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[ CITY OF BAYTOWN NOTICE OF MEETING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024 5:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBER, CITY HALL 2401 MARKET STREET, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 77520 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF QUORUM ]
I NOW CALL THIS WORK SESSION THE BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER.IT IS, UH, LET'S SEE, OUR FIRST ITEM, OOPS, EXCUSE ME.
OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE WORK SESSION IS CITIZEN COMMENTS.
I'M NOT SURE WE HAVE ANYBODY THAT'S SIGNED UP FOR CITY COMMENTS.
ALRIGHT, UH, WE WILL MOVE ON TO
[ Discuss City Council Goals, Policy and Vision for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget.]
ITEM TWO, WHICH IS TO DISCUSS CITY COUNCIL GOALS, POLICY AND VISION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 20 24, 25 BUDGET.UM, I'M ASSUMING THERE'S A PREFERENCE BY OUR CITY MANAGER.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
WE ARE SCHEDULED TO GO TILL, UH, SIX, BUT YOU KNOW, WE CAN GO TILL SIX 30 IF NECESSARY.
UM, AND KIND OF WORK THROUGH ALL THIS.
IF Y'ALL LIKE AND REALLY WANNA DIVE INTO THIS, WE CAN SUSPEND THE MEETING AND GO UNTIL 10 O'CLOCK TONIGHT AFTER THE REGULAR MEETING.
I HOPE TO, UH, BE DONE WITH THIS IN, IN AN HOUR.
SO THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN, UH, TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING AT THIS POINT, AND IT'S BEEN A JOURNEY, UH, TO SAY THE LEAST.
UH, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, UH, FIRST FOR I GUESS BAY TOWN'S RECENT HISTORY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BUDGET.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE, A LITTLE BIT OF FUN, AND A LITTLE BIT OF JUST NEW EXPERIENCES FOR QUITE A FEW PEOPLE, UM, IN THE CITY.
AND I'D LIKE TO WALK YOU THROUGH, UM, WHAT IT WAS LIKE WALKING INTO AN ALREADY ADOPTED FY 23 BUDGET.
UH, SOME THINGS THAT WE NOTICED, UM, AND BASICALLY HOW WE GOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
AND THEN SOME OF THE TALKING POINTS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONSIDER AND GO OVER.
AND I WON'T DWELL ON THIS A LOT.
WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW.
SO BACK IN MARCH, UH, OF 2023, UM, AFTER ONE OF OUR RECENT RETREATS, WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT PRIORITIES AND HOW WE WERE FUNDING, UM, HOW WE WERE FUNDING THINGS.
BUT, AND WE HAD A GOOD STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT WE WERE MISSING THE MARK ON A, ON A FEW ITEMS AND THAT WE NEEDED TO READJUST AND REALLY REALIGN.
AND SO ONE OF MY REQUESTS TO THE CITY COUNCIL WAS THAT WE PAUSE THAT WE FINISHED WHAT WE HAD ALREADY ADOPTED IN FY 23 AND, UH, AS WE WERE MOVING INTO BUILDING THE FY 24 BUDGET THAT WE NEEDED TO JUST TAKE A BREAK.
WE DIDN'T NEED TO ADD MORE PROJECTS TO FY 24 BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO WORK ON A FEW THINGS, FIND OUT WHERE WE HAD SOME DEFICIENCIES AND HIGHLIGHT, UM, WHERE OUR MONEY IS GOING SO THAT THAT MONEY IS TOWARDS OUR PRIORITY PROJECTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED IS THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT METRICS AND THAT WE WOULD BRING THIS BACK FOR THE CITY COUNCIL IN OR BEFORE THE FY 25 BUDGET WAS ADOPTED, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THAT.
WE STARTED WORKING ON THAT IMMEDIATELY.
I'M ONLY GONNA SHOW YOU ONE, I'M NOT GONNA DIVE INTO ALL THE DEPARTMENTS, BUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, UH, BACK HERE WORKED ON IDENTIFYING, I'LL END UP HERE.
CHIEF, I DIDN'T MEAN TO FORGET YOU, ANGIE, MY APOLOGIES.
UM, HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IDENTIFYING PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR THEIR DEPARTMENTS.
YES, THESE ARE INTERNAL RIGHT NOW, UH, FOR THE MOST PART BY AND LARGE.
UH, BUT THEY WILL BE AGGREGATED INTO COUNCIL PRIORITIES AND WHAT THE CITIZENS, WHAT, WHAT WE THINK THE CITIZENS WANT TO SEE US IMPROVE OR WORK ON.
AND THIS IS JUST A GLIMPSE INTO SOME OF THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THIS.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT VIOLENT CRIMES HAVE GONE DOWN, THAT THE OVERALL PART ONE CRIMES ARE TRENDING DOWN AS WELL.
AND, UH, JUST A SHOUT OUT TO, UH, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENTS THAT ARE ADDRESSING THAT TYPE OF STUFF.
AND THEN Y'ALL PROBABLY ALL REMEMBER THE FORMULA.
