* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:01]
          WE ARE LIVE. 
          ALL RIGHT, WELL, 
          [ CITY OF BAYTOWN  			 			NOTICE OF MEETING 			 		 		 		 		 		 		 		 		 			 			  			 			MEET AND CONFER SESSION BETWEEN 			THE CITY OF BAYTOWN 			AND 			THE BAYTOWN MUNICIPAL POLICE ASSOCIATION 			 			  			TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2024 			10:30 A.M. 			  			BAYTOWN CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL 			2401 MARKET STREET, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 77520 			   			AGENDA 			   			CALL TO ORDER 			 		 	    ]
I WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS, UH, MEETING TO ORDER. 
          THIS IS A MEETING FOR MEET AND CONFER SESSION BETWEEN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN AND THE BAYTOWN MUNICIPAL POLICE ASSOCIATION. 
          IT IS TUESDAY, JULY THE 30TH, 2024, AND IT IS 10:30 AM WE ARE IN THE BAYTOWN CONFERENCE ROOM AT CITY HALL. 
          FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CITIZEN COMMENTS COMMENT. 
          WE STILL HAVE A FORM PAGE, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER THE CITY OF BAY TOWN'S COUNTER PROPOSAL FOR BASE COMPENSATION FOR YEAR THREE OF THE MEETING CONFER AGREEMENT. 
          SO, UM, THE LAST TIME THAT WE MET, UH, I HAD ASKED FOR A PAUSE FOR NEGOTIATIONS BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A, A BUDGET PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN, UM, DIFFICULT, I'LL SAY FOR US, UM, AT THE CITY  AND REMAINS DIFFICULT, NOT OVER YET. 
          UM, SO I WANNA JUST KIND OF WALK THROUGH SOME OF WHERE WE'RE AT, HOW WE GOT HERE, UM, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE GOING FORWARD. 
          AND SO ARE . 
          UM, SO KIND OF OUR CURRENT STATE HAS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS IN THE MAKING. 
          THIS IS NOT THAT SOMETHING THAT NECESSARILY JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYTHING CHANGED. 
          IT HAS BEEN KIND OF A, A SLOW CHANGE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT HAS, WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST BUDGET YEAR, UH, WITH COUNCIL JAY PRESENTED A GRAPH THAT, YOU KNOW, PROJECTED OUR REVENUE AND EXPENSES WERE STARTING TO COME CLOSER AND CLOSER. 
          AND IF WE DIDN'T START DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT, THOSE LINES WOULD CROSS. 
          UM, SO WE KIND OF KNEW THAT WAS COMING, GOING INTO THIS NEXT YEAR. 
          UM, WE THAT ACTUALLY SPED UP AND WE'RE, WE'RE THERE A LOT SOONER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED. 
          THE FACTORS THAT HAVE GONE INTO THAT KIND OF GO BACK TO A COUPLE THINGS. 
          ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS SENATE BILL TO, UM, WHICH CAPPED, UH, THE REVENUE ON, UM, THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE ON YOUR PROPERTY TAXES ACROSS THE STATE. 
          SO IT USED TO BE CAPPED AT EIGHT POINT A 5%. 
          THAT WAS LOWERED DOWN TO THREE POINT A FIVE UH, PERCENT. 
          AND SO THAT HAS NOT ONLY BAY ON THAT, IT'S AFFECTING ALL THE CITIES, UH, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE STATE. 
          AND THAT HAS REALLY DRIVEN DOWN OUR PROPERTY TAX REVENUES. 
          UM, SO THAT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS. 
          ONE OF THE OTHER, UM, ITEMS, OUR COUNCIL HAS TAKEN A STANCE FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO LOWER OUR TAX RATES. 
          SO FIVE YEARS AGO WE WERE SITTING AT 72 CENTS. 
          UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY, DID I SAY 72 OR 82? YOU SAID 72, I'M SORRY. 
          WE WERE AT 82  SINCE , UH, FIVE YEARS AGO. 
          WE ARE CURRENTLY SITTING AT 72 CENTS. 
          SO IN FIVE YEARS, WE DROPPED 10 CENTS OFF OF OUR TAX RATE, WHICH IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. 
          UM, EVERY HALF CENT DECREASE IS ABOUT 500,000 OR SO DOLLARS. 
          SO, UM, QUICK MATH CAN, CAN GIVE YOU A LARGE NUMBER THERE. 
          IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR COUNCIL ALSO HAS TAKEN, UH, A POLICY DECISION THAT THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE EXEMPTION FOR OUR OVER 65, UH, RESIDENTS. 
          AND SO WE HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASING THAT BY $20,000 EACH YEAR, UM, ONTO THAT. 
          AND THAT, UM, $20,000 INCREASE EACH YEAR COSTS THE CITY ABOUT $1.2 MILLION OF REVENUE. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, THAT'S ANOTHER REVENUE LOSS FOR US. 
          SO IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, UM, COUNCIL ALSO MADE A POLICY DECISION THAT HISTORICALLY OUR ORGANIZATION DID A GOOD JOB ABOUT SETTING OUR BUDGET. 
          AND THEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, WE BUDGETED TO BE 90 DAYS IN RESERVE, WE WOULD COME IN OVER A HUNDRED DAYS IN RESERVE AND WE ALWAYS KIND OF HAD THAT, THAT CUSHION. 
          AND SO ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, COUNCIL SAID, HEY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE SOME OF THAT, SPEND IT DOWN, USE IT IN CASH FUND SOME OF OUR PROJECTS. 
          SO OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, WE DREW DOWN, UH, THE RESERVE BY $30 MILLION. 
          AND SO THAT BROUGHT US DOWN TO A RESERVE OF 60 DAYS. 
          UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF BEEN WHERE WE'RE AT. 
          SOME OF OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS SHOW US TO BE FALLING UNDER, UH, THAT FOR THIS YEAR, COUNCIL HAS SINCE COME BACK, UM, FOR THIS YEAR AND SAID, REALLY WANNA MAKE THAT TARGET 65 DAYS AND, AND TRY TO GET 
          [00:05:01]
BACK TO 75 DAYS. 
