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WELCOME TO THE BUDGET WORK SESSION OF AUGUST 28, 2018.
>> MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
[1. 18-4954 Staff presentation on the FY 2019 Proposed Budget focusing on, but not limited to, the following City Departments: [Sheryl Sculley, City Manager; Justina Tate, Director, Management and Budget] A. Airport B. Center City Development Office C. Economic Development]
MORNING.WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO OUR CITY COUNCIL BUDGET SESSION.
WE HAVE THREE DEPARTMENTS THIS MORNING AND WE WILL END ON TIME, I BELIEVE.
THIS IS OUR FIFTH WORK SESSION WITH THE CITY COUNCIL ON OUR DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS FOR THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2019 WHICH BEGINS OCTOBER 1.
FIRST WE'LL START WITH THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT.
RUSS HANDY WILL BE MAKING THAT PRESENTATION FOLLOWED BY JOHN JACKS.
HE WILL PRESENT THE CENTER CITY OPERATIONS BUDGET.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY RENE DOMINGUEZ.
MAY I SUGGEST THAT WE DO AS WE DID LAST WEEK AND HAVE ALL THREE PRESENTATIONS AND TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL.
OUR NEXT BUDGET WORK SESSION THEN WILL BE TOMORROW AFTERNOON BEGINNING AT 2:00 P.M.
AND WE'LL COVER TOMORROW THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
THE CONVENTION AND SPORTS FACILITIES, VISIT SAN ANTONIO, ARTS AND CULTURE, AND OUR WORLD HERITAGE OFFICE.
SO WE'LL COVER THOSE TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
AFTER THE BUDGET WORK SESSION WE'RE GOING TO HOLD OUR FIFTH COMMUNITY MEETING ON THE BUDGET.
THIS WILL BE AT THE CHARITY VENUE THIS EVENING.
THAT WILL BE GEARED TOWARD GATHERING INPUT FROM OUR MILLENNIALS.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE CHARITY BAR.
I JUST COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO JUST SAY THAT.
MY STAFF CONVINCED ME TO GET THE MILLENNIALS THERE WE NEEDED TO DO IT AT THE CHARITY VENUE.
YES, WE ARE DOING THAT THIS EVENING.
HOPEFULLY A LITTLE BIT COOLER.
IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AS HOT TODAY.
ADDITIONALLY, TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29 IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WE'LL BE HOSTING OUR FIRST LEGALLY REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET, AND THAT WILL BEGIN AT 6:00 P.M. TOMORROW EVENING.
SO TODAY WE'LL BEGIN WITH OUR AVIATION DEPARTMENT AND RUSS HANDY, OUR DIRECTOR WILL BE PRESENTING.
>> THANK YOU, SHERYL, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TODAY TO TALK ABOUT YOUR AVIATION DEPARTMENT'S AMAZING FISCAL '18 AND HOW MUCH BETTER '19 IS GOING TO BE.
BEFORE WE START, SINCE I'M FIRST UP, I THOUGHT WE WOULD GET THE BUDGET JUICES FLOWING A LITTLE BIT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN AT YOUR AIRPORT IN '18.
>> SO WE DID HAVE AN EXCEPTIONAL '18.
I'M PROUD TO SERVE WITH AN AMAZING TEAM THAT MADE THAT HAPPEN FOR THE REGION OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE CITY.
AND WE'VE GOT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
I DID WANT TO TAKE A SECOND TO CALL OUT A BIG PIECE OF THAT.
MARK AND MAUREEN FROM OUR AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION THAT YOU ALL APPOINT.
THOSE FOLKS, TOGETHER WITH OTHER GROUPS, THAT ENGAGE WITH THE AIRPORT ARE INSTRUMENTAL TO OUR SUCCESS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE.
AS I SAID, MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE TO BE AN EXCEPTIONAL AIRPORT SYSTEM TO GENERATE PROSPERITY FOR THE REGION.
OUR WHY STATEMENT IS BEFORE YOU.
AND REALLY IT'S ALL ABOUT OUR TWO TOP PRIORITIES.
EMPOWER PROFESSIONALS THAT OPTIMIZE AIR SERVICE AND PROVIDE THAT EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
AS I SAID, I'M REALLY PROUD TO SERVE WITH A BUNCH OF FOLKS THAT
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ARE VERY, VERY GOOD AT DOING JUST THIS.EVERYTHING YOU'LL SEE IN OUR FY '19 BUDGET WILL BE FRAMED BY THAT WHY STATEMENT.
WE DO OPERATE AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND, AS YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE AIRPORT SYSTEM.
AND SO IT'S SOME OF THE WEIRDNESS YOU'LL SEE ABOUT OUR RULES REGARDING USER FEES, GRANT, AND BOND ASSURANCES.
THE FOLKS STANDING UP BEFORE YOU REPRESENT OVER 200 YEARS OF AIRPORT EXPERIENCE.
MOST OF THEM STARTED WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT 12 YEARS OLD IN THE AVIATION BUSINESS.
BUT I DID WANT TO TAKE A SECOND TO INTRODUCE THEM.
TOM BARTLETT, OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
LOIS CLARK, KAREN ELLIS, THE COOLEST JOB, THE CHIEF OF THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
RYAN ROCHA, OUR HOMETOWN BOY RUNNING HIS OWN AIRPORT.
TOGETHER WITH AN AMAZING TEAM OF ABOUT 500 FOLKS THEY MAKE INCREDIBLE THINGS HAPPEN.
FOLKS, IT'S A PLEASURE TO SERVE WITH YOU EVERY DAY.
[APPLAUSE] SHE LOVES TO SIT IN THE BACK BUT I HAVE TO TAKE A SECOND TO RECOGNIZE VIRGINIA.
SHE'S ON MARIA'S TEAM BUT SHE WORKS FULL-TIME AT THE AIRPORT AND SHE AND HER TEAM ARE AMAZING.
THEY MAKE INCREDIBLE THINGS HAPPEN.
WHAT OTHER BETTER TIME THAN BUDGET SEASON TO TALK ABOUT OUR FISCAL PROS.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
SO, LAST YEAR I STOOD HERE BEFORE YOU AND TOLD YOU FISCAL '18 WAS GOING TO BE AN AMAZING YEAR, AND IT WAS.
WE ACHIEVED SEVERAL PHENOMENAL SUCCESSES.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT A FEW OF THOSE.
THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT I HAVE THE PLEASURE TO WORK WITH THAT WORK FOR AND WITH ALL OF THOSE EXECUTIVES MAKE THIS HAPPEN 24/7 EVERY DAY.
BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
AIRPORT'S COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL, OUR LEADING INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION, HAS RECOGNIZED SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT SYSTEM FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW FOR OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
IN FACT, KAREN IS GOING TO GO ACCEPT THAT AWARD HERE IN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW.
WE ARE THIRD PLACE FOR BEST AIRPORT BY REGION AND CLIMBING.
SO WE DO ATTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS IN OUR PASSENGER GROWTH THAT YOU SEE THERE, AMAZING SUCCESS OF OVER 9 MILLION PASSENGERS IN '17 TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE REGION.
BUT WE ALSO ATTRIBUTE IT TO THE GREAT WORK THE AVIATION TEAM AND THE CITY HAS DONE TO BRING MORE SERVICE TO SAN ANTONIO THAT WE NEED AND THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TO OUR TEAM CONTINUES TO GENERATE.
I STOOD HERE LAST YEAR AND TOLD YOU THAT WE EXPECT TO HIT 10 MILLION IN 2025.
WELL, I GUESS I FAILED YOU BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT HIT THAT NO 2018 IF WE CONTINUE WITH THE GROWTH RATE WE ARE.
WE SURPASSED 900,000 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN JULY.
FIRST TIME WE WENT OVER THAT NUMBER.
THAT WAS THE 24TH MONTH OF CONSECUTIVE GROWTH.
SO DON'T HOLD ME TO IT BUT 10 MILLION IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD.
MAYOR, SHERYL, MIGHT HAVE TO HAVE YOU OUT IN FRONT OF ANOTHER SURPRISE SIGN TO UNCOVER SOMETHING HERE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO WE WERE SITTING AT 35 NONSTOP DESTINATIONS AND THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK GOING ON TO IDENTIFY TOGETHER WITH OUR AIR SERVICE TASK FORCE AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY WHAT SERVICE WE NEEDED TO ADD.
IN '17 YOU SAW A FEW MORE ROUTES COME ONLINE TO REACH FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST COAST.
53 NONSTOP DESTINATIONS WITH ONE MORE TO GO BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR TO LEON, MEXICO.
AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT YOU'RE SEEING OUT AT THE AIRPORT.
AGAIN, ATTRIBUTED TO AN AWFUL LOT OF GREAT WORK BY OUR TEAM.
MUCH OF THE GROWTH WAS DUE TO FRONTIER AIRLINES AND THE INVESTMENT THAT FRONTIER CHOSE TO MAKE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THEY ADDED ROUTES TO 14 BRAND NEW UNSERVED DESTINATIONS AND SEVEN TO UNDERSERVED DESTINATIONS.
YOU KNOW, FRONTIER DOES A LOT TO ADD AIR SERVICE BUT THEY ALSO HAVE AN AMAZING ULTRA LOW COST CARRIER MODEL THAT ULTIMATELY INTRODUCES RATE COMPETITION AND DRIVES THOSE RATES DOWN.
WE ARE SEEING DRAMATIC DECREASES WHERE THEY HAVE ADDED, TO INCLUDE SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND OUR RATES AND ULTIMATELY THAT GETS PASSED ON TO THE CUSTOMER.
THEY REALLY HAVE IMPROVED THEIR BRAND WITHIN SAN ANTONIO TO INCLUDE BRINGING GRIZZ, THEIR 9-FOOT TALL BEAR OUT TO THE CITY AND GIVING AWAY A LOT OF FREE AIR TRAVEL AND TALKING TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT AIR SERVICE.
WE WERE THE FIRST COMMUNITY TO HAVE A JET DEDICATED TO SAN ANTONIO.
SO YOU'LL SEE A SAN ANTONIO AIRPLANE WITH SAN ANTONIO'S NAME EMBLAZONED ON IT AND LONE STAR ON THE TAIL OF THAT.
AND EARLY NEXT MONTH WE'RE HOSTING THE C.E.O.S OF
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FRONTIER AIRLINES WHO SERVES GUADALAJARA AND MEXICO CITY TO FORMALLY ANNOUNCE THEIR COACH HERE.YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A COACH RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRONTIER AND VALERIS.
SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND THAT ANNOUNCEMENT THAT'S FORTHCOMING .
WE EXECUTED A LOT OF GREAT PROJECTS IN FISCAL YEAR '18.
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO TELL YOU ABOUT ALL OF THEM BUT SOME ARE NOTICEABLE AND THEY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OUR PASSENGERS EXPECT AND THEY DESERVE HERE IN THIS WONDERFUL COMMUNITY.
THE CONRAC IS OBVIOUSLY THE MOST NOTICEABLE.
THE BIGGEST CAPITAL PROJECT IN RECENT HISTORY AT THE AIRPORT.
13 RENTAL CAR AGENCIES SERVING THAT NOW WITH ROOM FOR ONE MORE AT THAT COUNTER.
AN AMAZING PUBLIC ARTWORK TO CAPTURE 300 YEARS OF SAN ANTONIO HISTORY AS YOU WALK INTO THE LOBBY.
WE OPENED THE SHORT-TERM PARKING GARAGE BEFORE THANKSGIVING.
GAVE AWAY SOME FREE SPURS TICKETS.
THAT GARAGE IS THE FIRST NOW TO INTRODUCE A LOT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THAT WE ARE INTEGRATING INTO THE REST OF OUR PARKING AREAS.
WE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO A COMPREHENSIVE ROADWAY STUDY AND WE TRANSFORMED THE WAY THE CURB ALLOCATIONS WORK, DECONFLICTING VEHICLES THAT WERE OTHERWISE BORDERING UNSAFE BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE VEHICLES, AND WIDENING ROADWAYS.
THIS WEEK WE ARE PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A PAVING PROJECT THAT COVERS MOST OF THE TERMINAL CAMPUS.
THE NEXT TIME YOU GO TO THE AIRPORT YOU'LL SEE A WONDERFUL NEW ROADWAY SYSTEM AS WELL COMING IN TO THE AIRPORT.
WE'RE ABOUT TO OPEN OUR NEW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT STINSON.
IT'S A PHENOMENAL PIECE OF ARCHITECTURE THAT FAA IS PUTTING THE FINAL TOUCHES ON THE ELECTRONICS.
FOR THAT TOWER, THAT WAS A HUGE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT.
OF COURSE WE OPEN OUR NEW GAS STATION, CONVENIENCE STORE AND BURGER KING AND WE INSTITUTED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE OWNERS WITH OUR BRAND NEW CELL PHONE LOT.
NOW WE HAVE THE USERS OF OUR CELL PHONE LOT IN THE 10 OR 15 MINUTES THEY'RE WAITING FOR THEIR PASSENGERS, ABLE TO MAKE USE OF THAT CUSTOMER ENHANCEMENT.
WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE AS YOU COME INTO THE AIRPORT.
ANOTHER THING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST YEAR THAT I'M PROUD OF IS THAT WE REALLY TRANSFORMED THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT HOW WE REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY AT THE AIRPORT, AS THE FIRST AND LAST PLACE TRAVELERS SEE AS THEY COME IN AND OUT OF SAN ANTONIO.
WE REALLY TRIED TO BEAR DOWN ON IMPORTANT EVENTS.
ONE WE'RE PROBABLY MOST PROUD OF WAS THE SUPPORT TO THE NCAA FINAL FOUR.
WE PROCESSED 19,000 ON DEPARTURE TUESDAY.
IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY BUSY TIME BUT WE NEVER EXCEEDED 20 MINUTES AND FOR THE MOST PART THE WAIT WAS LESS THAN 10.
676 GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT WERE PARKED AND SERVED AT BUSINESSES AND THEY ACHIEVED ALSO A PHENOMENAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
MANY OF THE EXECUTIVES WHO EACH OF WHICH WE MET AND WE SAW OFF AT THE AIRPORT, THEY WANT TO COME BACK.
THEY WANT TO COME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO A LOT MORE OFTEN, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE THEM AGAIN VERY SOON.
BUT WE ALSO TOOK THIS OPPORTUNITY TO KICKOFF AN EVENT-THEMED MENTALITY AT THE AIRPORT.
NOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IS EVERYTHING AROUND THE AIRPORT IS GOING TO BE THEMED AROUND THE TIME OF YEAR.
WE HAD A WONDERFUL VETERANS DAY THEME THAT MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN.
WE HAVE A THEME CALLED THE 300 DAYS OF SUMMER THAT WE'RE EXTREMELY PROUD OF AS WELL.
SO, AGAIN, JUST TRYING TO CAPTURE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY A LITTLE BIT BETTER AT THE AIRPORT.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, SAT IS GROWING.
AND SO FY '18 DID MARK THE BEGINNING OF A NEW STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS.
WE'RE KNEE DEEP IN THE PLAN THAT WILL LOOK OUT 20 EVEN INTO 50 YEARS.
IT'S A DATA-DRIVEN PROCESS BY SOME HIGH-POWER PROFESSIONALS WITH A LOT OF COMMUNITY INPUT.
I DO WANT TO THANK A LOT OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN AT OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS AND HAVE ENCOURAGED YOUR CONSTITUENTS SO THAT WE COULD HEAR THEIR VOICE.
THAT FORECAST THAT WILL START THIS PROCESS ON WHAT DO WE ENVISION FOR THESE NEXT 20 TO 50 YEARS IS IN THE FAA APPROVAL PROCESS RIGHT NOW.
TOGETHER WITH THE CAPACITY ANALYSIS AND VERY SOON THE AIRPORT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE THAT THE MAYOR APPOINTED WILL BE COMING FORWARD WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON OUR NEXT STEPS FOR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT, SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
I MENTIONED ENHANCEMENTS AND THEMATIC SENSE.
BUT NOW I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE POSITIONS YOU AUTHORIZED IN THE FY '18 BUDGET AND WHAT THEY MEANT TO SAN ANTONIO.
YOU AUTHORIZED NINE POSITIONS.
ALL NINE OF THEM ARE MEETING OR EXCEEDING EVERY GOAL WE ESTABLISHED.
ONE THAT'S PROBABLY THE MOST NOTABLE IS MATT EVANS.
HE'S DONE AMAZING THINGS AT THE AIRPORT.
THERE'S JUST NO WAY I HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO TALK ABOUT THEM ALL.
HE HOSTED THE FIRST-EVER FIESTA
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PARADE IN THE AIRPORT.THAT GOT AN AMAZING RESPONSE FROM ALL OF OUR AIRPORT TEAMMATES WITH A STUDENT ART CONTEST.
LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF INPUTS TO THAT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF LOCAL ART UP IN THE AIRPORT RIGHT NOW.
ONE OF THE THE ONES THAT WE ARE VERY, VERY PROUD OF IS ST. ANTHONY'S LOST AND FOUND THAT'S AT THE TSA CHECKPOINT.
EVERY PLACE AT THE AIRPORT THAT FOLKS ARE LINGERING, WE HAVE ARTWORK THAT NOT ONLY BRINGS LOCAL FLAVOR INTO THE AIRPORT BUT IT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ARTIST TO MARKET THEIR PRODUCT.
THERE ARE QR CODES ON ALL THE PAINTINGS.
YOU HOVER OVER THEM WITH YOUR PHONE AND IT WILL BRING UP THE WEBSITE AND GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THAT ARTIST IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE THAT OR ANY OTHER ART.
OTHER ENHANCEMENTS, ALL EIGHT OF THESE ARE ON BOARD TO INCLUDE OUR FIRE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE.
WE ARE SEEING EXTREMELY POSITIVE RESULTS, MORE PROACTIVE AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, KEEPING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE UP TO PAR WITHOUT HAVING TO REACT TO AN EMERGENCY.
WE HAVE MUCH BETTER CONTINUITY AND COVERAGE THROUGH THE NIGHT SHIFT FOR THE FIRE AND SAFETY PROFESSIONALS.
SO NOW MAYBE LET'S GET TO WHY WE'RE HERE AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR FY '19 GOALS AND HOW THE BUDGET FRAMED AROUND OUR WHY STATEMENT WILL ACHIEVE THOSE.
CLEARLY WE NEED TO NOT ONLY CONTINUE TO WORK FOR AIR SERVICE THAT WE NEED, WE DO STILL HAVE UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED MARKETS, DRAMATICALLY LESS OF THOSE THAN WE DID A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
WE HAVE THEM AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT.
WE ALSO NEED TO WORK HARD TO RETAIN THE AIR SERVICE THAT WE HAVE.
THAT'S A SURROUNDED PART OF AIR SERVICE THAT SOMETIMES IS OVERLOOKED.
ONCE YOU GET IT YOU NEED TO STRIVE HARD TO RETAIN IT.
THAT INVOLVES A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT ANALYZES YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS AND PUTS EFFORT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
WE'RE KNEE DEEP IN THAT WITH A TALENTED MARKETING TEAM TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
WE'VE GOT A NEW FOOD AND BEVERAGE AND RETAIL CONCESSION RFP OUT, AND I'LL TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
THE ART PROGRAM IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE.
AGAIN, IT'S A VERY LOW-COST, EFFICIENT WAY OF BRINGING MORE ART, CULTURE,ND HISTORY TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THAT AND OBVIOUSLY COMPLETING PHASE ONE TO THE POINT WHERE WE'VE GOT INITIAL DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE COMMUNITY IS AN IMPORTANT GOAL FOR VERY, VERY EARLY IN '19.
AS YOU KNOW WE BROUGHT FORTH AN RFP.
WE HAVE RESPONSES THAT WE ARE IN THE EVALUATION PHASE ON NOW.
YOU WILL SEE THIS PLAY OUT IN FY '19 IN TERMINAL A.
AND MANY OBJECTIVES TO THIS PROGRAM, ULTIMATELY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE USE OF EVERY INCH OF PROPERTY THAT WE'VE GOT.
SO WE'RE MAKING SEVERAL OF OUR AREAS LARGER.
OFFERING MORE SIT-DOWN TABLE SERVICE, MORE FRESH, HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS, WHICH WE LACK AT THE AIRPORT.
AND AN INCREDIBLE LOCAL FLAVOR FROM THE RESPONSES.
SO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BRINGING THIS TO FRUITION.
IT WILL PLAY OUT AFTER THE FIRST OF CALENDAR '19 AND WE'LL TRANSITION IT OVER ABOUT A TEN-MONTH PERIOD AND BRING THAT TO TERMINAL A.
IT'S A BALANCED BUDGET OF $98 MILLION.
YOU CAN SEE THE BULK OF THAT WILL BE EXPEND ON SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT ABOUT 58.7.
PUBLIC SAFETY CONSUMES ABOUT $10 MILLION.
WE'VE GOT DEBT SERVICE AND CONTINUING TO INVEST IN OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE MAJORITY OF OUR REVENUE COMES FROM NON-AIRLINE SOURCES.
WE CALL NON-AERONAUTICAL REVENUE.
ALMOST 60% OF IT IS WHAT WE FORECAST.
IT ENABLES US TO CHARGE LOWERS RATES AND CHARGES TO THE AIRLINES SO THEY CAN PASS THAT ADVANTAGE ON TO THE CUSTOMER.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE BULK OF THAT COMES FROM PARKING.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE STRONG DEMAND IN OUR PARKING AREAS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
AND OUR RETAIL AND RENTAL CAR CONCESSIONS ARE CLOSE BEHIND.
WE ARE ASKING FOR A NUMBER OF ENHANCEMENTS, AND THEY REALLY FIT INTO TWO PERSONNEL CATEGORIES.
ONE OF THEM IS UNDER THE CATEGORY OF SAFETY AND IT'S REALLY A CONTINUATION OF AN AREA THAT WE STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO TRULY TRANSITION TO A 24/7 OPERATION AT THE AIRPORT.
WE'VE GOT GAPS IN OUR MANNING IN THE LATE HOURS.
IN SOME CASES WHERE WE HAVE PEOPLE ON CALL, WHETHER IT BE MAINTAINERS OR DUTY MANAGERS.
AND WE REALLY HAVE SO MUCH TRAFFIC GOING THROUGH THE AIRPORT AND SO MUCH ACTIVITY THAT WE NEED TO ENHANCE THAT MANNING TO CLOSER TO A 24/7 OPERATION.
LAST YEAR I TALKED TO YOU ABOUT PLUMBERS AND MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONALS AND GETTING IN FRONT OF PROBLEMS. WE ADDED THOSE POSITIONS AND WE HAVE SEEN IMPROVEMENTS UPWARDS OF 75% IN OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT THIS YEAR WITH ONE ELECTRICIAN AS WELL.
ON THE RIGHT SIDE TALKS TO PROCESS IMPROVEMENT FOR PROCUREMENT.
AS YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AT THE AIRPORT INVOLVES A NUMBER OF PROCUREMENT STEPS AS
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WE INTRODUCE MORE TECHNOLOGY AND MORE CUSTOMER ENHANCEMENTS THOSE GET MORE AND MORE COMPLEX.AND WE REALLY HAVEN'T ADDED MY MANPOWER TO THE TEAM OF PEOPLE THAT NEED TO COLLABORATE TO BRING ALL THAT TOGETHER.
WE HAVE INTRODUCED MUCH MORE DISCIPLINE TO OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WHICH PUTS A LOT MORE DEMAND ON OUR FISCAL PROFESSIONALS.
SO WE'RE ASKING FOR MODEST INCREASES IN ACCOUNTING PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACT PROFESSIONALS.
OUR CIP CONTINUES TO MEASURE WHAT NEEDS WE HAVE FOR THE NEAR TERM WHILE AS NOT TO INVEST IN SOMETHING FOR THE LONG TERM THAT MIGHT END UP BEING OVERCOME BY EVENTS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT EVERYTHING AND SAYING, LOOK, DO WE ABSOLUTELY NEED THAT PROJECT IF IN YEAR X THAT BUILDING IS MODIFIED OR CHANGED.
AND SO WE STILL DO HAVE A DEMAND FOR THAT BUT WE HAVEN'T INSTITUTED VERY MANY PROJECTS AT ALL, REALLY SLOWING THAT CIP DOWN IN A COHERENT EFFORT TO MANAGE THAT.
THAT SAID, WE DO STILL HAVE NEEDS.
A NUMBER OF THESE EXPENDITURES WERE PREVIOUSLY APPROPRIATED FUNDS PRIOR TO '19 THAT WERE SPENDING OUT THEIR PROGRAM.
