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ALL INTO, UH, ORDER, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S, UH, WORK SESSION SET FOR TODAY, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH, 2020.
UM, WE HAVE A CORE AND PRESENT THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD, VIRTUALLY COLLEAGUES.
WE HAVE, UH, ONE BRIEFING TODAY.
IT'S THE, UH, UH, COVID 19 BRIEFING.
UH, AFTER THAT WE HAVE A PULLED ITEM AND IT'S ONLY ONE POOL ITEM AS FAR AS ITEM 43.
UH, AND THEN WE HAVE TWO ITEMS TO DISCUSS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
ONE IS REAGAN NATIONAL ADVERTISING, AND THE OTHER ONE IS NORTH PERMIT, UH, GATEWAY REGULATED PLANT.
UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN BE DONE NOT, UM, DAY TODAY.
UM, NATASHA IS NOT FEELING WELL AND WE'LL BE LISTENING AND SHE'S ONLINE AS WE'VE HEARD.
UM, UM, SO SHE'S WITH US, BUT, UH, WHAT HAS THE CAMPBELL ON?
[B1. Briefing on Covid-19 related matters. (Standing staff update)]
ALRIGHT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND START, UM, MANAGER.YOU WANT TO TAKE US THROUGH THIS, UH, FIRST, UH, THE COVID BREATHING.
UH, WE'LL START TODAY'S WORK SESSION WITH A BRIEFING AS WE ALWAYS HAVE THIS YEAR ON COVID-19.
UH, WE WILL HEAR FROM DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND FROM DR.
MASCOTS, AND AS THEY GET PULLED OVER INTO THE PANEL VIEW, I'LL JUST REMIND THAT WE HAVE BEEN PROUD OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S, UH, ESSENTIALLY HOLD THE LINE FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, BUT WE ARE WATCHING CLOSELY AS WE SEE OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE WEST, UM, SEE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN CASES AND THEIR HOSPITAL, UH, CAPACITY, UH, IS TAKING THAT STRAIN.
AND SO WE ARE KNOWING THAT WE CONTINUE TO STAY VIGILANT.
UH, WE LEAD ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S CONTINUED TO PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING, WHERE THINGS, UH, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR PROGRESS AND KEEP YOU INFORMED AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UH, WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO DIRECTOR HAYDEN, DR.
I'M STEPHANIE HAS BEEN DIRECTOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, I WANT TO START OUT BY TALKING ABOUT OUR, UM, EPIDEMIOLOGISTS AND SURVEILLANCE TEAM.
THEY ARE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR SCHOOLS, OUR HIGHER EDUCATION, OUR, UM, LONG-TERM CARE AND OTHER NURSING HOME SITES.
WE ARE, UM, REALLY WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE SCHOOLS BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT THIS POINT IS, IS THAT, UM, AS THE SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO OPEN, UM, IT'S AN ESSENTIAL FOR US TO PROVIDE THAT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO SCHOOLS.
SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO, UM, HOST A WEEKLY CALL WITH THE, UM, WITH THE COVID 19 POINT OF CONTEXT AT THE SCHOOLS.
THIS INCLUDES THE, UM, PUBLIC AND, UM, AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
UM, WE ARE WORKING ON A, UM, A TESTING STRATEGY FOR APPROXIMATELY ABOUT A THOUSAND BY NEXT RAPID INCIDENT TESTS THAT HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS.
UM, THE INITIAL PLAN, UM, INCLUDES, UH, TITLE ONE SCHOOLS AND TITLE ONE SCHOOLS ARE SCHOOLS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS ATTEND THAT SCHOOL.
IT IS A FREE AND OR REDUCED LUNCH, UM, OF STUDENTS THAT ARE RECEIVING FREE AND, OR REDUCED LUNCH MEALS AT THAT SCHOOL.
AND, UM, WITHIN THOSE TITLE ONE SCHOOLS, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE, UM, THE HIGHER POSITIVITY RATE, UH, WITHIN THOSE, WITHIN THAT TITLE ONE COMMUNITY, UM, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY AND, UM, THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, WHICH IS, UM, T A AND T THEM, UM, HAVE, UM, BEGAN THEIR, UM, RAPID ANTIGEN, UM, PILOT TESTING PROGRAM.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT SENT OUT FROM, FROM BREE, UM, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WITH SOME PILOT AREAS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO TEST.
UM, THEY ARE MAKING A CHANGE, UM, THIS WEEK AND AS OF WEDNESDAY, TOMORROW, THEY ARE GOING TO OPEN UP THAT, UM, PROCESS, UM, TO BE AVAILABLE ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHETHER YOU'RE ON PUBLIC PRIVATE OR CHARTER WILL BE ABLE TO, UM, APPLY TO BE IN THE PROGRAM
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TO HAVE THE, UM, ANTIGEN, UM, PILOT TESTING TO BE AVAILABLE.THE, UM, RESULTS WILL GO THROUGH, UM, THE STATE HEALTH SERVICES AND THEN BACK TO THE LOCAL DEPARTMENTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY WHAT I'VE DESCRIBED IS, IS THAT, UM, TA IS GOING TO OPEN UP THE PROCESS A LITTLE BROADER.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR, UM, UH, THE A THOUSAND BY NEXT RAPID ANTIGEN TEST CURRENTLY FOR SCHOOLS, UM, THAT WE WILL BE WORKING, UM, WITH AN ESTABLISHING THAT PLAN AS WELL.
LAST WEEK ON FRIDAY ON THE 23RD, WE LANDED WHICH OUR VACCINE DISTRIBUTION COALITION, AND THERE WERE OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED THAT MEETING.
IT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED AND WE WERE, UM, UH, PROVIDED SOME REALLY GOOD, UM, IT IS THE KIND OF THE FIRST MOVE FORWARD.
UM, AS WE KNOW, THINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, BUT WE ARE PROVIDING INFORMATION, UM, AS, AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN TO THE GROUP TO GET EVERYONE INVOLVED.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT IDENTIFYING PRIORITY POPULATIONS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UM, WHEN THE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE, IT WOULD BE VERY LIMITED.
SO OUR NEXT MEETING IS, UM, NOVEMBER THE SIXTH, THE, UM, DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES DID RELEASE THEIR STATE PLAN.
UM, AND, UM, THE PLAN BASICALLY GOES OVER WHAT THE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION WILL BE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS.
UH, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UM, WILL BE, UM, FOLLOWING THAT PLAN.
THEY ARE ENCOURAGING, UH, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, UM, PROVIDERS TO SIGN UP, TO ADMINISTER THE VACCINE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO WITH THE, UM, PLAN THAT THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE, UM, FOUR PHASES.
THE FIRST PHASE IS A POTENTIALLY LIMITED VACCINE BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.
AND THEN THE SECOND PHASE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF DOSES THAT WILL BE RELEASED JANUARY THROUGH JULY.
AND THIS IS THE PHASE WHERE THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EQUITABLE ACCESS IS PROVIDED TO VULNERABLE AND FRONTLINE POPULATION.
AND THEN, UM, PHASE THREE, UM, IS LIKELY SUFFICIENT SUPPLY THAT THEY'RE ANTICIPATING BETWEEN JULY TO OCTOBER.
THERE WILL BE MUCH MORE VACCINE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN PHASE FOUR IS SUFFICIENT SUPPLY, WHICH WILL TAKE US OCTOBER ONWARD.
UM, THE DEPARTMENT WILL UTILIZE OUR AUSTIN SALESFORCE FOR OUR VACCINE MANAGEMENT.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT IS OUR PLATFORM SYSTEM THAT WE'VE BEEN USING FOR, UM, PROTESTING AND FOR, UM, CONTRACT, UM, FOR CONTACT, UM, UH, CONTACT TRACING.
AND SO WE WILL USE THAT FOR OUR VACCINE MANAGEMENT, UM, ESPECIALLY WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE SOME OF THE VACCINES THAT ARE GOING TO REQUIRE TWO DOSAGES.
AND SO, UM, OUR NURSE WILL, UM, WE'LL WORK WITH OUR, USE OUR EXISTING HOTLINE AND USE THAT TECHNOLOGY FOR THAT THE VACCINE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, SOME WILL BE FREE.
AND SO THERE CANNOT BE A CHARGE TO ANYONE WHO RECEIVES THE VACCINE.
WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE OUR, UM, OUR TESTING SITES, DOVE SPRINGS, GIVENS, MONTOPOLIS, WALNUT CREEK, COMMUNITY, AND ST JOHN'S.
UM, AND WE, UM, ALWAYS INVITE INDIVIDUALS TO GO ONLINE, TO TAKE SOME DO THE TESTING.
SO YOU CAN SCHEDULE THAT WITH OUR LONGTERM, UM, CARE INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UM, WHAT WE'VE NOTICED IS IS THAT OVER THE LAST 14 DAYS, THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 40 NEW CASES AND OUR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.
OUR STAFF ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS WEEKLY WITH LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES, AND, UM, OUR STAFF ARE PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, SUPPORT TO THOSE FACILITIES.
WHAT WE UH, ARE DOING IS, IS MAKING SURE THERE'S ADDITIONAL PPE THAT ARE PROVIDED AND OUR, UM, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, UM, HAS TAKEN A LOOK AT THEIR INFECTION CONTROL ASSESSMENT AND RESPONSE PLAN AND HAS PROVIDED SOME ASSISTANCE TO THEM SO THEY CAN MAKE SOME CHANGES, UM, WITHIN THOSE PLANS.
AND THAT'S BEEN THE PROCESS, WHEREAS DURING THIS TIME IS TO ENSURE WHETHER IT'S PPE OR, UM, OR STRIKE TEAMS AND, UM, ANY KIND OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ASSISTANCE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THEM BY LOOKING AT THEIR, UM, PLANS WITH OUR HOMELESS UPDATE.
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UM, OUR CONTRACT WITH GOOD WORK AUSTIN WAS EXECUTED, UM, TO PROVIDE, UM, PREPARED MEALS FOR THE EAT INITIATIVE, WHICH IS EATING APART TOGETHER.AND SO WE CONTINUE THAT PROCESS.
UM, OUR WALK-IN SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE, UM, DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT.
UM, THOSE SERVICES WILL BE TEMPORARILY PAUSE TO ACCOMMODATE THE USE OF TERRAZAS BRANCH LIBRARY AS A VOTING LOCATION ON ELECTION DAY WITH OUR, UM, ISO FAX IN OUR PRO LODGES.
UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE OVER 300 GUESTS MEAN, SIR, UM, H A P H IS PROVIDING FLU VACCINES AT PROLOGIS STARTING THIS WEEK.
AND TODAY WE ARE EXCITED TO SAY THAT 49 INDIVIDUALS HAVE EXITED
AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, WE WILL USE OUR 2.8 MILLION IN FEDERAL CARES, UH, FOR RAPID REHOUSING SERVICES AND, UM, CONTINUE TO, UM, WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO MOVE THEM FORWARD.
AS YOU CAN TELL WITH THE CHANGE OF THE WEATHER, UM, OUR COLD WEATHER SHELTER, WE, WE ARE MAKING SOME CHANGES TO THAT PROCESS.
UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OUR HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, OUR, UM, UM, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT AND OTHERS TO, UM, FINALIZE OUR PLANS FOR OUR COLD WEATHER SHELTER THIS YEAR.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING SOME CHANGES, UM, BECAUSE OF, UH, COVID-19 WITH OUR, UM, OUR CHILDCARE AND SCHOOLS SUMMARY.
UM, WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE, UM, ADDITIONAL SERVICE TO OUR CHILDCARE.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE OUR FOCUS EFFORTS.
WE'VE ADDED SEVEN ADDITIONAL ZIP CODES, AND, UM, WE'RE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
WE ARE WORKING WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES FOR STAGE FUNDING, AND WE'LL CONTINUE AND ASSIST WITH THE ROLLOUT.
OUR STAFF ARE, UM, WORKING ON TO UPDATE AN FAQ, UM, TO ADD TO THE ADDITIONAL, UM, REOPENING GUIDELINES.
WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR, UM, INFORMATION LINES OPEN OR, UH, PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, TO SCHOOLS AND CHILDCARES AS WELL AS LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES WITH THAT, THAT ENDS MY REPORT.
AND THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE YOU ON OUR COVID-19 SITUATION.
I'LL ASK AVI TO PULL UP MY SLIDES AND WE'LL GET STARTED.
SO MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR NEW CONFIRMED CASES IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
WE REPORTED 102 NEW CASES FOR A MOVING AVERAGE OF 86 CASES.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN OSCILLATING BETWEEN 85 AND A HUNDRED CASES FOR THE PAST 14 DAYS.
UH, THIS GRAPH IS OF OUR NEW ADMISSIONS.
AGAIN, UH, THE YELLOW IS SHOWING THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE YESTERDAY.
WE WERE HAPPY TO REPORT 11 ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL, UH, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY UNDER THE MOVING AVERAGE OF 21.
UH, SIMILAR, THIS HAS BEEN OSCILLATING AROUND 22 CASES ON THE MOVING AVERAGE OVER THE PAST WEEK.
UH, SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN A BLUNTING OF THE DECLINE AND A RELATIVE FLATTENING OF THE CURVE REGARDING ADMISSIONS OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THIS GRAPH IS DISPLAYING THREE THINGS.
THE BLUE IS THE, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS OR HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS.
THE ORANGES ICU BEDS IN THE GRAY IS VENTILATORS.
UH, THE HOSPITALIZATIONS JUST NEVER REPORTED AT 114 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 121.
UH, THAT'S BEEN A THREE-WEEK, UH, CONSISTENT INCREASE IN THE HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED THE ICU BEDS YESTERDAY 43 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 43.
UH, SO THAT REPRESENTS A THREE-WEEK INCREASE IN THE ICU BED UTILIZATION, UH, BUT THAT HAS BEEN FLAT FOR THE PAST THREE DAYS.
UH, SO AGAIN, THESE ARE ENCOURAGING SIGNS.
WE'VE CERTAINLY SEEN A, A BLUNTING OF THE RATE OF INCREASE, UH, BUT CERTAINLY NOT, UH, MOVING IN A,
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IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION OR A DECLINING DIRECTION YET.NEXT SLIDE PLEASE IS AN UPDATING OF THE PROJECTIONS FROM, FROM UT UH, TODAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE NOT SEEING ON HERE IS THE 11 ADMISSIONS FROM YESTERDAY.
SO I IMAGINE THAT, UH, THIS PROJECTION WILL IMPROVE A LITTLE BIT WHEN THAT INFORMATION IS UPDATED, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S STILL A VERY CONCERNING TREND IN TERMS OF ADMISSIONS TO THE HOSPITAL, UH, PROJECTIONS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, UH, WITH THE CURRENT PROJECTION ON YOUR SCREEN, UH, WE ARE ANTICIPATED TO CROSS INTO STAGE FOUR TERRITORY, UH, SURPASSING 40 ADMISSIONS ON NOVEMBER THE FOURTH.
UH, AGAIN, THIS, THIS PROJECTION CHANGES ON A REGULAR BASIS BASED ON WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, THIS, THE DATA THAT GOES INTO THIS IS, IS THE HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS, AS WELL AS MOBILITY DATA.
IT IS CERTAINLY CLEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE MOVING AROUND MORE PEOPLE ARE INTERACTING MORE, AND THAT IS INCREASING OUR RISK OF TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE.
AGAIN, AS, UH, AS SPENCER SAID AT THE OPENING, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS REGARDING THE PROJECTIONS ACROSS TEXAS.
WE'VE SEEN INCREASES IN CASES IN MANY MAJOR METROPOLITAN JURISDICTIONS.
THE MOST CONCERNING OF WHICH IS EL PASO, WHOSE PROJECTIONS ARE ESSENTIALLY A VERTICAL LINE UP, UH, WITH, UH, YESTERDAY REPORTING MORE THAN 1400 NEW CASES ICU'S, UH, BEYOND CRITICAL CAPACITY.
UH, AND THEY'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY ARE ACTIVELY INCREASING THEIR, UH, THEIR HOSPITAL AVAILABILITY THROUGH ALTERNATE CARE SITES, AS WELL AS SHIFTING PATIENTS OUTSIDE OF EL PASO, INTO OTHER JURISDICTIONS WHO CAN CARE FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS.
UH, THIS IS A PROJECTION OF THE TOTAL HOSPITAL BEDS THAT MAY BE NEEDED IN THE SHORT TERM.
AGAIN, UH, THE PROJECTIONS HERE SURPASS, UH, WHAT WE SAW IN JUNE AND JULY, UH, IN JUST, UH, IN JUST A FEW WEEKS FROM NOW, AGAIN, THESE ARE NOT FORECAST.
THIS IS THE BEST GUESS BASED ON THE FACTS OF THE CURRENT TRANSMISSION AND THE, UH, IF THAT TRANSMISSION STAYS THE SAME AND DOES NOT IMPROVE, UH, RIGHT NOW THAT PROJECTION IS THAT THERE'S A HUNDRED PERCENT CHANCE OF THE EPIDEMIC IS GROWING IN TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, AND 110% INCREASE ON ACTIVE CASES COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS 14 DAYS.
SIMILARLY, THIS IS A PROJECTION OF THE ICU BED NEEDS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS.
UH, YOU'LL NOTE THAT, THAT BY THE THIRD WEEK OF NOVEMBER, WHICH IS DISPLAYED HERE AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GRAPH, UH, THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 ICU BEDS.
UH, I'LL NOTE THAT, THAT WE PEAKED AT ABOUT 160 ICU BEDS BEING UTILIZED IN OUR JUNE AND JULY SURGE.
UH, SO THE PROJECTIONS IN THE SHORT TERM, UH, CAN BE BLEAK PARTICULARLY FOR, FOR THANKSGIVING.
UH, AGAIN, NOT A, NOT A FORECAST.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN ABSOLUTELY CHANGE, BUT WE HAVE TO STAY VIGILANT IN TERMS OF THE SOCIAL DISTANCING, THE MASKING, THE PERSONAL HYGIENE.
