Travis County Commissioners Court
January 22, 2008
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next, and a few citizens have signed in. The first is gus pena. And gus will be followed by andrew ha kins.
>> good morning, judge, Commissioners. Gus pena. A couple of things that I want to inform the court and the listening audience about. Number 1, mental health issues. We have been speaking about mental health issues for a long time, not just last year, the year before that. But one step that I felt the newspaper got it very correctly is mental health problems of incarceration and jails. We do believe that mental health issues not being addressed adequately at the jails. The picture that was done by the newspaper is very accurate, very true. Apparently I知 speaking to two individuals who were released from incarceration and they have mental health problems. Again, I referred them to Austin-Travis County mhmr, dave eveans. They have a mobile van that they go to the people in the streets. Outstanding job over there. The problem is not enough beds, not enough space, not enough funding. Not only mental health issues for veterans returning from iraq or afghanistan and combat zone, but also they're having problems as far as spousal abuse is concerned. The veterans come back with mental health issues. It's very tough for somebody to say, hey, I have a problem. Give me some help. I知 telling you there is help for you out there in you can call mhmr and the telephone number is in the phone book. I failed to get it for the public. Call them and they will get you referral. Number two, our kids. A lot of our youth have anger management problems. I would strict -- I would advise and electronically respectfully -- and strongly respectfully request that all social service agencies look at this problem with a lot of our youth that have anger management problems, a lot of earng. I don't know if it's family structure problems or whatever, we need to deal with it other than we'll see them in gardner-betts. We'll see them over there. Gangs. Again, we met with the f.b.i., and several other agencies, similar to what we did in 1994 prepare terry to preparatory to getting rid of the gangs. We need to make sure that we monitor and keep kids out of gang. Ms-13 has infiltrated a lot of schools. We have one over there in travis high school. We need to prevent kids from being involved in gangs. Fully fund all summer job programs for the youth. Fund them completely. Even more so, augment the funding for them. We need to keep the kids out. Prevention, prevention, helping the kids out. Sometimes grandma is the only parental figure in the family. You have to help them in wrap around services.
>> > substantiating the budget early, I hope you do that. When I was at the city council last week to meet our new city manager, one of the things that I urged the city manager, mr. Ott, an I welcome him to Austin and his family, but also the mayor and council to start budget early. Remember to fund these key and critical programs that will have a positive effect on our community out there that will prevent --
>> [ buzzer sounds ] thank you all very much for the time and continue the March. God bless y'all.
>> thank you. Andrew hawkins.
>> > good morning, judge Biscoe, county Commissioners. I知 from save our springs. I知 here to talk briefly about the brushy creek regional authority. I realize that's on a item today to set the hearing for item 26 hearing for --
>> what type of authority -- will you repeat that?
>> sorry?
>> would you repeat your first statement, please?
>> I知 here to talk about the brushy creek regional utility authority. There's an item on the agenda to set a chap tesh 26 26 hearing for sandy creek park, which the project -- one of the lines will run through. And I have a letter written up that I壇 like to submit to you. We just wanted to make the Commissioners aware of some certain issues with this project. We realize it's sort after funny thing and that the park is owned by lcra, but is run by Travis County, and it is in a sensitive area. It's eng dangerred species habitat. One of the things about this water -- about this particular water project is that the time line seem to be moving so fast. It's sort of like water treatment plant four, we're concerned that there would be an adequate opportunity for citizens to comment on this particular project and especially the taking of parkland for the project. There's been a substantial amount of controversy in the community. People are very concerned about the site selection, the deep intake site, the transmission lines and these were just things wented to bring to the attention of the Commissioners. So if I could pass out some letters.
>> andrew, what organization are you with?
>> the save our springs alliance. I know this is sort of outside of our traditional focus area in term of the watershed, but we believe water conservation is such an important issue that we try to work in a regional coalition and partner with other groups who are concerned about these same issues, so everybody who has a stake in this has had the opportunity to give input. Thank you.
>> if you will give those comments to ms. Porter, she will make sure we get a copy. Judy grace?
