Travis County Commissioners Court
February 28, 2012 (Agenda)
Item 1
>> item 1 a public hearing regarding proposed changes to chapter 1 of the Travis County code, Commissioners rule.
and this is item 23.
move the public hearing be open.
>> second.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
typically we have a county staff or county attorney, an assistant to lay this out for us.
we have talked about these changes and the court has really discussed them a few years back but didn't take action.
an important part, I think, is what I call the judge's rule regarding county Commissioners and we have part of that recommended for adoption by the Commissioners court.
and so this is a public hearing.
does anyone want to give testimony on item number 1?
mr. Reeferseed.
>> thank you, sir.
yes, I'm ronnie reeferseed, and just reading it, I hate to admit I don't -- I don't know what changes you are going to make and as a citizen who proudly takes advantage of the opportunity to participate, I'm worried.
things have not been going well in that direction, specifically I seem to remember that there was a day when public was allowed to exercise my right as a citizen who cares and try to communicate concepts, show people that -- of whom I admire and other things in, of course, a placard or sign or bumper sticker or combination of all those things.
but for some reason I'm still kind of perplexed about, judge Biscoe, you slammed the door on that here just the other day, in effect, and again I admire you and I'd like, you know, want to learn from you and how you operate things generally speaking, but it's just, you know, one of those couple of times that I've just been completely perplexed as what's at the core of this?
I mean, it's true, I participate maybe more than some people or I think more than many people or more than most people, and for example it's been like 200 meetings of the Travis County Commissioners court that I've been attending for the last, oh, four years or so.
and I don't want to apologize for it.
I want to instead make the point that this simply something we should all do.
I don't mean to lecture people out there, but we all complain and we all, gosh, wish we would spend money on this or not spend money on this, and I apologize.
most of the time I don't know half of what I need to know.
that's what I'm learning from our friend, everybody's friend, clay dafoe.
this young, stalwart buck of a human being, half my age and five times more productive I have and he's really going to take the world by storm.
he's going to be the next mayor of Austin, if you didn't know that.
that's clay dafoe.
so that's an example of one of those things I would like to talk about.
people I care about and love.
of course, dr. Ron paul.
>> anything regarding the proposed rules?
>> the -- I just have a question.
what are these proposed rules?
>> we will give you another week to read them, mr. Reeferseed.
>> oh, okay.
>> rather than take action today, I'll ask the court to delay action one week and give you a chance to look at them.
in my view would be the most significant one would be what we've been calling the judge's rule.
we didn't slam the door on you but we closed it a little bit.
in my view you became a major distrack and what we're doing the trying to get you to pull back a little bit but still exercise your first amendment right.
>> that's honorable.
can you tell me what verbally --
>> that large sign that you used to bring in that you had a hard time bringing to the table, a hard time going back to your seat with, the sign has been 8 1/2 by 14 inches.
for citizens communication.
but on any item posted on the agenda, you can bring in whatever sign you want to the size that you want.
if it's posted on the agenda it will be county business.
90% of what you bring here is not really county business, but it doesn't bother me for you to have three minutes to talk about noncounty business.
it does bother me when you become a major distraction and I think it bothered the whole court and it bothered Travis County residents because they were calling and complaining.
I don't think you appreciate it the negative impact you had on our proceedings.
>> I never heard that.
from any citizen.
>> well, some of this I think you have to appreciate yourself.
the other thing I can show you the rules regarding citizens communication that other Texas urban counties use, and ours is very soft compared to theirs.
>> well, that's probably true, but we don't want to imitate those other --
>> not on the bad stuff.
on the good stuff we do.
so my point is the door has not been closed on you, but we did push it to a little bit in order to preserve decorum in this room in our proceedings.
>> well, I'm certainly in favor, sir.
okay, thank you.
but can I ask you about the citizens who with complained?
you know, like I said, I'm open to -- I'm trying to learn and I've talked to people about it and --
>> well, the ones that didn't complain laughed.
they thought -- they thought you were the most ridiculous active participant in citizens communication.
and this is not one time.
this is once a week pretty much.
county managers, residents that watch our proceedings.
most of our residents work during the day.
they don't sit there and watch us live.
but the ones that will see me at h.e.b.
and other places would wonder who is this guy.
and they would call you the Ron paul guy.
now --
>> I'm proud.
humor is a weapon.
>> well, I'm proud that we allow active participation by residents.
we do have that discretionary authority.
>> that's right.
>> I mean, a lot of other courts basically have pulled back on citizens communication and we can legally.
we don't have to do that.
but in my view good government says that we will, but to be honest a handful of you take advantage.
other residents may come down once a year, once a lifetime, you are down here every day.
and you believe that you contribute to our proceedings.