AND OF COURSE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, STAYING HOME WHEN FOLKS ARE SICK AND GETTING TESTED.
UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.
THIS IS SHOWING A WEEKLY SNAPSHOT OF, UH, THE HOSPITALIZATIONS THIS WEEK, WE'RE REPORTING FOR LAST WEEK.
UM, OUR PERCENTAGE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OUR LATIN X POPULATION, 43.7% IN OUR WHITE POPULATION.
NON-HISPANIC 40% ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION 12.7%.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, ANOTHER WEEK OF IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE, UH, HOSPITALIZED, UH, IN OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY, UH, BUT UNFORTUNATELY STAYING, UH, DISPROPORTIONATELY, UH, OR OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR REMAINING DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED, UH, AGAIN THIS WEEK.
UH, THIS IS SHOWING THAT THAT DATA BASED UPON NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS, UH, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, THREE WEEKS IN A ROW OF INCREASING HOSPITALIZATIONS OVERALL.
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UH, BETWEEN LAST WEEK AND THIS WEEK IN TERMS OF OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY, TWO ADDITIONAL, UH, HOSPITALIZATIONS AS COMPARED TO LAST WEEK.SIMILARLY, UH, WE HAD A MORE SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE RAW NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED IN THE LAST WEEK, UH, MOVING TO 18 FROM 13.
UH, AGAIN, THIS IS A PATTERN WE'RE GOING TO ALSO SEE LATER ON AND POSITIVITY WHERE OUR, OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS CONTINUING TO HAVE INCREASING POSITIVITY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS.
THIS IS THE SAME DATA BROKEN DOWN BY A DECADE OF LIFE, RIGHT? WE CAN SEE THAT THEY SORT OF MUSTARD YELLOW COLOR, WHICH IS OUR 70 TO 79 AGE GROUP, UH, IS, IS GETTING CLOSE TO THE HIGHEST IT'S BEEN THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, UM, WHICH IS THE, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF ALL THE AGE GROUPS THIS WEEK.
UH, ADDITIONALLY WE'VE SEEN INCREASES IN THE OVER 80 AGE GROUP REPRESENTED BY THE ORANGE LINE.
UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE CONCERNING BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE MORE LIKELY TO NEED ICU CARE, AND UNFORTUNATELY ARE MORE LIKELY TO, UH, TO HAVE COMPLICATIONS INCLUDING DEATH FROM COVID-19 AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED, SOME OF THIS IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE RISES IN CASES THAT WE'RE SEEING ASSOCIATED WITH NURSING FACILITIES AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES, BUT WE'RE ALSO SEEING CASES IN THE COMMUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LIVING IN THEIR HOME, RIGHT? THIS IS WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL, THAT THAT FOLKS ARE VERY PROTECTIVE OF THOSE WHO ARE VULNERABLE, INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE OLDER.
UH, IF YOU ARE GOING TO VISIT A LOVED ONE WHO IS OVER THE AGE OF 65, THEN YOU NEED TO BE VERY PROTECTIVE OF YOUR INTERACTIONS IN THE PREVIOUS 14 DAYS TO ENSURE THAT YOU MINIMIZE THE RISK OF TRANSMISSION TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE FAMILY OR FRIENDS, IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT YOU WEAR A MASK AND DISTANCE WHEN YOU ARE VISITING THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO FURTHER PROTECT THEM FROM COVID-19 NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SIMILARLY, YEAH, THIS GRAPH IS SHOWING US A BREAKDOWN BY WEEK OF THE RAW NUMBERS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS BASED ON AGE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, AGAIN, THREE WEEKS OF INCREASES IN TERMS OF OVERALL CASES.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT, AT FOUR WEEKS AGO OR THREE WEEKS AGO, WE HAD A 10% INCREASE.
UH, TWO WEEKS AGO, WE HAD A 20% INCREASE.
NOW THAT INCREASES DROPPING DOWN TO 15%.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING A FLATTENING OF THAT RATE OF INCREASE, WHICH IS GOOD NEWS AND, AND HOPEFULLY, UH, A TREND THAT WE WILL SEE CONTINUE.
I WILL POINT OUT THAT THAT ALMOST 60% OF THE INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED LAST WEEK OR SIX AGE, 60 OR OLDER, AGAIN, A CONCERNING TREND THAT WE DO NEED TO REVERSE.
AND THAT MEANS, AGAIN, BEING PROTECTIVE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS BY ENSURING THAT WE'RE MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AROUND THOSE WHO ARE OLDER.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, MAYOR COUNCILORS.
IT'S AN UPDATE OF OUR, OUR, UH, GRAPH OF POSITIVITY IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE HAD A, OUR LOWEST, UH, PERCENT POSITIVITY OF THE PANDEMIC.
I WILL NOTE THAT WE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF TESTS PERFORMED THAT WEEK, WHICH, UH, MAY HAVE OVEREMPHASIZED THE, THE IMPROVEMENT THAT WEEK.
UH, WE HAVE SEEN STEADY, UH, TESTING NUMBERS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, A WEEK 42, WHICH WAS TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, THAT, UH, POSITIVELY INCREASED TO 3.9% LAST WEEK, WHICH IS A WEEK THAT WE'RE STILL COLLECTING DATA ON.
SO THAT NUMBER MAY CHANGE IS CURRENTLY 3.7%.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE BLUNTING THAT, THAT INCREASE IN POSITIVITY.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S, THAT'S THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY, UH, WHO CERTAINLY HAVE, HAVE TAKEN NOTE OF THE FACT THAT THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE LOCALLY AND THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE ACROSS THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND THEY ARE, UH, INCREASING THEIR VIGILANCE ONCE AGAIN, WHICH WILL BENEFIT, UH, SELVES WILL BENEFIT THEIR HOUSEHOLD AND CERTAINLY OUR COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A DOWN OF THAT, UH, THAT POSITIVITY BY, UH, RACE AND ETHNICITY.
THE GRAY LINE THAT YOU SEE HERE IS OUR, UH, OUR LATIN X COMMUNITY.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD BEEN DECREASING FOR MANY WEEKS.
UH, WE, WE HAD OUR LOWEST RATE OF POSITIVITY AT WEEK 41.
NOW OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, WE'VE SEEN SUBTLE INCREASES IN THE
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POSITIVITY.UH, WHAT'S THE CURRENT DATA FOR LAST WEEK BEING AROUND 7.3 TO 7.4% POSITIVE, UH, STILL WELL ABOVE THE, THAT 5% MARK AND SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE, THE GREEN LINE, WHICH IS OUR 3% MARK THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET ALL OF OUR RACES.
THIS IS UNDER, UH, AGAIN, YOU ALSO SEE THAT WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE FROM WEEK 42 TO WEEK 43 IN OUR, UH, POSITIVITY AMONGST AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
UH, SO NOW MORE THAN 5% AS OF THE CURRENT DATA FOR, FOR LAST WEEK, WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO.
UH, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT EVERY PERSON IN OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUE TO, TO USE VIGILANCE IN TERMS OF MITIGATING THE RISKS, UH, THE PATTERNS THAT WE'RE SEEING AS, UH, AS WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, ARE THAT DISEASE TRANSMITTING IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS, UH, THAT'S BACKYARD BARBECUES, THAT'S FAMILY GATHERINGS.
THAT'S GATHERING WITH FRIENDS FOR FOOTBALL GAMES AROUND A TV AND AT HOME.
UH, WE SIMPLY CANNOT TO, TO TAKE CHANCES LIKE THIS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT EVEN THOUGH SOMEBODY MAY LOSE WELL, THEY STILL CAN HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF TRANSMITTING COVID-19.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO USE THE SAME PROTECTIONS THAT YOU MAY USE AT SCHOOL, AT WORK, IN A GROCERY STORE, IF YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE THOSE GATHERINGS, UH, DESPITE THE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE GROWING, ARE GROWING TIRED OF, UH, NOT HAVING GATHERINGS AND NOT HAVING LIFE AS NORMAL RECOMMENDATION IS, IS TO DO THINGS VIRTUALLY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
BUT IF YOU CHOOSE, IF FOLKS CHOOSE TO GATHER ANYWAY, PLEASE APPLY THOSE PROTECTIONS THAT YOU WOULD, AND OTHER LOCATIONS, SO THAT YOU CAN MITIGATE THE RISK OF SPREAD TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THAT POSITIVITY BY AGE GROUP, UH, AGAIN, WEEK 43 AS IS PARTIAL DATA.
SO THAT, UH, IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.
UH, I SPOKE LAST WEEK ABOUT THE CONCERNING TREND AS IT RELATES TO OUR OLDER AGE GROUPS, UH, PARTICULARLY THE 70 TO 79.
AND OVER 80 AGE GROUP, YOU CAN SEE WEEK 40 AND WEEK 41, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAT'S COMPARED TO WEEK 39, WHERE WE HAD NO POSITIVE CASES IN THAT 80 PLUS AGE GROUP.
UH, WE'RE SEEING THAT LAST OR MAKE 42.
THERE WAS A DECREASE IN THE POSITIVITY AGAIN LAST WEEK, UH, IS MORE LIKELY TO CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY.
UH, WE ARE NOTICING ALSO A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE POSITIVITY OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS IN OUR 10 TO 19 AGE GROUP.
UH, AND CERTAINLY IT INCREASED BETWEEN WEEK 41 AND WEEK 42 IN OUR 20 TO 29 AGE GROUP.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, THIS DISEASE IS, IS SPREADING AMONGST ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF AGE GROUPS.
WE KNOW THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THAT YOUNGER AGE GROUP, THE 20 TO 29 AND LOWER ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE VILE TO NO SYMPTOMS. SO AGAIN, UH, THEY CAN'T BE TOO CAVALIER IN TERMS OF, UH, THEIR ABILITY TO INFECT OTHERS.
UH, THEY MAY BE INFECTING FOLKS AND NOT KNOW ABOUT IT PARTICULARLY EARLY ON.
SO AGAIN, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND WE SHOULD ALL ENCOURAGE OUR CHILDREN, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE PROTECTING OTHERS BY WEARING A MASK AND DISTANCING ALL OF THE TIME.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, DIRECTOR HAYDEN'S MENTIONED, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN OUR CASES OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS FROM COVID-19 AND OUR NURSING HOMES AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.
UH, SO THE PREVIOUS 14 DAYS, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 10 CASES, UH, THE MOST RECENT 14 DAYS 40 CASES.
SO AGAIN, WE WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK AS DR.
HAYDEN MENTIONED, UH, THROUGH OUR NURSING HOME AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY TASK FORCE TO, UH, TO HELP MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF DISEASE, ENSURE THAT THOSE FACILITIES HAVE APPROPRIATE SUPPORT.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THIS DASHBOARD REGULARLY, WHICH IS ON OUR AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV FORWARD SLASH COVID-19, UH, DASHBOARDS PAGE.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR COVID-19 CASES RELATED TO SCHOOLS.
UH, AGAIN, EACH OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE THEIR OWN DASHBOARD, WHICH HAS, UH, MORE DETAIL.
GENERALLY SPEAKING HAS CASES BY SCHOOL, A TOTAL 32 CASES FOR THE WEEK OF 10, 19 TO 10 25 IN OUR STUDENTS, 24 STAFF CASES, AND ONE CASES,
[00:30:01]
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL, BUT HAD BEEN ON A CAMPUS AGAIN, WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF TRANSMISSION IN THE CLASSROOM SETTING.UH, THESE CASES ARE BEING SPREAD IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS.
THESE CASES ARE BEING SPREAD IN ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
WE HAVE HAD ONE SCHOOL WHO HAS HAD A SUSTAINED OUTBREAK, SMALL NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS, A TOTAL OF SIX, UH, BUT WE'VE SEEN TWO EPISODES OF, OF TRANSMISSION, UH, BETWEEN ATHLETES OR TO, UM, SPREAD FROM AN INITIAL CASE TO OTHER CASES, AND THEN OTHER CASES, TWO ADDITIONAL CASES.
UH, SO, UH, IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE, WE HAVE, HAVE OFFERED, UH, UH, PROACTIVE TESTING FOR ASYMPTOMATIC INDIVIDUALS TO TRY TO, TO CONTROL THAT A BIT BETTER.
AND CERTAINLY SOMETHING AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED THAT WE ARE WORKING ON TO OFFER TO OTHER SCHOOLS AS NEEDED.
UH, AGAIN, IT, IT APPEARS VERY SAFE.
UH, IF YOU HAVE SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS AND FACULTY AND STAFF ARE CONTINUING TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MASKING AND DISTANCING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE WITHIN THE SCHOOLS, WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE THAT THEY CONTINUE THOSE ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, UH, IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS GATHERINGS WITH, WITH, UH, FRIENDS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CERTAINLY HELP TO MITIGATE THE RISK OF SPREAD FURTHER.
UH, THIS IS, UH, AGAIN, ANOTHER WEEKLY UPDATE OF OUR, UH, INFLUENCE INFLUENZA CASES IN TRAVIS COUNTY AS WE ARE, UH, SEVERAL WEEKS INTO THE FLU SEASON, A TOTAL OF, UH, FIVE NEW CASES FOR LAST WEEK, UH, TO INFLUENCE A THREE INFLUENCE AND BE, UH, AT 1.7, 4% POSITIVITY RATE FOR THOSE RAPID FLU TESTS.
I TOLD NINE CASES SO FAR IN OUR, UH, INFLUENZA SEASON.
SO THIS BLUE LINE REPRESENTS OUR PATTERN THIS SEASON.
UH, YOU ALSO SEE THE PREVIOUS THREE SEASONS, UH, ON THE, UH, ON THE GRAPH HERE.
UH, LUCKILY AT THIS STAGE WE ARE BELOW SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW, UH, THE PREVIOUS THREE SEASONS.
AGAIN, WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO GET THEIR FLU SHOTS NOW, UH, THE FLU SHOTS, PLUS THE MASKING AND DISTANCING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE HAVE LED TO RECORD LOW INFLUENCE A SEASONS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IN PARTICULAR AUSTRALIA.
UH, WE CAN DO THE SAME HERE, BUT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY MAGIC.
IT HAPPENS BECAUSE A COMMUNITY IS ENGAGED IN A MISSION TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T FACE A TWIN DEMIC OF COVID-19 AND INFLUENZA.
UH, SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAYOR, PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING AND LISTENING, UH, PLEASE GET YOUR FLU SHOT.
IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MAINTAIN HOSPITAL CAPACITY FOR COVID-19, FOR WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE A VACCINE AT THIS STAGE.
AND AGAIN, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WE REIGN AT AT STAGE THREE OF OUR, UH, RISK STAGING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE STILL MAINTAINING IN THE MIDDLE OF, UH, STAGE THREE, UH, FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, WE CAME VERY CLOSE TO, UH, BREAKING INTO STAGE TWO TERRITORY.
UM, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE WORK TO DO AGAIN, IF THIS COMMUNITY CAN, CAN STAY ENGAGED AND CONTINUE TO FLATTEN THE CURVE, WE HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING BACK DOWN TO STAGE TWO.
UH, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US FOCUSED ON THAT EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT THAT THINGS WILL LOOK BETTER FOR THANKSGIVING AND HOPEFULLY CHRISTMAS AS WELL.
RIGHT NOW, THE FORECAST ACROSS THE STRICT STATE, IT LOOKS VERY CONCERNING FOR THANKSGIVING.
UH, AND IF WE EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT SURGE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, IT WILL LAST AT LEAST THROUGH THROUGH CHRISTMAS.
UH, SO IT'S, I THINK IN ALL OF OUR INTERESTS TO, TO FOCUS NOW, UH, TO AVOID GATHERINGS, UH, HALLOWEEN IN PARTICULAR, TO ENSURE THAT THAT THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS WILL LOOK A BIT BETTER THAN IT LOOKS AT THIS STAGE.
SO THAT MAYOR I'LL TURN IT BACK TO YOU.
DOCTOR HAS GOTTEN DIRECT TO HAYDEN.
UH, AGAIN, I REPEAT, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB.
UH, OUR NUMBERS ARE LOW, EVEN THOUGH THEY THEY'VE COME UP FROM THE FLOOR THAT WE HAD, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, RELATIVE TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
UH, AUSTIN'S BEING ABLE TO, TO, TO MAINTAIN, IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, MORE OF A PLATEAU.
UH, BUT I LOOK AT THE MODELING.
[00:35:01]
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, WHICH WOULD INDICATE TO US THAT, UH, THE MODELS ARE PREDICTING THAT WE'RE GOING TO START MOVING CLOSER TO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IN EL PASO.UM, BUT ANYHOW, YOU GUYS DOING A GREAT JOB, KEEPING AUSTIN WHERE IT IS, AND I APPRECIATE THE EVERYTHING THAT YOU AND YOUR STAFFS ARE DOING.
AND I KNOW REALLY WELL THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING 24 SEVEN, UH, ON THIS AND HAVE BEEN NOW FOR JUST JUST MONTHS, PARTICULARLY WANT TO THANK, UH, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN FOR THE NEWS TODAY ABOUT MOVING PEOPLE, UH, EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OUT OF THE ISOLATION FACILITIES AND THEN INTO SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UH, THAT'S THE MODEL WE NEED TO, TO GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO, UH, IN OUR CITY MOVING FORWARD.
AND, AND WE NEED TO CELEBRATE THAT, THAT NEWS IS AS WELL AS AN AFFIRMATION OF THAT POLICY DIRECTION, AND WE NEED TO EXPAND IT.
AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT REAL ESTATE AND EVERYBODY'S DOING TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UH, EVEN MORE, UH, EL PASO IS OF CONCERN.
I MEAN, IT WASN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, BUT IT FEELS LIKE A MONTH AGO THAT EL PASO'S NUMBERS WERE LOWER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE'S NUMBERS.
