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ALL RIGHT.IT IS 5 37 5 5 30 6:00 PM AND, UH, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
UH, OUR FIRST ITEM IS CITIZEN COMMENTS.
SO NO ONE, UH, HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
WE MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM IS TWO A, IS TO DISCUSS THE CITY BAYTOWN FISCAL YEAR 23, 24, PROPOSED BUDGET AND THE CITY MANAGER.
OH, I THOUGHT THIS WAS YOU, MAYOR.
I MEAN, IT, IT IS AT THE END OF THE DAY, I GUESS, BUT, BUT NO, I DIDN'T YOU ANY OPENING COMMENTS? UM, I'M JUST KIDDING.
UH, TODAY WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA FINALLY DIVE INTO THE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT, UH, HOPEFULLY BRIEFLY.
UH, BUT WE WILL DIVE INTO THE NUMBERS.
MIKE, THE, UH,
THIS BUDGET ALIGNS WITH ALL OF OUR POLICY DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD UP TO TODAY.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO EXPLORE THE GENERAL FUND AND OUR SUPPORTING ENTERPRISE FUNDS AS WE DIVE INTO THE, INTO THE BUDGET.
UH, I DO WANNA SPEAK TO A POINT THAT WAS MADE YESTERDAY.
HISTORICALLY, WE HAVEN'T SPENT, UH, WHAT WAS BUDGETED TYPICALLY COMING IN MILLIONS UNDER.
UM, THIS IS AN INEFFICIENCY AND IN PLACE NUMBERS, UH, MORE THAN THEY SHOULD BE, WHICH HAS AN IMPACT ON ALL OF US.
I COMMIT TO YOU THAT WE ARE GONNA WORK ON GETTING THAT CLOSER.
AS WE DISCUSSED, GIVEN THIS AND OUR FOCUS ON CORE SERVICES THIS NEXT YEAR, WE WILL BE SCRUBBING THE NUMBERS AND SERVICES FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS.
HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL IN THE DISCOVERY PHASE AND HAVE NOT DISCOVERED EVERY, UH, EVERY INEFFICIENCY.
AS WE MOVE ALONG, WE WILL BE MAKING THE APPROPRIATE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS AND THE SERVICE LEVEL THAT COUNCIL WOULD, UH, WOULD LIKE.
SO THIS SHEET THAT'S UP HERE IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENERAL FUND, UH, OF THE DRAFT FY 24 BUDGET.
THIS SHOULD ALIGN WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S IN YOUR BOOK OR THE NEW SHEET THAT YOU GOT.
THERE WAS A SMALL MODIFICATION TO THE SHEET THAT WAS MAILED OUT LAST NIGHT.
UM, AND THIS HAS BEEN MODIFIED, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO, UH, TO WHAT YOU RECEIVED LAST NIGHT, BUT IT IS DIFFERENT.
SO AS WE GO OVER THIS, I'LL TALK TO SOME OF THE HIGH POINTS THAT ARE AROUND THE POLICY.
UH, BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE TO YOUR RIGHTS AND, UH, TO THIS SIDE IN FRONT OF YOU, THAT THE REVENUE IS A 133 MILLION.
OPERATING EXPENSES ARE 130 MILLION.
TOTAL EXPENSES ARE 136 MILLION.
THE GROWTH RATE FOR THE REVENUE IS 3.3%, AND THE GROWTH RATE FOR OPERATING EXPENSES 9.7%, ALONG WITH HAVING A RESERVE OF SEVEN, FIVE DAYS.
ALL THAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT NOW.
UH, WE WILL CHANGE THIS, BUT YOU WILL HAVE THAT, UH, IF YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT YOUR BOOK.
SO AS WE JUMP INTO THIS, A QUICK OVERVIEW, UH, BEFORE WE START DISCUSSIONS, THE PROPOSED TAX RATE WILL BE AT 74.50 CENTS, WHICH IS A HALF CENT DEDUCTION OF WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE.
THE RESERVES ARE CURRENTLY SITTING AT 75 DAYS.
AS IT'S PRESENTED IN FRONT OF YOU, THE REVENUES 133 MILLION, WHICH IS A 3.3% GROWTH.
WE ARE NOT PROPOSING FEE AND SERVICE CHARGES INCREASES PER OUR CONVERSATION YESTERDAY.
STAFF WILL LOOK AT THIS AND BRING THEM BACK TO COUNSEL FOR CONSIDERATION TO ENSURE THAT THEY MATCH WHAT OUR COSTS ARE TO OPERATE.
AND THEN COUNSEL WILL DECIDE IF WE NEED TO ELEVATE THOSE OR NOT.
OUR EXPENSES, TOTAL EXPENSES ARE 136, UH, MILLION.
THE OPERATIONAL GROWTH IS 9.7%.
SO, UH, WE DO HAVE A DECREASE IN THE BUDGET FROM LAST YEAR.
THAT IS DUE TO THE, UH, TRANSFERS TO THE CIP THAT WE HAD.
UH, SO ULTIMATELY THIS SAYS, UH, WE DID HAVE AN INCREASE IN OPERATIONAL EXPENSES THOUGH, SO I I WANNA BE VERY CLEAR ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT.
THE 9.7% INCREASE IS THE COMBINATION OF PERSONNEL AND ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
THE LARGEST PORTION OF THE INCREASE IS PERSONNEL COST AT 6.4% INDIVIDUALLY.
IF YOU JUST LOOK AT PERSONNEL, IT'S A 8.7% INCREASE FOR EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF PERSONNEL SUPPLIES, MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND SUNDRY.
THE INCREASE IS A 3.3% INCREASE OF THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET.
ON ITS OWN, THOUGH IT'S AN INCREASE OF 12.8%, BUT FOR THE BUDGET IS A 3.3% INCREASE,
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UH, FOR THE SERVICES MAINTENANCE AND SUPPLIES IN FRONT OF YOU.SO WHAT MAKES UP THE 6 4, 6 0.4%? WELL, THE PERSONNEL WAGES ARE MORE IN LINE WITH OUR CURRENT VACANCY RATE.
TYPICALLY, WE HAD LARGE VACANCY RATES IN BOTH THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
AS Y'ALL KNOW, AS WE DISCUSSED YESTERDAY, THAT MAKE UP A VERY LARGE PORTION OF THE PERSONNEL BUDGET.
I WOULD SAY IT WAS ROUGHLY 10% IN EACH FUND, WHICH IS MORE THAN $5 MILLION.
UH, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO HAVING THOSE VACANCY RATES AND WHY WE WERE SAVING SO MUCH MONEY, THEN YOU CALCULATE THE OTHER POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE, UM, ROUGHLY EQUATES TO ONE AND A HALF TO $2 MILLION, WHICH WAS BUILT IN $7 MILLION THAT WE WERE SAVING EACH AND EVERY YEAR OFF THOSE VACANCY RATES.
THOSE VACANCY RATES, UH, TO THE CREDIT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENTS MADE CHANGES AND THEY'RE QUICKLY FILLING THOSE VACANCY RATES OR THOSE VACANCIES.
UH, AND I THINK THEY'RE DOWN TO FOUR.
UM, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS LOOKING AT MAKING CHANGES IN THE VERY, VERY NEAR FUTURE, UH, TO ADDRESS THEIR VACANCY RATES.
THEY HAVE IT AT 10 CURRENTLY, BUT THAT WILL SOON FILL UP JUST LIKE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DID ONCE THEY MAKE THE CHANGES TO THEIR RECRUITING POLICIES.
SO OUTSIDE OF THAT, UM, ADDRESSING OUR PERSONNEL COSTS THAT ARE MORE IN LINE WITH ACTUALLY WHERE WE STAND TODAY.
UH, WE HAVE A 4% COLA ADJUSTMENT FOR ALL EMPLOYEES.
UH, THE 4% IS ALSO BUILT IN BY CONTRACT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY INDIVIDUALS.
UH, WE ARE ACTUALLY INCLUDING THE OVERTIME FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THIS NINE 6 MILLION AS WELL.
UH, IT WAS NOT IN, ITS IN ITS ENTIRETY.
IT WAS NOT FULLY PUT IN THE BUDGET.
UH, I BELIEVE ONLY A MILLION DOLLARS WAS PUT IN ORIGINALLY, AND RIGHT NOW I THINK IT'S AROUND 3.5 MILLION FOR OVERTIME.
THERE ARE IN THIS PROPOSAL, YOU HAVE THREE NEW POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL.
YOU HAVE THREE NEW FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, UM, AT CURRENTLY AS A HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR WHEN THEY WERE, THEY ARE HARD BUDGETED INTO THIS NUMBER.
HOWEVER, AS WE DISCUSSED YESTERDAY, KENNY OR THE CHIEF PPS AND I AND HR WILL WORK TO RECRUIT UP TO NINE FULL POSITIONS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT ONLY ASSESSING THAT AS IT GOES ALONG THE WAY TO SEE IF IT ACTUALLY IS DROPPING DOWN THE OVERTIME COSTS.
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE THREE AND A HALF MILLION IN OVERTIME, WE FEEL THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A, A STANDARD OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN OVERTIME IF WE, IF WE ADD MORE PEOPLE, WILL IT REDUCE THAT.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ANALYZE AS WE MOVE ALONG.
SO THERE ARE THREE HARD POSITIONS BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE COULD GO UP TO 9 MILLION.
WE ARE NOT ADDING ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE ADDITIONAL SIX PEOPLE BECAUSE, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL DRAW THAT DOWN FROM THE OVERTIME BUDGET THAT'S ALREADY THERE.
UM, THERE ARE NO NEW ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION OUTSIDE OF THOSE, UM, THREE OR IN THE GENERAL FUND.
THERE ARE NO NEW ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE INTERIM PHYSICIANS WILL BE ADOPTED WITH THE APPROVAL OF THIS BUDGET AS WELL.
WHAT MAKES UP THE 3.3% IN THE OPERATIONAL COST.
UM, SO SUPPLIES, MAINTENANCE AND SERVICES.
I CAN JUMP OUT VERY LARGE SPREAD SHEET THAT Y'ALL PROBABLY NOT WANT TO LOOK AT.
UM, BUT OVERALL, I WOULD SAY THE 3.3% IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS THAT WE, THAT, UM, EACH DEPARTMENT NEEDS.
I IF WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT LINE ITEMS FOR THOSE GROWTH PIECES, UH, SOME OF THE CHANGES I COULD NOT MAKE BECAUSE THEY DO IMPACT SERVICE, UH, SERVICES.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING THE COUNCIL IS THAT WE APPROVE THAT AS IS.
BUT AS WE LOOK AT THE DEPARTMENTS THROUGH FY 24, WE WILL BE MAKING CHANGES TO SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE.
UH, BUT IF I DO HAVE THIS UP, IF WE ARE READY TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND, UM, I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST TO THE COUNSEL THAT WE LOOK AT ONE EXPENSE REDUCTION RIGHT OFF THE BAT, WHICH IS CREDIT CARD FEES.
UM, THAT WOULD REDUCE A LITTLE BIT OVER 300,000 AT THIS POINT.
I KNOW THAT'S A DIFFERENT NUMBER THAN I'VE TALKED WITH SOME OF Y'ALL IN THE PAST.
UM, UH, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS WHERE IT STANDS TODAY.
I DON'T MIND EXPLAINING THAT AT ANOTHER TIME, BUT THAT, THAT'S WHERE IT'S AT TODAY.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT CHARGING FOR THE CURRENT CREDIT CARD FEES THAT WE PAY FOR, UH, THE CONTINGENCY WAS REDUCED FROM 2 MILLION TO 1 MILLION.
AND THEN THE TRANSFER OUTS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHANGES ON THE ONES THAT YOU LOOKED AT BEFORE THAT ORIGINALLY STARTED OUT AT SIX POINT SOMETHING MILLION, IT'S BEEN REDUCED DOWN TO 3.6 MILLION, 2.5 MILLION OF THAT GOES
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TO CAPITAL REPLACEMENT, WHICH IS I JUST, AND THE EASY WAY AS GINA WOULD TELL ME ANYTHING WITH WHEELS.UM, SO THAT'S REPLACING OUR FLEET AND, UH, JUST OUR OTHER SERVICE EQUIPMENT THAT WE NEED TO MOVE ALONG.
THAT'S 3.5 MILLION OF THE 3.6, UH, MUNICIPAL COURT POLICE HAS ADDITIONAL, UH, THINGS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH, THROUGH THIS.
THERE'S MONEY 300,000 GOING TO THE WETLAND RESEARCH CENTER.
UH, WE HAVE ROUGHLY 300,000 IN CASH THAT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CIP AND THEN THE WAREHOUSE GETS 75,000 AT THIS POINT.
SO THAT'S ROUGHLY WHAT MAKES UP THE 3.6 MILLION IN THE TRANSFER OUTS FOR THE NON-RECURRING FEES.
SO THAT IS THE CRUX OF THE BUDGET THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU.
BUT I DO HAVE A FEW MORE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER BEFORE WE GO JUMP INTO QUESTIONS AND, UM, UH, LINE ITEMS. I DO NOT PLAN TO GO OVER THE CIP TODAY.
THE REASON BEING IS THAT I WANT TO RESPECT THE ROLE OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE CIP COMMITTEE.
THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, UM, HAS SOME DECISIONS TO MAKE ALONG WITH THE CIP COMMITTEE AND THOSE HAVE NOT BEEN MADE YET.
SO I, I FORESEE THAT COMING AT AUGUST 24TH, UH, AT THE AUGUST 24TH MEETING.
UH, BUT WITH THAT SAID, THE CIP COMMITTEE IS LOOKING AT A, UH, A LIST OF PROJECTS THAT EQUAL UP TO $17.2 MILLION.
THE, UH, FINANCE COMMITTEE IS LOOKING AT A DEBT PROPOSAL THAT IS ROUGHLY $15 MILLION.
SO WE HAVE A BUILT, BUILT-IN DELTA, IF YOU'RE DOING THE QUICK MATH IN YOUR HEAD, 18.2 MILLION, UH, IS THE TOTAL PROJECT LIST THAT WE HAVE.
$15 MILLION IS CONSIDERED IN DEBTS, AND THEN WE HAVE 300,000 IN CASH THAT IS BEING TRANSFERRED OVER.
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE HAPPENING WITH THIS PROCESS.
STAFF BELIEVES THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO COVER THE ADDITIONAL 2 MILLION, BUT WE NEED TO VET THAT, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE BEFORE WE BRING IT TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THEY MAKE A, A DECISION OR RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL ON, UH, BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE WILL BE, UH, A WELCOMING TO INCREASE THE DEBT ISSUANCE BY $2 MILLION.
UH, THE CIP COMMITTEE ALSO WAS WORKING ON A FEW THINGS, AND ONE PIECE THAT WAS DISCUSSED YESTERDAY WAS THAT THERE ARE ITEMS IN THE CURRENT CIP LIST THAT SHOULD NOT BE PART OF THE DEBT ISSUANCE.
THEREFORE WE DO, WE CANNOT ISSUE DEBT FOR THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE BEYOND THE LIFESPAN OF THE ACTUAL DEBT.
UH, THAT IS A POLICY THAT THE COUNCIL HAS.
SO WE HAVE TO GO EXAMINE THAT.
ALL THOSE THINGS COMBINED RIGHT NOW ARE, WHY ARE WE NOT JUMPING INTO THE, INTO THE CIP AT THIS POINT? UH, BUT WE DO HAVE A PLAN TO ADDRESS THE FULL 17.2 MILLION.
WE JUST NEED TO BUY OFF OF BOTH COMMITTEES.
LET, LET ME, LET ME ADD TO THAT.
SO LAST YEAR WE WENT KIND OF THE, UM, KIND OF A BACK AND FORTH ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS KIND OF A, A, I GUESS LET'S SAY LAST MINUTE THING WITH, WITH KIND OF REFORMING AND KIND OF RESTRUCTURING THE CI OR WE'LL SAY THE OLD A AND E COMMITTEE WITH THE CIP AND THEN WITH THE FINANCE.
SO I THINK WHAT HAPPENED WAS, UM, WAS IT LIKE CIP MET AND THEN FINANCE MET AND THEN THEY, THEY LOOKED AT SOME STUFF AND THEN WENT BACK IN A SENSE FOR A FINAL, YOU KNOW, UM, CIP APPROVAL BEFORE IT WAS RECOMMENDED COUNSEL FOR BUDGETARY APPROVAL.
SO I WOULD ASSUME, I MEAN, AT THIS POINT IT'S JUST EASIER IF WE CAN FOR FINANCE TO LOOK AT A LIST OF THINGS.
THEIR RECOMMENDATION WON'T BE BASED OFF PRIORITY, BUT BASED OFF OF MONEY.
KIND OF HERE'S A LAND, A LINE IN THE SAND.
OPTION A WOULD INCLUDE THESE, THESE TYPE OF PROJECTS, BUT THIS IS THE DEBT LINE OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT MM-HMM
AND THEN THAT GOES TO CIP AND CIP IS THE ONES WHO WILL GO AND TRY TO FIT WITHIN THAT FINANCIAL BOUNDARY.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES, SIR.
SO RIGHT NOW THE, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IS SETTING A LIMIT ON WHAT THE DEBT WILL BE.
THE CIP COMMITTEE HAS BEEN PRIORITIZING, UH, UH, ASPECTS OF THE, OF THE LIST.
UM, AND SO ONCE THEY BOTH HAVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THEY SHOULD STILL BE SEPARATED, UH, WITH THEIR ROLES.
AND THEN WE SHOULD HAVE CONSENSUS WHEN IT COMES TO COUNCIL ONE THAT WE'RE ISSUING THIS AMOUNT OF DEBT AND THESE ARE HOW THE LIST IS PRIORITIZED WITH CIPI MEAN, TIME FLIES BECAUSE WE WERE JUST, SEEMED LIKE WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT HERE WE ARE.
UH, SO MOVING ON FROM THE GENERAL FUND, WE HAVE OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
BY AND LARGE, WE HAVE SOME REALLY, UM, UH, WELL OFF ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
UM, AS PER OUR POLICY DISCUSSION YESTERDAY, THE GENERAL FUND WILL NOT BE USED TO SUPPLEMENT THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS UNLESS IN EXTREME CIRCUM CIRCUMSTANCES THAT COUNCIL VOTES ON.
SO WE DID REMOVE, UH, SOME, THE, SOME OF THE TRANSFERS
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THAT WERE IN THE ORIGINAL BUDGET DOCUMENT THAT YOU HAD.UH, WE HAD 1.4 MILLION GOING TO AQUATICS.
WE HAD 1.3 GOING TO SANITATION, AND WE HAD, UH, I BELIEVE 300,000 FOR GARAGE AND 75,000 FOR THE WAREHOUSE.
UM, AND SO RIGHT NOW THE HOTEL FUND IS KILLING IT.
THEY HAVE 630 DAYS IN RESERVES, UM, THAT IS, THEY HAD A 46% REDUCTION IN THEIR EXPENSES.
UM, AND, BUT THOMAS AND ANNA ARE WORKING WITH AN IDEA OF HOW THIS MONEY CAN BE, UH, FRUITFULLY SPENT FOR, UH, TO GROW THE TOURISM BASE IN THE FUTURE IS, UH, WHY THE RESERVE IS, IS BUILDING UP FROM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE SANITATION FUND.
THE SANITATION FUND IS RUNNING IN, UM, A DEFICIT AT THIS POINT.
UH, WE ARE NOT PROPOSING TO HAVE A TRANSFER BUILT INTO THE SANITATION FUND, BUT TO LET COUNSEL KNOW THAT, UH, PER OUR PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS, WE WILL WORK TO, UH, ADDRESS HOW THESE ARE OPERATING.
