Tuesday, August 5, 2025, 1:30 p.m. (Austin time), Austin City Hall, 301 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701
Committee: Audit and Finance Committee
The Audit and Finance Committee held a special called meeting on August 5, 2025 to consider a recommendation of a tax rate election (TRE) and certifying conditions for that election. The chair asked professional finance staff three questions tied to the council's adopted decision tree criteria: whether there had been a comprehensive analysis of general fund programs, whether the level of services funded by additional revenue and the accounting of services should the election fail were clearly identified, and whether alternatives balanced one-time and ongoing expenditures. Staff answered yes to each. A motion to certify that the decision tree items had been met and recommend a TRE to the full council, without specifying an amount, was moved and seconded and adopted without objection after remarks from Council Member Vela. One member of the public, Enovia Joseph, spoke twice, raising topics including senior facilities, homelessness funding, transit investment, and bond accountability.
0:03 Everybody. It's one 30 on August 5th, 2025, and I will call to order the special called meeting of the
0:09 audit and finance committee.
0:11 Uh, we have a quorum of the audit and finance committee present.
0:15 We are meeting in City Council chambers located in City Hall at 3 0 1 west second street in Austin,
0:20 texas. Uh, we will have first public communication, then we will go to our one agenda item and
0:27 we will have, uh, speakers on that agenda item, and then we'll have a discussion and motion.
0:31 Uh, with regard to that agenda item is what I anticipate today, public communication.
0:36 We have one person signed up for general public communication, and that's enovia joseph, ms. Joseph, ms. Joseph.
0:47 Alright. She doesn't appear to be here.
0:49 So let's go to item number one.
0:51 The, uh, item for the record is a recommendation of a tax rate election and certifying conditions for
0:56 the election. And, uh, we have two pe speakers signed up on that.
1:01 One is enovia joseph.
1:04 Uh, and as I've indicated, she doesn't appear to be here.
1:07 Denise baldwin, denise baldwin, denise baldwin, ms. Joseph, or ms. Baldwin.
1:16 Okay, well, let's go to the first item then on the agenda.
1:19 As I've indicated, that's a recommendation of a tax rate election and certifying conditions for the election members.
1:25 Uh, with your permission and without objection, what I will do is ask our professional finance staff to
1:35 walk through the issues that are a part of the decision tree, which was the policy that this
1:42 committee passed and recommended to the full counsel, which was then adopted by the full counsel as certifying
1:50 conditions for a tre.
1:53 The motion that I would anticipate that we would talk about after, uh, we go through this with
1:58 our staff, the motion that I would anticipate would be a motion, uh, that would say that the
2:05 certifying conditions of the audit finance committee finds that the certifying conditions have been met and recommends or
2:13 doesn't recommend a tax rate election.
2:16 And it would be just that, it wouldn't be an amount of tax rate election or anything like
2:21 that. And then we would make that recommendation to the full council.
2:25 So just in case there's lack of clarity.
2:28 So with that, um, I'm looking at our professional finance staff and, uh, first let me say as
2:35 we go into these questions, create some context.
2:38 Uh, the, the professional staff provided to this council, a, a, a proposed base budget that, that what
2:50 we've been calling the proposed the manager's proposed base budget, which had significant discussion with, uh, the, the
3:00 council, with this committee and with the council.
3:03 In addition to that, we have had a number of, uh, a number of meetings, both as the
3:11 audit and finance committee and as the City Council, where the council members themselves have had the opportunity
3:19 to ask multiple questions and identify issues and areas of investment and things that we might be interested
3:28 in. And I, I create that context simply so that when I ask these questions and ask for
3:34 some feedback on it, uh, it, it keeps everybody in the front of everybody's mind how much work
3:40 has actually gone into getting us to this point.
3:44 Um, I see ms. Joseph has, has entered the room.
3:48 Uh, what I'm gonna do, if y'all don't mind is, and without objection is I'm gonna ask her
3:52 to come down. Uh, so ms. Joseph, I'd already called your name, um, on, because we started at one
3:59 30 and, um, and I'm gonna go ahead though and give you the opportunity to speak, and then
4:05 we will go to the, the work of the, the committee
4:12 if it was provided in accordance with our rules.
