* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. THE TIME IS 10:05 AM ON THE 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022. I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL OUR CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE RULE COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PALAI. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. MAYOR BERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE FOUR ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, AND I AM GOING TO ASK THE CONSIDERATION MY COLLEAGUES TO MOVE ONE OF THOSE UP. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, LEMME GO AHEAD ON ITEM ONE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL [Approval of Minutes  ] OF THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 11TH. I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION, UH, FOR THOSE MINUTES. SO MOVED. SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 11TH COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. UH, IN CONSIDERATION OF, UH, SOME SCHEDULES FOR FOLKS THAT NEED TO DEPART, LET ME GO AHEAD AND MOVE ITEM FOUR UP. FIRST. ITEM FOUR, ITEM FOUR. ITEM FOUR IS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION [Briefing and Possible Action on  ] ON A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER MANNY, DISTRICT EIGHT, REGARDING LOCAL PROTECTIONS FOR USERS OF SERVICE, ANIMALS REGARDING HOUSING AND PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS AND CONDUCT AWARENESS OUTREACH. WELCOME, MR. DOMINGUEZ FLOOR IS YOURS. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. UH, MY NAME IS NICK DOMINGUEZ. I'M THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF OUR NEWLY CREATED DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION DEPARTMENT, AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE THIS MORNING. UH, THIS, UH, THIS PRESENTATION RELATES TO A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST AS PRESENTED IN OCTOBER, 2021 BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELIAS. UM, IS A REQUEST FOR, UM, TWO THINGS, IS A REQUEST FOR TWO THINGS, UH, TO EXPAND LOCAL PROTECTIONS IN THE CITY CODE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO RELY ON SERVICE ANIMALS IN HOUSING AND PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION. AND THE SECOND REQUEST IS TO CONDUCT AN AWARENESS, UH, OUTREACH TO INFORM HOUSING PROVIDERS AND OPERATORS OF PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION ON HOW TO ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUALS WHO RELY ON SERVICE ANIMALS. UM, THERE IS, THERE IS NEED FOR, UH, THIS CONSIDERATION AND THE STATISTICS BEAR THIS OUT. UH, I WON'T BELABOR SORT OF THE, A DEEP DIVE INTO THEM, BUT IN THE UNITED STATES, APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER OF AMERICANS ARE LIVING WITH DISABILITY, WITH A DISABILITY IN TEXAS, THE NUMBERS ARE CLOSER TO 11.8% OF THE POPULATION. AND WHEN YOU OVERLAY THAT WITH THE POPULATION IN SAN ANTONIO, WHO ARE ALSO VETERANS, UH, AND WHO, UH, SUFFER FROM P T S D, UH, THOSE NUMBERS ARE PROVIDED ON THE SLIDE DECK. WE, WHEN WE BEAR DOWN INTO SAN ANTONIO ITSELF, WE SEE THAT, UH, JUST UNDER A QUARTER MILLION INDIVIDUALS ARE LIVING WITH ONE OR MORE DISABILITY. THAT WHICH EQUATES OUT TO ABOUT 15.6% OF THE POPULATION. AND APPROXIMATELY 30% OF OUR POPULATION ARE VETERANS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING P T S D. AND WE KNOW FULL WELL, AND, UH, COUNCIL IN THE CITY HAVE, HAVE SUPPORTED NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT TRAIN SERVICE DOGS, UM, FOR A VARIETY OF ISSUES. YOU SEE THEIR, UH, DIABETIC SER SERVICE DOGS, UH, HEARING, HEARING SERVICE DOGS, UH, AND GUIDE DOGS JUST TO NAME A FEW. SO THE TWO ISSUES, UH, THAT RELATE TO THE C C R ARE EXPANSION OF LOCAL PROTECTIONS IN THE CITY CODE, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO RELY ON THESE SERVICE ANIMALS IN BOTH HOUSING AND PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION. UM, IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE C C R ARE FEDERAL AND STATE, CURRENTLY EXISTING FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS. UH, A NEED TO KEEP WHATEVER ORDINANCE WE END UP WORKING ON, CONGRUENT WITH THOSE REGULATIONS AND HOUSED WELL WITHIN THEM. AND A REVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS AS NEEDED BEFORE. WE'RE GONNA NEED TO REVIEW ALL THOSE BEFORE WE PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS BACK. UH, THE SECOND REQUEST IS SORT OF, UH, THE SECOND PART OF THE C C R REQUEST IS [00:05:01] SORT OF A RESOURCE, UH, ASSESSMENT, I SUPPOSE, AND, UH, TO PROVIDE THE OUTREACH PROGRAMS THAT THE C C R UH, ASK US TO STUDY. AND SO, UH, CURRENTLY I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT OUR D A O OR DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE CURRENTLY DOES. UH, IT OVERSEES, UH, UH, A WEBPAGE THAT, UH, PROVIDES, UH, SERVICE ANIMAL FACTS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS. UM, IT RESPONDS TO COMPLAINTS. OUR D E A OFFICE, UH, RESPONDS TO COMPLAINTS, UM, ON A D A AND ALSO ON THIS ISSUE. AND IT PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE LIVING WITH, UH, DISABILITIES IN ADDITION TO, UH, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND HOUSING PROVIDERS, TO THE LANDLORDS, UH, ABOUT, ABOUT THESE ACCOMMODATIONS. UH, AND IT DELIVERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION RELATED TO THESE SERVICE ANIMALS. SO, UH, AS PART OF THE SECOND REQUEST IN THE C C R, UH, IT WOULD BE TO STUDYING THE, UH, STAFF CAPACITY OF OUR D A O OFFICE, AND ALSO FIGURING OUT HOW THAT WOULD, UM, IMPACT THE CURRENT, UM, STAFF CAPACITY AND WHAT RESOURCES WOULD BE NECESSARY, UM, TO ENVISION AND IMAGINE, UH, A, A MORE ROBUST OUTREACH PROGRAM, UH, RELATED TO WHATEVER CHANGES MAY BE MADE, UM, IN AN EDUCATION PROGRAM. SO THAT'S, UH, THE SECOND, THAT'S TANGENTIAL TO THE SECOND ISSUE, UH, THE STAFF RECOMMENDS BECAUSE OF SORT OF THE, THE HEAVIER SORT OF CODE DEEP DIVES THAT MAY BE NECESSARY THAT THIS BE REFERRED OUT TO THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, UH, FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION STUDY. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MR. DOMINGUEZ, THIS WAS A, UH, COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST FILED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MANNY ELA. SO LET ME TURN THE FLOOR TO HIM. THANK YOU. A COUPLE OF THINGS, MAYOR. ONE IS, UM, I, I THINK THIS CITY COUNCIL HAS UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED OUR EFFORTS, UH, TO, UH, INCREASED ACCESS TO, UH, ALL SORTS OF ACCOMMODATIONS FROM, YOU KNOW, AND WE DID THAT INFORMED BY WHAT WE SEE WHEN WE WEAR OUR EQUITY LENSES AND OUR COMPASSION LENSES. RIGHT? UM, AND ONE SUCH EXAMPLE, AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN CAYO HDA, UM, FOR THE SUPPORT OF, UH, CANINES FOR WARRIORS, THAT WAS ONE EFFORT THAT WE SAW THAT THERE WAS A, A MISSING GAP, RIGHT? UM, WHERE WE WEREN'T REALLY TALKING ABOUT ACCESS TO ANIMALS FOR, UM, VETERANS TRAINED CERTIFIED ANIMALS, UM, TO, TO SERVICE VETERANS. WHAT WE DID DISCOVER, AND, UH, THROUGHOUT THE PAST THREE YEARS OF WORKING WITH THIS ORGANIZATION IS, AND TALKING TO APARTMENT OPERATORS AND RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS, IS THAT DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS TO, UH, TO EDUCATE FOLKS AND SPREAD THE WORD AND, AND BRING THEM ALL INTO COMPLIANCE, THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE RULES ARE. AND SO THERE ARE PLACES THAT WILL KICK YOU OUT, UM, BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WALK IN WITH A SERVICE ANIMAL, BUT YOU'RE NOT WALKING IN WITH YOUR PAPER SHOWING THEM WHAT YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION IS, WHICH IS AGAINST FEDERAL LAW, RIGHT? UM, THERE ARE PLACES LIKE CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS THAT'LL ACTUALLY CHARGE YOU A PET DEPOSIT, UH, FOR YOUR SERVICE ANIMAL, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S NOT ALLOWED, UM, TO DO. UM, AND SO, AND IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT. THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW, RIGHT? AND ONE OF OUR ROLES OF THE CITY IS TO EDUCATE, UM, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BRING EVERYBODY ON BOARD AND THAT WE, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY'S MISSING OUT ON GOOD INFORMATION, RIGHT? AND AT THE SAME TIME, ALSO ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO THE ONE THING I DO WANNA MAKE SURE IS THAT I WAS VERY CLEAR IN R C C R IS THAT I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT, AND THIS, THIS WAS A CONCERN THAT WE HAD FROM SOME OF THE INDUSTRY GROUPS THAT, UM, THEY WERE WORRIED THAT THIS WAS GOING TO EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF WHAT AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DOG IS. THEY'RE HAVING A LOT OF TROUBLE WITH EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS. UM, THEY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WILL SAY, I HAVE AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT MACAW, OR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT IGUANA AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THAT, AND, UM, THAT'S REAL PROBLEMATIC. UH, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT MINI HORSES OR PET POT BELLY PIGS, WHERE, YOU KNOW, AND SO I DO, I AM SENSITIVE TO THAT, AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING EVERYBODY INTO COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING LAW, AND WE'RE NOT TRYING TO EXPAND THIS TO WHERE IT BECOMES ABSURD. AND SO, UM, WITH THAT, I AM, I'M ASKING FOR, FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA THAT WE SEND THIS TO, UM, TO PLANNING. SO, UH, MAYOR, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. GREAT. UH, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS. UH, OH, BEFORE WE GET FURTHER INTO DISCUSSION, LET ME ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR, UH, SENDING, REFERRING THE C C R TO THE PLANNING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE C C R COUNCIL MEMBER? K. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YEAH, I'M TOTALLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS, BUT IT BRINGS TO MIND A CONVERSATION THAT I, I WAS INVOLVED IN JUST THE OTHER DAY. IT WAS, UM, A GROUP OF VETERANS AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, THE DISABLED VETERANS LICENSE PLATES AND HOW, UH, THE, [00:10:01] THE WAY OF OBTAINING THOSE IS, IT HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT. IT'S, UH, A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING. IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT WAS, BUT THE FACT IS THAT THERE IS A PROCESS THAT ENABLES VETERANS TO BE ABLE TO GET THESE, IF THEY'RE DISABLED OR OTHER DISABLED PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO PARK IN SPECIFIC PLACES AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SERVICE ANIMALS THAT, UH, ARE THERE TO SUPPORT DISABLED PEOPLE, WHETHER IT'S VETERANS OR OTHERS, UH, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CLEAR AS A CITY ON HOW THOSE ARE, ARE AWARDED TO INDIVIDUALS SO THAT WE DON'T GET INTO ANY KIND OF ABUSIVE SITUATION OR SO THAT, AS, AS MANNY IS SAYING, BUSINESS OWNERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS UNDERSTAND THEIR OBLIGATION. AND I DON'T KNOW IF, IF THAT REQUIRES THE CITY TO DO MORE TO, UH, BE INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS. NOW, I UNDERSTAND THE VA AND DOCTORS AND EVERYTHING ARE VERY INVOLVED WITH VETERANS, BUT IF YOU HAVE, UH, ANOTHER DISABILITY THAT ISN'T RELATED TO MILITARY SERVICE, FOR EXAMPLE, HOW DO YOU SHOW THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE A, A SERVICE DOG? UH, AND WHAT'S TO KEEP SOMEBODY ELSE FROM MAKING A LITTLE, UH, YOU KNOW, JACKET THEY CAN PUT ON THEIR DOG SAYING SERVICE DOG, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO HAVE THE CONVENIENCE OF HAVING THAT ANIMAL WITH THEM. SO I JUST LIKE TO HAVE THE COMMITTEE, UH, HAVE A REPORT ON WHAT THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ARE SO THAT WE CAN THEN INFORM, UH, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS AND THAT BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND THERE'S A, A LEGAL REQUIREMENT, AND THEREFORE THEY HAVE A LEGAL OBLIGATION AS WELL. SO I JUST HOPE WE'LL DO A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH AND A, A GOOD PRESENTATION ABOUT THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE COMMITTEE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, YESTERDAY AT THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST IN PUBLIC FINANCE CORPORATION, WE APPROVED A PROJECT THAT I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BUILD IN TO THIS COUNCILMAN COURAGE, BY THE WAY. I KNOW YOU SIT ON IT AS WELL. UM, BUT THANK YOU COUNCILMAN PAL FOR BRINGING THIS UP. WE APPROVED A PROJECT THAT IS VETERAN CENTRIC, UM, AND IT WILL HAVE WRAPAROUND SERVICES AS FAR AS, UH, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND EVERY, UH, TYPE OF, UM, ABILITY A AS WELL. SO, SO HELP WITH FOLKS THAT ARE WOUNDED, ET CETERA. SO I'D LOVE TO SEE IF WE COULD INCORPORATE SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'D BE LOOKING AT EVENTUALLY INTO A PROJECT LIKE THAT. IT'S SLATED TO BE, UM, ONE OF THE MODELS FOR, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED FOR VETERANS. AND, UH, IT'S GONNA BE IN DISTRICT FOUR. IT'S CALLED THE PATRIOTS POINT. AND I ALSO WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES BECAUSE LAST WEEK, YOU ALL, OR I THINK IT WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, YOU ALL, UM, VOTED AN IN SUPPORT, UH, FOR LETTER OF SUPPORT. SO THANK YOU. AND JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, WE CAN BUILD THIS IN ALREADY AND IN ONE OF THE PROJECTS PROBABLY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? UH, MAYOR, IF I MAY YEAH, REAL QUICKLY TO ADDRESS COUNCILMAN KURT'S ISSUE, WHICH I FULLY AGREE, COUNCILMAN, WE WERE, WHEN I SAY WE ARE, OUR TEAM WAS LOOKING AT AN ISSUE AT THE AIRPORT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, UH, LOOKING AT THE LEGAL COMPLEXITIES THAT ARE RELATED TO, UH, VETERAN DISABILITIES, UH, IT'D BE GOOD TO HAVE A LEVEL SET SO THAT NOT ONLY THE COUNCIL, BUT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS, UH, WHAT THAT PROCESS IS AND WHAT THEIR PARAMETERS ARE. I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL. SO WE CERTAINLY WILL BAKE THAT IN. GREAT, THANK YOU, ANDY. YOU, I CERTAINLY SUPPORT THE REQUEST AS WELL, AND AS WELL AS THE, UH, FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PLANNING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. UH, I THINK ONE OF OUR ESSENTIAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IS ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, UH, REGULATIONS. SO WHEN WE FIND GAPS, IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS 'EM. SO THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS. UH, WITH THAT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND TO MOVE ITEM FOUR ONTO PLANNING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. HEARING. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. AYE AYE. WE'LL TAKE A VOICE VOTE. UM, SO, UH, LET ME CALL THE VOTE AGAIN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU, MR. DOMINGUEZ MAY BE EXCUSED. ME TOO. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE YOU, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER MELISSA CAB HDA, DISTRICT SIX, REGARDING PARK SPACE AND PAVILION RESERVATION FEE REMOVAL FOR MILITARY VETERANS GROUPS. GREAT. I BELIEVE THERE, UH, NIKKI, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION, GREG. [00:15:01] OKAY. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UM, I AM HERE TO PRESENT TO YOU ON THE REQUEST FOR PARK SPACE AND PAVILION RESERVATION FEE REMOVAL FOR MILITARY VETERANS GROUPS. UH, LET'S SEE. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. SO A C C R WAS SUBMITTED, UM, AS YOU SAID BY DISTRICT SIX, COUNCIL MEMBER MELISSA CAVEO VARDA. UM, THE REQUEST WAS TO ELIMINATE PARK RESERVATION FEES FOR MILITARY VETERANS GROUPS. UM, THERE ARE REQUESTS FOR THE CITY TO WORK WITH BEXAR COUNTY FOR SIMILAR ACTION IN COUNTY PARKS AS WELL. SO WE DO HAVE AN EXISTING POLICY. SO THE CURRENT MUNICIPAL CODE 22.6 0.1 DOES AUTHORIZE THE PARKS DIRECTOR TO APPROVE SPECIAL PROMOTIONS RATES AND FEES FOR FACILITIES. WE DID HAVE AN EXISTING DEPARTMENTAL POLICY THAT WAS SIGNED IN 2018 THAT DID ALLOW FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS, WHICH COULD INCLUDE VETERANS, UM, MILITARY VETERANS GROUPS, UM, TO HAVE REDUCED OR WAIVED RESERVATION RATES BASED ON ELIGIBLE SERVICE CRITERIA. SO SOME OF THOSE CRITERIA FOR A SERVICE IN LIEU OF A FEE WOULD INCLUDE IF THE EVENT OR THE PROGRAM IS CONSISTENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION AND PROVIDES VALUABLE BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT THE EVENT OR PROGRAM HAS NO DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON THE FACILITY OR DOESN'T DISPLACE ANY EXISTING CITY PROGRAM OR RESERVATION, THAT THE EVENT ORGANIZER COMPLETES ANY DOCUMENTATION TO HOST THE EVENT, AND IT STILL MUST COMPLY WITH ANY OTHER PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. UM, FOR INSTANCE, IF THERE'S ANY SECURITY OR PARK POLICE INSURANCE, ANY OTHER HEALTH PERMITS AS APPROPRIATE FOR WHAT, WHAT THAT EVENT WOULD ENTAIL. SO, UM, COORDINATION FOR THIS, WE DO HAVE AN ONLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM THAT FOLKS USE, UM, TO RESERVE FACILITIES, PARKS. UH, WE ALSO HAVE IN-PERSON STAFF AT OUR HEADQUARTERS FACILITY FOR RESERVATIONS. UM, WE HAVE, UM, THEY HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION. UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROACTIVELY OFFER THIS FEE IN LIEU OF, OR IN LIEU OF A FEE, EXCUSE ME, WHEN WORKING WITH MILITARY VETERANS GROUPS. UM, CHI, UH, GENERAL AYALA IS ACTUALLY HERE ALSO. UM, WE HAVE ENGAGED BEXAR COUNTY TO SEE IF THEY'RE INTERESTED, THEY ARE INTERESTED OR THEY'RE AMENABLE. UM, AND SO WE WILL STILL HAVE THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING, UH, BEXAR COUNTY PARKS. SO OUR RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THERE IS NO ACTION NEEDED BY EITHER THE COMMITTEE OR COUNCIL. UM, WHAT WE DID, OUR, OUR 2018 POLICY GAVE US THE ABILITY TO DO THIS, BUT WE WENT AHEAD AND TIGHTENED IT UP ANYWAYS AND PUT SPECIFICALLY VETERANS MILITARY GROUP, SO IT IS SPECIFICALLY LISTED. UM, SO WE DID MAKE THAT CHANGE ALREADY. UM, SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ESSENTIALLY IS, UH, A GROUP, IF THEY'RE DOING A SPECIAL EVENT, THEY CAN GO, WE HAVE A SPECIAL EVENT COORDINATOR, WE'LL PUT SOMETHING ONLINE THAT CAN REFER THEM. WELL, WE HAVE IT ALREADY, BUT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE VETERANS GROUPS KNOW WHO TO CALL AND THEN THEY CAN WALK THEM THROUGH THAT PROCESS. THERE'S A FORM THEY'LL FILL OUT SAYING THEY'RE A VETERANS, UH, GROUP, UM, AND, AND HOW THIS SUPPORTS, UM, OUR MISSION. SO, UM, SO NO, NO FURTHER ACTION, BUT I'M HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. RAMOS. AND THIS, UH, AGAIN, ORIGINATED WITH THE COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDO. SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. SORRY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THE, UM, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDE WHERE YOU DISCUSSED THE SERVICE IN LIEU OF FEE? UH, THE INTENTION OF THE C C R WAS TO PROVIDE, UH, PARK SPACE, UH, COMPLETELY FREE TO MILITARY AND VETERANS GROUPS. UM, SO I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT THE SERVICE IN LIEU OF FEE REQUIREMENT. UM, SO BASICALLY WHAT THIS WOULD MEAN HERE IS RATHER THAN IT JUST BEING A BLANKET WAIVER, WE'RE DOING THAT IN EXCHANGE FOR THE SERVICE THEY'RE PROVIDING TO THE COMMUNITY. SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TO DO ANYTHING FOR US FOR THIS. IT'S THE BENEFIT THAT THEY'RE ALREADY PROVIDING TO THE COMMUNITY. SO WHEN WE DO THE DOCUMENTATION, WE CAN SAY, WE'RE WILLING TO DO THIS BECAUSE OF, OKAY. SO BEFORE, UM, CONSIDERATION HERE TODAY, MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT, UH, THE CITY WAS DOING WAS, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS GOING, THEY WERE, THE VETERANS GROUP WAS REQUESTING, AND THEN IT WAS GONNA HAVE TO KIND OF GO UP THE CHAIN AND GET CHAIN AND GET PERMISSION. AND SO THAT'S ELIMINATED NOW. WELL, THERE'S STILL A PROCESS, BUT I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S AN ELIGIBLE CATEGORY, SO WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE SURE THE EVENT STILL MEETS THE CRITERIA THAT IT'S AVAILABLE. BUT, BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT IS A GROUP THAT WE ARE, THAT THIS IS FOR. SO WHAT IS THE PROCESS? UM, THE PROCESS WOULD BE, SO THEY COULD EITHER COME IN PERSON TO OUR HEADQUARTERS AND WE HAVE A, A RESERVATIONS DESK, BUT THE, THE, UH, EVENTS COORDINATOR IS ACTUALLY HOUSED THERE. SO THEY CAN START THEIR PROCESS THERE. SO IF NOTHING ELSE, IT HOLDS THEIR DATE, IT HOLDS THEIR LOCATION, AND THEN WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE WE GET THEIR FORM AND, AND GET THE, UH, DIRECTOR'S OFFICE APPROVAL. THEY CAN ALSO, IF THEY WANT TO GO ONLINE, THE INFORMATION WILL BE THERE. THEY WOULD ACTUALLY JUST CALL THAT SPECIAL EVENTS PERSON. AGAIN, I THINK THE KEY IS PROBABLY HOLDING THAT LOCATION FOR THEM FOR THAT DATE. OKAY. AND THEN IT'S LITERALLY JUST THE FORM AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY KNOW ALL OF THE OTHER, UM, REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY MAY HAVE, DEPENDING ON [00:20:01] WHAT TYPE OF EVENT THEY HAVE. SO I'M TRYING TO ELIMINATE A POSSIBILITY WHERE A VETERANS GROUP IS GONNA GET DENIED, UM, A FREE, UH, POSITION A, A FREE, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTOOD VENUE AT A, AT A PARK. DOES THIS PROCESS ACCOUNT FOR THAT? YES. OKAY. THEY, THEY CANNOT, A VETERANS GROUP WILL NOT BE DENIED IF THEY'RE A LEGITIMATE VETERANS GROUP TRYING TO USE A PARK. CORRECT. RIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. YES. I APPRECIATE, UM, THAT WE'RE CODIFYING THE RENTAL FEE REMOVAL FOR PARK SPACE AND PAVILION RENTALS. THE REASON I, UH, WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE THE C C R IN THE FIRST PLACE IS 'CAUSE I WAS SPECIFICALLY ASKED BY V F W POST 91, 74 ON PIN ROAD ABOUT RENTING A FACILITY. THEY WENT THROUGH SOME, SOME OBSTACLES AND HURDLES, AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO SECURE A FREE OUTDOOR SPACE FOR THEIR VETERANS, UM, UH, EVENT THAT DAY. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE OUR, ESPECIALLY NOW OUR OUTDOOR SPACE IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE, BUT REALLY, UH, ESPECIALLY OUR VETERANS WHO USE THE OUTDOORS IN MANY TIMES AS A WAY TO COPE WITH P T S D AND OTHER, OTHER ISSUES NOW THAT THE SPACES WILL BE FREE FOR OUR VETERANS GROUPS TO RENT. WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IS A STRONGER OUTREACH EFFORT TO OUR VETERANS GROUPS. I DID GO BACK AND TALK WITH THAT PARTICULAR V F W, BUT THERE'S, UM, WE KNOW VFWS ACROSS THE CITY AND AMERICAN LEGIONS AND OTHER GROUPS, UH, THAT, THAT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. AND SO IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY WE SHOULDN'T MISS BECAUSE IT GIVES US THAT VALUABLE CONTACT INFORMATION LIST THAT WE CAN USE TO PROVIDE MORE SERVICES FOR, UH, OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY THAT ARE MILITARY THAT HAVE PROVIDED SO MUCH TO OUR CITY. SO, THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. SO WE'LL WORK WITH, UM, GENERAL AYALA, AND THEN IF YOU ALL HAVE GROUPS THAT YOU'VE WORKED WITH, FEEL FREE TO SHARE THEM. GREAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KIO HDA, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO, TO DOUBLE CHECK. I UNDERSTAND WE CAN SAY, WELL, YOU CAN USE THE FACILITY FOR FREE, BUT WHAT ABOUT OTHER REQUIREMENTS THAT WE WOULD HAVE? FOR EXAMPLE, IF THEY SAID, WELL, WE PROJECT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE 250 PEOPLE THERE, IS THERE A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY PROVIDE SECURITY THAT THEY NEED TO PAY FOR? YES. IF THEY'RE GONNA BE SERVING FOOD, IS THERE A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF A HEALTH CLEARANCE TO PROVIDE THAT FOOD, UH, WHETHER IT'S BEING SOLD OR GIVEN AWAY SO THAT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO MEET IN ORDER TO BE GRANTED THE PERMISSION. AGREED. AND, AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THOSE OTHER THINGS COULD BE? SURE. SO THAT'S ON THAT SIDE THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT THERE. SORRY, THE ONE THAT'S UP. UM, THANK YOU. SO, UH, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. SO IF THEY SERVE ALCOHOL, THEY DO HAVE TO HAVE A SECURITY PRESENCE. PARK POLICE, OF COURSE, HAS THE FIRST RIGHT IN ANY PARK FACILITY, SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY THOSE SECURITY COSTS. IF THEY SERVE FOOD, THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH, UM, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHAT PERMITS MIGHT BE REQUIRED THERE. IF IT'S A REALLY LARGE EVENT, LET'S SAY THEY'RE DOING A CONCERT, THERE'S LIKELY GOING TO BE INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS. THEY'D HAVE TO PROVIDE THE INSURANCE. SO THIS, THIS ACTION TODAY, OR THIS, UH, DESCRIPTION, UM, TODAY TRULY JUST COVERS THE PARK RESERVATION FEE. SO ANYTHING ELSE TIED TO THEIR EVENT THEY WOULD STILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR. AND IF THEY DIDN'T MEET ANY OF THOSE, THEY COULD BE DENIED. CORRECT. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE ABOUT THAT. CORRECT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. , THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU NIKKI FOR, FOR BEING SO PROACTIVE AND REACHING OUT TO THE COUNTY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN ENGAGE THEM. AND THANK YOU TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UM, MELISSA CAVEO, VERDA FOR, UM, THE, THE, UH, IMPORTANT, UH, C C R THAT SHE BROUGHT FORWARD. BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THAT THERE'S SOME ELEMENT ALREADY IN PLACE, I THINK THAT ANOTHER THING, COUNCILMAN THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER IS THE MARKETING OF IT. AND SO I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I NEED TO BRING THAT UP BECAUSE IF FOLKS DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT, LIKE IN PARTICULAR AT V F W, WHICH IS REALLY INVOLVED IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR, UM, OUR FOLKS KNOW THAT THIS IS A SERVICE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM. THEY'VE GIVEN ALL OF THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE, THEY CONTINUE TO GIVE THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE. AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE VFWS HAVE, UM, UH, INFORMATION ON, ON, ON HOW THEY CAN, UH, OR, OR, OR JUST WHAT, UM, OPPORTUNITIES THEY HAVE TO, TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. SO, AND I THINK GO AHEAD. GENERAL, I THINK YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, GOOD MORNING. UH, WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND, AND YES, I UNDERSTAND THE MARKETING, GETTING THE WORD OUT. UH, WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND IS, UH, USING YOUR COMMISSION ON VETERAN AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVE TO GET THE WORD OUT. THEY COVER JUST ABOUT EVERY B F W POST IN THE CITY, AND THEN WE'LL DO THIS, UH, TO GET THE WORD OUT ON THE PARKS. UH, AND I HAVE ENGAGED WITH THE COUNTY. THE COUNTY IS, UH, IS LOOKING AT THIS RIGHT NOW. UM, THERE'S NOT THAT VERY, THAT MANY EVENTS THAT WE, THAT I'M ASKED ABOUT. I THINK THERE WAS NINE IN THE SIX YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, BUT, UH, IF WE GET THE WORD OUT, I'M SURE THE, UH, IT'LL COME OUT. NOW, UH, IF THERE ARE DENIED, AND I KNOW COUNCILMAN COURAGE, YOU ASK THAT, WHAT PARKS ALWAYS TRIES TO DO IS FIND AN ALTERNATE VENUE. SO, UH, THEY'RE VERY RESPONSIVE AND I'VE HAD GREAT LUCK, UH, WITH, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION. THANK YOU, GENERAL. AND, UM, AND, AND SO, AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. I THINK THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH OUR VETERANS, UM, UH, AFFAIRS APPOINTEES. MINE IS, IS CHAIR, OR [00:25:01] I THINK IT'S JUANITA, VE AS A REPRESENTATIVE, DEFORE. SHE DOES A GREAT JOB AND INVOLVED, SO I'LL CERTAINLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH HER AS WELL. UM, THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS TODAY, AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM TWO. AGAIN, I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS AS WELL. I'M GLAD FOR OUR MILITARY EFFICIENCY IN GETTING IT DONE ALREADY. SO, UM, WITH THAT, THERE'S A, UH, THERE'S NO ACTION NEEDED. AND, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA FOR INITIATING. THANK YOU. THANKS, NIKKI. MOVE ON TO NOW ITEM NUMBER THREE. ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER MELISSA CAB HDA, DISTRICT SIX ON PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS AND DISABILITY DEMOGRAPHICS. ALRIGHT, WE'VE GOT A PRESENTATION, LAURA. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. LAURA MAYS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS MORNING. UM, JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY IN OUR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION EFFORTS, BEFORE WE GET INTO THE UPDATED SET OF QUESTIONS. UM, IN 2019, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THROUGH, UH, THE CITY MANAGER IMPLEMENTED A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE, 10.1. THIS ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE OPERATIONALIZES THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION THAT YOU AS A COUNCIL ADOPTED AND PROVIDES SOME MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR DEPARTMENTS TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND GATHER THAT ENGAGEMENT TO BRING BACK TO YOU BEFORE A POLICY DECISION IS MADE. UM, THAT INCLUDES A STANDARD SET OF DEMO DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK IN ALL OF OUR ASK IN ALL OF OUR SURVEYS. IN THE PAST, AT A MINIMUM ON YOUR LEFT SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THERE THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK ARE AGE, GENDER, RACE, AND OR ETHNICITY, YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT, AS WELL AS YOUR NAME OR COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE. THAT BEING, IF YOU'D LIKE TO OPT IN TO CITY COMMUNICATIONS OR RECEIVE UPDATES ON THE PROJECT THAT YOU COMMENTED OR PROVIDED INPUT ON, WE GATHER THAT INFORMATION. UM, IN THE PAST, WE'VE ALSO ASKED QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE TAILORED TO THE SURVEYS AT HAND. FOR EXAMPLE, ON ARPA, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WE ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT HOUSEHOLD INCOME. WHEN WE DO SURVEYS TARGETED TO SMALL BUSINESSES, WE MIGHT ASK ABOUT THEIR INDUSTRY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, UM, AND WHAT SECTORS THEY REPRESENT. THOSE QUESTIONS JUST HELP US GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE RESPONDENTS SO THAT WE PROVIDE TO YOU THE DATA THAT REFLECTS, UM, THOSE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, WE'VE STARTED, WE STARTED THE PROCESS IN NOVEMBER OF 2021. UH, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY CAME TO US, UH, TO COLLABORATE ABOUT, UM, ENHANCING THOSE DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS. AS YOU ALL MAY BE AWARE, THE COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING ON A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION STRATEGIC PLAN, AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO ENHANCE OUR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION EFFORTS. ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE IDENTIFIED WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY WERE THESE DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS. SO STARTING IN JANUARY OF 2022, UM, AT A MINIMUM, THESE ARE NOW THE STANDARD SET OF QUESTIONS THAT DEPARTMENTS WILL ASK. AGE, GENDER, RACE, AND OR ETHNICITY, YOUR DISABILITY STATUS, AND THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THAT DISABILITY MAY BE. UM, ANY ACCOMMODATIONS IF THEY'RE NECESSARY. SO THAT, UM, IF THERE IS A PUBLIC MEETING MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SURVEY OPPORTUNITY, WE CAN BE AWARE OF PROVIDING THOSE ACCOMMODATIONS IF NECESSARY. UM, TRANSGENDER STATUS AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AS WELL AS YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT NAME AND COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE. I ALSO WANNA NOTE ALL OF THESE ARE OPTIONAL QUESTIONS, AND TYPICALLY COME AT THE END OF OUR SURVEYS. THAT ALLOWS THE SURVEY TAKER TO BUILD UP A LITTLE BIT OF RAPPORT WITH US BEFORE ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS, AND ALWAYS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE ARE OPTIONAL QUESTIONS. UM, AND IN OUR SURVEYS, IT'S SPELLED OUT THEY'RE OPTIONAL. YOUR RESPONSES REMAIN ANONYMOUS. AND THIS IS JUST TO IMPROVE OUTREACH EFFORTS AND PROVIDE YOU AS A COUNCIL, UM, WITH BETTER DATA AS WELL BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR POLICY DECISIONS. UM, TO DIVE INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS INFORMATION? I WANNA STRESS TOO, RESPONSES REMAIN ANONYMOUS. I THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING, UM, FOR US TO CONVEY TO THE PUBLIC AS THEY'RE TRUSTING US WITH THIS INFORMATION. UM, BUT THESE QUESTIONS REALLY HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND THE RESPONDENTS, UH, THEIR IDENTITIES AND HOW THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR RESPONSES. IT ALSO HELPS US GATHER MORE REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY RESULTS WHEN WE CONDUCT THESE, WHAT WE CALL ESSAY SPEAKUP SURVEYS, THEIR SELF-SELECTION SURVEYS, MEANING THAT ANYONE CAN OPT INTO TAKING THAT SURVEY. UM, AND SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO WHILE WE'RE IN THE FIELD IS LOOK AT REAL TIME DATA AND ADJUST OUR CAMPAIGN IF NEEDED. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, DURING THE PANDEMIC, OBVIOUSLY WE COULDN'T DO A LOT OF THE FACE-TO-FACE GRASSROOTS OUTREACH THAT WE NORMALLY WOULD DO. SO TO AUGMENT THOSE EFFORTS OF A STRONG DIGITAL CAMPAIGN, UH, WE DID FLYERS, YARD SIGNS, UM, OUTREACH THROUGH SENIOR CENTERS AND MEAL PICKUPS, SCHOOL DISTRICT MEAL PICKUPS, THAT SORT OF THING. UM, BUT WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT DATA WHILE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CAMPAIGN SO THAT WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED TO BRING YOU A MORE REPRESENTATIVE [00:30:01] SURVEY SAMPLE. THEY ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH CROSS TABULATED DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOUR DISTRICTS AND YOUR SURVEY RESPONDENTS AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE. YOU'VE PROBABLY NOTICED IN THE LAST FEW PRESENTATIONS ON ARPA AND THE CITY BUDGET, FOR EXAMPLE, WE SHARE WITH YOU THE CITYWIDE RESULTS, BUT THEN WE ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH DISTRICT LEVEL BREAKDOWNS SO THAT YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOUR RESIDENTS AND CONSTITUENTS ARE RESPONDING WITH. UM, AND THEN ALSO THEY PROVIDE US, UM, AGAIN, THAT REALTIME DATA FOR CAMPAIGNS. SO WE ALWAYS KNOW WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IF NECESSARY. UM, I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLKS THAT WORKED WITH US ON THIS EFFORT AT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. OF COURSE, THE REST OF MY TEAM IN THE COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, KYLA BARRETT, MICHELLE V. HILL, AND OF COURSE OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR STILL JEFF COYLE, UM, THE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND, AND INCLUSION. I WANNA