I WOULD LIKE TO BRAG ON PUBLIC WORKS, AND I, I THINK I MENTIONED IT AT A PREVIOUS MEETING.
UH, THE HR TEAM BROUGHT A, UM, UH, PROCESS IMPROVEMENT CLASS TO, UH, UH, TO THE ORGANIZATION A FEW YEARS BACK.
AND, UH, KEVIN HARVILLE AND, UM, UM, HIS TEAM, THERE WAS A, UH, I, I BELIEVE HER NAME IS RACHEL, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I'M DRAWING A BLANK, BUT I THINK HER NAME IS RACHEL.
WENT THROUGH THE GREEN BELT PROGRAM, WORKED WITH HER SUPERVISOR, AND FOUND A WAY TO REDUCE THE EXPENSES HERE BY ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS IN THE SANITATION FUND.
SO WE MAY NOT HAVE TO TRANSFER ANYTHING OVER TO THIS STUDENT.
SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT TO SEE IF WE CAN IMPLEMENT THAT EFFECTIVELY.
I WILL CAVEAT ALL THAT TO SAY IF WE ARE UNSUCCESSFUL, WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT THAT MEANS TO THE GENERAL FUND.
THAT MEANS THAT EITHER WE ARE SUBSIDIZING THIS WITH THE GENERAL FUND OR WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW RATES ARE, UH, UH, BUILT TO, TO COVER THE COST OF THIS FUND.
THE AQUATICS FUND, UH, THE AQUATICS FUND, UM, HAS BEEN UP AND DOWN.
UH, WE HAVE, WE STARTED WITH A $1.4 MILLION TRANSFER INTO THE AQUATICS FUND.
UH, WE MET WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UH, THEY PROVIDED SOME NEW INFORMATION.
IT CHANGED, UM, THE PARAMETERS DRASTICALLY.
UM, THEN, UH, AS OF MONDAY NIGHT, I BELIEVE IT WAS MONDAY NIGHT, UH, THE FINANCE TEAM RAN THE ACTUALS ON WHERE WE STAND.
AND SO THE ACTUALS OF WHERE WE STAND FOR FY 23 PAINTED A BIT OF A DIFFERENT PICTURE.
UM, SO THE EXPENSE GROWTH OVER THERE IS 1.9%, UH, LEAVING WITH NEGATIVE 82 DAYS IN THE AQUATICS FUND.
UH, AND SO THE, THE REVENUE PROJECTIONS FOR FY 24 ARE ROUGHLY 3% GROWTH AND, UH, A A A ROUND A MILLION DOLLAR SHY, UH, TO SUPPORT IT, UH, FROM A REVENUE UH, BASIS.
THE STORMWATER FUND IS DOING VERY WELL.
AS YOU CAN SEE, AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER FUND THAT'S BUILDING UP A RESERVE, UH, TO LOOK AT FUTURE PROJECTS IN THE, TO CASH FUND SOME THE FUTURE PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AND THEN THE WATER SEWER FUND HAS 112 DAYS.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THE WATER FUND IN JUST A SECOND.
BUT, UH, SO I'M GONNA SKIP OVER THIS IN THE GARAGE FUND.
SO THE GARAGE GARAGE FUND DID DECREASE.
UH, WE HAD A DECREASE IN THE EXPENSES.
WE DON'T HAVE A RESERVE ON THE GARAGE OR THE WAREHOUSE.
AND I WILL CONSIDER THE GARAGE IN THE WAREHOUSE SOMEWHAT OPERATIONAL FUNDS FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.
SO WITH THE GARAGE FUND, THE DEPARTMENTS PAY THE CITY FOR THE SERVICES.
SO IT'S MONEY FROM NOT BUCKETS, IT'S MONEY FROM ONE DEPARTMENT,
AND UH, RIGHT NOW IT IS RUNNING A DEFICIT OF APPROXIMATELY 312,000.
AND THEN THE WAREHOUSE FUND IS A PURELY OPERATIONAL FUND.
UM, AND IT IS ALSO RUNNING IN A DEFICIT.
THERE IS $75,000 GOING INTO THIS FUND.
HOWEVER, IT IS A PURELY OPERATIONAL FUND.
UM, AND THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO SUPPORT THAT UNLESS WE CHARGE DEPARTMENTS MORE.
AND SO IF WE'RE CHARGING DEPARTMENTS MORE, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN US PUTTING $75,000 INTO IT.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE STAND WITH THE WATER OR WITH THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
SO WITH THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, THE BIGGEST ONE ON HERE IS THE WATER AND SEWER FUND.
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SO THE WATER AND SEWER FUND, AS IT'S PRESENTED TO YOU, HAS A BUILT IN 6% RATE INCREASE FOR THE WATER AND A 6% RATE INCREASE FOR, UH, SANITARY SEWER.IT IS NOT SIX PLUS SIX EQUALS 12.
IT IS A 6% RATE INCREASE, UH, IN ITS ENTIRETY FOR EACH ONE.
BUT A TOTAL OF 6% INCREASE IF WE ARE, IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE INCREASE AT THIS POINT.
UM, OH, AND I, LEMME CAVEAT OUT THIS REAL QUICK.
THE 6% INCREASE COMES BECAUSE BAWA DID A RATE INCREASE, UH, OF 6% AS WELL, ONLY BECAUSE THEY WERE PASSED ON A, UH, RATE INCREASE FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO THE RATE INCREASE FROM HOUSTON TO BAWA TO US.
AND, UM, IT'S, WE SHOULDN'T BLAME BAWA.
BAWA IS RUNNING BY THE CITY OF, OF BAYTOWN FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.
IT'S RUN BY THE CITY OF BAYTOWN AS WELL, BUT EVEN THOUGH IT'S A SEPARATE ENTITY.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION TO INCREASE THE RATES.
THAT 6% WOULD FOLLOW UP, UH, BASED ON THE DATA THAT WE HAD, WHICH IS IN JUST PASSED ALONG.
UM, SO WITH THAT, THESE ARE WHAT THE RATES, UH, LOOK LIKE FOR INSIDE THE CITY AND OUTSIDE THE CITY.
AND THEN THE QUESTION IS, WELL, HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE AVERAGE WATER BILL? SO FOR A 2000 GALLON BILL, UM, IT'S AN IMPACT TO THE CUSTOMER.
UH, FOR A 6,000 GALLON BILL INSIDE THE CITY, THE 6% IS $3 AND 71 CENTS.
AND THAT'S PER MONTH, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND.
SO WITH ALL THAT SAID, OKAY, I'M GONNA GO TO DECISION POINTS.
INSTEAD OF MAKING Y'ALL GET UP AND DO THE STICKY WALL, I'M GONNA GO OVER THERE AND ASK QUESTIONS.
SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE HAVE IS QUICKLY.
ARE WE OKAY WITH THE TAX RATE OF 74 AND A HALF CENTS? IT COVERS OUR EXPENSES, YES.
UM, ARE WE HAPPY WITH THE RESERVES OF 75 DAYS? YEAH.
UM, ARE WE OKAY WITH EXPENSE GROWTH AT 9.7%? YES.
AND HOW MORE SPECIFICALLY, HOLD ON.
THE OVERALL IT'S 9.7%, RIGHT? BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY, ARE WE HAPPY WITH THE PERSONNEL GROWTH AS IS PRESENTED? IT'S ROUGHLY THREE THINGS THAT HAPPENED THERE.
YOU HAVE PD, FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND 4% COLA.
I WAS JUST GONNA ASK IF THE PERSONNEL THAT WAS BEING ADDED, DOES THAT, UM, INCLUDE ANY OF THE RETIREES THAT ARE BEING REPLACED? LIKE IS IT THE, IT'S THREE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN START WORKING TOWARDS THE RETIREMENT? YES, MA'AM.
SO WE'RE, IS IT THREE MORE POSITIONS ON TOP OF WHAT WAS ALREADY ALLOTTED IN OUR BUDGET? NOT POSITIONS THAT WERE FILLED, BUT THEY WERE ALREADY A LARGE THAT'S CORRECT.
IT COULD BE A NET THREE, A NET THREE HEAD, RIGHT? YEAH.
ARE WE OKAY WITH THE THREE, 3.3% GROWTH IN ALL THE OTHER OPERATIONS? SO YOU HAVE 9.7, 6.4 OF THAT IS PERSONNEL, AND THEN YOU HAVE ALL THE OTHER OPERATIONAL COSTS GREW BY 3.3%.
IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT, BUT I THINK WE HAVE A PLAN.
SO I THINK IT'S A STARTING POINT.
THINK IT'S ACCEPTABLE WITH A PLAN THAT WE'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, REVIEW THE PROGRAMS OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
IT'S ACCEPTABLE WITH THE INFORMATION WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
SO WE'VE AGREED ON ALL OF THOSE.
YOU JUST APPROVED THE GENERAL HOME BUDGET.
YEAH, THE BIG NUMBER, THE BIG BOLD NUMBER.
SO THE OTHER, THE OTHER PIECE OF THE PIE,
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UM, ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HOW THE ENTERPRISE WITH THE SUGGESTIONS FOR THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS? WELL, I'M NOT SURE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT TRANSFERRING ANYTHING TO THEM, BUT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT ADDRESSING THEM THROUGH THE YEAR AND BRING THAT BACK TO COUNCIL.WE HAVE TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ON HOW TO GET THEM ALL IN THE BLACK OR NEAR THE BLACKEST.
YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT'S THE OPTIONS FOR THAT? RIGHT, RIGHT.
UM, I'M STILL IFFY ON THE INCREASES, UM, TO OUR CUSTOMERS, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ALSO ABOUT, UM, THE FEES THAT ARE INCURRED FOR RESIDENTS WHO HAVE THE BROKEN SEWER LINES THAT ULTIMATELY IMPACT, UM, OUR, OUR WATER AND, YOU KNOW, CLEANING IT AND ALL OF THAT.
AND SO I, I THINK SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO THAT.
UM, AND HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT WE CAN GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT RATE AND NOT CONTINUE TO RAISE IT FOR CUSTOMERS.
WELL, I, WELL, WELL, LET ME, LET ME COME TO THAT.
THAT'S ACTUALLY MY NEXT QUESTION.
SO ENTERPRISE FUND, I'M SAYING SOMEWHAT.
IT'S IN, IT'S IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT NOW.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS, ARE YOU IN AGREEANCE? NOT, OKAY.
ARE YOU IN AGREEANCE WITH THE 6% WATER, 2% OR 6% INCREASE ON THE RATES? I FEEL THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY DISCUSS THAT.
YOU CAN SAY NO, I'M EXPECTING NO ON THIS ONE.
I AGREE WHERE IT'S AT, BUT KNOWING THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON THAT, I JUST DON'T KNOW THE OTHER OPTIONS RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T THINK, I WOULD HOPE NONE OF US WANT TO.
I MEAN, WE DON'T WANT 6% GOING TOWARDS THE CITIZENS, BUT WE, WE NEED OPTIONS.
WE DON'T HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS.
IF OUR OUR COSTS HAVE GONE UP THAT THEN THAT'S GOTTA BE PUSHED OVER TO THE CITIZENS.
THAT'S WHAT THE ENTERPRISE IS ABOUT.
RIGHT? NO, OUR COST HAS GONE UP APPROXIMATELY 6%, THEN WE HAVE TO CHARGE AN ADDITIONAL 6% TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
I MEAN, YEAH, I MEAN, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE IT GOES.
THE, THE MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE THE 6%.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S PASSED THROUGH FROM OBVIOUSLY OUR WALL WATER THAT WE GET FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND CHEMICALS JUST THAT IT GO UP.
BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT RE THAT'S WHAT RESULTED IN THE 6%.
THIS ISN'T JUST SOMETHING THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CHOSE TO DO, RIGHT? THIS IS TO GO AND TRY TO MAKE THIS MORE SOLVENT AND THE, AND THE 6% ON THE SIDE IS GONNA HELP BUILD UP THE RESERVE.
RIGHT? I GUESS MY ONLY COMMENT IS WE PROBABLY UNDERSTAND THE 6%.
IT'S PROBABLY IN A SENSE, WARRANTED.
I'M SURE WE'RE INTERESTED AT LEAST I'M INTERESTED IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO REDUCE IT IN ANY WAY.
RIGHT? SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE.
SO YOU'RE LIKE 6% IT IS WHAT IT IS.
IF, I MEAN, WE CAN DISCUSS IT, BUT IF THERE'S NO OPTIONS, THERE'S NO OPTIONS.
IS THERE OPTIONS? IS MY QUESTION.
SO FOR ME, THAT'S ONE THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DECIDE ON TODAY THAT STAFF CAN TRY TO HAVE SOME KIND OF PROPOSAL FOR COUNCIL BY THE 24TH.
I DON'T WANNA OVERCOMMIT ANYTHING AT THIS POINT, BUT, UH, OR SAY THAT WE WILL HAVE A GREAT PROPOSAL BY THE 24TH.
THAT'S A LOT TO ASK IN, IN A VERY SHORT TURNAROUND ON WHAT'S THERE.
UM, BUT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING, IS IT, OKAY, 6% ON WATER IS ROUGHLY ONE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, 6% ON SEWERS, ROUGHLY ONE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OR SANITARY SEWER.
CAN WE FIND A WAY TO LOOK AT THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T HAVE A GREAT ANSWER FOR YOU AND WE MAY NOT HAVE OPTIONS, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT COUNSEL'S RECOMMENDATION TO ME IS, IS OTHER OPTIONS.
BUT TO MR. LESSER'S POINT, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS OUR ACTUAL COST, IT'S OUR ACTUAL COST.
I'M JUST LOOKING AT, I WOULD SAY THROUGHOUT A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, REALLY THE ONLY TIME WE REALLY RAISED RATES WAS BASED OFF OF OUR RAW WATER AND SOME CHEMICALS WITH, WITH THE MARKET ITSELF.
BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WHENEVER, UM, WHENEVER THEY DECIDE TO RAISE WEIGHTS, RATES FOR WHATEVER REASON, ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES THAT THEY GET RAW WATER FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE SUFFER
AND THAT'S WHY I WOULD LIKE A PLAN THAT'S LONG TERM A PLAN, SOMETHING LONG TERM WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS NOT OUR, AND IT'S NOT, I DON'T THINK IT'S OUR ONLY WATER SOURCE, BUT IT'S IT'S THE LARGE MAJORITY OF OUR WATER SOURCE, FRANKLY.
SO, SEE, I THOUGHT WE GOT SOMETHING FROM CIWA, BUT CIWA IS THE, UM, BASICALLY THE CONDUIT.
DISTRIBUTION, OWN THE RIGHTS TO IT.
WE ACTUALLY PURCHASE IT FROM THE HOUSTON THROUGH OUT.
AND SO I THINK THE BIG THING IS FOR CITIZENS TO, TO AT LEAST BE IN THE KNOW OF THE FACTS THAT THE, THE INCREASE IS RELATED DIRECTLY TO THIS INCREASE THAT WAS PASSED ONTO US.
AND WE'RE JUST PA WE HAVE TO PASS
[00:30:01]
THAT ON TO THEM.LIKE ANY BUSINESS, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO, AND I KNOW I'VE MENTIONED, I'VE MENTIONED THE FEES, BUT THEN IT MAKES ME WONDER A LOT OF THEM WEREN'T IN COMPLIANCE WHEN IT WAS AT $25 AND THEN WE ROSE THE, THE FEES.
AND SO I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THAT'S AT, IF IT'S MADE A DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GETTING IN COMPLIANCE AND, AND FIXING THEIR
AND THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S A DISCUSSION THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE.
RIGHT? SO WHEN WE, OBVIOUSLY, WHEN WE STARTED THE FEES, I THINK IT WAS INITIALLY 25, RIGHT? 25.
SO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE LIKE, HEY, I DON'T WANNA PAY $25 EVERY MONTH.
WE GO THERE, WE TELL 'EM YOU HAVE A BROKEN LINE.
UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, WE HAVE NOT RAISED THE, UH, THE FEE ON THE PRIVATE SEWER LINES THAT ARE NONCOMPLIANT.
I THOUGHT WE HAD, UM, CREATED A TIER APPROACH WHERE IF YOU DON'T FIX IT, IT'S GONNA BE A HIGHER RATE.
DIDN'T WE GO THROUGH THAT DISCUSSION? I THINK WE, I THOUGHT WE DID MAKE, WE DISCUSSED IT.
WELL, I THINK THE IDEA HERE IS KIND OF LIKE, UM, SOME PEOPLE HAVE PAID THIS, THIS ADDITIONAL FEE FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE AND AND FOR THEM TO MAKE REPAIRS THAT'S NOT WORKING.
EVEN IF YOU CHARGE 'EM, I DON'T, I MEAN, I GUESS AT SOME POINT THEY COULD RESPOND AND, AND FIX THEIR LINES.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE CITY IS NOT ABLE TO REPAIR PRIVATE SEWER LINES.
WE, WE'VE LOOKED FOR YEARS OF, OF WAYS TO FINANCE THAT AND ALL THAT, BUT WE CAN'T.
AND SO WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT TOOL FOR PEOPLE TO GO AND GET INTO COMPLIANCE OR AT LEAST REPAIR THEIR, THEIR LIVES.
BUT THEY PAID THE 25 AND THEY MOVED ON.
AND SO WHAT DO, WHAT DO YOU, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU RAISE IT, WHAT DO YOU DO? RIGHT.
DO WE HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MANY, DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MANY FOLKS PAY THE PENALTY? UH, I DON'T MEAN AN EXACT NUMBER, BUT JUST A ROUGH FIGURE.
IS IT MORE ABOUT SEVEN? I I COULD TRY TO LOOK UP THE NUMBER.
I MEAN ROUGHLY THOUSAND OUT OF, I DON'T KNOW, 20 SOMETHING THOUSAND RESIDENTS.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED A TIP OF THE ICEBERG AS TO THE VIOLATORS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
SO, BECAUSE IF THERE WERE ONLY 700 HOUSEHOLDS THAT WERE LEACHING INTO THE SANITARY SEWER PROBLEM, WE WOULDN'T HAVE S SSOS.
SO, WELL THE, SO, UM, THE LAST REPORT I HAD WAS 20, 20 JUNE OF 2022.
UM, THE CUMULATIVE NOT REPAIRED WAS FOUR.
IT'S PRETTY MINIMAL IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS.
IS THERE A HEAT MAP ANYWAY OF FOR AT LEAST 444 OR WHATEVER THAT RELATES TO AREAS THAT ARE ALSO THE SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOW ISSUES? I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THAT, BUT THAT IS A GOOD, UM, OKAY.
I MEAN, I'M SURE THERE'S SOME PINPOINT LIKE, HISTORIC AREAS, BUT YEAH, WE, WE HAVE NOT FOCUSED SO MUCH DISCUSSIONS.
WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON THE, THE BIG BASIS.
BUT THAT, THAT IS ONE THING WE
IF COUNSEL DOESN'T MIND, UM, THE FIRST ONE BEING, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO WANT ORGANIZE THIS 'CAUSE I THINK BOTH OF 'EM ARE GONNA CAUSE US LONG CONVERSATIONS.
UH, THE, THE COUNSEL ASKED TO LOOK AT THE ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY FOR JUNETEENTH.
I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU THAT THE CITY DOES A VERY GOOD JOB CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH.
AND UM, I WOULD ALSO ARGUE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD AMOUNT OF HOLIDAYS IN THE CITY.
ONE CAVEAT TO THAT IS THAT JULY 4TH IS A HOLIDAY.
