[D1 Budget Town Hall]
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I'M THE NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT ONE.
AND, UH, WE ARE HERE TO KICK OFF THE, UH, DISTRICT ONE BUDGET INPUT SESSION.
UH, THIS IS THE SIXTH OF A SERIES OF 10.
ARE WE DOING TEN SIXTH OF A SERIES OF 10.
UM, AND, UH, SO I'M, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU ALL CAME OUT RIGHT NOW.
I UNDER, YOU KNOW, I WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY, OBVIOUSLY, WE SEE THAT YOU'RE MASKED UP AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
UM, FOR ME, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET.
IT'S A $3.1 BILLION PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND WHAT I'D LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT THI THIS BUDGET IS, DEPENDS ON HOW WELL WE DO UNDER THIS PANDEMIC.
IT'S NOT THE SAME PANDEMIC THAT WE STARTED WITH, RIGHT? WITH THE DELTA VARIANT.
AND SO I WANT EVERYBODY TO BE COGNIZANT OF THAT BECAUSE IF WE DON'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB MASKING UP, IF WE DON'T GET ENOUGH PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY VACCINATED, SO THAT WAY WE, SO THAT WE CAN GET TO HERD IMMUNITY, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT OUR ECONOMY, AND WE'RE GONNA END UP WITH A DIFFERENT BUDGET.
UH, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S ALSO GONNA AFFECT THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO, UH, I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE.
I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU MASKED UP.
AND, AND I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO TAKE THE, THE BIGGEST PRECAUTIONS YOU CAN TO PROTECT YOU YOURSELVES, YOUR FAMILY, BUT ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, SO WE'RE, I'M GONNA PASS THIS OFF TO MARIA VILLA GOMEZ IN JUST A MINUTE.
SHE'S AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND SHE'S GONNA GIVE US A PRESENTATION.
BUT, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS A PUBLIC INPUT SESSION.
THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT I RAN ON, IS PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, RIGHT? THIS IS YOUR GOVERNMENT AND YOUR VOICE MATTERS.
AND SO, ONE THING THAT I'D BE REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU WHEN WE'RE DONE IS CAN WE, CAN WE IMPROVE ON THIS PROCESS? WHAT MORE CAN WE DO TO GET YOUR PUBLIC IN, TO GET YOUR INPUT INTO THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE HERE THAT AFFECT YOU, RIGHT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO CONSIDER YOU ALL OUR PARTNERS IN HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS, UH, AS, BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR GOVERNMENT.
UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING I'D REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
ONE LAST THING THAT I'M GONNA, UH, TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS A, A DRAFT BUDGET, RIGHT? THIS IS NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT.
UM, THIS IS WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED.
AND SO WE, WE CAN ADVOCATE FOR CHANGES TO IT.
THERE'S ONE BIG CHANGE THAT I'M GONNA ADVOCATE FOR THAT I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT.
AND ONE THING THAT, THAT BECAME A BIG ISSUE AS I WAS RUNNING FOR DISTRICT ONE WAS THE HOMELESSNESS SITUATION THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT? WE HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREETS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THAT? AND SO I'VE DONE A, I'VE WORKED A LOT TO REACH OUT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WORK ON HOMELESSNESS ISSUES.
A LOT OF THE, THE CITY STAFF, WE HAVE OUR OWN STAFF THAT DO OUTREACH FOR HOMELESSNESS.
UM, WE HAVE, THERE ARE A LOT OF NONPROFITS THAT WE PARTNER WITH HERE IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND THEY HAVE PEOPLE WHO, WHO DO OUTREACH AND THEY PROVIDE SERVICES TO THOSE, THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT? AND I'VE TAKEN A LOT OF INPUT ON HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THIS SITUATION, RIGHT? AND HOW CAN WE HAVE A COMPASSIONATE APPROACH? AND THEN I WENT AND I MET WITH PEOPLE WHO WORK ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE, RIGHT? AND THEY LOOK AT, UM, 9 1 1 SERVICES, RIGHT? AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE WHEN YOU CALL 9 1 1 TO GET SOMEBODY ON THE PHONE TO GET SOMEBODY TO RESPOND, TO GET SOMEBODY TO, TO, TO COME AND, AND ADDRESS THE, THE CRISIS THAT YOU'RE HAVING, RIGHT? AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM THEM IS THAT THE SAME SOLUTIONS, THE SAME THINGS THAT WE NEED TO INVEST IN, THAT'S A COMPASSIONATE APPROACH TO GET PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS.
THAT'S THE SAME THING THAT WILL HELP FREE UP 9 1 1 SERVICES THAT KEEP, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO, A SUBGROUP OF, OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING ON THE STREETS, WHO ARE USING UP A LOT OF OUR 9 1 1 SERVICES.
AND SO IF WE PROVIDE THE RIGHT FUNDING FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, 'CAUSE SOME PEOPLE HAVE SUCH SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, THEY'RE NOT GONNA EVER BE ABLE TO LIVE ON THEIR OWN.
THEY'RE NOT EVER GONNA BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES, RIGHT? SO THEY NEED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND THEY NEED SOME KIND OF SHELTER.
AND SO IF WE CAN PROVIDE THAT, IT'S THE COMPASSIONATE THING TO DO.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT REALLY FREES UP OUR, OUR, UH, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO I'M GONNA BE ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN OUR BUDGET.
AND BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY GOING, THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
I'M GONNA PASS IT OFF TO MARIA VILLAGOMEZ NOW, AND, UH, LET HER RUN THE SHOW.
WELL EVENING AND THANK YOU COUNCILMAN.
UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE IN COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE, AND BEFORE I GET STARTED ON OUR BUDGET AND WHAT WE WANNA TALK TO YOU TONIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK
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OUR CITY STAFF TO STAND UP SO YOU CAN SEE WHO THEY ARE.AND IT'S A LOT OF US, BUT WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE SO WE CAN ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR, FOR STANDING UP.
SO WE HAVE, UH, UH, MANY DEPARTMENTS HERE.
WE HAVE OUR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THAT ALSO HANDLES CODE ENFORCEMENT.
WE HAVE THE LIBRARY SOLID WASTE, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, THE BUDGET OFFICE, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, HUMAN SERVICES.
UH, WE HAVE OUR METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT C OVID 19, THEY'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND WE HAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
DID I MISS ANYBODY? AND OF COURSE, OUR GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT WHO IS, UH, HELPING US COORDINATE ALL THAT.
AND WHEN WE GET TO THE Q AND A QUESTIONS, THEY'RE GONNA COME UP HERE, UH, DEPENDING ON THE QUESTION YOU HAVE AND, AND YOU CAN HEAR FROM, FROM THE EXPERTS DIRECTLY.
SO, UH, LET ME START WITH, WITH THE CITY, UM, BUDGET AS THE, AS COUNCILMAN BRAVO MENTIONED, THIS IS OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022.
SO THE CITY'S BUDGET BEGINS OCTOBER ONE AND ENDS SEPTEMBER 30TH.
SO THIS IS THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
IT IS NOT A FINAL, UH, DOCUMENT YET.
UH, WE'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY ASKING FOR INPUT.
THE COUNCIL WANTS TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL SO THEY CAN MAKE AMENDMENTS OR CHANGES BEFORE THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED ON SEPTEMBER 16.
SO SOME OF THE KEY MESSAGES THAT WE WANNA SHARE WITH YOU IN TERMS OF THIS PROPOSED BUDGET IS THAT OUR ECONOMY IS RECOVERING FASTER THAN WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED.
AFTER WE WERE IMPACTED BY C OVID 19.
WE HAD MADE A SET OF ASSUMPTIONS ON HOW WE WERE GONNA RECOVER, AND THINGS ARE, UH, A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED.
UH, BECAUSE OF THIS FINANCIAL CONDITION, WE'RE ABLE TO RESTORE SOME OF THE CUTS THAT WE MADE.
UH, LAST YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD ANTICIPATED TO REDUCE OUR, OUR, UH, STREET MAINTENANCE PROGRAM.
WE HAD ALSO ANTICIPATED TO DO EMPLOYEE FURLOUGHS, AND WE'RE NOT DOING THOSE BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, UH, RECOUP SOME OF OUR REVENUES THROUGH, UH, THE BETTER ECONOMY.
AND ALSO WE GOT SOME ASSISTANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN THAT WERE UTILIZING SOME OF THOSE FUNDS IN THIS BUDGET.
WE ALSO LEARNED, UM, MANY DIFFERENT LESSONS FROM RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC LAST YEAR.
SO BASED ON THOSE, UM, LESSONS THAT WE LEARNED, WE ARE INTRODUCING SOME NEW SERVICES TO HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO ADDRESS YOUR NEEDS IN, IN A MORE TIMELY, UM, MANNER AND BE ABLE TO ANSWER SOME OF THE MANY QUESTIONS THAT WE HEARD.
WE'RE ALSO RESPONDING DIFFERENTLY TO SOME OF OUR 9 1 1 CALLS THAT COME, SPECIFICALLY THE POLI TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE HAD A REVIEW OF POLICE SERVICES THAT HAPPENED IN, UH, THIS, UH, CALENDAR YEAR IN 2021.
