* 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.
          [CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:05]
          I'M GONNA CALL THE NOVEMBER 9TH, 2026 REGULAR MEETING OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION TO ORDER, AND THE TIME IS 6:04. 
          AND I'M GONNA DO ROLL CALL. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          I AM HERE. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER DANIEL. 
          PRESENT. 
           COMMISSIONER DELSIDES. 
          HERE. 
          COMMISSIONER FERGUSON. 
          HERE. 
          AND COMMISSIONER HOLT IS NOT. 
          I'M HERE. 
          THERE SHE IS. 
          EMAIL ACCOUNT SO I'M LATE. 
          COMMISSIONER HOLT, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SEND ME, UM, AN EMAIL SAYING IF YOU RECUSE HER SAYING? YEAH. 
          IT'S GONNA HAVE TO COME FROM MY PERSONAL EMAIL.THAT'S OKAY. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          I'LL SEND IT RIGHT NOW. 
          COMMISSIONER HUDDLESON? I'M HERE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          COMMISSIONER LOYNAN? IS NOT HERE. 
          COMMISSIONER NELSON? PRESENT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND COMMISSIONER PATEL IS NOT HERE. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER VAN LANDINGHAM IS NOT HERE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THAT CONCLUDES THE ROLL CALL. 
          UM, I'M HERE, JOANNE NORTON. 
          OH, SO I'M SO SORRY. 
          I'M SO SORRY, COMMISSIONER NORTON. 
          I KNOW. 
          AND I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU TOO, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THE NAME IS NOT IN PRINT, I FORGET, SO. 
           I GET IT. 
          BUT IT'S AN INTERESTING ROLE. 
          YEAH. 
          WELCOME. 
           THANK YOU. 
          [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, SO NOW WE WILL GO TO THE GENERAL TOPIC SPEAKERS HERE. 
          EVERYONE WILL GET UP TO THREE MINUTES ABOUT MATTERS THAT ARE NOT POSTED ON TODAY'S AGENDA. 
          AND OUR FIRST PERSON IS CHRIS ALSMITH. 
          WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, AND GOOD EVENING. 
          UH, MY NAME IS CHRIS ALSMITH. 
          UH, HERE AGAIN, SECOND MONTH IN A ROW, THIRD TIME OVERALL. 
          UM, AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF MULTIPLE VOLUNTEERS ABOUT CRATED DOGS IN THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM. 
          UH, IT'S A PROBLEM THAT DID NOT START THIS YEAR. 
          UH, AAS HAS HOUSED DOGS AND CRATES IN THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM FOR YEARS TO AVOID EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE. 
          ADVOCATES SUPPORT CREATIVE USE OF SPACE, UH, BUT A SHELTER THAT CRATES DOGS MUST MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS, INCLUDING THE CHANCE TO STRETCH THEIR LEGS AND RELIEVE THEMSELVES OUTSIDE OF THE CRATE. 
          UH, AAS IS FALLING SHORT OF THAT MINIMUM, AND IT HAS FOR A LONG TIME. 
          UH, IT'S JUST ABOUT AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN A VOLUNTEER, WHICH IS COMING UP ON TWO YEARS. 
          NOW, IN JANUARY 2024, VOLUNTEERS DOCUMENTED DOGS SITTING IN POPUP CRATES FOR 14 TO 15 HOURS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY. 
          AT A TOWN HALL TWO WEEKS EARLIER, LEADERSHIP HAD ASSURED VOLUNTEERS THAT STAFF WOULD WALK THOSE DOGS BETWEEN S - 5:00 AND 7:00 PM. 
          VOLUNTEERS SAW NO SIGN THAT THAT HAPPENED. 
          THE WHITEBOARD VOLUNTEERS PHOTOGRAPHED BACK THEN, UH, HAD FOUR OUTING COLUMNS, INCLUDING ONE FOR 6:00 TO 8:00. 
          FOUR OUTINGS WAS THE STANDARD PER DAY. 
          LEADERSHIP DID NOT ENFORCE IT, AND THAT EVENING COLUMN SAT BLANK. 
          TODAY, A SIGN ON THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM WALL ASSIGNED STAFF DIVISIONS TO MORNING, MIDDAY, AND EVENING WALKS. 
          THAT'S THREE BREAKS PER DAY AT MINIMUM. 
          YET IN A RECENT VOLUNTEER MEETING, STAFF TOLD US AAS NEVER PLANNED TO REQUIRE AN EVENING BREAK, AND THAT WAS, UH, AND THAT WAS A BONUS VOLUNTEERS MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE. 
          THAT CLAIM DOES NOT MATCH THE CURRENT POSTED SCHEDULE OR THE 2024 RECORDS WHICH SHOW MORE FREQUENT OUTINGS, UH, WORTHY, UH, EXCEPTION. 
          AND HERE'S HOW WE GOT HERE. 
          EVENING STAFFING IS THIN OR NONEXISTENT, SO THE DIRECTOR, UH, MADE EVENING BREAKS A VOLUNTEER JOB WITH NO STAFF OVERSIGHT. 
          THIS HAS FAILED. 
          UH, INSTEAD OF BUILDING A NEW PLAN, SUCH A ROTATE, SUCH AS A ROTATING EVENING SHIFT, UH, FOR ONE OR TWO STAFF MEMBERS, LEADERSHIP DROPPED THE REQUIREMENT ALTOGETHER. 
          THE RESULT IS THAT DOGS MAY WAIT FROM 4:30 PM TO 7:30 AM WITHOUT A BREAK. 
          UH, COULD ANY OF US GO THAT LONG WITH NO BATHROOM BREAK? UH, THESE DOGS HOLD IT FOR, UH, 12 TO 16 HOURS OR RELIEVE THEMSELVES WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO SLEEP AND EAT. 
          FINALLY, AAS HAS MADE THE LIFE-SAVING DECISION TO HOUSE DOGS AND CRATES. 
          THAT CHOICE ALSO CARRIES A DUTY TO PROTECT THEIR HEALTH AND SAFETY WHILE LIVING IN SUCH A SMALL SPACE. 
          WE NEED A REAL EVENING PLAN WITH STAFF ACCOUNTABILITY TO ACCOMPANY IT. 
          I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THIS COMMISSION FORM A WORKING GROUP TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE 
          [00:05:01]
THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF DOGS KEPT IN CRATES AND TO FINALLY RESOLVE AN ISSUE THAT HAS PERSISTED FOR NEARLY THREE YEARS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROCHELLE... 
          I'M SORRY, IS IT VICKER OR VICKY? VICKERY. 
          VICKERY. 
          WELCOME. 
          MEMBERS, UH, IT LOOK LIKE WE DON'T HAVE VERY MANY MEMBERS. 
          I'M HERE BECAUSE OF... 
          MY NAME IS ROCHELLE VICKERY. 
          I WAS HERE IN MAY, AND I'VE REQUESTED IF YOU COULD SHOW SOME APPRECIATION TO THE TOP TRAPPERS OF THE CATS. 
          AND I ASKED, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO FIRST PLACE, SECOND PLACE, AND THIRD PLACE AT ANY CONTEST, THAT'S USUALLY ALL THEY HAVE. 
          THEY DID DO... 
          SOMEBODY DONATED, UH, A GIFT CARD TO THE FIRST FIVE, I THINK IT WAS. 
          THEY'VE NEVER RECEIVED ANY SINCE. 
          THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT'S DONE OVER 300 THIS YEAR. 
          THERE'S ONE THAT'S DONE 200, AND WE'RE FIXING TO LOSE A BACK OFF SOME OF THEM LEAVING. 
          AND I THINK IT WOULD BE SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION. 
          WE, IT'S A LOTS OF WORK. 
          AND I, I WOULD LOVE FOR... 
          I MEAN, WE SIT OUT IN THE MOSQUITOES, THE HEAT, THE COLD, AND WE PUT UP WITH CHICKENS AND THE PEOPLE FEED WHEN YOU ASK NOT TO FEED. 
          AND I'M JUST ASKING YOU IF WE COULD, MS. MONICA, SOMEHOW HELP, YOU KNOW, IF THIS ENCOURAGES THE PEOPLE. 
          THEY THANKED ME. 
          THE PEOPLE THAT GOT GIFT CARDS, I GOT THANKS BECAUSE I'M LOOKING OUT FOR THEM. 
          AND I WANT TO THANK MONICA. 
          SHE'S OPENED IT. 
          THEY OPENED IT UP A WAY I COULD GET CATS IN. 
          I'M NOT ON THE CAT PROGRAM, BUT I GOT CATS. 
          I'VE NEVER STOPPED. 
          NO WAY HAVE I EVER STOPPED. 
          AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO GET THIS PROGRAM GOING WHERE WE DON'T HAVE KITTENS THIS, THIS SPRING, THIS FEBRUARY, MARCH, WITH RINGWORM, GUMMY, EYES, PAN LUKE. 
          THAT TAKES FROM OUR RESOURCES FROM OUR SHELTER. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I, I WANT TO GET AS MANY FEMALES AS WE CAN GET IN THERE AND GET BETWEEN NOW AND JANUARY. 
          THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING FOR. 
          IF, IF SOMEBODY COULD SHOW SOME APPRECIATION FOR THE TRAPPERS THAT ARE THERE, THAT WORK HARD. 
          I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT ME. 
          I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT ENCOURAGES THEM TO STAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SUSAN, CAN I ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION? YES, GO AHEAD COMMISSIONER NORTON. 
          YES. 
          ROCHELLE, CAN YOU REMIND ME WHAT ARE THE BEST GIFT CARDS TO GET? WHAT IS THE WHAT? WHAT ARE THE BEST GIFT CARDS TO GET FOR THE TRAPPER? I, I, IT WOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, I, IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE IF YOU GET JUST SOMETHING THEY CAN PAY FOR THEIR GAS OR THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN ANY GIFT CARD WOULD HELP, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I, THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE DISINFECTING OF THEIR TRAPS, THE WASHING IT AT THEIR HOUSE AND DRYING IT IF IT'S GAS OR IF IT'S ELECTRICITY. 
          ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, GOES. 
          AND IT'S JUST, IT, I, I'VE GOT FLEAS IN MY CAR. 
          WE HAVE TO DEFLEE OUR CAR, YOU KNOW? AND WE, SO IT'S JUST LIKE ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER THAT WE'RE PAYING FOR. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT IT, THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS THAT WALK THE DOGS AND EVERYTHING, THEY PARK THEIR CAR AND THEY GO IN AND DO THE HELP WITH THE SHELTER AND DRIVE AWAY. 
          WE'RE DRIVING ALL OVER. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT'S LIKE A GENERIC VISA GIFT CARD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT - YEAH, PLEASE. 
          COULD BE USED IN MULTIPLE PLACES. 
          PLEASE. 
          OR MAYBE LIKE A WALMART OR AMAZON, WOULD THAT BE HELPFUL AS WELL? WHAT, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT, THAT THEY CAN - YEAH, WALMART HAS GAS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          YEAH, YEAH. 
          AND THEY CAN BUY CAN, THEY CAN BUY FOOD FOR THE, FOR THE CATS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          CAN I SAY SOMETHING? YEAH, GO AHEAD. 
           UM, COMMISSIONER NORTON, YOU MIGHT WANNA CHECK WITH, UH, FRIENDS OF AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER SHELTER, OR SERVICES. 
          UH, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT SUPPLIED THE GIFT CARDS IN MAY OR WHENEVER IT WAS DONE, BUT I CAN SAY THAT ANY GIFT CARD THAT TRAPPERS COULD USE FOR GAS OR, YOU KNOW, TO HELP WITH SUPPLIES ARE APPRECIATED. 
          SO BEFORE IT WAS FRIENDS OF, SO THANK THEM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OUR THIRD SPEAKER, I'M SORRY, CAN'T QUITE READ. 
          UM, CHLOE TICKNER? YES. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELCOME. 
          HI. 
          I'VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE. 
          UM, I AM A RELATIVELY NEW LARGE DOG WALKING VOLUNTEER AT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          [00:10:01]
IF I HAD TO BOIL DOWN MY VOLUNTEER TRAINING EXPERIENCE TO JUST ONE TAKEAWAY, IT WAS DEFINITELY THAT SAFETY IS THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. 
          UM, LOTS OF SAFE PRACTICES THAT I'VE BEEN TAUGHT IN TERMS OF REDUCING PREVENTABLE DOG BITE INCIDENTS. 
          UM, DOG BITES OBVIOUSLY PUT THE SAFETY OF THE VOLUNTEERS, THE PUBLIC AND THE ANIMALS AT RISK. 
          UM, AND ONCE A DOG HAS A BITE ON RECORD, THEIR CHANCES AT A GOOD LIFE, SOMETIMES ANY LIFE AT ALL ARE DRAMATICALLY REDUCED. 
          LAST MONTH I ATTENDED MY FIRST VOLUNTEER DOWN, TOWN HALL REMOTELY. 
          THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME SEEING HOW STAFF PARTNER WITH VOLUNTEERS, HOW DECISIONS AT THE SHELTER ARE MADE, AND I CAME AWAY WITH TWO TAKEAWAYS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE HERE. 
          MY FIRST WAS THAT, UM, AROUND PRIORITIZATION, THE ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE TOWN HALL CONVERSATION CENTERED AROUND A CHANGE TO DOT COLORS, WHICH IS HOW DOGS ARE DESIGNATED IN TERMS OF THEIR BEHAVIOR TO HELP STAFF UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY, AND VOLUNTEERS, UM, WHICH DOGS THEY MIGHT BE CAPABLE OF HANDLING. 
          UH, IN MY FIRST WEEKS AS A VOLUNTEER, I'VE SEEN AN OVERFLOWING ROOM OF DOGS IN SMALL CRATES. 
          UM, I'VE SEEN THAT THE SHELTER'S INTAKE IS CLOSED AND HAS BEEN FOR, UH, AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER BEING A RESIDENT HERE. 
          UM, I'VE SEEN 17 PUPPIES BEING DUMPED IN FRONT OF THE SHELTER AND THAT NOT BEING A TOTALLY UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE. 
          UM, I'VE SEEN THAT THE SHELTER IS DRAMATICALLY OVERRELIANT ON VOLUNTEERS AND DESPITE BEST EFFORTS, THERE ARE STILL COUNTLESS DOGS THAT MAY NOT LEAVE THEIR KENNEL AT ALL IN A GIVEN DAY. 
          SO TO KNOW ALL THAT, EVEN IN SUCH A SHORT TIME, IT JUST FELT WRONG THAT THE FOCUS WOULD BE ON CHANGING DOT COLOR POLICIES. 
          IT FELT LIKE IF YOUR HOUSE WAS FLOODING AND YOU DECIDED THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO WOULD BE TO REORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY. 
          REGARDLESS, I ALWAYS ASSUME THAT THE INTENTIONS OF EVERYONE WERE THE SAME IN THAT ROOM TO CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, CARE FOR THOSE ANIMALS AND GET THEM TO FOREVER HOMES. 
          MY SECOND TAKEAWAY, UNFORTUNATELY, PUT THAT INTO QUESTION FOR ME IN RESPONSE TO CONCERNS THAT THE DOT COLOR CHANGE COULD IMPACT SAFETY AT THE SHELTER. 
          THE SHELTER LEADERSHIP RESPONDED, AND I'M PARAPHRASING, BUT THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR, UM, THAT ALL THEY WERE ASKING FOR FROM VOLUNTEERS IS TO TRY OUT THE NEW SYSTEM AND THAT IF THAT LED TO MORE DOG BITES AND INCIDENTS, MAYBE THEN THEY WOULD REEVALUATE. 
          UM, THAT MESSAGE HAS BEEN RINGING IN MY EARS AND IS REALLY WHY I'M HERE TODAY. 
          UH, I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE WHO ARE MEANT TO BE THE MOST DEDICATED TO OUR ANIMALS WOULD CHANGE A POLICY FOR THE SAKE OF IT, WHY THEY MIGHT BRUSH OFF CONCERNS AND EVEN WELCOME A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE MORE DOG BITES LEADING TO VOLUNTEERS DECIDING IT'S TOO RISKY FOR THEM TO HELP, LESS PEOPLE OPENING THEIR HOMES TO THESE ANIMALS AND MORE DOGS UNNECESSARILY PLACED ON EUTHANASIS OR STUCK FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS IN THE SHELTER. 
          THEY DESERVE BETTER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I HAD ONE FOLLOW UP REAL QUICK, IF YOU DON'T MIND. 
          UM, I WAS JUST CURIOUS. 
          SO ON THE CHANGE OF THE DOT SYSTEM, UM, WHAT, WHAT EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN FOR THAT AS TO WHY THEY WERE CHANGING THE DOT SYSTEM? UM, I BELIEVE, AND ANYONE IS WELCOME TO CORRECT ME, BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS DUE TO THE STAFF HAVING A HARD TIME READING SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A PURPLE DOT AND A BLUE DOT, PURPLE DOT BEING, UM, DOGS THAT TEND TO BE SHYER AND BLUE DOTS BEING MORE ENERGETIC. 
          OKAY, GOTCHA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I HAVE A FOLLOWUP. 
          YES, COMMISSIONER NORTON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, UH, THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING, BY THE WAY. 
          UM, SO YOU STARTED OFF TALKING ABOUT, UM, SAFETY AND BEING THE PRIORITY AND THEN THAT KIND OF SHIFTED. 
          NOW YOU'RE THERE UNDER THIS NEW SYSTEM. 
          DO YOU FEEL SAFER? FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, I DON'T THINK THE DOT COLOR SYSTEM WENT INTO EFFECT THE CHANGES AFTER HEARING FROM THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HADN'T REALLY BEEN CONSULTED FOR FEEDBACK PRIOR TO ANNOUNCING IT. 
          UM, SO I DON'T THINK THAT THOSE CHANGES HAVE GONE ANYWHERE YET. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THE NEXT PERSON WE HAVE UP IS SUSIE CHASE. 
          WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS. 
          MY NAME'S SUSIE CHASE. 
          I'M A DISTRICT 10 CONSTITUENT. 
          I'M A FORMER CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF MEMBER WORKING IN TWO COUNCIL OFFICES, AND FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, I'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED, UM, TO WORK WITH SO MANY ANIMAL ADVOCATES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS 
          [00:15:01]
COUNTY IN MY ROLE AT AUSTIN PETS ALIVE. 
          SO I HAVE A QUICK SLIDESHOW FOR YOU. 
          I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME CONFUSION OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS ABOUT HOW AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES AND AUSTIN PETS ALIVE WORK TOGETHER. 
          FIRST, I NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UM, THINGS ARE DRASTICALLY IMPROVED IN THE LAST, UM, 12 MONTHS BECAUSE WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH, UM, AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES AND WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE IN SO MANY MORE ANIMALS INTO OUR DOG BEHAVIOR PROGRAM. 
          SO JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROVIDES THE TOWN LAKE ANIMAL CENTER LAND, WHICH IS WHERE ONE OF OUR PROPERTIES IS LOCATED THAT AUSTIN PETS ALIVE IS ON. 
          AUSTIN PETS ALIVE AND OUR DONORS, BECAUSE WE'RE A NONPROFIT, PROVIDE THE CARE SYSTEM FOR SO MANY ANIMALS. 
          IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, WE TOOK IN 2,768 ANIMALS THAT MOVED FROM RISK TO HOMES THROUGH DONOR SUPPORTED CARE. 
          SO THE CITY OF AUSTIN PROVIDES THE TOWN LAKE ANIMAL CENTER, THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE ANIMALS GO TO FROM AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          WE TOOK IN, IN THE LAST FISCAL YEARS, 94 PARVO - POSITIVE DOGS. 
          THOSE DIDN'T GO MOSTLY TO, UM, T- TLAC, WHICH IS WHAT WE CALL THE TOWN LAKE ANIMAL CENTER. 
          THEY WENT OVER TO OUR PARVO PUPPY ICU, WHICH IS OVER ON WEST 290. 
          IT'S A DIFFERENT LOCATION. 
          WE TOOK IN 608 SICK OR INJURED ANIMALS THAT ALSO WENT OVER TO THAT CLINIC. 
          UM, 1,843 NEONATAL PUPPIES AND KITTENS. 
          THOSE WENT TO OUR TERRYTOWN LOCATION OR INTO FOSTER HOMES AND 97 OTHER ANIMALS. 
          AGAIN, THAT'S 2,768 ANIMALS RESCUED. 
          SO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AUDITED VALUE OF THE PROPERTY IS 1.1 MILLION TO 1.5 MILLION AT THE TOWN LAKE ANIMAL CENTER. 
          BUT THE A - THE NUMBER OF DOLLARS SPENT ON CARE FOR ANIMALS THAT WERE PULLED FROM AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES LAST YEAR IS 3.2 MILLION THAT CAME FROM DONORS. 
          IN ADDITION TO THOSE NUMBERS THAT I'VE ALREADY SHARED WITH YOU, 4,253 LOCAL PETS, THAT MEANS AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY RECEIVED ASSISTANCE THROUGH OUR PAS PROGRAM THAT STANDS FOR POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES TO SHELTER SURRENDER. 
          UM, ALSO $1,583,655 WAS SPENT ON EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES THAT CAME FROM DONORS. 
          UM, AND THEN WE RAISED $3,264,562 FROM OUR VERY GENEROUS DONORS, SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE ANIMALS FROM AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES THAT, UM, CAME TO AUSTIN PETS LIFE. 
          SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND ME AN EMAIL. 
          THANKS. 
          SO SHE DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. 
          UM, I HAVE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS. 
          YEAH, WE HAVE SOME. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          ARE YOU, ARE YOU OPEN TO CLARIFYING QUESTIONS? IF YOU JUST WANT TO SEND ME AN EMAIL, THAT WOULD BE PERFECT. 
          OKAY. 
          I'D RATHER NOT DO THAT. 
          I'D RATHER TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE I THINK SOME OF THE INFORMATION WAS CONFUSING AND MISLEADING. 
          I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY EMAILS FROM YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. 
          WELL, GUESS WE CAN ASK THE QUESTION. 