WHAT SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE CITY WORK ON JULY 4TH.
SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A HOLIDAY.
UM, AND SO IF WE, IF COUNSEL WERE, WERE TO WANT TO APPROVE, UM, A HOLIDAY, IT WOULD BE A FLOATING HOLIDAY, UM, WITH PROPER MESSAGING THAT WE DO SUPPORT JUNETEENTH AND THE FLOATING HOLIDAY IS FOR THE PERSONNEL THAT WOULD LIKE TO CELEBRATE ANY WAY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE ON ANY HOLIDAY THAT'S OUT THERE THAT THE CITY DOESN'T RECOGNIZE.
IF COUNSEL WANTS TO GO THAT ROUTE, I I THOUGHT THE CITY ALREADY HAD A FLOATING HOLIDAY.
SO WE HAD A BIG DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS AND I I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE DISCUSSING IT AGAIN.
I I THOUGHT WE DECIDED WE ALREADY HAD A FLOATING HOLIDAY AND I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANY INDECISION.
I MEAN, THERE WASN'T AN INDECISION EITHER OR, BUT IF, IF IT'S COUNSEL WISHES NOT TO
[00:35:01]
RECOG, I MEAN SAYS NOT TO RECOGNIZE JUNETEENTH AS A HOLIDAY.I DON'T THINK WE'RE, I DON'T THINK WE'RE SAYING THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE SAYING AT ALL.
I MEAN, I'M JUST SAYING NO, NO, NO.
WE WEREN'T SAYING WE WEREN'T GONNA, NOT GONNA RECOGNIZE JUNETEENTH.
NO, I DIDN'T SAY THAT AS A HOLIDAY.
AS A PAID HOLIDAY OFF FOR ALL CITY EMPLOYEES.
SO I THINK WHAT HE'S PROPOSING WOULD BE, IT COULD BE AN ADDITIONAL FLOATING HOLIDAY WHERE OUR EMPLOYEES COUNCIL CHOOSES IT WOULD CHOOSE.
I'M SURE EVERYBODY IN HERE WOULD BE YES.
AND IT WOULD BE WRONG TO ME NOT TO ARGUE FOR THAT.
I THINK WE COMPETITIVELY ARE FINE ON HOLIDAYS AT THIS POINT.
I MAY GET HATE MAIL AFTERWARDS, BUT I THINK WE'RE COMPETITIVELY OKAY WHEN IT LOOKS AT THE HOLIDAYS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, SO THAT JUST GOES BACK TO THE ISSUE IS DO WE WANT JUNETEENTH AS A HOLIDAY? UM, RIGHT NOW I WOULD SAY THAT BECAUSE WE'RE HOSTING EVENTS AND UM, I, I FEEL THAT WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN, YOU WOULD HAVE A HOLIDAY AND THEN WE'D HAVE CELEBRATIONS ON JUNETEENTH.
AND WE ALREADY DO SO MUCH TO TRY TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA DO ANYTHING FOR THE, FOR THE CITY AT THIS POINT.
THAT WOULD BE MY, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE COST IF WE ADD A HOLIDAY, WHETHER IT'S A JUNETEENTH OR A FLOATING HOLIDAY, WHATEVER THE COUNCIL DECIDES TO CALL IT, WHAT WOULD BE THE COST TO THE CITY TO ADD ONE ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY? UM, I, I THINK Y'ALL THREW THAT NUMBER.
I LIKE 300 THOUSANDISH 130 HUNDRED 30.
WELL IF, IF ONE RESERVE DAY IS WORTH 330,000, IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THAT.
THAT'S OUR OPERATING 300 AS WELL.
WELL, IF OUR RESERVE DAY IS WORTH THREE 30, I WOULD THINK IT SHOULD BE IN THAT RANGE.
IS THE CITY ON
EACH DIRECTOR MANAGES THAT WITH THEIR, WITH THEIR TEAM.
SO, UM, I I WOULD SAY IT VARIES WITH EACH, BUT YES, THE BOTTOM LINE ANSWER IS YES, BUT THE MANAGERS TO DETERMINE 13.
THAT'S AN INTERNAL, THAT'S AN INTERNAL AGREEMENT.
SO WOULDN'T THERE BE A DIFFERENCE IF WE, SO IF COUNSEL DECIDES JUNETEENTH VERSUS FLOATING HOLIDAY, 'CAUSE YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT.
IF THE HOLIDAY IS OFFERED ONLY FOR JUNE 19TH MM-HMM
UM, POLICE FIRE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO WORK ANYWAYS.
AND SO WOULD THAT REVERT TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS BEING ABLE TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT DAY? OR WOULD THEY JUST GET TIME AND A HALF BECAUSE IT'S SO WITH PD AND FIRE, UM, I WOULD ACTUALLY LET THE CHIEF SPEAK.
THEY, THEY TYPICALLY GET PAID OUT, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY.
I THINK THEY JUST GET PAID OUT AND THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL DAYS.
AND IT'S CONVOLUTED TO, TO SAY THE LEAST FOR POLICE AND FIRE.
BUT YOU HAD PARKS AT EVERYBODY.
AND THE, THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT IS I THINK THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN PICKING THE DAY.
SO IF WE PICK JUNETEENTH AND THE HOLIDAY HAS TO BE OBSERVED ON JUNE 19TH MM-HMM
THERE'S GOING TO BE A GREAT AMOUNT OF PERSONNEL THAT WOULD, WE WOULD HAVE TO COMPENSATE IN SOME WAY.
BUT IF IT'S, IF WE CHOOSE TO PICK A FLOATING HOLIDAY, THEN AT THAT POINT IT'S EQUAL ACROSS ALL PERSONNEL.
THE FIRE WORKS ON A 48 HOUR SHIFT.
SO IF JUNE 19TH FALLS IN THE MIDDLE, ARE THEY GONNA LEAVE AND THEY COME BACK FOR THAT ONE DAY? NO, THEY GET PAID.
NO, THEY GET PAID, THEY GET 12 HOURS.
SO MY POINT OF MENTION IN THE JULY 4TH IS THAT IT WOULD END UP, LIKE MRS. GRAHAM IS SAYING IT WOULD END UP WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON, ON THAT HOLIDAY, UM, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER HOLIDAY.
AND THEN FOR, FOR ME, IF YOU DO A FLOATING HOLIDAY, YOU'RE NOT REALLY RECOGNIZING JUNETEENTH AT THAT POINT.
WE'RE JUST GIVING ADDITIONAL DAYS.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE DON'T DO IT UNLESS, BECAUSE WE CELEBRATE THEM.
UH, WE CELEBRATE THE, THE, THE HOLIDAY, UM, UH, WITH OUR FESTIVALS ANYWAYS ON FOR THE JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL.
SO WE ARE ALREADY CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH RIGHT.
AT THIS POINT FROM THE CITY'S.
I SAY WE AT THIS POINT, LET'S JUST LEAVE IT ALONE.
ARE THERE ADDITIONAL EXPENSES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND TO COME OUT OF THE BUDGET? YOU SAY THAT AGAIN? ARE THERE EXPENSES THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT YOU RECOMMEND? YEAH, WHERE GO AND I'M NOT NECESSARILY GONNA SAY COME LIKE THIS BEFORE WE LOOK AT BEFORE.
BEFORE THAT, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE CREDIT CARD FEES BEFORE WE DO DO ANY LIKE INDIVIDUAL THE CREDIT CARD FEES? I MEAN, CAN YOU, I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU MY OPINION OF IT WAS, WAS, UM, I DUNNO, 2019 AND EVEN BEFORE THAT, UM, BEFORE I WAS ON AUTO DRAFT, AND THIS IS A WHILE BACK TO PAY, I FELT THAT TO, FOR A CITIZEN
[00:40:01]
TO PAY THEIR WATER BILL ONLINE OR WITH CREDIT CARD OR DEBIT CARD, THE FEE ASSOCIATED I THOUGHT WAS, WAS, WAS EXCESSIVE.RIGHT? SO I THINK IN 2019, UM, WE STARTED LOOKING AT KIND OF WHAT THE FEES ARE.
UM, AND WE HAD I GUESS AN AGREEMENT WITH, WELL TO SAY THE, THE BANKING, THE BANK THAT HANDLED ALL THAT.
WE WERE PRETTY MUCH LOCKED INTO AN AGREEMENT UNTIL WE GOT, WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THAT.
AND SO I, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO OFFER OUR CITIZENS THE ABILITY, NOW THEY ALREADY HAVE THE ABILITY FOR AUTO, FOR BANK AUTO DRIVE MM-HMM
BUT FOR THEM TO PAY ONLINE AND I THOUGHT THROUGH OUR SYSTEM, THEY WERE ABLE TO, THEY WERE, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS THROUGH US WITHOUT ADDITIONAL FEES.
SO, UM, I GUESS THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
CORRECT? I WOULD SELL FROM FINANCES RECORDS.
THEY CHARGE CREDIT CARD, THE CREDIT CARD, THE CREDIT CARD CHARGES.
DO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO E CHECKS? YES.
I AM NOT GIVING ANYBODY ACCESS TO MY ACCOUNT, BUT I'D LIKE TO DO AN ECHECK AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO THAT.
NOT AT, IF WE CAN AT THIS TIME.
AND CAN WE LOOK AT DOING THAT? NOT AT THIS TIME.
IS IT JUST SOFTWARE ISSUES OR, I MEAN, AND THIS SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE DOES NOT DO THE ECHECK.
AND AGAIN, AND I'LL USE MY PERSONAL EXAMPLE AND A COMMUNITY OF 400 IN NORTH TEXAS, CAN I PAY BY ECHECK? WE CAN LOOK, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN WE ARE.
WE CAN LOOK INTO IT BECAUSE UH, ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS IS ABLE TO DO ECHECKS, I BELIEVE IN INTER GLO, WHICH IS THE CONNECTION OF MM-HMM
UM, THE SAME SYSTEM WITH UH, TYLER.
SO WE CAN LOOK TO SEE IF THEY'RE ABLE TO DO IT IN THE FINANCIAL THAT WOULD ELIMINATE UTILITY PEOPLE HAVING TO USE A CREDIT CARD TO PAY THE EXTRA FEE.
THEY CAN DO AN ECHECK AND THERE'S NO COST.
SO YEAH, I'M, I'M TRYING TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IT TAKES FOR A CITIZEN TO PAY THE WATER.
CREDIT CARD COMPANY OR WHOEVER THEY DO CHARGE.
SO I'M TRYING TO GET A, GET A DIFFERENT WAY.
THE ECHECK OR WHATEVER E CHECK WOULD BE SOME PEOPLE I UNDERSTAND FOR, FOR THEIR REASONS.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOUR, YOUR INFORMATION, YOUR BANKING INFORMATION TO THE CITY AND THAT'S FINE.
I ALREADY HAVE HIS, SO YEAH,
DEPENDING HOW MUCH YOUR BILL IS.
BUT IT'S A PERCENTAGE THOUGH, RIGHT? IT'S A PERCENTAGE.
AH, DIDN'T WE WAIVE FEES DURING THE PANDEMIC? YES, BUT THEY, WE CAN'T WAIVE THE CREDIT CARD FEES.
WE WAIVED LATE FEES, PENALTIES, DISCONNECT FEES, THOSE TYPE OF FEES.
BUT WE'RE CURRENTLY ABSORBING THAT CREDIT CARD FEE, CORRECT? YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
AND AND THAT'S WHERE I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO BE DOING THAT AGAIN.
IT'S, WE'RE STILL BEING CHARGED.
I WOULD UH, I KNOW I ASKED A QUESTION.
I WOULD STILL LIKE TO KNOW OUT OF THE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY IN A SENSE CUSTOMERS WE HAVE, BUT WHAT, HOW MANY CUSTOMERS DO WE HAVE THAT PAID BY BANK AUTO DRAFT BY UM, PAYMENT I GUESS AT OUR BILLING OFFICE ITSELF OR WHATEVER MEANS THAT THEY COME THROUGH.
IS THERE SOME THAT YOU COULD PAY AT FOOD TOWN? I MEAN, I WANNA KNOW HOW, HOW ARE THEY PAYING US? AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN IF YOU MOVE TOWARD KOTO DRAFT OR ANOTHER MOTHER MEANS, I BELIEVE I WOULD LOVE, I MEAN LIKE TO SAY TRUE THE CITY OF BAYTOWN IS PROBABLY THE ONLY UTILITY BILL I GET THAT I, I GET A PAPER, YOU KNOW, A PAPER BILL AND I, THAT COSTS US, I'M GONNA SAY AT LEAST TWO TO THREE BUCKS A MONTH EACH.
I WOULD RATHER, I'D RATHER REDUCE THAT THAN TAKE THIS OUT OF THE STONE AGE IN A SENSE WHERE, I MEAN JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL.
SAVE THE TWO OR THREE BUCKS, PASS IT ON TO THE CITIZEN.
YOU CHOOSE PAPERLESS IN YOUR ACCOUNT.
OH, BECAUSE WHEN WE JUST, WE JUST CONVERT IT.
IS THERE A CREDIT CARD FEE IF SOMEONE GOES IN PERSON TO PAY? IF YOU PAY MY CREDIT CARD? ANY MEANS? YEAH, SO, SO I WOULD LOVE AN INCENTIVE FOR PEOPLE TO DO BANK, BANK AUTO DRAFT.
I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE HAVE SECURITY REASONS OR WHATEVER, BUT IF WE PASS THIS ALONG, THEIR INCENTIVE IS THEY DON'T PAY THE FEES.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE UH, EVERYONE'S CLEAR THAT COURT CURRENTLY DOES CHARGE FOR CREDIT CARD FEES.
JUST THEY'RE THE ONLY DEPARTMENT THAT DOES RIGHT NOW.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH PASSING THOSE BACK.
I THINK THERE'S OTHER, I MEAN THERE ARE OTHER ALTERNATIVES WHERE YOU CAN AVOID THE FEES.
SO YOU SAID IT'S ABOUT 300,000 A YEAR, A LITTLE OVER 300,000.
IS IT ALSO SAYING DEBIT CARD? IS THAT CONSIDER THE SAME THING? I BELIEVE SO, YEAH.
I JUST THINK IT'S THE DEBIT CARD, CREDIT CARD TERMINAL.
SO IF YOU'RE USING THE TERMINAL ITSELF, SO EVEN IF YOU ENTER YOUR PEN AND ALL, IT DOESN'T MATTER YOU'RE USING THE TERMINAL.
[00:45:05]
I WILL SAY ON, WE'LL KEEP Y'ALL UPDATED.SO REALLY THE, THE BEST ROUTE FOR A CITIZEN IS AS FAR AS MONEY IS BANK DRAFT, AUTO DRAFT MM-HMM
IF WE CAN GET THAT, IF WE ARE NOT ABSORBING THE CREDIT CARD FEE, THAT WOULD BE THE OPTION.
THERE ARE OTHER EXPENSES THAT Y'ALL WOULD, I GUESS BATTER UP.
I MEAN, WHO WANTS TO START IT OFF WHERE YOU APPROVE BUT IT'S ONLY SIX 20 MANY PEOPLE HERE WOULD THANK YOU.
I'LL SAY LET'S START WITH MIKE
LAST YEAR I HAMMERED PRETTY HARD ON THE SPECIAL SERVICES INCREASES ACROSS THE BOARD.
I WAS PLEASED TO SEE A LOT OF THOSE INCREASES WERE ELIMINATED OR ACTUALLY REDUCED THIS YEAR.
THERE ARE SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT'S CONTINUED TO GROW.
UM, AND A LOT OF TIMES MY QUESTIONS ON THAT AS I INDICATED LAST YEAR IS, IS NOT A NEGATIVE.
BUT IF WE'RE IMPLEMENTING NEW PROGRAMS AND SO FORTH AND SO ON AND THEY'RE PUTTING IN, IN THE SPECIAL SERVICES, IF I TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
SO AGAIN, 'CAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS ASKING FOR MORE AND MORE SERVICES.
UM, A COUPLE OF THE, THE ITEMS THAT I SAW, AND AGAIN, I'M, I'M NOT TRYING TO REDUCE ANYTHING, I JUST WANNA KNOW WHERE IT GOES.
AND WE DISCUSSED IT THE OTHER DAY.
YOU MOVED A MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF ELECTRIC? YES SIR.
WHERE DID THAT GO? OR WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA DO ELECTRIC LIGHTS ANYMORE.
SO, UH, STREET LIGHTING? NO, NO, ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S UH, FRANK AND MARTIN Y IT WENT TO PUBLIC WORKS THE FULL FACILITY.
SORRY BECAUSE, SO THAT WE MOVED, WE TOOK A MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF ONE ACCOUNT.
SO WE PUT A MILLION DOLLARS SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IT WENT FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU GO TO PAGE, IF YOU GO TO PAGE 27, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY CAME OUT OF THE PLANNING.
IT CAME OUTTA THERE AND THEN IT WENT INTO, IT'S 45 BECAUSE I LOOK FOR STREET LIGHTING.
ELECTRICAL 1.9 MILLION MOVED FROM ALL DEPARTMENTS.
SO THE BIG ONE THAT CAME OUTTA MARTIN'S, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, OUT OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ON PAGE 27, THAT'S THE MILLION DOLLARS THAT CAME OUT.
AND THEN ON PAGE 45 UNDER SERVICES, THE VERY FIRST ONE SAYS ELECTRICAL 1.9 MILLION MOVED FROM ALL DEPARTMENTS.
AND MIKE, THAT'S JUST TO PAY THE ELECTRICITY BILL.
THAT'S NOT FOR WHENEVER YOU GUYS REQUEST NEW LIGHT POLES.
THAT PORTION IS STILL LOCATED IN PLANNING.
'CAUSE SO THERE'S FUNDS STILL THERE.
WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING NEW POLE REQUEST.
BUT THAT IS TO PAY FOR THE ELECTRICITY BILLS FOR THE ENTIRE CITY.
YEAH, IT'S FOR THE ELECTRIC BILL.
'CAUSE WHAT I SAW WAS, UH, STREET LIGHTING.
SO THAT'S FOR THE ELECTRICITY.
SO THEN WE MOVED IT FROM AN ACCOUNTANT SAID A LINE ITEM SAID STREET LIGHTING TO ELECTRICAL.
THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T FIND IT.
AND THEN WE JUST LEFT 116,000 IS IN STREET LIGHTING FOR WHEN YOU GUYS WANT TO ADD STREET POSTS STREET.
SO IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT STREET LIGHTING.
SO IN THE PAST, UNLESS IT'S CHANGED CENTER POINT, THEY, I THINK THEY ALLOCATE US ABOUT 150 U LIGHTS A YEAR.
NOW WE PAY FOR, THEY INSTALLED 'EM, BUT WE PAY AND THEY GET ADDED TO THE ELECTRIC DOOR.
UM, AT THE TIME THAT I THINK THE FLAT RATE FEE WAS $14 A LIGHT PER MONTH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, BUT FOR COUNCIL'S INDULGENCE, I WOULD SAY THAT IF THERE'S ANYWHERE IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT YOU THINK IS, THERE'S A SAFETY CONCERN WITH STREETLIGHTS, UM, GET AN ADDRESS, THERE'S NOT A POLE NUMBER OBVIOUSLY TO GET AN ADDRESS OF SOME SORT AND MAKE THAT REQUEST TO THE C.
IS THAT FOR NEW COMPLETELY NEW INSTALLATIONS OR CONVERTING OVER TO LED? UM, IT WOULD, MY UNDERSTANDING IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE FOR A NEW INSTALLATION.
BUT YOU CAN, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONVERT TO L-E-D-L-E-D.
