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WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
IT'S A MEMBER HARPER, MADISON HERE AS WELL, MAYOR.
UM, COLLEAGUES, I WANT TO GO AND CONVENE THIS, UM, UM, SPECIAL CALL THIS MORNING, UH, WORK SESSION.
UH, IT IS, UH, AUGUST FOUR, 2020.
WE'RE DOING THIS, UH, UH, VIRTUALLY, UH, THE TIME IS, UH, 10 OH TWO.
UH, THIS IS A WORK SESSION TODAY.
I WANT, UM, UM, GOT A COMMUNICATION FROM OUR COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBER.
TOBO, UH, WE ALL KNOW SHE'S DEALING WITH SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT FAMILY ISSUES AND IS OUT OF TOWN.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY SHE'S GOING TO MISS THE DISCUSSION ON HONG KONG.
UM, PROBABLY NET WORTH IS TO HER, UH, BUT SHE DOES SAY THAT SHE'LL BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO IT LATER.
UH, SHE REGRETS MISSING THIS PART OF THE DISCUSSION.
UH, IT'S HER INTENT TO, UH, TO, TO JOIN US AT THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND FOR THE POLICE BUDGET CONVERSATION THIS AFTERNOON, UH, WE HAVE AN AGENDA THIS MORNING, CORRECT.
AND TO BE TIGHT, OR WE GO THROUGH THEM MORNING AND EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR 30 MINUTES LUNCH FOR 30 MINUTES.
AND THEN, AND THEN BACK, UH, AGAIN, UH, THE GOAL BEING TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO END OUR MEETING, UH, BY FIVE O'CLOCK TODAY MANAGER.
DO YOU WANT TO LAY OUT THE PRESENTATION PLEASE? THANK YOU, MAYOR COUNCIL.
I, IT IS JAM PACKED DAY, BUT IT'S A BUDGET WORK SESSION DAY, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE LOOK AT OUR FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET HAD OUR DEPUTIES, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER TO JUST WALK THROUGH THE AGENDA FOR THE DAY.
AND THEN WE'LL GO RIGHT INTO THE HOMELESS PRESENTATION.
AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE DO HAVE A VERY JAM PACKED AGENDA FOR THE DAY OF THE DAY.
THEY'RE GOING TO GET STARTED JUST MOMENTARILY WITH A STAFF BRIEFING ON THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET FOR HOMELESSNESS AND PARTICULARLY FOCUSING IN ON THE CONSULTANT REPORT.
THAT WAS RECENTLY RECENTLY REALLY, UM, IN REGARDS TO OUR HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY.
NOW THAT PRESENTATION WILL BE LED BY ACM SHORTER BARBARA POPE, UH, AND DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN ARE BOTH ON THE LINE AS WELL TO ASSIST WITH QUESTIONS.
ONCE WE GET THROUGH THE, THE STAFF BRIEFING, OR WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL TAKE UP THE WHOLE MORNING, GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT, FROM NOON TO 1230, UM, A SHORT LUNCH BREAK UNTIL ONE.
AND THEN WE WOULD COME BACK IN THE AFTERNOON, UM, WITH THE DISCUSSION OF THE VARIOUS CONCEPTS THAT COUNCIL HAS POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD ABOUT RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY.
I'VE TRIED ON THE, UH, THE AGENDA THAT I SENT OUT LAST NIGHT.
UM, I'VE TRIED TO SUMMARIZE ALL THOSE DIFFERENT, UM, CONCEPTS THAT WERE POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD AND WHERE THERE WAS OVERLAP, HAVING UNIFIED THAT MAYBE WERE A SINGLE TOPIC, BUT WHEN WE GET TO THAT ITEM, STAFF WOULD BE LOOKING TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD TO KIND OF WALK US THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT.
UM, AND THEN WE DO HAVE STAFF ON THE LINE TO, UH, RESPOND TO QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS NECESSARY.
WE PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA FOR ONE TO THREE.
UM, IT COULD GO LONGER, IT COULD GO SHORTER, BUT WHEN THAT TOPIC IS DONE, WE WOULD THEN TRANSITION RIGHT INTO, UM, A DISCUSSION OF OTHER BUDGET CONCEPTS THAT WE HAD SEEN POSTED UP ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
AND I WON'T READ THROUGH THEM ALL, BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE LISTED, UM, ON, IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET, THE ITEM WAS ACTUALLY POSTED VERY BROADLY.
SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THINGS, UM, BUDGET RELATED THAT AREN'T SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT ON THIS AGENDA.
WE JUST PUT THIS TOGETHER TO TRY TO KEEP US ON, ON TRACK TODAY.
UM, WE DID PUT TOGETHER AN EXTENSIVE AGENDA PACKET.
SO THE PRESENTATION YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE FROM THE HOMELESSNESS CONSULTANT IS IN THAT AGENDA PACKET.
UM, WE ALSO INCLUDED, UH, UH, UM, THE DIFFERENT MESSAGE BOARD POSTS, AND THEN WE ALSO INCLUDED THE VARIOUS RESPONSES TO KIND OF THE BUDGET QUESTIONS THAT RELATED TO SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT TOPICS.
UM, SO YOU HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION SO WE CAN BE KIND OF REFERENCING AND WORKING OFF THE SAME DOCUMENTS.
UM, AND THEN, UM, AFTER WE GET THROUGH, UH, NEAR THE END OF THE DAY, WE WERE PREPARED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNCIL ABOUT THE ACTIVE BRAND NEW PATIENT INVESTMENTS RECENTLY PASSED AND THE POTENTIAL
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BOND WE WOULD ENVISION HAPPENING FROM FOUR 30 TO FIVE.UM, UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AGENDA, I WOULD TURN IT RIGHT OVER
[1. Homelessness Task Force Update.]
TO ACN, SHORTER TO KICK OFF THE HOMELESSNESS DISCUSSION.ALRIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER.
UH, SO WE ARE HERE TODAY TO TALK WITH AND HEAR FROM BAR POPPY AND HER TEAM, UH, AND TO PRESENT FOR HER TO PRESENT ON THE INVESTING IN RESULTS REPORT, UH, WHICH EXPLORES THE CITY'S INVESTMENTS IN HOMELESSNESS SERVICES.
BUT WE ARE ALSO HERE WITH STEPHANIE HAYDEN, A DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH WAS THE TRUE LOVE DIRECTOR OF NEIGHBORHOOD.
YEAH, WE DEVELOP COMMON OUR INTERIM CHIEF HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER AFTER BOB'S PRESENTATION, STEPHANIE AND ROSIE WILL ALSO PROVIDE BRIEF REMARKS THAT HIGHLIGHT HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM ALIGNMENT WITH THE REPORT'S, UH, FIRST, UM, I WANTED TO GET SOME BACKGROUND ON ENGAGING BARR, POPPY AND HER TEAM, UH, AND COMMISSIONING THE REPORT.
UH, I MISSED THE MINI CRISES WE ARE FACING IN THE CITY.
UM, WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRINGING IN A NATIONAL CONSULTANT WAS TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY IS LEVERAGING DOLLARS, SPENT ON ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AND TO ENSURE PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES ARE COORDINATED TO HAVE THE MAXIMUM IMPACT POSSIBLE.
UH, SO THE CITY ENGAGED BARBARA, UH, BOB POPPY AND ASSOCIATES TO ONE LOOK AT THE CITY'S INVESTMENTS AND TO COMPARE THEM, UH, TO AUSTIN'S ACTION PLAN, TO END HOMELESSNESS, TO EXAMINE THE STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE INVESTMENTS AND EVALUATE CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM NEEDS AND BEST PRACTICES AND RE, AND FINALLY TO PROVIDE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, FOR POTENTIAL RESOURCE IN GRANT MANAGEMENT, REALIGNMENT MARK'S TEAM STARTED WORK, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IN FEBRUARY IN MARCH, OUR TEAM CAME TO AUSTIN AND CONDUCTED A THREE DAY ONSITE CONSULTATION WHERE THEY MET WITH STAKEHOLDERS FACILITATED GROUP DIALOGUES CONDUCTED A FOCUS GROUP WITH PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE AND FACILITATED OTHER MEETINGS TO EXPLORE HOW THE HOMELESSNESS SERVICE SYSTEM CAN BE IMPROVED.
THEY EXPLORED OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS AND VISITED, KEEP HOMELESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM WORKS.
AND THE SUBSEQUENT MONTHS BARR, POPPY, AND HER TEAM EXAMINED THE CITY'S WORK ON HOMELESSNESS, REALLY THROUGH THE LENS OF THE COVID 19 ENDEMIC PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS HAS EMPHASIZED THE NEED TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED COMMUNITY-WIDE RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND RECESSION.
AS A REMINDER, THE REPORT BILLS UPON THE, UH, AUSTIN'S, UH, ACTION PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS DEVELOPED BY ECHO AND ENDORSED BY THE CITY.
THE REPORTS RECOMMENDATIONS AND STRATEGIES WILL SUPPORT THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PLAN AND CAN GUIDE RE REFINEMENTS TO THE PLAN AS NEEDED TODAY.
BAR POPPY AND MATT WHITE ARE HERE TO SUMMARIZE HER FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, BAR POPPY IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER IN ACHIEVING DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PROCESSES.
SHE SERVED AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE U S AND OUR AGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS AND NOT ONLY DEVELOPED AND LAUNCHED THE FIRST EVER FEDERAL STRATEGIC PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS.
SHE ALSO OVERSAW THE IMPLEMENTATION, THE PLAN AND EXECUTION OF STRATEGIES THAT ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT MEASURABLE RESULTS.
I'D LIKE TO WELCOME BARBARA POPPY AND HER TEAM, AND TURN THE DISCUSSION OVER TO HER TO WALK US THROUGH THE PRESENTATION.
I'M GOING TO BE LEADING OFF THIS MORNING.
I BELIEVE BARB WILL BE, UM, JOINING ME AND WE'LL BE TRANSITIONING BACK AND FORTH.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANKS TO THE MAYOR, UH, TO MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TO SHARE KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, UH, FROM THE INVESTING FOR RESULTS REPORT.
UM, AS ACM SHORTER MENTIONED, I'M MATT WHITE WITH THE CONSULTING TEAM OF BARBARA POPPY AND ASSOCIATES.
I'M ONE OF THE PRIMARY AUTHORS.
THE REPORT REPRESENTS AN ANALYSIS OF THE HOMELESSNESS SYSTEM IN AUSTIN, AND ALSO A SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADOPTING WHAT WE'RE CALLING A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO END HOMELESSNESS AND A CORRESPONDING INVESTMENT STRATEGY THAT IF ADOPTED WILL POSITION AUSTIN
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TO ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN ENDING HOMELESSNESS, BARBARA AND I ARE GOING TO SHARE PER PRESENTATION RESPONSIBILITIES.WE'LL BE TRANSITIONING BACK AND FORTH TO HEAR FROM BOTH OF US.
WE'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE APPROACH WE USE FOR THE ANALYSIS, WHAT WE LEARNED, UH, WE'LL DISCUSS KEY FINDINGS AND A SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO WHERE CITY OF AUSTIN DIRECTS FUNDING.
SO WHICH PARTICULAR STRATEGIES AND SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES AND HOW THOSE INVESTMENTS ARE STRUCTURED AND MANAGED.
UM, I BELIEVE THERE ARE A SET OF SLIDES.
I'M NOT SURE IF, UH, IF PARTICIPANTS ARE ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG AND SEE THOSE SLIDES ARE THOSE VISIBLE TO EVERYONE.
SO I JUST KEEP MOVING ALONG THE SLIDES AREN'T UP YET.
IF WE CAN TRANSITION TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THE DATA THAT WE USE FOR OUR ANALYSIS ARE DERIVED FROM A REVIEW OF ALL OF THE
THOSE CONTRACTS WERE DIRECTED TO A HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMMING OR SERVICE ACTIVITY.
SO WE LOOKED AT THE BUDGETS, THE CONTRACT SCOPE, THE TARGET POPULATIONS INCLUDED IN THOSE CONTRACTS ON ALL OF THE ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.
WE ALSO SPOKE DIRECTLY TO STAKEHOLDERS.
THIS WAS AS A ACM, SHORTER MENTIONED, THIS WAS BEFORE THE SHUTDOWN DUE TO COVID, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDED CITY STAFF, HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS, AND ESPECIALLY PERSONS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN.
AND FINALLY, WE LOOKED AT YOUR PERFORMANCE DATA.
THESE ARE COUNTS OF PERSONS WHO EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS AND WHAT SERVICES THEY USE AND THEIR OUTCOMES, OR THE RESULTS OF THOSE SERVICE INTERACTIONS.
THEY'RE ONE SLIDE AHEAD OF YOU.
SO IF THEY WOULD GO BACK ONE SLIDE, THEY SKIPPED A COUPLE ON THE FRONT.
I THINK MATT, MATT IS NOW ON SLIDE THREE FOR WHOEVER'S ADVANCING THE SLIDES.
YOU SHOULD SEE A GRAPHIC THAT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A HOUSE, UM, WITH A NUMBER OF, UH, OF KEY, UH, ELEMENTS.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE IS SOMETHING CALLED A HOUSING FIRST APPROACH.
THIS GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATES THE COMPONENTS OF A SYSTEMS APPROACH WHERE ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS ARE WORKING IN CONCERT TO ENSURE THAT THE HOMELESS SYSTEM IN AUSTIN IS AS EFFECTIVE AND AS IMPACTFUL AS IT CAN POSSIBLY BE.
THE FOUNDATION, AS I SAID, IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CALLING THIS HOUSING FIRST APPROACH.
IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT HOUSING IS A PRIMARY INTERVENTION THAT MUST BE PROVIDED BEFORE A PARTICIPANT CAN SAFELY AND ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THE OTHER CONFOUNDING ISSUES THAT MIGHT BE INHIBITING THEIR PROGRESS.
THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT MAKE UP THE HOUSE REPRESENT PROGRAMMATIC APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, ALL OF THEM ARE DEPENDENT ON HOUSING ITSELF AS THE BASIS FOR FURTHER SUPPORTS AND INTERVENTIONS.
SO I THINK BARB IS NOW GOING TO INTRODUCE HERSELF AND TALK ABOUT THE FRAMEWORK WE USE TO INFORM OUR ANALYSIS AND THE STRUCTURE OF OUR REPORT.
THANK YOU, MATT, IF WE COULD ADVANCE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SO RECENTLY I PUBLISHED A SERIES OF POLICY BRIEFS FOR ARNOLD VENTURES, ALSO KNOWN AS THE LAURA AND JOHN ARNOLD FOUNDATION ON UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS WITH MY COLLEAGUE, DR.
STEVE MAJOR, IT'S BASED ON A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE, NINE SITE VISITS TO COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON ONE OR MORE MEASURES OF ADDRESSING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
OUT OF THAT STUDY, WE CONCLUDED THE FOUR KEY COMPONENTS BEING ADDRESSED TOGETHER WERE REQUIRED TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
THE FIRST IS THE PUBLIC CASE THAT IS ABOUT REDUCING UNPLUG INFLOW.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO STOP DISCHARGES INTO HOMELESSNESS FROM JAILS PRISONS, CHILD WELFARE, FOSTER CARE, AND HOSPITAL AND TREATMENT CENTERS, AS WELL AS ADDRESSING THE LOSS OF AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING.
THIS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
AND IN YOUR CASE, THAT'S THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRAVIS COUNTY.
THE SECOND TWO PUZZLE PIECES RELATE TO THE HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE SYSTEM.
THESE ARE TWO PRIMARY ROLES, CRISIS RESPONSE, WHICH IS MEETING NEEDS AND HAVING STABILIZATION, WHICH IS HELPING PEOPLE EXIT HOMELESSNESS QUICKLY TO STABLE HOUSING.
THIS WORK IN YOUR COMMUNITY IS CO-LEAD
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BY ECHO AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PROVIDERS OF OUTREACH, SHELTER AND HOUSING, AS WELL AS HEALTHCARE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES.THE FOURTH PUZZLE OF SPACE IS PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT.
THIS IS REDUCING INFLOW LIKE, LIKE REDUCING INFLOWS.
THIS IS THE PURVIEW OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, PRIMARILY WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES, LIKE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION THAT CONTROLS THE RIGHT OF WAYS TO REDUCE OVERALL EXPENDITURES FOR THE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS IN THE LONG TERM, COMMUNITIES NEED TO INCREASE INVESTMENT IN HOUSING STABILIZATION, SUFFICIENT TO FACILITATE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE USE OF CRISIS RESPONSE.
THAT MEANS NO BOTTLENECKS ARE OVERFLOWING INTO THE STREETS BY REDUCING INFLOWS, THROUGH INAPPROPRIATE DISCHARGES AND THE LOSS OF HOUSING COMBINED WITH INCLUSIVE NON-PUNITIVE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, AND OVER-INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT.
THOSE THINGS LIKE SWEEPS AND CAN'T MAKE CLARENCE AND OTHER HARMFUL ACTIONS AGAINST HOMELESS PEOPLE WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TOWARD OVERALL PROGRESS TO REDUCE UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
NEXT SLIDE, INCLUSIVE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT IS THE BEST APPROACH TO DEALING WITH PUBLIC CONCERNS ABOUT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
WE'RE FORCED TO LIVE IN PUBLIC SPACES DUE TO AN ADEQUATE HOUSING OPTIONS AND EMERGENCY SHELTER CAPACITY.
THERE WAS A STRONG BODY OF LITERATURE THAT PUNITIVE APPROACHES THOSE MOVE ALONG, ORDERS, ARRESTS, AND CITATIONS INCARCERATION FOR THE ACTS OF MEETING HUMAN NEEDS, LIKE SLEEPING AND RESTING WITH NO OR LIMITED ACCESS TO BASIC HYGIENE AND SANITATION ARE NOT ONLY INEFFECTIVE.
THEY ACTUALLY MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO SOLVE FOR HOMELESSNESS.
THIS GRAPHIC SUMMARIZES THE EVIDENCE ABOUT THE HARM CAUSED BY THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS, INCLUSIVE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT.
AND INSTEAD HELPS MAKE PUBLIC SPACES MORE USABLE FOR EVERYONE THROUGH REGULAR TRASH PICKUP, PROVIDING SANITATION AND SUPPORTING TIDY OUTDOOR LIVING THROUGH THE SAFE STORAGE, SAFE NEEDLE DISPOSAL, ET CETERA, INCLUSIVE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT ALSO LEVERAGE A SERVICE PROVIDERS RATHER THAN THE POLICE AS FIRST RESPONDERS TO PUBLIC COMPLAINTS ABOUT HOMELESS PEOPLE.
NEXT SLIDE ONE KEY HEADLINE FOR OUR REPORT IS THAT UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, THE MOST VISIBLE FORM OF HOMELESSNESS IS RISING DRAMATICALLY IN AUSTIN.
WE URGE THE CITY TO ADOPT A MORE HUMANE AND PERSON CENTERED APPROACHES THAT RELY NOT ON PRO PUNITIVE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS, BUT INSTEAD INVEST STRATEGICALLY IN EXPANDED CRISIS RESPONSE AND HOUSING OPTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVES THAT YOUR COMMUNITY IS SEARCHING FOR BACK TO YOU, MATT.
THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE TRENDS IN COUNTS OF POINT IN TIME, HOMELESSNESS OVER TIME, IT REVEALS A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS AMONG SINGLE ADULTS WHILE TRENDS FOR OTHER POPULATIONS HAVE REMAINED STABLE OR DECREASED.
THE NUMBER OF SINGLE ADULTS WHO EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS AND DO NOT HAVE SAFE.
ADEQUATE SHELTER HAS DOUBLED IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
SO NOT ONLY IS UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS INCREASING WHILE OTHER SUBPOPULATIONS ARE NOT UNSHELTERED HOMELESS SINCE REPRESENTS BY FAR THE LARGEST PORTION OF ALL PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN.
WHEN WE LOOK AT EXIT DESTINATIONS, THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE GO.
WHEN THEY LEAVE THE HOMELESSNESS SYSTEM, WE SEE PRETTY DRAMATIC DIFFERENCES AMONG ADULTS, FAMILIES, AND YOUTH, THE MAJORITY OF FAMILIES WHICH ARE REPRESENTED BY THE YELLOW BAR EXIT TO PERMANENT HOUSING.
MOST YOUTH, THE RED BAR RETURNED TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS A TEMPORARY PLACEMENT SINGLE ADULTS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE POOL BAR SIMPLY LEAVE, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY GO.
THEIR EXIT DESTINATION IS UNKNOWN.
AUSTIN NEEDS TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB OF ENGAGING SINGLE ADULTS AND ENSURING THAT ADULTS HAVE ACCESS TO PERMANENT HOUSING STRATEGIES AND PLACEMENTS TO IMPROVE THEIR EXIT OUT OF HOMELESS.
YES, LET'S LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE WHERE WE LOOK AT INVESTMENTS, CITY INVESTMENTS HERE, WE'RE SEEING THE EXISTING OR THE CURRENT FYI 2020 INVESTMENTS BY FUNDING SOURCE.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF FUNDING THAT'S ADMINISTERED BY CITY DEPARTMENTS REPRESENTS CITY GENERAL FUNDS IN
THE AMOUNT WAS HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS YEARS AND LIKELY MUCH HIGHER IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS DUE TO A RELATIVELY LARGE AMOUNT
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OF ONE TIME INVESTMENTS DURING THETHE CITY ADMINISTERS CONTRACTED PROVIDERS ARE ABLE TO BRING IN AT LEAST AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF LEVERAGING.
UH, SO THIS IS MATCHED THAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE.
THIS ESSENTIALLY DOUBLES THE IMPACT OF CITY INVESTMENTS.
HOW ARE THESE INVESTMENTS DISTRIBUTED? LET'S LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE.
WE'VE GRAPHED INVESTMENTS BY THE TYPE OF ACTIVITY, UH, AND MADE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN CITY DOLLARS AND MATCHED DOLLARS.
THE LARGEST AMOUNT DOLLAR AMOUNT OF CITY INVESTMENTS ARE DIRECTED TO HOUSING SUPPORTS.
THESE INVESTMENTS REPRESENT RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND SERVICES FOR HOUSEHOLDS MOVING INTO PERMANENT HOUSING.
THE LARGEST TOTAL AMOUNT, INCLUDING PROJECT MASH IS DIRECTED TO SUPPORT SERVICES.
AND THESE ARE TYPICALLY STAFFING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CASE MANAGEMENT TREATMENT SERVICES, COUNSELING, ET CETERA.
SO ANOTHER HEADLINE WAS THE LACK OF CLARITY ABOUT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS AND AUSTIN.
WHILE ECHO OVERSEES A PORTION OF THE HOUSING STABILIZATION RESPONSE DELEGATED TO THEM BY THE CONTINUUM OF CARE, A FAR GREATER SHARE OF RESOURCES IS MANAGED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PROVIDERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND EVEN STAFF, NO ONE ENTITY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPREHENSIVELY MANAGING, COORDINATING, OR CRACKING THE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS SLIDE.
THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS GRAPHIC IS HOW HOMELESSNESS IS CURRENTLY BEING MANAGED.
A BOWL OF SPAGHETTI WITHOUT CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITIES.
WE RECOMMEND A MORE ORGANIZED AND INTEGRATED FUTURE THAT TAKES EACH OF THE PUZZLE PIECES, REDUCING THE INFLOW CRISIS RESPONSE, HOUSING STABILIZATION, AND INCLUSIVE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, ORGANIZING THEM BY ROBUST SYSTEM PLANNING WITH JOINT IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS THAT LEVERAGE THE DATA TOOLS OF COORDINATED ENTRY AND HOMELESSNESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, OR HMES THE UPDATED RESPONSE MUST BE DISCIPLINED IN THE EXECUTION OF STRATEGIES AND BE INVESTED SUFFICIENTLY TO SCALE AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO REDUCE UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
NEXT SLIDE, THE INVESTING RESULTS REPORT LAYS OUT A BLUEPRINT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE FOCUS OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN FIVE KEY AREAS.
FIRST ADOPT A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO REPLACE THE CURRENT FRAGMENTED AND OFTEN SILOED RESPONSE.
SECOND, TAKE LEADERSHIP TO REDUCE INFLOW WITHOUT STRONG DELIBERATE ACTION BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO BECOME HOMELESS AND UNSHELTERED EACH MONTH WILL CONTINUE TO RISE NEXT.
INVEST AT SCALE AND ALIGN WITH BEST PRACTICE IS TO IMPROVE THE CURRENT CRISIS RESPONSE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED INVESTMENT IN HOUSING OPTIONS, ESPECIALLY A PIPELINE FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT INTEGRATES CAPITAL WITH OPERATIONS AND SERVICES FUNDING, AND FINALLY ENHANCE YOUR PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
AND DON'T FURTHER CRIMINALIZE HOMELESSNESS BACK TO YOU, MATT.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE TRANSLATE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS INTO A SET OF COSTS, AT LEAST FOR, UH, UH, THE CURRENT PERIOD.
ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PREDICATED ON THE FACT THAT THE CITY IS THE LARGEST INVESTOR IN HOMELESSNESS SERVICES AND HOUSING.
AND AGAIN, REMEMBER THAT THE
THE FEDERAL RESOURCES PROVIDED BY US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
SO THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE CITY HAS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE TO PLAY IN DEFINING A SYSTEM WIDE STRATEGY FOR ALL INVESTMENTS, BUT ALSO THAT INVESTMENT DECISIONS NEED TO BE COORDINATED AND INTEGRATED FOR THE COMMUNITY TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED IMPACT OF REDUCING AND ENDING HOMELESSNESS.
SO LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS IN MORE DETAIL ON THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
OUR FIRST RECOMMENDATION IS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN
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TO ADOPT A UNIFYING SYSTEM STRATEGY FOR HOMELESS SYSTEM PLANNING, MANAGEMENT, AND INVESTMENTS.SOME OF THE ELEMENTS OF THAT UNIFYING STRATEGY ARE ILLUSTRATED ON THE SLIDE HERE.
SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT EACH OF THESE, UH, IN, IN JUST A MOMENT, A UNIFYING STRATEGY RECOGNIZES ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS AND HARNESSES THEIR COLLECTIVE IMPACT TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE CITY AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY DECIDED TO END UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS OR STREET HOMELESSNESS, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE THAT IT WOULD ONLY BE POSSIBLE IF ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS ARE PRESENT AND WORKING IN CONCERT TOWARDS ACHIEVING THAT PARTICULAR GOAL.
SO LET'S LOOK AT EACH OF THESE ELEMENTS IN MORE DETAIL, NEXT SLIDE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN MUST STRENGTHEN YOUR SYSTEM MANAGEMENT BY CLARIFYING ROLES AND STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS TO ENSURE ALL CRITICAL PARTNERS ARE WORKING IN A CONCERTED EFFORT TOWARDS ALIGN SYSTEM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
FIRST, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY AND EMPOWER A HIGH LEVEL STRATEGIC LEADER WITHIN THE CITY TO COORDINATE AND MANAGE HOMELESS STRATEGY ACROSS ALL CITY OF BOSTON DEPARTMENTS.
THAT POSITION MUST BE EMPOWERED TO MAKE COA INVESTMENT DECISIONS THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR FUNDING AND SYSTEM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO PARTNER WITH ECHO TO EMPOWER AND STRENGTHEN THEIR ORGANIZATION TO SERVE AS THE SYSTEM MANAGER FOR CRISIS RESPONSE AND HOUSING STABILIZATION, INCLUSIVE OF PAGE ON MY ASS COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM, PLANNING, SERVICE COORDINATION, ESTABLISHING PRACTICE STANDARDS, DRIVING SYSTEM COORDINATION WITH DATA INFORMED ANALYSIS.
AND FINALLY, UM, IT IS IMPORTANT TO ESTABLISH AS ACTIONABLE ITEM WITH AN UPDATED BOSTON ACTION PLAN, MAKING THAT LIVING DOC, MAKING THAT DOCUMENT COME TO LIFE THROUGH EAST STRATEGIES AND IMPLEMENT TAKE ACTION IN A UNIFORM AND UNIFIED.
THEY WERE BEGINNING TO LOSE THE SOUND THERE.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN ARE YOU, ARE WE BACK? YES.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN COULD SPAN THE SUPPLY OF DEEPLY AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING AGGRESSIVELY WORK WITH OTHER PUBLIC SYSTEMS TO REDUCE INAPPROPRIATE DISCHARGES INTO HOMELESSNESS AND WORK WITH ECHO TO ENHANCE AND UPDATE THEIR CAPACITY TO LEAD THE HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, BOTH CRISIS RESPONSE AND HOUSING STABILIZATION.
THE CITY WILL ALSO NEED TO RELY ON ECHO TO SUPPORT YOUR GRANTMAKING PROCESSES AND PROVIDE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT REPORTING.
A STRONG CITY ECHO PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORTED BY ENGAGED AND TRUSTED STAFF.
THE CITY ECHO PARTNERSHIP BEING BUILT TODAY TO RESPOND TO COVID IS A PLATFORM THAT CAN BE ENHANCED AND SHOULD BE EXTENDED FOR OVERALL SYSTEM MANAGEMENT.
OUR THIRD RECOMMENDATION UNDER THE SYSTEMS APPROACH IS TO ADOPT A RESULTS ORIENTED CONTRACT MANAGEMENT APPROACH.
CONTRACTS NEED TO BE MANAGED WITH HIGH QUALITY AND TIMELY DATA THAT SHOW PERFORMANCE RESULTS.
CONTRACTORS WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO DEMONSTRATE STRONG PERFORMANCE BECAUSE FUTURE FUNDING OR INCREASES IN FUNDING ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF A POSITIVE IMPACT.
THEY'RE ABLE TO SHOW MANY OF THE REFINEMENTS TO CONTRACTING ARE ADMINISTRATIVE, BUT THEY CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
IF THE CONTRACTING PROCESS, INCLUDING PROCUREMENT IS DIRECTLY ALIGNED WITH AN OVERALL SYSTEM STRATEGY.
SO YOU'RE STILL INVESTING IN INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS, BUT ONLY WHEN THOSE PROJECTS DEMONSTRATE RESULTS AND ONLY WHEN THEY CONTRIBUTE TO ACHIEVING SYSTEM WIDE GOALS.
NEXT SLIDE, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS GRAPHIC AUSTIN, LIKE SO MANY OTHER AMERICAN CITIES IS RACIALLY INEQUITABLE IN WHO EXPERIENCES HOMELESSNESS, BLACK HOUSEHOLDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO ENDURE POVERTY, BUT EVEN MORE LIKELY TO ENDURE HOMELESSNESS.
38% OF HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE BLACK COMPARED TO BEING ONLY 8% OF THE GENERAL POPULATION.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN SHOULD SHIFT TO DATA INFORMED DECISION MAKING PROCESSES FOR STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, AND OTHER STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS.
AND THIS MUST INCLUDE USING A RACIAL EQUITY LENS TO SHIFT PRACTICE POLICY AND
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FUNDING DECISIONS TO FOSTER GREATER DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN ALL OF THAT WORK.NEXT SLIDE, THIS REPRESENTS RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FIVE, UH, ABOUT REDUCING INFLOW.
IT'S REFERENCING BACK TO THAT PUZZLE GRAPHIC THAT ARE FIRST INTRODUCED AT THE BEGINNING.
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REDUCING INFLOW FLAWS, PRIMARILY TO PUBLIC SYSTEMS THAT ARE LARGE CONTRIBUTORS TO HOMELESSNESS.
THESE ARE PUBLIC SYSTEMS SUCH AS CRIMINAL JUSTICE, BUT ALSO INCLUDES HEALTHCARE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, CHILD WELFARE, UH, OTHER PUBLIC HOUSING WITH STRONG DATA TO UNDERSTAND WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO HOMELESSNESS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONDITIONS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR HOUSING INSTABILITY.
WE CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN CRISIS.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, LITERALLY HOMELESS DATA CAN HELP US BE MUCH MORE FOCUSED AND TARGETED IN DIRECTING PREVENTION RESOURCES ONLY TO THOSE HOUSEHOLDS, MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE LITERAL HOMELESSNESS.
THE NEXT RECOMMENDATION IS ABOUT ENHANCING THE CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM.
I THINK AR IS GOING TO COVER THAT NEXT SLIDE.
SO WE CALL FOR AN ENHANCED SYSTEM-WIDE OUTREACH AND DIVERSION STRATEGY TO EXPLORE ENGAGEMENT AND PROBLEM SOLVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL PEOPLE WHO NEED CRISIS ASSISTANCE AT ALL POINTS AND ENGAGEMENT WITHIN YOUR SYSTEM.
THIS INCLUDES ADOPTING AND IMPLEMENTING HOUSING.
FIRST TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTICES AND POLICIES ACROSS THE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS ALL PROVIDERS, WE URGE YOU TO CREATE A CENTRALIZED FLEXIBLE FUND TO SUPPORT DIVERSION AND PROBLEM SOLVING AND TIE YOUR EXISTING STREET OUTREACH EFFORTS TO A MORE UNIFIED STRATEGY FOR UNSHELTERED PERSONS AND ENCAMPMENTS, SHIFTING YOUR PROGRAMMING TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE CONSISTENT WITH A HARM REDUCTION POLICY IS ESSENTIAL.
WE ARE SUGGESTING THAT YOU REQUIRE ALL FUNDED PROGRAMS, ADOPT LOW BARRIER APPROACHES INVOLVING MINIMIZING THE REQUIREMENTS PLACED ON PEOPLE WHO WISH TO UTILIZE SERVICES, SHELTER, OR HOUSING.
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE CITY EXPAND CRISIS OPTIONS FOR SINGLE ADULTS THROUGH ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT TO ENSURE SMALLER SCALE SHELTERS WITH EVIDENCE-BASED TRAUMA INFORMED CLIENT CENTERED AND HOUSING FOCUSED SERVICES.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS THAT YOU COULD ACCOMPLISH THIS FIRST.
YOU COULD LEVERAGE YOUR MOTEL CONVERSION STRATEGY TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW BARRIER BRIDGE HOUSING UNITS DISPERSE THROUGH THE CITY WITH STRONG HOUSING FOCUSED PROGRAMMING.
YOU COULD FOCUS ON D CONCENTRATING CRISIS SERVICES AT THE INTERSECTION OF SALVATION ARMY ARCH AND THE CARROT TOSS LOCATION.
THE CURRENT IMPACT IS DESTABILIZING OFTENTIMES UNSAFE AND TRAUMA INDUCING FOR THE VERY PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO ACCESS THESE IMPORTANT SERVICES.
AND THEN FINALLY CONTINUE YOUR CAPACITY BUILDING EFFORTS AT THE ARCH TO ENSURE STATE STAFF AND SHELTER PROGRAMMING IS AGAIN, TRAUMA INFORMED CLIENT CENTERED AND HOUSING FOCUSED, AND THEN EXPAND THIS EFFORT TO ALL OF THE OTHER EMERGENCY SHELTERS.
THE NEXT COMPONENT OF OUR FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IS AN EXPANSION OF THE HOUSING STABILIZATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS INCLUDES THE REHOUSING STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO MOVE OUT OF HOMELESSNESS AND INTO STABLE, PERMANENT HOUSING.
BY APPLYING A HOUSING FIRST APPROACH TO THIS RECOMMENDATION, AUSTIN WILL BE ABLE TO TARGET AND SUCCESSFULLY HOUSED THE MOST VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS WHO HAVE THE MOST BARRIERS BY SIMPLY PROVIDING HOUSING FIRST, WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS, ONCE IN STABLE HOUSING FAMILIES, INDIVIDUALS ARE THEN ABLE TO ADDRESS OTHER COMPOUNDING FACTORS AS A SECONDARY INTERVENTION.
THE INVESTING FOR RESULTS REPORT RECOMMENDS SUBSTANTIAL EXPANSION TO RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR SINGLE ADULTS AND MORE MODEST EXPANSION OF THOSE RESOURCES FOR FAN NEXT SLIDE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THERE'S NOT ADEQUATE ACCESS TO SAY SHELTER OR HOUSING, PEOPLE WHO ARE UNHOUSED HAVE FEW OPTIONS OTHER THAN LIVING IN PUBLIC SPACES.
AND SO WHILE YOU ARE WORKING TO SCALE UP THE RESPONSE FOR CRISIS
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CRISIS AND HOUSING STABILIZATION, IT'S STILL IMPORTANT TO BE ATTENTIVE TO THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING UNSHELTERED.YOU NEED TO ENSURE THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING, DESPITE THE HAZARDS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LIVING UNSHELTERED ON YOUR STREETS.
AND IN OTHER PUBLIC SPACES, THE CITY OF AUSTIN SHOULD CONTINUE UNDERTAKING A PROACTIVE AND INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT AND CONTINUE TO ADVANCE NON-PUNITIVE POLICIES.
THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO TO FURTHER ENHANCE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT IS TO MAKE THINGS MORE USABLE AND HEALTHIER FOR EVERYONE.
THIS INCLUDES SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE STORAGE FOR PERSONAL BELONGINGS, BOTH DURING THE DAY AND ON AN ONGOING BASIS, PROVIDING FOR REGULAR TRASH PICKUP AT ALL AREAS WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING ON SHELTER, INCREASING ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD MUCH THE WAY YOU'VE BEEN DOING UNDER THE COVID CRISIS, EXPANDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC RESTROOMS AND SHOWERS OR OTHER HYGIENE AND SAFETY OPTIONS, AND ALWAYS ENSURING SAFE NEEDLE DISPOSAL AND NEEDLE EXCHANGE A STRATEGY EFFECTIVE IN SOME COMMUNITIES IS HIRING PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE AS PEER SUPPORT TO HELP ENGAGE AND BUILD TRUST WITH PEOPLE LIVING ON SHELTERED.
AND FINALLY, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE AN AGREED UPON CROSS DEPARTMENTAL PROTOCOL FOR ADDRESSING A CAMP MINTS THAT POSE A SERIOUS AND SIGNIFICANT DANGER TO THOSE WHO ARE ON SHELTER.
NEXT SLIDE, THE INVESTING FOR RESULTS REPORT IDENTIFIES SYSTEM EXPANSION NEEDS TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF HOMELESSNESS BEING RARE BRIEF.
AND NON-RECURRING WE IDENTIFIED A SET OF CONCRETE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COMING TWO YEARS AS A DOWN PAYMENT ON THAT FUTURE SYSTEM.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SYSTEM EXPANSION IN THE COMING TWO YEARS CALL FOR NEARLY 20 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CRISIS RESPONSE AND HOUSING STABILIZATION FOR SINGLE ADULTS AND YOUTH, AND 2.3 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES.
NOW LET'S BREAK THAT DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT A MORE GRANULAR LEVEL.
THIS SLIDE IDENTIFIES THE SYSTEM EXPANSION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SINGLE ADULTS IN YOU.
YOU CAN SEE THE RECOMMENDATIONS BROKEN DOWN BY COMPONENT TYPE ON THE LEFT PREVENTION, DIVERSION, SHELTER, TRANSITIONAL, RAPID REHOUSING, AND PSH.
THEN IT INCLUDES THE AVERAGE PER UNIT OR PER PERSON SERVED COSTS FOLLOWED BY THE NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL SERVICE.
LOTS FOR UNITS THAT ARE NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THIS OPTIMAL SYSTEM OR WORK TOWARDS AN OPTIMAL SYSTEM.
AND THEN FINALLY, A TOTAL COST IF INVESTMENTS WERE MADE AT THIS SCALE, CITY OF AUSTIN WOULD HAVE A SYSTEM WIDE DIVERSION PROTOCOL IN PLACE.
ONE OF THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING HOMELESSNESS, REDUCING THE LENGTH OF TIME OF HOMELESSNESS AND SPEEDING PEOPLE'S ACCESS BACK TO STABLE HOUSING, THE INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS PERIOD CALL FOR 200 ADDITIONAL SLOTS OF RAPID REHOUSING AND 500 NEW UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OR PSH AGAIN FOR SINGLE ADULTS IN YOU LET'S LOOK AT THE SAME CONSIDERATIONS FOR FAMILIES.
NOW NEXT SLIDE INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION FOR FAMILIES ARE A BIT MORE MODEST.
AUSTIN ALREADY MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN BUILDING OUT AND FUNDING A SYSTEM OF RESOURCES AND HOUSING SUPPORTS FOR FAMILIES.
THAT'S MUCH CLOSER TO THE SCALE NEEDED TO ADDRESS ALL THE NEEDS FOR FAMILY HOMELESSNESS HERE, WE'RE CALLING FOR 100, 180 SLOTS OF DIVERSION.
THAT'S THE FULL SYSTEM BUILD OUT OF THE VERSION, 50 SLOTS OF RAPID RE HOUSING AND 10 ADDITIONAL UNITS OF PSH FOR FAM NEXT SLIDE.
SO AS WE CLOSE OUT OUR PART OF THE PRESENTATION, WE WANT TO THANK THE CITY OF AUSTIN, ESPECIALLY CHRIS AND NURIA AND VELA, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE OTHER STAFF WHO WORKED SO HARD FOR THEIR INTEREST, COMMITMENT AND PASSION TO REDUCE AND END THE MISERY ASSOCIATED WITH HOMELESSNESS.
WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT BY INVESTING FOR RESULTS AND ACTING WITH URGENCY AND INTENTION ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE'VE PREVENTED, YOU CAN BEND THE CURVE TOWARD A MORE EQUITABLE AND JUST CITY FOR HOMELESSNESS.
IT BECOMES A RARE, BRIEF AND NON-RECURRING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR MOST VULNERABLE NEIGHBORS.
AT THIS TIME, I AM REALLY EXCITED TO TURN THIS PRESENTATION OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, MATTHEW DOHERTY.
UM, MATTHEW IS WANTING ME TO MAKE SURE THAT HE WAS MOVED OUT
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OF THE ATTENDEES, SLOTTED INTO THE PANELISTS SO HE CAN SPEAK, UM, IT, UH, MATTHEW, UH, HAS BEEN WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH US, UH, ON THE COVID RESPONSE AS WELL AS ALSO MOVING FORWARD.UM, SOME IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS, UM, OUR REPORT AND THE NEXT STEPS WITH THAT.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN THIS OVER TO MATTHEW AND SUGGEST THAT IF YOU ADVANCE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO MATTHEW PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK I'M OFF MUTE AND IN THE ROOM OFFICIALLY APPRECIATE THE HELP WITH THAT.
TALK QUICKLY ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK AHEAD, QUICKLY.
I HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT THIS WORK.
UM, AS BARB INDICATED ON ANOTHER CONSULTANT, WORKING WITH THE CITY, WORKING UNDER A SEPARATE CONTRACT, BUT WORKING IN VERY CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH BARBARA AND MATT, BOTH ON THIS REPORT AND THINKING THROUGH THE STEPS TO HELP MOVE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS FORWARD.
THE FOCUS OF MY WORK, UM, UNDER MY CONTRACT IS, HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN BARB AND MATT, AND REALLY FOCUS MORE ON SOME HELPING SET SHORT TERM AND LONGER TERM GOALS AND DEFINING ROLES, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THE CITY AND ECHO AND SOME OF THE PARTNERS TO MOVE WORK FORWARD.
BUT AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN PAST DISCUSSIONS, MY FOCUS NECESSARILY SHIFTED TO DOING THAT WORK AND THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 RESPONSE AND WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CITY WITH ECHO WITH OTHER PARTNERS IS THAT SHORT TERM ACTIVITIES AND TO DEFINE ROLES, BUT REALLY IN THE CONTEXT, PRIMARILY OF RESPONDING TO THE CRISIS OF COVID-19 AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, AND THEN HAVE BEEN WORKING IN SUPPORT OF BARB AND MADDEN AND THINKING THROUGH THIS REPORT AND ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND NOW I'M GOING TO, AS TO SAYING SOME OF MY FOCUS ON COVID-19 AND SUPPORTING THAT WORK, BUT M BEING ABLE TO START TO SHIFT TO WORKING MORE ON FOCUSING ON THE CREATION AND FACILITATION OF THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TASKFORCE, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A PRIMARY FOCUS OF MY WORK FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS IS TO GET THIS TASK FORCE MOVING FORWARD AND STARTING TO TACKLE SOME OF THE WORK AHEAD.
AND THIS TASKFORCE IS ONE OF THE KEY WAYS THAT RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE INVESTMENT FOR RESULTS REPORT WILL GET CARRIED FORWARD.
UM, SO WE CALL IT THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TASKFORCE AND HOMELESS IS A VERY LONG NAME, CHARTER SHADER SHORTHANDED TO THE
THIS TASK FORCE IS CONVENED JOINTLY BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND BY ECHO.
AND IT'S REALLY INTENDED AS A DEMONSTRATION OF SHARED LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SYSTEM RESPONSE THAT BARB AND MATT DESCRIBED, AND THAT WE REALLY ARE IN CENTRAL ROLES FOR BOTH THE CITY AND ECHO AND COLLABORATING ON LEADING A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO PREVENTING AN ENDING HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN.
THE CURRENT MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES PEOPLE FROM THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AND MANY OF THEM MAJOR HOMELESSNESS, FOCUSED NONPROFIT AGENCIES IN THE COMMUNITY.
THE MEMBERSHIP MIGHT GET BUILT OUT OVER TIME.
WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH A PROCESS WITH THESE MEMBERS FIRST, AND THEN AS WE REALLY ZERO IN ON SOME OF THE SPECIFIC AREAS OF FOCUS AND TARGETS, WE'LL START TO IDENTIFY WHAT OTHER MEMBERS NEED TO JOIN THIS P THREE EFFORT IN ORDER TO PURSUE THOSE GOALS AND TARGETS TOGETHER.
SO THE INITIAL MEMBERS WILL BE WORKING TO ESTABLISH THEIR GOALS AND TARGETS AND THEIR STRATEGIES.
AND THEN AGAIN, BUILDING OUT THAT MEMBERSHIP, WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO MEET WEEKLY STARTING TOMORROW AND THROUGH THE END OF SEPTEMBER, INTO EARLY OCTOBER, REALLY MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY ON DEFINING THE ROLE FOR THIS P THREE GROUP AND TO DEVELOP ITS GOALS, ITS TARGETS AND ITS STRATEGIES.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, IF YOU WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS P THREE TASKFORCE IS INTENDED TO AUGMENT EXISTING STRUCTURES AND DECISION PROCESSES, AND TO BRING SOME SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, SHARED DECISION MAKING AROUND KEY ELEMENTS OF THIS WORK, BUT IT'S NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURES AND DECEIVING PROCESSES, AND IT'S NOT INTENDED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE ENTIRE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS OR FOR THE DETAILS OF THE OPERATION OF ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
SO THERE ARE SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE REPORT THAT YOU JUST HEARD MORE ABOUT AND WITHIN THE AUSTIN ACTION PLAN THAT THIS GROUP CAN DRIVE FORWARD, BUT THERE'S MANY OTHER STRUCTURES IN PLACE THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOVING OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS AND OTHER STRATEGIES FORWARD AS WELL.
UM, AND THAT, BUT IT REALLY DOES REST IN A SHARED RECOGNITION THAT SOLUTIONS AREN'T GOING TO REQUIRE A MOBILIZATION ACROSS BOTH THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND START TO EXPAND THE REACH AND INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER SYSTEMS, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OR OTHER PROGRAMS WHO HAVE CRITICAL ROLES WILL PLAY ACROSS THE RESPONSE, UM, AND THAT THIS GROUP CAN HELP MOBILIZE.
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THEN THE NEXT STEPS FOR THIS GROUP ARE TO COLLABORATIVELY SET SHORT TERM AND LONGER TERM GOALS AND TARGETS ACROSS THE FULL ARRAY OF WHAT MARK DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSE TO UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.SO GOALS RELATED TO REDUCING INFLOW, TO CRISIS RESPONSE, HOUSING STABILIZATION, AND PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT.
I WOULD SAY THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR THIS GROUP IS TO FIND WAYS TO SCALE UP THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ACROSS THE SYSTEM, AND TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO BRING MORE RESOURCES AND MORE SCALE IN ORDER TO BETTER ADDRESS THE SCALE OF NEED.
UM, THIS CLARITY DEMONSTRATED WITHIN YOUR DATA AND WHAT YOU SEE WITHIN YOUR, ANOTHER ELEMENT OF THIS GROUP'S WORK WILL BE TO SUPPORT THE FORMATION OF A FUNDERS, COLLABORATIVE OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS TO COLLECTIVELY INVEST FOR RESULTS AND TO USE SOME OF THE STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THIS REPORT WITHIN A MORE COORDINATED AND SHARED INVESTMENT STRATEGIES ACROSS THAT COLLABORATIVE ON THE GROUP, WE'LL BE WORKING TO FIND WAYS TO STRENGTHEN DATA AND TO USE DATA MORE STRATEGICALLY WITHIN THE RESPONSE HOMELESSNESS.
AND THEN ALSO WE'LL BE SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, PROCESS ACTION PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO AGAIN, I WANT TO HEAR EMPHASIZE THAT THE P THREE GROUP DOES NOT BECOME THE GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY ELEMENT OF THE RESPONSE, BUT IS ADDING AN AUGMENTING HE STRATEGIC ELEMENTS WITHIN THAT WORK AND DEVELOPING ITS OWN PLAN AND AREA OF FOCUS, AND THEN INFORMING THE OVERARCHING PLAN THAT NEEDS TO GET IMPLEMENTED ACROSS OR ACROSS A WIDE ARRAY OF PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS. SO WE ARE BEGINNING THAT SERIES OF WEEKLY MEETINGS.