UM, WE, LAST SUMMER, WE WENT THROUGH WHAT THE FORMULA WAS.
WE TALKED IN DEPTH ABOUT HOW POLICY DECISIONS ON THE DAIS LED TO REVENUE COMING IN TO THE CITY, AND HOW OTHER POLICY DECISIONS LED TO THE EXPENSES TO COUNTER THOSE REVENUES.
I'M NOT GONNA DIVE INTO THAT AGAIN TODAY.
I'M NOT GONNA ASK Y'ALL TO PLAY ANY GAMES.
I'M NOT GONNA FACILITATE ANY KIND OF MESSAGE, UM, WITH THE FORMULA.
BUT IT WAS, I BELIEVE, A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT HOW OUR BUDGET OPERATES, UH, FOR THE COUNCIL, FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
AND I, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD TIME, HONESTLY, AND, UM, GLAD THAT WE WENT THROUGH IT IN JUNE OF, OR LAST MONTH.
LAST MONTH WE HAD ANOTHER WORK SESSION IN PREPARATION FOR THE FY 25 BUDGET.
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POLICY DECISIONS AND LOOKED AT WHAT OUR AVERAGE GROWTH WAS.WE SAW THAT OUR AVERAGE GROWTH WAS ROUGHLY A LITTLE MORE THAN 6% OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT, WE ARE WORKING UNDER A HALF CENT TAX RATE REDUCTION WITH OUR DEBT RATE RELATIVELY FLAT OR OVERALL STABLE.
NOT TRYING TO INCREASE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
WE LOOKED AT REVENUE POSSIBILITIES ON DIFFERENT MODELS AND EXPENDITURE POSSIBILITIES WITH DIFFERENT MODELS.
THE POINT WAS TO ADDRESS WHAT WE'D ALREADY BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS OF NOT WANTING THOSE LINES TO CROSS.
AND OVERALL, WE LET Y'ALL KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE, WE WOULD BE WORKING ON AROUND THE 4% GROWTH MODEL, UH, THAT YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM.
WHEN WE LEFT THAT MEETING, WE WANTED TO REASSURE THAT WE WERE ON THE SAME PAGE AND, UM, BUILD AN FY 25 BUDGET WITH THE SAME POLICY PARAMETERS THAT WERE ONCE IDENTIFIED FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET CONTINUED FOR THE FY 25 BUDGET.
THOSE POLICY PARAMETERS WERE THAT WE WERE WORKING WITH A HALF CENT TAX RATE REDUCTION OR A NO NEW REVENUE RATE, WHICHEVER ONE IS GREATER FOR THE CITIZENS.
WE WERE ALSO WORKING ON, UM, AN INCREASE IN OUR TAX EXEMPTION.
WE ADOPTED THAT, UH, I BELIEVE TWO MONTHS AGO AT THIS POINT.
UH, THAT WAS FOR SENIORS OVER 65 WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF GETTING THAT EXEMPTION TO A, A PLACE WHERE ANYBODY OVER 65 IN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN DOES NOT HAVE TO PAY PROPERTY TAX FOR THE CITY OF BAYTOWN PORTION WITH AN AVERAGE VALUE HOME.
UM, THAT IS A GOAL THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT OUR 65 DAYS OF RESERVE.
THAT CAME OFF NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS OF, UH, MOODY'S OR BASICALLY OUR CREDIT RATING.
WHAT WE, UH, ARE PERCEIVED TO BE.
WE WERE GIVEN GUIDANCE BY OUR CREDIT RATERS THAT IF WE WENT BELOW 65, WE'D TAKE A CHANCE IN LOWERING OUR CREDIT RATING.
AND THE FINANCE COMMITTEE LOOKED AT THIS, THEY GAVE THE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL.
COUNCIL HAS NOT FULLY ADOPTED THAT, BUT WE HAVE ENOUGH OF A NOD THAT WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A POLICY PARAMETER THAT WE ARE WORKING ON AND SHOOTING FOR WHEN WE ARE BUILDING THIS BUDGET.
ANOTHER LARGE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD WAS AROUND CASH AND DEBT.
IT WAS THE COUNCIL'S GOAL TO WORK TO HAVE MORE CASH ON HAND TO LOWER THE DEBT, UM, POSSIBILITIES OR, OR THE DEBT, UM, EX YEAH, THE DEBT THAT WE WOULD GO OUT FOR, UH, WITH BONDS.
COUNSEL DOES NOT WANT TO MAX OUT THE BOND, UH, ISSUANCES.
THEY WANT TO BALANCE THAT WITH SOME KIND OF, HEY, IF WE CAN DO 20, 30, 40% CASH AND THEN THE REST AND DEBT AND WORK TOWARDS THAT METHODOLOGY, LET'S BUILD UP OUR RESERVES AGAIN SO THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO DO THAT.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION AROUND MOVING TO GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS STAFF IS CURRENTLY WORKING TO BUILD THAT PARAMETERS WHERE WE WILL BE WORKING UNDER GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS IN THE FUTURE WITH THE CAVEATS AND PULLOUTS THAT WATER AND WATER AND SEWER PROJECTS, EXCUSE ME, WATER AND SEWER PROJECTS NEED TO BE, UM, PUT IN A WAY WHERE WE CAN ENSURE THAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE MOVING FORWARD.
