City Council Regular Meeting Transcript – 05/06/2021 Title: City of Austin Channel: 6 - COAUS Recorded On: 5/6/2021 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 5/6/2021 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. [10:03:32 AM] >> Mayor Adler: Are we ready, staff? >> We are. Thank you, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to call to order the Austin city council meeting here today Thursday, may 6, 2021. This meeting is being held remotely consistent with the covid rules. It is 10:03. We have a quorum present. I'm going to read the changes and corrections into the record. Item number 5 being postponed to may 20, as is item number 11. Item number 18, the posting language add language which is being omitted so it now reads, authors notion and annex of an agreement with front steps inc. To provide -- that's an added word, provide, emergency shelter services for persons experiencing homelessness in [10:04:32 AM] an amount not to exceed 1,255,787 for a nine-month term from may 15, 2021, through January 31, 2022. On item number 40, councilmembers Ellis and alter have been added as sponsors. Item number 41, councilmember kitchen has been added as a sponsor. Item 42 is postponed to may 20th, 2021. Item 48 postponed to June 3, 2021. Item number 50, postponed to may 20th, 2021. Item number 70 adds councilmember Kelly as a co-sponsor. We have three items that have been pulled. Item number 2, item number 10, and item number 41. I think what we'll do -- [10:05:33 AM] what we'll do is we'll just go to the speakers, and after speakers we'll then go to Diana to make the presentation and those things will just stay on consent. >> Thank you, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Ann Morgan, do you want to read into the record what the settlement amounts are on items 8 and 9? >> I sent a memo about those two things to council on Monday. We're recommending that the council settle two car wreck cases, number 8 involves the police department and number 9 involves the development services department and both the department directors and the city manager concur with the settlement. It's $200,000 in item 8 to telling the Jerry Pearson versus city of Austin lawsuit, and item 9, it's $150,000 to settle the Wilson versus city of Austin [10:06:34 AM] lawsuit. In exchange for those payments, the city will obtain a full and final agreement and release from the plaintiffs for any claims that could have been asserted. With those, we do recommend those. >> Mayor Adler: Sounds good. Thank you. We have late backup in items 2, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 63, and 70. Colleagues, we have about almost 80 speakers that signed up to speak this morning. If you are ready, we'll just go to hear from our speakers. And have the clerk call them. Each speaker has one minute each. When worry done with that, we'll hear from Diana on those five items. [10:07:34 AM] A short presentation and then we'll vote on the consent agenda. So if the clerk want to start us off with the speakers, that would be great. >> Good morning. We have three Spanish speakers and we have an interpreter on the line. So they will each get two minutes. Christina, are you ready? >> Ready. >> The first speaker is Irene Hernandez. >> [Speaking in Spanish] . >> [Speaking in Spanish] [10:08:35 AM] >> Translator: Hello, my name is Irene Hernandez I am a member of K and I'm in favor of this resolution vagues. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: I am in favor of this ruling because there is a lot of mold in the apartments and those apartments have a lot of children and elderly living there who are getting sick and they are getting sick and they are having illnesses in their lungs. And this law needs to pass in order to be able to give some kind of ticket or resolution to those owners of the apartment because --. [10:09:41 AM] >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: Yeah, because they like us to be paying on time of the rent that we have to pay for them. And so it would be good if they also get fine in case those apartments have mold. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: And yes, I think that you all have to pass -- the law has to ps because this has to do with the health of elderly people as well as children because they are getting sick with lung infections or problems. So I do agree that this law [10:10:43 AM] has to pass. Thank you very much. That's all that I have to say. >> The next speaker is Jose Perez. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. Creek sage. >> Creek sage? >> Translator: My name is Jose Perez and I used to be a renter in the apartments [10:11:46 AM] named creek sage. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: And I am the speaker of the neighbors who do not want to talk because they are afraid of what can happen to them if they speak. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: The issue that we don't have a law that takes care of the apartments and the owners of that apartment that have mold is a problem. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: It is needed and it is needed in an emergency base that a [10:12:46 AM] fund is created in order to help those that live in places where there is mold. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. >> Translator: The winter storm caused disasters in the city, but the mold that is left after that is causing a permanent issue for all of us. >> [Speaking in Spanish] [Buzzer sounding] >> Translator: And please, I'm begging you to consider the resolution because there are many people, innocent people, that are suffering due to this mold. >> [Speaking in Spanish] [10:13:50 AM] >> Translator: Those people that live inside those apartments cannot speak because they are afraid that then they can be evicted out of those apartments. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: Thank you for your attention. >> The next speaker is [inaudible] Rodriguez. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. >> Translator: [Speaking in Spanish]. >> [Speaking in Spanish]. France trance good. [10:14:50 AM] >> Translator: Good morning, aim in favor of passing this resolution. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: I want this to be approved because many people have been suffering for a long time about this. Many people have gotten sick. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: And I want this to be approved because people are getting sick with allergies, illnesses or lung illnesses, and all of this [10:15:51 AM] has been suffered by people that are the elderly, the children and also pregnant people, pregnant women. They live in very horrible conditions with the humidity and the mold. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: I want you to be more strict with the properties and I need you to be able to rule them, to check them. >> [Speaking in Spanish] [Buzzer sounding] >> Translator: And I want that those fines are get to [10:16:54 AM] be so big that they really feel the pain when they violate those rules. For example, they need to know the pain of us living in conditions so horrible with the humidity, with the mold. So they have to feel the pain of when they don't pay attention to those conditions, they need to then show the pain with the fines that they are supposed to pay. >> [Speaking in Spanish] >> Translator: They don't have big fines and if there are not and we don't have those that may then follow the rules, then nothing is going to be done. >> The next speaker is sandy [10:17:59 AM] Ramirez. >> Yes, hi, good day. Can I be heard? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Okay, great. Good day, city councilmembers, hi, mayor Adler. I'm grateful for this opportunity to speak to you and to thank you for the chance of agenda item 10. My name is sandy Ramirez and I live in district 2 in Austin. Sometimes I feel people in charge do not care what people like me have to say and I think it is great to have this chance. I want to tell you all I feel our city is going a little crazy. When I walk on the street, I see all kinds of trash and spray paint everywhere. I see my neighbors who tell me about the time they were threatened downtown and fear for their safety. I see car windows smashed in and other property vandalized and police cars racing to another crime scene. Even when we did not have units available to respond. Councilmembers, I know some of you see what I see, some of you can feel the [10:19:01 AM] degradation in our city. That's how it is for us. I ask that you please help people like me by taking a small step in funding cadet classes for Austin police department again and lord knows we need a lot more of them. Thank you again for this opportunity to speak and to be heard. Have a great day. >> Jean latrette. >> -- I live at Arbors of creekside, almost six years. I want to council to adopt this mold resolution because mold is a pandemic problem and right now no one wants to be responsible for it. At this time the tenants, we're like a moldy ball in a game of hot potato. Nobody wants to be taking the official or any responsibility at all to fix this. Since the ice storm, it's been really, really bad here. [10:20:02 AM] I have neighbors who are living in moldy apartments. Mold is a killer. It's making people sick. And I'm hoping that city council will pass this resolution to make Austin the leader in Texas, America, even the world for a clear path on mold resolution and who is financially responsible for taking care of it. We pay our money, we deserve a healthy and safe environment. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you very much. >> Next speaker is gabby Garcia. >> Good morning. My name is gabby Garcia. I'm project coordinator with Basta. I'm here to speak about item 40, the mold resolution. In our work with tenants, we see mold is an ongoing and widespread problem in [10:21:02 AM] Austin. Although issues of mold have gotten more attention since the winter storm, tenants have been struggling much longer. It seems no one is responsible. Code and the health department do not enforce complaints and there are no laws that -- what landlords are responsible for doing. This leaves tenants trapped in a loop and in mobile homes making them sick. I would also like to speak on item 65. People continue to struggle in the pandemic and the aftermath of the storm. The extension of the eviction protections and opportunity to care are crucial to housing stability as we recover. Thank you so much. >> Joy cling. >> Hello, mayor Adler and hello members of the council. My name is joy cling and I have been a resident for 21 [10:22:02 AM] years in Austin in district 6. And it's great to have this opportunity to address y'all today on item 15. To reinstate funding for police training. I'd like to call out [inaudible] Kelly. There are a whole lot of austinites and neighbors who really appreciate the work you have been doing to make Austin safer. What is at stake with item 10 is more than just funding for classes. If this funding is not approved, the APD will receive a clear message, your needs aren't important to the city council. That will be bad for morale. And if I understand right, morale may already be very bad. You can't turn on the news without hearing from anti-cop stories somewhere and that's got to eat at these men and women who just want to keep the city safer. This is about more than money. It's about ensuring that Austin is a city that takes care of those -- [buzzer sounding] -- Who take care of the [10:23:02 AM] city. It may be fashionable -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> Or hate them. With this in mind I ask you to please vote yes on item 10. Thank you so much. >> Karen Flannigan. >> This is Karen Flannigan. I live in district 6 near 183 not far from where a recent shooting has occurred. I am urging you to please bring back police services to Austin, Texas. I've lived here for 59 years. My whole life. And I've never seen crime and violence and trash this bad before. This is something that I see firsthand during my day to day life. I voted for and continue to support Mackenzie Kelly in this effort because she supports the public safety people in our city. Now other people sitting on the council and our mayor, please support this by [10:24:02 AM] voting yes on 10. We need to support the cadet classes and give funding back to the police department. Thank you. >> Sharon Blythe. >> Good morning, members of the city council and mayor. My name is Sharon Blythe. I lived in Austin for 34 years. There's so much going on wrong with our city that needs to be fixed. Assaults, theft, murder, three in my area recently are all up, and while that's happening there are some people who would like to cut even more from the police. There are many austinites who know, not feel but know that this is wrong. I know that some of you on the council know the same thing. The fact is the city is becoming more dangerous. We need these cadet classes reinstated. The criminals are getting bolder. If you -- if your response to this crisis is to do [10:25:03 AM] nothing, I can't help but feel my best choice is to leave this city. To find a place that keeps people safe. Thanks again for your time. >> Charles cup. >> Hang on just a second. My name is Charles cup. I live in district 6. I've been living in this house for 32 years. I was here back when Austin was a great place to live. Notice it's been sky rocketing downhill for the last four or five years. With regards to the police department, I am a retired police officer so 20 years [10:26:04 AM] in west Texas. We need our police cadet classes to provide adequate coverage all over Austin. So I ask each of you put your personal agenda aside and vote for what the people want, and we want police officers. Thank you very much. >> Ruth Howard. >> Hi. Thank you, city councilmembers and mayor, for the opportunity to speak on item 10 today. My name is Ruth Howard and I live in south Austin. I've lived in south Austin my entire life. I have never seen as much crime as I have recently. Graffiti with ugly messages along well traveled roads and highways. Cars in my neighborhood are routinely broken into. There are assaults regularly near my neighborhood. We receive three to four alert detail regarding assaults, break-ins and thefts. [10:27:05 AM] We increase our neighborhood security force from one person to people people patrolling our neighborhood 24/7 because of the increase in crime. The answer to this alarming rise in crime is not to reduce the number of law enforcement. Our city is approaching something ugly and dangerous. We need more and better trained officers. We need to reinstate cadet classes. I would like to thank councilwoman Mackenzie Kelly for her position on this issue and on public safety. Thank you all for your time and consideration. [Buzzer sounding] >> Jenny Kloss. >> Hello, mayor and council. My name is Jenny Kloss and lived in Austin 13 years. I have family here and a business. Crime has increased. I want to raise my family in [10:28:07 AM] a safe environment like any American. I'm asking to you vote yes on item 10 to reinstate cadet classes and fund APD. We need our men and women in blue to be out there to help protect us and to be there on our worst days. Thank you, councilwoman Kelly, wore advocating for APD and taking the risk to be true to who she is. Thank you for your time. >> Becky Mcmillan. >> Hello, mayor and members of the council. My name is Becky Mcmillan and I live in district 10 of Austin. I'm here to speak for item number 10. We realize we all need to better ourself through training and listening. Now is your chance to listen and retrain yourself as a councilmember by listening to what your constituents want. You need to redeem what you have done with the recent you heard loud and clear you changed our lives [10:29:08 AM] drastically by your terms and did not care what we wanted, but we voted and now you are forced to change your ways. Your constituents are here today to say you need to listen. If you don't listen, there will be major consequences and blood on your hands. We need cops, they need training, and the training needs money. I just recently went through a gun training class and got my license. The only reason why I did this is because of y'all's actions in the past year. I now carry a gun and mace on me because I have to do business around town. I enjoy taking my daughter to dinner downtown -- [buzzer sounding] -- But not anymore. We stopped going because last time -- >> Speaker, your time is expired. Joys Mcgee. >> Hello, my name is Joyce [10:30:08 AM] Mcgee. I live at Olmos at creekside. I am a leader in the tenant association and a member of [indiscernible]. I support the mold resolution. Mold has become a hazard in my neighborhood home. Mold has caused allergies, headaches and some of my neighbors have issued orders to move because of the mold. Family members had to help their family move because of mold. We have been trying to see if we can get code to push to have this situation under control. This is very important to our health and living conditions. Someone needs to be held accountable for the stress and frustration we have been going through because the mold is -- isn't being fixed the right way at all. I would like to resolution to be passed. Thank you. [Buzzer sounding] [10:31:12 AM] >> Jessica Johnson. >> Hello, my name is Jessica Johnson, an attorney at Texas fair funds project and member of the reimagine task force. Council should oppose restarting the cadet class. To quote the equity assessment commissioned by the city, there are, and I quote, concerns that the APD training division operating without civilian oversight is undermining the stated equity goals of the police department. End quote. Last night marked the first and only meeting of the curriculum review group that includes only three academic and two community members who are not city of Austin or APD employees. This is not civilian oversight make. I keep hearing this analogy that the creation of the curriculum is building the [inaudible] By it. It's a perfect analogy because at best the plane doesn't fly and at worse there are casualties. Rushing to open the academy had the curriculum whats not been created and vetted in [10:32:15 AM] advance would create poorly trained officers and lead to additional deaths. [Buzzer sounding] Vote no on reopening the academy. Thank you. >> Cole kunos. >> Good morning, mayor and council. My name is Cole kunos, a resident of district 9 and policy analyst for the greater Austin crime Mims. I'm here in support of item 10. APD is taking great strides to improve the academy and the department ready to restart. Academy staff have completed workshops, new positions such as training manager and training specialist have been created to increase community involvement and civilian oversight. Officers have been recruited to focus on equity and inclusion. APD has made city manager [10:33:16 AM] cronks reimagine Al-Qaeda and -- academy. Austin is ready to restart police cadet classes. I urge you to support item 10 and put the improvements made to the academy into action. >> Scott Henson. >> My name is Scott Henson. I'm here on behalf of just liberty. I also write a blog, some of you may have heard of, called grits for breakfast. The majority of Austin police brass and academy leadership told the Crowell and associates they are not ready to discontinue their para military approach to training and do not want to get rid of hazing tactics including group punishments and screams at cadets. As of yesterday at the click [10:34:17 AM] aluminum event you were told about last night, we were told that all day yesterday Dr. Cringeent had meetings with APD staff where they were resistant to getting rid of hazing practices, stress-based practices. APD told Crowell they don't want to get rid of it, they disagree with these recommendations. They are not reforming the training like you've been told. There's no curriculum ready. They haven't shared the curriculum with any of the community members. None of had is ready for prime time. [Buzzer sounding] They haven't even identified all the courses yet. They are going to finalize that list this week. >> Speaker, your time has expired. Sue Gabrielle. >> Hello, I'm sue Gabrielle with district 3. Please vote against item number 10. Police are walking away from [10:35:18 AM] the job in unprecedented numbers across this nation. Changes are needed in overall public safety that do not include police and do not include more police -- more cadet classes. The reimagining public safety task force presented 75 pages of information and recommendations to you. You must also learn from and act upon the information by the Joyce James consulting firm and the Cole report. You need more cadets and police, but cadet classes don't remain full. Cadets are harmed in those classes. And that harm goes into the community once they become police. No, police do not prevent crime. They cannot prevent crime. They are the criminals. Thank you. [10:36:22 AM] >> Lonny newfer. >> Good morning, mayor Adler and council. Thank you for allowing me to speak today. I live in north Austin in district 7. I'm calling today in support of item 10 and to give funding and resources to APD. Honestly we need to do more for our public safety professionals. How many more do we need to see quit and retire and continue to have such call times that take forever for us to get the needs that we have when we're calling for 911. We need to give them a voice. We need to stand for them as humans that have lives and families just like you and I. I am so thankful councilwoman Kelly forgiving them this voice and sticking up for them. I'm so grateful she is now a part of the council even though she's not my direct district member. Vote yes on item 10 today. Give them the support they deserve. They are domestic predators [10:37:22 AM] that come on our rescue when we need them the most. Please vote yes. Thank you for your time today. [Buzzer sounding] >> Dallas Emerson. >> Thank you, councilmembers and their for allowing me time to speak on item 10. Dallas Emerson, south Austin. This item is specifically about funding the APD cadet classes which we need badly. As a resident of Austin, nearly life-time resident of Austin, I'm squared for the future of this city. The crime has risen to levels police are unavailability respond in a timely manner. Response times have increased unsafe levels and my neighbors are worried about what will happen if they need emergency services. We need to get back to those who give so much to us, the funding they deserve and support the cadet classes and grow this police [10:38:23 AM] department so we can have a safe and calm city. I'd also like to change councilwoman Kelly for support of the police and shining a much needed light on these issues as the city continues the grow. Thank you for your hard work and thank you all for your time. I know you will do what is right to protect our officers to protect this city. >> Michael Levin S. >> Hello, councilmembers and mayor, I've lived here more than 20 years. I want to share a few headlines that have been locally recently. A man arrested, accused of shooting, killing 15-year-old. Man considered, accused pointing gun and pretending to shoot at APD officers. Suspect caught trying to break into car, points gun at apartment resident who tries to stop him. The list goes on and on. If I kept reading the headlines, you would hear about sex crimes and break-ins and about [10:39:25 AM] criminals blatantly flaunting the law. What is our city coming to and how on Earth did this happen and when did it become so common? By cutting police training and removing funding the council has made our city less safe and that's the truth. There's some of you and councilwoman Kelly in particular who are pushing back against this craziness and I thank you deeply. Bringing back funding for the classes is the first step to making the city safer and saner. Thank you very much. >> Mary Locke. >> Hello, thank you, councilmembers and mayor for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Mary Locke, and I am here to speak in favor of item 10 on the agenda. After 31 years as a victim advocate for children, teens, adults and families here in the Austin area, I [10:40:27 AM] am really concerned about the amount of crime increase that we have experienced. Recently you heard with the chief's monthly report gun violence had increased up to 46%. And I'm very concerned that our amount of law enforcement in the area has dropped to below our ten-year decade authorization. That means 2011, the amount of officers we could have in this city. And increases every day that we're losing more and more great officers. And this city -- [buzzer sounding] -- Is not safe for families, children and the elderly. This is why you need to increase funding for the police and for the cadet classes. I would like to say thank you to councilwoman Kelly for her support of the police and her willingness -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> To help serve all of us. [10:41:33 AM] >> Heather luckette. >> Hello, city council and mayor. Thank you for taking time to listen to my testimony. I want to speak on item 10 because crime and safety are things I'm passionate about. I'm not a partisan political activist and I general will I don't know what's happening in city council, but I can tell what's happening in our city and I can tell you it's making me pay attention to what's happening in these meetings. Our city is seeing a crime spike. I hope you can call it a crime wave because waves go back into the ocean eventually, but I'm worried what we're seeing is a rising tide of crime because it's happening all the time. We had crazy summer with riots and a crazy autumn and wintry weather around spring. There are too many people who have been murdered in this city, too many women attacked and too few police. Austin needs more police and those police need to be trained. Item 10 restores funding for that training so I am for it and feel you should be too. Thank you all. [10:42:37 AM] >> Grace Gibson. >> Hi, my name is grace, a resident of d5 and member of Austin dsa and volunteer [inaudible]. It is high time that Austin makes aggressive rapid investments in community and the working class. The same thing is happening in cities like San Francisco and Seattle is happening here. Big tech moves in, creates sky high cost of living and wages stay stagnant for the working class and poverty and homelessness increase. We need housing more than ever. This was an incredibly safe city. I've been here on and off 20 years and truly never felt unsafe except around armed police. The black and hispanic communities are harassed and this has to end. All that being said, I urge you to vote yes on item 57 for a fully affordable housing development and no on item 10 to restart the [10:43:39 AM] cadet class. Thank you for your time. >> Natalie Levins. >> Hello and thank you for letting me speak on item 10. My name is Natalie Levins and I live in district 8. I can't believe how many crimes. I know we're not as bad as other cities, but our city should strive to be the best, not just not the worst. Austin used to be safer and this is the capital of Texas, one of the largest, most important states in the country. This city can't be left to spiral and that's what's happening spiraling. Too many austinites come face to face with crimes. I know how I feel and others feel when they hear or or see crimes. We feel scared and angry. [10:44:40 AM] Scared because we don't know who is next and angry because it didn't used to be like this. We're looking for leaders who will get to work fixing this problem. The city needs its APD classes funded. Thank you for your time. >> Jan marguiles. >> Thank you. I'm from district 1. I'm asking you to vote no on item 10 and not approve the new cadet class. As an austinite for 24 years and a member of undoing white supremacy for Austin, immaterial imploring to throw down the threats to the cadet class. Hanging in to create safety solutions, actually deal with the rising poverty creating crime sprees in this fast growing city. Not giving in to keep funding what we've been funding and doing what we've been doing. Even the Cole report that [10:45:44 AM] APD hasn't met the bare students, simply approve intentions now with no further checks from council. I'm asking you to move past conditions to trust an institution that shows it can't be trusted. Create real community accountability first, then reopen this conversation. In the meantime, thousands of -- [buzzer sounding] -- Are facing a massive crisis. Many renters need so much help. If we have an additional $2 million to spend right now -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. Pam ratton. >> Hi. Thank you councilmembers and mayor for letting me speak today. I live in district 6. I want to speak in favor of item 10. As a native of Austin all my life, 64 years, I see my [10:46:44 AM] community going downhill and I want Austin to be a safe place to live. With crime rates rising, this is a problem. Not long ago my husband and I were HEB and he thwarted someone trying to attack a couple and he ran away. Thank god for him. With the assistance reduced of police in the area it has emboldened people like more vandalizing without consequence. Serious Christmas crimes -- are on the rise and I'm sure moving to Austin would love to feel they are moving to a safe city. That is not the case. We must, must enforce a police department. We must give them money, training and we news give them help. And we personally know police officers in this town and they are awesome. They have been great for us in our community. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you Mackenzie Kelly, for what you are doing. >> Crystal Ericson Collins. [10:47:47 AM] >> Thank you for listening regarding the proposed cadet class. There is a crisis in Austin which is about to be exacerbated and your decision can help meal I don't remember right the arm. The crisis will not be solved by a new cadet class. This council convened a task force to make recommendations on public safety and now will not support the recommendations that the class be postponed. Training new officers under the same flawed model will not give you a less [inaudible] Police force. Insufficient officers is not the crisis you should be addressing today. If you have $2 million of unrestricted funds, city manager cronk, start housing unsheltered people about to be displaced from their community. If you will not, it's the responsibility of council to hold you accountable to the vision you set forth for Austin and the commitment you made to the community when you invoked the words reimagining public safety. [10:48:49 AM] Please vote yes on item 57 and no on item 10. Thank you. >> Jennifer Powell. >> Good morning. With over 130 officer vacancies and more officers retiring monthly, it's imperative the city of Austin restart the cadet classes that were cut as soon as possible. And meet the needs of our growing community. APD is overhauled recruiting and training in response to community concerns and restarting cadet classes is the best opportunity to improve Chris culture, letten patrol staffing strain in specialized units and support public safety. I want to change councilwoman Kelly and all the councilmembers for support of law enforcement and first responders. Thank you for your time and I urge you to vote in favor of item 10 today. [10:49:49 AM] >> Eliza Epstein. >> Good morning, Eliza Epstein, member of [indiscernible] I'm angry but not shocked city lipped wants to exercise power rather than listen to recommendations of the public safety task force that they asked for and ignored. Restarting the cadet academy, an institution that breeds systemic racism and violence is not a good use of city funds. I hate prop B, but the take-away people in Austin want there to be a solution for unhoused neighbors. Today you, councilmember kitchen can vote no. Regardless of intent, [inaudible] Disproportionatedly. And ignoring task force [10:50:49 AM] recommendations and approving item 10 will continue a legacy. Stop throwing cops at the situation and start transforming our institutions to create real safety for all community members not just white folks who have lived here for decades and who love their children and don't have to worry every time they leave the house about them being killed by a police officer. Thank you. >> Julie Nolan. >> Hello, city councilmembers. Thank you for your time. I want to respond to the comments about this being a rushed academy. As we know, it takes eight months to train an officer, three months of field training duty. That's 11 months before we start replacing the 150-some-odd vacancies and the 300-plus officers that we were short years ago. Y'all understand people came [10:51:50 AM] to this town with the promise that they were going to start school at this academy. I'm all for meaningful police reform. I do that for a living. I test people with their firearms to see if they are equipped to carry one. As a cop. But I can tell you that more training is better than less training. You need to honor what you said to these people that moved here and start training them so that they can serve this beautiful city they came to serve. Thank you for your time and please vote to reinstate Austin's police academy. [Buzzer sounding] >> Elias versky. >> Austin city council, thank you for hearing me out today. I'm here to speak for item 10. [10:52:51 AM] I've been living in Austin for 15 years, five of it downtown. Back in high school my friends and I used to visit downtown Austin, have fun, we even had a homeless guy help us park whether I was a kid. The last few years the city has gone downhill. I tried going drinking on east sixth or to the restaurants or stores a third or second, and I've been harassed the whole way in, the whole way out. The lack of police has emboldened a lot of the criminals and a lot of the other individuals who live in this part of town who wish to harm me. I hope you make the right decision today and vote for item 10 to fund the cadet classes. Not having them was an experiment, it failed, let's get police back, our safety back. I cannot afford private security -- [buzzer sounding] So I would like to have the public fund that. I would like to thank councilwoman Kelly for [10:53:52 AM] fighting this fight and small thanks to other individuals who participated in it. Thank you so much for your time. Have a wonderful day. >> Yvonne willedden. >> Good morning, mayor and city council. I am one of those representative at this community. I am half Japanese, grew up in district 2 and a homeowner in district 3 where shootings and stabbings regularly occurment I'm grateful we have leaders who are working to make this a safer city. I believe it's critical reinstating cadet class funding will see reduction in crimes and more police officers will make the city safer. Earlier this week I reached out to APD public information office and could not get confirmation to the rumors if an alarm system goes off and the alarm company reaches out to police what will happen to that call. Our safety concerns me. By moving forward with this, we will be ensuring Austin has the best police force [10:54:54 AM] and the public safety to protect everyone who is part of Austin as well as our property. As one who is representative of this community, I hope you will vote for item number 10 and ensure the Austin police department is fully funded. Thanks y'all. >> Corrie Johnson. >> Good morning, councilmembers and mayor Adler. I appreciate you taking the time to listen to my feed being back. I'm calling in support of item 10. I'm a resident of district 10 I was invited to speak by councilmember Kelly. I greatly appreciate all she's been doing in support of APD. She's got a lot of past experience and valuable New Jersey working with APD. While I appreciate your reference to continuously improve the training and procedures, with the reduction in head count, we're reduced by 150 police officers and with the same head count as we were in a [10:55:55 AM] city ten years ago, Austin is now in a very dangerous spot. We need APD police protection now more than ever. We're significantly behind schedule to add more officers. Either with your decision to to fund this cadet class won't add more officers for many months. I'm asking to you act now and approve the restart today. On a personal note, I'm a member of our neighborhood association board of directors. We have a wonderful and diverse neighborhood -- [buzzer sounding] -- Many of which are immigrant families primarily of Asian descent. >> Speaker, your time has expired. Michelle Edwards. >> Hello. My name is Michelle Edwards and I live in district 5 and I'm a organizer with black lives and associate professor at Texas state. I'm calling to have you vote [10:56:55 AM] no on item 10. I testified at the March 25 meeting and listened as consumers kitchen, alter, harper- madison, Fuentes, Ellis all of you talked about how this is going to be a two-step process. First step the blueprint, the more important step the funding vote. Now this item says there doesn't need to be a funding vote. At that meeting you called for the task force's recommendations to be considered and you called for the inclusion of the most affected community members, people of color, low-income residents, et cetera, to certify the blueprint steps are met. These things still need to happen. The other callers who testified about how worried they are about crime in Austin have not understanding of the community organizations and programs. Uphold your promise to pull the plug, particularly you, Ann kitchen, if community involvement