SRCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
TUESDAY, April 6, 2021 7:00 PM
Zoom Teleconference
via THE INTERNET
AGENDA
To be sure you get a vote, be 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
Meeting was called to order at 7:03
1. 7:00 Meeting procedures, Zoom tools, etiquette, welcome & introductions of new members
Presenter throughout: Megan Spencer, SRCC Vice President, unless otherwise noted. (8 min)
2. 7:08 Membership & voting announcements. Reminder that SRCC current dues status is required to participate in SRCC business and actions such as voting and making motions. (2 min)
3. 7:10 Approve minutes from March 2021 Executive Committee Meeting
Reminder: schedule for Executive meetings: 1st Tuesday of most months; 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Location: teleconference during 2020 (eventually will return to Good Shepherd on the Hill).
Remaining meeting dates in 2021: EC Apr 6; GM Apr 20; EC May 4; GM May 18; EC Jun 1 (tentative); GM Jun 15; EC (tentative) Aug 3; GM Aug 17; EC Sept 7 (tentative); GM Sept 21; EC Oct 5 (tentative); GM Oct 19; GM Nov 16; EC Dec 7. (5 min)
No comments or corrections noted – minutes were approved as posted.
4. 7:15 Standing Committee check-ins on events/goals/issues.
Presenters: Committee Chairs. 1) Planning and Zoning 2) Historic Preservation; 3) Finance 4) Mobility; 5) Public Safety; 6) Parks and Environment; 7) Schools; 8) Communications (15 min)
- The rezoning of 1100 Manlove was indefinitely postponed. The rezoning of the Parker Ln Methodist Church was postponed for a month or so. For the variance at 1601 Brackenridge P&Z met with the owner and didn’t have any concerns with their plans.
- The variance at 1601 Brackenridge was to add an ADU, which was one of SRCC’s recommendations in the “7-points†document related to the Land Development Code Rewrite,, and the owner had recently saved it from a demo. The NHRD application was submitted but there are still issues. They are pressing forward with the application, though the longer the delays, the less contributing structures there are.
- See later item
- There was a long proposal from the South Congress Parking Study, which included pay to park on Congress and in the neighborhood. The plan is for residents to be able to buy passes for parking in the neighborhood (though this may be limited to parking within the district, but not on S. Congress itself), similar to RPP. There was a question about the boundaries of the parking district – there are two options in the report, and the chair is looking for input from the neighbors. There will be a presentation from a City Transportation employee at the May SRCC meeting about this, and they want to get this in place by July (this deadline has subsequently been extended to allow for neighborhood input). The plan is for 51% of the money to be returned to the PTMD to do mobility improvements. There is a survey up on the Downtown Austin Alliance website that should be open until the end of April. There is a plan for deliveries and ride share pickup in a designated area. The Chair indicated that the Bouldin NA is considering the larger area (due to the concern about future high density housing near Congress and Oltorf), but has not taken a formal position.* There was a question about some of the locations of the proposed improvements, but it sounds like there is no definitive information yet. The chair reported that he is not aware of any negotiations between the City and the owners of the 495-space Music Lane parking garage to provide affordable parking for workers (yet the City has negotiated affordable parking with parking garage owners Downtown). There was a question about the use of meter revenue for sidewalk improvements, though the expectation was that those improvements should have been covered by Proposition B property tax increases. There is a proposal for a circulating bus route between downtown and the PTMD. Please send feedback on the preferred map and any sidewalk improvements needed to Mark.
- Nothing to report
- There has been some move to restart the path work at Little Stacy Park.
- Nothing to report
- Nothing to report
REPORTS OF AD HOC COMMITTEES and REPRESENTATIVES
5. 7:30 Check-ins on events/goals/issues
Presenters: Committee Chairs/Representatives. Norwood; NPCT; ANC*; SCC*; South Central Waterfront; St. Edward’s; S. Central Affordable CDC; Ad-hoc Land Development Code Revision; Ad-hoc Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (10 min)
Norwood: Nothing to report
NPCT: Nothing to report
ANC: There was a general membership meeting on 3/24. There was a presentation by 2 new Council members. ANC voted to oppose the Strong Mayor charter amendment (Prop F), which was passed by consensus. There was a very interesting presentation on Project Connect, and members of the public are encouraged to join the 3 committees that are being set up to guide the project. There is also $300M to help with displacement along the corridor.
SCC: Nothing to report
South Central Waterfront: Tom Groce has completed the training, and his first meeting as SRCC rep will be on Monday.
St Ed’s: Nothing to report
S. Central Affordable CDC: Nothing to report
Ad Hoc LDC: Nothing to report
Ad Hoc DEI: Nothing to report
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.