AND, UH, WE HAD ABOUT 27 COMMUNITY MEETINGS ACROSS THE CITY.
SO WE ARE MAKING SOME CHANGES ON HOW WE RESPOND TO SOME OF OUR 9 1 1 CALLS.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE ARE INVESTING ON BECOMING A MORE RESILIENT CITY.
AND THIS IS DIRECTLY TIED TO THE WINTER STORM THAT ALL OF US WERE IMPACTED EARLIER THIS YEAR.
SO THE CITY, UH, IS INVESTING SOME FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND BETTER, UH, THE NEXT TIME WE HAVE A CRISIS LIKE THAT.
NOW, EVERY YEAR, WE, UM, AS A COMMUNITY FOR PRIORITIES THROUGH A PROCESS THAT IS CALLED SA SPEAKUP.
SO WE DID A SURVEY EARLIER THIS YEAR AND WHAT WE HEARD FROM, FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT PARTICIPATED OVER 12,000 SURVEYS THAT WERE COMPLETED, THAT THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR THIS CYCLE INCLUDED STREETS AND SIDEWALKS, PUBLIC HEALTH, SENIOR SERVICES, PARKS AND RECREATION, AND HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
NOW, I MENTIONED THAT THE CITY RECEIVE, UH, FUNDS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, SPECIFICALLY FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
AND, UH, WE RECEIVED A TOTAL OF $460 MILLION.
AND, UH, SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS ARE DIRECTLY ALLOCATED TO METRO HEALTH TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND, UH, TO, TO THE PANDEMIC.
OTHER DOLLARS WERE ALLOCATED TO OUR, UM, HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO ASSIST WITH, UH, RENTAL, UM, UH, ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, ALSO HEAD START AND CHILDCARE SERVICES RECEIVE FUNDING AS WELL.
AND THEN OUT OF THAT $460 MILLION, THERE'S A CHUNK OF MONEY, $320 MILLION THAT IS CALLED FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TODAY.
SO IN ORDER TO UTILIZE THIS $320 MILLION, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS GIVE US, GIVEN US AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOVER FROM SOME OF THE REVENUES THAT WE LOST OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
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UM, BUT THEY'RE ALSO ALLOWING US TO USE THOSE DOLLARS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.SO OUR FOCUS FOR THIS FUNDS IS ONE, UM, HAVE THAT FINANCIAL STABILITY IN THE CITY BUDGET, UH, RECOVER SOME OF THE, UH, REVENUES THAT WE LOST DURING THE PANDEMIC AND ALSO ADDRESS COMMUNITY NEEDS.
NOW WE ARE DOING THIS IN TWO PHASES.
PHASE ONE IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE TODAY, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND THEN PHASE TWO, AFTER WE GET THE FINAL GUIDANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE ARE GONNA COME BACK TO YOU PROBABLY IN LATE SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER TO ALLOCATE, UH, THE BALANCE OF THIS FUNDS BASED ON COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
NOW, JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ON WHERE WE ARE FINANCIALLY AND THE RECOVERY THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.
SO I'M GONNA TAKE THREE REVENUE SOURCES THAT WE USE AND, AND WE TYPICALLY USE THIS TO TAKE A PULSE OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY SALES TAX, OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, AND THE AIRPORT REVENUES.
SO SALES TAX REFLECTS CONSUMER CONFIDENCE.
YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU ARE SPENDING AS A RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT AT, UH, ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AT THE BOTTOM, IT SAYS THAT 11, UH, OUR FISCAL YEAR, 2022 PROPOSED BUDGET IS 11% BETTER THAN 2019.
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE 2019 IS THE LAST YEAR BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
SO THAT IS, THAT IS THE BASE YEAR THAT WE MEASURE AGAINST.
ON AVERAGE, WE, UM, AVERAGE ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT ANNUALLY ON GROWTH ON SALES TAX.
SO 11% OVER TWO YEARS IS, IS PRETTY STRONG.
OUR, OUR AIRPORT ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, UM, THE 2022 PROPOSAL IS ABOUT 2% BETTER THAN 2019.
SO EVEN THOUGH OUR AIRPORTS SAW A LOT OF, UH, LOST REVENUE, BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE COMING INTO SAN ANTONIO, NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE TRAVELING IS RECOUPING QUITE NICELY.
AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT BY NEXT YEAR WE ARE GONNA BE 2% BETTER THAN 2019.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE MIDDLE, UM, COLUMN IN THIS, IN THIS CHART, OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, WHICH IS A TAX THAT IS PAID ON EVERY HOTEL ROOM THAT PEOPLE UTILIZE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, OUR 2022 BUDGET IS STILL 24% BELOW 2019.
SO EVEN THOUGH, UH, WE SEE OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY GETTING BETTER, BUT IT'S NOT AT THE SAME LEVEL THAT WE WERE IN 2019, WE ANTICIPATE RIGHT NOW THAT IT'S GONNA TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS, PROBABLY BY 2024 BEFORE WE GET BACK TO 2019 LEVELS.
NOW, AS A COUNCILMAN MENTIONED, WE, UM, STILL BATTLING C OVID 19 WITH THE DELTA VARIANT AND ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY THAT CAN IMPACT THE CITY'S BUDGET.
SO WE STILL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MANAGE THAT WITH A LOT OF CAUTIOUS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BALANCE, OUR, OUR BUDGET STAYS BALANCED.
NOW, THIS IS A TOTAL CITY BUDGET, UH, AS PROPOSED FOR NEXT YEAR.
THE GENERAL FUND IS THE LARGEST OPERATING FUND OF THE CITY, AND THAT SUPPORTS MOST OF THE BASIC CITY SERVICES THAT YOU EXPECT, LIKE POLICE AND FIRES, STREETS, PARKS AND LIBRARIES.
WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER SECTION THAT IS CALLED RESTRICTED FUNDS.
AND THESE ARE RESTRICTED EITHER BY FEDERAL LAW, STATE LAW, OR LOCAL ORDINANCES.
THE AIRPORT FUND IS ONE EXAMPLE, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THAT TO ANCY TAX AND SOLID WASTE.
AND THEN THE FINAL PORTION OF OUR BUDGET IS THE CAPITAL PROGRAM.
AND THIS IS CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION LIKE STREETS AND DRAINAGE AND NEW LIBRARIES THAT, UM, ALL OF YOU VOTE DURING OUR, UH, BOND ELECTIONS.
WE HAVE THOSE EVERY FIVE YEARS.
SO MOST OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU SEE THERE IN THE CAPITAL PROGRAM COME FROM THE BOND PROGRAM.
AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME AIRPORT PROJECTS AS WELL.
NOW, TYPICALLY MOST OF OUR COMMUNITY IS INTERESTED IN THE GENERAL FUND BEING THE LARGEST OPERATING FUND OF THE CITY.
SO THIS GRAPHIC SHOWS THE REVENUES AND EXPENSES THAT ARE COVERED IN THE GENERAL FUND.
SO REVENUES, THE MAJOR, UH, SOURCES INCLUDE PROPERTY TAXES.
SO FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT YOU PAY ON PROPERTY TAX, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO GETS ABOUT 22 CENTS.
AND THEN THE BALANCE GOES TO THE SCHOOLS, UH, COLLEGES, BURKE COUNTY AND OTHER TAX ENTITIES.
UH, C P S, UH, THE REVENUE THAT WE GET FROM C P S IS ABOUT 14% OF GROSS REVENUES.
AND THAT MAKES UP ABOUT 27% OF OUR GENERAL FUND SELL TAX.
EVERY TIME YOU BUY SOMETHING AT THE STORE AND YOU PAY SALES TAX, 1% OF THAT COMES INTO THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT'S ANOTHER 25%.
AND THEN WE HAVE OTHER RESOURCES, AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, FEES THAT ARE PAID WHEN SOMEBODY IS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY OUR E M S UNITS.
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ANY OF OUR PARKING FACILITIES AND YOU PAY A FEE, OR IF YOU GET A, UH, TRAFFIC TICKET AND YOU GO TO MUNICIPAL COURT AND PAY FOR THAT, ALL THOSE REVENUES, UH, GO INTO THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT'S ABOUT 20% OF THE FUND.AND THEN YOU SEE ARPA, WHICH IS THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, WE'RE USING $30 MILLION IN, UH, 2022.
NOW, MOST OF OUR EXPENSES ARE INVESTED IN PUBLIC SAFETY, ARE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ACCOUNT TO, FOR ABOUT 63% OF OUR GENERAL FUND.
AND THEN WE HAVE OTHER IMPORTANT SERVICES, WHICH HAS STREETS AND TRANSPORTATION PARKS, AND THEN OTHER DEPARTMENTS LIKE THE LIBRARIES, CODE ENFORCEMENT, MUNICIPAL COURT, UH, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, METRO HEALTH THAT ARE FUNDED WITH THE OTHER, UH, RESOURCES IN THE GENERAL FUND.