NOW WE'VE BEEN MEETING A FEW EVERY FEW WEEKS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
THERE'VE BEEN DEEPLY INGRAINED AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS REPORT AND ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, I WOULD MAP OUT A PROCESS BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF OCTOBER TO MOVE FORWARD TOWARD ALL OF THESE NEXT STEPS.
UM, AND TO BE ABLE TO REPORT MILESTONES ALONG THE WAY, THE GROUP WILL BE REVIEWING THAT PLAN WITH ME TOMORROW, AND THEN HOPEFULLY ADOPTING THAT PLAN AND BEING ABLE TO MOVE VERY QUICKLY INTO THE NEXT STAGES OF THIS WORK.
THAT'S CLEAR PUBLIC TARGETS, THE KINDS OF SCALE THAT'S NEEDED AND STRATEGIES THAT THEY WILL BE ADVANCING TO PURSUE THOSE TARGETS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND I'LL BE A PART OF THE TEAM.
THAT'S ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS WE GET TO THAT PART OF THE AGENDA.
I JUST REALLY WANT TO TAKE A, TO THANK BARB TO THANK MATT WHITE AND TO THANK MATTHEWS ALREADY FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THEY'RE GOING TO STAY ON THE LINE WE ARE DOING WELL ON TIME, I THINK, AND, UM, WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO SORT OF STAY ON THE LINE FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, BUT I'D LIKE TO DO IS SORT OF PULL UP TWO SLIDES TO SORT OF TRANSITION US TO THE FYI 21 PROPOSED BUDGET, AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO STEPHANIE AND ROSIE TO PROVIDE SOME COMMENTS, UM, UH, AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IF THAT'S OKAY.
UH, SO IF YOU DON'T MIND, I THINK DANIEL, IF YOU'LL PULL UP THOSE REALLY IT'S JUST TO A BUDGET SLIDES.
SO, UH, W UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WHAT YOU ALL JUST HEARD, UM, FROM, UH, BARB AND THE TEAM HIGHLIGHTED FOUR, UH, COMPONENTS OF REALLY PUZZLE PIECES TO ADDRESS ON SHELTER HOMELESSNESS, UH, REDUCING INFLOW, CRISIS RESPONSE, HOUSING STABILIZATION, AND PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT.
UH, WHAT I'LL SAY IS THAT WE, AS A CITY HAVE USED DIFFERENT OF VOCABULARY TO TALK ABOUT AND FRAME OUR PROPOSED BUDGETS.
WE HAVE HISTORICALLY HIGHLIGHTED THE, UH, UM, THE FOLLOWING SERVICE AREAS, UH, HOUSING, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, CRISIS MITIGATION, AND REINFORCEMENT ON THIS FIRST SLIDE.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS ESSENTIALLY FROM FYI 17 TO PRESENT WITH THE FAR RIGHT, BARB BEING THE PROPOSED
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS BUDGET AGAIN, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SOME CONNECTION TO WHAT YOU JUST HEARD FROM OUR CONSULTANT TEAM AND READ IN THEIR FINAL REPORT AND WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UM, UH, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE FOUR SERVICE AREAS OR CORE PUZZLE PIECES, IF YOU WILL, UM, BROKEN OUT BY OUR BUDGET OVER THAT SAME TIME PERIOD
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FROMAGAIN, WE THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO DO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS SOME, UM, AGAIN, UH, CONNECTION TO WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND WHAT YOU'VE JUST HEARD FROM CONSULTANT TEAM.
UM, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO NOW IS, UH, REALLY HASSET OFF TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND DIRECTOR.
MAYBE WE'LL START WITH DARKER HAYDEN, UH, TO GET SOME, UM, AND HIGHLIGHT SOME COMMENTS IF YOU WILL, FROM THE APH BUDGET.
AND THEN WE'LL GO RIGHT INTO DIRECTOR THROUGH LOVE STEPHANIE.
I'M STEPHANIE HAYDEN, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, CHRIS SHORTER, UM, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UM, THANK YOU TO THE CONSULTANTS.
THE FYI 21, UM, HAS AN ANNUAL BUDGET OF, UM, $23,000,005.6 MILLION.
AND THIS IS A COMBINATION OF AN ASSIST FOR HOMELESSNESS.
UM, THESE ARE LOCAL AND FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCES, UM, WITH THEM, UM, THOSE AREAS WITH CRISIS MITIGATION, THERE'S, UM, 2.7 MILLION, WHICH INCLUDES THINGS SUCH AS EMERGENCY SHELTER AND HOMELESS PREVENTION SERVICES WITHIN THE HOUSING DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, THERE ARE 7.1 MILLION, AND THAT INCLUDES THINGS THAT, UM, MOST OF US ARE FAMILIAR WITH CASE MANAGEMENT, RAPID REHOUSING AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
AND THEN THE REEMPLOYMENT AREA, UH, 5.5 MILLION, WHICH INCLUDES OUR, OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, OUR OUTREACH, OUR NAVIGATION SERVICES.
IT INCLUDES OUR HOMELESS SERVICES DIVISION, OUR PLANNING CONTRACTS SUCH AS WITH ECHO AND WITH THE CONSULTANTS DURING THE, UM, COVID-19 RESPONSE WITH KARA'S FUNDING.
UM, THE DEPARTMENT REQUESTED 14.5 MILLION TO BE BUDGETED TO COVER THE LEASE, THE FOOD, LAUNDRY SECURITY AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES.
SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE FOUR PROTECTED LODGES, UM, THAT ARE HOUSING, UH, 300 GUESTS.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS TO ACTIVATE THE FIFTH LODGE, UM, AS A PART OF OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND INFECTION CONTROL, INFECTION CONTROL STRATEGY, UM, AND 17 PEOPLE HAVE EXITED FROM THE PROLOGUE TO PERMANENT HOUSING TODAY, AS INDIVIDUALS ARE THERE IN THOSE PROTECTIVE LODGES, THAT IS OUR GOAL, AND WE ARE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE, UM, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, FRONT STEPS, SALVATION ARMY'S COMMUNITIES FOR RECOVERY AND INTEGRAL CARE ARE PROVIDING HOUSING FOLKS FOCUSED CASE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.
UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY PROCESS.
I WILL TURN OVER TO, UM, DIRECTOR RHODES AND TRUE LOVE.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, JUST WANT TO CONFIRM THAT EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME.
UM, SO I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING AND COMMUTE.
WELL, IT'S REALLY TO HELP ME IN PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET, UH, AND THE PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE IN SUPPORTIVE HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION, UH, IN FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, UH, TENANT BASED RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
WE HAVE, WE WILL CONTINUE WITH HOME FUNDED, FEDERAL HOME FUNDED, UH, CONTRACTS IN THE AMOUNT OF, UH, ABOUT A $1.1 MILLION FOR TENANT BASED RENTAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE, THE THROUGH HAKA.
UM, WE HAVE ABOUT 300,000 ESTIMATED FUNDING THAT WE ANTICIPATE WILL BE RECEIVED IN THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, UM, THAT WILL BE USED FOR LOW BARRIER, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UH, AND WE HAVE ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS PROGRAMMED FROM A CDBG COVERT RESPONSE FOR HOMELESS ASSISTANCE TO PREVENT PREPARE FOR AND MITIGATE THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF CORONAVIRUS.
THESE FUNDS WILL BE PROGRAMMED IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS RELIEF.
AND IN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF THE CITY'S HOMELESS STRATEGY, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, UH, THROUGH THE ANTICIPATE, UH, OR THE BUDGET HAS A $7.7 MILLION NEW TRANSFER IN TO THE HOUSING TRUST FUND.
AND OF THAT 7.7 MILLION, WE ARE DEDICATING OR COMMITTING 3.6 MILLION TO A LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM.
[00:55:01]
OTHER COMMUNITY HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAMS WHERE WAITING LISTS ARE SEVERAL YEARS LONG.SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IMPLEMENTING THAT NEW PROGRAM, UH, IN OUR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WE HAVE A $22.5 MILLION FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.
THERE'S APPROXIMATELY A 100 TO $125,000 AGE, UH, AUSTIN HOUSING, FINANCE CORPORATION, SUBSIDY PER PSH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNIT.
UM, SO IT'S, UH, IT'S A MUCH DEEPER SUBSIDY THAN WHAT WE TYPICALLY SEE, UH, FOR RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.
UM, AND THEN WE, BUT WE STILL HAVE OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING GOAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 OF A HUNDRED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS ANNUALLY AS SET FORTH IN THE BLUEPRINT.
AND WE ARE ON TRACK TO MEET THAT FOR FISCAL YEAR 20.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO ADVANCE THE MOTEL HOTEL CONVERSION STRATEGY.
WE ARE SETTING ASIDE $30 MILLION OF THE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN LAND ACQUISITION FROM THE 2018, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND, UH, THAT WILL BE DEDICATED TO MOTEL CONVERSION, TO ACQUIRING MOTELS AND, UM, AND TRANSITIONING THEM INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, WE HAVE ACHIEVED RIGHT NOW THROUGH A ACQUISITION OF IN FISCAL YEAR 20.
WE SPENT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS AND ACHIEVED THE, UH, WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN THE ACQUISITION AND RENOVATION UNDERWAY OF THE ROADWAY IN, UM, BUT WE'RE CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD ON OTHER ACQUISITIONS AS WE'LL BE BRIEFED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, FROM THE REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT OR THE OPPOSITE REAL ESTATE SERVICES.
RATHER, UH, I DID WANT TO MENTION THAT WE HAD A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS LIFT STATION FOR OPERATING OF THESE FACILITIES.
UH, THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN INITIATED AND IS CLOSED, AND THERE WERE NOT ANY, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT SOLICITATION PROCESS DID NOT LEAD TO AN AWARD OF ANY CONTRACTS.
UM, WE, WE RECEIVED ONE RESPONSE TO THAT SOLICITATION AND IT WAS NOT RESPONSIVE, SO WE COULDN'T REVIEW OR, UM, AWARD ANY CONTRACT OUT OF THAT.
SO WE ARE IN A POSITION NOW WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE TO, TO CONTRACT DIRECTLY WITH FOLKS.
AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, FUTURE BOTEL ACQUISITIONS, WE'LL BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PROVIDERS, UH, TO POTENTIALLY HAVE SOMEBODY IN MIND AS WE'RE ACQUIRING THE PROPERTIES SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY PROPERTIES THAT WE ACQUIRE WITHOUT A MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION PLAN FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY.
AND I THINK AT THAT POINT, WE WOULD TURN IT BACK TO EITHER ACM SHORTER OR OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.
UH, DIRECTOR AND, AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN YES, I WOULD LOVE TO KIND OF, SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER HERE TO THE, TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM AS WE'VE DISCUSSED EARLIER.
SO I HAVE A QUICK PHONE CALL THAT I, THAT I NEED TO MAKE.
I THINK THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.
I LOVE THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD ON THIS.
THIS IS A AS, BEFORE WE GOT TO THE VIRUS, IT WAS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS TO BE SET AS A, AS A CITY.
I THINK THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A PLAN AND A WAY FORWARD.
UM, UM, I REGRET AT THIS MOMENT IS THAT WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING TODAY, THIS FOCUS AND THIS DIRECTION MAY NOT GET THE ATTENTION THAT IT, THAT IT, THAT IT DESERVES.
UM, I LOVE THE WORK, PUTTING ALL THESE THAT WE'RE ORGANIZING EVERYBODY.
I THINK THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE VERY STRONG AND SOLID, AND I'D LIKE TO BE PART OF HELPING TO MOVE THOSE FORWARD.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US ACCELERATE OUR WORK WITH RESPECT TO THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OPTIONS AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT DOING, UH, JUST BEFORE THE VIRUS HIT.
SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE FACILITIES IN PLACE.
AND IN ALL PARTS OF OUR CITY MAYOR PRO TEM, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU AND I'LL BE BACK AS QUICKLY AS I CAN.
SO CAN WE GO BACK TO THE SLIDE? THAT IS THE ONE ON ONE ON WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL ADULTS? UM, JUST A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT ONE.
UH, YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T, I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO BRING IT UP UNLESS OTHERS WANT TO SEE IT, BUT I LIKE TO, UH, FIRST, I JUST WANT TO CONFIRM THAT THIS IS, THESE ARE RECOMMENDED ASSESSMENTS IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR PROPOSED BUDGET.
SO IF SOMEONE CAN CONFIRM THAT FOR ME, THEN I HAVE JUST A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM.
DANIEL, IF YOU WANTED TO PULL THE SLIDES UP,
[01:00:01]
THIS IS THE DECK THAT ARE POPPY AND HER 13 PRESENTING.UH, AND I DON'T REMEMBER MAYBE BARB OR MATT WHITE COULD HELP WITH THE EXACT SLIDE SLIDE SLIDE 26.
SO MY FIRST QUESTION ABOUT IT IS THAT THE ESTIMATED IN 0.9 MILLION FOR ADULTS AND SINGLE ADULTS AND, UM, UH, UH, ACM SHORTER, CAN YOU JUST CONFIRM FOR ME THAT THIS IS OVER AND ABOVE WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR CURRENT BUDGET? ACTUALLY, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS THAT I CAN'T CONFIRM THAT FOR SURE.
UM, THERE ARE SOME INVESTMENTS THAT ARE BEING MADE, AND I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THIS IS THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT IS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY NEW DOLLARS.
IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, THERE IS NO NEW DOLLARS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR HOMELESSNESS.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M READING THIS AS THINGS THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IS A FUTURE, A FUTURE INVESTMENTS.
SO I'M GOING TO ASSUME IT IS AND POINT TO WHERE WE'RE PUTTING ANY OF THESE NEW DOLLARS.
SO, UM, SO LET ME JUST ASK A QUESTION OR TWO THEN.
SO THAT'S FOR OUR CONSULTANTS.
SO IN COMING UP WITH THIS BUDGET, IS, IS THIS DESIGNED TO BE, UM, BUT THAT, UH, THAT WILL, THAT'S TIED BACK TO GETTING US TO A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE, UH, EFFECTIVELY ZERO HOMELESSNESS, UH, FOR SINGLE ADULTS, BECAUSE IT SAYS MODEST SYSTEM EXPANSION.
I'M WANTING TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE, WHAT THIS IS TIED BACK TO IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WOULD, MATT, YOU WANT TO JUMP IN.
THE REPORT INCLUDES A RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACHIEVING WHAT WE'RE CALLING AN OPTIMAL SYSTEM, WHERE HOMELESSNESS IS RARE, BRIEF, AND NON-RECURRING IN THAT OPTIMAL SYSTEM.
UH, THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THAT STATUS, THAT OPTIMAL STATUS OF RARE BRIEF.
AND NON-RECURRING THE SLIDE REPRESENTS A INVESTMENT TO SORT OF DOWN PAYMENT ON THAT FUTURE STATUS, WHICH WOULD BE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, UH, THAT WOULD BRING YOUR SYSTEM CLOSER TO THAT, UH, THAT, THAT SORT OF, UH, EQUILIBRIUM OF HOMELESSNESS BEING RARE, BRIEF.
AND NONRECURRING, SO THESE ARE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS ON TOP OF WHAT IS CURRENTLY, UH, ON THE, IN YOUR BUDGET.
SO THE REPORT MAY TELL ME THE DETAILS ABOUT HOW MUCH CLOSER TO THIS GETS US TO, UM, EFFECT ZERO.
AND JUST ROUGHLY SPEAKING, I MEAN, I CAN, I'LL GO DIG INTO THE REPORT, BUT IS IT HALFWAY THERE EITHER WAY? THERE ARE THERE, CAN YOU GIVE ME A SORT OF A ROUGH IDEA? WE WERE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IDENTIFYING, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE MODEST, UH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL DOLLAR AMOUNT, UM, BUT THIS REPRESENTS, UM, INVESTMENTS IN DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THESE PROGRAM TYPES THAT WILL AFFORD YOU THE GREATEST IMPACT, THESE KINDS OF INVESTMENTS.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD QUANTIFY IN TERMS OF HALFWAY THERE OR QUARTER WAY THERE IT'S THE MOST IMPACTFUL WAY IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE THAT THESE ARE THE PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES WHERE YOU SHOULD DIRECT THOSE, THOSE RESOURCES.
I'LL ASK ONE MORE QUESTION AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO OTHERS.
SO THEN, UM, SO THE DIVERSION LINE THAT IS IN ABOUT A, A THOUSAND PER PERSON, IS THIS, UM, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS IS BASED ON, BECAUSE I'M ALSO INTRIGUED ABOUT THE, UM, RECOMMENDATION FOR REDUCING INFLOW, UM, IN PARTICULARLY, UM, I'M UNDER THE, I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG ABOUT THIS, THAT WE DON'T HAVE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO FLOW FROM HOSPITAL DISCHARGE, JAIL DISCHARGES, AND OTHER KINDS OF INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE, UM, IN SOME WAYS, AND AT SOMETIMES DISCHARGING BACK TO THE STREET.
SO IS DIVERSION RELATED TO REDUCING THAT INFLOW OR YES, THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE ONE COMPONENT OF IT.
DIVERSION AS A STRATEGY REFERS TO THE, UH, THE ENGAGEMENT OF HOUSEHOLDS AT THE POINT AT WHICH THEY'RE SEEKING ASSISTANCE.
AND IT COULD INCLUDE ENGAGING WITH YOUR PUBLIC SYSTEMS, HOSPITALS,
[01:05:01]
UH, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, UH, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE BEING DISCHARGED INTO HOMELESSNESS.DIVERSION COULD ALSO INCLUDE THE KINDS OF ASSESSMENTS IN INTAKE PROTOCOLS AT THE POINT AT WHICH PEOPLE ARE SEEKING SHELTER OR ENCOUNTERED ON THE STREET.
UM, AND, UH, AND THROUGH SOME PROBLEM SOLVING ASSISTANCE, UH, AND SOME MODEST FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, RECONNECT PEOPLE BACK TO SAFE, APPROPRIATE HOUSING PLACEMENTS WITHOUT HAVING PROLONGED SHELTER STAYS.
SO THAT'S WHAT, WHEN WE'RE CALLING THIS DIVERSION INCLUDES BOTH THOSE INTERACTIONS WITH PUBLIC SYSTEMS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO PROBLEM SOLVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF COVID FINDING THEMSELVES AT A SHELTER DOOR ASKING FOR HELP.
OKAY, WELL THEN, UM, I'D LIKE TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS LATER ABOUT THE STRATEGIES RELATED TO THE TWO, REDUCING THE INFLOW, PARTICULARLY FROM OUR OTHER PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
THIS STRIKES ME THAT THAT THAT MIGHT NOT BE AS HIGH DOLLAR AN INVESTMENT.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE US MAKE SOME PROGRESS TOWARDS THIS 19.9 MILLION NOW AND NOT WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR.
SO, UM, TIM, THAT IF THERE'S TIME LATER THAT I HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL TURN IT BACK TO OTHERS RIGHT NOW.
THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MERCOSUR ACTUALLY, MY QUESTION IS ON THE SAME SLIDE AND MY QUESTION GOES TO, UH, TO LEVERAGING.
SO, UH, YOU ALL PRESENTED AT THE BEGINNING THAT THE SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES TEND TO BRING A DOLLAR FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE PUT IN.
UM, AND SO IF WE PUT IN, FOR EXAMPLE, ON PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, 14 AND A HALF MILLION OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT, THEN YOU'RE SAYING THE, THOSE NONPROFITS WOULD BRING FORWARD ADDITIONAL FUNDING, OR ARE YOU SAYING THAT WE SHOULD BRING FORWARD SEVEN AND A HALF AND THEY CAN BRING FORWARD THE OTHER SEVEN AND A HALF? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THE SOLVING THE PROBLEM REQUIRE 14 FIVE PSH MONEY PUBLICLY SO THAT THEY CAN BRING THE REST OR, OR NOT.
AND IF I, IF I COULD JUMP IN HERE, JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE ON THIS CHART, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT COSTS, NOT JUST ONE TIME.
AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY THE PLUS FOR OPERATION SERVICES IN PERMIT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT COSTS FOR ACQUIRING THE LAND BUILDING AND ALL OF THOSE PIECES TO IT.
AND THAT'S THE PLACE WHERE, WHERE I'M BELIEVING YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GET SOME LEVERAGE FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO BE A PART OF THAT CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING, I CAN SAY THAT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, USUALLY DOES NOT LEVERAGE PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS FOR OPERATIONS AND SERVICES COSTS ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
TYPICALLY THOSE ARE INITIAL LAUNCH, BUT NOT AN ONGOING PROCESS.
WHAT OTHER HAVE DONE IS THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS, UM, PUBLIC FUNDING THROUGH THEIR HOUSING AUTHORITIES, UM, THEIR MEDICAID AGENCIES, AND SOME OTHER FUNDING STREAMS, BUT THERE ALSO NEEDS TO BE THE STRONG LOCAL INVESTMENT.
AND IT VARIES BY THE TYPE OF STATE THAT YOU'RE LOCATED IN AS TO WHETHER THERE'S A STRONG STATE INVESTMENT THROUGH MEDICAID OR THROUGH HOUSING VOUCHERS AND OTHERS, UM, TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
SO I WOULD NOT EXPECT YOU WOULD LEVERAGE PRIVATE SECTOR DOLLARS FOR THIS, UM, TO THAT SAME AMOUNT, BUT YOU SHOULD BE PARTNERING WITH PUBLIC WITH AGENCIES THAT CAN LEVERAGE OTHER PUBLIC FUNDS THROUGH MEDICAID OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES OR HEALTHCARE.
SO YOU CAN PUBLIC, YOU CAN LEVERAGE THOSE OTHER PUBLIC DOLLARS AND PARTNERSHIPS, UM, BUT YOU NEED TO, IT IS NOT LIKE EMERGENCY SHELTERS, WHICH DO TEND TO GET A FAIR AMOUNT OF JUST PRIVATE, PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS THROUGH PUB, YOU KNOW, THROUGH PUBLIC RELIEF CAMPAIGNS, ET CETERA.
SO IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF LEVERAGE.
AND, AND WE EXPECT THAT THIS P THREE PARTNERSHIP MIGHT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE UPS WORK ON SOME OF THESE ONM ARE REALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT, UM, FOR ON THE, ON THE CAPITALISM, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO REALLY KNOW THEM.
AND IT'S, I'M FINE WITH EITHER ANSWER.
I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE POLL IS, IS AT 14 FIVE IN PUBLIC RECURRENT DOLLARS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO GET TO BETWEEN THIS BUDGET AND NEXT BUDGET.
UM, OR IS IT SOME PORTION OF THAT? 14 FIVE IS PUBLIC RECURRING DOLLARS IN SOME PORTION IS BROUGHT FORWARD BY SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES OR BY THE FUNDERS COLLABORATIVE.
OUR RECOMMENDATION AS A CONSULTING
[01:10:01]
TEAM IS TO HAVE AN INCREASE CITY OF AUSTIN FROM INVESTMENT TO ENSURE THAT YOU START THE PROCESS, HAVING AN INTEGRATED PIPELINE THAT BRINGS TOGETHER CAPITAL OPERATIONS AND SERVICES.AND THOSE OTHER DOLLARS, AS MATT SAID, THIS ONLY GETS YOU, UM, KIND OF THE DOWN PAYMENT ON THE PIPELINE.
SO ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN BRING TO THE TABLE AND YOU LEVERAGE, AND IF YOU INTEGRATE IT INTO A PIPELINE MODEL, I THINK YOU'LL HAVE GREATER SUCCESSES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'VE SEEN HAPPEN IN OTHER COMMUNITIES.
I THINK YOU'RE AT THE PROPER PLACE OF BEING ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT IT, UH, IT IS, UH, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE STRONG INVESTORS IN THIS WORK.
WELL, MY LAST COMMENT THEN IS, YOU KNOW, UM, I KNOW MANY OF US HAVE BEEN POSTING AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET.
WHAT I POSTED LAST NIGHT, UH, GETS US ABOUT HALFWAY THERE ON THIS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING GOAL AND THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
UM, UH, AND OF COURSE, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO BE LOOKING FOR THE OTHER HALF, UH, EITHER TO LEVERAGE, UM, OR TO WORK OUT IN THE NEXT BUDGET SINCE THIS IS KIND OF A TWO BUDGET PLAN.
UH, BUT I FEEL PRETTY FIRMLY COMMITTED TO AT LEAST AT LEAST GETTING HALF OF THAT PSH NUMBER DONE, GIVEN JUST WHAT AN URGENT NEED WE KEEP HEARING THAT IS, UM, UH, THIS AUGUST.
AND IF I MIGHT JUMP IN YEAH, THERE, BUT I THINK WHEN I'VE LAID OUT, IF YOU WENT OUT SEVEN, SURE.
AND THEY'RE PRETENDING IF I MIGHT JUMP IN JUST TO RE JUST TO REITERATE WHAT THE ROLE THAT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS CAN PLAY IS TO HELP COVER THE GAP ON CAPITAL.
SO AGAIN, IT'S THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS CAN'T BE UTILIZED FOR ANY OF THE SERVICES THAT THAT MIGHT BE NECESSARY, BUT WE DO SEE A ROLE THERE FOR US TO HELP INCENTIVIZE THE CREATION THROUGH CAPITAL INVESTMENT.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE STATE TO ADVOCATE FOR CHANGES TO TDH DA'S, UM, QUALIFIED ALLOCATION PLAN, SO THAT WE CAN SEE, UM, MORE AND REALIZE MORE, UM, EFFECTIVE TAX CREDIT PROJECTS TO HELP IN THIS NATURE AS WELL.
AND THIS 14 FIVE IS THE O AND M THAT WE CAN'T PAY FOR THROUGH HOUSING BONDS.
AND SO TO GET STOP, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD GET EVEN CLOSER TO 14 FIVE, THIS BUDGET ON TOP OF IT, AND I'M SUPPORTIVE OF US GETTING AS CLOSE AS WE CAN.
AND JUST NOTING THAT WHAT WE PUT OUT THERE GETS YOU AROUND SEVEN 50 ABOUT HALFWAY.
I'LL ALSO ADD IF I CAN, UH, JUST IN TERMS OF, UH, THE CONVERSATION WE'RE HAVING AROUND THE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, JUST THAT IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CERTAINLY HOW WE ARE ANALYZING OUR SYSTEM AND THE CONTRACTS ASSOCIATED WITH SERVICES, THAT THERE ARE CERTAINLY GIVEN THE VERY LARGE INVESTMENT THE CITY CONTINUES TO MAKE, UH, IN HOMELESSNESS.
UM, THERE ARE CERTAINLY OPPORTUNITIES WE BELIEVE TO REALLOCATE AND BETTER LEVERAGE THE FUNDING THAT IS ALREADY MADE AVAILABLE TO HOMELESS SERVICES.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I MADE THE POINT, UH, THAT, UH, THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK, UH, AT THE S AT THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE BEING MADE.
UH, AND CERTAINLY THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE PROPOSED IN
I THINK MY QUESTIONS ARE FOR BOTH DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND DIRECTOR TRUELOVE, UM, AND I'LL START WITH DIRECTED TRUE LIVE.
SO YOU SAID $3.6 MILLION IN HOUSING VOUCHERS, 22.5 AND RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.
UM, THERE'S A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN THE 2018 AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND, BUT 30 MILLION OF THAT IS GOING TO HOTEL ACQUISITION.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SEE WHERE I'M GOING HERE, BUT THAT'S A LOT OF NUMBERS.
I WONDER IF YOU COULD PROVIDE US SOMETHING THAT HAS ALL THOSE NUMBERS COMPILED IN SOME SORT OF COMPREHENSIVE FASHION.
UM, CAUSE I THINK THEY'D BE VERY HELPFUL WITH ANSWERING SOME OF THE BUDGET QUESTIONS THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE ASKING.
UM, SPECIFICALLY, THEY'RE ASKING HOW MUCH ARE WE PUTTING TOWARDS XYZ, INCLUDING HOUSING THEME, ONE OF THE MAIN, ABSOLUTELY.
AND THEN I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THE RFQ PROCESS SHOOK OUT.
YOU SAID, UM, THAT THERE WAS AN, A QUALIFIED APPLICATION IN WHICH CASE, UM, UH, THE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS IS STILL OPEN TO WHERE YOU CAN INDEPENDENTLY CONTRACT THOSE SERVICES.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE THAT MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS SERVICES.
[01:15:01]
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? UH, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT VELA MIGHT WANT TO JUMP IN ON AS WELL.UM, SINCE IT'S MORE OF A PUBLIC HEALTH WHERE THE PUBLIC HEALTH SOLICITATION, UH, BUT YOU WOULD LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROVIDERS THAT ARE ALREADY DOING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, RIGHT? AND SO YOU CAN LOOK AT, UM, LIFEWORKS OR INTEGRAL CARE OR AGENCIES ALONG THOSE LINES.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE, THE LACK OF RESPONSE COULD BE DUE TO A NUMBER OF THINGS COULD BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE WASN'T ANY FUNDING ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
UM, REMEMBER AT THE TIME THIS WAS A DIFFERENT, WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS, IT WAS PRE COVID.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, WE WERE HEARING FROM AGENCIES OUT THERE THAT THERE WAS FUNDING THAT THEY HAD AND THAT THEY MIGHT BE THAT ALL THEY NEEDED WAS SPACE.
AND SO WHEN WE ACTUALLY CAME DOWN TO RECEIVING THE, THE RESPONSES TO THE SOLICITATION, WE'RE DEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF PANDEMIC RESPONSE, AND IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT GAME THAN WHEN WE STARTED THE, HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS.
AND SO I THINK THERE WERE A NUMBER OF FACTORS AT PLAY.
I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER, UM, YOU KNOW, SIMPLE THINGS LIKE TRYING TO IMPROVE THE CAPACITY AND BRING MORE PLAYERS INTO, INTO THE ARENA THAT CAN HELP PROVIDE THESE SERVICES.
AND OFTEN, BECAUSE IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEETING THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT WE NEED IN A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SPACE, UH, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA SEE THAT OUR CURRENT PROVIDERS ARE GOING TO REACH CAPACITY BEFORE WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT WE NEED.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT WASN'T PART OF THE MOTIVATION FOR MY QUESTION.
I WAS THINKING IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO ASSESS, YOU KNOW, FROM A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF PROVIDERS AND IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE WE MIGHT RUN INTO THAT PROBLEM WHERE WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY, IN WHICH CASE IT GETS ME THINKING, HOW DO WE BUILD THE CAPACITY? WHAT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS CAN WE HELP EITHER, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT TRANSITION INTO THIS SPACE OR, YOU KNOW, JUST SORT OF HELP THEM, UM, ADAPT INTO BEING ELIGIBLE FOR THIS KIND OF THING.
SO I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT CONVERSATION BEING EXPANDED UPON.
UM, THEN DO, UM, AND SO THIS QUESTION, IT SOUNDS LIKE A PUBLIC HEALTH QUESTION TO ME, BUT IT MAY BE MULTIPLE PARTIES.
I JUST KEEP THE MORE WE HAVE THESE KINDS OF PRESENTATIONS, WHICH I REALLY APPRECIATE.
THEY'RE VERY THOROUGH AND HELPFUL IN THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M SEEING WHERE WE'RE FILLING THE GAPS AND I'M SEEING, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH EFFORT IS GOING INTO IT.
AND FROM THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION, LIKE, WHAT EXACTLY DO WE NEED TO GET THIS DONE? BUT I'M ALSO AT EVERY TURN AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, BOTH THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE CONVERSATION AROUND HOMELESSNESS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING DIVERSION AND PREVENTION OF HOMELESSNESS.
I JUST KEEP THINKING, UM, I GUESS SORT OF LIKE THAT BUILDING CAPACITY AND THE PROVIDER SPACE THERE.
I DON'T SEE WHERE WE'RE BUILDING CAPACITY IN TREATMENT FACILITIES FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.
I DON'T SEE WHERE WE'RE BUILDING CAPACITY WITH, UM, INTENSIVE, UM, OUTPATIENT AND INPATIENT AND EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSES.
AND I'M JUST, I'M CONCERNED THAT AS WE'RE SHIFTING SYSTEMS TO MORE APPROPRIATELY ADDRESSED NEED THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH IN THE WAY OF PROVIDERS WHO ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS.
UM, ESPECIALLY IN A WAY THAT IT'S EITHER AFFORDABLE LOW COST, NO COST SLIDING SCALE.
I, I'M JUST, I'M VERY WORRIED THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEED, EVEN IF ON THE FRONT END, WE'RE TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE'S, UH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING NEEDS AND ON THE FRONT END WERE ADJUSTED THE NEED TO, UM, TO, UM, BE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW WE DEPLOY OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TOOLS.
UM, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE TOOLS THAT I DON'T HEAR IS TALKING ABOUT, AND I'M VERY WORRIED THAT WITHOUT HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND FRANKLY PUTTING SOME MONEY TOWARDS, UM, RECONCILING WHAT I SEE AS A DISTINCTIVE LACK THEREOF, UH, WE'LL JUST CREATE ANOTHER PROBLEM, ANOTHER BACKLOG OF SORTS.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHO EXACTLY CAN SPEAK TO THAT AT ONE, LIKE FOR FOLKS TO JUST SPEAK TO IT IN GENERAL, BUT TO THEM I'M ASKING LIKE, WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MOVING FORWARD? HOW WE DO CREATE A SYSTEM WHERE MY COLLEAGUES AND I ARE ABLE, UM, TO HELP BUILD OUT THOSE TREATMENT FACILITIES AND, UM, FOR BOTH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND MENTAL HEALTH, UM, CRISIS AND MAINTENANCE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ALL RESPONSE, ALSO ASK BARBARA IF SHE WANTED TO SORT OF JUMP IN TO TALK A BIT ABOUT WHAT SHE'S SEEN IN OTHER COMMUNITIES IN TERMS OF BUILDING CAPACITY.
[01:20:01]
UM, AND THEN I'LL END WITH SOME OF WHAT WE INTEND TO DO IN TERMS OF THE FRAMING NOW THAT WE HAVE FROM THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE AND HOW WE CAN WORK WITH PARTNERS TO MOVE FORWARD.I GOT DITCHED ACM, SPLITTER, IF NOT VELA, DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS GOOD MORNING, ELLA? CARMEN, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
MY, UH, VIDEO TENDS TO COMPROMISE MY AUDIO, SO I THOUGHT I'D STICK WITH IT.
UM, VELLA, CARMEN, INTERIM HOMICIDE OFFICER FOR AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, CERTAINLY MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IS A HUGE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AT ONE POINT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS TEXTS, THIS WAS EITHER 49TH OR 50TH IN PER CAPITA SPENDING, UM, IN THOSE AREAS.
AND, AND TYPICALLY WE LOOK TO THE STATE TO HELP FUND A LOT OF THOSE TYPES OF SERVICES.
AND CERTAINLY OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH INTEGRAL CARE AS THE LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY, UM, HAS BEEN REALLY CRITICAL AROUND THE, UM, THE AREA OF HOMELESS SERVICES.
WELL, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT ONLY OPERATED AS, UM, THE MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY, BUT ALSO, UM, HAVE RECEIVED GRANTS AND DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO INCORPORATE HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, ET CETERA.
UM, AS BARR MENTIONED EARLIER, MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT, UM, AS A, AS A KEY STRATEGY FOR BRINGING FUNDING TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SERVICES, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IS, UH, IS REALLY, UM, A KEY STRATEGY IN OTHER STATES HERE IN TEXAS, WE DON'T HAVE EXPANDED MEDICAID, BUT WE DO WORK WITH INTEGRAL CARE.
IT DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO BILL OR MEDICAID, AND WE HAVE A CURRENT CONTRACT WITH THEM FOR, UM, HOUSING FIRST, UM, UM, SORT OF COMMUNITY TREATMENT, UM, SERVICES FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND THEY'RE ABLE TO BILL, UM, LAST I CHECKED BETWEEN 20 AND 30% OF THEIR SERVICES WERE BILLABLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT FROM MEDICAID.
AND SO THAT IS A WAY THAT OUR INVESTMENTS FROM THE CITY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE, UM, THAT SYSTEM.
AND SO, UM, I THINK MORE OF THAT, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE, UM, A KEYSTONE, THE G, BUT YOU, YOU ARE RIGHT IN, IN QUESTIONING THE CAPACITY AND THE, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE ENOUGH OF THOSE SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE, BECAUSE WE DON'T QUITE FRANKLY, UM, I MAY BE ASKING YOU TO, UM, GIVE ME AN IMAGINARY NUMBER, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS, I DON'T THINK IT, IT IS TOO DETRIMENT TO DREAM BIG.
WHAT WOULD THAT NUMBER LOOK LIKE FOR US TO NOT BE 49TH IN THE NATION IN ADDRESSING MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH? WHAT WOULD THAT INVESTMENT LOOK LIKE? WOW.
YEAH, I WOULDN'T REALLY BE MAKING UP A NUMBER THERE, BUT, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY LOOK INTO THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE, THE MODELING THAT, THAT THE CONSULTANTS HAVE DONE AND, UM, AND GIVE YOU SOMETHING BETTER THAN WHAT IT WOULD BE COMPLETELY A MADE UP NUMBER AT THIS POINT.
WE DO APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE DELIBERATING AMONGST OUR COLLEAGUES AND OUR OFFICES AROUND BUDGET PRIORITIES.
AND WHAT ELSE JUST TO WRAP UP, OH, GO AHEAD AND JUMP IN.
I WAS JUST GOING TO POINT OUT THAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY HAVE EXCESS SPENDING RELATED TO HEALTH CARE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE AND TREATMENT SERVICES.
IF YOU'RE LIKE EVERY OTHER COMMUNITY IN AMERICA THAT DOESN'T HAVE A ROBUST, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING STRATEGY.
BECAUSE WHAT WE KNOW FROM THE STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE IN EVERY OTHER COMMUNITY IS THAT HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE CYCLING THROUGH THOSE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, THOSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT AT A VERY HIGH COST.
THE REALITY IS IT'S VERY INEFFICIENT TO DO THAT.
AND IN FACT, BY PROVIDING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND INVESTING IN THE OPERATIONS AND SERVICES THAT WE SHOWED IN OUR MODELING FOR THE, FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT, THOSE, UM, OVERALL COST TO YOUR COMMUNITY WOULD ACTUALLY BE REDUCED IF YOU'RE SIMILAR TO OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE DONE THESE TYPE OF COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS.
[01:25:01]
SO ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT IS RATHER THAN, UM, INVESTING IN STANDALONE INCREASES IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT OR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IS IN FACT TO INVEST MORE STRONGLY IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SO THAT THE EXISTING SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY CAN BE MORE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THE COST OF PROVIDING TREATMENT TO SOMEONE WHO HAS STABLE HOUSING IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE COST OF HAVING SOMEONE WHO IS ACTIVELY USING SUBSTANCES AND IS CYCLING THROUGH TREATMENT AND EFFECTIVELY.SO I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT CONTEXT OUT THERE IS TO, TO THINK REALLY STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THOSE INVESTMENTS, THE NUMBERS THAT MATT WHITE SHOWED YOU INCLUDE THE COST OF PROVIDING, UM, A FULL, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING BENEFIT.
AND IN OTHER STATES THEY'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THAT BE VERY EFFECTIVE.
I DO WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF A, OF A, OF AN EXCELLENT OF MOVING YOUR STATE TO HAVE A BETTER OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE.
I'M VERY MUCH ARGUING FOR THAT AND TO HAVE A BETTER STATE MEDICAID PLAN.
AND OF COURSE, MEDICAID EXPANSION, ALL OF THOSE ARE FACTORS THAT OVERALL REDUCE, UM, THE INFLOW INTO HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE ON THAT TYPE OF POLICY ADVOCACY AS WELL.
I'LL JUST QUICKLY SAY THAT THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE EXACT SORT OF, ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT OBJECTIVES OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND ENSURING THAT WE ARE NOT, UH, ALLOCATING, UM, FUNDS TO, UH, TO PRO TO PROGRAMS THAT ARE AGAIN VERY, VERY MUCH NEEDED, BUT THAT INSTEAD WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR SYSTEM UNDERSTANDING FULLY WHERE THE GAPS EXIST AND THEN STRATEGICALLY ALLOCATING WHERE BONDS CAN HAVE THE BIGGEST AND MOST BENEFITS.
SO, BARBARA, I'M GLAD YOU MADE THE POINT THAT YOU MADE IN THAT IF WE, MISS IS THE ONE OF THE, AGAIN, OBJECTIVES OF THE
AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION AND, UH, WE WILL WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET A RESPONSE, UH, TO YOU, UH, REGARDING SOME OF OUR PARTNERS THAT PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES, JASMINE, HER OLDER, GOOD MORNING.
I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.
I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ASKED.
UM, I WANT TO PAY YOU BACK ON A COUPLE OF THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING.
UM, SO FIRST A COMMENT, UM, COUNSEL, MY HYBRID MEMBER, HER MADISON, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE STATE OF TEXAS IS IN THE FORTIES ON A WHOLE LOT OF MEASURES THAT WOULD, UM, HELP TO IMPROVE EQUITY AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE.
SO FOR SCHOOL FUNDING FOR PEOPLE WE'RE 43RD IN THE COUNTRY.
SO THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF AREAS WHERE, UM, AS A STATE WE COULDN'T COULD IMPROVE, UM, FOR, UM, SOME OF THE NUMBERS I WANTED TO FIRST DRILL DOWN ON WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR BROUGHT UP IN THAT, UM, WITH, UH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE NUMBERS IN THE CHART, UM, THAT 14 FIVE IS FOR THE OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE.
UM, AND I WANTED TO GO BACK TO CONVERSATIONS WE HAD BEFORE, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE MOTEL CONVERSION, IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING IF WE COULD GET THOSE ROOMS TO HAVE THEIR LITTLE KITCHENETTES THAT, UM, ECHO AND OTHER PROVIDERS WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL DOWN ANNUAL FUNDING FOR THAT, UM, IS THAT TRUE OR IS, YOU KNOW, IS THIS 14 FIVE SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO IN THE INTERIM UNTIL THAT TIME HAPPENS? OR IS THIS AN ONGOING EXPENSE? BECAUSE I THOUGHT THERE WERE, UM, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN HUD FUNDING OR OTHER THINGS THAT, UH, ONCE WE GOT TO A CERTAIN POINT WITH MOTEL CONVERSION, UM, THEN IT WAS FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING RATHER THAN BRIDGE HOUSING THAT WE WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO DO THAT.
SO CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CLARIFY THAT? SURE.
I, UH, HOUSE, I KNOW THAT, UM, AND I DON'T MEAN TO PUT ROSIE ON THE SPOT HERE, BUT I KNOW THAT, UH, ROSIE AND ACM GONZALEZ HAD A CONVERSATION WITH ECHO EARLIER THIS WEEK OR LATE LAST WEEK, UH, ABOUT, ABOUT THAT AND ABOUT OPERATING.
UH, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO ELABORATE THOSE IF YOU WERE IN A POSITION TO, AND IT'S, IF YOU'RE NOT, IT'S FINE, BUT WHEN IT TO AT LEAST GIVE YOU THAT OPPORTUNITY,
[01:30:05]
RODNEY, DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT OR DO YOU WANT ME TO THAT'D BE GREAT.SO, UM, SO WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH, WITH ECHO ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, INITIALLY WE WERE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM FOR, UH, MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE ROADWAY.
IN, UH, SINCE WE WERE ABLE TO ACQUIRE ROADWAY WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, RATHER THAN USING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS, WE'RE ABLE TO REMAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE ON THE LONGTERM USE OF THAT FACILITY.
AND THE INTENTION IS TO KEEP IT AS A PROTECTIVE LODGE OR TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, UM, FOR THE DURATION OF PROBATE AND BEYOND, UM, BECAUSE IT, IT TO DO THE, TO DO THE, UH, REHAB AND, UM, REALLY RENOVATION THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THAT TO TAKE IT TO THE LEVEL THAT WOULD, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO UTILIZE ANY FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR, UM, FROM VOUCHERS OR FOR, FOR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
UM, IT, IT WOULD TAKE IT OFFLINE FOR USE FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND THE EXPENSE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, UPWARDS OF, OF A MILLION AND A HALF MORE DOLLARS, UM, TO INVEST INTO THAT FACILITY WHEN WE CAN USE IT IN ITS CURRENT STATE WITH MINOR REHAB, UM, FOR PROTECTIVE LODGING OR BRIDGE HOUSING OR SHELTER, YOU KNOW, MORE OF A SHELTER TYPE TYPE YOUTH.
UM, SO WE HAVE TALKED TO, UH, ECHO ABOUT THEIR POTENTIAL WILLINGNESS TO, UM, TO MANAGE AND OPERATE ANY FUTURE INVESTMENTS.
I THINK AS WE MIGHT HAVE ANY DOLLARS AVAILABLE, I THINK THERE'S OTHER FOLKS THAT WOULD STILL BE OPEN TO THAT.
AND SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW WE WOULD MOVE FORWARD ON, UH, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FOR ANY FACILITIES THAT COME ONLINE THROUGH ACQUISITION AFTER ROADWAY IN, I THINK WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, UM, ON THIS, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I'M REALLY GOING TO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT DYNAMIC BECAUSE AS I UNDERSTOOD THE SELLING POINT OF THE MOTEL CONVERSION, AND THAT APPROACH WAS THAT THE ONGOING COSTS, UM, COULD BE FUNDED BY FEDERAL DOLLARS.
AND THAT WOULD NOT BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD BE TAKING ON AS A CITY.
IF THAT'S NOT THE CASE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO NEED, I'M GOING TO NEED TO REALLY RETHINK THE WHOLE STRATEGY AND HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IT.
AND, UM, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE PREPARED TO GIVE ME THOSE ANSWERS.
NOW I'M HAPPY TO HEAR MORE, BUT, UM, I'M, I'M CONFUSED ABOUT THE MIXED MESSAGING THAT I'M GETTING ON THAT FUNDING.
IF I COULD CLARIFY COUNSEL MEMBER ALTER THE PROPOSAL THAT ECHO HAD PROVIDED, AND I'D BE GLAD TO SEND THAT INFORMATION BACK TO COUNCIL WAS THAT THEY WOULD, UH, INITIALLY TAKE ON THE HOTELS AS A BRIDGE HOUSING FOR SHORT DURATION AND CONVERT THEM WITHIN A TWO YEAR TIME PERIOD INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
THAT WOULD BE FINANCIALLY SELF-SUSTAINING THROUGH THE, UH, CHARGE OF RENT IF YOU WILL.
AND SO THAT WAS ECHO'S PROPOSAL FOR LONG LONGTERM SUSTAINING EACH OF THOSE FACILITIES AS PSH.
UM, AS ROSIE POINTED OUT TO ECHO, STILL INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING, WE ARE UTILIZING THE ROADWAY FOR OTHER PURPOSES THAT, UH, TO, UH, WE SPOKE WITH MATT MALIKA YESTERDAY AND THEY CERTAINLY ARE INTERESTED IN CONTINUING PARTICIPATING.
OKAY, WELL, WE CAN TAKE THAT PART OFFLINE UNLESS THERE'S MORE INFO.
WELL, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT IN CHARGING, WHEN, WHEN ATM GONZALEZ SPEAKS TO CHARGING OF RENT, THAT COMES IN THE FORM OF RECEIPT OF FEDERAL VOUCHERS.
AND SO FOLKS THAT WOULD BE SITTING IN THERE, AND I THINK THAT MAY BE WHERE, UM, SOME INFORMATION IS GETTING IS GETTING MAYBE CONFUSED OR NOT.
UM, BECAUSE IF WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE FEDERAL VOUCHERS OR PLACE PEOPLE UNDER A FEDERAL VOUCHER, THEN THAT'S WHAT, UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN CRITERIA THAT HAS TO BE MET FOR THE FACILITY.
AND THAT'S WHY WHEN I SPEAK ABOUT ROADWAY MEETING ADDITIONAL REHAB AND, AND THE TIME AND EXPENSE FOR THAT, THAT WOULD BE WHAT WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN TO HAVE THAT BE AVAILABLE FOR SOMEONE TO RESIDE IN THERE UNDER A FEDERAL VOUCHER AND NEEDING THAT FULL VOUCHER IS WHAT ECHO WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH HAVING THAT KIND OF BECOME A MORE OF A SELF SUSTAINING FACILITY.
UH, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LIMITED NUMBER OF VOUCHERS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR, IN OUR CITY.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE'RE LOOKING TO CREATE THAT LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER TO HELP SUPPLEMENT THAT AND TO BOLSTER THAT NEED IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION FOR THE CONSULTANTS.
UM, YOU SPOKE ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, UM, AND I HADN'T HEARD THAT, UM, AS AN APPROACH, UM, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY, UM, CAN YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT AND WHAT THOSE STRATEGIES ARE FOR THE INCLUSIVE
[01:35:01]
PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, UM, AND HOW YOU'VE SEEN IT DONE? WELL, GREAT.UM, SO PUBLIC SMOKE MANAGEMENT IS THIS NECESSARY APPROACH BECAUSE YOU HAVE PEOPLE LIVING IN PUBLIC SPACES BECAUSE THEY REALLY HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.
