City Council Special Called Meeting Transcript (Election) – 1/4/2022 Title: ATXN-1 (24hr) Channel: 6 - ATXN-1 Recorded On: 1/4/2022 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 1/4/2022 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. [11:05:09 AM] Mayor Adler: I am going to call to order the Austin city council special called meeting here on January 4th, 2022. We have a quorum present, two of us here in present, four others here in person. And at least four participating remotely. Head's up colleagues, we may be putting another special called meeting on the agenda no next week so we're able [11:06:12 AM] to act in the event that the petition that was circulated is certified. But the clerk's office and legal will be reaching out to everybody on that possibility. We have one item in front of us today. It's to amend the ordinance that declared a vacancy in city council district 4 ordering the municipal election. And I think this amends the prior ordinance that we had by attaching some different exhibits to it. Is that correct? >> Yes. >> Mayor Adler: Is there a motion to amend the ordinance with the exhibits? Councilmember Kelly makes the motion, councilmember pool seconds that motion. >> Pool: And I have a discussion. >> Mayor Adler: Discussion? >> Pool: I have a question. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember pool. >> Pool: I wanted to ask [11:07:12 AM] the city clerk about the possibility of adding early voting and election day polling place to include China town center and 78753 as transit access of the China town bus rapid station. This was a request that came in from folks who live in district 4. And maybe check and see if you can add that polling place? >> I have reached out to Travis county [garbled audio]. >> Pool: Mayor, due to the fact we're going to add another site -- be done during another special called meeting and the site as well through the commissioners' [11:08:13 AM] court. >> Pool: Gotcha. This came yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening. It looks like I got it at 7:12 Monday, January 3rd. So it is a quick turnaround item. What does everybody think we should do? >> Tovo: Mayor? >> Mayor Adler: Yes. >> Tovo: City legal, is it possible to -- for us to vote to approve that contingent on Travis county's approval of it as well so that we don't need to come back? >> Looking over the site, China town San election day voting place or location, so are you also asking that it be added as an early voting specifically? >> Pool: Yes, both early voting and election day. >> Okay. I would need to work with [11:09:16 AM] legal and Travis county to find out. >> Mayor Adler: So I think the question that was just asked by councilmember tovo was can we pass -- her question was can we pass this identifying that as a location contingent on approval by Travis county? >> I think the best thing to do would approve what we have in front of us and then schedule another meeting to approve the second location, the other location if Travis county does approve it. >> Kelly: Could we add it as a an item on the special called meeting that we have coming up? >> We could definitely do that. >> Pool: What kind of time constraints do we have? >> That works on our end, however I would need to work with county to ensure that they approve the -- if it is possible that they approve the early voting location as [11:10:17 AM] well before council takes action. >> Pool: What kind of -- >> We'll do everything we can to -- we'll do everything we can to try to make that happen. >> And I'm in touch with the county already. I'll keep you posted. >> Pool: Okay. It seems like we're doing everything we possibly can to add the early voting. I'm glad to hear that chinatown is indeed an election day location. That's really helpful. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: Yeah, just from a timing perspective it seems as if Travis county is voting on that today and so they would need -- for this to work they would need to make that decision today so that they made it before our special called meeting, is that right? Otherwise they would need to come back too. >> Mayor Adler: And early voting starts on Monday. >> Okay. Maybe we better go ahead and approve it conditionally [11:11:18 AM] because otherwise we won't have time. >> Mayor Adler: Any objection to amending this motion to identify that China town location is also an early voting site contingent on Travis county approval? >> Pool: No objection. >> Mayor Adler: Hearing none that amendment is incorporated into what is before us now. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion on the -- further discussion on this item? Councilmember Casar. >> Casar: Mayor,, so I was having trouble joining the link earlier and I fully support having China town center as a location. It's a good voting location. I just wanted to make sure that just because it's so time sensitive we have to comply with state law. We don't know if we have the budget or space to do it. I certainly know the people in the China town center but I knew it was an election [11:12:20 AM] day location. Ended to check with city legal to make sure if we approve it this way and Travis county approves it their way, but if there's any logistical issue if we wind up with any challenges. Does that make sense? >> Mayor Adler: What happens -- if we don't have somewhere there that's offering space? >> Casar: My sense is that they would. I'm not saying they wouldn't, but -- I don't know that it wouldn't happen, but I'm checking. >> We have Caroline Webster on the call to provide any response. >> Hi, city council. Good afternoon. This is Caroline Webster. I wanted to jump in because just to let you know that the state law requires the [11:13:20 AM] early voting polling places to be set by the time that early voting starts, which is January 10th. You cannot add one after that point. And the reason is because they have to have the same hours and locations -- same hours as the main early voting location. So if you wanted to take this action, then it would have to be approved by commissioners' court and by city council before January 10th, which is when early voting begins. >> I'm looking at the early voting location and it's -- [inaudible] >> Mayor Adler: It's been moved and -- >> Casar: Thanks to the clerk for reminding that and [11:14:20 AM] thanks to the folks at China town center. >> Mayor Adler: Is there it any further discussion? Let's take a vote? Please raise your hand. I have councilmember Ellis, harper-madison, tovo, kitchen, Kelly, pool and myself voting and councilmember Renteria voting aye. With that number of affirmative votes it passes. I think those are all the items we have in front of us. Staff will be reaching out to each of you to talk about the potential for a special called next week as we discussed just a moment ago. With that happy new year, everybody. And see you next week.