AND WHEN THE GOVERNOR WAS COMING OUT, UH, CITIES WERE, WERE EXPRESSING REAL CONCERTED IN EL PASO WAS THE ONE THAT, THAT WAS NOT, BUT THERE ARE NOW LOOKING AT SPIKES THAT ARE, AS YOU SIT UP, LITERALLY VERTICAL, UH, RUNNING OUT OF ROOM FOR PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITALS, IN EL PASO, TALKING ABOUT FLYING PATIENTS OUT OF EL PASO TO, UH, OTHER URBAN CITIES AROUND THE, AROUND THE STATE.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT'S CONCERNING THE STATE HAS SENT, UH, 900, UH, ADDITIONAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO EL PASO TO, TO HELP WITH THAT.
UH, LAST TIME THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT OUR SPIKE, OUR LIMITING FACTOR, WASN'T OUR PHYSICAL SPACE.
IT WAS THAT STAFFING QUESTION.
UM, AS WE LOOK AT OTHER CITIES RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT JUST EL PASO.
UH, ARE WE BEGINNING TO SEE SIGNS IN OTHER CITIES LIKE DALLAS? YES, MAYOR, UH, DALLAS IS EXPERIENCING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THEIR CASES.
UH, THEIR PROJECTIONS ARE EVEN MORE CONCERNING THAN OURS.
UH, SIMILARLY, UH, SAN ANTONIO IS ALSO SEEING INCREASES IN CASES.
UH, AND THIS IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW BACK IN, IN JUNE.
UH, WE SAW IT START WITH A COUPLE OF CITIES AND THEN, AND THEN SPREAD QUICKLY.
NOW, AGAIN, AS YOU MENTIONED, OUR, OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS IN PERSONNEL.
AND IF OTHER CITIES ARE EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT SURGE, THAT MEANS, UH, REDUNDANCIES ARE, ARE LOST, UM, THAT, THAT OUR RESOURCES ARE GOING TO BE STRETCHED.
AND THIS IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OTHER CITIES TO PAY ATTENTION CLOSELY TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS, BECAUSE THAT SHOULD MAKE US, UH, LEAN TOWARDS A MORE CAUTIOUS STANCE IN TERMS OF TAKING ON NEW RISK.
AND THAT'S CERTAIN IS THAT IF YOU, IF YOU TAKE 900 WORKERS, IF THE STATE SENT HEALTHCARE WORKERS, AS STATES SENDING TO EL PASO, FIGURED OUT HOW MANY HEALTHCARE WORKERS THAT IS PER CAPITA IN EL PASO, UH, I QUESTION WHETHER THE STATE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT SAME THING FOR DALLAS AND HOUSTON AND SAN ANTONIO AND FORT WORTH.
I DON'T THINK THE STATE HAS THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN ALL OF THE CITIES, AND IF WE'RE ALL FOLLOWING AND FOLLOWING AT THE SAME TIME, UH, WE'RE ALL NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SEND OUR PATIENTS TO OTHER CITIES BECAUSE THOSE CITIES ARE GOING TO WANT TO BE SPENDING, SENDING THEIR PATIENTS TO, TO OTHER CITIES TOO.
SO IT'S A CONCERN, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAUTIOUS AT THIS POINT AND MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO US.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PROJECTIONS IS A SECOND THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IS DOING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, DOES ITS PROJECTIONS, NOT JUST ON HOSPITALIZATIONS, BUT ALSO ON, ON CHECKING MOBILITY.
IT LOOKS AT, UH, THE INCREASED MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY BECAUSE INCREASED MOVEMENT EQUALS INCREASED INTERACTIONS, INCREASED INTERACTIONS, INCREASE THE RISK OF A VIRUS.
UH, SO SHE USES BOTH OF THOSE ELEMENTS, DR.
MEYERS, IS THAT CORRECT? LIKE YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE SOMETHING THAT YOU INDICATED THAT, THAT INCREASED INTERACTIONS, WHETHER THEY INCREASE VIRUS OR NOT DEPENDS ON WHETHER PEOPLE ARE DISCIPLINED ABOUT MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AND WASHING HANDS, WHICH MEANS THAT WE COULD HAVE THE MOBILITY NUMBERS GOING UP, BUT NOT HAVE AN INCREASE IN INFECTIONS.
IF WE DO A BETTER JOB OF MASKING WHILE WE HAVE THE INCREASED INTERACTION, WHICH IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, THEY'RE SAYING, LET US GO BACK TO SCHOOL, LET US OPEN UP BUSINESSES, UH,
[00:40:01]
WHICH, WHICH HAS BEEN HAPPENING, UH, BUT THE PRICE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, THE, THE OBLIGATION TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT IS EVERYBODY'S WILLINGNESS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERYBODY TO DOUBLE DOWN AND DO AN EVEN BETTER JOB OF, OF, OF MASKING IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, SO THAT WE CAN FIGHT AGAINST THE HISTORICAL TRENDS THAT ADDITIONAL INTERACTIONS, MEANING INCREASED INFECTIONS.WE HAVE TO BE VOTING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HAVE INCREASED INTERACTIONS AND NOT HAVE THE, THE INFECTIONS.
AND I JUST WANT TO REPEAT WHAT A FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR, CHRIS CHRISTIE SAID, UH, PUBLIC INTEGRATOR, UH, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO HAD THE VIRUS HERE A WEEK AGO, WAS AT, UH, SPENT SOME TIME IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT IN THE HOSPITAL HE WAS IN, BUT HE CAME OUT, UH, SAYING THAT HIS BEHAVIOR HAD BEEN A MISTAKE AND HE WISHED THAT HE HAD DONE IT AND NO ONE SHOULD DO THE SAME THING.
IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE NEVER BEFORE, UH, HAVE SO MANY BEEN ASKED TO DO SO LITTLE FOR THE BENEFIT OF SO MUCH.
UH, AND GOING BACK TO YOUR POINT, WEARING A MASK IS UNCOMFORTABLE.
IT'S NOT PRETTY, IT'S HOT, IT'S ALL OF THOSE THINGS, BUT IT'S JUST PUTTING ON A PIECE OF FABRIC IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE AND IT, AND IT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE KNOW TO DO.
AND THEN JUST TO REITERATE, AND THEN I'LL ASK COLLEAGUES IF THEY WANT TO, TO, TO SPEAK AS WELL.
UH, THE, UM, UH, HALLOWEEN IS GOING TO BE, UH, AND, AND MOST OF THE, WHAT YOU'VE SAID WITH DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID IS MOST OF THE TRANSFER WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS HAPPENING IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS IN THE EVENING, WHICH MEANS THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING A PRETTY DECENT JOB DURING THE DAY OF WEARING THEIR BASKING WHEN THEY'RE GOING OUT AND BEING AROUND STRANGERS.
BUT IN THE EVENING WHEN THEY'RE AROUND PEOPLE THAT THEY KNOW, THEY RELAX AS IF PEOPLE THAT THEY KNOW COULDN'T INFECT THEM BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEM.
UH, EXCEPT THAT, UH, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY NIGHT IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD BUBBLE, UH, UM, MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THE VIRUS, BUT THAT'S THE SPREAD WE'RE SEEING.
AND IT'S BEING THEN TRANSFERRED TO OLDER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE, AND THEY'RE ENDING UP IN THE ICU AND IN THE HOSPITALS.
UH, AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF THE INCREASE FROM THE NUMBERS THAT YOU GOT.
AND THEN FINALLY, I GOT MY FLU SHOT, UH, TOOK ME SECONDS TO, TO DO IT.
YOU CAN GET FREE FLU SHOTS WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, BUT IF YOU HAVE INSURANCE, YOU CAN, YOU CAN JUST GO GET IT DONE AT, UH, PRETTY MUCH A LOT OF THE PHARMACIES IN TOWN.
YOU CAN ARRANGE FOR A TIME, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE.
UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE NEVER HAVE GOTTEN FLU SHOTS IN THE PAST.
THIS IS THE YEAR TO GET THE FLU SHOTS SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
UH, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE SEE THE LOWER NUMBER IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GUARDING AGAINST THE FLU.
AND WE'VE GOT TO ABSOLUTELY DO THAT HERE.
THANKS YOU FOR THE WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING, UH, COLLEAGUES, MAYOR, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE ME.
UM, I JUST WANT TO GET IN THE QUEUE WHEREVER YOU SEE FIT TO PUT ME IF YOU COULD JUST POP ME IN THE QUEUE.
SINCE YOU'RE NOT FEELING WELL, I'M GOING TO POP YOU IN RIGHT NOW.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAY IN OUR, UM, ISOLATION FACILITY THIS WEEK, UM, BECAUSE MY FAMILY WAS INADVERTENTLY, UM, POSSIBLY EXPOSED TURNS OUT, UH, GOOD NEWS IS EVERYBODY TESTED NEGATIVE, MY WHOLE FAMILY AND THE FAMILY THAT, UM, ENDED UP GETTING SICK AND HAVING SOME FEVER.
UM, IT WAS PROBABLY JUST A STOMACH BUG EVERYBODY'S.
UM, NO COVID, BUT THAT, TO SAY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I OBSERVED WHILE I WAS THERE, UM, WAS JUST HOW FEW PEOPLE THERE WERE THERE.
UM, I THINK WE ARE UTILIZING IT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, BUT I JUST WANT TO PUT THE WORD OUT.
WE HAVE A FANTASTIC FACILITY AND A SYSTEM THAT WORKS REALLY WELL AND, YOU KNOW, THE, IT, IT WAS SUPER COMFORTABLE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THIS OPTION, THIS MAGNIFICENT OPTION.
UM, IF YOU NEED TO ISOLATE, WE HAVE A MAGNIFICENT OPTION FOR YOU.
UM, SO I WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO ASK WAS, UM, DIRECTOR HAYDEN TALKED ABOUT THE PHASES OF THE VACCINE, AND I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, THAT PHASE ONE THAT IT SAID NOVEMBER TO DECEMBER, ARE WE TALKING EARLY NOVEMBER OR LATE NOVEMBER? UH, FROM THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED? I MEAN, WE'RE, IT CHANGES.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S WHY THEY'VE GIVEN US THE NOVEMBER, DECEMBER TIMEFRAME.
SO WE DON'T QUITE KNOW EXACTLY.
WELL, I'D SAY THAT DECEMBER IS PROBABLY MORE LIKELY THAN NOVEMBER.
[00:45:01]
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF MOVING PARTS THAT HAVE TO BE SORTED OUT.WE HAVE TO HAVE A VACCINE WHICH IS APPROVED.
UH, WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY DISTRIBUTION PLAN.
SO I REALLY DON'T THINK AT THIS STAGE, NOVEMBER IS A REALISTIC POSSIBILITY, BUT THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT WE CONTINUE TO HEAR NOVEMBER, DECEMBER TIMEFRAME.
I TEND TO BE, UM, AN OPTIMIST UNTIL I'M NOT.
AND SO I WAS THINKING, IF YOU SAY NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, THAT MEANS DECEMBER.
SO I WAS THINKING THAT THAT WAS THE CASE ANYWAY.
UM, THE LAST THING I'LL ASK IS MY FAMILY.
WHAT WE THOUGHT WE DO FOR HALLOWEEN IS GET SOME, LIKE A PARTY FAVOR BAGS, YOU KNOW, GIFT BAGS AND WEAR PPE AND GLOVES AND WASH UP AND, YOU KNOW, PUT CANDY IN THE BAGS AND THEN HAVE THE BAGS BE ON A TABLE, UM, IN THE YARD OR THE DRIVEWAY, WHATEVER.
AND THEN LET KIDS GET CANDY THAT WAY.
I JUST LIKE TO KNOW IN GAIL'S PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DISTRIBUTE CANDY TO NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS? OR DO WE JUST SAY, WE'RE NOT DOING IT THIS YEAR AND BE CHROMOGENS AND TURN OUR LIFE, LET HER LIGHTS OUT, UH, COUNSELOR, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I'M DOING.
UH, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS, WE'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA DO IT ANYWAY.
SO WE RECOMMEND THAT PEOPLE DON'T DO DOOR TO DOOR TRICK OR TREATING, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE INTERACTION OF, UH, PICKING UP CANDY FROM, FROM NEIGHBORS.
IT'S THE ASSOCIATED ACTIVITY THAT IS LIKELY TO OCCUR AS WELL, WHERE, WHERE PEOPLE ARE GATHERING.
UH, BUT IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT, AND I THINK WHAT YOU HAVE DESCRIBED AS IS, IS THE BEST SOLUTION.
PRE-BAGGED CANDY SITTING ON A TABLE, PEOPLE PICK UP A BAG THERE'S, THERE'S NOT PERSON TO PERSON INTERACTION.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DECREASED RISK OF WHAT WE CALL FOMITE TRANSMISSION OR, UH, TRANSMITTING FROM THE CANDY TO, UH, THE INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING THE CANDY.
RIGHT? SO AGAIN, IF PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING TO, UH, TO HAVE HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES, CHOOSING A SAFER SYSTEM TO DO THAT, LIKE YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBED IS THE WAY TO GO.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD JUST, UH, JUST AS A REMINDER, UM, ON OUR WEBSITE AND, UM, WITH THE INFORMATION THAT OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM HAS SENT OUT, UM, WE PUT TOGETHER SOME, SOME GUIDANCE ABOUT, UM, KIND OF THE, THE RISK WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE VARIOUS THINGS THAT YOU MAY DECIDE TO DO, UM, DURING THIS PROCESS.
SO WE DEFINITELY WANT FOLKS TO LOOK AT THAT GUIDANCE BECAUSE IT DOES GO INTO, IF YOU DECIDE TO, UM, GO OUT AND DO TRICK OR TREATING, UM, THESE ARE THE SAFE, THIS IS THE SAFEST WAY IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
UM, AND IT WILL GIVE ME SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AS WE PREPARE, WE MIGHT JUST STAND IN THE YARD AND WAVE AT PEOPLE, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT A MINUTE ON, ON COUNSELING HARPER MADISON'S DESCRIPTION OF, OF THE ISOLATION FACILITY AND REALLY WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH.
I THINK THIS IS A DISPLAY OF EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED PEOPLE TO DO AND HOW WE NEED PEOPLE TO THINK THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, YOU KNOW, COVID-19 HAS NON DISTINCT SYMPTOMS, COUGH, RUNNY NOSE, CONGESTION, NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIARRHEA, FATIGUE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS THAT COULD BE, BUT THE ASSUMPTION PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE IF THEY DEVELOP ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS, IS THAT IT IS COVID-19 UNTIL I CAN PROVE THAT IT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE SEEING HAPPENING NOW, BECAUSE WE'RE ENTERING COLD AND FLU SEASON IS PEOPLE ARE ASSUMING THAT IT'S HOW WELL, YOU KNOW, I FEEL KIND OF, OKAY, IT'S PROBABLY NOT COVERED AND THEY'RE GOING ABOUT THEIR DAILY BUSINESS.
THEY MAY GO TO THE GROCERY STORE TO PUMP GAS, AND THEN THEY FIND OUT LATER THAN IT IS AND HAVE EXPOSED OTHER PEOPLE.
IF WE CAN GET FOLKS TO, TO BE VIGILANT IF THEY DEVELOP ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS. SO THAT SAME DAY, THE LONG LINE SCHEDULE A TEST, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN GO TO THEIR, THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER.
THERE ARE LOTS OF CVS PHARMACIES, OTHER PHARMACIES WHO OFFER TESTS, WHAT THEY CAN DO THAT IN THE SAME DAY OR THE NEXT DAY BEFORE THEY MAKE THE DECISION TO, UH, GO ABOUT THEIR NORMAL ROUTINE.
THEN IT WILL HELP TO FURTHER PROTECT THIS COMMUNITY AND CERTAINLY WILL HELP TO CONTRIBUTE TO US HAVING A BETTER THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS THAN, THAN THE CURRENT PROJECTIONS INDICATE.
[00:50:01]
IF I MAY, DR.I KNOW MARY ADLER, YOU WERE ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING, SO PLEASE DON'T FORGET WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY.
I'M CERTAIN IT WAS IMPORTANT IF I MAY, FOR US, OUR SITUATION WAS, YOU KNOW, I HAD A FRIEND WHO PASSED AWAY AND IT WAS, UH, IT WAS EXPECTED.
UM, BUT WHILE I WAS ATTENDING TO HER EXPECTED PASSING, UM, I NEEDED SOMEBODY TO TAKE A LOOK AFTER MY KIDS.
AND WE'VE BEEN SO CAREFUL SINCE MARCH, WE DON'T GO ANYWHERE.
WE HAVE BEEN SO, SO CAREFUL THAT WE MADE A REALLY CALCULATED RISK AND HAVE THE KIDS GO BE WITH A FRIEND.
AND AS SOON AS SHE RECOGNIZED THAT ONE OF HER KIDS HAD A FEVER, SHE CALLED US.
AND SO THE WAY IT PLAYED OUT FOR US WAS SO CALCULATED.
UM, I WAS NEVER ACTUALLY EXPOSED TO MY KIDS LIKE MY KIDS HAD IN 90 FIVES AND SHIELDS.
AND, YOU KNOW, BUT EVEN WHAT I'D LIKE TO REMIND PEOPLE OF IS EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE SYMPTOMS, IF YOU JUST THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE POSSIBLY POTENTIALLY PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU WERE EXPOSED, JUST THE FEVER, THE TUMMY ACHE THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS SOUNDED LIKE THEY COULD BE COVID.
I HAD TO REMIND MYSELF TO NOT FEEL LIKE I WAS BEING PARANOID.