          SO 80% OF YOUR ANIMALS DO NOT. 
          THEY GO TO... 
          UH, UM, COMMISSIONER MARIN. 
          YES. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, 80% OF THE ANIMALS THAT GO TO APA DO NOT COME FROM OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THEY COME FROM OUTSIDE OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          SO SAYING THAT IT'S USED FOR AAS IS A LITTLE MISLEADING. 
          UM, THE 3,000 NUMBER, THE OLD CONTRACT WAS THE GREATER OF 3,000 OR 12%. 
          SO 3,000 CLOSER TO THAT HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN WHAT THEY'VE TAKEN TO PAY FOR THE RENT. 
          AND THE LAST COPY OF THE REALTOR AGREEMENT THAT I HAVE, UH, THE, FROM, UH, REAL ESTATE SERVICES SAID THE LAND WAS WORTH 2.3 MILLION DOLLARS. 
          UM, THAT'S WHAT WAS BASED ON WHEN THE OPERATIONS AGREEMENT WAS ORIGINALLY DONE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS 1.1 TO 1.5 MILLION CAME FROM. 
          I, I THINK - BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THE CITY HAD. 
          I, I THINK RIGHT NOW SINCE THIS IS MAINLY SUPPOSED TO BE FOR A CLARIFYING QUESTION PERIOD, I THINK THAT PERHAPS IF WE WANT TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON IT, WE COULD DO THAT AS AN AGENDA ITEM FOR THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. 
          UM, YOU COULD. 
          UM, THE OPERATIONS AGREEMENT CHANGES ARE SUPPOSED TO COME, BUT I'LL JUST SEND THIS. 
          I'LL, I'LL SEND A FOLLOW-UP TO COUNCIL. 
          I'M GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND NOW WE HAVE, UH, PAT VELSTRACE. 
          COMMISSIONERS, AS A REMINDER, AS WE'RE ALMOST BASICALLY BARE MINIMUM QUORUM, COULD WE KEEP OUR CAMERAS ON IF POSSIBLE? THANK YOU. 
          UM, THANK YOU, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS AGAIN FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY 
          [00:20:01]
OF THOSE OF US IN THE PUBLIC WHO CARE ABOUT DOGS, CATS, WILDLIFE, AND THE ANIMAL SHELTER TO COME AND SPEAK TO YOU. 
          AND I SPECIFICALLY AM HERE IN SUPPORT OF ROCHELLE VICKERY'S CONSTANT ADVOCACY FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          AND TODAY WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THAT I WOULD COME AND SUPPORT HER IN HER REQUEST FOR, UM, RECOGNITION AND GIFT CARDS FOR, UH, FERAL CAT TRAPPERS OR TRAPPERS OF CATS FOR TNR. 
          UM, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT WE DID THIS BEFORE. 
          SHE SPOKE IN FAVOR OF THIS, AND IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS ONE MONTH WHERE A GIFT CARD WAS GIVEN TO PERHAPS THREE TRAPPERS, AND IT HAPPENED ONCE, AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN. 
          SO MY REQUEST IS THAT THIS BE DONE NOT ONCE, BUT EVERY MONTH, THAT EVERY MONTH THE TOP THREE TRAPPERS GET AT LEAST A $25 GIFT CARD OF, TO BE USED EITHER FOR GAS OR WHATEVER THEY WANTED TO USE IT FOR, UM, OUT OF A RECOGNITION THAT THEY WORK VERY HARD. 
          AND THIS SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY MINIMAL AND VERY NICE THING TO DO FOR THREE OF THEM, AND PERHAPS IN THE FUTURE, IT COULD BE EXPANDED TO GIVE THEM MORE, UM, GIFT CARDS AND, AND TO MORE PEOPLE. 
          BUT STARTING SMALL AND JUST SEEING IF IT, UM, HELPS WITH THEM FEELING LIKE IT'S, THEY'RE BEING REWARDED AND IT HELPS MORALE. 
          AND AS LONG AS I'M ON THE TOPIC OF MORALE, I WANNA SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL, RECOGNITION AND REWARDS AND BRINGING SOMEBODY FORWARD AND SAYING, "THIS PERSON DID THIS MUCH WOULD BE A GOOD THING TO DO." YOU KNOW, CITY COUNCIL, EVERY MORNING BEFORE THEIR CITY COUNCIL MEETING, THEY HAVE, UM, THREE OR FOUR, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THE AGENDA STARTS AT 10:00 AM, THEY HAVE THREE OR FOUR RECOGNITIONS OF SOMEBODY IN SOME WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. 
          AND YOU COULD DO THAT. 
          YOU COULD, UM, EITHER START YOUR MEETING A LITTLE BIT LATER, WE KNOW WHEN THE AGENDA STARTS AND, AND THEN HAVE A RECOGNITION AT THE BEGINNING, OR YOU COULD DO SOMETHING IN SOME OTHER WAY, LIKE INCLUDED IN, UM, A REPORT OR AN AGENDA ITEM OR SOMETHING. 
          BUT I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE NICE TO RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE THE TRAPPERS. 
          UM, YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE EXPRESSION HERDING CATS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE DOG PEOPLE TEND TO BE MORE LIKE DOGS WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LEADER AND THEN THERE'S A PACK OF DOGS FOLLOWING THE LEADER AND CATS JUST KIND OF GO ALL OVER THE PLACE. 
          SO THAT'S MY CONTRIBUTION FOR TODAY. 
           THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO THAT CONCLUDES THE GENERAL DISCUSSION OR THE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          AND NOW WE WILL MOVE INTO THE AGENDA ITEMS. AND THE FIRST ITEM IS - SORRY, CAN I - YES. 
          I'M JUST REQUESTING PUBLIC COMMENT AGAIN. 
          OH YEAH, GO AHEAD. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          JUST A GENERAL COMMENT ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          UH, I'VE MADE THIS PLEA BEFORE AND, AND STILL NOT GETTING IT, BUT I WOULD MAKE IT AGAIN BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE FROM THE PUBLIC WHO PUT SO MUCH TIME TO CRAFT THESE, UM, SUPER IMPORTANT MESSAGES, IF YOU COULD ALSO EMAIL THEM TO ALL OF US BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WATCHED THE PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE LAST MEETING LIKE THREE OR FOUR TIMES TO TRY TO PROCESS ALL OF THE DENSELY PACKED INFORMATION IN THERE AND, AND WOULD LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, SEND SUMMARIES UP THE CHAIN. 
          AND SO IF I HAD AN EMAIL TRANSCRIPT OF, OF WHAT WAS SAID, IT'D BE EASIER TO MAKE SURE THAT INFORMATION KEEPS MOVING ALONG. 
          SO WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT GENERAL REQUEST AGAIN. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO 
          [APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
AS WE MOVE INTO ITEM NUMBER ONE IS GONNA BE APPROVAL OF THE OCTOBER 12TH, 2026 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES. 
          AND, UH, DOES ANYONE, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THOSE MINUTES? SEEING NONE, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED? OKAY. 
          COMMISSIONER DANIEL, MOTIONS. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? AND WE HAVE A SECOND WITH COMMISSIONER NILSON. 
          AND THE MOTION IS PASSED FOR APPROVAL. 
          OH, VOTE. 
          SORRY. 
           NOW WE WILL HAVE A VOTE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES 
          [00:25:01]
AS PRESENTED. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. 
          AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO WE HAVE APPROVED THE OCTOBER 12TH MEETING MINUTES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          [2. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports. Presentation by Monica Dangler, Director, Austin Animal Services and Jason Garza, Assistant Director, Austin Animal Services.]
AND FOR OUR SECOND ITEM, TOO MANY PIECES OF PAPER. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND NOW WE WILL TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH WILL BE THE BRIEFING ON THE MONTHLY REPORTS. 
          AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME DIRECTOR DANGLER AND, UH, MELISSA AS WELL TO PLEASE GO AHEAD AND BEGIN YOUR BRIEFING. 
          AND THEN AFTER THE PRESENTATION, WE WILL TAKE PUBLIC, UH, WE WILL TAKE COMMENT REGARDING ITEM NUMBER TWO. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THANK YOU. 
          I'VE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO USE THIS. 
          JASON IS OUT TODAY, SO I'VE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS MYSELF. 
          UM - HE MAY BE JOINING. 
          OH, HE MIGHT BE JOINING. 
          I'M TRYING TO GET ONLINE. 
          HE MIGHT BE JOINING. 
          UM, SO ANYWAYS, THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          UM, WE'LL TRY TO MAKE THIS KIND OF, UH, QUICK SINCE EVERYBODY'S GOT THIS IN FRONT OF THEM. 
          UM, BEFORE WE START OUR UPDATES AND REPORTS, UM, ONE FUN THING THAT WE JUST DID WAS THIS LAST WEEKEND WE HAD OUR MEGA, UM, ADOPTION EVENT AT PETSMART OFF OF BRODY WHERE WE HAD, UM, AUSTIN PETS ALIVE, RESCUE ATX, I CHIHUAHUA, GUINEA PIG RESCUE, UH, CHOW CHOW RESCUE, AND I'M MISSING ONE. 
          UH, ALL TOGETHER AT PETSMART WHERE WE, UM, WERE ABLE TO SEND LOTS OF DOGS AND CATS HOME. 
          ONE OF THE DOGS THAT LEFT, UH, FROM AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES HAD BEEN IN OUR CARE OVER 250 DAYS. 
          UM, SO IT JUST SHOWS THAT WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GREAT DOGS IN OUR SHELTER, UM, THAT ARE JUST OVERLOOKED AND JUST NEED A CHANCE. 
          UM, ONE OF THE OTHER DOGS HAD BEEN IN FOSTER FOR NINE MONTHS. 
          SHE CAME IN AS A SIX WEEKS OLD PUPPY AND IS NOW A NINE MONTH OLD. 
          SO IF ANYBODY ELSE IS LOOKING FOR A NICE NINE MONTH OLD DOG, UH, SHE'S GOT TWO MORE OF THEM AT HOME. 
          SHE GETS A HAND FOR KEEPING THREE PUPPIES FOR NINE MONTHS. 
          UM, SO GREAT TIME. 
          UM, UPCOMING EVENTS. 
          WE'VE GOT, UH, NOW TODAY'S NOVEMBER 9TH, 9TH THROUGH THE 15TH. 
          WE'VE GOT A VETERAN'S PROMOTION FOR ANY ANIMAL WHO'S BEEN ON SITE FOR 90 DAYS OR LONGER. 
          UH, FEES ARE WAIVED. 
          NOVEMBER 13TH, THAT'S THIS FRIDAY. 
          WE HAVE OUR ENDURING SERVICE GRADUATION FOR OUR THIRD COHORT OF ENDURING SERVICE, UM, PUPS. 
          IF ANY OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR IDS, ASAP. 
          I KNOW, UM, COMMISSIONER HUDDLESON'S ALREADY SENT THAT. 
          SO, UM, AND THEN NOVEMBER 16TH THROUGH 29TH, WE'LL HAVE ADOPTION, UH, FOSTER ADOPTION FEES WAIVED. 
          SO ANYBODY, UM, ADOPTING A PET OUT OF FOSTER, UH, WILL HAVE WAIVE FEES. 
          UM, AND WE'LL ALSO BE PROMOTING FOSTER TAKEOVERS, SHORT-TERM FOSTERING AND PUBLIC SLEEPOVERS DURING THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING TO HOPEFULLY HELP GET ANIMALS OUT OF THE SHELTER AND INTO HOMES OVER THANKSGIVING AND TO HAVE, UM, FOSTER HOMES FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE TRAVELING OVER THE HOLIDAYS. 
          UM, AND THEN NOVEMBER 21ST, UM, OF COURSE, WE'LL HAVE, UH, THANKSGIVING PLATES. 
          IT SAYS DOGS. 
          DO WE NOT DO FOR KITTY CATS TOO? OH, WELL. 
          OH, THAT... 
          THANK YOU FOR READING. 
          YES. 
          UH, CATS WILL GET CHEW MARTINIS. 
          I'D MUCH RATHER HAVE A MARTINI THAN PUMPKIN PIE. 
          UM, SO ANYWAY, SO WE'LL BE DOING THAT ON THE 21ST, WHICH WILL BE, UM, A LOT OF FUN. 
          UM, SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT OUR NOVEMBER EVENTS. 
          UM, UH, FY26 IN REVIEW, JUST WANTED TO REVIEW SOME THINGS SINCE THIS IS, UM, OCTOBER WAS THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR. 
          UM, UH, THIS LAST YEAR, WE TOOK IN 12- 12,236 ANIMALS, UM, UH, 3,800 AND CHANGE OR KITTENS, UH, 3,300 ARE DOGS, UH, 3,000 CATS, 13, UM, HUNDRED PUPPIES, AND THEN SOME WILDLIFE, AND THEN OTHER CRITTERS, WHICH WOULD BE SNAKES, GUINEA PIGS, HAMSTERS, RABBITS, CHICKENS, ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS. 
          UM, SO WE HAD A PRETTY BUSY, UH, INTAKE YEAR. 
          UM, AND THEN OVER... 
          I JUST WANTED TO SHOW INTAKE, UH, A YEAR OVER YEAR CHART. 
          SO 2024, 25, AND 26 FOR EACH MONTH. 
          UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE... 
          OUR INTAKE IS INCREASING MOST MONTH OVER MONTH, UH, FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, 
          [00:30:01]
UM, WHICH ISN'T NECESSARILY A GOOD THING, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS THE GOAL OF REOPENING INTAKE, AND THAT'S, UM, SOMETHING WE'LL START GRADUALLY SEEING OUR INTAKE GROW AND GROW AS WE'RE ABLE TO OPEN INTAKE, UM, RESPONSIBLY. 
          UM, AND THEN IN 2026, WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE LIVE RELEASE RATE TOTAL. 
          SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR LIVE OUTCOMES, UH, COMPARED TO OUR NON-LIVE OUTCOMES AND THEN THE RELEASE, THE LIVE RELEASE RATE. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, LIVE OUTCOMES INCREASE TYPICALLY TOWARDS THAT THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN INTAKE. 
          UM, AND THEN OUR NON-LIVE OUTCOMES STAY RELATIVELY STEADY, UM, EACH QUARTER, UM, EACH QUARTER WITH A SLIGHT VARIANCE. 
          UM, AND WE REMAINED, UH, AT A 95% PLUS, UM, LIVE RELEASE RATE FOR THE YEAR. 
          AND THEN THE LAST SLIDE, THIS IS SOMETHING WE DON'T TALK ABOUT VERY OFTEN, AND I WANTED TO START TALKING ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE OFTEN. 
          UM, AND THIS IS POPULATION BALANCE. 
          WHAT THAT MEANS IS, UM, YOU HAVE A, A POPULATION BALANCE OF 100 IS, IS THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS COMING IN EQUALS THE NUMBER LEAVING. 
          WE REALLY WANNA TRY TO HAVE MORE LEAVING THAN COMING IN, ESPECIALLY AS WE TRY TO OPEN INTAKE. 
          UH, WE, RIGHT, CAN'T DO THAT UNLESS WE'RE GETTING THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS OUT THAT ARE COMING IN. 
          UM, SO THIS JUST SHOWS MONTH, UM, EACH MONTH FOR THIS LAST YEAR, UM, WHERE WE'VE HAD SHORTFALLS AND WHERE WE'VE EITHER COME CLOSE TO MEETING, MET IT OR, UM, EXCEEDED. 
          I MEAN, OF COURSE, RIGHT, YOU SEE IN FEBRUARY THAT WAS OUR BIGGEST, UM, POPULATION IMBALANCE AS FAR AS, UM, GETTING, TAKING IN MORE THAN WE'RE LEAVING, UM, AND THAT WAS DURING THE UPPER RESPIRATORY, UM, INFECTION TIME. 
          UM, AND WE'RE SLOWLY STARTING TO INCREASE MORE AND MORE EACH MONTH OVER MONTH. 
          SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WE WILL CONTINUE, UM, INCREASING THE NUMBER OF OUTCOMES, UM, SO WE'LL HAVE MORE SPACE IN THE SHELTER FOR, UM, THE ANIMALS. 
          UM, SOME REALLY QUICK NUMBERS, UH, FOR OCTOBER. 
          UM, IN OCTOBER WE TOOK IN, UH, 1,078 ANIMALS, UH, JUST A SMIDGE HIGHER THAN FY26 AND 25. 
          AND THIS IS BROKEN DOWN BY DOG, CAT, UH, KITTENS AND OTHER, UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE. 
          UM, WE, IT IS STILL KITTEN SEASON. 
          WE ARE STILL TAKING IN A NICE AMOUNT OF KITTENS. 
          I THINK I WALKED THROUGH THE, UH, CAT- CATTERY THE OTHER DAY ON FRIDAY AND THERE WAS ABOUT 13 TO 14 LITTERS OF KITTENS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION OR FOSTER, AND THAT WAS INCLUDING THE KITTENS IN THE UPPER RESPIRATORY AREAS. 
          UM, SO IF ANYBODY'S LOOKING TO ADD A KITTEN OR FOSTER KITTENS, WE'VE GOT LOTS. 
          UM, OH WAIT, DID I... 
          YEAH, OKAY. 
          UH, FOR OUR LIVE RELEASE RATE, WE HAD A 95.65%, UH, LIVE OUTCOME. 
          UM, AND THAT JUST SHOWS THE BREAKDOWNS BETWEEN, UM, HOW, HOW ANIMALS LEFT THE SHELTER, UM, OR, UM, AND THEN JUST THE LIVE OUTCOME TYPES BY, UM, ANIMALS. 
          UH, IN OCTOBER, WE HAD 565 ANIMALS ADOPTED, AND THIS BREAKS OUT, UM, THE TYPES OF ANIMALS THAT LEFT, AND IT'S PRETTY EVEN ALL THE WAY AROUND. 
          UH, THIS WAS ONE OF OUR HIGHER YEARS. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE FY25. 
          WE ADOPTED A FEW MORE OUT, BUT WE'RE, UH, INCREASING THAT TREND, WHICH AS WE SEE IN - IMPOU - UH, INTAKES INCREASING, THEN YOU'RE GONNA SEE OUTCOMES, UM, INCREASING AS WELL PROPORTIONATELY. 
          UM, THIS MONTH WE HAD 50 ANIMALS EUTHANIZED AND YOU CAN SEE IT BROKEN OUT BY THE REASONS. 
          UH, A LARGE PORTION OF THOSE WERE WILDLIFE FOR RABIES EXPOSURE, RABIES RISKS. 
          UM, AND THEN THE OTHER, UM, MAJORITY WERE FOR SUFFERING, UH, EXCUSE ME, AND THAT COULD BE FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT REASONS. 
          UM, UH, THEY CAME IN SICK AND INJURED, UM, UH, SICK AND INJURED. 
          THEY, UH, HAD AN INJURY... 
          SORRY, I SAID SICK AND INJURED. 
          SO LOTS OF DIFFERENT REASONS THAT KIND OF INCLUDE THOSE. 
          AND THEN, UH, THESE OTHERS, UM, ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC TO WHAT IT MIGHT BE. 
          UM, ANIMALS IN FOSTER CARE, UH, WE HAD 369 DIFFERENT FAMILIES FOSTER FOR US THIS LAST MONTH. 
          UH, AS OF NOVEMBER 3RD, THERE WAS 334 ANIMALS IN FOSTER CARE. 
          IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, UH, 24 ANIMALS WERE PART OF THE FINDER TO FOSTER PROGRAM, UH, 
          [00:35:01]
WITH 56 ANIMALS, UM, BEING ADOPTED DIRECTLY FROM THE FOSTERS. 
          UM, AND WE RECEIVED 134 NEW FOSTER APPLICATIONS. 
          UM, THERE'S CURRENTLY 708 FOSTER MEMBERS IN GIVEPULSE. 
          UM, AND THEN WE HAD 27 DIFFERENT DOGS PARTICIPATE IN 65, UH, DOGGY DAY OUT- OUTINGS, UH, DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. 
          UM, ANIMALS TRANSFERRED TO RESCUE, UM, RESCUES PULLED A TOTAL OF 284, UH, DOMESTIC ANIMALS, SO NOT INCLUDING, UM, THOSE WILDLIFE CRITTERS. 
          UM, SOME OTHER NUMBERS FOR US, UH, WE RETURNED 121 ANIMALS, UM, BACK TO THEIR OWNERS. 
          UM, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY INTACT ANIMALS RETURNED. 
          UH, WE JUST HAD ONE DOG REPORTED AS STOLEN IN OCTOBER, UH, AND THEN 12 ANIMALS DIED IN, UH, SHELTER. 
          THAT INCLUDED FIVE KITTENS, FOUR WILDLIFE, UH, TWO CATS AND ONE PUPPY. 
          UM, AND THEN WE'VE GOT OUR VACCINATION NUMBERS, OUR SPAY NEUTER NUMBERS, UH, DOLLARS PAID FOR EMERGENCY VETERINARY, UH, TREATMENT, AND THEN OUR VOLUNTEER NUMBERS. 
          SO IN OCTOBER, UH, WE HAD 467 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTE 6,633 HOURS. 
          UM, AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 13 INDIVIDUAL, UM, 13 INDIVIDUALS DONATED 30 HOURS TOWARDS GROUP VOLUNTEER SERVICE, UM, AND DID, UH, ENRICHMENT IN GENERAL CAT CARE. 
          AND I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO MELISSA TO TALK ABOUT THE DONATION FUND. 
          I, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE... 
          SINCE THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE AGENDA ITEMS - OH, ARE THEY TWO SEPARATE? YES. 
          OH, I'M SORRY. 
          I THOUGH IT WAS ALL ON ONE. 
          SO NEVERMIND. 
           SO WE'LL GET THERE IN JUST A SECOND. 
           SO, UM, I WANTED TO INVITE... 
          WE HAVE ONE PERSON, UM, WHO WAS SIGNED UP TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE MONTHLY REPORTS. 
          UH, SO NUMBER TWO, WE HAVE, UH, BEVERLY LUNA, WHO IS REMOTE. 
