Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, June 29, 2010,
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next, this item gives residents an opportunity to address the court on any matter not on the agenda up for up to three minutes. Mr. Snyder is next.
>> mayor leffingwell: kenneth snyder, north ridge acre, the colonial, i hear affordable housing, that gets me. No such thing as affordable housing. Gets me. But -- but the city of austin -- the mayor and everything said that they are going to take and try to put the grant in and everything. I talked to water and wastewater, she said she put it in for it, everything, she sent this letter to the water development board. I am trying to get her to return my calls, she ain't done it yet. She faxed it over to him. And they said they never received it, i don't know how that's going to work out. I wish that the county and city would get together and fix this problem. We're not 100 miles away. We're just down the street 10 miles or so. Just down the street. And if they can put trailer houses out there, they can live like human beings out there. They can make a living out there because they don't have all of the restrictions that the city of austin has right now. We shouldn't have sewer running down the street, we shouldn't find animals out there dead. I'm hoping to god we don't ever see a kid out there dead. Just like the guys calling me from all across the state, calling me since i got on that there county website and everything, they have been calling. And they said they're going to call y'all and everything else. Senators and everything, they said they cannot believe it, that would be so close to the capitol and have this kind of a problem. He said there's grants out there. And just like we showed y'all before, smith is here and everything, we showed you where the grass was on there, too. I know you got grant coordinators all of that kind of thing that does this kind of stuff. I'm not bright enough to figure all of that stuff out. I brought some of this stuff up. We have to get out there, fix the problem. They can go out there and build apartments -- not apartments but trailers put them out there, people can live out there and it would be cheap living and everything. And because you have got to get outside of the county to be able to live anyway. You can't live in the city of austin. So it's going to be a big joke on that part of it. More and more houses on the courthouse steps auctioned off because they get in there for a few years, in a document of years, two or three years, you don't have the money to auction a place off. But i just can't understand. That's how come i come up for so many years to get human services, that's all that i'm asking for. The sewer is all around us. It ain't getting any better. The more and more houses that you all put out there, it ain't going to help us any better because we're in a little horseshoe there. There's a horseshoe there. You go in and out the same way. Every time we're on the bottom of the hill, everything from the top comes right on down on us. Put another 400 homes right around the corner from us. I brought you paperwork on that. And i just wonder how long that i have got to fight this here just to get human services. Y'all can work with the city. The city is already pitching in a little bit. They are going to do something. But they want y'all to take -- to help, too. It's an urgent need problem. It's an urgent need. This here letter ought to tell you there's no way to fix a septic tank when you have to take a mound like this, put a dirt on top, think water is going to go away. It's going run down the street just like you see on the pictures i showed. Thank you.
>> thank you, mr. Snyder. Gus pena is next, followed by herschel lee.
>> good morning, judge, commissioners, gus pena, i have a lot of things and issues to talk to you. Ms. Kiki sanderson still has not heard from anybody about the denial of dental services at the health clinics. I don't know how many times we have to say that the seniors pave the way for us. The youth are our future. Denying somebody dental health care that really deserves it, eligible for it, should be a criminal act. I have been blessed by the lord to have worked for the state, city, county, federal governments, i can guarantee you one thing, judge biscoe, commissioners, i have never seen our country in the way that it is now. I am a proud marine corps vet ran. I tell you what, sometimes it shames me to see how people are treated in this country and the living condition that's we have now. Veterans being denied their benefits. You have to ask for assistance from friends for pharmaceutical needs. You know, living assistance, et cetera. And then you allocate all of this funding to all of these social service agencies, a lot of them turn you down, they don't have any. So much red tape criteria it's a burden, it's a hurdle, shouldn't happen like that. I ask and urge you, judge, county commissioners, to assess and monitor for compliance any funding that you allocate to social service agencies. A lot of them are good. They do their job. A lot of red tape. Sometimes caritas, i call for help, they doonts the phone. Get another line, double lines, a lot of people in need of help. I urge you respectfully and strongly, investigate why the senior citizens on medicare, ms. Sander son is being denied due diligence at the health clinic. I was told by david salazar, thank you for your help and comments, trish young brown, c.e.o., cfo, whatever is investigating. That's not good enough. Over two weeks, four months i talked to but this commissioner eckhardt. That's not acceptable. Paying taxes more longer than i have lived on the earth. Property values decreasing, property taxes going up, people losing their homes. At risk of losing their homes. I have asked everything to call travis county appraisal district protest if it's applicable and something has to be done. Mentors, tutor, summer school. Slow down when applicable. If need be slower than that, you don't want to hurt a child or a student. Math is hurting our students. Reading, writing, hurting. Taks test has been abolished, but the new test now going to be administered even worse, harder. You have to raise the bar. Wrap around service to help the students learn and be able to pass the test. Unemployment is higher than what people are stating. No jobs. Job creation, job training. I will say this, veterans please show your appreciation, nobody wants to be in a war, die, be wounded. Somebody has to do it and show your appreciation for our military veterans. A society's worth is measured by its treatment of the less fortunate. Investigate please for ms. Kiki sander son.