I HAD TO SAY, WELL, WHAT'S THE ALTERNATIVE? WHAT IF MY KIDS WERE ACTUALLY EXPOSED TO COVID LIKE, SO I, I JUST THINK, I THINK WE DEFINITELY, AS A COMMUNITY IN GENERAL, ARE DOING A THING WHERE WE ARE ASSUMING THAT IF YOU DON'T FEEL SOME SYMPTOMS, LIKE I WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE CIRCUMSTANCES AS WELL, JUST IN CASE, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THAT EIGHT DAYS OF WAITING JUST IN CASE, JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE OKAY AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO INFECT YOURSELF OR PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, IF I COULD JUST ADD THAT TO WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU ALREADY PRESENTED TO THEM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT SYMPTOMS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ISOLATE AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR COMMUNITY.
PRESCOTT, HOW LONG ON AVERAGE ARE PEOPLE STAYING IN THE HOSPITAL AND ALSO ON THE VENTILATOR? WHAT'S THE AVERAGE STAY? UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER.
I'D HAVE TO PULL THE MORE RECENT NUMBERS.
UH, WHEN WE LOOKED AT EARLIER THIS YEAR, UH, IT WAS LESS THAN A WEEK ON AVERAGE, UH, FOR, FOR MOST INDIVIDUALS, UH, IF INDIVIDUALS REQUIRE A VENTILATOR, UH, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER, BUT WE ARE FINDING THAT, UM, THAT LESS, UH, LESS, THE SMALLER PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE REQUIRE ICU LEVEL CARE THAN EARLY ON.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OUR HOSPITALS ARE GETTING VERY GOOD AT CARING FOR, FOR COVID 19 INDIVIDUALS.
UH, SO INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY HAVE REQUIRED THAT INTENSIVE CARE BEFORE CAN BE MANAGED ON A STEP-DOWN UNIT, UM, AND SIMILAR WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN ANECDOTALLY THAT, THAT THE LENGTH OF STAY HAS BEEN DECREASING AS WELL.
AND THIS IS THANKS TO IDENTIFICATION OF, UH, EFFECTIVE TREATMENT REGIMENS THAT, UH, THAT ARE HELPING THAT PROCESS.
UH, SO I'LL SAY, UH, NEXT WEEK I CAN UPDATE, UH, UH, THE COUNCIL ON, ON THOSE LENGTH OF STAYS FOR SHUT YOUR EFFORTS AND YOUR COLLEAGUES, ANYONE ELSE, KATHY.
AND I, I, STEPHANIE, I THINK, UM, DIRECTOR HAYDEN, I THINK IT WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS HANDY-DANDY SHEET, WHICH WE'VE USED IN OUR HOUSE TO TALK ABOUT.
SO TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT, UM, DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT YOU CAN ENGAGE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN ENGAGE IN, UH, AT HALLOWEEN AND DIFFERENT LAYERS OF RISK RANGING FROM REALLY LOW-RISK ACTIVITIES TO HIGHER RISK ACTIVITIES.
SO THANK YOU FOR PULLING THIS TOGETHER.
I KNOW THIS IS BASED ON THE CBCS INFORMATION ABOUT HALLOWEEN, BUT THANK YOU FOR PULLING IT TOGETHER, OUR PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, FOR WAY THAT, THAT IS REALLY DIGESTIBLE HERE FOR AUSTIN.
UM, I JUST WANT TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S ON HERE THAT IS ALSO ON THE CDC GUIDELINES.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN DIFFERENT INFORMATION AND NEWER INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH, UM, SURFACES GERMS CAN LIVE ON SURFACES.
AND I DID NOTICE THAT BOTH THE CDC ADVICE AND AUSTIN ADVICE, UH, TALKS ABOUT LEAVING, IT SAYS TAKE ONLY WRAPPED CANDY AND WASH OR LEAVE WRAP THE CANDY FOR 24 TO 48 HOURS BEFORE EATING.
S SCOTT, I WONDER IF YOU COULD ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE I THINK AS THE NEW INFORMATION HAS COME OUT, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVE HEARD REPEATED AGAIN AND AGAIN, SURFACES, AREN'T A PROBLEM.
I UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT THE HIGHEST RISK FOR CONTRACTING COVID, BUT CAN YOU HELP
[00:55:01]
US UNDERSTAND WHY THAT ADVICE IS ON HERE? UM, HALLOWEEN SHEET.UH, CERTAINLY COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, AS YOU JUST DESCRIBED, UH, THAT FOMITE TRANSMISSION VIRUS LANDING ON A SURFACE, SOMEBODY TOUCHING IT AND THEN EXPOSING THEMSELVES TOUCHING THEIR EYES, THEIR NOSE, OR THEIR MOUTH IS A POTENTIAL, UH, ROUTE OF TRANSMISSION IS PROBABLY NOT THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE, BUT IT IS, IS ONE, UH, THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF.
UH, SO PUTTING THAT CANDY AWAY FOR 24 TO 48 HOURS, UH, HELPS TO DECREASE THAT RISK OF, OF THAT VIRUS SURVIVING ON THAT SURFACE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIGHT LEVELS, TEMPERATURE LEVELS, THE TYPE OF SURFACE AFFECTS HOW LONG IT WILL LAST.
UH, SO THAT'S WHAT THAT ADVICE IS THERE.
UH, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, ALSO IMPORTANT IS, IS AVOIDING THAT TOUCHING OF THE FACE WITH UNCLEAN HANDS.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I AGREE IF THE CANDIDATE NEEDS TO BE PUT AWAY AND, AND DECREASE THAT RISK OR, OR CLEANED.
AND THEN I WANT TO JUST, UM, ASK YOU A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR GRAPHS, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, I WAS, UM, HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS TO OBSERVE GROUPS OF ESPECIALLY TEAMS, UM, BUT ALSO WHO ARE MASKED, WHO WERE MASKED, BUT ALSO, UM, WHEN THEY GREETED EACH OTHER, HUGGED EACH OTHER.
AND I, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE EMPHASIZED THROUGHOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MASKED AND MAINTAINING SOCIAL DISTANCING.
UM, AND SOME OF IT MAY BE THE TEAGUE FROM THE PRECAUTIONS, BUT I ALSO WONDER IF THERE'S, UM, AN UNCONSCIOUS NARRATIVE FORMING THAT IF YOU HAVE A MASK ON, YOU CAN BE WITHIN THAT SIX FOOT BUBBLE AND YOU'VE COVERED YOURSELF, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THERE'S AN OR INSTEAD OF AN END.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU TO ADDRESS THAT AGAIN, I, I SAW IT MOST PREVALENT AMONG TEAMS WHO HADN'T SEEN EACH OTHER IN AWHILE, BUT, UM, BUT I SAW SOME ADULTS ENGAGING IN THAT BEHAVIOR TO MASK, BUT YEAH, SO, AND THIS IS REALLY WHAT UNDERLIES THE CHALLENGES WE HAD WITH THE MASKING RECOMMENDATION IN THE SPRING, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT WE SAW IN 1918 AND 1919, UH, WERE FOLKS PUT THE MASK ON DISEASE TRANSMISSION WAS SUPPRESSED AND THEN THEY BECAME COMFORTABLE AND THEY STARTED CLOSING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND THEY, THEY EXPERIENCED A SECOND WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC.
THEN SIMILARLY, WHERE IT'S THE SAME THING.
IT IS MASKING AND A SOCIAL DISTANCING.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AT LEAST THREE FEET, PREFERABLY SIX FEET OF DISTANCING BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS NOT TO BE PROTECTIVE AND CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT FOLKS ARE STARVED FOR HUMAN CONTACT, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE STILL AT RISK.
AND, UH, IN THE NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIMEFRAME, UH, IS CERTAINLY RIGHT FOR, UH, CONCERNING SURGES IN, IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS IN, ACROSS THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO WE REALLY DO NEED TO MAINTAIN THOSE THAT DISTANCING AS WELL.
I THINK THAT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS, AS MORE OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE GOING BACK TO LA TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION, UM, AND CHANGING OF CLASSROOMS AND THINGS OF THAT SORT IN THE NEXT WEEKS.
I WANTED TO JUST VERY QUICKLY, I HAVE ONE, I THINK I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION AND THAT IS LOOKING AT AGES 11 SLIDES, 11 AND 14.
I WAS LOOKING AT, UM, THE AGE GROUPS 10 TO 14.
AND SO I THINK FROM, IT LOOKS TO ME AS ON SLIDE 14 AS IF THAT 10 TO 19 RANGE IS STILL, YOU KNOW, HAS A PRETTY, PRETTY HIGH POSITIVITY RATE COMPARED TO PREVIOUS WEEKS GOING DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
UM, BUT THE REASON I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THAT IS IT TO BE BECAUSE ALL ALONG, WE'VE TALKED SO MUCH ABOUT, YOU'VE TALKED RIGHTFULLY ABOUT THE DANGEROUS TO, TO OLDER INDIVIDUALS.
UM, I NOTICED ON CHART 11 AND I WANTED TO BE SURE I WAS SEEING THIS CORRECTLY, IS THAT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THE, ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROUPS IN THE HOSPITAL IS THAT 10 TO 19 AGE GROUP, IS THAT CORRECT? AM I INTERPRETING THAT CORRECTLY ON SLIDE 11 NOW, COUNCIL MEMBER, THEY, UH, THE 10 TO 19 AGE GROUP IS THE, THE, UH, GRAY LINE THIRD FROM THE BOTTOM.
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ALISON, GOOD MORNING.UM, I WANTED TO ASK, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHO THIS IS FOR.
UM, BUT, UM, WE'RE GETTING SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, PLAYGROUND OPENINGS AND YOU SPORTS.
I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF DIFFERENT CHOICES THAT ARE BEING MADE BY THE CITY AND AISD.
UM, SO CAN YOU PROVIDE A RISK, LIKE HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND TO THOSE WHO ARE ASKING HOW WE ARE ASSESSING PLAYGROUND AND USE SPORTS RISK WHEN AISD PLAYGROUNDS AND SOME SPORTS OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE, UM, IN ADJACENT COUNTIES.
UM, AND HOW DO WE THINK THAT THESE ACTIVITIES CAN OR WOULD IMPACT OUR NUMBERS? UH, SO COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER IN SCHOOLS, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT SEEING TRANSMISSION IN CLASSROOMS, WE ARE SEEING EFFECTIVE TRANSMISSION IN ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES.
WE'RE SEEING IN FOOTBALL, WE'RE SEEING IT IN CHEERLEADING, WE'RE SEEING IT IN VOLLEYBALL.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, AS, AS WELL AS OTHER EXTRACURRICULARS, UH, SO WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OPENING UP RISKS FURTHER, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE ACTIVITIES WHERE WE ARE SEEING EFFECTIVE TRANSMISSION HAPPENING.
UM, SO OUR RECOMMENDATION HAS BEEN TO HOLD OFF IN, IN OPENING THE CITY FACILITIES FOR YOUTH SPORTS BECAUSE OF THAT CONCERN.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE SOME PLAYGROUNDS WHERE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF RHYME OR REASON TO WHAT SEEMS TO BE, WHICH PLAYSCAPES ARE OPEN AND WHICH ARE NOT.
UM, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CHOICES THAT ARE BEING MADE THERE? UH, I I'D HAVE TO TALK TO PART ABOUT THE PARTICULAR PLACE GAVE, SO I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, IF DIRECTOR HANGMAN MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT ONE.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH PART, WE MEET WITH THE, UM, PARKS AND RECREATION MANAGEMENT TEAM WEEKLY.
AND, UM, AS WE HAVE WORKED ON, WE WORKED ON A PHASED IN APPROACH.
AND SO, UM, AND SO THOSE PLAYGROUNDS AND NO USE FOR IT, UM, OR ON THE LAST PHASE.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT OVER THE LAST, UM, COUPLE OF WEEKS IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO BEING ABLE TO SAY THOSE AREAS WOULD BE ABLE TO OPEN.
UM, BUT AFTER WE STARTED TO LOOK AT THE DATA, THE DATA, UM, HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY.
UM, AND AS DR S SCOTT STATED EARLIER, UM, YOU KNOW, W WE'RE LOOKING AT THE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PROJECTIONS.
AND SO BECAUSE OF WHERE WE'RE HEADED, UM, WE, WE TALKED WITH THE, UH, PART STAFF ABOUT, UM, THIS WEEK WHEN WE MEET, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AT A TIME.
AND SO THAT IS BASICALLY OUR PROCESS WITHIN WE MEET WEEKLY, BUT WE LOOK AT ADDITIONAL OPERATIONS TO OPEN THAT WILL BE SAFER FOR US.
SCOTT STATUS, WE'RE LOOKING AT IT MORE COMPREHENSIVELY, UM, BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND, UM, FROM, FROM PAR, IF IT'S A, IF IT'S A SHARED, UM, TYPE FACILITY WHERE THERE IS A SCHOOL AND A PARK AND RECREATION FACILITY, UM, THE SCHOOL HAS DECIDED TO OPEN UP SOME OF THEIR, UM, SOME OF THEIR PLAYGROUNDS.
SO IN THAT INSTANCE, YOU MAY SEE THAT SOME OF THOSE PLAYGROUNDS ARE OPEN.
UM, AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, UM, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, THIS PROCESS.
I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF POSSIBLE TO GET SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH PEOPLE THAT HELPS THEM UNDERSTAND THE CHOICES THAT ARE BEING MADE.
UM, THE YOUTH SPORTS IS THERE SEEM LIKE THE PLAYGROUNDS IN THE YOUTH SPORTS MAY NOT BE THE SAME MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SAME ISSUE, BECAUSE YOU CAN STILL BE AT THAT.
SOME OF THESE PLAYGROUNDS YOU CAN BE OUT AND THERE'S NOBODY ELSE THERE, BUT YOU'RE STILL NOT ALLOWED TO USE THEM RIGHT NOW, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE PLAYSCAPES AND, AND OTHER THINGS.
SO IF WE CAN JUST GET SOME, SOMETHING WRITTEN THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH FOLKS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE REASONING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN MAKE APPROPRIATE CHOICES.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, UM, FOR US.
UM, ARE WE SEEING ANY TRANSMISSION AT AISD PLAYGROUNDS? I KNOW WE'VE SAID THAT WE'RE SEEING IT IN SPORTS, BUT DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE THAT WE'RE SEEING IT IN THE PLAYGROUNDS EITHER AT AIC OR ANY OF THE OTHER SCHOOLS I'M NOT AWARE OF, OF CASES RELATED TO PLAYGROUNDS,
[01:05:01]
BUT I'D HAVE TO GET WITH OUR EPIDEMIOLOGY TEAM TO FIND OUT IF THEY'VE HAD ANY, UH, SPECIFIC CASES MENTIONED IN PLAYGROUNDS.OBVIOUSLY THE, THE CHALLENGES IS PENDING DOWN WHERE WE'RE A TRANSMISSION HAPPENS, BUT AGAIN, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY TRANSMISSION IN THAT SETTING AT THIS STAGE.
I, I JUST THINK WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE TRADE-OFFS.
AND I KNOW THAT IN MY VIEW THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPORTS SITUATION AND THE PLAYGROUND SITUATION.
UM, SO IF WE GET, IF WE CAN JUST GET SOME BETTER DATA, I WOULD, THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT IS, UH, UM, THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED, YOU KNOW, MOVING INTO JANUARY FOR OUR PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE, UM, AND HOW PREPARED WE ARE WITH RESPECT TO THAT.
AND IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING FOR THAT, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S, UM, DIRECTOR HAYDEN OR MR KHAN, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING AS NEEDS, UM, FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH EFFORT WITH RESPONSE TO COVID.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO ANY SENSE THAT WE HAVE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT SUPPOSEDLY $5 BILLION THAT THE GOVERNOR IS SITTING ON THAT NEEDS TO BE SPENT BY THE END OF DECEMBER.
UM, AND IN, IN ANY DISCUSSIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH RESPECT TO THAT, UM, BECAUSE THAT MONEY WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL, EVEN IF WE GOT A SMALL PORTION OF THAT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RELIEF THAT WE NEED FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY, BUT ALSO AS WE'RE PLANNING FOR MORE PROLONGED PANDEMIC RESPONSE, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.
I CAN'T SPEAK TO THE, UH, RESOURCES AT THE STATE LEVEL.
I KNOW OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TEAM IS ACTIVELY FOLLOWING THAT, BUT WE HAVE CONSTANT DIALOGUE WITH OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, UH, THE RESOURCES THAT OUR OVERALL COMMUNITY NEEDS, UH, AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE AGAIN, THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR COUNCIL.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE THAT FRAMEWORK ESTABLISHED OUR BUDGET STAFF IS PLANNING TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THAT FRAMEWORK IN THE COMING WEEKS.
UH, BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE DO HAVE CONTINGENCY STILL IN THAT, UH, THOSE ALLOCATIONS, UH, BUT THIS IS A EVOLVING SITUATION.
AND AS THE, AS THE RESOURCE NEEDS CHANGE OVER TIME, UH, WE WILL SEE IF WE NEED TO REDISTRIBUTE THAT IN ANY DIFFERENT WAY, BUT I'LL, I'LL PAUSE AND ASK IF DR.
HAYDEN WANTS TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT.
UM, SPENCER, UM, THE TEAM HAS, UM, HAS PUT TOGETHER, UM, A RUBRIC AND WE HAVE SENT THAT FORWARD TO, UM, TO THE BUDGET OFFICE.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH THEM TO TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT NEXT YEAR WOULD LOOK LIKE, UM, FROM A CALENDAR YEAR EXPENSE, BUT ALSO, UM, LOOKING AT THE, FROM JANUARY THROUGH SEPTEMBER.
UM, THE GOAL IS, IS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WILL CONTINUE, UM, OUR, OUR TESTING EFFORTS, UM, OUR, UM, CONTEXT TRACING, UM, YOU KNOW, OF OUR LINES THAT WE'VE SET UP.
SO ALL OF THE THINGS WE'VE WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN PLACE, WE WILL CONTINUE AND TRANSFER THAT OVER TO JANUARY THROUGH SEPTEMBER.