          SO THERE IS, UH, AN EXPECTATION THAT WE START EFFECTIVELY SAVING MORE MONEY TO GET THAT RESERVE BUILT BACK UP. 
          SO, SO THAT'S, UM, A, A FEW OF, I'LL SAY SOME OF THOSE, THOSE OUTSIDE FACTORS AND SOME OF THE, THE REVENUE IMPACTS. 
          IN ADDITION TO THAT, SOME INTERNAL FACTORS ON OUR BUDGETING. 
          WE HAVE FOUND OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS OR SO, UM, THAT OUR PERSONNEL BUDGETING, WHICH IS THE LARGEST PORTION OF OUR BUDGET, WAS NOT PROPERLY ACCOUNTED FOR. 
          AND SO VACANCY SAVINGS WERE KIND OF BUDGETED IN THERE. 
          AND I THINK BASICALLY THEN KIND OF TAKEN TWO OR THREE TIMES. 
          AND SO OUR PERSONAL BUDGETS WERE RUNNING ABOUT $10 MILLION SHORT. 
          UM, SO WE WERE OVERSPENDING ABOUT $10 MILLION A YEAR. 
          IN ADDITION, UH, TO THAT, DON'T YOU LOVE HOW MANY IN ADDITIONS TO IT'S LIKE PLUS, PLUS PLUS, PLUS PLUS, RIGHT? UM, SO ANOTHER FACTOR LAST YEAR WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS IN OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND, WE HAD A LINE ITEM FOR CONTRACT PERSONNEL FOR ABOUT $2.5 MILLION. 
          WE HAVE AN INTERNAL, UH, CIP TEAM. 
          AND SO THAT WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE DON'T NEED THE CONTRACTORS. 
          WE ALREADY HAVE PEOPLE ON STAFF. 
          LO AND BEHOLD, WHEN WE HIT OCTOBER, ONE OF LAST YEAR OF 2023 AND WE TRIED TO CUT PAYCHECKS TO OUR TEAM THAT SITS OVER IN ENGINEERING, THERE WAS NO MONEY BECAUSE IT WAS NOT BUDGETED. 
          THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE CONTRACT PERSONNEL. 
          AND SO FOR THIS BUDGET YEAR, WE HAD TO COME UP WITH $2.5 MILLION, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO EMPLOY THE PEOPLE THAT WE NEED. 
          AND, UM, AND SO THAT IS AN ONGOING COST IN ADDITION TO CORRECTING THE 10 MILLION, UM, THAT WE FOUND HAS NOT BEEN PROPERLY BUDGETED. 
          I WILL TELL YOU, WE ARE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH OUR PERSONNEL BUDGETING, UM, BECAUSE THAT CONTINUES TO BE A, AGAIN, IT IS THE ABSOLUTE LARGEST PORTION OF OUR BUDGET, UM, BUT IT ALSO CONTINUES TO BE KIND OF A STICKY WICKET FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REALLY GETTING EVERYTHING PROPERLY ACCOUNTED FOR, UM, IN, IN THERE CORRECTLY. 
          SO, SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, LIKE I SAID THAT HAVE KIND OF LED UP TO WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY AT. 
          UM, TWO OF THE PIECES THAT PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, WHAT ABOUT, UM, THE GOLF COURSE IN THE HOTEL? SO THE GOLF COURSE, UM, IT IS A $1.9 MILLION, UH, COST FOR US. 
          CURRENTLY. 
          IT IS IN THE FY 24 BUDGET. 
          UM, THAT IS KIND OF OUR SUM TOTAL IN INVESTMENT AT THIS POINT INTO THAT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THAT FORWARD. 
          UM, IN FY 25, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE, UH, HAVING TO REALLY CONTINUE TO DO ANY FUNDING OF THAT. 
          UH, WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE RFP PROCESS OR RFP PROCESS, UM, FOR THAT TO BE DEALT WITH. 
          SO, UM, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WHEN IT CAME UP, UH, COUNCIL REQUESTED THAT WE TAKE THAT OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, WE LOOKED AT THE FUND AT THAT POINT AND SAID, OKAY, YES, WE BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SAVINGS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          AND SO THAT WAS THE DECISION. 
          BUT IN, IN TERMS OF ANY KIND OF ONGOING FORWARD COST, WE'RE NOT REALLY ANTICIPATING ANY OF THAT IN TERMS OF THE HOTEL, UM, THAT IS FUNDED THROUGH MDD. 
          SO WAS IT TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO, UM, WHEN COUNCIL MADE THE DECISION TO TAKE LIKE ALL THE PARK STUFF OUT OF IT? MDD? YES. 
          UM, WE HAD A LOT OF OTHER THINGS FUNDED THROUGH MDD, WHICH IS REALLY DESIGNED TO BE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND SO, UM, PRIOR, UH, COUNCIL'S, ADMINISTRATIONS LOOKED AT PARKS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND FELT LIKE, UM, THOSE WERE IN LINE WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          CURRENT ADMINISTRATION, CURRENT COUNCIL, UM, LIKES A CLEANER VERSION OF THAT. 
          AND SO REALLY THAT FUND NOW IS SET UP PURELY FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LARGELY, LARGELY FOR THE HOTEL ONLY. 
          SO THAT IS NOT COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND THAT IS OUT OF THE MDD. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT, UM, THEY WILL BE BRINGING IN ENOUGH REVENUES IN FY 25 THAT THEY WILL BE COVERING ALL OF THEIR OWN OPERATIONS, UM, ALL THE OPERATIONAL COSTS. 
          UM, SO, SO THAT GETS US TO FY 25 
          [00:10:01]
. 
          UM, SO WHEN WE STARTED INTO FY 25, LIKE SO WE REALIZED LINES WERE CROSSING A LOT SOONER. 
