Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, July 6, 2010,
Item 2
2. Consider and take appropriate action to add deece eckstein to the travis county core team.
>> judge, i've actually spoken with mr. Eckstein about this. I guess there's a reason we have backup to agenda items. Last week when the related agenda item to this came up, we had no backup and at the time it seemed like a good idea. Deece certainly adds considerable to any project that he works on. But in retrospect, i have thought about this a lot. Deece is said of our legislative effort, we're getting ready to go into a legislative session. I think having worked with the core team on 700 lavaca, i know the amount of learning curve, the amount of work that goes with that. I just think that it's better for deece's energies to be spent on the legislative efforts. We already have the core team already has a point person for public relations. And if -- if there's need, for more backup, there are plenty of senior level staff working with the core team that can provide that assistance. So it's no reflection on deece, i just think we really need him in the role that we have hired him for because we're moving into the legislative session. I don't feel like we should add him to the core team at this point.
>> any more discussion?
>> judge?
>> yes.
>> i -- i do believe that we should add deece to the core team as an ex-officio member as our intergovernmental relations person. I think that it fits squarely within the scope of his -- of his office to -- to -- to be aware of what's going on with the 700 lavaca effort and the central business district effort because it does have such large ramifications for -- for city government, state government, and -- and other quasi governmental entities such as capital metro two with their discussions of lavaca and guadalupe being their main thoroughfares. But i do think there is value to his position specifically as an ex-officio member of the core team. Wements have seen some -- we also have seen some -- some confusion with regard to who is the point person for those sorts of intergovernmental efforts as well as the public statements with regard to the project. Although i am very mindful what was commissioner huber said about deece has a considerable amount on his plate with the legislature ramping up. But many of the core team also have considerable amounts on their plate with regard to the impending budget season. I think that perhaps this would be a nice way to spread the -- the burden and in an appropriate way to spread the burden to include deece as an ex-officio member of the team. That's to say a non-voting member who just remains in the loop for the purposes of representing the county's position on 700 lavaca and other central business district issues as it relates to the city, the state, capital metro and whatnot.
>> i have -- i'm sorry.
>> go ahead.
>> okay. I have no problem. This came up last week and of course we weren't posted properly to deal with this. And so in order to -- for us to address what we're doing this morning, we had to have the proper posting to look into this. But -- but, you know, from last week's suggestion, i -- i suggested that deece be a part of what it is going on, especially in the p.r. Concerning and commissioner you did bring up i think a valid -- your valid interest as far as the concentration of deece being a part of the legislative activities that we -- that we need coming up with this next legislative session. However, i would like maybe if deece can tell us how he would be able to divide himself to make sure that that particular area does not become lacking. And i can understand your concern. But i do know that there's a severe need for p.r. In not only this area, but many areas. But this is just for this year. Maybe at some later date we will get other things ironed down. But that will definitely be a p.r. Piece that's going to need to be plugged. So i guess the question is how can do you both. This is what your concern is. I guess the only person that can answer that publicly would have to be deece himself. How can he do both, deal with legislature and also this what we're requiring him or asking him to do as far as splitting his tasks and his duties to do that. If deece can answer that, i think that would be appropriate.
>> mr. Eckstein?
>> thank you, judge.
>> man of the hour.
>> commissioners. I'm the man of the minute here. I guess my only comment would be i understand and i share with commissioner huber some of her concern about just the pressure of the upcoming legislative session. That's something that we're already working on and we will continue to work on and will always be a first priority. I'm not as familiar as the members of the court are with the work of the core team or the amount of commitment it requires. I assume that since all of the members of the core team also have other real jobs, that they are as conscious of not trying to overcommit themselves or overallocate their time to any of the projects as possible. I do think that i could add value to the team, if i were on it. Both in the area of trying to communicate to our external, to other governmental entities, what we're doing with 700 lavaca and what other story there is, as well as get any feedback that we have from them. You have mentioned some of the governmental entities such as the city of austin, capital metro, the state of texas, all of which are doing their own comprehensive planning or thinking about their future and 700 lavaca intersects with those futures. So i hope that i would add some value in there. I also hope that i would add some value if we decided to put on some kind of a public information campaign about this, about this effort. My understanding of the mood of the court has been that the court wants us to really be a show piece for the county. And i think that there will be some effort needed to sort of promote that and i think that i could add some value to that effort as well.
>> we did -- we did add you to the -- to the public information effort at the last meeting, right?
>> right.
>> i move that i -- i request that -- i request a courtesy postponement of this item and if any member of the court wants to put it back on, so be it. My second request is that we have at least four members present at that time. Unfortunately, we'll have only three for the next couple of weeks. But i think it's a big enough issue for there to be four or five.
>> i agree.
>> so --
>> i would -- could i just add a comment to be thinking about in the interim. I understand commissioner eckhardt, her comments as far as the broader picture. My question it's would that not be more appropriate in direct relationship to the downtown master plan, specifically for 700 lavaca. And --
>> we'll have it back on in the future. If appropriate.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 2:35 PM