          SHE'S NOT. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THEN, UM, SINCE SHE IS NOT ONLINE, THAT CONCLUDES THE COMMUNITY COMMENT ON THAT. 
          AND, UH, SO COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION ON THE, UH, REPORTS SO FAR? YES, COMMISSIONER DANIEL. 
          UM, SO FOR THE CATS THAT WERE RETURNED TO HABITAT, THERE WERE SIX KITTENS LISTED. 
          SO ARE WE RETURNING KITTENS BACK OUT TO THE COMMUNITY? HOW OLD WERE THEY? WHAT'S GOING ON THERE? UM, I DO NOT HAVE THAT SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THOSE KITTENS, UH, BUT I CAN FIND OUT. 
          BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED FROM OUR, OUR RET - OUR, UH, S&R POLICIES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN. 
          SO THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANYTHING DIFFERENT. 
          UM, AND I'M UNDER KITTENS, I BELIEVE WE CATEGORIZE KITTENS SIX MONTHS AND UNDER, I BELIEVE. 
          UM, BUT I CAN CHECK INTO THAT. 
          YES, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          AND THEN COMMISSIONER NELSON, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT? UM... 
          OH, SORRY. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER HOLT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SORRY. 
          THIS IS JUST A RESPONSE TO WHAT MONICA JUST SAID. 
          UH, OR SORRY, DIRECTOR DANGLER JUST SAID. 
          UM, WE WERE TOLD MAYBE A YEAR AGO, MAYBE LESS, THAT KITTENS WERE FOUR WEEKS AND UNDER. 
          UM, AND SO I AM NOT TRYING TO POKE A HOLE IN WHAT YOU JUST SAID, BUT PART OF THE, UM, LINE OF QUESTIONING THAT HAPPENS AROUND HOW MANY KITTENS ARE DYING IN CARE IS BASED ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY'RE AT THAT LIKE TEENY TINY LITTLE FRAGILE AGE. 
          UM, SO CAN YOU LOOK INTO THAT AND NEXT MONTH LET US KNOW IF THAT CATEGORIZATION HAS CHANGED OR IF IT'S LIKE USED IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS FOR... 
          I DON'T KNOW, JUST WHERE THAT DEFINITION LIES BECAUSE IT IS... 
          I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOUR WEEKS AND SIX MONTHS. 
           YEAH. 
          AND I, I WILL DEFINITELY CHECK INTO THAT. 
          AND IT MAYBE IT WAS FOUR MONTHS AND NOT FOUR WEEKS. 
          FOUR WEEKS, RIGHT? I WOULD CONSIDER, I WOULD CONSIDER THREE WEEKS UNDER NEONATES, RIGHT? THEY CAN'T EAT ON THEIR OWN. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO FOUR WEEKS BARELY EAT ON THEIR OWN. 
          UM, BUT FOUR MONTHS, THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. 
          COMPLETELY AGREE. 
          SO I'LL DEFINITELY CHECK INTO THAT. 
          AND IT COULD BE WE CONSIDER KITTENS FOUR MONTHS AND YOUNGER. 
          I KNOW PUPPIES, I THINK IT'S FIVE OR SIX MONTHS AND YOUNGER, SO I WOULD ASSUME KITTENS WOULD BE THE SAME, BUT ASSUMING. 
          YEAH. 
          [00:40:03]
YES, COMMISSIONER NELSON. 
          AND JUST TO KIND OF FOLLOW UP ON THAT, UH, POINT, FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR CONTINUING WITH THESE BEAUTIFUL REPORTS AND PUTTING THE ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS IN AND TRYING TO, AND PRESENTING THEM IN A VERY DIGESTIBLE WAY THAT I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION. 
          AND I KNOW THAT TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND THANK YOU. 
          AND, AND BECAUSE THIS ISSUE KEEPS COMING UP, I THINK IT WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL IF ANY TIME YOU HAD A CHART OR A GRAPH WITH KITTENS THAT YOU PUT HOW YOU DEFINED THE AGE FOR THAT CHART OR GRAPH, I THINK, BECAUSE IT FLUCTUATES. 
          YEAH, THAT'S GREAT FEEDBACK. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, AND ALL OF IT. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE, UM, A, A, A BIG HELP AND JUST THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THESE. 
          UM, AND THEN LAST MONTH, UH, IN THE REPORT REGARDING SEPTEMBER, APA HAD TAKEN SIX LARGE AND MEDIUM DOGS FOR BEHAVIOR. 
          AND I ASKED IF THAT WAS THE TOTAL OF THE NUMBER OF DOGS YOU NEEDED THEM TO TAKE THAT MONTH. 
          AND YOU SAID, "WELL, IN THAT MONTH, UM, THERE WERE SOME VACATIONS AND THINGS AND, AND IT WAS A MATTER OF BEING ABLE TO COORDINATE AND COMMUNICATE DUE TO JUST STAFFING STUFF AT THAT TIME." AND THEN I SEE IN OCTOBER THEY ONLY TOOK FIVE BE- BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS MONTHS WE WERE GETTING UP CLOSER TO 11, WHICH DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A BIG DEAL, BUT GIVEN THE WORK THAT THESE DOGS TAKE, IT IS A BIG DEAL. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          UM, SO I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT BEING BACK DOWN TO FIVE AGAIN THIS MONTH AND - RIGHT. 
          SO CONTRACTUALLY - YES. 
          THEY, UM, ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE FIVE DOGS THAT ARE, UM, WE STILL, IT STILL STILL SAYS AT RISK, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE RPL DOGS, RPL OR UPL. 
          SO THEY, UM, SO, SO THOSE ARE THE DOGS THAT THEY'RE WORKING FROM. 
          THAT BEING SAID, UM, RIGHT, IT'S GONNA FLUCTUATE MONTH OVER MONTH, UH, IF THEY TAKE MORE THAN FIVE DOGS - UH-HUH. 
          UM, BASED ON THEIR CAPACITY, RIGHT? SO, UM, IN THE PREVIOUS MONTHS, THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE MORE. 
          UM, AND THEN IN THE FALL, UM, WE SEE AS A INDUSTRY, UH, UH, ADOPTIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT START TO KINDA COME DOWN TO SLOW DOWN AS, RIGHT, EVERYBODY'S GETTING BACK TO WORK AND INTO SCHOOL AND THE HOLIDAYS AND ALL THE THINGS, THE WEATHER'S FINALLY NICE. 
          UM, SO WE'LL KIND OF SEE A SLOWDOWN IN ANIMALS LEAVING THE SHELTER. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S WHY THEY TOOK LESS DOGS FROM US IN OCTOBER, BUT I COULD IMAGINE THAT MIGHT BE WHY. 
          UM, THAT BEING SAID, RIGHT, ANYTIME WE SHOW THEM A DOG THAT IS ON THE RPL LIST, UM, THAT THEY FEEL IS SAFE, UM, FOR THEM TO TAKE AND IS NOT A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK, THEY ARE, UM, TAKING THOSE ANIMALS. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, SO FOLLOWING UP WITH THAT, DO YOU FEEL LIKE ALL THE DOGS THAT NEED TO BE ON RPL ARE, ARE GETTING ON THAT LIST IN A TIMELY FASHION? UH, YES. 
          UM, YES. 
          SO ANY DOG THAT WE FEEL NEEDS TO BE RPLED, WE'RE ABSOLUTELY PUTTING ON THAT LIST, RIGHT? THE RPL LIST ONLY COMES OUT ONCE A MONTH AS OPPOSED TO REGULARLY. 
          THE UPL IS THE URGENT PLACEMENT, UM, AND THOSE DOGS WILL GO ON THERE PRETTY REGULARLY AS WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEM WHEN THEY COME IN. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT THE RPL, THEY MAY STAY IN THE SHELTER FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, UM, PRIOR TO BEING, BEING PUT ON THE, ON THE RPL LIST BECAUSE IT, BECAUSE OF TIMING, RIGHT? MM-HMM. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN, UM, I'M NOTICING THAT I CAN'T SEE APA'S REPORTS FROM 2019, UM, FOR, FOR THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          AND THEN THE REPORTS IN 2020 GET A LITTLE MUCKY EX - PROBABLY BECAUSE OF COVID. 
          UM, SO I CAN'T... 
          I THINK IT HAS BEEN INSTRUCTIVE TO COMPARE THEIR MONTHLY INTAKE OF ANIMALS FROM THE SHELTER, GIVEN THAT THEY HAVE EMPHASIZED THAT THEY REALLY THINK THAT THAT WAS A YEAR THAT WAS, THE SHELTER WAS BEING RUN WELL AND THEY WERE COOPERATING WELL. 
          BUT I RE- RECALL THAT IN OCTOBER OF 2019, THEY TOOK 58 MEDIUM AND LARGE DOGS JUST FOR SPACE. 
          SO THAT'S HEALTHY MEDIUM AND LARGE DOGS WITH NO BEHAVIOR ISSUES. 
          AND THEN IF THE, IF THE, UM, IF I'M REMEMBERING THEIR REPORT AND INTERPRETING IT AND REMEMBERING IT CORRECTLY, THERE WERE 58 DOGS TOTAL TRANSFERRED OUT FROM THE SHELTER IN, 
          [00:45:01]
IN OCTOBER. 
          SO THAT MEANS OF 58 DOGS TOTAL WENT TO APA OTHER RESCUES AND SOME OF THEM WERE SMALL SICK DOGS. 
          SO JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT CONTRAST BETWEEN IN 2019, APA TOOK 58 DOGS JUST FOR SPACE IN ADDITION TO ALL THE OTHER DOGS AND CATS THEY TOOK. 
          AND THEN THIS MONTH, 58 DOGS WENT TO ANY RESCUE AT ALL. 
          SO THERE'S A HUGE DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MEDIUM AND LARGE DOGS GOING TO APA COMPARED TO THE YEAR WHEN THEY SAID IT WAS GOING WELL. 
          AND THE REASON I, I HARP ON THIS IS BECAUSE WE HEAR OVER AND OVER ABOUT THE, THE DIFFICULTIES THAT RESULT FROM THE, FROM BEING, UM, OVERWHELMED WITH, WITH MEDIUM AND LARGE DOGS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE IN THE MEDIUM AND LARGE DOGS THAT ARE OUT ON THE STREET AND OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, THE SH - THE SHELTER DOING THE BEST IT CAN, BEING OVERWHELMED, NOT HAVING ENOUGH STAFF OR HOUSING FOR THE NUMBER OF DOGS YOU HAVE FOUND A WAY TO TAKE IN AND, AND APA NOT RELIEVING THAT. 
          AND THEN ALSO NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE IN MORE DOGS FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE OF THAT. 
          SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALLOWING US TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION BY PREPARING THE DATA. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM... 
          YES, UM, COMMISSIONER. 
          YES. 
          UM, SO I, I SAW THE POWERPOINT THAT YOU, UH, DIRECTOR DANGLER, YOUR TEAM PUT TOGETHER. 
          AND I WAS ALSO LOOKING AT, UM... 
          I KNOW YOU SHOWED THIS ON A SLIDE, BUT I WAS ALSO LOOKING AT THE OUTCOME VERSUS INTAKE, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2026 AND THAT SEPTEMBER 30TH. 
          IT'S J- JUST ONE SHEET AND, UH, AND TABULATES, UH, IN- INTAKE VERSUS OUT- OUTCOME. 
          SO IN TOTAL, THEN BASED ON THAT, FOR THE YEAR, UH, YOU WERE, UH, 136 ANIMALS WERE... 
          THE BALANCE OF 136 ANIMALS, YOU HAD 136 ANIMALS MORE AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR TH- THAN YOU WERE, ACCORDING TO THIS, THEN YOU WERE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE. 
          DOES THAT MAKE SENSE WHAT I'M SAYING? UM, MAYBE. 
           ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE POPULATION BALANCE CHART? I- IS THAT, AND ALSO BECAUSE YOU HAVE THAT CHART AND YOU ALSO HAVE IN THE AGENDA ITEMS ATTACHED, UH, ONE OF THE SUPPORTING IS LIKE THE CON VERSUS INTAKE. 
          AND THAT'S BASED ON, AND I BELIEVE THAT CHART THAT YOU SAID, AND YOU CAN PULL IT UP IF YOU WANT TO, AND IT, IT'S VERY CLOSE BECAUSE I SHOW YOU HAD A TOTAL OF, OF 11,601 ANIMALS INTAKE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR AND, UH, 11,465 OUTCOME FOR THE FULL YEAR. 
          AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHEN YOU SUBTRACT THAT, IT, THE, UM, THE MATH, THEN YOU HAVE 136 THAT YOU, YOU WERE, DIDN'T HAVE SPACE OR YOU WERE, YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO BALANCE THAT, AND I MEAN, THE ANIMAL CENTER. 
          I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. 
          WELL, DO YOU HAVE... 
          CAN YOU BRING THAT SLIDE UP? THE ONE... 
          UM, MAYBE... 
          CAN YOU PUT THE - ARE YOU REFERRING... 
          THE POPULATION. 
          THE POPULATION BALANCE ONE? YES. 
          THE, THE AUDIO VISUAL PERSON, CAN THEY BRING IT UP? THERE, UH, YOU CAN, CAN YOU SEE IT NOW? WELL, I'M GETTING TO IT. 
          YOU CAN SEE THE REPORT NOW. 
           I, I, I'M JUST SEEING YOUR, YOU - IS THIS, IS THIS THE ONE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? UH, THEY, THEY'RE NOT SHOWING IT TO ME IN THE CAMERA. 
          THE CAMERA PERSON... 
          SHE'S WORKING ON IT. 
          SO YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE BALANCE, CORRECT? THAT, UH, THE BEST SCENARIO WOULD BE, HEY, UH, THAT THERE WAS MORE THAT WENT OUT VERSUS THE - CORRECT. 
          THE INTAKE, CORRECT? YES, CORRECT. 
          YES. 
          YEAH. 
          OUR GOAL IS TO GET AT 
          [00:50:01]
LEAST, RIGHT, AT LEAST THE NUMBER COMING IN AND THE NUMBER LEAVING MATCHING. 
          UM, BUT - YES. 
          RIGHT? THE, THE GOLD STANDARD WOULD BE TO HAVE MORE LEAVING THAN ARE COMING IN. 
          YES. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE THOSE TIMES WHERE IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT MISMATCHED, I'M THINKING SPECIFICALLY DURING KITTEN SEASON, BECAUSE THE KITTENS ARE COMING IN, UM, AND NOT OLD ENOUGH TO LEAVE, RIGHT? THE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE COUNTING ARE JUST PERMANENT OUTCOMES. 
          WE'RE NOT CAUS - COUNTING FOSTER AS AN OUTCOME. 
          SO IF, UH, RIGHT, THERE'S THAT GAP WHERE, UM, WHEN WE TAKE IN LARGE SUMS OF KITTENS, SPECIFICALLY, I THINK IT WAS MAY AND JUNE WERE OUR EXTREME PAIN POINTS FOR KITTENS, UM, RIGHT? THE- THEY'RE GONNA STAY IN OUR, UM, INVENTORY FOR, DEPENDING ON HOW OLD THEY ARE, TYPICALLY ABOUT TWO MONTHS, UM, BEFORE WE START SEEING THEM LEAVE THE SHELTER. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UH, UH, THIS, THIS SLIDE THAT, UH, IS WHAT I'M REFERRING TO, AND ALSO YOU HAVE A BAGS, UM, YOU HAVE A TABLE THAT IS IN THE SLOT AND, UH, IT'S A BACKGROUND AID THAT SHOWS WHEN YOU, UH, YOU ADD UP FROM JANUARY THROUGH CUMULATIVE THROUGH SEPTEMBER, THOSE 12 MONTHS, IT SHOWS THAT FOR THE FULL YEAR YOU WERE A... 
          AND I SAY YOU, BUT IT'S AT THE ANIMAL CENTER. 
          MM-HMM. 
          UH, UH, IT'S, UM, LIKE 123 ANIMALS THAT YOU WERE, THE, UH, CENTER WAS OVER, WASN'T ABLE TO BALANCE. 
          YEAH, THAT WE'RE, WE HAD, WE HAD MORE ANIMALS COME IN THAN LEFT BY, BY THAT NUMBER, CORRECT. 
          AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THAT MEANS THAT'S WHEN YOU STARTED HAVING THE ISSUES LIKE THE CRATES AND DIFFERENT THINGS, CORRECT? COR- CORRECT, RIGHT? I MEAN, AND WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS, RIGHT, WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THE ANIMALS, RIGHT, ALL DOGS AND CATS TOGETHER, ALL DOGS AND CATS TOGETHER, UM, WHERE SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT SEE, UM, LIKE I WAS EXPLAINING, UH, RIGHT, THERE MIGHT BE A MONTH WHERE MORE DOGS ARE GETTING OUT AND LESS CATS - UH-HUH. 
          BECAUSE THEY'RE KITTENS AND THEY'RE NEEDING TO STAY UNTIL THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH, BUT THEN A COUPLE MONTHS LATER YOU'LL SEE MORE CATS GETTING OUT, UM, MAYBE THAN DOGS BECAUSE THOSE KITTENS ARE NOW OLD ENOUGH TO BE ADOPTED. 
          UM, BUT LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, UM, WHEN I, WHEN I LOOK AT EACH DAY, I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS TO SEE HOW MANY ARE, UM, WHERE WE'RE AT FOR THE MONTH FOR THE AMOUNT OF ANIMALS LEAVING COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS COMING IN. 
          UM, WE'VE BEEN PRETTY GOOD THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. 
          UM, I BELIEVE SEPTEMBER WAS THE ONLY MONTH WHERE, UM, MORE DOGS DID NOT LEAVE THAN CAME IN, AND IT WAS, UM, A PRETTY MINOR AMOUNT. 
          I, I WANNA SAY IT WAS MAYBE 15 OR 20 ANIMALS. 
          IT MIGHT NOT EVEN HAVE BEEN THAT MANY. 
          OTHERWISE, ALL THE OTHER CATEGORIES, CATS, KITTENS, DOGS, AND PUPPIES, THE OTHER MONTHS HAVE ALWAYS, UM, FOR THE LAST FOUR MONTHS HAVE EXCEEDED. 
          SO, AGAIN, CONTINUING THAT TREND AND A- A- AGAIN, WE'RE, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT, EVEN WHEN I LOOK AT DOGS, KITTENS, CATS, PUPPIES, DOGS CAN BE BIG DOGS, THEY CAN BE SMALL DOGS, RIGHT? SO, UM, I'M ASSUMING IT'S A RELATIVE SAME NUMBER COMING IN, BUT WE KNOW SMALL DOGS AND PUPPIES MOVE THROUGH QUICKER THAN LARGE DOGS, UM, BUT WE ARE STILL OVERALL DOGS MOVING THROUGH. 
          THAT BEING SAID, RIGHT, THAT'S JUST LOOKING AT THIS YEAR AND ASSUMING WE STARTED OUT JANUARY, EVEN STEVEN ON KENNELS, AND WE DIDN'T, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE A BACKLOG, WE HAVE A SURPLUS OF ANIMALS THAT GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2021, UM, WHEN WE BEGAN TA - HAVING ANIMALS COMING IN AND NOT LEAVING AS QUICKLY AS THEY WERE COMING IN. 
          SO, UM, IT, IT TAKES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME. 
          AND I THINK WHEN I WAS... 
          I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS THE OTHER DAY AND, RIGHT, A VERY ROUGH GUESSTIMATE WAS, UM, FOR CATS TO BE EVEN STEVEN, UM, IT WILL TAKE ABOUT SIX MONTHS OF MORE CATS GETTING OUT THAN COMING IN. 
          THAT BEING SAID, WE'VE STILL GOT A LOT OF KITTENS IN OUR CARE, SO I THINK IT'LL PROBABLY BE A LITTLE BIT QUICKER. 
          UM, BUT, UM, AND THEN SAME FOR DOGS, UM, DOGS WERE ACTUALLY GONNA TAKE ABOUT 10 MONTHS, ASSUMING EVERY MONTH WE CONTINUE TO GET MORE DOGS OUT THAN COME IN AT THE SAME RATE THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING THEM OUT THE LAST FOUR MONTHS, THEN IT'LL BE 10 MONTHS. 
          BUT IF, RIGHT, WE HAVE A COUPLE MONTHS OR A MONTH WHERE WE TAKE A WHOLE BUNCH MORE IN THAN WE GET OUT, THAT KIND OF CHANGES THINGS AND YOU RE - HAVE TO REDO THE MATH. 
          BUT I, I WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE, UM, RIGHT, 10 MONTHS TO A YEAR, UM, WITH POSITIVE INCREASES IN ANIMALS LEAVING THE SHELTER FOR THE SHELTER TO REALLY, UM, 
          [00:55:01]
BE HEALTHIER WHEN IT COMES TO LARGE DOGS IN OUR CARE. 
          SO WHEN, WHEN LOOKING AT A HIGH LEVEL, AND I UNDERSTAND WHEN WE, WE START GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF THE, THE DOGS, THE CATS, THE SIZE OF THE DOGS AND ALL THAT, BUT L- LOOKING AT THIS AT A REALLY HIGH LEVEL, UM, I'M, I'M JUST, JUST LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS. 
          SO, LIKE, 1%, UH, I MEAN, IF YOU HAVE AROUND 11,500 ANIMALS THAT, FOR THE YEAR, OR YOU WERE, YOU MET, UH, WELL, ABOUT 1%, THEY, THERE WAS A DEFICIT, THEY DIDN'T GET PLACED OR THEY... 
          I PROBABLY BETTER STOP HERE BECAUSE THE, I'M GETTING TOO MUCH INTO THE WEEDS. 
           AND, AND THAT SECOND, ARE THE PEOPLE... 
          I KNOW LAST TIME YOU, UM, THERE WAS TALK ABOUT, UH, COACHING THE PEOPLE WHO THEY'RE DOING THE DATA ENTRY. 
          I REMEMBER ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THE, HE WAS NOTICING THAT THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY OF THE TRENDS AND THAT SOMETHING LOOKS STRANGE. 
