Sep 29, 2020 City Council Work Session

SO WE CAN PROVIDE YOU AND THE PUBLIC, UH, SOME MORE CLARITY ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS REGARDING NEW VERSUS OLD.

THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON COVID-19 NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

NOW THIS GRAPH IS SHOWING US AGAIN, THE, UH, CONFIRMED NEW CASES IN TRAVIS COUNTY WITH A YELLOW LINE BEING THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE.

UH, OUR NEW CASES YESTERDAY WERE 91, WHICH GIVES US A MOVING AVERAGE OF 106.

UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE HAD SOME OSCILLATION, UH, IN CASES OVER THE PAST THREE WEEKS AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID, PART OF THIS IS DUE TO A BACKLOG OF CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO US FROM THE STATE.

UH, LAST WEEK, SOMEWHERE AROUND A THIRD OF THE CASES REPORTED WE'RE OLDER THAN 14 DAYS.

UH, OUR EPIC TEAM IS WORKING ON A, UH, A OUTPUT THAT'S GOING TO PROVIDE US WITH A DAILY INVENTORY OF NEW CASES VERSUS OLD CASES OR THOSE CASES THAT ARE NO LONGER ACTIVE AT THE TIME OF REPORTING.

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UH, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THAT THE BACKLOGS OF CASES WILL BE RESOLVED AS THE, THE STATE HAS UPGRADED THEIR SYSTEM.

BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DO FACE THAT THAT SECOND WAVE, UH, AND, AND LAB RESULTS MAY BE DELAYED ONCE AGAIN, THAT WE HAVE ONGOING IDEAS OF NEW VERSUS OLD NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

THIS IS A NEW SLIDE, UH, AND THIS IS SHOWING THE ACTIVE CASES I'VE INCLUDED THE ACTIVE CASES, UH, SINCE OUR PEAK BACK IN EARLY JULY, UH, TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF, OF WHAT OUR ACTIVE CASES HAVE LOOKED LIKE OVER THE PAST MONTHS, UH, WHILE YOU HAVE SEEN OSCILLATIONS IN THE NEW CASES, THE ACTIVE CASES HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT.

UH, OUR, OUR CURRENT ACTIVE CASES ARE 692 WHERE THE MOVING AVERAGE OF 716.

NOW, AGAIN, OVER THE PAST THREE WEEKS, IT'S OSCILLATED A LITTLE BIT BETWEEN 650 AND 750, BUT RELATIVELY FLAT IN TERMS OF ACTIVE CASES.

AGAIN, THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY NOW THAT ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING DISEASE THAT, THAT WE KNOW OF.

AND, UH, LUCKILY IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT WITH A CONTINUING DOWNWARD TREND, UH, WHICH WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS IS A GRAPH OF OUR NEW ADMISSIONS.

AGAIN, THE YELLOW IS THE SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE.

OUR NEW ADMISSIONS YESTERDAY WERE FOUR.

UH, SO AGAIN ON A, WE HAD ANOTHER SINGLE DIGIT DAY, WHICH IS EXCITING, UH, THAT BROUGHT DOWN OUR MOVING AVERAGE TO 13.

YOU CAN SEE THAT OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO.

WE HAD A, A SIGNIFICANT BOUNCE IN TERMS OF CASES, UH, WITH SOME OSCILLATION OR ADMISSIONS, WITH SOME OSCILLATIONS BETWEEN A MOVING AVERAGE OF 12 AND 18.

AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF OUR, UH, KEY INDICATORS BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE EFFECTED BY LABORATORY DELAYS.

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EFFECTED BY NEW VERSUS OLD CASES.

UH, AND IT IS A GOOD PREDICTOR OF ACTUAL CASE BURDEN IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING A DOWNWARD TREND ONCE AGAIN, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE THAT DOWNWARD TREND.

UH, AS A REMINDER, WE WANT TO GET UNDER 10 IN THAT SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE, UH, IN ORDER TO BREAK THAT, THAT THRESHOLD FOR STAGE TWO OF RISK.

UH, AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN GET THERE THIS FALL.

NOW, THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THREE THINGS.

THE BLUE IS OUR TOTAL HOSPITAL BEDS BEING UTILIZED.

THE GRAY IS ICU BEDS, AND THE ORANGE IS VENTILATORS BEING USED.

NOW OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS YESTERDAY WERE 78 WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 85, AND THAT'S BEEN FLAT FOR THE PAST 10 DAYS.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN OSCILLATING A LITTLE BIT, BUT, BUT THE TREND HAS BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT IN TERMS OF ICU BEDS, UH, REPORTED 19 YESTERDAY WITH A MOVING AVERAGE OF 26 AND AGAIN, A OSCILLATING IN A TIGHT MARGIN BETWEEN 26 AND 28 OVER THE PAST WEEK.

UH, LAST WEEK, IT WAS 7.1% OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS.

UH, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR BREAKDOWN OF HOSPITALIZATIONS BY WEEK IN TERMS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY.

UH, THIS WEEK, OUR GREEN LINE, WHICH REPRESENTS OUR INDIVIDUALS WHO IDENTIFIED AS HISPANIC, UH, ON THEIR ADMISSION TO THE HOSPITAL, DECREASE FROM 50% TO 48.1%.

AND OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION, UH, REPRESENTED BY THE GRAY LINE 15.1% TO 12.5%, UH, AGAIN, DECREASES IN BOTH AREAS.

HOWEVER, UH, WE STILL SAY THE, UH, DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, UH, AS IT RELATES TO COVID-19.

UH, SO AGAIN, OUR EFFORTS THAT, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED, UH, FOCUSED ON OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WILL CONTINUE, UH, AND WE APPRECIATE OUR, OUR PARTNERS IN TRAVIS COUNTY, OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AS WELL AS THOSE PRIVATE BUSINESSES, UH, WHO HAVE, UH, LENDED THEIR SUPPORT IN, UH, IN, IN PROVIDING PDP AND OTHER, UH, OTHER MEASURES TO HELP MITIGATE THE SPREAD IN THESE PARTICULAR COMMUNITIES.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE UPDATE OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS BY AGE GROUP.

UH, THE GRAY LINE THAT I POINTED TO OF THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS IS DECREASING THAT'S OUR 10 TO 19 AGE GROUP.

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THIS, THIS WEEK, 2.7%, UH, THE, UH, GRAY LINE OR, SORRY, THE YELLOW LINE, THE BRIGHT YELLOW LINE IS OUR 20 TO 29 AGE GROUP, UH, WHICH HAS SEEN A CONTINUED INCREASE FROM 13.3% TO 15.9% OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.

UH, SO BETWEEN THESE TWO AGE GROUPS, UH, ABOUT ONE IN FIVE OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE LAST WEEK, UH, WERE INDIVIDUALS BETWEEN 10 AND 29 YEARS OLD.

UH, SO AGAIN, THIS IS TO, TO STRESS THE, THE, THE POINT THAT, THAT THESE AGE GROUPS, WHILE THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE, AND A LOT LESS LIKELY TO DIE FROM COVID-19, THEY ARE STILL BEING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED.

AND ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE CALLING ON ARE OUR TEENAGERS IN OUR COLLEGE AGE STUDENTS TO BE VIGILANT, TO BE CAUTIOUS, UH, TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE NOT IMMUNE FROM THIS.

AND THEY TOO MUST ENGAGE IN THOSE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, THE SOCIAL DISTANCING, THE MASKING AND THE ATTENTION TO, TO PERSONAL HYGIENE, TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION AMONGST THEMSELVES, AND CERTAINLY TO OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR, UH, WEEKLY POSITIVITY RATES.

UH, I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, UH, AGAIN, AS WE RECEIVED A LOT OF OLD CASES, UH, THOUSANDS OF OLD CASES, UH, BOTH POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES FROM THE STATE, WE'VE HAD SOME ADJUSTMENTS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, A WEEK 35 WAS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED AT 4.9%.

SORRY, IT'S A, YEAH, IT'S 4.7%.

NOW 4.9% A WEEK 36 WAS 5.4%.

NOW 6.3% AND WEEK 37 WAS 4.4%.

NOW 5.4%.

UM, THE LAST WEEK THAT WE'RE REPORTING WEEK 38, 4.3%.

AGAIN, WE'VE GOT SOME DATA FOR WEEK 39, WHICH WAS LAST WEEK, UH, WHICH IS EVEN LOWER THAN, THAN THE 4.3.

AGAIN, THESE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS NEW DATA COMES IN.

UH, SOMETIMES THEY'LL MOVE UP, SOMETIMES THEY'LL MOVE DOWN.

SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THESE, UH, THESE POSITIVITY RATES AS AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH RECEIVES NEW DATA.

NO, THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE SAME DATA BY RACE AND ETHNICITY.

UH, AGAIN, OUR, UH, OUR CONCERN IN THE PAST HAS BEEN OUR, AMONGST OUR HISPANIC AND LATIN X COMMUNITY, WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY THE GRAY BAR.

UH, YOU CAN SEE WEEK AFTER WEEK WHEN YOU'VE HAD IMPROVEMENTS, UH, IN THE POSITIVITY RATE, BUT STILL IT IS THE ONLY, UH, RACE OR ETHNICITY THAT IS ABOVE 5%.

UH, WE'RE HAPPY THAT IT'S DOWN TO 8% NOW AND WEEK 39, BUT AGAIN, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO, UH, TO FOCUS ON, UH, THIS COMMUNITY TO FURTHER DECREASE THAT POSITIVITY RATE.

ALL OTHER RACES AND ETHNICITIES ARE UNDER 5% AT THIS STAGE.

AGAIN, THIS IS A, THE SAME DATA BROKEN DOWN BY AGE GROUP.

UH, IN THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, I'VE TALKED ABOUT THE GOLD BAR, WHICH IS OUR 10 TO 19 AGE GROUP.

WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT IN POSITIVITY AMONGST THIS GROUP OVER THE PAST FOUR WEEKS.

AND WE'VE SEEN A DECREASE IN THE GROUP NEXT TO IT, THE GRAY BAR, WHICH IS OUR 20 TO 29 AGE GROUP.

UH, BOTH OF THOSE ARE ABOVE THE, UH, THE 5% MARK, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THE PROGRESS OF THE POSITIVITY RATES COMING DOWN.

UH, AGAIN, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION.

THEY NEED TO PRACTICE THE SAME, UH, PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS THAT WE'RE ASKING THE REST OF OUR COMMUNITY TO DO.

UH, AND IF WE DO THIS TOGETHER, AS THE MAYOR SAID EARLIER, WE CAN KEEP OUR SCHOOLS OPEN.

WE CAN KEEP OUR RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES OPEN, AND WE CAN CONTINUE, UH, TO, TO KEEP OUR CASE NUMBERS DOWN.

THE BIG MISTAKE THAT WE'VE SEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE WORLD IS PANDEMIC FATIGUE.

PEOPLE GETTING TIRED OF THESE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS, THINKING THAT, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SAFER THAN, THAN WE'VE BEEN IN THE PAST.

AND AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN SAID, THE VIRUS IS STILL OUT THERE.

AND IF WE STOP THOSE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, IT WILL MANIFEST A NEW CASE AS HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS.

UH, AS LONG AS WE STICK TO THOSE, AS LONG AS WE STAY VIGILANT ABOUT THOSE, WE CAN

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KEEP OUR CASES DOWN.

WE CAN KEEP THE HOSPITALIZATIONS DOWN AND WE CAN KEEP OUR DEATHS DOWN.

A MAYOR COUNCIL.

THIS IS AN UPDATE REGARDING REPORTS TO OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE LINE.

AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED EARLIER, RIGHT NOW WE'RE GETTING PHONE CALLS IN FROM THE SCHOOLS TO REPORT CASES.

UH, THERE'S AN ELECTRONIC METHOD.

THAT'S A THAT'S OUT THERE AS WELL.

THAT WILL BE TRANSITIONING TO A, BUT THIS IS A, A BRIEFING OF, OF THOSE REPORTS, UH, OVER THE PAST, UH, MONTH OR SO SINCE, UH, EIGHT 16.

UH, SO COVERT POSITIVE TUNES, THE STUDENTS IN TRAVIS COUNTY FOR THE WEEK ENDING NINE 26, WE HAD ONE CASE REPORTED A TOTAL OF 24 SINCE EIGHT 16 STAFF.

WE'VE HAD THREE POSITIVES WITH 21 POSITIVE SENSE, EIGHT, 16, UH, CLOSE CONTACTS ARE THOSE IDENTIFIED AS INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED TO QUARANTINE AS A RESULT OF THIS, THESE CASES, 37 FOR LAST WEEK AND 63 TOTAL SINCE EIGHT 16 FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF SEVEN LAST WEEK AND 53 TOTAL, UH, SINCE, UH, SINCE EIGHT 16, AGAIN, THE DATA THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW STILL INDICATES TO US THAT THAT TRANSMISSION DISEASE IS HAPPENING IN SCHOOLS, IN, IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, FOOTBALL, UH, CHEERLEADING BAND ACTIVITIES LIKE THAT.

AND THERE, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY EVIDENCE RIGHT NOW OF TRANSMISSION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND STAFF.

UH, SO AGAIN, THESE CASE INVESTIGATIONS ARE ONGOING.

UH, THE, THE CONTACT TRACING IS ONGOING AND WE WILL SHARE INFORMATION.

UH, IF WE DO SEE EVIDENCE OF TRANSMISSION BETWEEN THOSE TWO GROUPS, UH, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S AN IMPERATIVE THAT, THAT PEOPLE ARE SCREENING THEMSELVES BEFORE THEY LEAVE THEIR HOUSE.

IF THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL AS A STUDENT, IF THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL AS AN EMPLOYEE, IF THEY'RE LEAVING THEIR HOUSE FOR ANY REASON, THEY NEED TO DO THEIR SYMPTOM CHECK.

THEY NEED TO CHECK THEIR TEMPERATURE.

AND IF EVERYTHING IS NORMAL, THEN THEY GO OUT.

IF IT'S NOT, WE NEED THEM TO STAY HOME, BE PROTECTIVE AND PROTECT THEIR COWORKERS AND FELLOW STUDENTS IN, IN, UH, IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF STUDENTS.

UH, IF WE CAN DO THAT, THEN WE CAN REALLY DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION RISK IN OUR SCHOOLS AND KEEP OUR SCHOOLS OPEN AND HELPING NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR, UH, DASHBOARD RELATED TO POSITIVITY RATES ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY.

AGAIN, THIS IS AVAILABLE ON OUR AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV FORWARD SLASH COVID-19 ONE OF OUR MANY DASHBOARDS WHICH ARE AVAILABLE.

UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, SINCE LAST WEEK THERE'S BEEN SOME SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS IN POSITIVITY RATES.

UH, LAST WEEK I TOLD YOU MY ZIP CODE WAS, WAS TWICE THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY AVERAGE THIS WEEK.

IT'S, IT'S BELOW THE COMMUNITY AVERAGE, UH, BUT THERE'S GOING TO BE WEEKLY SHIFTS IN POSITIVITY RATES.

AND THIS IS A WAY THAT, THAT OUR COMMUNITY CAN INTERACT WITH THE DATA AND UNDERSTAND WHAT TRANSMISSION IS LIKE IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

UH, AGAIN, THESE ARE SHOWING, UH, ZIP CODES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY INDICATING WHERE THEY WERE EXPOSED.

UH, SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT FOLKS KEEP THAT IN MIND, BUT THIS WILL HIGHLIGHT THE HIGHEST INCREASES, UH, AS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS WEEK, IN TERMS OF POSITIVITY, THE HIGHEST PERCENT POSITIVES, UH, ZIP CODES, UH, AS WELL AS THE HIGHEST INCREASE IN, IN NEW CASES IN THE LAST WEEK.

SO IT'S AN INCREDIBLY USEFUL TOOL FOR FOLKS TO USE, UH, WHEN THEY'RE DETERMINING THEIR RISK, UH, FOR THEIR PARTICULAR HOUSEHOLD OR THEIR COMMUNITY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, A MAYOR COUNCIL.

THIS IS AN UPDATE OF OUR, UH, LONGTERM CARE FACILITY DASHBOARD.

UH, AGAIN, WE'VE REPORTED 63 CASES IN THE PAST 14 DAYS, 99, UH, IN THE PAST 28 DAYS.

AND AGAIN, THIS IS A ANOTHER DASHBOARD AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE THAT FOLKS CAN, UH, CAN MONITOR FOR PROGRESSION, UH, IN, UH, IN OUR NURSING HOME, IN LONGTERM CARE FACILITIES.

AGAIN, WE'RE GRATEFUL TO OUR, UH, APH STAFF WHO ARE MANAGING THESE, UH, THE SITES, UH, IN OUR TEAMS, OUR TASK FORCE FOR NURSING HOMES AND OUR TASK FORCE FOR SCHOOLS WHO ARE DOING A GREAT JOB OF ENGAGING WITH, UH, WITH THOSE PARTICULAR COMMUNITIES TO ENSURE THAT, UH, OUR DAD IS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE AND THAT, UH, THAT'S STRIKE FORCES, UH, STRIKE TEAMS ARE DEPLOYED, UH, TO THOSE ENTITIES THAT ARE IN NEED.

MAYOR COUNCIL, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE STILL IN STAGE THREE.

UH, OUR, OUR SEVEN DAY MOVING AVERAGE OF HOSPITALIZATIONS IS AT 13.

OUR POSITIVITY RATE RIGHT NOW IS, UH,

[00:30:01]

IS BETWEEN FOUR AND 5%.

UH, SO WE'RE STILL SOLIDLY IN, IN STAGE THREE.

AGAIN, THERE, UH, CONTINUED COMMUNITY VIGILANCE, UH, IN MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE.

AND IN PARTICULAR, THAT SELF SCREENED BEFORE FOLKS LEAVE HOME, WE CAN PUSH THIS DOWN TO STAGE TWO, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE THAT ONGOING COMMITMENT, UH, IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF OUR VACCINE.

WHAT THAT ALTERNATE, UH, BACK TO YOU FOR QUESTIONS, DR.

ASCOT, THANK YOU.

WE ALSO WANT TO SEE THE NURSING HOME PRESENTATION HERE IN JUST A MOMENT, UM, BUT TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS IN CASE YOU NEED TO LEAVE TO GET TO THE COUNTY, HAVE SOME JUST REAL QUICK.

UM, IN FACT, IF THE FOLKS COULD TAKE US OFF THE, UH, UH, PRESENTATION FOR A SECOND, UM, EXCUSE ME, UH, JUST A COUPLE POINTS I WANT TO JUST HIT ON FIRST.

GOOD TO SEE ME, THE PERCENTAGES, ALL POPULATIONS GO BELOW 5%.

IT'S STILL A CONCERN THAT THE LATINO POPULATION IS ABOVE 5%.

GOOD TO SEE THAT IT'S DROPPING.

MY RECOLLECTION IS, IS THAT THE PERCENT POSITIVITY IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU AND DIRECTOR HAYDEN OBVIOUSLY ARE LOOKING AT CONTINUALLY ALSO COMPARING THAT DATA WITH COMMUNITY CARE, COMMUNITY CARE RUGS, THAT PERCENTAGE FOR ITS CLIENTS, UH, AND HISTORICALLY THEIR NUMBERS FOR POSITIVITY, UH, HAVE BEEN MUCH HIGHER IN A LATINO COMMUNITY THAT OURS, BECAUSE IT'S DEALING WITH A LATINO COMMUNITY, WHICH IS EVEN MORE HIGHLY CONCENTRATED WITH THE CENTRAL WORKERS, UH, PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT DON'T OTHERWISE INSURANCE.

MY UNDERSTANDING IS IS THAT THEIR POSITIVITY RATES HERE, UH, IN THEIR MOST RECENT NUMBERS ALSO FOR THE LATINO COMMUNITY BELOW 10%, A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN OURS AT EIGHT OR NINE SOMETHING, BUT THEY'VE DROPPED BELOW 10%, UH, AS WELL.

THAT'S RIGHT, ISN'T IT? DR.

SCOTT? YES, SIR.

I THINK, UH, THEIR, THEIR POSITIVITY RATE FOR LAST WEEK, AGAIN, THEY HAVE PARCEL DATA WAS UNDER 5% FOR THE OVERALL POPULATION.

CORRECT.

AND THEN FOR THE LATINO POPULATION, I THINK IT WAS NINE POINT SOMETHING.

UH, SO I THINK THAT THAT'S REAL GOOD THING TO SEE WITH RESPECT TO THE CASES THAT WERE SAYING, UH, INCREASED NUMBER IN STUDENTS, INCREASE NUMBER BOTH, UH, UH, HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, ALSO, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDENTS, WHILE WE SEE INCREASES IN THOSE AREAS, THEY SEEM TO BE CONTAINED WITHIN THOSE STUDENT POPULATIONS AND NOT SPREADING OUTSIDE OF THOSE STUDENT POPULATIONS INTO THE WIDER COMMUNITY.

IS THAT CORRECT? UH, YES, SIR.

WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH, UH, WITH UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS WHO WAS A PARTNER WITH US FOR A CASE INVESTIGATION AND CONTACT TRACING.

UH, AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO LINK A STUDENT CASE WITH AN OUTSIDE MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY, GENERALLY THEY'RE SPREADING AMONGST THEMSELVES.

AND WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO, TO HIT HOME THAT MESSAGE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE FOR THEM TO, TO NOT INTERACT FACE TO FACE WITHOUT PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, UH, PROTECTIVE MASKING ON, BUT, UH, IF THEY'RE GOING TO DO IT, IT'S REALLY ESSENTIAL THAT THEY NOT INTERACT WITH PEOPLE IN THE OUTSIDE COMMUNITY, UH, PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO BE MORE VULNERABLE.

NOW, THOSE OVER THE AGE OF 65 AND THOSE WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS.

AND I THINK THEY'RE DOING A GOOD JOB.

THAT WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS NOW.

AND I WANT TO JUST NOTE FOR A SECOND AND THANK YOU, BUT ESPECIALLY, UH, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN AND HER STAFF FOR IMPLEMENTING AT THIS POINT AND TALKING TO US NOW ABOUT REACHING OUT TO THOSE ESSENTIAL WORKERS, UH, TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT FOR ISOLATION SUPPORT, FOR INCOME SUPPORT, FOR EXPERTISE.

UM, UH, AND I KNOW THOSE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN GEARING UP, UH, BUT IT WAS IDENTIFIED AS A, AS A CRITICAL NEED, UH, AND THAT'S UP AND WORKING NOW, AND IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT.

AND THEN FINALLY TODAY OR TOMORROW, UM, YOU'RE WORKING WITH ME, DR.

HAYDEN TO, TO UPDATE AND REISSUE THE ORDER OR THE, THE MAYOR'S ORDER, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH KOBE.

AND I APPRECIATE AS ALWAYS THE DIRECTION AND ASSISTANCE THAT COMES FROM THE TWO OF YOU.

UM, UH, I THINK THAT PROBABLY THE UPDATE TOMORROW OR THE NEXT DAY IS GOING TO BRING US INTO CLOSER COMPLIANCE WITH SOME OF THE EVICTION STUFF THAT'S HAPPENING, UH, AT THE STATEWIDE LEVEL AND OUR JP COURTS NOW.

BUT ALSO WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THE ACTIVITY ON THE BARS THAT ARE NOW ALLOWED TO OPERATE AS RESTAURANTS.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO WAIT TO SEE IF WE HAVE A BETTER INDICATOR, UM, OR WHETHER IT'S SOMETHING

[00:35:01]

UH, BUT THERE'S SOME CONCERN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OPERATION OF THE BARS THAT ARE NOW OPEN UNDER THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER ASSOCIATED AS RESTAURANTS.

AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS FOR YOU IF, FOR DIRECTOR HAYDEN.

I HAVE, WE LOOKED AT, UM, THE, THE BARS ON THE WEST SIXTH STREET AREA OR OTHER AREAS TO SEE HOW THAT ACTIVITY IS GOING.

UM, YES, WE HAVE A TEAM, UM, THAT, UM, WITH OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, UM, UM, SANITARIANS AS WELL AS OUR CODE POKE AN AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT FOLKS.

UM, THEY STARTED, UM, THE PROCESS ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO.

UM, AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS, IS THAT, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CALLING THEM COMPLIANCE, UM, SUITES AND BASICALLY, UM, CHECKING TO ENSURE THAT, UM, FOLKS ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE, UM, UM, FAITH COVERINGS, AS WELL AS, UH, SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THEN LOOKING AT CAPACITY IN THOSE FACILITIES AS WELL.

SO THEY WILL CONTINUE, UM, TO DO THAT INITIALLY WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY STARTED, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ISSUED SEVERAL, UM, WARNING CITATIONS, WHICH EVENTUALLY WILL TURN INTO, UM, AN ACTUAL TICKET, UM, ONCE WE MOVE IN TO CODE ENFORCEMENT.

AND SO, UM, WE ARE SEEING MORE COMPLIANCE IN THOSE AREAS.

IF IT'S NECESSARY FOR US TO ENTER AN ORDER THAT SAYS TO THOSE RESTAURANT BARS TYPE SITUATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO REQUIRE THE SAME KIND OF RULES FOR BOTH RESTAURANTS AND BARS IN A SITUATION SO THAT YOU HAVE TO BE SEATED, IF YOU'RE EATING AND DRINKING AND MAKE THAT APPLY TO THE BARS THAT ARE OPERATING AS, AS, AS RESTAURANTS WITH THE ASSOCIATION, PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO THAT I CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE INCORPORATE THAT KIND OF REQUIREMENT, UH, INTO THE ORDERS THAT WE HAVE.

AND THEN FINALLY, I WOULD COLLEAGUES AND TO THE COMMUNITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PUBLISHES THEIR DASHBOARD, UH, EVERY DAY, WHICH HAS THE TESTING THAT THEY'RE DOING OF UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDENTS.

YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AND FACULTY SHOWING UP AS POSITIVE ALSO WITH THEIR SURVEILLANCE TESTING THAT THEY'RE DOING, POP-UP TESTING, UH, IN THE WEST CAMPUS AREA AND OTHER AREAS SO THAT YOU CAN TRACK THOSE NUMBERS.

THERE'S OBVIOUSLY AN ELEVATED NUMBER TO SOME DEGREE IT'S BEEN COMING DOWN AS WITH THE REST OF THE NUMBER.

AND THE INFORMATION WE HAVE AT THIS POINT IS IT'S BEEN CONTAINED WITHIN THOSE COMMUNITIES.

COLLEAGUES, YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, HARPER, MADISON, UH, YES, I HAVE A FEW.

UM, AND GIVEN THAT SOUNDS LIKE BOTH OF US ARE, ARE STRUGGLING WITH A LITTLE RAGWEED THIS MORNING, MAYOR ADLER.

UM, I, THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE AS WE MOVE INTO THIS, I'M ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GET FLU SHOTS AND SEASONAL ALLERGIES ARE JUST SO BAD.

UM, IS THERE SOME SORT OF INDICATION SOMEWHERE WHERE PEOPLE CAN DETERMINE, UM, WHAT'S ALLERGIES? WHAT'S THE FLU WHAT'S COVID.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WOKE UP AND MY ANTIHISTAMINE HADN'T KICKED IN YET, I KNOW MY EYES AND CHIN AND MY SCRATCHIES BROKE.

I KNOW WHAT IT IS FOR ME, BUT WHEN PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, LIKE ME, FOR EXAMPLE, I DIDN'T GET SEASONAL ALLERGIES.

AND SO I TURNED 40.

I THINK SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS. I WONDER IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE DIFFERENCES ARE.

I HEARD THE QUESTION FOUR IS FOR EXACTLY, BUT IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED ME AS I'M WATCHING THE PEOPLE AROUND STRUGGLE.

AND COUNCIL MEMBER, THIS IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH, WITH COVID-19 IS THE SYMPTOMS ARE VAGUE.

THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE CONGESTION, BUT SYMPTOMS INCLUDE SORE THROAT.

THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE NAUSEA AND DIARRHEA, UH, WHICH COULD BE A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS.

I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THOSE THINGS, YOU DON'T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE.

UH, AND YOU KNOW, YOU CAN, YOU CAN CONSULT WITH, UH, WITH A DOCTOR OR YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, UH, TO MAKE A DETERMINATION, IF YOU NEED TO BE TESTED, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU TAKE YOUR ANTI-HISTAMINE AND, AND IT'S BEHAVING LIKE, UH, LIKE ALLERGIES AND YOU DON'T DEVELOP A FEVER IN A DAY OR SO, IT'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE COVEN.

UH, BUT I'LL TELL YOU THAT THAT INTERVIEWING MANY COVID CASES, MYSELF, THAT A LOT OF THE SYMPTOMS ARE VERY MILD, PARTICULARLY IN YOUNGER PEOPLE, UH, WHO SAID, OH, I THOUGHT IT WAS A NORMAL HEADACHE.

I THOUGHT IT WAS NORMAL ALLERGIES.

I THOUGHT IT WAS A SORE THROAT.

AND IT WASN'T.

UH, SO REGARDLESS OF THE SYMPTOMS, IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU THINK IT IS, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO IS STAY HOME AND THEN CONSULT WITH YOUR, YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.

SEE IF YOU NEED TO BE TESTED.

THERE, SO I THINK MAYOR ADLER TOUCHED ON MY QUESTIONS AROUND WHAT WE'RE DOING TO MAKE THOSE NUMBERS IN THE LATINEX COMMUNITY DROP, BUT I THINK I'LL ASK A FEW MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT OFFLINE.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

UM,

[00:40:01]

UM, THE ICE EFFECT NUMBERS, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, ARE THOSE RISING, ARE THEY DROPPING, ARE WE SAYING FLAT? I DIDN'T QUITE CATCH THAT IF YOU SAID THAT THE INSTALLATION FACILITY MANAGERS YEAH.

THOSE NUMBERS, THOSE NUMBERS ARE UP AND DOWN.

UM, AND JUST KIND OF BASED UPON, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE UNIVERSITIES, UM, WITH THAT FACILITY AS WELL, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY ASSET.

AND SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE UP AND YEAH, COUNCIL MEMBER, I WILL JUST ADD THAT THERE'S SPACE IF FOLKS WANT TO ISOLATE OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IF, IF THEY'RE IN A MULTIGENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLD OR IF THEY'RE LIVING WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTORS, THE BEST THING THAT INDIVIDUAL CAN DO IS TO GO TO THE ISOLATION FACILITY.

IT IS A FREE HOTEL ROOM.

UH, PEOPLE ARE FED THERE'S WIFI, THERE'S CABLE.

IT'S A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY FROM, FROM GETTING COVID.

I APPRECIATE THAT, UM, EXPANSION, AND I THINK IT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A GREAT SEGUE INTO MY NEXT QUESTION.

WE TALKED ABOUT MASS FOR, UM, CERTAIN POPULATIONS OF PEOPLE, BUT WHERE I HAVE BEEN RECEIVING SOME SPECIFIC REQUESTS AND MAKING SOME OBSERVATIONS ARE MULTIFAMILY COMPLEXES.

UM, PARTICULARLY THOSE INCOME RESTRICTED COMPLEXES, UM, I HAVEN'T TO DATE SEEN A SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY, SORT OF COMING TOGETHER TO DO DRIVES AND SUCH.

IS, IS THERE ANY INTENTION FOR US TO DO A, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT AROUND MULTIFAMILY, ESPECIALLY THE, SORT OF THE LOWER INCOME, INCOME, RESTRICTED COMPLEXES, UM, TO DO PPE SPECIFICALLY MASS, I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE MAY NEED TO JUST FOLLOW UP WITH YOU OUTSIDE OF THE SESSION, UM, TO KIND OF DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE, UM, KIND OF THINKING ABOUT AND WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU WERE HEARING OUR STAFF HAVE, UM, HAVE REACHED OUT TO HAKA AND HAVE, AND SAID CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.

UM, AND SO YOU AND I CAN MAYBE ADDRESS IT OUTSIDE OF THIS SESSION.

THAT'D BE GREAT.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HAGAN, TWO, TWO, TWO EDUCATION PODS.

I'M HEARING MORE AND MORE ABOUT PEOPLE DOING THE POTS.

UM, I JUST HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.

UM, I HEARD, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SCHOOL CHARTERS, PRIVATE.

I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT PODS.

AND SO IF WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE PUTTING, YOU KNOW, 10 TO 12 KIDS TOGETHER, UM, IS THERE ANY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW WE WOULD GO ABOUT TRACKING THAT.

AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.

AND IT'S NOT A QUESTION THAT I NECESSARILY NEED AN ANSWER FOR TODAY, UNLESS OF COURSE IT'S SOMETHING YOU ARE ALREADY WORKING ON.

IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT'S ON MY RADAR AS A POINT OF VIEW.

UM, WE ARE ALREADY ADDRESSING, UM, THOSE, THOSE PARTS.

UM, WE, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF, UM, CONTEXT THAT ACTUALLY WORKED FOR THE CITY, UM, THAT ARE WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY ON THAT EFFORT.

UM, OUR STAFF HAVE PUT TOGETHER SOME GUIDANCE IN ISSUE THAT, AND WE'VE ALSO PUT IT ON THE WEBSITE.

UM, AND SO THAT INFORMATION TYPICALLY ALSO COMES IN THROUGH OUR, UM, EDUCATION MINE, UM, THROUGH OUR NURSE LINE.

AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION.

SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM, UM, AS WE FIND OUT THEY EXIST AND THEN WE PROVIDE THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND THE GUIDANCE TO THEM.

THAT'S HELPFUL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, AND I THINK THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS DR.

SCOTT, YOU MADE REFERENCE TO THE SECOND WAY, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THAT TIMELINE LOOKS LIKE.

UM, AND THEN WHAT SHOULD BE, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE DOING RIGHT NOW WHILE WE'RE RELATIVELY FLAT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT PLACE? YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, DENTIST APPOINTMENTS THAT YOU MISSED BECAUSE OUR NUMBERS WERE HIGH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE DOUBLING DOWN ON DOING RIGHT NOW BEFORE WE GET TO THAT SECOND WAY COUNCIL MEMBER? I THINK IT'S, IT'S CRITICAL FOR FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WE CAN AVOID A SECOND WAVE OR IT CAN LOOK LIKE A, REALLY A WAVE THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO SURF ON.

UH, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ABOUT PROTECTION.

IT'S ABOUT CONTINUING THOSE THINGS THAT MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE AND THAT SELF SCREENING, UH, BEFORE PEOPLE LEAVE HOME.

IF, IF WE DO THAT, UM, WE

[00:45:01]

CAN PUSH THIS OFF UNTIL NOT UNTIL WE HAVE A VACCINE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW.