WE ALSO NEED TO BE STRATEGIC WITH OUR, UH, ROADS SO THAT IT IS NOT BECOME A POLITICAL HOT BUTTON.
IT DOES NOT BECOME A POLITICAL HOT BUTTON WHEN WE'RE DOING STREETS, AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE GETTING OUR STREETS PAVED.
AND SO WE DON'T WANT TO, UM, PUT OURSELF IN A POSITION WHERE WE GO OUT FOR A GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND AND THEN WE SHOOT OURSELF IN THE FOOT.
SO WE HAVE TO BE SMART ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING THAT.
WE ARE WORKING ON THAT FOR THE COUNCIL.
UH, THAT IS NOT A, AN IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION TODAY, BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT WE ARE WORKING ON THAT FOR FY 25.
AND THEN IF I TAKE A FEW STEPS BACK, Y'ALL REMEMBER THIS GRAPH.
THIS WAS THE GRAPH THAT WAS THE TALKING POINT, UM, AND FY 23 THAT WE SAID THAT WE HAVE SOME FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES THAT WE NEED TO WORK AROUND, UM, THAT WE NEED TO FIX ON HOW WE SPEND THINGS THAT WE HAVE, UM, ITEMS WITH THE STATE THAT CONSTRICT OUR REVENUE GROWTH.
WE HAVE, UM, POLICIES OF LOWERING THE TAX RATES.
SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE HURTING THE WAY THAT OUR REVENUE IS GROWING.
UH, AS Y'ALL ALL KNOW, INFLATION HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY.
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AND WHEN WE PUT THESE MODELS IN HERE, IT'S LEADING TO WHAT COULD BE SEEN AS A CROSSING OF EXPENDITURES OVER REVENUES.THE GREAT PART ABOUT PUTTING THIS OUT THERE IS THAT WE KNEW THAT WE COULD GET AHEAD OF IT AND THAT WE PROMISED Y'ALL THAT WE WOULD FIND WAYS TO GET AHEAD OF THIS.
WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS, UH, WITH SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND THINGS THAT WE'D OFFER IN THE CITY, BUT WE CAN GET AHEAD OF THIS.
SO THE FY 25 BUDGET IN FRONT OF YOU DOES EXACTLY THAT.
YOU WILL SEE THAT THE FY 24 BUDGET, UM, THE TOTAL REVENUE OF OF 1 33 AND THEN THE PROPOSED REVENUE FOR FY 25 IS 1 38.
WE ARE GROWING OUR EXPENSES FROM 1 38 0.9 IN FY 24 TO ONLY ONE 40.6.
YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ONLY GREW BY $3 MILLION.
I'LL HIT ON THIS A LITTLE BIT, UM, WITH A FEW PIECES ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL BUDGET, YOU CAN SEE THAT A MAJORITY OF THE COST THAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW ARE WITH PERSONNEL COST.
THE TEAM DID ONE HECK OF A JOB WORKING TO REDUCE THE OVERALL EXPENSES IN THE FY 25 BUDGET.
WHEN I TALKED ABOUT FINANCIAL PIECES THAT THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING ON, UH, THAT WE HAD TO WORK AROUND, ONE OF THEM IS PERSONNEL.
I'VE BEEN VERY CANDID WITH Y'ALL, UM, OPENLY DURING SOME FINANCIAL, UH, MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD NOT HERE ON THE DAIS, THAT THERE WERE THINGS THAT, UM, WEREN'T KOSHER WITH THE FINANCES PERSONNEL WERE ONE OF THEM, OKAY? THEY WERE SET UP IN A WAY WHERE IT WAS NOT OBVIOUS TO COUNCIL HOW THAT MONEY WAS SPENT.
IT WAS NOT OBVIOUS TO COUNCIL OR THE CITIZENS ON WHAT THAT WAS FRAMED LIKE WHEN IT WAS PUT UP HERE FOR Y'ALL TO CONSIDER.
AND I TOLD Y'ALL THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, FROM FY 23 AND, UM, THE, THE NEW FINANCE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING FOR TWO YEARS STRAIGHT TO TRY TO FIX THAT.
WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE FY 24 BUDGET AND PROPOSED THE FY 24 BUDGET, THERE WAS A LARGE SPIKE IN PERSONNEL COST.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAD TO COURSE CORRECT.
AND WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAD IN FRONT OF US AT THE TIME, WE HAD, UH, WE MADE THE BEST EDUCATED GUESS ON WHAT THE THAT WOULD BE.
WE WERE NOT, UM, FULLY AWARE OF EVERYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE IN PLACE UNTIL THE FY 24 BUDGET STARTED.
SO WITH THE FY 25 BUDGET, YOU WILL SEE MORE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE PERSONNEL TO ENSURE THAT THE PERSONNEL COSTS ARE PROPERLY ALLOCATED.
