Travis County Commissioners Court
May 8, 2007
Item 18
18 is to consider and take appropriate action on responses to the question mayor from the applicants wish to go represent small cities on the capital area metropolitan planning organization board. Joe gieselman, are you nearby? Sorry to catch you off guard, joe. Sometimes even we move inefficiently.
>> all right. You have the -- what we sent out was the request for resume and the questions that the court authorized. And what have you before you are the responses from all four of the finalists who are, charles laws from Mustang Ridge. Jeff mills from Sunset Valley. Darrell white from Pflugerville. And steve swan from Lakeway. I believe it was the intent of the court to basically make a scleks from those -- a selection from those four based on what you read from the resumes and answers to the questions. We have not scheduled any interviews, although we left that as an option if need be, if you cannot make a choice from what you saw in writing. I really don't have anything mo to add. -- more to add. Inthe responses are self-explanatory. You can see their state of knowledge from the field of transportation and read from their biographical sketch how to deal with the issues that you typically get on campo.
>> and we have mr. Mills here today. He was here this morning also. I suggested to him when we broke for lunch that if he were here at about 2:30 that we would probably reach this item. Any of the other officials here who have an interest in this opportunity? What we have is one position.
>> that's right.
>> judge, this is a yearly? This is a one-year appointment, right? I would think that we would soon have half the year being over with and that we would probably want to do this person for a year and a half and then ask the person if they're still interested and determine how we're going to go about doing this. And if we really have the intent of moving this around on a yearly base, so we have some sort of agreement that it's every two years or something. I would think that somebody would need to know going into it unless they raised the flag and said hey, I've had enough. It won't take you long starting in about August to figure out whether you want to be on campo. It it may not take till August. What are your thoughts or anybody's knots thots up here -- anybody's thoughts up here?
>> is there a alternate for this person?
>> I think those are the bilaws -- bylaws that they have to respond to the policy board in advance, at least 24 hours in advance. But I don't think they have to be elected if the board member is not elected.
>> but if you want to vote I think it has to be elected. If you just nt a proxy just --
>> [overlapping speakers].
>> is there anyone who can serve as an alternate if the person that the court decides to select today, wherever we do it, could serve?
>> do we designate the alternate or does the individual who is chosen to be on the board designate's their elected official alternate?
>> I would think it would be b. I don't know.
>> tie would think it would be b, although if it is b, that whoever is chosen, they would place a priority on finding an elected not in their city, but in one of the other small cities in order to broaden the base.
>> the other thing would be to appoint from this group, a person who applied from a different area would be the alternate.
>> that would be choice a.
>> I think Commissioner Daugherty is correct, that it has to be be an elected person.
>> if you want to vote it has to be elected. We have swan fwr Lakeway. We have a dprowment other side.
>> [overlapping speakers].
>> if you are the alternate elected official and you are voting, you will probably vote for something that would benefit you if you live in Pflugerville or somewhere else. I think that that really could put you in a mind. I mean, I think that you need to have -- whoever we put in this spot, I think that all of the people probably understand you really by hook or crook need to get there. And if you can't get there, then you need to have somebody that you know will be be of like mind, which I think makes more sense. So that they can be fully brought up to speed and make sure that that person who got that spot knows how they want their vote to go. I doubt that we would have an issue of this. Most people put their name in the hat here to make the meetings and to be there.
>> I would suggest that the issue of the alternate shouldn't be taken up today because I think that we have clearly sent out questionnaires and requested resumes asking for those who wish to be the actual representative. And I think it would be premature at this time to consider naming one of these four as the alternate. Ask them if they will be willing to do that. I just brought that up because the alternate position may come to pass. If it does, what do you do about it?
>> does anyone feel the need for interviews at this point?
>> I do think that. We oughtto know between now and0 Friday and we will make the decision by next Tuesday and we ought to post the alternate issue and choose whichever one we deem appropriate. That may require contacting applicants and finding out if they wish to serve be as alternates. The other thing if you can increase the importance of serving as the alternate, if you indicate that whoever is chosen as the appointee this time when that person steps down will simply appoint the alternate and then seek it next time. If you show up as an alternate, be you will have effectively wasted one to three hours, depending on what night it is. And as an elected official, you probably ought to be used to controversy and a little bit of name calling. You will get more than your share of that unless campo changes significantly. To me that would be fair. All of them look pretty good to me, but it was not like I really evaluated each of them.
>> so we wouldn't be prepared to vote today based on what we have in front of us?
>> my recommendation would be that two members of the court with time and interest take responsibility for looking at them and working with joe and trying to rank them and give us the reasons why.
>> well, I have intrvment.
>> I have interest.
>> I thought that was the most out landish idea we had.
>> [ laughter ]
>> do we want to move this along pretty quick.
>> and eastern Travis County has interest.
>> and that does make sense.
>> west and east, working with joe. The other thing is the alternate -- I think I ought to try, if you're not appointed and are interested in sevenning as the alternate -- in serve being as the alternate, you need to be willing and able to attend even at last moment's notice, which makes me think that the closer you live to the thompson center at the university of Texas, the easier that job in attendance can be. If I'm thinking I'm the alternate and I'm thinking I'll have an opportunity to be the actual appointee next, then I will certainly stay up to speed on the issues that campo addresses. And I am convinced that these toll roads will not be be around forever. Will they, joe? There will be other issues.
>> it's stuck around a lot longer than I thought they would.
>> let's see what the legislature does. About the 28th of this month and if there's a special session.
>> move that we appoint Commissioners Gomez and Daugherty to serve on the subcommittee of the Commissioners court to work with joe gieselman between now and 5:00 Friday to read and evaluate the answers to the questionnaires, one, that we contact applicant and ascertain interest in serving as the alternate and three, that we post on next Tuesday's agenda an item that will allow us to make the appointment to address the alternate situation and any other related issues. Is there a second for that. Seconded by Commissioner Gomez? Discussion? Or is there a better strategy? I'm feeling a little unyez uneasy about making the decision today, and I can almost choose either one of these and justify it.
>> from my point I would rather vote today and handle the alternate decision later after the person has been appointed.
>> so do we put a name in a hat and let the judge pull out whoever gets the pos most votes?
>> I think we would have to take a vote publicly.
>> we can do that. We can read it.
>> after this motion fails. This has been seconded. I'm just not ready. I was on vacation last week and if ienl not on vacation -- I have a motion more important than the courtesy to have it passed. We are more fair to each of the applicants if we spend a little more time. All in favor of the motion. Show Commissioners Davis, Gomez, Daugherty and yours truly voting in favor. Voting against, Commissioner ek be heart. Joe gieselman, you will be sure to set aside a little time between now and Friday to work with a subcommittee of the Commissioners court. Thank y'all and thank y'all for coming down. If I had known that this morning I would have suggested it, but I just thought of it as I discussed it today. All right. We do have.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, May 9, 2007, 8:00 AM