          IT, IT MEANT REALLY LINES WERE GOING TO CROSS AN FY 25 IF WE DIDN'T DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY. 
          SO INITIALLY THE DEPARTMENTS PUT TOGETHER, UH, FLAT BUDGETS, THAT WAS THE ASK WAS NO INCREASES. 
          AND SO ABOUT THE TIME WE WERE MEETING, WE HAD REACHED THE POINT WHERE OUR FLAT BUDGET WAS NOT GOING TO MEET THE MARK. 
          AND SO DEPARTMENTS WERE HAVING TO GO BACK AND, UH, TAKE A 10% REDUCTION FROM THEIR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BUDGET. 
          AND SO THAT WAS THE ASK OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT IS ABOUT $5 MILLION. 
          AND SO THAT IS WHAT WAS ACHIEVED BY OUR DEPARTMENTS, WAS A CUT OF OUR BUDGET SIZE, $5 MILLION. 
          IN THAT, THAT MEANS, UH, SEVEN OF OUR DEPARTMENTS CUT PERSONNEL. 
          SO WE HAVE A REDUCTION OF 12, AT LEAST 12 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, UM, AS, AS WELL AS SOME ADDITIONAL PART-TIME EMPLOYEES. 
          UM, AND THEN IT ALSO MEANS SERVICE DELIVERY CUTS FOR A NUMBER OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, UM, WHICH OBVIOUSLY SERVICE DELIVERY CUTS, THESE ARE VISIBLE. 
          EVERY DEPARTMENT HAD A LOT OF BUDGET CUTS. 
          THE SERVICE DELIVERY CUTS ARE THOSE THINGS THAT BECOME VISIBLE TO OUR CITIZENS. 
          SO FOR PARKS AND REC, THAT MEANT THEY WENT IN AND COMPLETELY REVAMPED ALL OF THEIR EVENTS SCHEDULED AND CUT OUT ABOUT 50 TO 60% OF THEIR EVENTS. 
          UM, BIG THINGS LIKE JULY 4TH FEST, THOSE THINGS, UM, STARTING FOR JANUARY, 2025 AND FORWARD, THOSE WILL BE ONE DAY EVENT ONLY. 
          UM, IN ADDITION TO A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER CHANGES IN EVENTS, OUR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, THEY, UM, CUT THEIR DEMOLITION BUDGET BY 60%. 
          UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY IN THE LONG TERM IMPACTS YOU ALL BECAUSE THAT'S ABOUT TEARING DOWN DILAPIDATED STRUCTURES. 
          UM, AND SO THEY'VE CUT THAT BY 60%. 
          INSTEAD OF DOING ABOUT 60 DEMOS PER YEAR, IT'LL BE ABOUT 20 DEMOS PER YEAR. 
          PUBLIC WORKS IS, UM, CUTTING OUT A DEDICATED SIDEWALK, UM, CREW, UM, SO THAT ALL OF THAT WORK WILL HAVE TO BE PRIORITIZED WITH THE REST OF THEIR KINDS OF STREETS AND DRAINAGE AND ALL THE THINGS. 
          SO, UM, THAT IS ELIMINATING POSITIONS. 
          WE WILL BE, UM, RELOCATING THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO OCCUPY THE POSITIONS INTO VACANCIES. 
          SO, UM, WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD NOT TO HAVE TO CUT PEOPLE ONLY POSITIONS. 
          UM, ALSO OUR LIBRARY IS LOOKING AT, UM, MOVING AWAY FROM SEVEN DAYS A WEEK OF OPERATION DOWN TO SIX DAYS A WEEK. 
          UM, OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS, UM, WILL BE CUTTING OUR COMMUNITY CLEANUP PROGRAMS AS WELL AS ONE OF OUR CLEAN TEAMS. SO THOSE ARE THE TEAMS THAT GO OUT AND PICK UP DUCK OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROADS, UM, AGAIN, WHICH CAN HAVE SOME IMPACT ON, ON Y'ALL'S, UH, WORK AS WELL. 
          AND THEN, UM, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UM, HAS A WHOLE HOST OF CHANGES THAT THEY'RE MAKING IN, IN SOME OF THEIR FUNDING AND SOME OF THEIR PROGRAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AS WELL. 
          SO, UM, SO JUST WANT Y'ALL TO KIND OF GET A, A FLAVOR AND SENSE OF A, HOW WE GOT HERE AND B WHERE WE'RE AT KIND OF THEN LOOKING FORWARD TO FUTURE YEARS. 
          UM, I WOULD TELL YOU IT'S, THIS IS KIND OF WHAT WE EXPECT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, WHERE WE HAVE TO KIND OF WRITE THIS SHIP, CATCH UP WITH OURSELVES, FIGURE SOME THINGS OUT, UM, DON'T ANTICIPATE NEXT YEAR IS GONNA BE A MINI STREAM COMING IN. 
          UM, IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE TIGHT. 
          WE EXPECT FLAT BUDGETS, UM, THAT MEANS KIND OF THOSE, UH, CPI INCREASES ON A LOT OF OUR CONTRACTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE ABSORBED. 
          UM, AND OTHER THINGS ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE CUT. 
          SO, UM, THAT'S JUST KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT. 
          I KNOW WE JUST, UM, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF GIG DAYS, GOT, UH, OUR PROPERTY TAX IN, UM, IT'S NOT LOOKING EVEN AS FAVORABLE AS WE WERE KEEPING OUR FINGERS CROSSED WHERE WE'RE AT A FLAT, UM, WHERE WE SIT RIGHT NOW. 
          SO, UM, SO WHICH WE'LL START ANOTHER, UH, ROUND OF CONVERSATIONS FOR US . 
          SO, UM, LIKE I SAID, JUST KIND OF WANT, WANTED TO KIND OF GIVE Y'ALL HOW WE GOT HERE, WHERE WE'RE AT, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE GOING FORWARD. 
          Y'ALL CAN HAVE THAT UNDERSTANDING. 