THAT IS ONE REASON THAT YOU HAVE SUCH A, AN INCREASE IN THE, IN THE FIVE OR, UH, AN INCREASE OF 5.7.
I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE OVERALL INCREASES ONLY WENT AT 1.2.
SO WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS TO THE FY 25 BUDGET? I'M GONNA PAUSE ON THE FIRST ONE AND RECOGNIZE ALL THE DIRECTORS HERE BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS ON OUR PROGRAMS. THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY $5 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS IN THE FY 25 BUDGET.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TOTAL OPERATIONAL COSTS, THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION, EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF PERSONNEL, IT'S ROUGHLY LIKE 30 TO $35 MILLION AND THEY TOOK $5 MILLION OUTTA THAT.
I MEAN, ALMOST 10% OF A REDUCTION OUTTA MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION.
AND SO I JUST SAY THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THAT.
IT WAS A LOT AND UH, I KNOW ALL OF US APPRECIATE IT AND JUST THANK YOU FOR WORKING THROUGH IT.
UM, WHAT IT ALSO MEANS FOR THE CITY STAYING AT ANOTHER FLAT BUDGET IS THAT WE'VE HAD TWO YEARS OF NO GROWTH AT THIS POINT.
THAT WAS ONE THING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
LIKE WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO OPERATE
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LIKE THIS AS A GROWING CITY THAT WE HAD TO FIND WAYS TO GET WHERE WE CAN STILL ADD PEOPLE, UH, FOR SERVICES THAT ARE NECESSARY.BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK AND REPRIORITIZE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING SO THAT WE CAN APPROPRIATELY GROW.
AND THEN THERE'S NO CIP FUNDING.
THE ONLY THING THAT'S IN THE FY 25 BUDGET FOR GENERAL FUND DEBT AT THIS POINT IS FIRE STATION TWO.
THAT'S THE ONLY CIP PROJECT FOR GENERAL FUND IN THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOU WILL HAVE CONTINUATIONS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, WHICH IS FINE.
WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE TRY TO DO TOO MUCH BEFORE.
THIS GIVES A CHANCE FOR EVERYBODY TO SLOW DOWN, UH, TO WORK WITH THE, THE INSIDE OUR PROPER CAPACITY.
ANOTHER PIECE HERE IS THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO DO ANY NEW COUNCIL INITIATIVES.
UM, THAT HURTS WHEN YOU HAVE THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES BUILT UP AND A PLAN THAT YOU WANT TO TRY TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING IN THOSE FIVE YEARS AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO TRY TO ACHIEVE THOSE THINGS THAT Y'ALL ADOPTED.
AND SO WE HAVE TO WORK BETTER AT UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THE PARAMETERS THAT WE HAVE INSIDE OF OUR FORMULA, UM, AND JUST MAKE SOME OF THE DECISIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER POWELL, I THINK YOU MENTIONED IT AT THE JUNE WORK SESSION, THAT WE'VE PRAISED THE PAST COUNCILS, UH, FOR WAYS THAT THEY SET THINGS UP.
WE ALSO NEED TO IDENTIFY WHEN PAST COUNCILS HAVE MAYBE ADDED ONE TOO MANY THINGS IN THE BUDGET AS WELL.
AND, UM, THAT'S JUST WHERE WE'RE AT.
AND WITH THAT, A QUICK TANGENT.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST RECENTLY HAPPENED.
OKAY? AS I'VE TOLD Y'ALL LAST YEAR, UH, THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS, THIS WAS DECADES IN THE MAKING.
THIS IS 20 PLUS YEARS OF GETTING TO WHERE WE ARE AT.
IT ACCELERATED WITH SB TWO AND A FEW OTHER THINGS, BUT IT'S, IT'S DECADES IN THE MAKING AND NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT'S A SHORT TERM PIECE.
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN THOUGH? WELL, WE DO HAVE SERVICE DELIVERY CHANGES THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF.
SO THE FIRST ONE IS ADMINISTRATION.
THE FIRST PIECE IN THE ADMINISTRATION IS THAT THE, WELL, THE ONLY ONE I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT TODAY IS THE COUNCIL PRIORITY PROJECTS FUND.
OKAY? UM, THAT WAS ROUGHLY $300,000.
UH, THAT WAS $50,000 PER EACH COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WAS RESHIFT OR THAT WAS MOVED FROM ITS OWN LINE ITEM INSIDE THE CITY CONTINGENCY IF IT'S MOVED INTO THE CITY CONTINGENCY, BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY UP HERE FEELS THEY WANT TO USE THAT.
AND IF WE KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT GONNA BE A KNOWN EXPENSE EACH AND EVERY YEAR, THERE'S NO REASON TO ALLOCATE, UM, DEDICATED TAX RESOURCES TO THAT WHEN WE CAN USE THE CITY CONTINGENCY FOR NUMEROUS PROJECTS.
SO THAT'S A WAY FOR THE COUNCILS TO STILL PROVIDE THINGS TO THEIR DISTRICT, UM, IF YOU SO CHOOSE TO.
