City Council Work Session Transcript – 1/28/2025 Title: ATXN-1 (24hr) Channel: 1 - ATXN-1 Recorded On: 1/28/2025 6:00:00AM Original Air Date: 1/28/2025 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. [9:00:22 AM] You're watching a meeting of the Austin City Council Council members far away. >> Good morning, everybody. It's 9:00 a M and we are meeting in the Austin city council chambers [9:01:23 AM] the Austin city council chambers at Austin city hall, 301 west second street. And I will call to order the city council work session. This is our first work session slash meeting of 2025. So it's an August occasion. We have a quorum of the city council present. And so what I'll do first is I want to walk through how we'll go deal with this morning. I've called to order the work session. We will begin the work session. We have one item to take up, and those are council appointments to the intergovernmental entities and council committee memberships. And we'll go to that first. It's my understanding that the pre-selected agenda item 114 that was originally pulled, there is not a need to take that up again or not a need to take that up this morning. So we will go from the council discussion on interim appointments first. We will take that up and then we [9:02:24 AM] We will take that up and then we will recess the city council meeting. Because at that point we will have hopefully be in a situation where we will have a chair of the Austin energy oversight committee, and I will turn to the new chair of the Austin energy oversight committee to call to order that meeting. We will conduct that meeting. Then we will come back to the city council work session, and we will go into an executive session before we start all that, I want to make one real quick presentation. This is our first meeting where we have a new mayor pro tem, and I wanted to make a presentation to the mayor pro tem, a gavel that says mayor pro tem Vanessa Fuentes, 2025. Councilmember district two, presented by mayor Kirk Watson. And we'll start the year with that presentation. >> So thank you. Very official now. >> Yeah that's right. Yes, yes. Yeah. Yeah I worried about [9:03:26 AM] Yeah. Yeah I worried about giving her a hammer but but there you go. And congratulations again. All right. With that we will go to the discussion item which is council appointments to intergovernmental entities and council committee memberships. Council thank you for the work you've done on the message board. As part of the collaboration and consultation that the code requires. What I want to do, members, is read into the record where we are on this, and then the way the code works is I will make I will present the final version of this to the city clerk. And upon doing that, that is the action that we have to take in order for it to become official. And those will be our committees, the appointments for chairs and vice chairs that are made by the mayor, in consultation with the council, are also on this, and I will read those out loud as we go through. To my knowledge, we [9:04:28 AM] go through. To my knowledge, we have one entity that does not have a member. That entity will stay and that's the cause. And that will just stay open until we have someone to fill that position. In addition, we have two committees, and I'll mention those as we go along that they'll be reauthorized and or from a previous council time. It requires us to pass an ordinance, as you all know from the message board, I've posted the ordinance. I have co-sponsors from members of the council that will be on Thursday. So those two committees and those appointments won't be effective, although I will have provided the clerk with what we anticipate, what we're going to, what we're going to do with regard to the chairs, vice chairs and members. But those will not be effective until the council votes on Thursday for the authorization of those [9:05:31 AM] the authorization of those committees. And the language that goes with those committees. All right. So let's just begin on audit and finance. The members and the chairs and vice chair, audit and finance. The chair will be mayor Watson. The vice chair will be council member. Alter members will be mayor pro tem Fuentes, council member. Vela council member. Duchen the Austin energy oversight committee. The chair will be council member. Vela, the vice chair will be council member Siegel and that is a committee of the whole. So it will be the full council, the climate, water, environment and parks. This is one of those committees that will become effective on Thursday with passage of the ordinance. The chair will be council member alter. By the way, I may refer to him as council member Ryan alter. Just out of habit because I when I see when I just say council member alter, it feels a little weird. It feels like you're naked in some way. And I and I really wish I hadn't [9:06:31 AM] and I really wish I hadn't created that visual. So climate, water, environment and parks council member. Alter is chair. Council member. Ellis. Vice chair. Members. Council member Siegel and council member duchen economic opportunity. Again, this will be one that will be effective on Thursday with passage of the ordinance. Council member qadri chair. Mayor pro tem Fuentes. Vice chair. Council member. Velasquez council member harper-madison and council member Siegel members. Housing and planning council member harper-madison is chair. Council member. Vela vice chair, council member Siegel and council member Laine mayor. Yes. >> I had posted to the message board late yesterday that I was happy to stay on housing and planning. >> Okay. >> And I'm happy. Oh, sorry. Am I supposed to raise my hand? >> Yes. Councilmember Laine, you're recognized. And I'm happy to have council member Ellis replace me on housing and planning. >> Okay. Thank you. That's why we're doing this. Thank you for that. So let me read. Let me [9:07:32 AM] that. So let me read. Let me read that again. And this is what I will present to the clerk pursuant to code. Chair will be council member harper-madison. Vice chair. Council member. Vela members. Council member. Siegel and council member Ellis. Mobility chair. Council member. Ellis. Vice chair. Council member. Qadri members. Council member harper-madison council member. Vela and council member Laine. Public health chair. Mayor pro tem Fuentes vice chair. Council member duchen members. Council member qadri council member. Alter and council member. Velazquez public safety chair. Council member. Velazquez vice chair. Council member. Laine members. Council member. Zo qadri mayor Watson and council member duchen. Before I go to the next list, is there anybody that has discussion or wants to talk about what I just read into the record? Okay, then we will go to the appointments of governmental entities that are not council [9:08:34 AM] entities that are not council committees. Austin aisd, county joint committee. The members will be mayor Watson, council member Velasquez and council member alter the Austin firefighters relief and retirement fund. Mayor Watson Austin police retirement system council member alter Austin transit partnership, mayor Watson balcones, canyonlands