* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:21]
          SO I NOW CALL THIS, UH, CITY COUNCIL WORKS SESSIONAL ORDER. 
          IT'S THURSDAY, MARCH 25TH. 
          IT IS 5:39 PM WE ARE IN BAYTOWN CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AND WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. 
          OUR FIRST ITEM, 
          [a.  Receive and discuss an update on the City’s development and permitting processes.]
UH, BUSINESS IS RECEIVE AND DISCUSS AN UPDATE ON THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT AND PERMITTING PROCESS. 
          YES, SIR. 
          UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. 
          MARTIN SCRIBNER, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOP, UH, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. 
          UM, THE, THE TITLE DOES SAY UPDATE ON THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT AND PERMITTING PROCESSES, BUT IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A LOT MORE THAN THAT. 
          IT'S DEFINITELY A, A, AN UPDATE. 
          I, I'VE HIT THE, JUST ABOUT THE FOUR MONTH MARK BEING IN THE CITY, SO IT'S TIME FOR ME TO ACT LIKE I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT IS WE'LL DO YOUR BEST . 
          UM, SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH KIND OF WHERE OUR GENERAL NUMBERS AND TRENDS ARE, UH, IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, PERMITTING AND OTHER ACTIONS THAT, THAT WE'RE TAKING ON, UH, IN OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          SO, UH, WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN, UH, IS, UH, YOU'LL SEE THE FIRST COLUMN IS THE TOTAL OF WHATEVER IT IS FROM ON THE LEFT, UH, FOR LAST YEAR, FOR ALL OF LAST YEAR. 
          THE MIDDLE COLUMN IS, UM, UP TO THIS, UH, YESTERDAY OR TWO DAYS AGO FROM LAST YEAR IN COMPARISON TO WHAT WE'VE DONE, UH, YEAR TO DATE FOR 2021 AND THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN, UM, JUST FOR, FOR SOME COMPARISON. 
          SO, UM, WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IS THE RESIDENTIAL PERMITS ARE DOWN A LITTLE BIT THIS TIME, FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR. 
          UM, WE BELIEVE SOME OF THAT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO, UH, TO THE PANDEMIC. 
          UM, BUT WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS PICK UP NOW, AND LOCAL BUILDERS, ANECDOTALLY, UM, AND DEVELOPERS ARE SAYING THAT THERE'S REALLY NO SIGN OF SLOWING DOWN. 
          THIS IS, WE DO EXPECT THIS TO CONTINUE PICKING UP. 
          UM, AND WE ALSO, WE, WE'VE NOT HIT THE BUSY SEASON YET, SO, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE EXPECTING A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          UM, AGAIN, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THE COMMERCIAL PERMITS ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT THEY WERE AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. 
          UH, INSPECTIONS ARE DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT. 
          CODE ENFORCEMENT CASES. 
          THAT'S THE ONE YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT IS NOT DOWN. 
          UM, IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE PROBABLY DOUBLE LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT. 
          UM, THAT MEANS WE ARE SUPER BUSY. 
          UM, THAT ALSO MEANS THAT AS CODE ENFORCEMENT CONTINUES, YOU'RE GONNA SEE AN INCREASE IN PERMITS BECAUSE A LOT OF THE REMEDIES FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT INCLUDE, UM, GETTING A PERMIT FROM THE CITY FOR SOME TYPE OF BUILDING. 
          UM, WE WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, TOO, THAT RIGHT NOW EACH CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER IS CARRYING A, AN, AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 65 CASES. 
          UM, THAT'S ALMOST TWICE WHAT WE WOULD NORMALLY SEE THEM CARRYING. 
          UM, SO JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WE ARE BASICALLY, UH, UH, GOING GANGBUSTERS ON THOSE AND WE CONTINUE, CONTINUE TO, TO, UH, UH, DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN WITH THAT. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE SUBSTANDARD CASES, UH, AND WE'RE AVERAGING ABOUT 50 TO 60 DEMOLITIONS PER YEAR RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THAT AS WELL. 
          UH, THE P AND Z ITEMS YOU CAN SEE ARE DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT FROM LAST YEAR. 
          AND THE BOA ITEMS ARE ALSO DOWN, UH, HOPEFULLY BECAUSE, UH, WE, WE TAKE THAT TO BE A GOOD SIGN 'CAUSE IT MEANS PEOPLE ARE NEEDING FEWER VARIANCES AND, AND, UM, STAYING ON TRACK WITH WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. 
          UH, AND AGAIN, P AND Z ITEMS AND BOA ITEMS CAN, UH, THIS EARLY IN THE YEAR. 
          I DON'T TAKE THAT AS A REAL INDICATOR OF WHAT THE END OF THE YEAR IS GONNA LOOK LIKE. 
          SO WE'LL JUST TAKE THAT, UH, UH, A DAY AT A TIME. 
          SO LET'S TALK ABOUT PERMIT REVIEW TIMES. 
          THIS IS ALWAYS A HOT TOPIC FOR US RESIDENTIAL. 
          RIGHT NOW WE'RE AVERAGING ABOUT 15 DAYS, UH, FOR REVIEW. 
          UM, BUT THE, THE REALLY GOOD NEWS ON THAT IS THAT ABOUT 95% OF THOSE ARE APPROVED ON THE FIRST PASS. 
          AND THAT IS BECAUSE, UH, WE SPEND QUITE A LOT OF TIME MAKING SURE THE APPLICANTS ARE WELL, WELL INFORMED PRIOR TO MAKING APPLICATIONS. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT'S OUR GOAL, IS TO GET EVERYBODY THROUGH THE PROCESS THE FIRST TIME. 
          MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE FRUSTRATED BY THE PROCESS BECAUSE THEY GOT A KICK BACK AT THEM 'CAUSE SOMETHING WAS MISSING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          UM, ALSO IN RESIDENTIAL REVIEW, UH, THE AVERAGE, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS CLOSER TO 30 DAYS. 
          SO WE, WE FEEL PRETTY GOOD WITH WHERE WE'RE AT, AND THAT'S STAYING PRETTY STEADY AT 15 DAYS. 
          COMMERCIAL REVIEW. 
          UM, WE'RE, AGAIN, THIS IS A MORE DIFFICULT OR A MORE COMPLICATED ONE TO KIND OF NAIL DOWN TO A SPECIFIC AVERAGE. 
          WE'RE FIGURING THE AVERAGES ROUGHLY 30 DAYS OR LESS. 
          YOU WILL HAVE OUTLAY, UH, OUTLIERS BECAUSE OF, AGAIN, THEY'RE MISSING SOMETHING, WE KICK IT BACK TO THEM. 
          UM, IT MIGHT SIT IN THEIR QUEUE FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE WE GET IT BACK. 
          SO IT IS JUST, IT'S HARD TO SAY WITH COMMERCIAL. 
          THEY'RE KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE. 
          UM, BUT WE DO FEEL LIKE THE THE REVIEW TIMES ARE, ARE GOING PRETTY WELL WITH THAT. 
          UM, I WANTED TO REMIND YOU OF SOME RECENT IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE MADE TO THE REVIEW PROCESS. 
          AND THAT'S RECENT, AS IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO. 
          UM, SO LAST YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, WE DID GO TO A HUNDRED PERCENT DIGITAL PLAN REVIEW. 
          UM, THE CUSTOMERS DON'T HAVE TO 
          [00:05:01]
DRIVE HERE. 
          UH, THEY DON'T HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE. 
          AND, UH, YOU, YOU MIGHT NOTICE IF YOU COME HERE DURING THE DAY, DURING THE WEEK, THAT THE LOBBY OUT HERE IS A LOT LESS FOOT TRAFFIC THAN WHAT IT USED TO BE, SAY, A COUPLE YEARS AGO. 
          UM, WE WOULD ATTRIBUTE A LARGE PORTION OF THAT TO THE FACT THAT WE WENT ALL DIGITAL, UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT PAPERLESS, BUT KEEP IN MIND TOO, NOT JUST A HUNDRED PERCENT PAPERLESS FOR PERMIT REVIEW. 
          WE WENT A HUNDRED PERCENT PAPERLESS FOR EVERYTHING THAT THAT IS OUTWARD FACING. 
          UM, WE DO STILL USE SOME PAPER FOR THINGS LIKE THIS, OF COURSE, BUT ANYTHING THAT COMES INTO US WE'RE DOING ON A DIGITAL BASIS, UM, WE HAVE, UH, CREATED OR REVISED DOZENS OF RESIDENTIAL CHECKLISTS. 
          UH, AND AGAIN, THAT GOES TOWARDS MAKING SURE THE APPLICANTS KNOW WHAT'S, WHAT'S NEEDED UP FRONT BEFORE THEY APPLY FOR PERMITS. 
          UH, WE CREATED AN ONLINE INSPECTION REQUEST SYSTEM. 
          UH, WE USED TO HANDLE THAT WITH A VOICEMAIL SYSTEM. 
          EVERYBODY HATES VOICEMAIL SYSTEMS. SO NO MORE LOST INSPECTIONS, NO MORE DELAYS BECAUSE OF THAT SYSTEM. 
          THIS IS ALL DONE IN, UH, ONLINE AND, UM, THEY CAN PRETTY MUCH SEE WHAT THEY'RE GETTING AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, UH, AND TAKE CONTROL OF THAT. 
          UM, WE CREATED, WE INSTITUTE, OR EXCUSE ME, WE CREATED NEW WEBSITE LINKS TO ALLOW FOR APPLICANTS TO APPLY FOR THE PERMITS ONLINE. 
          OF COURSE, IT'S PART OF THAT DIGITAL PLAN REVIEW, AND WE ALSO INSTITUTED AN ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM. 
