City Council Regular Meeting Transcript – 08/18/2016 Title: ATXN 24/7 Recording Channel: 6 - ATXN Recorded On: 8/18/2016 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 8/18/2016 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ================================== [10:26:46 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Are we about ready to begin? Let's begin first with an invocation. Pastor Jim Cassidy of the south Austin presbyterian church. If everyone would please rise for the invocation. >> Thank you for the kind invitation to lead god's people in prayer today. I invite all those who are united in Christ to join me in prayer. Let's pray. We thank you, oh father, for the rulers you give us to maintain good order, peace and justice. We pray that you would be pleased to bless this council, bless them individually and as a whole. We ask for each individual that they would truly know Christ and be known by him. And we ask for their rulings together to be to the glory of him who alone is king of kings and lord of lords. We would further pray that in every decision they make they would willingly and insearly bow their knee to the supreme ruler of all things, Jesus Christ. We ask that his grace would rest with each and every one of them, enabling them to deliberate with wisdom, justice and equity. Lastly we confess that we have sinned and fallen short of your glory. Forgive us for the sake of the atoning work of Christ on the cross who gave himself for our sins. We pray these things in the name of him who was dead, but who is now raised again and lifted up to the right hand of god where he reigns over all things in his church, even Jesus, amen. >> Mayor Adler: All right, council. I'm going to go ahead and call to order this council meeting on Thursday, August 18th, 2016. We are in the city council chambers at 301 west second street. The time is 10:28. [10:28:47 AM] We have a quorum. Council, on the changes and corrections it should be noted that items 15, 44, 62, 63 and 65 were all recommended by the electric utility commission on August 15th, 2016 with a vote of 9-0 with commissioners penginszi and Roya off the dais. I understand that items number 42, 46 and 47 have been withdrawn. Item number 76, the event, the the data of the united farm worker event, has been -- is Sunday, September 11th and not Saturday, September 10th. On item number 87 there was recommended by the electric utility commission on a vote of 6-3-2 with vice-chair hidebrushy creek and five others voting in fair and two voting against. And chair Hayden and commissioner Fath abstaining item number 93 recommended by the water and wastewater commission on a 7-1 vote with commissioner Blanding voting against and commissioner mexia abstain. Commissioners castlebarry and barker were absent. And item number 94 we had talked about at 4:00 when that item gets called requesting that be set for a 6:00 P.M. Time certain. [10:30:56 AM] >> Zimmerman: What item again. >> Mayor Adler: 94. I want to talk to those items just for a second if I can. There are two items that are on our agenda today that seem to be having a lot of work being done, a lot of new amendments being proposed. I'm getting lit up with emails and calls from people that are urging us not to actually act on final action on something that is in flux and they haven't had a chance to see and respond to. And those two items, the two, the lobby measure and the tenant relocation measure both seem to be in that regard. So I want to try to get a sense, if it's possible, and I don't know, where council is on whether or not it makes sense on both those items to approve them on first reading, keep the record -- public record open so that work can continue to be done so that the public can come back when there are more pieces that are happening. Mr. Renteria, the tenant relocation is yours. Can you tell me what you think about that? >> I have no problem approving it on first reading as long as we have -- we bring it back in a couple of weeks. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. What about the lobby bill? >> Pool: Thanks, mayor. I was hoping to hear from people who came today on that topic, and was planning to offer it for first reading only. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, thank you. Ms. Gallo? >> Gallo: I think we do, particularly with the lobby, some of the comments we've been hearing in our office is what might make sense also is because I believe the ethics commission reviewed the reduce, but they haven't -- the resolution, but haven't had a chance to review the ordinance being proposed -- >> Mayor Adler: Could you speak into the microphone? >> Gallo: Or the amendments that my understanding are being proposed. So might possibly if we're doing it on first reading, also make sure that it goes back to the ethics commission to be reviewed before it comes back to us with second and third reading. [10:33:05 AM] That might be helpful in some of the questions and concerns and get them to have a chance to see kind of the final thing that will come to us. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. And I would support moving -- I think they're both important pieces of resolution ordinance for us to work with, so I would support those things being approved on first reading and then moving forward with giving people a chance to engage in that conversation, but also getting it back to us so we can finally act on them as well. Does anybody need to say anything else? Okay. Let's look at the agenda that we have. Items pulled off the consent agenda, it looks like item number 49 is being pulled by speakers. Item number 49 is the Travis county economic violence and -- domestic violence and sexual assault center grant. 49 will be pulled and not the consent agenda, by the way is items 1 through 80. So 49 is being pulled by speakers. We also have Mr. Zimmerman pulling items 9, 48 and 58. We have items being pulled by me, item 23 and item 73 and 74. That is the ordinance and resolution relating to the transportation bond. [10:35:06 AM] It's my intent to take those things up after we're done with consent. With consent agenda. Mayor pro tem is pulling item 25, also 30 and 64. And then councilmember Garza is pulling item 54, 59 and 75. And item number 55 being pulled by councilmembers Garza and kitchen. So I'm showing the items being pulled as items 9, 23, 25, 30. I'm showing 42 being withdrawn. 46 and 47 being withdrawn. 48 and 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 64, 73, 74 and 75. Being pulled. Yes, mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: Mayor, I apologize if you read this, but I believe 21 should be pulled for speakers as well. >> Mayor Adler: 21, which is the lobby ordinance is pulled. Sorry. >> Tovo: And then I have a quick, very quick question to ask about 19. [10:37:17 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Okay. We'll have some people to speak on the consent agenda. Do you want to ask your question before we have those speakers speak? >> Tovo: Your choice. >> Mayor Adler: Let's pull down the speakers so we can do that real fast. Is Mr. Pena here today? Why don't you come down? Is Mr. Wiggins here today? Yes? >> Troxclair: I just have a couple of quick items for number 63. >> Mayor Adler: By wait, I do not see Mr. Wiggins present. >> Troxclair: Could I pull 63 and 65? >> Mature, could you tell me -- mayor, could you tell me which items I'm allowed to speak on. >> Mayor Adler: I have you on 38, 51 and 71. >> Yeah, good morning. Gus Pena speaking on item number 38. This is having to do with the department of family and protective services. This is something that really hits home to us because as a former counselor for gardner-betts also it is something that we're trying to prevent juvenile delinquency and juvenile crime also. So any kind of funding that can be afforded to these type of programs we fully support. We need to hit kids in school, keep them in school and out of trail and out of harm's way. So item number 38 is right on target. And I would hope that the city council increases the budget. It's very important to keep the kids out of problems. And I think that's all I have. Mayor pro tem, I think she mentioned about item number 21. Is that off for speakers or later on or what? >> Mayor Adler: That's being pulled? >> Am I able to or not? [10:39:17 AM] >> Mayor Adler: You will be able to speak later. >> Item 38 is the only one I will speak to. And you said item 49 has been pulled for -- >> Mayor Adler: For speakers. >> Right now or later? >> Mayor Adler: You can speak on it later. >> I will speak on it later. >> Mayor Adler: 38, 41 and 71. >> I got that. Increase the funding if you can for juvenile delinquency, it's very important to keep kids in school. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, sir. Is Lindsey Davis here? Lindsey Davis. Is David king here? Mr. King. I have you to speak on item number 27. >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers. I'm speaking on item number 27 regarding the economic development agreements. And I'm surprised that there's no fiscal note attached to this that tells the taxpayers how much of our money is going to be used to monitor compliance with these 380 and 381 agreements and how much money is going to be spent for a third-party to do that analysis. So I think the taxpayers need to know how much these programs cost us, in addition to the taxpayer incentives that these companies are getting. I think for transparency we need to have that information. I hope that one of you will ask that questions so the taxpayers will know how much money is going to be required for compliance in monitoring these agreements. And the other thing, I think it's interesting to note that some of these corporations that are getting these tax incentives, you know, they're creating impacts on our community that they're not paying for. And so on the agenda today we've got the tenant relocation that we're talking about. Again, the taxpayers are going to initiate the funding for that, not the corporations causing these impacts. So I think if we look at the whole picture here we shouldn't be given these incentives and I'm glad that this council has not approved any new incentives and I hope you will stick with that policy and going forward make sure that corporations do pay for the share of the impact they have on our community. [10:41:21 AM] Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Those are all the speakers we had on the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? And let's get the motion first and then we'll ask for people to weigh in? Mr. Zimmerman moves approval of consent. Is there a second? Ms. Garza? Does anybody want the record to reflect any particular positions? Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'll be voting for the consent agenda with the exception of the items you identified as pulled or withdrawn with these exceptions. I'm abstaining from items 2 through 5, against items 12 and 13, abstaining from 14 through 19, abstaining from 21, abstaining from 24, against 27, abstaining from 28 and 29, against items 31 through 36, against 39 through 41, against 43 and 44, abstaining 45, abstaining from 49 through 52, abstaining from 57, abstaining from 60 through 62, abstaining from 66, abstaining from 71, and abstaining from 76. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, mayor pro tem. >> Tovo: Mayor, I said I had a quick question about 19. I actually didn't. I had a quick question about 29. So I would like to put 19 back on the consent approval list and if it's possible to ask my quick question on 29, I could do that now. >> Mayor Adler: Let's go ahead and do that. Is staff here to answer a quick question on 29? [10:43:23 AM] >> Tovo: So my quick question is this: This is an item to adopt the revised cultural arts program exhibition series guidelines. I just had a quick question about the guideline referring to the people's choice and how that's selected. And I just wondered if that was a new process or if that is how it's always done, which is a mix of -- as I understood from the rules it's a mix of community feedback weighed against the cost and other considerations. >> Yes, good morning. Sylvana Rabb. It is based on votes of people who come through the gallery and cast their votes compared to the cost of the item purchased. >> Tovo: Thank you. I always thought it was popular vote, but it makes sense that it would be against other considerations like if the city could afford it. >> Correct. >> Tovo: And am I correct in that the actual purchase is done, it says, from hotel-motel tax. Is that through the cultural arts portion or through the more general tourism and promotion fund? >> Through the cultural arts portion. >> Tovo: Okay. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Ms. Houston? >> Houston: Mayor, please show me abstaining on 17. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Ms. Troxclair? >> Troxclair: I would like to be shown voting no on items 2 and 17. And then abstaining from items 3, 4, 5, 11, 27, 32, 34, 35, 46, 54, 55, 64, 71 and 76. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. [10:45:24 AM] Yes, Ms. Gallo? >> Gallo: If you would show me voting for on all of the consent items except showing as abstaining on 17, 20, 28, 39 and 57. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Anyone else? It's been moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda, which one last time does not -- it's items 1 through 80, but does not include items 9, 21, 23, 25, 30, 42 as it's being withdrawn, 46 and 47 being withdrawn. Also being pulled 48, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 63, 64, -- did you also pull 65? 65 and 73, 74 and 75. Okay. Those in favor of the consent agenda please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais with the exceptions and notices given. >> Tovo: Mayor, I was going to ask if we would be taking up the non-consent committee item, 82, if that doesn't seem like it would be a fast one? And I think councilmember troxclair said she had quick questions on those other three. I don't know how quick they are, if we could knock those >> Mayor Adler: We could certainly try to do that. Item number 82 is the density bonus item. Is there a motion to approve item number 82? [10:47:28 AM] Mr. Renteria makes that motion. Is there a second? Mayor pro tem. This is the -- asking the staff to take a look at density bonuses. Is there any discussion on this item? Mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: I just want to very quickly say that I think the committee made some good recommendations and as I said at the committee, there were some other pieces of the density bonus program that the staff looked at in the report that I am going to bring forward separately because I think they're ready to advance. So I want to give the council head's up that some of the recommendations are talking about further stakeholder processes, but -- and I'm happy to support this today, but I do believe there's action we can take beyond that and I'm poised to do so. >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to support this motion, density bonus program resolution as it set out in part because I see it is not being print active. I think it -- prescriptive, I think it stated the general goals that we want to true this up and make it uniform. We want to try to get to the place where we actually have a policy being implement and used by folks. That we favor actually having affordable housing on site. But I think that this is non-prescriptive and broad enough so as to allow lots of different ideas, even competing good ideas to be discussed by the stakeholder groups and ultimately I look forward to seeing what the staff's recommendation is on those items, including those where we know there may well be competing views that are taken. There are speakers signed up for this so we can't -- we have one speaker, Mr. King, do you want to speak on this? [10:49:29 AM] >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers. My name is David king. I live in the zilker neighborhood. I really appreciate that we're trying to find ways to solve our affordable housing crisis. I do. But I don't know that this tool is going to get us there. And I hate to be critical about a program that's trying to do good, but it's not effective. We've produced so few affordable housing units with the few density bonus programs that we have. And what does the community have to give up? Some trees, more impervious cover, increase the risk of flooding, compatibility standards, densifying our neighborhoods. Those impacts that we're giving up for so little benefit. So I would ask that the scope of this task force include some soul searching to say is the program really worth it? Shouldn't we look for ordeals? What more do we have to give up for developers to participate in the program? Higher buildings next to single-family, fewer setbacks, cut down more trees, more impervious cover. What more community benefits do we have to give up to get affordable housing? And the families that will occupy these units, why do they have to compromise on the good environment, on protection from flooding, on being in cramped, small quarters? Why do they have to compromise on that and why doesn't the resolution talk about how to make single-family detached housing affordable housing. Why is it only about high density apartments that are tiny? Really not suited for families. So I know this is an important issue, but I think the scope of this should be different, to look at is this effective, period, and how much do we have to give up and what are we going to get in return? We need to look at other tools. This one is not the right tool. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [10:51:32 AM] Further discussion on the density bonus resolution? Mr. Zimmerman? >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I am going to vote to move this forward because I want to see what the ordinance changes might look like. Very likely that I would be voting against them based on past history and what's happened in prior rounds for these kinds of edits, but I want to support my colleagues to move this forward and see what comes out of staff for recommendations. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Any Kurth discussion on this item? -- Any further discussion on this item? Those in favor of item 82 please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous on the -- troxclair abstaining, others voting aye, it passes 10-o-1. I am going to pull up the mobility things next. Ms. Troxclair has asked for a quick executive session. We're going to stop now and come back you out. We're going to take a five, 10 minute recess. Okay. So thank you. City council will go into closed session to take up one item, pursuant to section 551.071 of the government code, city council will discuss the item number 84 legal issues related to the general obligation bond election. So we'll take a quick recess and let's go back and then come back out. [11:34:57 AM] [Executive session] [Music playing] [12:00:51 PM] : [12:04:14 PM] >> Tovo: Good automaker. I'm mayor pro tem Kathie tovo. We have concluded our discussion on legal matters. [Music playing] We're now out of executive session and would like to call up citizens communication. Our first -- our first individual who signed up to speak is fanny akingbala, speaking in support of capital idea. Welcome. You will have three minutes. Followed by Melinda caudle and John goldstone is third. So welcome. Glad to have you with us. >> Thank you. My name is fanny akingbala. I'm a leader with Austin interfaith, a member of the ebenezer Baptist church and a board member for capital idea. I'm here to thank you for your long-term support and funding for capital idea. I'm here because I come from a background similar to that of capital idea participants. I'm in a first generation to attend college in my family, but I had to leave home to do it. The resources and support just wasn't in my community to assist me. I know that the path from being disadvantaged to successful is not always easy and a lonely road when you walk it alone. Capital idea provides the essential support services, students with many barriers and challenges need when they commit to furthering their education. I was with Austin interfaith when capital idea was created in 1988. I recall those days clearly. The excitement and somberness of potential program participants as they sat down with leaders to talk about their career needs and desires and the barriers to achieving them. I experienced the joy and excitement of the early graduates and their families as they completed their job training, got hired and some with bonuses in the health care field. [12:06:25 PM] Those few founding students provided the basis from which we have grown and I am immensely proud of capital idea and the 1,300 participants and new careers and on pathways to success because of capital idea. Those 1,300 participants have created a brighter future not only for themselves but for their children and their communities at large. Last year the ray Marshall center looked at children of parents receiving capital idea services. Of the 64 high school seniors in the sample, roughly 70% enrolled in college directly after graduating from high school. This is compared to 45% regionally for low-income students. When we educate a parent, we are also educating their children. Capital idea addresses two community needs. The need for low-earning, unemployed adults to receive the training they need to obtain a good job with benefits and an opportunity for advancement. It also addresses the needs of the central Texas health care and information technology communities to have access to a well-trained, diverse locally based workforce to fill high-demand jobs. These two fields -- [buzzer sounding] Are the most sought after of the candidates of capital idea. Our idea of recruitment, education, job training and job placement is answering a deep need for skilled employees in this area. We need needed -- needed this 20 years ago and especially now with the climbing cost of living in the central Texas area. Thank you for your long-term support of families in our community. [12:08:26 PM] [Applause] Thank you. >> Tovo: Thank you. Melinda caudle. Again next is John goldstone. >> Thank you for having us here today. My name is Melinda caudle, a board member on capital idea and the president and owner of an I.T. Company in Austin. We do custom software application and staffing. When I was first approached by capital idea to be a board member and learned about the mission, it resonated with me largely because my mom and I both took pretty nontraditional paths to get our college degrees. I like to say I was on the 25-year plan and then to get our careers going. And so the idea that if you can find people who are willing to really work hard and you can help them, then they can make a difference in their community and they can change their family's lives. And as a kind of a more analytical business person, you know, the other thing that I really liked about it is we're making more taxpayers, right? We're getting people off of assistance programs. We're helping them to build for their families so that they can afford the housing that's so expensive in Austin and better food and better education for their children, and I really like that. When I first started with capital idea, most of the career paths were about health, and as a person who faints at the sight of blood, I appreciated that, that they were willing to do those jobs and it wasn't something that I was ever going to do and so when we started to investigate the tech track, I could really get excited about that because I couldn't do the other thing and I love tech and it's what my business does and I'm very aware of the competition that we have each and every day for technical people in that Austin must build a pipeline of technical folks. What a wonderful opportunity to have home-grown people who understand the culture, who understand Austin, who have a history and roots here in Austin and get them into a pipeline of being developers and testers and network admins and have them help their families and our community in that way and not always have to be importing that talent from outside of the area. [12:10:45 PM] So I have invested my time and my money in this program for all the reasons that I just said. It's really -- it hits my values. I like it that it helps families, it raises them up and from a hard-nosed business perspective I like that it lowers my taxes by having more taxpayers and so I encourage you to continue to learn more about capital idea and to continue to invest in this program because it truly does make a huge difference for those people who are willing to step up and do the hard work, and it is hard work when you are in the situation some of these folks are in to commit to everything that capital idea demands from them to be successful in the long run. And I thank you for your time. >> Tovo: Thank you. [Applause] Mr. Goldstone. John goldstone is speaking about the mobility bond. Brenda Masias. >> My name is John goldstone, a voting taxpayer and borrower in the city of Austin and I like bike lanes. This speech's main point is truth in lending. I return and see you are voting on putting a $720 million bond on the ballot for November. I see you've used the new 10-1 system to it fullest extent. You get some, you get some, like a bunch of drunken sailors. You may remember when I begged the council to recommend to constituents to vote no on the Travis county museum quality courthouse bond. You may also remember that I consistently yelled and yelled about process because if the process is flawed, we borrowers have no choice but to vote no on a loan you are asking us to pay with property taxes and rents. I feel we are in our version of the big short, showing us adjustible rate mortgages that is nowhere the the loan documents. You have used the memo from staff and power point. [12:12:46 PM] The statesman, chronicle and community impact have been exclaiming the $56 per year for $250,000 house. From the top of page 4 of the memo. Based on an increase in the tax rate of two and a quarter cents. This number stinks. And it does not accurately reflect the additional tax to $250,000 property owner to repay this bond at full funding. The full bond payment, by the way, based on the city's own numbers of $115 billion total property, 20-year bond, two times we are year, 5% interest rate, which is estimates is $58 million per year. >> I'm not the smartest nut in the pile but when I see a number like 56 per year I start to frown as this is not the multi expected to see when compared to numbers at the courthouse. 37.50 for a 287 million- dollar loan. It does not smell good. The only way a borrower can make an informed decision about whether to borrow the money is look at the actual number for repayment. Tells the borrower if we all had to pay back this loan what is my portion of the obligation. It's the first decision making threshold. If the process is flawed, numbers misleading we must vote no based on a failed process. Well, all of you better completely understand how these numbers work because you have already spewed them to constituents and are going to have to explain these same numbers over the next two mafia months. You do not want me to be able to accuse you of lying by confusion, misdirection or omission. Please be honest and transparent which means clear, by the way. Truth in lending and let the measure live or die on its merits with a real repayment number at full funding. And don't let it die because of a flawed process. Thank you. >> Tovo: Thank you, Mr. Goldstone. Ms. Masias. [12:14:52 PM] That is Brenda Masias speaking on thank you for the city investment. Why see her. Mr. Walter Olenick. Water fluoridation. Next up will be Rae nadler-olenick speaking on water fluoridation. William. >> Good morning. I have a short clip. I thought you might like to see it. Be nice to have sound.a in the way that calcium magnesium and other supplements are. You can't even buy fluoride supplements over the counter. You can only get them from a prescription. Fluoride is not an essential nutrient. You don't need to swallow any fluoride to maintain good health. It is crucial to know that according to a recent letter from the fda, federal law is violated because the F.D.A. Has never approved the drugs for use. Yet the drugs are being prescribed to millions throughout the U.S. And still being sold from the nation's largest pharmacies, including walgreen's, cva, rite-aid. We need your help to remove these unapproved drugs from the shelf. The primary benefit of teeth comes from topical application to the outside of the teeth, such as from brushing and rinsing, not from ingestion. [12:16:56 PM] There is no need for children to swallow any fluoride, whether in drops, tablets or in water. It is not effective and potentially dangerous. It is known as a neurotoxin. Ingesting fluoride in early childhood may cause learning problems, other potentials, including bone fragility, bone cancer and dental fluorosis. That is a mineral defect in tooth enamel, caused by excessive ingestion of fluoride in childhood. Based on what we now know about fluoride we need to reduce the intake of fluoride, not increase it. Removing unapproved, ineffective dangerous fluoride items from the market is a way to do that. You can put an end to this practice by sharing these facts with others. You don't need to swallow fluoride in any form, whether in tablets, drops, lossenges or any other form. It is particularly harmful for young children. Flourid are prescription drugs never approved by the F.D.A. >> Thank you, Mr. Ulnick. Next Mr. Ulnick speaking on water fluoridation. And followed by Emily valleth -- Val eggas. >> Well, I was going to elaborate on what Dr. Cole was talking about since the city has language promoting the same unapproved, illegal supplements on its website and its water reports. But I suddenly realized an anniversary worth noting is coming up. [12:19:00 PM] Exactly a year ago tomorrow, the city council through its city system. Threw away the opportunity to have a fair and open hearing on water fluoridation, which the public deserves. Now, on August 19, last year, the public utilities committee and the health and human services committee met jointly to take up a discussion of water fluoridation that had been -- begun at PUC's previous meeting in June, when Mr. Zimmerman was interim chairman. August session was chaired by council woman Garza. In view of the fact that fluoride is potential to harm children, especially during the very vulnerable six months is well known. The fact that Ms. Garza was returning from maternity leave, there was hope that a new mother would express concern or at least curiosity. However, that didn't happen, Ms. Garza shut down discussion as others have in the past, by announcing that there would be no back and forth and she also expressed the opinion that it is appropriate to dose the city's entire population, including tooth little newborns with fluoride because it would be impossible to force every single family to use fluoride toothpaste, to brush with fluoride toothpaste. These comments are on the city's archives and on the fluoride-free Austin website and the accessible forum. [12:21:03 PM] Will you show that, please. Yeah. The caption is in the way. There is a yellow button called reading room. If you -- fluoride reading room, press that button. And you go to -- next slide -- right up here, the upper left, there are video links. Click on that, and here are a bunch of extracts from those -- both of those meetings, especially the second as well as the meetings [beep] In their entirety. I hope you will enjoy them. Thank you. >> Thank you. All right. Next is Emily Viegas. You are followed by Paul Robbins, after Paul Robbins, Carla wilkinfield. >> Good afternoon, I would like to thank every person here for time and attention and for the city's investment in me. I'm here to share with you the impact that capital idea program can have on an individual's life. I have been with the program four years now, and I can personally attest to the fact that this program has the ability to change lives. I was 17 years old when I became a single mother, and my situation was difficult for me and my family. My father decided it was best for me to focus on the welfare of my child and less on education. He pulled me from high school and prevented me from walking the stage with friends and fellow classmates. For me, walking the stage to receive my high school diploma meant everything. Now that would never happen. Disappointed doesn't begin to describe how that made me feel. With the barriers I faced I felt I would never become a professional or provide for my son or myself the way I wanted to. I heard of the capital idea from a friend and thought it was worth looking into. [12:23:06 PM] I was a full-time medical assistant working in general surgery. I loved what I was doing, my parents were proud of me. I knew I wanted me. I never told them I was contemplating continuing my education. I wasn't sure at that point I had what it took to become a nurse. I made an appointment with the career navigator with the program and explained the program in its entirety to me. She explained the program and believed in me. She provided me with the tools necessary to get into the program and to succeed. Without her help and encouragement and encouragement from all the counselors and Steve Jacobs, I would not be standing here today telling you I'm graduating this fall as a nurse. I'm honored and grateful for the support. [Applause] I am honored and grateful for their support and support, because of this I will provide a better future and better life for my son. It feels good to know I'm setting an example for him. My dedication and joy to get things done motivates him as well. He works hard on schoolwork. I feel like him seeing me talk about my goals and take steps to accomplish the goals will have a heavy influence on him to pursue a higher education. In addition to the difference this program is making at home I will make a difference in our community. As a productive and contributing member of this society I'm committed in participating in a special grant program that allows me to give back to the community by working in hospitals and clinics that serve high-needs underserved populations of our community. I'm passionate about the work in the nursing field and passionate about the fact that my work will help people and save lives. I want to say how excited I am that for the first time I will be able to walk across the stage. I would also like to close by thanking staff at capital idea and the city board members who make this program possible. For believing in me and many others like me. And for giving encouragement I needed to be here today. [12:25:09 PM] [Beep] [Applause] >> Thank you for sharing your story. You will be followed by Carla willinfield. And the last speaker for today will be aquaisi Evans. >> Council, at the meeting on Monday about the rate, I was speaking of not giving an out of city rate to ratepayers, saying it was unfair. I could have been clearer on one of my points and I will take the opportunity to clarify. Austin energy pays a franchise fee outside of the city limits, including west wood, bk, and there are eight cities in all. This amounted to about $1.2 million in fiscal year 2011. I'm trying to get updated figures for 2015. But I suspect it has gone up. Out of city ratepayers who are represented by homeowners united for rate fairness, protests that Austin should not use their ratepayer dollars to fund city services, yet these same entities are using Austin dollars to their franchise fee to fund city services. When you add the franchise fee to the proposed rate, rate for out of city ratepayers, it totals $7 million. In 2013, when I analyzed this, I found than west lake hills, who is receiving a rate break and a franchise fee was getting more money than if their entire proportion to the ratepayers were removed. [12:27:29 PM] The ratepayers were essentially getting electricity below cost. This is all said to urge you, again, to vote against the discount for out of city ratepayers, in the upcoming rate case. On a separate district, I spoke to several of you about item 54. The solex contract that aministers customer assistance program. I urged you to eliminate the $50,000 budgeted to identify multiple properties to ask them to opt-out. Or if you change the tariff to prohibit them from participating. I spoke with Austin energy after I spoke with you all, and Austin energy said that they were fine [beep]. >> Tovo: You can finish your sentence. >> They were fine with voluntarily holding this $50,000 in abeyance until they could work something out that would deal with the complaint. >> Tovo: Thank you, Mr. Robbins. We are -- this is labeled as city and budget issues. So if you have particular questions for Mr. Robbins, this is probably not a good opportunity to do so. To ask them. But - - >> Zimmerman: It addresses the issue. >> Tovo: It is later on the agenda, the solex contract. >> I will try to hang here as long as we it. >> Tovo: We appreciate that. Brenda Macias. Did Brenda Macias arrive? Carla wilkinfield. [12:29:37 PM] >> Hello, my name is Carla wilkinfield. I am a native Texan and I live downtown. I love Texas and I like Austin too. I like the values Austin has. I walk every morning, about two or three miles all downtown. As I walk downtown, I noticed there is -- there seems to be a disconnect between the building owners, property owners and the vision for the historic downtown -- what people have the vision for downtown Austin. What to do and how to improve the main street of Texas. It is a give and take plan. What we would do is first give tax incentives to the building owners. Also remove some of the stumbling blocks and the paperwork and some of the costs of renovation. And to revine -- refine the codes so they would encourage them to get nurture new businesses, to come to downtown. There is 15 empty storefronts. That's what they give. The take would be, this is the most important part, I think, is we need an empty storefront. To be in the historic district. In this empty storefront property tax, they would -- it would be high enough -- that's important -- high enough to get the vendors in there and benefit from the taxes of the tourists every day. That's one of the main things I wanted to talk about. [12:31:38 PM] And I think if we work together, that we could make the Austin vibe a reality, and make it the main street of Texas that all of Texas would be proud of. And I really want to thank you for this opportunity. Because I know that a lot of city councils don't give everybody a chance to speak. Especially just a citizen. So thank you very much. >> Tovo: Thank you so very much for coming down here to share your ideas today. I believe we have some members of our youth council here today. We want to welcome you. Would you stand so we can thank you for your service to the city of Austin. [Applause] >> Tovo: Thank you, Dr. Eugene for all the work that you do for that program. The last speaker for today is Mr. Aquasi Evans. Mr. Evans is speaking on respect and reciprocity for minority businesses. >> Thank you mayor and honorable councilmembers. >> My name is aquasi Evans. I am a business member here in the city of Austin. My friends, I and my associate are experiencing discrimination in this city every single day. We believe you have an responsibility to address the enduring legacy of benign neglect. You are elected to represent all of us, so we feel it's your responsibility to address this internationally embarrassing expulsion of African- Americans from Austin city limits and its economy. I'm an entrepreneur and a political activist. My weekly newspaper the observer will celebrate its 29th anniversary, next week, a week from today. After almost three decades in business it is less solid than it was several decades. [12:33:42 PM] The money spent in the community is not reciprocated. The Austin municipal government sets the example for how much economic pie black Austin should expect to receive. The proposed city budget for 2016-2017 for black media in Austin is less than 2%. We still have 8% population, so we get 25% of that in representation in the city's budget for advertising. That is reflective of the level of economic underdevelopment that should no longer be tolerated or supported in this city. Nothing we do seems to be good enough to earn a fair and just opportunity to be a part of the economy. More than half of the black businesses that were in existence in the 1990s are long gone. And the few of us that are still left are barely lingering and hanging on because of lack of reciprocity. You go down to 11th street, you see the historic victory grill. Right across the street is a new restaurant that has been there less than two years. It is packed. Nobody walks across the street to buy lunch at the victory grill. That has to be addressed. People act like the exclusion of African-Americans is something that should be accepted and taken for granted. It's been accepted for too long. Too many people are hurting who deserve a fair opportunity. Too many people are being denied that are contributing to the city. You have an obligation and responsibility. Does anybody think we don't have a racial problem in this city? We have a racial problem in this city? Why is that not an agenda item? We need to discuss it. We can't reconcile if we don't talk about it. Race is a terrible problem in Austin. No counselor I have seen in -- councillor has every bothered to discuss it. Is it that insignificant you don't want to discuss it? [12:35:44 PM] Put on the agenda. Make race an agenda item. Let's have a discussion, please. Thank you for your time. >> Tovo: Thank you, Mr. Evans we appreciate you being here today. Brenda Macias. Ok. Mayor, that concludes our last speaker for citizens communications. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. We have one item that I want to call quickly, I think Mr. Gurnsy may be leaving us for the afternoon. I want to call that. Is don here? We need don for that one. Is don here? >> [Indiscernible] >> Mayor Adler: Everybody moved on the dais. >> It has to do with the extension of the concrete, item 48. >> Mayor Adler: You had a question, let's do that. >> Zimmerman: You want to do 48? So the issue on this -- I've got an overhead, if we could please bring that up. Item 48, if you could put that up. I'm not understanding the order we're taking things, so I'm out of sorts. There we go. I want to go back to the highlighted numbers here. Information item 48. March 36, 2014. Highlighted line. Another action June 18. September 17, December 17, I can't see because of the -- the transcript. Anyway, let's go ahead and jump to the second one. The bottom line here, we've been kicking this can down the road for -- let's see, March 31, 2015. [12:37:52 PM] If we can't get this right in a year and a half, let's not -- it's time to give up. Year and a half of kicking the can down the road. I wanted to point that out to my colleagues and ask them, you know, what if we can't get to a resolution, we should stop doing there. >> Mayor Adler: Do you know where we are on this. >> Mayor and council, I actually have an agreement of the party, that represent the residents downtown. One of the major contractors. Also an agreement with daa, Dana. We're actually at the homestretch of this. And that is the only problem I have is the enforcement portion of this. We brought to you, I think, two different recommendations. We went back to committee, a couple different times. I was asked to go back to stakeholders. The stakeholders have been holding meetings by themselves. And so give me one more shot, I see. If I can't, I'll just give up. I'm certainly -- this isn't a lot of pleasure in this for me, either. But I think, if we can figure out how to enforce the ordinance, then I think you will probably get there. I told the stakeholders I would bring this back September 22 or October 6. Hopefully we can get it fine-tuned. They've asked both the industry folks, Dana, and some of the residents have asked to tweak the ordinance a couple little places that weren't in the ordinance that you saw last week. But the big problem is the enforcement portion as I understand it, we are unable to enforce the ordinance that all the parties had agreed on. That's the part I'm trying to tweak right now. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. Yes, mayor pro tem. >> Tovo: I would like to move approval of item 48, acknowledging the point that councilmember Zimmerman made, it has been in progress for a long time. [12:40:03 PM] I'm grateful to Mr. Gurnsy for the work he's doing. I know he's reaching a resolution. I know joy harden on my staff will be glad to see a resolution as will the rest of us. She's gone to most of the meetings you have mentioned. Good news, it looks like there is a resolution that a lot of parties are happy about. I look forward to seeing an ordinance before us that we can enforce. >> Mayor Adler: Great. Item number 48 has been moved and seconded by Ms. Pool. Any discussion? Mr. Zimmerman? >> Zimmerman: I would like to speak against. I do admire the tenacity of staff in station on this. And trying to get something done. But again, I just want to urge my colleagues, after this many kicking the cans down the road, it may be time to hit the reset button and start over. I will vote no. I encourage a no-vote on this. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. Item 48 is moved and seconded. No further discussion. Those in favor, raise your hand. Those opposed. Mr. Zimmerman voting no, the others on the dais voting aye. Now, before lunch, I will try to call up the bond items. We have one speaker. There are three items, there is the ordinance itself, which is item 21. The resolution, which is posted by both me and councilmember kitchen. We're going to call those up, speaking on those, we have one speaker, Mr. King, do you want to speak? >> Tovo: Could somebody identify. We have gotten several amendments. One of them doesn't have a -- I'm trying to review them. I need to know who this is from. >> Mayor Adler: What we have before us are these items. With respect to item 23, 23 the bond language -- what we have before us was approved on second and third reading last week. [12:42:12 PM] That document was not handed out, because it was posted and in the backup. That document came to us from staff. That is the ordinance language they changed that they gave us a memo on. The next item, with respect to the resolution, councilmember kitchen and I are in agreement that what we'll be offering for the resolution is what was posted on the bulletin board. There is a red line that has been given to you on that, which incorporates the changes from council. And there are three amendments being proposed to that red-line document that says bulletin board on the front. Two of those amendments are amendments that councilmember kitchen and I agree to. That have been handed out. One of them, they're both identified as item number 74. One is called Adler amendment, and the other one is called adler-kitchen amendment B. Both of those are ones that councilmember kitchen and I will be urging adoption. In addition to that, handed out to you was a third amendment to the resolution, which is going to be offered, I think by councilmember troxclair, related to the calculator page. Yes. And that's also 74. All three of the amendments -- I'm sorry. Ms. Gallo is making that -- I had it backwards. So the ordinance -- this is amendment to be made by Gallo. An amendment by Gallo. It says amendment for draft mobility bond resolution, which begins with the word "City manager." That is an amendment offered by councilmember Gallo. Ok? >> Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> We're discussing item -- we're on 23 now? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. There are some -- I will see if we can discuss both the resolution and the ordinance at the same time because some people's votes on one are conditioned on votes of the other. So I will try to do them both, but in a way that is not confusing. [12:44:15 PM] But with respect to 23, which is the ordinance -- >> I just wanted to know if we could bifurcate in 23, there are two sections, calling the elections for the different council districts and calling on the election for mobility. I will likely vote differently on those two. I wonder if we can vote separately. >> . >> Mayor Adler: We can. >> Is councilmember Gallo's amendment on 73 or 74. >> Mayor Adler: 74. There are three amendments. >> I want to thank councilmember Garza on that, because I had the same concerns. I asked if we could divide the question and was told no. >> Mayor Adler: There is no reason -- is there a legal reason we can't divide them? I spoke before I heard from counsel. Let me find out from counsel if it is ok or if we need to consider the both at the same time. While we're waiting let's hear from David king. You can speak on the three. Either the resolution or the ordinance. >> Mayor, thank you, mayor, councilmember, mayor pro tem and councilmembers. Item 73, that resolution is important because it includes the direction to the city manager that public input should be allowed for in updates to the corridor plans. And also, it directs the city manager to identify sources of funding to preserve existing affordable housing complexes along our corridors. That is really important. I think that is a wise strategy, to preserve what we have. That is more cost-effective and helps preserve the character of our neighborhoods. It adds safe access to walkable routes in the neighborhoods with historically unmet needs. This is good, clear direction from the council that you are going to try to address the unmet needs that have existed for decades. [12:46:20 PM] And also, it removes a reference to using unencumbered funds from the bonds to fund a future additional corridors. Those corridors are not even listed. To me, that is like a loophole. It says if we don't spend all the money, we will spend it on other corridors. So I think the taxpayers are asked to pay for something, it should be explicit and clear on the ballot what they're being asked to pay for. To me, this is a loophole that needs to be closed. On the general bond itself. I would ask if you could still try one more time to get it broken up into individual buckets so people can vote on individual components of this proposal. Again, I think it is disrespectful to the voters to lump them all together and not allow them to decide where they want their tax dollars to go. So I hope that you will reconsider that and break those buckets up and let voters vote on the individual components. My last ask is that in approving these bonds, that we don't -- we don't set up a situation where developers along those corridors are now not required to pay mitigation fees because of those improvements. Development should pay for itself. So before we spend any bond money on the corridor improvements, the developer should pay their impact fees first, then we use the bond money to pay for the improvements. That way, everybody is paying their share and the burden is not shifted all over to taxpayers. I hope that you understand how important that burden is to not just homeowners but to renters. Everybody pays taxes. Everybody does. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Those are the speakers we have set. Mr. Zimmerman? >> Zimmerman: I was going to say before Mr. King left, but -- we did have a discussion on a think breaking the bond into three pieces at the end of the discussion, I expect everyone remembers that. [12:48:21 PM] There was only support from three councilmembers for separating out the 720 million in some fashion. Only three councilmembers in support of that. That was determined last Thursday. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. All right. So let's see if we can handle the resolution on the bonds. We have the motion -- the item before us, which is the resolution -- the ordinance passed last week. That's been posted. There are two possible changes to that ordinance, one is to strike a sentence from the actual bond language itself. The second is to add new language in part 4. We also have the resolution, which is number 74, which I'll move in just a moment. And there are three amendments that have been handed out to that. With respect to the resolution, which has at the top of it "Bulletin board." I would move the option of that resolution. Is there a second to that? Ms. Kitchens seconds that. This is the resolution incorporates the language from the resolution we passed back in June. It has been handed out on the dais. It has been posted on the bulletin board. It shows a red line for changes that have been suggested by council. That Ms. Kitchen and I have worked out. There are two amendments to this resolution. There is the one that's called item 74, mobility bond program resolution. Adler-kitchen amendment B. And the bond program resolution, it says Adler amendment. Again, after discussing these items with council, the first one of those, make sure that there is no funding for actual construction or initiation of construction until the staff has come back to the council for approval of the corridor plan. [12:50:35 PM] The second one says the council and deliberations will be guided by the same things the manager is guided by. If there is no objection, we will add those two amendments to the resolution. Hearing none, they're added. Ms. Gallo, you wanted to make a further amendment to the resolution? >> Gallo: Yes, it has been passed out to the councilmembers. I don't know if we should -- do we have an extra copy we can put on the overhead? Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Gallo: Ok. Thank you. I want to say, first, thank you to councilmember troxclair because in the discussion we had last week, it was -- it was very apparent that there was an interest on the dais to make sure that we increase transparency to the community. That we really do owe it to the public to tell them the impact and make sure they understand the impact of this bond on their property tax bill. And I really appreciate councilmember troxclair for leading that discussion with us. One of the things that we talked about with staff was, you know, how do we make it easy for taxpayers to understand in their particular situation what this impact will have on them? Because there are different property values, there are different exemptions that property owners have. They may have a homestead exemption. They have a senior exemption. And how do we help them calculate the potential impact? And then added to that layer of trying to help the public calculate the impact dollar amount for them is that it depends on when the bonds are sold. This is a seven, eight-year program, so all of the bonds could be sold the first year -- which is not likely -- but then they'll be spread out over the time period and the tax impact will be determined. It is a very complicated calculation. We feel like -- I feel like the best way to accomplish that is to have a tax calculator put on the bond program informational website so someone can go on, put their scenario in and look at the potential impacts. [12:52:49 PM] So that is basically what this amendment does. And I won't read it, but you can read it up on the overhead. But it does two things. It makes sure that we produce as a city staff a brochure that gives as much information as possible about this bond, but that we also add into the conversation, the ability for the public to have access to the calculator on the website. So I would move approval of the amendment that is shown up on the overhead as amendment for draft mobility bond resolution. >> Mayor Adler: This amendment is moved. Is there a second to this amendment? Councilmember troxclair seconds the amendment. I'm going to support this amendment. I think that as we try to craft language on this dais, this bond election has morphed on many occasions. Both inside and outside this dais in order to be able to address issues we all have. We have had some issues pulling out of the bond and pulling them up as C.O.S, as part of the bond approval process as we go through the bond measure. And in that respect, I think that not only has the community been involved in this for the last four to six years, but on this dais over the last several months, it has also morphed. This most recent change reflects the obviously, the leadership that councilmember troxclair and Gallo and Zimmerman and others have shown with respect to request being greater transparency or examples or information to the taxpayers. And I think that in hand elingit -- handling it this way we found a way to get to that that gets past the bond counsel and regular counsel, that will help impact the public. [12:54:49 PM] In that respect and as part of what I anticipate to be the approvals of what the staff has recommended to the ordinance, I am also supporting this. Ms. Kitchens. >> Kitchen: I'm going to support this also. I want to thank all the voices on council and councilmember troxclair, especially, for -- and councilmember Zimmerman also for, you know, for pushing forward what we have also -- what we all want to do. That is transparency. I mean, this is really about voters have the right and need to know what they're voting for. It's part of the contract with the voters. And that can be complex in terms of the information and what the real impact is, so I think this is an effort and our best effort at this time, and maybe it will evolve over time -- our best effort at making sure voters have real information for themselves on the impact of voting for a bond would be for them. I think the tax calculator is the best way I know of to actually provide some very real information that is more specific to an individual's circumstances. So that's why I'm going to support this. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. Further discussion on this amendment? Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I haven't had any objections to any of the amendments and of course no objection to the resolution because it is my understanding that there is nothing legally binding in the resolution. The resolution is kind of -- I see it as a statement of our intent. If there is something that legally binds us to do what's in item 74 and the resolution, could you tell me exactly what that is? What exactly legally binds us? How is the resolution tied to the ballot language and the ballot ordinance? Or the proposition ordinance. >> Mayor Adler: We can ask counsel to address it, but it is the first be it resolved that this resolution is our official act and reaffirms our commitment to the voters regarding the conditions contained in that ordinance. [12:56:59 PM] So I think one of the early drafts of this resolution did not contain that language. In past, the city has given directional information and but this council has decided to give -- >> Zimmerman: The short answer is in the council declares to -- that is what is legally binding. >> Could I speak to that, too? I would also say that I would -- I would not support the bonds without this resolution, because -- I would not support this resolution if it wasn't binding. It says council by this official action declares its intent to contract with the voters as to the following permissible purposes for which bond proceeds must be expended and the processes that must be followed in determining and prioritizing these expenditures. So from my perspective, this document, this resolution is part of the package, and provides direction about what the bond can be spend -- spent on and the process for making the determination on the priorities. That's critical. >> Zimmerman: I appreciate that. We have item 23 coming up, right? That also duplicates quite a bit of this language. >> Kitchen: I think -- >> Zimmerman: That is the ordinance. >> Mayor Adler: Because they're linked and because people voting for one are voting for the other, after we vote on part one. We will vote on the balance of this ordinance and resolution at the same time. >> Zimmerman: I'm not a lawyer. Isn't there a difference between declaring an intent to have a contract and actually making a contract? >> Mayor Adler: We can ask. >> Zimmerman: It looks like we're not contracting, we have an intent to contract, which is a different thing from contracting. [12:59:05 PM] >> Mayor Adler: I think these are the magic words, in order to create a contract with the voters, the court would ask this is the intent. To make it explicit, unless the court looking at this in the future, wondering what our intent was, we're saying it is our intent. >> Zimmerman: Ok. Thank you for the lawyer clarification. >> Mayor Adler: No problem. It has been moved to add this amendment, Ms. Houston? >> Houston: I have another question. I don't know whether it is for you, mayor, or for the legal staff. But if I vote for these amendments to ensure that the language is clearer in the ordinance, am I then voting for the ordinance? >> Two separate. >> Mayor Adler: Not at this point. >> Houston: Is that in 23? >> Mayor Adler: That's correct. Right now, we're voting to add this amendment to the resolution. >> Houston: Far for clarity, I get to vote for or against it in item 23? But this is for the language which I support. >> Mayor Adler: And we can talk about how we handle the voting on the ordinance in a second. There are several people on the dais that asked for the ultimate vote on the final passage of the resolution and final passage of the ordinance be done together. Because their vote for the resolution was in part voting for the ordinance and vice versa. But if there are people that want to handle that differently, we could do that. But for right now, let's get past where we are right now. >> Houston: To be clear, I don't want to do it differently because of fatigue factor. I want to make sure I'm voting for the amendments we were just presented. >> Mayor Adler: I promise to make it clear. We will do this slowly. We are moving the Gallo resolution, it is moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Those in favor of the Gallo amendment, raise your hand. [1:01:07 PM] Those opposed. It is unanimous. We have the resolution that said "Bulletin board" on the front, three amendments added to that. That is ready for a vote on final passage. But before we vote final passage on the resolution -- we will put that aside for a second. We will now turn to the ordinance. The ordinance is what is item number 23. The ordinance contains -- this is what we passed on second and third reading last week. This is third reading of the ordinance. But what's been posted by staff and sent to us has two changes to it, from what we passed unanimously a week ago. -- The first -- what? The ordinance passed unanimously a week ago. Two changes to it. We will consider that by way of amendment. The first one of the changes is the changes made to part 4, which added a lot of language to that. Does somebody want to make that amendment. >> Mr. Mayor. >> Zimmerman: Point of order. >> I'm not sure where the language is. >> Mayor Adler: What is posted is ordinance 2016811. Anybody not have a copy of that, that wants a copy of that. >> Zimmerman: A point of order or point of information. The material that was printed out by my staff here. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Zimmerman: Doesn't reflect what we voted on last Thursday. But -- there is another document that is loose here on the table that has the blue markups and the red strike-throughs. So that's what's on the table and not what was in the official backup. >> Right, because the backup doesn't have the red lined. [1:03:07 PM] >> Mayor Adler: I previously said you could see the red line in front of you so you could see the language that was being proposed to be changed. >> Zimmerman: I looked for this on the council message board, I didn't find it. I know there is item 74, I think was, material for 74 was on the council board, but I don't -- was this on the council message board for the public to see. >> Councilmember, lelafireside for the law department, it was posted as late backup for this item and sent out to the councilmembers with a memo from Robert good. >> Zimmerman: About what time? What day and time approximately? >> Yesterday afternoon. >> Zimmerman: Yesterday afternoon. >> Mayor Adler: After the attorney general's office had a chance to look at it and bond counsel. >> Zimmerman: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. So on the language we approved last week, there are two changes. So does someone move -- I move passage of the ordinance 2016811 on final and third reading. Is there a second to that? And then we're going to make changes to it. Ms. Kitchens seconds that. Now we will talk about - - and now we're going to talk about amendments to it. Ms. Troxclair, you want to make the amendment concerning part 4? >> Troxclair: Yes, thank you. I would like to make an amendment. Part 4, to add in the details regarding the estimated total tax impact as outlined in the ordinance that the staff has given us. It is kind of long, so I don't know if I should read the whole thing out for anybody who has an extra copy that they want to put on the overhead. >> Zimmerman: Point of order, can we have it on the overhead. >> Mayor Adler: This is on the way, as you can see. [1:05:09 PM] >> Troxclair: It is important to have the taxpayers see the bonds that we're issuing and the basic financial details of how this is going to affect their cost of living. There are multiple ways we can do that. I'm going to continue to err on the side of having more -- as much information as possible -- thank you -- so one way to do that is to include this language here, in the ordinance, and in addition to including a statement about the impact on the median value home in the ballot language, which we did last week, but I understand we will probably take a separate vote on that here in a couple of minutes. So for now, I do want to make sure that this is included so that somebody who wants to go calculate the impact of their home -- and the difference between -- I appreciate councilmember Gallo and others supporting the idea of calculator that can be put online by the city, but ultimately, that's not -- I think that that is really helpful, but ultimately, it is not a part of the contract with the voters, so the reason it is important to have this information in here is because this is part of the contract with the voters. And so it holds the city accountable to the -- the tax levels that are outlined in this document. >> Mayor Adler: Ok. There has been an amendment made to the motion to approve at ordinance on third reading. Is there a second? Ms. Gallo seconds that. Is there -- Mr. Zimmerman would have seconded that -- >> Zimmerman: That is ok. Again, to be clear, exactly which language is part of the amendment? >> Mayor Adler: So the only part of this amendment that was just made was with respect to the part 4 changes. >> Zimmerman: But on the overhead then -- >> Mayor Adler: Which reflects the part 4 changes. It is what you see. [1:07:09 PM] >> Zimmerman: What I see up there is the amendment on the table. >> Mayor Adler: That is correct, what is on the screen is the part 4 amendments. It is moved and seconded, the amendment. Any further discussion. >> Troxclair: Mayor I want to make sure we're only voting on part 4 and we will reserve the right to take action on the language that's under part 3. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, I promise you all we're voting on is part 4 -- this is good. Everybody needs to be clear on the votes. This is important votes. All we're voting on is part 4. All we're voting on is the language that is on the screen. We're not voting on the whole anything yet or any other part. We're voting on the troxclair amendment to the ordinance. Any further discussion? Those in favor of the troxclair amendment, please raise your hand. Those opposed. Those obtaining, Mr. Renteria abstains, the others voting aye. Now, I will entertain a motion on part 3. There is a change there. Mayor pro tem makes the motion. >> Tovo: I move to accept the staff's recommendation that we strike that language from part 3. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a second to that? Ms. Pool seconds that. Any discussion on this item? Mayor pro tem you want to speak to it or not? >> Tovo: We had an opportunity in executive session today, Tuesday, last week, maybe some other times, too, to hear the staff's recommendation about this. I think it is sound advice that that information -- while I understand the impulse to have that in there, I believe we will provide taxpayers in the information in the part 4 language, but also in the educational brochures. And I appreciate the conversation, because it's also added into the ordinance -- excuse me, the resolution -- some of what the staff had been talking about with regard to calculator and other information that will be available online. [1:09:11 PM] I believe we will be providing taxpayers with lots of information that helps them understand the impact of this bond proposal on their personal budgets. And so I'm very satisfied with that outcome, and agree with the staff's assessment that having it in the ballot language poses risk for the city. >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to support the mayor pro tem's amendment in this regard. I think that everybody on the council puts transparency at a really high premium, with respect to these votes. And I think it is really important that we're clear and open and also very correct and in the language that we put on the ballot, it has to be absolutely correct. I agree with the desire to be able to disclose to taxpayers what the actual amount of taxes would be. And we have been told and repeated repeatedly that generally speaking, with respect to an average median priced homeowner, it's going to result in taxes about a little less than $5 a month. I think that is important for voters to know. Of course, that's not exactly true in all cases, because the bonds get sold out over time, as the media has discussed. So in the first year, it could probably be -- you know, 1/5 of that. In fact, in the first year, probably wouldn't be anything until the bonds are sold. They'll be sold out over time. Different taxpayers are different because some have senior exemptions, some don't, some have homeowners exemptions, some don't. So the reason that it's been advised to us that we not put it here -- the reason that I would rather not go here is because someone could say, but wait a second, that isn't true in all cases. And we would have to say, well, yeah, that's correct. It's not true in all cases, but it is generally true, and serves as a really good guide to the community and does give the community a feel for scale. [1:11:19 PM] So I'm comfortable taking it out. I think it is legally correct. But also because of the troxclair amendment, because I think that provides additional tax information for everyone to be able to use and also because of the Gallo amendment, which provides for the very first time, I think, in Austin bond practice, the implementation of calculator. So I think that all of those things move this forward to be the most transparent bond posting for this kind of bond that the city has ever had. Any further discussion? Yes? Ms. Troxclair. >> Troxclair: I certainly understand the recommendations of our legal staff, but I just -- I just want to take a minute to point out that there is no statutory prohibition against us adding additional information to provide to voters. State law requires that certain things are included in any ballot language, any bond ballot language. And through my communications with the a.g.'s office, they've indicated to me that although you must include the required information, there is no prohibition against including information above and beyond that. The difference between the amendment that we just passed and this one is that -- number one, most people don't go read the proposition language. The ballot language is what you read as even the most informed voters typically do not read the information that the city puts out, the brochure that the city puts out. I'm not sure I've ever seen one, except the one that councilmember Zimmerman brought last week. And -- I don't think even the most informed voters read all of the ordinance and backup information when they go to vote. [1:13:19 PM] What they do read is what they're actually voting on. And even if they did go and read that proposition language, they're still -- it is still incredibly confusioning. You saw when we put it up on the overhead, approximately 0.5339 per $500 of taxable increased value which represents an increase -- compared to the total city tax rate as of the date ... I mean, it takes a -- you know, you would have to take calculator into the poll with you to understand what all this information -- well, you have to read this first, then do the calculation, and then go to the poll with that knowledge. So what I was trying to do with this language was just add something simple that had I had the opportunity, I would have amended the language to say which would have an estimated tax impact of blank for month of a median valued home of $278,741 with no exemptions. This would have protected the city by saying this is an estimate, by using a median home value, which I think is a reasonable value to use, and by stating that that home, that estimate is for a home with no exemptions. That would have protected the city from arguments of oh, well, I have a home that is valued higher or lower or I have an exemption. And this isn't the exact amount that I'm going to be changed. But when somebody goes into the polls and sees $5 a month, it is basic information that is really critical to their decision. And especially when we're talking about all the time affordability in Austin, transportation in Austin, how all of these things intersect, I think that it is -- it is the other piece of a cost benefit, I basic cost-benefit analysis. [1:15:23 PM] , I hope the council will choose to continue to include this language in the ballot language >> Mayor Adler: Any further discussion? Take a vote -- >> Zimmerman: Mr. Mayor >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry, Mr. Zimmerman? >> Zimmerman: So we had quite a long executive session today. I think it was mostly because councilmember troxclair was unable to join us, but let me back up to what happened last Thursday. The council passed on a close vote of 6-5 that we would put language in. What you're seeing on the overhead where the red words are struck out, let me give you my perspective on what's happened here. You have a lot of experience testifying to the legislature. I have experience sitting in courtrooms, arguing before judges on ballot language and what the law says has to be in there. I have a lot of personal experience on this typically I'm talking about. We passed as a council close vote, 6-5, that we would have some form of ballot language that would inform the voters with some kind of cost. What happened in the ensuing week was our legal staff paid for with tax money has been lobbying and lobbying and lobbying, presenting one side of information, and I believe deliberately misleading me on what we're allowed to do under the law. It's very, very clear that we could have some form of statement to talk about the cost about it's legal and appropriate for us as a city council to tell our constituents we will not raise your taxes above a certain amount to pay for this bond. We can do that, should do that. We have an affordability problem. What the city legal department has done for the last week and for a couple of hours this morning is to lobby and lobby and lobby and say, you can't put anything in here about the cost of this, you can't limit what you're gonna charge taxpayers. You know, this is -- it's just beyond the pale. So we're in a situation now where, after a week of lobbying by our attorneys, we've basically been contradicted and we've been overturned, our 6-5 vote is now meaningless. [1:17:34 PM] You see how that's struck out in red? City legal says no, you're not gonna do that. So what we have in front of us now is an unlimited power for the city to tax and to raise our taxes in be unlimited fashion. And I'm really offended at this because we had a 6-5 vote saying we want to inform our voters what the cost is and we're gonna limit our borrowing costs, we're not gonna go higher than this certain limit. This is very demoralizing what's happened here. I'm gonna be voting against striking this language and I don't know where this leaves me on the whole thing because we have every legal right and I think a moral obligation to limit how we're gonna tax our constituents >> Mayor Adler: I'm gonna respond and if anybody else needs to because I think there were several things you said, Mr. Zimmerman, that aren't true. What we passed last week as a council was a statement we wanted to give information to taxpayers about what this costs. That goes beyond what this public has already known, and I think there are a lot of people in this public of that heard that discussion. What resulted from that were several significant changes to this package, as we're hopefully passing today. With the troxclair amendment, we've added a section 4, which provides a lot more detail about the tax implications that are happening, which is something that we do not customarily do on bond elections. With the Gallo amendment for the very first time we're putting in and having our staff provide a tax calculator. I look at -- at the work done by staff this week and by legal this week as trying -- as incredible amount of work and a lot of time and I lot of effort trying to effect the desires stated by council last week and to put it in a way that's actually constructive and legal and works so that we are in fact telling the taxpayers exactly what we're doing. [1:19:38 PM] And this says exactly what we're doing, and the limitations are explicitly set out. We have broken this up by buckets. We've put specific dollar amounts against specific projects, against specific buckets. That kind of thing is new for the city of Austin. We've gone into incredible detail, and it was only because of the work by so many people joined in because they were going for transparency to the full extent as allowed by law. Again, the sentence that we have here was, I think, an attempt to state and to give disclosure, but in this statement it would be wrong for some people. It would not be accurate. It might not be accurate in the first year of the bond, or the second year, or the third year, that this language that you urged to be put here is in fact misalleged because it suggests something that is -- misleading because it suggests something that is simply not true in all cases and I think it's important when we're talking to the voters we tell them what is true. And we allow them to see when there are differences as things vary. We have an obligation to be truthful, to be absolutely as truthful as weaning possibly be. So I can't vote to include something that on its face is not truthful -- and I spoke mainly because I think the implication was that our staff and our legal staff was trying somehow or another to hide something when Dwight the opposite has been true, quite frankly, they extended themselves further than I would have wanted them to in perhaps putting the bond language in jeopardy and creating legal challenges for us and for them and for Robert Goode and for the manager and Ann Morgan and for leela to have spent the time they've spent on our bond council to try to figure out how to thread that needle, thousand actually come up with something that could go so far beyond anything we have ever done before with respect to bond transparency in a way that is also truthful. [1:21:53 PM] The truth is not something that we get to bargain with. This statement is not true. What we are putting together for the voters will be true. And we have committed ourselves, and we have limited ourselves, and we've put parameters in this bond election, and that's why it is not only truthful, but it's fair. Any further discussion on this? Ms. Kitchen >> Kitchen: I just wanted to make one thing really clear, and that is that the language in part four is legally binding and does set a limit on the -- I may not have the right words but it sets the limit, it is legally binding or I wouldn't vote for it. My understanding from staff and from our legal department, that part four is legally binding and speaks to what we can -- what our authority is in terms of the taxes. So. . . >> Mayor Adler: Any further discussion? Mr. Dissimilar >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So to answer councilmember kitchen, in part four, as we have amended it, and I voted for that, in part four, listen to this language, it says "Estimated total tax rate expected to be approximately." I mean, even a person who is not a lawyer knows that if you say "Estimated, expected, approximately," that's not binding. Here's what's binding. What binding is to say "The power to levy a tax sufficient to pay for the bonds and notes." That's binding. If this were to go into court and somebody said, but, but, but, it says here that it was estimated to be approximately and it was expected, the judge is gonna say, no. Right here in the ballot language it says they authorized a levy of a tax sufficient to pay for bonds and notes. It's unlimited. That's unlimited taxation. [1:23:53 PM] Let me go back quickly. I just have an exhibit that I gave for the overhead. I want to make one final point on the education and being truthful and what the city staff has done in past elections about disclosure on the cost of bonds. Zimmerman item 23, exhibit a. This goes banning to the tax -- back to the tax impact, what you see at the bottom. This is a five-page document from the 2010 tax. Notice at the bottom it says "Financial and tax impact" and you see down at the bottom I've highlighted here's your tax information. Here's how you're gonna be educated as a taxpayer. It says "No increase in the property tax rate is anticipated." That is your education for the cost, okay? I think that's abysmal. I think that's untruthful. I think that is dishonest. Now to exhibit B -- that was the 2010 bond. Let's go to the 2012 bond. For 2012, let's go to the bottom of the page, page 1 of 6, 6 pages of information, here's your financial and tax impact education, put that in quotation marks. Two familiar words at the bottom "No increase in this year as property tax is anticipated" so it leads people to believe really no increase? What they're gonna take away from that in this superficial increase, it's not gonna cost me anything, no increase. So the cognitive dissonance between legally binding ballot language that says your taxes are unlimited, unlimited taxation and a so-called concentration piece that claims no increase in this year's tax rate, I think people should be really upset about this and demand that we be truthful. This is not being truthful. This is being misleading and selling people >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Troxclair >> Troxclair: I would ask the city staff who is going to work on those educational materials to make sure that an honest discussion of the potential tax increase for the average person is included in those materials because I agree with councilmember Zimmerman, that it's incredibly misleading and you see, you know, that something like a $700 million bond is gonna be passed and that there's gonna be no increase. [1:26:24 PM] I understand that we're talking about tax rate and not necessarily taxes, but I think that it's really critical to include. I just need to take a second and I really appreciate the mayor and the council taking the steps that WOUs -- we just took to above transparency. I think we're ladies and bounds ahead of last week by including the additional language in the ordinance, as well as doing the calculator that we've just discussed, but I do have to take issue with the mayor's repeated statements that what I was trying to put into our ballot language is not truth myself you can't on one hand say that this is not truthful and then on the other hand turn around and say but we're gonna include that information in the educational materials that the city is gonna put out and that's how people are gonna be informed. I mean, there is a way -- there is a way to do this, and I wished that we would have been able to cooperate in a way that would have allowed us to have legally defensible language included in the ballot language. Again, as much as I want to sit here and take credit, you know, for the things that we just did, and, again, I am happy that we are where we are because I think we've made significant improvements as far as transparency from where we were last week, but the reality is we're not doing anything ground breaking here. I mean, what we did by including that tax rate information in the proposition is very similar to what the city did, from what I understand, during the last mobility bond. So I'm surprised that it wasn't included in the first place since it's something that we had done in the past and that it took kind of persistent council requests in order to get that in there. But had we included something in the ballot language that spoke to the average person and told them that they're gonna have a $5 a month impact on their property tax bill, that would have been ground-breaking, that would have been a true step forward for transparency, that I think would have really instilled faith in the city and in the council from all the voters, regardless of how they're gonna vote on the bond. [1:28:49 PM] But, unfortunately, I don't know that we're gonna do that here today. >> Mayor Adler: Given your comments I want to say real quickly that I probably went to hyperbole when I said it wasn't truthful and I want to explain because I was reacting mostly to what councilmember Zimmerman had said with respect to motivations two our staff because I think they have been motivated to try to delivery us to the best that we would want. I think that the attempt for transparency that you proposed in this amendment was very honest and I wished there was a way -- and I spent the week trying to figure out a way to come up with a short statement we could add to the ballot language that would also meet the standard and test that the legal department gave that I understood the test to be, which was to come up with a statement that in all cases would be true, would be accurate for any taxpayer who was looking at that in any situation or case they might be in. And I racked my brain all week to try to come up with a way to do that. It's the legal standard that I understand we have to meet in ballot language, which I think sets a really high bar for us, as I understand the law as it's been explained to me. And that's what I meant. When I said it was truthful, I didn't mean that it was inaccurate or misleading or not the kind of statement that we have made repeatedly and I'll continue to make, which is that, generally speaking, the average homeowner, the median homeowner, will pay a little bit less than $5 a month. It's just trying to meet a legal standard, which as I understand, there's just a really high bar. But that's all that I meant by saying it's untruthful. I didn't mean to suggest or to impugn what you were attempting to do or the need to be transparent or to send messages to people because I join you. [1:30:49 PM] I join you on that and tried real hard to come up with it. And I hope that the calculator, which is the first time that has ever happened is something that moves us on that path. >> Troxclair: Thank you for clarifying, and I hope that you will echo my request to have that kind of information put into the city's educational materials >> Mayor Adler: I join with you that >> Troxclair: And hopefully, I mean, as there have been multiple attempts to make sure that cities do have the specific ability to add this kind of information to ballot language, at the legislature, I hope that you would also support adding this to our legislative agenda to make sure that we don't have legal agreements in the future about whether or not we're permitted to do this and that we will have clear direction that there is no prohibition against adding this kind of information to the ballot >> Mayor Adler: And I don't know the specifics of what language could be ad or not added in that, but I will join you with respect to pushing for ever greater transparency and ability for governments to be able to provide that for their taxpayers and join new trying to work out ways that that might be executed. >> Thank you, mayor. I don't want to delay the point. I simply wanted to thank you for a moment ago speaking on behalf of the staff and what our true intentions are in these matters so thank you very much for that. >> Mayor Adler: Periods been moved and seconded. >> Kitchen: Mr. Mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Yes? >> Kitchen: I would like to say I too will support councilmember troxclair. I think it's important for us to support at the legislature our desire to see more flexibility for cities in terms of the kinds of language we put in battles so I hope you will bring that forward into whatever form we need to bring that forward to show our support. [1:32:57 PM] >> Mayor Adler: The management to strike the language in part three, it's been moved and seconded. Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed. Houston voting no, Zimmerman voting no, troxclair voting no, Garza voting no, the rest voting aye. Passes 7-4. We now have our final language for both the resolution and the ordinance. There's been a request that we vote first on part one of the ordinance, which is setting the general municipal election to elect city councilmembers for this November 8. I'm going to call that vote separately as requested by councilmember Garza. Those in favor of part one please raise your hand. Those opposed. It's unanimous on the dais. There's been a request that we call for approval, Ms. Houston -- Ms. Houston, there's been a request by some members on the dais that becall for a vote -- we call for a vote for the balance of the ordinance and the resolution at the same time because some are voting for the ordinance because of the resolution and vice versa. So I would be inclined and I told some people I would enable them to have that vote at one time. So I would next, absent a majority of the council telling me they don't want to take the vote that way, I would call them together. Then let's take the vote. Yes, mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: May I ask our legal counsel whether that is -- changes the substance of either of those documents to take them up together in the same vote? >> No, it doesn't change the substance of the documents. >> Tovo: Thank you. >> You can do it that way. >> Tovo: I guess, I'm really talking about the import of them in the legal field. Okay. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: I'd like to move that we divide the question of 74 and 23. [1:35:00 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman has moved that we have a separate vote on the ordinance and the resolution. Is there a second to that? Ms. Houston seconds that. >> Kitchen: Mr. Mayor, I would request we take the resolution first. >> Mayor Adler: Well, the question is do we want to take a vote. >> Kitchen: I'm sorry. >> Mayor Adler: Because I had told people I would give them a chance do it and I don't feel comfortable saying no so Mr. Zimmerman has asked us to separate them but certainly we don't have to. We can take a vote on the question to divide. Mr. Zimmerman is. >> Zimmerman: Point of order, dividing out 73573 -- 73 and 74, does that take a vote of council? I thought I could simply divide those. >> Mayor Adler: I think the chair has the discretion to be able to do that and I would say no in this case but I'm willing to put it to a vote or I'm just gonna take the vote with them together. >> Zimmerman: Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Anybody else want to divide these questions other than those two? >> Garza: Did he mean 23 and 15? You says 73, 74. >> Mayor Adler: 23, 74. >> Garza: I'm just making sure. >> Zimmerman: I meant the resolution of 74. >> Mayor Adler: Experience the resolution. >> Zimmerman: Sorry, I got the number wrong. I'm sorry. >> Garza: Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Just those two, I'm gonna call the vote together. >> Garza: Wait -- >> Mayor Adler: Yes, Mr. Casar? >> Casar: Can I ask a question of the staff on the resolution? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Casar: Itself. Thanks, I've been holding that because we've been discussing amendments. >> Mayor Adler: That's okay. >> Casar: One quick question of the transportation staff, please. And it should be easy but I just want it to be clear to the public since there have been a few amendments. In the resolution where we're creating this contract with the voters we list out that we're prioritizing level of service but we're also prioritizing transit efficiency, also by charter, we have to adhere to the comprehensive plan. So we have a very complicated set of per log toughs and priorities being laid out for the corridor improvement plans but in your reading of this do we still have the ability, council and staff, for example, to prioritize a transit priority lane even if that may shift the priorities of levels of service from one mode to another or to make safety improvements that are really important to the staff or to the council even if that may ultimately compete with other priorities laid out in the resolution? [1:37:32 PM] Do you feel like in your reading of this we're okay? >> So I would agree that it's complicated. The way we're gonna do this, absolutely. But, yes, I think you still have the ability to make the best choice in every case. When we talk about level of service, especially under the latest guidelines of nato it's really wanting us to think about the level of service of all modes and clearly within any corridor you have to balance the needs of one mode against the other, and, you know, clearly, before we go forward, you'd be bringing those design packages forward toall. Just as we bring -- to you all, just as we bring recommendations on the corridor [indiscernible] >> Casar: Thank you. That's all. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Troxclair. >> Troxclair: Mayor, I don't know if this is the appropriate time to do it, and I don't want to take up too much time, but I have had a lot of people from the community repeatedly request that we split the proposition into three different parts. And I know that councilmember Zimmerman brought this up last week but we didn't actually take a vote on it and I -- but I would like to make a motion to split up the bond package into three separate ballot propositions, one being the 101 million for residential mobility projects, second being 482 Mr. For the corridor projects and the third being 137 million for the local mobility projects. >> Zimmerman: I'll second that motion. >> Mayor Adler: It's been moved to divide the bond package into three separate propositions. Mr. Zimmerman seconded that motion. I'll entertain that. Is there any further discussion? Ms. Pool. >> Pool: I'm pretty sure we did take a vote on this last week. >> Mayor Adler: We did but there's nothing to stop -- >> Pool: I'm not saying we can't have a motion and say it again because I wanted to make the point because it was -- >> Zimmerman: We did not vote. We took a consensus of the dais. [1:39:32 PM] We did not vote. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. For the same reason I gave last week I'm gonna vote against it. I think this is a package. To me there are parts that work with other parts, and it's really important to me that -- there are a lot of people in this community that may not vote for part one else part three happens or part two unless part one happens. And I think that most of our community wants these things to be able to operate in concert with each other, because our mobility challenges are so great and it's gonna require so many different answers. So in order to protect people's rights to be able to vote on this as a package, I'm going to vote against splitting them into pieces. Any further discussion? Those -- Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Quick comment. I think we have talked about this before and I think I brought this up mover than a month ago. Early on an attempt to break it up by mode, be able to vote separately on expansion of lanes, freeway congestion versus urban trails versus bicycle paths, of what you, there wasn't really support from the dais. I'm recognizing that. But I am gonna vote in favor of breaking this into three pieces because I have also overwhelmingly heard from constituents -- I've been campaigning and knocking on doors and it's one of the most common requests that I get, even from people who want to vote for all three, they still want it broken into pieces. I think -- I think it's clear that a majority of the voters would like to see this broken in three pieces even though the council doesn't want to so I'm gonna vote in favor of breaking it into pieces. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. With no further discussion, those in favor of the motion to break it into three pieces please raise your hand. Zimmerman, troxclair, and Houston. Those opposed please raise your hand. Ms. Garza abstaining, others voting no. [1:41:34 PM] This matter shot divided into three parts. That gets us back to the resolution and the ordinance with the changes that have been made. They've both been moved and seconded. Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: One more point of order if I could. If I have a motion to divide these and separate the resolution from the ordinance, is it the ruling of the chair that I'm not allowed to call for a vote on the issue of dividing 23 and 745475574 -- 74 to separate them nix. >> Mayor Adler: I said I would give you avows vote on that. Those in favor of dividing the resolution from the ordinance and having separate votes. Please raise your hand. Zimmerman and troxclair. Those voting no. It's the balance of the dais. >> Zimmerman: Thank you. Is. >> Mayor Adler: We'll now take a vote. Those in favor of the -- Ms. Houston. >> Houston: What are we voting on now? >> Mayor Adler: The resolution and the ordinance. >> Houston: So -- >> Mayor Adler: One vote, both documents. >> Houston: Okay. So should I make my comments now before we take this vote? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Houston: First of all, I want to be clear to everyone that's watching that I'm very much aware of the congestion is a major problem in the city of Austin and in this region. It is my opinion that some of that congestion can be attributable to policies adopted by prior councils. As the cost of housing has increased, more of our citizens are moving east of downtown, causing considerable congestion on the fee east-west roadways that we have in this city. I also want to be clear about my respect for mayor Adler and his ability to be a creative thinker, his legal mind and skills serve the people of Austin well, as does his did he manner, and he values -- demeanor and he values social justice and equity. I ran for office as a member of the 10-1 council to stop the top-down manner decisions made by the at large council and I am dismayed that a $720 million bond which will be on the November ballot is the product of the way things have always been done. [1:43:40 PM] People will say that this bond is a result of four to six years of engagement and that plans that were crafted in the past are now being realized, but I want to remind everybody that under the at-large system of government, the at-large system of government, the engagement that we talk about was the engagement of a few, not the many. And that's not why I ran for city council. So because of the process, because of the lack of transparency of the cohorts that put together these plans, I'm gonna be voting against this bond, and I will be asking other people in this community to vote against it as well. We don't have any idea what the tax increase will be on the people in the city who are elderly, low-income. We just don't have any idea at this point. And so I will be voting against the bond. >> Mayor Adler: Is there any further discussion? Ms. Garza. >> Garza: That has been a tough decision to make. Beface a lot of challenges in this city, but I too have concerns with the process of this bond being brought before us. I feel like it was fast. I sponsored an equity resolution that asked for -- that we consider equity in every decision that we make. That resolution is still in the process of being formed fully. But I, too, have concerns that there were limited voices. I appreciate all the work that was put into this. I know there's been years of work, but every time I heard about this coalition, I didn't know anybody on that coalition. I didn't know anybody from my district on that coalition. I asked people in my district. They said they were invited to meetings but they never endorsed the plans. [1:45:47 PM] I have concerns about the bond capacity with so many needs, the bond fatigue in our community. And the other big concern is no direct improvements to our public transit. I think we have to move to getting people out of their cars because roads -- building roads is unsustainable, and we've seen it at the state level and we'll see it here too. I appreciate that people have recognized that this is not a perfect plan, but then they've also said it's not a perfect plan, but you should still vote yes on this. And if I voted yes only on perfect plans, I would never vote yes. So I appreciate those who recognize that it's not perfect, and I want to thank mayor Adler, I concur with everything councilmember Houston said, he faces a big challenge. You know, he -- we all represent districts, and I always -- I always appreciate that I do represent the entire city but I do have the honor to represent a working-class district that faces huge challenges, P. And so we come from different perspectives in the way that we vote. So I thank the mayor for his work on this and I understand his push for it. I also want to thank councilmember kitchen who worked really hard to get south Austin roads and south Austin attention to this. Like I said there's a lot of good stuff in this bond. I would have supported a 300 and 500 as I didn't think that took up as much of the bond capacity but in asking taxpayers to pay $5 more a month with all the needs, I just -- I can't register a yes vote to this. I wish the process would have been more inclusive, but I appreciate everyone that's worked on this to get us to where we are. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. I'mous gonna respond real quickly and real briefly. And I recognize and respect the opinions of members and what you said and on a personal level I appreciate the personal mentions as well. [1:47:59 PM] And I think that all of us, in representing -- we're elected to this with a duel role. All the councilmembers are elected to be the best and advocate for their districts but also to be a city council member for the city in its entirety. Sometimes those callings, those responsibilities, create apparent or perceived conflict, and I appreciate the difficulty that that must sometimes cause councilmembers who are elected by districts. In that respect, councilmember Garza, maybe my role is a little bit easier because I am called on to try to look at everything with an eye to what is best in the city. But I do that recognizing that my constituency is your constituency. I represent everyone in your district too, and, Ms. Houston, I represent everyone in your district as well. And it's because I believe and have said that for too long this city has not invested what it should to be able to realize the greatest potential that exists in the eastern crescent of our city, starting up in, you know, rundberg and above and going down east through district 1 and colony park and to dove springs and to other parts of the city. And that's why this council, I think, has really done great work with respect to creating the equity office. Your work, the work of others, to create the affordability audit, to raise the minimum wage as we have done in this city, to do the fair chance hiring, first city in the south to do anything like that, to be capturing the strength of the development and growth in this city, to capture real revenue and real dollars and put it toward affordable housing in our community in a way that no council has ever done. [1:50:26 PM] For this council to look at two roads that -- and $10 million worth of infrastructure a week ago, one in your district and one in councilmember Renteria's district and to say we're gonna fast track those, we're going to pull it out of this process and handle those separately, this is a council that I am proud to serve on because it is a council that I think is looking at what needs to be done throughout the city. This particular bond language represents the will of so many people for so much time. It spends more money east of I-35 per capita than it does west of I-35, this bond package, which is not the bond packages of yesteryear in this city. It focuses on sidewalks in a way that are equitably being distributed. It has road projects on the east side of town, and the first bunch roads being done and in the ones that are being now readied right behind it, rundberg east, east colony park road and further improvements to mlk and 969 and south plenty valley road -- pleasant valley road. I mean, this is a package that I think is truly equitable. We have two big problems in this city, transportation and affordability. Mobility and affordability. And they're tied to each other, and I just think that the people in our community want us to do something, and the challenge is big and they want us to go back and to really do something. You know, for too long this city repeatedly has almost been scared of really tackling the big problems in a real material way, and I'm proud to be part of what why -- of a council that is acting differently than councils have acted in the past and moving forward on this. [1:52:39 PM] Mr. Renteria? >> Renteria: Thank you, mayor. I'm going to be supporting this. You know, we really are so far behind. You know, this is an investment in our future. You know, if I didn't believe in this bond, I wouldn't have allowed my -- one of my senior policy aides, David, to temporarily take a leave to work on this bond package for the next three months. You know, that's how seriously I take this. This is a -- you know, I grew up here in Austin, and I drove the streets since I was 16 years old. And there's not much that has been done to these major corridors. You know, and, you know, we have -- we have just cornered ourself into a very dangerous corner where it's gonna effect our economy, our businesses are gonna suffer, people are not gonna be able to move organic we're gonna have more accidents, we're gonna have more deaths out there in the streets because we're not addressing these issues. These are safety issues, you know? I just found out there was another accident right there on Lamar and -- on Riverside. You know, these are the streets that, you know, they're causing all these -- or having all these accidents. They're slowing down the commuters. They can't get to work on time. We're losing productivity. You know, these are the kind of things that we need to be addressing instead of, you know, turning down the -- I hate to say this, but, you know, when I got elected even though I got elected from district 3 I wasn't gonna play the ward politics. I think threaten people and say I'm not gonna vote on it, I didn't get my way on it, or I don't like bicycles or I don't like trails so let's put it separate and we'll vote against so we can kill that. [1:54:43 PM] If we wanted to go that way we should line up all the streets and let everybody pick what street -- what corridor or what major streets in their district. And I bet district 6 will probably end up losing, you know, if we took all those streets, put those streets out there. You know? So those are the kind of things that we shouldn't be playing around. We should really support this package, you know, and I know that I'm gonna work real hard on it and I know my residents are gonna support it just like they supported rail the last time around. I was the only district that actually -- my voters supported rail. So I'm not -- so I'm gonna be supporting this, mayor. Councilmembers, there are two other changes that legally has -- legal has pointed out to me contained in the red line, one on page 2 -- well, a change that's on page 2, where the word "Including" is stricken and the word "For" is put in its place as shown on the red line. Without objection I'm going to incorporate that into the final ordinance language. >> With no objection, that is done. >> Zimmerman: Sorry. Just repeat those. I don't think there's objection but, again, what -- >> Mayor Adler: On the redlined page you can see that you have in your hand about where your left finger is there's -- on page 2, the word "Including" has been stricken. Yes. >> [Off mic] >> Mayor Adler: It's a word change redlined. I had miss it before. So that change is now incorporated. Ms. Houston some. >> Houston: And, mayor, I appreciate all of you -- all you say about the adult of who we duality of who we represent and I too is privileged to represent district 1 but I also have a responsibility to all the citizens of Austin. My issue is not about the role. My issue is about the fact that this plan represents others making decisions that people who were not part of that conversation had no opportunity to make. [1:56:50 PM] That's my concern. And so when we have an inclusive environment where all people can be at the table and not have someone that was a very exclusive group of people make those discussions and then we're force -- decisions and then we're forced to take them and that's what I feel pressured into and I've not really liked bullies ever in my life so this feels like I was bullied into taking something. I was fine with 300 and 500 million but there was no opportunity because it was all or fog. It's the bullying, it's the short time frame. There are a lot of things about this, which probably will pass, but there are a lot of things that I can't in good conscious vote for. >> Mayor Adler: I understand. Ms. Kitchen? >> Kitchen: I just wanted to make a few comments. I am gonna support this package on balance. I would much have preferred a smaller package, the 500 million would have been, from my perspective, very impressive, huge step towards transportation issues. My issue goes to balancing the needs across the city. I think transportation is obviously a huge need, and we obviously need 720 million and more. But I'm very, very concerned about our other needs in the city, our needs for housing, our needs for flood mitigation, our other needs like that. And so I'm gonna support this because, on balance, I believe that we've taken some steps where we can work very expeditiously on these other needs. We passed the bond task force last time to start immediately in October, to look at the other needs in our city, and so I'll be working very hard on that also. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: I'll join you in those efforts. Anything else? Yes. [1:58:51 PM] Mr. Casar. >> Casar: And I'll be supporting this. I recognize that there are portions of this bond that are not my favorite, but there are certainly portions of it that are really important, including and especially in our corridors. We had a speaker during the last reading that talked about how much of these investments go to those communities, most marginalized, and I wished we could dedicate the vast majority of this funding in that direction, but the challenge with this bond -- with bonds in general for me has been that we have to get people to ultimately vote for them and support them and many of our communities that are on the most dangerous corridors and have the least sidewalks oftentimes have had their votes suppressed if they haven't just had their vote taken away from them entirely, and I appreciate the fact that our staff and our community has put together money in some corridors where we don't have that many voters, and I will support putting some money away for where there are more voters just because that's what I need to do in order to make sure that communities like the refugee committees up and down north Lamar don't have to walk in a ditch or ride their bicycle against traffic on a highway access road just to get to the bus. And if that's what we have to do, that's, in my view, my responsibility and I'm -- I'm ready to fund the infrastructure that we need for the Hermes -- needs of the city long with getting as much infrastructure as I can towards the communities that need it the most even if they don't vote the most. >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Three quick things. First I want to commend you for what I think is a pretty fair process on the dais. I appreciate, you know, your willingness to let the minority vote be heard. I really appreciate that because the majority of council could have shut down the council -- conversation. [2:00:55 PM] So thank you for allowing the voice to be heard. Sincere compliment. My number 1 priority is district 6 but you have to handle the mutually exclusive demands constituencies around the city. I'm glad you don't have your job. So item 74, just for the record, second thing, I wanted to have a chance to vote in favor of item 74, but I can't do that because they are bundled together and thank you for allowing me to have that vote. Finally, my abstention on this is gonna be based on two things. The council is unwilling to break it into smaller pieces. Councilmember Houston referred to this. The number 1 comment I've received from constituents, why are you making us vote on this huge amount of money? Why isn't there some way you could break that into smaller pieces to give us choices? That's the first reason I'm voting an abstention. And the second one is the refusal of our city staff, our legal department, to give us a way to limit the taxation and the potential cost to our taxpayers. I'm not always opposed to our legal staff. When it calm to prop, you know, the tnc ballot language, I thought our legal staff did an excellent job of stick to go the law, case law, and I thought they did a fantastic job advising us on the tnc ballot language. And they have done a horrific, horrific job of representing the law and our options on this ballot language. It is atortious, the terrible legal lobbying we got instead of advice. So I will never vote for unlimited taxation, and that is exactly what this bond proposal does, unlimited taxation. I'm going to be abstaining. It's a tragedy, because I wanted to break it into three pieces and I wanted to have the ability to limit taxation. I don't have either one so I can't support it. [2:02:56 PM] But of course we're mired in traffic congestion so I'm not voting against it either. I'm abstaining. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Ms. Garza and Ms. Kitchen. >> Garza: Sorry, I just had to respond to a few things. I think it's important that the voters get to decide on this so I'm not voting yes or no. I'm abstaining. I hope as this conversation continues and as voters educate themselves, that it's an honest conversation, an honest viewpoints given to them. When I hear, you know -- I've heard in some instances it's gonna solve all our congestion problems, it's gonna solve all these things. I hope that really changes from this it's gonna solve referring to an honest conversation of what exactly -- solve D -- when I hear concerns about these roads are distrust -- dangerous and causing deaths, obviously as a former firefighter I'm very concerned about public safety but let's not frame this in a way that if we don't support this it means that we're for dangerous roads or dangerous situations. Lastly, I hope we can move away from every time we don't agree with something that a councilmember is doing we says that ward politics. Where are you doing ward politics? We are the farthest from ward politics. Go to Chicago, where councilmembers have discretion on any zoning case in their district. They get to decide. That's ward politics. So I really hope we move away from this -- constantly saying that any decision that we don't agree with is because of ward politics and that that's a bad thing. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Kitchen. >> Kitchen: One last comment. I wanted to comment also that -- I wanted to thank the mayor and my fellow councilmembers, particularly those of us in south Austin, I really appreciate the recognition of the importance of including all parts of the city, and I think that we've done that now. And I don't -- I also would like to echo -- I don't consider that ward politics at all, looking at all parts of the city and making sure that we are -- that we are looking at the needs across the entire city. [2:05:06 PM] So I think that we have gotten there, both with the projects that we have in the package and also with the process that we're setting out in the resolution as we go forward. So thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Ms. Troxclair. >> Troxclair: First I want to clarify councilmember Zimmerman, when he said he thought the legal staff did a great job of advising us on the tnc ballot language, that was the ballot language that the council chose not to adopt, right? >> Zimmerman: Correct. [ Laughter ] >> Troxclair: Okay. Just wanted to make that clear. Yeah, this -- man, it puts me in a really difficult position that we're voting for both items at the same time because of course the -- including the tax implication on the ballot language was -- it was and still is really important to me. So having lost that from the ballot language puts me in a difficult position of having that vote also tied to item number 23. So I just wanted to point that out so that the mayor knew why my vote on this might be different from what it would have been if we were taking the items up separately. >> Mayor Adler: How many understand -- help me understand. Item number 1960 you lost the language that -- item numbering 1960 you lost the language you wanted on the ballot? You're saying if we split 23 from 74 your vote on 3223 would be separate? I was confused by what you said. >> Troxclair: I'm saying that -- I'm not gonna be able to support all -- I'll abstain from the vote on both of these together. In part because my language regarding the tax impact on the ballot was stripped. >> Mayor Adler: I understand that. If there's no further discussion we'll take a vote. Ms. Gallo. >> Gallo: Thank you, mayor. And I think there's been really good comments made today, and this is -- this has been an effort. [2:07:13 PM] It has been emotionally challenging I think for all of us up here when we try to both address the needs of our districts that we were elected from and also the needs of the full community. We all agree that traffic gridlock is one of the major concerns in our community. I'm supporting this because I think it balances the needs across our whole community. When mobility talks did a survey, the respondents from district 10, 90% of those respondents use vehicles as the way they get around. And so as a result I did advocate for money as part of this bond to be spent in district 10 on roadways, which are experiencing major road gridlock, loop 360 and spicewood springs. I also supported adding additional road projects in far south Austin, which also increased spending on the east-west corridors that we had neglected over many years in continuing to try to spend and do projects on. So when you look at the map now that shows where the projects are as part of this bond you see a map that shows geographic equality. And I want to also say what some of the councilmembers said, geographic equality does not mean ward politics. Geographic equality means that the residents in our community -- and our community members that live in every part of our community are represented with voices that represent them. So I'm proud to support this. I think it's been a compromise in many waste, but I think it's a -- in many ways but I think it's a balance that shows spending, shows interest and shows donor every piece of our community and I think that's an important message for this council to send. >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to go ahead and take a vote. Those in favor of items number 23 and 74, that being on 23 parts two, three, four, about the bond election, parts five and nine about the election process, 5-9 about the election process, and then the resolution as it was amended. [2:09:19 PM] Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed. Ms. Houston voting no. Those abstaining. With Garza, troxclair, and Zimmerman abstaining and with Ms. Houston voting no, the vote is 7-1-3. This matter passes and it's now to be put on the ballot in November. That gets us to 2:00 and lunchtime. I would suggest that we begin lunch by going back to executive session, even if just for a minute or two so that I can visit with council. As we go back and grab lunches. So city council will go into closed session to take up one item, item 86 discussing the appointment and duties of an interim city manager, item 83 and 85 have been withdrawn. If there's no objection we'll go right back. I want anticipate that we should be able to be back out of lunch and back to the dais hopefully about 3:00, 3:15. Okay? So we'll now move to executive session. [ Executive session ] [2:20:18 PM] -C [3:08:56 PM] executive session. >> F [3:33:59 PM] . [♪Music playing♪] >> [3:54:35 PM] >> Mayor Adler: All right. We are out of closed session. In closed session we took up personnel items related to item number 86. We're now back in the room here. For the record, item number 73, which was the other version of the resolution we just passed, is withdrawn. So no longer needs to be carried on the agenda. We have a couple of items on the agenda that my understanding is that there's a sense that they're not quite baked yet, and that what we should do is pass them on first reading so that everybody involved can continue to work on them. It's been suggested that with that it might be that we don't need a lot of speakers to speak on it because they don't really know at this point yet what they would be speaking on. And those two items are the lobby matter and the tenant relocation matter. The tenant relocation matter we talked about coming up at -- potentially at 6:00. We talked about that at 4:00 we would talk about whether or not call that at 6:00. But if we're really not going to hear a lot of testimony I hate for people to come down and I don't want them to use an opportunity for something to speak on something that might significantly change. Let me look at the speaker list on those two items. >> Casar: Mayor, I didn't know that we were considering not taking testimony on the tenant relocation item. And I I believe there may be people with the intention of coming down at 6:00 who may not have signed up on that yet. If you could, maybe councilmember Renteria and my office could go and find out? [3:56:37 PM] It was my understanding that there were people, including tenants from faced properties that were planning on -- displaced properties that were planning on coming for that. I didn't know we were considering not taking testimony and I can go and check. >> Mayor Adler: Certainly anybody that shows up at 6:00 given our public pronouncement, will be given the opportunity to speak. But my understanding is that given everything we have on the agenda we're not really going to discuss these issues on the dais. We're going to vote to approve them on first reading so they move forward. So that folks can continue to work and they'll come back to us. So let's hold off doing that with respect to tenant relocation with the 4:00 and 6:00 matter, but let's look at the lobbying ordinance, which is item number 21. There are speakers that are identified for that, Fred Louis, Stewart samplely, Nick Molen, if we're passing that on first reading only and not really discussing it, is there anyone in that group that feels the need to speak at this point? Is there a motion to approve item number 21 on first reading only? Councilmember pool? And seconded by councilmember Renteria. Is there any discussion? The motion is to pass this on first reading. Those in favor please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's naps on the dais -- it's unanimous on the dais with Ms. Houston off. It passes on first reading on 10-0-1. Okay. Let's look at this and see what else we might be able to move. [3:58:45 PM] Item number 9, Texas water development board swift funding. Mr. Zimmerman, will this cake long, do you think? >> Zimmerman: I wanted to ask Austin water to give us the case for passing this and then I can make an argument why we shouldn't. I don't think it's quick to deal with. I don't think it's quick. >> Mayor Adler: If this one is not quick we're never going to get out of here tonight. [Laughter] Because we have a lot of items. I mean, my sense is let's have them come up and quickly make their case and then you can make your argument, and if no one else wants to discuss this then we'll vote. >> Zimmerman: How about if we do four minutes each side, how is that? You get four minutes, I get four minutes. How's that? >> At the mayor's will, council's will. >> Zimmerman: Start the clock. >> Mayor Adler: Why don't you go ahead and tell us what that is briefly. >> The council will recall a few months ago they had us applying for low interest loans for the Texas water development board swift water program. These were approved for loan consideration. We're back here today for the actual loan itself, at least the first phase of that, $20.4 million for reclaimed projects as well as projects to rehabilitate filters at our plants. This is a part of our reclaimed master plan projects to do the projects here. We estimate that the debt service on these projects would be about $660,000, which is significantly low are than what -- lower than what we could issue the debt for. We forecast an interest rate of 1.9% from Texas water development board. They're triple a rated and discount the interest rate, our interest rate would be probably closer to 2.7%. We also believe this will add a minimum of 34 large reclaim customers that will generate $750,000 a year in revenue. And we'll get all the other additional benefits of reclaimed water from the water supply and trigger management perspective. [4:00:47 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Sure. Hang on just a second, I want to give you a chance to respond. I have some overheads that are on the list there. Let's try to get them on the overhead. So this is the first phase -- by the way, we got this information from Q and a, so the other councilmembers know. This is posted in Q and a. There's exhibit 1 with some of the transfers. You see the highlighted line down there? That shows the transfer from water and wastewater. What this means, in other words, the ratepayers, will be required to transfer in $3.4 million per year over a period of five years. So there's going to be $17 million coming from existing rate payers to subsidize this project. So let's go to the next one. This is also information we got from Q and a with some other details in Q and a form. So my chief of staff was good enough to convert this into something that's much more readable. If you go to my last slide here, this was a spreadsheet that we put together and you show in the upper right corner there's that $17 million that's coming out of existing rate payers. That's the subsidy. So in other words, our water bills are going to go up $17 million to subsidize this. Then you look at net profit, kind of towards the middle of the page. And you see that negative $7.2 million. So we're going to lose $7.2 million. From the operation of the purple pipe project. And then down where it says -- towards the bottom it says acre feet of reclaimed water. You see the highlighted point that says 4,323. But the average over the five-year period is about 4100-acre feet. 21,586, that's the water we save over a five-year period, so it's about 4100-acre feet per year. Now, here's the point. The point is: We have already paid for 200,000-acre feet per year. [4:02:54 PM] We use less than 150,000. So in other words, we could increase our water usage by 4100-acre feet at a cost of pretty much zero and what's crazy to me about this project is we're asking water customers to pay even more to subsidize a reclaimed water project that is going to lose $7.2 million and we only save 4100-acre feet of water per year, which is virtually nothing compared to the 55,000-acre feet we've already paid for that we're not using. That's why I think this is an absolutely horrible idea. If any of you are knocking on doors like I am, one of the number one complaints are the high water bills. And they say what are you going to do about the high water bills? And the answer for my colleagues is you will vote against this boondoggle and we will stop the bleeding and stop charging our customers extra fees so we can lose money on the reclaimed water project. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Zimmerman: I'm asking you to vote no. >> Mayor Adler: Do you want to respond to this? >> Reclaimed water has a benefit to the utility beyond just the benefits you get from reclaimed water customers. It's true we don't try to recapture our cost on reclaimed water, we want people to hook up. Mayor and council, I would start from the largest perspective. We went through the largest drought on record. That led to homework changes in the way water is managed in the basin, including the first time ever cutoff of downstream ag and those restrictions, managing that water, hundreds of thousands of acre feet a year during drought, have been made permanent. One of the reasons that happened is because we could demonstrate the steps that Austin staking and the sacrifices we're making to conserve water here in our community when we're faced with administrative hearings and downstream rice farmers that are complaining about the big city not making any sacrifices or conserving water, the first thing I mention is reclaimed water as one of our examples where we're making investments and reusing water wisely. [4:05:00 PM] Additionally, the reclaimed water program is right in alignment with our own local water planning as directed by this mayor and council. We're engaged in integrated water resource planning and a task force that you appointed. That task force working with the utility adopted a guiding principle that says maximize local water resources. That's exactly what reclaimed water does is it maximizes local water resources. This helps us manage our trigger. Every one of those thousands of acre feet of water that councilmember Zimmerman mentioned are acre feet that don't count against our trigger or won't count in the future. It gives us options in the future to use local water supplies. For example, we're considering aquifer storage and recovery, which is a way that we would store fresh potable water underground and also do that in a way that we don't go over our trigger. And reclaimed water helps us with those strategies. So we still recommend reclaimed water as an important part of our overall water portfolio. >> Zimmerman: Just quick rebuttal here. You kind of started off the comments by saying benefit to the utility. Benefit to the water utility. So I'm here for the benefit of my constituents and their water bills are too expensive. So that's my position. My position is their water bills are too expensive. We need to figure out how to cut costs instead of increasing costs. The second thing I want to point out since we're here on the record, I'm not completely convinced that the lcra agrees that every acre foot that you take out of the river you're not required to put a whole bunch of it back into the river downstream. Those conversations to me I've heard from both sides, I hear from Austin water utility, I hear from lcra, and we're not on the same page. The lcra is going to be complaining that Austin is not putting enough water back into the Colorado for downstream users, just for the record. I want my colleagues to know that. This is going to come back to us as a council, the lcra, maybe it will be a lawsuit, negotiations, I'm not sure, but they're going to be complaining that we're not putting more acre feet back into the downstream Colorado river. Very important point. [4:07:00 PM] So again, I want to urge my colleagues to please vote against this for the benefit of the water customers that can't afford their water bills. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Is there a motion to approve item number 9? On the agenda? Ms. Pool. Is there a second to that motion? Ms. Garza? Any further discussion? Those in favor of item number 9 please raise your hand? Those opposed? Zimmerman, troxclair voting no, Houston off the dais, the others voting aye, item 9 is approved. I'm going to try to get through these items to the degree that we can quickly. We have a little over three hours' worth of testimony signed up on budget at the public hearing. Inclusive of some other public hearings that we have as well. When we get there we can take a look at that. The item number 21, we have handled. 23. That would get us up to item number 25, the acv matter. I note that there are a dozen people signed up to speak all in favor on item number 25. Mayor pro tem, is it appropriate? Let's call that up -- maybe you could have your exchange, say what it is that you want to do so the speakers if they wanted to address that, then they would know what was being put at issue. It might direct their testimony. So if we could bring up staff on item number 25. Mayor pro tem, do you want to -- >> Tovo: Mayor, I appreciate the staff for providing answers to the questions I submitted. I do have questions about some of the responses. [4:09:01 PM] And so I don't know whether you want me to do that in advance of the speakers or -- >> Mayor Adler: I'm thinking -- my understanding is you're not going to be recommending a no vote to this, but a changed vote in this so it might be if you explain what it is you're trying to do they could direct their testimony to that. >> Tovo: And I do have questions about the responses I received. I want to begin by thanking the acvb for the important work that I know you do in the city. I've had the opportunity to attend your past lunches and to meet with you individually in the past year. I'm really aware of how well you represent the city of Austin around the country and you've done a terrific job of attracting conventions and other meetings and conferences here. So this -- what I am proposing here today is in no way to disparage your work or to change the work that you do, but I do know that there has been an ongoing conversation in the community, among council, about how we use our hotel-motel tax revenues. And those have been increasing every year. And as I look back at both my time on council and the time prior to that, I see lots of questions in the budget Q and a about other potential uses of hotel-motel tax and attempts to try to understand the funding pattern. And it is clear that this is of interest to many people, and I would like to -- I would really like to have a conversation about that in the budget. So my proposal here today is that we, for today, keep the funding for the acvb level with the prior year. So there would not be a decrease in funding, but we would not propose an increase in funding. So the typical pattern has been that each year there has been an increase in that contract amount that flows to the acvb. And I would propose at least through the budget process we keep that level. And that will provide us, our council, with the opportunity to really look at some of the needs that are on our concept menu, some of which I believe we may be able to fund out of hotel-motel tax revenue. [4:11:14 PM] I completely understand we'll need to have a conversation with our legal staff about some of those proposed uses, and there are some others that I would like to suggest. Again, least for consideration. You know, as we go through with the staff some of the responses they've provided, I think it will be necessary to distinguish between the tourism and promotion fund and the cultural arts funding. The cultural arts funding is sort of outside -- outside the discussion on this item, but I would like to talk about the tourism and promotion fund. And if we could reserve some of that additional revenue for some of the other needs that would fall within the state statute for that money. So that is the motion that I'm prepared to make today, and that will get us into the question, I think, some of the questions I asked through the Q and a process about whether we have the legal ability to do that, if we do, I know that legal staff is prepared to speak to that. There were questions that I submitted about how that -- how that would impact their contract. As I understand it we don't see that -- we don't approve the budget for the acvb and their marketing plan until a little later anyway, a little late after today. So there are other questions and other decisions to come. But again I would suggest that for today we approve the contract with level funding, understanding that we will revisit that during our budget process, which is going to be wrapped up in a matter of a month or so. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So is it possible to have staff speak to what would be the implications or legal issues associated with keeping the funding -- approving this with funding equal to last year with this issue to come to us as part of the budget process over the coming two or three weeks? [4:13:28 PM] >> The challenge of keeping funding level in fiscal 2017 really has to do with the work plan developed over the last five years as they go out and capture conventions and trade shows for the city. Three or five years out when they're making commitments in this particular year we have the biggest commitment that we've had to date in the professional convention management association. Their event that comes here, which is very, very expensive to approximate the city to host, both the convention center and the bureau, and that is really where their budget would struggle this year where it would possibly effect and potential put off as a potential. >> Mayor Adler: Yes? >> Tovo: So what I don't understand is that we don't as a council approve that plan and its accompanying budget until you've noted it in one of your questions, September, I believe, is when we would be asked as a council to approve it? So I guess I'm struggling with trying to understand why there would be staff on board, paid for out of funds that we haven't yet approved. >> We do work on a forecast and we do -- the increases that we see are a strategy that we put in place and we budget and we look at. Now, they do have some reserves and we can cut back in time where the money goes back. It's just that in this particular year the resources that we'll need to host this one event are very, very significant. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman? >> Zimmerman: Thank you. I have the same concerns as the mayor pro tem. And I mean, to be fair, to be fair to you, I think in the old council the presumption that you could make -- the presumption that you could make a five-year plan and have this stuff ready to go -- as you said, you do have to plan ahead, but it sounds like what you just said you planned that you would presume to have this extra money so you've already planned to have the center money before the extra money was approved. [4:15:40 PM] And that's probably business as usual under the old council, but the new 10-1 we're trying to get ahead of the spending, to not have the presumptions built in that you will have huge increases and the city council will rubber stamp them. I share mayor pro tem's concerns about the way this has been done. And I think the bureau is doing a great job. You have a terrific new director. No complaints about the quality of your staff. It's just that presuming that you have money to spend that hasn't been approved by council is the problem for me. >> Mayor Adler: How does it work as a practical matter if the convention center has to be doing planning years in advance and is signing up things years in advance, how do they do that? How do they do that years in advance? >> Zimmerman: Corporations do this all the time with five-year plans and they put it out to their stakeholders, everybody knows what they're intending to do. >> Mayor Adler: But it's more than saying this is what we intend to do over five years plans, they have to actually make commitments. And if those commitments that they have to make because they're selling the space or taking the reservation three years in advance, and when they do that they have to be able to staff to be able to meet that, I have the same concern where we have now because of that we actually have people that are making decisions and committing the city, the convention center, beyond what is the horizon of our budget cycle, but they're not doing it because they're being cavalier, they're doing it because that's when you have to book stuff. And I'm trying -- so I have -- so when I was talking to the mayor pro tem I was confused by this process as well and how that all works. Mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: I would just say too I think there is a difference between the work that the convention center does and the work that the acvb does and what we're talking now is the contract for the acvb, and I am still struggling to understand both the responses I got through the Q and a and the responses that we're hearing now. [4:17:42 PM] Because again, we're not scheduled to approve the budget until September 22nd and the marketing budget is going to be part of that. We have on all our contracts and I believe there's one in here too, that the contact, five years or whatever we decide to enact today, it's all contingent on an annual appropriation. So I asked the question in Q and a what would happen if we approve this contract here today, but then during the budget process we decided on another amendment? We have the ability to do that. So it would help me if we could get to a real -- a very clear understanding because I'm not there yet, at why we would -- well, just the same question we asked. Why would there have been assumptions about expenditures when you aren't even clear from year to year on what those hotel-motel tax revenues are going to be because until you see those you don't know what the amount is. We know the percentage that flows under city ordinance to the acvb, that amount is going to be until year to year. I need to address councilmember Zimmerman. I appreciate there are a lot of changes from the at large to the district base, but this has been a source of continual interest. What I was trying to convey in my history is if you look back through the budget Q and a there are a lot of questions. Many councilmembers have tried to struggle with the funding pattern and every time there have been changes suggested, frankly, where there are all kinds of obstacles to doing that, in part because their contracts and agreements and things like that. If we're ever going to stop and look at whether this is still exactly the percentage we want to flow to the acvb, I would say it's now. >> Mayor Adler: So I'm going ask assistant city manager Washington and I'm going to give Elaine and Ed the opportunity to help us understand this circle [indiscernible] As well. Dr. Washington? >> Thank you, mayor. I'm going to attempt to begin to respond to the first question I heard about the assumptions that are made on the expenditure side. [4:19:49 PM] And I think part of it goes back to the creation of the allocations of the hotel occupancy tax where the percentages that would be devoted to tourism and promotion had been fixed since the creation of the acvb. So based on those assumptions I think they assume the revenue patterns would be allocated annually either by forecast or through the budget to use to the acvb and whether or not it's allocated between promotions of Austin or preservation of heritage I think is something that is done operationally, but the assumptions have been that that amount that has been designated through hotel occupancy tax for tourism has been generally assumed what would be given to the acvb. And I think it speaks to a long-standing practice, certainly long before my arrival and director tester's arrival, but I would also ask if either Ed or Elaine would have any other perspectives to offer in terms of the historical pattern. >> I can add one thing that as part -- as part of our current contract, we have provided them the estimates for this year months ago and asked them as part of our contract to develop a marketing plan based on that number. So that was the number that we gave them to work off of based on the increases that we felt, or decreases, and in this particular year we put an increase. So we gave them that number. The budget -- the marketing plan that is required of them has already been received I think two months ago. So this is part of their process as we move forward. So it is a number that we gave them to work off of. >> Pool: I have a question. >> Mayor Adler: I think Ms. Houston would be next if she wants to speak and then I'll come back. [4:21:52 PM] >> Pool: Thank you. >> Houston: Thank you, mayor. This contract has been in place since 1996? I think? Thereabouts? Before you came on board. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Houston: And before I came on board too. Lately who do the marketing funds go to? Does it go to the visitors and convention bureau and then they contract with someone else? >> No. It goes to the acvb and they have a staff and their primary duty is they have a sales and marketing arm that goes out and sells Austin and the Austin convention center and our motels to conventions and trade shows, sporting events. They do advertising both to the convention industry and also to leisure. They have a whole leisure component where they go out and component internationally Austin as a visitor destination, but they are a separate organization that has a board of directors. >> Houston: So over the past five years, since the contract was last renewed, how much has it increased? >> The average increase -- I know since 1999 when the convention center expansion project was approved, has been eight percent, including two years. Now, again, it's the same amount of money, we've just done very, very well as a strategy and hotels have done well and the hotel tax collections have increased. I think in this particular year I think we're looking right around 10%. I could be up or down a point. >> Houston: No. I think my question was how much has this contract that we're looking at now increased over the past 10 years? >> Councilmember, I think we responded to those in the budget questions and to councilmember tovo's question. >> Houston: Thank you. >> It's gone from 6.6 million in 2011 to about 14.4 million in terms of payment for fy16. [4:23:56 PM] And every year as the revenues increase it has incrementally grown from that 6.6 million. I think someone is posting that now. It's based on the percentage that's set in code. >> Houston: Okay. And thank you for the answer to that. You know, we get so much information that it's hard to know which one we've gotten, which is in late backup. So thank you for having that. Where is it? >> Mayor Adler: So I think the question that the mayor pro tem is asking, one question, is the percentage stays the same, the growth is going from six million to $14 million. Given the increase in the total amount of revenue, if the council wanted to consider having it go from six to 12 as opposed to six to 14, which is an increase, but it would require a lower percentage, how does the council get into that conversation? What is the proper entry point for that conversation? At what point does that come up? I want to see that as an answer to that first. Dr. Washington, what would be the entry point into that conversation? >> I would have to defer to our law department since it's -- the allocations are based on 1127 of our city code and state law and I see someone coming to answer that question. >> Sabina row mere row, city law department. You are both correct, the city code allocates the hot code to tourism. The percentage is what we as a body decide each year as long as the use is consistent with the language in the code and within the dollar amount, it is a percentage of that year's hot tax. [4:26:00 PM] >> Mayor Adler: So my question is still the same. If recognizing that the percentage is set by code, so no one is going to talk about changing the overall percentage, but the allocation of those monies, recognizing that we have some people that are setting up programs in advance of that, if the council was of a mind to consider reapportioning that percentage as a practical matter, not as a legal matter, as a practical matter, where is the appropriate entry point for that conversation? If not now -- and the mayor pro tem is saying I think the appropriate place -- because I don't know where else it is, is now. If there's a more appropriate place for that conversation to be entered into, where would that be? Yes. People have yet to speak. >> Troxclair: I guess I would just offer in response to your question, I think that there is potentially a conversation that we could have now, but also my resolution on item number 75 is intended to facilitate that conversation, creating a task force specifically focused on our allocation of hotel occupancy taxes. So I hope that in the context of this conversation that council will then be better prepared to support item number 75 in a minute so that we can have that conversation. >> Mayor Adler: Further conversation? Yes, Ms. Pool. >> Pool: Along the lines of questions that we can maybe ask at this point, we have had presentations on potential expansion of the conversation center. So how does the marketing plan that you are talking about and the 14-million-dollar appropriation, how does that interact with the acvb and convention center expansion. Expansion? >> They >> They are an official sales and marketing arm so we are looking to continually grow our business. [4:28:06 PM] The funding for any expansion would be separated on the convention center department so this would not affect our ability to expand the convention center. The big challenge that they have is they've got a bigger workload to do as the hotel community continues to grow by leaps and bounds, more rooms to fill, more airline seats to fill, more international opportunities to partner with to help promote and help grow Austin. That is their sole focus of what they're doing. But this would not really stop our convention center expansion one way or the other. >> Pool: And would you be able to continue with your marketing plan if we were to freeze these monies at the currently level? >> It wouldn't help our continued growth and the continued success that we've had, certainly. >> Pool: Do you think it's the reason that people are coming to Austin is because of the marketing and outreach that you are doing? Or is there a complex network of reasons for what attracts people to come to Austin? >> I think there is a lot of -- I think there's a lot of great reasons. I think we've got a tremendous model to help maximize those resources. >> Pool: And do you think you could continue with that model if we were to freeze your funding at the current levels? >> That would be the convention bureau and I would have to select -- put that to Tom, but I think that would make his job more difficult, yes. >> Pool: Last question I have, last year we dug in a little bit to the bonuses that were being paid to the employees. There were two different levels of employee and two different bonus amounts that were paid out because there was an excess of revenue in the account. Is that the case this year again this year? >> Are you referring to the cvb or convention center department. >> Pool: Either one or both. >> I'd let Tom speak to their bonus structure. [4:30:07 PM] We do of course at the convention center have a gain sharing program that pays out all full-time employees if we reach our goal, the same amount of money. There is some lower thresholds based on tenure and based on some other things that could happen if our discipline or some other things within that maybe would lower the amount. But of the 270 employees that work for us, 98% get the full amount. >> Pool: And are there -- is there pay structure competitive? Such that the bonus is really a bonus? Or does that get them up to -- >> It's a gain sharing plan. I don't think we would call it a bonus, per se. It is something to keep us focused and encourage on us meeting our goals at the convention center. >> Pool: Is that something that's available to the rest -- to other departments in the city? >> Both us and the airport, the two enterprise units are the only two I know that have that. >> Pool: If we were to freeze your funding at the current levels do you think you could continue at the operations at the level you are today? >> Again, we're talking about the convention bureau today, convention center will come up next week when we present our budget. And we are asking for an increased budget as well, and we hope that you accept that budget, but we are asking for additional ftes and our business is growing, our revenue is growing as well. >> Pool: Thanks, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Ms. Garza. >> Garza: I pulled this at work session last week and this week because I think there's broader policy questions before us, because it's a very complicated matrix that y'all have and the projections that you work off of, and I think the policy question is, it seems to be we're bringing in more hot taxes so let's continue growing and we're bringing in more so let's continue growing and we're bringing in more. [4:32:09 PM] And I don't know what the right answer is, but I don't know if the right answer is to continue that cycle of we're bringing in more, let's spend more, we're bringing in more. Because we shouldn't even do that as a city budget, you know, if we start to bring in more revenue as a city doesn't mean we should necessarily spend more. There's got to be a point where we make a decision on how that spending happens, and so, overall, that's -- it's the same question I have. At what point do we jump in and say, let's start gaining back the spending because maybe this isn't the policy we want to be, you know, spending more, spending more, bringing -- and I've said before, you know, I understand the benefits that tourism does for our community, and, obviously, we don't want to stop those benefits. You mentioned -- and I think the conversation keeps getting confused on the convention center and the acvb. You mentioned possible layoffs, and does that mean if there's some big event coming in two years you have projected -- it sounds to me you've projected a certain budget to market it. How would that affect people's jobs? How would that cause layoffs? >> I would ultimately give that question to Tom to answer about whether that would be ultimately necessary or not. However, you know, the program and the requirements of the stuff that we've got coming up are significantly more than a Normal year, and that's the difference. Millions of dollars more. Primarily for one chapters is our super bowl. We'll have 5,000 people in Austin in January, and 3,000 then will be meeting professionals that will look at our convention center and hotels and hopefully book hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of meetings with our facility. And that specifically has made this budget significantly different than in other years. [4:34:16 PM] And we would not want to stop and limit the amount of marketing and things that -- they're doing in support of other areas. One thing I can say, again, we're only talking about the convention bureau today and that one of the four buckets in hotel occupancy tax but in comparison to the job that they have, in comparison to a lot of their competitors in all of Texas, the Marilyn cities, they have the lowest funding. So they are trying to do more with less in comparison to some of their competitors. And, again, this is just the convention bureau and, you're right, we will be talking about my buckets next week at the convention center. >> Is it possible -- >> Mayor Adler: Mayor pro tem and councilmember troxclair, is it possible for us to call item 75, which is the study that seems to relate to these questions so that we can hear the three speakers that are signed up on that? Because the question that I have as I sit here is, as you know, I'm loath to have this council making policy decisions on the dais or doing things just -- councilmember troxclair, if there's a study that's being done, maybe that's the right entry point for us to come in on. And I don't know whether it is or not. And does it make sense for us to put 75 on the table or at least hear from Mr. Nunen on the question of -- I'm trying to figure out if there's a -- the better place for us to get into it is this budget conversation we're having right now where my fear is this is a bigger thing to unwind and if we start I don't know how do that or use councilmember troxclair's task force to really look at all the competing pieces and then tee this up for us? >> Tovo: So I certainly support councilmember troxclair's initiative and I'm a cosponsor in it and I believe that -- I believe that discussion is going to be of great value. [4:36:25 PM] I would say, though, this is a very complicated subject, which is the reason why this community hasn't had a discussion in so many years about how -- about whether and how -- whether or if, I should say, to change any of these percentages flowing to the acvb. I'm certainly not trying to make the acvb or the convention center's job more difficult, but we have some challenging circumstances here in Austin that could -- we could use, in my estimation, and of course we'd need legal's opinion on this, but we mighting able to use in this budget cycle some of the tourism and promotion fund revenue to address, from music venues to historic preservation opportunities to other things as I read it are allowable uses under the state guidelines. So I would say -- I would argue we should do both, initiative a much broader community-based look at how to move forward into the future, but, again, all I'm asking for today is not a final decision on what to do with, pardon me, an additional almost $2 million. I'm just saying we know the acvb has done an excellent job this year for $14,473,000, for now let's keep did at that amount before we lock in a contract at a hire amount of almost $2 million more -- no, more than $2 million more. And at least give ourselves through the budget cycle to have some conversations with our legal staff about any -- whether any of the initiatives on our concept menu or about to be on our concept menu are eligible uses for that additional funding. And then, you know, we will -- I mean, that puts us right in time to look at the marketing budget that acvb will bring forward, as I understand it, on September 22. [4:38:26 PM] Again, I appreciate a couple months ago you presented them with the estimated numbers, but this council hasn't -- has not affirmed that marketing plan and budget and we won't do so until September. So just if we could just hold off on that $2 million for today and allow ourselves a little time through the budget cycle, again, to see if any of those priority needs are eligible funding, are eligible to be funded, I would say -- you know, I would advocate that path in addition to the path that councilmember troxclair has laid out, which is a longer-term thing. By the time that committee is done, we will probably be into a five-year contract with certain expectations about that income, and we -- you know, I would say we do both. We have a longer-term conversation but we allow ourselves the opportunity to have some shorter-term conversations in the budget. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Nunen, can you come up here? Do you understand the issue we're wrestling with here on the dais? >> Mr. Mayor, if you wouldn't mind, councilmembers, I was going to speak today on items 25 and 75 and some of the questions you have are really dealing with 25, if you wouldn't mind I wouldn't mind doing my entire presentation to walk through and answer some of the questions you have and I think this will wrap a lot of this up for you, so if the mayor and council is good with that that's what I'd like to proceed to do. >> Mayor Adler: Without objection from the dais, please proceed. >> I'm Tom nunen, here for about 94 days now and excited to be back in Texas and selling the best city in Texas and we're excited about being back home in the state of Texas. This contract and budget are 75%, anxiety% of our lifeline. This is how we operate. There were questions out there about how we operate, and there were questions this week about our budget. So the first thing I want to do is walk up to the next slide -- do I have the clicker? [4:40:30 PM] Sorry. I don't even know how this works. There we are. So the average amount of city hotel room tax allowed did I dos, cvbs is about 31%, from our national organization. Right now you'll see that the Austin cvb is at 20%, roughly 15 million, we actually rounded that up. You'll look at Dallas, fort Worth, grapevine, Houston, San Antonio, they all have a much larger percentage and much larger budget. This is the spread of the allocation for the Austin cvb in terms of our component as well as the convention center's potent. I put a few other cities in here I'll roll through them. They have a much larger allocation than we have, but we are the smallest in all of the cities. U you had a question earlier about growth in hotel tax. If you go back to 1990 the hotel tax was about $8 million and if you go back to 2015, it grew to about 78 million. We expect it to be 90 million this next year so we see 11-fold growth in that hotel tax collection and you also see the number of hotel rooms that have grown from almost 13,000 rooms to 38,000 rooms. Jannette, I'm sorry, I was going give you packets to hand out, hold on one second. Sorry about that, councilmembers, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: No problem. >> It's gone you have 11-fold. If you look at the blue bars you'll see when the convention center was built and the convention center was expanded and you'll see the correlation in terms of hotel tax growth with the original building as well as the growth with the expansion. And then you'll see a couple dips in there and that's 9/11 and great recession. The great thing about the hotel taxes is that it's -- it follows the economy. It's self-correcting. [4:42:31 PM] I'm going to walk through examples of what happened. The average leverage of cvb contracts in the country is 6.5 years we're asking for five with a five-year addition. Dallas Dallas gave away -- the city of San Antonio is looking at five and five right now for their new organization they're putting together. Again, we are slightly below the average in length in terms of contract. I mentioned earlier that the hotel tax is self-regulating, let me give an example of that. So this is the afternoon budget and how it was impacted after 9/11 and after the great recession. When the economy is going well the hotel tax is going well and that's great but when the economy dips like it did 9/11 it took five years for the hotel tax to get back to original level, back after the great recession it took almost four years to get back to that level and we dropped nearly 20% of our fudged. Today we're talking about maybe taking $2 million out of our budget and I'm worried about having 37, 38,000 hotel rooms, the smallest convention center in our competitive set, and what happens if the economy drops in '17 and we've already taken $2 million out of my budget. In the year, especially when host be pma. It sounds like a lot of money, but, you know, there's $2 million that's owed 1.8 million from last year's budget so that really would be 14 million, if we're not seeing that 1.8 and I've got to fund 2 million out of pma, really with $4 million less out of my budget. That means I'm stung with jobs and I'm stuck with programming I've got to get rid of because I've got to have pma and do it really well. This is a chance to market our city unlike any other chance. They're gonna book hundreds of meetings in Austin for the future. We have to do a great job with pma. If we're taking $2 million out of this fiscal budget it's going to have serious ramifications about how we market and sell. Let me talk about -- you were talking about how can we make a commitment about pma outside the current contract. I'm a second generation kid in the hospitality business. [4:44:32 PM] My father ran a medical society for 38 years, annual convention, 25,000 people, American academy of ophthalmology, book 15 years in advance. There's no city in the country that has a contract 15 years in advance. If we're stuck with only selling business that comes in the next five years that's exactly what our competitors want us to do. They don't want us to compete for that piece of business coming in year six and seven because we can't make that commitment. The ordinance talks about how we have the impression we're gonna see this 1.45, we build our budget and sales incentives and we're out talking to people about bringing their business to town. So we have to operate outside that five-year funding even though we only have a five year funding window because that's the way the business operates not just here in Austin but across the and I country. If we decided to say we're only operating inside a five year window it would have serious ramifications on our business. The first thing that happens is that you build major citywide conventions and they book anywhere from three, four, five, six, seven years out and if you look in this model, from 2014, these are the actual room night bookings in 2014. In 2014 our organization booked 640,000 room nights and 3% of those fell in '14 and 25% of those fell in '15 and about 72% of them fell three years or later. So our five-year contract gets most of that but you'll see a couple out there in 2021 and 2023. We need to operate that way. So the first thing do you is layer major citywide business and maybe filling the convention up with citywide and developing downtown compression, next book one to three years. Filling in large hotel pieces of business on top and then smaller hotel contracts that take place in the last year before and then you sit there probably about 70% of your hotel budgets in place from a year out and that's when leisure travel shows up and that's when business travel shows up and that's when festival attention might show up and how you get to that high compression in the city so you need to have this organization that has -- funded and has ability to sell at least five years out because that's where most of the business is falling, is in that three, five, seven, year window that operates the most. [4:46:51 PM] I will tell you the buying schedule is shortened a little nationally because of what happened aft great recession, 9/11 but still for the most part booking multiple year events, probably four to six is the average. By the way that's 640,000 room nights, has a $630 million economic impact so for every dollar of hotel tax you gave us you saw a $42 return, only in our convention sales funnel. I'm not talking about leisure and the impact we've had on public relations input, so it really talks about a lot more room mites than that. I think this is a great example, this is the real number from 2014, and where the business was layered in. So here's the other thing. We're talking about our budget, what do we do going forward. In 2014, we have six few hundred rooms. In 2019 we're gonna have 11,700 rooms downtown, 81% increase in hotel rooms downtown, and that's the job of my sales team to help sell that, and we have a 23% increase across the entire city. And that's the contract and the budgets we're talking about right now in 2016 that's gonna be handling all of those hotel rooms coming in the marketplace so there is a need. I mentioned it earlier but if you go to the convention center, I want to show you this chart. These are the 20 cities we traditionally compete with, either central, southern, or Texas. And of those 20 cities we are number 20. If we do the expansion that had a conversation about before I got here to Austin that would take us to about number 15. That's it. Not number 10, not number 5. Number 15. And that convention center expansion in my opinion -- I know we're not here to talk about about that today, that's how we protect our future in the industry. Because right now we're number 20 out of 20 and that concerns me, especially with all the number of hotel rooms we're building, including the new Marriott rooms announced the other day, as well as our budget. [4:48:55 PM] So in your package you're also gonna see a couple of case studies from Colorado and ct and what happened to those two states when they cut tourism funding and the long-term economic impacts it had on those two states and I don't think we want to repeat that. So I just want to thank you. And then answer some of the questions you had or take some additional questions of the proposed commission -- sorry, the proposed commission, I signed up as neutral. And I signed up as neutral because in this current format I'm not really excited about it because I think we need to have somebody who is representing the convention center's interest on that commission. There's not. I think there needs to be a larger number of holt years to be on that commission, they're not. Somebody from the restaurant industry on that commission and there's not. I think we should probably have somebody from legal on that commission as well to strengthen that commission if we're gonna move forward with that idea, I think the change in the commission's makeup would be helpful for us. With that if I haven't answered any questions councilmembers have, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have right now. Thank you again for the time and opportunity. Councilmember Zimmerman. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Could you go back to the slide that shows this interesting trend in the taxes. You know, the last five or six years here are really a ski slope going up. So I think I understand your point about the bookings many years in advance. What I'm struggling with is, in the same way everybody is affected by economic downturns, which we know are cyclical, they happen, I'm struggling to understand how you -- when you're projecting big growth, right, you need to staff up to take care of this, right? Then you could have an economic downturn. I'm not understanding how those budgets work and we've had them on your slide right here. Probably nobody in 2007, there would have been nobody standing here saying we're gonna bring in less hotel tax in four years than we have. [4:50:57 PM] No one is gonna project that, right? No one wants that to happen. How do you manage those cyclical downturns. >> The great thing about the convention center, let's start there first, the convention business is, you know -- conventions are still gonna happen. People still need continuing education credits and sell their witches so the safest bet for any city is put a lot of base convention business on books. While they might be smaller during an economic downturn they still exist. The number of tourists may change and the number of people showing up so you need to build that convention base so we staff a lot of -- councilmember Zimmerman, a lot of our staff are convention -- when you look about our two major initiatives, convention sales and marketing and tourism sales and marketing, where most of our staffing takes place. >> Zimmerman: The other question that bears on this, look at the dramatic difference in five or six years between the 6 million and 14 million that's coming in now. If I'm a hotel developer, wouldn't I be tempted to say, wow, look at all this money that the acvb has to help me market and fill up my hotel? >> Well -- >> Zimmerman: I'll build a bigger one because I've got, you know, this terrific group that's helping me to market nationwide. In other words, is this not kind of fueling the additional growth, encourage people to potentially overbuild. >> We're a hot destination right now, probably one of the two hottest in the country right now but I don't think developers are look at the acvb budget saying, look at all that money. Because when you look at my competitors, why don't I go build in their cities when they have much larger budgets and maybe they haven't been overbuilt, maybe they're a future convention hot destination. My concern is yes we built a lot of hotel rooms. How do I feed all of those mouths every night, hotel mouths every night with a smaller budget, with the smallest billing in our competitive set if we're taking dollars away right now and what if an economic downturn takes place on top of that? [4:52:58 PM] That's what's staring me in the face right now and I'm deeply concerned because I think this is one of the great convention cities in America and really hot right now but we have this huge opportunity coming in January. It literally is four, five months away and I'm literally worried about how I manage that process with a budget cut and having to pay for pma. I just think I'm gonna have to reimagine how I staff my organization, what programs I'm putting in place, and how we operate long-term. >> Mayor Adler: Mayor pro tem. >> Tovo: I have a couple of questions. >> Sure. >> Tovo: I guess I need to start by saying I just don't see this as a budget cut. I appreciate that you may, but the contract amount that you most recently had was in the neighborhood of $14 million. What we're contemplating today is an increase so not voting for that increase doesn't make it a did you think. >> Well, $1.8 million of those dollars are the dollars that were underfunded last year so you're saying you're not going to give me that 14 million. >> Tovo: Can you help me understand that point? >> There's a catchup or there's a -- I pay you back. So let's go look at 2007. 