AND IF YOU DON'T, IT PROVIDES THE CONTINGENCY FOR US TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT POP UP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
HEALTH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS.
UM, A FEW THINGS THAT I'LL GO OVER.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO COORDINATE WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING, UM, FOR MORE, UH, EFFICIENT WASTE ABATEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THAT IS GEARED AROUND THE CLEAN TEAM THAT'S GEARED, UH, GEARED AROUND THE COMMUNITY CLEANUP EVENTS AND, UM, HOW WE ARE ADDRESSING SOME OF OUR SANITATION EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE AROUND THE CITY.
YOU AT YOUR DESK HAVE A PACKET WITH FULL DETAILS ON ALL OF THESE PIECES, UM, EXPLAINING WHAT, WHAT ALL THESE PROCESSES ARE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THEM, YOU WILL HAVE THEM SHORTLY.
OKAY? AND, UM, ON TOP OF THAT, WHEN WE LOOK AT ANIMAL CONTROL, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE PROPER STAFF ALLOCATION, UH, WITHIN OUR CURRENT SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.
SO WE ARE LOOKING, UM, AT HOW THAT, UM, AT CHANGES THAT WE CAN MAKE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE STILL RUNNING AN EFFICIENT OPERATION THERE.
UH, AND ALONG WITH OUR VACANCIES, THE LIBRARY, WE ARE GOING TO ADJUST OUR SERVICE HOURS TO MA UH, TO MATCH WHAT OUR NEIGHBORS DO.
UM, WE KIND OF GO ABOVE AND BEYOND.
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THAT'S KIND OF THE BAYTOWN WAY.AND SO WE OFFER A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES DO.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO ADJUST THAT A LITTLE BIT SO THAT WE, UM, ARE PROVIDING GOOD SERVICE LEVELS THAT PEOPLE CAN BE PROUD OF, BUT ALSO LESSEN A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE DO.
AND THAT'S MOSTLY GONNA BE AROUND THE DAYS THAT WE'RE OPEN, THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
DO Y'ALL HAVE THE HANDOUT AT ALL IN THE BUDGET? IT'S IN THE BUDGET.
THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, WE ARE ADDRESSING OUR SUBSTANDARD DEMOLITIONS, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE.
WE ARE GOING TO WORK ON, UM, BEING VERY STRATEGIC WITH THE SUBSTANDARD STRUCTURES THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, WHICH WILL REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT WE ARE GOING AFTER.
ONE THING THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IS HOW ALL OF THESE THINGS COMBINED PLAY A ROLE IN BALANCING OUR IMAGE AND BALANCING THE CODE PIECES THAT WE WANT TO GO, UH, ABOUT ADDRESSING, BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES THAT Y'ALL WANT TO ADDRESS.
AND SO IT IS A, IS A FINE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE TO WEIGH, UH, BUT IT IS INCLUDED IN PART OF THAT 5 MILLION AT THIS POINT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
SO PUBLIC AFFAIRS HAS A PRETTY COMPLEX, AND IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE MORE THAN I CAN SIT HERE AND ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE TO Y'ALL HOW IT'S GONNA OPERATE AT THIS POINT.
SO PUBLIC AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMBINES THE BIG GRANT FROM THE MDD, THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT GRANTS AND OUR HOTEL SPONSORSHIPS WHERE WE WOULD TAKE, WHERE WE WOULD SHIFT THE FUNDING FOR THOSE, FOR THOSE PROGRAMS, DO A LARGER PROGRAM THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD MEET CERTAIN PARAMETERS AND, UM, BRING MORE, UM, BRING ONE OR, OR MULTIPLE EVENTS TO THE CITY OF BAYTOWN THAT MEET PARAMETERS OF PUTTING STUFF IN A HOTEL AND ADDRESSING YOUR ECONOMIC PRIORITIES THAT Y'ALL HAVE SET FORWARD.
I KNOW THAT'S A QUICK BLURB AND THAT'S HARD TO LIKE EXPLAIN.
UM, BUT OVERALL THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT IS.
BUT I HOPE THAT YOU HEARD IT'S REALLOCATION OF THE BIG, THE NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT AND FOCUSING MORE ON THIS, WHICH IS MEETING LARGER PRIORITIES WITH TOURISM AND, UM, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THIS POINT.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY'RE GONNA CONSOLIDATE DIGITAL RESOURCES AROUND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM THAT WE HAVE.
UH, SO WE HAVE MULTIPLE WEBSITES OPERATING DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE HAVE TO FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO, TO OPERATE, UH, AROUND THAT.
THAT IS ONE OF THE PIECES THAT THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO DESIGNATE PUBLIC ART FUNDING TO THE HOT FUND ONLY AND GET, REMOVE THAT FROM THE GENERAL FUND AT THIS POINT.
AND THEN SOME OF YOU, YOU MAY CLAP.
WE'RE GOING TO DISENGAGE, UH, FEDERAL LOBBYISTS AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND THAT WILL NO LONGER BE FUNDED OUT OR THAT WILL NO LONGER BE FUNDED AT THIS POINT FOR FEDERAL LOBBYISTS.