4:15 No, we didn't change it.
4:17 Show that ms. Joseph, you, you were here.
4:21 In fact, you protested when we made the change.
4:24 So, you know, you knew what the rules were.
4:26 Yeah. You know what they are.
4:28 So let's, let's try to follow 'em.
4:34 I am recognize you, recognizing you on general citizen communication.
4:39 Thank you, Mayor council, uh, well I suppose it's the audit and finance committee members, uh, respectfully, Mayor,
4:47 it's not posted when you sign up for this, but I'll gladly go back and look.
4:52 Well, you're aware of the rules, but even though it May not be posted, I'll make sure it's
4:56 posted in the future, but you knew the rules.
4:59 Okay, I appreciate that and I appreciate you taking me outta order.
5:04 I will just, uh, recognize that 5 5 1 0.141 does require that you actually post items appropriately.
5:12 That's the void ability provision.
5:15 As it relates specifically to the follow-up, I just wanted to let you know that I did contact
5:21 a isd as it related to the gus garcia senior activity center.
5:25 There was a audit that was done specifically for parks and recreation department.
5:32 The seniors have been asking for a portable for about 30 years, or at least a fixed facility.
5:38 And I did contact mr.
5:40 Zachary over at a isd, but he referred me to parks and recreation department.
5:45 I asked ms. Lane on, uh, Saturday at the district's two and four budget meeting as it related to
5:52 the portables. She was aware of it, but there is no cost analysis.
5:56 So I just would ask you to recognize that you have invested since 1992, at least $2 million in
6:03 the seniors that are in south Austin and central, and that this is a reasonable solution.
6:09 And in general, my comments as it relates to the homeless issue, I just wanted to let you
6:15 know that I did go back and look at your April 28th, 2025 joint meeting.
6:20 And I just wanted to remind you that director gray actually told you then, and in 2024, that
6:27 rapid rehousing is not effective for chronically homeless individuals.
6:32 So to continue to fund that is pretty disingenuous.
6:36 I would ask you, Mayor, to please have a community meeting, not just to listen to providers who
6:41 are asking you to fund that, uh, proposal of a hundred million dollars in its entirety, but to
6:48 recognize that this is not sustainable.
6:50 A better investment would be shuttle service between samsung and apple, where you have three hebs and you
6:58 have all of the tech jobs.
6:59 And to remind you that in 2014, the north corridor project connect locally preferred alternative was for north
7:06 Austin, and the growth is in that area.
7:08 Over 58% of the jobs would be there by 2035.
7:12 So a better investment to help both the homeless.
7:15 And if you look at the heat map from diana gray, david gray's predecessor, you will see it goes
7:20 all the way up to district six and it's right along the north lamar corridor.
7:26 So one of the things that would be helpful is to have a pilot where you actually fund
7:32 about a hundred dollars in utilities for family members, family and friends option that david, uh, gray's staff
7:40 actually said, and that would be helpful.
7:42 So I thank you again.
7:43 Thank you ms. Joseph. You're, you're also entitled to speak on item number one.
7:49 Yes, Mayor. So I just wanted to say, uh, and thank you again.
7:54 Um, before you actually come up with a list of items to put before the voters, I just
7:58 want you to recognize that there needs to be some language before voters actually approve once again another
8:04 bond or whatever it is, a tax rate election.
8:08 I would ask you to recognize that they've not been genuine in following contract with voters.
8:13 And so putting another, uh, request before the community when we vote for something, that is what we
8:20 expect. You heard me this morning when I mentioned, uh, the transportation, the sidewalks and infrastructure.
8:27 And I would just say as it relates to these projects, one of the other things that is
8:31 needed is a community health center north of us, 180 3 was actually identified in 2017.
8:39 There is, again, an audit that shows this need in the community.
