City Council Regular Meeting Transcript – 01/27/2021 Title: City of Austin Channel: 6 - COAUS Recorded On: 1/27/2021 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 1/27/2021 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ================================== Please note that the following transcript is for reference purposes and does not constitute the official record of actions taken during the meeting. For the official record of actions of the meeting, please refer to the Approved Minutes. [10:05:26 AM] >> Mayor Adler: 27, 2021. This is the Austin city council meeting being handled here virtually. It is 10:05. We're going to begin the meeting, first I'll read into the record the changes and corrections. Item number 20 is being postponed to February 18. Item number 21 is withdrawn. Item number 34, the ending date on the term is September 30, 2024. Not 2023. Item number 34, on January 19, 2021, was approved by the austin-rosewood community development corporation on a 5-0 vote. Item 40 is withdrawn. [10:06:28 AM] Item number 54, the sponsors for item number 54 should also include councilmember Fuentes. >> Mayor? , Apologize. There's an amended changes and corrections. That should be item 57. >> Mayor Adler: 54. Okay. So this is supposed to be 57, the Casar. >> Yes, sir. >> Mayor Adler: Item 57, councilmember Fuentes is a sponsor. >> Tovo: Mayor? I had thought in our agenda that was posted that was councilmember harper-madison's item. I wondered if there was an error on the changes and corrections. I'm not sure it's been fixed on the newest one, but the one we got last night has [10:07:30 AM] item 54 and shows councilmember Casar and in our agenda that was councilmember harper-madison. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, 57 is to improve trash collection. Which is the Casar -- >> Tovo: So that's the [inaudible]. I understand. So our changes and corrections should say 57. >> Mayor Adler: Correct. >> Tovo: That's all the sponsors. Thanks. Sorry I missed that. >> Mayor Adler: That's okay. I think we have what, two pulled items, item 13, tovo, and item 31 Kelly. Is that correct? >> Kitchen: Mayor, I would like to pull item 25. >> Mayor Adler: Consistent with the way we were laying out speakers because we have multiple speakers to speak on the -- on the hotel issues, we're going to pull items 27 -- what, 27 to 32? [10:08:37 AM] Are getting pulled. 27 to item 32 are getting pulled. >> Kitchen: Mayor, is someone pulling all of those, 27 to 32? >> Mayor Adler: Yeah, we have speakers -- >> Kitchen: I understand. >> Mayor Adler: I'm just pulling the hotel things together. >> Kitchen: I'm sorry, I missed what you said about speakers. >> Mayor Adler: 27 to 32 will be pulled, we'll take speakers on those at 3:00 P.M. It will be a minute each for the speakers. Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. I don't know if you want me to do this now or when you finish, but I wanted to -- I have item 58 which I authorized and I would like to postpone that one week to February 4 by the consent agenda. There's some final details the applicant needs to work [10:09:38 AM] out which can be completed by our next meeting. It's related to the champions property. >> Mayor Adler: 58 being postponed to February 4th. >> Alter: Yes. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Any objection to that postponement? Hearing none, it will stay on the consent, but is postponed to February 4th. Councilmember pool. >> Pool: Thanks, good morning, everybody. I wanted to let everybody know who is speaking on the items relating to the hotel that item 32 is the hotel purchase being recommended that is in district 7. We conducted some pretty extensive community education and outreach and answered a number of questions, and except that this is pulled for speakers, I had expected this to be approved on consent today. And so I wanted to let folks know if they were planning to hang around with us until [10:10:38 AM] 3:00 to speak in support of this that I fully anticipate that this will pass. And we can give you your time back for other activities. But I appreciate the community's support for this hotel and I support it too. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Great. Harper-madison has noticed an amendment on item number 56. That amendment acceptable to councilmember Fuentes or do we need to pull this item? >> You know, I do have some remarks I would like to give, mayor. I would like to keep it on consent and I do plan to accept the amendment, but I would like to give some remarks on it so whenever is a good time for that. >> Mayor Adler: We'll give everybody a chance to speak on the consent agenda items, but 56 on consent includes then the harper-madison amendment. [10:11:39 AM] >> Fuentes: Sure. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Colleagues, conversations on the pulled items? Kathie? >> Tovo: Mayor, I have a question for staff about why 40 is being withdrawn, but as I indicated in the work session, I need to clarify, I need to offer clarifying language for my ifc, number 55. We can leave it on consent and I can offer that clarifying language or pull it and do it quickly, whatever your -- >> Mayor Adler: Let's see if we can do that on consent, Kathie, and if it turns into something we want to talk about we'll pull it. >> Tovo: If I could ask staff why number 40 is being suggested for withdrawal. >> We'll get back to you on that, councilmember. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Mackenzie? I'm sorry. >> Tovo: City manager, are you able to get us some information about that before the day is out? I just want to be sure before -- I guess we always [10:12:40 AM] very next week too, it's an important program and I just want to better understand what the impact is of withdrawing it today. >> Absolutely. >> Tovo: Okay. Thank you. >> Mayor, I would like to pull item number 42 for further discussion. >> Mayor Adler: Item 42? >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: We have speakers signed up to speak to us this morning. And we're going to give them a chance to speak. The consent agenda, colleagues, is items 1 through 60. Items that I have being pulled right now are 13, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, also item 42. >> Kitchen: Mayor, I pulled 25. >> Mayor Adler: And 25. I put that on the wrong [10:13:41 AM] line, Ann. Thank you. So 25 is pulled. All right. Again, the pulled -- consent agenda 1 through 60. Pulled items are 13, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32, and item 42. Colleagues, are we ready to hear from speakers? Just by way of going through the day here real quickly, we have speakers this morning, about 23. They are going to speak for three minutes each. We'll then consider the consent agenda, consider pulled items if we can. We also have at noon four sitcom speakers at noon. There will also be three minutes each. At 2:00 P.M. We will take the 19 zoning speakers at three minutes each. And then at 3:00 P.M. We'll take the speakers on items [10:14:42 AM] 27 through 32, one minute each. That's kind of the day. We also want space for an executive session on the may election at some point during the course of the day. Let's see how this is -- how this is rolling out. And I have a covid call at noon that I'm going to need to go to at noon. If the clerk is available to us and can call -- yes, Kathie. >> Tovo: Mayor, before we hear the speakers, I just wanted to say a couple words about human trafficking awareness month. So January is human trafficking awareness month and typically in the course of our council meeting we present proclamations, because we're in a virtual environment, we're not able [10:15:42 AM] to do that but my office has prepared a proclamation for human trafficking awareness and I just wanted to say a few words about it today. We have several organizations in our city that are doing important work in this. One is safe cares, which is one of several great programs that provides trauma informed support to survivors of exploitation. According to some of the information they shared, many victims of trafficking may not self-identify due to the psychological manipulation that's used by traffickers, and so community members may not recognize the signs of human trafficking. So I encourage -- I encourage community members to seek out that information and to inform themselves. So it's critical that we raise public awareness around this issue of human trafficking and continue to improve training for first responders to identify and support our victims and ensure that we have quality medical and social services [10:16:42 AM] in place for our survivors. Thank you to all of the organizations that are working to raise awareness and to provide sources to those survivors. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Is the clerk with us? >> Yes, mayor, we're ready. >> Mayor Adler: Just real fast, there's late backup in items 10, 12, 25, 34, 53, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71 and 83. Clerk, if you will call the morning speakers. They each have three minutes. >> The first speaker is Monica Guzman. >> Yes. Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead, please. >> Hello, can you hear -- oh, okay. Thank you. Sorry, not used to be first [10:17:42 AM] on council day. I'm Monica Guzman speaking on items 13, 56 and 57. On item 13, I had a brief conversation with John Gutman from Austin heights back before the holiday break about the proposed development. And this is more from a personal perspective, I am confident that the development is the right move. It allows for family-friendly affordable housing. Very much in the urban core downtown, for people who work downtown, they can be within walking distance or ride a bus instead of having to cross town and deal with multiple transfers and juggling child care as well. And when hopefully council approves it that aspen heights will continue to work with the community through the development process as well as united Way and partners for any [10:18:46 AM] onsite for the residents. Item 56, gave wants to underscore the comment bide southeast neighbors who you are hearing from either before today or you will be hearing later today to ensure this resolution is more than symbolic and more than a review of regulations. We urge you to put strong benchmarks in place that will ensure you are making the community safer. Even when the development is not in the immediate area, it is upstream, there needs to be looking at, you know, a time line. As the development increases not only how it will impact the community where the development is but community downstream. Especially those with a history of disaster-related losses both in property and life. Item 57, and I speak in a district 4 resident capacity, I very much support this item and considering the history of families living in four-applications who do not have individual trash bins. Instead they have one [10:19:47 AM] dumpster. As part of restore rundberg there had been multiple conversations between residents, community leaders engaged with conversations and action with the Sten police department as well as ten resource recovery. Cameras were set up, they had found two vehicles that were coming in for illegal dumping but it suddenly seemed to drop off. Never knew what happened on that. There had been conversation at that time about replacing the dumpsters with individual trash bins. Again, that seemed to disappear. I'm very happy councilmember Casar, my representative on council, is putting this item forward, and me and many other district 4 residents, I'm sure especially those on browning drive and other areas like that were having to deal with this. We very much would like to see that change. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you. >> Next speaker is Selena sigh. [10:20:48 AM] >> Hello, city council. My name is Selena and it's good to see all of y'all. I am the president of the Austin ems association and I'm speaking in opposition to item 25, which is the creation of esd17, which is a pflugerville firefighter initiative creating a taxing rent on primarily pflugerville residents. This is something the pflugerville firefighters have been pushing for very hard. It is a bully move on their part to add an additional tax on to the Austin residents in the etj. They have threatened pflugerville city councilmembers and their community and now threatening Austin. They have lied about our service and have lied about a secret plot of an Austin takeover. Why are they spreading these lies about Austin and pflugerville city council? The reason is is that they are asking for a new tax to be managed by a board of [10:21:49 AM] unelected officials. They want austinites to vote on this, but never to be able to vote on the governance again. Austinites in the etj are already paying for one ems tax. The tax they pay to Travis county. And they are already paying for a second ems tax in the form of a sales tax to the firefighters. If this new tax passes, austinites will be triple taxed for ems. This is the truth that they are desperate to hide. I am not asking you to believe me. I'm asking you to listen to the last few pflugerville city council meetings and in fact last night pflugerville city council postponed this item for many different reasons. I'm asking you to speak with your pflugerville counterparts and understand their strong reservations before voting on this as they are the experts on this and it almost exclusively affects them. Thank you so much for your time today. >> Next speaker is Ethan Smith. [10:22:52 AM] >> Hello. >> Go ahead. >> You can hear me. Good morning, council. I'm neutral on 13 but I wanted to comment because, you know, U.T. Put in [indiscernible] Institutional interests and I would like to see them be part of the public-private partnership. Interested in the market rate unit, so if you -- cheaper units for the community I think you would go for the market rate units. One reason it's going to help is on the Brackenridge tract, which is the site of, you know, married student housing. If they take those out, they have a serious shortage of two-bedroom units. I know two-bedroom units are going up 20 out of 57 units in the graduate housing [10:23:52 AM] which hasn't been built yet, of course, and if they get rid of those, they can't just [indiscernible]. The fact they need more housing in general, having an extra 200 two-bedroom unit helps out, which by the way is in the Matthews school district, the same school district, and that -- after the 2009 Brackenridge report, 150 of those elementary school students were the kids of graduate students. So you can maintain that, you can create a bridge solution. If they speed that process up by a year, I've heard it estimated from a friend in commercial real estate at around 30 million a year land lease so they have a big financial incentive to move forward and you get rid of the [indiscernible] And -- so thank you. [10:24:57 AM] >> Anna agila. Anna, please be sure to unmute. >> Good morning. Can you hear me now? >> Yes, go ahead, please. Okay. Good morning, mayor Adler and councilmembers. My name is Anna agila and I'm a long-time resident of district 2. I also currently serve on the planning commission and am not speaking or representing the commission in any manner. I am speaking on item 56. Edward Jackson, 72, lower onion creek, Rodriguez, 31, and her son Jay, eight months, lower onion creek. Two [indiscernible] Lower onion creek. Jose Aguilar torres, 50, del valle. Edward Hernandez Jr., 37, del valle. [10:25:59 AM] [Indiscernible] 67, southeast Travis county. These are the names of the people from our communities during the 2013 Halloween and 2015 floods. Need to -- the infrastructures before it gets to the creek. Both issues are public safety issues. In regards to equity, a complete breakdown needs to be provided on flooding erosion mitigation efforts and how those mitigation efforts directly benefit the residents. It is critical collaboration efforts initiated with Travis county officials and counties upstream of onion creek watershed such as blanco in hays county and other counties upstream of other large watersheds. It's important to support efforts to add critical infrastructure such as bridges, dams and other drainage efforts upstream to [10:27:00 AM] address increased runoff. The neighborhood plan contact team vote during their August 2020 meeting that flood mitigation items be [indiscernible] Not delayed until land development code issues are resolved. Flooding is a public safety issue and people's lives and/or property is at risk. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Ruby raw. >> Good morning, Mr. Mayor and councilmembers. My name is ruby. I'm a member of the Austin women in housing and a member of the [inaudible] Episcopal community. A leader for central Texas interfaith and also a member for the ladies of charity. The ladies make home visits and serve the poor in need with -- help with paying their rent and utility [10:28:01 AM] bills. I have been an advocate for the poor for most of my adult life. I have visited many homes. I am taking this moment to ask you to please put yourselves in our poor families' shoes. The families I visit work two or three jobs to make ends meet. They make a minimum wage or less and have no health insurance and live in substandard housing. There may be two or three families living in an apartment sleeping on the floor. I understand that the city purchased a property for affordable housing. The 2018 council resolution describes the health south property as an area of high oppounity. An incredibly rare housing opportunity for lower income housing households in the downtown area. I recently learned that the housing and planning department did not issue the [10:29:04 AM] solicitation for the health south because the council categorized it as an economic development rather than an affordable housing project. What this means is that affordable housing was a very small piece of the project instead of a major focus. This explains why the project before you does not achieve the major objective of the resolution on affordable housing. The health south site needs more than 25% affordable housing units and units that will be available to families or or lower 30% of median attack income. The majority of the families are people of color. Folks like some of you on the dais and like me. I voted for you and hoped you would not only represent us, but also as an advocate, [10:30:05 AM] I want you to be the champion for affordable housing. I know I am not the only resident of Austin who feels this way. The city has an obligation to serve our families with safe, decent housing that respects their dignity. You were elected to make our community better. Only you have the power to put health south project on the right track. Thank you for your time and I pray you follow councilmember tovo's lead to maximize the number of affordable housing units provided -- [buzzer sounding] [Indiscernible] Units available to residents 30% and below. Thank you. >> Larry graham. >> Good morning, mayor [10:31:07 AM] Adler, councilmembers. My name is Larry graham and I'm a board member of the Austin ad fund and calling in reference to agenda item number 41. I'm here to express my sincere gratitude for the innovative public-private partnership between the city of Austin, the Austin Ed fund, the Austin independent school district, and several restaurant vendors for support of the caregiver program. The city of Austin supported the expansion of aisd's mealer is service so caregivers get healthy meals alongside student meals. These funds were awarded to the Austin Ed fund's crisis support fund and have been supplemented by community donations to the crisis support fund. As of last week, January 21, over one million meals have been provided to caregivers. [10:32:08 AM] On average restaurant vendors easy tiger, hen vet, good work Austin and other restaurants such as college kitchen, rosedale kitchen and hillside pharmacy have provided 27,000 meals per week since may. The caregiver meal program does not only help feed Austin families in need, it has provided more than 100 restaurant workers the ability to stay employed and keep beloved restaurants open through the pandemic. This afternoon you are scheduled to approve an additional agreement with the Austin Ed fund and we cannot thank you enough for your support of this amazing program and the impact it has had on so many families in Austin. Thank you. >> Greg gunnederson. >> Good morning, council. [10:33:09 AM] I'm calling as a downtown resident and affordability advocate and real excited about the health south opportunity that you guys are looking at today, item 13. 500 homes, an amazing mixed use community, vibrant use for an area that really needs a vibrant use. That's one of the quieter areas of the city. Also remember the taxable value of this city-sold property will go into the affordable housing trust fund and, you know, so if we purchased more affordability here and the purchase price by the potential buyer goes down, then we're -- we're taking money from one pocket and putting it into the other. I want to caution about last minute retrading to introduce, you know, a fairy tale list is really best done in the rfp process really in the beginning. Later on if we add, hey we also want this and that it devalues the city's position in the future. [10:34:10 AM] Think the thing true. On item 56, this is a critical issue. Glad you guys are looking at this. As somebody who has been working on development down there over 100 affordable homes, under the current land development code, we were required to put in a tremendous amount of parking for six-year-olds, parking we don't need. Thank you previous council for affordability. The market rate and they still have built too much park and can't build tall enough. Higher density development in existing areas is one of the most effective ways to bring down the flood risk. I hope this is looked at comprehensively where what else we can do to make sure year not taking this piecemeal. Excited to get back to the new land development code we are all so desperate for. Anyone older and the majority of austinites and over a third of you guys. Got to get there and excited to see what you guys do next [10:35:11 AM] time. Thanks, take care. >> [Indiscernible] . >> Hi, yes, I was trying to unmute myself. Are we speaking on item 61 already? >> Okay. Go ahead. >> Well, good morning councilmembers, thank you for all you do for our communities. I am calling in to speak on item 61 about the election of mayor pro tem and to express personal subpoena support for councilmember harper-madison. I'm seeing debate over our [10:36:14 AM] next mayor pro tem and voice support for councilmember harper-madison. I'm sure you are troubled by our history of systemic racism and seeing a lot of that play out in current vaccine distribution and I think that's one reason why it's more than ever to have representation especially in the position that's largely ceremonial from our community that has been least represented historicry. I think having someone who represents the east Austin community who can speak to the concerns of the east Austin community especially now when [indiscernible] The -- really inequities and this is for a long time but are now more apparent. Having a woman of color myself, I think having someone in this ceremonial position who can, you know, really represent and voice concerns of her specific community but also serve as a representative for all women of color in Austin I [10:37:15 AM] think is really important and just so important our children, especially children of color can see themselves represented in these higher offices. We're seeing that on lot on the national level as well. Yeah, I just really admire councilmember Natasha harper-madison's work on council and would like to express my support for her as mayor pro tem. Again, I would like to thank all of y'all and utmost respect for everyone running for this position. And thank you so much for listening to me. >> Adam Orman. >> Hi there, city council, councilmembers. Thank you for giving us a chance to speak. This is Adam Orman with good work Austin speaking for item 41. We want to -- we want to [10:38:18 AM] thank you for supporting the aid caregivers program because it's been extended for the amount of time it has, we're able to bring in new restaurants and make an impact on more -- more people across Austin. We have used over 15 restaurants and employed over 280 people with living wage jobs since the beginning of the pandemic through our work with the community kitchen. We would like to also thank you for extending the eat initiative through the end of April. Because of those extensions, we're going to be able to bring on probably four more restaurants who will have now predictable, consistent work and be able to keep their doors open in safe ways and keep their employees safe and do -- pay our rent without asking people to come out and risk transmission of the virus. [10:39:20 AM] We hope that you'll continue whenever there's the opportunity to support local businesses in this way and to put safety first and put local businesses first, that you will continue to do so. So thank you very much and have a great rest of your day. >> Laura Hernandez. >> Thank you, council. My name is Laura Hernandez, I'm a resident of district 10. I'm speaking in support of Natasha harper-madison for mayor pro tem or item 61. Like many, Austin became my adopted hometown while he was in college. As Progressive as most believe Austin to be, people of color are often still overlooked. Only need to look to events of last summer as an example. It is why I am urging [10:40:22 AM] council to elect calm harper-madison to mayor pro tem. The blood alcohol [indiscernible] That can only make Austin better for all of us. Our vibrant economy and music hipness, black and brown people see a different Austin. We see a segregated Austin, a city where we're more likely to be stopped by police, moderate neighborhoods gentrified and forced out of our home. For too long many have looked that way. Today you have an opportunity to make a positive opportunity to elect Natasha harper-madison. I see no better time than now [indiscernible]. This reminds me of the words of Isabelle Wilkerson in her [10:41:22 AM] best selling book, the origins of discontent. Choose not to look however at your own peril. The owner of an old house knows that whatever you are ignoring will never go away. Whatever is lurking will fester whether you choose to look or not. Ignorance is no protection from the consequences of inaction. Whatever you are wishing away will gnaw at you until you gather the courage to face what you would rather not see. To you members of the Austin city council that is the courage to elect Natasha harper- madison mayor pro tem. Thank you. >> [Inaudible] Watson. >> Good morning. Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. [10:42:22 AM] >> Hello. Silas Watson. I had a few items to speak to and I'm not sure of the format here. It's a bit different than what we've known. But I would love to speak to item 61. Let me tell you a few things that you all don't know about Natasha harper-madison. In October 2018 while she was running for council, her and her drunk husband who is also an Austin firefighter assaulted me at four circle bar while I was getting food. I did not hit them back, I did nothing to them, merely left the bar. They were explicitly drunk. While I -- >> Mayor Adler: Excuse me. Excuse me. We're not going to talk about allegations like that in this discussion here today. [10:43:26 AM] So if you want to speak more generally on this issue, that's fine. >> I'm speaking to the integrity of the candidate. The integrity of the candidate. The next month this same individual, the same individual said I had threatened her at her campaign headquarters. I did not even know she had a campaign headquarters. Those allegations followed me into court the next year. So again, we have to understand the integrity of candidates before we amplify their special powers. She is not worth any consideration for mayor pro tem. We have better candidates on the dais. I would rather Mackenzie Kelly be mayor pro tem and I say that grudgingly. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. >> Cody colon. >> Good morning, mayor and [10:44:27 AM] council. This is Cody Colin, executive director of the red river cultural district, a worldwide cultural tourism destination for authentic music, food and drink experiences in the heart of downtown Austin. Item 13's final decision has direct impact to the makeup in terms of desirability and livability and public benefit. During the pandemic our district has permanently lost over 25% of our 2019 merchants including three of our live music venues. A dedicated live music venue on a long-term and affordable ground lease inside the health south development would be an historic shift towards the best type of public-private partnership that creates live music preservation and has been highlighted not only in council resolutions and the 2017 tap report, but also is a high priority opportunity project for the new aedc. The partnership with health [10:45:28 AM] south presents the first real world opportunity to pilot these music efforts. Not only in order to maintain competitive advantage in the realm of music economy, but also retain our city's brand has live music capital of the world in our industry's later recovery. Similarly this project with serve the districts and greater downtown's music and creative sector staff needs through affordable housing component. For folks who are largely low-income wage workers, creating housing options and mobility by virtue of location and proximity to work worlds. Today the district would like to formally endorse the staff's work on this item and support councilmember tovo's move for approval of item 13 to negotiate and execute an exclusive negotiating agreement with the the Austin heights partners that is compatible with a thriving tourism district. Thank you all for your time [10:46:28 AM] and y'all have a great day. >> Began receives Acuna. -- Frances. >> Hi, my name is Frances Acuna. I'm a long-time resident of dove springs and I work with gave. I would like to commend councilmember Fuentes for the outreach and listening session she's been doing in our community. I'm calling in support of item 66 to approve a resolution directing the city manager to develop six recommendations to reduce flooding. I'm sure we've all heard enough of our continued lived experiences with flooding in our community. So I'm just going to ask that you develop a plan for strong regulations restricting any development along and in onion creek and Williamson creek to mitigate flooding and prevent death and [inaudible]. [10:47:29 AM] And that you work with other counties upstream and downstream to do the same. I'm asking that you work on the plan to develop programs that incentivize residents for any flood or heat mitigation in communities that are most impacted by stressors and that you put in place strict regulations for localized flooding such as preventing -- increasing impervious cover in neighborhood areas or in any redevelopment. In our tributary waterways, the land has lied down therefore not serving the purpose flooding backyards and homes. We need maintenance requirements in place to allow the water flow within this stream. I also urge you to put in place a resolution for a [10:48:30 AM] department to communicate with each other doing any construction to prevent resident suffering for their lack of knowledge of surrounding -- of the surrounding in how they -- their decision affects our residents. We have been affected by residents that live around the construction because of their lack of communication with other departments such as watershed, public works or public works with watershed or any other department. I ask that you include [inaudible] In your decision-making process because we have the experience of getting flooding or seeing neighbors losing belongings. We are the experience and your greater allies. Thank you. >> Michelle lynch. >> This is Michelle. [10:49:32 AM] I'm speaking on item 11 which is on consent. I don't need to speak unless the need to answer questions. >> Mayor Adler: Thank U next speaker. >> Kathie Taylor. >> Good morning, mayor and councilmembers. My name is Kathie Taylor and I'm speaking on item 13 representing myself and Austin women in housing, a note -- network working for and concerned about affordable housing in Austin. Thank you forgiving so much attention. I signed up against the item, but I hope the council will require more improvement to modification so we can support the city contract with aspen heights partners. I would like to see half units affordable and [10:50:32 AM] targeting deeper. The health south site is such a special site and serves as a person precedent in how Austin treats its publicly held property. I support the affordable housing units that will better realize the strategic housing blueprint and affordable housing goal. But for the -- both for the number of affordable housing units as well as the use of city land. I support allowing public vouchers including tenant protections, including a long-term lease rather than selling the property outright. I support inclusion of family-friendly bedroom configurations, reservation of some units for the homeless and the inclusion of child care during day, night and weekend hours. We hope this project will benefit those who toil so hard downtown and are very [10:51:32 AM] modestly paid finding difficulty to live in Austin. Austin women in housing are arrest dent supporters in deeply targeted affordable housing to the lowest income levels possible and the maximum number of units possible. We really appreciate the time and consideration you are giving this project. Thank you so much. >> Dave Anderson. >> Mayor, council, Dave Anderson. I'm here to speak in favor of item 12, but only need to speak if there are questions that you, mayor, or the council may have. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Carmen Yanez Pulido. [10:52:34 AM] >> Hello, can you all hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Thank you very much. Good morning, councilmembers and mayor. First I would like to speak on behalf of go Austin, vamos Austin in support of residents and organizers you've heard from southeast Austin and just underscore the importance of this resolution taking us beyond any kind of symbolic gesture toward addressing flood infrastructure, flood mitigation and actually making all of the changes that you all intend to pursue whether it's in criteria manuals in the land development code and we look forward to all of that. I just want to encourage the council that you can strongly state, as I believe this resolution does, your intention to limit development that would worsen flooding. And you can do so without explicitly banning any kind [10:53:36 AM] of increases in impervious cover that would call attention to negative backlash from the state or otherwise. I think it's still well within your pursue as councilmembers to use your discretion and state your intention to responsibly manage development in these sensitive watersheds. We're here as a community to support you to do that. Just again underscoring the comments you all heard and continue to hear and the feedback you continue to hear from residents in those most impacted areas. And then separately as a citizen and a resident of district 9, I would like to speak in support of councilmember tovo's amendments to the health south item, item 13. And also express appreciation for that -- for some of those recommendations that were underscored in councilmember harper-madison's additional post to the message board. The affordability asks are [10:54:36 AM] going to be incredibly important because this isn't any regular deal. This is a massive amount of property as a public asset in downtown. There's nothing like it and no subsidy like land. Please go hard on this one. We need to set a strong example and need to take a strong step in the right direction, as you've heard from so many advocates. Please be sure to incorporate those amendments from councilmember tovo. Thank you so much for your service and best of luck in this year ahead. >> Zenobia Joseph. >> Thank you, mayor, councilmembers. I'm Zenobia Joseph. Mayor, I have a tech question before you start my time, if I may. >> Mayor Adler: What you got? >> When an item is withdrawn and there are speakers that [10:55:38 AM] signed up, is the position still maintained in the system? Or does it just drop off as well? >> Mayor Adler: The -- I think all the speakers that sign up continue to speak. Clerk, is that correct is this. >> Correct. >> Okay. Thank you. So the item that I'm referring to specifically is number 20. If the clerk could change my position from against to neutral, I received an email from rosy truelove yesterday and I didn't have any information to base my -- my opposition on. >> Mayor Adler: That change is made. >> All right. Thank you. So specifically I just wanted to speak to the Samsung item and also to the $6,000 on item 55 for the banners on the congress street -- the congress bridge. I would just say for downtown Austin alliance, it [10:56:38 AM] is a little peculiar to me, 51% of the funds are supposed to be for organizations of color, I would ask them to partner with an organization of color. The Ann Richards foundation is a partner on that item so that is my opposition. I understand reactivating downtown as relates to Samsung, I oppose that primarily because of transit and I just want to speak to number 1 which is about your mayor pro tem. Unfortunately Natasha harper-madison does not represent the people in far north Austin area of the district and she had called this area far flung Samsung on December 10, 2020 when she spoke on civil rights and wrongs. I just want to remind the councilmembers that house bill 2040 specifies a government body may not prohibit public criticism including any criticism of act, on mission, policy, procedure or service. While I cannot condone [10:57:40 AM] anything else has said, I would ask to you keep that in mind. In relation to transit, it's a three-mile walk to Samsung. Samsung has gotten $65 million in project rebates, but -- metro rapid between apple and Samsung. I would just ask Samsung rather than seeking entitlements to invest in the community. Transit dependent taxpayers actually pay taxes too and they've gotten no return on investment. That is my opposition. There are over 139 comments in the backup materials, at least 139 pages. I would ask council to take that into consideration. I'm not going the repeat what the people said there other than it will limit their access. I want you to understand that there's a 425-acre development east village which is across the street from Samsung and all this needs to be taken into consideration as well. Lastly as it relates to the $150,000 people fund, that [10:58:41 AM] is specifically related to the anti-mitigation displacement mitigation that specifically is related to project connect. I would just ask Ms. Truelove to include information about that when it comes forward. And lastly, that fund actually stated it would actually hire six individuals in low-income census tracts. It's confusing how $150,000 can help mitigate displacement and hire individuals. And so that's my opposition. The last I'll tell you is there's a gentleman named -- [buzzer sounding] -- Who actually walks three miles to Samsung. If you have questions, I'll gladly answer them at this time. >> Mayor, that concludes all the speakers. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. Colleagues, we're now back to the -- back to us. We're here on the consent agenda, items 1 through 60. The pulled items are 13, 25, [10:59:43 AM] 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32. Also number 42. Is there any discussion, colleagues, on the consent agenda? Councilmember Fuentes, then councilmember Kelly. >> Fuentes: Thank you, mayor. I just wanted to offer some comments on item 56, which is on the consent agenda and is also my first ifc that I get the honor and privilege to bring forth. First I want to thank our former mayor pro tem and now county attorney Delia Garza for her leadership and for blazing a trail so that someone like me can succeed her as a a Latina on Austin city council. Part of the work I get to do is continue her work when it comes to flood mitigation and reducing risk for our community. My first resolution is incredibly important to our community. It's as you heard from the [11:00:45 AM] callers today from residents, the flood -- catastrophic historic flood events that happened in district 2 in 2013 and in 2015 has claimed lives, has displaced families and damaged hundreds of homes. And so sense then the city of Austin has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the buy outprogram and many of our former residents had to seek housing outside of city of Austin because of the availability of affordable housing options. So we know that central Texas is designated as flash flood alley and that we are expected to see an increase in extreme weather events. Often in my community we talk about it's not a matter of if the next big blood happens, it's when the next big flood happens. This resolution is a first step in that process and it would conduct an assessment and ask staff to report back on Austin's current flood [11:01:45 AM] management approach. And it also develops a scope of work around building community resilience in an equitable way. I'm grateful for the co-sponsors on this item. Thank you so much for your leadership and guidance. I really appreciate that and appreciate all that work that we'll be doing to ensure flood protection and flood resiliency for a community. I accept the amendment councilmember harper- madison proposed. It was a bit of last minute, the last few hours were hectic, but we were able to connect with staff and they informed me that the affordability impact study is already standard practice. It's something that staff does any time they bring forth recommendations so it will not impact our time line or the intention of our resolution. So with that, I just want to offer a few comments on ifc on item 56 and thank you all so much. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [11:02:47 AM] Councilmember Kelly. >> Kelly: Thank you. I would like for the record to show that I'm voting no on item number 50, the $750,000 to 15 contractors. It just doesn't make sense we would spend three-quarters of a million dollars in taxpayer money to keep coaches on retainer during a time when we have really lean budgets. It seems excessive. Especially as Q and a shows they were only used six times last year. On items 15 and 17, I would like to abstain from because I feel while Austin is increasingly an international city, our focus in funding should remain local especially during covid. On items 14 and 15 -- 14 and 16, excuse me, I will be abstaining. I still continue to question the use of subcontractors for grant programs used by the city of Austin residents and what metrics they have [11:03:47 AM] in place and measures on how they will track the effectiveness of those programs. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: The record will note that. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: Yes, thank you. I want to thank councilmember Fuentes and her co-sponsors for bringing the item related to flood mitigation. I think it's very timely and I appreciate the opportunity to co-sponsor. I would like to add a request to the city manager that as the work proceeds with regard to both the near term -- bringing back the near term recommendations and as well as the watershed protection strategic plan process, that our staff consider the recommendations that were made by the flood mitigation task force. There's a final report from may of 2016 and that was the task force that the [11:04:49 AM] community participated on after the -- after those catastrophic floods. And so a number of those recommendations have been carried out already by staff, but there are a number of other ones that -- that I think should be examined and potentially -- potentially included in the work going forward. So, for example, there was -- and thank you, councilmember harper-madison for your amendment, but there were some recommendations that do relate to land use and land development code changes. I think we had a speaker who spoke to the importance of looking at the impact of development on flooding. And there are also recommendations about related to the use of the rsmp and other recommendations. So my ask, city manager, I don't think it needs an amendment, is just that the recommendations from that task force report be considered by our staff as they are responding to [11:05:50 AM] councilmember Fuentes' resolution and bringing back information. Can you -- is that acceptable, Mr. Cronk? >> I'll defer to my councilmember Fuentes author, sounds like she is nodding and that won't be a problem from staff to incorporate that feedback as well. >> Kitchen: Thank you very much. I know that -- and I really appreciate the inclusion of all the watersheds in this. For district 5, our district 5 residents have experienced flooding in upper onion creek as well as Williamson creek areas and other areas. So appreciate that very much. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. First I wanted to thank councilmember Fuentes for bringing forward this ifc. I was proud to join with her. I think it builds nicely on the work we've done on [11:06:52 AM] resilience and the climate emergency. It's time to take additional steps and I'm excited about the possibility of moving forward with many of those pieces. I have several watersheds that also flood and I think it's very important that we do this work. So thank you. I appreciate your leadership on that. Let me make a brief comment on item 3, which is the item itself is the appointment of directors for Abel and I wanted to note this hotel is a public asset and the decisions create financial consequences for the city. So I'm going to support these appointments today. It is with the understanding that I would like council to exercise its rights under the bylaws to review and -- any management agreement entered into by Abel. I would make note of that for the city manager as [11:07:52 AM] we're moving forward. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Further discussion on the consent agenda? Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Thank you, mayor. I have some clarification, as I indicated, to my resolution that I'm going to get to in a second. But I just wanted to start. Also adding my voice of thanks to councilmember Fuentes for her leadership on this really important initiative regarding flooding. I'm excited to see that move forward. I want to also give a shout out to [inaudible] For their work to make sure that our students in aid district have what they need to be successful during this really challenging time, and just an extraordinary partnership that has forged with them to support the caregiver meals. Thank to you the speakers we had today to talk about some of the impacts of that program. The one million meals that have been fed to caregivers and families of need in this community as well as the 100 [11:08:52 AM] jobs that have been preserved in this period where we need both. And so thank you. That's really -- and thank you, council, for supporting the initiatives that came forward initially as a resolution. That my office brought forward. And thank you to staff for finding the additional funding when they heard there was a need to continue that through September. I also want to mention just for the public's benefit that the city council is -- that the city of Austin is also providing support to del valle ISD for caregiver meals and manor. I look forward to that work continuing. This is one of the most important things we can do during this period of pandemic and it's a critical investment of our funding. So that takes me around to the Austin -- to the downtown Austin initiative. I would like just to clarify, city manager, we talked earlier this week [11:09:52 AM] about there was some additional information. We have the actual waiver of the banners estimate only included congress bridge, and we really intended for it to include congress avenue as well. I would request that you come back to us next week if possible with a budget amendment that clarifies the waiver, which should really be for $29,000. This is just money that the city is not taking in for its banner - - for banners along those poles. But also I just want to clarify, I know this was something I had an opportunity to talk about with a few people over the last few days, I want to clarify that this resolution 2 will prompt a budget amendment of $30,000 for our participation in the street performer program as well as other innovative downtown activations. I am really excited about this. I look forward to the work that resolution also directs [11:10:53 AM] the city manager to pull together an an an innovative team to come up with other ideas about activities that can be covid safe, that can help bring people downtown in a safe morning during this pandemic time. I also think this is going to be a great pilot and will develop some -- some ideas for downtown. I'm excited to support the work that was already ongoing at the downtown Austin alliance foundation and again just wanted to clarify those two pieces for the city manager. Does that seem doable? >> Councilmember, as you know, fee waivers can only come from council so we'll make sure we work with your office to bring that forward tore the next cycle, and we can pass this and do exactly as you are saying for congress avenue and then do the supplemental work will [11:11:54 AM] require another big waiver. We'll make sure that gets on the agenda. >> Tovo: Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. By the way, the record should reflect there's also late backup on item 13 and 56 and the late back up is in item 82 not 83 as I earlier said. Further comment or discussion on the consent agenda? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I wanted to also comment on item number 3 and thank councilmember alter for her comments. I just wanted to signal that I do share concerns about the financial stability of the hotel and I understand that the staff will be bringing us some changes to the bylaws in February, and I wanted to signal my intent to make sure that the council has appropriate oversight authority as part of those by last. Thank you. [11:12:54 AM] -- Bylaws. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember alter. >> Alter: I said this earlier, but I think some people who are watching didn't note it. But for item number 58, I would like to postpone that until February 4th, please. That is the champion item. >> Mayor Adler: And that's how it appears on the consent agenda. >> Alter: Yes. >> Mayor Adler: Manager, are you raising your hand? >> Mayor, just note on item 42, staff is going to request withdrawing that for technical reasons and it will give us time to further address some of the questions from councilmember Kelly. And so I put that as a recommendation for your consideration to just withdraw it on the consent agenda. That's item 42. >> Mayor Adler: Is there any objection to 42 being withdrawn? >> Alter: Which item is 42? >> Mayor Adler: This is the -- >> Purchasing for moving services. >> Mayor Adler: Moving services contract. Okay. [11:13:56 AM] Councilmember Kelly, you had wanted that pulled. Better than having it withdrawn. We'll keep that withdrawn on the consent agenda colleagues, anything else? Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: I'd like to thank you all and Emmy co-sponsors for supporting the resource recovery equity work. It Tim packet several of our districts, but mine especially. So thank you for that. I want to also express support for what councilmembers kitchen, alter mentioned related to the Abel bylaws coming back. That makes sense to me. And finally, thank you, councilmember Fuentes, for continuing the work on flooding. I'm looking forward to discussing that work today and moving forward. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Anything else, conversation on the consent agenda? Ann? [11:14:56 AM] City attorney? >> Mayor, so the record is clear, the amendment that councilmember harper-madison brought on item 56, we need to read that into the record, the amendment. I have it in front of me. Happy to do it if that would be helpful to anybody. >> Mayor Adler: Why don't you go ahead and read it into the record. >> Item number 2 goes along as it does until later than April 30th, 2021, including whether the city council should initiate amendments to the land development code, including but not limited to, a, B, C are the same. D reads: Analysis of projected impacts of any recommended land development code amendments related to flood mitigation on housing capacity and affordability and recommendations on how to address any of those impacts. Those are all the amendments. And just because they did not make it into the late backup we needed to read it for the public. >> Mayor Adler: That's fine. It was also posted on to the message board. Further comments on the [11:15:58 AM] consent agenda? Councilmember tovo? >> Tovo: I apologies, mayor. I have a quick question about 51 that I didn't get into the q&a in time that I need to ask staff about if we can accomplish that pretty quickly after the consent? >> Mayor Adler: Do you want to ask about that after we vote on the consent agenda? >> Tovo: Sure. No, could we pull it and -- I'm just signaling to you that it shouldn't be a lengthy conversation. I just -- the monday-wednesday schedule just has me a little befuddled and I had some questions. Some very quick questions for staff. >> Mayor Adler: Do you want to just ask them right now? I don't know the nature of the questions. >> Tovo: We could pull it and maybe take it it up right away if that works for you. >> Mayor Adler: Let's pull 51. Okay. Further comments on the consent agenda? Councilmember Renteria. Can't hear you. [11:16:59 AM] Still can't hear you. >> Renteria: Okay. On item 34, which is the millennium center, I would like to get information on how many more years do we have on the loan and whether the funding that we're given, the 600 plus -- $680,000. Is that also going back to the loan or is it going to help them operate this center? You know, this center has a history of being -- having -- not being able to produce or earn enough money on that to pay for the loan. So this is coming out of our direct funding, housing. So I would just like to get some information, but I'm not going to pull it right now. Just wanted to get some -- [11:18:01 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Do you want that information now or did you want staff to reach out to you? >> Renteria: I'd like for staff to just reach out to me because it would open up to a lot of questions for discussion. [Indiscernible]. >> Mayor Adler: Manager if you could follow up on councilmember Renteria? Councilmember harper-madison? >> Harper-madison: Thank you, mayor. And if I may, councilmember Renteria, I'll follow up with you also. It's a long, complex story as you can imagine. And we've been looking into it pretty consistently for the last two years. I'll tell you as much as we know as well. >> Renteria: I'll be happy to -- I was part of the CDC when that went into effect so I had a lot of concern about getting that into a long-term loan using housing money. >> Harper-madison: I understand. I'll guest you caught up on our end and will do their part as well. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Anything else, comments on the consent agenda? I just want to add my [11:19:01 AM] congratulations also to councilmember Fuentes for the first ifc, an important and something that we can move forward on. When I came into office six years ago it seemed like the only thing people wanted to talk about at that point was flooding down in your district. My, how times change. Still a real critical issue. But then also proud to support councilmember harper-madison on the east Austin work, councilmember tovo on reactivating downtown and the resource recovery ifc, councilmember Casar. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Councilmember tovo makes the commotion, councilmember Ellis seconds. The pulled items are 13, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 51. It's been moved and seconded. We've had some comments that have been read into the [11:20:02 AM] record. Those in favor of the consent agenda please raise your hand? Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais with everybody present and visible. It's 11:20. Let's take up a few of the additional items. I'm going call up first item number 61, which is the mayor pro tem issue and I'm going to make a motion. We have an abundance of talent on this dais. Certainly two have been talked about here at the end of that process. Councilmember harper-madison and councilmember alter, both of whom deserve and would be great mayors pro tem in this body. I think it's important to agree if we can that we move together as a unit on the [11:21:07 AM] dais. Either one of them could be great in this role. But my motion to have us move forward is that we elect both of them for successive one-year terms. Said differently, I would move that we elect councilmember harper-madison as mayor pro tem for this calendar year, and then beginning in next calendar year that councilmember alter become the mayor pro tem. And I think that would serve our council well. Is there a second to that motion? Councilmember pool seconds that motion. Is there any discussion? Councilmember harper-madison. >> Harper-madison: Thank you, mayor, I appreciate it. I appreciate your sentiment too, especially the part [11:22:09 AM] where you said what's best for us as a body because ultimately what's best for us as a body is what's best for us as a city. I appreciate we're looking at the selection of our mayor pro tem in a way that we want to put our best asset forward for the time. I have to tell anybody here today, I mean, even just the testimony we've received so far is it's a difficult job. There's a lot in the way of expectation and scrutiny, and frankly the people who trusted us enough to be in these positions, they deserve our best at all times. So I really, really appreciate the support of our community, my district and beyond, and the support of my colleagues. I love that my colleague, councilmember alter, and I, get to split this amazing opportunity. And I look forward to hitting the ground running. Who we as a council select among us as our mayor pro tem really is a powerful piece of symbolism. [11:23:09 AM] I think one of our callers spoke to that earlier. This is absolutely a [indiscernible] Board. I know each of us are in it tow win in and win it for our constituents, that's the most important part at the end of the day. But this particular thing I think I'm particularly equipped to carry the ball. The council will take on some of the biggest issues in our city. We'll continue to have conversation around public safety and homelessness and I think those are issues that we all recognize are largely rooted in institutional racism and I look forward to having the opportunity to lead on us taking on those issues -- continuing rather to take on those issues. I think by selecting someone who is born and raised in east Austin to take this role at this moment, someone who came from poverty, who experienced it at first hand, the struggles that discrimination produce and [11:24:10 AM] what it is that we're trying to address by getting rid up and overcoming those discriminatory practices in our system, we signal to our city that we remain dedicated to prioritizing equity and justice in the eastern crescent. It's a long road ahead. I'm certain of that and I know that no matter what happens that this -- we pointed out a symbolic vote on what is otherwise a ceremonial title. We still have a ton of action to take and I know we will continue to do that. I appreciate each and every one of my colleagues and the vote of support they've offered me today. I look forward to working with you all as individuals and as a collective body to make sure that this city is the best it can possibly be. So again, my sincere thanks to you all and to our community. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. I also wanted to touch base, obviously this is a resolution of this, which is atypical. Probably unprecedented. [11:25:14 AM] And I think certainly questions or conversations could be had or whether or not this is even an action that the council can take in an enforceable way. But I think that those are questions that will be decided by the council a year from now. But I believe that when we take this vote we're taking this vote with the moral commitment to abide by how we vote here. And I recognize that people will be making plans accordingly, so I would hope and trust that this carries forward and ends up being executed in this manner. Any further discussion on this motion? Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. I want to congratulate my colleague, Natasha harper-madison. I'll look forward to working with you in your new role. I'm very excited to have the [11:26:16 AM] support of my colleagues to serve in that role myself in 2022. I think that we as a council, as a city, have many, many challenges in front of us and it is really important that we work together, that we are a community and that we collaborate and move forward together. I feel like this is really -- should be councilmember harper-madison's day so I'm not going to make lengthy remarks at this point. I will have an opportunity to do that early in 2022 if I choose. So congratulations, mayor pro tem harper-madison, assuming we vote on that. And thank you to all of my colleagues for your support moving forward. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Kelly. >> Kelly: This may seem on obvious, but I will not agree with each of you, fellow councilmembers and mayor, on every item. [11:27:16 AM] There will be serious agreements on issues among us, but our work on council must continue in a neighborly way even despite those differences and I support this compromise and look forward to all the great work we're going to accomplish together. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I want to thank both. >> Alter: And councilmember harper-madison to -- councilmember alter and councilmember harper-madison to step up to the plate to serve in those reels. It's not easy to do that. I appreciate very much and respect their service and the talents they bring to the table. So I want to say thank you and I appreciate the fact that we have the opportunity to recognize them both and take advantage of the talents that they have offered. >> Mayor Adler: Great. Any other -- councilmember Casar? >> Casar: Thanks, mayor. And I just want to congratulate you both. I'm looking forward to working with everyone here [11:28:17 AM] and especially those of you in your new roles, first you Natasha this year and then Alison next, because there is so much to do. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Yes, city attorney? Ann? >> Thank you, mayor. Just so the record is clear, I appreciate what you said earlier, the charter allows of course the council to appoint one member to be the mayor pro tem. The mayor pro tem serves at the pleasure of the council. And so you will have one person at a time and then I think what you are signaling is that you will take another vote at the end of this year to have another mayor pro tem. >> Mayor Adler: Well, certainly the council can do whatever it wants to at that point in time, and I understand what you said, but the motion I am bringing that we're going to vote on is to elect councilmember harper-madison as our mayor pro tem for this calendar year and then for councilmember alter to be mayor pro tem beginning the next calendar year. [11:29:19 AM] I would certainly hope and expect the council would take steps tone doppler force that action at the end of the year and we can discuss all those things. And I recognize that by resolution we can't extend any powers that otherwise exist with the council. That said, that's the motion I'm making. Any further discussion on the motion? Then let's -- yes, councilmember pool. >> Pool: Thanks, mayor and thanks for underlining and emphasizing that the vote we're taking today specifically designates for this calendar year and one person for next calendar year, that that is our intent. And I join my colleagues on the dais in helping to embrace that intent and look forward to us to tact in that fashion. -- To act in that fashion the way we've set it forth. And thanks for all of the admonitions, though, from our city attorney. We appreciate that. I think it is important that [11:30:19 AM] you said that and that we are super, super clear on what our intentions are with not just the motion that the mayor has made that I seconded, but also our intentions going forward. And good luck to our two new, this year mayor pro tem harper-madison and next year mayor pro tem alter. And I'm looking forward to working with both of you guys in these specific roles as well. So here's to us. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Thank you. As a former mayor pro tem for two terms, I appreciate the conversations over the last couple of months about how we view that position. I can assure you having searched in that role for two terms it is not just ceremonial. There are actually real responsibilities that attend to that position. And I know that both councilmember, soon to be mayor pro tem harper-madison and councilmember alter, are really up to that level of service and I look forward [11:31:21 AM] to seeing your leadership in the next two years in that role. And I appreciate the mayor setting a tone for our meetings and I believe that both of you are up to that task of making sure that as we begin this new year with our new council, we are working even better than before. I hope in a much improved fashion to -- to work together as a council. You know, in the course of the conversations over the last couple of months about who would serve in this role and many of those have transpired in a way they haven't before, now that they haven't transpired before, but they have transpired in a much more public fashion this year, largely on our message board. Many of us have expressed our interest in having a more collaborative tone on the city council. The last couple of years on the city council have been some of the most divisive on [11:32:22 AM] council and I look back on something that joy harden, who many of you know, now division director in our planning department, joy harden in her first job interview back in 2011 made a comment to me that I've never forgotten about her belief and her philosophy that there should always be respect in the disagreement. And that is so true of the work that we do and so councilmember Kelly, you spoke to this as well. We are not always going to agree, even if we're mostly aligned, we will always have issues that we disagree about, but we need to continue to remain respectful in that disagreement. And in doing so I believe that we're able to forge better decisions if we're listening to one another and really trying to understand the ideas and the concerns that others are bringing forward. And I think we set a good example for our community about how to -- how to work together to forge better solutions. So again, I'm very excited [11:33:25 AM] about our new leadership, councilmember harper-madison. You have my support and I look forward to seeing you in that role for this next year can. Councilmember alter, the same for 2022. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Um, I just wanted to clarify since we're using the shorthand of 2021 and 22, that my term will go until we appoint the next mayor pro tem, which would be in 2023. I don't want us to be without a mayor pro tem at the same time that we're doing a transition to mayor. So I just wanted to make sure that we had that clarity, which was in mayor Adler's motion, but through the course of conversation I didn't want to get that confused. So thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: And thanks for that emphasis. The motion is for councilmember harper-madison to be mayor pro tem for the calendar year 2021 and then for councilmember alter then [11:34:26 AM] to mayor pro tem thereafter. Those in favor of the motion please raise your hand? Those opposed? A unanimous decision by count on the mayor pro tem. Congratulations, mayor pro tem harper-madison at a minute or two before noon I'm going to be turning the chair over to you so that I can go do that meeting. All righting, colleagues, let's see if we can resolve some of the matters that are before us. Councilmember tovo, you had some questions -- was it -- on which item? >> Tovo: Thank you. On item 51, this is the item to waive fees for the Texas capitol complex master plan. One of the challenges here is it's been going on a long time. And the upshot of my question is can you please -- can staff please help us understand the impact of what we're being asked to do today? It is we're amending the fee schedule, but I can't really -- without the [11:35:33 AM] information I can't really tell what the impact is of doing so. And the reason I'm particularly interested in it is because as you know, this year when we were discussing the saves resolution, we earmarked right- of-way fees that are in excess of the estimated amount for this fiscal year for saves funding. So I want to be particularly -- I'm particularly looking at all of these right-of-way fee vacations because that's an important -- that will be an important source of funding potentially for our saves venues and childcare facilities. >> Thank you, councilmember tovo. My understanding is this is a technical correction. It's an edit that needed to be made to the fee structure, but I will ask our staff to confirm that for you here. I believe there's staff from the law department on the line. >> As we're waiting for them to get online, if they would also help us understand if there are any actual fees that we're receiving or if [11:36:33 AM] they're all waived for the Texas capital complex master plan. >> Councilmember, we're getting someone to answer that question. [11:37:44 AM] Oh, councilmember, on item -- on the item I believe there was a typo. And we are withdrawing that item so that we can repost it with the correct -- with the correct number. >> Mayor Adler: You're saying 51? >> Tovo: This is item 51? >> Yes. >> Tovo: Miss Thomas, I had asked a question earlier about an item that I wondered about the withdrawal and I got that information back. I think that was item 40 that they're reposting it next week. This one was 51 -- I apologize for the confusion. This one is 51 with regard to the right-of-way fees for the state's Texas capitol complex master plan. >> Oh, I'm sorry. We're getting that question for you. Getting that answer for you. >> Tovo: Mayor, shall we just come back to it. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, let's come back to it. [11:38:44 AM] Let's put 51 aside here for a second. Let's pick up -- do we have time you think to do health south or should we go to the item 24? >> Kitchen: Mayor, we could do item 25 quickly. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's go to item 25. >> Kitchen: Okay. I would like to make a motion to postpone item 25 until next week, February 4th. My concern is that -- you know, item 25 relates to our consent to -- consent related to an esd17, which primarily impacts the pflugerville area. We had testimony earlier from our ems association president related to this, [11:39:46 AM] and I have had some opportunity to speak with one of the councilmembers from pflugerville, and I understand that they're working through their process. And there's a lot of questions and confusion around this at this point, and I think it would be most appropriate -- at this point I think it would be most appropriate to allow pflugerville to take their action first since they're primarily impacted. But regardless of that I think we need additional time to understand the full scope of the questions related to that. I have also gotten emails from members of the public who are both for and against this. So at this point in time I think it would make more sense for us to allow more time to understand city of pflugerville's process. And I'm not prepared to vote on it today. >> Mayor Adler: Colleagues, I agree with the [11:40:47 AM] postponement for one week, recognizing that in one week it's kind of our drop dead date to be able to do this. So we're going to need to -- anything we do next week will be of consequence, but I support the motion to postpone. Any further conversation? Councilmember pool and then the mayor pro tem. >> Pool: Yeah, thanks, mayor, that was the point I wanted to make is how much time do we have? We really only have until February 12, I think. And if we're hoping that pflugerville will enlighten us maybe they can do it pretty quickly, but I think we will need to take our vote in time for this to be put [indiscernible]. It affects a small portion of my district and then the rest maybe in district 1, but there's a little bit of district 7 that's in the far central north part of the city that is affected by this. And generally speaking I do [11:41:49 AM] support putting proposals, propositions to the electorate so they can give it a thumb's up or thumb's down so they can determine for themselves how they like to see a particular proposal happen because they will be affected by it. So generally speaking, I would be voting in support of putting this on the ballot today, but I'll support the request for postponement as long as we don't do anything to damage the fact that we do have a timeline that we're working with. >> Mayor Adler: I think also, councilmember pool, that I think that the day may be February 8th, 60 days after the day we received the petition, in case anybody from pflugerville is watching. But our last council meeting prior to that date is anticipated to be February 4th. So if anybody wants to send us any kind of signals or actions, we need it prior to that. Councilmember alter and then councilmember kitchen. >> Alter: Thank you. I just wanted to point out [11:42:50 AM] that we've also heard from commissioner Shea and commissioner Travillion in support of this item. I am open to the additional time. I know that I have not yet had a chance to connect up with folks at the pflugerville council and would definitely appreciate the chance to do that. I do want to know from my colleagues that this item, they're interrelated, but they're not interrelated, so if we vote, it's my understanding and staff can correct me if I'm wrong, if we vote it doesn't obligate pflugerville, and if pflugerville votes it doesn't affect us. These are -- this will still move forward potentially on the ballot even without a vote from pflugerville for it. It would just be a smaller section of the esd that would benefit from the tax collections if the voters approve it T that's different than something that we've done with fire where everyone has to approve it or something happens. I just thought that was an [11:43:51 AM] interesting difference that I think we need to keep in mind so that our vote doesn't actually obligate pflugerville to do something that they don't want, but it would provide an opportunity if we so choose for our voters to vote whether they want these additional services or not. >> Mayor Adler: I think -- I don't think councilmember Ellis has had a chance to speak yet. Councilmember Ellis. >> Ellis: Thank you, mayor. I can support this postponement. I think it is important for people who are able to vote on something that affects them locally to have the opportunity to vote. I know there's a relationship between what is city of Austin's endorsement or support and what is the city of pflugerville. And I appreciate the commission percent you Shea and Travillion for providing their input, especially in backup, so we all have that to reference. So I will support the postponement today knowing [11:44:52 AM] that we'll need to get some questions answered and move forward next week one way or the other. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: And a couple of clarifications for staff, not for right now, but I would like to understand better. And thank you, councilmember alter, for the clarification on the impact of this. And that's another reason I would like some more understanding. And just to clarify for everyone, this is a petition -- this is not the same type of position that we are talking about forward to the other petition items in front of us. This is not the petition that requires being placed on the ballot. That's just an FYI. It's not a statement of position from me. But I do want to understand the impact on our city of Austin president dents from a taxes standpoint and also since I believe that our residents -- I would want to understand the extent to [11:45:53 AM] which our residents are already receiving these types of services, and so I'm not certain that we're talking about additional services for them. We may be and I just don't know. But those are the kinds of questions that I think I would like to clarify before next week. >> Mayor Adler: Sounds good. There are a lot of questions that people have raised. Any other discussion on this item before we approve the postponement? Those in favor of the postponement for one week to February 4th please raise your hand? Those opposed? I'm seeing everybody voting in favor. This item is postponed to February 4th. Are we ready to hear on item 51? >> Yes, this is Robert spillar, director of transportation. I believe I can answer the questions and then law may need to help me. My understanding is there's two questions. [11:46:53 AM] One, councilmember tovo, please context me if I'm wrong, -- correct me if I'm wrong, is does this revision change the total amount waived in terms of fees for the capitol complex? And the answer is no. There was an error in the fee schedule which was an attachment. The actual number that was calculated for the total waiver was correct. And so law advises that we needed to correct the -- through coming back to council the detail that was in the back of the fee waiver. And then I believe there was a second question, are we collecting the actual fees for service part of the right-of-way fees from the capitol complex? And the answer is yes, we are recouping funds necessary to recover our actual costs, but we are not charging the rental fees per the waiver, the earlier item. >> Tovo: Thank you, [11:47:53 AM] director spillar. So the largest part of what we typically collect in terms of fees has been waived, not in effect been waived, it has been waived. Mostly we're not collecting fees. We've waived most of the fees on these for the state projects. >> Yes. >> Tovo: Okay. I'll have to refresh my memory about whether that goes on the ledger or not, but that answers my questions. >> It does, I believe, councilmember, it goes on to the ledger, yes. >> Tovo: Okay. I can't wait until we can access the many dollars on the ledger to use for city projects. >> Yes. >> Tovo: Thank you very much, director spillar. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Colleagues, let's take a vote on item 51 then. Those in favor of item 51 please please raise your hand? Those opposed? 51 is unanimously approved by the dais. >> Thank you, mayor and council. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. [11:48:57 AM] Colleagues, that has us taking -- the only things left in front of us are the health south conversation, the items 27 through 32 which relate to hotels that we'll take up after speakers at 3:00. And zoning, which we'll take up after zoning speakers at 2:00. If Jerry is guessing correctly, there's only one of the zoning items that looks like it may be a discussion. So I don't know how many of the zoning speakers are going to want to speak. Certainly everyone who signed up has the ability to be able to do that, but it will not take us that long to get through zoning. And then we'll have the hotel speakers and then we'll be able to address those items. We have health south and then we also have the executive session. It is now 10 minutes until noon. I think what we'll do is we'll call the health south kind of lay that out without the expectation that we're [11:49:57 AM] going to be able to resolve that. We have citizen communication speakers at noon. My recommendation would be at noon I'll leave. My recommendation would be that we take a lunch break at that point, reconvene an hour after citizen communication is over in executive session, have the conversation about that and the desires of people and then come back out to the dais or just come back after the hour to the dais to finish health south and then go into executive session. Let's call up item number 13, which is health south, and I'm going to ask harper-madison to make a motion, lay out her motion since this is in her district. And then after her motion is laid out, then I'm going to [11:50:58 AM] recognize councilmember tovo and then she can take us through her suggestions as well. Obviously she's been working on this project for a long time too. Councilmember harper-madison, do you want to lay out your motion? >> Harper-madison: I do, and thank you, mayor. I appreciate it. I'll try to keep my commentary prior to the motion brief given our limited amount of time that we have. And I appreciate that you acknowledge that councilmember tovo even prior to my, you know, two years here, has been working on this and other councilmembers have been working on this. So I appreciate having the opportunity to jump in for my district. You know, the truth is facts are facts. And one of the most undeniable facts -- I don't know if anybody has been looking at real estate lately, but it is completely out of control. One of the most undeniable facts is that we have a massive housing shortage in the city of Austin. And I think that's even more true when we're talking about affordable housing opportunities both in central Austin, but even more so when we're talking [11:52:01 AM] about downtown. Out of all the new towers and residential developments we've seen in the last decade, only two projects delivered a mix of market rate and income restricted units in our central business district. I used our own affordable housing online search tool. If you haven't looked at that yet, it's actually very good. It's a great resource. Our own affordable housing online search tool that we launched back in November, to look it up. Of the 491 income restricted buildings in the city inventory, only two are downtown. And of the 33,067 income restricted units subsidized by the city, only 62 are in any of our downtown towers. And even those that are restricted, at the loosest level of 80% of the median household income. So what we have before us is a proposal to add 87 new rental units at 50 to 60% of the median family income. That more than doubles the [11:53:02 AM] affordable rental stock in the economic heart of our city. And for the first time we can bring some city- backed opportunities for affordable housing and affordable home ownership in this area. And all in all a project that is the epitome of what we're talking about when we say complete communities. People of all income levels being able to live next to jobs, world class park right on the upcoming bus rapid transit and future light rail line, across from the hospital, universities, museums, presidential library. The list goes on. I really appreciate being able to recognize that -- I've mentioned this before, but I really appreciate being able to recognize that opportunity to truly connect east-west. I know there have been some conversations around aquatics infrastructure here. Really appreciate the opportunity to recognize that less than a mile and a half away right down the road there's two pools and great parks and they're going to be world class pools after they get the updates that they're due [11:54:03 AM] coming up. I also want to make sure that we're not leaving anything on the table. In my mind's eye I think we can start making the math really work when we consider the opportunities afforded to us by the approval of project connect. We know that parking can be a big chunk of the project's cost and one frankly that gets passed on to future residents. So now that we know that the gold line is going to bring new mobility options just one block away from this site, I hope we can reassess what the parking needs are here. That's one more consideration. And whether or not we can utilize tools such as the decoupling and so we can did he prioritize the need for cars. It's important that this does not lock sexual abuse a final item. It simply authorizes staff to negotiate terms of a project and to bring those terms back to us for final consideration. So I'm confident that that [11:55:08 AM] we'll see something that might represent a small drop in the citywide bucket and that will make a big splash in one of the highest opportunity areas that we have. So with that I move that we approve item 13 to negotiate and execute an exclusive negotiating agreement with aspen heights partners and to include terms in the eventual master development agreement for the lease and redevelopment of the former health south tract. And to return to council prior to the execution of the master development agreement. The city manager should keep council appraised as to the status of the negotiations and return for further direction if substantial concerns arise. In the this negotiation city staff is directed to explore the inclusion of the following provisions in the terms of the master development agreement. Creative methods to free up funds to provide more on-site affordable housing [11:56:08 AM] and/or deeper levels of affordability such as the reassessment of parking needs and the utilization of tools such as decoupling parking from the residential units. A commitment to adhere to the tenant protection divisions within the rental housing development assistance guidelines. Programming and a live music venue space that can be leased to live music venue operators, prioritizing operators representing historically disentriesed musicians. The inclusion of a high quality, affordable childcare. Alternative cross-subsidizing opportunities in lieu of or in conjunction with commercial office tower space. And lastly, improve connectivity by taking available opportunities to restore the original downtown street grid and ensure all public right-of-way is pedestrian oriented with ground level [11:57:10 AM] activation. And that's it. >> Mayor Adler: Sounds good. Thank you for that motion. Is there a second to this motion? Councilmember tovo seconds the motion. We have three minutes before we go to the citizens communication. Kathie, I don't know if it makes sense for you to even start with three minutes. >> Tovo: Perhaps unanimity on the amendments and then we'll accomplish it, but it's up to you. Either way. >> Mayor Adler: I think we probably need a little bit of transferring just to true it up. But I'm supportive of the thrust of yours as well. I think we should get as much as we possibly can. Let's just take -- >> Tovo: Mayor, can I just -- >> Mayor Adler: Yeah. >> Tovo: Can I lay something out for logistics. Colleagues, I did want to say that or Katie powers sent out two motion sheets for me last night. [11:58:10 AM] There's just one slight difference between the two. And that is the insertion of some language early on that says attempt to, an attempt to obtain. That was law's request. So the message board reflects the first version and not the second, but the only difference is those additional two words. And just as a global point, I'll say this is in the main very, very similar to the motions and the amendments -- the amendments I had brought forward in December. There are some additional ones and if it's useful to anybody I'm happy to walk through those additional ones, but it is restructured so it will look different, but a lot of the amendments are consistent with what I brought forward in December. And several of them are very consistent or reflected also in mayor pro tem harper-madison's motion as well. So I thank her for her [11:59:15 AM] motion that includes some of those really critical elements. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. That sounds good. Let's do this. My suggestion would be that go to citizens communication right now. I'm going to turn the chair over to the mayor pro tem. My suggestion would be that we take a lunch break for an hour and then come back to the general session. Let's dispose of and resolve health south. I feel a need, councilmember tovo, to have a question about priorities. I like the priorities that are in councilmember harper-madison's, but at the same time I think we should going -- taking a look at whatever it is we can get. But to take a lunch break for an hour, come back. We'll deal with health south and then we'll go into executive session and then come back out to hear speakers and resolve the zoning question. So with that here at 11:59, I'm going to turn the chair [12:00:16 PM] over to the mayor pro tem and I'll see you guys when we reconvene after lunch. Mayor pro tem, your gavel. >> Harper-madison: Thank you, mayor. Kathie, maybe you can confirm for me whether or not at least the first couple of times you hear that you feel a little giddy? I appreciate that. >> Tovo: And we may all slip a couple of times, but yeah, it is a well deserved title. So welcome. >> Harper-madison: Thank you. I appreciate that very much. All right, it now looks like we're going to hear citizens communications. After we're done with citizens communications, I think the intent as the mayor stated is to take a recess and come back around 1:00 and go into executive session. Then we'll come back at 2:00 to take up items related to zoning, in which case clerk are you ready to hear citizens communications? >> Yes, we're ready. The first speaker is Amy kraizman. >> Hi, can you hear me? [12:01:16 PM] >> Harper-madison: Yes. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Hi. I live in council area 9, district 9, and I'm calling in favor of article 30 and 31 for housing and purchase of a hotel, and I have questions and concerns regarding the use of act teams for treatment for mental health for those who are able to be housed in the possible new purchase of a hotel. I'm completely in favor of that, I also want to encourage intensive services for those individuals who may have been street homeless for a long time or a short period of time, but also have mental illness and probably substance use disorder. I'm a big proponent of act and I've worked on act teams in Brooklyn, New York. And also as far as housing first model, I think that it's an evidence-based approach to homelessness, but it also needs to be in [12:02:18 PM] tandem with intensive mental health and services for the individuals and also with a harm reduction approach, understanding that they most likely will have some substance use disorder. Thank you for your time and consideration. I really appreciate it. >> Harper-madison: Thank you, speaker. >> Hello? Thank you, bye-bye. >> Next speaker is moseley Hobson. >> To the mayor of council, the honorable Steve Adler, to madam mayor pro tem, to the members of the city council, thank you for accepting my request to speak today. I would like to take a moment to officially introduce myself. My name is moseley Hobson, I am the pastor of the greater St. Johns forgotten Christ located at 7210 Providence avenue in the heart of the St. Johns community and a part of district 4. I also serve the church of [12:03:21 PM] Christ located in smithville Texas. My service as pastor to one of the greatest congregations in Austin comes on the shoulders of leaders whose service spans over the last 71 years, which are they have left a lasting impact to the community in which we are a part. The most recent leader being pastor Anthony Monroe who took his rest and gained heavenly wings in August of 2020. Mr. Mayor, as a new pastor in the greater Austin community, we endeavor to be visible throughout the community, helping serve our homeless, support our less fortunate through services and programs, and teach biblical principles of Jesus Christ that has the power to transform lives, all for the purpose of building and making our community better day-by-day. We hope that we can share in city resources that will help make our mission and vision possible. Members of the council, especially councilmember Casar, know that we are not sitting idle, but we are an active part of this community, already partnering with the governor's office to do work with first lady Abbott's [12:04:22 PM] grace initiative as well as other faith-based organizations to address the challenges that members of our community's fate. I'm not able to name all of the areas of interest for the sake of time, but some areas include human trafficking, diversity, equity and inclusion, faith-based initiatives that help ministries support communities. Health, educational and workforce disparities, and even covid-19 vaccine and information to the communities most affected by this deadly virus. Mr. Mayor, please allow me to thank you on behalf of my congregation for the steps you have taken to protect austinites. We recognize there's still much work ahead. So please know the members of greater St. John and new Zion hills churches are praying for you daily. Again, thank you for this time and I look forward to possible conversations with you and the council in the future. God bless all of you. >> Casar: Mayor pro tem? >> Harper-madison: Oh, my apologies. Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: I would just like to thank pastor Hobson [12:05:24 PM] and welcome him in this role. We'll be reaching out to have conversations about our work together and we hold pastor Monroe's memory close to our hearts. Thank you for coming and speaking to us. >> Harper-madison: Thank you. Next speaker? >> Gaylyn Ziegler. >> Hello, thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate it. I live in south Austin on south first just south of lady bird lake and my questions are around the homeless situation that we are all trying to process here in Austin. I have some information I'd like to share for fiscal year that ended in September. It appears that Austin appropriated $73.4 million for homeless-related services. My understanding is that's the most ever in the city. And 54.4 million of that was from local fund while 19 was from federal. The ending community homelessness coalition is the lead agency to plan and [12:06:26 PM] implement community-wide strategies. As you know, they do a yearly headcount and in 2020 that was 20506 individuals experiencing homelessness in the city. So based on that, this amount is just over 29,000 being spent per person and does not include state funding that's provided by the Texas department of housing and community affairs. With the bill that they recently passed, 49.4 million is appropriated yearly to the nine largest cities in Texas, as you know, and then there was an additional three million in the last legislative session earmarked for youth homelessness. As I talk about all of these numbers, they're very large amounts, 74 million, 49 million, three million. And all the while I am hearing local leaders running campaigns on issues related to the environment. While I am seeing our waterways and our he is chew awares and roadsides and parks being polluted by trash caused by the homeless encampments. Those by Cesar Chavez as I'm [12:07:26 PM] sure you all know are growing exponentially. Lady bird is flooded with trash and debris coming around the hillside. I exercise around lady bird and I've felt on numerous occasions my safety and jeopardy because these individuals are experiencing substance abuse of some kind, which we need to address as a community, however they're approaching without masks and that is also a concern for the citizens because we are struggling with, as you all know, covid at this time. My question is really very simple. What is the money being spent on now and how do we as the taxpayers of the city know that we're getting what we're paying for? Is there any insight into perhaps establishing employees that would clean up the trash and the debris that's around these encampments as we all work together to try to figure pow a long-term solution and perhaps have officers stationed in the park areas so that if a citizen feels that they're in jeopardy they can get a quick response as opposed to trying to dial 911 and then the situation is no longer [12:08:28 PM] there. To recap, I just would love to have an understanding of what that looks like, if there's any talk around an improvement of cleanup of these areas because it is getting quite bad. I appreciate the opportunity to share my concerns. And I look forward to hearing your thoughts around solutions. Thank you for your time. >> Harper-madison: Thank you, speaker. [Buzzer]. >> Matt Tunstall. >> Hello, my name is Matt Tunstall, the president and founder of outdoor events association. Our organization has just expanded into the Austin market and is about to make a big splash with a new suite of advertising products never seen before. And these consist of several things that I want to give you all a head's up. We invented a chair made of cardboard, recycled [12:09:29 PM] cardboard that supports 485 pounds and is all completely digital print branding. You will be seeing these popping up all over the city. Additionally we work with many municipalities to subsidize solutions through advertising channels as well. Basically creating murals, advertising murals across roads of portable toilets to provide sanitation solutions across the city. And additionally I have one more question. I am requesting permission to put television screens on the roofs of food trucks across the city on a 30/70 split on air time for public announcements. Many businesses are struggling as we all know and advertising is the driver of economic development. And so advertising being so expensive I'm requesting that we all think a little bit differently on how businesses can bounce back P you know, once covid starts to dissipate. So thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing your feedback. [12:10:34 PM] >> That concludes the noon citizens communication. >> Harper-madison: Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I think I may have miscalled the order. We switched it up a little bit. So it looks like at 12:10 what we're going to do is actually come back here around 1:00 to take up health south and then go into executive session. So thank you again. Thank you, colleagues and all the speakers at this point we are going to take a recess and come back at 1:00 P.M., at which case I will call us in recess as of 12:10 P.M. On 1-27-2021. [12:44:50 PM] . [1:16:21 PM] >> It is 1:16:00 P.M., still January 27, 2021 this meeting is being handled remotely. We're going to pull back up the healthsouth item, which is item number 13. If you didn't advance that ball, then we're at a place now with a motion and a 2nd from council member, from mayor pro tem harper-madison and we recognized Kathie for amendment. Hang on one second. Mayor pro tem. >> Thank you, mayor. It was brought to my attention there may have been some confusion about my motion. I want to be clear the motion was to negotiate an exclusive negotiating agreement with aspen heights partners, I think I said negotiate and execute during my [1:17:23 PM] commentary. >> I thought it was to negotiate and execute a negotiating agreement. >> Correct. >> With the staff coming back before they actually negotiated a contract. >> That's the part where I wanted to be clear. The direction was to negotiate with staff coming back to council. >> Correct. I think that still has them entering into an exclusive negotiating contract now with the -- >> Aspen heights partners. >> But they have to come back before they actually would sign a deal. >> Thank you. >> A deal to sell or lease. Okay? Council member tovo. >> Tovo: Thank you so much. Mayor, I would like to advance the amendments as strike on my motion sheet version 2, please. >> Okay. Is there a 2nd to council member tovo's moving forward with her motion sheet? Seconded by council member [1:18:26 PM] Renteria. Council member tovo, do you want to discuss it any further? >> Tovo: No, I have general comments but I'll let my colleagues ask any questions. I don't need to talk about all the elements in this stage. >> Colleagues, any discussion on the tovo issue? Council member Renteria. >> Renteria: Thank you, mayor. I would like to request the staff to include the community court in the commercial use, council member tovo brought up in her q&a, her question and answer, you know, I think that the relocation fund could have off set the financial impact with the plan to do that, the lease that they were planning to do, with an option to buy and that would have cost around $21 million plus, and we wouldn't [1:19:27 PM] own the building. And I think that today, we could do a lease option with healthsouth, you know, and also would like to say that, you know, the center being there would be, you know, the best practice to put to use that building since it is next to the sobriety center. And that's the type of service we should have nearby and close so this will give us a big, a great opportunity. I really want to thank tovo for her work on this and I think that this could be a plus, plus if we went that route, unless the city staff has already determined, has found other options, but I think this would be a great opportunity for all [1:20:27 PM] of Austin. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Council member Renteria moves to amend the amendment to add the community court to a list of thicks. Is there a second to the amendment to the amendment? Council member kitchen seconds that amendment to the amendment so let's have a conversation now about the community court. That's the issue in front of us. And if staff could make themselves available here, I have some questions, as well. City manager, I don't know if you need to pull them up. And while staff is coming up, you have 6 you wanted to raise on the community court? >> No, I was going to support council member Renteria. I think it makes sense to explore that as part of this process and wanted to support [1:21:29 PM] that. >> I have a question, if I could could. I'm trying to figure out what we can do here that is helpful and useful and constructive. I know that there was kind of a memo that you September sent out to us where there were certain guardrails you wanted us to operate within that would enable this process to proceed without having to reissue an rfp or change the process. There are a lot of things, I think, that the council would like to see in this deal. The council doesn't necessarily have a good idea of what's realistic and what might not be with the property. What is achievable and what is [1:22:30 PM] not achievable, and part of that is the negotiations that you have. There's a list now that's started with what was originally council member harper-madison's deal. Council member tovo, added to by council member tovo, and now the additional element of the community court. At some point, we ask for so many things that there is not enough in the deal for the deloper to be able to pay for the things that we want to have happen. But we don't know where those things are. And I don't know some of the things that were added that would be added by council member tovo's amendment, is kind of coming back to council as you start getting a feel for those [1:23:31 PM] issues to report that the council can give you additional instruction or direction as a part of those negotiations as you go through it. I want us to stay within the guardrails that you have established. With that said, if we were to adopt the Renteria amendment to the tovo amendment, do you have still a direction and process that enables you to be able to proceed. >> Mayor and council, Veronica, chief economic recovery officer. I think from staff's perspective, and we have been engaged in these conversations for a while now what would be helpful for the staff, if the [1:24:34 PM] amendments were brought forward, as we move forward with negotiations, what is priority for council. We are here, I'm not alone. We have the purchasing department here to speak to the guardrails. The intent is not to rebid but make these amendments and move forward. The second piece, we would really like guidance to whether council's intent was to lease or sell the property. That would also be helpful in these discussions. And I will pause there and see if anybody from the EdD team or law or purchasing would like to add anything to that. >> You did raise your hand? Okay. >> No, mayor, thank you. >> Okay. [1:25:37 PM] So I don't know how to address you in your position. Are you officers? Are you director? >> I'll answer to anying, mayor. Officer is good. Just call me Veronica. >> Mayor Adler: All right. So what I get off what you said is that, that's certainly if there is a desire to have the community court considered, we can leave that in. You're looking for what you request would be some feel for priority and some indication of whether we're suggesting a lease or a purchase. Okay. The amendment to the amendment is still front of us. Council member tovo. >> Tovo: Since we're on a more general topic at moment, I will wanted to clarify. I thought that mayor pro tem harper-madison's motion was to lease, so I think that's worth clarifying. If we're going to have a [1:26:38 PM] conversation about different amendments and what not, I want to make clear, as as the director indicated there is not an intent from mayor pro tem harper-madison or from my motion sheet to rebid the process. We are working within the guardrails of the existing rfp and I'm happy to say when we're back up to the main amendment, I'm happy to say a word about priorities. But it is my understanding that we work really closely with law and purchasing and tried a couple of different options and landed on one that, as I understand it, is well within the guardrails of not needing to go back and reopen the rfp. >> Coming from Harper -- made the base motion, from mayor pro tem, says it is for the lease and redevelopment, so I think if [1:27:38 PM] this passes, that gives you the direction on that issue. If you need further clarification on that, let us know or let Ann tell us, but right now I think that provides the direction direction to lease. If that is not good enough, someone from staff needs to tell us. Before us is the amendment to the amendment to add the consideration including the community court. Any discussion on this issue? Council member pool. >> Pool: I would just say, since it is a consideration, I think that we should give council member Renteria's addition some oxygen and let the staff look at that. They will be coming back to us with some recommendations so that would be a good time then to weigh the plus or the minus on it. So I'm supportive of council member Renteria's amendment to council member tovo's amendment. [1:28:39 PM] >> Thank you, mayor pro tem. >> I actually support what council member pool just said, but I did want to be clear, as we are offering clarification, I wanted to be clear, I thought that council member tovo pulled consideration from the deck from her amendment. >> Council member, yeah, council member tovo's amendment does not include the downtown. It does not include the community court. >> So council member Renteria was reintroducing it. I understand. >> Amendment to add it. Yes, council member tovo real quickly then just the hands. >> Tovo: Thank you, I did pull it, thank you for clarifying that mayor pro tem. I am supportive of this amendment. I would like to make sure those conversations happen with, we did hear from some stakeholders [1:29:39 PM] who wanted us to be aware of some element that, but I think it is appropriate to consider it and just would ask that it be done with some of the stakeholders. And by stakeholders I really mean some of our social service and our housing individuals. >> Further discussion? Council member Renteria. >> Yes, mayor. The reason I brought that is I think it is a real good opportunity for the commercial part of the building, it is going to give them a guarantee rent for the next 10 years, if we do follow that route. The previous site that we were considering for this was going to be a 21,500,000 project for 10 years that is just the option. That's the lease with an option [1:30:40 PM] to buy it at the end of 10 years, so if we are going to be investing that kind of money into office building and within with the people working at home now there might be a great opportunity to put office buildings, because I know that we're very limited in office space right now. Having to go into a really expensive lease that we never get anything out of it. So I think it is just a great opportunity to have that so close to downtown. That's why I made that recommendation, to look into it and see if it is feasible to have a location there. >> CAS >> Casar: I support that. I heard from new folks moving in [1:31:41 PM] at the county they might want to start conversations with us because there are conversations about substance abuse drop in centers, so we should look at healthsouth as a consideration but put out in the air now since we're talking about it that the county, new leaders over there might be interested in collaborating for us for the deck along with other services so we should be looking at both of those tracks. >> Mayor Adler: Further discussion on the Renteria amendment to the amendment. Council member alter. >> Alter: This is related to the amendment and procedural question. I'm confused when we should be in real estate executive session and when we should be having these discussions on the dais. I know that we have to make votes on certain things but some of this discussion seems might [1:32:43 PM] be more appropriate in executive session, and I would just welcome a little bit of clarity over that. If anyone sells wondering that. >> You want to address that? How much direction did we give you in open session and how much direction should we be giving you in executive session. >> To the extent you're talking about something that is confidential, I know that Veronica and the others will signal you we can't talk about it. But these deals, you're asking very publicly for the deal involve a lot of different things and I think that we need that public direction. I think that's what this, employees and et cetera are asking for, direction about what you want as we March forward. >> Does that answer your question, council member alter? [1:33:43 PM] >> Alter: Yes, it does. And it does under score the importance of getting it set up fast. >> The Austin economic development corporation. With further remembrance of our former colleague. Those in favor of the Renteria amendment, raise your hand. Opposed? That is unanimous on the dais. That gets us to the tovo amendment, as amended. Discussion. Yes, council member Ellis. >> Thank you, mayor. I really appreciate having this laid out on the message board in a way we can take our time to go through each of the bullet points. I am going to offer an amendment, and I'm sorry it is still being up loaded toed [1:34:43 PM] message board. In council member tovo's message board post, where it says the city manager directed to, I wanted to slightly amend that to say, ensure that at a minimum the economic development department, then it goes on with what council member tovo said, finance department, office of real estate, parks and recreation department, Austin transportation department and housing and planning are deeply involved and engaged in the negotiation of the terms of the master development agreement, so the only change in that first sentence is adding in economic development and the transportation department. And then the second sentence, instead would read, the housing and planning department shall, in particular, have essential role in negotiations regarding the affordable housing component of the project, just to specify the importance of the role with housing and planning to discuss [1:35:44 PM] affordable housing but also understanding that economic development has been the lead department through these discussions and just trying to balance interdepartmental collaboration by making sure housing and planning -- >> Oh, no. Page froze. >> I think we got the gist of what she was saying. >> I hate to debate while she is not here to discuss it. >> I do have some comments but I will wait until she returns. >> Yeah, let's give her a chance to come back. >> While we're waiting on the council member, you could point me to where she was trying to [1:36:44 PM] amend the motion sheet. >> It is page 4 and the first bullet. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: The first bullet point under "The city manager is directed to." [1:37:48 PM] >> Mayor and council, I.T. Are working to see what the issue is. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Am I back? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, you're back. >> Hey who is ready to be back in person, Ya'll. [Laughter] >> I'm sorry, I was able to get on atxm for a moment so I appreciate you all taking a pause for a moment. The language laid out, I was able to get all my words in. Wanted to make sure housing and planning is involved in the affordable housing component and this particular line is the first bullet point in council member tovo's direction, the city manager is degreesed to, so that is at the end of her longer message board with a couple of sub headings. [1:38:49 PM] >> Mayor Adler: So council member Ellis moves to amend that pardon of council member tovo's amendment, which adds the Austin transportation department as a department to be considered, to be involved. It lists all the departments that are involved it identifies the housing and planning department have a particular role but it does not direct who is the primary lead. Is that correct, councilmember Ellis? That's what I gathered. >> Yes, and I will note it has now been up loaded to the message board, directly under council member tovo's if the other colleagues would like 0 chance to see it in writing. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Is there a 2nd to the Ellis amendmented to the amendment. Any discussion on the amendment to the amendment. [1:39:51 PM] Council member tovo. >> Tovo: I can support the addition to the economic development department. Clearly, they are involved in it which is why we didn't call them here. The transportation department, I have no particular concern about them being noted here but the transportation piece it sounds like has happened with the right of way, with all of right of way conversations going on around red river so I'm not sure that there is a role in really hammering out bullet points that are contained within this, but I think that's fine, especially as this version now includes some pretty directive, as directing -- as I'm talking it through, I wasn't aware of this piece until just this minute. Transportation it seems to me is appropriate, too, given the language about the alley and some of the other work. But I do want to say that last sentence really does change the meaning of what I've been doing [1:40:53 PM] here. Economic development has been the lead on this project and one of the conversations I would like to have as a council and may do it in a work group form or may just do it working with some comings Ares to bring forward an ifc, but I think with the economic development corporation, this is something I intended to talk about quickly in my closing comments but I will do it here. We have multiple paths for city-owned tracks to take. We as a council should set some policy guidelines in place for which entity should take lead on different kinds of land. And so we heard about this being led by development and not by housing and indicated, I think, there would have -- it would have, it potentialcally have -- [1:41:56 PM] we might have had less amendments on this sheet had it been approached from a project within the Austin housing finance corporation, for example. We need set policy guidelines for which path a project should take this project was initiated as a housing project, not as a mixed development project and I'm happy to take more time and bore everything by going back to the original resolutions, but we've gone back to it multiple times. It was intended to be a housing project and the significant and primary purpose being affordable housing. So I feel quite strongly about leaving the language as it is because I do want housing and planning to be driving the conversation so we can realize the goal of having as many affordable units as possible. If that is central, I believe [1:42:57 PM] that some of these other elements will fall into line. I will just offer, as we had conversations about the right of way charge being charged to the project and developers and the tabses, I mean the bond -- and the taxes, I mean the bond cat, we were able to net another $6 million from this project. If the drive is to gets a many affordable housing tracks as possible -- I will ask colleagues we not amend that we not amend the language to make housing just in the affordable housing units that doesn't necessarily get us the affordable, it doesn't really keep the priority on affordable housing for the project over all. >> Mayor Adler: Further [1:43:57 PM] discussion on the Ellis amendment? Council member Ellis? >> Thank you, mayor. And I do agree with my colleague on a broader understanding of which departments are taking the lead and how we work through some of these projects that will involve multiple departments. I think it's, you know, up to the city manager. It has been handled in economic development so far. I have every faith in the directors and working together to try to make we obviously know these departments do great work. For me, it's been an economic development, maybe understand as a council we do need to look at how we task different departments and what types of projects. But I think for this one it makes more sense to kind of fall in line with how the city manager has done it so far so we can ensure a good project delivery in the end. [1:45:00 PM] >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to -- I'm going to support this amendment >> Mayor, I had a comment. Oh, I'm sorry. >> Mayor Adler: I'll come to you next. I'm going to support this amendment. You know, it's hard, because all these pieces have to interplay with one another. The ability for us to get housing, more of it, and more deeply of it, depends to a large degree on the mixed use nature of the project, because that's what funds the affordable housing vote number and depth. It's what pays for potentially all of the things that are in the list of things that we're adding, absent those elements of it, we could pay for it. I mean, we could take this property and just say we'll put it to the public uses, then we pay for it. If the goal is to try to use the location of this property to pay [1:46:04 PM] for these things, then those things have to exist that raise the profit, and the economic activity to make it happen. So all of these departments need to be weighing in. And just from a structural standpoint, I guess, I think it's the manager's prerogative to decide who is lead on this. And manager, you can certainly weigh into this discussion, too, if you want to. You know, at some point. And who it is that actually takes the lead may depend on the individuals, the personalities or work load, but all of these things have to be work in order to be able to maximize it. So councilmember Ellis, I will support the change. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I just wanted to respond to -- I think it's part of this conversation, to [1:47:07 PM] director's ask of us about priorities. And I just want to reiterate something that I think is in line with what many of us have been saying is that the housing aspect of this, the affordable housing aspect of this is what is the driver from my perspective, and it -- I am hopeful that it will be viewed that way. That's what -- excuse me, sorry, guys. >> Mayor Adler: Bless you. >> Kitchen: That's what my focus is in the affordable housing as aspect of this. I want to see from the staff the focus through that lens, and when information comes back to us, I want us to be understanding from a more independent view from our staff, what it is that makes sense that can be afforded at this location. I've said this before, and I [1:48:09 PM] know it's something we're working towards, but as a council we really need to understand what is possible from the perspective from housing and from our perspective from staff. Not from the perspective of the developer. Obviously that's a component that has to be considered, because it's important, as the mayor mentioned. But the lens that I want to be looking at this through is my lens from the perspective of responsibility to the city to obtain as much affordable housing as we can. So that's what I would offer in terms of emphasis and priority as part of all this direction. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. The Ellis amendment, any further discussion before we take a vote? Yes, Ann? >> Sorry, I need to echo what you said a minute ago. I try to honor our charter, and I know councilmember tovo is [1:49:11 PM] certainly careful about that. I think on this situation, you would want to be giving the policy direction with this development, that you want it to focus on housing and affordable housing, but I don't think you would direct the manager which department and people to be involved in the redevelopment. So to the extent that you can steer it in that direction, I think that would be more in honor of our charter. >> Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Yes? Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: In light of that concern, I would ask then that we alter this language to include the economic -- the insertion of the economic development department and the Austin transportation department, and say -- and perhaps the language could say, the manager -- well, let's just strike that last piece, just have it the central use of this tract is intended to be housing, specifically housing and cut the [1:50:14 PM] part about who should be lead. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Ellis: >> Tovo: So end my last sentence after affordable housing. >> Mayor Adler: So councilmember Ellis, the -- this would be in the nature of an amendment to an amendment to an amendment which we can't do quite in that form because that strings it out too far. But in the interest of moving forward here, I think councilmember tovo is suggesting adding the transportation department and the first part of her first sentence, just take out the "As" and say it's just intended to be housing, put a period there, and let the manager effect that. Is that acceptable to you? >> Ellis: I'm trying to think of it in a way that, we know police departments have already gotten [1:51:16 PM] their marching orders. So maybe we could have that, but say to the extent it's in line with the previous intent by the city manager. I just want to make sure we're not shifting gears so much. (Indiscernible) Confused. >> Mayor Adler: My understanding is, councilmember tovo is suggesting to omit her language that takes about who's the primary lead or not the primary lead. So there would be no direction to the manager about who's the lead or not the lead, the manager can continue to handle this however he wants to. He just is told to include both economic appropriation of the transportation department in it, and remember that housing is the central use. >> Ellis: Economic development department, I think you said economic development corporation (indiscernible). >> Mayor Adler: I misspoke. >> Ellis: I'm okay with that going in that way. [1:52:18 PM] With the understanding that there are many components to this, obviously, to make sure the affordable housing happens. >> Mayor Adler: Does anybody have any objection to that being the amendment? Councilmember kitchen, did you want to say something? You're muted. >> Kitchen: I have a question. I thought I heard councilmember tovo stop her sentence after "Specifically affordable housing." So that it reads, as the central use of this tract is intended to be a housing, specifically affordable housing, period, if I heard her correctly, and I think I heard you say something differently. >> Mayor Adler: I stand corrected, I didn't include that phrase, but you're correct. >> Kitchen: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: So that section would ensure the economic development department, finance department, parks (indiscernible) And housing and planning are deeply involved and engaged in the negotiation of the master planning agreement, the central use of this tract is intended to be housing, [1:53:18 PM] specifically affordable housing, period. That's what this section would say. Anybody have any objection to that? I think that gets everybody's intent. That's how we're going to handle it. That is the amendment without objection to tovo's amendment. We're back now and considering tovo's amendment. Councilmember Renteria? >> Renteria: Mayor, I just got word that they're having -- the public cannot see what's being shown at the council meeting. Are we having some technical problems transmitting it out to the public? >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for raising that. Can our staff confirm that? >> We'll look into that and get back to you very quickly. >> Mayor Adler: And should we stop and wait until we find out the answer to that question? [1:54:19 PM] >> Mayor, I can see it on the website. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. What was the answer to that question? Do we need to wait and fix that? You're muted. >> If it's not being broadcast, let's just wait a minute and see if -- I just tried to pull it up and mine is spinning, and it's not actually coming up. Counciember Kelly, are you still able to see it? >> Mayor Adler: We'll just have everybody to head over to councilmember Kelly's place. >> Yeah. I can see it on my computer as well. We'll wait for atx to confirm. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. [1:55:23 PM] While we are waiting for this, I want you to know, we had the speaker earlier today, that I interrupted and asked him to move on, to a different thing. He was cut off by the clerk. And then I e-mailed back and said I had more things I wanted to talk about. So I had both my office and the clerk's office to reach out to him to invite him to come back to speak to us this afternoon, as part of the 2:00 speakers. I don't know if we've heard from him yet, but we would give him the opportunity to be able to speak on the other items, with the understanding that even though we've taken a vote perhaps on some of those, we have the ability to reconsider [1:56:26 PM] them. So every one of them would still be in play. But while we're here, kind of talking about this issue, waiting to hear back from the clerk, the -- sorry? >> It's gone. >> Mayor Adler: It's gone? So he's invited to come back at 2:00 to speak. I don't know if you've heard from him or not. By way of the rules, our rules say that each person and council member should observe decorum, and a person or councilmember should not speak out of turn, use disparaging language or make threats of violence against any other person. I have asked our council to take a look at what does use disparaging language mean, as we apply that, and to give me rules [1:57:26 PM] that are understood as I go forward, and how I apply that language. But that was the section that I was relying on. But I recognize that -- I'm asking for further direction, and we as a council will get that, if you could just get back to us and give us a feel for that question going forward into the future, that would be helpful. Okay? Are we broadcasting? Okay, we can continue. So I think we were back to the amendment to the -- back to the tovo amendment. Did I just recognize someone? Okay. That gets us back to the tovo amendment. Is there further discussion on the tovo amendment? [1:58:29 PM] I don't know how we address the questions that were asked from our staff. But I would love to see all these things on there, but there's going to be a limit to what we can achieve, unless we're wanting to just subsidize the entire project. If we're wanting the project to be what drives the subsidy, then there will be certain limitations, and I certainly want our staff to be maximizing our position, and not the developer's position on this. And ultimately, it's probably just a question of math. For me, the priorities are housing, as much housing as we can get, as deep as we can get it, childcare, and the music component, and the labor component would be kind of the general priorities for me. And if other people felt [1:59:29 PM] comfortable in giving priorities, we could probably do that, and if other people are not, then we give it all to staff and see what they do. Councilmember kitchen? >> Kitchen: I think I already mentioned that my priorities are affordable housing. I would just say that that includes the components related to voucher holders and coc units. But I also wanted to highlight the provisions related to a public session. I really want to thank councilmember tovo for bringing that -- including that in her amendment. I think that's important. We have heard from our housing advocates who would really like an opportunity to understand better what's potentially on the table, and have the opportunity to speak more specifically about the proposal. [2:00:31 PM] So I appreciate councilmember tovo, as well as all of the other items that you mentioned. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Further discussion on the tovo amendment? Councilmember tovo? >> Tovo: Thank you, mayor. I just want to talk briefly about the priorities. I really appreciate -- let me just also back up and say I really appreciate very much the support from my colleagues in postponing this item. This allowed us to have a richer conversation among ourselves as well as with the community, and frankly, just to have the time to review the proposal more carefully. In terms of priorities, it does sound as if we have a consensus that housing is the priority. And this motion sheet, one of the reasons I restructured it is to really emphasize that affordable housing and creating family-friendly housing in this space is the priority, and from [2:01:32 PM] there, the other elements support that. And so I have tried to indicate through language later on, I -- one thing that we will see is that some of the changes we're asking for with parking may indeed impact the economics of the project. And so that is one of the things that we may need to talk about as a council. I'm not sure how much the parking was subsidizing some of the housing. So again, I really appreciate the support. And I was really glad to see mayor pro tem harper-madison the piece about childcare and some of the other elements in your motion as well. These are really important considerations. And I think this is -- you know, at the end of the day, this is a public tract and has -- and we want to be able to do on this [2:02:32 PM] tract what we're always asking the private developers to do more of, more housing, more multi-units for our families, more amenities that are appealing to diverse households. And I'm excited about the possibility of having -- I'll speak to the pool, because it's causing concern, I don't know that this project will have one. And the other language about signage and things about that sort I think is consistent with the proposal that we're considering. What I'm trying to make sure we codify some elements of public access, given that it is a city project. A city -- a project on city land. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Just to complete the record, I agree also with the housing. And appreciate councilmember tovo (indiscernible) Childcare, I think we demonstrated that was a priority. With respect to the music, I'm [2:03:33 PM] concerned that some of the music venues we have between 9th and 11th, which is a big component of maintaining that live music culture in our city, may over the longer term face difficulties being there. I'm concerned the best use of the properties may have some kinds of those uses taken down and tall buildings built. We want to make sure there is music generally in this location. This may be our last and best chance to be able to preserve that. Which is why I was happy to see that part of the mayor pro tem's base motion, making it a priority. Further discussion? Councilmember alter? >> Alter: There, I got it now. [2:04:38 PM] So, I thank you for the work on this over the years, for staff and council. I want to highlight a couple of things, not necessarily with others, but I think we've talked a little less about them today. One thing that we talked about before was the change with the right-of-way. And not allowing us to get more affordable housing. So a very high priority for me is to make sure we are capturing that change in the proposal that comes back. And then I think that the -- I believe this version has, you know, a request that we have profit sharing provisions in there, so if we go beyond a particular rate of return with a developer, that we are able to capture some of that profit, kind of down the line moving forward. And then, you know, I think the [2:05:38 PM] childcare opportunity's really important in that area. We have a lot of people going to work down there and I don't think there's any childcare at all. And I share -- I believe that the first proposal does have a piece of that which I was excited to see. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Colleagues, anyone else want to discuss the subject? We have the tovo amendment in front of us. You ready to take a vote? Those in favor of the tovo amendment, please raise your hand. Those opposed? I see that as being unanimous as well. The tovo amendment goes on as amended. Further discussion now on the base motion as amended? Okay. Then let's take a vote. Councilmember Casar? >> Casar: Mayor, to make something really clear earlier [2:06:39 PM] in the discussion, from you and mayor pro tem, we are moving to execute a negotiating agreement, but not to execute a master development agreement? >> Mayor Adler: Correct. >> Casar: I just wanted to make that doubly clear. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Further discussion? Staff, do you need anything else from us, other than what you've gotten, to the extent that you made your request? Is there anything else you want to say before we take a vote on this? >> We understand housing to be the priority, and other priorities would be greatly appreciated. But we certainly hear that housing is the priority from the majority of the dais. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> I should add to that, as well as childcare and music venues as well. >> Mayor Adler: Yeah. Let's take a vote. Those in favor of this amendment, raise your hand. Opposed? Unanimous on the dais, this item [2:07:40 PM] passes. Yes, councilmember tovo? >> Tovo: Thank you. I just wanted to offer a few thank yous, I've already thanked you, my colleagues, to granting me the time to really work on the details of this. I wanted to thank former councilmember Houston who pushed this forward. I was really glad to be able to work with her on those resolutions, and I hope that we are living out the vision that is -- and I believe we are, in that initial work. I want to thank mayor pro tem harper-madison for her leadership on this and incorporating those provisions, and the work of her staff member, Lauren, on that as well. Councilmember Casar, I neglected to mention that you made sure to call out that custodial staff, to be included in the living wage provision. So thank you for that addition. I need to really pause and thank [2:08:40 PM] our economic development staff for spearheading this project, and getting it to the point. It's exciting to be able to see this redevelopment city on track. Thank you for your work. Ron picket from law, and Sean willet were wonderful to work with. They were real problem-solvers, and as I was explaining, I think to the city manager, I didn't always -- I wasn't always excited about the information they brought me because sometimes I wasn't going to be able to move forward with the plan I had, but they were always really just terrific and responsive and great to work with. So thank you to the staff members. We had some very good feedback along the way over the last couple years from stakeholders, including the women in housing whom we heard from today, central Texas interfaith asked that I make sure you all saw the letter they provided. They weren't able to sign up, but they were in support of the direction of these amendments. And my staff have worked on [2:09:40 PM] this, as you might imagine, for a long time. Shannon, thank you. She was on the first tour team right after we purchased this property. And some staff from city hall went over to see it and we toured it. We're so excited about the possibilities. So thanks, Shannon, for your work. And Ashley Richardson on my staff has really worked tirelessly on this project. So thank you, Ashley, for your tremendous work on it, too. As I said, super excited. This is just an amazing opportunity to get what we really need downtown which is affordable housing, and housing that is family-friendly and what an amazing location to have it right across from the Waterloo greenway and site of the capitol and connected to transit and so many other amenities. This will be a real signature project for the city of Austin and I hope set some really important directions to the private community about what we can do in high-rise development. So that's it. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Great. Thank you. All right. [2:10:41 PM] Colleagues, and clerk, we're now past 2:00. So we're going to call the speakers to speak on zoning. Each zoning speaker will have three minutes to speak. I think there are eight signed up. In addition, and separate from that, I'm going to call (indiscernible) Watson first and give him three minutes to speak. Mr. Watson, if you're present, I don't know if you heard the discussion earlier online, it was not my intent or the clerk's intent to cut you off. I understand you had multiple things you wanted to be able to discuss and you were cut off. I apologize for that. We're happy to reach you and ask you to come back. If you comment on anything that's been voted on, the council still have the opportunity to go back and change any of those votes. So all of those things are still in play. [2:11:44 PM] And as concerns the initial part of the conversation, we've asked our lawyer to get back to the council with additional direction on our ordinance and what and what is not allowed in the language of the ordinance. But I appreciate Mr. Watson coming back. And clerk, if we can, let's begin with him. If he has signed up also to speak on zoning, then he gets two slots. But let's begin with Mr. Watson. >> Mirna? >> Chavez Watson. >> Good afternoon. Can I be heard? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, you can. And I apologize for this morning. >> No need for the apology. It was done with intention. Again, I'm (indiscernible) Watson of working group 512. I do appreciate the clerk's office. In regard to item 34, as an [2:12:46 PM] advocate and organizer in the east Austin community, I think -- I'd appreciate any concern for the future of the millennium, but I'd like there to be -- I know I'm probably a light in the room full of darkness, I'd like there to be third-party oversight that the community can agree on, for any money that goes into the programs and the initiatives, before the good folks at the millennium get talked into doing things that are against our core values in east Austin. Again, before I was cut off, we've also got item 50. Item 50. We definitely need culture leadership, however, I think it's imperative, especially with Greg on -- Greg and Leslie and Allison, I think we need to observe jedi practices. [2:13:47 PM] Purely jedi practices. Obviously you all know what that stands for. Justice being the first part of that acronym. We need to make sure jedi practices are put in the leadership culture services so we don't a year later have to say there was no oversight to this concept. I did hear what was said earlier. I don't want to be so redundant. Thank you again for allowing me a chance to return. In regards to APD's grant, I think we made it very clear last summer, APD should get no extra funding whatsoever. Anything they need to do project based, they need to do it out of their own pockets like we do in our community to survive, without R.I.S.E. Funds. Stop letting Greg Abbott run Austin. Steve, please. That's all I am signed up for zoning. Thank you for the time. [2:14:51 PM] >> Mayor Adler: >> Sean Abbott? >> Mayor and councilmembers, I'm Sean Abbott. I serve as general council for district number 20. I'm here to discuss item number 71 relating to the rezoning. As a refresher, it provides fresh water supply to the subdivision west of the city. The source of the water supply is lake Austin. The intakes are located approximately 800 feet from the boat docks at the pier. From my perspective this is an issue, and the engineer is studying the issue, while he can't provide a specific calculation related to the probability of the catastrophic event, he has concluded an event is possible. What compounds our concern is it's not possible to test for benzene examination in realtime. If it should occur, the [2:15:51 PM] district's drinking water could be in danger of being contaminated. We would request it be precluded. The district has regulatory concerns with the boat docks within 1,000 feet of our water intakes. While the facilities were permitted in the 1980s at the time of their construction, much has changed in how drinking water quality was analyzed. It's a concern to the district. The district is opposed to the rezoning of the pier based on the previously health and safety considerations, to the extent the rezoning request is approved the district would greatly appreciate your inclusion of the prohibition on gasoline sales at the property. Thank you. >> Greg Grayson? >> Good afternoon. I'm speaking in opposition to [2:16:53 PM] item 71, the rezoning request. I'm president of Travis county water district number 20. The district has an extensive infrastructure that has been providing drinking water since the mid-1980s to area neighborhoods. Our district now has 375 water connections. That means that over 300 families and a dozen or so businesses depend on our district for clean drinking water. Our district also has emergency interconnects to share drinking water with five other water districts and thousands of additional customers. Lake Austin is the source of drinking water for the extensive water system. We operate our two water intakes right across from the metropolitan park. I'm sure the Austin city council is aware of the critical importance of central Texas' fresh water supply. We're vitally concerned about a refurbished marina at the property, as it would be located within 1,000 feet of our water intake. Also we are extremely concerned about the gasoline sales [2:17:54 PM] occurring at this location, in the event the council approves this rezoning request and the pier's owners operate a new marina on lake [buzzer]. We do not want the docks to be placed in operation at the pier and if the council does approve the pier's request, we do not want 9 sale of gasoline products to resume at the pier's location. Thank you. >> Malcolm Yates? Malcolm Yates? If you are muted, please unmute. >> Yes. Can you hear me now? >> Yes, go ahead, please. >> Yes. [2:18:54 PM] I was going to be speaking about the (indiscernible) Amendment, I believe that has been postponed. Is that correct? >> Mayor Adler: What was that? >> I believe it has been postponed. >> Mayor Adler: It was postponed? >> 79. Was it 79? >> Item 79 and 80. >> Mayor Adler: We haven't gotten to that yet, but I think it's going to be recommended. Staff, is 79 and 80 being recommended to be postponed? >> Mayor, that is correct. >> Mayor Adler: It has been postponed. >> In that case, I just -- >> Mayor Adler: Go ahead. >> So both the contact team and neighborhoods support the [2:19:54 PM] applicant's desire for postponement. That's all I've got to say on this then. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Kevin trugo? Go ahead. >> Yes, I'm sorry. I was going to speak on item -- on number 82, but I received an e-mail that that was postponed, is that correct? Until March 4th? >> Mayor Adler: It's been recommended that it be postponed, is that correct, staff? >> Yes, mayor, that's correct. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. >> Mayor Adler: Mm-hmm. >> Ray Mcclure? [2:20:56 PM] >> Yes. Thank you. I was calling about items 79 and 80. And I also support the applicant's request to postpone. But ultimately want the city council and mayor to vote against that very bad idea. Thank you. >> Greg crumb? >> This is Greg crumb. I'm general council for district number 4. Speaking on items 71. I'm currently president of the board. Had a business conflict today and will be unable to address council. So my comments will reflect his. The district has intakes within 500 feet of the docks on the pier property, case 71. We've got great concerns, the [2:21:56 PM] potential of a gas spill, if gas services is permitted on the pier property. On the last reading, gas service was prohibited by conditional overlay. We would have no objection to the zoning going forward with the conditional overlay prohibiting gas sales. Thank you. >> David mallish? >> My name is David mallish, I'm a registered engineer (indiscernible) Civil engineering. I'm here to speak [lapse in audio] 71. I represent both district 20 and Travis county municipality district number 4. As a district engineer. I believe we're now all aware that the district's operating and maintaining [lapse in audio] In the immediate vicinity of the proposed development [lapse in audio]. With approval of this application, the district will be in violation [lapse in audio] [2:22:59 PM] With written correspondence from the tcq staff. It is understood that the application includes request for installation of gas-dispensing facilities. Based on more recent research [lapse in audio] As well as American works water association expressed increasing concerns over the fate and health effects of benzene and other gasoline components in source water entering water supply systems. In addition early detection within the treatment process to prevent ingestion of [lapse in audio] Is not impossible. The presence of dangerous gasoline derived products in the water supply will be significantly enhanced with the installation of gasoline dispensing facilities. [Lapse in audio] Enhance the abilities to continue to [2:24:04 PM] distribute the drinking water supply to the city of Austin customers. Thank you. >> Archie (indiscernible)? >> Hi. I am also here to oppose the 79 and 80. Although I do support the applicant's request to postpone. >> That concludes all of the speakers. >> Mayor Adler: Did Mr. Watson also want to speak on zoning? >> I'm sorry, who, mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Mr. Watson? Chavez Watson? I think he said he also wanted to speak on the zoning items? >> No, he was not registered. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. [2:25:04 PM] Colleagues, those are all the speakers that we have then. That gets us to zoning. Jerry, do you want to take us through that? >> Sure, mayor. Items for consent approval today are, first item 86, 2019-003.01. I can offer this for consent approval on second and third reading. Case c-14, 0105, and offer it on second and third reading. 67, C 14-2020-0106, consent approval on second and approval reading. Item 70 C 1420200083, offer this [2:26:05 PM] for consent approval on second and third reading. Item 71 is the pier property, I understand councilmember alter would like to have this approved on third reading. It's already passed on first and second, with the conditional overlay prohibiting the service station being removed. However, I would note that the service station use is a conditional use within the cr zoning category. >> Mayor Adler: I didn't quite understand that, but let's come back to that when we figure out what's on consent and what's not. >> Will do you, mayor. Item 72 is npa 2020, this is a staff postponement request to February 24th. Item 73, this is also a staff postponement to February 4th. Item 74, this is item staff [2:27:06 PM] postponement to February 4th. I would like to note on this item there was an error in the posting for today's ajen D.A. The request to change land uses from mixed use. So when we post for next week we'll have the correct posting. Item 75, C 142020-0101, postponed to February 4th. 76, this case offer for approval on all three readings. 77, also consent approval on all three readings. Item number 78, on old San Antonio road, I can offer this for consent approval. However, I would like to note that the applicant and the administration are continuing discussions relating to transportation and pedestrian related issues. Item number 79 is [2:28:10 PM] npa-2020-0021.02. Pushed to March 26th. And 80, also a postponement request by the applicant to March 25th. Item number 81 is a postponement request by the staff to February 4th. And item 82, postponement request by applicant to March 4th. >> Mayor Adler: 79 and 80 both being postponed to March 25th? >> That's correct. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Would you like me to go back to the pier property quickly? >> Mayor Adler: Yeah. And I don't know if -- councilmember alter, did you want to speak to that? >> Alter: I have questions, and it won't take long. At least to figure out whether to pull it from consent or not. Thank you, Jerry, for working with me on it. [2:29:11 PM] Can you please confirm if the conditional overlay prohibiting service stations use is removed, then under cr zoning, that use would be a conditional use, not a permanent use by right, which means if we did that, if the property owner wanted the service station use, they would need to obtain a conditional use permit, is that correct? >> >> Alter: Can you detail what needs to be submitted for conditional use? >> They would have to file a site plan. The site plan with a not be approval by the staff. The site plan would have to go to planning commission for approval. That there be a notice and hearing held. If the mcwould decide to approve or not approve, either way the agreed party, the applicant or anybody else could appeal the decision of the planning commission in which case the [2:30:11 PM] issue would be tossed to the city council for their decision. >> Alter: In summary, if we remove the prohibition in order to get service station use, they would inside to file a site plan, come before the land use commission and go through thorough vetting with our staff. If any problems came up after the conditional use permit was issued, council could revoke the conditional use; is that correct? >> Whether it was approved by council or by the planning commission, they would have to comply with that site plan and if there were issues regarding compliance with that site plan, that would be handled by the code department. And they would be issued citations. My point earlier was the planning commission, the decision to approve or disapprove is planning commission, but that decision is appealable to the city council. >> Alter: Okay. Thank you. So given my understanding is that in order to ever get service station use, the property owner would need a thorough voting from our staff, approval from [2:31:12 PM] commissions and subject to appeal to council, and we could, you know, address any violations of the permit in the future. My proposal is to leave this on consent and approve it on third reading, but with the ordinance amended to remove the conditional overlay in part 2 and renumber the remaining parts accordingly. This is equivalent to what staff and Z.A.P. Originally recommended is my understanding. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Without objection, that will stay that way on the consent agenda. Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Mayor, I appreciate the conversation that councilmember alter just had with Mr. Rusthoven and understand -- I understand the provision and the protections that lie in that different process, but I do want to just vote against that particular piece of it. So I'm happy for it to stay on consent as long as we register my objection to that particular change. >> Mayor Adler: So noted. Is there a motion -- >> Mayor? [2:32:14 PM] >> Tovo: I'm sorry. It's out of order. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Which by the way includes all the items from 65 through 82. Councilmember kitchen makes the motion, seconded by councilmember Ellis. Discussion on the consent agenda? Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: So I just -- if you would just carry over what I just said to this portion, et cetera, et cetera. But I also need to recuse myself on items 79 and 80, we're just discussing them for postponement, but I'm recruising myself from the decision to postpone them and any further discussions or decisions related to that and I have a file affidavit -- I have an affidavit on file with the clerk -- with the clerk's office for today. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. So noted. Further discussion on the consent agenda? Councilmember Ellis. >> Ellis: Mine is just a clarification on item 82, it's being postponed until February 4th? I think I heard March 4th [2:33:14 PM] and just wanted to clarify. >> Councilmember Ellis, the applicant has amended to March 4th. >> Ellis: Okay. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Further discussion on the consent agenda? Let's go ahead and take a vote. Those in favor of the consent agenda, items 65 through 82, please raise your hand. Those opposed? I see it as being unanimous on the dais. The consent agenda passes. >> Thanks, mayor, see you next week. >> Mayor Adler: All right, Jerry. Take care. Thank you. Colleagues, the only things left are executive session on items 27 to 32. We're not going to consider 27 to 32 until we have the speakers at 3:00. That gives us a chance now to go into executive session between now and when we come back out to hear the speakers at 3:00. We're now going into closed session to take up one item pursuant to 551.071 of the government code, discuss legal matters related to items 63, the may 2021 [2:34:15 PM] election. Any objection to going into executive session on the item announced? Yes, Ann, city attorney. >> I have no objection, but I do need to have us take about a five-minute break sue Deborah can get downstairs without breaking a leg. >> Mayor Adler: That would be good. We'll meet there at 2:40 and with that council will now go into executive session. >> Thank you. [Executive session] [3:30:53 PM] >> Mayor Adler: We're back in general session. We have the items 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 in front of us. We have some speakers signed up to speak. We're going to give each speaker one minute and then we will entertain each of these items. >> Pool:? >> Pool: I wanted to mention again about item 32, which is the hotel purchase that's in district 7. I had expected that this item would be on consent for approval at the top of our day here today. I know it has been mentioned and pulled for speakers who are speaking. I'm assuming that they are going to encourage us to move forward with this item and I wanted to let you know that I fully anticipate that we will approve it. And if you would like to go [3:31:55 PM] with that and back the time so you don't have to wait on the line to talk about that one, that would be great. We could get -- >> Kitchen: I'm sorry to interrupt, but councilmember Ellis is stuck -- she's not being allowed in. >> Pool: Anyway, that's item 32, which is in district 7, burnet road, and the 183 access road. So just urging people if they are going to be on the phone to talk about that item that I think we will be passing that so you probably wouldn't have to stay on the phone for that. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: Thanks. Thanks to councilmember pool for your -- I think it's great that your consistent [3:32:56 PM] support for that item. I think it leaves for folks on the phone where there's two separate purchases for us, one that is -- councilmember pool just mentioned that seems like would pass the second, which I know there is debate about whether to move forward now or whether for there to be postponement. And so I just didn't want that -- you mentioning that to have folks think there is nothing up for debate today. As far as I know, there's still debate about whether to move forward on the second hotel or not. As I said, my position remains that I think it -- my vote remains it's best to move forward on both today, but duly noted councilmember pool there's potential debate on the second. >> Kitchen: Thank you for [3:33:56 PM] clarifying that. I would like to clarify also that, you know, we did talk at work session about postponement in order to allow time for our newest councilmember, councilmember Kelly, to talk with her constituents just as councilmember pool was able to do with hers. So in terms of debate, it's just a matter of a determination of whether it's appropriate to allow that additional time. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember Kelly. >> Kelly: I just wanted to thank councilmembers for listening to the feedback that we're getting and for being open to the idea of postponement on this issue while I'm able to talk with the community about it and reset their expectations. We'll discuss further after we listen to citizens comment. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's go ahead and get the speakers up and we've already -- we're 40 minutes late in calling them. I apologize to the speakers. We were in executive [3:34:59 PM] session, so we haven't -- we've been working. Myrna, do you want to call the speakers? >> Sure. Sara hay. >> My name is Sara hay, I live in district 10. I volunteer for city of Austin eating apart together program. I'm in full support of items 31 and 32 on council agenda much sense the early summer of 2020, me and a group of volunteers dedicate multiple days a week to handing out food and water. This program was put together as a result of the pandemic and Austin's failure to provide adequate affordable housing. Yet this council has made bold steps in the past to solve housing instability by passing the resolution to tree criminalize homelessness and most [3:36:00 PM] notably reallocate funds from the Austin police department. Purchasing these two hotels will allow us to pull hundreds of people from the streets. Sanctioned encampments is something that persisted in Austin for years. The only way to get people off the streets is housing. These folks have names, lives, stories, loved ones and are human beings -- [buzzer sounding] -- Thank you for your time. >> Justin green. >> Hi, my name is Justin green and I'm calling in support of items 31 and 32. I would like to thank councilmember Casar for leading the charge as well as all councilmembers present last summer to take initial step reallocating funds from the Austin police department prerequisite for this current opportunitying in housing the homeless [3:37:01 PM] population. Research shows the sanctioned encampments some councilmembers are considering as a solution do little to improve the lives 6 people experiencing homelessness. They only create the illusion machines is reduced by hiding it from public view. The purchase of these hotels would pull hundreds if not thousands of people off the streets for years to come. Shame on councilmember Kelly and save Austin now for attempting to criminalize our most vulnerable and those who do not wish to be confronted. I urge the rest of city council to makes the choice and our most effective treatment for homelessness. [Buzzer sounding] >> Ali Hoffman. [3:38:02 PM] Ali Hoffman. Please unmute. Ty havanke. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> I'm Ty havanke calling in support of items 31 and 32. This housing would provide stability needed for homelessness to rehabilitate and find work. The trauma and danger they face on the street makes recovery from mental health issues and addiction very unlikely. A lack of permanent address, lack much showers impedes their ability to get a job. Studies have shown a significant drop in substance abuse for homeless people provided housing and 3.4 times likely to relapse. [3:39:02 PM] Well it may seem expensive up front, housing that saves taxpayer money, in Denver it was found costs were reduced and incarceration cost. In Seattle in 2009 this approach saved taxpayers a total of $4 million over the first year and 2,449 per person per Austin housing finance corporationed per month. [Buzzer sounding] >> Ariel labouette. >> Hi, I live in district 3 and I'm calling in support of items number 31 and 32. As a native austinite, I've seen this growing presence of homelessness in our city. I worked and lived nearby homeless encampments and, of course, reality is concerning for many reasons and add a pandemic into the [3:40:02 PM] mix. Our egregious wealth and income inequality is on full display. The reality that we continue to try to and purse them out of our sight violates the rights of fellow human beings. Not only does it hamper rehabilitation, it costs taxpayers more money. Let this be the opportunity for real change. The homeless need homes, not handcuffs. This is about humanity and now is the time. I support a housing first model not enshrining a refugee camp outside Austin limits. Thank you. [Buzzer sounding] >> Julia ward. >> Hi there, my name is Julia, I live in district 9. Every week I prepare around [3:41:03 PM] 30 meals in my kitchen and I go out and hand-deliver them to my neighbors who live under the I-35 overpass. This is not a safe place. It's not a clean place. There have been multiple -- we currently have a person living under that overpass who tested positive for covid. People need housing. I have been feeding my neighbors since this summer and have developed relationships with them. I have seen the sweeps come through and have property been destroyed and I've seen the mental health toll that not having steady housing takes. I encourage you to pass items 31 and 32 swiftly. This is the beginning of what I hope will be actions towards the compassionate care of our neighbors. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you. [3:42:10 PM] >> Brian [indiscernible] Brian, please unmute. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. >> Okay. Tell them thank you. I'm Brian from district 6 here to voice support for district 6 that would house the homeless population, items 31 and 32. I live near the proposed site and while I've lived in many cities with a sizable homeless population, on a short walk you can see signs of human habitation in the form of discarded shopping carts and tents. People forced to camp aren't able to live well. Thankfully reports from volunteer organizations say more of Austin's homeless [3:43:13 PM] population veteran having more shelters increases ability to house. I've heard there's anxiety about the decision partly because we would like to hear from nearby residents. I live within walking distance from within of these sites and want to say a new homeless shelter can't come soon enough. Please vote in favor of 31 and 32. Thank U you. >> Ali Hoffman. >> Hi. Good afternoon, councilmembers. I'm a high school student from district 9 and a volunteer with the mutual aid group street forum. Today Austin city council has the opportunity to vote for permanent supportive housing and make up for past misgoals. I've lived in Austin my entire life and love this city, the way housing is not [3:44:15 PM] ordinary. People experiencing homelessness is not difficult to find unfortunately. And in the summer people had gathered in the streets to protest this very same of criminalization. There have been numerous studies on the benefit of housing people on the way to reduce cri which indicates our current system is extremely ineffective. Reallocating funds from the police force to permanent supportive housing would tackle the root of the housing crisis and overpolicing and be a start in building a safer, more caring Austin, one I would be proud to represent. Thank you. >> [Indiscernible]. >> Hi, I am in district 1. Congratulations to my new mayor pro tem. And I also want to -- calling in support of items 31 and 32. I don't believe that any procrastination is needed. We understand that there is a really dire need for there [3:45:16 PM] to be more shelter for our homeless citizens. And I believe this is a great opportunity that we should take up and I don't see any reason to postpone. So just my support for that. Thank you. >> Rupaul [indiscernible]. >> Good afternoon, everyone. My family phones the two reputable hotels in district 6 but we do oppose items 31 and 32. If you all have surveys that [indiscernible] Is located you would know it's not suitable for homeless housing there. Is no access to public transport, no hotel, no hospital near or no health care facility. The job opportunities here are none to limited with respect to community, one of the biggest issues is candle wood shares driveway with our existing businesses. How will anyone [indiscernible] From our regular hotel businesses, there is restaurant adjacent [3:46:18 PM] to candlewood and there are residents which are just ten feet away from the homeless housing. There are a lot of seniors that just can't move. The proposed housing is also just a few blocks from Westwood high and [indiscernible] Middle school. You are in charge of the safety and security of the members of the community. It is a fact that crimes do go up around homeless housing. How are we supposed to feel safe in the community? Have a city planning to protect you are assets -- [buzzer sounding] >> We want to know what decisions the city of Houston comes up with to propose a hotel of purchase this location -- the council members -- >> Thank you very much. Thank you very much for participating. Next speaker. >> Tiffany Har T. T. >> My name is Tiffany and I live in district 7. I never imagine after five years in college studying to become a social worker committed to ending homelessness that I, too, would find myself homeless and struggling with housing [3:47:18 PM] instability due to a lack of affordable housing. For the last ten years I served in several roles in our community committed to ending homelessness, starting as a case manager at the arch and now working on the national level helping communities across our country to disrupt race ills systems and policies, to build just and fair responses to homelessness. From the first time in ten years I can say I have safe and stable housing. That's not true for all of our residents especially black and brown folks. We know black folks are disproportionately representative in homelessness in Austin. The data doesn't lie and the guidance from the experts, the CDC and hud are clear, sanctioned encampments and clean ups are not the answer nor are this safest and most appropriate response to homelessness during this global pandemic. Housing is. One either allows racial independentequities to persevere as a racist or confronts in equity as a racist. I challenge y'all today. Especially council member pool to vote in favor of the imagining public safety creating safe and affordable solutions for a more equity [3:48:19 PM] future for all. The decision is clear. The choice is yours. >> Mayor, if I could respond. I appreciative any, a district 7 resident. I want her to know as I mentioned twice already today, I am fully in support of item 32 of the hotel that the city is looking at purchasing for homeless housing that is in district 7. And I thank you for coming today to express your support for it, too. I just wanted to be really crystal clear, because I guess it got out into the community somehow that I don't support the purchase of that hotel. And I do. And I have. So help me, please, to correct the miss apprehension in the community. Thanks so much. >> Next speaker. >> Roy Martinez. >> Yes, hello. My name is Roy Martinez, I'm a member of the Democrat socialists of America and live in district 10. I'm speaking in support of [3:49:21 PM] the buying and reinvestment funds of the hotels in item no. 31 and 32. The research shows that housing first model is simply the best way to deal with housing. With the issue of homelessness as well. As we saw in conservative Utah, they decreased the homeless population and housed 90% of their unhoused residents. Within a span of a few years and the program only backslides because they stopped funding it. Now we have a clear example that if put money into housing people, it's going to decrease homelessness in the long run if you take money away from that, it's going to increase it. You know there are a lot of concerns here about, oh, there is a restaurant nearby and so on -- and I think this underscores how the speakers would no offense seem to not view homeless people as people who in my opinion at least have the right to go to whatever restaurant they want, to walk around as free citizens of this world. [Buzzer sounding] >> So thank you. And thank you council woman [3:50:21 PM] alter. >> Salvador Espinosa. >> Hello, council. My name is Salvador, resident of district 1 and calling in to support items 31 and 32. The easiest way to reduce Austin homelessness and empower austinites experiencing homelessness is to give those experiencing homelessness homes. Because housing first allows people to finally have enough security and stability in their lives to address the serious issues that keep people locked into the cycle of poverty and homelessness, and criminalizing homelessness doesn't work. Because it adds to those barriers homelessness already presents and makes life harder. Harder to get off of drugs, harder to stay safe, harder to get a home, harder to get anything. In fact, a local advocacy organization has just found that over 100 Austin property managers won't accept individuals with a [3:51:22 PM] felony in the past seven years or misdemeanors in the past three. With our competitive housing market, these property managers have no incentive to choose a client with criminal backgrounds over quote- unquote more stable tenants. If someone is homeless the options are limited. If the options are limited to the point of dependence -- so if they have a home though, their options open up. It's the much easier route to take positive steps once you've got one of your biggest problems solved and it's the moral problem we as a city can solve. Austin can lead the way. Thank you, council members. >> Crystal Marr. Crystal -- >> Hi, thank you. My name is crystal and I'm calling in support of items 31 and 32. I'm a proud member of the Austin dsa and a district 2 resident. Also a proud member of the [3:52:22 PM] Austin service industry have been for close to 12 years. It's an unstable industry which will lead to, if I have one bay month I could possibly be unhoused. In 2020 I watched every single level of the government, including city council abandon my industry. I also watched many of my comrades become unhoused for that lack of support. Some today are still living in their vehicles and some don't even have enough funds to get a vehicle. Providing housing through these hotel purchases will allow my fallen comrade to remain safe and using these funds reallocated from APD is the perfect use of this money. Save Austin now spent countless hours lying to our community to dehuman its our unhoused neighbors, [indiscernible]. I urge is the city council to pass these resolutions today because delaying the vote because member -- council member Mackenzie Kelly didn't do her homework is completely unnecessary and continues to play politics while allowing community members suffer. Thank you so much for your time. [3:53:24 PM] >> Grace Hansen. Hi, my name is grace Hansen and I'm a member of dsa and a resident of district 5 calling in to support items 31 and 32. A few years ago I lived in a house a block away from a transitional housing community. A lot of people in Austin seem to fear living alongside such communities. I wanted to give an example of how easily we can share a neighborhood. Every day I waited at the bus stop with the residents shared sidewalks, convenience stores and bus benches with them and nothing ever happened. Studies including from hud shows that there is no data to back up claims that shelters cause a spike in crime in the surrounding area. Council member Kelly you've delayed this vote to get community input, I think you know what input you're going to get. We see resistance there is an attempt in Austin to create house. I appreciate the 12e7s have taken so for decriminalizing homelessness and taking funds from APD to fund projects like this. Thank you council member pool for the hotel in your district and I urge the rest of council to continue to [3:54:25 PM] respond with compassion and not with cruelty to this crisis and to vote yes on 31 and 32. Thank you. >> Ruben Rivera Clemente. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. >> (No audio) >> Mr. Rivera, are you there? >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, please go ahead. >> Hello. Okay, yes, like I stated, my name is Ruben Rivera, I'm a rest department of district 4. I do agree with both items, even though I saw the news this morning from last night, a recorded, and I was concerned about the residents that surrounded [3:55:25 PM] around the hotel purchase, and I'm just hoping that we have some -- some kind of a miniature police station there for security -- for the safety of the residents around that -- those hotel purchases. Overall, I agree with it. That's all I have to say. Thank you. >> Jaoa Connally. >> Hi, good afternoon. This is jaoa Paul oh con Ollie and I work with the Austin justice coalition on our housing and community development team. And I'm just calling in today to say that I support items 31 and 32. We badly need to increase the city's support stiff housing units and this is a clear opportunity to do that. And so we should have done it a long time ago. We don't need postponement. We don't need a stall for more time and we do not need to spinelessly appease the [3:56:29 PM] exclusionary sentiments already in this city. We need to pay close attention to our motivations in what we're doing. We can't try to hide the problem. We need to make sure that new housing we provide allows for dignity and autonomy and access to transit and resources and economic opportunity. So, yes, we need to purchase the hotels. The hotels cannot be seen as a way to disappear the problem, they have to be seen as one important piece of a much larger puzzle that is moving us towards the bigger picture of creating a society where we don't treat people as disposable trash. So let's not postpone any longer. [Buzzer sounding] >> It's the start have a new year. Let's move on. >> Amber mills. >> Hi, I'm amber mills from district 3. The new Texas Austin advocacy organizer. Centered around building political power among young people. We stood in solidarity for black lives across the state. We were involved in [3:57:30 PM] campaigns in other cities, but had a presence in Austin as well. Defunding the police means that crime will increase. However, poverty often drives what we know as crime, and crime is constructed. By failing to see the causes and only treating the symptoms there will be no change. Public safety means more than just cops, it means a roof over one's head, food security, youth programs, et cetera. In Austin there are more than 1600 youth who experience homelessness, some of which I'm sure are UT students who we work with. It is time we reimagine to expand public safety by supporting council member Casar's initiative. By purchasing these two hotels for people experiencing homelessness in our community be, you are taking the right step. I urge to you vote yes on this initiative today. Thank you. >> Austin graham. >> Hi there, my name is Austin graham. I'm a district 2 resident. I'm calling today in support of using funds to help house people that are experiencing [3:58:32 PM] homelessness. I think that this is a good step, but I wanted to point out that we have a population of over 2,000 people who are unhoused in our city, which grows every single day and that we cannot offer crumbs. If we can get $12 million from the department of homeland security for the Riverside togetherness Jesus Christ which has led to the murder of Mike Ramos and Alex Gonzales, Jr. We should be able to get more funding to do more than just provide housing for 150 people at a time. Whenever there is 2,000 people who desperately need housing. We also wanted to point out that the location of these hotels is taking people out of the community with the friends that they know, that they've made on the street. With the locations, the restaurants and places that know them. So we wanted to suggest that instead of -- [buzzer sounding] >> Taking everybody to these hotels, we want to have vouchers that are given to get access to hotel rooms [3:59:34 PM] for the people and we don't want any cops at the hotel because it's a reflection of the state. These people have experienced enough police violence living on our streets. Thank you. >> Andy Philips. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Okay, good. Good afternoon, my name is Andy. I'm a member of district 4. And also a proud member of the dsa. And I'm speaking in favor of the swift passage of items 31 and 32. In regards to this in humane housing cries we are faced with a choice, go back to sweeping it under the rug, [indiscernible]. From save Austin now and council member Mackenzie Kelly, this will once again lead to unnecessary suffering and death. Or we can truly begin the hard work of solving the problems of not just housing, but of the current health crisis we also find ourselves in. [4:00:34 PM] Because right now today, people are literally dying in the streets. Purchasing these hotels is a step towards the second choice and a step in the right direction. It is also a step that lines up very nicely with Austin's occurn't be plans of solving homelessness. I implore you council members to not only make the moral and compassionate choice but also the logistical and practical choice and again to swiftly pass items 31 and 32 today. [Buzzer sounding] Into thank you for your time. >> Brook Holland. >> Hello, my name is brook Holland, I'm a resident of circle C and southwest Austin and a constituent of district 8. I testified today in support of items 31 and 32. I urge you to vote without any delays. I believe that the only way for a person to recover from homelessness is through housing. Once in housing a person with support can work towards long term stability. [4:01:35 PM] Please allow me to share my story and experiences as to why I strongly believe in the purchase of these hotels. I volunteer many days a week helping our homeless community. Last sister-in-law I met a young disabled homeless man after another advocate asked me to take him food at prolodge. He had don't out of a three week hospital stay for covid. It began with me just taking him food but I started asking him questions and developing a friendship. Did he have a case worker, what obstacles were in his way? Surely a person of his severe *eu9 would be eligible for housing I thought. He quickly Holz his room at pro lodge. He was exploited on the streets. He kept trying do what his case worker wanted, but it was all just impossible while being homeless, penniless and in a wheelchair. He was in such a state of December pay he pleaded with me to find 4eu78 anywhere to go. I had been trying the Salvation Army and all other resources I could find in Austin to no avail. I actually had shelters tell [4:02:35 PM] me that they weren't Ada compatible. I offered him a program in Houston that would provide him with a room and a recovery program. He immediately accepted and we drove to Houston the same day. His stability has allowed him and I to solve the following problems. Clothing, food, emergency surgery, pain management, birth certificate replacement, social security card replacement, Texas state I.D. Replacement, snap replacement, banking issues, medical savings plan application, medicaid application, and best of all, an appointment to apply for subsidized housing this Friday. This list is not inclusive and we are still making progress in other areas. But there are so many obstacles that have been sol -6d or addressed by the simple fact that he is safe, off the streets with an address. In addition to providing hotel rooms, the city's program must include cell phones, social workers on site and the addition of a close bus stop. People with disabilities must be able to easily get [4:03:36 PM] to the bus stop. I urge you to vote quickly and without delays to move forward with items 31 and 32. Thank you. >> Kerry Fussell. >> Hi, my name is Kerry, I'm an Austin musician and a district 3 resident and most recently the director of meal supported free lunch where our goal is to provide healthy meals to our unhoused community. I'm obviously in favor of using these hotels as housing. We're at a point of crisis where any solution that gets people into safe housing is a good solution. However, this should not be used as a bargaining chip for the criminalization of homelessness. That in any form is a vial and selfish action and the only benefit is that the welted I leaders in Austin can avoid a daily reminder [4:04:36 PM] of how they repeatedly fail their community. The problem is not homeless people, they are only a symptom of the selfishness and corruption in our system that always seems to benefit the wealthy and keep the less fortunate down. I've seen firsthand the ways in which our state government hemorrhages money in the name of providing subpar solutions to our crisis. For example, I know that healthy hot meal can be provided in a postal box for less than three dollars per person, yet for some reason, states seem to -- [buzzer sounding] >> To provide plastic wrapped crackers and juice boxes in lieu of meals. $16.2 million is a lot of money, and it could go a long way in providing jobs to local builders to build homes and housing structures that would house even more people more efficiently. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much for participating. >> [Indiscernible] Awalia. >> Hi, everyone, I live in [4:05:37 PM] district 7 and I live near one of the hotels potentially being purchased. I'll be brief. I want to express my thick support in favor of the Austin city council purchasing the two hotels to turn into permanent housing units for people experiencing homelessness. No one should be homeless in a just society. While homelessness is a complex problem, the solution is simple, give people a place to live. It will give them a space to get back on their feet so they can build the life they want. I encourage council member pool and the rest of the council to vote to purchase the hotels, contribute to building a more just and equitable Austin. Thank you so much for the time. >> Travis ward. >> Hi, my name is Travis ward, I live in district 7 and I'm a member of the Austin Democrat socialists of America. I'm calling in support for agenda items 31 and 32 regarding the hotels and [4:06:37 PM] housing for the homeless. I think this is a great way to use the funds from the budget to help our community. As we all know, policing does not help the homeless. I believe that housing is a human right and this is one step towards realizing that in Austin. I did want to note that this is just the first step. We need to make sure we don't turn these places into mini prisons. We need to have a very small, if no police footprint. Putting a heavy police presence in these completely defeats the purpose much decriminalizing homelessness. I also wanted to state if this is delayed to vote until next week, I will be back next week. Thank you for your the time. >> Cesar Acosta. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello, can you hear me? Thank you, my name is Cesar Acosta. I live in district 4. [4:07:38 PM] I'm here to speak in favor of items 31 and 32 and that they should be passed without delay. The simplest and most effective way to reduce homelessness is before anything else to house people. We want to encourage people to have stable employment if they need an address to put down. If you want to help those with mental illness to have a real chance of getting treatment, they need to have a safe and stable place to recover. If you want to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, people need to be able to go go a place where they can self-isolate. If you want to improve the efficiency of the police department, there are fewer times the police will be called out to check on our citizens who have to live outside there. Are myriad reasons why acquiring these properties and using them to house people experiencing homelessness is the best use of your resources. It is the morally right thing to do. That we embrace the most marginalized in our community, not as a problem that needs to be hidden or better policed but as people who we have an obligation to help because we have created and environment for fewer ways for them to live [4:08:39 PM] otherwise. [Buzzer sounding] >> The people who live in these properties will have services and it's great way to help people transition to stable homes. Thank you for your support and please do the right thing. >> [Indiscernible]. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. >> Perfect, I'm sore I. Good afternoon, council. My name is [indiscernible], I'm a 12 year resident of district 9. I want to thank council member Casar for being a champion on this issue and I'm here to ask council to vote for items 31 and 32. As elected officials, I believe it is the responsibility of this body to help the most vulnerable populations in our community, to be a just society, a compassionate society and a caring society. So I call on all of you guys, especially council member tovo who is my city council woman, please do the [4:09:39 PM] right thing and vote for items 31 and 32. Thank you. >> Victoria Abby. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. We can hear you. >> >> Hi, I live in district 7 and I work in district have for years. I'm calling for -- to pass right now today items 31 and 32. I would like to mention that there have been studies in New York City, Denver, Virginia, and Washington D. C. That show that crime does not statistically go up around perm inept be housing areas -- that is just a vicious lie that has been perpetuated by people who are afraid and don't see unhoused people as people in Austin we have families, we have children who are homeless. We have the disabled. These people are not [4:10:39 PM] dangerous and they deserve a permanent housing, not shelters, not transitional, but a place where they can set uproots and have time to get better at other things. Basic high school psychology shows us that [indiscernible] Triangle that they need shelter and food first. Not to get all these high level things, but -- [buzzer sounding] >> They are generations behind in getting housing. We need it now. Thank you. >> Michael torres. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Good afternoon. I'm a social work educator in district 10 resident and I'm speaking in support of agenda item items 31 and 32. Our communities are safer when individuals and families have the resources to succeed. And have what they need to move forward especially in [4:11:39 PM] Austin where it's being gentry fide. Over policing does not help our unhoused neighbors. Criminalization condition [indiscernible] A never ending cycle. Anyone can be one step away from experiencing homelessness. By implementing the housing first model, gives us a sense of security meeting a basic need. Once basic needs are met more complex needs can be focused on such as mental health and job security. Securing units in two hotel structures is a start by implementing these our unhoused neighbors can move toward self-sufficiency. I work with many organizations helping these people, following housing we need wrap around services such as mental health services so they can stay housed. With E need these hotels to be conveniently placed where homelessness is eliminating the barrier of transportation needs. City council do the right thing and help our unhoused neighbors -- [4:12:39 PM] >> Thank you. >> Brian Pollack. Brian Pollack. >> Thank you, council. My name is Ryan Pollack and I come to you today as a member of the Austin democratic social list. A resident of district 8 and a 14 year Austin it's. I'm also speaking to you today as a human being who has had enough of watching my fellow human beings needlessly languish on the streets. We have the resources to house these people. Yet time and time again we're held up by bad faith actors who express concern for the unhoused when they don't want to spend their resources and extend compassion. Council member Kelly's call to consult local businesses is nothing but naked concern trolling in an attempt to table the housing 69 [4:13:41 PM] unhoused indefinitely. I've had enough of this nimbyism getting people off the streets. None of us want people living on the streets but there is one way to truly permanently solve the issue and that is to provide these people with unconditional housing. I urge you to vote in favor of purchasing these hotels and not to delay relief for our unhoused residents any longer. Thank you. [Buzzer sounding] >> Madeline datelick. >> Hi, my name is Madeline. I'd like to thank the council for their time. I live in district 7. And I'm a member of the Austin democratic socialists of America. I am calling in support of items 31 and 32 today. Simply because the minimum wage is 7.25 an hour, the average rent is about 1400 a [4:14:43 PM] month. More than a full time month on minimum wage work. I'm sure Ms. Kelly has plenty of reasons why the city of Austin can't directly intervene to make that math add upright now, so the poverty is based into the system and until that changes, all of us will be surrounded by it. It's a farce that we can find some perfect isolated location to stow homeless people away in. No reason to delay. Let's buy these hotels, do the right thing. Vote for 31 and 32. I'm done. >> We should take housing from the rich -- >> Anna Stewart. >> My name is Anna Stewart and I live in district 1. I'm speaking on behalf of myself as well always homes not handcuffs, I support purchasing both hotels immediately without postponement. I'm confused by Mackenzie Kelly's call to postpone the vote for the hotel in her [4:15:44 PM] district. As she just recently said on her Twitter I don't feel anybody in Austin wants to see our neighbors who experience homelessness continue to live in the conditions they are in. It stands to reason then that your constituents would want to see people housed as well. Or is it that you want the problem to go way way bus not shoulder any of the weight of it in your district. I want to add that hotels are a transitory solution for a small percentage of unhoused people in Austin and should not be used as an excuse in any way to recriminallize being homeless. The most hotel rooms do not have kitchens and are not a solution for long term sustainable housing. We don't want police presence at the hotels, as we've seen with covid lodging, several hrn [indiscernible]. 