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT FOLKS TAKE CARE OF THOSE THINGS THAT THEY'VE BEEN DELAYING, THE DENTAL VISITS, THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS, AND IMPORTANTLY, THEIR VACCINATIONS.

UH, IT'S REALLY VERY IMPORTANT THAT THAT FOLKS GET THEIR FLU SHOT THIS YEAR.

AND YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS A, AN EPIDEMIC THAT WE, WE HAVE A VACCINE FOR RIGHT NOW.

UH, THAT'S VERY EFFECTIVE.

AND IF WE CAN ELIMINATE THAT AS A RISK FOR THIS COMMUNITY, IT WILL CERTAINLY HELP US IF WE DO SEE A SUBSTANTIAL SECOND WAVE IN AUSTIN, AS I POINTED OUT, UH, TO, TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT LAST WEEK, LAST YEAR, DURING THE PEAK OF FLU SEASON, WE ALMOST RAN OUT OF ICU BEDS.

UH, WE, WE, WE CAN'T TOLERATE THE BAD FLU SEASON THIS YEAR.

WE REALLY NEED PEOPLE TO BE ENGAGED IN AND GETTING THEIR FLU SHOTS, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FROM PHARMACIES AND TARGET AND PEOPLE'S EMPLOYERS, AND OF COURSE THEIR, UH, THEIR PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

SO IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IT'S NOT INEVITABLE THIS SECOND WAVE, BUT GIVEN THE CURRENT TRENDS, IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN, WHEN DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE, ARE WE TALKING OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER JEN? I MEAN, I'M JUST HAVING A GENERAL IDEA, JUST GIVEN THE CURRENT TRENDS, IF WE COULD PROJECT BASED ON THAT.

I DO APPRECIATE THAT.

YOU'RE SAYING IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT IT'S INEVITABLE, BUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING PEOPLE NEED TO BE PREPARING FOR, I THINK MORE INFORMATION IS BETTER THAN LESS, UH, YEAH.

COUNCIL MEMBER.

THE ANSWER IS, I DON'T KNOW, UH, THE ANSWER IS GENERALLY WHEN WE LOOK AT SECOND WAVES, IT'S WHEN PEOPLE GROW TIRED OF, OF ALL THE PROTECTION AND THEY SAY I'M DONE WITH THIS.

AND, AND THEN WE REALIZE WHY WE WERE DOING THOSE PROTECTIONS BECAUSE IT HITS HARD.

UH, I, I THINK IF WE CAN AVOID THAT, THEN, THEN WE CAN PUSH OFF A SUBSTANTIAL SECOND WAVE INDEFINITELY.

UM, BUT THE, THE TIMELINE IS, IS BASED ON INDIVIDUALS IN THIS COMMUNITY.

UH, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SEE INCREASED RISK FOR, OR THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE BURNING OF THE MASKS.

WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT AT HALLOWEEN, WE'RE GOING TO SEE IT AT THANKSGIVING.

WE'RE GOING TO SEE IT AT CHRISTMAS.

NOT BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE MORE NORMAL DURING THOSE HOLIDAYS.

IF WE CAN RESIST THAT TEMPTATION, THEN WE CAN RIDE THROUGH THE WINTER WITHOUT, WITHOUT A SUBSTANTIAL SECOND WAVE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I HEARD A SONG THE OTHER DAY THAT SAID JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE OVER, IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S OVER.

UM, SO I THINK, AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS JUST THE HOSPITALIZATIONS BY AGE GROUP SLIDE THAT YOU SHOWED.

WOULD YOU MIND SHOWING THAT ONE MORE TIME, PLEASE? I WILL ASK AMY TO PULL THAT UP.

IT WAS THE ONE THAT LOOKED LIKE, LIKE A VERY CREATIVE, SMALL PERSON DREW IT.

THIS ONE.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER MEN, BUT I FIND THIS TOUGH TO FOLLOW.

UM, I WONDER IF IT COULD BE MORE GRAPH, LIKE I JUST, I FIND THIS ONE TOUGH TO FOLLOW.

UH, WE'LL SEE IF THE TEAM CAN, CAN WORK OUT A WAY TO DISPLAY IT A BIT DIFFERENTLY.

UH, YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGES WE'RE TRACKING OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, SO IT MAKES IT MORE CHALLENGING.

WE COULDN'T CHOP OFF THE, THE MORE RECENT DATA TO, YOU KNOW, TO GIVE YOU A SMALLER SNAPSHOT.

UH, BUT WE'LL WORK WITH THE TEAM TO SEE IF WE CAN DISPLAY THIS BETTER.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE, BUT YEAH, MY EYES GO CRAZY ON THIS SLIDE.

SO THAT WOULD, IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

UM, AND THEN THE VERY LAST ONE, THERE WAS A SLIDE THAT WAS BY ZIP CODE.

I JUST MISSED THE NUMBER THAT TALKED ABOUT 77 TO THREE.

IF I COULD SEE THAT ONE MORE TIME.

AND THEN THAT WAS ALL I HAD.

YOU'RE ON MUTE MAYOR.

HOW'S IT OVER ELLIS.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, ARE THERE ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEED UP THE RESULTS OF THE TESTING? I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WAS RELIANT ON THE PROCESS FOR GETTING THOSE RESULTS OR IF IT WAS A SUPPLY ISSUE THAT WE MIGHT STILL BE DEALING WITH TYPICALLY 24 TO 36 HOURS IS THE TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME.

UM, BECAUSE I DO THE PCR AND IT IS BEING SENT TO A

[00:50:01]

LAB.

UM, SO THAT'S ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD TIME.

NOW, IF YOU'RE USING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TEST, WHICH WE ARE NOT, UM, AND IT DIDN'T TEST IN, YOU CAN GET THOSE BACK IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES.

COUNCILMEMBER, THE, THE DELAYS THAT, THAT, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN I DESCRIBED ARE FROM OUTSIDE LABS.

UH, SO WHAT HAPPENS IS A CLINICIAN ORDERS, THE TEST, UM, AND THE CLINICIAN MAY REPORT THE TEST RESULTS TO US AND THE LAB REPORTS IT TO THE STATE.

AND SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES TO US DIRECTLY AS WELL.

UH, WHAT HAPPENED WAS A DELAY IN THE STATE REPORTING.

UH, SO THEY HAD DATA FEED ISSUES GOING INTO THE STATE SYSTEM, WHICH MEANT DATA DELAYS COMING BACK DOWN TO US.

UH, AGAIN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE SAME WITH THE STATES UPGRADE IN THEIR SYSTEM.

WE SHOULD AVOID SIGNIFICANT FUTURE DELAYS.

UH, BUT AGAIN, I'LL POINT OUT THAT, THAT THESE DATA FEEDS A LOT OF THEM ARE BRAND NEW.

THEY DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE, UH, MARCH OF THIS YEAR.

UH, SO PART OF THE CHALLENGE WE'VE HAD IS, IS PLAYING CATCH UP.

UH, AND AGAIN, I THINK THIS, THIS GOES TO UNDERLYING, UH, UNDER FUNDING, FEDERALLY OF, UH, UH, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH DATA INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR EVENTS LIKE THIS, I CAN, CAN APPRECIATE THAT, THAT, THAT IS A HIGH HURDLE TO, TO BE NAVIGATING, UM, AS, AS THIS HAS PROCEEDED.

UM, WHEN I SEE THAT THERE'S A RAPID TEST AVAILABLE AT SAY, A PRIVATE PHARMACY, IS THAT INFORMATION THAT'S STILL BEING FED INTO YOUR DATABASES.

WE DO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION REGARDING THE ANTIGEN TESTS, THE RAPID TESTS, AS WELL AS THE RAPID PCR TESTS.

UH, OUR TEAM IS WORKING ON, UH, DISPLAYING THE PROBABLE CASES, WHICH IS WHAT YOU GET, IF YOU HAVE A POSITIVE ANTIGEN TEST, UH, SO THAT WE CAN DESCRIBE BOTH THE CONFIRMED CASES AND THE PROBABLE CASES.

THAT'S HELPFUL.

AND THEN ARE THERE ANY RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR SOME OF THE QUICK READ THERMOMETERS? I KNOW SOME PEOPLE MAY BE TRYING TO DO THEIR OWN TEMPERATURE CHECKS AT HOME EACH MORNING TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEING RESPONSIBLE.

AND I WASN'T SURE IF THE CITY HAD SOME AVAILABLE OR THROUGH A PRIVATE PARTNER FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS ONE, UH, I'M NOT AWARE OF, OF RESOURCES WE HAVE.

UM, I KNOW THAT MONITORS ARE CHALLENGING TO GET, UH, I ORDERED SOME, SOME OF THE, UH, THE INSTANT, UH, THERMOMETER THE DISPOSABLE ONES, UH, BACK IN FEBRUARY AND STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THEM.

UH, SO I KNOW THAT'S AN ONGOING ISSUE AND, AND, UH, I'M NOT SURE IF DIRECTOR HAYDEN MIGHT HAVE ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF THOSE.

WE HAVE PROVIDED THOSE TO, UM, SOME OF THE, THE, THE, UM, CHILDCARE FACILITIES.

WE PROVIDED THOSE TO SOME OF THE NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UM, THAT DID NOT HAVE THE ACCESS TO THOSE, BUT AS DR.

SCOTT HAS, HAS STAYED IN, UM, THOSE ARE A LITTLE DIFFICULT, UM, AND CHALLENGING TO SEE, BUT WE WE'VE PROVIDED THOSE, UM, ON A SMALLER SCALE.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN OUR COMMUNITY.

YES, THAT'S HELPFUL.

I WISH THERE WERE MORE OF THAT.

WE COULD HAVE MORE ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD.

STUDENT TO STUDENT TRANSMISSION WITHIN SCHOOL SETTINGS THAT HAVE REOPENED FOR IN PERSON CONTACT? WE HAVE NOT YET SEEN ANY STUDENT TO STUDENT TRANSMISSION WITHIN A CLASSROOM TYPE OF SETTING.

WELCOME.

AND THERE YOU'RE ON MUTE AGAIN.

SORRY.

ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO TO NURSING HOMES, A COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO THAT COUNTS BARKER SAW THE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.

THANKS VERY MUCH.

UM, AND MAYOR AND COLLEAGUES, I'M GOING TO JUMP OVER FOR A LITTLE BIT TO THE AUSTIN AT 10 TO WELCOME THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT.

SO I'M GOING TO MISS A LITTLE BIT OF THIS.

SO THANKS FOR CALLING ON THE NEW YEAR.

UM, DR.

SCOTT, I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE SLIDES THAT YOU HAD ABOUT STUDENTS.

THIS IS SUCH A CONVERSATION IN OUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW.

AND SO I APPRECIATE YOUR INFORMATION THAT YOU PROVIDED, BUT I WANT TO BE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING IT.

I'M NOT, I BELIEVE IT'S SLIDE 11.

SO AS I UNDERSTOOD YOUR COMMENTS RIGHT NOW, FOR GENERAL SUMMARY THAT YOU OFFERED IS THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE TESTING POSITIVE APPEAR TO BE PRIMARILY WITHIN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS FOOTBALL AND CHEERLEADING AND BAND, UM, AND THAT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN CASES OF STUDENT TO TEACHER TRANSMISSION.

WAS THAT THE CORRECT STEP? WAS THAT SUMMARIZING? WAS THAT SUMMARY CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

UH, IN OUR LAST DISCUSSION WITH OUR, OUR EPI TEAM, UH, THEY HAVE NOT SEEN ANY, ANY TRANSMISSION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.

AND ARE YOU, ARE YOU SEEING ANY

[00:55:01]

WE HAVE SEEN STUDENT TO STUDENT TRANSMISSION IN THOSE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES THAT IN CERTAINLY IN, IN SOCIAL SETTING, OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL SETTING STUDENTS.

THAT'S HELPFUL TO KNOW.

AND SO ON THIS SLIDE, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE FIRST COUPLE OF CATEGORIES, THE CLOSE CONTACTS.

CAN YOU, UM, YOU ADDRESS THIS IN YOUR, IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT I MISSED, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS.

WHAT IS THE STUDENT CLOSE CONTACTS? IS THAT 37 PEOPLE WHO WERE WITHIN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE POSITIVE STUDENTS NOTED ABOVE, OR W WHAT ARE THOSE LAST TWO? RIGHT.

SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE STUDENTS IN STAFF WHO HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH A POSITIVE CASE.

UH, SO THESE WERE PEOPLE IN SIX FEET FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES, NECESSITATING QUARANTINE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS.

I SEE.

SO THOSE ARE COVID POSITIVE.

THOSE ARE JUST, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOW ISOLATING BECAUSE THEY WERE WITHIN CLOSE CONTACT WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD OKAY.

AND THEY HAD GOOD CONTACT WITH THEM IN A SCHOOL SETTING OF SOME SORT.

UH, I'LL HAVE TO CLARIFY WHAT THE TEAM OF, IF THESE ARE ONLY ARE ONLY RELATED TO THOSE SCHOOL CASES, OR IF THOSE INCLUDE, UH, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ISOLATED BECAUSE OF EXTERNAL CLOSE CONTACT.

UM, THANK YOU.

AND THEN I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SLIDE THAT I THINK IS LIKE SEVEN, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER OF HARPER MEDICINE ASKED YOU TO LOOK AT AS WELL.

SO I EITHER I MISHEARD, OR I THINK YOU MAY HAVE REVERSED A COUPLE OF COLORS IN YOUR DESCRIPTION OF IT.

SO I JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT I'M UNDER, I'M READING THE GRAPH CORRECTLY.

THE 10 THROUGH 19 HERE IS ACTUALLY THE LIGHT GRAY, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.

SO THOSE NUMBERS, IT LOOKS LIKE ARE DROPPING, BUT THE GOAL 20 TO 29 ARE ACTUALLY INCREASING AS I READ THIS GRAPH.

CORRECT.

UM, AND OF THAT 20 TO 29 POPULATION OF NUMBERS THAT ARE INCREASING, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF, OF HOW MUCH OF THAT? UM, OUR, OUR COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE OUR INDIVIDUALS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME OF THE UNIVERSITIES IN OUR AREA.

I COULD CERTAINLY COMPARE IT TO UT AND SOME OF THE INFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT OUR OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING, BUT JUST WONDERED IF YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF GENERAL COMMENT ABOUT WHETHER I DO HOW MANY TO 29 YEAR OLDS ARE.

I DO NOT HAVE A FURTHER DETAIL REGARDING THAT AGE GROUP.

UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UH, LET'S SAY IN THE LAST WEEK FOR THE, THE TURN TO 19 AGE GROUP, UH, ONE INDIVIDUAL AGE 11 AND 13 WAS HOSPITALIZED, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS AGED 14 TO 17 WERE HOSPITALIZED INTO AGED 18 TO 19 WERE HOSPITALIZED.

PEOPLE BEING ENGAGED AND DOING THAT SELF SCREENING BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE HOUSE EVERY DAY, ENGAGED IN WEARING THE MASKS, ENGAGE IN THE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE HAND HYGIENE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT INFORMATION.

AND FOR THESE, UM, FOR THE RANGE OF INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED TODAY, I KNOW THAT YOU HAD A CONVERSATION LAST NIGHT WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

AND YOU MAY HAVE TOUCHED ON SOME OF THE KEY POINTS TODAY THAT YOU PRESENTED THERE, BUT I ALSO JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU, OR INVITE YOU TO, TO OFFER ANY, UM, INFORMATION OR FINDINGS OR CONVERSATION THAT YOU THINK IS RELEVANT FOR US TO KNOW COMING OUT OF THAT PRESENTATION OR THAT COMPENSATION THAT ENSUED WITH THE ISB LEADERSHIP.

CERTAINLY, UH, THE CONVERSATION I HAD WITH THEM IS THAT, UH, I BELIEVE THAT GIVEN OUR, OUR POSITIVITY RATE, AS WELL AS THE PROTECTIVE MEASURES THAT, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE BY ASD AND OUR OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, TH THAT NOW'S THE TIME TO, TO OPEN TO THAT 25% LEVEL.

UH, I THINK OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, UH, HAS BEEN MORE PROTECTIVE THAN, THAN OTHERS AROUND THE STATE OF TEXAS.

AND I THINK THAT'S PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR OUR, OUR SCHOOL REOPENING PROCESS.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DEMONSTRATED THAT OPENING AT 25% ALLOWING, UH, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO ADOPT AND ADAPT TO THE NEW GUIDELINES.

SO THE NEW PROCEDURES WITHIN THAT SCHOOL SPACE ALLOWS VALUABLE TIME TO, UH, TO LEARN HOW THAT WORKS TO MODIFY IF NECESSARY IN THOSE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS AND TO MAKE CHANGES, UH, BEFORE THEY BRING IN ADDITIONAL STUDENTS.

UM, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY IT, THE SUCCESS DEPENDS ON

[01:00:01]

UH, SO IT REALLY HAVE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF PROTECTION THAT ARE BUILT IN, UH, TO, TO KEEP SCHOOLS SAFE.

AND, AND I THINK THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT HAVE OPENED SO FAR AND BEEN DOING A GOOD JOB OF THAT, AND I EXPECT THAT THE AISD WILL AS WELL.

UH, THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE CASES WE WILL.

UH, OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO AVOID SUBSTANTIAL OUTBREAKS, SUSTAINED OUTBREAKS WITHIN SCHOOLS, WHERE WE CAN EXPECT, WE'RE GOING TO SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OFF CASES COME WHERE SMALL CLUSTERS COME, BUT IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL AT IDENTIFYING THOSE CLOSE CONTACTS AND IN QUARANTINING THEM APPROPRIATELY, THEN WE CAN AVOID THOSE SUSTAINED OUTBREAKS.

UH, AND AGAIN, I APPLAUD, UH, AISD AS WELL AS THE OTHER SUPERINTENDENTS WHO, WHO WE'VE BEEN MEETING WEEKLY WITH FOR FOUR MONTHS NOW TO DEVELOP THIS PLAN, TO REFINE THE PLAN AND TO, UH, IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES, NOT TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD IN SCHOOLS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

AND CERTAINLY REASSURING TO KNOW THAT ALL ALONG, YOU'VE WORKED SO CLOSELY WITH THE SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY AS THEY BEGAN TO REOPEN.

SO THANKS.

UH, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE ONE COMMENT ABOUT THE FLU SHOTS.

UM, I APPRECIATE REALLY THE, THE EFFORTS THAT YOU AND OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT GENERALLY HAVE MADE OVER THOSE LAST WEEKS ABOUT ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GO GET THEIR FLU SHOTS.

I KNOW IN MY HOUSEHOLD, THEY ASKED, WHY ARE WE, WHY ARE WE GOING TO GET FLU SHOTS WHEN WE'RE NOT REAPING THE HOUSE ALL THAT MUCH RIGHT NOW, I'M NOT GOING TO SCHOOL.

AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW HOW THIS, THIS IS REALLY THE TIME TO DO IT.

UM, NO FAMILY, EVEN IF, EVEN IF THEY'RE IN THE FORTUNATE POSITION TO BE ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME AND ATTEND SCHOOL FROM HOME RIGHT NOW, UM, NOPE.

WHAT YOU CAN SEE THERE IS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOT.

SO THANKS VERY MUCH FOR GETTING OR CONTINUING TO GET THAT MESSAGE ACROSS THAT COMMUNITY.

THAT EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LESS SOCIAL INTERACTION IN OUR SCHOOLS, AREN'T OPEN UP AT A HUNDRED.

IT'S STILL REALLY THE TIME RIGHT NOW TO GET THOSE GOOD SHOTS.

THANK YOU, DR.

ASCOT, I RECALL THAT THAT FLU SHOT IS BEING RECOMMENDED FOR EVERYONE OVER SIX MONTHS OF AGE.

IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.

MAYOR, EVEN, EVEN SOME OF THE YOUNGEST AMONG US, A GREAT FAMILY BONDING ACTIVITY, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S RIGHT.

THEY CAN GO GET FLU SHOTS, A COUNCIL MEMBER KASAR THANKS.

UM, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE, THE HIGH RISK WORKER MEMO AND STRATEGY KICKING OFF, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN.

DO WE KNOW LEN MOORE? WHAT DATES MORE OR LESS THAT THAT ALL GOES ACTIVE.

UM, IT, IT SHOULD BE ACTIVE NOW, UM, DOUBLE CHECK WITH STAFF, BUT IT SHOULD BE ACTIVE NOW.

UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDED THE CALL CENTER COMPONENT AND THE OUTREACH, UM, COMPONENT, UM, WITH THOSE TWO VENDORS, UM, BECAUSE THAT REALLY HELPS, UM, WORK AS DEFENSE REALLY FOCUSED ON IN THOSE ALMOST FOUR AREAS, UH, PROVIDING THAT DIRECT ASSISTANCE AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

NO, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE KEEP HEARING FROM FOLKS THAT HAVE HAD COVID AND THAT ARE REALLY STRUGGLING.

AND SO THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL, UH, UH, DR.

ASCOT ON, ON THE HOSPITAL, ON THE HOSPITALIZATIONS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, IT SEEMS LIKE THE MOST DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT WHILE THERE IS A REALLY DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

THE MOST DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IN HOSPITALIZATIONS NOW SEEMS TO BE AN, OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY, BUT THEN ON POSITIVITY RATES, IT SEEMS THAT THE HIGHEST DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT IS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

WHAT TAKEAWAYS SHOULD WE HAVE, UM, GIVEN THOSE TWO FACTS, COUNSELING, BRIAN, I THINK THAT THE TAKEAWAY IS THAT W WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS IN OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS ACCESS TO CARE.

WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS THE SOCIAL DETERMINES OF HEALTH, WHICH WE KNOW UNDERLIE ALL OF THESE THINGS, NOT JUST FOR COVID-19, BUT FOR FLU AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DIABETES AND OBESITY.

UH, WE'VE GOT TO STOP IGNORING THESE THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO OVER THE NEXT DECADE, UH, TO CREATE MORE EQUALITY IN TERMS OF THESE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS

[01:05:01]

OF HEALTH.

UH, IF THIS IS A MEASURE OF, OF HOW WE ARE AS A COUNTRY, HOW WE'RE DOING AS A COUNTRY, WE'RE FAILING.

I AGREE WITH THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT.

AND THE, AND I THINK THAT IS THE KEY TAKEAWAY.

ONE QUESTION THEN THOUGH, IS THE RE WE'RE SEEING HIGHER POSITIVITY IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY, BUT THEN HIGHER HOSPITALIZATIONS AND LATINO COMMUNITY, BUT EVEN HIGHER AND HIGHER THAN THAT IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

BUT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY THAT MIGHT BE, IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE LATINOS SKEW YOUNGER, OR IT MIGHT BE FOR A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT JUST IN THE END, WE HAVE HIGH DISPROPORTIONALITY IN BOTH GROUPS.

AND IT'S, AND, AND THAT IS, THAT IS THAT IF I WAS ASKED THAT QUESTION, IS THAT THE ACCURATE THING TO SAY? OR IS THERE SOMETHING BETTER, A BETTER EXPLANATION? I, NO, THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT, BUT IT'S THE ACCURATE THING TO SAY.

WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE FACTORS IN A BIT MORE DETAIL TO SEE IF WE CAN SORT OUT A PATTERN, BUT THE CHALLENGE IS THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE MORE DATA POINTS TO MAKE ANY SCIENTIFIC DETERMINATIONS ABOUT THINGS LIKE RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION BASED ON ETHNICITY AND, UH, RISK OF DEATH BASED ON ETHNICITY.

UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE GENERALLY NEED LUCK, LARGE NUMBERS TO PROVE ANYTHING SCIENTIFICALLY.

AND SO WE ARE COLLECTING THAT DATA.

WE ARE SHARING IT, UH, WITH RESEARCHERS THAT WE'RE PARTNERING WITH, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE A BETTER ANSWER IN THE COMING MONTHS.

AND THEN I JUST HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION, WHICH IS, I REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL PUTTING TOGETHER THIS MAP THAT SHOWS THE AMOUNT OF TESTS AND THE POSITIVITY RATE AND THESE DIFFERENT ZIP CODES AS IT UPDATES.

I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

MY QUICK SCAN OF IT SEEMS TO SHOW THAT WE ARE DOING A LOT OF TESTING, ESPECIALLY IN THE PLACES THAT NEED IT THE MOST, BUT I DIDN'T GO AND CHECK EVERY SINGLE ZIP CODE ON THE MAP.

ARE THERE ANY LESSONS LEARNED OR ANYTHING THAT IS STANDING OUT TO US BASED ON THAT, ON THE, ON THAT MAP, THE NEW DATA YOU WON'T BE, YOU'LL HAVE TO PUT UP.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE SEE THERE THAT MAKES US SAY, HEY, WE NEED TO DO MORE OF THIS.

UM, I THINK WE, I THINK WE MAY WANT TO, UM, WE HAVE, WE PROVIDE A NON, UM, NURSING HOME CLUSTER REPORT AND, UM, THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL SURVEILLANCE THAT WE MAY NEED TO DO, UM, AND DO SOME, SOME MORE TARGETED TESTING, UM, AND AT THE SURVEILLANCE TO IT.

UM, WE ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS NOW ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE BASED UPON, UM, THAT REPORT, BUT THE STRIKE TEAMS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED, UM, THEY ARE COVERING THE AREAS WHERE WE'RE SEEING MORE POSITIVE, UM, PACES IN THOSE POPULATIONS.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GOOD MORNING.

UM, I WANTED TO, FIRST OF ALL, THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR ASKING SOME REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS.

I, YOU COVERED A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS.

I DID WANT TO ASK DR.

S GOD, IF YOU COULD CLARIFY, UM, THE ACCESS ON SLIDE SIX AND SEVEN, THAT SAYS PERCENTAGE, UM, ARE THESE GRAPHS OF LIKE THE PERCENTAGE OF THE CASES BY ETHNICITY OR IS IT CAUSE IT'S NOT THE PERCENTAGE? I MEAN, BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF CASES IS GOING DOWN.

SO TAKING THIS AS A PERCENTAGE, IT'S STILL TELLS US SOMETHING, BUT I BELIEVE WE'RE MAKING MORE PROGRESS THAN THIS CHART SUGGESTS I'M ON SLIDE SIX.

I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING THE PERCENTAGE ON THAT ONE AND ON SEVEN AS WELL.

UM, AND WHILE WE STILL CLEARLY, UM, HAVE TO TARGET RESOURCES, UM, TO CERTAIN POPULATIONS GIVEN, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY SAID AND THE POSITIVITY RATES AND, AND THE DISPARATE, I DO THINK THERE'S MORE PROGRESS THAN THIS, THESE CHARTS ALLOW US, UM, TO SEE.

COUNSELOR, THE DENOMINATOR IS TOTAL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS HOSPITALIZED MSA FOR THAT WEEK.

UH, SO THIS IS REALLY DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY HOW ARE WE DOING IN TERMS OF, UH, THE DISEASE IMPACT ON RACES AND ETHNICITIES, UH, AS YOU KNOW, COMPARED TO THEIR REPRESENTATION IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE WAY WE'VE CHOSEN TO, TO, UH, DISPLAY IT.

WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK AT OTHER OPTIONS.

UH, I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID, OUR, OUR TOTAL HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE GOING DOWN, OUR ADMISSIONS ARE GOING DOWN.

UH, SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT, AT SMALLER NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS REPRESENTED BY THIS, THIS, UH, THIS GRAPH.

YEAH, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE A, UM, SOME SORT OF COMPARATIVE CHART THAT HAS THE NUMBERS CHARTED, UM, BY RACE, UM, OVER TIME, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS MASKING SOME OF THE PROGRESS.

[01:10:01]

AND SO I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

MAYBE WE HAVE THAT ELSEWHERE.

I WAS JUST, I WAS FOCUSED ON, ON THAT ONE.

OH, I KNOW WE HAVE POSITIVITY.

I GREW, BUT IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF CASES BY GROUP, UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SEE THAT OVER TIME, UM, RELATED TO THAT, UM, FOR THE SCHOOLS, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER TALK LAST A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS, BUT I WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE AT LEAST MY EXPERIENCE WITH AISD IS THEY'RE NOT OPEN YET.

UM, WHAT PORTION, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE WE SAYING THE SCHOOLS, UM, AND WHAT HAVE BEEN THE EXPERIENCES IN EITHER THE OTHER DISTRICTS OR THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS? UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS I, AS I'M AWARE WITH AISD, IT'S MOSTLY BEEN THE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, UM, THAT ARE THERE.

SO TO SAY, WELL, WE HAVEN'T HAD SPREAD IN THE SCHOOLS THAT THE SCHOOLS AREN'T OPEN DOESN'T MEAN A WHOLE, IT DOESN'T MEAN A WHOLE LOT TO ME.

UM, SO, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE OTHER SCHOOLS AND THEIR OPENING AND THEIR EXPERIENCES, UM, AND WHAT PERCENTAGE THEY ARE OPEN, JUST CAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

CAN, CAN YOU GIVE US A FULLER PICTURE? UH, SURE.

COUNCIL MEMBER.

UH, SO EVERY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT OUTSIDE OF AISD, UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, OPEN TO 25%, UH, THE DAY AFTER, AFTER LABOR DAY AND ARE NOW AT 50%.

UH, SO THE NUMBERS I SHARED ARE WITH, WITH EVERY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, ALREADY UP TO THE 50% MARK, UH, GENERALLY SPEAKING, UH, IN, UH, HEARING REPORTS FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENTS, UH, THE PERCENTAGE OF, OF STUDENTS REQUESTING TO BE IN PERSON, UH, RANGES BETWEEN 40% AND ABOUT 55%.

UH, SO THERE'S STILL A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF, OF STUDENTS WHOSE FAMILIES DON'T WANT THEM TO DO IN PERSON CLASSES.

AND THAT'S FINE.

AND I THINK THAT CONTRIBUTES TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SUCCESS OF, OF MITIGATING THE RISK.

I THINK IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE CHALLENGING FOR US TO MITIGATE THE RISK IF THEY WERE 75% OR A HUNDRED PERCENT OF STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOMS. UH, SO I THINK THAT IS, IS, UH, HELPING TO PROTECT THOSE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AT THIS STAGE.

GREAT, THANK YOU.

THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.

UM, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION I THINK IS FOR, UH, DIRECTOR HAYDEN.

UM, YOU SPOKE ABOUT THAT ISO FACTS AND THE ICE AND FOX HAVING SPACE.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PROTECTIVE LODGES? THE PROTECTIVE LODGES ARE RELATIVELY FULL, UM, AS WE, UM, MOVE INDIVIDUALS OUT INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, THAT IS THE GOAL WITH THE FOLKS THAT ARE THERE.

UM, SO OUR, OUR PLAN IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THOSE FACILITIES BEING AS FULL AS THEY ARE, UM, AND THE GOAL OF MEETING TO, UM, MOVE THE INDIVIDUALS OUT, UM, BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR, UM, OUR EMERGENCY SHELTER FOLKS.

UM, THEY EAT HAVE PLANS IN PLACE, UM, IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVE TOO MANY FOLKS THERE AS WELL, BUT RELATIVELY THOSE PROTECTIVE LODGES ARE THANK YOU.

BEFORE WE GO TO THE NURSING HOME REPORT, LET'S DO THAT THEN DIRECTOR HAYDEN.

WE'VE HAD THE, UM, THE, UM, THE DESIGN INSTITUTE TO COME FORWARD AND DO A PRESENTATION.

UM, MARIN COUNCIL, UM, ON MAY THE SEVENTH, YOU PASSED THE RESOLUTION, UM, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO COLLABORATE WITH THE DESIGN INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, UM, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL TO ANALYZE, EVALUATE AND IDENTIFY APPROACHES, UH, FOR SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS TO, UM, PROTECT THE RESIDENTS AND REDUCE THE RISK OF SPREAD OF COVID-19 AND NURSING HOMES, ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS AND OTHER LONGTERM CARE FACILITIES.

[01:15:01]

UM, THEY ARE BACK TO PROVIDE A, UM, THE SECOND SPACE OF THEIR WORK.

UM, WE SENT A, UM, A LETTER AND THE FALL REPORT, UM, TO A MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

UM, THANK YOU TO KATIE FOR ENSURING THAT YOU HAVE THE LONGER REPORT.

AND SO, UM, WE HAVE, UM, OUR STAFF FROM DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL, UM, MR. STACY CHAIN IS GOING TO DO A PRESENTATION.

I WILL TURN IT OVER TO STACY AT THIS TIME.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HAYDEN.

AND I APPRECIATE IT.

UM, AND THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AGAIN FOR HAVING ME HERE TO PRESENT, UM, UH, AND A SPECIAL NOTE TO AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH IN PARTICULAR, YOU ALL HAVE CONTINUED TO BE VERY ACTIVELY ENGAGED, UH, PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT.

AND FOR THAT WE'RE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL.

UM, SO, UH, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, AS A REFRESHER, UM, YOU ASKED AB TO MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, AS A REFRESHER, AS A, AS DIRECTOR HAYDEN MENTIONED, UM, THIS STUDY WAS COMMISSIONED BY A COUNCIL RESOLUTION INTRODUCED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN EARLIER THIS SUMMER.

UH, AND IT RECOGNIZED THAT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WILL BE AN ENDURING RISK FOR RESIDENTS IN LONGTERM CARE FACILITIES.

UH, EVEN WHEN THE THREAT TO THE GENERAL POPULATION MAY FADE.

UM, THE GOAL OF THE STUDY THEN IS TO IDENTIFY BROADER SCALE, UH, SYSTEM ISSUES, UM, THAT OUR CURRENT PANDEMIC RESPONSE HASN'T HAD TIME OR CAPACITY TO CONSIDER, UH, AND THEN TO DEVELOP RESPONSES, TO PROTECT THE RESIDENTS AND STAFF FROM THE DYNAMIC AND SIMILAR CRISES IN THE FUTURE.

UH, THE PHASE TWO OBJECTIVE.

AND WHEN WE WERE BACK IN FRONT OF YOU AND MIDSUMMER, UH, FOR THE REPORT ON PHASE ONE, I SHARED INITIAL INSIGHTS FROM THAT, FROM THAT FIRST PHASE, UH, I'M HERE TODAY TO SHARE THE OUTCOMES OF THE ADDITIONAL RESEARCH WE DID SINCE THEN, UH, IN OTHER LONGTERM FACILITIES AND WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SYSTEM.

AND ALSO, UH, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES REPRESENT THE POSSIBILITY TO MAKE REAL AND SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE TO REDUCE THE RISK AND BURDEN OF THIS PANDEMIC ON THOSE IN LONGTERM CARE.