hasn't happened, but the $2 million recently, quote, found toward housing people on item 70. Thank you so much for listening. [Buzzer sounding] [10:57:56 AM] >> Shelly Emerson. >> Hello, councilmembers and mayor, and thank you for allowing me to speak today on this issue. Item 10. My name is Shelly Emerson, I live in district 5 in Austin. I've been here for 24 years. I live in south Austin, I work in north Austin. I would like to thank councilwoman Kelly. I have seen and felt changes this the city and it hurts me to say I'm frightened by the crime that I see, sometimes in my neighborhood. And for the first time in my life, I'm looking to buy a handgun to protect myself because I no longer feel that the authorities can keep me safe at work or in my car, even in my home. As a mom of three grown boys, I can't imagine how I would have thought raising them in this environment which is getting crazier and more violent every year. Please, for the sake of our city, for the sake of young families, reinstate cadet [10:58:58 AM] classes so our city can be made safe again. Thank you for all your time and consideration. >> Robert Drost. >> Good morning, councilmembers. I'm a 20-year resident here in Austin and appreciate the time to speak with you today. I would like to make a distinction about law enforcement. Normal everyday people are not criminals. They are not horrible people. As a former law enforcement officers myself, I can personally attest to this. Every profession has bad seeds, however you should not stifle an entire police force. I urge you to vote yes on item 10 to reinstate cadet class and urge council to get back to funding and resources they need to be [11:00:01 AM] resourceful. Thanks to councilwoman Kelly. She is constantly working to boost morale. Thank you for your time today.. >>> >> Terry Roberts. >> Good morning mayor and council, this is Karrie Roberts the executive director of the greater Austin crime commission and a district 8 resident. Thank you for considering the item 10 resolution for start a police cadet class next month. No response to community concerns and your direction, the Austin police department has overhauled recruiting and training and restarting cadet classes is the best opportunity to improve police culture and lessen the patrol staffing -- this summer. After 8 reviews including the most recent assessment we are ready to restart. Much work has been done during the last year and has half by the community, city manager's office and the police department, particularly the dedicated training academy staff. [11:01:02 AM] As another community leader said during the summit to address unsheltered homelessness, new things are not perfect. I agree with my friend chas Moore and think it also applies to the reimagined police training academy. We may not get everything right but it's going to get better. Your unanimous adoption will demonstrate support for the police department and public safety, thank you. >> Rachel Shannon. >> Good morning, my name is Rachel Shannon, I've been aren't of district 1 for 21 years. A resident. I intent the proposal to move forward with that class is disturbingly deep betrayal of the city's alleged commitment to reimagine public safety in truly honoring the lived realities of people affected by severe police violence and life threatening inequities in this city. We need accountability, not just for white austinites who fortunately do not [11:02:03 AM] experience the kind of police violence and harassment that Austin's most vulnerable communities do. They have a very different experience of policing, that is the problem. This is where the rtf task force was created. The task force and the community review panel and police training videos have giving an overwhelming no to the cadet class this year. Even the hired ex-police said it was impossible to change the culture for the folks with the least power, the cadet class. Public safety does not happen through police. It happens by addressing the needs of citizens. If we we had $2 million in the budget, a commitment to public safety would be immediately investing those in housing the residents in the city who are in an unprecedented housing crisis that only -- >> Speaker your time is expired. Lisa Barden. >> Good morning, I'm speaking today in favor of agenda items 12 and 13 [11:03:05 AM] regarding changes to the permitting requirements for charitable organizations further request there be a deadline implemented to address mobile and temporary food distributions, I am a member of the food policy working group that began the process over three years ago to running a safe, compliant and healthy comparable food distribution. The challenge has shown us that the needs of these organizations is critical to the health and well-being of our community, yet the obstacles have not been addressed. Proposed changes to the permitting process would incourage more [indiscernible] To register with the city, allowing month for transparency, consistency and oversight of these operations, in Texas the department of state health services ... For a non-profit registered as a 501(c)(3) Organization. Strictly a city of Austin requirement. This will change the process that has a dual benefit of ensuring public health and safety, but also community access for most basic of human needs, thank you. >> Beth Corbet. [11:04:09 AM] >> Good morning. My name is Beth Corbin, I serve as the direct of advocacy and public policy for the central Texas food bank. The food bank has over 100 partners in Austin and Travis county that will directly benefit from the proposed cnges in items 12 and 13. And we fully support the recommendations set forth in those items. We have been actively engaged in the food policy board working group that coordinated the -- with the city staff on these amendments and I want to take the opportunity to thank the staff across all of the departments who devoted their time and energy to this effort. I did want to call to your attention that some time of comparable food distributions are not included in the items before you today, like mobile food pantries and one time events like those that took place after the winter storm as an example that many of your offices sponsored. The food bank is fully committed to working with staff on any amendments or additions to address those types of distributions as quickly as possible. We thank you all so much for your attention to this [11:05:13 AM] issue. >> [Indiscernible]. >> This is district 4 [indiscernible] Members of the project connect emotionally arduous process trying to represent the people who will be affected by the transportation changes. Notify people in they are in direct path of changes and announcements because not everybody has internet. I wonder if it will be taken seriously [indiscernible] Because of the distribution of anti-[indiscernible] Funds [indiscernible]. All transit development must pass the equity [indiscernible] Recommendations, panelists from the community should be the ones hired for staff and consultants. [Indiscernible] More accurate knowledge about our community's needs than anyone materials. Furthermore the city apologized on March 4th, for mistreating black folks based on UT's white led [indiscernible] Project report. Without the equity tool and there is no real engagement with those of authority who hide behind citizens without [11:06:13 AM] power or resources, thank you for your time. >> Jay crossly. >> Hello, mayor Adler and councilmembers. Thank you for your service to all of the people of Austin and I live in district 4. And I'm calling in today to support item 41 to the development of equitable transit oriented development policy. Our region will add at least 2 million more people over the next 20 or 25 years and we have to end our policies of regional -- regional inequitable policies of exclusionary zoning and sprawl [indiscernible] Tendency if we want to solve displacement, affordability and climate and traffic crisis and things like that. So I beg of you to support this item and I'm very concerned of two items in councilmember kitchen's proposal. One to specifically work with neighborhood associations and the city audit found the practice to be inequitable, the study should work with all of the people of Austin and use equitable processes like [11:07:16 AM] fiscally valid surveys or inviting random people and paying them and feeding them to participate in the process. And, also, I'm very concerned there seems an attempt to remove local bus service from consideration of transit oriented development which is a big mistake. Thank you very much, I hope you support 41. >> Lisa [indiscernible]. >> Can you hear me? Can everyone hear me? Can you hear me, great, thank you. I hope -- thank you to the mayor and city council and to everyone attending, I hope everyone is doing well during this, you know, difficult covid season. I'm talking about item no. [11:08:17 AM] 141 on the agenda. The affordable housing plans. I live at 3114 south congress avenue. I purchased one of the affordable housing units in 2007. It's been -- I can't explain to everyone here, but it's been a disastrous experience for me. I purchased the purchase price of the 477 square foot unit was $134,000. And after -- after being concerned about some of the valuation issues, I actually had the help of Deborah Thomas and Sandra Hawkins, the city attorney, to help take a look at the value, which actually was deemed -- determined to be only $91,000. I was going through a [11:09:19 AM] temporary hardship, I didn't really have the funds to purchase a normal property. And instead of purchasing a -- affordable housing property, I actually purchased a property that was overvalued. By at least $40,000. I also found out that there were permitting and compliance issues, which I brought to the city's attention. I've been strongly retaliated against, gas lighted, sued, I can't explain what I've been going through to just want the valuation and compliance issues to be resolved. And -- >> Speaker your time has expired. >> I'm sorry? >> Your time has expired. >> I'm sorry, ma'am, I couldn't hear you. >> Your time has expired. >> Give me 30 -- I -- >> Scott turner. [11:10:22 AM] >> Good morning, mayor and council. This is Scott turner. As you know, we have a housing emergency and it's easy to forget during lockdown that we also have a traffic emergency. Project connect will help our teachers, firefighters and people who keep our city running from driving further and further to find affordable housing. Because the cost of commuting is high, as is the environmental cost of sprawl. We need project connect to succeed, we need the resolution, item 41, to ensure that project connect anti- displacement bill so any Austin can afford to enjoy the benefits of mass transit. We need new and innovative tools in the etod toolbox and we need new and more inclusive processes to develop those tools. Please include a broad cross-section of austinites in the planning process, including renters. Of please include a variety of affordable housing options with participation goals in the bonus programs. And please include a calibration and a recalibration process so that we can learn what works and what doesn't, in [11:11:22 AM] real-time, and act quickly to meet those goals, we have to avoid making the same mistake we made with the current tod ordinance, locking in a system that has never produced enough housing and little or no affordable units. I believe we can do better and we have to do better if we're going to meet the goals of project connect and the city's comprehensive plan. A -- a city connected to everyone. Thank you. >> Mayor, can you see my hand? >> Mayor pro tem, I -- I'm not sure that the mayor is actually on at this second. >> Look key there, I'm going to take some liberties. I'm going to take the opportunity to say the speaker before Mr. Turner, I was really hoping that she was able to continue. I wanted to hear her finish her thought. Given that may not be possible, if she's still listening I would like for her to look out to the D 1 Austin, district 1@austintexas.gov. [11:12:22 AM] Thank you. >> [Indiscernible] Asar. >> Mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers, my name is [indiscernible] I serve on the leadership team of planning our communities. Planning our communities supports item 41 in today's council agenda because it kick starts the process for developing an equitable transit oriented development policy and partnering with capital metro in their ongoing study. Specifically we support item 41 because it advances an equitable tod policy that prioritizes anti- displacement efforts, creates housing opportunities while maximizing affordable housing, encourages the development of complete and connected communities and supports the robust communication processes that allow impacted communities to be heard. We thank councilman carpenter councilman councilmemberharper-madison harper-madison and [indiscernible] Planning our [11:13:22 AM] communities also supports item 40 and 65 because they support our most vulnerable tenants we ask that you vote in favor of item 40, 41 and 61. Thank you all very much. >> Greg Anderson. >> Good morning, mayor, mayor pro tem, councilmembers. Greg Anderson, calling to voice strong support for item 41. It's no secret that the zoning along many of our high frequency transit corridors are embarrassing and our tods with weak entitlements are nominal at best. Voting big in transit is a watershed moment for Austin, but our antiquated codes actively works against capital metro's success. This resolution can change that. Austin remains the fastest large growing city in America. While we look to grow in an [11:14:23 AM] equitable, exact and connected are the manner, we cannot build housing in areas best served by trans ate. There is a reason people earning 120% mfi are priced out of Austin. Please support this item. And help us to succeed. >> Ana aguirrar. >> Good morning, mayor Adler and councilmembers. I'm a long-time resident in district 2 and [indiscernible] Project connect committee. I'm voicing a concern regarding the recent action the council made by [indiscernible] For anti-displacement for project connect. I am also opposed to today's resolution, in the previous resolution [indiscernible] With following the contract with the voters [indiscernible] Equity tool. What happened to the contract with the voters? [11:15:24 AM] We asked staff what was going on, they, too, were concerned and recommended the equity tool be done first. If today's solution is an attempt by the council to get around the pending what I call the codenext lawsuit? Why keep the council waiting -- why can't the council wait until the equity work is complete. Do not approve this resolution or any future resolutions before we complete the equity tool. We also ask that the entire 300 million only be spent on anti-displacement. Those are us speaking today are bipoc. Your actions will let us know where the contract with the voter stands with you. Thank you for your consideration and service to our community. >> Timothy bray. >> I'm speaking in favor of item 41, in favor of equitable transit oriented development. Project connect is a ones in a generation investment in our transit infrastructure [11:16:25 AM] and we must be sure that we are doing everything that we can to make sure that it's a success. Item 41 is a strong supporting step to ensure that our land use policies work in sync with project connect. I want to urge you to shoot high on the number of projects in project connect corridors. The need for housing is only going to increase over time. We shouldn't just think about our needs today which are very significant but even greater needs that we will have in 30 or 40 years. It is not enough to allow new construction to only match the average density needed to support good transit. Many lower density properties won't be redeveloped and some properties will be developed lower than the allowed maxes. To reach our housing goals and our goals for transit oriented development we need some housing development that have higher than average density to make up for the others that fall short. The more units we put on these transit corridors, the more people that will use these systems that you are investing so much in, the more drivers we will take off Austin's roads. More units will give us more units to get both subsidizeed [11:17:26 AM] and affordable unit and more affordable units the more equitable the system will be. Please vote yes on item 41. >> Kimberly Levinson. >> Hi. I'm Kimberly Levinson the president of the downtown Austin neighborhood association and I'm also chair of the city's pedestrian advisory council this year. And I am speaking very much in favor of item 41. We desperately need more mass transit and we need more development near mass transit so people can get out of their cars and they can walk and move around the city and get off the roads so that we have safer roads and fewer people on them. We also need more affordable housing. It's critical to have more affordable housing and the best place to put it is on these corridors and in the neighborhoods where they -- where the people can then use the transit. We -- I would echo Jay crossly's call to reconsider [11:18:26 AM] pulling bus stops out of this. I think bus stops have to be considered a big part of this, also. But the most important thing that we can do for equity in this city is to house more people affordably and give them more access to transportation, so please vote yes on 41. Thank you. >> Mateo barnstone. >> Good morning, council. My name is Mateo barnstone, I'm a resident of the city and I'm happy to speak in favor of the etod before you today. This is an exciting time in Austin. Over the next few years, this council will help shape what the city will become in 2050. There are three major initiatives that will largely determine what form the city will take and who will be able to enjoy that city. The first is project connect and congratulations that's well underway. Thanks to your very important leadership. The second is I-35 and we'll speak more about that later this year. No doubt. The third is to modernize our hopelessly out of date [11:19:26 AM] and out of sync with our community values land development code. While the effort is on pause, we absolutely can and should move forward with small area planning initiatives such as this one. I'm not going to reiterate all of the very good reasons for the directive to the staff. Well summed up in the recitals. Instead I will urge you all just on a few things, first, please take a very long review. Zoning impacts subsequent generations much more than ours. Think about what kind of city we want to be in 50 year, not the one that we have now. What are the things that -- that those who follow us will be glad that we thought of. >> Speaker your time has expired. >> Okay, thank you. >> Rob thrower. >> Mayor, councilmembers, Ron thrower, I'm speaking on item 41. The long discussed argument of the cart before the horse was concluded with the passage of the bonds to place increased transit opportunities along [11:20:27 AM] important corridors in Austin. It is time to roll up the sleeves and collectively work together to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayer backed bonds to ensure these future public transit options are robustly fed by transit supported densities. It is time to address anti-displacement in a way that makes the right properties attractive for redevelopment to be an important part of the solution to the density necessary to support the transit. Please aim high in the eventual capacity for those corridors to provide housing for all. Let this be a model to be used by others to show that Austin can do it right. I enthusiastically support this resolution to help my hometown become a better city for everyone, thank you. >> Susan spitaro. >> Hello, this is Susan spitaro speaking, I live in district 8. I support item 10 as a public emergencying. [11:21:28 AM] The defunding and dismantling of APD today have created a dangerous reduction of 130 APD officers this year, in addition to the 100 cut in the budget. The shortage has -- is resulting in response times to 911 calls getting longer and callers getting the message there is no cruiser available to respond to their emergency. This is absolutely unacceptable. We the people of Austin deserve better. Mayor Adler says what Austin is doing is transformational. I would call it ruin unanimous. It is particularly -- ruinous. Catastrophic to the families and loved ones of the 29 human beings murdered in Austin in just the first four months of 2021 while Austin was being reimagining and defunding the police. With a rolling average of 300 homicides per year for the past 10 years, 36 in 2019, jumping to 47 in 2020 and now we've had 29 in just [11:22:29 AM] fewer months. Austin is on self-induced tragic trajectory. It is the logical response of demonizing -- >> Speaker your time has expired. >> Excusing criminal behavior, thank you. >> Tod hitner. >> Yes, I'm calling from district 5. I support item 70. A lot of talk today about reimagining, I think it's time we reimagine our approach to homelessness here in Austin. I'm urging the council to support Ms. Tovo vote's resolution to define spaces for the homeless to live. We have seen what happened when the council removed the camping ban without a solid plan in place, please, please, design designated camping spots now while we wait on a permanent housing solution that is three years and half a billion dollars away. [11:23:29 AM] Again, I support item 70, thank you for your time. >> Morgan Sculley. >> I'm born and raised in Austin, districts 2 and 5, I'm indigenous Mexican and Irish mix, my ancestors were here far before [indiscernible]. I have personally experienced the struggle of trying to survive in the woods and the trauma it can lead to. I was also part of the effort of housing people before and during the freeze and I continue to do so now. We are out in front of city hall occupying until a really solution is found. Prop B should have never made it on to the ballot. It got there through misinformation, lies and fear mongering. Making poverty illegal within a week is [indiscernible]. There are many people looking for real solutions to house and we need more time. Do not let police enforce this proposition. If this passes this is blood on everyone's hands. [11:24:30 AM] The greedy gentrifiers concerned with taxes, do not stand in sold alert when the community -- solidarity when community needs you most. Criminalizing human beings, that funding could have been spent on housing those in need. Respect the warrior spirit of the people and give the land back now. Much love to all of my comrades. >> Thank you. >>> [Indiscernible] >> Good morning mayor and council, I'm corby jastro, a president of the greater Austin crime commission. I'm here today to support item 10. Austin is ready to restart the police training academy. Over the past year and a half, APD leadership and the training division have embraced the process of making improvements to the academy. It is time to put these changes into action. [11:25:32 AM] The crime commission commend the incredible work done by the department, independent evaluators and the communities who make our academy the absolute best in the nation. We thank city merge Spencer cronk for bringing forward his blueprint and his leadership throughout this process. Please support item 10 to restart police cadet classes this June, thank you. >> Bill Brice. >> Good morning, mayor and council. I'm bill Brice. Vice president of investor relations with downtown Austin alliance. I'm speaking in support of item 70. It's critically important that we treat unsheltered homelessness like the humanitarian crisis it is. People experiencing homelessness must have places they can legally be now as safe alternatives to living in places not intended for habitation. We recognize that designated encampments are not the [11:26:33 AM] solution but should be considered as an essential part of the solution. Efforts to create permanent housing have not kept pace with the growing problem of homelessness and it's unjust for our citizens to languish on the streets waiting months or years for permanent housing. We must provide safe locations with essential services to ensure people's needs are met faster and more efficiently. We appreciate councilmember tovo sponsoring this resolution and we implore the council to pass the resolution unanimously. Thank you. >> Cleo pertesek. >> Hi, this is Cleo, co-founder of save Austin now pac, calling in favor of item 10 and 70. As a long time democratic, voted for Adler and kitchen, president Joe Biden [indiscernible] He says my number one response to any defunding is to fund the police. He promised that 300 million investment in community [11:27:34 AM] policing efforts and hiring more police officers. As our landslide victory showed, this was a public rebuke of the city council's lack of a viable plan and inaction these last two years. In order to restore the public's faith in our council, there should be no regulated -- unregulated encampment camp grounds or shelters at least three miles from schools. City council should be mandated to actually visit the proposed location of a sanctioned campground or shelter before voting on that location. It's not enough to get data from your staff, like councilman Natasha harper-madison said, you need to visit the communities. As an advocate to our children and families advocated for the chaos and distribution of their neighborhoods, schools, playgrounds, parks, trails, library. I appreciate that homeless have advocates that have been loud through the years, but as our vote Saturday showed you -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. [11:28:35 AM] >> Joel Mcnew. Aimed calling in support of item 10. It is critical that we support cat classes and public safety in -- cadet classes and public safety in Austin. Thank you, councilmember tovo, for item 70. It is critical to have safe places for people to be connected to services. Most importantly item 14, please review quantifiable outcomes, success of clients and community when allocating funding to those responsible for managing services in Austin. Please, council, visit Dean avenue in district 4, talk with neighbors about crime, drug, assaults and lawlessness. Taxpayers, donors and all citizens need to know that whether funding support 40 clients or 175 clients that [11:29:36 AM] the support is a vital support of supportive housing. Eliminate nimby by holding non-profits accountable to the clients they serve and the communities in which properties are located. Again, it is vital that we make sure that the programs in supportive housing are working. Please visit Dean avenue, meet with those residents and community to -- speaker, your time has expired. >> Thank you. >> Nicole Maddox. >>> Good morning, mayor and council. My name is Nicole Maddox. I live in district 6, I'm a member of dsa and volunteer with the homeless in a variety of ways, namely in the eat initiative. We work directly with seven camps including two near to where we live. We know these members by their first names. I offering cautious support on item 70. [11:30:37 AM] Just as repealing the camping ban initiative wasn't intended to be a solution, I don't want this to be viewed as a solution either. I appreciate it as an effort to reduce the if effects of criminalization and to facilitate the facility of aid to the homeless, but approval of this item should not result in a slow down of permanent housing solutions and I ask that the council continue on the path of providing housing options to all our unhoused neighbors. In addition, I'm disappointed to hear that APD hasn't met the crumb goals that were set on the reimagining public safety task force. I don't want you guys to let them walk all over you. Please oppose item 10. If they don't meet the goals that are set they shouldn't get to start until they do. Thank you for your time. Have a great day. >> Chris Harris. >> Hi, my name is Chris Harris. Texas apple cede calling in opposition to item 10 and item 70. Not long ago cadets that [11:31:37 AM] tried to be officers in this town reported that APD trainers referred to people experiencing homelessness and sex workers as Cocke roaches. They were told if they needed an easy felony to approach an transient, their words, not mine. Restarting the APD class despite your own hired consultants reporting that the brass refuses to change the curriculum or subject it to community review is a res fee brutality and violence against our once again criminalized unhoused neighbors. It is true to an extent that right wing forces, including the Austin police association are committed to fear- mongering in this town. You owe it to our constituents to stop the miss truths about our city and that directly affect health and safety. Many supporters mention the lives of fellow austinites, but not APD or the biggest threats we face, the ongoing pandemic that has killed 21 people in the last two weeks [11:32:37 AM] and killed 856 people in Austin in a little over a year. This reflects the disparate outlook on health and safety. [Buzzer]. I urge you to work with the reimagine public safety task force -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> Thank you. >> Tracy Graff. >> Hello. >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello, mayor and council members. My name is Tracy Graff. This is my first time to speak to you. I've lived in east Austin, central Austin and I am currently in west Austin, d6. Please support the cadet classes and defunding of the police by following councilmember Kelly's lead and working collaboratively with her on making Austin [11:33:39 AM] safe again. I know you see the crime increase in our city. I am asking each of you to now do something about it. Please vote yes on item 10 today. The majority of Austin citizens as well as is the tourists will be very gravitiful for your yes vote. I also want to thank councilmember Kelly for her work and the bipartisan support she has now garnered across districts in Austin. She actually listens to all citizens in all of the districts, which is something nice for all of us and I hope everyone can start following that lead. Bipartisan support is what we need. I also urge you to support Kathie tovo's item 70 with a yes. We need immediate and land or parking areas for our homeless to go to right now. [Buzzer]. So they can get out of the calves and out of underpasses. >> Speaker, your time has [11:34:41 AM] expired. >> Dr. Rita it Pavone. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Hello? Yes. Good morning perfect, council members and mayor. My name is Dr. Pavone. I have a ph.d in criminal justice and public policy and law. Today I'm here in support of item 10 to fund and support cadet classes and the police. Here it talks about reimagining, reinventing. That will be conceptually logistical and an antithesis is to public safety needs. We have a lot of our plate effort but we need safety to accomplish our goals and right now we do not feel safe. I've lived here for 15 years and I've seen this town going out of control on many [11:35:41 AM] levels. Please vote on item 10 on continued support and funding of cadet classes and our police department. Thank you very much for your time. >> Jen Deanne. >> Thank you. Hi everyone. I appreciate you all taking the time to hear community voices. I'm Jen Dean and I'm a lifelong south austinite district 5. I'm here today to speak about agenda item 10 because I believe we all feel the change in Austin's climate. What I mean by can climate is that we can all feel the rise in crime, the fact that we are less safe in a city once known for being a peaceful and laid back place to live. I'm encouraged that there are so many people in our city who take time seriously. It's been historically low in Austin, but that's changing. Just about every week I learn the name of other austinite who has been murdered. I know not to leave anything in my car when parking on [11:36:44 AM] the street downtown. Too many cars are getting broken into to ignore. Just the other day I picked up my bike in a shop in dripping springs. As I approached front door I noticed that there was no door handle. Then I looked up to see a note please knock, door broken, with a sad face. The bike shop owner said -- [buzzer]. They being members of a known cartel who not only hit-- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> Thank you. >> Zenobia Joseph. >> Thank you, mayor, council members. I'm Zenobia Joseph. Mayor, can I ask a question? Can you tell me if the one minute is for the housing as well as the other agenda items? It's just one minute today? >> Mayor Adler: If you're speaking on both you have a [11:37:44 AM] minute to each. >> Mayor, she can call back in for a housing. She will get a minute for the showing but has a minute for items 2, 4 and 41 combined. >> I oppose the $97.7 million from the federal government until you can show transparency. As you will recall, mayor, you refuse to tell the public where the six million dollars went as it related to the anchor fund for non-profits and here in the backup materials, the late backup says that $500,000 will go to navigators and non-profits as well. I would ask you to recognize as well the $53.1 million that will be remaining after you allocate 44.8 million to Austin public health. I would ask you to use $4.7 million to restore the [11:38:46 AM] metrorapid line on Parmer lane between Samsung and apple and number 4, which would be applied materials. So I oppose applied materials becoming a Texas enterprise zone and understand I probably have to call the governor's office, but there is no transportation to that site. So while many of you are talking about project connect, item 41, I do want to recall that it's 24 to 30 years on the Orange line -- [buzzer]. And on blue line -- subpoena speaker, your time has >> Speaker, your time has expired. Mayor, this is Jannette. If you would like, Ms. Joseph was the last speaker we have on the line. So we can keep her on the line if you want to recess and go ahead into ahfc and then she can speak on it. >> Mayor Adler: Let's say it the same way we've done it before. So I'm going to recess is [11:39:47 AM] the city council meeting right now at 11:39 and I'm going to call to order the meeting of the Austin housing finance corporation. Today is may 6, 2021, this meeting is being held by video conference. At 11:39 we're going to convene this meeting for the purpose of hearing the speaker that had signed up. And then we'll recess this meeting and then go back to the city council meeting. Would you go ahead and call our speaker today? >> Zenobia Joseph. >> Thank you, mayor, council members. I'm Zenobia Joseph. I'm speaking on item 2, Austin housing finance corporation. I registered neutrally on this item specifically because there's already affordable housing at Terry road and freed Frederick. [11:40:47 AM] I am herery of the fact that this particular property would be a 0.3 miles at that site from the bus stop and so the bus route runs every six minutes compared to 60 minutes northeast Austin, but it is on the frequent line and it is by kip Austin and there is also constituent school that's there as well. So I would just ask you to recognize the need to ensure that low income residents can also have housing that they can purchase, not just stack and pack and actually put them in an area where they are disconnected from food. And in particular area there's no store. So I just want to call that to your attention, the income limitation is 4,142,180, which means you will have essential workers there just as there is with the woodway square and so I'm not opposed to the housing obviously. It's by kip -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> I would just ask you to recognize the concentrated [11:41:49 AM] poverty in the affordable housing act of 1968. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. All right. Colleagues, we can't handle the agenda because we have to pass item 6 first on consent on the other agenda. So we're going to recess the meeting here of the Austin housing finance corporation. And we are going to reconvene the Austin city council meeting here on may 6th. The time is 11:42. Colleagues, we have a consent agenda in front of us. We have no citizens communication speakers today. The consent agenda in front of us is items '21 through 47 and also 64 to 68 and also item number 70. We are pulling item number 2 and item 10 and I think we have 41 and then I think [11:42:53 AM] item number 72. Let's see if we can make our way through thighs. I'm going toed hold off on item number 22 right now and see if we can handle some of the ones that the speakers were speaking to. Let's see if beck do items number 10 and item number 70 first. Does that make sense with the staff? >> Kitchen: Mayor? We haven't voted on consent yet. >> Mayor Adler: Yeah. I just wanted to line up staff on those and work on the consent. [Overlapping speakers]. >> Tovo: Mayor, just to regroup, I thought that -- I'm perfectly happy to officer 70 on consent, but I thought there has been -- to discuss it after executive session. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's go ahead and do that. >> Tovo: As I said, I'd rather do it this morning, but I thought that was the city manager's request. >> Mayor Adler: Do you [11:43:54 AM] want 70 to come up after ? >> That would be great, thank you, mayor. >> Tovo: And mayor, are we doing -- can you just remind us the order? We're going to pass the consent agenda, we're pulling these couple of items and then we're going to hear the presentation from Diana gray and then circling back around to the items we've pulled from consent, is that the order? >> Mayor Adler: If we can, yes. >> Tovo: Great. I have an additional item to pull from the consent but I need to double-check that. >> Kitchen: If it's out of order we may need to pull the items that Ms. Gray is going to speak to. >> Mayor Adler: We'll have her speak before we take the vote. >> Kitchen: Got that. >> Mayor Adler: If we can do that so we can get done those five items. All right. So that was pretty confusing. We're going to do the consent agenda. What's pulled are items 2, 10, 41 around 70. Those are the pulled items. [11:44:54 AM] Before we take the vote on consent we're going to give Diana a chance to speak to the five items that she's speaking to and then we'll take vote on consent and then start holding the consent items. To the degree we can take a consent item, I'll see if we can take item number 10 first. All right. Discussion? First I guess we're going to give -- anything else to pull other than 2, 10, 41 and 70? Alison? >> Alter: I don't need to pull anything, but I did want to signal that I'm going to have some direction on consent for 68 so if those folks can be sure to stick around. >> Mayor Adler: Let's go then to -- yes, Kathie? >> Tovo: I have direction on a couple of items that I'm going to make and pulling the pir item, which is somewhere in the 30s 31. [11:45:55 AM] >> Alter: 33. >> Tovo: Thank you, councilmember alter. >> Mayor Adler: 33 is pulled. Diana gray is she with us? >> Mayor, Diana is going to be joining us see I can't phone so being -- via phone so being pulled over right now. >> Good afternoon, mayor and council members. Happy to be here to lay out the five funding requests that we have on the agenda today. I believe that I.T. Has the slides that we had prepared previously and we're going to upload those as I go through these, if not I can certainly speak to them without any problem. So we have five items on the agenda, four of those are related to the heal initiative. And so I'd like to speak to those first and then I'll follow up with the one remaining item that is not directly related to heal. As you know, the heal [11:46:56 AM] initiative contemplated both outreach to encampments, some -- go to the next -- actually, two slides forward, please. So the provision of bridge shelter so that when folks move out of encampments they're already enrolled in a permanent housing program with a guarantee of those housing resources, but since we know that it sometimes takes a moment for units to be located in the application process to be complete, we did want to dedicate some bridge shelter to the initiative. So what you have on the agenda today are two contracts which provide rapid re-housing for individuals served through the heal initiative. Those are items number 16 and number 17 and what we [11:47:58 AM] have done here is to expand existing rapid re-housing projects or contracts with our partners, in this case integral care and family elder care. In addition, items number 18 and 20 are both contracts, proposed contracts with front steps. Both of those relate to the operation of south bridge, formerly known as the roadway inn, formerly a prolodge and will be rolled into a bridge shelter. The reason there are four steps for these purposes is that we were utilizing a good remaining CD dollars, the emergency solutions grant through hud, covid specific dollars, and we are drawing on general fund for a portion of those resources as well. [11:48:59 AM] Those dollars were in the operating budget related to the south Austin shelter which the city then decided not to proceed on. I think I can take any items on those since -- any questions on those since they're relate and then move on to the the final request for funding. >> Mayor Adler: Let me begin by asking Ann Morgan a question. Councilmember pool is asking if we need to see Diana if she's presenting. Per the public meeting act. >> Because we're under the emergency rules from the governor, because of the pandemic, we're okay with this, but thanks for the question. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> I am happy to show my video. I am just having internet problems so I'm by phone and not as elegant of a feed. >> Mayor Adler: That's okay. Is there any other questions? [11:49:59 AM] Colleagues, with the screen up I can't see everybody, so if someone has a question, if you would go ahead and ask it. All right, Diana, why don't you go to the next one. >> Yes, sir. That will be on the next slide. So item number 14 on the agenda is a contract with caritas of Austin which would extend an existing project, serving a number ever individuals that are part of the pilot for the pay for success initiative. As you know, we are redesigning the financing structure of that initiative but the program design remains largely the same. We are targeting individuals who have high utilization of emergency services including health care and interaction with the justice system. [11:50:59 AM] So this was sort of an early phase of that initiative. I believe there are approximately 24 clients being served in permanent supportive housing. We anticipate that when we deploy the redesigned pay for success initiative that these clients would be absorbed into that larger contract, but we certainly don't want there to be a funding gap in this project since we have folks in housing that need ongoing services. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Tell me, it's my hope that constituent staff's going to execute a -- that the city staff is going to execute a contract with front citizens that ensure the workers at this site are paying a living wage consistent with our practice of requiring that at city-owned facilities. I think it's important that we raise the value of social [11:52:00 AM] work in this city just as we did when we paid a living wage at the arch, which was also managed by front steps. Kirk yes, sir. So the contracts of course are under development at present, and I know that in the previous contract my understanding is that we did not apply that requirement, but there was within the contract a requirement that wages were increased there. We can certainly include that as part of our negotiation process and I'm happy to report back to council on what is being recommended by our contract staff. >> Mayor Adler: Great, thank you. Further questions, discussions? Kathie? >> Tovo: I just want to underscore the importance of that. It was my understanding that that was now the standard and that was an important part of the work that was done at the arch. So mayor, I appreciate Michael Mcgill and you for raising that issue with this contract, noticing that this [11:53:01 AM] contract did not specify as a requirement and I think that's really important. So I hope that that will be kind of formal direction to incorporate a living wage for those employees. >> Yes, council member, and that may be the way that staff was proceeding. I just need to confirm that. >> Tovo: Sure. I just want to add my support and just ask, mayor, that that be the formal direction. >> Mayor Adler: Any objection to including that as direction? Hearing none, that will be included as direction. Thank you, councilmember tovo. Councilmember kitchen? >> Kitchen: I have a question, but after maze gray has concluded her presentation. If she's completed then I have a question. >> Mayor Adler: I think she's completed. Go ahead. >> Could you speak to the heal timeline. My understanding is these items, 16, 17, 18, 20 are the next citizens in moving forward with the timeline for four phase I locations. [11:54:02 AM] So could you confirm that? And could you also confirm that our timeline remains as it was stated in the resolution to complete these four? I think it was by August if I'm remembering correctly. >> Yes. So that is correct that this is the next major step I think in launching the initiative. We of course upon receiving the directive from council designing the initiative needed to establish contracts with our direct service partners who will do the majority of the work. So swell a couple of funding actions that are supplementary to these additional actions, but put us in a position once the contracts are executed, which we will of course be facilitating as quickly as possible given the sense of urgency around this initiative, than we would be ready to begin and moving folks, for example, into the [11:55:05 AM] south bridge shelter after having done the engagement on-site. What I will say is that we are still shooting for the timeline that was established by resolution, something that council has not done formally is to acknowledge, although we've talked about it informally, a potential extension of the timeline from an August 4th end date to a September 4th end date because of the time lost related to winter storm uri. And so the original date would have been August 4th and so I will say that I think that that will be a challenge. The timeline was aggressive from the beginning, but we are targeting completion by that September 4th date. >> Kitchen: Can you also confirm your target start date to actually work with the first encampment? [11:56:05 AM] >> So that is dependent to some degree on the execution of the contracts, but our target date for that is may 20th. We would anticipate that work to begin before the end of the month. >> Kitchen: Okay, thank you. I don't know if the city manager is on. I don't see him. The last time we talked about that, the city manager committed to be -- to step in and help if necessary with our processes so that that you could keep with that timeline so that the contracting process would not be a barrier. So is the city manager present? I can't tell. >> Thank you, councilmember kitchen. The city manager will be joining after executive session. I'm filling in him for right now. This is assistant city manager Rodney Gonzalez. >> Kitchen: So can you commit on his behalf? >> Absolutely. [11:57:06 AM] If that is something that the city manager committed, we will certainly work with staff to look at the processes so that way we can make the timelines. I'll definitely work with Diana and Stephanie to determine what intervention needs to be made. At the same time of course I recognize the challenges that Diana has mentioned, but we certainly will look at the processes as much as possible. >> Kitchen: Yeah, I need a commitment and I think the city manager made a commitment to meet these timelines, so we don't want our contracting process to be a barrier to that. So I'm expecting that commitment to be met. If there's any concerns about it, I'm expecting that we are notified. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Anything else? Diana, thank you. >> Thank you, council members. >> Mayor Adler: Colleagues, that takes us back to the consent agenda, items 1 through 47, 64 to 68 [11:58:07 AM] and 70. The pulled items are 2, 10, 33, 41 and 70. Any discussion? Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. I would like to offer some direction on item 68 and then make a couple of comments before 15 and 32 so for item 68 I don't know if Mr. Arrest yes or no know or some -- Arrellano or some of the chiefs are on, but I think this can be conveyed appropriately without the city manager on the dais. Item 68 sets a hearing on June 3rd with regard to the international fire code and local amendments. I understand this year we're not making adjustments to [11:59:11 AM] the wee code that I was looking at last year. Isted to provide direction so they can provide me the information I will need on June 3rd to pass the code amendments for the international fire code. And specifically when this item returns to city council on June 3rd, I would like to direct the city manager to bring forward a plan for the future incorporation of the wee code elements not included in the code adoption as well as any potential improvements or adjustments to be made to the code over the next year. Wenase a potentially dangerous wildfire season in our region and that continues every year and we have to take every step necessary to keep our community safe. I understand the reasons for not further adopting elements of the code this year, but I want to make sure is that we have a plan moving forward and that we are transparent about how that is taking place. [12:00:12 PM] So is that something, Mr. Gonzalez, you can make sure gets conveyed to folks for when we get that fire code back to us for adoption on June 3rd? >> Councilmember alter, assistant city manager ray Arrellano is on the line and I believe he also wanted to comment on that affirming that commitment. >> And just so -- again, ray Arrellano, assistant city manager. I want happy to have that direction and bring it back as you've described. >> Alter: Thank you. I would like some memo and whatnot so we can understand how that piece is. Thank you. And then I wanted to comment really briefly on item 15 and 32. So I'm really excited about the passage of item 15, which is a contract with the national institute for criminal justice reform for data analysis and some strategic planning efforts for our office of violence prevention. This is a contract that builds on a recommendation made by the gun violence [12:01:12 PM] task force and the budget amendment that I sponsored in our last budget cycle. Council members tovo, Ellis, Casar, Renteria helped in making budget amendment. I wanted to thank and acknowledge our staff, especially interim aph director and both have demonstrated a compliment to getting this office off the ground being very thoughtful and working hard to set it up for success. Looking forward to seeing this contract implemented and I'm looking forward to what they will help us to craft. It's really significant that we embed our gun violence prevention efforts in a public health framework and I appreciate their work. Together with government shutdown violence related ifc I offered at our last meeting and councilmember Casar's item 66 today which I'm co-sponsoring, we're taking important steps to prevent future gun violence in Austin and I'm pleased to [12:02:13 PM] see us moving forward with this. Finally, item 32 as chair of audit and finance I can't resist commenting on item 32, it addresses one of the peculiarities of our city that has bothered me since we started, which is that we do not have electronic time feeds. Item 32 provides a software solution to that. In my view this is really long overdue and cannot be implemented soon enough and I really hope it is rolled out in a more timely manner than this procurement music] Has evolved because we need to take the steps tore more efficient and effective. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: I have one more piece of direction. I think we covered the other piece of direction earlier with regard to front steps contract and then I have a couple of observations and I'd like to put number 33 back on the consent agenda. [12:03:14 PM] So 33 is a pir -- is the software contract for the pir system. And first of all I really appreciate our city staff for working on this. My office sf had done a resolution a few years ago. Talking about some changes that are needed and my staff has been really involved with our city staff and really just in our office trying to really identify ways that the system could be made more appropriate and she's reviewing this and believes that this is a good step in the direction. So I do too. I'm going to put that back on the consent agenda. I think our system needs some additional work and improvement, but I do believe that this is a good step in that direction. Again, thanks to the city staff and thanks to Nikki huff in any office on that. On item 12 and 13 we heard [12:04:15 PM] from representatives of the central Texas food bank with regard to the food pal recommendations for 12 and 13. And I would like to ask -- to add some formal direction that city manager ensure that the provisional waivers are granted for -- I just lost track of the date. That the city manager come back to us with the recommendations for the charitable -- for the charitable mobile food distribution events no later than July 2021. That and the manager ensure is that provisional waivers are granted for one time special food distribution events that are done prior to July of 2021. It's important that the central Texas food bank and other mobile food distribution events producers are planning on some really critical distributions for the summer and I want to be sure is that our movement forward recognizes that and makes [12:05:15 PM] those possible. Is that clear enough, city manager, assistant city manager Gonzalez? I think that is the intent. >> I think so. I have to defer if legal if there were going to be waivers done of before any council approval those might require some sort of ratification in the future. I think we just lost council member. The direction is good, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, thank you. When Kathie comes back we'll engage her. -- Reengage her. Further discussion on the consent agenda? Councilmember Kelly. >> Kelly: Thank you, mayor. I would like the record to show me voting no on the following items on the consent agenda. 15, 37, 65 and 66. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Mayor pro tem. [12:06:21 PM] >> Harper-madison: Sorry, I'm having a floppy computer problem. Thank you for acknowledging me. I would like to offer support for what my colleague councilmember tovo was asking for items 12 and 13. I support her additional direction around those provisional waivers. I think I heard acm Gonzalez say that direction was understood. Okay. And so then I'd also like to speak to the consent agenda -- item number 2. So just a moment. >> Alter: We pulled item number 2. >> Harper-madison: Okay, thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Yes. Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: Thank you, mayor, I'd like to follow up and thank everyone after work session on the item related to mold and thank the folks that testified and all of our co-sponsors and councilmember Fuentes for kicking off an additional item about this at a [12:07:23 PM] previous council member council meeting. The real work on the item is some of those photos in and of themselves aren't a violation of city code and we need to find the right way to do something about that. It's also important for us to be able to enforce existing rules and laws as a follow-up from work session, some of the he tenants in whose it units I was in may be potentially locked out tomorrow or their possessions being taken by management. The mayor's order and the county judge's order from the pandemic is that you can't can lock out tents during the pandemic and there's state law that says is that you can't take a person's things without going to court. In this cases likely a justice of the peace. While I appreciate and it's important for us to do this work on mold and establish a rule that some of those photos are clearly a violation of city and health or safety codes, we also have current state laws and [12:08:23 PM] city laws and orders that I hope our city management and police department and code department can enforce to hel these tenants right now. So thank you for all your support on this item and these ongoing issues in this -- [unmuted background conversation]. If. >> Harper-madison: Kathie, we can hear you. [Unmuted background conversation]. It. >> Casar: Tell her it's okay. I was just about wrapped up. >> Tovo: So sorry, council member. >> Casar: That's fine. And second, I do want to thank all of my co-sponsors, the mayor pro tem, council members alter and tovo and Renteria and frankly all of you because I knew that we've all worked together on the gun violence issues in our community over the years, but especially during this year where we've seen gun violence increase across the country and Austin is no [12:09:23 PM] exception. We've worked in last year's budget to fund these community-based violence reduction programs, especially as a relates to gun violence. We've done a lot this year to bring a lot of the programs from last year's budget into being, but this one has been taking some time. And I think it's really important for us to accelerate that work given the increase in gun violence we've seen in our community. Just last weekend I was in my district with family and friends and neighbors of Juan Carlos Cruz, a 15-year-old that was so enfieldlessly shot and killed in our community here recently. It's awful. Obviously there's nothing that we can do to bring him back to really fix what has happened. >> Flannigan: He's just one of too many that would be killed in the last year and last to gun violence, but a lot of the conversations with the community were about also how we can make things safer and what we can do next. [12:10:25 PM] And I appreciate APD apprehending the suspect in this case and continuing to investigate issues in the neighborhood, but as I've heard a police officer say at some point, the crime scene tape comes down and both issues can persist in community. So having community leaders and experts in the neighborhood going and deescalating conflicts, making sure that they're in touch with individuals to make sure there's not a cycle of violence and revenge, finding out where the guns are and finding out how to reduce the instances of those guns being used against people is really important in communities across the country. And we just don't have programs at like that here. So -- at scale like that here. And I appreciate you working and public health deescalating bringing that to -- escalating bringing that to Austin and I know it [12:11:25 PM] has been brought down by 50% with programs like this. I think it's really important for us to speed up bringing the programs to our community and the new administration in the white house is starting to increase funds for programs like that. So potentially we can actually do even more than what you anticipated in last year's budget by getting our programs on the ground and drawing down federal dollars as well. Thank you to each of you for your work on this because it is a very pressing issue in all of our neighborhoods. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Mayor pro tem makes the motion. Councilmember Ellis seconds P let's take a vote. >> Tovo: Mayor? Apologies, but I think I got bumped off shortly after I told my daughter I couldn't talk to her about lunch I also got bumped of you off and was mid comment in my direction on 12 and 13. I just want to go back and read my direction again. I would like to capture what [12:12:25 PM] I know is the intent of the Austin public health department and support the approval of 12 and 13, but wi the additional direction to the manager that the remaining recommendations from the food policy board working group regarding charitable mobile food distribution events be incorporated into the city's newly established charitable feeding organization permitting system no later than July of 2021. As I indicated before, I also add the direction to the manager to ensure provisional waivers are granted for possibly food distribution events and one time special food distribution events prior to -- that might be occurring prior to July 2021. And I just want to say I was honored to be able to co-sponsor this initiative but I really want to extend my thanks to those who worked most directly on this initiative and that includes our former colleague, former councilmember Garza who worked tirelessly on this really critical initiative, but also our Austin public health department, the office of sustainability and the members of the food policy board working group [12:13:25 PM] have just done tremendous work on these initiatives. So is thank you so very much. I wanted to comment on item 3. We got some information and have been back and forth a little bit with our staff to make sure -- I just would remind all of us that if the revenue for alley vacations this year exceeds the exempted $800,000, any amount in excess of that will be transferred to the business preservation fund. Soy just want to mention this again here so that we can all be keeping our eye on those as they come forward. Over the last 10 years we have strived to really create an alley activation policy here in stint and I look carefully at those alleys when they come to us for that videophone that we're not just approve -- for that reason so we're not approving them on every council agenda without thinking possibly if this is part of an alley activation [12:14:25 PM] strategy. This doesn't seem to be an appropriate to have that particular conversation again but I want to signal to my colleagues that I want to go back to that body of 2013 work and look at the activation in particular of downtown alleys as they may be really appropriate opportunities to kind of reactivate the pedestrian and bike connectivity and other kinds of great things that other cities across the nation are doing with regard to alleys. So if you would like to be involved in that work, please be in touch. Item 14, which Diana gray talked about, is the caritas impact program and I just want to thank caritas for their work, their continued work with regard to the pay for success pilot program. This is an extension of that pilot program and I'm reallied glad to see is is it moving forward. The pay for success has been a long goal of mine and I know others of you on the dais and I'm really happy to see that moving forward and I think that I believe that this partnership is really going to yield great outcomes for our neighbor's [12:15:26 PM] experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Thanks to the Austin public health and the law department for really returning to this over and over again and making it work. I believe that is it with the last exception. All of you are doing great work and I -- I would acknowledge several of you for several items on the agenda, but I want to thank councilmember kitchen in particular for your work on the heal initiative and those items that are moving forward today. I know will help our neighbors who are unsheltered in several encampments around the city receive the services they need and the connections to permanent housing. So thank you. And thank you, Diana for your work and that of your staff for making these contracts happen in a really expedited fashion. >> Mayor Adler: Colleagues, we have a motion and a second. Those in favor of the consent agenda please raise your hand? [12:16:27 PM] Those opposed? I'm showing it as being unanimous on the dais. It is 12:16. Usually cit-comm would take us to 12:30. I'm trying to figure out what we can -- there's something we can do here quickly. Do we expect -- if we called up item number 10 now is there a lot on that? Are there changes or are people just speaking to it? >> Alter: I have a couple of questions and I have some amendments to introduce. Parse. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. The ones you posted? >> Alter: The amendments are the ones I posted and I have some questions as well for the chief. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's go ahead and do that. >> Kitchen: Mayor, I have questions also. >> Mayor Adler: Let's go ahead and do that. Let's see if we can do this. Councilmember alter, item number 10, you pulled it. >> Alter: Thank you. Can we pull chief Chacon [12:17:29 PM] over? >> We certainly can. Sperm. >> Mayor, I would like to ask my questions, I do have amendments but I would like to ask questions before we introduce the amendments. We can either take questions from other folks first or can introduce the amendments however you want to do that part. >> We'll wait while the chief is coming over. I'm going to speak in favor of this item number 10 because I think we need to move forward with the funding of the cadet class. Obviously an emotional issue, one that is on both sides. I want to thank the task force, much of its work is Cleveland its work is pushing the changes that are being made, the issues that [12:18:29 PM] are being raised and the work of not only them, but what they've been doing to help push what's happening with the consultants. The work is invaluable on the task force. And so many people are volunteering their time it's a gift to the city. Because all recommendations aren't a taken doesn't mean the task force is being ignored. This is continuing work and I support the amendments from councilmember alter that support ongoing review and analysis of cadet classes as we've talked about it being a light pilot that we've learned from. >> I believe we need the workforce necessary to do the important work of the [12:19:30 PM] police department. We need a workforce enabled to carry that out even as we are doing work to better define what's included, what's not included and what the proper numbers are. I think the cadet classes is one of our best classes to embed cultural change agents and increase diversity. I also believe we can move forward because there are significant changes being made, much needed changes I think that you can see from the work that was done that the cadet classes of the past were not delivering to this community what it needed. I appreciate the Austin police department's concurrence with so many of those changes that are happening. [12:20:32 PM] I will say that every crime committed in our city is a concern. When crime is increasing in our city that's a concern as well. And we really have to figure out what it is that is causing that and what's behind that. I want everybody to remember as we look at crime statistics that are going up in our city that just the past weekend New Orleans had eight people thought, including two people killed. This past weekend there were nine homicides in Chicago with 45 people shot. Five fatally, two were killed in stabbing. In attendant 22 people were killed this weekend, four killed including an innocent 15-year-old girl. In la there were four home sides. In Denver there was a shooting two blocks from the mayor's home. Boston has seen increases in gun violence and in [12:21:33 PM] homicides. San Antonio double digit increases. Increases in Louisville, Portland, almost every city in the country is experiencing this. There is something that is going on, but one thing is clear, that the change in policies of Austin, Texas is not responsible for what's happening in those cities or any of the other cities. Something else is going on. Some are suggesting it's mental health issues, unaddressed trauma, lack of economic opportunity, covid stress, but if we only focus on local policies to address increasing crime and homicides in our city we may very well and will probably miss what we most need to focus on. This is a city that does not want to defund police. This is a city that supports [12:22:34 PM] our police and we need to make sure that they have the resources to do the job we want them to do, even as we are reimagining what that is in the context of public safety. I'm going to support item 10. Alison, did you have questions for assistant Arrellano. >> Chief Chacon is having trouble logging in, but we do have acm Arrellano as well as Farah muscadin on the line. >> Alter: I'm afraid that I do need chief Chacon to answer the questions. My questions are related to the success of the academy, which is really tied in to and APD leadership. They're not really questions for Ms. Muscadin or [12:23:34 PM] Mr. Arrellano. I don't know if somebody else would -- >> Mayor Adler: Is he continuing to try to get in? >> He is trying to get in. >> Mayor Adler: So while he's trying let's see if somebody else wants to speak. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: My questions are for the chief also. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember Kelly. >> Kelly: First, thank you to everyone who called, emailed and spoke to us toyed on behalf of this um. I like many of you are really encouraged about us being so close to permanently resuming our APD academy and this is the first step. I very much appreciate our Austin police department leadership and staff who have embodied servant leadership and the kind of humble and respectful lifelong learning that we hope the academy will now better represent. One of my favorite sayings is that it is always darkest before daunt. I feel in this moment right now us voting in favor of restarting the police department cadet academy is the start of a new day in our city. This has been a multi-year your phi any for our [12:24:35 PM] citizens,, victims of crimes and city staff and APD. We have benefited from the widespread community input and Kroll report and we have landed in a good place. I will work to hold the officers accountable to ensure that Austin has gob back to having one best police departments. Thank you. Colleagues, anyone else want to -- >> Mayor Adler: Colleagues, anyone else want to speak? Mayor pro tem, did you want to go ahead? >> Harper-madison: I was going to say I would also like to speak to the item, but I would like very much for my colleague, councilmember alter, to be able to lay out her amendments. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. [Echo on the line]. >> Mayor Adler: Can everybody please mute themselves. [12:25:35 PM] Go ahead, staff. [Echo on the line]. >> Mayor Adler: Chief, are you with us? >> Yes, I am, [echo on the line]. >> Chief, we're getting a significant amount of feedback through your phone. It may be that you're on speaker and that your phone speaker is too close to the actual broadcast. It might help to either lower the volume or maybe create more distance between your phone and the broadcast. >> [Echo on the line]. >> Casar: Can we try everyone on mute -- [12:26:36 PM] >> Mayor Adler: I think [echo on the line]. It's 12:26. Despite best efforts I think what we need to do is just break for lunch. And then let's come back at 1:30 and we'll try to pick this up. We have speakers for zoning cases at 2:00. Do you guys want to come back earlier than 1:30? Do you want to try to come back at 11:15 and give us 45 minutes to resolve this. I see people shaking their head no. So 1:30 we'll come back and start right here with the chief and then let's work out the technical issue. So here at 12:27 and there are no cit-comm speakers signed up, we'll recess zoned you guys at 1:30. If [lunch break]. [1:36:11 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Meeting after our lunch break, it is 1:35. Today is may 6, 2021. This is the regularly scheduled council meeting. We have a quorum present and we were discussing item number 10. And councilmember alter had some questions for the chief. And then some comments to make and others had indicated a desire to do some or all of that as well. So start off with number 10 and see if we can resolve that and will they call the consent agenda on zoning and we will hear from the zoning speakers. Hopefully have a consent agenda. And then probably go into executive session. And then after executive session then come back out to handle the remaining city council items. Councilmember alter, you want to start us off. [1:37:11 PM] >> Alter: Thank you, I appreciate it. And chief, I'm glad to see you and able to get online. We're all dealing with technical difficulties that come in different waves. And so good to see you this afternoon. You can hear me? >> I can hear her. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember, I can hear you. >> We can hear you. >> Alter: Mayor, can you hear me? >> Mayor Adler: Can you hear Alison and I can't? It's on my end. Let me see if I can figure that out. Go ahead. >> Alter: Okay, thanks. So, chief, I understand that you have -- it's on my screen here -- judge I understand that you have some additional information about that I cat [1:38:13 PM] training since our conversation about it on Tuesday. Can you speak to whether and how the training is being enhanced to meet the current best practices and recommended courselings? Course links and how it's incorporated into in-service refresher trainings? >> Yes, ma'am. Thank you, mayor, council and city manager. My apologies earlier, I'm having some serious technical issues. They seem to have been resolved. And the mayor might still be having a few. For the question, I would say, you know, just firming up where we are with I. Cat, the 144th cadet academy will have 11 hours of I. Cat training, that's 11 formalized hours into that course. And that is different, I think that it is different in different academies across the country with some academies potentially haves less, and then there are some that have more. [1:39:13 PM] For those who have implemented the I. Cat training. I can tell you that there is no one set -- the number of hours that they say this is the minimum or this is the recommended amount, what they do is they ask that, you know, you be thoughtful in the way that it's implemented and that you follow the modeling that is outlined in the training. And I can tell you that the cadets receive two weeks of reality-based scenario training, so during those scenarios there will be 35 to 45 minutes of additional individual scenario training that is done for each one and within each one of those the I. Cat model will be reinforced and it's expected to be shown that the proficiency by the cadet. And so that, you know, if we take the three scenarios that [1:40:19 PM] they would run through, that adds in almost 2 1/2 hours on top of the 11, which gets us between 13 and 13 1/2 hours of what we would consider to be I. Cat training. Once, you know, and that is just, you know, saying that this is specifically the I. Cat training. We are working during the curriculum review, and throughout the academy on ensuring that we are putting deescalation techniques and emphasizing deescalation throughout all of the lesson plans. So that is a core principle of I. Cat. And the core principles of critical decision-making, communication, and deescalation are kind of woven throughout many of the courses and will continue to be done so as the curriculum review goes forward. Once they graduate, we have to [1:41:22 PM] go back every two years for a two-year cycle for recertification and for additional training. In the last training cycle, which was 2019-20, there were eight hours of I. Cat training that were in that model for all of our officers department wide. In the 2021-2022 cycle there will be an additional eight hours of I. Cat training that will be in there. So the officers will continue on, early on in the cadet acad me, and going forward in their police careers to have I. Cat refreshers and reinforcement. And the last thing that I can tell you about that is that we have developed a 30-hour response to resistance course that is part of our in-service library of courses that we teach on an ongoing basis. So that is another 30 hours that not every single officer goes through, but we try to get as many through on a timely basis [1:42:23 PM] as we can. So what we're doing is really changing the way that we're teaching the cadets, but then just thinking also about going forward how we are going to continue that model for all of our officers. >> Alter: Thank you, chief. I appreciate that, and for those who don't know what I. Cat stands for I should have said it's innovating communications assessment and tactics and this is training that is really focused on the deescalation, which is why it's critical as we're having these conversations in the light of the history that led us to have these conversations why I'm pushing and we are at the highest calibre cat training that we can. And I hear that there's improvements being made and additional hours being added, but I'm still sort of hearing that the long-term recommendation number sticks is really not complete, but in [1:43:24 PM] progress. And so I would just ask that whoever is supposed to be cataloging where we are in process, that you consider that in the process. And I appreciate the additional details that you're offering today. I'm going to in my motion sheet, which I posted to the message board, to provide some further direction to reinforce the need to continue in this direction that you have outlined, chief, because I think that it's super important. The next thing that I wanted to address is the paramilitary culture. So, chief, today we have heard many community members express a concern over whether or not they are willing to move away from paramilitary culture. And reports that the academy and department leadership are resistant to making a change to the current stress-focused approach to cadet training. Next, and also it's important [1:44:25 PM] that we recognize that the core report makes it clear that A.P.D. Should move away from the paramilitary culture and highlighting adopting resiliency approached training approaches, as opposed to the para3489 approaches. And Kroll also says that we intend that this approach has the ability of police academies to establish a guardian centered culture that centers on service on the community while effectively allowing officers to act and respond to crisis situations. We recommend a shift of APD academy away from a stress oriented military trial style to a resiliency based approach based on training and urban instruction. So chief, I have a couple of questions related to this. First, do you support moving away from military style training at the academy? >> I do. I do in the sense that you are talking about here, [1:45:26 PM] which is the type of training obviously that we might see in a military academy, which is much more strict and lecture and listen type. We are moving in that direction very clearly, and I do support it. >> Thank you microorganism next question is does the academy leadership support the resiliency based training and can you talk about how the instructors are receiving and responding to the training? >> Yes. The instructors has been, this has been ongoing for some time, particularly since we brought on Dr. Kringen to begin to prepare for the potential reopening of our police academy and have been very accepting and understanding of the direction that we are headed into. With that comes the instruction that we do need to continue to create scenarios that place our cadets under stress. [1:46:30 PM] They will be exposed to stressful situations in their careers on the streets and we need to prepare them for that. But I think it's important that we're doing it in bay that is a resilience-based training model that you were just describing. So right at the outset victim services will be coming into the academy and will be teaching a mindfulness and resilience class during the first couple of weeks of the academy that are going to give ourkets the tools to -- cadets the tools to develop that resilience and the long-term coping strategies. We are creating much more of that classroom environment that I described approximate previously that is an adult learning environment based on adult learning activities and components. That is going to make for a very different type of teaching environment than you would see in a military academy or that could be quantified or qualified as paramilitary. Those are changes, dramatic changes that are being made and that our staff is [1:47:30 PM] actively working in accepting to implement. >> Alter: Thank you. You touched on this next question a little bit in your response, but how are you helping department staff and leadership to embrace the move away from paramilitary training? >> Yes, ma'am. Beginning when we brought our staff together and with the hiring of Dr. Kringen, I, myself, chief mason, commander Johnson and Dr. Kringen met with the entire academy staff to outline the changes that were going to occur at the academy. So that it was very clear from the top down, from the let of the agency, that this was the expectation and I also told them that when the class actually kicks off and starts, I will be there on the first day to set the [1:48:30 PM] tone, not only for our cadets, but for the training staff so that they understand, you know, and it's further reinforced that we are moving away from that paramilitary style into this learning environment that is going to I think help our cadets to learn in a better way. >> Alter: Thank you. My next question is a little more open-ended. Relation based training is a different concept for many in the community. Resilience-based training. If we are going to move to that direction as the way we're going, I think it's important that we talk about it publicly. If you a -- you touched on it a little bit already, but I think it's important enough to have more elaboration. Can you speak to what resilience-based training might look like in the academy and whether stress will continue to be introduced in the academy outside of dedicated physical training blocks? What will that stress look [1:49:30 PM] like and will academy instructors verbally berate cadets or physically punish them? >> I'm going to start by answering the last part of your question first. Which is that no, our staff will not be allowed to berate or to basically degrade the cadets during the cadet class. We do have to, as I stated, introduce stress outside of just the physical fitness portions and that will be in our scenario- based training. What we have to do is provide the cadets, many of whom are still pretty young, the tools that they need and the techniques that they are unaware of that is going to help them to develop that resilience and those long-term coping strategies that I was talking about. So I do have Dr. Kringen on the line that might be able to give a little bit more detail on exactly what that course looks like. [1:50:36 PM] >> Absolutely. Just to go back to the question, we were discussing would there be sort of phases or how would this happen in the academy. We've worked with Kroll as well as looked at various materials from institutions that have moved away from the paramilitary structure and are using the resilience-based training. And they still use a phase model where it's a little bit more stressful in the beginning phases, however, those cadets like we mentioned will receive the training from the git-go on how to deal with stress. And that part of the issue I think that we faced with previous iterations of stress training have not been having the boundaries and not having the understanding of why we're doing this. So cadets feel berated, feel belittled and in some cases that probably happened [1:51:36 PM] because there were no boundaries of why we're doing this and how we're doing this. So that's one of the things that we're talking about instructors about and being very clear is that for the reasons as to why stress will be implemented will be clear to the cadets. The boundaries and what they are, right, need to be clear to the instructors and to cadets. And the purpose, so we're reinforcing what is the reason why we have stress because we think about the idea of when fine motor skills or attention to detail deteriorate in stressful situations, right, those are the things that we want to give them the tools to say how do I calm? How do I deal with someone yelling in my face or saying things that are degrading to me? Not saying necessarily that that's what we would be doing in terms of saying something degrading, but that they will have these situations. So we're working through the details,, but we're also [1:52:37 PM] being very careful that we will have sort of an idea of working off of these various models, what our instructors can do and what are the scenarios in which they will be implementing stress and ensuring that the cadets understand the purpose of it so that it isn't yelling for yell's sake, but that it will happen outside of the academic environment and that they in the classroom, they're learning, they're able to ask questions, they're talking amongst each other in those active learning scenarios. Does that help? >> Alter: Yes, thank you. I think it's important to understand that this training does provide the tools to our cadets so they can deal with the stress that is inherently involved with being a police officer and that does mean you have to experience it, but it can -- that does not mean that it's done in the same [1:53:37 PM] paramilitary way that it has been in the past. Thank you. I wanted to add some verbal direction here for chief Chacon and Dr. Kringen. I would like identified community organizations, the curriculum review committee and the video review panel to be involved in the topic of resilience-based training. I believe they need to be an integral part in shaping Austin's resilience-based training and ensuring that the academy approach to training needs community expectations since that was something that was a key part of it. And if I might just lay out my amendments and then I will pass it on to whoever the mayor calls on next if that would be okay. So I posted my amendments-- I'm not going to make a motion right now. Hopefully will be able to make that later, but I'll lay out what they are. I post my amendments and direction on this item on the message board and I believe that the agenda [1:54:38 PM] office has distributed my motion sheet as well. I would like to speak to incident tent of this language. So the first you chunk of what I'm doing is focused on reporting. So my amendments build in the guardrails that I think we need around this pilot cadet class to make sure that we're receiving ongoing progress reports from relevant stakeholders. So the first be it further resolved requires the city manager to report back to council on the progress of recommendation implementation before the pilot class starts. Many of the recommendations that we discussed Tuesday are is still ongoing and I believe we need a fuller picture of where we are in June. This is also what councilmember kitchen had mentioned on Tuesday. For the second be it further resolved, I understand that the new Kroll contract contains one interim report and what I'm trying to do is add an additional reporting directly from groups like the academy curriculum review committee, the community video review panel and Dr. Kringen to supplement that information [1:55:39 PM] that we'll be receiving from Kroll and provide additional perspectives. My amendment requires at least three total interim reports, so one before the Kroll halfway report, the Kroll report and then one half. These are separate from that final report that we should be receiving after fact from Kroll. I've put in language to give some flexibility to the rps director, so director muscadin, acm Arrellano and Dr. Kringen, so they can determine which of the named groups should report so we're not creating unnecessary work for all groups and detracting from the work of actually rung the academy. And so -- running the academy. So just to give you an example and this is an example of not what has to happen. So the first report we may hear from Dr. Kringen and the curriculum review committee and we may get the halfway report from Kroll and APD and last may be the video review panel and the [1:56:40 PM] curriculum review committee. So that's just an example. So my amendments are focused on reporting and putting some additional process into this pilot and then I smurf direction that follows from the questions that I've asked today and the conversation we had on on Tuesday. So the first bullet is really making clear that we anticipate actively course correcting throughout the course of the pilot class. I really don't want us to wait until the end of the eight months to make changes. If we find something's not working we really need to adjust and address any issues. We are trying to innovative here and we do need to adjust as we go. The second piece of direction aims to further incorporate victim services and trauma-informed training into the academy and curriculum so the rps violence prevention working group had a specific recommendation related to [1:57:40 PM] victim services and the training and I want to sheen sure that the academy leadership is working with the victim services is manager to determine if content additions are appropriate to better reinforce trauma informed approaches. And the last bullet ties back to our conversations on cat, the deescalation training and ensuring that we are adjusting that training to meet the current standards and best practices as outlined in Kroll and in other-- by other experts. I really want to note that my understanding is that Dr. Kringen is working out all of these items and this direction reinforces that work. I had an opportunity to speak with her at length and I really want to speaks my sin tear thanks to her for jumping in and moving these reports along. We wouldn't be here without her, so thank you, Dr. Kringen. I want to add that I did not include any explicit direction as it relates to ongoing community feedback, but it is my understanding [1:58:42 PM] that academy leadership is creating an infrastructure to do that for folks to weigh in on curriculum and training approaches through things like speak up Austin and other message R. Methods. I do believe community feedback throughout the course of the pilot is a critical component and I look forward to seeing how that plays out. So thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Anybody want to comment before we go back to -- let's go to mayor pro tem, councilmember kitchen and then we'll come back. >> Harper-madison: Thank you, mayor. I appreciate it. I wanted to really highlight what I think a lot of folks are already feeling. Thank you, councilmember alter for your amendments. They are really helpful and I appreciate that expectation around reporting being explicit. For all of us this is a very complex and difficult decision and it absolutely bears repeating the story ever how we got here in the first place. [1:59:42 PM] A top leader in our police department was repeatly accused of repeatedly using one of the most vial and hateful words in the English language. He used it towards the president, he used it towards a council member, my predecessor, and even members of his own department. This was the last straw in a much larger pile of clearly racist outcomes with our police department. Disproportionate traffic stops, ticketing, arrests and shootings involved black and brown people. Accusations in the department of a hostile and racist culture and reports of an abusive training program. As the author of a resolution that halted the cadet classes while we took a fine tooth comb at our training protocols, I don't take the decision to resume the classes lightly. The resounding outcry for justice we saw last summer [2:00:42 PM] encouraged a lot more people to get involved in our conversation to reimagine public safety and really right size the scale, scope and impact of our police department. And the systems that support it. I'm truly grateful to all of the participants on all sides who have brought to the table their experience and dedication to making our community as safe as it can be. Our reimagining public safety task force has been doing incredible work and I deeply appreciate the members for giving their valuable time and service to this very important cause K I hear those desires out there to reopen the pipeline that will help to fill those empty officer positions. We've also had a natural attrition in the past year through some retirements and relocations. I know that other officers have left for other reasons. Those reasons including the internal racism we're trying to address. I think it's vital that we point out to everyone watching or listening that what we are considering [2:01:43 PM] today is a provisional reopening of that pipeline. This is a trail phase only -- trial phase only. However, I am deeply concerned that we may be compromising that trail phase by starting it too soon. Questions about curriculum, hazing, transparency still linger a little too loudly for my taste. If we are going to move forward with this and it looks like that may be the will of the dais at this point, then I hope the 144th cadet class understands its significance, true significance in the history of our city. They are for all intents and purposes test subjects in our effort to reimagine public safety and history will remember the 144th cadet class. They're the first crop of the new effort and I hope and I pray that we've taken out those roots that keep making all those bad apples. [2:02:43 PM] Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Ann? >> Kitchen: Thank you. I appreciate the comments of mayor pro tem and also councilmember alter and the work that both of them have done on this item over the years. I want to specifically thank councilmember alter for the amendments that she's going to be bringing forward as she laid them out. I think the reporting is very important and particularly in the level of detail that she has laid out in her amendments. So I have a number of questions for the chief. These are the -- these are in relation to the items that we discussed on Tuesday and I'd like to go over them again briefly so that we can talk about them and reiterate that commitment to the public. And finally, I will volt [2:03:44 PM] some suggested additional language to councilmember alter's first amendment. I think it's in aligned in what she's wanting to do with that. So chief, we talked on Tuesday, we reiterated the commitment that we as a body made to the community to around certification and completion of the items on the blueprint, on the reimagine pilot police cadet academy blueprint. And you went over that with us on Tuesday and went through each item on that blueprint. So that's information and backup with the details for anyone who might have missed that. And you also identified that there were 11 of those 23 items that were in progress and not yet completed. So we talked also on Tuesday [2:04:45 PM] about how that would be imported back to us, the completion of those -- that would be report backed to us prior to June 4th, which I think is what councilmember alter is capturing in her amendment. So my question to you is to drill down specifically in the engagement of the community in these processes. So at that time we talked about a couple of things. One of the items that I'd like you to speak to is the acr review committee. My understandi is it that community members will participate and are participating on the acr committee and also that the acr committee plays a role in reviews all the curriculum and in making recommendations for changes and that those recommendations will be made as an iterative process throughout this -- throughout this cadet academy. So can you speak to that? First off, let met ask you [2:05:46 PM] directly, can you commit to the community participation in the acr review committee? >> Yes, I can commit to that I can tell you that at acr committee has already had a meeting and I kind of kicked that off along with Dr. Kringen to thank the committee members for their participation, for the hard work that lies ahead over the next period of time that they will be participating in the committee and that we will be looking at every single course that is in our curriculum and looking at it for a number of things to determine whether it is victim centered. There are elements of deescalation that all of the items that I kind of laid out on owe that I laid out on Tuesday. We are in the produce of putting the list of committee members together so that just making sure that they knew that their [2:06:47 PM] names would be out there I think was a concern and we wanted to mange sure is that they knew that. And Dr. Kringen will be providing that to the city manager and to mayor and council so that everybody knows who the community members are. It's made of a cross-section of folks that are some of them are from departments within the city outside of APD such as the equity office. We have victim services on there. We do have some APD officers that are on the committee. And then we have some community members that are part of a different community-based advocacy groups, but they are -- they're essentially people that just live here in Austin that have a high interest level on the way that we are training in the academy, that we are bringing in and we are giving them a voice into how those courses will be taught. >> Kitchen: Okay. I understand that some single-family those community members have participated also in the [2:07:48 PM] task force process, the reimagining police force process. >> That is correct. >>Itchen: And I understand and I wanted to review and this is something that we talked about on Tuesday, that the video review committee must review all videos that are to be used in the cadet academy. Can you commit to that? >> Yes, I can commit to that. We have already looked at all of the videos that -- there were being used previously in our exam academy and any new videos that would be used would have to go through the committee, would have to be approved by the committee before they were used. >> Kitchen: Okay. And then finally, can you speak to the role of Kroll and their independent review as the pilot academy proceeds? >> I may not be the very first person to describe that. I will turn that over to director muscadin who I think is the project manager [2:08:48 PM] on that. >> Good afternoon, mayor and council, Farah muscadin, office of police oversight and also am working with Kroll. In the scope of work that we drafted, Kroll will be meeting with the whole academy pretty regularly at least -- pretty regularly, least once a month. They will be observing classes in realtime and also remotely. They will be' able to give continuous feedback. And the scope of work we drafted mirrors the blueprint so they're fundamentally responsible for ensuring that every aspect of the blueprint has been implemented, that it is implemented properly and is achieving the outcomes that we are seeking. And there is also room to allow for feedback in correction so that's why we included space in there for Kroll to be in there in realtime. And so it will be obviously an ongoing process but we [2:09:49 PM] want the violation to not only confirm and reinforce the recommendations that have been made, but we also want there to be opportunities for evaluation and implementation of any sort of change or pivot during the course of the pilot academy. >> Kitchen: Thank you. I have just a phrase that I will propose adding to councilmember alter's first amendment. I can wait and do that. >> Mayor Adler: Why don't you wait until she's made her motion. >> Kitchen: All right, thank you. Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Fuentes. >> Fuentes: Just to built off of what councilmember kitchen is saying, one thing that I would like to put out there is when we have the acr committee in place and informed, it's one thing for them to participate in the committee, but they also have is to review contentment I'm glad to hear they met this week, but it's my understanding they have not reviewed any of the [2:10:50 PM] curriculum materials and that is concerning to me. As we move forward in this process, one area that I'm going to be honing in on is if we're setting up the community engagement practices how are they being inclusive? Are we truly ensuring that we are giving choice voice to our community in this process and the design and in the creation and the transformation of this pilot academy? So I want to highlight that really we want to make sure that they're being inclusive, their voices are being heard and that they're having viable opportunities to provide feedback on the curriculum and the academy as we move forward. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. Councilmember alter, did you want to make a motion? >> Alter: I'd like to make a motion and after a second I'll make a short comment. I'd like to move passage of [2:11:51 PM] item 10 with the amendments and direction that I posted on the message board. >> Is there a second to this motion? Councilmember Kelly seconds. Discussion, councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. A lot of work has gone into where we are today and I think that adds mayor pro tem harper-madison mentioned it is important to recognize where this start and how we got here. And I think she laid that out well so I'm going going to repeat the details of that. But what is important about remembering that history is that we are authorizing a pilot. We are not authorizing cadet academies for perpetuity if [2:12:53 PM] the informs are not seriously implemented. I am voting today and making the motion because I believe that we are finally at a point where we have the commitment to move forward with this resilience- based approached, that we have a commitment to adjust and learn. And that we as a council have to recognize that we need to get start in order to make this work. We need to start putting some things in action in order to get it right. And this is both a pilot and a first next academy because we are hopefully going to adjust and learn. This is our prototype and we'll be fixing this until we get it right and until we adjust it. [2:13:53 PM] And that's important because we did hear from a lot of our community today and over the many last you few months that there is a though level of trust in APD. It's just not where we want it to be and where it should be to keep our community safe. So my questions and my approach has been really to find ways to elicit and demonstrate commitment from APD to making this process work because the main job of APD is to protect and serve community. We cannot do that if you're not listening so I think it's important that we start with these steps of affirming. The proof will be in what happens in the academy over time. It is time for a new approach to training. And we are taking a step together. As I mentioned last time [2:14:55 PM] when approved the [indiscernible], it is in some sense for me a leap of faith, but it is one that I am taking having spent the time to really get into the nitty-gritty of what's being proposed and where the different folks who have to implement it stand on how to get that done. And I appreciate the time that they gave me in that. Today we are taking a step forward T that's really important for reimagining the academy and it remains my hope that soon, if not in the 144th, that Austin will become the model for the rest of the country on what an academy can do that reflects the values that have been so clearly articulated by our community and by this council of what we need to see in our officers to keep everyone in our community safe and to keep our officers safe. So I join all of you who are joining on this vote in taking that step, but also [2:15:57 PM] with reaffirming my commitment to keep watch and to keep an eye on to make sure that we move forward transparencily this time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: Thank you. I want to reiterate that I share the sentiments that councilmember alter just put forth and I would like to Mings now my proposed additional clause to her first amendment. Would now be the appropriate time to propose that? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Kitchen: Okay. I'm just going to read the whole part of hers and say where my mine adds that people will understand. As councilmember alter put forward, the first item says, the city manager is directed to publicly report to council on the status of the Kroll recommendations in [2:17:02 PM] June before the commence R. Commencement of the pilot academy. And here's the clause that I want to add. Publicly report also to -- here's the clause: The completion of the items on the reimagined pilot place cadet academy blueprint and the status of community members's involvement in the acr review committee and curriculum review. So this captures what we talked about today so the report back in June before the commencement of the academy includes a report on the completion of the items on the blueprint. So those remaining items, as well as a Robert on the status of community members' involvement in the acr review committee, which I would anticipate would be by that time we would know who those committee members are and else also know what they have been participating had [2:18:03 PM] in to date in terms of review of curriculum. That's my intent there. Councilmember alter, I apologize not getting that sentence to you in writing sooner, but I hope it is aligned with your intent. >> Alter: Thank you. I think it is. I'm trying to think grammatically. I might put a comma after academy and say but not limited to the completion, but that's more of a grammar issue than a substance issue. >> Kitchen: Okay. So mayor, I move that amendment. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember kitchen makes an amendment. Is there a second to the amendment to the amendment. Councilmember pool makes that. Is this different, councilmember kitchen, than the certification that we've asked the arrange to make. >> No, this is putting in writing a request to certification. We don't have it in writing elsewhere. >> Mayor Adler: That wasn't part of the last [2:19:07 PM] resolution where you had to come back and certify? >> Kitchen: Yes, it was, mayor. And the chief about that on Tuesday and it was certified and completed. This is just taking the next step saying once again we need to continue with that and so in line with what councilmember alter has put out, it's clarifying that as part of that reporting we'll do those things. >> Mayor Adler: I think I was still looking for the manager to come back and certify that it was all done. This is work too. It all is looking for that official confirmation, I think, when that when we said was going to happen happened. Any further discussion on this amendment to the amendment? Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: No, no objections to that. >> Mayor Adler: Any objection to this being included? Hearing none, this amendment [2:20:08 PM] is included to councilmember alter's amendment. We're now on the main motion, which is item 10 as amended. Any further discussion? Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: Sorry, councilmember kitchen, I didn't mean to jump in. >> Kitchen: That's okay. >> Casar: I want to speak briefly to that. I won't go over the points that the mayor pro tem made. I really appreciate those points and those were many of the points I wanted to make. But I also want to talk some about how the changes that -- mayor, I'm hearing myself through your screen. How many of the changes and much of the work that we've done has to do with both civil rights and public safety. Mayor, you mentioned the list of cities where there are homicide rates that are significantly higher than Austin's across the country and in fact that list is [2:21:11 PM] pretty long in Texas as well. If look at FBI data and then all cities that are over100,000 people, if you look at those cities and look at their homicides per population, Austin doesn't even make it in the top 20 cities. The cities with higher rates cities in Texas include Dallas, Lubbock, Odessa, Wichita falls, San Antonio, Mesquite, San Angelo, Midland, Grand Prairie, edinburg, Arlington, Tyler, Pasadena and likely one or two others. As we talked about earlier, the increase in gun violence and homicides in our community, that is also a really serious issue because we have gone up in the list [2:22:15 PM] from in the low 30s being killed in 2019 to in the 40s being killed last year. I appreciate the chief's work on this and calling on us to work on gun violence, if you look at the map of where gun violence occurs the hot spots are overwhelming in our low income communities and communities of color and I appreciate you focusing in on that work. And when we talk to folks on the streets in those communities they want the policing to hold folks accountable for that harm but then also there is always that underlying concern about how old models of policing can also not serve communities well. And in the worst case [2:23:15 PM] situations result not just violence between community members, but violence between police and community members. So that's a big part of why we've worked through this extensive process that's brought us to today and I appreciate the amendments and the focus from you all on the dais and my colleagues on the continued improvements because we want to address your training not just for the civil rights reasons, but also because we need that training updated in a way that we can best serve those lower income communities of color where there is both a desire for safety and a need for civil rights and a different kind of policing. If we want to bring ourselves down that list. We're currently not in the top 20, but we're in the top 30 and we want to be below that. We want to take those issues seriously, recognize where we are and know where those issues are happening. So I want to take a minute [2:24:17 PM] to appreciate our whole community for working with us through such a long process where we still have work left to do. I've said many times that I've expected and thought that we could have a cadet class before the next budget, that we could get there some time this summer. It's no surprise to y'all that during the last vote on this I felt that we were cramming in too much of the work at the tail end and that would be really hard to verify whether we got everything done in time for a class and we still have some of those items that are outstanding trying to get done between this vote and the start of a class, the fact that the first curriculum review committee meeting was this week and that there's still some distrust there about whether or not the things that we're trying to get done are going to get done probably keeps me in the same place that I [2:25:18 PM] was at the where I wish we had done some of this work in the months beforehand so I could say we got everything done before we start the class. So my vote will be the same on this item. But I do want to recognize all of the work that's been done and emphasize the continued work to do both for civil rights and public safety and to recognize how much time and effort has been put into this and how much more we have to go. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Any more comments before we take a vote? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I want to add to what I said before, is that the only thing I would add is that I believe and I'm in align with what my colleagues have said, but what I would like to say is that I do believe that change changing our approach to our academy is absolutely fundamental and that as part and parcel of that, the [2:26:21 PM] continued meaningful involvement from community is necessary to that process. I appreciate councilmember Fuentes for making that point and so I do think that we need to move forward, but we need to continue to move forward in the way that we have and that requires the continue and meaningful participation from the community. >> Mayor Adler: Let's go ahead and take a vote. For the record I had made my comments just prior to the lunch break. Those in favor of item 10 please raise your hand. Those opposed? I'm sewing councilmember Casar voting -- I'm sewing councilmember Casar voting no. Any abstaining? It passes 9-1- 1. I'm going to ask Jerry to [2:27:22 PM] come up and take the consent agenda and then we'll listen to the speakers waiting on the line for the last 25 minutes. >> Thank you, mayor and council. This is Jerry rusthoven. I'll walk you through the proposed consent agenda for today's zoning. The first item is item 53, c-14--2020-00134. I can offer this case for consent approval on all three readings. The next case, item 54 will be a discussion item. He item number 55 is case c-14-2021-0016, this has a postponement request from applicant to may 20th and it is related to item 50 on your agenda, which is the related annexation item. So this is a postponement request to may 20th. >> Mayor Adler: Consent postponement request or discussion? Psychiatry so make sure on item 50 that we postpone at that time. Items 56 and 57 are the parker lane multi-family cases. Those will be discussion items. Item number 58 is case 2020 [2:28:25 PM] on478. I can offer this for consent approval on all three readings. Item number 29 is case c-14-2020- 0130, I can offer for consent approval on all three readings. Item number 60, case c-14-2020-0089 is a postponement request by the staff to June 3rd. Item number 61, case c-14-2021-0014 I can offer for consent approval on all three readings. Item number 62, case c-14-2021-0007, sunrise mini matter. We did receive a postponement request from the neighborhood for this case. It did not have a date specific. We will presume it is may 20th. The applicant is not in agreement with that postponement request. It is the first postponement request from the neighborhood. And then finally, item number 63 is a discussion [2:29:25 PM] the fpt apartments and that will be a discussion case. >> Mayor, you're on mute. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. The consent agenda is 53 through 63. And the ones that are on consent are 54, 55 -- 54, 56, 57, 62 and 63. Correct? >> Those are the discussion items, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, those that have been pulled. Councilmember Ellis, do you want to make a proposed amendment on 62? No, I was only raising my hand. I will have some comments on 59 in my district, thank you it can stay on consent. I just wanted to flag it for you. >> Alter: Mayor, can you say those were discussion again because you said consent and I got confused. >> Mayor Adler: I apologize. The consent agenda is 53 [2:30:26 PM] through 63. The items that have been pulled from consent for discussion are 54, 56, 57, 62 and 63. Let's go ahead and hear from speakers that are signed up. How many speakers do we have signed up in the queue? >> 32, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: And each are going to go for two minutes each I think we posted. Why don't you go ahead and start that. >> The first speaker is Mario Cantu. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Thank you. Good afternoon, council members. Speaking on item 53, 6311 south first street, I'm marrow Cantu, chair of the south congress contact team. I just wanted to briefly [2:31:27 PM] bring to your attention the matrix that we sent over to you in regards to the affordable housing. I just wanted to let you know that the applicant had mentioned that they were maxed out on the amount of money for that particular property. And as you saw, and we appreciate that councilmember pool did have some communication with that applicant about another 25,000 being donated for the parks. When it comes to parks we take that into high consideration, but at the end of the day we have to look at what is taking place with the city. The homeless situation that's in front of y'all right now, we need better affordable housing. As you can see in the matrix, all colors that was mentioned earlier about gun violence, about the communities of color and something else is going on in the city. Well, we have a lot of depression, we have a lot of mental health problems going on in the city and we truly believe that the only way that we can put a dent into this and we ask for your [2:32:28 PM] support is to make sure that why does the applicant not want to make more money and also in turn be able to give better affordable housing? I think that's the biggest question. We don't wake a dent with any of these things going on. Thank you. >> Gwen juess. >> Yes. Good afternoon, my name is Gwen and I'm also a member of the south central combined neighborhood contact team. I second Mario's words as far as our great concern for affordable housing. The 80 percent mfi, which is required in order to get the zoning variance to go to [2:33:30 PM] vertical mixed use is nice to have. At the same time, we really consider what the mfis are in the area of council member Vanessa's district, it's quite a bit lower. It's about half of the amount of the citywide mfi. So councilmember Fuentes' staff has been great in meeting with us to talk through some of the issues on this as we've worked through the Drenner group with Leah, but we're really concerned about some things that were mentioned earlier from councilmember Fuentes about giving voice to community and the community being heard that this project is going three times on consent without really having a good consideration about what affordability is in this part of town and how [2:34:31 PM] many residents from this area would be able to really afford to live in this development. So we believe that this is exclusionary zoning by providing a greater amount of 80% mfi, which is also out of reach, as many of the residents in this area, and not doing more in the 50 and 60% mfi. We would really like the council to relook at the zoning variance as a whole with the 80% mfi and try to address that to particular areas of the city. [Buzzer]. Thank you so much. We appreciate all the hard work that everyone does. Bye-bye. >> Blake Tollett. >> Good afternoon, mayor, manor, members. Council. My name is Blake Tollett. [2:35:31 PM] I live over in district 10, but I own property at 601 and 603 west 12th. I'm here to talk about the rezoning at 416 west 12th. I am here to ask you to grant the requested D.M.U. Zoning with a heighten titlement of 60 feet. Constituent staff's report recommends D.M.U. 60 based on the downtown Austin plan, an element of Austin's comprehensive plan. Our residential use here takes advantage of the metro rapid transit service, a core transit corridor feature. This location would be walkable and bikable to downtown activity and employment centers. But city staff recommends the D.M.U. Zoning be limited to a heighten titlement of 60 feet. Part of the reason is a five [2:36:31 PM] story parking pavilion, not that the residents would utilize mass transit. Maybe the folks that work there would clean up, but the not the residents. There is no affordable housing here, just high end density. In addition, the property's directly across San Antonio street when rezoned would be required to conform to downtown Austin plan. This requirement is a common thread when rezoning cases come before you from this area. Our rezoning here outside of the downtown Austin plan recommendations would set a precedent for properties further north across San Antonio street that are likewise recommended for D.M.U. 60 rather than D.M.U. 120 despite all these properties being eligible for the downtown density bonus program. A wide spectrum of neighbors were so concerned about the proposed development that a petition was initiated to support city staff position. Over the last couple of days financial financial incentives were offered to [2:37:36 PM] and but the concerns have not gone away. Again, republicanfully, please accept city -- [buzzer]. >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> Frederick deworgen. >> Thank you, council members for this opportunity to share my perspective with you regarding items number 56 and 57, the parker apartments. I'm a proud resident of 78741, southeast Austin and our community desperately needs services due to the high percentage of at risk inpack taints. Consider the statistics. In my immediate neighborhood there are 19,400 multi-family units. The median rent is $1,002. According to apartment dot-coms there are 476 vacant apartments in this area. 11% of those rentals are affordable to residents earning less than $25,000 a year. It's a higher proportion [2:38:36 PM] than any other part of Austin. We support the affordability in general and housing and services provided by this applicant, even though we know that they will not provide nearly enough for our at risk community. This property is best used as a civic property. The applicant is asking for three times the zoning they require for their publicized project. This property does not -- support our valid petition by voting against this upzoning request or appropriately sizing it to what is required for the publicized plan that they've put forth. Thank you so much for your time. >> Mayor, the next eight speakers are speaking for item 59, they each have a video so there is a total of 16 minutes, so the speakers [2:39:38 PM] are Melissa Nesland, Jake, Andres, Kevin, Heather, Paul buyers, Clinton sayers and Clara Weinberg and we will go ahead and play the videos. >> I'm Candace martin, I am from the state of Arkansas. And I am a retired health and wellness teacher after 35 years. I also spent about seven of those years coaching girls basketball and track and field. And in my retirement, I have found myself doing quite a bit of volunteer work. I believe that a contribution to education or [2:40:39 PM] educators is by extension a contribution to one's community. I live in a rural state and so we have many, many small schools, and towns and communities that, you know, their schools are their heartbeat. And any support that dkg can give that will keep an educator in education, that will just encourage an educator that they can do that extra thing that maybe there's no found. If they can get the grant that pushes them over that hump or that scholarship to get a higher agree to better themselves and their students. You know, our community's benefit from that in no small way. It feeds back into the communities of the people who are the recipients of [2:41:40 PM] those things that we offer, whether it's leadership or grants or scholarships or speaking opportunities or whatever it is, anything that enriches the life of a teacher or student is going to enrich the life in that community. When you go back to all the way when we were founded in 1929, many, many things have changed, but we still have a long way to go. >> I moved to the Austin area with my husband in 2006. In August of 2011 I got my first -- 2007 I got my first teaching position in Austin ISD at walnut creek elementary. When I learned about the dkg support for early career program mentoring was at my very first year at walnut creek, having the support of dkg allow me to go above and [2:42:42 PM] beyond what I was able to do. I had teachers who had been teaching for many years and were able to share with me instructional strategies that I could share with my students. So that helped me be successful at my job. And I don't think that my career would have taken off the way that it did if it wouldn't have been for that. So having that support system along the way that very first year was renewable for me to -- like to be able to achieve everything that I have achieved so far. Being part of dkg has had an amazing personal impact on me because like I said before, I moved to Austin in 2006 so I didn't have any connections. I didn't know anybody. So the education world became part of my family. That was kind of like my world. That's how I started getting to know people. So whenever I started being part of this group, it gave [2:43:43 PM] me that networking that I was not even expecting. If you asked me right now, I have met people that I never thought I was going to be able to meet. And not just meet that oh, I saw them once, it's people that I had actually made connections with. And that has helped me feel that I decided to move if from Mexico to the united States was worth it. >> That's why we started this. >> I taught kindergarten in my hometown of Winfield, Louisiana. Actually, I taught kindergarten at the school where I went to kindergarten. I taught there for three years and then I moved to Texas. I moved to Texas in 1994. I've been out here for a number of years, but I am still a louisianan at heart. Once I moved to Texas, I was placed in a first grade position and I have been in first grade ever since and I [2:44:44 PM] can't seem to graduate from first grade. So this is my 30th year as an educator. Several of my co-workers are members of dkg, and they knew that I was very involved in community. And so they felt like dkg would be a good place for me. I went I went back and read some of the history of dkg and read about one of the founders. And I am all about being a strong woman and being surrounded by strong women working with strong women, love it, love it, love it. So when I went to these meetings, visited these meetings, I saw all these strong women educators and so that just pulled me in. We give a grant in aid to educators and work in the community as far as we work [2:45:46 PM] with children shelters and domestic violence shelters, and we support the Alzheimer's association and, I mean, just so many different things that we have been able to accomplish together. I hope that delta kappa gamma can sustain for another 90 years, another 100 years. I hope it can sustain and thrive and -- >> I'm a teacher from the university of Iceland '72, I have a diploma in mathematics from Cambridge in '76. And a degree in computer science from university of Iceland '87. So I've been working in education all my life. I was so lucky to be offered a place in the leadership [2:46:47 PM] seminar that delta kappa gamma holds at the university of Texas at Austin. And in the two weeks compact course, my life changed. I then decided I would do everything I could to help this organization to grow and accomplish their goals to empower young women to grow and be better leaders. This is so valuable and the first step for so many women to get this opportunity to strengthen yourself esteem, your confidence is very empowering. Seeing women of any age in further education receiving grants and giving back to education worldwide makes me proud. What I hope for the future [2:47:47 PM] of dkg is that we can concentrate on our mission and our goals, encouraging women and empowering them. Helping educators to make the future of education bright and prosperous worldwide. >> I've been with unicefusa for almost six years. Part of our on boarding is hear about partners the organization works with, the initiatives that they are moving forward, and dkg was presented in that on- boarding training week one six years ago. Their investment has been used to support activities mainly in the areas of learning, access to retention and quality primary school, education emergencies, and it [2:48:47 PM] supported unicef for disadvantaged children, provide access to clean water and also provide the supplies that children need to go to school and be successful in that space. The aim of the program really is to create systemic, sustainable change to clear that education path way for children across of Africa. Dkg has helped access cross Africa. The power of impact with support of thousands of members for this program, we've really been able to be there for communities when it's needed the most. And that's especially true this year when millions of students across Africa have been taken out of the classroom without that consistent support dkg has provided, those students and [2:49:49 PM] teachers and schools and education would not have been able to make the seamless transition that they made to remote learning especially in the context in which that transition has been made. It's really strengthened communities in a way that is sustainable and we're hoping to see that continued sustainable impact. >> Hello. Is the powerpoint available for the councilmembers to see? If so, next slide. Our history goes back to 1929 when Dr. Blanton, the third female professor at U.T., called together women educators to support each other and women educators [2:50:51 PM] everywhere. Dr. Blanton was already a trail blazer. As superintendent of public schools and running for congress in 1922, just two years after women first received the right to vote. Although she was not elected, she was satisfied because she wanted to set an example that women should run for all public offices. You see the culmination of that in members of city council today. Next slide, please. The meeting of the delta kappa gamma society, called dkg, was held in secret near the U.T. Campus which would become the first home of the organization. At that first meeting in attendance were several other women from Austin as well as from across Texas. These women were educators at all levels of education which was intentional because Dr. Blanton wanted to support excellence in education at all levels. These women became along with Dr. Blanton the founders of the [2:51:51 PM] organization. Next slide, please. At this first meeting of the founders, they passed dealt 25 kappa gamma's constitution, promoting cooperation among women educators, confer distinction, secure legislation for better schools and just conditions for women teachers, secure equal representation and give financial aid to women preparing themselves to be teachers. These have been the founding principles of dkg ever since. Next slide, please. You have to understand at this time in many states, if a female teacher married, she would be let go from her job. Even though suffrage [indiscernible] At that initial meeting Dr. Blanton put out a call to other women educators but asked them to keep it secret. You have to understand at this time in many states if [2:52:51 PM] a female teacher married, she would be let go from her job. Even though suffrage had been won, limitations on the roles of women continued. Despite this, the group grew quickly holding its first national convention only a year later in 1930. Next slide, please. Over the next several years as the organization grew, it moved to a number of locations across Austin. As I mentioned earlier, it was first headquartered at 2610 widow. And then 1309 brazos street. Next slide. During this time the organization's membership and reach continued to grow. It gained members from outside the United States and 1952 convention it amended its charter to become an international nonprofit. And on June 12, 1953, it legally became one. Next slide, please. [2:53:53 PM] In 1956, dkg moved into its current location, its fifth home at 416 west 12th street. Unfortunately Dr. Blanton had passed away a number of years before as had most of the other founders. A few of them did attend the dedication of the building and the founder handed the key to then-president Boyd in a ceremonial passing of the torch to the next generation of leaders. We believe now it is time to pass that torch again and move to a new, modern location to continue to build upon a vision and goals of Dr. Blanton and all the found, and continue to support women educators everywhere. It is our hope that your decisions today will allow us to build our future and continue the work begun by our founders so many years ago. Next slide, please. We request you allow us to keep dgk working for educators throughout the world and vote to approve dmu zoning without any [2:54:54 PM] conditional overlay. We thank you for your time. >> Mayor Adler: Are those all our speakers? >> No, sir, we have one more. One second. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Mayor, while they look for that video, I just need to make a correction. I noted that the speakers or the videos were for item 59, and they are for item 54. So that is for item 54. [2:56:03 PM] Clara Wineberg. >> Hi, good afternoon. In front of you you have a power point that with a few diagrams of the intentions for the dkg site. The dkg site project design has focused on two key tenants, commemorating dkg and design that begins with activation of this corner with spouses -- spaces that allow for interaction. You are seeing the location at San Antonio and the main corner of San Antonio and 12th along with a commemorative garden the eastern edge along 12th street. Page 2, please. You are seeing the initial inspiration of the site plan of the ground floor and where outdoor spaces are created with the canopies of trees and gracious outdoor [2:57:05 PM] spaces and landscape areas for the benefit of both the residents of the building and the neighborhood residents. Page 3. Our inspiration for the design takes clues from the dkg pallet and mid century architectural language with a focus on layered materials, bold gee mat trick, clean lines and a connection of the interior program elements with the exterior. Page 4, please. The elevation from the 12th street side, you begin to see our intentions coming together. This 12th street elevation illustrates the intended retail nestled within the garden area commemorating dkg and also creating those spaces that will activate the neighborhood. There is a connection between the inside and outside all anchored by the soft landscape and active areas. And then the last page you see the San Antonio side [2:58:07 PM] where you see the separate and distinct residential entry with a soft focus of a more residential feel and the access to the building. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you for your time. >> That concludes the speakers for that batch. So we'll proceed to the next speaker and that the Malcolm Yates. >> This is Malcolm Yates. I'm chair of the east Riverside oltorf combined neighborhood planning area contact team. My presentation on items 56 and 57 includes a series of slides included with the council backup material. So slide number 2, the contact team voted to oppose rezoning of the parker lane church because the community would like to see this property keep the civic zoning and maintained as a community center. [2:59:07 PM] The area has more affordable apartments than any other area of Austin. What this area lacks are properties with a civic use. One of the top goals of the plan is maintain a balanced mix of land uses. There are currently only 26 acres of civic zoned property in the 745 acres of the Riverside npa, and there is no community center in the entire e-rock area. Slide number 3. This church operated as a community center for many years because the city did not provide any facility for the thousands of low-income residents in this area. The slide lists -- this slide lists some of the community services that were hosted at this property. Slide 4. The current buildings on this site include a sanctuary that can be used for large meetings, offices for community service organizations, a gym with a [3:00:08 PM] basketball court and full commercial kitchen, and a residence that can also be used for offices. There is a large amount of open space for more parking and recreational activities. Slide 5. The nearest recreational center and community center are located on montopolis drive that would be served by this community center. Slide 6. The Riverside togetherness project is a federal grant that targets the highest crime area in Austin. [Buzzer sounding] This area consists of low-income apartment complexes in the east Riverside area that are adjacent T the parker lane property. Slide 7. This is a map -- >> Time time speaker, your time has expired. >> Henry Morgan. >> Hi, my name is hank Morgan. I'm calling to voice support [3:01:11 PM] for 56 and 57. This project differs in several key ways from similar projects. 100% of the units will be below 60% median attack income which is a housing supply lacking in Austin. Took time to make the project fits with surrounding housing by including masonry. All heritage trees will be preserved. Low- income housing is often surrounded by less urban canopy which leads to hotter Summers. Thank you to the communities who have provided financial training classes and health services to austinites. I would like to point out item 61 received only letters of support. There should be housing for [indiscernible]. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a great day. Bye. >> Anna agire. >> Good afternoon, mayor [3:02:12 PM] Adler and councilmembers. I'm the immediate past present of the contact team and speaking on items 56 and 57. Our contact team met with representatives from the east riverside/oltorf team. With a quorum present and based on information provided and comparing shared concerns with other residents, the contact team voted family not to support the proposed changes. We're familiar with foundation communities and have supported them. We helped -- by opposing an attempt to built an adult oriented business in close approximate immaterial time donated. We respectfully ask city council to close -- would violate federal fair housing act before considering the approval of the requisite zoning change. We already have a higher level of affordable housing [3:03:13 PM] developments and this has come at a cost where we don't get the needed services to help residents in our vulnerable communities. In this case increasing density while at the same time removing critical land use option will create a social injustice. In response to the most recent catastrophic storm, members of the community spoke before city council in support of a resolution that establishing hubs. Specific land use is removed from parker lane, the residents will not have the opportunity to serve all residents. We recognize need for affordable housing but it should not come at the expense of lives of those of us who live in east Austin, especially children. Social services programs especially in view of the catastrophic property should be available to all residents. We respectfully request the city council carefully consider the long-term -- [buzzer sounding] -- On the current and future residents of east Austin and not approve the neighborhood [3:04:15 PM] plan amendment and zoning change request. Thank you for your consideration and service. >> Mark Gibson. >> Hello. My comments are in regard to 56 and 57. I'm the main point of the contact between the community that coordinate the valid petition and methodist church. Let me begin by saying we've been clear we are not against the formal housing and project. We are against -- we are requesting the community voicing be heard. As Grayson cox from city of Austin planning commission said during approval of this request, regulating development based on trust is a risky thing to do. I think it is risky for this commission to decide zoning based on the level of personal trust with who is requesting that zoning. Please consider the repercussions based who is [3:05:18 PM] making the request. If passed, we risk more landowners granting options to lease their land to affordable developers in order to up zone properties because of the ease of moving projects forward. It's important to state any zoning required to complete the projects does not go to the -- that will allow the project to be built as shown in site plan but with community assurance it will conform to characteristics. This relates primarily to the high land property and setbacks as both are immediately -- town homes. The city staff has determined that conditional overlays do not have enforcement, therefore the only mechanism is a restrictive covenant. Foundation communities and the church have both stated they will not sign a restrictive covenant though each party has been party to one in the past. In light of the lack of enforceability of conditional overlays as relates to affordability, [3:06:20 PM] please keep the public hearing open in the applicant and landowners have provided a restrictive covenant related to the zoning requirements the community is requesting primarily related to setbacks and height restrictions. [Buzzer sounding] Instead it is a vote that allows the community more time to work together with foundation communities -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> To tailor entitlements to what has been proposed. Thank you. >> Nancy baker Jones. >> Hello, mayor and councilmembers. I represent the oak Parke subdivision association regarding item 59. Our subdivision is subject to flooding during heavy rains. Development all around us is worsened this problem to the point the city of Austin has a high priority flood mitigation program for our neighborhood. The city has already spent millions of dollars to purchase and demolish five [3:07:21 PM] single-family homes to make room for flood water crow and calls for construction of a swale and berm along st.~andrew's property. This will redirect flood waters that would otherwise reach us from the uphill slope of school property. The parcel of land in item 59 is at the south end of our neighborhood and the school is required because of the development to construct a pond that will further direct flood waters away from us. In other words, the south end of our neighborhood will have not only this pond but also eventually a swale and berm. This leaves the north end with only the future swale and berm as flood protection, but this has not been built yet. At the moment the plan is construct the apartment building on parcel 59 before flood mitigation construction begins. Yes, the pond that is part of the project will help the south end of the neighborhood but not the north end. And we understand from a recent meeting with two watershed staff members that until the north part of [3:08:22 PM] flood mitigation is complete, water sheeting through the neighborhood will increase after the proposed project exists. This makes no sense. So we request that the city be required to complete both the swale and berm at the north end and the water dispersal pond out the south end of the neighborhood before the apartment complex the built. Thank you for your time. >> Christopher Zeto. >> Good afternoon, mayor Adler, councilmembers. Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. I'm Christopher Zeto. Speaking on item 62. The sun rise mini mart rezoning case. We had a zoom meeting last week with the agent and the applicant to discuss alternative uses for the commercial space located at 913 and 915 west oltorf. In that discussion a restrictive covenant was proposed to prohibit con construction of a liquor store and other uses. [3:09:22 PM] We are grateful we could come to an agreement with the agent and applicant on filing a restrictive covenant. Re kindly request the city council to postpone the first reading on this case. This will give us additional time to collaborate with the agent/applicant on following the restrictive covenant which was prepared by our legal council Karen Kinard. Thank you for your consideration. >> Bill Meacham. >> Hello councilmembers. I'm speaking -- I'm speaking opposed to item 63, c14-2020-01316789 it is [3:10:22 PM] completely enclosed on both sides. The tract is at the top left. There are several other tracts in the city. This pocket included 1655 households. It was founded on the west by railroad tracks, on the south by slaughter creek, on the east by Marion sealy park and some apartments. And on the north by slaughter lane. The only way out of this whole area is to the north. There's no way out to manchaca or the west to 1626 to the south or south first on the east. The only access points are Gilbert place and David Moore drive and 90% of the traffic is on billbrook. It's a bottleneck and extremely dangerous. If there were a fire or flood or some other emergency, it would block fire trucks from coming in. The biggest hazard is fire. We are surrounded by flammable material. [3:11:22 PM] If the south were come up from the south at the same time ambulances and fire trucks were trying to get in, a huge number of people would be trying to get out. The risk is not just being late to work, it's loss of property and loss of life. People could be killed. Adding more traffic is a recipe for disaster. We understand the city has a goal to create more housing. Housing that's much needed. But the city also has a goal of traffic safety. The Austin strategic me built plan directs to prioritize protection of human life over all else in the planning, design of Austin's transportation and network. In this case of conflicting goals, with he ask you to prioritize safety. We are already in a precarious position. Please don't make it worse. That concludes my testimony. >> Marta teller. [3:12:23 PM] >> Hello. My name is Marta Keller and I live in the Texas oaks neighborhood. I would like to say more about the view curricular access to the area. Everyone wants more connectivity. Our neighborhoods have tried to connect to other roads with no success. They have no plans for additional roads or connections into our neighborhoods. Two streets, David Moore drive and chapel lane, have been suggested as additional ingress, egress options to alleviate traffic on billbrook. But neither can mediate the intersection. David Moore line intersects slaughter lane and has no westbound turn option and often blocked by traffic at slaughter. It can only be reached through residential streets that have parking on both sides and were not designed for through traffic. [3:13:23 PM] It has a low-water crossing that has been improved, but in heavy rain becomes impassable. If you want to go west, there's only one way out, billbrook. It is a collector street. David Moore is a neighborhood street with no light and only a right turn and handles only 10% of the traffic coming into and going out of the area. Chapel lane is the farther south -- execute me, chapel lane and the far south of this 623-acre area has been suggested as a possibility, but currently it has no sewer access so it is not a appears. The up shot is that the only way out of this 623-acre area is to the north, and 90% of the traffic must go through bilbrook. That concludes my statement. Thank you, councilmembers. >> Heather venhoss. >> Hello, I'm Heather venhoss and live in Texas [3:14:24 PM] oaks. I'm here to talk about item 63. My family and 18 other households in our neighborhoods depend on the signaled on one signalled ingress and egress which is bilbrook lane. Our neighbors worked closely with the developer to negotiate improvements to the intersection of bilbrook and slaughter where an additional left-hand turning lane will be added. With the upcoming improvements, the right-of-way at the intersection will be built out and as stated in the nta for this project there will be no additional opportunities for improvement. The loss of service for this intersection is a level F or failed. Even with the intersection improvements. Unfortunately a failed intersection are not uncommon in Austin. However, what is unique and extremely dangerous is a failed intersection for large fire-prone neighborhood with only one ingress and egress. Our neighborhood has been identified by AFD as being [3:15:25 PM] within the wildland-urban face and identified as high fire risk by AFD. Austin firemen have noted there's a serious evacuation problem in our neighborhood and we must be able to to self-evacuate. In addition to fire concerns, we also have concerns regarding every day emergency vehicle access and the safe and efficient ingress and egress into our neighborhood. The traffic impacts analysis developed for the upcoming development shows a 329 second delay or two to three light cycles after the intersection improvements. With this, fpt developers would double the delay to five to six light cycles. At a failed intersection. Our neighborhoods have tried working with the developer to find a compromise, however, they are unwilling to seriously consider the neighborhood safety concerns we believe a better fit due to unique transportation and emergency vehicle issues within our neighborhood. [Buzzer sounding] Please consider the safety [3:16:26 PM] and well-being of the Austin residents who call this neighborhood home and support mf-1. Thank you. >> Patricia Michael. >> Thank you for listening. I'm from Texas oaks south. In the image before you, the insert at the top right of the slide shows our neighborhood's position in the 18-mile-long, 30.7 square-mile slaughter creek watershed. Our neighborhood is at the bottom of that watershed. The upper left corner of the slide shows the chapel lane wetland and flood area. The lower section shows salt water creek at the bottom of our 623-acre pocket. We have 47 structures there that are in danger of flooding and many of them already have more than once. The creek flows into onion creek. One and a half miles from my backyard. The water comes from way [3:17:27 PM] beyond to oak hill through all of circle C to us. The area is about -- is about two miles to the bilbrook/slaughter intersection, our only way out during flooding. The subject tract is at the top end of the pocket by the bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. On the other side of slaughter lane are three very large detention ponds that overflow under the bridge much these ponds fill from a 7 point acre square mile area that's highly developed with a great deal of impervious cover. A one-inch rain on that 7.8 square miles cause 135,472,296,960 gallons of surface water drainage. All of this water flows under the bridge when the [3:18:28 PM] ponds overflow which they do with frequency. Any additional impervious cover on the subject tract would make an already bad situation much worse. I ask you to please consider how not suitable this application is for 65% impervious cover. [Buzzer sounding] Thank you for listening. >> Ashley Kelm. >> Good afternoon. My name is Ashley Kelm and I live in the hole low at slaughter creek. I want to direct to you a letter April 10th included with your materials regarding the spt apartments. The letter was signed by 72 homeowners. The zoning site is directly across the street from our subdivision so we will be most impacted. A key issue I want to raise is the potential for flooding. Our neighborhood is bordered on the west side by a large drainage area, a