2007, you probablyover funded the acvb and then the economic downturn took place and you probably said you know what last year we gave you a half million more than we should have, you're going to go get -- Baltimore where I came from, is that there was a catchup a year later and that's what we've seen steadily over the last four or five years, $1.8 million built into this $16 million. If you're not gonna pay that 1.8 we are sitting at 14 roughly and if I got to pay for pma that gets me to 12. Remember when mark and those guys put in initially they were estimating $16 million budget and now reality is we're probably looking at 14 and I've got to pay for pma so realistically $12 million. >> Tovo: I thought I heard Mr. Tester say you got that estimate of 16 million a couple months ago because we didn't know what those tax revenues were. [4:54:59 PM] >> Right. You know, we also sit and look at stars, Smith travel research, they come back and tells every city in America roughly what's happening with their hotel tax collection in their community and you know, frankly, we see 1.45 traditionally so we're thinking about that going forward. Again, we have to sell not only just today and three years from now, five years from now, seven, eight years from now if we get that opportunity. >> Tovo: So I have a different question for you. Again, thanks for being here. >> Happy to be here. >> Tovo: It may not appear this way but I do really appreciate the work that you do. >> We all love Austin. All want it to be successful. >> Tovo: That's right. Wherein. I just hope you understand that we're under real pressures and that, you know, as part of my job and I take it very seriously, we have to examine the way we spend our money and determine whether those are still the very best ways to spend that money. So I had asked some questions through the q&a about heritage tourism, which is one of the allowable uses under the state for the tourism and promotion fund. I have noticed through the budget questions that the amount that is spent on heritage tourism has steadily decreased and I wanted you to address that. I understand there's a difference in how it has been factored into the marketing budget and how it hasn't been, but overall there has still been what looks like a pretty dramatic decrease in the money spent on heritage tourism which is an allowable use and I would say it's not a need that has gone away. >> I would agree and I'm gonna give you my best answer. Remember I'm 90 days, still figuring out some things myself. As I understand it there used to be a staff person dedicated to heritage funding, part of that larger budget. The grant pool hasn't really changed much nor has the paid over the last ten years. There were a couple years we went down to 130 or 140 versus 200,000 but it was because there weren't grants aapplicable, didn't have a room generation impact for it or potential for that so they probably weren't funded. We have 200,000 in our grants every year and I'd love to spend every penny every year for these heritage grants, happy do that. [4:57:02 PM] There's a commission in place that works on ranking those. I know that city manager Washington serves on that capacity and helps approve those. So some of it was a staff position that's no longer there. The second part of it is we've taken all of our marketing and put it under one marketing umbrella. We look at heritage marketing, convention, music, fill being, we just call it marketing so some of the marketing dollars in heritage are still handwritings just under the bundle of marketing. >> Tovo: And I think that's consistent with the staff response, but, you know, again, just in look at what had been in the heritage marketing budget in fiscal year 2000 it was $800,000, in the last year in which there was a figure, budgeted 408 but actual 362,000, including the preservation. Even looking at when it was accounted for as a separate account it still suffered a significant decrease. >> We are still doing heritage marketing, and it's just under that same -- under the general marketing budget, and I think the greatest change is the fact there was a staff member there dedicated and now that's being spread out through the whole marketing department and lots of people doing that work. The grant pool that was really the dollars flowing out of the acvb to heritage organizations was roughly the same amount and it's still that same amount. >> Tovo: Thank you. As you note it does look like most years the money budgeted for preservation grants has not been expended but it does seem to hover around the $130,000 range. >> I think the last couple years it's been higher than that. I don't have the numbers in front of me but I can get them to you. >> Tovo: Actually we've got them. >> The idea is that we would love to spend all 200,000 on that I don't think you're correct, the year before it was 192, 140, 115. It's been somewhere in that neighborhood. I guess that's all for now. Thanks very much. >> Mayor Adler: Help me with a question, trying to figure out the best place to get into it, again, because the detail -- I'm real happy that mayor pro tem is getting answers to questions because I know there's been questions she's had she hasn't been able to get answers to. [4:59:13 PM] I'm uncomfortable with us making these kinds of questions -- decisions from the dais just because it seems like a complicated area and I don't know how to do that. The mayor pro tem is proposing not that you don't get the $16 million, but that you know that you have the contract, you know you have at least a $14 million, and over the course of the next three weeks or four weeks, when we're in the middle of our budget, when we have all these things that are in front of us, maybe that might be a better forum for us to be able to wrestle with these issues than to try to figure this out when we're at the dais. My understanding is that the intent of the amendment that you're going to offer is not only to reduce the amount of funding for year '17 down to the 14 million but to also say that the council should be revisiting this issue during this upcoming budget session over these next three weeks. And then we might have the -- more context to the conversation. Do I understand correctly. >> Tovo: That's exactly right, mayor. I'd be happy to add it to the concept men knew some follower way. The reality is we're not going to approve the marketing budget and plan until September 22 and I guess legal could advise us if we entered into this contract but in the budget itself we arrived at a different number they would be subject to that different number. >> Mayor Adler: Which is among the questions that I have that were that we're not really going to resolve which goes back to at what point do we actually get into this because there are decisions being made that react to decisions that have been made in the past and every decision we make is impacting decisions we make in the future. So I would entertain -- did that work for you? If we do that? >> Mr. Mayor, first of all, the most important thing for us today for the acvb is to know we have a contract. Absolutely number 1. We need -- my employees need to know they have jobs, hotel partners need to know this organization is going to tinseling for them. Having a five-year contract makes us able to sell the future in the five years we're working on right now. We don't want to stop that work obviously. That's item 1, most important. We will be back on September 22 to talk about our budget for sure. [5:01:16 PM] By the way during that five-year cycle we come back every year to talk about our budget. >> Mayor Adler: My suggestion is don't wait until September 22 because there will be budget decisions we make in the two weeks prior to that and I don't want us to make a decision inadvertently in the next two weeks that backed your deal on September 22 because we're in the middle of budget decision. Mayor pro tem, you want to make that motion? >> Tovo: Sure. Mayor, if it's -- I guess I would first of all move approval of the contract with the amendment that I passed out on the dais and the additional direction that this -- that the differently between what was -- differently between what's post officed and this 14,000,733 be a discussion that happens during the budget. >> Zimmerman: I'll second that motion. >> Mayor Adler: It's been moved and seconded. I also known the convention center is briefing us on Wednesday so we have that conversation on Wednesday, plus we have the additional conversations. >> Last comment I'd like to make I know my hotel partners are standing behind me, some will speak today. As an industry, the confusing, convention center, our hotels, we look forward to working with you. You have the toughest jobs in the city. We want to be partners, help you, we want to make sure we continue to market and sell the city as we need to and that we stand ready to help. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Zimmerman: If I could, Mr. Mayor, I didn't see there was a linking, I didn't know there was gonna be some linkage between budget amounts. I thought we were having a contract to keep acvb and then to do the budget part later. I didn't understand those were linked so I wanted to affirm acvb that you guys do a decent job but I thought the budget conversation was coming later as part of the -- >> Traditionally as I understand it it's contract now and budget later and we do budget every single year. And I think there was some confusion out there and so -- >> Zimmerman: Okay, thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Yet I think it's good that the mayor pro tem has daylighted this issue now because I'm still uncertain, it seems as if we're gonna make decisions in the next three weeks that might basket that budget -- might impact that budget decision at the end of September so being able to look at these things globally on the short-term I think is real important so we don't miss any opportunities or find out in September that something was decided -- at the end of September something was decided in the beginning of September that we inadvertently made a decision that bound us and then the longer-term implications, next item I'll call, 75, councilmember troxclair's, and when that gets called up, you know, that's a panel that's intended to give us as many different voices as we can to help us think this through so while they're having conversations I hope you're thinking about the concept of making sure that we have enough voices from the convention center and from the hotels and restaurants and from legal in order to be able to hear all voices on that panel, as Mr. Nunen raised. [5:04:14 PM] Thank you very much for your -- >> Thank you for the opportunity and I'd be happy to meet with any of the councilmembers, as well as yourself, Mr. Mayor, during that next three week period. >> Mayor Adler: In the interest of scheduling, because these items are linked, does -- is it okay for me to call up this item number 75 so I can have speakers signed up for both speaking at one time with respect to this issue? Does that work? Then I'm gonna call up item 75 at the same time, give people a chance to speak on these related issues. Is Mr. Gus Pena here? Mr. Wiggens here? Mr. Nunen has now spoken on both of these issues, which I appreciate. Is David king, would you like to speak on these two issues? >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers. I think it's important that we ask the policy questions that are being raised today. I think this is about growing our community and from my perspective, are we all benefit is it equitable? We're making this investment. We're asking folks to come here, but are we all benefit so I think equity should be part of this discussion. You know, we're collecting these hotel taxes. It's not all about downtown. But I know a lot of these events and, you know, hotels are located downtown but they're not. It shouldn't be all about downtown. It should be about equity and the benefits that we're deriving from making this investment every district should get a benefit from that. And I'm not sure that we're there yet. And in terms of this task force, I think it's a good thing to create this task force, and I would hope that we would not allow lobbyists to be on this since we're talking about tens of millions of dollars here every year. I think that would be on and I'm glad it's gonna be subject to the open records act -- open meetings act. [5:06:15 PM] And I would think if we're going to expand it to get the other voices, which I appreciate your point, mayor, we would want to have neighborhood representatives, representatives from groups that are intended to benefit from this hotel tax. So if we're going to expand it then let's make sure we have equity from that perspective on the task force and those voices are part of the process. And, you know, we finally got the parkland events -- the parkland dedication ordinance, was just changed to incorporate hotels. So new hotels are gonna have to participate in contribute to go parkland. But we've had decades where hotels have not contributed so I do appreciate the opportunity here to look and see if we can address other impacts from having the growth and the events in our city, the effects on traffic and parking, on public safety, on our parks, and on our housing. So I think this is a good thing, and I'm grad that this resolution -- glad this resolution has come forward. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Is Jane Mcmenamin here? >> Thank you, mayor, councilmembers, I appreciate the time to address the convention and business bureau issues. My name is gene Mcmenamin, area managing director for omnihotels in Austin, I operate three properties and have over a thousand associates in those projects. I think as Mr. Nunen mentioned cities that have made cuts while they're successful tend to lose business and because we work so far out, if we are not marketing correctly out into the future, those conventions, those meetings, that business travel will move to other cities. I only have a thousand people but there are thousands of other people who are in hotel business here. And in related industries, restaurants, transportation, parking, retail that all depend on the marketing of this city to bring new business and keep our business that we currently have. [5:08:28 PM] Of all those associates you have in your packet you're gonna have two maps. One will show the number of hotel associates in each of your districts. And the second will show all of the hospitality business and workers that are in each of your districts. They depend on this convention center to bring this business in on an annual basis and book out into the future so they know they're going to have jobs. The industry that I'm in oftentimes begins with people %-@coming in at very low levels. They are maybe a first job or a minimum wage worker, and we offer the opportunity for people to learn and to train and to grow in these industries. And it would be very difficult to continue to do that if occupancies were to decline because we make short-term decisions like this. All of the hotels in our city are doing very well now. As Tom mentioned we've added about 3800 hotel rooms inous the last few years -- just the last few years. There are another 5,000 hotel rooms in the greater Austin your that are on the books now and to have all of this growth and then to begin to make changes in how we are able to market the city correctly could really have a devastating impact on our occupancy. I schedule employees based on how many people are in the hotel every night. If my occupancy drops by four or five points, obviously I won't need as many people. He mentioned the great recession. The hotel I operate specifically in downtown Austin in 2007, I reduced from 220 employees to 170. Because that's all I needed to operate the hotel with. We're back up over 200, and we hopefully will be able to stay there. [5:10:30 PM] The resort that we operate has over 600 employees. [ Buzzer sounding ] And has -- >> Mayor Adler: You can finish your thought. >> I guess my time is up. We have over 600 employees out there and looking to hire more. I do hope that better able to come to an agreement with council and with the convention and visitors bureau so we're able to sustain and continue to grow our business and to continue to bring more and more people to Austin who come here, spend the money, and then they go home. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Houston: Mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, Ms. Houston. >> Houston: Excuse me, sir. >> Yes. >> Houston: What's the first map that you had there? >> It is the hotel workers. >> Houston: Okay. I have the hotel workers. >> Right. There should be a second map that says hospitality workers by zip code. >> Houston: Okay. Do y'all have a map of where the hospitality -- hotels are located by district? >> I'm sure we do. I do not have that with me. Do you have that, Tom? >> Houston: I think that would be helpful to see if you have that. >> Certainly. >> Houston: That's all. >> Councilmember, for -- we just wanted to look at quickly what the hotels that were downtown and where their employees lived. It's nowhere close to all the employees in the entire city. We looked at downtown hotels just for speed and the other map is 38,000 restaurant workers all across the city and I literally got a third map that will outline people that work in the airport, caterers, Freeman decorating, so we can give you a robust map from all three sectors of just downtown hotels, which there was no intent not to do all hotels, it's just a lot of hotels to grab data from. >> Houston: Sir, I understand, but the convention center and the visitors bureau belongs to the whole city but my question is can I have a map of district 1 where hotels, restaurants are located so I can understand how many people are coming in from far east Austin and outside of east Austin into downtown. [5:12:37 PM] That's what I'm asking. >> We can get you a map of the hotels and restaurants in that area. This is a map of the employees, objection, where they live. Okay. >> Houston: And I need the employees as well. >> We can get that. >> Yeah, we can get that. >> Any other questions? >> Mayor Adler: I think we're set. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Next witness is Scott jonslo. >> Mayor, councilmembers, my name is Scott jonslo, president of the Texas hotel and lodging association and we're here in full support of funding for the acvb that allowed to do its very violate function -- vital function. We recognize it's a difficult year and you have a lot of important priorities and you want to have your mark on the city and your mark on your funding priorities. I'm here to offer our services as a resource on all the funding options that you may be looking at and how we can help achieve solutions and achieve whatever goals you have, whether it be through use the local hotel tax or there are other vehicles. As many of you have known, I'm considered with many of your offices, considered an expert on the use of the hotel tax, and we pride ourselves in partnering with cities across the state to find different ways that do things that work for your city council, your city budget, and your goals. And try to do that at the same time that we have a robust convention center and adequately funded acvb. We very much think in the next couple weeks we can work with you on alternatives that may not be on the table now but may get to you exactly where you want to go. We look forward to that opportunity, and I'd be glad to take any questions if you'd like now or into the next couple of weeks or into the future on the nine uses of the local hotel tax. If you have questions about the use of a tourism public improvement district or any other aspect of hotel occupancy tax. [5:14:38 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Daniel keshette. Is Daniel here? The last speaker we have signed up on these two items is Ritchie Jackson. >> Thank you, mayor, members, I'm Ritchie Jackson, Texas restaurant association, one of the industries that clearly is in support of and benefits from tourism, probably more so than any other industry that is in the hospitality sector. We certainly want to work with you over the next couple of weeks. I also am a meeting planner so I have a good sense of, you know, what it takes to bring a meeting into Austin. We're in the top 200 trade show in the nation. We also have board meetings and conferences, many of which we bring to Austin. So I know the value of the cvb and the good work they do in helping meeting planners like me make decisions on where we go, but I also understand, you know, the challenges that y'all face in the city of Austin. We look forward to working with you. We certainly want to support the Austin cvb. We like you think they do a great job. Unfortunately, we see those cycles that ebb and flow and you're beginning to see some of those head winds within our own industry, and so we think now is certainly an important time to continue to work to build a robust base for tourism because those tourists are hard to identify in our industry. We can't pick out who are the tourists and who are not, you know, when you're sitting in a restaurant, but we know how important they are and we can see when those tourists aren't there, you know, what kind of impact it has on the success of our restaurants. [5:16:46 PM] So we would look forward to working with you as we go forward and certainly want to support tourism because we believe tourism impacts every district in this and I we have restaurants in every district in this city and they benefit from those tourist who's come and frequent their establishment so if I can answer any questions, I'd be happy to and look Ford, as an industry, to working with y'all as you move forward. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Brings it back up to the dais on these two items. Mayor pro tem, you have moved item number 25, keeping fiscal year '17 funding at 14,473,733 with the additional instruction that the council will tattle this change -- take a look at this change in funding from what was proposed as part of the budget conversations we're having over the next month. That's been seconded. I'm gonna support this for the reasons given earlier. Ready to take a vote on that? Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed. It is unanimous with Mr. Zimmerman off of the zeus five dais. That gets us to item 75, which is the motion for the task force. [ Buzzer sounding ] >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember troxclair, do you want to lay that out? >> Mayor Adler: Oops. I guess I have to leave. [ Laughter ] >> Troxclair: Sure. That was a great preface for our conversation on this resolution. As mayor pro tem explained earlier, I mean the discussion that we just had was a very kind of narrow part of the picture surrounding hotel occupancy taxes and their use in our city, so the purpose of this resolution is to allow for a broader conversation that includes not just a conversation about the afternoon budget but also all of the potential -- just to -- the purpose of this resolution is to make sure that in light of the huge growth we've seen in hotel occupancy taxes that we're using the money to it's highest and best use within the confines of state law to support tourism in our city and support the many futures of Austin that people are coming here for. [5:19:22 PM] So there's a couple of things. First of all it creates a task force, all of the members would be ultimately nominated by different places but ultimately approved by the council, also ask the city manager to consider creation of a parks and cultural center, tourism fund, special events tourism fund and historic preservation tourism fund funded by hotel occupancy taxes and report back to the council concurrent with the report from the task force. And then, also, direct the city manager to begin conversations with downtown hotels and any other interested parties about the potential creation of a tourism public improvement district, which could be one way -- one thing for us to look into as it relates to the expansion of the Austin convention center. So I appreciate the conversation and the inpatient that we just had, and my hope is this would give us a little more time for the community conversation that the mayor alluded to so that next year we really would have the full picture and if the task force wanted to and if the council concurred we could make some changes to how certain funds are allocated. And other cities -- one of the reasons that I'm bringing this to the council's attention is just the use of hotel occupancy taxes in other cities in -- let's see, San Antonio, they use hotel occupancy taxes for preservation, in El Paso they use hotel occupancy taxes to fund cultural centers and museums and in Houston they use hotel occupancy taxes for special events funding, all of which are things we haven't historically used these funds for in Austin. So looking forward to the discussion. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember troxclair moves item 75. [5:21:23 PM] Is there a second to that? Ms. Houston seconds that. Let's have a discussion about item number 75. I noticed, Ms. Garza, you've laid out an amendment. Do you want to make your amendment? >> Garza: I mentioned on Tuesday that I thought it would be good to have some sort of community person. We were trying to figure out some language on how to add that person, and so we just thought the planning and neighborhoods committee could appoint someone. Then there were discussions at work session that I just tried to, instead of having five amendments, kind of included all I heard at work session and from the public in this one. And that includes an -- concerns from the environmental community and a suggestion from councilmember Casar about the workforce and the hotel industry. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Garza offers an amendment to add additional members. Is there a second? Mr. Casar seconds that amendment. >> Mayor Adler: Would be acceptable to making an amendment adding groups as well as suggested? Because it does seem to be lots of complicated yours here and a lot of different people. You know, as a council we've come in almost like as trustees, we've been handed this city, and we've been handed this city in a pretty good economic time, which is enabling us to be able to take the revenues that Bev and put them against social service organizations and health and human services organizations inaways that this city has never been able to do before. It's enabled us to be able to give homestead exemptions in ways that this city hasn't before. I know because I get visited by people from cities all over the country, by mayors all over the country trying to figure out what we're doing with respect to tourism because they recognize that they can get more tourists in their city, they would have more money to also spend on health and human services and on pocket parks and on all the things that we spend our revenues on in this city. [5:23:39 PM] And I want to make sure that when we're making decisions we're cognitive of all of the factors that go in, the impact on people who live here, the impact on workers, the impact on the music industry, the beneficiaries of some of the cultural art funding that we take a look at the parkland events task force, because those issues and how we -- what we do with tourists and when tourists come in I think are real relevant to this. Having somebody from the Austin convention and visitors bureau as we've seen from the discussion we've had here, obviously, is a really crucial voice to have at that table. Public safety we know has issues that historic landmark people. As I look through this, every one of these are voices that I want to hear from. I'm -- personally I'm not particularly concerned about any particular vote that this task force might actually have because I don't know that the vote -- the numbers on this panel are particularly relevant. But what I am concerned about are those voices being there so we hear from multiple voices, so that the committee members hear from multiple voices about what's important or what's germane. The additions that Ms. Garza adds to this also -- we also have the neighborhood issues that David king spoke about when he got up here, and obviously there are transportation issues and environmental issues. But key to this also, especially if we're talking about doing a P.I.D. Out of this, where we have hotels that are taxing themselves for the purpose of doing this, or restaurants that are taxing themselves as they have asked to be able to do as part of promoting that business and that revenue stream, that they should be part of the conversation in this group. So it was suggested and I think it makes sense to also add a representative of the hoteliers in this city and a representative of the restaurant owners in this city and maybe a representative or two from the convention center because their at the center of this point I think their voice is real important in what is happening here and I don't know that we need a legal person as a member of this because I think it would be staff. [5:25:51 PM] So I think that would come -- it would just provide by staffing it but as I look at this list there is this component of people in the group whose voices I think would be beneficial for the other people on this group to hear from. Would you accept an amendment that includes those people? >> Garza: You didn't understand which people you were -- [ laughter ] >> Garza: What people? >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry. A rough of the hotel industry, a representative of the restaurant industry, and that thereby a representative from the convention center also. >> Garza: There is one. There's one member of the hotel industry, there's one member of the Austin convention visitors bureau -- >> Mayor Adler: Okay -- >> Garza: In councilmember troxclair's original. >> Mayor Adler: So I don't see the convention center and I don't see the restaurant industry. Maybe I'm overlooking it. >> Garza: Convention center is the 12 -- fourth bullet. And the hotel -- >> Mayor Adler: That's the convention center bureau. That's not the convention center. >> Garza: Oh, I guess I figured it was the same. >> Troxclair: Mayor, can I just make a suggestion? I hear you, and I heard the feedback that we heard today. Of course in crafting the membership task force, a couple things. Number 1, I would like to try to keep it a manageable size just because I know that our task forces in our -- and our commissions have oftentimes problems meeting quorum so I want to make sure we can get a report back in a reasonable amount of time and they don't struggle with not being able to meet. And, number 2, just because it is a highly -- it's a really complicated and difficult issue, and I'm hoping that we really have -- appoint some people who have some true expertise in these areas so that we come back with recommendations that are within state law that we really can move on. [5:27:53 PM] But I think -- so with that being said, I guess I would propose, in my resolution, separate from councilmember Garza's amendment, that we potentially remove the number of the technology community and replace that with a member of the -- nominated by the convention center. I think the convention center certainly has a reason to have a voice on this committee, possibly more than the technology community. And then also the last bullet point where it says one member nominated by the downtown commission. I would suggest that maybe we add direction to say one member of the restaurant industry nominated by the downtown commission. I think that would hit all of the people that were recommended by some of the speakers because those would be in addition to the existing hotel industry nomination and the nomination by the afternoon. >> Tovo: If >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So let me then -- so let me hold off on mine because you're treating this amendment with yours and let's focus on what councilmember Garza has done. Councilmember Garza offers this amendment that adds five more people to the panel. It's been moved by Ms. Garza. Is there a second to that? Ms. Kitchen seconds. Discussion on those additional five? Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you. So I appreciate wanting to get more voices on, but when this thing gets to be the size of 18 members, I agree that and with what councilmember troxclair says to adjust some of the positions already on here. I'm really concerned that 18 people, you just wouldn't be able to get quorum, and if you did it's such a huge number of people, I think that would adversely affect their ability to function. [5:29:56 PM] So I would be against expanding it to 18. >> Troxclair: Could I ask what your reasoning is for including someone appointed by the environmental commission? It doesn't seem to necessarily fit within the specific subject area that we're looking at. >> Garza: I would defer to councilmember kitchen on that one. >> Kitchen: I think that -- that the interest was to have some representation from environmental interests, which I think is important to what we're considering here. There's a lot of -- you know, in the downtown area and along the lake and there's a lot of issues that are impacted by the environmental community, and the environmental commission seemed like the appropriate group to nominate. I'd be interested in, you know -- I was going for the expertise. If the thinking is that it's important to pull that expertise from someplace else, we could certainly think about that, but that was the the reasoning behind that is that commission might be appropriate. So we could consider -- if you have a thought of a different place to do the -- I'm looking for my -- >> Troxclair: Well, I guess I wanted to point out there is someone already pointed by the parks and recreation board. I know that may not satisfy your interest. And I certainly agree that there's environmental issues that surround downtown, but I'm not sure that they would be specifically connected to the use of hotel occupancy taxes as it relates to tourism. >> Kitchen: Well, I think we need to be looking broadly in terms of what the public act is. And also, I don't share the concern about the numbers because we just came off of the flood mitigation task force had 22 people on it and operated very well. [5:32:12 PM] So let me give you another example. Barton springs pool, for an example, is an example of an environmental feature in town that is -- arguably you could say there's some representation from parks, but you could argue that there's also an environmental interest in there also and that is a tourist attraction. So I think that's one so we also have zilker park and the Umlauf garden. Of course, that's cultural and we may have that representation here. But that's what I was thinking of from the perspective of the environmental. >> Troxclair: And that is the same angle I was thinking of when I included someone from the parks. >> Kitchen: I appreciate that. I'm not sure that that's sufficient, one person from parks. >> >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Pool? >> Pool: I was looking at the 18 total, and we could pare it down by instead of having two members in each of those categories just with have one member and it would drop it to 13 or 14, which might be a little bit easier to achieve because the other piece I'm concerned about along with size is that item number 6 in the resolution recommends nominees for consideration to the economic opportunity committee no later than October 9, and then -- so I don't know if we would be able to find the people in time. It took a long time for us to find folks to appoint to all of the different boards and commissions. It took months and months for us to get them last year. So I guess my hesitation on this is twofold that I've talked about, that I think it's too big, and the deadline seems too short in order to point them, although I agree we need a spur in order to do it. I don't know exactly how to go about that. And the other piece I wanted to talk about is I wanted to make sure that the scope of this -- I think mayor pro tem tovo mentioned this when we were talking about the convention and visitors bureau and the convention center earlier, the hot tax earlier, was that her -- and maybe you could speak to this, mayor pro tem. [5:34:23 PM] Looking at the hot taxes issue, you were specifically not including the piece -- the cultural contracts? >> Tovo: So that's my position. You know, again, I don't know what the task force will do, but I think that is one reason that it is really important to have representation from the music commission and the arts commission. I know we're probably all hearing concerns from individuals within that community that about -- they want to be sure that their concerns and voices are really well heard through this process. And I have some suggestions about membership too at the appropriate time. >> Pool: So just to finish up my piece then -- thank you for helping me clarify on that. I agree with you that I would definitely support the voices from the cultural arts community be included in here, but I also want to make a really strong statement that the city has gone through a discussion, fairly protracted and in-depth and agonizing in some ways discussion with our cultural arts and our cultural contract recipients back 10, 15 years ago. It was pretty painful and we've achieved a sense of agreement on how much money is allocated for our cultural contracts. And I for one would advocate for leaving that be. I certainly would not at all support any motion or movement of this body to reduce that below the 50% that they're getting now because et cetera really not enough to cover the waterfront as we need to. And we also know from the omnibus that the mayor carried months ago that our creative sector is suffering from -- in a number of different ways, both from venues that they may be priced out of or not getting gigs sufficiently for them to be able to make a living in their chosen field. [5:36:30 PM] And they're professionals too. So I would -- I will very strongly advocate for retaining the monies that are allocated to our cultural contracts and would not support any reduction of that. So if this effort is going to have any effect on that, I just lay that out there for the community and also to stakeout my position. >> Houston: Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Houston. >> Houston: The one thing in councilmember Garza's amendment that is really exciting is we will put two people who are in the workforce on that task force. And I think that that's more important than having anybody from the environmental commission. Because it's the same old things that we talk about every time, but we need to have people on there and we need to have two because sometimes people who are workers in this industry won't be heard and they feel intimidated. So we need to always have two of those. So I do support that. The other thing that I want to say is that there are no sacred cows in this budget session. We need to not make those kind of statements because everything is on the table. We need to fund things and need to look for all opportunities to fund things. So just let's not put ourselves in an either or position when we might have to make some compromise. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Troxclair? >> Troxclair: I would are curious to know if there were any other potential changes before I -- I am inclined to work with councilmember Garza and accept the resolution, although I was going to ask if she would be ameanable to removing the -- amenable removing the community member just knowing that all of the people being appointed are community members. In an effort to get it to an odd number and just not add any additional people above and beyond what was necessary. [5:38:37 PM] So if you would be amenable that. I think I would be amenable your amendment, but I'm worried that mayor pro tem tovo is going to have additional amendments that may make me more hesitant. >> Mayor Adler: Let's ask that question. Are there any people on the dais that would like to add more people or different people to the panel? And let's see if we can work quickly. It's 5:38, so we're past 5:30. Mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: I appreciate you asking. I would like the additional members that councilmember Garza has proposed. I would suggest we keep the member nominated by the the downtown commission, though that doesn't help with the numbers, but I think one proposal was to maybe eliminate that person. Between the hotels and the convention center and the events, those really do affect downtown and I think it would be helpful to have a voice from that commission or a voice nominated by that commission. But my other suggestion, which would be the only change really from what's before us, all of these nominations will come to council for final approval and so I would suggest for the first and the second bullet that we allow the music commission to make those both nominations and have those come to council for consideration and that we have the arts community -- the arts commission also make both nominations. Right now there's the economic opportunity committee is really making the largest number of nominations and I would just spread that out a little. And I think that would also help build support among the creative artists who have expressed an interest in this resolution. So my only real change, councilmember troxclair, would be that for the first bullet and the second that we just have those both come from our citizens' commissions. >> Troxclair: Okay. I think that I would be okay with that. You know, the reason that we put these nominations under the economic opportunity committee because it is an issue that the economic opportunity committee has spent a decent amount of time on and we've had lots of presentations and things like that. [5:40:50 PM] So that's the thought that we could make sure that there was a cohesive -- cohesive group if we were appointing multiple members that everybody could be kind of -- that we could make sure that each different voice was equally represented. I don't have a strong opinion. >> Troxclair: Thank you. I appreciate that. And I wasn't proposing a change for the economic opportunity committee's nominee from the special events or from the hotel industry. >> Troxclair: I appreciate it. >> Tovo: Just to make sure it's clear. >> Mayor Adler: So to get that done, councilmember tovo has recommended take the the word in the first bullet point, having it read two members of the music industry nominated by the music commission. The second would be two members of the arts community nominated by the arts commission. It's acceptable to the author, but that amendment can only go on that way if there's no objection on the dais. There's an objection on the dais. Dais? Ms. Pool? >> Pool: I might be able to go with it, but it seems, first of all, an even number and we need to have an odd number. This says 18. And. >> Mayor Adler: Let's get to that -- >> Pool: If we can get to an odd number. >> Kitchen: That's not the only -- >> Mayor Adler: Let's first address the issue of whether one -- whatever the nomination from the music industry, first let's see if it's just the music commission that makes them first and then we can come back to your question, which is to reduce it from two to one. >> Pool: I have no objection to the changes that the mayor pro tem had offered. >> I will interpret that as the mayor pro tem accepting that with no opposition from the dais, that two come from the music commission and one from the arts commission. [5:42:51 PM] We will come back to yours in a second that the number of those first three should be reduced from two in each category to one in each category. >> Pool: And that was throughout all of it because there were five added. And if we reduced 2, 2, 2, there were four of them that have 2, so it would go down to 14. And so it may just be 15. It needs to be an odd number. >> Mayor Adler: So Ms. Pool asks the author if she's okay going in the first three bullet points from 2 to 1? >> Troxclair: I think her motion was for four bullet points? >> Mayor Adler: Everywhere it says two, to go from two to one. There are four places that that happens. >> Pool: On second thought, looking at that I think I will withdraw that. Because I think the folks that are most affected by it are the ones who are involved with the music commission and the arts commission and parkland events. >> Mayor Adler: We're back up to the dais. >> Troxclair: So I think that I can accept councilmember Garza's amendment if she would consider removing the community member, just knowing that we'll make an effort to make sure that everybody is a community member. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Garza? >> Garza: I recognize that when I made that suggestion in work session, but I also said that I feel like sometimes the music person is going to come in with their music hat. The hotel person has their hotel hat. And that's the whole purpose of that. I would like somebody who has none of those hats, just as a neighborhood Joe Smith, to have a voice in this. >> Troxclair: Is there another person of the five that you're suggesting, is there one that you feel like you could be okay with removing? [5:44:51 PM] >> Garza: I only wanted that one. I only wanted the one citizen and then the rest I brought together because of conversation that happened at work session. [Laughter]. >> Troxclair: So how about -- nobody has mentioned the urban transportation commission. >> Garza: I would defer to councilmember Casar. >> Kitchen: Here's my recommendation. May I speak? >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> Kitchen: If councilmember Casar is acceptable to instead of having two representing the tourism workforce if we had one, would that be acceptable? I believe that was the one that you were interested in. Okay. I don't know who was interested in that one. >> Mayor Adler: We have one person representing the Austin convention and visitors bureau and then instead of the technology and telecommunications commission, it was going to be the convention center. >> Casar: My thought is, to reflect the mayor's point, is this is a task force where what comes out as the balance of the votes is not as important as the discussions that occur. >> Kitchen: I agree with that. >> Casar: Breaking ourselves to get an odd numbered task force seems like -- >> Kitchen: I would agree with that. I don't think we need to find another one to take off. >> Troxclair: Does anybody feel strongly about the urban transportation commission? I want to make sure that everybody who is appointed is really purposeful and honed in on this particular issue. So if we're going to add five people, I would want to know that they all really have a specific interest. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Troxclair is recommending we take out one member of the urban transportation commission. Is there an objection to that on the dais? >> Kitchen: Yes. That's what I was trying to say. [Laughter]. >> Zimmerman: I was going to suggest we might take a vote at some point. Just recommend something and vote on it. >> Kitchen: I would really suggest that we stick where we're at. I don't think it makes that big a difference to have all these voices represented and rather than take off a voice -- [5:46:53 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Where we stand right now is it's two members nominated by music commission, two by the arts commission, and then it continues through as written. It's one member of the convention center, instead of the language about technology community nominated by the community technology and telecommunications division. And there's the one below that is one member of the restaurant industry nominated by the downtown commission. And then there's the proposals made by Ms. Garza. Yes, mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: I actually had spoken before about having somebody from the downtown commission, and I would continue that line of argument. I think it would be appropriate to have somebody from the downtown commission and then if we added in somebody from the restaurant commission, that gives us our odd number. So I would propose that we do that. And it is large and I am concerned about quorums, but we'll have to hope that everybody who is appointed is able to make the schedule. >> Mayor Adler: Again, and do we want to say that this group can meet without a quorum as long as it's a properly posted meeting? >> Kitchen: Mr. Mayor, what we could say is one of the problems we came up with before was counting the quorum based on the total number, instead of the number of appointees. So if they don't get the appointment made, that should not count against them on the quorum. So you could count the quorum as being -- >> Pool: Of those appointed. >> Kitchen: Of those appointed, not of whatever number we end up here. >> Mayor Adler: Is there an objection to that? Then we'll add into this the definition of quorum being a majority of those that have been appointed. If there's no objection then we'll add that. It's been suggested that we have a downtown person, but right after that we add one that said a member of the restaurant industry. With that addition -- >> Pool: What was the mayor pro tem's -- [5:48:54 PM] >> Mayor Adler: She wanted the downtown commission kept as the downtown commission. >> Pool: And just one had? I think we had removed one, but I don't remember what she said. >> Mayor Adler: We haven't removed any. We've added some. So as I read this now, it's as written except that the changes in the first two bullet points are just made by the commissions. We are adding one member of the restaurant industry. Instead of the technology person that's going to be a representative of the convention center and then we have the five people added by Ms. Garza. Do we have one member of the hotel industry nominated by the economic opportunity committee? We'll appoint that. The member of the restaurant appointed by the economic opportunity committee. Is everybody okay with that membership? >> Troxclair: Mayor, I'll go ahead and make a motion to amend her amendment to strike the member of the urban transportation commission. I still haven't heard why that person is on there. >> Kitchen: I think that -- I really think that transportation is an essential component of all of this. I don't see a problem with including someone from that one. I could make arguments about all these others also. I think we should go ahead and keep them. >> Mayor Adler: Since there's a dispute on that we'll take a vote. We'll take a vote on whether the transportation person should be in this or not in this. Any further discussion on that issue? Those in favor of including the urban transportation representative please raise your hand? Garza, kitchen, mayor pro tem and Casar. Those opposed please raise your hand? It's a balance of the dais. And pool is abstaining in that person is removed. Any further discussion? [5:50:55 PM] >> Garza: Just I forgot to mention at the bottom the staff from public works and transportation be included in the working group. And the reason that -- we talked about this at work session because your resolution addresses what other things could be funded through the hot and I believe one of them is possibly to support infrastructure downtown, and I just thought we had the discussion there if it was possible to have a staff, someone from public works and atc on the task force, and the clerk told thaws that I believe is not prohibited. We can have them there to just be part of the conversation. >> Pool: Can we get a legal ruling on that? I think we had a memo on whether staff on could be on a task force. >> So there's not a problem with the staff members being on the task force. You could say they were ex- officio if you didn't want them to vote. You said a working group, which was not the same as a task force. If you want to say they're ex-officio members that would take care of that. >> Mayor Adler: Can we say that the staff and public works and transportation participate in the task force work? >> Pool: As ex-officio. >> Mayor Adler: As ex-officio. Participate in the task force work as an ex-officio. >> Tovo: Mayor? But just to be clear, I thought the response we got was that they could participate as voting members if we wanted them to, which is not the plan here. >> There's not a problem with them being on the task force. >> Mayor Adler: Any objection? Ms. Garza, did that work? Members of the staff can participate in the task force as an ex-officio. That's included. Is there any further discussion on the membership? Those in favor please raise your hand? Those opposed? It passes unanimously on the dais. [5:52:56 PM] Thank you for that. We're now going to take a break and do music and proclamations. It is 5:52. We have long public hearings tonight on music. My understanding is that the folks on the tenant relocation that are coming, Mr. Casar, you said that they don't need to speak tonight, if we can pull that back up on the agenda in a couple of weeks? >> Casar: That's right. >> Mayor Adler: So that will free up a little bit of time for us this evening. >> Kitchen: Just a question about when we were going to come back and take our dinner break and then come back. >> Mayor Adler: We'll take our dinner break. It's 58:53. We have music and proclamations. Do you want to try to get back here at 7:00? 7:15? >> Kitchen: Sure. I just need a time. >> Zimmerman: 7:30. >> Mayor Adler: I'm fine. Let's do 7:15. We'll take a recess then. [6:02:41 PM] >> Mayor Adler: When we do live music we remind ourselves what it is that is special about this town. And one of the reasons I stayed. So it is an absolute gift when folks come to our council meeting, especially on difficult days, and today was a difficult day and will continue to be one for hours yet, that we get to stop and listen to some music. So we have with us todaying on again Payne. ING on --ING on again Payne. Ogden began preparing for a music career immediately after high school. He obtained an associate's degree in music business and performance and technology at our very own Austin community college. And in 2013 Ogden interned with the Texas chapter of the recording academy known for producing the annual grammy awards. In 2014 with the help of a producer and audio engineer Isaac hays, he independently released an EP entitled "Better you me." And this allowed him to open doors to the pecan street festival to the national summer fest, the world's largest music festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2015 Payne performed at the cmj music mayor ton in New York City for industry professionals and was named a top hip hop act to see. In 2016 he released his sophomore album vocals. In addition to recording and releasing music, Ogden Payne documents the careers of up and coming musicians for Forbes media, an entertainment column. Thank goodness. Please join me in welcoming Ogden Payne. [6:04:42 PM] [Applause]. >> Thank you. Thank you, thank you so much. You know, I first want to say thank you so much to. To mayor Adler. I really appreciate everything. I don't want to talk too, too much, so Daniel whenever you're ready. [♪Music playing♪] ♪♪ [Rapping]. >> [6:08:02 PM] >> Thank you. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: So people in the room, somebody watching on TV, if they want to get some of your music, do you have a website? >> Yes, I do. To get any of the music that I put out, you can go to ogdenpayne.com. And there's a Spotify, iTunes link on there. >> Mayor Adler: Cool. And if they want to come see you where's your next gig? >> We kind of stopped performing a little bit. We're working on another album. So it will be out in October. So we kind of stopped doing a couple of shows, but right now what we're doing I partner with communities in schools throughout this weekend for people to donate school supplies. So if anybody wants to donate school supplies they can do to the website and find all the information. So that's kind of the next event that we have going on. >> Mayor Adler: Sounds good. Who is accompanying you on the guitar? >> Daniel, my man Daniel. I apologize. A good friend of mine named Daniel. >> Mayor Adler: Thanks. We have a proclamation. Be it known that whereas the city of Austin, Texas is blessed with many creative musicians whose talents extend to virtually every musical genre and whereas our music scene thrives because Austin audiences support good music produced by legends and our local favorites and newcomers alike. And whereas we are pleased to showcase and support our local artists. Now therefore I, Steve Adler, mayor of the live music capitol, do here by proclaim, August 18 of the year 2016 as Ogden Payne day. [6:10:02 PM] Congratulations. [Applause]. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: And we have a proclamation. Be it known that whereas the urban artist alliance has broken down the barrier between urban artists and music industry education to successfully merge the two and consistently create economic growth that will assist Austin's music community for years to come. And whereas the urban artist alliance was founded on the belief that urban music is a steady contributor to the Austin music community and motivates urban artists to not only create here, but to stay here as well. While sharing collective knowledge of the arts and the business of with future generations. And whereas the urban artist alliance recently released the critically acclaimed black Mike's matter project to highlight the voices and experiences of urban artists in a world that needs to hear these voices. [6:12:10 PM] Now therefore I, Steve Adler, mayor of the live music capitol, do here by proclaim August 18 of the year 2016 as urban artist alliance day, and to accept this proclamation we have teraniary Johnson. >> Thank you, mayor Adler. It's definitely a pleasure to be here. And the urban artist alliance was definitely founded in the belief that the urban voice and the music scene is something that definitely needs to be heard and is often neglected and missed in white papers and omnibuses, and hopefully together we can create a partnership where the urban music and Latin music can have an enhanced magnified voice in the Austin music scene. So thank you for this honor. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: We have a proclamation. Come join us. Councilmember pool. Proclamation: Be it known that whereas on July 26th of 1990, the Americans with disabilities act or A.D.A. [6:14:17 PM] Was signed into law. It greatly expanded civil rights protections for an estimated 57 million Americans with disabilities. And it forever created an homework Independence day to celebrate equality of opportunity for all Americans. And whereas this commemoration is especially meaningful for all citizens with disabilities as it marks the 26th anniversary of the enactment of the A.D.A. And whereas we recognize that Austin citizens with disabilities have a right to full participation in the social, cultural and economic activities of our community and that these citizens help to support the community and they contribute to the economy of Austin. And whereas accessibility for and inclusion of citizens with disabilities is a core value for all city programs and services. The city of Austin has established a strong, ongoing commitment to full implementation of A.D.A. Thus offering more opportunities and a better quality of life for everyone in our community. Now therefore I, Steve Adler, for councilmember pool and the other members of our city council, do hereby proclaim August 18th of the year 2016 as Americans with disabilities act 26th anniversary day. And here to accept this proclamation is Tanya winters. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler, on behalf of the mayor's committee for people with disabilities, please accept my sincerest gratitude: My fellow commissioners and I are so proud to serve for a city where accessibility is a priority and inclusion of citizens with disabilities is a standard rather than an expectation. [6:16:28 PM] As the mayor proclaimed, 26 years ago a second Independence day was born with the signing of the Americans with disabilities act to create a foundation of equality for generations to come. Many Texans, including several austinites, contributed to the passage and implementation of this ground-breaking legislation. Previous access award winner and owner of threadgills, Eddie Wilson, once said "When accessibility laws first came out I was sympathetic to people with disabilities, but now that I have a disability I'm damn near a vigilante. Accessibility makes my customers happy. Happy customers are repeat customers. It's as easy as pie. ". Tonight please join me in celebrating what Eddie Wilson said so well by recognizing the following businesses for their accessibility, their welcoming attitude and upholding the spirit of the A.D.A. Thank you for your dedication. Your efforts help customers with disabilities contribute to Austin's diverse economy. Thus making it the city we all know and love. When I call your name, please come down to accept your award. You may say a few words and then join the mayor for a photo. Pho please. >> Thank you. [6:18:29 PM] I represent pho please. And as an owner we're grateful and we're honored to be recognized for something that everyone should be doing anyways. Our model is to make sure every person who walks through our door is treated with Austin hospitality, and that's just simple. Thank you for the award. [Applause]. >> We do have one more winner, and that is pieology at the Mueller development. Unfortunately they weren't able to be here tonight so we're going to accept on their behalf. Thank you. [Applause]. [6:20:30 PM] >> Pool: I want to welcome the family of Donna Edgar. Y'all come on up. We were just talking about too bad we didn't bring some of those rodesian ridgebacks. So it is my distinct honor to present this proclamation to my friend Donna Edgar. So sorry about her passing, but this is our way of thanking her and recognizing her. Proclamation: Be it known that whereas Donna profit Edgar, an Austin resident from 1971 until her passing on June 13, 2016, was an exceptional and inspirational citizen, devoting many years to community service and neighborhood preservation. And whereas Donna lived her life giving back to her community. She was active in her children's schools, her church, the girl scouts and several other local and state endeavors. And whereas Donna was committed to grassroots neighborhood activism tirelessly advocating on behalf of our community. And whereas Donna's dedication, intelligence and sheer force of personality were always reflected in her efforts to strengthen our community. Donna made a difference in our lives and she is missed. Now therefore I, Leslie pool, councilmember for district 7, on behalf of mayor Steve Adler and the entire city council, do here by proclaim August 18, 2016 as Donna profit Edgar day. And I think her husband is here to accept this proclamation. >> So on behalf of Donna's family I'd like to thank councilmember pool for making -- arranging for this recognition. And of course, all of Donna's friends and associates and a variety of neighborhood groups that she thoroughly enjoyed working with. [6:22:36 PM] And hopefully they'll be able to continue the good work. Thank you. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: You know, it's a special treat when I get to present proclamations for our own family. And we have one such proclamation with us tonight. Be it known that whereas that the city's economic development department, provider of meaningful entrepreneurial classes and events for thousands of new and existing business owners, has curated a two-day business education conference. And whereas this annual signature event kicks off with Austin's own iconic superstar, David Ansel, founder of the soup peddler, and features local content, experts sharing their business knowledge, expertise and valuable experience. [6:24:47 PM] Conference sessions include free-lancing, city permitting, business marketing, asset protection, mentoring and many others. Day one will be open to all small businesses, while day two is focused on specific training for our vibrant and fast-growing creative business sector as prescribed by the recent omnibus. And whereas this award-winning department continues to support the growth and success of Austin businesses with numerous other offerings year-round, our capitol city remains one of the top in the country for providing the fertile ground crucial for obtaining entrepreneurial success. And I encourage everyone to register today at www.gettingconnected.info for this unique educational experience and opportunity. Now therefore I, Steve Adler, mayor of the city of Austin, Texas, do hereby proclaim August 30th and 31st of the year 2016 as getting connected days. Would you like to -- Kevin Johns, would you like to come speak about this? >> Just a moment. Thank you, mayor. Thank you for the recognition, mayor. The city of Austin economic development department is so pleased to host the ninth year of getting connected. Those of you who have been in Austin a bit may know that this originally won the Harvard ash government award as one of the best locations to have small businesses connected to money. And so we're just so excited that this has grown into this wonderful entrepreneurial connection for businesses. It is a two-day packed schedule, as the mayor has indicated. It's on the 30th for all small businesses. And on the 31st for all of the creatives. And if you know anything about Austin's creative industry, this is the place to be on either one of those days. [6:26:54 PM] We expect 600 to will hundred businesses, -- 800 businesses, musicians and artists to attend. The rage of sessions to -- the range of sessions to cover includes legal questions, creative marketing strategies, fund-raising, mentoring, and with resources available to help you move your business forward. Free parking and something we think that is going to be great for everybody, access to resources. So please plan to attend on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 30th and 31st. I strongly encourage you to attend. Thank you so much. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Is Jason Darrell Mathes here? We have a distinguished service aaward we need to get to him. We need to not award this at this point and see if we can find him at some point to issue this, you know? Anybody that heroically rescues people in this city ought to be given a chance to actually walk up to this podium. [6:28:55 PM] If he's missed it for whatever reason, let's find out why. That concludes this. I think we're gearing back up at 7:15. >> [7:22:45 PM] >> Mayor Adler: >> Mayor Adler: Before we begin the council meeting this evening, we have just an honest to god hero in our midst. And when that happens in our community, it's just real important for us to take a moment and to pause and to say -- and to say thank you. I have a distinguished service award, which is the -- an honor that I get to bestow, as mayor on behalf of my colleagues on the council, in this case to Jason Darrell Mathis, who entered a burning house fire and pulled people to safety, saving their lives. So before we begin, I have a city of Austin distinguished service award issued for his heroic rescue of several Austin citizens whose lives were endangered by by a house fire at great personal risk to himself. Jason is deserving of public acclaim and recognition, and this certificate is presented in acknowledgment and appreciation thereof this 18th day of August in the year 2006, signed by Steve Adler, mayor on behalf of the city council of Austin, Texas. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for being part of our community. >> Thank you. [7:24:54 PM] >> Mayor adler:why don't you stand here with us. [7:29:01 PM] >> Mayor adler:so, councilmembers, in just a moment I'm going to call up items 89 -- 81 and 89, both which concern the budget, in fact I'll say council and I will take up 81 and 89 to conduct a public hearing and receive comment on the 2016-2017 proposed budget. Council will hear more public comment on the proposed budget on September 1 of 2016. Councilmembers, we have at this point some people who have signed up to speak with children that are here with them, and I thought we would get them out of turn so that they could speak and then head home with their children since this is a school night, despite the request of some families that, you know, kids would just as soon be excused from school tomorrow. [ Laughter ] But we want to get parents home with their kids. We have signed up to speak at this point an estimated 303 minutes of speaking time, which translates to about five hours of speakers. That's if everyone speaks for three minutes each. Do we want to consider in a public hearing like this everyone who comes is given the opportunity to speak? Do we want to keep the time set at three minutes or do we want to adjust that time? [7:31:04 PM] >> Zimmerman: Mr. Mayor, if I could? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Zimmerman: In fairness and in disclosure for the people here ready to speak and waiting, I think we have had how many hours of testimony have we had from city departments over the justification for their cost increases? We've probably had 12, 15 hours by now. >> Mayor Adler: So you're gonna speak -- we have a really discreet question in front of us. Should we decrease the time or should we have three minutes? >> Zimmerman: I would be in favor decreasing the staff that staff has to exclusively justify cost increases and then give more of that time to the constituents. >> Mayor Adler: I'm I'm confused by your answer. You're -- >> Zimmerman: No, I don't want to limit their time. >> Mayor Adler: You would keep it at three minutes? >> Zimmerman: I would leave it up to them because I think after three, four, five hours, people would start to leave. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, Ms. Garza. >> Garza: Makers many have reached out to my offices, I'm sure to others, to ask about the public hearing and we told them they would have three minutes to speak so I'm sure many of them do want to get home and might not use their entire three minutes but I'd prefer they have that if they want to use their three minutes. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. And we also have 16 other things on our agenda tonight in addition to these two. >> Kitchen: Mr. Mayor, maybe we should ask at this point if there's anything we can postpone of those 16, not the budget hearing, obviously, but -- >> Mayor Adler: We could. I'm just afraid -- what we could do is take the speakers of that identified themselves here as -- I've been handed a list of speakers that I understand have children, children present, children present to speak. We could take those speakers and then we could pause the budget discussion, go back to our agenda and try to work through the agenda and then come back. >> Kitchen: I didn't mean to suggest that. I think that we need to hear from people that are here for the public hearing on the budget. [7:33:08 PM] I'm just thinking that it's probably physically impossible for us to hear five hours worth of testimony and then take up 16 items. So that -- I don't know what the solution is, but I'm saying maybe we should kind of deal with it right now in some way or another. >> Casar: Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Casar: My suggestion is that can we have that discussion after we hear from the families, considering that may take us some time to figure out what we can -- I think that would be good. >> Mayor Adler: Let's hear from the folks with families. I don't sense a desire on the dais to limit the speech, so everyone will be given three minutes' time. Don't feel compelled to take all three minutes if you don't need to. [ Laughter ] Think about the people that will be testifying after you. Yes, councilmember troxclair. >> Troxclair: Can I just ask how many people with families are on our list right now? >> Mayor Adler: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. About 24, 25. >> Troxclair: Okay. So an hour and a half? Okay. Well, I guess just really fast, I had pulled item number 63. I talked with staff over the dinner break and I don't need that item to be pulled. And item number 65 is the other one that I pulled and we didn't quite finish our discussion, I would like that one won postponed but we can talk about it after, in an hour and a half, I guess. >> Mayor Adler: We'll talk about both those in an hour and a half. >> Troxclair: We don't need to talk about 63 unless anybody else has questions. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approval item 63 now that it's been pulled, since it's no longer going to be pulled from consent? Is there a motion to approve item 63? Ms. Troxclair moves. Second, Ms. Garza. Any discussion? Those in favor please race your hand. Those opposed. It's unanimous on the dais. [7:35:12 PM] Anything else we can take care of -- >> Zimmerman: Mr. Mayor, I pulled the item on the garage doors, which I believe is item 50 -- >> Mayor Adler: Quick vote to approve that? >> Zimmerman: No. I want to have a vote to postpone it so we can let staff go. Garage doors can wait. >> Mayor Adler: Is that in agreement by everybody? >> Zimmerman: Item 58. >> Mayor Adler: Has staff agreed to that? Let's hold on that and you can talk to staff. I understand there is agreement to postpone 59 to September 1. Everybody is agreement on that? Staff, is everybody in agreement on postponing 59? Yes. There's a motion by Ms. Garza to postpone item 59 to September 1. Second? Ms. Gallo. Any discussion? Those in favor please raise your hand. It's unanimous on the dais. Okay. Anything else that is by agreement at this point? What about -- >> Mayor, 54, 55, I would suggest postponement. >> Mayor Adler: Have you talked to staff about postponing that? >> Garza: I have not. >> Mayor Adler: Let's wait. During the break we can discuss. Everything we know everybody is in agreement. >> Kitchen: When you say at a break we can talk to them. Maybe staff could come up and we could -- what I don't want to do is call up staff but if someone can go talk to staff. >> Kitchen: That's what I'm trying to get to. >> Mayor Adler: We're gonna call speakers now. >> Pool: Mayor, real quick, 54 is the solex contract and I think there are people waiting to speak and have been waiting in the all day. >> Mayor Adler: One person signed up, 54, no one signed up on 55. Okay. So I'm now going to call speakers on the budget. >> Troxclair: Mayor, one more. [7:37:13 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Me, Ms. Troxclair. >> Troxclair: I'm getting the head nod from staff on 65 we can postpone until September 1. >> Mayor Adler: Item number 55. >> Troxclair: 65. >> Mayor Adler: We have one speaker signed up on that so let's hold off on that. I'm going to call then the first speaker on the budget, Leonardo is divaro. Come speak at the podium. I would Luke Irma castenon to speak at the other podium. Is Leonardo here? No? Okay. And is I recall ma Irma? >> Right here, sir. >> Mayor Adler: You guys go one after another. Is J.J. Castenon here? You'll be at this podium. Unless you're part of this family, in which case you can all be together. And we're on a roll here. What about amber Martinez? Is amber here? Okay. I'm gonna start bringing everybody up to the podium. Leonardo, you're up first. Welcome. >> I want -- my name is Leonardo divaro. I come from the school Woodridge elementary. I want to all kids come on the program and -- and help -- it's gonna help a lot because a lot of parents cannot pick their kids and then they're gonna pick their kids mother later on, like 6:00. [7:39:20 PM] And I want to -- everyone needs this program to -- me and everyone else who wants to be on the program, and -- what? And I want to help people to still be on the program and -- be on the program and the second year everyone can be on the program. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. >> We all get a little nervous here. Good evening, my name is Irma, castenon, I'm in favor of the founding -- funding for the prime time afterschool programs. I'm a very proud mother of Juan castenon, my son, who is attending hart elementary school since pre--k. My son says school is like second home. Did you believe it? I'm so blessed that my son is in a very great school. All his teachers have been incredible. He started as -- at hart elementary since prek. At the beginning of first grade my son had the opportunity to be part of Crockett peace afterschool program. It's been an incredible experience for him. I noticed changes in his behavior and attitude. He was a very shy kid in the past but now he has many friends. In second grade he came home one day and said, mommy, I make a very important decision today. And I say what? [7:41:20 PM] He say I'm going to join the boy scouts of America, and I didn't have a clue what the boy scouts was pip only remember saying I need your grades -- you know, your grades to be the same or even better. Then towards the end of the year he came home one day and said I have a surprise for you, mommy. He said what? He said close your skies he placed in hi hands his t-shirt for boy scouts he earned through the year. That made me cry and realize I need to put more attention on what my son was doing at school so I became a volunteer at our school. As a parent, I demand good grades to engage in any activity. My son has accomplished so many achievements in the last four years, thanks to the support of all his teachers or principal and the program in our school. That program provides high-quality classes full of excitement and life-learning lessons. I'm here to ask for funding for prime time afterschool programs, not only for this year, but for the years to come. My biggest concern right now is what's going to happen to my son, not only him, but hundreds or thousands more children without the programs in our schools. Some will be home alone, unsupervised, due to parents' working schedules or under the care of people who we may not know very well. Or worst. On the streets, not up anything good. Please help our kids to receive a good, quality afterschool care program in all our school district and give our children the opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams. I want to thank Greg Casar for the opportunity that he give us to listen to us, to all our concerns, and to all of you for your -- [7:43:22 PM] [ buzzer sounding ] And for the opportunity. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry, J.J. Castenon. >> Good evening, everybody. >> Mayor Adler: Good evening. >> My name is Juan castenon. I am a proud rocket at hart elementary. I am here to talk to you about the rocket peas club afterschool program. I've been enjoying this program for over four years. This program has given me the opportunity to learn many new things and skills. For example, I was part of many different plays and classes. I could name a few, like leap of joy and care to dance. One of my favorite things about the program is Songer. I even earned a place on the soccer team. I also had the great opportunity to join the boy scouts of America. The rank that I'm on is called weelbos. Meaning we be loyal scouts. I'm looking forward to becoming an official boy scout next year. I've had many great teachers over the years and with their help my grades have gone up. All my teachers have been encouraging and supporting all of us in the program to do our best. I know that we have a wonderful afterschool program at hart elementary and I'm proud to be a part of this program that helps me and another 248 students in my school. I'm speaking for myself and for all the other students that go to this - - that go to programs like this. I love -- I am very sad. I can't imagine not to be able to play soccer with my friends or do more plays and not being able to see my rocket peas club teachers. [7:45:29 PM] Please, please help us keep it program for our school and other schools that have been affected is and give us all -- [ applause ] And give us all the -- of us the opportunity to keep learning and having fun at the same time. To do more dancing, scouting, playing soccer, and to do more plays, going on summer camps instead of being home watch willing TV, playing -- watch willing TV, playing video games or getting in trouble. [ Laughter ] This is a very special program, and we all need it in all our schools, to help us achieve a better academic performance. We count on all of you for your help and support. Thank you for your attention and help. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Good John. [ Cheers & applause ] >> Mayor Adler: After amber speaks, David Hernandez. Is David here? You'll be at the next podium. Hi. >> Hi. My name is amber. I wanted -- we need rocket peas to stay because parents doesn't have time to pick up children need this to happen because they don't have time to pick up the children or help them with their homework because they are working, doing stuff, like my mom, she works at -- cleaning houses and my dad cleaning houses and building them. [7:47:33 PM] I love this program because I was in three shows of goats and a show [indiscernible], and that was [indiscernible] I want this program to stay on this school forever. [ Cheers & applause ] >> Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Good I don't believe. Doffed Hernandez and after David Hernandez, Jared Hernandez will be speaking. David. >> We need this program. It's really important because my mom can't be picking us up, like, early. We need this -- so we need this program so my mom can work more and she can have her time so we can stay in the program more and she can work and finish all of her work or else she can't pick us up because she needs to work. She needs to work every day, and she needs to -- she needs to work. And thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Jared Hernandez. >> Hi name is Jared Hernandez. I'm a proud rocket from hart elementary. I'm here to talk to you about rocket peas club. Rocket peas club was a very important afterschool program for me because we have fun and learn at the same time, but other than that, it helps my mom, students, me, and other parents -- or other parents that have their -- that can't pick up their kids early. [7:49:59 PM] I want this program to stay because there's a soccer team, we do fun stuff, we do a bunch of experiments, and it's a great program where kids can learn and have fun. Thank you for your time. [ Cheers & applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Kathy Rogers. At this podium. And at the other podium is arcelle Hernandez. Yes. >> Good evening. My name is Kathy Rogers. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. I have been a teacher for 20 years, and I'm also a parent, proud parent, of three children, my daughter is here with me tonight to support me. She went through school -- all three of my kids went through school at Wooldridge and two have graduated at linear and Erica is a sophomore at Lynn theory. I don't think I can tell you any better than our children did about why our afterschool programs have so important to our schools. What I can tell you is 20 years ago when I first started teaching at Wooldridge we had extended care, which was a paid afterschool program. We had over a thousand students at that time and I would say less than 100, probably closer to 50 students, actually were in that program because our parents couldn't afford it. Be-- I can't remember exactly how long we've had fully funded afterschool programs now. At least ten years. We've had as many as 300 kids be able to stay at -- even maybe 350 be able to stay afterschool and be watched and cared for, not at home, unsupervised or in the streets, or not doing homework. [7:52:10 PM] Now that our funding is closed, we have the possibility of -- boys and girls club is still at our school but we only have 125 clots that's if the parents can pay. I don't know that we have 125 parents who can pay. Not only does that affect the kids and what they're going to be doing it's going to affect their academics. Also, you'll not sure if you're aware that the linear boys and girls program hosts our boys and girls club member of the year who is going on to the national competition. She's won in Austin. She's won in the region. She's won in Texas and now she's going on to the national competition, meeting president Obama later this year and that's all due to the afterschool program willing. My son was part of the keystone club for the afterschool programming last year, which is totally service based. These programs are critical to the well-being of our kids. We need to keep them. Our parent support salespersons -- we've had a parent support specialist at Wooldridge since I started 20 years ago. They help teach our -- I guess actually coordinate programs for our parents to run esl, learn financial literacy, be able to learn healthy living, cooking, all kinds of critical programs that we have to have in our schools. Our kids will suffer greatly if we no longer have these programs funded. Thank you for your time and consideration. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Then [indiscernible] Reason speaking at this podium next. >> Mr. Adler, I'll be serving as interpreter for both. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [7:54:13 PM] >> [Speaking non-english language] >> Good evening, my name is [indiscernible] And I'm here to advocate for the afterschool program, especially as a single mother who has seen that they have been successfully developed throughout these programs. >> [Speaking non-english language] >> I'm here to speak because it is a little bit stressful, the fact that I work a full-time job and I don't know what I'm gonna do with my children if they don't have this program. I hope that we can find the funding to fund it not only for this year but for years to dom. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: [Speaking non-english language] >> [Speaking non-english language] [7:56:22 PM] >> Good evening, my name is [indiscernible] -- [ Buzzer ] >> Mayor Adler: I think at this point we evacuate. We have a fire alarm. We knead to evacuate the building. [7:58:35 PM] [Fire alarm]. >> [8:12:59 PM] >> Mayor Adler: All right. Where were we? Councilmembers, we're going to go ahead and gear back up. I'm going to ask the speaker to begin again. So hippolito Hernandez is here. And on this podium will be margarita cappia. Spanish Spanish. [Speaking foreign language]. >> Good evening once again. We are here to support the programs that happen after school. >> I'm here to ask that we continue to fund these programs because my child has been at Wooldridge elementary for three careers and been attending the boys and girls club. [8:15:22 PM] I'm here to say that one, of course, has to work, but we can usually leave our children with a friend, a family member, of course we have to pay, but there's much more benefit with leaving them at a program at school where they're learning and advancing. Thank you for your attention and see you later. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Enceria viegia is next. At this podium. >> Speaking foreign language]. >> Good evening, my name is margarita and I am here to represent my two children who go to hart elementary school. They attend the after school programs. I'm here to say that it is important for my children not to be at home, just watching television, but to participate in these programs and that it's important that we fund them, not just for this year, but for years to come. [8:17:26 PM] And I'm here to say that my children, we feel more secure leaving them safer at school rather than leaving them at a friend's house or somewhere elsewhere they could be in a safe environment. Thank you. [Applause]. >> Celia viellgas. And Jennifer Ramirez? Will be at this podium. Yes, Ms. Troxclair? >> Troxclair: In case there is staff who can leave, I mentioned to you outside that item number 65, staff said that we could postpone until September 1st. I believe there was one speaker signed up. I don't know if he's still here, but my understanding is that his request was that we postpone it. >> Mayor Adler: Let's check real fast. 65, is Ed SEMA here? That being the case is there a motion to postpone until September 1st. Ms. Troxclair makes that motion. Seconded by Ms. Houston. Any discussion? Those in favor of postponing 65, please raise your hand? No, no -- what? It's about utility poles. Participant do you want to check that? Do we need to check that? We need to check that. All right. Our next speaker? >> Speaking foreign language]. [8:20:44 PM] >> Good evening, my name is Celia. I am the mother of Jonathan Contreras from hart elementary school. And I'm here to say as a working mother I have had many difficult experiences which have resulted in needing to find after school care for my son. Often times I have left him with people that I don't even know. And I would rather leave him in a school program. So I ask that you please continue to fund the school programs because I'm not even sure what they're doing at other people's homes and I want to be sure that they're taking advantage of that time at school advancing their education. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause]. We have a chief who has been here all day on item 49. This was a grant on domestic violence. Let me see -- it was pulled for speakers. Let me see if the speakers are here real fast? Is Gus Pena here, James Wiggins. Kathie Mitchell. Kristin hatop? Is there a motion to approve the -- Kathie Mitchell? Do you want to speak on this if it's going to be approved? >> I'm fine. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approve item 49? Ms. Houston so moves, seconded by Mr. Casar. Is there any discussion? Those in favor of approving this please raise your hand. Those opposed? We can let those people go. Thank you very much. [Applause]. 54 and 55 pulled by Garza and the second one pulled by Garza and kitchen. Can those go back on the agenda? Is there a motion to approve items number 54 and 55? Ms. Kitchen. , Ms. Garza. Any discussion? Those in favor of -- >> Zimmerman: Is it this the solix? >> Mayor Adler: This is the solix and the staffing one. [8:22:46 PM] >> Zimmerman: I thought we were postponing that? >> You're right and we had a citizen to speak. Forget 54. I'll change that to just 55 without objection. Those in all in favor proving number 55 raise your hand? Those opposed. It's unanimous on the dais, 55 is approved. We can't move on 54 yet. Yes, Ms. Troxclair. >> Troxclair: I abstained from 55? >> Zimmerman: I have another abstention for 55 as well. >> Mayor Adler: Troxclair and Zimmerman abstain on 55. And others it passes. We did not do 54. We did not do 54. You may proceed. Thank you. >> My name is Jennifer Ramirez. I am a former hart student. I am currently attending kealing middle school as a seventh grade magnet student. This program has been a major part of my success so far. During my time at hart I did dance, soccer, 4-h and Austin film society. I loved staying after school everyday. I could not hope for it to be over so I could stay and hang out with my friends. And right now my brother is starting kindergarten and going to hart. I really want him to enjoy everything that I had during my time there. And I love this program. I love what it can do for everyone and I know most people need it because our parents can't go pick them up because they work. And it can help a child grow both in learning and exploring who they are. [8:24:50 PM] Thank you. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Jennifer Ramirez? >> Tovo: Mayor, I pulled an item earlier that I can put back on consent if it's a six-month contract. And that's number 64. We've had back and forth with staff and I've had broad questions about it, but I'm comfortable since it's an emergency contract approving it today for a six-month period and having that opportunity to ask those questions. So I would move approval of that. >> Mayor Adler: Mayor pro tem moves approval of number 64. There a second to that? Mr. Casar. Any discussion? Those in favor of of approving 64 raise your hand. Those opposed? Troxclair and Zimmerman abstaining. The others voting aye. 64 is passed. 65 is going to be postponed until September 1st. Is there a motion to postpone to September 1st. The mayor pro tem, seconded by Mr. Renteria. Any discussion? Those in favor raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais with Mr. Casar off the dais. So 65 is taken care of. >> Tovo: Mayor, it's my understanding that Austin energy is not ready for the hearing on rates, which is item 87. Is that accurate? And if that is -- >> Mayor Adler: Not ready? >> Tovo: I don't know if we can do that for a public hearing, but that was the message I got. >> I believe there are other two public hearings set for the Austin energy rates so there was no need to do it for this evening. There were speakers and I believe you have spoken to them. >> I spoke to three of the speakers who were okay with waiting until the 25th for the public hearing. >> Mayor Adler: This is on 87. >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: Let me ask for the speakers that are here. The question is are any of the speakers here wanting to speak on this rather than waiting for postponement to the 25th? [8:26:56 PM] This is item number 87. The identified speakers are Richard hallpin, Cyrus Reid, David king, Juan castellan. Kyaba white, drew de la sanities. Do any of the speakers want to speak tonight? Is is there a motion to postpone the public hearing in this case to August 25th? This is item number 87. Is there a motion? >> Tovo: I'll make the motion, but I feel a little uncomfortable some of those speakers have been here all day. So I'm certainly willing to also hear them after the budget. >> Mayor Adler: I'm fine with whatever the speakers want to do on that. They've been here today, so the election is entirely theirs. Do you want to speak after the budget thing is over or do you want to postpone it so that you don't have to stay? >> Given everybody's time, I can postpone to the 25th, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Cyrus is okay as well. Enthusiastically he says okay, it looks like. [Laughter] There's been a motion to postpone, seconded by Mr. Zimmerman. Any discussion? Those in favor of postponing item number 87 to September 1st please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais. 87 is -- I said until September 1st, but I meant August 25th. 87 is postponed to August 25th. Okay. We're going to continue on then with our -- now I'm confused. Celia Villegas, we've heard from her. What about Jennifer Ramirez? Heard from her. Monterrasat miraba. And at the other microphone would be mirana Kunz. [8:29:01 PM] Take your time. >> Thank you. Good evening. My name is monterrasat miraba. I am a national board certified teacher and I taught pre-k for eight years and I am the vice-president for certified employees with education Austin. I am here today to speak to you about the importance of after school programs and the parent support specialist. I live in district 4 next to cook elementary and I have very close ties with the immigrant community from rundberg all the way to I-35. I talk to parents and teachers on a daily basis about their concern of working long hours and being worried about making sure their children are safe in a quality after school program, learning about robotics, arts and different subjects. Having a full-time parent support specialist in the school district gives families the opportunity to navigate the public school system because parent support specialists are the backbone of the schools. They provide esl classes, citizenship classes, they connect the parents with different organizations such as casa [indiscernible], safe place, equal justice center, workers defense project, just to mention a few. Parent support specialists are sometimes the only connection many parents have with their schools. We need to increase their access, not limit it. That's why we're here today to ask you for your support in investing in after school programs and parent support specialists. If we are honestly concerned about affordability in our city, then we will support after school programs. This is a concrete way to back up our talk with action. The best investment that a city can do is invest in the quality programs for our children. Thank you and thank you for all your support. [Applause]. >> Christopher Herrera. Is Christopher Herrera here? [8:31:04 PM] >> [Speaking foreign language]. >> Good evening, I stand here with hart. I'm here to support the after school programming because I'm standing here with my daughter and I'm here to support a better future for her. Perhaps you all have a lot of things on your mind or you have a lot of agenda items, but we come here asking you for your support for this cause. Many thanks. [Applause]. >> Good evening, my name is Christopher Herrera. I'm a teacher at hart elementary. I'm here to ask you for your support in the funding of after school programming as well as parent support specialists. As a teacher I see the effects that it has on the kids academically. The after school programming helps them develop creatively, but also it helps them develop critical thinking skills that are essential to being successful in their lives. Also, it provides them with skills and knowledge that could help them break the cycle of poverty that plagues many of their families. The parent support specialist is also essential in tying the community to the school. Without her many families may suffer a lot more stress than they need to already. And without her support also a lot of the educational classes she offers her parents, without her educational classes, the parents wouldn't have the ability to learn skills that can help them be productive members of society in the U.S. [8:33:20 PM] Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it. [Applause]. Is Sonya tash here? You will be at this podium. Mr. Zimmerman, you pulled item 58. Is that okay to postpone. >> Zimmerman: Yes, we wanted to postpone it. It's garage doors. I think the garage doors can wait. >> Mayor Adler: Is staff okay with 58 being proposed? Is staff here? While postpone that until when? This gets postponed until -- would this be next week or September 1st? September 1st. >> Zimmerman: I'll make that motion. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman moves to postpone item 58 until September 1st. Is there a second to that? Ms. Troxclair. Those in favor of the postponement please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous with the mayor pro tem off the dais. Ma'am? >> [Speaking foreign language]. >> Good evening, my name is mini Martinez and my son's name is Kevin from Webb middle school. I'm here to ask that you consider supporting the after school program. My son suffers from attention deficit disorder and I've noticed that his improvement has gone up 360 degrees. [8:35:41 PM] I would also ask that you keep these programs because they advance our schools. They keep our schools and our students more advanced. Aside from the fact that it benefit the parents, the children also benefit from taking part in sports and other activities day-to-day. In the name of all of the parents who are here and those who couldn't be here for one reason or another, I ask that you please invest in the future of our nation. [Applause]. Because one day you will see that they are going to make you proud by being better investors and citizens. Thank you for your support. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Amber Martinez will be the next speaker at this podium. We're going to pause for one second. We have two public hearings, 88 and 93 that have no citizens waiting to speak to them. I'm going to open both those hearings. Is there a motion to close the public hearings in 88 and 93. There are no speakers signed up to speak. Ms. Troxclair makes that motion. Second by Mr. Zimmerman. [8:37:41 PM] If there's no objection we'll take a vote. Those in favor of closing the public hearings, 88 and 93, please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous to close the public hearing with the mayor pro tem off the dais. We'll continue with the speakers. Amber Martinez should be coming to this podium. >> She's already spoken. >> Mayor Adler: She's already spoken. What about Julie weeks? >> Good evening, councilmembers, my name is Sonya tash and I am for funding for a parent support specialist in our after school program. I am the proud principal of these wonderful children that have spoken before you. [Applause]. And I'm going to try not to get emotional, but I get to see these shining, wonderful, beautiful faces every single day. And I could not be more proud of my children, my students, because they are here along with their wonderful parents, supporting these wonderful programs that help them be successful, not only academically, but socially. We are a school that takes pride in our academics and takes pride in our community. As you can see, I take pride. Our school colors are yellow and blue, and I have proudly displayed my hart rocket lanyard. And so I see the positive effects of after school programming. I see that our children excel. I see that our children -- because of our children attending the after school programs, they are confident. They are able to participate and be like our parents are saying, in a safe environment each and everyday. They're not in the streets, like running the streets like one of our children stated. [8:39:45 PM] They are learning, they are safe, they are engaged, they are learning about the world and interacting and doing science experiments and learning about the different cultures. And just engaged all around. And I don't know if you know the history or our history at hart elementary but we are a college prep elementary. The after school programming is a huge component in building that college preparation that, like our parents are saying too, will one day help our students are perhaps where you're sitting, and that's what we -- that's what we aspire to is our students will one day be active participants and citizens in this city. And a quote, I keep thinking it no longer takes a village to raise a child, it takes a city to raise a child. [Applause]. So please, please consider, consider and think about our children, the future of Austin. Not only Austin, Texas, Austin independent school district, which by the way is one of the best school districts in this country. So thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time, especially councilmember Greg is a car, and showing us your office and everything you do for us. And please, please consider this as a great investment of our city dollars. Thank you so much. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Gina Hinojosa will be speaking at this podium in she's still with us. Yes. >> Thank you. Mayor and councilmember Casar and other councilmembers, thank you for your time tonight and for your patience. My name is Julie weeks. I'm with Austin voices for education and youth and we're an education non-profit that works in partnership with Austin Indiana. One of the -- Austin independent school district. One of the things we're currently doing is building community schools in the city of Austin. And the people that are here tonight, the students, the parents, the teachers, the community members that are here advocating on behalf of needs in our public schools, this is how we exercise being a community school. [8:41:55 PM] It means that we exercise our voice and we invest our time and our efforts to try to make our schools the best that they can be for all students. So we're here tonight advocating on behalf of families that need support. Families that live predominantly in the east, northeast, north central parts of Austin. These are our title 1 schools, these are our low income schools. These are families that do not have means to try to provide after school opportunities for their child, for their children. And as you know, rates of living, cost of living are raising in the city. I think you will know about that with your utility hearings. But it is more and more difficult for families to make ends meet. Families are working more jobs. There are many reasons that families need after school programming to keep their kids safe. You've heard those things today. I just want to say one more thing that we do with Austin voices, and that's sponsoring family resource centers at many of these schools that you've heard of today. We are here, we are with social workers trying to deal with the complex issues that families in our city are facing. There are many. I know at my school, Webb middle school, at least 10% of our families are homeless. That means they have no home of their own. They're either doubled up or living in motels or shelters. Those families have no opportunities for safe places for their children to go after school. So these programs are vital. So thank you so much for your support and for funding these programs that are so vital to our families. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Ken zurr. Not here? Isadora day? No. Richard Tagle? You will be at this podium. Ms. Hinojosa. >> Thank you, mayor. I first want everyone who is here to support after school funding and parent support specialists to please stand up. [8:44:06 PM] [Speaking Spanish]. To show your support. I want to thank you for being here. If we're successful in sustaining this funding it's your effort. Parents, students, teachers, our great principal. [Applause]. [Speaking Spanish]. And I want to thank the mayor and the city council for making a commitment to aid families to invest in our schools last year during the city budget. When the state legislature cut our budget by $500 a student in 2011, our district cut our parent support specialists to part-time, to halftime. Parent support specialists connect our families to our resources in the schools and community and empower parents to be leaders and engaged in the education of their children, and that is not a half-time job. That is a full-time job, and then some. Last year's decision by this council to continue the partnership with aid to bring our parent support specialists back to full-time changed lives and made our schools stronger. So thank you very much for that. When our federal grants for after school programming went away and we learned that 20 of our schools would no longer have after school programming options for low income families, the city stepped up to fill the void and bridged the learning to until the end of the workday. I you humbly ask the city council to preserve the after school programs that we have for our schools and the support for our families through our parent support specialists. Our families cannot afford cuts to these programs now. Spite despite Austin's tremendous growth, we know the low income families are leaving the city. The city's continued investment in our families and schools sends a clear message to this community that we will not give up those families without a fight. [8:46:11 PM] And I want to thank you for your commitment and I ask -- humbly ask that you continue to fund these programs. Thank you. [Applause]. >> Good evening, mayor, councilmembers. I'm Richard toggley. I wear two hats this evening. First is the CEO of the Andy Roddick foundation, which has a mission of working with our community to expand opportunities for young people to learn, thrive and succeed, and also ask the board chair of learn all the time network, which is really formally the -- formerly the central Texas after school network and a network of over 100 after school and summer programs throughout central Texas. We are obviously advocating for the full support of after school programs, but I'm also here to talk about how we can help leverage private sector investments as part of this. But we can only do that if the city shows that there is a high level of investment in these after school programs. You know, we as a foundation, the Andy rod dick foundation basically has done a lot of time assessing where the needs are, how we can fill in gaps, how we can bring those programs that are in those areas of the city that need them the most. It is obvious to us that after the school bell rings the inequities in access to learning opportunities is most evident. So it's very important for us to bring a lot of these programs in parts of the city that is most underserved. As chair of learn all the time network, I can say that we are devoted to really exploring how we can increase the sustainability and scalability of a lot of these programs. We are looking at how we can coordinate data so that we can tell you where these programs are most effective, what is the range of quality around these programs and how we can help those organizations that are really struggling to meet those quality standards we are going to be providing professional development supports. [8:48:20 PM] So we are actually looking into investing into that kind of systems building, but we are asking that the city do extend that kind of financial support to after school programs that are serving theses, this wonderful, articulate students and families that rely on these programs the most. So we're willing to be thinking partners with you. We are here to also offer our support in terms of leveraging those resources. The Andy Roddick foundation is in partnership with both pecan springs elementary and Harris elementary to bring full year programming. We run our six-week summer learning programs in these three schools and then we fund other after school programs that provide after school supports during the school year. And in combination we also bring in hundreds of volunteers from different companies like retail me not, price water house, coopers that bring financial literacy programs to these elementary school students. So this is our way of bringing both private sector philanthropic investment and hopefully public investment in these programs. Thank you. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Is Carmen zavieta here? Is Kelly Coleman here? Each of you will be at a different podium. First to speak will be Carmen, zavieta. Is Michelle mexia and Paula Rojas speaking with you? >> Yes. [8:50:21 PM] >> Mayor Adler: They can come up if they would like. Okay. Ms. Zavieta. >> Good evening, I'm here to ask for 10 points. Here we're asking for health, for dignified living, for transportation, for parks, for education for children. We're asking for programs in Spanish for g.e.d.es, for minimum wage of at least 13.50. No more subsidies for malls. [8:52:28 PM] >> We are here to stand against the raise of the police because this translates to the criminalization of minorities, including the deportations and the asking of eligible status here, which also translates into the death of many of the minorities, people of color. [Applause]. Up until this moment the police have always come up as being innocent, which we think is very injust for us. >> Okay. Good evening. My name is Kelly Coleman, and as communities of color united, a grassroots coalition of people of color organizations and individuals for racial justice, we're presenting a collective proposal to advance racial equity and social justice in Austin, Texas. Last year our coalition worked closely with city council and the mayor to pass a resolution in may of 2015 calling for the city to develop an equity assessment tool. Since then city government has been working to launch an equity office, but has yet to develop or implement an equity tool or other mechanism to hold city accountable in relation to racial equity. At ccu we recommend that city government begin using an equity lens this year in its budget process development. We have committed and directly impact the community members propose the following 10 points to be included in the budget process: >> Number one, for parks and recreation in underresourced communities. Number two, for transportation from the suburbs to the city's core and underresourced areas. [8:54:34 PM] Number three, for truly accessible housing for low income families, not just affordable housing. Number four, for our children's education, including increases in after school and enrichment programs, so we support the folks that came before us strongly. [Applause]. Number five, for health services, including and prioritizing the health equity programs within health and human services. Number six, for Spanish language programs including go ahead and asl programs. And number seven, to maintain an incrementally increase the living wage for the city of Austin. How would all of those things defunded all these increases that we're asking for? Well, we also have a few points of things that we would like to -- places where we think that money could be saved. Number eight, to place a moratorium on all market rate and retail development incentives and subsidies. [Applause]. Those incentive programs started at a period after the dot-com bust where it was needed. Many jobs were lost and not needed anymore. Number nine, as Carmen talked about, to freeze the A.P.D. Budget to not have an increase of a budget this year, to freeze it where it was last year. And, of course, to push for ice to split with A.P.D. [Applause]. Number 10, as Kelly mentioned, we would like to see funds finally allocated for the development and implementation of an equity assessment tool, including an independent review board. That would be part of it. >> So can we have everybody that is a part of our group, a part of ccu or the Ura group, can everybody just raise your hand so that we see y'all? [8:56:44 PM] These are all the folks that are supporting us and took time out of their schedule to come and make sure that y'all knew that we were serious. Our proposal seeks to truly balance the budget by creating equity and balance in resource allocations across city departments as well as communities across the city. We intended to use this year's city of Austin budget office's community input tool, dollars and cents, but found it was not adequate for our communities, nor for the issues we want to highlight in the budget. The tool's default is set set for homeowners and not renters and for suggesting increases and decreases in a category, but not for prioritization for funds in a community. [Buzzer sounds] And after attempting to use the dollars and cents tools we instead turned to a participatory process of holding numerous community meetings to develop our 10-point program N our current national climate of deeply ingrained forms of racial violence and neglect facing black communities and other communities of color, there's an imperative for the city of Austin to take proactive steps to redress these institutionalized and systemic practices. How a city spends its resources is indicative of its priorities. We hope to see the priorities of racial equity and social justice reflected in this year's budget. [Applause]. >> And we wanted to recognize the work that many of you are already doing. We've seen the concept menu so far. We support councilmember Garza's proposal to take money from public safety towards health and human services. We support many of your other initiatives around education, et cetera, that are aligned with our 10 points. So we're here to say we're supporting all of that. We have a lot more folks who were here earlier who have signed on, who have signed petitions. We'll bring them all to you. And at the same time that we're saying we support, we want to hold you accountable. [8:58:48 PM] And we're going to be watching how you vote on the concept menu, which are the things that you each prioritize. We are constituents of all your different districts and we want to see these priorities reflected within the concept menu. So we will stay involved. Thank you. [Applause]. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Renteria? >> Renteria: I want to let the people know that when you're talking about cutting a police budget, you know, district 1, district 3 and district 4 has the highest violent crime there is. So I hope you're not saying that you're satisfied with that, that there's so much crime in that area that you don't want police to be monitoring you. Because that's very important. >> It's not >> Mayor Adler: Wait, wait, wait, he gets to talk >> Renteria: I just want you to know it's very important, that we have to support our police department >> We didn't say cut, we asked to freeze, and I think that there's a difference, but also, I don't know that there's necessarily been proven a correlation between police on the street and folks' crime, lower cream >> Renteria: I'm not going to be in an argument with this person, but question do need the police and that's an very important project. It's shown it has a history of making communities safer. >> Mayor Adler: The next -- thank you. The next speaker we have is -- >> Your people are here saying they don't like you >> Mayor Adler: The next speaker is jesu Guillen >> Josue >> Casar: Mayor, if you would, I think some of the students here earlier are going to leave. Would you mind if I spoke to them for 30 seconds, and then I'll thank you later? [9:00:48 PM] Thank you so much. Mayor, I just know that some of the students and parents from hart wool ridge and other schools have to leave, and I want to thank you because I appreciate you spending so much time here and coming here and to the students for having the chance to speak to us. [Speaking Spanish] [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Okay. And, council, you might want to know that we've now passed under the four- hour remaining. Yes, Ms. Gallo. >> Gallo: And the council knows this, that every time we have a roomful of children, parents, if you could wait just a second and I'll ask Greg to translate this for me. Once -- whenever we have a roomful of children and young adults that have come to visit us, I always make the kids and their parents pledge that when they turn 18, when the kids turn 18, the very first thing they will do is register to vote. [Applause] So if you will raise your hand, if you promise the council that you, as kids, will do that, and also as their parents will make sure. So I want to see all the hands raisehands raised in this audience >> Mr. Mayor, I'd ask for everyone here, including the children, when you grow up, I want to ask you to pledge to finish school, learn a trade, a skilled trade, get a college education, start a business, do something useful and produce something in your society so you don't have to live off others. [9:02:56 PM] Thank you. >> [Booing] >> Mayor Adler: All right. We're going to continue here. Councilmembers, we have -- mayor pro tem >> Tovo: Mayor, while our students are leaving, I just want to add my thanks. I just want to say at your age, I never could have gotten up in front of a roomful of people, televised, and made the powerful arguments you did on behalf of yourselves and your friends at school, so I really want to thank -- I want to thank everybody who came down to talk, but I especially want to thank you for your bravery and courage and raising your voices on behalf of great educational programs for you and your families. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: All right. Let's continue on with the -- we have -- thank you all for participating. Yes, sir. >> So my name is joseu Guillen, I'm a member of communities of color >> I'm also a member of communities united as well. I wanted to address the issue about the policing because there seems to be a misunderstanding that communities don't care about our police officers. There seems to be a misunderstanding that people are not trying to do better and get better. I think the solution is not just police officers, it's fiscal. It's money. It's resources. Lots of other opportunities are available for other communities because of the fiscal opportunities that I feel like the communities that you think need more policemen, that's -- policemen are important, I'm not saying anything negative against those who go in day in and day out to protect our communities, but communities would also change and benefit from more financing so they can do more and have more. That's all I want to say. [Applause] Are >> I also just wanted to say a little bit about the responsibility of the council because one of the challenges with resolutions is that everyone feels good, and then nothing happens. [9:05:05 PM] Right? And so that was the equity tool. And additionally, we sent out and we have, we've sent out these ten points to all the councilmembers, we've tried to set up meetings with all of you, we've spoken with staff, and much more productive to engage in these conversations, once you've read our proposals and you listen clearly to what we're saying, and not actually speaking out loud and uninformed ways, in challenging ways, when we're having a public meeting. [Applause] So I would really appreciate all of the public servants to remember that you all work for us, and that, together, we actually can make a better city. Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Vanessa deiten. Is Vanessa deiten here? >> Thank you again >> Mayor Adler: Thank you >> They're making me speak now because I've been here since 3 o'clock waiting. The group just left but I'm going to go ahead and throw in my two cents here. So -- [speaking Spanish] I'm an active and engaged parent of two children in Austin independent school district. Because I work part-time I have the flexibility to dedicate my free time not only to my kids, but also to concerns that affect the children and families in this district. I'm here today to speak in support of two things that have made a tremendous impact not only in my life but the lives of many Austin ISD families that I know. After school programming and parent support specialists. Both have been hugely beneficial in supporting the success of our children in the city. I'm a very -- I'm very passionate about Austin, our school district, and ultimately the children and families that compose much of the city. I'm a native austinite and a product of Austin ISD. I was a student of non-english speaking, low income parents. [9:07:06 PM] I understand firsthand some of the challenges that affect many of our families in Austin today. It is a fact that after school programs not only boost academic performance like you've heard today, they reduce risky behaviors, promote health, and a safe, structured environment for the children of working parents. I'm lucky. I have flexibility. I work part-time. I can get my kids from school. I can drive them around town and pay for them to participate in a few extracurricular activities and so on. This really is not realistic and does not exist for many children of working families, and even less for children of working class parents and parents with less means. My son started at ridgetop elementary off airport boulevard six years ago when it was about 90% low income. In the last six years, that number has shifted quite a bit, mostly due to factors such as gentrification and affordability. I experienced and saw what happened when the prime time after school program went away, and when rpss went away. Only the kids who could afford anything were able to stay in the optional pay only after school program offered. It became out of reach for many of our families. It caused many families to shift their job hours and resulted in less time for parents to be able to meaningfully engage at the school. My son will now be attending Fulmore middle school, and although we're in need there, I know the after school program is just as valuable there. It's even more crucial to have a structured environment because of the age of the children. Lastly, I'd like to mention I was able to sit in as a parent on a district committee to discuss the role of the parent support specialists. The pss's have two crucial responsibilities, fostering and bolstering parent and civic leadership, and helping families navigate the school system and its various resources. Ultimately they increase the likelihood that we'll have healthy children attending our school and ready to learn [9:09:09 PM] [buzzer sounding] Thanks for listening, for your consideration, thank you for supporting our students in Austin ISD, and I'd appreciate it if you'd take these two needs into consideration >> Tovo: Thank you. We're continuing our discussion on the budget. David king. And Stewart heaven is on deck. >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, and councilmembers. You know, this is the opportunity for the city council to make big progress on important issues facing our community. And to that extent, I think that when we look at this budget, there are a couple questions that I think if we could ask and answer, it would help us see if we're going in the right direction. So my question is, does this budget raise the living standard for low income, moderate income, and poor families? Does it? Does it eliminate inequities and reduce economic segregation? Those are the things we should be focusing on. The market is doing its own thing. It's doing fine out there. High income families are doing well. We have people moving to Austin that are doing well. But there are many in our own community that are not doing well. And so I ask, is that the priority for this budget? So I have some suggestions. Less increased funding for health care and healthy food for low income families in our community. Less increased funding for cultural and educational facilities and after school programs. Let's increase the funding for economic development and job training initiatives in east Austin. Increase funding for affordable housing, for low and moderate income families, increase funding for rental assistance and home repairs for low income and moderate income families. Increase funding for proactive life, health and safety inspections on multifamily rental properties. Increase funding for parks, recreation, libraries, and fire stations, provide transportation vouchers for low and moderate income families. [9:11:16 PM] Provide subsidies to help low and moderate income families pay utility, water, wastewater, and electric bills, and those rates are going up in this budget. Fully fund the office of equity. Empower the voice and influence of everyday citizens. And reduce the ininfluence that business and developers have on our city budget and land development citizens. Ensure that goat pays for itself instead of shifting the cost to renters and homeowners. Eliminate corporate and developer incentives. And, yes, let's rebalance our public safety services so that they do consume less -- a smaller percentage of the total budget. And we can do it without risking the safety of our citizens. And ensure that for-profit events pay the full cost for all city services, including public safety that they utilize. So, again, I ask you, what is your litmus test? Is it helping the everyday citizen, or is it helping the businesses and developers in our community. So I ask that we focus on the citizens who need help, those that are working multiple jobs, and you've heard from many of them earlier today. They need help. The economy is not helping. The state government is not helping this. The burden comes to us. [Buzzer sounding] It comes to you. And I know that you're doing all you can, and I'll ask that you continue to do that and do as much as you can. Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Hirsch, before you begin, there's a large group of people here that are on item number 94. My understanding is, we can call that up and just pass it on first reading as we did earlier with the lobby bill. And that way, we can let staff go and this item go. Is that correct, Mr. Renteria? Mr. Renteria; is that correct? [9:13:16 PM] >> Renteria: Yeah, that's correct. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So, Mr. Renteria moves passage of item number 94 on first reading only, recognizing that there's going to be continued work on that, and that when it comes back, it'll actually be something that we can discuss and move on. >> Renteria: And I also had passed some amendments there on the yellow page. And that's just the -- there's some changes in there from -- you know, instead of putting in there English and Spanish, it's just -- because Austin is such a diverse city that it should be used also -- whoever lived there, you know, so the notice should be given in language most commonly spoke in the -- in that apartment complex when they're posting notice for eviction. And we're asking for four months, but we have put English and Spanish, and recognizing that -- you know, that wasn't, you know, what Austin -- is more diverse than that. So that's why we have inserted an amendment to fix that up. And we also have put in an amendment there from -- 20 change it from 12 to 5, but that's just -- you know, that was the original staff recommendation, and third amendment would provide relocation assistance for the amount of rent only -- >> Mayor Adler: Are we considering the amendment or you're just putting this -- >> Renteria: I would just like to include this in the first reading. If not, I can submit it in the second reading. It's just -- I thought maybe changing some of the mistakes that we put in there, but we can go ahead and approve it on the first reading, and then I just want to attach the amendments so that people can see that, you know, I was trying to fix some of that. >> Casar: And, mayor, the tenant's rights people that have been here along with the representative of the apartment association and the real estate council all said that this is what they were fighting for in first reading, considering we'll leave the public hearing open for second reading [9:15:27 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Gallo, are you okay with -- there were several people that wanted to put on amendments and I was holding this up because I wanted us to finish the testimony if we were going to be doing amendments >> Casar: There are additional amendments to be discussed for second reading. These were the ones that folks felt comfortable with going on first reading, considering there may be other amendments and more discussion for second reading >> Mayor Adler: No, no. If we're going to debate -- and I understand that. And I'm fine having amendments come on that we're going to debate and discuss, but if we're going to discuss amendments, let's just park this for a second, and let's finish the people we're calling on the budget, and then we'll get to this -- we'll get to this later. Is that what we want to do? >> Renteria: We can discuss it on second reading if you >> Mayor Adler: Either way. I'm fine waiting until this is done and calling it up and then having amendments made and debated, or I'm fine just passing this on first reading it -- as ITIs. >> Mayor Adler: Either one of those. Which would you want to do? >> Renteria: It's up to the -- I would prefer we just go ahead and discuss it because I can see that people have a lot of question on this, so we can delay -- defer this until after the -- >> Tovo: Okay. We'll just wait. Let's continue on Mr. Hirsch? >> Zimmerman: Sorry, Mr. Hirsch, I bet you still rent >> Yeah, but that's going to change soon. Mayor and members of the council, my name is Stewart Harry Hirsch, like most in Austin, I rent, and I want to talk to you about budget basics, what one of our 20th century city managers used to call building Austin's standards and community service, which I suggest we need to go back to. I wanted to focus on five city departments that are in the budget, starting with watershed protection and real estate. We need to do better than the 35 buyouts that are planned. I talked to you a couple weeks ago about the drainage fee resources coming in that could help us finish the lower onion, Williamson, and all the substantially damaged properties in the other creeks. [9:17:32 PM] I think that's consistent with the flood mitigation task force recommendations. I urge you to do that and to have enough money to clean out all the debrises in the creeks so they don't inadvertently flood. Secondly, I want to talk to you about what I call the Rodney Dangerfield departments, Austin code and development services, because they often get no respect. We need to have different performance measures than what are planned in the budget. Two working response to complaints, we need to have all the repeat offenders in compliance or under building standards orders by March 17th. And I've listed a series of other performance measures, including subdivision and site plan review within 28 calendar days, commercial building plan review within 14 days, single-family duplex review for new construction, seven calendar days, and smart housing goals that really are not just promised but actually delivered in half the time of conventional review. I want to talk about neighborhood housing. The housing trustee fund's resources need to align with the council resolutions that have already been adopted and are pending and they don't currently. There needs to be three million dollars in funding so that all the people on the waiting list that need -- that are low income homeowners who need repairs, that 160 homes are finished next year. And we need to talk about what are we going to accomplish next year to get to the 35,000 income restricted goal that's in the Austin housing strategic plan? We need to monitor whether our funding is meeting the findings of the city auditor relative to affordable housing monitoring, and finally I gave you a separate page on the next studies that we've talked over the several months, but don't appear to me to be in the budget. Sometimes these are money issues. Sometimes these are not raising the bar high enough. I humbly suggest to you that we are doing standing broad jump when we need to be doing pole vaulting, to use an olympics analogy. [9:19:37 PM] And as long as we continue to standing broad jump, we will never get to seven eight. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Gallo? >> Gallo: Mr. Hirsch, I hope if you're considering buying a house, you consider buying it in district 10 because I would love to have you as a constituent >> That's very kind of you. I will go -- I will try to qualify. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker is Gabriel Estrada, and Kathy Rogers. Is Kathy Rogers here? Is Gabriel Estrada here? Is Manuela Cisneros here? Is Jose Carrasco here? Is Allison ivy here, or martin blacker? Martin blacker. Come on down. Is Katy Anderson here? Katy Anderson? >> We have someone speaking on her behalf. [Inaudible]. [Off mic] >> Mayor Adler: To who? >> Nicki Kuntz. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Good evening, mayor, mayor pro tem and members of the council. My name's martin blacker, I'm a journey man stage hand and organizing member of local 205 Austin, Texas. The iatse is the international alliance of theoretical stage fleas. We work behind people in then entertainment in Austin, Texas. Zach theater has been a valued member of Austin's community since 1932. Both the iatse local tour 5 and Zach theater have contributed to the vibrancy of the Austin theater business. In 2015, ate local 205 started and organizing campaign among stage employees at Zach theater. [9:21:40 PM] This was in response to requests from Zach theater stage hands who had become disillusioned with the below and arbitrarily applied pay rates, lack of benefits, lack of career advancement, and total lack of input to their working conditions. On their website Zach theater declares itself as Austin's leading professional producing theater. That is mostly true and we have nothing but respect for the consistency, quality and creativity of the work represented by this company. However, as a professional theater company and the recipient of an enormous amount of city generosity over the many decades, Zach's theater is the lowest paying theater in Austin is also true. The stage hands have pay rates far lower than the prevailing rates, such as Austin opera and ballet Austin, and has been that way for many years. Professional theater means professional pay, professional standards, and professional behavior. In our capacity as a labor union, the iatse local 205 would like every employee in its jurisdiction to have the best pay rates and fairest conditions that can be achieved. We do that by organizing. To do that we have to make ourselves known to the stage employees we purport to help. This right to organize working people is enshrined in law, but also requires a spirit of respectful accommodation to work. Sadly, this spirit of accommodation and respect has been solely lacking from the Zach management. Since they first heard we were talking with stage employees, they have knee jerk reacted with lies, half truths, and propaganda. They have intimidated and manipulated the stage employees by painting the union as thugs and bullies whose only purpose is to force Zach theater stage employees to give us their money while we negotiate a contract that forces them out of their jobs. They also expressed the ludicrous idea that local 205 wants to destroy Zach theater as we know it and replace them with a Broadway touring venue. This is not our aim by any stretch of the truth. Believe me, the iatse local 205 does not want to get into the business of producing theater. [9:23:43 PM] It is in our best interest the producing companies like Zach theater prosper and grow. We want to assist the employees to draft a partisan agreement that helps the employees and theater both. To do that, we need to have a conversation. [Buzzer sounding] The Zach management has resisted this with every fiber of their being. We are not thugs and bullies and it is a gross mischaracterization that we're being portrayed as such by Zach management. Zach theater is a major beneficiary of Austin city council and should be held to labor relations that reflects the Progressive diverse community that is Austin. All we're asking for is the legal right to organize without harassment had Zach theater is trampling on the rights of its working people and surely that is not the Austin way. Thank you for your time. [Applause] >> Good evening. I'm Nicki -- mayor, mayor pro tem, and members of city council, my name is Nicki combs. I'm here to speak a prepared statement, written by Katy Anderson, who's an employee of Zach Scott theater. She had to go oversee Mary pop pins umbrella flight so she could ask me to read her statement. My name is Katy Anderson and I've been a stage hand at Zach theater in Austin since 2011. I love the work I do at Zach and am proud to have been a part of these productions. However, I would like to see the theater move forward under an iatse 205 contract because I feel it will improve the conditions and wages for myself and my fellow stage hands. As mentioned, management has reacted with hostility to our campaign and supporters including myself, while I've collaborated on many remarkable productions, I have witnessed dozens of stage crew members leave in frustration or be terminated suddenly. The turnover for crew is very fast. Experienced stage hands in town know very well Zach's reputation for being the lowest paying theater in Austin. [9:25:45 PM] In fact, my rate is less at Zach than at any other theater in town. Additionally, when I moved departmentally at Zach, management decreased my already low rate by 15% and despite my years of service at Zach, I've never been given a raise. Zach's arbitrary and seemingly absent pay structure has led to discrepancies and pay between men and women. Management encourages workers to keep their pay a secret from their peers. The starting rate for most Zach employees is $10, which is lower than the minimum living wage of 13 set forth by the city -- for the city of Austin employees last year. Austin's leading professional producing theater, which is largely publicly funded and whose flagship stage was built with Austin taxpayers 10.8 million in the form of a city bond, should pay its stage hands a sustainable wage. My peers and I decided to stand with local 205 to speak up together for better treatment and fair compensation. Soon after Zach management learned of solidarity, they told workers to attend mandatory meetings, and would replace current employees and bankrupt the theater. My supervisor even called the union stewards, quote, end quote, mobsters. This was the start of a narrative which they claim union bullies have been harassing Zach employees. The director of production claimed our campaign was founded out of vengeance by disgruntled past employees and warned us not to sign representation cards. That meeting and management's continued narrative about union supporters bullying and harassing workers has imposed a fearful environment. As a yearly -- at our yearly orientation and training session that I attended early earlier this week, sergeant from Austin police department came and gave production crew a brief training in active tutor scenarios. A Zach supervisor - - [buzzer sounding] [9:27:45 PM] -- Followed the sergeant's presentation and advised members that they should treat any -- any disgruntled employees, come up to talk to them, they should feel free to call 911 and report a dangerous presence in the theater this gross misrepresentation of campaign supporters has paralyzed our workers in fear they will lose their job if the union comes to Zach. The campaign supporters -- this could possibly deny them worker in the future. They're all terrified to work with us on organizing, and she believes if she is not offered work in the future, it will be because of her support of this I know extra. She is also -- I am also a Zach stage hand, mother, Austin affordable homeowner -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Tax member of this community, feel that my work is vitally important to the city of Austin >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your time >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: The next speaker we have signed up is Paul arabalo. Okay? >> Good evening, mayor, mayor pro tem, and members of city council. My name is Paul arabalo. I am the chair of the organizing committee for local 205. Our federal citizens of Austin look to us to make the policies and decisions that best suit our established values. Many hope we continue to keep Austin weird, steeped in strong pride and determination to make Austin the most liveable city in the country. However, our city is far from livable when you concern ourselves with the stage hands at Zachry Scott theater center. During my one-year tenure as crew chief at Zach, I've be friended many stage hands and all variety of stage craft. The overwhelming concern from them all was survival. Making a living in the arts in a rapidly growing city, with the theater's low wages and conditions, and with the cost of living on the rise. Many of the stage hands in my charge scramble to get to Zach from their second or third jobs. [9:29:46 PM] Some of those individuals are recent graduates, bearing on their shoulders the weight of student loans, having commuted as far as San Marcos, and some of those people had relocated from out of state, in hopes of settling down near family, or establishing a home and family for themselves. While a native Texan, I myself am not from Austin. Coming or tour, I accepted my position at Zach. But accepted a pay cut, as many others had in coming to Zach, in the expectation of living comfortably in this great city. That being said, during and at the end of my tenure at Zach, I with this theater. Management terminated the lead audio engineer without due warning before one of our largest shows. He had come off tour to live, closer to his wife and his kids. Shortly after I left, they terminated the stage operations manager. He received an e-mail concerning an incident that happened one year prior and claimed that this was his written warning. After one year of service, management denied a reasonable and deserved raise to the lead electrician. A woman with an mfa and experience working on and off Broadway. She left. Her replacement makes more than twice her wage. He is a recent graduate without her experience. Management did the same to the assistant production manager. She left as well. Since my tenure in 2014, Zach has lost four department heads, five assistants, a dresser, a scenic carpenter, as well as dozens of hourly paid stage hands. Contrary to the city's values, Zach management chooses to pay low wages, further impeding a sustainable living for many hard-working citizens in this city. When Zach stage hands first approached me about unionizing, about seeking union representation, I was overjoyed. [9:31:49 PM] Management has countered their efforts to organize and actively works to break up their sense of community and solidarity. [Buzzer sounding] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. I'm missing the connection between this and the budget. So -- >> Two more speakers -- >> Mayor Adler: Can you help me with what the connection is to the budget so I can put it in connects? >> Yeah. Zach receives city funding, they sit on city land, they receive annual grants from the city >> Mayor Adler: Okay >> Excuse me. We understand that on the city budget, you are considering awarding Zach theater $40,000 of city funds. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So the next speaker is drew twinter >> Yes >> Good evening mayor, mayor pro tem, members of city council. My name is drew twinter. I'm a professional media -- I'm a professional media freelance specialist in Austin, Texas. When we began this campaign is held a staff position at Zach theater. I've left of my own will but have been black listed from future work there. Lack of appreciation for our work and what some was deem as poor management compel myself and Zach production accrue to seek representation by local 205. Immediately we gained the support of a little over half our fellow workers. We're feeling excited and empowered in our solidarity but were not fully prepared for the backlash we were to receive. Since becoming aware of our campaign, Zach that's consistently chosen the low road approach in their response to a resounding cry for help from their production accrue. After discovering our efforts they sent a letter to all staff that reads more like propaganda literature instead of an informative account of the situation. Along with this letter to supervisors, as time as passed and Zach has gained more awareness of who's involved most directly in the organizing campaign, Zach management has become increasingly hostile and unwilling to participate in rational conversation about how mutually official it could be. They've held mandatory meetings where they did little other than smear and put list into the minds of the production accrue. [9:33:51 PM] Zach's production manager out right told the accrue, my message is, don't sign the cards. This is in regard to union support cards. Some of the other people who have misspoken, to put it lightly, are upper level management and lead staff. I'm not saying they're not entitled to their opinions based upon their own experiences, but what they have chosen to communicate is not fair or honest this this iremployees who deserve to know the truth. The public only sees the pretty package that Zach diligently tailors to their marketing campaign. I would like to read for you Zach theater's core values, verbatim, as listed on their website. Those are artistic excellence and specialist, artistic business discipline, collaborative and inclusive, uniquely Austin. But when you have an opportunity to gain an inside glimpse of the daily operations you start to recognize the core have values with which they operate seem different. The values seem to be more in line with major corporate sponsors and not in line with values expressed by the city of Austin, values that truly support community inclusivivity. Some come from the Texas commission on the arts and city of Austin through the economic development department and cultural arts division, stating an investment in the arts is an investment in Austin's future. We feel as the city continues to invest in Zach theater, Zach theater chooses not to invest in us. Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. The next speaker is Arlene -- >> She is not present >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Then what about Rachel Mcbee? Mcghee?>> I'm here. I want to make sure Riley burgess -- John Riley burgess >> Mayor Adler: John Riley burgess. I have robin Greer. >> She's behind me. She's donated her time >> Mayor Adler: You have six minutes >> Good evening, mayor, mayor pro tem, and members of city council. So just to be clear, as there was some confusion, we are here today with focus on the budget item for consideration of $40,000 of city funds being donated to Zachry Scott theater. [9:36:05 PM] It's my understanding that that is on the budget. Is that correct? Maybe? Okay. That is our understanding. Okay. My name is Rachel Mcghee, and I'm the president of iatse local 205, the union that represents Austin's working professional stage hands. I've been an Austin are not since 1998, and I've been working professionally in theater since 1994. As a working professional, I've been fortunate enough to work almost exclusively my entire career for producing theaters and theater companies like Zach Scott. For the last ten years, I've been privileged to work for Austin opera as their props master, with whom we have a successful collective bargaining agreement. Although my personal list of work experience does not include working at Zach Scott, through my engagement in Austin's theater community, I know many people in our industry that have worked at Zach, and more important, iatse local 205 represents many people who have previously worked at Zach, going as far back as 1984 and right up to last season. Therefore, I have heard firsthand accounts of the wages and working conditions that theater professionals at Zach have experienced. Furthermore, I can advise this council that Zach is well-known within Austin's theater community and has been for a great many years as a revolving door, meaning that for the most part, Zach attracts recent graduates and those seeking to move to Austin. These folks start work with promises of improvements to wages and conditions, and then after a year or two they leave. Typically moving on to something better, sometimes burnt out, but usually when they realize that the promises made are not going to be forthcoming, and that their wages are not enough to sustain a family on. [9:38:06 PM] For the first time, as far as I'm aware, some of Zach's stage employees are starting to explore the options of organizing so that collectively, they can speak up together, to improve their situation. However, this has been met with strong opposition from Zach's management. In fact, I'm seeing tactics being used that are straight out of a corporate antiunion play book. Literally, if you were to log onto YouTube and watch a big box store union video, the rhetoric Zach's management is using is almost identical. As a labor leader and member of the Austin community, you can see why I have to question the concept of awarding public money to a theater company creating such a hostile environment for the people that work there. However, as a lifelong they're the worker, I am a firm believer that the arts enrich the fabric of any community and they need and have to be funded in order to survive. Indeed, the ability for Austin artists to continue being able to afford to live in Austin is currently at the forefront of all our minds, and to cut funding would only make this bad situation worse. To conclude, iatse local 205 supports city funding for all arts organizations, but what we want to ensure is that public funding is not being used to undermine working people's ability to pursue a living wage and improvements in their working conditions. Thank you. [Applause] >> Tovo: Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: The next speaker is Paula Rojas >> I'm sorry, just to put this in context, I wish we had memorized every line item of the budget, but can Mr. Van even oh van eenoo tell us what something for Zach Scott -- [9:40:12 PM] >> Kevin Johns, director of economic development. The economic development department has -- I believe it's $40,000 for the maintenance of the Zach theater that is an ongoing expense that we fund. >> Garza: Okay. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. Paula Rojas -- >> Casar: Before the next speaker comes up, I just thank y'all for coming sharing your stories. We have a lot to hear so I don't think we have time to discuss it but your stories are certainly concerning to me and others on the dais. While there is that money, my recollection of cultural contracts is that the figure may also be larger than that, so we'll keep -- keep in touch. So thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker is Paula Rojas. Is Paula Rojas here? She spoke. Is Lindsay Davis here? Ms. Davis. Is robin Snyder here? Okay. Is Lauren Ross here? Lauren Ross. >> No >> Mayor Adler: Is Andrea black here? >> I'm donating my time >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Are all three of you donating your time? So I have -- Ms. Davis, I had robin Snyder donating you time, Lauren Ross is not here, and Andrea black donating time, so you have nine minutes >> Thank you. So, mayor Adler, mayor pro tem, and the rest of city council, thank you for having me here tonight to speak. I'm speaking on behalf of the undue Rachel in Austin white caucus. And we're here to urge the city council to take immediate and decisive action to support its promise to advance racial equity and proposals community safety if its fiscal year 2017 budget. And we urge the city council to make a modest cut in the Austin police department budget, and instead, support community initiatives that have been proven to create safe and supported, healthy neighborhoods. [9:42:21 PM] The Austin police department has historically controlled an outside segment of the city's annual budget. For example, in the fiscal year it would 2015-16, the Austin police department controlled over 40% of the city's general fund. Meanwhile, one voice central Texas reports Austin spends far less on similar -- on social services but than in similar cities. This leaves few funds for critical programs in underresourced communities, such as district 1, which I'm a member of, resident, by the way, and we don't have the funding for true community safety such as health and education programs, parks, transportation, and affordable housing. As a result, Austin is one of the most economically segregated cities in the country, and it continues to grapple with historical and ongoing racial inequity. We ask that for the fiscal year 2017, again for a 5% cut in the APD budget and more resource to communities sumps -- I have a list. I'll just read a few, supporting the parks & recreation department budget, the after school program we heard about earlier, creating truly accessible housing for families and individuals, particularly for those who are low income and unable to continue with Austin's raising rents. We would like to see an investment in children's education, including after school enrichment programs, supporting Spanish language programs, including through the G.E.D. And esl, and investing in livable wage jobs to maintain and incremental increased wages for Austin workers. Historically, the city budget process has benefited white communities at the expense of communities of color. We're calling you to fully embrace your goal of creating the office of equity and funding for policing communities of color. We would like you to stop policing communities of color, and move towards supporting and strengthening them. [9:44:23 PM] State functioned violence against black and brown people by police forces both here in Austin and across the country is increasingly visible. Further, we know that the safest communities in Austin don't have the largest police presence, they have the most wealth. [Applause] And as the movement for plaque lives describes in their political platform, moving funds away from policing and incarceration and into education, health care, and economic investment improves community safety. At the Ella baker center for human rights states, an emphasis continues to be placed upon policing and incarceration as the appropriate and only means towards public safety and reduced crime rates. In order for our communities to be whole and healthy, there needs to be equitable access to participation within the society and economy that shapes our realities. We, therefore, urge you to cut the APD budget by 5%, and funding initiatives that will result in more racial equity and true safety for austinites, and I also wish tonight to voice support for the ccu's 10 point budget proposal for racial equity, as well as I call for the city to adopt an official policy against asking anyone about their immigration status. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Is Christina hulch here? Okay. Come on down. Is Dan gallote here? >> No >> Mayor Adler: No? Is K. A. Washington here? You'll be up next. Please proceed. >> Thank you, mayor and council, for allowing me to speak this evening. My name is Christina hulch. I live in mayor pro tem tovo's district and I'm here on behalf of the American heart association. [9:46:28 PM] Today I represent over 2000 American heart association volunteers here in Austin, some of which are in the audience this evening. They're all committed to the mission of eliminating heart disease, the number one cause of death, and stroke the number five, often advocates are passionate about helping fellow community members live happy, healthy lives while reducing heart disease and stroke in the city. I'm here to thank the council, particularly councilwoman Garza for your work, recognizing the dire issue of food and security in our city and taking action to create an official work group of over 35 organizations. We are grateful to the council for passing the resolution in March regarding the need to improve food access. As a representative of the American heart association, I was honored to have an opportunity to work amongst that working group. The work group devoted countless hours and attention to this issue and we have presented before you six well vetted action able items for improving food access. While the aha is supportive of all six, I can speak most in depth to recommendation number two, for the council to create and fund a healthy food financing program that will encourage the establishment of healthy food retail, including grocery stores and corner stores, in areas that currently lack appropriate access. And fortunately, not everyone in Austin has a choice to eat healthy. Many people in our community live in neighborhoods lacking fresh and healthy food options. Not necessarily the creation of new food retail, in other words, these areas have high barriers to entry for business, often in the form of higher development and predevelopment costs. Further, traditional air force to financing are more expensive with higher interest rates for loans or completely unavailable. Coupled with limited mobility and transportation, shopping for, and cooking a healthy meal for one's family is all but impossible to too many austinites. But there's a way to change this. [9:48:28 PM] A healthy food financing initiative is simply a program that extends access to capital to developerses that want to create a food retail outlet in an underserved area. It provides limited financial assistance to a perspective operator who would like to create an outlet in an eligible area, one that is underserved in low to moderate income. For example, a typical grocery store may cost $15 million to get up and running. A healthy food financing program has typically helped provide between 250,000 and $1.5 million in grants, loans, and forgivable loans for a project of that size. Through local healthy food financing fiscal years Austin city council can improve the quality of life in neighbors lacking healthy food options, directly resulting in the reduction of hard disease and stroke. This model works. [Buzzer sounding] Austin has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives and the aha stands ready to assist in the development of this policy >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Hold on one moment, please. Council, I understand that item number 54, which is the solix contract, I understand that Austin energy is okay with that contract moving forward and removing the 50,000 expenditure for the multiproperty search, and letting Austin energy look further at -- and then come back to the council with recommendation on how that component would be handled. But they would be asking us to move forward to approve item number 54, taking out the $50,000 expenditure for the multiproperty search. And I understand, Mr. Zimmerman, that works for you as well at this point? >> Zimmerman: Yes, Mr. Mayor. We've made a motion to remove the 50,000 just as you said, so consider that motion made [9:50:30 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman makes that motion. Is there a second to that motion? Seconded by Ms. Houston. Is there any discussion? >> Gallo: I would just make sure it's clarified that it also includes having that work done by Austin energy -- >> Mayor Adler: It does not include that >> Gallo: That's what this amendment says >> Mayor Adler: That's discussion that's been going on over the evening, and at this point the agreement is that all we're going to do is remove the 50,000 for -- >> Gallo: So you're changing the -- >> Zimmerman: Right, we're not requiring that work to be done right now through this, we're just taking the money out of solix, the solix contract. We'll revisit that later, about the work to be done. If that's okay >> Mayor Adler: Austin energy is going to come back to us to talk about how that might be done. They could come back and ask for it to be put back in the contract, they could come back and say it's going to be handled another way. We're just removing that issue out of the debate right now on the solix contract by removing that element. That's what Austin energy has proposed -- that's the motion coming from Mr. Zimmerman, and it's acceptable to Austin energy. Is that correct? >> I just -- I'm sorry, robin Harris with the law department. I was just going to -- if I could get a clarification on what the exact amendment is. Are we removing the $50,000 worth of work from the scope of the contract, or $50,000 from the amount being authorized by council today? >> Mayor Adler: Both. >> Both. So the number in the authorization would change? >> Zimmerman: Presumably, we're not paying them $50,000 to do nothing. So the $50,000 would be for the work they would have done on multiple -- >> Mayor Adler: They're shaking their head yes, so the scope is being changed, in the solix contract, to remove the multiple property search, and the $50,000 authorization for funding to do that is also being removed. Does that work? >> Zimmerman: Yeah. >> Mayor Adler: Hang on a second. Is that okay? >> Yeah. I just need to make sure what the number is so I'll make sure and verify that with the clerk, so it'll be reduced by $50,000, 3,850,000 will be the new amount, I think; right? [9:52:40 PM] >> Mayor Adler: I'm not sure what the number is. It's $50,000 less than it would have been had we approved it without this. It'll be $50,000 less than whatever it would have been had we approved it without the amendment. That has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Those -- >> Garza: I have a question >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Garza. >> Garza: Does this contract expire before this fiscal year is done? >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry? >> Garza: Does this contract -- I have a question for staff >> Mayor Adler: Okay >> Garza: If this expires before fiscal year is done. I'm just wondering why we're approving a contract before we -- it says in a lot of the items on this agenda, have said, have the caveat, are tinting --contingent on having funding in future budgets. I'm just wondering, why are we approving this contract before we approve Austin energy's budget? >> Mayor, councilmember James Scarborough. This is common language that we use for all multiterm contracts. All subsequent years outside the current fiscal period are subject to council appropriations, so if council does not appropriate sufficient funds, then the contract has provisions to allow us to change it or to discontinue the contract. >> Garza: But does our decision in about a month affect this contract? >> To the extent that it affects the following year's funding, it could affect this contract, yes. >> Garza: So do we have to make this decision before we -- is this contract about to expire, the current -- whatever is currently in place, is it about to expire? >> Yes -- it's in a holdover holdovercurrently, yes >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Mayor pro tem, did you want to say something? >> Tovo: It's not really clear to me why we're removing this from their scope since I thought that was part of how we were going to improve the process and make sure we were including people -- we were not including people in there we don't want to be eligible for the funding. [9:54:49 PM] If the Austin energy staff are comfortable removing that, it was their recommendation to have it in, so I'll go along with council's will. Obviously, we don't have a lot of time to discuss it here tonight. It's just not clear to me why we're doing this. I understand Mr. Robbins has asked us to make such amendment, and there was council interest in doing so, but ... >> Mayor Adler: I have -- >> Tovo: The bigger picture here is not one I'm grasping at the moment. But I'm happy to -- >> Mayor Adler: I don't know if Paul Robbins is asking us -- >> Tovo: I remember your argument about it, that it was something you thought the Austin energy staff would perform -- >> Mayor Adler: His was that we approve the suggestion that was just made >> It is. I'm really good with this. Austin energy and I have come to an agreement. Yes, we do need to remove multiple property owners from the roles to the extent that you can -- my concern was that this be done in the most cost effective manner possible, and if you can do it with clerical staff, with on $10,000 and you don't have to spend $50,000 with solix. So that's really the rationale behind this. >> Tovo: Again, I appreciate the rationale. I understand it but we're removing it from the scope, so that's work that's not going to be done and if Austin energy can't perform it in-house, that's just work that won't be done. So, again, that's my -- I'll also support this promises, I just -- we're not going to get the work done that we thought was going to get done >> Mayor Adler: And I feel the same way. The two parties asked us to do this I think rather than waiting till the end, I think they were concerned about getting it done, so they've asked us to do that, and I -- for the same reason you have, I would do that rather than telling them, no, we're not going to agree to what you agreed to, wait, and we'll get to you later. But I feel the same way that you do, and I hope this issue comes back. >> Kitchen: Mr. Mayor, I also understand they said they're going to come back to us. I'm fine with hearing that and I'm comfortable we'll have an opportunity to make sure the work gets done in the future [9:56:51 PM] >> Mayor Adler: It's been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Those in favor of this 54 as amended, please raise your hand. Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais with councilmember troxclair gone. I apologize. You've been so patiently waiting at the dais. >> That's okay. Good evening, mayor and members of the council. I'm P. K. Washington. I live in councilmember Garza's district. I'm a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. I'm asking you to increase access to healthy, affordable foods for neighborhoods all over Austin. In this way you can provide local businesses the opportunity to fill the needs facing communities like mine. I'm lucky. I have a car and I can get outside to the grocery stores out of my area. But for an estimated 25% of the people in my area, they are food insecure, which broadly means they do not know where their next meal is going to come from or whether or not they can afford it. Please do something about the Austin food insecurity rate, which is estimated between 18 to 25%, depending upon which numbers you're looking at. In addition, the greatest population growth for the city is projected in areas with the most calls to 211 related food access. In these families, they must rely on their neighborhood corner store, convenience stores, for food purchases which often means they do not get the first produce, lean, healthy meat, or other healthy foods, and I have done the surveys. It's very expensive to try to make a meal at a convenience store. A diet lacking in items can lead to a greater risk of obesity and diabetes. As an woman and heart disease survivor, I'm at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. [9:58:55 PM] I live at the end of William cannon. The area is growing up with houses everywhere. We need more grocery stores down in that area. Not more houses, but more access for the people that -- the children, the beautiful children that was here tonight can have better access and their parents can afford to not have to catch the bus to go up there, for more expense on them. So, please, city council, do what you can to make Austin a healthier place. Thank you so much. >> Mayor Adler: All right. Council, we're going to make another run at 94 here so we can let a lot of people go, I think. I think now we can better understand the agreement. Mr. Renteria. >> Renteria: Yes. You're moving adoption of 94 including the amendments that were on your term sheet. Is that correct >> Renteria: Yes, that's what I want to do. I understand we worked it out so that we can bring that on second reading and have a discussion. What I really wanted to do, with this amendment, is that when we pass the first -- the first reading, the other groups that are -- we're in discussion with are in agreement and we can just see if we can work it out so that in two weeks we can just pass it on second and third >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Renteria moves approval of item 94 with the changes as shown on his first motion sheet. He makes that motion on first reading only. Is there a second to that? Ms. Kitchen seconds that. I think it's similar to what we did with the align deal. We're -- with the lobby deal, passing this on first reading to let it go forward, recognizing everything is still at play in this, in the public hearing -- and the public hearing will remain open for which this comes back in two weeks. [10:00:57 PM] Ms. Gallo is this >> Gallo: Thank you, mayor. I just wanted to clarify there was a comment made a little bit earlier and I want to make sure it's clarified that some of the stakeholders supported all of these amendments, and I don't believe that's the case. I think what they support is moving this forward on first reading and they'll address those. So I know it wasn't done intentionally but it just sounded like that there were stakeholders that were supporting this, and we were notified that that is not necessarily the case. >> Mayor Adler: My guess would be probably some stakeholders that support it and some stakeholders that don't support it >> Gallo: Yes >> Mayor Adler: But everything has agreed to let this thing move forward on first reading with these term sheets in place. It's been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Those in favor -- Ms. Gallo >> Gallo: I'm sorry. I'm going to abstain, it's talking about a new program at a cost of $1.6 million and we are getting ready to go into budget and we are all talking about trying to find places in the budget to fund things and I think that the discussion of this amount of money for a new program needs to be part of the budget process. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. It's been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Those in favor of moving this forward on first reading, please raise your hand. Those opposed? Mr. Zimmerman voting no. Those abstaining? Ms. Gallo. Others voting aye with Ms. Troxclair off the dais. That moves forward on fusser reading. It will come back in two weeks. Okay. We're now continuing in the debate -- in the public hearing rather on the budget. [ Laughter ] Charles Betz will be the next speaker, and Kathy Mitchell >> Zimmerman: Mr. Mayor? Point of order. We're after 10:00. Make a motion to continue the meeting >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman moves to extend the meeting past 10:00 so we can hear from the public in the public hearing. Is there a second to the motion to allow public hearing to continue? Mr. Renteria seconds that. [10:02:57 PM] Is there any discussion? Ms. Houston? >> Houston: Councilmember Gallo was gonna second that but councilmember Renteria beat her to it. [ Laughter ] >> Mayor Adler: Those in favor of extending past ten please raise your hand? Those opposed -- unanimous on the dais. How do you want to be eternal >> Gallo: It is my eternal request to try to get council meetings -- but I think business should be done during business hours. >> Mayor Adler: Not that you'd really like to cut off the public hearing >> Gallo: No, no, no >> Mayor Adler: All right. The vote to cut off the public hearing -- to not cut off the public hearing and extend past 10:00 is approved ten -- no, 9-0 -- is your vote abstaining or are you voting no? Voting no, 9- 1 with troxclair off the dais. All right, Mr. Betz. After Mr. Betz it's going to be Kathy Mitchell >> Mayor Adler, mayor pro tem tovo, I'm Charlie Betz, here on behalf of the Austin history center association. I'm chairing that organization this last year and a half, and I think for the first time the association is -- I'm here to urge you to find a spot for an electrics records archivist for the Austin history center. I call that the digital archive vis position. As you know over the last 25 years or so most of our records of the city and a lot of the records that the history center finds is interested in having at the center are digital, and we simply do not have the expertise to manage those digital records at the Austin history center. [10:05:00 PM] Let me give you a real quick -- a short definition of what is the responsibility of the person in this position won. Won -- would be. That person would be responsible for the processing and preservation of electronic records, including official city of Austin archival records and making those records accessible to the public. I want to also mention that the -- adding this position as a part of the Austin public library, strategic plan, as well as the Austin history center strategic program. The history center is being asked to accept the transfer of electronic records to the city archives without the staff with the expertise to manage these records. The city stands the possibility of losing a significant portion of its recent history in written -- and written memory. You have a letter. Each of you has a letter from us with the job description and the need specified. We would be very appreciative if you would take the time, if you already haven't, to simply review that. It will stand on its lone feet and it's a very, very necessary position that's really needed. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, Mr. BETTs. Mr. Miracle, do you want to go ahead? >> May I hand something to the councilmembers before I start? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, that would be good. While she's handing that out, Adam ruma is next. Is Adam here? >> Why don't I help her hand these out and I can speak after. Do you want to go? >> My nam is Kathy Mitchell. I am here today as a volunteer for the Austin justice coalition. [10:07:01 PM] And the theme of my comment is better before more. I want to start by remembering -- we're talking here about the budget and the public safety budget in particular. I want to start by reminding myself and everyone that urban crime rates are currently at historic lows, that Austin has seen the sharpest decrease in Texas and the nation, that violent crime has dropped to such low numbers that statistically insignificant variations in shawl numbers can generate short-term headlines but shouldn't generate huge concern. Austin is the safest it has been in my adult lifetime. A.P.D. Said this itself this year. Austin is just a safe city. And that was the lieutenant of the violent crimes unit in response to questions from the Texas tribune. Austin also has a big well-funded police department. As we get into the weeds of a few more officers here or there, we shouldn't forget that we have a very robust, very well-funded, long- term commitment to policing our city and stopping now, better before more, doesn't change that view. The department has a history for pushing for more officers based on metametrics that have little relationship to the department's effectiveness. Number of officers per thousand residents. This year the percent of officers' time that is uncommitted. The metrics frame public safety as an equation more officer time equals more safety. For a city as large as ours -- and you've heard this before -- there's little evidence that a few more officers moves the needle at all with respect to safety. [10:09:10 PM] Unless we do a deep dive into what the officers are actually doing. Thankfully, that's exactly what the authors of your matrix study have told you. Matrix notes that A.P.D. Has not created a community policing framework, has not defined what community policing means in its policy manual, has no relevant performance measures, and poor data management. A.P.D. Is not ready to say what those new officers are actually going to be doing all day. On page 34, the matrix folks say, "The process for developing performance measures, that is community policing, should be collaborative and, excuse me - -" [ buzzer sounding ] -- Focused on the priorities of the city. I will just say, because there's other speakers who are going to come behind me, that the sheet that you have represents an important first step in what the community would like to see as those priorities for better before more. And I hope that you will listen to everybody who is gonna come next on those topics. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [ Applause ] So I have after Adam would be Cyrus reed. Is he here? Is Bob batland still here? You'll be on. Sir? >> All set? Good afternoon my name is Adam ruma, 12 year resident of Austin. I live in district 9. I along forward to getting a chance to meet with you better, mayor pro tem tovo. It's nice to see some familiar faces here, representative Houston, Mr. Washington, and mayor Adler. From recent events that have helped address the topic I'm here to address, use of the budget for our police force and the policing of our city. Lining all of you have, I've seen the videos, Alton sterling, but then I saw brione king? [10:11:21 PM] Have all of you seen the king video? Is there anything that has not seen the king video that's on the council? Excellent. When that happened here in Austin that's when I started to get involved and I started to want to look more into the information about the policies that are in place that allows something like that to happen. I'm holding here part of the policy towards the resistance of force. I'm a professional. I work in education. The outlines here that detail the requirements for officers in situations that involve citizens every day are far too vague and demonstrate further that the efforts of A.P.D. To focus budget pieces on more officers, more guns, more bullets, are misguided efforts, and so I would invite the council to get the chance to learn more about Austin justice coalition platform, which talks about a crucial word that seems to be missing so far, which is deescalation. Deescalation as a policy is something being investigated in other cities across the country and honestly across the world. Because of the nature of guns and there's so much violence in the world niece days. The matrix study Kathy Mitchell mentioned I believe is a robust document to sate least, several hundred pages but has many elements in it that can allow Austin city council to make adjustments in how the A.P.D. Allocates their budget no matter what the amount is so that we can focus on Progressive policies and become the Progressive city that we claim to be through these policies. And so the many facts and numbers that Austin justice coalition will be able to share with each of you in the districts but the reason I've chosen to speak is to invite you all, the king incident gave us an unfortunate opportunity to see that obviously the training in place for our current A.P.D. Officers is not sufficient for our city. If I can see an incident where- a woman is thrown to the ground for a speeding violation, there's a problem. [10:13:22 PM] And so at this budget meeting I would ask as all of you go through the next two weeks and you're going to have a lot of stories, this budget for the A.P.D. Department, excuse me, Austin police department, from what I understood is anywhere from 40 to 71% of the total budget. That figure alone requires that there are -- affords the opportunity for y'all to take serious consideration -- [ buzzer sounding ] >> -- At the ways those monies are being allocated and try to find Progressive measures for the A.P.D. To protect itself and the city as best as possible. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. After Mr. Batland, the next speaker is Colin Clark. Is Colin here? Okay. Mr. Batland? >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers. I'm Bob batland. I'm a leader with Austin interfaith, also the vice chair of capital idea and my congregation is temple Beth shalom. I'll give an overview of Austin interfaith budget priorities. Austin is a desirable place to live and work. There are high-paying jobs available, we have highly rated schools, good community college, several universities and countless recreation and cultural offerings. Yet many are left out. Too many face affordability issues. Too many workers build this city cannot afford to live here. Too many children do not have safe access to recreation and healthy foods. We must address these challenges now. Too many people work multiple low-wage jobs just to get by. Ironically, while they don't have the skills needed for higher paying jobs, employers are desperately searching for scold workers for thousands of these jobs. [10:15:28 PM] Austin interfaith has worked for decades to address issues facing families. To that end, education, healthy living and developing Austin's workforce are key for enduring change. A strong, safe Austin workforce is fundamental. Helping low-wage workers obtain high-quality job training allows them to better support their families, contribute more as taxpayers, and helps businesses meet their workforce needs. For all to thrive long-term, we must invest proactively in our children, including afterschool programs, healthy foods, places to safely exercise, and support for parents to effectively engage with the school system. The payback to Austin is that healthy, engaged children grow up and contribute more and cost taxpayers less. Austin interfaith works to solve both systemic problems like these and provide basic dignity for our residents. Austin must offer sanitary public restroom facilities today. As owners of Austin energy, we oppose counterproductive efforts that would increase rates for low-income consumers, those [indiscernible] Can serve and houses of worship to address perceived issues. In our community conversations we have identified $3.5 million in budget impairtives that we expect the city council to support. That's 3.5 million is 1/10 of 1% of the $3.7 billion city budget being proposed. Everything on our agenda is feasible and will move Austin forward for all. [10:17:28 PM] Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Carmen [indiscernible] >> Mayor Adler: You were asking for Colin, weren't you? >> Mayor Adler: Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Carmen will be on denning. >> My name is Dorothy Doolittle, I'm from St. David's episcopal church and leader with Austin interfaith and I'm reading a statement from Colin Clark who is not able -- was not able to stay. Colin is a member of pta at Travis heights elementary, and also a leader with Austin interfaith. Every institutional budget is a reflection of the priorities of that institution and its budget makers. We can easily find the city of Austin priorities by look at where the money in the budget goes. Have you seen the bump every sticker that says "It will be a great day when the schools have all the money that they need and the air force has to have a bake sale to pay for their [indiscernible]?" We can apply this lesson our priorities to a local level. What are our priorities? What are the fundings? Our children not only -- our children are not only school children, they are the city's children. And they are not getting all the resources that they need. As parents, we can great -- are grateful for the city of Austin stepping in to help fund parent support specialists, tutoring and afterschool programs for children at our schools. We ask that our city council to continue to make our children a priority in this budget and every budget to come. [10:19:34 PM] 60% of the Austin school children are economically disadvantaged and one in four were below the poverty level last fall. Let us get the priorities right by funding victory tutorial, prime time afterschool program, and funding parent support specialists, who helps parents keep their children in school, stay in school, get to school, and exceed in school. Succeed in school. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry. Thank you. The next speaker I think is Carmen. On deck is alba seranno. >> Good night, mayor, council, mayor pro tem. Thank you for taking comments so late into the night and for all your attention and attention. I'm -- attend expense attention. I'm here to speak on behalf of the in southeast Austin with respect to a $500,000 line item that you have on the concept menu, one of express -- I want to express appreciation to all the councilmembers who have expressed support for this item. This represents the next step in a long trajectory of work that has been done by residents in 78744 and 78745 meeting with parks and rec department, representatives over the course of the last three years. And organizing with residents so that we literally have hundreds of residents working together in park adoption teams, activating their parks through workdays, saving the parks department tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs when they go out and clean their parks, activate their parks, repaint things, write tons of grants and leverage private and public funding to improve their park amenities. [10:21:48 PM] The $500,000 line item was placed by pard representatives in their unmet needs list because they recognized that these parked have been underserved in particular with the aspect of lighting. Lighting or a lack of lighting in these parks, which we're talking about 15 assets that have now been adopted by residents in 44 and 45, but particularly in ten of these parks there is either no lighting or inadequate lighting, which means that even though the parks are open until 10:00, by the time kids get out of school in the fall, in winter and early spring, it's already getting dark. We're talking about some of the areas that have dealt with some of the highest rates of crime in the city of Austin, including not just in district 2, but also in district 5 as well, and parts of south Austin. We have seen an immediate decrease in crime where lighting amenities have been put in particularly around Houston elementary where the park adopt adopters achieved a full size soccer field, four lights put in, leveraged public-private partnerships with aid, we've been getting to work with aid and build relationships there for efficiency but as soon as those lights went in from 2014 to 2015 we saw a 20% reduction in crime. When we talk about public safety this is how we activate a community, get communities safe. Not only does it allow positive park activity, we saw park activation utilization, soccer, people riding bikes, families out in the parks go up. We saw crime go down. Not only does it make the parks safer because of that utilization but it also enables these neighborhoods who are organizing neighborhood watch groups and building relationships with their district representatives from A.P.D., they are able to keep their communities safe and it doesn't require increased officers. [ Buzzer sounding ] In fact the officers say it makes their jobs easier. We appreciate your support. This is a drop in the bucket. It will help them leverage more private funds, and other kinds of grants, and we sure hope you will vote yes on this one line item. [10:23:53 PM] Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Good evening, mayor, councilmembers. Thank you for your alertness at this hour on these very important issues. My name is [indiscernible], I'm the community director for go Austin in 78745 comprised of districts 3, 2, 5 and neighbors district 8. I come to you to speak about the line items regarding healthy food access. As you all well know, aside from housing and transportation, the cost of food is one of the major cost drivers for families' balance sheets. That cost is multiplied when families have to seek healthy food outside of their districts, outside of their zip codes, and must incur extra costs of transportation in order to acquire healthy food at grocery stores and other option -- type of option that's do not exist in their own neighborhoods. Further, when the only food access that people have in their communities is unhealthy food, this translates to chronic disease for individuals, for families, and for an increased aggregate cost to the health care system and to health and human services. The families in 78744 and in 78745, that is districts 2, 3, and 5, are families which represent the working class of Austin. These areas are still beacons of affordability. They still have pockets of affordability. So these are your teachers. These are journalists. These are people who clean your houses. These are people who work downtown in the service industry. Guess what? These are many of actually your staffers and your city employees. [10:25:54 PM] They deserve access to healthy food right in their neighborhood, in walking distance, without incurring extra costs for that healthy food. We thank you for the previous commitment that you made in the prior year's budget that got our work started with farm stands and corner store transformation in these neighborhoods. We want to let you knee we are on track with the contracts that we made with you, the implementation plans that we made with you about implementing these transformations of healthy food access in these neighborhoods. We sat those -- set those together and even tonight as it was range people were walking their neighborhoods to let people know that tomorrow there's an event in the neighborhood to celebrate and promote healthy food access at one of the corner stores, and that is something that you made possible. People are also gearing up for the relaunch of farm stands at schools and in dense affordable housing areas in district 3. [ Buzzer sounding ] In this season. We implore you to continue that funding and not stop at midstream. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. The next speaker I think we have is [indiscernible] Anderson. And then after reverend Anderson we have Debra [indiscernible] >> Thank you, mayor Adler. It's good to see you again. >> Mayor Adler: Good to see you too. >> And council folks, good to be here with you tonight. Assistant city manager Washington, it's good to see you. We know each other through church connections. My name is Tim Anderson, pastor of St. John's San Juan church, south Austin, in district 2. [10:27:58 PM] I also am leader with Austin interfaith. I co-chair the clergy group of Austin interfaith with rabbi Alan Friedman. My congregation, St. John's San Juan, is duel language. [Speaking non-english language] One congregation of two languages. And even though my name is Tim earned son I also go by another name, that's T. Carlos Anderson. You see Tim Anderson is quite eubing Tuesday on Amazon.com and when I wrote a book a couple years ago in 2014 the pen name T. Carlos Anderson worked just fine. Name of the book is entitled "Just a little bit more: The culture of access and the faith of the common good." It takes on social and economic inequalities. We've heard a lot about that tonight from a pan religious perspective, drawing on centuries of communal wisdom and mayor Adler has a copy of my book and I trust you haven't given it to half price as of yet. [ Laughter ] Thank you, mayor. So I stand here tonight and remind you of something that you have all heard before but it bears repeating, that the city budget is a moral document, that can positively tang on the social and economic inequalities that exist in our great city of Austin. The city budget is a moral document, and a little bit earlier tonight, mayor Adler, you were alluding to, as council was considering item number 75, that something like tourism is connected to social services in this city. And so the city budget is a moral document. That's how tourism and social services, for example, can be connected. [10:29:59 PM] It's a conviction that I know you all share. It's heartfelt by me. I'm a 20-year resident of this city, and the organization I represent, Austin interfaith, is a 30-year-old organization in this city, an organization committed to developing the leadership skills of our constituents to ensure a stronger voice for better equality of -- quality of life for all residents in this city. At the Austin interfaith press conference that we held earlier today, there were about 60 folks that squeezed into one of the side rooms, the following reality was and is reflected by that meeting. [ Buzzer sounding ] >> Mayor Adler: You can finish your thought. >> Jews, buddhists, Christians, muslims and many other folks of faith traditions and even some folks that do not adhere to faith traditions all agree, pursuit of common good is communal responsibility. Common good, the merger of the best of faith values and the best of human values. Thank you for your work and continue forward and please support the initiatives that Austin interfaith has put forward. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Mr. Zimmerman? >> Zimmerman: Mr. Mayor? I knead to take -- need to take exception. I don't believe that the Austin budget is a moral document. I believe the bible is a moral document and I believe the new testament testifies to the only moral person who would be Jesus Christ. The rest of us are not moral. >> I would simply disagree, councilmember Zimmerman. >> Mayor Adler: The next speaker is Debra [indiscernible]. >> Mayor, councilmembers, my name is Debra [indiscernible], and I'm here this evening to support the facilities manager of the Austin public library, Mr. John gilam, who has already proposed as one of his top three infrastructure renewal projects for the Austin public library the renovation of the old quarry library branch. [10:32:08 PM] I'm asking you seriously consider including the old quarry renovation in the budget for this next fiscal year. He has already given a presentation on may 11 of the library's needs to city council when you discussed the deferred maintenance projects, and I along with our former civic association, Joyce stats have comet with councilmember Gallo, and spoken before the library commission as well as before city council back in June about the library old quarry's needs. I'm a resident of northwest hills and my kids and I are weekly patrons of the supplier when I first moved to Austin I noticed the dilapidated condition of the library immediately, the inefficient use of its 8300 square foot space and the [indiscernible] The library was built in 1973 has had few renovations since. The report says that most library buildings require completely refurbishing 11-25 years and old quarry is due for such an upgrade as the furniture and equipment are deeply worn. The building also needs to be brought into compliance with current Ada standards made more sprinkling intent 2012 and 2013. As well there's a need for asbestos abatement. Northwest hills is a growing neighborhood. Data from a local real estate agent shows about 500 sales occurred in the last year, which places a great deal of pressure on the libraries as families move into the area. In addition to the many homes being bought in northwest hills, a large population of families with school-aged children, including refugees from the middle expertise Africa are renting apartments down the street from the library. There are at least 100 refugee children k-12 registered in the vertical team and they would benefit from a renovated and maximization of the old quarry library space. With new growth there's so much pressure as elementary schools are over capacity. Doss, for example, has over 900 students. [10:34:08 PM] While the doss library has been renovated the kids need supplemental material during the year. There are a number of branches that have already completed renovation or certain upgrades but it seems old quarry is being left behind. I realize there's been 6.1 million designated to the new central library when my family and I look forward to visiting it when it opens. However, the central library does not replace the need for local branches so I would suggest perhaps looking into borrowing some of that money from the central library and designating it to old quarry. So I ask the mayor and city council to consider including 696,000 needed to renovate the old quarry in the upcoming budget. [ Buzzer sounding ] [ Applause ] >> Mayor? Can I make a comment before she leaves? I wanted to thank you for being here and waiting to be able to speak. And, you know, I think the points that you make are really valid points, which are if we are truly committed in this community to supporting our neighborhoods and encouraging healthy activities in our children, like biking and walking, then having libraries that are local and in the neighborhoods that they can walk and bike to is really important. And we're spending -- we've allocated a lot of money to what's going to be a gorgeous library downtown but the reality is our priorities should be neighborhoods the libraries in those neighborhoods. Thank you forever being here and sharing your comments with us. >> Mayor Adler: The next speaker we have is iwa Salowitz with Ann Teich. Is iwa here? Is Ann Teich here? Is chessmore? Is Delaney Osmond here? [10:36:09 PM] Noah Nass here? You have three minutes. >> It's after 10:00 so I'm just gonna say what's up, y'all. I'm I've been looking at Ms. Houston's face all night so I'll be fast. When I was younger, based on my report card grades if I got an a plus report card I would get 20 bucks, B, 10 or 15, anything below wasn't rewarded so I'd get nothing. I want to read an excerpt from this memorandum on the chief's desk today about one of his offices. On or about March 21, 2016, detective [indiscernible], excuse me if I said that wrong, posted inappropriate comments on his Facebook account, including one directed towards Mr. David Joseph, which could damage the professionalism of the Austin police department, specifically detective posted my family and friends are glad to hear that the high school dropout drug using naked guy will never scare anybody else again. The detective acknowledged he was refer to Mr. Joseph in this post. The detective acknowledged posting [indiscernible] Support for his officers. I hope he leaves soon and in reference to the chief's decision to suspend officer Freeman in the death of Mr. Joseph. This officer was suspended two or three days, a whole other argument beyond y'all's reach, but it doesn't make sense to me if we look at the last five -- what, eight years since we had the mark -- I've still not seen since I've been in Austin on that dais with city council ever, if he's here, he's here for a second. Why is it that we're steadily increasing the budget of A.P.D. When we have all these beautiful people talking about where this money could be going, to the libraries, to the afterschool programs, to sidewalks, to transportation. So I just really hope y'all take a good look at that. You know, that's -- I think it's supposed to get about 13 or $14 million increase. [10:38:15 PM] Let's put that somewhere else, let's try something new this year. Thank you all for still being here. It's 10:00. I'm gonna go have a beer for y'all so. . . [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Is -- let's see here. Eunice [indiscernible]. And then Kathy Greene, Joey [indiscernible], Debbie Russell. After Denny Russell we would have Ashley Gordon. Is Ashley Gordon here? Okay. You'll be on deck. >> Let's see, yes. I'm not gonna do glasses. Hi. I think there's a lot of reason why weekender consider the proposals of freezing and/or decreasing the A.P.D. Budget. But I want to start out here talking about I've been sending you a lot of information and crunching a lot of numbers for you on the history of a.p.d.'s budgets, starting in February and March, and I actually think y'all read some of that stuff along with some relative [indiscernible] Breakfast posts because I can see this budget, this proposal is not the budget Marc Ott would have normally brought you so y'all have been doing talking behind closed doors and I really appreciate that. So with the fact that we're down -- and I have two slides to show. The fact that we're talking about only 12 sworn and several civilian, which we're just starting to catch up on with that because of the consultants we've had in the past that have told us that we're way under on civilian support staff, all right, so if you can put up my first slide. Before that, I guess since he's not there yet -- Debbie Russell. [10:40:25 PM] So we are actually at -- and I want to reiterate something I sent you an email a while back that they do still use the two per thousand metric, officer to 2,000 people, despite the fact they say they don't anymore. We actually have 1931 now, so two per thousand coming out, if you take the population to April 1 of this year, would mean we'd only need 1853 so we're over that. We don't need anymore. We need to use them right. We need to also go back to that issue about false alarms, 99% of alarms are false and that takes up a third of our calls. So until we address that, until A.P.D. Puts that in their goals, to make -- get those down and to not -- and to punish people in some way for repeated false alarms, they don't get their systems fixed, we can't justify adding more sworn. The other really good thing about this is this -- again, this -- you know, I mentioned this a few months ago. They haven't in their goals ever put case clearance goal, and they're finally doing that now. I saw that. That was a good thing. So let's go to the other one, please. That's -- shows you the history of the budget increase. The budget has increased under Marc Ott since his tenure 60% for A.P.D. 60%. It was greatly increased in the years before him. We had consultants right before him and right after he came in, saying this is too much, you're not utilizing them right, you're not -- it's -- the cost is being driven by the meet and confer contract and the police association and we need to get a handle on that. And I finally see a glimmer of hope on that. Thank you. What to look out for. And if we can -- can we expand that a little bit? But just to say that 60% has gone up, the budget has gone up 60%. [10:42:26 PM] [ Buzzer sounding ] And it's 11% of our budget, way higher than any other city. We need to look at what's -- in the general fund has been -- why we've gone up 5.5% in the general fund, what has been cut to account for that. We need to look at what the militaristic toys they are wanting are, that's buried in the budget. They haven't outlined that for you. The significant changes don't mention the defunding forensics by 2 million. They should be investing in forensics. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, Debbie. Thank you. >> We need to take out the budget negotiations from the meet and confer process. When you go into these negotiations, we need to put that back in the budget where it belongs. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [ Applause ] Ashley Gordon and after Ashley is Ryan rochert. Is Ryan here? You'll be at this podium next. >> Good evening. My name is Ashley Gordon and I am the green party candidate for county commissioner precinct bun. Today I'm talking to you as a disabled citizen of the city who lives off other people. >> Boo. >> In 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. Subsequently I lost my job. I lost my insurance. And most recently I lost my vehicle. So it has been the help of my community that is helping me rebuild my life and so there is no shame in asking for help from your community to get back on your feet. [ Applause ] Now concerning our budget, what I want to know, I want to know the justification for A.P.D. Having such a large did you think. Are they using the money for de-escalation? If you ask Ms. King, she would not agree. Are we using the money to teach sensitivity flange you can ask David Joseph's mother if that's the case because I'm sure the comment made about her son about our community being better off without her son in the world is not sensitive. [10:44:34 PM] Is the money going towards language dismays we have a department and there's an audit that says that the money goes towards making sure that our non-english-speaking citizens have access to their home language, but I can tell you about a night at 11:00 P.M. On Sunday when I had to drive from Parmer lane all the way down to south fifth street to call and demand an officer that spoke Spanish to come to a house so one of my mothers could make a report because the previous officer who did not speak Spanish refused to get her help. What is the money going towards? This money can be used for people like me, who now I have to walk and today I almost got hit by a car because the sidewalk ended. And I had to walk in the street. This money could be going to people like my friend who has lupus, who hit a rough spot in her finances, she's a mechanical engineer that this H to spend money on -- her power is off right now, a mechanical engineer. It can be going to Mr. Richard Franklin, who has youth unlimited and is begging the city so he can help students in aid and he has proof that his program works, but can barely get help. I know it works because I'm a part of his group. It can be going to people like atxej who wen when did there was the flooding in thoroughbred farms the city said, oh, we've done our job and the county said, oh, we've done our jobs so atxej stepped in and had to fight to find materials to help with the cleanups. My point tonight is instead of investing as many have said -- instead of giving so much money to A.P.D. We should be giving the money to the real community leaders doing real work in our communities. And making them better instead of giving it to them. Someone made the comment that we feel safer with A.P.D. Being around. I just want to say I beg to differ. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you. [ Applause ] [10:46:39 PM] After Ryan will be Theresa [indiscernible]. Is Theresa here? Is Anabel [indiscernible] Here? What about [indiscernible] Ramiro? And bernada . You'll have nine minutes. >> I was coming to speak on the subject of curbside composing. I feel I may be the first one up to speak on that. >> Mayor Adler: We had a public hearing on that, I think it's actually coming up as 90. Is it part of that public hearing? >> To save time I could give my statement now. Kingly. >> Mayor Adler: I think nerve that group probably wants to come up and give their statement now. [ Laughter ] >> Whatever you think is best. >> Mayor Adler: Why don't you hold off until that group. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Is Carol Olin here? Carol? You'll be on deck. Please. >> Good evening, and thank you, mayor, councilmembers, for giving us this opportunity to share with you about our program and to advocate for more funding going into health and human services. And I want to give a special thank you to councilmember Garza for all of her support. I'm the executive director for [indiscernible], a nonprofit here in Austin that helps young Latinos stay in pool and get their college education. One of the issues we face is -- one of the barriers that our girls experience in getting their college education is the amount of mental health and emotional declares they encounter. Latinos adolescents have the highest rates of depressive, suicide attempt than any other adolescent group. It's been that way for decades. This past year CDC reported one in six Latino adolescents attempted suicide, one in six. [10:48:46 PM] So our organization, in addition to academic services, we provide social and emotional support to try to not only intervene when they're having some mental health or emotional issues but prevent them from happening so we start with our young girls and their mothers in sixth grade, stay with them until they graduate from college, and we hope to keep them on track by providing all the services that we can. The specific mental health services that we have proposed to get support from the city from, especially through the increased funding to health and human services, is for our individual counseling that is provided by licensed social workers on staff. We also have curriculum that we deliver in the school, during school hours, that focuses on academics, but also increasing coping skills, communication skills, helping these girls to increase their self-esteem and we also have an annual healthy living conference, where we bring in experts and outside community members to increase our participants both daughters and their mothers, their awareness about mental illness, their ability to identify symptoms, and then what to do, how to seek help, where to go in the community, in addition to the services that we provide. So with our services, both the social and emotional aspects, but also academic, 100% are graduating high school, 77% directly enrolling into college and 54% persisting post-secondary education. You compare that to other Latinos in -- we provide these girls with a 250% better chance at quality education and better life. Tonight we're asking you to support this organization and our services to the community. [10:50:48 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [ Applause ] [ Buzzer sounding ] >> Is that just for three? >> Mayor Adler: I think that was the -- that was the nine, wasn't it? >> That was nine? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. That was you and the people who had donated time to you. Is that correct? >> That wasn't nine. >> Mayor Adler: Was it two? How much time was on the clock. >> Six minutes left. >> Mayor Adler: Six minutes is left. >> Thank goodness. We have one of our mother-daughter teams here to speak about their experience. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Hi, everyone. I'm actually very nervous right now. My name is iris. I go to UT. Oh, my gosh. I'm really nervous. >> Mayor Adler: You're doing fine. >> Oh, my gosh. Sorry. Little emotional right now. I don't know why. I'm a double major right now in science and chemistry and this organization helped me a lot -- why am I crying? I don't even know. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to cry on purpose or anything but they asked me today very last minute to come and talk about how the organization has helped me, and my family has -- it has helped my family -- why am I crying? I'm sorry. They've helped my family a lot. They have mentally prepared me, physically prepared me, and they're still helping me out a lot in college right now. Oh, why am I crying? I guess I'm a little bit emotional because -- oh, my -- it brings back memories. [ Applause ] Of when my dad passed away and, honestly, at that moment, I really thought I wasn't gonna be able to go to college anymore. I thought that I was gonna have to postpone my college education so my sister could have a possibility to go, but now thanks to the organization mental support and everything, now I'm in college, double major, about to go into my junior year in college and not only have I -- I'm going to college but now the original is also helping my sister being mentally prepared, educationally prepared and like I said, the program does help, not just me, but a lot of girls. [10:53:10 PM] And I'm actually really glad that I was able to join the program when I did. Because now my sister is also college-bound and she's actually valedictorian right now and wants to be an engineer, and we just want to help our community now because the program also teaches us to always remember who supports us and where we came from and everybody who does support us, we want to help them out one day too. And -- or as long as one day we get to a position where we can also give back to our community, not just for the program, but for other programs too. And I'm sorry I was emotional. [ Applause ] >> [Speaking non-english language] >> I'm the translator too. What my mom was saying is that she has two daughters in the organization, me and my sister, and that she also hopes that y'all will support the organization, not just for ourselves, but to help other girls like maybe in our same situation or maybe worse or better, to get to college and be college-bound and I'm not that very great of a translator, but my mom really likes this program and she really wishes if maybe y'all can support it so maybe one day the girls will also be supportive to their community and support their families too in the future. [10:55:43 PM] Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Ken Jacob will be up -- >> Garza: Mayor, sorry. Mayor. >> Mayor Adler: I'm sorry, yes. >> Garza: I'm sorry to interrupt, but I want to use this as a segue to something that I -- I'm just really proud of you for getting up there as a Latina, as the first Latina on this dais, I have -- I get nervous when I publicly speak. I still do to this day I get nervous. I also just want to Mick a general statement to a lot of the people that have spoke today. The issue of the challenges y'all face simply because of the color of your skin or your last name, earlier councilmember Zimmerman said something that was really offensive and it happened really quickly, and now I'm hearing from members of our community that they're disappointed that more of us didn't stand up and say something. And I want -- I want our community to know that we do not condone what he said and we have your back, not just the ones that are brown or black on this dais. There are other Progressive members of this council that support you and understand your issues. Thank you. [ Applause ] >> Mayor adler:after Carol Olin, Ken Jacobs is the next speaker. >> Mayor, councilmembers, Carol Olin from district 4 and I served nine months on your flood mitigation task force, and we had a lot of recommendations and findings, but I'd like to share with you some of the ones I thought were very significant at the time. [10:57:50 PM] There's an estimated 257 miles out of the 1100 miles of storm drainage pipelines that are in need of replacement and upgrading. The city is currently staffed and funded to clean out about 75,000 feet every year. That's 14.2 miles that signifies only 1.3% of the closed system infrastructure is cleaned out in a year. At that rate it's going to take 75 years to clean and maintain our existing closed stormwater systems in Austin. Our o&m crews -- and I guess I forgot to say this was regarding the watershed protection department, our o&m crews currently replace approximately 6/10 a mile a year at current fte levels. Our existing drainage pipes within the city are angling at an approximate rate of 7 miles a year. At that rate, our o&m staff will never be able to catch up with our aging drainage system. The o&m had a backlog of 453 work orders in the closed water system, dating back to 2004, a backlog of approximately 100 open waterfront erosion system work orders dating back 12 to 15 months and over 500 detention water quality work orders dating back to 2011. Our watershed protection department needs funding and I know there's been an increase but I'm not sure it's enough really to address the backlog and maintenance needs that we are currently facing. Flood early warning system, the fuse is critical to our public safety and should continue to be well maintained, expanded to cover more creeks, and updated as technology improves. With the substantial growth that we've seen here in the Austin metro area in recent years, strategically locate the additional gauges to provide more datapoints for better flood model is crucial to saving lives at the beginning and during extreme flood events, and also to help mitigate flood property damage to homes. [10:59:58 PM] Thank you, councilmember Casar, for the opportunity to serve on the flood mitigation task force. [Applause] >> Good evening. Congratulations. We've made it to 11 o'clock. And I would like to begin by, first of all, commending all members of the council, and you, Mr. Mayor, for your personal commitment and your compassion for the city. The fact that you can do this week in and we can out amazes me. I don't know how you're able to keep it up, but I'm really glad that you're able to do it. [Applause] Carol and I represent a small team of former task force members that have continued on on our own for the same reason, we have a compassion and commitment to fighting flood issues that plague Austin at this time. We need help and we're trying to spread the word to keep it going. We were disappointed following our report that our proposal for the bond for drainage did not make it. We understand the reasons, but we were still disappointed. We're very happy that Joe pantalion and his department increased the size of their budget for the coming year to help with the drainage issues. But as it was just said, it's not enough. We need you to find more money for watershed right now. They're doing everything they can with the money they have, but they need more. They also need it for clearing of the creeks. This is a problem not only for clogging any time there's a flood, keeping the water from flowing through, but also during the hot, dry months, it's a fire risk. We've been very lucky this year that we didn't have fires with all of the debris that we had in the different creek areas. [11:02:04 PM] The problem isn't local, though, it's not something that can be solved just by those of us here in this room. It's a regional problem that goes on, particularly when you look at onion creek, which is the worst of the problem areas, but certainly not the only one. If we're not able to deal with other counties with our own can county, with the state, to bring everyone together to work in alliance, nothing's going to happen. We can't really solve the problems. And buyouts are not the answer. Buyouts take care of an immediate problem for someone who has lost their -- lost their home or needs help on this, but it hasn't solved the problem. It's going to come back again. Up until 2013, onion creek, in my area, had never flooded. We've now flooded twice in a row, both of them very severe ones. And we have a large number of homes that the next time we have a flood, they will go into the substantive category and be in the same situation as others and the entire community will be at risk for being destroyed, as well as the lives that are destroyed. So we need to look at solutions for flooding and not trying to put a rubber band on it afterwards -- [buzzer sounding] -- To solve that. And I implore you, find the money, find the commitment. Let's do something to make it happen. We're here to help any way we can. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Ms. White? >> Pool: I wanted to respond, if I could, to Mr. Jayz. Mr. Jacobs. I've been working with the flood confers. My staff and I were talking yesterday, and I believe that there are, in fact, some budget items that reflect and are aligned with the recommendations and the issues that the flood mitigation task force had highlighted. [11:04:06 PM] And Michael, in my office, is going through the budget document to identify where those are. And I would be happy to send them along to you all, and also to Dorsey, who was my appointee on the flood mitigation task force, so you can share them with Carol and rest of the members who are here. But I do think there are elements that you can't see them, they may be buried in the budget, but we're going to identify what those are and line them up with the things that were in the task force recommendations so that we can have a better understanding of what may be there and what isn't, and then we can work on the things that are not. >> Therefore -- >> Pool: Would that help? .>> Thank you for reminding me on that. There are things in the budget moving to help and support what the report had. All we're saying, they need more help, more money to be able to do it. But we truly appreciate your help. We certainly appreciate council woman kitchen who has spearheaded this thing from the very beginning to create us and get it doing, and council woman Garza who's been right there with us. She suffered more than anyone else, I think, along the way, and we're hoping that we can find a solution that will also solve the problems down in district 2. So, yes, we realize that a lot is being done. All we're saying is, please, give it attention and give us more if you can. >> Pool: Right. And the floored issues really are nearly throughout the city, and it is big, so thank you for your efforts too. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Zimmerman: Sorry. Before you go, real quick, have you looked at the cip? I haven't seen the spending plans at all for any of the --flood mitigation. Has anybody seen anything? I haven't. >> I have seen the proposed budget. I can't really speak that well to it. >> Zimmerman: I'm talking about the capital expenses, not the operating stuff we've been working on but the cip -- >> The director of watershed is here. [11:06:08 PM] Perhaps he'll be able to answer the questions. >> Zimmerman: When we're done, yeah. Thanks, Mr. Pantalion. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. White, is the next speaker. An Laura Decarlo. Richard Franklin. Mr. Franklin, you're up. After Mr. Franklin is Yvette Diego here? You'll be next. Fill Franklin. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor and city council members, I had to write something down because I left my duct tape at the house and with everything being said tonight, my head would have exploded if I didn't write it down. I'm asking that you vote for and promote the recommendations put forward by the minority quality of life commission with respect to this budget. Those recommendations should be funded in total, not parsed more prioritized as they are a mini version of what is sorely needed, a Marshall plan for the historically and continuously underserved communities. Slightly more than ten years ago, while a black owned business, night club, burned to the ground, a police officer was caught typing burn baby burn, while watching that business burn. That behavior is analogous to what's happening to people of color in this city. That outrageous behavior sparked, and the report card naacp became the catalyst for minority quality of life commissions, it was crazy, it's crazy now. These commissioners were supposed to make recommendations on how to improve the quality of life in the ignored neglected communities. Few, if any of these recommendations have ever been funded. [11:08:08 PM] Two years ago Dr. Eric tang, from UT, released a study that said African Americans were leaving the city, this city, that is growing and full of prosperity and promise, yet the minorities that live here, especially African Americans, aren't enjoying that prosperity, nor are they party to the promise. The communities of color are hard working when work is close and available, tax-paying people. Taxes that they are paying are being used to invest in companies to move here that don't employ them. They are paying for their own demise. The slightly less than nine-million-dollar total request is an investment, an opportunity to create an equity stake in the prosperity and promise that Austin is a wash-in. The community members that afforded those requests are the community members that work at the grass roots level who understand best how to address, reverse, mitigate, and fix the years of neglect that has decimated their communities. You cannot police a community to health, wealth, and security. You cannot teach -- you cannot catch me on a body camera or lock me up to better mental health, a healthier body, or better community. You can only uplift a community with a direct investment, and nine million dollars is a step, and only a small step, in the right direction. I ask you all to support those recommendations and the recommendations of everybody that stood up here today and said we cannot police our way out of this. Thank you. [Applause] >> Good evening, mayor Adler, mayor pro tem tovo and honorable members of the city council. My name is Yvette Griego, I'm a former are not of onion creek. I've come tonight to ask the council to increase funding and priorities for flood mitigation in the 2017 budget, the 2018 budget, the 2020 budget, the 2050 budget. [11:10:16 PM] And I also come to advocate for my neighbors who have not yet begun the buyout process that is currently happening. As I've explained to this council before, the onion creek watershed has an area of 287 square miles, dwarfing every other Austin floodplain, and in this case, size really does matter. Those of us who survived the 2013 and 2015 floods, as awful as they were, still haven't seen the worst of what is possible in this watershed under an extreme flooding event, twice as bad as what we've seen. I'm asking you all to join together and to show your efficacy by insisting that the watershed department increase the pace of the lower onion creek and Williamson creek already funding funded buyout projects. I'm encouraging you to specifically include in the budget the buy out process for upper onion creek residents. They're held hostage by declarations that require them to raise their homes above the Philip knowing the city will never issue those permits. The true iron any is, even if they could raise their homes, it wouldn't increase safe access or egress for residents or first responders. I believe what's most important is getting the residents of lower and upper onion creek and Williamson creek out of danger, but a close second for me is that we should be truly funding solutions to the localized flooding that affect so many neighborhoods in our city because of outdated infrastructure and underfunded drains and filter of creeks. I'm asking that you make this a priority. It sound like it's a priority for many of you already. I know that most neighborhoods in Austin are affected by this. I'd like to end my profound gratitude for funding the buyout process that allowed me to move into a home that's still located in Austin and most important is still 16 feet above the onion creek floodplain. [11:12:24 PM] I believe this project was a win-win for the city as well because I continue to attribute to our tax rolls, which gives me the opportunity to pay this community back. I appreciate your attention and thank you for listening. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker is David Wilson. Is David here? Richard caballero? Is Richard caballero here? Is Reginald Smith here? Is jeanettemonsov here? Is Priscilla hale here? Is Maya pilgrim here? Is Scott Henson here? Is Donna Hoffman here? Is Leslie Diaz here? What about drew deloss Santos? You'll be up next. >> Mr. Mayor, thank you. Members of the council, sincerely appreciate your courtesy. I admire each of you, to have listened so carefully and so compassionately to the stories that have been told tonight. My name is David Wilson. I too live in onion creek, what the city refers to as upper onion creek, and I want to advocate for your very, very serious attention during the next two to three weeks, instead of this time next year. In our neighborhood, upper onion creek, Normal market conditions do not exist. [11:14:31 PM] Governments cannot do all things for all people, including me. But what the city can do in onion creek is ensure that the creek itself does not make us unsafe. If the creek manages water like it has for the last hundred years, then we can allow Normal market conditions to function, and we'll be okay, and you won't of to buy us out. Many of the people in onion creek have lived there a long time. We've been there since 1989, and we'd like to stay. And people everywhere along the creek talk about buyouts. We're not interested in the buyout, but we are interested in the creek performing like it should, and only a government can manage that project. The fact is that of the 74 homes that were recommended to be purchased by the engineer that's currently under -- that's the study underway, of that 74 homes along onion creek parkway -- pardon me, along pinehurst and the other side of our neighborhood, only half of them are owner-occupied now. The others are empty. The city will never have an opportunity to take substantive action in our neighborhood than right now, and the power of America is its Americans. And if we, as volunteers, were all of a sudden coordinated by the city to go about the business of actually working along city personnel -- alongside city personnel and getting the creeks underway, and the city was to publish its long-term plan to mitigate flooding along the creek, then buyers would return to the marketplace. [11:16:49 PM] And buyers with something other than government money could buy my home. So all we'd like is for the one and a half million dollars that's being spent to update the hydrology information that had become obsolete and yielded an opportunity for irregulation to occur, hydrology, the study of water flow, its ebbs and flows, that study for which the engineer spent -- city of Austin is spending a million and a half dollars, is because the city was baking decisions with obsolete information and permits were granted, and water flows were allowed to accumulate from properties that were in excess of what the code was really intended to do. So rather than chase a bunch of rabbits, I'm simply saying that there are things that have been allowed to happen over the last 10, 15, 20 years that have overly impacted onion creek. There's more water coming into onion creek than would have been allowed, had the city of Austin been operating with valid information. The city has now spent a million and a half dollars to update hydrology, thankfully, and I'm grateful for that, but the attention I'd like for you all to pay, if you don't mind, is over the next two to three weeks, seriously look at what fewer dollars can be spent by the city this budget year in concert with what will happen next year and over the next five to ten years. [Buzzer sounding] That can be published, allowing buyers to feel confident that the city has a plan. The mitigation task force report was not 100% funded -- I mean not 100% supported by residents in our community. They spent a lot of time and effort doing a great job, but it was not fully supported. [11:18:53 PM] There's more to it. I'd tell you at another time individually, perhaps even if your office if granted that opportunity. I'm David Wilson. I look forward to being in touch. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Drew de los Santos and hilga Gutierrez, is hilga Gutierrez here? Is Gus Bova here? What about jacky Gallo? Jacky Gallo? Is Michelle Mejia here? Is Angela Benavides Garza? >> Yeah. >> Mayor Adler: You'll be up next. Please. >> Thank you, everybody. A lot of the things, I'm sure, that you would like to fund a lot of the things that people have talked about here today, and I think one of the things that stood out to me is that people want to build a better community out in our neighborhoods, safer, and one of the things that also stands out to me about public safety is the need for trust among community members, among neighbors, and I don't believe that we can police our way out of this. I'd like to talk about like a concept, the concept menu, and ask the council to think about it in a different way, to conceptualize it in a different way, that we can be creative with our budget, we can choose to do different things and invest in different things. And I would please urge you to follow councilmember Garza's lead in changing -- changing the majority of the budget. I mean, having the police as majority of the budget, that just doesn't even make sense, like nothing should be that high of a percentage. Nothing should be that high of a percentage of our budget. I don't believe that, and I think a lot of people agree. And so I'd ask that you change that money over to social services, to environmental protection, and prevention -- prevention. [11:20:56 PM] Most of you probably believe in climate change, and so we need to prepare for that. And we're expecting you all to vote for things like -- to prepare us for that. And there's a lot we can do to invest in our communities, to invest in local businesses that create equitable opportunities. So please do divest to freeze the police budget, do not add any more to it, not this year, next year, not in the future, use that money for other things. And as a measure, just more accountability and transparency among -- for the police department and for every aspect of the budget. We need to know exactly where things are going and how effective those things are. And maybe even give more citizens an opportunity to show us what they can do. So thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Is [inaudible] Mann here? Please. >> Good evening. Thank y'all for your patience and for being up all deny. One of the things that I wanted to as a result off with is that I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I've had to work pretty hard all my life. So one of the things I wanted to make clear is that for over 20 years, I helped corporate companies be rich. I did. And I worked really hard to help them do that. Millions. We're not talking little millions, we're talking millions. One of the companies y'all might recognize is green mount energy company, $350 million, sold for peanuts there. Another company was first usa bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, sold for billions of dollars. What I'm trying to understand -- and maybe it's my -- I understand that we need accountability and I know that we need transparency and all that, and I know that -- I just love our city. [11:23:01 PM] Okay? I know we can do this. I know we can. What I'm trying to understand is how can a company come in and make millions and billions of dollars and why -- why don't we hold them accountable as well? That's the thing that I'm trying to understand. Because I know how corporate company works from the inside. I know how it works. You know, how do we -- I think what would help if we sat down with these corporate companies and worked hand in hand with them. It's all media, how much money they brag about that they make on us. It's all media. It's create, they create jobs and things like that, but they're making a lot of money, and people are barely making it. There's something wrong there. There's a disconnection there. So, I'm actually asking that we look at other air force. Avenues. There's a thing we did a study on on commercial buildings that are not paying their fair share of property taxes. They're taking breaks of 30 to 40%, not spreading around to the people, and that's really pinching us. Gentrification; right? I'm someone who actually works. I do go to work. I'll eat Raman noodles before I won't work, if something happens. But my point is that I know that we have to start working hand in hand. We could keep pinching a purse on people here, we have to start working hand in hand, with corporate companies and saying, listen, you're making a lot of money off our city. You're making a lot of money off of Austin. We need you to work hand in hand so we can start opening up more social services. So I hope that helps. Thank you for everything y'all do. I appreciate you being up. I know our city can do this. There's so much opportunity, and just -- we need our police, as well, but I know that that has to freeze for a minute, but there's just so much opportunity with corporate companies, too, that we can actually bring to light. So thank you all so much. I love y'all. I will always love y'all. Always. Y'all take care. Okay? Have a good night. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Is Jarvis Kelly here? [11:25:06 PM] Jarvis Kelly? Ms. Mann. >> Good evening. I want to say thank you all for being here. I appreciate it. Thank you for your comments. You didn't have to say that. Didn't you have to put yourself out there. You didn't have to give you us for that, so thank you for giving you us and I'm going to give you me for two seconds. I've been here for most of the summer. You've seen me talk on various topics, various things, mostly being APD, not because I want to be here, not because this is my favorite place to be, it's not. I have work to do. I go to law school. I'm trying to get supplies there. Unfortunately, I'm here having to talk to you about why APD doesn't need an increase in their budget. I don't think that I should have to talk to you about why APD does not need an increase in their budget, but I have to. Right? So the fact that over this last year -- over this last year alone, there have been incidents that have proven that there's a culture -- that there's a culture in APD that says that race -- racism exists and it's alive, it's growing, and it's big. Right? There's also a culture in the last year that you can see that the chief has said that they can spend money on ammunition and shooting every single month, that is mandatory training, they have to shoot to kill but they don't have mandatory training to talk to people, land to hand combat, that's not mandatory. Does APD have the ability to train people to do that? Yes. Are they asking for a million dollars to make sure that's mandatory? No. They're asking for officers so they can get more people trained adequately to be better in this society, then awesome, give them more officers for that. But if they're asking for officers to be trained to kill, to -- every month, be trained to shoot to kill, we don't want that. Right? So being able to establish the reason why you're giving them more money and being able to establish if they deserve more money, Chad said it perfectly. [11:27:08 PM] They should go to bed and probably not use any technology for a long time. Right? But you guys keep on giving them technology. You keep on giving them money for new toys. But the toys aren't stopping them from being less humane and being better police officers. [Applause] It doesn't make sense that you continuously increase their budget. You continuously increase their budget and the report card, the media, things that literally are illustrating they're not doing it and going to it right has been indicative of them not deserving more money. They are the highest paid police officers in -- I know in Texas, for sure, but probably in the country, and you have a six-figure officer detective making comments about someone's dead child on social media? Quick question. How many other officers follow that officer on social media and like that status and is getting paid by the city? How many other people so you that and is getting paid by individuals who say their budget should be that? If we're going to be Progressive, let's not do what we've always done and get the same results. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: And the last speaker that we have set on the bond is Jarvis Kelly. So as the personification of everybody who has stayed here on this item, and we have items still to come, thank you for your patience. >> Nobody problem. I just got here anyway. [Laughter] So actually, I wasn't prepared to speak, so this will be short. My name is Jarvis Kelly. I'm here to speak on behalf of bsn. Bsn would like to express its support of communities of color united, request that council -- that the council freezes APD's budget until the agency proves its commitment to better policing and accountability. Bsn stands with ccu and ajc in their jokes for safer policing and elimination of racist policies and procedures before increasing APD's budget. [11:29:15 PM] That's it. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Mr. Casar. >> Casar: Very briefly, I appreciate councilmember Garza's comments on statements made in the chamber, and so I don't regret us having said something about this, I think this is the first time it's been brought up in a public forum before the council about the comments made on social media by one of our detectives, and I don't think we have time tonight to debate it or talk about it too much, but I think that I speak for many of us to say that those are -- are appalling and horrible things to say, and your points on the budget are well taken and we'll continue discussing those, and many of the other ideas you've brought forward here to continue to improve trust and change the culture win or department -- within our did want, so thank you for bringing that up. I didn't want to have y'all mention that three times without making that point. So thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Council is going to continue to receive public comment on the proposed budget on September 1st, 2016, at 4:00 P.M., and we'll vote to adopt the budget for the fiscal year 2016-2017 at the annual budget meetings at city hall, 301 west second street, Austin, Texas. These meetings will begin 9:30 A.M. On Tuesday, September 12th, 2016, and continue to Wednesday, September 13th, 2016, and Thursday, September 14th, 2016, if need be. I will now entertain a motion to recess today's public comment portion of the budget hearing. Is there such motion? Mr. Casar so moves, is there a second? Mr. Zimmerman. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor of recessing today's public hearing on the budget, please raise your hand. [11:31:20 PM] Those opposed? Then this public comment on this portion of the budget is resisted. Thank everyone for participating. I'm now going to call up the next item, that is -- that we have people here for. This is the public hearing number 90. Drew Dobbs, Andrew, you said you could help us with order here a little bit? >> Yes, sir. I'll speak first, and I've got a quick video. I think folks are going to come down and join me. I think most people have donated time and a lot of people aren't here. If you want to run the list while somebody else is speaking, I can go through it. I guess we could have done that before now. >> Mayor Adler: We'll work our way through it. >> I can also tell you who's here when you name them off. Do you want to show the video real quick? I'd love to show you this real quick. I'm Andrew Dobbs, program director. Of a number of our activists and members are here, setting up visuals and whatnot. The other big thing they want to talk about is that we have a video for you. These -- and this video is a number of our organizers and activists spoke to people in the pilot neighborhoods. I want to send through their voices because these have the service at be hand, I think their voices are important. I'll tell you about the rest of this after that plays. >> Andrew, you look very nice tonight. >> Oh, thank you very much. >> Gallo: Not that you don't always, but -- [video playing.] Casar, kitchen, pool [inaudible]. Gallo. [Inaudible]. I can hardly imagine how I ever got along [inaudible] [11:33:23 PM] >> We recently move to Austin from Houston and we love our [inaudible] >> We accomplish most of our own veggies and wine cookings but are pleased to have so many other items, pizza boxes taken out of our garbage. We have reduced our will feel garbage garbage to the smallest container. >> I don't believe this is a program that should only be available to certain residents, it's far too wonderful. >> I would like to see this carried out as soon as possible, sooner than 2020. >> What do you say? We're looking forward to your response. >> Thank you very much. Those are just some of the people that -- some of the things we've heard from people that have experienced the pilot program. It's been a big success and it's time for us to extend that to everybody in the city. The photos of folks there were actually taken all from district 1, and those are some of the residents that have the program as well. The -- what you're seeing in front of you is a sample of many of the public input that you've gotten on this. I know that each of your offices has received quite a bit of comment on this issue. These are over 400 residents from the city of Austin holding signs, asking for this service. This comes from every district in the city, I believe. These are over 18,000 petition signatures from every single district in the city, asking for this service. We've generated over 7500 75 personal letters to your offices, over 250 phone calls, we've generated over 1300 e-mails on this, to the mayor, to your office, to offices of everybody up here, and to the city manager. That's over 27,000 distinct contacts, asking for this service. And people distinctly saying they're willing to pay for it and they want it as soon as possible. And they want it citywide. I think it's important that we heed those people, that we listen to those constituents. I also believe that we're in the middle of some distinct crises, and that this is a unique opportunity to solve them. Anybody who's watching the news this week knows that the consequences -- and people just here from the flood Zones, the consequences of climate change are upon us. [11:35:30 PM] It's no longer theoretical, something we can talk about in the future, we have to start talking about both ends of it. How do we prevent future harms caused by our climate behaviors and how do we start to get more resilient as a community? Composing is one of the most significant opportunities for a double win on that because it eliminates the methane gases created in our landfills, sequesters carbons, makes the soils more resilient, retains water, prevents soil erosion during flood events. This is the kind of policy we need for our city today. The other crisis that we're having is the soil crisis and food crisis, talking about the lack of healthy products available in our community. Less than one percent of all food consumed in our city is grown in Travis county. And we have only about two or three days' worth of food in our community. If we're going to have a resilient healthy community for the future we need to grow a lot more food, we need stronger, healthier soils to do that, and we can create a lot more compost to let that happen. The pilot program has shown we can generate a lot more. The average family in this program, obtain, in these pilot areas, saw an increase of 9 pounds per week, per family, per household, for diversion. You extrapolate that out to the entire city, that's 44,000 tons of organic material diverted away from landfills every year. 44000 tons of material that we can be putting to good use an your constituents are asking you to do it. The last two things I want to say here is, first off -- last few things I want to say, first off, we have goals, we have a climate sole, net volunteer climate goal, and volunteer waste goal. The majority of you campaigned and said you supported those things. Those goals cannot be met without introducing -- without enacting this program, saying we'll figure it out later is not the reason people come to this city. It's not what makes this city so often, and this night, as long as it's been, has made me love Austin so much more. [11:37:32 PM] I don't know if everybody else got that, but it's incredible to get to live here. People come here because they want to solve problem. You have an opportunity to do that tonight. One thing we know is that a subscription only service does not solve the problem. Everybody else that's tried it has seen that it created more problems that it solved. So we need this to be citywide. The last thing I'll say is that we want to solve this problem as soon as possible. The faster we can get it, the better. A three-year face-in, rather than the four-year, city staff is kind of framed those numbers differently at different times, but let's get it done by 2019. We can do that. Let's do it together. It's in the budget to get it by 2020. Let's speed it up and approve this as soon as we possibly. Can I'm happy to answer any questions. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Houston? >> Houston: I have a quick question. Mr. Dobbs, could you talk to me just briefly about what we're doing for restaurants and food service establishments to compost. >> Absolutely. Thanks for asking that. The universal recycling ordinance, this was one of the last things the last council did, they enacted -- they put organics into the universal recycling ordinance for food businesses. Any business that has a food -- food service permit will have to provide -- will have to divert preconsumer scraps by 2018. They phase it in this year, next year, the year after. It's cuttings from the kitchen, it's not just composting, this will be a lot that use composts, but there's cool innovations, with food recovery, like keep Austin feed, which is an Austin non-profit, then also people who are actually doing insect agriculture, and they're feeding bugs on the food, and then feeding chickens on the bugs, and then -- I know. But your chickens are eating bugs anyways, so just making sure we do this in a more sustainable fashion. >> Houston: So they will start 2018. >> No, it starts this year. [11:39:33 PM] Starts okay of this year, this year it's mostly grocery stores and really big businesses. Next year will be kind of the next round, then by 2018 it'll be everybody. >> Houston: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you. Let me commend you with for a job well done and a lot of hard work. There's hardly anyplace I go in my district where somebody from your campaign hasn't knocked on a door, so congratulations. You're all working real hard. I'm going to predict -- I don't -- just anecdotally, your campaigning has probably done more good for my opponent, but to be fair, quite a few people have called me after you visited and said, councilmember, I'm so happy you're not going to force us to pay for composting, would you put a yard sign up. So there are some Zimmerman signs out. I couldn't disagree more because we have an affordability crisis. The affordability crisis is our problem, more than any of the issues and problems you mention, affordability is a crisis. And we just heard from the water -- if you heard earlier, we're going to be losing millions of dollars every year to purple pipe. They say it's conservation, they say it's saving water. It's unaffordable. There are a lot of good things about composting, obviously. That's why a lot of people are doing it without being forced. But once you add the compulsory nature and you force people to do it, and you force people to pay more, now you contribute to the affordability crisis. Which is why I don't support the mandatory program that you want to do. >> Most families in this city will have the opportunity to save money with this program because most people will be able to down size their trash can, because half of what we're throwing away is organic material. So most people will have the opportunity to do that if you want some ideas about how we can save money for everybody else moving forward, I'd be happy the explain that. The other thing I'll say is that the people that are least capable of doing composting at home today are paying for private services are working families, the folks like -- the little girl who was telling us about her mom cleaning houses and her dad painting and building houses. I guarantee you they don't get home at the end of the night and say, you know, what I'd really like to do is spend the next 45 minutes turning compost over. [11:41:38 PM] The fact of the matter is those are the families that need the service the most. Those are the ones that have the biggest opportunity for savings. So if we're talking about affordability, you definitely need to support this program. Other folks want to talk, too, I'm sure. >> Pool: Mayor, I wanted to thank Andrew for bringing the level of energy, as this hour we're getting close to midnight. It's been a long, hard day. I just want to thank you and everybody who stayed to stand up to support Dobbs and robin and Texas campaign for the environment. I worked on the compost tour. I wasn't able to go for the entirety of it. You do great work. I am impressed by this banner and I'm even more impressed by the -- the energy and the facts that you bring and the campaign that you've put together. It's been a long road, and you deserve a win. And I am absolutely in your corner and support the work that you're doing, and I thank you for being so articulate about it this late at night. >> Thank you so much. >> Pool: Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So I have a list here with just under an hour and a half of speakers but they may on the all be here. Katy Deese? And then I have Kevin drake. Okay. >> All right. Thank you guys for listening to what I have to say, first off. I'm going to start my testimony with the famous proverb, only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught will we he realize we cannot eat money. If every councilmember considers these wise words, then there would be no question on whether to pass curb side composting citywide. [11:43:42 PM] With all of the benefits this program will provide, it's difficult to see any opposing views. It's hard for me to believe that such a Progressive city is just now deciding on such an environmentally positive program. 200 cities across America are already doing this, and with great success. They are diverting tons of waste from our landfills that our taxpayers are paying for, and using that waste as a valuable resource soil. This program will not only divert waste and create nutrient rich soil but also cut down on methane emissions from our landfills and methane is more of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, a large contributor to climate change. All of you have a decision today to make a positive contribution to our entire planet. Let's be a city to look up to. Not only is this program necessary to achieve zero waste, but it's economically viable. At only five dollars extra per month, anyone can afford this. But our environment can't afford not to have this program. It will create jobs and positively impact our carbon footprint. Okay. I know the council has a lot to vote on today but I would like each and every one of them to consider this. Without environment, we are without everything. So your votes on traffic, education, and city planning won't mean a thing unless we put environment first, respectively. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Okay. >> Hi, everybody. >> Mayor Adler: Hi. >> Thank you for your time. My name's Kevin. I've lived in Austin my whole life, and affordability is important. You know, it's hard to find a good place. What's most important is taking care of the place we have. [11:45:43 PM] Right? We've got to make sure that we do the best with the resources that we are available. I've knocked on many of your dose, talked to a lot of your spouses, in fact, a lot of people are in favor of this. Right? I've knocked -- I've talked to about 10,000 people this year, and I mean, thousands and thousands of people, their faces light up when I say I'm looking to get curb side composting for our city because they know it's time. They know it's time to do this. I've tried to compost myself. It has failed miserably. I have two big dogs and a tiny duplex, and I want to do better by my community, but throwing it out in the bush in front of my house just attracts rats and makes my roommates mad. So I would like to not have to do that anymore, if we could just get a bin. Right? My sister was part of the pilot program and she had a garbage guy come to her house multiple times to ask what happened to her garbage, because she wasn't putting it out because she didn't have to. We could all do this. Right? We've heard of families of five with dogs that are able to actually go to the tiniest bin and it's easy to do it. We're not going to get to zero waste without it. Thanks for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Clarify a huff? >> Here. >> Mayor Adler: What about Joseph Deleon? >> Not here. >> Mayor Adler: Brandy Karnes? On deck will be Kelsey Lee. >> Hi. My name is brandy Karnes and I am a community organizer with Texas campaign for the environment. Thank you for your time and patience today. For the last couple months, it has been my privilege and job to educate the public about this program. Everyday I told members that Austin can be zero waste. Austin can cut its waste in half. [11:47:44 PM] This excites me as an environmental activist, but not nearly as much as the communities that live next to landfills. Most of these people were not aware that they were going to be buying homes next to landfills. They feel cheated and helpless, and like not enough is being done. I understand. It is easy and reasonable to feel frustrated when your children cannot play outside because the landfills are giving them asthma, or because the stench is unbearable. These communities can severely be impacted because the infrastructure for commercial facilities can divert their waste, and it can create infrastructure for other cities as well. We can serve as a model. I believe that is significant. And if this program can be part of the solution to a public health concern, I believe that is significant. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Hi. >> Hi. Kelsey. I'm will see also a community organizer. I want to emphasize it is impossible to reach our goals without citywide composting. The people I've met in most of y'all's districts have bright faces when we talk about our opportunity right now to make our environment and community healthier and more resilient. They're excited that we, more important, you guys, have the power in the next days and weeks to put this sustainable packet into tomorrow, for curb side composting sooner than 2020. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Stephanie naborski? And is morisa -- you have three minutes. >> Hi. [11:49:45 PM] So I'm a student at UT Austin. I also work at Joe's organics, which is a small farm on the east side. We are one of the commercial organic waste haulers that you had mentioned, councilmember Houston. So I'm also a former compost [inaudible], I have direct experience with composting. And so I just want to reiterate some points about the feasibility and economic aspect of this plan. So as some of the previous people said, it's necessary for us -- this is necessary for us to achieve our zero waste goals in the city, and compass peddlers has incredible demand. I mean, the reason they haven't been able to satisfy that demand is the limits they have by using a bicycle powered company on the limits of their program, expanded throughout the city, and the pilot program, people are constantly demanding this. I work at a farmers market where people are constantly asking me how they can compost. I've been telling people to go to different community gardens, do it on their own if they can, but people are demanding this. And councilmember Zimmerman pointing to the affordability issue, it's about five dollars a month extra, and if people, especially with large families, down size, they're actually incurring no additional cost. So this is not really about affordability, this is about the future of our planet and our citizens, and it's also an environmental justice issue because mostly landfills are located in communities of color and low income communities. So this is really an easy solution, and I think most of you are supportive of it, so I'm really glad to see that. And also I think it's interesting to consider the idea that if we get all of -- all these compostable scraps to Austin resource recovery, we can provide a really valuable product to give or sell even. So right now the city provides dirt for free. These compostable scraps could be turned into a high value product that could be used to maybe fund this initiative. So we can consider things like that to kind of cut into affordability questionings. [11:51:49 PM] So also the last thing I wanted to say, we really, really need community education because I've been working with composting for so long, I know that there are a lot of issues of people knowing how to compost and what to put in the bin. So I would just urge the council to consider educational initiatives, alongside fully funding the actual -- the program itself. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: Next speaker -- next speaker is Chelsea Crawford. Then after Chelsea Crawford will be Heather Nicole Huffington. >> Pool: Mayor, I've got a question. Remember the gentleman who came up and was going to speak for the composting, I don't know if his name is on the list but we want to make sure to hear from him too. >> I signed up outside, for 90. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Hi. My name is Chelsea Crawford. I'm a field manager with tce. I've also been a resident of Mr. Renteria's district, in two different parts of the neighborhood. Both of those times I was on the border of having the pilot program, so I feel like the immediate, like, jealous -- jealousy of the other neighbors. I'm a be renter, so in the first place that I lived I wasn't allowed to compost, and I think that's a lot of our constituents are renters, so they just don't have those options. If their landlords are not austinites, they're just not going to get it. So with that being said, considering our current political climate, it's Progressive cities like ours that are going to have to take that lead in changing our environment. Doing what we can to take steps towards preventing disasters like the flooding in Louisiana, Houston, and even flooding in our own backyard. America's consumer driven lifestyle has made landfills our solutions for decades. [11:53:51 PM] Now we're facing the consequences. Landfills are no longer a viable solution. They're unsustainable and make an unbearable environment for its neighbors. Austin is better than that. You know it, and so do your constituents. Based on my personal experience talking to your constituents, there are -- there is an overwhelmingly happy and excited opportunity that awaits them for diverting their waste into compost. City council, this is your opportunity. We have paved the way no you to make a strong, positive impact for your constituents' lives. They've spoken. Now it's your turn to follow through. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] Carolyn Crume will be on deck. >> I've got her statement. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> I'm Heather Nicole Hoffman. I'm on the zero waste advisory commission which has recommended we proceed with the curb side composting pilot to be expanded citywide, and as soon as feasible. I understand there's some question about how soon we can make that happen, but we would like to see it as soon as possible. And I would argue that it is a fiscally responsible thing to do. Landfills never pay off. We're never going to get any money out of landfills. In fact, we're going to keep paying for them, what, two months ago we approved $1.2 million for landfill maintenance? That landfill hasn't accepted waste in 30 years. They just continue to sucker money in. With compost, it actually pays dividends, it pays dividends in a product that can be sold, it pays dividends to the city's infrastructure that reduces the need for stormwater protection, for flooding issues, lots of things that will make a difference over the long haul. So it may seem like a few dollars added to this year's bottom line for each consumer. [11:55:56 PM] After all, it will be dollars and dollars and dollars that are saved by each of those residents of the city of Austin. So please do this as soon as possible. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Is Laura Decarlo here? Laura Decarlo? >> No. >> Mayor Adler: What about Mario bravo? >> No. >> Mayor Adler: What about Kaye voyt? Stacey Guidry? Dustin? Austin Mcneil? Melissa Roderick? Marvin Snyder. Then Chris continue huttup? David king. >> [Inaudible] >> Mayor Adler: Not speaking. Drew deloss Santos. Ryan raushert. Robin, you can read the letter, then give your testimony. >> It's probably enough just to read her letter. This was Carolyn Kuhn who was here earlier and had to go home. She lives in allandale and writes: My neighborhood has been in the curb side composting pilot. Everyone loves it. Some of any neighbors fold a.com post collector from newspaper to go in the kitchen bin as the city suggests. My next-door neighbor says she still gets a kick out of making an argomy liner. Just put a cracker box or paper bag on my back post, I collect compostables for curb side pickup. The most interesting story is a neighbor who offers child care to 12 children in the summer. They bring their lunches every day to her home and she also serves them snacks. When the pilot started, because she was able to divert all their compostables from the trash, she down sized to the smallest trash cart. We're the only one side on our block who have a backward compost bin but the city program is valuable to us too. We're thrilled to be able to participate in curb side composting for all the things we can't compost at home, like pizza boxes, popsicle sticks, meat, bones, paper napkins, Kleenex, cotton balls," lint, even stuff from restaurant trips. [11:58:04 PM] I support expanding curb side composting to the whole city as soon as possible rolling it out in three years instead of the proposed four years so more can be composed sooner. Families who now need the largest trash carts will be able to more than make up for the cost of the program by down sizing. It's a valuable community effort, saves water, protects the soil, and extends the life of the landfill. The curb side program will also support Austin's zero waste and climate protection goals, which I think are very important for our city and our world. Please offer curb side composting citywide as quickly as possible. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [Applause] >> Mayor Adler: And now our >> Yes, my name is Ryan raushert. I'd like it to be known I'm not engaged with Texas campaign for the environment right now. I'm bullish on their program and wanted to speak in advocacy for it so I'd like to thank the council for its time, especially my city council person, Ann kitchen, I'd like to thank the many Austin Stenz who have take then time to meet to improved our shared life together here in Austin, in this year of 2016 I'm glad to see and be a major wave of civic reengagement across our city, state and country. Together I know that we can form a more perfect union. Today I've come to speak about our great shared problem and the many small solutions to it, our great problem is of course global climate change, flooding across Texas and Louisiana, wildfires in yellowstone, California, massive heat waves and virgin Islands disappearing entirely into the sea are certainly a cause for pause. And something to make us think about the systems we participate in and whether they move us closer to or further from a frightening future. [12:00:05 AM] In general I'd like to strongly encourage the city council to take the steps within their power to move us away from a frightening future. Today's step in the right direction is implementation of citywide curbside composting. It addresses our great shared problems in many ways, will okay eliminate wastes that will mature in a methane gas. I see that as just the start. What truly excites me is the compose yield of the capitol, come post and healthy topsoil absorb more and reflect less solar radiation, sequester carbon and produce oxygen gas we need to breathe, putting the right plants like, for example, [indiscernible] Grass which has 12-15-foot root systems and is known to soak up chemicals and nitrates and heavy metals in the right places like near waste lagoons, landfills or erosion Zones could seriously help remediate our impact on the environment or we could use the compose yield to kick start public fruit tree groves or community gardens or organic farms, leaving us to rely less on interstate shipping. I congratulate city council on the step I think they are going to take in the right direction. I'm excited for more of these purposeful steps leading us to a future we'd like to be a part of and I'm proud to be a part of a city showing leadership in this arena, I'm hopeful for the future. That being said let's make sure the next step comes sooner rather than later. The really big changes we need like a clean power plant or a carbon fee that is revenue neutral with a dividend won't happen until we show that there's -- [ buzzer sounding ] -- The political will to make change. So let's make that happen. [ Applause ] [12:02:06 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Those are all the public speaks we had signed up. Thank you all for your participation. Is there a motion to close the public hearing. Mr. Zimmerman moves. Ms. Houston seconds. Those in favor of closing the public hearing please raise your hand. Those opposed. It's unanimous with councilmember troxclair off the dais. Thank you all very much. Let's call item 30. Mayor pro tem, I think you pulled this item. We've had economic development staff with us all day. >> Tovo: I did pull it. I also have questions and I apologize to staff who have been here all day that we didn't get to this later any earlier. I've had an opportunity to look through some of the answers to the questions. I've got additional ones I'll ask quickly and then I had a bigger question about timing. One of the questions -- on Tuesday we had a conversation about whether or not this was in the budget, and so you provided me through the q&a with a reference to the budget page where we did approve $50,000 for the Einstein project, not the hundred thousand that's contemplated here. But it had a different description. It talked about developing, recruiting and spanned technology companies in Austin through incentives to qualify for the incentives companies will mentor the school system science business teachers as well as the students themselves. The program provides inspirationnal talks, videos, case studies. It was actually the development of a program. I had some confusion about whether or not there were two studies being funded or one. I think you had referred to a study and, again, in q&a I asked a question about a previous study that you referred to, and the response came back talking about txp, the Einstein challenge poverty reduction, et cetera. [12:04:09 AM] Is that the study that was funded through last year's budget? Was that txp study funded through the -- I'm sorry, the current year's budget? >> Kevin Johns, director of economic development. First let me apologize for the confusion that I gave to you on -- in trying to explain where we were. When we started the project a year ago, the effort then, as is now, is to mobilize large-scale investment from corporations doing stem work into the title 1 schools of east Austin. And so when we put this together in the budget at the beginning of last year, that was what you see in that analysis. Since then we've mobilized at least ten companies and are in a pretty much organized to now move forward with trying to hire the ray marshal center in order to implement what we want to do. We want to -- we've got six different major deliverables by the ray marshal center that will help us begin to mobilize these companies on a large-scale basis and begin to tutor in the schools. So at the beginning of the year, there was the $50,000 piece of the ray marshal center. Since then, we've moved to the point where we need additional dollars. And so working with the ray marshal center and the lbj skill and Mccolm's business school we've added another component, which is the second part that you spoke it. So one part of it, initial part of it is using the marshal center to do six of the five deliverables and then there is a sixth deliverable which will be done, which is the last bullet, and I can quickly go through those with you -- [12:06:11 AM] >> Tovo: I guess I -- I don't know. The more we talk the more questions we have so I think we're almost getting to the point where maybe if others don't have questions or concerns, maybe we should just move on. Did -- I mean, I guess the first question that I asked, I'm still not clear on the answer for the txp study you sent me was that funded -- was that a funded study or was that a volunteer study? Is that something the city paid for? >> Yes, it was. >> Tovo: And is that what we authorized through the current year's bunked. >> Yes -- funding? >> Yes. >> Tovo: We spent 50,000 on that. So what we authorized in the budget we approved last year for 50,000 to create a program where there would be this tutoring went toward that study? >> No, no. That was separate. That was to decide whether this had the economic return on investment for us to go forward. So before we wanted to contract with the ray marshal center we wanted to run the numbers, get a third-party independent evaluation and decide whether if we in fact could move tens of thousands of kids in poverty into high-end jobs by working with the corporations over ten years, would there be a return on investment? So we asked Jon hockenyos to do a first look at that, a baby step to see if that in fact would turn out to be a return on investment. And his analysis was the first step at that. And he looked at a worst case scenario, and that worst case scenario said, what if we tutored these kids with the smartest people in Austin for ten years but they only made the average salary of an employee in Travis county, which is $48,000 a year? But that -- but at the end of that ten-year period, all of the kids, especially all the minority kids, they would make as much as the caucasian kids. His conclusion was is in that study, which shows that the benefit to the city would be an additional $38 million a year in new taxes. [12:08:16 AM] That is because the kids would not -- as adults, not be subsidized. As adults, we would not be qualifying for the health and human services department plus the taxes that they would generate. So having that information, that this huge return on investment would be available, then we decided to go forward with hiring the ray marshal center to begin to help us implement that. To work with the existing companies, we've got ten companies have agreed to begin to work with us. And map out what they're doing. Right now they're not investing in east Austin. Most of the technical assistance in the stem work they're doing are to the schools that are already upper-income schools. So we want to be able to steer them into the schools that are the title 1 schools. That's where we are today. That's why we want to use the ray marshal center. >> Tovo: Okay. I just -- I appreciate that it's developing and evolving. Really the challenges I'm having with this is that we've received a lot of descriptions about what it's going to do. It sounded like we were developing a program. I know when I asked to see the interlocal I know it's still being drafted. The metrics I see are primarily about developing a matrix, developing a matrix for baseline activity in investment, working with companies for sustaining a process for gathering data for the agreed set of measures, working with the individual companies to review and clarify current programming. So that appears to be looking at the programs that they're doing as we talked about on Tuesday, but not the nonprofits and the other individual companies and programs that are out there in this space. And then issuing a report and analysis of the activity. So I just -- I guess -- I think, again-- I think, I have some more questions that I'm interested in knowing the answer to, but, again, while I appreciate the intent behind it, there's just -- there's not enough certainty to how this money is going to be spent. [12:10:22 AM] There is no -- for example, I don't see in here any description of the focus being on east Austin schools or title 1 schools. The schools aren't identified. >> I can help with that I don't think well, again, I think -- we can talk through all these things, but we're approving a contract for a hundred thousand dollars when we had 50 in a budget and we simply don't have the documentation in front for me really to grasp what -- what the deliverables are gonna be coming back to the city from that investment and it's just a challenge for me to approve that knowing that it is money we spent here is not money we can spend on other things in our budget, and I just feel lining I can't make a financially responsible decision to support this today. Based on the information I have. I had hoped we could delay this and consider it within the budget process alongside some of the other priorities and needs and main have a better opportunity to see the interlocal agreement in its final form and really grasp exactly what we were going to see come from fruition but as I understand the graduate class you hope is going to perform this work starts next week is that accurate? >> That's correct. And the six deliverables, you did go through those. It is written a little bit in governmentese. I'd be happy to go through each one. It is clear it's only for the poverty schools. >> Tovo: Well, I think, too, as I look at the description in the txp thing, it talks about developing -- developing programs and tying them to incentives that the city would give. So it's not clear -- it's not clear how this -- it talks about the funding mechanism for this program will utilize the city of Austin's existing property tax incentive agreement structure. I'm not clear -- I know we have had companies coming forward participating in 380 who have stem programs and that's one of the benefits they've offered the city but it's not at all clear to me how the at least you're doing with ray marshal center is tied to our incentive program. [12:12:29 AM] Are we looking at companies that have stem programs? And have offered them as community benefits? Or. . . >> I would say all of the above. We're trying to find out what it will take to get all of these companies to begin to mobilize for the title 1 schools in east Austin, where we have the greatest need. >> Tovo: Okay. Thank you. I appreciate the ongoing conversation. >> Mayor Adler: We have -- sorry. We had three citizens to speak on this. Mr. King? Gus Pena is not here. James Williams is not here. Mr. King. >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers. I talked to Kevin earlier tonight about this, and it -- to get more information and it sounds like a good program to try to target these schools in east Austin, but, you know, the part about -- apparently I wasn't clear about is how it gets tied to incentives. That's the part Kevin, I didn't understand that part. So I do share a concern about that part of it. It's not clear to me. You know, I speak a lot about not giving incentives to corporations and how we shouldn't be doing that. So if this is what this program is, is setting the stage to give incentives to corporations, then I'm not for this. I don't support this. But if it is a way to say, corporations who are coming to our community, if they are gonna invest in our community by voluntarily participating in these programs, and this money is cede money to -- seed money to help initiative a program like that, a voluntary program where they're giving back to our community, that's different. But it it's setting the stage to give an incentive to those companies, I don't support that. [12:14:32 AM] I don't think we should be doing that. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Zimmerman. >> Zimmerman: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I was going to say if somebody wants to make a motion to pass it I would amend it to say "And execution" and say somebody wants to negotiate this, maybe this might answer some of the questions. I looked at councilmember -- sorry, mayor pro tem tovo's agenda item question here and I tried to -- I didn't really follow the answers, if the answers came. So maybe we could just fix this by striking "And exexecution" and let it be negotiated so we know what we're pa councilmember, I would have -- it's my understanding that neither of those options allows them -- is acceptable based on their plan of having a graduate class that begins next week actually perform the work that we would be contracting. I don't -- I'm not sure -- I guess the interlocal doesn't need to be executed before the class starts snap -- is that the station? >> Zimmerman: Okay. Thanks. I'll just be voting no. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approve item 30? Is there a motion to approve item 30? >> Houston: I don't have a motion, mayor, but -- I'm sorry. It's getting to that time now. [ Laughter ] >> Mayor Adler: That's ongoing. >> Houston: The class starts next week. Is that what the issue is? Because I was gonna say could you delay this a week so we could get some more information? But you need to execute this agreement next week? >> Mayor Adler: I would make this -- I would make the motion. >> Kitchen: I'll make a motion. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Kitchen makes the motion. I'll second the motion. [12:16:32 AM] I would support this program because I would endorse the efforts of Kevin in this. It's a program that is designed to create pathways for kids into the tech area that are real difficult for us to start in our community. And I -- and I would hope -- I would like for us -- or any city to find how you actually make those pathways work, how you establish them. And I know this is an important project that he is invested in, and I would give him the opportunity to be able to see if he could develop those so I would vote yes on this. Ms. Kitchen. >> Kitchen: And, you know, I would share the concerns that our speaker did, but, you know, we're not talking about this leading to us paying for incentives for companies. This is simply a analysis to get us further information to then take that information and decide how to use it, if I'm understanding correctly. Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Any further discussion? Mr. Renteria. >> Renteria: Yes. I'm also gonna be supporting it, but I really think that we -- you know, I see that the need for technical but also we need a -- there's a big need in Austin for skilled workers. I've been scouting -- looking for a skilled carpenter and they're making -- they're charging $45 an hour. I mean, that's -- I mean, that's good money there. And I -- you know, and there's a lack of these skilled workers out there. And we really need to focus on also not just the -- going to college part but also the technical part of that because there's a big need out there and the demand that they -- for salaries for wages are really great and they're really good. [12:18:33 AM] When I heard that, I wish I was younger. I could probably go back out there in that field. And I've seen people that work for the city that have quit and gone and doing rehabs on houses that they're doing really well, better than what they were doing here working at the parks rec as managers there. There's those needs out there that -- so I hope that you also look at that so that, you know, we could -- so there are certain groups that just don't want to go to college, you know? My -- example is my daughter. She's passed the toss test in the tenth grade. Oops, I'm done with school now. And she went into the technical field and she's doing really quite well, you know? So I just hope that we also look at all the kind of jobs that are really needed out there. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Garza. >> Garza: I share some of the same concerns mayor pro tem shares -- or spoke about. I appreciate the effort, and I understand what the goal is, but this does just seem like a lot of money for what sounds like to me is data collection. And I don't think it's a bad idea, but because we have some really hard choices to make on the stuff that we fund, I just wonder how many mover people this would fund through our capital idea program, where we know the effects of them, we know that it works. So I -- I just can't support that with the knowledge that I have right now of what it sounds like. >> Mayor Adler: Ms. Houston. >> Houston: Mayor, I think it's an interesting concept, and not only would I hope that we would get good data and performance measures about how to measure what a quality program looks like because, as I said the other day, it's all over the board. [12:20:36 AM] But I would also hope that somehow we could begin to encourage the businesses to get more involved with our students who are in need of very positive, smart roll models. We talked a little bit about this and we talked about AT&T has affinity groups and rather than just having the same people who always volunteer to see if we can connect with those affinity groups, the hispanic affinity group, African- American, and most of the companies do -- through Facebook has them, they call them a different kind of thing, but to get in touch with those folks so our kids with see the mirror image of someone who is doing something different in the science, in the stem areas. So I'm gonna be voting for it because I think this may be a way to get more of those businesses engaged outside of the Anderson high schools and America murchisons and move them over to other parts of the city. >> Mayor Adler: Further discussion? We'll take a vote. Those in favor of item 30 please raise your hand. Renteria, kitchen, me, and Ms. Houston. Those opposed? Ms. Garza, the mayor pro tem, and Mr. Zimmerman. And then abstaining? We have Gallo and pool. This does not get the six votes required for approval. Number 30 is not passed. It had four votes in favor. I don't know how Greg would vote but with four votes, Greg at most Bob the fifth vote. [12:22:40 AM] At most would be the fifth vote. I had that vote at four. Let's see if I have it right. I had a vote with four in favor, three against, and two abstentions. Is that right? That's nine people. Troxclair and Casar off the dais. Okay? We have a public hearing next on the tax rate. This is item 91. We're gonna take up agenda item 91 to conduct the first two of public hearings to receive comments on the proposed minimum property tax rate, $44.18 per hundred valuation for fiscal year 2016-2017. The second public hearing will be at 4:00 P.M. September 21, 2016, city hall, 301 west second street, Austin. Council will adopt the city's actual property tax rate on September 12, 2016, at city hall, 301 best second street, Austin. Hearing may continue through September 13 and 14 if needed. On this item 91 we have only one speaker that I don't think has been here this evening, drew [indiscernible]. Drew, a woman. Not here. So we have called all the speakers. Is there a motion to close the public hearing? Mr. Zimmerman so moves. Is there a second? Mr. Renteria seconds. Those in favor of closing the hearing please raise your hand. Those opposed. Unanimous on the dais with Casar and troxclair gone. That gets us to our next public hearing, which is item number 92, I think it's setting the drainage fee. We'll now have that public hearing. David king, do you want to speak to this? [12:24:48 AM] >> Thank you, mayor, mayor pro tem, monies. Thank you for working so hard for our community. I will be very brief. I just -- why not to -- I want to make a point, I think these drainage fees are appropriate and the changes are appropriate and necessary and the other thing is this discussion about adjusting the impervious cover, you know, I'd just -- the rain that we've had over the last week here, you know, when -- the first four days of the rain, the ground under my overhang, my eaves, was dry, despite that much rain. So my point is, is that when we're trying to go and change the way we're calculating impervious cover with the effective result of trying to reduce that fee we have to be careful. You can't across the board say cut out the eaves on every house, scale it back by a certain amount on every house and then we'll be fine because that really will leave situations where we have the water and the flooding from that, the runoff from that that's not being paid for, not being mitigated through the fees. So I think we need to be very careful. If there's a more precise way to do that, to calculate that, fine. But I just don't want to do across the board, just make a -- you know, an adjustment on every house across the board. And a lot of the houses have, you know, the water drains off and is, you know, in a catchment or even in, you know, off to the street. So it doesn't -- it's not on the ground anyway. I'm getting tired, so I'm gonna be very brief, and you've got my point here. I just think that the way we're calculating impervious cover through the rooftop is an appropriate way to do it, seems reasonable to me, and I hope we don't try to make adjustments to that. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [12:26:48 AM] >> Zimmerman: Mr. King? Thank you for staying up late with us, like a family member at this point. Appreciate it. Faithful attendee. >> Thank you. That's kind of you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Brothers. >> Zimmerman: Brother. >> Cousin. >> Mayor Adler: Is Bob Thompson here? Please come up. >> Mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers, I don't know if I have the honor of being the last speaker tonight, but -- >> Mayor Adler: You do. >> -- I addressed this subject two weeks ago, August 4, the first two bullet points on my slide were mentioned then. It is the eaves question, and it points out that the planning and zoning department long ago established a precedent of not treating eaves as impervious cover and Austin has lived with that for some decades. The watershed protection department has chosen to treat eaves as impervious cover regardless of whether the ground below the eaves is pervious and vegetative offer not. So Bev collecting definitions of impervious cover. And the choice of the watershed protection department admits to transferring an additional cost burden of about $3 million a year from primarily commercial property onto single family residentses and -- residences and duplexes and at the end of my testimony previously, councilmember kitchen suggested that you might be considering this issue in your budget process, and since we're now memo that budget process -- into that budget process I wanted to encourage you to do that. [12:29:00 AM] The single family homeowners have experienced something like a 30% increase in the drainage utility fee over the past two years, about 15% last year and about 9% taking effect this year because the 50% cap you instituted is expiring. And if you were to revoke the treatment of eaves as impervious cover, then the single family homeowners, instead of a 9% increase, would see a decrease this year. Nowhere is it written in stone that eaves have to be treated as impervious cover. Some cities treat them as impervious cover, and some cities don't. Two cities in Texas that don't are El Paso and our sister city of west lake hills, which passed an impervious cover ordinance in 2013 in the aftermath of the last drought and continued to treat them as not impervious cover. If you were to not treat them as impervious cover, that would help housing affordability because those fees would go down for single family homeowners by about 15% from where they would otherwise be. That would probably be the easiest vote you would ever have to help affordability in this city. [Buzzer sounding] They would not mean that watershed would have any less money. It would just come from primarily commercial property. I would suggest -- >> Mayor Adler: Finish your thought. >> My last point is just that I believe that the single family homeowners in the city would be more receptive to the other initiatives that you would like them to fund, such as housing bonds and perhaps come posting if you would give them a break on their drainage utility fee. [12:31:01 AM] And the watershed department is completely capable of implementing the policy either way. It's not something that would be an undue burden on them. Thank you for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you, sir. Thank you. Those are all the speakers bed. This public hearing. Is there a motion to close the public hearing? Mr. Zimmerman moves. Seconded by Mr. Renteria. Any discussion? Ms. Pool? Those in favor -- >> Pool: I have a question for staff. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. To close -- okay. We close the public hearing. I'm not sure we're noticed for you to talk to staff about this. Why don't you ask your question. >> Zimmerman: He's been waiting. >> Pool: I know. Joe has been waiting all day. >> Good morning. >> Pool: Good morning. Developers -- I just have a question. Developers, do they receive entitles for water catchment and retention facilities. >> When you say entitles, what do you mean by that? >> Pool: Waivers or fee reductions or discounts. >> Council recently approved some credits, some changes to the ordinance that would allow for a credit for catchments, rain gardens, rain Brazil, anything -- barrels, anything that would detain water, whether it was a residential property or developer of a commercial property as long as they built something over and above the baseline regulatory requirements that would apply. >> Pool: Those same rain gardens for example would also apply to a residential property? >> Right. >> Pool: Okay, that's good. And you know what? It's really late. >> And we have our budget presentation this coming Wednesday. [12:33:02 AM] I'd be happy to entertain any questions at that point in time. >> Pool: That sounds good to me. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: No you'll be asked a question about is this issue. It's been moved and seconded to close the public. Coast those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed? It's unanimous with Casar and troxclair off the dais. Council, it is 12:30. The only thing that we have left on our agenda is item none 81. 81 would have given us -- gives us the opportunity to tend to the concept menu. I have filed and posted a concept menu that has some items that are highlighted. We could move those tonight. We could also just as easily pull this up next week when we got together as a group. Ms. Kitchen, go ahead. >> Kitchen: I think we should wait. I don't want to have this kind of discussion at this time of tight. So I just think it's best not to. >> Mayor Adler: That would be fine by me. >> Zimmerman: I'll second that. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, mayor pro tem? >> Tovo: There's one quick discussion that I would like to have, if I could. And I'll just lay out sort of what I'm thinking. As we talked about with item 30, I think that there's more work staff need to do to really refine what the idea is and it would have made me more comfortable if it was mover in line with the budget amount we approved last year. And so if there's a will, I would move that we reconsider and postpone with a request that it be considered through the concept menu or at some point in the future with that direction to really get clear on what the interlocal agreement looks like, maybe have a document for us to see that's done. You know, there was some interest among the council, and I think even those of us who had concerns about it might have entertained the idea if we had had something more concrete, a more concrete answer. [12:35:07 AM] So that's some -- that would be a motion I'd be prepared to make if we reconsider it. I understand it wouldn't move it forward next week for the school, but it would allow it to come back -- it would allow it to come back to council at some point maybe next semester or at a future point. >> Mayor Adler: So mayor pro tem moves to reconsider and then postpone item number 30. >> Pool: I'll second that. >> Mayor Adler: Does that work? >> Tovo: Yeah with the additional direction and, you know, I don't know -- well, anyway, that's -- >> Mayor Adler: Is there a second to that motion to reconsider? Ms. Pool makes that motion. >> Zimmerman: Motion to reconsider 30? >> Mayor Adler: That was authenticator we just did. Mayor pro tem was on the prevailing side. She can make that motion. It's been seconded. Is there any discussion. >> Tovo: I don't know that you were on the prevailing side, councilmember pool. >> Pool: I was an abstainer. >> Tovo: I think we need somebody who voted against, probably. >> Mayor Adler: I think the abstention was a vote no in this context. >> Tovo: Okay. >> Mayor Adler: It's been moved and seconded to reconsider and then postpone. With that direction. Is there any discussion? Those in favor of the motion to reconsider and postpone please raise your hand? Renteria, kitchen, pool, Adler, Houston, and the mayor pro tem. That's six votes. Those opposing please raise your hand? That would be Zimmerman and Garza. Those abstaining? Would be Gallo. The motion to reconsider and postpone passes. On item number 30. Then we're not gonna pick up 81 any further. So we are done for the evening. We adjourn. [ Adjourned ]