>> mr. Lee is next, followed by --
>> mer shall lee -- herschel lee, travis county fire marshal. Wasn'ted to present some information to the court and public, information about retail fireworks. We are in the retail fireworks season where people typically buy fireworks in celebration of our nation's independence. Fireworks went on sale june 24th and will continue to be available for retail sale through july 4th. Some of the things that typically happen this time of year for us, well, on average through the year, there will be two to three grass fire events a day. But during the fireworks selling season, the last three days of that selling season, depending upon the drought index, wind, relative humidity, that number goes up, it spikes to generally around 20 fires a day, one year almost 300 in one 24-hour period. For those people that choose to buy and use consumer fireworks, we want to encourage them to -- to do that with caution. We think a better alternative to consumer fireworks is to attend a public display where the fireworks are -- the show is permitted, in a safe area, will be inspected prior to the event and people can go and enjoy that and there is less danger to the public. Some of the other information that i would like to present to you just? Data about nationwide injuries. There are between five and 9,000 injuries annually related to fireworks. Of those, approximately 5,000 will be seen in an emergency room. Due to the fireworks injury. 40% of the injuries are to children less than 15 years of age. Almost 2,000 of those injuries will be related to small firecrackers and sparklers. Those things that we think of as the least dangerous quite often cause a large number of the injuries. So if people choose to use consumer firework, there are some things that they need to know. Cautions they need to take, never light fireworks indoors or near dry grass. Never allow the very young children to play with or ignite fireworks, this includes sparklers because the tip of the sparkler burns at about 1200 degrees, in the hands of a 3 or 4 or 10-year-old child can do serious damage. Read and follow all manufacturer warnings and instructions, have a responsible adult supervising, do not wear loose clothing, stand several feet away from lit fireworks, do not use fireworks while under the influence of alcohol or drug, keep a bucket of water nearby in case of a malfunction or a fire, do not try to relight fireworks that have not functioned. Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks, there are a number of the cities that do not allow fireworks inside their city. Either for sale or possession, the city of austin is one of those. Some of the smaller cities have different rules to encourage people to do know where you are, what the rules are where you are.
>> thank you so.
>> thank you very much.
>> thank you very much.
>> mr. Eckstein,.
>> i have the arc typal bad news good news to talk to the court very briefly. As you know for the last 16 months veronica has been my sphwern in the government relations office, has done a great job representing the county with our external clients and customers as well. But veronica's talent has finally caught up with her, she is heading off to law school this fall, accepted to the university of texas at austin school of law, of which i believe there's at least three proud graduates sitting in the room here. And she's going to join their hallowed ranks. So we want -- in the process of saying goodbye to veronica, today is actually her pentiultimate day here. I am pleased to announce that we have hired katy johnson to replace here. Katy was a volunteer in our office when we were first setting it up and then did an internship during the spring of 2009 working tirelessly on tracking legislation and keeping track of things and getting staff members to evaluate bills for us, as well as single handedly tracking all of the federal stimulus money coming our direction, figuring out how to monitor that on behalf of the county. I'm very excited about having katy join our team here, but of course sad to see veronica go.
>> i'm going to miss y'all.
>> we're going to miss you, veronica.
>> but welcome, katy.
>> thank you, i'm excited about it.
>> it's very nice to have you back, katy. You did a tremendous job as an intern.
>> thank you, i'm so excited to be here. I'll miss veronica, too.
>> veronica will be around, we'll figure out a way to draft her.
>> we need another lawyer in austin
>> [laughter]
>> will katy get paid this time?
>> yes, she will, judge. Thanks to commissioners court, i might add.
>> welcome.
>> thank you.
>> thank you. Do you have any parting words or incoming words?
>> no, i mean, i just want to thank commissioner gomez's office when i worked with them it was really a great opportunity. Now that i get to work in itr i have learned a lot. Hopefully i will take my knowledge of local government with me to law school. Hopefully the judge will give me some u.t. Law pointers.
>> [laughter]
>> my advice is join the ministry.
>> [laughter] that's the advice my mom gave me, i didn't follow it.
>> stay in public service when you graduate.
>> yes, ma'am.
>> i'm going to hold your feet to that.
>> okay.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> morris priest.
>> thank you, judge, commissioners,
>> [indiscernible] i was looking back in the campo records at a meeting that i spoke at in march, january 2005. I looked at the agenda, the only remaining campo board member that was on the board at that time was you, judge.
>>
>> [multiple voices]
>> keep hope alive, november is coming. Yeah, i tell ya, i'm losing it. The r.v. Park out in the -- in the airport area, there i think is going to be an issue in the -- i think wherever it's going to go. I know a lot of people are looking into that. I did want to say some of you know that i spoke out against la bares, a club there in north austin, soon to have a new name called closed.
>> [laughter] anyway, the -- the -- the problems that we're having really is a -- the leadership that we have in the county and the city. We have absolutely the weakest leadership that i have seen since i've been living here. I'm a native austinite. I just have a lot of problems with our transportation system. I know that that 973 didn't go well for y'all, but i knew it was pretty much dead on arrival because of the situation. Even at the open house on may the 14th. We have a situation -- situations where we have transportation needs that aren't being addressed in this county and city. And most of the problems are not really at campo, because most of the decisions were made at the city and county level. When it comes to our roads. I was really -- disheartened to see the agenda item last week that nelson linder was speaking on. This situation is -- this has really been a tremendous amount of dishonesty going on. This situation that we have, even with the relays, we saw how things were skewed, everything in the city was blamed on one mall manager who really had nothing to do with the city closing their streets. That was the city. The city's request of txdot. It was really shameful to see sheryl cole and hoyt and mcdonald and ott, i didn't want to say on the record that i just really absolutely more and more people every day i come in contact with are saying that we absolutely have to get a new city manager. Marc ott really has to go. His leadership in this city. All the way across the board. Environmentalists, there's not anyone that's not a -- coming on board to that. I also think that it's also true of our incumbents. Also true of our bonds. The bonds i have looked at or bonds that we are looking at now it's just insane the -- the money being spent, the wasted money being spent and things that we could do that would be much more -- productive.
>> [buzzer sounding] i do want to say november is coming. Vote the incumbents out, vote the bonds down. Thank you.
>> thank you, mr. Priest. Anybody else for citizens communication? Whether you signed in 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, June 29, 2010 2:35 PM
