SRCC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Monday, September 4, 2017 7:15 PM
LIFE IN THE CITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
(formerly Grace UMC)
205 E. MONROE, AUSTIN, TEXAS
AGENDA
To be sure you get a vote, become a member. You can join or renew online www.srccatx.org. Not sure if you are current? Email membership@srccatx.org and we’ll let you know.
CALL TO ORDER/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. 7:15 Meeting procedures, etiquette, welcome newcomers. Verification of quorum. Reminder: state your name when presenting or seconding a motion. If an acronym is stated during the meeting and you don’t know what it means, please feel free to raise your hand and ask.*
Presenter throughout: Gretchen Otto, SRCC President, unless otherwise noted. (10 min)
2. 7:25 Membership and voting. Pay multiple years in advance and get a discount. Single membership: 1-yr $20; 2-yr $35; 3-yr $50 / Family membership: 1-yr $35; 2-yr $65; 3-yr $95 NOTE: In order to vote or make motions, dues must be paid a month in advance, with the exception that if a former member’s dues have lapsed no more than 2 years, they may renew at the meeting and be eligible to vote. (2 min)
3. 7:27 Approve minutes from August 7, 2017 monthly general meeting (available at www.srccatx.org). (3 min)
MOTION: – Claudette Lowe/Laura Gass Weaver – to approve the minutes from the June General Membership meeting = PASSED 19 for, 0 against, 0 abstain
4. 7:30 Treasurer’s Report – see attachment to agenda distributed at the meeting; all reports are available upon
request to the Treasurer. Presenter: Nancy Byrd, Treasurer (5 min)
Nancy Byrd did not attend. Sam Martin reported that she is going to retire from her position as Treasurer, after 5 years of service, at the end of her term in March. The main job is writing checks, as reports and such are automated. The Finance Committee supports the treasurer.
5. 7:35 Committee Chairs reports
1) Parks, Schools, Environment–LAP group; 2) Planning & Zoning; 3) Transportation & Public Safety; 4) Norwood; 5) Historic District–see below; 6) Finance; 7) ANC/SCC*–VOTE POSSIBLE ON NEW ANC BYLAWS:
http://ancweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ANC-Bylaws-Presentation.pdf
8) Communications; 9) CodeNEXT–see below; 10) Executive Committee; 11) South Central Waterfront; 12) St. Edward’s (10 min)
Parks–Gretchen Otto reported that Laura Sjabel, who presented at the last meeting about pools, has gotten together with other like-minded people to create an organization to support the continuation of Stacy Pool: www.loveaustinpools.wordpress.com
ANC–Gretchen Otto reported that ANC is also changing their bylaws, and as a member, we have a vote. If our rep from our ANC shows up, we will find out more.
St. Edward’s Committee–David Swann reported that there has been a lot of vehicular parking in the neighborhood, connected to events at St. Edwards. A recent development is that there now is a sign at their parking lot that says “No Event Parkingâ€, which will impact the neighborhood even more.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
6. 7:45 Update on CodeNEXT process.
Presenter: Tom Fitzpatrick, CodeNEXT committee chair, or Gretchen (10 min)
Tom Fitzpatrick reported that Draft 2 comes out Sept. 15th, which we have no information about, followed by a period of citizen input. Draft 3 is scheduled for release on Nov. 28th, which will be the final staff-produced draft. Draft 3 goes to City Council for adoption in January. Tom reported that the theme of staff seems to be market-driven housing, which would increase density where “people want to liveâ€. Their model does not seem to take into account parking, liveability, quality of life, or flooding. There is a Preservation Austin meeting this Wednesday, Sept. 6, 6-7 pm at the Texas Society of Architects building at 500 Chicon Street. Gretchen Otto reported that we will have Draft 2 of CodeNext, and we will discuss. She also reported that Mayor Adler wants to meet with SRCC, and we will have a separate meeting for this event. Tom Fitzpatrick is the chair of the CodeNEXT committee. To join, contact him.
NEW BUSINESS
7. 7:55 Information on achieving National Register Historic District status for Travis Heights area.