          UM, THIS ONE DOESN'T SOUND COMPLICATED, BUT IT INCLUDED A LOT OF WORKAROUNDS WITH OUR CURRENT SYSTEM. 
          SO, UM, THE ONLINE PAYMENTS ACTUALLY WAS A, IT, IT SOUNDS SMALL, BUT IT WAS A REALLY BIG ACHIEVEMENT, I THINK, FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, WE REORGANIZED AND INCREASED OUR STAFFING, UH, TO SORT OF MAXIMIZE EFF EFFICIENCY AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THAT TOP-NOTCH CUSTOMER SERVICE MADE POSSIBLE BY YOU GUYS, OF COURSE. 
          UM, SO NEXT ITEM TO DISCUSS, UM, BACK IN THIS HAS BEEN EARLY FEBRUARY. 
          UM, WE HAD A BUILDERS CONTRACTORS ROUND TABLE. 
          SO WE INVITED, UM, I THINK ABOUT 70, UH, DIFFERENT COMPANIES TO COME IN AND KIND OF GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK ON WHERE THINGS ARE AT WITH OUR PROCESSES, WITH STAFF, WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE, EVERYTHING WE COULD THINK OF. 
          THIS WAS SORT OF A, SORT OF AN OPEN, UH, SESSION TO SIT AND JUST KIND OF TALK THROUGH THESE THINGS. 
          UM, AND WE COULD HAVE HAD A FEW MORE PEOPLE SHOW UP. 
          BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP TO A GROUP SETTING BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO THE PLAN IS TO DO MORE OF THESE, UH, IN THE FUTURE ON A FAIRLY REGULAR BASIS. 
          BUT WHAT WE HEARD WAS GENERALLY POSITIVE COMMENTS, UH, REGARDING THE ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS AND THE OVERALL REVIEW PROCESS. 
          UM, I WON'T LIE TO YOU, WE DID HEAR ABOUT A FEW BOTTLENECKS AND WE ARE WORKING NOW ON MAKING SURE THAT THOSE BOTTLENECKS ARE RESOLVED. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HEARD THAT, UH, SOMETIMES APPLICANTS HAVE A HARD TIME, UH, REACHING STAFF BY PHONE, UM, CONSIDERING WHAT WE WENT THROUGH LAST YEAR WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE NOT HERE OR JUST OUT FOR TWO WEEKS BECAUSE THEY EITHER HAD COVID OR THEY HAD BEEN EXPOSED. 
          THAT'S NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE PHONES JUST WEREN'T MANNED AT CERTAIN TIMES. 
          WE COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB MAKING SURE THOSE PHONES WERE REROUTED, BUT, UM, 2020. 
          SO WE'RE, AGAIN, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT THAT WE'RE COVERED ON THAT, UH, FROM HERE ON OUT, AND THEN THIS IS MY FAVORITE, AND MR. DAVIS WAS HERE. 
          HE CAN BACK ME UP ON THIS. 
          I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP. 
          THE COMMENT WAS, BAY TOWN'S PROCESS IS THE ONE THAT I MEASURE ALL MY OTHER CITIES AGAINST. 
          I DON'T KNOW, WE CAN GET ANY HIGHER COMPLIMENT THAN THAT. 
          NOW, THE REAL, UM, THE REAL PLUS IS THAT THE PERSON WHO STATED THAT ACTUALLY WAS SOMEBODY WHOSE INITIAL, UH, HIS INITIAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE CITY WAS NOT A GREAT ONE. 
          SO HE DID NOT START OFF ON A GOOD FOOT BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THIS STAGE. 
          HE'S LIKE, I LOVE IT. 
          YOU GUYS ARE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT. 
          SO OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT EVERYBODY'S EXPERIENCE. 
          WE, WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          BUT TO HEAR IT ONCE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY GREAT. 
          AGAIN, WE, WE FEEL LIKE THAT'S, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO, TO KEEP TRACK OF. 
          OOPS, I WENT TOO FAR. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, IN RESPONSE TO COUNCIL'S REQUEST ABOUT MEASURING CUSTOMER SERVICE, UH, WHEN ENTER GOV IS LIVE, WE DO PLAN TO GIVE THE PUBLIC THE OPTION TO COMPLETE A SIMPLE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY AS PART OF THAT PROCESS. 
          IT'D BE RIGHT AT THE END OF THE PROCESS. 
          WE KEEP IT VERY SIMPLE. 
          IT'S BASICALLY THREE QUESTIONS WITH THE LAST ONE BEING AN OPEN-ENDED, IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS. 
          UM, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THAT FEEDBACK AND BE ABLE TO ADJUST THE PROCESS IN THE PROGRAM FROM THERE, UH, AS NEEDED. 
          AND, UM, ALSO, JUST SO YOU KNOW, UH, AS I TALK TO MY MANAGERS, UM, WE DO ALSO SOMETIMES PULL CUSTOMERS ASIDE TO ASK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE RIGHT AFTER THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH IT. 
          UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A ONE-ON-ONE CUSTOMER INTERVENTION. 
          AND THEN ALSO OUR MANAGER WILL, SOMETIMES, I KNOW THAT RJ WILL SOMETIMES PULL THE OLD, UH, SECRET SHOPPER CALL TO HIS FOLKS TO, TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE, MAKE SOMETHING UP AND JUST SEE IF THEY'RE ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS IN A, IN A, IN A POSITIVE FASHION. 
          AND THEN, AS 
          [00:10:01]
I MENTIONED, WE ALSO PLAN TO HOLD MORE OF THESE ROUND TABLES ON A REGULAR BASIS IN THE FUTURE. 
          AND, UM, AND REALLY THE FOCUS, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA TRY AND FOCUS THINGS ON THE ONE-TIME CUSTOMERS. 
          THE ONES THAT SHOWED UP TO THE, THE PREVIOUS MEETING WERE REALLY SOME OF OUR HEAVY USERS OF THE SYSTEM. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY, UM, THEY HAVE HISTORY HERE. 
          THEY KNOW PEOPLE AND SO THEY, THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING IN AND SAYING THINGS WE REALLY WANT TO HEAR FROM THE ONE-TIMERS OR THE ONES THAT ONLY USING IT ONCE OR TWICE. 
          UM, AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THOSE PROCESSES AS WELL. 
          AND I'M GONNA KIND OF TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT OF THAT FURTHER ON IN MY PRESENTATION. 
          SO INTER GOV, HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN TALKING ABOUT INTER GOV? TWO YEARS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WHAT YOU SEE NOW, THAT'S A SCREENSHOT OF WHAT THE CUSTOMERS ARE GONNA SEE WHEN THEY GET ON OUR WEBSITE AND GO TO, TO, UH, UH, APPLY FOR A PERMIT. 
          BUT THAT SAID, THAT'S ALL I'M GONNA GIVE YOU TODAY. 
          IT'S JUST A LITTLE TASTE , SO DON'T GET TOO EXCITED. 
          SO WHERE ARE WE AT WITH UNDER GOV NOW? UM, ED TOM, JACK IS HERE TONIGHT JUST IN CASE THERE ARE ANY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS. 
          UM, OTHERWISE I'M JUST GONNA KIND OF RUN DOWN WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED. 
          UH, WE ARE ALMOST THERE. 
          WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, ALL THE DEPARTMENTS ARE EXPECTED TO COMPLETE ALL THE MAJOR CONFIGURATIONS BY NEXT WEEK. 
          SO THAT'S GREAT NEWS. 
          WE'RE EXPECTING, UM, SOME END USER TRAINING NEXT MONTH. 
          UM, AND WE WILL EXPECT SOME MINOR CHANGES TO THE AUTOMATIONS AND STUFF THAT HAPPEN BEHIND THE SCENES AFTER GO LIVE. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S NOT GONNA AFFECT WHAT THE PUBLIC SEES, UH, UNLESS WE STREAMLINE SOMETHING AND TAKE SOMETHING AWAY, THEY CERTAINLY WON'T SEE MORE. 
          UH, AND THEN AS STAFF AND CUSTOMERS USE THE PROGRAM AND AGAIN, PROVIDE FEEDBACK, THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO EVALUATE RECOMMENDED CHANGES AND, AND, UM, SEE IF WE NEED TO CHANGE FUNCTIONALITY, IMPLEMENT WHATEVER WE, WHATEVER WE CAN. 
          AND THEN JUST CONTINUE TO MAKE, UH, SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS OVER TIME. 
          UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT GO LIVE MID-MAY. 
          UM, I, RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT ON THE CALENDAR MAY 17TH, UM, BUT AGAIN, THAT THAT COULD, THAT COULD MOVE JUST A LITTLE BIT BETWEEN HERE AND THERE. 
          BUT RIGHT NOW THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR. 
          AND THEN WE'RE PLANNING TO CREATE, UH, TUTORIAL VIDEOS OF THE PROCESSES. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO. 
          AND ONCE WE HAVE ONE OF THOSE, UH, DOWN AND READY TO GO TO REALLY DEMONSTRATE EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON IN THE PROGRAM, BUT ALSO SOMETHING THAT WOULD NORMALLY TAKE PROBABLY MAYBE 15 MINUTES, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO COMPRESS THAT AND WE'RE GONNA COME BACK AND PRESENT THAT TO, TO COUNSEL, UM, AND TAKE, YOU KNOW, ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME FOR Q AND A. 