          UM, IF Y'ALL HAVE QUESTIONS, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER OR DEFER TO THE FINANCIAL GENIUS HERE. 
          , 
          [00:15:07]
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE MONEY AT, I DON'T REMEMBER THE TERM YOU USED, BUT LET'S JUST CALL IT POTENTIALLY MISMANAGED. 
          IS ANY OF THAT CRIMINAL IN NATURE? I DON'T THINK, NO. 
          ANYTHING THAT WAS MISMANAGED. 
          YEAH. 
          BUT IN TERMS OF OUR PERSONNEL AND THE MISALLOCATION, IS THAT MM-HMM . 
          YEAH, NO, NOTHING, NOTHING CRIMINAL OR ANYTHING. 
          THERE ARE, I, I'LL TELL Y'ALL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, OF DIFFERENT PIECES OF THAT. 
          LIKE I SAID, SOME OF IT WAS KIND OF A, A DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHY ON BUDGETING FOR PERSONNEL. 
          UM, SO SOME OF IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, BECOMES THIS IDEA OF VACANCY SAVINGS AND, AND SO THAT IS KIND OF, UM, A FLEX NUMBER. 
          I WOULD, YOU KNOW, SO, SO SOME, SOME ORGANIZATIONS GO AHEAD AND, AND BUDGET THE FULL COST OF EVERY POSITION. 
          SOME SAY, UH, YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE 5% OFF THE TOP. 
          SOME OF 'EM SAY, AH, WELL WE RUN 10% VACANCIES OVERALL, SO WE'LL TAKE 10% OFF. 
          UM, SOME DIVE IN AND SAY LIKE, WELL, THIS DEPARTMENT'S AVERAGE SALARY IS THIS AND THEIR AVERAGE TURNOVER IS THIS, YOU KNOW, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO GO THROUGH THAT. 
          I WOULD TELL YOU THE APPROACH THAT WAS TAKEN BY PREVIOUS, UH, FINANCE DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FINANCE DEPARTMENT AT THIS POINT, UM, AS WELL AS OUR ADMINISTRATION WAS A MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE APPROACH, UM, AND MUCH MORE GENEROUS IN ASSUMING COST SAVINGS. 
          UM, AND SO THOSE NUMBERS WERE PROBABLY VERY ARTIFICIALLY LOW. 
          THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS WORKING THROUGH AND UNDERSTANDING SPECIFICALLY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IS HOW THE OVERTIME, WHAT CALCULATES THROUGH OUR SYSTEM AND HOW IT'S BEING RECORDED AND HOW IT'S BEING BUDGETED. 
          AND THOSE THINGS WERE NOT ALIGNED IN THE PAST, SO WE WERE UNDER BUDGETING ON THOSE, UM, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. 
          UM, AND THEN SOME OF THE OTHER NUANCES WITH PUBLIC SAFETY IN TERMS OF THOSE STEP INCREASES AND SOME OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, UM, LOOKING AT THAT AND TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON HOW THAT'S BUDGETED, WASN'T BUDGETED, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. 
          UM, THOSE HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE OTHER NUANCES THAT THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT. 
          UM, AND IF, IF YOU WANNA SPEAK TO ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THAT. 
          SO IT'S NOTHING, NOTHING CRIMINAL. 
          WE DON'T THINK ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST FROM WHAT WAS BUDGETED AND PUT ON PAPER VERSUS THE REALITY WE END UP AT THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          UM, AND I, I KNOW, UH, KENNY, OUR, UH, FIRE CHIEF HAS FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS BEEN STRUGGLING TO FIGURE HIS OUT AND WORKING WITH FINANCE AND THEM TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT OVER MULTIPLE YEARS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, WHY IS THIS NOT MATCHING UP? UM, AND HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO GET BETTER? AND I, I THINK THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY, UM, IT'S GETTING A MUCH, MUCH BETTER HANDLE ON ON ALL OF THAT. 
          BUT I'LL LET YOU SAY ANYTHING ELSE. 
          SO IN REGARDS TO THE OVERTIME, PART OF THE OVERTIME IS IN THE REGULAR WAGES WHEN IT SHOULD BE IN THE OVERTIME LINE. 
          AND SO WHEN THEY'RE BUDGETING, THEY'VE BEEN BUDGETING JUST FOR HALFTIME OF THE OVERTIME AND NOT THE FULL AMOUNT, IT HASN'T BEEN ADDED INTO THAT REGULAR COST. 
          SO WE'RE ALWAYS GOING OVER ON THE REGULAR WAGES PART OF THE ISSUE. 
          SO NOW WE'RE JUST TRYING TO ALIGN IT MORE WITH WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA SPEND AND WHAT WE ANTICIPATE AND MAKE SURE WE INCLUDE THOSE COSTS, INCLUDING THE HOLIDAY SO YOU GUYS GET A HOLIDAY PAYOUT AND OTHER ITEMS LIKE THAT, THAT HASN'T BEEN INCLUDED IN THE BUDGETING AS WELL. 
          AND SO ALL OF THAT IMPACTS LIKE OUR FUND BALANCE, OUR ENDING BALANCE OF WHERE WE'RE GONNA LAND. 
          AND THEN WE'RE, WE WERE JUST FINDING OVER THE YEARS THAT WE WERE ALWAYS LESS BECAUSE OF OVERAGES IN PERSONNEL, UM, THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHAT HAS ALSO IMPACTED THE FUND BALANCE GOING FORWARD. 
          MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU SAID THAT THERE'S NOTHING CRIMINAL THAT'S BEEN DONE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE AT LEAST IN OUR LINE OF FIELD, IF NO OFFENSE FOR FINANCE, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS WASN'T DONE CORRECTLY, IT'D BE OUR JOB, RIGHT? WE'D BE INDICTED FOR SOMETHING, WE'D BE DOING SOMETHING LIKE OF THAT NATURE. 
          SO I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THERE'S A NEW FINANCE DEPARTMENT OVER NOW. 