WHAT WE ARE ANTICIPATING IS IS THAT THERE MAY BE SOME, UM, ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, UM, THAT WILL COME THROUGH THE STATE OR, UM, VACCINE DISSEMINATION WE'VE, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE, BUT TYPICALLY IN THE PAST, WHAT HAPPENED WITH H ONE N ONE, UM, IN 2009 IS THAT WE DID RECEIVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING THROUGH OUR, THROUGH OUR PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, UH, PREPAREDNESS TEAM.
AND WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVE THAT INTO OUR RESPONSE.
UH, LASTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE REACHING OUT TO, UM, TO THE STATE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
UM, AND SO ONCE WE HEAR BACK FROM THAT, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH BREE ON THAT RESPONSE.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF BRI IS HERE AND ABLE TO UPDATE US, OR IF THAT'S NOT THE APPROPRIATE WAY TO DO THAT.
UM, I WOULD WELCOME A CONVERSATION TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT THE STATUS IS ON THAT $5 BILLION.
UM, IF THAT'S IN FACT, THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY, UM, THAT WOULD BE HELPING A LOT OF PEOPLE IN CITIES AND SCHOOLS, ET CETERA, AROUND THE STATE, NOT ON THE LINE, BUT WE'LL TRY TO FIND IT, YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES ON THAT.
YOU KNOW, THE RUMOR THAT I'VE HEARD ALISON, IS THAT THE GOVERNOR IS GOING TO TAKE THAT MONEY TO, TO, TO, TO,
[01:10:01]
UH, FUND LOSS OF REVENUE IN THE, IN THE STATE BUDGET.I HOPE THAT'S NOT TRUE, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, UH, DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WHAT THAT DOLLARS WERE INTENDED TO DO.
AND THERE'S SO MUCH NEED RIGHT NOW, UH, AMONG PEOPLE IN THE STATE, UH, THAT I HOPE THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
UM, MAYOR PRO TEM DIET, UM, I'M SORRY IF I MISSED THIS, BUT THERE WAS A, UM, FLU VACCINE, UM, I GUESS NOT DISTRIBUTION, BUT, UM, WE OFFERED IT IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN, UH, THIS SATURDAY, I BELIEVE.
AND I WAS CURIOUS IF WE MET THE, UM, I THINK IT WAS 200 OFFERED.
I WAS CURIOUS IF WE, UM, IF, IF MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE SHOWED UP OR IF, IF WE HAD MORE FLU VACCINES AT THE END OF THAT, UH, YES, WE DID PROVIDE, UM, 200, UM, FLU VACCINES.
AND, UM, THERE WERE MORE FOLKS THAT DID SHOW UP.
UH, WHAT WE TYPICALLY HAVE DONE IS, IS THAT, UM, WE REFER THEM TO, BECAUSE OUR FLU, UM, UH, WE'RE DOING FLU AT OUR SHOP FOR TOX IN SOUTH AUSTIN, UM, AND NORTH AUSTIN.
UM, BUT WE ALSO A PARTNERING, UM, UM, THIS WEEKEND AND A COUPLE OF EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, ONE IS GOING TO BE AT DEL VALLEY AT HEDA MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL BE PARTNERING WITH, UM, TRAVIS HIGH SCHOOL OR A BU THE FLU THIS SATURDAY, AND THEN NOVEMBER 7TH.
UM, WE WILL HAVE A LARGE, UM, UM, FLU VACCINE WHERE WE RUN TO BE AT THE EXPO CENTER.
UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE 600, UM, FLU VACCINES AT THAT ONE.
I WAS GOING TO ASK ABOUT THE NOVEMBER 7TH AND IF WE WERE PREPARED TO PROBABLY, UH, UM, A LARGE, UM, LARGE ATTENDANCE.
AND I APPRECIATE HOW YOU PRIORITIZE PEOPLE THAT, UM, ARE UNINSURED.
AND LASTLY, I'M ALSO THINKING OF PUBLIC HEALTH FOR THE, THE, THE FLYERS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO DISPLAYED.
UM, I HAVE THE ELECTRONIC VERSIONS ON MY PUBLIC PAGE AND THEY ALSO DISPLAYED, UM, SIMILAR, UM, INFORMATION FOR THE OTHER LOS MUERTOS, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIVITIES, BOTH IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
SO THANK YOU TO PUBLIC HEALTH FOR PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION.
AND IF ANYBODY WANTS THE ELECTRONIC VERSION, I'M SURE THEY CAN PROVIDE IT, BUT, UM, IT'S ALSO ON MY PUBLIC SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES.
I APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION AND APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES FOR THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY'VE ASKED.
UM, I HAVE, UH, TWO QUESTIONS THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK.
UM, UH, FIRST ONE, THIS IS MY FOOD FOR DR.
HEY, NO, I'M NOT CERTAIN, BUT I WANTED TO, UH, TO ASK ABOUT THE, UM, THE RISE IN CASES AT THE NURSING HOMES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY, AT THIS POINT, ANY INDICATION OF WHAT MIGHT BE DRIVING THAT IN OTHER WORDS, ARE YOU JUST, ARE YOU SEEING IT AT, UH, SOME ISOLATED NEW FACILITIES THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THIS, OR ARE YOU, OR ARE YOU SEEING IT IN FACILITIES THAT HAVE GOTTEN, UH, GOTTEN THE OUTBREAK UNDER CONTROL? WHAT, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US AT THIS POINT ABOUT, UM, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AND IF YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION ABOUT WHAT'S DRIVING IT? UH, YES.
UM, WHAT, WHAT MY TEAM HAS COMMUNICATED TO ME IS, IS THAT, UM, 32 OF THE 40 CASES, UH, ACTUALLY OCCURRED AT THE AUSTIN STATE SUPPORTIVE LIVING CENTER.
UM, AND SO, UM, SO OUR FOLKS HAVE, ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE STATE ON THAT, AT THAT FACILITY.
UM, WE'VE ALREADY MET WITH, UM, THE FOLKS FROM THE STATE WITH THEIR STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST HAS MET WITH OUR LOCAL FOLKS.
UM, WE PROVIDED THE PPE, UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT THEIR, UM, RISK ASSESSMENT.
AND SO, UM, SO THEY ARE MAKING SOME REALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AND, UM, AND OUR HOPE IS, IS THAT, THAT THAT WILL TURN AROUND.
AND SO, UM, AND SO YES, WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THAT FACILITY.
THE REST OF THEM ARE KIND OF SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT FACILITIES.
UH, MY SECOND QUESTION RELATES TO THE PRO LODGES AND THE, UM, CON CONNECTING, UM, UH, CONNECTING FOLKS TO, UM,
[01:15:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO HOUSING AND, AND OTHER SUPPORTS.SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE PROGRESS, UM, THAT HAS BEEN MADE.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN GIVE US SOME IDEA OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU SEE.
UM, I THINK YOU SAID THERE WERE ABOUT 49 IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY.
AND I KNOW THAT THE NUMBER HAS REMAINED.
I MEAN, ALTHOUGH IT'S BEEN STEADILY GROWING, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT GROWING REAL FAST, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF GETTING THE CONNECTIONS MADE.
AND I KNOW WE HAVE OVER 300 FOLKS IF THAT'S RIGHT IN THOSE PRO LODGES.
SO I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND IF YOU CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES YOU ALL ARE SEEING, UH, TO MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS.
IF, IF, UM, IF, IF THERE ARE, I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT AT THE RATE OF, IF WE CONTINUE AT THAT RATE IN CONNECTING PEOPLE TO HOUSING, WE MAY NOT GET THEM ALL CONNECTED.
SO I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR, UM, WHAT CHALLENGES YOU'RE SEEING AND WHAT ASSISTANCE MAY BE NEEDED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
WELL, I MEAN, WE'LL TAKE A BIT THAT WE KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE CHALLENGE.
SO, UM, AND SO THAT IS WHY IT HAS BEEN CRITICAL FOR US TO, TO BRING ALL PARTNERS ON BOARD TO ASSIST US WITH THESE EFFORTS.
UM, WE KNOW THAT THE PLAN IS, IS TO CLOSE, UM, PROTECTIVE LARGEST ONE, TWO AND THREE, UH, IN THIS PROCESS.
AND SO, UM, AND SO THE FOLKS HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY, UM, AS, YOU KNOW, ANY TOWN OFF THE COMMUNITY FORWARD, UH, WE'LL HAVE A STAFF PERSON, UM, THAT WILL BE ASSIGNED TO EACH OF THE PROTECTIVE LODGES WITH A SUPERVISOR.
AND, UM, AND OF COURSE HOUSING IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE.
UM, I MEAN, IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN, I MEAN, WE CAN JUST BECAME GOOD ABOUT THAT.
UM, WE DO HAVE SOME FOLKS THAT, UM, THAT DON'T HAVE ANY INCOME.
AND SO OF COURSE THAT IS A CHALLENGE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH THEM TO GET SOME LEVEL OF INCOME BEFORE YOU'RE ABLE TO, UM, TO, TO PLACE THEM, UM, WHAT THE, WHAT THE TEAM HAS REALLY BEEN DOING, UM, WITH THE PARTNERS IS THAT, UM, THEY'VE ESTABLISHED A PROCESS.
THEY DO DEVELOP PLANS AND BASED UPON THOSE INDIVIDUAL PLANS, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY, THEY'RE NOT MOVING IT, YOU KNOW, LIGHTNING SPEED, BUT I REALLY APPLAUD THE TEAM, UH, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT SEVEN, UM, FOLKS THAT THEY'RE PLACING LIKE EVERY WEEK OR SO.
SO EVERY SEVEN TO 10 DAYS, UH, SEVEN FOLKS ARE, ARE, ARE FINDING HOUSING.
UM, AND SO, SO THAT'S REALLY SIGNIFICANT.
UM, AND THEN I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IS, IS THAT, UM, THE REST OF THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH HOMELESS FOLKS ARE PLACING THEM AS WELL.
SO WE'RE ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I BELIEVE IT'S BEEN ABOUT 1300 FOLKS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE SECURED HOUSING IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER RAPID REHOUSING OR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, BUT OUR STAFF WILL CONTINUE, UM, UM, TO WORK WITH THEM AND WORK WITH THE REAL ESTATE OFFICE.
WE KNOW WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CREATIVE, UM, IN, UM, IN SOME OF OUR EFFORTS.
AND SO, UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AS WELL, BUT WE HAVE SOME KEY, UM, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE STEPPING UP WE'VE CHANGED IN OUR MODEL.
UM, BRINGING ON MORE, UM, PARTNERS, UM, FROM CARA TOTS IS AGREED TO, TO, UM, TO ASSIST US.
AND SO, UM, THAT WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT FOR US.
WE WILL ALSO BE USING, UM, SOME OF OUR BEST SINGLE SOURCE, UM, UM, THAT POT OF FUNDS IS WACO, UH, TO ASSIST US.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY HELPFUL, UM, ABOUT THE PROCESS AND, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THOSE UPDATES.
WELL, I, I, I, UM, I, UH, APPRECIATE AND, AND HAVE ABSOLUTE TRUST THAT THE, UM, THAT YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND EVERYONE INVOLVED ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
UM, AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THAT'S HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ROUGHLY SPEAKING ABOUT SEVEN EVERY WEEK OR WEEK OR SO.
UM, WHAT I WANT TO UNDERSTAND IS BEFORE WE GET TO THE POINT THAT WE HAVE TO CLOSE THOSE DOWN, IT'S GOING TO WORK.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT I HEAR YOU BY IT, THAT WE, THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOWARDS THE POINT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN THE PRO LODGES BECAUSE THERE CARES FUNDING.
AND SO WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE THREE, UM, POTENTIALLY CLOSE.
[01:20:01]
AND THE POINT IS, IS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO CLOSE THEM BY DECEMBER 15TH, UM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, ALLOWS US TO, UM, RETURN, UM, THE PROPERTY BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS LEASED TO US.WELL, WHAT I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, MY, PERHAPS THAT OUR, OUR NEXT BRIEFING IN, IN NOVEMBER, WHICH IS A FEW WEEKS, UM, IF, IF THAT'S A GOOD TIMELINE OR, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE THE END OF DECEMBER WHAT OUR PROJECTIONS ARE, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO, UM, PLACE EVERYBODY.
AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF COMPLEXITIES, BUT I KNOW THAT THAT OUR POLICY AND OUR APPROACH IS THAT WE, THESE ARE FOLKS THAT, UM, WERE, YOU KNOW, WERE LIVING OUTSIDE OR ON THE STREETS IN THE PAST, AND WE DON'T WANT TO RETURN THEM TO BEING TUITION.
SO I KNOW THAT IT IS OUR, OUR POLICY AND OUR GOAL TO, UM, CONNECT THEM TO HOUSING.
SO WHAT I WANT, WHAT I WANT TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AT THE RIGHT TIME, AND BEFORE WE CLOSE THEM, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR PROJECTIONS ARE IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO PLACE PEOPLE.
AND IF THERE ARE CONTINUING TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE ARE A CONTINUING CHALLENGES, I WOULD LIKE TO BE, I'D LIKE OUR COUNCIL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE ARE, AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL, UM, TO ADDRESS THOSE, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALMOST WHAT, WHAT'S THE NUMBER ONE, WHY DON'T YOU LET ME KNOW HOW MANY MORE FOLKS DO WE NEED TO PLAY? SO CURRENTLY, UM, THE CENSUS IS, IS 300.
UM, AND THAT'S, I DON'T HAVE THAT LIKE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
UM, OKAY, WELL, JUST ROUGHLY SPEAKING IS FINE.
SO, SO ROUGHLY WE HAVE 300, WE HAVE 300 FOLKS, UM, THAT ARE AT THOSE, UM, THE TOTAL SENTENCE IS 300.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT CLOSE TO ABOUT 220 PEOPLE, UM, FROM, UH, PROTECTED LODGE, ONE, TWO, AND THREE THAT DEFINE, UM, HOUSING FOR.
UM, I WOULD, I'M TRYING TO GET TO, IS I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, FROM A COUNCIL'S, UH, PERSPECTIVE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE PATH TO CARRYING OUT OF THE POLICY THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOWARDS, UM, AND THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES YOU MAY BE FINDING AND, UH, AND WHAT IT MIGHT TAKE TO ADDRESS THOSE CHALLENGES.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A COUNCIL, UH, TO HELP YOU WITH THAT.
UM, AND WE'VE STATED AS A COUNCIL, THAT IT IS OUR PRIORITY TO ADDRESS, UM, CONNECTING FOLKS TO HOUSING.
AND SO THIS IS ONE, I MEAN, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT WE NEED TO BE FOCUSING ON WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BUT IT'S, UH, IT, IT IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE PATH, UH, TO HOUSING THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO END UP BACK ON THE STREETS.
AND, UM, MAYBE WE CAN LOOK FOR SOME KIND OF ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION IN NOVEMBER IF THAT'S THE RIGHT TIME.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, WHAT WE CAN DO IS, UM, AT OUR NEXT BRIEFING, UM, GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE THAT, UM, THOSE PROJECTIONS TO YOU, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, WHAT IS THE PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND THEN THAT WAY WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, LET YOU KNOW HOW MANY FOLKS HAVE AREN'T SUCCESSFULLY HOUSED, BUT WE CAN ALSO, UM, LET YOU KNOW OF ANY, UM, CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE.
UM, AND IF THERE IS ANY ASSISTANCE AT THE POLICY LEVEL THAT WE'LL NEED.
I KNOW THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT WORK, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, ALL OF YOU OR YOU AND ALL YOUR STAFF WHO ARE, UM, WHO ARE DOING THIS WORK.
I THINK THAT WAS UP NEXT, UM, UH, ON COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S POINT, I WOULD BE INTERESTED NEXT MONTH AND, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A BACKUP PLAN IF, IF IT'S NECESSARY TO HAVE A DIFFERENT PROLOGUE OR TO EXTEND ONE OR TWO OF THEM FOR LONGER, UM, IN CASE IT IS TAKING US LONGER THAN NECESSARY.
UM, I KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY THE COUNCIL ALLOCATED A SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH KIND OF DOLLARS TO, UH, KEEPING PEOPLE HOUSED IN THE CITY'S BUDGET.
UM, WE HAD AN EXCELLENT, SOME OF THOSE WERE JUST LOOKING AT CONTRACTS THAT MIGHT BE FULL YEAR HAVING EXECUTED SOME OF THOSE CONTRACTS YET.
[01:25:01]
NECESSARILY SOME ONE-TIME SAVINGS THERE ALREADY, AS FAR AS I COULD TELL.SO THERE ARE SOME OTHER PLACES WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO, IF NECESSARY AS A BACKUP OPTION, OF COURSE THE BEST THING WOULD BE TO HOUSE EVERYONE AND ALREADY KNOW THAT WE CAN NOT BE SENDING ANYBODY BACK TO THE STREETS IN DECEMBER, BUT KNOWING HOW HARD THIS WORK CAN BE AND GIVEN ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS PUBLIC HEALTH IS HAVING TO DEAL WITH IN A PANDEMIC.
I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS THAT I WOULD RATHER HAVE A BACKUP PLAN AND HAVE US FIND DOLLARS THAN, UM, THEN SEND ANYBODY BACK TO THE STREET FROM THE PROLOGIS, JUST BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS REFUSED TO, TO NEGOTIATE A PASS.
THE COVID PACKAGE THAT EVERYBODY IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SEEMS TO SAY THAT THEY WANT TO PASS, BUT CHOOSE NOT TO PASS.
SO IF THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THAT, I WANT US TO HAVE A BACKUP PLAN AND NOT, YOU KNOW, FALL ON THE, ON THE MOST POOR PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE INTERFERENCE FROM NEW YORK SHIFT, RIGHT.
UM, UH, SO DOES THAT MAKE, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I DON'T WANT TO BE ASKING FOR IT BACK.
IF YOU'RE LIKE, GREG, WE HAVE THIS TOTALLY COVERED.
