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File #: 25-1421   
Type: Consent Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 7/9/2025 In control: City Council
On agenda: 7/24/2025 Final action:
Title: Authorize negotiation and execution of an amendment to the memorandum of understanding with the Austin Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association for the City to cosponsor the 2025 World Conference for LGBTQIA+ Criminal Justice Professionals to add funding in an amount not to exceed $230,000, for a revised total agreement amount not to exceed $300,000. Funding: $230,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Management Services
Attachments: 1. Recommendation for Action
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Posting Language
Title

Authorize negotiation and execution of an amendment to the memorandum of understanding with the Austin Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association for the City to cosponsor the 2025 World Conference for LGBTQIA+ Criminal Justice Professionals to add funding in an amount not to exceed $230,000, for a revised total agreement amount not to exceed $300,000. Funding: $230,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Management Services

 

De

Lead Department

Management Services.

 

Fiscal Note

Funding in the amount of $230,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Management Services

 

For More Information:

Robin J. Henderson, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department, (512) 974-5033.

 

Additional Backup Information:

The action will authorize the negotiation and execution of an amendment to the memorandum of understanding with the Austin Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association for the City to cosponsor the 2025 World Conference for LGBTQIA+ Criminal Justice Professionals to add funding in an amount not to exceed $230,000, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $300,000.

 

The City of Austin and the Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association (LGPOA) are co-hosting the 2025 World Conference for LGBTQI+ Criminal Justice Professionals, scheduled to take place August 5 - 8, 2025, with the City as the host City and the LGPOA as the hosting organization. The conference serves a public and municipal purpose and benefits the City and public by promoting the City of Austin as a prospective employer for law enforcement professionals and as a tourist destination by attracting tourists, conference attendees, and delegates.

 

In Fiscal Year 2023-2024, the City paid the LGPOA a total of $70,000 under the MOU ($58,000 for deposits required by the host hotel, Marriott Austin Downtown, and $12,000 for operating expenses). To date this fiscal year, the Austin Police Department (APD) Operating Budget provided funding for two conference planning and marketing contracts: a contract with Michael Rizzo Consulting LLC for an amount not to exceed $60,000 and a contract with Tiffany Leigh Kieran for an amount not to exceed $14,000. The immediate execution of both contracts (in May 2025) was necessary due to challenges experienced by APD staff in organizing and managing the scope of work for the event.

 

With the MOU, the City committed, subject to Council approval as necessary, $300,000 cash, as well as in-kind contributions, toward the success of the conference. Other than the above-described costs totaling $144,000, no other cash has been provided by the City. The City’s in-kind contributions to date include: the salary of the conference single point of contact, Sergeant Michael Wilmore-Crumrine (LGPOA President), August 2024 - August 2025 and approximately 2,000 on-duty hours of other APD key personnel for planning meetings and activities. The unmet balance of the City’s cash contribution is $156,000.

 

The LGPOA anticipates that 180 - 220 criminal justice professionals (including 38 speakers) will attend this international conference. During the early stages of planning, attendance was projected at 500 - 600 registrants. Key personnel attribute the reduction to the shift in the social and political climate and understand that many conference participants were unable to secure government funds for the training and/or were unable to travel to the United States.

 

As the participation forecast declined, the LGPOA made significant effort to scale programming, reduce overhead, and achieve a lower cost per attendee. Their original conference budget estimate of $1.2 million was reduced by about 60%. They renegotiated the contract with the Marriott, reducing potential costs by approximately 50%; cancelled a planned 5K fun run; and minimized planned social activities. The addition of two conference planners in May (Michael Rizzo Consulting LLC and Tiffany Leigh Kieran) is beginning to result in an increase in positive marketing, registrations and private donations, and is improving the throughput of the pre-event work.

 

The success of this legacy event is expected to provide long-term confidence in the City of Austin as an employer and will promote future tourism. Several delegates both in the United States and abroad have expressed concerns about coming to the United States, and Texas specifically, especially with regards to our transgender and gender-diverse delegates. After attending this conference and experiencing Austin for themselves, delegates are expected to return to their agencies and assure others that not only is Austin safe, friendly, and inviting, but we are 100% open for business. Many are expected to remember their experience here and want to come back for our music, entertainment and world class events like Formula One, Austin City Limits, (ACL), and film festivals, including aGLIFF and South by Southwest.

 

In addition, many delegates are coming for all over the United States from small rural departments as far away as Alaska to major metropolitan areas such as New York, Las Angeles, Miami, Denver, and Washington DC. This is an opportunity to recruit other officers to come to Austin where they can thrive and be their authentic selves. Our Victim Services Unit, Officer Wellness Unit, and our Recruiting unit will be at the conference and will have the exclusive opportunity to speak to our delegates. Austin PD has a lot to offer and the interaction with these key elements of APD will have a positive impact in our recruitment efforts.