR REPORT. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          NO ACTION. 
          WE'LL TAKE IT UP NEXT MONTH. 
          GOOD. 
          UM, 
          [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? I WANNA REVISIT CIS. 
          UM, WE'VE KIND OF HAD THAT ON THE AGENDA, BUT WITH CANCELLATIONS AND EVERYTHING, IT GOT PUT OFF. 
          UM, SO I KINDA WANNA RE - MAYBE SEND OUT AN EMAIL WHAT THE ISSUE WAS SO THAT EVERYONE HAS POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT MEETING. 
          UM, BUT CIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE PUSHED OFF FOR A COUPLE MONTHS AND I WANNA GO BACK TO IT. 
          CAN YOU REMIND ME WHAT CIS IS? IT IS - COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLS. 
          OH. 
          OF CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND YOU ALSO HAD HARM REDUCTION, I THINK, AS AN ITEM THAT KARA GOT, COMMISSIONER DAHAD. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK THEY WERE GONNA PRESENT, BUT THAT ALSO GOT, AGAIN, PUSHED OFF WITH CANCELLATIONS. 
          I DON'T KNOW, DANNY, IF THEY'RE STILL AVAILABLE OR WANTING TO PRESENT. 
          SO I HAVE A LIST OF THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN CONTINUING TO PUSH OFF AS WELL AS WE ACTUALLY, I WAS CONTACTED BY, UM, PHILIP BASE FROM APH. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER. 
          THEY CAME BACK IN MAY AND PRESENTED ON HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES UPDATES. 
          UM, BASICALLY THEY WANNA COME BACK. 
          THEY'RE REQUESTING TO COME BACK IN DECEMBER TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A FOLLOW-UP ON WHAT THEY CAME AND PRESENTED ON, ON WHAT THEY WERE BEGINNING TO, UM, IMPLEMENT. 
          SO THEY JUST WANTED TO COME BACK AND DO A FOLLOW-UP AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THE COMMISSION. 
          UM, I JUST GOT THAT EMAIL YESTERDAY FROM THEM. 
          AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE DO HAVE A DISCUSSION. 
          I DON'T HAVE A, UM, PRESENTATION. 
          I DO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON TEXAS HARM REDUCTION AS WELL AS A DISCUSSION ON COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS OF CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          UM, ANOTHER TOPIC THAT WE HAVE PUSHED OFF AS WELL IS A PRESENTATION FROM MEGAN, UM, ONE OF THE EX OFFICIOS ABOUT, UM, CENTRAL HEALTH UPDATES. 
          AND, UM, EARLIER TODAY WAS MENTIONED THAT POSSIBLY A PRESENTATION FROM, UH, DIRECTOR STIRRUP AND DR. 
          WALKS ON, UM, TRYING TO REGROUP, UM, AND STREAMLINED OUR TOPICS FOR THE COMMISSION. 
          SO THOSE ARE, THAT IS A LOT FOR ONE AGENDA. 
          SO WE, WHAT I COULD DO IS I COULD SEE WHAT IS, UM, UM, FITS THE SCHEDULE BETTER FOR LIKE PEOPLE THAT WANNA COME AND PRESENT. 
          MAYBE THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE TO COME IN DECEMBER AND I CAN TRY TO, UM, ADJUST THE, UM, AGENDA FOR DECEMBER, BUT THAT WILL BE, THAT IS WHAT IS PENDING ITEMS. GOT IT. 
          UM, WE COULD CERTAINLY HAVE A DISCUSSION THROUGH EMAIL, BUT I, I WOULD LOVE TO THINK ABOUT, WELL, AVAILABILITY WOULD BE THE FIRST PRIORITY MAYBE, BUT THE OTHER THING WOULD BE, WE WOULD WELCOME, I THINK, A PRIORITY FEEDBACK CONVERSATION AGENDA ITEM WITH DIRECTOR STURUP, UM, DR. 
          WALKS AND MAYBE, UH, WHO WOULD COME FROM THE COUNTY, ANNA, BESIDES YOU? IT WOULD BE THEM AND WE SUPPORT WHAT THEY DO. 
