Travis County Commssioners Court
April 29, 2003
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Item 42
42. Consider the starflight independent review panel's report on findings and recommendations of the starflight program's organizational structure and take appropriate action.
>> judge, I definitely do have some questions for executive session, I didn't know what answer we got back from the county attorney's office about what order that needed to go in.
>> my recommendation is that next week we will hopefully take final action on the plan to reorganize the executive manager of justice and public safety functional area. That whoever star flight reports to spend 10 days to two weeks with the report. Including the county attorney's office. And brings back to the Commissioners court in a week to two weeks after that specific responses to some of the recommendations.
>> okay.
>> I read it and I agree with some of the points made, don't agree with others, but I think that's a way for us to -- to formally respond to it. And we do have to -- right now star flight is answering to a subcommittee on the Commissioner court on the reorganizational scheme that we are looking at and so unless we change that it will be a subcommittee of us that will place us effectively probably three or four weeks from now. But I do think the county attorney ought to be pulled into it between now and then.
>> okay.
>> does that will include the organizational chart that we looked at before because it did have some indications, some of the stuff that we are doing, of course I would like to make sure that we do look at that, that we be included in the process to make sure that that's all intact, the organizational chart, the whole nine yards.
>> that will be reported back to the court next Tuesday. Commissioner Gomez and I were asked last week to meet with the justice and public safety managers. We have had in fact one meeting already. We are going to have a draft ready for dissemination, I would say the latest tomorrow at 5:00. We ought to be ready to act next Tuesday, but it will include that.
>> thank you, judge.
>> not to cut you all off, but I thought that I would indicate what I think we ought to do today.
>> okay. Good afternoon Commissioners, judge Biscoe. I’m carol coal burn, acting jps executive manager. Back on January 14th, Commissioners court did approve that an independent review panel be put together to look at this star flight program's organizational structure. The panel was put together. This report has been done. I don't know if the court would like to receive a -- a more formal briefing of that report today. We do have here with us richard harrington, who is the executive director of Austin Travis County e.m.s. As well as sheila gladstop, she was the chair of the independent review panel. She is prepared to do so if that is something that the court would like today. Yeah or she was saying if you all would just want to ask questions she would be glad to answer any questions that the court may have.
>> any questions?
>> I got dizzy, I mean following the -- [laughter] the arrows in the title. But I thought it was a -- it was a good report. I enjoyed reading it. It cleared some things up for me. And it was really I mean well written. It was easy to understand. You know what you were doing. So I appreciate that.
>> thank you. We decided if I could understand it, enough to write it, then maybe someone else could. But it was a very intense learning experience for us all. Especially being a non-aviation expert in a room with aviation experts. But it was -- it was a good experience, thank you.
>> it will be -- you will be available by telephone after today.
>> yes.
>> I do think that -- that after we approve reorganization, then a subcommittee of the court ought to spend some serious time with ms. Gladstone, the county attorney's office, and report back to the court and after that I see us basically taking more deliberative action on the report itself. I do, I think the report was well written. We really appreciate you all's work on it. Especially expediting it for us. If there are questions -- she's -- she's ready, willing and able.
>> helpful.
>> and judge, in deference to the time consideration here, I did read the report, it's really, really very well written and I think it was a good investment of our time and our energy and all of the folks that worked on it. I’m appreciative. But I think that I’m going to save the technical questions that I may have to roll them into the overall discussions that we will have related to the reorganization. It would be more -- better use of our time.
>> thank you.
>> I think some of the recommendations we need to decide basically what our official response would be. And if the subcommittee were to make recommendations to the court, we typically function a lot better that way but the court may decide whether to accept them or reject them, but -- but as we try to clear those up and get additional views from you, if we can reach you by phone that would be good. Approximate if we need a meeting we will just ask it for absolutely.
>> we have not closed out that contract yet have we, carol.
>> no, sir.
>> okay [laughter] thank you for coming down.
>> thank you. Okay, again, we appreciate the assistance and there were five members on the panel?
>> yes.
>> and the work of the other four. You are local, right.
>> I’m local. A lot of them -- one of them at least went to the middle east.
>> --
>> we will try to get them back [indiscernible]
>> thank you.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 6:52 PM