Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

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Colleen Pate
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:22 pm

Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Colleen Pate »

Council Members,

As we start this new year and time together, we need to organize committee assignments and assignments from the Council to intergovernmental bodies. The plan would be for the Council to consider and, if ready, vote on these appointments at the January 26, 2023, Council Meeting.

I’ve attached links to Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments. The spreadsheet shows current committee assignments, including the Chair and Vice Chair. It shows those assignments for the previous Mayor and Council Members in red, which reveals vacancies.

Please let me know your preferences by posting to this topic in advance of the scheduled meeting. I will coordinate. Once there is a consensus, I’ll present the results to the City Clerk.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Thank you.

On behalf of Mayor Watson


http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 34017.xlsx

http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 34100.xlsx
Chief of Staff, Mayor Watson's Office
Colleen Pate
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:22 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Colleen Pate »

Chief of Staff, Mayor Watson's Office
Leslie Pool
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Leslie Pool »

morning, Mayor! Thanks for posting the committee lists and gathering our inputs.

Couple details for our new colleagues as you're deciding what committees you'd like to be on:
> Committees should have at least four members, with no upper number limit.
> The Austin Energy Oversight Committee is a committee of the whole.
> All committee meetings are publicly posted and subject to Open Meetings Act rules.
> Even if not officially a member of a committee, we're all welcome to attend and participate in any committee meeting at any time; only those officially on a committee, however, can vote on an issue in that committee.
> The chair and vice chair review the committee agenda before posting with assistance from the staff liaison. Any two sitting members of the committee may add items to the agenda; items from staff may also be included in consultation with the chair and vice chair.
- - - - - - - - - - -

And my interests for next year:
I would like to continue to serve in my current Council committee capacities - chair, AE Oversight; vice chair, Audit & Finance - and cycle off of Water Oversight. I am considering joining Mobility to expand on my work with Cap Metro, and possibly Public Safety.

For intergovernmental committees, I would continue my current assignments - COAERS; BCCP; and Cap Metro (currently secretary of the board) - and cycle off of Pecan Street Project.

Looking forward to our work together!

Leslie
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member, District 7
Alison Alter
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:52 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Alison Alter »

Thank you for moving this conversation forward, Mayor Watson.

Colleagues, I intend to continue serving on the following Committees and intergovernmental bodies:

• Audit and Finance Committee (Chair)
• Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee
• Austin Water Oversight Committee
• City of Austin / AISD / Travis County Joint Subcommittee
• CAMPO Transportation Policy Board
• Austin / Travis County Hate Crimes Task Force

I am rolling off the Mobility Committee to grant another colleague the opportunity to serve on the Committee. When not serving as an official member, I anticipate that I will attend committee meetings based on availability and interest.

These are my preferences absent a major change in how our committee system functions.

Best,

Alison Alter
Council Member, District 10
Vanessa Fuentes
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:02 am

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Vanessa Fuentes »

Colleagues, I have served as Vice-Chair of the Public Health committee for the last two years and would like to chair the committee this year. I’m also interested in continuing my service on the following committees:
• Audit & Finance
• City of Austin / AISD / Travis County Joint Subcommittee
• Community Advancement Network (CAN) Board of Directors
• Regional Affordability Committee
• Hate Crimes Task Force

Additionally, I would like to join the CAMPO Board and Mobility Committee and cycle off the Austin Water Oversight Committee.

Yours in community,
Vanessa
Council Member, District 2
Jose Chito Vela
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2022 8:16 am

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Jose Chito Vela »

Thank you for the post, Mayor.

I would like to remain on the Housing and Planning Committee and the Public Safety Committee. I would also like to replace CM Renteria on the Capital Metro board. Since CM Harper-Madison does not wish to continue as chair of the Public Safety Committee, I would like to chair the committee. As a criminal defense attorney for over a decade, I have been deeply involved in policing and public safety issues.

Chito
Vanessa Fuentes
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:02 am

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Vanessa Fuentes »

Thank you, CM Vela and CM Harper Madison, for being willing and interested in serving as Chair of Public Safety and Housing. I strongly support and welcome your leadership and perspectives on these committees.

Vanessa
Council Member, District 2
Ryan Alter
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:15 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Ryan Alter »

I appreciate you moving this conversation forward. I would like to serve on the following committees:
• Housing and Planning
• Audit & Finance
• Austin Water Oversight
Additionally, I am interested in chairing the Water Oversight committee should that opportunity be available. I defer to more senior council members who might also be interested, but believe I would be well suited to work on these issues.

As it relates to the intergovernmental committees, I am interested in serving on the following committees:
• City of Austin/AISD Board of Trustees/Travis County Commissioners Court Joint Committee
• Police Retirement Board
• Regional Affordability Committee
Thanks,
Ryan
Council Member, District 5
Paige Ellis
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:37 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Paige Ellis »

Thanks for initiating this conversation, Mayor.

