The hybrid meeting was called to order at 10:05 am by Steering Committee Vice Chair Preston Tyree. The meeting was recorded.
Steering Committee (SC) Members present: Joy Butler, Brett Hall, Ann Hart, Greg Keller, Meisha-Ann Martin, Chris Ruzin, Sarah Seraj, Karen Swenson, Preston Tyree. Quorum was confirmed.
Guest Reports
Special guest City Council Representative Zo Qadri joined us for about 25 minutes and spent the time talking about his work on the City Council and answering questions. Zo represents District 9 and serves on three committees: Mobility, Public Safety, and Housing and Planning.
Micheal Jones reported on the most recent Mueller Commission meeting. The new Austin ISD middle school in Mueller will open in August with 6th Grade. It will add a new 6th grade class at the beginning of the ’24-’25 and ’25-’26 school years until it is at capacity (i.e. has 6th, 7th, and 8th grades). The Commission’s top priority is Transition now.
Karen Sharp spoke on behalf of the Property Owners Association Transition Committee. She and Joe Denton are the homeowners on the Master Board now. One of the Transition Committee’s goals is to limit membership on the Mixed-Use Association to homeowners and move the commercial owners to a different subassociation. A related goal is to ensure balance on the Master Board between commercial owners and homeowners.
Business
Bylaws Committee: Joan Quenan shared the most recent “redline document” and highlighted these substantive changes:
–A diversity statement has been added to Article II, Section 2.1.
–The proposed amendment to Article VI, Section 6.12 reads “Unless included in the annual budget, expenditures equal to 10% or more of the MNA monies require membership approval; expenditures in excess of $50 require approval of the Steering Committee; and expenditures less than $50 require the express approval of at least one other officer of the MNA other than the Treasurer.”
–In Article VIII, Section 8.2.A. the number of members on the Nominating Committee has been changed from five (5) to three (3).
Noting that the Steering Committee was in favor of all three of these changes, Joan moved to approve them. The motion was seconded and, after discussion, it passed.
Committee Reports
Neighborhood Engagement and Inclusion: Sarah received only 28 responses to the poll about MNA meeting times which made it an inconclusive poll. Saturday mornings and weekday evenings tied as the preferred time for general meetings. There was some interest in alternating between the two to allow the maximum number of neighbors to participate. The Steering Committee will continue to explore options.
Eid Festival: Event co-chair Saamiya Seraj briefed neighbors on the event coming up on April 29th. It promises to have food and activities for all ages.
Block Captains: Karen Swenson and Saamiya Seraj reported on the the Block Captain gathering on March 26. Taylor Youngblood and her team are working very hard to re-engage the captains as we come out of the worst of the pandemic. They have loads of great ideas and welcome more involvement from neighbors.
Transportation and Urban Planning: Andrew Clements invited interested neighbors to attend committee meetings on the 4th Monday of the month at Witchcraft and noted that CapMetro Board meetings take place on the last Monday of the month and are open to the public.
Focused Projects: Joan Quenan reported that the Spring Garage Sale was a big success.
There will be a neighborhood Earth Day Celebration at John Gaines Park on Friday, April 21st from 4-6pm and a city-wide event the next day at Huston-Tillotson University.
Sponsorships: Sarah highlighted one of our biggest sponsors, Amli Branch Park. The complex is now leasing and will be open soon. It will have many amenities and carry a LEED Platinum rating.
Treasurer: Chris R. reported that the MNA has total assets of $11,018.85 and about 180 dues-paying members.
Neighbor Ani Colt shared that the community center initiative now has a website: https://onedermentcentral.wordpress.com/ The group is in the process of forming a 501©3 nonprofit organization.
Next Steering Committee Meeting Monday, May 1st, 7pm
Next General Meeting Saturday, May 20, 10am
The meeting adjourned at 11:20 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Hart, MNA Secretary
Note that all documents mentioned in these minutes are considered part of the meeting record.