Travis County Commissioners Court
September 26, 2006
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next and this give items residents an opportunity to address the Commissioners court on any matter not on the agenda for up to three minutes and residents have signed in. Voice thorson is first and she will be followed by david evans. And charles harrison, he brought backup. Morning.
>> good morning. Joyce thorson, walnut place neighborhood association president. I'm here to read into the public record the walnut place neighborhood association protest of the value engineering study report of u.s. 290 east done by txdot dated July 15th, 2006. Specifically we are protesting recommendation number 3. The following was sent to bob daigh, txdot district engineer. For more than 10 years walnut place neighborhood association has worked with Travis County and campo in an attempt to retain some measure of safety and a decent quality of life in the neighborhood. The de report recommends that an additional overpass be built on u.s. 290 east at springdale road. This one overpass will add approximately nine million dollars to the cost of the project. A figure that does not include the higher future maintenance costs or the cost of mitigation of visual and noise impacts on the neighborhoods. Thus the be report gives little weight to wishes of the surrounding neighborhoods and the overwhelming results of comments received at txdot open houses held earlier this year. We understand public opinion is one of several factors to be considered in building roadways, but public comments on this issue were massively against an overpass at springdale and 290. Walnut place is located along springdale road nort of u.s. 290 east. The neighborhood has existed for more than 50 years. Walnut place -- through walnut place springdale is a two lane blacktop road with 23 residential driveways and numerous cross streets. This section of springdale is designated in the campo plan as a neighborhood collector. Hilly terrain in some areas severely restricts visibility of oncoming vehicles. In recent years our neighborhood has been threatened by enormous increase in traffic volume and speed. Existing -- exiting driveways and cross streets has become a risky, dangerous process. The speed limit is 30 miles per hour and Travis County has installed two roundabouts to try to slow traffic. Thru trucks are robert prohibited. Still we are overrun with speeders, people who violate the yield signs at the roundabouts and unauthorized truck traffic. An overpass built at springdale will ensure the continuation and worsening of our situation. We question the necessity and wisdom of spending nine million dollars to build an extra overpass at springdale just to accommodate the westbound traffic on u.s. 290 east. This is an official protest of recommendation number 3 to include a grade separated interchange on u.s. 290 at both tuscany way and springdale road for the following reasons: number one recommendation number 3 does not afford sufficient protection to walnut place neighborhood. In fact, this recommendation puts the residence of walnut place in an unnecessary peril. [ buzzer sounds ] I'm almost through. Recommendation number 3 is counter to the expressed intent of Travis County Commissioners' November 28th 2000 resolution which states to reduce traffic through walnut place neighborhood no grade separation is recommended at u.s. 290 east and the existing springdale road. This resolution became part of the 2025 campo plan and should have been carried forward to the 2030 campo plan. We're asking the Commissioners to -- for continued support for the no overpass at springdale road position and we're asking you to do whatever you can to facilitate completion of both north and south extensions of tuscany way. Thank you.
>> thank you, ms. Thorson. You did send that to campo?
>> yes.
>> okay. Thank you. David evans and charles harrison together. And they'll be followed by gus pena.
>> morning.
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners. My name is david evans. Along with me is charles harrison, the chief financial officer from the center. We're here for two reasons this morning. I want to briefly thank you for your leadership, your budget priorities and close work with the stakeholders group in planning mental health services within our community. I also wanted to briefly comment on the special television report this last week that seemed to raise a cloud or some questions around expenditures. I thought sense it was so special and we weren't contacted that it would be important to come back before you and read a couple of the sentences from the report itself and let the integrity of the work of the center be spoken to by our state auditors office. To the first point, I believe that we'll see improvements unfold in this next year. 'And again, thank you for your leadership around the public defenders program, the first in the country that's receiving a lot of attention. It's also helping to position Travis County to be designated as one of the focuses within the country around improving the court adjudication process, jail diversion and in particular I'd like to thank judges hohengarten and kocurek for their participation with our public mental health services. Also an assertive treatment team tied to community court, an alternative disposition for treatment, a mobile outreach team that will workly with the crisis intervention team and county mental health deputies, the continued work of re-entry, the children's partnership and the work that's being done with the hospital district in improving behavioral health in the clinics, the availability of psychiatric medications, and also the work of the city for additional housing and expansion of substance abuse treatment alternatives through 10 agencies working in concert through a managed service approach. To the second point, the legislature required that the state agencies receive an audit as to how well they're able to manage their health and human services contracts, our public mental health substance abuse and mental health and mental retardation services I believe should have third-party data verification, fiscal accountability, outcomes and be able to report back clearly outcomes that were intended as part of this public expenditures. On may the 24th at 3:00, state auditors exited our agency after nearly three weeks of looking at 100% of the general ledger transitions. We were imlimented on our data systems and in fact, san diego county has just voiced that they're going to purchase our system. [ buzzer sounds ] charles harrison has accompanied me. Do we have three additional minutes or does that end my time? Okay. Thank you very much.
>> we'll give mr. Harrison three minutes and let him sign in on the way out.
