REGULAR MEETING of the COMMISSION ON VETERAN AFFAIRS Wednesday, January 17, 2024 7:00 PM – Adjournment City of Austin Permitting & Development Center 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., Room 1402 Austin, TX 78752 Some members of the Commission on Veteran Affairs may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by 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 comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, email the board liaison at Jesus.Simental@austintexas.gov Amber Schleuning Patrick Bissett Mark Balch Philip Reichert Vacant – D9 AGENDA CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Christopher “Cam” Wilson, Chair Kevin Lenau, Vice Chair William Dahlstrom Maria Brown-Spence Armando Gonzales Curtis Wyman CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION APPROVAL OF MINUTES November 15, 2023. STAFF BRIEFINGS 1. Approve the minutes of the Commission on Veteran Affairs Regular Meeting of DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Continued discussion and update on working group to research nonprofits that service veterans of Austin and Travis County and make goals of what we will do with that list. 3. Discuss possible alternative locations to meet. 4. Discuss best method to solicit speakers for the monthly meeting. 5. Define what cadence to use to collect information and make recommendations to city council. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Jesus Simental at (512) 974-7742 or jesus.simental@austintexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711.
COMMISSION ON VETERAN AFFAIRS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2024 The COMMISSION ON VETERANS AFFAIRS convened in a REGULAR Meeting on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2024, at the City of Austin Permitting & Development Center at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, TX 78752. Chair CHRISTOPHER WILSON called the COMMISSION ON VETERANS AFFAIRS MEETING to order at 7:01pm CST. Commissioners in Attendance: Christopher Wilson (Chair) Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Amber Schleuning Armando Gonzales Curtis Wyman Mark Balch Maria Brown-Spence Patrick Bissett Philip Reichert William Dahlstrom Commissioners Absent: Kevin Lenau (absent) Staff in Attendance: Jesus Simental – Veterans Administrator, Office of Civil Rights PUBLIC COMMUNICATION – GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. The minutes from the meeting of 11/15/2023 were approved on Chair Christopher Wilson motion, second by William Dahlstrom on a 9-0 vote. K. Lenau was absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Commissioner Maria Brown-Spence stated she had no update on working group to research nonprofits that service veterans of Austin and Travis County. Chair Wilson volunteered to research these nonprofits. Question was asked if there is a list anywhere that list all these nonprofits in an effort to seek out areas where the Veterans Affairs Boards and Commissions can assist. Question was also asked as to where the funding goes that the city receives for veteran programs. Commissioner Maria Brown-Spence agreed to find someone that can speak on this subject. 3. It was determined that no other alternative locations will be considered and that the Commission on Veterans Affairs will continue meeting at it’s current location at PDC. 4. Discussed the best method to solicit speaks is by finding a list of nonprofits and have Chair Wilson solicit organizations to speak in an effort to determine the needs of our veterans in our community. Target speakers will be the Veterans Administration and nonprofits that assist veterans. 5. Discussed the status of the needs assessment that was submitted in July 2023, each of the commissioners agreed to reach out to their appointed council member to inquire of the status of the request. In addition, the commissioners inquired about studies that have been done in the past to include the city funded study by Combined Arms and other needs assessments studies funded by the state including a study by Texas A&M University conducted in 2020 and a study conducted by Texas State University conducted in 2017. Staff liaison, Jesus Simental, agreed to forward …