MY PREVIOUS CITY WE DID JUST THAT.
WE CONVERTED THE, THE STANDARD BULBS TO THE, TO THE LED BULBS WAS
SO, UM, YES, YOU WANT ME TO JUST JUMP IN REAL QUICK? THE, THE ACTUALS FOR THE STREETLIGHT LINE AND THE PLANNING BUDGET FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, IT HAS BEEN BUDGETED 1.1 MILLION CHANGE THAT THE ACTUALS ON THAT HAVE BEEN
[00:50:01]
LESS THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR AROUND A HUNDRED THOUSAND I THINK AT LEAST THE COUPLE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE PRIOR TO THAT.I THINK THERE WAS KIND OF A SURGE AT ONE POINT THAT PUT IT UP TO THAT WE'VE BEEN BUDGETING AT THAT AMOUNT, ANTICIPATING UP TO WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST, THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT ACTIVITY HAS NOT BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR THERE.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY THAT WAS.
AND IS IT TRUE THAT Y'ALL HAVE A LIGHT SURVEY OF WHERE IT WOULD BE BEST PLACED BECAUSE THE PROCESS OR A DEFINED PROCESS ON WHERE STREETLIGHTS GO? WE, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A, UH, AN SOP THAT WE USE INTERNALLY WHEN THEY'RE REQUESTED.
SO I, I GUESS WHAT I'M GETTING AT MAYOR COUNCIL IS THAT UM, IT'S, WE DON'T JUST REALLY FREE FOR ALL THOSE PLACE STREET LIGHTS AND Y'ALL WOULD LIKE, WE'LL SEND Y'ALL THE SOP ON THE PROCESS FLOW SO THAT WE CAN, UM, BE STRATEGIC BEFORE WE PUT NO LIGHTS.
SO ALSO AS WE DO STREET PROJECTS, THAT'S ONE THING WE LOOK AT IS STREET UH, LIGHTING COVERAGE, LIKE PARK ROAD ELIMINATION NEW DESIGN.
WE ADDED PROJECT TO BE CLEAR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS.
I KNOW IN THE PAST, UM, WE DID AN AUDIT IN D ONE ON ALL THE LIGHTS AND UM, PREVIOUS DIRECTOR SHOWED ME THIS MAP THAT I TOTALLY DID NOT UNDERSTAND BECAUSE A WHOLE BUNCH OF X'S AND O'S AND SO WE KIND OF WENT OVER IT.
UM, AND SO THEY DETERMINED WHICH ONES WERE CONVERSIONS TO LED AND WHICH ONES WERE, UM, WHERE WE NEEDED NEW LIGHTS.
SOME OF 'EM WERE JUST DAMAGED AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO FIX SOME OF THOSE.
BUT UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY BE DOING, YOU KNOW, ALONG THE WAY.
BUT MY SECOND QUESTION REGARDING TO LIGHTING, UH, SINCE WE ARE THERE, MIKE, I'M SORRY.
UM, DOES THAT COST INCLUDE ANY, UM, LIKE TOTAL REPAIRS BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE, THE VANDALISM THAT HAPPENED AT GOOSE CREEK PARK WHERE THEY ACTUALLY TOOK OUT AND BAND THE LIFE STARTED WHEN IT WASN'T JUST A GOOD REPORT AND THEY JUST DID IT AGAIN OPERATIONAL? CORRECT.
IS ANY OF THAT COVERED BY INSURANCE AT ALL OR DOES IT COME OUT EVERY SINGLE TIME? YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD, AND I HATE THIS, I LIKE, I DON'T WANNA USE WORDS, BUT UM, I SEE A LOT OF TIMES IN CERTAIN INTERSECTIONS, ACCIDENTS HAPPEN MM-HMM
AND THEY WIPE OUT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE OR LIGHTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND I KNOW WE GO AND REPLACE IT.
WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, THERE WAS LIKE A REALLY BAD ACCIDENT ONE TIME AT NORTH MAIN AND ROLLING BROOK AND THAT ENTIRE LIGHT OVER AT, WHAT DO YOU WANNA CALL IT? UM, IT WAS TAKEN OUT AND WE NEVER REPLACED IT.
OBVIOUSLY IT COSTS MONEY, RIGHT.
BUT I MEAN, SOMEBODY WAS AT FAULT IN THAT ACCIDENT.
I MEAN, DO WE GO AND, AND TRY TO PURSUE RECOVERY? THAT'S PART OF THAT ACCIDENT, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YES.
I'M GETTING HEADS GOING UP AND DOWN BEHIND.
I WOULD HOPE WE DO SAY THAT BECAUSE I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT HIT A GAS LINE AND CENTER POINT WENT AFTER THEM AND THEIR AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE FOR THAT.
SO I WOULD HOPE, I MEAN, I'M NOT TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, BE A, YOU KNOW, A BEAN COUNTER ON IT, BUT A LOT OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE GETS WIPED OUT.
I'VE SEEN, I'VE SEEN IT MULTIPLE TIMES.
THERE'S, THERE'S NOT IN A SENSE, UH, SOMEONE TO, TO GO AND PURSUE.
BUT WHEN AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS, THEN I THINK WE SHOULD BE A, A CLAIMANT ON, ON THE, I GUESS ON THAT.
BUT I, I'LL GO BACK TO THE LIGHTING.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THE POLICY ON GETTING NEW LIGHTING.
WE JUST HAD THAT DISCUSSION THAT'S, THAT'S BEING WORKED ON AND WE'VE HAD THAT DISCUSSION FOR YES SIR.
YOU MEAN STREET LIGHTING? LIKE YEAH.
UM, I MEAN THERE'S LIKE, I MEAN I REMEMBER WHEN I PUT IN REQUESTS THERE WAS WHEN TIME CHANGES AND THERE'S SOME YOUNG KIDS VERY EARLY AT, AT SOME, SOME CORNERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S NOT LIT WELL.
SO, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD START THERE PERSONALLY, BUT, OKAY.
AND THEN LET'S LOOK AT, UM, I GUESS IT'S FISCAL OPERATIONS.
UM, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT POINTS ON HERE.
THE WEAR THE SUPPLIES WEARING APPAREL, 68,000 MOVED FROM UNIFORM CONTRACT FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
I WENT THROUGH THE LIST AND EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT LISTED WEARING APPAREL YES SIR.
SO EITHER INCREASED OR STAYED THE SAME.
SO I DIDN'T FIND ANY $68,000 REDUCTION IN ANYBODY'S BUDGET.
[00:55:01]
RIGHT.SO IN FISCAL OPERATIONS, THAT PORTION THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT WENT UP IS PURCHASING, 'CAUSE PURCHASING IS A PART OF FISCAL OPERATIONS.
AND SO WE MOVED THE UNIFORM CONTRACT OVER TO PURCHASING THAT UNIFORM.
CONTRACT COVERS UNIFORMS AT PWE AND UTILITY SERVICES AND THE MATS THAT ARE IN ALL OF THE CITY FACILITIES WEARING APPAREL COVERS, EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO THE CITY OF BAYTOWN SHIRTS, UM, ALL THE UNIFORMS FOR POLICE, FIRE, SWAT, DIVE TEAM, THE MARSHAL, EVERYBODY.
BUT THEY HAD WEARING APPAREL IN THEIR BUDGETS.
THE WEARING APPAREL DID NOT MOVE.
SO JUST THE SPECIFIC ONE FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITY BUILDING.
SO THERE ARE A SMALL SET OF EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE THAT WEARING APPAREL TAKEN CARE OF BY THE CITY? THAT IS CORRECT.
ALL THE OTHER WEARING APPARELS THAT YOU SEE IN THE BUDGET, WERE NOT MOVED.
AND I'LL GO BACK BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND WHERE ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS PUBLIC WORKS OR ANY OF THEM, THEY STILL HAVE WEARING APPAREL IN THEIR BUDGETS.
AND EITHER, SO IT'S STILL THERE.
BUT YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU MOVED MONEY FROM DEPARTMENTS TO THIS DEPARTMENT FOR THE UNIFORM? YEAH, THERE'S ONE OF THEM'S GOT UNIFORM RENTAL IN THERE IN ONE OF THEIR LINE ITEMS AS WELL.
AND IT'S FAR MORE THAN 68,000.
WELL LET, SO I, AGAIN, I WAS TRYING TO FIND OUT, YOU TELL ME YOU MOVED IT FROM SOMEBODY, THAT MEANS SOMEBODY HAS A NEGATIVE AND IT MOVES IT OVER HERE.
LET LET ME ASK YOU, IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNIFORMS AND THEN WEARING APPAREL? MEANING YES.
LIKE, LIKE PUBLIC WORKS, THEY WEAR UNIFORMS. I THAT IS CORRECT.
FOR THE MOST PART, PARKS AND REC WEARS APPAREL, WEARING APPAREL.
ANYTIME YOU SEE A CITY OF BAYTOWN SHIRT THAT IS WEARING APPAREL, YES.
I MEAN THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE, SHE'S NOT CONFUSE Y'ALL AT ALL.
IT'S, IT, IT, WE WENT OVER THIS QUESTION WE DID AND SHE WAS, UH, MAKING SURE SHE WAS LIKE, I KNOW MIKE'S GONNA ASK ABOUT THIS
SO SOMEBODY THAT IS THAT OBVIOUS THAT I'M GONNA FIND IT, YOU KNOW WHAT I ASK ABOUT.
SO WE'LL BRING, GIVE YOU A, A LINE BY LINE.
AND, AND THEN JUST AS A COMMENT, UH, THE SUPPLIES YOU, YOU KNOW WHICH ONE I'M GONNA ASK ABOUT PAGE 19 SUPPLIES.
YOU GOT A $1.5 MILLION, UM, DELTA ON SUPPLIES.
BUT IN YOUR DESCRIPTION YOU HAVE IT UNDER MAINTENANCE.
IT'S THE LAND MAINTENANCE THAT'S MOWING.
AND THAT AGAIN TOO IS THE MOWING CONTRACT ARE NOW IN PERSON.
I KNOW WHERE IT WAS JUST, IS IT IN MAINTENANCE SIR? OR IS IN SUPPLIES? WELL THE WAY THAT OUR NEW SYSTEM, IT ROLLS 7 3 0 1.
I'M TELLING YOU,
WE'RE WORKING ON IT IN THE NEW SYSTEM, BUT IT ROLLS UP 7 3 0 0 1, WHICH IS LAND MAINTENANCE.
INTO THE SUPPLIES, WHICH IS SEVEN 200 SERIES.
IT ROLLS IS A 7,300 AND THE 7,200 SERIES MR. WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
I'LL TELL YOU, TRUST ME, HE HAD IT THIS MORNING.
IT'S A BRAND NEW SYSTEM, DIFFERENT REPORTS TO SHOW ME HOW THEY HAD YOU CHANGE IT TO LOOK ON HERE SO THAT IT SHOWS SUPPLIES, BUT WHEN YOU RUN THE REPORT, IT SHOWS MAINTENANCE OR VICE VERSA, HOWEVER IT WAS.
BUT Y'ALL, BUT Y'ALL NOT DOING THAT DELIBERATELY, SO I CAN'T FIND THAT.
YOU FIND, LET'S SEE IF MIKE WILL FIND THAT.
UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M TRYING TO FIND MONEY SO WE CAN GET MORE POLICE, OFFICERSS AND FIREFIGHTERS.
YOU HAVE A FINANCE DEGREE ALSO, RIGHT? UH, I HAVE A, A MINOR IN FINANCE FOR MY MASTER'S DEGREE.
SO I'M NOT AS BAD AS, UH, DR. MURRAY USED TO BE, SO OH GOSH.
THAT 1.4 MILLION, UH, VARIANCES FOR MOWING.
WE HAD, UM, MOWING WAS KIND OF IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF MOWING OF THEIR FACILITIES.
WE HAD FIREFIGHTERS THAT WERE MOWING SOME OF THE FACILITIES AND SO WE WENT OUT ON A MOWING CONTRACT SO WE CAN CONSOLIDATE AND IT'S HOUSED IN PURCHASING NOW, JUST TO SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I WANNA GO INTO SOME OF THIS STUFF, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
WE HAD A, UM, YEAH, DON'T, MIKE? OH YEAH, DON'T, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE MIKE'S ONLY 6 35.
I JUST JUMPED TO A COUPLE OF 'EM.
WE HAD A, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND ANIMAL CONTROL.
I MEAN, WE HAD 120, SO THOUSAND, I BELIEVE WE ADDED 40,000.
I'M TRYING TO GET TO, YOU SAID THERE WAS A INCREASE IN MEDICAL INCREASE.
[01:00:01]
WAS AN ADDITIONAL EXPENSE.I'M GOING OFF TOP OF MY HEAD RIGHT NOW, MR. LISTER, BUT I THINK THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL EXPENSE FOR, UH, VET COST THAT INCREASED BY LIKE 80,000 OR 40,000.
YEAH, WE WENT FROM 75,000 TO 120,000.
SO IT'S ABOUT A $44,000 INCREASE.
44,000, PAGE 48 MEDICAL SUPPLIES, 44,000 3 75.
RISING COST IN VET BILLS, INJURED IN SHELTER ANIMALS, COMPLETE VACCINATION SERIES.
SO WE'RE SPENDING OVER 125 OR $120,000 IN, I, I'D LIKE TO SEE THE BREAKOUT ON THAT.
THAT'S, THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY COST.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WE LOOKED AT CURRENTLY.
UM, WE ARE, WE'RE ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF THAT PARTICULAR LINE ITEM.
SO TRYING TO REPAIR FOR THE FUTURE, WE DID INCREASE THAT.
UM, TRY TO OFFSET SOME OF THAT GOING FORWARD.
THE EXPENDITURES ARE FOR INJURED ANIMALS AND VACCINATIONS.
HOW MANY, HOW MANY INJURED ANIMALS HAVE WE, UH, AGAIN, I'M JUST, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S 30, 30 SOMETHING PERCENT, YOU KNOW, WENT FROM ONE FROM 75 TO TO ONE 20.
AND WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A VET ON STAFF YET.
SO YEAH, WE, WE HAVE A VET THAT IN AT ANIMALS AND, UH, WE ASSESSING THEM TO SEE IF THEY'RE REPAIRABLE.
DO WE, DO WE PAY HIM OUT OF THE, THAT LINE ITEM OR DO WE PAY HIM OUT OF A CONTRACT? THE CONTRACT VET IS PAID OUT OF THIS LINE ITEM OR A DIFFERENT LINE ITEM.
IF WE, IF WE CAN GET A CONTRACT DEBT LONG TERM, IT WOULD, UH, ACTUALLY THE PLAN WOULD BE TO SUPPLEMENT THE, UH, SALARY OR THE DEBT.
BUT RIGHT NOW, TONY, I GUESS WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY FOR THE $44,000 INCREASE, IT'S CLOSE TO YOUR ACTUALS AT THIS POINT.
IS, IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YES.
THAT'S, SOME OF IT COULD BE VOLUME AND THAT'S $120,000.
I MEAN, VACCINATIONS AREN'T THAT EXTREME.
OR WE SPENDING A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY ON INJURED ANIMALS.
INJURED ANIMALS AND VACCINATION PROGRAM AND FULLY SUPPORT, CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS TO GET VACCINATION PROGRAMS DONE, MICROCHIPPING DONE AND SO FORTH.
BUT I, I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT WE'RE SPENDING THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY ON.
SO JUST LOOKING AT SOMETHING HERE.
GOD, Y'ALL MAKING ME SELF-CONSCIOUS NOW IT'S OKAY TO STOP.
UM, TRAFFIC CONTROL, MAINTENANCE, SPECIAL SEARCH.
THIS IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT CAUGHT MY EYE AGAIN.
OH, I LOOK FOR THE HIGHS AND LOWS.
YOU HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY ADDED OR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TAKEN OUT.
I GUESS IT'S UNDER TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIAL SERVICES.
SO WE PUT MORE MONEY IN THERE, UH, BECAUSE OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER AND WE USED CONSULTANTS FOR SERVICE.
I JUST SAW THAT BIG JUMP THIS MIKE.
SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES, UH, I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT THERE WERE SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT DECREASED THEIR TRAINING OR TRAINING, EDUCATION TRAINING.
SO HOPEFULLY WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT, OKAY.
UM, PARKS AND RECREATION, SIMILAR ISSUE, UH, UNDER THE PARKS AND REC, I GUESS.
PARK AND RECOMMENDATION ADMIN.
$159,000 INCREASE IN SPECIAL SERVICES.
AND LAST YEAR THEY HAD PRETTY SIGNIFICANT BUMP AS WELL.
WHAT, WHAT PROGRAM DID WE HAVE TO MOVED FROM OTHER AREAS OF PARKS INTO THEIR ADMIN PORTION, CLIFF UNDER SPECIAL SERVICES? WHICH ONE? I WENT TO THE INDIVIDUALS.
I'M LOOKING AT PAGE 1 0 1 CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY INSTEAD.
YOU WANT ME TO COMMENT ON THAT? YES, SIR.
UM, THE AL SERVICES WAS A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS.
[01:05:01]
NOTE THERE WAS ONLY MADE UP 41,000.UM, THE MAJORITY OF THAT WAS UPGRADING OR ADDING TO OUR MAJOR EVENT.
UM, YOU WANT ME TO GO THROUGH THAT? SO ACTUALLY REALLOCATED 60,000 WITH THAT TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS, DIVISIONS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT WITH UP REMAIN OF THAT.
UM, WE, WE INCREASED THE, LIKE I SAID, THE ENTERTAINMENT, BUT THEN THE LIGHTS AND HARRIS COUNTY CONS, UH, ALL OF THOSE FOR ALL OF THOSE MAJOR EVENTS.
THE THIRD, 4TH OF JULY, UH, FEST KING, WE ALSO BUDGETED FOR THE FIRST TIME TO PRE PARTY BRI FEST FOR TWO YEARS WITHOUT, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THE INCREASES, BUT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT TYPE OF INCREASES, WE NEED TO START DISCUSSING THAT.
YOU, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TIGHTENING YOUR BUTT, YOU KNOW YOUR BELTS UP.
UM, THAT, THAT'S A JUST A, THAT'S A, THAT'S A, THAT'S A CHUNK.
UM, AND AGAIN, WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST PROGRAMS AROUND, BUT IN RECREATION, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IN ADMIN WE'RE ADDING 159,000 AND IN RECREATION WE'RE ADDING 88,000.
SO THE BIGGEST SPECIAL SERVICES, RIGHT.
SO THE BIGGEST INCREASES IN, IN ALL OF THEM.
THIS IS WHAT I GONNA SHOW EARLIER, TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT EVERYTHING, UH, FOR SUPPLIES, MAINTENANCES AND SERVICES, IT'S ROUGHLY $3.8 MILLION THAT'S ADDED TO THE BUDGET, UH, ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS.
984,000 OF THAT WENT TO PARKS.
UM, YOU HAVE AN A DA STUDY FOR 275 TO 1 59 FOR THE, UM, UM, FOR THE, UH, SUPPLEMENTING THE EVENTS AT THAT POINT.
THEN YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL 97,000 FOR ADVERTISING.
UH, 88,000 FOR HARRIS COUNTY CONSTABLES.
UM, AND 65,000 FOR, UH, NEW CONTRACTS THAT HAVE INCREASED.
AND THEN THE FENCING AT, UH, BNC AND ROSELYN.
AND SO THOSE ARE JUST TO NAME A FEW, BUT THE, THEY ADD UP QUICKLY TO THE 984,000.