>> thank you. Charles harrison, before he came to the center four years ago, served as the chief financial officer for the attorney general's office and the tax rehab commission as a certified public accountant. Has really brought strong business practices to the center. Charles, you might pick several of the sentences out to share with the Commissioners court.
>> thank you, david. Yes, I'd like to point out that on page 9 of the report that we have, I think you have copies before you, I'd like to point out that there was the two community mental health retardation extras they visited were spending funds and as intended. I think it's critical to note that in the text of that particular page you will see z there are three points that they highlight that we were spending all the dollars and reporting back to the various state authorities on the way that they wished and intended us to do so. The issue that I think that they raised there was that when you look at expenditures in a large entity and we have over 80 different funding sources that we must account for, you place all these monies into a general fund and you expend from that general fund and then you report out of that general fund back to the various stakeholders. In that particular case they could not identify for the various items that they noted where those monies were spent from. So the board of trustees do have several optional areas where they can sit there and fund certain types of community involvement. We do provide certain types of light snacks for people when they come to various forums to get their public input, and that's what they were raising their issues on. Can I answer any questions?
>> any questions?
>> I'd be glad to work with your staff and thank you very much for the opportunity to speak on this issue.
>> thank you very much. Good to see you again. Gus pena is next. And mr. Pena, ms. Wool si testified under the public hearing on the ordinance. Phillip dick will be next. Mr. Pena.
>> good morning again, judge Biscoe, Commissioners. I want to add something that my good friend mr. Dave evans failed to include. A lot of us in the community know about mhmr issues and mental health problems. I've come before this court, the city of Austin and also the legislature requesting an increase of funding for mental health issues and concerns. I have the personal knowledge of working with homeless people out on the streets. Anybody that's known homelessness, you know, you need to talk to them about the problems not only of mental health, but the lack of affordable housing and the lack of housing period for individuals such as special needs. I considered dave a friend. I didn't come here to defend him or defend mhmr. They stand on their record. Any time I had individuals that are out in the streets, ms. Carol, had my beloved is carol, african-american female, 65 years old, she looks older, god bless her heart, other people I've troaferd them and they have a good street outreach program. Whatever I've said here at the city council, the legislature, you need to go out to the people who need help. Don't expect them to come to you. They're not going to come to you except if they need help with utilities or rent. I support Austin Travis County mhmr. They're above reapproach. They have the respect of the community and I guess I get kind of choked up at people bringing in some innuendos and false accusations. I have not known them to use my monetary fund fog anything that is not appropriate. I think and we have all fully supported, I want to say this, continue to March, mr. Evans. Y'all are doing a darn good job, you and your employees. I wish that anybody that starts any kind of false iniew indoughs would stop this nonsense. I refused to do it because I know what they're doing is righteous and legal and above reapproach. And I continue to March. Let me get off this and go back to the veterans who have mental health problems. A couple of weeks ago, three, four weeks ago, mayor wynn and councilmember leffingwell had a press conference regarding an individual by the name of major bryan hampton with the circle of friends for american veterans whavment this organization is doing is nationwide they're going to different cities and bringing awareness of homeless veterans and their problems, something that a lot of governmental attendants are not dialing with or choose not to deal with. We went through boot camp. I'm a united states marine corps veteran, six years worth during the vietnam era and I guarantee you one thing, our training was tough. When you come over here nobody expects a stand handout. Give me, give me, give me. No. We have rights out here. If there are issues in the community needs, my god, the government is obligated to help up. I'll wrap up quickly. [ buzzer sounds ] this organization is one of the can first that has dealt with homeless veterans and needs of the homeless veterans and veterans period. Please remember our senior citizens and our children. Continue funding the programs. It thank y'all very much.
>> thank you very much. Ms. Dick?
>> good morning, judge and panel. I am here this morning representing parents of concerned inmates being abused in Texas prisons, jails and youth facilities. It's a nonprofit group, grassroots organization. And I am here to ask for attorneys to help represent our group. And parallels maybe from out owe paralegals who have graduated from paralegal school, an attorney that has graduated from law school, and maybe the -- some attorneys who have more experience than the up graduating attorneys and paralegals would like to volunteer some of their time to our group about our innocent inmates and about the abuse that they are suffering through while they are in prison. I have letters here from inmates. I have more than this at home. They are really writing about the abuse that they are going through and they are also writing about being innocent. So if we could get some legal, you know, assistance in that area for your group for these inmates, this would highly be appreciated. You could send all your correspondence to p. O. Box 6362, Austin, Texas, 78762. 6362. We meet once a month at the dewity center at 2209 east rosewood avenue. And it's only for one hour. And we are really and truly seeking some assistance in this area with attorneys and paralegals. We are also taking 'membership dues now of $30 yearly. To help get our funds off the ground for like a legal trust fund for the inmates. We would like to start a legal trust fund. And we would also, you know, welcome any donations that you may want to donate, you know, in this capacity. You would send all of your correspondence, like I said, to p.o. Box 6362, Austin, Texas, 78762. Thank you.
>> thank you. Anybody else for citizens communication whether you signed it or not?
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:
Tuesday, September 27, 2006 9:54 AM