          HAVE YOU NOTICED IF, UH, THINGS ARE BETTER IN THAT DEPARTMENT? UM, UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT WE'VE NOTICED, WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY CLOSELY WITH SHELTERBUDDY, AND WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS THERE'S, UM, MULTIPLE DIFFERENT ISSUES HAPPENING, UM, WITH SHEL... 
          AND I'M, I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T EXPLAIN THIS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW SHELTERBUDDY THAT WELL, AND I'LL PROBABLY MESS IT UP, BUT, UM, THERE ARE, UH, DROPDOWNS, UH, IN EACH FIELD, AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU CHOOSE THE WRONG DROPDOWN - YEAH. 
          UH, IT IMPACTS WHAT OTHER OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU. 
          OH. 
          UM, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH SHELTERBUDDY, UM, RIGHT, TO MAKE SURE WE FIX THAT AND WE'RE CREATING SOPS AND DOING TRAINING ON THAT AS WE DO, BUT WE ARE, ANY TRAININGS THAT WE'RE GIVING, WE ARE THEN MOVING FORWARD WITH MAKING SURE WE'RE HOLDING, UM, THOSE TEAMS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ENTRY AT THOSE POINTS. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS, UM, BUT, UH, W- WE ARE WORKING THROUGH IT. 
          UM, WE HAVE, UM, STEPHANIE FRANCIS, OUR, UM, BUSINESS PROCESS CONSULTANT, I CAN NEVER REMEMBER THE FIRST WORD, UH, BUSINESS PROCESS CONSULTANT WHO'S BEEN REALLY WORKING AS A PROJECT MANAGER WITH SHELTERBUDDY, UM, AND OUR TEAM, RIGHT? THE CHALLENGE OF WHEN WE SET UP SHELTERBUDDY IS WE HAD OUR STAFF, UM, WHO KNEW HOW TO DO THINGS SHELTER-WISE. 
          WE HAD SHELTERBUDDY THAT KNOWS HOW TO DO THINGS SHELTER BUDDY-WISE, UM, BUT THEY, THEY WEREN'T... 
          THERE WASN'T THAT PERSON TO HELP KIND OF MANAGE EACH OTHER, AND WE HAD OUR STAFF TRYING TO, UH, MIGRATE DATA AND SET UP A WHOLE NEW PROCESS, UH, WHILE DOING THEIR JOB, UM, WHICH IS REALLY DIFFICULT. 
          WHENEVER YOU MIGRATE SOFTWARES, UM, IT, IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO TAKE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN PLACE TO GET THAT DONE AND ALLOW THEM TO FOCUS ON THAT. 
          AND I DON'T THINK WE WERE REALLY SET UP FOR S - WE DIDN'T SET OURSELVES UP FOR SUCCESS WHEN WE MIGRATED, UM, AND NOW WE'RE, UM, WORKING ON THAT ON THE BACKEND, SO IT'LL TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO, UM, FIX, UM, AS OPPOSED TO SET IT UP, UM, AND SET IT UP THE FIRST WAY. 
          SO HOW, HOW LONG DO YOU, DO YOU THINK THAT'LL TAKE, LIKE, UH, THREE MONTHS, HALF A YEAR? I, I HONESTLY COULDN'T GIVE, UH, AN ESTIMATE AT THIS TI- TIME. 
          UH, I'M, I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE'RE COMMITTED TO GETTING IT DONE AND IN, AND IN PLACE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, UM, BECAUSE, RIGHT, THE DATA IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT, USE IT, AND, UM, RIGHT, AND MAKE, AND BE TRANSPARENT WITH IT. 
          AND IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT DATA AND WE CAN'T STAND ON IT, THEN THAT REALLY IMPACTS OUR ABILITY TO MAKE DECISIONS, UM, AND TO REALLY MOVE OUR WORK FORWARD. 
          SO, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE DEDICATED TO DOING, UM, AND WORKING TOWARDS IT. 
          UM, BUT I, I COULDN'T... 
          I PERSONALLY, BECAUSE I'M NOT WORKING IN THAT SPACE, UM, ABLE TO GIVE YOU AN EXACT TIMEFRAME, UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE IT DONE YESTERDAY, UM, BUT I KNOW THAT'S PROBABLY NOT VERY REALISTIC, SO I, I, I WOULD GUESS, YOU KNOW, THREE MONTHS IS PROBABLY PRETTY, UM, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY... 
          I'M BEING PROBABLY A LITTLE TOO EXCITED AND DOING THREE MONTHS, SO, UM, WHATEVER YOU THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE IN CITY GOVERNMENT AND MULTIPLY IT TIMES TWO TO 10. 
          UM, SO THREE, I WOULD HOPE THREE TO SIX MONTHS. 
          I WOULD THINK THREE TO, THREE MONTHS, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE JUST GETTING IT ALL IN PLACE, BUT PART OF IT IS ALSO 
          [01:00:01]
WRITING THOSE SOPS AND DOING THE TRAINING, UM, IN TANDEM WITH THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, AND I WAS - I DON'T WANT TO HOLD ANYMORE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OH, I'M SORRY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND, UH, I WAS WONDERING IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE VIEW OF THE COMMISSIONERS JUST TO SEE IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD ANY QUESTIONS. 
          COMMISSIONER NELSON. 
          OH, TO THOSE. 
          SO SPEAKING OF THE, THE DOG BALANCE, POPULATION BALANCE AND WHERE YOU CURRENTLY STAND IN HAVING DOGS AND CRATES AND THINGS, AND THAT BEING RELATED TO DOGS BEING ABLE TO GO OUT IN THE PLAY YARD AND GET RELIEF. 
          I LIKE HOW I DO. 
          WHEN THE QUESTION I HAVE IS WHEN THE SHELTER NEEDS, UM, REPAIRS, I BELIEVE THE, THERE'S A COUPLE PLAY YARDS THAT AREN'T AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF - GATES. 
          GATE ISSUES. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, AND THEN, AND VARIOUS THINGS WHEN THE FACILITIES NEED REPAIR, DOES THE SHELTER HAVE ITS OWN REPAIR PEOPLE OR ARE YOU BEHOLDEN TO BUILDING SERVICES? UM, IT DEPENDS. 
          DEPENDS. 
          RIGHT. 
          IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE, WHAT, WHAT IS BEING REPAIRED. 
          WE DO HAVE, UM, FACILITIES PEOPLE THAT COME TO HELP REPAIR SOME MINOR THINGS. 
          UM, DEPEND, IT JUST REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT IT IS. 
          UM, SOME OF THE STUFF REQUIRES, UM, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT TO DO IT. 
          ARE THOSE SHELTER STAFF? UM, NO. 
          THEY ARE ACTUALLY, UM, I, I BELIEVE THEY ALL WERE BORROWING THEM CURRENTLY FROM CONVENTION CENTER. 
          UH, WE, WE DO RELY ON AUSTIN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THERE'S A PROPERTY MANAGER FOR OUR BUILDING. 
          UM, THEY HAVE STAFF ASSIGNED TO THE, OUR, OUR FACILITY. 
          UH, WE HAVE ONE EMPLOYEE THAT'S TEMPORARILY ASSIGNED TO US FROM ANOTHER DEPARTMENT WHO'S ALSO SUPPORTING US AND HE'S BEEN ABLE TO, UM, REALLY KNOCK OUT SOME OF THOSE WORK ORDERS AND GET SOME THINGS DONE FOR US MORE QUICKLY. 
          BUT BY AND LARGE, WE'RE RELYING ON AUSTIN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          I DON'T, I DIDN'T LOOK UP IF THEY HAVE A BOARD OR COMMISSION, SO, BUT I, I FEEL LIKE SOME OF THE, THE, THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN COMING HERE TO LIKE MAYBE ALSO IF THERE'S A FACILITIES MANAGEMENT OR BUILDING SERVICES BOARD OR COMMISSION THAT THEY MIGHT, UH, ALSO DIRECT SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS. 
          AND SO YOU DON'T HAVE A DEDICATED FACILITIES OR MAINTENANCE PERSON, IS THAT CORRECT? WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE ONE RIGHT NOW THAT'S TEMPORARILY, IT'S KIND OF ON LOAN TO US FROM ANOTHER DEPARTMENT. 
          BUT ON A REGULAR BASIS. 
          ON A REGULAR BASIS. 
          LIKE YOU DO NOT HAVE LIKE AN AUSTIN - BUT WE WON'T KEEP, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND EVENTUALLY, BECAUSE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY WANT THE CENTRAL OVERSIGHT. 
          UM, SO THAT, THAT WON'T CONTINUE. 
          WE, WE DO GET OUR SUPPORT FROM AUSTIN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. 
          WE HAVE FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF HAD SOME EXTRA SUPPORT. 
          UM, AS THE CONVENTION CENTER'S BEING BUILT, THEY'VE ALLOWED SOME OF THEIR STAFF TO, TO BE REASSIGNED TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS - UH-HUH. 
          UNTIL THE NEW FACILITIES OPEN. 
          AND SO WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET ONE OF THEIR FACILITIES, UM, PEOPLE TO COME AND ASSIST US TEMPORARILY. 
          WOW. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S TOUGH TO NOT, WHEN STUFF BREAKS, IF YOU CAN'T HAVE SOMEBODY IMMEDIATELY, THAT IS TOUGH. 
          WE, WE DO HAVE AN AGREEMENT AND AN UNDERSTANDING WITH FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. 
          SO, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN, THEY TRY TO BE RESPONSIVE, BUT THEY DO HAVE MULTIPLE BUILDINGS THAT THEY'RE OVERSEEING. 
          SO THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES WITH THAT. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND ESPECIALLY WITH, LIKE, THERE'S ONE THING I WOULD THINK GOING FOR BEING A REPAIR PERSON IN ONE OFFICE BUILDING VERSUS ANOTHER OFFICE BUILDING VERSUS ANOTHER OFFICE BUILDING VERSUS AN ANIMAL SHELTER FACILITY. 
          YEAH. 
          AND HOW IT MIGHT BE VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMEBODY - ARE VERY DIFFERENT THAN, RIGHT, THE TYPICAL OFFICE REPAIRS, RIGHT? IT, IT'S NOT, RIGHT, THE TOILET'S OVERFLOWING OR THE SINK IS BROKEN. 
          IT'S THE GATE IS BROKEN TO THE DOG PLAY YARD. 
          A DOG RIPPED THE FENCE OFF OF SOMETHING. 
          YES. 
          RIGHT. 
          THE GUILLOTINES DON'T WORK. 
          WE HAVE GUILLOTINES. 
          HOPEFULLY THEY DON'T HAVE GUILLOTINES IN OTHER CITY BUILDINGS, BUT I DON'T KNOW. 
          I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THEY DO. 
          UM, SO, UM, SO TELL ME HOW O- OFF BASE IT WOULD BE FOR THE COMMISSION TO ASK FOR A, WHEN WE MAKE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS, HOW LEFT FIELD WOULD THAT BE? LIKE A DEDICATED... 
          SO WE ARE GETTING A NEW, UH, BUILDING MANAGER AND THAT INDIVIDUAL, UH, HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN BEING ON SITE AND WE TALKED ABOUT. 
          SO IT MAY BE, UM, WITH THE CHANGING OF MANAGERS THAT THIS ONE MAY BE, UM, UH, MORE AVAILABLE TO US. 
          UM, THEY, I, I WILL SAY THE CITY IS MOVING MORE TOWARDS OVERSIGHT 
          [01:05:01]
AND CENTRALIZATION. 
          AND SO I, WE, I, I, IF WE WERE TO GET ANOTHER POSITION, IT WOULD REPORT INTO AUSTIN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, YOU KNOW, IN THAT RANGE. 
          SO IF, IF WE HAD SOMEONE THAT WAS DEDICATED TO US, THEY WOULD STILL REPORT INTO AUSTIN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. 
          THANK YOU FOR THOSE CLARIFICATION. 
          I THINK COMPLICATED AND IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND, BUT IMPORTANT. 
          I KNOW HOW IT ALL WORKS. 
          AND IT'S JUST WEIRD STUFF THAT BREAKS ON, IN ANIMAL STUFF. 
          YES. 
          LIKE I'M THINKING ABOUT, I MEAN, BASICALLY WE NEED MACGYVER, RIGHT?  WE DON'T. 
          AND, AND I, I WILL SAY WE HAVE SOME IN-HOUSE STAFF WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SOME MACGYVERS THAT, YOU KNOW, WILL CHIP IN AND - YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW, HELP AS NEEDED TOO. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UH, LET'S SEE. 
          COMMISSIONER NORTON, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES. 
          I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE MEDIUM LARGE DOG ISSUE, UM, THAT, UM, COMMISSIONER NELSON BROUGHT UP. 
          UM, SO AS YOU MENTIONED, IN 2019, APA PULLED 680, UH, MEDIUM LARGE DOGS FOR SPACE. 
          IN 2024, THEY PULLED MONEY. 
          UM, THEY SEEM TO HAVE THE CAPACITY BECAUSE IN 2025, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON REPORTED TO ME THAT, UM, THEY TRANSFERRED 689 MEDIUM LARGE DOGS TO AUSTIN PETS ALIVE, 418 CATS FOR A TOTAL OF 1,107 ANIMALS AT NO COST TO THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON. 
          UM, THEY'RE JUST ONE OF A FEW CITIES THAT I HAVE DATA ON. 
          SO ARE WE NOT OFFERING THEM MEDIUM LARGE DOGS? AND IF WE ARE OFFERING THEM, WHAT REASON ARE THEY GIVING YOU FOR NOT TAKING THEM? UM, WE ALSO GET FOSTER UPDATES ALL THE TIME FOR BRINGING MEDIUM LARGE DOGS HERE. 
          SO THEY SEEM TO HAVE THE CAPACITY AND YOU, THEY TALK ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE AND YET IT'S NOT HELPING INTAKE, IT'S NOT HELPING MEDIUM LARGE DOGS. 
          SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT REASON THEY'RE, ARE YOU EITHER NOT OFFERING THEM OR ARE THEY GIVING YOU A REASON FOR NOT TAKING THEM? NO, WE, WE OFFER ANY ANIMAL THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO TAKE. 
          UM, UH, SO YEAH, SO THEY, THEY CAN TAKE ANY ANIMAL OFF OF ANY OF THE LISTS. 
          UM, AND IT'S JUST, UH, THEY SAID CAPACITY FOR THE PETS. 
          I DO BELIEVE THE ANIMALS COMING FROM OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN AND I, I DO NOT WORK AT APA, SO I CANNOT TALK ABOUT THEIR OPERATIONS. 
          UM, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THEY DO GO TO A DIFFERENT FACILITY AND THEN GO TO, UM, INTO FOSTER HOMES, BUT I'M NOT 100% ON THAT. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT THAT WOULD STILL BE COMPETING WITH AUSTIN FOR FOSTERS, MOST LIKELY. 
          UM, ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONER FERGUSON. 
          HI, THIS IS, UM, JUST KIND OF A BASIC PROCESS QUESTION AND IT'S A FOLLOW-UP, UM, FROM SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          UM, I THINK THE GIFT CARDS ARE A GREAT IDEA. 
          I THINK ANY RECOGNITION, UM, RECOGNIZING THE VOLUNTEERS IN ANY WAY, UM, WE ALL KNOW WHAT A PART THEY PLAY, UM, IN, YOU KNOW, IN RESCUE AND JUST KIND OF GENERALLY IN OPERATIONS. 
          UM, AND I MAY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD, BUT, UM, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE SHELTER TO PROVIDE THOSE VOLUNTEERS WITH DISINFECTANTS AND OTHER SUPPLIES THAT THEY NEED? JUST KIND OF BASIC OPERATIONAL QUESTION. 
          UM, WE, WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT. 
          UM, RIGHT. 
          WE, WE DO HAVE IN OUR, OUR BUDGET, A VOLUNTEER, UM, UNIT, UH, FOR VOLUNTEERS AND WE COUNT COMMUNITY CAT- CAT TRAPPERS AS, UM, VOLUNTEERS. 
          UM, I THINK WE WOULD WANNA BE MINDFUL OF WHAT WE'RE GIVING AND HOW MUCH AND WHAT THAT COSTS US BECAUSE THAT STILL DOES, UM, RIGHT? IT, IT STILL COSTS US, UM, DOLLARS AND THEN WE HAVE TO DETERMINE WHO ALL GETS WHAT, UM, WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE'RE GIVING OUT, WHO GETS THAT AND WHAT QUALIFIES THEM, UM, RIGHT? WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST A THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS THAT VOLUNTEER WITH US, WHETHER IT'S DOGS, CATS, TRAPPERS, WHATEVER. 
          UM, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UM, TREATING ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS, UM, THE SAME WAY AND GIVING THEM ALL THE SAME, UM, OPPORTUNITIES AND, UH, RECOGNITION AND SUPPLIES, UM, AS ANY OTHER VOLUNTEER. 
          UM, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE WE DON'T SINGLE OUT ANY ONE GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS AND DO THAT. 
          BUT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS HERE 
          [01:10:01]
ON THE, UH, PRESENTATION? YES, COMMISSIONER DANIEL. 
          I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE EC BUDGET. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S THE SAME THIS MONTH AS IT WAS LAST MONTH IN THAT ABOUT $82,000 WAS SPENT FOR THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, AND THERE WAS 200,000 BUDGETED. 
          SO I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE 118,000, BECAUSE I KNOW IT WAS, IF YOU DON'T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT. 
          SO WE HAD 200,000 BUDGETED, 100,000 OF IT WAS IN THE DONATION FUND, AND THE INVOICES THAT WE RECEIVED FOR SERVICES JUST FELL SHORT OF THAT. 
          SO WE LEFT, WE STILL HAVE BUDGET REMAINING IN THE DONATION FUND FOR THE OTHER 100,000 PLUS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN THE 20,000? UM, SO - OR 18,000. 
          UM, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN USED EITHER FOR OTHER, UM, THAT IS IN THE OBJECT CODE FOR VETERINARY SERVICES. 
          IT COULD HAVE BEEN... 
          WE WERE UNDER BUDGET, UH, BELIEVE IT OR NOT LAST YEAR. 
          SO, UM, NOT ALL OF OUR BUDGET WAS SPENT. 
          AND WHEN I GO INTO, UM, TALKING ABOUT OUR DONATION FUND, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE MOVED EXPENSES FROM THE DONATION FUND TO THE GENERAL FUND, UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL FUND, THOSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T USE IT, THEN YOU LOSE IT THAT FISCAL YEAR AND THE DONATION FUND, THE FUNDS ROLL OVER YEAR OVER YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO 100,000 OF IT IS STILL IN THE DONATION FUND. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND THEN 18,000 WENT TO OTHER THINGS FOR VET SERVICES? IT, IT WOULD HAVE GONE TO OTHER, UH - SO IT COULD HAVE GONE TO SOMETHING LIKE COMBO TESTING FOR CATS? UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT, OR IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN SPENT AT ALL. 
          LIKE I SAID, WE WERE UNDER BUDGET THIS PAST YEAR. 
          OKAY, SO WE CUT COMBO TESTING, WE MAYBE DIDN'T SPEND $18,000 FOR SOMETHING THAT... 
          OKAY. 
          THANKS. 
          AND CAN I JUST ADD, COMBO TESTING IS MORE THAN JUST THE TEST. 
          IT'S THE STAFF TIME THAT IT TAKES AND IT'S, IT'S SIGNIFICANT. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE OUT, PUTTING THAT OUT THERE. 
          AND AGAIN, WE ARE NOT ELIMINATING COMBO TESTING. 
          IT'S UNIVERSAL EVERY SINGLE CAT THAT WALKS IN THE DOOR GETS TESTED AT POINT OF ENTRY IS WHAT WE ARE NOT DOING AT THIS POINT IN TIME. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR ON THAT, THAT IT'S MORE THAN JUST A TEST. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS HERE? YES, COMMISSIONER NORTON. 
          SORRY. 
          I JUST HAVE A QUICK FOLLOW-UP QUESTION. 
          UM, UH, UH, DIRECTOR DANGLER, IN YOUR COMMENT ABOUT SAY THE HOUSTON DOGS MIGHT COME TO APA, BUT THEY MIGHT TRANSPORT THEM. 
          ARE YOU NOT ALLOWING AAS DOGS TO BE TRANSPORTED THAT ARE MEDIUM LARGE? WE, WE WILL ALLOW ANY RESCUE PARTNER TO DO, UM, TO TRANSFER ANY DOGS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE OUT OF, UM, AUSTIN. 
          WE DON'T HAVE ANY RESTRICTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT. 
          THEN THAT CONCLUDES ITEM NUMBER TWO. 
          AND 
          [3. Staff briefing regarding donation fund closeout report. Presentation by Monica Dangler, Director, Austin Animal Services and Melissa Pool, Chief Administrative Officer, Austin Animal Services.]
NOW WE WILL MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS A BRIEFING REGARDING THE DONATION FUND CLOSEOUT. 
          AND, UH, MELISSA POOLE, I BELIEVE, UH, YOU WILL BE TAKING THAT ONE. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. 
          THERE WE GO. 
          GETTING STARTED. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO I PRESENTED TO Y'ALL BACK IN THE SUMMER ABOUT THE DONATION FUND. 
          SO I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO QUITE AS MUCH DETAIL, BUT AS A REMINDER, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES DONATION FUND SUPPORTS, UH, DIFFERENT PROGRAMMING NEEDS AND ACTIVITIES, UH, FOR WHICH THE GENERAL FUND IS UNABLE TO MEET. 
          UH, THE PUBLIC CAN DONATE TO SPECIFIC PROGRAM OR ACTIVITY AREAS, OR THEY CAN J - DONATE TO, UH, MAKE A GENERAL SHELTER DONATION TO WHATEVER, UM, SHELTER NEED THE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AT THE TIME. 
          SO WE ROUTINELY USE DO- DONATION FUNDS FOR, UM, THINGS LIKE TEMPORARY STAFFING. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE HOW OUR T - OUR DOG WALKERS ARE FUNDED OUT OF THE DONATION FUND. 
          UM, AGAIN, ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING AND ALSO FACILITY OR SPACE NEEDS. 