AND WE'LL SPEND SOME, A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THIS PRESENTATION SHARING THOSE, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

UM, AS A COUNCIL, UH, AS A DIRECTOR HAYDEN, UH, NOTED, UM, UH, UH, THE FULL REPORT IS IN THE HANDS OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

I THINK IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC DOWNLOAD AS WELL.

I ONLY HAVE ENOUGH TIME THIS MORNING TO SHARE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE WORK TO DATE.

UM, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INITIAL, ADDITIONAL INSIGHT PERSPECTIVE AND COMMENTARY COMPILED IN THAT FULL REPORT, UM, AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ IT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ADDITIONAL DETAIL.

UM, ALSO SAVE SOME TIME AT THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTARY YOU MIGHT HAVE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UH, IN THE OVERARCHING PROB PROJECT TIMELINE, UH, WE ARE HERE AT THE CONCLUSION OF PHASE TWO, WHICH REPRESENTS THE END OF THE RESEARCH EFFORTS IN THIS PROJECT IN PHASE THREE AND LATER WE WILL TAKE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED AND BEGIN STANDING UP ACTUAL SOLUTIONS.

THE NEXT IMMEDIATE PHASE, WE'LL FOCUS ON DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THESE SOLUTIONS, UH, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS AND DOMAIN EXPERTS, WITH WHOM WE'VE ALREADY BEEN WORKING, UH, THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY DEPLOYMENT AND TESTING OF PROTOTYPES AND EVALUATION OF IMPACT.

OUR GOAL IS TO SEE THESE SOLUTIONS INTO IMPLEMENTATION ALONG WITH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE THE PROJECT ENDS, THE FUNDING FROM THE CITY WAS ALLOCATED TO SUPPORT JUST THE FIRST TWO PHASES OF WORK, WHICH INCLUDES NOW, BUT LOCAL PHILANTHROPY HAS COMMITTED TO SUPPORT THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK FOR WHICH WE'RE ALSO VERY GRATEFUL.

THE FUNDING FROM THE MICHAEL AND SUSAN DELL FOUNDATION IN COMBINATION WITH THE CITY SUPPORT REPRESENTS I THINK, A VERY UNIQUE COLLABORATION, UM, SOMETHING, UM, UH, WE'RE PROUD TO BE, UM, AT THE CENTER OF, UH, WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO RETURN TO CITY COUNCIL TO REPORT BACK ON THE SUBSEQUENT PHASES OF WORK.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF OUR PROGRESS AS WE, AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

IN THE COUNTY ARE LOCATED EAST OF , WHICH MADE IT HARDER TO FIND ONE WHO WOULD PARTICIPATE, BUT ALSO RAISES IMPORTANT QUESTION ABOUT, UH, PUNISH POTENTIAL INEQUITIES AND ACCESS TO THESE KINDS OF FACILITIES, UM, WHICH I'LL TOUCH ON LATER IN WHICH, UH, UH, UM, UH, UH, DR.

UH, AS BEFORE WE'RE WORKING WITH A PRETTY BROAD COALITION OF STAKEHOLDERS, UH, REPRESENTED IN PART BY THE STEERING COMMITTEE FOR THIS PROJECT, BUT ALSO BY THE MANY FACILITIES AND OPERATORS WE'VE MET IN THIS PROJECT.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, UH, BY WAY OF OVERVIEW, THIS IS THE COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF THE FACILITIES WE VISITED DURING OUR RESEARCH.

UH, WE EXPANDED OUR RESEARCH EFFORT IN PHASE TWO TO INCLUDE ASSISTED LIVING AND INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES.

UM, AS WELL AS A TEXAS STATE VETERANS HOME AND MARGARET'S FOUNDATION, WHICH SERVES INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.

UH, WE ALSO EXPANDED THE GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE OF OUR INVESTIGATION, BUT YOU'LL NOTE THAT IN SPITE OF NO SHORTAGE OF EFFORT, UH, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO VISIT ANY FACILITIES EAST OF .

UM, PARTICIPATION FROM FACILITIES WAS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY AND EVERY FACILITY WE CONTACTED AND WE CONTACTED EVERY ONE OF THEM, UM, ON THE EAST SIDE DECLINED FOR VARIOUS REASONS.

UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ONLY ABOUT 10% OF ALL FACILITIES

[01:20:01]

ASCOT, UH, TOUCHED ON AS WELL.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, WHEN I PRESENTED IN JULY, I SHARED A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF CONTEXT ABOUT THE NURSING HOME INDUSTRY, PRIMARILY TO ENSURE WE WERE ALL STARTING FROM A COMMON FOUNDATION.

I WON'T REVIEW THOSE HERE, UH, BUT THE REPORT CONTAINS THIS REFRESHER FOR YOUR REFERENCE.

IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, FOR PHASE TWO, JUST ENSURE WE DON'T GET LOST IN THE TERMINOLOGY.

UM, I DO WANT TO, UM, PROVIDE A FEW CLARIFYING DEFINITIONS, UM, ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES, SERVE INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE WITH ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING AND ALSO MINOR MEDICAL CARE, UH, RESIDENTS THERE GENERALLY AREN'T ABLE TO LIVE ON THEIR OWN, BUT THEY DON'T REQUIRE THE 24 HOUR SKILLED NURSING CARE THAT'S, UH, UM, NECESSARY FOR FULL TIME MEDICAL CARE THAT YOU SEE IN A NURSING HOME, UH, INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES DO NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE, UH, AND RESIDENTS GENERALLY CHOOSE TO LEAVE LIVE IN THESE FACILITIES FOR THE SOCIAL CONNECTION AND ACTIVITIES, AND ALSO FOR THE LOWERED BURDEN OF HAVING TO MAINTAIN THEIR OWN HOME.

MOST ASSISTED LIVING AND INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES ARE PRIVATE PAY, UH, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS WHERE INSURANCE AND OTHER BENEFITS CAN BE APPLIED, UM, ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE ARE REGULATED BY FEDERAL AND STATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES.

UH, INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES ARE NOT REGULATED BY HHS, UH, AND WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT AND, UH, UM, CAUSE THERE'S SOME, UH, SALIENT RELEVANT POINTS TO THAT.

UH, JUST AS A REMINDER, THIS IS HOW LONG CARE TERM FACILITIES ARE DISTRIBUTED REGIONALLY.

AGAIN, ONLY ABOUT 10% OF THOSE FACILITIES ARE EAST OF .

UH, THIS LIST HERE DOESN'T INCLUDE INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES, UH, SINCE THEY AREN'T REGULATED BY, UM, TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION.

UH, IN PHASE ONE, UH, WHEN WE SHARED BACK IN JULY, WE HIGHLIGHTED FOUR INITIAL INSIGHTS AND JUST VERY BRIEFLY IN SUMMARY, UH, INSIGHT ONE WAS ABOUT THE GAP BETWEEN THE THEORY OF HOW INFECTION CONTROL PROTOCOLS SHOULD WORK AND HOW IN MANY WAYS THEY ARE FUNDAMENTALLY MISALIGNED WITH THE REALITIES OF, UH, INSIDE A LONGTERM CARE FACILITY.

UH, THE SECOND INSIGHT, UM, UH, WAS ABOUT THE UNENDING STREAM OF EVOLVING GUIDANCE AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE FACILITIES RECEIVE AND THE STRAIN IT PUTS ON THOSE FACILITIES TO INTERPRET AND OPERATIONALIZE THAT GUIDANCE INSIGHT THREE, UM, UH, DETAILED THE SIGNIFICANT SACRIFICES AND RISKS THAT STAFF ENDURE AND THE KIND OF PRESSURE COVID IS PUTTING ON, UM, THAT STAFF'S DAILY LIVES OUTSIDE OF WORK.

AND THEN THE FOURTH INSIGHT, UH, REALLY FOCUSED ON THE EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL BURDEN THAT RESIDENTS ARE ENDURING MOSTLY AS A FUNCTION OF ISOLATION, UH, THAT THEN EXACERBATES THE BURDEN ON THE STAFF THAT SERVE THEM.

UM, THERE ARE A FEW MORE TO, TO SHARE, UM, FROM THE SECOND PHASE OF RESEARCH AND I'LL DELVE INTO THIS IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, UM, INSIGHT, FIVE PERTAINS, WHICH WE'RE CALLING AGING IN PLACE VERSUS RESIDENT SAFETY.

UM, THAT INSIGHT PERTAINS TO SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES THAT OFFER THE FULL S THE FULL SPECTRUM OF INDEPENDENT LIVING ASSISTED LIVING AND SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES ON ONE CAMPUS.

UH, THE PROMISE IN THOSE COMMUNITIES IS THAT AS A RESIDENT NEEDS MORE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE OVER TIME OR SUPPORT FOR ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIFE, UH, THAT THEY CAN AGE IN THE SAME PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS AND THE SOCIAL NETWORK IN A COVID CONTEXT.

UM, THERE'S ONE VERY SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCE TO THAT ARRANGEMENT.

UM, HOWEVER, UH, FACILITIES TEND TO ADOPT THE STRICTEST GUIDANCE ACROSS THEIR CAMPUS TO PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS.

AND SO IF THEY HAVE A SKILLED NURSING FACILITY, UH, ON CAMPUS, UM, THEY WILL PUT SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS APPROPRIATELY IN PLACE, WHICH THEN RESTRICTS THE FREEDOM OF THOSE IN THE ASSISTED LIVING IN INDEPENDENT LIVING SCENARIOS.

UH, IN THIS CASE, THE VERY BENEFIT THAT RESIDENTS CAME FOR, WHICH IS THE CONTINUITY AND THEIR CARE EXPERIENCE OVER TIME ACTUALLY THEN BECOMES A RESTRICTION ON THE QUALITY OF THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS IN THIS MOMENT, STILL AN UNRESOLVED TENSION, UH, INSIGHT NUMBER SIX, WHICH WE'RE CALLING THE PRICE OF WELLNESS IS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF FACILITIES.

SO ASSISTED LIVING AND INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES ARE PRIMARILY PRIVATE PAY, WHICH MEANS THEY GENERALLY HAVE, UH, MORE REVENUE AND MORE FREEDOM IN HOW THEY UTILIZE THAT REVENUE, UH, UH, WHICH TRANSLATES REALLY FRANKLY, TO A HIGHER QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH RESIDENTS AND STAFF.

BY CONTRAST, MOST NURSING FACILITIES SERVE POOR PATIENTS WHO DEPEND ON MEDICAID FOR FUNDING THAT REIMBURSEMENT, UH, PROVIDES MUCH LESS THAN PRIVATE PAY, MEANING THAT THESE FACILITIES HAVE LESS TO WORK WITH AND LESS TO OFFER THIS DISCREPANCY IS AN, IS, IS AN INEQUITY, UH, DIRECTLY TIED TO WEALTH.

AND IT MEANS THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS EQUAL ACCESS TO

[01:25:01]

QUALITY CARE.

UM, THIS MAY BE SOMEWHAT OBVIOUS, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO CALL OUT AND ACTUALLY MAKE PLAIN NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

BUT THE LAST INSIGHT, UM, YEAH, UM, IS, UH, AROUND THE IMPACT OF TRUST AND REALLY CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP, UH, IT REALLY CAN'T BE UNDERESTIMATED HOW MUCH LEADERSHIP AND THEN THE CULTURE THAT FLOWS FROM THAT LEADERSHIP AFFECTS THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING AND LIVING IN THESE FACILITIES.

UH, THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION, UH, THE TRANSPARENCY WITH WHICH LEADERSHIP ACTS, UH, THERE, AND THEN THE RESULTING TRUST, UH, ARE ALL, UH, QUITE CRITICAL FACTORS WHEN IT COMES TO RETAINING STAFF AND ENSURING THEY ARE PRODUCTIVE.

UM, WHILE BUILDING A POSITIVE CULTURE IS ESSENTIALLY FREE.

UM, IT'S NOT WITHOUT WORK, BUT IT IS ESSENTIALLY FREE.

NOT EVERY FACILITY UNDERSTANDS OR HAS MASTERED THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS.

AND WE SAW, UM, QUITE A VARIATION AND DISTINCTION BETWEEN FACILITIES ON THAT FRONT.

UM, IN ADDITION TO THE FACILITY VISITS, WE ALSO DEPLOYED A SURVEY FOR FAMILY AND CAREGIVERS OF RESIDENTS.

UM, UH, UH, WE HAVE FIVE FACILITIES TOOK PART IN THE SURVEY.

UH, WE GOT 85 RESPONSES IN TOTAL.

UM, AND THE SURVEY WE ASKED FAMILY ABOUT HOW RESIDENTS CAME TO LIVE IN THESE FACILITIES AND ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE DURING THE COVID LOCKDOWN.

UM, THERE WERE TWO T KEY PRIMARY TAKEAWAYS.

THE FIRST OF WHICH SHOULD BE FAMILIAR, UM, IN THE FIRST ONE, FAMILY MENDER REMEMBERS REFLECTED THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THEIR LOVED ONES AND, AND, AND THEIR POTENTIAL DECLINE DUE TO THE ISOLATION.

THE SECOND TAKEAWAY REVEALED THAT THE QUALITY OF VISITATION EXPERIENCES, UH, DURING THIS LOCKDOWN REALLY DEPENDED HEAVILY ON INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

THERE WAS NO ONE UNIVERSALLY PERFECT APPROACH TO VISITATION, EVEN IN PLACES WHERE FACILITIES HAVE FIGURED OUT SOME VERSION OF AN IN PERSON VISIT EITHER THROUGH A WINDOW OR, OR OUTDOORS.

UM, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK THAT WE'LL WANT TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE MOVE FORWARD SOLUTIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S RECENT ORDER TO REOPEN VISITATION IN NURSING HOMES.

UM, UH, THERE WILL NOT LIKELY BE A ONE SIZE FITS ALL SOLUTION AND WE'LL HAVE TO BE CREATIVE, UM, UH, AND CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT WHAT WE DEPLOY.

SO WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, SO I WANT TO SPEND THE, THE, UM, THE REMAINDER OF THIS CONFERENCE OF THIS, UH, PRESENTATION TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE CALL STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES.

I WANT TO FRAME THIS FOR A SECOND FIRST.

UM, THE BULK OF THIS EFFORT, UM, IN THIS PHASE OF WORK REALLY WAS TO MAKE SENSE OF ALL THAT WE HAD LEARNED AND TO BEGIN TO DESCRIBE NOT JUST WHAT WAS BROKEN, BUT WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY DO TO FIX IT.

UH, UM, I WANT TO MAKE THE POINT THAT STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THE ONES I'M ABOUT TO SHARE ARE AN EXPRESSION OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE, BUT DEFINITELY NOT A PRESCRIPTION OF WHAT SHOULD BE DONE.

UM, THESE ARE STARTING POINTS FOR NEW SOLUTIONS.

UM, THEY WILL BE EVALUATED AND DEVELOPED, UH, WITH, UH, EXPERTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY ENGAGED WITH, UM, IN THE UPCOMING PHASES, DETERMINE WHETHER THEY'RE FEASIBLE, THEY'RE VIABLE, OR EVEN IF THEY'RE DESIRABLE, UH, UM, UH, FOR THE END USERS.

UM, SOME OF THEM ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD TO IMPLEMENT, UH, CHANGES TO COMMUNICATION AND PROTOCOLS, MINOR CHANGES IN SPACE.

SOME ARE MUCH MORE COMPLEX TO IMPLEMENT, UM, CARE MODELS, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, POLICY AND SYSTEM DYNAMICS.

UM, IMPORTANTLY, NONE OF THEM COME FOR FREE, UH, THEIR REQUIRED TIME TO PLAN AND BUDGET TO REALIZE, AND FOR FACILITIES AND OPERATORS AND EVEN PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, UH, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ARE GOING TO BE NECESSARY TO SEE THEM COME TO FRUITION.

SO, UM, WITH THAT, UH, GROUNDING, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WE'VE CATEGORIZED THE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES INTO, INTO FIVE CATEGORIES.

UH, ONE, THE FIRST IS INFECTION CONTROL BY FAR THE LARGEST, UH, BOTH ARE COVID-19 AND WHAT MAY COME NEXT.

UM, UH, SECOND CATEGORY STAFF WELLBEING FOLLOWED BY EXPANSION AND EVOLUTION OF, OF STAFF ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

THE FOURTH, UH, FOCUSES ON STAFF RETENTION AND THE INCENTIVES TO HELP MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

AND THE FIFTH FOCUSES ON RESIDENT WELLBEING.

UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED 35 DISTINCT AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY.

UM, AND WE FURTHER STARTED THE FIGHT THEM BY WHAT YOU SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS, OF THIS CHART, WHICH IS WHAT WE CALL NOW, NEAR AND FAR.

UM, THOSE REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL TIME EFFORT IN GENERAL RESOURCES NECESSARY TO REALIZE THEM, UM, UH, BY WAY OF ILLUSTRATION.

I'M ONLY GOING TO HIGHLIGHT A SUBSET, UH, IN, UH, IN THIS PRESENTATION.

UH, THERE'S NO CHANCE I COULD GET THROUGH 35 AND TWO AND ALL OF THEM JUSTICE.

UM, BUT, UM, I'VE CHOSEN, UM, A SUBSET TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT CAN HAPPEN AT THE FACILITY LEVEL.

SOME THAT MIGHT REQUIRE COORDINATION AT A REGIONAL LEVEL AND OTHERS THAT, UH, NEED TO CONSIDER A POLICY SHIFT AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL.

UM, I DO ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THROUGH THE REPORT TO GET A SENSE OF THE FULL SET.

UM, THEY ARE A RICH SET OF OPPORTUNITIES.

UH, NONE OF WHICH I THINK SHOULDN'T BE IGNORED.

CONTROL, MERELY AS A SET OF RULES THAT THEY HAD TO ABIDE BY.

UM, THE FIRST ONE I'M GOING TO SHARE IS AN INFECTION CONTROL.

UH, UM, WE CALLED IT BUILDING DEPTH IN KNOWLEDGE.

UH, WE FOUND THAT MANY STAFF SAW THE NEW PROCEDURES FOR INFECTION

[01:30:01]

AND WHEN RULES FEEL ARBITRARY, UM, IT'S HARD TO ADHERE TO THEM.

WE'RE ASKING HOW MIGHT WE FOSTER DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WHY BEHIND INFECTION CONTROL PROTOCOLS SO THAT STAFF ARE EMPOWERED, UM, UH, TO TAKE ACTION THROUGH, UH, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE.

UH, WE SAW SIGNIFICANT VARIATION IN THE WAY DIFFERENT FACILITIES, APPROACH, EDUCATION AROUND INFECTION CONTROL.

THOSE THAT TOOK A MORE PARTICIPATORY AND STAFF OWNERSHIP MODEL SAW A MUCH GREATER COMPLIANCE, AND WE THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP APPROACHES THAT ALL FACILITIES CAN ADOPT, UH, IN THIS AREA.

UM, THERE, THERE IS NO SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH FOR INFECTION CONTROL GUIDANCE RIGHT NOW, UM, FOR FACILITIES AND OPERATORS, IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHAT GUIDANCE IS MOST IMPORTANT OR MOST IMPACTFUL, OR THE FIRST TO DEPLOY.

UM, IT'S HARD TO IDENTIFY WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS WHEN THEY ARISE.

AND IT'S MOSTLY A ONE WAY STREET.

UM, THE, THE, UH, THE FACILITIES ARE RECIPIENTS OF INFORMATION.

UM, IT'S HARD FOR THEM TO CAPTURE A RESPONSE OR DATA THAT HELPS US FORWARD AUTHORITIES REFINE THEIR APPROACH.

UM, AND SO WE'RE ASKING HOW MIGHT WE ALLEVIATE FACILITY'S BURDEN OF ACCESSING AND INTERPRETING INFECTION CONTROL GUIDANCE SO THEY CAN FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION AND ENERGY IN A MORE BENEFICIAL WAY.

UM, WE BELIEVE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP A COMMON PLATFORM THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY EVERYONE THAT IS A TWO WAY STREET, UH, AND HELPS, UH, BOTH, UH, UH, THOSE SETTING, UH, GUIDANCE IN THOSE, UH, ACTING ON IT, UM, TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THAT EXCHANGE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, UH, LARGE, UH, UM, THE THIRD ONE HERE IS WHAT WE CALL EQUITABLE ACCESS TO RESOURCES.

UM, AND THIS IS NOT A NEW TOPIC, UM, LARGE OPERATORS, UH, WHEN COVID HIT, UH, COULD MANAGE THE MUSTARD, THE OPERATIONAL ABILITY TO COORDINATE SUPPLIES FOR THEIR FACILITIES.

THERE'S SOME VERY HEROIC STORIES ABOUT, UM, UM, INDIVIDUALS IN FACILITIES, UH, GAIN, UH, ESSENTIALLY FINDING PPE, UH, FOR THEIR STAFF.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE INDIVIDUAL OPERATORS, THE ONES THAT, UH, OWN AND OPERATE JUST A SINGLE FACILITY, UH, WERE LEFT TO THEIR OWN DAUGHTERS AND REALLY DID STRUGGLE, UM, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

AND, AND THAT STRUGGLE IS NOT, UH, IS NOT OVER IN MANY CASES.

UM, THE RIGHT OR THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF PPE IS NOT ALWAYS PRESENT.

SO WE'RE ASKING HOW MIGHT WE ENSURE TIMELY, ADEQUATE ACCESS, ACCESS TO RESOURCES, CRITICAL FOR INFECTION CONTROL SPECIFICALLY PPE DURING TIME OF PRICES.

UM, THE TOPIC OF ORIGINAL STOCKPILE OF PPE IS NOT NEW, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE FOR US TO CONSIDER.

UM, I WANT TO SHARE ONE EXAMPLE FROM THE CATEGORY OF STAFF WELLBEING.

UM, WE LEARNED THAT MANY STAFF FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN, RIGHT? CERTAINLY WHEN THEY'RE IN THE WORKPLACE, THEY GET SUPPORT FROM, FROM THEIR EMPLOYERS AND FELLOW STAFF, BUT ONCE THEY'RE ON THEIR OUTSIDE, THEY'RE VERY MUCH FENDING FOR THEMSELVES.

SO THINGS LIKE PERSONAL FAMILY NEEDS, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, UM, YOU KNOW, FORMS FOR COLLABORATION.

AND ESPECIALLY IF THOSE STAFF GET SICK, THEY NEED ASSISTANCE FOR WHAT CAN BE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON THEIR FINANCES IF THEY NEED TO QUARANTINE AWAY FROM FAMILY.

SO WE'VE ASKED HOW MIGHT WE ADDRESS STAFF BURNOUT BY IMPLEMENTING SUPPORT SYSTEMS, BOTH WITHIN FACILITIES AND ACROSS THE FIELD, UH, TO PRIORITIZE STAFF WELLBEING BECAUSE KEEPING THEM WELL IS A KEY TO KEEPING THE RESIDENTS IN THE NURSING HOME, AS WELL AS, UH, ALSO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, IN A MOMENT WHEN A LOT OF THESE FACILITIES ARE UNDERSTAFFED, UM, THERE IS AN UNTAPPED POOL OF RESOURCES, UH, THAT WE CALL VOLUNTEERS, UH, WHO WANT TO HELP, UH, THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY A FREE RESOURCE RESOURCE.

UM, BUT IN THIS MOMENT, UM, THERE'S NO WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM OR TO QUICKLY ONBOARD THEM IF THEY WERE EVEN ALLOWED IN FACILITIES.

SO WE'VE ASKED HOW MIGHT WE REDEFINE OR EXPEDITE THE QUALIFICATION OF NONESSENTIAL STAFF AS ESSENTIAL STAFF IN ORDER TO CREATE A LABOR POOL CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING, UM, THE FACILITIES.

UM, THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY AND REAL NEED FOR THAT.

UM, AND, UH, AND, UM, UH, POTENTIALLY SOMETHING FOR, TO EXPLORE GOING FORWARD.

UM, WE KNOW THAT THE PANDEMIC PUT A STRAIN ON STAFFING, EVERYTHING FROM LIMITING FRONTLINE WORKERS, FROM BEING AT MULTIPLE SITES, UH, TO ADDITIONAL DEMANDS ON THEIR WORK, UH, IN A SITE, UH, TO COVERING GAPS CREATED BY OTHER STAFF WHO MIGHT GET INFECTED AND HAVE TO QUARANTINE, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS ALREADY DEPLOYED RESPONSES TO THIS.

UM, SO IT'S A GREAT FOUNDATION, BUT WE'RE ASKING IF WE CAN ADDRESS THESE DEMANDS ON THE SYSTEM IN ADDITIONAL WAYS THAT INCLUDE OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, SUCH AS, UH, GOVERNMENT WORKFORCES, LIKE EMS OR SEARCH AND RESCUE, OR EVEN VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS OR EVEN HEALTH PROFESSION STUDENTS.

UM, UM, THERE, THERE ARE POTENTIALLY CREATIVE WAYS FOR US TO BACK UP THE DEMAND ON, UM, THE OVERBURDENED AND, UH, AND OVERWORKED STAFF THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN NURSING HOMES.

CARE, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE IN CRISIS OR NOT.

UM, IT'S TRUE.

I NOTED THIS BEFORE THERE ACTUALLY, ISN'T A GREAT DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND MANAGE MANAGEMENT SCIENCE, UH, UH, IN LONGTERM

[01:35:01]

UM, WE'VE SEEN EVIDENCE OF BETTER PRACTICES IN CERTAIN FACILITIES, AND WE'RE ASKING HERE, IF THERE'S A WAY FOR US TO CODIFY THOSE PRACTICES, TO SHARE ACROSS THE SYSTEM, TO, TO, UM, ENSURE THE SAME LEVEL OF SORT OF, UM, COMPETENCY FROM A CULTURAL STANDPOINT, UM, WITHIN FACILITIES.

AND THEN I'LL SHARE THREE LAST ONES FROM THE RESIDENT WELLBEING.

UM, WE'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT VARIATIONS IN FACILITIES AND HOW THEY ALLOWED RESIDENTS TO INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.

AND IF YOU RECALL FOR A MOMENT THAT ONE OF THE VALUE PROPOSITIONS OF, OF, UH, FACILITIES LIKE THIS IS THE CHANCE TO SOCIALIZE WITH OTHERS.

UM, THE PHYSICISTS, THE FACILITIES THAT HAVE FIGURED IT OUT, UM, A WAY TO MAINTAIN SOME OF THOSE SOCIAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN RESIDENTS ARE SEEING A MUCH BETTER RESPONSE IN THE EMOTIONAL MENTAL HEALTH OF THEIR RESIDENTS.

SO WE'RE ASKING HOW MIGHT WE BALANCE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN RESIDENTS WITH APPROPRIATE INFECTION CONTROL IN ORDER TO, UM, ENSURE THAT QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIALIZATION IN THESE FACILITIES? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UM, WITH, UH, GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S ORDER TO OPEN UP VISITATION TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF IMMEDIATE WORK, A FLURRY WORK, I THINK, TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE RULES, BUT WE'RE ALSO ASKING IN THE MIDST OF ALL THAT WORK, IF THERE ARE WAYS TO DEVELOP MORE PERMANENT SOLUTIONS THAT ARE SUSTAINABLE, ALLOW HUMAN TOUCH IN A SAFE WAY WHILE RESPECTING THE PRIVACY OF RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES REALLY FEEL LIKE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO START TO DEVELOP THINGS THAT ARE ENDURING AND ENDURINGLY VALUABLE.

THE LAST OPPORTUNITY I'M GONNA SHARE WITH YOU, UM, UH, UM, REALLY, UH, UH, ANCHORS AROUND LEVERAGING COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE.

UH, MANY OF THESE FACILITIES ARE QUITE CONSTRAINED IN BOTH RESOURCES AND AVAILABLE PHYSICAL SPACE.

UM, WE'RE ASKING IF COMMUNITIES CAN DEVELOP RESPONSES THAT UTILIZE NEARBY OUTDOOR SPACES OR PROGRAMMING TO ASSESS, UH, TO ASSIST NURSING HOMES IN EASING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THE LOCKDOWN, UM, INCLUDING IDEAS LIKE USING LOCAL PARKS AND BLOCKING OUT SPECIFIC HOURS FOR USE BY NURSING HOMES, LIKE THE WAY YOU SEE LOCAL GROCERY STORES PRESERVING CERTAIN HOURS FOR SENIORS.

SO, UM, THAT'S A QUICK TOUR THROUGH A SAMPLE OF, OF THE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES.

UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

I WANT TO CLOSE WITH A BIT OF A REFLECTION.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN WE STARTED THIS WORK, UM, IT WAS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE, UM, THE GOAL OF REDUCING, UH, ILLNESS AND DEATH AND THESE LONGTERM CARE FACILITIES, AND TO LOOK FOR STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES AND A FEW THINGS HAVE ARISEN.

YOU KNOW, WE ESSENTIALLY, UH, DID THE UNTHINKABLE, WE STOPPED THE US ECONOMY AND, AND IT'S REALLY FORCED US IN MANY WAYS, UH, AT A, AT A, UH, COMMUNITY AND SOCIETAL LEVEL, BUT ALSO AT INDIVIDUAL LEVELS TO SORT OF REACH, PAUSE AND REFLECT.

AND AS WE APPROACHED THE START OF THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE, UM, AS A CHANCE FOR US TO PRESS SOME BIG IDEAS INTO MOTION, UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, AND I'LL JUST HIGHLIGHT THEM HERE FOR YOU TO, TO PONDER AND MAYBE MULL OVER, BUT A FEW THOUGHTS HERE.

ONE IS, UM, UH, WHEN, IF EVER WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE A PERSON'S QUALITY OF LIFE OVER INFECTION CONTROL.

IT'S A TENSION THAT WE FEEL AND ARE TRYING TO MANAGE, UH, IN THIS MOMENT, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A BROADER QUESTION I THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER, UM, UM, AT A SOCIETAL LEVEL, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GROWING ILL, UH, UM, AND, AND, AND INJURING WITH THOSE ILLNESSES FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.

UM, UH, AND IT'S A REALLY A QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE PROVIDING APPROPRIATE PRACTICAL AND AFFORDABLE LONGTERM CARE OPTIONS FOR A LOT OF THAT AGING POPULATION.

UM, A THIRD THOUGHT HERE IS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE BEHAVIORS AND PRACTICES WE'RE ACTUALLY INCENTIVIZING IN THE LAWN CARE SYSTEM, UM, ACTUALLY MATCHED WITH THE REALITIES OF, OF THE FACILITIES THEMSELVES AND WHETHER ACTUALLY WE'RE BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT THOSE FACILITIES ARE CAPABLE OR DESIGNED TO DO.

UM, A FORETHOUGHT HERE IS ABOUT, UM, UH, HOW WE COMMUNICATE TOGETHER WITH EACH OTHER WITHIN THE SYSTEM.

UM, WE ARE SEEING, UM, A NUMBER OF BREAKDOWNS, UM, IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO REALLY AUGMENT THE COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION IN A MOMENT OF, UM, UH, STRESS, UH, BUT EVEN WHEN THE PANDEMIC PASSES AND THEN FINALLY, HOW WE ESSENTIALLY, AS A SOCIETY RETHINK, UM, OUR AGING POPULATION AND HOW WE TAKE A MORE COMMUNITY APPROACH AROUND THE KINDS OF FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.

SO I'LL END WITH THE NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS JUST A NOTE OF GRATITUDE, UM, REALLY TO THE CITY'S COMMITMENT, UH, TO THIS CROSS FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION.

UM, UH, THE COLLEGIALITY OF EVERYONE WE'VE WORKED WITH, UH, IN THE CITY AND WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS HAS REALLY MADE THIS WORK AND MEASURABLY BETTER.

AND FOR THAT WE'RE GRATEFUL.

UM, WE ALSO WANT TO THANK THE PARTNERS THAT CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS PROJECT POSSIBLE.

UM, THE STEERING COMMITTEE, UH, WHO CONTINUES TO SERVE, UH, SELFLESSLY AND THEN TO THE MICHAEL AND SUSAN DELL FOUNDATION, WHO HAS COMMITTED SUBSTANTIAL FUNDING TO SEE THIS WORK CONTINUE.

SO, UM, I'LL CLOSE THERE, UH, AND, UM, UH, I'D BE HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN,

[01:40:04]

RIGHT.

UM, THANK YOU.

I THINK THIS IS, UM, I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE HERE AND, UM, AND IMPRESSED WITH THE, THE PRACTICAL APPROACH THAT YOU WERE TAKING TO POINT OUT WHAT CAN BE DONE AND THE EMPHASIS ON ACTION.

AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU PUTTING THIS IN THE FORMAT OF, IN A WAY THAT WE CAN CONSIDER OUR ROLE AS A CITY, UM, AND, UM, IN OUR ROLE IN PARTNERING WITH THE STATE, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WITH THE COUNTY.

UM, AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND THERE WERE, UH, YOU KNOW, TWO THINGS THAT YOU POINTED OUT THAT REALLY, UM, UH, STRIKE ME AS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO THINK ABOUT, AND THEY'RE NOT UNLIKE WHAT HAS HAPPENED OR WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM OTHER ASPECTS OF COVID.

AND THAT IS THE INEQUITABLE IMPACT ON OUR SOCIETY.

WE HAVE JUST SEEN, WE'VE SEEN IN TIME, UH, COUNTLESS, UM, EXAMPLES OF, UM, INEQUITY THAT WE KNOW EXIST, BUT, UH, THE COVID HAD THE IMPACT OF COVID IS JUST HIGHLIGHTED THOSE FOR US.

UH, WE ARE A POPULATION THAT'S GETTING OLDER AND WE, YOU KNOW, A WHILE BACK, WE DID A TALK ABOUT THE SILVER TSUNAMI AND IN AUSTIN, UM, AND WHAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE TWO THINGS THAT STRUCK ME ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID IS THE INEQUITY AND ACCESS TO, UH, OPTIONS FOR AGING.

YOU KNOW, THE, THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE AFFORDABLE PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO AGE, UM, WE DON'T HAVE AFFORDABLE PLACES GEOGRAPHICALLY.

WE DON'T HAVE THEM AFFORDABLE, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE CAN PAY FOR.

AND SO WHAT YOU SEE IS, UH, THE LOWER INCOME FOLKS END UP IN NURSING HOMES, WHICH, WHICH, UH, OFFER THE LOWEST LEVEL OF PAY FOR STAFF AND ALSO THE LOWEST LEVELS OF AMENITIES, UM, AND, UM, AND AREN'T AVAILABLE, UH, AS MUCH.

AND SO THE OTHER OPTIONS FOR AGING THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, MAYBE AVAILABLE THOSE ARE HIGHER COST, AND THERE'S A, AN INEQUITY THERE.