          UM, AND, AND THEN, UH, WITH THAT LIVE DEMO OR, AND THEN, EXCUSE ME, WE WOULD HAVE THE PROGRAM AVAILABLE FOR LIVE DEMO IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AS WE GO THROUGH THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, WE HAVEN'T SET A DATE ON THAT, BUT PRETTY MUCH ANYTIME AROUND GO LIVE, WE'RE, WE'RE AVAILABLE TO DO THAT. 
          UH, WE WILL ALSO SO THAT THOSE TUTORIALS WILL END UP ON OUR WEBSITE AND BE AVAILABLE FOR, UH, FOR INSTRUCTION, AGAIN, DEMONSTRATION FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO USE THE, THE PROGRAM. 
          BUT WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY IN-PERSON TRAINING. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA SET THAT UP FOR OUR HEAVY USERS AGAIN, BUT, UM, WE'RE AVAILABLE TO DO ANY OF THAT ONE-ON-ONE. 
          UM, AS WELL AS THE, WE DO HAVE THREE LAPTOPS IN CITY HALL LOBBY THAT AS PEOPLE COME IN AND MAYBE AREN'T SURE WHAT THEY'RE DOING OR DON'T HAVE COMPUTER ACCESS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN WE WILL GIVE THEM ONE-ON-ONE HELP IN THE LOBBY AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THAT, THAT WILL KIND OF TRANSFORM HOW, HOW WE'RE DOING THINGS NOW. 
          UM, WE DO SOMETIMES GET THE QUESTION, WELL, WHAT IF IT'S SOMEBODY WHO JUST DOESN'T HAVE ANY COMPUTER ACCESS AT ALL OR THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          I WOULD ANTICIPATE WE WOULD CONTINUE TO TAKE PAPER APPLICATIONS FOR A WHILE AND THEN WE WILL PHASE OUT OF THAT. 
          BUT THAT SAID, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, AGAIN, KIND OF HELP THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS HERE AT CITY HALL AND WE'LL DO WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO, GET THEM INTO THE SYSTEM AND, AND MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND IT. 
          AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET 'EM, TO GET THEM WHAT THEY NEED. 
          SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING AT THIS TIME. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, NEXT UPDATE. 
          I DO WANNA JUST TOUCH ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. 
          UM, YOU GUYS REMEMBER WE HAD OUR KICKOFF JOINT MEETING WITH, UH, P AND Z AT THE END OF JANUARY, SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL FOR, UH, PARTICIPATING IN THAT. 
          UM, WE ARE MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY AND, UH, SO WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR, UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE LAUNCHED THE BAYTOWN ENGAGED SITE, AND I DIDN'T PUT IN THERE, WE HAVE ALSO ASSEMBLED, ASSEMBLED THE STEERING COMMITTEE. 
          UH, WE'VE HAD THREE LISTENING SESSIONS. 
          UH, ONE WAS LAST NIGHT, UH, BY, IT WAS VIRTUAL. 
          AND THEN WE DID TAKE A CITY TOUR WITH THE CONSULTANT. 
          I THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK. 
          UH, AND THEN WE ARE MEETING BIWEEKLY WITH THE CONSULTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S ON TRACK AND STAYS ON SCHEDULE. 
          SO NEXT STEPS FOR THE COMP PLAN. 
          UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR FIRST STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING IS NEXT WEEK. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE TWO MORE LISTENING SESSIONS COMING UP. 
          AND THEN WE WILL BE HOLDING A VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING IN APRIL. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE ONE OF OUR LIKE BIGGER PUBLIC TYPE MEETINGS. 
          UH, AGAIN, WE KIND OF STRUGGLED WITH, DO WE DO THIS LIVE IN PERSON? DO WE DO IT VIRTUAL? AND WE ENDED UP, 
          [00:15:01]
WE, WE WANTED TO DO BOTH. 
          UM, AS A COMBINED MEETING, WE WERE TOLD THAT THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK REAL GREAT. 
          AND I THINK, UM, WE PROBABLY KNOW FROM OUR, OUR, UH, SOME OF OUR INTERNAL MEETINGS THAT WHERE YOU HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE IN ONE ROOM AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE ON ZOOM, UH, IT CAN BE DISTRACTING. 
          SO, UM, SO WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID THAT. 
          AND SO THE PLAN RIGHT NOW IS JUST TO DO A VIRTUAL TOWN HALL. 
          UM, IF SOMETHING CHANGES AND WE DECIDE WE CAN ALWAYS SCHEDULE AN IN-PERSON ONE AS WELL. 
          UM, THAT WOULD BE THE PLANNER'S, UH, UH, PREFERENCE. 
          OKAY. 
          IN THE PAST, THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL, SO I'M GONNA SHIFT GEARS AGAIN. 
          UH, IN THE PAST THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL REGARDING THE NECESSITY OF CERTAIN ACCESSORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS FOR STUFF LIKE FENCES, DRIVEWAYS, AND PAVING, CARPORTS POOLS AND ROOFS, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF YOU'RE SEEING ON YOUR SCREEN THERE. 
          AND SO WE DID WANT TO TOUCH ON THAT A LITTLE BIT 'CAUSE WE HAVE MADE SOME, SOME CHANGES TO, TO OUR PROCESS TO KIND OF ACCOUNT FOR THOSE. 
          UM, WE KNOW THAT THIS CAN BE PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING FOR, UH, HOMEOWNERS. 
          'CAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE THE ONE GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR SMALLER PERMITS LIKE THIS. 
          THEY ALSO MIGHT BE THE ONES DOING THE WORK. 
          SO, AND, AND I KNOW THAT I WOULD FEEL THE SAME WAY. 
          I, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PERMITS. 
          I JUST WANNA GET WHAT'S WHAT I NEED TO GET DONE IN MY HOUSE. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, WE WANNA TRY AND MAKE THAT AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE AS WE CAN FOR, UH, THE APPLICANTS. 
          UM, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE, SO WE DO THESE PERMITS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, THAT THE STRUCTURE IS BUILT TO BE SAFE, UH, TO BE SURE THAT THEY'RE BUILDING ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY, NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S, UM, THAT, UH, THEY'RE AWARE OF THE RULES AND THAT THEY'RE NOT, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I THINK, IS THAT THEY'RE NOT AFFECTING THE NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY IN CASE THERE'S A DISASTER EVENT OF SOME SORT A TREE BLOWS OVER, OR NOT TREE ON THIS CASE, BUT, YOU KNOW, AN ACCESSORY STRUCTURE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD FALL OVER ON THEIR NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY. 
          UM, NOT TO MENTION THAT THE CODE REQUIRES IT. 
          SO AGAIN, OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THE PROCESS AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY FOR THESE TYPES OF PERMITS. 
          UM, SO BESIDES THE IMPROVEMENTS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE ALSO MADE SOME RECENT IMPROVEMENTS, UH, WITH THESE TYPES OF APPLICATIONS IN MIND. 
          SO THE FIRST ONE IS THEY GET AN EXPRESS REVIEW. 
          THESE GO IN AND OUT THE DOOR IN 48 HOURS. 
          THAT IS OUR POLICY. 
          AND SO FAR WE'VE BEEN, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE AN OUTLIER OR TWO IF THERE'S AN ISSUE. 
          UM, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WE'RE STICKING TO THAT 48 HOURS. 
          UH, WE HAVE ANALYZED OUR PROCESSES EXTENSIVELY, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE INTER GOV, UH, IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS AND ELIMINATED STEPS AND, AND REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE DUPLICATED FROM ONE APPLICATION TO ANOTHER. 
          UM, WE'VE PAIRED DOWN ALL THE PERMIT TYPES AND REQUIREMENTS. 
          SO PRO BASICALLY PROCESS IMPROVEMENT ON ALL OUR PERMIT TYPES. 
          AND THEN ANYTHING, ANY STRUCTURE UNDER A HUNDRED SQUARE FEET DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT. 
          SO WE REMIND PEOPLE OF THAT. 
          AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS THE STRUCTURE'S LESS THAN 350 SQUARE FEET. 
          YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE, UH, ENGINEERED DRAWINGS. 
          SO, UM, IF, IF YOU COME IN WITH A CARPORT THAT IS, UH, 300 SQUARE FEET, THEN WE ASK FOR DRAWINGS. 
          BUT IT, IT JUST NEEDS TO BE READABLE AND, AND BE REASONABLE. 
          IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE ENGINEERED. 
          MOST OF THINGS LIKE THAT ANYWAY ARE PROBABLY GONNA BE BASICALLY A POST RESTING AGAINST, IT'S NOT GONNA BE ENGINEERED CONCRETE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          UM, WE DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS ALSO GONNA TRANSLATE TO EVEN FURTHER REDUCED, UM, EXCUSE ME, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE ALSO BELIEVE THERE ARE GONNA BE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE, ARE REVOLVING AROUND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ENTER GOV. 
          SO WE DO EXPECT TO SEE SOME OTHER, UH, INCREASES IN, IN EFFICIENCY AS ENTER GOV COMES ONLINE, ESPECIALLY FOR THESE. 
          UM, AND, AND IT ALSO DOES ALLOW US TO PROVIDE A MORE SORT OF CUSTOMER CENTRIC APPROACH, UH, WITH A LOT MORE TRANSPARENCY. 
          AND THEN THEY ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHECK FOR REAL TIME UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS THROUGH THEIR ACCOUNT, UH, AND THROUGH OUR CITIZEN PORTAL. 
          AND WE, WE, THIS IS ALSO GONNA BE EVEN REDUCED REVIEW, FURTHER REDUCED REVIEW TIMES. 
          AND THEN WE ARE ALSO, THIS, THIS WASN'T ON THE BOARD, BUT, UM, WE, WE ARE ALSO PLANNING TO REVIEW OUR FEE STRUCTURE OVER TIME. 