AND YOU'RE IN A CITY THAT AS YOU KNOW, HAS A VERY HIGH RATE OF UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO THE STRATEGIES OTHER CITIES ARE USING IS RATHER THAN, UM, THE MOVE ALONG OR SWEEP OR, UM, YOU KNOW, EUPHEMISMS LIKE ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION, UM, THINGS THAT, UH, UH, INTENTION JUST TO MOVE PEOPLE ALONG IS INSTEAD ENSURING THAT THOSE PUBLIC SPACES, UM, ARE, HAVE REGULAR TRASH PICKUP, UH, THAT THERE IS PROVISION OF HELPING THEM GET THEIR BASIC NEEDS, NEEDS MET, UM, CONNECTION TO RESOURCES.
AND, UH, AND AS I'VE SEEN ON OUTREACH TEAMS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE DOING THIS, THE OUTREACH TEAMS ARE ENGAGED INDIVIDUALS AND FIND TO MAKE CONNECTION TO WHAT RESOURCES MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO THEM IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO WORKING WITH THEM TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO GET THINGS LIKE IDS AND BE CONNECTED BACK WITH FAMILY WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
AND SO IT IS COMBINING AN EFFECTIVE STREET OUTREACH STRATEGY WHERE THE FIRST RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS IS OUTREACH, NOT, UM, NOT A POLICE RESPONSE.
UM, AND, AND ALL OF THIS OF COURSE IS DEPENDENT ON YOUR ABILITY TO SCALE UP BOTH THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT IS NEEDED, PARTICULARLY FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO EXPANDING YOUR EMERGENCY SHELTER CAPACITY IN WAYS THAT ARE LOW BARRIER AND ALLOW PEOPLE WITH, AS, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN OTHER CITIES, POSSESSIONS PARTNERS AND PETS ARE ALLOWED TO COME INTO, UH, FACILITIES AND TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT AND NOT SUBJECT TO, UM, ARBITRARY RULES OR NIGHTTIME ONLY KIND OF SHELTER.
SO THOSE ARE THE STRATEGIES THAT ARE EFFECTIVE AND REDUCING THAT, UM, BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN PEOPLE ARE MOVED ALONG AND THEIR BELONGINGS ARE, ARE LOST, THEY'RE LOSING IDS, THEY'RE BEING TREATED IN OFTEN HARSH WAYS THAT WILL MAKE IT HARDER AND HARDER TO ENGAGE THEM INTO THE FUTURE.
AND SO THAT'S THE, YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THOSE STRATEGIES UNDERWAY.
THEY'RE NOT PERHAPS TO THE SCALE SUFFICIENT TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CAMPSITE, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS IN GOOD ORDER, BUT THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF ACTIVITIES THAT MAKE THE MOST DIFFERENCE.
SO, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT AS THE IDEAL, BUT HAVE YOU ASSESSED WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, CURRENTLY IN THIS AREA AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY, UM, MORE SPECIFICALLY, AND ARE THERE PARTICULAR CITIES THAT ARE GOOD MODELS? WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
YES, NO, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO FROM WHAT, WHEN, WHEN WE WERE THERE AND DID OUR ONSITE, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS WE NOTICED IS THERE, AREN'T A LOT OF PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO DURING THE DAY TO ACCESS, UM, GETTING THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET, WHETHER THAT'S LAUNDRY OR SHOWERS OR, UH, PLACES TO GET MAIL DELIVERED, UM, THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU AND I CAN DO ON OUR HOME ACCESS TO THOSE.
UM, YOU DO HAVE A TRASH PICKUP PROGRAM.
IT'S NOT CLEAR HERE, IF THAT IS TO SCALE.
UM, IF YOU'RE GETTING PUBLIC COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRASH NOTATED WITH, UM, WITH ENCAMPMENTS, THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD INDICATOR THAT THAT PROGRAM MIGHT NEED TO GET SCALED UP.
UM, I WAS, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS THAT AT EVERY SITE THERE WERE SAFE, UM, NEEDLE EXCHANGE AND DISPOSAL.
UM, AGAIN, IF YOU'RE HEARING PUBLIC COMPLAINTS ABOUT SYRINGES, THAT'S GONNA TELL YOU THAT THERE PROBABLY ISN'T A SUFFICIENCY, UM, TO THAT RESPONSE, AS I HAD UNDERSTOOD IT FROM THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD WITH THE CROSS SECTOR OR ACROSS DEPARTMENTAL TEAM, THEY WERE WORKING ON AN ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION PROTOCOL THAT ENCAMPMENT PROTOCOL NEEDS TO BE GROUNDED IN THE HEALTH OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, NOT SIMPLY RELATED TO, UM, THE MOST CALLS THAT COME IN AS WHICH CAMP GETS CLEANED UP, UM, AND MOVED ALONG.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE DOING THAT, IT'S MORE OF A WHACK-A-MOLE RESPONSE WHERE PEOPLE ARE APPEARING IN OTHER PLACES, THE CITIES THAT WE PROFILED AND VISITED THAT HAD THE MOST EFFECTIVE RESPONSES, UM, INCLUDED, UM, PLACES WITH RELATIVELY LOW LEVELS, A BUNCH SHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, UM, BECAUSE THEY HAD ENOUGH, A REALLY EFFECTIVE RESPONSE.
UM, AND THAT WAS PLACES LIKE, UH, SYRACUSE, NEW YORK AND ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS,
[01:40:01]
AND WICHITA, KANSAS.WE SAW SOME EFFECTIVE PRACTICES HAPPENING IN PLACES WITH HIGH LEVELS OF ON SHELTER.
UM, PORTLAND, OREGON, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, WHERE THEY HAD SOME ELEMENTS OF THE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, UM, THAT, UM, I JUST DESCRIBED, UH, THERE'S A FULL SERIES OF BRIEFS THAT WE PROVIDED THAT.
AND ONE OF THE BRIEFS IS ON INCLUSIVE PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, BUT WE ALSO PROFILED NINE COMMUNITIES THAT HAD SOME, OR ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS GOING ON.
UM, ALSO I WENT OUT ON OUTREACH IN MANY PLACES IN CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, LOS ANGELES, THE COACHELLA VALLEY.
UM, AND USUALLY THE RESPONSES THAT I WAS SEEING THERE JUST ARE NOT TO SCALE IN TERMS OF PROVIDING THE KIND OF RELIEF THAT IS NEEDED BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE HAVE NO TO GET THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET, THEY'RE HAVING TO DO ALL OF THEIR ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN THE, IN THE PUBLIC SPACE.
UM, AND SO, UM, IT'S REALLY, REALLY CHALLENGING FOR PEOPLE LIVING, LIVING OUTDOORS AND UNSHELTERED.
AND SO WE COULD SEE IN YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU WERE DOING SOME THINGS, BUT IT PROBABLY IS NOT TO THE SCALE THAT'S NECESSARY.
GIVEN SOME OF THE CONCERNS WE HEARD RAISE WHEN WE TALK WITH PEOPLE WITH, UM, WHO WERE LIVING OUTSIDE AND JUST THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACED.
SO THAT IS THAT REPORT IS SEPARATE FROM THE REPORT ON AUSTIN.
THAT'S THE REPORT YOU DID IN CONJUNCTION WITH A PARTICULAR FOUNDATION.
UM, CAN SOMEBODY SEND US A LINK TO THAT MATERIAL? UM, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I WILL, UM, YOU KNOW, TO ONLY FOCUS NOW, GENTLEMEN, FLANIGAN, THANK YOU.
UH, I'M, I'M REALLY VERY INTERESTED IN THE KIND OF THE SYSTEMS DESIGN PART OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF BUDGET CONVERSATIONS AND NOT JUST OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, BUT AS WE ALL AS A COUNCIL, WORK ON CONTINUING BUDGET TWEAKS AND CHANGES, UH, MOVING FORWARD.
BUT, UM, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND OTHER, OTHER FUNDING PARTNERS, BOTH TRAVIS COUNTY, HEALTHCARE DISTRICT, PRIVATE FUNDERS, AND ECHO, WHICH I ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD TO BE THE KIND OF MANAGING AGENCY, THE CONTINUUM OF CARE AGENCY, AND BECAUSE IT'S THE CONTINUUM OF CARE AGENCY, IT OCCUPIES A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN TERMS OF THE ABILITY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTRACT WITH THEM DIRECTLY WITHOUT A COMPLICATED RFP SYSTEM.
UM, CAN, CAN YOU VERY BRIEFLY REVIEW THAT PART AGAIN BECAUSE IT WASN'T CLEAR WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY WAS GOING TO CONTINUE WHAT IT DOES NOW, WHICH IS STILL DO SEPARATE CONTRACTS WITH SEPARATE PROVIDERS, OR IF WE'RE GOING TO USE THE CONTINUUM OF CARE AS THE MANAGER OF THE PROVIDERS, BARB, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SORT OF JUST TALK IN SUMMARY ABOUT, OR IN BRIEF ABOUT THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SECTION OF THE REPORT.
UM, JUST AN OVERVIEW AND THEN WE COULD BE MORE, UH, DIRECTED IN OUR, UH, IN OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE WITH ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
SO IN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE CITY IS THE PRIMARY INVESTOR IN HOMELESSNESS.
UM, BUT IT'S MAKING ITS INVESTMENT DECISIONS LARGELY, UM, THROUGH ITS OWN PROCESSES AND HAS A SERIES OF LEGACY CONTRACTS.
UM, WHAT, WHEREAS ECHO IS ONLY RESPONSIBLE THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FUNDING, WHICH IS A MUCH SMALLER PORTION OF THE FUNDING.
THEY TODAY HAVE HAD ONLY LIMITED, UM, RESPONSIBILITIES FOR, UH, THE CRISIS RESPONSE PIECE OF IT.
MOST OF THE COC RESOURCES ARE FOR HOUSING STABILIZATION, UM, BUT THEY HAVE, UH, UH, A COMPREHENSIVE ORGANIZATION AS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE THE COC DESIGNATION AS THE CONTINUAL CARE LEAD.
SO THEY HAVE A LOT OF EXPERTISE AND CAPACITY ON THEIR STAFF FOR EVERYTHING, FROM DATA THROUGH THE COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM AND THE HMES.
AND SO THERE'S THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, RESET THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND ECHO AND TO MORE CLEARLY DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES, UM, TO ECHO AND EMPOWER THEM.
UM, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS TO SIGNAL TO THE PROVIDERS WHO RECEIVE CITY OF AUSTIN FUNDING, THAT IN FACT, THEY ARE TO PARTICIPATE AS PART OF THE ECHO LED SYSTEM, AND THAT THERE IS A PROCESS FOR JOINT AND SHARED DECISION MAKING, UM, ACROSS THE CITY AND
[01:45:01]
ECHO SPECIFICALLY OF THE FOUR JIGSAW PUZZLES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THE CITY IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INFLOW AND BROKERING ALL OF THOSE RELATIONSHIPS THAT REDUCE INFLOW INTO HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS INVESTMENT IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AS WELL AS THE CITIES, THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, THEY CAN DELEGATE, OR YOU CAN DELEGATE TO ECHO FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE SYSTEM, BOTH THE CRISIS RESPONSE AND THE HOUSING STABILIZATION.UM, AND I, I, I THINK THE WORK YOU HAVE UNDERWAY THROUGH THE COVID-19 RESPONSE KIND OF LAYS OUT SOME OF THE WAYS THAT YOU CAN DO THAT.
UM, OUR CONSULTANT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY AND TO ECHO, WHICH, UM, WE, WE HAD OPEN CONVERSATIONS WITH EVERYONE, UM, ALL AROUND IS THAT THE CONTRACTING PROCESS OF THE CITY TO ECHO CAUSE YOU ARE FUNDING THEM IN SOME WAYS IS TO GET TO A UNIFIED CONTRACT THAT IS CLEAR ON THEIR ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND FOR PARTNERING WITH THEM IN THE GRANTMAKING DECISIONS THAT, UM, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS GOING TO MAKE.
AND SO I THINK IT'S A, UH, TO BE DEVELOPED INTO THE FUTURE.
IT IS, UM, CONVERSATIONS, AS I SAID, THAT WE CAN, WE THERE'S GOODWILL ON BOTH ON BOTH PARTS.
UM, AND WE'RE REALLY PLEASED TO SEE THE PROGRESS THAT ECO AND THE CITY HAVE BEEN MAKING TOGETHER THROUGH THE COVID RESPONSE IN SOME OF THIS TYPE OF SHARED DECISION MAKING.
SO THAT, THAT, THAT HELPS A LITTLE BIT.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CITY OWNING THE INFLOW PROCESS MIGHT BE A, MIGHT BE AN AREA WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES AROUND INFLOW OF FOLKS WHO ARE, WHO HAVE THEIR INCOME DISRUPTED.
UM, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THE TENANTS' COUNCIL, THERE MIGHT BE OTHER ENTITIES OUT THERE THAT MIGHT BE OUR PARTNERS ON THE INFLOW SIDE.
AND THEN ECHO IS OUR PRIMARY PARTNER ON THE ASSISTANCE ON THE HOMELESS ASSISTANCE SIDE.
I STILL WANT TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS LATER ABOUT WHO'S DOING THE CONTRACTING, UM, AND TO THE EXTENT THAT THE COUNCIL CAN BE SETTING THE POLICY AND DOING OVERSIGHT, BUT, BUT I REMAIN CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONTRACTS COMING THROUGH THE CITY BECAUSE THE COMBINATION OF THE REQUIREMENTS AROUND THE CONTRACTING PROCESS AND THE INEVITABLE POLITICY POLITICAL IT'S, AS I SAY, I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT, RIGHT.
THAT IS INEVITABLE IN THE CONTRACT DECISION.
WE'VE, WE'VE ALL SEEN THAT HAPPEN, UH, FOR GOOD AND FOR BAD, UM, ON THAT.
AND SO MY PREFERENCE IS THAT WE AS A COUNCIL, AS A CITY, NOT JUST US, BUT MOVING FORWARD THAT WE'RE SETTING POLICY AND MEASURING OUTCOMES, BUT WE'RE LETTING THE PROVIDERS BE MORE NIMBLE, DO MORE MATCHING FUNDS, BEING MORE ESTABLISHING, MORE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THESE OTHER FUNDING AGENCIES.
BUT I, I THINK I BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT SEPARATION, BUT I DEFINITELY WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT IT AS OF A KITCHEN.
UM, I, I APPRECIATE ALL MY COLLEAGUES QUESTIONS.
THESE ARE REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS.
SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THE CONSULTANTS HAVE DONE AND OUR STAFF HAS DONE.
UM, I, I WANT TO ASK ABOUT, IT'S SORT OF A NEXT STEPS QUESTIONS.
UM, UM, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, GETTING TO A PLACE WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE METRICS THAT WE ARE SAYING, UM, DASHBOARD CONCEPT THAT WE HAVE USED, UH, FOR OTHER, OTHER, UM, AT EASE, UM, AS WELL AS AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN BECAUSE, UM, IT'S VERY HELPFUL, BUT I'M, I'M REALLY WANTING TO UNDERSTAND SPECIFICALLY HOW WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON, UH, OUR, HOW, YOU KNOW, AND I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY DATA THAT THE OVERALL DATA IS HELPFUL IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE STREETS, BUT WHAT I'M NOT SEEING IS, IS ENOUGH SPECIFICS TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE ACTUALLY BEING SUCCESSFUL OR NOT, UH, IN TERMS OF THE USE OF OUR DOLLARS AND HOW WE'RE AVOIDING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE AVOIDING FLAP.
AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT THERE TO UNPACK AND TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN A SIMPLIFIED WORLD, I KNOW IT DOESN'T WORK THIS WAY, BUT SOME WOULD JUST ASK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 2000 PLUS PEOPLE, LIKE WHY DON'T WE JUST, UH, ASSIGNED EACH ONE, A SINGLE CASE MANAGER TO HELP THEM GET TO WHERE THEY NEED, UH, INSTEAD OF ALL THE, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE OVERLAP AND STUFF THAT GOES ON AND IT'S NOT COORDINATED.
SO ANYWAY, UH, BUT THAT'S A LONGER CONVERSATION.
LET ME GET BACK TO WHAT IS NEXT IN TERMS OF AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND IDENTIFYING METRICS THAT WE'RE USING FOR OUR PERFORMANCE ON OUR CONTRACTS AND A DASHBOARD THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING, AND WE CAN SHOW THE PROGRESS
[01:50:01]
TO THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF OUR USE OF OUR DOLLARS.THANK YOU FOR THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.
I'M GOING TO ASK A NAPPY JORDY TO JUMP IN, TO TALK A BIT MORE ABOUT THE COALITION.
AND THEN I'LL ASK LAURA BOSS TO JUMP IN, TO TALK A BIT ABOUT THE DASHBOARD TIMELINE.
SO I THINK WE ARE NOW AT THE CRITICAL STAGE OF FIGURING OUT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MOVING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS FORWARD IN THIS REPORT, AS WELL AS LOOKING BACK TO THE AUSTIN ECHO CLIENT, I'M SORRY, THE ACTION PLAN DEVELOPED BY ECHO.
WE SHOULDN'T REALLY HAVE CLEAR IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES OR ROLES OR RESPONSIBILITIES EITHER.
SO THAT IS PART OF THE PROCESS THAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING ALONGSIDE THE P THREE WORK THAT I DESCRIBED.
IT IS ALSO JUST LOOKING ACROSS THE FULL RANGE OF RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THIS REPORT, CLEARLY ZEROING IN ON WHICH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE CITY CARRIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING CHANGES AROUND ALONE.
WHERE ARE THERE ONES THAT THEY'RE SHARING RESPONSIBILITIES WITH ECHO, WHERE ARE THERE ONES THAT REALLY THE P THREE GROUP CAN CARRY THE WORK FORWARD AND GETTING TO CLARITY AROUND ALL OF THE FULL SCALE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DRIVING THE NEXT STEP? SO WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET, BUT THAT'S A KEY ELEMENT OF THE WORK THAT'S TO FOLLOW.
UM, WITHIN THAT TO CIRCLE BACK A LITTLE BIT, ALSO ALONGSIDE THE P THREE PROCESS, THERE'LL BE MORE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE CITY AND ECHO THAT I'LL BE TRYING TO FACILITATE TO REALLY HAMMER OUT SOME OF THE DETAILS AROUND ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
AND THAT IS WORK THAT I THINK WE WOULD HAVE DONE SEVERAL MONTHS AGO IF IT WEREN'T FOR COVID-19, BUT PRIMARILY WE WERE NEGOTIATING THOSE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19.
NOW, I THINK WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE OVERARCHING SYSTEM AND BEGINNING TO GREATER CLARITY ABOUT HOW THOSE RENTALS ARE SHARED DIVVIED UP, WHERE'S THEIR COLLABORATION, WHERE IS THEIR INDEPENDENT ACTION.
AND THEN AS PART OF THAT, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE SETTING CLEAR TARGETS FOR SOME OF THE SCALABLE INCREASES.
UM, AND THEN MATT WHITE COULD PROBABLY SPEAK TO THIS IN MORE DETAIL, BUT THERE ARE ALSO CLEAR SYSTEM PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT HUD USES AND ENCOURAGES COMMUNITIES TO USE TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF THEIR STRATEGIES.
AND THEY'RE RELATIVELY SIMPLE MEASURES AROUND DOCUMENTING THE, WHETHER YOU'RE SEEING INCREASE OR DECREASES IN PEOPLE ENTERING HOMELESSNESS, WHETHER YOU'RE SEEING LONGER OR SHORTER EXPERIENCES OF HOMELESSNESS, PEOPLE EXITING TO PERMANENT HOUSING AND TO OTHER SETTINGS.
AND I THINK YOU CAN USE THOSE MEASURES AS A PRIMARY FOCUS FOR KNOWING WHETHER YOUR COMMUNITY IS MOVING FORWARD IN WAYS THAT ARE LEADING YOU TO SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES, OR WHETHER THERE'S MORE, MORE WORK NEEDED ACROSS SOME OF THOSE MEASURES TO DRIVE MORE PROGRESS.
SO, SO, UM, JUST SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, SO WHEN WE, WHEN I TALK ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, I JUST WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL THINKING.
UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT MIGHT BE, I'M TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UM, DEADLINES, RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TASK, UM, AND RESULTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAS TO BE DONE WHEN WHO'S DOING IT.
AND WHAT TELLS US RESULTS AT THAT LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY IS SO TO MEAN WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
I FEEL, I THINK IT MAY, THAT MAY WORK MAY HAVE TO HAPPEN IN STAGES SINCE THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE, BUT ZERO IN ON THE PRIORITIES AND GET THE CLARITY AROUND WHAT TIMEFRAME TIMEFRAMES, WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE THEY IMPLEMENTING, BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT MORE CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD ACROSS ALL THE PARTNERS WHO HAVE ROLES TO PLAY.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS IN WHICH YOU STRUGGLE CURRENTLY, AS PEOPLE KNOW THINGS NEED TO HAPPEN, BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR WHO'S SUPPOSED TO TAKE THE LEAD ON MAKING SURE THEY HAPPEN THE FIRST HALF IN THE CONTEXT OF THE P THREE WORK AND GETTING THE CLARITY AROUND THE WORK OF THAT TEAM AND ITS PROBLEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE MEMBERS.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE HAMMERING OUT KIND OF THE BIGGER PICTURE VISION FOR THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CITY, AND THEN BUILDING TOWARDS AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THAT COULD BE APPLIED TO THE ACTION PLAN AS A WHOLE.
UM, LET'S SEEDING THAT BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
WE'RE PROBABLY LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THAT, BUT NOT GETTING THE FULL SCALE OF IMITATION MUTATION, THE WHOLE ACTION PLAN BY THAT STAGE.
UM, UM, SO ON THE P THREE, UM, I SEE THAT WE'RE, WE HAVE SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS SO FAR, AND I KNOW YOU'VE MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE PERHAPS BUILDING IT OUT, BUT I'M NOT SEEING THE HEALTHCARE ENTITIES ON THAT LIST OTHER THAN INTEGRAL CAL INTEGRAL CARE, BUT I DON'T SEE THE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS OR CENTRAL HEALTH.
AND THE REASON I'M THINKING THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL IS BECAUSE AT ITS HEART, HOMELESSNESS IS A, IS A HOUSING ISSUE, BUT IT'S ALSO VERY MUCH A HEALTH ISSUE.
AND BECAUSE IT'S SO INTERTWINED AND THAT COMBINED WITH THE FACT THAT, UM, DISCHARGING TO THE STREETS STILL HAPPENS.
I MEAN, I KNOW THAT HEALTH SYSTEMS TRY NOT TO DO THAT, BUT IT, BUT IT DOES HAPPEN.
AND SO, UM, I DON'T WANT THAT OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND THE COMMUNITY TO DO WHAT APPEARS TO ME SOMEWHAT SILOED IN TERMS OF
[01:55:01]
WORKING TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY.IS THAT SOMETHING, ARE YOU THINKING THAT, THAT, THAT THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, UM, AS PART OF
SO I THINK THE VISION FOR THE
AND, BUT IT INCLUDES WORK ACROSS INFLOWS.
SO HOSPITAL SYSTEM, DISCHARGE POLICIES MIGHT BE AN AREA IN WHICH WORK GETS PRIORITIZED AND THEMES ACROSS ALL OF THE ELEMENTS THAT BARB HAS DESCRIBED.
AND THEN I THINK BUILDING OUT WHO ARE THE PARTNERS THAT WE NEED TO BE WORKING WITH IN ORDER TO DELIVER ON THOSE GOALS.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE I THINK SOME OF THE SYSTEMS MAY NOT BE BEST POSITIONED TO BE IN THE OVERARCHING STRATEGY CONVERSATION.
IT MIGHT BE CORE AT MEMBERS OF SOME OF THE WORK GROUPS THAT DRIVE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS OF THAT WORK FORWARD.
I THINK THE BIGGER THE GROUP GETS THE HARDER IT IS TO KEEP EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE AND FOR THEM ALL TO HAVE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING, I THINK STARTING SMALLER, GETTING A CLEAR VISION, SET A DIRECTION FOR THAT GROUP, AND THEN BRINGING PEOPLE INTO SOMETHING THAT FEELS MORE DEFINED RATHER THAN BRINGING PEOPLE INTO SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT AMORPHOUS RIGHT AT THIS STAGE, BUT SHOULD GET MORE DEFINED PRETTY QUICKLY.
WELL, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT, UM, AS YOU THINK THROUGH THAT, THAT, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S MORE, AND IT'S BECOMING COMMON AS I'M SURE, YOU KNOW, IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD TOO, TO THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, WHICH HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS IS A KEY PART AS PART OF HEALTHCARE RESPONSE, NOT AS AN ADD ON.
SO, UM, YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT CENTRAL HEALTH INTO THE PICTURE, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE YOU'VE BROUGHT IN INTEGRAL CARE IS INTEGRAL ABILITY IN CENTRAL HEALTH HAS THE PHYSICAL HEALTH RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY.
AND SO YOU MIGHT, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN TERMS OF BRINGING IN TOO MANY PLAYERS, BUT YOU MIGHT SAY YOU MIGHT CONSIDER BRINGING THEM IN AT THE BEGINNING.
YOU DEFINITELY TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH THE GROUP THAT THE NEXT MEETING.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST, I MEAN, OUR, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM BE ONLY OUTSIDE OF, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT COMING OUT ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT THEY'RE NOT AN ADD ON IT IS IT IS LIKE THIS.
UM, AND SO THEN THE LAST THING IS WHEN CAN WE IN THIS MAY BE, I DON'T KNOW.
WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE, UH, AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN? WELL, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, AS MATT ALREADY MENTIONED, WE'LL BE WORKING OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS THROUGH SEPTEMBER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A, A SOLID AND CONCISE PETE RE COALITION OF PLAN.
UH, I THINK PRIMARILY THAT PLAN WILL GIVE US, UH, AS A COALITION, UM, WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE ACTIONABLE STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD.
I THINK BEYOND, UH, AND WE'LL IN, INTO THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE, OF THE, OF THE FYI 21 BUDGET, WE LOOK TO HOPEFULLY WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTER HAVE WHO YOUR STEPS WILL ANALYZE ACTION PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS, OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN FINALIZED AND PUT FORWARD BY BARR, POPPY AND HER TEAM, UH, AND THE WORK THAT MATT DOHERTY IS DOING SO THAT WE CAN PRESENT FORWARD TO MAYOR INTO YOU AS COUNSEL, UM, ON WHAT WE BELIEVE WE NEED TO DO, NEED TO DO IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION TO MOVE FORWARD IN A SYSTEMS, UH, IN A SYSTEMS APPROACH.
UM, I KNOW WE ARE, WE ARE CLOSE TO OUR TIME.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED ME TO HAVE, UM, LAURA JUMP IN QUICKLY TO TALK ABOUT THE DASHBOARD.
UM, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT WE ARE SCHEDULED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION NOW.
SO WANTED TO JUST CHECK IN ON, ON THAT YOU'RE MUTED MAYOR, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND JUST TOUCH ON THE BASKETBALL DASHBOARD BECAUSE THAT IS KIND OF THE NEXT STEP AND IMPORTANT, AND THEN IT IS NOON.
SO AFTER THAT, I'LL TAKE US INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
MARION COUNCIL, JUST CHECKING TO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR QUESTION.
JUST VERY BRIEFLY, A TIMELINE ON THE DASHBOARD.
I'M DELIGHTED TO TELL YOU THAT WE ARE PLANNING TO LAUNCH THE FIRST ITERATION OF THE DASHBOARD ONE WEEK FROM YESTERDAY.
SO AUGUST 10TH, YOU'LL BE GETTING A NEWS FLASH THAT WILL PROVIDE YOU A LINK TO THE DASHBOARD.
AS WE MET WITH EACH OF YOUR OFFICES TO, TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE DASHBOARD.
I'M HAPPY TO ONCE AGAIN, MEET WITH EACH OF YOUR OFFICES TO WALK THROUGH THE DASHBOARDS, LET YOU KNOW HOW
[02:00:01]
WE LANDED ON THE DATA SETS THAT WE LANDED ON FOR THIS FIRST ITERATION AND THE VISUALIZATIONS THAT YOU CHOSE.UH, CAN REACH OUT TO YOUR OFFICES AND SET UP A TIME TO DO THAT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.
UM, BUT, UH, JUST AGAIN, QUICKLY, UM, LOOK OUT FOR A NEWS FLASH ON AUGUST 10TH NEXT MONDAY.
UH, JASPER ELLIS QUESTION, BUT IT'S ABOUT A, A LATER ITEM ON OUR AGENDA.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF, UM, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK BRIEFLY FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC, I'LL LET SOMEONE ELSE GO FIRST.
NO, I THINK THERE WERE NO OTHER HANDS RAISED.
SO, UM, YOU, YOU WANT TO PICK OUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN HOMELESSNESS? YES.
I JUST WANTED TO BRIEFLY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT A LATER ITEM ON OUR, UM, ON OUR POSTING.
LET ME LET YOU GO AHEAD AND DO IN JUST A SECOND.
UM, UH, JUST THE SAME AMOUNT OF SHORT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, AND ALL THE CONSULTANTS WERE FOR BEING WITH US TODAY, UH, EXCITED TO SEE THIS PROGRESS, OBVIOUSLY A HUGE PRIORITY.
AND I KNOW THAT SO MANY IN THE COMMUNITY ARE, ARE WITH US, BUT WANT TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A PLAN AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ACTUALLY GETTING US CLOSER TO DAILY HOMELESSNESS.
THE CITY IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP.
BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF GET AHEAD OF OUR AGENDA FOR THIS ITEM, BUT I'VE GOTTEN A COUPLE OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE POSTING LANGUAGE AND THE TALKING ABOUT ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION IN THE LAST 30 MINUTES OF TODAY'S MEETING.
SO I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT WE'RE APPROPRIATELY POSTED BECAUSE I'VE HEARD SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAYING THEY WERE A LITTLE CAUGHT OFF GUARD BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T SURE THAT WE'D BE TALKING ABOUT IT.
AND HADN'T QUITE SEEN THE INFORMATION THAT WAS REQUESTED IN THE RESOLUTION.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE, I'M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING THAT WE WEREN'T APPROPRIATELY POSTED FOR WE'RE WE'RE POSTING TO TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND THE TAX RATE THAT'S VERY BROADLY POSTED.
AND WE THINK THAT ACTIVE POST ROTATION, THE WAY THAT RESOLUTION 90 WAS, WAS WRITTEN WITH COVERED UNDER THE BUDGET AND THE TAX RATE, EVEN THOUGH I ENDED UP BEING A BOND PROPOSITION, LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, IS THAT PART OF THE AGENDA, UH, SHOWN ON THE AGENDA THAT, UM, UM, AND HANDED OUT THIS MORNING THAT I CAN TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS PER THAT RESOLUTION FROM FOUR 35, IT COMES TO MY ROOM BECAUSE IT RELATES TO THE TAX RATES.
WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT PREPARED BEFORE WE BRING IT FORWARD.
WITH THAT COLLEAGUES, UM, CITY COUNCIL, NOW
[Executive Session]
WE'LL GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP ONE ITEM PURSUANT TO FIVE, FIVE, ONE OH SEVEN TWO IN THE GOVERNMENT CODE.THE CITY COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS REAL ESTATE MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, UH, WHICH IS THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OR VALUE OF INTEREST IN REAL ESTATE.
UH, IF THERE WERE NO OBJECTIONS THAT WE WILL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, TO ANTICIPATED THAT WE WILL ALSO GRAB LUNCH AND IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE'RE BACK OUT HERE AT ONE O'CLOCK, UH, TO CONTINUE THIS MEETING WITH THAT, THAT, UH, 1206, HOW WE'RE HEADED TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, WE ARE OUT OF CLOSED SESSION IN CLOSED SESSION.
WE DISCUSSED REAL ESTATE MATTERS RELATED TO THEM 333, OR THIS IS THE, UH, SPECIAL CALL, UH, WORK SESSION, UH, BEING HANDLED, UH, VIRTUALLY, UH, WE'RE NOW TO THE, UH, AFTERNOON
[2. Discussion about the fiscal year 2020-2021 proposed budget and tax rate.]
OUR GENDER, WHICH IS THE DISTRESS, UH, MOST SPECIFIC RATE, OTHER THAN BUDGET ITEMS, STARTING WITH, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, MOVING TO, UM, UH, BROADER BUDGET, UH, CONCEPTS.AND THEN, UH, UH, COUNCIL WILL TALK TO US ABOUT, UH, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS, WHETHER THAT'S TODAY OR TODAY AND FRIDAY OR TODAY AND FRIDAY.
AND THE THIRD, WHAT THE SCHEDULE IS FOR THAT.
DO YOU WANNA HIT THAT QUESTION FIRST? SO I THINK THAT THE POSTING YOU HAVE TODAY IS ABOUT THE BUDGET, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY VERY BROAD AND THE, UM, BUDGET CONTAINS THINGS THAT RELATE TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.
IF WE GET TO IT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK YOU CAN CERTAINLY RAISE THE ISSUE.
THERE'S NO ACTION THAT YOU ALL ARE GOING TO TAKE TODAY,
[02:05:01]
AND YOU'RE NOT POSTED TO TAKE ANY ACTION.AND THEN I KNOW THAT THE, ON THE, THE AGENDA FOR FRIDAY, YOU HAVE A MEETING WITH PROJECT CONNECT AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE AGENDA JUST POSTED.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIFIC YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, HAVE A DIFFERENT MEETING.
UM, YOU'RE GOING TO BE CALLING THE ELECTION NEXT WEEK AND WE WILL POST IT, UH, FOR THOSE MEETINGS.
ALRIGHT, LET'S START WITH THE, UH, WITH THE BUDGET MANAGER.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU NOW, TURN IT RIGHT OVER TO
WHO'S GOING TO TEE UP THIS CONVERSATION ON THIS FIRST SECTION AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, THE NEXT TOPIC THAT WE HAVE ON YOUR IDENTITY DISCUSSION OF VARIOUS CONCEPTS FOR RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY THAT WE NEED TO SEEN POSTED TO THE COUNCIL MESSAGE FOR HIM.
UM, I'LL TAKE A MOMENT TO SUMMARIZE THOSE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS.
WE'VE, WE'VE LOOKED AT WHAT HAS BEEN POSTED AND, AND TRIED TO SUMMARIZE THEM AND THE SUB BULLETS OF THIS AGENDA.
BEFORE I DO THAT, THOUGH, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT QUICKLY, THEY'RE THE VERY LENGTHY OVER A 100 PAGE DOCUMENT OF SUPPORTING INFORMATION, WHICH IS THE ACTUAL TEXT OF THOSE, UM, UH, MESSAGE BOARD POSTS AND ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS THAT WERE ATTACHED TO THOSE METHODS.
OVER THE LUNCH BREAK, WE SENT OUT A, UM, AN ADDENDUM TO THAT BACKUP MATERIAL.
THERE WAS THIS ONE OR TWO ITEMS THAT WE MISSED, BUT I THINK IMPORTANTLY, IT MAY HELP WITH THIS AFTERNOON CONVERSATION BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH INFORMATION IS WE CAN, ALL OF WHAT WE HOPE WILL BE A HELPFUL TABLE OF TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR ALL THE BACKUP MATERIALS.
SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO QUICKLY REFERENCE THE DIFFERENT MATERIALS.
AND AGAIN, ESSENTIALLY THERE THEIR MESSAGE BOARD POSTS RELATED TO RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE BOARD POSTS RELATED TO OTHER BUDGET TOPICS.
UM, AND THEN I'LL GO WITH A VARIETY OF COUNCIL BUDGET QUESTIONS THAT WE PROBABLY RELEVANT TO THE TOPICS THAT WERE UP FOR DISCUSSION.
SO I THINK THAT TABLE OF CONTENTS MAYBE WILL HELP EVERYBODY GET TO INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN REFERENCING, UM, WITH THE LOGISTICS OUT OF THE WAY.
LET ME JUST KIND OF SUMMARIZE WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN REGARDS TO THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS FOR REIMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, THOSE CONCEPTS PRIMARILY HAVE BOARD POSTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER COZAAR.
SO, UM, ONCE I'M DONE SUMMARIZING THEM, I WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE HEARD FOR THOSE THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO MAYBE ADD ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AND COMMENTARY AROUND THE PROPOSALS THAT THEY PUNCHED IN.
UM, BUT FIRST, AND I'M JUST READING OFF OF THE, THE AGENDA ON THE VERY FIRST PAGE OF THE DOCUMENT I SENT YOU LAST NIGHT, UM, UNDER FOUR EIGHT, WE SAW A VARIETY OF PROPOSALS RELATING TO THE LANE OR ELIMINATING FUTURE CADET CLASSES, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALREADY DELAYED THE JULY CLASS.
UM, BUT THERE ARE PROPOSALS THAT WOULD CALL FOR US TO DELAY ADDITIONAL TO THAT CLASSES CAN BE ADDITIONAL, UM, UM, UNFILLED SWORN POSITIONS OUT OF THE BUDGET, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN ADDITIONAL SAVINGS.
IT COULD BE REALLOCATED TO OTHER BUDGET AREAS.
UM, ANOTHER BROAD CATEGORY OF, OF, UH, PROPOSALS WE'VE SEEN PERTAIN TO, UM, MAKING CUTS TO THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS SPECIFICALLY CUTS TO THE OVERTIME BUDGET ON A MOUNTED CONTROL, THE EXPLOSIVES AND BALLISTICS LINE ITEM.
IT IS THE LINE ITEM THAT'S USED FOR PAYING FOR AMMUNITION AMMUNITION.
UM, PRIMARILY, UH, THE CANINE UNIT AND THE EXPLORERS PROGRAM ALL HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN AREAS WHERE POTENTIAL CUTTING OR REDUCTIONS.
UM, THERE ALSO WAS A REFERENCE TO REVIEWING THE BUDGET FOR THE FUSION CENTER, WITH AN EYE TOWARDS WHAT'S THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF FUNDING FOR THAT, UM, THAT CENTER, UM, THAT FORESEE THERE WAS SOME PROPOSALS THAT SPOKE TO REDUCING UNDER OR OVERCROWDED LINE ITEMS. SO ESSENTIALLY LOOKING AT THE LINE ITEM BUDGET OF AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND IDENTIFYING THOSE LINE ITEMS WHERE THE BUDGET'S BEEN HIGHER THAN WHAT THE ACTUAL EXPENDITURES WERE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, LOWERING THE BUDGETS TO BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR INQUIRY, YOUR ACTUALS, I WILL SAY RIGHT OFF THE BAT, THAT THERE'S SOMEWHAT OF A PROBLEM WITH THAT ONE, BECAUSE THERE'S ALSO A LINE ITEM WHERE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS SPENT MORE THAN WHAT THEY HAD, BUT THAT'S JUST THE WAY A BUDGET WORKS IS IT'S A SPENDING PLAN.
AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE, YOU NEED TO SPEND MORE THAN YOU WOULD PLAN IN SOME AREAS AND YOU NEED TO MAKE UP FOR IT BY SAVING AND OTHER AREAS.
SO A BUDGET IS NEVER GOING TO A HUNDRED PERCENT LINE UP TO ACTUAL EXPENDITURES.
IT'S REALLY INTENDED TO BE A GUIDELINE AND A PLAN ON FOUR D ITEMS OR DEALERS ABROAD A PROPOSAL FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLANNING IN TO REPLACE THE CURRENT AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH FIVE DEPARTMENTS, A DEPARTMENT
[02:10:01]
OF PATROL DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATIONS, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRAFFIC SAFETY, A DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND A CIVILIAN.I HAVE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY.
UM, SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO THAT IS THIS, UH, FOR E THIS IDEA OF TAKING THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN APD BUDGET AND MOVING THEM OUT OF THE BUDGET, MOVING THEM TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, UM, OR PERHAPS EVEN IN SOME CASES, MAYBE MOVING THEM TO A NON-CITY ENTITY.
THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED IN REGARDS TO FORENSICS, BUT YOU CAN SEE I'M LONG LIST OF THINGS I GRABBED FROM THE DIFFERENT MESSAGE BOARD POSTS THAT ARE VIEWED AS BEING OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO MOVE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OUT OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT CHAIN OF COMMAND, UM, OR APP IS A PROPOSAL TO, UM, MOVE APD COMMAND STAFF OUT OF THEIR CURRENT DOWNTURN TOWN HEADQUARTERS, UM, AND INITIATED COMMUNITY LED EFFORT TO REPURPOSE THAT SITE.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY A PROPOSAL TO CREATE A CALENDAR FOR IMPLEMENTING FUTURE CHANGES TO AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET.
SO WE TRIED TO CAPTURE EVERYTHING.
I THINK THAT DOES A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF SUMMARIZING, UM, THE VARIOUS PROPOSALS WE'VE SEEN, BUT AGAIN, I WOULD, UM, I WOULD, UH, DEFER TO COUNCIL MEMBERS PLANNING IN A POOL OR COUNCIL MEMBER COMPARTMENT ADD ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE DISCUSSION.
I'D BE HAPPY TO RUN THROUGH THE ITEMS THAT I POSTED JUST AT A HIGH LEVEL, IF THAT'S WHAT FOLKS WOULD LIKE, I THINK AT A HIGH LEVEL, AND THEN WE'LL GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS IN DETAIL IF THEY HAVE IT, AND WE'LL HAVE EVERYBODY KIND OF LAY OUT THEIR PROPOSALS BEFORE WE START ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THEM.
SO PEOPLE CAN ADDRESS THEM COLLECTIVELY.
AND MAYOR, IF I COULD JUST MENTION THAT WE HAVE, UM, ACM ARYANA AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, RIVERA, VAN MANMADE, MANLY P PEOPLE HAVEN'T DONE IT ALREADY, SO THEY CAN ASSIST WITH QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT COME UP.
SO FIRST OFF, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS OR AN ORDER.
AND THAT WOULD PAY TO OUR, UH, THE ADVOCATES IN THE COMMUNITY, OUR PROFESSIONALS ON OUR STAFF, UH, CITY HALL STAFF, UH, AND THE COUNCIL OFFICE STAFF, AND, UH, FOLKS WITH APD AND THE BUDGET OFFICE, EVERYBODY IS REALLY PITCHING IN AND DOING THE BEST THEY CAN.
AND I, I STILL APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, I'M LOOKING AT CHANGES THAT WE CAN AND SHOULD MAKE NOW CHANGES WE CAN MAKE IN THE MIDTERM, UH, AS WE WORK TOWARDS THE MIDYEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT, UH, AND THEN A SUSTAINED EFFORT OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND LONGER.
AND THAT SPEAKS TO THAT CALENDAR THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWO TABLES THAT I HOLD TOGETHER, UH, WE DON'T SAY, WELL, BUDGET PROPOSAL, ATB DEPARTMENT REDUCTIONS, AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, APD OPERATIONS REALIGNED TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
AND I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THIS REALLY, REALLY QUICK.
AND I'M GLAD TO STAFF HER ON HERE TO ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON THE REDUCTIONS TABLE.
UH, SEVERAL POTENTIAL CUTS HOLD THE HIRING, HER RE-IMAGINING, AND THIS ESSENTIALLY PUTS OFF NEW HIRES.
AND SO WE HAVE THE RIGHT CURRICULUM FOR TRAINING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO IMPROVE THE CULTURE WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT ALSO GOES TO RECRUITMENT.
WE NEED TO BUILD TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY, LET THEM GUIDE US TOWARD THE CURRICULUM AND THE CULTURAL CHANGES THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO YOUR NEEDS.
I RECOGNIZE THAT THE STATE, UH, HAS SPECIFIC TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
AND WE ARE, I AM PERSONALLY TALKING ABOUT THE TRAINING THAT THE CITY PROVIDES.
UH, THE SECOND ONE EXCESS AND UNSPENT FUNDS MY STAFF AND I IDENTIFIED SEVERAL AREAS WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF UNSPENT FUNDS.
WE CHECKED OUR WORK WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES, MADE SURE THAT OUR LISTS ALIGN.
THERE'S UNSPENT DOLLARS THAT ARE STILL TO BE IDENTIFIED AND COULD BE ADDED HERE, BUT THERE USED TO BE EXCESS AND UNSPENT FUNDS.
I THINK ED OR SOMEONE EARLIER TODAY POINTED OUT ON AMMUNITION AND TOOLS THAT WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT UNSPENT DOLLARS HERE.
AND THERE'S MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR REALLOCATIONS THERE WITH REGARD TO THE BOMB SQUAD, BECAUSE I DID HAVE SOME PEOPLE CONTACT ME ABOUT THE ITEM WHEN I HAD IT.
UM, JUST THE BROAD FRAMEWORK OF MY PROPOSALS ORIGINALLY ON THE, ON THE MESSAGE FOR THERE WAS SOME, UM, UH, ASSERTIONS THAT WE WERE INTENDING OR I WAS PROPOSING TO DO AWAY WITH THE BOMB SQUAD.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
THE BOMB SQUAD DOES HAVE A SPECIFIC TARGETED AND VERY IMPORTANT MISSION.
UH, THE POINT HERE IS THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF AMMUNITION THAT HASN'T BEEN USED AND DOLLARS THAT ARE NOT
[02:15:01]
ASSIGNED, AND WE NEED TO CAREFULLY ASSESS THEM AND SEE THEM AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNITS TO REMOVE AND PROGRAMS TO DELAY.UH, HERE'S WHERE I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A DEEP CONVERSATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE'RE USING ANIMALS, HOW ANIMALS ARE TRAINED AND USED BY THE POLICE FORCE, ESPECIALLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
THIS GOES FOR THE MOUNTED UNIT.
IT GOES FOR THE INTERDICTION CANINE.
AND WE TALKED TO FOLKS ABOUT RE-IMAGINING WE NEED GUIDANCE ON HOW, OR WHETHER WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE CUTS.
I WILL SAY THAT IT IS A DEEP CONCERN TO ME, UH, TO SEE HORSES USED, UM, AS, UH, NOT EXACTLY BATTERING RAMS, BUT I THINK SOME PEOPLE COULD, COULD SEE THEM AS BATTERING RAMS, AND CERTAINLY, UM, AS A BULWARK.
AND, UH, THAT, JUST, THAT JUST THAT'S OKAY.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION IN OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT, UM, THE EXPLORERS PROGRAM, YOU'LL SEE US A SMALL NUMBER THERE.
UM, I'M TALKING ABOUT DELAYING THE EXPLORERS PROGRAM SCHOOLS AREN'T AT CAPACITY, AND I KNOW WE WANT TO RE ENVISION OUR RECRUITING.
SO THAT WOULD BE, I HOLD OFF A DELAY AND THEN THE AWFUL ALARM PERMITS PROGRAM.
I THINK A COUPLE OF FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
UH, I BELIEVE THOSE ARE NOT SWORN OFFICERS AND DOING THE ALARMS AND THAT COULD BE TRANSFERRED TO DSD POTENTIALLY.
UM, I DO HAVE SOME, UH, LET'S SEE.
AND I WOULD JUST LOOK AT YOUR GUYS, I COMPUTER LAB BAR, UM, OKAY.
MOVING TO THE APD REALIGNMENTS TABLE, UH, WE'VE DISCUSSED SEVERAL OF THESE, HAVE A FEW ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO POINT OUT.
UM, ALSO THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS YOU SEE ON THE TABLE REPRESENT CIVILIANS AT APD IN EACH OF THESE SECTIONS, I'VE SEPARATED OUT SWORN OFFICERS AND LET THEIR FUNDING AT APD COMMUNICATIONS.
WE'VE DISCUSSED NINE 11 AND DISPATCH ALREADY.
UH, THE SECOND SECTION ON COMMUNICATION, THIS ONE HAS TO DO WITH ABDS PUBLIC INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS DIVISIONS.
AND HERE'S WHERE I THINK WE SHOULD ASK OUR STAFF TO LOOK FOR MORE EFFICIENCIES HERE.
PERHAPS WE CAN COMBINE OUR COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS THE CITY INTO ONE CENTRAL DEPARTMENT.
I WILL POINT OUT THAT APD HAS A DUPLICATIVE HR DIVISION.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF THERE ARE SOME EFFICIENCIES WE CAN GET AS WELL.
UNDER INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS.
STAFF HAS INDICATED THAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT THIS.
I'VE MADE A NOTE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT INTERNAL AFFAIRS NEEDS TO BE A LARGER DISCUSSION BECAUSE WITH LEGAL AND WITH OUR CA IN OUR LEGAL, WITH OUR LEGAL STAFF AND WITH OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE NEED TO SEE WHAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE HERE AND WHAT MOVES WE CAN MAKE.
LEGALLY, THE FOCUS I THINK, SHOULD BE ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND INDEPENDENCE FOR BOTH OF THESE PUBLIC SERVICES, TRAFFIC AND ROADWAY MANAGEMENT.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS AS WELL.
I WOULD JUST ACT AS STAFF TO WORK WITH THE RECEIVING DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE PREPARED TO DO THE WORK I'M SUPPORTIVE OF MOVING A LOT OF THESE TRAFFIC FUNCTIONS OUT OF APD.
AGAIN, TRYING TO GET THE DEPARTMENT BACK TO ITS CORE MISSION.
UH, BUT WE DO NEED TO TALK WITH OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND ROADWAY MANAGEMENT FOLKS ON THAT TOPIC, THE SPECIALIZED PATROL, IF THERE IS A WAY THAT WE CAN SHIFT THESE FUNCTIONS OUT OF APD, SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CATTY PART OF OUR COLLABORATION TO EXECUTE A SMOOTH, SAFE, AND SMOOTH OUT SAFETY IT'S SPECIAL EVENTS.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD LOOP.
MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME HELP FROM OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT ON HOW TO APPROACH PATROLS ON THE LAKE AS WELL.
AT THE SAME TIME, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT ENSURING SAFETY AND RESCUE OPERATIONS ARE POSSIBLE AND CERTAINLY HAVE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND THEN THE LAST TWO THINGS I'LL SAY HERE IN TECHNOLOGY AND ALARM PERMITS, THESE OPERATIONS CAN BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE DEPARTMENT.
AND WITH VICTIM'S SERVICES, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE.
I THINK WE CAN FIND A WAY TO FOSTER MORE INDEPENDENCE WHERE THE VICTIM SERVICES PROVIDERS, WHILE WE ALSO MAINTAIN THEIR ABILITY TO COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH APD OFFICERS.
I, I RECOGNIZE, I THINK WE ALL RECOGNIZE THE PROCESS WILL TAKE LONGER THAN JUST THIS WEEK OR NEXT TO GET THIS BUDGET DONE.
WE DO NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THE ACTIONS WE'RE TAKING NOW SIGNAL TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY, WHAT OUR INTENTIONS ARE.
MY GOAL IS TO HAVE A STRONGER AND A SAFER COMMUNITY.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYBODY ON WAR PROPOSALS AS WELL, TO GET US TO THAT END.
[02:20:01]
CHART IS NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM MUCH OF WHAT COMES FROM OUR POOL SHARED.AND SO I'M GOING TO, UH, I THINK I CAN JUST SHARE THAT NOW AND, AND POINT OUT ANY PLACES WHERE, UM, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP AT PLACES WHERE IT'S DIFFERENT.
I'M TRYING TO SEE, I'M TRYING FILE SHARE HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UH, AND Y'ALL, CAN YOU SEE THIS? UM, WHAT I NEED TO FIGURE OUT IS ACTUALLY HOW TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT AROUND ON THE SCREEN THOUGH.
SEE, I THINK THIS IS ONLY JUST SHOWING THE FIRST PAGE OF THE DOCUMENT.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS GOING TO WORK.
IS THERE A WAY FOR ME TO SHARE MY SCREEN AND NOT JUST A DOCUMENT? YEAH.
WHEN YOU SHARE THE DOCUMENT, EACH OF US INDIVIDUALLY CAN CHANGE THE SCREEN, BUT IT DOESN'T ALLOW YOU TO CONTROL IT.
YOU'D HAVE TO SHARE YOUR SCREEN TO DO THAT.
THERE IS AN OPTION SHARE SCREEN.
THERE IS AN OPTION TO SHARE YOUR CONTENT AND THEN SHARE SCREEN ONE OR HOWEVER MANY SCREENS YOU HAVE AND A WILL SCREEN THEM.
I, I MISSED THE FIRST PART OF THAT SENTENCE.
SO GO DOWN TO SHARE CONTENT AND THEN UNDER SHARED CONTENT, YOU'LL SEE SCREEN ONE OR JUST SCREEN OR SOMETHING.
AND SAY, SHARE FILE A NEW WHITEBOARD.
SO THIS MIGHT, IF IT DOES DOESN'T WORK THAT'S OKAY.
IF YOU WANT TO UNSHARE YOUR SCREEN, I THINK I CAN SHARE IT FOR YOU, RIGHT.
UM, NOW I JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, UN-SHARE THE THING.
IS THERE A WAY FOR YOU GUYS TO THINK UNSHARED? THANK YOU.
UH, AND IF YOU WOULD SHARE THAT, THAT'D BE GREAT.
SO I THINK I'M HAVING THE SAME ISSUE THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER HAS IS NOT AN ABILITY THING.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN TO CRS SCREEN ONLY.
DO YOU SHARE A FILE WHERE YOU REPRESENT YOU THAT FROM HARD DRIVE FILES, WE CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT THE NEXT MINUTE OR SO.
I'LL DO MY BEST TO NARRATE IT.
IF CTM HAS THE FILE, THEN THEY CAN DO IT ON THEIR END.
CAN WE GET IT FROM THEM? GIVE US ONE SECOND.
THE MESSAGE BOARD IS ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, OR IF YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE YOUR STUFF WHILE THEY MAYBE PULL THAT UP.
SO MY, MY PROPOSALS ARE THE SAME AS THEY WERE, UH, WHEN WE, WHEN I DESCRIBED THEM AT THE LAST WORK SESSION, UM, I REALLY THINK ABOUT THE PROPOSALS THAT COME FROM CASAR AND CUSTOMER PROPOSALS LAID OUT ARE THE MORE IMMEDIATE DECISIONS IN FRONT OF US AND THE PROPOSALS THAT I'M LAYING OUT, I HOPE ARE MORE OF A FRAMEWORK TO THINK ABOUT THIS KIND OF RE-IMAGINING WORK MOVING FORWARD.
UM, THE, THE, THE HEADQUARTERS PROPOSAL, I THINK IS SELF EXPLANATORY.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT REPRESENTS NECESSARILY A BUDGET AMENDMENT, BUT MORE OF A BUDGET WRITER TO INITIATE A PROCESS.
UM, I'M REALLY HOPING THAT AS WE GO THROUGH EVERYONE'S PROPOSALS TODAY AND STAFF GOES AND LOOKS AT WHAT THE ILLEGAL AND LOGISTICAL STEPS ARE REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT THAT, THAT AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THURSDAY'S PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING, WHICH WILL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO DIG INTO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPONENTS OF THESE TOPICS, IF WE FIND OURSELVES
[02:25:02]
WITH REMAINING DETAILS, UM, AT THE END OF TODAY, BUT THAT STAFF COULD THEN COME BACK AND SAY, THIS PIECE IS DOABLE IN TWO WEEKS.THIS PIECE IS DOABLE IN TWO MONTHS.
THIS PIECE IS DOABLE IN SIX MONTHS, AND THAT WOULD HELP SET UP FOR THE PUBLIC IN A WAY THAT WE COULD ADOPT ALL AT ONCE, BUT SET UP ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC AS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, ARTICULATED OUR INTENTION TO MOVE THIS FORWARD AND HOPEFULLY ON WHAT SCHEDULE, GIVE ME WHERE YOU'RE TOO FAST, EXPLAINING IT, THEN WE GET IT FIGURED OUT.
OR SHOULD I JUST TALK INSTEAD, I'M SEEING SOMETHING ON MY SCREEN AND, UM, THAT IS THE FILE.
EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THIS, UM, UH
IT'S PAID 120, YOU KNOW, THE DOCUMENT WE SENT OUT OVER LUNCH, AND THEN WE'D ALL HAVE THE BILE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S ARE WANTING TO SPEAK TO.
UM, WELL, DOESN'T SEEM LIKE WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THIS WORKOUT.
THEN I'LL JUST NARRATE, UH, THIS OUT LOUD.
UM, YOU CAN GO ONTO THE, UH, ONTO THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD BECAUSE I JUST TRIED TO CREATE A PLACE WHERE, UM, THERE COULD BE BOTH, UH, REDUCTIONS, UH, REALLOCATIONS, UH, DECOUPLING OF DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES, AND THEN ALL OTHER POTENTIAL ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION, UM, IN THE FILE THAT I, UM, THAT I UPLOADED, IT DOES HAVE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL JUST DESCRIBED AND LEAVES OPEN THE FRANKLY, UH, LEAVES OPEN A LOT OF THE POSSIBILITY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK AND MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN JUST RAISED.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT DOES INCLUDE NOT HAVING THE, UH, THE CADET CLASSES, THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR, UH, IT, UH, POLES $2 MILLION OUT OF THE POLICE OVERTIME BUDGET.
IT'S REALLOCATES THE DOLLARS THAT ARE THE NON PERSONNEL, UH, DOLLARS BY COUNCIL MEMBER POOL DESCRIBED, YOU KNOW, THE PLACES WHERE THERE WAS A SURPLUS IN SERVICES, UM, UH, THINGS LIKE THE LICENSE PLATE READERS, UM, AND THEN ALSO DIFFERS THE PURCHASE OF THE NEW RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
UH, THE, UH, THE PROPOSAL THAT I POSTED, UH, DOES SAY WE SHOULD DECOUPLE FUNCTIONS FROM APD I'VE, I'VE LISTED THAT IN THE PAST, AROUND INTERNAL AFFAIRS, UH, SIU, AND, UH, OH, LOOK, THERE IT IS NOW JUST SIDEWAYS, UM, UH, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, SIU AND FORENSICS.
I'VE ADDED TO THAT LIST, UH, DISPATCH, UH, SPECIAL EVENTS AND, UH, THE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
WHEN I PUT IN THIS DECOUPLING, I DON'T NECESSARILY MEAN, AND I THINK MAYBE WE CAN INCLUDE DIRECTIONS TO THE MANAGER THAT COME OCTOBER 1ST.
UH, THE IDEA WOULD BE THIS DECOUPLING NEEDS TO HAPPEN OVER IN A SMOOTH TRANSITION, BUT DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, BECAUSE IT IS A PLANNING DOCUMENT FOR THE YEAR.
SO WE WOULD WANT THESE THINGS TO GET SEPARATED THIS YEAR FOR VICTIM SERVICES.
I'VE INCLUDED IN MY DOCUMENT, UM, A LIST OF, OF SORT OF CONDITIONS, UH, BEFORE THERE IS A CHANGE THERE THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED BY A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK, UM, IN THE, IN THAT SPACE.
UM, AND THAT POTENTIAL ACTUALLY IT MIGHT MEAN ELEVATING VICTIM SERVICES TO REPORTING TO THE CHIEF OR HAVING A REPORT TO AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER SEPARATELY.
UM, AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT NOW, WHAT I TALKED ABOUT AT FIRST IS THESE IMMEDIATE REALLOCATIONS, UH, NEXT I'M TALKING HERE ABOUT THE DECOUPLING THAT COULD HAPPEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND THEN THIS THIRD SET HERE THAT SAYS OTHER POTENTIAL REALLOCATIONS REDUCTIONS OR DECOUPLING OR OTHER AREAS THAT WE CAN DISCUSS, BECAUSE THE TWO THAT I JUST DESCRIBED ADD UP TO ABOUT $93 MILLION.
UH, AND I, I THINK THAT IT IS ACHIEVABLE FOR US TO MAKE A $100 MILLION OR MORE CHANGE TO THE POLICE BUDGET.
AND SO THOSE TWO WOULD ENCOMPASS 93 MILLION THERE I'VE LISTED ANOTHER AREA OF $28 MILLION FOR DISCUSSION FOR US TO SORT THROUGH SOME OF THOSE, SOME OF THOSE OTHER ITEMS I'LL BECAUSE THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE LIKE A FINALIZED DOCUMENT.
IT'S REALLY JUST TO MOVE THE DISCUSSION ALONG THAT LEAVES ABOUT UNDER $22 MILLION FOR IMMEDIATE REALLOCATION, UH, TO OTHER COMMUNITY SUPPORTS THAT MANY OF Y'ALL HAVE BEEN LEADING ON, UH, ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
SO I'VE TRIED TO, UH, SORT OF CREATE A FRAMEWORK OF THESE, THIS, UH, PROPOSAL COULD, UH, FULLY, UH, FUND THE, THE EMS ASK GIVEN COVID.
I KNOW THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR AND ELLIS AND POOL, AND LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE POSTED ABOUT THIS, UM, THIS ACTUALLY FUNDS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN WHAT I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR MAY HAVE POSTED AS WE WERE TRYING TO GET THERE.
[02:30:01]
WE COULD HAVE $5 MILLION IN RECURRING FUNDS, AND IF WE CAN FIND JUST OVER A MILLION IN THE COVID FOR, UM, FOR ONE TIME COSTS IS ALSO INCLUDES THE, UH, TOO MUCH BILLION DOLLARS FOR A FAMILY VIOLENCE SHELTER AND PROTECTION, UH, ON AN ONGOING BASIS.UH, THIS FUNDS HALF OF THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN THE TWO YEAR PLAN THAT WAS JUST PRESENTED TO US THIS MORNING.
SO, UM, I THINK BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO TRY TO COVER HALF OF THAT GROUND THIS YEAR, SO WE CAN COVER THE OTHER HALF NEXT YEAR.
UM, IT INCLUDES THE MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE AND CHPS THAT I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN JUST POSTED.
AND I THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER POST FROM CUSTOMER POOL DOING THE SAME IS ADDS A MILLION DOLLARS TO VICTIM SERVICES.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT FOR A LONG TIME AND HOW IT PUTS $3 MILLION FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION THAT WOULD BE POTENTIALLY FORMING AN OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION IF WE HAD TO HAVE VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS WITHIN APH.
SO WE COULD DO THAT WORK ON GUNS, SEX WORKER SUPPORT, OTHER FORMS OF HARM REDUCTION, UM, UH, YEAH, HAD PRESENTATIONS IN PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ABOUT SUBSTANCE USE CONTINUUM OF CARE.
I KNOW THIS IS AN AREA OF PARTICULAR INTEREST WHERE A MAYOR PRO TEM GARZA HAS, HAS RAISED THIS ISSUE.
I KNOW THAT IT WILL BE A PART OF HER WORK GOING FORWARD.
UH, NEXT YEAR, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON POSTED ABOUT POSTED ABOUT ADDRESSING, UM, RECIDIVISM KEEPING FOLKS OUT OF THE JAILS AND TAKING CARE OF THEM.
I THINK THAT'D BE AN IMPORTANT WAY THING.
UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM LISTED FOOD ACCESS.
SO THIS WOULD FUND THAT PROGRAM FULLY.
I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER ELLISON AND OTHERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT PARKS AND YOUTH PROGRAMMING.
THIS INCLUDES $400,000 FOR THAT.
UM, SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE POSTED ABOUT THE ABORTION ACCESS ITEM.
AND THEN THERE'S STILL A MILLION AND A HALF FOR OTHER COVID RESPONSE.
WE MAY NEED, I'VE SEEN THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON POSTED ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, JUST FURTHER STAFFING UP.
THEN THE COLUMN JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THAT IS ACTUALLY THIS PROPOSAL MAKES IT SO THAT WE HAVE EVEN MORE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR THESE PROGRAMS IN THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR, BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE CADETS HAVE SOME SAVINGS THIS YEAR AND EVEN MORE NEXT YEAR.
SO THIS ALLOWS FOR US TO CONTINUE TO GROW OUR INVESTMENTS IN THINGS, AND HERE I'VE WRITTEN THAT INTO PSH MENTAL HEALTH VICTIM SERVICES AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO LAY THAT OUT FOR EVERYONE, BECAUSE I KNOW EACH OF YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD ON THESE PROPOSALS.
IT, I REALLY APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER IF WE HAD TO GET IN HIS RESTRUCTURING STUFF.
AND I THINK THIS WORKS IN TANDEM WITH THAT.
UM, BUT I JUST WANT IT TO PROVIDE A STARTING POINT OF WHAT $93 MILLION LOOKS LIKE.
I'M LOOKING AT ALL OF THE HARD WORK THE COUNCIL HAS DONE AND LEAVING SOME OPTIONS ON THE TABLE FOR US TO GET TO THAT HUNDRED.
THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR WE'RE TRYING SO HARD TO GET THAT ANYONE ELSE WANT TO LAY OUT A PROPOSAL GOES OVER HARPER MADISON.
SO, AND YOU'LL SEE, THIS WILL BE FAMILIAR TO YOU.
UM, IT'S, IT'S ON A MESSAGE BOARD AS WELL, BUT FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, I'VE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR THAT OUR COMMUNITY'S CALL IS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE TO THE WAY WE, AS A MUNICIPALITY APPROACH, PUBLIC SAFETY, EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN SO FAR INDICATES TO ME THAT THIS COUNCIL IS PREPARED TO DO THE NECESSARY WORK.
CERTAIN THAT EACH OF YOU ALSO RECOGNIZES THAT WE WILL NEITHER REALIZE NOR SUSTAIN.
AND I WANT TO PUT SOME EMPHASIS ON THE WORD SUSTAIN, BECAUSE IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE, WE WANT IT TO BE PERPETUAL, UM, NOR SUSTAINED LAST, UM, CHANGE WITHOUT PUTTING IN THE TIME RESOURCES AND CAREFUL DELIBERATION REQUIRED MY STAFF.
AND I CONTINUE TO WORK AROUND THE CLOCK WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, STAFF, AND THE BUDGET OFFICE TO FINALIZE AMENDMENTS.
BUT TODAY I'D LIKE TO LAY OUT A FEW OF THE ITEMS THAT I INTEND TO BRING FORWARD DURING NEXT WEEK'S BUDGET DELIBERATIONS.
IN ADDITION, THE CITY MANAGER'S $11.3 MILLION PROPOSED CHANGE TO THE
MY OFFICE BROUGHT FORWARD ON JUNE 11TH.
WE ALSO NEED TO FUND, UM, AND AS COUNCIL MEMBER, CASAREZ POINTED A FEW OF THESE OUT, BUT, UH, THE MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION PROPOSAL FROM THE MEADOWS FOUNDATION PRIORITY ALREADY ITEMS FOR EMS TO INCREASE ITS CAPACITY LONG, LONG OVERDUE REPAIRS TO EAST AUSTIN RECREATION FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE MILLENNIUM YOUTH ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX JUNETEENTH AS A CITY HOLIDAY, THE RENAMING OF CITY ASSETS LINKED TO THE CONFEDERACY AND OR WHITE SUPREMACY INCREASED FUNDING FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, INCLUDING EXPANDED EPI RESPONSE TEAMS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,
[02:35:01]
INCREASED ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS AND FOOD DESERTS AND INCREASED, UM, INVESTMENTS AND, UH, RECIDIVISM REDUCTION INITIATIVES AND REENTRY SUPPORT SOLUTIONS.UM, THIS YEAR'S ACCELERATED BUDGET PROCESS HAS REALLY LEFT US WITH A LITTLE TIME TO DO THE WORK THAT'S NECESSARY TO CREATE LASTING CHANGE IN HOW OUR CITY ADDRESSES PUBLIC SAFETY.
I RECOMMEND THAT COUNCIL ONLY AUTHORIZES HALF OF THE PROPOSED APD BUDGET IN ORDER TO ALLOW OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER AND POLICE MONITOR, UH, THE TIME THEY NEED TO PROPERLY EVALUATE AND RECOMMEND TIMELINES AND LOGISTICS FOR AN APD TRANSITION BUDGET.
THIS WILL ENSURE THAT COUNCIL IS IN A POSITION TO VOTE ON THOSE ITEMS PRIOR TO, OR AS A PART OF MIDYEAR BUDGET AUTHORIZATION IN SIX MONTHS, THE CADET CLASS EVALUATION PROCESS AND THE CREATION OF NEW CURRICULUM IS STILL ONGOING AND UNLIKELY TO BE COMPLETED IN TIME FOR AN NOVEMBER CLASS.
IN WHICH CASE I RECOMMEND DELAYING THE NOVEMBER CADET CLASS AND REALLOCATING 6.43 TO FOUR, 5 MILLION IN SAVINGS TO GO, UM, TO FUND THE ABOVE PROPOSED ITEM.
SO REMEMBER KITCHEN, UM, I APPRECIATE, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT EVERYONE, UH, HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN AND, UM, EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT ON THE COUNCIL MESSAGE BOARD.
SO, UM, AND, UM, I'M, SO I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT ALL OF THAT.
I'LL, I'LL PUT A MESSAGE BOARD POST SHORTLY BECAUSE I, UH, SUPPORT, UM, MANY OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU ALL ARE PROPOSING.
SO I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, A FEW THINGS RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE, THE MENTAL HEALTH, UM, UH, THE, UH, FIRST RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS AND MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION, UH, THAT, UH, WE HAVE INCLUDED IT IN A DOUBLING RATE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A BUDGET RIDER TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS THAT WILL SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM.
UM, AS WELL AS, UM, UH, WORKING, UM, WITH A RESPONSE, UH, FOR PEOPLE TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
I ALSO WANT TO CALL YOU YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS BUDGET RIDER BECAUSE, UH, ON THE MENTAL HEALTH, UH, DIVERSION INITIATIVE, BECAUSE, UH, IT, IT LAYS OUT A NUMBER OF STEPS THAT NEED TO OCCUR, UH, IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY, UM, FULLY IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM.
SO, UM, THE FUNDING ALONE WILL NOT GET US TO THE PLACE THAT WE NEED TO BE, UH, IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTING THIS PROGRAM.
SO IT LAYS OUT WHAT THOSE STEPS ARE, INCLUDING WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF, OF, UH, WORKING WITH ENGAGING A PROJECT MANAGER WHO WILL TAKE THE STEPS THAT ARE OUTLINED IN HERE WORKING ACROSS, UM, THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS.
I ALSO SPEAK TO, UM, IN THIS LIST OF, UM, OF ITEMS, UM, I, A PROCESS FOR MAKING SURE WE REGULARLY TRACK AND REPORT TO COUNCIL OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE GOALS, UM, AND ANY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED.
AND AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOUBLING PLUS ADDING AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN CHPS, BUT WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UH, INCREASED STAFFING MIGHT BE NEEDED IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AND SO WE KNOWLEDGE AND HEAR THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE TIED BACK TO DATA, AND WE NEED TO HAVE THAT DATA PROVIDED TO US ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO WE CAN BOTH UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE REACHING THOSE GOALS, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, AS ANY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED.
UH, ANOTHER THING THAT'S THAT I THINK IS CRITICAL IN HERE IS THE STATING OF THE GOAL THAT WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT, AND THAT IS, UH, WORKING TOWARDS OUR GOAL OF A HUNDRED PERCENT OF CALLS INVOLVING MENTAL HEALTH BEING DIVERTED TO A CLINICIAN, UH, WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
SO, UH, OR NOT WHENEVER POSSIBLE, UNLESS THEY, UNLESS THEY, UH, INVOLVE A, A, AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO ALL OF THAT IS LAID OUT IN HERE, AND THIS IS BY WAY OF PUTTING, PUTTING FORTH THE COUNCIL'S GOALS AND PUTTING FORTH A STRUCTURE AND A PROCESS TO, UM, TO REPORT BACK TO US SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS AND ALSO TO PUT IN PLACE THE INFRASTRUCTURE FROM, UH, FROM MY, UM, PROJECT MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE, TO MAKE SURE THIS, THIS HELP THIS HAPPENS.
SO I WANTED TO JUST BRING THAT TO Y'ALLS ATTENTION.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S, UH, THE RELATED, UH, BUDGET, UH, WRITER THAT SPEAKS TO THE ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS.
UM, AND I WANT TO ALSO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK OF OUR CO-SPONSORS, YOU KNOW, COUNSELOR POOL,
[02:40:01]
COUNCILMEMBER COSAR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, HARPER, MADISON COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.UH, BUT I, BUT I ALSO JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THIS IS REALLY THE WORK OF THE WHOLE COUNCIL.
UM, I THINK EVERYONE HAS BEEN, UM, OVER EVERYONE HAS BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON, UM, MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION.
AND SO EVERYBODY, UH, REALLY HAS WEIGHED IN AND SUPPORTED THIS EFFORT.
UM, SO THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CASARA, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, UH, BRINGING ATTENTION TO THE PSH, UH, THE NEEDS FOR PSH AND THE, UM, UH, UH, FOR, UH, HOMELESS, UH, INDIVIDUALS.
UM, I AM PROBABLY GOING TO SUGGEST, AND I'LL TALK WITH YOU ABOUT THIS AND PUT IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD THAT, UM, THAT WE NEED TO ADD THE, UM, TOTAL AMOUNT FOR ALL THE ITEMS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED TO US, UH, BY THE, UM, CONSULTANTS THAT WE LOOKED AT THIS MORNING, AND THOSE MIGHT BE ITEMS THAT WERE BE ADDED TO YOUR SECOND YEAR BUDGET.
I APPRECIATE YOU LOOKING AT TWO YEARS OF BUDGET, SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT I VIEW THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS MORNING REGARDING OUR, UM, OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR EFFORTS AROUND, UM, REACHING EFFECTIVE ZERO FOR HOMELESSNESS TO BE THE HIGHEST, ONE OF OUR VERY, VERY, VERY HIGHEST PRIORITIES.
AND SO, UM, I THINK WE NEED TO SET A PATH FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE.
UM, AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THE CONSULTANTS LAYING THAT OUT.
WHAT THE CONSULTANTS GAVE US IS WHAT THEY CALLED A MODEST INVESTMENT.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO COMMIT TO AT LEAST THAT MODEST INVESTMENT, UM, BECAUSE I'M WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO NEED MORE THAN THAT.
UH, AND, UH, IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF EFFECTIVE ZERO HOMELESSNESS.
SO, UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I WOULD JUST SAY I, UM, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, ALL THE EFFORTS THAT EVERYONE HAS MADE AND THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HAVING ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT IS IN FRONT OF US FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE THE NECESSITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO RIGHT NOW TODAY AND WHAT WE VOTE, UM, NEXT WEEK.
UM, AND THERE IS THE PATH THAT WE NEED TO SET.
IT'S A CLEAR PATH, CLEARLY UNDERSTANDABLE FOR THE PUBLIC THAT BOTH SETS A TIMELINE FOR DURING THE YEAR WHERE WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHEN WE WILL BE AMENDMENTS AND ALSO MAKES IT VERY CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC ON HOW THEY CAN ENGAGE AND HOW THEIR VOICES WILL BE HER.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT THIS SOME LAST WEEK.
I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT, UM, THAT OUR STAFF IS TAKING TO SET UP THAT PROCESS FOR ENGAGEMENT.
AND I THINK AS PART OF, AS PART OF THE DIRECTION THAT WE PROVIDE NEXT WEEK AND THE VOTES THAT WE MAKE NEXT WEEK, WE ALSO NEED TO HAVE THAT, THAT TIMELINE AND THAT CLARITY.
AND WE NEED TO, UM, UNDERSTAND ALSO FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR STAFF, UM, THE, UH, TIMELINE THAT THEY'RE SETTING OUT FOR, UM, THIS PROCESS OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND WITH THAT SAID, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
UM, AND, UH, WE'LL POST SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS OF MY OWN ON THAT COUNCIL MESSAGE FORWARD, UM, ABOUT, UH, SUPPORTING, UH, ALL THESE, UM, VARIOUS ITEMS. I THINK THAT, UM, THEY ALL REPRESENT THE KINDS OF TRANSFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO MAKE, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, WE, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE AND KITCHEN, YOU KNOW, ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS OUT THERE.
AND THE, UH, ON THE STREETS ARE THE MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS THAT A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING, YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO THE STATE, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T, UH, WASN'T RESPONSIBLE, GAVE UP THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING CARE OF THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY PUT OUT IN THE STREETS AND WITH A PROMISE OF THE RESOURCES THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE TO THE CITIES AND THEY NEVER DID.
AND NOW WE HAVE A CRISIS GOING ON IN OUR CITY AND WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT, AND, AND REALLY FOCUS A LOT OF THAT FUNDING ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME BESIDES HOUSING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM.
SO I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE COLLEGE, MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS VERY, VERY, VERY TOUGH
[02:45:01]
DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING.AND SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU COLLEAGUES.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THESE DETAILED PROPOSALS BEING, BEING PUT OUT.
I'M STILL REVIEWING ALL OF THE INFORMATION, PUT FORTH IN THEM CAUSE THEY ARE QUITE EXTENSIVE AND THAT'S REALLY APPRECIATED.
AND I ALSO, UM, WANT TO THANK THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR INVITING US TO BE A PART OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
I KNOW OFTENTIMES WE MAY WORK ON OUR OWN TOPICS AND WORK IN OUR OWN SILOS AS SUB FORUMS TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS GOOD WORK.
AND, UM, THE INFORMATION THAT I'M SEEING, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE POSTED VERY SPECIFIC, DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT CUTS CAN BE MADE OUT OF THE APD DEPARTMENT, WHAT IS, UM, POSSIBLY MORE APPROPRIATE FOR ANOTHER DEPARTMENT TO BE RESPONDING TO AND WHAT MIGHT NEED FURTHER COUNCIL ACTION IN THE FORM OF, UM, ITEMS FROM COUNCIL AND RESOLUTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT THE APPROPRIATE, UM, PROGRAMMING AND THE APPROPRIATE PERSONNEL WORKING ON THESE BIG ISSUES.
UM, BUT THEY, THEY ALL SOUND LIKE REALLY GOOD BITS OF INFORMATION FOR US TO START FROM.
AND I THINK THEY SET US UP TO BE IN A GOOD PLACE WHEN WE GET THROUGH BUDGET TO HAVE REALIGNED SOME OF OUR INTENTIONS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS FOR OUR CITIZENS THAT WE SO DESPERATELY NEED RIGHT NOW.
SO I APPRECIATE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND WE'LL START WORKING THROUGH MY OWN POST ABOUT THE INFORMATION Y'ALL HAVE PUT TOGETHER AND WHERE I THINK, UM, THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD.
AND WHAT OTHER SUGGESTIONS WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO WORK ON IF THERE'S ANYTHING, UM, TO FURTHER ROUND OUT THIS RE-IMAGINING AND REPROGRAMMING OF HOW, HOW WE DO POLICING IN AUSTIN.
I REALLY LIKE A LOT OF THE PROPOSALS THAT ARE BEING THAT ARE BEING MADE.
AND WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THEM IS THE, A MOVE TO, UM, THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND, AND MOVE TO BE WILLING, TO EXPLORE NEW AVENUES AND NEW IDEAS, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY IS A COUNCIL AND A GOVERNMENT IS TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY SAFE.
UH, AND I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THESE PROPOSALS, UH, THROUGH THAT LENS.
UH, I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THAT MANY OF THESE PROPOSALS WILL FURTHER PUBLIC SAFETY AND MAKE OUR CITY A SAFER, A SAFER PLACE.
UH, SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT PEOPLE ARE PRESENTING NOW ARE NEW, AND SOME OF THEM ARE THINGS THAT, THAT WE HAVE AS A COMMUNITY, UH, EXAMINED AND TALKED ABOUT FOR, FOR A LONG TIME.
UH, AND I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT NOW IS THE MOMENT FOR THESE THINGS TO, TO COME TO A HEAD AND FOR US TO, TO, TO, TO START MAKING, UM, MAKING DECISIONS.
UM, I AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON, WHEN SHE SAYS THAT, UH, IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE REAL SUSTAINABLE AND LASTING CHANGE THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN THE WORK, UH, ASSOCIATED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT, AND WE'RE DELIBERATE AND THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE DO.
I ALSO AGREE WITH, WITH EVERYONE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THAT, THAT THIS PROCESS NEEDS TO HAPPEN FAST AND IT NEEDS TO BEGIN NOW.
UH, SO I LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROPOSALS AND SOME OF THEM MAKE INTUITIVE SENSE TO ME.
UH, THINGS LIKE MOVING THEIR FORENSIC LAB AND CREATING A DIFFERENT STRUCTURE FOR THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON NOW FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND I UNDERSTAND WE'RE JUST ABOUT TO GET BACK A REPORT THAT PRESENTS THREE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN AFTER CONSULTANT'S BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR SOME TIME.
AND I'M ANXIOUS TO SEE THOSE AND, AND TO, AND TO, AND TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WORKS.
UH, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS I KNOW THAT, THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME THAT, THAT I THINK THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE HAPPENING YESTERDAY, UH, AND NOT JUST TODAY AND A LOT OF THOSE CENTER AROUND THINGS LIKE THE, THE MENTAL WORK, UM, THAT, UM, UM, WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING ON AND INITIATED A YEAR AGO BECAUSE IT JUST SEEMS THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT SO MANY OF THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES WE HAVE, UH, FOLLOW, UH, FROM, FROM THAT.
AND I'M NOT SURE WE'VE EVER HAD THE RIGHT ANSWER FOR, OR HOW TO INTERVENE ON.
I BELIEVE WE DID HAVE NOT HAD THE RIGHT ANSWER ON HOW TO INTERVENE WITH, WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT TO BE SAID FOR THE FACT THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, IN, IN MANY, IF NOT MOST SITUATIONS, OUR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL IS PROBABLY THE PERSON THAT NEEDS TO, TO, TO REALLY INTERVENE THERE.
AND WE'VE, WE'VE GIVEN TOO MUCH OF THAT RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR, TO OUR, TO OUR POLICE OFFICERS TO DO BECAUSE POLICE IS NOT THE WAY THAT WE SHOULD BE INTERSECTING AS A COMMUNITY WITH POVERTY, UH, OR, AND THEN OUR PIECE SHOULD NOT BE, ARE
[02:50:01]
OUR COMMUNITIES, SOCIAL WORKERS.WHAT I AM UNCERTAIN ABOUT IS, IS HOW WE GET FROM HERE TO THERE.
AND WHAT I AM UNCERTAIN ABOUT IS SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED, UH, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RIGHT.
I HAVE NOT SEEN THE VETTING ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
SO IT'S HARD FOR ME AS I SIT HERE NOW TO BE ABLE TO STAY, BUT ALL OF THE PROS AND WHAT ALL THE CONS, LIKE, I BE ON SOME OF THE PROPOSALS.
I LIKE THE PROCESS THAT THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER LAID OUT, UM, WHEN SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE PROCESS SHE WOULD FOLLOW OR THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT SHE WAS LOOKING AT, AND I'D WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IF NOT ALREADY DECIDED, UH, HER PORTFOLIO INCLUDES ALL OF THE IDEAS THAT ANYONE IS SUGGESTING TO, TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US, UH, THOUGHTS AND IDEAS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHAT WE SHOULD DO.
UH, WHAT I DON'T KNOW IS, IS HOW BEST TO GIVE THAT PROCESS THE TIME, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WORK WITHOUT SIGNALING IN ANY WAY THAT WE'RE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT ACTUALLY GETTING THIS STUFF DONE.
UM, I HEAR COUNCIL MEMBER OPER MADISON SUGGEST, UH, THAT WE ONLY FUND THE BUDGET FOR PART OF THE YEAR REQUIRING THE COUNCIL TO COME BACK IN ESSENCE IN A, IN A RENEWED BUDGET PROCESS.
AND I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME TO DO THERE IS NO DEFAULT THEN THAT LETS CITY GOVERNMENT JUST CONTINUE OPERATING WITHOUT HAVING TO COME BACK AND ACTUALLY CONFRONT SOME OF THESE IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS.
SO THAT KIND OF THING, COUPLED WITH A CALENDAR AND DUE DATES MAKE SENSE TO ME, IF THERE ARE TOPICS THAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO CONSIDER THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY'RE THE RIGHT ONES TO DO, OR WE DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS THAT EVEN IF IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO, HOW WE TRANSITIONED TO GO FROM, FROM, FROM HERE TO THERE, I LIKED THE WORK THAT, UH, UH, SEVERAL COLLEAGUES HAVE DONE TO CREATE KIND OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUCKETS WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS.
THAT KIND OF APPROACH MAKES SENSE TO ME, CAUSE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME OR SIMILAR.
UH, BUT I THINK THAT WE'RE PRESENTED RIGHT NOW WITH AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE HOW WE THINK AND APPROACH PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE CITY.
UH, AND I'M REALLY ANXIOUS AND EAGER TO, TO, TO BE PART OF THAT.
WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME, UH, MANAGER IN THIS SESSION IS TO HEAR, UH, FROM YOU AND YOUR STAFF AS TO THE IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED FOR, FOR, UH, IMMEDIATE ACTION, UH, SO THAT YOU CAN TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE BEING THE, THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THOSE THINGS.
SO THAT IS COLLECTIVELY, WE CAN THINK ABOUT THEM AND DISCUSS THEM AND EXPLORE THEM AS PART OF OUR BUDGET, UH, UH, PROCESS, UH, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THAT, THAT MIGHT BE INFORMATIVE OR INSTRUCTIVE, UH, WITH RESPECT TO WHICH, WHICH ONE OF THE DIFFERENT BUCKETS, UH, DIFFERENT IDEAS OR CONCEPTS SHOULD BE PLACED.
YOU HAD THE SAME INFORMATION WE'VE HAD WITH THE POSTINGS THAT THE COLLEAGUES OF DON, I ASSUME THAT YOU OR SOMEONE ON YOUR STAFF IS READY TO RESPOND TO THEM, TO GIVE US THOUGHTS OR INSIGHT TO FULLEST EXTENT YOU CAN.
I KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING FAST.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ONLY HAD, YOU KNOW, AS YOU WERE PREPARING THE BUDGET PROBABLY A WEEK OR TWO TO BE OVER, UP TO REACT TO THIS SEA CHANGE, UH, THAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN NOW, AND IT IS A SEA CHANGE.
UH, AND, AND, UM, BUT WITH THAT, I WOULD STILL LIKE TO KNOW WE'VE ALL KNOWN.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THOSE, UH, WHEN, WHEN, AFTER HE, I THINK WE GAVE THE, MY COLLEAGUES A CHANCE TO SPEAK FIRST, IF THEY WEREN'T TO ON THEIR THOUGHTS SO THAT EVERYONE WHO HAS A CHANCE AND DO THAT, BUT THAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, TO HEAR YOUR ASSESSMENT OR WHICH BUCKETS ARE, OR HOW WE WOULD IN FACT, UH, UM, START MOVING OUT IN, IN THIS KIND OF CONVERSATION.
SO I DON'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE WE DO THAT.
UM, MIKE, ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES HERE, UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY.
THIS IS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY AND WE WILL BE JUDGED BY HOW WE SEIZE IT.
UM, MY GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE IN AUSTIN FEELS SAFE AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DELIVERING THE RIGHT SERVICE TO MEET THE RIGHT TALENT.
AND FOR ME, THIS GOES BEYOND JUST WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND I HOPE AS THIS CONVERSATION EVOLVES, UM, WE CAN BE HAVING THAT BROADER CONVERSATION,
[02:55:01]
UM, BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE LENS THAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT.I HAVE FOCUSED A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE INVESTMENT SIDE AND THE SOLUTION SIDE.
SO, UM, THIS EXERCISE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT, UM, HOW WE CUT APD AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PROPOSALS ABOUT, UM, WHERE ELSE WE MIGHT PUT THAT MONEY.
UM, SO SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT I THINK THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER SAFETY FOR EVERYONE THAT I'VE PUT OUT THERE.
AND I GUESS I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY A LITTLE LATER TO SPEAK MORE SPECIFICALLY TO THEM.
SO I'LL JUST MENTION THEM NOW ARE THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION, UM, THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, THE EMS COVID RESPONSE ELEMENTS, THE CHPS, UM, FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND ALMOST RESPONSE.
UM, AND THEN ALSO WAS MOVING IN A DIRECTION FOR VICTIM SERVICES, WHICH I THINK, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR HIGHLIGHTED FOR THE FIRST TIME HERE.
I'M ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE APD BUDGET, UM, BEEN IN PRETTY FOCUSED ON VICTIM SERVICES AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR OPPORTUNITIES WERE THERE.
AND I THINK I'VE COME TO A SIMILAR PLACE, UM, AS MR. CASAR WITH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME REALLY SERIOUS CAVEATS THAT HAVE TO BE IN PLACE FOR IT TO MAKE SENSE, TO MOVE THAT I'M TOTALLY WILLING TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE END RESULT IS GOING TO, UM, BEST SERVE, UM, THE VICTIMS, UM, IN THE PROCESS.
AND I AGREE THAT IT NEEDS ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
UM, I APPRECIATE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, HYPER MADISON BRINGING UP THE NOTION OF SIX MONTHS BUDGET, UM, WHEN WE INTRODUCED THE POSSIBILITY FOR ZERO BASED BUDGET AND OUTCOME BASED BUDGET, WHEN WE PASSED ITEM 96 ON MY AMENDMENT, UM, I FLOATED THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, UM, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ADDENDUM TO THE IMPORTANT PROCESS THAT THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER HAS BEEN PLAYING OUT.
WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME SOMETHING AT THE END OF THAT, WHERE WE HAVE A CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY AND A CLEAR MECHANISM IN PLACE THAT WE DON'T JUST KEEP HAVING BUSINESS AS USUAL.
THIS CANNOT BE LIKE WHEN WE DID THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UM, DELAYS ON THOSE POSITIONS THAT IT JUST NEVER CAME BACK TO COUNCIL.
WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO SET IT UP SO THAT IT ABSOLUTELY HAS TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL.
UM, IF THEIR DECISIONS, UM, GOING BACK TO THE ZERO BASED BUDGETING AND THE OUTCOMES BASED BUDGETING, UM, I THINK THAT ALL OF THESE ARE GREAT IDEAS.
UM, I THINK THAT WHAT HAS BEEN SORT OF IN THE AIR, BUT NOT DEFINED YET IS WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY MEAN ABOUT THE OUTCOME THAT WE WANT? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ENOUGH TO SAY THAT WE WANT EVERYONE TO FEEL SAFE TO HAVE THAT CLARITY OF OUR GOAL SO THAT WE CAN CHART WHERE WE'RE GOING.
UM, AND IF WE WANT TO DO A ZERO BASED BUDGETING EXERCISE THAT HAS TO BE COMBINED WITH THE OUTCOMES ARE WE'RE LIKELY TO GET THE SAME BUDGET, UM, WITHIN APD THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
UM, SO I'M TRYING TO THINK THROUGH, IF THERE ARE WAYS TO INCORPORATE THAT COMBINATION OF THAT SIX MONTH PROCESS WITH ZERO BASED BUDGETING, UM, AND OUTCOMES BASED BUDGETING, UM, WITH RESPECT TO THIS SPECIFIC PROPOSALS, UM, LIKE THE MAYOR SUGGESTED, I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH DECOUPLING, SUCH AS FORENSICS, UM, THE NINE 11 CALL AND THE DISPATCH.
AND THERE'S OTHER ONES WHERE I STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THAT I'M WORKING, UM, TO GET ANSWERED, UM, AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME.
I DO HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE NUMBERS THAT ARE IN HERE ON OVER TIME, ONE TIME AND ONGOING, AND HOW, HOW, HOW JUST SORT OF THE LOGISTICS ON A VERY NITTY GRITTY LEVEL ARE, ARE PLAYING OUT ACROSS SOME OF THESE PROPOSALS.
SO WHEN WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, I WOULD APPRECIATE, UM, BEING ABLE TO ASK SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS OF MY COLLEAGUES OR, OR OF STAFF VIA PRO TEM GARZA.
I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO ADD TO ALL THE GREAT COMMENTS THAT EVERYBODY HAS MADE.
SO I DON'T WANT TO DUPLICATE ANY OF THE COMMENTS IN THIS AS WE ARE IN THIS IMPORTANT TIME OF TRYING TO IMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY, I GUESS I JUST WOULD WANT TO TOUCH ON, UM, HOW, HOW, HOW DIFFICULT THIS CONVERSATION HAS BEEN AND, UM, BUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS AND HOW WE REALLY DO, UM, HAVE TO MAKE SOME DRASTIC CHANGES.
AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW OUR POLICE OFFICERS FEEL, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDER ATTACK AND, AND, AND, AND FEEL, UM, UNAPPRECIATED.
I WANT TO JUST SAY THAT WE HAVE MADE DRASTIC CHANGES TO OUR DEPARTMENTS BEFORE FOR EFFICIENCY REASONS AND FOR COST SAVING REASONS.
AND SOME EXAMPLES ARE, YOU KNOW, CREATING A CODE DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE REALIZED THAT IT WASN'T THE MOST
[03:00:01]
EFFICIENT THING TO SEND A POLICE OFFICER TO CERTAIN KINDS OF CALLS.UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING POLICE OFFICERS USED TO RESPOND TO STRAY DOG CALLS TO WHEN WE REALIZED THAT THAT WASN'T THE MOST EFFICIENT THING TO BE DOING WITH OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
SO FOR ME, THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE IT FOR EFFICIENCY AND WE'VE DONE IT FOR COST SAVINGS.
AND NOW THE COMMUNITY IS DEMANDING TO DO IT FOR, FOR PEOPLE'S LIVES, FOR LIFESAVING REASONS, AND FOR PEOPLE THROUGHOUT OUR CITY TO FEEL SAFE, UM, AND TO FEEL COMFORTABLE.
AND FOR US NOT TO SEE REPORTS OF HUGE RACIAL DISPARITIES ON DEPENDING ON WHAT PART OF TOWN YOU LIVE IN, YOU, UH, WILL GET PULLED OVER MORE, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR SKIN IS BROWN OR BLACK.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M, I, I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES.
UM, I'M NERVOUS ABOUT A A HALF YEAR BECAUSE I FEEL THAT WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE GIVEN KIND OF DEADLINES FOR THINGS BEFORE, AND THEN WE GET TO THE DEADLINE AND, AND, AND MANY TIMES GET ASKED FOR AN EXTENSION OF THAT DEADLINE.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WOULD HAVE, IT'S SO INTERESTING WHEN I THINK OF MY FIRST BUDGET ON THIS COUNCIL AND, AND, AND, AND REALLY MAKING A TRANSFORMATIONAL, UM, INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOW HARD THAT WAS AND HEARING FROM FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS, THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE GREAT SUCCESSES OF TEN ONE ALREADY, THAT THAT COULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED UNDER, YOU KNOW, UM, THE AT-LARGE COUNCIL THAT WE'D MADE THIS INCREDIBLE INVESTMENT PUBLIC HEALTH, THINK OF THAT BUDGET TO THINK OF THE, I THINK IT WAS THE SECOND BUDGET WHERE I ASKED FOR 1% FROM APD FIRE AND EMS TO GO TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND TO THINK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE NOW.
I, YOU KNOW, I, FOR SO MANY REASONS, I KNOW MANY OF US WOULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED BEING IN THE POSITION THAT, YOU KNOW, IN A PANDEMIC AND IMPORTANT UPRISINGS, UM, RIGHT NOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE HARD CONVERSATIONS AND THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME INCREDIBLY TOUGH CHOICES AND SOME GROWING PAINS FROM THAT.
UH, BUT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH IT BEFORE.
WE'VE BEEN THROUGH IT BEFORE WITH CHANGE IN OUR DEPARTMENTS AND, YOU KNOW, TAKING THE POLICE, TAKING PARKS, POLICE OVER, WE'VE DONE IT BEFORE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING NEW.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH IT.
UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE, THESE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, IT'S JUST, IT'S REFORMING.
WHAT WE USED TO TRADITIONALLY THINK WAS PUBLIC SAFETY AND STUDY.
AFTER STUDY SHOWS, WE HEARD IT IN THE HOMELESS, UH, CONVERSATION THIS MORNING AND ALL THESE POLICY AREAS OVERLAP THAT IT'S NOT THE BEST HELPING PEOPLE THAT NEED HELP THE MOST.
WE'RE NOT DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY, AND WE NEED TO THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO DO IT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO ADD THOSE COMMENTS AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE.
THAT IS, DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO PROPOSALS, SIR, MAYOR COUNCIL JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THIS CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING TODAY.
AND AS I MENTIONED, WHEN I PRESENTED THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND JULY 13TH, THIS IS THE MOST CHALLENGING BUDGET THAT I HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO PUT TOGETHER WITH OUR INCREDIBLE BUDGET STAFF, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING TO GET IT THROUGH ADOPTION, JUST BECAUSE OF, FOR THE MOST PART, WE ARE IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC RECESSIONS THAT OUR GENERATION HAS SEEN, AND WE ARE DEALING WITH THE IMPACT OF THAT ON OUR REVENUES, UM, HOW WE'RE ABLE TO PROJECT IN THE FUTURE.
UH, AND SO WE PRESENTED A BUDGET THAT DOESN'T LAY OFF ANY OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES THAT CONTINUES OUR SERVICES AS WE'VE HAD THEM IN THE PAST.
UH, BUT IT ALLOWS US TO CONFRONT THE TWO BIGGEST CRISES THAT ARE, THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS FACING.
UH, THE PANDEMIC THAT OUR HEALTH CRISIS IS FACING.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, UH, THE NEED TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE TO ALIGN WITH THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, I'M GOING TO ASK, UH, OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, NERDY OF RIVERA VAN UNDERMINE, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF THE NEXT STEPS ON THE PROCESS THAT SHE OUTLINED, UH, THAT WAS LAID OUT IN THE JUNE 17TH MEMO.
UH, AND THEN WE, WE TALKED ABOUT MORE IN DEPTH LAST WEEK.
UH, IT'S GOING TO BE CRITICAL THAT AS MANY OF YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES PLACE OVER TIME AND THAT WE HAVE THOSE IMPORTANT DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW WE ARE ALL DEFINING, UH, WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY LOOKS LIKE IN THE FUTURE FOR AUSTIN, AND THAT MANY OF THE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE CONTEMPLATING, AND SOME OF THE PROPOSALS THAT ARE PUT FORWARD ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UH, WHEN WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT BECAUSE OF THE ACTION THAT WAS TAKEN LAST THURSDAY IN CAPPING THE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, THAT'S THREE AND A HALF PERCENT, ANY INVESTMENTS NEED TO BE REALLOCATED FROM OUR CURRENT BUDGET.
AND SO, UH, MOST OF THE LARGER
[03:05:01]
INVESTMENTS, UH, THAT WOULD BE LOOKED AT, UH, IS SEEN FROM A SAVINGS OF CANCELING FUTURE CADET CLASSES.AND SO AFTER AN AREA SPEAKS, I'M GOING TO ASK OUR POLICE CHIEF TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IMPACT OF WHAT THAT MEANS TO DELAY OR CANCEL FUTURE CONNECT CLASSES ON THEIR DEPARTMENT.