LIKE OUR TERMINAL RENOVATIONS AND ONGOING WORK ON OUR AIRFIELD.
AS I SAID, WE'RE NOT INSTITUTING VERY MANY NEW PROGRAMS. OUR TERMINAL A RENOVATIONS, WE WILL COMPLETE THE MAJORITY OF THOSE IN '19 AND ALSO INSTITUTING SOME CHANGES TO THE FIRE ALARM,S THE PAGING SYSTEM, WHICH IS A STONE AGE SYSTEM IN OUR AIRPORT NOW .
WE'RE GOING TO RENOVATE THAT IN '19.
THE ONE SET OF NEW PROJECTS THAT WE DIDN'T TALK TO YOU ABOUT LAST YEAR HAS TO DO WITH THAT GROWTH THAT I TALKED ABOUT, HITTING MAYBE THE 2025 GROWTH AT THE END OF 2018.
WE'RE GROWING FASTER THAN OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS WILL ALLOW.
ULTIMATELY WE MAY BUILD A NEW TERMINAL SEVERAL YEARS DOWN THE ROAD BUT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WORKING WITH OUR AIRLINE PARTNERS TO OUR GATE CAPACITY AND TSA SCREENING CHECK POINTS.
THAT INVESTMENT IS GOING TO BE A DOWN PAYMENT, WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE AIRLINES.
WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT WE SPEND SO WE INVEST IN, IF IT'S A SHORT-TERM EFFORT, WE ONLY INVEST WHAT WE NEED TO.
IF IT'S A LONGER-TERM EFFORT WORKING WITH THE AIRLINES TO OPTIMIZE THEIR OPERATIONS.
CLEARLY STINSON IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR AIRPORT SYSTEM.
AS A GENERAL AVIATION RELIEVER.
THERE'S A LIST OF THIS MANY ACTIVITIES I COULD TELL YOU THAT WE DO AT STINSON THAT JUST WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH AT SAT.
BUT IT'S ALSO A PART OF OUR WORLD HERITAGE DISTRICT.
AND SO OUR TERMINAL FACILITY'S WONDERFUL.
IT'S TIME WE BROUGHT THE REST OF THE FACILITIES AROUND STINSON UP TO PAR.
THIS IS A PARKING LOT AND FRONT DOOR PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH TCI TO UPGRADE THE PARKING.
ADD ADDITIONAL SPACES, AND ADD ATTRACTIVE LANDSCAPING TO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING.
IT WILL CONNECT DIRECTLY TO THE HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL.
IT'S A PARTNERSHIP WITH PARKS AND REC TO CREATE A HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL ON 64 ACRES TO THE FRONT OF STINSON THAT WILL DIRECTLY CONNECT MISSION REACH WITH STINSON.
SO IMAGINE LANDING YOUR AIRCRAFT AT STINSON, JUMPING ON A RENTAL BIKE AND RIDING ALL THE WAY TO THE PEARL.
THAT EXPERIENCE WILL BE A WONDERFUL ENHANCEMENT.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO WORK WITH TCI ON THE ENTRYWAY ON ROOSEVELT.
TCI IS TAKING ON A PARKWAY PROJECT AND WE'RE TAKING ON A SIGN PROJECT TO PUT BRAND NEW WAYFINDING AND MONUMENT SIGNAGE TO INTRODUCE THE PUBLIC TO STINSON IN A MUCH MORE FAVORABLE FASHION THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST.
VERY BRIEFLY, THAT IS YOUR AVIATION DEPARTMENT'S FISCAL '19 BUDGET.
I'M PROUD TO BE STANDING HERE BEFORE YOU WITH SUCCESSES.
AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING YOUR QUESTIONS A LITTLE BIT LATER.
>> SCULLEY: JOHN JACKS IS NEXT TO PRESENT ON CENTER CITY OPERATIONS.
>> GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL.
I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT I FOLLOW RUSS THIS MORNING BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING THROUGH OUR AIRPORT SYSTEM AND THAT EXPERIENCE THAT THEY HAVE THERE, THEY ARE COMING DOWNTOWN AFTER THAT.
SO I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT THEY HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE AT THE AIRPORT, BUT WE WANT THEM TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE DOWNTOWN AS WELL.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE REAL QUICK TO INTRODUCE VERONICA GARCIA.
SHE IS OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A VACANCY IN OUR OTHER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR POSITION.
MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW THAT JIM RETIRED.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THAT NEW PERSON ON OUR TEAM.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK WHY DOWNTOWN, WHY IS DOWNTOWN IMPORTANT? WE WANT DOWNTOWN TO BE A PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE.
IT COULD BE TO LIVE OR TO WORK OR TO PLAY DOWNTOWN.
WE'RE NOT ASKING EVERYONE TO MOVE DOWNTOWN.
WE WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO COME VISIT DOWNTOWN.
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SO WHETHER YOU COME AND STAY, WHETHER YOU'RE VISITING, OR IF YOU LIVE IN SAN ANTONIO AND YOU'RE A RESIDENT WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO COME AND EXPERIENCE DOWNTOWN.SO REALLY WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE A DOWNTOWN THAT'S FOR EVERYONE.
AND SO WE OFFER A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE SO THEY CAN EXPERIENCE IT IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH FREE EVENTS OR WHETHER THAT'S COMING DOWN MAYBE TO HAVE DINNER.
OR IF YOU'RE HERE FOR A CONVENTION.
WE JUST WANT EVERYONE TO EXPERIENCE WHAT A GREAT DOWNTOWN WE HAVE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK BACK TO TEN YEARS AGO WHEN OUR OFFICE WAS CREATED.
AND THERE WERE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE WORKING DOWNTOWN IN VARIOUS DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND WE CAME TOGETHER AND CREATED A NEW DEPARTMENT REALLY TO FOCUS ON DOWNTOWN.
AND SO I THINK IN TEN YEARS WE MADE SOME BIG, BIG IMPROVEMENTS.
ALSO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WE ADDED SOME OF THE FACILITIES TO OUR DEPARTMENT.
MARKET SQUARE, LA VILLITA REALLY SO WE HAVE A GOOD GRASP AND A GOOD PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT'S GOING ON DOWNTOWN AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO US.
SO DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS ARE TWO DIVISIONS.
ONE IS DEVELOPMENT AND LEASING.
THERE'S ABOUT 42 POSITIONS IN THAT DIVISION.
THAT'S LED BY VERONICA GARCIA.
OPERATIONS INCLUDES OUR RIVER OPERATIONS AND OUR PARKING AND ALSO OUR EVENT COORDINATION.
I THINK RIVER WALK OPERATIONS IS ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT DIVISIONS.
WE ARE TAKING CARE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOURIST ATTRACTION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
WITH THE ALAMO BEING ACROSS THE STREET.
IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT JOB THAT OUR TEAM IS DOING DOWN ON THE RIVER WALK.
EVERY YEAR THEY PLANT MORE THAN 90,000 NEW PLANTS ON THE RIVER WALK TO MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL AND MAKE IT A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE REALLY LOVE TO EXPERIENCE.
EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A 95% PUBLIC SATISFACTION RATING FOR THE RIVER WALK.
SO AS YOU ALL KNOW WE STARTED A NEW RIVER BARGE CONCESSION THIS YEAR WITH NEW RIVER BARGES.
I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT REVENUE IS UP 17% SINCE LAST YEAR.
AND IT IS CONTINUING TO TREND UPWARDS.
THE RIVER WALK OPERATIONS TEAM IS MADE UP OF 34 EMPLOYEES.
MOST OF THEM ARE LANDSCAPERS, GARDENERS, MAINTENANCE WORKERS.
THEY ARE DOWN THERE EVERY MORNING VERY EARLY MAKING SURE THE RIVER LOOKS GOOD FOR ALL OUR VISITORS.
THEY DO MORE THAN JUST PLANT PLANTS THOUGH AND WATER PLANTS.
THEY ALSO DO A LOT OF CLEANING.
SO THEY'RE DOWN THERE DOING PRESSURE WASHING.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY CLEANING THE WATERWAY.
SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, IF YOU ARE DOWN THERE EARLY IN THE MORNING, YOU'LL SEE OUR LADY ECHO BOAT, WHICH IS A SKIMMER THAT'S SKIMMING THE WATER TO MAKE IT CLEAN AND LOOK NICE EVERY DAY.
THEY ALSO -- A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS BUT THEY HELP COORDINATE A LOT OF LARGE EVENTS, PARTICULARLY THE RIVER WALK PARADES.
IF IT'S A HOLIDAY RIVER PARADE THEY'RE THERE AT NIGHT MAKING SURE EVERYTHING GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN.
THEY ARE ALSO COORDINATING THE CONTRACT TO INSTALL THE HOLIDAY LIGHTS.
WHEN THE HOLIDAY LIGHTS COME ON THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, IT'S OUR TEAM DOWN THERE FLIPPING THE SWITCHES TO MAKE SURE ALL THAT GOES OFF WITHOUT A HITCH.
SO SINCE 2008 WE'VE COMPLETED OVER $15 MILLION IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ON THE RIVER WALK.
REALLY, THIS WAS AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE RIVER MORE ACCESSIBLE.
IT WAS A LOT OF ADA IMPROVEMENTS.
THIS YEAR WE ARE LOOKING AT DOING MORE.
THAT IS FUNDED THROUGH OUR RIVER WALK CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND, REVENUE GENERATED FROM THE PATIO LEASES.
MOVING ON TO PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION.
WE HAVE REALLY KIND OF GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND AND TAKEN THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
IN THE PAST IT WAS REALLY ALL ABOUT GETTING THE CARS IN THE PARKING FACILITIES, COLLECTING THAT REVENUE.
NOW WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT HOW DO PEOPLE GET TO OUR FACILITIES, HOW ARE THEY COMING DOWN? WHAT IS THEIR EXPERIENCE AS THEY GO AND THEY USE OUR SYSTEM.
SO IT'S REALLY MORE THAN JUST PARKING.
IT'S ALSO TRANSPORTATION, WORKING CLOSELY WITH TCI TO FACILITATE THAT.
THERE'S 92 EMPLOYEES IN PARKING.
66 OF THEM ARE IN OPERATIONS ALL PARTS OF THE CITY AS FAR AS PARKING ENFORCEMENT IS CONCERNED.
WE HAVE A LARGE INVENTORY OF PARKING.
WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 6300 SPACES DOWNTOWN.
THAT ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 25% OF ALL THE PARKING DOWNTOWN, SO WE ARE A BIG STAKEHOLDER WHEN IT COMES TO PARKING.
AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO MAKING THAT A GOOD EXPERIENCE, OR A BETTER EXPERIENCE.
[00:30:01]
WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TOWARDS HOW CAN WE MAKE PARKING A BETTER EXPERIENCE SO IT'S NOT THE REASON THAT YOU DON'T COME DOWNTOWN? WE HEAR THAT A LOT.PEOPLE SAY THEY DON'T COME DOWNTOWN BECAUSE PARKING IS EITHER TOO EXPENSIVE, IT'S TOO HARD TO FIND, OR IT'S CONFUSING.
SO WE'RE REALLY WORKING THIS YEAR TO IMPROVE THAT.
AND WE'RE DOING IT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH TCI, PARTICULARLY AROUND LARGE EVENTS.
WE HAVE SEEN THAT LARGE EVENTS TEND TO BE A TIME WHEN IT CAN BE STRESSFUL FOR SOMEONE COMING DOWNTOWN.
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM AND SAPD ON TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE CAN GET TO THEIR DESTINATION AND HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE.
WE HAVE ALSO WORKED ON EXPANDING OUR RESIDENTIAL PARKING PERMIT PROGRAM.
COUNCILMAN TREVINO AND YOU ALL APPROVED A NEW RPP PROGRAM FOR THE LAVACA NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHAT WORKS BEST FOR THEM.
THEY WERE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF COMMUTER PROBLEMS WHERE PEOPLE COULD COME IN DURING THE DAY AND PARK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WALK DOWN, TO THE POINT WHERE IT WAS BECOMING A SAFETY ISSUE WITH CONGESTION.
AND PEOPLE COULDN'T GET IN AND OUT OF THEIR HOUSES.
WE HAVE ALSO INSTALLED A LOT OF NEW SIGNAGE DOWNTOWN, BUT WE WERE VERY STRATEGIC ABOUT IT.
YOU WILL NOTICE ALL OF OUR SIGNS HAVE THE SAME SAN ANTONIO PARKING BRANDING, SO IT'S EASY FOR PEOPLE TO GET TO THE PARKING FACILITIES.
AND WE ALSO ADDED MORE WAYFINDING FOR WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE THE FACILITIES SO THEY CAN GET OUT OF DOWNTOWN MUCH EASIER.
IT'S ALL ABOUT MAKING THAT EXPERIENCE GOOD.
PARKING, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, THAT'S THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY COME DOWNTOWN, AND IT'S THEIR LAST EXPERIENCE BEFORE THEY LEAVE.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT IT'S A GOOD EXPERIENCE.
SOME THINGS WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, REALLY TO MAKE THAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BETTER, IS TO TAKE OUR AMBASSADORS WHO ARE IN THOSE FACILITIES AND TAKE THEM OUT OF THE BOOTHS AND GET THEM INTO THE LANES SO THEY CAN HELP PEOPLE BETTER.
MAKE IT EASIER AS FAR AS THAT TRANSACTION IS CONCERNED.
SO THERE'S NO CASH HANDLING ANYMORE IN OUR FACILITIES.
IT'S ALL EITHER DONE BY CREDIT CARD IN A PAYING LANE OR WE HAVE ADDED WALK-UP KIOSKS.
THAT TRANSACTION IS DONE BEFORE YOU GET TO YOUR CAR.
YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO DO IT WHILE YOU'RE IN YOUR VEHICLE.
AGAIN, WE FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE.
ALL OF OUR PARKING STAFF HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE VISIT SAN ANTONIO'S AMBASSADOR TRAINING PROGRAM.
WE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO TRAIN THEM IN CUSTOMER SERVICE.
AGAIN, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE PARKING.
OTHER THINGS WE'VE DONE IS TRY TO MAKE DOWNTOWN MORE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY.
I MENTIONED WE ADDED THE CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS.
CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS ARE NOW UP AS OPPOSED TO CASH.
WE HAVE ADDED BIKE FACILITIES AT ALL OUR PARKING GARAGES AND LOTS.
I MET WITH SEVERAL OF YOU AND TALKED ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT DEMANDS.
WE'RE WORKING WITH ART REINHART AT TCI TO ADD CAR POOLING AS AN OPTION AT SOME OF OUR FACILITIES.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT AND WE'LL REPORT BACK TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE LATER THIS FALL ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING.
WE'RE ALSO -- I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW, WE'RE WORKING ON DOCKLESS SCOOTERS.
WE'LL BE COMING TO COUNCIL HERE IN THE FALL.
THAT'S ANOTHER TRANSPORTATION OPPORTUNITY WE'RE WORKING ON.
REALLY, WHAT ALL THIS MEANS IS WE'RE REALLY DEMONSTRATING WE ARE INNOVATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO PARKING.
LOOKING AT ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE.
THERE'S A LOT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT'S AVAILABLE, SO WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH CRAIG OVER AT I.T. TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT CAN WE DO TO LEVERAGE THAT TECHNOLOGY AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO PARK.
SO MOVING ON TO OUR OTHER DIVISION, REAL ESTATE LEASING AND DEVELOPMENT.
SINCE THIS DEPARTMENT WAS CREATED AND SINCE THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEPARTMENT, WE'VE REACHED ABOUT 90% OF OUR DOWNTOWN HOUSING GOAL.
SO OUR GOAL IS 7500 UNITS BY 2020.
I THINK WE'LL FOR SURE HIT THAT AND IN FACT WE'RE LOOKING AT EVEN EXPANDING THAT TO MORE HOUSING TO MAKE A GOAL A LITTLE BIT BIGGER.
WE'VE ADDED A CULINARY CONCEPT FOR MAVERICK PLAZA AT LA VILLITA.
WE SEE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN THAT FACILITY TO KIND OF BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO LA VILLITA AND GIVE PEOPLE A GREAT EXPERIENCE, CULINARY-WISE, TO VISIT LA VILLITA.
WE HAVE ALSO FACILITATED REVITALIZATION OF THE ALAMEDA THEATER.
THAT PROJECT IS MOVING ALONG GREAT.
WE THINK IT WILL BE A GREAT ASSET FOR A BOOKEND FOR THE OTHER END OF HOUSTON STREET.
THAT PART OF HOUSTON STREET, AS YOU MAY KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S LACKING.
[00:35:02]
IT'S A LITTLE BIT -- THERE'S NOT A LOT OF ACTIVITY OVER THERE AND I THINK THE ALAMEDA THEATER WILL GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO WALK BACK AND FORTH DOWN HOUSTON STREET AND VISIT THE ZONA CULTURAL AREA.THAT TEAM ALSO MANAGES OVER 300 REVENUE LEASES.
SOME OF THOSE AND LARGE CONTRACTS SUCH AS THE RIVER BARGE CONCESSION, FIESTA, AS WELL AS OTHER SMALLER CONTRACTS IN DIFFERENT FACILITIES, SUCH AS THE RIVER WALK PATIO LEASES.
THIS PAST YEAR WE HAVE HAD SOME GREAT SUCCESSES WITH EVENTS.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, IT WAS TRICENTENNIAL SO WE HELPED FACILITATE MANY OF THE DOWNTOWN TRICENTENNIAL EVENTS SUCH AS THE NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION.
FOR US THIS YEAR I THINK OUR BIGGEST SUCCESS WAS THE FINAL FOUR.
WE WORKED VERY HARD ALONGSIDE OUR PARTNERS AND MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS A SUCCESS.
AND I THINK ALL OF OUR TEAM I THINK CAN STAND UP AND SAY THEY ARE VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF IT, AND I THINK THEY'RE ALL EXCITED FOR 2025 COMING UP SO WE CAN DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.
OTHER EVENTS THAT THEY WORK ON.
THIS PAST YEAR WE HAD THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROCK 'N' ROLL MARATHON.
IT WAS A LITTLE WARM THAT DAY AND PROBABLY NOT MY BEST MARATHON YET, BUT IT WAS STILL A GREAT EVENT.
ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 5KS THAT MAYBE IS ON A WEEKEND OR A SUNDAY MORNING.
REALLY HELPING COORDINATE AND WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS THAT PUT ON THOSE EVENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE A SUCCESS.
IT'S A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TCI AND SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT TEAM DOES A GREAT JOB MAKING SURE THAT THOSE EVENTS ARE A SUCCESS.
I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE ALSO RECEIVE SOME FACILITIES.
THIS PAST YEAR WE HAD 781 TOTAL EVENTS IN THOSE FACILITIES.
IT'S NOT JUST THE SHOPS ARE THERE BUT IT'S ALSO A LOT OF ACTIVATION, A LOT OF COORDINATION AND PROGRAMMING EVENTS TO BRING PEOPLE TO THOSE FACILITIES.
NEXT, GETTING INTO OUR BUDGET FOR 2019, THE DEPARTMENT HAS A $32.6 MILLION BUDGET.
ABOUT HALF OF THAT IS GENERAL FUND.
SO THAT'S RIVER WALK, OPERATIONS, AND THEN THE DEVELOPMENT SIDE.
AND THEN THE OTHER HALF IS PRIMARILY IS PARKING FUND.
AND THEN A LITTLE BIT FROM MARKET SQUARE TO MARKET SQUARE AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND AS WELL.
THIS YEAR WE'RE ASKING FOR TWO NEW POSITIONS ON OUR FISCAL SIDE TO HELP WITH PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS AND MONITORING THOSE FISCAL CONTRACTS.
THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS SPLIT UP BETWEEN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. I MENTIONED RIVER OPERATIONS AND THEN DEVELOPMENT HAS SEVERAL DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES.
ICRIP, INTERCITY ISIF FUND AND SMALLER EVENTS WITH DOWNTOWN AND LEASING AND THE TOWER OF AMERICAS.
BUT THE RIVER OPERATIONS IS PRIMARILY THE MOST OF THAT BUDGET.
THE PARKING FUND IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND.
IT'S APPROXIMATELY $11.2 MILLION.
A LARGE PORTION OF THAT GOES TO OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.
IT TAKES A LOT TO MAINTAIN THOSE FACILITIES.
THEY HAVE TO BE CLEANED, THERE'S RESTROOMS THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF MAINTENANCE.
TO KEEP THOSE GARAGES AND LOTS RUNNING EFFICIENTLY.
THE SMALLER PORTION OF THAT IS PARKING ENFORCEMENT.
THE PARKING ENFORCEMENT REVENUE ACTUALLY GOES TO MUNICIPAL COURTS, SO THERE'S NO REVENUE THAT GOES TO OUR DEPARTMENT FROM CITATIONS.
AND SO THE PARKING OPERATIONS, THE GARAGES AND THE LOTS FUND THE PARKING ENFORCEMENT.
MARKET SQUARE IS A $3 MILLION FUND.
MOST OF THAT IS FOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.
THERE IS A PARKING LOT AT MARKET SQUARE AS WELL.
IT'S AN ABOVE-LEVEL FACILITY ON TOP OF FARMERS MARKET.
AND THERE IS THE PARKING REVENUE FROM THAT LOT DOES GO INTO THAT FUND.
WE DO HAVE ONE REVENUE ENHANCEMENT ON THE PARKING SIDE.
AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR EVENTS.
SO WHEN THERE'S A LARGE EVENT OR THERE'S AN EVENT NEAR ONE OF OUR FACILITIES WE DO RAISE THE RATE FOR THAT, FOR THOSE EVENTS.
THERE'S APPROXIMATELY ABOUT 30 DAYS OUT OF THE YEAR THAT WE CHARGE THESE RATES.
CURRENTLY AT SOME OF THE LOTS IT'S $11.
WE'RE LOOKING TO INCREASE THAT TO $15.
AND THEN AT ONE LOT AT HOUSTON/NOLAN IT'S CURRENTLY $8 AND WE'RE REQUESTING TO RAISE
[00:40:03]
THAT TO $10.THE PRIMARY REASON FOR DOING THIS IS THOSE LOTS HAVE MACHINES THAT ARE TAKING CASH.
WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS WE HAVE MAINTENANCE ISSUES WITH THOSE MACHINES.
WHEN WE CHARGE $11 IT HAS TO GENERATE A LOT OF CHANGE.
AND THE MACHINE IS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO GENERATE CHANGE.
AND SO IT'S WEARING OUT AND WE'RE SEEING DISCREPANCIES IN THOSE MACHINES AND WE'RE HAVING TO RECONCILE THAT.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS RAISING IT TO $15 SO IT'S A RATE WHERE YOU CAN PUT IN A $20 AND GET A $5 BACK.
OR PUT IN A $20 AND GET A $10 BACK.
WE THINK IT WILL HELP US GREATLY ON THE MAINTENANCE SIDE OF THOSE FACILITIES.
WE ESTIMATE THAT IT WOULD BE ABOUT $128,000 ENHANCEMENT IN REVENUE.
AND I MIGHT ADD THAT EVEN THOUGH WE'RE RAISING THE RATES WE'RE STILL SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN WHAT OTHER PRIVATE LOTS CHARGE DURING EVENTS.
SO OUR FISCAL YEAR 2019 GOALS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THE RIVER WALK AS A WORLD-CLASS ATTRACTION.
SO I MENTIONED EARLIER WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING SOME CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THIS YEAR TO CONTINUE WITH THE WORK ON ACCESSIBILITY, SECURITY, AND SAFETY, AS WELL AS BEAUTIFICATION OF THE RIVER.
SO NOT JUST LOOKING AT VEHICLES PARKING IN THE GARAGES BUT REALLY OVERALL TRANSPORTATION DOWNTOWN.
HOW DO PEOPLE GET AROUND DOWNTOWN, HOW DO THEY GET TO OUR FACILITIES, HOW DO THEY GET TO OTHER PEOPLE'S FACILITIES.
MAKING SURE THAT IN THE MORNINGS AND IN THE AFTERNOONS WHEN WE HAVE BIG TRUCKS LOADING AND UNLOADING, THAT ALL THAT IS DONE IN A MORE EFFICIENT MANNER SO IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO MOVE AROUND DOWNTOWN.
NOT JUST IN CARS BUT WHETHER IT'S ON A BUS, ON A BIKE, EVEN ON A SCOOTER.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN AND OUT OF DOWNTOWN IN A WAY THAT IS EASY AND CONVENIENT FOR THEM.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND ACTIVATION AND EVENTS DOWNTOWN.
LAST YEAR WE STARTED FOCUSING ON HOUSTON STREET.