Presenter: Angela Reed, SRCC Historic Preservation Committee (15 min)
Angela Reed reported that several neighbors have been meeting to discuss gaining status for Travis Heights as a National Register Historic District. Although there is no zoning involved with the process, this would slow down demolitions in the area. The City of Austin did not do a Historic Resources Survey before moving forward with CodeNEXT. There are no codes within the city which protect NRHD properties, so the city can only advise. It is anticipated that a survey will cost about $20,000. Currently the nonprofit has $4700, and it would be nice reach at least the amount of $5000, as most grants are matching. Donations are accepted at the website: Historictravisheights.org . Help is also needed for GIS mapping, database entry, grant-writing, and event planning. If interested, contact Angela Reed at reed.as@gmail.com Grants are already being written, and there will be a fundraising event. The area being considered is bound by Congress Avenue to Kenwood, and Live Oak to Riverside Drive. This designation is less restrictive than a Local Historical District, which was controversial in the neighborhood.
8. 8:10 Approval of SRCC Bylaws Changes. In 2015 an ad hoc committee was formed to update the SRCC Bylaws as needed to reflect current practices and committees. The committee has been meeting at least monthly for over a year and it is now time to vote on the proposed changes to the bylaws. VOTE REQUIRED.
The exact wording of the proposed bylaws is available on the SRCC website, along with a summary of the proposed changes and a detailed line-by-line spreadsheet showing 1) current wording; 2) proposed wording; 3) rationale for the change.
We need to have a quorum of approximately 19 members in order to conduct this important vote. At this meeting, a two-thirds majority vote in favor of adopting the revisions is required to pass the motion. In order to vote, member dues must be paid a month in advance, with the exception that if a former member’s dues have lapsed no more than 2 years, they may renew at the meeting and be eligible to vote.
Presenter: Carol Martin (15 min)
Carol Martin shared the documents that have been shared throughout the summer which explain the updates to the ByLaws. In general, SRCC was one of the original neighborhood plans and our ByLaws needed to be updated to reflect the changes that exist, including additional committees, officers, communication structures, etc. (See website post as of July 14, 2017: https://www.srccatx.org/2017/07/14/bylaws-documents/)
MOTION: – Tune Outhavong/Cynthia Milne– to approve the new Bylaws as amended by the Bylaws Committee = PASSED 27 for, 0 against, 0 abstain
9. 8:25 Upon successful passage of the new SRCC bylaws, a number of revisions to the SRCC website will be required. The Finance Committee has made a recommendation to increase the 2017 Financial Forecast to provide for expenses related to webmaster services. VOTE REQUIRED.
Presenter: Sam Martin, SRCC Finance Committee Chair (10 min)
Sam Martin reported that last year we have passed the budget for this year. Now that the ByLaws have been passed, we have a need for updating our website. Nick Garrett worked on the website previously, who has since moved out of the neighborhood. It has been proposed that we get authorization to increase the budget up to $750 over 2 years to get his help.
MOTION: – Sam Martin/Laura Gass Weaver – to increase the communications budget by $750 = PASSED 27 for, 0 against, 0 abstain
8:35 GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
There will be an Executive Committee meeting on September 18. [ CODENEXT COMM!] Gretchen suggested that there is greater need for a CodeNEXT Committee meeting.
Lucky Robot scheme Oct. 8-14, 15% of profits Customers must mention SRCC
Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team is seeking new members. Visit this page for more information: https://www.srccatx.org/about/greater-south-river-city-neighborhood-plan/
Contact Terry Franz if interested: tmfranz@airmail.net
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We need volunteers for several open, and soon to be open, positions
COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
TREASURER (2018)
PRESIDENT (2018)
neighborhood watch program organizer
SRCC Newsletter Editor
Austin Monitor discount: SRCC16 for 20% off subscription
Account reconciliation, Profit & Loss and Balance reports available upon request from treasurer@srccatx.org or financecommittee@srccatx.org
*Frequently used acronyms: ACF: Austin Community Fund; ANC: Austin Neighborhood Council; SF: Single Family zoning category; FLUM: Future Land Use Map; GSRC NPCT: Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team, NCCD: Neighborhood Conservation Combining District; SCC: South Central Coalition of NAs
Minutes Prepared by Mary Janecek-Friedman, secretary@srccatx.org