          UM, I MEAN THE ACCOUNTABILITY TO ME SEEMS LIKE IT'S NOT THERE IN REGARDS TO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, IF THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE PUT US DOWN IN 
          [00:20:01]
THIS HOLE, UM, BY NOT PROPERLY COUNTING OR BUDGETING FOR THESE THINGS. 
          I MEAN, I'M NO FINANCE GENIUS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'D BEEN COMMON SENSE TO BUDGET WHAT OVERTIME WAS ACTUALLY COSTING AND NOT ONLY JUST, YOU KNOW, HALF OF, OF WHAT THAT IS. 
          SO IT, I WOULD TELL YOU IT'S THERE SEVERAL THINGS. 
          UM, SO I WOULD SAY A FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL CHUNK OF THIS IS THE PHILOSOPHY AROUND VACANCIES AND THE NUMBERS THAT WERE USED FOR JUST THE TOTAL PERSONNEL ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS. 
          THAT WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST EFFECT. 
          UM, THAT WAS, UH, AN A DECISION BY ADMINISTRATION. 
          UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T SPEAK ANY FURTHER TO THAT, OBVIOUSLY, UM, PART OF ADMINISTRATION HAS A VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BUDGETING. 
          SO, UH, THE OTHER PART, BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TURNOVER IN FINANCE AND TO UNDERSTAND OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND OUR PAYROLL SYSTEM AND HOW IT OPERATES AND WHAT IS GOING INTO THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH. 
          AND SO THE ASSUMPTION IS WHEN I'M LOOKING AT MY OVERTIME LINE, IT'S MY FULL OVERTIME COST. 
          AND SO I CAN LOOK AND SAY, OKAY, IF IF THIS IS IT, THEN I KNOW AND I BUDGET OFF OF THAT, UM, OURS IS NOT CURRENTLY SET UP THAT WAY. 
          UM, SOON IT WILL BE SET UP THAT WAY AGAIN. 
          UM, SO SOME OF IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE TRULY KNOWING WHAT'S IN THERE, WHAT'S GOING ON, THE FULL UNDERSTANDING, KEEPING CONSISTENT, UH, PERSONNEL IN PLACE AND FINANCE TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. 
          SO I, UM, SO I THINK THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT PIECES TO THIS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AND THEN SOME OF IT TOO IS JUST WITH SOME OF THE RISING NUMBERS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE ALSO COME UP WITH IS OUR PAYOUTS ON LIKE RETIREMENTS AND THE PAYOUTS ON ICMA AND, AND SOME DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT THAT IN THE PAST, UH, HAVEN'T BEEN SO WIDELY USED OR THEY HAVEN'T HAD SUCH DOLLAR VALUES ATTACHED. 
          THOSE HAVE JUST SLOWLY CREPT UP AND NOW THOSE ARE HAVING MORE AND MORE OF AN IMPACT ON OUR BUDGET. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT A SPECIFIC THING. 
          THERE'S JUST BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP THAT IT'S LIKE, OH, OKAY, YOU KNOW, NOW IT'S STARTING TO ADD UP TO MUCH BIGGER NUMBERS THAN, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST IT WAS LIKE, OH, MAYBE IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OFF. 
          EVERYTHING'S, YOU KNOW, BUDGETS AREN'T ALWAYS EXACT AT THE END OF THE YEAR, RIGHT? BUT IT WAS WITHIN A, A TOLERANCE LEVEL WHERE IT'S LIKE, OKAY, NO RED FLAGS JUST SLOWLY OVER TIME IT'S, IT'S SUPER  JUMPED. 
          UM, AND SO THAT, THAT HAS BEEN A PAIN POINT FOR US, UM, IN TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT IN CORRECTED. 
          BUT, AND I GUESS KIND OF TOUCHING ON, YOU MENTIONED THAT ORIGINALLY THAT DEPARTMENTS WERE TOLD THEY'RE GONNA BASICALLY HAVE A FLAT LINE BUDGET AND THEN IT WENT TO THAT THEY WERE GONNA DECREASE THEIR BUDGETS BY 10%, WHICH MY UNDERSTANDING OF MAYBE READING BETWEEN THE LINES IS THAT ANY TYPE OF RAISE DEPARTMENT WIDE, RIGHT, THAT'S GONNA NOW COME FROM, THEY'RE, EACH DEPARTMENT'S GONNA EAT THAT WITHIN THEIR OWN BUDGET. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THE PD DROPPING 10% OF THEIR BUDGET JUST FOR US TO GET RAISE RAISES. 
          IS THAT PLANNED AGAIN FOR NEXT YEAR AS WELL? HARD TO SAY WHAT WE'RE PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          UH, BUT I WOULD TELL YOU IF MY QUESTION BECOMES THEN IS AT WHAT POINT ARE WE GONNA SAY WE'RE NOW DEFUNDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT WE GET RAISES AND STUFF LIKE THAT? BECAUSE I MEAN, THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY A BILL THAT WAS PASSED TO KEEP THAT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE NOW WE'RE TRYING TO GET AROUND THAT BY SAYING WE'RE JUST TAKING MONEY FOR PERSONNEL BECAUSE WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY DEFUNDING THE POLICE BECAUSE WE'RE USING THAT MONEY TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR THEIR RAISES, WHEN IN FACT WE ARE, WE'RE TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SO THEY CAN'T DO THEIR TRAINING AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR OFFICERS TO GET RAISES. 
          I MEAN, SO I THINK THAT WE'RE GETTING TO A FINE LINE OF WE ARE DEFUNDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BY MAKING THEM HAVE THESE DEDUCTIONS JUST TO KEEP UP WITH THE RAISES THAT THEY SHOULD BE GETTING. 
          SO, UM, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET DID INCREASE THIS YEAR. 
          UM, I THINK IT'S ABOUT, UM, 1.5, 1.8%. 
          UM, SO, AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, SO A COUPLE OF THINGS GOING INTO, INTO THE BUDGET AND TALKING ABOUT THE, THE CUTS. 
