["Speakers are: Corrie Stokes, City Auditor Maria Stroth, Auditor"]
[00:00:05]
I'M COREY STOKES, AUSTIN CITY AUDITOR.
MY OFFICE WILL BE FULFILLING ONE OF OUR CHARTER MANDATED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR REDISTRICTING SPECIFICALLY, WE'LL BE CONDUCTING A RANDOM DRAWING TO IDENTIFY THE THREE MEMBER APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL.
THIS PANEL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IDENTIFYING THE 60 MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS FOR THE INDEPENDENT CITIZEN REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.
THAT'S THE BODY THAT WILL ULTIMATELY REDRAW THE BOUNDARIES FOR OUR 10 SINGLE MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
WE RECEIVED 16 QUALIFIED APPLICATIONS FOR THIS PANEL.
ALL OF WHOM WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE DRAWING WE'LL CONDUCT SHORTLY.
THE APPLICATION PERIOD FOR THE INDEPENDENT CITIZEN REDISTRICTING COMMISSION CLOSED AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT FOR THE COMMISSION, WE RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 319 APPLICANTS, 284 OF THOSE WERE QUALIFIED.
UH, THOSE APPLICANTS FOR THOSE APPLICANTS, 65% OR WHITE 58% WERE MALE, UH, PER DISTRICT.
WE RECEIVED 31 APPLICATIONS, UH, AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF QUALIFIED STUDENTS WAS 20 THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE ONE MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION MUST BE A STUDENT.
ALL OF THIS DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND MUCH MORE IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE, REDISTRICT ATX.ORG.
THESE APPLICATIONS REPRESENT A SMALLER AND LESS DIVERSE POOL THAN WE ORIGINALLY HOPED FOR.
HOWEVER, GIVEN THE PANDEMIC AND OTHER ISSUES GARNERING AUSTIN'S ATTENTION RIGHT NOW, WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE SIZE AND QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION POOLS.
WE'VE RECEIVED EARLIEST THAT EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE REALIZED IN PERSON EVENTS WERE NOT FEASIBLE.
WE SHIFTED TO SIGNIFICANT VIRTUAL OUTREACH ALONG WITH TRADITIONAL OUTREACH THROUGH THE MEDIA AND THROUGH EXISTING CITY SOURCES.
HOPEFULLY THE NEXT TIME REDISTRICTING OCCURS, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE WILL BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, TALKING TO RESIDENTS FACE TO FACE TO RECRUIT FOR THESE TWO IMPORTANT BODIES.
I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MARIA STRAW FROM MY OFFICE WHO WILL INTRODUCE AND CONDUCT THE RANDOM DRAWING FOR THE APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL.
I'M EXCITED TO CONDUCT THIS RANDOM DRAWING FOR THE APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL.
UM, WHAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE LEFT OF YOUR SCREEN HERE IS A RANDOMIZED LIST OF THE 16 QUALIFIED APPLICANTS FOR THE APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL.
EACH ASSIGNED A NUMBER IN THIS COLUMN THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN.
THIS IS A TRUE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR POWERED BY RANDOM.ORG.
WE CHOSE THIS PARTICULAR SERVICE BECAUSE THEY ARE RECREATED BY A UNIVERSITY TRINITY COLLEGE IN DUBLIN, AND THEY HAVE TRANSPARENT PRACTICES, INCLUDING AN FAQ WHERE YOU CAN SEE HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO GENERATE TRULY RANDOM NUMBERS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THIS WILL WORK.
I'M GOING TO CHANGE THE MINIMUM NUMBER TO 50 ON THE MAXIMUM NUMBER TO 100.
WHEN I CLICK GENERATE HERE A NUMBER OF POPULATES IN THIS RESULT FIELD IN THIS CASE 58.
SO THE APPLICANT WITH THE NUMBER 58 WOULD BE SELECTED.
SO I'M GOING TO HAVE A MINIMUM OF ONE, A MAXIMUM OF 16, AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND SELECT THE FIRST PANELIST APPLICANT.
NUMBER THREE, THAT IS JAMES CHRISTIANSON.
YOU'RE THE FIRST MEMBER OF THE APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND GENERATE A SECOND NUMBER APPLICANT NUMBER 16, ABIGAIL MCLEAN, AND CONGRATULATIONS, ABIGAIL.
YOU'RE THE SECOND MEMBER OF THE APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL AND I WILL GENERATE THE THIRD NUMBER NOW, APPLICANT NUMBER ONE, WILLIAM COOPER.
SO TO WRAP UP, WE'VE GOT WILLIAM COOPER, JAMES CHRISTIANSON AND ABIGAIL MCCLEAN.
YOU'RE THE THREE MEMBER APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL FOR THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS THIS YEAR.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE THREE PANELISTS AGAIN, THAT'S JAMES CHRISTENSEN, ABIGAIL MCCLEAN AND WILLIAM COOPER.
UM, YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED TO BE OUR APPLICANT REVIEW PANEL.
YOU HAVE A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY AHEAD OF YOU.
I KNOW YOU'LL FULFILL IT IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK ALL OF THE APPLICANTS, BOTH FOR THE PANEL AND FOR THE COMMISSION.
HAVING RESIDENTS ENGAGED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES AUSTIN GREAT.
HAVING AS A CITY EMPLOYEE AND A RESIDENT MYSELF, I APPRECIATE THE TIME AND EFFORT EVERYBODY TOOK TO APPLY TO BOTH OF THESE IMPORTANT CITY BODIES.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OUTLINE WHAT COMES NEXT
[00:05:01]
FOR REDISTRICTING MATT DOUGAN FROM THE CITY'S PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN NAMED AS THE STAFF LIAISON FOR BOTH THE PANEL AND THE COMMISSION, MATT AND MY OFFICE WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH A PANEL LATER TODAY TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ALL THE APPLICATION DATA THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB.THE PANEL HAS UNTIL JANUARY 15TH TO SELECT THE 60 MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS FOR THE COMMISSION.
THEN THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ONE WEEK TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO STRIKE ANY CANDIDATE.
IF THEY CHOOSE MY OFFICE WILL THEN CONDUCT ANOTHER RANDOM DRAWING ON JANUARY 23RD FROM THE REMAINING CANDIDATES TO SELECT THE FIRST EIGHT COMMISSIONERS.
THOSE EIGHT COMMISSIONERS WILL THEN SELECT THE REMAINING SIX MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION BY THE END OF FEBRUARY.
AND THEN AT THAT POINT, THE COMMISSION WILL BEGIN THEIR PROCESS OF REDRAWING, THE BOUNDARIES.
I'M SO VERY PROUD OF THIS CITIZEN LED TRANSPARENT PROCESS.
THAT SHAPES HOW AUSTIN WILL BE GOVERNED FOR THE NEXT DECADE.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT SUPPORTED MY DURING THIS PROCESS.