SO I'LL FIRST TURN IT OVER TO OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER.
AND, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UH, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE WORK, I WANT TO REITERATE BOTH WHAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT YOUR SENSE OF URGENCY COMMUNITY SENSE OF URGENCY.
AND, AND FRANKLY, EVEN AS WE HAVE MET WITH STAFF AND OUR CMS LEADERSHIP TEAM, AND THAT INCLUDES THE CHIEF AND THAT ENQUEUE INCLUDES, UH, ACM A YANO ALONG WITH, FOR SHORTER ICM, CRUZ, SHORTER, UH, FARRAH MUSCADET AND BRIAN OAKS FROM THE EQUITY OFFICE THAT WE, I THINK ALSO HAVE A SENSE OF URGENCY TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
SOME OF THE TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE.
I ALSO APPRECIATE HEARING AND SEEING SOME OF THE PROPOSALS THAT THEY'VE COME OUT.
I REALLY DO THINK THAT MANY OF THEM ALIGNED WITH THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE BEEN GATHERING BOTH INTERNALLY AND WITH OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS THAT ARE NEW, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SORT OF LOOK THROUGH THEM AND SEE HOW DOES THAT FIT INTO WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS WORK AS THAT MOVES FORWARD TO THE MANAGER'S POINT, WE HAVE THOUGHT REALLY STRONGLY ABOUT THIS NEEDING TO BE DONE IN CONCERT, UH, IN CLOSE ALIGNMENT WITH COMMUNITY.
UH, WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT FOR SUSTAINABLE CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE WILL NECESSARILY HAPPEN WITHOUT COMMUNITY DOING THIS WORK WITH US.
AND SO WE HAVE FINISHED THOSE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES TOMORROW AT OUR INTERNAL COO, UM, LEADERSHIP MEETING ON RE-IMAGINING, WE'LL BE SETTING OUT, UM, THAT CONVENING PROCESS TO BRING THAT TOGETHER AND REALLY MOVING FORWARD TO TAKE ALL OF THE PROPOSALS WE'RE HEARING FROM AND WAITING TO SEE WHAT IS APPROVED OR WHAT IS VOTED YEAH.
BUT HOPING THAT THAT COMMUNITY CITY COMMUNITY TASK FORCE CAN LOOK AT THEM AND TOGETHER CREATE A WORK PLAN AND A TIMELINE TO YOUR POINT ABOUT CALENDARING.
WE VERY MUCH WANT TO MOVE THIS WORK QUICKLY, AND WE WANT TO COME FORWARD TO COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO, UM, FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT THIS WORK LOOKS FORWARD.
THERE ARE ALSO SOME ADMINISTRATIVE MOVES THAT WE CAN START TO THINK ABOUT TODAY.
AND SO TO THE POINT OF, YEAH, MANY OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD AND SOME OF THE PROPOSALS, THINGS LIKE THE FORENSICS LAB, THINGS LIKE THE EMERGENCY CALL CENTER, THINGS LIKE THOSE INTERNAL ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, UM, ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE THOUGHT THAT WE COULD MOVE QUICKLY.
I'LL SAY THAT I KNOW THAT FINANCE HAS PUT IN A GREAT DEAL OF TIME ON THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO, UH, RELY ON FINANCE AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SOME OF THEIR STAFF TO REALLY JUST WORK WITH US FORWARD.
AS WE DO THIS, I KNOW THE MANAGER HAS ASKED MANY OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF TO LIBERATE OUR OWN TIMETABLE SO THAT THIS CAN BE OUR PRIORITY AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO WE'RE NOT JUST MOVING FORWARD THE INTERNAL WORK, BUT THEN WITH THE CITY COMMUNITY TASK FORCE, REALLY LOOKING AT PRIORITIZING SOME OF THE JOBS.
SO I HOPE THAT WE WILL COME TO YOU IN THE FALL WITH NOT JUST AN UPDATE, BUT HOPEFULLY POTENTIALLY BUDGET AMENDMENTS.
THAT IS HOW QUICKLY AND HOW SERIOUSLY WE ARE MOVING FORWARD, BUT WE WANT TO REALLY DO THAT AND PRIORITIZE WITH COMMUNITY.
AND SO HOPE TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT THAT CALENDAR IS.
ONCE WE GET THAT COMMITMENT AND THAT WORK PLAN ASSESSED WITH THE CITY COMMUNITY TASKFORCE IN PLACE.
THE OTHER THING I HEARD ABOUT, AND I WANTED TO SHARE ABOUT THE PROCESS WAS THAT WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT THAT YOU NEED TO NOT JUST BE COUNCIL MEMBER.
I MEAN, YOU NEED TO NOT JUST HAVE US COME TO YOU, BUT COMMUNITY ALSO WANTS TO SEE OUR PROGRESS, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, THERE IS A TEAM THAT IS LOOKING AND, UH, JUST FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE PUT THOSE DASHBOARDS IN THOSE PROGRESS REPORTS AND ALL THE RESULTS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING UP TRANSPARENTLY SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT, UM, COMING INTO VIEW BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH, UM, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GIVE YOU A PROGRESS REPORT ON WHERE THAT IS, BUT WE TAKE ALL OF THIS VERY SERIOUSLY.
WE BELIEVE THAT NOT ONLY THE INPUT FROM COMMUNITY WILL HELP US, BUT WE WILL ALSO BE, UH, FOCUSING AND FIGURING OUT WAYS THAT WE HEAR FROM PD STAFF.
THERE IS A LOT OF GREAT INSIGHT FROM PD STAFF.
[03:10:01]
INSIGHT FROM THE FOLKS THAT POTENTIALLY COULD INHERIT OR GOOD AND LARGE, THEIR CURRENT SCOPE OF WORK, WHETHER THAT IS EMS OR HEALTH OR PARKS OR OTHER PLACES IN THE CITY.UM, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RAMIFICATIONS ARE, AND I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY TO THAT FOR SOME OF THOSE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED, WE HAVE A GROUP AND WE'VE GOT A GREAT PARTNER IN LAW TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY STATUTORIES OR LEGAL BARRIERS TO SOME OF THE CHANGES WE WANT TO SEE THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY THOSE QUICKLY, AND THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS TO GET THOSE OUT OF OUR WAY.
SO UNLESS THERE ARE QUESTIONS I'M HAPPY TO STAND AND, AND CAN CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO HAVE THEM THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE SESSION MAY WAS MUTED, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN HAD A QUESTION.
IS THIS A TIME FOR QUESTIONS? HOW'S IT GOING? OR WHAT THE MANAGER TO FINISH? IF YOU WOULD A DRY, WHAT ARE THE RAMIFICATIONS? THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED TO BE CUT.
NOW YOU TOUCHED ON ONE OF THEM THAT COULD GET CLASS A, BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RECOVERY ON OTHER THINGS TOO, UH, OVER TIME, OTHER THINGS TOO.
AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR YOUR, YOUR, YOU AND YOUR THEFT THOUGHT ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
UH, NURIA, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER.
AND, AND AS I MENTIONED, MANY OF THE ADDITIONAL SAVINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED ARE COMING FROM, UH, CANCELING OR DELAYING, UH, FUTURE CONNECT CLASSES.
AND SO I'M GOING TO ASK THE CHIEF TO JUST DESCRIBE WHAT THAT IMPACT WOULD BE ON OUR STAFFING LEVELS AND THE CALLS FOR SERVICE CHIEF.
ABSOLUTELY GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COUNCIL.
UM, IF WE WERE TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH SOME OF THESE PROPOSALS, WITH THE DELAY OF CADET CLASSES, I DO BELIEVE THIS REASONING REALLY REPRESENTS ONE OF THE GREATEST THREATS TO THE SAFETY TO OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WHAT WE WOULD SEE IF WE CANCELED THESE CADET CLASSES, WE WOULD SEE VACANCY LEVELS, UH, REACH BY JANUARY OF 20, UH, 2022.
WE COULD EXPECT TO SEE THE VACANCY LEVELS IN THIS DEPARTMENT REACH A LEVEL TO WHERE OUR STAFFING WAS, THAT OF WHAT IT WAS BACK IN 2012, BACK WHEN WE WERE A CITY OF 860,000 PEOPLE.
SO IF YOU COULD IMAGINE WE'VE ADDED BASICALLY A CITY OF ROUND ROCK TO OUR POPULATION, AND THAT WOULD BE LIKE LEAVING THE CITY OF ROUND ROCK WITHOUT ANY POLICE OFFICERS.
AND SO THE STAFFING IMPLICATIONS OF NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH HIRING WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT ON MANY FRONTS.
WE ALREADY DO NOT MEET OUR GOALS FOR RESPONSE TIMES AND OUR PRIORITY ZERO PRIORITY ONE CALLS, WHICH IS A CRITICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE FOR US.
WE KNOW THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME INCREASES IN CRIME HERE, LOCALLY THAT WE'RE SEEING NATIONALLY WITH OUR HOMICIDE RATE UP OVER 70%.
THIS YEAR TO DATE AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS ARE UP 14% AND ROBBERIES OF 16%.
AND I'M SURE EVERYONE JUST SAW THE WALL STREET JOURNAL POSTS THAT SHOWED THAT OF THE 15 MOST POPULATED CITIES.
OUR PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN HOMICIDES HERE IN AUSTIN IS THE HIGHEST.
SO WE'RE EXPERIENCING WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING AROUND THE COUNTRY.
AND WE NEED TO HAVE OFFICERS ON THE STREET TO RESPOND TO THE CALLS SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THE PUBLIC SAFETY WITH ADEQUATE RESPONSE.
NOW I'LL TAKE THE STEPS NECESSARY TO ENSURE WE HAVE OFFICERS ON THE STREET, BUT THAT WILL COME AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHER SERVICES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
WE WILL HAVE TO TRANSFER PEOPLE OUT OF DIVISIONS THAT ARE ALSO VERY CRITICAL TO OPERATIONS RIGHT NOW, CRITICAL TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THAT IS A, THAT IS A VERY KEY POINT.
THE OTHER ISSUE THAT WILL IMPACT US IF WE SEE OUR STAFFING LEVELS DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY WILL BE THE NEED TO HAVE OFFICERS WORK BACKFILL, HAVE OFFICERS FILL IN FOR THOSE VACANT POSITIONS, SIMILAR TO HOW A FIRE TRUCK OPERATES WITH MANDATORY FOR FIREFIGHTER STAFFING, A POLICE SHIFT THAT IS STAFFED WITH 12 OFFICERS NEEDS 12 OFFICERS.
SO WE COULD EXPECT TO SEE A MUCH GREATER NEED FOR OFFICERS ON OVERTIME, AND THAT WILL IMPACT OFFICER'S HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
THE MORE WE CONTINUE TO DEMAND OF THEM TO FILL THESE POSITIONS THAT WILL REMAIN VACANT LONGTERM, AND THAT COULD HAVE IMPACTS ON OUR PERFORMANCE AS WELL.
SO THAT WOULD BE CONCERNING AND IT WOULD ALSO HAVE BUDGETARY IMPACTS AS FAR AS THE NEED FOR OVERTIME.
SO WHILE WE ABSOLUTELY RECOGNIZE THE NEED AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED WORK WE'RE DOING WITH OUR CADET TRAINING PROGRAM AND IN SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM, WE'VE BROUGHT IN OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS, WE'VE CREATED A POSITION FOR A CIVILIAN PHD TO HELP US IN THOSE AREAS.
WE'RE DOING A LOT, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SLOWING DOWN THE CONNECT CLASSES IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR COMMUNITY OR THE SAFETY
[03:15:01]
OF OUR COMMUNITY.I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE THEIR HANDS RAISED A MANAGER.
THERE WERE OTHER PROPOSALS THAT WERE ALSO MENTIONED IN TERMS OF, UM, UH, CUTTING OVER TIME.
AND THE LIKE, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THOSE, THERE'S A LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS THAT WERE SUGGESTED.
SO YOU CAN THEN MAYBE HAVE ADVENT NINO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF CUTTING OVER TIME AND HOW THAT IMPACTS OTHER PARTS OF OUR BUDGET, BUT, UH, CHIEF, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT ISSUE AS WELL IN TO THAT? AND SO THE COLLEAGUES DON'T HAVE TO GET TO ANY RAISING THEIR HAND WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH THIS, I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE COUNCIL FLAT AGAIN WITH REGARDS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, AND EVERYONE WILL ALSO GET A CHANCE, UM, CHIEF.
SO LOOKING AT SOME OF THE PICTURES CUTS, UH, I'VE KIND OF, I THINK I'VE SPOKEN ENOUGH ABOUT STAFFING AND I'LL MOVE ON FROM THAT, UH, OVER TIME.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT OPERATIONAL, UH, IMPACTS TO THE OVERALL BUDGET.
I'LL JUST TALK ABOUT FROM THE OPERATION SIDE OF THE HOUSE THAT, UM, OUR OVERTIME BUDGET, UH, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING UPON WHETHER YOU INCLUDE TRANSFERS AND GRANTS OF ROUGHLY 11.5 MILLION, AND THAT IS A BUDGET THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT GETS TASKED MUCH MORE GREATLY WHEN OUR MAKING SEA LEVELS GO HIGHER.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT OFTENTIMES AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE'LL BE OFFSETTING SAVINGS AND OTHER CATEGORIES WITH OVERAGES IN OUR OVERTIME.
SO I WOULDN'T BE VERY CONCERNED, UH, ABOUT THE LEVELS OF SERVICE THAT WE WOULD GET IF WE WERE TO MAKE SUCH SIGNIFICANT CUTS TO OUR OVERTIME BUDGET, A BUDGET THAT WE REALLY HAVE NOT SEEN ANY NOTABLE INCREASES TO IN MANY, MANY YEARS, EVEN THOUGH OFFICER'S SALARIES HAVE GONE UP AND THE DOLLARS DON'T GO AS FAR.
AND SO THAT WOULD IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO CONDUCT SPECIAL INITIATIVES THAT ARE REALLY GEARED TOWARDS A SPECIFIC CRIME TREND, OR JUST THE DAY TO DAY DEMANDS FOR OVERTIME, SUCH AS OFFICERS RECEIVING LIGHT CALLS, HAVING TO FINISH UP PAPERWORK FOR BABY, MAYBE AN ARREST OR A LATE CALL THAT THEY TOOK.
SO OVER TIME IS SOMETHING THAT IS, IS SIGNIFICANT.
I KNOW CELL PHONES HAVE BEEN MENTIONED.
CELL PHONES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OFFICER'S PERFORMANCE IN THAT THEY LINK TO OUR BODY WORN CAMERAS AND THE OFFICERS ACTUALLY USE THOSE CELL PHONES TO CLASSIFY ALL OF THEIR BODY WORN CAMERA VIDEOS WHILE THEY'RE OUT ON THE STREET.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S NOT A LUXURY, IT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT ENHANCES OUR PERFORMANCE AND MAKES US MORE EFFICIENT AS WE GO.
UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THE WORKDAY FOR OUR OFFICERS, UH, ASSET FORFEITURE FUNDS ARE VERY TIGHTLY CONTROLLED BY THE, BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITH A LOT OF STRICT RULES.
AND SO WE, UH, WE ABIDE BY THOSE.
SO THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT COULD BE RE TASKED TO OTHER USES.
UH, THERE'S VERY STRICT RULES ON THAT.
UM, WE LOOK AT OUR BUDGETS FOR, I KNOW EXPLOSIVES, UH, COMES UP FAIRLY REGULARLY AND, UH, ALTHOUGH IT IS A LARGE LINE ITEM, UH, WE DEFINITELY WANT OUR OFFICERS WHEN THEY GET INVOLVED IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE LOW FREQUENCY, BUT HIGH RISK TO BE AS BEST TRAINED AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE NEED TO HAVE THE AMMUNITION POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO TRAIN.
UM, LOOKING AT THE AMOUNT OF PATROL THAT YOU DID IS CRITICAL TO US AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT IN CROWD CONTROL.
UH, WE USE THEM REGULARLY, WHETHER IT BE ON SIXTH STREET OR HERE, UH, IN, IN RECENT PROTEST ACTIVITIES AS WELL.
UH, THEY ARE VERY GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO.
UM, MANY POLICE DEPARTMENTS UTILIZE THEM AND IT IS DEFINITELY A FORCE MULTIPLIER THAT ALLOWS US AGAIN, TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN WHAT WE DO.
SO THAT IS A CRITICAL UNIT FOR US AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT, LOOKING AT UNITS TO, UH, REALIGN.
I THINK THAT THERE, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THERE THAT MAKE SENSE.
AND I KNOW THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER IS LEADING THE EFFORTS THAT MANY OF US ARE WORKING ON AND WE STAND READY TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN MOVING FUNCTIONS TO OTHER AREAS WHERE MAYBE THERE'S A NATURAL, UH, NEXUS TO WHERE IT FITS BETTER THERE, OR THERE'S SOME, UH, EFFICIENCIES BUILT IN BECAUSE THERE ARE REDUNDANT FUNCTIONS HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER CITY ENTITIES.
AND I THINK THAT THERE ARE AREAS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT WITHIN MANY OF THOSE UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO TRANSFER INTO OTHER AREAS.
AND THEN LOOKING AT THE PROPOSAL TO, UH, BREAK US DOWN INTO FIVE DIFFERENT BASICALLY DEPARTMENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A DISCUSSION THAT WE COULD HAVE AS A CITY.
I THINK EVERYONE REALIZES WE USED TO HAVE MULTIPLE POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN THIS CITY, UH, WHEN WE HAD THE PSM GROUP, UH, WITH THE AIRPORT POLICE, THE CITY MARSHALS AND THE PARK PLACE.
AND THERE WERE REASONS WE WENT THROUGH CONSOLIDATION AND BROUGHT EVERYBODY UNDER ONE UMBRELLA AS THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO IF WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, REIMAGINE THAT AND LOOK AT GOING BACK TO MAYBE SOME STRUCTURES WE USED TO HAVE IN THE PAST, I THINK THAT WE COULD ENGAGE IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS, BUT WE SHOULD KIND OF LOOK AT WHY WE DID WHAT WE DID IN
[03:20:01]
THE FIRST PLACE AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.SO, UM, THAT'S PROBABLY HITTING MY THOUGHTS ON MY CONCERNS WITH SOME OF THE PROPOSALS.
AND THEN SOME AREAS THAT I DO THINK ARE, UH, ARE APPROPRIATE FOR US TO LOOK AT.
AND RE-IMAGINE, I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO THE DAY WHEN WE HAVE GOT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, SUCH THAT IT'S NOT A POLICE OFFICER, THAT'S RESPONDING TO THOSE CALLS, UNLESS THERE IS A THREAT OF VIOLENCE AND WE HAVE TO GO BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE NOT THE BEST TRAINED OR EQUIPPED, OR JUST SIMPLY THE ONLY ONES OUT THERE.
SO PLEASE KNOW THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS RE-IMAGINING PROCESS IN THOSE AREAS WHERE WE CAN DO BETTER, BUT I, I GET, I GET CONCERNED WHEN IT'S, LET'S CUT A HUNDRED MILLION JUST SO WE CAN SAY WE CUT A HUNDRED MILLION.
I THINK THAT WE JUST GOT TO BE VERY THOUGHTFUL IN HOW WE APPROACH THIS.
AND I DO SEE IT AS MY ROLE TO, TO INFORM YOU AND MAYOR, AS YOU JUST ASKED OF THE CONCERNS THAT I WOULD HAVE WITH SOME OF THESE ITEMS BEING CONSIDERED.
SO THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THAT OPPORTUNITY AND THANK YOU MANAGER FOR, UH, FOR GIVING ME THAT TIME.
AND I'LL JUST REPEAT THE DIRECTION THAT I GAVE TO THE CMO GROUP LED BY OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER THAT NO IDEAS ARE GOING TO BE OFF THE TABLE HERE.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT ALL ASPECTS OF HOW WE THINK ABOUT OUR PUBLIC SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE AND THROUGH THE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE, THEY WILL BE LOOKING THOUGHTFULLY AT EACH ONE OF THESE AREAS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING, INCLUDING STAFFING LEVELS.
SO I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS IN THE FUTURE BEFORE I PASS IT BACK TO YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF JUST, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU ABLE TO JUST DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT OF HOW YOU LOOK AT THE OVERTIME BUDGET AND IF THERE WERE CUTS TO THAT, HOW THAT MIGHT IMPACT OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT? UM, WELL, I CAN, I CAN CERTAINLY PUT SOME NUMBERS OUT THERE, YOUR CITY MANAGER, UM, CHIEF MANLEY, AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE OPERATIONAL CONCERNS OF CUTTING THE OVERTIME BUDGET.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT ONE AREA THAT YOU LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS BEING DISCUSSED, BOTH AROUND THE COUNCIL AND FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, THERE'S ONE CATEGORY THAT I WOULD PUT AS SHORT TERM THINGS, THINGS THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY DO THIS BUDGET, WHICH RELATE TO THE CADET CLASS AND LANG THOSE CADET CLASSES, UM, THAT RESULTS IN MORE VACANCIES.
SO THAT WOULD BE MORE VACANT POSITIONS THAT COULD BE ELIMINATED AND THEN THE OVERLAP BUDGET.
UM, SO, UM, WE HAVE ESTIMATED AS A BUDGET QUESTION AND RESPONSE ON THIS.
UM, IF WE WERE TO DELAY ALL THE CADET CLASSES NEXT YEAR, THERE'S SCHEDULED TO BE THREE.
THEY TYPICALLY RUN EVERY FOUR MILES.
SO ONE IN NOVEMBER, ONE IN MARCH.
AND, UM, I BELIEVE ONE IN JUNE OR JULY, IT'S THE SCHEDULE FOR THE CADET CLASSES NEXT YEAR, IF WE WERE TO BUILD IT RIGHT, ALL THOSE ARE ESTIMATES ARE THAT THERE'LL BE ANOTHER 80 POSITIONS THAT THAT WOULD BE VACANT, THAT COULD BE REDUCED FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET AND THE COMBINED SAVINGS OF ALL THAT WOULD BE $10 MILLION THIS YEAR.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IT COULD BE DONE, UM, BUDGETARILY.
UM, I WOULD POINT OUT THAT ABOUT 5 MILLION OF THAT COMES FROM DELAYING THE CONNECT, THE CLASSES.
SO THAT WOULD BE ONE TIME, RIGHT? WHEN WE GET THE FISCAL YEAR 21, I FORGOT TO GET THE FISCAL YEAR 22.
IF WE'RE GOING TO START RUNNING THE DEBT CLASSES, THEN THAT $5 BILLION OF SAVINGS FROM NOT DOING THE CADET CLASSES THIS YEAR WOULD NEED TO BE PUT BACK INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET.
SO, UM, WHEN A COUNCIL MEMBER, CAUSE OUR MENTIONED THAT, UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, IF WE, YOU DON'T RUN INTO THE CADET CLASSES NEXT YEAR, THAT ALSO RESULTS IN MORE VACANCIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAT THESE WILL BE, COULD BE CUT FROM THE BUDGET IN FISCAL YEAR 22.
AND WE ESTIMATE THAT AT ANOTHER $9 MILLION IN SAVINGS IN FISCAL YEAR 22, SO THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF SAVINGS, CLEARLY CONSEQUENCES, LIKE CHIEF SAID, IF WE DID THAT, WE WOULD BE BACK TO STAFFING LEVELS OF ROUGHLY WHERE WE WERE IN 2012, EIGHT YEARS AGO.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, DOLLARS WISE SAY ABOUT $10 MILLION IN SAVINGS THIS YEAR AND ANOTHER $9 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR, UM, POINTING 22 IN REGARDS TO OVERTIME, THERE'S DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
SO THE TOTAL OVERTIME BUDGET OF A LITTLE MORE THAN $11 MILLION, SOME OF THAT REIMBURSED.
SO IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE TO CUT REIMBURSED OVERTIME, BUT NON-REIMBURSED WARRANT OVERTIME IS RIGHT ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, ONE AND A HALF MILLION OF THAT WAS ADDED BY COUNCIL JUST A FEW YEARS AGO TO RUN THE STAFF SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, UM, ANNUALLY.
SO A MILLION AND A HALF OF THAT OVERTIME BUDGET IS FOR THAT.
UM, ABOUT ANOTHER 500,000 IS FOR VARIOUS OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS.
UM, AND THEN 6.3 MILLION IS, WERE PATROL AND INVESTIGATIONS COURT TIME, UM, HOLD OVERS FOR ONGOING CALLS.
SO THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT OFFICERS ARE PAID OVERTIME FOR THAT.
UM, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GO AWAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMEBODY GOT A CALL AND THEY NEED TO GET HELD OVER, CAUSE IT COSTS NO GOING ON.
AND, AND ALSO THE CHIEF SAYS THE VACANCIES CREEP UP.
THERE'S A GREATER NEED TO BACKFILL THOSE VACANCIES, UM, TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH OFFICERS ON
[03:25:01]
THE STREET.BUT, UM, IT KIND OF WANTED TO PUT SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS OUT THERE AND PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT FOR SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS THAT ARE BEING DISCUSSED AND TO SAVINGS.
IT COULD FEASIBLY HAPPEN STILL IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE.
UM, MAYBE JUST KIND OF WRAP UP THERE ARE, THERE ARE OTHER PROPOSALS THAT I WOULD KIND OF CATEGORIZE IT MORE LIKE MIDTERM, UM, THINGS TO ME THAT WOULD BE HARD FOR US TO REALLY FIGURE OUT, TO DO THIS BUDGET CYCLE SCALE.
THESE COULD BE THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL MID YEAR AND DO SO THE IDEA IS TO, UM, MOVE VARIOUS CIVILIAN FUNCTIONS OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENTS, CHAIN OF COMMAND TO OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY'S OPERATIONS, LIKE BRENDAN INTO COMMUNICATIONS OR TECHNOLOGY, VICTIM SERVICES.
UM, THOSE ARE PRETTY QUICK FOR US TO DO BY THE TAILIE.
THERE'S JUST QUESTIONS OF WHERE DO WE PUT THEM AND ARE WE REALLY READY TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE FORENSICS LAB, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AN AWESOME POLICE DEPARTMENT'S CHAIN OF COMMAND, WHERE DOES IT GO? WHERE DOES IT MAKE THE MOST SENSE, UM, TO GO? AND I DON'T KNOW THAT STAFF WOULD HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNSEL ON THAT IN PRIME FOR BUDGET ADOPTION NEXT WEEK.
UM, AND THEN THE FINAL CATEGORY I VIEW AS BEING KIND OF LONGER TERM, VERY LIKELY, PROBABLY NOT EVEN BEING ABLE TO COME BACK AND BE A YEAR MAYBE, BUT, UM, THE VARIOUS PROPOSALS THAT WOULD CIVILIANIZED CURRENTLY SWORD FUNCTION.
SO TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT OR PARKS POLICE THAT WE WANT TO TRANSITION THOSE FUNCTIONS AWAY FROM BEING SWORN PERSONNEL FOR BEING A CIVILIANIZED OPERATION.
WELL, THAT'S A MAJOR TRANSITION THAT REQUIRES US TO START UP OR TO ADD MORE PARTS.
A RANGERS ARE, OR CIVILIAN EYES, TRAFFIC SAFETY GROUP.
WE'D ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET THE UNITS, STOOD UP, GET THE POSITIONS HIGHER AND GET THE PROGRAMS DEFINED.
UM, AND, AND THAT WOULD JUST TAKE LONGER TERM, BUT WHERE I JUST KIND OF THREE CATEGORIES, SHORT TERM THINGS, YOU CAN ACTUALLY STILL DO THIS BUDGET CYCLE THAT RESULT IN SAVINGS, MORE OF THESE MIDTERM THINGS THAT WE'VE COME BACK DURING THE YEAR TO DO.
AND THEN, AND THEN THERE'S WHAT I VIEWED AS BEING LONGER TERM.
BUT, UM, THAT WAS JUST MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE CONVERSATION WE'VE BEEN HEARING SO FAR.
WE'LL TURN IT BACK FOR QUESTIONS.
UM, I, I KIND OF DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR LAYING OUT THE CHALLENGES OF THE PROPOSALS IN A WAY THAT I THINK IS, UM, REFLECTIVE OF THE, THE MACHINERY THAT HAS TO GET OR SHIFTED IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH IT.
UM, NO, SIR, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO INTERPRET WHEN YOU HAVE A DEPARTMENT HEAD QUOTING STATISTICS WITH FEAR-MONGERING LANGUAGE TO THIS COUNCIL.
WHEN WE ARE ASKING FOR LEGITIMATE FEEDBACK ON A BUDGET PROPOSAL, WE'VE ALL READ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE.
I HAVE SEEN MEMBERS OF THAT DEPARTMENT SHARE PHOTOSHOP VERSIONS, WHERE THEY CUT OUT THE PART OF THE CHART THAT SHOWED WE ARE 14 OUT OF 15 OF TOP 10 CITIES IN HOMICIDES.
IT CUT THAT PART OUT AND THEY ONLY SHOWED THE PART THAT WAS THE PERCENTAGE.
AND ONLY BECAUSE WE ARE ONE OF THE SAFEST CITIES IN AMERICA, DOES THAT PRESENT SHOULD SEEM ARTIFICIALLY HIGH.
AND I HAVE YET TO HEAR AN ANALYSIS FROM STAFF ON THE PANDEMICS IMPACT ON CRIME, BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST AUSTIN THAT IS FACING A PROBLEM.
EVERY MAJOR CITY WITH LEADERSHIP OF ALL DIFFERENT POLITICAL POSITIONS, INCLUDING CITIES THAT HAVE INCREASED POLICE DEPARTMENTS ARE SEEING THOSE, THOSE CRIME TRENDS OCCUR.
IN FACT, I HAD A MEMBER OF THAT DEPARTMENT WHO HOLDS A POSITION OF LEADERSHIP SEND TO ME AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE CITY OF SAN JOSE SAYING THAT THAT, THAT MAYOR HAD IT RIGHT.
THAT MAYOR HAD IT RIGHT, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO ADD COPS RIGHT NOW.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CITY OF SAN JOSE, THEY HAVE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME POPULATION AS AUSTIN.
THEY HAVE LOWER CRIME THAN AUSTIN AND HALF THE NUMBER OF POLICE HALF, HALF THE PROPOSALS WERE DELIBERATING RIGHT NOW ARE MODEST.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BETWEEN 1800 AND 1,850, LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SCALE THAT IS, THAT IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET, CERTAINLY A DROP IN THE BUCKET TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS ASKING FOR.
AND SPENCER, I BEG YOU TO GIVE US DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT ARE WANTING TO PARTNER WITH THIS COUNCIL TO DO THE WORK BECAUSE I AM TIRED OF DEALING WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS WHO FIGHT THE COUNCIL.
AND AT SOME POINT IT SOUNDS LIKE THOSE ARE YOUR WORDS, WHICH IS WHY I'M NOT ADDRESSING THE CHIEF AND THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE I AM NOW LEFT TO BELIEVE
[03:30:01]
THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE DIRECTING HIM TO SAY, AS FAR AS THE PROPOSALS ARE CONCERNED, I, I WANT TO DIG INTO THE STUFF THAT ED IS TALKING ABOUT.AND I THINK SOME OF THAT WE CAN PROBABLY DIG INTO ON THURSDAY IF WE FAIL TO GET TO ALL THE STUFF WE WANT TO GET TO TODAY.
CAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE PARTS IN EMS PROPOSALS TO TALK ABOUT, AND I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE EMS PROPOSALS, ESPECIALLY.
UM, AND, AND THERE ARE KIND OF COMPLICATIONS WITH LINE ITEMS AND VACANCY SAVINGS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
AND SO THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES TO DIG INTO SOME OF THE BIGGER DETAILS.
THEN I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT CADET CLASSES IN CALENDAR YEAR 21.
I THINK, I THINK IT'S CLEAR THAT THE TRAINING REVIEW AND THE MATERIALS REVIEW IS NOT GOING TO BE COMPLETE IN TIME FOR HIM TO BE SATISFIED WITH.
I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, DECIDING NOW TO CANCEL CLASSES IN THE FOLLOWING CALENDAR YEAR IN PART, BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL JOBS THAT WE NEED SWORN OFFICERS TO DO BASED ON THE WAY STATE LAWS WRITTEN.
AND, AND I WANT TO GET INTO A PLACE WHERE WE ARE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT LEAVING ONLY THE OFFICERS WHO ARE LEAST OPEN TO CULTURE SHIFT ARE THE ONES REMAINING.
I LIKE, I THINK THERE'S A VALUE IN ONCE WE GET TO A PLACE WHERE THE TRAINING IS GOOD.
THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE IN BRINGING IN NEW CADETS IN THAT TRAINING.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M READY TO CALL IT TO, TO CALL IT FOR CALENDAR YEAR 21.
I'M DEFINITELY READY TO CALL IT ON NOVEMBER.
UM, AND SO I THINK SOME OF THE MORE DETAILED STUFF, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE BUDGET STAFF GIVE US, UM, SOME FURTHER DETAILS AND DELIBERATIONS FOR THURSDAY.
YOU KNOW, UM, I'M REALLY TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE AND HOPEFUL ABOUT, AND THIS IS, THESE ARE FOR SPENCER, A CITY MANAGER.
I'M REALLY TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE AND HOPEFUL ABOUT THIS PROCESS, KNOWING HOW HARD IT IS, KNOWING HOW DIFFICULT, UM, THIS HAS BEEN FOR OUR COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, BEING ON EDGE AS THE WEEKEND APPROACH AND HEARING ALL KINDS OF PROPAGANDA, FRANKLY, ABOUT WHAT WAS EXPECTED BECAUSE OF SOURCES AND HEARING THAT, YOU KNOW, PROTESTORS WERE COMING IN ON BUSES.
THE ONLY PEOPLE I SAW COMING OFF OF BUSES OR POLICE OFFICERS THIS WEEKEND AND IN TRYING TO STAY REALLY HOPEFUL ABOUT THIS AND HEARING, YOU KNOW, CHIEF MANLEY SAY THINGS THAT ARE FRANKLY, AS, AS COUNCIL MEMBER PLAN PLANNING INPUT, IT FEAR-MONGERING IS JUST IT'S, IT'S MAKING ME LOSE THAT HOPE.
UM, THE COMMENTS THAT I HEARD WERE IF WE DELAY THOSE CADET CLASSES, AND THIS IS ABOUT THAT, THAT IN JANUARY OF 2020, WE WOULD FACE THESE, THIS AWFUL, YOU KNOW, SITUATION THAT, THAT MAKES SO MANY ASSUMPTIONS.
IT MAKE SO MANY ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT, UH, THAT WE WOULD KEEP EVERYTHING THE SAME.
IT MAKES SO MANY ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WE'RE JUST DOING EVERYTHING THE SAME IN JANUARY OF 2020 COMES.
WE HAVE A WHOLE YEAR I'M MORE THAN A YEAR TILL JANUARY 20, 22.
I'M SORRY IF I DIDN'T SAY THAT.
UM, WE HAVE A LONG TIME AND I GUESS Y'ALL BECAUSE, UM, I WON'T BE HERE IN, IN 2022, 2022, 22, BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE WE HAVE, I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET TO SOME REAL SOLUTIONS AND TO HEAR THINGS LIKE CUTTING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE CAN'T JUST BE CUTTING A HUNDRED MILLION JUST TO CUT IT.
IT'S NEVER BEEN JUST TO CUT IT.
IT'S BEEN SO PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN DEMANDING CHANGE AND, AND, AND, AND LEADING FOR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PULLED OVER MORE ARE SHOT OR KILLED, UM, LEADING FOR THAT, IT'S NOT JUST TO CUT IT.
IT'S TO TRY TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY FEELS SAFE AND I'M HAVING A HARD TIME HOLDING ONTO HOPE THAT WE CAN GET THERE HEARING COMMENTS LIKE THAT FROM OUR CHIEF.
AND SO I, IT'S GOTTA BE A CONVERSATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, REAL REAL, PLEASE TELL US THE REAL ISSUES HERE.
SO WE, SO WE DON'T FEEL LIKE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, DEPICTING THIS ALL ON OUR OWN BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT THE EXPERTS, BUT WE ALL WANT TO GET TO THAT SAME PUBLIC SAFETY PLACE.
AND IT'S GETTING INCREDIBLY HARD AND MAKING IT HARDER WHEN WE JUST HEAR JUST THIS DEFENSIVENESS, THIS, THIS SNOW, IF YOU DO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WORLD'S GONNA EXPLODE.
I JUST HOPE WE CAN GET TO A BETTER PLACE.
[03:35:06]
UM, I WANT TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS OF, UH, OUR, UH, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, UM, THAT RELATES TO THE PROCESS THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.UM, AND, UM, I THINK THAT ONE THING THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME, UM, AS WE, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, THIS PROCESS, UM, PART OF WHAT, WHAT I SEE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSFORMATION IS WE ARE MOVING FUNCTION AND, AND WANTING TO, UM, CONNECT, UH, THE RIGHT FUNCTION TO THE RIGHT PERSON THAT SHOULD RESULT IN, IN THE NEED FOR LESS OFFICE.
SO WE HAVE TO BALANCE WHEN WE, WHEN WE MOVE A FUNCTION, UH, THAT'S GONNA GIVE US A NEED FOR LESS OFFICERS.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT WE'RE IN, WHICH IS A GROWING CITY.
SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF, THAT'S THE KIND OF INFORMATION FACTUAL KIND OF OLDER PROJECT, FACTUAL THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IDEAS AROUND HIM, BUT THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF DATA INFORMATION THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO RIGHT SIZE OUR, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IN LIGHT OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE FUNCTIONS TO BETTER FIT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BETTER FIT, UM, THE, UH, SKILLSET OR WHO NEEDS TO PERFORM THAT FUNCTION.
AND SIMPLE WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IS MENTAL HEALTH ONLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MUCH MORE THAN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THAT, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE TRANSFERRING CALLS TO A CLINICIAN AND A CLINICIAN CAN TAKE THAT CALL OR A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC, AT SOME POINT, THERE WILL BE A REDUCTION IN POLICE OFFICER'S TIME TO PUT TIME INTO THAT FUNCTION.
AND WE KNOW THERE'S COMPLEXITIES TO THAT, AND IT TAKES A WHILE TO FIGURE THAT OUT AND PROJECTED, BUT AT SOMETIME THERE WILL.
AND SO WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE DATA THAT TELLS US, SO, UM, TELLS US WHAT THAT IS, AND IT TAKES, IT TAKES A WHILE TO DEVELOP.
SO THAT'S THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT OVERTIME WE'RE GONNA REALLY NEED TO HAVE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND IN A YEAR OR WHENEVER, UH, WHAT IS THE RIGHT SIZE OR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HOW MUCH MORE DO WE NEED IN TERMS OF CADET CLASSES AND WHEN, SO I THINK THAT I, I FEEL PRETTY COMFORTABLE THAT WE DON'T, THAT WE'RE NOT READY FOR OUR CADET CLASS IN NOVEMBER.
UM, THERE'S TRAINING, CURRICULUM CHANGES AND OTHER CHANGES THAT NEED TO OCCUR.
SO I FEEL COMFORTABLE ABOUT THAT.
WHETHER YOU WERE READY IN THE SPRING OR THE SUMMER, I HAVE SOME GRAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WE'D BE READY IN THE SPRING, BUT I WANNA HEAR SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT REGARDLESS.
SO I, MY QUESTION TO YOU, UM, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER IS, IS IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT.
SO, UM, I, I, I WANT TO ALSO UNDERSTAND, AND I THINK THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND SOME, SOMETHING MORE SPECIFIC, AND IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU'RE ON A PATH TO PROVIDE THAT TO US, BUT I NEED TO UNDERSTAND A BETTER WIN.
IN OTHER WORDS, ARE WE GOING TO GET, IS IT IN YOUR, IT, WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME IS TO HAVE A CALENDAR WHEN WE VOTE ON THE BUDGET AND THAT CALENDAR TO SPEAK SPECIFICALLY ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS CERTAIN ISSUES, BUT ALSO TO SPEAK TO HOW PEOPLE CAN WEIGH IN, HOW CAN THEIR VOICES BE HEARD? THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT NOW FROM REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS, PEOPLE ARE, ARE, THEY'RE INTERESTED, THEY'RE CONCERNED.
SOME PEOPLE ARE SCARED, UM, AND WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE TO THEM SPECIFIC.
UM, AND SO I, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
I KNOW YOU'RE ON A PATH AND BEEN ON A PATH I'M JUST ENCOURAGING YOU TO GIVE US SOME MORE SPECIFICS WITH THE TON ONE.
SO BY THE TIME THAT WE VOTE NEXT WEEK OR BUDGET, WE CAN VOTE AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT COUNCIL'S DOING.
AND THIS IS HOW YOU, AS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY CAN COMMUNICATE AND BE PART OF THIS PROCESS FOR THOSE THINGS THAT WE ALL HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE SOME MORE TIME.
AND THAT IS JUST NOT CLEAR AT THIS TIME.
AND I KNOW YOU'VE HAD TO BUILD A PROCESS AND THAT TAKES SOME TIME AND THAT'S OKAY, BUT I'M JUST SAYING, WE'VE GOT, I REALLY FEEL THE PRESSURE AND IT'S NOT
[03:40:01]
JUST PRESSURE.I WANT, I GUESS, AND I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO MY CONSTITUENTS AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT THAT PROCESS IS.
SO, UM, I KNOW I STYLED IT AS A QUESTION.
I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, CAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THE D THE TIMELINES, UM, BUT WANT TO SPEAK TO ANY OF THAT SURE.
AND AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT THE SENSE OF URGENCY THAT I THINK WE'RE ALL FEELING.
AND CERTAINLY I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE FEELING IT AS WELL.
I CAN SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE HAVE A PRELIMINARY TIMELINE, RIGHT? TO THE QUESTION OF A CALENDAR.
WE INTERNALLY HAVE CREATED ONE.
I KNOW THAT FOLKS ON OUR TEAM AND I'LL GIVE SOME CREDIT TO, UH, DIRECTOR MUSKET.
AND IN PARTICULAR, WHO IS PART OF OUR CM, A LEADERSHIP TEAM PUT TOGETHER KIND OF A ROUGH 60, 30 TO 60 DAY TIMELINE.
WE ANTICIPATE CONVENING THE GROUP, UH, SHORTLY.
UM, WE HAVE ADDED AN INVITATION TO ONE ADDITIONAL GROUP AS PER A COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER SUGGESTION.
THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE, UM, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE ACTUALLY THREE MEETINGS THIS VERY MONTH WITH THE TASK FORCE PROVIDED THEY ARE READY TO COME WORK WITH US ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
CAUSE THESE ARE VOLUNTEER TASK FORCES, RIGHT.
UM, AND SO AS LONG AS THEY HAVE, AND I BELIEVE THEY DO BECAUSE I KNOW HOW COMMITTED COMMUNITY IS TO MOVING THIS FORWARD.
UM, WE HAVE SET UP A SET OF, UM, SORT OF MILESTONES FOR OURSELVES THAT INCLUDES MONTHLY MEMOS AND UPDATES TO COUNCIL.
THAT INCLUDES POTENTIALLY IN SEPTEMBER COMING BACK WITH SOME, UH, BUDGETARY AMENDMENTS, IF THAT IS APPROPRIATE.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO BE COGNIZANT THAT WHILE WE HAVE CREATED THAT INTERNALLY AS STAFF, OUR PROCESS HAS ALL ALONG, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PRESENT THAT TO THE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE AND THAT WE ARE ALL AGREED THAT THAT IS DOABLE AND THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.
AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE HAVE NOT PUT A CONFIRMED SET TIMELINE OUT THERE BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT TO DO THAT.
BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A VERY AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE VET WITH OUR WORK GROUP AND OUR TASK FORCE SO THAT WE CAN FINALIZE IT AND BRING THAT FORWARD TOGETHER.
UM, SO I THINK THAT SHOULD BE FORTHCOMING IN TERMS OF THE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES.
I BELIEVE WE WILL HAVE THAT TO SHARE OUT AS WELL.
WE ALSO WANT TO GET CONFIRMATION, BUT, UH, WE HAD OUR FIRST LISTENING SESSION WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONS AND THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMISSIONS LAST WEEK.
AND FROM THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED, IT WAS POSITIVE.
UM, WE HOPE TO SORT OF ENGAGE THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, AT LARGE WITH THAT KIND OF RE-IMAGINING, UH, SCENARIO BASED.
UM, LET US KNOW, WHERE ARE THE AREAS THAT IN THESE SCENARIOS YOU WOULD WANT, UM, A SWORN OFFICER TO RESPOND OR WHETHER, WHAT AREAS YOU WOULD NOT HAVE THAT AND WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE BECAUSE I'LL, I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT THAT FIRST SESSION AND MANY THANKS TO THE FOLKS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THAT SESSION WAS SO USEFUL WAS SO RICH AND IDEAS OF COMMUNITY SAYING, YOU KNOW, I, I BELIEVE THAT THESE ARE OTHER PEOPLE'S OR THESE ARE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OR THESE ARE OTHER RESPONSES THAT COULD COME IN THAT SCENARIO.
AND IT IS THAT, THAT WE INTEND TO CONTINUE FORWARD.
WE ALSO, FROM THAT, WE'LL BE TWEAKING THAT SCENARIO BASED DISCUSSION AND SORT OF CREATING THESE FACILITATED DISCUSSION GUIDES FOR ANYONE WHO WISHES TO HAVE THAT.
SO I KNOW THAT WE WANT TO, AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT SOME OF THAT SET TO, I BELIEVE IT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN'S POINT LAST WEEK.
WE'RE TRYING NOT TO LET PERFECTION BE THE ENEMY OF GOOD.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BRING THINGS FORWARD AS THEY'RE ABLE TO COME FORWARD, BUT WE REALLY WANTED TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT TRYING TO CONVENE THAT TASK FORCE FIRST TO GET AGREEMENT ON.
NOW, WE WERE PLANNING ON TRYING TO HAVE THAT FIRST MEETING, I BELIEVE, MID AUGUST.
AND IF WE CAN TRY TO GET THAT MEETING UP BEFOREHAND, WE WILL CERTAINLY TRY TO DO THAT, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO BE COGNIZANT THAT SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WE SPOKE WITH, WE HAVE NOT YET HEARD, WE HAVE NOT COMMUNICATED WITH, TO BE FAIR TO THEM AND SEEING IF THEY ARE STILL WILLING, IF THEY HAD SPOKEN TO THEIR BOARDS, IF THEY HAD SPOKEN TO THEIR OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SO THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE THERE IN ORDER TO CONVENE.
BUT THAT WAS REALLY MOSTLY WHAT WE'RE WAITING FOR.
IT IS NOT FOR LACK OF THE CITY HAVING SORT OF THOUGHT OF WHAT A TIMELINE LOOKS LIKE AS MUCH AS REALLY WANTING TO VET THAT WITH THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE ASKING TO COME ON THAT JOURNEY WITH US.
I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT FLUSHES OUT A BIT MORE, UH, FOR PEOPLE SO THAT PEOPLE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND.
UM, AND THEN I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, UH, I HEAR WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID.
[03:45:01]
UM, AND, UM, I AGREE A CITY MANAGER THAT, UM, THAT IT STRUCK ME IN THE SAME WAY, UH, IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE IMPACT OF, UM, UH, NOT HAVING THE CADET CLASSES.I RECOGNIZE UNDERLYING THAT, UM, IS THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION, UH, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE INFORMED BY DATA WHEN WE GET TO IT.
AND THAT IS WHAT IS THE RIGHT SIZE FOR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, IN A GROWING CITY WHEN, AND AFTER NOT WHEN, BUT AFTER WE, UH, CONSIDER THE FUNCTIONS THAT WE CAN BETTER, UM, BETTER ADDRESS AND BETTER PROVIDE PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, IN A DIFFERENT SETTING.
SO THAT IS A LEGITIMATE QUESTION THAT PEOPLE HAVE, AND WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT, BUT WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT IN A WAY THAT'S BASED ON DATA, UH, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID.
UM, AND I HAVE HEARD FROM MY CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE AFRAID BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR CITY AS A GROWING CITY, UM, TO, TO HAVE SOME NUMBER OF LESS OFFICERS.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALL ARE WHAT WE ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT IS SHIFTING FUNCTIONS, FUNCTIONS, WHICH MAKES SENSE, AND IS MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE.
UM, AND, UM, AND THAT, THAT IMPACTS WHAT WE NEED IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A, THAT'S A, THAT'S THE CRUX OF THE MATTER FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IN TERMS OF, OF PEOPLE'S KIDS, THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.
CAUSE I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DISCUSSION AND IT'S A CRITICAL ONE AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS RE-IMAGINING PROCESS.
REMEMBER HARPER, MADISON, THANK YOU, MARY.
AND THANK YOU TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO ONCE IN A LIFETIME NOT BE LONG-WINDED CAUSE Y'ALL JUST SAID EVERYTHING THAT I WAS THINKING.
AND SO I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT ANY OF IT.
UH, I ACTUALLY HAD MY HAND UP FIRST BEFORE THE CHIEF STARTED TO TALK, BECAUSE WHAT I WANTED TO ASK WAS AS HE WAS ABOUT TO PRESENT THE, UH, THE IMPLICATIONS OF NOT HAVING CADET CLASSES, I WAS HOPING TO BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOT HAVING THE NOVEMBER CLASS, WHICH MUCH LIKE, UM, MY COLLEAGUE, UM, MENTIONED, I DON'T BELIEVE IS AT ALL, UH, A REASONABLE EXPECTATION.
UM, BUT I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE WHAT, UM, WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO NOT HAVE 20, 21 CADET CLASSES.
UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, AND THIS IS AN ADVANTAGE, NO QUESTION AT THIS POINT, CAUSE MUCH LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, THE ORIGINAL RESPONSE TO NOT HAVING CADET CLASSES DEFINITELY IS A SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION.
UM, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AS A COMMUNITY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRUE TRANSFORMATION AND YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT TRUE TRANSFORMATION WITHOUT THE COMMITMENT TO, TO SACRIFICE.
AND TO SOME DEGREE, FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME CHALLENGING TIMES IN THE INTERIM AND THAT INCLUDES STAFFING LEVELS, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN PRESENTING TO US.
IT'S NOT WHAT THE COST IS TO NOT HAVE THOSE CADET CLASSES.
BUT THEY'RE TALKING TO US ABOUT IS WHAT IS THE COST OF CONTINUING TO PUT PEOPLE IN POSITIONS OF POWER THAT TAKE LIVES? WHAT IS IT? AND YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE THINGS YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY, YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY THE VALUE OF A LIFE.
YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY THE MANIFESTATION OF THE TRAUMA THAT PEOPLE GO THROUGH WHEN THEY HAVE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO ENGAGE IN MISCONDUCT.
AND WHEN WE HAVE TO SEE IT, THERE'S ALL THESE MULTIPLE TIERS OF TRAUMA.
YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY THAT, BUT I TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN QUANTIFY, WHAT YOU CAN PUT A NUMBER ON.
UM, HOW MANY INSTANCES OF MISCONDUCT DOES THE CITY HAVE TO INCUR IN TERMS OF OUR COSTS IN ORDER FOR US TO START TO REALIZE THAT IS A TRUE COST.
SO WE CAN AVOID THAT BY, AT THE VERY BEGINNING, HAVING THE KIND OF DEPARTMENT THAT DOESN'T ATTRACT PEOPLE THAT WILL ENGAGE IN MISCONDUCT.
WE DON'T WANT THIS TO BE A BASTION FOR THEM.
WE WANT THIS TO BE THE KIND OF JOB THAT THEY DON'T WANT.
THERE'S GOING TO BE TOO MUCH IN THE WAY OF ACCOUNTABILITY, EXPECTATIONS, AND SCRUTINY AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE.
THERE WILL BE TOO MUCH IN THE WAY OF A CULTURE SHIFT WHERE PEOPLE WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TOLERATE THE KIND OF MISCONDUCT THAT EXISTS BY WAY OF, YOU KNOW, OUR CITIZENS TESTIMONY AND FACTUAL INVESTIGATION REPORTS THAT WE'VE READ THAT SAY WE GOT PROBLEMS. WHY, WHY WOULD YOU WANT MORE PEOPLE TO COME INTO AN APARTMENT WITH THOSE PROBLEMS? I JUST, WHILE I CAN APPRECIATE THE
[03:50:01]
CHIEF'S THOUGHTS AROUND STAFFING TO SOME DEGREE THAT'S HIS JOB.I DO WISH THAT AT SOME POINT HE COULD TAKE THE TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT IT IS THAT WE, HIS COLLEAGUES AND THE COMMUNITY ARE ASKING FOR.
AND IT'S NOT FOR ANY ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE TO BE PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT.
WHAT IT IS IS US TRYING TO ACHIEVE THIS TRUE TRANSFORMATION THAT WE ALL WANT AND NEED, FRANKLY, IN WHICH CASE YOU HAVE TO THINK DEEPER, BUT THAT TO SAY, UM, AND I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE, YOU ALREADY TALKED TO US ABOUT WHAT THE, UM, COST SAVING, UH, IMPLICATIONS WOULD BE.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE 20, 21 DEBT CLASSES, CAN YOU JUST TALK TO US ABOUT THE ONE CADET CLASS THAT IN MY MIND'S EYE I'M DEFINITIVELY PROPOSING? WE, UM, UH, WE PAUSE, YES.
I'M HAPPY TO, UM, WE DID PUT A RESPONSE TO A BUDGET QUESTION OUT THAT LAYS THIS OUT IN MORE DETAIL.
IT'S ACTUALLY ON PAGE 104 OF THE BACKUP MATERIALS WE PROVIDED TO YOU SPECIFICALLY THE SCENARIO WHERE WE WOULD JUST DELAY THE CADET CLASS ACADEMY, UM, THAT CADET CLASS WILL FULLY TAKE PLACE DURING THIS TWO YEAR 21.
SO WE WOULD REALIZE THE FULL OF NOT HAVING TO PAY THOSE CADETS THAT'S $2.3 MILLION.
UM, WE ALSO ESTIMATE THAT WE COULD GET BY WITH 47 FEWER POSITIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE CURRENT VACANCIES WE HAVE AND A CADET CLASS, ONE 43, THAT'S GOING TO GRADUATE IN OCTOBER, UM, WORK, PROJECTING OUT THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER, WE WOULD HAVE 40, OR I'M SORRY THAT WE WOULD HAVE 80 VACANT POSITIONS.
UM, AND WE WOULD NEED THOSE VACANCIES.
IF WE'RE GOING TO RUN A CADET CLASS ON THE SCHEDULE THAT WE NORMALLY DO, WHEN, IF WE'RE NOT GONNA RUN THE DECEMBER OR THE NOVEMBER CADET CLASS, UM, WE COULD GET BY WITH 47, FEWER VACANCIES OF THOSE 80 47, UM, WHICH SAVES $5.3 MILLION.
AND THEN WE GET INTO THIS KIND OF BUDGET.
WALKING IS A VACANCY SAVINGS, OR WE ACTUALLY BUDGET FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WE DO FOR ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS.
WE BUDGET A SAVING AN ANTICIPATED SAVINGS AMOUNT BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ALL HER POSITIONS FILLED AT ANY POINT DURING THE YEAR, UM, FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 FOR SWORN PERSONNEL, WE CURRENTLY HAVE BUDGETED A NEGATIVE DOLLAR AMOUNT IN THEIR BUDGET CALLED VACANCY SAVINGS ON $8.2 MILLION.
SO THAT'S MONEY THAT WE'VE ALREADY TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM.
AND AS WE START REMOVING MORE VACANCIES, THEIR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THAT VACANCY SAVINGS NUMBER CHANGES.
AND SO, UM, WE WOULD, WE WOULD SAY WE WOULD NEED TO ADD BACK $1.5 MILLION TO THEIR BUDGET.
UM, WE NEED TO MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT TO THEIR BUDGETED VACANCY SAVINGS SOMEWHERE.
UM, SO I KNOW THAT'S KINDA CONFUSING AND COMPLICATED, AND WE ALWAYS GET INTO THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT VACANCY SAVINGS AND HOW IT WORKS.
BUT, UM, BOTTOM LINE WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN A $6 MILLION REDUCTION THAT WE WOULD ESTIMATE THAT WE COULD MAKE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET.
IF WE WERE TO DELAY THAT CLASS, UM, AND HAVE COUNCIL ELECTED TO REMOVE 47 POSITIONS FROM THEIR BUDGET.
AND I DO WANT TO REITERATE THOUGH THAT THAT $2.3 MILLION WHERE THE CONNECT LABS SHOULD BE VIEWED AS ONE TIME, BECAUSE AS WE GET BACK TO FISCAL YEAR 22, WE WOULDN'T DISSIPATE.
THEN WE'D GO BACK TO THIS GIFT AND WE'RE RUNNING THREE BET CLASSES FOR YEAR.
UM, AND SO YOU NEED TO PUT THAT MONEY BACK IN THEIR BUDGET TO RUN THE CLASSES.
ONE OTHER QUESTION WHILE WE HAVE THE MANAGER AND THE DEPUTY MANAGER ON THE LINE.
THEN COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR WILL GO NEXT.
UM, SO ASIDE FROM, I KNOW ALL OF US INDIVIDUALLY ARE SPEAKING TO SPECIFIC LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, UM, AND VARIOUS PEOPLE WOULD, YOU KNOW, SOME DEGREE OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE AS IT PERTAINS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT I REALLY, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR US TO, UM, EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A BODY HAVE MORE ACCESS TO CURRENT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO WERE INTERESTED IN TALKING TO US ABOUT THEIR IDEAS FOR BUDGET AMENDMENTS AND, UM, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THEM.
UM, AND I HAVEN'T, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT Y'ALL, BUT I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY SPECIFIC, UM, BUDGET AMENDMENT PROPOSALS FROM ANYBODY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, ONLY FROM THE ADVOCACY SPACE.
AND I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHY THAT IS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO, OR IF THEY'RE JUST NOT INCLINED TO, IF THEY'RE UNION LEADERSHIP, DOESN'T ENCOURAGE THEM TO PARTICIPATE CIVICALLY.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE REASON IS THAT, RIGHT.
I'M NOT HEARING FROM THEM AT ALL.
[03:55:01]
HAD A QUESTION THE OTHER NIGHT DURING A, UM, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UM, ENGAGEMENT, AND THE QUESTION WAS POSED AND IT OCCURRED TO ME AT THAT TIME.NOW I HAVEN'T, OTHER THAN THE FOLKS THAT I'M SEEKING OUT AND, OR, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIP, I'M NOT HEARING FROM ANYBODY IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SPACE AT ALL ABOUT WHAT THEY PROPOSED AROUND THE BUDGET, OTHER THAN LEADERSHIP, WHICH I KNOW WHAT THEY THINK.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO, UM, THIS WILL AFFECT THE MOST.
UM, I'LL START OUT WITH JUST SAYING THAT SHORTLY AFTER THAT, I PUT THE MEMO OUT IN JUNE REGARDING THE REIMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY PROCESS.
UH, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD VOICES FROM THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENTS.
ALL OF OUR OFFICERS, ALL THE PERSONNEL ARE PART OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, BE A PART OF THAT.
AND SO I SENT AN EMAIL TO THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, ENSURING THAT THEY WOULD BE A PART OF THIS RE-IMAGINING PROCESS.
UH, WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH HR TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAYS WE CAN HAVE IN TERMS OF SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS.
UH, BUT THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE ONGOING WORK ABOUT THE REIMAGINING PROCESS.
NOT SPECIFIC TO YOUR QUESTION AROUND BUDGET.
I DON'T KNOW, UH, NERDY WANTS TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT, BUT, UH, IT IS, IT WAS CRITICAL FOR ME TO ENSURE THAT WE HEARD VOICES FROM THE DEPARTMENTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UH, I WOULD CONCUR, I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO ADD A MANAGER TO THAT WE DID NOT, UM, SET ABOUT THE WORK TO INQUIRE ABOUT WHAT BUDGETARY AMENDMENTS WOULD LOOK LIKE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON WHAT DOES RE-IMAGINING LOOK LIKE FOR YOU AND TO HAVE THAT BE PART OF A PROCESS, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO BE HEARING FROM PD VOICES AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS WOULD BE TO OPEN IT UP SO THAT YOU COULD HEAR IT FROM, FROM ALL OF THE PD OFFICERS AND WHILE IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE REAL IMPORTANT TO HEAR FROM THE ASSOCIATION.
I WOULDN'T JUST LIMIT IT TO THAT PEOPLE.
SO, UM, THANK YOU, GOT SOME OF HER FOR RAISING THAT ISSUE.
I THINK THAT ARE IN MY, MY VIEW, BOTH ARE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERSHIP, UM, AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS ARE THOUGH.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THE OFFICER, IF FAFSA ARE FREE TO SPEAK THEIR MIND, UM, HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY QUIET ABOUT HELPING US TO REIMAGINE, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND I THINK THIS IS IN STARK CONTRAST TO WHAT WE SEE, UM, IN SOME OTHER CITIES.
SO IF YOU TAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, LA FOR INSTANCE, UM, THEIR POLICE DEPARTMENT SEEMS TO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE FACING VERY LARGE CUTS, UM, BUT THEY ARE EMBRACING THEIR ROLE IN THE PROCESS OF RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND HOW YOU THINK ABOUT IT EVERY DIVISION WITHIN, UM, LAPD HAS TO THINK ABOUT, I THINK IT'S A 10% CUT IN WHAT THEIR BUDGET WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, AND I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT TO DATE, WE AREN'T HEARING, UM, FROM OUR PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERSHIP ABOUT HOW THEY CONSTRUCTIVELY COULD BE PART OF THE PROCESS OR HELPING US TO FIGURE OUT IN A CONSTRUCTIVE WAY, UM, WHERE WE COULD CUT OR NOT.
UM, SO, UM, I DID WANT TO ASK THE CHIEF IF HE HAD, UM, ANY THOUGHTS THAT HE WANTED TO SHARE ABOUT WHERE, UM, WE ARE DOING THINGS THAT WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING BEYOND THE MENTAL HEALTH AND HOMELESSNESS THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT, UM, ALREADY.
AND I THINK THAT THERE'S A WIDESPREAD AGREEMENT THAT WE SHOULD BE MAKING SOME INVESTMENTS THERE.
YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE YOU SPENDING YOUR TIME THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE SPENDING YOUR TIME, THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR REASSIGNING FUNCTIONS OR CUTTING, CUTTING YOUR ROLE? WHERE ARE THE SAVINGS? IT'S A 400 AND SOME MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.
THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THERE THAT WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE DOING OR THAT WE WOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, SO IF YOU COULD TELL ME, YOU KNOW, ON A BROADER LEVEL WHERE YOU'RE DOING STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING THAT WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT REASSIGNING THAT FUNCTION.
AND WHERE WOULD YOU BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT CUTS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER? I, YEAH, IN, IN THE $400 MILLION BUDGET, WE'RE ROUGHLY AT THE EIGHT TO 90% SALARY, AND I'M SURE YOU KNOW THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THOSE ARE FIXED COSTS.
WE LOOK AT THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK THAT YOU'VE HIT THE OBVIOUS ONES WHERE MAYBE THERE IS OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER WITH OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES TO PROVIDE SERVICES.
MENTAL HEALTH IS ONE THAT WE ABSOLUTELY KNOW, NOT ONLY IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT, UM, POLICING CAN DO DIFFERENTLY WITH PARTNERSHIPS.
THIS IS AN EXERCISE WE GO THROUGH, UH, PERIODICALLY TO LOOK AT WHERE ARE WE SPENDING OUR TIME? AND AGAIN, IT'S WHAT LEVEL OF SERVICE DO WE WANT TO PROVIDE RIGHT NOW WITH THE COVID RESTRICTIONS.
WE ARE NOT RESPONDING TO SOME CALLS THAT WE USE TO RESPOND TO, UH, CRASHES WITH NO INJURIES WHERE,
[04:00:01]
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SIMPLY GOING OUT THERE JUST TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE PEOPLE EXCHANGE INFORMATION.THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT, UH, GOING FORWARD, UH, AS FAR AS WHETHER OR NOT WE, WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE FUNCTIONS THAT NEED TO BE DONE, THAT WE DO AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT POTENTIALLY OTHERS COULD DO.
WE PUT, WE PUT POLICE OFFICERS OVER IN THE COURTS, UM, BECAUSE THEY ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE SECURITY, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST THAT WAS THE CITY MARSHALL PROGRAM.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD LOOK AT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD SUGGEST BACKING OUT OF THE BUDGET IN A WEEK AND A HALF, CAUSE THERE'S NOT SOMEBODY TO PUT IN THE COURTROOM FOR THEIR SECURITY RIGHT NOW.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS THAT THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.
WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY, UH, PROTECT AN EXECUTIVE PROTECTION UNIT THAT PROVIDES PROTECTION TO DIGNITARIES AND OTHERS WHEN THEY'RE VISITING OR OTHERS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES THERE POTENTIALLY TO PULL FROM SERVICES.
SO THERE, THERE ARE THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, WE FIND OURSELVES IN DISCUSSIONS ON NINE ONE, ONE, UM, HANG UP CALLS, SHOULD YOU RESPOND TO SOMEONE WHO CALLS NINE ONE, ONE, BUT THEN THE LINE GOES DOWN.
WE KNOW GOING TO THOSE CALLS THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE TIME IT'S LIKELY AN ACCIDENTAL DIAL, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO MISS THAT ONE OR TWO WHERE IT WASN'T THAT THE PERSON MADE IT TO THE PHONE DIAL NINE ONE ONE, BUT THEN THE PHONE GOT DISCONNECTED BEFORE WE GOT THERE.
SO THOSE ARE THE BALANCING ACT THAT WE DO WHEN WE LOOK AT WHERE DO WE SPEND OUR TIME AND WHAT IS THE NEED FOR THAT? A SIMILAR TO BURGLAR ALARMS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF BURGLAR ALARMS WILL BE FALSE ALARMS. THERE ARE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE GONE TO VERIFIED RESPONSES, MAKING SURE THAT THE ALARM COMPANY FIRST INTERACTS WITH THE HOMEOWNER TO ENSURE THAT IT'S NOT A FALSE ALARM, BUT IN THE TIME THAT THAT TAKES, IF IT WERE TO BE A VALID ALARM, UH, THEN, THEN WE WOULD LIKELY MISS THE OPPORTUNITY MAYBE TO CATCH AN OFFENDER.
SO THERE ARE AREAS I THINK THAT WE COULD LOOK AT AS A COMMUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE, THE SERVICE THAT OUR COMMUNITY WANTS.
NOT, NOT THE PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, LIVES AND SAFETY ARE IN DANGER, BUT JUST THAT SERVICE PIECE, I THINK THAT IS RIGHT FOR DISCUSSIONS AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THIS RE-IMAGINING PROCESS, UM, TO DETERMINE WHAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE FROM US.
AND IF THERE ARE AREAS THERE TO REDUCE THE DEMANDS ON OUR OFFICER'S TIME.
SO ARE THERE SPECIFIC THINGS THOUGH, APART FROM THOSE THINGS THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED WHERE YOU WOULD, UM, LOOK TO CUT? WELL, I THINK THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT RIGHT NOW, AS FAR AS ANY OTHER SPECIFIC AREAS I WOULD RECOMMEND CUTTING, NOT RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SUBSTITUTE RIGHT NOW THAT I'M AWARE OF FOR THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING.
OFTENTIMES WE'RE THE ONES THAT GET DISPATCHED BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE ELSE TO GO PERFORM THAT FUNCTION.
SO AGAIN, AS THE ITEMS THAT I JUST LISTED, IF WE FIND OTHERS THAT CAN GO AND PERFORM THOSE FUNCTIONS, THEN THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY MAYBE TO REDUCE THE WORKLOAD ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND I THINK THAT IS, YOU KNOW, BROADLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO SEND THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE RIGHT SERVICE AND I THINK BROADLY, UM, THAT'S WHERE, WE'RE WHERE WE ALL ARE.
UM, I HOPE WE CAN ENGAGE, UM, LITTLE BIT MORE DEEPLY ON THESE QUESTIONS AND HEAR FROM FOLKS, UM, FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
UM, AS FAR AS A LITTLE HOPPER MEMBER, MADISON MENTIONED, UM, HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ED, UM, THAT GO BACK TO THE POLICE CADET ACADEMY.
UM, AND LIKE MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE MENTIONED, UM, I AM NOT AT THIS POINT SEEING THAT WE, UM, CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE NOVEMBER CLASS.
I'VE READ THE REPORTS FROM THIS VILLA NUEVA AND MR. FERGUSON.
UM, AND AS A FORMER PROFESSOR, I DON'T SEE HOW YOU GET THAT CLASS UP AND GOING IN NOVEMBER, WE'RE STILL MISSING THE BIG PIECES AND CHUNKS OF WHAT'S RECOMMENDED.
UM, AND IT DOESN'T HELP US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A CLASS, UM, THAT WE'RE NOT TRAINING, UM, IN LINE WITH OUR COMMUNITY VALUES.
UM, I AM HOWEVER, STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS, UM, AND THE BUDGET PIECES FOR, UM, THE CADET CLASSES IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
UM, AND, AND WHAT I'D LIKE YOU TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND IS THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PIECES.
UM, AND THERE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, ASSERTIONS MADE ABOUT, UM, THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WILL BE DELIVERED.
UM, BUT THOSE CADETS WHO ARE WAITING FOR THOSE POSITIONS, THEY'RE NOT GOING OUT ON PATROL.
UM, THERE'S SOME PORTION OF THE MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING, THAT'S BEING USED FOR OVERTIME, BUT WITH ALL OF THE NUMBERS AND FIGURES WE'VE BEEN GIVEN, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE SPENDING TO BACKFILL THOSE OTHER POSITIONS, UM, SO THAT THOSE, UM, POSITIONS HAVE BODIES IN THOSE SEATS, SO TO SPEAK.
UM, SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE INTERPLAY WITH THE OVERTIME BECAUSE WE HAVE THE VACANCY SAVINGS AND THEN THERE'S OVERTIME AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ASSERTION IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE REDUCING
[04:05:01]
THE AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT OUR COPS ARE SPENDING, BUT I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS, UM, AND HOW THAT PLAYS OUT BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY, NOBODY IN THAT ROLE.UM, AND SO IF YOU CAN HELP US, UM, UNDERSTAND THAT A LITTLE BETTER, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
WELL, THAT TEST, THE SIMPLEST NUMBER IS WHAT PROPORTION OF OVERTIME IS FOR BACKFILL, BUT THERE'S ALSO A FORMULA HERE THAT SEEMS A LITTLE BIT EVASIVE.
WELL, THE OVERTIME AMOUNTS GOING TO, UM, UM, VARY WITH THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES.
I THINK THE CHIEFS TOUCHED ON THAT SOME, AND I'D REALLY NEED TO DEFER TO HIS EXPERTISE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OVERTIME THAT SPECIFICALLY THE BACKFILL MTC, OR NOT IN DC, BUT EMPTY SPOTS ON A, ON A SHIP, UM, TO ENSURE THEY HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS ON THE STREET TO PROVIDE COVERAGE THAT THEY, THAT THEY REQUIRE.
AND WHEN THERE'S MORE VACANCIES, MORE LIKELY THERE THAN WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT SICK OR, UM, TRAINING, UM, THAT THEY'LL NEED TO USE OVERTIME.
UM, SO A LOT OF THE TIMES WHERE THAT PLAYS OUT IS WE WILL BUDGET THE VACANCY SAVINGS BASED UPON MAYBE A NORMALIZED VACANCY TRENDS.
BUT THEN IF THE IS RUNNING ABOVE THAT NUMBER OF VACANCIES, YES, THEY WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL SAVINGS, BUT NOW THEY'RE USING THAT SAVINGS TO SPEND MORE ON OVERTIME.
AND THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE WHERE THE BUDGET DOESN'T ALWAYS, OR THE ACTUAL EXPENDITURE, DON'T ALWAYS PRAC PRECISELY TO THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS IN THE BUDGET ABOUT HOW MANY VACANCIES WILL THEY HAVE, WHAT SHOULD WE BUDGET BUDGET FOR THAT VACANCY SAVINGS AMOUNT? UM, AND THEN THEY COULD BE ABOVE IT OR BELOW IT, UM, DEPENDING UPON THE SIZE OF THEIR CADET CLASSES AND VARIOUS FACTORS.
SO IT IS A COMPLICATED EQUATION.
THEY ALL DO RELATE TOGETHER, MATH, THE BUDGET FOR WAGES PULL OUT FOR VACANCY SAVINGS.
AND THEN, UM, WHEN THEY HAD ONE, THE DEPARTMENT HAD MORE VACANCIES AND WHAT WE BUDGETED, WHAT DID THEY SPEND IT ON? AND IT'S OFTENTIMES OVERTIME, BUT THAT'S MORE OF A VARIABLE FOR POLICE.
IT'S LESS OF A CERTAINTY THAN IT IS.
AND IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHERE WE HAVE AN EMPTY SEAT ON A TRUCK, IT WILL BE BACKFILL ON AN OVERTIME BASIS.
THERE'S NOT THIS EXACT SAME STYLE OF WHOLE PERSON STAFFING MANDATE.
LIKE THERE IS IN THE, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE CHIEF MIGHT BE ABLE TO SPEAK MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THOSE TRIGGERS ARE, WHERE WE NEED THE BACKFILL CONTROL SPOT VACANT, OR DON'T KNOW THE BASIS THAT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GETTING TO YOUR QUESTION.
I'M REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS IF WE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE HOW WE DO THE NOVEMBER CLASS, BUT THEN I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING THE CONSEQUENCES ON THE GROUND IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF FOLKS, UM, FOR THE OTHER CADET CLASSES AND WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THE FIRST CADET CLASSES SAYING IT'S ABOUT A $4 MILLION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, REMOVING THIS WARRANT OFFICERS AND THE ADJUSTMENT DUE TO VACANCIES, IS THAT DIFFERENCE, THE OVERTIME THAT THEN GETS SPENT, UM, OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S NOT MUCH DIFFERENT IF I START TAKING THE OTHER CADET CLASSES OUT.
AND SO IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK TO PEOPLE FOR WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T REMOVED ANY OFFICER FROM THE STREET.
UM, BUT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THOSE OVERTIME HOURS, WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GIVING UP.
AND THAT SEEMED TO BE THE ARGUMENT THAT THE CHIEF WAS MAKING, BUT I HAVE NO WAY TO QUANTIFY THAT OR TO UNDERSTAND THAT, OR DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? AND I'LL STEP IN HE'S IN THOSE SEATS ANYWAY, SO THEY DON'T EXIST.
SO HOW IS IT WORKING? GO AHEAD.
I'LL HOLD THAT WASN'T ME CHEAP.
SO I GUESS LIKE, LIKE IT SAID, THERE'S NO EXACT FORMULA WE HAVE TO AT IS STAFFING LEVEL ON A SHIFT.
IF WE HAVE A SHIFT THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE 10 OFFICERS AND DUE TO VACANCIES, THERE'S ONLY SIX OFFICERS ON THAT SHIP.
THE LIKELIHOOD IS THAT ON MANY EVENINGS, THEY'LL BE PRYING TO BRING IN A FEW OFFICERS ON OVERTIME NOW ON A TUESDAY NIGHT OR THAT'S THE THEY'RE THERE, THAT'S THE ONLY SHIFT OUT WE WOULD NEED MORE THAN ON A FRIDAY OR SATURDAY WHEN THERE'S TWO SHIFTS OUT IN THE SAME SECTOR AT THE SAME TIME.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT AS EASY AS, AS A FORMULA, JUST BECAUSE WE ALWAYS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SPECIFICS OF THAT PARTICULAR EVENING.
ARE THERE OTHER SHIFTS THAT ARE ALREADY ON THAT ARE STAFFED BETTER OR WITH A COMBINATION OF ALL THREE SHIFTS THAT ARE ON, THEY HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS? SO THE, THE, UH, THE IMPACT IS, IS HARD TO QUANTIFY AS FAR
[04:10:01]
AS A DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR, UH, EQUATION LIKE THAT.AND KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE CLASSES, THE CANCELLATION OF ANY CLASS, UH, REALLY WOULDN'T HAVE BUDGETARY IMPACTS FOR, FOR US UNTIL EIGHT MONTHS LATER, BECAUSE THE POSITION'S GOING TO BE VACANT WHILE THEY'RE IN THE ACADEMY.
AND SO WE'RE ALREADY GOING TO INCUR THAT OVER TIME.
SO THE DELAYING OF THE JULY CLASS, WHAT THAT TOOK TO NOVEMBER, IF WE END UP HAVING IT WOULD BASICALLY FOUR MONTHS AFTER GRADUATION, WE'D HAVE THIS WINDOW WHERE WE MIGHT BE SPENDING OVERTIME BECAUSE THE CLASS HASN'T GRADUATED YET THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE SPENT OTHERWISE.
SO YOU CAN'T JUST TELL ME WHAT PROPORTION OF OVERTIME IS SPENT ON BACKFILLING.
WE CAN RUN A CALCULATION AND TELL YOU HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING IN A GIVEN YEAR ON BACKFILL OVER TIME, BUT AS FAR AS CORRELATING THAT TO THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES AND THE CALL LOADS AND ALL IT'S A DATA POINT, BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY LET YOU EXTRAPOLATE TO PREDICT WHAT THAT MIGHT BE NEXT YEAR.
SO IF WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE IN THE, UM, BUDGET BACKUPS, SOMETHING THAT REALLY DETAILS OUT OUR OVERTIME, I WOULD LIKE THAT.
CAUSE THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION, WHICH WAS, AS YOU WENT THROUGH THE OVER TIME REALLY QUICKLY, UM, AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OTHER PLACES IN, IN, IN PROPOSALS WHERE WE'RE CUTTING THE OVERTIME, UM, AND YOU WENT THROUGH THAT SO QUICKLY.
IT WAS HARD TO KNOW, UM, WHAT WE WOULD BE CUTTING AND THERE WERE THERE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS.
I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER CASSARA SAYS 2000, WHICH MAY JUST BE SOUTH BY AND SOMETHING ELSE.
AND COUNCIL MEMBERS POOLS HAD A WHOLE LOT MORE.
UM, SO IF WE CAN GET, UM, A BUDGET QUESTION THAT DETAILS OUT THE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT'S ACCOUNTING FOR OVER TIME, UM, COUPLED WITH THIS AMOUNT OF THAT OVERTIME IS COVERED BY SPECIAL EVENT FEES THAT I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, AS WE ASSESS THOSE, THOSE TWO PROPOSALS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, AND I WANT TO CONCUR THE QUESTION THAT'S BEING ASKED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERED TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IT BETTER.
I THINK THAT I READ IN ONE OF THE MATERIALS THAT SAID THAT THERE WAS A $9 MILLION OVERTIME BUDGET, BUT THAT OVERTIME BUDGET WAS NOT A BACKFILL BUDGET.
THERE WAS A BUDGET THAT HAS A OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FUND SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, WHERE THERE WAS A POINT IN TIME EVENT OR OCCURRENCE THAT REQUIRED US TO, TO, TO BRING ADDITIONAL OFFICERS ON, BECAUSE IT WAS AN EXTRA ORDINARY SITUATION AS DIFFERENTIATED FROM OVERTIME.
THAT'S NOT PAID FOR THAT OVERTIME BUDGET, BUT IT'S PAID OUT OF THE FUNDS FOR FTES THAT ARE NOT FILL.
AND IT SEEMS AS IF THERE OUGHT TO BE A WAY TO SEE HOW MUCH OVERTIME IS PAID FOR THAT BACKFILL COMPONENT AND COMPARE THAT TO THE NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF UNFILLED, UH, UH, FTES, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT EXISTED, YOU KNOW, AND THAT SAME, THAT SAME YEAR.
UH, BUT IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE TO BE ABLE TO SEE A RELATIONSHIP THAT WOULD HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND, UH, AND IMPACT IF ANY, OR TO BE ABLE TO GET THE SCALE OF THE IMPACT OF, OF, UH, ELIMINATING AN UNFILLED FTE.
THERE IS ON PAGE ONE OH EIGHT OF YOUR PACKET OF INFORMATION.
THERE IS A BUDGET QUESTION, RESPOND TO, THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE OVERTIME BUDGET, BUT IT DOESN'T GET INTO THE RANGES.
AND WE DO HAVE THE DATA TO ACHIEVE SAID TO GO BACK INTO, UM, RUN SOME ANALYSIS IS SPECIFICALLY, UM, HOW MUCH OVERTIME WAS REVIEWED FOR BACKFILL OVERALL OVER PLANNING.
AND, AND MY TEAM JUST SENT ME A TEXT SAYING THIS, THAT WEREN'T AT 6.2 MILLION FOR BACKFILLING FOR ANOTHER RIGHT NOW.
BUT IS THAT OUT OF THE 11 MILLION NUMBER? I THINK, WHICH IS THE TOTAL, OR IS THAT COMING FROM SOME OTHER POT? NO, THAT WOULD BE OUT OF THE TOTAL OVERTIME BUDGET THAT WE HAVE.
THERE'S NO SEPARATE POTS FOR BACKFILL.
BUT BACKFILL COVERS MORE THAN JUST THE CADET ACADEMY.
IT WOULD COVER LIKE WHEN PEOPLE ARE SICK OR, OR ANY OTHER SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO, TO BACKFILL THAT'S CORRECT.
COUNCIL MEMBER, BUT SO 6.2 WOULD BE THE OUTER LIMIT, BUT THERE'S STILL JUST, SO IS THERE ANY WAY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S BEING FILLED FOR SICK TIME OR OTHER REASONS I'LL CHECK TO SEE IF WE CAN BREAK IT DOWN AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE OUTER LIMIT OF VACANCIES KIND OF STAY IN STAFFING, KIND OF STAYS WHERE IT'S AT NOW, IF WE SEE THOSE GROW, THEN I DON'T, I'M NOT
[04:15:01]
CONVINCED THAT'S THE OUTER LIMIT ANYMORE BECAUSE THE NEED FOR BACKFILL WILL GROW AS THE VACANCIES GROW IN THE DEPARTMENT, OR IF THE STAFFING, THE APPROVED LEVEL DROPS, BUT THE COUPLE LOAD DOES NOT, THEN WE COULD EXPECT TO SEE INCREASE NEED AS WELL.I APPRECIATE THAT THIS IS COMPLICATED, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY CRITICAL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF, UM, PARTICULAR DECISIONS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR STAFFING LEVELS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, AND I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT THIS AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY TRYING TO TRANSFORM THE ACADEMY AND THE GOAL FOR THAT IS ULTIMATELY TO TRANSFORM THE WHOLE SYSTEM.
AND IF WE NEVER GET NEW CADETS IN THERE BEING TRAINED, THAT PART OF THIS PROCESS WON'T HAPPEN.
UM, AND SO, UM, THAT DOES CAUSE ME SOME PAUSE, UM, FOR MOVING FORWARD.
UM, BUT THE, THE NOVEMBER CLASS, THERE'S JUST THE, TRAINING'S JUST NOT THERE YET.
IT DOESN'T DO US ANY GOOD TO TRAIN FOLKS.
UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE OUR TRAINING, RIGHT.
UM, I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S PATIENCE WITH MY NITTY GRITTY QUESTIONS.
I'M REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UM, SOME OF THESE, UM, DETAILS.
UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW, UM, ED FOR COUNCIL MEMBER KOSSAR'S PROPOSAL.
UM, WE NEED TO, I ASSUME THERE'S A LEVEL, ANOTHER LEVEL THAT HAS TO TAKE PLACE BECAUSE IT'S NOT ALL ONGOING FUNDING.
UM, THE, WHICH SPECIFIC PROPOSAL WE LAID OUT, A LOT OF COUNCIL MEMBER KOSSAR'S, UM, PROPOSAL FOR THE 21,740,000.
AND, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE A LOT OF THE PLACES THAT HE PUT THE INVESTMENTS.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF DOTTING OUR I'S AND CROSSING OUR T'S, IT'S NOT ALL ONE TIME FUNDING.
I MEAN, IT'S ALL OF IT'S ONE TIME FUNDING AND SOME OF IT'S ONGOING FUNDING.
UM, BUT MOST OF THE EXPENSES ARE CONSIDERED LOOK LIKE THEY'RE ONGOING AND THE WAY THAT HE'S PRESENTED THEM.
SO DO WE HAVE TO, DO WE HAVE TO DISSECT THAT INTO, UH, OF THAT 21,740,000 WHAT'S ONGOING AND WHAT'S ONE TIME AND THEN MATCH UP THE EXPENSES, UM, TO THOSE CATEGORIES AS WELL.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH ME GOING THROUGH SOME OF THESE NUMBERS BECAUSE, UM, UM, HE DOES REFERENCE THE $10 MILLION OF PROJECTED SAVINGS BY DICKERING ALL CADET CLASSES NEXT YEAR AND ELIMINATING ANOTHER 80 POSITIONS.
UM, BUT AS I SAID, ROUGHLY 5 MILLION OF THAT WOULD NEED TO BE ADDED BACK TO THE BUDGET IN FISCAL YEAR 21.
IF WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO RUNNING THREE, OR I'M SORRY, YOU'RE NOT QUITE 22.
IF WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO RUNNING CADET CLASSES.
SO A BIG CHUNK OF THE PENNSYLVANIA CONNECT CLASSES ITEM ON HER AS SHE WOULD BE, WOULD BE ONE TIME ON THE OVERTIME FEASIBLY, IT COULD BE RECURRING, BUT AGAIN, I THINK CHIEF'S LAID OUT.
THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE SOME CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
UM, AND THEN I THINK WE NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME TALKING ABOUT THE, THE VARIOUS ITEM REDUCTIONS AND THAT, THAT $7.4 MILLION OF NON PERSONNEL CUTS.
UM, THERE ARE CERTAINLY LINE ITEMS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET, WHERE THEY HAVE SAVINGS.
THEY DID NOT SPEND THE PLANNED AMOUNT, BUT THEY'RE PROBABLY EQUALLY MANY LINE ITEMS WHERE THEY'VE SPENT MORE THAN WHAT THEY HAD PLANNED.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THEIR BUDGET IN TOTALITY, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT USUALLY ENDS IN YEAR WITH SOMEWHERE AROUND TWO TO $4 MILLION OF SAVINGS IN, IN TOTAL TAKING INTO ACCOUNT.
SOME LINE ITEMS ARE ABOVE AND SOME ARE BELOW.
SO I THINK WE WOULD REALLY WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME LOOKING THROUGH WHAT THOSE LINE ITEM REDUCTIONS ARE, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, UM, THE TOTAL UP TO $7.4 MILLION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY IS ACTUALLY THERE TO BE REDUCED FROM THEIR BUDGET.
AND THAT WON'T GO OVER BUDGET BY THE END OF IT.
SO CAN WE, DO WE HAVE A BUDGET QUESTION THAT ASKS US OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, INCLUDING THIS YEAR, WHAT THEIR ANTICIPATED, YOU KNOW, EXTRA MONEY AT THE END OF THE YEAR IS BECAUSE I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN PAST YEARS WHERE THEY'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF MONEY TO ROLL OVER AT THE END.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'VE BEEN A BUDGET QUESTION FOR IT OR NOT, BUT WE DO HAVE DATA ON THAT.
UM, WE WENT BACK AND LOOKED FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD AROUND $15 MILLION OF SAVINGS.
UM, AND THAT BIG SAVINGS HAD TO DO WITH A MID YEAR REDUCTION TO BE INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS WHERE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS BASICALLY GOT SOME SAVINGS AS A RESULT OF THAT.
UM, AND ALSO HAD TO DO WITH DELAYS IN THE CONTRACT, UM, DURING THE PERIOD WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE A CONTRACT THAT RESULTED IN SOME SAVINGS FOR THE DEPARTMENT'S FYA TEAM WAS KIND OF AN ANOMALY, BUT, UM, THE OTHER FOUR OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE YEAR END SAVINGS FOR THE DEPARTMENT WERE IN THE RANGE OF TWO TO $4 MILLION AROUND THE EXACT SKATER.
[04:20:02]
USUALLY THEY, THEY HAD BEEN EXPANDING ROUGHLY 99 AND 99.5% OF THEIR, OF THEIR BUDGET.SO TRYING TO CUT $7 MILLION AMOUNT OF LINE ITEMS, UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY LEAVES THE DEPARTMENT WITH A VIABLE BUDGET TO RUN THEIR OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR.
UM, AND IT'S JUST MORE COMPLICATED THAN THIS LOOKING AT THEM, THIS LINE ITEM, WHERE THERE WERE SAVINGS.
IT ALSO KIND OF TAKEN THAT ACCOUNT, THE LINE ITEM, WHERE THEY WENT, THEY SPENT MORE THAN WHAT THEY HAD PLANNED FOR, FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION ON THIS, AND I'LL SEE THE FLOOR, UM, DO YOUR NUMBERS FOR THE CADET CLASSES THAT TALK ABOUT THE REMOVING THE SWORN POSITIONS, DO THOSE FACTOR IN REDUCTIONS FOR VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS PRESUMABLY YOU DON'T NEED NEW CARS IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING UP.
UM, THEY, THEY DON'T, AND THAT WOULD, UH, BUT WE ISSUE, UH, CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, WHICH GO INTO OUR DEBT PORTION OF THE TAX RATE.
SO BY NOT, YOU KNOW, BY NOT HAVING TO PURCHASE VEHICLE, WE WILL SEE SAVINGS, BUT THE DEBT SIDE OF THE EQUATION, AND IT WILL BE RESOLVED IN A MINIMALISTIC TIP DOWN AND THE DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA RESULT IN SAVINGS AROUND THE OPERATING BUDGET THAT COULD BE REALLOCATED TO OTHER THINGS.
WE PURCHASED THE NEW VEHICLES WITH, WITH THE DEBT INSTRUMENT CALLED CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS.
IT'S THE SAME FOR THE SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE.
UM, THE SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE WOULD BE SEPARATE FROM THAT.
UM, AND, AND I'D HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE EXTENT THAT WE INCLUDED IN ANTICIPATED SAVINGS AND SAY PEOPLE COST OR MAINTENANCE COSTS.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE GO TO THE OTHER ITEMS, I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER ULTRA FOR RAISING THAT WITH DB TO SORT OUT WHAT IS ONE TIME IN YOUR CAREER.
AND I WANT IT TO SORT OF, AGAIN, I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE THIS SPREADSHEET SEEM LIKE A FINALIZED LIST.
SO FOR SURE WE SHOULDN'T SEE WHAT THIS WHOLE THING IS BEST FITS IN RECURRING VERSUS ONE TIME.
UM, MR. VANDAL IS HELP ME UNDERSTAND THOUGH THAT 5 MILLION WOULD KICK IN DURING THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, BUT THERE'S ALSO A BIG JUMP IN THE SAVINGS THE SECOND FISCAL YEAR, IS IT AREN'T I RIGHT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 10 MILLION IN YEAR ONE, AND THEN ACTUALLY A NET INCREASE OF 3 MILLION IN YEAR TWO.
EVEN ONCE YOU PUT THE BACK END THE 5 MILLION IN ONE TIME.
WELL, THAT WOULD HAVE TO DO WITH THE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS THAT VACATE BY NOT RUNNING CADET CLASSES DURING FISCAL YEAR 21, YOU REALIZE ADDITIONAL VACANCIES.
AND IF COUNCIL CHOSE TO ALSO ELIMINATE SOME, A LITTLE ADDITIONAL VACANCIES IN FISCAL YEAR 21, THEN YEAH, THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL SAVINGS BY REMOVING THOSE FROM THE BUDGET.
YOU GET ADDITIONAL RECURRING SAVINGS, DEPENDING UPON IF YOU WANTED TO REDUCE MORE VACATED POSITIONS, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO PUT IN, YOU'D HAVE TO PUT BACK IN AT ONE TIME, SAY WITH THIS WEIRD 21 IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RUN.
I THOUGHT MY UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR BACK AND FORTH WAS THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY MAKE THE 10 MILLION THAT YOU WERE OCCURRING AND EVEN POTENTIALLY EVEN MORE AND RECURRING IT ACTUALLY IS, IS YOU WERE JUST NOT DOING MORE SWORN THIS YEAR AND YOU HOLD THAT.
THEN MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT EVEN WHEN YOU BACK IN FIVE NEXT YEAR, YOU STILL BASICALLY HAVE THE CURRENT BOTTLE.
IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON WHAT HAPPENED WITH THEIR VACANCIES SAVINGS NUMBER AND ALWAYS KIND OF COMING BACK TO THAT VACANCY SAVINGS AMOUNT, WHICH IN CUTTING ELIMINATE ALL THE VACANT POSITIONS THIS YEAR, THAT 80, THAT THEY'RE PROJECTED TO START THE YEAR WITH AND TO NOT RUN ANY OF THE CADET CLASSES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SCENARIO WHERE WE PROJECTED GETTING TO $10 MILLION AND WE TAKE THEIR VACANCY SAVINGS NUMBER TO A PRETTY SMALL DOLLAR AMOUNT.
AT THAT POINT, I THINK WE PUT IT DOWN TO JUST A FEW MILLION DOLLARS WOULD BE THE VACANCY SAVINGS REALIZED THROUGH THE VACANCIES THAT OCCURRED DURING THE YEAR.
UM, BUT THEN AT THE FISCAL YEAR 22, OUR ATTEMPT TO JUST FILL ALL THE POSITIONS THAT HAD VACATED, THEN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET THE RECURRING SAVINGS.
SO REALLY DOES COME DOWN TO WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS THAT TAKE PLACE DURING FISCAL YEAR ONE AND THE RESULT OF HOLDING THOSE CADET CLASSES UNDERSTOOD.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT.
AND ONE CREATES MORE RECURRING.
ONE CREATES ONE MORE, ONE TIME FUNDING.
AND I GUESS WE CAN GET THROUGH ALL OF THAT STUFF OFFLINE AS WE COME UP WITH THE PROPOSALS.
UH, THE ONE OTHER THING I WILL MENTION HERE TO THE
[04:25:01]
MANAGER AND TO MY COLLEAGUES IS THE INTENT OF MANY OF THE PROGRAMS WE'RE INTENDING TO REINVEST DOLLARS INTO IS TO REDUCE HOW OFTEN PEOPLE HAVE TO CALL NINE ONE, ONE, IT'S SOMETHING SERIOUS.WE ACTUALLY WANT TO REDUCE THE COLOR.
WE ACTUALLY WANT TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HARM IN THE COMMUNITY AND MANAGER.
THAT'S MY EXPECTATION OF WHAT YOU'LL DO WITH THE DOLLARS.
SO IN MY, IN WHAT I'VE POSTED AND WHAT SO MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE POSTED, WE ARE SAYING, WE WANT TO REALLOCATE MONEY TO SUBSTANCE, USE CARE, REALLOCATE MONEY TO VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
AND WHAT WE EXPECT ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE IS TO USE THOSE DOLLARS AND TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE USED EFFECTIVELY AND WELL SO THAT PEOPLE AREN'T HAVING TO CALL NINE 11 AS MUCH IN THE FIRST PLACE, BECAUSE WHAT PEOPLE ARE EXPRESSING IS THAT JUST CALLING NINE 11 AFTER SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, OF COURSE WE HAVE THAT, BUT WE WANT TO REDUCE ARM.
UM, I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN RAISING THE FACT THAT WE ARE OUT OF THE 15 BIGGEST CITIES, 14TH ON THE LIST AND HOMICIDES, BUT OF COURSE EVERY KILLING IS STILL HORRIBLE.
NO, HERE, JUST IN THE LAST, UM, YOU KNOW, MONTH AND A HALF OR SO, JUST IN MY DISTRICT, MR. WOODY ASS WAS KILLED, UH, MR. HARRIS BEHIND OB MIDDLE SCHOOL AND, UH, MS. HENSON AND WINDSOR PARK ALL GUILD.
AND EACH ONE OF THOSE IS TERRIBLE.
AND OF COURSE WE SHOULD INVESTIGATE THOSE AND HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE IN EACH OF THOSE CASES.
BUT I BELIEVE THAT WITH MORE FAMILY VIOLENCE SHELTER WITH GUN INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT WE HAVE UNDERFUNDED FOR YEARS, UM, THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SPEAKING TO THOSE PARTICULAR THREE CASES.
AND THAT IN GENERAL, OUR GOAL IS TO ACTUALLY BRING THAT NUMBER BECAUSE I WANT TO BE 15 OUT OF 15.
THAT'S WHAT THE GOAL THAT THE COUNCIL HAS SET UNANIMOUSLY THE OUTSET.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US IS SAYING.
AND, AND I, WHILE WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY ORGANIZATIONS SAY ABOUT OUR INTENTIONS, I WOULD EXPECT THAT EVERYBODY AT THE CITY ORGANIZATION CHARACTERIZE WHAT THE COUNCIL IS TRYING TO DO BASED ON WHAT THE COUNCIL IS SAYING.
I APPRECIATE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND AS WE MOVE TO OTHER BUDGET DISCUSSIONS ON OTHER ITEMS, I DO WANT TO CONCLUDE THIS PORTION WITH THAT SAME SENTIMENT THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT THIS REINVISIONING PROCESS OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY INSTITUTIONS IS NOT ONLY TRANSFORMATIONAL, BUT ALSO SUSTAINABLE.
AND AS THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER OUTLINED, I KNOW IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE HEAR FROM OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE.
AND SO WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT FEEDBACK INTO SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE PUT FORWARD, BUT THOSE PRINCIPLES AND IDEAS THAT, UH, AND GOALS THAT YOU SET UP A COUNCIL MEMBER, COSARA CERTAINLY IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT WERE MY EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR, FOR OUR TEAM.
MAYOR I COLLEAGUES, THERE WERE A AD.
YOU WANNA TAKE US THROUGH YOUR, THE REST OF YOUR AGENDA.
YOU HAVE DISCUSSION OF OTHER BUDGET CONCEPTS THAT WERE POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD.
I THINK IT WAS THE BEGINNING WITH EMS COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER HAD DONE YESTERDAY.
AND WE COULD EITHER GO IN THIS ORDER OR MAY BE MORE EFFICIENT TO GO BY COUNCIL MEMBER.
BUT THESE ARE ITEMS WE PULLED OFF THE MESSAGE BOARD.