WE SEE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOUSTON STREET.
WE'VE REALLY STARTED LOOKING AT SMALLER ACTIVATIONS, MAYBE DURING LUNCHTIME.
WE HAVE DONE SEVERAL FOOD TRUCK EVENTS IN FRONT OF THE MAJESTIC THEATER THAT HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, REALLY WELL ATTENDED AND WELL-LIKED BY PEOPLE.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES JUST TO MAKE DOWNTOWN FUNNER FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE AND VISIT OR WHO ARE PLAYING HERE.
AND THEN, FINALLY, WE'LL LOOK TO STIMULATE MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
CONTINUE TO WORK HARD ON OUR INCENTIVES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING MORE PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
AND REALLY MAKING IT A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN FOR EVERYBODY.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
AND I KNOW THAT JENNA SAUCEDO HERRERA IS HERE FROM THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION.
ED DAVIS IS ALSO HERE FROM OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I KIND OF FEEL LIKE MANU COMING OFF THE BENCH.
>> RIGHT? I CERTAINLY FEEL LIKE HIM, ALTHOUGH NOT READY TO RETIRE.
SHERYL, MY TENTH PRESENTATION.
YES, WHEN I STARTED I HAD HAIR LIKE JOSH BACK THERE.
NOW LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED AFTER ALL THESE DIFFERENT YEARS.
LET ME CALL UP MY LEADERSHIP TEAM TO INTRODUCE THEM.
WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM OF 37 AND SOME GREAT LEADERS LEADING EACH OF MY DIVISIONS.
JESSICA HARRIS OVER HERE IS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, INTERIM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF OUR INDUSTRY DIVISION.
SHE'S HOLDING DOWN THE FORT WHILE ALEX LOPEZ SERVES AS INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE EQUITY OFFICE.
JESSICA COMES TO US FROM THE CITY OF LAREDO WHERE SHE HAS 18 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THERE.
HE IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SMALL BUSINESS.
ADRIANNE PEREZ IS OUR POLICY ADMINISTRATOR .
HE OVERSEES OUR INCLUSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY AND WORKFORCE STRATEGIES, VERY COMPLEX AND COMPLICATED ISSUES.
HE'S ALSO OUR RESIDENT DATA NERD AND HELPS US PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN REGARDS TO DATA.
SHE IS ACTUALLY ON A WELL-DESERVED VACATION IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE RIGHT NOW WITH FAMILY.
I DIDN'T THINK SHE WAS GOING TO SURVIVE THE KING AND QUEEN VISIT FROM SPAIN, SO SHE DESERVES THIS VACATION.
WE ALL KNOW THE GREAT WORK THAT SHERRY DOES FOR US.
ED DAVIS IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OUR SADC.
HE ONLY WORKS FOR US PART-TIME BUT PUTS IN LONG HOURS TO HELP US COMMERCIALIZE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES AND START-UP
[00:45:01]
ACTIVITIES.YEAH, GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
>> ED, BY THE WAY, WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT FOR OVER 17 YEARS AS AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
A LOT OF WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TODAY IS BASED ON ED'S LEGACY WITH THE DEPARTMENT.
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU OUR DEPARTMENT MISSION.
TO FOSTER ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH COLLABORATION, INNOVATION FOR THE CONTINUED PROSPERITY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR DEPARTMENT COLLABORATES AND PARTNERS WITH MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY ON ECONOMIC GROWTH.
THIS REALLY GOES BEYOND CONTRACTING FOR SERVICES.
WHAT WE REALLY TRY TO DO IS ALIGN COUNCIL PRIORITIES IN AUDIO] ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE DEVELOPED OUR WHY STATEMENT.
WE PROMOTE EQUITABLE ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS.
AND THIS VERY MUCH COMPLEMENTS THE WORK THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING IN THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IN TERMS OF INCLUSIVE GROWTH.
WE'RE AIMING TO MAKE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES ACCESSIBLE TO ALL OUR RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT POLICY FRAMEWORK PUT TOGETHER BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
AS A QUICK REFERENCE, MY BUDGET'S MADE UP OF A VARIETY OF FUNDS THAT I'VE GROUPED INTO THESE CATEGORIES.
OUR EDD BUDGET FOR FY19 IS $15 MILLION.
THIS BASICALLY MATCHES LAST YEAR'S APPROPRIATION.
HOWEVER, MY BUDGET DOES INCLUDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.
AND THESE ARE THE REBATES THAT WE GIVE COMPANIES OR DEBT SERVICE ON CERTAIN PROJECTS, LIKE TOYOTA.
THESE ARE RELATED TO OLDER PROJECTS.
WHEN YOU REMOVE THE REBATES AND DEBT SERVICE FROM MY BUDGET IT'S CLOSER TO $11.5 MILLION.
OF THAT AROUND $5 MILLION IS OPERATING BUDGET.
AND THAT BASICALLY COVERS THE 37 EMPLOYEES.
$1.6 MILLION OF MY BUDGET IS DEDICATED TO FUNDING VARIOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS.
AS I MENTIONED, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS.
PARTNERS LIKE EDF AND BIOMED SA.
OUR DELEGATE AGENCY BUDGET IS FUNDED AT $3.4 MILLION.
NOW I COVERED THAT LAST WEEK WITH MELODY SO I'LL HIT OTHER ASPECTS OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN MY PRESENTATION.
IN ALL WE HAVE 37 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, WHICH HAS GROWN IN PAST YEARS, PRIMARILY AS WE INTEGRATED INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WORKFORCE INTO MY DEPARTMENT.
THIS NEXT SLIDE PROVIDES A HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE FOUR DIVISIONS IN MY DEPARTMENT.
AND OVER THE PAST NINE YEARS WE'VE REALLY BEEN EVOLVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
NOT ONLY IN MY DEPARTMENT BUT ALSO IN THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
WE'VE REALLY CHANGED THE WAY WE PERFORM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF OUR DELIVERY SYSTEM.
WE ORGANIZE THE DEPARTMENT AROUND FOUR CORE FUNCTIONS.
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AND MORE RECENTLY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, LIKE EDF, TO CAPITALIZE ON SAN ANTONIO'S EMERGING INDUSTRIES LIKE CYBER SECURITY, I.T., ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND OTHERS.
WITH THE FOLLOWING SLIDES I'LL REALLY TRY TO BREAK DOWN IN AUDIO] AND REALLY HIT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS LAST YEAR.
SO LET ME GIVE YOU A HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION.
THIS DIVISION IS PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE WITH WORKING WITH EDF TO RECRUIT COMPANIES TO SAN ANTONIO.
A REALLY PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A RECRUITING COMPANY FROM THIS PAST YEAR IS THE HUT GROUP.
THIS WAS A FAST-GROWING E-COMMERCE COMPANY LOOKING TO ESTABLISH THEIR U.S.
WE ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS LIKE EDF WORK WITH THEM OVER THE FEW MONTHS AND BRING 200 NEW HIGH-PAYING JOBS TO THE CITY.
IN ADDITION TO BUSINESS RECRUITMENT, WE ALSO FOCUS ON BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION.
THERE'S CRITICAL BUSINESS RETENTION ISSUES, LIKE THE ONE WE HAD WITH IP SECURE.
A CYBER COMPANY THAT WAS LOCATED AT THE PORT.
THEY WERE LOOKING TO EXPAND AND LOOKING AT OTHER MARKETS AROUND THE COUNTRY TO EXPAND INTO.
OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MONTHS WE WORKED WITH WILL GARRETT OVER AT CYBER SECURITY SAN ANTONIO, EDF, AND OTHERS TO SECURE THAT EXPANSION HERE, RETAIN THOSE 115 JOBS, AND ADD 80 NEW JOBS.
AS PART OF OUR BRE PROGRAM WE ACTUALLY TOUCH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR DISTRICTS IN THAT WE PROACTIVELY VISIT COMPANIES IN THE COMMUNITY TO HELP MITIGATE ISSUES THAT ARE IMPACTING THEIR
[00:50:01]
GROWTH.SMALL COMPANIES, MEDIUM-SIZE COMPANIES, LARGE COMPANIES.
IN SOME CASES THEIR ISSUES ARE RELATIVELY SIMPLE.
FIXING A POTHOLE, STANDING UP A STOP SIGN IN FRONT OF THEIR BUILDING THAT HAD FALLEN.
IN OTHER CASES IT INVOLVES COMPLEX WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES THAT WE TRY TO HELP MITIGATE FOR THEM.
IN ALL AROUND 20% OF THE COMPANIES WE VISIT REQUIRE SOME FORM OF CITY ASSISTANCE.
FINALLY, FROM AN ENTREPRENEURIAL STANDPOINT, WE HAVE UNIQUE TOOLS LIKE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO HIOELP STARTUPS D THE ECOSYSTEM THAT SUPPORTS THEM.
MORE RECENTLY WE HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVELY WORKING WITH OUR MILITARY ASSETS IN BOTH CYBER AND MILITARY MEDICINE TO LEVERAGE THEIR ACTIVITIES TO ADVANCE OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOALS.
WE HAVE VERY ACTIVE WORKING GROUPS IN BOTH OF THOSE INDUSTRIES.
AND I THINK BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR SOME EXCITING USE ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO STRUCTURE STRATEGIES AROUND THOSE TWO ASSETS.
ALL OF THESE AREAS, RECRUITMENT, BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT ARE VERY, VERY CRITICAL TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS OF OUR CITY.
COLLECTIVELY THIS PAST YEAR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDF WE HELPED SECURE OVER 6,000 NEW JOBS AND NEARLY $1.8 BILLION IN PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT.
TRADITIONALLY WE RECRUIT AND EXPAND AROUND 4,000 JOBS, BUT WE HAD SOME BIG PROJECTS THIS PAST YEAR LIKE USAA, CREDIT HUMAN, H-E-B, AND OTHERS.
SO THIS WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR US.
THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT TO KIND OF PAUSE AND MENTION THE RECENT RETURN ON INVESTMENT STUDY THAT WE CONDUCTED.
WE PRESENTED THIS ROI STUDY AT EWDC THIS PAST APRIL.
AND THE RESULTS ARE EXTREMELY COMPELLING.
THE STUDY CAPTURED THE 72 CURRENT ACTIVE PROJECTS THAT WE MONITOR AND LOOKED AT THE REVENUE OUTFLOWS AND INFLOWS FROM THESE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.
BASICALLY, THIS ANALYSIS COMPARES THE FUNDS THAT GO OUT TO THE COMPANIES LIKE TAX ABATEMENT, FEE WAIVERS, AND GRANTS.
AND THEN COMPARES THAT TO THE INFLOWS OF REVENUE FROM THEIR PROJECTS LIKE CPS REVENUE, PROPERTY TAXES, SALES TAXES.
BASED ON A PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT OF $3.6 BILLION AND A TOTAL INCENTIVE OFFERED OF APPROXIMATELY $121 MILLION, THE CITY WILL REALIZE IN THE AMOUNT OF APPROXIMATELY $633 MILLION OVER THE TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT.
THIS IS A VERY CONSERVATIVE ANALYSIS BASED ON A SNAPSHOT IN TIME WITH THESE ACTIVE PROJECTS.
BUT IT REALLY GIVES YOU A GOOD OVERVIEW OF THE POSITIVE RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT.
WE REALLY RECEIVED SOME GOOD FEEDBACK AT EWDC AND WE INTEND TO UPDATE THIS ANNUALLY AND ENHANCE IT ANNUALLY.
AS I MENTIONED, OUR PRIMARY PARTNER THAT HELPS ACTIVATE OUR STRATEGIES IN INDUSTRY RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION.
AS SHERYL MENTIONED, JENNA SAUCEDO, THEIR PRESIDENT AND C.E.O. IS HERE.
I THINK SHE'S BEEN ON THE JOB NOW TWO YEARS AND THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ACTUALLY BEGAN NINE YEARS AGO AND INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC PLAN AND A REALLY FOCUS ON THESE EMERGING TARGETED INDUSTRIES.
THIS YEAR'S BUDGET INCLUDES THE RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE THE CONTRACT WITH EDF IF THE AMOUNT OF $670,000.
I SHOULD SAY THIS INCLUDES $90,000 FOR JAPAN TRADE OFFICE THAT EDF MANAGES FOR US AND INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL $80,000 FOR A SCOPE OF WORK ON INTERNATIONAL THAT THE FREE TRADE ALLIANCE USED TO DO FOR US.
THE UPCOMING YEAR CONTRACT WITH EDF WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SAN ANTONIO.
AND NEXT WEEK IN THE EWDC MEETING THAT COUNCILWOMAN VIAGRAN CHAIRS, THEY WILL BE PRESENTING THAT STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE SUCCESSES FROM LAST YEAR.
ALTHOUGH EDF IS THE PRIMARY FRONT DOOR OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE DON'T WORK WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT OTHER PARTNERS.
WE ALSO FUND CYBERSECURITY SAN ANTONIO, BIOMED SA, AND OF COURSE THE PORT AND BROOKS ARE KEY PARTNERS IN EVERYTHING WE DO.
ALL THESE AGREEMENTS LINK DIRECTLY TO EDF'S STRATEGIC PLAN FOREFRONT SAN ANTONIO.
AN INHERENT PART OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS CERTAINLY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND PROVIDE EXPORT ASSISTANCE.
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WE'VE ESTABLISHED AN INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY THROUGH OUR WORK WITH THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION.
IN 2015 WE COMPLETED THE INVESTMENT TRADE STRATEGY.
LAST YEAR WE WERE ONE OF EIGHT COMMUNITIES SELECTED TO WORK WITH BROOKINGS TO TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE DATA, TO REALLY DETERMINE WHICH OF THOSE COUNTRIES AND METROS ARE MOST
[00:55:03]
COMPLEMENTARY TO SAN ANTONIO.WHERE DO WE HAVE THE MOST OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS WHEN IT COMES TO GLOBAL FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT? WE CONCLUDED OUR WORK WITH BROOKINGS THIS PAST MONTH AND I'M EXTREMELY HAPPY TO SAY THAT NEXT WEEK BROOKINGS IS GOING TO RELEASE THIS FRAMEWORK WHERE SAN ANTONIO IS GOING TO BE NOTATED AS DEVELOPING THIS INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICE.
MORE TO COME FROM THAT INITIATIVE.
THAT FRAMEWORK WE PROBABLY DID WITH OUR CYBERSECURITY INDUSTRY THIS PAST YEAR AS PART OF BROOKINGS, BUT THIS UPCOMING YEAR WHAT WE PLAN TO DO WITH EDF IS RUN ALL OF OUR OTHER TARGETED INDUSTRIES THROUGH THAT FRAMEWORK.
SO THAT'S BASICALLY OUR PLAN FOR THIS NEXT UPCOMING YEAR.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO FULLY INTEGRATED INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OFFICE INTO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THIS LAST YEAR.
THIS WILL REALLY HELP US LEVERAGE OUR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS SUCH AS CITY CITIES, FRIENDSHIP CITIES.
AND PERHAPS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF A FULLY INTEGRATED NATIONAL RELATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM IS OUR TRADE MISSIONS TO ISRAEL AND GERMANY.
DARMSTADT WAS SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN -- THIS IS KEY.
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE GOING IN TERMS OF WAY FORWARD.
THAT CITY WAS SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN BECAUSE THEY ARE THE NUMBER ONE CYBERSECURITY CITY IN GERMANY.
WE'RE EARLY IN THAT RELATIONSHIP BUT WE HELPED ESTABLISH AN MOU BETWEEN UTSA AND THEIR LEADING UNIVERSITY, DARMSTADT TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY.
AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THEM WE HOPE THIS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE RESULTS FOR US IN TERMS OF JOBS AND INVESTMENT.
IN ISRAEL WE LEVERAGED OUR CYBERSECURITY INDUSTRY TO TRY TO SECURE ADDITIONAL JOBS AND INVESTMENT.
FOLLOWING THOSE TRADE MISSIONS, WE HAD COMPANIES FROM BOTH OF THOSE COUNTRIES VISIT SAN ANTONIO.
AND I EXPECT, IF WILL GARRETT IS HERE, I EXPECT YOU'LL HEAR SOMETHING THIS YEAR IN TERMS OF LANDING OUR FIRST COMPANY FROM THAT TRADE MISSION.
SPECIFIC RESULTS COMING FROM BOTH OF THOSE VISITS.
LET ME SWITCH GEARS VERY QUICKLY AND TALK ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S A MORE RECENT ADDITION TO MY DEPARTMENT, PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT.
OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO INTEGRATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WITH THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS SA WORKS IS EMBEDDED WITH EDF.
WE SEE THE LINK FIRSTHAND WHEN WE VISIT THE COMPANIES AND THEY NOTATE THAT FILLING IN-DEMAND JOBS IS CRITICAL TO THEIR SUCCESS.
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH SA WORKS TO TRY TO ENSURE COMPANIES HAVE THEIR GROWTH NEEDS MET IN TERMS OF FILLING OPEN JOBS.
AND THEN TRYING TO ENSURE THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCESS CAREER PATHWAYS.
SO, FINALLY, LET ME TRANSITION TO THE IMPORTANCE OF SMALL BUSINESS.
WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR ECONOMY, OVER 36,000 SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE AREA.
THE CITY'S MOST LONG-STANDING CONTRIBUTION TO SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH IS THE USE OF OUR CITY PROCUREMENT DOLLARS, OR SBEDA PROGRAM.
THE CITY'S POLICY OF LEVERAGING SPENDING TO PROMOTE INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY GOES BACK TO 1989 WHEN THEY RECORDED AROUND 3% UTILIZATION FROM CITY CONTRACT SPENDING.
FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS, SINCE WE DID A MAJOR OVERHAUL OF THE PROGRAM, WE HAVE PRODUCED SOME VERY IMPRESSIVE RESULTS.
THE LATEST SBEDA ANNUAL REPORT, WHICH WE PRODUCE EVERY YEAR, SHOWED THAT NEARLY $246 MILLION OF CITY PURCHASING DOLLARS WENT TO SMALL, MINORITY, WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES.
THAT'S ACTUAL PAYMENTS ON A YEARLY BASIS TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THIS REPRESENTS 49% OF OUR CONTRACT EXPENDITURES.
37% OF THAT SPECIFICALLY TO MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES.
THIS REPRESENTED THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE SPEND OF DOLLARS SINCE THE PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 1992.
OVER 500 INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES PARTICIPATED ON CITY CONTRACTING DOLLARS.
IT DOESN'T REALLY END FOR US WITH CONTRACTING TO SMALL BUSINESSES.
OUR GOAL IS REALLY TO FOSTER MORE OF THESE SUCCESS STORIES.
AND SO WE PARTNER WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES TO EITHER INNOVATE, CREATE, EXPAND BUSINESSES IN SAN ANTONIO.
ONE OF THOSE PRIMARY PARTNERS IS THE LIFT FUND.
WE ARE AGAIN THIS YEAR, IN TERMS OF AN ENHANCEMENT TO OUR BUDGET, PROPOSING A [INDISCERNIBLE] FOR FY19.
[01:00:02]
THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES 0% INTEREST LOANS TO QUALIFYING COMPANIES.LAST YEAR THE PROGRAM PROVIDED 36 LOANS TOTALING OVER $736,000 TO DIFFERENT COMPANIES.
THESE LOANS AVERAGED AROUND $20,000 PER LOAN.
WERE USED TO RENOVATE BUILDINGS, WERE USED TO BUY EQUIPMENT, WERE USED TO HIRE STAFF.
THESE LOANS WENT TO SMALL, MINORITY, WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES, BUT THEY ALSO WENT TO VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES.
AROUND 13% OF THE LOANS WENT TO VET-OWNED BUSINESSES.
LASTLY, I WANT TO CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION TALKING ABOUT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH LAUNCH SA, WHICH IS ALSO MANAGED BY THE LIFT FUND.
EDD ALONG WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS TASK FORCE CREATED LAUNCH SA OVER FIVE YEARS.
THEY CONNECT SMALL BUSINESSES TO THE RESOURCES HERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND THEY ALSO ENCOURAGE ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT.
THIS FIVE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP IS CONCLUDING THIS YEAR BUT WE ARE RECOMMENDING ENTERING OUR SECOND FIVE-YEAR OPTION THROUGH OUR RENEWAL OPTION IN THE CONTRACT.
THE FIRST FIVE YEARS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND THE MODEST INVESTMENT OF $160,000 PER YEAR, WHICH IS MATCHED BY LIFT FUND, HAVE PROVIDED GENEROUS RESULTS ON THAT INVESTMENT.
I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS VIDEO THAT CAPTURES SOME OF THEIR SUCCESS.
AND THEN I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
BY THE WAY, THE INDIVIDUAL SPEAKING HERE, BRETT, IS FROM A LOCAL CYBERSECURITY AUDIO] WHO HELPS MANAGE LAUNCH SA.
>> AS YOU LOOK INTO MY WORLD, SPECIFICALLY, FROM A TECH PERSPECTIVE, I NEED TO ATTRACT PEOPLE THAT HAVE A CHOICE TO LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
AND THEY WANT TO LIVE IN CITIES WHERE THERE'S LOCAL CHOICE OF BUSINESSES AND THINGS THAT ARE PERSONAL AND SPECIFIC TO THAT CITY.
A LACK OF ACCESS TO EVERYONE OWNING AND RUNNING BUSINESSES, HIGH-EQUALITY ADVISORY SERVICES, PROGRAMS TO GET CAPITAL, VISIBILITY, PROGRAMS THAT HELP THEM LEARN ABOUT MARKETING AND GROWTH AND SALES AND HOW TO HIRE AND MANAGE EMPLOYEES.
ALL THE THINGS THEY NEED TO SUCCEED.
IF THEY'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL AND WE HAVE A BUNCH OF NATIONAL CHAIN STORES EVERYWHERE, NATIONAL CHAIN RETAIL, NATIONAL CHAIN EVERYTHING, I WON'T BE ABLE TO ATTRACT THE PEOPLE I NEED TO RUN MY CYBERSECURITY BUSINESS HERE AND WE'LL HAVE TO PACK UP AND MOVE OUT OF SAN ANTONIO.
>> GREAT WAY TO EMPHASIZE WHAT LAUNCH SA DOES.
OUR PRIORITIES FOR FY19, DEVELOP AND PILOT AN INCLUSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY, FINALIZE OUR DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, ALIGN OUR DELEGATE AGENCY OR WORKFORCE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL CAREER PATHWAYS, AND ESTABLISH AND CONTINUED CAPACITY IN SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, RENE.
I THINK A -- YOU CAN STAY THERE.
I GUESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DAY HERE AT THE COUNCIL.
AND I THINK GOOD METRICS FOR US TO LOOK AT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND WE DON'T REALLY TALK ABOUT AS A COUNCIL MUCH, IS THE CLUSTERING ACTIVITIES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE WITHIN THESE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES.
AND WE'RE BEING COGNIZANT OF THAT WHEN WE GO ABOUT OUR RECRUITMENT, OUR BRE ACTIVITIES.
HOW ARE WE DOING IN TERMS OF VENTURE CAPITAL ACTIVITIES? THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE WE'RE NOT KEEPING UP.
AND THAT VENTURE CAPITAL WILL HELP ENABLE SOME OF THESE STARTUPS AND THESE ENTREPRENEURS TO GAIN GROUND AND ULTIMATELY GROW AND EXPAND HERE.
>> YEAH, I COMPLETELY AGREE, MAYOR.
THAT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE KEY STRATEGIES THAT WE DISCUSS, ALONG WITH FACILITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, INCUBATORS, EXCEL WE HAVE SOME GREAT ACTIVITY BUBBLING UP IN TERMS OF SEED FUNDING.
WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF ACTIVITY IN TERMS OF SEED FUNDING, ESPECIALLY IN THE I.T. SPACE.
BUT IT IS CERTAINLY A PAIN POINT WHEN IT COMES TO THE LIFE SCIENCES, BIOTECHNOLOGIES.
THAT'S ONE AREA IN TERMS OF CREATING FUND TO FUND, THAT'S A STRATEGY I THINK YOU'LL HEAR US DISCUSS MORE AND MORE.
WE CAN DO LIMITED ACTIVITY THROUGH THE SADC BUT WE OFTEN HEAR FROM COMPANIES THAT SAN ANTONIO LACKS VENTURE.
NOW THERE'S REALLY TWO TRAINS OF THOUGHT AROUND THAT.
AND THAT IS GOOD TECHNOLOGY ATTRACTS VENTURE.