ESPECIALLY ACKNOWLEDGE DEBBIE CHARVIN, NICK DOMINGUEZ, JONATHAN MALON, AND AMY CASSO AND JONATHAN BUTLER FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS. AND OF COURSE, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. UM, AND SO WITH THAT, UM, THERE IS NO FURTHER ACTION NEEDED. THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED AND WE WANNA THANK YOU FOR RAISING THE ATTENTION COUNCILWOMAN TO THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE TO HELP US COLLECT BETTER DATA FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MS. MAYS. UM, SO AGAIN, THIS WAS INITIATED BY A C C R REQUEST FILED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA. SO COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA, UH, TAKE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS. UM, THE QUESTIONS THAT, UH, THAT YOU SPECIFICALLY CITED HERE THERE, WILL THOSE BE ASKED ON EVERY CITY SURVEY THAT'S DISTRIBUTED BY THE CITY? YES, MA'AM. IF WE CAN GO TO THE SLIDE THAT'S GOT THE SURVEY QUESTIONS HERE. I BELIEVE IT IS SLIDE FIVE, GO BACK ONE MORE AND RIGHT HERE. SO THESE ARE AT A MINIMUM THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'LL ASK. OKAY. UM, THESE ARE ALL STANDARDS. SO FOR ANY OF THOSE ESSAY SPEAK UP SURVEYS, THOSE ARE THE STANDARD SET OF QUESTIONS. DEPARTMENTS CAN ADD TO THAT IF THEY FEEL IT'S NECESSARY. UH, WE MENTIONED, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY MIGHT ASK ABOUT INDUSTRY OR IF THEY'RE A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, BUT AT A MINIMUM THESE ARE THE REQUIRED QUESTIONS. FANTASTIC. OKAY. AND, UM, DID YOU WORK WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS AS WELL? UM, SPECIFICALLY I'M ASKING ABOUT DISABILITY SA UM, I THINK, LET ME BRING UP, UH, DEBBIE, DEBBIE SHARVIN TO TALK THIS THROUGH. THESE QUESTIONS WERE DEVELOPED, UM, BASED ON THE BEST PRACTICES, UM, BUT DEBBIE, OF COURSE, IS VERY CONNECTED TO THESE GROUPS AND CAN MAYBE SPEAK TO THAT EFFORT AS WELL. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, SO WE REGULARLY HAVE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST SIX TO 12 MONTHS WITH OUR COMMUNITY GROUPS AND OUR DAC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS AND WHAT THEY NEED TO BE. AND SO, SPECIFICALLY MELANIE KAIN WITH DISABILITY SA IS PART OF, HAS BEEN PART OF THAT CONVERSATION ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. WONDERFUL. GLAD TO HEAR THAT. UM, THE REASON I, UM, AUTHORED THIS C C R IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS, UM, I WAS AT A FORUM WHERE, UH, WITH DISABILITY SA WHERE IT WAS BROUGHT UP, UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, THAT WE DON'T, WE AS A CITY DON'T ASK THESE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON SURVEYS, AND THEY WERE ALSO ASKING TO MAKE OUR WEBSITE MORE ACCESSIBLE, WHICH I THINK Y'ALL ARE CONSTANTLY WORKING ON. SO, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT BOTH THOSE THINGS CAME FROM THAT, THAT EVENING ARE, ARE TAKING PLACE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT JUST MAKES SENSE. IT, IT, IT REALLY DOES HELP. UH, YOU MENTIONED IT HELPS TO IDENTIFY HOW THE RESPONDENTS LIVED EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR RESPONSES. AND, AND WE AS, UH, AS THEIR REPRESENTATIVES CAN TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND LEARN HOW TO BETTER SERVE THEM. SO IT'S, IT'S VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR US. Y'ALL KNOW, I'VE HAD A LIFE LIFELONG PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL INTEREST IN HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. AND, UM, SO THE IDEA COMING FROM DISABILITY SA REALLY WAS SOMETHING THAT I, I WANTED TO, TO CARRY THROUGH. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY SIMPLE. WE CANNOT HELP PEOPLE IF WE DON'T SEE THEM. AND I THINK THAT THIS SURVEY IS GONNA GO A LONG WAY TO HELPING US SEE, UM, A WHOLE COMMUNITY AND, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, REALLY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL OUR SAN ANTONIANS, UH, SPECIFICALLY THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. UM, ACTUALLY, AND I THINK THAT'S IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KIRO, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR, I'VE GOT A, A QUESTION OR TWO AND THEN, AND REALLY AN OBSERVATION, I GUESS WHEN WE, UH, DO THE SURVEYS AND WE LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE QUESTIONS ARE OPTIONAL OR THE ANSWERS ARE OPTIONAL, DO WE PUT THAT RIGHT ABOVE ALL OF THE QUESTIONS AT THE VERY BEGINNING THAT ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS IS OPTIONAL? A GREAT QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. WE PUT A HEADER ABOVE THE SET OF QUESTIONS, NOT BEFORE EACH IDENT, UM, EACH SPECIFIC QUESTION, BUT IT IS NOTED VERY PROMINENTLY. OKAY. UM, AND I, I THINK THAT'S APPROPRIATE. WHAT I OBSERVE IS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DO NOT WANT TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, COULD YOU GIVE US AN INDICATION OF WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE DO NOT ANSWER ALL OR MOST OF THE QUESTIONS OR MANY OF THE QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT OUR SURVEYS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. UM, I COULDN'T GIVE YOU OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD [00:35:01] THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT I CAN SHARE WITH YOU MAYBE AN EXAMPLE. SO THE COUNCIL DISTRICT QUESTION IS ONE THAT WE ASK, AND WE KNOW NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THEIR COUNCIL DISTRICT, BUT ABOUT A QUARTER OF RESPONSES SOMETIMES IN THE BUDGET. AND ARPA SURVEYS, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY NOT KNOW THEIR COUNCIL DISTRICT OR MAY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE SHARING THAT. SO I THINK EL ELEVATING THE PRESENCE OF THESE QUESTIONS AS YOU ALL HAVE, AS IN THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS TOO, IF THEY ASK, WHY ARE THEY ASKING THESE VERY SOMETIMES MAYBE PERSONAL QUESTIONS? AND IT, IT'S TOTALLY ANONYMOUS AND REALLY JUST HELPS US BETTER SERVE THEM. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE TELL OUR, OUR STREET TEAMS, AS WE CALL THEM WHEN THEY'RE OUT GATHERING SURVEYS, EXPLAIN TO THE RESIDENT WHY WE'RE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS SO THAT THEY MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE IN, IN SHARING THAT INFORMATION. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT. COULD WE PUT UP THAT PAGE FIVE AGAIN, WHICH SHOWS THOSE, AND IT'S THE ONE I I'M TRYING TO GET TO. I THINK THE POINT YOU JUST MADE THAT SOME PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, WHY DO THEY ASK THIS QUESTION? IT'S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS ABOUT WHETHER I'M DISABLED OR TRANSGENDER, WHAT MY SEXUAL PREFERENCE MAY BE, OR, OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE. UM, AND I I'M JUST WONDERING IF IT WOULDN'T BE EASIER AND LESS, UH, OF A, OF A BURDEN TO PEOPLE. IF, IF ACTUALLY THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS WERE, WERE PUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST AND RIGHT ABOVE THEM, IT WOULD SAY OPTIONAL. NOW I KNOW IT SAYS OPTIONAL AT THE TOP, UH, BUT THE, THE BEGINNING INFORMATION, WE ALMOST ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S YOUR AGE? WHAT'S YOUR GENDER RACE? UH, AND THEN WE GET INTO MAYBE YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT. AND IF IT'S, IF IT REFERS TO A SPECIFIC SERVICE THAT A DEPARTMENT GIVES, YOU'RE ASKING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE A BUSINESS OR HOW MANY EMPLOYEES, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WHEN YOU GET INTO THE MORE THE ISSUES THAT PEOPLE TAKE MORE PERSONALLY, UH, I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN'T JUST PUT THOSE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST AND SAY, AGAIN, THESE ARE OPTIONAL. I, I KNOW I WOULD FIND WITH RESIDENTS IN MY DISTRICT, THEY WOULD BE LESS INHIBITED ABOUT ANSWERING THE FIRST QUESTIONS IF THEY SAW, WELL, THAT'S JUST KIND OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT. IT DOESN'T REFER TO ME. SO I DON'T NEED TO ANSWER THAT. SO I GUESS I'M JUST SAYING THAT'S AN OBSERVATION THAT I, I HEAR AND SEE FROM PEOPLE WHO SAY, WHY ARE THEY ASKING THESE PARTICULAR QUESTIONS? SO, UH, I JUST THOUGHT I'D THROW THAT OUT THERE FOR, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION COUNCIL MEMBERS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, AND THANK YOU LAURA, FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, UH, WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL AND I MET WITH DEBBIE, SHE GAVE ME THE ALARMING STAT OF, UH, ONE IN FOUR RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT FOUR HAS A DISABILITY. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, UM, TOP OF MIND. UM, CAN, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED FIND OUT ABOUT THIS ORIGINALLY? SO IF, IF OBVIOUSLY CAN'T GO TO THE WEBSITE, UM, HELP ME UNDERSTAND, UH, HOW WE MARKET TO THEM, IF YOU WILL. SURE. GREAT QUESTION. COUNCILWOMAN IN EACH SURVEY MAY HAVE A, A DIFFERENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN. SO I'M GONNA SPEAK GENERALLY AND SHARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IN SURVEYS THAT OUR DEPARTMENT HAS MANAGED. UM, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH STAKEHOLDER GROUPS FIRST AND FOREMOST TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT OUR SURVEYS. UM, SO DEBBIE AND, AND THE GROUPS AND CONNECTIONS THAT SHE HAS HAS BEEN A GREAT RESOURCE TO US TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SURVEYS ARE, ARE PUT IN FRONT OF THEM. UM, ANY ACCOMMODATIONS CAN BE MADE. OUR WEBSITE IS SCREEN READER FRIENDLY. FOR EXAMPLE, WE DON'T USE PDFS, UM, AS, AS MUCH AS WE CAN AVOID IT. WE DON'T USE PDFS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ACCESSIBLE. UM, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IN SOME OF OUR P S A CAMPAIGNS TOO, WE'VE FEATURED MEMBERS, UM, OF THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY BE EXPERIENCING A DISABILITY TO SHARE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM THAT PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN THESE SURVEYS. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE MARKETING ELEMENTS THAT WE DO. UM, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE, WE ENSURE THAT WE DO THOSE. AND I THINK THOSE, THOSE FACE-TO-FACE CONNECTIONS AND THOSE GRASSROOTS CONNECTIONS HAVE BEEN REALLY INSTRUMENTAL IN US GATHERING MORE DATA. THANK YOU, LAURA. UM, AND THEN TO, UH, COUNCILMAN CURTIS'S POINT, I JUST WANNA, UM, ECHO OFTEN AND MAYBE SAY IF WE COULD PROVIDE SOME SORT OF A FOOTNOTE OR MAYBE A, A DISCLAIMER AS TO WHY WE'RE ASKING THAT QUESTION. I AM, UM, REALLY PROUD BECAUSE ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT, THAT I, UH, HELPED WITH THE, IN THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE WAS TO APPOINT, UM, A WOMAN WHO WAS LEGALLY BLIND TO THE VIA BOARD. AND YESTERDAY, UM, COUNCILMAN COURAGE WAS THERE AND IN SUPPORT, AND WE APPOINTED, UM, THE VP OF VICE PRESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST AND PUBLIC FINANCE CORPORATION IS JANE PONI. AND SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT HER WORK WITH THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW IT, IT JUST MAKES MY HEART HAPPY TO SEE THAT FOLKS WILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. UM, CAN YOU ALSO TELL ME, YOU MENTIONED STREET TEAMS, UH, AND YOU MENTIONED SURVEYS. CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU DETERMINE WHEN YOU'RE GONNA SEND OUT STREET TEAMS? SO DID YOU SEND OUT STREET TEAMS FOR ARPA? ARE YOU GONNA SEND OUT STREET TEAMS FOR BUDGET? UM, WHAT GETS THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, NEEDS LITERALLY TO GO, UM, BLOCK WALKING ALMOST? [00:40:01] FOR SURE. SO I, I WILL SAY THE PANDEMIC CERTAINLY ADJUSTED A LOT OF OUR GRASSROOTS EFFORTS. UM, FOR US, THE GOLD STANDARD IS HAVE STREET TEAMS OUT GETTING THESE SURVEYS. BUT I THINK THE BENEFIT OF US COLLECTING THESE DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'RE HEADING INTO OUR EIGHTH CAMPAIGN WHERE WITH THE BUDGET, WHERE WE'RE, UM, LOOKING AT THESE QUESTIONS IS WE KNOW WHERE WE NEED TO DO OVERSAMPLING. UM, SO I KNOW MY TEAMS HAVE REACHED OUT TO YOUR OFFICES, UM, TO FIND EVENTS THAT ARE GOING ON. UM, COUNCILMAN YOUR, YOUR OWN STAFF HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL IN FINDING EVENTS FOR US TO SET UP A TABLE. BASICALLY ANYONE WHO WILL HAVE US, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE OUT THERE AND GET THOSE SURVEYS OUT. UM, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE BIG CITYWIDE ISSUES, WE TRY TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO RELY A LOT ON YOUR OWN STAFF WHO HAVE THOSE CONNECTIONS. UM, BECAUSE IF, IF YOUR TEAMS ARE ASKING NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS TO COMPLETE A SURVEY AND ALREADY KNOW THAT PERSON, IT GOES A LOT FURTHER THAN A COLD CALL FROM, FROM OUR TEAM OR, OR MAYBE JUST SETTING UP A TABLE AT AN EVENT. SO I THINK, UM, WE, DEPENDING ON THE OPPORTUNITY AND DEPENDING OF COURSE ON THE, UM, TRANSMISSION LEVELS OF C OVID 19, WE TRY TO DO AS MUCH GRASSROOTS OUTREACH AS POSSIBLE. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND I THINK THAT THE BUDGET SERVES AS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY THAT'S COMING UP AND I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S, UM, SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN DISTRICT FOUR THAT THEY ALREADY EXPERIENCE. OBVIOUSLY THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, BUT ALSO JUST WALKING THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU SEE THE RAMPS AND SO YOU KNOW THAT FOLKS, UM, NEED, UH, SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL HELP. AND SO I DO THINK THAT THAT FACE-TO-FACE COMPONENT WOULD BE HELPFUL. SO THANK YOU LAURA, FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING. I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK AND THANK YOU COUNCILMAN UH, GABRIEL VERDA FOR, FOR BRINGING THIS UP AS WELL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER THREE? MAYOR, IF I MAY, UM, AND I'M TAKING MY CITY ATTORNEY HAT OFF AND PUTTING ON THE D E I D E I HAT, UM, I DO UNDERSTAND COUNCILMAN COURAGES POINT IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE MAKE IT VERY CLEAR TO PARTICIPANTS THAT THOSE QUESTIONS ARE OPTIONAL. AND CERTAINLY WE DON'T WANT TO CONFUSE PEOPLE THAT IF THEY DON'T ANSWER 'EM, THEIR INPUT WON'T BE RECEIVED. 