          UM, SO YEAH, SO FOR, FOR DEPARTMENTS, LIKE I SAID, WE SAVED, UH, $5 MILLION AND THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, LARGELY TO BE ABLE TO OFFER EMPLOYEES RAISES, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE VALUE EMPLOYEES, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE 
          [00:25:01]
WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          UM, THE OTHER, UH, THING THAT WE, I, I WAS LIKE, I HAD A SECOND THOUGHT. 
          UH, THE OTHER THING THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE OF IT IS, ONE OF THE THINGS WE, WE TOLD DEPARTMENTS IS WE DO NOT WANT TO CUT EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          THAT THAT'S ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S LIKE, OH, THAT'S THE EASY BUTTON, YOU KNOW, JUST DO THAT. 
          THAT WAS ANOTHER PLACE WHERE, WHERE WE SAID THAT'S NOT WHERE WE WANNA SEE THE CUTS FROM. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY BE WISE IN THE USE OF THAT, BUT THAT WAS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE SAID WE DON'T WANNA SEE THE CUTS BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT, OBVIOUSLY, SO MANY, UH, OF OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE VARIOUS CERTIFICATIONS WE NEED TO KEEP UP, BUT ALSO JUST IN TERMS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDING A PLACE PEOPLE WANNA WORK, THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. 
          SO THOSE THINGS WERE ALSO REALLY NOT CUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN TERMS OF HOW YOU WANNA SLICE IT AND DICE IT. 
          AND DOES IT LOOK LIKE DEFUNDING OR NOT DEFUNDING? UM, YOU KNOW, I'M DON'T HAVE LIKE WHATEVER LEGAL DEFINITION WE WANNA GO DOWN THAT ROAD, YOU KNOW, I WOULD, I WOULD TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, BUDGET DIDN'T GO DOWN, SALARIES DIDN'T GO DOWN, THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL IN YOUR DEPARTMENT DIDN'T GO DOWN. 
          UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE ARE DEFUNDING THE POLICE. 
          THERE IS NOT. 
          UM, I WOULD TELL YOU THERE IS NO EFFORT, THERE IS NO IDEA OF, OF LIKE THAT IDEA. 
          UM, OUR APPROACH IS ACROSS THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION, ALL 14 DEPARTMENTS OF, WE STILL HAVE TO OFFER ALL OF OUR SERVICES. 
          AND SO HOW DO WE DO THAT WITH THE MONEY WE GOT? UM, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY WE UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT SAYS WE CAN'T DEFUND. 
          SO WE'RE NOT TRYING TO, THAT'S NOT, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S NOT AN IDEA. 
          THAT'S NOT SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT ANYBODY FROM OUR SIDE HAS HAS SAID OTHER, OTHER THAN, OKAY, WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THIS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUDGET CUTS THAT OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOUR BUDGET GO DOWN. 
          UM, SO YET TO THAT I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THAT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ON OUR RADAR. 
          IT, IT REALLY IS. 
          14 DEPARTMENTS, A CITY OF 80 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE DELIVERING ALL THE SERVICES WE HAVE TO. 
          ALRIGHT, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW. 
          YOU HAVE ANYTHING I'M DOING? NO, I'M JUST WAITING FOR DROP. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, SO WITH THAT, THAT'S RIGHT. 
          UM, SO WE ARE, UM, OFFERING, UM, A 4%, UM, ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, AS OUR COUNTER OFFICE. 
          THAT'S IT. 
          SIMPLE, STRAIGHTFORWARD, JUST 4% ACROSS THE BOARD, . 
          SO YOU WERE SAYING A MINUTE AGO THAT, UM, YOU ANTICIPATE THESE FINANCIAL EXISTENCE TO PERSIST PROPERLY FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. 
          UM, SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT, LISTEN, WE'RE FALLING BEHIND NOW, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FALL BEHIND AND THEN WE'RE GONNA BE BACK IN THE SAME PLACE WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO AND YOU WERE PART OF THOSE AND HOW DIFFICULT THAT WAS TO GET BACK. 
          UM, WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY? WHAT IS THE PLAN TO GET US THERE? 'CAUSE UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE NOTICED, BUT SOME OF THE OTHER AGENCIES HAVE NOW CALLED UP TO US OR PAST US, UM, GOOD FOR THEM. 
          HOWEVER, UM, I DON'T WANNA GO BACK TO WHERE WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO, CHASING THAT APPLE. 
          YEAH, NO, UNDERSTOOD. 
          I MEAN, IN THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE EASY BUTTON FOR THIS YEAR WAS TO SAY NO INCREASES ACROSS THE COURT. 
          I, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, TO, IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET, SOLVING OUR BUDGET PROBLEM, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO CITIZENS, RIGHT? AND SO THE EASY BUTTON IS THERE'S NO INCREASE. 
          UM, PART OF OUR REAL DISCRETION IS LIKE, OKAY, BUT WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR US? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE THING IS, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, FINE, WE CAN SAVE NO INCREASE THIS YEAR, BUT THEN HOW FAR BEHIND ARE WE NEXT YEAR 
          [00:30:01]
AND HOW DO WE EVER MAKE IT UP? AND SO THAT WAS PART OF, YOU KNOW, GOING INTO THIS AND SAYING, OKAY, WHAT CAN WE CARVE OUT? YEAH. 
          IS IS 4% NECESSARILY, UM, KEEPING US UP? PROBABLY NOT. 
          BUT ARE WE IN A POSITION WHERE WE CAN DO EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW? NO. 
          UM, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I WILL TELL YOU, THE CITY MANAGER, MYSELF, JOEY, WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT WHOLE THING. 
          YOU KNOW, I WAS, I WAS THERE WHEN IT, WHEN IT WAS INCREDIBLY PAINFUL. 
          JAY'S BEEN IN THOSE SAME KIND OF PLACES. 
