Travis County Commissioners Court
December 4, 2007
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next, this item gives residents an opportunity to add the commissioners court on any matter not on the agenda. Lili moore smith is first. Lili moore smith and others are first.
>> good morning, linda moore smith and members of the human resources department staff. We're here today because we're awfully excited to announce our opening events, grand opening event of our airport boulevard location of our training center as well as our third wellness clinic. With me or the co-chairs to my right. Dr. Lynn stewart and chris neilson who really planned this entire event with the able assistance with the people to my right.
>> [listing names] others who weren't able to be with us this morning. The -- you have probably seen the posters around the county as well as the invitation of that event sent out will be held on friday december the 7th, the ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. We will have tours as well as give aways and healthy refreshments and the entire event will last until about 1130:67:89 we would like -- 11:30. We would like very much to announce that the retirees are invited, dependents, the public and everyone. We are awfully, awfully excited.
>> even the commissioners court.
>> even the commissioners court. I think the judge actually signed on to give some opening remarks at the ribbon cutting ceremony. I would like very briefly to have dr. Stuart as well as lynn make some comments about their respective facilities there.
>> good morning, commissioners court, good morning, judge biscoe. We are very excited to announce the grand opening of the third location of the wellness clinic. This is in addition to one downtown and one in del valle. We have state-of-the-art equipment and we hope this new location will help retirees come visit our clinic and receive their health care there. As parking may be less of a challenge at the tax office than it is downtown for those individuals who don't have assigned parking. We will also be encouraging individuals to get flu shots if they have not already done so. As we still have some left over. And initially we weren't sure that we were going to have any left over, but we do have some. For those who are interested and covered by travis county health insurance specifically, we would very much like to encourage you to give us a call and come in for a flu shot.
>> is an appointment necessary for the flu shot?
>> yes. Just give us a call, we will schedule you a very fast appointment and have you in and out quite quickly. That way everybody is seen in the appropriate amount of time.
>> if you come over, you don't have to get a shot if you don't want one.
>> no.
>> we won't be sticking you unless you sign a piece of paper saying you want it.
>> it does not hurt.
>> what time is the event starting?
>> it begins at 10:00, goes through 11:30 friday morning.
>> okay.
>> any other comments?
>> good morning, my name is chris nelson with staffing and training. I also want to invite the entire county all employees, all retirees, dependents to come out and visit the clinic as well as the new training and development center. Very pleased with the two new rooms that we've received and the equipment that we're installing and we're really excited about building curriculum and providing more opportunities for personal and professional enrichment, including management development and continuing with the strategic initiatives of the commissioners court. So we invite everyone to come out friday morning, 10:00, 5501 north airport boulevard. Thank you very much.
>> all right.
>> it hasn't been that long ago that -- that this was just really an idea.
>> that's right.
>> and, you know, thank goodness i was around to see its commencement and continuation of what you are doing. It's really a model. For those folks that don't realize what's happening it's really a model for a lot of folks that's probably looking at us as far as addressing our health concerns for our employees and retirees. Just want to thank y'all for doing such a dad gummed good job and staying with this and the outreach is just phenomenal. Anyone else should look at it, copy what the county is doing as far as addressing these health concerns and needs. Thank you all.
>> thank you.
>> thank you very much. Looking forward to seeing you all friday.
>> great.
>> thank you.
>> if you indicated that you are here on item no. 4, we will reach that item very, very shortly. Glen
>> [indiscernible]
>> judge biscoe and commissioners, i appreciate the time. I just wanted to take one quick moment to make an observation about an item that you all will be considering a little later and i didn't know whether there was going to be a public hearing on that.
>> what item is it.
>> it is the item i believe 13 -- no. -- number 9.
>> mayor wynn and commissioner daugherty passed a policy statement regarding the balcones canyon land preserve. I know that there are a number of commissioners that have concern about that. I just simply wanted to point out very quickly that the policy statement that was passed does not grant any access. It is really focused on initiating a process to -- to consider public and -- public access and that -- that proposal in -- you know maybe a year or so is going to present then a master plan back of what access might work in which properties. Fish and wildlife is fine with that process, they will be participating in that. So we hope that you support that along the way. And i appreciate your time. I’m out of your way.
>> thank you. Phillip a. Dick. She will be followed by scott johnson. In fact, if mr. Johnson please come forward and have a seat, gus pena, also. If i could have ms. Dick, mr. Johnson and mr. Pena please come forth.
>> good morning.
>> good morning, ms. Dick.
>> as you know, i am here talking about my son still and I’m trying to get him released from state prison because he is innocent. I have death threats where my son has
>> [indiscernible] these guards and wardens from his unit, the michaels unit have threatened my son's life. And they are putting hard punishment on him to keep him in state prison. Now, i have proven to the world that my son is innocent of these false charges. Now sheriff greg hamilton has also proven that my son was already, you know, incarcerated -- well sheriff margo frasier's statement of verifications of his incarcerations shows that my son was already in travis county jail when this officer made up this false report of arrest of my child. Okay. Now, sheriff hamilton's office has also sent me statements that this is a false arrest because they have no record of this arrest, period. So why is my son off in state prison. With all of these death threats on his life, they are beating him. He tells me, "i was doing all right until i got into it with these gang members again. Mamma, check this out. Gang member tells this black sergeant, mr.