AND THEN THE NEXT LARGEST INCREASE IN THE, IN THE CITY IS WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND THE 766 INCLUDES LIKE, UM, AXON OR THE AXON BODY CAM SYSTEM THAT WAS ALREADY CONVERTED FROM THE CCPD OVER TO THE GENERAL FUND.
AND I WOULD TELL YOU THAT ALMOST ALL THE SEVEN 60, ALMOST ALL OF THE 70 66 WAS A TRANSFER OVER THAT WE WERE PICKING UP.
AND SO THAT ONE'S KIND OF ACCOUNTED FOR.
AND THEN ITS, UH, IT IS $550,000.
THAT'S ROUGHLY, YEAH, $350,000 WITH NEW SOFTWARE.
AND THEN YOU HAD ANOTHER ONE 50,000 THAT WAS PD RELATED THAT HAD TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR, UH, LIKE THE NEW HARRIS COUNTY RADIOS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND THEN IT DWINDLES FROM THERE.
SO THOSE TOP THREE PARKS POLICE AND IT, UM, ROUGHLY $2.3 MILLION.
AND THEN THE NEXT ONE DOWN FROM IT IS 290,000, WHICH IS FINANCE.
AND THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE THEY MOVED SOME OF THE STUFF INTO, UH, INTO THEIR DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN, UM, OUR LIABILITY INSURANCE, I IF WE TALK ABOUT INSURANCE, BUT OUR INSURANCE INCREASED, UH, ROUGHLY $260,000 IN GENERAL OVERHEAD.
AND SO THAT WAS THE NEXT BIG ONE.
AND THEN THEY START TO DWINDLE DOWN PRETTY QUICK FROM THERE.
AND SO THE IMPACTING ANY OF THAT STUFF, JUST FOR LIKE CONVERSATION'S SAKE, IF WE, IF WE WERE TO REDUCE THE BUDGET BY 1%, RIGHT? IT'S PRETTY LARGE NUMBER.
AND SO IF YOU GO TO EACH DEPARTMENT AND SAY, HEY, REDUCE 1% OF YOUR BUDGET, UM, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO COUNT THE PERSONNEL NUMBER, RIGHT? SO LIKE PD, IT'S $30 MILLION BUDGET.
IF THEY WERE TO TAKE 1%, IT'S ONLY, UH, THEY, UH, IT WOULD BE $300,000 THAT THEY HAVE TO TAKE OUT.
YOU TAKE OUT THE PERSONNEL PIECE AND IT GOES FROM $300,000 IN SAVINGS TO JUST $40,000 IN SAVINGS ONCE YOU TAKE OUT THE PERSONNEL.
AND SO WHEN YOU DO THAT ACROSS ALL THOSE DEPARTMENTS, YOU TAKE OUT ALL THE PERSONNEL OUT OF THEIR, THEIR STUFF, AND YOU DECREASE ANYTHING BY 1%, IT EQUATES TO $236,000.
THAT'S PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A GOOD NUMBER EITHER BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND SO YOU CAN'T CONSIDER THE IT
[01:10:01]
ASPECT IN THERE.AND SO YOU TAKE THEIRS OUT AND THEN PARKS HAS MORE OPERATIONAL COSTS THAN THEY DO EMPLOYER.
THEY HAVE A VERY DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF OPERATIONAL COSTS COMPARED TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO AN IMPACT ON THEM IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN IT IS ON THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENTS.
SO YOU TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT OUT, NOT ALL OF IT, BUT YOU TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT OUT, IT ROUGHLY EQUATES TO $180,000.
1% IN, IN A REDUCTION IS ROUGHLY AROUND 180, $190,000.
THE PROBLEM THAT POPS UP, ONCE YOU GET BETWEEN THE TWO AND 3% RANGE, YOU IMPACT SERVICES.
YOU IMPACT SERVICES ON WHAT WE ARE PROVIDING.
SO THAT'S WHEN, IF WE'RE SAYING THAT WE'RE GONNA DECREASE THE BUDGET BY, YOU KNOW, 600,000, WE START IMPACTING SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.
IS IT A VERY SMALL SCALE SERVICE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING AT THAT POINT THAT WE'RE DECREASING BY? YES, BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT.
WHAT, IT'S GONNA TAKE A FULL YEAR OF DISCUSSIONS ON SERVICES AND PRIORITIZATION ON WHAT WE WANT AS A, AS AN ORGANIZATION TO PROVIDE.
BECAUSE IT'S GONNA HAVE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AROUND, I DON'T DISAGREE.
WANNA KNOW WHAT THE INCREASES ARE? ABSOLUTELY.
I'M ASSUMING WE'RE, HOPEFULLY WE'RE BUYING A TRACTOR AND A MOWER.
IS THAT THE SUPPLEMENTAL? YEAH, THAT THE SPRAY, IT IS.
WEED SPRAY IS THE SUPPLEMENTAL FOR THE WEED, THE WEEDING SPRAYER.
SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE A, WELL, THEY ALREADY HAVE ONE.
I GUESS THEY GIMME ANOTHER ONE.
THEY ALREADY HAVE A TRUCK THAT, A BIG TANK ON THE BACK OF THE SPRAYS.
THE SUPPLEMENTAL, RIGHT? YEAH, THAT'S THE, UH, SPRAY TRUCK.
THE ONE THAT GOES AROUND THE CITY AND SPRAYS, UH, WEED.
SO YOU'RE GETTING ANOTHER ONE OR REPLACING ONE? IT'S REPLACING.
IT'S BEEN A BUDGET REQUEST FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS.
I'LL LET EVERYBODY ELSE OFF THE HOOK EXCEPT JAY AND I FOR NOW, FOR NOW, I'LL GET WITH JAY AND A COUPLE OF THESE OTHERS.
I RESERVE THE RIGHT, DO THE LOTTERY HERE AND SEE WHO IS NEXT.
THAT MEANS NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO, IT'S JUST THE FLOOR'S.
UM, SOME FEW THINGS THAT STUCK OUT WITH ME, AND I TRY TO BE AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE BEING A JUNIOR COUNCILMAN.
UM, SOME THINGS THAT MY
WHAT, WHAT WAS THAT DUE TO BEFORE Y'ALL MOVE MONEY THERE OR? SO AT THE BOTTOM, UH, OF THAT SAME PAGE, $1 MILLION WENT OUT OF THE STREET LIGHTING AND WENT TO THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
THAT WAS, AND THEN ON THE NEXT PAGE, UM, ON PAGE 28 AT THE TOP, THEY HAD 300,000 THAT, UH, WAS A ONETIME SUPPLEMENTAL AND FY 23.
WE HAD A COUPLE OF PROJECT, ONE TIME PROJECT COSTS THAT WE'VE EITHER COMPLETED OR DECIDED.
UH, AND ON THE SAME PAGE, PERSONAL SERVICES THAT WENT UP BY, UH, ROUGHLY HALF A MILLION, 19%.
UH, WHAT, WHAT INSIDE THE TELL, UH, WE GAVE MARTIN ABOUT 7 MILLION PEOPLE.
UM,
SO I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE WAGE IN ALL OF OUR BUDGET MEETINGS, UM, UNTIL GINA JUST TOLD ME TO STOP
THAT DID LEAD TO BUDGETED COST INCREASES BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE REPORTING ON WHAT WE'RE MOST LIKELY TO SPEND.
AND THEN THAT WAY COUNSEL SEES WHAT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS ARE FOR EACH DEPARTMENT.
I SAYING THAT APPROPRIATELY UNDERSTAND.
AND ALSO ACCOUNTING FOR THE VACANCIES AND PUTTING THEM IN AT MIDPOINT OF THE RANGE SO THAT WE CAN BE MORE COMPETITIVE IN OUR RECRUITMENT OF NEW EMPLOYEES.
[01:15:02]
THIS IS, THIS IS ME LEARNING.UH, I SEE OWNER SUPPLIES, THERE'S A LOT OF INCREASE IN SUPPLIES AND I'LL GO THROUGH IT.
MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN IT ALL TOGETHER.
DEPARTMENTS, I A LOT OF INCREASE SUPPLIES HERE SINCE $32,000 INCREASE.
UH, WHAT WAS THAT DO TO YOU? SUPPLIES? THAT WAS A LOT OF BIGGER COST.
LINKEDIN RECRUITER PROGRAM THAT WE ADDED.
SO LINKEDIN BEING ONE OF THE BIGGER, THE BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL RECRUITING NETWORKING SITES IN THE WORLD, WE WANNA PUT OUR EFFORTS TOWARDS TO 30,000.
PART OF THAT, WHAT'S GOING ON? RECRUITERS HAVE ACCESS SO THAT THEY CAN DIRECT MESSAGE CANDIDATES FROM THAT SITE TO BETTER RECRUIT TARGET SPECIFIC POSITIONS THAT WERE 30,000 FOR LINKEDIN, UHHUH, I'M SORRY, 30,000 FOR LINKEDIN FOR ACCESS TO THAT.
DOES THE CITY REALLY HAVE THAT HARD OF A TIME RECRUITING? I MEAN, I KNOW WE'RE HARD TIME MEETING A VET AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IS THAT REALLY NECESSARY? THOSE KIND OF SERVICES? YES.
POSITION DEPENDENT HAVE BE MORE AT CONVERSATION DIRECTLY.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE 75 VACANCIES IN YOUR ORGANIZATION.
AND, AND YOU SAID, I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU, YOU SAID FIRST WAS THE 30 OR THE 32,000 WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING AT ONE THING, BUT SO IT WAS 24 8.
THAT'S THAT'S SPECIFIC 24 8 IS WHAT'S SPECIFIC TO THE LINKEDIN, CORRECT? CORRECT.
UM, AGAIN, IS THAT WHAT, WHAT IS THAT UNDER THE SERVICES? UH, IS IT THE, UH, 300? WELL, THEY SAVED MONEY THERE.
SO WHAT, WHERE DID, WHERE, WHERE'S THE LOSS THERE? THE BIG LOSS? WHAT WE DID WAS PAID ATTENTION TO WHAT THE ELECTION, UM, HOW WE'RE STAGING RIGHT NOW.
AND BASED UPON THE DECREASE THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING, WE WAS ABLE TO DECREASE IT A LITTLE BIT, UM, BASED UPON HARRIS COUNTY HAVING TO CHANGE THEIR MECHANISM ON HOW THEY'RE, UM, CHARGING THAT ELECTION.
SO IT HAS TO DO WITH THE CHARGE FROM THE COUNTY? YEAH.
SO WE DO A JOINT ELECTION WITH HARRIS COUNTY.
AND THEN BASED ON RATE, BASED UPON HOW MANY COUNTIES OR HOW MANY GO INTO POLICE, ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE DEPARTMENTS, UH, $37 INCREASE IN SERVICES.
UH, DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PERSONNEL CHANGES THAT YOU'RE LOOKING TO GO THROUGH? CHIEF OR THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE ON PAGE 35, 37.
JOHN, I THINK IT'S YOUR ADVERTISING.
IT'S SAID IT'S OUR ADVERTISING AND UH, PART OF OUR RECRUITMENT, OUR FACEBOOK MESSAGE TO AUDIENCE.
I LIKE THE RECRUITMENTS WORK TO, THEY'RE OKAY.
UM, TOTAL BUT TOTAL CRIME PREVENT IMAGING GOING DOWN NEGATIVE 16,000.
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO, WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR US? THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE MOVED SOME OF THE FUNDS TO OTHER, UH, OTHER LINE ITEMS BUDGET.
UH, FOR INSTANCE, SOME OF THAT ACTUALLY INCLUDED SOME OF OUR EQUIPMENT.
SO WE CUT 28,000 OF IT IN SERVICES OF THAT TOTAL CRIME PREVENTION WHERE, SO IF YOU LOOK RIGHT HERE ON PAGE 38, ON THE BACKSIDE, YOU'LL SEE ADVERTISING AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
UH, 2 0 0 4 0 7 4 0 3 6 AND 7 4 0 4 2.
THEY HAVE NEGATIVE 20,000 AND NEGATIVE 8,000.
AND THEY TELL YOU THEY MOVED TO THESE SPECIFIC LINE ITEMS, UH, ONCE FOR PIO TRAINING.
PART OF WHAT WE DID WAS WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD A LOT OF THESE EXPENSES THAT ACROSS LINE ISLAND.
[01:20:01]
WE TRY TO CONSOLIDATE THEM INTO ONE AND MAKE THEM IN OF ALIGNMENT.WHAT WE WERE DOING, HOW WE WERE BE, UNLESS YOU'RE GONNA MOVE ON PAST, PLEASE.
I HAVE A QUESTION ON, ON, ON THIS SINCE WE'RE HERE.
SO WHEN DO WE EXPECT WE MAY ACTUALLY OPEN THE DOORS AT THE NEW PUBLIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING JANUARY 3RD.
AND SO WITH THAT, EXCUSE ME, NOT THAT, SO A HEART ATTACK JANUARY OF THIS COMING YEAR.
AND SO SINCE THAT'S 24TH, SINCE THAT WILL BE PRETTY MUCH HALF OF THIS BUDGET YEAR, SO I, I WOULD, I'M HOPING THAT YOU ACCOUNTED FOR, I MEAN THIS IS A LOT MORE BUILDING.
THERE'S A LOT MORE FURNITURE, THERE'S A LOT MORE EVERYTHING.
AND SO ALL THAT WITHIN REASON WAS ACCOUNTED FOR WITH THAT WAS ALL BUDGETED IN WOULD BE, UH, WOULD BE ALLOTMENT FROM, FROM ENTERPRISE.
IT IS JUST WHAT I'M LOOKING AT NOW.
THERE'S MORE, THERE'S JUST MORE.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPLIES THAT WOW, WE WE NEED MORE OF THIS.
WE'RE ALSO CONSOLIDATING SOME OF THE OFFICES.
SO THAT COULD OFFSET A LITTLE BIT.
THERE, THERE'S A LOT THAT'S NOT IN HERE RIGHT NOW.
AND IT'S PART OF OUR, IT'S DELIVERED ON, ON OUR SIDE TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICES.
'CAUSE I WILL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT, SO CHIEF DOBSON, CHIEF STRINGER AND UM, HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR, I NEED AN IT PERSON AS SOON AS THIS BUILDING OPENS BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA NEED SOMEBODY, UM, TO HELP WITH THAT.
HE WILL ECHO THAT, THAT THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT'S GONNA BE NEEDED IN THAT BUILDING.
BUT THAT'S NOT IN THIS BUDGET.
RIGHT? THAT'S NOT IN THIS BUDGET.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT CREATING EFFICIENCY.
IT'S, I MEAN THERE'S, I I MEAN I KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE, RIGHT? IT'S JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T OPEN THE DOORS.
WANNA SAY, OH, WE FORGOT SOME, YOU KNOW, WE NOW WE NEED FIVE COPIERS AND WE ONLY HAD TWO AND STUFF.
LIKE MORE INSURANCE OR SOMETHING.
BUT ANYWAY, THAT'S ALL MY QUESTION WAS ON THAT.
UH, FIRE 43, UH, THOUSAND INCREASE IN SERVICES.
UM, I SEE HERE, UH, 44,000 ADDED FOR ONSITE TESTING.
IS THAT WHAT THEY'RE FOR? FOR MEDICAL? GOTTA HAVE IT FIT.
UM, PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING.
UM, BIGGEST THING THAT STICKS OUT TO ME THERE IS AGAIN, THEY HAVE A $1.9 MILLION VARIANCE, 183% INCREASE.
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO, LET'S SEE, ELECTRICAL MOVING FROM THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT INTO THE WORKS.
AND THEN ALL THE OTHER FROM ELECTRICAL MOVING INTO THIS DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
FACILITIES IS A PART OF PUBLIC WORKS.
SO THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE ONE THING WHERE WHEN YOU START, IN A SENSE YOU SAY HIT, HIT THE NUMBERS MORE IN THE NOSE.
PUT THINGS WHERE THEY REALLY NEED TO BE.
YOU'LL SEE THAT TYPE OF INCREASES BECAUSE THEY'RE KIND OF RIDING THE SHIP 'CAUSE THEY'RE COMBINING.
WELL, NO, IT'S JUST THEY'RE, THEY'RE PUTTING STUFF WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.
NOT WHERE THEY, AND SOMETIMES, LIKE I SAID, THEY WEREN'T ACCOUNTED FOR IN SOME WAY.
NOW YOU'RE ACCOUNTING FOR 'EM.
IT IS NOT THAT WE'RE SPENDING MORE MONEY, IT'S JUST NOW SOME THINGS BEEN CONSOLIDATED ON A PARTICULAR LINE ITEM OR ACCOUNT NUMBER.
GINA KNOWS 'EM BY HEART IT SEEMS LIKE.
BUT I'M JUST SAYING YOU'LL SEE ONE 83% INCREASE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YEAR TO YEAR THAT THERE WAS A 183% INCREASE.
IT JUST MEANS WE'RE ACCOUNTING FOR IT.
AND, AND IT'S BEING RECOGNIZED ON THAT LINE ITEM.
SO, SO WHERE WAS IT AT BEFORE? IT WAS MO THERE WAS A MILLION DOLLARS THAT WAS IN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
AND THEN THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAD ELECTRICITY AS WELL, OR WHEREVER IT WAS.
I, I DON'T KNOW WHICH DEPARTMENTS IT WAS IN.
AND THEY ALL CONSOLIDATED INTO THIS ONE LINE ITEM, UH, FOR ELECTRICITY.
NOW, THERE, IT'S ALSO A RATE INCREASE BUILT INTO THAT, IF I'M REMEMBER THAT CORRECTLY.
SO THERE'S A RATE INCREASE IN PART OF THAT 1.9 MILLION ELECTRICAL RATE INCREASE.
ALRIGHT, WELL I'M, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED WITH THAT AND KENDRICK AND I ARE SELLING SOME OF THE SAME PAGE.
SO APPROXIMATELY A MILLION DOLLARS WAS IN PLANNING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND THEY WERE PAYING THE ELECTRICITY? OR IS THAT FOR, I'LL TELL YOU, IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS MARTIN MENTIONED TO ME WHEN I GOT HERE.
WHY THE HELL WAS THIS IN MY BUDGET? SO THAT WAS, IS THAT FAIR? THEY WERE PAYING THE ELECTRICITY GINA ON THAT BECAUSE BILL, THE MONEY WAS THERE AND IT WAS THERE LONG BEFORE WE GOT THERE.
[01:25:01]
WHERE IT WAS HOUSED AND THAT'S WHY WE MOVED IT LIKE TO, TO, UM, THE MAYOR'S POINT IS SOMETIMES PEOPLE WERE PAYING FOR THINGS WHERE THE MONEY WAS INSTEAD OF WHERE IT SHOULD COME FROM.AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO BETTER ALIGN THINGS SO THAT IT SHOULD COME FROM ELECTRICAL AND IT SHOULD BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
IT SHOULDN'T JUST BE SPORADICALLY IN OTHER PLACES.
I, I SO
IN FACILITIES, THEY ALREADY HAD A MILLION DOLLARS.
WERE THEY PAYING FOR, WHAT WAS THAT FOR? BECAUSE IT TAKES OVER $3 MILLION.
IT'S CLOSE TO $3 MILLION TO PAY FOR ALL THE ELECTRICITY FOR ALL.
THAT'S THE METERS ON THE, FOR EVERYTHING.
SO, SO FACILITIES WAS PAYING THE ELECTRIC BILL FOR OUR FACILITIES AND I'M JUST TRYING TO GET IT STRAIGHT.
AND THEN WE HAD ELECTRICITY PAYMENTS FOR THE STREETLIGHTS COMING OUTTA PLANNING.
I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT WHERE Y'ALL PUTTING IT.