PARKS AND RECREATION, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION IS GONNA BE A RESTRUCTURING OF THE ENTIRE PARKS AND REC SPONSORED EVENTS AND PROGRAMS. UM, THERE WILL BE, UH, A LARGE FOCUS ON THE CITY DOING UNIQUE EVENTS TO BAYTOWN.
WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THIS, WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE COMPETING WITH SOME EVENTS THAT HAPPENED, THAT CHURCHES PUT ON, THAT NONPROFITS PUT ON THAT NEIGHBORHOODS PUT ON.
WHY DO WE DO THE SAME THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING? LET'S FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO BAYTOWN AND THE THINGS WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT.
AND SO THE PARKS TEAM HAS RESTRUCTURED THEIR EVENT SCHEDULE, UH, AROUND HAVING UNIQUE EVENTS AT THIS POINT.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS THAT WE ARE GONNA MOVE, UH, SIDEWALK PROJECTS ALONG OTHER, UM, PUBLIC WORKS REPAIRS AND PROJECTS INSIDE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM, UH, NOT HAVING A DEDICATED SIDEWALK CREW AT THIS POINT.
THE NEXT ONE IS TO, UH, CREATE A NET ZERO SANITATION BUDGET, WHICH MEANS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A COST NEUTRAL PROGRAM WITH SANITATION.
NOW THIS DOES INCLUDE NUMEROUS PIECES WITH, UH, WASTE, SOLID
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WASTE PICKUP, THE GREEN CENTER AND BRUSH PICKUP IN YOUR PACKET, YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS THAT WILL BE TALKING POINTS, UH, FOR FUTURE MEETINGS AT THIS POINT.AND THEN WITH ALL THAT SAID, WE DO HAVE A FEW POLICY DECISIONS THAT STILL HAVE TO BE DECIDED BY THE COUNCIL.
THOSE ARE, WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO WITH THE TAX RATE IF ANY OF THESE THINGS, UM, ARE NOT WHAT YOU WANT.
DO YOU WANT TO RECONSIDER HOW WE LOOK AT THE TAX RATE? IS THE HALF CENT REDUCTION STILL THE POLICY DECISION THAT YOU WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH? HOW DO WE WANT TO, UH, ADDRESS ENTERPRISE FUNDS? DO WE WANT ALL ENTERPRISE FUNDS TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT OR DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO SUBSIDIZE THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE? RIGHT NOW, WE ARE WORKING UNDER THE, THE, UH, DIRECTION THAT THERE ARE SOME THAT WE ARE GOING TO ASSIST AND THERE ARE FUTURE ONES THAT WE'RE GOING TO ASSIST, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES AROUND SSO, UH, TO, FOR AN EXAMPLE.
AND, UH, THE AQUATICS PROGRAM.
WE KNOW THAT THERE IS DIRECTION TO ASSIST, UH, WHERE WE CAN ON THOSE TWO FUNDS.
AND THEN WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RATES OVERALL.
UM, ONE OF THOSE WILL BE WITH THE SANITATION FUND.
OTHERS WILL BE WITH THE UTILITY FUNDS AND, UM, HOW THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER, WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE RELIEF OR WHERE WE CANNOT PROVIDE RELIEF AND WHAT WE WANNA DO.
BUT THOSE ARE SOME PRETTY BIG POLICY DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE PRETTY SOON.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE DEBT CAPACITY.
UM, IF WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE GENERAL OBLIGATION, UH, DEBT AND CREATING THAT FIVE YEAR PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN PUSH THAT OUT, UH, TO THE CITIZENS AND HOW THEY WANT TO, TO WORK ON THAT STRATEGY.
AND ONE THING I DID FORGET MAYOR AND COUNCIL, IS THAT THIS DOES INCLUDE, UM, 12 POSITIONS.
UH, IT'S A REDUCTION OF 12 VACANT POSITIONS IN THE CITY RIGHT NOW.
I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT FOUR OF THE POSITIONS ARE CURRENTLY FILLED, BUT THOSE FOUR POSITIONS WOULD MOVE TO OTHER VACANCIES, UH, THAT WE HAVE.
SO FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IT IS 12 POSITIONS THAT WOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE FY 25 BUDGET.
ON TOP OF ALL THAT, THESE ARE THE FUTURE EFFICIENCIES, UM, AND INNOVATIONS THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT WITHIN THE CITY.
WE, THESE ARE BIG THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFIED RIGHT AWAY.
WE PROBABLY HAVE 20 TO 30 OF THEM THAT WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH.
WE CAN ONLY ACCOMPLISH SOME OF, UH, SOME OF THEM RIGHT AWAY IN TIME FOR THE FY 25, UH, BUDGET ADOPTION.
AND WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANY KIND OF FALSE HOPE, UM, THAT WE CAN CREATE, THAT WE CAN FIX THESE BEFORE OCTOBER 1ST.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING ON.