>> [indiscernible] and white female officer who was working the floor to make up two cases on me. So the sergeant is saying i threatened his life while the female officer is writing a masturbation case. Mamma, i just signed up to get in school for a high school diploma or g.e.d. Classes and went six months in something with no cases. Mamma, I’m still in my cell on my bunk looking through my photo album with all of my clothes on and she in the picket and said that i masturbated on her. Mom that's sad how people can lie and play with someone's life and get away with it. Mamma, this -- i ain't going to say what he said about the black sergeant, but he says that the white female officer wrote the cases and then they locked him up and told her i got you back. So get my back. Also, when they came out the picket she threatened me and a -- and did a f sign with her finger. And went --
>> [beeping] -- on to say give me the sergeant's case in front of my cell and less than two or three minutes asking me what's my statement for the cases." i need help! I have gotten with -- with the -- i have gone to senator whitmire's office for help --
>> you are out of time.
>> i have gone to senator whitmire's office for people, the state offices for help. Even i have went to senator kirk watson's office for help. I have gone everywhere for help and everybody is turning me down. I don't want my child coming back home from no state prison dead like these death threats have been against him and like the other person at the state prison calling me a black bitch and everything and making death threats against my son's life. I need help, my son's life is in danger.
>> thank you.
>> thank you, sir.
>> thank you.
>> mr. Johnson?
>> good morning, judge, commissioners.
>> if mr. Payne would please come forward.
>> good morning, my name is scott johnson. It always a good time to talk about air quality. Even though temperatures are cooler now, we are not going to have the high ozone levels over the next three or four months that we do during the warmer months. One thing to be sure is that the us e.p.a. Is looking at change the ozone standard, making it more restrictive, stronger. If they do that our region will very lickly be out of attainment at that time. Comprehensive planning that includes land use and transportation together, together will improve environmental quality. Travis county is taking steps in that direction, that's excellent. However, the perception that we can build ourselves out of traffic congestion such as with state highway 130 and simultaneously reduce air pollution meaning ground level ozone, that should have been refuted long ago by the experience of other cities both domestically and internationally. This sort of folky wisdom comes from road proponents that think that we can actually reduce traffic congestion in a growing region when the region is growing outward. That's tti, the texas transportation institute has studies that can refute that. I encourage you to look at those if you still aren't convinced. The side effects of the actual construction going on on s.h. 130 and other roads is very harmful to people's health and the environment. The soot, black carbon out of diesel construction equipment not only affects people's health, it's involved with increasing mortality meaning people die sooner than they normally would. Also these particles deposit themselves on glaciers, also affect climate by radiating heat more directly down to the surface. This is something that the region has not addressed well. One way that the region can address it well is through the texas emission reduction program. Governmental entities and private sector fleets can access these grants that come up once or twice per year. There's going to be a grant round coming up in january of '08. Very likely austin will be involved in that grant round. I have been pursuing this through the environmental program, fleet manager of travis county and the city of austin. We need to be prepared. We are not as prepared as we could be. The region should have hired a coordinator last year for these no strings attached grants. I brought this up with the commissioners court, i brought this up with the city council. These upgrade diesel construction equipment so that those engines burn cleaner, reducing particulate matter which affects people's health directly and hopefully reducing fuel consumption, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions the main threat for global warming. Climate change is happening. I hope you all believe it. I hope you have a vested interest this trying to reduce your impact personally and the impact of travis county operations. Finally
>> [beeping] in conclusion, when someone says to you i have a long commute, I’m stuck in traffic all the time, ask that person the question how far away do you live from where you work? Did you think about that when you moved to where you did? I would like to ask that question to mr. Daugherty. Have you ever asked anyone --
>> you are out of time.
>> i will continue next time.
>> thank you --
>> anyone else for citizens communication to add the court on any matter not on the agenda. If so please come forward, whether you have signed in or not. And you will be given an opportunity after mr. Pena. Okay. Mr. Pena.
>> good morning, judge, commissions, gus pena. Several items to talk about. Just a couple of them. In the austin american-statesman yesterday, gi doesn't add up for our vets. Not enough is being done for the veterans when they return from iraq, afghanistan when they are released from active duty. I want to be very specific about this. I have been speaking to this issue, issues many years already, that austin travis county mhmr has already lost funding for mental health treatment. A lot of our veterans are coming back from the war zone with ptsd, post traumatic stress disorder. Similar to what the vietnam veterans had when they returned from vietnam. It's -- it's just mind boggling to me that the richest country in the world will not take care of its own people, the poor, the feeddy and havenots and specifically the military veterans who serve their country in war, and even peacetime, it could be traumatic because the training that we receive is very difficult. We have recon training, training with forced -- fort bragg to their jump schools, all that stuff, as marines you train with the republic of marines. You need to be thinking about allocating more funding for substance abuse, mental health treatment and it's just not being done. The needs of the veterans are not being met. They are losing their homes. I had two veterans back from iraq that were in the streets. These guys served their country with honor and bravery. They have silver stars and a bronze stars. I have to refer them to local clinics because they wanted to go to the emergency room, it's inundated. Take a seat, we are going by priority that's all right. The way it should be done. But the issue is this: these individuals need help. It's not being done by the united states of america. I was substance abuse and marriage counselor in the marine corps to counsel marines coming back from vietnam. I can tell you what is a horror story. We back then when we were released from active duty, we had the vra, veterans readjustment act. Military vets don't have this and come back. They go back to their jobs, the jobs are not there. They are losing their homes, divorce. They take it out on their kids. That's not acceptable. Kids are not at fault. So by using this commissioners court entity we bring out and educate the people on the needs of the veteran. The need of the people out there. 256 people signed up for blue santa or the christmas bureau and one day in the neighborhood center. Poverty is prevalent. Rampant. Our country is not doing anything to bridge the gap from the haves, have not. The haves help out a lot, the have nots, it has to be done yearly. People will say hey we're not here to help them out monetary wise. Yeah, we are, we are human beings. God put us here for a reason, that's our job. Elected officials, please if there's any opportunity bring it up to anybody. Needs for the veterans and the poor, thank you very much, have a good day.
>> thank you mr. Pena.
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, December 5, 2007, 18:30 AM