NOW, LET ME SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING IN THE BUDGET FOR INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE HAVE $110 MILLION FOR STREETS.
AND THIS IS ONE AREA THAT WE HAD TARGETED FOR CUTS.
BUT BECAUSE THE, OUR REVENUES ARE BETTER, WE'RE ABLE TO INVEST $110 MILLION SIDEWALKS CLOSE TO $21 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT $3 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN THE CURRENT BUDGET.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, THIS IS THE LARGEST INVESTMENT THAT WE'VE EVER MADE IN THE CITY, $6.2 MILLION.
AND THIS IS PRIMARILY TO DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT, UH, MIDBLOCK CROSSINGS ACROSS THE CITY WITH A GOAL OF AVOIDING ANY, UH, PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES.
SO THIS IS A BIG INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING.
AND THEN FINALLY ON INFRASTRUCTURE IS WE ARE UPDATING OUR BIKE MASTER PLAN.
THE LAST TIME THAT WE UPDATED IT, I BELIEVE WAS 2011.
SO THIS IS AN INVESTMENT TO BE ABLE TO BE MORE STRATEGIC OR WHERE WE, UM, ADD BIKE LANES IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND ALSO TO COLLECT DATA TO SEE HOW PEOPLE ARE USING THEM AND WHAT, UH, CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE.
SO LET ME SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE PROJECTS HERE IN DISTRICT ONE THAT ARE EITHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR ARE GONNA BEGIN CONSTRUCTION IN 2022.
SO FOR INSTANCE, THE FIRST ONE, FREDERICKSBURG ROAD, UH, NORTH FLORIDA TO WEST WOODLAND AVENUE.
UH, THAT, UH, PROJECT IS CURRENTLY UNDER DESIGN AND IS GOING TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED BY 2023 NORTH, UH, ST.
UM, THAT IS, UM, ALSO UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IT'S ESTIMATED TO BE COMPLETED BY 2023.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, BARBARA, DR.
UH, DRIVE DRAINAGE, WHICH IS, UH, A PROJECT THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A WHILE, AND THAT IS ALSO A PROJECT THAT WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 2022.
OTHER, UH, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IN D ONE, UH, LIBRARIES AND PARKS, UH, WE HAD, UH, BRACKENRIDGE PARK THAT IS A COMBINATION OF D TWO AND D ONE, DISTRICT TWO AND DISTRICT ONE.
AND, UM, WE ARE DOING SOME, UH, MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS THERE.
AND WE ARE GONNA BE COMPLETING THOSE IN 2024.
UH, THAT'S ANOTHER PROJECT THAT IS ALMOST DONE THAT WILL BE COMPLETED IN OCTOBER, 2021.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF SOME OF THE PROJECTS HERE IN DISTRICT ONE, I MENTIONED VISION ZERO, AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF PROJECTS THAT ARE PLANNED IN YOUR DISTRICT.
UH, SARA MORA, CINCINNATI TO GUADALUPE, AND THAT CROSSES DISTRICT ONE IN DISTRICT FIVE, 'CAUSE THOSE ARE LARGE PROJECTS.
AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON CBRA FROM GENERAL MCMULLAN TO AVIDA, AND THAT IS IN DISTRICT ONE, FIVE AND SEVEN.
AN AREA THAT WE'RE IN VERY EXCITED ABOUT ADDING IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS ADDING A DEDICATED CREW TO ADDRESS ILLEGAL DUMPING ACROSS THE CITY.
UH, WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE OF, UM, WASTE THAT IS BEING DUMPED IN AREAS WHERE IT SHOULDN'T BE.
UM, SO WE, UM, ARE DEDICATING AN ADDITIONAL CREW TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THIS SITE.
SO WHEN YOU CALL 3 1 1, WE CAN SEND THIS CREW WITH THE APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP THAT WASTE.
JUST TO REMIND YOU, AS YOU KNOW, WE COME TO YOUR, UM, HOUSE TO PICK UP BRUSH AND BULKY ITEMS. UM, HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE, UM, ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO GET RID OF, UH, WE HAVE FIVE DIFFERENT SITES ACROSS THE CITY.
YOU CAN SEE 'EM HERE ON THE SCREEN WHERE YOU CAN TAKE YOUR BULKY ASH DEPENDING ON, ON WHAT YOU HAVE AND DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION AS WELL.
THE GOOD NEWS IN SOLID WASTE IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A RATE INCREASE ON THE MONTHLY FEE THAT YOU PAY, UH, FOR US TO PICK UP YOUR TRASH.
SO WE HAVE THREE SIZES OF TRASH CANS, THE LARGE, MEDIUM, AND THE SMALL, AND THE MONTHLY FEES THAT YOU PAY, THEY RANGE FROM $28 AND 50 CENTS TO $16
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AND 50 CENTS.SO WE WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO RECYCLE MORE TO USE YOUR, YOUR GREEN CARD AND YOUR BLUE CARD, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO CHALLENGE YOU TO MOVE TOWARDS A SMALLER CARD SO WE CAN RECYCLE MORE, SAVE, UH, UH, LANDFILL SPACE AND YOU CAN ALSO SAVE SOME MONEY.
NOW IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, C OVID 19 HAS TAUGHT US THAT PUBLIC HEALTH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE IN, IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
SO WE ARE INVESTING ADDITIONAL DOLLARS IN THIS BUDGET, UH, CYCLE $16.3 MILLION.
UH, METRO HEALTH IS GOING TO BE EXPANDING THEIR STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN.
UH, AND THEY ALSO HAVE SOME INITIATIVES IN COORDINATION WITH OUR POL COORDINATION WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT TO, UH, BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WHEN THEY, UM, GET A CALL RELATED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
AND ALSO, UH, THEY'RE GONNA BE ASSISTING POLICE ON MENTAL HEALTH CALLS.
AND THEN FINALLY, IN METRO HEALTH, AS THIS, UM, PANDEMIC CONTINUES TO EVOLVE, WE HAVE FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS, UH, THE COMMUNITY NEEDS, UM, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTINUING WITH PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, THERE ARE LESSONS THAT WE LEARNED FROM RESPONDING TO C OVID 19.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, INTRODUCED A NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS, UH, USING THEIR, THEIR IPHONE.
SO FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU CALL, UH, 9 1 1 AND YOU NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, UH, CLINICIAN, A MEDICAL CLINICIAN, UM, IS GOING TO TALK TO YOU AND ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS, AND THEY CAN SEND YOU A TEXT TO YOUR PHONE.
AND WHEN YOU OPEN THAT LINK, THE DISPATCHER WILL BE ABLE TO SEE YOU.
AND IF YOU HAVE A CUT OR MAYBE A LOVED ONE IS EXPERIENCING AN EPISODE, THEY'D BE ABLE, THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO WALK YOU THROUGH HOW TO HELP YOUR LOVED ONE, HOW TO HELP YOURSELF USING YOUR, YOUR IPHONE.
UH, IF THERE'S A NEED TO SEND THE E M S UNIT, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, BUT IF NOT, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU.
AND THEN THERE'S NO NEED TO TRANSPORT YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONE TO THE HOSPITAL.
SO THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, UM, OF THE CALLS THAT WE GET, UH, WHICH IS, WE STARTED THE PROGRAM IN OCTOBER OF 2020 THROUGH, UH, THE END OF JULY.
WE GOT CLOSE TO 7,000 CALLS THAT WERE ADDRESSED BY THE CLINICAL DISPATCHER, AND ROUGHLY ABOUT 70% OF THOSE, UH, THAT WERE ABLE TO HANDLE USING THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
AND AGAIN, SAVING RESOURCES, UH, FOR THOSE MORE, UH, UM, IMPORTANT CALLS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
NOW, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE ARE ALSO RESPONDING DIFFERENTLY TO SOME OF THE CALLS THAT COME TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGH OUR 9 1 1 SYSTEM, AND ONE OF THOSE CALLS IS MENTAL HEALTH.
SO, UH, JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS ABOUT 2.2 MILLION CALLS PER YEAR THAT COME TO OUR 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
ABOUT 22,000 OF THOSE ARE MENTAL HEALTH-RELATED CALLS.
SO WHAT WE ARE PILOTING WITH THIS, UH, BUDGET CYCLE IS TO HAVE A TEAM OF THREE THAT WILL CONSIST OF A POLICE OFFICER, A PARA, A PARAMEDIC, AND A CLINICIAN.
AND THAT TEAM IS GOING TO BE DEPLOYED TO ADDRESS, UM, THOSE MENTAL HEALTH CALLS IN THE AREA OF TOWN THAT WE'RE SELECTING IS THE CENTRAL SUBSTATION.
THIS TEAM IS GONNA WORK SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, UH, FOR 16 HOURS A DAY.
SO THAT IS THE TIME WHEN WE TYPICALLY GET MOST OF THIS MENTAL HEALTH GOALS.
SO WE ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO, UM, MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM, AND IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL, THEN WE WILL ADD MORE TEAMS IN THE FUTURE.