BUT WE CERTAINLY NEED VENTURE HERE TO HELP KEEP COMPANIES
[01:05:02]
STAYING HERE.AND SO IT'S A COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN TERMS OF THAT ECOSYSTEM AND VENTURE IS ONE CRITICAL ASPECT OF THAT.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: I GUESS IT'S PART AND PARCEL OF THE MATURITY OF SOME OF THE CLUSTERS.
I GUESS I BRING IT UP BECAUSE YOU OFTEN COME TO US WITH THE WAY POLICY IS AND WE HAVE TO PLAY WITHIN THE CURRENT POLICY ENVIRONMENT WE HAVE WITH REGARD TO THE INCENTIVES THAT WE CAN OFFER AND SO FORTH.
OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE FUND WAS REDUCED PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO TO WHAT IT IS NOW.
BUT I GUESS I WOULD ASK FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS YOU WOULD MAKE TO US IN ORDER TO HELP US EXCELLERATE SO WE CAN SAY X FUNDERS.
WE HAVE A CRITICAL MASS OF ACTIVITY HAPPENING WITHIN THE LIFE SCIENCES THAT YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO, YOU KNOW, PUT SOME MORE DOLLARS INTO SAN ANTONIO.
BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, MAYOR, WE HOPE TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY AROUND COMMERCIALIZATION IN TERMS OF MILITARY MEDICINE AND OUR STARTUPS AND OUR COMMERCIALIZATION OFFICES AT UTSA AND AT THE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER.
WITHIN THAT STRATEGY WE CERTAINLY WANT TO ADDRESS VENTURE.
WELL, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH YOUR APPROACH OF MAKING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT METRICS PART OF OUR BRE STRATEGY.
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT SUCCESSES OF YOUR TENURE HERE, RENE.
IT'S GREAT NEWS ANY TIME WE CAN SHARE IT WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS AND LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT 49% OF OUR PROCUREMENT DOLLARS ARE GOING SPECIFICALLY TO THEM.
AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN TWEAKS DISCUSSED OVER THE YEARS, PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, ABOUT THE SWIMV DISPARITY POLICIES.
I THINK THEY'RE WORKING VERY WELL, GIVEN THE TRENDS.
I THINK WE'RE IN A GOOD SPOT AND WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT TWEAKING THEM UNNECESSARILY.
ONE THING I HAVE HEARD AND AGREE WITH ON ITS SURFACE IS THAT WE SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LEVEL OF LOCAL OWNERSHIP WHEN WE GO ABOUT AWARDING LOCAL PREFERENCE.
NOT JUST THE NUMBER OF LOCAL EMPLOYEES BUT ALSO THE NUMBER OF LOCAL OWNERSHIP, WHICH KEEPS THOSE DOLLARS THAT WE SPEND THROUGH CONTRACTS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR JOHN.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: EXCITING STUFF, AS USUAL, HAPPENING DOWN HERE.
YOU TALKED A LOT ABOUT PARKING.
AND THE LAST TIME I REMEMBER US DOING A PARKING STUDY WAS DONE BY WHAT WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE.
DO WE HAVE UPDATED NUMBERS IN PARKING AND HOW PEOPLE ARE USING DOWNTOWN IN GETTING OVER HERE?
WE RECENTLY CONDUCTED ANOTHER PARKING STUDY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CENTRO.
KIMLEY-HORN ENGINEERING PERFORMED THAT STUDY FOR US.
AS PART OF THAT WE ACTUALLY -- THEY PROVIDED A PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO PLUG IN IF A NEW DEVELOPMENT COMES IN WE CAN PLUG IN THAT AREA, ESTIMATE HOW MANY PARKING SPACES IT WOULD NEED.
AND SO WE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE STRATEGIC ABOUT IF WE WERE TO ADD PARKING FACILITIES WHERE WOULD WE NEED THOSE.
AND THAT IS BEING UTILIZED AS WE TALK ABOUT SOME OF THESE START CITY ENHANCEMENTS AND SOMEBODY IS WORKING ON AN APP?
REALLY, WHERE THE INDUSTRY IS MOVING IS LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE PARKING MORE FLUID.
RIGHT NOW IT CAN BE VERY STATIC.
FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE A COMMERCIAL LOADING ZONE.
IT'S SIGNED FOR THOSE HOURS THAT DAY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT IN THE CURBSIDE MANAGEMENT TO LOOK AT HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THAT SPACE AVAILABLE FOR VARIOUS REASONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND THE SAME THING FOR OUR FACILITIES.
I KNOW RUSS IS LOOKING AT THAT AT THE AIRPORT.
BEING ABLE TO CHANGE THE RATE BASED ON THE DEMAND SO IT CAN BE A MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE PARKING SYSTEM AND HOPEFULLY IT'S EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO USE.
WELL, THAT DATA IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT TO THE CONVERSATIONS THAT CONNECT SA, SO I HOPE IT'S BEING INTEGRATED WITH ALL THE OTHER TRANSPORTATION WORK BEING DONE.
I NOTED ON YOUR SLIDE THERE THERE WAS AN UPTICK IN DOWNTOWN HOUSING IN 2018 FROM 2017.
WHERE ARE WE ON OUR SA 2020 GOAL OF DOWNTOWN HOUSING UNITS?
[01:10:02]
SO WE HAVE ABOUT 6700 NEW UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN -- THEY ARE EITHER ONLINE, SO THEY'RE ALREADY BUILT AND PEOPLE ARE LIVING THERE, UNDER CONSTRUCTION, OR THEY'RE IN THE PLANNING STAGES.SO WE'RE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THAT.
I THINK FOR SURE BY 2020 WE'LL DEFINITELY HIT THAT GOAL.
IN FACT, WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE STRETCHING THAT GOAL TO 10,000 UNITS BY 2020.
WHICH I THINK WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE DATA THAT HAS BEEN GATHERED BY THE HOUSING TASK FORCE.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: YOU ALSO HAVE A FORECAST, A PRETTY HIGH NUMBER, OF HOUSING UNITS IN AUDIO].
IS THAT BASED ON ACTIVITY ALREADY UNDERWAY? WHAT IS THAT?
>> THAT'S BASED ON THE AGREEMENTS THAT WE HAVE.
SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S UNITS THAT ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES OR THEY ARE ALREADY UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR MAYBE THEY ARE IN THE PERMITTING PHASE.
SO WE KNOW THEY'RE COMING ONLINE.
AND IN A SEPARATE SESSION YOU'RE GOING TO BRING BACK TO US THE ICRIP AND CCHIP, PARTICULARLY THE CCHIP WHICH WAS BENCHED.
ACTUALLY THROUGH THE CCHIP AND ICRIP WE ARE ADDING AFFORDABILITY OPTIONS OR REQUIREMENTS, DEPENDING ON WHERE IT'S LOCATED WILL DEPEND ON THE LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY AND THE NUMBER OF UNITS TOO.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: WHAT I UNDERSTAND ABOUT IT I THINK THE WAY WE TALK ABOUT IT IS GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE, IF WE HEAR THE TASK FORCE APPROPRIATELY, THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE IS ALSO A RESULT OF A SUPPLY DEMAND IMBALANCE.
WHEN WE ARE ENCOURAGING DENSITY THROUGH THE CCHIP PROGRAM, ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT INCLUDE A PERCENTAGE OF AFFORDABLE UNITS, WHEN WE INCLUDE DENSITY WE'RE ALSO GETTING TO THE HEART OF WHAT HAS CAUSED THIS -- WHAT ONE OF THE CRITICAL REASONS OF WHAT HAS CAUSED THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE BRING BACK AND DISCUSS CCHIP WE ARE MAKING IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE REASON WHY WE'RE TAKING A SECOND PASS AT THAT IS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABILITY SO THAT SAN ANTONIANS CAN AFFORD THE HOUSING
>> SCULLEY: MAYOR, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET A BRIEFING.
IT DID GO TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL AND IF THE COUNCIL WISHES WE CAN COME TO A B SESSION AS WELL.
IT'S CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO BE READY TO COME TO COUNCIL FOR ACTION ON OCTOBER 11TH.
AND IN ADDITION TO THE AFFORDABILITY ELEMENT, WE ARE ALSO UPDATING, BECAUSE SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS.
THE PROGRAM HAS ESTABLISHED SOME OF THE ORIGINAL GOALS TO STIMULATE MARKET RATE HOUSING IN THE CENTER CITY AREA.
AND SO THE RECOMMENDATIONS REFLECT THAT SUCCESS AND THEN HOW WE CAN BUILD UPON THAT SUCCESS INCORPORATING THIS IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR HOUSING PLAN AFFORDABILITY INTO THAT EFFORT.
SO WE THINK WE HAVE A PRETTY STRONG RECOMMENDATION THAT WILL ENABLE US TO CONTINUE ON THIS ROUTE OF INCREASING HOUSING AVAILABILITY IN THE CENTER CITY.
AND WITH REGARD TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT PARKING AND THE APP, WE ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING -- I THINK YOUR QUESTION WAS MORE RELATED TO HOW DO PEOPLE FIND A SPOT, WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC OR PRIVATE AND HAVE OPTIONS.
AND SO THAT IS BEING WORKED ON AND WE'LL PRESENT TO YOU ALL A SCHEDULE AS TO THAT.
BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT CONVENIENCE AND CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY WE'LL ALSO WORK WITH CONNECT SA AS WELL AS OUR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING GROUP AND THE S.A. TOMORROW PLAN ON MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION.
THAT IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT PEOPLE, SINGLES, INDIVIDUALS IN A CAR THAT INTO THE APP TOO.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT.
I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR RUSS.
YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE DOING OUTSTANDING WORK.
AND I HOPE WE GET TO 10 MILLION SOME DAY SOON.
WE'RE UP TO 25 MONTHS IN A ROW, 24 MONTHS?
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: OF RECORD GROWTH.
AND I FULLY AGREE WITH YOUR APPROACH OF KIND OF SCALING BACK HOW QUICKLY WE'RE GOING ABOUT THE CIP PROGRAM BECAUSE WE'RE ABOUT TO GET THE STRATEGIC PLAN BACK.
BUT IN TERMS OF GATE CAPACITY, WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU SEEING OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS FOR US?
>> YOU KNOW, IF YOU SHOW UP AT 1:30 IN THE AFTERNOON YOU WOULD
[01:15:01]
WONDER WHY THERE'S A PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT PEAKS AND VALLEYS.BUT IN OUR MORNING AND IN OUR EVENING PEAKS, AND EVEN THE FLAT SPOTS ARE STARTING TO GROW, WE ARE BUMPING UP AGAINST CAPACITY NOW.
AND SO WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF TRADE SPACE BUT WE NEVER WANT TO GET IN THE POSITION OF SAYING NO TO AN AIRLINE.
AS WE LOOK AT OUR AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND LOOK AT WHAT WE BELIEVE ARE VERY REALISTIC ADDS THAT WE SEE COMING IN WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, WE FEEL THAT IN THAT 18 MONTHS TO TWO-YEAR OUTPHASE WE MAY GET TO A POINT WHERE WE'RE VERY, VERY CLOSE TO CAPACITY.
GOOD NEWS IS WE DO HAVE A STRATEGY FOR THAT.
AND I THINK WITH A MODICUM OF AN INVESTMENT, TERMINAL B, SOME AREAS OF TERMINAL B ARE UNDERUTILIZED SO WE'RE WORKING WITH UNITED AND AMERICAN TO MAKE BETTER USE OUT OF ALL THE GATES WE HAVE AND POTENTIALLY ADD ONE GATE IN TERMINAL B, WHICH WOULD BE A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT BECAUSE WE DON'T SEE TERMINAL B GOING ANYWHERE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
THAT WILL ALLEVIATE SOME SPACE IN TERMINAL A.
AND TOGETHER WITH THE COMMON USE SYSTEM THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING IN TERMINAL A IT WILL OPEN UP GATE SPACE FOR FRONTIER, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO HAS NOW SIGNED ON AS A SIGNATORY CARRIER AND OTHERS.
PHASE TWO COULD BE AN ADDITION WITHIN A THAT WOULD BE A MINIMAL INVESTMENT.
WE DO HAVE ONE GATE THERE THAT WE DON'T USE, AND IT'S BASED ON THE SPACE THAT WAS CONFIGURED FOR A MUCH SMALLER AIRPLANE IN THE PAST.
SO WE'VE GOT A TWO-PHASE OPERATION THAT WE FEEL WILL GIVE US THE TIME.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THESE ARE NEAR-TERM DECISIONS.
>> AND TOGETHER WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF A TSA CHECKPOINT EXPANSION, ALREADY UNDERWAY IN TERMINAL A AND A STRONG POSSIBILITY WE'LL WANT TO DO THAT WITH TERMINAL B.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: I APPRECIATE IT.
I HOPE FOLKS PAY ATTENTION TO THAT, BECAUSE IT'S DRIVEN A LOT OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING ME, NUTS OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, THAT THE AIRPORT HAS SORT OF BEEN A RECEPTACLE OF ALL OF THE EXCUSES WE MAKE ABOUT THE SAN ANTONIO DEPARTMENTS TOGETHER, WE'RE E SEEING ALL THE ACTION IN THERE, WHICH IS PRODUCING AND HELPING YOU PRODUCE RESULTS AT THE AIRPORT TO THE POINT WHERE WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE CAPACITY ISSUES NOW.
IT WAS NEVER THE CASE, WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAD TO THINK ABOUT -- YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TRAFFIC TO DEAL WITH AT THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS FANTASTIC NEWS, AND SO AS WE MOVE TO THE NEXT PHASE OF AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT, UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF SAN ANTONIO'S ECONOMY NEED TO BE WORKING FOR US TO HAVE AN AIRPORT BE SUCCESSFUL AND WE'RE FINALLY NOW SEEING THAT HAPPENING.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WHOLE TEAM ON THEIR PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE WITH THIS, BUT IT'S GREAT NEWS.
WHEN I SEE YOUR METRICS AND SUCCESS POINTS, RUSS, I THINK THAT'S A CREDIT TO THE WHOLE TEAM, SO CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL.
AND JENNA, I KNOW YOU'RE SITTING THERE, TOO.
IT'S GOOD WORK ON YOUR PART AS WELL.
>> NIRENBERG: COUNCILMAN PELAEZ.
>> PELAEZ: RUSS, NO QUESTIONS.
ACTUALLY, JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I GOT TO SIT THROUGH A PRESENTATION YESTERDAY PRESENTED TO OUR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE.
VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE WAYFINDING AND DATA GATHERING EFFORTS.
MY CHALLENGE FOR YOU FOR 2019 IS MORE.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE HITTING THOSE REALLY HIGH NUMBERS OF PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT OF YOUR AIRPORT, THERE'S A LOT OF DATA WE CAN COLLECT AND A LOT OF LESSONS TO BE LEARNED ON HOW TO ENHANCE THAT SERVICE AND HOW TO SERVICE NOT JUST THE PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT OF IT, BUT HOW TO SERVICE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WHO BENEFIT FROM ALL THOSE PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT OF THE AIRPORT.
SO I'D LIKE TO AT SOME POINT IN THE NEAR FUTURE SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND SORT OF CANOODLE OVER HOW WE CAN DO THAT.
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS ON THAT? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
WELL, WHAT I'VE LEARNED, AT LEAST WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION, IS NOT TO TRY TO GUESS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
I'VE MET WITH USDR TO TRY TO GET MY ARMS AROUND NAFTA.
BUT WE DID HEAR SOME GOOD NEWS.
IT'S IN BULLET FORM. I WAS TRYING TO PEEK AT THE DOCUMENT TO TRY TO GET A READ OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, IT LOOKS LIKE U.S. AND MEXICO HAVE COME TO AN AGREEMENT THAT THEY HOPE TO FINALIZE VERY SOON BEFORE MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND BEFORE THE NEW PRESIDENT IN MEXICO TAKES OFFICE.
CANADA IS STILL NOT AT THE TABLE, AND I THINK FROM OUR
[01:20:02]
STANDPOINT, THAT'S A MUST.CORNY WAITING ON THIS ALSO. EVERYONE IS LOOKING TO HAVE A TRILATERAL AGREEMENT TO INCLUDE CANADA.THEY'RE AT THE TABLE RIGHT NOW NEGOTIATING.
RUMOR HAS IT BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF FRAMEWORK IN PLACE.
AS OF YESTERDAY, WE NOTIFIED ALL THE BIG CHAMBERS, HISPANIC GREATER NORTH CAMEHAMBER TO SEE WE CAN PULL TOGETHER AN INDUSTRY GROUP TO START VETTING THOSE DETAILS.
THEY CAME TO AN AGREEMENT ON RULE OF ORIGIN.
THEY CAME TO AN AGREEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THAT IMPACTS OUR CYBER AND I.T.
THEY CAME TO AN AGREEMENT ON HOW TO SETTLE DISPUTES AND THE SUNSET CLAUSE.
BUT WE REALLY WANT TO GET INDUSTRY'S READ ON THAT.
SO THAT'S THE NEXT STEP FOR US, TO PULL THOSE INDUSTRY GROUPS TOGETHER, TO GET A SENSE OF SORT OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE NAFTA AGREEMENT.
BUT AS YOU ALL KNOW, I DON'T NEED TO EXPLAIN TO YOU THE IMPORTANCE OF NAFTA TO OUR ECONOMY.
SO WE ARE 100% BEHIND IT, BUT WANTING TO SEE THE DETAILS.
>> PELAEZ: THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THE CLASS A OFFICE SPACE INVENTORY IN SAN ANTONIO.
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, YOU AND I HAD A CONVERSATION, AND THEN LAST YEAR AGAIN, AND WHAT I WALKED AWAY FROM THIS CONVERSATION UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE.
DID YOU SEE US CLOSING THAT GAP IN, YOU KNOW, THE LATTER PART OF 2017 AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THESE LAST THREE QUARTERS IN 2018?
>> LORI MIGHT BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH AT LEAST THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN CLASS A FOR DOWNTOWN, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, WITH THE ON SET OF SOME OF THE CLASS A SPACE COMING ONLINE, LIKE FROST TOWER, CERTAINLY THAT'S GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL AS WE LOOK AT COMPANIES COMING TO SAN ANTONIO LOOKING FOR THAT SPACE.
SO WE HAVEN'T HAD ISSUES WITH THAT.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, A LOT OF THE COMPANIES WE'VE BEEN RECRUITING HAVE BEEN GOING INTO SOME OF THE OLDER BUILDINGS, LIKE ON COMMERCE STREET, THAT'S WHERE THE HUT GROUP WENT.
SO IT HASN'T BEEN A DEAL STOPPER FOR US, AND IN TERMS OF CLASS A, THE ON SET OF FROST TOWER IS GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL.
>> PELAEZ: AND THAT'S OBVIOUS, RIGHT?
>> PELAEZ: IT'S MARIO HERNANDEZ, JENNA'S PREDECESSOR USED TO GO AROUND TOWN AND WHEN ASKED WHAT DO YOU WANT SAN ANTONIO TO HAVE MORE OF AND WHAT DO YOU DESPERATELY NEED, HE WOULD SAY MORE CLASS A, WE'RE IN A DEFICIT FOR CLASS A.
SO, MY QUESTION IS STILL UNANSWERED.
HAVE WE CLOSED THAT GAP? AND IF WE HAVEN'T, HOW LONG BEFORE WE CLOSE IT AND WHERE ARE WE?
>> SO, WHAT I CAN SPEAK TO, AS RENEE MENTIONED, THE FROST BANK TOWER, THAT'S ABOUT 500,000 SQUARE FEET.
FROST BANK WILL BE OCCUPYING 2/3 OF THAT, AND THE OTHER 1/3 WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR TENANTS.
THERE'S A NEW CLASS A BUILDING THAT WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION NEXT YEAR ON HEMISPHERE ON THE CORONER OF ALAMO AND MARKET.
THAT IS THE ZACHARY HEMISFAIR PARK P3 DEVELOPMENT, AND THEY ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING TENANTS AS WELL.
AND SO WE DO HAVE CLASS A SPACE COMING ONLINE.
WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE CLOSEDED THE GAP, I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON WHERE WE ARE ON OCCUPANCY LEVELS.
BUT AS RENEE ALLUDED TO, A LOT OF BUSINESSES ARE NOW CHOOSING TO LEASE OUT SPACE IN SOME OF THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS ON COMMERCE AND HOUSTON STREET AND RENOVATE THEM LIKE YOU'VE SEEN DONE WITH THE RAND BUILDING AND GEEKDOM, LIKE YOU'RE SEEING BEING DONE IN THE CREST BUILDING AS WELL AS WHAT'S BEING DONE OVER IN THE WHITE BUILDING OFF OF BROADWAY.
SO WE DO HAVE PROJECTS COMING ONLINE, AND THE PEOPLE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING TENANTS.
AND THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF TENANTS.
>> PELAEZ: RIGHT, SO, AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF TENANTS.
SOMEBODY'S GOING TO GET WITH ME LATER AND GIVE ME A HEALTH CHECK ON THE STATUS OF THAT GAP, RIGHT? AND THEN WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO SORT OF UNDERSTAND THE GAP AND THEN MAYBE CLOSE IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE I KNOW, BECAUSE WE SEE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY, THIS BEAUTIFUL TOWER GOING UP, BUT CLASS A DOWNTOWN, CLASS A NORTH SIDE, CLASS A EAST-WEST, BROOKS, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WANT TO GET A FEEL FOR, AND, YOU KNOW, DOES JENNA NEED MORE? I MEAN, DOES SHE HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO BE ABLE TO OFFER IT? I'M JUST TRYING TO GET MY ARMS AROUND THAT.
>> SCULLEY: IT'S ALSO MARKET-DRIVEN.
BUT WE'RE SEEING SOME CHANGES IN TRENDS AND MORE INTEREST AND ASKS FOR IT.
JENNA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT? CAN YOU USE THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE?
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY.
AND THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
I WOULD SAY WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENT, EVEN THE NEW HICKSON PROPERTY COMING ONLINE, THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING DOWNTOWN, THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN, BUT WE STILL NEED MORE.
LAST YEAR ALONE, WE HAD TWO RFPS FOR CONTIGUOUS SPACE TOTALLING ABOUT 400,000 SQUARE FEET.
[01:25:01]
CORE, THE REQUEST WAS CLOSE OR WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A UNIVERSITY.I THINK OUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IS HEARING THAT, AND THEY'RE UNDERSTANDING IT, AND SO YOU'RE SEEING THAT TRACTION, YOU'RE SEEING THE MOMENTUM, BUT WE DO NEED MORE.
>> PELAEZ: SO WE NEED MORE IS DIFFERENT THAN THIS IS OUR TARGET FOR 2018, THIS IS OUR TARGET FOR 2019, 2020, 2030.
I MEAN, DOES SOMEBODY HAVE THAT TARGET OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'RE GOING TO DEVELOP?
>> WE DON'T HAVE A TARGET, BUT IT PROBABLY MAKES SENSE TO PROVIDE OUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY SOME SORT OF COHESIVE TARGET.
>> PELAEZ: THAT'S SOMETHING TO WORK TOWARDS WITH THEM.
>> PELAEZ: AND THE OTHER IS -- THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER.
I MEAN, IT'S OKAY IF THE ANSWER IS WE DON'T KNOW NOW AND WE'LL GET IT TO YOU.
SO, LAST YEAR AT THIS EXACT SAME MEETING, Q3 2017, THE MAYOR BROUGHT UP THE VENTURE CAPITAL ISSUE.
I POINTED OUT THAT SAN ANTONIO ONLY GETS ABOUT 4% OF THE VCI DOLLAR FLOW AND 4% OF ALL OF OUR DEALS IN TEXAS.
IT'S NOW 2018, A YEAR LATER, AND WE'RE GETTING LESS.
GRANTED, THE MARKET THROUGHOUT ALL OF TEXAS IS GETTING LESS.
BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY MOVED UP MUCH.
SO WHEN I ASKED YOU GUYS THAT QUESTION, ASKED YOU WHAT ARE WE DOING AND HOW ARE WE DOING IT, AND WHAT IS IT YOU GUYS PLAN ON DOING, WHAT I GOT WAS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE DEFINITELY KEEP OUR EYE ON.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON IT.
SO THE MAYOR JUST ASKED YOU THE SAME QUESTION AGAIN, AND THE ANSWER HE GOT WAS IDENTICAL.
SO A YEAR LATER, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, WHY IS THAT HAPPENING? AND TWO, WHAT IS THE COUNTERMEASURES WE CAN PUT IN PLACE? AND IS THERE A LONG-TERM PLAN TO BRING THAT UP FROM FOUR? AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S ALSO MARKET DRIVEN, BUT WE CAN ALSO HELP PUT WIND IN THE SAILS SOMETIMES.