YOU CAN SEE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR AND THERE'S SPONSORS ON THESE, BUT THESE WERE, THIS WAS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO THE LEAD SPONSORS WERE, UM, AN ITEM AND DO ENHANCED FUNDING AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
THE CONCEPT OF CREATING A NEW OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND WERE POSTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER.
ALLCARE SEVERAL PROPOSALS BY COUNCIL MEMBER POOL TO BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLOS, AND THEN A FOOD ACCESS ITEM FROM COUNCIL MEMBER GARDENS IS SO, UM, I WOULD SUGGEST WE DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE JUST DID FOR AUSTIN POLICE AND LET EACH COUNCIL MEMBER WALK THE GROUP THROUGH THEIR, THEIR PROPOSALS.
AND, UM, WHEN JUST OPEN THE FLOOR FOR A COUNCIL DIALOGUE ABOUT THESE THINGS, AS WE TRY TO, WE TRY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE CONSENSUS MAY BE FORMING IN REGARD TO SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS SOUNDS RIGHT TO ME TOO.
HOW'S WHATEVER ALTAR YOU WANT TO START US OFF.
UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE, FROM EMS AND EMSA ON THE LINE.
S SCOTT, UM, ON THE LINE FOR THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
UM, IF FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS AND I MIGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE DONE PRESENTING, I MIGHT INVITE, UM, DR.
ASCOT PARTICULARLY TO SPEAK ABOUT THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER POSITION.
CAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE VALUABLE FOR FOLKS TO HEAR FROM HIM AS WELL.
UM, SO LET ME START WITH, UM, THE AMENDMENT RELATED TO EMS. UM, AND I'M JOINED ON THIS WITH CO-SPONSORS COUNCIL MEMBERS, ELLIS HARPER, MADISON POOL,
[04:30:01]
AND TOVO.UM, AND I HAVE THE SENSE FROM THE DIOCESE THAT MOST OF THE ENTIRE DIOCESE, UM, SUPPORTS ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS IN EMS. UM, THE IMPETUS BEHIND THIS, THE AMENDMENT WAS TO KIND OF PUT FORWARD THE MINIMUM, NOT AS MUCH AS WE SHOULD BE DOING, BUT THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM THAT WE NEEDED TO BE DOING TO, TO, UM, RESPOND RESPONSIVELY TO, UM, THE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CITY TO BE ABLE TO BE PREPARED, UM, IN LIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM THE PANDEMIC.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN EVEN MORE TRANSPARENT, ALTHOUGH IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS IS THAT WE HAVEN'T INVESTED ENOUGH IN OUR EMR. UM, SO WHAT, WHAT WE'VE LAID OUT, UM, ARE AS THE FIRST STEP AND THE NEXT INVESTMENTS THAT HAPPEN TO TAKE PLACE AND I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF, NOT FOR MY CO-SPONSORS, THESE ARE INVESTMENTS THAT I NEED TO SEE IN THIS BUDGET, IF I'M GOING TO SUPPORT, UM, THE BUDGET MOVING FORWARD.
SO THIS, UM, WAS WORKED ON OUT IN CONJUNCTION, WORKING WITH EMS AND WITH EMS A, UM, SO IT IS NOT SIMPLY WHAT THE MSA PUT FORWARD WAS A COMBINATION OF WORKING THROUGH THINGS ABOUT THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES ON THAT LIST.
UM, SO, AND THEY'RE ALL SORT OF COVID AND PANDEMIC RELATED, UM, WHICH I BELIEVE OPENS THE DOOR FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO SEE FEMA MONEY OR, UM, CARE'S MONEY TO HELP FUND THIS IN THE SHORT RUN.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THESE ARE VERY MUCH, UM, ALLOW US TO BETTER ADDRESS OUR COVID RESPONSE.
SO THIS AMENDMENT ADDS TO 24 HOUR AMBULANCES AND THE ASSOCIATED FTES WITH ONE OF THOSE AMBULANCES GOING ONLINE IN OCTOBER AND THE OTHER IN JANUARY, UM, IT INCREASES THE PARAMEDIC CONSULT LINE STAFF.
SO THIS WOULD ADD EIGHT FIELD CLINICAL SPECIALISTS FOR THE CONSULT LINE.
UM, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE CURRENTLY TRIAGING ARE, UM, PEOPLE WITH COVID-19 SYMPTOMS. UM, TO DATE THAT LINE HAS TAKEN 5,000 COVID-19 RELATED CALLS, UM, AND THAT ALLOWS OUR MEDICS TO MAKE BETTER PPE AFTER COVID-19, WHICH HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE AN AFTER.
UM, THESE PARAMEDICS WILL HELP PROVIDE A TRIAGE TO GET THE RIGHT RESOURCES TO THE KIDS COMMUNITY.
THEN, UM, WE'VE ADDED FOUR COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS COMING ONLINE IN JANUARY.
UM, THERE'S, UM, I NEED FOUR ADDITIONAL FOLKS IN THIS LINE AND IT'S NOT COMMUNICATIONS LIKE GIA IT'S COMMUNICATIONS, LIKE DIRECT DIRECTING, UM, THE MEDICS TO THOSE WHO NEED RIGHT ASSISTANCE.
UM, THIS CALL VOLUME IS NOT, UM, MUTABLE BY THE SPECIALISTS THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY.
UM, AND THEN IT ADDS, UM, FIVE FIELD COMMANDERS, UM, COMING ON MINE IN JANUARY BECAUSE WE'RE ADDING CONSIDERABLE STAFF WITH ALL THOSE THINGS.
YOU NEED TO HAVE THE MANAGEMENT LEVELS RIGHT AS WELL.
UM, THE SUM TOTAL OF THE COST IS, IS, UM, $5 MILLION, UM, WITH ABOUT 1000000.25, ROUGHLY SPEAKING IN, UM, ONE TIME COSTS.
UM, AND THEN THE WAY THAT I'VE STRUCTURED, THIS IS THAT WE HAVE ALSO A SEE AS PART OF OUR REIMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY CALLED OUT SEVERAL THINGS THAT, UM, SHOULD ALSO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION.
SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP IN OTHER AMENDMENTS BY COLLEAGUES THAT I'M ALSO A PART OF.
SO ADDING ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS TO ASSIST OUR NEIGHBORS, EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, TWO ADDITIONAL DEMAND AMBULANCES, UM, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A SUPPORT STAFF THAT IS NEEDED.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY THAT THAT SUPPORT STAFF LIKELY NEEDS TO BE IN THE BASE AMENDMENT.
UM, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, UM, AS WE WERE ACTUALLY POSTING THIS.
SO WE COULDN'T PUT IT IN THERE.
UM, THERE ARE FOUR POSITIONS I BELIEVE THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY EMS. UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT EMS A AGREES THAT THOSE STAFF POSITIONS ARE LIKELY NEEDED THERE, UM, FOR SCHEDULING AND A HOST OF OTHER THINGS.
UM, AND I WOULD ASK, UM, MAYBE THE EMS FOLKS, IF THEY CAN SPEAK TO THAT, UM, I'M NOT SURE MAYOR, IF YOU WANT ME TO, UM, HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE EMS CHIEF RODRIGUEZ NOW, OR TO COME BACK TO IT AFTER WE'VE INTRODUCED ALL THE AMENDMENTS.
I'M NOT SURE IF THE NUMBERS COME BACK TO THAT, BUT WE WILL COME BACK TO THAT.
UM, THE SECOND, UM, ITEM THAT I WANTED TO, UM, INTRODUCE IS ONE THAT I HAVE FLOATED THE IDEA ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT I HAVE NOT FINALIZED, UM, ALL OF THE DETAILS ENOUGH TO PUT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
WE KNOW ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED.
UM, AND THIS IS TO CREATE AN OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND EXPAND COMMUNITY ACCESS TO PHYSICIAN SERVICES.
SO THE FIRST PART OF THIS AMENDMENT, UM, COMBINES THE LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.
THAT'S IN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WITH THE EMS
[04:35:01]
MEDICAL DIRECTOR.UM, THE SECOND PART, UM, HELPS US TO EXPAND OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS TO POSITION SERVICES BY BEEFING UP THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, WHICH WOULD NOW BE THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER'S, UM, DEPARTMENT, UM, SO THAT WE CAN BETTER PROVIDE PHYSICIAN SERVICES, BETTER, PROVIDE TELE-HEALTH, UM, BETTER ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE RIGHT HEALTH CARE TO THE RIGHT PROBLEM IN THE CITY, SETS US UP TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WILL BE COMING FOR ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY METHODS THAT EMS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, BUT THAT REQUIRE A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANCE, ALLOW US TO LEVERAGE TELEHEALTH IN NEW WAYS, UM, AND ALLOW US TO SEE SAVINGS BECAUSE WE WILL, YOU KNOW, DOWN THE LINE, SEE SAVINGS BECAUSE WE WON'T HAVE TO SEND AMBULANCES FOR, UM, SITUATIONS THAT DON'T REQUIRE AN AMBULANCE, BUT DO REQUIRE MEDICAL CARE, UM, FOR SOMEBODY WHO DOES NOT HAVE ANOTHER, ANOTHER MECHANISM, UM, THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY BEING PROPOSED TO BE FUNDED FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, WE, UM, OUR PROPOSAL FUND THIS THROUGH ADJUSTMENTS OF OUR FEE SCHEDULE, UM, FOR, UM, TRANSPORT FEES FOR AMBULANCES, UM, LEVELING BY BEING A NEW SURCHARGE FOR EMS PATIENTS THAT DO NOT LIVE IN TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, AND, AND POTENTIALLY ADDING A PER VEHICLE AFD FEE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES.
SO RIGHT NOW WE SEND F D OUT FOR MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES, UM, THAT HELP AND THE INSURANCE ON THOSE MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES DOES NOT PAY US ANYTHING FOR, UM, THAT SERVICE.
IT IS COMMON IN OTHER CITIES FOR THERE TO BE, UM, THAT THE, UM, LEVIED THAT IS LARGELY PAID FOR BY, UM, INSURANCE.
S SCOTT IS ON THE LINE WHEN WE GET BACK TO THIS TO SPEAK TO THAT.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO HEAR HIM TALK, TALK ABOUT THE VALUE OF, UM, THIS DIRECTION, UM, DIFFERENT PIECES AS OF THIS HAVE BEEN PUT THROUGH THE PROCESS TO REACH US FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, BUT HAVE NOT MADE IT.
BUT I THINK IN LIGHT OF COVID IN LIGHT OF OUR EFFORTS TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, AND BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND A WAY NOT TO DO THIS WITH THE GENERAL FUND, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD FOR US IN HOW WE THINK ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH AND THINK ABOUT THINGS.
UM, THE THIRD INVESTMENT, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT I'M PROPOSING IS, UH, OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION, WHICH BUILDS OFF OF WORK OF THE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TASK FORCE THAT, UM, WE AUTHORIZED, UM, LAST AUGUST THAT JUST CAME BACK TO US.
UM, I DON'T, I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS ON THURSDAY, SO I DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE DATES DETAILS OF THE FUNDING AMOUNTS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE CALLED A SURVEY, A TECHNOLOGY SURVEY OF, UM, THE COMMUNITY, UM, TO IDENTIFY EXACTLY WHAT THIS OFFICE SHOULD FOCUS ON, UM, AND BUILDING THAT UP INTO THE OFFICE.
SO THERE'LL BE TWO PARTS TO THE BUDGET FOR THIS OFFICE OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
THE FIRST PART WOULD BE, UM, SENDING OUT THAT RFP, DOING THAT STUDY, AND THEN YOU'D BUILD THE OFFICE BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY, SO THAT THE OFFICE, UM, IS BUILDING OFF OF COMMUNITY NEEDS.
UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH, UM, FOLKS IN OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THEIR OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND WE'RE FINALIZING WHAT WE THINK IS THE RIGHT STEPS, UM, BECAUSE YOU WOULD BE DOING THAT SURVEY FIRST.
IT CAN DOVETAIL NICELY WITH THE CITY MANAGERS, UM, PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR, UM, THE CONCEPT, BUT I THINK WE WOULD NEED TO EARMARK THE MONEY FOR LATER IN THE YEAR, BUT SPECIFY THE FTES, ET CETERA.
UM, AS WE HAVE A FULLER PICTURE OF EXACTLY THE BEST APPROACH FOR THE CITY, UM, BUT THAT WILL STILL BE, UM, CONSIDERABLE DOLLARS, UM, BY THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR AND INTO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
UM, THE BASIC IDEA UNDERLYING THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION, UM, IS THAT YOU CAN HAVE, UM, TARGETED INTERVENTIONS THAT HELP PEOPLE, UM, IN WAYS THAT PREVENT THE VIOLENCE IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU CAN DO THINGS LIKE HAVE FOLKS AT HOSPITALS, WORKING WITH FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE.
YOU CAN HAVE THEM TARGET RIGHT INTO THE COMMUNITIES WHERE WE HAVE A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE THE PERPETRATORS OF GUN VIOLENCE.
THIS BUILDS OFF OF WORK THAT COMES OUT OF, UM, UM, EXPERIENCE, LIVED EXPERIENCE OF MANY OF FOLKS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
WHO'VE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR THIS KIND OF APPROACH SUCCESSFULLY AND SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTING THIS IN MANY, MANY OTHER CITIES.
UM, AND THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDED THAT THIS WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE STEP FORWARD.
ONE PIECE OF WHAT THEY WOULD BE FOCUSED ON WOULD BE GUN VIOLENCE, BUT DEPENDING ON HOW THAT SURVEY FRAMEWORK GOES, THAT COULD ALSO BE RELATED TO OTHER TYPES OF VIOLENCE, SUCH AS DOMESTIC
[04:40:01]
VIOLENCE.UM, I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT NEXT STEP IN TERMS OF MAKING AUSTIN SAFE FOR ALL.
AND I WILL HAVE A CLEARER, UM, PROPOSAL FOR YOU, UM, HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
THIS ONE IS ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, AND I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
WE WANT TO JUST TOUCH ON THE TALKS DIVERSION, AND I THINK THAT LEADS NICELY.
SO I'LL JUST BRIEFLY REMIND PEOPLE.
I'VE MENTIONED IT A BIT EARLIER.
THERE IS A BUDGET WRITER THAT SPEAKS TO DIRECTION FOR, UM, CARRYING OUT AND IMPLEMENTING THE MENTAL HEALTH, UM, THE VERSION INITIATIVES AND IT REFERENCES THE BUDGET WRITER THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL IS TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS TO, UM, UH, IS THE INTERACTION WITH THE ADDITIONAL SEVEN, UH, CHPS, UH, THAT IS IN KILTER POOLS.
THOSE CHPS WILL BE FOCUSED ON IS, UH, ASSISTING WITH HOMELESSNESS, BUT ALSO WITH SUPPORTING THE PATIENTS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH, UH, VERSION INITIATIVE.
SO, UM, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, SEVEN FTES WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
UM, AND AS AN ASIDE, I'LL HAVE ONE PAGERS FOR EVERYBODY TO LOOK AT.
I THINK SOME OF THEM ARE ALREADY UP ON THE MESSAGE FORWARD.
UM, WE ARE ASKING FOR JUST UNDER 700,000 ADDITIONAL GENERAL FUND MONIES, ONGOING FUNDS, WE WORKED WITH AUSTIN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOLKS, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS ALTER PROPER MADISON TEACHING TRAVEL ALL FALL ON THIS ITEM.
WHAT THIS DOES IS THIS IS PART OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO BY THE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS HELP DIVERT EMERGENCY RESPONSE CALLS TO TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.
IT'S CRITICAL WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CALLS, WHICH WE WERE DOING JUST A LITTLE BIT AGO FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE PROPER SKILL SETS.
YOU WANT TO RESPOND WITH THE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES AND SKILL SETS TO THE COMMUNITY NEEDS.
AND THE REALITIES WERE AWFUL OFTEN TREATING HEALTH CARE ISSUES WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE OFFICERS ARE NOT TRAINED FOR THESE CALLS.
SO I THINK EVERYBODY IS GOING TO BRING IN PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE SKILL SET ARE THE ONES WHO YOU SHOULD BE SIMPLE.
SO THAT IS THE EMS CHP SEVEN, JUST UNDER SEVEN.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO LAY ANYTHING OUT BEFORE WE GO BACK TO A COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER AND ONLY POST YES.
UM, I HAVE MY MESSAGE OR POST UP, BUT IT'S IN REGARD TO A COUPLE OF ITEMS FOR, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, ONE OF WHICH IS ABOUT, UM, CHANGING THE ROLES OF PARKS, POLICE INTO PARKS, RANGERS, AND ENHANCING THE ROLE OF OUR CURRENT STAFF AS PARK RANGERS, ADDING A FEW POSITIONS AND POTENTIALLY CHANGING THEIR CITATION ABILITIES.
SO RIGHT NOW THEY ARE ONLY ABLE TO DO CITATIONS FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE ON PARKS PROPERTY, BUT WE WANTED TO GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO ENFORCE EXISTING PARKS RULES ON PARTS LAND.
AND THAT WOULD BE ANYTHING FROM BEHAVIOR TO LITTERING GLASS CONTAINERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT MIGHT POTENTIALLY HAVE SOME ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS OR OTHER HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES AT THE SAME TIME.
AND SO I HAVE THAT BUDGET AMENDMENT UP ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, AS WELL AS A TRAILS OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE BUDGET AMENDMENT.
AND THIS IS BECAUSE OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT IS, UM, BUT BEHIND ON THE FUNDING AND ABILITY FOR THEM TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN PARKS AND TRAILS.
AND NOT ONLY IS THIS A MATTER OF SAFETY, UM, IN OUR TRAILS AND PARKS SPACES FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO UTILIZE THEM, BUT IT'S ALSO AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK.
AND SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP SOME OF THESE TRAILS, UM, A LITTLE BIT BETTER MAINTAINED AND GIVE THEM THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING TO PROPERLY HANDLE THE PROCEDURES THEY NEED TO IN THE PARTS DEPARTMENT.
UM, I THINK THIS WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD WIN FOR THE CITY.
WE ALL KNOW THAT DURING CORONAVIRUS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UTILIZING OUR PARK SPACES MUCH MORE THAN USUAL.
UM, SOME PEOPLE WERE ALREADY DAILY PARK USERS AND A LOT MORE OF OUR POPULATION IS NOW REALIZING HOW WONDERFUL OUR PARK SYSTEM IS, AND ALSO HOW MUCH IN NEED OF ATTENTION IT IS.
UM, AND THERE IS A THIRD ITEM THAT WE HAVEN'T POSTED YET.
THERE'S STILL A COUPLE OF THINGS WE'RE KIND OF WORKING ON BEHIND THE SCENES.
[04:45:01]
UM, AND THAT IS SOME WORK THAT WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION.THAT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT EMS AND INSURANCE BILLING.
AND SO WE'RE STILL ASKING QUESTIONS, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVEN'T REALLY SPOKEN TO ANY OTHER OFFICES OR PUT ANYTHING IN WRITING ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BUT THERE IS A
AND SO WE JUST STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT IT HAVEN'T POSTED ANYTHING YET, BUT IT WOULD INVOLVE A CONSULTANT THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS.
AND THEN AS SUBSEQUENT TEMPORARY STAFFER TO ACT AS KIND OF A PILOT PROGRAM FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR TO SEE WHAT NEEDS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.
SO I WANTED TO DAYLIGHT THAT HERE BECAUSE IT'S SO NEW THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, BUT IF ANYONE, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER HAS BEEN DOING A LOT WITH EMS. SO IF YOU HAVE CAPACITY TO TEAM UP, OR IF OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO GET WITH US OFFLINE, WE'RE HAPPY TO FURTHER THAT CONVERSATION AND MAKE SURE AS MANY QUESTIONS WE HAVE AS POSSIBLE ARE ANSWERED BEFORE WE MOVE INTO THE NEXT, THE NEXT PHASE OF BUDGET.
SO THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN LOOKING AT THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE FOR QUITE A WHILE, AND LOOKING AT THE UTILIZATION OR RESOURCE RECOVERY PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND SOME WORK THAT WALTER SAID PROTECTION DOES WITH DRAINAGE UTILITY FEE.
UM, SO WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THAT AND HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING THAT IS IN A FORM WE FEEL COMFORTABLE POSTING PUBLICLY YET, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT SHOULD COVER MOST OF WHAT WE HAVE ON OUR PLATE.
I BELIEVE THAT IS IT FOR, FOR THE STUFF THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE THREE THINGS LISTED IN MY LIST, AT LEAST THAT WEREN'T IN WHAT MR. MENO SHUT OUT, JUST BECAUSE, UM, WE'VE BEEN MORE IN DISCUSSION AT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE OR PRIOR RESOLUTIONS.
UH, I'M REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAVE SAID SO FAR AND TRIED TO INCLUDE THOSE IN THE LIST.
UM, BUT WE DID UNANIMOUSLY PASSED THE RESOLUTION ON, UH, INCREASED FAMILY VIOLENCE SHELTER.
UM, THE, AS WE'VE HEARD, WE HAVEN'T ADDED NEW FAMILY VIOLENCE, PROTECTIVE BEDS, AND A REALLY LONG TIME, I THINK THE 2 MILLION EACH YEAR RECURRING THAT I HAVE PROPOSED WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE CONTINUED TO HAVE SOME AMOUNTS OF DISTRIBUTED, UM, SHELTER.
THE LAST TWO BUDGETS WE'VE SPONSORED AND ADDED THE BRIDGE TO SAFETY PROGRAM TO LIKE GET PEOPLE OUT OF A DANGEROUS SITUATION SOMETIMES TO SHELTER, OR SOMETIMES MAYBE TO JUST A BLAST TO GET HER TO A HOTEL OR APARTMENT.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO, AND WE SHOULD JUST CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UH, UH, UH, EXPANSION OF THE BRICK AND MORTAR, UM, SHELTER CAPACITY WE HAVE IN THE CITY.
UM, AND AFTER HAVING LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS, I'VE COME TO BELIEVE WE NEED BOTH THAT WE NEED EXPANSION OF BOTH.
UM, NOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE SEEING AS I, I BILL I EXPECT BOTH.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NEW PROSECUTORS, UM, AND STARTING NEXT YEAR, UM, LESS PROSECUTION OF A LOT OF SUBSTANCE USE.
WE NEED TO REPLACE THE, THE INCARCERATION RESPONSE TO SUBSTANCE USE WITH, UH, WITH CARE.
WE STILL DON'T WANT TO JUST LEAVE A BOY.
WE ACTUALLY WANT TO REPLACE THAT WITH SOMETHING.
SO THAT'S, I THINK ADDRESSING, STARTING TO BUILD UP OUR SUBSTANCE USE PROGRAMMING OF THE CITY IMPORTANT THAT ISN'T ON THAT LIST THAT ED EMAILED, BUT IT'S ON THE SPREADSHEET I SHARED.
AND THEN, UM, I'M REALLY SUPPORTIVE AND APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR AND OTHERS FOCUSING ON VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
I WANT US TO FIGURE LAND BETWEEN HERE AND WEDNESDAY, THE BEST WE CAN ON BOTH HAVING SOME LEVEL OF OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SURVEYING AND FIGURING OUT WHAT THE MOST EFFECTIVE USES OF MONEY ARE, BUT ALSO TO START DEPLOYING PROGRAMMING THROUGH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, THAT APH THINKS WOULD BE GOOD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
AND WHATEVER THAT BALANCE IS, I'M HAPPY TO FIND IT WITH THE COUNCIL, BUT I, I, I WANT US TO BE JUDICIOUS AND SET IT UP THOUGHTFULLY AT THE SAME TIME.
IF WE DEDICATED ENOUGH DOLLARS, I THINK THERE'S SOME THAT CAN BE DEPLOYED INTO CONTRACTS IMMEDIATELY.
UM, AND I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO THINK ABOUT WHERE WE LAND ON THAT QUESTION, COUNSELOR POOL, THE WRONG MEANT TO UNMUTE, AND THEN TURN MY CAMERA OFF.
UM, I WANTED TO LAY OUT THE FOOD ACCESS AMENDMENT THAT I'LL BE OFFERING, UM, BECAUSE I THINK OUR FOCUS ON EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE, ISN'T JUST ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO I'M REALLY, UM, HAPPY TO HEAR ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS THAT ARE BEING LAID OUT, BUT SPECIFICALLY TO FOOD ACCESS AS WE, UM, WHEN THIS PANDEMIC STARTED
[04:50:01]
COUNCIL HARPER, MADISON, AND I STARTED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FOOD ACCESS AND, AND, AND ACCESS TO BASIC NECESSITIES, AND WE THOUGHT WE'D COME UP WITH THIS GREAT IDEA.AND IT TURNS OUT THERE WERE, THERE WAS A NONPROFIT ALREADY WORKING IN THAT SPACE AND THEY HAD, THEY HAD BEEN SET TO, UM, START ROLLING OUT BASICALLY LIKE A MOBILE GROCERY STORE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN.
AND, UH, HAD TO PUT A HOLD ON THAT BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT THEY DO HAVE FUNDING TO, TO, UM, WHEN THEY FIGURE OUT THE SOCIAL DISTANCING ASPECT OF IT, THEY DO HAVE FUNDING TO START THAT PILOT PROJECT FOR NORTHEAST AUSTIN.
BUT IF THEY WERE ALSO TO HAVE ANOTHER BUS DONATED BY CAP METRO, UM, THEY COULD ALSO EXPAND A SECOND LOCATION TO SOUTHEAST AUSTIN, WHICH, UM, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING IT'S ABOUT $400,000, UM, THAT PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS ALSO PART OF COUNCIL KOSSAR'S PROPOSAL FOR POLICE.
AND, UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO ADVOCATES ABOUT IT AS WELL.
SO THAT WILL BE ONE OF MY, UM, BUDGET AMENDMENTS.
AND I DON'T, WE DON'T WANT, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME WITH WHITE FOOD.
AND, YOU KNOW, GROCERY STORES ARE SO NECESSARY IN MANY PARTS OF OUR TOWN.
I ALSO WANT TO JUST VOICE THE CO-SPONSORS THAT I HAVE CONFIRMED ON.
AND SPECIFICALLY, I WANTED TO MENTION YOU TALK ABOUT THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND HOW I ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THAT AND ENDORSE THAT.
UM, WE OFTEN, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND, AND HOW, HOW WE CAN BETTER RESPOND, UH, W W WE'RE NOT HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT PREVENTION AND JUST LIKE WE HAVE A FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT IS AS AVAILABLE AND READY TO RESPOND TO FIRES AND THE COMMUNITY.
WE ALSO HAVE A FIRE PREVENTION PART OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND I DON'T, I DON'T, WE HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF THAT AND AGREE WITH COUNSELOR, BECAUSE SARAH, WITH REGARDS TO, UM, HELP SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, AND, UM, HELPING FAMILIES AND DEMISE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HOW WE BETTER SUPPORT THAT AND THAT, THAT, HOW THAT COULD REDUCE OUR CALL VOLUME AS WELL.
SO I THINK THAT'S, I THINK MY MESSAGE BOARD POSTS, ADDRESSES MOST OF THE OTHER THINGS, OH, THAT LET TEXAS VOTE.
UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IF THIS IS A, MAYBE AN ED QUESTION, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE IF WE WERE TO MAKE IT AN, AN OPTIONAL HOLIDAY FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE, IF THEY NEED TO TAKE THE DAY OFF TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER, UM, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE, I THINK I JUST GOT MY BUDGET ANSWER, MY BUDGET QUESTION ANSWERED, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER.
IS THAT RIGHT? OR THERE WOULD BE NO COST ONLY TO MAYBE SWORN PERSONNEL.
AND THAT'S MY, I HAVE TO GO BACK AND REVISIT THAT QUESTION, BUT, UM, I DO KNOW THAT THE BULK OF ANY COSTS WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH APPLYING THE NEW HOLIDAY, THIS FOREIGN PERSONNEL.
SO, UM, I, I WOULD LIKE TO GO FORWARD ON THAT, ESPECIALLY, UM, WE, WE PASS A RESOLUTION CALL, YOU KNOW, CALLING NOVEMBER 3RD THIS YEAR.
I CAN'T REMEMBER BECAUSE ALL I CAN THINK OF IS OCTOBER 13TH, IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING, AND I'M EXCITED TO VOTE THAT DAY.
AND I HOPE EVERYBODY EARLY VOTES, BUT, UM, WE DID PASS A RESOLUTION, MAKING THAT A CITY HOLIDAY, LET TEXAS VOTE DATE DAY.
SO I, I'M ALSO HOPING TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THE, GET WHATEVER NECESSARY FUNDING TO ALLOW OUR EMPLOYEES TO TAKE THE FULL DAY OFF AND CELEBRATE AN IMPORTANT DAY IN OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITY, IN OUR COUNTRY ELECTION DAY.
THAT'S ALL THE THINGS TO COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
I RECOGNIZE YOU BEFORE YOU PASSED IT TO HAN AND I DIDN'T COME BACK TO YOU.
YOU WANT TO WORK THE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU HAVE, RIGHT.
I HAVE, UM, DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ALL OF THEM ALL AT ONCE? OKAY, GREAT.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE MORE, UM, UH, CHILDCARE AT OUR PARKS AND REC RECREATION CENTERS THEY ASK IS FOR A MILLION AND A HALF A GENERAL FUND MONEY THAT COULD BE ONGOING.
UM, I DID ALSO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL, UM, FACILITIES ITEM THAT RELATED TO SOME RENOVATIONS THAT WERE NECESSARY.
AND I THINK THAT CUSTOMER FOR HARPER MADISON IS GOING TO TAKE THAT ONE.
SO I'LL JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CHILDCARE.
THIS ONE, UM, IS WHAT SAY ONGOING 15 1.5 MILLION.
AND THAT'S THE ONGOING, AND ONE TIME IS 800,000.
THIS IS AN ITEM THAT THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION WORK WITH MY STAFF AND MANY OF YOU ON.
AND, UM, I THINK I HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CO-SPONSORS ON THIS, BUT WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN WORD BACK FROM EVERYBODY YET.
SO, UM, AND ONE NOTE ABOUT THE ONETIME FUNDING,
[04:55:01]
THE STAFF IS TEMPORARY ON THIS ITEM, BUT THE EXPANSION OF THE CAPACITY NEEDS TO BE OBVIOUSLY PERMANENT.UM, THIS RELATES TO A DAYTIME CHILDCARE, VIRTUAL LEARNING AT THE REC CENTERS, HARD PLANS TO HIRE TEMPORARY STAFF.
IF WE FUND THIS THEY'LL TARGET BUILDING CAPACITY AT REC CENTERS, WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF DEMAND AND WHERE THE FACILITY CAN HANDLE THAT DEMAND UNDER OUR COVID-19 PROTOCOLS, WE HAVE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY AROUND SCHOOL.
REOPENINGS WE KNOW SCHOOLS WILL ALSO WHEN THEY REOPENED THE AT A LOWER CAPACITY.
SO THIS IS A EXCELLENT WAY FOR US TO HELP OUR FAMILIES WITH CHILDCARE ALSO WITH LEARNING AND JUST AS AN ADDITIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE WHEN WORKING FROM HOME IS NOT POSSIBLE.
AND THEN JUST ANOTHER EMPHASIS ON HOW HELPFUL THIS IS DURING COVID, BUT IT ALSO INCREASES OUR CAPACITY FOR CHILDCARE GOING FORWARD, WHICH IS ALSO A CONCERN OF MANY ON THIS DIOCESE.
OUR PARK STAFF CAN PROVIDE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL BENEFITS FOR OUR KIDS IN A SAFE, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
AND YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS DEMAND FOR CHILDCARE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THERE'S A LONG WAITING LISTS FOR CHILDCARE IN OUR REC CENTERS, AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE QUALITY OF THE CARE AND THE AFFORDABILITY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER.
SO I'M HOPING WE CAN RESPOND TO OUR FAMILIES, PRIORITIZE THIS DEMAND AND REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THE EXPANSION OF CHILDCARE FOR REX.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
THIS IS ALL JUST, UM, UM, EXCELLENT WORK ON BEHALF OF EVERY YEAR OF EVERYONE.
I WANTED TO MENTION JUST A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS, UM, THAT, UM, I'M, I'M PLEASED TO BE, UM, UH, CO-SPONSOR WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERNATIVE, APPRECIATE HER WORK ON TWO ITEMS, ONE RELATED TO THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
UM, THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, I'VE POSTED MY SUPPORT FOR THESE ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
I WANT TO TALK A MINUTE ABOUT THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERS HAS BEEN DOING, AND I APPRECIATE DR.
I THINK IT IS TRULY TRANSFORMATIVE TO PUT IN PLACE A CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
THIS GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS, UM, TOWARDS, UM, EFFECTUATING OUR FOCUS ON HEALTH, UM, AS A COMMUNITY AND PUTTING THAT POSITION IN PLACE IS ONE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES WE CAN MAKE AROUND OUR STAFFING AND THE WAY THAT WE ARE ORGANIZED AND IT WILL TRULY HELP US, UM, IMPLEMENT AND FOCUS THE KINDS OF, OF, UM, PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS THAT WE CAN HAVE.
AND THAT DOCTOR ASKED GOD HAS SPOKEN WITH US ABOUT PART OF, YOU KNOW, PART OF HIS SPEAKING WITH US HAS BEEN AROUND, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HE'S BEEN WORKING ON, AN INTERESTED IN FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND SO, UM, UH, THAT OFFICE IN CONJUNCTION WITH, UM, UH, THE WORK OF EMS, UM, UH, AND I HAVE, AND I'LL HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS WHEN WE, WHEN WE GET TO HAVING THEM SPEAK.
UM, I THINK, I THINK IS AN EXAMPLE, AN EXAMPLE OF A VERY EXCITING, A TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE THAT WE CAN MAKE.
I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION JUST ONE OF THE THING THAT I HAVE, UH, OUTSTANDING, UM, QUESTION, UM, TO DIRECT HER TRUE LOVE, UM, THAT, UM, I THINK MAY ALREADY BE ADDRESSED, BUT, UM, I HAVE ASKED IT AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE IT IS, AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP IF WE NEED TO, BUT THAT RELATES TO, UM, UH, STAFFING FOR, UH, MOVING FORWARD WITH IMPLEMENTING OUR ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT A LOT WITH REGARD TO PROJECT THAT, BUT IT ACTUALLY GOES BEYOND THAT.
WE, UM, HAD THE RESULTS FROM OUR UT, UM, UPROOTED STUDY AWHILE BACK.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT DISPLACEMENT STRATEGIES IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS FOR A WHILE NOW.
SO WE TOOK THE QUESTION OUT TO DIRECTOR, TRUE LOVE, BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, WITH THE REORGANIZATION OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS, THAT THERE'LL BE SOME STAFFING THAT CAN FOCUS ON THIS.
AND SO WE WERE JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE THERE'S SUFFICIENT STAFFING TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE TASKS.
AND SO THAT'S JUST BY WAY OF LETTING YOU ALL NOW, UH, THAT, UH, WE HAVE THAT QUESTION OUT TO DIRECTOR TRUDEAU WHEN WE GET AN ANSWER OR WAS IT TOOK, IT'S A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO IT.
WE WILL LET EVERYBODY KNOW YES.
I THINK, UM, I'LL RUN REAL QUICK THROUGH THE LAST ITEMS THAT I HAVE.
I HAD THREE LAST, AND THEN I, AND I THINK THAT MIGHT BE ALL THAT ARE ON THE LIST FROM THE AGENDA, BUT THERE MIGHT BE OTHERS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
[05:00:01]
AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE AERIAL LADDER STAFFING WAS 16 FTES.AND THIS IS FOR THE EMS FIRE STATION AT MOORE'S CROSSING.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS THEY'RE ONGOING.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN 1.8 MILLION.
UM, I HAVE WORKED MY, MY STAFF AND I HAVE WORKED WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THIS IS SPONSORED BY THE, THERE FOR 10.
WE HAVE THE AERIAL LADDER, UM, THAT WAS FUNDED LAST YEAR.
I THINK THAT WAS AN ITEM THAT THE MAYOR FOR 10 LED ON LAST YEAR STAFFING WAS DELAYED BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL ISSUES WITH AFC.
AND I KNOW WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THOSE FINANCIAL ISSUES.
WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THOSE THINGS TO WORK OUT.
WE DO NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PUTTING THE AERIAL LADDER WORK FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT MY INFORMATION SHEET, YOU'LL, YOU'LL FIND A TABLE THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT AUSTIN IS FALLING BEHIND IN STAFFING FOR AERIAL LADDER APPARATUS.
WE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT NOW WE NEED TO PUT IT TO GOOD USE.
SO THAT'S THE AERIAL LADDER STAFFING REQUESTS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
MY LAST TWO ITEMS, UH, WORKFORCE FIRST PROGRAM INCREASE THAT PROGRAM THAT WE STARTED LAST YEAR WITH THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION, UM, HAS BEEN A REALLY GREAT SUCCESS.
I'M LOOKING AT CONTINUING THE MONEY THAT WE HAD IN IT LAST YEAR AND ADDING ANOTHER, UH, 328,000 IN NEW MONEY.
AND IT IS COMING IN EQUAL SHARES FROM GENERAL FUND DRAINAGE, UTILITY FUNDING, THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY IN A S IN PARTICULAR HAS REALLY STEPPED UP, UH, TO FUND, UH, A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THAT PROGRAM.
SO HUGELY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM OR MODEL FOR OUR CITY, UH, WORKFORCE FIRST WAS CREATED BY THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION.
THIS IS ABOUT REGULAR EMPLOYMENT, UH, JOB TRAINING, ACCESS TO SUPPORT SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE WITH HOUSING, FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
THIS IS WHERE WE GIVE PEOPLE JOBS, AND IT BRINGS A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND A CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY.
AND THEN MY LAST ONE IS ABORTION ACCESS.
AGAIN, A PROGRAM THAT WE STARTED LAST YEAR, ANOTHER ONE THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM LED ON, I WAS A COSPONSOR ALONG WITH COUNCIL MEMBER COSAR.
THIS IS THAT LOGISTICS PROGRAM FOR ACCESS, GETTING WOMEN TO THE SITES WHERE IF THEY, UM, NEED TO HAVE PERSONAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES LIKE ABORTIONS, THEN WE HELP THEM GET THERE AND GET THE ACCESS TO IT.
SO THEY ASK IS 250,000 FROM THE GENERAL FUND FOR ONGOING FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF THIS AND WORKING WITH MY STAFF, UM, AND WITH YOU ALL WHERE THE LIMITED HAND NARROW PRO CHOICE, TEXAS, UH, AND THEN MY TWO CO-SPONSORS SO FAR ARE MALE PROTON BARS AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALICE.
WE APPROVED THE PROGRAM LAST YEAR AT 150,000.
AND WE WANT TO RECOMMIT THIS YEAR TO THE COMMUNITY, NEED INCREASE THE PROGRAM AMOUNT BY A HUNDRED THOUSAND TO 250,000.
SO THAT MORE AUSTIN WOMEN HAVE AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO THIS MEASURE OF HEALTHCARE.
WE THINK WE CAN DO THIS IN AN EQUITABLE WAY AND IN A WAY THAT RESPONDS TO THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR COMMUNITIES FACING RIGHT NOW.
I THINK THAT NEVER PRETEND BARS MAY HAVE SOME BUDGET DIRECTION ON THIS PROGRAM THAT SHE'D LIKE TO DISCUSS, AND I SUPPORT HER DIRECTION.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SIGN ON TO THIS SITE.
I WOULD LOVE TO ADD YOUR NAME.
ACTUALLY, I GOT SOME MEMBER KITCHEN.
OH, I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT I'M ALSO A COSPONSOR ON THE HOMELESS WORKFORCE.
ONE THAT, UM, HAS NEVER PULLED, JUST TALKED ABOUT IT.
SO IT'S A VERY EFFECTIVE, UH, PROGRAM.
AND, UM, IT, AS SHE, AS SHE MENTIONED, IT GIVES ARE, UH, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO WORK AND EARN MONEY.
SO, UM, I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE BRINGING THAT SHE'S BRINGING THAT FORWARD THIS TIME, UH, TO, TO GROW THAT PROGRAM AGAIN.
UM, UH, AS WE DID LAST YEAR, REMEMBER HARPER MADISON, REMEMBER ELLIS.
I JUST WANTED TO ECHO WHAT A COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN JUST SAID AS A RESULT OF, UH, UH, THE PROPOSAL FROM COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.
UM, UH, JUST IN TERMS OF SPEAKING ABOUT THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION AND RECOGNIZING JUST HOW BENEFICIAL THAT PARTNERSHIP IS, UM, FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MOVE US IN THE DIRECTION OF HAVING A MORE ROBUST, UM, SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THAT ORGANIZATION.
UM, SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT IS YOU GUYS HAVE PROBABLY ALL SEEN THAT WINDSOR PARK VIDEO FLOATING AROUND THE INTERNET.
[05:05:01]
AS SOON AS CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION, THEY WERE ABLE TO, UM, BY WAY OF THEIR WORKFORCE FIRST, UM, INITIATIVE, GET OUT THERE.I MEAN, THIS WEEK, WITHIN THE SAME WEEK, GET OUT THERE AND START TO RECONCILE THE ISSUE OUT THERE.
SO, UM, I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT BEHIND ANY EFFORT WE CAN PUT FORWARD TO, UM, TO MAKING SURE WE SHOW OUR SUPPORT, UM, BECAUSE THEY DEFINITELY ALIGNED WITH THE COMMUNITY VALUES.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MORNING WORKFORCE, I MEAN, A WATERSHED WATERSHED PROTECTION AND A PARK WAS ALSO OUT AT THAT SITE AND IT WAS SUBJECT TO THAT VIDEO.
I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MUCH, IF YOU STILL HAVE ROOM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO ADD MY NAME.
UM, THEY OBVIOUSLY DO GREAT, GREAT WORK.
CHRIS BAKER IS JUST A FANTASTIC GUY THAT PUTS HIS HEART INTO EVERYTHING THAT HE DOES.
UM, THEY ACTUALLY STARTED OUT NEAR THE WHITE OAK HILL AT THE OAK HILL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THAT HAS A, UH, PLEASE WEATHER SHELTER AS WELL, BUT THEY'RE NOW EXPANDING INTO MORE PLACES IN THE CITY.
AND SO I THINK IT'S FANTASTIC FOR MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS TO GET TO BE IN CONTACT WITH THE WORK THEY'RE DOING.
AND THEY ARE ALSO ASSISTING WITH THE CAMP THAT'S OVER OFF OF MONTOPOLIS TO TRY TO HELP MAKE SURE THEY HAVE MORE ASSISTANCE WITH THAT CAMP.
SO I'M SO GLAD THAT THEY ARE EXPANDING AND SO GLAD THEY'LL GET TO TOUCH SO MANY MORE DISTRICTS, CAUSE IT REALLY IS A FANTASTIC PROGRAM.
AND I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER POOL WORKING ON THAT.
GREAT COLLEAGUES, ANYTHING ELSE? ALTAR.
UM, I WANTED TO SEE IF, UM, DR.
MAYOR DISTRICT 40 GOOD QUESTIONS TO STAFF.
I DO FEEL RESPONSIBLE TO REMIND THE COUNCIL JUST AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE AFTERNOON'S PRESENTATIONS, THAT BY THE ACTION THAT WE TOOK LAST WEEK WITH A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT PROPERTY CAP OR INCREASE THAT WE REALLY HAVE NOW SET THE UNIVERSE OF RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS BUDGET.
AND SO I'M GOING TO ASK I'D BENNY, NO, TO WALK THROUGH THE BUDGET AMENDMENT FORM THAT WE PUT FORWARD BEFORE AND, AND WE STAND READY TO REALLY WORK WITH EACH OF YOU, AS YOU DEVELOP YOUR BUDGET PROPOSALS, TO IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE FUNDING SOURCES COULD COME FROM.
AND, UM, WE DID SEND OUT, UH, AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET FORM, BUT YOU CAN USE THE PATIENTS, HAVE IDEAS AND PUT THEM INTO AN ACTUAL BUDGET AMENDMENT LANGUAGE.
IT'S A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD FORM.
IT LOOKS TO ALIGN YOUR PROPOSALS TO THE CORRECT OUTCOME OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND ALSO TO IDENTIFY CO-SPONSORS, UM, FUNDING AMOUNTS AND SOURCES OF FUNDING.
AND SO MY STAFF STANDS BY TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR, UH, AMENDMENTS THAT WOULD COME FORWARD AND NEXT WEEK AS PART OF BUDGET ADOPTION.
UM, BUT WE WOULD, UM, ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO START WORKING, TO TAKE YOUR CONCEPTS FROM WHERE THEY ARE TO AN ACTUAL, UM, FORM A FORMULATED BUDGET AMENDMENTS.
SO COME BUDGET ADOPTION, NEXT PIECE, WE'RE ALL WORKING FROM A CONSISTENT SET OF DOCUMENTS.
UM, UM, IT JUST FACILITATES THE PROCESS GREATLY.
AND SO THE SOONER YOU CAN GET THOSE IN, UM, THE SOONER WE CAN WORK WITH YOU ON THEM AND, AND GET FINALIZED INFORMATION TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO THIS IS THE PROCESS THAT I JUST THOUGHT I HEARD IS COUNTER TO HOW WE'VE DONE THIS IN THE PAST.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DON'T LINK THE, THE, THE REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING THROUGH A SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR FINDING FUNDING AVAILABLE.
I THINK THOSE ARE TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS.
SO TO THE DEGREE THAT WE HAVE FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE, IT'S GOING TO ACCUMULATE AND THEN THE COUNCIL CAN DECIDE THE PRIORITIES FOR THINGS THAT IT WANTS TO SPEND IT ON, BUT SOMEONE'S ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO GET A, A SOMETHING FUNDED.
SHOULDN'T BE TIED TO THEIR ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO FIND MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE.
WE FIND MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE AND THAT SORT OF THINGS THAT COUNCIL WANTS TO DO.
AND WE SHOULD HANDLE EACH OF THOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIORITIES.
I MEAN, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE PROPOSING A BUDGET, UH, UH, ITEMS THAT THEY WANT TO FUND, WHETHER THEY HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE FOR IT OR NOT AN AD.
I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD GO THROUGH THE BUDGET AND HEAR IDEAS FROM PEOPLE AND BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK TO THE COUNCIL ON, ON WAYS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UH, FOR, UH, COUNCIL PRIORITIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE IDENTIFIED.
I PUT THOSE TWO THINGS IN MY MIND ARE NOT, NOT LINKED OTHER THAN WE NEED MONEY IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO FIND PARTNERS RIGHT NOW, WE, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE FORM WE'RE USING THIS YEAR PROPOSING TO USE THIS YEAR AS THE SAME EXACT FORM WHERE YOU JUST LAST YEAR AND THE SOURCES OF FUNDING PIECE IS MORE ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT APPROPRIATE FUNDING SOURCES
[05:10:01]
ARE.SO IS IT A GENERAL FUND? UM, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME THESE ARE GENERAL FUND ITEMS, UM, IT COULD BE THAT IT'S A, UM, ONE TIME FUNDING OR RESERVES, OR IT COULD BE OTHER SOURCES OF APPROPRIATE FUNDING, DEPENDING IF IT'S A ONE TIME ITEM OR ONGOING.
UM, AND SO THAT'S THE, UM, THE, THE TYPE OF FUNDING INFORMATION FOR THE THING AT THIS STAGE IN THE GAME.
AND THEN WE'LL START TRYING TO WORK TO ALIGN COUNCIL'S DIFFERENT PROPOSALS TO THOSE FUNDING SOURCES.
BUT AS CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, WE, YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN IN PREVIOUS BUDGETS.
WE REALLY ARE KIND OF RIGHT UP AGAINST THE, UH, CAPITOL OF OUR TAX LIMITATIONS ALREADY AT THAT THREE AND A HALF PERCENT LEVEL.
AND SO THE FUNDING IS GOING TO BE MUCH MORE CHALLENGING THIS BUDGET CYCLE THAN EVER BEFORE.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND OBVIOUSLY THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, BUT THERE ARE SOME IDEAS THAT PEOPLE ARE PROPOSING TO FIND ADDITIONAL DOLLARS.
YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ADDITIONAL MONEY IN SALES TAX, OR THERE'S ADDITIONAL ONE TIME EXPENDITURES MONDAYS.
I CAN CREATE ONE TIME FUNDING.
AND I, AND AT SOME POINT EARLY IN THE PROCESS, WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU TO ADDRESS THAT UNIVERSE AS WELL OF POSSIBLE PLACES, WHERE THEY USE ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT THE COUNSELOR COULD DECIDE OR NOT DECIDE TO PUT THE OTHER PRIORITIES.
UH, AND THAT WOULD BE SEPARATE FROM IT.
AND IN ADDITION TO THE ONES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SPECIFICALLY PROPOSED, UH, WITH RESPECT TO THE, TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGETS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE TO COVER COUNCILMEMBER FLATTING.
UM, I WAS REALLY GLAD TO HEAR WHAT COUNCILMEMBER ALTER SAID ABOUT SOME OF THE FEE SCHEDULE STUFF SHE MENTIONED.
I'M VERY INTERESTED IN EXPLORING THAT IN COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS, YOU TALKED ABOUT SOME FEE STRUCTURE STUFF AS WELL.
