REGULAR MEETING OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2026, AT 5:30 PM PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER ROOM 1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the African American Resource Advisory Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Nekaybaw Watson, 512-974-2562, nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Alexandria Anderson, Chair Roger Davis Dr. Chiquita Eugene Joi Harden Daryl Horton Nelson Linder Mueni Rudd Justin Parsons, Vice Chair Sophia Dozier Emmy Goss Weisberg Kyron Hayes Antony Jackson Antonio Ross Greg Smith AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the African American Resource Advisory Commission regular meeting on July 7th, 2026. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing regarding the New Officer Involved Shooting Dashboard. Presentation by Sara Peralta, Public Information and Marketing Program Manager, Austin Police Oversight and Katrina Dorsey, Community Engagement Specialist, Austin Police Oversight. 3. Staff briefing regarding an introduction of the Interim Chief Equity Officer. Presentation by Jospeh Allen, Interim Chief Equity Officer, Austin Equity and Inclusion. 4. Staff briefing regarding the Human Impact Review Report. Presentation from Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Director, Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shafina Khaki, Human Rights Officer, Austin Equity and Inclusion. 5. Staff briefing regarding the East Austin Historic Resource Survey. Presentation by Sofia Wagner, Planner III, Historic Preservation Office. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Approve the creation of a public health working group that creates recommendations regarding Black maternal health and improving the social determinants of life for Black Austinites. 7. Approve the creation of a public safety working group that focuses on community policing, conflict resolution, decreasing gun violence and job training and employment opportunities. 8. Approve the creation of a cultural competency working group that creates a document to share with presenters to gather information regarding their data surrounding Black Austinites and tracking demographic metrics of Black Austinites to share with the …
AFRICAN AMERICAN RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2026 The African American Resource Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the Permitting and Development Center. Chair Anderson called the African American Resource Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Alexandria Anderson, Chair Justin Parsons, Vice Chair Sophia Dozier Emmy Goss Weisberg Daryl Horton Nelson Linder Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Roger Davis Joi Harden Kyron Hayes Antony Jackson Mueni Rudd Commissioners Absent: Dr. Chiquita Eugene Antonio Ross Greg Smith PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Zenobia Joseph- Improving and adding bus routes APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the African American Resource Advisory Commission regular meeting on June 2nd, 2026. 1 The minutes of the June 2, 2026, regular meeting of the African American Resource Advisory Commission were approved during the July 7th meeting on Commissioner Linder’s motion, Vice Chair Parsons’ second on an 11-0 vote. Commissioners Eugene, Ross, and Smith were absent. STAFF BRIEFING 2. 3. Staff briefing regarding the Levers of Economic Mobility Index. Presentation by Gary Aaron, Business Process Consultant Sr., Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shivani Datar, Business Process Specialist, Austin Equity and Inclusion. Briefing given by Gary Aaron, Business Process Consultant Sr., Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shivani Datar, Business Process Specialist, Austin Equity and Inclusion. Staff briefing regarding the Human Rights Impact Review. Presentation by Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Director, Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shafina Khaki, Human Rights Officer, Austin Equity and Inclusion. Briefing postponed until next month’s meeting. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. 5. 6. 7. Presentation regarding the Fare-Free Voting resolution. Presentation by Councilmember Mike Siegel, District 7, City of Austin. Presentation was given by Mike Siegel, Councilmember, District 7, City of Austin. Presentation regarding Colony Park Neighborhood Association’s advocacy work. Presentation by Barbara Scott, former president, Colony Park Neighborhood Association, Anne Woods, member, Colony Park Neighborhood Association, and Sarah Jackson, member, Colony Park Neighborhood Association Presentation given by Barbara Scott, former president, Colony Park Neighborhood Association, Anne Woods, member, Colony Park Neighborhood Association, and Sarah Jackson, member, Colony Park Neighborhood Association. Discussion regarding no term seat voting. Discussed. Discussion of Annual Internal Review. Discussed. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 8. 9. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the Pilot Knob Library Project. The motion to approve a recommendation to Council regarding the Pilot Knob Library Project was approved on Commissioner Dozier’s motion, Vice …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL African American Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: [20260804-011]: Recommendation on SAFE Alliance & Eloise House Date of Approval: Recommendation: The African American Resource Advisory Commission recommends that the Austin City Council, in partnership with Travis County, ensure that Austin's response to domestic and sexual violence is grounded in a survivor-centered, trauma-informed continuum of care by maintaining investment in SAFE Alliance's survivor services and strengthening partnerships with SAFE Alliance to ensure survivors have seamless access to community-based advocacy, forensic services, shelter, counseling, legal services, and culturally responsive support. The Commission further recommends that the City prioritizes care models that minimize retraumatization and reduce barriers to accessing services, recognizing that trauma-informed care extends beyond the forensic exam and includes immediate advocacy, continuity of care, and coordinated wraparound services. The Commission also recommends that the City continues evaluating Austin's forensic exam system through meaningful engagement with survivors, advocates, and community-based organizations to ensure operational and funding decisions are guided by trauma-informed best practices and centered on the needs of survivors. Description of Recommendation to Council: SAFE Alliance has long operated Eloise House, Austin’s only community-based, non-hospital forensic exam center. The model integrates forensic nursing, crisis advocacy, legal services, shelter, counseling, and culturally responsive support into a coordinated continuum of care centered on survivor needs. Unlike a traditional hospital setting, Eloise House was intentionally designed to reduce trauma by providing: ● Trauma-informed forensic care ● A community-based setting outside the emergency room ● Services at no cost to survivors ● Advocates who remain with survivors throughout the forensic exam process ● Immediate connection to wraparound services, including shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and safety planning SAFE Alliance currently provides approximately: ● 600 forensic exams annually ● Services to more than 700 survivors each day ● More than 27,000 SAFEline contacts each year ● Services in which approximately 50% of clients identify as Hispanic/Latinx ● Approximately 95% of regional forensic exams were through Eloise House (prior to ending the forensic exams) Although the transition of forensic exams has occurred, the Commission remains concerned that separating forensic exams from SAFE Alliance’s integrated advocacy model may increase barriers to care for survivors. The Commission believes Austin should continue strengthening partnerships with SAFE Alliance to ensure survivors have seamless access to advocacy, wraparound services, and culturally responsive support throughout the forensic exam process and beyond. It is equally critical that the City not reduce or eliminate …
. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL African American Resource Advisory Council Recommendation Number: 20260804-012 Recommendation to Council regarding Montopolis Fairway WHEREAS, African American Resource Advisory Commission advises the Austin City Council on issues relating to the quality of life for the City's African American community; and WHEREAS, the African American Resource Advisory Commission addresses issues related to the health, safety, and welfare of the African American community, with specific attention to areas like affordable housing and economic stability; and WHEREAS, one of those community organizations, People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), has brought forward a recommendation to city council to purchase the property at Montopolis and Fairway to secure the property for future low-income single-family housing; and WHEREAS, In 2001 the Austin City Council adopted the Montopolis Neighborhood Plan, which called for sustaining its single-family zoning in the heart of Montopolis; and WHEREAS, the 2018 report, “Uprooted: Residential Displacement in Austin’s Gentrifying Neighborhood and What Can be Done About It,” commissioned by the Austin City Council and completed by University of Texas experts recommended that the city make strategic, anti-displacement investments in Montopolis to protect it from further gentrification; and WHEREAS, for years, the Montopolis Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, along with other supporters, have been fighting to sustain its single-family zoning; and WHEREAS, Montopolis already has the highest concentration of multifamily, commercial, and industrial zoning of any planning area in the city; and WHEREAS, The 1.9 acres, known as the Montopolis-Fairway Zoning case, is currently zoned for single- family housing and includes properties at 6202, 6204 Caddie Street; 6205, 6211, 6215 Fairway Street; 1600, 1604, 1606, 1608, 1612, and 1614 Montopolis; and WHEREAS, While the zoning request from the developer to change the zoning from single-family to vertical mixed use was denied, the property remains vulnerable to future gentrifying developments; and . NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the African American Resource Advisory Commission recommends that the city of Austin purchase the property included in the Montopolis-Fairway zoning case to be used to build low-income single-family housing and protect the neighborhood from future gentrification. Date of Approval: Motioned By: Seconded By: Vote: For: Against: Absent: Attest:
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL African American Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: [20260804-011]: Recommendation on SAFE Alliance & Eloise House Date of Approval: August 4, 2026 Recommendation: The African American Resource Advisory Commission recommends that the Austin City Council, in partnership with Travis County, ensure that Austin's response to domestic and sexual violence is grounded in a survivor-centered, trauma-informed continuum of care by maintaining investment in SAFE Alliance's survivor services and strengthening partnerships with SAFE Alliance to ensure survivors have seamless access to community-based advocacy, forensic services, shelter, counseling, legal services, and culturally responsive support. The Commission further recommends that the City prioritizes care models that minimize retraumatization and reduce barriers to accessing services, recognizing that trauma-informed care extends beyond the forensic exam and includes immediate advocacy, continuity of care, and coordinated wraparound services. The Commission also recommends that the City continues evaluating Austin's forensic exam system through meaningful engagement with survivors, advocates, and community-based organizations to ensure operational and funding decisions are guided by trauma-informed best practices and centered on the needs of survivors. Description of Recommendation to Council: SAFE Alliance has long operated Eloise House, Austin’s only community-based, non-hospital forensic exam center. The model integrates forensic nursing, crisis advocacy, legal services, shelter, counseling, and culturally responsive support into a coordinated continuum of care centered on survivor needs. Unlike a traditional hospital setting, Eloise House was intentionally designed to reduce trauma by providing: ● Trauma-informed forensic care ● A community-based setting outside the emergency room ● Services at no cost to survivors ● Advocates who remain with survivors throughout the forensic exam process ● Immediate connection to wraparound services, including shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and safety planning SAFE Alliance currently provides approximately: ● 600 forensic exams annually ● Services to more than 700 survivors each day ● More than 27,000 SAFEline contacts each year ● Services in which approximately 50% of clients identify as Hispanic/Latinx ● Approximately 95% of regional forensic exams were through Eloise House (prior to ending the forensic exams) Although the transition of forensic exams has occurred, the Commission remains concerned that separating forensic exams from SAFE Alliance’s integrated advocacy model may increase barriers to care for survivors. The Commission believes Austin should continue strengthening partnerships with SAFE Alliance to ensure survivors have seamless access to advocacy, wraparound services, and culturally responsive support throughout the forensic exam process and beyond. It is equally critical that the City not …
. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL African American Resource Advisory Council Recommendation Number: 20260804-012 Recommendation to Council regarding Montopolis Fairway WHEREAS, African American Resource Advisory Commission advises the Austin City Council on issues relating to the quality of life for the City's African American community; and WHEREAS, the African American Resource Advisory Commission addresses issues related to the health, safety, and welfare of the African American community, with specific attention to areas like affordable housing and economic stability; and WHEREAS, one of those community organizations, People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), has brought forward a recommendation to city council to purchase the property at Montopolis and Fairway to secure the property for future low-income single-family housing; and WHEREAS, In 2001 the Austin City Council adopted the Montopolis Neighborhood Plan, which called for sustaining its single-family zoning in the heart of Montopolis; and WHEREAS, the 2018 report, “Uprooted: Residential Displacement in Austin’s Gentrifying Neighborhood and What Can be Done About It,” commissioned by the Austin City Council and completed by University of Texas experts recommended that the city make strategic, anti-displacement investments in Montopolis to protect it from further gentrification; and WHEREAS, for years, the Montopolis Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, along with other supporters, have been fighting to sustain its single-family zoning; and WHEREAS, Montopolis already has the highest concentration of multifamily, commercial, and industrial zoning of any planning area in the city; and WHEREAS, The 1.9 acres, known as the Montopolis-Fairway Zoning case, is currently zoned for single- family housing and includes properties at 6202, 6204 Caddie Street; 6205, 6211, 6215 Fairway Street; 1600, 1604, 1606, 1608, 1612, and 1614 Montopolis; and WHEREAS, While the zoning request from the developer to change the zoning from single-family to vertical mixed use was denied, the property remains vulnerable to future gentrifying developments; and . NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the African American Resource Advisory Commission recommends that the city of Austin purchase the property included in the Montopolis-Fairway zoning case to be used to build low-income single-family housing and protect the neighborhood from future gentrification. Date of Approval: August 4, 2026 Motioned By: Commissioner Goss Wiesberg Seconded By: Vice Chair Parsons Vote: 9-0 For: Chair Anderson, Vice Chair Parsons, Commissioners Davis, Dozier, Goss Weisberg, Hayes, Horton, Jackson, and Smith Abstain: Commissioner Linder Recuse: Commissioner Harden Absent: Commissioners Eugene, Ross, and Rudd Attest: Nekaybaw Watson, Staff Liaison