UH, WE MAY ONLY ACHIEVE ONE OR TWO OF THEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT WE ARE GONNA TRY TO ADDRESS ALL OF THEM AS WE MOVE INTO THE BUDGET.
WITH THAT, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? CAN WE HAND OUT THE BOOKS SO THAT THEY HAVE, WHAT'S THAT? BACK TO THE PREVIOUS SIDE? YES, MA'AM.
SO THEY CAN SEE JAY, WE HAVE AN ITEM ON THE REGULAR SESSION TO, TO RECEIVE THE BUDGET, SO I DON'T, I THINK WE'RE RECEIVE IN THE, THE MAIN MEETING.
YEAH, JUST IN CASE YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, JASON, WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT HAS A QUESTION, BUT DO WE NEED TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION FIRST? IS THERE SOME INFORMATION? NO, I MEAN, YOU CAN ASK AND IF IT, OKAY.
I'M JUST GONNA START ON THE SLIDE THAT, UH, WAS LEFT UP ON THE SCREEN.
CAN YOU GO INTO DETAIL WHAT YOU MEAN BY LEVERAGE CIVILIAN POSITIONS WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT? CAN YOU GIMME AN EXAMPLE? YEP.
YOU WANT TO TALK, THERE IT IS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING IS BEING ABLE TO USE THE, UH, UH, CIVILIAN CRIME SCENE PERSONNEL TO A GREATER EXTENT AND KEEP, UH, SWORN PERSONNEL IN INVESTIGATIVE POSITIONS AS WELL AS PATROL POSITIONS FOR, UH, FOR SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE SEE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE LIKE OURS? IT IS, UH, IT IS A TREND IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
YOU SEE MORE AND MORE CIVILIAN CRIME SCENE, UH, PERSONNEL PROCESSING SCENES.
UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO IN THAT POSITION NOW IN ADDITION TO TWO SWORN POSITIONS.
SO WHAT WE'D BE LOOKING AT DOING IS THROUGH ATTRITION, REPLACING THE SWORN PERSONNEL WITH THE CIVILIAN PERSONNEL.
I GUESS I'LL CONTINUE THE EVALUATE MOBILE DEVICE POLICY.
IS THAT COMING FROM, IS THAT STEMMING FROM THE CONVERSATION THAT TOOK PLACE AT THE LAST MEETING?
[00:30:01]
UM, ABOUT, NO MA'AM.OR MY, I BELIEVE THIS ONE'S ON CELL PHONES, UM, AND JUST OTHER DEVICES THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEAK UP.
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THAT ONE IS, THAT THAT WAS THE LAST MEETING.
IT WAS BROUGHT UP ABOUT, UM, SOME POSITIONS HAVING CELL PHONES AND BECAUSE WE, WE VOTED ON A CONSENT AGENDA ITEM, UM, FOR $700,000 FOR NEW CELL PHONES.
AND SO IT WAS FOR THE, NO, IT WAS NEW RADIOS.
SO I WAS JUST WONDERING IF, IF THIS, UM, WAS PUT IN HERE BECAUSE OF THE CONVERSATION THAT TOOK PLACE? NO, MA'AM.
YEAH, WE'VE, UH, THE STAFF HAS BEEN REALLY WORKING ON PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE CITY FOR ROUGHLY TWO YEARS AT THIS POINT.
AND THIS IS A CULMINATION OF A LOT OF THAT WORK.
I'M, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOT YET.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? NO COUNSEL.
UH, WE WILL, THE IDEA FOR TODAY WAS FOR Y'ALL TO GET THIS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU, YOU'RE SEEING IT, UM, THAT YOU NEED A CHANCE TO ABSORB IT.
WE WANTED TO BE HERE IN CASE YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, BUT WE WERE UNDER THE, UH, INTENTION OF LETTING YOU HAVE THIS TODAY AND THEN COMING BACK FOR OUR SCHEDULED MEETINGS ON THE EIGHTH, 13TH, AND 14TH.
UH, BECAUSE WE FIGURED IT'LL GIVE YOU TIME TO GENERATE SOME QUESTIONS AND, UH, TALK TO US BETWEEN NOW AND THEN AS WELL.
AND THAT WAY WE CAN, UH, UNDERSTAND WHERE EVERYTHING'S AT.
I I'LL MAKE A COMMENT JUST, JUST, UM, IN LINE WITH KIND OF WHAT YOU EXPRESSED.
I ACTUALLY WANT TO APPRECIATE YOU MR. REYNOLDS AND, AND AND YOUR STAFF.
UM, I THINK WHEN YOU BECAME CITY MANAGER, WHAT I SENSE I GUESS WAS YOU REALLY WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORGANIZATION AND THAT WAS SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT COUNCIL HAD WITH YOU WAS, WAS GOING AND REALLY TRYING TO UNITE THE ORGANIZATION, BOTH, I GUESS IN TEAM, LET'S SAY.
