TickTock: Austin City Council meeting 5.18.2017
Monday, May 22, 2017 by Elizabeth Pagano
TickTock is the sortable transcript of @austinmonitor Tweets from the most recent Austin City Council meeting.
TickTock for Friday, May 19, 2017
Participants:
austinmonitor 110
AustinKinghorn 1
Thursday, May 18, 2017 10AM
Good morning! Welcome to another Thursday with #atxcouncil and your Austin Monitor. May 18, 2017 10:09 AM
Those following along at home (or work) can find today’s agenda here: https://t.co/sKg51hC08R May 18, 2017 10:09 AM
RT @cdcatx: Not so fast: City has been assuming county’s 2% share of HOT in convention center expansion plan https://t.co/mefONf6gwI via @a… May 18, 2017 10:10 AM
Okay, meeting getting started with a Memorial Day service: presentation of colors, National Anthem and invocation. #atxcouncil May 18, 2017 10:18 AM
In addition to the ATXN stream, @MayorAdler is livestreaming today’s meeting. https://t.co/Uv8lCUQHWh May 18, 2017 10:22 AM
.@MayorAdler Now paying tribute to Danny P. Dietz, a US Navy Seal https://t.co/zggsViP7q5 May 18, 2017 10:26 AM
Item 40
Item 40 is withdrawn. May 18, 2017 10:37 AM
Item 18
Pulled for discussion: Items 2, 12, 13, 14, 15, 26, 28, 29, 41, 45, 50, 51. Item 18 will be ppd indefinitely. Item 45 will be taken up late May 18, 2017 10:41 AM
Item 11
Item 11 will be postponed to June 8. May 18, 2017 10:44 AM
Looks like though everyone is supporting the sidewalk mobility bond stuff, there are a few CMs fighting to get $$ to their districts. May 18, 2017 10:51 AM
CM Houston abstains from 9 and 10, in the interest of local artists. May 18, 2017 10:52 AM
MPT Tovo notes that the money for art comes from revenue, not “taxpayer dollars” May 18, 2017 10:52 AM
Item 25
CM Houston also votes no on Item 25. May 18, 2017 10:52 AM
CM Houston (HHS committee chair) talking about the Central Health Board. Notes issues of transparency/ conflicts of interest in the past. May 18, 2017 10:55 AM
CM Houston invites Julie Oliver to speak now, she is a potential appointee. May 18, 2017 10:56 AM
Some are worried that Oliver’s affiliation with St. David’s could be problematic. May 18, 2017 10:58 AM
Oliver says she can “absolutely take off her St. David’s hat and put on her Central Health hat” and recuse herself when necessary. May 18, 2017 10:59 AM
Thursday, May 18, 2017 11AM
Oliver, who is a lawyer, says she would recuse herself when St. David’s business was on the line. States she would not purposely harm Seton May 18, 2017 11:01 AM
Now Frank Ortega, with LULAC 7, is up talking about Central Health. Asking for a diverse board and reconsideration of city appointees. May 18, 2017 11:02 AM
Back to the consent agenda for a minute: @EllenforAustin voted “no” on Items 4, 8, 9, 10 and 47. Abstained from Items 7 and 46. May 18, 2017 11:06 AM
Gus Pena up now, also advocating for more diverse representation on the board. May 18, 2017 11:08 AM
Council unanimously approves a $130,000 settlement in Montez v. City of Austin. May 18, 2017 11:19 AM
Item 50
Items 50 and 51 up now. Item 50 will have public hearing June 15, Item 51 public hearing October 5. May 18, 2017 11:21 AM
Item 48
Item 48 was pulled, but now passes unanimously without discussion. May 18, 2017 11:21 AM
Item 24
Item 24 up now. CM Houston wants to know why it is exempt from diversity goals, because it is subject to state laws on sole source contracts May 18, 2017 11:23 AM
Item 24
Item 24 passes 8-1 with Houston voting no. May 18, 2017 11:24 AM
Item 41
Item 41, which will create a Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt is up now. Speaker showing how it will create bike connectivity. May 18, 2017 11:26 AM
Passes unanimously, with Tovo and Troxclair off the dais. May 18, 2017 11:29 AM
Item 53
Item 53 up now. This is an appeal of demolition permits issued for 1207 W. 22½ Street and 1209 W. 22½ Street. May 18, 2017 11:30 AM
Ruiz, who filed the appeal, talking now. Says she was denied right to be heard when case was heard at 1:25 am, and HLC made hasty decision. May 18, 2017 11:32 AM
In addition, she says the Historic Landmark Commission was given inadequate information and did not know they could postpone. May 18, 2017 11:33 AM
Ruiz also thinks the information about the homes and their historic character was inadequate, city report flawed. May 18, 2017 11:35 AM
Ruiz notes that the demo came at a time when the neighborhood was worn out by a lot of other cases. May 18, 2017 11:39 AM
Now speaking against the appeal, Cater Joseph, who filed demo permits 400 days ago. May 18, 2017 11:42 AM
Explains that the process has been super expensive, in addition to time-consuming. May 18, 2017 11:44 AM
Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky up now. Case has been pending since July 2016. May 18, 2017 11:50 AM
Sadowsky homes don’t meet criteria for landmarking. “I don’t mean to make a trifle of this, but every single building has a history.” May 18, 2017 11:53 AM
