Travis County Commssioners Court
March 25, 2003
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Citizens Communication
Citizens Communication is next. This is to give citizens an opportunity to address the court on any matter not on the agenda. Not on the agenda for up to a full three minutes. First speaker is maria [inaudible], second is gale penny chapman.
>> good morning.
>> good morning.
>> commissioners, judge Biscoe, as you stated, I'm maria conchola constable for precinct 4. I am here today along with lena, cscd and gale penny chapman of juvenile probation. We are the components of project spotlight and would like to give you a status report. Project spotlight is an intensive supervision program for young probationers. More importantly this program is about public safety. It has a direct impact on the quality of the lives of the citizens of Travis County. Long after ail of the probation -- long after all of the probation offices are closed, the project spotlight juvenile and adult probation officers and my deputies are visiting the homes of the probationers. These teams of officers work evenings and weekends. It is their job to see to it that these young offenders are obeying the terms of their probation, not out on the street reoffending. If they find that these youths are in violation, they are immediately brought before a judge to re-evaluate the terms of their probation. At the onset of this program, activities were set up by our officers in nearby parks and recreation centers where these probationers could come and participate and play along with their family members. We felt that these programs were a very important part in trying to turn their lives around. As we all know, these activities and their impact are very difficult to evaluate. Therefore funding for these activities was withdrawn. As of October of this past year, these officers have switched focus by hosting community public safety events in which the probationers participate by volunteering their assistance on the day of the event. Last Saturday, spotlight, along with Austin safe kids coalition, kids, children hospital of Austin, general motors, safe kids, buckle up, american red cross, capitol several and injury-free coalition for kids held a car seat check gyp at the dove springs recreation center. This events was very successful. There were approximately 65 safety seats inspected and/or replaced. On Saturday, April th 5th, spotlight, along with tcso will host a vin etching and heat recreation events at the montopolis center. Our officers bring these events to the neighborhood of precinct 4 whose citizens are usually not able to attend in other parts of town. They have received a very supportive response from the local merchants who donate their services ford to help feed our volunteers during these -- in order to help feed our volunteers during these events. No monetary costs to Travis County or project spotlight. It is our belief that these programs help give our probationers a sense of serving and belonging to their community, therefore lowering the risk of revictimizing their community. Thank you very much for your time.
>> thank you.
>> and --
>> I am gale penny chapman the director of juvenile probation. And I'm glad to be here this morning to give you some more information about project spotlight. Which was funded, we are in the fourth year of project spotlight which is funded by the criminal justice division of the governor's office. In this collaboration it has been very successful in Travis County. We have been one of the counties that have -- have always been acknowledged by the governor's office as being pretty creative in our programming in the community and -- and how successful we were initially in developing interlocal agreement, which was used across the state of Texas. We found that this collaboration has been very successful in working together with adult juvenile and the law enforcement and constables who joined us this last fall. In working together and sharing information, holding offenders accountable, being able to be very responsive, very quickly, to anyone that was not -- that was not following their probation. That being able to be out in the community and being very visible really made an impact in the neighborhoods of 78744 and 41. That they knew who we were, they knew the officers, it was also a very respectful relationship that the officers had with the community. And we also got that -- the young adults and juveniles did not want to be involved in spotlight and did their best to try to avoid getting on spotlight because they knew how successful we were and also being out there in the intense supervision, three or four contacts a week. The goals of spotlight were to decrease crime in the neighborhood, to hold probationers accountable, to provide services to the individuals which lela will talk a bit more about for substance abuse, counseling, whatnot, whatever their needs were we did try to address through the funding of the grant. To collaborate with community resources which was a big and important piece of our collaboration, us all working together. I also think for the community to see law enforcement probation in a different light, possibly in a positive light in that we were also there to help work with them. To be successful on this program, the probationers needed to complete at least six months on project spotlight to remain arrest and violation free during the time that they were on the program. Obtain and maintain -- obtain and maintain employment or education and exhibit positive progress within their life situations, family, peer associations. However the grant ends August 31st of this year. We are applying for a grant which is through the criminal justice division, federal funds, we are hopeful that funding will be possible, which we should hear by this summer. Because we do feel a very strong commitment to this program and the -- the effectiveness that we've had in the community. Thank you.
>> thank you.