I THINK Y'ALL ARE GREAT FOR CONSOLIDATING AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THIS STRAIGHT IN MY MIND.
WHERE WAS THE FUNDING FOR THE ACTUAL COST OF PUTTING THE LIGHTS UP OR IS THAT BUILT INTO THE ELECTRIC BILL? THAT'S STILL WITHIN PLANNING.
WE'LL EMAIL TO Y'ALL HOW THE PROCESS WORKS, BUT I THINK IT'S 116,000 THAT'S THERE RIGHT NOW.
IT WAS THERE BEFORE IT REMAINED THERE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO SPLIT IT OUT HERE.
BECAUSE WHEN WE MOVE IT FROM A LINE ITEM THAT SAYS STREET LIGHTING YEAH.
TO A LINE ITEM THAT GOES INTO SERVICES, ELECTRIC SERVICE.
AND, AND I'M JUST TRYING TO FOLLOW THAT.
AND IT WAS LUMPED ALL INTO ONE.
SO IF YOU WERE ASKING FOR A NEW LIGHT POLE, IT WAS COMING OUT OF STREET LIGHTING AND THAT ALSO HOUSED THE MONEY TO PAY THE ELECTRICITY LIKE WE HAVE HERE NOW.
SO WE'RE STARTING TO, I WAS TRYING TO MAKE CLEAR TO SEPARATE IT, ONLY THE STREET POLES NOW WILL BE IN PLANNING AND THEN THE ACTUAL PAYING FOR THE ELECTRICITY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FACILITIES MAINTENANCE.
BUT THIS, WELL, LIKE WHY I STARTED OFF THIS WHOLE PRESENTATION TODAY.
IT WAS LIKE WE'RE STILL FINDING STUFF AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, WE'RE REALLY ARE TRYING TO CONSOLIDATE THIS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR Y'ALL IN THE FUTURE, FOR FUTURE STAFF IN THE FUTURE AND FOR THE CITIZENS TO BETTER SEE WHERE STUFF IS AT.
AND I TOTALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
IT'S JUST, BUT WE'RE GOING THROUGH THESE AND YOU CALL IT ONE THING ON ONE PAGE AND SOMETHING ELSE ON ANOTHER PAGE.
IT MAKES IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PUT IT TOGETHER NEXT YEAR AGAIN WHEN IT'S ALL CLEANED UP, HOPEFULLY, RIGHT? YES SIR.
IT, IT'LL, IT'LL BE EASIER TO FOLLOW.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT.
I REALLY DO BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT.
SO I, I THINK WITH THAT, THE IDEA, I MEAN I'M, I'M, I'M ASSUMING Y'ALL DISCUSSED LIKE A CENTRAL SERVICES FUND, SOMETHING THAT EVERY, LIKE THE LIGHTING THAT EV ALL THE FACILITIES WE JUST PAY INTO.
I MEAN THAT WE DISCUSSED THAT, I DON'T KNOW ONE TIME THEY DID IT IN THE PAST, BUT JUST ONE THAT'S A CENTRAL SERVICES WHICH LIKE LIGHTING FOR ALL FACILITIES, INSURANCE FOR ALL FACILITIES, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
AND WE'RE STILL TRYING TO CLEAN IT UP 'CAUSE WE JUST STARTED HAVING A FACILITIES DIVISION JUST OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
SO IT'S LESS THAN THREE YEARS OLD.
SO WE'RE STILL TRYING TO MAKE INTO ITS OWN WITH STAFFING AND WHAT IT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR.
DO YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS? I DO.
UM, PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, AGAIN, WELL THEY'RE, THEY'RE SAVING RIGHT THERE.
THEY MANAGED TO TAKE $23,000 OFF OF THERE.
UM, BUT I SEE, UH, A NEGATIVE $37 IN DECREASE IN MOSQUITO CONTROL.
UM, ARE WE, ARE WE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THEM, GET THE MOSQUITOES DOWN IN THE FALL?
KNOW I'M, I NEED A BLOOD TRANSFUSION.
BASED ON MORE OF THE ACTUAL, UM, AMOUNT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE REDUCTION? YEAH.
I MEAN, ARE WE DOING LESS PATROLS OR WE FOUND A WAY TO MAKE THE, THE CHEMICALS MORE EFFICIENT? RIGHT.
WELL WE ALSO HAVE IN THAT ACCOUNT, UM, A SPECIAL CONTINGENCY FOR AERIALS SPRAY OF ABOUT HUNDRED THOUSAND.
SO THAT PUTS OUR TRUE CHEMICAL COST NOT COUNTING TWO.
AND BASED ON THE ACTUAL COSTS LAST YEAR.
[01:30:01]
AND AND THE NEGATIVE SAME PAGE, PUBLIC HEALTH NEGATIVE 114,000 SUPPLIES THAT ALONG THE SAME LINES OR WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DID YOU CUT OUT? YES SIR.ON PUBLIC HEALTH? NO, THAT'S IN HEALTH.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE LAND MAINTENANCE.
IT'S ACTUALLY SHOWS UP IN, SO IF YOU TURN TO PAGE 48, THIS IS WHERE WE WERE CONFUSING MR. LESSER.
I DON'T, I DON'T WANT LAND MAINTENANCE IS A NEGATIVE 120,000 ON PAGE 48 THAT MOVED TO PURCHASING.
AND SO IT SHOWS UP AS SUPPLY FOR SOME REASON.
7 3 0 7 2 0 0 1 7 7 5 2 1 7 5 0 7 5.
AND KENDRICK, I'M GLAD YOU CAUGHT THAT ONE.
'CAUSE WHAT'S THE $23,000 REDUCTION IN SERVICES IN MOSQUITO CONTROL? UNDERSTAND YOU ADJUSTED THE ACTUAL, I UNDERSTAND YOU ADJUSTED THE, THE SUPPLY ISSUE BY 19,000.
SO ON PAGE 48, THE SECOND ONE DOWN, CHEMICAL SUPPLIES, 27,000 ADJUSTED TO A LINE WITH ACTUALS AND THEN THEY ADDED MORE MONEY ON TOP OF THAT SERVICES THAT'S UNDER SPECIAL SERVICES.
SO SERVICES, LINE SERVICES ON PAGE 47, THE NEGATIVE 23.
THE SECOND LINE DOWN UNDER SUPPLIES NEGATIVE 27,000 JUST TO ALIGN WITH ACTUALS FROM PRIOR YEARS.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE 19,000 IN SUPPLIES.
THAT'S ALSO THE 27,000 IN CHEMICAL SUPPLIES.
BUT HE'S, I THINK HE'S AT, YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THE 27,000 IN, UH, SPECIAL SERVICES.
BUT THE REDUCTION IN THE SPECIAL SERVICES ACCOUNT MM-HMM
THAT WAS A ONE TIME PURCHASE OF THE DRONE.
HOW WAS THAT DRONE WORKING OUT?
A BIG OLD BEHEMOTH OF OUR DRONE.
SO JIMMY CAN GET HIS PIZZAS ON TIME.
THE BENCH ARE ABOUT 10 AND A HALF FEET BY 11 FEET.
AND, UH, THE BLADE WITH THE THE 54 INCH.
I WANT SEE THAT IT'S A CEILING FAN.
YOU GONNA USE IT FOR LARGO TREATMENT OR? UH, YES.
ONE OF THE AREAS, PRIMARILY WHERE THE DISCUSSIONS CAME ABOUT WAS WHEN THE, UM, PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATOR TOOK, UH, DEVELOPERS OUT TO EVERGREEN FOR THE GOLF COURSE.
UM, THERE'S SPECIFIC AREAS OVER THERE THAT WE BY VEHICLE, UH, THAT ARE HUGE, UM, LARGE SIDE AREAS THAT WE NEED TO TREAT.
SO THAT'S, SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THEY'RE MOSQUITOES IN THESE DISTRICT? A LITTLE BIT
WELL, WHEN YOU GET YOUR FEDERAL PERMITS, I'D LIKE TO SEE THE THING HOVERING AROUND.
IF I COULD GIVE YOU A COUPLE, JUST CUT THE MOSQUITOES
BACK AND FORTH FLYING SAUCERS.
UH, WHERE, WHERE ARE THOSE SERVICES? PUT THE
SO THEY, THEY DO HAVE A $275,000 INCREASE ON THE RECREATION EQUIPMENT FOR A DA SETTING TO MEET THE INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.
THERE'S A LARGE INCREASE WITH THAT.
THAT'S TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN REPLACE A 80 PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.
[01:35:01]
UM, AND THEN PARK SUPPLIES IS, THERE'S A $506,000 INCREASE.SO IT HAS TO DO WITH TRACTORS OR SUPPLIES THAT Y'ALL ALREADY BOUGHT DON'T NEED THIS YEAR OR DECREASE.
THAT'S THE LAND MAINTENANCE ON PAGE 53.
ON PAGE 53, YOU'LL SEE LAND MAINTENANCE UNDER MAINTENANCE.
YES, IT'S UNDER MAINTENANCE, BUT IT ACTUALLY FALLS UNDER SUPPLIES.
AND UM, THAT'S NOT TO ANY FAULT.
THAT'S JUST HOW IT PRINTS OUT IN THE SYSTEM.
FOR SOME REASON, THESE ARE PRINTED FROM THE SYSTEM.
WHEN IT PUTS IT UP ON THE FRONT PAGE, IT PUTS IT UNDER SUPPLIES.
WHEN IT GIVES YOU THE DETAILS, IT PUTS IT UNDER MAINTENANCE.
AND SO IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING.
AND SO THE $440,000 DEDUCTION SAYS MOVE TO PURCHASING FOR LAND MAINTENANCE IS ACTUALLY PART OF THAT $500,000 DECREASE.
PLEASE KNOW THAT I WENT ROUND AND ROUND YES, YOU DID.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION COUNSEL.
I THINK MY MESSER GETS TOO MUCH MONEY.
CHECK SPECIAL SERVICES DECREASE 175,000.
BRIAN, THIS IS THE YEAH, THAT'S THE BROADBAND NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY.
UH, THAT'S IN THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
AND I SEE A $1.5 MILLION INCREASE IN LAND MAINTENANCE.
IS THAT THE CONTRACT? THAT'S THE MOW, YEAH, THAT'S THE MOW.
UM, AND OUR ADVERTISINGS WENT UP ABOUT 646%.
$48,000 INCREASE FROM SEVEN 7.5.
WHAT IS THAT? WHERE ARE YOU AT? PAGE 62.
OH, IT'S THE BIDS, UH, FOR BIDS FOR, UH, PURCHASING WENT UP.
OH, THE $48,000 THAT WENT UP FOR, FOR PURCHASING.
IT'S JUST FOR BIDS FOR ADVERTISING.
JUST THE NEW ADVERTISING FOR BIDS, LIKE WHEN WE GO OUT FOR RFPS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WE HAVE, AND IT ALSO INCLUDES ANY OF THE PROJECT BIDS THAT ARE DONE FOR PWE PROJECTS AS WELL.
THE ORDINANCES AND EVERYTHING SIMILAR ARE MY ACRONYM.
ANYTIME YOU HAVE TO DO THE POSTING FOR THE BIDS ADVERTISING.
$126 INCREASE IN SPECIAL SERVICES.
AGAIN, ON THE PERSONAL SERVICES.
SO THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND IT'S UNDER OH, 126,000.
UM, THAT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT MORE LEGAL ACTIVITY GOING ON OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE COUNSEL AND FOR OUTSIDE COUNSEL.
UM, AND I, I'M, I'LL ASK ON THAT, IS THAT WHERE ONCE YOU LOOKED AT ACTUALS, I'M ASSUMING HERE THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE MORE IN ALIGNMENT.
I'LL JUST TELL YOU THAT WE COULD PROBABLY HAVE FIVE MORE CITY ATTORNEYS RIGHT NOW AND IT MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH.
UM, HEY, JUST TO, TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, RAN SOME NUMBERS AND WE, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE PROBABLY DRAFTED OR REVIEWED AROUND 1100 CONTRACTS.
UH, WE HAVE SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF 3000 CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWSUITS IN MUNICIPAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL COURT.
UH, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND AGENDA ITEMS WE DRAFT
[01:40:01]
BECAUSE WE'VE NEVER TRACKED THAT.UM, BUT WE ARE REALLY, REALLY BUSY FOR A CITY OF THIS SIZE, KIND OF GOING WITH THREE BORDERS FOR THE PAST YEAR.
UH, WE'VE BEEN CRANKING OUT AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
UM, UH, PERSONAL SERVICES IS A, A FOUR EIGHT, 2000 INCREASE IN REGULAR WAGES PAGE.
OH, IT'S THE SAME ONE? WELL, I MEAN THERE'S LIKE, THERE'S 20 OF THEM.
WHAT WAS THAT? THERE'S THE PLANNING.
BECAUSE HE STARTED WITH PLANET, DIDN'T HE? MM-HMM
I MEAN, YOU SHOULD, I'M SAY ALL, ALL OF THESE NUMBERS IN THIS SECTION THAT REFLECTS EVERYTHING'S IN THE PREVIOUS SECTION.
I MEAN, SO IT'S THE SAME STUFF, RIGHT? SO, BUT MARY, MOVE ON TO DIFFERENT PARTS.
THIS IS ONE OF THE, THE COMMENTS I MAKE.
AND, AND JAY'S HIT ON IT AND GINA'S IN AS WELL IN THE SECOND SECTION IN 62, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED, PURCHASING THROUGH THE FRONT SECTION IS CALLED FISCAL OPERATIONS.
NO, IT'S FISCAL OPERATIONS, WHICH INCLUDES PURCHASING.
PURCHASING IS A PART OF FISCAL OPERATIONS.
THAT'S WHERE WE GET IT GETS A LITTLE, RIGHT.
SO THE INTENT, WHEN WE, WHEN WE BUILT THIS, THE INTENT WAS THAT THESE SUMMARY PAGES, THESE SUMMARY PAGES, LIKE THE FIRST ONES IN THE TEENS TO THE FOUR TO THE FIFTIES, ALL THE INCREASES, THAT'S, ANYTHING THAT'S 10% INCREASE OR HIGHER, OR 5,000, IT HAS AN EXPLANATION FOR YOU SO THAT Y'ALL CAN GO THROUGH.
AND THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO THE DETAILS TO LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM ON THERE.
IT, IT JUST GETS A LITTLE CONFUSING WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH IT.
IF YOU THINK ANYTHING, JUST MAKE A NOTE AND WE'LL COME BACK.
LET'S TAKE A FIVE MINUTE, UH, RECESS, BATHROOM BREAK, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE FOR STAFF OR US, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK.
YOU HAVE YOUR, YOU'RE FINISHED ON, WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD OUT EMAIL, WE CAN BACK AROUND.
UM, FIRST, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S FIRE FACILITIES, BUT THE SOAP DISPENSERS WERE OUT IN THE MEN'S RESTAURANT.
PERING IS UNDER FISCAL OPERATIONS.
I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE TOO MANY THINGS, BUT, UM, I GUESS WITH ALL THE, UH, WITH ALL THE DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD AROUND CREDIT CARD FEES WITH WATER AND SEWER, I SAW THAT IN ONE OF THE PARK AND REC ITEMS AS WELL, INCREASE IN CREDIT CARD FEES.
SO DO WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT DOING THAT? YOU KNOW, CITYWIDE MY DIRECTION THAT I TOOK FROM THE CONVERSATION IS THAT YES, IT WOULD BE.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE TALKING JUST ABOUT WATER SEWER, BUT, OH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING CITYWIDE.
EVERYBODY THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION, UM, WITH THE, AND I'M GLAD WE, WE DID HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE, UM, THE MOSQUITOES, CHEMICALS, ALL OF THAT.
AND I KNOW LAST YEAR WE HAD, WE HAD A DECENT DISCUSSION AROUND THE CONTINGENCY OF AN AERIAL SPRAY.
AND THE KIND OF, THE QUESTION WAS, DO WE HAVE CONTINGENCIES IN THE INDIVIDUAL, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT BUDGETS AND AN OVERALL CONTINGENCY? AND I MEAN, LAST YEAR WE DECIDED TO LEAVE IT IN THERE, BUT PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED AT THIS TABLE, SO I, RIGHT.
SO WE WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT AGAIN.
UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE AN OVERALL CONTINGENCY IN GENERAL OVERHEADS 1%, OR IT'S A MILLION THIS YEAR, WE DID HAVE A $250,000 CONTINGENCY IN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT THAT WAS REMOVED.
[01:45:01]
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC CONTINGENCIES IN EACH DEPARTMENT.I I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE.
BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THAT THERE'S POSSIBLY A BUFFER BUILT IN WITH EACH DEPARTMENT JUST BECAUSE THINGS HAPPEN.
WELL IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE, I WE IDENTIFIED ONE, SO THAT'S OKAY.
UM, TOOK A COUPLE OF THESE OFFLINE.
SO, UH, REALLY LAST ONE, THE, WE HAVE $300,000 FOR CAPITAL IN CITY COUNCIL.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT IS, UM, DIFFICULT TO, UH, I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT FOR STAFF TO EXECUTE.
UM, CAN BE, UH, AND SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT REMOVED.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN DIFFICULT FOR STAFF TO EXECUTE? UH, THERE'S NO, UM, I MEAN, THERE'S NO WAY TO PRIORITIZE, UH, WHAT WE INDIVIDUALLY ASKED FOR IT.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TIED TO ANY, UH, STRATEGIC INITIATIVE.
UM, AND SO, I MEAN, WHEN WE ASK SOMETHING OF STAFF TO GO SPEND $50,000 ON SOMETHING, THERE'S GONNA BE A TIME COMMITMENT THERE.
UM, WHICH THEY HAVE TO PRIORITIZE AGAINST OTHER THINGS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, VERY SPECIFIC THINGS THAT WE HAVE BUILT INTO THE BUDGET.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT FOR THE MOST PART, ISN'T SPECIFIED AT ALL.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A WIDE OPEN, $300,000, 50,000 EACH.
BUT, UM, I I THINK IT CAN CAUSE ISSUES AND IT'S NOT NECESSARY.
WOULD BE YOUR IDEA BE TO JUST SEND THAT MONEY TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT OR TO WRITE GUIDELINES? I WOULD WANT TO SEE IT CUT COMPLETELY.
UM, I THINK WE CAN USE IT ELSEWHERE.
UM, IF WE NEED TO USE, I MEAN, WE CAN TACKLE SOME OF THESE CIP PROJECTS.
IT, IT, I THINK COULD BE BETTER USED ELSEWHERE IN THE BUDGET.
I WANNA SAY GUIDELINES BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S AREAS THAT, UM, WITHIN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS AS FAR AS CERTAIN AMENITIES THAT ARE OFFERED THAT, UM, NEIGHBORS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR, THAT CAN BE GOOD USE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE SOLAR, UM, RADARS, UM, UH, THERE'S SOME NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE ASKING FOR SOLAR RADARS AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT PLACE TO, TO LOOK FOR THAT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO DIP INTO OTHER PLACES.
SO MAYOR, SINCE YOU'RE THE SENIOR ELECTED OFFICIAL HERE, WHAT IS THE HISTORY ON THAT? DO YOU KNOW? ABSOLUTELY.
UH, SO, UM, THROUGH MANY, MANY BUDGETS.
LOTS OF TIMES, LET'S JUST SAY YOU AS A COUNCILMAN, YOU HAVE A REQUEST FOR, COULD BE A STOP SIGN AND, AND THAT THERE'S NO PROCESS FOR THAT, BUT I'M AN EXAMPLE.
