Travis County Commissioners Court
October 30, 2007
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next. This item gives citizens an opportunity to address matters not on the Commissioner court for up to three minutes. Gus pena is first, phillip a. Dick is next, followed by wes benedict. If he would come forward, also, six chairs there. Three people signed in.
>> good morning, mr. Pena.
>> good morning, first and foremost the issue about the expansion of the landfill. I called Commissioner Gomez's office in the paper referenced her as the swing vote. I don't know. I really don't care talking about swing votes. But the issue is this, is that again a reiterate what I said last week. When I grew up in east Austin, east fifth street we had an old tank farm in front of us. Caught fire once a month. Derogatory, compromised the health, well-being of the community. We had a mattress making, bricklaying company to the left of us, about 300 yards away, the slaughter house where capital metro currently is situated. Ments a pesticide company. These things are not compatible, not good for the community. I think Commissioner Davis stated it appropriately. It compromises the health, integrity, well-being of the community to have dirty things, negative things be brought or expanded into the community that's already there. But to not vote against it simply because it is not binding is not acceptable. Send a message to the company you need to clean yourself up, kids are suffering, school, what -- what we have in our system, growing up in east Austin, growing up with all of these contaminants. I leave it like that, up to your conscience. Number one, eligibility we had a counsel of clients go to some of the county clinics they have been denied health coverage, health insurance. To use the health clinics, that's a no-no. These people are leabl. Eligible,we had the same probleh Austin, '95, '96, '97, we had to go up there for three years to correct the eligibility and what the criteria for eligibility is all about, correcting it, taking corrective measures. I know that you have an item here on special items, I also would like to thank the Travis County employees for all of the work take you do. I used to be a bailiff here at Travis County in criminal district courts. I will start this new -- we need more corrections officers. I know it was on the agenda lasting round in the budget. I have been asking to have these issues recognized and corrected. Patrol officers, that's a given, we need more, given. Corrections officer I used to be a foreman federal corrections officer. We know the inmate to corrections officer ratio is not acceptable. It's dangerous. Correct it. Ms. Dick over here has a problem, I referred her to senator john whitmire, a friend of mine. Maybe she can get some resolvement. Good people have been slammed and innocent people have been put in jail and incarcerated. I mean they have been incarcerated without probable cause. We know that it happens. It's
>> [indiscernible] maybe one of you all can help her out. I know she has an ongoing prison, problem, trying to get her son out of jail or people. Good people are incarcerated they are framed. They are
>> [beeping] anyway, I leave it like that. Vote appropriately, thanks for everything that you do.
>> ms. Dick is next. If mr. Benedict is here, please come fort and have a seat. If anybody is here for citizens communication to address the court on any matter not on the agenda, whether you signed in or not. Any matter not on the agenda. Citizens communication. Ms. Dick?
>> good morning, everyone. Thank you, mr. Gus pena for for that information and input. I am still trying to get my son, roosevelt hutchins, junior, released from state prison. He is an innocent victim. He really is. I was on television, I was invited on television by mr. Johnson, mr. Gary johnson to come on and do his show at the pac Saturday. He's really interested, too. He wants to see my son out of state prison, too, because he's saying the same things that I'm saying. How in the world can this man be in state prison on this date, the office -- the officer claims he arrested my son on may 14th, 1993. Okay. I have here from the sheriff margo frasier, my son, verifications of incarceration, it states clearly that my son was incarcerated on that date. And I don't know how he got out on that date to get hisself rearrested on that same date to go to a state prison for 15 years. Okay. I went and I wrote to the Texas open records -- I've been doing everything. I'm his mom. I'm doing everything I can to get my son released. I wrote to the open Texas records act. And I asked for his finger prints, his booking number, his everything that would, you know, prove that he really did this crime on may 14th, 1993. I got this answer from the sheriff greg hamilton's office. And it clearly states, they call me mr. Dick, but it's always ms. Dick. This letter concerns the request for information which this office received on September 14th, 2007, regarding roosevelt hutchins, jr. Please be advised after a diligent search of the records maintained by this office I was unable to locate any arrest records for the date provided. That means that there was no arrest record for my son. So why is he in state prison? I also have sent for -- I said I am in receipt of your answer to the open records request. You sent me a response that you were unable to locate any arrest records for that date. I need the following information concerning your response. Because I am trying to -- I need clarification on this item as it is important to my son's release. I need help. I'm also wondering how in the world my son requested this cause number. This cause number was dropped. They said they destroyed this cause number. It no longer exists. This cause number was picked up we the other cause number that sent him to state prison. Claims. I didn't get a chance to show you
>> [beeping] where this fingerprint shows that my son was transferred. He was not -- he was transferred into huntsville, Texas state prison. He wasn't sentenced. The records proves this right here. It says on his release date for six months, January 10, 1993 to June 10th, 1993 is six months. They have where my son served only 83 days.
>> thank you.
>> okay. I just -- I need help, please help me.
>> talk to defense attorneys. We are not the -- we are not the people to unravel this.
>> right.
>> what I'm saying is I know that my public servants here can really direct me in the right direction so that I can help to get my son released. I'm disabled. I can't afford an attorney. Can't afford anything but I am a student in paralegal college at virginia college learning the law so that I can help protect me and my children from this date on. I don't intend to nothing else like to this ever happen to me and my children again.
>> thank you, ms. Dick.
>> thank you. Mr. Benedict is next. Mike ford has joined us. Mr. Ford here? Mike ford? You wish to testify during citizens communication, mr. Ford?
>> yes.
>> okay. Mr. Benedict?
>> my name is wes benedict. I'm sorry but I wanted to speak on agenda item 33. So if I wait until later will I have an opportunity to speak on that after the landfill issue which is 32?
>> yes, sir.
>> thank you.
>> sure.
>> mr. Ford?
>> yes, my name is mike ford and I wanted to speak on item 33. The subsidy for the domain and --
>> this is supposed to be for items not on the agenda. The main subsidy was approved by the Commissioners court three years ago. So this is an amendment, this is a substitution I think for one of the owners. But the contract has been in place since the construction of domain began, that's about three years ago. You are still welcome to stay and give us testimony, though. But I think this is simply a -- what I call a routine substitution of ownership. That we typically routinely approve. But you still have a right to give testimony today and we would certainly like to hear you. My guess is assuming the b.f.i. Item takes an hour, you are looking at a -- about 11:00.
>> thank you, I'm opposed to subsidies of this type.
>> I understand. This contract, though, has been in place about three years. Should I call you up when we call that item? If you are back -- if you are back at about 11:00, I will make sure that we don't call it up before 11:00, how is that?
>> thank you.
>> may be after 11, but won't be before. Okay.
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 31, 2007, 18:30 AM