          AND THEN, UH, WHATEVER DONATION, WE COLLECT REVENUE ALL YEAR, AND THEN WHATEVER FUNDS ARE NOT USED ROLL OVER TO THE NEXT YEAR, UM, UNLIKE THE GENERAL FUND. 
          SO THIS IS WHAT OUR REVENUE HAS LOOKED LIKE, UM, COMPARED TO EXPENSES. 
          AND, UH, YOU CAN SEE IT FLUCTUATES QUITE A BIT. 
          BACK IN 2020 DURING, UH, THE PANDEMIC YEAR, IT WAS FAIRLY 
          [01:15:01]
LOW AT 151,200, UH, DOLLARS THAT WE RECEIVED. 
          AND THEN WE RECEIVED SOME LARGE DONATIONS IN 2024 WHERE WE HAD, UH, $987,642 IN DONATIONS. 
          UH, MORE COMMONLY, WE'RE AROUND 300, YOU KNOW, UH, UPPER TWO, YOU KNOW, OR MID, UH, 200,000, BUT IT CAN FLUCTUATE QUITE A BIT. 
          AND SO WE NEVER WANNA BE IN A POSITION WHERE WE USE IT ALL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED, WE DO FUND ONGOING PROGRAMS AND, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, ALL OF OUR DOG WALKERS ARE FUNDED OUT OF THE DONATION FUND. 
          SO, UM, THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR IN 2026, WE RECEIVED $317,044, UM, IN REVENUE FROM THE, UH, FROM PEOPLE WHO DONATED TO OUR DONATION FUND. 
          UM, ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS JUST WITH THE EXPENSES, YOU SEE THOSE ALSO FLUCTUATE A LOT. 
          IF WE WERE TO SPEND REGULARLY EVERYTHING THAT WE RECEIVE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD BE IN A DEFICIT. 
          SO WE DO TRY, UH, TO BE VERY, UH, CONSERVATIVE AND MINDFUL WITH THE WAY THAT WE USE THE DONATION FUND. 
          IN YEARS WHERE WE HAVE COME IN UNDER, UM, UNDER BUDGET, WE HAVE MOVED EXPENSES FROM THE DONATION FUND BACK TO THE, OR NOT BACK TO, BUT TO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          SO AS TO PRESERVE THOSE DONATION FUNDS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. 
          SO THIS PAST YEAR, UM, WE, AS I MENTIONED, TOOK IN OVER 300,000. 
          UM, WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH IN EXPENSES WAS 72,346, BUT WE MOVED, UH, ABOUT $310,000 WORTH OF EXPENSES BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE BALANCE RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, AND I'LL, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I BELIEVE IT'S THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL TALK TO YOU ABOUT HOW WE HAVE IT ALLOCATED CURRENTLY. 
          BUT THIS SLIDE SHOWS BUDGET TO EXPENSES AND THEN THE BALANCES THAT WE'VE CARRIED OVER YEAR OVER YEAR. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE WE WENT PRETTY LOW, UH, IN 2023, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 231, UH, DOLLARS. 
          AND RIGHT NOW, UH, WE'RE IN A GOOD PLACE. 
          WE HAVE A, WE HAD A BALANCE OF OVER A MILLION DOLLARS AT THE END OF, UH, 2026. 
          UM, AND THEN AGAIN, WE TOOK IN, UH, THAT REVENUE OF 317. 
          SO RIGHT NOW, THIS IS, UM, THE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE IN THE DONATION FUND CURRENTLY IS 1,380,792. 
          UM, AND THEN LISTED IS WE BROUGHT OVER THE SAME PROGRAMMING NEEDS AND BUDGET THAT WE HAD FOR THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR. 
          UM, THE DOG WALKERS ARE, UH, THE AMOUNT ALLOCATED FOR THEM IS CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS YEARS. 
          AND, UH, THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT WE, OR THE LARGE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE FOR THE ANIMAL SHELTER NEEDS, UM, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WE WERE HOLDING ONTO FOR SOME POTENTIAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS AND THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT MAY BE THE CASE AS WELL. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT OVERALL SHELTER NEEDS, UM, AND HOW THOSE FUNDS WILL BE EXPENDED, BUT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED SOME FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS THAT, UH, WE MAY BE ABLE TO UTILIZE SOME OF THAT FUNDING FOR. 
          UM, SO THAT WAS THE LAST SLIDE. 
          I'LL PUT IT BACK UP HERE IN CASE YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ON IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          AND, UM, NOW WE'RE GONNA OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEM NUMBER THREE HERE. 
          AND, UH, LET'S SEE. 
          WE HAVE BEVERLY LUNA LISTED AGAIN. 
          UM, SHE IS LISTED AS REMOTE. 
          IS SHE ON THE LINE? NOPE. 
          OKAY. 
          THEN, UH, WE WILL MOVE TO, UH, PAT VALSTRES. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AGAIN. 
          UM, MY NAME IS PAT VALSTRELLAS, AS, UH, Y'ALL KNOW. 
          AND I ALSO WANNA MENTION THAT I HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR PUBLIC INPUT, DISCUSSION, IDEAS, AND JUST GENERAL DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE DONATIONS FUND FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. 
          THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT DONATIONS FUND, SO I WILL JUST SAY THAT. 
          UM, FRANKLY, I'M NOT REAL PLEASED TO SEE THAT THERE'S $821,000, 800 AND, $821,820 
          [01:20:02]
IN SOMETHING AS VAGUE AS ANIMAL SHELTER NEEDS. 
          I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THAT'S FOR. 
          AND I ESPECIALLY HOPE THAT IF ANY OF THAT IS FOR SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, COULD BE PAID OUT OF THE RATHER LARGE, UM, CERTIFICATE OF OBLIGATION OF THREE MILLION DOLLARS THAT IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS HAD SAID THAT SOME OF THAT COULD GO TO A NEW DISHWASHER OR A WASHING MACHINE OR A DRYER, THAT THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED, AND THAT YOU WOULD PRESERVE SOME OF THAT FOR, UM, DISCUSSION OF THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY REALLY NEEDS AND CAN'T BE FUNDED OUT OF THE THREE MILLION DOLLAR CERTIFICATE OF OBLIGATION. 
          SO I WOULD JUST LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER, UM, LOOKING INTO THAT. 
          UM, THE OTHER THING IS THAT, UH, I THINK GOOD USE OF DONATIONS FUND AND PROMOTION OUT IN THE COMMUNITY MIGHT GENERATE MORE MONEY COMING IN. 
          SO IF YOU WERE TO DO THINGS LIKE GIVE GIFT CARD, GIFT CARDS TO FERAL CAT TRAPPERS AND THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PROMOTE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS, THEY MIGHT THEN TELL PEOPLE, "HEY, GIVE TO THIS FUND AND YOU MIGHT JUST DO A LOT OF PUBLICITY ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS THIS IS GOING FOR." I MYSELF WOULD NOT WANT TO GIVE MONEY TO AN ANIMAL SHELTER IF THEY WERE GONNA USE IT TO BUY A WASHING MACHINE THAT COULD BE PAID OUT OF THE CITY BUDGET. 
          SO THAT'S MY REQUEST, MY RECOMMENDATION, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THIS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND THAT CONCLUDES, UM, WELL, THE PUBLIC COMMENT HERE FOR, UM, ITEM NUMBER THREE. 
          AND NOW, UH, WE WILL MOVE TO COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS. 
          YES, UH, COMMISSIONER DESAIS. 
          THANK, THANK YOU. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. 
          AND I HAVE TO AGREE WITH, UH, THE COMMENT FROM, UH. 
          UM, ANIMAL SHELTER NEEDS, WHAT IS THAT? THAT'S THE BIGGEST LINE, AND IT'S, IT'S VERY VAGUE. 
          UM, WE REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THAT. 
          THE SECOND THING IS, AND WHEN I WAS LOOKING, AND I REMEMBER IN THE PAST WHEN THIS HAS BEEN PRESENTED, UH, ABOUT THE DONATIONS, AND, UH, QUITE HONESTLY, I'M LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS HERE OF REVENUE. 
          YOU SHOULD, I THINK THAT THE, THE SHELTER SHOULD BE ABLE TO RAISE MORE MONEY THAN JUST 317K, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU START LOOKING. 
          AND THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CITY THAT HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. 
          AND, UH, THE STORY HAS TO GO OUT THERE, HOW TO, TO GET THAT. 
          UH, I MEAN, I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE GREAT IDEAS, BUT I, I, I MEAN, THIS IS MONEY THAT WE NEED. 
          WE'RE TALKING HERE ABOUT BEING, UH, I REMEMBER ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS TALK ABOUT WHAT ABOUT PROVIDING FOR, I GUESS THE CAST, UM, DISINFECTANT OR WHATEVER AND TALKING ABOUT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL FISCALLY, UH, UH, RESPONSIBLE, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, BUT WE, WE NEED THE SHELTER, THE CITY TO ALSO GO OUT AND, AND GET THOSE DONATIONS. 
          AND I KNOW THAT THE CITY HAS RULES. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE THERE, BUT TO ME, THIS CAN BE A LOW-HANGING FRUIT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. 
          OF COURSE, I MIGHT BE WRONG. 
          AND THE PART THAT I'M NOT SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WELL ABOUT THIS, I, I KNOW THAT, UH, MELISSA WILL TALK ABOUT, OKAY, THE EXPENSES, THOSE $72,346 EXPENSES, I GUESS, WERE RELATED TO THE DONATIONS FUND, ONLY WHATEVER PROGRAMS IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU, UM, YOU FEED OR SUPPORT PARENTS THAT ARE RECURRING EACH YEAR. 
          AND THOSE 244, WHERE DID THAT GO TO? IS THAT BEING CARRIED OVER TO THIS YEAR, THE FISCAL 2027? SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IN THERE. 
          AND, UH, SO COMMISSIONER DELSIDES, CORRECT ME IF I, UM, IF I'M MISSTATING ANY OF THIS. 
          I THINK THE, THE FIRST QUESTION WAS, UM, I- IS THERE A BREAKDOWN OF THE 821K 
          [01:25:01]
THAT IS AVAILABLE - YES. 
          OR COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE? THANK, THANK YOU. 
          YES. 
          THERE'S NOT. 
          AND - THERE'S NOT. 
          OKAY. 
          SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER DELSIDES, I DIDN'T MEAN TO SPEAK OVER YOU. 
          DID YOU - NO, NO, NO. 
          IT'S OKAY. 
          SO AS I, I WAS, UM, DISCUSSING EARLIER, WHEN DON'T, UH, WHEN SOMEONE DECIDES HOW TO GIVE, THEY CAN EITHER CHOOSE TO MAKE A GENERAL SHELTER DONATION OR THEY CAN SELECT A SPECIFIC ITEM THAT THEY WANNA DONATE TO. 
          AND THE MAJORITY OF DONATIONS WE RECEIVE ARE FOR GENERAL SHELTER NEEDS. 
          SO - OKAY, THAT, THAT'S THE ONE, THE TOP ONE I SEE. 
          RIGHT. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO - AND HOW, AND HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT GOES UNDER THAT, THE EXPENSES UNDER THAT? SO, UM, WE HAVE A LARGER BALANCE THERE THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST, AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED, OR THERE, THERE WAS A MENTION EARLIER IN THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND AND THE THREE MILLION THAT WE RECEIVED THERE. 
          AND WE DO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING WITH CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND WITH, UH, A DESIGN FIRM TO DO A, AN OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF THE SHELTER AND WHAT WE NEED, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, THAT MONEY WILL BE USED FOR THAT PROCESS. 
          WE DON'T HAVE A LINE BY LINE, UM, PLAN FOR THE 821,000, UH, 821 AND SOME ODD THOUSAND. 
          UM, WE DID HOLD ONTO AN AMOUNT OVER TIME. 
          WE HAD, I THINK, 550 THAT WE SET ASIDE LAST YEAR BECAUSE WE WERE GONNA DO WORK ON A SMALL DOG KENNEL PROJECT. 
          BUT WE DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON THAT. 
          D - UH, DIRECTOR DANGLER, UM, DID NOT WANNA PURSUE THAT AT THAT TIME BECAUSE SH - WE WANTED TO GET AN OVERALL ASSESSMENT AND A PLAN ABOUT HOW WE WANNA GO ABOUT FUTURE GROWTH. 
          AND SO THAT IS PART OF WHY THERE IS STILL SO MUCH SITTING THERE. 
          AND THEN THE LARGE DONATIONS WE RECEIVED IN 20, UH, 24 AS WELL. 
          SO THERE WILL BE, UM, AND ALSO THERE WAS MENTION OF, UH, APPLIANCES AND SUCH. 
          WE PURCHASED, UM, WASHER, DRYER FROM GENERAL FUNDS, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR AND ARE MAKING SOME FACIL - WE ALSO GOT SOME SAFETY, UM, SOME FUNDING FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS THAT IS COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UH, SO WE WILL BE VERY MINDFUL ABOUT HOW TO USE THAT AMOUNT, UM, SO THAT IS THE BEST INTEREST OF THE SHELTER AND THE COMMUNITY, UH, THE ANIMALS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE SERVE. 
          UM, BUT WE HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH A PLANNING EFFORT FOR THE OVERALL SHELTER DESIGN. 
          UM, AND WE HAVE MORE BALANCE THAN WE, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WOULD HAVE, BUT THAT WILL BE, UM, THERE WILL BE ONGOING DISCUSSION AND ULTIMATELY, UH, DIRECTOR DANGLER DOES MAKE, YOU KNOW, THE APPROVAL ON, YOU KNOW, HOW THOSE FUNDS ARE SPENT. 
          FOR RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE DID WAS WE BROUGHT OVER THE REVENUE FROM 2026. 
          WE HONORED WHERE PEOPLE HAD, UH, DECIDED TO GIVE, AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT WAS IN, UH, THE GENERAL SHELTER NEEDS. 
          SO THOSE 244 BALANCED, UH, UH, WERE MOVING TO THE ANIMAL SHELTER NEEDS? YES. 
          OR WHEREVER THEY WERE. 
          WE, WE - OR WHEREVER, IN BETWEEN, IN BETWEEN ALL THE ONES THAT. 
          FOR THE MOST PART. 
          FOR THE MOST PART. 
          BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UM, SOME OTHER PROGRAMMING, LIKE THERE'S SOME COMMUNITY, UH, THERE'S THE FERAL CAT, COMMUNITY CATS PROGRAM. 
          THERE'S A UNIT SET ASIDE FOR THAT. 
          THERE'S A UNIT SET ASIDE FOR THE HEARTWORM, UH, PREVENTION TREATMENT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME OTHER SPECIFIC PROGRAM AREAS WHERE WE, UM, WHERE WE'RE ALLOCATING FUNDS, YOU KNOW, THAT WERE ON THAT LAST SLIDE AS WELL. 
          AND, UH, WITH THE, THE, I MEAN, THE DONATION FUND, YOU, WHAT CAN WE DO TO REALLY GET MORE MONEY FROM THE PUBLIC? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS TO ME THAT IT'S, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET MORE MONEY THAN, I MEAN - SO, IT'S INTERESTING YOU BROUGHT THAT UP. 
          UM, YES, I MEAN, WE CAN DO, WE, I CONSULTED WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT SEVERAL TIMES. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND WE DO HAVE CONSTRAINTS. 
          WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO, WE CAN PASSIVELY ACCEPT DONATIONS, BUT WE CAN'T GO OUT AND COM - CAMPAIGN AND TRY TO GET IN, YOU KNOW, MORE DONATIONS. 
          SO WE CAN MAKE AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, IN OUR LOBBY, WE HAVE SIGNS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BOXES WHERE FOLKS CAN CONTRIBUTE CASH OR SCAN A, A QR CODE. 
          AND CAN DONATE ONLINE, 
          [01:30:01]
BUT WE CAN'T, LIKE, ACTIVELY GO OUT AND SEEK DONATIONS. 
          AND THAT COMES FROM WHERE? THAT COMES FROM, UM, COUNCIL FROM OUR LAW DEPARTMENT. 
          IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO HEAR FROM THE LAW DEPARTMENT WHY. 
          SO, YEAH, I CAN SPEAK. 
          I CAN, I CAN FOLLOW BACK UP WITH MORE OF THE SPECIFICS ON THAT. 
          I WOULDN'T WANT TO MISSPEAK. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, OKAY. 
          THAT SOUNDS GOOD. 
          I, I MEAN, HERE WE'RE STR - NOW I'LL HUSH, BUT I MEAN, HERE WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH RESOURCES, MONEY, AND, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, IT'S JUST... 
          BUT WE'LL WAIT TILL YOU COME BACK WITH MORE. 
          AND, AND WE WILL GO BACK AND LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED WITH REGARD TO, UM, INCENTIVES AND, UM, THINGS WE CAN DO TO BETTER SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS. 
          I THINK WHAT MONICA WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS JUST THAT WHEN WE DO THAT, WE NEED TO BE FAIR AND EQUITABLE AND LOOK AT ALL THE VOLUNTEERS THAT WE HAVE AND NOT JUST DO IT FOR ONE PARTICULAR GROUP, ONE AREA. 
          YES, YOU DON'T ELIMINATE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, COMMISSIONER FERGUSON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, JUST TO FOLLOW UP TO SOME, A QUESTION THAT COMMISSIONER DEL ZIDES HAD. 
          UM, AND IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING UP WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT, UM, I UNDERSTAND IF, YOU KNOW, LEGALLY WHY THE CITY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO, UM, REQUEST FUNDS, BUT COULD SOME OF THE INFLUENCERS THAT YOU HAVE WORKED WITH, UM, WORK ON CAMPAIGNS, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, REQUEST FUNDS AND TO KIND OF PROMOTE, AT LEAST PROMOTE THAT FUND, I WOULD SAY? AND YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT, BUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE, THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, I WONDERED IF YOU COULD CHECK ON THAT. 
          SURE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND COMMISSIONER NORTON? UM, UM, THANK YOU, MELISSA. 
          I THINK YOU, I ASKED ABOUT THIS AND YOU CAME AND, UH, YOU'RE ALWAYS, UM, SO HELPFUL AND, UH, AND PRESENT SO WELL. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR DOING IT. 
          UM, MY QUESTION ALSO WENT WITH DONATIONS. 
          I MEAN, I WOULD, UH, AND ADVERTISING. 
          I WENT AND DID A SEARCH OF THE AAS PAGE AND I, THE LAST REQUEST I SAW FOR BRINGING IN FUNDS WAS IN 2024. 
          UM, THERE WERE SOME BEFORE THAT, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THOSE WERE JUST NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DONE OR IF SOMETHING CHANGED SINCE THEN. 
          BUT, UM, SO I HAVE, UH, TWO QUESTIONS. 
          ONE, ARE THE DONATION FUND DOLLARS AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY NOW? BECAUSE AT ONE POINT I KNOW THEY WERE HELD BACK, UM, FOR A YEAR. 
          UM, AND TWO, YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN SAY, "OKAY, WELL, THE NEW PLAN IS DOGS ARE IN CRATES 14 HOURS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE EVENING WALKERS." UM, COULD WE GO TO THE VOLUNTEERS AND SAY, "IF WE GET THIS MONEY IN THE DONATION FUND, WE CAN HIRE WALKERS. 
          CAN YOU GO ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND POST AND SAY, HEY GUYS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME CAPACITY ISSUES, WHATEVER, YOU CAN DONATE TO THIS DONATION FUND SPECIFICALLY FOR DOG WALKING AND LET'S KIND OF ALLEVIATE DOGS BEING IN CRATES THAT LONG AND, UH, MAKE THAT A, WHAT I THINK WOULD BE A MUCH MORE POSITIVE POLICY, WHICH IS WORKING, WORK TOGETHER AND HELP US." RIGHT. 
          UM, I APOLOGIZE. 
          I'M A LITTLE TIRED THIS EVENING. 
          CAN YOU, THE FIRST QUESTION, COULD YOU RESTATE THAT? JUST, UM, I HAD HEARD THAT THE DONATION FUND, THAT THE DONATIONS HAD TO SIT FOR A YEARES BEFORE THEY COULD BE USED. 
          UM - I THINK THAT CHANGED, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER. 
          SO WE DON'T HAVE TO, BUT I, IT IS, UH, OUR PRACTICE TO RECEIVE ALL THE REVENUE IN A YEAR AND THEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, MOVE IT OVER INTO, UM, THE DONATION FUND FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, ALIGNING IT WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE DO, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT AVAILABLE ALONGSIDE THE GENERAL FUND. 
          SO THERE'S NOTHING THAT PREVENTS US TECHNICALLY FROM TRANSFERRING MONEY THROUGH WITHIN THE YEAR, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, OUR, UM, UH, FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND, UH, CITY LEADERSHIP PREFERS IT'S NICE AND CLEAN. 
          WE RECEIVE IT ALL IN, WE HAVE AN ACCOUNTING OF IT, AND THEN WE MOVE IT OVER FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. 
          SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S NOT AN OPTION IF THE DOG WALKERS BROUGHT IN $100,000 IN THE NEXT MONTH FOR DOG WALKERS, YOU WOULDN'T SPEND IT ANYWAY? UM, WE, WE ARE - THIS YEAR. 
          I, I, I WOULD JUST SAY 
          [01:35:01]
WE ARE PROBLEM SOLVING ON, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, DOGS IN THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM AND HOW WE'RE UTILIZING OUR DOG WALKING PROGRAM. 
          JASON AND I WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT IT THE OTHER DAY AND LOOKING AT, UM, WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN FUND ADDITIONAL DOG WALKERS, YOU KNOW, TO, TO, UM, ASSIST WITH SOME OF THAT. 
          UM, SO, BUT IN TERMS OF PEOPLE GOING OUT ON THEIR OWN AND TRYING TO PROMOTE, IT WOULD BE FOR THE FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR, NOT FOR THIS YEAR. 
          SO, I MEAN, I, THERE'S NOTHING THAT PREVENTS SOMEONE WHO'S, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR OWN, UH, WANTS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO D- DONATE TO, UH, OUR DONATION FUND. 