>> I do.
>> I've gotten to appointee know that's not true.
>> that what's not true?
>> you do not make a positive contribution to the Commissioners court Tuesday meeting.
>> oh, my golly, I hate to be argumentative, but I can think of several times when there's been business in front of the court --
>> but you say the same thing, every week, mr. Reeferseed.
>> in my citizens communication I admit that I cover the same issues very often.
>> and it's just 09% of them have nothing to do with the -- 90% have nothing to do with Commissioners court work or county government.
>> that's hardly relevant because it's the freedom of speech.
it's political speech.
the first amendment of our sacred constitution.
but again I just want to return to the thing that -- I bother to come to these meetings and I don't just say my 30 seconds -- three minutes, I oftentimes participate.
if there's some relevant business that I might know something about, like bicycles or something.
you know, 200 meetings.
it's not been once or twice.
many times I've contributed.
>> I'm going to say that's too much, especially if you are giving the same message t judge's rules have been in place three weeks.
they haven't hurt you a bit.
you've been coming down and saying the same things.
you are not as distracting because you don't bring those large signs.
>> well, I understand they don't mean anything to you, they mean a lot to me and they allow me to express my love for all of you, for dr. Ron paul, for the future of life on our planet.
and it's a way I communicate these ideas is to use the placards and bumper stickers and buttons and combinations thereof.
I'm trying to help save your world, and it's not because I'm, you know, like --
>> don't help me, mr. Reeferseed.
don't help me.
>> no, well, again I just refer back to that serious comment you made to me that for some reason my love for dr. Paul or I still am baffled, something about me had -- reverend martin luther king spinning in his grave which is so offensive and nonsensical.
I mean, I was a civil rights activist in the early '60s, a toddler.
>> under the proposed rules, you'll be able to come down and talk about Ron paul for three minutes.
we won't stop that.
that huge sign that you brought in that really got to be to the point where it was a major distraction, you are not able to to do it.
>> to who?
to you guys?
>> the Travis County judge of Travis County.
the one that proposed the rules.
I can speak for myself.
the other four members of the court differ.
anything regard ing this rule.
we'll give you one more week to read them and the rules will be posted for action next Tuesday.
dr. Kim.
>> yes, sir.
>> comments.
>> thank you very much.
I have the
>> [indiscernible] in my hand right now.
I went to the court, I got this 23 pages.
I paid 20 cents each.
why the district court of Travis County over there they charge one dollar per page.
>> that's another conversation at another time.
that has nothing to do with item number 1, dr. Kim.
>> nothing with item number 1?
>> no, sir.
>> you can bring it in citizens communication.
>> but number 1 is a public hearing regarding proposed changes to chapter 1, and chapter 1 pertains to the Commissioners court rules of procedure.
>> county attorney or the propose senator.
>> the Commissioners court proposes the rules in item number 1.
>> oh.
then they will explain one week after?
>> they will explain --
>> as to the 20-cent a page, is that what you are still asking about?
>> I have no idea what that is.
normally when residents come to my office for a copy, I give it to them free of charge.
unless they want just a voluminous stack of stuff.
>> I went to your office, but the lady told me to go to the library to get it copied.
she refused to do that.
>> to get a copy of what?
>> this one.
>> okay.
what is that?
>> the backup copy.
>> the backup copy for this item?
>> yes.
>> no.
my office gives that out routinely.
you should have called me if that was a problem.
>> okay.
>> if you had come to my office, I would have given that free of charge.
if you would phone and asked for it, I would have mailed it to you free of charge.
and I do that routinely.
>> thank you.
and then this this proposal, county attorney will explain next week or there will be no explanation?
>> well, if you have questions, we'll try to answer them.
what questions do you have?
if your question is what's in this document, then as I told mr. Reeferseed, we're allowing one week to review that.
in my view, the major change is what we have been calling the judge's rule.
and that pertains to citizens communication, what you can and cannot do and the thing you cannot do is bring a large sign which you don't do anyway.
but if you want to bring a sign, it's got to be 14 by 8 1/2.
>> when it will be decided this one?
>> next Tuesday.
we'll vote on it.
so you have an opportunity to look at it again and if you have questions, we'll answer them next Tuesday also.
>> thank you very much.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> anybody else for the public hearing on item number 1?
>> move the public hearing be closed.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
I do request that we take action next Tuesday instead of today.
it's posted as agenda item number 23.
so I think we postpone it until next week.
if you have questions, phone my office.
we'll have an opportunity to take them and try to answer them, but my goal is for us to take action on this item next Tuesday.
in the meantime, though, the judge's rule governing citizens communication remains in force and effect.
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.
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