8:43 And so simply putting forth a, a proposal perhaps to fund social services without actually going out to
8:50 the community to ask what we think we need is disingenuous.
8:54 I will tell you that industrial microwaves are not expensive.
8:57 These are some of the low hanging fruits, some of the things that can actually be funded now.
9:02 But it would be helpful to have the list and to actually go up to the community and
9:06 to recognize these partners who said in 2021 that they were going to house 3000 individuals in three
9:13 years. And the public private partnership never really came to fruition.
9:18 The public dollars were there, but the private dollars never came.
9:22 So again, I would just ask you to recognize as I saw, uh, david king, who's long since passed,
9:28 uh, say a council way back in 2016, that, uh, it is certainly something that renters are impacted
9:36 by as well as homeowners.
9:38 And so I would just ask you to make that a, a available that information so that individuals
9:44 who are renters don't think that it doesn't affect them.
9:47 This, these costs get passed down.
9:49 Um, so I did speak to david gray today and I did bring forth my idea as it related
9:56 to the family and friends option.
9:58 Um, so I just want you to recognize that these are the types of projects that would be
10:02 helpful and to ask you to put forth some type of, uh, resolution to have a good samaritan
10:09 provision as well. Because if you're just moving people to a family or a friend's home, if that
10:15 person is renting, then that puts them in jeopardy of losing their housing too because they're not on
10:20 the lease. So it has to be more comprehensive.
10:23 I think you need a community meeting, and I think you really need to take the input from
10:28 individuals who know. I would just lastly tell you with the veterans that you need to look at
10:33 the August, 2024, um, home, the hud vash voucher update, and it says specifically, um, that you can, you
10:43 need to ask the veteran before you actually have case management.
10:46 So it's in consultation with the veteran.
10:48 And I would ask you to include that language in anything that you've put forward.
10:52 If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them.
10:54 And thank you again.
10:55 Thank you, ms. Joseph. You're welcome.
10:57 Okay, members, I will, uh, turn to our professional finance staff and, uh, what I, the way I,
11:04 I thought I would approach this, but y'all, since this is the first time we've done this, feel
11:10 free to, uh, add, subtract or do whatever, uh, but give us advice.
11:15 But, um, and, and members feel free to weigh in with questions if you have questions, but what
11:20 I would ask is with re from you, with your professional opinion from your profe, I talk for
11:29 a living, right? Uh, from your professional perspective, has there been a comprehensive analysis of general fund programs
11:39 and services to identify areas for investment of additional funding that could be provided by revenue from a
11:46 tax rate election? Yes, sir.
11:49 Thank you. And, and the, the other one is, I would say again, from your professional perspective, has
11:56 the city clearly identified the level of programming or services funded with the additional revenue, uh, based upon
12:04 the proposals that you've provided?
12:06 Now, granted, those proposals May get changed and added to, but the proposals that you've provided, when we
12:13 ask for the eight different alternatives, have you clearly identified the level of programming or services funded with
12:20 the additional revenue that's generated above the voter approval rate and provided, provided an accounting of the expected
12:27 level of services, should the election fail?
12:30 Yes, sir. Um, and then the final question I would ask, again, utilizing your professional credentials and perspective,
12:38 um, in structuring those alternatives for us to consider as we now move forward to Thursday, and then
12:46 to the, the ultimate vote, has the city manager structured, proposed, uh, proposed tre or tre alternatives in
12:54 this case to include a balance of onetime and ongoing expenditures that will allow the investments to be
13:01 sustained over the medium term and allow for funding onetime startup expenses related to expanded operational requirements?
13:10 Yes, sir. So members, I'm gonna now ask if you all have any additional questions about those specific
13:18 criteria and conditions that we need to certify.
13:22 Um, so with that being the case members, I'm gonna call for a motion and I'll, I'll read
13:30 the motion that I'll recognize here in just a second.
13:33 Um, but that motion says in it that we're certifying to the, the council that items have been
13:40 met. Uh, the items of course would be the three items that, that are part of our decision
13:45 tree, uh, and that I've just asked a, an opinion from our professional staff.