Remarks by Gina Ortiz Jones
215 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 6 of 9
- Play at 2:24:03
“Okay. Thank you, Liz. I think folks just want to also, if you'd bring up slide eight, please, on the healthcare piece that so many of my colleagues have also touched upon. And just for clarity for the public listening, when we talk about excludes from coverage, non-emergent services provided at freestanding emergency rooms, this is the prestige issue. Correct. Okay. Thank you. Which was the $40 million or however you want to characterize the issue as a result of not having that provision currently, i.e. why this provision is so important from a cost savings perspective.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:25:06
“And the final question, Maria, we've often talked about our main competitor in this area being Austin. So can you talk to specifically how the contract helps us be competitive when it comes to, again, our competition for talent with Austin?”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:27:21
“Thank you, Maria. I think it's really important when we speak to that that we can show the numbers that illustrate the point. Thank you. Okay. Are there any other folks that would like to speak on this item? Okay. Okay. There'll be no further discussion. It is moved and seconded to approve item number seven. Please vote. Oh. Councilwoman Alderete-Gavita, we need a voice vote, please. Aye. Thank you. It didn't. It didn't. Hold on. No, do that again, please. I'm not sure what's wrong with your system. We'll do a voice vote, please. Me? No, no, sorry. Yeah, aye. So, Councilwoman Alteta-Gavitos,…”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:28:49
“The motion passes. Reminder, item 8 was withdrawn by staff. Madam Clerk, please read the caption for item 9.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:29:19
“Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, hearing no objection.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:29:36
“Okay, all right. We'll actually do we'll take a 10 minute recess. Okay, we'll reconvene. Madam Clerk, please read the caption.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:30:22
“Over to you for the presentation. Thank you.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:37:56
“Great. Thank you, sir. Is there any council discussion on this item? Councilman Villagran, please.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:41:35
“Thank you. Any other discussion? Councilman Castillo, please.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:44:20
“Thank you. Any of my other colleagues like to speak on this item? Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Okay. We'll move on to the individual items. I'm sorry. On this item, sir? Workforce solutions? Sure, please, go ahead.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:48:35
“Okay, so repeat the first part of that again.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:48:48
“Well, I mean, I expect people to be here for public comment, period. So it'd be helpful if our colleagues were here, but I mean, We're not here to babysit folks. So we're on item 20. We're on item 20. I would hope my colleagues would consider enough the folks that have signed up to speak to want to listen to them. I certainly hope so. We can hope. We can hope. Please, with the presentation, thank you.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:49:43
“Sure. Okay. Veronica, please. Thank you.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 2:59:30
“Thank you, Veronica. In case it's helpful, though, to any of my colleagues as well as for public comment, can you, for context, bring up the slides that speak to the finance plan? The slides that were presented at the board meeting.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:00:42
“Okay. I want to make sure, because we're connecting the conversation that we had, just again for clarification before we move on. Eric, last we spoke on this item, if this was not extended, it would be tight. However, there are sufficient resources in the Midtown TURs to cover the purchase of the ITC, correct?”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:01:26
“I want to be clear. The question that I asked in the last meeting was, if this was not extended, would there be sufficient resources in the TERS to cover just the ITC purchase, absent the projects, absent the three projects identified? And you said it would be tight. There's money in there. It would be tight. It'd be tens of thousands of dollars as a buffer, and therefore you wouldn't issue debt based on it. Sounds like you get your answer, Mayor. Well, I just wanted to confirm it.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:01:55
“So I just want to confirm that nothing has changed, though, since that meeting.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:02:13
“So we're all clear. The question is, if the Midtown TERS is not extended, are there sufficient resources in the TERS between now and 2041 just to pay for the ITC? The other projects, the zoo, the other things, is there money just in the TERS just to cover the arena?”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:02:43
“Okay. Thank you. Can we go also, so thank you for confirming that we don't have to extend this and we can still cover the arena. Can we also go to the other slide though, just as we are look for those that are really interested in the other projects, Veronica, I thought the slide on how the finance plan is impacted by those projects is really important because we're not just talking about 10 million, right? When you factor in all the costs. So can you please bring up that slide?”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:03:27
“So there's the slide that was presented at the Midtown Tours board briefing that talks about if you included those projects, right? So for example, the botanical, the zoo, the botanical gardens and the Breckenridge, if you extended it, the cost of those things is actually not 10 million. Once you include the other cost, it's 16 million. Sure. Is that right? Yes, that sounds right.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:03:49
“And you don't have that slide here. You've got that slide. We have a hard copy of the slide.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:04:08
“Okay. If you'd talk us through that, please. Thank you, Troy.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:05:19
“Okay. Thank you, Troy. I appreciate that. And for clarity, Veronica, should we understand that any expense out of the TERS for these three areas, how does that build upon the money that each of those entities received in the 2022 bond? or previous TERS investments?”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:06:43
“So for clarity, it's either $10 million from the TERS or $10 million from the bond?”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026
- Play at 3:07:15
“OK, so because the bond capacity is lower, we're looking The recommendation is that they receive $10 million via the TERS if the TERS extension is approved.”
City Council · Sep 10, 2026