          UM, BUT IF YOU WANTED TO REALLY ADVOCATE FOR ADDITIONAL DOG WALKING POSITIONS, AND THERE'S A UNIT THAT WE USE FOR THAT, UM, IT WOULD BE FOR FY28. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. 
          THEN THAT CONCLUDES ITEM NUMBER THREE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          [4. Staff briefing from 311 regarding the 311-phone application. Briefing given by Jerry Galvan, Vice President of Customer Care Services, Austin Energy.]
NOW WE WILL TAKE UP, UM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS THE BRIEFING ON THE 311 PHONE APPLICATION. 
          UH, AND THIS WILL BE, UH, JERRY GALVAN PRESENTING. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. 
          WE APPRECIATE IT. 
          IT WAS MY PLEASURE, COMMISSIONERS. 
          THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. 
          I AM GERARDO OR JERRY GALVAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER CARE SERVICES AT AUSTIN ENERGY. 
          AND I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT 311 DOES AND HOW WE WORK, UH, WITH ALL THE CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS WITH, UM, AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          I GUESS I CAN BE TRAINED TO, TO DO THIS THING RIGHT. 
          GOOD. 
          I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          RIGHT, SO THIS IS THE AGENDA. 
          I WON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME HERE. 
          I'LL JUST TELL YOU, ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, 23 YEARS AGO, UM, THE CITY MANAGER AT THE TIME ASKED AUSTIN ENERGY, BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAD THE UTILITY CONTACT CENTER FOR ALL CITY OF AUSTIN UTILITIES. 
          SO WE HAD GREAT PEOPLE, UH, RUNNING CALL CENTERS THERE. 
          UH, SO THE, UH, CITY MANAGER AT THE TIME ASKED US TO LAUNCH, UH, CREATE A NEW CONTACT CENTER TO HANDLE NON-EMERGENCY WORK AT THE TIME FOR AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT THEN OVER THE FIRST FEW YEARS, SHORTLY AFTER THAT, WITH THE SUCCESS THAT WE HAD WITH THE ABILITY TO CENTRALIZE THE WORK, WHICH IS AN EFFICIENCY, UM, MORE DEPARTMENTS WERE ADDED, INCLUDING OUR FRIENDS AT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          AND I'LL JUST SAY, GREAT JOB WITH THOSE DONATIONS. 
           ALL RIGHT. 
          BACK TO MY PRESENTATION. 
          SO I WILL, UM, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT 311 DOES, WHO WE ARE, AND HOW WE OPERATE, UM, WITH, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS, BUT THEN PROBABLY WHAT YOU CARE MORE ABOUT, MOST ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THE WORK WE DO FOR AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          UM, AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, I'M GONNA HAVE A CALL FOR ACTION TO GET YOUR HELP, UH, FOR EVERYONE TO DOWNLOAD THE MOBILE APP AND HELP ME, UH, GET MORE OF OUR COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH US DIGITALLY. 
          AND, AND, AND, AND I'LL TALK MORE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION. 
          SO 311, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, IS A NON-EMERGENCY CONTACT CENTER. 
          UM, WE CAN SPEAK OVER 200 LANGUAGES THROUGH A TRANSLATION SERVICE. 
          SO DEFINITELY, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, MOST LANGUAGES, UH, THE TOP FIVE SPOKEN IN AUSTIN, WE, WE CERTAINLY GOT THEM THERE. 
          UM, 25% OF MY STAFF THOUGH IS BILINGUAL IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, SO WE DON'T EVEN NEED THE, THE TRANSLATION SERVICES FOR SPANISH. 
          UM, AND ROUGHLY WE, WE GOT IN FISCAL YEAR 25, UH, ABOUT 948,000 INQUIRIES FROM OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THAT'S AUSTINITES AND VISITORS, OF COURSE. 
          UM, THE BULK OF THAT, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, UH, IS CALL CENTER, ACTUALLY PHONE CALLS TO OUR, TO OUR CONTACT CENTER, UH, 840,000 CALLS IN A YEAR. 
          THESE NUMBERS TEND TO BE PRETTY CONSISTENT EVEN THOUGH AUSTIN CONTINUES TO GROW YEAR OVER YEAR. 
          THE NUMBERS STILL STAY WITHIN 900,000 TO A MILLION INQUIRIES PER YEAR. 
          UH, WHAT I'M VERY PLEASED TO, TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL IS THAT THE BOTTOM SECTION OF THAT SLIDE, UH, TALKS ABOUT THE MOBILE APP AND, UH, OTHER DIGITAL, UH, CHANNELS. 
          I'M, I'M PLEASED TO, TO SHARE THAT OVER 100,000 SERVICE REQUESTS LAST, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 25, AND IT'S 
          [01:40:01]
ALMOST THE SAME NUMBER FOR 26. 
          IT WENT UP JUST A LITTLE BIT. 
          UM, BUT ABOUT 100,000 SERVICE REQUESTS ARE COMING IN NOW THROUGH THE, UH, DIGITAL CHANNEL SELF-SERVICE. 
          SO OUR COMMUNITY, UH, HAS ENGAGED WITH US DIGITALLY, THEY HAVE EMBRACED IT, AND THAT'S THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO, UH, SUBMIT A SERVICE REQUEST. 
          THAT'S 311 LANGUAGE, WHAT WE CALL THEM, SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          IT'S BASICALLY A WORK ORDER THAT GOES TO EACH OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE WORK WITH. 
          ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN, UH, TWO CRITICAL POSITIONS FOR THE CONTACT CENTER ARE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES THAT ACTUALLY TAKE THOSE 840,000 PHONE CALLS. 
          UH, THEY'RE REFERRED TO AS AMBASSADORS, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE AMBASSADORS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO OUR, TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND, AND VISITORS. 
          AND THE LIAISONS ARE BASICALLY FOLKS THAT WORK, WHOSE, WHOSE MAIN JOB, AND I THINK THEY'RE BUSINESS PROCESS SPECIALISTS TO USE TITLES, UM, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR JOBS IS TO CONNECT WITH EACH ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS. 
          SO WE HAVE ONE PERSON WHOSE JOB IS TO CONNECT EVERY WEEK, SOMETIMES EVERY DAY, BUT MINIMALLY TWICE A WEEK WITH AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES TO, UH, FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON ON THEIR SIDE, IF THEY HAVE NEW INSIGHTS TO SHARE WITH US, ANY CHANGES IN, IN BUSINESS, UM, UM, CAPACITY, ANY INFORMATION THEY WANNA SHARE WITH US. 
          SO WE KEEP THOSE CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION VERY OPEN SO THAT WE CAN, UH, BRIEF OUR, AND UPDATE OUR AMBASSADORS SO THEY ALWAYS HAVE THE LATEST AND GREATEST INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH OUR COMMUNITY WHEN THEY CALL. 
          NOW, THIS IS THE GENERAL WORK WE DO FOR ALL CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS THAT WE WORK WITH. 
          UM, THERE, UH, YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT OF THE MILLION INTERACTIONS THAT WE DO, 840,000 CALLS, ALMOST TWO THIRDS OF THAT IS JUST PLAIN INFORMATIONAL. 
          AND, AND THAT COULD BE, UH, AS SIMPLE AS, "HEY, WHAT TIME DOES THE NEAREST LIBRARY OPEN?" YOU KNOW, "WHERE'S THE SHELTER LOCATED FOR AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES? I'M GONNA GO DOWNTOWN SATURDAY. 
          ARE THERE GONNA BE ANY ROAD CLOSURES?" YOU KNOW, GENERAL INFORMATION. 
          AND SOMETIMES JUST GET, GETTING THEM THE RIGHT CONTACT INFORMATION FOR A DETECTIVE THEY WANNA CALL BACK AT AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          TH- THAT'S MY BIGGEST CLIENT, BY THE WAY, IN TERMS OF CALL VOLUME, WHO I DO MORE, MORE WORK FOR. 
          UM, ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS JUST IMAGES TO SHOW YOU, UH, MORE ABOUT SERVICE REQUEST. 
          UH, SERVICE REQUEST COULD BE, UH, FOR TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY. 
          YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A RESCUE THERE FROM AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES FOR A, UM, WHAT IS THAT? THANK YOU. 
          AN ARMADILLO. 
           YOU GOT IT. 
           I KNEW IT. 
          I JUST COULDN'T REMEMBER JUST NOW. 
          UM, BUT, UH, THOSE SERVICE REQUESTS IS BASICALLY THE COMMUNITY TELLING US, "HEY, I WANT SOMEBODY TO GO DO SOMETHING," RIGHT? AND WHEN, WHEN, IN, IN THE CONTACT CENTER, OUR REPRESENTATIVES, THEY ASK THE, THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION TO ENABLE, IN THIS CASE, AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT JOB. 
          WE HIT ENTER ON OUR SERVICE REQUEST THAT GOES OVER TO ANIMAL SERVICES AND WITHIN SECONDS, BUT CERTAINLY NO MORE THAN ONE MINUTE OR SO, THAT WORK ORDER ARRIVES, UH, ON THE, AT EACH DEPARTMENT, IN THIS CASE, ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          ALL RIGHT, TIME TO DO THIS. 
          SO NOW MORE SPECIFICS OF WHAT WE'RE HERE TO, TO TALK ABOUT. 
          UM, THIS IS FY25 BECAUSE I WAS GONNA BE HERE PRESENTING LAST, UH, LAST MONTH IN EARLY OCTOBER, AND I ONLY HAD DATA FOR A FULL YEAR FOR FY25. 
          APOLOGIZE, I GOT FLU, THE FLU A, THE, THE, THE BAD TYPE, SO I DIDN'T WANNA BE SPREADING IT AROUND, SO I DIDN'T MAKE IT. 
          BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, THE DATA HERE FOR YOU. 
          72,406 INTERACTIONS, THAT'S ABOUT 6,000 CALLS A MONTH THAT WE GET FOR AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          UH, WHAT'S INTERESTING WITH ANIMAL SERVICES, UNLIKE THE REST OF THE CITY WHERE TWO THIRDS OF OUR CALL VOLUME IS INFORMATIONAL, WHEN FOLKS CALL US ABOUT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES, THEY WANT SOMETHING DONE HALF THE TIME,  WHICH MAKES SENSE, RIGHT? UM, AND, UH, AND, AND THE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY, UH, CONSISTENT FOR 26. 
          UH, THE 72,000 DROPPED TO 67,000, BUT NEXT YEAR IT COULD INCREASE AGAIN, RIGHT? IT JUST, JUST ABOVE 72. 
          UM, THE PIE CHART ON THE RIGHT, UM, WHAT IT SHOWS IS THAT MOST OF THE WORK IS THOSE THREE SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          UH, LOOSE 
          [01:45:01]
DOG, INJURED SICK ANIMAL AS NUMBER TWO, AND NUMBER THREE IS ANIMAL PROTECTION ASSISTANCE, AND ALL THE REST OF THE 45%, EVERYTHING IS SINGLE DIGITS. 
          EXCUSE ME. 
          AND, UH, NOW MY CALL FOR ACTION. 
          THESE ARE THE QR CODES SO THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD, UH, THE AUSTIN 311 MOBILE APP. 
          UH, AND YOU HAVE THE PRESENTATION, SO YOU, YOU CAN, YOU CAN TAKE THIS, UH, BACK AND DO IT AT YOUR LEISURE. 
          BUT I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE MOBILE APP, YOU'LL SEE HOW COOL IT IS. 
          I'M GEEKED UP BY, BY IT. 
          I'LL JUST, UH, TELL YOU, BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST JOINED, IT WAS A VERY DIFFERENT MOBILE APP. 
          WE NOW HAVE GIS OR GPS MAPPING WHERE YOU CAN DROP THE PIN EXACTLY WHERE YOU SAW THE ANIMAL, UH, AND THAT MAKES IT A LOT EASIER FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT GO OUT ON THE FIELD TO, TO FIND WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT? UH, AND, AND I THINK MAKING THIS EASIER TO USE, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AI WHERE YOU START WRITING WHAT YOU WANT AND THE THING PREDICTS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, PROVIDES THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF SERVICE REQUESTS THAT YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN FILING. 
          AND, AND HERE, AS SOON AS YOU HIT SUBMIT, IT GOES STRAIGHT TO EACH DEPARTMENT. 
          IT DOESN'T EVEN COME THROUGH, UH, TO, UH, THROUGH 311, UNLESS THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH IT. 
          AND THAT IS ALL I HAVE, AND I'M HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          I GUESS THAT'S THE LAST SLIDE, YEAH. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION. 
          UM, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN. 
          I'M GLAD YOU'RE FEELING BETTER AS WELL. 
          SO SORRY THAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR. 
          AND, UM, ACTUALLY THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO IS, UH, WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY TAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST. 
          AND, UH, LET'S SEE. 
          AGAIN, WE HAVE, UH, BEVERLY LUNA SIGNED UP, BUT STILL NOT HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN, UH, PAT. 
          UH, THANK YOU AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS. 
          UM, BASICALLY WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO, AND I'M SURE YOU'LL HAVE, UM, A LOT OF OTHER QUESTIONS ON OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE VERY RELEVANT, AND I WOULD BE TRYING TO THINK OF THEM, EXCEPT I KNOW YOU, YOU HAVE THEM, UM, ABOUT, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT 311, BUT MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN 911 AND 311, AND ESPECIALLY NOW THAT, UM, 311 IS ONLY GONNA OPERATE DURING THE DAY, UM, IT IS MY BELIEF, ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T HEARD THIS, THAT THAT WILL NOT NECESSARILY CAUSE A PROBLEM FOR, UH, A PERSON WITH A DOG OR CAT EMERGENCY OR A WILDLIFE EMERGENCY IN THE, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS, OR MY HOPE IS THAT THEY CAN CALL 911, AND THEN 911 WILL ACT AS, AS THE, UM, AS THE FUNNEL TO ANIMAL SERVICES IN THAT NOTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING BEFORE WHEN 311 WAS 24 HOURS SHOULD CHANGE JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA STOP AT A, AT, AT EITHER 70PM OR 9PM, I CAN'T REMEMBER. 
          UM, 9:0 PM. 
          SO FROM 9PM TO 7AM, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE STILL WILL HAVE A WAY FOR PEOPLE WHO, UM, HAVE AN INJURED DOG OR A NEED FOR ANIMAL SERVICES TO RESPOND TO, TO CALL THROUGH 911. 
          AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF THAT COULD BE ADDRESSED. 
          AND I'M SURE YOU HAVE MA- MANY OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT THAT ONE'S THE ONE THAT'S ON MY MIND, SO WHAT I'D ASK. 
          ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? OKAY. 
          I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          UM, SO IS, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT. 
          SO THEN THE APP THOUGH, IS, HOW OFTEN IS THE APP MONITORED? DOES THAT ALSO STOP AT 9:00 PM THROUGH THE APP? NO, THE, THE APP, THANK YOU FOR ASKING. 
          UH, THE, THE APP IS AVAILABLE TWENTY FOUR SEVEN. 
          SO THAT'S WHY WE TELL THE COMMUNITY, PLEASE HELP US USE, UH, DIGITAL CHANNELS MORE, UH, MAKE, IT'S MORE EFFICIENT FOR THE CITY, LOWER COST, UH, AS WELL. 
          UH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THAT'S BASICALLY ONE OF TWO CHANNELS THAT IT'S OPEN TWENTY FOUR SEVEN. 
          THE MOBILE APP IS AVAILABLE AFTER HOURS, AND SO IS THE AUSTIN 311 WEBSITE, AND BOTH ARE CHANNELS WHERE YOU CAN SUBMIT A SERVICE REQUEST. 
          UM, AND THEN THE, THE ONLY THING THAT I'LL ADDRESS IS THE, THE ONLY THING I'LL ADD IS THAT, UH, WE'RE MONITORING THAT, UH, BECAUSE WE, AT, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WHICH WE'RE DOING THIS PILOT WHERE WE CLOSE, 
          [01:50:01]
UH, THE CONTACT CENTER AFTER HOURS BECAUSE OF, UH, LOW CALL VOLUME AFTER HOURS, AND ALSO WE SEE THE ADOPTION OF THE, UH, MOBILE APP AND THIS TOOLS NOW GOING UP TO OVER 100,000 SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          BY THE WAY, I, I DID TALK ABOUT THE BIG NUMBERS, LIKE THE FACT THAT WE GET 840,000 CALLS, BUT REMEMBER I SAID TWO THIRDS OF THOSE ARE JUST INFORMATIONAL. 
          WE ONLY DO ABOUT 300,000 SERVICE REQUESTS, AND THE COMMUNITY ALREADY SENDS US 100,000 THROUGH DIGITAL CHANNELS. 
          A THIRD OF ALL THE SERVICE REQUESTS AND WORK ORDERS THAT WE SEND TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS FOR FULFILLMENT, THEY'RE ALREADY ON, ON, ON THOSE CHANNELS. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AWESOME. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UH, COMMISSIONER DOZAIDES? YES, THIS IS ALL VERY INTERESTING. 
          SO, UM, I, I DID HEAR, UH, THAT YOU SAID, YES, WEBSITE TWENTY FOUR SEVEN AVAILABLE, THE APP TWENTY FOUR SEVEN AVAILABLE, BUT IT'S MORE RESPONSE TIME. 
          WHAT IS THE RESPONSE TIME? AND I'M SURE IT DEPENDS, WHAT ARE YOU REFERRING TO IF IT'S SOMETHING URGENT? RIGHT. 
          UM, SO I, I THINK WHAT... 
          I'LL GO BACK TO A COMMENT I MADE WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. 
          IN TERMS OF THOSE SERVICE... 
          I MEAN, THE INFORMATIONAL CALLS WE, WE, WE HANDLED WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE, AND THAT'S IMMEDIATE. 
          BY THE TIME THE CUSTOMER HANGS UP, UH, IT'S BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. 
          BUT FOR, FOR SPECIFICALLY SERVICE REQUEST THAT GO TO A DEPARTMENT FOR FULFILLMENT OR FOR THE WORK ORDER TO BE COMPLETED, IT LEAVES AUSTIN 311 DIGITALLY WITHIN SECONDS, NO MORE THAN A MINUTE OR TWO. 
          AND, AND THAT'S JUST HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TECHNOLOGY TO GO FROM THE SYSTEM WHERE WE HIT ENTER TO THE, UH, DISPATCH DEPARTMENT AT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES, RIGHT? AND THERE, UH, THE, THE DISPATCHERS WILL PRIORITIZE, REVIEW THE WORK, UH, AND THEN THEY HAVE DIFFERENT EXPECTATIONS ON HOW LONG IT TAKES THEM TO COMPLETE THE WORK. 
          BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, IT DEPENDS, UH, ON WHAT IT IS. 
          AND THOSE EMERGENCIES, THEY DO GO TO 911. 
          SO THE, THE APP WILL REDIRECT TO 911? NO. 
          NO, NO. 
          UH, THE, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WHEN WE HAVE A PHONE CALL THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF, AS WE'RE WALKING THROUGH THE PROCESS AND ASKING QUESTIONS, WHEN WE HEAR THINGS THAT MAKE US REALIZE THAT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, THAT'S WHEN WE TELL THE CUSTOMER TO PLEASE CALL 911. 
          WHAT, WHAT ABOUT - BUT BECAUSE... 
          THE APP - GO AHEAD. 
          WHAT ABOUT THE APP? I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE APP AND THE WEB- WEBSITE WHEN YOU SAY IT'S TWENTY FOUR SEVEN AVAILABLE? LET ME - URGENT. 
          THAT'S GOOD. 
          LET ME CLARIFY. 
          SO AUSTIN 311 IS NON-EMERGENCY, RIGHT? I UNDERSTAND. 
          SO MUCH SO THAT IF IT, IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THE SITUATION THAT SOMEBODY CALLED US ABOUT IS AN EMERGENCY, WE ASK THEM TO CALL 911. 
          THE, THE APP HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NINE, WITH 911 SERVICES. 
          UH, FOR 911 SERVICES, YOU MUST CALL 911 IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY. 
          I, I THINK, AND I, I, I WON'T BELABOR THIS, BUT WHAT I'M ASKING YOU, WHAT YOU'RE MENTIONING IS WHEN PEOPLE CALL, CALL AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON YOUR, UH, UH, PHONE BANK ANSWERING AND THEN IT BECOMES OBVIOUS TO THEM THAT IT'S A, IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE HANDLED BY 911, SO YOUR PEOPLE TELL THEM YOU NEED TO CALL 911, THEY'LL ADVISE THEM. 
          BUT WHEN YOU GO AFTER HOURS AND, AND SOMEBODY SUBMITS SOMETHING, THEY DON'T KNOW, THEY SUBMIT IT TO, UH, 311 AND IT'S AN EMERGENCY, THERE'S NO ONE WHO WILL TELL THEM THAT, THAT, THAT THEY NEED TO CALL 911. 
          DO YOU PLAN TO PUT SOME TYPE OF MESSAGE? I DON'T KNOW. 
          WE - UM, THAT'S MY QUESTION. 
          AND MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS STILL WORKING THROUGH. 
          NO, NO. 
          THANK YOU FOR ASKING. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. 
          IT, IT ACTUALLY, WE ALREADY DID. 
          AND IT'S SIMILAR TO, UH, I MEAN, IF YOU CAN CALL 311 AFTER HOURS TONIGHT AND YOU'LL GET THE, THE INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE SYSTEM, THE VOICE MESSAGING SYSTEM, AND THE FIRST THING THAT WE SHOULD BE TELLING YOU, "HEY, THANKS FOR CALLING 311, IT'S AFTER HOURS, NOT EMERGENCY, BUT IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE HANG UP AND CALL, UH, 911." NO, NO DIFFERENT THAN WHEN YOU CALL YOUR DOCTOR'S OFFICE, THEY'LL TELL YOU, THE, THE VOICEMAIL, THE FIRST THING THAT IT TELLS YOU IS HANG UP AND CALL 911 IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY. 
          AND, AND THE APP DOES THAT AS WELL WHEN YOU GO IN - CORRECT. 