WE'RE ALSO, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, WORKING WITH METRO HEALTH TO ADD MORE POSITIONS THAT ARE TRAINED IN HELPING INDIVIDUALS AND VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
SO WHEN A POLICE OFFICER RESPONDS TO A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS, THOSE ARE TYPICALLY THE MOST VIOLENT CALLS THAT THEY HANDLE.
UH, BUT IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A, A CIVILIAN THAT HAS EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH THE VICTIM, THE CHILDREN, UM, THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT FAMILY UNIT AND ALSO THE PERPETRATOR.
SO THESE ARE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS THAT ARE BEING ADDED TO METRO HEALTH TO, TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
ALSO, WHAT WE HEARD WHEN WE VISITED WITH THE COMMUNITY, UM, ABOUT POLICE SERVICES, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK IS, UM, DO YOU FEEL SAFE AT NIGHT, UH, IN, IN YOUR HOUSE? AND, UM, A LITTLE BIT OVER 50% SAID, YES, WE DO.
BUT THERE WERE SOME POCKETS OF TOWN, SPECIFICALLY ON THE SOUTH OF OUR CITY WHERE RESIDENTS SAID, WE DON'T FEEL SAFE AT NIGHT.
AND ONE OTHER RECOMMENDATION IS TO ADD MORE
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LIGHTING, UH, TO SOME OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.SO WE ARE MAKING AN INVESTMENT, A PROPOSAL OF, UH, $5.8 MILLION TO ADD MORE LIGHTS AND ALSO TO DEVELOP AN INDEX THAT WILL ALLOW US TO PRIORITIZE WHICH AREAS OF TOWN, UH, WE, WE, UM, ADD, UH, LIGHTING TO.
WE ARE ALSO RECOMMENDING, UH, THE ADDITION OF 15 NEW POLICE OFFICERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD FROM THIS, UM, INTERACTIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY, WAS THAT THEY WANNA SEE MORE POLICE OFFICERS INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY EVENTS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND, UH, WORKING WITH, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS.
SO OUR SAFE OFFICERS ARE THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO, TO DO THAT.
SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING TO ADD 12 SAFE OFFICERS, TWO PER SUB STATION.
WE HAVE SIX SUBSTATIONS ACROSS THE CITY, AND THEN WE'RE ALSO RECOMMENDING TO ADD THREE TO OUR DOWNTOWN, UH, BIKE PATROL.
NOW, I MENTIONED THAT THERE'S SOME CALLS THAT, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T NEED TO, UM, TO RESPOND TO.
UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE USING OUR POLICE RESOURCES MORE EFFICIENTLY.
SO WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS TO TRANSFER THOSE CALLS THAT ARE RELATED TO BARKING DOGS OR ANIMAL RELATED CALLS TO OUR ANIMAL CARE SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
AND WE'RE ADDING POSITIONS IN, UH, THE ANIMAL CARE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, SO THEY CAN HANDLE THIS ADDITIONAL CALLS.
UM, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE WHEN WE NEED TO DO A WARRANT, UH, RELATED TO ANIMAL CARE SERVICES OR IF THERE'S A VICIOUS ANIMAL FIREWORK CALLS.
I, UH, WE, WE GET FIREWORKS, UH, CALLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT TYPICALLY DURING THE 4TH OF JULY AND NEW YEAR'S EVE, WE GET MOST OF THOSE CALLS.
SO THOSE CALLS ARE GONNA BE TRANSFERRED TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ADDRESS DURING NEW YEAR'S EVE AND, UH, DURING THE 4TH OF JULY.
SO THAT'LL FREE UP OUR POLICE OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON HIGHER PRIORITY CALLS.
NOW, THE OTHER AREA THAT WE ARE, UH, TACKLING IS LOUD MUSIC CALLS.
WE GET QUITE A BIT OF THOSE CALLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
NOW, ONE THING THAT WE DON'T KNOW TODAY IS CAN WE TRANSFER THOSE CALLS TO CODE ENFORCEMENT? SO WE ARE GONNA DO A PILOT PROGRAM FOR THREE MONTHS, UH, THREE DAYS A WEEK, UH, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY, WHERE THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER IS GONNA RESPOND TO THE CALL, DETERMINE IF THERE'S A VIOLATION, AND IF THERE IS, THEN THE POLICE OFFICER WILL COME IN AND WRITE THAT, THAT CITATION.
UH, WE DON'T WRITE A LOT OF CITATIONS TODAY.
WE BELIEVE THE FACT THAT THE POLICE OFFICER RESPONDS AND INTERACTS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND TELLS THEM TO LOWER THE MUSIC IS PROBABLY EFFECTIVE.
BUT WE'RE ALSO REVIEWING OUR NOISE ORDINANCE, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, THE RIGHT PERSONNEL, UM, ENFORCING THAT, THOSE REVISIONS TO, TO THE ORDINANCE.
NOW, I'M GONNA, UM, CHANGE SUBJECTS AND TALK ABOUT ANIMAL CARE SERVICES.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE, OUR ANIMAL CARE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THEY DO A GREAT JOB IN, UM, ENFORCING THE, THE, THE LAWS RELATED TO ANIMAL CARE.
HOWEVER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE LEARNED IS THAT HAVING MORE INTERACTION WITH THE COMMUNITY, SO THEY ARE AWARE OF WHAT ARE THE SERVICES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES, SO THAT WAY WE CAN AVOID HAVING, UH, ROAMING DOGS ON OUR STREET.
SO WE'RE ADDING FIVE POSITIONS IN, IN AC IN ANIMAL CARE SERVICES TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT COMMUNICATION WITH THE COMMUNITY AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.
ANOTHER AREA IN OUR BUDGET IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, WE ARE PROPOSING $32.8 MILLION FUNDED THROUGH OUR GENERAL FUND AND FEDERAL GRANTS.
AND THIS CHART OVER HERE, JUST TO SHARE WITH YOU HOW WE'RE USING THOSE, UH, 32.8 MILLION.
SO WE HAVE THE, THE TYPE OF A PRIORITY.
SO PRODUCTION IS CONSTRUCTION OF NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING, REHAB AND PRESERVATION.
THOSE ARE EXISTING HOMES THAT WE ARE GOING TO REHAB OR PRESERVE DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, THAT IS TO, UH, ASSIST INDIVIDUALS WITH, UH, MAKING A DOWN PAYMENT LEGAL SERVICES.
IF SOMEBODY IS BEING EVICTED OR THE RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED, WE WILL HAVE, UM, ACCESS TO ATTORNEYS TO BE ABLE TO HELP 'EM OUT.
THE RISK MITIGATION FUND THAT HELPS WITH, UH, EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE.
AND THEN COORDINATING HOUSING SUPPORT IS, UH, STAFF WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
SO, UM, IN 2022, WE'RE INVESTING ABOUT $5 MILLION MORE.
THAT IS THE, THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.
AND YOU SEE THAT MOST OF THE INVESTMENTS IS BEING MADE IN ADDING NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO OUR INVENTORY, AND ALSO HELPING INDIVIDUALS TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES BY PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO REHAB AND IMPROVE THEIR
[00:30:01]
EXISTING FACILITIES.NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE VERY FOCUSED ON EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE.
UH, WE ARE SHIFTING, UH, IF, IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT, DEPENDING HOW THE PANDEMIC GOES TO MORE HOUSING STABILITY TO HELP INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALS TO STAY HOME, UM, AND ALSO FAIR HOUSING TO MAKE SURE, UM, THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT BEING, UH, VIOLATED.
NOW, ALSO RELATED TO HOUSING, UH, BUT THIS IS SPECIFICALLY HOMELESSNESS, UH, THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
BECAUSE OF THE C D C REQUIREMENTS, WE SAW AN INCREASE OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO OUR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT THEY'RE FOLLOWING TO HELP THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO CONNECT THEM TO SERVICES.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED, THE ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE ON THE STREETS.
COMMUNITY NAV NAVIGATORS IS ANOTHER PROPOSAL WE HAVE ON THE BUDGET, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED THROUGH THE PANDEMIC IS THAT, UM, A LOT OF OUR, UM, MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH GOING TO A COMPUTER AND DOWNLOADING INFORMATION AND INTERACTING WITH THE CITY IN THAT FASHION.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WOULD RATHER HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEBODY TO KIND OF HELP 'EM NAVIGATE ALL THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.
SO WE ARE ADDING POSITIONS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FAMILY SUPPORT, UH, FINANCIAL COUNSELORS FOR SENIORS AND HOMELESS PREVENTION NAVIGATORS.
NOW, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN RESILIENCY, AND THIS IS, UH, PRIMARILY TIED TO WHAT WE EXPERIENCED DURING FEBRUARY WHEN WE HAD THE WINTER STORM.
SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALIZED IS, IS OUR CRITICAL FACILITIES LIKE POLICE STATIONS AND FIRE STATIONS, WE DON'T HAVE GENERATORS THAT ARE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S POWER IN THOSE FACILITIES.
SOME OF THEM DO, SOME OF THEM DON'T.
SO WE HAVE SOME FUNDING IN THE BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO START ADDING THOSE GENERATORS TO THOSE FACILITIES.