          WE DO KNOW THAT SOME THINGS ARE, UM, A, A LOT OF OUR FEES FOR DIFFERENT PERMITS ARE PRETTY LOW, BUT THEN WHEN YOU COME INTO SOMETHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO BE LOW, THEY, THEY JUMP UP A LITTLE BIT. 
          SO WE WANNA GO BACK OVER THOSE AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE EQUITABLE. 
          OKAY, SO THIS IS MY LAST SECTION. 
          HOW AM I DOING ON TIME? OKAY. 
          I'M PRETTY GOOD. 
          UM, PARDON ME. 
          OKAY. 
          SO ONE OF THE OTHER HOT, HOT POINTS, I THINK FOR DISCUSSION WITHIN THE CITY IS, UM, BUILDING IN OLDER PARTS OF TOWN BUILDING, REHABBING, BRINGING BUSINESSES TO OLDER PARTS OF TOWN. 
          WE DO AUTOMATICALLY KIND OF THINK OF WEST TEXAS AVENUE, BUT THERE ARE OTHER PARTS OF TOWN THAT THIS WOULD APPLY TO AS WELL. 
          SO, UM, I WAS ASKED TO KIND OF COORDINATE SOME IDEAS AND SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW WE COULD HELP THAT PROCESS ALONG THIS. 
          [00:20:01]
THESE ARE, THESE ARE, UH, KIND OF BABY STEPS, I THINK, TOWARDS SOMETHING, UH, BIGGER. 
          UM, SO WE'RE GONNA START THAT TONIGHT. 
          UM, SO I THINK FIRST WE REALLY HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO BUILDING OR REHABBING BUSINESSES OR ATTRACTING BUSINESSES IN THE OLDER PARTS OF BAYTOWN? AND THOSE REALLY COME DOWN TO PHYSICAL, FINANCIAL TIME MARKETING AND LACK OF TRAFFIC AND THE CITY CODES. 
          UM, SOME OF THESE WE HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER AND OTHERS WE DO NOT. 
          UM, BUT WE CAN INFLUENCE MOST OF THESE FACTORS. 
          SO, UM, WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME, SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING AND SOME THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO DO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UH, IN TIME OVER THE NEXT, UH, COUPLE OF YEARS PROBABLY. 
          ALRIGHT, SO FIRST LET'S TALK ABOUT CODE. 
          WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS BUILDING CODE. 
          UM, RIGHT NOW MOST OF THE CITY IS UNDER THE 2015 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE FOR NEW BUILDINGS. 
          NOW, IF YOU HAVE AN OLDER BUILDING, THEN WHAT WE DID WAS IN 2018, UH, WE ADOPTED THE 2015 INTERNATIONAL EXISTING BUILDING CODE. 
          SO IT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. 
          THIS IS FOR BUILDINGS THAT ALREADY EXIST AND WILL ALLOW FOR SOME FLEXIBILITY IN APPLYING THE BUILDING CODES ON THOSE BUILDINGS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THESE ARE THE, THE BUILDINGS STILL ARE GOING TO BE, UM, SUBJECT TO, UH, A DA AND TEXAS ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS. 
          SO TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE STILL IN THAT WAY. 
          AND WE'RE ALWAYS STILL LOOKING, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THE, THE NEW BUILDING STUFF SAFE. 
          THAT IS GONNA BE OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. 
          UM, TO BE HONEST, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE HEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE, UH, I GOTTA INSTALL SPRINKLERS, OR I GOTTA INSTALL ANOTHER BATHROOM, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS A REAL BARRIER TO BRINGING IN, UH, BUSINESSES TO THOSE PARTS OF TOWN. 
          UM, I DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE MAJOR PLAYER IN WHAT'S NOT BRINGING BUSINESS DOWNTOWN. 
          IT COULD CONTRIBUTE, BUT AGAIN, WE DO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY IN THAT EXISTING BUILDING CODE. 
          AND WE, AND IT DOES GET USED. 
          UM, IT JUST KIND OF DEPENDS ON, ON WHAT THE REQUESTS ARE. 
          SO, UM, OTHER BARRIERS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE. 
          WE HAVE THE ZONING CODE, SO THAT'S IN OUR UNIFIED LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, UH, WHICH ISN'T REALLY ALL THAT UNIFIED CONSIDERING THAT SOME OF OUR REGS ARE STUCK IN THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE OR THERE OTHER PARTS OF CITY CODE WHERE THEY DON'T, THEY REALLY DO BELONG IN THE ZONING CODE. 
          UM, SIGNAGE, LANDSCAPING, PARKING, THOSE THINGS ALL SHOULD BE PART OF OUR ZONING CODE OR PART OF THE ULDC. 
          UM, AGAIN, SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS, WHEN WE FIRST BROUGHT IN SOME OF THESE REGULATIONS, THINGS GOT STUCK IN THE SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS THAT DON'T REALLY BELONG THERE. 
          'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO PUT 'EM AT THE TIME. 
          SO THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF CLEANUP THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO THE ULDC. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IF I'M NEW TO BAYTOWN AND I DON'T SEE LANDSCAPING REGULATIONS IN THE ZONING CODE, I MIGHT JUST ASSUME THAT BAYTOWN DOESN'T HAVE THOSE REGULATIONS. 
          SO THEN THEY'RE GONNA COME IN, THEY'RE GONNA TALK TO ME OR NATHAN, AND THEY'RE GONNA, AND WE'RE GONNA SAY, WELL, YOU GOTTA DO LANDSCAPING. 
          AND THEY'LL SAY NO. 
          AND THEN CONFUSION ENSUES. 
          SO WE'D LIKE TO, UM, UH, AND, AND THEN WE ALSO KNOW THERE ARE SOME CONFLICTS, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT LANDED IN THE SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS THAT DON'T BELONG THERE. 
          SO WE WANT TO FIX THOSE. 
          WE WANT TO DO SOME HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS. YOU'LL SEE THAT BEFORE YOU IN A FEW MONTHS WHERE WE'RE TAKING EVERYTHING AND JUST MOVING IT INTO THE, THE DOCUMENT WHERE IT MAKES THE MOST SENSE, UH, AND ALSO MAKES THE MOST SENSE HOPEFULLY FOR OUR, FOR OUR DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS. 
          UM, SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MAYBE SOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF ZONING. 
          UM, TRADITIONAL ZONING DOESN'T ALWAYS GET US WHAT WE WANT WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS PLACEMAKING IN THOSE OLDER PARTS OF TOWN. 
          'CAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO JUST CONCENTRATE ON ONE BUILDING. 
          WE WANNA CONCENTRATE ON WHOLE AREAS OF, OF THE TOWN. 
          AND SO ESPECIALLY THOSE AREAS ARE IN NEED, IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, THEY MIGHT NEED SOMETHING A A LITTLE BIT, UM, LESS TRADITIONAL. 
          AND SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF FORM-BASED CODE ZONING CODE. 
          OKAY, THAT'S GREAT THAT I'LL GIVE YOU, I'LL GIVE YOU THE TWO MINUTE VERSION. 
          UM, THIS IS BASICALLY A NEW TYPE OF ZONING FOR, UH, FOR BAYTOWN. 
          AND IT WOULD CONCENTRATE LESS ON PRESCRIPTIVE USES AND MORE ON CONTEXT. 
          SO HOW DO THE BUILDINGS FIT TOGETHER? HOW DO THE, THE SPACES THAT THOSE BUILDINGS CREATE THE SPACES IN BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS, HOW DO THOSE KIND OF WORK? UM, WHAT BUILDING TYPES AND ELEMENTS, UH, AND OUTDOOR SPACES, UH, HELP US CREATE THAT SENSE OF PLACE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR? UH, IT'S VERY DESIGN ORIENTED CONSIDERS, UM, THE ACTIVITY LEVELS OF THAT PART OF TOWN AND IT'S PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY. 
          UH, IT ALSO HELPS US TO PREDICT HOW DIFFERENT TRANSPORTATION ELEMENTS KINDA LINK EVERYTHING TOGETHER. 
          AND THAT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT AND SOMETHING THAT CAN SOMETIMES GET OVERLOOKED. 
          UH, WE, WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, HOW CLOSE ARE THE BUILDINGS TO THE STREET? WHAT DOES THE STREET STREET SCAPE LOOK LIKE? UM, OVERALL 
          [00:25:01]
IT'S A LOT MORE PREDICTABLE THAN TRADITIONAL ZONING. 
          OUR, OUR, OUR ULDC CONTAINS, BUT IT ALSO DOES PROVIDE A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY TO DEVELOPERS. 
          YOU BUILD IN THESE FLEXIBLE POINTS THAT SAY, IF YOU GIVE OVER HERE, WE'LL GIVE OVER HERE. 
          AND THAT, THAT DOES PROVIDE OPTIONS THAT MAYBE THE, THE CURRENT ZONING CONE DOES NOT HAVE. 
          UM, AND THEN IT, BUT THAT SAID, IT GIVES THE CITY KIND OF CONTROL THE OVERALL FEEL OF THAT PART OF TOWN. 
          UM, SO WE TALK ABOUT, YEAH, I THOUGHT SO. 
          . 
          PARDON ME. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, CREATING A PLACE THAT IS INVITING, UH, WE REALLY, THE NAME OF THE GAME WHEN IT COMES TO BRINGING NECESSARY TRAFFIC TO, UH, THAT, TO THOSE PARTS OF TOWN AND DRAWING IT AWAY FROM OTHER PARTS OF TOWN LIKE GAR ROAD, UM, WE REALLY HAVE SOME STRONG MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE PART OF THIS TYPE OF, OF CODE, UM, THAT WE CAN USE TO DRAW SPECIFIC GROUPS AND SPECIFIC TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND CAN BE SPECIFICALLY TAILORED DEPENDING ON THE VISION OF THE CITY. 