SO I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT UP.

IT'S ALSO IMPACTS, UM, OUR STAFF, UM, THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND THERE'S A LARGE WORKFORCE, UH, WHO WORK IN WITH, UH, OLDER FOLKS, UH, IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS AND THEY'RE LOWER PAY ACROSS THE BOARD.

THEY ARE MINORITIES ACROSS THE BOARD.

A LOT OF TIMES THERE ARE IMMIGRANT FAMILIES.

UM, AND SO THIS, THIS, THIS WHOLE SYSTEM IS JUST A MICROCOSM, WHERE ARE THE INEQUITIES IN OUR CITY? SO I APPRECIATE THE, THE PRACTICAL THINGS THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE BRINGING FORWARD HERE.

AND, UM, I'M GOING TO ASK THAT AS YOU CONTINUE YOUR WORK THAT YOU PRESENT TO OUR COMMISSION ON SENIORS, OUR COMMISSION ON SENIORS CAN, CAN HELP THINK THROUGH, AND WE'LL, UM, WE'LL WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOU TO HELP THINK THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU'RE MAKING, UH, AND, UH, AND MAY HAVE, UM, AND HELP US THINK THROUGH, AS A COUNCIL, WHAT ACTIONS THE CITY CAN TAKE.

WE'RE ALREADY MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE ACTIONS RELATED TO STAFFING IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE INCLUDED IN OUR, UM, AGENDA OR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, UH, THAT RELATE TO LEVEL OF PAY AND OTHER THINGS.

SO, SO THAT'S A LONG WAY OF SAYING, I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE BROUGHT UP AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE INEQUITIES THAT YOU SAW, THAT IF YOU DO, THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO MAKE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS YOU MIGHT WANT TO MAKE.

THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, AS PER KITCHEN, I WILL MAKE TWO COMMENTS.

ONE IS, AND THE INEQUITY IS CLEAR BOTH FROM A, FROM A DATA STANDPOINT, YOU CAN LOOK AT MAPS AND SEE WHERE THE GAPS ARE, BUT I THINK THERE ARE MORE CLEARLY FELT WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY IN THE FACILITIES.

IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE CLEAR, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO SEE THE DISPARITIES IN THE QUALITY OF THE CARE AND THE QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE AND, AND REALLY, UM, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ESSENTIALLY THE HAVES AND HAVES, AND ALSO IT'S QUITE WAS QUITE STARK.

AND WHEN WE VISIT THOSE FACILITIES, UM, THE OTHER COMMENT I'LL MAKE IS I REALLY WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO GAIN THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE SENIOR COMMISSION.

AND I THINK IN ADDITION TO GAINING PERSPECTIVE, THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A PARTNER IN ACTING ON SOME OF THESE SOLUTIONS AS WELL.

SO I APPRECIATE THE INTRODUCTION TO THE CORE TO THAT.

UH, BUT HAVING NOW DONE THIS WORK, UH, IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT IT'S BEING PICKED UP BY THE, BY THE, UH, NONPROFIT WORLD, THE FOUNDATIONS TO DRIVE THIS.

UM, I WANNA THANK THE, UH, THE DELL FOUNDATION FOR PICKING THIS UP.

I MEAN, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS I THINK ABOUT THIS IS THAT THE CITY PUT IN THE INITIAL SEED MONEY COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN PUSHING THIS FORWARD.

[01:45:01]

AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES OF HOW WE COME OUT OF THIS COVID AS A BETTER POSITION COMMUNITY THAN WE WENT INTO IT.

UH, IF IN FACT WE'LL ACTUALLY REALIZE THE, THE, THE, THE WORK AND THE SUGGESTIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO JUSTICE AND EQUITY IN OUR CITY COLLEAGUES.

ANY MORE COMMENTS ON THIS BEFORE WE GET TO THE SAME BRIEFING? THAT'S REMEMBER HARPER, MADISON.

REMEMBER KITCHEN'S LEADERSHIP HERE.

I JUST WANT TO ECHO YOUR SENTIMENT ABOUT CAMPS.

SHE'S BEEN A TIRELESS ADVOCATE, UM, AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT.

UM, WE HAD, UH, A CONVERSATION RECENTLY ABOUT, UH, COMPLEX FOR, UH, OUR SENIORS AND THAT DEEP AFFORDABILITY.

AND I JUST KEEP THE, THE COMMENT THAT SOMEBODY MADE JUST KEEPS RESONATING IN MY MIND ABOUT AFFORDABILITY LIKE THIS DEEP, DEEP AFFORDABILITY.

UM, BUT WE ALSO I'D LIKE VERY MUCH TO NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TO BRING THIS BEFORE THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE.

UM, I THINK THIS IS A, THAT'S ANOTHER COMMITTEE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.

I THINK MAYBE THE CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMISSION COULD INSPIRE THE PRESENTATION FOR THE COMMITTEE.

SO I'D LIKE VERY MUCH TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.

UM, AND THEN AS A FINAL MEASURE, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE SORT OF SANCTIONED FACILITIES, WE HAVE SOME COMPLEXES FOR SENIORS ACROSS THIS CITY THAT ARE IN DEPLORABLE.

I MEAN, IT'S BAD.

AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN EXTEND THE CONVERSATION TO THOSE COMPLEXES AS WELL, THAT WE DON'T SORT OF LIMIT OUR OPTIONS TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR ELDERS.

UM, SO STACY, MAYBE YOU AND I CAN CONNECT OFFLINE.

I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW TO REALLY RELAY WHAT'S GOING ON WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER COMPLEXES.

UM, IT'S, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT INTRODUCTION TO THE CONVERSATION, IN MY OPINION.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.

HIGHLIGHTS ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE GO ON TO SAVE.

LET'S NOW GO TO THE, A STAFF BRIEFING ON NSAIDS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, AT J THEY GAVE YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

MY PLEASURE.

UM,

[B2. Update on staff response to Resolution No. 20200917-062, (SAVES Resolution), related to economic recovery due to COVID-19.]

IT'S, UH, ABOUT 10 TO 11.

UH, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THIS DONE BEFORE NOON, AND THEN WE'LL BREAK FOR LUNCH.

THANK YOU, MAYOR COUNCIL.

UH, THIS PART OF THE WORK SESSION WILL BE AN UPDATE FROM THE STAFF RESPONSE TO THE SAVES RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED ON, UM, SEPTEMBER 17TH.

AND WE WILL BE MOVING OVER OUR THREE PRESENTERS, UH, ED BENINA OR DEPUTY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER BRIAN OAKS, OUR CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER AT VERONICA PERCENT.

YOU KNOW, OUR CHIEF ECONOMIC RECOVERY OFFICER WHO WILL COVER THIS.

THERE ARE MANY OTHER STAFF AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS AS WELL.

UH, BUT WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR DEPUTY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER TO GET THIS PRESENTATION STARTED.

GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I THINK EVERYBODY'S BEEN MOVED OVER NOW.

UM, BEN NINO, DEPUTY CFO FOR THE CITY I'M JOINED BY, UM, VERONICA BRISA YELLOWS AND, UM, BRIAN OAKS AS WELL.

AND WE WALKING YOU THROUGH A SHORT PRESENTATION THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER TO SPEAK TO, UM, ACTIONS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN RESPONSE TO THE SAMES RESOLUTION PASSED BY COUNCIL, UM, AT YOUR LAST COUNCIL MEETING.

AND JUST TO START OFF, I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE, UM, QUITE LITERALLY DOZENS OF STAFF THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT HAVE, UM, WORKED VERY TIRELESSLY TO, UM, TO PROVIDE A RESPONSE TO YOUR RESOLUTION, UM, IN THE VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE HAD.

UM, JUST GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO I'LL BEGIN THE PRESENTATION TALKING ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE FUNDING OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE SEEN, UM, THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS THURSDAY.

I'LL ALSO SPEAK TO SOME OF THE OTHER FUNDING OPTIONS THAT STAFF CONSIDERED AND LOOKED INTO, UM, PURSUANT TO YOUR RESOLUTION AND EVEN THINGS THAT WEREN'T NECESSARILY CALLED OUT IN YOUR RESOLUTION.

UM, WE'LL THEN TURN IT OVER TO BRIAN OAKS TO SPEAK TO THE EQUITY FRAMEWORK COMPONENT OF THE SAVES RESOLUTION.

AND THEN VERONICA WILL SPEAK TO SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING

[01:50:01]

RECOMMENDATIONS THAT STAFF HAS, AS WELL AS THE, UM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE ON THE AGENDA FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THIS THURSDAY IN TOTAL $15 MILLION OF, UM, FUNDING OPTIONS, UM, THAT STAFF HAS BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND BET WITH LEGAL, FOR THEIR APPROPRIATENESS TO, UM, APPLICATION TO THE SAVES RESOLUTION.

AND AGAIN, THESE ITEMS ARE ON THE RESOLUTION FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THIS THURSDAY.

UM, THE FIRST ITEM WOULD BE $6 MILLION ASSOCIATED WITH OUR HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

UM, THAT REMAINS A VERY HIGH PRIORITY SYSTEM FOR THE CITY TO UPGRADE AND REPLACE.

UM, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO, UM, PRE-FUND THE GENERAL FUND OBLIGATION TO IT, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD DONE.

UM, SO OUR PROPOSAL HERE WOULD BE TO MOVE FROM A PRE-FUNDING MODEL TO A PAY.

AS YOU GO MODEL, WE ESTIMATE THAT THE GENERAL FUNDS SHARE OF THAT SYSTEM WHEN IT'S FULLY IMPLEMENTED WILL BE $6 MILLION.

UM, LAST YEAR AS PART OF OUR STRATEGY FOR, UM, POSITIONING THE BUDGET FOR THREE AND A HALF PERCENT REVENUE CAP.

UM, AS YOU RECALL, WE WENT TO AN 8%, UM, TAX INCREASE AND ALLOCATED A LOT OF THOSE FUNDS TO ONE TIME INITIATIVES.

ONE OF THOSE INITIATIVES WAS, UM, TO FULLY FUND THE ESTIMATED GENERAL FUNDS CONTRIBUTION TO THE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

SO THESE DOLLARS CAN BE REALLOCATED WITHOUT, UM, DELAYING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT PROJECT, BUT JUST KNOW THAT IN FUTURE BUDGETS, WE WILL HAVE TO KIND OF GO TO A PAY AS YOU GO MODEL, WHICH IS THE SAME APPROACH WE'RE TAKING WITH OUR ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENTS.

UM, THE CONCEPT THERE WAS THAT THE, THE CITY COUNCIL HAD COMMITTED TO A TOTAL OF $6 MILLION, $1.2 MILLION PER YEAR, OVER A SPAN OF FIVE YEARS TO PAY FOR SUCCESS.

UM, IN FYI 18, YOU APPROVED $1.2 MILLION.

UM, THEN IN THE BUDGET, WE INCLUDED AN ADDITIONAL $4.8 MILLION.

AND THE NEXT ONE, UH, THAT WE LOOKED INTO OR THE TEMPORARY USE RIGHT AWAY FEES.

UM, THESE, UM, THESE FEE REVENUES ARE GENERAL REVENUE SOURCES THAT CAN BE USED FOR ANY LAWFUL MUNICIPAL PURPOSE I'M IN TOTAL, THOSE FUNDS, THESE ARE $6.6 MILLION IN THIS PROPOSAL WOULD TRANSFER 3.7 MILLION OF THOSE FUNDS FROM THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, UM, TO THE GENERAL FUND.

AND THE REMAINING 2.9 MILLION WOULD STAY IN AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION, WHICH IS THE, UH, ESTIMATED COSTS, ROUGHLY THE COST OF ACTUALLY ADMINISTERING THE RIGHT OF WAY AND PROGRAM.

UM, BUT THE ADDITIONAL REVENUES WE GET THROUGH LEASING RIGHT AWAY SPACES, UM, CAN, CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE GENERAL FUND.

UM, THE DEPARTMENT WOULD NEED A 55 CENT INCREASE IN THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE TO KEEP ITS BUDGET HOLE AND OFFSET THAT TRANSFER OF, OF REVENUES.

AND THAT'S, THAT IS ALSO THAT, UM, PERSPECTIVE FEE INCREASES ALSO ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THIS THURSDAY.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY, WE ASKED OUR BUILDING SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CAREFULLY LOOK THROUGH, UM, IT'S, UH, CAPITAL REPLENISHMENT PROGRAM AND PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR.

UM, 21 IN TOTAL, WE HAD $3.3 MILLION ALLOCATED TO THEM.

UM, THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN LOWER THAT AMOUNT BY $500,000 INSTILLED ADDRESS CRITICAL NEEDS IN FISCAL YEAR 21, BUT SOME OF THE LOWER PRIORITY PROJECTS WOULD BE PUSHED INTO FISCAL YEAR 22.

SO AGAIN, THOSE ITEMS ARE ON FOR THIS THURSDAY, UM, CONSIDERATION, TOTAL, A VARIETY OF OTHER AREAS.

WE LOOKED INTO INCLUDED SALES TAXES AND GENERAL FUND RESERVES.

AND WE REALLY LOOKED AT THOSE, UM, COLLECTIVELY, I MEAN OUR GENERAL FUND RESERVES ARE, UM, CURRENTLY AT 12% AND THE BUDGET, 12% OF, UM, OF GENERAL FUND REQUIREMENTS.

THAT'S ABOUT 130 $233 MILLION ARE IN OUR RESERVES.

UM, AND THEN THE SALES TAXES THAT HAVE BEEN COMING IN BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAD PROJECTED, UM, ABOUT $11.8 MILLION BETTER SO FAR, UM, WOULD ADD TO THAT RESERVES.

UM, SOME OF THE REASONS WE ARE, UM, CAUTIONING AGAINST, UM, GETTING INTO THE RESERVES AND LOOKING TO THE SALES TAX REVENUES HAS ONE IS THAT AS PART OF THIS BUDGET COUNCIL ENDORSED INCREASING OUR RESERVE POLICY FROM 12% TO 14%, UM, STAFF BELIEVES THAT, UH, I'M SORRY, I'M THE, I'M ON THE NEXT SLIDE FOR THE, UM,

[01:55:01]

FOR THE TECH FOLKS LIVE FOR, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT TRYING TO GET OUR RESERVES UP TO 12% TO 14% IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGING POINT FOR THE RATING AGENCIES.

AS YOU'RE AWARE, WE WERE RECENTLY DOWNGRADED LARGELY AS A RESULT OF GROWING PENSION OBLIGATIONS.

UM, AND, UH, WE BELIEVE INCREASING RESERVES IS, IS PART OF THE MESSAGING THAT'S GOING TO NEED TO HAPPEN IN ORDER TO GET OUR RATING BACK TO THAT SUPPLY LEVEL.

UM, ALSO THERE'S A LOT OF ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY WHILE IT'S CERTAINLY TRUE THAT SALES TAXES HAVE BEEN COMING IN HIGHER THAN PROJECTED.

IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT THEY'RE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHERE THEY HAD BEEN LAST YEAR.

UM, UM, AND, AND ALSO WE ARE ADVENT PROJECTING THAT THE, UH, ECONOMIC RECOVERY WOULD BE OCCURRING FASTER THAN IT IS.

WE HAD ANTICIPATED IN OUR PROJECTIONS THAT WE WOULD BE BACK TO FULL OPERATION BY THIS POINT IN TIME.

AND THAT'S CLEARLY STILL NOT THE CASE.

UM, SO WE DO, UM, RECOMMEND CAUTION IN REGARDS TO, UM, UM, COMMITTING THOSE SALES TAX DOLLARS WHEN THERE'S STILL A LOT OF ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY.

AND THEN AS YOU HEARD DURING THE BRIEFING EARLIER TODAY, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY AROUND THE VIRUS AND WE'VE ASKED OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO LOOK INTO WHAT THEIR FUNDING NEEDS WOULD BE TO CONTINUE THE CITY'S COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE.

UM, AFTER DECEMBER 30TH, AFTER THE FRONT OF IRIS RELIEF FUNDS, UM, UM, EXPIRE, UM, THROUGH THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 21, THEY'RE ESTIMATED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $60 MILLION.

IF WE NEEDED TO CONTINUE OUR CURRENT LEVEL OF RESPONSE, UM, FOR TESTING AND CONTACT TRACING AND PPE AND EVERYTHING ELSE THEY'RE GOING ON TO, UM, STOP THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS OR TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.

UM, THEIR ESTIMATE IS $60 MILLION, UM, FOR THAT NINE MONTH PERIOD.

AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD NEED IF WE DON'T RECEIVE ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFTER THE, UH, CORONAVIRUS FUNDS, UH, EXPIRE THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR, UH, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ITEM BONDS, WE DID LOOK AT A VERY, A VARIETY OF, UM, UM, BOND INSTRUMENTS, CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS.

AND ONE THING TO CONSIDER IS, IS WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN ACTION TO SHIFT A LOT OF OUR VEHICLE PURCHASES, REALLY MOST OF OUR VEHICLE PURCHASES AND CAPITAL EQUIPMENT PURCHASES AWAY FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET AND OVER TO DEBT INSTRUMENTS, EITHER CEO'S OR KAOS AS PART OF OUR ANNUAL, UM, DEBT SALES, UM, THAT WAS IN RESPONSE TO JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, FUNDING NEEDS AND THE THREE AND A HALF PERCENT REVENUE CAP.

WE HAD ALREADY LARGELY TAKEN ACTION TO THAT, UH, UM, ON THAT CONCEPT.

SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY THERE.

UM, CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION WERE ADDRESSED IN A LEGAL, LOWER, RANDOM YOU'VE RECEIVED OVER THE WEEKEND.

AND IN GENERAL, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWABLE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES.

SO THERE'S CONSTRAINTS ON THE CERTIFICATES.

UM, WE DID LOOK INTO VOTER APPROVED BOND DOLLARS, INCLUDING, UH, THE 2018 BOND PROPOSITION B FOR CREATIVE SPACES, WHICH WAS $12 MILLION.

UM, THOSE FUNDS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REVIEWED, UM, FOR PROGRAMMING TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THE CREATIVE SECTOR.

PART OF WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO LOOK AT IN OUR RECOMMENDATION IS REFINING, UM, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT COULD BE BROUGHT TO BEAR FOR THE INDUSTRY IS IDENTIFIED IN THE SAVES RESOLUTION.

UM, AS OPPOSED TO JUST TAPPING INTO FUNDING LIKE THIS, IT'S ALREADY BEEN SET ASIDE IN THE BUDGET OR THROUGH BOND PROGRAMS, UM, TO HELP THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.

UM, WE DID EXPLORE ALLEY AND STREET VACATION SALES.

WE'VE LOST THAT HERE FOR A SECOND.

OH, NO.

THAT'S LIKE CLIFFHANGER.

I'M VERY EAGER TO KNOW THE RESULT OF THE ALLEY AND STREET VACATION TEST, RIGHT AT THAT POINT.

UH, LET'S GIVE ED JUST A SECOND, UH, TO TAKE, COME BACK HERE.

WE'RE WAITING FOR ED TO COME BACK.

I JUST WANTED TO REVIEW A COUPLE OF SCHEDULING THINGS.

I KNOW YOU WENT OVER THIS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY, BUT I JUST WANT TO JUST SORT OF TAKE

[02:00:01]

STOCK OF WHERE WE ARE.

UM, SO IT'S ABOUT 1106.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND THEN WHAT ARE THE OTHER THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE OUR 12 O'CLOCK LUNCH BREAK? WE HAVE THIS, UH, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM.

SO I WAS GOING TO HOPE WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION REALLY START THIS CONVERSATION, UM, SEE THIS AD, WELCOME BACK.

HANG ON ONE SECOND.

I'M SO HAPPY.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, GIVEN WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WE'VE GOT, SO WE'RE GOING TO STAY ON THIS CONVERSATION, BOTH YOUR PULLED ITEM AND THIS BRIEFING, WHEN WE GET CLOSE TO NOON, UH, THE, THE GOAL IS TO TAKE LUNCH.

UH, LET'S SEE WHERE WE ARE IN THAT CONVERSATION.

UH, AFTER LUNCH COMING BACK, UH, GIVING STAFF THE OPPORTUNITY THEN TO ADDRESS, UH, THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU ISSUE, ITEM NUMBER 12, AND THEN GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.

GREAT.

AND I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTION COMMENTS.

UM, I D ON ITEMS, I DIDN'T PULL THAT.

I'LL JUST MENTION FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COUNCIL DISCUSSION.

UM, SO BEFORE WE BREAK FOR EXEC, OKAY, YOU WANT TO IDENTIFY THOSE NUMBERS IF YOU HAVE THEM RIGHT NOW, WELL, I'LL NEED TO GET BACK TO YOU, BUT, UM, AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IS ITEM 57 REGARDING THE CAREGIVER MEALS.

UM, AND I THINK THERE'S ONE OTHER, OKAY.

BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I DIDN'T PULL THEM IN TIME, SO IT'S JUST A KIND OF, I UNDERSTAND, ADD WE LOST THE AMENDMENT.

AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN HALF $7.5 MILLION OF FUNDING THROUGH THE CARES ACT, UM, AN ADDITIONAL CDBG ALLOCATION, UM, WITH THE, UH, PLANNING FOR THOSE FUNDS BEING RELATED TO ADDITIONAL RENTAL ASSISTANCE, HOMELESSNESS AND CHILDCARE.

ED, WE LOST YOU JUST, AS YOU WERE GETTING, I THINK TWO, UH, THE ALLEY AND STREET VACATION.

SOUNDS GREAT.

I'LL PICK UP THERE THEN.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UM, SO ON ALLEY AND STREET VACATIONS, AND THOSE REVENUES ARE ALREADY POSTED AS GENERAL SPUN SOURCES OF REVENUES.

AND SO THEY WERE ALREADY PART OF THE BUDGET THAT COUNCIL ADOPTED AND PART OF HOW WE BALANCE THESE FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET.

SO THAT'S THE ISSUE WITH ALLIANZ STREET VACATIONS, UM, FOR FEE WAIVERS.

UM, WE DID LOOK AT THE WAIVERS, THE COUNCIL TYPICALLY APPROVES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, DEVELOPMENT PERMITTING FEE WAIVERS.

UM, THOSE ARE AT THIS COUNCIL DISCRETION TO NO LONGER WAIVE THOSE FEES, BUT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN REGARDS TO WHETHER SPECIAL EVENTS WILL BE OCCURRING NEXT YEAR IN ANY EVENT.

UM, SO IT'S, IT'S AN UNCERTAIN SOURCE OF REVENUE AND THEN REGARDS TO THE, UM, SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENT FEE REVENUES.

A LOT OF THOSE FEE WAIVERS HAVE TO DO WITH, UM, PROJECTS THAT HAVE COMMUNITY BENEFITS, WHETHER THEY BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR ADDITIONAL, UH, DENSITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING COUNCIL WOULD REALLY CONSIDER IF YOU WANT TO, UM, STOP WAVING CERTAIN FEES FOR CERTAIN PROJECTS WITH, UH, COMMUNITY BENEFITS.

UM, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, I WON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES BECAUSE THERE WAS A MEMORANDUM LEGAL MEMORANDUM OVER THE WEEKEND THAT WENT OUT PROVIDING A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THESE DIFFERENT REVENUE SOURCES.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE USE OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES, UM, AS WELL, UM, WHICH CURRENTLY FLOATED TO THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, LIVE MUSIC FUND AND THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND.

UM, THE LIVE MUSIC FUND HAS IN ITS BUDGET.

AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE PROJECTING, WE'LL HAVE $2.5 MILLION IN THAT FUND.

UM, AN ADDITIONAL 2.2 MILLION IS CURRENTLY OUR PROJECTION THAT WOULD FLOW INTO THE FUND FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, BUT THAT'S REALLY SUBJECT TO WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE HOTEL INDUSTRY.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY RELATES TO THAT.

SO THAT WOULD BE A RENTAL FEES, PARKING REVENUE, INTEREST EARNINGS, UM, THERE ARE LEGAL RESTRICTIONS AND, UM, THAT, THAT LIMIT THE ABILITY TO USE THOSE FUNDS FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

UM, AGAIN, ALL LAID OUT IN THE LEGAL MEMORANDUM YOU RECEIVED.

UM, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND WAS SOMETHING WE LOOKED INTO IS, UM, REALLY THESE FINAL ITEMS OR AREAS WHERE WE LOOKED INTO POTENTIALLY REPRIORITIZING EXISTING FUNDS.

UM, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND, UM, DOLLAR FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED FOR FUTURE PROJECTS.

THERE ARE, UM, UM, PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE FOR DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, TENANTS STABILIZATION, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

UM, THOSE PROJECTS COULD BE POSTPONED AND DOLLARS REALLOCATED TO SAVES.

UM, BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE THOUGHT WE COULD REALLY WORK THROUGH THE DETAILS OF, UM, ORCHARD THERE'D BE ANY SUPPORT FOR DOING THAT IN ANY EVENT, BUT WE DID HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE HOUSING TRUST FUND ON CDBG.

WE DID RECENTLY RECEIVE

[02:05:01]

UM, BUT THAT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME THAT IS GOING TO TAKE AT LEAST SEVERAL MORE WEEKS TO WORK THROUGH EVEN THE ACCELERATED FEDERAL PROCESS FOR GETTING APPROVAL FOR HOW THOSE DOLLARS WOULD BE PROGRAMMED.

UM, IN REGARDS TO THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVE RESERVED FUND, THERE ARE $10.2 MILLION OF PAYMENTS, UM, APPROPRIATED FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, UM, THAT THERE POTENTIALLY COULD BE, UM, AN OPTION OF POSTPONING THOSE PAYMENTS, BUT THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING WE WERE REALLY ABLE TO THOROUGHLY VET AT THE TIME WE HAD.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY, WE DID HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE TRAVIS COUNTRY FIRE EMS STATION.

THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, UM, ANTICIPATED TO BE OPENING FOR THE FINAL THREE MONTHS OF FISCAL YEAR 21.

UM, UM, THAT STATION IS ON TRACK TO BE COMPLETED ON THAT TIMELINE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, FEASIBLY WE COULD POSTPONE THE OPENING OF IT AND DELAY THE OPERATING COSTS FOR THREE MONTHS OR LONGER, UM, DEPENDENT UPON COUNCIL'S DISCRETION TO DO SO.

UM, BUT THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING, UM, THAT WE THOUGHT THAT WAS READY REALLY TO BRING FORWARD THIS WEEK EITHER.

SO IT'S WANTING TO GO THROUGH ALL THE THINGS WE LOOKED AT, AGAIN, $15 MILLION OF ITEMS ON YOUR AGENDA FOR THIS THURSDAY.

AND WITH THAT, I WILL LET, UM, BRIAN OATS WALK US THROUGH THE, UM, EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PROGRAMMING.

CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? SO GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE, UH, IN RESPONSE TO THE RESOLUTION, UH, WE REALLY WORKED TO DEVELOP AN EQUITY FRAMEWORK THAT STAFF COULD USE, UH, AS THEY RESPOND TO THE RESOLUTION.

AND WE WANTED TO JUST PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT THIS MORNING AND HOW WE DEVELOP THEIR FRAMEWORK.

UH, CITY OF AUSTIN IS PART OF A NATIONAL NETWORK, UH, WITH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED THE GOVERNMENT ALLIANCE FOR RACE AND EQUITY.

AND WE ARE A MEMBER, UH, OF A GROUP OF CITIES AND COUNTIES PROBABLY CLOSE TO 200 JURISDICTIONS NOW THAT ARE ALL TRYING TO ALIGN THE RACIAL EQUITY WORK THAT WE'RE DOING LOCALLY.

AND AT THE START OF THE PANDEMIC, THE GOVERNMENT ALLIANCE FOR RACE AND EQUITY, UH, PROVIDED SOME GUIDANCE FOR EQUITY OFFICES NOW, WHICH REALLY CENTERED AROUND A SERIES OF STEPS TO REALLY ADAPT AND FOLLOW IN THIS MOMENT OF HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE PANDEMIC.

ESPECIALLY AS WE REALLY LOOK TOWARDS HOW DO WE RESPOND WITH OUR RACIAL EQUITY LENS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THE THREE PRINCIPLES OF THAT, UH, THAT GUIDANCE REALLY CENTERED AROUND THESE THREE STEPS, UM, KNOWING THE RACIAL HISTORY, REVIEWING THE DATA AND PROACTIVELY CENTERING RACIAL EQUITY, UH, IN THE RESPONSE AFTER.

AND THIS IS REALLY, UM, CENTERED AROUND A LOT OF THEM, THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE WITH OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, WE'VE INTRODUCED THIS THE SAME STEPS IN GUIDANCE AND IN RESPONSE TO THIS RESOLUTION ARE DOING THE SAME.

AND SO IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE HAVE REALLY TALKED WITH ABOUT STAFF AS THEY RESPECT ONTO THIS RESOLUTION IS REALLY STEPPING INTO THE HISTORY.

AND IN THIS CASE REALLY STEPPING INTO THE HISTORY AROUND DISASTER RECOVERY EFFORTS FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY AFTER, UH, IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE PATTERN THAT WE'VE REALLY SEEN IN A LOT OF NEEDS RECOVERY AFTER, UH, IS THAT, UH, WHITE AMERICANS DISPROPORTIONATELY, UH, BENEFIT OVER PEOPLE OF COLOR CONSISTENTLY.

AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT WE LOOKED AT.

UM, NPR DID AN ANALYSIS OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT RECEIVE FEMA PAY OUTSIDE DURING VARIOUS HURRICANE RESPONSES OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WHITE HOMEOWNERS AT EVERY LEVEL OF EDUCATION OR MADE WEALTHIER, UH, ONLY COLLEGE EDUCATED HOMEOWNER, HOMEOWNERS, BLACK HOUSEHOLDS GAIN WEALTH, AND AT A LEVEL STILL BELOW HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATED, UH, WHITE HOUSEHOLDS.

UH, IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT, UH, EQUITY DATA AROUND, UH, RECOVERY EFFORTS OF THE GREAT RECESSION, UH, YOU SEE SIMILAR PATTERNS, I BELIEVE THAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS, UH, WERE THE SLOWEST, UH, IN THE NATION TO ACTUALLY, UH, REGAIN EMPLOYMENT AND, UH, LOST INCOME THAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THE GREAT RECESSION.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT ANALYSIS AROUND, UH, THE RECOVERY OF HOME OWNERSHIP AFTER THE GREAT RECESSION, YOU'LL SEE THAT, UH, BLACK AND LATIN X FAMILY LAGGED BEHIND, UH, IN THAT.

SO WE KNOW THAT IN THE RECOVERY EFFORTS, WE HAVE A PRETTY SORT OF CONSISTENT VIOLENT PATTERN OF THE RACIAL DISPARITIES THAT RESULT FROM NEED.

AND, UH, AS THE STAFF REALLY RESPONDED INTO THIS RESOLUTION, YOU KNOW, AS AN EQUITY OFFICE, WE REALLY

[02:10:01]

SAID, HOW DO WE REALLY DISRUPT THIS TRADITIONAL PATTERN OF OUTCOMES THAT WE'VE RECEIVED THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THESE EFFORTS AND WHAT SORT OF MECHANISMS CAN WE PUT IN PLACE TO REALLY SORT OF THINK ABOUT THIS, OR ENVISIONED THIS RESPONSE IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

AND, YOU KNOW, BIRKINS INSTITUTE PUT OUT A REPORT BACK IN JULY, UH, AROUND, UM, YEAH, THE PRINCIPLES AROUND EQUITY IN THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY FROM COVID AND THEY ACTUALLY TITLED THE REPORT, UH, HOW TO REBUILD BETTER.

AND I ACTUALLY SAY THAT IT WAS A CHALLENGE, UH, TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AROUND HOW DO YOU REALLY SORT OF REBUILD BETTER, UM, WITH THIS LENS OR FOCUS AROUND EQUITY AND DISRUPT THAT PATTERN.

SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE CAME UP WITH THIS FRAMEWORK, UM, REALLY CENTERED AROUND, UH, SOME OF THE BEST PRACTICES FROM GEAR, UH, IN TERMS OF RACIAL EQUITY ASSESSMENT, UH, AS WELL AS OUR LOCAL EQUITY ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT WE UTILIZE.

AND WE CAME UP WITH A SERIES OF KEY QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE ASKING STAFF, AND AS THEY RESPOND TO DIFFERENT COMPONENT, UH, OF THE RESOLUTION.

AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK ONE OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IS WHAT DOES THE DATA TELL US ABOUT WHO'S VULNERABLE OR AT RISK AND IN NEED FOR THESE RESOURCES AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT, UM, IS THE PROGRAM DESIGNED INTENTIONAL ENOUGH TO DIRECTLY GET RESOURCES TO THOSE MOST IN NEED? AND ARE WE DIS-AGGREGATING DATA BY RACE AND GEOGRAPHY, AND REALLY UTILIZING THAT DATA TO DESIGN THE PROGRAM AND TO MONITOR ARE IMPACTED AS WE RESPOND.

ALSO THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR, UM, AN INITIATIVE LIKE THIS IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PIECES.

I, IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING, UM, UH, THE FUNDING, AS WELL AS HOW WE DELIVER THAT FUNDING TO DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT.

AND SO WITHIN THAT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEGATIVE, UM, UH, UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, UH, FOR THIS PROGRAM AREAS, PROPOSALS, AND HOW DO WE REALLY SORT OF DO THE WORK THAT KIND OF DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO, TO LOOK AT THOSE ISSUES AROUND THAT? AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE ALSO ARE STARTING TO OFFER SOME GUIDANCE AND REALLY TRYING TO GET STAFF TO SORT OF DIG DEEPER ON THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK HISTORICALLY AND A LOT OF OUR INITIATIVES, UM, OFTENTIMES WE MAY SEE THERE COULD BE BARRIERS AND THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES IN THE APPLICATION DESIGN OR ACCENTS, UM, ASKING ABOUT WHAT DOES ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA LOOK LIKE AND MAKING SURE THAT WITH CRITERIA WE'RE NOT SORT OF MARGINALIZED AND, OR DISENFRANCHISING CERTAIN GROUPS IN THAT PROCESS, UM, HOW ARE WE SCORING AND WHAT, WHAT ARE WE EVALUATING? UH, AS WE SCORE PROPOSALS THAT COME IN FOR FUNDING PANEL SELECTION IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

UH, DO WE HAVE DIVERSITY ON OUR STANDARD SELECTION? UM, UH, ARE OUR PANEL MEMBERS WORKING FROM AN EQUITY LENS AS WELL? MARKETING AND OUTREACH IS ANOTHER AREA TO REALLY DIG DEEPER ON, UH, WHICH IS, ARE WE AFFIRMATIVELY MARKETING, ESPECIALLY TO, TO ME THE COLOR, UM, HOW ARE WE MAKING PEOPLE AWARE OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND THEN AS WELL AS THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, ARE WE PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE TO COMPLETE APPLICATIONS, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS? AND THEN I WOULD SAY LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UH, WHAT'S OUR PLAN TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNICATE AND EVALUATE THOSE, UH, TO THE COUNCIL, BUT ALSO TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL.