UH, WE ARE ALSO, I, UH, GOING TO BE IDENTIFYING FOR WHAT WE'RE CALLING RESILIENCY HUBS ACROSS THE CITY, AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH YOU, WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY LOCATIONS.
THE IDEA IS TO MAKE SURE THAT IF IT'S A SENIOR CENTER OR A LIBRARY, OR WE PARTNER WITH THE SCHOOL, THAT WE HAVE A FACILITY THAT THE, THE COMMUNITY IS FAMILIAR WITH.
SO WHEN THERE'S A DISASTER, LIKE A FLOOD EVENT OR A STORM, AND, UH, PEOPLE NEED TO, TO GO SOMEWHERE FOR TEMPORARY SHELTER, THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH WHICH LOCATIONS ARE AVAILABLE.
AND ALSO THOSE FACILITIES HAVE THE SUFFICIENT POWER TO BE ABLE TO, UM, HAVE ELECTRICITY AND WATER IN CASE WE HAVE OUTAGES ACROSS THE CITY.
WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE DOING A RESILIENCY STUDY OR AN ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY OUR STRENGTHS AND ALSO OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO, FOR IMPROVEMENT AS AS A COMMUNITY.
AND WE'LL BE WORKING AGAIN WITH ALL OF YOU TO IDENTIFY THAT AND DEVELOP A STRATEGY ON HOW WE CAN BECOME MORE RESILIENT AND THE AREA OF ARTS AND CULTURE.
UH, WE, EVEN THOUGH OUR HOTEL ANCY TAX REVENUES, UM, ARE DOWN, UM, THE ARTS GET 15% OF THE NET HOTEL ANCY TAX, BUT SINCE THOSE REVENUES ARE DOWN THE RE, THE, THE, UM, AVAILABLE RESOURCES FOR THE ARTS WAS DECREASED IN 20, UH, 20 AND 2021.
SO THE 2022 BUDGET PROPOSES, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO GET 'EM BACK TO THE 2019 LEVELS.
AND THE FINAL PORTION OF THIS PRESENTATION IS OUR BOND PROGRAM.
I MENTIONED THAT THE CITY HAS BOND PROGRAMS EVERY FIVE YEARS.
SO THE LAST ONE WE HAD WAS IN 2017.
SO 2022, UH, WE ARE GONNA BE LAUNCHING THE NEW BOND PROGRAM, AND THE, THE DOLLAR AMOUNT IS $1.2 BILLION.
AND THIS DOLLARS WILL BE USED FOR STREETS, PROJECTS, DRAINAGE PROJECTS, PARKS, LIBRARIES, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY, AND, UM, HOUSING AS WELL.
SO, UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE TIMELINE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GONNA BE APPOINTING RESIDENTS WITHIN THE, THEIR DISTRICTS TO REPRESENT THE DISTRICT IN EACH OF THE COMMITTEES, UM, THAT ARE GONNA BE REVIEWING THIS PROJECTS.
AND THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN SEPTEMBER.
AND THEN FROM OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER, WE ARE GONNA BE HAVING COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO REVIEW THOSE PROJECTS AND PROVIDING INPUT TO THE COUNCIL.
AND THEN ONCE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISIONS ON THE PROJECTS, AND THEY'RE GONNA CALL AN ELECTION IN FEBRUARY.
AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON THAT ELECTION IN MAY, UH, FOR THOSE PROJECTS.
SO THE NEXT STEPS IN OUR BUDGET PROCESS, UM, AS I MENTIONED, THE BUDGET WAS PROPOSED ON AUGUST THE 12TH.
[00:35:01]
WE HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS COMMUNITY MEETINGS ACROSS THE CITY, AND, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT ON, UM, NEXT WEEK WILL BE OUR, OUR FINAL WEEK, AND THEN WE HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT YOU CAN ATTEND.THOSE ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ON SEPTEMBER THE EIGHTH AND SEPTEMBER 14.
AND THEN THE COUNCIL WILL HAVE A SESSION TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE BUDGET.
AND THEN FINALLY, THEY'RE SCHEDULE TO ADOPT THE BUDGET ON SEPTEMBER 16.
SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
SO AS MARIA, UH, MENTIONED, NOW IS THE Q AND A PORTION OF THE PROGRAM.
WE HAVE A MIC SET UP HERE IN THE CENTER IF YOU'D LIKE TO, UH, PLEASE, UH, STAND AND POSE YOUR QUESTION.
WE HAVE, AGAIN, STAFF MEMBERS AND MARIA AND THE COUNCILMAN, SO PLEASE.
BIRD ADVOCATE, IF YOU ARE, ARE NOT AWARE, WE HAVE MIGRATORY BIRDS THAT COME TO SAN ANTONIO TO NEST THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
MY QUESTION TO THE CITY COUNCIL, AS PEOPLE OF THE CITY IS GONNA BE, ARE WE GONNA CONTINUE TO HARASS THE MIGRATORY BIRDS SPECIFICALLY AT BRACKENRIDGE PARK? BECAUSE ONE, YOU HAVE REMOVED TREES AND VEGETATIONS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS THAT HAVE NOT ONLY IMPACTED THE WILDLIFE, BUT IT ALSO AFFECTS US.
YOU SPRAYED THE PUBLIC WITH A PESTICIDE SPRAY WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE THAT RESULTED IN, UM, CITATION OR NOTICE OF VIOLATION FROM THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WITH FINES PAID BY CITY PARKS, AND YOU KEEP TRYING TO CHASE AWAY THESE BIRDS.
WELL, WE HAVE FOUR THAT RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING, THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IN FOR GRANT MONEY FROM THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE TO PROTECT THE SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED.
PARTICULARLY WE HAVE SNOWY EGRETS, LITTLE BLUE HERONS, TRICOLORED HERONS, GREEN HERONS THAT NEST AT BRACKEN RIDGE PARK.
ARE WE GONNA CONTINUE ON THIS DOWNWARD OR INEFFECTIVE PURSUIT OF TRYING TO GET THESE BIRDS OUT OF THE PARK PARKS? AS STATED, IT IS THEIR INTENT TO REMOVE ALL THE BIRDS FROM ALL THE BIRDS FROM ALL CITY PARKS WHERE THEY WILL AFFECT THEIR AMENITIES.
PROBLEM IS THEY HAVE FAILED AND DOES IT, IT NOT ONLY IMPACTS THE BIRDS, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PLAYGROUND AT BRACKENRIDGE, THERE IS POOP ON THERE, BUT YOU CAN'T BLAME THE BIRDS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, MY BACKGROUND IS, YEAH, THE LAST SIX YEARS I'VE WORKED FOR A NONPROFIT ON, UH, ISSUES FOCUSED AROUND SUSTAIN SUSTAINABILITY, HEALTH, AIR QUALITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT I CARE ABOUT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF THIS.
I'M HAPPY TO GET A MEETING SET UP WITH, WITH YOU, MY OFFICE AND WHOEVER, MAYBE SOME PEOPLE AT BRACKENRIDGE PARK AND SOME PEOPLE FROM PARKS AND WILDLIFE ARE FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
AND WE CAN LOOK INTO THIS AND TRY AND ADDRESS IT.
WELL, I'VE REACHED OUT TO LIKE YOUR CLIMATE ACTION BECAUSE PART OF YOUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS TWO ONE SUSTAINABILITY, MEANING YOU SHOULDN'T BE CUTTING DOWN TREES IN PARKS.
WELL, LET'S SET UP A MEETING AND WE CAN, AND WE CAN DO A DEEP DIVE ON THIS.
I THINK I SENT YOU TO YOUR ASSISTANT INFORMATION A WEEK AGO AGO.
SO I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THAT FOR SURE.
ANYBODY QUESTIONS ON OR COMMENTS ON THE BUDGET? THANK YOU.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF CIA CULTURAL ARTS ORGANIZATION IN DISTRICT FIVE.
I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT SEVEN.
UH, I'M HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF SAN ANTONIO.
IT'S A GROUP OF 50 ORGANIZATIONS, BOTH DELEGATE ORGAN ORGANIZATION, BOTH, UH, DELEGATE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE CITY FUNDS, BUT ALSO DELEGATE, UH, NOT DELEGATE ORGANIZATIONS, JUST ARTS AND CULTURE.
YOU PROBABLY KNOW AND RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAJORITY OF CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICTS ARE IN YOUR DISTRICT BECAUSE YOU SERVE THE URBAN CORE OF OUR CITY.
UH, MARIA, THIS IS THE SECOND PRESENTATION I'VE HEARD, AND AS MUCH AS I LIKE THE CITY MANAGER, YOU'RE DO AN AMAZING JOB.
UH, UH, I'VE, I'VE BEEN TO FOUR SO FAR, BUDGET HEARING MEETINGS, MY QUESTION'S REALLY SIMPLE, AND YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD IT AGAIN, AND I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO COME TO THESE MEETINGS.
BUT ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION SHOULD BENEFIT WITH ADDITIONAL ARPA SUPPORT FROM THE CITY.