          TO FILL IT OUT. 
          IS THERE LIKE A LITTLE THING THAT POPS UP THAT SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT EMERGENCY? I THINK WE DO HAVE SOME, SOMETHING THERE ABOUT 911 EMERGENCIES - 
          [01:55:01]
UH-HUH. 
          BUT I DON'T REMEMBER RIGHT OFF THE TOP, SO - GOTCHA. 
          I JUST DON'T WANNA - GOTCHA. 
          IN THIS, IN THE INTEREST OF TRANSPARENCY, I DON'T WANNA QUOTE SOMETHING THAT I DON'T RECALL, UH, VERY CLEARLY. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AND, AND IF I CAN JUST ADD SOMETHING AS FAR AS HOW IT PERTAINS TO ANIMAL SERVICES, I THINK THIS IS WHERE, UH, COMMISSIONER DELZAIDES MIGHT BE GOING WITH THIS, UM, RIGHT? SOMETIMES THE ANIMAL THINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT GRAY. 
          IS AN EMERGENCY, IS IT NOT? UM, WHEN, UH, A CALL FOR SERVICE COMES IN THROUGH THE 311 APP, UM, THEY'RE ASSIGNING IT A PRIORITY BASED ON CRITERIA WE'VE GIVEN THEM, RIGHT? A LOOSE AGGRESSIVE DOG IS GONNA HAVE A PRIORITY ONE. 
          UH, YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT KIND OF DOG FOOD WE FEED AT THE SHELTER IS GONNA BE A PRIORITY THREE OR FIVE, WHATEVER, HOWEVER MANY PRIORITIES THERE ARE. 
          SO THOSE PRIORITY ONES ARE THINGS THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER EMERGENCY. 
          IF YOU'RE CALLING BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING ATTACKED BY YOUR DOG AND YOU JUST SEND IT, OR, OR, UH, USING THE APP BECAUSE THERE'S A DOG ATTACK HAPPENING, THAT IS CONSIDERED AN EMERGENCY FOR ANIMAL SERVICES, THAT'S A PRIORITY CALL. 
          OUR OFFICERS THAT WORK ROUND THE CLOCK WILL GET AN ALERT. 
          UM, THOSE PRIORITY ONES ARE PUSHED TO THEM, UM, AND THEY'RE ALERTED SO THAT THEY CAN, THEY KNOW TO ANSWER THOSE CALLS. 
          SO THEY MAY CALL AND ASK SOME FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS, OR THEY MAY JUST DISPATCH IMMEDIATELY, UM, TO THAT CALL. 
          SO I THINK THAT MIGHT HELP WITH SOME OF THE QUESTION YOU HAD, COMMISSIONER. 
          YES, THANK YOU. 
          I DID NOT KNOW THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
           ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENT? ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING TONIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND IF YOU GUYS THINK OF ANYTHING AFTERWARDS, NO, MS. NIKAIVA HAS MY, MY CONTACT INFORMATION, AND I HOPE I DIDN'T BUTCHER YOUR, YOUR NAME. 
           ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND THAT CONCLUDES ITEM FOUR. 
          [5. Approve the creation of a working group to review current foster onboarding materials.]
AND, UM, NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE OVER TO DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. UH, SO ITEM, UH, ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS THE PROPOSAL TO CREATE A WORKING GROUP TO REVIEW CURRENT FOSTER ONBOARDING MATERIALS. 
          AND, UM, I'LL, AND YEAH, UM, I WAS TRYING TO REMEMBER TOO WHO, UH - THAT'S COMMISSIONER VAN LANDINGHAM, WHO'S NOT HERE RIGHT NOW. 
          OH, GOTCHA. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I'M GOING TO, UM, ASK IF WE SHOULD TABLE THIS TO THE NEXT MEETING, IF EVERYBODY WOULD BE OKAY WITH THAT, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE HER PROPERLY, UM, BRING IT FORWARD. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TABLE THIS FOR THE NEXT MEETING. 
          AND WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO... 
          AND SO SINCE WE'RE TABLING IT, I WILL, UH, ASK IF WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS ON THAT ONE RIGHT NOW. 
          AND 
          [6. Approve the creation of a Serious Bodily Injury (SBI) Working Group to write recommendations to Council regarding SBI protocol.]
ITEM NUMBER SIX IS THE SERIOUS BODILY INJURY WORKING GROUP. 
          UM, IT IS PROP - IT IS A PROPOSAL TO CREATE A SERIOUS BODILY, BODILY INJURY OR SBI WORKING GROUP TO, UH, DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL REGARDING SBI PROTOCOL. 
          AND, UH, SO I'D LIKE TO ASK THE SPONSORING COMMISSIONER TO BRIEFLY INTRODUCE THE PROPOSAL BEFORE WE OPEN IT TO CO - PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN WE'LL DISCUSS AMONGST OURSELVES. 
          SO COMMISSIONER NIELSEN. 
          YEAH. 
          I ASKED, UM, TO PUT THIS, UM, ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE JUST WITH THE MANY PUBLIC COMMENTS RECENTLY AND THE, AND THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE ABOUT THIS, IT SEEMS IT CLEAR TO ME THAT IT'S, UM, VERY COMPLICATED AND, AND, UM, I THINK I COULD USE A LOT OF ED- EDUCATION ABOUT IT AND THEN ALSO PUBLIC EDUCATION - UH-HUH. 
          ABOUT AND, AND THAT A WORKING GROUP MIGHT BE A GOOD WAY TO, TO DO THAT. 
          AND I WOULD BE OKAY WITH CHAIRING IT. 
          I WILL SAY THAT MY EVENINGS ARE PRETTY PRECIOUS TO ME, SO I LOVE MIDDLE OF THE DAY WEEKDAY MEETINGS. 
           SO I WILL, I WILL PUSH FOR THAT IF, UM, IF THE WORKING GROUP GETS APPROVED AND IF ANYBODY ELSE JOINS IT OR IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO BE THE CHAIR. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND THEN WITH THAT, UM, LET'S SEE. 
          WE HAD, UH, ALSO BEVERLY LUNA SIGNED UP REMOTELY TO SPEAK ON THAT ITEM. 
          UH, SO SHE'S STILL NOT PRESENT. 
          SO, UH, WITH THAT, THEN LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UM, LET'S SEE. 
          SO WE CAN, FIRST OF ALL, OPEN IT FOR DISCUSSION FOR, FROM THE COMMISSIONERS TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS REGARDING IT BEFORE WE VOTE ON, OR BEFORE WE MAKE A MOTION TO CREATE. 
          OKAY. 
          HEARING NONE, UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO CREATE THE WORKING GROUP. 
          [02:00:01]
MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER NELSON. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? YES, COMMISSIONER, UM, WOW, WE HAVE TWO. 
          COMMISSIONER NORTON, SHE'S THE FIRST ONE I SAW. 
           ALL RIGHT. 
          AND, UH, SO THE MOTION, UH, BY COMMISSIONER NELSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER, UH, NORTON, UH, IS TO CREATE A WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL REGARDING SBI PROTOCOL. 
          DID I GET THAT RIGHT? ALL RIGHT. 
          AND, UM, NOW LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE TO SEE IF WE WILL, UM, GO AHEAD AND PASS THIS MOTION FOR CREATING AN SBI WORKING GROUP. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          AND NOW, UH, IS NOW WHEN WE SHOW WHO WANTS TO BE IN THE WORKING GROUP. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WHO WANTS TO BE A PART OF THIS? I'LL, I'LL VOLUNTEER TO CHAIR IT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          UNLESS ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO. 
          OKAY. 
          COMMISSIONER NELSON WILL CHAIR. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, COMMISSIONER WILL BE A MEMBER. 
          AND COMMISSIONER NORTON? I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE, I DON'T THINK, TO BE ON IT, BUT I DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION I WILL SEND YOU TO SHARE WITH YOU FROM, UM, I WAS WORKING ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITH THLN AND IT MIGHT BE OF HELP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND THEN ALSO JUST THE STATEMENT TO ANYBODY FROM THE PUBLIC WHO'S INTERESTED TO PLEASE EMAIL ME AT MY BOARDS AND COMMISSION EMAIL, UH, WHICH STARTS WITH A BC. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          YEAH. 
          SHA- SHARON. 
          YEAH. 
          YES, AND I'D LIKE TO, I'D LIKE TO JOIN AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          YES, COMMISSIONER. 
          I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          I, I, UH, I THINK SOME OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS ARE NOT ON THE CALL, THE MEETING TODAY WANTED TO JOIN, I THINK. 
          YEAH, THAT'S FINE. 
          THEY CAN REACH OUT AND EMAIL AND WE CAN START WHERE WE CAN VOTE ON, ON MEMBERSHIP ANY MONTH. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, THAT'LL BE GREAT. 
          SO IF, SO RIGHT NOW IT'S, UM, DR. 
          PAGE AND SHERIFF JULES, MYSELF, CORRECT? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          FANTASTIC. 
          I'M GREAT WITH AFTERNOON MEETINGS. 
           TO ME, I MEAN, I LOVE AFTERNOON MEETINGS, BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT MY JOB ALSO. 
          MM-HMM. 
          EXCELLENT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL, THAT WAS, THAT WAS EASY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO WE'VE GOT, UM, WE'VE GOT THE WORKING GROUP, UM, SET UP THERE AND WE MAY HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL FOLKS JOINING AND, UH, WE CAN, UH, SWEEP THAT IN FOR THE NEXT MEETING. 
          AND, UH, SO THAT CONCLUDES ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND, UH, SORRY, ITEM NUMBER SIX. 
          AND 
          [7. Approve a recommendation to council regarding the Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.]
NOW WE ARE GOING TO MOVE TO ITEM, UH, NUMBER SEVEN FOR APPROVING A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL REGARDING THE FELINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS AND FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS. 
          AND SO, UH, BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMENT, I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO, UH, COMMISSIONER DANIEL TO GO AHEAD AND, UH, GO THROUGH THAT RECOMMENDATION. 
          DO WE HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE RECOMMENDATION SINCE IT WAS POSTED? IT WAS POSTED, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT IF YOU WANTED TO LIKE DESCRIBE IT, THAT'S COOL. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, LET'S SEE. 
          AND THEN WE JUST HAD A COUPLE OF, OF SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WORDING THAT WON'T CHANGE THE NATURE OF IT, BUT - YEAH. 
          UH, CHAIR MARIN HAD SOME SUGGESTIONS ON HOW'S THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS JUST - UM, SO WHAT WE WANNA DO, IF WE WANNA MAKE AMENDMENTS, WE WANNA MAKE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO LIKE APPROVE THIS. 
          AND THEN, UM, IT WON'T BE A, LIKE, WE WON'T TAKE A VOTE FOR APPROVAL. 
          THEN WE'LL GET A FIRST AMENDMENT TO LIKE CHANGE UP WHATEVER WE WANNA CHANGE. 
          THEN WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THAT AMENDMENT, THAT WE NEED A VOTE, AND THEN IT WILL GO BACK TO THE FIRST, UH, MOTION, WHICH IS TO APPROVE IT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          OKAY. 
          I MIGHT COME BACK TO YOU ON THAT IN A MOMENT. 
           UM, I THINK THAT, UM, JUST, LIKE, JUST MAYBE A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF, UM, YOU KNOW, I- IF YOU WANNA JUST SAY, LIKE, A COUPLE OF SENTENCES, AND THEN WE DO HAVE SOMEONE HERE TONIGHT 
          [02:05:01]
AS WELL THAT WANTS TO SPEAK ON IT BEFORE WE WILL, UM, ACTUALLY MOVE INTO DOING THE MOTION FOR IT. 
          WELL, SINCE WE HAD IT OUT THERE AND WE HAD PRETTY DETAILED DISCUSSIONS - UH-HUH. 
          A WHILE BACK, UM, DO, DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS ON IT? YEAH. 
          OR WHY THE RECOMMENDATIONS? SO BEFORE WE GET TO OUR QUESTIONS THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST THEN. 
          AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S BEEN OUT THERE, SO THIS IS JUST A RECOMMENDATION BEING BROUGHT FORWARD, UM - YEAH. 
          REGARDING THE, UM, IMMUNIZATIONS FOR THE FELINES, UM, REGARDING AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER, THERE WAS A CHANGE TO, UM, WHAT, WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON WHERE THEY WERE NO LONGER GOING TO DO THE UNIVERSAL TESTING. 
          AND SO THERE WAS DISCUSSION THAT TOOK PLACE REGARDING THAT, AND NOW A RECOMMENDATION IS COMING FORWARD, UM, REGARDING THAT TOPIC. 
          YEAH, JUST RECOMMENDING, UH, WHO TO TEST, UM, AND WHY TO TEST AND OTHER ISSUES, UM, THAT PROCESSES NOT BE CHANGED THAT ARE CONTRARY TO DOCUMENTS THAT SUPPORT THEM WITH ONE EXAMPLE BEING SAID THAT, UH, WITH FOSTER PETS, UH, THAT IF YOU TOOK ONE OF THESE CATS HOME AND IT WASN'T TESTED, THAT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO INTERACT WITH FOSTER PETS ANYWAY. 
          AND, UH, THAT ACTUALLY IS NOT WHAT THE MANUAL SAYS. 
          THE MANUAL SAYS THAT IF YOU BRING A FOSTER ANIMAL HOME, IT CAN INTERACT WITH YOUR, YOUR PERSONAL PETS. 
          UM, SO THAT'S ONE REASON WE WOULD WANT TESTING FOR ANY CATS GOING INTO FOSTER. 
          UM, LET'S SEE. 
          COMMISSIONER NORTON, IF YOU WANNA JUMP IN WITH ANYTHING. 
          YEAH, I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEARLY OUTLINED UNLESS YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANNA BRING UP BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          AND JUST TALKING ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT ANY ADOPTERS ARE EDUCATED FULLY ON, UH, ESPECIALLY LIKE FELV, UM, THERE WERE COMMENTS LIKE ON A RECENT REDDIT POST THAT PEOPLE HAD ADOPTED CATS RECENTLY AND THEY WEREN'T EDUCATED ON THIS. 
          SO JUST AGAIN, STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING EDUCATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC. 
          SO THAT IS PRIMARILY THE THINGS THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING AND, AND WHY, JUST EDUCATION, SAFETY AND REDUCTION OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          PERFECT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND THEN, UH, THE PERSON WE DO HAVE HERE IN PERSON TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM IS SHELLY LEBAM, WHOSE LAST NAME I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER NOW. 
          WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS. 
          MY NAME IS SHEY LIEBEM. 
          I'M A CAT VOLUNTEER AT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES HERE IN SUPPORT OF AGENDA ITEM SEVEN. 
          AS I STATED IN THE AUGUST MEETING, MY CONCERNS ABOUT ENDING ALMOST ALL FELV AND FIV TESTING ARE SHARED BY OTHER CAT VOLUNTEERS, SHELTER STAFF, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. 
          IT'S NOT SIMPLY AN ISSUE OF WHETHER THE SHELTER SHOULD PERFORM A PARTICULAR TEST. 
          IT'S ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A PUBLIC ANIMAL SHELTER TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND WELF- WELFARE OF ANIMALS IN ITS CARE TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC WITH INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS. 
          AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES IS A PUBLIC INSTITUTION AND ITS RESPONSIBILITY GOES BEYOND SIMPLY GETTING INDIVIDUAL ANIMALS OUT THE DOOR. 
          IT SHOULD BE SETTING THE STANDARD FOR RESPONSIBLE ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION, NOT SHIFTING THAT RESPONSIBILITY ONTO ADOPTERS, FOSTERS, AND RESCUE PARTNERS WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION OR RESOURCES NECESSARY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE RISK INVOLVED. 
          YET MORE THAN THREE MONTHS AFTER THIS POLICY WENT INTO EFFECT, THERE IS NO SOP THAT HAS BEEN SHARED WITH US OUTLINING HOW THIS CHANGE IS BEING IMPLEMENTED. 
          TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE'S BEEN NO CLEAR DIRECTION PROVIDED TO STAFF AND NO APPARENT PLAN TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE CHANGE. 
          AND THAT IS DEEPLY CONCERNING. 
          I ALSO SERVED ON THE WORKING GROUP THAT DEVELOPED A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES AND DISCONTINUING THIS TESTING RUNS COUNTER NOT ONLY TO THE ACTUAL LANGUAGE OF THE PLAN, BUT TO ITS SPIRIT AND INTENT. 
          THE PLAN CALLS FOR RESPONSIBLE, TRANSPARENT AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES THAT PRIORITIZE ANIMAL WELFARE. 
          SIMPLY MOVING ANIMALS OUT THE DOOR WITHOUT ADEQUATELY CONSIDERING THEIR HEALTH, THEIR FUTURE WELFARE, OR THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR ADOPTERS, FOSTERS, RESCUE PARTNERS, AND OTHER ANIMALS DOES NOT FULFILL THAT VISION. 
          IN MY OPINION, THIS POLICY SHIFT ILLUSTRATES ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS WITH HOW NO KILL CAN SOMETIMES BE APPROACHED, MEASURING SUCCESS BY WHETHER ANIMALS LEAVE THE SHELTER RATHER THAN BY WHETHER THEY LEAVE THE SHELTER WITH THEIR HEALTH AND WELFARE ADEQUATELY CONSIDERED. 
          I HOPE THIS COMMISSION WILL SUPPORT RECOMMENDING TO CITY COUNCIL THAT AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES REINSTATE FELV AND FIB TESTING AS OUTLINED IN THE DRAFT RECOMMENDATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          I'M GONNA TRY THIS NOW. 
          I THINK WHAT I WANT TO DO IS TO MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND THE RECOMMENDATION. 
          SHOULD WE HAVE DISCUSSION FIRST OR? YOU JUST MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE IT AND THEN GET A SECOND AND THEN GO 
          [02:10:01]
INTO THE DISCUSSION AND THEN THAT WILL, YOU HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER MOTION TO AMEND AND GET A SECOND. 
          OKAY. 
          IT'S A LITTLE CONVOLUTED, BUT - OKAY. 
          SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SOMEONE LIKE IT TO, UM, MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION. 
          MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          OKAY. 
          COMMISSIONER DANIEL HAS MADE THE MOTION TO APPROVE AND COMMISSIONER, I MISSED IT. 
          NORTON. 
          COMMISSIONER NORTON HAS MADE THE, UM, SECOND TO, UM, APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION. 
          AND NOW IT'S DISCUSSION. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, COMMISSIONER NELSON. 
          UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO VERY MUCH THANK THE, ALL THE COMMISSIONERS WHO PUT A TON OF WORK AND RESEARCH INTO, UM, UH, HAVING A WORKING GROUP AND DISCUSSING THIS AND DRAFTING IT AND PRESENTING IT TO US. 
          SO KUDOS BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF THING THE COMMISSION SHOULD BE DOING BECAUSE THE PUBLIC REALLY CARED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. 
          AND, UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS A COMMISSION, WE, WE TOOK IT UP AND ADDRESSED IT. 
          SO, AND I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD DO. 
          UM, WHEN I VOTED, UH, IN SUPPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP, I, I GAVE A, MY STATEMENT WAS THAT I, I WANTED TO BE VERY CAREFUL THAT WE DIDN'T RECOMMEND PUTTING INTO AN ORDINANCE LEGISLATING HOW MEDICINE IS PRACTICED AT, AT, AT THE SHELTER. 
          UM, BECAUSE I THINK, I THINK, UH, ANYTIME YOU TAKE MEDICAL DECISIONS AWAY FROM MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND YOU PUT IT INTO LEGISLATION, I THINK THAT'S A, THAT GETS YOU TO THE WRONG, THE WRONG PLACE. 
          AND SO WHILE I WOULD, I WOULD PROBABLY, IF I SAT DOWN AND, AND RESEARCHED IT, I WOULD PROBABLY VERY MUCH AGREE WITH THE FIRST SO BE IT RESOLVED HERE. 
          UM, AS BEING A SHELTER POLICY THAT WAS A- ADOPTED BY, BY, UH, THE STAFF VETERINARIANS, UM, I, I WOULDN'T WANT IT CODIFIED INTO AN ORDINANCE BECAUSE, UH, THE, THE VETERINARIANS AT THE SHELTER NEED TO NOT HAVE THEIR HANDS TIED BY, BY, BY LEGISLATION. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IF, IF TESTING CHANGES, IF RESEARCH CHANGES, IF THEY, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO CHANGE A CITY ORDINANCE. 
          UM, SO, UM, SO I THINK THIS WAS VERY GOOD WORK THAT WAS DONE. 
          I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF IT. 
          I, I, MY, I WOULD, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND, WELL, YEAH. 
          AND, AND IF, AND, AND IF THERE'S A SECOND TO REMOVE THAT, THEN WE CAN HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO REMOVE THAT. 
          THE FIRST, SO BE IT RESOLVED. 
          OKAY. 
          SO DO YOU, DO YOU NEED A SECOND FOR IT? WAIT, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE YOU REMOVING? SO, YEAH, SO I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS AN AMENDMENT TO REMOVE THE FIRST, SO BE IT RESOLVED, WHICH SAYS THAT CATS AND KITTENS GOING TO FOSTER HOMES, RESCUES ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION WILL BE TESTED. 
          KITTENS UNDER THREE MONTHS, FOUND WITH MOTHERS, DON'T REQUIRE TESTING, ET CETERA. 
          THAT WHOLE PARAGRAPH. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          BECAUSE WHILE I THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE POLICY OF THE SHELTER, I DON'T WANT CITY COUNCIL TO PASS AN ORDINANCE M- MAKING THAT THE LEGAL, WHAT THE SHELTER HAS TO DO, EVEN IF TESTING OPTIONS CHANGE, IF RESEARCH CHANGES. 
          I DON'T WANT THE VETERINARIANS AT THE SHELTER TO HAVE TO UNDO A CITY ORDINANCE TO CHANGE HOW THEY DO IT. 
          YEAH. 
          IS THERE, UM, SO, SO TO THAT, TWO, TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          MM-HMM. 