Notes that “ardent preservation supporter” Terri Myers made the motion to release demo permits with ardent prop. rights supporter @ArifPanju May 18, 2017 11:54 AM
Mayor suggests changes to public safety pay. Read more (via @JoClifton78704): https://t.co/SX54FhYwub May 18, 2017 11:55 AM
“Our staff report is 16 pages long — it is very thorough” — Sadowsky. May 18, 2017 11:55 AM
“Do these buildings qualify as historic landmarks? The answer is no.” — Sadowsky. May 18, 2017 11:56 AM
Thursday, May 18, 2017 12PM
Sadowsky explains that the public hearing was late, and everyone against had left, but it still happened (and was legal) May 18, 2017 12:00 PM
What We Woke Up To: May 18, 2017 – https://t.co/EL7GVDcEcU May 18, 2017 12:05 PM
If #atxcouncil votes in favor of the appeal, it will send the case back to Historic Landmark Commission and back through process May 18, 2017 12:11 PM
MPT “I really put a lot of faith in the Historic Landmark Com. when they are functioning well, which I hope they are on the path to…” May 18, 2017 12:13 PM
MPT Tovo notes demolitions of older structures, with neighborhoods upzoned and under pressure. Warns that #CodeNext shouldn’t exacerbate May 18, 2017 12:15 PM
CM Casar also supports, notes it is important to preserve a diversity of types of housing, thinks sometimes upzoning is good for this. May 18, 2017 12:17 PM
Interesting split between Tovo and Casar here. Both seem to want same thing, but differ on how that (diversity in housing) can be achieved. May 18, 2017 12:18 PM
CM Flannigan won’t support the appeal. Worried about precedent, costing owner money. “This is so clear this is not a historic property” May 18, 2017 12:22 PM
Adler concerned about precedent, too. Notes process was followed and, though unfortunate, late meetings are still valid. May 18, 2017 12:23 PM
Appeal is denied 5-6. May 18, 2017 12:24 PM
On to Citizens Communication. We will be back after lunch, probably around 2:00. May 18, 2017 12:25 PM
Our Quote of the Day for Thursday, May 18, 2017. Read More: https://t.co/J0zycOsAoy May 18, 2017 12:36 PM
Our Quote of the Day for Thursday, May 18, 2017. Read More: https://t.co/UiuzdWKjvv https://t.co/VkgC2RB99X May 18, 2017 12:42 PM
Thursday, May 18, 2017 2PM
#atxcouncil is back! Going to postpone the Central Health appointment conversation to June 15. May 18, 2017 02:41 PM
Item 2
Now talking about Item 2, the Brushy Creek wastewater extension. Here’s our story on the $21M project https://t.co/9JsnF6dqoS May 18, 2017 02:50 PM
CM Flannigan looking for demographic info on why this extension is a good idea, goes straight to the demographer. May 18, 2017 02:51 PM
By the way, Maram Museitif was appointed to the Central Health Board, but Julie Oliver is still under consideration. May 18, 2017 02:52 PM
Item 2
Item 2 passes. May 18, 2017 02:54 PM
Item 12
Item 12 — amending the budget for AFD — now up. May 18, 2017 02:55 PM
Here’s what’s up with this: https://t.co/IySMOb9FY3 May 18, 2017 02:56 PM
Bob Nicks up now, explaining why AFD needs $3.5 more for overtime. May 18, 2017 02:57 PM
Thursday, May 18, 2017 3PM
.@Alison_Alter now reading a prepared statement about the overtime, says she hopes a reliance on overtime can be rectified in the future. May 18, 2017 03:01 PM
.@Alison_Alter will be voting against the budget amendment to pay for AFD overtime. May 18, 2017 03:04 PM
.@JimmyFlannigan is also going to vote against the funding, saying it is necessary to have services that meet the current needs of city. May 18, 2017 03:05 PM
.@MayorAdler says he wishes they all had the luxury to vote against the funding, but cutting off funding isn’t a good solution. May 18, 2017 03:07 PM
.@MayorAdler also notes that voting in favor of paying for the overtime isn’t an endorsement of the current system, May 18, 2017 03:09 PM
Funding approved 7-4 with Houston, Flannigan, Alter and Troxclair voting no May 18, 2017 03:11 PM
On to Items 14 and 15 — proposed changes to meeting procedures ofr #atxcouncil meetings May 18, 2017 03:12 PM
League of Women Voters McIntyre up now. Pleased about some changes, worried about limiting public testimony. May 18, 2017 03:14 PM
Here’s a summary of the changes: https://t.co/e2qm4mCMLJ May 18, 2017 03:15 PM
.@kathietovo talking about how sometimes resolutions need to move quickly, and doing it two weeks out could cause trouble. May 18, 2017 03:22 PM
.@MayorAdler appreciates the concern, is willing to change it back if needed. May 18, 2017 03:23 PM
.@LesliePoolATX now asking how posting two weeks ahead will impact zoning. May 18, 2017 03:30 PM
Problems: backup could be out of date and postponements would have to be two weeks long instead of one week (w/o addendum agenda) May 18, 2017 03:32 PM
((I predict a lot more addendum agendas if this passes.)) May 18, 2017 03:32 PM