THE CURRENT BUDGET PRESENTATION SHOWS THAT THE CITY IS PROVIDING ONLY $2.6 MILLION IN ARPA FUNDS TO AGENCIES BRINGING THEM UP TO 2019
[00:40:01]
NUMBERS FOR A TOTAL OF $7.2 MILLION.YET AT THE SAME TIME, VISIT SAN ANTONIO RECEIVES 35% OF THE NET HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS TO FUND ITS OPERATIONS.
AND THE AGENCY IS PROPOSING A $27.2 MILLION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 20 22, 17 0.7 MILLION, WHICH WILL CONSIST OF HOT DOLLARS.
CITY MANAGER HAS STATED THAT THE STAFF CONTINUES TO KEEP AN EYE ON TOURISM AND REVENUE GENERATED FROM THE VISITORS TO THE CITY, AND STATES THAT THIS AREA OF BUSINESS HAS BEEN PROBABLY THE MOST IMPACTED.
ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE COMMITTED TO COLLABORATE WITH VISITS SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALSO SHOULD BE GRANTED MORE ARPA FUNDS.
THE CURRENT BUDGET FOR ARTS AND CULTURE DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE LOSSES AND DEFICITS OF THESE AGENCIES.
FOR THE 20 20 21 FISCAL YEAR, THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN WAS PASSED TO HELP MITIGATE THE ECONOMIC HARM FROM THE PANDEMIC BY ADDRESSING ITS ECONOMIC EFFECTS ON HOUSEHOLDS, SMALL BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS, AND INDUSTRIES SUCH AS TOURISM AND A HOSPITALITY.
SAN ANTONIO'S ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED BY THIS PANDEMIC.
AND FUNDING THEM THROUGH THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS WOULD MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE PLAN.
UH, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, YOU STATED THAT WE WILL RECEIVE $460 MILLION IN ARPA DOLLARS AND THAT WE'LL HAVE FIVE YEARS TO PLUG THOSE IN.
UNDERSTANDING THOSE ARE SOME SPECIFIC AREAS THAT ARE COMMITTED THROUGH HOUSING AND C O V I D AND HEALTHCARE.
WE STILL LOOK AT, WHEN YOU DO THE MATH $92 MILLION PER YEAR AND DURING YOUR TRIAL BUDGET, YOU SHOW THAT YOU'RE ONLY UTILIZING $54 MILLION THIS FISCAL YEAR OF THOSE ARPA SUPPORT.
SO MY QUESTION IS, BECAUSE THIS MEETING IS ABOUT COMMUNITY IMPACT FOR THE BUDGET BEFORE IT'S VOTED ON COUNCILMAN BRAVO, WILL YOU SUPPORT ADDITIONAL ARPA FUNDS TO ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY QUALIFY AND MEET THE CRITERIA OF WHAT ARPA WAS GIVEN TO THE CITY FOR, AND THEN CO AND THEN CITY MANAGER VIA GOMEZ, IF PROVIDED A DIRECTIVE FROM THE MAJORITY OF OUR COUNCIL, WILL YOU COMMIT TO MAKING THOSE CHANGES TO THE BUDGET BEFORE IT'S APPROVED IN SEPTEMBER? UH, SO I NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ISSUE.
I'LL COMMIT TO LOOKING FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR THE ARTS.
UM, AND WHEN WE HAD OUR PRESENTATION, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WATCHED IN CITY COUNCIL, I THINK IT WAS EARLIER THIS WEEK, WE HAD THE BRIEFING ON, UH, ARTS AND CULTURE.
I WAS THERE LAST, AFTER YESTERDAY.
THERE'S BEEN SO MANY MEETINGS.
I THINK I HAD 40, 45 MEETINGS LAST WEEK.
UM, I, I, UH, SUPPORTED THE MAYOR'S STATEMENT THAT WE NEED TO TAKE OUR ARTS FUNDING TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
AND, UM, SO I'M COMMITTED TO THAT.
TO ADDRESS YOUR SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT MAKING CHANGES TO THE BUDGET, SHOULD THE COUNCIL DO A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO INCREASE THE FUNDING TO THE ARTS, THAT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD INCORPORATE INTO THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
OUR JOB IS TO, UM, ONCE THE COUNCIL REVIEWS THE, THE PROPOSALS, AND THEY WILL MAKE ADJUSTMENTS LIKE THEY DO EVERY YEAR.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE BUDGET STAYS BALANCED.
SO WE'LL BE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE THAT.
AND JUST, AGAIN, A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO YOU, UNDERSTANDING DURING YOUR PRESENTATION THAT AFTER THE BUDGET IS APPROVED, THERE WILL STILL BE ADDITIONAL ARPA DOLLARS THAT THE COUNCIL WILL LOOK AT AND MAKE A CONSIDERATION.
ALL I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO IS IF FOR SOME REASON, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL OF THE AGENCIES IN THE WORK THAT HAPPEN IN THE ENTIRE CITY.
BUT IN PARTICULAR DISTRICT, JUAN, WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS THROUGH THE ARPA FUNDS THAT REMAIN AFTER THE BUDGET.
AND, AND JUST TO, TO ADD TO WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED, THIS BUDGET PROPOSES TO USE 97 MILLION OF THE 320 THAT IS ALLOCATED TO THE FISCAL RECOVERY.
SO THE BALANCE WILL BE A, UH, COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO DO WITH THOSE ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
HELLO, MY NAME IS IRENE VALDEZ.
UM, AND I WANTED TO PROBABLY BRING UP A, A TOPIC THAT IS NOT REALLY POPULAR, BUT, UM, I HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON HEAD START, THE SAN ANTONIO PRE-K AND, UM, CHILDCARE.
AND IF YOU ADD ALL THOSE MONIES UP
[00:45:01]
TOGETHER, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IS GOING OUT TO THOSE PROGRAMS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARENT.UH, I HAVE A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME WITH, AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE CONSERVATIVE IN, UH, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE DISH OUT.
I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE GET TAX PEOPLE, WE TAX THE PEOPLE, WE TAX THE PEOPLE, WE, WE, UM, THE, THE PRICE OF, OF, UH, REAL ESTATE IS GOING UP.
AND SO THEIR, THEIR RATES OF TAXES THAT THEY'RE HAVING TO PAY, UH, YOU KNOW, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY'RE HAVING TO PAY, EVEN THOUGH THE TAX RATE HASN'T GONE UP, IS GOING UP TREMENDOUSLY.
IT'S DRIVING PEOPLE THAT ON ARE LOW INCOME, ARE MIDDLE INCOME.
I MEAN, IT'S DRIVING US CRAZY.
EVERYTHING IS GOING UP SO MUCH.
IS IT REALLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY TO FUND ALL THESE PROGRAMS? UH, THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND I'LL SHARE A COUPLE OF POINTS.
OUR HEAD START PROGRAM AND OUR CHILDCARE SERVICES PROGRAM, THEY'RE BOTH FUNDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO THE CITY IS A FISCAL AGENT, IF YOU WILL, TO, UH, MANAGE THOSE DOLLARS THAT COME TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, BASED ON THE, ON THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY THERE, THERE'S SOME FAMILIES THAT, UH, DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THOSE SERVICES.
SO THOSE PROGRAMS ARE HELPING THOSE CHILDREN, UM, IN HEAD START, FOR EXAMPLE, TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT EARLY EDUCATION, UM, IN THE CASE OF CHILDCARE SERVICES, UH, THOSE FAMILIES THAT CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR DAYCARE SO THE PARENTS CAN GO TO WORK, THIS PROGRAMS ASSIST THOSE FAMILIES.
JUST WANTED TO OFFER THOSE COUPLE OF POINTS OF CLARIFICATION, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
I'M A DISTRICT ONE RESIDENT AS WELL AS A MEMBER OF, UH, TEXAS ORGANIZING PROJECTS HOUSING JUSTICE CAMPAIGN.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL THANK Y'ALL FOR HOSTING THIS SPACE AND FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC.
UM, AND KIND OF ON THAT SAME NOTE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN Y'ALL HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE SA SPEAKS UP PROGRAM BY THE CITY'S OWN NUMBERS, OVER 20,000 SURVEYS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
UH, HOUSING AND HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IN PARTICULAR HAS BEEN A TOP FIVE ISSUE.
UH, THE CITY HAS RESPONDED, UH, IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, UH, WITH THE, WITH AN INCREASE OF ONLY $4 MILLION, UH, INTO THE HOUSING BUDGET.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A, UH, POSSIBLE BOND MONEY THAT WILL BE USED TO PUT TOWARDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW, SA SPEAKS UP AS MEANT TO BE A REFLECTION OF OUR VALUES AS A CITY.
UH, SO WE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE REQUESTING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE REALLY PRIORITIZE HOUSING.
AND IN THE YEAR WHERE THE CITY BUDGET HAS GONE UP BY OVER 200 MILLION, UH, AND IN THE YEAR WHERE, YOU KNOW, STILL 10,000 EVICTION NOTICES HAVE BEEN FILED, EVEN WITH THE CURRENT EVICTION MORATORIA, WE DESERVE MORE AS A CITY THAN A $4 MILLION INCREASE OUT OF 200 MILLION.