sidewalk runs beside it and dozens of homes up to it. [3:19:32 PM] Runofftravels to a detention pond and continues to slaughter creek. In the last few years there have been multiple cases of the drainage area reaching full capacity causing trash and large debris to block outlets. The blockages increase the risk for flooding and hoa burden of the additional cost of maintain cleanup and caused flooding problems for properties south of us. A high density option will worsen this. We depend exclusive on genoa to exit. It is a local residential street and there's no traffic light at genoa and bilbrook. There is no signal. It is too close to the slaughter and bilbrook intersection for one to be added. That problem will continue to grow as homes are completed. This would be the only mf property in our area without direct signaled access on to slaughter lane. There is nothing above mf1 [3:20:33 PM] nearby so this would be out of character. A high density option is the wrong choice. The infrastructure can't support it. We respectfully request approval of mf1 as compromise. Thank you. >> Less me Mccollum. -- Leslie. >> I live in Texas oaks south, have been here more than 20 years. And about a two miles from that bilbrook/slaughter intersection. A backup to the creek. Our neighborhood is identified by the fire department as a wildland-urban interface with high fire risk. You have a map in front of you that comes from the wildfire division. It shows a honeycomb red, black, yellow, the darker the shade, the higher the risk of fire. We are surrounded by fire [3:21:33 PM] risk. In 2011 we had a fire where several structures were lost neared David Moore. Several wildfires can occur at a similar time because of our drought conditions. Rescue resources can be adjusted, residents have to self-evacuate. AFD has noted there is a serious evacuation issue in this neighborhood. Unfortunately the fire department did not review the fs3 zoning recommendation. I don't understand that, but that's wrong. The fire department looks at life safety corridors that must have ingress and egress. We have a problem. David Moore doesn't qualify because of its width and immediate connection to the park. Fire from the park could easily cut David Moore during an emergency, just like its low-water crossing after a flooding. [3:22:34 PM] Leaving all 1600-plus households with only bilbrook as an exit. Continuing to make this bottleneck worse, which you have been doing for the last 20 years, is irresponsible and foolish. Please do not consider anything higher than mf-1 or less for this location. It is unreasonable -- [buzzer sounding] -- And it will be dangerous for those who live here. This subdivision wouldn't have been able to be built if built in the city. >> Speaker, your time has expired. Michelle Adams. >> Good afternoon, councilmembers. My name is Michelle Adams. I lived in Texas oaks and have been a real estate broker for the last 16 years. The staff recommended fm3 zoning is based on [3:23:35 PM] incomplete information. We as a neighborhood did not have the opportunity to discuss unique issues with staff. The tract to the north across slaughter is zoned ff-2 but built out single-family residences. They both have direct access to slaughter and dedicated light. Through a level F intersection. There are no other examples in the mf zoning without direct access to an arterial road along slaughter, congress or first street. Wheel we argue a mf category may be too dense, were willing to compromise and agree to support mf zoning, 80 units. Importantly to note, the subject par shell has been marketed through a listing broker related to the seller using a slaughter lane frontage address with a [3:24:35 PM] steep $2.5 million price tag using the marketing phrase, this lot is ready for anything. In my professional opinion, the argument from the developer that the subject parcel isn't financially viable with any other zoning than their request is not valid. I strongly believe the subject parcel has been mismarketed and priced in accordance with a zoning category that fits the parcel and surrounding area. This further illuminates concern for maintaining what little integrity the intersection of bilbrook and slaughter has remaining. It left S, we ask council to consider the -- unacceptable level of risk of the lives of surrounding neighbors. There are failed intersections -- [buzzer sounding] -- Future butter exacerbating an intersection would be a dangerous disservice to residents of the surrounding area. [3:25:40 PM] >> [Indiscernible] Please unmute. Tim Thomas. Tim Thomas, please unmute. >> Hello? This is Tim Thomas. Thank you for listening today, mayor and [3:26:40 PM] councilmembers. I'm calling on items 56 and 57. I've lived in east Riverside area more than 15 years as a renter and homeowner. I lived in and asked my wife to marry me in the apartments now called Colgate condominiums that back up to the church site. My daughter attends Travis high school and my son at lively middle school. I used to be a member of the east riverside/oltorf but I quit. It's helped create a massive a forward built crisis. As you can see in the attachment materials, foundation communities does plan to provide civic usage on this site. My home also backs up to a church on Burleson road, but I'm in the same situation as homeowners on parker and hoping some day development like this will replace it. [3:27:41 PM] All the schools at this development will feed into are currently under enrolled and need kids. Those schools have gone from the most overenrolled to under enrolled. My kids attend these schools and my wife is on the pta. They have resoues and experience to serve kids of all income levels. Another neighborhood sent this email, I do not understand -- I worked as a volunteer and am familiar with all the extras they about to their projects. They would be the best neighbors anyone could want. We need more of their projects, not less. I agree and urge to you recommend construction of this affordable housing that takes climate change seriously. Thank you. >> Zane eff. [3:28:43 PM] Zane, please unmute. Kevin reed. >> Good afternoon. My name is Kevin reed, chair of the board of trust trees of the Rio Texas conference of the united methodist church. And I'm happy to appear today to express our full support of the parker lane project and the proposed zoning change. We believe the proposed project repurposes the parker lane church site in a hugely beneficial way to the Austin community and urge your support of the project. Parker lane umc had a long and wonderful history in southeast Austin. Several months ago it became apparent the congregation was no longer able to support on church at that site and we made a difficult decision to close it. We began to consider a new [3:29:43 PM] use for that property. We were not interested in commercial sale of the property for two reasons. One we wanted a missional use on the property and the other was went to retain the real estate and continue to partner and provide services on the site. After careful search of options, we were frowned to foundation communities and spent a great deal of research with its experience, services and most more thanly integrity. We believe that the umc partnership with foundation communities will continue to have a presence on the site. We will continue to have a presence on the site. We'll partner with foundation communities and continue to provide community based services on the site and once again I encourage your support for this project. Thank you. And I'm available to answer questions. >> Zenobia Joseph. >> Thank you, mayor, councilmembers. I'm Zenobia Joseph speaking on item 55, which is the annexation of north wind [3:30:46 PM] apartments. I understand the staff is -- has asked for a postponement. My comments are really just for them to bring back a map that shows you the other affordable housing units in that area. I have provided a map to some of you. It actually shows program year 2019, all of Travis county low-income housing Texas credit developments -- tax credit developments are 0.4 to five miles from the bus stop. Specifically in northeast Austin 1.3 miles to four miles. Staff has actually stated this area is mobility options are below average due to lack of public transit and public sidewalk. And so I think it's important for you to actually take a look at that. I want you to also recognize that while this may not necessarily be the area where students who go to adobe middle school, it's in the vicinity and has an F rating. There are also two other haca properties within that vicinity at 60% area median [3:31:49 PM] attack income and I want to call to your attention the strike fund northwest Austin properties are 80 to 120% area median family income. You are segregating the city. I would also call your attention to the funding and specifically pandemic oversight.gov for anybody else who is wondering where the money goes and how to file a complaint. I gave you that information as well. I would ask you to use $4.7 million of that fund for Samsung Parmer metro rapid. This would be south of Samsung and somewhere in the vent of applied materials. Councilmember pool and councilmember Kelly, look in your mailboxes at the December 12, 2020 memorandum that I sent you. It actually shows you -- [buzzer sounding] -- There's $22.8 million less it would have cost for the northeast metro rapid routes and specifically I do [3:32:49 PM] want -- >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> I would ask councilmember tovo to consider transformative change --. >> Juda rice. >> Hello, councilmembers, mayor, mayor pro tem. I'm just speaking today in favor of item 56 and 57. I think we all see how desperate we are -- our city needs more affordable housing. And this project to me just seems like a pretty knockout example of the times of things I've seen members of council -- 100% affordable project. With all sorts of community benefits, there's quite a few units that are deliberately -- people who have experienced homelessness in the past. Which, of course, as we all know is a major issue in [3:33:50 PM] this community. So, you know, obviously this one project won't solve our housing crisis. But it definitely seems like the type of thing we can all agree on the type of project we can all agree is necessary for our city. I've heard complaints about the zoning change, but it's my understanding because of the some of the open space on the facility, the mf-4 zoning would end up closer to the density range specifically found in mf-1 property. I understand those concerns but I don't tonight applicable to this project. I urge all of you to support this project and -- [indiscernible]. I'm a district 9 resident. I hope that councilmember tovo [inaudible]. Thank you so much. >> Larry Sunderland. [3:34:53 PM] >> Hello. I'm speaking on items 56 and 57. I'm a member of the e-rock contact team and friends of Riverside neighborhood association. My support for this project and how the neighborhood will benefit was outlined in a letter to the planning commission and another to you the council. I'm just going to make a quick point. You have heard we do not have a community center in our neighborhood. We do. [Indiscernible] For a number of years now. From day one they've opened their hearts, their grounds and their doors to the neighborhood. They offer among other things a disk golf course, picnic tables, local vendors on Saturday in the parking lot. Many community meetings including the srcc monthly meeting, a new pre-school center, and one of the best listening rooms in the city for concerts on Sunday evenings. Then there's the annual 4th of July picnic on the [3:35:53 PM] hill where we watch fireworks with the bands, sparklers and snacks. Movie nights on the hill for local children sponsored in conjunction with friends of Riverside and local apartment complexes and end with a Christmas showing of -- popcorn and hot chocolate. If you want to envision the project the methodist community and foundations will bring to the neighborhood with this additional center of love and care, look to that example. Think of it as real community redoubled. Please approve this project. Thank you. >> Mayor and council, we tried to reconnect with inia and Zane with no response. So that concludes the zoning speakers. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. If they come back, let us know. Colleagues, let's vote on [3:36:54 PM] the consent agenda. First councilmember Ellis wanted to make a comment on 59. >> Ellis: I did. I had a couple of believe marks. They are not contingent on the zoning that I'm supportive of but questions happening at the same time about property that this applicant owns. On sidewalk and pedestrian safety in connection with subsequent development of the site the applicant has committed to constructing all missing sidewalks from southwest parkway to Patton ramping road along the either side from Vega to school road and along the northern side of school road from Patton ranch road to park wood drive. If supported by applicable methodology required rye 25-6-23, the proportion at of infrastructure, the construction of all or some of the missing sidewalks may [3:37:55 PM] be credited against the transportation mitigation requirements applicable at site plan. To extent construction of the missing sidewalks is not credited, this voluntary commitment by the applicant will not apply. As far as draining and flood control, the applicant will collaborate with watershed protection department to coordinate the development site drainage design with the city's adjacent oak Parke flood risk production capital improvement projects. This might include drainage infrastructure and drainage easements on mutually acceptable terms and is intended to ensure that the construction of the development does not negatively impact the city's project design and potentially may incorporate some of the city's drainage design elements into the development of the site. As per the land development code, the drainage design of the development must not cause adverse flooding impact to other properties. And as for construction timing, the applicant will hold construction of any [3:38:56 PM] impervious cover other than mobility infrastructure associated with the development until the earlier of either June 1, 2022, or the date on which either the city or the developer commences construction of any portion of the city's adjacent drainage capital improvement projects. Construction by the city on the adjacent capital improvement project is expected to begin in June of 2022. Exceptions to this hold may be made for installation of erosion aniseed mentation controls. The construction of drainage infrastructure and/or mobility infrastructure including sidewalks, utility construction, and other construction that does not result in impervious cover being placed on the property. These activities may occur prior to June of 2022. Some of this is, as you heard, one of my constituents speak about, there are flooding situations, particularly near the Y at oak hill, but we know some of the development that happens that can accommodate their own drainage per our current [3:39:57 PM] drainage plans will improve the area. So we just wanted to make sure that was clear and understood before we do the consent vote. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Thank you. So colleagues, the consent agenda is items 53 to 63. The pulled items, 54, 56, 57 , 62 and 63. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Councilmember Kelly makes the motion, the mayor pro tem seconds it. Any discussion? Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Marry -- mayor, apologies, read them them. >> Mayor Adler: 54, 56, 57, 62 and 63. [3:40:58 PM] Okay. >> Tovo: And you do say -- is 54 part -- >> Mayor Adler: Yes. 54, 56, 57, 62, 63. >> Tovo: Thank you. Mayor, I'd like the record to reflect my recusal on item 54 as it did the last time it came up. I filed an affidavit with the city clerk. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Okay. Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed? I'm something it's unanimous on the dais with the know nations made. That takes care of the consent agenda. We're going to executive session, but before we do that real quickly, we've taken care of item number 6, which means we can vote to postpone item 50 also to may 20th. I think that's in order for us to do now. Is there a motion to postpone item number 50 to [3:42:00 PM] may 20th? That's related to item 55, which was postponed to may 20th. Councilmember alter makes the motion. Is there a second? Mayor pro tem. Any objection? Hearing none, that item is postponed. We also need to postpone the eminent domain item, number 48, to June 3rd. Is there a motion to do that? Councilmember Ellis makes the motion. Is there a second? Councilmember pool seconds. Any objection? Hearing none, that's postponed. Do we have the folks here to do the Austin housing finance corporation meeting so we can let that group of staff go? Are they close by? Or not. >> They are, mayor. >> I don't think 2 will take too long. Depending on -- how many [3:43:01 PM] people have questions. >> Mayor Adler: Let's recess the city council meeting here at 3:42 on may 6th, and here on may 6th, 2021, let's reconvene the Austin housing finance corporation meeting, 343. To take care of the agenda. Do you want to present the consent agenda for Austin housing finance corporation? >>. >> Absolutely. Mandy de mayo, Austin housing finance corporation. We have four items on today's agenda. First is approving the meeting minutes from may 22nd. The second is approving an inducement resolution for up to $40 million in private activity bonds for the brief habilitation of an existing affordable housing complex called woodway square that will enable to us extend the affordability and ininternet that affordable apartment [3:44:01 PM] complex. The third and fourth are related to the $1.1 million that we have received from Austin water utility as well as a donation from bank of America to administer our emergency home repair program -- home repair program in response to winter storm uri. I offer all four of these on consent. I'm happy to answer any questions. >> Councilmember Fuentes? >> Fuentes: Thank you. Yes, I haven't question on item number 2-- I have a question on item number 2. It's my understanding the applicant's proposal has plans to substantially renovate this 20-year-old property. So I think -- I know this is the first step in a long process to secure financing for this project and I plan to support it today, but along the way I would like to see even deeper levels of affordability at this site and so Mandy, if you could speak to any -- if you could speak to that and if there are any conversations going [3:45:03 PM] on about deeper affordability with the units? >> Absolutely, thank you for that question. As you noted, the apartment complex is 20 years old. It currently serves folks at or below 60% median family income. We have initiated conversations and had several really good conversations with the developer owner, demon on, about -- dominion, so creating some 50% or 30% below units. We feel those conversations are positive. That will require some additional subsidy from the city. Begin, the 40 million that you are considering is not subsidy, it is private activity bonds that would be issued by Austin housing finance corporation. So our conversations with the developer are about layering some additional subsidy for our rental housing development assistance program to better serve lower income households. And those conversations will continue. As you mentioned, this is the first step in a pretty [3:46:03 PM] long process for securing all the different financing for the rehabilitation. >> Fuentes: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Councilmember Renteria makes the motion. Mayor pro tem seconds. Any discussion? Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed? I'm stage as being unanimous on the -- I'm seeing it as being unanimous on the dais. With that that concludes our business so we can adjourn the Austin housing finance corporation meeting. A quorum is present of the directors here at 3:46. Also at 3:46 we'll reconvene the Austin city council meeting. We have left in front of us three pulled items, 2, 41 and 70. Do you think 2 would be quick, councilmember alter? >> Alter: Yeah, I have a couple of quick questions and just to lay out my direction. [3:47:03 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Let's see if we can do that one and let the budget staff go. Who do you want to ask questions of? >> Alter: That's a good question. I have questions about the navigator so that's probably Ms. Briseno, and I have questions about the public health expenditures in Travis county and FEMA. >> Mayor Adler: Manager, do you want to handle this after executive session or before we go in? >> I think we can get it done quick, mayor. >> Alter: I asked most of them in the q&a, but I just want to get some further clarification. >> Mayor Adler: Also as we're doing this, colleagues, councilmember alter has circulated a motion sheet with direction for this item number 2. [3:48:09 PM] >> Alter: Looks like Veronica is on now. So if you could provide some further detail on how the navigators will provide assistance to individuals as well as businesses including non-profits and childcare. The answer that was in the q&a was pretty specific to businesses and I wanted to understand what support we're providing to individuals and then -- non-profits and childcare businesses, but not always the same needs and for-profit businesses. >> Good afternoon, council. Veronica Briseno, chief economic officer. We will be looking at working with third-party, multiple third-parties to provide assistance not only to entities, businesses, non-profits and so forth, but also with individuals. And we'll be looking for a diverse group to provide these services so we're meeting the needs in the community and looking to what resources are available at all levels of government and other entities as well. [3:49:13 PM] >> Alter: So I guess I want to underscore I think the direction that we is provided in 111 and I think there was a majority on the dais that really wanted to underscore the need that constituent has a role in helping our community to access these pots of money and it would be worth us investing to make sure that folks have access to the advice that they need to be able to access that and the amounts of money and the different mechanisms to get them are a little overwhelming for folks. So it's hard to tell from we're going to do the navigators and even from your comments to understand how we're meeting that. I believe you understand the need and -- but I want to underscore that the direction from us is to orlowaski lean into that to [3:50:14 PM] help people access the funds. We have our own funds to distribute but they are dwarfed about the other students that are out there and -- that are out there and the more we can do that the better we can store ours for that. Then my second question is I %-@think for Ms. Hayden-howard and I'm not sure what your role is now for your title. So would the health budget towards contributions for the public health expenditures and how should we think about Travis county's role in supporting these public health matters? >> Stephanie hayden-howard, director of Austin public health. We have had a couple of conversations with Travis county health and human [3:51:15 PM] services executive and in those conversations we did let her know we have kind of a two-part process. As you are aware, we did work with a group and were able to bill some expenses to Travis county in the fall so we are going to go back to that same group to work out the logistics for the funds that we're moving forward. So we're looking at it from kind of two lands. The first is direct work with covid in response to the response itself, but we're also having conversations with them about public health infrastructure because we know that these fundsre also slated for public health infrastructure. So our group will be submitting that information to them. They have already alerted their budget office that we are going to be having these [3:52:18 PM] conversations and meetings with them so that is on their list of things that will happen and come from public health. >> Alter: So I don't want to hold this up over that, but it does seem a little bit out of order not to have that ironed out, but for us to be approving the budget of what we're spending on public health and this applying to the [indiscernible] County. So city manager, I would just like some aassurance obviously these are matters and we need to be able to move forward and plan and that process may take a little while, but Travis county is receiving a large amount of funds to support these kinds of efforts and the public health activities of public health apply as I understand it to the county and the city. My expectation is that the county should be providing [3:53:20 PM] some significant funding towards that for really funding health activities that supplement that are that are not part of this. And can you speak to that a little bit? >> Appreciate that, council member. And certainly you have that aassurance as the conversations have continues, this coordination and the way in which we have worked with the county in the past and even seen how this relationship has been strengthened through this pandemic just amplifies the need for that level of continued work. So I know that we're kind of starting to put out our requirements and expectations first, but we'll hear from the county on how we can continue to work with them and really balanced a more robust public health infrastructure for our entire county region. >> I don't want to hold this up and I want to believe in the relationship that we've [3:54:21 PM] built, but I do want to communicate that it is my expectation that some of these activities will be funded by the county, which will then free up further funding. So one of my pieces of direction is that you come back to us and you alert us and that we'd be able to make some decisions about that funding at the appropriate time. I understand on all of these things there are lots of moving buckets. I thought some may up and some on go down. These can be very big numbers and in seeing that we're moving further with this is not a carte Blanche to just do whatever because we have to make some choices with the rest of the funds. The last question I had is about -- before I provide my direction is with regard to FEMA. So the FEMA rates vary quite substantially and I understand there's a [3:55:22 PM] methodology for how you arrive at those. I also know that we are fortunately seeing the president change those rates to help municipalities and counties, etcetera. Seeming by on a regular basis. So some of the -- so can you tell me what we're doing to address FEMA reimbursement rates and by that I mean obviously maximizing every opportunity but also in terms of advocacy to suggest changing this particular reimbursement rate would really make a difference. I'll give you the example of the testing reimbursement rate of I think it was 23%. That just seems really low for something that is clearly part of the disaster response. So I'm not sure who is the best person to tell me that about what we're doing with respect to those efforts. >> Council member, this is -- my name is Juan Ortiz, [3:56:23 PM] the director for homeland security and emergency management. One of the things we did early on was hire some consultants to walk on board and through the process and make sure is they were maximizing every opportunity we can. With FEMA and make sure we were staying abreast of any policy changes, procedure changes and that's something that we started doing early on at the start of the pandemic and we're continuing to work with our consultants to make sure that we're maximizing every opportunity. As it pertains to reimbursement rates, again, we're working with -- trying to make sure that we understand the changes in the procedures and rules and expectations and it's required and something that will continue to work. But at the end of the day usually when we have these types of disasters, the reimbursement part, it takes a long period of time, even after the disaster is over, to make sure that the proper [3:57:24 PM] documentation is submitted and we are able to get reimbursed every cent that we're eligible for. And we will have a commitment for us and we'll be working to make sure that we maximize our reimbursement rates at the end of the day. >> Alter: So there are a couple of different ways to maximize the rates. One is to follow all the rules to the letter and do all that. The other is to try to advocate for changes at the federal level to those rates. So I guess I'm suggesting that we consider that for some of the things like testing, etcetera, we do have a delegation in DC, we have a changing environment and I want to make sure that we are considering that, the testing alone is something like 20-million-dollar bucket, we were getting 23% or so reimbursed, which seems like it ought to fall into one of those categories. And so I really want to [3:58:25 PM] encourage the city manager to engage our intergovernmental relations officer and our lobbyists as well to be part of that discussion over the FEMA reimbursements because it could really free up other money to spend on public health or homeless or whatever it is that we can be doing. >> Thank you, council member. Let me reassure that we have done that, but we will continue to amp will Faye fi that with our if office to advocate for what you've been describing. >> Alter: Great, thank you. And lastly, I did post my direction the message board. It follows a lot from my questions E so the direction I would like to provide is to say in addition to creating the navigator roles, city manager to endeavor to support efforts to maximize federal funding to entities in the Austin region such as cap metro, mayor corps, local universities, art venues, [3:59:26 PM] etcetera, as well as entities such as the airport and Austin water. Secondly, the city manager is directed to engage with our partners at the county level to identify what role Travis county should play in funding the covid-19 will public health response in on our community. Third, the city manager's directed to identify and leverage opportunities at the federal level to maximize FEMA reimbursements for qualifying expenditures working with our delegation as promote. And finally, the city manager is to update council in higher or lower when anticipated funding comes in from FEMA, Travis county or other sources. And I did that as direction because it didn't seem like it made sense in the resolution. >> Mayor Adler: All right. Councilmember alter proposes certain direction. I think a lot of this is -- some of this may very well be happening, but it's stated explicitly in a reminder it does not hurt so [4:00:26 PM] I am going to support that. Does anybody have any objection to including this direction? Hearing none, the direction is included. >> Alter: Do I need a motion? >> Mayor Adler: Do you want to make the motion? >> Alter: I move approval of item 2 with my direction. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a second to that? Councilmember Ellis seconds that. Any discussion? Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: I just had a question for staff. >> Mayor Adler: If you could move your mic closer. >> I have a question for staff about one of the items. Is now the appropriate time? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, go ahead. >> Tovo: Several of us asked questions -- asked for further articulation of how much individual programs are and what the time frame is for spending. And I need to ask a follow-up question with regard to the eat program. So in the answer to I think -- I think it is the answer to my question although I think several of us asked a similar question. [4:01:26 PM] I'd eat is budgeted through September 30th, 2021. However I have heard that it may not continue because of difficulties in identifying location and staffing. City manager, you and I had a opportunity to discuss this last week and I wondered if you had an update for us or if you could provide some information about that to my colleagues and again any update that you may have at this point. >> Thank you, council member. I will see if director hayden-howard has an update. But if we don't have one today we will follow up and get you a memo out with an update on that facility challenge that was described. >> What we have done looked at a couple other locations for the eat program. And we wanted to add the funding to take the program through the end of September. However, as you all are [4:02:28 PM] aware however, we have not been in this space and we have worked with other partners. As we're seeing more folks receive their vaccines and things begin to open up, you know, we are starting to be able to capture that information about who may be in this space that is providing feeding to our partners so we're starting to hear more about that. In the meantime, because there's a core group of folks that will need to return to their regular work that they typically do and so being able to replace those individuals with temporary staff to be able to carry us over. We'll continue to have a staff person from the homeless strategy office to be able to work with them as well, but we know we will need to get temporary and train them. We will look at this holistically where we continue to pull the staff [4:03:30 PM] back, get folks trained and be able to work with community moving forward in this area. There are some areas that we're looking at longer term, especially in the areas where we've worked with partners that have gone out to areas where encampments are. So that's the most recent information that I have. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Anything else? Kathie? >> Tovo: I'm sorry, I said thank you, but I also have a follow-up question. So in this action we are -- we're allocating $2.5 million to that program, so then it's my understanding that for the moment it is continuing. >> Yes, it is. >> Tovo: Okay, thank you. And you will keep in touch [4:04:30 PM] if there are any changes? >> Yes, with any changes to the program as we start to scale back because we're seeing more activity from our partners that have been in that space, we will communicate that to mayor and council. >> That's great, thank you very much. I know councilmember kitchen and I became concerned about the possibility that it was about to end a few weeks ago, so thank you very much for continuing to work on funding. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Any other discussion on this item number 2 is? Those in favor of item number 2 please raise your hand? Those opposed? I see it as being unanimous. So item number 2 passes. While we have everybody here on this, assistant city manager hayden-howard we don't often get you at our regular council meetings to be able to thank you. We see you every Tuesday. I want to say thank you for [4:05:31 PM] everybody that aph had been doing in this process and for how you have teamed with Dr. Escott, which then gives me rise to thank Dr. Escott who is now going to just focus on the chief medical officer function, to really thank him for his service in that. And the two of you as a team. And bottom line, the fact that we have a mortality rate that is less than half of even the state average, much less the federal average, is a real testament to the work done. So thank you and thank you to Dr. Escott wherever he might be at the moment. All right. With that, colleagues, I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to thank Dr. Escott collectively. What we have left on our agenda are items 41 and 70 from the general agenda. Items 54, 56, 57, 62 and 63 [4:06:34 PM] on the zoning agenda. But before we get to those, we're going to finish up with the executive session item, 52. So here at 4:06 P.M., the city council will now go into closed session to take up one item, pursuant to 551.071 we'll discuss legal issues related to 52, the may 1st, 2021 election. Without observation we'll go into executive session. It's 4:05. Let's give everybody a five-minute break and we'll be in executive session at 4:10. See you guys then. [5:49:13 PM] >> Do you have any information about the Home Depot fire? >> I just texted the police chief -- sorry, the fire chief. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Very nice, there's seven of us. We have a quorum. I know that we had a -- you guys [5:50:20 PM] ready? Staff? >> Yes, mayor, we're ready. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, thank you. We're going to go ahead and reconvene the Austin city council meeting. We're now out of closed session, in closed session we discussed legal issues related to item 52, 550, and continuing to hold this meeting remotely. We're going to now pick up item 70. And then item 41 and then we'll do zoning cases and there are four of those and one has two items. Councilmember tovo, you want to do 70? >> Tovo: I'll go ahead and make a motion to pass 70. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, is there a second to the motion to pass 70? Councilmember alter seconds that [5:51:21 PM] motion. Councilmember tovo? >> Tovo: I think that there's some amendments possibly and then I have some comments after my colleagues. See what they'd like to say. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember pool do, you have an amendment? No? Okay. Councilmember -- what - - >> Sorry. It's a really simple one. And it's on the -- thanks for calling on me, and I put it up on the message board, and it is to add line 129, after "Community partners" -- >> Mayor Adler: Add in region governmental entities? Any objection to that amendment being added? Hearing none the pool amendment is added. >> Pool: Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I have an amendment that I just sent around and it's -- beginning at line 116 it adds "Relocation assistance" and [5:52:22 PM] reinforces language that I think that councilmember tovo may already have about all council districts for campsites. So that it reads "City manager shall present council with a budget for appropriate relocation assistance and infrastructure at designated encampments". And then it goes on with councilmember tovo's language. And the second part of my amendment is adding to the final "Be it resolved" clause, which speaks to information that's brought back to us later on July 1st, and that is as well as such land that could serve as parking sites for people living in cars. So it asks for the city manager to identify land for -- that could serve as parking sites, but it puts that not as the immediate action but as the action that comes back to us at the end of July -- not end of July -- July 1st. [5:53:23 PM] Sorry. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. I'm looking for your amendment. >> Kitchen: I don't know, we sent it to Katie, I don't know if she's sent it around yet. I've shared it with councilmember tovo. I'm one of her co-sponsors. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, it's been posted. >> Kitchen: Okay. >> Mayor Adler: And then back up. >> Kitchen: Okay. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. So any objections -- councilmember kitchen, an amendment to item number 70. A second? Councilmember pool seconds it. Any objection to the kitchen amendment? Hearing no objection the kitchen amendment is added. [5:54:26 PM] Continuing discussion on item 70. Councilmember tovo, did you want to address it? >> Tovo: Sure, mayor, I will. First of all, I just want to thank my co-sponsors for their support of the item, and also I just want to stop and really thank our staff, especially Diana gray, who has worked tirelessly since she became our homeless strategy officer and manager. In this setting I wanted to just to encourage you to really empower your staff, including Diana gray, to bring forth other creative short- term options and solutions that can help our constituents who are going to be impacted by the passage of prop B. And it strikes me that as one of our top priorities in this city, this may be an office that needs some additional resources. And so I just want to encourage you to consider whether there are staff around the city who could be also be focused on this work in the weeks ahead especially, but as we really [5:55:28 PM] work to -- to address the issue. You know, this has been a very challenging, very difficult days in our community. Clearly, the voters have indicated they want to see a more balanced use of the public space. And we're going to do that in our city. In compassionate and humane ways. And the resolution today to create designated camping spaces will not just help to achieve that but it will also address the real need that we have for alternative places for individuals experiencing homelessness to go. Our shelters, our emergency shelters, are at capacity. And it's understanding that the designated camping area set up by the state is also at capacity. So when individuals in encampments ask where they should go, we need to have places to suggest. This is not going to be an easy process and it will take a lot of resourcefulness and creativity, you know, from each and every one of us trying to identify sites that can meet [5:56:29 PM] this bill. And the acknowledgement -- and you know, I have said this in the resolution and I have said it in my conversations about the resolution this week, this is not a solution to homelessness. This is not a great alternative. A great alternative is housing. We will end homelessness with housing. These designated camping areas are critical because we need those alternatives, but I know by office and I are going to remain laser focused on supporting the work of creating housing, and I know this council has spoken again and again about its commitment to do the same. And so, you know, I want to just assure anyone looking at this resolution, and what I hope is its passage, that we are firmly committed to the goal of creating housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. In some of the conversations over the last weeks, I've certainly heard a lot of, um, frustrations being aired about -- about what the -- what [5:57:30 PM] the city has done, wondering why the city hasn't done more, suggesting that the city doesn't have a plan. And so with your indulgence I'm going to rapid fire listing just some of the things that we have done -- that we have done at the city -- because we need the community to understand some of the actions that we have taken and their participation in identifying other things that need to be done next. So very quickly -- >> Kathie, real quick because I know that everyone wants to hear this as much as we do, I'm having a hard time hearing you. I don't know if anyone else is. I want to make sure that your audio -- >> Tovo: I appreciate it. In any case I'm going to rapid fire list just a few of the actions that we have taken over the last couple years that I think that are important to know. We created and passed a community plan for ending homelessness, the Austin action plan to end homelessness and the strategies that we have worked [5:58:30 PM] on. And outreach services and shelters and providing housing and support services, strengthening our response system, building the community commitment from the private and public sectors. And the summit that many of our partners participated in adds details and the timelines and estimated cost. We waived city fees for the 400 units at community first village that was a little over $400,000. And reallocated $1.5 million for the Salvation Army for the children and women's shelter. And expanded the shelter with our bond funds. Reallocated $500,000 to the downtown Salvation Army to help ensure that children conspiracying homeless -- experiencing homelessness could be removed from downtown and from the R.A.F. Center that was so overdue and necessary. We changed the arch contract so that individuals and guests at the arch are being connected to housing and can leave the shelter and go into pertinent housing. We funded -- sorry, we funded [5:59:33 PM] behavioral health services with integral care in the downtown Austin alliance for individuals in the downtown area. We changed the bonus density area, to have vouchers and not just the creation of housing. We paid for childcare for parents experiencing homelessness so they could go to work or school. We have a health professional to the host team. And we have water fountains in the downtown area. We created a sobering center, a diversion program that serves many in our community, not just individuals experiencing homelessness. And we put $4 million towards the funding of mcot. We created and funded an addiction counseling program for about $250,000. And we have been funding our housing funds. And that's just a couple of the things that we have done in the past. Today alone we invested more than $3 million in rapid rehousing services for individuals who are living in encampments who will be served through the heal program that [6:00:35 PM] councilmember kitchen sponsored. We own two emergency shelters and provide support to other shelters and invest in our contracts process with multiple organizations to provide housing services, behavioral health to individuals experiencing homelessness. And we build affordable housing and invest fund dollars and we invest the property tax that we gained from public properties that are now on the tax rolls. And I run through this list, one, to really -- I think that it's so important that our community knows that we have taken action. However, we have a lot more work to do and I really invite the community to join us in that work. The community summit that just concluded identified a set of really ambitious goals to house an additional 3,000 people over the next three years. I think that last year we housed in this community almost 2,000 people. Housing an additional 3,000 people in the next three years is ambitious, but we can do it, and we really need to. You know, and I know that -- as I thought about this issue a lot [6:01:35 PM] over the last several weeks, you know, one thing that I know is that regardless of how people voted on prop B, I really believe that most people on every side of that issue share in common the deep desire for our neighbors to have safe and secure housing. And I know that we can progress on our shared commitment of ending homelessness in this city if we work together and we work creatively and we work effectively and we have full and data-driven conversations with one another. So, thank you for letting me run through just some of the actions that we have taken. Again, I think that it is important that we both acknowledge the work and really set some ambitious goals. And, again, commit to really doing so across party lines and doing so in really productive ways. And, again, with recognition that today's measure is necessary, but it is not the end -- not the endgame and it should not be the focus, housing should be. And it's really going to take our collective hearts and minds and dollars to really ensure that our community for the most [6:02:36 PM] can provide for those neighbors with the least. And that each and every one of our neighbors has a safe and stable place to sleep. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo, thank you for bringing this and I appreciate the opportunity to join with the other co-sponsors and the councilmembers that are going to support this. Thank you for that historical item, and this has been the highest priority of the council and probably the item that we have spent the most time discussing and involved in over the last three years. Even before we took the action that we did. If you would just publish that, post that on the message board, that list that you had so that it's available to all of us, I would appreciate that. >> Tovo: Sure, I was going to say that the caveat is that just a snapshot and it's the work that I'm most familiar with. And it's by no means comprehensive. But I think that we do need to have a comprehensive list, I think that would be super useful. [6:03:36 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Right. And maybe we could all add to it. And by way of history, and touching base on this issue, providing sanctioned camping areas. When the council took the action that it took two years ago, part of the action that day was to suggest, and to ask that the manager provide opportunities for camping, within the city, so sanctioned areas, to take a look at that and -- and to do that. At the time that the manager came back with the staff and said that based on the expert advice that was available, it was not the thing to do. In fact, most of the cities that adopt that strategy are -- are having difficulty doing it in a way that is -- that is successful everywhere. Oftentimes sanctioned camping areas start intending to be temporary to take care of an [6:04:38 PM] immediate issue, but people are finding in cities are finding it very hard to close them once they -- once they open. And as more and more people go in them, they're not pulled out into other housing. There becomes a need for a greater and greater sanctioned camping areas. And those sanctioned areas become things that are costly, expensive, and present challenges of their own. I think that now is the time with your resolution for the city to reconsider that, and I know that the staff -- I think appreciates the opportunity to be able to do that in light of the context that we're in now. And for me most important from that is probably the unique position that we are in to actually to address what I think that is the fundamental [6:05:38 PM] challenges that most cities that have done these camping areas where they haven't worked and they haven't worked, and that is that they work best when there are -- like the city builds out the infrastructure and the facilities to actually to move people into that kind of emergency place, but then pull them through that into more permanent housing. Rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing. In order to provide some of the sort of housing exit. And while we have increased the number of those spots in our city with foundation communities, with caritas and with community first, we don't have enough of that to be able to pull people through. What I'm excited about where we are right now is that in the past we never had the resources to be able to actually do the full system. And in the absence of a system, if you focus on any piece of it, [6:06:41 PM] it doesn't work. And supportive housing by itself is too expensive and it takes too long to get there and you're not dealing with the immediacy of the challenge. Just focusing on the immediacy of the challenge doesn't work because you actually have to pull people through that so that new people can -- can be part of that process too without just proliferating camping areas all around the city. I -- I am supportive of the summit plan from the chamber and the D.A.A. And echo and the Austin justice coalition, because it provides that entire system. My hope is that with the federal funding that we get and the partners in the community, because we will need them, private companies, businesses, philanthropists and clubs and neighborhoods, everybody, I mean, to the degree that this is the challenge in front of us. I'm not sure that there's any [6:07:41 PM] issue in our city that has really had the passion that we've seen. We haven't at this moment been able to meet this challenge, to set ourselves on a path to reach equilibrium and, manager, I think that now is a time to take another look at this option and to see. At the same time that you're taking a look at this, it might be helpful to revisit the balance of the ordinance back in June. There were some other suggestions that I think that you have the ability to be able to implement if it's something that makes sense to you with your regulatory authority. There was a resolution that came to the council in October that we ultimately pulled down because one of our colleagues wasn't feeling well at that, and everybody was agreeing on the things that we should have done, except for the details. I'm not really it's the council [6:08:41 PM] that should decide if somebody should be close -- when you measure 10 feet away from -- from a stream -- I'm not sure that it's the council or the dais that should be making, you know, how many feet difference it should be, or whether you measure it from the top, and that's where we kind of stalled. I think that too is within your discretion and your regulatory authority as the manager of the city. I know that there's a whole list of things presented then that I think that maybe it's time to take another look at those things to see whether those things that you feel make sense. So the ordinance becomes -- that was voted on becomes effective on the 11th. And I know that it is everyone's intent to move forward with the will of the community, with respect to that -- that ordinance. And to put it into effect. I know that you had the chief and the assistant city attorney [6:09:43 PM] speak to kind of an approach to it. I think that the community and the council as you indicated should be hearing shortly on how you intend to move forward on this, but for any community that might be listening now, do you want to just touch base at a high level as you come back to the community with how you're going to proceed? >> Sure, thank you, mayor and council. As you mentioned, mayor, so we'll be implementing and enforcing the ordinances approved by the voters in a humane and a safe manner. It's important for all of our residents to know that even with multiple departments partnering on our implementation efforts, this is not going to happen on may 11th. This is going to be a process that is over time. Because we have staff from multiple departments, including public health, police department, code, and parks and recreation and others that have been in conversations, and we'll proceed with a phased implementation approach. Starting with significant [6:10:43 PM] outreach and education as we described earlier, prioritization on our health and safety, and the coordination with our host team for connection to resources through the maximum degree possible. And along with the consideration of this item, a part is also identifying the parks that could be used as designated camping sites and staff are reviewing properties identified by our real estate department as well. And so while staff remains concerns about the challenges, as has been mentioned with designated sites, we recognize council's desire to have these interim options. There's a sample budget for the needed infrastructure and hygiene resources and operating costs and we will be working on providing a range of potential services depending on those intensity levels. But as you mentioned, mayor, we are going to have more details in the coming days and make sure that this plan and the process that we're using is communicated clearly to our community. Thank you for the opportunity. >> Mayor Adler: And I appreciate [6:11:43 PM] that. Clearly, the expressed will of the voters was to get people out of the tents and out of the encampments. Frankly, as councilmember tovo said, I think that's the will of the people on both sides of the election. And I think that it's important that we move expeditiously to -- to manifest that, that will. Colleagues, councilmember Kelly and then councilmember kitchen. >> Kelly: I appreciate the care in this. And I appreciate the backbone information that you have provided on the message board why this solution was not used in the past and the background information that you provided today, it was very helpful. I think that it helps us to create a better understanding of how we got to where we are today from where we were before. As I mentioned on the message board, the governor's office has been very open to discussions [6:12:44 PM] with us, even going as far to meet with myself and councilmember kitchen and councilmember pool about the heal initiative. And they can give insight on how to learn from their experiences to be successful here in Austin with city campsites. And provided the city manager cronk with the information and I'm hopeful that he'll reach out to them. As many have stated publicly, homelessness is not just an austinproblem. We need our partners in order to work towards our vision at the city of Austin to help to lift our unhoused neighbors out of their situation of being homeless and providing wraparound services for them as well. I'm thankful to have been added as a co-sponsor on this item and to vote yes on providing one of the many different solutions to move towards solving Austin's homelessness crisis I believe that the solution and the heal initiative will stand the test of time. Thank you again. [6:13:47 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: Yes, I want to -- I want to say thank you, councilmember tovo, for bringing this. It is much needed. I know that you have been thinking about it for a while and it's certainly very timely right now that we take this step. It's an important immediate step that needs to be taken to address what really is a crisis in our community. As you said, and I want to emphasize, it is temporary. It is not a solution. Housing is the solution. So as we continue with rolling out and implementing the heal initiative and the other types of initiatives that we are engaging in as a community to -- to connect people to housing, this is the step that we can take right now more quickly in parallel with that. And, mayor, I want to thank you also for your advocacy around the community summit. I support the -- what has been [6:14:48 PM] proposed to all of us in this community as a route to reach equilibrium and we need to come together with the city and the county and other -- other entities as well as the community, to make that happen. So -- and I also want to -- I want to second what councilmember tovo said about our homeless strategy officer. I could not say it any stronger. She is just fabulous. So I really appreciate her jumping in and, you know, in a very difficult job. And working very quickly to help us to get aligned and bring all of these strands together so that we're working towards an overall -- an overall implementation, timeline and plan. So thank you, Diana, for that. So with that said, I wanted to, again, to reassure the community [6:15:48 PM] that this is temporary. And we do -- we do mean temporary, because we're all focused on -- and I remain focused on getting us to housing and equilibrium in the housing that we provide as quickly as we possibly can. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember alter. >> Alter: Thank you. I'm pleased to be a co-sponsor of this item, and councilmember tovo, as you were talking and listing off that list, I couldn't but reflect on how many of those you have led on and how persistent and careful you have been in trying to always pursue solutions that we -- that are humane and really try to transition our homeless neighbors into housing. We've had a challenging couple [6:16:50 PM] of years now and, you know, this is an idea that is in here that we have proposed back -- I think that it was item 184 or something -- a long time ago. And a decision was made that that was not -- by the city manager's office, that that was not the appropriate next step. That we needed to focus our resources on more permanent housing. I believe that we are at a different point in time, and we need to see if we can find a way to provide temporary designated camping sites to help us as we build the permanent supportive housing and the other items that we need. I want to be clear to our community that we still have a long road ahead of us if we want to create a city where homelessness is brief, non-recurring and rare. [6:17:50 PM] And I would invite folks to, you know, be part of the solution. The summit is great, but the summit has no impact if folks beyond the city don't join us in these efforts. And so I would really invite philanthropy and our faith communities and everyone else to to, like us, to take another look at how we approach this, and dig deep and invest in coming up with solutions. With this resolution, we are still relying on experts to be able to help us to shape what these designated camping areas might look like. And I'm looking for our staff to guide us as we move forward. But I think that this is an important step that demonstrates once again our seriousness and efforts that we're taking to try to address a challenge that is not just Austin's challenge [6:18:51 PM] alone. >> Mayor Adler: Colleagues, anything else before we take a vote on this item 70? Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: I appreciate this and voting for it. And I do want to note that I think that an important addition from councilmember tovo that relates to what the mayor said, which is that we should be looking for ways to make sure that this is adding to our strategies, rather than potentially taking from other strategies. Because, again, the goal is for us to have places for people to go while we know that we need housing for a real solution. So I appreciate councilmember tovo, the update and addition that we would really hope for the manager to bring us options that don't reduce affordable housing or supportive permanent supportive housing plans that we have. You know, if we end up pulling from dollars or other assets or bonds or land or what have you [6:19:51 PM] that otherwise wouldn't be going to solving the problem, then that may -- then we could wind up in those cycles where this has been a challenge like in other cities because we really need folks to have an exit. And that means making sure that we have -- making sure that we have the housing available. So I do want to appreciate the thoughtfulness, especially as it relates to that last amendment, because we know that the real solution is for us to try to house those thousands of people over the course of the coming years and make sure that we can continue to do that while we look at this strategy. Also I would be interested in making sure that we compare the costs of any of these campsites or any of this work, compared to what the other next best option may be on the table, because, you know, sometimes you talk about how the hotel strategy can be, you know, isn't always as cheap as we would like, but once you talk about laundry and being [6:20:52 PM] prepared for storms and folks having a safe place to be and bathrooms and utilities, it does start adding up. So, you know, I would be open to sort of the range of options and making sure that we compare the cost of campsites to the other options that might be available for the manager and real estate. But I -- but I will support this and especially I wanted to call out that addition, I appreciate that. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Anyone else? Councilmember tovo, do you want to close this out, mayor pro tem? >> Harper-madison: Thank you, I appreciate that. Just a comment. One, echoing all of the thanks to the folks who helped to sort of guide the conversation to where we are today. I know that it's been a lot of voices and a lot of contributions, diverse contributions to the conversation. Thank you councilmember tovo, for bringing this item forward. I do think that it's an additional important consideration along the way. I had an opportunity yesterday [6:21:53 PM] to talk to mayor cantro and she says to tell you hello, mayor, out of New Orleans. And we were talking specifically about a program called "Grace at the green light," a program that reunites families. So it's an additional tool, a reunification tool. So in addition to the hotel strategy and in addition to heal and in addition to this resolution and in addition to interacting with grace at the green light one day, and so I really fully recognizing just how -- I can't recall which colleague that it was that talked about the emphasis on collective effort. And I know that sometimes we say both sides, but I mean, all of the sides - - everybody. I don't think that there should be sides in this conversation about human beings that don't have lodging and access to basic amenities. In which case I keep coming back to this place -- and I don't know how we -- I don't know how we transcend it without, you know, that invitation from [6:22:54 PM] councilmember Kelly to go and to talk to the governor. Because I don't know how we transcend that space where we also need for our state to make massive investments in mental health care. We also need for our state to make massive investments in places where people can go, like a campus where you can get varying degrees of treatment that you need for whatever it is that you need treatment for, and I don't know -- we have hud, right, but until we have a national fund that everybody pays into and, you know, the payout is commensurate with your homeless population, we don't -- we don't know -- no one state at a time can do this. We have to address this as a nation, because some cities, some states, will inherently just have a larger homeless population. So now that we are officially the 10th largest city in the nation, I hope very much that a continuation of these conversations is those sort of underlying -- that underlying [6:23:55 PM] lack, you know, the underlying lack of those social safety nets and places for people to go and places for people to receive treatment. I hope that is an additional robust conversation to this sweep of options that we're discussing. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Councilmember tovo, do you want to close out? You okay? >> Tovo: Mayor, I don't think so, thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Let's go ahead and take a vote. As amended, those in favor of item number 70, please raise your hand. Those opposed? I see it being unanimous on the dais. All right, let's pick up -- it's 6:24. Colleagues, we have item number 41, and then we have the four zoning cases. Do you want to keep pushing? Or do you want to come back at 7:30? Councilmember -- mayor pro tem. >> Harper-madison: If you may. My in-laws just landed and I'd like very much to have dinner [6:24:57 PM] with the family. So if anybody else is amiable to us coming back at 7:30, I'd like very much to be able to do that. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. All right. Then let's go ahead and take a recess of the council meeting here at 6:24. We'll come back at 7:30. We'll take up item 41 first. And then we'll take the zoning matters in order. Yes, councilmember alter? >> Alter: I just want to throw out that 41 may take a while and I'm just wondering if we might be more productive if we had a little bit more time to think through the details and come up with some solutions? We can decide at 7:30. I just want to throw that out in case that others would support that. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's see where we are at 7:30. If that's okay? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: Yes, just a heads up, I really appreciate the [6:25:59 PM] amendments that the mayor pro tem was able to incorporate. Just to give everyone heads up, I sent out my additional amendments, there are 19 amendments, that I would like to take up with regard to 41. And they should also -- it should be in your box. We tried to relate it back to the page numbers in -- in the mayor pro tem's version 3 to make it easier for people to see it. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo has also posted. >> Kitchen: Yes. >> Mayor Adler: All right. 6:26. We'll be back at 7:30. We're in recess. [6:27:43 PM] [Dinner recess]. [7:24:41 PM] [Music]. [Music]. [7:45:19 PM] >> Mayor Adler: We'll reconvene the Austin city council meeting here at 7:45 P.M. It is may 6th. Ann Morgan. >> Sorry, mayor, but the mayor pro tem is not here. >> Mayor Adler: Well, we need the mayor pro tem. Ann kitchen. >> Kitchen: We just got a version 4 for 41, which I have not had the chance to read. I won't be able to take up 41 for a little while. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Think we could handle some of the zoning stuff? Let try that then. Let's see, is Natasha with us? [7:46:21 PM] All right. Let's pick up -- let's turn to the zoning cases here. First one is item number 54. Is there a motion to adopt item 54? Councilmember Ellis makes the motion to adopt. Is Jerry with us? >> Yes, mayor, I am. Do you want me to lay it out real quick. >> Okay. This is item 54, case c-14-are-2020-0012. It's known as the delta kappa gamma for the property at 416 west 12th street. The requested zoning is from G.O. To D.M.U. The staff recommendation is to grant in-g.o. Zoning limiting the height to 60 feet. The reason for the staff recommendation is 60 feet is the height recommended in downtown Austin plan as adopted by council. The planning commission recommended the applicant's recommendation, which is [7:47:22 PM] just for D.M.U. Zoning without a height limitation, which would allow up to 120 feet by right. The applicant would be-- the property owner would be allowed to use the downtown density bonus program that would allow them to go up 4-feet in height. It is my desire to get up to 360 feet in height. There is a vp in the case this morning, but -- valid petition in the case this morning, because couple of names were taken off and it was no longer valid so it would not allow six votes to pass and also I would like to add that applicant and the neighborhood have reached an agreement on some additional restrictions in the co and those would be to liquor sales, bail bond services, pawn shop services and outdoor entertainment and to limit cocktail lounge to no more than 25 feet. With that I'm available for any questions. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Ellis you, did you want to make a motion? [7:48:23 PM] >> Ellis: I did want to move item number 54. DI see councilmember tovo. I wanted to remind people she had recused herself. >> Mayor Adler: And is it for the PC recommendation with the co. >> Councilmember Ellis with the co including the conditions I just read in that the applicant and neighborhood agreed to as well? Thank you. Is there a second to that motion? Councilmember Casar seconds that. Any discussion? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I'd like to hear from the applicant. There have been a lot of goings going back and forth about what they're going to do and I would like to hear from applicant. >> Mayor Adler: Is the applicant with us? >> I am, your honor. I am, mayor. Michael whellan. >> Why don't you go ahead. You have five minutes. >> Can somebody tell me when the presentation is up, please. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, I'll tell you. [7:49:27 PM] Go ahead. >> Thanks, Michael whellan on behalf of delta kappa gamma international a local non-profit that supports women all over the world. You heard from dkg folks from why this case is important to their future and now I will talk about the case from a policy perspective. Let's go to the next slide. Delta kappa gamma's request is for mixed use zoning with full height. A portion of the site already has D.M.U. It already has it. It makes as the site as we heard eligible for downtown density bonus program and allow a transit supported pro project. Approving this will improve the housing and transit goals and the neighborhood supports our request, the neighborhood association supports your question. Here you can see the intersection of San Antonio and 12th street. I want to note that the area that's being zoned is this l-shaped because a portion of the site is already zoned D.M.U. Without a height limit. Slide 4. The site is in downtown an [7:50:28 PM] imagine Austin center. If we go to the next slide. And it's in the downtown density bonus area, this is slighted 5. There were questions about whether additional height is appropriate here and as you can see the city's own answer is yes, the density bonus area is very target and specific. You can see it wrapping around. And this site is clearly within the berries marking it as an appropriate place for height. This site is also strategically placed along two future rail lines and right at a future rail station, approximately 218 feet away. As you can see here marking it as a location where increased housing is not only appropriate, but is needed to support city goals. Slide 7. These goals include the city's goals for housing and mobility, both whichever the city candidly has fallen short of meeting at least today. So I'm going to focus on these two indicators if we go to the next slide. 8, I wanted to look at the homelessness summit's proposed goals for permanent supportive housing, which there's been a lot of talk [7:51:28 PM] about already today. Here we have the reported estimate of 165 permanent supportive housing units to be completed by the end of this year. And when go to the next slide, slide 9, you can see that there's a meaningful gap that we will have to provide if we are to meet the identified for the needs that have been identified for the next three years. If you cap the height it is ineligible for the density bonus which means no funding for permanent supportive housing and no great streets requirement with a quality pedestrian and biking environment. Also, independent of this case and independent of any fee we would pay to the density bonus bonus, stratus properties who is purchasing the property has independently committed $200,000 before the end of this year to help with homelessness and handout R. Utilize the feedback of the homeless strategy officer in implementing those funds. Next slide, slide 10, the city also has a important [7:52:28 PM] goals for mobility and transit. To date our transit ridership has been at around three to four percent and when we go to the next slide, you can see that the type of transit ridership growth you would ihop to see to hit the ridership goal council set in the strategy mobility plan. So the city will continue to need to make progress on our housing, permanent supportive housing, and mobility efforts. If we are going to meet our goals as a community. And projects like this are critical to those efforts. With 270 new units, permanent supportive housing funding and a transit supportive project at our future rail station and along two future rail lines. None of these things would happen if the rezoning were to be rejected or if it were capped at a lower height. Slide 13. When we talk about transit supportive, this project is exactly what asmp calls for, describing downtown as one of the surest ways to lower [7:53:29 PM] the drive alone rate citywide and to facilitate increased transit ridership. Following through on the asmp strategies, the council adopted is critical to the success of our public transit investments, especially given the seven billion dollar rail investment. Next slide. Finally, staff recommended capping our height at 60 feet based on the downtown Austin plan, which the city initiated in 2005, 15 years ago, and adopted 10 years ago in 2011. If we go to the next slide, you can see that since that time we have had many subsequent city adopted policies that all support allowing a transit-supportive downtown project with full height at this location. If you put a conditional overlay on this limiting the height, we are ineligible for the downtown density bonus program and staff explicitly acknowledges this at page 2 of their report. Next slide. Quick recap, delta kappa gamma has requested D.M.U. Zoning on a site that is [7:54:29 PM] located in the downtown density bonus area and near a transit station. The city has met goals for its permanent supportive housing and mobility needs. [Buzzer]. But meaningful work remains in order to meet these goals. Next slide. D.M.U. Will full height at this site would both are appropriate and help the city meet its housing and mobility goals. Thank you and obviously I'm available for questions. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Before we go any further, I'm going to put this on the table for just a second. I'm going to call up item number 41. -- 44, rather. Councilmember harper-madison has had a serious family emergency. She's not going to make it for the balance of thing meeting tonight. And she's asked that her -- this item 41 be proposed to may 20th. Is there any objection to [7:55:32 PM] that postponement? Queue U without objection that item is being postponed to may 20 and we'll not have the mayor pro tem for the balance of this evening. Okay. Back now to continue this item 54. Ann, did you have questions for the applicant? >> Kitchen: No, I just wanted to hear again that the -- >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Councilmember alter? >> Alter: So we've had a lot of different items on the agenda today so I want to make sure I have things straight. I know there's D.M.U. Zoning on the other portion. What is the height limit at this time for that portion? On the portion that we're talking about rezoning today. >> Council member, this isgerger. I'd have to -- this is Jerry rusthoven. I have to check, I believe it doesn't have a height limitation, but I'll check. >> Alter: Okay. >> Michael whellan, that is [7:56:32 PM] correct. There is no height limit on that portion of the site. >> Okay, and how high would you need to go to do the 270-unit project that you have in mind? >> The estimate is -- Michael whellan on behalf of the applicant. It's 375 feet. It's very narrow at each side. >> Kitchen: Thank you. >> I have a question. >> Mayor Adler: Yes, go ahead. >> Mr. Whellan, hi. And what is the height that is anticipated? I know that you've got 375 feet, but what is the height that is anticipated for the development? >> Michael whellan on behalf of the applicant. That will be the height. It ultimately will be ironed out at the process and the downtown dense isbonus bracket. And a full set of renderings have to be presented and [7:57:33 PM] architect Clara Wineberg that you heard from earlier today would present to the design commission and we'll have it flushed out at that point in terms of the precise height. It cannot exceed 400 feet. But the estimate is 375. >> Okay. And the community benefits, what do you bring to the table? >> So a couple things. One, the downtown density bonus program -- because of the 2013 ordinance requires all of that money to go to permanent supportive housing. The second piece is the great streets, which we heard the speaker from the neighborhood talk about the need for. That is not required. That is if this were not to utilize the downtown density bonus program. So we would have great streets. We would be, as you saw from miss Weinberg's presentation, she's the lead architect at S.C.B., we have a [7:58:34 PM] pedestrian-oriented ground floor with a public accessing and publicly available garden area for the neighborhood. And then also independent of all of this, a commitment to help homelessness before the end of the year with the input of the homelessness strategy officer. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. There's a motion -- >> I guess that there's other one. The Austin energy, you have to do a two-star green building as well on a tower as well under the downtown design bonus. >> Mayor Adler: Moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Let's take a vote. Yes, councilmember alter. >> Alter: How many readings is [7:59:36 PM] this on? >> Councilmember, it's ready for all three readings which requires seven votes. Or could pass on first reading with six. >> Alter: So I might be able to consider a first reading. I've got some different information and conflicting information that I would want to check. This seems like an enormous amount of height in that area. I hear the argument for near the project connect, but for me I'm not going to be able to vote for it tonight because it just seems like so much entitlement and so high for that -- for that area, out of proportion. But I have heard some information that was different than what I was hearing before, so I would like to check that. But if you're going to go on three readings I'm not going to be able to vote on it. >> Mayor Adler: Let's see how many yes votes there are. [8:00:38 PM] Councilmember pool? >> Pool: I might make that motion then to approve on first reading to allow some additional conversation to occur, and then that might be able to bring the votes that are necessary in order to bring this home. >> Mayor Adler: Let's check real fast and see where the votes are on it. If there are six votes without -- if there are seven votes without Alison, then it will pass on three readings. If there's not seven votes without Alison, then let's see if there are six to pass it on first reading. >> I made a motion for first reading. So I need a second. >> Mayor Adler: You made an amendment. Councilmember pool amends to go from three readings down to just first reading. >> Pool: Who made the motions, I'm sorry, I made that? I made the original motion. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Ellis made the original motion. >> Pool: Who was second? >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Casar. >> Pool: I don't know how I missed that completely. I thought that I was making the original motion. [8:01:38 PM] -- I would like -- okay. >> Mayor Adler: Those in favor of this, on three readings, please raise your hand. It is kitchen, Ellis, Fuentes, Renteria, Casar and me. I guess that there are three not voting for the third -- all three readings? Is that right? >> Pool: It's six and we need seven for all three readings. So would it be in line for me to make the motion for first reading? >> Mayor Adler: It would be at this point. >> Pool: Okay. Let's do that. >> Mayor Adler: So on first reading -- >> Pool: We can move this forward. >> Mayor Adler: First reading only. >> Pool: I tang we need a second though. Who is the second? >> Mayor Adler: We don't. I announced that I would do it, Leslie, we're okay. Those in favor of just the first reading, please raise your hand. It is everybody on the dais we [8:02:39 PM] have, with councilmember tovo off recused. I think that councilmember harper-madison not here. Passes. >> Michael whellan welcome quickly. Because there's a rescual do, we need six or seven? She's not part of the body. >> No, it's seven votes per city code and it's not a percentage. Seven votes for multiple readings. >> Mayor Adler: Seven votes. Mr. Whellan, it passes on first reading only. Let's go to the next item -- yes? >> I'm sorry, I was going to clarify. >> Mayor Adler: Why don't you lay 56 and 57. >> Before we lay out 56 and 57, the applicant was hoping that mayor pro tem harper-madison could be here for the case so perhaps we'd like to check with him before we start it if he'd like to postpone or still move forward. >> Mayor Adler: This is 56 and [8:03:39 PM] 57? >> Yes, if we could check with Walter and see if he would like to proceed, that would be great. >> Mayor Adler: That would be good. >> Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> I talked to Walter and he said that he wanted to go for a first reading. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. 56 and 57? >> Sure, mayor. Items number 56 is a case npa-2021-0021.01s had for the property at 2105 parker lane, to change from civic to multifamily through the case c14-2021-008.sh at 2105 parker lane. And request zoning changes to m.f.4m.p. Zoning. And the staff recommendation is to grant m.f.3m.p.3 zoning. [8:04:41 PM] And grant the applicant's request for m.p.4m.p. Zoning and I would like to note that there's a ballot petition on this case and therefore it requires nine votes to pass on all three readings or six votes to move forward on first reading. With that we'll go to any questions. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Is the applicant here and wish to speak? >> This is Walter with foundation community. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. You have five minutes. >> Great. We're really excited to propose the parker apartments. I know that most of you are familiar with foundation community, but we're in Austin, homegrown non-profit, been here over 30 years. And we provide really beautiful well-maintained housing for over 7,000 residents as well as the tremendous amount of education and health and financial services. Over a thousand of our residents are folks that were formerly homeless. What we're proposing to build at parker is 135 all-affordable [8:05:41 PM] apartments designed mostly for families with kids. So it will mostly be two bedroom and three-bedroom apartments. Very central location. More than half of the apartments will be affordable, below the 50% rent, so really deeply affordable. And very importantly, 14 apartments are set aside for families with children that have been homeless. This will be part of our children's home initiative program. And what's critical for serving these families is that we have $15 million in federal tax credit and housing credits lined up to be approved by the Texas department of community affairs. We're also building on the site a huge new community learning center. This will be our 15th center. We do an after-school program for kids. It's all free. Our kids have a B plus average. We'll have health programs and a food pantry, and space for partners like meals on wheels and the neighborhood association. We're really excited about the [8:06:41 PM] partnership with the church, the methodist church supports the program called "Justice for our neighbors" immigration program. And we're providing office space in the center for them. The current church buildings that are there are basically over 70 years old and run down and no longer serviceable. The site is eight acres so we're very low density. We're saving the heritage trees, making sure that there's space for wildflowers along parker lane. This is an appropriate land use for the church to the south, multifamily to the north and to the east, and then across parker, there's the heritage oaks park and single family. We have had many, many meetings with the neighborhood, with neighbors. The biggest block of the ballot petition is really the condo association to the north. And I think that the main concern at this point is just not to get zoning on the land that's more intent, in case our [8:07:43 PM] project doesn't happen. We are willing to reduce the request from m.f.4 to m.f.3. We can't go to m.f.2 because it gets very tight on impervious cover and would sacrifice the walking trail and some of the other amenities at this stage that we have planned for families. We are okay with m.f.3 and we're also okay with a come overlay with a 50-foot building setback from the north. That sets our building back from the condo association. I don't know how it works with one reading or three readings. We know that we need nine or 10 votes. We'd love to be done tonight so that we can let the architect and the engineer loose on the site planning process without delay and get the park apartments built. We're just really grateful for all of the support and the partnership with the city and excited about creating these new [8:08:44 PM] homes. I'm happy to answer questions. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, thank you. Councilmember alter. And then councilmember tovo. >> Alter: So I appreciate Mr. Morrow's comments and I kind of want to do what we just did on the other one in reverse because I think that we may actually have the votes on this one. I'm not sure. And we could discuss about whether it's the m.f.3 with that setback or the m.f.4. I know that I'm going to be supporting either one of -- either one of those. I'm open for the argument for the lower amount, but that's not where I'm at. This area seems appropriate for multifamily, but I also want to make a point about affordability unlocked. So when I supported the creation of affordability unlocked, it was with the understanding that it was meant to literally unlock [8:09:47 PM] additional entitlements on base zoning entitlements. I have been very uncomfortable and unsupportive when applicants come to us and asking for zoning changes and promising us if we grant the zoning change they would then voluntarily pursue affordability unlocked. I believe that it should be used as appropriate and I don't support them being used as a negotiation tool by market developers asking us to give them up-zonings and I don't want this tool to be used on zoning cases to reduce the zoning and only will make projects feasible if and to the limits of affordability unlocked. Affordability unlock side to have more than allowed and not a way to constrain a project. So I would just see -- I don't know if folks have a thought about the M.F. -- You know, I think that this is in -- whoever's district this is in -- [8:10:47 PM] that, you know, we maybe consider seeing if we can do it on all three readings so they can get the project underway. >> Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Yes, councilmember Renteria. >> Renteria: I have no problem going for all three readings because I really support this project. And this is an area that will really benefit for it to have people that are in the workforce. We need to keep people close to downtown that are going to be our workforce. And we don't provide them housing, they're going to move out of town and they won't come back. And we already are seeing it as a problem right now. And in that area where you have help wanted signs up there, but there's just not enough people that are willing to come back into the down to area to work, because there's no benefit. It's not going to happen. And so we really need to provide these types of homes for our people, and especially with [8:11:50 PM] families, even with children, you know, we really need to reach out and the kind of commitment that Walter has done and the service that he has provided to our community has just really been great. And it's been a godsend to us, you know, so I really believe that, you know, if we can't get the nine votes, then I'm willing to step down and resubmit my recommendation for first reading. >> Mayor Adler: Let's see how many people we have. And I am comfortable for the recommendation for m.f.4 as well and I would vote that way. So it looks like there are three people that would do that. Councilmember Ellis -- no, councilmember tovo I said first and then councilmember Ellis. >> Tovo: Thank you. I have a couple of questions for the applicant. Mr. Morrow, you mentioned -- and I know from talking with some of the neighbors that you've talked [8:12:51 PM] a lot about -- talked together about different mechanisms for codifying the agreements that you were willing to make. And I think that you just mentioned a conditional overlay with regard to the setback. Would you mind just repeating that, please. >> Yeah. We are fine with the conditional overlay of 50 feet as a building setback from the north or the side -- the north property line. We respect the fact that the condo association wants us to set back and we had planned to do that and we will do that. So that's not an issue. >> Tovo: So I'm sorry, I have lost track -- thank you for that, Mr. Morrow, and thank you for your work in the community and your work on this project. I think that this is a really exciting development. I have forgotten, mayor, whether there's a motion on the floor, but, if so, I would ask that conditional overlay to become a [8:13:51 PM] part of the motion. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. What we're trying to get a feel for, we have a motion, and we're trying to get a feel for where people are. But I would also support the conditional overlay if part of anything that we do as well. I think we're trying to decide between the m.f.4 and the m.f.3. Councilmember Ellis? >> Ellis: That was going to be my question. I'm supportive of m.f.4, but I wonder how many affordable units that we would lose by doing m.f.3? >> This is Walter. We -- we're building -- our plans are to build 135 apartments, no matter what. That gives us a large units, two, three-bedroom units and the space for the learning center. So I think that the answer to your question is it won't change whether it's m.f.4 or m.f.3. [8:14:53 PM] >> Ellis: Okay. I want to just take a moment to thank you for all that you do for our community. I have been fortunate to go into a few communities in my years on the dais and I just think that you're doing amazing work and I think that we could use more people in the community building affordable housing for sure. >> Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Kathie . >> Tovo: Thank you for the question. So, Mr. Morrow, your intentions are to build within m.f.3? I mean the m.f.3 parameters provide you for what you need to build your project without sacrificing any units or any of the amenities that you plan for your families, is that right -- is that what I'm understanding from your conversation? >> Correct. And to clarify, we are qualified for affordability unlocked and so that combimation of m.f.3 [8:15:53 PM] with affordability unlocked allows us to build what we propose. >> Tovo: Got it. So then I guess that, colleagues, I would suggest that be our motion. I think that eliminates any concern -- well, that eliminates one of the concerns that I heard from some of the neighbors, which was that if for some reason foundation communities didn't receive that those entitlements run with the land. So I think that that's -- if there's no -- it's not putting any restrictions on foundation communities in terms of their plan, I would suggest that that be -- that become the motion. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's continue the discussion here. Other people want to indicate where they are with respect to m.f.3 and m.f.4? Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I'm supporting what the approach that councilmember tovo suggested. I think that makes sense. [8:16:55 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember pool. >> Pool: Same. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. >> Pool: The predictability that I think that is important for the community and for the development. >> Mayor Adler: That being the case -- >> Mayor -- sorry, I support councilmember tovo as well. >> Mayor Adler: Yeah. That being the case we're not going to get to three readings on m.f.4, so I think that the motion is m.f.3 with the C.O. All three readings. Does that sound right? So I'm going to make that motion. Councilmember Renteria makes that motion. Is there a second? Councilmember Kelly seconds. Ready to take a vote? Those in favor please raise your hand. Those opposed? Where were you on that vote councilmember Ellis? >> Ellis: I voted for it. Sorry. I'm getting computer glitches. [8:17:56 PM] >> Mayor Adler: It's unanimous on the dais, that motion m.f.3, all three readings, with the C.O. >> With mayor pro tem off the dais. >> Mayor Adler: With the mayor pro tem off the dais. Thank you. That gets us to item number 62. >> So it's c14-2021-0007 for the property at the property, and we have the cs1 zoning that we had discussed and the applicant is now respecting cs-co zoning with the conditional overlay, and prohibit the following uses, auto repair and auto washing and drop off recycling and kennels and limited warehouse and distribution. And there is a service station already on the site, gas pumps. Those gas pumps would be allowed even if the conditional overlay were to pass and there would be a legal use, and if they ceased [8:18:57 PM] operation they would not be allowed to come back. The case does require nine votes. And also there is a postponement request received today from the neighborhood requesting a post moanment. It wasn't date specific and I know that the applicant is opposed to the postponement request. >> Mayor Adler: Is it my understanding with a valid petition that would take nine votes to pass the c.s.1? Is that -- if it's just passed C.S. With the limitations that you outlined, it would take just six votes to pass, is that correct? >> Mayor, let me see the wording on the petition says we have no neighbors opposed. It doesn't actually -- well, it talks to opposing a liquor store but doesn't say specifically whether they're opposed to the amended request or the c.s.1, but it says that we are proposed to the con-- opposed to the conversion of a liquor store. It would not allow a conversion [8:19:57 PM] of a liquor store. But I can't say, because it doesn't say that we are not opposed to the c.s.1 zoning. I think that right now we have to say that it is -- it does require nine votes. >> Mayor Adler: Well, let's talk to Mitzi about that for just a second. If somebody opposes c.s.1 and it turns out to C.S., you don't need that because it's not in violation of the petition. It would seem to me the way that they have drafted their petition they would require nine votes to do the liquor store in the same kind of reading. So, Mitzi, it seems to me that it would just require six for what they are asking for now. >> We actually looked at this in detail in advance to consider that. >> Mayor Adler: We're having trouble hearing you. >> I'm sorry. Can you hear me now? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> We actually looked at this beforehand and even though the language is not as specific as we might want, I think that it was pretty clear that whairp [8:20:57 PM] what they were against is the liquor store, so if it is not on the table the super majority should not be required. >> Mayor Adler: Okay, all right, is there a motion to approve C.S. With the conditional overlay identified in the prohibited uses? Councilmember Ellis makes the motion. Is there a second? I'll second that motion. Is the applicant here? To start off, first, let's hear and entertain that motion to postpone. Is this a first request from the neighborhood? >> Yes, it is, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. I don't know if the applicant is here and wants to speak to the postponement -- >> I'm here, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Usually when a neighborhood request a postponement for the first time, [8:21:58 PM] usually it's something that is granted. But I'll let you speak to the postponement question that we'll decide first. >> Thank you, mayor and councilmembers. This is Jim Whitler, thage for the property owner. We are opposing the request for three reasons for the postponement. First, this postponement is not about any issues with the current rezoning application. The neighbors filed a petition against our original c.s.1 request for a liquor store. That was after we met with the gruene neighborhood association and received a letter of support, after the staff issued a recommendation for approval, and after it was unanimously recommended by the planning commission. However, whether the neighborhoods filed their petition on March 9th, less than 22 hours prior to the original council hearing, the property owner withdrew his plan for c.s.1 zoning. His intent was never to go against the wishes in the neighborhood. As you may recall, I publicly stated during the April 8th [8:22:59 PM] council meeting that we would no longer request c.s.1 zoning. Second, I do not feel that they have negotiated in good faith. Between April 8-20th, I emailed a total of eight meeting requests to the neighbors before they finally agreed to meet. Originally Mr. Zeko demanded that we provide building plans before the meeting. He said that it was not unreasonable to expect to spend $40,000 to $60,000 for plans prior to zoning. I sent emails explaining how the site would be redeveloped, including site layout and the building facade plans. We informed them that we have modified our request from c.s.1 to C.S. To allow a portion of the site to be redeveloped as a sitdown restaurant with outdoor dining. When the neighbors finally agreed to participate in the zoom meeting with us on April 28th we provided them with a list of prohibited land uses to be included in the conditional overlay. There was no disagreement concerning the land uses on that [8:23:59 PM] list. But the neighbors also wanted a restrictive covenant containing the same conditions which I sent them the next day. Over the next five days I sent them three emails requesting feedback. Then less than two hours before today's council meeting they finally sent me a draft restricted covenant that listed incorrect properties, incorrect owners and asked us to include a neighborhood association who never asked to be included they also submitted a request for postponement hours before today's hearing on the schedule. And I'm opposing this request because I believe that it has nothing to do with the rezoning that you will vote on. As Mitzi already stated, the city's legal department has ruled that the petition is no longer valid because it's no longer requested. I request a vote on this today, either approval or disapproval if you approve on first reading, I will work with the neighbors [8:24:59 PM] to finalize what I feel is a restricted covenant between now and second reading. Thank you. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: I'm sorry, I couldn't hear one of the last words. Mr. Whitlif, did you say a meaningless restricted covenant? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Tovo: Okay, I wasn't sure that I was hearing you correctly. And to continue to work on the neighbors on a meaning -- >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Our practice is to grant the postponements from each side, especially if it's a first one as a matter of course. And I would urge Mr. Whitlif to try harder to work more collaboratively with the neighbors because the [8:26:00 PM] development is in -- adjacent to it. So I would urge that we accept the postponement. >> Is this the one they didn't have a date for the postponement so it would be two weeks from now? >> Mayor Adler: That's correct. >> If it's appropriate, I would be happy to make that motion for postponement but I will let others speak. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Kelly. >> Kelly: Thank you councilmember tovo, for clarifying what was said. I feel that anytime that a neighborhood wants to bring forward a restricted covenant, there are reasons behind it and both parties should try to come to some sort of collaborative agreement. I just find that very troubling. And I know that it is the will of the council typically in past times to do -- to approve the first postponement but I just find those words troubling. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember Renteria. >> Renteria: Mayor, I'm going to [8:27:00 PM] support the neighborhood for a postponement. I -- my office has been reaching out in the neighborhood, and I have been working with their consultant on it. And so just I would recommend that we bring it back in two weeks and my staff will be reaching out to the neighborhood to make sure. You know, there were some people that called and said, you know, they agreed with the request, but, you know, with a valid petition out there and not validating more but I still want to find out exactly what -- what their postponement was. Normally we do -- we always offer at least one postponement to the neighborhood. So if they're requesting one, I would like to. >> Mayor Adler: Is there an objection to postponing this to may 20th? Councilmember -- is there an objection? Hearing none -- hearing no [8:28:03 PM] objection, this item is going to be postponed to may 20th. >> Okay, mayor, that takes us to our last zoning case. That is item number 673, case krrve 14-2020-0131, at 1434 genoa drive. Request zoning from D.R. To m.f.-4-co zoning. And the staff recommendation was m.f.3-co zoning. And they forwarded this to city council without a recommendation. And the applicant originally requested m.f.5 and amended the request to m.f.4. And the C.O. Would be to -- to be a maximum of 65% and limit the maximum units to 188. And in addition, when the site Platt came through to have five-foot sidewalks on genoa drive. And as well as a condition that, again at the time of site plan [8:29:03 PM] they would pay $92,000 towards bike lanes on both sides of slaughter and to Texas oaks, and $30,000 for approvements of two bus stops near slaughter lane and bill Burke place. Those conditions would be met at the time of the site plan further down the road. They agreed with the transportation department on those conditions. So the C.O. Would be for the impervious cover and the unit cap. With that I'm available for any questions. >> Mayor Adler: Is the applicant here? >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: You want to speak to us. >> Yeah -- yes, please. The F.P.P. (Indiscernible) First, I want to explain the difference between the staff recommended m.s.3 and what is proposed now. And m.f.4. With the C.O.S limiting the impervious cover and the maximum dwelling units. The effect is that it's m.f.3 [8:30:04 PM] zoning up to 60 feet would be allowed subject to compatibility regulations with the subdivision right across genoa street -- or drive, I'm sorry. The neighborhood associations have expressed no opposition to the height. I think that it's for reasons that the applicant has contended is that the property sits right adjacent to the elevated slaughter lane bridge going from 15 feet high at one end to about 35 feet high at the other. Creating visual smell and sound conditions that aren't really conducive to a residential use. This probably has been undeveloped since 1984. And it's not an easy property to figure out how to use. In addition, one side is a [8:31:05 PM] drive-thru oil change shop. There's the slaughter lane bridge to the north. And then to the west, is the many storage facilities that runs the entire length of the property. And on the other side of that are railroad tracks. There are current uses not conducive to a residential use and that's why the applicant originally probably ambitiously proposed m.f.-5 zoning at first. The greater height was desired to serve as a block to the elevated bridge primarily, but also to allow for development that had a density and an inward orientation that would not be directed outward. As you have already heard from the neighborhood representatives, the agreement is based on the impact on traffic. Just as a side note because the drainage was brought up, there's [8:32:06 PM] no site plan that is proposed at this time. However, the applicant isn't proposing any variances with the strong danage or water quality regulations and ensure that there is no damage to up or downstream properties. In fact, a fourth of this property is in a critical water quality zone. So there would be that buffer anyway to the low point where all of the drainage would go. Just to address genoa drive -- I'm going to pretty accurately quote from the staff report, site traffic is not expected to significantly increase the they at billbrook and genoa. So the real issue is the effect on bill brook where it accesses slaughter lane. And it is the primary way out of this neighborhood and it's acknowledged that this is a [8:33:08 PM] difficult situation. I would say that the number of units estimated to be generated by this proposed project is comparable to those generated by the Malone track that have been brought up so frequently in this case. There are those two plus this one, if approved, would be pretty significant developments in that area that sort of is an enclosed area that goes about a mile and a quarter south of slaughter lane. While no traffic estimates have been done for the revised proposed maximum 188 units, the 265 units originally proposed, the traffic was estimated at 1963, for mess eer it's 1740. And for Malone track, there are no track counts because that was in a county that was approved but it's 161 single family lots. [8:34:09 PM] They're comparable, and the difficulty is that we're getting to the point where this property can't be practically used because it happens to be at the end of the line of folks trying to develop their property there. And I know -- I'm not intending that everybody should just have a right to do whatever they want regardless of the cumulative effects, but it should be considered that the last guy in line shouldn't be stuck with all of the burden. Slaughter lane and bill brook intersection can't be expanded anymore. (Buzzer) The left-hand lane is being installed or restriped this year, and it will significantly improve the performance there. There are two movements -- I'm sorry? I'm sorry, I thought that somebody said something. >> Mayor Adler: So checking to see if time has been kept. You need to wrap up your [8:35:12 PM] thoughts. >> Oh, okay. Well, I'll just say that the proposed plan supports with the comprehensive plan and it promotes infill. The applicant is agreeing to pay for all of the transportation improvements, the bike lanes, etc. That is all that can be done here. And Austin needs housing and I would respectfully contend that this is a reasonable budget. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Thank you. Councilmember kitchen. >> Kitchen: I'd like to make a motion to approve m.f.1 with the conditions that Mr. Rusto read out on all threeeadings and if I get a second I'll speak to it. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember pool seconds that. Councilmember kitchen? >> Kitchen: Okay. Let me just say I appreciate the efforts that the applicant has [8:36:13 PM] made to work with the neighbors. I also appreciate the neighbors coming up with a proposed compromise of m.f.1. The bottom line for this area as you all heard several hours ago now is that this is an area that is high-risk and highest risk for fire. If you guys will recall that map, there was a lot -- that whole area is at risk for fire, and some of the areas are highest and some are high. And so what the neighbors are suggesting to us is that this -- this area cannot take a third development, the applicant mentioned messenger and Malone and we were able to work with the neighbors and they supported that, but this -- what is being requested now is -- is too much [8:37:15 PM] of an impact on -- so the bottom line it's a culmination of a failed, an F intersection, bill brook and slaughter. Combined with the very large area with 1,655 households, 623 acres that are subject to fire in the high and highest area. So the bill brook will simply not take -- cannot take more traffic. And this is a matter of risk to the people that are living all along bill brook. They do not have another way to get out from an evacuation purposes the way that it's configured and there's not an option to build another road for a way to get out. The neighbors support the city's goal for housing, and that's why they have put forward the m.f.1 -- m.f.1 will provide, I think they testified to this, [8:38:16 PM] about 80 units. So it is an area for some additional housing and they recognize the importance of that, but what the applicant is asking for is too much on this particular road given the fire hazard in particular. >> Mayor Adler: Jerry, is this ready -- for first reading? You are muted. >> I'm sorry, mayor. I'm sorry, mayor, yes, it is ready for first reading and if I could say quickly, councilmember kitchen's motion included the m.f.1 with the C.O. And I note that the C.O. Is twofold. One part is an impervious cover limit of 65%, and there's no longer a need for that portion of the C.O. So we could take that out. >> Kitchen: Okay. >> And then the 180 unit, Kathie could lead that in and I don't know if they could get there with m.f.1 and you could still [8:39:16 PM] leave it in. >> Kitchen: I would not leave it in -- thank you for clarifying that. My motion should have been on first reading and I didn't realize that it wasn't ready for all three readings. So on my motion will be, mayor if I may, I will amend my motion to first reading for m.f.1. I would not leave a cap of 188 units on it. >> Mayor Adler: So no conditions. >> Kitchen: No conditions. >> Mayor Adler: Any objections to councilmember kitchen changing her motion to first reading only m.f.1? Hearing none, it's the motion. Any further discussion on the motion -- kitchen motion to m.f.1 first reading only? Those in favor, please raise your hand. Those opposed? It's unanimous on the dais with the mayor pro tem off. >> Thank you, mayor. That includes our zoning today. >> Mayor Adler: All right, thank you. Councilmember Kelly, did you want something? >> Kelly: No, I'm sorry, thank you. >> Mayor Adler: That's okay. [8:40:16 PM] I think we're done. With all of our business for today. So we'll go ahead and adjourn. We will state publicly that we missed councilmember Casar's birthday on Tuesday, so just to be able to recognize it publicly, but we don't -- we don't sing happy birthday in this format because it would just be like way too embarrassing. All right, with that, we'll see you guys later. There is a special called meeting on the 11th to canvass the results. It should be quick. See you guys then.