          SO, UH, SOME OF THE MORE WELL-KNOWN EXAMPLES OF THE, OF, UH, FORM-BASED CODE IMPLEMENTATION. 
          YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF CELEBRATION FLORIDA. 
          THAT'S ONE OF THE, THAT'S PROBABLY THE, THE MOST FAMOUS ONE. 
          UH, KENT LINS AND GAITHERSBURG MARYLAND USED TO BE A, UM, UH, I BELIEVE THAT WAS ONE THAT USED TO BE A BIG AIRPORT, UH, THAT WAS DECOMMISSIONED. 
          AND THEN SOME, EVEN SOME BIGGER CITIES HAVE GONE TO THIS TYPE OF CODE. 
          UH, DENVER, CINCINNATI, MIAMI, UM, HAVE ALL ADOPTED FORM-BASED CODES FOR THEIR ENTIRE CITY. 
          SO AGAIN, THEY'RE SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE A LITTLE, UM, THEY'RE BECOMING MORE MAINSTREAM, BUT, BUT THAT'S OVER THE LAST PROBABLY 15 YEARS. 
          UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE ARE SOME OF THOSE, THE PLACES THAT I MENTIONED, THE DRAWINGS, THESE ARE THE TYPE OF SPACES THAT THEY REALLY CONCENTRATE. 
          WE, WE, AS PLANNERS CONCENTRATE ON, ON CREATING WHEN WE USE, WHEN WE IMPLEMENT A FORM-BASED CODE. 
          NOW WE CAN ALSO BUILD IN CERTAIN INCENTIVES INTO THE CODE. 
          UH, YOU CAN BUILD IN, UH, QUICKER PLAN APPROVALS, ELIMINATION OF STEPS, UH, IF OF REVIEW, IF THERE'S CERTAIN CRITERIA THAT ARE MET UP FRONT, UH, AND THEN INCLUSION IN CERTAIN FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. 
          SO LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE, UH, FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL AND SORT OF TIME BARRIERS AS WELL. 
          UM, WHAT CAN THE CITY DO TO SORT OF HELP ELIMINATE SOME OF THOSE THINGS? THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO, WE DO HAVE SOME, SOME INFLUENCE OVER. 
          UH, WE CAN EXPAND THE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE NOW. 
          UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE A NEW BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT GRANT THAT'S GOING TO MDD NEXT WEEK FOR FUNDING AND FOR GUIDELINES. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A REVOLVING LOAN FUND ALSO WILL BE SEEN AT MDD NEXT WEEK. 
          UM, SO THOSE ARE GREAT STARTS. 
          UH, WE CAN PROVIDE TAX FEE ABATEMENTS, UH, AGAIN, IN CONNECTION. 
          THIS IS ALL IN CONNECTION TO THE ZONING CODE ITSELF. 
          AND THEN, UH, WE CAN EXPAND THE REVITALIZATION INCENTIVE ZONE, THE RIZ, UH, OR EVEN CREATE, CREATE NEW INCENTIVE, UH, ZONES AS WELL. 
          UM, WHAT OTHER THINGS CAN WE DO? UH, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS. 
          THE CITY IS ACTUALLY DOING A LOT OF THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE OLDER PARTS OF TOWN. 
          NOW. 
          WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND THAT WILL, THAT THAT'LL TAKE A BIG STEP TOWARDS, UH, CREATING A, A, A PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANNA BE AT. 
          UH, OR DOESN'T HAVE AS MUCH OF A FINANCIAL BARRIER TO LOCATING THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. 
          UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO REMOVE SUBSTANDARD STRUCTURES. 
          SO, UH, AGAIN, YOU PROBABLY HEARD A BROKEN WINDOW THEORY. 
          YOU HAVE THE OLDER BUILDINGS THAT ARE IN ROUGH SHAPE. 
          YOU MIGHT ATTRACT A CERTAIN ELEMENT. 
          AND SO AS YOU START TO GET RID OF SOME OF THOSE, UH, SO SOME OF THOSE, UM, RUNDOWN BUILDINGS, THEN YOU'RE ABLE TO KIND OF BRING UP THE STANDARD FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. 
          SO WE'LL KEEP DOING THAT. 
          AND THEN, UM, WE, WE THINK THAT IT WOULD ALSO BE A GOOD IDEA, UM, FOR THE CITY TO GO AHEAD AND BUY UP SOME MORE OF THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE DOWN THERE AND START REHABBING AND THEN RENTING OUT THE SPACES TO LOCAL BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE TRANSITIONING FROM MAYBE A HOMEBASED BUSINESS TO, UH, A REAL OFFICE OR A RETAIL SETTING THAT MAYBE NOT, UH, CAN'T AFFORD SOMETHING IN, IN A BIGGER SPACE OR, OR SOMETHING THAT'S MORE ON THE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN. 
          SO THEN THAT COMES TO THE LAST, UH, THE LAST PIECE OF THIS. 
          UM, THERE REALLY IS, AGAIN, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST BARRIERS IS THAT LACK OF TRAFFIC IN THAT PART OF TOWN. 
          UM, AND, AND IT COMES DOWN TO MARKETING AND CRE AGAIN, CREATING THAT PLACE THAT SOME OF THE THINGS I ALREADY SPOKE OF. 
          UM, WE DO HAVE TO CREATE SOME INTEREST. 
          AND THE UMBRELLA ALLEY WAS A GOOD START. 
          THE ARTS DISTRICT, UH, GREAT THEME THAT WE CAN BUILD ON OVER TIME. 
          UM, BUT WE DON'T WANNA STOP THERE. 
          UM, WE, WE CAN TALK TO, UH, AN ORGANIZATION CALLED MAIN STREET AMERICA AS A NONPROFIT, UH, THAT SPECIALIZES IN HELPING CITIES REVITALIZE THEIR AGING DOWNTOWN AREAS AND THEN CREATE INVITING NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THESE THRIVING PUBLIC SPACES, WHICH WE'VE STARTED. 
          BUT, UH, IN ORDER TO, UH, SORT OF AVAIL OURSELVES OF SOME BIGGER, UH, RESOURCES, THEN, UH, MAIN STREET AMERICA CAN REALLY, UH, 
          [00:30:01]
GIVE US A HAND IN THAT. 
          WE HAVE SOME STAFF MEMBERS THAT HAVE SOME PAST EXPERIENCE WITH MAIN STREET AMERICA AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THEN REALLY, UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO HAVE A SOLID INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF ALL THE BUILDINGS IN THOSE PARTS OF TOWN JUST TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. 
          UM, AND THEN WE NEED TO DO SOME VISIONING. 
          WE WANT TO DETERMINE WHERE WE WANT TO GO WITH THESE PARTS OF TOWN AND UPDATE OUR MARKET STUDIES AS PART OF CREATING DETAILED STRATEGIES TO GET US THERE. 
          UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE KIND OF SHOOTING IN THE DARK, SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SAY, THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO GO. 
          AND HERE'S THE ROAD TO THAT, THAT PLACE. 
          UH, THIS IS AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION, I GET IT. 
          UM, THE LAST DOWNTOWN PLAN WAS DONE IN OH SEVEN AND THINGS HAVE CHANGED QUITE A BIT FROM THERE. 
          UM, THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. 
          THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT STAFF AND I DECIDED, UH, THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. 
          SO, UM, GIVEN SOME MORE TIME AND SOME, UH, UH, THE FUNDS TO, TO PUT TOGETHER SOME REAL PLANNING, UM, EXERCISES, WE, WE CAN, UH, WE BELIEVE WE CAN REALLY GET US TO SOME OF THOSE PLACES. 
          UM, WITH THAT, THAT IS MY 35 MINUTE, UH, PRESENTATION. 
          I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          UM, MY FIRST ONE GOES BACK TO, UM, THE SLIDE THAT HAD YOUR NUMBERS IN TERMS OF, UM, CODE ENFORCEMENT AND OKAY. 
          THAT ONE, NUMBER TWO, YEP. 
          ON THE CODE ENFORCEMENT CASES, YOU MENTIONED THAT SOME OF THOSE ARE WITHIN THE PERMITTING PROCESS. 
          MM-HMM . 
          DO WE HAVE AN IDEA OR IS IT TRACKED ON WHICH ONES ARE FROM THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND WHICH ONES HAVE BEEN RESIDENTIAL CODE ENFORCEMENT VIOLATIONS? UM, I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR YOU TONIGHT, BUT I CAN FIND THAT AND GET BACK TO YOU. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          IT SHOULD BE TRACKABLE. 
          MY SECOND QUESTION, UM, I DID LIKE YOUR PRESENTATION IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO, UM, INITIATE, UM, SOME BUSINESS OR DEVELOPMENT IN THE OLDER PARTS OF TOWN. 
          BUT, UM, WHAT, WHAT STRATEGIES ARE WE USING FOR, SO MY AREA IS KIND OF DISTINCT BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF SLABS. 
          THERE'S NOT VERY MANY BUILDINGS THAT WE CAN ENTICE TO REHAB OR, OR MOVE INTO. 
          AND SO WHAT STRATEGIES DO WE HAVE FOR THOSE SECTIONS OF TOWNS WHERE IT'S JUST SLABS? DO WE HAVE ANYTHING? I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE ANY SPECIFIC STRATEGIES NOW. 