SO THAT'S THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE'VE INTRODUCED, UM, TO STAFF REALLY WITH THE GOAL OF SORT OF SAYING, HOW DO WE REALLY KIND OF DELIBERATELY LOOK AT THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WILL BE AN INTENTIONAL, AND THEN HOW DO WE REALLY DISRUPT THE HISTORICAL PATTERN THAT WAS BEING IN RECOVERY EFFORTS, WHERE WE'VE DISPROPORTIONALLY SEEN THE BENEFITS AND RESOURCES GO TO WHITE AMERICANS, BUT REALLY WHAT'S OUR OPPORTUNITY TO CENTER AND BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT EQUITY AS, AS WE RESPOND TO THIS INITIATIVE.

AND I THINK I'LL PASS IT ON TO THE VERONICA.

GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL, VERONICA CHIEF ECONOMIC RECOVERY OFFICER.

UM, I THINK WE'RE READY TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING IN TERMS OF HOW THE SAVES, UH, FUNDING COULD BE PROGRAMMED.

BEFORE I DO THAT, THOUGH, I WOULD LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE, THE IMPACT THAT WE'VE MADE SO FAR.

UH, THANK YOU.

THANKS TO THIS COUNCIL'S LEADERSHIP.

AS YOU'RE AWARE, WE HAVE, UH, INITIALLY APPROVED A COVID SPENDING FRAMEWORK EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND THAT HAS RESULTED IN MORE THAN $27 MILLION THAT WERE ADMINISTERED THROUGH SEVEN PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN STOOD UP SINCE APRIL OF THIS YEAR.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL $2.4 MILLION THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING, UH, ADMINISTERED THROUGH OUR SECOND LAUNCH OF THE AUSTIN NONPROFIT RELIEF GRANT.

IT RELAUNCHED, EXCUSE ME.

WE, UH, PUT

[02:15:01]

ON HERE A VISUAL OF THESE PROGRAMS AND WHEN THEY CAME ONLINE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE ACTIVITY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THAT THE EDD TEAM HAS BEEN DOING AS WELL AS OTHER HELP FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.

WE'RE DEVELOPING A, HOW TO GUIDE TO HELP BUSINESSES IN THE VITAL SECTORS SUCCESSFULLY PIVOT DURING THIS PANDA PANDEMIC.

SO WHAT DOES THAT IMPACT LOOK LIKE? UM, WELL, THE, WE, THESE ARE PROGRAMS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, THE AUSTIN CHILDCARE PROVIDER RELIEF FUND AWARDED A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS IN GRANTS TO 72 APPLICANTS.

THIS HAS RESULTED IN 1,557 CHILDREN RECEIVING CHILDCARE SUBSIDIES.

MY CHILD IS RECEIVING HIS LUNCH RIGHT NOW, EXCUSE ME.

UM, NEXT WE HAVE THE AUSTIN CREATIVE SPACE DISASTER RELIEF PROGRAM.

UH, THIS IS AWARDED ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS IN GRANTS TO 32 APPLICANTS COLLECTIVELY.

THE APPLICANT'S REQUESTED $3.7 MILLION IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WAS, WHICH WAS NEARLY FOUR TIMES THE 1 MILLION AVAILABLE IN THE FUNDS.

THESE GRANT RECIPIENTS INCLUDED LIVE MUSIC, VENUES, ART NONPROFITS, THE OTHERS, OR PERFORMANCE VENUES, MUSEUMS, OR ART GALLERIES AND INDEPENDENT ARTISTS.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE ALSO HAVE THE AUSTIN CREATIVE WORKER RELIEF GRANT, THIS AWARDED A LITTLE OVER $3 MILLION, 3.3, $6 MILLION TO 1,877 APPLICANTS COLLECTIVELY.

THIS WAS AT $9.99 IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

AND THIS WASN'T NEARLY THREE TIMES THE 3.5 MILLION AVAILABLE IN THE FUND.

WE HAD THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC INJURY BRIDGE LOAN PROGRAM.

AND AS YOU RECALL, THIS WAS THE FIRST PROGRAM THAT WE STOOD UP.

UH, THIS IS, UH, RESULTED IN 645,000 IN SMALL BUSINESS LOANS TO 19 OF, UH, 70 APPROVED APPLICANTS.

I WOULD NOTE FOR THIS PROGRAM AND YOU'RE THINK BUBBLY WELL AWARE OF THIS 51 APPLICANTS DECLINED THE LOAN, UM, EITHER BECAUSE OF ACCEPTANCE OF ANOTHER FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE OR NON-EXEC ACCEPTANCE OF THE LOAN TERMS. WHEN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, THE AUSTIN MUSIC DISASTER RELIEF FUND, THIS RESULTED IN $1.5 MILLION IN AWARDS TO JUST UNDER 1500 PERFORMING MUSICIANS IMPACTED BY THE COVID PANDEMIC, THE AUSTIN NONPROFIT RELIEF GRANT AWARDED $3.6 MILLION IN GRANTS TO 221 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

AND THEN AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S AN N REMAINING 2.4 THAT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN MID OCTOBER, THE AUSTIN SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF GRANT AWARDED 16.2 MILLION IN GRANTS TO 885 APPLICANTS.

AND THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, WE RECEIVED OVER $120 MILLION, UM, AND ELIGIBLE REIMBURSEMENT REQUESTS.

AND THAT WAS SEVEN TIMES WHAT WE HAD IN THE PROGRAM FUNDS NEXT SLIDE.

SO IN TERMS OF THE STATE'S RESOLUTION, THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST AS A RECOMMENDED WAYS TO SPEND THE DOLLARS.

WE RECOMMEND PRIORITIZING THE CREATION OF THREE FUNDS, THE AUSTIN MUSIC VENUE PRESERVATION FUND, THE AUSTIN LEGACY BUSINESS RELIEF GRANT, THE AUSTIN CHILDCARE PROVIDER RELIEF GRANTS.

EACH OF THESE FUNDS, WE RECOMMEND A FUNDING AT THE LEVEL OF $5 MILLION, WHICH EQUALS THE TOLL OF THE $15 MILLION THAT, THAT HAS SPOKE TO NEXT SLIDE.

WE ALSO ARE LOOKING AT CHAPTER THREE 80 PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS.

WE'VE PLANNED TO BRING THIS TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION.

AND WHEN WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO FLESH IT OUT, BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH A LOT OF PARTNERS TO DRAFT A RESOLUTION FOR, FOR YOUR REVIEW.

UM, THIS, WHAT THIS RESOLUTION WOULD DO WOULD ALLOW FOR THE CREATION OF A TEMPORARY COVID-19 ECONOMIC EMERGENCY CHAPTER THREE PROGRAM AND ONLY EXEMPT.

UM, WELL, IT WILL ALLOW THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO THE BUSINESSES IN THESE INDUSTRIES THAT ARE IMPACTED BY COVID NEXT SLIDE.

I DID WANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE, UM, OUR STAFF, WHEN LOOKING AT SOLUTIONS, THEY LOOKED AT MANY SOLUTIONS.

UM, AND SO I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THAT, THAT WORK AND SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOWN THE ROAD.

UH, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE A PLAN FOR VIRTUAL PROCLAMATION PERFORMANCES, WHICH WILL FEATURE OUR LOCAL MUSICIANS, UM, BE HOSTED AT LOCAL LIVE MUSIC VENUES OR, OR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT.

UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT COORDINATING MARKETING CAMPAIGNS ACROSS ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS TO RECOGNIZE AND PROMOTE BUSINESSES THAT ARE UNIQUE TO AUSTIN AND IMPLEMENT OUR ROBUST HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES.

WE'RE LOOKING AT COLLECT, COLLABORATING WITH THIRD PARTIES TO ENHANCE, UH, LEASE MEDIATION SERVICES FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES.

[02:20:01]

AND FINALLY, WE'RE PROVIDING ONGOING ACCESS TO ECONOMIC RECOVERY RESOURCES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.

ATX RECOVERS.COM.

NEXT SLIDE.

I DID WANT TO ALSO INCLUDE A SLIDE OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

THIS IS A SPOKEN TO IN THE RESOLUTION AS WELL.

AND YOU DO HAVE A ITEM ON YOUR AGENDA IN REGARDS TO THIS.

UM, SO YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON THIS ON THURSDAY.

UM, WE, THE RESOLUTION THAT'S INCLUDED ALLOWS ED EDD STAFF TO BEGIN WORKING THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENTITY, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNANCE.

AND INITIALLY WE RECOMMEND TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING THAT THE INITIAL BOARD OF THE, THE AEDC IS, UH, STAFFED WITH MEMBERS OF MEMBERS OF STAFF PLACES ONE THROUGH FOUR, WHICH ARE OUTLINED IN THE BYLAWS, THE INTERIM STAFF, AND THE BOARD WILL RETAIN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO BEGIN CRAFTING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE AEDC.

UM, AND ALONG ALONG THAT SAME TIMELINE WILL BE BEGIN THE EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR THE PRESIDENT AND CEO.

AND WITH THAT, I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.

NEXT SLIDE, THAT WRAPS IT UP FOR THE THREE OF US.

WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

UH, SO THAT WE CAN HELP, UH, AND EVEN CONSIDERING YOUR, YOUR RESTAURANTS AND THOSE USES FOR TARGETING CHAPTER THREE 80 ASSISTANCE AS WELL.

I MEAN, AGAIN, I, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, WHY I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT, THAT STAFF HAS PUT INTO THIS AND THE SPEED WITH WHICH YOU GUYS HAVE REACTED TO THIS, UM, NO EASY TASK GIVEN, UH, THE ISSUE AND THE FACT THAT WE JUST DID THIS, UH, AS A COUNCIL, UH, TWO WEEKS AGO, UM, THE, THE, THE SCALE OF THE, OF THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS, UH, IS, IS, IS HUGE.

THE NEED IS JUST SO GREAT.

WE HAVE SO MANY BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE SUFFERING AND FACE THE PROSPECT OF CLOSING.

WE REALLY DO NEED FEDERAL, UH, IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE SCALE OF THIS CHALLENGE.

UH, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT, UH, UH, PRE FRANCO AND OUR CITY'S DOING WITH OTHER CITIES, BOTH HERE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

UH, AND I URGE EVERYBODY TO REACH OUT TO OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, EVEN OUR SENATORS TO SAY, DO YOUR JOB AND, AND, AND, AND HELP US AND, AND CITIES AND COUNTIES ACROSS THE, ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

UH, BUT WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FEDERAL HELP.

AND, AND THE SAVES RESOLUTION WAS FOCUSED ON, ON A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF THOSE BUSINESSES THAT WERE FACING IMMINENT, UH, A CLOSURE, UM, BUT A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER, BUT A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE IS THE CITY.

UH, THE CRITERIA THAT WE SET OUT IN THIS AGE RESOLUTION BEGINNING ON PAGE SEVEN, REALLY FOCUSED AS WE DID ON THAT CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT SUBSET THAT BUSINESSES ARE FACING SUBSTANTIAL LIKELIHOOD OF CLOSING PERMANENTLY ABSENT ASSISTANCE, AND WHERE THERE'S A LOW LIKELIHOOD OF A SIMILAR BUSINESS REOPENING IN THE SAME, OR IN NEARBY LOCATION TO INCREASE RENTS OR OTHER MARKET FACTORS NORTH, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO LOSE THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO REPLACE, UH, BUSINESSES THAT, UH, UNIQUELY FACE DIFFICULTY PIVOTING TO ALTERNATE OPERATING MODELS FOR GENERATING SUFFICIENT REVENUE FOR SURVIVAL ASSISTANCE, PROVIDING SIGNIFICANTLY, UH, WHERE THEY A CONTRIBUTES TO HELPING TO REASONABLY ENSURE THAT THE BUSINESS WILL NOT FAIL VERSUS A SUFFICIENT PERIOD OF TIME TO HAVE A REALISTIC PATH TO RECOVERY AND SUSTAINABILITY, UM, PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GREATEST MULTIPLIER EFFECT.

WE'RE NOT ONLY HELPS THAT BUSINESS, BUT HELPS AN INDUSTRY OR COMMUNITY OF WORKERS WHERE THEIR SURVIVAL OF THAT BUSINESS, UH, HELP PEOPLE WITH LOW AND MIDDLE INCOMES DISADVANTAGED IN THAT CASE SHAPED RECOVERY.

AND THOSE WERE THE LOSS WOULD HAVE THE GREATEST DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON THE CITY'S CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE, ECONOMIC RECOVERY PRESERVATION OF THE UNIQUE CULTURE, CHARACTER, AND BRAND IN THE CITY.

UM, I HOPE WE CAN GET THIS WORK STARTED AND STARTED QUICKLY.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE DESIRE OF COUNCIL AS WE ALL EXPRESSED, UH, TWO WEEKS AGO.

SO I SUPPORT THE PROGRAMMING THAT CAME FROM STAFF AS A WAY FOR US TO,

[02:25:01]

TO, TO LAUNCH.

UH, THE THREE BUCKETS, I THINK IS KIND OF AN ELOQUENT WAY TO, TO DEAL WITH THOSE CRITERIA.

UH, I THINK THERE MAY BE, UH, EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UH, THE FUNDING SOURCES ARE USING DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES.

MY HOPE IS THAT THAT DOESN'T SLOW US DOWN ON BEGINNING THE EXECUTION.

UH, IF WE DECIDE WE WANT TO, TO STUDY FURTHER OR CHANGE OUT FUNDING OPTIONS AND CERTAINLY CAN, BUT MY HOPE IS, IS THAT WE'LL RECOGNIZE THIS AS THE SCALE AT WHICH WE'RE WORKING SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY START DOING, UH, DOING THIS WORK.

AND, MMM, I THINK WE NEED TO GET IT TO STAFF AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU DO THIS IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD.

I THINK THERE WAS REAL KEEN INTEREST IN LEVERAGING THE DOLLARS.

SO USING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION AND LAUNCHING IT SO THAT IT CAN COME IN WITH AN TO LEVERAGING ITS, YOU KNOW, IN MY MIND'S EYE, IT'S NOT SO MUCH WE'RE CUTTING CHECKS TO BUSINESSES.

UH, BUT RATHER PUTTING TOGETHER KIND OF A SURVIVAL CASE, A CASEWORKER TEAM, UM, UH, HEAVY INTO CASE MANAGEMENT SO THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE DOLLARS BRINGING IN EXPERTISE KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE DO WITH, WITH RESIDENTIAL TENANTS, WHERE WE BROUGHT IN TENANT, UH, ADVOCACY AND, AND EXPERTISE, UM, WITH, UH, RIO GRANDE AND OTHERS THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT HELPED.

I THINK WE HAVE THE SAME KIND OF NEED HERE WITH BUSINESSES, UH, TO TRY TO, TO GET AT LEAST WORKOUTS, UH, UH, LOOKING, UH, UH, BANKRUPTCY STRATEGIES OR EVICTION PREVENTION STRATEGIES, ALL THE THINGS THAT, UM, UH, BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS, IF THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF COMPETENCY CAN, CAN EMPLOY IN ORDER TO, TO GET A 12 MONTH NEW LEASE WORKOUT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

SO THEY CAN SUSTAIN PAST, UH, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.

I LIKE THAT YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE CHAPTER THREE 80 AGREEMENTS BECAUSE I THINK THAT NOT BY ITSELF, BUT BY TARGETING PERHAPS SOME TAX RELIEF, UH, TO MAYBE WE AT TRAVIS COUNTY TO JOIN WITH US OR OTHER TAXING ENTITIES IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO HELP CERTAIN PLACES AND INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT CULTURALLY, UH, TO, TO, TO OUR CITY.

UH, I WANT TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO CALL OUT TO THE LANDLORDS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THESE SITUATIONS.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE HOPE IS, AND THE EXPECTATION IS, IS THAT COMMERCIAL LANDLORDS ARE GONNA WORK WITH TENANTS IN THESE KEY AND HARD HIT, UH, INDUSTRIES.

AS I KNOW, UH, HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN SOME SITUATIONS THUS FAR, WHERE WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR PARTNERS IN RECOVERY, UH, BE OPEN TO WORKOUTS AND, AND HELPING US, UH, GET THIS TO, TO, TO SURVIVE, HELP US LEVERAGE THE LIMITED FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE TO US AND ALL THAT SAD.

I HOPE THAT WE ALSO, AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO FOR BUSINESSES THAT LIKE RESTAURANTS, RESTAURANTS, AND BARS THAT DON'T QUALIFY UNDER THE CRITERIA THAT WE SET.

YOU KNOW, I KNOW THE GOVERNOR'S MOVED EVERYBODY BACK TO 75%, UM, UH, AND THAT, UH, OPENING UP MORE BARS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOOD SALES.

UH, WE NEED EVERYBODY TO DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF MASKING AND PLAYING BY THE RULES SO THAT WE CAN SUSTAIN THAT OPENING NOW.

BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T GOING BACK THE RESTAURANT YET, AT LEAST INSIDE.

I KNOW THAT EVEN WITH THE 75% OCCUPANCY, CAUSE THEY'RE NOT, THEY DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING THAT YET.

UH, THE COUNCIL TOOK A ACTION, UM, UH, TO, AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHO LED ON THAT.

AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT, UH, TO, TO HAVE THE INCREASED, UH, ABILITY FOR RESTAURANTS TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE OUTSIDE AND TO REMOVE THE BARRIERS.

I THINK THAT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER POOL, UH, WHO BROUGHT THAT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT, UH, TO, TO REALLY EXPAND, REMOVE THE BARRIERS SO THAT THOSE FACILITIES CAN OPERATE OUTSIDE.

I KNOW THERE HASN'T BEEN A BIG UPTAKE ON THAT AS, AS, AS I THINK WE MAY HAVE HOPED.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S BECAUSE TEXAS IS HOT, UH, BUT IT'S COOLER.

NOW WE SEE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO EXPAND THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, FACILITATE THAT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT FOR COMPLYING WITH HEALTH SAFETY REGULATIONS, HELPING WITH MARKETING CAMPAIGNS.

UH, I KNOW THAT, UH, THE STAFF HAS BEEN MEETING REGULARLY WITH THE INDUSTRY FOCUS GROUPS, UH, TO COME BACK WITH THINGS THAT WE COULD BE DOING.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A, BEING ABLE TO, TO OPERATE, UH, IN, IN, IN THOSE REGARDS WITH THE IDEAS THAT ARE COMING FORWARD,

[02:30:01]

YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE OFFERED TO A LANDLORD THAT'S WILLING TO WORK WITH A TENANT, UH, THAT IS, UH, TRYING TO, TO, TO SURVIVE.

AND MAYBE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY WITH SOME OF THESE VENUES.

UH, HE DIDN'T LOOK AT DUKE QUALIFY THAT DO FIT WITHIN THESE BUCKETS TO, TO, TO NOT ONLY HELP WITH RENT OR LEAVE, BUT MAYBE TO ACQUIRE SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES WITH A LONGTERM LEASE BACK SO LONG AS IT'S USED FOR THE CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO ANYHOW, SO I'M GOING TO STOP.

I'M ENCOURAGED THAT THIS HAS COME BACK SO QUICKLY.

I REALLY WANTED TO, IF WE CAN, TO, TO GET IT GOING, UH, GET THE, UH, THE RECRUITMENT AND THE PROCESS WORKING TO, TO START THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, UH, EVEN AS PERHAPS WE WORK OUT SOME OF THE OTHER DETAILS AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THE NEED IS GREAT AND THE OPPORTUNITY AND, AND BENEFIT TO OUR CITY IS GOING TO BE EXTREME.

THANK YOU, COUNCILOR POOL.

THANKS TO HER.

I JUST WANTED TO RESPOND TO A COUPLE OF THE POINTS THAT YOU MADE, AND THEN I'M SURE, PROBABLY WITH MARY, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS TOO, BUT JUST WANTED TO RESPOND BACK ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT YOU SAID.

UM, WE REALLY NEED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION.

WHERE'S THE MONEY AND WHO'S ACCOUNTING TO, UM, AND WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT YET BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE LISTS OF, UH, THE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE GOING TO GO UNDER, UH, THE MUSICIANS, THEIR NAMES THEN WHERE THEY'RE AT FINANCIALLY, THE VENUES OF MUSIC VENUES AND HOW MUCH RENT DO THEY NEED TO GET THEM TO THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN HOPES OF ANOTHER FEDERAL, UM, ALLOCATION OF CARES MONEY, WE NEED A BRIDGE TO GET FOLKS IN TODAY, JUST SIX MONTHS FROM NOW.

SO WHERE'S THE MONEY? HOW, WHERE ARE WE GOING TO GET IT QUICKLY? UM, WE PROVIDED $25 MILLION TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, IT'S ITEM 12.

AND, AND THAT HAS RUN INTO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS. I'VE, UM, MONITORING THAT.

AND FOLLOWING, I HAVEN'T HAD A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT THAT.

SO WE HAD A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY AND WE GAVE, PUT A CONTRACT OUT TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAD NO TO OUR COMMUNITY.

AND THEN, UM, NO SURPRISE THE PROBLEMS WITH ITS DISTRIBUTION.

UM, AS FAR AS THE EVICTION PREVENTION, UM, A LOT OF THE VENUES ARE ALREADY IN ACTIVE CONVERSATION WITH LANDLORDS.

A LOT OF THEM ARE OWNED BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING TO US, NEEDING SOME ASSISTANCE IN ORDER TO PAY.

THEY'RE NOT, IT'S NOT SO MUCH EVICTION, IT'S THE BANK NOTES.

WE KNOW.

SO IT'S MORE THAN JUST EVICTION PREVENTION.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BE EVICTED, BUT, BUT IT'S WAY MORE THAN THAT.

AND WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF A SITUATION AND MAKING SURE THAT FAMILIES ARE NOT EVICTED FROM AN APARTMENT.

THERE ARE SOME PROGRAMS TO HELP PEOPLE TO STAY IN THEIR APARTMENTS.

WE NEED TO HAVE A ROBUST AND EFFECTIVE PROGRAM TO KEEP THE VENUES AND THE RESTAURANTS, THE INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS FROM HAVING TO CLOSE THE DOORS.

THE STAFF SENT US A MEMO SAYING THAT THERE ARE NO ABILITIES.

MUNICIPALITIES DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE TAX RELIEF OR WAY OF TAXES.

WE HAVE TO COLLECT IT.

IN FACT, I THINK IT ACTUALLY GETS PAID TO THE CONTROLLER AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY, ANY WHERE WE CALL TIER CHANGE.

THOSE, IF SOMEBODY KNOWS A WAY TO DO THAT, LET US KNOW THAT MY UNDERSTANDING MOVING STAFF MEMOS, THAT WAS NOT ACTUALLY A POSSIBILITY.

AND THEN JUST A POINT ON THE LANDLORDS, A LOT OF THE FOLKS WHO WERE AT THE RALLY LAST MONDAY AND YESTERDAY, AND HAVEN'T BEEN ORGANIZING, UM, THEY DON'T HAVE LANDLORDS CAUSE THEY ARE, THEY ARE THEIR OWN SMALL BUSINESS.

THEY'RE SOLE PROPRIETORS.

THEY ARE THE MUSICIANS.

SO I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE SEEM TO BE TALKING AROUND THE PROBLEM AND IT'S A LOT OF WORDS, BUT THE FACT IS WE NEED TO GET FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE THE MUSIC IN AUSTIN AND WHO ARE THE FOOD IN AUSTIN BECAUSE MUSIC AND FOOD IS WHAT HAS CRAFTED OUR BRAND.

THAT'S WHY PEOPLE COME TO AUSTIN.

AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO DIG AGAIN.

AND, UM, WE KNOW THAT THE SIZE OF THE NEED IS MORE OF $50 MILLION.

WE DID A LITTLE THOUGHT EXPERIMENT TWO WEEKS AGO, AND PENN SHOWED 1500 GROUPS GETTING A $50,000 TOTAL ALLOCATION THAT COULD COVER THEM FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS WOULD BE $75 MILLION.

THAT COULD BE RESTAURANTS.

IT COULD BE MUSIC THINGS.

[02:35:04]

SO WHAT I'M SAYING, MAYOR IS I THINK THAT WE'RE OUT THERE WITH RESOLUTIONS AND WITH RESPONSES FROM STAFF TO OUR QUESTIONS, BUT WE ARE STILL FALLING SHORT.

WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE CORE OF THE FINANCIAL RESOURCE THAT WE NEED THE SIZE OF THIS PROBLEM, THE SIZE OF THE CHALLENGE THAT THE PEOPLE MOST EFFECTIVE OR PLACING IN FRONT OF US AND DESPERATELY ASKING FOR US TO ACT.

AND THE CHALLENGE ALSO IS IN THE TIMING BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO WAIT FOR THE EDO TO BE SET UP.

WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO NIMBLY, PROVIDE THE RESOURCES AND WE HAVE TO DO IT.

NOW.

I DO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, BUT I WANT TO, AT THIS POINT SIMPLY TO RESPOND TO THE THINGS THAT YOU HAD SAID AND TRY TO RECENTER THE CONVERSATION TO THE HERE AND NOW THERE'S URGENCY HERE.

AND I REALLY WANT TO UNDERWATER A COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

UM, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS TOO, BUT, UH, LET ME JUST DO A SUMMARY FIRST.

AND THEN WHEN WE'RE READY, WE CAN GET DOWN INTO DETAIL DETAILS.

UM, I, I WANT TO PN ON WHAT YOU SUGGESTED IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE, WHICH MAKES SENSE TO ME.

UH, BUT I'M NOT SEEING WHAT I'M WANTING TO SEE IS THE KIND OF ANALYSIS THAT COUNSELOR POOL IS ASKING FOR.

SO, UH, ANOTHER WORDS IN OTHER WORDS, I WANT TO, I WANT TO SEE THE NEED FOR THE KINDS OF BUSINESSES THAT YOU OUTLINED COMPARED TO WHAT WE'RE SAYING WE HAVE AVAILABLE.

UH, IT STRIKES ME AS NOT SUFFICIENT.

I THINK IT'S A GOOD START.

AND I AGREE WITH THAT AND I THINK WE NEED TO START QUICKLY AND I WANT TO THANK OUR STAFF FOR IDENTIFYING SOME IMMEDIATE THINGS, BUT I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN RULED OUT.

AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEM MORE.

I THINK THERE'S MORE THINGS POSSIBLE TO US THAN WE ARE SUGGESTING.

UM, AND, UM, DIRECTOR BERCENIO, I APPRECIATED YOU RUNNING THROUGH WHAT WE HAD LEARNED FROM THESE OTHER, UM, UH, PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF THE, THE NEED THAT WERE EVIDENCED THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO FULFILL.

AND I WOULD ASK YOU TO, TO, TO PULL THAT TOGETHER IN SOME KIND OF CHART FOR US, IT'S REALLY HARD TO FOLLOW THAT WAY, UH, IN TERMS OF, I APPRECIATE YOU PULLING TOGETHER WHAT YOU COULD FOR TODAY.

IT'S NOT A CRITICISM.

IT'S MORE TOWARDS GETTING US TO WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO ANALYZE, BECAUSE WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE SCOPE OF THE NEED, UH, FOR THE GROUPS THAT THE MAYOR HAS LAID OUT AND COMPARE THAT TO WHAT WE'RE FINDING THAT'S AVAILABLE.

WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION FROM THE GROUPS THEMSELVES.

THEY HAVE, LET US KNOW WHAT THEY THINK IS NEEDED.

UH, WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT THAT IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED.

UM, SO BECAUSE, UH, BECAUSE MAYOR, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE LAYING OUT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO JUST, UM, I DON'T WANT TO JUST APPROVE A NUMBER.

UM, AND THEN, AND THEN I THINK THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT NUMBER RELATES TO WHAT THE NEED IS.

I ALSO THINK THAT I'M PREPARED TO APPROVE AND I'M OUT TO GET STARTED, BUT I W BUT I WANT A TIMELINE, A SPECIFIC TIMELINE, UM, ON THE, UM, THE OTHER, UH, AREAS THAT WE ARE INVESTIGATING.

UM, AND THERE'S MUCH MORE TO DISCUSS, AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING SOME OF THESE AREAS IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT FOR EXAMPLE, UH, ON THE HOT TAX, I HAVE PROPOSED A VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER AND I'M WORKING WITH LEGAL TO ANALYZE THAT.

AND I EXPECT TO BRING SOMETHING BACK ON THE 15TH.

IT IS CLEAR THAT WE CAN USE HOT TAX DOLLARS FOR VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS.

THE QUESTION IS NOT WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN USE THOSE DOLLARS, BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE PARAMETERS THAT ARE NECESSARY WITHIN THE LAW AROUND THAT? THAT'S AN OPTION THAT THAT'S ONE OPTION.

IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AN OPTION FOR EVERYONE, BUT IT'S ONE OPTION THAT CAN, THAT I THINK CAN HELP SOME OF THESE ICONIC VENUES THAT HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR A LONG TIME, INTERNATIONAL DRAWS TO OUR COMMUNITY AND ARE PART AND PARCEL OF OUR TOURISM AND, UM, OUR CULTURE.

SO, UH, SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE IDENTIFY OTHER AREAS THAT WE WANT TO EXAMINE LIKE THREE 80 AGREEMENTS, AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT MORE, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A SET

[02:40:01]

TIMELINE AND IT NEEDS TO BE QUICK THAT WE COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THEM SO WE CAN GET INTO THE DETAILS.

I HAVE A LOT MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, THE, THE CEO'S ABOUT THE THREE 80 AGREEMENT ABOUT THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVE RESERVE AND ABOUT THE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE HOT TAX, UM, THAT WE CAN, THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHEN IT'S TIME TO GET AT THEM.

I'M NOT, I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING OR NOT QUITE, UM, YET CONVINCED THAT, THAT WE CAN'T USE THOSE.

SO, OKAY.

THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR.

I HAVE, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND I THINK THERE'S SOME COUNCIL DIALOGUE THAT I'D LIKE TO HAVE TODAY.

SO I HOPE THAT WE CAN COME BACK TO THIS AFTER OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION.

UM, IF WE'RE ABLE TO WRAP UP OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION AND INSTEAD, I THINK THAT MIGHT GENERATE SOME CONVERSATION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE OUT HERE.

UM, BUT JUST TO KIND OF KICK IT OFF, I WANT TO SAY, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE STAFF WORKING QUICKLY ON THIS.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL RESOLUTIONS, UM, DURING THIS PANDEMIC, INCLUDING SOME THAT I'VE BROUGHT ASKING OUR STAFF TO TRY TO, TO IDENTIFY SOME FUNDING SOURCES FOR RELIEF, TO OUR MUSIC VENUES, OUR CREATIVES, OUR MUSICIANS, UM, AND OTHERS.

AND SO I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE THIS CONTINUED WORK ON THE IDEAS THEY BROUGHT BACK THIS WEEK.

UM, THAT BEING SAID, I'M COMMITTED TO IDENTIFYING SOME FUNDS AND TO APPROVING SOME FUNDS THIS WEEK, BUT I, I HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS ABOUT A COUPLE OF THE FUNDING SOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND, UH, AND ALSO SOME REAL INTEREST IN EXPLORING SOME OF THE FUNDING SOURCES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE RESOLUTION, BUT HAVE NOT COME FORWARD FOR CONSIDERATION ON THIS WEEK'S AGENDA.

SO THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, I APPRECIATE AND AM VERY SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR CONTINUED WORK AND LEADERSHIP ON THE VISITOR CENTERS.

I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE SAID, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A SOLUTION OR, OR, OR A, AN APPROPRIATE CATEGORY FOR ALL OF ALL OF, UM, VENUES, BUT I THINK IT IS ABSOLUTELY APPROPRIATE FOR SOME OF THEM AND ILLEGAL USE OF THAT MONEY.

I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO, UM, EXPLORING YOUR PROPOSAL.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, THOUGH, I'D JUMP INTO SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD WITH REGARD TO RIGHT AWAY FEES, YOU KNOW, AS I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

SO I HAD, I HAD BROUGHT FORWARD AN AMENDMENT, UM, WHICH HAD GOT INCORPORATED IN THE RESOLUTION AND I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT FOR RIGHT AWAY, RIGHT AWAY FEES, UM, ALLIE VACATIONS, ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENTS.

I WANT TO, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THOSE, BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE ALL A REALLY GOOD USE OF A REALLY GOOD CATEGORY TO EXPLORE THE TEMPORARY USE OF RIGHT AWAY FEES.

UM, I WAS, I THOUGHT MORE ABOUT THE, TO DO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, AS, AS I THINK IT WAS ED WHO SAID, I MEAN, THOSE CAN BE ALLOCATED TO ANY, ANY USE THAT HAS A MUNICIPAL PURPOSE.

UM, AT SOME POINT, UH, CITY COUNCIL DECIDED THAT THOSE SHOULD BE DESIGNATED ENTIRELY TO THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.

AND THAT MAY HAVE MADE A LOT OF SENSE AT THE TIME.

I THINK THIS IS THE TIME WHERE WE NEED TO RECONSIDER WHETHER THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE ALLOCATION FOR ONE THING, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE ARE RIGHT AWAY ISSUES GOING ON, THOSE OFTEN DO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE NEARBY BUSINESSES IN TERMS OF POTENTIALLY DISCOURAGING PEDESTRIAN, TRAFFIC, AND OTHER KINDS OF THINGS, THOUGH, I KNOW I WAS JUST LOOKING AT A CAT THIS MORNING.

I KNOW OUR CITY STAFF RESPONDS TO THOSE, UM, WHEN THEY'RE RAISED TO THEIR ATTENTION AND TRIES TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION AND OTHER KINDS OF THINGS ARE, ARE NOT HAVING AN IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESSES, WHICH I'M APPRECIATIVE FOR.

SO WHAT CONCERNS ME ABOUT THIS, UM, THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT MEMO THAT THEY HAD GIVEN US BACK BEFORE WE VOTED ON 62 AT OUR LAST COUNCIL MEETING, TALKED ABOUT, UM, A PORTION.

AND I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 500,000.