UM, I THINK THOSE REALLY, REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES THAT, UM, BUT I KNOW STAFF HAS BEEN LOOKING AT SINCE THE TAX CAP LAWS CAME IN OR SINCE THE TAX CAP WAS REDUCED.
AND I'M VERY INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THAT THOUGHTFUL PROCESS AND MANAGER OF THOSE IDEAS ARE, ARE EVEN, YOU KNOW, PARTIALLY BAKED.
IT'D BE GREAT TO KNOW THEM SO THAT WE CAN DECIDE IF WE WANT TO BAKE INTO OUR BUDGET.
NOW THE IMPLEMENTATION THREE OR SIX MONTHS FROM NOW, IF IT'S NOT READY TO BE DONE NEXT WEEK, BECAUSE UNLIKE A TAX RATE, WE CAN CHANGE FEE STRUCTURES MID YEAR.
UM, IF, IF WE'RE FINDING AN ABILITY TO DO THAT.
AND JUST AS A REMINDER, EVERYBODY, I KNOW, YOU KNOW THIS, BUT ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC, WE ARE HAVING A PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING ON THURSDAY.
WE ARE SCHEDULED TO GO UNTIL TWO O'CLOCK AND WE WILL TAKE A LUNCH BREAK.
UH, MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN TAKE ALL THE STUFF TODAY, THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE A LOT OF BROAD AGREEMENT ON WITHIN THE PUBLIC SAFETY UNIVERSE AND HAVE THE BUDGET OFFICE WORK THROUGH SOME, SOME MORE DETAIL OR COME BACK TO US ON THURSDAY WITH WHAT OTHER, WHATEVER FURTHER CLARIFICATION IS NEEDED FOR STAFF TO BE FULLY PREPARED TO GIVE US STUFF TO VOTE ON NEXT WEEK.
SO IF YOU'RE ALL ARE ABLE TO ATTEND ON THURSDAY, I'M SURE IT WILL BE A CONTINUATION OF A VERY INTERESTING CONVERSATION.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HOLD OFF ON THE DISCUSSION OF THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION BOND UNTIL AFTER THE STAFF'S BEEN ABLE TO SUPPLY THE INFORMATION THAT WAS REQUESTED IN THE RESOLUTION.
REMEMBER ALTAR, I'M GOING TO TALK WITH DR.
UM, JUST BEFORE I WANTED TO JUST FLAG A BUDGET WRITER THAT I HAVE, THAT HAS TO DO WITH, UM, AUSTIN WATER, UH, BEEN WORKING WITH AUSTIN WATER TO SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO HELP, UM, THE, THE 10,000, UM, FOLKS WHO ARE RECEIVING AUSTIN ENERGY CAP FUNDING, BUT WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO RECEIVE AUSTIN WATER BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE METERS STRUCTURE WORKS IN MULTIFAMILY.
UM, THEY HAVE A PROCESS THAT THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD, BUT IT WILL REQUIRE A FEE ADJUSTMENT LATER IN THE YEAR.
SO IT'S JUST A BUDGET WRITER TO SAY, GO FORWARD WITH THAT WORK WITH THE AUSTIN WATER COMMITTEE AND COME BACK WITH THE FEE ADJUSTMENT, UM, WHEN YOU'RE READY.
UM, SO THAT WILL BE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I ALSO AM A COSPONSOR OF THE OTHER ONES FOUNDATION.
I MAY ADMIT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL IS BRINGING FORWARD.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT PROGRAM AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THAT ALSO, UM, PROVIDE SERVICES WE NEED FOR OUR CITY.
UM, AND GREG, I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU ABOUT, UM, OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION WITH THE OTHER FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING WITH THAT WITH ME, AS WELL AS VICTIM SERVICES.
UM, FOR THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, I'D ASKED, UM, DR.
S SCOTT TO BE AVAILABLE, I'VE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH KIM ON THIS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN HIM DEMONSTRATE OVER THE COURSE OF COVID.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF HEALTHCARE ISSUES THAT WE COULD BE BETTER ADDRESSING AS A CITY THAT, AND THE CASE OF COVID ARE CONTRIBUTING TO CO-MORBIDITY.
UM, BUT THERE'S SOME ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITIES BY RETHINKING, UM, HOW WE'RE DELIVERING SOME OF THE CARE, UM, WITH THE CLINICAL RESOURCES THAT WE DO HAVE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO IMPROVE ACCESS, TO CARE, LEVERAGE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UM, AND SAVE MONEY BECAUSE WE WON'T HAVE TO SEND OUR AMBULANCES,
[05:15:01]
UM, TO, TO SITUATIONS WHERE, UM, TELE-HEALTH OR SOME OTHER THINGS MIGHT, MIGHT WORK.UM, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE, UM, DR.
S GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHY DO WE NEED TO DO THIS, UM, APPROACH OF, UM, CREATING THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND EXPANDING PHYSICIAN ACCESS.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, ALTAR, AND MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL.
UM, YOU KNOW, TH TH THE CITY AUSTIN, I THINK, HAS BENEFITED GREATLY FROM MY, A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMS AND PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, DURING THIS PANDEMIC PROCESS, THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE, UH, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES OR EVEN ACROSS TEXAS.
UH, BUT THEY, THE HEART OF THE, THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, UH, OFFICE IS REALLY TO CREATE STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, AS IT RELATES TO, UH, PROVIDING CLINICAL SERVICES.
UH, AND THAT MAY BE, UM, UH, MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
UH, WE HAVE A, UH, A VERY LARGE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE IN EMS AND FIRE ALONE.
WE HAVE 2000 HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
UH, WE HAVE PEOPLE, WE HAVE GREAT RESOURCES THANKS TO, TO YOU ALL, AND IN OUR CITIZENS.
AND THIS PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO ALIGN THOSE RESOURCES, TO IDENTIFY WHERE WE HAVE REDUNDANCIES, WHERE WE HAVE GAPS IN BETTER ALIGN, THOSE NEEDS AND RESOURCES.
AND SO THAT WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS PROPOSAL REALLY MERGES TO SOME EXTENT THAT THE POSITION OF, OF EMS MEDICAL DIRECTOR, WHICH I CURRENTLY HAVE AS WELL AS A ROLE IN PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, YOU KNOW, INITIALLY WE DISCUSSED IT, UH, IT TO BE THE, THE HEALTH AUTHORITY.
UH, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE MODIFY THAT TO BE HEALTH AUTHORITY OR ALTERNATE HEALTH AUTHORITY, AS IT MAY BE CHALLENGING IN THE FUTURE.
ONCE, ONCE I'M OUT OF THE PICTURE AT SOME STAGE TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO HAS THE BACKGROUND ON THE EMS SYSTEM SIDE AND THE BACKGROUND ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH SIDE.
UM, AND BECAUSE THAT HAS AN APPOINTED POSITION, WHICH REQUIRES CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UH, APPROVAL, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE, BUT ABOUT THE BUILDING, HOW THE ENHANCING COMMUNITY ACCESS TO PHYSICIAN.
NOW, THIS IS REALLY, UH, ALONG THE LINES AND CONSISTENT WITH WHAT, UH, WHAT COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE
UH, WE HAVE A NINE 11 SYSTEM THAT, THAT, UH, ANSWERS MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND CALLS A YEAR FOR SERVICE.
UH, BUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND TIMES PEOPLE DON'T NEED AN AMBULANCE AND A FIRETRUCK, A A HUNDRED THOUSAND TIMES A YEAR.
THEY DON'T NEED SERVICE WITHIN NINE MINUTES.
UM, AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ENHANCES PHYSICIAN ACCESS, UH, BY HIRING ADDITIONAL PHYSICIANS AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, AND CAN, CAN HELP PROVIDE IN-PERSON SERVICES AS WELL AS TELEHEALTH SERVICES, UH, AND AVOID THE UNNECESSARY DISPATCHING OF, OF AMBULANCES AND FIRE TRUCKS IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE YOU DON'T NEED THAT.
AND IT ALSO REPRESENTS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, FOR COST SAVINGS TO OUR COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT AMBULANCE BILLS COST MONEY.
WE KNOW THAT ER BILLS COST A LOT OF MONEY.
UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE A $50 PROBLEM AND THEY DON'T NEED A MULTI THOUSAND DOLLARS SOLUTION FOR THAT PROBLEM.
UH, AND WE'RE IN A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE WE CAN, UH, CREATE TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN TERMS OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION.
WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS IF YOU LIKE.
UM, ONE OTHER THING THAT I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL, UM, IS THERE'S A, THERE'S A PIECE OF THIS.
THAT'S ALSO MEETING, UM, STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS, UM, FOR OVERSIGHT FOR OUR EMS. UM, SO THERE'S PARTICULAR RATIOS THAT WE NEED TO FOLLOW AND TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY HAS PUT FORWARD SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW THIS PROPOSAL HELPS US TO, UM, MEET THOSE OVERSIGHT REQUIREMENTS AS WELL? SURE.
UM, SO THEN THE STATE REQUIRES, UH, NECESSARY SUPPORT TO BE PROVIDED TO THE, UH, THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE EMS SYSTEM IN 2017.
UH, THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY UNANIMOUSLY PASSED A RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING, UH, OVERSIGHT RATIOS, UH, ONE PHYSICIAN FOR EVERY 500 BASIC LIFE SUPPORT PROVIDERS, EVERY 300 INTERMEDIATE OR ADVANCED LEVEL PROVIDERS, AND ONE PER 100 FOR, UH, FOR EACH
[05:20:01]
PARAMEDIC LEVEL PROVIDER.UH, IT'S A GRAPH IT'S ABOUT CREATING BETTER SPAN OF CONTROL OVER, OVER, UH, THE CLINICAL SERVICES.
UH, SO THIS PROPOSAL, WHAT WOULD MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS OR, OR RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY, UH, PASSED, UH, IN, IN 2017? THANK YOU.
UM, AND JUST FOR CLARITY SAKE, I FORGOT TO MENTION EARLIER THAT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, KITCHEN TOVO AND POOL, UM, HAD SIGNED ON TO BE CO-SPONSORS.
MY OFFICE IS WORKING, UM, CLOSELY WITH DR.
SCOTT AND THE BUDGET OFFICE, AND WE HAVE MAPPED OUT ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES.
WE'RE JUST GETTING CLARIFICATION ON THE NUMBERS.
AND AS SOON AS WE HAVE THOSE TOGETHER, UM, WE WILL BE POSTING THEM TO THE MESSAGE FORWARD.
WE HAVE FRAMED IT AS A TWO YEAR PROCESS TO GET UP TO THE LEVEL THAT IS RECOMMENDED BY THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
UM, SO THERE'S A FIRST GROUP OF THINGS THAT WE'LL DO, AND THEN A SECOND GROUP, UM, IN THE SECOND YEAR.
UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, UM, WE BELIEVE THIS CAN BE FUNDED BY THE FEE SCHEDULE, AND THEN AS THIS MOVES FORWARD, UM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THE NEW FEE STRUCTURES, UM, THAT THE
UM, I, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS DIRECTION.
AND COUNSELING, IF I COULD JUST MENTION ONE OF THE THING I APOLOGIZE.
UH, WE ARE, WE ARE CURRENTLY, I WANT TO JUST THANK COUNCIL FOR, UH, YOUR, YOUR FORWARD-THINKING DIRECTION LAST YEAR REGARDING THE FUNDING OF A CONSULTANT, UH, TO PERFORM A, A, UH, EQUITY AND OPTIMIZATION STUDY FOR THE EMS SYSTEM WE'VE MET, AND THAT'S GOING THROUGH A NEGOTIATION PROCESS IN ORDER TO AWARD THAT CONTRACT.
AND I THINK WE MADE THAT DECISION.
WE HAD THAT DISCUSSION A YEAR AGO BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE BUDGET CHALLENGES WITH, UH, WITH THE ROLLBACK RATE, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF THE POPULATION.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HISTORICALLY HAD THE BUILDING BLOCK MODEL FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES, UH, BASED ON POPULATION IS IN SIZE AND RESPONSE TIMES.
UH, THAT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO SUSTAIN.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS CREATE BETTER ALIGNMENT OF, OF RESOURCES IN NEEDS TO AVOID THE, UM, YOU KNOW, FACING A SITUATION WHERE WE CAN'T SUSTAIN THAT MODEL INDEFINITELY AND COUNCIL MEMBER FLATTENING IT.
I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE KIND OF DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN THE CITY, THE COUNTY AND CENTRAL HEALTH WHEN IT COMES TO CLINICAL SERVICES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, THESE ARE REALLY GREAT IDEAS AND POWERFUL CONCEPTS TO PROVIDE SERVICE THAT IS, THAT CAN MEET THE NEED.
UM, I ALSO THINK THAT TRAVIS COUNTY IS COLLECTING NEARLY AS MUCH PROPERTY TAX AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION IN TERMS OF OUR INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH TRAVIS COUNTY OVER EMS SERVICES.
AND I THINK THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO HAVE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION WITH THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ABOUT WHERE THEIR DOLLARS ARE GOING ON THE COUNTY SIDE.
UM, IF A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS WE'RE GOING TO STAND UP ARE NOT GOING TO BE COST SAVINGS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE ALTERNATIVES, BUT THERE WILL BE COST SAVINGS IN THE, IN THE HOSPITALS AND IN THE JAILS.
AND THOSE COST SAVINGS CAN MORE LIKELY BE REALIZED BY THE COUNTY AND BY CENTRAL HEALTH.
SO I WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS HEARING ME SAY THIS NOW, BECAUSE I OFTEN TALK ABOUT THIS, THIS CHALLENGE.
AND IT'S EASIER FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE AS I OFTEN SAY, HALF MY DISTRICT IS WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
I AM ALSO WILLIAMSON COUNTY, A RESIDENT, AND ON THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY SIDE, THERE IS A DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP FINANCIALLY BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND ITS CONSTITUENTS CITIES.
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE THERE.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR OUR KITCHEN.
UM, I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP COUNCIL MEMBER PLAN AGAIN, I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S THAT WE SHOULD BE EXPLORING, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE THAT, UH, AND PERHAPS THE CHIEF CAN SPEAK TO THIS, UM, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COUNTY WITH REGARD TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE, AND ALSO WITH REGARD TO OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, SERVICES WE PROVIDE.
SO I WANTED TO ASK THE CHIEF, UM, CHIEF RODRIGUEZ AND PERHAPS DR.
ASKS AS KIND OF, IF YOU'D LIKE TO CHIME IN ALSO, JUST TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ROLE, YOU KNOW, UM, THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH, PARAMEDICS AND EMERGENCY SERVICES HAS BEEN EVOLVING OVER THE YEARS, WHAT WE SEE IN THE EAST.
UM, AND IT'S BEEN EVOLVING FROM A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, UM, SO THAT THERE'S
[05:25:01]
A ROLE THERE AND INJURY AND ILLNESS PREVENTION IS PART OF PUBLIC HEALTH THAT OUR HEALTH PARAMEDICS HAVE BEEN PLAYING.AND, UM, IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAK TO THAT FOR A MINUTE, UM, UH, CHIEF, AND ALSO IF YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING, DR.
SCOTT, I THINK IT HELPS, UM, MANY OF US MAY BE SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, BUT IT REALLY HELPS THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND, UH, THE VALUE THAT, UM, UH, THE, THE VALUE THAT OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS BRING TO THE COMMUNITY FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE.
AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU CAN SHARE WITH US ABOUT, UM, THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, THAT WILL BE HELPFUL.
THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UH, ERNESTO OVER THE U S CHIEF OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC PROGRAM IS, UH, IN, IN AUSTIN, PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST MATURE AND ADVANCED, UH, OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE SEE IN THE NATION.
UM, WE ARE TRULY A COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM.
UH, MANY OF THE OTHERS WHO USE THIS APPROACH HAVE DONE IT IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY.
AND BASICALLY THEY DESIGN SYSTEMS THAT INSURANCE COMPANIES WOULD PAY FOR, FOR THE EFFORT OF RAISING REVENUES.
UH, WE TOOK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT APPROACH.
WE TOOK A NEEDS APPROACH WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR COMMUNITY AND WE FOUND INDIVIDUALS WITH UNMET NEEDS THAT IMMEDIATELY FOCUSED US TOWARDS WORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND, UM, OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH MEDICS, BECAUSE THEY'RE MOBILE BECAUSE THEY'RE AGILE AND AVAILABLE TO GO ANYWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY.
THEY'VE BEEN VERY, VERY EFFECTIVE AT HELPING PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, MEET MANY OF THEIR NEEDS, THINGS AS SIMPLE AS SHOES, CLOTHING, UH, FOOD.
NOW, THOSE ARE BIG DEALS FOR, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN A HOMELESS SITUATION.
AND SO OUR PROGRAM HAS REALLY BECOME A MODEL, UH, IN THE NATION FOR HOW TO DO COMMUNITY HEALTH, USING PARAMEDICS IN, IN COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS VERY RARE.
AND SO I THINK THAT, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SETTING A GREAT EXAMPLE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO SEE.
UH, THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT DOES FOR US IS THAT IT PREVENTS THE USE OF MORE EXPENSIVE NINE 11 RESOURCES.
ANYTIME THAT WE CAN TRAVEL OUT AND SEE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS A NEEDS AND ADDRESS THEIR ISSUES.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S AS SIMPLE AS GIVING THEM A RIDE TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN GET SOME TREATMENT.
UM, SOMETIMES IT'S AS SIMPLE AS WE GO TO THE PHARMACY AND GET THEIR MEDICATIONS FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO OTHER TRANSPORT.
UM, WE KNOW THAT WE CAN KEEP THEM WELL.
AND WE KNOW THAT BY HELPING THEM FIND HOMES AND PLACES TO STAY, THAT THEY ARE SAFE AND THAT PREVENTS INJURIES AND TRAUMAS AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT COME TO COMPLICATE THEIR LIVES AND, AND, UH, REDUCE THE USE OF VERY EXPENSIVE EMERGENCY RESPONSES.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE'RE DOING THIS.
NOW WE'RE BEGINNING TO EXPAND INTO THE MENTAL HEALTH.
AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO USE THE TERM CHP MH UH, FOR MENTAL HEALTH.
THE IDEA IS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO DO THE MENTAL HEALTH WORK WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND WE'RE WORKING WITH NAMI AND OTHERS, UH, TO IDENTIFY WHAT THAT TRAINING IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
SO THAT WHEN YOU GET A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC, WHO'S A MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST.
THEY WILL HAVE THE TOOLS, THE EQUIPMENT, THE TRAINING, AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO HELP CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS IN A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING ALREADY AT PARTNERING, UH, BETTER WITH INTEGRAL CARE AND OTHER PROVIDERS THAT CAN GO WITH US TO THE INCIDENTS.
UH, WHEN WE FIRST ENCOUNTERED EPCOT AND IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, THEY WERE BASICALLY ROAMING AROUND IN THEIR VEHICLES.
AND WHAT WE DID IS WE PROVIDED A STATION FOR THEM, SO THEY COULD HAVE A STABLE HOME.
UM, AND THEN LATER WE PROVIDED THEM, RADIOS, TAUGHT THEM HOW TO COMMUNICATE, AND NOW WE DISPATCH THEM TOGETHER.
SO WE'LL SEND A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC, WE'LL SEND, UH, A, A
UM, THE AMBULANCE CREW, UH, SERVES THE PURPOSE OF CLEARING THE INDIVIDUAL TO BE SURE THAT IT'S SAFE FOR THEM, UH, TO, TO TAKE CARE FROM SOMEONE ELSE.
AND AS SOON AS WE KNOW THAT THEN THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL TAKES OVER.
UM, I THINK THE LAST TIME I LOOKED AT THIS, SOME SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF 85% OF THE ENCOUNTERS THAT WE HAD WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE CARE IN THEIR HOME, OR WERE ABLE TO BE TRANSPORTED TO A FACILITY SPECIALIZING IN THEIR NEED, RATHER THAN GOING TO AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S VERY COSTLY, OCCUPIED SPACE AND REALLY IS AN INEFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES.
UH, SO THAT PROGRAM HAS, HAS WORKED OUT VERY WELL FOR US.
DOES THAT, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COUNCIL MEMBER? YES.
UM, IF DO YOU FOLKS HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS FOR DR.
[05:30:01]
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UH, CHIEF ARTERY GUYS, DOCTOR, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.ALSO, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING ON THE PANDEMIC AS WELL.
SO I'M ON THE EMS AMENDMENT THAT I PUT FORWARD, WORKED CLOSELY WITH EMS AND EMS TO REALLY HONE IN ON THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES.
UM, TO FURTHER YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS ADDED SOME SUPPORT SERVICES AT THE LAST MINUTE THAT I WASN'T DIDN'T, DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THAT.
UM, DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN WHAT THOSE ARE AND THEN WE CAN WORK TO, UM, INCORPORATE THEM AS APPROPRIATE? YES.
WE DIDN'T SEE IT, THAT IT WAS MISSING.
SO WE TRIED TO GET IT TO YOU BECAUSE WE, AND THAT YOU SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW ABOUT WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE, UH, WITH THE DEPARTMENT EXPANDING AS IT IS.
WHEN I CAME HERE, WE WERE ABOUT 300 TOTAL.
UM, NOW LOOKING DOWN THE YEARS, WE ARE OVER 600 AND IT TAKES A LOT OF RESOURCES TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THAT MANY PEOPLE.
UH, SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE NEED, UH, ADDITIONAL STAFF AND, UH, WE NEED, UH, AN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE SUPERVISOR, UH, AND THAT'S AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HELPS US MANAGE OUR REIMBURSEMENT PROCESSES AND HAS DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH, UH, FAMILIES AND PATIENTS WHO ARE TRYING TO PAY THEIR BILLS AND WORK THROUGH INSURANCE.
UM, ANOTHER POSITION THAT WE NEED IS IN BILLING AND CODING, AND THOSE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE MEDICAL RECORDS AND ACTUALLY CODE THE BILL SO THAT IT CAN BE QUALIFIED TO BE SENT TO A PAYER.
UM, WE NEED A HUMAN RESOURCE SPECIALIST WITH A NUMBER OF STAFF THAT WE'RE GROWING TO.
UM, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE DELAYS WHEN SOMEBODY NEEDS SOMETHING, UM, AND THEY'RE WORKING WAY FOUR HOUR SHIFTS UNDER VERY STRESSFUL CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE LAST THING THEY NEED IS TO WAIT FOR RED TAPE.
AND SO WE, WE NEED ADDITIONAL, UH, HELP HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT.
SO HUMAN RESOURCE SPECIALIST AND ANOTHER CRITICAL AREA THAT WE NEED HELP IN IS AN INVENTORY CONTROL.
UH, WE HAVE A VERY SMALL TEAM IN THAT AREA.
AND, UH, AS YOU KNOW, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE USE IS, IS VERY EXPENSIVE.
IT'S INTRICATE, INTRICATE, AND MEDICATIONS.
WE'VE GOTTA BE VERY CAREFUL WITH HOW WE DISPENSE THEM AND ALL OF THAT.
SO WE NEED ONE MORE INDIVIDUAL THAT COULD HELP WITH INVENTORY CONTROL IN THAT AREA.
UM, ONE MORE AREA THAT I DON'T SEE ON MY LIST, BUT IT'S IN MY STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, I THOUGHT IT'D BE IMPORTANT JUST TO MENTION ONLY FOR AWARENESS.
UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN A LESSON LEARNED OUT OF THE COVID THING IS THAT RESPIRATORY PROTECTION IS A BIG DEAL FOR US.
IT'S A, IT'S A CRITICAL FACTOR.
UM, AND IT IS PROBABLY THE, THE MAIN LINE OF DEFENSE, UH, FOR OUR STAFF, KEEPING THEM SAFE FROM CONTRACTING, UH, DISEASES.
UM, NOW AT THIS POINT, WE, WE HAVE, UH, MILLENNIUM MASKS, WHICH ARE HEAVY DUTY MASTER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
UH, WE HAVE HALF FACE RESPIRATORS THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO USE AND WE'RE EVALUATING WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN AND IMPLEMENT, UH, OR WHICH DEVICE WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT, UH, OF A PAPER, WHICH IS A POSITIVE AIR PRESSURE RESPIRATOR, UH, WITH THAT WE NEED SOMEBODY THAT WILL HELP INVENTORY THAT, MAINTAIN IT AND KEEP EVERYTHING IN ORDER.
UH, BECAUSE THE LAST THING THAT YOU WANT IS A FAILURE OF ONE OF THESE DEVICES THAT AT THE BEDSIDE, BECAUSE THAT WOULD CAUSE A INFECTION TRANSMISSION.
SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT, THAT, UH, IS IN MY STRATEGIC PLAN.
THAT IS NOT IN THE LIST THAT WE GAVE YOU.
GREAT, WELL, WE WILL WORK WITH YOU AND WE CAN PUT FORWARD THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DO THE, WHEN WE DO THE, UM, THE APPROPRIATE FORM, UM, THAT ED HAS ASKED US TO DO, UM, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING WITH MY OFFICE ON THAT.
UM, THE OTHER THING I JUST WANTED TO SAY IS, UM, THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN PUTTING TOGETHER THIS AMENDMENT AND IN THE, IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO IT THAT, UM, HELPED ME TO REALLY HONE IN ON EMS. UM, REALLY HEARD A LOT OF, UM, HERO STORIES, A LOT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR EMS ARE FACING AND HOW THE PANDEMIC IS REALLY PUSHING THEM TO THE MAX.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO JUST SAY THANK YOU, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, ALL OF YOUR STAFF KNOW THAT WE ALL REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TAKING, UH, YOU KNOW, TAKING A LOOK AT THE SUITS THAT YOU HAVE TO WEAR AND ALL OF THAT IN A HUNDRED DEGREE HEAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED IS THERE AND THAT THERE ARE STEPS THAT WE CAN TAKE, UM, AS A COUNCIL, UM, TO MAKE THAT WORK EASIER.
UM, THERE ARE TWO ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES THAT ARE NOT, THAT WERE ON THE WISHLIST THAT ARE NOT COVERED BETWEEN MY AMENDMENT AND THE ONES THAT COUNCIL
[05:35:01]
MEMBER KITCHEN PUT FORWARD.UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO, UM, INCLUDE THOSE, BUT I'M MINDFUL OF THE POT OF MONEY THAT WE POTENTIALLY HAVE AVAILABLE.
SO I REALLY WANTED TO, TO PRIORITIZE THE STEPS, BUT I HOPE THAT, UM, AND AN ONGOING BASIS, WE CAN RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK FOR KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE, UM, AND SEE THE VALUE AS WELL AS LEVERAGE SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND SOME OF THOSE SHIFTS TO, TO DRIVE SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT WILL HELP US TO EXPAND THINGS AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, OUR COMMUNITY AND IN OUR MEDICS ARE SAFE.
AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE CO-SPONSORED VARIOUS ITEMS RELATED TO THIS WORK, UM, WITH ME, AND THANK YOU FOR STICKING AROUND TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UH, ONE THING, IF I MAY ADD, UH, YOUR CONCERN ABOUT HAVING A LIMITED AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, UM, IS A, IS A VERY REAL, UH, SITUATION THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.
UH, WE TOOK SOME TIME TO DEVELOP A METHOD THAT WE COULD USE TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT, UH, CONTINUE TO ADD PERSONNEL, BUT TO DO IT AT A LOWER PRICE, A LOWER COST, AND IT'S CALLED THE PARAMEDIC RESPONSE UNIT.
UH, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, UH, RESPONDERS ARE GOING TO BE PARAMEDIC RESPONSE UNITS.
AND IT'S A, IT'S A SUV WITH A SINGLE PARAMEDIC, UH, THAT HAS AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF TRAINING AND CREDENTIAL, UH, WHICH THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR HAS PUT TOGETHER FOR THIS.
AND SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FUTURE TO RETHINK HOW WE GROW THE ORGANIZATION, UH, PR USE OR EASY TO STAFF, A LOT EASIER TO HIRE A LOT LESS EXPENSIVE TO PUT ON THE STREET, AND YOU CAN COMBINE THEM TO MAKE OTHER KINDS OF UNITS.
YOU CAN COMBINE THEM IN RESPONSES AND YOU CAN MAKE AMBULANCES IF YOU NEED TO.
SO I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE.
I WOULD LOVE TO, AND IT'S REFRESHING AND WELCOMING TO HAVE A CHIEF WHO'S TALKING WITH US ABOUT HOW WE CAN REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK AND DOING THAT.
DO YOU WANT TO CLOSE THIS OUT SHORTER? THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, AGAIN, IN THE COMING DAYS, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH EACH OF YOUR OFFICES TO DEVELOP THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS AS WERE PUT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD.
AND NOW, AS YOU THINK THROUGH, UH, THE OTHER FACTORS THAT WOULD IMPACT HOW THOSE AMENDMENTS WOULD BE PUT FORWARD.
UM, I'LL SEE IF ED HAS ANY COMMENTS BEFORE WE PASS IT BACK TO GINA P AND DACA, JUST TO WALK THROUGH OUR FINAL AGENDA ITEM FOR TODAY, WHICH WILL BE VERY FAST AND, UM, NO, NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS LIKE THAT.
THEN MYSELF, HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU AS WE CLOSE OUT YOUR VARIOUS PROPOSAL, THE MINUTES.
OBVIOUSLY THIS FISCAL YEAR BUDGET, UH, INCLUDES, UH, INVESTMENTS IN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.
AND WE HAD A, A RESOLUTION THAT CAME, UH, LAST WEEK ON THURSDAY, AND WE SENT A MEMO OUT ON FRIDAY.
AND SO I'VE JUST ASKED, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FEE AND DACA TO WALK THROUGH WHAT WAS IN THAT MEMO THAT WE SENT OUT.
AND THEN SOME OF THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE'LL BE TAKING, UH, JUST TO ALLOW COUNSEL TO WEIGH IN ON THAT PROCESS.
I HAVE A REAL QUICK QUESTION BEFORE WE GET STARTED.
WHEN CAN WE EXPECT THE REST OF THE INFORMATION TO COME OUT? CAUSE I KNOW THE INITIAL MEMO THAT CAME OUT WAS VERY HELPFUL WITH BACKGROUND INFORMATION, BUT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE ALL OF THE INFORMATION REQUESTED IN THE RESOLUTION.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER DACA IS PREPARED TO ADDRESS.
UM, SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, AS WE MENTIONED IN OUR INITIAL RESPONSE TO COUNCIL LAST WEEK, WE HAVE MORE THAN $200 MILLION IN PROJECT FUNDING THAT IS ALLOCATED TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS THAT IS PROGRAMMED THROUGH 2024, AND THAT WILL BE BUILT IN THE COMING YEARS.
I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE, INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY TO ENHANCE OUR SAFETY AND OUR MOBILITY.
YOU ALL KNOW THAT AND OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT.
AND WHILE WE'RE WORKING TO FINALIZE THE TRUE MAGNITUDE OF WHAT THAT UNFUNDED NEED IS, WE WANT TO REMIND COUNCIL THAT THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE OUR NEEDS WITHIN TRANSPORTATION AND MANY OF OUR PROGRAM PRIORITIES INCLUDE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS.
SO IN THE MEANTIME, THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS ARE FOCUSED ON PROVIDING THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE ALREADY PROMISED TO THE COMMUNITY WHEN THEY AUTHORIZE THE 2016 AND 2018 BONDS.
[05:40:01]
FOR EXAMPLE, OUR PUBLIC WORKS SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM HAS SHIFTED GEARS FROM WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO CREATE THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS THAT EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT HAS ADOPTED TO ACTUALLY BUILDING THOSE IMPROVEMENTS CALLED FOR IN THOSE PLANS.IN THE FOUR MONTHS OF 2020 ALONE, THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL TEAM HAD MORE THAN 30 ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY.
AND THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SUMMERTIME MONTHS TO REALLY BUILD THOSE PROGRAMS OUT SO THAT WHEN CHILDREN RETURNED TO SCHOOL, THEY'LL HAVE SAFE ROUTES TO GET THERE WITH THEIR FAMILIES.
SIMILARLY, OUR BIKEWAYS TEAMS HAS A FEW EXCITING PROJECTS THAT ARE ALREADY PLANNED.
WE'RE WRAPPING UP THE TRANSFORMATIVE WORK ALONG SHOAL CREEK AND THE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THERE ARE SO MANY OTHERS THAT ARE PLANT PROTECTED INTERSECTIONS AND DISTRICTS ONE IN THREE THROUGH SEVEN PLEASANT VALLEY AND WEBER VILLE ROAD.
SO MANY PROJECTS THAT ARE ALREADY GETTING DAYLIGHTED THROUGH OUR ROBUST COMMUNITY PROCESS AND OUTSIDE OF WHAT WE CALL LOCAL MOBILITY PROGRAMS, SUCH AS SAFE ROUTES.
AND BIKEWAYS, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT THAT ARE IN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION, THAT WE'LL BE DELIVERING THROUGH IMPROVEMENTS TO REGIONAL ROADWAYS.
WE JUST BROKE GROUND ON ANDERSON MILL ROAD.
AND THAT INCLUDES SHARED USE PATH FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD THAT WILL IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY FOR BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS.
SIMILAR PROJECTS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY IN SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ROAD, AND THOSE ARE ANTICIPATED TO BEGIN WITH UTILITY RELOCATION.
NEXT YEAR, THE CURRENT PROGRAM OFFICE THAT'S LED BY MIKE TREMBLE HAS SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS THAT ARE ALREADY PLANNED IN.
YOU CAN SEE CONSTRUCTION ALREADY ALONG THOSE CARPENTERS.
THOSE PROGRAMS INCLUDE $40 MILLION IN BEHIND THE CURTAIN IMPROVEMENTS TO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY AND SAFETY AND CARD, AS SUCH AS MLK BURNETT ROAD, RIVERSIDE DRIVE.
SO MANY OTHERS TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT OUR CAPACITY TO DELIVER ON THESE PROJECTS, WE'VE RETHOUGHT OUR COORDINATION AND MUCH OF THE WORK THAT I'VE OUTLINED WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE CONTINUED COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE DEPARTMENTS.
AND THOSE INCLUDE HEAVY SUPPORT FROM CAPITAL CONTRACTING, SMB, OUR PURCHASING SO MANY OTHERS.
I KNOW ROB AND RICHARD RICHARD MENDOZA AND ROB SPILLER ARE ALSO HERE WITH ME THIS AFTERNOON AND THEY'RE OPERATING AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY TO DELIVER ALL OF THESE PROJECTS WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
AND IF WE ACCELERATE FURTHER, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO RUN THE RISK OF OVERWHELMING OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE AMOUNT OF CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GOING ON AT ANY GIVEN TIME, WE ARE COMMITTED TO A ROBUST COMMUNITY PROCESS TO REALLY ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY AS WE WORK THROUGH WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE AND THE PROCESS TO PUT THOSE PLANS INTO PLACE.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE ENJOY PROVIDING, UM, ENHANCED MOBILITY AND SAFETY PRODUCTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ENJOY WORKING WITH YOU TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE.
AND I WANT TO JUST, YOU KNOW, GIVE A, UH, A RECOGNITION TO THOSE MOBILITY DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE DONE ALL THIS WORK.
AND THEY'VE ACCELERATED THIS WORK THROUGHOUT 2020 DURING THE PANDEMIC.
UM, THAT, THAT IS REALLY, UM, TAPPED THE RESOURCES OF OUR DEPARTMENT, BOTH IN TERMS OF HOW OUR STAFF DEAL WITH THE, THE VIRUS AND THEIR FAMILIES AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING ON UPDATING COUNCIL ON WHAT FUTURE NEEDS MIGHT BE, AND WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU.
THANK YOU, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER IN DACA, OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF GREAT STUFF HAPPENING AND THERE'S A NEED THAT STILL EXISTS.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR STAFF TO IDENTIFY HOW WE CAN QUICKLY GET BACK TO THE COUNCIL ON ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK ON WHAT CAPACITY MIGHT BE NEEDED FOR THE FUTURE, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET THAT MEMO BACK TO COUNCIL? UH, MANAGER'S STAFF IS KEENLY FOCUSED ON THAT.
UM, WE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.
WE WANT TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE AND WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF COUNCIL'S TIMELINE, UM, AND THE DEADLINE FOR A COUNCIL OF REALLY HAVING TO ENGAGE IN A ROBUST CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT ANY FUTURE, UM, NEEDS MIGHT BE.
SO WE WILL HAVE THAT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, AND WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER A COMPREHENSIVE MEMO FOR YOUR CONSIDERING, THANKS.
THAT WAS OUR PRESENTATION, BUT HAPPY TO STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
I HOPE THAT I APPRECIATE THAT.
YOU'RE GETTING THIS INFORMATION BACK.
I REMEMBER IN 2016, THE TRANSPORTATION STAFF, WASN'T TOO KEEN ON DOING THAT BOND AND DIDN'T THINK IT COULD DO IN THE TIME THAT WAS REQUIRED
[05:45:01]
TO HAPPEN.AND I, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, UH, I, I THINK THAT WHEN YOU FOCUS ON THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE NEEDED, UH, THAT THE COUNCIL IS ASKING FOR, FOR HOW IT WOULD FIT IN, UH, IN THE MEMO THAT YOU SENT BACK, YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT USUALLY THERE'S A, UH, PROCESS OF BONDING PROCESS TO IDENTIFY NEEDS.
AND I THINK IT'S SAFE TO JUST FOCUS ON THOSE THINGS THAT ALREADY THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SPENT ON THERE'S THE EXISTING PLANS WITH, UH, UH, FOR, FOR, FOR THE, FOR THE TRIALS AND THE SIDEWALKS AND THE ROADS, AND THEN THE PRIORITIES THAT ARE ALREADY SET.
UH, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND I THINK ESTABLISHED THOSE NEEDS.
AND I THINK YOU COULD PROBABLY FOCUS ON THAT KIND OF WORK BUILDING OUT THE THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS ALREADY INDICATED THAT IT WANTS TO HAVE MORE TIME.
I THINK, UM, WHATEVER THE STAFF BRING BACK BRINGS BACK THERE NEEDS TO BE.
AND YOU MENTIONED THIS, A FOCUS ON EQUITY, UH, FRANKLY, A FOCUS ON THE EASTERN CRESCENT, UM, AND POSSIBLY BUILDING UPON, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR MENTIONED THE, THE, OUR BIG MOBILITY BOND.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PROJECTS IN THERE THAT JUST GOT FUNDED FOR, YOU KNOW, PRELIMINARY STUDIES AND AREAS OF TOWN THAT I HAVE A LOT OF CONSTITUENTS RIGHT NOW ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHY, UM, SOME PARTS OF DEL VALLEY DON'T HAVE THINGS IN THIS BUDGET.
AND I'VE HAD TO EXPLAIN THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR, THIS BUDGET PROCESS IS NOT WHAT FUNDS BIG ROADWAY PROJECTS LIKE THAT IT IS.
UM, IT IS BOND MEASURES THAT DO THAT.
AND THEY ARE RIGHTFULLY SAYING, WELL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO ASK FOR IT, BUT WE NEED IT.
AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK THAT THERE BE A FOCUS ON, ON AREAS OF TOWN THAT, THAT HAVE LONG FELT NEGLECTED AND, AND RIGHTFULLY SO.
AND BECAUSE EVEN, YOU KNOW, I'D FINISHED, THE PROJECT WOULD INCLUDE SIDEWALKS AND BIKE LANES AND NECESSARY ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION THERE AS WELL.
AND I THINK THERE IS A BIG, NOT ONLY AN APPETITE, BUT, UM, A STRONG DESIRE FROM EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY TO, TO, UM, FOCUS ON AREAS OF TOWN THAT, THAT HAVE NOT HAD GOTTEN THE ATTENTION THAT THEY FULLY DESERVE AND THEY PAY TAXES DO.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD JUST ADD FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THINGS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.
UM, YEAH, SO I APPRECIATE, UH, GETTING US RESPONSE AT THE END OF THE WEEK.
THAT'LL BE HELPFUL IN A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE.
UM, I DO THINK, AND FOR MYSELF, I DO WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT ON STAFF.
UM, AND, AND BECAUSE OF WHAT I'M, I'M WANTING TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT CAN BE DONE OVER THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, SIX YEARS OR WHATEVER, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE GOT STACKS STACKED UP ALREADY, A NUMBER OF BONDS THAT WE HAVE APPROVED, UM, BOTH IN 2016 AND IN 28.
UM, AND WE HAVE FUNDS FOR ISSUES OTHER THAN TRANSPORTATION.
AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, UH, OF ANY ADDITIONAL BOND PROPOSALS.
SO DO YOU THINK THAT THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR OUR STAFF TO LET US KNOW? AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT, THAT I WANT, I WANT TO HEAR, THANKS MAYOR.
ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT DACA WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND KITCHEN WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I SUBMITTED FOR STAFF TO ANSWER TO, I GUESS IT WAS ITEM 90 ON OUR LAST AGENDA ITEM, 1929, COUNCIL ITEM Q AND A.
SO I ASKED FOR THE REMAINING UNSPENT AMOUNTS FROM THE 2016 AND THE 2018 BONDS DIVISION, ZERO TRANSPORTATION SAFETY, URBAN TRAIL SIDEWALK, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL AND BIKEWAYS OR OTHER RELEVANT, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THE STAFF PUT TOGETHER A REALLY STRONG, HELPFUL, INSIGHTFUL DOCUMENT WITH SOME NUMBERS IN IT THAT YOU ALL CAN LOOK AT, UM, IN THE Q AND A, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE PERCENT OF THE FUNDS.
WE HAD 119 MILLION IN THE 2016 PROPOSITION FOR JUST LOCAL MOBILITY.
AND WE'VE SPENT 30, JUST A LITTLE OVER 34% OF THAT.
AND IN 2018 PROPOSITION, SHE, UH, FOR THE TOTAL, FOR URBAN TRAILS REHAB FOR SIDEWALKS
[05:50:01]
AND VISION ZERO INTERSECTION SAFETY, WE HAVE 38 IN THAT BOND.AND WE HAVE SPENT NOT QUITE 3% OF THAT MONEY.
AND A LOT OF THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE, UM, THE NECESSARY, UH, PLANNING AND, AND THE, UH, ENGINEERING AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ALREADY, UH, TASKED OUR, OUR CIP STAFF AND OUR STAFF WITH PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE ADVANCEMENTS.
SO I SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, UM, ON SIDEWALKS AND SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL.
MY CONCERN IS THAT IF WE HAVE MONEY, WE HAVEN'T SPENT IT YET.
AND IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO LOOK AT THAT IN RELATION TO, UM, IF WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL BOND FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION, UH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE PUT INTO THAT BOND, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE QUEUE AND THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN REALIZED.
AND I, AND I, WHEN I SAY SIGNIFICANT, I MEAN, SIGNIFICANT.
SO I THINK THAT SHOULD IMPACT HAVE SOME INFLUENCE ON OUR DISCUSSION OF SETTING THE AMOUNT FOR THE BOND, CORRECT, OR TRANSPORTATION.
THERE'S ONE OTHER ITEM I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, NOT FOR TODAY, BUT JUST AS OUR STAFF IS BRINGING IN INFORMATION BACK TO US.
I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT ON, UM, OF, OF ADDING ANOTHER BOND, UM, FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE A CERTAIN SCOPE OF BONDING AUTHORITY, UM, AND WE ALREADY HAVE OTHER ITEMS, INCLUDING OUR HOUSING BONDS, UM, AND THE OTHER BONDS THAT WE HAVE FROM THE PREVIOUS, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR PREVIOUS EFFORTS, WHICH IN 2016 AND 2018.
SO, SO WHEN WE GET INFORMATION BACK, I'M GOING TO WANT TO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT OUR BOND, UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT USING THE RIGHT TERMS, BUT I KNOW WE ONLY HAVE, WE HAVE CERTAIN BONDING CAPACITY AND BONDING CAPACITY.
WE HAVE CERTAIN BONDING CAPACITY AND I'M GOING TO WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT, UH, ON BONDING CAPACITY AND ALSO THE IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF, UH, ADDITIONAL COST.
ANYTHING ELSE FOR TODAY? YES, CATHERINE ELLIS, JUST MY LAST 2 CENTS.
UM, AS, AS YOU ARE CRAFTING THAT LANGUAGE IN THE SUBSEQUENT MEMO, THAT WILL TIE UP THE REST OF THE INFORMATION AND THE RESOLUTION.
I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO KNOW HOW, HOW BONDING HAPPENS, NOT JUST ABOUT CAPACITY AT ONE GIVEN POINT IN TIME.
BUT FOR INSTANCE, IF VOTERS APPROVE A BOND IN NOVEMBER, DO WE NECESSARILY TAKE THAT BOND MONEY OUT THE DAY THAT IT GETS APPROVED? DO WE TAKE IT OUT SIX MONTHS LATER, YEAR LATER, KIND OF HOW, HOW DOES THAT PLANNING WORK AS WE THINK ABOUT IT? SO BOND INVESTMENTS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE'VE APPROVED AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS THAT HAVEN'T FULLY BEEN SPENT YET, AND WE'RE ALL EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THAT GOES AND WHEN THAT'S GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED.
BUT I THINK THE CONVERSATION AROUND WHEN THAT WHEN BONDS ARE ISSUED AND WHAT EFFECT THAT HAS ON FINANCES IS, IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS CONVERSATION TOO, SINCE THEY DON'T ALL GET TAKEN OUT THE SAME DAY AND THEY'RE NOT ALL FINISHED ON THE SAME DAY, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PART IS IN THERE AS WELL.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, GREG, YOU WANT TO JUST RESPOND BRIEFLY TO THAT? CERTAINLY THANK YOU.
A CITY MANAGER AND CUSTOMER ELLIS.
CERTAINLY I THINK WE WILL ADD SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, LANGUAGE AND EXPLANATORY, UM, FACTS ABOUT HOW WE, THE CITY GOES THROUGH BOND, UM, ISSUING BONDS AND HOW IT WORKS WITH OUR TAX RATE.
WE DID INCLUDE SOME IN THE MEMO THAT ACMP AND DACA SENT OUT ON FRIDAY RELATED TO OUR OUTSTANDING BONDS THAT WE STILL NEED TO ISSUE FROM THE 16 AND 18 BONDS.
THE TECHNICALLY THE TYPICALLY SPEAKING, WHEN WE HAVE A BOND PROGRAM, IT'S USUALLY OVER SEVERAL YEARS AND THE BONDS ARE ISSUED, UM, AS WE SPEND OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR SPENDING AND THEN THE ASSOCIATED TAX RATE INCREASE HAPPENS WITH THAT AS WELL.
SO WE IN ESSENCE ARE, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THE SPENDING IS IN LINE WITH OUR BOND SALES AND IN LINE WITH, AS WE MANAGE THE OVERALL CITY TAX RATES.
SO WE COULD CERTAINLY ADD SOME MORE INFORMATION, UH, BUILDING ON WHAT WE, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE FRIDAY MEMO FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF CORRESPONDENCE.
I JUST WANTED, UH, WANTED TO REITERATE THE LANGUAGE OF THE RESOLUTION THAT SAYS I'M IN PROVIDING THIS INFORMATION.
STAFF SHALL ANALYZE EXISTING CAPITAL PROJECT DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY
[05:55:01]
POTENTIAL CHANGES IN RESOURCES AND STAFFING REQUIREMENTS THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO ACCELERATE PROJECT DELIVERY AND MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THESE PROPOSALS TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN SIX YEARS.AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT.
IF YOU GIVE US SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE LONGER SHORTER, JUST SO WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE FINANCIAL MECHANISMS, THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL, BUT I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT'S GOING INTO THIS.
AND I'M VERY EAGER TO SEE THE NEXT STEP THAT'S AMERICA KITCHEN.
UM, I THINK THIS IS AN ERROR AND IT'S COMING BACK TO US TOO.
UM, WE, YES, THERE IS A PROCESS FOR ISSUING BONDS, BUT YOU MIGHT ALSO SAY IN WHAT YOU PROVIDE US AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HOW PRIORITIES ARE SET ACROSS THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS.
SO, UM, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.
ONE OF MY CONCERNS, HAVING A LOT OF FUN PROJECTS OUT THERE AND NOT BEING ASSURED OF WHAT COMES FIRST, REMEMBER FLANIGAN.
SO I'VE, I'VE SHARED MY CONCERNS ABOUT THIS IN PRIOR MEETINGS.
SO I WON'T REPEAT THOSE WORDS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THIS IS SOMETHING FOLKS ARE INSISTENT ON PROCEEDING WITH, THEN I DO SHARE MAYOR PORTENDS CONCERNS ABOUT EQUITY.
AND I WOULD PREFER TO SEE TO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHENS POINT SOME MEASURE OF CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS THAT WOULD DEFINE HOW THE SEQUENCE OF PROJECTS WOULD BE DECIDED IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT STAFF WOULD DECIDE.
AND THE ONLY TIME THE COUNCIL IN THE FUTURE WOULD SEE IT AS CONTRACTS ON AN AGENDA, OR WOULD PROJECTS WITHIN THAT BUCKET HAVE TO BE REVIEWED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
WOULD THERE BE A SEPARATE BODY THAT WOULD MAKE THOSE DECISIONS? HOW WOULD WE MAKE THOSE DETERMINATIONS? UM, UM, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN SOME TYPE OF MEASUREMENT ABOUT THAT.
I THINK THAT'S ALL THE STUFF WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA.
AND WITH THAT, THIS MEETING IS A JOURNEY