NEW BUSINESS
6. 7:50 The Ad Hoc Nominating Committee Chair will present a slate of Officers to be voted on at the April 20 General Membership Meeting.
Presenter: Dan Fredine, Ad Hoc Nominating Committee Chair (10 min)
- President: Cynthia Milne
- Vice President: Megan Spencer
- Treasurer: Will Andrews
- Secretary: Dan Fredine
- Membership Secretary: Mary Friedman
- Austin Neighborhoods Council (ANC) Representative: Betty Weed
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 1: Claudette Lowe
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 1: Marylin Orton
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 2: Russell Fraser
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 2: Eugene Kubelka
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 3a: Jo Webber
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 3a: Sara Newsom
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 3b: Brooks Kasson
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 3b: Marc Davis
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 4a: Sam Martin
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 4a: Carol Martin
- Area Coordinator – Area 4b: Kris Asthalter
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 5: Neal Nuwash
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 5: Elloa Mathews
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 6: Rachel McClure
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 6: Laura Gass Weaver
- Area Coordinator – Area 7: Frederick DeWorken
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 8: Kim Lanzillotti
- Area Co-Coordinator – Area 8: Vicky Moerbe
The nominating committee met to identify candidates for elected positions. There is currently a web form that is active to allow potential candidates for officer to register their interest. This is intended to be roughly equivalent to the in-person process of nominations from the floor, which is more complex to do using Zoom polling. The nomination form will close on April 9th.
7. 8:00 Financial Audit Report
Presenter: Sam Martin, Chair, Finance Committee (10 min)
There were some scheduling issues for completing the financial review, so it is not completed yet. It will be completed and presented at the next General Membership meeting.
8. 8:10 CapMetro SRCC Consulting Party Invitation: The Federal Transit Administration has invited SRCC to participate as a consulting party for the Capital Metro Orange Line Project. The FTA has determined that the Project is a Federal undertaking subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and is the type of activity that has the potential to cause effects on historic properties. Wendy Todd has volunteered to be the SRCC Representative on the CapMetro Consulting Team. See the US DOT Orange Line Project Letter here. VOTE EXPECTED (10 minutes)
Wendy Todd has volunteered to be the SRCC representative to the “Orange Line Projectâ€. Wendy has spoken with the project contact. This is essentially a formality – there is no actual project activity yet. The neighborhood should identify if there is anything of historic significance in the project area, which is along South Congress. There were questions about the firehouse, Connie Todd’s house, and the potential impact of the SRCC NHRD. The Historic Preservation Committee will share their info about the historic significance of the area.
MOTION – Wendy Todd be the SRCC representative to the Capital Metro Orange Line Project. Approve: 13, Oppose: 0, Abstain: 0; PASSED
9. 8:20 Discussion of items to be added to the April 20, 2021 General Membership meeting regarding the City of Austin ballot in May. Presenter: Betty Weed (10 min)
We will be voting on 8 amendments to change the City Charter. The controversial ones are the camping ban (criminalizing homelesness), Strong Mayor (puts more power in the hands of one person), and there are several other ones that are interesting. The concern is that a lot of people don’t know what the Strong Mayor proposal is about, and that it could cause significant changes to the way our local government is run. The City Manager would be removed, the Mayor would run all City departments, and the Mayor could veto everything unless overridden by a Council supermajority. There is also a proposal for a 12th district, which could cause ties if the Strong Mayor doesn’t pass. There is also ranked-choice voting, which may not be allowed per Texas law.
At the April SRCC GM meeting there will be a discussion that will include both pro and con positions for the Strong Mayor proposal. SRCC was looking for two groups to talk about the camping ban, though speakers have not been identified. It was suggested that we consider having someone neutral, like the League of Women Voters, which already have pre-recorded meetings about each of the amendments – maybe include links to the LWV recordings on the agenda.
10. 8:30 ANNOUNCEMENTS
SRCC currently has the following volunteer positions open:
-Outreach Committee Members/Chair
A member asked about the transition from the Yahoo ListServ to Groups.io. The SRCC Neighborhood Association does not control the listserve, but it can be joined by:
â— Going to https://groups.io/g/SouthRiverAustin
â— Scroll down and click the blue button that says “+ Apply For Membership In This Groupâ€
â— Provide your email address and follow the instructions.
The next SRCC Executive Committee meeting is May 4, 2021.
The next General Membership meeting is Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15pm.
Agenda Prepared by Megan Spencer, vicepresident@srccatx.org
* Updated after initial publication based on input from Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association
