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City Council Meeting Minutes September 21, 2021 <br />The shelter has taken in an average of 401 cats and dogs every month for the <br />last six months. We always ask for the public's help in making sure their pets <br />are spayed or neutered, and microchipped and the microchip information is <br />current to keep the value of chipping. <br />She mentioned if people are not able to foster, volunteer, or adopt, follow the <br />San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter on Facebook @sanmarcosanimalshelter <br />and share their posts! <br />V. 30 Minute Citizen Comment Period <br />Paul Cauduro from Austin Apartment Association (AAA), stated the City of <br />San Marcos enacted a 90 -day notice of proposed eviction requirement 18 <br />months ago in the very early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. He mentioned <br />AAA waited until the assistance programs were available through the city, <br />County and State and would like to ask that the 90 -Day Notice of Proposed <br />Eviction requirements end so that rental property owners and managers can <br />return to business operations without unnecessary regulation. <br />Abagail Milam, spoke regarding item #44. She shared an experience about her <br />family regarding homelessness. She does volunteer work and stated <br />criminalizing the homeless population is not going to solve crime and not help <br />public safety. Public safety helps with transitional housing, living wages, and <br />city sponsored shelter. She stated there is no shelter, only Southside Center <br />consisting of 6 rooms, there is no crisis center. Evidence shows that transitional <br />housing, instead of criminalizing, lowers crime rates. She stated legislation is <br />an injustice, immoral and disheartening. People in encampments do work but <br />do not have a living wage and she does not want people to go to jail but <br />instead go to houses. <br />Adrian Montoya, representing Texas Rising, spoke in opposition of item #44. <br />This is the worst way to address homelessness in our community. No reason or <br />justification to arrest the homeless, we should be investing in mental health <br />services, veteran affairs, addiction and drug counseling, public housing and <br />shelter and mutual aid funds which all have the potential to get people off the <br />streets, but none are being proposed. She would like council to consider the <br />goals during discussion. <br />Samantha Benavides, expressed concern with item #44 regarding a ban on <br />camping and panhandling. She mentioned we all want a safe community that <br />we all value, but this is not the way to achieve it. We should treat the homeless <br />with compassion and not criminalization. They are our neighbors trying to <br />City of San Marcos page 2 <br />