          UM, AGAIN, THE PRESENTATION TONIGHT WAS MEANT TO BE FAIRLY GENERAL. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO, BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY, I MEAN, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN KIND OF TAKE MORE, UM, MORE A, A A CLOSER LOOK AT AND SEE IF WE CAN GET CLOSER AGAIN. 
          UM, MOST OF THIS WAS, WAS IDEOLOGICAL. 
          IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO SPEND SOME REAL TIME ON TO GET SOME GOOD STRATEGIES. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THERE. 
          UH, I JUST DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THEM HERE TONIGHT. 
          YEAH. 
          'CAUSE I CAN SEE SOME OF THIS WORKING, LIKE IN PELLY WHERE WE DO HAVE BUILDINGS THERE, BUT DOWN MARKET STREET, THERE'S JUST A LOT OF JUST EMPTY SLABS, SO. 
          CORRECT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I GUESS JUST COMMENTS, MAYOR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I'M VERY, UH, I GUESS PLEASED OR ENCOURAGED THAT THE, THE CODE ENFORCEMENT, THE DEMOLITION NUMBERS CONTINUE TO INCREASE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S BITTERSWEET. 
          ANYTIME THERE'S A DEMOLITION THAT OCCURS IN MY DISTRICT MM-HMM. 
          I'M SURE LAURA FEELS THE WAY IN OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT IT'S JUST KIND OF A, UH, TOUGH LOVE PHILOSOPHY THAT'S BEEN DEED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. 
          YEAH, FOR SURE. 
          AND IT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          AND I'VE HAD, UH, POSITIVE COMMENTS ABOUT SOME OF THE MUCH NEEDED DEMOLITION THAT'S, THAT'S OCCURRED. 
          GREAT. 
          AND, UH, I DO AGREE THAT OVERALL THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, IT, IT IS, HAS BEEN GENERALLY POSITIVE. 
          AND WHEN I FIRST GOT ON CITY COUNCIL, IT WASN'T, AND, AND MY PHONE RANG ALL DAY LONG. 
          I UNDERSTAND THE FIRST YEAR I WAS ON COUNCIL AND THE MAJORITY OF THE CALLS WERE ABOUT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. 
          AND I THINK IT HAS DRASTICALLY IMPROVED. 
          AND I GIVE ADMINISTRATION A LOT OF CREDIT FOR THAT. 
          ONE THING THAT WE ALSO DID, THAT WE DID NOT USED TO DO, AND, AND RICK WAS THE ONE THAT STARTED THIS, WHEN WE PUT MORE EMPHASIS AND MORE FOCUS ON THE SUBSTANDARD STRUCTURES AND, AND DEMOLITION AND CODE ENFORCEMENT, WE STARTED RECEIVING QUARTERLY REPORT ON, ON SUBSTANDARD STRUCTURES. 
          HAVE WE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT, JUST AS A WAY FOR COUNSEL TO KIND OF KEEP THE PULSE OF, OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND ANY POTENTIAL ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE. 
          ANY SORT OF ACTIVITY LOG AS FAR AS FOLKS THAT COME IN, WHAT PERMIT THEY'RE APPLYING FOR, WHAT THEIR ADDRESS IS, AND, AND WHETHER THEY WERE GRANTED THE PERMIT OR DENIED OR JUST A, SOME SORT OF GENERAL ACTIVITY LOG THAT, THAT PERHAPS COUNSEL WOULD BE PRIVY TO QUARTERLY OR, OR ONCE EVERY SIX MONTHS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          [00:35:01]
AND, UH, JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. 
          I I'M SURE WE COULD PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY WITH INTER GOV COMING ONLINE, WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FARM ANY INFORMATION THAT WE PUT INTO UNDER GOV AND THE CURRENT SYSTEM DOES NOT ALLOW US TO, TO REALLY DO THAT AND CROSS-REFERENCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO I THINK WE CAN, UM, I CAN TALK TO CITY MANAGEMENT AND, AND SEE, UM, EXACTLY HOW WE COULD PRESENT THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND YOU KNOW, WE, WE HEAR DIFFERENT COMMENTS AND, AND, AND SOME ARE CONFIRMED AND, AND SOME ARE NOT QUITE CORRECT. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT ACTIVITY LAW WOULD BRING SOME OBJECTIVITY TO WHO'S BEEN IN AND DID THEY ACTUALLY TALK TO A STAFF MEMBER OR NOT BEFORE THEY CALLED US AND, AND WHAT THE STATUS OF THAT, UH, VISIT WAS. 
          AND THAT INTERACTION WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, LAURA'S RIGHT. 
          I MEAN, AS, AS FAR AS THE STRATEGIES GO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY, EVERYONE'S BEEN ASKING THEMSELVES FOR 10 OR 20 YEARS. 
          I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD THAT ANSWER, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 
          BUT I THINK THE PERSONALLY THE, THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON AND, AND THE BLOCK BUSTING, WHICH IS THE DEMOLITION, THE CODE ENFORCEMENT. 
          YEP. 
          I MEAN, THOSE ARE STRATEGIES. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND, AND THEY ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST DID THE, THE, UH, DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN BACK IN 2004, YOU KNOW, THEY SAID THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU WILL SEE PROGRESS. 
          THE BAD NEWS IS IT MAY TAKE A GENERATION TO SEE A LOT OF PROGRESS. 
          THAT'S ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO IT'S JUST A, IT'S A SLOW PROCESS, BUT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS, I THINK IN, IN EVERY DISTRICT. 
          AND I, I KNOW WE ARE IN DISTRICT TWO AND, UH, OF COURSE THERE IS HAS BEEN A, A, UH, UH, JUST, IT'S, IT'S DONE VERY WELL. 
          AND WHEN I FIRST GOT ON CITY COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY ONE OF MY TALKING POINTS WERE THAT THERE'S NOT ANY NEW HOUSES BEING BUILT IN DISTRICT TWO. 
          AND I TELL YOU, IF YOU DRIVE AROUND THERE, I MEAN, WHATEVER THE IMPETUS IS, WHO KNOWS. 
          BUT THERE'S, THERE'S DOZENS OF, OF NEW RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES BEING BUILT. 
          AND, UH, SO THAT'S ENCOURAGING TO SEE. 
          AND I THINK THE INVENTORY LIST AND THE MAIN STREET PROGRAM WHERE THERE WAS A STAFF MEMBER THAT KNEW EXACTLY WHICH BUILDINGS WERE AVAILABLE, THERE WAS A MECHANISM TO COMPEL , SOME OF THE NON-MOTIVATED, UH, CURRENT OWNERS. 
          YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY LIVE OUTTA TOWN WHO, WHO KNOWS WHAT THEIR, THEIR, THEIR MOTIVATION IS OR IS NOT. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD SOMEONE THAT, THAT HAD THE PULSE ON THAT AND UH, COULD KIND OF TIE THOSE THINGS TOGETHER AND BE HELPFUL IN THAT REGARD, I, I, I FEEL THAT THAT COULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL AS WELL. 
          DEFINITELY. 
          SO I THINK WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK AND, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST COULDN'T BE MORE PLEASED ACTUALLY FOR MY DISTRICT OVER THE LAST SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS. 
          THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT FEEDBACK. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          YES. 
          I'M GOING TO SAY THAT I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING VIRTUAL, UM, WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT WE GIVE SOME SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO, IF NOT A COMBINATION, HOLDING A SEPARATE TIME FOR INDIVIDUALS TO COME IN TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AND OPINIONS. 
          UM, I THINK DOING EVERYTHING, ALL DOING, GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS VIRTUALLY IS GOING TO LIMIT THE VOICE OF CITIZENS WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND OR WHO MAY NOT WANT TO ATTEND VIRTUALLY. 
          UM, SO TO, TO CLARIFY, NOT TO INTERRUPT, BUT TO, TO CLARIFY THAT WE, WE'VE BASICALLY, WE HAVE SO FAR DONE A COMBINATION OF THE TWO MM-HMM . 
          UM, WE'RE JUST KIND OF DAY BY DAY LOOKING TO SEE WHAT IS THE CLIMATE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH MM-HMM . 
          OUTSIDE OF OUR LITTLE SPACE. 
          AND WE'RE TRYING TO DECIDE. 
          'CAUSE SOMETIMES THE IN-PERSON STUFF WILL KEEP PEOPLE AWAY AS WELL. 
          SO WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THAT. 
          SOME OF OUR THINGS ARE IN PERSON, SOME OF THEM ARE VIRTUAL. 
          UM, IT IS TOUGH, UH, PLANNING EXERCISES. 
          IT'S TOUGH TO GET A, A CROWD ANYWAY A LOT OF TIMES. 
          SO, UM, WE, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO FIGHT THAT APATHY. 
          I'VE BEEN A PLANNER FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND IT'S, IT'S NEVER CHANGED FROM THAT. 
          UM, SO, BUT, BUT WE DO TRY TO BALANCE THAT. 
          AND IF WE, ESPECIALLY IF WE DID THE TOWN HALL, UM, VIRTUALLY AND FELT LIKE WE JUST DIDN'T GET THE PARTICIPATION WE WERE LOOKING FOR, THEN OUR NEXT MOVE WOULD BE TO SAY, ALRIGHT, IN TWO WEEKS LET'S DO A LIVE ONE. 
          SO, SO FOR SURE WE'RE JUST KIND OF TAKING IT DAY BY DAY. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE I'VE HAD SOME, SOME OF MY CONSTITUENTS REACH OUT THAT AREN'T COMFORTABLE BE DOING THINGS VIRTUALLY, AND THEY FEEL MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE, UM, COMING IN PERSON. 