UH, SO COUNCILMAN BRAVO, I WANT TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE COMMIT TO A, UH, TO A BASELINE OF $50 MILLION, UH, OF THIS YEAR'S CITY BUDGET TO BE APPLIED TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS, UH, PROGRAMS LIKE LEGAL ASSISTANCE, UH, THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL PROGRAM, UH, RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, AND THINGS LIKE THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM.
UH, WE DESERVE TO HAVE INCREASED INVESTMENT INTO OUR COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR Y'ALL'S TIME.
WHAT WAS YOUR NAME? MARK? MARCO.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR INPUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I OPEN WITH IS I'M GONNA BE ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION FOR, AND THAT'S A, A BULK, THE BULK OF THAT WOULD BE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, BUT I'M, I'M HAPPY TO LOOK AT OTHER, UH, POSSIBILITIES FOR, FOR INCREASING FUNDING FOR HOUSING AS WELL.
THANK, I WILL TRY TO MAKE THIS, UM, SHORT AND HOPEFULLY PUNGENT.
UH, I'M AN UNFORTUNATELY LAPSED MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OF AMERICA, BUT A MEMBER NONETHELESS.
AND I'M HERE TO TESTIFY VERY DEFINITELY FOR FREEZING THE BUDGET OF THE SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT AND, UH, FOR CONTINUED AND RADICALLY EXPANDED INVESTMENT IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HEALTHCARE.
IN OTHER WORDS, FOR AMELIORATING THE CONDITIONS WHICH EVERYONE KNOWS ARE THE TRUE INCUBATORS AND INTENSIFIERS OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN THIS OR ANY OTHER COMMUNITY.
AND IT'S NOT A DEARTH OF POLICE OFFICERS OR INSUFFICIENT
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DISTRIBUTIONS OF GUNS OR AMMUNITION OR SURVEILLANCE OR ANY OF THE, OF THE FIXTURES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.UM, BUT A LACK OF FOOD AND SHELTER AND HEALTH SUPPORT, BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL AND THE MEANS OF HAVING A LIFE THAT SEEMS WORTH LIVING WITHOUT HAVING TO RESORT TO ILLEGAL MEANS OF SUPPORT AND SUCKER.
UM, AND, AND, UH, CONSERVATIVES AND OTHER OPPONENTS OF THESE MEASURES OF FOND OF SAYING, WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS? UM, WHO'S GONNA FOOT THE BILL FOR ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS? WELL, UM, I SAY WE AT LEAST IN PART, MAKE THE COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST RELIABLE AND VOCAL, AND TO USE THE WORD EUPHEMISTICALLY, RAMBUNCTIOUS, UH, OPPOSERS OF, UH, THESE PROGRAMS, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT, WE MAKE THEM PAY PARTIALLY PAY FOR IT IN THE FORM OF A BUDGET, BUDGET FREEZE.
UM, AND IF YOU DON'T GIVE THESE CONDITIONS OF INEQUALITY AND WASTE AND POVERTY, WHICH IS THE ORIGINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS FORM OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WHICH THE POLICE CAN'T OFFER ANY PROTECTION, UM, IF YOU DON'T GIVE THEM THE PROPER ATTENTION THAT THEY DESERVE, UM, THEN YOU ARE IN ESSENCE ENSURING THAT THE IMMUNITY IS TREATED TO AN UNENDING CYCLE OF FEAR AND BLOODSHED FOR THE REST OF ALL OF OUR LIFETIMES.
AND THAT THERE WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER COME A DAY WHEN WE NO LONGER NEED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
YOU KNOW, UH, PREPARING A BUDGET IS A BALANCE, AND WE HEAR WHAT YOU SAY AND, AND, UH, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, UH, THIS YEAR WE WENT OUT AND HAD, UH, MANY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, UM, DIALOGUE WITH, WITH THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF OUR POLICE SERVICES.
AND WHAT YOU SEE REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET IS WHAT WE HEARD.
THERE ARE MANY NEEDS, AS YOU MENTIONED, POVERTY, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, THE NEED TO PROVIDE, UH, SERVICES, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE HAVE A, A BUDGET THAT ADDRESSES THAT AND TRIES TO BALANCE THIS, ALL THE, THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT, BUT WE UNDERSTAND YOUR, YOUR, YOUR INPUT AND, UH, AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
UM, MY NAME'S CARLOS VALDEZ, A LONGTIME RESIDENT, A LIFETIME RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND, UM, I WANNA MENTION SOME THINGS.
ONE THING THAT I WANT TO KEEP IN MY MIND IS, UH, SOME ASSOCIATION AS FAR AS THE ART FUNDING, UM, PEOPLE COME TO SAN ANTONIO FOR THE CULTURE, FOR THE EXPERIENCE FOR ARTS, AND IF THERE'S SOME, UM, ORGANIZATION OR THE OF THE HOTEL FOLKS, AND, UH, WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THE FUNDING, OF COURSE, UH, THERE'S ARTISTS OUT THERE, AND IF THERE ISN'T ANY, UH, PROPER ORGANIZATION BETWEEN THEM, THEN SOMETHING IS AMISS.
SO, UH, I WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, I DID A, A LITTLE RESEARCH RECENTLY.
UH, I WENT TO, UM, THEIR APPRAISAL DISTRICT, UH, VERY RECENT.
AND, UH, SO I LOOKED UP A FEW THINGS.
I MIGHT BE OFF ON SOME NUMBERS, BUT, UM, FOR THE SAKE CONVERSATION, UH, 17 AND A HALF PERCENT POVERTY RATE IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, $25,000 A YEAR PER CAPITA IN SAN ANTONIO VERSUS MAYBE 35 STATE, UH, NATIONAL, UH, 15 PLUS PERCENT OF THE HOMES PURCHASED OR BY NON-RESIDENTS.
UH, THE APARTMENT COST FOR AN APARTMENT HAS GONE UP 7% IN THE LAST YEAR TO ABOUT A HUNDRED, UH, $1,115, UH, PER MONTH, WHICH MY CALCULATIONS IS 40,000 A YEAR AT 28 OR 30% OF THEIR INCOME.
UM, SO, UH, UH, THERE'S OTHER SIMILAR, UH, UH, THE, THE, UH, REALTORS, UH, HAVE IT MADE IN THE SHADE.
UH, THEY CAN GO OUT AND GO TO A MOVIE, MENTION A HOUSE FOR SALE, AND, UH, A GOOD PART OF IT IS, UH, CAN BE WRITTEN OFF.
I MEAN, I DON'T NEED TO SAY MUCH MORE, I'M SURE, BECAUSE IT CONCLUDES CLOTHES, TRIPS, YOU KNOW, THE HOME, THE OFFICE IN THE HOME, TRAVEL, THE CAR, EVERYTHING.
SO, UM, THEY HAVE IT OVER US, GENERALLY SPEAKING.
YOU KNOW, YOU SEE ALL THE ADS COME, MAKE SOME BIG BUCKS, OKAY? IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.
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WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE ARE LONGTIME RESIDENTS AND, UM, WE DON'T HAVE ANY INTENTIONS OF MOVING YET.WE ARE FINANCING IN SOME RESPECT, THAT TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
UH, SO WE CARRY THE BURDEN TO SOME, UH, DEGREE, UH, AND, AND OTHERS PROFIT FROM US.
UH, THE TAX, THE, UH, MAYOR APPRAISAL DISTRICT, I MENTIONED THE, UH, CHARTER.
SO PRIMARILY, UH, I WOULD SAY THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE INHABITANTS IS PRIMARY.
UM, IS THERE, UH, ANY, UH, REASON THAT THE BARE APPRAISAL DISTRICT WILL USE THE CHARTER AS PART OF THEIR GUIDANCE? NO, IT'S MATHEMATICAL, IT'S MARKETING AND SURE, WE HAVE SENSITIVE PEOPLE WHO WOULD HEAR US DURING THESE MEETINGS.
AND THEY DO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, UH, HOWEVER, THAT'S, UH, A CHOICE THEY MAKE.
UH, THEY'RE COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE HERE AND THERE, SO, UH, WE NEED THEM.
BUT THAT'S IN THE, UH, APART FROM WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE IS SOME COORDINATION.
THEIR APPRAISAL FOR ONE, AS CITY CHARTER AND THE CITY ACTIVITY AND WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AS INHABITANTS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US EQUALLY SHARING AND WHAT WE HAVE, UH, SOMETHING IS MISSING THERE.
SO, UM, I WOULDN'T CALL MYSELF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST, BUT I DO HAVE COMPASSION AND THE, THE REASON THAT FOLKS AREN'T LEFT ON THE STREET TO DIE, YOU NEED TO PUT THAT IN THE GOVERNMENT, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND WRITTEN ON PAPER AND, AND FOLLOW SUIT.
I'M DEBORAH OMO, WALLE GERMAN, THE C E O AND DIRECTOR OF THE SAN ANTONIO AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY ARCHIVE AND MUSEUM.