24/7 making people feel like they are incarcerated there. We also want to stop the in humane sweeps. Instead offed spending money on removing the belongings of unhoused neighbors and [4:16:44 PM] forcing them to unnecessary exposure during a pandemic -- >> Mayor Adler: Thank you for your participation. >> Katy jackert. >> Hi, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Hello. Okay. Hi, I am Katy calling from district 9 and I definitely support passing items 31 and 32. But here is the saying it's not enough and it is not a long-term solution. We cannot stuff people into hotels and think we are finished, out of sight and out of mind is not an effective plan for human lives. I want to know how you plan to provide services for these people staying in the hotels, including mental and physical health care, how do you plan on transitioning them to permanent housing? While you're at it, stop the sweep. There is video footage of them ripping down tents and pouring out their water >> What good does that do? Instead have wasting thousands of dollars on this, compassionate programs should be funded to address the in equalities present in city that cause homelessness in the first place. I challenge council [4:17:44 PM] especially member Kelly to get to know some of your unhoused neighbors, once that live in your district, for your own understanding, bring them a meal and ask what they need. Treat them with kindness. Try harder to meet us where we live and meet us with love, decency, humanity and respect. Thank you. >> Justin Vassey. >> Hi, my name is jaws tin. Justin, I'm calling representing the management of [indiscernible] And our hearts break for those without homes and living on the streets of Austin. We acknowledge something needs to be done. The city needs to find a way to appropriately house and provide support to these people. With emphasis being on providing support to these people. Right now the community has not been appropriately educated as far as how they'll be housing as well as the support provided to them. In order to provide a whole hearted solution, and help these people, the city needs [4:18:44 PM] to educate the community to ensure appropriately -- there is appropriate safety, support as well as buy in. Many questions remain unanswered. How will this facility be operated? What services will be offered? Will food be provided? Most hotels don't have kitchens, how will they transition occupants to permanent housing solutions? Is the distance from the neighborhood as well as the schools been considered for this location? Has the distance from public transportation been considered as well? We contestant focus on providing a whole hearted solution and there are many questions that remain unanswered. [Buzzer sounding] >> We've also received many questions from our tenants who have very similar questions about this. Great example -- >> [Indiscernible]. Thank you for this opportunity to speak. My name is Kyle caps and I'm a 25 year Austin metro resident and a current resident of district 6. [4:19:45 PM] Regarding item 31 and 32, I am in favor of the immediate passage concerning developing housing for the homeless population. I believe the time to move forward is always now. And I enthusiastically welcome this development in my district. As the concerns I've heard some voice about the funding allocation per person for homelessness. The cost is not actually all that much considering the amount of one time development costs included. Thank you. >> Alexander [indiscernible]. >> Hi, I'm a resident of district 6 as well. And I would like to voice my support for items 31 and 32. I'd also like to state that I am opposed to any efforts to criminalize homelessness by reconstituting a camp ban. [4:20:45 PM] I'm talking to you, mayor, and my district council member. Additionally, go ahead and fire chief Manley. Thanks. >> Haven Tran. Haven Tran? Preston mans. >> My name is Preston, I'm a member of the dsa and a member of district 6 calling in support of items 31 and 32. I believe the council should vote in favor of these items and I am very disappointed that council is thinking [4:21:45 PM] about postponing the vote. Until recently I lived at lake line east apartment complex near the mall within walking distance of the candlewood hotels off of pecan park Blvd. My office is also within walking distance of this hotel. There are several homelessness camps nearby smug some right off of pecan park Blvd. So I think this location is perfect for helping the homeless. Directly within the community's impacted by it. I think that a community center housing first approach is the only effective way to tackle homelessness. I believe that this is a good use of city funds and why I am skeptical of the approach at hand at having private entities manage the property, I believe it will be more effective than nothing, more effective than criminalizing the homeless with a camping ban and segregating them. And more effective than relying on APD to police the symptoms of homelessness. [Buzzer sounding]? Please vote in favor of items 31 and 32. Thank you. >> Amanda Cavazos weans. [4:22:50 PM] >> Hi there, my name is Amanda. I am a 28 year Austin resident why hole life and I'm a constituent of district 1. In favor of urgently passing items 31 and 32. I'm sure many of y'all would love to reframe today's debate, but let's be clear, council member Kelly campaigned on recriminallizing our unhoused neighbors, so any claims that is she needs more time to talk to her constituents on this issue are disingenuous as best. To the rest of council, would we're watching your votes and partnership on this issue and we expect you to honor the overwhelming community support for permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable austinites. Thank you. >> Haven Tran. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead, please. >> My name is haven. [4:23:50 PM] And I'm a resident of district 5 and I am calling in full support of items 31 ranked 32. The only way to help end the homelessness problem is the get people housing. Further more, I do not think -- I like the idea of the hotels but I think these are too far away. It's going the take the people out of their communities, out away from their resources, and I think more needs to be done closer to the city center. And I like the idea of reallocating the funds from the police department. I think that -- this is a great place to put those funds that have been reallocated over the summer and I'd like to thank the council members that were instrumental in getting that done. And would like to push those that are still opposed to this to reconsider and vote with kindness. Thank you very much. >> Frank nesher. [4:24:50 PM] >> Hi, this is frank. I am a member of district 1 as well as a member of Austin dsa and street form. And I am calling today in support of items 31 and 32. Just want to give a quick history lesson. Two weeks ago, it came out that police training indicated that police officers should harass people who are camping in order to get a quick citations. So we do not need policing at these hotels. I also want to give another quick history lesson, Mackenzie Kelly has been campaigning on this issue for months and does not need to talk to her constituents anymore. In addition, plenty of district 6 people have been calling in to this specific meeting so we do not need to delay this vote any further. And finally, we reimagine public safety specifically to fund housing in situations like this. This is a promise that the city council made to the people of Austin. Thank you very much for your time and attention. Hope you have a great day. [4:25:51 PM] >> Lindsay Lagrange. >> Hello, district 3 here. I work in homelessness for the Texas balance of state coc and I wanted to offer my support of items 31 and 32 without delay. I'm very concerned about the council member who ran on opposing public camping is currently trying to postpone permanent housing. You have to house them. Only a Monday tear would oppose both and I'm hoping that's not the council member you choose to be. Council, there is a ton of data that suggests no link between higher than average crime and psh. Please disregard the fear mongering from callers who don't even know what psh is. Pass items 31 and 32 today. Also sweeping people experiencing homelessness into sanctioned campgrounds does not fix the problem. It fixes the eye sore. The CDC recommends against [4:26:52 PM] big sanctioned campgrounds because they become hot spots for covid and it's alarming that so many of you want to spend our limited resources on this I be stead of housing. Thank you. [Buzzer sounding] >> Caleb Todd. >> [Indiscernible]. >> Hi, 3450eu name is Caleb Todd. I'm in district 5. I work directly with people in camps providing advocacy, supplies and food for eight months. I'm here calling in support of 31 -- items 31 and 32 being passed immediately, not delayed. The need for housing is crisis that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. It's long standing. We've been aware of it for a long time. All austinites have known that this needs action for a long time. There is no need to delay for a week and talk about it. If your family member was out of a home, your first priority would be getting them under a roof [4:27:53 PM] immediately and then you would figure the rest out. You wouldn't delay for a few weeks to discuss. There are old folks there who can no longer support themselves. People with disabilities, people experiencing chronic unemployment and women fleeing abusive situations. The real issue is crime against them because there is a lack of physical safety to protect themselves and police tagger el them and not protect them. Target them and not protect them. [Buzzer sounding] >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Next speaker. >> Peter Martinelli. >> Yeah, can I be heard? >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Okay, cool. Yes, so first I think I'd like to recognize that we are on [indiscernible] (Indigenous peoples) Land to recognize the 425,000 dead [4:28:54 PM] today of covid in the united States of America, to recognize that this is a former slave state, which is -- all of which is to recognize and give us a moment to deal with the legacy and current reality of genocide which is endemic to the settler colonial project of the United States of America. So let's take a moment of silence to think about that and seal that. Okay, so, yeah, I am calling in support of items 31 and 32. It is really good first step, and, yeah, I think that's all I have to say. Thank you very much. >> Kelsey Luis. >> Hi, I'm Chelsea Luis from district 9 testifying in favor of items 31 and 32. Last summer Austin residents spoke loudly and clearly in favor of diverting funds from APD to reinvest into the community including public health, housing and [4:29:54 PM] social services. Today covid cases continue to break records and our most vulnerable populations have no shelter in which to shelter in place. Meanwhile, council woman Kelly joined the GOP chair in lying to residents for petition signatures to criminalize homelessness to the detriment of our community. Defunding APD was never an end goal. It was step 1 and it's past time for further action. This is your chance to take critical action to directly I am move the well-being of your constituent also and to demonstrate to the community that your commitment to words like equality and hope have tangible meaning outside of the campaign trail. We must take the opportunity to to implement the only demonstrated solution to homelessness, homes. Thank you. >> Emily sawyer. >> Hello, can you hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Hello my name is Emily sawyer. [4:30:54 PM] I live in council district 4. I'm speaking today in support of agenda items 31 and 32. To buy two hotels to house individuals experiencing homelessness. This is exactly the kind of reinvestment that was imagined when the council made the bold month move to decrease the police department budgets. This will change the lives of hundreds if not thousands of austinites for years to come. Giving them housing, not criminal records. Criminalizing people experiencing homelessness only makes it more difficult the find housing, secure a job or get health care in the future. Recriminalizing camping doesn't solve the issue of rampant homelessness, the only sweeps it into the shadows. So we don't have to be con Toronto by it every day. This might make it easier to ignore. Only homes can solve homelessness. Please reinvest these funds by purchasing these hotels. Thank you. >> Bob Boone. [4:31:58 PM] >> Yes, my name is Bob Boone, I am a community member of district 6. Representing property management group. I'm calling in regards to item 31 on the agenda, and would ask the council to delay the vote today so that the community has time to be educated on the plan. Many of the members of the community directly adjacent to the property only found out about the plan on Thursday last week. And believe that an effective solution to a serious and sensitive problem such as homelessness requires community engagement, community input, and just a fully thought out plan. So we just ask that you would please delay the vote until that education is able to be achieved. >> The next speaker has registered as anonymous and [4:32:59 PM] so their first three digits of their number is 785. You're up. >> This is citizen X. I oppose all hotel expanded and present spending in Austin. Hotels should not be heavily policed and turned into police stations or be used like prisons like the prison concentration camps for covid. I would approve of an in loose I have, well thought out plan, however. I believe in housing first, permanent assistive housing. I am chronically homeless in Austin. I know tons of people that are and people don't want temporary solutions and band-aids. They don't want shelters and concentration camps. We want permanent housing. I don't think -- I've tried to contact city council members and city council, but city council has not been inclusive and I've not gotten -- not talked to us [4:34:00 PM] and met us where woe are. I think that this is -- the way I read the proposal is we're going to criminalize the poor and future camping ban because we're going to house 150 people out of 20,000. There are 20,000 or more homeless in Austin. 150 people is a band-aid. We need real solutions. Y'all need to contact us back and we need to be part of the discussion. I do want housing first, but I don't think that you guys -- I think there is a waste of [indiscernible]. Camping should be -- >> Lief Mccrumb. >> Hi, I'm calling in supports of items 31 and 32. I live in district 4, the foundation community. And I volunteer and a member of the Austin clubhouse. Where there -- foundation communities has a long waiting list at all their properties and like many people who live here, I have a serious and persistent [4:35:01 PM] mental health diagnosis and while I don't define myself by my diagnosis I know it has to managed. I have Y seen people HOFD into housing go from survival mode to having dignity, and other fathers, daughters, artists, neighbors and friends such as myself get the opportunity to have a roof over their head. Thank you. >> Sally zelesky. >> Good afternoon, council members, my name is Sally, and I'm in full up sort of 31 and 32. I hope one of these items is likely to pass. Thank you for that. I don't think the other items should be postponed. We can't push this off during these times of covid. Our on you unhoused neighbors deserve respect and housing and since the funds are available this should be easy decision. Homelessness has long been [4:36:01 PM] an issue in Austin and there isn't a simple one track solution but this would be a great start. Also I'd like to add that I oppose reinstating the camping ban if these were to pass. Please do the right thing and pass both items 31 and 32 swiftly. Thank you for your time. >> Larissa rhodenoff. Hi, I'm a resident of district 1. I'd Lister like to say congratulations to our new mayor pro tem harper-madison. And I'm calling in support of items 31 and 32. Like many austinites, I don't like to see so many of our neighbors and residents living in tents on the streets. And as many people have already said, the solution is to provide housing, not recriminallization. As save Austin now is advocating for. The police have not been solving our problems of [4:37:04 PM] homelessness. For those who are concerned about the cost, the cost of having people living on the street is high. The cost of arresting and jag our neighbor social security high. As for safety, providing these folks a safe place to live is what will increase public safety. These two hotels can provide hundreds if not thousands of people homes. We need to stop thinking of people without homes as a problem, but at human beings who deserve a safe place to live and we need to move forward with these hotel purchases as soon as possible. [Buzzer sounding] >> And not allow delay tactics or nimbyism. This is just the first step in solving housing inequities and we need to move forward now. >> Lauren Bali. >> Hi, my name is Lauren Bali and I'm calling from district 3. Also a member of sunrise move in and I'm in support of 31 and 32. The purchase of these hotels would provide adequate shelter for this community [4:38:04 PM] to experience a level of stability that would help them begin to rehabilitation their lives. I live in an apartment complex inside the large encampment of people experiencing homelessness on Riverside drive and passing by there each day levels me angry and deeply saddened by the city's lack of action in providing adequate support for this community. This encampment grows as the pandemic has progressed and left more of our residents of our city jobless and homelessness. I want to emphasize that I have never felt unsafe walking or riding by the encampment. The decriminalization of public camping is a step in the right direction. The rest of the city must be forced to witness this in justice and then prioritize a way to properly solve it. The passage of items 31 and 32 is only possible because of the reallocation of funds from policing to housing those experiencing homelessness. Over policing the homeless does not make Austin safer. Providing housing for all does. [Buzzer sounding] >> The purchase of these hotels without a police presence would be a first great step in showing compassion and empathy and solving homelessness. [4:39:05 PM] We have enough resources for all. Thank you. >> Chris Harris. >> Hi, my name is Chris Harris with homes not handcuffs and Texas appleseed. Voting in favor of these items today confirms your commitment to sustainably ending the homelessness crisis we face, not just hiding it away. It proves your understanding that all who live in comfort in this unjust status quo and especially those that benefit most from it contribute to the issue of homelessness and as these six residents will attest, homelessness exists everywhere, so the solutions to homelessness must exist everywhere as well. Finally, while proponents of delay dismiss it as just a week, cynically hiding their true intentions to kill this project, I sincerely doubt they would spend just a week living outdoors. Voting in favor of this housing today is one less [4:40:06 PM] week that upwards of 150 folks will have to live unsheltered. It's one less week of trying to survive the elements and the constant peril associated with living outdoors. Please vote yes today. And without delay. Thank you. >> Becky Bullard. >> Hi, my name is Becky and I live in council member tovo's district. Thank you council for your time. I'm calling to support passing items 31 and 32 today. I signed up to speak today and actually on behalf of my 6-year-old daughter. She is a solution oriented kid. And for the last many months between learning to read and building box forts she's been coming up with lots of ways to provide homes for folks who don't have them. To her it is shocking and unacceptable that we adult humans allow other humans to live on the street. As I said, she is solution oriented. She's hoping to either upgrade her fort building skills to the level of home [4:41:07 PM] building, have us sell our house for a dollar to someone who doesn't have a home or by buy a hotel and let anyone who doesn't have a home live there. Perhaps options could happen some day, while I don't personally have the funds to purchase a hotel myself, the city of Austin does. And I don't know where along the road to adulthood some of us lose the compassion for all humans that we have as children, but I home city council will access that compassion and vote yes to 31 and 32. Our children are watching what we do in this moment. >> Mayor -- >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Council member tovo. . >> Tovo: I just wanted to ask the last speaker to please extend my thanks to one of my younger constituents in the district for her compassion for her neighbors and her creative thinking. Let her know we're going to do the best we can to move forward as quickly as possible and making sure that the city is working to end homelessness. So again give her my thanks. [4:42:09 PM] >> Thank you, council member tovo. I pr herb that and I'll pass on your message. >> Alicia weigal. >> Hi, everyone. My name is Alicia I am a district 9 resident with reappointed today as council member Casar's human rights commissioner and I'm speaking in full support of items 31 and 32. I want to start by affirming that delay is a very common tactic used by Austin city council to stall and ultimately halt much needed development projects in this city. As the folks in consideration with these items are currently unhoused, that means exposed to danger, weather, lack of sanitation, et cetera. Delay is not something they can afford. And as most of the folks in this current discussion are housed, the increased spread of covid and other health conditions that are caused by long term encampments during a pandemic are not something that we can afford. Austin has voted consist tentsly to explore alternate solutions to ending [4:43:10 PM] homelessness since 2019. It's time to commit to a tried and true housing first model that has been successful in cities throughout the U.S. From Denver to Salt Lake City, and from a perspective of upholding human rights and fiscal responsibility, we need to act today. And kick off a continual effort to fund this crisis in our city. [Buzzer sounding] >> Thank you. >> Emily garrick. >> Thank you so much. My name is Emily. I am the policy director of the Texas [indiscernible] Funds project. And I want on speak in full support of passing items 31 and 32 today. And to not postpone. Experts agree that housing is the way that you can make an impact and reduce homelessness. These items will make a huge difference in so many people's lives, the timing also could not be more urgent be. As the pandemic has driven more people into homelessness and at a time [4:44:11 PM] when connecting with services while unhoused is more difficult than ever. I also just want to say that it's sad that some of the people have implied that housing people is dangerous. They are far more vulnerable and likely to be victims of eye convenience than housed people and criminal eyes by the police make them more vulnerable but permanent housing is a solution. Thank you and please vote to pass these items today. >> Justin Wyatt. >> Yes, Justin Wyatt, district 1. I'm calling in support of items 31 and 32, after -- especially in regards to some of the measures put forth by save Austin now and their conservative allies. I'm talking to some friends who do work directly with the homeless community. I do have reservations that [4:45:11 PM] I would like to voice. I think in the midst of a massive economic health and housing crisis and with Austin's house lings growing by the day, 150 rooms are not enough to house our neighbors. I do have questions about why the hotels are so far inúnorthwest Austin. Úúfar from the neighbors and I wonder why the budget is only $10 million.there is still a budget surplus that was earmarked.even if the hotels could beopening up tomorrow, these are simply not a long-term solution. [4:46:25 PM] It would Mike a lot more sensein the short-term to have itdistributed to individuals.house more people and staycloser to the resources they'vecome to rely on and thecommunity ties they've alreadyestablished. [4:47:43 PM] Housing is the best solution, as proven by research, housing is the best solution, as proven by research, to homelessness. Answer more as those folks transition to permanent housing. This is an excellent proposal to fund being so I implore to you support 31 and 32 with your vote and thank you for your team. >> Maggie Brookshire. >> Hi, a district resident for about 13 years and I support passing item 31 and 32 without delay. Please do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good here. This is a good step to take and should be followed with future actions to help our neighbors as lock as it is not with future [4:48:43 PM] camping bands or criminalization of publicness. Previously people have been sharing case studies that have shown the housing first solution has worked else where so why not here. Homeless condition happen to any of news our current economic system as we've seen with covid, so many people have become homeless recently, so please council, imagine if it was you. Would be want council to vote for human dignity today here or see your city council catering to those who are prejudice against people who don't have a house, don't have resources. Please do the right thing and thank you. >> Jackie Cal away. >> Hi, I'm Friday district 35. I think postponing 35 is cruel and unnecessary when there are people living day in and day out [4:49:43 PM] in conditions that are unsanitary. And I oppose a camping ban. By want to encourage to you follow the housing first model and stop treating people who have fallen on hard times and being harassed by police as if they are dangerous and sub human. Those that want to education the community are saying not in my backyard. Even if a site is not 100% Perry effect, it is better than a sleeping bag and an under pass. And as black woman that particularly hurts me, do the right thing and vote to help those who need your help the most, not those who will be fine either way. I want to thank council member Casar for his leadership on this. Thank you. >> Laura Jorgenson. [4:50:47 PM] >> Hi. I am a member of dsa and a resident of district 7, not far from one of these sites and I'm calling in full support of passing item 31 and 32 as soon as possible and continuing to seek house first and holistic solutions to house our neighbors. I guide walking tours so I spend a lot of time on the streets downtown and interact people there and I want to share one recent experience. I bought lunch a few weeks ago for a man on the street and heard Brett a little bit about his child growing up in Austin, his first boy scout troop. Just before leaving him, I saw anster who nearlied at me for feeding the strays. Council, it is in your hands to ensure the camping ban is not reinstated, that our houseless neighbors are provided with real solutions and Austin does not remain the kind of city that a [4:51:47 PM] life long resident can live in a tent next to a tech transplant. That is not in the conscious of our city. Please move forward with this and other housing first holistic solutions. Thank you. >> Jordan Middlebrooks. >> Hello are you able to hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Hello, thank you for allowing me to speak today. I live in district 1 and I'm asking you all, as well as my representative, in a tab that Natasha harper-madison to nobody support of item 31 and 32. I previously have been in coaching conversations which helps to provide rehabilitation and solutions for unbe housed [4:52:50 PM] people Austin. The systemic issues are still options that we need to do more on. I agree that this is not a perfect solution but let's not let that hold up moving forward with this better solution than someone sleeping under I-35. There are thousands of people unhoused and I think this is a great first step, and I will encourage you all to continue to invest in future resources and future initiatives to help our unhoused people have a sustainable life with services that enable them to take action and actually be able to find jobs, get the services they need, get the help they need rather than band-aid solutions that continue to hold them down and support outlooks and views that really are just afraid and to not view these people as equal. Let's be an equitable city, move [4:53:50 PM] forward immediately. Thank you. >> Sara. >> Hi. I've live in district 2 since 2014 first as an apartment and then homeowner. Criminalizing people experiencing homelessness costs money, too, and we may as well be spending the money on something that solves the problem. I know folks in my district, renterses and owners, are concerned about the folks camping around here and none of us have the tools to solve it. Delaying trying to solve doesn't serve any of them. It is you all, the council that has the power. I'm asking to you address these problems, house willing grow as an issue and secondly the folks on next door ultimately devolve into the most mean, racist and [4:54:54 PM] and anti-poor comments when discussing these things. It is disgusting,s which is to say we can't figure this out on our own. We need leaders to come up with solutions and this is a great first step and I urge you all to take action. Thank you. >> Diana Gomez. >> Hi, everyone. I live in district 3. I wanted to express my support in favor of the Austin city council purchasing two hotels and two permanent housing units for people experiencing homelessness. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to provide much needed resources to our neighbors and friends, and we cannot pass up this opportunity and stall it for any longer. I everyone courage city council to vote to purchase the hotels. Thank you for your time. [4:56:02 PM] >> Hello. I live in district 2 and I have been born in Austin and raised in Austin my whole leaf for almost 19 years and I'm speaking on behalf of items 31 and 32 on the agenda. By not, it will result in the death of many and because of covid many have lost their income and they should not be punished for that. We have so much housing' available, it is shameful people have to resort to living in the street while hotels and other places are empty. This is disgusting. We need build permanent solutions and make Austin a safer and more compassionate place and this is a great starting point. Thank you for your time. >> Jason. >> Yeah, hello, my name is Jason, speaking on behalf of the [4:57:06 PM] tech and music workforce coalition, urging council to vote yes on 31 and 32 and a big know on the initiative all right. We don't doubt that many be of our sisters and brothers in our community are on the verge of losing their houses, if they haven't already. Anything that gum to sustainable housing that 31 and 32 provides is a waste of time, money and lies and you all know this. Time to talk, it is always to extinguish initiatives. This is an emergency. Sometimes in the future when you ask, what did you do in the pandemic, say the truth, you advocate Ed to lose to provide housing for hundreds. And I want to say we, Austin, got our act together and is part of a community for those who [4:58:06 PM] live in truth and solve problems instead of the lies that brought us to this gnome begin with. We're part of the change and you can make that true by voting for item 31 and 32. Thank you. >> Mayor that concludes all the speakers. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, thank you. Colleagues, we have, I think, we have items 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32, I'm not sure there is any opposition to 27, 28, 29, 30 and 32. Is there a motion to approve those five items? >> I'll do that. >> Council member pool makes that motion. Is there a second? Council member alter seconds that is there any discussion on the five items? Council member kitchen? [4:59:11 PM] >> Kitchen: I want to say, I want to thank council member pool for the work she did on item number 32 and I'm excited to move forward with all of these. It builds on the hotel/motel strategy we started in 2019 and adds additional motels and hotels to the ones we've purchased already. So thank you, council member pool. >> Moved and seconded. Take vote. Those in favor of these five items, please raise your hand. Those opposed, unanimous on the dais. Those five items pass. Let's go then, yes, council member -- >> Sorry. Council member Natasha harper-madison. >> I didn't get my camera on in time to vote in the affirmative. >> Mayor Adler: Let's move to item number 32. Council member pool. [5:00:11 PM] >> 31. >> Mayor Adler: 31, thank you. Item number 31, discussion. Council member Kelly. >> I would like to ask for the support of my fellow council members for a brief postponing on this item for a week to allow for the most minimal community engagement we will have take place over the next couple days. >> Council member Kelly wants to postpone one week, bringing it back on February 4 is there a second to that motion? Council member pool seconds that motion. Council member pool, you get to address it first. >> Thank you. It is notable how items 31 and 32 got lumped together somehow. The broad brush approach to the issue. These are very different lotions. Each homeless individual has different needs and we should be able to capture the variety of places and people affected by [5:01:12 PM] solving our homeless issues. We as leaders in our city deserve to provide them with transparency related to the plans to the hotel and allow input from the community. I want to be clear here, I am in support of supportive housing for the homeless because it is what is needed and what we're doing currently for the homeless situation is not enough. We have the unique opportunity to not postpone the vote, we can foster positive relationships between the highwaysed community and the unhoused community. We have a homeless crisis by treating every proposal as an out of context emergency is not great policy and silences stakeholders. The questions from the community, it is our duty as leaders in the city provide transparency and education regarding this purchase. We need to provide housing to the unhoused and we can do so in a way that creates good feelings [5:02:13 PM] throughout the community. S conversations inning my district have already started and I've asked two town halls related to this purchase very soon. We want to educate the community on this important project and continue to get feedback. There are a lot of misconceptions about the hotel purchase and homelessness in general. My hope is by postponing we willing able to clear up confusion and open healthy dialogue. I thank you all for calling in today, for or against. I look forward to meaningful discussion and outcomes on this important initiative. And finally, I also hope that my colleagues will continue to work together in a respectful way, even if we disagree on agenda items, we offer perspectiveses to the council and the work is far too important to no respect each other. [5:03:13 PM] I'm hopeful we will work together in the future to combat misinformation campaigns from the start. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Further discussion on this issue? Most to postpone for one week. >> Thank you, mayor. I'm willing to support a postponement of one week. I was looking forward to supporting this today but will endulge a one-week postponement for conversation, understanding from the city staff, this won't affect any discussions going on on their end for the timeline. >> Council member Fuentes. >> Thank you, may I don't remember, and thank you, council member be Kelly, for sharing your thoughts. I do have to respectfully disagree with the postponement. Hearing from the community during today's conversations, [5:04:14 PM] e-mails received and the back-up documentation that you submitted, I just don't think that a week delay change the conversations that we're seeing bubble up from the community, as you mentioned, this is being able to move forward and take actions, and I feel this urgement need we do not delay a single die get us on that pathway, and so respectfully, I cannot support a notion postpone and would like for us to move forward in taking action on this issue. May council member kitchen. >> Kitchen: I will be supporting this motion to postpone for one week only. I will do plan to vote for this item, but I have learned that conversation with the community [5:05:17 PM] is very positive and it gives everyone an opportunity to understand each other, which is important. We have a community that cares about homeless individuals, and there is a lot of misunderstanding and misconception about what our hotel-motel strategy is. I believe that conversation adds to our ability to understand each other, reach consensus and connect that caring that people have in our community. I believe our community is united around wanting to connect people to housing. I think our community is united around caring for homeless individuals and understanding the importance of housing. I see one week delay as positive way to have that conversation [5:06:17 PM] and bring people together. And I support a one-week postponement. >> Council member tovo. >> Thank you. I struggle with the question of the delay. I want to always honor whenever we can reasonable requests from colleagues for a postponement, thing that is one ofhe ways which we show respect for one another and acknowledge that sometimes there are needs for more time, whether it is to get more information or as council member Kelly has requested, to get the time to meet with her constituents. You know, we had an example this morning where I think the delay that I requested really resulted in a much better project because [5:07:18 PM] we were all able to do some more thinking about it. As I really thought about, you know, where, one, you know, we have an advantage, those of us who have been on council now and are not new in the positions have had an advantage that we had some knowledge of the decisions that were going to come before us because the real estate, the real estate, because of previous real estate conversations, and so, you know, having been in a position of really making it clear to is a tough multiple times that we wanted to move forward as quickly as possible with these tractions, I want to be consistent with that decision in looking back at how we handled the previous purchases with regard to the roadway inn in council member Renteria's district and the country inn and suites in district four, both of [5:08:18 PM] them were posted on the addendum so we had less notice. We heard from the constituents in both of those cases, certainly with the roadway in, request for postponement and we made a decision that day and moved forward and I want to be consistent with that decision, as well. So council member Kelly, I think you have made a reasonable request of your colleagues for some more time, and I hope that this is one of the few times I'm not going to respect and honor that request in voting for the postponement. We need to be consistent with those decisions. #*B I share with all of you, I believe, a real interest in see hag housing become available as soon as possible. I, too, want to echo those conversations, they're hard for our community and sometimes they [5:09:19 PM] are hard for us as council and I hope we can all work in making sure the public has the best information possible. We heard a lot of testimony about how shifting funds from the police department allowed us to make the purchases on our agenda today. I think it is important to provide clear information to the public. Both of these facilities are proposed to be purchased with bond funding, general fund bobbled funding and this is due in pardon, to the voters of Austin coming forward and investing in homes for their neighbors so thank you to the voters who came out and voted for the bond funding. We can Barg where the money for services are coming from and out of which budget, but the fact is we made a commitment, long before we made budget changes, we made commitment we are interested in pursuing strategy. We authorized the manager to [5:10:21 PM] purchase a hotel/motel more than a year ago so this is a policy that we took as city council more than a year ago. We are funding it through the voter approved bonds. We are funding it through the purchase of these and I think it is also important to acknowledge these issues, these are on our agenda today because staff have brought them forward. Want to applaud or staff for taking that policy direction that we wanted to stay in hotel/motels and continuing even in the midst of a pandemic, even at the time you were trying to secure leases in hotel/motels for protective longs to keep you safe in the pandemic to continue the work that you were doing on the search for permanent housing. So I think this is a very important session. All of my comments about the postponement and the transaction into one time here. I can I do plan to support the [5:11:21 PM] purchase, the acquisitions. >> The comment that this is not coming from the allocation from the police fund to the bond funding, it is the kind of misinformation in the community and I think that we do better when we take few minutes to get people up to speed, not everyone in the community has the benefit of the executive sessions, not everyone in the community has the benefit of being deeply involved in these questions and understanding them. I believe that one week is a more than reasonable request for a new council member to make for the kind of decision that is before us to, you know, try to have a chance to connect with [5:12:24 PM] her community. I take her at her word that she is supportive of the hotel and housing our neighbors, and wants to clear up the confusion and the misinformation and thing that success of this project will be much greater if we can have that communication anti up any loose ends. I'm also concerned that we have other elect owed officials who feel the need to get more information, as well, and to understand the differences across Williamson county and Travis county with respect to services because we need their support, as well, as we proceed if we want this strategy to be successful. So I believe that a one- week postponement is reasonable and he will be supporting that, I believe we need transparency and we need to take misinformation on head on but that requires us doing the work to do that. [5:13:25 PM] It is better to do that before the vote than after. >> Mayor Adler: Council member harper-madison. I mean, sorry, mayor pro tem. >> Didn't even occur to me to correct you yet. Give me until next meeting. Thank you, mayor, I appreciate it. I'm going to sound like a broken record because I've said it time and time again, we are absolutely in a housing crisis. I learned just today actually we currently only have 55, that's 5-5, single digit, I'm sorry, 55 single family homes within the Austin proper listed under $1 million. I will say it one more time so it is really clear. We have 55 single family houses listed in Austin proper that are less than $1 million. [5:14:26 PM] That is shocking and it is disturbing and we need to take, like, we need very seriously take to continuing with the work that my colleagues and I have been doing address our housing supply crisis. We're experiencing a housing supply crisis all over the city of Austin, all areas of our city. It exacerbated homelessness to those living in the area already and that is prior to the situation of being in a global pandemic. If we continue to let our supply dwindle at this current, unstable pace, our homeless crisis will only get worse. We heard it referred to a year ago now almost as tsunami, and I see that coming to fruition. I would like to vote for this today. But I also want to encourage [5:15:27 PM] council member Kelly to know that when council members in other districts have the opportunity to host town halls with our incredible homeless strategy team to address outstanding concerns from constituents, these hotel projects generally have gone from contentious to enthusiastically supported so as council member Kelly is new to the dais and we have confirmation this postponement will not adversely effect the purchase of this hotel, I fully recognize the complexity of asking for one more week. But, I do believe it is appropriate that we postpone the item for one week to give her and her constituents the opportunity to further those discussions. I really cannot stress enough the disturbing nature of that statistic I just quoted for you all. My hope is as we continue these [5:16:29 PM] conversations about people experiencing homelessness we really double down on having robust conversations about addressing our housing crisis in our city. >> Mayor Adler: Colleagues. Council member Casar? >> First to the question of the purchase of the hotels and where it is coming from. I have tried to be very clear, as you all have just stated, that the purchase dollars, which everybody can see in the memo, is from the housing bond which I worked alongside many of you. I've also been clear, also in the memo and back up that the running of the hotel is only possible because of a $6.5 million added by the vast majority of the members here to the budget. It's here in the memo saying funding is to be provided from Austin public health to run the property, drawing from the [5:17:31 PM] additional 6.5 million added to the budget to address homeless. So I think the accurate information, which I confirmed with the homeless strategy office and others is, yes, we are purchasing the hotels with housing bonds but we've never had as much trouble with cap as capital as operations so that is the limiter, supporting permanence in a supportive way. It is accurate and it is the only reason we're able to provide this level, 150 rooms in the first meeting of the year is because of the work we've done alongside you all, rethinking priorities in the budget. That is the accurate information, yes, bond funding is critical and we couldn't do it without supporters in the bond by service dollars are hardest to get. So I think that is probably the [5:18:31 PM] most accurate way, as far as I can tell, to describe both pieces. To the vote on postponement, I recognize that it looks like it's pretty close, and but what I hear from the majority, certainly as we're either getting it done or getting it done next week. And in my view, if it is going to be done either today or next week, I would rather it be done today. I think the town halls and conversations with still happen to come bass combat misinformation. But if it is going to be done next week it better get done next week. Our goal is about 100 permanent supporting housing units a year and sometimes we don't even get at 100. The fact that near our first council member or council [5:19:33 PM] meeting can be testament to the really powerful and important work we can do. >> Mayor Adler: Council member Renteria. >> Thank you, mayor. I'm one of the first ones that actually agreed to purchase a hotel, and you know, we're lucky that we did because of the covid, you know, it helped us out a lot. You know, taking care of the patients, but we desperately need housing. I just want to make this very clear, you know, homelessness is not just a downtown issue. It is all over Austin. You have your children out there on the streets, you know, it might not be yours directly but it is someone's children out there. [5:20:33 PM] And, they're from that community. If not, they will be downtown. You know, but they don't want to leave their community. And we're reaching out a way that we can do it immediately. You know, a lot of people say we need alternative housing. It takes two weeks just for an apartment to get built in this city, if you can do it that fast. Even the tax credits. So, you know, we're having opportunity just to take advantage of it right now and purchase these hotels and convert them into, you know, liveable, protect active protective space. We have the homeless in the hotel and we're able to monitor them, make sure they're getting their service, their vaccine, first and second, instead of having to go out in the woods trying to search for them. So, I mean, if you wanted to [5:21:33 PM] delay that for a week, you know, that's up to you all. I'm ready to vote right now. I really do believe we need to take this up as soon as possible. Hopefully, it's today. Where people come into us every day, there is not enough housing. There is not enough affordable housing. And we keep delaying these deep of projects and we've fallen behind hind further and further. I'm ready to start, vote for it today. >> You did want to say something before I spoke? >> Yes. I seconded this item out of respect for the request from our new colleagues, from our new [5:22:33 PM] colleague. It's request that all of us have made from time to time, sometimes we have been able to see our requests approved, sometimes we have not. We know what it feels like when we are asking for a postponement and we don't get it. It's a difficult thing to work back from because when we ask for a delay, even a short one like this one is, it is because we need to talk with our elect rat. And it's important that the trust continued in our constituency. It is important the community understand what is we're working on, particularly with councilwoman Kelly was just sworn in this month and did not have the opportunity before that to engage with her community as council member and asked staff [5:23:34 PM] to go help her with the explanations. That is something we have that is one of the -- that's one of our biggest authorities is our ability, accurately and timely to communicate with our communities. And most especially the ones who are in our districts we owe them a debt of responsibility and accountability and transparency arm and I appreciate those who are willing to give this short delay to our new colleague. I think we've surerance from we have assurances from the staff this is not going to impair their forward motion in any way. All of us have essentially indicated that this will pass, and in the spirit of collegiality and cooperation I urge us all to grant this request for a one-week [5:24:36 PM] postponement on item 31. Thanks. >> All right. I can tally that up, that is 5-5 on this issue. I think we had done, I think I had Kelly, pool, kitchen, Ellis and alter. >> Mayor and council member harper-madison also said she supported it. >> And that's decided that way. >> I'm so sorry, mayor pro tem harper- madison. I will get that right. >> Yes, I offered to support our colleagues request. >> So I think indicates then the six votes to do that. I do want to address the postponement issue. [5:25:38 PM] I think it's real clear from the things that supreme said that we're going to move forward with this purchase, which I think is a real important thing because I think the message we need to be spending to the community is we're going to move with great urgency to get people out of tents and off our streets. And I think that be the motel strategy is the most efficient way for us to do that. We started a year ago to do this and we're able to acquire two motels and many of us were encouraging the staff to move quickly to increase the size of that portfolio, and importantly, to do it all over the city so it wasn't just in one place. And manager, I want to thank you and the staff for getting these items back on the agenda. I say that with the expectation we don't stop here, that we continue to move forward with the strategy, because I think it is really important for us to do [5:26:44 PM] that. I would be concerned over this next week that I don't want people to be misled with respect to what this vote to postpone means. I think that in a very real sense, it is kind of going along with the tenor of work that we've been doing today otherwise but no one should be confused or misled about the sentiments that was expressed by the people that spoke today. I appreciate the desire, council member Kelly, to go back and visit with the folks in the neighborhood and the community, and I think there is really important work for the neighbors to be doing in this conversation. Not only this next week but in the weeks after that. Because I think there is a lot that the neighborhood can engage [5:27:46 PM] and shuck engaging the city on and how we do this in a way that works best with the neighborhood. To consider things, like putting in no camps and live provisions around this kind of facility. Building privacy fences or other kinds of things that happened in the property that went in council member Renteria's district. Figuring out the best way to accomplish this is going to be an important and meaningful conversation and I really welcome and invite and home the neighborhood really helps with that conversation so we can develop those best practices as we implement this over the course of the city. I also want everybody to really think, and I appreciate all the speakers that came in today to talk about the need to get [5:28:47 PM] housing and to really push. No one wants to see anybody in our city in tents camping anywhere in our city. It is not right. We know that we have to get people in homes and we know that we have to, people can best take advantage of the support services when they're in homes. A home without services doesn't work. Services without homes doesn't work as well. We really need to combine those two. But there is a whole continuum of housing that the experts tell us that we need. Part of the housing that we need is rapid housing, and emergency housing, so that people can be an even better and safer places than they are when' lying and camping under over passes and on our streets. [5:29:52 PM] I hope we will have great drive and urgency to get people meants over the streets and the goal being to get to a place we actually put people or help be people find housing where they can get the supporting services. This is work we have to do and we have to do it with great urgency. So we will go ahead and take the vote. The postponement is going to pass. Let's use this next week as constructively as we can. And I just want to thank everybody, so we will street approve vote to approve this next week and I'm excited about that because I think the community wants us to more forward with getting people in homes at a greater rate than we have been doing. Council member alter. >> Thank you. I wanted to ask the city manager [5:30:52 PM] if council member Kelly has not already requested this to make sure that staff reach out directly to commissioner long and get her questions answered, so that can happen in a swift way. And I think that is probably a good practice with any of these hotels in the future so we are working hand in glove with these other elect owed officials because I think additional cooperation and cooperation other governmental levels improving that can help us to achieve our goals of housing the homeless. Thank you. >> Council member tovo. >> Tovo: So I want bed, I'm not sure, council member Kelly who will be in your sub quorum on this issue so I wanted to make sure I make my comments now. I apologize, I forgot to make it earlier. I agree with the mayor that the conversations that you will have with your constituents are going [5:31:53 PM] to be important but I would say the manager, city manager, I think we really need to figure out some mechanism for continuing those conversations with the community, and this may already be in place at roadway and we just haven't received a lot of information about it. I know that with the roadway inn, it is not in district nine but it was just over the border so I was hearing from constituents, as well. I know one of the conversations we had that day on council is making sure to address, to meet with the situations in the area and address concerns they have and I would go a step further and say, as we're making this an on going strategy, city manager, I would ask that we really figure out what, how best to, how best, and maybe this is something the council needs to move forward with, some kind of good neighbor policy. We may already have one. I've been searching my e-mail box, it popped up a number of [5:32:56 PM] times. Council member kitchen, looking through your materials you constructed. The council prior to all of us talked about a good neighbor policy it would be interesting and necessary to set up a communication, a very codified communication strategy for not just in the days before we make an acquisition but after the city has acquired the property and moving forward. So some basic expectations that communities where these properties are located have a right to expect and I think it will go a long way, too, to helping neighbors become more involved with their new neighbors on those sites. I watched this with foundation communities, the first couple properties surrounding neighbors had lots of questionings about them, and foundation communities really worked with neighbors to have those important conversations, to talk about what their communication was going to be like of a they [5:33:57 PM] opened, and they've just do a marvelous job, I think, for people to come in and ask questions and get to know their neighbors who live there. And they also have lots of participation and engagement from surrounding areas. So we embarked on this strategy quickly, we are still figuring out what that on going role is I think foundation communities so it is not, obviously, exactly the same model of housing. I think it is an excellent model for the city in terms of how we be good neighbors in managing these properties. And council member Renteria, you made. So comments last week about the roadway inn that I know season someone who lives quite close to it too and they have said the city's ownership of that property and maintenance and increased level [5:34:59 PM] of security has really improved things but the movement towards a more codified good neighbor policy would be useful. Council member kitchen, maybe you can fine what you think is the best resources you have resources you have developed for your neighbors. >> Mayor Adler: Council member Kelly. >> Council member kitchen was first, I think. Maze may it was your product so I was going to give you a chance to speak to it if you wanted it. >> Thank you for that, mayor. Thank you for allowing me to have the postponement on this property. I'm thankful for your wisdom and advice on this important topic we're tackling and I'm looking [5:36:01 PM] forward creating those positive conversations with the community. >> Mayor Adler: Council member kitchen. >> Kitchen: I wanted to say thank you to colleagues from other jurisdictions. There is one other that I spoke with in addition to commissioner long, so I will share that information with our staff so they can reach out. I think that was an excellent suggestion. Thank you, also, council member tovo. I think that, you know, one of the things that we learned last year, I know council member Renteria has learneach one of those good neighbor policies need to be crafted with the specifics of what's in the area, but there are some basic things. Are so I will share what we developed last year and that will form a basis for formalizing that approach as [5:37:06 PM] council member tovo suggested. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Yes, council member Renteria. >> And also include we have a lot of these shelters and affordable housing, you know, community foundation, we have that hotel, got converted right downtown, and district 2 we have they converted a retirement home, nursing home there into affordable housing. And then the one, Ann kitchen's. We're not having the kind of problems that people think we are. We don't see any kind was incident. These locations are managed. You know, very professionally. And they do not allow any of those kind of activities to go none their location. I just want to put that out so people don't have the fear that [5:38:07 PM] that's what, a bunch of criminals are going to move in and run a drug operation or something. That as not how long it works and I hope that that's one of the presentations that also gets delivered to district 6. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Council member Kelly, this really is a real opportunity to help us, for you and your district, to help us come up with what are the best practices here on a good neighbor stuff. I think that we have a start and maybe staff with help us find them. My recognize selection we have given the manager the ability to just declare a centralized zone in a certain distance around anything that was put to this kind of permanent support of housing use. [5:39:13 PM] We codified this from the work council member kich hen done. The motion in front of us is the motion to postpone. We've all spoken. We haven't taken a vote. Those in favor, raise your hand. Those opposed, raise your hand. People opposed Fuentes, Renteria, Casar and tovo. The others voting for and it will move forward. That is all we have on the agenda today, so with that, we're going to be meeting next Tuesday and Tuesday work session, Thursday we will post here before the week is over a date for a special call to go over the ballot items. Anything else before we stop? Council member tovo, council member Renteria. [5:40:13 PM] >> Tovo: Something I wish I had said, I'm sorry I keep doing this all day, things I tonight in say. I think it is really important we make sure that our community is not equating homelessness with criminal activity, and so you know, to the extent that we can continue to talk about that and separate it, which none ever virus done here today, I'm not suggesting anyone on the dais has, but, you know, I think that, too, is one of the really important things that the community will learn in these hotel-motel strategies that these are individuals who are experiencing homelessness and I think one of you may have mentioned before where it was a speaker the connection to crime is just not there. So I just felt necessary to say that. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Council member Renteria, close us out. >> Yes, mayor, thank you for recognizing me. I wanted to announce my [5:41:14 PM] education policy aid, Lizette men endez has left my office. She got her master's degree and is pursuing her career in education so she had moved to Denver, Colorado, and I just want to wish her the best much you know, she was wonderful for me, but I knew a policy aid has a career also, and she finally found a job she really wanted to proceed and I wish the best for her. She is really dear. So I also want to announce that Stephanie Perez is going to be taking her position. So if you all need to contact me, anything pertaining to education and parks and rec, she is going to be taking over those [5:42:15 PM] responsibilities. Thank you for letting me announce that, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: We all wish your staffer the best. I'm happy she was with us. We all help each other on this floor. Mayor pro tem. >> Thank you very much. I also wish Lizette good luck and safe travels. There were two things I wanted to bring up real quickly. One as we were talking about strategic partners that have had the opportunity to engage with the community and have the community be pleasantly surprised by their efforts to help house folks, I think the community first folks would be a great organization to talk to if for nor 50 reason, on one of my tours of the community first village, one of the things I learned was with the anticipation of there being problematic elements from the residents at community first, [5:43:16 PM] what ended up manifesting in reality was they had problems with people in the surrounding community coming into their community and causing problems. And so I think it is really interesting the perspective they might be able to offer. Also, there is a spot just off of mlk in my district that's been there for over 30 years, helping folks through substance use disorder and extended periods of homelessness that I probably passed by for the better part of 40 years and didn't know what it was. So it really is possible when things go well for all of us to co-exist and I really look forward to everything just accepting that as our reality and moving forward with more compassion and acceptance. The last thing I would say, on our way out is, appreciate very much appreciate, the level of time and passion that folks bring to these conversations. One of the things that my office [5:44:17 PM] has been getting a lot of is suggestions for how to fix the problem. And, sometimes that suggestion in the form of piece's business ventures. I will say this, I'm going to take that information you send to us and I will send it to the appropriate party so I would like to say publicly and maybe ask if any of my colleagues have additional suggestions, but we have a homeless strategy officer, I think that office is the more appropriate place of business for suggestions about structures and best practices nationwide, et cetera. I don't want for people to feel their concerns or contributions to the dialogue are not being considered or we're not, you know, taking them seriously. Our offices are not the appropriate place to suggest that because they can get buried in the other stuff we do do. [5:45:19 PM] He would encourage folks, if you have ideas, if you have a business you are working on that created magnificent cost effective structured type, please reach out to our homeless strategy office and let them know about your ideas because that is the more appropriate place for those suggests to land. >> Sounds good. Thank you. With that, 5:45, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all.