Unclear whether work sessions will now deal with two agendas at a time? The possibility will be there, not sure of planned practice. May 18, 2017 03:34 PM
Tovo’s amendments up now. Will give warning when meeting won’t be extended late. May 18, 2017 03:42 PM
Tovo is opposed to changing 3 minute time limit for public speakers to 2 minutes, but doesn’t have support. May 18, 2017 03:43 PM
Instead, asks that public be given extra time when possible. That’s the current practice, but mayor is wary of putting that in writing. May 18, 2017 03:43 PM
Tovo’s amendment does not pass. May 18, 2017 03:44 PM
Finally, in a grammar amendment after my own heart, Tovo asks that Council be capitalized consistently May 18, 2017 03:45 PM
Items 14 and 15 approved. May 18, 2017 03:47 PM
Item 26
Now on to Item 26 — education and outreach for composting — the contract is potentially for $1 million. May 18, 2017 03:48 PM
Thursday, May 18, 2017 4PM
.@JimmyFlannigan now questions whether $1M is enough to reach all users — speaker is like “yeah, we’ll take more money.” May 18, 2017 04:06 PM
Getting into the (compostable!) weeds over outreach techniques here. May 18, 2017 04:07 PM
$1M for compost outreach approved with Troxlclair and Flannigan voting no. May 18, 2017 04:13 PM
"This is @austintexasgov. https://t.co/bGwWYHVgkG"
@AustinKinghorn @austintexasgov To be clear, they didn’t give them more money… May 18, 2017 04:14 PM
On to Items 28 and 29, which concern tree trimming along electric lines. Contracts are for $13.5 million and $70 million! May 18, 2017 04:15 PM
Council votes to postpone the contracts in order to allow for a little more time to look at the companies and process and whatnot. May 18, 2017 04:35 PM
Now on to items 57 and 58, which is a Montopolis rezoning. May 18, 2017 04:37 PM
Staff isn’t recommending the change to Mixed Use on these parcels, given industrial uses “harmful to human breathing” apparently. May 18, 2017 04:39 PM
If the industrial use tried to use their entire property for their biz, they couldn’t with adjacent mixed use (the case if this is rezoned) May 18, 2017 04:54 PM
Leah Bojo up now, explaining (essentially) that the neighborhood would love a transition to more residential, and this is a place to start. May 18, 2017 04:56 PM
Thursday, May 18, 2017 5PM
Bojo says it’s time to release East Austin from its industrial legacy. May 18, 2017 05:04 PM
Susana Almanza up now — saying the industrial company is the thing that doesn’t belong and they would fight it if they tried to expand. May 18, 2017 05:10 PM
Tovo says that she just isn’t comfortable with the nearby industrial zoning. May 18, 2017 05:18 PM
RT @RyanGuillen: TX House approved HB100, creating statewide regulatory framework for transportation companies https://t.co/0F157YWcoB via… May 18, 2017 05:24 PM
Council voting on the Planning Commission recommendation (with condition that includes 1000 foot buffer on industrial use side.) May 18, 2017 05:27 PM
Council votes 10-1, with MPT Tovo voting no. Passes on first reading. May 18, 2017 05:27 PM
Actions taken so far, for those hoping to catch up: https://t.co/l64EDjdv1U May 18, 2017 05:31 PM
Item 45
Council on their last item now, Item 45, which is the city’s resolution that could allow them to take legal action on Sanctuary City Law. May 18, 2017 05:32 PM
Casar now speaking to the resolution, in support. May 18, 2017 05:34 PM
Troxclair talking now, saying she is “forced to respond” as the minority on this vote. May 18, 2017 05:35 PM
Troxclair now trying to dispel myths about the bill, and says that the city is less safe without it, according to federal immigration May 18, 2017 05:37 PM
Adler reiterates the fact that no one is violating federal law, and APD & other police have repeatedly said new law will make city less safe May 18, 2017 05:38 PM
CM Renteria says he has lost over half of his church congregation recently because people are so afraid to go out. May 18, 2017 05:41 PM
“There’s a lot of people in my community that are afraid… It’s a sad time here,” says Renteria. “The hate is coming back.” May 18, 2017 05:42 PM
Item 45
Item 45 passes 10-1, with Troxclair voting in opposition. May 18, 2017 05:42 PM
That’s all folks! This #atxcouncil meeting is over but for the music. May 18, 2017 05:43 PM
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Key Players & Topics In This Article
Austin City Council: The Austin City Council is the body with legislative purview over the City of Austin. It offers policy direction, while the office of the City Manager implements administrative actions based on those policies. Until 2015, the body contained seven members, including the city's Mayor, all elected at-large. In 2012, City of Austin residents voted to change that system and as of 2015, 10 members of the Council are elected based on geographic districts. The Mayor continues to be elected at-large.