          SO HOPEFULLY, AS I SAID BEFORE, WE GIVE SOME SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO DOING SOME OF THESE IN PERSON, NOT WAITING TO SEE WHO DID OR DIDN'T SHOW UP VIRTUALLY. 
          WE'LL GO AHEAD AND PLAN AND WE'RE GONNA HOLD SOMETHING VIRTUALLY AND GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL YOU OR TO SHOW YOU THAT THEY DON'T WANT IT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, NATHAN JUST REMINDED ME AS WELL THAT AS PART OF THE CONSULTANTS, 
          [00:40:01]
UH, CONTRACT, THEY'RE ALSO PROVIDING US WITH WHAT WE CALL A MEETING IN A BOX, WHICH IS BASICALLY, HERE'S ALL THE MATERIALS THAT WE NEED AS, AS STAFF, CITY STAFF OR EVEN ANOTHER GROUP. 
          IF, IF THERE WAS A, AN HOA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT WANTED TO DO THIS, BASICALLY ALL THE, UM, INFORMATION YOU NEEDED TO HAVE ONE OF THOSE, TO HOLD ONE OF THOSE IN PERSON MEETINGS, WE WOULD HAVE IT IN, IN A PACKAGE TO SAY, OKAY, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO THIS. 
          SO AGAIN, IF WE EVER HEAR FROM SOMEBODY AT SOME POINT THAT SAYS, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I WAS REPRESENTATIVE, THEN, EXCUSE ME, REPRESENTED, THEN WE WOULD DEFINITELY PULL THAT OUT AND SAY, WELL, LET'S GO, LET'S GO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, AND WE HAVE, WE STILL HAVE QUITE A LOT OF TIME. 
          WE HAVE, WHAT, 13 MONTHS LEFT OF THE PROCESS. 
          SO I, I THINK WE'RE STILL IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE COMING FROM AND, AND THAT'S DEFINITELY WILL, WHAT WE'LL CONSIDER THAT. 
          AND JUST TO ADD ON TO THAT IS THAT, UM, THROUGH BAYTOWN ENGAGE ANYBODY THAT'S INTERESTED IN DOING ONE OF THOSE CAN ENGAGE IN A MICROPHONE, PLEASE. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          ANYONE THAT'S INTERESTED IN DOING ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS IN THE BOX, THEY CAN GO AND SIGN UP AND WE CAN, WE'LL RESPOND TO THEM AND SET UP A, A MEETING THAT WE CAN GO OUT TO THEM AND GIVE THEM THE, THE MATERIALS AS MARTIN WAS SAYING. 
          OR WE CAN BE THERE AND PROVIDE THAT TO THEM AT ANY GIVEN TIME. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THE PRESENTATION? YOU HAVE SOMETHING? JUST A COUPLE QUICK, I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING SHORT ON TIME. 
          OKAY. 
          I'D BE INTERESTED TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS FROM 19 AS WELL, IF WE HAVE 'EM. 
          JUST 'CAUSE LAST YEAR WAS SUCH AN ABNORMAL YEAR. 
          SURE. 
          I WONDER, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT RELATES TO, TO 2019 AND THEN, UM, WE MAY HAVE THIS, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND IT. 
          DO WE HAVE JUST LIKE A SIMPLE GRAPHIC THAT LISTS EVERYTHING THAT REQUIRES A PERMIT THROUGH THE CITY? UM, 'CAUSE I MEAN, WE HAVE THE 100 SQUARE FEET, YOU KNOW, IF THEY REPLACE THEIR FULL FENCE VERSUS A PANEL OR PART OF THEIR DRIVEWAY, THE WHOLE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT ARE THOSE CUTOFFS? I'VE HAD SOME HOAS REACH OUT TO ME AND ASK, YOU KNOW, CAN YOU JUST GIMME A SIMPLE LIST OF WHAT REQUIRES IT AND WHAT DOESN'T? AND WITHOUT REALLY GETTING TOO FAR INTO THE APPLICATION PROCESS, I WASN'T ABLE TO FIND THAT ONLINE. 
          SO MAYBE IF WE COULD MAKE A, A GRAPHIC, SOMETHING WE CAN PUSH ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT WOULD REALLY HELP. 
          I, I THINK THAT'S, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT NOW. 
          I THINK THAT'S DOABLE. 
          WE ARE WORKING ON A DEVELOPMENT GUIDE BOOK, UM, AS WE SPEAK. 
          WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR QUITE A WHILE, UM, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT, IT'S, UM, ALL KIND OF ALL INCLUSIVE AND MAKE SURE THAT IT ANSWERS AS MANY QUESTIONS AS WE CAN. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL SEE ON THE WEBSITE BEFORE TOO LONG. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MIKE. 
          NOW I DO APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT. 
          UM, I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF, UH, FEEDBACK AFTER, UH, I KNOW I'VE EXPRESSED TO, UH, THE CITY MANAGER AS FAR AS AFTER SOMEONE RECEIVES A CERTIFICATE, A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, I WOULD, I'M, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN, IN KNOWING WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCE WAS, GOOD OR BAD. 
          UM, ALSO DENIED PERMITS. 
          THAT WAS SOMETHING WE STRUGGLE WITH. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT GO THROUGH THE PERMIT PROCESS AND APPROVE WE DON'T HEAR ABOUT. 
          RIGHT. 
          IT'S THOSE EXCEPTIONS, IT'S WHY THEY WERE DENIED. 
          OH, YEAH. 
          AND SOMETIMES IT MAY BE THAT THEY, THEIR PACKAGE WAS NOT, UM, SUFFICIENT OR DIDN'T HAVE, UH, THE, THE RIGHT INFORMATION. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT IT MAY BE OTHER THINGS ON OUR END. 
          AND SO I'M INTERESTED IN KNOWING KIND OF WHEN, WHEN PERMITS ARE DENIED, WHAT IS, WHAT, WHAT IS THE REASONING SURE. 
          FOR IT, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE CALLS WE DO GET ALONG. 
          RIGHT. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND, AND I, I KIND OF WANTED TO, SINCE YOU BROUGHT THAT UP, I WANT TO SHARE A QUICK, UM, SUCCESS STORY FROM THIS WEEK. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WE HAD SOMEBODY JUST ABOUT A WEEK AGO WHO HAD HAD THEIR PER, THEY HAD THREE PERMITS THAT WERE ALL DENIED FOR THE SAME REASONS. 
          UM, WE HAD A COUPLE OF PHONE CALLS, THEY WERE VERY UNHAPPY. 
          AND OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT FOUR DAYS, UM, MY STAFF PARTICULARLY, UM, FRED, WHO HE WAS IN THE BACK THERE SOMEWHERE, UM, WE, WE WERE ABLE TO KIND OF GIVE THEM THE, THE, UM, THE, THE RED CARPET TREATMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE PROVIDING EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED. 
          AND WE TOOK SOMETHING WHERE, AGAIN, IT, THEY WEREN'T GONNA GET WHAT THEY NEEDED. 
          AND WE, WE WORKED WITH THEM HAND IN HAND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THEY, THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR PERMITS IN HAND YET, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE RIGHT THERE. 
          AND WHICH IS A BIG IMPROVEMENT OVER WHERE THEY WERE A WEEK AGO. 
          SO, UM, SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY. 
          WE DO HAVE EXAMPLES LIKE THAT. 
          AGAIN, THOSE ARE NOT ALL THE ALWAYS THE ONES YOU HEAR ABOUT. 
          SO I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          YEAH. 
          MY, SO MY IDEA WOULD BE WHEN, WHEN WE DO THAT, JUST LIKE WE MEASURE INSPECTIONS AND CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES, I, I WANT TO SEE WHAT IS THAT MEASUREMENT ON EVEN DENIED PERMITS. 
          AND, AND THE REASON WHY, YOU KNOW, IT MAY, MAYBE A MAJORITY OF TIME IT'S JUST INSUFFICIENT PLANS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT MM-HMM . 
          UM, OR A MISUNDERSTANDING OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED. 
          UM, I WILL TOUCH BRIEFLY ON WHAT I CALL LIKE REGULAR HOMEOWNER TYPE PERMITTING, UM, FENCES, DRIVEWAYS, UM, WATER HEATER PERMITS. 
          I, I WILL TELL YOU, IF MY WATER HEATER BUSTED, I'M GONNA GO AND I'M GONNA GET IT REPLACED. 
          YEAH. 
          RIGHT. 
          I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO AND SAY, I NEED A PERMIT FROM THE CITY BEFORE I GO AND START HOT WATER FOR MY FAMILY. 
          SO THOSE ARE JUST THINGS IN, IN REAL WORLD THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE A VERY PRACTICAL APPROACH IN DOING THAT. 
          YEP. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          I AGREE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, GAZEBOS, PATIOS, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, I KNOW THERE'S SOME WINDSTORM STUFF WE MAY HAVE TO DEAL WITH, BUT I, I'D RATHER US PAINT THE PICTURE AND SET THE EXPECTATION AND HAVE A HOMEOWNER SIGN AN AFFIDAVIT OF THESE ARE THE SPECS. 
          IF YOU BUILD WHATEVER TO THESE SPECS, YOU SIGN OFF ON THAT, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S DIGITALLY, THEN 
          [00:45:01]
WE CAN MOVE FORWARD. 
          AND WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE CONGESTION OF, OF FENCE PERMIT, WHICH I'M TOLD WE DON'T EVEN REALLY HAVE A FENCE PERMIT. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMIT WE DO. 
          AND THERE'S A BOX FOR A FENCE. 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, WE HAVE A, UH, UNIVERSAL PERMIT THAT COVERS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING RESIDENTIAL AND YOU MARK OFF, WHICH WHAT, WHAT IT IS YOU'RE APPLYING FOR. 
