Travis County Commissioners Court
December 15, 2009,
Item 34
>> we need to call up a quick item as there's been a late development.
number 34, consider and take appropriate action regarding the Travis County appointment to the capital metro transportation authority board of director.
a, determine short list of candidates to be interviewed, b, adopt list of questions to be asked during interviews.
a very late communication from mr.
eckstein indicates that one of the interviewees cannot be available this afternoon at 2:00?
>> not at 2:00, but can be available later in the afternoon.
what we've done, judge, is the members of the court had given me some indication of the persons they most preferred as a way of just getting us started to try to narrow down a list of people we want to interview.
and so the members of the court have all participated in that process and the question I think before the court now is what would you like to do by way of making a decision on whom you would like to interview or how would you like to go forward with the process?
we do have one of the interviewees who has let us know she is in a training session and will not be available before 4:30, although she's going to try to sneak out early if she can.
>> well, we're scheduled to start at 2:00.
can she sneak out at 2:00?
can she sneak out at 1:45.
>> I don't think she can sneak out at 2:00, or she doesn't know yet, but she has promise to do keep us updated during the day.
>> is it that she is actually running the training session?
>> no, but as I understand it, she is participating in it and it's a relatively small group thing and her participation is required and expected.
>> have we touched base with the applicants to see what was a good time for them to come?
>> what we have done is asked all the applicants to be available basically throughout the afternoon beginning at 2:00.
and veronica is standing ready to let applicants know when the court would like to visit with them based on what the court decides in terms of whom they would like to interview.
>> are you suggesting that the other two may be available as well later in the afternoon?
i mean what --
>> as far as I know, everybody is available at 2:00 except this one candidate.
>> could we put her at the end of the list?
>> well, one of them is court 9.
the other one --
>> actually 11.
>> and the second one how many?
>> 11, 6 and 5.
>> three were at 5.
11 --
>> there's an update to that based on Commissioner hueber's input.
there's 11, 6, 5, 4 and I forget what the others are.
>> my motion was about to be we interview the 11 and 6.
i know there were three at 5, so we would -- our goal was to get down to three.
if we interview all of those at 5:00, then we have to interview five people.
we did not set aside enough time to do that and didn't plan to.
so my motion is that we interview the 11 and the 6, which are the highest two numbers, basically.
>> just to make sure, judge --
>> is there a second for that motion?
and if this doesn't work, seems to me we would go to another strategy because if we interview -- well, paid on this we could do -- based on this, we could do -- we could do three.
>> we can do three with that information.
>> without getting to 5.
this would be 11, 6 -- what about the three that were at 5?
how do we get to three to one?
>> well, Commissioner Huber, who of the traveling last week, has given us her rankings as well.
which is how the 9 became a 11 and other the other numbers adjusted.
-- all the other numbers adjusted.
>> judge, the rankings are purely for advisory for the way dietz was trying to get this on the agenda, you have a variety of options before you.
you could name -- take votes on who you wanted to nominate right now.
if you want to do the interviews, you can interview any number of the applicants, one, two, three, five, how much time you have.
this is your chance to take your first action on this agenda item.
>> judge, your motion is to interview all those with points above 4?
>> no.
i was dealing with a different set of numbers.
my motion was to interview the top two.
and, however, the -- consistent with that motion would be saying 11 and 6 but they would be different people based on --
>> on the numbers.
finishes.
>> well, if we are interviewing two, this is it.
this is it.
my motion is interview the top two.
that would be 11 and 6.
so we don't get to 5.
if we interview the top three, there is one at 5 now.
before the reason that made sense there were three at five.
now there's one at 5.
seems to make sense to interview the top three.
>> is there -- is that a change in your motion?
>> I withdraw the other motion.
>> oh, okay.
>> I second that motion.
>> my motion would be to interview the top three, 11, 6 and the 5.
and that starting at 2:00 we schedule the appointments at 45 minutes apart and we schedule ms.
alice last.
>> okay.
>> however, if we hold true to the 45 minute time limit, that's at 2:00, 2:45, we would get her at 3:30.
sometimes this court runs 5 to 10 minutes late.
our goal this afternoon, I assume, is to be on time.
>> it would really help because I've got to be out of here at 5:00.
>> that's a two-part motion.
is b friendly to a?
three candidates, 45 minutes apart starting at 2:00?
2:00, 2:45, and 3:30.
>> three candidates.
>> three.
the top three.
>> I would rather go with three than the top two.
>> these numbers change again?
>> call my lawyer.
>>
>> [inaudible] change again, judge.
>> any more discussion?
top three, 45 minutes apart beginning at 2:00.
okay?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
now, dietz has a list of questions.
i suggest that we -- we all have questions.
you had three --
>> I have three.
>> I suggest that we look at these questions over lunch.
can we do that?
>> yes.
>> and immediately upon commencing this afternoon, we look at these questions and try to get down to a workable number, like eight or nine.
so we now have 13 questions that we're dealing with.
we may be able to combine two or three.
why don't we do that, try to start back at 1:30, look at those questions and try to land on the top eight or nine.
>> is there anything you want me to do with respect to modifying the list of questions or --
>> we will know at --
>> will you know at 1:30.
>> I think we need our judgment.
we want to you have a good lunch and come back full of energy this afternoon.
>> [laughter]
>> as always, judge.
>> okay.
those are just directions.
is that okay?
any objection?
>> no, sir.
>> then we will take up the rest of 34 this afternoon, which will be the interviews and the selection of one of those to serve on the capital metro board of directors.
>> this morning we did talk about in item number 34 the list of questions that we had been presented, and I think mr. Eckstein gave us about 10 and Commissioner hueber had drafted four more.
>> three more.
>> three more?
that is not to intimate there were three long questions.
>> per your instructions of wanting eight or nine, I eliminated one of mine and added it such that we still, in my opinion, cover the bases and kept ten questions.
I have revision I can hand out that are fairly clear.
>> all right, judge.
I got my answer.
>> okay to have it next week?
>> yes, as far as her presentation, that would be fine for next week.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> we've been handed a list of 10 questions now so we basically try to incorporate those three additional ones into the ones that we had?
>> they are already in there.
number 1, I combined with the original number 6.
number 2 I combined with the original number 7.
and then 5 and 9 I added.
everything else is the same.
and maybe the other two disagree with those, but --.
>> they look pretty good to me.
these all right?
>> yes.
>> move that we use these during the interviews today.
>> that would be fine.
>> discussion?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
appreciate your work on that, Commissioner.
>> you're welcome.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 5:48 PM