SO IS THERE -- OTHER THAN KEEPING AN EYE ON IT, ARE WE DOING ANYTHING?
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOING TO BE THE EXACT ANSWER YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ANYTHING.
WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS ACTIVATE SORT OF THE LOW HANGING FRUIT, AND ON THAT ISSUE.
VERY DIFFERENCE PAIN POINTS, LIKE FACILITIES, LIKE MENTORS, LIKE WORKFORCE, AND IT INCLUDES VENTURE.
SOME OF THE DISCUSSION WE HAD WASN'T NECESSARILY PROMOTING THE IDEA OF SECURING MORE VENTURE.
THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD TO DATE REALLY EVOLVE AROUND THE ECOSYSTEM AND THE CLUSTERING.
THE NEED TO GENERATE MORE ACTIVITY AND START-UP, AND WHEN YOU DO THAT, IT ATTRACTS VENTURE.
AND OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN PRIMARILY THAT IN TERMS OF CREATING NEW INCUBATOR OVER HERE AT MERCHANT ICE BUILDING, WORKING WITH UTSA AND THE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER, WORKING TO ATTRACT SMALLER COMPANIES IN THAT SPACE THAT NEED VENTURE AND BRING THEIR VENTURE PARTNERS WITH THEM.
A LOT OF THE ACTIVITY THAT ED DOES.
SO WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON THAT.
I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE HAD A DISCUSSION RECENTLY ABOUT BRINGING A WORK GROUP TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT A FUND OF FUNDS IN BOTH I.T. AND LIFE SCIENCES THAT WILL BE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN OCTOBER.
I ALLUDED TO IT A LITTLE BIT IN MY PRESENTATION, THAT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE HOPE TO HAVE A SOLID RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU ON VENTURE SPECIFICALLY.
>> PELAEZ: THAT'S MY CHALLENGE FOR THE BOTH OF YOU FOR 2019, WOULD BE MORE OF THAT, RIGHT? LIKE I REALLY WANT TO DRILL DOWN ON WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP PUSH THAT -- YOU KNOW, PUSH THE NEEDLE ON THAT.
AND THEN NUMBER TWO, IT WOULD BE BENCHMARKING, RIGHT? AND SO I WANT TO UNDERSTAND, AT A LATER DATE IS FINE, IS JENNA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO REALLY SORT OF FIND BEST PRACTICES THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES USE IN ORDER TO PUSH THIS NEEDLE FORWARD.
AND SO I USED TO BE ON THE BOARD OF THE INDIANA-OHIO-KENTUCKY TRI-STATE EDF, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID TO THEM WAS -- YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING UNLESS THERE WAS A BENCHMARK.
THIS WORKED IN OTHER PLACES IN THE FOLLOWING WAY, AND THESE ARE THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'RE GOING TO APPLY HERE.
AND SO I NEVER REALLY HEAR, YOU KNOW, HOW IT IS THAT WE BENCHMARK.
YOU KNOW, HOW YOU GUYS BENCHMARK OTHER CITIES.
AND THAT'S A VALUABLE EXERCISE, RIGHT?
>> YOU'LL HAVE THAT BY THE END OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON IT.
>> SCULLEY: JENNA, YOU MIGHT COMMENT ABOUT BENCHMARKING WHAT YOU PRESENTED EACH OF THE BOARD MEETINGS AS YOU TALK ABOUT HOW WE COMPARE TO OUR COMPETITIVE SET OF CITIES AS WE RECRUIT COMPANIES TO THE COMMUNITY.
BECAUSE JENNA HAS EXPANDED THAT ANALYSIS COMPETITIVE SET, THAT IS WE MAY ACCOMPLISH THREE NEW HEADQUARTERS, BUT ARE THEY DOING A DOZEN? JENNA, CAN YOU --
>> YES, MA'AM, THANK YOU FOR THE PROMPT.
[01:30:01]
HAVE EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS.SO IF YOU DATE BACK TO 2008, WE WERE BENCHMARKING THE MODEL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DELIVERY IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND SO THE EDF HAS EVOLVED OUR PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES.
WE'RE NOW IN THE BUSINESS OF RETENTION AND EXPANSION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, A LOT OF WHAT RENEE OUTLINED IN HIS PREVIOUS PRESENTATION.
TO DATE, OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN IN MY ROLE, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE BENCHMARKED RESULTS.
WE'VE BENCHMARKED THE NUMBERS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT JOBS, CAPITAL INVESTMENT, FDI ACTIVITY, THOSE TYPES OF AND KAYK -- INDICATORS.
WE HAVE AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF 35 INDICATORS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'RE TRACKING.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE BENCHMARKING AGAINST A COMP SET THAT WE HAVE DESIGNATED BASED OFF OF SIMILAR SIZE, SIMILAR COMPOSITION OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES.
BUT THEN THERE ARE JUST CERTAIN CITIES WE COME PETE WITH QUITE FREQUENTLY LIKE PHOENIX AND TAMPA AND OTHERS.
SO THAT GROUP OF TEN WE ARE TRACKING AGAINST INDICATORS.
OUR NEXT IS TO BENCHMARK THE INITIATIVES.
SO WHAT RENEE IS TALKING ABOUT WITH PULLING TOGETHER THIS FUND OF FUNDS, WE'RE NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL.
A LOT OF THE IDEAS THAT WE'RE REFO LEVERAGING, WE'RE LEVERAGING FROM OPPORTUNITY AUSTIN THAT HAVE PERFORMED SIMILAR INITIATIVES.
>> PELAEZ: THANK YOU FOR THAT.
SO RENEE, I'M NOT JUST BEATING UP ON YOU.
REALLY KILLING IT AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THAT.
I GAVE YOU A TOUGH TIME EARLIER IN THE YEAR.
MY OPINION HAS JUST TURNED AROUND.
>> WELL, I THINK JANIE BARRERA WALKED IN FROM THE LIFT FUND.
I'LL ALSO MENTION THAT LAUNCH S.A., A KEY TAKEAWAY FOR THAT IS THOSE ARE FREE SERVICES.
INCLUSIVE, FREE SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THE LOAN BUY-DOWN FUND HAS PRODUCED SOME IMPRESSIVE RESULTS.
I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T MENTION IT, IT REALLY WAS A LOT OF WORK TO LAND THE NEXT FINAL FOUR.
AND IT WASN'T JUST US SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION AND CROSSING OUR FINGERS.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, PHONE CALLS AND ADVOCACY AND SHOWING UP AND ALL THAT, AND THAT'S A BIG WIN FOR US.
SO CONGRATS TO YOUR AND YOUR TEAM.
Y'ALL DESERVE AT THE VERY LEAST TO TAKE NEXT SUNDAY OFF.
AND THEN THE -- IS IT TEN YEARS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL MARATHON? I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND AT A LATER DATE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT MARATHON HAS.
AND LASTLY, FOR DOWNTOWN, AND THIS IS MY LAST QUESTION, THE CONTRACT RENEWAL FOR THE TOWER OF THE AMERICAS, THAT'S COMING UP SOON, RIGHT? AND WHERE ARE WE ON THAT AND WHAT SHOULD WE BE EXPECTING?
DO THE NEGOTIATIONS START NOW?
>> THAT CONTRACT HAS AN EXTENSION AS PART OF IT.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT, TO SEE IS THERE OPPORTUNITY THERE TO POTENTIALLY AMEND THAT CONTRACT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF THINGS, PARTICULARLY IN REGARD TO MAINTENANCE OF THE TOWER.
>> PELAEZ: WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT AMENDMENT, I'M NOT HEARING YOU SAY WE'RE THINKING ABOUT CHANGING HORSES.
WE'RE GOING TO BE STICKING -- THE RECOMMENDATION WILL LIKELY BE THAT WE STICK WITH THE CURRENT PARTNER.
>> WE STILL HAVE A COUPLE YEARS, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY ENTERTAIN THAT.
>> NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PELAEZ.
RUSS, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS HERE FOR YOU.
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT -- WE GOT 53 NEW FLIGHTS, DIRECT FLIGHTS, RIGHT?
>> 53 TOTAL NONSTOPS AS WE STAND.
NOW, I HAD HEARD THAT SOME OF THESE ARE SEASONAL, THAT THEY'RE NOT THE FULL YEAR, THAT THEY DON'T OPERATE ALL YEAR LONG WITH THOSE NONSTOPS?
FRONTIER HAS MORE THAN MOST OF THE SEASONALS, AND FRONTIER'S BUSINESS MODEL IS LIKE OTHER LOW COST CARRIERS.
THEY COME INTO THE MARKET WITH A NOT EVERY DAY OR A SEASONAL SERVICE, AND THEY TEST THE WATERS WITH THAT, AND THEY WILL OFTEN CHANGE THAT TO A DAILY OR AN ALL YEAR ROUND, AND THEY'VE DONE THAT WITH A COUPLE OF OUR ROUTES.
>> PERRY: OUT OF THAT 53, HOW MANY ARE ALL YEARLONG?
>> BRIAN, CAN YOU GIVE ME THAT? I THINK THERE'S ABOUT SIX OF THEM.
BUT I CAN GET YOU THE EXACT NUMBER OF THE ONES THAT ARE SEASONAL.
AND TALKING ABOUT THE BENCHMARKING, HOW TO WE COMPARE TO OTHER AIRPORTS AROUND HERE IN TEXAS, AS FAR AS THE AIRLINE FEES? ARE WE -- YOU KNOW, ARE WE CHEAPER? ARE WE MORE EXPENSIVE? WHAT ARE THE FEE STRUCTURES?
[01:35:01]
WE'RE RIGHT ABOUT I WOULD SAY MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR AIRPORTS OF SIMILAR SIZE.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF DYNAMICS WHEN IT COMES TO MEASURING THOSE FEES.
FOR EXAMPLE, SOMETIMES AIRPORTS THAT ARE AIRLINE HUBS, SALT LAKE CITY IS A GREAT EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THEY GET A LOT OF TRAFFIC THAT GOES THROUGH THERE THAT TURNS THROUGH THERE.
THREE QUARTERS OF THEIR TRAFFIC, THEY DON'T STAY IN SALT LAKE.
THEY GENERATE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FEES AND QUANTITY, AND THEY CAN AFFORD TO LOWER THE RATES FOR ORIGIN AND DESTINATION AIRPORT LIKE WE ARE, WE'RE VERY COMPETITIVE.
WE'RE RIGHT ABOUT MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR OUR FEES.
>> SCULLEY: WE CAN GIVE YOU THAT SLIDE.
>> PERRY: WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOW WE'VE COMPARED TO OTHER TEXAS CITIES AROUND HERE IN THIS AREA HERE.
>> PERRY: PARTICULARLY AUSTIN.
YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE STACKING UP TO AUSTIN.
>> IN FACT, THIS YEAR, WE'VE ENJOYED A COUPLE OF ADVANTAGES WHICH HAVE ALLOWED US TO LOWER OUR FEES.
WE'VE GOT ONE OF OUR BONDS THAT WAS PAID OFF, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE GENERATED NEARLY $3 MILLION MORE REVENUE THAN WE EXPECTED.
SO PARKING AND CONCESSION REVENUE IS COMING IN VERY HIGH.
AND HOW DOES THAT FEE FLUCTUATE? DOES IT FLUCTUATE OFTEN, OR DOES IT KIND OF STAY CONSTANT?
>> WE DO AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE ANTICIPATE IT TO BE WITH THE AIRLINES COMING INTO A YEAR, AND THEN IT'S UPDATED A COUPLE OF TIMES THROUGH THE YEAR AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
>> PERRY: FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
SO ULTIMATELY HAPPENS, WE GENERATE THE REVENUE THAT WE CAN.
WE'RE VERY TRANSPARENT WITH EVERY OTHER FEE.
AND ULTIMATELY, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THE AIRLINES SETTLE UP.
SO FEES DO ADJUST SO THAT THEY CAN ENSURE THAT THE BILL IS PAID.
BUT IT'S ALWAYS TO OUR ADVANTAGE TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE TO BE ABLE TO LOWER THOSE FEES.
>> SCULLEY: I'D JUST ADD TO THAT THAT IT FLUCTUATES WITH OTHER MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AS WELL, SO WE'VE ADJUSTED AS WE UNDERTOOK THE CONSOLIDATED CAR RENTAL FACILITY.
I EXPECT WE'LL HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE AVIATION TASK FORCE THAT THE MAYOR APPOINTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
THEY'LL BE MAKING SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL.
SO, IT MOVES, WE TRY TO LEVEL THAT, SO IT'S NOT DRAMATIC CHANGES.
BUT WE'LL SHOW YOU WHERE WE STAND AT THE CURRENT POINT IN TIME.
>> AND IT IS A GOOD TIME TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION, BECAUSE WE ARE JUST AT THE VERY BEGINNING, BUT AGGRESSIVELY NEGOTIATING OUR NEXT WHAT WE CALL USE AND LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE AIRLINES.
WE DID A THREE-YEAR EXTENSION, AS YOU RECALL, FROM '17 TO '20, SO IT WILL EXPIRE IN '20.
IT'S ABOUT A TWO-YEAR PROCESS TO DO THAT, AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT NEGOTIATION NOW.
IF I'M READING THIS RIGHT, ALL THE -- EVERY -- IS THAT SHOWING AN INCREASE IN ALL THE CATEGORIES THERE? I MEAN, YOU HAVE A TOTAL OF 75.1 UNDER '19.
WHAT WAS IT IN '18? I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, IS THAT THE INCREASE IN THE TOTAL CIP THERE?
>> NO, THAT'S -- IF YOU HAD THE '18 NUMBER.
SO THE '18 NUMBER WAS 86, BUT AS I SAID, THAT 75 MILLION, ACTUALLY, THAT'S OUR SPENDING PLAN FOR CIP, SO IT INCLUDES SOME PROJECTS THAT WERE ALREADY APPROPRIATED IN '18 THAT WE ARE STILL CONSTRUCTING OR WORKING ON FROM A TERMINAL AND AIRFIELD PERSPECTIVE.
SO THE TOTAL NEW '19 PROJECTS IS REALLY IN ABOUT THE $53.7 MILLION RANGE, BUT WE'RE REFLECTING THE SPENDING PLAN, AND THAT IS WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR TO SPEND IN '19.
>> SCULLEY: THE 176 COMPRISES THE SIX-YEAR PLAN.
SO WE'RE REQUIRED BY LAW TO PRESENT A SIX-YEAR AND ADOPT A SIX-YEAR PLAN.
SO THE TOTAL COLUMN IS THE SIX YEARS, AND THIS IS THE ANNUAL AMOUNT FOR 2019.
AND THAT'S ADJUSTED ANNUALLY, SO AS WE HAVE FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS, WE APPLY FOR GRANTS, FOR AIRFIELD IMPROVEMENTS AS WE OVERLAY TAXI WAYS AND RUNWAYS, ANY OF THE AIRFIELD.
BUT THAT WILL BE UPDATED ANNUALLY.
I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION NOW.
>> PERRY: SO THAT'S A SIX-YEAR PROGRAM.
WHAT'S THE LAST YEAR FOR THAT PROGRAM?
AND SO WE'LL LOOK FROM '19 TO '24.
SO AS WE LOOK AT OUR EXAMINING HOUR STRATEGIC PLAN, THOSE LATER YEARS MAY LIKELY BE A LOT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SHARE RIGHT NOW.
SO THIS IS A PLAN THAT RIGHT NOW YOU'RE PROJECTING THROUGH 2024,
[01:40:03]
THE 176 MILLION.YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IN THE PROJECT BOOK.
>> SCULLEY: WE'RE GETTING IT FOR YOU.
>> PERRY: IF IT'S IN THE BIG THICK BOOK, THAT'S GREAT.
THAT'S WHAT I'LL BE LOOKING AT.
>> SCULLEY: BEGINNING ON PAGE 404.
MAN! HOW MANY PAGES ARE IN THAT THING? OKAY.
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE, PARTICULARLY LIKE THE LANDSCAPING, HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAVE AND THE 90,000 PLANTS.
HAVE WE DONE AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OR ANYTHING ABOUT -- IS THIS SOMETHING WE COULD CONTRACT OUT VERSUS DOING IT IN-HOUSE WITH IN-HOUSE LABOR?
WE LOOKED AT PERHAPS HAVING THE RIVER AUTHORITY DO THAT FOR US, BECAUSE THEY ARE CURRENTLY DOING THE NORTHERN -- THE MUSEUM REACH AS WELL AS THE MISSION REACH.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT FACTORED OUT THAT IT WAS BETTER FOR US TO KEEP DOING IT.
THERE WERE SOME SAVINGS THAT WE HAD BECAUSE OF THE OTHER THINGS, THE SUPPORTING OF EVENTS AND OTHER THINGS.
SO IT'S NOT JUST -- IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE JUST DOWN THERE DOING PLANTINGS AND LANDSCAPING.
THEY'RE ALSO FACILITATING AND HELPING COORDINATE THOSE LARGE EVENTS.
THERE'S OTHER MAINTENANCE -- WE HAVE ELECTRICIANS THAT ARE DOWN THERE, TOO.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DETERMINED THAT IT WAS BETTER FOR US TO KEEP DOING IT.
I'D LIKE TO TALK WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT ALSO.
WE DO CONTRACT A LITTLE WORK WITH -- WE HAVE SOME TREE TRIMMERS, WE HAVE SOME PLUMBERS FOR THINGS THAT ARE BEYOND OUR CAPABILITY.
WE ALSO CONTRACT WITH CINTRO TO DO THE PAN AND BROOM ON THE RIVERWALK AS WELL AS SANITATION.
SO THEY'RE EMPTYING TRASH CANS AND RECYCLE CANS.
IS THERE A -- I FORGET WHICH SLIDE IT WAS.
TALKING ABOUT THE PARKING FUND.
DO WE HAVE -- I KNOW THAT'S AN ENTERPRISE FUND, BUT WHAT IS THE CURRENT BALANCE IN THE PARKING FUND?
>> LAST WE LOOKED, WE HAD ABOUT 13 MILLION IN THAT FUND.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE SOME LARGE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS THAT WE'RE PLANNING THIS YEAR.
WE'RE PLANNING TO SERVICE ALL OF OUR ELEVATORS IN THOSE GARAGES.
THERE'S SOME DECK SERVICE THAT'S INCLUDED IN THAT AS WELL.
AND WE LIKE TO KEEP PROBABLY 20% IN THAT IN CASE WE HAVE SOME MAJOR ISSUES THAT COME UP AT THOSE FACILITIES.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE A SPENDING PLAN.
MOST OF THAT WILL BE IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, REPLACING NEW EQUIPMENT.
WE HAVE SOME -- THE PAY IN LANE STATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, NEED TO BE REPLACED.
WE'VE FOUND THAT THERE'S SOME BETTER PRODUCTS OUT THERE THAT WORK BETTER, THEY'RE MORE EFFICIENT, AND SO WE HAVE SOME -- WE DO HAVE A BALANCE, BUT WE HAVE A PLAN TO SPEND THAT, TOO.
>> PERRY: WELL, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A $13 MILLION BALANCE IN OUR PARKING FUND, BUT YET WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT INCREASING.
INCREASING OUR PARKING FEES ACROSS THE BOARD TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR CHANGE.
TO ME, THAT -- WE'VE GOT A LARGE SURPLUS, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INCREASING OUR PARKING FEES DOWNTOWN.
>> WE'RE ONLY INCREASING THE EVENT RATES.
SO SOME OF OUR LOTS, FOR EXAMPLE, FIESTA, WE HAVE AN EVENT RATE FOR THAT FACILITY.
AND THERE'S REALLY ONLY ABOUT 30 DAYS DURING THE YEAR THAT WE CHARGE THAT EVENT RATE.
SO THE DAILY RATES, THE NORMAL DAILY RATES OR THE MONTHLY CONTRACT RATES, THOSE ARE NOT BEING INCREASED.
>> PERRY: I STILL HAVE A CONCERN.
AGAIN, WITH THE BALANCE THAT WE'RE HOLDING, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A SPEND PLAN FOR THAT, BUT STILL TO INCREASE OUR FEES -- BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, I CONTINUALLY GET THAT COMPLAINT ABOUT DOWNTOWN PARKING.
NUMBER ONE, THEY CAN'T FIND THE PARKING, THERE'S NONE AVAILABLE.
AND THEN THE EXPENSE OF COMING
[01:45:01]
DOWNTOWN TO GO TAKE A RIVER BARGE RIDE OR GO TO A RESTAURANT THAT THEY HAVE TO ADD ON ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, 10, $15 FOR PARKING, THAT'S WHAT'S KEEPING PEOPLE FROM COMING DOWNTOWN.>> TUESDAY EVENINGS, OUR FACILITIES ARE FREE.
AND THE METERS ARE FREE AFTER 6:00 P.M. EVERY DAY AS WELL, AND ON SUNDAYS.
WELL, IT'S THE INCREASES THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT.
AND THEN THE BALANCE THAT WE HAVE.
HAVE WE LOOKED AT DOING ADDITIONAL DAYS OF FREE PARKING TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME DOWNTOWN MORE OFTEN?
ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT I'M CONSIDERING IS LOOKING TO SEE IS THERE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, MAYBE IT'S ONE THURSDAY OUT OF THE MONTH, OR A FRIDAY EVENING OR SOMETHING, MAYBE THERE'S NOT A SHOW AT THE MAJESTIC.
SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS, MAYBE WHO CAN'T COME DOWN ON A TUESDAY, MAYBE THERE'S A DIFFERENT NIGHT THAT WORKS GOOD FOR THEM, TOO.
>> PERRY: DURING THE WEEK, THAT'S KIND OF TOUGH FOR PEOPLE TO COME DOWNTOWN WITH WORK, KIDS, ALL THAT KIND OF THING TO TRY TO MAKE IT DOWN HERE ON A TUESDAY.
SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO TALK TO YOU SOME MORE ABOUT, LET'S PICK ANOTHER DAY THAT'S MORE CONVENIENT FOR PEOPLE TO COME DOWN AND ENJOY DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE, AGAIN, THAT'S THE COMPLAINT I GET ALL THE TIME.
THERE'S NO PARKING, AND IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO DO A BETTER PART COMMUNICATING TO THE COMMUNITY WHEN THOSE FREE DAYS ARE, AND ALSO THE OTHER FREE DAYS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
WE HAVE CERTAIN -- VETERANS PARK FREE.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF REALLY GETTING OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE ARE GOOD OPPORTUNITIES TO COME DOWNTOWN WHEN PARKING MAY NOT BE AS CHALLENGING.
BUT THEN ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE MAYBE DON'T HAVE YET.
AS YOU MENTIONED, MAYBE ANOTHER NIGHT.
AND I'D REALLY LOVE FOR YOU TO COME TO A DISTRICT TEN MEETING AND TALK TO FOLKS ABOUT THE PARKING SITUATION.
>> THAT WOULD BE GREAT, I WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT.
>> PERRY: BUT, AGAIN, EVEN RAISING THE RATES FOR THOSE SPECIAL EVENTS, I'VE GOT A CONCERN ABOUT THAT THAT WE'RE SITTING ON A POT OF MONEY.
I KNOW YOU HAVE A SPEND PLAN, BUT TO ME, THAT'S NOT JIVING TO ME THAT WE HAVE TO INCREASE THE SPECIAL EVENT RATES FOR A MAINTENANCE FEE.
>> PERRY: I'D LIKE TO TALK TO SOME MORE ABOUT THIS.
>> SCULLEY: COUNCILMAN, COULD I ADD?
>> SCULLEY: WHAT WE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT IS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE FUND BALANCE IS THAT IT WAS INTENTIONAL, AND WE SET A PLAN IN PLACE BECAUSE THERE WAS A NEED FOR MORE PARKING DOWNTOWN.
AND A NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL PARKING GARAGE.
HOWEVER, IN LIGHT OF OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT S.A.
TOMORROW, CONNECT S.A., THE NEED TO BETTER COORDINATE WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, WE ARE HOLDING THAT FUND BALANCE, TAKING CARE OF THE MAINTENANCE ISSUES IN THE GARAGES THAT WE OWN, BUT ALSO HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT A MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
SO THOSE FUNDS AND THAT ENTERPRISE OPERATION CAN BE USED TO HELP US WITH SOME OF THOSE STRATEGIES, AND THE INCREASE, WE TOO ARE ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT ANY FEE INCREASE, BUT WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT, NOT JUST FOR CONVENIENCE OF CHANGE MAKING, BUT RATHER TO KEEP UP WITH THE MARKET.
THERE ARE 20,000 PARKING SPACES APPROXIMATELY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
WE OWN APPROXIMATELY 6,000, A LITTLE MORE THAN 6,000 OF THOSE.
