DELIBERATIONS IN AUGUST
In August, we will continue our deliberations toward a budget to be voted on in September and an infrastructure bond to go before the voters in November. Other big items we will be considering in August include:
- A number of Emergency Services-related items:
• STAR Flight aircraft replacement
• EMS interlocal agreement with the City of Austin
• Urban/Wildland interface disaster planning
- Finalizing CDBG annual planning
- Negotiations with the City of Austin on the utilization of our shared access to a portion of the Venue Tax
- Recruitment of key personnel:
• Public Information Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• County Executive of Operations Management
RESOLUTIONS & PROCLAMATIONS
Our experiment with approving resolutions and proclamations on consent and taking up those requesting recognition on the record (i.e., to be recorded by TCTV and the Clerk) at 11:30 seems to have been a success! I propose that we continue a presumption that resolutions and proclamations will go consent without being taken up at 11:30 unless the Court sponsor requests otherwise. When submitting an agenda request for a resolution or proclamation, please indicate if you want the item taken up at 11:30 so that we know whether or not that last half-hour of the morning will be available for deliberation of other agenda items.
CATAA-LYST, AGENDA, AND RUNNING ORDER WEEKLY PROCESS
I hope the CATAA-lyst has been useful to you, your staff, and your subcommittees. To put the CATAA-lyst in context, I’m including a overview of the weekly process behind it, the voting session agendas and the running order:
- Tuesdays – a draft agenda is created for the upcoming week’s voting session after agenda submissions are received (noon deadline)
- Wednesdays – Agenda Setting Meeting:
• After-action review of the previous day’s voting session, including resets of and follow-up on agenda items
• Review of draft agenda for upcoming week’s voting session, including determining what items can go consent and time estimates for items requiring deliberation
• Review of and edits (additions, rescheduling, etc.) to the CATAA-lyst
- Thursdays – the voting session agenda & backup are posted on Clerk’s website and current CATAA-lyst is posted on online message board
- Fridays – if needed, a revised voting session agenda is posted
- Saturdays & Sundays – after backup is read, preliminary running order & time estimates are established
- Mondays – running order and time estimates, including any requests for a “time certain,” are finalized, and any additional questions to facilitate the next day’s deliberations are asked/answered
On any day of the week departments can email requests for edits (additions, rescheduling, etc.) to the CATAA-lyst.
NO VOTING SESSION ON SEPTEMBER 5TH
Finally, I am pleased to announce that we are cancelling the voting session on September 5th; it will be our “skip” date for the third quarter. Plan for a happy Labor Day weekend and enjoy an easier re-entry the following week!
– SE
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