CITY COUNCIL AGENDA AUGUST 21, 2000 Austin City Council MINUTES SPECIAL CALLED METING MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 2000 The City Council of Austin, Texas, convened in a Special Called Meeting on Monday, August 21,2000 in Room 325, One Texas Center Building, 505 Barton Springs Road. Mayor Watson called the meeting to order at 11:07 a.m. 1. Approve an ordinance calling an election for November 7, 2000 for the voters to consider a proposition for the issuance of general obligation bonds for transportation construction and improvements. (Proposition one). Ordinance No. 000821-1 was approved on Council Member Slusher's motion, Mayor Watson's second by a 5-0 vote. Those voting aye were: Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tern Goodman, Council Members Alvarez, Slusher, and Wynn. Those abstaining were: Council Members Griffith and Thomas. 2. Approve an ordinance calling an election for November 7, 2000 for the voters to consider a proposition for the issuance of general obligation bonds for parks, recreational facilities and renovation. The motion to include $10 million in the parks proposition in the bond package for park acquisition was made by Council Member Griffith and seconded by Council Member Thomas. Council Member Griffith later changed this to $5 million, which was accepted by Council Member Thomas. It failed on a 3 to 4 vote. Those voting aye were: Council Members Alvarez, Griffith and Thomas. Those voting nay were: Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tern Goodman, Council Members Slusher and Wynn. The motion to include $6 million in the parks proposition in the bond package for a Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park failed on motion by Council Member Griffith, seconded by Council Member Thomas on a 3-3-1 vote. Those voting aye were: Council Members Alvarez, Griffith and Thomas. Those voting nay were: Mayor Watson, Council Member Slusher and Council Member Wynn. Mayor Pro Tern Goodman abstained. The motion to include $12 million in the parks proposition in the bond package for Colony Park failed on a motion by Council Member Griffith, seconded by Council Member Thomas failed on a 3-2-1 vote. Those voting aye were: Council Members Alvarez, Griffith and Thomas. Those voting nay were: Mayor Watson and Council Member Slusher. Mayor Pro Tern Goodman abstained. Council Member Wynn was off the dais. The motion to include $17 million in the park proposition in the bond package for a South Metropolitan Sports complex was made by Council Member Griffith and seconded by Council Member Thomas. CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 2 AUGUST 17, 2000 Council Member Slusher offered a substitute motion including all of the following: The road, sidewalk and pedestrian bonds approved earlier in the meeting; support for Council Member Alvarez' housing proposal without incurring additional debt; money for Colony Park by delaying the salamander breeding project one year and using the money for recreational amenities; funds in the operating budget next year to do master planning for Colony Park and for park needs east of 183; operating budget funds for park amenities; and that the $13.4 million in bonds that was returned by Austin Art Museum be used for matching funds for open spaces anywhere in the City but with preference in the Barton Springs, Walnut Creek or East Austin area. This was seconded by Mayor Pro Goodman. However, the Law Department indicated Council was posted to only discuss bonding propositions only. Therefore, the motion by Council Member Slusher, second by Mayor Pro Tern Goodman was only in regard to reallocating the $13.4 million from the Austin Art Museum for a matching fund park land acquisition program. The motion to allow the following amendment was made by Council Member Griffith, seconded by Council Member Thomas failed by a 2-5 vote. Those voting aye were: Council Members Griffith and Thomas. Those voting nay were: Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tern Goodman, Council Members Alvarez, Slusher and Wynn. Council Member Griffith's substitute motion was to include in the parks proposition: $25 million for East Austin parks, $5 million for matching funds for parkland acquisition, $10 million for renovations of existing park land and $30 million acquisition of park land in the Edwards* Aquifer and other environmental sensitive areas. Because the vote to allow this motion to be made failed, no action on the motion itself was taken. The Mayor offered a friendly amendment to Council Member Slusher's substitute motion as follows: in the backup entitled "Special Called Meeting #3," line 13 would read, " . . . acquiring and developing park land to preserve as open spaces in Barton Springs, Walnut Creek or East Austin; enhancing, constructing, improving, renovating, and equipping the Austin Public Parks system, related facilities, and acquiring land and interest in land and property for these purposes in Barton Springs, Walnut Creek or East Austin." After discussion with the bond counsel, the Mayor withdrew friendly amendments because of some legal implications. Council Member Slusher's substitute motion was for first and second readings of the proposition as presented in Council's backup material labeled "Special Called Meeting No. 3" with emphasis on Barton Springs and Walnut Creek but not limited to that area. Since the vote was 4-2-1, only the first reading of the motion could be approved. Those voting aye were Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tern Goodman, Council Members Alvarez and Slusher. Those voting nay were: Council Members Griffith and Wynn. Council Member Thomas abstained. 3. Approve an ordinance calling an election for November 7, 2000 for the voters to consider a proposition for the issuance of general obligation bonds for the acquisition of conservation land and open space throughout the Austin area and environmentally sensitive land over the Edwards Aquifer throughout the Austin area. This item was included in the final vote taken on No. 2 above. 4. Approve an ordinance calling an election for November 7, 2000 for the voters to consider a proposition for the issuance of general obligation bonds to support low and moderate income housing. The ordinance failed on Council Member Thomas' motion, Council Member Griffith's second by a 2-5 vote. Those voting aye were Council Members Griffith and Thomas. Those CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 3 AUGUST 17, 2000 voting nay were: Mayor Watson, Mayor Pro Tern Goodman, Council Members Alvarez, Slusher and Wynn. 5. Approve an ordinance establishing convenants with the voters with respect to one or more bond propositions to be considered by the voters at the election called for that purpose on November 7, 2000. Action on this item was postponed to Thursday, August 24,2000. The motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:58 p.m. was approved on Council Member Slusher's motion, Council Member Griffith's second by a 7-0 vote. The minutes for Special Called Meetings of August 21, 2000 and August 23, 2000 and Regular Meeting of August 24, 2000 were approved as part of the consent agenda on Council Member Thomas' motion, Mayor Pro Tern Goodman's second by a 6-0 vote. Mayor Watson was absent.