I'D LIKE TO ECHO MR. HIN, JOHN JOHN'S, UH, SENTIMENT THAT WE NEED MORE MONEY IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE BUDGET.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
IS THERE A LINE ITEM SPECIFICALLY IN THE BUDGET? I KNOW IT'S A PART OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, BUT THAT ADDRESSES ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
AND WHAT I'M SPECIFICALLY SPEAKING OF WHEN I LOOK AT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE GOING UP ACROSS THE CITY, UM, CUTE LITTLE HOUSES THAT ADVERTISE, YOU CAN RENT A HOUSE FOR A THOUSAND, $25 STARTING.
MOST OF THE DEVELOPMENTS ARE BELOW GRADE, THERE'S NO TREES, THEY'RE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, A LOT OF CONCRETE.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT PLACES WHERE YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LIVE AFFORDABLY, BUT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IS GOING TO BE A LOT HOTTER THAN IT WAS TODAY, WHICH WAS A HUNDRED DEGREES HERE IN MONTE VISTA.
ALSO, WHAT HAPPENS WITH FLOODING? SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHERE WE ARE WITH THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SLASH ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
AND I MAY NEED SOME HELP FROM, UM, HOUSING TO HELP ME ADDRESS THIS QUESTION.
UM, THE CITY HAS A FUND THROUGH OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT AS A TREE MITIGATION FUND, AND WE PARTNER WITH, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, UH, TO ADD TREES WHEN THERE'S NEW, UH, CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION.
WE'VE ALSO HAVE, UM, PROGRAMS WHERE WE GO TO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT, TO YOUR POINT, THE CANOPY IS, IS PRETTY LOW AND WE NEED TO INVEST IN MORE TREES.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE THAT WITH A NEW HOUSING PROJECTS.
UM, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING, AN IDEA THAT I CAN TAKE FROM THIS MEETING AND WORKING WITH OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR, INTO OUR PROJECTS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
HI, UH, IAN BENAVIDES, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES.
UM, SO JUST TO SPEAK TO SUSTAINABILITY AND HOUSING, UH, I WILL SAY THAT THE, THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS THAT THE CITY AND OUR
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DEPARTMENT INCENTIVIZE, UH, ARE THE HIGHEST QUALITY IN TERMS OF WHAT'S BEING BUILT, MARKET RATE DEVELOPMENTS VERSUS OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.UM, I WILL SAY THAT THE TREE IS NOT SOMETHING TREE ISSUE, TREE CANOPY.
THEY COMPLY WITH OUR U D C REQUIREMENTS, SO OUR NORMAL BUILDING CODE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT.
MAYBE THERE'S SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL TREES OR SHADING REQUIREMENTS THAT WE CAN PUT ON SOME OF OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, WE DO HAVE AN UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM SO THAT, THAT PROVIDES A WHITE REFLECTIVE, UH, ROOF REPLACEMENT FOR HOMES THAT ARE IN NEED OF REHABILITATION.
AND THOSE ARE MEANT TO LOWER ENERGY COSTS AND MAKE LONG-TERM AFFORDABILITY MORE POSSIBLE FOR THOSE HOUSEHOLDS.
SO THERE IS SOME SUSTAINABILITY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND THEN GOING FORWARD THROUGH THE HOUSING BOND, IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STANDARDS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT TO FUTURE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, THAT WE, WE INCENTIVIZE AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT AS WELL.
UH, MY NAME IS ERIC RODRIGUEZ.
I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE.
UM, JUST WANTED TO STATE THAT I'M OPPOSED TO THE ADDITION OF ANY MORE POLICE OFFICERS.
UH, I FEEL LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT 1.8 MILLION WOULD BE BETTER OFF SUITED GOING TO THE ROOT CAUSES OF ISSUES THAT CAUSE, UH, VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, CAUSE POVERTY IN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND ESPECIALLY THE WAY POLICE OFFICERS ARE TRAINED, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY, UH, DON'T KNOW HOW TO ADDRESS A SITUATION WITHOUT USING LETHAL FORCE.
UM, AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THESE THINGS ON TV WHERE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO, UH, DEESCALATE A SITUATION IT SEEMS. BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE THE ADDITION OF 13 POLICE OFFICERS, UH, IS, IS NOT NEEDED.
AND THAT 1.8 MILLION WOULD BE BETTER SUITED GOING TO, UH, ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF PROBLEMS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND, UH, SECONDLY, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, FOR COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO, UH, LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M WITH, UH, SOUTHWEST WORKERS UNION COLLECTING, UH, POSTCARDS FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THE C P S ENERGY RATE HIKES.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE DELIVERING THESE TO YOU.
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT OUR CONS, YOU KNOW, CONSTITUENTS IN D ONE ARE OPPOSED TO RATE HIKES FOR, UH, THE MO MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THAT I SPEAK TO ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ON PAYMENT PLANS.
SO THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THEIR ENERGY BILLS AND AN AN ADDITIONAL 10 TO $15 A MONTH.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES AWAY FOOD FROM THEIR TABLE.
IT TAKES, YOU KNOW, GAS FROM THEIR CAR.
AND WE JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE, WE'RE OPPOSED TO ANY RATE HIKES.
I, I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT, UM, THE, THE ONLY PLACE FOR WHERE I'M ASKING FOR MORE POLICE OFFICERS IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW IS, UH, IN, ON NORTH ST.
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF, UH, THE COMMUNITY WHO LIVES IN THAT AREA AND ALL THE BUSINESS OWNERS WHO'VE BEEN CONSISTENTLY ASKING FOR MORE POLICE PRESENCE RIGHT THERE AND, UH, IN THE EVENINGS, YOU KNOW, WHEN, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, ON THE WEEKEND HOURS.
UM, SO THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I, THAT I'VE ASKED FOR WHEN IT COMES TO C P S ENERGY.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO RATE HIKES, WE OWN C P SS ENERGY AND WE O WE, WE, UM, FAILED TO PREPARE FOR THE WINTER STORM.
AND SO WE GOT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT STUCK WITH A REALLY BIG BILL.
AND SO THERE'S NOBODY TO PASS THAT ON TO.
THERE'S, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO PAY IT, RIGHT? SO I'M VERY GLAD THAT BEFORE THE WINTER STORM, LONG BEFORE, UH, I WORKED WITH A COALITION OF PEOPLE HERE LOCALLY TO TRY AND MAKE C P S ENERGY MORE ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY OPERATED LIKE A PUBLIC UTILITY, RIGHT.
AND, AND WE STRUGGLED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND HAVE, UM, JUST CONVERSATIONS AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INPUT TO, TO THEM.
AND SO WHAT WE SETTLED ON IS CREATING THE, THE NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE, BECAUSE THE ONLY CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT C P S ENERGY HAD PRIOR TO THAT MET IN SECRET.
AND, UH, THEY DIDN'T PUBLISH MEETING MINUTES.
THEY DIDN'T PUBLISH MEETING AGENDAS.
AND WE SAID THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
AND SO I PERSONALLY RAISED MONEY TO, FOR TEXAS ORGANIZING PROJECT, I SEE A REPRESENTATIVE TEXAS ORGANIZING PROJECT.
I PERSONALLY RAISE MONEY FOR THEM AND FOR MOVE TEXAS TO WORK WITH US AND GO IN AND, AND, UH, PUSH FOR, UH, THEM TO CHANGE AND CREATE THIS NEW RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH CAN LOOK AT RATE STRUCTURE AND FIND OUT HOW CAN, HOW CAN YOU STRUCTURE THE RATE SO THAT PEOPLE AT THE BOTTOM AREN'T AS AFFECTED.
AND SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT WE CAN DO THERE TO COME UP WITH A, A FAIR RATE, UH, INCREASE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO HAPPEN.
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HAVE TO BE PAID SOME WAY OR ANOTHER BECAUSE IT'S OUR DEBT.WELL THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.
AND AGAIN, REMIND YOU THAT IF, IF YOU DID HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION FOR A DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE THE STAFF HERE.
UM, COUNCILMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO SOME CLOSING REMARKS? I KNOW YOU JUST LEFT THE PODIUM, BUT
UH, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE THING I FAILED TO, UH, DO IS INTRODUCE MY STAFF.
WE HAVE A LOT OF OUR STAFF HERE.
AND, UH, SO WE HAVE, UH, IN CONSTITUENT SERVICES, WE HAVE LATIKA SIMS IN THE CORNER THERE AND DORIAN KELLER.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE STACEY JONES, OUR SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR DOWNTOWN.
AND, UH, ANISA SHELL, WHO IS OUR DIRECTOR OF ZONING AND PLANNING.
AND THEN THERE'S, OH, THERE'S THE OTHER MARIO, MARIO YANO, THE OTHER MARIO.
SO FEEL FREE TO, TO, UH, INTERACT WITH ANY OF THEM AS WELL.
AND, UH, I'LL GO, AM I GONNA, AM I CLOSING IT OUT COMPLETELY OR? OKAY.
SO, UH, I, I KNOW THAT I THINK SOME OF US ARE GONNA STICK AROUND.
I KNOW MY STAFF AND I ARE GONNA STICK AROUND IF YOU HAVE, WANNA HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH US.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT AND LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THIS PROCESS TOO.