          RIGHT. 
          BUT WE ALSO DO HAVE, UM, CONSIDERATION FOR THINGS THAT ARE EMERGENCIES LIKE THAT WE'RE GONNA DING SOMEBODY I UNDERSTAND, IF THEY DIDN'T GET A PERMIT RIGHT AWAY TO FIX SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED RIGHT AWAY. 
          WE, WE DO TALK TO THEM AFTER THE FACT AND MAY AGAIN, THE GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S SAFE AND THAT THEY'VE FOLLOWED CODE. 
          SURE. 
          AND THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE GOAL AT THE END OF THE DAY. 
          BUT WE, WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          I JUST WANT US TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, TAKE SOME COMMON SENSE AND PRACTICAL APPROACHES FOR SOME OF, MAINLY THESE, I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO CALL 'EM, BUT I'LL CALL 'EM THE OVER THE COUNTER SIMPLE PERMITS. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, THAT SHOULD BE VERY STREAMLINED. 
          UH, INTERV, UH, I DO, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN WAITING, I KNOW ED AND THE CITY MANAGER, BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT ONCE WE SHOW PRETTY MUCH OUR HIGH USE, UM, LOCAL TRADESMEN, UH, AND, AND, AND THOSE TYPE OF FOLKS OF HOW THIS WILL HOPEFULLY, UH, ENSURE THAT THERE'S A, A REAL, UM, EXPEDIENT PROCESS FOR WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. 
          YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THINGS TO DO AND WE WANT THAT TO BE, UH, UH, EFFICIENT AND, AND HOPEFULLY INTER GOV IS THAT ANSWER. 
          UH, IT'S GONNA ANSWER LOTS OF THINGS. 
          I KNOW IT'S AN ENTERPRISE WIDE PROGRAM AND, AND IT TAKES A LOT, IT'S INCLUSIVE OF A LOT OF THINGS, BUT, UM, HOPEFULLY BY MAY WE CAN HAVE THAT OTHER ROUND TABLE. 
          IT, IT'S ALSO WORTH POINTING OUT TOO, THAT YOU MAY HEAR SOME COMMENTS AFTER GO LIVE OF INTERV THAT SOMETHING WAS DIFFICULT OR IT'S A REALLY, REALLY BIG CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM. 
          IT'S GONNA BE PAINFUL FOR A LITTLE WHILE FOR STAFF AND FOR CUSTOMERS, BUT WE'VE GOTTA GET THROUGH THAT KIND OF PAIN POINT. 
          AND THEN IT, WE WILL ALSO HAVE A FEW MONTHS WHERE THE SOFTWARE ITSELF, BECAUSE WE DID SO MUCH CUSTOMIZING TO THE SOFTWARE, WE ARE GOING TO BREAK IT AT SOME POINT AND WE'LL HAVE TO FIX THAT. 
          SO EXPECT THOSE THINGS. 
          AGAIN, I'M JUST TRYING TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. 
          WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING WITH STAFF TO SAY NOT EVERYTHING IS GONNA GO A HUNDRED PERCENT SMOOTH, BUT WE THINK WE'VE GOT IT REALLY, REALLY CLOSE, AS CLOSE AS WE'RE GONNA GET BEFORE WE GO LIVE. 
          NO. 
          AND SO WITH THAT, UM, I MADE ONE ADDITIONAL COMMENT, BUT WHEN, WHEN IT'S AN ENTERPRISE WIDE SYSTEM LIKE THAT, I, I'VE BEEN THROUGH CONVERSIONS AND THERE'S PEOPLE, UH, HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT GO THROUGH CONVERSIONS OF SAP AND ORACLE AND YOU NAME IT. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT. 
          AND SO IT'S ALWAYS GROWING PAINS IN, IN AN ENTERPRISE WIDE, UM, PROGRAM. 
          AND SO INTER GOV I'M SURE WILL BE NO DIFFERENT, BUT WE WILL CERTAINLY TRY TO MITIGATE ANY OF THAT IMPACT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 
          YEP. 
          IT'LL BE WORTH, MY LAST COMMENT WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO ESPECIALLY, UH, SOME OLDER AREAS OF TOWN WHERE THERE'S OLDER BUILDINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I TRAVEL THROUGH OTHER CITIES AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND I SEE OLDER BUILDINGS AND I SEE A REALLY NICE RESTAURANT OR, UH, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, I LOOK AT IT LIKE, WHY CAN'T WE DO THIS? AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT OUR OWN WORST ENEMY WHEN IT COMES TO CODE AND LOCAL CODE, YOU KNOW? SO, UM, WHAT CAN WE DO STILL ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND ALL THE, ALL THE, THE, UH, SAFETY ASPECTS OF CODE, BUT IF WE NEED TO MAKE EITHER ADJUSTMENTS, WAIVERS, UM, AMENDMENTS TO, TO OUR CODE, UH, THEN I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I, I'M CERTAINLY INTERESTED IN PURSUING. 
          I DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE THE, THE REASON WHY PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO COME IN AND INVEST IN EITHER, UH, OUR, OUR DOWNTOWN AREA, OUR MARKET, STREET CORRIDOR, BAYWAY, WHEREVER THE CASE MAY BE. 
          UM, I DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANT POLICY TO BE IN ITS WAY THAT WE HAVE CONTROL TO CHANGE. 
          I, I HOPE THAT MY MESSAGE WAS THAT THAT IS ONE ASPECT OF A MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE LOOK SURE. 
          AT THAT ENTIRE PART, THOSE, THOSE PARTS OF TOWN, BECAUSE THAT YOU, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DOES HAVE A, A SMALL EFFECT AND IT'S ALL CUMULATIVE. 
          SO WHETHER IT'S BUILDING CODE, ZONING CODE, OR ANY OF THE OTHER THINGS I TALKED ABOUT IT, IT'S GONNA TAKE A COMBINATION OF ALL THOSE THINGS TO GET US WHERE WE WANT TO GO. 
          STARTING WITH, I'VE BEEN HERE FOUR MONTHS AND I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHERE WE WANT TO GO. 
          SO THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE STARTING POINT REALLY. 
          NO, I APPRECIATE, I I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT, IT'S, IT'D BE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH. 
          THERE'S, THERE'S MULTIPLE COMPONENTS AND FACTORS IN THAT. 
          EXACTLY. 
          THERE'S NO DOUBT. 
          SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE, BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT JOB. 
          GREAT. 
          UM, GREAT DISCUSSION. 
          UM, I WILL MOVE VERY QUICKLY TO 
          [b. Discuss any or all of the agenda items on the City Council Regular Meeting Agenda for March 25, 2021, which is attached below.]
THE SECOND ITEM. 
          YES, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THE SECOND ITEM, WHICH IS JUST DISCUSS ANY OTHER ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA FOR OUR REGULAR MEETING. 
          UM, THERE IS ONE. 
          I'M NOT SURE. 
          WE, I WAS, I JUST HAVE A NOTE HERE. 
          ITEM SIX R IS IN CONSENT AGENDA. 
          IT'S JUST REGARDING A, UH, LOOKS MORE OF A ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET. 
          UM, UH, OH, HERE WE GO. 
          VICTOR, IF YOU DON'T MIND, CAN YOU GIVE US A, A 10 SECONDS SYNOPSIS OF ITEM SIX R? YES, INDEED. 
          MR. MAYOR, UH, YOU'RE GONNA GET A HARD COPY OF THE NOTE THAT WAS SENT TO ALL OF YOU THIS AFTERNOON. 
          THIS IS A YEAR END, UH, ADJUSTMENT, A TIDY UP IF YOU LIKE, OFF THE BOOKS. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UH, MUCH OF IT, UH, FLOWING FROM THE WORK OF THE AUDITORS, WHICH WE'LL HEAR MORE OF DURING YOUR, UH, MAIN MEETING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AS I SAY, MOST OF THEM ARE TECHNICAL. 
          THANK MA'AM ENTRIES THAT WE NEED TO THANK YOU, MA'AM. 
          UH, MAKE SURE TIE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL BUDGET, UH, THERE'S NO SENSE THAT WE HAVE, UH, BLOWN THE BUDGET AT ALL IN ANY RESPECT. 
          IT IS MERELY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, SIR. 
          I CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE IN ANY OF THE SPECIFICS. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, HAVE YOU, HAVE 
          [00:50:01]
YOU EVER SEEN ANY PREVIOUS BUDGETS? SOMETIMES THIS DOES HAPPEN. 
          IT'S, THERE'S KINDA SOME TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO TH THIS IS AN ANNUAL, THIS IS AN ANNUAL OCCURRENCE. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO NOW, UH, MR. MAYOR, AS WE, UH, KEEP ON TOP OF THIS DURING THE YEAR, SO I WOULD ANTICIPATE NEXT YEAR IF THERE IS, UH, A LIST OF ITEMS LIKE THIS, IT WILL BE MUCH SMALLER IF THERE IS ONE AT ALL. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          AND SO WITH THAT, UM, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS, WHAT'S PRESENTED, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS GONNA BE ON OUR REGULAR MEETING HERE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. 
          UH, BUT THIS IS, UM, THIS IS ONE ITEM OF CONSENT THAT, THAT IN CASE YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU, WE CAN COME BACK AND REVISIT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WITH THAT, UH, THIS, UH, WE ADDRESSED ALL POSTED AGENDA ITEMS FOR THIS, UH, COUNCIL WORK SESSION. 
          SO THIS MEETING IS NOW, AND LET'S TAKE ABOUT A FIVE MINUTE.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.