THE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN OUR RATES AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS PRETTY DRAMATIC.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE UP, NOT AS MUCH AS WHAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS DOING, BUT ALSO ADJUST FOR THE MARKET AS WELL.
SO, IN KEEPING WITH OUR OVERALL STRATEGY ON HOW TO APPROACH OUR MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, WE ARE RECOMMENDING THESE RATE ADJUSTMENTS THIS YEAR.
WE'RE HAPPY TO COME BACK AND TALK WITH COUNSEL ABCIL ABOUT HT FITS INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE AND HOW WE CAN USE THOSE FUNDS TO ADVANCE A MULTI-MODAL PLAN.
SO WE ARE MAKING THE RECOMMENDATION, BUT I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT HAVING THAT FUND BALANCE WAS NOT ACCIDENTAL OR JUST HAPPENED FOR THE HECK OF IT, BUT RATHER IT WAS STRATEGIC, AND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, ACTUALLY IN THE LAST TIME WE PRESENTED THE PARKING PLAN, IT WAS TO BUILD THE FUNDS SO THAT WE COULD UNDERTAKE THE NEXT GARAGE.
LASTLY, LET ME SAY THAT WE ALSO USE OUR CITY PARKING TO HELP US FACILITATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO OFTENTIMES, AS COMPANIES ARE RELOCATING TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, OR NEW COMPANIES ARE COMING TO DOWNTOWN, WE HELP THROUGH INCENTIVES UNDERWRITING AND MAKING SOME PARKING SPACES
[01:50:02]
AVAILABLE, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES FOR BUSINESS, IT'S DIFFICULT, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A CAMPUS SETTING WITH JUST ACRES AND ACRES OF SURFACE PARKING.WE'RE IN A DENSELY DENSELY OCCUPIED SMALLER SPACE, AND THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO DRIVE TO WORK, THAT THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARK.
WE USE THOSE AS PART OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AS WELL.
SO I JUST WANTED TO ADD THOSE ADDITIONAL POINTS, BECAUSE THE PARKING SYSTEM IS MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO TAKE CARE OF CARS THAT HAPPEN TO COME DOWNTOWN, BUT ARE PART OF THE BIGGER PICTURE OF TRANSPORTATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AGAIN, IT'S JUST, WHENEVER I SEE A FEE INCREASE, I THINK, WOW, DO WE REALLY NEED TO DO THAT? SO, I'D REALLY LIKE TO GET TOGETHER WITH YOU AND DISCUSS THAT SOME MORE.
AND MAYBE THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR US TO GET THAT OVERALL LOOK HERE ON THE COUNCIL.
I THINK YOU ANSWERED IT ON SLIDE FIVE, WHERE YOU HAD $1.5 BILLION INVESTMENT.
THAT'S INVESTMENTS THAT ARE COMING TO THE CITY FROM THOSE BUSINESSES THAT WERE MAKING THOSE OFFERS TOO AS FAR AS FEE REDUCTIONS, THAT KIND OF THING.
SO, OUT OF THAT -- THE NUMBER OF JOBS AND THAT INVESTMENT, THAT'S A PERFECT SLIDE FOR THIS.
WE DON'T ADVERTISE THAT ENOUGH TO SHOW WHAT WE'RE REALLY GETTING BACK FOR OUR INVESTMENT.
WE REALLY NEED TO GET THAT WORD OUT TO THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY HERE AS TO WHAT WE'RE REALLY GETTING BACK IN RETURN FOR THAT.
SO, HAVING SAID THAT, SLIDE NINE.
ON THESE TRADE MISSIONS, AND I HEARD YOU SAY THAT WE ARE GETTING SOMETHING FROM ISRAEL, SOME BUSINESS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT COMING HERE TO SAN ANTONIO.
>> THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE PRESENTING THEMSELVES.
I MEAN, WHEN WE WENT TO, AS AN EXAMPLE, GERMANY, WHICH IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF MERCK, THEY ARRANGED MEETINGS WITH SCIENCE CENTER AND OUR OTHER PARTNERS.
THAT'S KIND OF GURGLING ON THE SIDE.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT PROJECT.
ON THE CYBER SIDE SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S PROBABLY AROUND FIVE OR SIX DIFFERENT PROJECTS, INCLUDING SPECIFIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN OUR LOCAL CYBER ACCELERATOR AND ONE IN GERMANY AND ISRAEL.
SO IT'S A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
I GUESS BACK ON THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHEN WE'VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS, ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WE NEED TO MEASURE WHAT OUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS HERE ALSO.
WE HAVEN'T CONSUMMATED A DEAL YET IN THIS PROGRAM.
SO, I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE WHAT WE ARE INVESTING INTO THIS PROGRAM, VERSUS WHAT WE'VE GOTTEN BACK SO FAR.
AND I KNOW YOU SAID YOU HAVE SOME DEALS IN THE PIPELINE, THAT KIND OF THING.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT, TO SEE WHAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO GET BACK FOR OUR INVESTMENT IN THESE PROGRAMS. AND, DO WE -- HAVE WE HAD ANY SUCCESS -- I KNOW THE INTENT IS TO BRING MORE BUSINESS HERE TO SAN ANTONIO.
BUT ARE WE GIVING THEM SOME BUSINESS IN THEIR COUNTRIES WE'RE VISITING? YOU KNOW, IT'S -- IT SHOULD BE A PARTNERSHIP, RIGHT? SO IS ANY OF THAT HAPPENING THE OTHER WAY AROUND AS WELL?
SO THE BROOKINGS FRAMEWORK THAT I MENTIONED, AND TRADE AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY BASICALLY MEASURED IN FLOWS AND OUTFLOWS.
IN OTHER WORDS, EXPORT ACTIVITY IN TWO SPECIFIC COUNTRIES.
AND THAT HELPED US REFINE OUR TARGETS.
SO IT'S BOTH A GIVE AND A TAKE.
OUR STRATEGY REVOLVES AROUND THREE THINGS.
ONE IS SECURING FOR DIRECT INVESTMENT.
TOYOTA AND PLASTICS ARE PERFECT EXAMPLES OF THAT.
AND LET ME ALSO JUST PAUSE FOR ONE SECOND TO SET EXPECTATION LEVEL HERE.
WE CERTAINLY DON'T EXPECT TO LAND A BIG PROJECT WHEN WE'RE INITIATING A RELATIONSHIP RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
[01:55:01]
ONE, IN WHICH IT TOOK US YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS TO REALIZE A SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT FROM THAT COUNTRY.SO IT KIND OF BUILDS OVER TIME.
WE DEVELOP THAT RELATIONSHIP AND YOU GET THESE SORT OF ONE-OFFS AND TWO-OFFS.
THE GOAL NOW IS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE TARGETING THE LIMITED RESOURCES WE HAVE IN A VERY SPECIFIC WAY.
SO WHICH OF THESE COUNTRIES, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY METROS DO WE HAVE THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS? AND SO THAT'S THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE'RE WORKING UNDER.
THOSE ARE THE DATA POINTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
THREE SPECIFIC CITIES, TWO OUT OF CANADA, ONE OUT OF MEXICO POPPED OUT OF THAT ANALYSIS.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS OUR RESOURCES AROUND ACTIVATING THAT.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO DO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, BIO AND HEALTHCARE, AND OTHER INDUSTRIES.
IT IS A MORE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
AND I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU SOME MORE ABOUT THAT, ON HOW WE CAN TRACK THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM.
>> PERRY: AND, YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE'RE -- IT'S STILL IN THE, WOULD YOU SAY, INFANCY STAGE OR A LITTLE BIT OLDER?
>> I THINK THE DATA ASPECT OF IT IS NEW.
WE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING FOR DECADES, AND THOSE RELATIONSHIPS HAVE MENDED POSITIVE RESULTS, SPECIFICALLY JAPAN AND MEXICO AND SPAIN AND OTHERS.
INTEGRATING OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AROUND TARGETED INDUSTRIES AND THE WORK THAT JENNA IS DOING IN EDF, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT'S FAIRLY NEW.
AND TAKING A MORE CONCENTRATED LOOK AT -- AND MORE FOCUSED APPROACH ON WHAT COUNTRIES WE'RE TARGETING IS FAIRLY NEW.
>> PERRY: YOU KNOW, THAT'S GREAT.
I KNOW WE ALWAYS GO BACK TO TOYOTA, BUT TOYOTA IS 20 YEARS OLD ALREADY.
WHAT'S OUR NEXT -- YOU KNOW, LET'S START -- I'M LOOKING --
>> I USED TOYOTA, BUT LAST YEAR, NISAY PLASTIC, A MAJOR NONINCENTIVIZED PROJECT FROM JAPAN LOCATED AT BROOKS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT.
>> SO PERHAPS WE SHOULD STOP USING TOYOTA AS THE BEST EXAMPLE.
>> PERRY: AND THAT'S THE POINT I'M GETTING AT.
WHAT ARE THOSE OTHER WINS THAT WE NEED TO BE ADVERTISING AND GETTING THAT WORD OUT.
YOU KNOW, TOYOTA IS GREAT, GREAT ECONOMIC BOOST HERE FOR SAN ANTONIO AND THE SOUTH SIDE THERE, BUT SINCE THEN, WE'VE HAD OTHER MAJOR WINS.
WE KNNEED TO GET THOSE ON THE TARGET, ADVERTISE THOSE, AND I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT THOSE OTHER SUCCESSES ARE THAT THIS PROGRAM IS GOING TO NET FOR US.
>> PERRY: AGAIN, IT ALL COMES BACK TO RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
>> PERRY: RENEE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO PUT A PLUG IN FOR YOU.
THANKS FOR HELPING US WITH THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR ON GETTING THAT WORD OUT.
YOU KNOW, WE GOT THAT -- IT'S IN THE TUR ZONE AND WE ALSO HAVE GOTTEN THAT INCLUDED IN THE OPPORTUNITY ZONE.
HAVE WE GOTTEN ANY FEEDBACK ON WHERE THAT OPPORTUNITY ZONE WHOLE ISSUE IS? LAST TIME I HEARD, THE IRS STILL HADN'T FIGURED OUT THE RULES ON THIS.
WHERE ARE THEY? WHAT HAVE WE HEARD LAST ON THAT?
THAT INITIATIVE AND THAT PROGRAM JUST GOT TRANSFERRED OVER TO MY OFFICE.
JUST THIS LAST WEEK, WE MET WITH MIKE.
SO I'LL BE OVERSEEING THE OPPORTUNITY ZONE OPPORTUNITY.
YOU'RE RIGHT, THE IRS HAS NOT YET PUT OUT THE GUIDELINES FOR THAT.
WE HAVE 24 CENSUS TRACKS WITHIN THE OPPORTUNITY ZONE.
SO, OUR PLAN IS TO PROMOTE IT.
THAT'S THE BEST THING WE CAN DO, IS TO HELP PROMOTE THOSE ZONES TO ENCOURAGE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT.
MORE TO COME ON THAT, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE IRS ISSUES THEIR GUIDANCE.
I WILL SAY I BELIEVE IT'S OCTOBER 9TH WE ARE DOING A JOINT CONFERENCE WITH UTSA ON OPPORTUNITY ZONES TO CREATE MORE PUBLIC AWARENESS.
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE A PLAN DEVELOPED AND PUT TOGETHER AND SAY THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO PRIOR TO THE IRS GETTING OUT WITH PREPARATION FOR THAT WOULD PUT US THAT MUCH FURTHER AHEAD THAN WAITING ON THOSE RULES TO BE PUBLISHED.
>> PERRY: THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR.
GREAT, I'D LIKE TO SIT DOWN AND WORK ON YOU WITH THAT.
AND THANK YOU, SIR, APPRECIATE IT.
>> SCULLEY: WITH REGARD TO TOYOTA, THE PLANT OPENED ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO.
BUT BASED ON THAT RELATIONSHIP, WE ALSO WORKED TOYOTA TO EXPAND
[02:00:02]
THE OPERATION.SO IT OPENED WITH THE TUNDRA CONSTRUCTION HERE.
AND WHEN TOYOTA CLOSED THE JOINT VENTURE IN FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH, BASED ON THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAD AND RECRUIT THE TACOMA MANUFACTURING HERE TO THE -- SO THAT'S AN ONGOING AND EXPANDING OPERATION, AND ONE THAT IS BUILT ON THOSE MANY YEARS BEFORE DEVELOPING THAT RELATIONSHIP.
AND IS STILL A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE.
WHAT A GREAT TIME FOR ME TO COME AND SPEAK NOW.
I HAVE TO SAY, I WILL NEVER GET TIRED OF ADVERTISING OR SHOWCASING TOYOTA BECAUSE OF THE THOUSANDS OF JOBS IT BRINGS TO SAN ANTONIANS AND EVERYONE IN THE REGION, BECAUSE OF THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND THE PARTNERS, THE TIER ONE PARTNERS THAT HAVE BEEN PART OF THE GROWTH OF SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE OF THE EVERY SINGLE TUNDRA AND TACOMA, EVERYWHERE IS BUILT IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
AND BECAUSE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE CONTINUING TO HOPEFULLY GROW AND EXPAND.
WE ARE STILL IN THE HUNT FOR SOMETHING ELSE WITH TOYOTA, AND WE'RE HOPING AND BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND MAINTAINING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ABSOLUTELY KEY.
SO, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH TOYOTA, TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING TEXAS AND OTHERS HERE.
SO, I WILL NOT EVER STOP HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK THAT TMTX HAS DONE HERE.
BUT IT DOES GIVE ME A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT, TO YOUR POINT, COUNCIL MEMBER, ON THE MISSIONS AND THE TRADE MISSIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS THAT WE ARE DOING HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE GLOBAL BUSINESS THAT WE'RE DOING.
JENNA WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS AT OUR EWDC MEETING NEXT WEEKEND BECAUSE OF THE BROOKING INSTITUTE, BUT WHAT WE HAVE DONE AS A CITY AND WITH SAEDF, WITH OUR PRIVATE SECTOR AND OUR PUBLIC SECTOR IS REALLY TRYING TO COME IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT OUR STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL BUSINESS SHOULD BE AND CAN BE TOGETHER, THAT WE WOULD BE ONE UNIFIED TEAM IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THAT ALL OF US TOGETHER, TO BE STRATEGIZING AND TO ALIGN THE BUSINESSES, THAT WE WOULD HAVE -- WE HAVE OUR NEW INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL, AND WE ARE HAVING PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR TOGETHER.
AND I'M SO PROUD BECAUSE RUSS HANDY WITH OUR AIRPORT IS ALSO A PART OF THAT AS WELL AS ALL OF THE CHAMBERS.
WE ARE HERE LOOKING TO, WHEN WE DO GO ON INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS, WE ARE GOING TO BE PARTNERING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN ALIGNMENT OF HOW WE ARE GOING TO BRING SAN ANTONIO AND BRING OTHERS TO SAN ANTONIO AND SAN ANTONIO TO THOSE COUNTRIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING TO.
AND IT WILL BE INFORMED BY THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTE AND DATA THAT OUR PRIVATE SECTOR IS BRINGING US, BECAUSE MANY OF THESE TRADE MISSIONS, AS WE KNOW, ARE ALSO BROUGHT FORWARD THROUGH THE CHAMBERS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO STRATEGIZE AND GET THE MOST IN OUR RETURN AS WE GO OUT ON THESE BUSINESS -- INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS.
SO I'M VERY PROUD THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING THAT.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE -- EVERY SECTOR IS CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER, FROM EDUCATION, TO OUR AIRPORT TO ALL WORK TOGETHER, AND I THINK WE'VE SEEN IT.
WE MADE THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY, SPECIFICALLY DURING THIS 300 AS WELL.
I HAVE TO GIVE THANKS TO ALL OF SHERRY'S TEAM TOO WHO WORKED HARD ALL OVER THE ENTIRE YEAR, AND CONTINUING TO WORK HARD, AND ALSO PREPARING ALL OF US WHENEVER WE GO ON TRADE MISSIONS AND PREPARING US WHENEVER WE HAVE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS COME TO SAN ANTONIO.
SO I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO BE CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD AND TO BE STRONG AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
BUT IT IS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WORKING TOGETHER.
I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION -- AND ALSO WITH GERMANY AND DURMSTADT, IT IS GREAT TO BE THERE.
ALSO, WE'VE CONTINUED TO NURTURE THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY OF GASTRONOMY, AND SO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LIFT FUND AND THE BUY-DOWN PROGRAM, IS THIS THE SAME AMOUNT THAT WE HAD FOR LAST YEAR FOR
[02:05:01]
THE BUYDOWN PROGRAM?I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
I KNOW JANIE WAS HERE EARLIER, AND SELENA WAS HERE WITH LIFT FUND WORKING HARD.
IT'S ABOUT INVESTMENT, BUT IT'S ABOUT LONGEVITY AND JOB CREATION, TOO.
SO THAT'S WHAT'S EXCITING ABOUT THIS ONE.
THE OTHER ITEM I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE WILL BE PRESENTING ABOUT THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND MOBILITY FOR ALL SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'RE STREAMLINING THAT, AND I'M PROUD THAT BRETT WAS THERE IN THE VIDEO BECAUSE OF THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE STREAMLINING OF INTERNATIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, IN WITH SAEDF, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE HITTING -- I THINK WE'RE HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS NOW, AND YOU PLAY -- WELL, OUR DEPARTMENT PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THAT WITH HITTING ON ALL OF THOSE CYLINDERS TO LOOK AT THAT INCLUSIVE GROWTH.
OF COURSE, SMALL BUSINESS -- THE SMALL BUSINESS DIVISION IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL, BECAUSE IT'S SMALL BUSINESS THAT ALSO DRIVES JOB CREATION AND THE ENTIRE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND OUR ENTIRE STATE, ACTUALLY.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR YOU, RENEE.
JOHN, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND, YOUR SLIDE NUMBER 10.
WELL, FIRST I WANT TO TALK ABOUT, I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE ON SLIDE NUMBER FOUR THE RIVER BARGE CONCESSION CONTRACT.
I THINK THAT'S GREAT, AND I HOPE TO CONTINUE TO SEE THAT TREND MOVING UPWARD, AND I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE DOING YOGA AND DOING THE SPIN CLASSES ON A BARGE, TOO.
>> VIAGRAN: SO THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT AND IT'S HAPPENING, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT REVENUE IS UP THIS YEAR.
BACK ON SLIDE NUMBER TEN, IN THE GENERAL FUND, CAN YOU -- THE H PARK, THE 1.7 MILLION.
IS THAT THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'VE GIVEN IN THE PAST? AND WHEN IS THE YEAR THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEM TO BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING? IS IT STILL 2020?
>> VIAGRAN: AND THEY'RE ON TARGET WITH THAT?
SO THE PARKING AT H PARK, TELL ME, IS THAT -- YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR PARKING EVERY DAY, OR IS IT ALSO AFTER 6:00? AND ARE THERE FREE PARKING LOTS TO PARK AT FOR H PARK?
>> ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE PROPOSED PARKING THAT WILL BE THERE?
>> VIAGRAN: I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT PARKING NOW AND PROPOSED PARKING IN AND AROUND H PARK.
>> CURRENTLY, THERE'S A FEW PARKING LOTS IN THAT AREA, AND THEY FOLLOW THE SAME HOURS THAT WE HAVE.
THE REVENUE FROM THEM GOES TO H PARK, BUT WE MANAGE THEM.
SO THEY'RE MANAGED THE SAME EXACT WAY AS OUR PARKING LOTS.
THAT'S THE ALAMO LOT THAT'S RIGHT THERE BY THE CHILDREN'S THEATER, OR THE MAGIC THEATER, AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER LOT RIGHT ACROSS CESAR CHAVEZ THERE, THE MARTINEZ LOT.
>> VIAGRAN: SO HOW MANY SPOTS DO WE HAVE RIGHT THERE ADJACENT TO H PARK? PARKING SPOTS.
HOW MANY PARKI ING SPACES DO WE HAVE AVAILABLE RIGHT THERE?
>> I CAN'T RECALL EXACTLY HOW MANY SPACES ARE IN THOSE PARTICULAR LOTS.
THERE'S NO PARKING STRUCTURES.
THE CLOSEST PARKING STRUCTURE WOULD BE THE MARINA LODGE.
>> VIAGRAN: THAT'S KIND OF TOUGH.
>> FOR HEMISFAIR PARK, THEY ALSO HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH SAISD TO USE THE PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET ON CAESAR CHAVEZ AND ALAMO, SO THAT IS FREE PARKING, AND WE'VE DONE SOME TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS TO HELP FACILITATE PEOPLE CROSSING THE STREET.
AND WE HAVE A LOT AT MAGIC THEATER.
THAT FOLLOWS THE SAME RULES AS JOHN MENTIONED.
AND WE ALSO HAVE THE ALAMO LOT THAT IS OFF OF CAESAR CHAVEZ AND ALAMO.
BUT THERE ARE FREE PARKING OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN H PARK AT THE SAISD LOT.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PARKING GARAGES AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS AND THE INCREASE IN THE FEES.
SO, THE PRIVATE PARKING GARAGES, THEIR COST IS MORE THAN OURS; IS THAT CORRECT, FOR EVENT PARKING?
THEY RANGE, BUT TYPICALLY, A LOT, SAY NEAR DELL ROSA LOT,
[02:10:04]
COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM $20 TO $25, WHEREAS OPPOSED TO NOW, WE'RE PROPOSING $15.>> VIAGRAN: SO THE PRIVATE MARKET HAS SEEN THAT, HEY, IT'S $25 FOR A SPECIAL EVENT PARKING.
>> VIAGRAN: AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A $15.
SO CURRENTLY WE'RE AT $11 AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A $4 INCREASE TO 15.
AND IT'S 30 DAYS FOR THE SPECIAL EVENTS?
SOME YEARS, WE HAVE VENTS -- LIKE FINAL FOUR WAS AN EVENT THAT CAME IN, BUT OUR REGULAR DSSAS AND OTHER EVENTS, IT'S ABOUT 30 ON AVERAGE.
I SEE THE REASONING WITH THE INCREASE YOU'RE GIVING THERE.
AND TFINALLY, I DO WANT TO TALK TO RUSS.
FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM WHO'S DONE A LOT OF THE OUTREACH AND HAVE BEEN GOING TO DISTRICT 3 AND OTHER PLACES TO GET FEEDBACK FROM ALL SAN ANTONIANS.
AND I DID ENJOY THAT PRESENTATION YESTERDAY AT THE INNOVATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF THAT DATA COLLECTION AND HOW WE CAN AGAIN ALIGN IT AND USE IT WITH OUR BUSINESS, OUR SAEDF WITH VISIT SAN ANTONIO AND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GATHER.
I HAVE TO -- THE ONLY THING I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU BESIDES THAT IS, THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH.
GLAD TO SEE THE STINSON TOWER WHERE IT IS NOW, AND VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE SIGNAGE AND THE WAY FINDING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING.
I THINK YOU, SHERYL, FOR THE STINSON TOWER, BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAD TO GO THROUGH A LOT OF VERSIONS OF IT, AND I'VE HAD TO GO THROUGH THREE DIFFERENT AVIATION DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS FOR THIS TOWER TO GET IT TO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
IT JUST RISES UP, AND IT'S A SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE AREA.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FAA CONTINUING TO PUT ALL OF THE DEVICES THAT NEED TO GO IN THERE.
NOW, I'M JUST AS EQUALLY AS EXCITED TO HOPEFULLY SEE THAT HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL COME TO FRUITION, TOO.
WE'VE BEEN WAITING A LONG TIME FOR THAT, AND I KNOW IT'S BECAUSE IT'S NEAR THE ASAKEA AND HAS TO GO THROUGH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO THE MISSION REACH.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THAT CROSS THE FINISH LINE AS WELL.
BUT I DID WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A VERY LONG TIME COMING.
>> NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN VIAGRAN.
MOST OF MY QUESTIONS ARE FOR RENEE.
SO, RENEE, I'M LOOKING AT YOUR TOTAL BUDGET OF ONLY 15 MILLION.
>> GONZALES: HOW HAS THAT CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?
>> COUNCILWOMAN, IT HAS INCREASED OVER THE YEARS.
WE HAVE DONE SOME CHANGES WITHIN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO MAKE IT STRONGER AND MORE EFFICIENT.
BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME NUMBERS, IN 2006, IT WAS 2.2 MILLION.
WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO DATE, AND THIS IS JUST IN THE GENERAL FUND, IS 5 MILLION FOR THE OPERATIONS, PLUS SOME OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES AT 9.5 MILLION.