>> hi, good morning, I'm lelo with Travis County adult probation. I just wanted to share a little bit of information with you about the offenders who are served through project spotlight. Most of the offenders are high risk in that they have assaultive histories or gang members and have a variety of needs that have not been met through their life. For the adult probation, spotlight program participants, 135 youthful offenders, aged 17 to 25, have been served through the program since it began in fiscal year 2000. For the juvenile offenders, 125 youthful offenders have participated in the project spotlight. For a total of 260 spotlight offenders since 2000. Approximately 50% of those offenders have been able to successfully complete the program. And as gale indicated, there are several very stringent requirements that they have to meet in order to successfully navigate through project spotlight. One of the important aspects of project spotlight is participating in the community. That takes many forms. One of the things that the youthful juvenile offenders have done in the past is participate through community service restitution to help programs like keep Austin beautiful do their cleanups that they do throughout the year. Other programs that spotlight offenders can access are electronic monitoring, again because these are very high risk offenders, a lot of instances the courts do place them under electronic monitoring. They also access substance abuse services. A lot of them do have a history of substance abuse and one of the things that we can offer them through the funding of the grant is treatment. Either outpatient or in some instances residential treatment for these offenders. We also use mentoring programs. The Travis County youth advocacy program is the program that we contract with to provide manipulators for both the juvenile and -- mentors for both juvenile and adult offenders. Not only the offenders but their families in meeting needs that need to be addressed in order for the offenders and families to lead a productive life in Travis County. One of the most innovative things that we have done during the past four years is to use the arts. In working with especially the adult offenders. It allows them to -- to investigate a side of life that they normally aren't exposed to. It gives them the opportunity through the arts like photography, a -- visual arts, to -- to learn better communication skills, to have a sense of accomplishment in completing projects and the programs that we have been -- that have -- that they have participated in have been recognized by the governor's office. And representatives of the governor's office have attended several of the art exhibits. That we have been able to put on at the conclusion of these various programs. I also want to underscore the importance of community collaboration in project spotlight. The juvenile probation folks have worked with communities in schools during the initial phases of project spotlight when funding was available to support that effort. We also still maintain a relationship with the dove springs recreation center and the montopolis recreation center to provide a variety of programming to -- to families and offenders in those targeted zip codes, we thank for you your time this morning.
>> thank you.
>> judge Biscoe, if I may, we have some of our project spotlight officers with us today. I would like them to stand up, please.
>> thank you all very much.
>> thank you. [ applause ]
>> thank you very much on for your time.
>> thank you all.
>> speaking number 4 is kenneth snyder.
>> my name is kenneth snyder, north ridge acres, Austin's e.t.j., Karen Sonleitner is supposed to be our commissioner but she's not. Three more families moved out last week. They said they cannot pay $600 water bills. The houses are sitting there vacant right on north ridge. It's a disgrace for me to get up here and talk about this, but also a disgrace to have elected officials that do not care about the people like they do. It's just like the war. I'm not for the war I'm against it. I think it's all a political stage basically. We have been treated the same way just like terrorists in our neighborhood. Kennedy ridge had the same problem we had. They are getting their problem fixed. They had it fixed years ago. There's a black cloud on this neighborhood. I would like to find out what it is, as my daughter says, I would like to know the problem. There has got to be a problem when you are getting $600 water bills. The tnrcc says he can charge any price he wants to. We don't have a say over nothing much I mean nothing. So there has got to be a reason the county don't want to get the sewer out of the neighborhood. They talk about cleaning up the neighborhood, everything, you see sewer running down the streets. Stinks. Ditches, drive cars through. Just take a drive out there and see what the county done to us out there. It is disgraceful. I wouldn't wish it on a dog. We live on bottled water. I go out -- I have five gallon buckets out there in the truck. I fill them up every three or four days. I am now taking a bath in bottled water on account I can see my face all breaking out, my hands, you wouldn't believe what my wife's hands look like. She's shy, she didn't want to come up here. This is a disgrace that I have to come up here week after week after week just to try to get help for this neighborhood, try to save our neighborhood. I like it out there. It's close to everything. We are not a thousand miles away. We are right next door to Round Rock. Maybe 10 miles from here. It's a disgrace that the county cannot take, stand up and say we need to fix the problem. You have one bad apple. Like they say one bad apple in the bunch, I hope it don't spoil the whole bushel. You have one bad apple that has a grudge against us. Williamson county has a grudge against us and mike hildestein. Karen Sonleitner says no, it's no, that's the way it works out. We have two good people up here. And I hope the thing -- they don't spoil you all, either. Sonleitner seems like she calls the shots on everything. Going to run for county judge before it's all over. Getting down to 2%, I don't think she'll make it. She only got in by the skin of her teeth this time. [laughter] but we get -- we have a -- an election that is supposed to be may fix that problem. But I don't think any elected official should have a -- grudges against anybody. They are supposed to work for the people and not for themselves. That's what it looks like to me. They are working for themselves because there are hispanic out there. I don't care because they are hispanic, black people out there, I do not care what the color they are. They are human beings just like anybody else. Just because they work for minimum wage, don't draw $100,000, a year, they are still human beings, we need drinkable water [buzzer sounding] sewer sitting on top of them, and not getting any help. You look all around us, you see all of the growth. I know we got more growth than kennedy ridge had. But they got their problem fixed. They shouldn't be more important than we are. I shouldn't have to come up here and beg and beg and beg week after week. People calling me every day. Saying how come they don't do nothing for you. I do not know there. Has to be a grudge against us from the city, county, state. They have a grudge against this neighborhood or somebody has got so much power in the county that is telling the county, city, state to do this here to us, they are doing it to us. You will not believe, tnrcc you put a complaint in. They say put it in writing and we will look at it. Put it in writing. This guy can do anything that he wants to do. They are going to charge us half a million just to bring a water line from one fire hydrant, hook it on to another fire hydrant that's what it amounts to. Still leaving the same old infrastructure in there. Pay an extra 100, $200 a month for water. He lost about 40 customers already that I know of that couldn't pay the water bill, they left it off. They are bailing water in.
>> thank you, mr. Snyder.
>> there has to be a problem somewhere. Where we are in the straits like this out there. We are people just like anybody else.
>> if you would go to my office right now and talk with bob Moore, tell him that I would like to have a meeting with you and your neighborhood, I will come out and I will also call mr. King, but if you will go occupy to my office and get that set up, we will get it on the calendar.
>> I sure will. Thank you very much, you are the only one that says anything for to help us.
>> at this time we will pull from the basket the names of candidates for office in the new city of volente. And --
>> your honor, would you like [inaudible] first?
>> yes, sir, this is to determine the order in which the names appear on the ballot. First name will be placed one, for position one, second name position two on down. The marshal's office will be real simple since there's only one candidate. Will be first and last. Let's hold it up here, give it a good shake. Let's there commissioner daugherty pull the second one. County clerk is probably watching this wondering how the names come. Scott r. Atwood. Number 1.
>> looks like number 2 will be -- I this is sue ellen jordan. Sue ellen jordan.
>> all right. We will put number two on here. That's number 3. Commissioner Gomez number 4? Do you have one already?
>> I didn't draw.
>> you would rather not.
>> I will. That's what I was asking. Should I draw.
>> yes, ma'am.
>> this is a lot more fun than it looks.
>> well, that's why I was asking if I could be included. That was 3, wasn't it?
>> ken miller.
>> okay. If I could get that. Number 3. And number 4?
>> tony bacca? Is that bacca?
>> okay. Mr. Bacca is number 4. Number 5 will be -- karl campbell. Karl campbell. Number 6 looks like gary m. Frame.
>> everybody out there running for office.
>> bob kramer.
>> number 7.
>> bob kramer.
>> this is [inaudible] richard dick frost?
>> yes, sir.
>> richard dick frost.
>> okay.
>> frasier or frost?
>> frasier.
>> frasier. Yes.
>> richard dick frasier.
>> okay. Number 8, there's another one?
>> there's 13.
>> oh. Everybody out there is running for office. [laughter]
>> somebody is going to win something.
>> Ron montenayas would be number 9.
>> number 10 will be gary gross.
>> okay.
>> mr. Gross is number 10.
>> judy barrick.
>> ms. Barrick is number 11.
>> look like mike gold?
>> yes, sir.
>> is that right?
>> mr. Gold is number 12. And last on the ballot as a candidate for alderman is -- I may note for the record that the basket is now empty. Ann tim cane. Will be number 13. And the next officer is mayor. The next office is mayor. How many candidates?
>> they were glued together.
>> -- had them glued.
>> number 1 is -- jan [inaudible]wine. Number 1 much. And number two would be the other candidate, who is --
>> number two is kimberly wimberly.
>> kimberly wimberly.
>> that's kimberly k. Wimberly.
>> her middle name is kimberly as well.
>> kimberly kimberly wimberly. Kimberly to the second power wimberly. And the only candidate for -- for marshal is roland perez. He will be first and last. On the ballot. We will get that information over to the county clerk and let the -- I'm sure the candidates will be calling in unless they observe this, we will let them know, also. Anybody else for citizens communication whether you signed in or not? Then the consent items are next.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 2, 2003 10:25 AM