OR IT COULD BE WHERE SOME CITIZENS SAY, HEY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY PARK BENCHES.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PARK BENCHES AT A, ONE OF OUR PARKS PARK, POCKET PARK OR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
AND FOR, FOR SOME TIME, UM, LIKE I TOLD YOU I WAS GETTING, I REALLY GOT USED FROM JUST BEING TOLD NO, NO, THERE'S NOT MONEY FOR IT FOR THAT.
SO AS A, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, AND CERTAINLY WHEN I CAME MAYOR, I WANTED COUNCIL MEMBERS TO HAVE THE ABILITY KIND OF A LITTLE BIT WHAT I WOULD AGREE WITH JACOB'S TALKING ABOUT, IF THE, THE IDEA WAS FOR YOU TO COME UP WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, TALK TO YOUR CITIZENS, DO TOWN HALLS, GET TO KNOW WHAT THE NEEDS ARE, AND THESE ARE VERY MINIMAL SMALL TYPE PROJECTS, BUT LET'S JUST SAY A PARK BENCH, SAY IT'S $2,500, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S NO MONEY FOR IT, REGARDLESS OF THE PRICE.
THIS WOULD ALLOW YOU TO IDENTIFY NEEDS IN YOUR DISTRICT AND THEN, AND THEN I GUESS GET A COST FOR IT, AND THEN YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO GO AND OBVIOUSLY MEET THE CITIZEN'S NEEDS, RIGHT.
SO, SO IT REALLY LIES ON EACH COUNCIL MEMBER TO IDENTIFY DISTRICT SPECIFIC NEEDS, WHATEVER THE CASE, IF IT MAY BE INCREASED AMENITY, WHATEVER, AND, AND LET STAFF KNOW WHAT THAT IS SO THAT THAT COULD BE IDENTIFIED.
I WOULD WOULDN'T DISAGREE WITH THAT, BUT UH, AND IT COULD BE TIED TO SOME KIND OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVE.
MOST OF THE TIME IT'S PROBABLY JUST A QUALITY OF LIFE TYPE AND AMENITY FOR THE MOST PART.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PROCESS FOR A STOP SIGN.
IT COULD BE ANYTHING OF THAT, OF THAT WHERE MIDYEAR, IF YOU WANT TO GO AND, AND, AND YOU GET CONTACTED BY THE CI BY A CITIZEN, AND THAT THE ONLY ANSWER YOU COULD SAY, THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
I SAID, IT SOUNDS LIKE A NEED, BUT THERE'S NOT FUNDING, THEN YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THIS PROCESS THE NEXT YEAR.
AND SO I, AFTER BEING TOLD NO FOR MANY YEARS WHEN I BECAME MAYOR, I WANTED EACH COUNCIL MEMBER TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO AND MEET BUDGETARILY SOME NEEDS THAT YOU MAY, THAT MAY BE IDENTIFIED SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR DISTRICTS, AND IT'D BE BUDGETED AT LEAST FUNDING AVAILABLE.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHERE THIS ORIGINATES FROM
[01:50:01]
BECAUSE Y'ALL ARE, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE TIGHTENING THE BELT IN SO MANY OTHER AREAS, I THINK GUIDELINES WOULD BE OKAY.BUT I, I DON'T THINK I WOULD EVER, UM, BE ON BOARD TO, TO GET RID OF IT.
THAT'S JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION BECAUSE, BECAUSE OF THE REASONS THAT YOU SAID, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE'RE MOVING SO MUCH MONIES AROUND FOR DIFFERENT REASONS MM-HMM
AND I THINK, I MEAN, IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO IDENTIFY SOME THINGS BEFORE AN APPROVED BUDGET WITH A SPECIFIC PROJECT, BUT THAT'S THE IDEA WOULD BE YOU KIND OF HAVE THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND STAFF.
CITY MANAGER HAS AUTHORITY UP TO $50,000 TO SPEND WITHOUT COUNCIL APPROVAL.
BY CHARTER, I THINK CHARTER OR CHARTER OR LAW, I'M NOT SURE WHICH ONE.
SO HE HAS STATE LAW, SO THAT'S WHERE THE 50 K COMES IN.
SO IS THAT KIND OF WHERE YOU GOT THE BOUNDARIES WHEN YOU WERE EXPLORING THE YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK SOME OF THAT, YEAH.
AND JUST SOMETHING WITHIN REASON.
AND LIKE I SAID, IT IS NOT FUN TO BE TOLD NO FOR SOMETHING THAT'S MINIMAL.
BUT ESPECIALLY IF YOU SAY THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST, IF IN PREVIOUS BUDGET YEARS THERE WAS CONTINGENCY FOR SOME DEPARTMENTS, SO LET'S JUST SAY WE, YOU COME UP WITH A GREAT IDEA, SAY IT'S PARKS AND REC AND CLIFF NOW HAS TO GO AND TRY TO, OBVIOUSLY I'M JUST USING HIM AS AN EXAMPLE, BUT HE HAS TO, YOU KNOW, SAY, SAY, HEY, THERE'S A $5,000 NEED, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, AND IN A PARTICULAR DISTRICT, AND THEN IT GETS TAKEN OUT OF HIS BUDGET TO, TO GO AND MEET THIS INITIATIVE THAT WAS UN UNFORESEEN.
SO THIS ALLOWS A FUNDING SOURCE, A BUDGETARY LINE ITEM IN A SENSE TO, TO BE ABLE TO MEET THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN A PROJECT IS PRESENTED.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE, OR THAT'S THE ORIGIN OF HISTORY.
SO I MEAN, WE TALK ABOUT HISTORY, THERE'S NOT MUCH HISTORY AT ALL THERE.
AND MY ONLY RESPONSE TO WHAT Y'ALL SAID IS YOU SAY DISTRICT SPECIFIC NEEDS.
AND NOTHING THAT'S BEEN MENTIONED IN MY OPINION IS A NEED.
UM, AS WE TALKED A LOT IN WORK SESSION ON, ON THURSDAY, I MEAN ALL EVERYBODY WAS NEEDS VERSUS WANTS, NEEDS VERSUS WANTS, NEEDS VERSUS WANTS.
AND, UH, EVERY, I MEAN, YOU TALK ABOUT DISTRICT SPECIFIC AMENITIES, YOU KNOW, AND THAT IS, THAT IS A WANT.
SO THIS IS 300,000 ON DISTRICT SPECIFIC WANTS.
I THINK THAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT, UM, COUNCIL AND POLICY IS BECAUSE TECHNICALLY THE ONLY THING THAT'S A NEED IS WATER, UM, AS FAR AS SURVIVAL AND LIVING, I GUESS IN SHELTER TO AN EXTENT.
UM, SO I THINK THAT ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT WE ARGUE, WE COULD ARGUE THE DEFINITION OF NEED VERSUS ONE, WE NEED PEOPLE TO SLOW DOWN WHEN THEY GO THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE SPEED, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF SOLAR SPEED PANEL, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SPEED INDICATOR.
YEAH, SPEED INDICATOR, AGGRESSIVE NEED.
SO, SO IN REGARDS TO MAYBE SETTING A BENCHMARK, MAYBE INFRASTRUCTURE MINOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, ARE YOU SAYING AS A GUIDELINE? AS A GUIDELINE? I MEAN, I MEAN, IF, AND IF WE IDENTIFY OR WE'RE SEEING SPECIFIC AREAS THAT YOU THINK ARE A NEED, THEN LET'S PUT 'EM IN THE BUDGET AS A NEED.
I DON'T THINK WE, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
I DON'T THINK WE NEED $300,000.
WE DID HAVE THIS LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE.
SO THIS IS, IT IS BEEN THERE IN, IN, I WOULD SAY IN VARIOUS FORMS, RIGHT.
BUT I THINK IT PROBABLY START, LET ME SEE, MY FIRST BUDGET WOULD'VE BEEN THE 19 ONE, SO IT WOULD'VE BEEN IN THE 20 BUDGET.
AND THE 20, THE FISCAL YEAR, 20, I, I ACTUALLY DO AGREE THAT, UM, WE NEED GUIDELINES, UM, VERSUS JUST TAKING IT ALL AWAY.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THESE DO NOT ROLL OVER.
SO IF YOU DON'T USE YOURS, THEN IT, IT, IT'S ABSORBED, ABSORBED RIGHT BACK INTO THE BUDGET.
SO IF YOU DON'T USE IT FUND BALANCE PRETTY MUCH RIGHT TO THE CON BALANCE.
SO, UM, UH, FOR AN INSTANCE, I, I'M USING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, BUT BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES, I'M NOT CALLING HIM EVERY DAY LIKE, HOW'S MY PROJECT, HOW'S MY PROJECT? BECAUSE I DO UNDERSTAND THERE'S OTHER PRIORITIES.
SO WHEN RESIDENTS TELL ME ABOUT CERTAIN PROJECTS AND I'M LIKE, OH, MAYBE WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, SO I REACHED OUT TO JAY, THIS IS WHAT, UM, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING ME FOR.
WE DON'T HAVE A SITE, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING.
IT'S JUST AN IDEA NOW, DOES IT GET IMPLEMENTED THIS YEAR? MAYBE NOT.
AND BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S NOT A PRIORITY, IT'S JUST A WANT.
UM, AND I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE SAYING A WANT VERSUS A NEED.
UM, AND, UM, JUST FOR, SO, YOU KNOW, THE PROJECT THAT CAME UP WAS, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH A BIG EMPHASIS ON MENTAL, MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL WELLNESS RIGHT NOW, AND THERE'S A GROUP OF RESIDENTS WHO HAVE WANTED LIKE A LAMBERTH, UM, AND JUST TO KIND OF WALK IN AN
[01:55:01]
AREA WHERE ANYBODY, WHERE, WHETHER IT'S STAFF OR IT'S, UM, FIRST RESPONDERS WITHIN THE AREA, THEY JUST WANT TO GO TO THAT LANDRETH.AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE A, JUST A MENTAL, MENTAL WELLNESS AREA.
IT MAY NOT EVEN COST THE 50,000, IT COULD JUST END UP BEING 5,000.
BUT AGAIN, I'M NOT PRESSING THE ISSUE BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE OTHER PRIORITIES.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST A, FOR INSTANCE, OH, AND I'LL JUMP IN THERE.
IT'S, IT'S A REAL SLIPPERY SLOPE WHEN WE HAVE DISCRETIONARY FUNDS THAT DON'T GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
IT, IT'S, SO AT MINIMUM, THERE'S SOME PRETTY STRINGENT GUIDELINES.
I KIND OF LIKE WITH JACOB, I, I WAS UNAWARE OF IT TILL THIS YEAR, SO I'D RATHER FIGHT MY BATTLES HERE TO GET PROJECTS DONE, BUT TO JUST HAVE A $50,000 BLANK CHECK THAT I CAN USE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, THAT THAT'S A REAL SLIPPERY SLOPE, FOLKS.
AND, AND IT'S KIND LIKE YOU DO SOMETHING FOR SOME, SOME OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE ONES YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR? WELL, THAT'S WHY WE'RE CALLING FOR GUIDELINES.
SO AGAIN, I WANNA, I WANNA BE, I WANT BE, UM, CAUTIOUS OF THAT.
I, I WOULD SAY, I, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD OBVIOUSLY MISUSE FUNDS AND IT GOES THROUGH STAFF.
IT GOES CITY MANAGER AND, AND STAFF, RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT IN ANY WAY GONNA GO AND DO SOMETHING OR IMPLEMENT SOMETHING IF, IF THERE'S A TIMEOUT NEEDED TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS, THIS IS NOT THE INTENTION OF THESE TYPE OF FUNDS.
WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO TRUST OUR STAFF.
AND, AND EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY NOT BE IN A SENSE GUIDELINES, I THINK WE ALL HAVE, I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH, UM, CONFIDENCE THAT, THAT THEY WILL NOT JUST DO SOMETHING WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF FEEDBACK.
IF, IF SAY, HEY, THIS IS PROBABLY NOT THE BEST WAY TO USE IT IN, IN MY MIND, BUT FROM WHAT I'M HEARING IS, UM, GUIDELINES.
AND, AND I WOULD'VE TOTALLY AGREE GUIDELINES TO PREVENT WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT.
I THINK THAT MAY BE A, A FIRST STEP.
IF, IF NOBODY IDENTIFIES ANY TYPE OF PROJECTS WITHIN THE GUIDELINES, THEN THE MONEY GOES TO FUND BALANCE.
YOU KNOW? IT, IT, COULD IT BE MISUSED? POSSIBLY.
SO I WOULD HOPE, YOU KNOW, I I WOULD HOPE THAT, UM, THAT WOULD NOT BE THE CASE.
BUT LIKE YOU SAID, IT COULD BE A SLIPPERY SLOPE.
SO FOR ME, MISUSE IS IN THE EYE THE WHOLE, AND, AND I MEAN, I GUESS SINCE THE, IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A CASH BUCKET, RIGHT? SINCE THERE ARE STAFF MEMBERS AND BUDGETS OR PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I, I GUESS I DON'T, I'M NOT LOOKING AT IT.
I'M NOT LOOKING AT IT THE SAME AS Y'ALL BECAUSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A BIG BROTHER LOOKING AT HOW A BIG BROTHER LOOKING AT HOW WE ARE UTILIZING CITY MONEY.
SO, UM, GUIDELINES ARE A GOOD START.
NO, I MEAN, I'M, I'M HEARING THAT THERE'S A CONSENSUS TO KEEP IT RIGHT NOW.
WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST TO Y'ALL IS THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IT, THE EASIEST GUIDELINE IS TO MOVE THIS INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT PROGRAM, RIGHT? UH, WITH THE LIBRARY, AND YOU GO THROUGH THE LIBRARY DOING ANY KIND OF EMPOWERMENT STUFF, UH, WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE COME FROM.
AND IT'S PRETTY, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.
THAT ACTUALLY GOES HEARD A SQUEAK.
WHAT JACOB'S SAYING WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PULL, PULLING FROM THE STAFF, BECAUSE ME SEEING WHAT JAMIE AND ALL THEM WERE DOING, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, YEAH, I MEAN, NO, I AGREE.
SERIOUSLY, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SAY.
UM, A FEW THINGS WERE MENTIONED THAT ARE COVERED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT PROGRAM AND HOW WE GO AND EXPLAIN.
IT'S KIND OF PERFECT TO YOUR POINT, WHEN WE GO TO A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE LIKE THE CITY'S THE CUPCAKE, LIKE THAT'S YOUR WATER AND YOUR SEWER, AND THEN THERE'S SOME FROSTING, MAYBE FIRE, WE, WE SPRINKLES, RIGHT? NOBODY NEEDS THE SPRINKLE ON THE CUPCAKE, BUT SPRINKLES MAKE YOU HAPPY.
SO WE'RE THE SPRINKLES, BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING BECAUSE OUR BUDGET TOTAL IN THIS BUDGET FOR NEIGHBORHOOD GRANTS IS 45,000.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 300,000, HOWEVER, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SPEED SIGNS.
WE DID TWO SETS THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORS CAME TO US IN THE LAKEWOOD AND LAKEWOOD ESTATE ONCE THESE TIME PARK BENCH IN CARVER WHERE LAST YEAR, OH, I'D LOVE TO GET A LABATE GRANT IF I, IF IT COULD BE, I DON'T KNOW THE BUDGET, RIGHT? BECAUSE OUR MAX MAXISH IS 8,000.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST TO PAINT THE MURAL OLD, BUILD A LABATE, GET A PARK, RIGHT? BUT THERE IS A CAPACITY ISSUE BECAUSE WE DON'T GIVE NEIGHBORS THE CHECK.
HERE'S $8,000 TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
WE HAVE TO MANAGE IT AND THEN WE NEED PARK HELP BECAUSE WE DON'T PUT PARKS IN AND TRAFFIC HELP BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUT A SPEED SIGN IN.
SO IT STILL A LOT OF RESOURCES AND I COULDN'T MANAGE, I COULDN'T MANAGE 300
[02:00:01]
SABRINA AND I'S PROBABLY A GOOD GUIDELINE.MODEL GUIDELINE, BUT IT'S A SOURCE FOR PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING TO GET THE SPRINKLES VERSUS THE WATER.
IF YOU'VE GOT CONSTITUENTS, SOME STUFF DOES WORK FOR US.
I WILL TELL YOU, MY, MY POINT OF SAYING THAT IS THAT THAT IS THE GUIDELINE, THE PRECARIOUS SITUATION THAT I'M IN WITH THIS IS THAT I'M TELLING MY BOSS NO, WITH EACH PROJECT THAT YOU HAVE, AND IT'S NOT BASED OFF ANYTHING TO, TO JACOB'S POINT.
IT IS, THERE IS NO, THERE IS NOTHING THERE TO, TO WORK OFF OF.
AND GUIDELINES, THE GUIDELINES ARE LIKE WHAT? LIKE, I MEAN LIKE WHEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT GUIDELINES THAT PUT INTO WHAT ARE YOU USING THIS FOR? THEN THAT GOES TO THE TALKING POINT.
WELL, IF THERE'S ARE STRICT GUIDELINES WITH THIS, THEN JUST DO IT IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, RIGHT? AND FOR ME IT'S, IT'S A TOUGH SITUATION BECAUSE I'M JUDGING IF YOUR PROJECT IS WORTHWHILE OR NOT.
WELL, WHY THE HELL IS IT NOT A GREAT IDEA? WELL, OKAY, UM, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO TELL YOU.
I JUST DON'T FEEL A GREAT IDEA.
AND THAT PUTS ME IN A WEIRD SITUATION.
AND THEN AS SOON AS THAT COMES IN, THEN IT DOES GO.
JUST LIKE TO JAMIE'S POINT JUST NOW, HER, HER POINT IS THE SAME FOR EVERY OTHER DIRECTOR HERE.
IT'S EVERY SINGLE DIRECTOR WOULD FEEL THE SAME WAY.
IF I CALL THEM AND SAY, HEY, I NEED YOU TO GO DO THIS PROJECT, WOULD THEY JUMP AND DO IT? YEAH.
THEY GET UP AND ACHIEVE A LOT OF CRAP EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND SO THEY WOULD, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, THAT IT'S NOT A, A, A, AN UNPLANNED EVENT THAT THAT'S, THAT'S GOING UPON THEM.
I THINK THERE IS A GREAT USE FOR IT.
I HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHAT A GUIDELINE WOULD BE FOR THIS SPECIFIC THING, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE, I THINK IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DEFINE.
UM, I ALSO THINK IT COULD BE ABUSED, LIKE VERY, IT COULD BE ABUSED SO MUCH.
SO LET'S SAY THAT YOU DID SOMETHING BEFORE YOU GOT OFF COUNSEL AND THE NEXT COUNCIL MEMBER CAME IN AND CAME IN AND DESTROYED EVERYTHING THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT ANY REMNANTS OF YOU IN THERE.
AND SO IT COULD TURN INTO A TURF WAR ON WHICH COUNCIL MEMBER WANTS TO CREATE SOMETHING FOR THEIR TIME AND ONLY THEIR TIME.
IT CAN BE USED IN SO MANY WAYS THAT COULD STILL FALL INTO THE GUIDELINES, BUT IT COULD BE ABUSED AND JUST CREATE A BACK AND FORTH.
THERE ARE ARE SO MANY THINGS WITH IT.
I I THINK IT CAN BE USED FOR GOOD PURPOSES.
IT WOULD JUST NEED A VERY EXTENSIVE CONVERSATION AROUND IT.
NOW, I'M NOT SAYING ANYBODY HERE IS THE, THE IDEAS THAT HAVE COME TO ME FOR, UH, FOUR OF YOU THAT ARE USING IT ARE GREAT IDEAS.