          SO ONE, IF WE LEFT THE LANGUAGE AS IT IS, BUT - IT, IT, SO IF NOBODY ELSE EVEN SECONDS WHAT I'M SAYING, THEN WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO WE NEED A SECOND ON STRIKING THE FIRST SO BE IT RESOLVED PARAGRAPH. 
          SO SARAH HUDDLESTON SECONDING - OKAY. 
          MY AMENDMENT. 
          SO NOW YOU CAN ASK ME QUESTIONS AND WE CAN DISCUSS IT. 
          GOTCHA. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IF, IF WE WERE TO, UM, I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE WAS TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO APPROACH THAT, BECAUSE I AGREE IN HAVING SOME LENIENCY - UH-HUH. 
          UM, FOR SURE BASED ON HOW THINGS CAN CHANGE. 
          UM, IF WE LEFT ALL THE DETAILS AS THEY ARE, BUT PUT A CAVEAT IN THERE OF UNLESS DETERMINED OTHERWISE BY VETERINARIAN, WOULD THAT, UM, WOULD THAT WORK? OR ARE YOU THINKING OF SOMETHING MORE HIGH LEVEL ON HERE, LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE RECOMMEND - NO, I THINK THAT COULD POSSIBLY 
          [02:15:01]
WORK. 
          OKAY. 
          'CAUSE, UH, UH, BECAUSE, I MEAN, IT'S, I THINK THIS IS INTERESTING GUIDANCE - YES. 
          THAT'S HERE. 
          AGREED. 
          LIKE I HATE FOR THAT TO TOTALLY DISAPPEAR. 
          MM-HMM. 
          BUT IF WE WERE TO SAY, BUT IF WE WERE TO ADD LANGUAGE THAT, YOU KNOW, UNLESS, YOU KNOW, OVERRULED, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT WORD, YOU KNOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, UNLESS OVERRULED BY VETERINARIAN STAFF ON THERE, UM, IF THAT COULD TAKE CARE OF IT. 
          YES. 
          UNLESS WE JUST WANNA TAKE IT LIKE SUPER, UM, GENERAL AND SAY THAT, UM, WE RECOMMEND AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL ESTABLISH A POLICY SUPPORTING ROUTINE TESTING FOR FELINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS FOR CATS AND KITTENS IN CARE BEFORE PLACEMENT AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. 
          SO WE COULD KEEP IT SUPER GENERAL OR WE COULD KEEP THE DETAILS AND ADD THE CAVEAT. 
          I MAKE YOUR FIRST RECOMMENDATION. 
          YOU LIKE THE CAVEAT? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          I FORGOT WHAT IT SAID. 
           OKAY. 
          SO IN - SO THERE WAS A, AN AMENDMENT ON THE AMENDMENT. 
          YES. 
          WE'RE AMENDING THE AMENDMENT. 
          WE JUST, THAT'S FINE. 
          WE GO UP TO AMENDMENT. 
          UH, SO- SO I SECOND IT. 
          YES, YOU DID. 
          THE AMENDMENT, UM, THE FIRST AMENDMENT WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER NILSON TO STRIKE THE FIRST SO BE IT RESOLVED, SECONDED BY HUDDLESTON. 
          UH, THAT AMENDMENT ON THAT AMENDMENT WAS INSTEAD OF STRIKING THE FIRST, SO BE IT RESOLVED LANGUAGE, UM, CHAIR MARIN SUGGESTED TO ADD AT THE END OF THE FIRST SO BE IT RESOLVED, UM, UNLESS OVERRULED BY VETERINARIAN STAFF, WHICH WAS SECONDED BY NELSON. 
          SO NOW WE NEED TO MAKE - IS IT, IS IT TOO LATE TO CONTINUE WITH THE AMENDMENT? I WASN'T QUITE FINISHED WITH THE OTHER CHANGE ON HERE FOR THAT, TO THAT - ONLY IF IT, IF IT, FOR THE FIRST SO BE IT RESOLVED. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND THAT WAS WHAT, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER DANIEL AND I HAD TALKED, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT JUST SAYS, UM, ALL POSITIVE RESULTS GO TO AUSTIN PETS ALIVE PER THE OPERATIONS AGREEMENT, BUT THAT SOUNDED A LITTLE LIMITING. 
          MM-HMM. 
          SO, UM, WE WERE THINKING OF, YOU KNOW, UH, LEAVING THAT AS IT IS AND THEN SAYING, OR OTHER INTERESTED, APPROPRIATE RESCUES, ADOPTERS, FOSTERS, SO THAT WE'RE NOT... 
          I WILL STILL SECOND IT AS A - THE, THE WHOLE SHEBANG. 
          YES. 
          YES. 
          YES. 
           I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. 
          LOVE RULES. 
          MY HUSBAND CALLS ME. 
          LOVE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO JUST TO CLARIFY, WE'RE ADDING UNLESS OTHERWISE RECOMMENDED BY A CITY VETERINARIAN TO THE FIRST PART AFTER SO BE IT RESOLVED. 
          AND THEN THAT, THAT LAST ONE WAS TO THE END OF IT. 
          I'M SORRY, I THINK I'M GETTING A LITTLE LOST. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK THEY'RE BOTH GONNA BE KIND OF AT THE END IN THERE WHERE, UM, I THINK THAT AFTER THE PART WHERE IT SAYS ALL CATS OVER SIX MONTHS NEED TO BE TESTED, I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO INSERT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UNLESS, UH, DETERMINED OTHERWISE BY A SHELTER VETERINARIAN OR CITY VETERINARIAN, WHATEVER TERMINOLOGY WE WANNA USE ON THAT. 
          AND THEN ON THE PART WHERE IT SAYS, ALL POSITIVE RESULTS GO TO AUSTIN PETS ALIVE PER THE OPERATIONS AGREEMENT, WE WANTED TO ADD ON, OR OTHER INTERESTED APPROPRIATE RESCUES, ADOPTERS OR FOSTERS. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I HAVE THE LANGUAGE FOR AFTER AUSTIN PETS ALIVE MAKING THE STATEMENT OR OTHER INTERESTED APPROPRIATE RESCUES, ADOPTERS OR FOSTERS. 
          UM, THE LANGUAGE TO INSERT AT THE END WOULD BE UNLESS OTHERWISE OVERRULED BY VETERINARIAN STAFF. 
          UM, I THINK AFTER IT SAYS ALL CATS OVER SIX MONTHS NEED TO BE TESTED. 
          AND THEN THAT, I THINK AFTER THAT SECTION, BECAUSE FROM THERE, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING DOWN TO THAT SECTION IS ALL VETERINARIAN RELATED. 
          AND SO AT THE END OF THAT SECTION, UM, I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO INSERT UNLESS, UM, DETERMINED OTHERWISE BY, UH, SHELTER OR CITY VETERINARIAN. 
          OR SHOULD WE JUST LEAVE IT AT VETERINARIAN? NO. 
          JUST CITY OR SHELTER. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          I THINK IT ALMOST MAKES MORE SENSE IF YOU ADD THAT AFTER THE FIRST SOVIET RESOLVED AND THEN BREAK OUT ALL POSITIVE RESULTS GO TO APA AS A SECOND, SOVIET FURTHER RESOLVED. 
          JUST SO WE'RE NOT HAVING, BECAUSE IAN, I MEAN, ONE OF THEM IS ABOUT THE VETERINARIAN'S DISCRETION AND THE OTHER ONE'S ABOUT - YEAH, THAT MAKES - I THINK THAT MAKES MORE SENSE. 
          SO ADD IT TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PARAGRAPH? I THINK, UM, CAN I WALK OVER THERE? OH. 
           
          [02:20:12]
VETERINARIAN STATEMENT. 
          AND THEN I THINK WE WANNA MAKE A SEPARATE, SO WE HAVE FURTHER RESOLVED ALL POSITIVE RESULTS AND JUST MAKE IT LIKE A WHOLE SEPARATE SECTION. 
          PARAGRAPH. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE GOT THROUGH THE FIRST PARAGRAPH. 
          UM, CAN I HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT? YES. 
          UH, COMMENT? YES. 
          UM, SO ANYWAY, I APPRECIATE BOTH OF YOU, UM, COMMENTING ON THIS. 
          THIS WAS ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT SECTIONS TO PUT TOGETHER. 
          UM, I'M JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT IF WE SAY, UNLESS RECOMMENDED BY VET STAFF, THAT VET STAFF CAN SAY, OKAY, WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA TEST. 
          SO I'M WONDERING, UM, AND, AND IN A PERFECT WORLD, I WOULD'VE TALKED TO, YOU KNOW, DR. 
          HAYES OR DR. 
          ANDERSON, THEY'RE BOTH WONDERFUL, UM, AND GOTTEN SOME, UH, THEIR OPINION A- ABOUT THIS. 
          UM, BUT I'M WONDERING IF MAYBE TO SIMPLIFY IT, WE SHOULD JUST SAY, "CATS AND KITTENS GOING TO FOSTER HOMES, RESCUES ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION WILL BE TESTED." AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO GET INTO THE WEEDS ABOUT THE THREE MONTHS OR THE SIX MONTHS THAT COULD BE POLICY. 
          UM, BECAUSE THAT WAS REALLY THE, THE GOAL, UM, TO BE TESTED. 
          I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I, I THINK WITH THE KITTENS, THEY DO ONE KITTEN OUT OF THE LITTER AND NOT THE WHOLE LITTER. 
          SO I DIDN'T WANNA MAKE IT, I DIDN'T WANNA SET POLICY FOR THE VETS, BUT, UM, IT, HOW CAN WE MAKE IT SO THAT IT DOESN'T - WHAT IF IT, WHAT IF IT WAS, WILL BE TESTED OR AS OTHERWISE RECOMMENDED BY, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE GOVERNING BOARD FOR VETERINARIANS IS IN THIS CIRCUMS - OR WHO, WHO THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN CITE SOME GENERALLY ACCEPTED RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          WELL, BUT I THINK THAT ALSO GOES BACK TO THE UNIVERSAL THING WHERE IT'S NOT ALWAYS RECOMMENDED THAT A SHELTER HAS TO TEST. 
          RIGHT. 
          RIGHT. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THE TESTING CON- CONTINUES AND IT'S NOT OVERWRITTEN AND SAYING, "WELL, WE DON'T, WE JUST DON'T WANNA TEST OR WE JUST DON'T HAVE TO TEST." IT SEEMS THAT SAYING UNLESS BY A VET, UNLESS I'M MISSING SOMETHING COULD PUT US IN THE SAME POSITION WHERE THE VET COULD JUST SAY, "STOP TEST." I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF, IF WE DON'T WANT THE CITY TO LEGISLATE WHAT THE VETERINARIANS HAVE TO DO - RIGHT. 
          AND WE DON'T. 
          THEN THE VETERINARIANS ALWAYS - YEAH. 
          CAN, YOU KNOW - CAN DO IT. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, WE CAN, LET'S JUST, UH, OKAY. 
          I'M GOOD WITH IT AND WE CAN JUST MONITOR IT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. 
          YEAH. 
          WE CAN ALWAYS ADJUST LATER IF - WE CAN ALWAYS ADJUST. 
          YEAH. 
          WE CAN JUST MONITOR AND ADJUST. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I, I'D RATHER, I'D RATHER GIVE MORE ELASTICITY TO IT TO BEGIN WITH THAN TO START OFF AND TRY TO UNDO SOMETHING THAT IS NOT INTENDED. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'M GOOD WITH THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU BOTH. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER NORTON. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WHERE, WHERE ARE WE? COMMISSIONER DOSAIDES, WILL YOU BE ABLE TO TURN ON YOUR CAMERA FOR US, PLEASE? UH, I HAVE IT ON. 
          I SEE MYSELF. 
          WE, WE CANNOT SEE YOU. 
           WEIRD. 
          LET ME RESTART THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND THEN IF THERE ARE FURTHER AMENDMENTS, WHAT DO WE - SO WE NEED TO, UH - CAN YOU SEE ME? I'M SORRY. 
          NO, WE CAN'T SEE YOU YET. 
          I, I SEE MY NAME NOW BEFORE I COULD SEE MY FACE. 
          OH. 
          THERE YOU ARE. 
          THERE YOU GO. 
          YAY. 
          OKAY. 
          DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING. 
          OKAY. 
          DON'T, DON'T MOVE. 
          DON'T MOVE. 
           WE DON'T HAVE A QU - WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM IF YOU'RE NOT HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, WHAT WE WOULD FIRST NEED TO DO IS, UH, VOTE ON THAT AMENDMENT AS AMENDED, THEN GO BACK TO THE MAIN... 
          IT WAS, ONCE WE VOTE ON THAT AMENDMENT THAT WAS AMENDED, WE'LL GO BACK TO THE MAIN MOTION. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN FURTHER AMENDMENTS CAN BE MADE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LET'S TAKE A VOTE ON THE AMENDED, AMENDMENT. 
          YES. 
          DO YOU - UM, WITH THE TWO, THE TWO CHANGES THAT WE DISCUSSED. 
          SO ALL IN FAVOR. 
          AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. 
          THE MOTION PASSES. 
          [02:25:03]
OKAY. 
          AND THEN I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR ANOTHER AMENDMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THEM. 
          IT'S ALL IN THE SAME VEIN. 
          AND THIS WAS JUST SOME, SOME TICKY-TACKY WORDING BECAUSE, UM, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE, UM, WITH SOME OF THE STATEMENTS IN HERE WHERE IT SAYS ANIMAL SERVICES STAFF WILL NOT. 
          LIKE THAT GETS A LITTLE TOO, UM, INTO WHERE WE DON'T HAVE AUTHORITY TO TELL ANIMAL SERVICES STAFF WHAT TO DO. 
          SO THE FIRST, UM, CHANGE, UH, THAT COMMISSIONER DANIEL AND I DISCUSSED, IT WAS TO, ON THE, WHERE IT SAYS, "SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED." WE TAKE OUT THAT ANIMAL STAFF, ANIMAL SERVICES STAFF WILL NOT MAKE, AND WE CHANGE IT INTO, "SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT PROCESS CHANGES ARE NOT CONTRARY TO DOCUMENTS THAT SUPPORT THEM." AND SO WE'RE JUST CHANGING THAT SENTENCE. 
          AGAIN, IT KEEPS THE SAME MEANING. 
          WE'RE JUST, UM, BEING VERY CAREFUL WITH THE LANGUAGE. 
          I SECOND. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND COMMISSIONER NELSON SECONDS. 
          I HAVE BASICALLY THREE OTHERS THAT ARE ALONG THOSE LINES. 
          CAN I DO THEM ALL AT ONCE OR DO WE DO ONE AT A TIME? YEAH, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO... 
          SO YOU'RE JUST STRIKING THAT ANIMAL, LIKE ANY DEFINITIVE STATEMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES STAFF? YEAH. 
          SO WE'RE JUST, UM, LET ME JUST SHOW YOU ALL THESE. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN READ MY HANDWRITING. 
          NO WORRIES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE'RE JUST STRIKING OUT THAT. 
          SO, SO BE IT FOR THE RESULT OF THAT PROCESS CHANGES OR NOT. 
          OH. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          LET ME SEE THE OTHER ONE. 
          AND THIS WOULD JUST BE THAT, UM, CITY COUNCIL DIRECT THAT ANIMAL SERVICES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LET'S VOTE ON THIS ONE BY ITSELF FIRST. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AND THEN ADD THO- THOSE COULD BE ALL AS ONE. 
          THESE THREE ALL AS WELL? OKAY. 
          I KNOW. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON THIS AMENDMENT TO WHERE WE ARE CHANGING THE NEXT ONE TO BE, SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT PROCESS CHANGES ARE NOT CONTRARY TO DOCUMENTS THAT SUPPORT THEM RATHER THAN THE EXISTING LANGUAGE THAT IS THERE. 
          SO, UH, ALL IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. 
          THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          AND NOW THE NEXT THREE, SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED. 
          THE CHANGES, BECAUSE ON HERE IT'S SAYING THAT ANIMAL SERVICES STAFF BE REQUIRED AND WE CANNOT SAY THAT. 
          UM, WHAT WE WANT TO SAY IS SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT CITY COUNCIL DIRECT ANIMAL SERVICES TO, AND THEN WHATEVER - OKAY. 
          THE SENTENCE THAT FOLLOWS. 
          SO FOR INSTANCE, SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT CITY COUNCIL DIRECT ANIMAL SERVICES TO CONSULT WITH AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. 
          AND IT'S BASICALLY THE EXACT SAME CHANGE FOR ALL THOSE FINAL THREE. 
          JUST SO MY MICROPHONE'S ON, I SECOND IT. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          SO COMMISSIONER DANIEL IS SECONDING THIS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN CAN WE HAVE A VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF - OH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION FIRST? NO. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          THE ALL IN FAVOR OF THE RECOMMENDED AMENDMENT. 
          OKAY, UNANIMOUS. 
          AND NOW WE GO BACK TO THE WHOLE THING. 
          YES. 
          [02:30:01]
AND - SO NOW YOU CAN APPROVE IT AS AMENDED. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION AS AMENDED AND AMENDED, AMENDED, AND AMENDED. 
          UM, SO  DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I THINK IT WAS ALREADY. 
          SO IT WAS ALREADY, IT WAS MOTIONED BY COMMISSIONER DANIEL, SECONDED BY NORTON. 
          SO WE JUST NEED TO TAKE VOTE ON IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO NOW WE'RE GONNA TAKE A VOTE ON THE WHOLE THING. 
          ALL IN FAVOR. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND THE RECOMMENDATION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU EVERYONE. 
          AND THAT CONCLUDES ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. 
          AND NOW I WOULD LIKE 
          [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
TO ASK IF WE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AT THIS TIME. 
          UM, JUST GOING BACK TO THE, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT AND HOW WE WERE UNABLE TO HAVE DISCUSSION, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, PROPOSE THAT WE HAVE A DISCUSSION ITEM JUST ON THE APA AGREEMENT. 
          COULD DISCUSS WHAT IT HAS BEEN, HOW IT MIGHT CHANGE. 
          SO LIKE A, A HISTORY OF THE APA CONTRACT AND COMING FORWARD, SO HISTORY AND FUTURE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          OKAY. 
          DO WE NEED TO SECOND THAT OR IS THAT... 
          I MEAN, IF NO ONE, IF NO ONE OBJECTS, IT'S LIKE SINCE IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. 
          IT'S UNDERSTOOD. 
          YES. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          IF YOU WERE TO EMAIL ME SOMETHING LATER, THEN YOU NEED TO HAVE A CO-SPONSOR. 
          OH, GOTCHA. 
          OKAY. 
          I SUPPOSE EVERYBODY COULD SAY NO, NO, NO, NONE OF US ARE INTERESTED IN THAT. 
          NO, NO. 
           ALL RIGHT. 
          AND, AND THEN JUST, UM, FROM MY, FROM LAST YEAR, MY EXPERIENCE WAS THAT IF, IF WE, UM, WANNA HAVE MEANINGFUL, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL REGARDING THE SHELTER BUDGET, THAT WE SHOULD MAKE A WORKING GROUP ON THAT IN DECEMBER. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE A - WORKING GROUP ON BUDGET? YEAH. 
          DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION, A FORM WORKING GROUP BUDGET, BUDGET WORKING GROUP. 
          THE ORDER, YOU WOULD SAY IT IN ENGLISH. 
          I'M WITH YOU. 
          LET ME SEE. 
          AND THEN, UH, COMMISSIONER VAN LANDINGHAM'S, UM, ITEM THAT WE WERE TABLING TO NEXT MONTH. 
          UH, THE WORKING GROUP ON REVIEW, UH, FOSTER ONBOARDING MATERIALS. 
          WE WOULD WANNA MOVE THAT ONE TO NEXT MONTH. 
          YES, COMMISSIONER DANIEL. 
          UM, UH, UPDATE ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN WORKING GROUP, UM, AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING ON THAT. 
          AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO GET A UPDATED OVERVIEW KIND OF OF THE S&R PROGRAM FROM THE SHELTER, IF THAT'S POSSIBLE. 
          FROM THE WHAT ON, ON THE SHELTER? THE S&R, THE SHELTER NEW TO RETURN PROGRAM. 
          ANYTHING SPECIFIC RELATED TO THAT OR JUST A GENERAL? IF THEY HAVE SOPS, HOW THEY'RE HANDLING IT, UM, JUST KIND OF THE DAY-TO-DAY, BECAUSE WE'RE HEARING THAT, UH, CATS ARE... 
          I'M HEARING FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT CATS ARE JUST BEING SENT BACK OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY THAT NECESSARILY MAYBE SHOULDN'T BE GOING OUT. 
          UM, SO WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT, HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE ABOUT THESE CATS, UM, THE DEFINITION OF KITTEN IN TERMS OF SNR, YOU KNOW, IS IT, YOU KNOW, UNDER TWO POUNDS, UNDER THREE POUNDS, ARE THESE SIX MONTH OLD KITTENS? UM, JUST HOW THAT PROGRAM'S BEING MANAGED. 
          GOTCHA. 
          I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE, BUT THIS TIME CHANGE IS DREADFUL. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          ANY OTHER FUTURE ITEMS? UM, NIKIBA, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE DEADLINE WOULD BE FOR ADDING AGENDA ITEMS? 
          [02:35:03]
OR YOU CAN EMAIL IT. 
          I WOULD NEED ANY NEW ITEMS REALISTICALLY BY FRIDAY THE 20TH, UM, IF I'M THINKING ABOUT HOLIDAYS AND PRESENTATION REQUESTS, IF THEY'RE PRESENTATION REQUESTS. 
          IF THEY ARE, UH, DISCUSSIONS OR, LIKE, VOTES THAT DON'T REQUIRE ANY OUTSIDE, UM, PRESENTATION, THEN I CAN RECEIVE THAT ON, BY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH. 
          BUT IF YOU WANT A PRESENTATION, I WOULD NEED THAT BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU, DIRECTOR DENGLER, FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE, UH, FROM THE COMMUNITY WHO SPOKE TONIGHT. 
          WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH, AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 8:40.
* 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.