conservation planning coordinating committee, council member Ellis campo, the capital area metropolitan planning organization. Mayor pro tem Fuentes, council member. Qadri council member. Siegel council member. Laine, with mayor Watson as an alternate cap cog. The capital area council of governments. The general assembly appointments will be mayor Watson, council member. Vela, council member, duchen. The clean air coalition. Appointment will be council member, Laine capital metro council member vela. Any [9:09:35 AM] council member vela. Any discussion with regard to the appointments? You've got a grimace on your face. Yeah. Council member Ellis. >> On this sheet. My name just got bumped to the top of the next column for capmetro. So it's council member vela and myself. >> Okay. Yes, you're. You're exactly right. Thank you for pointing that out. So, on the cap metro, let me read that into the record correctly. Council member vela and council member Ellis. The city of Austin employees retirement system board of trustees remains open. We will deal with that at some point in the future. Clean air force of central Texas board council member Laine, the national league of cities. All council can participate in that pecan street project. Council member qadri, the sobriety center board. Council member vela, Texas municipal league board, mayor Watson U.S. Conference of mayors. Mayor Watson the visit Austin board, council member qadri and mayor Watson and the workforce solutions. Central Texas board [9:10:36 AM] solutions. Central Texas board is mayor Watson. We have we have a number of groups that we made appointments to before, but they have they're either inactive or, well, they're inactive. So we we're not going to make appointments. Further to that, a new one is the Austin San Antonio corridor council. The city is represented on that by staff. But thankfully council member Ellis has also arranged to be able to participate in that. And we're pleased that she has done that. I will also point out on the hate crimes task force that all of us can participate. If you want to participate, make contact with adl for more information on that. All right. So that takes care of that group of appointments, and I'll ask if there's any further consultation, collaboration or discussion with regard to those. Yes. Council member alter. >> If this is the last thing we do I want to thank you for [9:11:37 AM] do I want to thank you for herding these cats. I know this is a very it looks so easy from the public side. We have this beautiful list, but we all know it's a little more complicated. So I appreciate organizing us and I'm excited about these committees. >> Yeah. Me too. Thank you I appreciate that. Yes, mayor pro tem. >> Thank you. I just want to acknowledge that the community advancement network is not an inactive group. They still regularly meet. And if there are colleagues who would like to serve on the can. Board of directors, there is an opportunity I served on can for the last four years and served as chair a couple of years ago, and council member Velasquez also served on the can board and we're happy to talk through the experience. >> Good. That's thank you for that input. Other comments. All right, members, the way we'll do this. >> Mr. Mayor, actually, I'd like to take that opportunity to serve on the can board. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Well, then for the record, what I will submit to the clerk [9:12:38 AM] what I will submit to the clerk pursuant to code for the creation of these committees and these appointments is for the community advancement network council member harper-madison. Good. Thank you. Council member harper-madison appreciate that. All right. Anything else? Okay. The way this will work is that as soon as we when I, when I say we're done with this conversation because there's no further discussion, I will make this available. The way the code talks about it is that I present this to the clerk. I'll make it available to the clerk. That will make everything official, with the exception of the two committees climate, water, environment and parks and economic opportunity, that both require ordinance action in order for them to be activated and authorized and have language about what it is that they will be doing pursuant to code that will be on Thursday. So those become effective at that point, I'm going ahead and making the presentation to the clerk in advance, but they will not be [9:13:39 AM] advance, but they will not be effective until Thursday when we pass that. With that being said, I will. I just want one last time. Anybody got anything else you want to add about this? Good. All right. You good? I'm great. Good. >> All right. >> Then I'll make this presentation as soon as we recess the council meeting and go into the Austin energy oversight committee. With that, we are, without objection. The work session of the Austin city council is in recess at 9:13 A.M. My staff is grimacing at me. Why are we grimacing? >> Did you want to go to executive session? >> No, we're going to go to Austin energy first, and then we're going to go to executive session. And I think I've worked that out where we can make sure we have everybody where we need them. This is the reason I'm doing it that way. With that, we are in recess at 9:13 A.M. I will make the presentation to the city clerk, but I will now turn it over to the new chair of [9:14:39 AM] turn it over to the new chair of the Austin energy oversight committee. Council member vela, chairman vela to be to call that meeting to order. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I will call back to order the work session of the Austin city council at 1009 on Thursday, January 28th. For the record, I want to indicate that there were no speakers signed up, but I want to have the clerk confirm that we have no speakers signed up on any item on the item of discussion or the executive session. Is that correct? [10:10:34 AM] correct? >> Correct. Mayor. No. Speakers. >> Thank you very much. With that, members, the city council will now go into a closed session to take up one item pursuant to section 5.51071 of the Texas government code, the city council will discuss legal issues related to item E, one, state and federal policies, and judicial decisions related to immigration. Is there any objection to going into executive session on the item announced? Without objection, the city council will now go into executive session for members of the public. As soon as we finish the executive session, there will be no other items for the work session of the city council. I will come back in and we will. I will officially adjourn the meeting, but for now we are going into an executive session of the Austin city council. Thank you all. Everybody. We are out of closed [11:28:36 AM] Everybody. We are out of closed session. In closed session, we discussed legal issues related to item number one. It is 1128 and I'm calling us back to order. But with that being said, the business of the Austin city council at this work session is complete. And without objection, the office of city council is adjourned. Meeting is adjourned at 11:28 A.M. Thanks, everyone.