BUT I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS, I THINK THAT WE WERE OPEN TO FIGURING THAT OUT IF WE HAVE TO, UH, YES.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER COSAR, UM, WE CAN INCLUDE THAT WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE BRING BACK IN NOVEMBER.
UM, AND THAT WAY WE COULD, UM, HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
THANK YOU FROM, FROM, UH, PEOPLE ON THE GROUND, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, UH, PEOPLE IN, IN EMS AND THE DOWNTOWN COURT THAT WHAT IS BEING DONE IS REALLY, REALLY POWERFUL WORK AT THOSE PROLOGIS, UH, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING ALL THE TIME.
UM, AND SO I APPRECIATE THE STAFF WORKING THERE, AND I JUST DON'T WANT TO CUT ANY OF THAT SHORT BASED ON AN ARBITRARY DEADLINE, UM, IF, IF THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO SO, JUST KEEP US POSTED.
UM, UH, MY NEXT QUESTION WAS JUST ONE QUICK ONE FOR DR.
S SCOTT AND I MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS WRONG, BUT USUALLY WHEN WE SEE THAT KIND OF A SPIKE PROJECTION AND HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM THE, FROM THE UT, UM, CENTER, WE ARE USUALLY SEEING A RISE IN CASES AND POSITIVITY RATES.
AND THEN THE HOSPITALIZATIONS COMING AFTERWARDS HERE, THOSE DIDN'T SEEM TO SPIKE AS MUCH, BUT WE'VE SEEN THE SPIKE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO JUST TELL EVERYONE TO TAKE SERIOUS PRECAUTIONS AND NOT LET UP, BUT IS THERE ANY REASON FOR THAT? WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT DIFFERENCE IN HOW THIS IS WORKING? USUALLY THE HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE LAGGING LATER, THAT'S CORRECT COUNCIL MEMBER, AND WE HAVE A TEAM WORKING ON TRYING TO SORT OUT WHY WE DIDN'T SAY THAT THE CASES RISING BEFORE, UH, BEFORE THE HOSPITALIZATIONS DID, UH, THIS MAY HAVE TO DO WITH A, A TRANSITION IN THE COMMUNITY TO ANTIGEN TESTING, WHICH IS NOT CURRENTLY COUNTED IN A, IN THE CONFIRMED CASE NUMBERS.
UH, SO WE ARE WORKING ON A SOLUTION TO ALSO REPORT THE ANTIGEN TEST POSITIVES PUBLICLY, SO THAT THEN WE CAN HAVE A BIT MORE INTELLIGENCE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE COUNTY.
CAN YOU FLUSH THAT OUT MORE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE KINDS OF TESTS, PEOPLE SHOULDN'T TAKE.
UM, WHAT'S, THE INFORMATION IS GOOD AND ISN'T, IT'S GOOD INFORMATION AND YOU FLUSH THAT OUT FOR US.
THE GOLD STANDARD TEST IS THE PCR TEST.
UH, WHAT WE'VE SEEN LATELY IS, IS THE ANTIGEN TEST AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED THOSE EARLIER.
NOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO UTILIZE FOR, FOR SOME SCHOOL TESTING, THAT THE INDIGENT TESTING IS VERY GOOD AS WELL.
IT'S NOT A 98% SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY.
UH, IT MAY MISS SOME CASES THAT I PCR, UH, WOULD DETECT, BUT IT WOULD BE A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF CASES.
SO THE THRESHOLD OF DETECTION BETWEEN A PCR AND AN ANTIGEN TEST, UH, IS REALLY A MATTER OF HOURS IN TERMS OF WHAT THE DOUBLING TIME OF, OF THE VIRAL LOAD.
SO WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN, IN THE, THE HENCHMEN TESTING.
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SOME NUANCES ASSOCIATED WITH TESTING BASED UPON PREVALENCE OF DISEASE IN THE TESTING POPULATION THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT, UH, THE, UH, THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PREDICTIVE VALUES OF THAT TEST.
UH, BUT PEOPLE SHOULD FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT IN EITHER AN ANTIGEN TEST OR A PCR TEST.
THE ANTIBODY TESTS ARE REALLY NOT SUBSTANTIAL CLINICAL USE IF SOMEBODY IS TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THEY HAVE COVID-19 OR NOT.
UM, ALSO TO, TO MAYOR PRO TIMES POINT, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE, THE EVENTS YOU DID IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN AND SOUTHEAST AUSTIN FOR THE FLU.
UM, UH, FOR THE FLU VACCINES IN, I WAS AT THE ONE
[01:30:01]
AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL THERE AT NELSON FIELDS.UH, PEOPLE WERE SHOWING UP FOR FOOD AND FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND TO THOSE FLU VACCINES.
AND THE LINE WAS ALMOST A MILE LONG FROM, UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW WHERE REAGAN HIGH SCHOOL NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL IS THERE AT BERKMAN AND TWO 90 THE LINE STRETCHED UPON IT'S YOUR 90 ACCESS ROAD ALL THE WAY TO ONE 83, I WALKED FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, JUST GREETING PEOPLE IN LINE.
UM, AND I DIDN'T GET TO THE END OF THE LINE.
SO THE NEED IS JUST SO REAL OUT THERE, BOTH ECONOMICALLY FOR THINGS LIKE FOOD AND FOR, UH, FOR THE FLU VACCINE.
SO, UM, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK WE'RE DOING, BUT CLEARLY THERE IS JUST A HUGE, HUGE GAP FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU STILL HAVE A FOOD LINE OF ALMOST A MILE LONG OF CARS.
UH, SO, SO AGAIN, JUST FOR OUR COUNCIL, JUST, UM, JUST IMPORTANT INFORMATION THERE AS WE, AS WE RECOGNIZE HOW SERIOUS THIS, THIS WORK CONTINUES TO BE BOTH ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYONE WHO'S WORKING ON THIS.
AND THEN, AND THEN, UH, MAYOR, I WAS HAVING INTERNET ISSUES YESTERDAY.
SO HOPEFULLY IT'S GOING TO HANG IN THERE WITH ME TODAY.
UM, I APPRECIATED THE EARLIER CONVERSATIONS WE WERE HAVING ABOUT HALLOWEEN, AND THERE'S ALREADY BEEN KIND OF SOME QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS AROUND THANKSGIVING BECAUSE THAT IS COMING TOO.
AND SO I KNOW THIS WAS TOUGH WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR MEMORIAL DAY AND THE 4TH OF JULY AND LABOR DAY.
BUT IF THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A SPECIAL MOMENT IN, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF WEEKS WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S OKAY TO GO BACK TO NORMAL BEHAVIOR.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEIR PLANS MIGHT BE, THAT THEY'RE CONTINUING TO FIGURE OUT CREATIVE WAYS TO STILL ENJOY THEIR HOLIDAYS, UM, AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING IT IN A WAY THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE INFECTING THEIR LOVED ONES AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
I'M GUESSING THAT WE WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO TRY TO BE CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS AND OUR PARENTS AND OUR KIDS.
AND JUST, I FEEL LIKE THE CONVERSATION EVERY HOLIDAY IS ABOUT, HEY, WHAT'S, WHAT'S GOING TO BE OKAY AND WHAT'S NOT.
AND I JUST REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE REITERATING THE FACT THAT YOU'VE GOT TO REINVENT EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO DO.
EVERYONE'S BIRTHDAY WAS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.
YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING YOU'RE TRYING TO DO WITH YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS HAS GOT, GOTTA BE REMOTE, GOTTA BE DISTANT.
UM, I, I THINK PEOPLE SOMETIMES ALSO FORGET THAT WEARING THE MASK IS SO MUCH ABOUT YOU NOT SPREADING THAT GERM.
YOU KNOW, WE HEAR IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN, BUT I STILL FEEL LIKE PEOPLE ARE MAYBE THINKING I'M, I'M OKAY TO RISK IT.
OR I ALREADY GOT COVID AND RECOVERED.
THEREFORE IT'S NOT IMPORTANT FOR ME TO WEAR A MASK.
AND IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT HAPPENING THAT WAY.
UM, THAT'S NOT HOW THIS VIRUS WORKS.
UM, SO THERE STILL NEEDS TO BE A LOT OF PRECAUTION IN OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING EVERY STEP THAT WE CAN, UH, TO PROTECT EACH OTHER.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE, I THINK MAYBE DR.
UM, BUT MAYBE DIRECTOR HAYDEN CAN HELP ME UNDERSTAND ANOTHER QUESTION I'VE HAD ABOUT ONCE A VACCINE IS AVAILABLE.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR TRANSMISSION? WOULD PEOPLE STILL GET THE VIRUS AND JUST WOULDN'T WOULD THEY NOT SPREAD IT OR WOULD THEY CARRY IT AND POSSIBLY INFECT SOMEBODY ELSE? THEY'RE JUST NOT FEELING SYMPTOMS ANYMORE.
CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THAT WOULD WORK ONCE THE VIRUS, UM, ONCE THE VACCINE IS ROLLED OUT IN A MORE OFFICIAL WAY? WELL, WE ARE STILL RECEIVING INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, HOW EFFECTIVE THE VACCINE IS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED, UM, SAYS, YOU KNOW, IT BE BETWEEN 60 TO 70% EFFECTIVE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A, IT'S GOING TO BE SUCH A NEW VACCINE, UM, AND THEY'RE STILL LEARNING, UH, ABOUT COBIAN.
UM, THINK ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, WE, WE FLEW OVER TIME.
SO BASICALLY EVERY YEAR WITH THE FLU VACCINE, UM, WE WILL PROVIDE THE FULL VACCINE TO OUR COMMUNITY, BUT HOW IT IS PUT TOGETHER IS BASED UPON WHAT WE'RE SEEING THE PREVIOUS YEAR WITH THE DIFFERENT STRANDS OF FLU.
AND SO THAT SAME TYPE OF PRACTICE IS GOING TO HAVE TO HAPPEN WITH, WITH COVID.
AND SO OUR HOPE IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO GET AS MANY, UM, FOLKS, UM, THE VACCINE AND WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UM, JANUARY THROUGH.
AND I HATE TO SAY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, UM, BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT WIDESPREAD, UM, USE OF THE VACCINE.
AND THEN OUR HOPE IS THAT ONCE WE HAVE MORE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY,
[01:35:05]
YOU GOT MUTED CONTINUING, I'M SORRY, CONTINUING TO DO OUR PRACTICES THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WEAR OUR MASKS.WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONTINUE TO, UM, SOCIALLY DISTANCE, UM, EVEN ONCE WE START PROVIDING, UM, THE VACCINE EARLY ON.
UM, AND SO AS WE RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT, BUT THAT IS THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED THUS FAR ABOUT HOW EFFECTIVE THE VACCINE WILL BE.
THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND, CAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE FLU SHOT EACH YEAR WILL CHANGE A LITTLE BIT, AND IT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT KNOWING THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER DECIDED NOT TO GET THEIR FLU SHOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T THINK THEY GET THE FLU.
AND IT MAY NOT MEAN THAT YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT.
YOU'RE JUST NOT FEELING SYMPTOMS AND YOU COULD BE INADVERTENTLY SPREADING IT TO OTHER PEOPLE.
SO I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT IN ALL LIKELIHOOD THE COVID VACCINE IS GOING TO OPERATE VERY SIMILARLY TO THE WAY THESE OTHER FLU VACCINES AND MAY NEED TO BE GOTTEN AGAIN AND AGAIN, AS, AS IT DEVELOPS AND AS THE SCIENCE IMPROVES ON UNDERSTANDING THAT THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HAYDEN.
YEAH, I MINE'S IS MORE OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
IT'S A, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE OUR 30TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN BLACK PARTY.
UH, WE, UH, NOTIFIED ALL OUR, UH, OR LYRA RESIDENTS ON OUR BLOCK AND PASSED OUT A SHEET, JUST IDENTICAL TO ALMOST WHAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAD PUT OUT ON, ON THE PRECAUTION THAT WE NEED TO TAKE.
UH, AND IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE SERVING CANDY, YOU KNOW, TO DO IT IN A SAFE MANNER.
SO, UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, UH, TO GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
UH, BUT YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THIS, UH, COVID-19 IS, IS SO DANGEROUS AT NIGHT.
WE DON'T WANT TO, UH, EXPOSE OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ANY KIND OF A COVID 19.
SO WE'RE GOING TO CANCEL AND WE'LL, BUT WE'LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR, EVEN STRONGER.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE LET THE DIRECTOR HAYDEN GO, DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND DR.
SCOTT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
YOU TOO, SPEAKING OF CELEBRATIONS, UM, AND HOW WE DO IT DIFFERENTLY, WE DON'T SING FOR HAPPY BIRTHDAYS ANYMORE, BUT AT LEAST WHILE WE'RE ALL STANDING IN FRONT OF, UH, UH, THE SCREEN, UH, BUT IT WAS, UM, UM, UH, SPENCER'S BIRTHDAY THIS WEEKEND.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND WE'LL SAVE YOU FROM THE, UH, FROM THE SONG I COLLEAGUES, THOSE WERE ALL THOSE ITEMS. WE
[A. Pre-Selected Agenda Item]
HAVE ONE HOLD ITEM TO ADDRESS IT'S ITEM NUMBER 43, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN.SO THIS IS A PRETTY SHORT ONE.
AND I JUST WANTED TO ASK THE SPONSORS THAT THE INTENTION WAS TO MEAN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN BY SIMILAR TO THE ONE THAT EXPIRED? BECAUSE I BELIEVE THERE ARE PARTS OF THAT CONTRACT THAT REQUIRE A CONFERENCE TO BE HELD.
I THINK IT MIGHT JUST BE BETTER TO JUST HAVE THE STAFF NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE AN EXTENSION OR A NEW CONTRACT AND NOT, NOT HAVE THIS LINE ABOUT SIMILAR TO, BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY MAY FIND SOME THINGS WE WANT THEM TO DO THAT ARE RELATED TO THE SAVES RESOLUTION OR HELPING US IDENTIFY ICONIC BUSINESSES, PLAYING A ROLE IN THAT.
SO I'D RATHER JUST LIVE, LET THE STAFF HAVE A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE NEGOTIATIONS.
UM, IT, UH, MAYOR, CAN I GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THAT QUESTION? YEAH.
COUNCIL MEMBER PLANNING AND WE, WE, WE'RE HAPPY TO PUT MORE SPECIFICITY THERE AND TO GIVE THE STAFF FLEXIBILITY, WE JUST PUT SIMILAR, CAUSE WE DIDN'T W WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE, LIKE YOU SAID, THERE'S SOME ASPECTS OF THEIR, OF THAT CONTRACT THAT THEY WON'T BE DOING BECAUSE THEY INVOLVED, YOU KNOW, THE IN-PERSON, UM, ACTIVITIES.
SO, UM, I CAN MAKE THOSE CHANGES, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, PUT THEM ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND SEE IF THEY'RE, THEY GET TO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT BASICALLY I HEAR YOU, YOU'RE SAYING WE WANT TO GIVE THE STAFF SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE.
I'LL HAVE LESS SPECIFICITY TO THE PRIOR CONTRACT AND THAT'LL PROBABLY BE FINE.
THANKS IS STAFF HERE, UH, ON THIS ISSUE THAT'S
[01:40:01]
RUNNING INSIDE OF THE CHEF STAFF IS HERE.DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN TO US, SO THIS WOULD BE AN ACTION TO UNDO WHAT IT WAS THAT STAFF HAD DONE OR TO DIRECT STAFF DIFFERENTLY THAN STAFF HAD DECIDED IF YOU WANT MAYOR, COULD I SPEAK TO THAT? THAT'S NOT REALLY THE PURPOSE OF WHY I BROUGHT IT.
I THOUGHT THAT STAFF HAD TAKEN, HAD NOT EXTENDED THE CONTRACT AND YOU WERE SAYING, HEY, THE CIRCUMSTANCE, NO, THAT'S NOT IT.
THE STAFF DIDN'T HAVE AUTHORITY TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, OR ACTUALLY LET ME BE MORE PRECISE.
THE CONTRACT DIDN'T HAVE AN EXTENSION CLAUSE OTHER CONTRACTS DO.
SO THIS IS TO GIVE THEM THE AUTHORITY TO EXTEND IT.
IS IT RODNEY? SO THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD HAVE EXTENDED HAD YOU HAD THE AUTHORITY TO DO IT, BUT JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO IT.
MARY, I THINK THOSE ARE TWO THINGS.
I THINK WHAT COUNTS MEMBER KITCHEN IS SAYING IS THAT THIS WOULD GIVE US THE AUTHORITY IF WE WANTED TO DO SO.
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT SHE'S SAYING.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THE STAFF'S INTENTION, UM, IT ISN'T OUR INTENTION TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT.
WE HAD INTENDED TO USE THOSE MONIES FOR A NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
WELL THEN THAT'S NOT MY MAYOR.
MAY I SPEAK TO, TO MY INTENTION? YEAH.
SO THAT'S WHY I THOUGHT I WOULD RAISE THIS ISSUE HERE BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE IT WAS ALL EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE, BUT YOU CAN SPEAK TO YOUR ATTENTION TO THEN I WANT RODNEY TO SPEAK TO WHAT THE STAFF'S INTENTION WAS.
SO WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES, UH, RESOLUTION DOES IS JUST AS LANIGAN MENTIONED, IS, IS TO, UH, DIRECT A NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE ON YOUR CONTRACT.
UM, THE, THE BACKGROUND, AS I UNDERSTAND IT IS THAT AIB IS CONTRACT EXPIRED AT THE END OF AUGUST, UM, AND WAS NOT EXTENDED.
AND IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, UM, THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL CONTRACT IN PLACE WITH AIBA.
SO, UM, I THINK THE CONTRACT ALIGNS WITH THE MEMO THAT WAS PROVIDED TO US LAST YEAR IN OCTOBER, WHICH WAS THE, THE CONTEXT FOR EVERYONE, AS YOU REMEMBER, IS THAT, UM, THERE WAS IN RESPONSE TO COUNCIL, UH, DIRECTION.