          AND SO IT IS VERY MUCH, IT'S LIKE HOW DO YOU BALANCE THIS IDEA OF NOT GETTING SO FAR BEHIND, YOU CAN'T CATCH UP, BUT ALSO DOING SOMETHING THAT'S SUSTAINABLE AND AFFORDABLE IT, YOU KNOW? AND, AND SO IS THERE AN ANSWER RIGHT NOW? I DON'T HAVE WHAT THE ANSWER IS RIGHT NOW. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE NEXT YEAR WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE LOOKING AT AND TRYING TO WORK ON AND FIGURE IT OUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT, IT IS A THING. 
          YEAH. 
          I MEAN, IT'S LIKE YOU HAVE TO STAY COMPA, YOU HAVE TO STAY COMPETITIVE. 
          BUT THEN IT'S LIKE, OKAY, THEN WHAT ARE YOU GONNA CUT? I MEAN, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA GET IS OKAY. 
          AND SO THEN WHAT DO WE START CUTTING? CAROL? JUST CURIOUS. 
          I I BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN REGARDS TO, UM, NOT KNOWING WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS MM-HMM . 
          I GUESS MY QUESTION THEN BECOMES, AND YOU PROBABLY CAN'T SPEAK FOR HIM, BUT MR. REYNOLDS WAS QUOTED FOR SAYING, YOU KNOW, THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE COMING. 
          WHAT FUTURE IS HE SEEING THAT OBVIOUSLY WE ARE NOT SEEING? UM, BECAUSE NEXT YEAR IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE NOT GETTING THOSE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THAT FUTURE HE SEES, UM, 'CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE IN THE SAME BOAT, UM, CUTTING BUDGETS TO ENSURE RAISES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. 
          UM, SO WHEN, WHAT YEAR DOES HE EXPECT THESE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BE FLOWING IN AND OUR FUTURE BE BRIGHT? SO I WOULD SAY THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. 
          SO THOSE ARE INDUSTRY PROJECTS. 
          IT'S NOT GONNA BE BILLION DOLLARS DOLLARS IN OUR  OR ELSE WOULD BE LIKE, HEY, JUST HOLD ON , IT'S GONNA BE GREAT . 
          UM, AND THOSE ARE INTO THE, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR INDUSTRY OUT, OUT INTO ETJ THROUGH IDAS AND THAT SORT OF THING. 
          AND SO, UM, AND THERESA, YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF, IF I'M WRONG, BUT THOSE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS END UP BEING A COUPLE OF MILLION TO US INTO OUR FUND. 
          THOSE THAT MONEY HELPS KIND OF, I'M GONNA SAY IT HELPS KEEP US FLAT BECAUSE THERE, THERE'S GOING TO BE THOSE CPI INCREASES, RIGHT? OF ALL THE GOODS AND SERVICES THAT WE HAVE TO BUY TO, RIGHT? THAT, THAT HELPS COVER THAT COST. 
          SO EVERYTHING ELSE IS KIND OF STAYING SOMEWHAT THE SAME. 
          WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE BIG GROWTH INCREASES LIKE WE USED TO HAVE. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF THIS IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, IS IT, IS IT DOOM AND GLOOM? ARE WE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, CUTTING ALL KINDS OF POSITIONS AND ARE WE LOOKING AT DOING AWAY WITH SERVICES AND SHUTTING DOWN THE LIBRARY AND THAT KIND OF OF STUFF. 
          WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT THAT. 
          IT'S LIKE, CAN WE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THIS COMING? YEAH. 
          AND, AND THEN I THINK PROBABLY IN THREE TO FIVE YEARS DO THINGS, YOU KNOW, PICK UP SOME, WILL WE EVER SEE WHAT WE SAW THE LAST 10 YEARS? I DON'T, I DON'T THINK SO. 
          UM, IN THREE TO FIVE YEARS, DO WE THINK WE'LL MOVE BEYOND KIND OF ALWAYS BEING FLAT? I THINK SO. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S MY GREAT PISTOL BALL AND UM, IF YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I, NO, THAT WAS, I MEAN, IT'S HARD TO SAY THE NEXT TWO YEARS. 
          YEAH. 
          BILL, YOU HAVE ANYTHING? YOU WANNA TAKE A BREAK FOR A MINUTE? NO, WE CAN, WE CAN GO CAUCUS, IT'LL BE FINE. 
          ALRIGHT, Y'ALL GOOD WITH US CAUCUSING FOR A FEW MINUTES? MM-HMM . 
          GOOD. 
          UM, SO CURRENTLY WE'RE NOT IN A POSITION TO ACCEPT IT. 
          UM, RIGHT NOW WITHOUT SPEAKING WITH OUR MEMBERS, UM, OBVIOUSLY 
          [00:35:01]
WE THINK THAT PROBABLY SOME HEARTBURN THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN, UM, AND GET AROUND WITH THE 4%, UM, REBUTTAL, UM, RE COUNTER. 
          UM, SO SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DISCUSS WITH OUR MEMBERSHIP. 
          UM, THEY ARE AWARE THAT WE HAVE A MEETING ALREADY SET FOR TOMORROW SO WE CAN START THAT PROCESS. 
          BUT UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, SEE WHAT THEY SAY. 
          UM, OBVIOUSLY WITH THIS NEW BUDGET, THE NEW FLAT LINE BUDGET AND THE OVERTIME BASICALLY GONE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME OF THEM ARE TRYING TO WRAP THEIR HEADS AROUND AND STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          SO, UH, WE'LL SEE, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN, SO PROBABLY TWO WEEKS WE'LL RUN A VOTE AND THEN TRY TO GET BACK MAYBE IN A COUPLE WEEKS, UM, WITH THE, THEIR RESPONSE TO THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU GOT A QUESTION? HOW ? YEAH, SO YOU CONFUSED ME, UM, WHEN YOU SAID A VOTE. 
          YEAH, SO OUR MEMBERSHIP VOTE ON WHETHER TO ACCEPT THIS PAY RAISE AS WELL AS WHAT WE TA ON IN REGARDS TO THE, UH, GUARDIAN TRACKING REPLACING, UM, ON THAT ONE. 
          UM, FOR THEIR VOTE TO ACCEPT BASICALLY THAT CHANGE OR ALLOW THAT, SO OKAY. 
          BECAUSE THIS IS A REOPENER ON THE CURRENT YEAH. 
          UM, SO IT, IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING AND, AND WE, AND WE WILL REACH OUT TO, UH, KEGEL TO GET CLARIFICATION, BUT IF WE'RE CHANGING ANYTHING IN THE CONTRACT THEY PREVIOUSLY VOTED ON, WE NEED TO HAVE A NO, A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          YEAH, JUST IN MY, IN MY HEAD BECAUSE TYPICALLY IT'S LIKE WE TA ON EVERYTHING AND THEN ONCE EVERYTHING'S TA'ED ON, THEN IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WE'LL TAKE IT FOR THE VOTE. 
          AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY I WAS, I WAS, WELL WE, WE SO THIS IS Y'ALL'S BEST AND FINAL OFFER, CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY. 
          ZERO WIGGLE AND PRETTY MUCH, YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          SO OUTSIDE OF THIS, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THE TA RIGHT? WE'VE ALREADY AGREED. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          I MEAN, 'CAUSE THE ONLY OTHER ARTICLE WAS THE THING THAT WE ALREADY TA'ED ON. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, SO YEAH, I WAS JUST IN MY HEAD JUST BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE. 
          BUT I UNDERSTAND, I MEAN, IF, IF, IF IT MAKES YOU MORE COMFORTABLE WITH TA TEAM A ON IT, WE CAN DO THAT AND WE CAN TAKE IT TO OUR, I MEAN, EITHER WAY THAT'S, THAT'S THE, WHERE IT'S GOING. 
          IT'S GONNA GO TO THE MEMBERS AND WE CAN GO FROM THERE. 
          HOWEVER Y'ALL WANNA DO IT. 
          I, I AM GOOD. 
          WE'RE NOT HAPPY, BUT WE'RE GOOD WITH IT. 
          SO THERE'S GIRL IS FLEXIBLE BECAUSE I, I NEED THAT. 
          WE NEED TO WORK ON THIS NOW. 
          . 
          NO, NO. 
          UM, I I UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION AS NE NEGOTIATORS OF NOT NECESSARILY WANTING TO TA BECAUSE UM, WE HAVE A HARD SELL IN FRONT OF US, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY TAKE IT AND SAY, OKAY, KIND OF THAT I MAY USE THIS WRONG, BUT IN, IN GOOD, GOOD FAITH, WE THINK THIS IS A RIGHT MM-HMM . 
          SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT PERSPECTIVE, LIKE I SAID, IT WAS JUST, I WAS JUST MAKING SURE WE WERE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE. 
          UM, I AM GOING TO DEFER TO, UM, THE ATTORNEY FOR A MOMENT TO FIND OUT, DO WE NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE A DOCUMENT WITH A TA OR CAN THEY TAKE THIS TO THE VOTE WITHOUT THE FORMAL TA ON IT? I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE FORMAL, BUT IF YOU WANNA GIVE LIKE FIVE MINUTES, I CAN GET YOU AN ANSWER. 
          OKAY. 
          GIMME A COUPLE MINUTES RIGHT BACK. 
          WE'LL, RECESS, I MEAN, YEAH, OF IT'S ON RECORD. 
          I MEAN BACK AND, OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, SINCE WE DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE THE TA THEN I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE GOOD. 
          UM, IF Y'ALL WANNA PROCEED, TAKE IT BACK. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO OKAY THEN WE WILL, UH, IF THERE'S NO OTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO B, WHICH IS CONSIDER TIME AND DATE FOR THE NEXT MEETING. 
          FOR FIRST SESSION. 
          UM, SO DO Y'ALL WANT TO LOOK AT CALENDARS AND SET SOMETHING Y'ALL HAVE AVAILABILITY? WHAT DO YOU HAVE? WELL, NO, I'M JUST, SO IF WE PRESENT IT TOMORROW AFTER THE 15TH OR 16TH, THAT NEXT? YES. 
          I WAS THINKING IF YOU OPEN VOTING ON FRIDAY, WE CLOSE IT ON THE 16TH. 
          SO THAT FOLLOWING WEEK. 
          YEAH, BE OUTTA TIME THAT WEEK. 
          THAT'S WHY I'M SURE WE CLOSE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO RIGHT AWAY I THINK WE START THE ROAD TOMORROW AT SIX O'CLOCK. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'LL 
          [00:40:01]
CLOSE IT OUT. 
          THE FOUR, THE 14TH OF SIX O'CLOCK AND IF WE CAN MEET 15TH OR 16TH, THAT WAY WE CAN HOPEFULLY GOOD. 
          UH, THURSDAY, ANYTIME AFTER 10. 
          I CAN MAKE TIME AND FRIDAY RIGHT NOW. 
          ANYTHING. 
          YOU'RE GOOD? YOU'RE ON THE 14TH OR SAY THE, THE 15TH, CORRECT? UH, YEAH, MEETING THE 15TH ANYTIME AFTER 10. 
          WHAT TIME? WHAT TIME ON THE 15TH? UM, ARE YOU, BUT OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT, SO Y'ALL DO 11 O'CLOCK, 10 30, WHATEVER. 
          YEAH, WE'D SAY LET'S DO, UH, PROBABLY 10 30. 
          10 30. 
          SO THAT'LL BE 10 30 ON AUGUST THE 15TH, WHICH IS A THURSDAY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL YEAH. 
          ALRIGHTY. 
          UM, WITH THAT, UM, WE'VE HANDLED ALL OF OUR ITEMS FOR TODAY, SO I'LL ATTEND THIS MEETING. 
          THANK Y'ALL. 
          THANK YOU.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.