>> good morning, judge and Travis County Commissioners. I appreciate the job you're doing for all in Travis County. I wanted to talk on the same subject. Brushy creek regional utility authority, who are requesting a license to use the sandy creek park to cross little fisher hollow over into the trails end neighborhood. We would like to make sure that all feasible alternatives are looked at. Through open records I have found that the project looked at sharing the city of Austin intake at the oasis and using a pipeline route that would avoid the trails end neighborhoods and the neighborhoods of volente and it could also save the ratepayers in the four cities up to $140 million. After the three cities of Cedar Park, Round Rock and Leander who formed brushy creek regional utility authority reestimated the figures, they concluded that it would cost their three cities $236 million more to share in that project. After six months of trying to get that cost estimate out of open records, from June it was finally released in November. And the cost estimates showed that they had over -- way overestimated the pipeline costs and other costs of the project to reach that figure. We're looking for someone who can independently work on those figures, to give that another look because it would save a second intake in Lake Travis and the communities of volente and trails end and the rate pairs of those four cities. So we're looking for documentation about pipeline routes that they thought had faights flaws. -- fatal flaws. And again we're looking at going back and trying to share that project. The project has drastically changed. The city of Austin project had a peer review last June and has changed its intake design from a tower intake into, I don't know, more back to a regular type of an intake design and changed the pump station, which was the subterrainian, into something that is a little bit more normal. Anyway, that's what we're looking for. We're looking for some help in trying to bring some accountability into this project. You know, the project seems like it wants to have the construction of it in Travis County and the benefit in Williamson. Thank you very much.
>> [ buzzer sounds ]
>> thank you. Emmitt hays is next. Emmitt hays and his entourage, I should say.
>> [ laughter ]
>> morning, judge Biscoe, Commissioners. These are my entourage. Immigrateful this morning to be able to sit before you and actually I壇 like to read a portion of a letter. Deer colleagues at Travis County juvenile probation department. On behalf of the substance abuse and mental health services administration of the department of health and human services, I am extremely pleased to bestow to the Travis County juvenile probation department a 2007 stawns abuse and mental health services science and service award. It is meant to acknowledge the organization's outstanding effort in I am implementation of one or more evidence-based interventions and reflects your commitment to promoting greater use of services in your community, specifically the success that your organization has demonstrated in implementing an evidence-based service and positive effect of these services have had on your clients and the families is visible proof of the importance and direct benefit of reducing practice to a service gap. These people who are with me, we've been authorized to move forward by administration with chief medina and given guidance by deputy chief swift in developing the juvenile justice integrated network. The juvenile justice integrated network actually is in now its third generation. What I mean by that is that the federal government determined that after the demonstration project that we implemented in 1996 was so important in the field of juvenile justice and substance abuse service provision that they began to develop other programs. The second generation was actually funded by the robinwood johnson foundation and now the third generation. I kid with our folks all the time that we're now grandparents as we begin to operate this program in 1996, and it's important to note that the outcome that we've had have been significant. We've been around now long enough to see some of our youth coming back in and speaking to us about what this program has meant to them. It's a little unusual to have young people coming in to the juvenile probation department many times to say thank you. A good job you've done and I appreciate those things that have happened. These folks back here represent those juvenile justice integrated network partners. Our partners are from the field services for sur substance abuse and mental health, family services, independent case management. We have network partners from harris county as well as from dallas county who will provide services to our children.
>> [ buzzer sounds ] the juvenile probation offices are integrated with prosecutors, defense attorneys and with our juvenile drug court judge. To implement these services in an integrated fashion that first of all reduces the use of substances, address the mental health problems of these youth, work to reunify family and as well began to build on a future for these young people and we are proud this morning to have an award. And tholing the award -- owe.
>> our next speaker is stella medina.
>> thank you, judge. Judge, Commissioners. I知 with the juvenile probation department. And as emmitt has represented, we are extremely proud to present you this morning and share the awards that we have received. I want to thank the court and certainly for all of your support because you've provided us the opportunity to implement many of the programs that we are able to share with you in terms of our success this morning. So on behalf of the probation department and on behalf of our juveniles and families that we've had an opportunity to serve, thank you. We're extremely proud of this award and very glad to share it with you.
>> thank y'all.
>> [ applause ]
>> I would like to say something briefly as well. My name is texanna defense and I知 the assistant district attorney and I have had the opportunity to work with the juvenile drug court program with a little over five years. I wanted to say what a great program it is. It's a strength based program where we really reinforce positive reinforcement to kids by giving them rewards and encouragement, which is something a little different for the district attorney's office. We usually have a different approach when we work with the juveniles, but this is a great program. We've worked with it for a long time and I really enjoy it. If you.
>> so is that letter from the state or federal government?
>> from the federal government, u.s. Department of health and human services, substance abuse, mental health services administration, the administrator, dr. Terry klein.
>> job well done.
>> [ applause ]
>> y'all are shaig that award with us, but you're taking it with you?
>> [ laughter ]
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, January 23, 2008 8:09 PM