BUT ALSO WHAT I'VE SEEN WAS YOU REALLY WANTING TO GO AND, AND YOUR STAFF GO AND PUT YOUR, YOUR HANDS AROUND WHERE, WHAT IS THE REALITY? WHAT IS THE TRUE ACCURACY OF WHERE WE ARE AT FINANCIALLY IN THIS DEPARTMENT, IN THIS FUND, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY THERE'S A LOT OF CON THAT'S WHY THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATIONS ACTUALLY FOR TWO YEARS, IN SOME CASES EVEN MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, JUST DIFFERENT WAYS THE CITY COULD HAVE EFFICIENCIES OR REDIRECT, LET'S SAY RESOURCES TO WHERE THERE'S MORE RETURN FOR THE CITIZENS OR RETURN FOR STAFF, RIGHT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS AN EXAMPLE, PARKS AND REC IN WHICH YOU HAD THIS CONVERSATION IN JANUARY, THERE'S CERTAIN EVENTS THAT ARE WELL ATTENDED, OVER ATTENDED, LET'S SAY.
AND THERE'S OTHER EVENTS THAT AREN'T, AREN'T SO MUCH.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HIT THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY WE HAVE, BUT ALSO THAT WE ARE BEING, I GUESS, GOOD STEWARD WITH, WITH HOW WE DO, I GUESS, TARGET THOSE RESOURCES.
AND SO WHAT I'VE SEEN SINCE YOU BECAME CITY MANAGER IS THAT MORE OF A IN DEPTH WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE REALITY FINANCIALLY BY DEPARTMENT, BY FUND, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
AND YOU'VE BEEN VERY OPEN WITH US WHEN THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT I WANNA SAY WAS NOT SATISFACTORY FROM A FISCAL STANDPOINT.
YOU'VE ALWAYS CAME AND YOU WERE JUST HONEST WITH US AND YOU SAID, THIS IS, THIS IS THE ISSUE.
AND AS YOU SAID, IT MAY HAVE TAKEN DECADES, HOWEVER WHY, WHY IT'S HERE AS COUNCIL AND CERTAINLY IT'S LIKE FINANCE COMMITTEE, OTHERS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ONLY MAKE DECISIONS BASED OFF OF WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK YOU TOOK THE TIME AND YOUR STAFF TOOK THE TIME TO REALLY GO AND DO A TRUE PULSE CHECK ALMOST LINE ITEM BY LINE ITEM, LET'S SAY, TO GO AND PRESENT US A VERY HONEST, TRUTHFUL STATUS, FINANCIAL STATUS.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU PRESENTED US KIND OF THE WHOLE, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE LINES COULD GO AND INTERSECT IN THE FUTURE.
AND THERE'S MANY COMPONENTS, ESPECIALLY THE PAST FEW YEARS, INFLATION, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE FLAT REVENUES OR CLOSE TO FLAT REVENUES, BUT YOU HAVE INFLATION THAT IS CERTAINLY OUTPACING THOSE THINGS.
AND SO I'M GLAD THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY, THAT YOU AND YOUR STAFF HAVE, HAVE REALLY LOOKED AT THOSE THINGS THE PAST TWO YEARS.
'CAUSE IT'S PREPARED US FOR THE DECISIONS THAT COUNCIL HAS TO MAKE NOW.
'CAUSE IF WE ARE GOING JUST SAYING, OH MAN, LET'S, WE GOTTA, WE GOTTA MAKE SOME CHANGES NOW.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU PRESENTED REALLY OVER THE PAST YEAR TO TWO YEARS AND THE EFFORTS THAT'S TAKEN PLACE.
MOST CITY MANAGERS, I'LL JUST SAY THEY WOULD NOT WANT TO BE AS TRUTHFUL TO COUNCIL WITH REALITIES.
AND I APPRECIATE THE, THE TRUTHFULNESS AND THE REALITY THAT YOU PRESENTED WITH US.
SO THAT'S WHERE I'M AT ON THAT.
SO, UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? I WILL SAY ONE THING.
THE FINANCIAL FUTURE FOR BAYTOWN IS BRIGHT.
DO NOT RECEIVE THIS AS DOOM AND GLOOM.
DO NOT RECEIVE THIS AS THE SKY IS FALLING.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME THINGS, UM, DIFFERENT IN BAYTOWN.
[00:35:01]
OKAY.UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN BAYTOWN, AS MOST OF Y'ALL ARE VERY AWARE.
UM, THERE ARE BILLIONS BEING INVESTED INTO BAYTOWN ON THE HORIZON RIGHT NOW.
AND UM, THE SALES TAX THAT IS PROJECTED WITH NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING ON AS WELL ARE TREMENDOUS.
WE HAVE A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE HERE.
YES, WE HAVE TO WORK ON SOME HARD THINGS, BUT OVERALL THEY ALL WORK OUT AND IT'S PUTTING US WHERE WE NEED TO BE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW IN A PROPER MANNER.
SO PLEASE, PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS IS A GOOD THING IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW.
UNLESS THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS ITEM.
SO BEING THAT, UH, MAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL HAS ADDRESSED ALL THE POSTED WORK SESSION ITEMS, THIS WORK SESSION IS NOW ADJOURNED.
WE'LL RECONVENE AT SIX 30 FOR OUR REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING.