Travis County Commissioners Court
November 9, 2004
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next. And two citizens have signed in, bill whitmore
is number one. And jennifer gale is number two. Jennifer gale is still here?
Okay. Mr. Whitmore?
>> judge Biscoe, Commissioners, good morning. My name is
bill whitmore and I知 the executive director at Austin recovery. As many of
you may know, Austin recovery is the primary detox and treatment center for
people in the central Texas region who have alcohol and drug problems. We
serve primarily the medically indigent and working families in the community.
Some of you may be aware that tcada reorganized once again beginning September
first. Our agency was getting about $740,000 more than we have received as
of September first. We still are bringing in $2 million to help the indigent
in this community, but there has been $740,000 removed from our funding. 87%
of the clients that we serve are from Travis County. And this is going to
have very, very serious implications on the health services of many of our
citizens. We received no funding. Please hear me again. No funding for our
detox unit. That funding was moved to waco and to bryan-college station. We
have taken some of the monies that we have generously received from the city
and the county under the management service organizations from mhmr and we
are propping up detox so that the citizens do not lose access to those services.
We also lost funding for a very innovative program as we have been doing with
the salvation army men's facility over on south congress. That is a 118 bed
facility. It's a state-of-the-art program. 90% of the men who are in there
are there for alcohol and drug reasons. Those men are receiving very little
treatment. We opened a new treatment center right across the street from them
so when the guys were done working on the trucks during the day, they could
then come over four nights a week and receive alcohol and drug treatment services
in a five-week program. 77% of the men who were there were finishing that
program. Close to 80% of them were sober when they were contacted 60 days
post-treatment. The program has really proven to be very, very successful.
We have lost funding for those two programs. We are keeping them going through
reserves that the agency has, but I知 here to tell you that if we are not
able to get help from the city, county, state, those services are going to
go away and it is going to seriously impact the courts, it's going to seriously
impact the hospital district. Providing treatment services for alcoholics
and drug addicts is one of the best investments the community can make. We're
here looking at child abuse, we're here looking at orphans. Alcoholism and
drug addiction are the root cause of so many of the problems in this community.
And yet we are one of the most underfunded services because alcoholics and
addicts unfortunately, you know, are not sexy. They just don't seem to be
-- let's be tough on drugs and be tough on this, but what we're really doing
is hurting the parents, the brothers and sisters of so many people in our
communities. We're asking for the restoration of those monies. We need $300,000
restored to detox. We need $197,000 restored to keep the salvation army program
going. They are well, well worth it, and it can be one of the greatest investments
that the city and the county can make. And I know Travis County has been so
far more jean russ than all of the other counties in the state of Texas, but
I知 here as a point of information that you be aware of the polite that we
are going through -- plooit that we are going through. We have had to redirect
our services where 40% of the people are having to pay for services. Austin
recovery will survive, but we're having independent transcribe tribes fly
their people in when the citizens of our county are being turned away because
there is no funding. I thank you very much.
>> thank you.
>> before you run off, can you tell me why the funding was
sent to waco? You made that comment, you said the funding for the program
was sent to waco.
>> yes. All over the state there was a reconfiguration of
the monies. Some of it was scoring things. Our agency scored one quarter of
a point less than the facility in waco did. We received more money for residential
treatment and no money for detox. What they have done is created an insane
system in the state of Texas. Travis County is not the only one that has been
hurt by this madness. And it really is madness. But people are supposed to
go now to waco to detox. And then they're supposed to come back to Travis
County to get residential services. Most of them are getting drunk before
they get back here. Because if you're sick enough to be in detox and you're
qualifying for residential treatment, my god, you get them there as quick
as you can. You turn these people out on the streets and then they face a
three week, five week waiting list to get into your program, what are they
going to do? They're going to get drunk again. That's the nature of this illness.
And then they wind up in prison and in the hospitals and we wind up paying
10 times more than if we would just create a reasonable system.
>> okay. Thank you for your answer.
>> do me a quick favor. In the purple shirt is kate alexander.
Would you kindly get this information to her as well. Because the statesman
has been looking for examples of cuts at the state level and how that is doing
a trickle down impact on local communities. I think there was a little bit
of confusion because there was another Austin recovery related to the women,
and that situation got resolved, and I thought --
>> 85% of that funding restored primarily because the information
got out there to the community. People were raising all sorts of cain and
saying this can't be.
>> if you would do the same kind of raising with kate, perhaps
we could get more pressure built and it could help.
>> women and children get attention, and that's why that
funding was restored. But let me tell you, the alcoholics and the ad dikts
are the fathers of many of these women and children. And if they don't get
the help, the kids are going to suffer.
>> and I hope you would also go visit our Austin-Travis County
delegation because -- the legislature is coming up and we will never be able
to resolve the problem of restoring cuts that the state of Texas has dumped
on local communities.
>> you got it.
>> jennifer gale is next.
>> thank you very much.
>> starting now.
>> good morning. Hi, Austin, Travis County Commissioners
court. Commissioner Gomez, Daugherty, Sonleitner and my very own representative
Ron Davis. Judge Sam Biscoe. I am here asking this county Commissioners court
to not certify the election November 10th, 2005, a day before veteran's day
and a birthday of the united states marine corps, 229 years ago tomorrow.
As a candidate for place 4 Austin city council, I知 jennifer gale, talking
to people, collecting signatures in this beautiful fall weather i've become
aware that people who voted yes on light rail were not aware of the nearly
$5,000 per person -- per light rail commuter cost a year. That that it will
pollute, that it will go nowhere near where they live, south Austin, hyde
park, downtown. The time element that it takes light rail, the tax dollars
that you will continue to collect for the light rail in perpetuity, to general
tra fi east Austin -- general tra phi east Austin. They even used my campaign
slogan, let's keep Austin Austin. Right here in their circular. Which was
part of over $300,000 collected to advocate for light rail using my words.
This will destroy Austin. Look at the problems georgetown is having holding
on to their historic integrity. When we bulldoze our very own everyday, here
is a colorful circular brought out by a transportation authority and a member
of this Commissioners court in precinct 4. There was no advocating against
light rail. That's a violation of state law. I'll asking you uphold that state
law. I come here before the Commissioners court to make you aware that state
agency, capital metro violated state law in advocating for light rail in Austin
in dozens of television ads, possibly hundreds of radio ads, our own newspaper,
the Austin chronicle, and others in violation of that same state law. That
the city of Austin removed item 36 in their agenda for the 21st of October
and violating the very law that I知 making you aware of. I知 simply asking
you to not certify the election tomorrow, November 10th and uphold the laws
of the state of Texas. You can do that tomorrow. The people only had two months
to fight this. Two months. That's all they had. The people of Travis County
that campaigned against the system which received 62% of the vote. That means
we were very close to defeating that despite the two months. Tomorrow on on
the marine corps's birthday I知 asking you to not certify the capital metropolitan
lail light rail where they violated state law and for you to uphold the very
law that you work for everyday. Thank you for your kindness.
>> thank you very much.
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.
Last Modified:
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 3:14 PM