I'VE GOT THE FIGURE HERE THAT, THAT THEY FELT THEY COULD ALLOCATE TOWARD TOWARD THIS PURPOSE WITHOUT RAISING THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, ONE, I GUESS I WOULD ASK WHY ALL OF IT IS RESULTING IN ATTEMPT IN, UH, INCREASE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE.

AND I, I ALSO WANT TO LOOK REALLY CAREFULLY AT WHETHER AT WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT OF USING SOME OR ALL OF THIS RIGHT OF WAY, UH, RIGHT AWAY FEES WITHOUT, UH, TURNING AROUND AND THEN INCREASING THAT FEE ON, ON ALL OF OUR, UM, UTILITY CUSTOMERS AS THAT'S HOW IT'S ASSESSED, UM, WITHOUT, OR WITHOUT, UM, SORRY, I LOST THE TRAIN OF MY THOUGHT, BUT THE MECHANISM IS OF CONCERN TO ME, THE MECHANISM OF, UH, REPLENISHING THE RIGHT OF WAY FEES THROUGH A FEE THAT WE WOULD THEN ASSESS OUR UTILITY CUSTOMERS.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF A LINE COULD, COULD JUST BRIEFLY TALK US THROUGH WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE USE THE RIGHT OF WAY FEES, BUT DID NOT INCREASE THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEE.

[02:45:01]

WHAT WOULD, WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT IN TERMS OF THE DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS? AND THEN THE SECOND PIECE OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE LEGACY DECISIONS THAT ALLOCATE A CERTAIN BODY OF FEES OR FUNDING TO PARTICULAR VIEWS FROM TIME TO TIME.

I THINK THIS IS A TIME WHERE WE SHOULD BE REEVALUATING, WHETHER OUR RIGHT AWAY FEES SHOULD ALL BE DESIGNATE TRANSPORTATION.

UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS IS ED BANDANA.

I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOMEBODY FROM ATD AVAILABLE TO SPEAK TO THIS, BUT WE DID HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UM, A FEE INCREASE VERSUS, UM, PROGRAM REDUCTIONS.

UM, AND SO, UM, WE, WE'VE DEFINITELY, YOU SEE JIM THERE, SO I'LL LET HIM SPEAK TO IT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY THERE WERE GOING TO BE PROGRAMMED OR REDUCTION IS NEEDED IN ATD IN ORDER TO HANDLE A, A TRANSFER OF RIGHT AWAY FEES ON THE ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OF $3.7 MILLION WITHOUT A HIT, THERE WOULD BE NO FEE INCREASE.

JIM, THANK YOU, ED.

AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THE QUESTION.

UM, YES.

IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO PROVIDE MORE OF THE RIGHT WAY TO REVENUE AND TRANSFER OVER, UM, THAT WORD WITHOUT A REPLENISHMENT OF THOSE FUNDS, THAT WOULD RESULT IN A REDUCTION IN SERVICES, UM, FREEZING, UH, POSITIONS.

AND THEN THE THIRD ONE WOULD BE IN ONE THAT, UH, WE'D LIKE TO AVOID, BUT MAYBE NEEDED TO IN THERE IS THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO COUNT CONTEMPLATE LAYOFFS AS PART OF THAT TOO.

I CAN TALK SOME MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT THAT'S THE QUICK ANSWER.

SO I WONDER IF YOU COULD PROVIDE, THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. DELL, FOR THAT.

I APPRECIATE IT.

I KNOW NUMBER ONE, THERE WAS, UM, SOME PORTION OF THAT, THAT THE MEMO HAD INDICATED COULD BE RECLASSIFIED WITHOUT HAVING PROGRAM THAT PESTO.

I WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT INFORMATION, NOT NECESSARILY RIGHT NOW, BUT, UM, IF WE COULD TREAT THIS AS A QUESTION IN THE Q AND A, OR I CAN SUPPLY IT AFTER THE COUNT, AFTER TODAY'S WORK SESSION, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW THOSE FIGURES BREAK DOWN.

SO, UM, IF THERE ARE PROGRAM REDUCTIONS THAT ARE NECESSARY, WHAT PROGRAMS WOULD THOSE BE AND WHAT EXTENT THOSE WOULD BE? YOU TALKED ABOUT PRAISING A PHYSICIANS.

IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A HIRING FREEZE.

SO SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS MAY ALREADY BE FROZEN.

AND UNLESS THAT DIDN'T APPLY TO THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE IT'S AN ENTERPRISE FUND.

AND THEN I KNOW THAT IT'S CERTAINLY MY COMMITMENT, UM, TO TRY TO AVOID LAYOFFS.

SO I WOULD WANT TO KNOW WHAT, WHAT PORTION OF THE FUNDING, UM, IS, UM, PAYING FOR POSITIONS THAT WE, THAT WE WOULD WANT TO CONTINUE JUST SO WE CAN KIND OF TEASE OUT THOSE, THAT INFORMATION.

SO, THANKS.

AS MUCH AS $30 MILLION COULD BE GENERATED THROUGH THIS MEANS.

SO THAT'S VERY HELPFUL.

UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THOUGH, SO SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT AWAY FEES AND, AND, UM, ALLIE V PARCHMENT AGREEMENTS, I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE SLIDE THAT YOU HAD TALKING ABOUT.

UM, THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING THOSE.

I NEED TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, I THINK, I THINK THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS HERE.

ONE IS ABOUT WHAT HAS, AS YOU SAID, UM, YOU, AND MAYBE OTHERS, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME KIND OF WHO, WHO PROVIDED THESE RECOMMENDATIONS TO US, WHETHER THEY WERE COMING FROM FINANCIAL SERVICES OR FROM OTHERS.

BUT THERE, I THINK THAT THE POINT THAT YOU MADE IS THAT THOSE, THE ALLEY VACATION ALLEY AND STREET VACATION SALES HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMMITTED FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND ALLOCATIONS THAT WE MADE.

IF YOU COULD TELL ME WHAT THOSE, WHAT THAT AMOUNT TOTALS AND TO WHAT PROJECTS THOSE HAVE BEEN COMMITTED.

AND SO THERE'S THAT QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THE FUNDING THAT WE'VE ALREADY COMMITTED THROUGH ALLIANZ VACATION SALES FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 CAN BE REALLOCATED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

BUT THE OTHER POINT OF, OF THE AMENDMENT I BROUGHT IS REALLY MAKING, MAKING A CONSCIOUS COMMITMENT RIGHT NOW TO, TO ALLOCATE UPCOMING ENCROACHMENT AND ALLIE AND STREET VACATION SALES TO THIS PURPOSE OF, OF SUPPORTING IN PARTICULAR, OUR VENUES, UM, WHICH ARE VERY OFTEN IN THE SAME AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THOSE FEES BEING GENERATED DOWNTOWN, ALONG SOME OF OUR MAJOR QUARTERS LIKE CONGRESS IN SOUTH FIRST AND LAMAR.

SO I'M SORRY, NOT SOUTH FIRST.

I REALLY JUST SAY CONGRESS IN LAMAR.

UM, SO I'M VERY INTERESTED IN CIRCLING BACK TO THAT, AGAIN, UNDERSTANDING FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, AND MAYBE YOU CAN PROVIDE US THAT INFORMATION NOW, WHAT AMOUNT THAT TOTALS AND TO WHAT PROJECTS THOSE HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED.

AND THEN I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO CONSIDER WHATEVER I THINK WE WOULD NEED TO POST AN ORDINANCE FOR NEXT MEETING SAYING PROSPECTIVELY.

WE WANT TO COMMIT THOSE FUNDS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO THIS PURPOSE, BECAUSE WE ARE, WE HAVE LARGE PROJECTS COMING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THAT WILL GENERATE THESE FEES AND VERY SIGNIFICANT ONES.

AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED IN OUR COUNCIL MEETING, POTENTIALLY

[02:50:01]

AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US MAKE A COMMITMENT NOW TO DONATE, TO DEDICATE AT LEAST A PORTION DOSES.

SO THE FIRST PART WAS A GOOD QUESTION.

UM, I GUESS MR. VAN, YOU KNOW, IN A POSITION TO ANSWER IT ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THE FISCAL YEAR 21 LOOK PICTURE LOOKS LIKE WITH REGARD TO ENCOURAGEMENT, STRAIGHTENED VACATIONS? SURE.

THE, UM, THE AMOUNT IN THE FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET IS $800,000 THAT SAID IT'S AN ESTIMATE OF CORK.

WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE SALES ARE GOING TO BE UNTIL THEY OCCUR, BUT IT'S FUN, A RECENT HISTORY OF $800,000 AND SIMILAR TO THE RIGHT OF WAY FEES.

THESE ARE, THESE ARE THE REVENUES THAT HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN IN THE GENERAL FUND, BUT AS PART OF THE FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET, UM, WE, UM, WE STARTED MOVING THOSE OR WE, WE BUDGETED THOSE IN THE, IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.

IT WAS PART OF OUR, UM, APPROACH TO GETTING THE BUDGET BALANCED THIS YEAR.

AND THEY'RE NOT DEDICATED TO A SPECIFIC PROGRAM OR PROJECT OR DEPARTMENT.

UM, THEY ARE JUST GENERAL REVENUE, GENERAL REVENUES THAT GO TO SUPPORT THE OVERALL GENERAL FUND AND KEEPING IT BALANCED.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

UM, SO I'LL DO A LITTLE WORK WITH STAFF AND WITH LEGAL TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT ACTION WE COULD TAKE WITHIN OUR POSTING LANGUAGE ON THURSDAY, UM, TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT I'M DESCRIBING IN TERMS OF PROSPECTIVE USE OF THAT FUNDING GOING FORWARD ON, ON OUR NEXT MEETING.

UM, THE FEE WAIVERS, AND THIS MAY BE IS BETTER FOR Q AND A QUESTION TWO, BUT MAYBE PERHAPS YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

YOU ADDRESS THE QUESTION OF FEE WAIVERS, UM, PARTICULARLY FOR LARGE EVENTS OR SOME OF THE PARADES AND THINGS.

YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SPRING AT THIS POINT, BUT WE DO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE FALL.

AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A FEW OF THOSE LARGE FEE WAIVER, LARGE FEE WAIVER, UM, EVENTS IN THE FALL AS WELL.

IS THAT THE CASE, OR AM I MISREMEMBERING? WHAT, WHICH ONES TRIGGER FEE WAIVER? UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE THEM IN THE FALL.

OF COURSE THE SPRING EVENT IS THE, THE LARGER, UM, EVENT THAT HAS SOME SIGNIFICANT FEE WAIVERS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.

UM, WE ESTIMATE THAT WITH BEING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF, OF 1.5 MILLION TO $2 MILLION, THAT COUNCIL ANNUALLY WAYS RELATED TO SPECIAL EVENTS.

I THINK I MAY NEED TO DRILL DOWN A LITTLE BIT ON THAT, UM, OUTSIDE OF THIS.

SO THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVES OF TWO AREAS, TWO MORE AREAS.

AND I GUESS I MAY NEED TO, TO, UM, DEFER SOME OF MY QUESTIONS TO ALLOW MY COLLEAGUES TO ASK QUESTIONS.

SO, BUT THE AREAS I WANT TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT ARE THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVES AND ALSO PAY FOR SUCCESS WITH REGARD TO ECONOMIC.

SO I'LL ASK ECONOMIC INCENTIVES AND THEN SEE IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO JUMP IN ECONOMIC INCENTIVES.

HOW I HAVE A COUPLE PARTS OF THIS QUESTION.

UM, HOW MUCH IS A FEW YEARS AGO WE HAD DONE DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS.

I HAD DONE AN AMENDMENT THAT WAS SUPPORTIVE, WHICH I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT, UM, TO STOP PREPAYING FOR OUR ECONOMIC INCENTIVES DEALS.

SO I KNOW THAT WE DID, WE DID STOP SOME LEVEL OF PREPAYMENT FOR OUR ECONOMIC INCENTIVE STEALS AND HAVE IN THAT FUNDING, IN THAT FUND CLOSER TO THE AMOUNT THAT WE ACTUALLY WOULD BE OBLIGATED FOR THE FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR.

DO WE HAVE ANY OVERAGE, UM, IN THAT FUND BEYOND JUST WHAT ARE OUR COMMITMENTS ARE FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR? UM, SO YOUR MEMORY IS CORRECT.

WE DID MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY OVERAGE.

UM, AND FYI 21 IT'S $10.2 MILLION IS WHAT OUR PAYMENT FOR THE, UH, THREE 80 AGREEMENTS WILL BE THEN FOR FYI.

IT IS A RESERVE FUND.

SO IN FYI 21, WE'RE ALSO RESERVING EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION, WHICH IS OUR PROJECTED PAYMENTS, UM, FOR FISCAL YEAR 22.

SO DO WE HAVE ANY MONEY IN THERE BEYOND THE 10.2 AND THE 8.5? WE DO NOT.

SO ONE AND THIS THANK YOU, JEN.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THOUGH THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO, IN ESSENCE, BORROW FROM A RESERVE FUND WITH THE INTENT OF REPLENISHING, IT, IT MAKES ME FAR MORE COMFORTABLE TO BORROW FROM OUR ECONOMIC INCENTIVES RESERVE PAYMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 22 THAN IT DOES TO BORROW FROM OUR PAY FOR SUCCESS FUND.

AND, YOU KNOW, PART OF WHY WE PREPAID THAT PAY FOR SUCCESS FUND IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A PILOT PROGRAM GOING ON.

UM, WELL, IN ANY CASE I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, SOME REAL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS I NEED TO ASK ABOUT PAY FOR SUCCESS, BUT I'LL JUST LEAVE IT WITH THAT POINT THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO BORROW FROM A RESERVE CONDOM WOULD BE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE DOING IT WITH THE ECONOMIC AND SERVICE INCENTIVES FUND.

THEN THE FUND THAT WE'VE SET ASIDE TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND HOUSING JOEL'S WHO ARE IN REAL NEED OF IT IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THANKS ED.

AND I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS IN A BIT

[02:55:03]

COLLEAGUES.

UM, IT'S NOON.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT ON THIS, UH, COUNCILOR FLANAGAN? I, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD WORK STILL.

YOU HAVE TO DO HERE.

I DO.

I JUST WANT TO THANK STAFF THERE THERE'S STORIES COMING OUT ABOUT THE STATE AND THE COUNTY, UH, HAVING BEEN UNABLE TO EXPEND THE CARES ACT MONEY THAT THEY'VE COLLECTED.

AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ASKED STAFF TO MOVE QUICKLY TO GET THE MONEY OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND NOT JUST THAT, BUT TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT WOULD GIVE US DATA THAT SHOWED WHAT THE SCALE OF THE NEED WAS.

AND, UH, MS. PERSON, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION CAUSE YOU HIT BOTH OF THOSE POINTS REALLY WELL.

UM, THERE IS A GIGANTIC SCALE OF NEED IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT I'VE, I'M, I'M PRETTY PLEASED WITH HOW QUICKLY THE CITY WAS ABLE TO GET THE MONEY OUT THE DOOR AND INTO THE HANDS OF FOLKS IN NEED.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THE COUNTY AND THE GOVERNOR ARE LISTENING, IT LOOKS LIKE OUR PROGRAMS ARE WORKING AND THEY WORK QUICKLY.

AND IF THEY WANT TO ALLOCATE THEIR ON EXPENDABLE MONIES OVER TO OUR STAFF, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT A PROCESS THAT WORKS WELL.

THANK YOU STAFF FOR, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.

I MAY HAVE MORE QUESTIONS LATER.

I JUST WANTED TO GET THAT POINT IN BEFORE WE BREAK THINK THE GOVERNOR HAS A LITTLE OVER $5 BILLION IN MONEY THAT IT'S NOT ALLOCATED YET.

THAT HAS TO BE SPENT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, UH, FURTHER COMMENTS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POOL.

AND YES, OF COURSE THE STATE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE HELPING OUT.

THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING.

AND THE GOVERNOR HASN'T EVEN CALLED A SPECIAL SESSION TO HAVE THAT CONSIDERATION.

SO THERE'S A HUGE GAP IN WHAT THE STATE OF TEXAS IS DENYING IN ORDER TO PROTECT ITS CITIZENS.

WE DID HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMISSIONERS AND THE COUNTY AFTER READING THAT FOSTER MONITOR REPORT ABOUT THE 17% THAT HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED 60 PLUS MILLION TRAVIS COUNTY, OUR UNDERSTANDING FROM THE COMMISSIONERS IS ALL THE MONEY HAS BEEN COMMITTED, EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T WRITE THAT.

SO THERE MAY BE SEE PAUL ON THE FLOATS TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT THAT DID SEEM LIKE A BIT OF A SPARK OF HOPE.

AND SO PEOPLE WAS CHASED DOWN AND THEY WEREN'T AS DILIGENTLY ON TRYING TO DISTRIBUTE THEIR PLANS IS THE CITY AS WE'VE BEEN DOING HERE.

UH, FOR THE CAMERAS BEFORE WE BREAK, WE ARE PRO 10.

I WANT TO THANK STAFF.

I KNOW THIS WAS A HEAVY LIFT AND A QUICK TURNAROUND AND, UM, JUST KIND OF ON A REITERATE, SOME OF THE MAYOR COMMENTS IN THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT FEELS SO MANY TIMES WE ARE COMMUNITY AND RIGHTFULLY SO LOOKS TO THE CITY, UH, TO SOLVE THESE HUGE, HUGE, HUGE PROBLEMS AND ISSUES.

AND, UM, WE DO IT WITHOUT STATE AND FEDERAL HELP.

AND, UM, I ENCOURAGE, WE'VE GOTTEN SO MANY EMAILS AND I'M GRATEFUL TO SEE PEOPLE INVOLVED.

PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE GOVERNOR REGION.

YOU SEND THAT SAME EMAIL CAMPAIGN TO OUR STATE LEADERS, TO OUR COUNTY LEADERS, TO OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

UM, WHEN WE SEE SO-CALLED BILLIONAIRES PAYING $750 IN TAXES, UM, WE HAVE A BROKEN SYSTEM IN HOW WE HAVE SAFETY NETS FOR, UM, PEOPLE IN TIME IN NEED IN GENERAL, AND EVEN IN MORE IN TIMES OF CRISIS.

SO PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR OUTREACH TO ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

UM, I, I DO, I KNOW WE'RE TRYING TO GET INTO LUNCH OR I DO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE EQUITY ASPECT I ALWAYS DO OF WHO WILL, UH, GET THIS FUNDS AND HOW THEY WILL BE ALLOCATED.

AND, UM, WE'VE ALSO HAD A LOT OF, UH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO US ABOUT ANY ORGANIZATIONS OR BUSINESSES THAT DO GET CITY FUNDING, ENSURING THAT THEY ARE PROVIDING THEIR EMPLOYEES WITH LIVING WAGES.

AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT, I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEONE'S TOUCHED ON THAT ALREADY, BUT ANY, UM, ANY SUBSIDY THAT THE CITY PROVIDES, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE THOSE BUSINESS OWNERS AND FACILITIES ARE PROVIDING, I WOULD SAY AT LEAST WHAT THE CITY'S MINIMUM WAGE IS, WHICH I BELIEVE IS, UH, CLOSE TO $16 NOW.

UM, IF THEY'RE GETTING CITY DOLLARS, BUT THANK YOU TO STAFF.

I THINK WE HAVE A LOT MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS AND WE NEED HELP FROM, UM, ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THESE VERY BIG ISSUES.

ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE BREAK A COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER? SO MY, MY APOLOGIES, IF SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY MENTIONED THIS, I HAD TO DEAL WITH A LITTLE LUNCH, UM, CRISIS YEAR.

COLLEAGUES,

[03:00:01]

UM, SO I'M INTERESTED IN US REALLY EXPLORING, UM, THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE CAN, UM, INVEST IN SORT OF THE PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS AND INVEST IN OUR ARTISTS.

UM, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS TIME AND HOW WE ARE, UM, APPROACHING OUR RESPONSE, I LOOK BACK TO THE NEW DEAL.

UM, AND THERE'S ENORMOUS EXAMPLES IN THE NEW DEAL OF SOME REALLY EXCITING PROGRAMS, UM, WITH THE, SORRY, EXCUSE ME, WITH THE WPA AND OTHERS, UM, FEDERAL ART PROJECTS.

I MEAN, THIS IS HOW WE HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL WORK OF JACOB LAWRENCE AND THE WRITINGS OF BELLOW AND THE PHOTOS OF DOROTHEA LANGE.

UM, AND EVEN THAT WE HAVE PRESERVED, UM, SOME OF WHAT HE GOLFER GUTHRIE'S MUSIC IS BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS THAT WERE MADE AT THAT TIME TO PROMOTE OUR ARTS AND CULTURE.

UM, AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO BE EXPLORING WHETHER WE CAN USE SOME OF OUR HOT RESERVES TO SUPPORT OUR ARTISTS, UM, IN THAT WAY THAT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL AND FEASIBLE BY THE RULES.

UM, AND EVEN A LITTLE BIT, WOULD IT GO A LONG WAY, UM, AND WOULD HELP US, UM, AS WE TRANSITIONED OUT IN SO MANY WAYS.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO BE, UM, EXPLORING, UH, MOVING FORWARD.

BUT THEN I DON'T KNOW SOMEBODY MENTIONED THIS, BUT, UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE GOVERNOR IS SITTING ON LIKE $5 BILLION TO TEXAS, THAT HE HAS AN ALLOCATED, UM, SENATOR ECKERD AND REPRESENTATIVE HOWARD ARE WORKING ON THIS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MONEY THAT COULD REALLY HELP IN THIS SITUATION.

AND, UM, SO I'M PROBABLY ECHOING THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SAID, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, UM, GET THAT MONEY SPENT.

I BELIEVE IT HAS A DEADLINE OF DECEMBER 31ST.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

SO MAYOR, I JUST WANT TO, BEFORE I KIND OF ON SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, I KNOW IT'S LUNCHTIME AND I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ADVOCATING THAT WE END ON TIME.

SO OUR FAMILIES ARE AWAITING LUNCH TO GO INTO CRISIS.

I WANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO THAT BEFORE, BEFORE I ASK MY QUESTIONS NOW, BUT I ALSO WANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO THE FACT THAT THEN WE HAVE STAFF RETURNING AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION.

SO WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER HERE IN TERMS OF QUESTIONING? I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS ABOUT PAY FOR SUCCESS AND ABOUT THE, UH, ONE OF THE SLIDES WITH REGARD TO THE THREE 80 PROGRAM.

SO I CAN, WELL, EXCEPT WAS INITIALLY IS THAT WE WOULD BREAK FOR LUNCH, PROBABLY BREAK FOR LUNCH.

WE WOULD COME BACK AND DO THE REMAINDER OF THE PULLED ITEMS. AND THEN WE WOULD GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.

UM, UH, AND I DID NOT HAVE US COMING BACK OUT AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION.

SO CAN WE ASK QUESTION, I GUESS THEN, CAN WE ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS AFTER OUR LUNCH? IS THAT WHAT YOUR PREFERENCE WOULD BE AT THIS POINT? YES.

SUPER THEN I'LL SAVE MINE FOR THEM.

YOU WANT TO DO THAT NOW? COLLEAGUES IT'S 1209.

DO WE WANT A BREAK? UM, UH, IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE AN HOUR THAT WOULD HAVE US COME BACK AT ONE 10 OR TO COME BACK IN ONE 10, LET'S DO THAT.

WE'LL DO, UM, UH, THE FI WE'LL DO THE REST OF THE PULLED ITEMS, UH, WHICH AT THIS POINT ONLY HAS THE ONE BLESSED ITEM.

NUMBER 57 PULLED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO WAS 12 AND 57, UH, PLUS CONTINUED CONVERSATION ON THIS 52 AND WE'LL BREAK FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION.

UNDERINSURED POPULATIONS.

SO AT 1210, UH, THIS MEETING IS IN RECESS.

SEE YOU GUYS AT ONE 10.

BYE CORA.

THIS IS OUR WORK SESSION ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2020.

UM, WITH THE TIME IS ONE 15 AND WE'RE BACK FROM LUNCH AND OUR RECESS HOUR.

WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE IN, UH, QUESTIONS OR CONVERSATIONS, UH, ABOUT,

[52. Approve an ordinance amending certain Fiscal Year 2020-2021 department budgets to fund the Save Austin’s Vital Economic Sectors (SAVES) Fund to support COVID-19 emergency relief as follows: the Financial Services Department Capital Budget (Ordinance No. 20200812-001) to transfer out and appropriate $6,000,000 to the General Fund Emergency Reserve Fund; and the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Building Services Department Capital Budget (Ordinance No. 20200812-001) to transfer out and appropriate $500,000 to the General Fund Emergency Reserve Fund; the Pay for Success Reserve Fund Operating Budget (Ordinance No. 20200812-001) to transfer out and appropriate $4,800,000 to the General Fund Emergency Reserve Fund; and the Austin Transportation Department Mobility Fund Operating Budget (Ordinance No. 20200812-001) to transfer out and appropriate $3,700,000 to the General Fund Emergency Reserve Fund; and declaring an emergency. Strategic Outcome(s): Government that Works for]

OR THIS ITEM 52.

UH, AND THEN WE'LL DO THE OTHER PULL ITEMS BEGINNING 12.

THEN IN 57, WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH PULLED ITEMS, WE'LL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.

UH, AND THAT WILL BE THE MEETING TODAY.

UM, COLLEAGUES, I GOT A, UH, INFORMATION FROM, UH, DR.

S SCOTT RELATIVE TO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I ASKED I WAS TRYING TO GET WITH THE TREND WAS WITH COMMUNITY CARE.

COMMUNITY CARE IS, UH, UH, ONE OF THE ARMS OF CENTRAL HEALTH, UH, THAT DEALS WITH, UH, PROVIDING DIRECT SERVICE TO, UH, UNINSURED

[03:05:03]

UM, A WEEK AGO, THEIR POSITIVITY RATE WAS 10.4% OVERALL AND 14.7% WITHIN THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

UH, THIS WEEK AS THE NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED AND THEY ARE AT A 4.9% OVERALL AND 7.1%, UH, IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

SO IT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE OTHER NUMBERS THAT WE WERE GETTING FOR BACKTRACKS.

ALRIGHT, COLLEAGUES, UH, FURTHER QUESTIONS ON, UH, ON ITEM NUMBER 52 SAVES COUNSEL TOLD THEM.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

I WANTED TO ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

SO AS I AM FIRST, LET ME START WITH THE TRANSPORTATION USER FEES.

SO THE USER FEE, UM, WOULD RESULT IN A 50 CENT INCREASE.

AND IS THAT PER MONTH FOR YOU? UM, YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER THAT'D BE A 50 CENT INCREASE PER MONTH.

55 CENTS.

IT SAYS 50 CENTS IN THE MEMO, BUT I REMEMBER IN THE BACKUP SAYING 55 CENTS.

SO, UM, YEAH, THAT'S ACCURATE, THOSE NUMBERS ARE MOVING AROUND 55 CENTS.

SO ABOUT $6, MORE THAN A LITTLE MORE THAN A DOLLAR, A LITTLE MORE THAN $6 A YEAR.

RIGHT.

UM, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT HYPNOSIS FOR A MOMENT.

SO WE HAD, AND YOU MIGHT, I THINK I DO THE RIGHT PERSON TO START OFF WITH THE RESPONSES.

AS I RECALL, WE DID THIS LAST YEAR.

WE'VE PREPAID PAY FOR SUCCESS IN PART, BECAUSE IT WAS THE LAST YEAR BEFORE THE TAX CAP.

AND THERE WAS AN INTEREST IN PUTTING THINGS TOWARD ONE TIME FUNDING THAT WE COULD, THAT WOULD HELP, UM, PUTTING THING, PUTTING SOME MONEY ASIDE FOR THE HIGHEST COUNCIL PRIORITIES DURING THE LAST YEAR FOR THE TAX KAT, SO THAT WE WOULD BE SURE WE HAD THAT FUNDING AVAILABLE TO US IN THOSE YEARS FOR THE TAX CAP APPLIED.

AND I'VE LOOKED AT THAT'S WHEN WE PRE-FUNDED OKAY FOR SUCCESS INITIATIVES.

IS THAT CORRECT? SO WE DID IT NOT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET CYCLE, BUT FOR FISCAL YEAR 20, YEAH.

4.8 MILLION OF THAT $6 MILLION WAS ADDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 20 BUDGET FOR EXACTLY THE REASONS YOU LAID OUT TO BE SURE THAT WE HAD IT IN THE OUTGOING YEARS BECAUSE OF THE TEXT TAB.

SO THAT WAS ALL PART OF OUR STRATEGY FOR KIND OF TRYING TO A SOFT SELL.

WE KNEW IT WOULD BE SOME TOUGH BUDGETS.

I'M GOING AHEAD AND UNDER A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT CAP.

TO, TO RESPOND TO THE RESOLUTION BECAUSE NUMBER TOTAL, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU COULD HEAR ME, YOUR SCREEN IS, OH, YOUR BACK.

AND SO, AND I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD DECISION.

I CERTAINLY SUPPORTED IT.

UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CHANGES COMING TO THAT.

WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY MOVING FORWARD WITH THE PAY FOR SUCCESS MODEL AT THIS POINT, BUT WE ARE, I ASSUME MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ACTUAL PROJECT, WHICH WAS TO HOUSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND ARE AT THE HIGHEST RISK OF CYCLING IN AND OUT OF OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, OUR EMERGENCY ROOMS, BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST MORE HUMANE, UM, AND BETTER OUTCOMES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO IT IS ECONOMICALLY, UM, THE BEST DECISION TO FUND HOUSING AND SERVICES UP FRONT AND, AND, UM, HELP BREAK THE CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS, UM, AMONG OTHER SITUATIONS FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS.

SO CAN, CAN SOMEBODY, AND MAYBE ACN SHORTER YOU'RE IN THE BEST POSITION TO ANSWER THIS, WHAT IS, WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT PILOT PROGRAM? IF WE SHIFT THE FUNDING AND THE WAY THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED.

AND IF YOU COULD TELL ME IF THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT OUR AUSTIN DEPARTMENT PUT FORWARD, OR WAS IT, UM, A SUGGESTION FROM OTHER DEPARTMENT, BUT FROM SOME OF THE COURSE TO TAKE, TAKE THE MONEY TO USE IT THIS WAY? WELL, GOOD, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBER.

UH, I'D LOVE TO TURN THIS OVER TO ELLA CARMEN.

WHO'S BEEN WORKING TO COORDINATE MUCH OF THE WORK, AND I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO PARTNERS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THE CITY'S COMMITMENT, UH, UM, WE'LL COMMIT TO THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT IS STILL VERY MUCH, THERE ARE COMMENTS, FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN, UH, TO, TO ANSWER THE FIRST QUESTION.

UH, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER OTHERS AS THEY COME.

WE COULD DO THAT.

AND I'D LOVE A LITTLE BIT, WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, UH,

[03:10:01]

YEP.

WE ALL WORK TOGETHER.

I WOULD SAY JOINTLY NOT TO COME BACK WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.

SO I WOULDN'T SAY THAT ANY ONE AGENCY PUT FORWARD RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE WORKED WITH ED, UH, TO BRAINSTORM AND THEN COME TOGETHER, UM, UH, WITH THE RECOMMENDATION.

SO I HOPE THAT WAS RESPONSIVE TO YOUR QUESTION.

UM, YOUR FEEDBACK COLLEAGUES, BUT ALSO THE STAFF FEEDBACK ON HOW WE COULD ACCOMPLISH HOW WE COULD ACCOMPLISH THAT.

THIS IS BELLA CARMEN, INTERIM HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER OR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH CITY OF AUSTIN.

UM, YOUR FIRST QUESTION WAS YES.

W WE, UM, HAVE BEEN CONTINUING TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH POTENTIAL PARTNERS AND THE INTENT IS TO CONTINUE WITH THE SAME TYPE OF PROJECT, BUT WITH JUST A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT TYPE OF FINANCING, RATHER THAN THE PAY FOR SUCCESS FINANCING.

BUT EXACTLY, AS YOU SAID, WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR HIGH UTILIZERS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND MEDICAL SYSTEM.

UM, AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH POTENTIAL PARTNERS, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE THAT WERE, UM, PART OF THE ORIGINAL PAY FOR SUCCESS PROJECT.

THANK YOU, BELLA.

AND SO WE HAVE, AS I RECALL, WE FUNDED THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, A PILOT WITH 25 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CURRENTLY CURRENTLY HOUSED AND RECEIVING SERVICES.

AM I REMEMBERING THAT CORRECTLY? THAT IS CORRECT.

THERE WAS A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WAS ORIGINALLY FUNDED BY THE SAINT DAVID'S FOUNDATION THROUGH A GRANT WITH THEM.

THE CITY PROVIDED FUNDING FOR THE HOUSING COMPONENT AND SAINT DAVID'S FOUNDATION PROVIDED THE FUNDING FOR THE SERVICES COMPONENT, UM, FOR THAT PILOT AND DID PROVIDE IN JULY, I BELIEVE SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, GAP FUNDING, UM, WHEN THE SAINT DAVID'S FOUNDATION GRANT ENDED FOR THOSE SERVICES TO CONTINUE.

AND SO, UM, THAT, THAT IS PART OF CERTAINLY WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, A PROJECT, THOSE 24 INDIVIDUALS ARE STILL RECEIVING SERVICES, STILL PART OF PSH, AND WILL NEED TO BE INCLUDED AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THE, IN THE, UM, ALTERNATE MODEL PROJECT.

SO THOSE, SO THE ALTERNATE MODEL PROJECT, UM, LET'S JUST, I'M JUST GONNA CALL IT, PAY FOR SUCCESS, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT USING THAT STRUCTURE WOULD BE TO CONTINUE TO HOUSE THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND TO EXPAND IT TO ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUALS THAT WILL DEPEND ON FINDING, BEING AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, THAT DEPENDED ON THAT 4.8 MILLION THAT WAS PUT ASIDE.

UM, WHAT YOU MENTIONED IS CORRECT THAT IT WOULD BE THE INITIAL PILOT PARTICIPANTS AS WELL.

THE EXPANSION TO THE ORIGINAL PROJECT WAS 250 INDIVIDUALS SERVED OVER FIVE YEARS.

UM, IT WOULD RAMP UP AND HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN UNITS AND RECEIVING SERVICES WITHIN THE FIRST TWO YEARS, TWO AND A HALF YEARS, AND THEN CONTINUE, UM, BY NATURE OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WE DO NEED TO ENSURE THAT THAT FUNDS ARE SUSTAINABLE FOR OUR PROJECT LIKE THIS MOVING FORWARD.

BUT THE INTENT WAS THE 1.2 MILLION ANNUALLY AS ED BENIGNO MENTIONED BEFORE LUNCH.