'CAUSE IT WILL. AT THE SAME TIME, WE DON'T WANT TO SET IT UP SO THAT PEOPLE FEEL THESE QUESTIONS ARE LESS IMPORTANT. THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT. UM, THEY HELP US SERVE COMMUNITIES BETTER, PARTICULARLY COMMUNITIES WHO HISTORICALLY HAVE BEEN UNDERSERVED. SO WE DON'T WANNA DIMINISH THE RELEVANCE AND IMPORTANCE OF THESE QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF THE CITY'S ABILITY TO DELIVER SERVICES. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ANDY. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE JUDGE, YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT I THINK THAT IF WE HAVE A, A MORE BROADER PREDICATE AT THE BEGINNING OF THOSE QUESTIONS THAT WOULD IDENTIFY THE FACT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS THAT IT'S OPTIONAL FOR YOU TO ANSWER, BUT TO HELP US IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OR THE CONCERNS OF CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF OUR COMMUNITY, SUCH AS YOUTH OR SENIORS OR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AN EXPLANATION OF WHY WE HAVE THOSE IN THERE AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY SURVEY MAY HELP PEOPLE FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE, OH, THAT'S WHY THEY WANT TO KNOW MY AGE, OR THAT'S WHY THEY MAY WANT TO KNOW IF I HAVE A DISABILITY OR SOMETHING. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE PREDICATE THAT GOES BEFORE THOSE QUESTIONS. I THINK THAT ALWAYS WILL HELP PEOPLE FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE. AND I, I JUST WANT TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN. COUNCILMAN, UM, I'LL RESPOND TO THAT. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION. WE'VE HEARD HERE. WE CAN ABSOLUTELY PUT A PARAGRAPH IN THERE EXPLAINING WHY WE ASKED THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA. UH, SOMEONE ASKED THE QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT WHAT THE VARIATION OF PREFER NOT TO ANSWER. NUMBERS ARE, AND I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE ARPA FINAL REPORT. FOR EXAMPLE, QUESTIONS LIKE GENDER AND AGE, WE'VE ONLY GOT 11 13% IN THOSE TWO WHO ARE PREFERRING NOT TO ANSWER, BUT YOU GET INTO RACE, RACE AND ETHNICITY AND IT'S CLOSER TO 20%. YOU GET INTO ANNUAL INCOME, IT'S CLOSER TO 25. SO WHAT THAT TELLS ME IS THAT PEOPLE ARE TAKING EACH ONE OF THESE SEPARATELY AND DEC AND DECIDING, WELL THAT'S ONE I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE, BUT I'LL STILL ANSWER ALL THESE OTHER QUESTIONS. SO IF WE SET ALL OF THAT UP WITH AN EXPLANATION ABOUT WHY WE'RE ASKING THEM AND HOW WE USE THAT INFORMATION TO BETTER SERVE THEM, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT TAKEAWAY FROM HERE THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. ALRIGHT, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER THREE? COUNCIL MEMBER H I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. UM, I MEAN, EVERY QUESTION ON A SURVEY IS OPTIONAL. THEY DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER EVERY SINGLE QUESTION RIGHT. ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS. THEY ARE, ARE OPTIONAL. THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS WE REQUIRE THAT ARE THE MEAT OF THE SURVEY PER SE. OKAY. BECAUSE WE OBVIOUSLY WANT THAT, THAT INFORMATION. OKAY. I, I THINK I JUST, YOU KNOW, WANNA SOMEWHAT REITERATE, UM, WHAT ANDY SAID. I DON'T, I I THINK IT IS PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA TO EXPLAIN WHY. UM, IT'S JUST, I THINK IT STILL SEPARATES OUT THESE QUESTIONS AND MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THEY DON'T, THEY'RE NOT AS IMPORTANT. UM, AND I'M, I'M, I JUST HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THAT. SO I THINK, UM, TRUST YOU GUYS WILL DO IT VERY SKILLFULLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE ARE, WE, THEY DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE WOULD [00:45:01] STILL LIKE TO HAVE THESE ANSWERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, KEO, HDA. LAURA, LAURA, WHEN, UH, DOES THIS DATA GET PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL? IS THERE GOING TO BE AN INTERIM PERIOD WHERE WE CAN SEE THE, THE WHAT KIND OF DATA WE'RE RECEIVING FROM THESE SURVEYS? SURE. SO NO SURVEYS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED WITH THESE NEW DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK SOME THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON AS, UM, THE COUNCILWOMAN MENTIONED IS THE BUDGET. UM, SO YOU'LL SEE THAT DATA PRIOR TO, UM, I THINK WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE CALENDAR THIS AFTERNOON, BUT, UM, BUT THAT'LL BE, FOR EXAMPLE, A SURVEY THAT'LL INCLUDE THESE DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS. GREAT. AND, AND YOU'LL GIVE US A SENSE OF HOW THE RESPONDENTS ARE, THERE'S ATTRITION THROUGH THE SURVEY AND, AND WHAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO TO HELP WITH, UH, ENCOURAGING MORE RESPONSE. ABSOLUTELY. WE, WE STAY IN VERY CLOSE CONTACT WITH MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND YOUR STAFFS ARE ALWAYS REALLY HELPFUL IN HELPING US GET THE WORD OUT AND GETTING QUESTIONS ANSWERED. OKAY, MAYOR, I'LL JUST ADD, UH, LAURA'S CORRECT. EVERY TIME WE DO A SURVEY, WE POST THAT REPORT AT SS A SPEAK UP, BUT AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, HER TEAM HAS SORT OF PAINSTAKINGLY GONE THROUGH AND GATHERED THE DATA FROM ALL THE DEPARTMENTS ON SURVEYS THEY DID THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SO THAT WE HAVE SOME NUMBER ACROSS THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION. MM-HMM. NOW WITH OUR NEW ESSAY SPEAK UP PORTAL, THE SURVEY FUNCTION IS EMBEDDED INTO OUR PROGRAM AND IT SPEAKS TO EVERYBODY. SO WE CAN PRODUCE THAT DATA AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND SHARE FOR YOU WHO'S RESPONDING, WHO ISN'T, UH, GIVE YOU THAT SORT OF GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHIC PICTURE. OKAY. GREAT. WELL, AND I THINK THAT WHAT YOU SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, LAURA, ABOUT MAKING SURE RESPONDENTS KNOW THAT THE, THEIR RESPONSES ARE ANONYMOUS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND IF THEY KNOW THAT WE'RE USING DATA TO HELP WITH ACCOMMODATING NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC, THEN THEY'LL BE MORE PRONE TO, I THINK, COMPLETE THE SURVEY, ASSUMING THAT THEY KNOW IT'S ANONYMOUS. SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER COBE HDA FOR CONTINUING TO, TO, UH, DRIVE THIS POINT ABOUT THE DATA THAT WE DO NEED TO RECEIVE, UH, TO BE BETTER SERVANTS AND SO FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY G P A AND, AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE RESULTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, LAURA. ALL RIGHT. NO ACTION WAS NEEDED ON IM THREE AND THAT IS THE LAST OF OUR BRIEFING. SO IF THERE IS NO OTHER BUSINESS, THE TIME IS 10:53 AM ON THE 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022, AND OUR GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.