REGULAR CALLED MEETING of the SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE OCTOBER 19, 2022 – 2:00 P.M. PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER – ROOM 1401 6310 WILHEMINA DELCO DRIVE AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the BOARD/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, call or email Brydan Summers, 512-974-4854, Brydan.summers@austintexas.gov CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: James Russell, Co-Chair Jeff Smith, Co-Chair Dan Carroll Bobby Garza Cindy Lo Shelley Phillips AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Heath Riddles-Sanchez Mandi Thomas Frances Thompson Ingrid Weigand Laurel White 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 Approve the minutes of the Special Events Task Force regular meeting on September 21, 2022. 1. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Update from Organizers Currently Planning Events – SETF Member RoundTable on Their Experiences 3. Discuss and Possible Action on Recommendations to Codify Tier 2 Completeness Checks and Notifications in the Administrative Rules Discuss and Possible Action on the Final Report to Mayor and Council 4. 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 Brydan Summers at Development Services Department, at 512-974-4854, Brydan.summers@austintexas.gov for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Special Events Task Force please contact Brydan Summers at 512- 974-4854, Brydan.summers@austintexas.gov
SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE - RECOMMENDATION 20221019-4 Date: 10/19/2022 Subject: Special Events Task Force Final Report and Recommendations Motioned By: Laurel White Recommendation: Approve the final version of the Special Events Task Force and submit to Mayor and Council. Description of Recommendation to Council: Seconded By: Ingrid Weigand The Task Force submits to Mayor and Council the following Final Report and list of recommendations for their consideration to adopt in totality. Rationale: As directed by Resolution No. 20210902-049 on September 2, 2021, The Special Events Task Force has been charged with providing Mayor and Council with a Final Report and recommended changes to the Special Events Ordinance by October 31, 2022. This report is the culmination of the Task Force’s efforts and deliberations. Vote For: Dan Carroll, Bobby Garza, Shelley Phillips, James Russell, Jeff Smith, Frances Thompson, Ingrid Weigand, Laurel White, Against: None Abstain: Absent: Cindy Lo, Heath Riddles-Sanchez, Mandi Thomas Attest: Brydan Summers Brydan Summers Special Events Task Force Liaison Development Services Department SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE Final Report and Recommendations This document details the Special Event Task Force’s recommendations and topics for consideration for City Council, as directed in the Special Events Ordinance – Ordinance No. 20180510‐018 1 Executive Summary The Special Events Task Force (SETF or Task Force) was created by Ordinance number 20180510‐018 approved by the Austin City Council on May 10, 2018. The Task Force held its first meeting on June 12, 2019, when all eleven voting members were seated, and the eleven ex officio members were identified. We had hoped to provide our final report by the prescribed timeline on March 31, 2020, but were forced into a hiatus due to COVID‐19. The Task Force is grateful that on September 2, 2021 the Council re‐authorized our work so that we could continue to assess the performance of the Special Events Ordinance and provide recommendations for its improvement. In the Special Events Ordinance, the Council directed the Task Force to “provide the Council with a report and any recommended changes.” This overarching directive guided the Task Force through its deliberations and informed the following key Task Force recommendations: ACE (Austin Center for Events) Administration Amplified Sound Ordinance Definitions Notifications to the Public Staffing, Primarily Public Safety Post Event Reporting The Task Force was subject to the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act, and all meetings were open to …
SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE - RECOMMENDATION 20221019-3 Seconded By: Ingrid Weigand Date: 10/19/2022 Subject: Recommended Changes to the Special Events Administrative Rules Motioned By: Laurel White Recommendation: Modify section Description of Recommendation to Council: The Task Force recommends updating the ACE Administrative Rules to describe how ACE accepts applications, processes application fees, performs completeness checks, and notifies applicants of the status of their application. This process should ensure that if a plan will not move forward with further review because the site or location is inappropriate that the applicant will be notified in a timely manner. Rationale: ACE began charging fees in October 2022. As such, the administrative rules should be updated to reflect this change. In addition, Tier 2 events currently do not require staff to provide preliminary approval within 10 days of submittal the way Tier 3 and Tier 4 events do. Staff have indicated that applications that have had a completeness check, and been accepted for review, have informal preliminary approval for these events. Meaning staff will work with the applicant to further modify the plan so that a permit will be issued. Codifying this process should provide Tier 2 applicants with re-assurance in their planning without modifying City Code. Furthermore, the Task Force has identified that staffing at AFD is critical to ensuring plans are appropriate for different sites, particularly if there is a change of use or if special events have not taken place at that location. Increasing staffing at AFD will help to ensure these applications can be reviewed in a timely manner so applicants know about the feasibility of their event sooner. The Special Events Task Force was shown administrative rules draft language drafted by ACE staff which will be the baseline language that moves through the rules process. Vote For: Laurel White, Ingrid Weigand, James Russell, Jeff Smith, Dan Carroll, Shelley Phillips, Frances Thompson Against: None 1 of 2 Abstain: Absent: Mandi Thomas, Heath Riddles-Sanchez, Cindy Lo Attest: Brydan Summers Brydan Summers Special Events Task Force Liaison Development Services Department 2 of 2
SPECIAL EVENTS TASK FORCE REGULAR CALLED MEETING MEETING MINUTES 10, OCTOBER 2022 The Special Events Task Force convened in a regular meeting on 10, October 2022, at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive in Austin, Texas. Chair Russell called the Special Event Task Force Meeting to order at 2:04 p.m. Task Force Members in Attendance: Co-Chair James Russell, Co-Chair Jeff Smith, Laurel White, Ingrid Weigand, Frances Thompson, Laurel White, Cindy Lo, Dan Carroll Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Shelley Phillips, Bobby Garza PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No public communication was offered. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the meeting of 9/21/2022 were approved on Member Thompson’s motion, Co-Chair Smith’s second, and on a unanimous vote. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Update from Organizers Currently Planning Events – SETF Member RoundTable on Their Experiences Co-Chair Russell shared that he had two events in the review process, the Veteran’s Day Parade and Trail of Lights. He did not have any concerns. Member White explained her venue gets a lot of billing emails now with the new fees, but is probably a unique situation. Member Carroll stated that they are having difficulty getting law enforcement staffing for their events, they have a large multi-county event this weekend. Discuss and Possible Action on Recommendations to Codify Tier 2 Completeness Checks and Notifications in the Administrative Rules Mr. Summers explained the history of the Task Force trying to address providing preliminary approval for Tier 2 events, and that the proposed recommendation language will 1. 2. 3. 1 direct ACE to update the administrative rules to accomplish this. The Task Force requested that the paragraph in the recommendation’s rationale related to AFD be also included in the staffing section of the final report. Member White asked if the proposed administrative rule language would be included in the recommendation. Mr. Summers explained the administrative rules process and suggested it may not be appropriate for Council to take action on administrative rules language as that is not how the rules process is intended to work. The Task Force decided to add the following language to the recommendation: “The Special Events Task Force was shown administrative rules draft language drafted by ACE staff which will be the baseline language that moves through the rules process.” Member White motioned to approve the recommendation as amended, Co-Chair Russell seconded, it passed unanimously. Discuss and Possible Action on the Final Report to Mayor and Council Member …
