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City Council <br />Meeting Minutes December 2, 2020 <br />Council has programs and educational materials that will assist tenants and <br />Landlords in San Marcos. <br />Council Member Derrick stated there has been discussion to have a tenant <br />council in San Marcos and was told that it needed to be non profit that the city <br />couldn't do it on our own and would be in conflict. Mr. Lumbreras stated that <br />staff reached out to Austin Tenant Council which is a non profit organization <br />that focuses on housing discrimination; tenant landlord education and <br />information on housing repair and rehabilitation. Mr. Lumbreras stated they <br />also have legal staff to provide tenant rights and landlord issues. They are an <br />excellent resource and help represent San Marcos until something else gets <br />established. Mr. Lumbreras stated it is not a direct function of the city but a <br />non profit or an organization that has the expertise and multiple staff <br />members. The Austin Tenant Council provides a number of services that we <br />would not be able to do in San Marcos without a number of staff members. <br />Mr. Carr stated he is working with the ATC to see if they could come to San <br />Marcos a few days a week, once Covid is past us. Currently they serve San <br />Marcans by phone as they are serving all clients at this time. <br />Council Member Baker expressed concern with the Austin Tenant Council and <br />due to a recent personal experience, he feels we are not getting what we paying <br />for and we need to find something locally to assist the people better. <br />Mayor Hughson asked what are the expectations of a Tenants Council, can <br />they require landlord to do repairs? Mr. Carr stated the council would state <br />the options based on the law. Mr. Carr stated Austin Tenant Council has <br />added a rental assistance program. <br />Council Member Scott stated the City should have its own Council to better <br />assist the community and asked how many people has the Austin Tenant <br />Counsel assisted from San Marcos? Council Member Scott asked how much <br />does the City pay for our contract? Mr. Carr stated it is $4,000 and Texas State <br />University pays $4,000. <br />Chase Stapp, Director of Public Safety stated Austin Tenant Council has <br />assisted 27 residents since July. Residents of the City have used the services <br />and the issues range from evictions to repairs to security deposits. <br />Mayor Hughson asked if the discussion should continue at the Vision <br />workshop? Mr. Lumbreras stated we can further discuss. <br />City of San Marcos Page 9 <br />