July 16, 2025 Draft Minutes — original pdf

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Economic Prosperity Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, July 16, 2025 ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, July 16th, 2025 The Economic Prosperity Commission convened in a regular meeting on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 301 W. 2nd Street, Boards and Commissions Room 1101, in Austin, Texas. Chair Gonzales called the Economic Prosperity Commission Meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance in Person: Aaron Gonzales (Chair) Rodrigo Cantu Michael Nahas Jake Randall Ofelia Zapata Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Aditi Joshi Zain Pleuthner Shakeel Rashed PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Economic Prosperity Commission Regular Meeting on June 18, 2025. The minutes of the June 18, 2025 meeting were approved on Commissioner Nahas’ motion, Commissioner Pleuthner’s second on a 7-0 vote. Vice Chair Valdez Sanchez and Commissioners Ponder were absent. Commissioner Zapata was off the dais. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1 Economic Prosperity Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, July 16, 2025 2. 3. 4. 5. Discussion regarding how commissioners would like to prioritize future speakers and presentations to the commission. Discussed. Discussion regarding commissioner engagement with the Economic Opportunity Committee. Discussed. Follow-up discussion regarding engagement with Council members on commission recommendations and activities. Item 4 was taken up before Item 3 without objection. Discussed. Discussion regarding the use of economic reports to support the commission’s working group recommendations. Discussed. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. 7. Discussion regarding membership and possible dissolution of the Childcare Working Group. Discussed. No action was taken. Approve the 2024-2025 Annual Internal Review and Report. Discussed. No action was taken. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 8. 9. 10. Update on from the Small Business Working Group on small business accelerators and conversations with Economic Development Department staff. Update by Chair Gonzales. Update from the Long-Term Economic Planning on research, studies, peer city evaluations, and proposed potential solutions on long-term economic planning as it relates to City of Austin employee retirement benefits, specifically looking at pensions, defined contributions, and other benefit plans. Update by Commissioner Nahas. Update from the Workforce Development and Job Creation Working Group regarding its research on policies related to vendor selection, bidding, and approval in the City, and potential speakers at working group meetings. Update by Commissioner Pleuthner FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS None ADJOURNMENT Chair Gonzales adjourned the meeting at 7:39 p.m. without objection. 2