Colleagues, I would like to continue all of my current committee and intergovernmental appointments:
- Mobility Committee (Chair)
- Housing and Planning Committee
- Public Safety Committee
- CAMPO Transportation Policy Board (see below)
- Clean Air Coalition (Vice Chair)
- Clean Air Force Board (Exec Cmte member)
- Texas Colorado River Floodplain Coalition

I would also like to replace CM Kitchen on the CapMetro Board, as CAMPO's Elected Official appointee. I am hopeful the appropriate members of the CAMPO Board will take action on filling this vacancy at the February CAMPO meeting, and I would be grateful for my colleagues' support.

Thanks to all, and I am eager to see what we can get done in the year ahead of us!
Paige
Paige Ellis
City Council District 8
Vanessa Fuentes
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:02 am

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Vanessa Fuentes »

As the outgoing Chair of the Austin Water Oversight Committee, I'd like to offer my full support for CM Ryan Alter chairing the committee moving forward. His expertise and the makeup of his district are well-matched to advance the priorities and scope of this committee.

Vanessa
Council Member, District 2
Colleen Pate
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:22 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Colleen Pate »

Council:

Thanks for the continued input re council committees and appointments to intergovernmental entities. If you haven’t sent in your preferences, please do so.

To make sure I’ve shared my thoughts about appointments for the Mayor, I’m submitting this note. My thinking is that I take those appointments that Mayor Adler had. That would mean that I serve on the following:

Austin Fire Fighters and Retirement Fund
CAPCOG General Assembly
City of Austin/AISD Board of Trustees/Travis County Commissioners Court Joint Committee
Regional Affordability Committee
Texas Municipal League Board of Directors
U.S. Conference of Mayors
Visit Austin
Psychiatric Services Stakeholder Committee of Central Health
Austin Transit Partnership
CAMPO as an alternate

Mayor Adler also served on the Downtown Austin Alliance board. DAA has changed its by-laws so that elected officials no longer serve on the board, so I will not serve on that board.

As for Council Committees, I would serve on:

Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee (Committee of the Whole)
Public Health Committee

Thank you all. Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great week.

Kirk

On behalf of Mayor Watson
Chief of Staff, Mayor Watson's Office
Jose Velasquez
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:35 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Jose Velasquez »

Hola,
I would like to serve on the following committees.
• Housing and Planning Committee
• City of Austin/AISD/Travis County Co Joint Committee
• Public Health Committee
• Regional Affordability Committee

- JMAV
Council Member, District 3
Zo Qadri
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2023 12:46 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Zo Qadri »

Colleagues, I would like to serve on the following Committees:

Mobility Committee
Public Safety Committee
Housing and Planning Committee

I would also like to serve on the following intergovernmental committees:

Pecan Street Project
Visit Austin
Hate Crimes Task Force

Sobering Center: I am currently in conversations with Councilwoman Fuentes to chair the Sobering Center and will give an update in the coming days.

Best
Zo
Council Member, District 9
Mackenzie Kelly
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:56 pm

Re: Council Committees and Intergovernmental body appointments

Post by Mackenzie Kelly »

Mayor and Council Colleagues,

Thank you for posting the committee lists.

Firstly, I would like to thank Chair Natasha Harper-Madison for her service and leadership on the Public Safety Committee.

It has been an honor to serve on the Public Safety Committee, the Audit and Finance committee, and as Vice Chair of the Mobility Committee. I have learned a great deal and have enjoyed working with my colleagues through the most challenging issues facing our community and working through solutions. I want to continue serving on these committees.

Additionally, I would like to serve as Vice Chair of Austin Energy and fill the empty slot as a member of the Police Retirement Board.

With my vast and hands-on lived current and past experiences, I would lean on that knowledge as we navigate future public safety discussions. I served on this committee during my first year in office as a member and became vice chair last year. Last year, I was able to chair meetings in the current chair's absence.

Regarding my role as Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee, it is my understanding from past council actions related to committees when a chair decides to leave their role, the vice chair has the opportunity to step into that role.

Furthermore, as chair, I will remain committed to bringing public safety professionals and stakeholders from my Rolodex who can help the council best understand their needs, concerns, and valued input.

With our more senior colleagues' terms ending and new council members joining us, I am now one of the more tenured council members for a position such as chair of a committee. Public safety is and remains a life-long passion of mine and I am committed to bringing a robust discussion to the committee regarding some of our most pressing and urgent needs as a community.

I look forward to your support as I seek the Chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Warm Regards,

mk
Council Member, District 6
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