AND I, THEY'RE NOT HARD TO SAY, UM, HEY, LET'S, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS ONE.
BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN I'M NOT, THAT I'M NOT GONNA GET A NEGATIVE ONE AT SOME POINT WHERE I'M, I'M HAVING A, A FIGHT WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT IT JUST CAN'T MOVE FORWARD.
SO THAT'S JUST MY INPUT I WANT.
SO YOU SAID 45,000 IS YOUR CURRENT TOTAL? YES.
HOW, AND THIS YEAR, HOW MUCH OF THAT WILL YOU USE? ABOUT 33 ISH.
THE PROJECTS COME IN DIFFERENT.
THIS YEAR WE HAD A LOT OF, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD POP UP BLOCK PARTIES.
THOSE TEND TO BE CHEAPER THAN THE BIGGER STUFF.
SORT OF JUST DEPENDS WHAT PEOPLE ASK FOR 33.
BUT IF YOU GAVE ME 300 AND SAID, LOOK AT ALL THESE GRANTS AND, AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO EXECUTE THESE PROJECTS, CAN DO IT.
ALSO, BECAUSE I RELY ON OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO ACTUALLY DO IT BECAUSE I'M NOT THAT GOOD.
I MEAN, IT DEPENDS, BUT IT'S AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION.
BECAUSE THIS IS, COULD BE SEEN AS A WAY TO GET CITIZENS MORE INVOLVED IN DECISION MAKING FOR THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH COMES UP.
I GUESS I'M, TO JAY'S POINT, IT COULD BE A WAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE JUST TO SAY, DO THIS, DO THIS, DO THIS.
WELL, I I JUST WANNA SAY ON THE SURFACE, I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE BEING PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHAT THIS WOULD, I MEAN, IT WOULD BE IT, AND A MAJORITY OF 'EM ARE GONNA BE QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THEY MAY BE A PARK BENCH, IT MAY BE A NEW WHATEVER.
UH, COULD BE INFRASTRUCTURE, LIKE I SAID, IT COULD BE, I THINK SPEED CUSHIONS.
IT COULD BE ALL KINDS OF THINGS, UM, IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS.
SO I THINK THAT'S, I'LL GO, SHE SAYS SHE CAN'T MANAGE IT, BUT THAT'S WHERE THE GUIDELINES COME IN, IN A SENSE.
[02:05:01]
YES, MA'AM, I, I, I CAN SHARE WHAT I'M USING MINE FOR.UM, IT HASN'T BEEN TALKED ABOUT YET, BUT THE SKATING RINKS GOING AWAY, THE ICE SKATING RINK, AND THAT WAS BUDGETED, I THINK FOR 115,000 EVERY YEAR.
UM, SO WHAT I'VE ASKED IS PRO TO PROVIDE SOMETHING IN TOWN SQUARE, WHICH DOESN'T BENEFIT JUST ONE AREA.
IT'S TIED IN TO SOME OF OUR, OUR THINGS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS A COUNCIL.
SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WAS GUIDELINES OR NOT.
UM, AND SO WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO IS TAKE IN ALL THE CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND AS WELL IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO I ASKED, UM, UH, THE CITY MANAGER FOR SOME INPUT, BUT THEN I ALSO REACHED OUT TO PARKS AND REC AND WITH THE NEW GOLF COURSE COMING IN, AND ALSO WITH THE WORLD CUP FIXING TO COME UP, UM, I'VE ASKED IF THEY CAN DO A PUTT PUTT AND ALSO, UM, SOME KIND OF SOCCER FACILITY USING THE $50,000 IN THE TOWN SQUARE AREA.
SO, UM, THAT'S THE KIND OF IDEAS THAT I WAS TAKING WITH ME, UM, AS FAR AS THAT.
AND SO NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO COME IN LATER AND TEAR IT DOWN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, UM, FOR TURF WAR.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE MY MIND WENT WITH IT.
UM, I DIDN'T FOCUS ON HOW THERE COULD BE SOME NEGATIVITIES TO IT, BUT I, I DO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TRUST ONE ANOTHER, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHO WOULD BE HERE IN THE FUTURE WITH, YOU KNOW, CONTROL OF THAT MONEY.
UM, BUT, BUT THAT WAS MY IDEA WITH IT.
AND I KNOW THAT, UM, THE GRANT PROGRAM, A LOT OF THOSE ARE LIKE, UM, DVANTAGE, YOU KNOW, ONE TIME THINGS.
AND SO THIS ONE WOULD BE, UM, WOULD BE LONG TERM.
WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING A LONGER SEASON THAN THE HIGH SKATING RINK HAS.
AND I, I MEAN, SOMETHING OF THAT MAGNITUDE I THINK COULD EASILY JUST BE DISCUSSED AS A COUNCIL AND, AND, UH, BE BUDGETED FOR IS, UM, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON HOW MUCH OF AN INCREASE, UM, YOU COULD, YOU COULD, UH, LIKE WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S FEASIBLE IF WE WANT TO MOVE SOME OF THAT, UM, OVER, I'LL JUST, OBVIOUSLY 300, 3 45 WOULD BE TOO MOLES.
BUT, UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE, I MEAN, I THINK IT WOULD BE A, THE GUIDELINE'S ALREADY THERE.
UM, AND SO I I YOU MEAN WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD? YEAH.
IF WE WERE ABLE TO, TO, TO REALLOCATE SOME OF IT THROUGH THAT PROCESS, I WOULD, I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF THAT.
I MEAN, FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK IT WOULD TOUCH NEIGHBORHOODS MORE THAN, I MEAN, I DON'T TOUCH GENERAL AREAS.
SO I GUESS ON THAT, I MEAN, YOU BROUGHT IT UP AND I, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT, COUNCILMAN, I UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE OTHERS IS, IS, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT, 'CAUSE IT PUTS THE CITY MANAGER IN, IN THE PRECARIOUS SITUATION.
AND YOU MAY HAVE A GREAT IDEA AND THERE'S NOT MONEY ALLOCATED FOR IT, SO YOU HAVE WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR.
I MEAN, AND SO, YOU KNOW, AND AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE WANNA MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR CITIZENS.
YOU KNOW, YOU LISTEN TO 'EM, BUT THEN YOU, YOU SAY, WELL, IN, IN 12 MONTHS I WILL TRY TO GO AND TRY TO GET FUNDING FOR A GOOD IDEA.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR, FOR THE CREATION OF, OF THESE, OF THIS TYPE OF BUDGETARY LINE ITEM.
I WOULD THINK GUIDELINES WOULD ABSOLUTELY HELP SO THAT IF WE ALL AGREE, WE KNOW THAT EACH COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD WORK WITH THE CITY MANAGER WITHIN THESE GUIDELINES.
WE APPROVE, APPROVE IT, BUDGETARILY, AND THEN IT'S MANAGED BY STAFF.
I MEAN, THAT PART, WE CAN'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO DO IT OR NOT PARK BENCHES VERSUS OTHER THINGS, WHATEVER.
UM, BUT I DO THINK IT, IT HELPS IMPROVE OUR CITY AT A VERY MICRO LEVEL FOR EACH COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WAS, YEAH.
SO I, I GUESS, I GUESS SO, YEAH, SO I DON'T KNOW.
WE HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION IN A SENSE, BUT BE ALL AGREED WITH IT.
SO I, I WOULD, I MEAN, I, BUT KIND OF WANNA LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT PROGRAM ITSELF.
UM, AND IF WE CAN, I'M SURE WE COULD TIE, WE CAN TIE THIS TO SOME KIND OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVE.
CERTAINLY QUALITY OF LIFE, RIGHT.
AND AMENITIES OR THE SPRINKLES AS IT WILL, IT WILL STILL SPRINKLE, SO IT'LL BE A CHERRY.
SO YEAH, I DON'T LIKE SPRINKLES.
I'LL TAKE A CHERRY, BUT, WELL, I MEAN, I DON'T LIKE SPRINKLES.
I'LL TAKE A CHERRY, BUT NO SPRINKLES.
ANYWAY, SO ANYTHING ELSE THEN? THAT WAS ALL.
ALRIGHT, SO WE ON TWO MORE? YOU WANT JUST GO THIS ONE? OKAY.
UM, HONESTLY I DIDN'T HAVE ANY MAJOR QUESTIONS.
THOSE, BUT I DID WAS BROUGHT UP.
SO I'M GONNA BE EASY PEASY WITH Y'ALL TODAY.
UM, UH, I DO WANT TO SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THIS ABBREVIATED VERSION.
I KNOW I'VE MENTIONED THAT TO A COUPLE OF YOU ALREADY.
UM, AND JUST HAVING THE COMMENTS IN HERE HAVE ANSWERED
[02:10:01]
A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS AS I GO ALONG, UM, REVIEWING THE BUDGET.I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, THEY USED TO BE THIS BIG AND IT WAS ACTUALLY FILLED WITH ALL THE PAPER.
MS. GRANT, I PUT IT THROUGH MY GRADING RUBRIC AND IT GOT CHANGED, SO WE'RE GOOD.
I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING POSSIBLY LEFT TO ASK AFTER ALL.
I TRIED REALLY HARD TO COME UP WITH SOME GOOD STUFF, BUT MOST OF IT'S BEEN ADDRESSED.
BUT, WELL, I MEAN, AND, AND I, THE ONLY STATEMENT I'LL MAKE TO THAT IS I THINK THIS IS THE REASON WHY BUDGETS HAVE BEEN A LOT EASIER AND EVEN WITH, WITH THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS IN A SENSE, IS I HOPE YOU, I HOPE YOU CAN AT LEAST HONOR, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT START ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE PASSED THE LAST BUDGET.
ONCE Y'ALL WERE SEATED JANUARY WE HAD A RETREAT AND WE IDENTIFIED BASICALLY WHAT IS THE PRIORITIES AS A COUNCIL AS A CITY.
AND THEN STAFF IS ABLE TO WORK THROUGH THAT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, MEET WITH THE CITY MANAGER, MEET WITH STAFF, LET THEM, LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
I'D LIKE THE EXERCISES THAT THAT, THAT OUR CITY MANAGER'S DONE IN A SENSE.
KIND OF LIKE, WHERE ARE YOU AT? I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF JUST PUTTING US RIGHT ON THE SPOT, BUT WHERE ARE WE AT AS A COUNCIL? SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT.
AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S PRETTY MUCH EASY TO BUILD A CONSENSUS OF PHILOSOPHICALLY WHAT DOES THIS BUDGET LOOK LIKE, THE INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEMS. I KNOW WE CAN KIND OF LOOK AT THE PLUSES AND MINUS, AND I DO APPRECIATE MIKE TO GO AND BE THAT CHECKS AND BALANCE.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED, WE NEED, UM, THAT TYPE OF, UM, DEEP DIVE IN INTO THE BUDGETARY ITEMS. RIGHT? BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE, THE BOLD BIG NUMBER GETS APPROVED WHEN, WHENEVER THAT TAKES PLACE AND, AND, UH, THE INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEMS, THEY, THEY HAVE TO MOVE AROUND, RIGHT? MM-HMM
I DO APPRECIATE THAT REALLY, WE COME TO A POINT WHERE STAFF HOLISTICALLY, WE'RE LOOKING TO REALLY ACCOUNT FOR REALISTIC NUMBERS.
SOME ARE BETTER THAN IN THE PAST AND SOME ARE WORSE THAN IN THE PAST, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY'RE REAL NUMBERS AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH.
SO I, I DON'T, I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION MM-HMM
AND I, I DO APPRECIATE THE COUNSEL THAT, UM, LOOKING AT ALL THIS THE PAST FEW WEEKS SINCE WE RECEIVED THIS BUDGET, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE STAFF TIME THAT'S BEEN INCLUDED TO GET TO THIS POINT.
DO APPRECIATE THE, THE WAY LESS THICK PAPERWORK.
I WAS TELLING COUNCILMAN HERE THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S A LOT MORE EASIER TO READ FOR US COMPARED TO THE FIRST FEW PAGES THAT ARE VERY ACCOUNTING LOOKING TYPE STUFF FOR ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCE PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW I DON'T HAVE ONE QUESTION.
UM, AND I GUESS IT'D BE FOR PARKS, JUST BECAUSE, AND THIS IS, THIS IS QUESTIONS THAT CITIZENS ASK ME.
UM, THE, THE TRAIN THAT WE, THAT WE UTILIZE, I THINK WE USE AT JENKINS FOR SOME WEEKENDS.
I KNOW WHEN I ASKED, UH, MONTHS AGO WHEN WE FIRST HAD IT IN JENKINS, YOU KNOW, I SAID, HEY, ARE WE RENTING OR IS THIS OURS OR ARE WE RENTING IT? AT THE TIME WE WERE RENTING IT, BUT I THINK WE CAN UTILIZE IT WITH ALL THE POPUPS AND ALL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BUY IT OR AND HOUSE IT.
THAT MAY BE THE HARDEST THING.
BUT ARE YOU GIVING US THE 50,000 GOOD JOB? JACOB'S GONNA, JACOB'S GONNA GIVE, I GOT A BLANK CHECK FOR YOU.
IT WON'T BE A JENKINS NOW, BUT OTHER THAN THAT.
NO, BUT WE, WE ARE CURRENTLY RENTING IT.
UH, WE LOOKED AT THAT, I DUNNO WHAT THE COST WAS.
IT'S A VERY SPECIFIC ONE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ADULT AND CHILDREN RIDE ON.
IT'S NOT JUST THE OLD, IT WAS REALLY NICE.
THERE'S OVER THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT IT'S CURRENTLY NOT IN BUDGET, BUT UNDER 300.
CAN YOU GET A PRICE? I JUST THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S A GREAT COLLABORATION.
YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S GREAT FOR A LOT OF THE, THE, UH, EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE, YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT PRICE IS.
IT'S THE ONE THING THAT CITIZENS ASKED ME LIKE, HEY, THAT'S GREAT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DO THOSE, THOSE TYPE OF, UM, I THINK I WAS, WE WENT TO ROSELYN AT ONE OF THE, WHAT WAS IT? WHEN THEY HAD THE SNOW CONES AND EVERYTHING, THE POP UP ON THE POPUP PARTY.
THE POPUP POPUP, THE ROSELYN ONE WAS LIKE SUPER PACKED.
I THINK IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THAT SNOW CONE MACHINE WAS, IT WAS HOT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE SNOW CONES.
THOUSAND, A THOUSAND PEOPLE, I THINK A THOUSAND SNOW CONES, YOU KNOW.
I THINK AS COUNCIL MEMBERS WE HAD A BUSY DAY.
THERE WAS OTHER MULTIPLE EVENTS, BUT WE WENT OUT THERE, BUT IT WAS PACKED.
AND, AND WHAT I SAW WAS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF FAMILIES IN BAYTOWN THAT, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THEIR SUMMER VACATION, SUMMER BREAK.
AND SO WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY SPRINKLES? ABSOLUTE, THERE'S
[02:15:01]
SPRINKLES TO SOME THEIR NEEDS TO OTHERS.AND SO THERE'S DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THAT.
SOME THEIR M MS. NO, I'M JUST SAYING SOME THEIR CHOCOLATE.
NO, I MEAN THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WITH KYRA BAY.
I WOULD SAY TAKE IT OUT OF MINE, BUT I DON'T GET ANYTHING SO I'LL, ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD.
I DID, I DID HAVE ONE OTHER COMMENT.
AND, AND LIKE IN IT, AND NORMALLY, OR YOU IN PAST NORMALLY USED TO WHATEVER, UM, IF YOU HAD MAJOR SOFTWARE IMPROVEMENTS IN INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS, THAT LINE ITEM WAS IN THE DEPARTMENT MM-HMM
SO THAT WE COULD LOOK AT IT TO WHATEVER DEPARTMENT'S BEING UPGRADED.
AND THEN ONCE IT WAS APPROVED IN THE BUDGET, THEN IT WOULD BE ROLLED INTO IT.
UM, IT, TO ME IT MAKES IT A LITTLE CLEANER, LIKE THE $367,000 INCREASE IN MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT FOR IT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR IT, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S BROKEN OUT INTO LIKE SIX OR SEVEN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
SO TO ME IT WOULD BE MORE BENEFICIAL TO KNOW THAT YOU BEING IN FINANCE ARE GETTING, YOU KNOW, A SOFTWARE PROGRAM.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT'S GETTING SOFTWARE PROGRAM LEGAL'S, GETTING A SOFTWARE PROGRAM.
AND WE CAN ALSO MAKE JUDGEMENTS AS YEAH, IT'S GOOD FOR THEM, BUT WE DON'T LIKE LEGAL, SO WE'RE NOT GONNA GIVE THEM WHATEVER WE'RE GONNA GIVE 'EM.
SO INSTEAD OF LUMPING IT ALL TOGETHER, HE'S LIKE, LEGAL
SO I'M GOOD, I'M GOOD WITH THAT.
BUT JUST, JUST THIS AS THE FUTURE.
FIND A BETTER WAY TO PRESENT IT SO THAT IT'S MORE, YEAH.
'CAUSE AGAIN, I, I FIRST LOOKED AT, WHAT IS IT, GETTING 300 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS IN, IN EQUIPMENT.
THEN I, THEN I SAW THE BREAKOUT, OH, THAT'S INVOLVING SIX OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN MAJOR PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, UPGRADES AND SO FORTH.
THAT'S GOOD FOR US TO KNOW FOR THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
SO WE, WE KNOW THEY'RE NOT STATIC AND THAT THEY'RE GROWING.
AGAIN, A LOT OF MY COMMENTS SOMETIMES ARE JUST TO HIGHLIGHT IMPROVEMENTS.
AND, AND, AND WHEN WE HIDE IT LIKE THIS AND, AND I DON'T, I DON'T MEAN TO SAY YOU'RE HIDING ANYTHING, BUT WHEN IT GETS HIDDEN IN THE, IN THE DETAIL, WE DON'T KNOW IT OR DON'T CATCH IT.
SO JUST TRYING TO, 'CAUSE I THINK EVERY, EVERY ONE OF THESE IS MORE THAN JUSTIFIED AND, AND EVERYTHING.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY IMPROVING THEIR PROGRAMS. YES, SIR.
THAT'S MORE, THAT'S MY FINAL COMMENT, MAYOR.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY FINAL COMMENTS? I JUST WANT TO, UH, ONCE AGAIN THANK THERESA AND GINA AND, UH, ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS FOR GETTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
UH, GINA AND THERESA WERE WORKING MIDNIGHT OR SO LAST NIGHT, GETTING SOME THINGS ORGANIZED FOR TODAY, THIS MORNING.
WELL, THEY'RE YOUNG SO THEY CAN
UM, I WANT TO THANK CAROL AND JAMIE FOR HELPING SET UP ALL THIS FACILITATION.
THIS IS, UH, THEY REALLY DROVE A LOT OF THIS AND, UH, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT THEM.
AND THEN FOR EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE ROOM THAT'S TAKING PART OF THIS, THIS HAS NOT BEEN SOME SMALL FEAT.
THIS HAS BEEN QUITE A BIT, UH, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM.
AND, UH, IT WILL CONTINUE, UH, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
BUT IT, IT TOOK ALL OF US TO BRING THIS AND, UH, AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S FEEDBACK AND Y'S OPENNESS TO TRY SOMETHING NEW.
AND OVERALL I THINK IT WENT VERY WELL.
SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S HERE TODAY, UH, FOR THE PROCESS.
ANY OTHER, ANY COUNCIL COMMENTS? IF NOT, IF NOT, THIS MEANS ADJOURNED.