SO YOU HAVE BEEN SEEING AN INCREASE IN YOUR BUDGET, I GUESS, OVER THE YEARS.
>> YEAH, AND I WOULD JUST SAY WE HAD A BIG SORT OF ADJUSTMENT IN 2009 WHERE WE REORGANIZED THE DEPARTMENT.
WE DIVESTED SEVERAL THAT WERE DUPLICATIVE IN THE DEPARTMENT.
THERE'S BEEN INCREMENTED INCREASES AS WE PUT ON NEW PRIORITIES LIKE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
>> GONZALES: I THINK THAT'S WHERE MY QUESTIONS ARE, IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
SO OVER THE SUMMER BREAK, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH SOME BUSINESS LEADERS INFORMALLY, JUST TALKING ABOUT WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SAN ANTONIO, WHAT IS YOUR -- LIKE, WHAT ARE YOUR COME PLA -- COMPLAINTS, OR HOW CAN WE SERVE YOU BETTER.
REALLY, THE ISSUE THAT CAME UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN EDUCATED WORKFORCE.
AND SO, IT WAS PRESENTED TO US IN HUMAN SERVICES PRESENTATION A
[02:15:01]
COUPLE OF DAYS AGO ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH OPPORTUNITY USE.AND I THINK NOW THIS IS THE NAME FOR PEOPLE 16 TO 24 WHO ARE NOT WORKING AND NOT IN SCHOOL.
THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE IN TEXAS.
AND SO, WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE? AND I THINK THAT -- YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT JENNA MIGHT ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL, BECAUSE AS WE WORK THROUGH OUR EQUITY BUDGET AND ARE EVOLVING SOME OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CITY THAT'S REALLY PREVENTING OUR CITY TO REALLY BE THE, YOU KNOW, FIRST CLASS CITY, THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE A REALLY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE NOT WORKING AND NOT IN SCHOOL SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS.
SO, WHAT ARE Y'ALL DOING IN THAT REGARD?
IN A LOT OF WAYS, THERE'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PAIN POINTS, AND ONE IS CERTAINLY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT.
AROUND 70% OF OUR RESIDENTS DON'T GET A DEGREE -- A POSTSECONDARY DEGREE, AND THAT CERTAINLY IMPACTS WAGES.
AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT VERY SPECIFICALLY IS USING WORKFORCE AS PART OF OUR INCLUSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY, RECASTING THE WAY WE DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR A LONG TIME.
WE'VE BEEN DOING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, A LOCATION, A PLACE, OR A PROJECT, WHERE IT'S GOING.
AND NOW WITH THIS INCLUSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, WE REALLY WANT TO NOW EMBED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS TRYING TO CONNECT SOME OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE MORE DISTRESSED AREAS THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE AGENCIES TO JOBS, EITHER DIRECTLY HIRED BY COMPANIES OR IN SOME CASES, JUST RECEIVING ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
AND SO THAT FRAMEWORK IS BEING PUT TOGETHER.
YOU MIGHT SEE ITERATIONS OF A NEW TAX ABATEMENT POLICY THAT ENCOURAGES COMPANIES TO HIRE A PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE FROM CERTAIN GEOGRAPHIES.
>> GONZALES: THAT WOULD BE LOCALLY? WHEN YOU SAY GEOGRAPHIES.AN ANT
AND SORT OF AN EMPOWERMENT ZONE LIKE WE HAD A COUPLE YEARS AGO, OR MAYBE MANY YEARS AGO NOW, MAYBE MORE THAN TEN.
THE GAME CHANGER, BECAUSE THERE'S STILL TRANSPORTATION ISSUES AND BARRIERS REGARDING, YOU KNOW, HIRING FROM SOME OF THESE AREAS.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT MIGHT JUST INCLUDE ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
THAT'S ANOTHER ASPECT OF THIS STRATEGY THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
SO, CAN WE USE SOME DEDICATED FUNDING TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRAINING WHILE PEOPLE ARE WORKING.
AND SO LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO LAST WEEK WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT OUR DELEGATE AGENCY AND SORT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE RESIDENTS GET A JOB.
AS THE PRIMARY OUTCOME THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
FOR THE LONGEST TIME, WE'VE CONTRACTED DELEGATE AGENCIES FOR SPECIFIC SERVICES, AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB.
LIKE GETTING A GED, LIKE LITERACY TRAINING, LIKE OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING.
WHAT WASN'T HAPPENING IS DEDICATED SPECIFIC HANDOFFS FROM ONE AGENCY TO THE OTHER AGENCY, WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A JOB.
SO WE'RE PUTTING THAT INFORMATION SYSTEM IN PLACE.
WE ARE CONTRACTING WITH ALL OUR DELEGATE AGENCIES TO GET ONTO THE SYSTEM, TO HAVE ONE CLIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND WE'RE HOPING THIS COULD BE A GAME CHANGER.
WE'VE DONE RESEARCH, AND ALTHOUGH THIS IS SORT OF A BEST PRACTICE, VERY FEW COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL IT OFF.
AND SO WE'RE HOPING TO IMPLEMENT THAT THIS YEAR.
AND SO LET ME GIVE YOU A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF HOW IT MIGHT WORK.
IF WE HAVE A SPECIFIED CLIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT HAS ALL THE PARTICIPANTS FROM OUR DELEGATE AGENCIES IN IT, 3,000 PEOPLE, AND WE RECRUIT A COMPANY THAT'S PROVIDING MEANINGFUL JOBS FOR PERHAPS NOT AS SKIED, CAN WE GET THAT COMPANY TO ACCESS THOSE 3,000 PEOPLE, AND THEN PROVIDE TRAINING TO UPSKILL THEM WHILE THEY'RE ON THE JOB.
I'M GIVING A REALLY HIGH LEVEL DESCRIPTION OF OUR INCLUSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY.
BUT OVER THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, WE HOPE TO ROLL THAT OUT FOR EVENTUAL ADOPTION IN DECEMBER.
>> GONZALES: SO I KNOW THAT 2.2 MILLION OF THAT GOES TO PROJECT QUEST, WHICH I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF.
>> GONZALES: DAVID, I DON'T SEE YOU.
CAN YOU COME UP? CAN I ASK YOU A QUICK QUESTION? BECAUSE IT GOES BACK TO -- AND DAVID KNOWS WE HAVE CHALLENGED HIM ON THIS AS WELL, THAT ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT PROJECT QUEST IS IT DOES TAKE PEOPLE AND BRING THEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL, BUT THEY DO HAVE TO
[02:20:04]
HAVE SOME LEVEL OF EDUCATION, EVEN TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM.AND SO PROJECT QUEST IS REALLY NOT TARGETING THOSE 16 TO 24 YOUTH THAT ARE UNEMPLOYED AND NOT IN SCHOOL.
>> GONZALES: COULD YOU ADDRESS THAT AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO ENGAGE THOSE PEOPLE?
SO WE HAVE A VERY FOCUSED RECRUITING STRATEGY, FOCUSED ON CERTAIN DISTRICTS AND SCHOOL AREAS.
AND SO WE DO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND RECRUIT AND MAKE THOSE INDIVIDUALS AWARE OF OUR SERVICES.
WE DO NOT FOCUS ON THE YOUTH, BUT THOSE THAT ARE 18 AND PLUS, THEY HAVE EITHER SOME FORM OF EDUCATION, THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR GEDS.
WE DO REACH OUT TO THEM AND BRING THEM UNDER OUR UMBRELLA.
>> GONZALES: BUT THEY HAVE TO ALREADY BE WITH A GED OR SOMETHING.
>> NOT NECESSARILY, BECAUSE WE HAVE PARTNERS WHO WILL HELP THEM ACTUALLY GET THEIR GEDS.
>> GONZALES: OKAY, AND BRING THEM IN.
SO WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR EFFORT DO YOU THINK IS IN THAT SPACE?
>> I'D HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT ONE.
BECAUSE THAT REALLY HASN'T BEEN I THINK YOUR SPECIALTY OVER THE MANY YEARS.
THEY WERE NOT REALLY TARGETING THOSE PARTICULAR POPULATIONS.
I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS A CITY, FOCUS MORE OF OUR ATTENTION, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S COMING UP, YOU KNOW, OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE FRANK GARRETT CENTER WHERE WE'VE DEDICATED SOME FUNDING IN OUR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, BUT NOT ENOUGH I FEEL LIKE IN THE WORKFORCE AREA.
SO MAYBE YOU CAN JUST -- I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS.
I KNOW IT DIDN'T TAKE YOU BY SURPRISE THAT I MENTIONED IT.
I GUESS I'M CONCERNED THAT VERY LITTLE OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUDGET IS TOWARDS THAT GROUP.
MAYBE YOU COULD ADDRESS THAT ISSUE, RENEE.
>> THERE IS A SORT OF SOFT LINE BETWEEN DHS'S WORK AND OUR WORK.
WE'RE REALLY WORKING WITH THE ADULT POPULATION, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
WE HAVE SOME PROGRAMMING THAT'S SPECIFIC FOR YOUTH.
WE CERTAINLY ARE PARTNERING ON WHERE THE JOBS PIECE OF THAT STRATEGY, WHERE THEY GET TRAINED, WHEN THEY MITIGATE ISSUES, WHEN THEY HELP MITIGATE BARRIERS.
AT THE END OF THE ROAD, THERE'S JOBS.
BUT BY DESIGN, DHS REALLY HANDLES K-12, THAT YOUTH PIECE, AND THERE'S A LITTLE GRAY AREA THERE.
AND WE REALLY FOCUS ON THE ADULT POPULATION, THAT'S HOW WE ARE CURRENTLY STRUCTURED. IT'S NOT A HARD LINE.
WE HAVE OTHER PROGRAMMING LIKE THE ALAMO ACADEMIES THAT WORKS WITH THE YOUTH POPULATION.
WE HAVE SOME DELEGATE AGENCIES THAT FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON YOUTH.
WE ALSO WORK WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO.
THEY HAVE SPECIAL FEDERAL FUNDING THAT'S TIED TO THE YOUTH.
I WILL SAY, ALONG WITH PROJECT QUEST, WE'RE HOPING THAT ALL OF THESE AGENCIES GET ON THIS INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO PLACE, SO THAT EVENTUALLY, THEY KIND OF LINK TOGETHER AND HAVE ACCESS TO A JOB.
WE'RE TRYING TO PUT ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER.
>> GONZALES: I HOPE THAT AT SOME POINT, MAYBE WE CAN HEAR THAT PRESENTATION IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE COMMITTEE.
LIKE, REALLY, WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH SOMETHING, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOUR BUDGET AT 15.2 MILLION IS ACTUALLY VERY SMALL GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK.
>> GONZALES: AND THAT YOUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS ALSO VERY, VERY HIGH.
I'M ALWAYS GOING TO BE TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR MORE MONEY WHERE I THINK WE NEED IT MOST.
I DO THINK THAT IT'S PERHAPS AN INVESTMENT IN THAT PARTICULAR SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION, MIGHT HELP US EVEN UNCREASE THAT RETURN ON INVESTMENT.INCREASE T RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
SO I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT I REALLY HAD.
I THINK EVERYTHING ELSE IS -- UNI DIDN'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I JUST ALSO WANTED TO CONGRATULATE OUR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT.
I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT YANAGUANA PARK OVER THE SUMMER, AND I'M ALWAYS JUST SO IMPRESSED WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON AT YANAGUANA.
I SAW ANDRES HERE THE OTHER DAY.
IT SURE IS FABULOUS, AND IT'S GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.
I SPENT AT LEAST -- OH, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK EVERY WEEKEND I WAS AT YANAGUANA, AND NOW WE HAVE A NEW PIZZARIA THAT OPENED THERE.
THE TWO OTHER RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN AND WONDERFUL, AND THERE WAS PROGRAMMING EVERY TIME I WENT, WHETHER IT'S A BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT, WE HOSTED A BABY SHOWER THERE, A COMMUNITY-WIDE BABY SHOWER A COUPLE MONTHS BACK.
SO IT'S JUST BEEN SUCH A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO OUR CITY.
AND I WANT TO JUST CONTINUE ON
[02:25:03]
THAT PATH, AND I THINK WE'RE -- I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE OUR CITY WITHOUT IT NOW, AND SO I THINK IT WAS REALLY WORTH EVERY U INVESTMENT THAT WE MADE TO IMPROVE OUR DOWNTOWN AND OUR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ESPECIALLY.I SEE THIS PICTURE HERE OF JOEY AND HIS WIFE HERE WITH LIFT FUND AND HOW THEY MADE THEIR INVESTMENT, AND THEY'VE EXPANDED THEIR FOOTPRINT THERE AT THE HEMISFAIR, AND IT'S WONDERFUL I THINK INVESTMENT FOR OUR CITY.
>> NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALES.
RENEE, I'D LIKE TO GET BACK TO SOME OF WHAT WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
>> COURAGE: WHO ARE THE PARTNERS AGAIN THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH MOSTLY IN THAT AREA?
>> PRIMARY -- WELL, LET ME ANSWER THAT MULTIPLE WAYS.
>> COURAGE: OR WHO ARE THE MAJOR PLAYERS?
>> S.A. WORKS IS A PRIMARY PARTNER OF OURS, AND THEY DO THREE THINGS FOR US FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT, THEY'RE HELPING US AGGREGATE THE DEMAND, THEY OPEN POSITIONS, THEY HELP PROVIDE COMPANY RESOURCES IN TERMS OF FINDING IMMEDIATE EMPLOYEES.
THEY'RE ALSO WORKING WITH US IN TERMS OF MACHMAKING SURE EVERYO HAS AN OPPORTUNITY IN TERMS OF CAREER PATHWAY DEVELOPMENT.
SO THIS PROGRAM I'M TALKING ABOUT WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GET ALL THE DELEGATE AGENCIES ALIGNED, TRY TO CREATE CAREER PATHWAYS, THEY PLAY A BIG ROLE IN THAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THESE CAREER PATHWAYS.
YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF EIGHTH GRADE, AND BY THE TIME THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL, CAREER PATHWAY DEVELOPMENT IS UNDER WAY.
AND THEN LASTLY, THIS IS PRIMARILY A 100% INDUSTRY-LED BOARD.
SO THEY'RE A GREAT SOUNDINGBOARD WITH OUR CORPORATE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF BIG POLICY ISSUES.
THEY'RE IMPACTING THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS.
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, KATE ROGERS IS THEIR CHAIR.
SHE'S A STRONG VOICE IN TERMS OF PRE-K-12 DEVELOPMENT, IN TERMS OF EXCELLENCE FOR MORE TEACHERS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SO THAT IS A BIG PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
OUR ROLE PRIMARILY WITH THEM IS ON THE JOB SIDE, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE.
BUT CERTAINLY THE MAJORITY OF THEIR AGENDA DEALS WITH BIGGER, BROADER POLICY ISSUES.
>> THE SECOND GROUP OF PARTNERS WOULD BE OUR WORKFORCE AGENCIES IN TERMS OF WHAT WE SPEND MONEY ON.
THAT IS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED TOWARDS HARD-TO-SERVE POPULATIONS.
AND SO THAT'S THE SECOND SET OF PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH, THOSE AGENCIES AND TRY TO ALIGN THEM TOWARDS --
>> COURAGE: AND WHO ARE THOSE AGENCIES?
>> THERE'S SEVEN DIFFERENT AGENCIES WE ARE FUNDING.
THEY INCLUDE GOODWILL INDUSTRIES, FAMILY SERVICES, CRYSTALIST MINISTRIES, RESTORE EDUCATION, DRESS FOR SUCCESS, AND EACH ONE TEACH ONE.
AND AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, THEY PROVIDE A CONTINUAL LEVEL OF SERVICES OR DIFFERENT MILESTONES, FROM LIT ERACY TRAINING, TO GED EQUIVALENT TRAINING, TO WORKFORCE EXPERIENCE, TO OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING, TO EVENTUALLY VOCATIONAL TRAINING.
SO THEY PROVIDE A SUITE OF DIFFERENT SERVICES.
AND YOU HAD MENTIONED PROJECT QUEST EARLIER, AND SHERYL BROUGHT THAT UP.
THAT'S BEEN A CONCERN OF MINE IN THAT -- IN LOOKING AT THEIR HISTORY OVER -- I BELIEVE WE GOT SOME INFORMATION THAT GOES BACK MAYBE TEN TO 15 YEARS ON HOW MUCH THE CITY HAS INVESTED AND WHAT THE RETURN HAS BEEN ON THAT, AND WE'VE UNVESTED OVER $20 MILLION IN PROJECT QUEST, AND I DON'T THINK WE GOT 2,000 WHO ACTUALLY GET A CERTIFICATE OF GRADUATION OF SOME KIND THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
SEEMS LIKE A VERY, VERY, VERY BIG INVESTMENT.
NOW, I REALIZE A LOT OF PEOPLE DID GO THROUGH SOME TRAINING THROUGH THE PROGRAM, BUT EVEN THAT WAS I THINK AROUND 5,000 OR 6,000 PEOPLE.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THAT PROGRAM GOING FORWARD WHEN WE'RE GOING TO MAKE ANOTHER $2.2 MILLION INVESTMENT THIS YEAR.
BECAUSE I REALLY BELIEVE THEY CAN FROM PROVIDE SOME IMPORTANT SERVICES, BUT WE HAVE TO SEE THAT IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
[02:30:01]
AND HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO WHAT GOODWILL HAS DONE? OF COURSE, THEY'RE A MUCH BIGGER AGENCY AND HAVE A LOT OF OTHER SUPPORT IN DIFFERENT AREAS.FOR WHAT WE INVEST IN THOSE AGENCIES, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT RETURN ON INVESTMENT, BUT CERTAINLY, THE OUTPUT OF TRAINED, READY-TO-GO WORKERS THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY'S INDUSTRIES IS THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME THAT WE HOPE TO GET FROM THESE.
JUST HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE EVALUATING THAT GOING FORWARD.
>> AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, WE EVALUATE THEM AND MONITOR THEIR PROGRESS IN TERMS OF CONTRACT COMPLIANCE MONTHLY.
IN TERMS OF OUTCOMES, I THINK THAT'S -- YOU KNOW, WHERE I'M A BIG FAN OF PROJECT QUEST, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
THEY'RE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON PROVIDING MEANINGFUL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, AND SO GOODWILL ALSO PROVIDES VERY MEANINGFUL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, BUT IN TERMS OF QUEST, THEY'RE PROVIDING JOBS INTO TARGETED INDUSTRIES.
THE AVERAGE WAGE OF AN INDIVIDUAL PRE-QUEST IS AROUND 11,000 ANNUALLY.
COMING OUT OF THE QUEST PROGRAM, IT'S AROUND 42,000 ANNUALLY.
SO THEY'RE PROVIDING TRAINING INTO TARGETED INDUSTRY JOBS LIKE NURSING AND OTHERS THAT REALLY INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND STANDARD OF LIVING OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
I WANT TO SAY 60% OF THE FUNDS THAT WE PROVIDE QUEST GOES TO TRAINING.
SO IT PASSES THROUGH TO THE ALAMO COLLEGES.
THE REAL SECRET SAUCE TO THEIR SUCCESS, THEY'RE ENCOUNTERING BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT, WHETHER IT'S CHILD CARE, CAN'T READ, PROBLEMS WITH PAYING THEIR ELECTRICITY BILL.
SO IT'S THE COMBINATION OF BOTH THE TRAINING PIECE, AND THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF FUNDS GO, AND THE CASE MANAGEMENT.
THEY HAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY THAT'S LOOKED AT THIS OVER THE LAST I BELIEVE 15 TO 20 YEARS, SO THEY HAVE THE FACTS TO BACK THEIR RETURN ON INVESTMENT STUDY.
WE'D LOVE TO GET THE SCALE TO GROW AND THE COST TO COME DOWN, AND WE'RE HOPING AS PART OF THIS INFORMATION SYSTEM OVER THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS, SINCE THEY'RE PART OF MY BUDGET NOW, WE CAN WORK WITH THEM ON DOING JUST THAT.
BUT I'M HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU THEIR RETURN ON INVESTMENT STUDY THAT THEY PRODUCED THIS YEAR.
NOW, THERE ARE SOME OTHER AGENCIES THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH YOUR DEPARTMENT TO HELP DEVELOP BUSINESS GROWTH.
AND YOU MENTIONED, OF COURSE, WE KNOW ABOUT SAEDF.
>> COURAGE: BUT THERE'S ALSO BIOMED AND CYBER SECURITY SAN ANTONIO.
>> COURAGE: WHAT KIND OF FUNDING DO THEY RECEIVE? I SAW YOU SAID 670,000 TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER AGENCIES?
CYBER SECURITY RECEIVES $50,000.
HOWEVER, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OFTENTIMES I COME IN FRONT OF YOU ALL ON THE EWDC COMMITTEE AND RECOMMEND ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
SO, AN ACTION PLAN ON THE HEALTHCARE AND BIOSCIENCES IS BEING PREPARED.
WE HELP THAT -- WE HELP FUND THAT IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'VE PROVIDED.
THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR THE AEROSPACE WORKING GROUP AND CYBER SECURITY SAN ANTONIO.
BUT SPECIFIC CONTRACTS WITH BIOMED AND CYBER, THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'VE SPENT.
I WILL SAY THAT WE'VE LINKED THEIR ACTIVITIES AND THEIR SCOPE OF WORK DIRECTLY TO THE EDF PLAN.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE DELIVERABLES THAT ANN OVERSEAS AND HER CONTRACT FOR BIO, ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT, LINK WITH EDFS.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SOME SYNERGIES THERE.
I'D LIKE TO TALK TO RUSS FOR JUST A MOMENT.
I JUST WANT TO START OUT BY COMMENDING YOU FOR THE LEADERSHIP YOU'VE PROVIDED AT THE AIRPORT SINCE YOU'VE BEEN THERE.
WE'RE OBVIOUSLY MAKING GREAT PROGRESS.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ALL THE CAR RENTAL STALLS THAT WERE NEAR THE BAGGAGE PICKUP IN TERMINAL A? YOU KNOW, THEY'VE ALL MOVED INTO THE GARAGE.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT AREA DOWN THERE? ADDITIONAL CONCESSION OR WHAT?
AND WE JUST KICKED OFF THE FIRST PHASE OF THAT PROJECT, AND SO THE DELTA BAGGAGE SERVICE OFFICE HAS TO RELOCATE BECAUSE THEY'RE IN AN AREA THAT'S TAKEN UP BY THE CUSTOMS FEDERAL INSPECTION STATION EXPANSION.
FRONTIER NEEDS A BAGGAGE SERVICE OFFICE, AND WE SEE AN INCREASING NEED FOR A GENERAL PURPOSE BAGGAGE SERVICE OFFICE FOR OTHER AIRLINES THAT DON'T HAVE THEIR OWN OF THE SMALLER NON-SIGNATORY CARRIERS, SO THAT FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT YOU SEE NOW IS TO CREATE THOSE THREE BAGGAGE SERVICE OFFICES, WHICH IS GOING TO MAKE REAL ESTATE AVAILABLE ON EITHER END OF THAT FOR TWO THINGS.
ONE, IT'S GOING TO OPEN UP THAT AREA THAT AS YOU KNOW IS PRETTY CONFINED, THAT NARROW HALLWAY IN THE BACK.
SO SOME OF THAT AREA WILL OPEN
[02:35:01]
UP.BUT IT WILL ALSO OPEN UP REAL ESTATE FOR ULTIMATELY WHAT WILL BE A COFFEE BEVERAGE TYPE LOCATION WHEN THE NEW CONCESSION COMES ONLINE.
THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE.
AND I'D LIKE TO ASK JOHN JACKS A QUESTION.
AND I THINK IT'S RELATED TO THE GENERAL DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD.
WHAT ARE THE PLANS TO EXPAND CITY PARKING DOWNTOWN SINCE WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT A GARAGE IMMEDIATELY, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE HAD TALKED ABOUT.
WHAT ARE THE PLANS? ARE THERE OTHER AREAS UNDERNEATH THE HIGHWAYS OR AROUND THE CITY THAT WE CAN OPEN UP MORE PARKING FOR? ARE WE THINKING ABOUT ANY OF THAT?
>> I THINK CURRENTLY, I THINK WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS PERHAPS FOCUSING MORE ON ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION TO GET DOWNTOWN.
SO THERE'S LESS DEMAND FOR THAT ACTUAL PARKING.
AND THEN I THINK LOOKING MORE STRATEGICALLY AT OUR PARKING FACILITIES TO SEE OTHER TIMES WHEN THERE'S SPACE MAYBE THERE THAT'S AVAILABLE, PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT, WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET THOSE SPACES UTILIZED MORE.
THERE IS SOME SPACE UNDER THE FREEWAYS.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT THEY'RE NOT IN IDEAL LOCATIONS, THOUGH.
MAYBE ONE EXCEPTION ON THE BROADWAY CORRIDOR UNDERNEATH THE INTERCHANGE BETWEEN I-37 AND I-35, THERE IS SOME OPPORTUNITY, WE'RE WORKING WITH TXDOT AND THE RIVER AUTHORITY ACTUALLY TO ADD SOME PARKING IN THAT AREA AS WE SEE THE DEMAND IS RISING THERE.
SOME OF THE OTHER PARKING AREAS UNDER THE INTERSTATE ARE -- THEY'RE ALL CONTROLLED BY TXDOT, AND WE HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH SOME OF THEM REALLY ON THE WEST SIDE.
IT'S MORE WITH UTSA AND BEXAR COUNTY, BUT NOT US.
>> COURAGE: I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IF SOME OF THE AREAS SEEM A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY, IT MAY NOT BE DESIRABLE.
WITH THE BIKES AND THE SCOOTERS, YOU KNOW, THEY CERTAINLY BECOME A LOT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO DOWNTOWN FROM PARKING IN THOSE AREAS.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, FURTHER THOUGHT ON THAT AREA.
>> AND WE'VE LOOKED AT OPPORTUNITIES MAYBE FOR A SHUTTLE, EITHER A PRIVATE COMPANY HAS APPROACHED US BEFORE ABOUT SHUTTLING THEIR EMPLOYEES FROM SOME OF THOSE OUTLIER AREAS, BUT WE ALSO LOOK AT WHENEVER NEW PROJECTS COME IN, AND THEY'RE DEVELOPING NEW PARKING, PARTICULARLY IF IT'S ONE THAT WE'RE GETTING INCENTIVES FOR, WE ALWAYS LOOK TO SEE IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO MAYBE EXPAND THAT PARKING, SO IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE RESIDENTS OR THE TENANTS OF THAT BUILDING, BUT COULD THEY ADD A FEW MORE LEVELS OF PARKING AND OPEN THOSE UP FOR PUBLIC PARKING AS WELL.
SO IT'S NOT JUST US LOOKING AT MORE PARKING.
IT'S ANY TIME THERE'S A NEW DEVELOPMENT, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO PROVIDE PUBLIC PARKING AS WELL.
WELL, I'D LIKE TO SUPPORT, I THINK, WHAT MY FELLOW COUNCIL PERSON WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH RAISING THE EXPENSIVE PARKING, EVEN ON EVENT DAYS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE CITY IS NOT IN THE BUSINESS TO MAKE A PROFIT.
AND SO I THINK WE SHOULD OFFER BARGAIN PARKING AND KEEP IT THAT WAY INSTEAD OF TRYING TO MEET A MARKET OR COME CLOSE TO A MARKET RATE.
MARKET RATES ARE TOO HIGH AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
LET'S MAKE PARKING MORE AFFORDABLE AND KEEP IT AFFORDABLE, AND I THINK THAT WILL ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO GET DOWNTOWN.
>> COURAGE: ANYWAY, THAT'S IT.
>> NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE.
>> TREVINO: THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM.
RUSS? FIRST, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND CARLOS FOR YOUR FLEXIBILITY ON WORKING WITH US WITH THE REFUGEES AT THE AIRPORT.
SO I DO WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON THAT, THAT MEANS A LOT TO SO MANY PEOPLE.
ESPECIALLY AS THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO FIND DIGNITY IN THIS UNFORTUNATE PROCESS.
A COUPLE QUESTIONS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL, AND I REALLY JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE ARTS CURATOR.
YOU CAN REALLY SEE THE AIRPORT TRANSFORM, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
AND I THINK IT'S GIVING A LOT OF LOCAL ARTISTS A SENSE OF PRIDE IN KNOWING THAT THERE WORK IS BEING SEEN BY THOSE WHO ARE VISITING AND THOSE WHO TRAVEL FROM SAN ANTONIO.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT A UNIQUE AIRPORT.
IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT THEY SEE AND RECOGNIZE ABOUT OUR CITY.
[02:40:02]
WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF CAPACITY?>> IT'S A TOUGH ANSWER TO GIVE BECAUSE IT DEPENDS ON THE DAY AND THE TIME OF DAY.
WE'RE SITTING -- AS YOU LOOK ACROSS THE TOTAL AGGREGATE SOMEWHERE IN THE 70% RANGE, BUT AGAIN, IT REALLY DOES VARY GREATLY.
WE'RE BUMPING UP TOWARDS 85, 90% OF CAPACITY IN SOME OF THOSE PEAK TIME, AND THEN MUCH LOWER DURING THE OTHER TIMES OF THE DAY.
>> TREVINO: I WAS SAYING THAT WE NEED CAPACITY FOR THAT PEAK DEMAND, AND THEN OF COURSE AS THAT PEAK DEMAND DROPS, THAT LOWERS THE OVERALL AVERAGE.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT CAPACITY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT ANSWERS.
IT'S NOT JUST TERMINAL CAPACITY, IT'S RUNWAY, AIRFIELD, AND AIR SPACE CAPACITY.
WE HAVE MORE TRADE SPACE IN THE AIR SPACE AND RUNWAY AND AIRFIELD CAPACITY, AS YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FLY YOU DON'T OFTEN HAVE TO WAIT, YOU KNOW, NUMBER TEN IN LINE LIKE YOU DO AT SOME OTHER AIRPORTS.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME MORE ROOM TO GROW IN THAT AREA.
TERMINAL CAPACITY IS REALLY WHERE WE'RE BUMPING UP AGAINST THE MOST.
>> TREVINO: AND THAT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE I THINK AIR SPACE IS VERY INTERESTING IN SAN ANTONIO, AND YET IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS HANDLED VERY WELL.
>> WE HAVE A GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAA AND THE MILITARY HERE IN TOWN.
I THINK THAT'S A BIG PART OF IT.
WE TALK A LOT AND WE PARTNER -- I'M NOT SAYING THERE'S NOT FRICTION AND CONFLICTS.
THERE ARE IN THE AIR SPACE, BUT WE WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THEM.
ONE OF THE OTHER INITIATIVES YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT IS -- YOU HEARD THIS FROM ME LAST YEAR AND IT GOT PUT ON PAUSE BY THE FAA.
THE FAA IS ABOUT TO RESTART THEIR CONVERSATION ABOUT NEXT GENERATION, NEXT GEN AND PERFORMANCE-BASED NAVIGATION, WHICH WILL ALSO ALTER THE WAY WE BRING AIRCRAFT IN AND OUT OF A FACILITY, AND INCREASE THE CAPACITY AND THE EFFICIENCY OF OPERATIONS.
THAT'S ABOUT TO START THE PUBLIC OUTREACH PART WITHIN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.
THE TIMING IS PERFECT FOR MY NEXT QUESTION.
I THINK I BROUGHT IT UP THE YEAR BEFORE, TOO.
AND THAT'S -- IF WE LOOK AT OUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AS OUR PASSENGER AIRPORT, AND WE LOOK AT STINSON AS OUR GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT, COMBINE THAT WITH THE PORT, I THINK WE HAVE A REALLY STRONG CASE FOR QUITE AN INCREDIBLE AIRPORT SYSTEM.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK WITH NEXT GEN AND HOW THAT AIR SPACE CAN -- HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT AIRPORT SYSTEM TRULY THRIVE WITH THE COMPLEX AIR SPACE THAT WE HAVE, BUT THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE IN THE WAY THAT IT'S GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATED WITH DOWNTOWN AS ITS CENTER.
>> WELL, I'LL START WITH STINSON.
STINSON I THINK PRESENTS A LOT OF GREAT OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU KNOW IT'S BY DEFINITION A GENERAL AVIATION RELIEVER AIRPORT.
THE REASON WE'RE ALLOWED TO USE ENTERPRISE FUNDS TO OPERATE STINSON IS BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE A TREMENDOUS BURDEN OUT OF OTHERWISE HAVING TO OPERATE OUT OF INTERNATIONAL.
NUMBERS ARE UP AT STINSON IN EVERY CATEGORY.
WE'VE GOT WAITING LISTS FOR SOME HANGAR SPACE.
I KNOW YOU'RE VERY SENSITIVE TO FUEL COSTS.
WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH GATE ONE TO KEEP HIS PRICE THAT WE CHARGE THEM VERY LOW FROM THE GROUND RENT AND FUEL FLOW PERSPECTIVE TO GIVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE.
BUT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO ENHANCE THAT EXPERIENCE.
I'M PARTNERING WITH LEO, HE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE CORPORATE AND BUSINESS TRAVELER THAT SERVICES BROOKS AND THE SURROUNDING AREA HAVE STINSON AS THEIR AIRPORT OF CHOICE.
BECAUSE SOMETHING HE ALSO SUPPORTS IS AN INTERNATIONAL POINT OF ENTRY.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN JUST A QUICK LITTLE RESEARCH, I JUST TYPED UP INTERNATIONAL POINTS OF ENTRY THROUGHOUT SOUTH TEXAS, AND THERE'S QUITE A FEW, AND THERE'S ONE IN WESLACO, TEXAS.
AND NO SHOTS AT MY FRIENDS FROM WESLACO.
BUT THEY HAVE A GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT, AND THEY HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL POINT OF ENTRY, AND IT'S MANNED 24/7 FROM CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION.
AND I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE BARRIER FOR STINSON TO HAVE THAT, BECAUSE I'LL TELL YOU THAT BROOKS CITY BASE AND LEO GOMEZ WOULD PROBABLY DO A BETTER JOB EXPLAINING THIS.
BUT THEY WOULD BENEFIT TREMENDOUSLY, AS YOU EXPLAINED.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CORPORATE AIRCRAFT, BUT THE FACT THAT WE'RE SO WELL-POSITIONED GEOGRAPHICALLY TO ACCEPT GENERAL AVIATION FLIGHTS FROM MEXICO.
MONTERREY IS ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF ON A GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT SINGLE ENGINE AIRCRAFT FROM STINSON.
[02:45:02]
MEXICO IS EASY NAVIGATION FOR GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT.WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE BARRIERS FOR GETTING AN INTERNATIONAL POINT OF ENTRY?
>> LEO AND I DID TALK QUITE A BIT ABOUT THAT, AND HE AND I AGREE THAT DEMONSTRATING THE DEMAND IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN STAND UP A FEDERAL INSPECTION STATION.
ONE IS TO CONVINCE CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION THERE'S A REQUIREMENT AND PAY FOR IT YOURSELF, AND THE OTHER IS CONVINCE THEM THERE'S ENOUGH REQUIREMENT THAT THEY BECOME A PARTNER.
I THINK THE SHORT ANSWER, AS I'VE TALKED TO CVP, IS SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AND THE PROXIMITY OF SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL.
AND SO ANOTHER PORT OF ENTRY THAT'S JUST UP THE ROAD THAT'S GOT CAPACITY REALLY IS GOING TO KEEP CUSTOMED AND BORDER PROTECTION AT LEAST IN THE NEAR TERM FROM SERVICING ANOTHER ONE IN THE SAME CITY.
>> TREVINO: WELL, MCALLEN INTERNATIONAL IS 16 MILES FROM WESLACO AIRFIELD, AND WESLACO, OR MID VALLEY AIRFIELD HAS GOT 46 BASE AIRCRAFT OUT OF THAT AIRFIELD, AND WE HAVE OVER 86.
I JUST WANT TO CHALLENGE US TO REALLY FIND A WAY TO SHOW THAT STINSON AS A PREDOMINANTLY GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORT, AND GENERAL AVIATION, FOR MANY THAT DON'T KNOW THIS, IS THE BIGGEST SEGMENT OF AVIATION OUTSIDE OF PASSENGER AND MILITARY AIRCRAFT.
AND SO FOR US TO REALLY CAPTURE THE OPPORTUNITY AT STINSON, AND WE JUST MENTIONED THE TOWER.
AND BY THE WAY, I WANT TO THANK THE ARCHITECTS FOR THAT DESIGN COMPETITION ALLOWING US TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL TOWER THAT IS SO FITTING AND PROVIDES A GREAT BEACON ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
BUT WE'RE INVESTING IN NOT JUST STINSON, BUT WE'RE INVESTING IN THESE WORLD HERITAGE AREAS.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO THE REGION, NOT JUST EVEN SAN ANTONIO, BUT INTO OTHER NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES.
I GUESS I WOULD JUST CHALLENGE US TO REALLY MAKE A CASE FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT.
OF COURSE, I WOULD ASK THEM TO REALLY HELP US POTENTIALLY MAKE THAT CASE, AS WE'RE LOOKING TO PROVIDE AMENITIES FOR THOSE COMPANIES THAT ARE LOOKING TO MOVE INTO SAN ANTONIO.
WE KNOW THAT BROOKS CITY BASE IS A GROWING COMMUNITY, AND IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE GREAT INVESTMENTS WE'RE MAKING THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN PART OF SAN ANTONIO, IF NOT BEXAR COUNTY.
AND I THINK THAT THE AIRPORT AT STINSON PRESENTS AN OPTIMAL OPPORTUNITY.
AND YOU'LL HEAR ME TALK ABOUT THIS UNTIL I'M BLUE ABOUT STINSON.
INTERNATIONAL POINT OF ENTRY AND GAS PRICES.
THE GAS PRICES AT STINSON ARE ABOUT A DOLLAR AND A HALF MORE THAN EVERY OTHER AIRFIELD IN THE REGION, AND, YOU KNOW, IF WE GET THE VOLUME, I THINK WE CAN LOWER THAT COST AS WELL.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP PUSHING AND JUST ASK US TO PLEASE LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT AN INTERNATIONAL POINT OF ENTRY FOR STINSON, AND LOOK AT IT AS AN INVESTMENT.
I'D LIKE TO HAVE RENEE DOMINGUEZ POTENTIALLY TAKE A LACK AT THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER EXAMINED THAT AS PART OF YOUR INCENTIVES AS COMPANIES ARE LOOKING -- YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THEY'RE ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE ABOUT OUR PASSENGER AIRPORT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO GET SPECIFIC AND SEE IF WE'RE NOT ASKING ABOUT GENERAL AVIATION AS PART OF THEIR CORPORATE NEED, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CORPORATIONS THAT HAVE THEIR OWN AIRPLANES, SPECIFICALLY THOSE THAT COULD COME IN AND OUT OF STINSON AIRPORT.
I THINK IT'S A NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENT AT OUR AIRPORT.
AND CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK AND ATTENTION TO OUR AIRPORT.
AGAIN, I REALLY WANT US TO FOCUS ON OUR AIRPORT SYSTEM AND HAVE STINSON PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN TERMS OF GENERAL AVIATION AND WHAT THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE BACK TO A GROWING CITY, AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT IT MEANS TO BROOKS CITY BASE.
I THINK YOU HEAR A LOT OF PEOPLE
[02:50:04]
MENTIONING ISSUES OF PARKING, AND THIS IS ONE WHERE I WOULD SAY THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT MULTIPLE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, INCLUDING WALKING, RIGHT? TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE'RE PARTNERING WITH CENTRO TO TACKLEAL THAT ISSUE.I SAY THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S ANOTHER KEY POINT FOR DOWNTOWN..
I SAY THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S ANOTHER KEY POINT FOR DOWNTOWN.
AS WE TRY TO LOOK AT HOW MUCH PARKING WE ACTUALLY HAVE AVAILABLE, WHAT IS BEING UTILIZED AND WHAT'S NOT BEING UTILIZED, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S HOT, AND IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO WALK TO A CERTAIN SPOT, JUST YESTERDAY, I WALKED FROM CITY HALL TO THE ALAMO.
IT'S NOT A LONG WALK, IT'S JUST HOT.
I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT STRATEGIES, AND I KNOW THAT CENTRO IS HELPING OUT WITH SOME OF THIS AS A DESIGN PROBLEM.
ARE WE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, OTHER WAYS TO CONNECT PEOPLE THAT ARE MORE PEDESTRIAN FOCUSED?
AND SO, A GOOD EXAMPLE WOULD BE SYSTEM OF THE BRIDGES THAT WE HAVE THAT CROSS THE RIVER DOWNTOWN, AND IT'S -- YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE OF PHYSICS, YOU CAN'T HAVE STREET TREES REALLY IN THOSE AREAS.
AND SO YOU HAVE HOT SPOTS MAYBE TO CROSS THE RIVER.
SAY, ON HOUSTON STREET, FOR EXAMPLE.
AND SO WE HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH CENTRO.
THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT LARGER POTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY PLACE TREES IN.
SO YOU COULD PROVIDE SOME SHADE ALONG THAT AREA.
AND MAYBE EVEN -- MAYBE AS A TEMPORARY KIND OF SOME SEEDING WITH UMBRELLAS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, TO REALLY ELIMINATE SOME OF THAT SURFACE HEAT THAT'S RISING UP FROM THOSE SECTIONS.
AND THEN I THINK JUST GENERALLY LOOKING AT OTHER AREAS WHERE YOU MAY HAVE LONG STRETCHES OF SIDEWALK WITHOUT SHADE.
YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO IN THOSE AREAS TO HELP PEOPLE.
>> TREVINO: AND I THINK THAT'S A NEAT PROJECT THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON.
WE'RE GOING TO PILOT THAT AND SEE HOW IT WORKS.
BUT IT'S ADDRESSING A VERY, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT HOW PEOPLE WALK DOWNTOWN.
>> TREVINO: AND WITH ALL THE GREAT IMPROVEMENTS ON HOUSTON STREET, I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER GREAT ADDITION.
BUT I ALSO WANT US TO TALK ABOUT THIS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PARKING, BECAUSE THE BOTTOM LINE IS I THINK THAT PARKING IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE UNTIL WE SOLVE THE WALKING ISSUE IN DOWNTOWN.
THAT GIVES ME A SEGUE BACK INTO THE ALAMO PLAN.
THE ALAMO PLAN IS LARGELY A PEDESTRIAN ZONE, AND THE IDEA IS TO REALLY PROVIDE ENOUGH SHADE AND COMFORT TO GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO PAUSE.
THE IDEA IS TO PAUSE WITHOUT FEELING LUKE THEY CAN'T STAND THERE TOO LONG.IKE THEY CAN'T S THERE TOO LONG.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN OCCUR AS IT EXPANDS OUTWARDS WITH ITS FINGERS AND SEE HOW WE CAN'T APPLY THAT THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN.
OUR FOCUS HAS PRIMARILY BEEN ON VEHICULAR MOBILITY AND NOT NECESSARILY SO MUCH ON PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY OFFICER AND WORKING WITH YOU ON TAKING A LOOK AT THOSE KIND OF SYSTEMS AND SAYING DOWNTOWN NEEDS TO BE MORE WALKABLE.
IT WOULD ALLOW US TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARKING.
SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY BE ADJACENT TO THE SPOT YOU NEED TO BE.
OF COURSE, ULTIMATELY, WE THINK THAT DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES WILL THRIVE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THE TIME TO WALK BY THEIR ESTABLISHMENT INSTEAD OF DRIVING TO THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS.
>> TREVINO: THE ONLY OTHER QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU IS ON HOUSING.
DO WE HAVE AN INVENTORY OF OUR MARKET RATE VERSUS WORKFORCE AND AFFORDABLE?
I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY GET THOSE FOR YOU.
AND THEN -- SO, PLEASE GET THAT TO ME, AND I THINK JUST ONE LAST POINT ON THAT, IS THAT AS WE INCENTIVIZE AFFORDABILITY, I WANT US TO THINK ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY OF LOCATION AS WELL.
AND AS WE LOOK INTO OTHER AREAS, I KNOW MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE SHIRLEY GONZALES HAS TALKED
[02:55:01]
ABOUT PROVIDING MORE INVESTMENT INTO THE WEST SIDE, AND HOW CAN WE USE THAT ADJACENCY TO HELP WITH THAT, HOW CAN WE USE THE OPPORTUNITY THAT'S AVAILABLE TO US TO PROVIDE MORE INVESTMENT INTO THE WEST SIDE.SO I THINK UNDERSTANDING WHAT THAT INVENTORY IS CAN HELP US ALSO GAUGE, YOU KNOW, WHERE CAN WE PROVIDE THE MOST BANG FOR OUR BUCK.
WE'RE SEEING MORE AFFORDABLE OPTIONS COMING ONLINE AS THE MARKET RATE HAS KIND OF PROVEN -- SO THE NEXT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THAT.
I THINK WITH OUR PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, WE'RE GOING TO STEP THAT UP AND REALLY FOCUS ON THAT.
I THINK YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB.
>> TREVINO: RENEE, YOU AND YOUR TEAM, YOU ARE LIKE GINOBILI, RIGHT? [LAUGHTER] HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T RETIRE SOON.
>> NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN TREVINO.
ANYTHING TO ENHANCE STINSON AND MAKE SURE THAT IT DOES MORE THAN IT'S DOING TODAY, I THINK IS A MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
GENERAL AVIATION, ESPECIALLY SMALL PLANES FLYING FROM MEXICO, I GET TO HANG OUT WITH A LOT OF THOSE GUYS WHO HAVE THOSE PLANES.
THEY LOVE STINSON AND THEY JUST WANT IT TO BE LIKE THE OTHER AIRPORTS THAT THEY'VE COME TO EXPECT, YOU KNOW, IN TEXAS, AND I THINK THAT STINSON CAN REACH THAT POTENTIAL.
THANKS FOR WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
>> NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PELAEZ.
LET ME JUST TAKE TWO OR THREE MINUTES, IF I CAN, TO SPEAK TO JOHN JACKS ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH PARKING.
BUT LET ME JUST MAKE A COMMENT THAT I BELIEVE WE SHOULDN'T GO AWAY FROM THE PATH THAT WE'RE ESTABLISHING TO TRY TO INCENTIVIZE OTHER WAYS OF GETTING DOWNTOWN THAT ISN'T JUST BRINGING A VEHICLE IN.
AND THE CONCEPT OF BUILDING A NEW PARKING GARAGE DOWNTOWN DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN MY MIND AROUND FOLKS WHO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN'T FIND A PARKING SPOT IN THE DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE IT CONVERTS THE SOLUTION INTO SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T NEED TO BE ONE IN THEIR OWN MIND, WHICH IS ONE OPTION.
AND SO WHILE WE'RE BUILDING UP THIS FUND, I'LL SAY FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND I THINK THAT THERE'S OTHER COUNCILMANS WHO MAY FEEL THIS WAY AROUND BEING CORRECTIVE WITH SOME OF THE MONEY AND REVENUE THAT COMES IN THROUGH PARKING, TO ACTUALLY DISIN DISINCENTIVIZE MORE PARKING IN THE DOWNTOWN.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I SAID THAT ON THE RECORD.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT BETTER USING -- I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, BETTER STRATEGY FOR USING THE PARKING THAT WE ALREADY HAVE, AND THAT EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND REALLY LEVERAGING THOSE TIMES WHEN THERE'S PARKING AVAILABLE, AND PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S THERE.
>> SALDANA: I HOPE YOU WOULD VISIT WITH THEM THAT HAS QUESTIONS, WHETHER IT'S THE FREE TUESDAY OPTIONS OR OTHER OPTIONS THAT EXIST DOWN HERE, WE DID WANT PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE IN THE DOWNTOWN TO EXPERIENCE DOWNTOWN AND NOT HAVE TO REALLY COME OUT OF THEIR POCKET TO DO THAT.
I THINK THERE'S SOME WAYS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED.
>> I HATE FOR THEM TO NOT COME DOWNTOWN SOLELY FOR THE REASON THAT PARKING IS THEIR KIND OF OBSTACLE.
>> SALDANA: IT'S A STUDY MISSION THAT I HOPE YOU'LL COME BACK WITH SOME LEARNING FROM, AND SOME OF THAT MIGHT BE LEARNING THAT WE NEED TO HAVE AROUND THE CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPEN WITHIN THEIR DINNER TABLES ABOUT THE DECISION MAKING THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND SAY, LOOK, WE HAVE A POTENTIAL SOLUTION OR TWO THAT MIGHT SATISFY THAT QUESTION.
I'D LOVE TO GO TO EVERY DISTRICT AND DO THAT.
COUNCILMAN PERRY IS REGISTERED TO SPEAK, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S BROKEN FOR LUNCH, SO WITH THAT, I THINK WE WILL BREAK -- OKAY.
WE ARE ADJOURNED FOR THE DAY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.