AND SO THAT WAS WHAT WAS TARGETED FOR , BUT HAVE BEEN THE 1.2 MILLION.

SO WE HAVE THE 1.2 MILLION FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, BUT IF, BUT THE ADDITIONAL OUT YEARS WERE PART OF THAT RESERVE FUND, CORRECT.

AND SO WE CAME TO INCLUDE, UM, ONGOING FUNDING BEGINNING F Y TWO AND BEYOND.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL.

AND THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THAT.

I THINK THAT'S A, A CRITICAL PROGRAM AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT OUR COUNCIL HAS SUPPORTED IT IN, IN A VARIETY, INCLUDING MAKING A CHANGE TO THE DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM SO THAT THE FUNDS COULD BE USED RIGHT AWAY TO HELP SUPPORT THAT PILOT.

SO PROBABLY EXIST.

UM, AS I MENTIONED, THIS GIVES ME PAUSE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT WE'VE MADE THAT COMMITMENT FOR SUBSEQUENT YEAR FUNDINGS.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BEFORE WE TAKE THIS STEP IN EXPANDING THE PROGRAM TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO SUSTAIN THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR HOUSING WITH THEIR SERVICES.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THE LAST, UM, BODIES OF FUNDING,

[03:15:02]

UM, AND STILL TAKE ACTION ON THURSDAY.

AND JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS SUGGEST THAT, THAT WE ALLOCATE THE FUNDING ON THURSDAY, BUT FROM PAY FOR SUCCESSFUL, THEY WITH, AND IT MAY BE A MEANINGLESS SHIFT BECAUSE IT MAY ALREADY, WE MAY ALREADY HAVE STAFF MAY ALREADY HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO THIS.

BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST IS THAT INSTEAD OF ALLOCATING THAT MONEY THAT'S RESERVE FUND THAT WE'VE ALLOCATED INSTEAD FROM THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVES VERSUS A FUND, UM, SET ASIDE FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, I THINK IT AMOUNTS TO THE SAME THING.

BOTH OF THOSE ARE FOR SUBSEQUENT PAYMENTS RATHER THAN PAYMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE DISTRIBUTED FISCAL 21.

AND IF WE CAN'T IDENTIFY FUNDING TO MEET THAT COMMITMENT IN FISCAL YEAR 22, THEN I WOULD RATHER, UM, I WOULD RATHER THAT WE FAIL TO MEET OUR, I MEAN, I HOPE THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE THE CASE IN EITHER CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT I WOULD, I WOULD FAR RATHER, IT'D BE ONE ABOUT INCENTIVE PAYMENTS THAN HAVING PEOPLE LOSE THEIR HOUSING OR, OR LOSE THEIR SUPPORT SERVICES.

AND I KNOW WE WOULD WORK HARD IN OUR MANAGEMENT AND OUR STAFF, EXCUSE ME, WE HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION GOING ON IN A NEXT DOOR CUBICLE THAT, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S JUST FUNDING TO THIS, BUT IT ISN'T.

UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, BUT I, I THINK THE BIGGER, THE BIGGER CON, AS I WAS SAYING, I THINK OUR MANAGEMENT AND I KNOW OUR STAFF WOULD WORK SO HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY IDENTIFIED FUNDS SO THAT, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN SO THAT INDIVIDUALS DIDN'T LOSE THEIR HOUSING.

BUT PART OF, PART OF HOW WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE THE PARTNERS THAT WE DID WITH THE PAY FOR SUCCESS MODEL.

AND I THINK OUR, OUR CONTINUED, OUR CONTINUED SUCCESS AND SECURING ADDITIONAL PARTNERS WILL DEPEND ON THEM.

BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT THE CITY HAS MADE A COMMITMENT AND HAVING THAT FUNDING SET ASIDE WAS PART OF THAT.

SO ANYWAY, I WOULD, I WOULD OPEN THAT UP TO MY COLLEAGUES TO SEE WHETHER THEY WOULD SUPPORT SUCH A SHIFT COUNCIL MEMBER, TOTO.

I SHARE THE CONCERN ABOUT TAKING THE MONEY OUT OF PAY FOR SUCCESS.

CAUSE I THINK THAT'S A REAL HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE CITY.

UM, I THINK THAT AS FAR AS THURSDAY GOES, I WOULD PROBABLY, UH, AND, AND I'LL THINK ABOUT IT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AGAIN, CAUSE I SHARE THAT CONCERN.

UM, I, WHERE I SIT RIGHT NOW IS I WOULD LET IT STAND JUST THE WAY THAT IT STANDS ON THURSDAY.

UH, I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE SOME FUNDING OUT OF THE SALES TAX POCKET.

UM, WE HAVE A MONTH THAT HAS GONE DOWN HERE AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT TRENDING DOWN, THAT THAT WAS KIND OF AN ABERRATION.

UH, AND THEN I WOULD SEE US THEN PUT THAT MONEY BACK INTO THE PAY FOR SUCCESS SO THAT IT'S HOLDING.

UH, AND I THINK THAT, UM, DOING IT THAT WAY HELPS ENSURE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO FIX THIS FUNDING GAP THAT OCCURS JUST BECAUSE THAT USES SOMETHING THAT I JUST CAN'T CONCEIVE AT THIS COUNCIL, NOT REPLENISHING.

UH, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME TIME HERE OVER THE COMING WEEKS TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE BEST WAY WE CAN SEE THE SALES TAX REVENUES AS THEY COME IN.

UH, BUT I WILL SAY THAT I, AND I JOIN YOU IN BELIEVING THAT THE PAY FOR SUCCESS IN IS WHATEVER FORM IT IS WITH OUR COLLEAGUES, INSTITUTIONS, AND ENTITIES, HELPING US IS A REALLY HIGH PRIORITY FOR US AND FOR THE CITY, WHICH IS WHERE I THINK KEEPING IT THAT WAY, BEST ENSURES THAT WE'LL ACTUALLY REPLENISH.

BUT I'LL THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I SHARE THE SAME ANSWER.

UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO ALL OF ONE OR THE OTHER.

LET'S REMEMBER ALTAR.

SO, UM, CAN YOU, MAYBE STAFF CAN TELL US HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVE FUND OR THAT WOULD BE, UM, SET ASIDE FOR 2020 THAT'S ALREADY IN THAT FUND.

SO THE BUDGET, THE COUNCILS WERE PERFECT FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 INCLUDED AN $8.5 MILLION RESERVE.

THAT RESERVE IS PREDICATED UPON THE, UM, THE BUSINESSES THAT RECEIVED THE TAX ABATEMENT, PAYING THEIR TAXES IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY OF THIS CYCLE.

AND THEN WE ACTUALLY RESERVED THOSE FUNDS TO ABATE TO THE COMPANIES IN THE NEXT YEAR SUBJECT TO THEM MEETING THEIR PERFORMANCE GOALS.

SO IT TRULY DOES ACT LIKE A RESERVE THEY'RE PAYING THEIR TAXES FIRST, THE MENDER RESERVE, AND THEN A BAIT THEM IN THE NEXT YEAR.

SO WE COULD HAVE AN OPTION OF DOING EVEN SPLITTING IT TO,

[03:20:01]

I MEAN, WE COULD SAY WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUT, YOU KNOW, 2.4 MILLION FROM THAT AND 2.4 MILLION FROM PAY FOR SUCCESS.

AND WE HAVE SOME OPTIONS THERE, I THINK, IS THAT, AM I RIGHT? I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE SOME OPTIONS.

I MEAN, I THINK THE DIFFERENCE IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, PAY FOR SUCCESS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY SET UP TO BE A RESERVE FUND.

IT WAS SET UP AS A FUND, A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND TO US, A LAPTOP TO ALLOW FOR US TO TRANSPARENTLY ACCOUNTS FOR THE FLUX.

AND IT WAS PROGRAM.

IT WAS ONLY IN FISCAL YEAR 21 THAT WE MADE THE RECOMMENDATION TO PRE-FUND IT NOT FROM A RESERVE PERSPECTIVE, BUT JUST FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WHOLE TAX ISSUE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TIMO WAS SPEAKING TO.

SO, YOU KNOW, ON THE PAY FOR SUCCESS PROGRAM, IF WE COULD FULL 4.8 MILLION OUT OF THAT, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL COULD FIND 1.2 MILLION A YEAR OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, WHICH IS WHAT THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVE RESERVE BOND.

IF WE PULL 4.8 MILLION OUT OF THAT YEAR, THAT THAT FUND, IT ALL NEEDS TO BE PAID UP NEXT YEAR BECAUSE IT LOOKED TO BE TAX ABATEMENTS THAT ARE BASED UPON PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES BEING MET.

I MAY HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS I'LL TAKE OFFLINE AND LEAVE IT TO THAT.

ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS ITEM? 52, BEFORE WE GO TO A DIFFERENT ITEM, A COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, I HAVE A DIFFERENT QUESTION.

SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO GOT HER QUESTION FIRST.

ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO COMMENT ON HER QUESTION AND THEN I'LL MOVE TO, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA I SHARE YOUR CONCERNS.

AND SO WE'LL BE THINKING THROUGH WHAT THE OPTIONS MIGHT BE, JUST LIKE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN PHRASED, SO GO TO A DIFFERENT SUBJECT NOW OR YES.

IS THAT WHAT THE THINKING IS? THAT IS THE THINKING COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WE WOULD, UH, AND YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

I WANTED TO EXPLORE A LITTLE BIT MORE, THERE ARE THREE 80 AGREE, UH, AGREEMENT, UH, CONCEPT THAT WAS, THAT WAS SUGGESTED.

UM, AND I'M, I'M WONDERING IF, UM, I THINK WHAT I HEARD IS, UM, UH, WHEN THAT WAS LAID OUT, THAT THE, THAT THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT THE STAFF HAS CONSIDERING BRINGING BACK TO US.

CAN YOU, UM, CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE TO HOW THAT MIGHT WORK? MY QUESTION REALLY IS CAN YOU USE THREE 80 AGREEMENTS TO, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE, I THINK THIS IS HOW WE USE THEM NOW.

UH, BUT WE USE THEM AS A WAY TO ABATE PROPERTY TAXES, UM, IN EXCHANGE FOR CERTAIN PERFORMANCE.

SO COULD WE APPLY THAT? COULD WE APPLY THAT CONCEPT TO THESE, UM, THESE PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, UH, VENUES AND RESTAURANTS THAT ARE, UH, PERFORMING AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH, UH, THE PARAMETERS THAT WE WANT TO SET, UM, IS THAT WHAT THE STAFF WAS THINKING? AND ONE OF THE REASONS I'M ASKING THAT, I'M SORRY, ONE RELATED QUESTION IS THAT WE, WE SAID, UM, I THINK IT'S BEEN MAYBE TWO YEARS AGO NOW THAT WE WANTED, UH, THE STAFF TO COME BACK WITH A THREE 80, UH, AGREEMENT THAT FOCUSED ON, UM, OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES.

WE DIDN'T, I DON'T REMEMBER SETTING ANY MORE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS THAN THAT, AND I APOLOGIZE, I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK, BUT I DO THINK THAT WE PROVIDED DIRECTION AND THAT, THAT CAME WHEN WE, UH, I THINK IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO, BUT IT WAS AT THE TIME WHEN WE CHANGED THE FOCUS OF OUR THREE 80 AGREEMENTS, UH, WE, UH, ADOPTED SOME MATERIALS.

WE ADOPTED A BASE AGREEMENT THAT SAID WE WERE GOING TO CHANGE HOW WE DID THREE 80 AGREEMENTS.

UM, AND THEN WE ADOPTED ONE OF THE PROGRAMS MOVING FORWARD AND THAT ONE PROGRAM HAD TO DO WITH, UM, ONE ASPECT OF IT WAS HIRING, UM, HARD TO HIRE FOLKS THAT WERE, IT WAS HARDER TO HIRE A HEAD, MORE DIFFICULTY FINDING JOBS.

AND WE SAID AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE, UM, THAT WE WANTED, UM, EDD TO BRING BACK TO US, UH, ANOTHER THREE 80 AGREEMENT PROGRAM THAT RELATED TO, UM, SMALL BUSINESSES.

NOW, I THINK I'M REMEMBERING THE BASICS LIKE THAT, THE DETAILS OF NOT REMEMBERING.

SO, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO LOOK IT UP, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THAT SINCE WE ASKED FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

SO THIS SOUNDS LIKE THAT, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO ME.

AND I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, UM, DIRECTOR FOR SENDING OUT IS THAT WHAT WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT IS A SECOND THREE 80 AGREEMENT PROGRAM THAT WOULD FOCUS ON, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD DEFINE IT TO FOCUS ON THE, THESE ENTITIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HELP.

[03:25:01]

THIS COUNCIL ADOPTED A THREE 80 POLICY TWO YEARS AGO AND IT PREDATES ME.

SO, UM, FROM THE DEPARTMENT, SO SNOWY, IF I MISS SOMETHING, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STOP.

THEN, UM, WE, WE HAD HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT A SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM WOULD LOOK LIKE IF IT HAPPENED AND WE GOT A LITTLE REDIRECTED, SO WE'RE PROPOSING A PROGRAM THAT WILL PULL ME TO THESE INDUSTRIES OF FOCUSED.

I WOULD ADD THAT, UM, WE IDENTIFIED ABOUT 500,000 WITHIN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT BUDGET THAT WE THINK WE CAN ALLOCATE TOWARDS THIS, BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY HAD A CHANCE TO TEASE OUT THE IDEA OF ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, UH, FUNDING ASSIGNED TO THIS, UM, BEYOND THAT.

SO THAT WOULD BE A, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE WOULD WANT TO CONSIDER.

AND, UH, IF I COULD ASK A FEW MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT THEN, UM, SO THE WAY THAT PROGRAM WORKS IS, OR AT LEAST THE WAY IT'S, I'M NOT SURE.

SO, SO THE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW THAT WE ADOPTED TWO YEARS AGO, UM, DID WE SET THAT UP SUCH THAT, UM, THE, UH, PROPERTY TAXES WERE PAID AT A TIME AND PUT INTO A RESERVE? THAT WAS CORRECT.

SO WE BASICALLY HAVE TWO EXISTING, THREE 80 AGREEMENT PROGRAMS GOING RIGHT NOW, THE ONE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO WAS ASKING ABOUT.

UM, AND THEN THE ONE THAT WE CREATED TWO YEARS AGO IS THAT RIGHT? I MEAN, IF I NEED TO TAKE THIS OFFLINE THAT'S OKAY.

SURE.

I THINK IT'S NOT REALLY TWO DIFFERENT THREE 80 AGREEMENTS.

TWO YEARS AGO, YOU ADOPTED A CHAPTER THREE, THE POLICY FOR ALL THREE OF THE AGREEMENTS.

IT INCORPORATED ALL THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS LED WITH AND MADE THAT A PART OF OUR STANDARD THREE 80 PROGRAM.

I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.

GO AHEAD.

TWO YEARS AGO, ADOPTED A POLICY CHANGE AND WE ADOPTED A NEW PROGRAM.

SO THEY'LL TAKE IT OFF FLYING TO GO INTO THE DETAILS.

BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE ADOPTED A NEW PROGRAM BECAUSE WE ADOPTED A POLICY CHANGE.

AND THEN WE SAID THAT DOCUMENT, WE WOULD BUILD OFF OF, TO CREATE NEW PROGRAMS AND WE DID ADOPT ONE OF THE PROGRAMS, BUT ANYWAY, THE POINT IS, WELL, I'LL TAKE THIS OFFLINE, UH, FOR THE DETAILS OF IT.

BUT THE BOTTOM LINE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS HOW QUICKLY COULD YOU BRING THAT BACK TO US? UH, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT USEFUL IF WE TAKE A LONG TIME TO, TO PUT IT INTO PLACE.

OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE IT BACK TO YOU IN TWO WEEKS.

UM, WE'RE NOT QUITE READY THEN I'LL, WE'LL WAIT.

WE ALMOST MADE THIS AGENDA, BUT NOT QUITE SO THAT'S QUITE, THAT'S WONDERFUL.

I THINK THAT THAT'S VERY TIMELY.

SO, UM, I'LL TAKE OFF, I'LL TAKE MY QUESTIONS OFFLINE.

SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, THAT'S AN AVENUE TO, TO, IT'S A POTENTIAL AVENUE TO DEAL WITH, UM, ISSUES RELATED TO PROPERTY TAXES AND ALLOWS FOR AN AVENUE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, ABATEMENT OF THOSE TEXAS.

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL CAN BRING BACK IN TWO WEEKS.

I WILL ASK MY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, OFFLINE DIRECTOR, PRESIDIO ON THAT ONE.

UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT AND I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT BACK.

UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN, WHEN I PUT THAT INTO THE SAVES TWO WEEKS AGO, IT WAS THINKING THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH BY ITSELF POTENTIALLY TO REALLY MOVE THE WORLD.

BUT IF WE WERE DEVELOPING SOME KIND OF A STACK THAT WE COULD OFFER TO LANDLORDS AS REDUCING COSTS, IF THEY'RE NOT GETTING PAID RENT, FOR EXAMPLE, NOW, EVEN IN TRIPLE NETS, THEY'RE STILL PAYING THE TAXES.

I MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT ADDED ON WOULD HELP.

SO, BUT TO THAT END, WHEN YOU BRING IT BACK IN TWO WEEKS, IF YOU COULD GIVE US A FEEL FOR WHAT THE IMPACT MIGHT BE ON PROPERTY TAX REVENUE, DEPENDING ON HOW WIDELY WE MADE SOMETHING LIKE THAT AVAILABLE AS PART OF MAINTAINING SOME OF THESE INFRASTRUCTURE SO THAT WE CAN GET A FEEL FOR THAT SIDE OF IT TOO.

BUT THANK YOU FOR JUMPING ON THIS SO QUICKLY, CONTINUING WITH THE WORK.

I THINK YOU WERE ALREADY DOING, UM, ANYTHING ELSE? COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO THEN COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN.

UM, I HAVE, UH, A QUESTION TO PICK UP ON THIS ONE.

SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT APOLOGY IF IT WAS THAT IF IT WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE YEAR RESPONSES TO COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN, I MISSED IT, BUT ON THE SLIDE 15, IT TALKS, THERE'S A REFERENCE TO EXEMPTING EXEMPTING.

[03:30:01]

THE SCREEN PARTICULAR WOULD BE EXEMPTED.

HMM.

I AM.

YOU'RE BACK ON NOW, ASK YOUR QUESTION, PLEASE.

PAGE 15 ON THE SLIDE, CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT WOULD BE EXEMPTED? WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE PARTICULAR EXEMPTIONS THAT YOU WOULD BE REQUESTING? THAT IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW TO BRING IT BACK TO YOU.

WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW COULD WE MAKE THE PROGRAM MORE NIMBLE AND MORE FLEXIBLE FOR BUSINESSES IN THESE INDUSTRIES IMPACTED BY COVID? DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE? I MEAN, ARE QUITE A FEW POLICIES WITHIN IT.

SOME ARE ABOUT THE TIMING FOR COUNCIL AND THEN, AND THE MANDATES THAT THERE'LL BE A PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN A TWO WEEK LAG, OR I FORGOTTEN EXACTLY WHAT THE TIMING ISSUES ARE.

SOME ARE, ARE, UM, REQUIREMENTS REGARDING WAGES AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS.

ARE YOU LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS OR JUST SOME, OR CAN YOU GIVE US SOME SENSE OF WHAT IT IS? I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT SPENDING UP TO $500,000 IN THIS WAY FOR A SMALL BUSINESSES AND SUPPORT THAT, BUT I WANT TO HAVE SOME SENSE OF, OF WHAT THOSE EXEMPTIONS MIGHT BE OR WHAT MIGHT BE ON THE TABLE OR CELEBRATION.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE CONSIDERING ANY AND ALL OF THOSE EXEMPTIONS.

WE, UM, IT WOULD, I WOULD ADD THOUGH IT WOULD BE A TEMPORARY EXEMPTION.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ONLY THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS AND WE'RE, WE'RE STILL FLESHING ALL THAT OUT.

SO WE WILL HAVE MORE DETAILS BACK TO YOU IN TWO WEEKS.

I'M HAPPY TO MEET WITH YOUR OFFICE PRIOR TO THEM HELPFUL.

WELL, IT REALLY, I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND, AND LIKELY WILL TAKE YOU UP ON IT.

BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH COMMUNITY INTEREST AROUND OUR ECONOMIC INCENTIVES POLICY AND A WHOLE LOT OF WORK.

CO-CREATING THE REVISIONS TO IT THAT I REALLY THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW WHAT SOME OF THE PROPOSED EXEMPTIONS WOULD BE.

SO HOPEFULLY AS SOON AS YOU HAVE SOME CLARITY ON WHAT YOU MIGHT PROPOSE TO THE COUNCIL, WE CAN GET THAT OUT FOR COMMUNITY CONVERSATION AS WELL.

ABSOLUTELY.

ANYONE ELSE BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM? YES.

COUNCIL OR KITCHEN? UM, I APOLOGIZE.

I'M NOT, UM, IF THIS IS SOMETHING Y'ALL WERE LOOKING AT, BUT, UM, HAS THERE BEEN ANY REVIEW OF UTILITY COSTS? SO SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM VENUES IS THE, THE, UM, THE NECESSITY FOR THEM TO CONTINUE TO PAY FOR UTILITIES WHILE REMAINING CLOSED.

AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS WHETHER THAT WAS AN AREA THAT YOU LOOKED AT IN TERMS OF THE ABILITY TO T EITHER WAIVE OR DEFER UTILITY FEES.

AND THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A CITY OF AUSTIN ELECTRIC UTILITY, AND I KNOW WE'VE, WE'VE DONE SOME, SOME, UH, RELIEF WITH REGARD TO, UM, INDIVIDUALS.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'VE DONE IN A COMMERCIAL ARENA OR FOR BUSINESSES.

SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COMES TO MIND, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE BROADER DISCUSSION THAT WE WERE HAVING, BUT WE DID NOT GET INTO TOO MANY OF THE SPECIFICS OF, OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE AS WELL.

I'D LIKE THAT, THAT, THAT THAT'D BE LOOKED AT.

UM, THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES, THERE ARE SOME OF THE, UH, UH, MAJOR CONCERNS THAT WE'RE HEARING, UH, IS THE COST RELATED TO RENT, OF COURSE, UM, AND TAXES AND UTILITIES.

SO I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT KIND OF OPTIONS THERE MIGHT BE, UH, IN THAT AREA.

GOOD QUESTION.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, AUTHOR, ARE WE GOING TO, UM, EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THIS ITEM? YES.

AFTER WE FINISHED THE HOLD ITEMS. OKAY.

SO I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, I THINK I'D LIKE TO COVER THERE THEN.

UM, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE MUSIC.

OKAY, KATHERINE TOVO UM, THANKS VERY MUCH.

SO THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, I KNOW ED, I THINK IT WAS ED WHO TALKED ABOUT IT.

I'D LIKE TO GET A SENSE.

I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A GROUP, UM, A WORK GROUP OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION.

THAT'S BEEN LOOKING AT A PLAN FOR SPENDING THAT FUNDING, INVESTING THAT FUNDING IN OUR LIVE MUSIC ECOSYSTEM FOR QUITE A WHILE.

NOW, CAN WE GET SOME SENSE OF WHERE THEY ARE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA? I MEAN, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME REFERENCES AND RECENT RESOLUTIONS TO SEEING HOW CLOSE WE ARE TO SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THAT LIVE MUSIC WORK GROUP AND ANYBODY ON THE CALL SPEAK TO WHEN THEY MIGHT BE GETTING US THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS.

YOU KNOW, IF IT SEEMS TO BE IMPORTANT, COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO SYNOVIA HAUTE, RAD,

[03:35:01]

AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE MUSIC COMMISSION WILL BE TAKING UP A RECOMMENDATION TOMORROW TO BOARDS OF COUNCIL.

SO THERE WILL BE AN UPGRADE PROCESS.

ALRIGHT, COLLEAGUES, THANK YOU.

I'M SORRY.

I HAVE, SO I, YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE, WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE IN TERMS OF ONE POTENTIALLY SWAPPING OUT FUNDING OR CONSIDERING OTHER KINDS OF FUNDING.

AND I JUST IT'S, IT'S CLEAR TO ME THAT CERTAIN OF CERTAIN RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE STUDIED AND COME BACK LIKE THE ECONOMIC INCENTIVES, THREE 80, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN TALKED ABOUT VISITOR CENTER AND THE WORK THAT SHE'S DOING TO BRING THAT BACK.

I MENTIONED THAT I WOULD LIKE A PERSPECTIVE ENCROACHMENT ALLEY STREET, VACATION IN CONCERT WITH THE RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED.

SO I GUESS I'LL BRING THAT BACK ON MY OWN.

UM, I WOULD ASK THE STAFF TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE COULD EMBED THAT WITHIN THE COUNCIL DECISIONS ON THURSDAY, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, UM, IT MAY BE VERY IMPORTANT TO SOME OF US TO EMBED SOME OF THAT DIRECTION INTO THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE THURSDAY.

I MENTIONED PAY FOR SUCCESS.

UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT ONLY IF I HAVE A PRETTY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE GONNA SWAP OUT THE FUNDING IN A SUBSEQUENT MEETING.

SO IF YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE AT THIS POINT, OR IF I COULD ASK YOU TO HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF LANGUAGE, UM, ENRICH PLACES MIGHT HELP US AFFECT THOSE CHANGES GOING FORWARD, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

AND JUST AS A REMINDER, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET SOME INFORMATION THROUGH THE Q AND A ABOUT, ABOUT THE RIGHT AWAY FEES AND THE PROGRAM PROGRAM POTENTIAL PROGRAM IMPACTS.

IF YOU DO NOT, IF WE DO NOT PASS, UH, THE TRANSPORTATION USER FOR YOU, THAT WOULD BE ASSESSED OF ALL OF OUR UTILITIES USERS OR ALL OF OUR UTILITY USERS WHO PAY THE TRANSPORTATION.

SO THANKS FOR THIS, THANKS FOR THIS WORK.

UM, AND I GUESS I WOULD, I KNOW FEW OF MY COLLEAGUES SORT OF CHIMED IN ON THE POINTS I WAS RAISING.

SO, UM, I CONTINUED TO BE INTERESTED, YOU KNOW, OUR WORK SESSIONS, UM, ARE A GREAT TIME FOR DIALOGUE SINCE WE CAN'T TALK OUTSIDE OF THIS GROUP.

AND SO TO THE EXTENT YOU HAVE COMMENTS, I MEAN, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO KNOW WHETHER, WHETHER WE'RE IN SYNC ON US, WHETHER YOU DISAGREE, IF WE DON'T HAVE CONVERSATIONS.

SO EITHER HERE NOW, OR ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, I'M SURE WE'D WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK.

NUMBER 12, I POLLED BECAUSE I WANTED TO GIVE STAFF THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

ALRIGHT, LET'S GO THEN TO THE NEXT ITEM, ITEM,

[12. Ratify a contract amendment with the Better Business Bureau to administer a total of $25,890,750 in emergency funds through the Austin Small Business Relief Grant, the Austin Non-Profit Relief Grant, and the Austin Creative Worker Relief Grant programs to small businesses, non-profits, and creative workers in need of relief as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an option to amend and extend the term and administrative fee should additional grant funds become available to administer. Strategic Outcome(s): Economic Opportunity and Affordability]

UM, MY OFFICE, I'M SURE YOUR OFFICE ARE GETTING SOME CONSTITUENT QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.

UM, SO MY REALLY HIGH LEVEL QUESTION FOR STAFF IS EXPLAIN, UM, WHY THE CHOICE OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND, AND WHY IN LIGHT OF THE QUESTIONS COMING FROM THE COMMUNITY, YOU CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO GO.

THANK YOU, MIRROR SOMEONE, THERE'LL BE A HAUTE RAV AGAIN, WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ITEM NUMBER 12, WE'LL ACTUALLY RATIFY A CONTRACT WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WHERE THE EXPENDITURE OF THE GRANT FUNDS.

SO HOW DID WE GET HERE UPON THE APPROVAL OF THE ANCHOR AND CLEAR RESOLUTION STAG SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKED ON PROGRAM GUIDELINES VOTE AS WELL AS SEEKING AN ADMINISTRATOR WHO COULD ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM.

ON OUR BEHALF, THE STAFF OF EDD ACTUALLY DEVELOPED THE GUIDELINES FOR ALL THREE PROGRAMS. THIS CLEAR ANCHOR, AS WELL AS THE CREATIVE WORKER RELIEF FUND.

THESE GUIDELINES WERE PRESENTED NOT ONLY TO THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY SUB PANEL, BUT ALSO, UM, TO OTHER MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.

AND AS A REMINDER, WE HAVE SEVERAL SUB PANELS CONVENED TO HELP US VET GUIDELINES.

AND SO AGAIN, STAFF DEVELOPED THE GUIDELINES AND SOUGHT A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR TO ADMINISTER, AND WE UNDERSTOOD THAT COUNCIL WANTED THESE ADMINISTRATIVELY BECAUSE OF THE NEED STAFF, UM, SOUGHT OKAY.

MMM.

ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY THOUGHT COULD ADMINISTER BASED ON WHAT WAS DEVELOPED.

WE INVITED 11 ORGANIZATIONS TO INTERVIEW AND ACTUALLY SEVEN INTERVIEWS IN OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS.

SO WHAT DID WE LOOK FOR? WE LOOK FOR KEY ADMINISTRATIVE QUALITIES.

HOW WAS YOUR OUTREACH? DID YOU DO PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

[03:40:02]

THAT YOU HANDLE THE VOLUME OF INTAKE? BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT NEED WAS GREAT.

DID YOU HAVE CASE MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE? HOW QUICKLY COULD YOU DISPERSE THE FUNDS AND HOW QUICKLY COULD YOU GET US DATA SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A ROOM DASHBOARD AS WE HAVE ON OUR ATX RECOVERS.COM.

SO WE, AGAIN AT MINUTE INTERVIEW, SORRY, SEVEN ORGANIZATIONS WITH SEVEN OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS AND AS BACKUP TO THE Q AND A, I PROVIDED A COPY OF THOSE QUESTIONS.

WE AGAIN, WANTED SOMEONE WHO COULD HELP US DEPLOY THESE FUNDS CLICK AND BASED ON ATTRIBUTES OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, WE THOUGHT THAT THEY COULD DEFINITELY HELP WITH MARKETING.

THEY HAD SIGNIFICANT STAFF RESOURCES AND THEY HAD EXPERIENCED AN APPLICATION PROCESS.

THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE FEE WAS ACTUALLY LOWER THAN ANY OF THE ONES WE INTERVIEWED AS PART OF THE BACKUP.

YOU WILL SEE THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE WAS 5% FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM, 5% FOR THE NONPROFIT AND 5% ADMINISTRATIVE FEE OR THE CREATIVE WORKER RELIEF, OR AN AVERAGE OF 4.9%.

SO THAT IS DEFINITELY LOWER THAN YOUR TYPICAL 10%.

THAT IS ONE REASON THAT THOSE ARE THE, THE REASONS WHY WE WENT WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU IS ACTUALLY BASED IN AUSTIN.

THEY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 70 MEMBERS ON STAFF, 61% MADE UP A WOMEN, 40%, 44% OF NONWHITE.

UM, AND AGAIN, THEY, UH, DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY HAD EXPECTED THAT THEY COULD DEPLOY QUICKLY, THAT THEY COULD PROVIDE US THE DATA ON THE BACKUP THAT WE NEEDED TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY ON OUR DASHBOARDS.

AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S AGGREGATE GATED BY DISTRICT, UM, UH, AGE OF THE DIRECTOR, ET CETERA.

SO IT'S BECAUSE OF THESE REASONS THAT WE SELECT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

AND AGAIN, THIS ITEM IS A RATIFICATION OF FUNDS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED.

WE HAVE ALSO INCLUDED AS PART OF THE BACKUP OR DETAILED LIST OF, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE RIGHT.

YOU SAVE THE FUNDS AND YOU WILL RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENT, IS THAT RIGHT ON ADDITIONAL RECIPIENTS? AND THAT IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL AT HAND.

HE HAS PROVIDED A VERY COMPREHENSIVE, UH, WE WORK ON GUIDELINES, THE SCORING MATRIX, ET CETERA, AND THE HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU BESIDE THEM? ALRIGHT.

UH, YES, CATHERINE.

FOR US THAT WE WERE PRESENTED WITH BACK IN JUNE AND BEFORE WAS THERE WASN'T REALLY ANYBODY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY WITH THE FAMILIARITY AND THE GRANULAR KNOWLEDGE THAT I THINK WAS, WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL AND TARGETING HOW MUCH MONEY TO RICH RECIPIENT.

I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, DIRECTOR HEALTH, ROB BRINGING ALL THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER.

WE HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS OVER THE WEEKEND AND LAST WEEK ABOUT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND HOW THE COMMUNITY, UM, THE LACK OF DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WAS, UM, SELECTED.

I DID SUBMIT, UM, MY Q AND A LAST WEEK THAT I THINK WE'LL BE GETTING THIS INFORMATION.

SO IDEA THAT SHE PUT IN THE BACKUP, MAYBE IN RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION, I DID WANT TO GET A FULL ACCOUNTING, A FULL REPORT ON THE PROCESS AND THE CRITERIA FOR DECIDING THE AWARDS THAT BBB WENT THROUGH.

UM, AND THEN THE AMOUNTS AND DATES DISTRIBUTED FOR EACH RECIPIENT FOR EACH FUND, FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF PLANT AND SO FORTH, AND THE TROUBLES ALLOCATED FOR EACH FUND, THE TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS CHARGED TO THE CITY, AND THEN A SUMMARY OF THE COMMUNITY INPUT FROM STAKEHOLDERS WHO WERE DISSATISFIED WITH THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FUNDS.

AND THEN I APPRECIATED THE DESCRIPTION AND THE HISTORY BEHIND RATIFICATION.

THAT WAS A TERM THAT WAS NEW TO US REALLY, UM, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.

AND I DO UNDERSTAND, UM, MY CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF THAT, UM, THE COUNCIL HASN'T BEEN CALLED UPON TO DO MAT MUCH REPETITION.

UM, IT'S BEEN SOMETHING UNIQUE IN THE NUMBER AND THE FREQUENCY IT'S 25 YEAR LONG ALONG WITH OTHER THINGS, RIGHT, EXACTLY.

COUNCIL MEMBER APPROVAL.

WE HAVE INCLUDED THE DETAILED LISTING OF EACH PROGRAM EXCEPT THE CREATIVE WORKER, WHICH WE WILL GET TO COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON.