THERE WAS AN, UH, UH, ANALYSIS OF THE DOLLARS THAT WERE PROVIDED TO ALL THE CHAMBERS, UM, AND INCLUDING AIBA.
AND THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION IN OCTOBER ABOUT, UM, A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR, UH, HOW THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS WOULD BE DETERMINED FOR EACH OF THE CHAMBERS.
AND THE RECOMMENDATION IN THAT MEMO IS TO EXTEND EVERYONE'S CONTRACT AT ALL, ALL THE, UM, ALL THE CHAMBERS CONTRACTS OR ADDITIONAL YEAR, WHILE THE COUNCIL, WHILE THE STAFF IS WORKING ON BRINGING, I GUESS, BRINGING BACK TO US, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, UH, FOR HOW EACH OF THOSE CONTRACTS WOULD BE FUNDED.
SO THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THIS CASE OF THIS AIB, HIS CONTRACT WAS NOT EXTENDED.
AND SO I THINK THIS, THIS, UM, ALIGNS WITH THE MEMO OCTOBER.
THE OTHER ISSUE OF COURSE, IS THAT, UM, THAT THIS CONTRACT WAS, IT, THIS CONTRACT WAS NOT THIS, THIS CONTRACT.
WHAT DOES AIBA DOES IS SUPPORTS OUR IBAS DISTRICTS, UM, AND, UM, WITH PRIMARILY WITH MARKETING AND OTHER.
AND SO BY, BY JUST NOT CONTINUING THE CONTRACTOR, ISN'T THE PLAN FOR SUPPORTING THE IBUS DISTRICTS.
SO THIS, WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ALIGNS WITH THE LAST OCTOBER TO CONTINUE FUNDING, UH, AIBA, AND TO CONTINUE THAT SUPPORT TO OUR IBS DISTRICTS.
SO I DIDN'T SEE IT AS CONTRARY TO WHAT THE STAFF WANTED TO DO, BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE IT.
I DIDN'T SEE THE STAFF AS NOT WANTING TO SUPPORT AIBA, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE, THEY'RE RECOMMENDED TO CONTINUE IN THAT MEMO.
AND IN THAT MEMO, THAT MEMO RECOMMENDS CONTINUING THAT WITH THERE'S TWO ASPECTS OF WHAT IT RECOMMENDS, RECOMMENDS, CONTINUING THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE IBUS DISTRICT.
UM, AND ALSO TO COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN'S POINT, PERHAPS IS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT COLLABORATION WITH, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, CHAMBERS.
SO, SO, UH, MAYOR, I DIDN'T SEE THIS AS OUT OF LINE WITH WHAT THE, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDED TO US IN THEIR OCTOBER MEMO
[01:45:04]
CONTRACTS, MY UNDERST, WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR STAFF'S PERSPECTIVE ON THIS AND THE CONTRACTS BY I HAD, I THOUGHT THAT I HAD HEARD THE STAFF WAS GOING TO BE BRINGING BACK THE CHAMBER CONTRACTS, UH, IN NOVEMBER.UH, AND THEN IN DECEMBER COMING BACK WITH THE, UH, UH, UH, EQUITABLE CONTRACT ITEMS. UH, SO I NEED, I NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THIS FITS IN AND WHAT YOUR RECOMMENDATION IS, UH, AND HOW WE'RE, WE'RE HANDLING THIS.
UM, MAKES ME A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS TO BE GETTING A PARTICULAR VENDOR THAT WE APPROVED FROM THE DAS, AS OPPOSED TO APPROVING A, A GENERAL AREA, UNLESS THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO GENERAL AREA, BUT THEN TO KNOW THE INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT HISTORICALLY, UH, BACK IN 2013, THIS WAS ALSO IDENTIFIED AS A SPECIFIC VENDOR DIRECTION COMING FROM COUNCIL.
UH, AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OR NOT.
UM, BUT ANYHOW, THAT WAS MY CONCERN WITH RESPECT TO ANYTHING THAT, THAT HAS US AS A COUNCIL BEING ASKED TO GO WORK CONTRACTS, THE INDIVIDUAL VENDORS, BUT WE HAVE A CONTEXT THAT JUST CAME FROM AN, AND THE QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED ABOUT TIMING ON THE RELATED MATTER.
SO IF, UM, UH, RODNEY HAVE YOU, OR, OR, OR SYNOVIA, YOU CAN SPEAK TO THIS GOOD MORNING, MAYOR SYNOVIA HOPE RAB ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, COUNCIL, I MEAN, STAFF WILL BE BRINGING BACK THE MEGA CONTRACTS AS PART OF THE EQUITABLE FUNDING FORMULA.
AS PART OF THE REPORT, WE WOULD GIVE WE GIVEN COUNSEL OPTIONS IN TERMS OF AN EQUITABLE PROCESS, AIBA WAS IDENTIFIED ON THE NON-EQUITY SIDE.
AND SO THE CONTRACTS THAT WE ARE BRINGING WILL BE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE, FOR RECORD MINORITY CHAMBERS, THAT BLACK CHAMBER, THE ASIAN, HISPANIC, AND LGBT.
AND AT THAT TIME, UM, YOU KNOW, WERE GIVEN OPTIONS THAT COUNCIL COULD, UM, WANT IT TO, UH, RUN OTHER CHAMBERS, BUT THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COUNCIL WOULD DEFINITELY NEED TO APPROVE AS WE MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE AIBA CONTRACT DID.
AND IN AUGUST, THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL OPTIONS.
AND WE HAD PIVOTED THOSE FUNDS AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED FOR A SMALL BUSINESS NEEDS ASSESSMENT.
GIVEN OUR CURRENT COVID ENVIRONMENT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO APPROXIMATELY EVERY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS, BUT GIVEN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, WE DETERMINED THAT WE NEEDED TO MOVE UP THAT ASSESSMENT.
SO AS WE PIVOT AND COME OUT OF COVID, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE SERVICES.
WHAT IS A SMALL BUSINESS USE ASSESSMENT? SO A SMALL BUSINESS NEED ASSESSMENT IS WHERE WE ENGAGE OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY'RE SEEING, WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, WHETHER IT'S AROUND TRAINING, WHETHER IT'S AROUND FUNDING.
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, WE DO EVERY FIVE YEARS AND ADJUST OUR PROGRAMMING.
SO IT COULD BE MORE CLASSES, IT COULD BE MORE CAPACITY BUILDING, ET CETERA.
AND GIVEN CURRENT, AS I MENTIONED, OUR CURRENT COVID ENVIRONMENT, OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE DEFINITELY SUFFERING, AND THIS WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING FORWARD A NEW PROGRAM MEDIC AREAS.
UM, THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE EXPLANATION I'M READING FROM PAGE 22 OF THE STEP, WELL LAST FALL WITH YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UH, WITH REGARD TO AIVA, THERE WERE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AI THAT COULD BE BUILT INTO THIS CONTRACT THAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
WELL, FIRST ONE IS TO PRIORITIZE IBIS DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT AND CENSUS TRACKS WITH LOW HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN EAST AUSTIN.
DO YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THESE IDEAS DISTRICTS THAT ARE LOCATED IN EAST AUSTIN NOW, AND BY ENDING THE CONTRACT THAT WAS IN PORT WAS TAKEN AWAY, IT WAS LIVE IS DISTRICTS.
SECOND THING IS RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO COLLABORATE WITH THE MECCA CHAMBERS TO EXPAND THE LOCAL RESOURCE ACADEMY, TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT THE CONSTITUENTS MAKE.
SO CONTINUING TO CONTRACT WITH IT, WHY ISN'T THIS RECOMMENDATION AND MAYOR, I HEAR YOUR CONCERN ABOUT, CAUSE WE NORMALLY DON'T, UM, NAME ENTITIES TO CONTRACT WITH AN EXCEPTION IS OUR CHAMBERS.
WE HAVE, AS A COUNCIL SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT WE WANTED ALL OF OUR CHAMBERS, ALL OF THOSE CHAMBERS TO BE, UM, FUNDED.
AND THAT'S WHY WE, THAT'S THE PURPOSE BEHIND THIS, UM, MEMO.
SO TO AIBA DIFFERENTLY NOW AND LEAVING THE IBAS DISTRICTS, UH, WITHOUT THAT
[01:50:01]
SUPPORT FOR SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER NOW, UM, IS JUST DIDN'T, DOESN'T ALIGN WITH PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION THAT DOESN'T ALIGN WITH THE, WITH THE, UM, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION.I JUST THOUGHT I'D ADD MY SUPPORT FOR, FOR THIS RESOLUTION.
YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION FROM TIME TO TIME ABOUT WHETHER THE COUNCIL IS BEING MORE DIRECTIVE OR LESS THAN I WOULD SAY WE APPLY IT.
AND CONSISTENTLY, GENERALLY, UM, AND THIS SEEMS TO NEED TO BE AN EXAMPLE WHERE, UM, THE SUPPORTABLE, YOU KNOW, AIBA AS A TRUSTED PARTNER FOR MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, LIKE IN MY MIND, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT, SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATIONS WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH.
WE'VE WORKED WITH SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO ABSOLUTELY I SUPPORT, UH, CONTINUING TO WORK WITH OUR MINORITY CHAMBERS.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANT TO SEE US CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE IVA AT A TIME WHERE SO MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE REALLY STRUGGLING.
I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE, UH, MAINTAINING THOSE STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE INSTINCTUAL ANTS, UM, WITHIN THEM RATHER THAN, RATHER THAN ENDING THE CONTRACT AND NOT CONTINUING.
SO I'LL, I'LL JUST LEAVE IT THERE.
BUT AGAIN, I FELT LIKE THERE, THE CONCERN, I DON'T HEAR THE CONCERN CONSISTENTLY ADDRESSED, UM, ABOUT THE DIRECTIVENESS OF COUNCIL.
SO I THINK IT'S, I THINK THE AIVA IS DOING, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN LOOK, UM, AT OTHER OPTIONS FOR FUNDING THAT'S REGARDED AS A HIGH PRIORITY.
IN FACT, THE IDEA I RAISED SEVERAL MEETINGS AGO, UM, TO, TO NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THE MARKETING CONTRACT FOR $700,000 OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR GIVEAWAY ITEMS THAT NEVER CAME BACK TO US.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RESULT OF THAT IS, BUT I, I KNOW THAT, UM, IT SOUNDED TO ME FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS AS IF ANY, SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS HAD WITHIN THEIR BUDGETS FOR THIS YEAR, SOME, UM, ABILITY TO PURCHASE THOSE KINDS OF ITEMS, EVEN IF WE DIDN'T EVER TAKE UP THAT CONTRACT AGAIN, WHICH I GUESS MAYBE WON'T BE.
SO I THINK THAT THERE IS MONEY WITHIN, WITHIN OUR BUDGET.
UM, EVEN DURING THESE TOUGH TIMES THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO FUND THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, AS WELL AS CONTINUING WITH, WITH OUR CONTRACT YET MAYOR OUT THERE, MY NOT VISIBLE HAND IS RAISED JUST TO PUT IT ON YOUR RADAR.
I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE PO FIRST IS IT, DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO TIE OVER THIS ORGANIZATION UNTIL WE HAVE THE MORE GLOBAL CONVERSATION IN DECEMBER? SO THAT THERE'S A CONTEXT FOR, BUT WITHOUT AN INTERRUPTION IN SERVICE, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CHOSE TO CONTINUE.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY, I JUST KIND OF THROW THAT OUT THERE, UH, AT THIS POINT POD OR TALK.
MA'AM I, I'M KINDA CONFUSED ABOUT THIS CONTRACT.
WHAT, WHAT SERVICES ARE, IS THIS A AUSTIN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ALLIANCE ACTUALLY LEARNING WHAT IS SMALL BUSINESSES, ANY SAUCE? SO AS PART OF THE CURRENT CONTRACT, IT'S FOR MARKETING OF THEIR IBUS DISTRICT SEVEN OF THEIR IBUS DISTRICTS.
SO IT'S JUST LIKE A, AN ADVERTISEMENT MARKETING TYPE PROGRAM OR, OR IS IT A, WHAT EXACTLY HOW THEY'RE HELPED OR THE SMALL BUSINESSES? UM, YES, IT'S FOR THE VARIOUS DISTRICTS THAT ARE AROUND THE CITY AND IT'S FOR MARKETING AND BUSINESSES WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND AS PART OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP.
AND IS THAT A VERY CRITICAL, UH, THREAT NOW ON, ON THAT, UH, YOU HAVE TO MARKET THESE, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES AND, UH, HOW DO THEY MARKET IT? IS IT JUST HAVE MAGAZINE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? UM, THERE IS A MAGAZINE THAT IS PRINTED, UM, ANNUALLY AS, UM, OTHER ITEMS THAT I'LL NEED TO PULL THE CONTRACT TO GET MORE DETAILS.
YEAH, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER AND SEE HOW WE COULD, YOU KNOW, GET THIS IN THERE.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST, UH, UH, AND AT THIS TIME THAT WE'RE FACING THIS VERY, UH,
[01:55:01]
PANDEMIC AND EVERYBODY IS HURTING.I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S, UH, UH, UH, A GOOD WAY TO USE OUR, OUR, OUR FUNDING.
SO I NEED TO RELEASE, UH, LOOK INTO THIS OR WAIT FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT IT RIGHT NOW.
UM, I THINK, UH, UH, MY COLLEAGUE, MIGHT'VE JUST SAID ESSENTIALLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY OTHERWISE.
UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
SO NOVIA INTRODUCED TO THE CONVERSATION, UM, THE CONSIDERATIONS AROUND EQUITY, UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I WANTED TO BE A PART OF THIS DIALOGUE AND THIS RESOLUTION WAS TO REALLY SORT OF TALK THROUGH, UM, THE FACT THAT YES.
IF, AND WHEN WE HISTORICALLY HAVE A SITUATION THAT WE'VE ADHERED TO, UM, THAT WE RECOGNIZE COULD BE BETTER.
UM, AND SO I WAS HOPING VERY MUCH TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE PROCESS IS BETTER AS WE ARE GROWING AND EVOLVING AS MUNICIPALITY, WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, WHICH IS FANTASTIC TO GET BETTER AT HOW WE DO THINGS.
AND SO I THINK MUCH LIKE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER READ THREE IS INTRODUCTION TO THE CONVERSATION, LIKE A LITTLE MORE TIME TO TALK THROUGH EXACTLY HOW WE GET THIS RIGHT.
UM, IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD ASK FOR AS WELL.
AND I BELIEVE WE ARE MAKING ROUNDS WITH EACH COUNCIL OFFICE HARD TO BRING THE MEGA CONTRACTS BACK AND WE WILL BE REVIEWING THE ENTIRE REPORT.
AND I THINK I GOT A PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE, UM, SYNOVIA ABOUT, UH, CAUSE MY QUESTION WAS, HOW DOES, AND DOES THIS FURTHER AFFECT, UM, THE PROGRAMMING AROUND SOLELY AUSTIN? UM, I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS KNOW THAT AND LARGE PART, MY INTRODUCTION TO COUNCIL WAS BY WAY OF WORKING WITH THE SOLELY TEAM AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND ADVOCATING FOR MERCHANTS IN THAT 12TH STREET CORRIDOR.
UM, THEY WORKED REALLY HARD, UM, AND CONTINUE TO WORK REALLY HARD TO ADVOCATE FOR THE MERCHANTS IN THAT CORRIDOR AND MADE A ROAD AND SOME OF THE OTHERS THAT I KNOW, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY.
UM, SO JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE DIDN'T SOMEHOW INADVERTENTLY, UM, S STEP ON ANY, UH, EFFORTS.
UM, BUT IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CONTRACT, I FIND IT PERSONALLY, I FIND IT A LITTLE BIT ODD THAT THIS CONTRACT EXPIRED IN AUGUST AND THAT WE'RE JUST NOW, UM, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION AND IFC.
UH, I JUST, I SORT OF WONDER, AND MAYBE THIS ISN'T A QUESTION THAT YOU CAN ANSWER HERE, BUT I JUST SORT OF WONDER HOW WE EVEN GOT TO A PLACE WHERE WE HAD A CONTRACT THAT EXPIRED IN AUGUST, BUT WE'RE ONLY HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AS WE APPROACH NOVEMBER.
UM, HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN? BUT THAT TO SAY, I, I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER RENTER IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY.
WE NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME TO TALK THROUGH EXACTLY WHAT'S TRANSPIRED HERE AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO MOVING FORWARD, UH, MAYOR PRO TO HIM.
UM, I'M SORRY IF STAFF ADDRESSED THIS, BUT, UH, SO THE, THE AMOUNT OF 55,000 IS, IS, UM, AND I'M SORRY TO BURDEN OUR GUESTS THIS A LITTLE DISTRACTED THIS MORNING.
UM, DO WE KNOW WHAT THAT COST COVERS? IS IT LIKE, LIKE, UM, ACTUAL LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA, DIGITAL ADS FOR ADVERTISEMENT OR THE BORE LIKE SALARY FOR THE SUPPORT STAFF THAT, THAT DOES THE WORK SO TO SPEAK.
THE CONTRACT ACTUALLY COVERS DESIGNING ADVERTISEMENT AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL FOR EACH DISTRICT.
UM, PLACING ADVERTISEMENT AND SELECTED VENUES AND THE IBS BEHALF, MANAGING THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, IDENTIFYING AND APPROACHING MEDIA SPONSORS WHO WILL COMMUNICATE INFORMATION REGARDING THE VARIOUS IBUS DISTRICTS, UM, FREE OR AT A REDUCED COST PROMOTING THE IBS DISTRICT AND PARTICIPATING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, SUCH AS FACEBOOK AND TWITTER, COORDINATING SPECIAL EVENTS THAT PROMOTE THE DISTRICTS AND CREATING A MULTI-PAGE FULL COLOR BROCHURE THAT, UM, PROMOTES THAT IS DISTRICT AS A SINGLE DOCUMENT.