          WELL, OKAY. 
          SO, BUT I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UM, 
          [01:45:01]
YOU KNOW, PRIORITIES FOR 2027 MIGHT BE THE TOPIC OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          AND THEN WE WOULD JUST LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT THAT AS A GOOD THING TO END THE YEAR ON AS WE ANTICIPATE 27 AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THEN AS, AS WE'VE SAID, THE REST OF THOSE ARE ON THE LIST AND YOU COULD KIND OF GIVE US A GOOD, UM, MENU OF ITEMS EACH MONTH BASED ON THOSE AS YOU SEE. 
          YEAH. 
          SO WHAT, I THINK WE'LL, OUR BEST, UM, COURSE OF ACTION WOULD BE TO, UM, YES, YOU SAID THERE WAS A PRIORITY FOR DR. 
          WALKS AND DIRECTOR STIRRUP. 
          UM, LET ME SEE AVAILABILITY FOR EVERYONE ELSE. 
          I KNOW FOR SURE, UH, PHILLIP BASE, HE IS ABLE TO COME IN IN DECEMBER. 
          SO SINCE THAT IS ALREADY COM - UH - OKAY. 
          CONFIRMED, MAYBE ALSO PRIORITIZE THEM. 
          HIT AND UPDATES AS IT RELATES TO AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND - UPDATE TO ENABLE TIMELY PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE, YES, APH. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, THAT'S GREAT. 
          I'M SORRY WE'RE DOING SCHEDULING HERE FOR EVERYBODY. 
          NO, IT'S OKAY. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          I WOULD JUST RECOMMEND THAT YOU LIMIT IT TO THOSE TWO SO WE CAN HAVE SOME GOOD CONVERSATION. 
          PERFECT. 
          AND THEN THE THIRD PART OF THAT WOULD BE MORE OF THE COMMISSION TIME TO HAVE AN ITEM THAT SAYS, NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE JUST HEARD. 
          AND I'M STILL STUCK ON, YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE DO MORE FOOD OR IS THERE SOMETHING WE SHOULD DO THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, UM, A FEWER NUMBER OF THINGS THAT'S MORE DEEPLY ADDRESSED VERSUS, UH, A BIGGER NUMBER OF THINGS WHICH IS LESS DEEPLY ADDRESSED. 
          AND I'M NOT SURE THAT'S A CHOICE WE HAVE TO MAKE, BUT - THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION. 
          UM, THOSE TWO, UM, PRESENTATIONS AND THEN ALLOW, UM, ALLOTTING ENOUGH TIME FOR YES TO HAVE A DISCUSSION. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, ALSO TO PLAN OUT THE NEXT SIX MONTHS - OKAY. 
          OF MEETINGS. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT WE COULD DO. 
          AND THEN WE CAN MOVE AROUND THESE TOPICS AND PUT THEM INTO DIFFERENT SLOTS. 
          OF, OF COURSE, ALSO TAKING FEEDBACK FROM WHAT DR. 
          UM, WATSON AND DIRECTOR STERRA PROVIDE, AS WELL AS, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY. 
          PERFECT. 
          SOUNDS GOOD. 
          27 MINUTES, YES, PLEASE, AFTER THE HOUR. 
          UM, DOES ANYBODY, DOES THAT CONCLUDE OUR AGENDA? YEAH. 
          THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL - YEAH. 
          ANYBODY ELSE, UH, COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS OTHERWISE? THANK YOU ALL FOR T - BEING THERE HERE TODAY AND FOR OUR NEW COMMISSIONER, ANAND, THANK YOU AND, AND, UM, I HOPE WE, UM, DIDN'T DISAPPOINT YOU WITH OUR FIRST MEETING. 
          NO, NOT AT ALL. 
          THIS IS REALLY GREAT. 
          THANK Y'ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          TAKE CARE. 
          HAVE A GOOD, HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYBODY. 
          YOU TOO. 
          BYE. 
          OH, THE TIME IS 4:28 PM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME. 
          PEACE AND LOVE.
* 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.