AND THEN I'LL JUST END BY SAYING THAT I STILL HAVE A HOPE THAT ONE OF OUR, UM, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE DEEPLY EMBEDDED WITH ONE SAMPLE, THE MUSICIANS, COMMUNITY, THE MUSIC COMMUNITY, AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY CAN FIND A WAY TO POSITION ITSELF TO BE READY TO DO THIS KIND OF DISTRIBUTION IN THE FUTURE.

ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE SHORTCOMINGS

[03:45:01]

SO I'M HOPING THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND ALSO RENEWED AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THESE AREAS WHERE THERE'S SOME, THERE ARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WILL HAVE MORE ROBUST RESPONSE IN THE FUTURE AND HAVE MORE LOCAL, INDEPENDENT BURPS TO CHOOSE FROM FOR THIS KIND OF ACTIVITY.

YES, WE HAVE RECEIVED COMMENT AND WE WILL BE TAKING ALL OF THAT INTO CONSIDERATION IF COUNCIL APPROVES THIS NEXT, A LOT OF FUNDS AND WE WILL GO THROUGH ANOTHER PROCUREMENT.

YOU'RE OUR MAYOR.

AND I JOINED IN SUPPORTING, UH, BRINGING IN LOCAL GROUPS WHERE WE CAN AND LOCAL EXPERTISE WHERE WE CAN, UM, AS YOU APPROACH THIS MONEY AND SAY, I'M NOT SURE THERE IS A COMPARABLE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS, CAUSE I'M NOT SURE IT'S A QUESTION OF CUTTING UP THE SUMMER AND SENDING IT OUT, UH, AND NOT BE INTERESTED IN SEEING IF WE'RE FORMING UP KIND OF LIKE THE CASE MANAGEMENT TEAMS TO DO THE INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENTS ON A SMALLER NUMBER OF, OF, OF RETAIL.

CAUSE EVERYONE, I MEAN, OF LOCATIONS JUST CAUSE THEY'RE ALL GONNA BE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE.

AND THE REMEDY AND SUPPORT TO, TO WORK OUT LONGER TERM LEASES MAY BE DIFFERENT.

AND PROBABLY BEGIN INITIALLY JUST WITH GETTING THAT KIND OF EXPERTISE GROUP TOGETHER.

BUT IF THERE IS A CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM WORKING WITH A TENANT OR WITH A PROPERTY OWNER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PRESERVE IT, I HOPE IN THAT TEAM, WE BRING IN LOCAL MUSIC, STAKEHOLDER PEOPLE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE TO BE PART OF THAT GROUP.

THAT'S WORKING TOGETHER IN EACH OF THOSE CASES TO FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO LEVERAGE, UH, THE, THE CITY DOLLARS SO THAT THEY GO AS FAR AS, AS POSSIBLE.

COUNSELOR, OUR KITCHEN YOU'RE MUTED.

I KNOW YOU MENTIONED IT EARLIER, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND.

SO, UM, SO THE PROCESSES THAT I'M ASSUMING WE MOVE FORWARD ON THURSDAY, UH, THE PROCESS THAT'LL BE PUT IN PLACE IS, UH, WHEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THAT PROCESS IS AND, AND WHAT ARE YOU THINKING EXACTLY RIGHT NOW? AND TO, TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC.

UM, AM I CORRECT IN REMEMBERING THAT WE USED A LOTTERY PROCESS BEFORE THAT THE BBB USED A LOTTERY PROCESS? IS THAT RIGHT? OR HALF OF THE FUNDS? THAT IS CORRECT.

AND SO WE CAN USE OUR, UM, COUNSEL IS AGREEMENT.

WE WILL AGAIN USE THE SUB PANELS TO GET FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL ON GUIDELINES AND PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES.

I'M SORRY.

COULD YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT, USE THIS PANEL TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND? SO THERE'S AN ECONOMIC RECOVERY COUNCIL.

SO THAT'S WHAT YOU, I'M SORRY.

I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND, SO, UM, OKAY.

UM, AND THEN I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER POOL IS ASKED.

HE'LL BE INTERESTED IN THAT ALSO I'M WANTING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LEVEL OF PAY WAS FOR THE BBB AT THIS POINT.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S PART OF WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER COOL WAS ASKING FOR.

SO, UM, AND I'M ALSO WANTING TO UNDERSTAND, AND I CAN ASK THIS OFFLINE AND, UM, UH, SOME, UH, AT LEAST ONE VENUE THAT APPLIED AND JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THEY'VE GOTTEN NO FEEDBACK OF HOW IT IS THAT THEY WERE NOT CONSIDERED, UH, BECAUSE THEY, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD APPEAR TO BE, UH, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE OLDEST IN USE THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY.

SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY DOLLARS AT ALL.

AND SO, UM, I'LL CIRCLE BACK.

I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO DO THAT, BUT I'LL CIRCLE BACK AROUND TO YOU AFTERWARDS.

UH, I THINK SOME TRANSPARENCY WITH THESE VENUES IS IMPORTANT, SO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT THE PROCESS WAS.

SOUNDS GOOD.

IS OUR ITEM TO INCREASE THE FUNDING BY 369,728 FOR THE CAREGIVER MEALS.

THANKS MAYOR.

I THINK YOU PULLED SOME ADDITIONAL, OKAY.

YEAH, JUST QUICKLY.

I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE THINGS.

ONE IS, UM, JUST, I HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO

[03:50:01]

SO JUST A HEADS UP THAT, THAT, THAT WILL LIKELY BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE EITHER SUBMITTING QUESTIONS ABOUT OR HAVING A CONVERSATION AROUND IT.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY PULLED IT TODAY.

IS THAT CORRECT? 55, IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY.

UM, 30 57

[57. Ratify Amendment No. 2 to the agreement with the Austin Public Education Foundation, dba Austin Ed Fund, to provide emergency food access for caregivers of students in Austin-area schools, increasing funding in an amount not to exceed $369,728 and extending the current term through December 30, 2020, for a revised total agreement amount not to exceed $2,689,078. Strategic Outcome(s): Health and Environment; Economic Opportunity and Affordability]

AND I, I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS REALLY IMPORTANT TODAY.

THE AUSTIN ED FOUNDATION DID, UM, A WELCOME FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT I HOPE IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE ONLINE, WHERE THEY HAVE SOME SNAPSHOTS AND TALK ABOUT THE CAREGIVER MEALS AND THE ONETIME MEALS THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO SERVE THROUGH THAT.

THIS IS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE STAFF FOR IDENTIFYING THIS ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

THIS IS, IT FALLS SHORT OF THE FUNDING THAT WOULD ACTUALLY ALLOW FOR THOSE CAREGIVER MEALS TO BE DELIVERED THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.

AND I THINK THERE MAY BE A LITTLE CONFUSION.

I KNOW SOME PEOPLE READING, IT MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT THIS JOHN IS TO THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS REALLY FAR LESS THAN THE AMOUNT THAT THEY WOULD NEED.

SO I, I WANTED TO BE SURE THAT OUR STAFF, IF THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, I'M NOT SURE IF THEY'RE ON THAT CALL BECAUSE I DIDN'T PULL IT FORMALLY, BUT I JUST WANT TO POINT THAT OUT TO MY COLLEAGUES, IT EXTENDS THE CURRENT TERM, BUT AGAIN, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WOULD NEED ABOUT ANOTHER MILLION, FIVE TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE THOSE MEALS AND FUND THOSE MEALS THROUGH YIELDS THROUGH THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.

I MEAN, I'M SORRY, THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR.

SO MANAGER, I HOPE THAT I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK.

UM, SO I WOULD JUST URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO HELP US IDENTIFY THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, UM, AS WELL AS FEELING OF CRITICAL, BASIC MEETING ON.

SO, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT OPTIONS.

WE'VE ASKED OUR STAFF TO LOOK AT OPTIONS ABOUT, ABOUT WHETHER SOME SHIFTS CAN BE MADE TO FUND CERTAIN THINGS, UM, DIFFERENTLY SO THAT YOU HAVE FREED UP SOME MONEY AND THE KARA'S FUNDING.

BUT I HAVE COLLEAGUES THAT, THAT YOU'LL JOIN ME IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE MIGHT GET THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

I THINK IT'S SO VALUABLE AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO WATCH THAT TODAY'S PRESENTATION.

CAUSE IT REALLY SHOWS ALL THE, ALL THE MANY ISSUES THAT THE AUSTIN HEAD IS TRYING TO ADDRESS FOR THE FAMILIES WHO FALL WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT.

I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAD ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT AT THE MOMENT.

UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING I JUST WANTED TO MENTION BEFORE WRITTEN BACK IS 52, I'M SORRY, 28.

UM, WE DID CHECK AND I JUST, THIS IS ONE OF THE CONTRACTS TO PROVIDE, UM, TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND SANITATION FOR SOME OF THE ENCAMPMENTS.

AND WE DID CONFIRM THAT THE LANGUAGE, THE LANGUAGE IN A CONTRACT WITH THE CONTRACTOR DOES INCLUDE THAT REALLY IMPORTANT FOR VISION THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO COORDINATE WITH SERVICE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, TO THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, A MINIMUM OF 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF EACH CLEANUP PROJECT.

SO I KNOW AS THOSE CONTRACTS HAVE COME FORWARD OR SOMETIMES HAD QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT, AND THAT IS, THAT IS AN EXPLICIT PART OF THAT CONTRACT.

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING ON THAT.

ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, I JUST WANTED TO ADD ON THAT ASD CAREGIVER FUNDING, I HAD SUBMITTED AT LEAST ONE QUESTION THAT I'M GOING TO BE LOOKING AT ABOUT HOW MUCH IT WAS ACTUALLY FUNDING THAT MAY AFFECT HOW WE WANT TO PROCEED.

YOU REMEMBER, DID YOU PUT THAT IN A Q AND A CAN, WOULD YOU MIND JUST GIVING US A HIGHLIGHT OF WHAT, WHAT THE QUESTION IS? IT'S ALONG THE LINES OF YOUR QUESTION THAT IS NOT REALLY FUNDING IT THROUGH THE PERIOD OF DECEMBER AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO THAT.

BYE BYE.

YEAH, I CAN SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE INFORMATION I HAVE FROM THE AUSTIN ED FUND, BUT THAT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE Q AND A SO THAT OUR STAFF CAN KIND OF PROVIDE US.

THEY'VE MADE SOME SHIFTS TO IT.

SO GETTING THAT ACTUAL FIGURE WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.

THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR LETTING US KNOW.

THAT'S FROM HER KITCHEN.

DO YOU WANT TO CLOSE THIS OUT? OH, I CAN HAVE SOME QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE EDO THAT I'D LIKE TO RAISE.

I THINK WE HAVE THE STAFF, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT, OR I CAN JUST FLAG THEM AND TAKE THEM OFF.

GO AHEAD AND RAISE YOUR QUESTIONS.

CREATION OF THIS INITIAL BOARD.

MY QUESTIONS RELATE TO, UM, HOW IT WILL BE, UM, HOW IT'S IT'S BEEN STARTED, UH, BECAUSE I'M, I'M, I'M NOT, I'VE READ THROUGH THE, UM, THE BYLAWS AND THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, AND I'M JUST NOT CLEAR BECAUSE, UM, I'M NOT CLEAR ON THE INITIAL, UH, THE INITIAL BOARD.

UM, THE, THE LANGUAGE IS CLEAR IN THE BYLAWS ABOUT THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD GOING FORWARD.

SO I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION THERE, BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, THE TIMING FOR

[03:55:01]

AND I ALSO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHO THE INTERIM BOARD IS.

THERE'S LANG THE BYLAWS THAT SAY THE CITY COUNCIL MAY APPOINT AN INTERIM BOARD AND TO SERVE UNTIL THE BOARD IS APPOINTED, BUT, BUT THERE'S NOTHING IN THERE ABOUT WHO COULD BE ON THE INTERIM BOARD OR WHAT THE TIMING IS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPOINT THE INTERIM BOARD.

AND SO I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE THINKING WAS THERE AND THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION THAT ARE IN THE BACKUP DON'T HAVE ANY NAMES ON THEM OR WHO THE INCORPORATORS ARE.

SO CAN YOU JUST HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT THE THINKING IS THERE ON THE, UM, SO I'M ASSUMING THAT WE WERE NOT APPOINTING AN INTERIM BOARD ON THURSDAY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY NAMES.

SO I'M ASSUMING THAT THERE'S A TIME PERIOD AFTER THAT.

UM, AND, UM, AND THEN I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'LL BE A, THAT THERE IS, UH, THAT, THAT FOR THE FIRST BOARD, THERE'S A LIST OF WHO'S THOSE WOULD BE, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE TIMELINE OF ALL THAT.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THE QUESTION I'M ASKING IT DOES COUNCIL MEMBER AND STAFF TO TRY TO COVER THAT IN THE MEMO THAT WAS SENT OUT IT'S REGARDING THE SAVES RESOLUTION, BUT I'LL ASK, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER GONZALEZ TO COVER THAT, RIGHT? THANK YOU.

CITY MANAGER.

AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER IS THE CITY MANAGER HAD POINTED OUT OUR MEMO, WHICH JUST CAME OUT SATURDAY.

SO I UNDERSTAND, UH, UH, THE INABILITY TO FIND THAT INFORMATION IT'S ON PAGE FIVE, THE TOP OF PAGE FIVE OF THAT MEMO THAT CAME OUT ON SATURDAY WITH REGARD TO THE INTERIM BOARD.

AND IT STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION THAT COUNCIL FILLED THE INTERIM SEATS OF THE INITIAL BOARD WITH THE CITY STAFF THAT IS LISTED IN PLACES ONE THROUGH FOUR THAT'S OUTLINED IN THE BYLAWS IN ARTICLE TWO, SECTION ONE, UH, THAT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO, UH, GET THE BOARD STARTED INITIALLY THROUGH THE CITY STAFF POSITIONS, WHICH ARE OUTLINED IN THE BYLAWS.

AND SO WHAT IS THE TIMING FOR FILLING OUT THE BOARD? UM, SO THE TIMING FOR FILLING OUT THE REMAINING PART OF THE BOARD WOULD BE SIMILAR WITH THE COURSE OF NEXT ONE TO TWO MONTHS, WE WOULD COME FORWARD WITH THE NOMINATING PROCESS FOR MARIN COUNCIL TO CONSIDER, OH, THE NOMINATING PROCESS FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO CONSIDER THERE'S SOMETHING WRITTEN INTO THE BYLAWS ABOUT THE PROCESS, OR ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING MORE DETAILED THAN WHAT'S IN THE BYLAWS RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF THE NOMINATING PROCESS? I BELIEVE SO.

I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS WITH REGARD TO THE ENTITIES THAT WOULD ACTUALLY NOMINATE THEM TO COUNSEL.

AND I'M GOING TO LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY OFFICER, VERONICA TO ASSIST ME IN THAT REGARD.

I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING BECAUSE WHAT'S IN THE BYLAWS RIGHT NOW DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF ENTITY THAT WOULD DO THE NOMINATION, BUT IT DOESN'T NAME THE END.

AND SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT THAT WOULD BE BROUGHT BACK TO, TO, UM, TO COUNCIL, UH, TO THEN APPROVE, RIGHT.

AND THEN THAT WOULD GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.

SO IS THAT THE THINKING? YES.

GOING TO CONTINUE LOOKING AT THE BALANCE OF THOSE COMMITTEES THAT WOULD BE PREDICTED AND THE REASONS FOR THEM.

THERE ARE TWO ENTITIES FOR PLACE FIVE IN PLACE, SIX, THE CITY OF BOSTON ARTS COMMISSION AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN MUSIC COMMISSION.

SO, UM, I WILL THINK ABOUT THIS, BUT I MIGHT WANT TO MAKE THE SUGGESTION THAT THEY GO AHEAD AND START THEIR PROCESS SINCE, SINCE THEY'VE BEEN NAMED.

SO THAT WOULD BE ONE THING I MIGHT WANT TO SUGGEST.

AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS I'M NOT SEEING ANYTHING ABOUT THE, UM, AND I MAY HAVE, I APOLOGIZE, I MAY HAVE MISSED IT.

UH, BUT THAT IS THE, UM, THE CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE, IF I'VE GOT THE NAME RIGHT, WHICH IS NOT THE BOARD, BUT IT'S AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

SO, UM, WHAT IS THE THINKING ABOUT THE CREATION OF THAT ENTITY? AND YOU CAN JUST POINT ME IF YOU'VE GOTTEN THE MEMO AND I MISSED IT.

I'M HAPPY TO GO TO READ IT.

I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TIMELINE IS FOR THAT.

ABSOLUTELY.

UM, AND I THINK I'VE ANSWERED DEFER TO A CHIEF ECONOMIC RECOVERY OFFICER PERSONNEL WITH REGARD TO THE CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND OUR THINKING IN THAT REGARD.

AND MY APOLOGIES.

I'M HAPPY TO DEFER TO DAVID COLLAGEN.

WHO'S ON THE CALL.

I DON'T RECALL IF WE ACTUALLY INCLUDED THAT IN WHAT YOU HAVE FOR CONSIDERATION ON BIRTHDAY, ON HIM.

DAVID WAS A CULTURAL ADVISORY.

THE CULTURAL FIRST ADVISORY COMMITTEE INCLUDED IN THAT LANGUAGE, OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO BUILD OUT? GOOD AFTERNOON, DAVID COLLAGEN WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE REMOVED LANGUAGE AROUND SPECIFIC COMMITTEES, BUT WHAT WE DID, WE'RE A TEAM WITHIN THE BYLAWS WERE WITH LANGUAGE TO BE ABLE TO CREATE COMMITTEES AS NEEDED.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PRIORITY SPACES THAT IT'S ARTICULATED CREATION OF THIS ENTITY THAT WE'RE

[04:00:01]

SO A CULTURAL TRUST WOULD BE PROPPED UP, UH, AS ONE OF THOSE COMMITTEES, UM, AND, AND LIKELY OTHERS TO, TO COME AS WELL.

I MAY HAVE AN AMENDMENT IN THAT REGARD BECAUSE WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MOVING SO QUICKLY WITH REGARD TO THE CULTURAL TRUST.

UM, I THINK WE, UM, I, I FEEL PRETTY CLEAR THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED A CULTURAL TRUST COMMITTEE.

AND SO I DON'T WANT TO REMOVE IT FROM THE BYLAWS TO AT THIS POINT.

UM, MY LAST QUESTION IS THEN, UM, ABOUT THE, THE, UH, STAFFING FOR THE END OF THING, WHERE YOU'RE PROVING THAT ON THURSDAY TOO.

SO ON THURSDAY, UH, THE STAFFING OF COURSE IS LISTED IN THE BYLAWS AS FAR AS THE PRESIDENT IS CONCERNED.

AND I BELIEVE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER.

UM, IT'S OUR INTENT THOUGH, TO STAFF IT ON AN INTERIM BASIS WITH CITY STAFF, OUR CHIEF ECONOMIC RECOVERY OFFICER, VERONICA BERCENIO WOULD BE THE INTERIM PRESIDENT FOR THE CORPORATION, UH, IN TERMS OF FULL TIME, PERMANENT POSITIONS FOR THE ENTITY.

WHAT WE PREFER IS FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD TO BE SEATED, UH, W WHO HAD BEEN, OF COURSE MAKE THE HIRE OF THE PRECEDENT.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED, UM, INTERIM STAFF? CAUSE I'M SURE THAT, UM, DIRECTOR PRESIDIO WILL NEED SOME ASSISTANCE.

AND SO, UM, I'M, UH, I WANTED TO SUGGEST THAT GIVEN ALL THAT OUR EDD STAFF HAS ON THEIR PLATE AND THAT WHAT WE JUST ADDED TO THEIR PLATE TODAY, THAT, THAT WE NOT TRY TO STAFF THE EDO WITH, WITH STAFF, FROM OUR EDD DEPARTMENT OR FROM ANY STAFF INTERNALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT WE CONSIDER, UM, WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT WHO HAS HELPED US UP TO THIS POINT WITH, UH, WITH STAFFING, WITH STAFFING AND OR OTHER FIRMS THAT HAVE THE EXPERIENCE TO START UP ENTITIES LIKE THIS, IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL, UM, HAVE ADDED HAD ANY CONVERSATION OR CONSIDERATION OF WELL, WELL, I DO APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN FOR THE STAFF.

I SHARE THAT CONCERN WITH THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT HAS BEEN DIRECTED THEIR WAY.

AND I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE OPEN TO ALL ITEMS LIKE THAT.

OF COURSE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MOST RECENT SAVES RESOLUTION IS A NEW RESOLUTION THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE WORKLOAD THAT WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE.

UM, SO WE ARE OPEN TO ALL THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I'M HAVING DAILY CONVERSATIONS WITH THE STAFF ABOUT THE WORK IN FRONT OF THEM, UM, AND, AND JUST, UH, HOW, WHAT THE BEST APPROACH IS IF YOU WILL.

SO WE WEREN'T CLOSING THE DOORS TO ANYTHING RATHER, WE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT HOW BEST TO APPROACH THE WORKLOAD.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

I WANT TO, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS AS WE APPROVE THIS GOING FORWARD.

UM, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN, UM, SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FLEXIBILITY AND NIMBLENESS OF THIS ORGANIZATION OR THIS AND MOVE VERY QUICKLY.

AND I JUST DON'T SEE HOW THAT CAN POSSIBLY HAPPEN IF WE, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE EXPECTING EDD TO STAFF TO DO THAT JOB AS WELL AT, I MEAN, IT'S A STARTUP STARTUPS, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK WITH STARTUPS.

SO, UH, HAVING OUR EDD STAFF DO A STARTUP AND DO THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AND JUST SEE THAT WORKING AND IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND TO GIVE OUR EDO THE BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND TO BE SUCCESSFUL QUICKLY, I REALLY THINK THAT WE NEED TO, UM, WE NEED TO HAVE STAFFING FOR IT THAT IS DEDICATED TO IT, AND THAT CAN COME FROM PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED STARTING UP AN EDO.

AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THAT BETWEEN NOW AND THURSDAY, UH, AS PART OF START AS PART OF APPROVING GETTING THIS GOING, I THINK IT'S NECESSARY THAT WE APPROVE HOW IT, HOW IT STARTED.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M LOOKING FOR.

NOT THE PAGE OF THE PDF, WHICH IS A LITTLE CONFUSING COUNCIL MEMBER, IF YOU DON'T MIND, BECAUSE IT IS A LEGAL DOCUMENT AND WE RECEIVED OUTSIDE COUNSEL AND SUPPORT TO DRAFT IT.

OKAY, GUYS, WE'RE FLAT AGAIN, I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THE EDO DOCUMENTS THAT ARE IN BACKUP, UM, IN THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, IT MENTIONS THAT AMENDMENTS TO THE ARTICLES ADOPTED BY THE BOARD ARE APPROVED BY THE CITY.

UH, THIS IS AN ARTICLE SEVEN PART, I, AND THEN IN PART, I, IT SAYS THAT THE GOVERNING BODY CAN APPROVE THEM AND MISLEAD ARTICLES.

SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE CITY MANAGER CAN RATIFY ARTICLE AMENDMENTS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE COUNCIL? IS THAT WHAT THE CITY MEANS? IT'S ON PAGE THREE OF THE ARTICLES AND FOR THOSE FOLLOWING ALONG, I THINK THE PAGE NUMBERS, AS I WROTE MY NOTES DOWN ARE THE PAGE NUMBERS WRITTEN INTO THE DOCUMENT,

[04:05:01]

CAN WE TAKE YOUR QUESTION AND THEN PROVIDE A RESPONSE BEFORE THURSDAY? YEP.

I HAVE A COUPLE MORE THAT I THINK WOULD BE SUFFICIENT RESPONDED TO IN THAT WAY.

UM, MOST MORE FOR THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ABOUT THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE LIMITED TO TWO, THREE YEAR TERMS, WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO HAVE A BOARD ROLLING OVER THAT FREQUENTLY.

UM, I JUST, I, I, I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED FOLKS TO WANT TO STAY ON THAT BOARD LONGER, THAT YOU WOULD WANT A LONGER PERIOD OF UNDERSTANDING AND WORK KIND OF BENEFITING THE WORK OF A CORPORATION PAGE FOR IN THE BYLAWS IS, IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE SEEN IN OTHER NONPROFITS WHERE YOU ALLOW A MAJORITY OF A QUORUM TO MAKE AN ACT OF THE CORPORATION, AS OPPOSED TO THE MAJORITY OF ALL BOARD MEMBERS.

AND SO I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR THAT TO BE CHANGED.

OTHERWISE YOU COULD END UP WITH JUST OVER 25% OF THE BOARD MEMBERS MAKING ACTS FOR THE CORPORATION AS A WHOLE.

IT SHOULD JUST BE AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE OF 50%.

PLUS ONE OF ALL DIRECTORS, I WOULD BE OPEN TO ALLOWING PROXY VOTES AND SIMILAR TO THE WAY THAT CAMPO DOES PROXY VOTES.

AND THEN FINALLY THROUGHOUT THE BYLAWS, I DIDN'T SEE THIS ANYWHERE IN THE ARTICLES, BUT THROUGHOUT THE BYLAWS, WE SEE THE PHRASE HE OR SHE, AND THEN A PORTION AT THE END THAT REFERS TO GENDER.

I THINK IT MIGHT BE BETTER JUST TO REPHRASE ALL OF THOSE, TO JUST BE GENDER NEUTRAL BAY.

THAT WAY WE DON'T GET INTO THAT TYPE OF A BINARY THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.

AND SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS ARE OPERATIONAL IN NATURE AND WILL CONSULT WITH THEIR CONSULTANT TO UTILIZE BEST PRACTICES.

OF COURSE, IN DEVELOPING THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO US.

THAT'S ALL A MEMBER QUESTION IN A SIMILAR VEIN.

UM, I THINK I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE PAGE NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME.

THE BYLAWS ARE ESTABLISHED BY COUNCIL, BUT THEN CAN BE MODIFIED WITHOUT COMING BACK TO COUNCIL.

IF I REMEMBER SOME OF THE OTHER CORPORATIONS THAT WE FORMED, LIKE ACE, WE SET THE BYLAWS IN A MINUTE, THEY CHANGED THE BYLAWS.

THEN WE HAVE TO RATIFY THAT IS THERE, IS THERE, IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO KNOW WHETHER THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS INTENTIONALLY DIFFERENT THAN OUR OTHER BOARDS OR WHETHER THAT'S JUST, UH, WHETHER THAT'S INTENTIONAL OR NOT.

DO YOU HAVE ANY, ANY INSIGHT INTO THAT? YES.

THE COUNCIL MEMBER, IT'S MORE INTENTIONAL AS WE HAD INDICATED IN THE REPORT AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

ONCE AGAIN, WE UTILIZE A CONSULTANT TAPE TO LOOK AT BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

UM, MOST DEFINITELY THERE'S A HEALTHY DEGREE OF AUTONOMY FROM THE CORPORATIONS, UH, FROM THE CITY.

AND SO WE FOLLOWED THOSE BEST PRACTICES OF THAT WAY, GOING TO THE POINT THAT WAS RAISED EARLIER.

UM, WE COULD HAVE EQUAL IF NOT GREATER SUCCESS WHEN WE DO THE WORK OF THE CORPORATION AS WHAT WE'VE SEEN, UH, OTHER CITIES EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY CREATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS.

AND WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS OF COURSE, THAT AUTONOMY AND FLEXIBILITY IS KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THOSE CORPORATIONS.

AND SO WHAT WE PROPOSE HERE IS BEST PRACTICE RECOMMENDATION.

GOT IT.

I, I I'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT BETWEEN HERE AND THURSDAY, CAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE POINT IS OF US MAKING THE BYLAWS, IF THEN ANYBODY ON THERE CAN CHANGE THEM ON MAYBE BETWEEN HERE AND THERE Y'ALL CAN EXPLAIN TO ME WHERE IT WOULD MAKE SENSE, LIKE US SETTING THE NUMBER OF SEATS, IF FRANKLY, IT COULD THEN JUST CHANGE.

UM, SO MAYBE IT'S, THERE'S CERTAIN KEY THINGS THAT, UM, THAT WE HAVE A SAY OVER, UM, AND SOME, AND SOME OPERATIONAL THINGS THAT IT WOULD BEHOOVE THE CORPORATION TO HAVE AUTONOMY, UM, OR MAYBE, MAYBE WE HAVE THE POWER TO VETO A CHANGE, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME AND CHECK WITH US.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS YOU'RE TRYING TO SOLVE.

SO I'M, SO MAYBE THERE'S A WAY TO MORE NARROWLY TAILOR THE ISSUE IF THE PROBLEM IS GETTING IT ON, POSTED ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA AND THAT STUFF TAKES FOREVER.

AND MAYBE WE DON'T NEED TO PRE-APPROVE THINGS, BUT WE JUST NEED TO RATIFY IT LATER OR SOMETHING.

SO IT WOULD JUST BE USEFUL FOR SOMEONE TO REACH OUT AND LET US KNOW WHAT PROBLEM YOU'RE TRYING TO SOLVE BY MAKING IT SURE THAT BYLAW CHANGES DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, ANY, I HAVE A COMMENT ON THAT SPECIFICALLY.

I DO TO SOME MEMBER KITCHEN AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER FLANIGAN.

OH, I JUST WANTED TO, TO, UM, SECOND WHAT CUSTOMER CASAR HAD SAID, AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER PLANNING AND RAISED THE QUESTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I, I, UM, UH, UH, I WOULD AGREE WITH WHAT, BECAUSE SAID

[04:10:01]

ABOUT THE, UH, ABOUT THE BUS.

YOU MENTIONED THAT I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT CREDITING YOU.

I HAD TO STEP OFF THERE.

THERE ARE TWO, THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT PLAY THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION ON PAGE THREE OF YOUR ARTICLES.

IT MAKES IT SEEM LIKE THE ARTICLES CAN BE AMENDED WITH APPROVAL OF THE CITY, WHICH WOULD SEEM TO BE THE CITY MANAGER AND NOT THE COUNCIL.

THE COUNCIL IS REFERRED TO AS THE GOVERNING BODY AS, AS THE WAY I'M READING THE ARTICLES, BUT THE BYLAWS AND THE ARTICLES PAGE FOUR, ARTICLE NINE CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE GOVERNING BODY.

SO I THINK THAT PART IS SOLVED IN THE ARTICLES.

BYLAWS CHANGES HAVE TO COME BACK FOR RATIFICATION IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THE GOVERNING BODY EQUALS COUNCIL.

GOT IT.

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'LL CHECK ON AND TALK ABOUT.

I THINK THOSE ARE ALL THE PULLED ITEMS WE HAVE.

SORRY.

I HAD MY HAND UP TO SPEAK ABOUT THAT.

I APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES FOR RAISING THAT ISSUE, BUT I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE BYLAWS, ANY BYLAWS CHANGES DO COME TO COUNCIL.

AND SO I HOPE THAT I HOPE, UM, IF THAT, IF IT IS NOT AS IT MAY BE AS COUNCIL MEMBER FLANAGAN SAID THAT IT'S NOT, BUT THAT IS WHAT'S CONTEMPLATED IN THE LANGUAGE THAT THE GOVERNING BODY, IF IT IS NOT WHAT IS COMPETENT CONTEMPLATED WHILE I APPRECIATE, UM, THE FLEX THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE THIS TO BE MORE AUTONOMOUS AND FLEXIBLE.

I THINK WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THAT WITH OUR OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS, SUCH AS THE SOBERING CENTER AND OTHERS, BUT WE HAVEN'T GIVEN THEM.

WE HAVEN'T GIVEN THE BOARD THE AUTONOMY OF CHANGING OUR OWN BYLAWS, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A FORMAL MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL AND THE COUNTY ON THAT BOARD.

SO I THINK WE NEED TO WALK A BALANCE.

IT IS, IT IS STILL LIKE ENTITY RATHER THAN A PRIVATE.

AND SO IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE ACCOUNTABLE LIGHTNING ON MULTIPLE POINTS TO THAT, TO THE AMENDED BODY OF THIS MUNICIPALITY.

SO THANKS FOR GETTING BACK TO US ABOUT THAT.

IF, IF IT IS THE LADDER AND THAT IS THAT THEY DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THE BYLAWS, IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WITH GREAT SPECIFICITY, WHAT HAVE BEEN CHALLENGES, WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF CHALLENGES THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES HAVE FACED WITH REGARD TO THAT ISSUE? OKAY.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.

AND I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH A LOT OF THE THOUGHTS OF MY COLLEAGUES.

UM, I DID NOTE THAT IN ARTICLE TWO, SECTION NINE OF THE BYLAWS, I THINK IT SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NO COMPENSATION.

AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE, I LIED EARLIER IN THIS DISCUSSION BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS PERFECTLY CAPABLE AND MAYBE AN IDEAL CANDIDATE TO SERVE IN ONE OF THESE POSITIONS, BUT COULDN'T DO IT WITH NO COMPENSATION THAT WE WERE TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

SO, UM, MAYBE THAT'S A QUESTION I CAN ASK AN EXECUTIVE SESSION IF THERE'S SOME LEGAL REASON THAT WE CAN'T DO IT, BUT I AM CURIOUS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THIS OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE HOW'S WORK.

I GUESS I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT WE REALLY THINK ABOUT THE APPLICATIONS OF THAT ACROSS ALL OF OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS ON OUR OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, WHICH ALL ALL ARE UNCOMPENSATED, UM, AS FAR AS I'M AWARE OF.

SO THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE MORE PROBABLY THE CONVERSATION.

THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD PUBLIC CONVERSATION.

THE COMPENSATION ISSUE.

IT'S NOT A LEGAL ISSUE.

OKAY, COOL.

I AGREE WITH WHAT KATHY'S SAYING ABOUT COMPENSATING CITIZENS.

WE, WHY WOULD WE STOP AT THAT CORPORATION MAY ALSO BE GIVEN STIPENDS TO PERMISSION NUMBERS.

SO, UM, IT WOULD BE VERY RARE IF NOT NONEXISTENT SITUATION WHERE I WROTE APPROVED COMPETENCY.

ALRIGHT, COLLEAGUES, I THINK FOR ALL THE PULLED ITEMS, NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AIR.

WHILE WE'RE STILL IN PUBLIC SESSION.

I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE MY APPRECIATION FOR STAFF.

THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST 10 DAYS TO GET READY FOR THIS WORK SESSION AND JUST WANT TO EXTEND THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND REALLY PEOPLE PUTTING THEIR SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THIS ROBUST CONVERSATION TODAY.

SO MY HEARTFELT APPRECIATION TO ALL STAFF.