AND, UM, CAN YOU QUICKLY REMIND US THE LOCATION OF, YOU SAID SIX DISTRICTS, RIGHT? YOU SAY SIX, SEVEN, OKAY.
UM, SO MAY HAVE ROAD CESAR CHAVEZ, UM,
[02:00:01]
BURNETT ROAD AND, YOU KNOW, PUT YOU ON THE SPOT.I DO NOW EAST CESAR CHAVEZ NORTH DRAG, THE EAST END, NORTH LOOP, SOUTH FIRST, EAST SIX AND MELBOURNE, WHICH IS THE BURNER ROAD AREA.
UM, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I, WHERE I AM ON THIS.
I APPRECIATE THAT THIS DISCUSSION.
I KNOW THAT IN PARTICIPATING WITH, UM, THIS WHOLE RAP, ACTUALLY IN THE EQUITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THERE WAS THE NEED TO INVEST IN HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES IN AN, IN AN EQUITABLE WAY.
SO I AM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING HOW, UM, EQUITY PLAYED A PART IN, IN, IN THE DECISION TO PROVIDE THIS CONTRACT.
AND, AND I, I FEEL LIKE I WOULD LEAN MORE ON THE TEMPORARY, UM, UH, EXTENSION AS OPPOSED TO A YEAR LONG.
BUT, UM, BUT I'M STILL SAYING, AND, UM, AND THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION.
MY QUESTION IS SIMILAR TO THE WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON WAS ASKING.
I EXPECT I HAD TO STEP OUT RODNEY WAS TALKING, SO MAYBE HE ANSWERED IT IN THAT MOMENT, IN THAT CASE.
WELL, WHAT AM I APART FROM NAMING A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION, WHICH WE SHOULD ALWAYS SHY AWAY FROM, EXCEPT IN EXCEPTIONAL SITUATIONS, REALLY, WE HAVEN'T HAD AN ITEM ON TO RENEW A CONTRACT THAT WAS NOT RENEWED BY THE STAFF.
IS THERE REASON THAT THE CONTRACT WASN'T READY? IS IT BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CHAMBER FUNDING STUFF AND THAT'S WHY YOU HOLD IT OFF OR THERE THAT WORDS MATCH.
IS THERE A HIGHER PRIORITY? IS THERE A REASON THAT THE CONFERENCE WAS NOT EXTENDED, THAT WE SHOULD KNOW THEM? IF I COULD START COUNCIL MEMBER, THEN I'LL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, INTERIM DIRECTOR HOLT GRAHAM.
SO LAST YEAR, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN THE STAFF LOOKS AT PROGRAMMING BUDGET FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, UH, THIS CONTRACT HAD CLEARLY, UH, BEEN DISTINGUISHED AS EXPIRING IN AUGUST AND STAFF HAD DECIDED THAT WAS NEEDED, UH, FOR THOSE FUNDS.
IT'S A NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY.
AND SO THE BUDGET FUNDING WASN'T REDUCED FOR NEXT YEAR, RATHER, IT'S BEEN PROGRAMMED FOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES THAT, UH, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF HOPE GRAHAM HAS OUTLINED THE DIFFICULTY HERE OF COURSE, IS THAT NOW THAT THE MONEY IS ALLOCATED FOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO, AND WE DON'T CURRENTLY SEE ANY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY FUNDING IDENTIFIED FOR THIS CONTRACT OR FOR EXTENDING THE CONTRACT.
AND SO, UH, THE CONTRACT HAS EXPIRED.
WE DO HAVE PROGRAMMED IN THE BUDGET FOR THAT MONEY TO BE USED FOR THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY TARGETED FOR EXTENDING THIS CONTRACT.
AND WHEN YOU SAY THIS TARGETED NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY, IS IT BECAUSE IT'S UNCLEAR WHETHER IT IS THE PRIORITY NEED BASED ON YOUR OTHER BUDGET ITEMS? IS IT THAT THERE WERE METRICS THAT NEEDED TO BE MET AND YOU FOUND SOMETHING LIKE, I MEAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE NOT MANY CONTRACTS, YOU CONTINUE TO EXTEND THEM WITHOUT A NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY.
SO I GUESS I WANT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS THAT THIS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER IT'S FINE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, WHY I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS FLAGGED.
AND I'LL BEGIN TO, OF COURSE, TURN IT OVER TO INTERIM DIRECTOR HAT, ROTE, HAB, SINCE SHE WANTS TO ADD TO THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, STAFF LOOKS AT THE HOST SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS. AND WHAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED WAS THAT, UH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING, KEEPING THE BUDGET THE SAME, NOT ASKING FOR ANY ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT THE PROGRAMMING MONEY FOR, FOR THIS PARTICULAR NEED COULD BE BETTER SERVED FOR A NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY.
UM, AS INTERIM DIRECTOR, HOPE RAB HAD MENTIONED, WE DID THAT EVERY FIVE YEARS THAT HELPS GUIDE HOW OUR SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED, WHAT WE SHOULD TARGET THE AREAS THAT WE SHOULD WORK IN.
WE DO SUPPORT, UM, AUSTIN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS ALLIANCE, A HUNDRED PERCENT.
WE LIKE THE WORK THAT THEY DO AS WITH OTHER THINGS, WHEN WE HOLD THE BUDGET STEADY AND WE DON'T REQUEST AN INCREASE IN FUNDING, UH, YET WE HAVE THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE FUNDED.
WE HAD TO MAKE THAT BUDGETARY DECISION, UM, THAT WAS IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT IS THE CONTRACT DID EXPIRE IN AUGUST.
UH, THE FUNDING WAS KEPT INTACT, BUT, UH, FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE, WE REPRIORITIZED IT FOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY.
[02:05:02]
SORRY, ANNE.UM, HEY, SO, UM, I WANTED TO, UH, RESPOND, UM, UM, THAT'S MY HARP PER MADISON HAD RAISED A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, WHY THIS RESOLUTION IS, IS, IS JUST NOW COMING TO US WHEN AN EXPIRED AND AT THE END OF AUGUST, ALL I, ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I RECENTLY BECAME AWARE OF IT, UM, AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND IT JUST MADE A LITTLE TIME TO BRING IT FORWARD.
UM, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT, UM, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT, UM, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY CONVERSATION AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PROCESS THAT WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT AIA B A VA CONTRACT WAS GOING TO NOT BE RENEWED AND THAT WE WOULD NO LONGER BE SUPPORTING THAT CHAMBER, THE SUPPORT, ALL OF THE OTHER CHAMBERS, NOR WAS THERE ANY RECOMMENDATION BROUGHT FORWARD ABOUT HOW TO ADDRESS THE CITY, THE ADDRESSED, UH, SUPPORT FOR AIBA AND OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, RAIN, THE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW ARE DURING AN INTERIM PERIOD OR INTO THE FUTURE.
SO WHAT WE'VE GOT IS WE'VE GOT A RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF FROM LAST OCTOBER TO CON AND I READ IT AS CONTINUING AIBA FUNDING AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BY HIS DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT AND CENSUS TRACKS WITH LOW HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND A NUMBER OF THOSE, NONE OF THEM ARE IN LOW-INCOME DISTRICTS.
SO I D THE ACTION WAS NOT BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION AS A COUNCIL.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT IT WAS STAFF'S INTENTION NOT TO FUND AIBA ANY LONGER AND NOT TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE MEMO THAT WAS GIVEN TO US IN OCTOBER.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S, UM, THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING.
I DON'T HAVE ANY CONCERN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IF STAFF WANTS TO PROCEED WITH A SMALL BUSINESS ASSESSMENT, THAT'S FINE.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE ANY CONCERN WITH THAT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE'VE LEFT AIBA WITHOUT A CONTRACT, WITHOUT A PATH THAT I'M AWARE OF TO A CONTRACT WE'VE LEFT THE IBUS DISTRICT SUPPORT THAT WE WERE PROVIDING TO THEM WITHOUT A PATH FORWARD.
I HEAR MY CO SAYING THAT THEY WANT MORE CONVERSATION, WHICH MAKES SENSE TO ME TOO, TO HAVE, AND THAT'S WHAT WAS SET UP IN THE, UM, OCTOBER A MEMO.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, GOD, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF MONTHS FOR A CHAMBER THAT SUPPORTS OUR SMALL BUSINESSES LEAVING WITHOUT SUPPORT AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE NEEDS OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO I, THERE'S JUST A DISCONNECT TO ME ABOUT WHY WE'RE IN THE PLACE THAT WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
AND I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUE WOULD BE ABOUT CONTINUING THEIR CONTRACT, WHETHER IT'S FOR A YEAR OR WHETHER IT'S SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE CONCERN IS, AND I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW WE'VE DONE IN THIS SITUATION IN THE FIRST DAY.
I'M JUST ASKING QUESTIONS JUST TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF THE ISSUE.
AND I APPRECIATE THE BACKGROUND AND STUFF.
UM, WERE THEY MADE AWARE, I MEAN, DID THEY KNOW THAT THEIR CONTRACT WAS, UM, ABOUT TO EXPIRE AND THAT, UM, DECISIONS WERE BEING MADE DURING BUDGET OVER THAT COUNCIL MAYOR PRO TEM.
WE SENT A LETTER ON AUGUST 19TH INDICATING THAT THE CONTRACT WAS ENDING AND WE WERE NOT GOING TO BE RENEWING.
DID THEY RESPOND TO THAT LETTER? UH, WE HAD A MEETING, UM, WITH THEM AND I HAVE TO LOOK BACK ON THE DATE, BUT THEY DID ASK AND WE FOLLOWED UP WITH A MUNI ADVOCATING THAT, UH, WE WOULD NOT BE RENEWING AND THAT WE WOULD BE PIVOTING TO THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT.
KATIE INFORMATION, PROBLEM AM.
UM, I, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT IF FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SEQUENCE THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO REACH OUT TO AIBA, THEIR UNDERSTANDING IS, IS DIFFERENT.
SO, UM, NOTICE ON AUGUST 19TH THAT THEIR CONTRACT WOULD EXPIRE ON AUGUST 31ST,
[02:10:01]
A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER, UM, WHICH I WOULD SUGGEST IS NOT TELLING THEM FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PATH FORWARD WAS FOR THEM OR THE PATH FORWARD FOR THIS.MAYOR EITHER AGAIN, YOU CAN'T SEE ME, BUT MY HAND IS RAISED JUST
JUST TO OFFER SOMETHING IN THE WAY OF CLARITY TO MY COLLEAGUE WHO OFFERED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART, THIS PROCESS, WHICH I REALLY APPRECIATE.
I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.
UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, I WASN'T, UM, THERE WAS NO IMPLICATION OF A LACK OF TIMELINESS ON YOUR PART.
I JUST AM CURIOUS ABOUT HOW BY WAY OF THE PROCESS WE FOUND OURSELVES IN THIS SITUATION WHERE THE CONTRACT LAPSED, UM, THERE'S A RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF THERE'S, UH, I THINK, UH, WE CAN ALL ACKNOWLEDGE A GENERAL LACK OF INFORMATION BY WAY OF OUR COLLEAGUES ON THE COUNCIL.
UM, AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT YOU OFFERED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS PROCESS.
I JUST DO THINK WE SHOULD HAVE MORE DIALOGUE AROUND HOW WE GOT HERE.
LIKE, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT BY WAY OF OUR PROCESSES, WE WERE ABLE TO REACH A PLACE WHERE YOU HAD TO INTRODUCE AN IFC FOR AN EXPIRED CONTRACT FOR SOMETHING THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WHICH I CAN ABSOLUTELY AGREE IS IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, THE DIALOGUE AROUND SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCACY.
SO, UM, I JUST, I, I THINK MUCH LIKE OUR OTHER COLLEAGUES WOULD JUST LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MORE DIALOGUE AND GET MORE INFORMATION AND UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN, UM, CERTAINLY NO CRITICISM JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT.
UM, I, I UNDERSTOOD IT THAT WAY.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS HOLD ITEM, 43, THAT'S A MEMBER ALTER AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER INTERVIEW, I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE GETTING, UM, BRIEFINGS ON THE MECCA CHAMBER ONE.
UM, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT AND, AND HOPE THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADDRESS THE HD WHO'S, UM, THAT AROSE WHEN THAT WAS, THOSE CHANGES WERE FIRST PROPOSED, WHICH WERE, UM, KIND OF, UM, DRAMATIC, UM, IN TERMS OF MY PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT WE WERE DOING AT THAT TIME.
UM, AND THE WAY THAT WE WERE APPROACHING IT, UM, GIVEN THAT OUR GOAL IS TO BE SUPPORTING THE SMALL BUSINESSES AND HAVING THE MOST EFFECTIVE, UM, RESPONSE THAT WE CAN.
UM, SO I'M REALLY HOPING THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE THE FEEDBACK THAT WE PROVIDED AND INCORPORATE THAT, UM, SO THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT EFFECTIVENESS AS PART OF THE CRITERIA.
UM, YES, WE, UM, TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION ALL THE FEEDBACK AT THE TIME OF THE APPROVAL OF THE ONE YEAR FOR THE MEGA CHAMBERS.
AND AGAIN, WE'LL BE MAKING ROUNDS TO ENSURE THAT WE HEARD AND INCORPORATED, UH, ALL OF THE CONCERNS.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO STAFF TO COME BACK AND, AND, UH, GIVE US INFORMATION ON WHAT OTHER TYPE OF, UH, UH, UH, ORGANIZATIONS OR GROUPS THAT ARE DOING THESE KIND OF SUPPORT STRUCTURES.
I KNOW THAT WE GOT SOLELY AUSTIN HERE AND THEY, THEY ALSO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO, UH, UH, TO THE BUSINESS DISTRICT.
SO, UH, I JUST REALLY, REALLY LIKED TO FIND OUT WHAT ALL THESE GROUPS ARE DOING.
AND I KNOW THE BUSINESS JOURNAL, APPETIZERS, ALL YOUR BUSINESS AND ALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE GOING OUT OF, UH, OUT OF BUSINESS.
SO ALL THE RESTAURANTS SITTING IN BARS, AND THAT'S GOING TO OPEN UP AND CLOSE.
SO IF WE COULD GET ALL THAT INFORMATION, CAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF ADVERTISEMENT GOING OUT THERE AND SUPPORT, WHICH IS, UH, I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE'RE NOT JUST, UH, REPLICATING AND DUPLICATING SERVICES.
NO, YOU'RE, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, BUT YOU'RE ON MUTE AND I HAVE A SPEAKER FOR QUITE A WHILE.
UM, I THINK THAT WAS THE LAST POLL ITEM THAT WE HAVE STAFF.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US ON THIS ITEM 43.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY OTHER
[E. Executive Session Discuss legal issues related to open government matters (Private consultation with legal counsel - Section 551.071 of the Government Code). E1. Discuss legal issues related to Reagan National Advertising, Inc. et al v. City of Austin, Cause No. 1:17-cv-00673-RP, in the United States District Court, Western District of Texas; 19-50354, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Texas (Private consultation with legal counsel-Section 551.071 of the Government Code).]
POLL ITEMS WHICH HAVE US THEN GOING TO A, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, TO TAKE UP TWO ITEMS PURSUANT TO FIVE, FIVE, ONE OH SEVEN.ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE COUNCIL IS GOING TO DISCUSS LEGAL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEMS EAT TOO, WHICH IS REAGAN NATIONAL ADVERTISING AND ITEM 31, UH, WHICH IS THE, UM, UH, ORDINANCE AMENDING CODE TO, UH, UH, AMANDA NORTH BURNETT GATEWAY REGULATING PLANT
[02:15:01]
HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN, UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION HERE AT 1118, WE'LL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.UH, AND I THINK AT THE END OF EXECUTIVE SESSION ONLY I'LL BE NEEDED TO COME BACK INTO THIS CHANNEL, UH, IN ORDER TO CLOSE THE, THE WORK SESSION OR COLLEAGUES.
UM, IT'S 1118, GIVE EVERYBODY A FIVE MINUTES TO HAVE A BATHROOM BREAK IF THEY WANT IT.
UH, AND IT, UH, 1125, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND RECONVENE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, SEE YOU THERE.
HM WE'RE OUT OF CLOSED SESSION.
AND IN CLOSED SESSION WE DISCUSSED LEGAL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEMS
UM, THEREFORE WON'T BE CONSIDERED, UH, BY THE, UH, BODY, UH, AT, UH, THE MEETING.
UH, SO, UH, DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY SPEAKERS SPEAKING, UH, ON THAT ITEM.
UH, THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM, UH, IS, UH, BEFORE, DURING THE BODY'S CONSIDERATION OF THE ITEM, UH, AND IT'S BEEN WITHDRAWN, UH, WITH THAT HERE AT 1251, UH, THIS COUNCIL MEETING IS WELL BEFORE WE DO THAT.
I ALSO WANT TO MENTION, UH, APPARENTLY THERE ARE SOME SCAM ARTISTS THAT ARE OUT IN THE CITY THAT ARE CALLING PEOPLE UP PURPORTING TO BE FROM AUSTIN ENERGY, TELLING HIM THAT THEY ARE AUSTIN ENERGY MONEY, AND TO MEET HIM AT THE SEVEN 11 OR SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GET SOME CASH FROM THEM.
I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT THAT'S A SCAM.
UH, AUSTIN ENERGY DOES NOT CALL PEOPLE TO THREATEN TURNING OFF THEIR POWER AND NOR DO THEY, UH, OFFERED TO COLLECT MONEY FROM PEOPLE.
UH, SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY DOES, UH, UH, THAT WAY.
IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL, UH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY.
AND WITH THAT AT 1252, THIS MEETING AS A JURY,