* 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. [00:00:05] FOCUS ON THE HERE AND ANTONIO IN SAN ANTONIO. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. THE TIME IS 2:09 PM ON THE 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022. WE'RE GONNA CALL OUR CITY COUNCIL B SESSION TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER VILLAGRA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GABRIEL VARDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER BELI. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY HERE. MAYOR EHRENBERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. AND WELCOME EVERYONE. UH, WE [ ITEMS  ] HAVE TWO ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET ME, UH, TURN IT OVER TO CITY MANAGER ERIC WALSH TO KICK US OFF. THANKS, MAYOR. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THE UH, FIRST ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA IS A BRIEFING ON THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW PASSED BY CONGRESS, UH, LATE LAST YEAR. UH, THE B I L AS IT'S BEING CALLED, IS A $1.2 TRILLION INVESTMENT, UH, IN THE COUNTRY'S INFRASTRUCTURE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AND TO PREPARE FOR THE ROLLOUT OF THESE FUNDS, UM, I TASKED GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY LATE LAST YEAR, UH, TO TRACK THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, UH, ASSIST OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS FOR, UH, THE APPLICATION OF FUNDS, AND COORDINATE AND SUPPORT ALL OF OUR LOCAL PARTNERS, UM, ALL WITH THE GOAL OF MAXIMIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF, OF, UH, AGENCY. UM, THE PLAN THAT SALLY WILL WALK THROUGH IS, UM, UM, AND IS THERE TO HELP US GUIDE OUR ADVOCACY, UH, NOT ONLY AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL, BUT ALSO THE STATE LEVEL, AND PREPARE US FOR AS MUCH OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING AS POSSIBLE. UM, AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, UH, AND SALLY WILL TALK ABOUT THIS, UH, WE'VE CONVENED AN EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE GROUP, UH, WITH MY COUNTERPARTS, UH, UH, FROM OUR LOCAL PARTNER AGENCIES, UH, INCLUDING BEXAR COUNTY SAWS, C P SS, VIA, UH, THE M P O BROOKS ACOG, THE RIVER AUTHORITY, UH, PORT SA AND, AND OTHERS. UH, AND THE ROUND TABLE'S GOAL IS TO WORK TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS, LEVERAGE EACH OTHER AND OUR COLLECTIVE WORK, UH, TO COMPETE FOR FUNDING NATIONALLY. AND, UH, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT IN SALLY'S PRESENTATION. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD SEVERAL TIMES FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL. UM, SO SALLY BARTO, OUR, UH, RECENTLY APPOINTED, UH, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, WILL HAVE HER FIRST PRESENTATION AS A, AS THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. NO PRESSURE SALLY. AND WE'LL PROVIDE THE COUNCIL WITH THE FULL BRIEFING AND, UM, SHARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES AND STRATEGY THAT WE'RE THINKING OF. SALLY. THANK YOU, ERIC, WAIT FOR THE PRESENTATION TO POP UP HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, AS ERIC SAID, TO SHARE WITH YOU THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW. YOU ALL MAY RECALL, UH, IT WAS PREVIOUSLY REFERRED TO, UH, PREEN ENACTMENT AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT, OR I I J A. IN ADDITION TO AN OVERVIEW OF BILL, I WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE DETAILS, AS ERIC SAID, TO THE CITY'S BILL, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE OR IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY THAT WE HAVE, UH, ROLLED OUT, UM, FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW, AND THE RELATED ACTIONS TO DATE AND THE ONGOING ADVOCACY, UM, AND COORDINATION INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY WITH OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OUR LOCAL PARTNERS. BY WAY OF, UH, BRIEF BACKGROUND BACK IN NOVEMBER WHEN THE LAW WAS, UM, ENACTED, IT ALSO REAUTHORIZED FIVE YEARS OF THE FEDERAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS. UM, YOU'LL RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE ARE ESSENTIALLY YOUR HIGHWAY TRANSIT AND RAIL [00:05:01] PROGRAMS. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS FUNDING IS THE FORMULA FUNDING THAT TRADITIONALLY COMES TO THE STATES. SO THIS IS THE TRADITIONAL FUNDING PIECE OF THE 1.2 TRILLION, UH, DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, 2022 THROUGH 2026 OF THAT ENTIRE POT. IT INCLUDES 500 BILLION IN NEW SPENDING. UM, AGAIN, ANOTHER IMPORTANT NODE. A LOT OF THE NEW SPENDING WE WILL NOT SEE IN EARLY 2022, UH, BECAUSE IT'S OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT FIVE YEARS PLUS, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THOSE NEW FUNDING PROGRAMS, UM, WILL BE UNVEILED LATER IN 22 INTO 23 AND, AND ONWARD, WE'VE RECEIVED VARIOUS QUESTIONS REGARDING THE BILL FUNDING PROCESS. HOW ARE THE MONIES GOING TO ROLL OUT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OUT OF WASHINGTON, DC? UM, THIS IS, UM, THE BEST WAY THAT WE COULD PUT IN FRONT OF YOU IS TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE TWO MAJOR CATEGORIES FOR THESE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND THESE INVESTMENTS. YOU HAVE YOUR FORMULA AND YOUR COMPETITIVE. AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE STATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER ELIGIBLE ENTITIES SUCH AS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS OR NPOS, WILL BE ELIGIBLE NOT ONLY FOR FORMULA FUNDING, BUT ALSO TO COMPETE FOR THE VARIOUS COMPETITIVE GRANTS THAT WILL BE COMING OUT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND OR, UH, THE STATES. A QUICK LOOK AT THE MAJOR, UH, FUNDING CATEGORIES OR THE MAJOR POTS. I WON'T GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE NUMBERS. THEY HAVE BEEN WIDELY REPORTED ON FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, UM, SINCE THE ENACTMENT. BUT THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY THE POTS OF FUNDING THAT WE ARE TRACKING AND MONITORING UNDER TRANSPORTATION, WATER, BROADBAND, DIGITAL INCLUSION, ENERGY AND POWER RESILIENCY, ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION, WATER STORAGE AND RECYCLING, AND A COUPLE OF OTHER SMALLER ONES THAT ADD UP TO THE 500, UH, BILLION IN THE NEW FUNDING CATEGORIES. AS YOU NOTED, THE 284 BILLION WAS A MAJOR, UH, POT OF FUNDING THAT IS ALLIANCE SHARE UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS. THAT IS FUNDING FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES, TRANSIT RAIL SAFETY AIRPORTS, PORTS AND WATERWAYS, AND, UM, EV CHARGERS. I'M GONNA QUICKLY PIVOT HERE TO HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO ROLL OUT THEIR FUNDING. THEY HAVE A STRATEGY IN PLACE THAT WAS SET FORTH IN ACTION THROUGH AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT THE PRESIDENT SIGNED AS WELL. UH, IN NOVEMBER AFTER ENACTMENT, UH, THROUGH THAT EXECUTIVE ORDER, HE ALSO APPOINTED MITCH LANDRY, THE WHITE HOUSE IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATOR. YOU MIGHT RECALL. HE'S THE FORMER NEW ORLEANS MAYOR, SO HE'S ALSO REFERRED TO AS MAYOR LANDR. UH, THERE ARE SIX MAIN CATEGORIES THAT THE WHITE HOUSE EXECUTIVE ORDER, UM, WILL BE A GREAT FOCUS FOR THE ROLLOUT OF THESE FUNDING INVESTMENTS AND MR. LAND, ANDREW AND HIS TEAM WILL BE COORDINATING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE 11 FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS. PIVOTING HERE TO THE COSA IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY THAT ERIC REFERRED TO. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COORDINATED WITH OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AND WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO GO AFTER THESE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. THERE'S GONNA BE EXTENSIVE ONGOING COORDINATION WITH OUR CITY DEPARTMENT HEADS, UM, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM WITH THE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION. THERE WILL BE ONGOING FEDERAL AND STATE OUTREACH THAT HAS BEEN, UM, OCCURRING ON A REGULAR BASIS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. AND THEN ONGOING COMMUNICATION WITH THE I G R COMMITTEE. WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEING SHARED WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE WILL BE PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION ON A REGULAR BASIS TO THE I G R COUNCIL COMMITTEE. IN ADDITION, JUST A CLOSER LOOK AT THE INTERNAL COORDINATION, THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM, UM, IS MANAGING AND OFTEN POPULATING WITH NEW INFORMATION, A FUNDING TRACKER THAT INCLUDES ALL THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THE AGENCIES IN ORDER TO ASSIST US TO BE ABLE TO PROJECT AND, UM, PROFILE EXACTLY WHICH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ARE COMING OUT. UM, ANY GIVEN MONTH OR PER QUARTER. THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS ARE ASSIGNED, UH, TO ROLES THAT FALL UNDER THE JURISDICTION AND THEIR OPERATIONS SO THAT WE CAN FIND THOSE ALIGNMENTS FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING IDENTIFIED. SO WE'LL BE PROVIDING A GREAT DEAL OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO IDENTIFY THOSE RESOURCES AND HELP THEM FIND THOSE ALIGNMENTS AS WELL. THAT COORDINATION IS ALSO EXTENDING TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. ERIC MENTIONED, UM, THE ROUND TABLE, AND THESE ARE ONGOING DISCUSSIONS THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON A VERY REGULAR BASIS, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, TO ALSO DO, UM, A LOT OF COORDINATION IN THE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE LEVERAGING OUR RESOURCES AND SUPPORTING EACH OTHER'S PROJECTS. HERE'S A QUICK LOOK AT [00:10:01] THE CURRENT REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE PART OF THE ROUND TABLE. THIS WAS, I BELIEVE, A PICTURE FROM THE FEBRUARY 1ST, UH, MEETING. THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE THAT TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT. SO THESE ARE HAPPENING VERY OFTEN, TWO TO THREE WEEKS. UH, THIS LIST, UH, WILL POSSIBLY GROW AS WE SEE THE, THE NEED FOR IDENTIFICATION OF NEW PARTNERS AS WE ALIGN THOSE FUNDING SOURCES IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE. BILL A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE CSA, UH, SPECIFIC STRATEGY. UH, THE CRITERIA FOR PROJECT IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADHERING TO THOSE ESSENTIAL PLANS AND INITIATIVES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED THAT HAVE ALLOWED US TO IDENTIFY THOSE PRIORITY AND ESSENTIAL PROJECTS FOR THE COMMUNITY. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE ABOVE THE LINE PROJECTS, UM, THAT CAME OUT OF THE BOND. UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE AIRPORT STRATEGIC PLAN IS ANOTHER DOCUMENT, AS WELL AS THE, UM, CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN AND OTHER SIMILAR PLANS LIKE THE SA TOMORROW. UM, THESE PROJECTS, OF COURSE, UM, AS THEY ARE PART OF THOSE PLANS, UM, ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY'S CRITICAL NEEDS. AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE, UH, CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALIGN AND TRY TO MAKE THOSE, UH, CONNECTIONS WITH THE FEDERAL FUNDING STREAMS. ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFY, UH, IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION, I MENTIONED THE SIX PRIORITIES THAT ARE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE WHITE HOUSE. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION ALSO ALIGNS WITH THESE SIX PRIORITIES. UH, THIS WILL BE THE LENS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THE AGENCIES WILL BE LOOKING AT CLOSELY WHEN LOOKING AT THE PROJECT SUBMITTED, UM, IN THOSE, UH, COMPETITIVE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY. UM, A QUICK LOOK HERE, INVEST IN PUBLIC DOLLARS EFFICIENTLY BUY AMERICAN AND CREATE GOOD PAYING JOBS, EQUITABLE INVESTMENTS, BUILDING A RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND EFFECTIVE COORDINATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT ENTITIES. SO DEMONSTRATING THAT COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL WIDE SUPPORT IS GONNA BE VERY CRITICAL FOR ALL THESE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WILL BE PURSUING. I'LL PIVOT HERE QUICKLY. UM, AS PART OF OUR ONGOING ADVOCACY AND COORDINATION WITH, UM, FEDERAL ENTITIES, THERE WAS A US CONFERENCE OF MAYOR'S WINTER MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE LAST MONTH. COUNCILMAN PALIS AND THE CITY MANAGER JOINED THE MAYOR AT THE WINTER MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC AND THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH VARIOUS AGENCIES, OFFICIALS THAT ARE MANAGING THESE INVESTMENTS AS WELL AS WHITE HOUSE, UM, REPRESENTATIVES TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS WITH THEM THOSE FUNDING STREAMS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE CITY AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THOSE KEY INITIATIVES, UM, ARE ON THEIR RADAR. THESE ARE SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS THAT THEY HAD MEETINGS WITH TO DISCUSS ISSUES SUCH AS BROADBAND HOUSING, HOMELESSNESS, TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, AIRPORT INITIATIVES, WORKFORCE, UH, AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS HOMELAND SECURITY AND FEMA OPPORTUNITIES. HERE, AGAIN, WITH, UM, MITCH LANDRY, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU, AND I COULDN'T LET TODAY'S OPPORTUNITY PASS BY WITHOUT LETTING YOU KNOW THAT WE, UH, ENGAGED WITH, UH, MR. LANDRY SHORTLY AFTER HIS APPOINTMENT. THAT INTERACTION HAS BEEN ONGOING. HE'S GOT A GREAT TEAM THAT WE'VE BEEN COLLA COLLABORATING WITH SHORTLY BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS. UH, G UH, THE GA TEAM COORDINATED A MEETING, A VIRTUAL MEETING FOR THE MAYOR AND THE CITY MANAGER, UH, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ENHANCING AND, AND, UH, IMPLEMENTING THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND TO TRY AND GET AS MUCH GUIDANCE AS POSSIBLE, UH, FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TEAM. THIS IS, UH, MR. LAND ANDREW AT THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS, PROVIDING REMARKS TO A ROOM FULL OF MAYORS, UH, TALKING TO THEM ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE ROLLOUT COMING OUTTA THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. WE HAVE A VERY SHORT CLIP THAT WE WANNA SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. UM, CUTTING, UH, THOSE REMARKS, UH, FOR YOU IN A VERY SHORT CLIP. PLEASE ROLL THE TAPE, BUT TO BE SET UP FOR SUCCESS, WE, WE HAVE TO THINK ACROSS AGENCY. AND BY THE WAY, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DO THE SAME. AND SO I'M ASKING YOU TO DO IT. SOME OF YOU ARE ALREADY ON IT, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. FOR INSTANCE, MAYOR RON NIRENBERG IN SAN ANTONIO, HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO CALL ME. HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SET UP AN INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE AND TAP AN INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR WITH A GOAL TO MAXIMIZE OUR OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTNERSHIPS, EQUITY, AND TO SECURE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR CROSS-CUTTING SAN ANTONIO INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. I COMMENDED TO YOU FOR REFLECTION, AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM MY INTERACTIONS ALREADY, CITIES LIKE SAN ANTONIO THAT ARE GETTING ORGANIZED THE RIGHT WAY ARE SET UP FOR SUCCESS, AND YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING. SUPER COOL. BY THE WAY, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR IS ERIC WALSH, APPOINTED BY SOUND . OH MY GOODNESS. [00:15:01] SO PIVOTING REALLY QUICKLY, THE WHITE HOUSE IS MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE PUSHING OUT AS MANY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITIES. THEY WANNA ENSURE SUCCESS. THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. ONE OF THE LATEST OPPORTUNITIES AS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. UH, THEY PUBLISHED A 465 PAGE BILL GUIDEBOOK. FORTUNATELY FOR US, THEY HAVE POPULATED IT INTO A, UH, ELECTRONIC DATABASE THAT ALLOWS US TO PULL INFORMATION, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE FUNDING STREAMS THAT ARE COMING OUT BY EITHER MONTH OR QUARTER. IT'S A LITTLE SKINNY ON DETAILS RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY HAVE ASSURED US THAT THIS INFORMATION IS GONNA BE UPDATED REGULARLY, AND WE'RE GONNA BE SHARING THIS INFORMATION WITH OUR CITY DEPARTMENT SO THAT WE CAN FORECAST AND, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. UM, MOVING ON. SO PART OF THE QUARTER ONE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE PULLED FROM THE WHITE HOUSE DATABASE, UH, THE RAISE GRANT AIRPORT TERMINAL PROGRAM, WHICH WE ARE ANTICIPATING, UH, THE NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TO BE RELEASED IN THE NEXT MAYBE WEEK OR SO. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE LOW AND NO EMISSION BUS GRANTS THAT WILL ALSO BECOME, UM, ONLINE SOON. AND THEN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GRANTS, A LITTLE BIT OF A CLOSER LOOK, UM, INTO THE RAISE GRANT. THIS OPPORTUNITY WAS RELEASED. IT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT IS OPEN. IT'S THE FIRST ONE OUT OF THE GATE. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON APRIL 14TH. THE TOTAL POT OF FUNDING IS 7.5 BILLION OVER FIVE YEARS, AND FOR F Y 22, IT'S 1.5 BILLION. SO IT'S, IT'S A HEALTHY, UH, AMOUNT, UM, IN THIS ROUND. HOWEVER, AS WE ALL KNOW, THIS IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, UH, GRANT THAT IS HIGHLY, HIGHLY SOUGHT BY MANY COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THEY'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT PROJECTS TO BE MULTIMODAL, MERIT-BASED. UM, AND AGAIN, IT'S A COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM. IT'S ALWAYS, UM, THE CASE WHERE THEY RECEIVE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF APPLICATIONS OVER WHAT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY REALLY HAVE. IT'LL SUPPORT PROJECTS THAT IMPROVE SAFETY, EQUITY, CLIMATE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND THAT IMPORTANT PIECE. AGAIN, THE CREATION OF JOBS. SO WORKFORCE IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE INTO GREAT CONSIDERATION, UM, WITH EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE PULL TOGETHER. A QUICK LOOK AT THE MERIT CRITERIA, UH, THESE ARE THE BOXES THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S GONNA BE LOOKING AT CLOSELY. THEY DON'T ALL HAVE TO BE CHECKED OFF, BUT THE MORE YOU'RE ABLE TO CHECK OFF THE HEALTHIER YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE, UM, AND MOVE TOWARDS WHAT A QUALITY APPLICATION SHOULD LOOK LIKE. PIVOTING OVER, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF THE BACKGROUND ON THE ROUND TABLE. DURING THE FEBRUARY ONE MEETING, THE RAISE, UH, NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED. AND SO THE GROUP LOOKED CLOSELY AT THE MERIT CRITERIA. THERE WAS AN OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POSSIBLE PROJECTS. UM, THE BROOKS TEAM, UH, LEO GOMEZ, UH, PRESENTED HIS, UH, IDEA AND HIS PROJECT FOR THE SYDNEY BROOKS RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. IT'S A $36 MILLION PROJECT FOR A COMPLETE STREET AND A LIVING LAB EV, UH, PILOT PROJECT THAT'S EMBEDDED WITHIN THE COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT. THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT IS RECOMMENDED FOR 15 MILLION, UM, OUT OF THE CURRENT BOND PROPOSAL, AND THEY HAVE AN $18 MILLION GAP. SO THEY'RE SEEKING FOR THOSE ADDITIONAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL GIVE, UH, THEM THE CLOSURE TO THAT GAP THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE. THE MAX GRANT SUBMISSION IS AT 25 MILLION, SO THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR FULL PROPOSAL TO DETERMINE THE EXACT AMOUNT TO BE SUBMITTED. SO, MORE TO COME ON ON THAT APPLICATION. WE WANTED TO PUT THIS ON YOUR PURVIEW. THIS WAS INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED WITH YOU A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOU TODAY. UM, AS YOU MAY RECALL, THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY RECEIVED $75 MILLION, UM, WHICH IS A FULL FUNDING SHARE FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF 11 MILES ALONG THE ANA APACHE MARTINEZ IN THE SAN PEDRO CREEKS. THE ORIGINAL GRANT REQUEST TO THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS WAS ABOUT 23 MILLION. UM, IN DECEMBER, WHEN THE ARMY CORPS HAD A DEADLINE TO SUBMIT THEIR WORK PLAN, THEIR ANNUAL BUDGET IN WAS MORE THAN DOUBLED BASED ON THE BILL, THE INFRASTRUCTURE ALLOTMENT THAT THEY RECEIVED. SO THEY QUICKLY HAD TO TURN AROUND A WORK PLAN. UM, I WANNA CONGRATULATE THE RIVER AUTHORITY TEAM FOR PULLING TOGETHER THEIR PROPOSAL AND SUBMITTING THEIR REQUEST. THIS IS A, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER. THE MAYOR AND THE JUDGE SIGNED A AN EXCELLENT LETTER OF SUPPORT THAT DEMONSTRATED, YOU KNOW, THE TREMENDOUS BACKING BEHIND THIS PROPOSAL. AND THE GREAT NEWS WAS THAT THE $23 MILLION REQUEST TURNED INTO A $75 MILLION, UH, GRANT AWARD. SO THAT WAS GREAT NEWS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S AN EARLY WIN UNDER THE INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING, AND WE WANTED TO PUT THAT, UM, ON YOUR RADAR AS WELL. COUPLE OF OF GREAT NEWS OPPORTUNITIES COMING OUT [00:20:01] OF VIA, THEY RECEIVED $760,000 OUT OF F T A FOR THEIR EAST-WEST, UM, A R T PLANNING PROJECT. I WANTED TO PUT THIS ON YOUR RADAR BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS MOVING FORWARD FOR US WILL BE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UH, CONVEYING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALL THE VARIOUS LAYERS OF INVESTMENTS THAT THEY'RE MAKING IN OUR COMMUNITY, TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE THE CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE'RE COMING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER'S PRODUCT PROJECTS. UM, THEY ALSO RECEIVED FROM D O T A MEDIUM HIGH RATING IN THE NEW STARTS PROGRAM FOR THEIR NORTH SOUTH, UM, A R T CORRIDOR PROJECT. THIS, UH, PUTS HIM IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION TO APPLY IN FUTURE YEARS UNDER THE C I G GRANT FOR ABOUT 138 MILLION $139 MILLION. UM, FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, THE C I G PROJECT IS A MULTI-YEAR GRANT OPPORTUNITY. HOWEVER, THIS IS DEFINITELY, UH, PUTTING VIA IN A REALLY GREAT POSITION AS AN EARLY PROJECT WITHIN THE D O T PORTFOLIO. THE ONGOING ACTIONS, UM, THAT WE WILL BE EXECUTING, UH, THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND OUR STRATEGY WILL BE MONTHLY UP UPDATES TO THE I G R COMMITTEE AS MENTIONED EARLIER, BRIEFINGS TO THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES AS NEEDED, AS WE'RE COORDINATING WITH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND THEIR TEAMS. UH, THE EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS WILL BE ONGOING EVERY TWO, THREE WEEKS AND THROUGH THE, UH, TRACKER THAT THE GA TEAM WILL BE UPDATING ON A REGULAR, AGAIN, A VERY IMPORTANT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UH, DOCUMENT THAT WILL BE A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT WE WILL BE WORKING OFF OF TO BE ABLE TO PROJECT AND ESTABLISH TIMELINES FOR THOSE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO, JUST TO KIND OF REITERATE, UH, WHAT SALLY SAID, THERE'S THERE'S THREE MAIN GUIDEPOSTS THAT WE'RE USING AS, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. ONE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE UTILIZING EXISTING PROGRAMS OR INFRASTRUCTURE OR INITIATIVES OF THE CITY. AND WE HAVE, AND WE'VE JUST COME OFF OF A NUMBER OF LARGE ONES. UH, WE WANT A NUMBER TWO, WE WANNA LEVERAGE EXISTING FUNDING, WHETHER THAT IS THE BOND PROGRAM, IT COULD BE ARPA, IT COULD BE OUR ANNUAL BUDGET, IT COULD BE FUNDING THAT WE SEE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN OTHER STREAMS. UM, AND THREE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALIGNING TO THOSE, THOSE THE ADMINISTRATION'S PRIORITIES. AS, AS SALLY LAID 'EM OUT, WE WE'RE, WE'RE IN A FORTUNATE POSITION, UM, TO HAVE JUST COME OFF OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BOND PROGRAM. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMS BELOW THE LINE. UM, WE HAVE, UH, A RECENTLY APPROVED STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN AT THE AIRPORT THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN DECEMBER, SO WE KNOW WHAT THE VISION IS THERE. UM, WE'RE GOING THROUGH ARPA RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE THE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN THAT THE COUNCIL IN THE FALL, THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH AN AMENDMENT PROCESS TO ADDRESS BOTH THINGS, UM, UH, UTILITY RELATED, BUT ALSO FLOOD CONTROL AND DRAINAGE. AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS POTENTIALLY IN THE QUEUE THAT, UH, AS I'VE TALKED TO THE STAFF, UM, THOSE ARE THE PLACES WHERE WE SHOULD BE GOING TO START TO, TO KNOCK THINGS OFF OF OUR LIST. UM, I SAW THE OTHER DAY, ANOTHER MAJOR CITY WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THEIR COUNCIL ABOUT POTENTIAL PROJECTS. WELL, THAT CITY HASN'T COME OFF OF A BOND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, AND THAT CITY HADN'T GONE THROUGH A STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE AIRPORT YET. SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PIECES IN PLACE, AND, AND I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE US, AND WE'LL BE DOING IT FROM THE STAFF SIDE, TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE, THESE LISTS OF PROJECTS THAT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT, ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT DON'T HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ADDING TO THE TOP OF THE LIST AS WE GO THROUGH THIS INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO, UM, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU, ERIC. AND, UH, THANK YOU SALLY, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I THINK VERY SUCCESSFUL, UH, PRESENTATION FOR YOUR FIRST AS DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, SO CONGRATULATIONS. WE APPRECIATE THAT. UM, ALSO, UH, THANKS TO ERIC, UH, SALLY, JEFF, THE ENTIRE TEAM FOR THE WORK TO CREATE THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY, WHICH I THINK, AS WE SAW IN THE VIDEO, HAS BEEN ALREADY RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS A MODEL. UM, AND IT'S NO SMALL FEAT. I, I DO WANT TO JUST PAUSE THERE FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE I THINK THAT, THAT THOSE COMMENTS COMING FROM MITCH LAND, ANDREW, UH, I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER PERSON TO BE, UH, IN THE POSITION THAT HE IS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, HAVING BEEN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND THEN MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS, UH, DURING THE TIME WHEN, UH, UH, NEW ORLEANS AND THE GREATER PART OF LOUISIANA WAS REBUILDING AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. SO, WE KNOW WE HAVE SOMEONE THERE FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE THAT UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, UH, AS BENEFITED BY COOPERATION [00:25:01] WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO A, A GREAT SUPPORTER AND SOMEONE WHO HAS A PROPER PERSPECTIVE IN MITCH LANDRY IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR POSITION FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. UM, THOSE COMMENTS THOUGH ARE, ARE, IN MY VIEW, AFFIRMATION OF THE APPROACH THAT WE'VE TAKEN AS AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. UH, AND YOU SPOKE ABOUT IT JUST A MINUTE AGO, ERIC. UH, THE LEVEL OF COORDINATION THAT WE'VE HAD WITH, UH, OTHER AGENCIES, WITH OUR COUNTY COUNTERPARTS, WITH BUSINESSES, WITH, UM, NON-PROFIT AND, AND FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND EVEN WITHIN OUR CITY, UH, AND I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR THE CONTINUED WORK. THAT WORK THAT WE'VE DONE ALREADY TO PUT FORWARD A COMPREHENSIVE BOND, UH, CAPITAL BOND PROGRAM TO VOTERS IN MAY IS GONNA PAY DIVIDENDS, AS IS THE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING ON THE F Y 22 OR 23 BUDGET, AS IS THE WORK WE'VE DONE ON ARPA AND CARES ACT, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. SO, ALL THAT WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TO COORDINATE AND LEVERAGE FUNDING IS GONNA PUT, CONTINUE TO PUT US IN A GREAT POSITION, PROBABLY THE BEST POSITION OF CITIES, UH, TO LEVERAGE THE, THE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS AS PART OF THE B I L. UH, THAT BEING SAID, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE TO MAINTAIN THAT LEVEL OF COORDINATION. AND WE HAVE, UH, THE VARIOUS ROUND TABLES SET UP THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY. I SEE, UH, AT LEAST TWO OF OUR CHAMBERS PRESENT, UH, OUR SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AS WELL AS OUR, AS OUR HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. AND WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH THEM VERY CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT ALL THE PARTY PARTIES AT THE TABLE, UH, TO COORDINATE PROPERLY. UM, BUT MY, MY ONLY QUESTION, UH, AS IT RELATES TO THE PRESENTATION TODAY, SALLY, UH, IS WITH REGARD TO THE RAISES GRANT, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS, UM, AND, AND WE REFLECTED TO THE D O T ON THE, ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THE MAYOR OF OF TEXAS, THAT WE WERE A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LAST ROUND OF RAISES, GRANT ALLOCATIONS, CONSIDERING THAT THERE WAS, I'M, I'M SURE, A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF QUALIFIED APPLICATIONS FROM THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT ONLY ONE AREA IN TEXAS WAS SELECTED FOR THE RAISE GRANT'S LAST ROUND. WE HAVE A NEW, UH, SELECTION THAT'S BEEN COORDINATED, AND I THINK CONSENSUS HAS BEEN REACHED IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR THAT RAISE GRANT THAT YOU PRESENTED, WHAT ELEMENTS OF THAT GRANT GIVE US CONFIDENCE THAT THIS IS GONNA BE, UH, A, PERHAPS A MORE COMPETITIVE PROPOSAL THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SUBMITTING TO, UH, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, MAYOR. SO, CURRENTLY THE BROOKS TEAM IS GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING SURE THAT THE MERIT CRITERIA THAT D O T'S GONNA BE LOOKING AT ALIGNS WITH THIS PROJECT. SO, AT QUICK GLANCE, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TAMIKA VILLE, OUR TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE BOXES ARE BEING CHECKED OFF. ADDITIONALLY, WE'RE WAITING ANY DAY NOW. WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT D O T IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO SCHEDULE THE, THE REQUEST HAS BEEN SUBMITTED FOR A DEBRIEFING OF OUR 21 APPLICATION. AND THAT INFORMATION REGARDING THE, THE TECHNICAL PIECES OF OUR 21 SUBMISSION ARE GONNA BE CRITICAL. THE APPLICATION IS DUE APRIL 14TH, SO WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON OUR SIDE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND TURN, MAKE SURE THAT IT APPLIES IN A POSITIVE MANNER TO THE APPLICATION THAT'S GONNA BE SUBMITTED IN 22. WE, TOO, AT THE STAFF LEVEL, CONVEYED, UM, OUR CONCERNS IN THE CHALLENGES, UM, THAT WE ENCOUNTERED WHEN WE IDENTIFIED THAT ONLY CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, REGION OF TEXAS, YOU KNOW, RECEIVED THOSE GRANT AWARDS. WE HAVE CONVEYED THOSE CONCERNS TO OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION AS WELL. SO I THINK, UM, THAT MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB AS WELL OF MAKING SURE AND GO OUT AND MEET WITH D O T VERY EARLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SHARE AND MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE VARIOUS FACETS OF THE APPLICATION. BUT IT WILL BE AN ONGOING PROCESS. THE APPLICATION JUST OPENED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, SO THE TEAM IS GOING THROUGH AND MAKING SURE THAT THE MERIT CRITERIA IS BEING MET. GREAT. THANK YOU, SALLY. AND, AND SINCE OUR CHAMBERS ARE HERE, UH, DO WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S GONNA BE A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT, EVEN ON THAT, AND THAT WE WILL BE, UH, SEEKING A, A CAVALRY OF FOLKS, UH, FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY TO GO UP DURING SA TO DC TO MAKE OUR CASE ON AN ONGOING BASIS. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. UM, BUT I, I WILL SAY THAT, UH, IF THERE IS A CITY THAT HAS SHOWN THAT WE CAN GET IT TOGETHER, GET IT ORGANIZED, AND SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY GONNA BE IMPORTANT AS WE SELECT THESE PROJECTS FOR SUBMISSION AT SAN ANTONIO. SO, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN, SALLY, FOR THE CONTINUED WORK. JEFF, ERIC, UH, MARIA, EVERYBODY, UH, THIS HAS BEEN GREAT WORK AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING USE. AND, AND LAST THING, UH, THE MESSAGE WAS CONVEYED VERY CLEARLY FROM, UH, MAYOR ANDREW, THAT THEY WANT TO HELP US MAKE USE OF THE RESOURCES THAT CONGRESS HAS ALLOCATED TO HELP US WITH RECOVERY. SO, UH, OUR JOB IS TO SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE AS A [00:30:01] COMMUNITY, AND I THINK WE CAN DO THAT VERY WELL. SO LET'S MOVE ON NOW TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION. WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS. THANK YOU, UH, MAKING EMPHASIS ON, UM, SOMETHING YOU MENTIONED, MAYOR, AND THAT IS THE, UH, THE PRESENCE OF THE LEADERSHIP FROM THE TWO CHAMBERS, RICHARD BETIS, AND, UM, IS MARINA HERE, OR WHO, WHO'S HERE FROM, UH, IS IT'S MARTIN. NICE TO SEE YOU, MAN. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. UM, THE, THE CHAMBERS HAVE IN THE PAST, UH, HOSTED EXCELLENT, UH, AS ESSAY TO DC YOU KNOW, PROGRAMS WHEN WE'RE THERE, RICHARD, I KNOW THAT THIS IS A VERY LONG TRADITION FOR YOU GUYS TO, UH, TAKE, UH, OPINION LEADERS AND, UM, AND, AND BUSINESS LEADERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS UP TO, UP TO DC TO ADVOCATE AND TELL SAN ANTONIO'S STORY TO THE PEOPLE WHO SOMETIMES FORGET SAN ANTONIO'S STORY. AND SO IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT WAY TO REMIND THEM. I KNOW THAT COVID HAS BEEN IMPEDING YOUR ABILITY TO GET THIS DONE SOONER THAN LATER, BUT WE'RE FINALLY, WE'RE FINALLY DOING IT. RICHARD AND I, UH, WE'VE SPOKEN, UH, ABOUT THIS. AND, UH, I THINK YOU'RE IN AGREEMENT, RICHARD, THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GET AS MUCH, UM, CITY COUNCIL PARTICIPATION UP THERE, UH, TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR ISSUE GROUPS, UM, AND TO GO AND KNOCK ON THE DOORS AT, AT THE AGENCIES AND AT THE HILL TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT THEY ACTUALLY SEE THE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES UP THERE ADVOCATING FOR THE SAME THING THAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND, UH, OTHER COMMUNITY ADVOCATES ARE, ARE ASKING FOR. UH, I THINK IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHEN THE HISPANIC CHAMBER PARTICIPATES IN THIS EVENT, UH, YOU, YOU GUYS ARE A FORCE MULTIPLIER BECAUSE YOU GUYS AREN'T JUST ANOTHER CHAMBER. UH, THE HISPANIC CHAMBER IS ALSO A CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION, UH, IN MANY RESPECTS. AND YOU GUYS ADVOCATE FOR, UH, WHEN YOU ADVOCATE YOUR VOICE, UH, SOUNDS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE GREATER CHAMBER'S, UH, YOU KNOW, VOICE. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU HELP US LAND SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THESE FEDERAL INVESTMENTS, PARTICULARLY FOR AREAS THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN UNDER INVESTED IN, RIGHT? UM, IN AND AROUND BROOKS, IN AND AROUND THE PORT, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, DRAINAGE PROJECTS. AND SO THANK YOU TO HISPANIC CHAMBER FOR ALWAYS LENDING YOUR SUPPORT. UH, MAYOR, THE, THE OTHER THING I WANNA MENTION IS THAT I, WE HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED, I THINK THIS COUNCIL, UH, AND STAFF AND, AND ERIC, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO THE LAST TWO YEARS OF THESE BIG WINDFALLS. UH, AND IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO GET UP HERE AND DEBATE OVER HOW WE'RE GOING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, SLICE THAT UP AND DIVVY THAT OUT TO THE DIFFERENT IMPORTANT, UM, PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE. BUT E ERIC, YOU, YOU HAD MADE A POINT TO ME EARLIER THAT WE NEED TO GET VERY QUICKLY, UH, STOP BEING SO ACCUSTOMED TO GETTING THESE WINDFALLS. 'CAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT MUCH MORE ON THE HORIZON. THIS MAY VERY WELL BE THE LAST WINDFALL DURING, DURING OUR TIME, UH, UP HERE ON THIS COUNCIL. UH, AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE PUSHING AS HARD AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO GET THE LAST BIG TRANCHE OF FEDERAL DOLLARS, LIKE, UH, THIS TRILLION DOLLAR PACKAGE. SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU, SALLY, UH, AS, AS YOU'RE ASSUMING THE REINS FOR THIS, FOR THIS DEPARTMENT AND, AND IN YOUR NEW ROLE, IS WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM THE COUNTY? LET'S SAY, WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM C P S, FROM SAWS, FROM OUR OTHER PARTNERS WHO HAVE THEIR OWN IN-HOUSE LOBBY SHOPS AND WHO ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, PAY OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN DC UH, WHAT DO YOU NEED THEM TO DO? AND WHAT CAN, UH, AND 'CAUSE RICHARD'S HERE, UH, WHAT CAN PRIVATE BUSINESS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HISPANIC CHAMBER, YOU'RE HERE. WHAT CAN PRIVATE BUSINESS WHO ALSO PAY FOR GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY AT DC WHAT DO THEY NEED TO DO, AND WHAT CAN THEY DO TO HELP US BE, YOU KNOW, AS FORCE MULTIPLIERS? GREAT QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. SO, I THINK THROUGH THE ROUNDTABLE PLATFORM, THAT IS THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT BRINGS ALL THE AGENCY HEADS TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AND BE ABLE TO COORDINATE AND IDENTIFY THOSE ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COORDINATION THAT NEED TO HAPPEN, UM, THAT ARE GONNA RISE OUT OF THE LOCAL COORDINATION, AND THEN GO UP TO WASHINGTON DC OR TALK TO, YOU KNOW, STATE OFFICIALS TO BE ABLE TO PULL DOWN THAT MONEY THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING. THAT NEEDS TO BE ONGOING. IT HAS TO BE A STRONG EFFORT. AFTER EVERY SINGLE OPPORTUNITY, THERE'S GONNA BE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT LOCAL AND REGIONAL SUPPORT, UH, FROM LOCAL, UH, COMMUNITY ACROSS ALL SECTORS. YOU MENTIONED THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. THAT'S GONNA BE VERY CRITICAL TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT. SO AGAIN, I THINK THE ROUNDTABLE IS A GREAT PLATFORM. THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM HAS THE I G R ROUNDTABLE AS WELL, AND THERE ARE THOSE FLY IN OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY, UM, WHO ARE THE, THE BEST PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO GO AND ADVOCATE FOR THESE OPPORTUNITIES. SO, UM, WE CANNOT UNDERSCORE WHAT THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL SUPPORT DEMONSTRATION, UM, THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN DC UM, NEEDS TO BE VERY, VERY CLEAR. SO, BUT, BUT IN TERMS OF VERY SPECIFIC AND CONCRETE ASKS, YOU KNOW, RICHARD AND, AND MARTINA, WHAT I NEED YOU GUYS TO DO IS TO GO BACK TO YOUR MEMBERS WHO PAY LOBBYISTS IN DC TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR ISSUES. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT H E B U S A A, VALERO, NEUSTAR, TACO CABANA, RIGHT? AND ALL, ALL OF THE OTHER BIG PLAYERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. [00:35:01] UM, AND, AND ASK THEM TO COORDINATE OR AT LEAST ACCEPT THE INVITATION FROM SALLY AND HER TEAM WHEN THEY CALL THEM. AND SO THAT WE CAN ALL BE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, NOT JUST S A D C, BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING, RIGHT? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ABEL MARTINEZ, FOR EXAMPLE, AND HIS TEAM AT H E B, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE GOT A, A GROUP OF NINJAS UP IN DC WHO ARE, WHO ARE WORKING, AND SO IS U S A A. THERE'S NOTHING, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH ASKING THEM TO, TO, WHEN THEY'RE HAVING THEIR MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL TO LEAVE BEHIND THE MESSAGE, HEY, DON'T FORGET, U S A A IS ALSO WATCHING, YOU KNOW, THIS RAISE GRANT APPLICATION OR THIS APPLICATION FOR, YOU KNOW, OTHER FUNDS UNDER THIS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL. AND SO, UM, RICHARD, I, I, I, I GUESS WHAT I'M ASKING YOU IS TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO ME TODAY THAT YOU'RE GONNA HELP ME DO THAT. 'CAUSE, UM, UNLESS WE GET, UNLESS WE GET THOSE BIG GORILLAS IN THE ROOM UP THERE WHO GET MEETINGS EASIER THAN SALLY SOMETIMES CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, I THINK WE'RE AT A DISADVANTAGE UNLESS THEY, UNLESS THEY WEIGH IN. AND SO I'M, I'M GONNA BE, I'M GONNA BE BOTHERING YOU ABOUT THAT GOING FORWARD. BUT SALLY, I THINK YOU'RE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB. THANKS SO MUCH. THANKS, RICHARD. THANKS, . THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE MAYOR AND ERIC AND SALLY AND ALL THE STAFF FOR THEIR TREMENDOUS WORK AND LEADERSHIP GETTING US TO THIS POINT. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. WE'RE IN A REALLY, REALLY GOOD POSITION, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT. UM, I DO HAVE SOME, UH, SOME BASIC QUESTIONS ON THE, ON THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. UM, THE ONES THAT YOU SAID, WE'VE ALL SEEN 'EM BEFORE. UM, SO, UH, COULD YOU GIMME JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND WHEN IT COMES TO THE TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS? I SEE, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT 284 BILLION, UH, SPLIT BETWEEN FORMULA AND COMPETITIVE. UH, CAN WE EXPECT THE FORMULA FUNDING TO GO THROUGH THE M P O AS IT TYPICALLY WOULD IN A, IN A TRANSPORTATION RE AUTHORIZATION BILL? ABSOLUTELY COUNCILWOMAN. SO THE MAJORITY OF THE TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS THAT WILL BE COMING OUT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE GONNA BE PASSED THROUGH THE STATE THROUGH THOSE EXISTING FORMULAS. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THE STATE, UH, TECH DOTS STARTED WORKING ON, UH, REVIEWING THOSE VARIOUS TRANSPORTATION CATEGORY CATEGORIES THAT ARE THEIR FORMULA FUNDING CATEGORIES. AND SO, UM, THERE WAS A, A BIT OF A DISCUSSION WHERE, UH, THOSE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS, THOSE PLUS UPS, ARE GONNA FLOW DOWN TO THE MPOS AS WELL. SSID, UH, UH, MARTINEZ IS PART OF THE ROUND TABLE, UM, EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE GROUP. AND SO THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM ARE GOING TO BE VERY CRITICAL. AS YOU KNOW, HE WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR TRANSPORTATION TEAM. SO WE'VE ASKED SSID, UM, TO MAKE SURE TO ALERT US AS TO WHAT THOSE PROCESSES ARE GOING TO BE. WE KNOW VERY LITTLE RIGHT NOW, WHAT, UH, TDOT IS TELLING US IS THAT THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL, UH, NEW BUDGET CYCLE TO BEGIN. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE WORKING UNDER A CONTINUING RESOLUTION AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, BUDGET, AND WE'RE WAITING FOR THAT TO BE EXTENDED INTO F Y 23. SO THAT'LL LIKELY HAPPEN IN MARCH, WHERE WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION AS TO HOW EXACTLY THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. BUT TXDOT HAS STARTED THEIR PROCESS, UM, IN PLUSING UP, UH, POSSIBLE ESTIMATES FOR THOSE INCREASES THAT WILL BE PASSED THROUGH THE M P O. OKAY. SO WE CAN EXPECT TO APPLY FOR THOSE, FOR THAT TYPE OF FUNDING THROUGH THE REGULAR, UH, CHANNEL THROUGH THE M P O CALL FOR PROJECT. THAT IS CORRECT. AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE COMPETITIVE PORTION OF THE BILL MM-HMM. , WHAT, UH, WHAT CAN WE ANTICIPATE? WOULD THAT BE AN APPLICATION DIRECTLY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, SUCH AS THE RAISE GRANT? THERE'S GONNA BE TWO VERSIONS OF IT. SO THE MAJORITY OF THE FUNDING WE WILL EXPECT IN MANY OF THOSE NEW COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITIES, WE SHOULDN'T EXPECT UNTIL THE END OF 22. MM-HMM. , UH, TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. BECAUSE THIS IS A FIVE YEAR, UH, FUNDING PROGRAM, WE'RE LOOKING AT SEEING SOME EVEN FLOW OUT AS LATE AS 23 AND 24. THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE DO SEE IN THE HORIZON IS HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT AND BEING ABLE TO INFLUENCE SOME OF THOSE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT FINAL GUIDANCE. SO PART OF THE, UH, BILL GUIDEBOOK THAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS RELEASED ALLOWS FOR A FUNCTION TO BE ABLE TO PROJECT QUARTER 1, 2, 3, ET CETERA, IN 22 AND ONWARD. SO THAT'S PART OF OUR TRACKING SYSTEM TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING THOSE, UH, CRITICAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PURSUING. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH, UH, OUR OFFICE RECENTLY, SALLY. UM, AND, AND WHEN WE SPOKE, YOU DID TALK ABOUT BELOW THE, THE LINE PROJECT MM-HMM. . SO I CAN'T, UM, LET THIS OPPORTUNITY GO BY WITHOUT ADVOCATING FOR FOR MY PROJECTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S A, A PLACE IN THIS WHOLE, UM, PROCESS, UH, FOR, FOR US TO, TO TRY TO GET THEM FUNDED. SO, UH, THEY ARE BASICALLY SIDEWALK PROJECTS THAT ENDED UP BEING IN THE HIGH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND ALL I'M LOOKING FOR IS, UH, ON, ON TWO MAIN ROADS. UM, THESE DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO, INTO THE BOND. UM, I, I [00:40:01] ASKED FOR SIDEWALKS AND IT ENDED UP BEING $17 MILLION ON A ROAD WHERE, WHERE VIA RUNS. SO I, YOU KNOW, AM LOOKING FOR THAT. I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PART OF IT'S NOT BEING FUNDED IN THE BOND, SO THAT MEANS I'M NOT LEVERAGING IT. BUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU OR ERIC CAN HELP GUIDE ME ON HOW CAN WE, UM, GET PROJECTS LIKE THESE FUNDED THROUGH THIS PROCESS? I, WELL, I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND THE PROGRAMS, UM, AND THE PROJECTS THAT BEST MEET, MEET THE PROGRAM, UH, DEFINITIONS. AND YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THOSE SIDEWALK PROJECTS. UM, THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY THROUGH M P O, UM, BUT WE'LL NEED TO WORK WITH THE M P O AND YOURSELF AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE ON THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE PRIORITIZED. UM, I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS BELOW THE LINE AND, AND, AND WE'LL NEED TO KEEP WORKING THAT ISSUE. THANK YOU. UM, MY OTHER QUESTION IS, WHAT CATEGORY CAN WE EXPECT DRAINAGE AND FLOOD CONTROL, UM, PROJECTS TO FALL UNDER? WOULD THAT BE IN THE RESILIENCY AREA? SO THERE ARE VARIOUS, UM, MOST OF THEM ARE GONNA FALL UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. UH, THERE'S ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT'S, UH, CALLED MEGA PROJECTS. IT'S A NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE GUIDANCE ON THAT ONE. BUT IT DOES INCLUDE A MULTIFACETED TYPE OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. ANOTHER ONE THAT'S MORE ON THE TRADITIONAL SIDE IS INFRA, AND WE CAN SEND YOU COUNSEL AND WE CAN FLAG THE PAGES WHERE THOSE, UH, PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS ARE CURRENTLY, BECAUSE THE NOTICE IS A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE NEW GRANTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE YET. WE'RE WAITING FOR THAT GUIDANCE TO COME OUT. BUT THE INFRA IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THOSE GRANT PROGRAMS THAT IS EXISTING OR RECURRING. AND SO THAT'LL, THOSE, FOR EXAMPLE, WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA OF, UH, WHAT EXACTLY IS EXPECTED OUT OF THESE PROPOSALS. COUNCILWOMAN, THERE'S ALSO A PROGRAM IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, UH, THE BUILDING RESILIENT, UM, BRICK, BRICK BUILDING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM IN COMMUNITIES ON FEMA AND HOMELAND SECURITY THAT, UH, WHEN THE MAYOR AND I WERE UP IN DC TALKED TO THE FEBA ADMINISTRATOR AND BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE OF OUR HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN AND THE FLOODING PRO, THE FLOODING AREAS THAT, THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED. UM, AND THAT'S ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOURCE, UM, THAT'S ALSO POTENTIALLY A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF WORKING WITH, UM, C P S, THE SAWS ON THE C E P RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, AND, AND SO, UH, THERE MAY BE, THERE MAY BE OTHERS AS WELL AS WE GO THROUGH THE BILL. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU. UM, YOU MENTIONED C P S I, I'M NOT SURE IF I REMEMBER SEEING THEM IN YOUR ROUND TABLE. ARE THEY PART OF THAT GROUP? THEY ARE. OKAY. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE POWER SET ASIDE MM-HMM. FOR THAT. UM, I, I'VE BEEN MEETING WITH MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES OVER THE PAST THREE DAYS REGARDING THE, THE C P S RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. YOU'RE NEXT, CLAYTON, YOU'RE NEXT, UH, THE, THE RAID ADVISORY COMMITTEE. AND I WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT I'VE HEARD, UM, FROM JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEM IS THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW WE GET TO, UM, TO A COAL FREE FUTURE VERY QUICKLY. AND AGAIN, I HAVE NOT TALKED TO CLAYTON YET, BUT OF EVERYONE ELSE. SO, UM, AND, UH, COUNCILWOMAN GERRAN, UH, DID SAY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO LOOK FOR THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT MIGHT HELP US DO THAT. SO I AM, UM, I HOPE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE FEASIBLE. SOME, UM, SOME LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE FOR, FOR A, A TRANSITION AWAY FROM, UM, HEAVIER FOSSIL FUELS TO, TO LESSER, UM, CARBON INTENSITY. UM, AND THEN I AM VERY, UH, I AM INTRIGUED BY THE BROOKS PROJECT THAT YOU BROUGHT FORWARD. UM, CAN, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT WERE SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT WERE ALSO ON THE SHORT LIST OF THE GROUP COUNCILWOMAN DURING THIS DISCUSSION AT THE ROUND TABLE ON FEBRUARY 1ST? THIS WAS THE ONE PROJECT, UM, THAT WAS DISCUSSED. UM, THIS IS THE PROJECT THAT BROOKS, UH, HAD IDENTIFIED IN PREVIOUS RAISES, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY'VE BEEN WANTING TO SUBMIT, UM, FROM THE CITY'S POSITION. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE SUBMITTED OUR FORMAL REQUEST TO D O T FOR THE DEBRIEF. SO WE WEREN'T PREPARED TO IDENTIFY A NEW PROJECT AND MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION TO RESUBMIT WITHOUT KNOWING ALL THE TECHNICAL, UM, LIABILITIES AND THE STRENGTHS AS WELL OF THE PREVIOUS APPLICATION THAT, AS YOU KNOW, WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. SO THIS IS THE APPLICATION THAT'S MOVING FORWARD, AND THE GROUP FROM THE ROUND TABLE AGREED TO SUPPORT IT ON, ON FEBRUARY ONE AND MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO GET A BRIEFING FROM, UH, BROOKS ABOUT HOW THEY, UH, ENVISION THAT PROJECT, UM, YOU KNOW, PANNING OUT? AGAIN, THAT WAS IN THE, IN THE DISTRICT THREE PORTION OF, OF THE BOND, SO I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH, WITH THE [00:45:01] DETAILS ON THAT. SO, AND THEN LASTLY, ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION. VERY GLAD TO SEE THAT ON THERE. MM-HMM. . UM, WILL YOU HAVE, UH, SOMEONE IN AMONG CITY STAFF TASKED WITH LOOKING AT THAT PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITY? WE JUST HAD A, A CONVERSATION ABOUT GREENFIELD AT OUR COMMITTEE, AND I KNOW, UH, COUNCILMAN AND, UH, GUESTIE ARE EXTREMELY INTERESTED. I SHOULDN'T BE SPEAKING FOR YOU. I'M REPEATING WHAT I HEARD THEM SAY AT A COMMITTEE MEETING. ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN, IN SEEING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES COME TO SAN ANTONIO AS WELL AS, AS I AM. SO, ABSOLUTELY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU SALLY AND JEFF AND, UM, THE MAYOR AND, UH, COUNCILMAN EZ FOR, FOR YOUR WORK, UH, OF ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, AND COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL ASKED ALREADY WHO THE, WHAT THE C IF C P S WAS REPRESENTED AT THE ROUND TABLE. CAN YOU TELL ME EXACTLY WHO ATTENDED OR WHO HAS ATTENDED THE ROUND TABLE? IS IT RUDY? SURE. IT'S RUDY. OKAY, GOT IT. UM, SORRY, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT HE'S GETTING THE INFORMATION BACK TO THE FOLKS BECAUSE COREY AND CHAD WERE NOT AWARE OF THE ROUND TABLE AND, UH, I, I FIGURE THEY'RE IN PRETTY IMPORTANT POSITIONS AND I, I MEET REGULARLY WITH MY RACK APPOINTEE, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT WHATEVER RUDY'S PASSING DOWN THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT. SO, SORRY. UM, COREY AND CHAD, ARE THEY RACK MEMBERS? NO, THEY'RE, UM, C F O AND I DON'T, OH, THAT'S, OH, YEAH, SORRY. OKAY. I'M SORRY. I, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH, THE OTHER TITLE. YEAH. NO, RUDY, RUDY HIMSELF HAS BEEN ENGAGED. GOT IT. ACTUALLY, AND I'LL SAY THAT FOR ALL THE AGENCIES. OKAY. THE CEOS OF ALL THOSE AGENCIES HAVE BEEN ENGAGED. PERFECT. SO I, I GUESS MY POINT IS, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK, UH, ALSO KNOW ABOUT IT. RIGHT? SO WE, WE, WE DON'T LET IT STALL. UM, THEN I HAVE A QUESTION, SALLY, HOW ARE WE WORKING ON JUSTICE 48 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION? SO I'M LOOKING AT PARTICULAR AT THE AFFORDABLE OR SUSTAINABLE HOUSING. UM, THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES THERE, UM, THAT, THAT INCREASE, UH, WELL, SORRY, THAT, THAT REDUCE DISPLACEMENT, UM, IMPROVE, UM, SOME OF THE, OBVIOUSLY THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, HOUSING QUALITY, REDUCE THE ABANDONED OR VACANT HOMES AND, UH, REDUCE COST BURDEN. SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR STRATEGY IS THERE? SURE, SURE. ABSOLUTELY. COUNCILWOMAN, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. SO, AS YOU KNOW, THE JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE IS A MAJOR PRIORITY FOR THE BIDEN HARRIS ADMINISTRATION. THEY HAVE EMBEDDED THAT INTO THEIR, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE ROLLOUT STRATEGY. SO THEY HAVE DIRECTED THE VARIOUS 11 AGENCIES THAT ARE MANAGING THESE DOLLARS TO IMPLEMENT JUSTICE 40 PRIORITIES INTO EVERYTHING THAT THEY'RE DOING. UM, WE'VE STARTED THE PROCESS HERE INTERNALLY. I HAVE SINCE THEN SHARED THE JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE AND WHAT ALL THAT COVERS. UM, AND I'VE FORGOTTEN SOME FEEDBACK FROM DOUG MELNICK, OUR SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, WHERE HE'S ALREADY IDENTIFIED ALIGNMENTS WITH THE HUD, UM, CAP IN OUR INTERNAL, UH, CAP PROGRAM. SO WE'VE STARTED THAT ANALYSIS AND THAT'LL BE ONGOING. THAT'S A PIECE THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WEAVE IN TO OUR PROPOSALS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS RECOGNIZED. THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE LESSER KNOWN INITIATIVES COMING OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT THE AGENCIES HAVE BEEN TASKED TO ENSURE, UM, THAT THIS IS PART OF THE FIBER OF ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY'RE PUSHING OUT IN ALL THEIR WORK. SO THANKS FOR IDENTIFYING THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU SALLY. 'CAUSE ANOTHER COMPONENT IS THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OF IT. SO THIS MORNING I WAS ON A CALL, UM, IT, IT WAS THE, THE GREATER CHAMBER HOSTED THIS, OR SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER HOSTED THIS, UM, TYLER, UH, STRAIGHT FROM BOEING WAS LEADING IT. AND THEY HAD A PANEL OF FOLKS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN AEROSPACE. I'M ALSO ON THE D HOWARD FOUNDATION. WE HAVE A RETREAT THIS WEEK, AND I'VE BEEN PREPPING FOR IT. UM, AND I NOTICED THAT THERE'S A RETIREMENT AGE, SO THERE WE'RE ABOUT TO LOSE 60% OF THE FOLKS CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN THE AEROSPACE AND AGE, UM, INDUSTRY IN SAN ANTONIO. SO WE'RE MILITARY CITY, U S A, WE PROBABLY LOSE, UH, SOME OF THE CAPITALIZE ON SOME OF THE MOMENTUM FOR THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AIR FORCE TO GET KIDS REENGAGED. RIGHT. AND WANTING TO DO AEROSPACE AND LEARN ABOUT IT. UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT THE JUSTICE 40 THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON. MM-HMM. , THOSE TWO ARE THE ONES THAT I'M MOSTLY FAMILIAR WITH, AND THAT'S WHY I WAS VERY, UM, SPECIFIC. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE ADVOCATING CLEARLY AND WHEN WE GO TO SA TO DC THAT WHOEVER IT IS IS ON THAT HOUSING COMMITTEE OR WHOEVER IT IS, IS, I THINK I'M ON THE AEROSPACE ONE ACTUALLY. UM, TH THAT THEY'RE FULLY AWARE OF WHAT THE ASK WOULD BE AND IF WE CAN, UM, ADVOCATE FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING, I THINK WE NEED TO PREP FOR, FOR THAT. SO, UM, THANK YOU SALLY, FOR, FOR ADDING THAT. UM, ACTUALLY, I THINK THOSE ARE MY ONLY, MY ONLY QUESTIONS. I THINK YOU ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER KEEO HDA, AND THANK YOU MAYOR. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION, SALLY, AND THANKS TO OUR MAYOR FOR GETTING THAT SIGNIFICANT SHOUT OUT FROM MAYOR LANDRO. UH, LANDRO. I ALWAYS APPRECIATE WHEN [00:50:01] WE AS A CITY, AS A COUNCIL, AS A COMMUNITY COME TO THE TABLE PREPARED AND READY TO WORK. SO I'M GRATEFUL MAYOR LANDRO SEES US AS SUCH. UM, I'D LIKE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON INFRASTRUCTURE. THE, UH, SPECIFICALLY THE EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE, YOU SHOWED A GRAPHIC WITH SOME AGENCIES PARTICIPATING IN THE ROUND TABLE. IS THAT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST RIGHT NOW OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO BRING IN ANY, UM, ANY EXPANSION TO INCLUDE COMMUNITY GROUPS? THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. SO THAT SNAPSHOT THAT I SHARED, THAT IS THE CURRENT PARTICIPATION. THOSE ARE THE CURRENT CEOS THAT ARE PARTAKEN. I MENTIONED IN MY PRESENTATION THAT, UM, AS ADDITIONAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAY SPREAD OUT INTO OTHER AREAS, A POSSIBLE ONE THAT MIGHT COME DOWN THE QUEUE MIGHT BE THE EDUCATION PARTNERS. UM, I MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME RESEARCH, UH, PILOT OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL THAT, UH, POTENTIALLY WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT OUR EDUCATION PARTNERS HIGHER ED IN PARTICULAR, WOULD BE, UH, WANTING TO PURSUE. SO THAT IS COMING WAY DOWN THE PIPE. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE DIDN'T INCLUDE THEM AT A LATER DATE AND NOT NECESSARILY NOW WHEN MOST OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEING SHARED IS AROUND INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION. OKAY. I WAS LOOKING, I THINK, I GUESS IT'S SLIDE SIX WHERE WE TALK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS. THERE'S 11 BILLION. UM, UNDER SAFETY IS SAFETY, WHAT ALL DOES THAT ENTAIL? I'M THINKING PEDESTRIAN AND, AND BIKE IMPROVEMENTS. THERE IS. OKAY. I MEAN, THIS IS A VERY MAJOR CATEGORY. THE MAJORITY OF THE FUNDING IS GONNA BE COMING OUT OF THE U SS D O T AGENCY. UM, SO IT DOES, IT INCLUDES, UH, POTENTIALLY THE, YOU KNOW, SAFE, SAFE STREETS TO SCHOOL AND, AND MANY OF THE OTHER COMPLETE STREETS PROJECTS THAT TRADITIONALLY COME OUT OF D O T. SO WE CAN SEND YOU ADDITIONAL DETAILS THAT JUST FOCUS UNDER THE SAFETY UMBRELLA. OKAY. AND, AND MAYBE IN THE EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE, WE CAN INCLUDE SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT HAVE ADVOCATED FOR, UM, PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE SAFETY. SURE. UM, ALSO THE, THE COUNSEL, I JUST WANNA MAKE ONE POINT ON THE, THE ROUND TABLE IS GENERALLY MADE UP OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS, THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD BE APPLYING FOR PARTICULAR GRANTS. OKAY. SO THERE WILL BE A LOT OF DISCUSSION WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND THEY'RE ALREADY BUILT INTO THE EXISTING PROGRAMS THAT THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED. BUT THE INTENT FOR THE ROUND TABLE ISN'T TO HAVE NECESSARILY PUBLIC INPUT AT THAT POINT. IT'S FOR THE, THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD BE APPLYING TO BE COORDINATING AMONGST EACH OTHER AND DECIDING WHO'S DOING WHAT AND NOT COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER. SO WHEN IS THE TIME FOR PUBLIC INPUT? WELL, A LOT OF, AS, AS ERIC MENTIONED, A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA RELY ON ARE THE EXISTING PROGRAMS. SO THE CLIMATE ACTION PLANS ALREADY HAD, ITS, ITS PUBLIC INPUT. THE BOND PROGRAMS ALREADY HAD ITS INPUT. UM, WE WILL BE, OF COURSE, TALKING TO THE I G R COMMITTEE REGULARLY, UM, EVERY MONTH. AND ANY APPLICATION THAT THE CITY PUTS FORWARD WILL HAVE TO COME TO FULL COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION AS WELL. SO WITHIN THAT WILL BE A, A DIALOGUE, UH, WITH THE PUBLIC. OKAY. I, I, I WOULD ASK, UM, THAT MAYBE WE CONSIDER RUNNING SOME OF THIS THROUGH THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE JUST BECAUSE IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, WHAT ARE WE SAYING? WHAT'S THE TOTAL AMOUNT FOR TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT? 2 84, 280 4 BILLION. UM, SO I THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH IT, YOU KNOW, HELPFUL TO RUN IT THROUGH OUR, OUR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE TOO. AND ON THAT SAME NOTE, HOW DOES N P O UM, FACTOR INTO THIS? I THINK YOU SAID M P O WOULD GET SOME FUNDING, AM I RIGHT? UM, SURE. SO, UH, THE LION'S SHARE OF THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING WILL BE PASSED THROUGH, THROUGH TDOT THROUGH THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND SO THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS DOWN TO THE M P O. SO THE MPOS WILL SEE THOSE PLUS UPS THAT THE STATE WILL SEE AS WELL. OKAY. SO THE M P O WILL HELP TO ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS. MM-HMM. ? CORRECT. UM, I THINK THOSE ARE MY MAJOR QUESTIONS. UM, THERE, I, SO I SIT ON A, UM, ON SAMCO AND WE HAVE A, A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT'S CALLED KEEP PLANNING PROJECTS, AND I'M CHAIRING THAT COMMITTEE. AND WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND ARE PROJECTS THAT, AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT FUNDED, BUT THEY COULD FACILITATE SOME OF THE FUNDED BIGGER PROJECTS, SORT OF CONNECTORS. AND WE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS LIST FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW, AND I WONDER IF THERE'S A PLACE THAT WE CAN BRING THIS LIST TO, TO THIS FUNDING BECAUSE IT NOT ONLY WOULD HELP THIS CONNECTOR, UM, IDENTIFYING THESE CONNECTOR PROJECTS, BUT IT WOULD HELP ACCELERATE THE ALREADY FUNDED PROJECTS. SO, UM, IS THERE A SPACE FOR THAT? SO COUNCILMAN VIC BOYER SITS, UM, WITH ERIC ON THE ROUNDTABLE GROUP. OKAY. SO HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM AND IDENTIFYING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO BRING THAT TO THE ROUNDTABLE PLATFORM. WONDERFUL. OKAY. UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, BEING INNOVATIVE AND, UH, USING ALL THE, UH, THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AT OUR DISPOSAL. I'D ALSO LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DOWN THE ROAD, BUT LIKE TO [00:55:01] SEE PLANS AND THINKING HOW WE CAN, UH, PROVIDE IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY TO, UM, OUR COMMUNITY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. I'M SURE THAT WILL BE A PART OF THESE CONVERSATIONS AS WELL. UM, AND I'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILS MEMBER KIO HDA, ACCOUNTS MEMBER VIA GRANT. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU TEAM. THANK YOU SALLY, FOR YOUR FIRST PRESENTATION. I REALLY APPRECIATED THE PICTURES, UH, THAT YOU ADDED TO, OR WHOEVER ADDED TO THE PRESENTATION. 'CAUSE IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE MAKING DECISIONS THAT HAVE TO TAKE HEAD SHOTS LIKE WE DO. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT . UM, SO THE FIRST ISSUE IN TERMS OF, UM, THE $65 BILLION IN DIGITAL. SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, AND ANDY CAN STOP ME IF I'M MOVING OVER, BUT I REALLY THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR BROADBAND, WE NEED TO MAKE THAT A PRIORITY BECAUSE OF ITS IMPACT ON DISTRICTS 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE, AND OTHER AREAS OF TOWN THAT HAVE, UH, KIND OF DARK SPOTS OR BLOCK SPOTS. BUT I REALLY BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR THAT CHAMPIONS THAT. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, IT'S OUR INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR THAT IS CHAMPION CHAMPIONING THAT CAUSE AND THAT, UH, WE, WE GET SOMETHING, UH, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER ON HOW WE CAN INTEGRATE ALL THE GROUPS WE HAVE WITHIN THIS CITY THAT CARE ABOUT DIGITAL, UH, AND NOT JUST IN DISTRICTS 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE, BUT CITYWIDE AND EVEN REGIONALLY, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US. BUT I FEEL LIKE WE'RE A LITTLE BEHIND THE CURVE WHERE THAT IS, UH, IN TERMS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE. SO I WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT AND THAT ERIC IS TAKING THE, TAKING THE LEAD. THE OTHER THING WHEN IT COMES TO BROOKS, UH, SIDNEY BROOKS, ARE WE STRESSING THAT THIS USED TO BE A MILITARY BASE, UH, IN OUR APPLICATION PROCESS? ABSOLUTELY. COUNCILWOMAN. THAT'S DEFINITELY ONE OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE THINK IS GONNA MAKE THIS PROPOSAL, UM, EVEN STRONGER. THERE'S THE WORKFORCE COMPONENT AS WELL THAT IS BEING LOOKED AT, UM, VERY CLOSELY IN SAN ANTONIO, BEING MILITARY CITY, U S A, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THE MILITARY FOOTPRINT, THE CONNECTIONS THERE, THE WORKFORCE LINKAGES, AS WELL AS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPACT. AND AGAIN, THE MILITARY FOOTPRINT THAT EXISTS IN SAN ANTONIO. AND I KNOW THE TEAM PRESENTED, I THINK, WAS IT TO GOVERNANCE OR, UH, I, I G R I G R. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. SO IF, IF ANYBODY, UH, ALSO WANTS TO HEAR FROM LEO. I'M SURE HE'D BE HAPPY TO DO THAT BECAUSE I REALLY THINK WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MODEL HERE WHERE WE CAN POSSIBLY SEEK GRANTS FOR OUR OTHER AREAS OF TOWN THAT, THAT KIND OF HAVE THAT, UM, THAT SAME, UH, DESIRE TO GROW THAT WAY. UH, SO THANK YOU. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THAT WAS HAPPENING. UH, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE BEFORE YOU LEAVE IS, UM, I KNOW THAT THE WEST SIDE CREEK PROJECTS, I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THEIR, UH, THAT THE GRANT THAT THEY RECEIVED. UH, WHAT ABOUT THE SATO CREEK GREENWAY AND MISSION REACH? ARE WE GOING TO LOOK AT OTHER CREEKWAY PROJECTS TO TRY AND, UM, APPLY FOR THAT WITH THE ARMY CORPS, UH, NEXT TIME AROUND? WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILWOMAN, AND I DON'T HAVE THE, THE ANSWER TO THAT. WE CAN CERTAINLY CHECK IN WITH THE RIVER AUTHORITY. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY, UH, IF JEFF HAS SOME INFORMATION THAT WE MAY HAVE GOTTEN FROM DEREK OR THE TEAM, UH, WE CAN CERTAINLY CHECK BACK AND GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION. AND JUST IF WE CAN BE MINDFUL TO KEEP THAT, THAT COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH THE RIVER AUTHORITY THAT THEY'RE, THAT WE'RE PUSHING THEM EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THIS WAS A WINDFALL AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. BUT NOW, NOW I WANT THEM TO DO IT EVERY TIME, . SO THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS REGARDING, UM, SO VIA HAS RECEIVED THEIR GRANT, UH, FOR THE EAST WEST, UH, ADVANCED TRANSIT PLANNING. ARE WE PLANNING, ARE WE LOOKING INTO WITH THE ROUND TABLE AND IN MEETINGS TO KIND OF EXPAND THAT EAST WEST, UM, CORRIDOR AND PLANNING AS WE MOVE FORWARD? SO THAT HAS NOT BEEN DISCUSSED YET. UH, WE DO HAVE, OF COURSE, JEFF ARNT AS PART OF THE ROUND TABLE. SO THAT COULD BE A FUTURE DISCUSSION. PERHAPS CONSISTENT WITH THE COMMENTS BEFORE ABOUT STICKING WITH OUR EXISTING PLANS. RIGHT NOW, I THINK WHAT V IS FOCUSED ON IS WHAT THEY HAVE PLANNED OUT FOR THAT EAST, WEST, NORTH, SOUTH CORRIDOR. IF THERE ARE FUTURE PLANS TO BUILD UPON THAT, [01:00:01] I THINK THAT, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT NECESSARILY WILL HAPPEN AT THE ROUND TABLE. THAT'LL BE THE LOCAL PLANNING EFFORT THAT WE CAN THEN UTILIZE TO GO PURSUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR. BUT THEY'VE GOT PLANS ON THE BOOKS FOR NORTH, SOUTH, EAST WEST. WE HAVE EVERY INTENT TO TRY TO LAYER IN OPPORTUNITIES TO TIE POTENTIALLY AIRPORT, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS THAT WE GET TO THE NORTH SOUTH, UH, CONNECTION WITH VIA. BUT, BUT THAT, I THINK IT WOULD HAPPEN AT THE LOCAL LEVEL BEFORE, UM, BEFORE TAKING IT TO A FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE PURSUIT. THANK YOU. AND ERIC, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED WE ALREADY HAD PROJECTS THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT. UH, IS, DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE OF WHEN YOU'RE GONNA SEND THOSE OVER TO US TO LOOK AT WHAT DISTRICTS THEY'RE IN, UM, WHAT MAY HAVE CHANGED, UM, HOW WE CAN ADD DIGITAL TO THAT? UH, DO WE HAVE A TIMELINE YET? WELL, THOSE, WE CAN COMPILE THAT, UM, WE CAN COMPILE THAT FOR YOU. A LOT OF THAT IS GONNA BE, IS GOING TO DICTATE AND BE BASED ON, UH, WHEN THOSE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES BECOME AVAILABLE, UH, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. UM, AS FAR AS DIGITAL, I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD PLAN HERE LOCALLY ALREADY, UM, THAT HAS IDENTIFIED THOSE AREAS OF THE COUNTY WHERE THAT DIVIDED, UM, EXISTS. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD IN WASHINGTON DC. THE FIRST STEP IS GONNA BE MAKING SURE THAT SA DIGITAL CONNECTS. UM, AND THE CITY, UH, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, ARE ENGAGED IN THE REVIEW OF THE RELEASE OF THOSE MAPS THAT WILL BE COMING OUT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. UM, AND WE'LL NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COORDINATE WITH THE STATE. I THINK WE'VE GOT A GOOD, I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD, UM, UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THE GAPS ARE AT. WE WE'RE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF EVERYBODY ELSE. THE OTHER, THE OTHER KEY PART OF THAT IS GONNA BE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS, UM, AND, AND AS WE PURSUE THINGS LIKE THE DIGITAL EQUITY GRANT THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND WHAT TYPE OF PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE IN PLACE WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDERS AT AND T SPECTRUMS GOOGLE FIBER, BECAUSE THEY, THEY WILL UNDOUBTEDLY NEED TO BE PART OF THIS APPLICATION PROCESS IN ORDER TO SERVE THE PUBLIC. AND I KNOW MOST OF THEM ARE CHAMBER MEMBERS. SO I'M LOOKING AT MY CHAMBER REPRESENTATION TO, TO KIND OF HELP ALONG WITH THAT PROCESS BECAUSE I THINK AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDER, WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION HOW EVERYTHING'S MOVING DIGITAL, UM, AND ONLINE AND VIA APPS. UM, UH, THE, AND THE OTHER THING I DID WANNA SAY IS I BELIEVE THERE IS A, A, TO ECHO WHAT COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL SAID IS I BELIEVE THERE ARE GONNA BE FEDERAL FUNDS OUT THERE, UH, FOR THE ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY. AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO DO ALL WE CAN TO TRY AND GET THIS CITY TO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. SO IT'S, IT'S WHY I WANT TO BE PART OF, UM, THE CONVERSATION THAT C P S IS HAVING WITH THE RAC AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT OR KEEP C P SS BECAUSE THAT'S THE ENTITY, UH, UH, ON TRACK FOR THAT ALSO. SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOMETHING WE DON'T HAVE TOO MANY DETAILS FOR, BUT WE HAVE JUST ENOUGH TO GET STARTED. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. SALLY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION. THAT'S GREAT. AND WE GOT MORE MONEY COMING, I GUESS, RIGHT? MAN, MONEY JUST KEEPS FALLING OUT OF THE SKY HERE FOR SAN ANTONIO, RIGHT? WELL, UM, UH, I JUST HOPE THAT OUR PROCESSES IS ABLE TO, UH, ABSORB THIS AND BE ABLE TO BE POSITIONED FOR THIS. AND WHAT TWEAKED MY INTEREST IN THIS WAS THAT RAISE GRANT THAT WE PUT IN. WE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL WITH THAT, BUT IT, AS WAS MENTIONED, IT WAS RUN THROUGH THE I G R, UH, AND I'M ON THE I G R. AND, UH, LOOKING BACK ON IT, I SAID, NOW I SAY, OKAY, I KIND OF SEE WHY IT WENT I G R BECAUSE IT'S A GRANT APPLICATION, BUT REALLY IT SHOULD HAVE COME THROUGH THE TRANSPORTATION, UH, COMMITTEE. AND, UH, I, I'M HEARING ABOUT THIS ROUND TABLE. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, UH, WHY THAT'S GETTING INVOLVED IN THIS. WE HAVE A LONG LAUNDRY LIST OF REQUIREMENTS HERE IN THIS CITY. IN FACT, WE'VE GOT $6.6 BILLION WORTH OF REQUIREMENTS. SO, UH, I, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THIS AND I'M SAYING WE'VE GOT A COMMITTEE THAT WORKS WITH THIS ALREADY. UH, WE SHOULD BE USING OUR COMMITTEE, UM, AND HOW WE ALIGN OURSELVES FOR, UM, THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING THIS ADDITIONAL MONEY EITHER THROUGH OUR LOCAL PUBLIC WORKS OR THROUGH THE M P O. WE'VE GOT SEVERAL MEMBERS ON THIS COUNCIL THAT SIT ON THE M P O, [01:05:01] AND, UH, WE KNOW WHAT'S ON THE TIP. WE KNOW WHEN THINGS ARE COMING UP TO BE FUNDED, AND, UH, WE CAN HELP REPRIORITIZE ANY TIME THAT WE HAVE OUR M P O MEETINGS UP THERE SAYING, HEY, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO REALIGN THIS OR REALIGN THAT, AS WELL AS HERE AT THE CITY LEVEL, UH, THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS. AND, UH, I, I LOOK AT THIS, AND I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR FIVE YEARS ON THE M P O, WHY CAN'T WE GET OUT IN FRONT OF THE HEADLIGHTS A LITTLE BIT AND SPEND MORE MONEY ON THE DESIGNS OF SOME OF THESE PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA DO AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, INSTEAD OF WAITING, UM, MUCH LATER TO GET THAT PROCESS MOVING, BE READY, GET 'EM SITTING ON THE SHELF, GET 'EM, GET 'EM READY TO GO FOR CONTRACTING. AND I'M KIND OF LOOKING AT THE SAME THING HERE IN THE CITY. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN, UM, UH, FUND DESIGNS UP FRONT ON THOSE PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THAT WHOLE PROCESS TO PLAY OUT AND, UH, FINALLY GET THE FUNDS AND THEN GET STARTED WITH THE DESIGN, AND THEN, THEN GET THE PROJECTS GOING SOMEHOW? I, I THINK WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO, UH, EVEN WITH BOND MONEY OR, OR OUR GENERAL FUND EVERY YEAR IS SET ASIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY TO GET THOSE DESIGNS GOING BOTH ON, ON STREETS AND DRAINAGE AND OTHER CITY FACILITIES HERE, UH, TO GET 'EM ON THE SHELF, GET 'EM READY TO GO. UM, I THINK INDUSTRY WOULD SUPPORT THAT. AND, UM, UH, IT WOULD CERTAINLY PUT US IN A BETTER POSITION IF AND WHEN ADDITIONAL MONEY COMES OUT. THIS, WHO KNOWS IF THIS IS GONNA BE A ONE-TIME DEAL COMING FROM, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE MIGHT GET MORE IN THE FUTURE, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD POSITION OURSELVES EVERY YEAR AND HAVE THINGS SITTING ON THE SHELF READY TO GO, WHETHER IT'S AT THE M P O OR HERE LOCALLY, UH, TO BE READY TO SPEND IT. JUST LIKE EVERY YEAR, WE, WE SEEM TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WHETHER IT'S C P S GIVING US ADDITIONAL MONEY OR PROPERTY TAXES HAVE GIVEN US MORE THAN WHAT OUR BUDGET, UM, FORECASTED. AND, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF JUST CARRYING THAT FORWARD, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE ARE TAX DOLLARS THAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, HEY, WE WANNA SEE SOME ACTION WITH THOSE TAX DOLLARS. UM, SO I, I WOULD REALLY RECOMMEND THAT WE STICK WITH OUR EXISTING PROCESSES OF OUR COMMITTEES, RUN IT THROUGH THOSE COMMITTEES, AND ALSO TRY TO POSITION OURSELVES FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES TO, UH, GET SOME OF THIS INFRASTRUCTURE FIXED. AND I, I SAY THIS YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT, UH, WE GOT A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS. WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET ENOUGH RESOURCES. BUT HERE IN THIS INSTANCE WHERE WE'RE GETTING ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDS, LET'S LET'S POSITION OURSELVES UP FRONT AND GET, BE FIRST TO THE TROUGH. THAT'S, THAT'S HOW YOU GET A MAJOR PORTION OF, OF THIS, UH, UH, MONEY COMING OUT. SO, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF MY COMMENTS. OH, F STREETS, WOW, WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, MAKE A DENT ON F STREETS WITH SOME OF THIS MONEY. UM, BUT AGAIN, YOU GOTTA HAVE THE DESIGNS, DESIGNS DONE ON THAT. UM, UH, AGAIN, I I, I JUST KEEP LOOKING AT THAT NUMBER, $6.6 BILLION WORTH OF REQUIREMENTS HERE. LET'S GET OUT IN FRONT AND HAVE THAT STUFF SITTING ON A SHELF READY TO GO. UM, CAN ALWAYS TWEAK IT AND CHANGE IT IN THE FUTURE IF THOSE CHANGES ARE WARRANTED. BUT, UM, LET'S GET OUT IN FRONT OF THE HEADLIGHTS A LITTLE BIT ON THIS. UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SALLY. MAYOR. JUST A QUICK, UM, LET, LET ME, LET ME RESPOND TO A COUPLE OF THOSE THINGS THAT COUNCILMAN PERRY BROUGHT UP. YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE, THE REASON WHY THE EX, WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES COMPETING WITH OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THESE FEDERAL GRANTS. AND, AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE'VE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THEY DON'T WANT TO, THEY DON'T WANNA SEE, UH, UH, AN APPLICATION FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO BROOKS AND, UH, THE M P O ALL COMPETING FOR THE SAME DOLLAR. SO IT'S MEANT TO BE A COORDINATING AGENCY OR A COORDINATING GROUP, AND FRANKLY, TO LEVERAGE EACH OTHER, UM, FROM, FROM A SUPPORT STANDPOINT. SOMETIMES THESE AGENCIES, LIKE THE RIVER AUTHORITY AND SALLY MENTIONED IT, THEY, THEY, THEY SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATION AND THEN THEY'RE OVER HERE LOOKING FOR A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM THE MAYOR. AND WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I MEAN, THAT'S THE PAST. SO THE IDEA IS TO COORDINATE. IT'S NOT TO BE THE GATEKEEPER. UM, UM, THINGS THAT WE DO OVER HERE AT THE CITY HAVE GOT A PROCESS THEY'RE GONNA GO THROUGH. THEY, THEY GOTTA COME TO YOU GUYS FOR APPROVAL. YOU, YOU APPROVE GRANTS FOR, UM, TEENAGE PREGNANCY DOLLARS TO THE STATE, ALL THE WAY TO INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS. SO IT'S NOT MEANT [01:10:01] TO, TO DIVERT, UM, AND TAKE AWAY FROM THAT. NUMBER TWO, THE REASON WHY WE SHOULD BE COORDINATING IS BECAUSE IF THERE'S ANYBODY HERE THAT'S MORE AWARE OF THE $6 BILLION WORTH OF NEED THAT WE HAVE, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE AIRPORT, IT'S ME. AND SO, YEAH, I, I NEED TO BE PART OF THAT. AND, AND, UM, I THINK WE'RE, AGAIN, WE'RE AT AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE WE KNOW, I KNOW THAT BROADWAY, THE DRAINAGE OF BROADWAY AND AUSTIN HIGHWAY DID NOT GET SOLVED IN THE BOND PROGRAM. UM, I AM PROBABLY BETTER SUITED OR BETTER POSITIONED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH BUDDY KON IN ALMA HEIGHTS, THROUGH A POTENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AND ACOG THAN ANYBODY ELSE. AND SO I KNOW THOSE TYPES OF PROJECTS IN EVERY ONE OF YOUR DISTRICTS. UM, THE, THE, THE ISSUE ABOUT DESIGN, AND I THINK THAT'S A POLICY CONVERSATION FOR THE COUNCIL. UM, I, THERE ARE CITIES THAT HAVE GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE THEY SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON DESIGN AND NO MONEY ON ACTION. SO I THINK IT'S A BALANCE. UM, I WOULD BE, UM, OPEN TO HAVING CONVERSATIONS AT THE STAFF LEVEL ABOUT DOING SOME PRELIMINARY DESIGN WORK, BUT NOT, NOT JUST TO PUT IT ON THE SHELF, BECAUSE THEN, THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A BALANCE BETWEEN MAKING SURE WE'RE PUTTING MONEY INTO PRODUCTION, ACTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, AND NOT TOO MUCH INTO DESIGN THAT JUST SITS THERE, UM, AND WAITS FOR THE 2027 BOND PROGRAM. THERE, THERE, THERE'S PROBABLY A BALANCE, AND I'M OPEN TO THAT AND MORE THAN WILLING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU. BUT, UM, OUR, OUR PHILOSOPHY HERE HAS BEEN NOT TO, UM, UM, NOT TO DO TOO MUCH OF THAT BECAUSE IT FRANKLY SETS AN EXPECTATION OF THE PUBLIC THAT WE HAVE SOLVED THE, THE, THE, THE ISSUE BECAUSE WE'VE DESIGNED IT. BUT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE $25 MILLION WE NEED TO CONSTRUCT IT. AND I DON'T, I WANNA BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. PART OF THE, PART OF THE MANTRA BEHIND OUR BOND PROGRAM IS THAT BY THE TIME THE VOTERS SHOW UP TO, TO VOTE ON THE NEXT BOND PROGRAM, THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE PROJECTS, UM, 90, 90 PLUS PERCENT ARE EITHER DONE OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, THAT'S THE CREDIT TO THE COUNCIL AND THE STAFF THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT GETS, UM, UM, WORK DONE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. I'LL CHIME BACK IN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. LET'S SEE. AND THANK YOU, SALLY, AND TEAM, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN PUTTING IN FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, THERE'S GREAT CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE GOING ON, AND, UH, MY COLLEAGUE DR. ROCHA, TOUCHED ON A KEY POINT, RIGHT? THAT HOUSING IS INFRASTRUCTURE AND THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WE HAVE THIS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD IN THE NATION BY DECARBONIZING AND RETROFITTING OUR PUBLIC HOUSING. IT CHECKS ALL THE BOXES WHEN IT COMES TO SMART GROWTH. UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, WHERE THEY'RE POSITIONED, THE PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS, UM, IT IS IN TRANSIT CORRIDORS, AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHIP, CHIP AWAY AND STEER THAT STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, SHIP INTO THE RIGHT DIRECTION DRASTICALLY. UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, ARE PUBLIC HOUSING RENOVATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR THIS FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING COUNCILWOMAN? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UH, THERE ARE SOME PIECES OF SOME FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH YOU. I DON'T REMEMBER THEM RIGHT NOW. THE LION'S SHARE FOR HOUSING AND FOR PUBLIC HOUSING IS GONNA BE IN THE, UH, BILL THAT HASN'T PASSED YET, WHICH IS A BUILD BACK BETTER PLAN THAT WE'RE TRACKING, UH, VERY CLOSELY. THAT IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE SISTER INFRASTRUCTURE BILL THAT THE BIDEN HARRIS ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO GET PASSED THAT STALLED, UM, AT THE CONGRESSIONAL LEVEL, OF COURSE, BECAUSE THEY HAD TO PIVOT TO FOCUS ON THEIR F Y 23 CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET. BUT THERE ARE SOME PIECES THAT, UH, PUBLIC HOUSING ENTITIES CAN APPLY FOR, UH, IN PARTICULAR UNDER GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT PERHAPS WE CAN LOOK AT AND SHARE WITH YOU. ABSOLUTELY. AND IT INCLUDES CREATING GREEN UNION JOBS, RIGHT? SO IT, IT'S EVERYTHING PACKAGED TOGETHER AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A NEW DEAL FORCE SAN ANTONIO, IF WE WERE TO TAKE THIS APPROACH. SO I'D APPRECIATE A BRIEFING AS WELL ON THE, WHAT WE'RE LOBBYING FOR, FOR THE BUILD BACK BETTER PLAN. IF WE CAN COORDINATE THAT, I'D APPRECIATE THAT. UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT LOOKING AT BELOW THE ITEM BOND ITEMS TO SUPPORT WITH THIS POTENTIAL FUNDING. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IN DISTRICT FIVE, WE HAVE THE RIO BRIDGE PROJECT, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 32 MILLION. AND WITH THIS PAST BOND, WE SECURED ADDITIONAL FUNDING, RIGHT? BUT WE'RE SLOWLY CHIPPING AWAY, AND IF WE'RE GONNA WAIT EVERY FIVE YEARS, IT'S GOING TO BE SOME TIME BEFORE WE ADDRESS SOME OF THESE INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, PROJECTS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, LOOKING AT SOME OF THE APPROVED, UH, RACES, PROJECTS, IT INCLUDES BRIDGES. UM, SO I THINK IF WE CAN LOOK AT THAT ROUTE POTENTIALLY, UM, THAT IT IS MULTIMODAL, [01:15:01] UM, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIO BRIDGE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS THE PORT, RIGHT? SO I THINK IT'S INTERCONNECTED, IT INCLUDES UNION PACIFIC, UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE STRATEGIC AND INNOVATIVE WITH THESE SOLUTIONS. BUT LOOKING AT THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE IN PHASE TWO, BUT STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO BE FULLY FUNDED, UM, WOULD BE GREAT FOR US TO CONTINUE TO CHIP AWAY AT THESE LARGE PROJECTS THAT ALMOST SEEM IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO KNOCK OUT. UM, BUT, UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE KBRA ROAD PROJECT'S ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE. IT GOES ACROSS SEVERAL DISTRICTS AND, AND, AND IT'S AN EXPENSIVE PROJECT. SO I THINK THAT CORRIDOR PROJECT'S ANOTHER AVENUE THAT WE SHOULD POTENTIALLY PRIORITIZE TO JUST KNOCK IT OUT. UM, AND AGAIN, RIGHT, IT'S MULTIMODAL, IT'S GREEN, IT'S NEAR TRANSIT CORRIDOR, UM, IT'S CHECKING ALL THESE BOXES. COUNCIL, WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT? WHICH CORRIDOR? UH, THE CULEBRA PROJECT. KBRA PROJECT, OKAY. MM-HMM. . YES. AND, UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, THE REMEDIATION WAS BROUGHT UP. I KNOW WITHIN QUINTANA, THE SOUTH SIDE PART OF DISTRICT FIVE, THERE'S LOTS OF CONCERNS ABOUT SOIL CONTAMINATION. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE POINTED TO, UM, CASES OF CANCER AND RESPIRATORY ISSUES, UM, AND CONCERNS WITH, YOU KNOW, VACANT PROPERTY AND PUBLIC PROPERTY. UM, SO I THINK IF WE CAN GO AFTER THAT FUNDING, THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO, AGAIN, CHIP AWAY AT THESE VERY EXPENSIVE NEEDS. UM, BUT OTHER THAN GETTING A BRIEFING ON THE BUILD BACK BETTER PLAN, UM, ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE TO, UM, PRIORITIZE THESE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE BOLD AND INNOVATIVE, AND THEY'RE POSSIBLE, RIGHT? BUT IT JUST TAKES US GOING UP THERE LOBBYING AND PUTTING THAT PLAN FORWARD. UM, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, SO THANK Y'ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, THIS IS SUPER EXCITING. I'M, UH, I'M EXCITED ABOUT ALL THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING, AND THIS IS A CRAZY, CRAZY HISTORIC YEAR. UM, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT, AND IT'S, IT'S GREAT FOR BROOKS, AND I'M SURE IT'LL BE GREAT FOR THE CITY. UM, I DO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS ALSO A RESULT, OR THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FUNDING ARE A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC, AND IT'S, UH, MOVING US AWAY FROM VERY DIFFICULT TIMES. AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT WITH THESE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THAT WE'RE MINDFUL OF WHAT THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY LOOKS LIKE. SO MY DISTRICT, DISTRICT TWO SPECIFICALLY, UM, IS CHANGING, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, BUT IT'S HISTORY AS A HISTORICALLY BLACK COMMUNITY REMAINS THE SAME, AND IT IS SIGNIFICANT. AND THIS HISTORY IS THE REASON WE'VE BEEN UNDER INVESTED IN, UM, PRE 2017 AND ALL OF THAT. UM, SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEAR FUTURE IN FIVE TO 10 YEARS, WILL MY CONSTITUENTS STILL BE SAYING THE CITY DOESN'T INVEST IN US? WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THE BUDGET WHEN THAT MONEY'S NOT FOR US? WE'RE THE STEPCHILD OF THE CITY. WILL MY CONSTITUENTS STILL BE SAYING THAT WE HAVE THE WORST ROADS IN THE CITY AND WE'RE RECEIVING THE LEAST IN BOND FUNDING FOR THAT CATEGORY? OUR BOND AND TOUR DOLLARS ARE GOING TO CITY FACILITIES. SO IN FIVE TO 10 YEARS, WHEN MY CONSTITUENTS ARE DISCUSSING THESE OPPORTUNITIES THAT PRESENTED THEMSELVES AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC, DID THEY RECEIVE AN EQUITABLE, A JUSTICE CENTERED SHARE? SO WITH THIS MONEY THAT'S FALLING FROM THE SKY, AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, I WANT TO, I, ERIC, I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU, UM, SPECIFICALLY TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS ON THE EAST SIDE AND HOW WE CAN BEST POSITION THEM FOR FUNDING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. UM, WE CAN TALK SPECIFIC PROJECTS OFFLINE, BUT IS THIS A POSSIBILITY? OH, PERFECT. CONVERSATION JUST STARTED. I'LL JUST WAIT AND REPEAT EVERYTHING I JUST SAID. I'M SORRY, COUNCILMAN, YOU ASKED A QUESTION. I, I GUESS I WAS TALKING TO RAZZIE. YES, SIR. IN SHORT, UM, HOW CAN I, HOW CAN I WORK WITH YOU OR WITH CITY STAFF TO IDENTIFY EAST SIDE SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND ENSURE THAT THEY ARE BEST POSITIONED, UH, JUST BY DOING THAT, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE, WE KNOW THE PROJECTS THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE BOND LIST, UM, IN THE DISTRICT. AND I THINK THE MORE WE HAVE THESE TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS AND BRIEFINGS WITH THE COUNCIL, UM, AND AS WE GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS PROGRAMS ARE BEING ROLLED OUT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT, WHAT SALLY DID TO SAY IS THAT MANY OF THE FEDERAL AGENCIES ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEPLOY DOLLARS. SO WE'RE ON THE VERY FRONT END. I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS AT THIS LEVEL ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS. AND IF YOU'VE GOT AN IDEA, WE CAN, WE CAN SCHEDULE AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. ABSOLUTELY. LET'S DO THAT SOON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. THANK YOU. SO WHEN I, UM, WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT, UH, THE RAISE PROGRAM, UM, I LOOKED AT, UM, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE CRITERIA [01:20:01] FOR BUILDING A RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WELL, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN SEEING, HOW CAN WE GO BIG ON DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE, BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BOND, I KNOW CITY STAFF TOLD US HOW HIGH OUR NEEDS ARE AND HOW WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MEET THEM ALL. AND I THINK THAT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR BUILDING A RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE. I'M ALSO JUST RECENTLY, UH, I ASKED UP FROM UP HERE, I ASKED CITY STAFF, UM, ABOUT THE TREE MITIGATION FUND, AND I ASKED ABOUT PLANTING TREES ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT. AND IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE HAVE A FUND FOR THAT. AND I'M LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO A BIG TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN. AND I'M WONDERING, BECAUSE I ALSO, WHEN MIKE WAS UP HERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, SA READY TO WORK, UH, YOU KNOW, HE TALKED ABOUT A SCREENING CRITERIA BEFORE WE PUT SOMEBODY THROUGH THE SA READY TO WORK PROGRAM. AND I SAID, WELL, WHAT IF SOMEBODY DOESN'T MAKE IT THROUGH YOUR SCREENING PROGRAM? WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW? THEN? WHAT, WELL, YOU KNOW, HOW DO THEY GET A JOB? HOW DO WE HELP THEM? AND, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT YOU, WE COULD, THERE MIGHT BE SOME LOWER SKILLED WORK, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO MAINTAINING THOSE TREES. WE HAVE TO WATER THOSE TREES FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS AND DO THINGS TO MAINTAIN THEM. AND MAYBE WE CAN HAVE SOME KIND OF A, A DIVERSION PROGRAM THERE FOR IF YOU DON'T MAKE THE SCREENING FOR SA READY TO WORK, WE CAN GET YOU INVOLVED IN THIS. UM, OUT WHEN WE WERE TOURING, UH, BRACKENRIDGE PARK RECENTLY TO LOOK AT, UM, SO YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE TREES THAT ARE PROPOSED TO BE TAKEN DOWN THERE, AND I WANNA THANK DAVID MCCAREY FOR TAKING, YOU KNOW, FOR A GREAT JOB. BUT I MET ZIGGY WITH NAUGHTY BY NATURE, NAUGHTY, LIKE ON A TREE, NOT K AND O T T Y. NAUGHTY BY NATURE IS HIS BUSINESS. AND I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT HOW, UH, HE FEELS THAT THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF ARBORISTS HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND IF WE WANT TO DO SOME MASSIVE TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGNS AND BE ABLE TO INCREASE OUR TREE CANOPY HERE AND OUR RESILIENCY IN OUR COMMUNITY, THEN MAYBE, UH, WE SHOULD BE, I SAY READY TO WORK SHOULD BE LOOKING AT TRAINING PEOPLE FOR THOSE JOBS. AND I'M WONDERING HOW THAT WE COULD COUPLE THAT WITH, UM, ANY OF THIS, THIS POTENTIAL FUNDING RIGHT HERE. UM, IN, IN ADDITION THERE ON MERIT CRITERIA, I SAW ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, ALSO QUALITY OF LIFE. I THINK THIS COULD ALL CONTRIBUTE TO OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. UH, I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO, TO SEE HOW MUCH MONEY WAS THERE FOR THE, FOR THE CREEK WAYS. I SAW $75 MILLION. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WONDERFUL, UH, FOR THOSE WEST SIDE CREEKS RESTORATION PROJECT. BUT THEN I LOOK AT THE FUNDING FOR V'S. EASTWEST ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDOR, AND IT'S $760,000. IT'S ONLY 1% OF THAT. AND I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN HOW DO WE CONNECT OUR CITY, DO A BETTER JOB OF CONNECTING OUR CITY. WHEN JEFF BECK, THE URBAN PLANNER, WHO WROTE THE BOOK ON, UH, WALKABLE CITIES, WAS HERE, WE DROVE HIM ALL AROUND THE URBAN CORE OF SAN ANTONIO. AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS HAVE A, YOU HAVE A LOT OF GREAT, UM, PLACES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. IT'S, IT'S, BUT IT'S KIND OF A PATCHWORK. AND YOU NEED TO, YOU, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE OF JUST CONNECTING ALL THESE PATCHWORK OF THESE GREAT PLACE PATCHWORK OF THESE GREAT PLACES NEAR URBAN CORE. AND SO I GUESS I HAVE A QUESTION FOR CITY STAFF. HOW CAN WE, HOW CAN WE INVEST MORE IN VIA AND IN, IN THAT EAST WEST CORRIDOR? YOU, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. AND IT, IT'S PROBABLY, WE, WE PROBABLY SHOULD BE SCHEDULING TIME FOR VIA TO COME UPDATE THE COUNCIL IN A B SESSION FORMAT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO CONTRIBUTE $10 MILLION TOWARDS THEIR BUDGET EVERY YEAR. AND PART OF THAT IS MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE GIVING THE REGULAR UPDATES IN THIS YEAR'S AGREEMENT WE HAVE THAT THEY'VE GOTTA GIVE REGULAR UPDATES TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, BUT WE CAN WORK WITH JEFF TO, TO SCHEDULE SOMETHING IN THE SPRINGTIME AND, AND HAVE THEM KIND OF BRIEF THE COUNCIL ON THE LARGER TRANSIT PLANS. THANK YOU. SO THE, THOSE ARE THREE BIG ISSUES. THAT'S, THAT JUMP OUT TO ME. YOU KNOW, WHEN I LOOK AT, UM, QUALITY OF LIFE, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, BUILDING A RES RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, I'D LIKE TO SEE SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS GOING BIG IN TREE PLANTING AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THEN EITHER SUPPORTING VIA OR OTHER TYPES OF CONNECTIVITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN REVO. COUNCILMAN COURAGE IS NEXT. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM. I WANTED TO START OFF BY SAYING, YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK BY THE CITY MANAGER'S REMARKS A LITTLE WHILE AGO INDICATING THAT, UH, ADVANCED DESIGN WORK COULD BE WASTEFUL. I THINK THAT WAS WHAT I WAS GETTING, UH, FROM WHAT HE WAS SAYING. AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT SHOVEL READY WAS THE KEY TO BE SURE THAT WE COULD GET, UH, THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR FUNDING FOR CITY PROJECTS. SO, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE WE GOING TO NOT THINK ABOUT LOOKING AT PROJECTS AND, AND INVESTING IN, UH, EARLY DESIGN SO THEY ARE SHOVEL READY FOR FEDERAL MONEY? UH, COUNCILMAN THAT WAS THE BUZZWORD IN 2010 WITH THE STIMULUS, UH, FOLLOWING THE DOWNTURN, [01:25:01] THEN IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A, UH, REQUIREMENT. NOW, THIS ADMINISTRATION IS NOT SAYING PROJECTS MUST BE SHOVEL READY. UH, THEY'VE SET OUT A DIFFERENT SET OF PRIORITIES FOR HOW, HOW THESE DOLLARS ARE SPENT. UM, I CAN TELL YOU, I, MY COLLEAGUE JESUS IS IN THE SI SIGNS HERE FROM THE AIRPORT IS IN THE CROWD. AND, UM, SOME OF THE ADVANCED DESIGN WORK FOR THE AIRPORT MAY VERY WELL BE ELIGIBLE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN GET FEDERAL FUNDING TO DO SOME OF THAT WORK AS OPPOSED TO US PAYING FOR THAT WORK ON THE FRONT END JUST TO BE READY FOR THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE WORK. SO THE THING IS, UH, IS STILL IN A LOT OF PEOPLE'S MINDS, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CONSULTANTS IN DC ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A PART OF THE 2010 STIMULUS. BUT THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT APPROACH. WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE SHOVEL READY PROJECTS TO COMPETE. AND COUNCILMAN MY COMMENTS WERE ABOUT DOING TOO MUCH DESIGN WITHOUT A PLAN TO FINANCE THE CONSTRUCTION. AND I THINK IT'S A BALANCE BECAUSE, AND, AND, AND I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE GOTTEN INTO A POSITION WHERE THEY DO A LOT OF DESIGN WORK, BUT THERE'S NEVER CONSTRUCTION. AND I, I'M, I'M OPEN TO THINKING THROUGH HOW WE DO THAT MAYBE DIFFERENTLY, UM, FOR SOME OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. BUT, BUT I WANT TO, I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH A, ATTACHED TO A PLAN TO ACTUALLY FUND THE CONSTRUCTION. UM, 'CAUSE IT'S A, IT'S A BALANCE IN MY MIND. OKAY. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, I WANNA REITERATE MY SUPPORT, UH, FOR WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, A LITTLE EARLIER WITH, UH, VIA, UH, AND THEIR, UH, A R T PLANS AND GOING THROUGH THE AIRPORT AND INTEGRATING THAT KIND OF BUS SERVICE. UH, IF THERE'S SOME WAY OF FINDING BOTH AIRPORT FUNDING AND VIA TRANSPORTATION MULTIMODAL FUNDING TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A REAL PLUS. WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO COME INTO SAN ANTONIO, UH, AND MANY OF THEM NOW ARE, ARE GOING DOWN TO BROOKS OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO FLY IN AND OUT OF SAN ANTONIO WHO LIVE IN THE NORTH PART OF THE CITY. AND WE ALL KNOW, UH, THE, THE HASSLE YOU CAN GO THROUGH FOR PARKING AT THE AIRPORT. IF WE CAN DEVELOP THAT, UH, MAJOR BUS ROUTE NORTH SOUTH THAT CAN CONNECT, UH, AT THE AIRPORT, I THINK THAT'S CONTINUES TO REMAIN, UH, A REAL PLUS. YOU KNOW, I WANNA AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN GRO A FEW MINUTES AGO, SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT DIGITAL ACCESS EXPANSION. AND, UH, TO ME THAT IS A KEY. I THINK PEOPLE KNOW I WAS A TEACHER FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND I KNOW HOW CHALLENGING IT WAS, UH, WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS WHEN WE STARTED LOOKING AT TRYING TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN MORE AWAY FROM THE CLASSROOM BY GETTING ONLINE AND DOING, UH, STUDYING ON ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. I MIGHT BE AVAILABLE. YOU'RE HAVING TEXTBOOKS NOW THAT ARE LITERALLY ONLINE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO, UH, TAKE HOME WITH YOU EVERY DAY FROM SCHOOL. AND WHEN WE'RE LIMITING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT, I I THINK THAT, UM, WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S DOING, WHAT THE STATE GOVERNMENT'S DOING, AND WHAT WE ARE DOING TOGETHER IS GONNA GO A LONG WAY IN HELPING BETTER EDUCATE, UH, THE POPULATION AS WELL AS HELPING OUR SENIORS STAY BETTER CONNECTED WITH WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY. SO I I I HOPE THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT. I WAS WONDERING, AND SALLY, OR, OR JEFF, YOU MAY TELL ME, WAS THERE ANY KINDA LIMITATIONS WE HEARD OUT THERE ON THE VALUE OF PROJECTS? UH, IS IT, IS ANYTHING LIKE A HUNDRED THOUSAND BELOW WHAT'S WORTH MOVING WITH? OR ANYTHING OVER A HUNDRED MILLION TOO MUCH TO ASK? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT EACH PARTICULAR GRANT OPPORTUNITY TO DETERMINE WHAT THE FUNDING PARAMETERS ARE. THERE'S ALWAYS, UM, THE BOTTOM AND THERE'S A CEILING IN PARTICULAR WITH THE RAISE GRANT, THE MAXIMUM REQUEST YOU CAN MAKE IS 25 MILLION. SO DEPENDING ON WHAT THOSE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES ARE, WE'LL BE IDENTIFYING WHAT THE MINIMUM AND THE MAXIMUM, AND IT'LL DEPEND WITH EVERY SINGLE GRANT OPPORTUNITY OUT THERE. YEAH, I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED 'CAUSE UH, I'D LIKE TO SEE THE EXPANSION OF HE EBNER ROAD AND CONNECT ONTO 2 81 AND REDLAND. UH, IF YOU START AT THE BEGINNING AND YOU GO TO AN END, THAT'S A LONG STRETCH OF ROAD. IT'S HEAVILY TRAFFICKED. BUT I, I'VE HEARD EARLY COST ESTIMATES, IT COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM 40 TO $50 MILLION. 'CAUSE UH, YOU'RE CROSSING OVER, UH, AN EXISTING QUARRY TO CONNECT ON TO 2 81 AT REDLAND. SO IT'S A BIG JOB. AND I'M JUST WONDERING, IS THAT THE KIND OF JOB THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA PUSH? DOES THAT NEED TO GO THROUGH MULTIPLE PARTNERS PROBABLY TO GO AHEAD AND GET APPROVAL? THAT'S WHY I ASKED, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT SOME OF THOSE PARAMETERS ARE. GOT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, THAT'S ALL I [01:30:01] HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. COURAGE. COUNCILMAN PAL. THANK YOU. UH, JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE SOMETHING THAT I THINK ERIC, UH, I IS WORTHY TO MENTION OR WORTHY OF MENTION. AND THAT IS WHEN WE GO TO DC AND WE MEET WITH THESE AGENCY DECISION MAKERS, THEY TELL US VERY PLAINLY, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T MINCE WORDS THAT IF IT'S A PROJECT SUPPORTED BY OTHER REGIONAL AGENCIES LIKE A BROOK BROOKS, A PORT VIA C P SS SAWS, THAT IT HAS A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF GETTING FUNDED. AND WHEN WE GO TO OUR CONGRESS MEMBERS AND OUR SENATORS, WE PUT THEM IN A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION. IF WHEN THEY ASK THE QUESTION, ARE ALL THOSE OTHER GROUPS BEHIND YOU ON THIS ONE? AND WE SAY, NO, WE'RE JUST GOING IT ON OUR OWN. WE DIDN'T DO ANY COORDINATION BECAUSE THOSE OTHER AGENCIES ARE THEN WITHOUT THE COORDINATION GOING UP ON THEIR OWN AS WELL AND COMPETING FOR THE EXACT SAME PILE OF MONEY. AND FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, WE'VE GOTTEN ZERO FUNDING, UH, IN SOME OF THESE TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS. IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT? IS THAT AN ACCURATE NUMBER? RIGHT. AND FOR THE PAST 10, NO, NOT AN ACCURATE NUMBER. 10. OKAY. 10 YEARS. YEAH. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE LEARNED FROM DOING THESE POST, YOU KNOW, THESE AUTOPSIES ON, YOU KNOW, THESE FAILED ATTEMPTS TO GET THESE GRANTS IS WE HEARD FROM AGENCIES SAYING, LOOK, IT'S JUST 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, UH, BROOKS ALSO HAS A LOBBYIST THAT'S NOT YOUR LOBBYIST UP THERE. THE COUNTY'S GOT ONE TOO. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE OTHER REGIONAL PARTNERS ARE UP THERE, LOOK, GOING AFTER THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION, RIGHT? AND SO I, I THINK IT WOULD BE, AND I THINK THAT THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE, RIGHT? THAT IT WOULD BE REALLY IMP IMPUDENT FOR US TO NOT CONSIDER WHAT HAPPENS AT BROOKS TO ALSO BE WHAT HAPPENS IN SAN ANTONIO OR WHAT HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, FOR, UH, THE PORT, YOU KNOW, TO BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT HAPPENS IN SAN ANTONIO, RIGHT? UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THIS STRATEGIC COORDINATION IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IN THE ABSENCE OF STRATEGIC COORDINATION, WE DON'T GET THE MONEY. UH, AND SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO TRY TO SAY, SCREW IT, WE'RE GONNA GO ON OUR OWN AND JUST GO AFTER OUR OWN PROJECTS AND, YOU KNOW, GOOD LUCK. OH, GOOD LUCK. YOU KNOW, JIM PBA, GOOD LUCK VIA GOOD LUCK SAWS. UM, BUT WE'RE JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO GET THE EXACT SAME RESULT, WHICH IS A BIG NOTHING BURGER. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS NEW APPROACH OF TELLING THOSE AGENCIES THAT ARE ANSWERABLE TO US, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE OWN THE PORT, WE OWN, UH, SAWS, WE OWN, UH, YOU KNOW, BROOKS, AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN WE TELL THEM, HEY GUYS, WE ARE ALL GOING TO WORK TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, WE AS THE, THE OWNER OF THOSE AGENCIES, UH, I THINK SEND A LOUD MESSAGE TO THEM AS WELL, WHICH IS DON'T GO UP TO DC AND COMPETE WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH US, AND WE WON'T DO IT EITHER. RIGHT? THE OTHER, THE OTHER PART OF THIS TOO IS LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE I G R COMMITTEE UNDER, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF SAN ANTONIO NOW IS A BLENDED COMMITTEE. UM, AND WE NOW HAVE PARTNERS IN, IN THE FORM OF, OF, UM, BEAR COUNTY, RIGHT? AND IF WE GO TO BEXAR COUNTY AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, ALL THIS COORDINATION STUFF, UH, THAT SOUNDS REALLY GREAT, AND, YOU KNOW, WE PAY LIP SURFERS, BUT WE'RE JUST GONNA GO IT ALONE. THAT WOULD BE A BETRAYAL OF THE PROMISE THAT WE MADE TO THE COUNTY, WHICH IS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE YOUR GOOD FAITH PARTNERS IN THIS AND THAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO WORK TOGETHER TO BRING MONEY HOME FOR SAN ANTONIO. NOW, I, I DO THINK IT'S A MISTAKE FOR US TO GO AROUND MEASURING THE DRAPES BEFORE, YOU KNOW, WE ACTUALLY BRING HOME THE MONEY TO AFFORD THE DRAPES. BUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT WE DO ANYWAY UP HERE, AND THAT'S OKAY. THAT, BUT I DO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE FOCUSED ON RIGHT NOW IS JUST BRINGING HOME THE DAMN MONEY, RIGHT? AND SO GO GET IT. UH, AND THANKS FOR THE WORK. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PIAS. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. I JUST WANT TO COME BACK ON A COUPLE OF THINGS. AND ERIC, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS EARLY DESIGN BUSINESS AND HOW, HOW WE CAN MAKE SOME HEADWAYS WITH THAT. BUT ALSO, UH, AND AGAIN, I WANNA COME BACK TO THIS ROUND TABLE AND SOME COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE. I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS ORGANIZATION IS AND WHO'S IN IT, AND HOW OFTEN THEY MEET AND WHAT ARE THEIR, WHAT IS THEIR ROLE, UH, COORDINATION. ABSOLUTELY. I'M ALL FOR COORDINATION. BUT WHEN I HEAR A COMMENT SAYING, WELL, THE ROUND TABLE IS COMING UP WITH BROOKS AS THE PROJECT, I'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT. UH, THAT SHOULDN'T BE COMING OUTTA THE ROUND TABLE. THAT SHOULD BE COMING OUTTA THESE COMMITTEES THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE HAVE MEMBERS ON THE COUNCIL. EVERYBODY UP HERE HAS THEIR PRIORITIES. I'VE GOT HARRY WACH THAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOR YEARS, AND WE'VE INPUT, WE, WE FUNDED ALREADY AND INTERCHANGED $20 MILLION THAT SHOULD BE COUNTED INTO THAT. AND THIS IS FOR A MULTIMODAL, UH, TRANSPORTATION, UH, PROJECT, ANOTHER $20 MILLION TO FINISH THE ROAD. SO I, EVERYBODY HAS THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, BUT I I I, I JUST GET A LITTLE BIT ANTSY WHEN I HEAR THAT, OKAY, THIS IS OUR PROJECT GOING FORWARD FOR THE NEXT RAISES PRO, UH, PROGRAM. UM, I, I JUST THINK THAT THAT NEEDS TO COME THROUGH THE COMMITTEES FIRST. UM, AND MAKING SURE ABOUT [01:35:01] THE COORDINATION AND, AND, UH, MY COLLEAGUE WAS TALKING ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WE'RE COORDINATED WITH THESE OTHER AGENCIES THAT WE OWN. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YEARS AGO ALREADY, AND I THOUGHT WE WERE DOING THAT, BUT IF WE'RE NOT, THEN YEAH, THE WHEELS HAVE FALLEN OFF SOME KIND OF WAY WITH THE I G R, BECAUSE I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YEARS AGO THAT WE, WE SHOULDN'T BE CROSSTALK, WE SHOULD BE COORDINATING. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT C P S IS GOING IN WITH. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT SAWS IS GOING IN WITH TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE CONFLICTS GOING UP TO CONGRESS. SO, UH, IF I THOUGHT IT WAS HAPPENING, IF IT'S NOT, THEN UM, YEAH, WE GOT SOME MORE, UH, HONING TO DO ON THAT COORDINATION PROCESS. SO, UM, WITH ALL THAT SAID, I, AGAIN, I, I I, I, I GET CONCERNED AND I'D LIKE FOR SOMEBODY TO COME IN AND TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS ROUND TABLE AND WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT. SO WOULD APPRECIATE THAT. AND, UH, WE'LL GO FROM HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. THANKS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I MISSED IS, UM, HOW CAN WE WORK WITH C P S ENERGY WITH SOME OF THIS FUNDING? AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OTHER PARTNERS IN OUR LAST WINTER, UH, EVENTS, UM, JUST RECENTLY YOU, WE LOST A LOT OF POWER, NOT BECAUSE OF GRID FAILURES, BUT BECAUSE OF TREES THAT, UM, THAT, THAT BROKE AND THAT FROZE, LIKE BRANCHES FROZE AND BROKE ON AND HIT POWER LINES. AND WE HAD THAT HAPPEN A LOT MORE HERE THAN WE DID IN AUSTIN OR MAYBE OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE. AND, AND THERE WERE VARIOUS REASONS FOR THAT. AND ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THAT IS WE, AUSTIN HAS A LOT MORE OF THEIR POWER LINES BURIED THAN SAN ANTONIO DOES. AND IF YOU BURY YOUR POWER LINES, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, HAVING THE POWER LINES UP IN THE AIR, UH, IS, IS MORE UNSIGHTLY. BUT ALSO, IF YOU BURY YOUR POWER LINES, YOU'RE MORE RESILIENT. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE, UH, RELIABILITY. AND SO THAT'S A WIN-WIN IN THAT DIRECTION. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO A LOT OF TREE TRIMMING NOW BECAUSE OF THOSE POWER LINES IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEM SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE POWER GO OUT AS MUCH. UM, WE KNOW WHEN THERE'S HIGH WINDS, WHEN THERE'S FREEZING TEMPERATURES, AND PEOPLE WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO LOOK AT THEIR TREES MORE THAN THEY WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT POWER LINES. AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITY THERE OR WHERE, WHAT ARE THE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN HAVE TO INVEST IN C P SS ENERGY AND GET THEM WHERE WE NEED THEM TO BE IN TERMS OF RESILIENCY, IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPROVING EFFICIENCIES. I'D LOVE LIKE TO SEE WHERE WE CAN INVEST WITH THEM AND GET UP TO SPEED ON WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH C P S ENERGY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, BRAVO, COUNCIL MEMBER VIA GR THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, THE, THESE ROUND TABLE GROUPS DO NOT HAVE TO COME TO US TO APPLY FOR THIS RAISES, CORRECT? WELL, IN, IN BROOKS' CASE, NO, THEY DON'T, BUT THEY WOULD GO TO THE, I SU I SUSPECT LEAH WOULD'VE TO GO TO THE BROOKS BOARD. YES. OR IF IT WAS JIM PBA, HE'D HAVE TO GO TO HIS BOARD. AND, AND, AND I, I, I HEAR WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, BUT NOWHERE DO I BELIEVE THAT THIS ROUND TABLE IS TRYING TO DO WHAT WE DO AT CITY COUNCIL. I THINK THESE ARE E ENTITIES THAT CAN GO ON THEIR OWN AND APPLY FOR THIS, UH, BUT UNDER DIRECTION FROM THEIR COUNCIL PERSON, THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK WITH THE CITY WHEN THEY'RE DOING THESE PROJECTS. UH, AND THAT'S JUST HISTORICALLY BEFORE I WAS HERE, UH, WHERE BROOKS IS CONCERNED. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. BUT AS WE TALK ABOUT F STREETS, UM, I AM AGAIN GOING TO SAY, BEFORE WE START THROWING MONEY AT F STREETS, I WOULD LIKE US TO LOOK AT HOW WE GRADE THESE STREETS. 'CAUSE AGAIN, I WILL TELL YOU, IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, AND NOT JUST MY DISTRICT, WE HAVE F STREETS, WE HAVE OLD STREETS, WE HAVE NO STREETS. THEN YOU ADD ON SIDEWALK GAPS. SO I, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS INFRASTRUCTURE AND THESE ROADS AND BRIDGES, AND AS WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, I THINK WE NEED TO GO BACK AT, AT HOW WE RATE THIS. THE OTHER THING I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS WHEN I SAY I LACK INFRASTRUCTURE AND, AND SOMEONE ELSE SAYS, AH, WE DON'T HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE. WE ARE SAYING TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. AND, AND, UM, AND RAZZIE KNOWS THIS FULL WELL, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE, I HAVE SOME STREETS WITH, WITHOUT EVEN GAS LINES, THEY'RE STILL ON PROPANE. SO YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE MIGHT MEAN [01:40:01] GAS LINES AND, AND ELECTRIC ELECTRICITY UNDER UNDERGROUND. I'M TALKING ABOUT AREAS THAT HAVE NONE OF THAT, BUT HAVE EITHER BEEN ANNEXED INTO THE CITY OR A PART OF OUR CITY, AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT DEVELOPERS DEVELOPING THAT. SO I JUST WANT US TO MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS AND WE'RE BEING MORE SPECIFIC ON, ON WHAT WE'RE SAYING IF WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD AND TALK ABOUT SPENDING MONEY ON F STREETS. SO, UH, THAT, THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED TO CHIME IN AND JUST, UH, MAKE CLEAR THAT SOME OF THE, AND VIA, REMIND ME AGAIN, VIA COULD APPLY WITHOUT COMING TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THAT'S CORRECT. AND, AND WE KNOW SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY DID ALREADY, SO THANK YOU. I I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO BRIEFLY CHIME IN TO, UM, ECHO THE SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED BY COUNCILMAN PERRY. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, AND GIVEN THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS, OF THESE GRANTS, RIGHT, UM, THAT, THAT THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EQUITY AND OR THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE GET BRIEFED ON THE, THIS PROCESS AND WHAT PROJECTS, UM, THE CITY'S CONSIDERING TO SUPPORT, WHETHER IT'S BROOKS OR WHATEVER ENT, THE ENTITY MAY BE THAT THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES GET BRIEFED ON WHAT THOSE POTENTIAL PROJECTS ARE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT DISCUSSION. I BET WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS GONNA TAKE THIS LONG, THAT WE'RE GONNA GO STRAIGHT INTO THREE PLUS, UH, THREE PLUS NINE. UM, I DO WANT TO, UH, AGREE WITH SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE SHARED SINCE I'VE SPOKEN. UH, IN PARTICULAR, UH, THE CHAIR OF OUR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, UH, BROUGHT UP SAFETY AND THOSE $11 BILLION. AND I THINK THAT'S A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR US AS WELL. SO LET US KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO GET IN LINE. AND I'M, I'M HERE READY TO, TO SUPPORT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE, UM, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF FATALITIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND CULEBRA ROAD IS, UH, UNFORTUNATELY ONE OF OUR MOST DEADLY ROADS. UH, MOST OF THAT ROAD. WE MANAGE OURSELVES AS A CITY, NOT, UH, NOT THROUGH TXDOT. SO THAT, UH, OF COURSE CREATES THAT, THAT OPPORTUNITY. SO I WOULD BE ENTIRELY SUPPORTIVE OF REVIEWING THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, FOR A POTENTIAL COMPETITIVE FUNDING. UM, THE, THE OTHER THING, UM, I DID WANT TO, I WANTED TO ECHO SOMETHING THAT COUNCILWOMAN VRAN SAID IN TERMS OF THEY DON'T HAVE GAS LINES WHERE, WHERE IN HER DISTRICT, THERE ARE PARTS OF MY DISTRICT THAT DON'T HAVE SEWER LINES AND PEOPLE OPERATE ON, UM, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT THOSE, UH, THE TANKS UNDERGROUND. YEAH. SEPTIC TANKS. UM, SO, UH, IF, IF THAT'S A POSSIBILITY, I, I GUESS MAY, MAYBE I'LL LOOK INTO THAT AS WELL, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD RESIDENTS ASKING, UH, FOR THAT. AND WE TRADITIONALLY HAVE NOT FUNDED THAT OUT OF THE BOND, OR, UM, AND I HAVEN'T WORKED WITH SAWS ON IT. SO, UH, SOMETHING TO, TO EXPLORE. AND, AND JUST TO, TO CLARIFY, WE, EVERY AGENCY THAT IS IN YOUR ROUND TABLE, AND I, AND I UNDERSTAND HOW YOU'VE MADE IT UP, IT IS, UM, ENTITIES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. THEY DON'T HAVE TO ASK ANYBODY , BUT THEY'RE BOARD PERHAPS, TO APPLY. SO I THINK IT'S BRILLIANT TO BRING THEM TOGETHER. UM, I RECALL NOT TOO LONG AGO, THE MAYOR AND I WALKED INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND, UM, TALKING ABOUT, I THINK IT WAS V'S. UH, GRANT THAT WE WERE ADVOCATING FOR, AS WELL AS, UH, CONNECT SA AT THE, AT THE TIME SAYING, YOU KNOW, VIA, AND THE CITY ARE WORKING ON THIS TOGETHER, UH, WE'VE GOT, UH, COLLABORATION AND AT THE SAME THING. AND WHEN WE GOT THERE AND WE WERE GOING THROUGH SECURITY, KEVIN WOLFE, WHO WAS CHAIR OF THE M P O AT THE TIME WAS WALKING OUT, LET ME TELL YOU, I DON'T THINK HE, HE WAS ADVOCATING FOR THAT GRANT FOR, FOR VIA, OR I'M NOT SURE IF HE WAS ADVOCATING FOR CONNECTUS, SAY, BUT WE DID NOT COORDINATE, UM, THAT VISIT. SO, AND LATER ON, YOU ALL SAW THE, THE 1604 PROJECT GOT A BILLION DOLLARS. SO WHATEVER HE DID WORKED, UM, UP THERE. SO, SO I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK IN BRINGING EVERYBODY TOGETHER. UM, I JUST, UH, BUT I DO WANNA BE CLEAR THAT ONCE THAT GROUP DECIDES TO GIVE A CERTAIN ENTITY THEIR, THEIR BLESSING, LET'S SAY THAT MEANS THAT WE AS A COUNCIL FOREGO OUR OPPORTUNITY TO PERHAPS SUBMIT ANOTHER PROJECT FOR THE RAISE GRANT. AM I, AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT? YES, MA'AM. AND, AND IN BROOKS CASE, BROOKS BRIEFED THE I G R COMMITTEE LAST WEEK, AND THEY'RE SCHEDULED TO COME TO THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK, I THINK, TO, TO TALK ABOUT THAT. SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD FIRST PROJECT OUT OF THE SHOOT AND HOW WE ROLL THEM INTO, UM, YOU KNOW, ADVISING THE COUNCIL OF, OF THE COORDINATION WHERE WE'RE TO USE YOUR, THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE TO USE YOUR EXAMPLE FROM 2019. IT REALLY DIDN'T HAPPEN, EVEN [01:45:01] THOUGH WE SAID IT DID. SOMETIMES I THINK YOU, YOU, YOU WORK THROUGH ALL THE COMMITTEES THAT I'M NOT ON ERIC, BUT IF THEY'RE, UH, ON PURPOSE, BUT IF THEY ARE APPLYING FOR A, FOR TRANSPORTATION FUNDING, IS RACE CONSIDERED TRANSPORTATION FUNDING OR SOMETHING ELSE? IT'S D O T, IT'S D O T. SO WHY WOULDN'T THEY GO TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE? I THINK ROD MAY BE WORKING ON THAT NOW. AND I'LL SAY THAT LAST TIME WHEN BROOKS SUPPORTED THE CITY APPLYING FOR THE WEST SIDE CREEK TRAILS FOR RAISES, UM, THERE WERE BRIEFINGS AT BOTH I G R AND TRANSPORTATION ON THAT APPLICATION. THANK YOU. I THINK, I THINK PART OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, I HOPE, I HOPE THE COUNCIL SEES THAT WE ARE TRYING TO KIND OF TACKLE THIS ISSUE FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE. AND, UM, I I, I FORESEE PROBABLY A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS AT B SESSION TO GIVE THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE AND WE'LL FIGURE OUT HOW THIS WORKS. NO, I, I DO APPRECIATE THAT. AND I, AND I, I THINK YOU ARE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE, THE THINGS THAT WILL MAKE OUR WHOLE AREA MOST COMPETITIVE. AND I, I, I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY VALUABLE INSTEAD OF PUTTING OURSELVES, PITTING OURSELVES AGAINST ANY OF THESE OF THESE AGENCIES. UM, I JUST, I DO WANT TO JUST SAY FOR THE RECORD, I, I HOPE THAT WE ARE ALL KEPT ABREAST OF, OF THOSE ISSUES AS THEY PROGRESS. AND, UH, IN TERMS, I'M JUST SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH US NOT HAVING A FORMAL PROCESS TO BASICALLY FOREGO OUR OWN, UH, APPLICATION TO, TO THE RAISE GRANT. SO, UM, I JUST, I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. AND THIS HAS BEEN A, A GOOD DIALOGUE. AND, AND OH, YOU ALREADY HAD TWICE, BUT WE'RE DONE. YOU HAD ONE? NO, WE, WE DID TWO ROUNDS ALREADY, SO, ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, AND I, I REALLY WANNA ENDORSE THE ROUND TABLE. I THINK THAT'S GREAT, BUT I DO WANNA CLARIFY THAT, UH, WHATEVER ANY OF THOSE GROUPS DO, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AFFECTS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. I MEAN, WE GIVE MONEY TO VIA, WE GIVE MONEY TO SAS, WE GIVE MONEY TO C P S, WE GIVE MONEY TO BROOKS, WE GIVE MONEY TO THE PORT. SO ANYTHING THEY DO, IF, IF VIA GETS A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS AND THEY WANT TO DO NORTH, SOUTHEAST WEST, IT'S GONNA COME THROUGH CITY STREETS. IF BROOKS WANTS TO EXPAND AND, AND DO SOME THINGS, IT'S USUALLY GONNA USE CITY STREETS OR SAWS OR C P S OR ZONING. WE ARE ALL PARTNERS IN THIS. AND SO I THINK IT'S GREAT IF ALL OF THE AGENCIES CAN COLLABORATE AND AGREE AND, AND KEEP COUNCIL INFORMED BECAUSE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, UH, WE ARE GOING TO BE PARTNERS IN THAT FINANCIALLY AND IN MANY OTHER WAYS. SO THAT'S WHY I HOPE WE CONTINUE TO BE WELL INFORMED ON THIS. AND I, I WOULD NOT, I WOULD NOT TRY AND DIRECT ANY OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS TO DO ANYTHING. UH, I WOULD JUST ASK THEM TO COLLABORATE WITH COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KURDS, AND, AND I, I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT DIALOGUE, BUT I, LET ME EMPHASIZE A COUPLE THINGS. THERE IS 365 DAY, UH, A YEAR INPUT AND RECOMMENDATIONS BEING MADE BY THE PUBLIC, BY THIS COUNCIL, AND THAT IS AN ONGOING PROCESS BY WHICH WE ARRIVE AT THE CONCLUSIONS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE BROUGHT FORTH TO THE ROUND TABLE. AND THE ROUND TABLE, AGAIN, IS A COORDINATED EFFORT FOR US TO SPEAK AS ONE VOICE, AS A COMMUNITY SO THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING COMPETITION AMONG OURSELVES FOR THE SAME GRANTS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GO AFTER. AND, AND AGAIN, UH, AFTER A DECADE OR MORE OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT WE DO EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, WHICH IS TO COORDINATE AMONG SAN ANTONIO ENTITIES SO THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING IN FOR, UH, GRANTS AND AGAIN, COMPETING AGAINST, UH, OURSELVES LOCALLY. UM, I'LL ALSO SAY THAT, UH, THERE THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSION OF COMMITTEES. THIS IS A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, AND THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE A CITY OF SAN ANTONIO GRANT SUBMISSION THAT DOESN'T COME THROUGH THIS COMMITTEE. AND, AND I DO AGREE, ERIC, I THINK THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO GIVE US UPDATES CONSIDERING THE MAGNITUDE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS AT B SESSIONS, REGULAR B SESSIONS, WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL. UH, BUT TO SLOW IT DOWN WITH, UM, UH, CONVERSATIONS I THINK THAT HAVE ALREADY TAKEN PLACE, I THINK WOULD BE A DISSERVICE TO US. AND AGAIN, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY THAT'S BEEN LAID OUT TODAY HAS ALREADY BEEN RECOGNIZED AS WHAT EVERY SINGLE CITY IN THE COUNTRY SHOULD BE DOING. UH, I THINK WE NEED TO LEAN INTO, UH, THE FRAMEWORK. WE NEED TO WORK WITH OUR, UH, OUR SISTER AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS INCLUSIVE OF THE BOND ARE REFLECTED IN THE PRIORITIES THAT ARE GOING TO, UH, BE SUBMITTED [01:50:01] FOR GRANTS. SO I THINK WE'RE IN A GREAT POSITION. AGAIN, I THINK, ERIC, IF YOU, ONE OF MY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS DISCUSSION IS THAT, UH, COUNCIL, UH, A COMMUNITY AT LARGE WANTS TO BE CONTINUALLY UPDATED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SAYING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF OUR PRIORITIES. AND, AND IT, FRANKLY, WHEN WE DO THAT, NOBODY SHOULD BE SURPRISED. SO, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYBODY. WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS AND I THINK WE LOOK FORWARD TO GREAT SUCCESS WITH IT. UH, SALLY, GREAT JOB. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO. THANKS MAYOR. UM, ITEM NUMBER TWO, UH, JUSTINA, WE WILL HAVE THE MAJORITY OF THIS PRESENTATION AND THEN WE'LL HAND IT OVER TO TROY. UH, THREE MAIN ISSUES HERE. UM, AND, UH, IT'S OUR FIRST QUARTER UPDATE. UM, OUR ARE OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THREE PLUS NINE. UM, WE'VE ADDED A COUPLE OF OTHER ISSUES TO THIS PRESENTATION. ONE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA, UM, MAKE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL TO, UM, UM, CHANGE OUR BUDGET CALENDAR SLIGHTLY. AND JUSTINA WILL WALK THROUGH THE LOGIC AND THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC TO PROVIDE INPUT IN THE SPRINGTIME AS WE GO INTO THE BUDGET SUMMER. UM, AND WE THINK THAT AS WE'VE DISCUSSED IT INTERNALLY, THAT THIS WILL GIVE, UH, UH, US MORE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE, GET THAT FEEDBACK FROM, FROM BOTH THE COUNCIL AND THEN MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK FROM THE, FROM THE PUBLIC, UM, AND NOT TRY TO DO IT OVER A 10 DAY PERIOD. UM, SO WE THINK, WE THINK IT'S, UH, A GOOD RECOMMENDATION. AND THEN FINALLY, UH, IF YOU'LL RECALL TOWARDS THE END OF BUDGET, UH, LAST YEAR, UH, COUNCILMAN PERRY HAD ACQUIRED, UH, SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WAS PART OF THE TAKEAWAY THAT, UH, WE WOULD, UH, BRING BACK THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION DISCUSSION TO THE COUNCIL AS PART OF THE FIRST QUARTER REPORT. SO TROY WILL COVER THAT. UH, JUST A REMINDER, IF THE COUNCIL MAKES ANY CHANGES, IT'S GOTTA BE DONE BEFORE JULY 1ST OF THE YEAR. AND, UH, FOR, FOR THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE'LL RE WE WILL RECALL THAT TYPICALLY YOU'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION IN JUNE AND IT DOESN'T LEAVE A LOT OF TIME, SO WE WANTED TO PUT IT ON THE RADAR SCREEN EARLY, UH, AND GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE GROUP AS A WHOLE. UM, AND WE'LL GO THROUGH THAT. SO IT, IT IS, UM, IT'S EXCITING 'CAUSE IT'S BUDGET TIME ALMOST. SO WE'RE, WE'RE ABOUT READY TO GET BACK INTO IT AND, UM, UH, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JUSTINE TO KICK US OFF. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JUSTINA TATE. I'M THE BUDGET DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND TODAY WE WILL COVER THE FISCAL YEAR THREE PLUS THE FISCAL YEAR 20 22, 3 PLUS NINE BUDGET AND FINANCE REPORT. SO INCLUDED IN YOUR MATERIALS IN FRONT OF YOU IS THE THREE PLUS NINE BUDGET AND FINANCE REPORT, AS WELL AS OUR JANUARY STATUS OF OUR BUDGET INITIATIVES. AND FINALLY, YOU HAVE OUR FIRST QUARTER PERFORMANCE FOR OUR 24 7 MEASURES. ALL OF THIS MATERIAL WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR, FOR THE PUBLIC. HOWEVER, DURING TODAY'S PRESENTATION, I WILL BE FOCUSING ON THE FINANCIAL REPORT AND WE'LL REVIEW THE FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS AS WELL AS PROJECTIONS FOR THE END OF THE YEAR. AND FINALLY, I'LL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE RECOMMENDED FISCAL YEAR 2023, UH, BUDGET CALENDAR. AFTER THAT, UH, TROY ELLIOT, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AS ERIC MENTIONED, THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT IS TO PROVIDE AN EARLY FINANCIAL UPDATE TO THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC. THIS WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE CITY'S FINANCIAL POSITION THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER AND EARLY PROJECTIONS FOR 2022 FOR BOTH REVENUES AND EXPENSES. AS YOU'LL SEE DURING OUR PRESENTATION, WE ARE IN A POSITIVE FINANCIAL POSITION. MOST OF OUR REVENUES CONTINUE TO RECOVER AND ARE PERFORMING BETTER THAN OUR ADOPTED BUDGET. HOWEVER, WE STILL FACE ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY FROM THE ONGOING IMPACT OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS ON THE ECONOMY. THE CONFERENCE BOARD, A NON-PRO, A NON-PARTISAN THINK TANK FORECAST THAT G D P GROWTH WILL SLOW, WILL SLOW TO 2% IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022, AND OVER THE ENTIRE YEAR WILL BE ABOUT THREE POINT A HALF PERCENT OVER LAST YEAR IN 2021, THEIR FORECAST DOES CONTAIN A NUMBER OF DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH OMICRON AND OTHER COVID VARIANTS THAT MAY COME INFLATION AND MONETARY POLICY. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE WE ARE IN A BETTER FINANCIAL POSITION PROJECTING TO BE IN A BETTER FINANCIAL POSITION, THERE ARE BUDGET PRIORITIES THAT WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET. SO THE NEXT SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF OUR, UH, FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL STATUSES. CONSUMER CUSTOMER, UH, CONFIDENCE IS OPTIMISTIC. WE HAVE SEEN THAT IN OUR SALES TAX COLLECTIONS. SO FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, WE [01:55:01] HAVE RECEIVED RECORD COLLECTIONS FOR SALES TAX AND WE'RE 22% ABOVE LAST YEAR'S COLLECTIONS. FOR OUR HOT TAXES, WE ARE PERFORMING BETTER THAN BUDGET AND OUR OCCUPANCY RATE IS ALMOST 50% AHEAD OF WHERE WE WERE IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, WE'RE STILL ABOUT 4.7% BELOW PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS. AS FOR THE AIRPORT, THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS WE HAVE SEEN FOR THE FIRST QUARTER IS MORE THAN DOUBLED WHAT WE SAW IN 2021 FOR THE SAME PERIOD. HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL ABOUT 14% LOWER THAN PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. WE CONTINUE TO PERFORM STRONG IN TERMS OF OUR BUILDING, UH, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PERMITS. NOW TO PROVIDE A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR ADOPTIVE BUDGET, OUR TOTAL ADOPTIVE BUDGET FOR 2022 IS $3.1 BILLION. AND THIS IS MADE UP OF THREE COMPONENTS. THE FIRST BEING RESTRICTED FUNDS AT $1.1 BILLION RESTRICTED FUNDS. THE REVENUES THAT ARE RECEIVED BY RESTRICTED FUNDS MUST BE USED ON A SPECIFIC PURPOSE AND ARE REGULATED BY FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAWS. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE AIRPORT FUND IS REGULATED BY FEDERAL LAWS AND ALL REVENUES GENERATED AT THE AIRPORT MUST BE USED FOR AVIATION SERVICES. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. THIS TAX IS REGULATED BY STATE REGULATIONS. OUR STATE LAW AND REVENUES COLLECTED BY THIS TAX MUST BE USED FOR CONVENTION, HOTEL INDUSTRY AND THE ARTS. THE SECOND COMPONENT IS OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM BUDGETED AT $592 MILLION, AND THIS PROVIDES FUNDS FOR OUR LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS TO INCLUDE THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM AS WELL AS OUR AIRPORT PROJECTS. FINALLY, THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS OUR LARGEST OPERATING FUND, IS BUDGETED $1.36 BILLION. THIS FUND PROVIDES SOME OF THE CITY'S CORE SERVICES TO INCLUDE PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, STREETS AND PARKS AND RECREATION. SO SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND. THE GENERAL FUND IS FUNDED BY FIVE MAIN COMPONENTS, THE FIRST BEING C P S AT $361 MILLION. AS A REMINDER, THE CITY RECEIVES UP TO 14% OF ALL C P SS GAS AND ELECTRIC GROSS REVENUE AS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES. PROPERTY TAX IS OUR LARGEST SOURCE AT $410 MILLION, AND SALES TAX IS OUR, UH, THE THIRD LARGEST SOURCE AT $336 MILLION. AS YOU MAY RECALL, WITH THE 2022 ADOPT A BUDGET, WE HAVE ABOUT A $30 MILLION FROM ARPA. AND FINALLY, OUR OTHER RESOURCES ARE BUDGETED ABOUT $219 MILLION. THESE REVENUES COMBINED FROM THE BASIC SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CITY TO INCLUDE PUBLIC SERV, PUBLIC SAFETY AT 63% STREETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND PARKS AND RECREATION. AND THE REMAINING GOES TO FUND SERVICES SUCH AS THE LIBRARY CODE ENFORCEMENT AND ANIMAL CARE SERVICES. SO FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, OUR REVENUES ARE AHEAD OF BUDGET BY ABOUT $26 MILLION, AND THIS IS MAINLY DRIVEN BY OUR SALES TAX AND C P S, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT MORE IN DETAIL IN THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES. BASED ON OUR FIRST QUARTER PERFORMANCE, WE ARE PROJECTING TO BE END THE YEAR, UH, AHEAD OF BUDGET BY ABOUT $36 MILLION FOR EXPENSES. WE ARE AT BUDGET FOR THE FIRST QUARTER AND PROJECTED BE AT BUDGET BY THE END OF THE YEAR. NOW, AS YOU MAY RECALL, IN DECEMBER, THE CITY MANAGER PROVIDED A MEMO REGARDING THE YEAR END PERFORMANCE OF 20 20 20 21. AT THIS TIME, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE GENERAL FUND ENDED THE YEAR BE ENDED THE YEAR BETTER BY $8.9 MILLION. SO THIS $8.9 MILLION COUPLED WITH THE $36 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE, WE ARE PROJECTING TO END THE YEAR ABOUT $45 MILLION AHEAD OF WHERE WE WERE IN SEPTEMBER. AND TO PROVIDE SOME MORE DETAILS ON OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUES, AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE AHEAD OF BUDGET BY ABOUT $26 MILLION. OF THIS $26 MILLION, 21 MILLION IS FROM C P S AND SALES TAX. WITH REGARDS TO SALES TAX, WE HAVE RECEIVED RECORD COLLECTIONS FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS DUE TO ECONOMIC ACTIVITY FROM OUR INDUSTRY, SEC SECTORS SUCH AS RETAIL AND ENTERTAINMENT. WE ARE PROJECTING THAT THIS TREND CONTINUES, BUT AT A MORE MODERATE PACE DUE TO THE RISK OUTLINED BY THE CONFERENCE BOARD DUE TO NEW COVID VARIANTS, INFLATION AND MONETARY POLICY. WITH REGARDS TO C P SS, WE ARE AHEAD OF BUDGET BY ABOUT $8.9 MILLION, AND THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO, UH, HIGHER FUEL PRICES THAN WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED. AND BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE ABOUT $14.8 MILLION AHEAD OF BUDGET. THIS IS A PORTION OF IT IS AS A RESULT OF THE HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED FUEL PRICES, AS WELL AS THE RATE INCREASE THAT WILL TAKE EFFECT IN MARCH. [02:00:01] FOR THE OTHER, UH, REVENUES, WE ARE PROJECTING TO BE ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS AHEAD OF BUDGET BY THE END OF THE YEAR. AND THIS IS DRIVEN BY THREE THINGS. THE FIRST BEING OUR E M S TRANSPORTS, OUR RIVER BARGE COLLECTIONS, AS WELL AS OUR VEHICLE AUCTIONS. AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, THERE ARE PRIORITY ISSUES THAT WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED DURING THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. WHILE WE ARE PROJECTING TO END THE BUDGET APPROXIMATELY $45 MILLION AHEAD OF WHERE WE WERE IN SEPTEMBER, THE PRIORITY ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED RANGE FROM ABOUT 54 TO $59 MILLION. THESE ISSUES INCLUDE OUR CIVILIAN PAY PLAN CHANGES, POLICY DISCUSSION ON OUR RESIDENTIAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, POLICE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, CASH FUNDING, THE CONTINUATION OF OUR EDWARDS AQUIFER PROGRAM, MANDATED COST TO INCLUDE STAFFING THE NEW ST. MARY'S POLICE STATION, AS WELL AS THE NEW LADDER COMPANY FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ADDRESSING SOME DEFICIT BALANCES IN OUR SELF-INSURANCE FUNDS. AND FINALLY, WE INCLUDED SOME INITIATIVES IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET THAT WERE FUNDED ONE TIME. AND IF WE WOULD CONTINUE THESE FUNDS, WE WOULD NEED TO ADD FUNDING IN 2023. SO I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE RESTRICTIVE FUNDS THAT, THAT, UH, WE HAVE. SO FIRST BEING OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. THE TO HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX RATE IS 16.75% OF WHICH THE CITY RECEIVES 9%. 7% GOES TO FUND ACTIVITIES SUCH AS OUR CONVENTION CENTER. ALAMO DO VISIT SAN ANTONIO ARTS AND HISTORY AND PRESERVATION, AND THE REMAINING 2% IS A RESTRICTED SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION DEBT, AS WELL AS FUTURE CONVENTION CENTER PROJECTS. SO THE NEXT SLIDE ILLUSTRATES OUR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE FOR OUR HOT TAX AS WELL AS OTHER RELATED REVENUES. OUR HOT TAXES BUDGETED AT $71 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT $10 MILLION HIGHER THAN OUR 2021 BUDGET. AS YOU CAN SEE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, WE ARE ABOUT $4 MILLION AHEAD OF OUR, OF OUR BUDGET AND WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE ABOUT $8 MILLION AHEAD FOR THE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022. AND THIS IS DRIVEN BY HIGHER OCCUPANCY RATES AS WELL AS HIGHER AVERAGE DAILY RATES FROM OUR HOTELS. OUR CONVENTION CENTER IS SLIGHTLY BELOW BUDGET AND WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE SLIGHTLY BELOW BUDGET BY THE END OF THE YEAR AS ATTENDANCE AT EVENTS HAS BEEN LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER, IN REGARDS TO OUR ALAMO DOME, WE ARE PROJECTING TO BE AHEAD OF BUDGET AND THAT'S DRIVEN BY BETTER ATTEN ATTENDANCE AT OUR U T S A GAME. THE U T S A CONFERENCE OR THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP THAT THE U T SS A TEAM PLAYED IN, AS WELL AS THREE ADDITIONAL EVENTS THAT WE WILL SEE OVER THE NEXT IN THE IN 2022. NOW THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS A, UH, HISTORY OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, IN 2019, WE COLLECTED IN TOTAL ABOUT $126 MILLION. PRIOR TO 20 20 19, OUR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX WAS GROWING ON AVERAGE ABOUT 4%. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SLIDE IN 20. IN 2020, THE HOTEL TAX TOOK A A HIT BECAUSE OF COVID. HOWEVER, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO RECOVER OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT WE ARE STILL $21 MILLION BELOW COLLECTIONS FOR 2019, WHICH IS ABOUT 5% BELOW 2019. PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, THE CITY HAD STARTED TO IDENTIFY FACILITY NEEDS AT BOTH THE ALAMO DOME AND THE CONVENTION CENTER THROUGH A FACILITY ASSESSMENT AND OTHER ASSESSMENTS. OVER A A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS WAS IDENTIFIED FOR PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, CAPITAL REPLACEMENTS AND FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS. IN 2020, WE BEGAN TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES. HOWEVER, AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19, THESE WERE PUT ON PAUSE AS WE WORK TO KEEP THE FUND FINANCIALLY STABLE. AS THE FUND STARTS TO RECOVER, WE'LL NEED TO BEGIN TO ADDRESS THESE IDENTIFIED NEEDS. OUR NEXT RESTRICTED FUND IS AIRPORT. OUR AIRPORT FUND. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS PROVIDES FUNDING FOR AVIATION SERVICES AT BOTH SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AS WELL AS STINSON. AIRPORT. REVENUES FOR THE FIRST QUARTER ARE AHEAD OF BUDGET BY 2.7 MILLION, AND WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS AHEAD OF BUDGET BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THIS IS DRIVEN BY TWO MAIN COMPONENTS. FIRST, OUR NON-AIR AIRLINE REVENUES ARE PERFORMING BETTER THAN A BUDGET DUE TO ADDITIONAL REVENUES FROM OUR CAR RENTALS COMMISSION AS WELL AS PARKING REVENUES. IN TERMS OF OUR AIRLINE REVENUES, WE ARE PERFORMING BETTER AS WE'VE SEEN, UH, HIGHER THAN HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED ACTIVITY FROM INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS RESULTING IN HIGHER THAN PLANNED REVENUES. FOR THIS CATEGORY, FOR EXPENDITURES, WE ARE [02:05:01] SLIGHTLY BELOW BUDGET AND WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE SLIGHTLY BELOW BUDGET BY THE END OF THE YEAR. SO THIS NEXT SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE MONTHLY PASSENGERS AT THE AIRPORT. SO LET ME ORIENT YOU TO THE SLIDE. THE ORANGE LINE IS OUR 2019 MONTHLY PASSENGERS FOR THAT YEAR, AND THIS IS OUR PRE PANDEMIC LEVEL. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE LIGHT BLUE SLIDE, WHICH IS 2020, THERE WAS A LARGE DECLINE IN MARCH, WHICH CONTINUED TO DECLINE IN APRIL FOR 2020, WHICH IS, I'M SORRY, 2021, WHICH IS THE DARK GREEN LINE. YOU CAN SEE THAT WE START TO RECOVER IN OUR, IN TERMS OF OUR PASSENGERS IN MARCH, AND WE CONTINUE TO RECOVER THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR 2022, WHICH IS THE DARK BLUE FOR THE FIRST THREE QUAR FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS, WE ARE SLIGHTLY BELOW PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS. HOWEVER, BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE ARE PROJECTED TO FULLY RECOVER. THE FINAL RESTRICTIVE FUND THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT IS OUR, IS OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FUND. THIS IS ROUGHLY A $42 MILLION FUND THAT IS SUPPORTED BY FEES PAID FOR BY DEVELOPERS FOR PLAN REVIEWS AND INSPECTIONS. FOR THE FIRST QUARTER REVENUES, WE ARE AHEAD OF BUDGET BY A JUST UNDER A MILLION DOLLARS, AND WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE AHEAD OF BUDGET BY $1.1 MILLION BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THIS IS DRIVEN BY HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED COMMERCIAL PERMITS, AS WELL AS VALUATION. IN TERMS OF OUR EXPENSES, WE ARE PROJECTING TO BE AT BUDGET BY THE END OF THE YEAR. SO THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS OUR, UH, COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PERMITS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. AS YOU CAN SEE FOR 2022, WE ARE ESTIMATING TO BE AHEAD OF BUDGET FOR OUR COMMERCIAL PERMITS. HOWEVER, OUR RESIDENTIALS ARE SLIGHTLY LOWER, BUT STILL BETTER THAN 2021. FINALLY, I WANTED TO PRESENT OUR RECOMMENDED BUDGET CALENDAR FOR 2023. WE ARE PROPOSING TO ADJUST THE CALENDAR SLIGHTLY SO THAT STAFF CAN OBTAIN CITY COUNCIL FEEDBACK EARLY IN THE PROCESS. AS YOU MAY RECALL, AND AS ERIC MENTIONED, WE TYPICALLY HOLD THE GOAL SETTING SESSION AT THE END OF MAY OR IN JUNE, WHICH IS AFTER OUR FIVE-YEAR FORECAST AND AFTER THE TRIAL BUDGET. WITH THIS RECOMMENDED CALENDAR, WE ARE PROPOSING TO MOVE THE GOAL SETTING SESSION TO APRIL. BY MAKING THE SHIFT, IT WILL ALLOW STAFF TO OBTAIN YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE 2023 BUDGET PROCESS PRIOR TO THE FORECAST AND PRIOR TO THE PRES PRESENTATION OF THE TRIAL BUDGET. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO INCORPORATE THOSE PRIORITIES IN THAT FORECAST AND THE TRIAL BUDGET. WE WOULD PROPOSE PRESENTING THE FORECAST AND THE TRIAL BUDGET ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 11TH, AND AT THIS TIME, WE COULD REFINE THOSE PRIORITIES WITH THE CITY COUNCIL IN PREPARATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2023 BUDGET. ONCE THE TRIAL BUDGET IS PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL, WE WOULD GATHER INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THE TRIAL BUDGET, AS WELL AS OTHER COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. FINALLY, COMMUNITY AND CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES WOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 PROPOSED BUDGET, WHICH WOULD, WHICH WOULD BE PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL ON AUGUST 11TH, AND THE BUDGET ADOPTION WOULD BE, UH, SEPTEMBER 15TH. TODAY, WE'RE ASKING CITY COUNCIL TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE BUDGET CALENDAR BY NEXT WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD. ONCE WE HAVE YOUR FEEDBACK, WE WOULD FINALIZE THE BUDGET CALENDAR BY NEXT FRIDAY AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. SO IN SUMMARY, UM, AS I MENTIONED TODAY IS AN EARLY FINANCIAL UPDATE. THERE'S STILL ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY FROM ONGOING IMPACT OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS ON THE ECONOMY. SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT THE BETTER ENDING BALANCE, THE PROJECTED BETTER ENDING BALANCE IS RESERVED FOR PRIORITY ISSUES TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST, AS WELL AS THE TRIAL BUDGET, WHICH WOULD, WHICH WOULD BE PRESENTED TO YOU IN THE SPRING. WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO HAND OVER THE PRESENTATION TO TROY. THANK YOU JUSTINA, AND GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE HOMESTEAD. AS ERIC MENTIONED, UM, LAST YEAR DURING THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, WE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS, A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON THE HOMESTEAD. SO ONE OF THOSE PRIORITY ISSUES THAT JUST MENTIONED WAS A POLICY DISCUSSION ON THE HOMESTEAD. UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, WANTED TO, YOU HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THESE SLIDES BEFORE. SO AS WE MOVE INTO THE DISCUSSION ON THE HOMESTEAD, JUST KIND OF WANTED TO GIVE A REFRESHER. UH, THE FIRST THING THAT WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IS JUST THE F Y 22 PROPERTY TAX SUMMARY. OUR TOTAL ASSESSED VALUE IS $156 BILLION OF THAT AMOUNT. THAT'S TAXABLE. IT'S 132 BILLION. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A TAX RATE, UH, TOTAL TAX [02:10:01] RATE OF 56 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF VALUATION. AND THAT RESULTS IN A TAX LEVY OR TAX REVENUE, A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $661 MILLION. OUR TOTAL TAX RATE IS DIVIDED INTO TWO DIFFERENT BUCKETS. THE ONE BUCKET IS THE M AND O TAX RATE, WHICH IS 35 CENTS PER HUNDRED VALUATION. THAT REALLY GOES TO SUPPORTING OUR GENERAL FUND. UM, AS JUSTINA MENTIONED, OUR BUDGET FOR THE PROPERTY TAX IS THE 410 MILLION, WHICH REPRESENTS OUR TAX LEVY, OUR EXPECTED REVENUE UNDER THAT TAX RATE. THE SECOND COMPONENT OF THE TAX RATE IS THE DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE, WHICH IS 21 CENTS PER HUNDRED IN VALUATION, RESULTING IN REVENUE, ESTIMATED REVENUE OF $250 MILLION. THAT DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE SUPPORTS OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM IN THE COURSE, THE $1.2 MILLION BOND PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL, SEVERAL MONTHS. UM, JUST ANECDOTALLY, OVER THE LAST 29 YEARS, WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN OUR CURRENT TAX RATE OR THAT SAME PERIOD OF TIME. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVEN REDUCTIONS IN THE TAX RATE AND THIS TAX RATE OF 56 CENTS I MENTIONED AS A TOTAL TAX RATE, HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2016. THIS NEXT SLIDE, I'D PROBABLY LIKE TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON IT. UM, I THINK THAT THE, UM, THE CONTENT OF THIS SLIDE CAN PLAY A ROLE AND MAY INFLUENCE YOUR DISCUSSION OR YOUR DECISION ON A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AS WE IN IF WE INCREASE THAT OR CHANGE THAT. UM, THIS SLIDE BASICALLY SHOWS YOUR PROPERTY TAX VALUATION CHANGE YEAR OVER YEAR. UM, AND ONE OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS ON THIS SLIDE IS GONNA BE THE IMPACT OF SENATE BILL TWO HAD ON THESE TAXABLE VALUATIONS GOING BACK THEN GETS TO THE FAR LEFT. UM, LOOKING HISTORICALLY STARTING IN 2011, WE HAD A BASE, A NEGATIVE VALUE INCREASE ON OUR BASE, AND THAT CONTINUED THROUGH 2013 IN 2014. AND THAT'S LARGELY AS A RESULT OF COMING OUTTA THE RECEPTION 'CAUSE THOSE PROPERTY VALUES ARE GONNA LAG BEHIND THE RECOVERY OF THE RECEPTION. IN 2014, WE STARTED THAT RECOVERY PERIOD, AND YOU SEE THAT RECOVERY WENT THROUGH 2016 TO WHERE WE HAD IN 2016. WE HAD A 9.9%, UM, YEAR OVER YEAR INCREASE IN OUR TAXABLE VALUATION ON THE BASE, AND THEN IT STABILIZED THROUGH 2020. IN 2020, WE HAD THE SENATE BILL TWO WAS EFFECTIVE. WHAT SENATE BILL TWO DID WAS IT LOWERED THE ROLLBACK RATE FROM 8% PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF SB TWO TO 3.5% OF THE BASE MOVING FORWARD IN 2021. AND THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2021. IF YOU LOOK BACK HISTORICALLY, HAD THAT 3.5% REVENUE CAP BEEN IN PLACE, WE WERE SUBJECT TO AN 8% CAP HISTORICALLY, BUT HAD THAT 3.5% REVENUE CAP BEEN IN PLACE FOR 2015 THROUGH 2020, WE WOULD'VE BEEN CAPPED AT THAT TAXABLE VALUATION OF 3.5% AND THAT VALUE WOULD'VE BEEN LOST ABOVE THAT. THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE USED TO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY AS YOU SEE COMING OUTTA THE RECEPTION OUTTA THE RECESSION, THAT WE COULD BASICALLY RESTORE THOSE LOST SERVICES AND WE HAD THAT FLEXIBILITY. SO UNDER THIS 3.5% CAP MOVING FORWARD, WE WILL BE LIMITED IN THAT FLEXIBILITY LOOKING. I'D LIKE TO ALSO TALK ABOUT 2022. WHEN WE TALKED, UM, LAST YEAR DURING THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND WE TALKED ABOUT VALUES, WE HAD A 2.1% INCREASE OVER THE BASE THAT WAS LARGELY INFLUENCED BY THE PANDEMIC. THE RESIDENTIAL VALUES, THEY INCREASED ABOUT 8%, THEY INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. UM, FLIP ON THE FLIP SIDE, ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, ON CERTAIN SEGMENTS LIKE THE HOTEL INDUSTRY AND THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, WE SAW DRAMATIC DECLINES IN VALUE. HOTEL INDUSTRY DECLINED APPROXIMATELY 15%, RESTAURANTS ABOUT 3%, AND IT NETTED A YEAR OVER YEAR INCREASE IN THE BASE OF 2.1%, WHICH IS BELOW THE CURRENT CAP. YOU KNOW, AS EVERYBODY'S SEEN, EVERYBODY'S BEEN OUTSIDE LOOKING AT THE ECONOMY AS HOTELS START TO FILL UP, AND JUSTINA JUST TALKED ABOUT HOW WE'RE RECOVERING ON OUR HOTEL TAX. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT'S GONNA CHANGE IN 2023 AS WE MOVED INTO THAT NEW FISCAL YEAR. WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH B C AD BETWEEN NOW AND THE CERTIFIED TAX ROLL TO WATCH THOSE VALUES. BUT JUST INTUITIVELY, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THE RESIDENTIAL VALUES ARE GONNA STAY FAIRLY ROBUST AND WE WILL START SEEING A RECOVERY ON THOSE VALUES ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE. SO I THINK WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT ON IT BECAUSE I THINK THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL HIT THAT 3.5% CAP AND POSSIBLY EXCEED THAT 3.5% CAP. IN THE EVENT THAT WE EXCEED THAT CAP, WE WOULD BE EXPERIENCING A ROLLBACK IN THE TAX RATE, SO EFFECTIVELY REDUCING THAT TAX RATE. UM, FOR 2023. AS I MENTIONED, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH B C A D AND THROUGH THE COURSE FROM NOW THROUGH THE CERTIFICATION AND JULY 25TH, WE'LL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF WHAT THAT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE. THIS SLIDE BASICALLY WANTS TO, I WANNA PROVIDE A REMINDER OF WHAT ALL THE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF THAT IS AVAILABLE TO OUR PROPERTY TAXPAYERS TODAY. AS I JUST MENTIONED, THE STATE LEGISLATURE, UM, IMPLEMENTED SB [02:15:01] TWO AND REDUCED THAT PROPERTY TAX ROLLBACK RATE FROM EIGHT TO FIVE PER EIGHT TO 3.5%, WHICH EFFECTIVELY PROVIDES RELIEF GOING, UM, TO OUR PROPERTY TAX PAYERS GOING FORWARD. WE ALSO CURRENTLY OFFER A 0.01% LOCAL HOMESTEAD, AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT ON SOME OF THE SUBSEQUENT SLIDES. THAT 0.01 LOCAL HOMESTEAD, UM, EXEMPTION IS THE LOWEST EXEMPTION THAT WAS PASSED IN 2019, EFFECTIVE FOR 2020, AND IT EQUATES TO A FLAT $5,000 EXEMPTION, WHICH IS THE MINIMUM THAT YOU CAN, THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE IN YOUR STATE STATUTE. YOU ALSO PROVIDE A 65,000 AND OVER EXEMPTION, OR OVER 8 65 AND 12,500 DISABLED PERSONS EXEMPTION ALONG WITH A TAX FREEZE. APPROXIMATELY 45% OF ALL OF OUR HOMESTEADS RECEIVE A TAX FREEZE, AND THAT EQUATES TO ABOUT 106,000 RESIDENCES. UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE CITY WILL FOREGO APPROXIMATELY 72.4 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE. THAT COMES FROM ALL THE VARIETY, ALL THE SOURCES I TALKED ABOUT ABOVE 6.2 MILLION IN LOCAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, 35.2 MILLION OVER AGE 65 EXEMPTION, 500,000 ON THE DISABLED AND 30.5 MILLION IN A TAX FREEZE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION? UNDER THE CURRENT STATUTE, UM, THE HOMESTEAD APPLIES TO ALL HOMESTEADS REGARDLESS OF VALUE, AND IT MAY NOT BE ADOPTED AS A DOLLAR AMOUNT. IT CAN ONLY BE ADOPTED AS A PERCENTAGE, AND IT'S CAPPED AT 20% OF THE APPRAISED VALUE WITH A MINIMUM OF $5,000. AND AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE AT THE $5,000 TODAY, MUST BE APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL PRIOR TO JULY 1ST FOR IT TO BE EFFECTIVE NEXT FISCAL YEAR 2023. AND AS I MENTIONED, THAT'S WHY WE'RE COMING TO Y'ALL TODAY TO REALLY INITIATE AND START THIS CONVERSATION. THESE SLIDES SHOULD LOOK FAMILIAR AND I'M GONNA HAVE TWO SLIDES. ONE IS GONNA BE KIND OF WHAT DOES THAT ESTIMATED, UM, INCREMENTAL ANNUAL TAX SAVINGS TO THE HOMEOWNER. THE SECOND ONE IS GONNA SHOW YOU AN AGGREGATE AND TOTAL WHAT THAT IMPACT IS GIVEN TODAY'S EXEMPTION PLUS, IF Y'ALL AS A COUNCIL CHOSE TO MOVE FORWARD TO ANY OF THE OPTIONS ON THE SLIDES OR EVEN ABOVE THAT, WHAT THAT TOTAL IMPACT WOULD BE TO THE CITY AND TO IN TERMS OF SAVINGS TO THE HOMEOWNER. SO THIS SLIDE HERE, AS I MENTIONED, IT'S SHOWING THE ESTIMATED INCREMENTAL ANNUAL SAVINGS TO THE HOMEOWNER, KIND OF WALKING OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SLIDE TO HAVE SEVERAL OPTIONS, UM, SHOWING THE HOMESTEAD VALUE OR THE IMPACT FROM A HUNDRED THOUSAND HOMESTEAD VALUE UP TO A $600,000 HOMESTEAD VALUE. ALSO SHOWING WHAT THAT TOTAL TAX BILL WOULD BE BASED ON EACH OF THOSE HOMESTEADS. SO THE TOTAL TOTAL TAX BILL FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS HOMESTEAD VALUE IS ROUGHLY $2,317. ALSO, THE COSA TAX BILL, UM, ON THAT SAME A HUNDRED THOUSAND HOMESTEAD WOULD BE ABOUT $530 AFTER A CONSIDERATION OF THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION MOVING DOWN THE STACK. UM, A HOMESTEAD VALUE OF 600,000, THE TOTAL TAX BILL WILL BE ABOUT $16,286 WITH A COSTA TAX BILL OF $3,322. UNDER THE CURRENT EXEMPTION, AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE TODAY AT 0.01. THAT GIVES EVERYBODY ESSENTIALLY A FLAT $5,000 EXEMPTION UNDER THE HOMESTEAD THAT EQUATES TO AN A SAVINGS, UM, ANNUAL SAVINGS ON A TAX BILL OF $28. AND THAT WOULD BE ALONG ALL THE HOMESTEAD VALUES. WE ARE ALSO PROVIDING TO THE RIGHT SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. MOVING TO A 1% EXEMPTION, IT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE ANY IMPACT UNTIL YOU GET TO VALUES OR HOMESTEAD VALUES IN 600,000 OR ABOVE. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WOULD PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $6 IN ADDITION TO THE $28 THAT THEY CURRENTLY ENJOY. YOU CAN SEE MOVING ACROSS, AND I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM, I'LL SKIP OVER TO ANY EVENT THAT WE DID A 5% EXEMPTION STILL FOR OUR HOMESTEAD VALUE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND. THERE'S STILL NO IMPACT 'CAUSE THAT REALLY EQUATES TO ABOUT $5,000 EXEMPTION. BUT YOU START SEEING ADDITIONAL IMPACT TO HOMEOWNERS OR HOMESTEAD VALUES IN ADDITION IN EXCESS OF 200,000. SO IF YOU HAVE A $200,000 HOME, MOVING TO A 5% EXEMPTION WOULD BE AN EXTRA $28 ON TOP OF THE $28 THAT THEY'RE ALREADY RECEIVING. A $600,000 HOMESTEAD WOULD RECEIVE ABOUT AN ADDITIONAL $140 ABOVE AND BEYOND THE $28 THAT THEY'RE RECEIVING. LIKEWISE, GOING DOWN TO THE INCREMENTAL LOSS TO THE, UM, THE GENERAL FUND TODAY, BASED ON THE CURRENT EXEMPTION, UM, WE FOREGO VALUE ABOUT $3.9 MILLION. IF WE MOVE TO ANY OF THE OPTIONS TO THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT IN OUR 1% EXEMPTION, IT BEING ADDITIONAL $78,000 IMPACT TO OUR GENERAL FUND, MOVING TO A 5% WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL $5.3 MILLION TO THE GENERAL FUND. AND THEN BELOW, YOU SEE THE IMPACT TO THE DEBT SERVICE FUND, AND I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL THAT, BUT THE TOTAL REVENUE LOSS TODAY, UM, 6.2 MILLION, [02:20:02] LOOKING ACROSS ALL THE EXEMPTION OPTIONS, IF YOU MOVE TO A 5%, ROUGHLY $8.6 MILLION IMPACT IN REVENUE, INCREMENTAL REVENUE TO THE GENERAL FUND AND THE DEBT SERVICE, THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS YOU ESSENTIALLY THE SAME OPTIONS. ALL IT'S DOING IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT TO THE RIGHT OF THAT BAR, THE DIVIDER IN THE MIDDLE IS IT'S SUMMING UP THE CURRENT VALUE OF THE EXEMPTION TODAY PLUS THE ADDITIONAL EXEMPTION. SO UNDER THAT 1% EXEMPTION, THE TOTAL OUT OF POCKET OR THE FOR THE CITY AND THE TOTAL BENEFIT TO THE RESIDENT OR THE PROPERTY OWNER WOULD BE THE $28 COMPARISON TO THE MOVING TO A 5% EXEMPTION. THE TOTAL BENEFIT TO THAT, TO A PROPERTY TAX, UM, PROPERTY TAX, UM, PAYER WOULD BE, WOULD REMAIN AT $28. MOVING TO A 600,000 HOMESTEAD VALUE BE $167 IN TOTAL. SO COMBINED STAYING AT THE 5% EXEMPTION, COMBINED INCREMENTAL REVENUE LOSS TO THE GENERAL FUND, GIVEN WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TODAY, PLUS THE INCREMENTAL AMOUNT FOR A 5% EXEMPTION WOULD BE A TOTAL IMPACT OR TOTAL REVENUE LOSS OF 9.2 MILLION, 5.6 MILLION IMPACT IN TOTAL TO OUR DEBT SERVICE. AND A $14 MILLION, $14.8 MILLION IMPACT OVERALL CONSIDERING TODAY'S EXEMPTION PLUS, IF WE WANTED TO MOVE TO A 5% EXEMPTION. THESE ARE MY FINAL TWO SLIDES, BUT JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU TWO COMPARISONS. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS GONNA BE COMPARING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO THE CURRENT JURIS ENTITIES IN SAN ANTONIO. SAN ANTONIO TAX. SAN ANTONIO IS JUST A PORTION OF THE TOTAL TAX BILL, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY REPRESENTS 2220 2% OF THE TOTAL TAX BILL, UH, BEXAR COUNTY ROAD AND FLOOD. YOU CAN SEE THEIR TAX RATES, AND I WON'T GO THROUGH EVERYTHING HERE, BUT YOU CAN SEE THEIR MANDATORY HOME EXEMPTION AND ALSO DISABLED PERSONS EXEMPTION. AND AS YOU GO DOWN THROUGH THE LIST, YOU CAN SEE HOW SAN ANTONIO TAX RATE AND EXEMPTIONS COMPARED TO THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS. OUR TAXING ENTITIES IN SAN ANTONIO, WE'LL SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. FOR EXAMPLE, SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO HAVE A MANDATORY OVER 65 EXEMPTION IN DISABLED PERSONS EXEMPTION IN SENIOR TAX FREEZE. UM, THE OVER 65 EXEMPTION AND DISABLED PERSON'S EXEMPTION ARE MANDATORY AT $10,000 AND A MANDATORY EXEMPTION AT 25,000 ON THE HOMESTEAD. THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES ELECT TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT 25,000 MANDATORY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. THEY DO AN ADDITIONAL 0.01% SIMILAR TO WHAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ALSO I BELIEVE IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE WHEN IT CAME TO THE, UM, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. UM, THERE IS GONNA BE A PROPOSITION ON THE BALLOT TO BE VOTER APPROVED, INCREASING THAT MANDATORY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FROM THE CURRENT 25,000 TO 40,000. AND THAT WILL BE VOTED ON. THIS ITEM RIGHT HERE SHOWS YOU THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO COMPARED TO OUR COMP SET OR OUR OTHER PIERCE CITIES. UM, KIND OF WALKING THROUGH THE TABLE, AND I'LL JUST GIVE, I'LL START WITH AUSTIN. SO WHAT THIS IS SHOWING IS THE AVERAGE TAXABLE HOMESTEAD VALUE. SO FOR AUSTIN, THAT AVERAGE HOMESTEAD TAXABLE VALUE IS 309 380 $9,000. THAT TAXABLE HOMESTEAD VALUE AFTER THE CONSIDERATION OF THE EXEMPTIONS THAT YOU'RE SEEING TO THE RIGHT. SO IT'S AFTER THE CONSIDERATION OF THE LOCAL HOME OPTION HOMESTEAD. AFTER CONSIDERATION OF THE OVER 65 EXEMPTION OF 113,000, AND ALSO THE DISABLED PERSON'S EXEMPTION OF 113,000, THEY DO NOT HAVE A SENIOR TAX FREEZE IN PLACE. SO AFTER CONSIDERATION OF THOSE EXEMPTIONS, THEY HAVE AN AVERAGE TAXABLE HOMESTEAD VALUE OF 389,000 BASED ON THAT TAX. BASED ON THEIR CURRENT TAX RATE AT 55 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF VALUATION, THEIR AVERAGE TAX OR THEIR AVERAGE TAX BILL IS $2,157. LOOKING AT HOW THAT COMPARES TO HOUSTON, DALLAS AND SAN ANTONIO, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THOSE HOMESTEAD VALUES LIE. WE AS A CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ARE KIND OF MIDDLE OF THE PACK. UM, OUR AVERAGE TAXABLE HOMESTEAD VALUE IS 208,000 AS COMPARED TO AUSTIN, HOUSTON AND DALLAS. OUR TAX ON OUR AVERAGE HOMESTEAD IS ROUGHLY ONE OF THE LOWER TAX RATES OR TAX BILLS THAT YOU HAVE ON COMPARED TO OUR P CITIES. WE'RE BASICALLY SECOND FROM THE BOTTOM COMPARED TO CORPUS CHRISTI, ALTHOUGH OUR TAX RATE IS COMPARABLE TO AUSTIN AND HOUSTON. UM, ONE THINGS THAT YOU NOTICE THAT OUR TAX BILL IS LOWER, AND THAT'S REALLY GONNA BE REALLY THE IMPACT OF THE EXEMPTIONS THAT WE OFFER. THE ONE THING THAT WE DO HAVE THAT AUSTIN, HOUSTON AND DALLAS DO NOT HAVE, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT TO OUR PROPERTY TAXPAYERS, IS THE TAX FREEZE MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I THINK THAT FINISHES OUR, OUR PRESENTATION AND WE'RE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. GREAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION, JUSTINA AND TROY. UM, I'LL JUST START VERY BRIEF COMMENTS BY SAYING THAT [02:25:01] THE, THIS IS CERTAINLY ENCOURAGING NEWS FOR OUR FIRST QUARTER REPORT, BUT IF THERE'S BEEN AN EARMARK TO THE ECONOMY LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, IS IT'S MARKED BY HIGH VOLATILITY. SO, UH, I I WOULD EXPECT THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE MODERATING OF THESE NUMBERS OVER THE NEXT, UH, SEVERAL MONTHS, UM, COUPLED POTENTIALLY WITH SOME NOT MEETING A FORECAST BASED OF ON COMMENTS MADE BY THE FED CHAIRMAN AND INTEREST RATES, ET CETERA, BUT ALSO THE FACT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN DEPENDING ON ASSISTANCE, UM, THAT IS NOW BEGINNING TO WIND DOWN. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, UH, THESE ARE, THIS IS ENCOURAGING NEWS IN TERMS OF THE RECOVERY OF THE ECONOMY, BUT IT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN, UH, BUOYED BY THOSE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND OTHER INTERVENTIONS FEDERALLY AND LOCALLY THAT, THAT WE'VE COUNTED ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SO, UH, I WOULDN'T WANT US TO GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES IN TERMS OF, UM, ALLOCATING MONEY THAT HASN'T ARRIVED. AND CERTAINLY, UH, WE CAN'T NECESSARILY COUNT ON ARRIVING, UH, BY THE TIME WE GET OUR, OUR FULL FINANCIAL PICTURE. SO, UH, THE ONLY OTHER, UH, THING I WOULD MENTION IS, UM, ON THE LAST SLIDE YOU JUST SHOWED, UH, TROY, I, I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE COLUMN ON TAX. ON AVERAGE HOMESTEAD, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS FOR YEARS NOW AS WE'VE LOWERED THE TAX RATE, UH, A FEW TIMES AND WE'VE, UM, ADDED EXEMPTIONS AND FREEZES IN IN THE HOMESTEAD, FOR INSTANCE. UH, IT'S BEEN, UH, EASY AND TEMPTING TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHER CITIES JUST BY LOOKING AT ONE OF THOSE COLUMNS. AND CERTAINLY THE TAX RATE IS ONE OR WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE, UM, A HOMESTEAD OR A SENIOR TAX FREEZE, ET CETERA. BUT WE'VE BEEN, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE SEEING, UH, THE COMPLETE PICTURE WITHOUT SEEING THE TAX ON THE AVERAGE HOMESTEAD BECAUSE THE, THE TAX RATE ITSELF, UH, IS JUST A PORTION THAT INTERPLAYS WITH HOME VALUES THAT, UH, ALSO, UH, NEEDS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WITH THE EXEMPTIONS AND THE FREEZES. SO, UH, IT'S ENCOURAGING THAT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON WITH OUR PEER CITIES AND MAJOR METROS IN TEXAS. WE DO HAVE, UM, ONE OF THE LOWEST TAX BILLS, UH, FOR RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WE WILL CONTINUE, AS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE STATED, UH, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO LOOK FOR FURTHER WAYS TO REDUCE THE TAX BURDEN. UH, BUT WITH REGARD TO COMPARING OURSELVES, UM, WE ARE DOING BETTER THAN MOST, UH, IF NOT ALL OF THE CITIES THAT WE'RE COMPARED WITH. SO, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION, AGAIN, I WOULD URGE CAUTION AS WE APPROACH THESE NUMBERS IN THE FORECAST IN TERMS OF REVENUE, UH, AGAINST OUR FORECAST. SO, UH, WITH THAT, LEMME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. UM, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING THAT WHEN WE HAD THE VOTE FOR, UM, THE C P S RATE INCREASE, UM, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH COUNCILMAN PERRY AFTERWARDS AND HE MADE ONE OF THE MOST, UH, HE MADE AN ARGUMENT THAT I THINK RESONATED WITH ME, AND IT WAS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, A FEW DOLLARS ON AN INCREASE. AND WHEN WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH HOMESTEAD, IT WAS, IT WAS DIFFERENT, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A FEW DOLLARS THAT, UM, INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALS WOULD RECEIVE. I WILL ADD THAT WITH C P SS, ONE OF MY CONCERNS WAS THAT WE HAVE AN EQUITABLE RATE STRUCTURE, AND SO WITHIN HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, I, I'M GONNA TIE IT BACK AROUND, UM, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AS LONG AS IT'S APPLIED THROUGH AN EQUITY LENS. SO MY QUESTION TO STAFF IS, IS THAT POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION DOESN'T, UM, EXACERBATE EXISTING ECONOMIC DISPARITY? UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD HOMEOWNERS WITH A MODEST HOME RECEIVE LESS ECONOMIC RELIEF THAN A RESIDENT WITH A MORE EXPENSIVE HOME? AND IS IT POSSIBLE TO IMPLEMENT A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION? THAT WOULD BE EQUITABLE. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. I THINK UNDER THE CURRENT STATE STATUTE, IT HAS TO BE BASED ON A PERCENTAGE. AND SO WHEN YOU APPLY THAT PERCENTAGE, A MORE MODEST OR A LOWER VALUE HOME WOULD NOT GET A BENEFIT OR WOULD NOT GET AS SIGNIFICANT OF A BENEFIT AS A LARGER, UM, OR HIGHER DOLLAR VALUE HOME. SO ON THAT ONE SLIDE THAT I HAD SHOWN, I DUNNO IF YOU CAN BRING THE PRESENTATION BACK UP JUST TO KIND OF SHOW THAT REAL QUICK. SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE, AS WE MOVE TO OPTIONS FOR A 1, 2, 3, 4, OR 5%, UM, HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, YOU MOVE TO A 5% AND YOU LOOK AT THAT IMPACT OF THE 5% EXEMPTION, THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS HOMESTEAD VALUE, THERE REALLY STILL IS NOT ANY BENEFIT TO THAT HOMEOWNER. AS YOU MOVE TO A 600,000 UNDER THE CURRENT STATE STATUTE, THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE BENEFIT WOULD BE. THANK YOU. I AM INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AND I'M SORRY, COUNSEL INTERRUPT. [02:30:01] I JUST WANTED TO ADD, WE DID PURSUE AGGRESSIVELY LEGISLATION OVER PA SEVERAL PAST SESSIONS, UH, FILED BY REPRESENTATIVE DIEGO BERNAL AND SENATOR JOSE MENENDEZ THAT WOULD'VE ALLOWED US TO TARGET, UH, PROPERTY TAX RELIEF TO AREAS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HIGH ESCALATION. SO PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN THEIR HOMES FOR, I WANNA SAY IT WAS 10 YEARS OR MORE, AND HAVE EXPERIENCED A 15% INCREASE THAT WE COULD PROVIDE THE RELIEF THERE. WE WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL AT THE LEGISLATURE. THIS COUNCIL WANTS TO PURSUE THAT AGAIN WITH THE UPCOMING SESSION. WE WE'RE ALL READY TO, TO BRIEF YOU ON IT AND TALK ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. I'M, I'M VERY INTRIGUED BY THAT. UM, I'LL ADD, UM, GENERALLY JUST ABOUT THE TIMELINE FOR THE, UH, BUDGET AND WHATNOT. IF THE BUDGET GOAL SETTING SESSION WOULD BE IN APRIL, I KNOW THIS PAST JUNE WE HAD SURVEY DATA TO LOOK AT, WOULD WE PLAN ON HAVING A SURVEY PRIOR TO THAT? OR WHERE WOULD THAT FALL INTO THIS TIMELINE? THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. WE ARE PROPOSING TO HAVE THE COUNCIL INPUT, OR I'M SORRY, THE COMMUNITY INPUT AFTER THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST AND THE TRIAL BUDGET IS PRESENTED SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN COMMENT ON WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE TRIAL BUDGET AS WELL AS PROVIDE, UM, THEIR COMMUNITY INPUT ON THEIR PRIORITIES. THANK YOU. UM, THE LAST THING IS JUST A POTENTIAL ASK. UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THIS VARIANCE ISN'T TECHNICALLY A SURPLUS, BUT I THINK IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY. UM, YOU MAY RECALL DURING THE BUDGET IN JUNE, I HAD BROUGHT UP, UM, THE NEED FOR INCREASED NUMBER OF COUNCIL AIDES. UM, I EVEN, YOU KNOW, WE EVEN DISCUSSED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE L G C TO RAISE THE NUMBER OF FTES WITHOUT RAISING THE BUDGET. I KNOW CITY STAFF SAID THAT THEY LIKELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND, UM, INCREASING THE NUMBER OF FTES WITHOUT SOME SORT OF BUDGET, UM, UH, COMPONENT TO IT. AND SO I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. UM, WE'VE HAD AN, WE'VE HAD, UM, AN INCREASE IN NEED SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN AN INCREASE IN STAFF AS A RESOURCE. AND SO THE ROLE OF OUR COUNCIL AIDE HAS EVOLVED SIGNIFICANTLY AS A RESULT. UM, AND SO I'D REQUEST THAT WE USE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN ABOUT FUNDING THE POSITION, UM, BY FINISHING THESE LAST THREE QUARTERS OF FULL YEAR 2022, UM, WHICH WOULD COST I THINK ABOUT 144,000, UM, WHICH WOULD FUND AN ADDITIONAL HALF F T E FOR THIS LAST THREE QUARTERS AND FOR FULL YEAR 2023 AND ADDIT OR FISCAL YEAR 2023 AND ADDITIONAL 192,000, WHICH WOULD BRING US TO A TOTAL OF ABOUT 336,200 AND SOME CHANGE. UM, I WOULD LOVE SUPPORT FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES ON THAT, BUT I WOULD, UM, I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THE L G C RAISING IT WITHOUT A BUDGET, UH, IMPACT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE CITY STAFF WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO. HDA. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF POSITIVE TRENDS AND MOMENTUM. I URGE US ALL TO BE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC. I THINK THAT'S, UM, WHERE YOU, YOU, YOU COME FROM A PLACE OF CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I'M ENCOURAGED, UM, BY THE AIRPORT DATA AS WELL. IT SEEMS, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT, BUT LIKE, HOPEFULLY BY APRIL IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE BACK ON TRACK COMPARED TO 2019, WHICH IS OF COURSE GREAT NEWS FOR OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. IT'S IMPORTANT OF COURSE, THAT WE INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES WITHIN AN APPROPRIATE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT'S EFFECTIVE AND IMPACTFUL FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS. UM, AND I THINK ONE OF THE SLIDES YOU SHOWED THE IMPACT THAT EACH ONE PERCENTAGE POINT WOULD MAKE COMPARED TO THE VALUE OF A HOME. IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET A BREAKDOWN OF DISTRICT BY, UM, OF HOW MANY HOUSEHOLDS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE THREE, FOUR OR 5% INCREASE THAT MIGHT INFORM, UH, US IN, IN, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT EQUITY SCORES, IT MIGHT INFORM US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT, UM, WHERE THE POTENTIAL IMPACT COULD BE AND WE CAN TALK TO THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION AND PROVIDE IT BACK TO Y'ALL. OKAY, THANKS. UM, AND LASTLY, I JUST WANNA, UM, I, I DO WANNA EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR AN L G C ADJUSTMENT. UH, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, I THINK WE ALL, UM, WELL, MAYBE I SHOULDN'T SPEAK FOR ALL THOSE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU IN DISTRICT SIX WE HAVE, UM, CONSTITUENTS THAT NEED OUR HELP AND, AND SOMETIMES WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF STRUGGLING TO, TO GET TO THE PLACES THAT WE NEED TO BE. UM, SO I THINK IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL AS WELL. THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'LL START OFF WITH TROY ELLIOT, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU JUSTINA AS WELL. UM, I SAW ON THE DISABLED PERSON'S EXEMPTION, WE ARE THE LOWEST, UM, ON THE DISABLED PERSON'S EXEMPTION. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT WE VISITED AND HOW DO OUR, DOES OUR DISABLED POPULATION COMPARE TO THE OTHER [02:35:01] CITIES THAT ARE ON THERE? I DON'T RECALL WHEN THAT EXEMPTION WAS ACTUALLY INITIATED, SO I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT AND GET BACK TO YOU. AND I DON'T HAVE, I'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT YOUR SECOND QUESTION AS WELL. I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE. OKAY, GOOD. SO I'D, I'D LOVE TO SEE IT, YOU KNOW, I SAID ON THE BEHEAD BOARD NOW REPRESENTING, UH, MY COLLEAGUES AND, AND THE CITY. AND SO I, I REALLY THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THESE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL, MAYBE IF WE CAN DO A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS ON SOME OF THE OTHER, THE, THE OTHER AREAS THAT AS WELL, THAT WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT KIND OF CAUGHT MY ATTENTION, UM, IN PARTICULAR. BUT, UM, ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, TRYING TO SEE HOW WE, UM, WHEN WE DID THE SENIOR TAX FREEZE, AND MAYBE ALSO HOW IT COMPARES IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGE. I KNOW THE PERCENTAGES AREN'T IN HERE, UM, BUT HOW, HOW THAT AGAIN, UH, IN, IN TOTALITY THE PERCENTAGE THAT EVERYBODY BENEFITS FROM. SO THOSE ARE MY ONLY QUESTIONS FOR YOU, TROY, BUT SURE. WERE YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING? NO, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, WE'LL GO BACK AND DO A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS ON ALL THOSE EXEMPTIONS SO WE CAN SHOW YOU WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY WERE PUT IN PLACE, AND THEN HOW THEY'VE GROWN OVER THE YEARS. OKAY, WONDERFUL. THANK YOU, TROY. THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU. THE, THE REST ARE FOR, UM, JUSTINE, AND WHILE SHE COMES UP, UM, SO COUNCILMAN BAR BRAVO HAD REQUESTED AT THE LAST L G C COMMITTEE MEETING, AND, AND, UH, ANDY, YOU CAN STOP ME IF I'M OUTTA PLACE BECAUSE THIS IS L G C BUSINESS PROBABLY SO. UM, BUT SO COUNCILMAN BAR BRAVO HAD REQUESTED, UM, A REVIEW OF THAT AND WE HAD COMMITTED, UM, MY COLLEAGUES COUNCILMAN COURAGE AND COUNCILMAN VRAN HAD COMMITTED TO LOOKING AT THAT DECISION A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT, UM, AM I, DID I STAY WITHIN MY, OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ALL I'LL SAY ABOUT THAT. SO THANK YOU FOR THE, UM, THE L G C QUESTION. UH, JUSTINA, MY, UH, QUESTION FOR YOU. I'LL START OFF WITH THE JANUARY STATUS REPORT THAT YOU PROVIDED. UM, WE HAVE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE INITIATIVE. IT SAYS THAT IT'S ON SCHEDULE, IT'S 20. IT ALSO SAYS THAT IT'S 20% COMPLETED THOUGH, UM, AND THAT THE POSITION WILL BE FILLED BY MID-FEBRUARY AND IT'S MID-FEBRUARY. DID WE FILL IT? THE BROADBAND LEAD POSITION? MM-HMM. , I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU, BUT EACH OF THESE, UM, EACH OF THESE INITIATIVES HAVE THEIR OWN, UH, PLAN SO THAT THEY ARE ON SCHEDULE. UM, OKAY. THEY WERE HAD PROJECTED TO BE ABOUT 20% COMPLETE, UM, AT THIS TIME THROUGH JANUARY. OKAY. SO, UM, I KNOW THAT THIS IS A, SO AS STATED, IT'S A CRITICAL ROLE IN IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNITY-WIDE DIGITAL EQUITY STRATEGY. AND IF WE ALREADY HIRED THAT PERSON, I'D LOVE TO MEET THAT PERSON, UM, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I, I, I, I HAVEN'T SEEN AN INTRO, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THESE THINGS THAT KEEPS RESONATING AS FAR AS, UM, DIGITAL EQUITY. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. THE NEXT QUESTION IS ON THE R AND D PROJECTS. WE, UM, HAVE SIX CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE R AND D LEAGUE RIGHT NOW TO INCLUDE U T S A AND SWRI, UM, THAT ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE COMPLETED IN APRIL. I'M ALSO WONDERING, ARE YOU INCLUDING IN THEIR OTHER PARTNER INSTITUTIONS? I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT U T S A AT ONE POINT, WE TALKED ABOUT TEXAS A AND M, OR IS IT JUST SWRI AND U T S A FOR THIS ONE? IT IS. THE, THE CONTRACTS ARE WITH SWRI AND U T S A FOR THIS ONE. OKAY. AND WHAT I, AND REMIND ME, ERIC, 'CAUSE WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT ADDING SOME OF THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS. WOULD THIS BE WHERE THAT WENT IF WE ADDED THEM? NO. OKAY. IT WOULDN'T COUNCIL THE, THESE, THE R AND D EFFORT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO WAS THE COUNCIL CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, AND ANDY, HELP ME OUT. I'M, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA FORGET THE TERM. IT'S, UM, IT'S, UM, AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITIES TO DO, UM, ANYTHING FOR US, NOT JUST R AND D. IT COULD BE HOUSING RELATED, IT COULD BE GOT IT TRANSPORTATION RELATED, BUT IT WAS THE KINDA THAT MASTER AGREEMENT, UH, WITH THE UNIVERSITY, WHICH WOULD BE SEPARATE THAN THIS. SO FOR, FOR SOME TIME WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A THINK TANK, IF YOU WILL. THAT'S THAT. THEN THE, UM, THE I L A WITH THE UNIVERSITIES, THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED KIND OF OUR THINK TANK MAYBE. I'M SORRY, COUNCILMAN, I, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE THINK TANK CONVERS CONVERSATION. UM, SO THERE WAS, UH, THERE WAS SOME, SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FROM DIFFERENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A RESEARCH COMPONENT, RIGHT, FOR THE CITY, AN OUTSIDE RESEARCH COMPONENT THAT, NOT JUST THE OFFICE OF BUDGET OR THE OFFICE OF INNOVATION, THAT IT SHOULD BE AN EXTERNAL, UM, OFFICE THAT DID THIS. COULD WE TECHNICALLY CONSIDER THAT, UH, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? UH, I, I, I'D, I'D LIKE TO PROBABLY UNDERSTAND BETTER. OKAY, NO PROBLEM. WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. OKAY. BECAUSE I'M NOT, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT AT ALL. OKAY, NO PROBLEM. SO I'LL, I'LL, I'LL SAY COUNCILWOMAN IS PRETTY BROAD THE AGREEMENT, THE MASTER AGREEMENT THAT ERIC WAS REFERRING TO. SO THE LIKELIHOOD IS IT WILL, BUT AS ERIC SAID, WELL, LET US LOOK AT IT FURTHER. OKAY. SO I GUESS MAYBE LIKE THE THING IS JUST, JUST GIVE IT A JAZZY NAME, LIKE THE R AND D LEAGUE, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, AND THEN DEFINE WHAT THE R AND D LEAGUE DOES VERSUS WHAT THE OTHERS DO. AND WHY AREN'T WE A COOL PART OF THE R AND D LEAGUE? WE'LL, WE'LL THINK OF A COOLER NAME OTHER THAN THE MASTER AGREEMENT. I'M JUST SAYING. SO, [02:40:01] OKAY. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. JUST AS A FOLLOW UP ON THAT DIGITAL DIVIDE POSITION, IT IS FULL FULFILLED. IT IS. OKAY, GREAT. SO I'D LOVE TO MEET THAT PERSON. I'M SURE SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES CAN'T WAIT EITHER. UM, THE NEXT PRO THE NEXT QUESTION IS ON THE HOUSING TEAM. WE WERE ADDING FUNDING FOR SIX POSITIONS TO CREATE AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING TEAM AT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. UM, AND SO THE JANUARY RESULT SHOWS THAT WE'RE ON SCHEDULE, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 10% COMPLETED. UM, IT TALKS ABOUT, HI, HAVING HIRED FIVE OF THE SIX POSITIONS, UM, WHEN DO WE GET A REPORT OUT? LIKE I'M THINKING THIS IS PRIME FOR THE PLANNING, COMMI PLANNING AND COMM, SORRY, THE P C D C, UH, THAT I CHAIR. BUT CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT? WHEN DO WE GET TO MEET THEM AND, AND SEE WHAT THEY'RE WORKING ON AND ALL THAT GREAT STUFF. MICHAN, THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN. UM, YEAH, SO WE'VE, UH, HIRED FIVE OF THE SIX POSITIONS. UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE SELECTION PROCESS ON THAT SIXTH ONE, AND THEY'RE ALREADY ENGAGED WITH, UH, MANY PROJECTS. UH, BUT WE CAN, UH, GET ON THE P C D CALENDAR, WE FULLY EXPECT ABOUT MIDYEAR. WE WOULD BE COMING TO YOU EXPLAINING ALL THE PROCESSES AND THE, UH, UNIQUE TOOLS THAT THEY'LL BRING TO THE TABLE FOR, UH, ALL THOSE PROJECTS. SO MAYBE MID MIDYEAR APRIL-ISH. SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT. I LIKE THAT. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO I THINK THAT THEY COULD HELP INFORM THE JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE, UM, PAPERWORK OR, OR, UH, SUBMISSION IF, IF WE EVENTUALLY DO APPLY FOR THAT GRANT. SO I'D JUST LOVE TO LEARN WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING SO FAR, WHO THEY'VE BEEN CONNECTING WITH. ALRIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, THE NEXT ONE IS, WE ARE ADDING SIX POSITIONS TO PROVIDE HOUSING STABILITY SERVICES TO HELP FAMILIES FACING EV EVICTION AND HOUSING AND STABILITY, AND TO SUPPORT HOUSING PRESERVATION PROGRAMS. THAT'S 0% COMPLETED. UM, IT SAYS THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO START IN THE THIRD QUARTER, BUT I GUESS I HAD MISSED THAT IT WAS GONNA START IN THE THIRD QUARTER, SO MY APOLOGIES. BUT WHAT WAS THE REASONING FOR WAITING UNTIL THE THIRD QUARTER? FUNDING. FUNDING. OKAY. SO, ALL RIGHT. UM, BUT I'M, BUT I, I, I GUESS THERE'S STILL SOMEONE ACTIVELY WORKING. IT'S JUST THOSE EXTRA POSITIONS, RIGHT? THERE IS, AND JUST JUST REMEMBER COUNCILWOMAN, THAT IS PART OF THE, THE PLAN AS WE DEVELOPED IT LAST SUMMER AND IS ADOPTED IN THE, IN THE BUDGET. UH, A FAIR AMOUNT OF NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES IS STILL DEDICATED TO, HAS BEEN DEDICATED TOWARDS EAP. OKAY. WHICH WILL START TAILING DOWN ON MARCH 1ST, WEEK OF MARCH. OKAY, THAT MAKES SENSE. I JUST, I, I DIDN'T REMEMBER WHAT THAT WAS AND I, I KNEW SOMEBODY WAS WORKING ON IT. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, UM, ON THE, THE REPORT, THE MEASURE RESULTS THAT YOU ALL HAVE, THERE'S A, THERE'S ONE ON THERE ON FIRE, AND IT TALKS ABOUT STRUCTURE FIRES PER 1000 RESIDENTS. UM, AND IT'S GOT LIKE A LITTLE EYE, AND SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LITTLE INFORMATION THINKS MEAN. AND THEN THERE'S MEDICAL INCIDENTS PER 1000 RESIDENTS. CAN YOU HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT, MARIA? LIKE WHAT, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING FOR THERE? SURE. COUNCILWOMAN. SO THOSE ARE OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR MOST OF OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT WE CALL 24 7. SO WHAT YOU SEE ON, AND, AND I DON'T KNOW, THIS IS YOUR FIRST PAGE, FIVE OF THE, IT'S PAGE FIVE, RIGHT? SO ON, ON THAT, AS STRUCTURED FIRES FOR A THOUSAND RESIDENTS, THIS IS JUST, WE, WE REPORT THE NUMBER OF STRUCTURED FIRES THAT WE HAD FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF, OF THE YEAR PER A THOUSAND. SO AS A YEAR GOES BY, YOU'LL SEE THE NUMBER WILL INCREASE AND GET CLOSER TO WHAT WE, WHERE WE WERE IN THE PRIOR YEARS. OKAY. WE HOPE THAT IT DOESN'T, BUT, UH, TYPICALLY THAT'S HOW IT WORKS. OKAY. SO, AND I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE THEN IT SAYS, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THE MEASURE REFLECTS THE IMPACT THAT THE FIRE CODE AND THE COMMUNITY SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMS HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY. SO DO WE INCREASE THE BUDGET, UH, FOR SAFETY EDUCATION? IF THAT INCREASES? LIKE, HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CALCULATE THAT. SO THIS PARTICULAR METRIC, UM, WE, WE COMBINE WITH ALL THE EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES TO, FOR FIRE PREVENTION AND EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT NOT HOARDING. UM, WE WORK WITH SEVERAL GROUPS TO ENSURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IN CASE OF A FIRE, WHEN THEY HAVE A LOT OF STAFF AT THEIR HOME, THAT IS A HAZARD. SO, SO WE, WE HAVEN'T ADDED ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO THAT PARTICULAR BUDGET, BUT WE, WE TRY TO MITIGATE THE NUMBER OF FIRES BY EDUCATING THE PUBLIC. SO FOR US, A MEASURE OF SUCCESS OF OUR PROGRAMS IS A REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF FIRES IN THE COMMUNITY. AND COUNCILWOMAN, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS NECESSARILY RESULT IN A BUDGET INCREASE. WE'VE HAD, FOR THOSE OF YOU, I'M SURE THE COUNCIL HAVE BEEN WATCHING, WE'VE HAD FIVE FIRE DEATHS SO FAR THIS YEAR, WHICH IS A, A BIT OF AN OUTLIER FOR US. AND, AND PART OF WHAT CHIEF HOOD AND THE COMMAND STAFF ARE DOING IS, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE USING ALL OF OUR 53 ENGINE COMPANIES AND 19 LADDER COMPANIES AND ALL OF THE E M S UNITS AS WE'RE MAKING RUNS TO CHECK SMOKE DETECTORS, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE A LOT MORE VISIBLE. THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY COST US ANYTHING MORE, BUT IT IS, IT IS USED IN OUR, OUR RESOURCES TO KIND OF REINFORCE THAT MESSAGE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. GOT IT. SO A HEIGHTENED AWARENESS KIND OF, AND, AND, AND I THINK THE [02:45:01] REASON THAT I'M ASKING ABOUT THAT IS I'VE SEEN IT IN THE NEWS, RIGHT? SO YOU HEAR IT AND YOU'RE ALWAYS LIKE, OH MY GOSH, WHOSE DISTRICT IS THAT IN? ET CETERA. UM, AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION ON THE MEDICAL INCIDENTS PER 1000 RESIDENTS, HOW DOES COVID, UH, OR I'M, I, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE COVID AFFECTED THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR LAST YEAR. UM, HOW DO YOU TAKE, OR ARE YOU COUNTING COVID, UM, CASES AS A MEDICAL INCIDENT? MAYBE HELP ME DEFINE THE MEDICAL INCIDENT. SO A MEDICAL INCIDENT IS WHEN AN E M SS, UH, UNIT WILL RESPOND. AND ALSO, UH, AS WE GET THE CALLS THAT COME INTO 9 1 1, WE ASK, IS THIS A MEDICAL, UH, OR FIRE EMERGENCY? AND WE MAY SEND A FIRE TRUCK OR AN E M S UNIT DEPENDING ON THE CASE. SO THAT IS THE INCIDENT THAT WE COUNT AS A MEDICAL CALL. GOT IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, IT'S IMPORTANT, I THINK, FOR ALL OF US TO REMEMBER THAT DURING THE HEIGHT OF COVID, UM, ERIC, I THINK THIS IS, I THINK I'M RIGHT WHEN I SAY THIS, WE SENT JEFF AND THE ENTIRE, AND CHRISTINE AND THE ENTIRE GR TEAM, UH, UP TO AUSTIN, WE WROTE NUMEROUS LETTERS. UM, AND, AND I REMEMBER THAT PART OF THAT EFFORT WAS LED BY, UM, THE DISTRICT ONE PRIOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE TAKE IT UPON THEMSELVES TO TEE UP IN A VERY, VERY EMERGENCY FASHION, A FREEZE OF THE TAX RATES, UH, TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T CONTINUE TO RISE DURING THE PANDEMIC. AND, UM, THE GOVERNOR IN, UH, IN SHORT ORDER, TOLD US TO GO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE. UH, IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT, TROY? YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE GOVERNOR AND HIS INFINITE WISDOM AND, YOU KNOW, UH, LEADERSHIP, WHATEVER HE DOES, UM, DID TO SAN ANTONIO AND EVERY OTHER TAXPAYER IN TEXAS. INSTEAD, HE DECIDED TO SPEND THE MONEY ON LAWSUITS THAT LOSE A LOT, SPENDS MILLIONS OF IT, UM, ON A LOT OF CULTURE WAR ISSUES, UM, THAT HAVE BROUGHT ZERO BENEFITS TO TEXANS. AND IN THE MEANTIME, TEXANS CONTINUE TO BE, UM, TAXED OUTTA THEIR HOMES. AND SO, YOU KNOW, UM, ANYBODY'S WATCHING, UH, AT THIS POINT IN THIS MEETING, , UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, REMEMBER THAT, UM, ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE, UM, THINKING ABOUT YOUR GOVERNOR, REMEMBER THAT YOUR TAXES COULD BE LOWER. SO THE OTHER THING IS, UM, I I WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT WE DO OVER AT BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT IS REALLY VERY LIMITED. UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCILWOMAN RICHARD GARCIA SERVES ON THAT BOARD FOR US. AND, UM, WE HAVE ONE VOTE AS A CITY, AND WE ARE LIMITED TO DOING TWO THINGS REALLY. UM, APPROVING THE BUDGET FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND, UH, HIRING AND FIRING THE, UH, OR CASTING A VOTE TO HIRE AND FIRE THE CHIEF APPRAISAL, UH, THE CHIEF APPRAISER IN THE CITY. THAT'S IT. FULL STOP. YOU'RE NOT, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE. AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS OUTNUMBERED, UH, BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, WHO LOVE THE CHIEF APPRAISER , AND IS VERY, UM, HEAVY PENCIL WHEN IT COMES TO CALCULATING AOR VALUATIONS. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF ANYBODY'S GOT COMPLAINTS AS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW BCAT TREATS YOU, AND BY THE WAY, BCAT TREATS YOU WITH CONTEMPT, UH, EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN SAN ANTONIO KNOWS THAT WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY DEAL WITH BAYER COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT. UM, AND IF, UH, IF YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT, GO TALK TO THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD, WHICH IS THE, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, WHO NEVER GET YOUR CALL. IN FACT, THE ONES WHO GET THE CALLS OVER THE ABUSE PERPETRATED ON YOU BY B C A ARE, UM, ARE US. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE JOB, I GUESS, IS TO GET THAT KIND OF HEAT. BUT ANYWAY, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO A DAY WHEN WE GOT REAL LEADERSHIP AT B C A D, UM, THAT'LL ACTUALLY START TREATING SAN ANTONIOS WITH SOME DIGNITY AND RESPECT. THANK YOU. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PIA. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE MATERIALS THAT YOU SHARE WITH US FOR, FOR THIS MEETING, UH, EXTREMELY HELPFUL THAT, THAT YOU TRACK ALL OF THAT. UM, UH, FIRST I'LL COMMENT ON THE NEW TIMELINE FOR, FOR THE BUDGET. I AM, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE, OF THE DIRECTION THAT YOU'RE GOING IN. I THINK IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE TO DO THE INPUT BEFORE WE HAVE THE CHILD BUDGET OUT OR THE DRAFT BUDGET OUT. UH, BUT IN PARTICULAR, I WOULD, UH, RECOMMEND WHEN YOU DO THE OUTREACH OR THE INPUT, UH, PORTION OF IT, THAT IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR ESSAY SPEAK UP, UH, DISCUSSIONS, UM, THAT YOU, I, I KNOW THE BUDGET OFFICE IN THIS OR THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE WILL MEET WITH ALL OF OUR COUNCIL OFFICES AND, AND WE'LL PUT FORWARD INITIATIVES. UH, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THAT, UH, INTERACTION, AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT DEPARTMENT'S APPROPRIATE, BASICALLY OUR, OUR CONSTITUENT CASELOADS THAT WE GET. AND, UH, LET ME TELL YOU, I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, UH, [02:50:01] TO HAVE A VIEW IN THE BUDGET OFFICE TO HAVE A VIEW OF THE RANGE OF ISSUES THAT WE RECEIVE AND THAT WE DEAL WITH. BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A POSSIBILITY FOR BETTER SOLUTIONS THAN WHAT WE HAVE, UH, RIGHT NOW. UH, GOING ON A LOT OF THESE ONE-OFFS, LIKE WE SEE THE SAME SITUATION COME UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND THERE MAY BE A SIMPLE SOLUTION ON THE CITY DEPARTMENT SIDE, BUT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, BEGGING FOR ADDITIONAL MONEY TO HAVE STAFF HELP US DO THAT. SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO RE REQUEST THAT. AND, UM, I WOULD ALSO, UH, LIKE TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON 3 1 1. I KNOW WE HAVE GOTTEN REGULAR REPORTS, BUT I, I DO WANNA SEE HOW THAT'S LINKED TO THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND, UM, AND IF THAT COULD BE A PART OF THE INITIAL FRAMING WHEN WE HAVE OUR, OUR RETREAT. UM, ONE OTHER RECOMMENDATION I WOULD MAKE ON THE, ON THE INPUT IS WE HAVE AT LEAST 80 SOMETHING, UH, ADVISORY COMMITTEES OR, OR COMMITTEES THAT ARE SOMEHOW APPOINTED BY COUNCIL. I THINK ONLY LESS THAN 30 OF THEM HAVE BY DISTRICT APPOINTEES. UH, I THINK WE SHOULD TAP THEM FOR THEIR INSIGHT ABOUT WHAT THEY ALSO THINK IS IMPORTANT, UH, FOR, FOR THE CITY TO DO IN THEIR PARTICULAR AREAS, WHETHER IT'S THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE OR, OR ANOTHER ONE. SO THANK YOU. UH, I DO HAVE ONE, UM, ONE PARTICULAR ITEM THAT I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE ON, ON YOUR LIST OF, OF INITIATIVES. UM, WHEN THIS COUNCIL ADOPTED THE RESOLUTION FOR RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, WHICH WE ENDED UP ADOPTING UNANIMOUSLY, UH, LAST TERM, THAT RESOLUTION COMMITTED US TO TWICE A YEAR GOING TO THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON THE ISSUE OF HEALTH EQUITY. UM, DURING THE LAST BUDGET PROCESS, I REQUESTED A LOT OF MONEY FOR A, UH, ONCE A YEAR, UH, COMMUNITY EVENT, A COMMUNITY SYMPOSIUM ON HEALTH EQUITY. AND I KNOW I DIDN'T GET THE FULL AMOUNT THAT I REQUESTED, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WE HAD SOME THAT WE HAD APPROVED THAT IN THE BUDGET. AND I DO NOT SEE IT ON THE LIST OF INITIATIVES RIGHT NOW. UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S DONE ON THE GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. I ALSO THINK HEALTH EQUITY IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE ADOPTED THAT RESOLUTION. COUNCILWOMAN, I REMEMBER THE REQUEST, UH, LET ME GO BACK AND CHECK MY NOTES. UH, IT IS NOT HIGHLIGHTED AS PART OF THE, WHAT WE CALL BUDGET INITIATIVES IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT. UH, PERHAPS THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SOLVE WITHIN THE EXISTING BASE BUDGET, AND IT WAS NOT AN INCREMENT, BUT I WILL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT, UM, THAT TIMELINE. UM, AND, UH, I KNOW THAT PART OF LAST YEAR WE WERE IN A HIRING FREEZE AND, UH, I IMAGINE THAT'S BEEN PRETTY MUCH, UH, WE'RE DONE WITH THAT. RIGHT. OKAY. SO I, I DID JUST WANNA POINT OUT, WE JUST LOST OUR DISTRICT SEVEN HOMELESS COORDINATOR, UH, SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO, TO SEE THAT REPLACED AS SOON AS, UH, AS SOON AS WE COULD. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILS MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCILS MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, GREAT PRESENTATION, MAN. AGAIN, WE GOT LOTS OF MONEY COMING IN HERE. WE'RE, UH, I'M LOOKING AT SLIDE NUMBER SEVEN HERE, AND, UM, WE'RE SHOWING VARIANCES, YOU KNOW, $36 MILLION BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THAT'S, THAT'S AWESOME. PLUS, YOU KNOW, ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR BUDGET, UH, I GUESS I GOT A QUESTION BECAUSE AFTER THE FIRST THREE MONTHS, WE'RE SHOWING A 26.2 PLUS UP IN THE VARIANCE, WHY ARE FOR NINE MORE MONTHS, IT'S ONLY INCREASING BY 10 MILLION. UH, WHY, WHY SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT FOR NINE MONTHS? SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. THE REASON WE'RE, AS I MENTIONED, SALES TAX AND C P S ARE THE BIG DRIVERS OF THE, OF THE VARIANCE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER. AND WE ARE PROJECTING THAT THAT PACE CONTINUES, HOWEVER, AT A SLOWER PACE AS A RESULT OF UNCERTAINTIES IN NEW COVID VARIANTS, INFLATION, AS WELL AS MORE RESTRICTIVE MONETARY POLICIES THAT MAY COME FROM THE FEDERAL RESERVE. OKAY. I'LL BET YOU THAT IT'S MORE THAN $36 MILLION AT THE END OF THE YEAR. UH, BUT, UM, TO THAT POINT, UH, HOW MANY YEARS DO, DO YOU HAVE? CAN YOU GO BACK OR MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE TO GET THIS INFORMATION. WHICH YEARS HAVE WE NOT HAD A PLUS UP IN OUR BUDGET OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS? HAVE WE ALWAYS HAD PLUS UPS AT THE END [02:55:01] OF EACH YEAR? COUNCILMAN, I KNOW YOUR OFFICE REQUESTED THAT INFORMATION AND WE'RE COMPILING THAT, UH, FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, FROM 2012 TO 2021. SO WE HAVE A, AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, THIS IS OUR FIRST UPDATE TO THE COUNCIL. THE LAST UPDATE WE DO IS WITH THE PROPOSED BUDGET IN, IN AUGUST, AND THEN WE DO AMENDMENTS, THEN WE'LL MAY ADJUST THE BUDGET AT THE TIME. SO WHEN, WHEN WE CLOSE THE FISCAL YEAR, WE COMPARE THAT ENDING BALANCE TO WHAT WE ADOPTED IN THE BUDGET. AND FOR THOSE YEARS, UH, WE HAVE SEEN, UM, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE ADOPTED BUDGET. UM, MY RECOLLECTION, THAT RANGES ANYWHERE BETWEEN 1% TO MAYBE ABOUT ONE AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND. SO FOR INSTANCE, THE LAST UPDATE WE DID TO THE COUNCIL, IT WAS CLOSE TO $9 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2021. OKAY. YEAH. I, I, I'M STILL INTERESTED IN WHAT THAT IS BECAUSE IT SHOWS A PATTERN THAT OUR BUDGET WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING MORE REVENUE EVERY YEAR THAN WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING IN THE BUDGET. SO I, I JUST WANNA SEE THAT PATTERN AND HOW MUCH WE'VE, WE'VE ACTUALLY EXCEEDED OUR BUDGET IN WHICH YEARS AND BY HOW MUCH. SO YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. UM, AND, AND IT'S LEADING UP TO MY FAVORITE SUBJECT IS HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. TROY, COME ON UP. YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UH, WE STARTED THIS BACK IN 2017, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. AND WHAT YEAR DID WE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED TRYING TO PUSH FOR A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, BUT WE ACTUALLY PASSED IT IN ONE YEAR. WHAT YEAR? IT WAS APPROVED IN 2019, AND IT WAS EFFECTIVE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020. FOR 2020. OKAY, GREAT. SO WE'VE HAD A, UM, COUPLE YEARS NOW OF, UM, A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO FOLKS AND, UM, FOR FISCAL YEAR 22, WHEN Y'ALL PUT THE BUDGET TOGETHER, I THOUGHT I SAW THAT IT, THERE WAS A $20 MILLION INCREASE BECAUSE OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT Y'ALL WERE PLANNING IN THE BUDGET. IT WAS RIGHT, LIKE RIGHT ON THE FIRST PAGE, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT. I THINK THAT WAS ON THE PROPERTY TAX NOTICE BASED ON THE VALUES. UM, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT TO BE SURE. I I THOUGHT IT WAS AN INCREASE OF $20 MILLION. UM, RIGHT UP, RIGHT UP FRONT ON THE FIRST PAGE. YEAH. BASICALLY IT SAYS THE BUDGET WILL RAISE MORE TOTAL PROPERTY TAXES THAN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET BY THE AMOUNT OF $20 MILLION, WHICH IS A THREE POINT 12% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, RIGHT? SO WE, WE ARE GETTING $20 MILLION MORE IN 22 THAN WE DID IN 21. AND, UH, I'M LOOKING AT THIS SLIDE ON SLIDE NUMBER 28. UM, SAN ANTONIO SAID, UM, UH, MAYBE THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT SLIDE, BUT IT DIDN'T SHOW ANY INCREASE IN THE, IN THE, UH, PROPERTY, PROPERTY TAXES. DO YOU RECALL WHICH SLIDE THAT WAS? OR MAYBE I WAS MISINTERPRETING THAT SLIDE. ANYWAY, WE WE'RE GETTING $20 MILLION MORE IN 22 THAN WE DID IN 21. AND THAT'S PART OF, UH, WHAT I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT. ALSO, OUR HISTORY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, HOW MUCH INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES DO WE GET EVERY YEAR? AND, UH, MY PUSH IS TO INCREASE OUR PROPERTY TAXES ON, UH, OUR, OUR PROPERTY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. I'D LIKE TO INCREASE THAT UP TO 5% BECAUSE YEAR AFTER YEAR WE'RE GETTING ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAXES, AND WE'RE ONLY TO THIS DATE GIVING 0.01% IN A HOME STATE EXEMPTION BACK TO HOMEOWNERS. SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO PUSH FOR THAT. UM, WITH, WITH THAT, ON SLIDE 26, AND I, BY THE WAY, I HATE THIS SLIDE, I WANNA GET RID BECAUSE IT SHOWS A BUNCH OF ZEROS ACROSS THERE, AND THAT'S NOT REALLY IN REALITY. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT SLIDE NUMBER 27, IT COVERS WHAT OUR TOTAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION IS FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE CATEGORIES. NOT, UH, IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE SAYS, WELL, YOU'RE GETTING A 0% INCREASE IN THESE VALUES AND, AND, UH, OVER THE YEARS, AND IT, TO ME, IT'S, IT'S SHOWING A FALSE, YOU KNOW, THE PRESS IS SITTING BACK THERE. THEY MIGHT LOOK AT THAT SLIDE AND SAY, WELL, YEAH, 0%, WELL, NO, OR $0, NO, IT'S NOT. ON PAGE SLIDE 27, IT ACTUALLY SHOWS YOU WHAT THOSE VALUES ARE AT, AT, UH, WHAT PERCENTAGE, AND THEN TOTALING UP AT THE BOTTOM. SO I, I REALLY HATE THAT SLIDE NUMBER 26. I'D REALLY LIKE TO GET RID OF IT AND JUST RELY [03:00:01] ON 27, WHICH IS GREAT DATA AND GREAT INFORMATION TO SHOW WHERE THE EXPENDITURE, HOW MUCH EXPENDITURE WOULD BE, OR LESS REVENUE, AND HOW MUCH WE'RE GIVEN TO EACH CATEGORY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY HERE ON THIS COUNCIL TO GO UP TO 20%. THAT'S WHAT THE STATE ALLOWS. I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CONTINUED UP TO 20%, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK BACK ON THE NEXT, UH, COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE ON 29, YOU SAID WE'RE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK. WELL, I LOOK AT ALL THOSE, UH, CATEGORIES THERE, AND WE'RE KIND OF AT THE LOWER, LOWER END, IN MY OPINION, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE US GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THE LOOK AT THAT 0.01%, AND SOME CITIES ARE DOING 20% THE MAX GIVING BACK TO, UH, THEIR HOMEOWNERS. SO THIS IS ALL VERY COMPLICATED, BUT TO ME, I THINK WITH OUR INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES AND TAXES EVERY YEAR, THIS CITY CAN AFFORD TO GIVE MORE BACK TO OUR HOMEOWNERS IN THIS TOWN THROUGH A PROPERTY HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AND THINK OF IT THIS WAY ALSO, IF YOU LOOK AT, UH, SLIDE NUMBER 28, UM, LOOK AT ALL THESE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES, WE SHOULD TAKE THE LEADERSHIP ROLE HERE AND OFFER A LARGER HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AND THEN REACH OUT TO THESE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES AND SAY, HEY, WHY DON'T Y'ALL JOIN AND OFFER A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION TO INCREASE THAT AMOUNT INSTEAD OF THE CITY TRYING TO DO IT ALL ALONE ON OUR BACK, LET'S GET THEM IN INVOLVED AND HAVE MEETINGS WITH THEM AND DISCUSS WITH THEIR BOARDS AND SEE IF THEY CAN JOIN IN GIVING SOME PROPERTY TAX RELIEF TO OUR NEIGHBORS ACROSS THIS CITY TO MAKE IT MORE MEANINGFUL. I, I, AND I SAY, EVERY, EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE EXEMPT IS MEANINGFUL TO A HOMEOWNER. YOU KNOW, WE JUST APPROVED A UTILITY RATE INCREASE FOR C P S. I'M, I'M SURE SASS IS GONNA BE COMING UP HERE SOON AS WELL. EVERYTHING KEEPS RISING, INCLUDING PROPERTY TAXES. WE SHOULD TAKE THAT LEADERSHIP ROLE AND GO AND TALK TO THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. ALSO. IN FACT, THE COUNTY THIS LAST YEAR WAS VERY, VERY CLOSE IN OFFERING A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. IT WAS VOTED DOWN, BUT IT WAS REALLY, REALLY CLOSE. AND I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THAT, AND MAYBE THEY'LL JOIN IN AS WELL. UH, SO, UM, I'M, I'M JUST REALLY PUSHING AGAIN FOR US TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT, UH, WHAT WE GET EVERY YEAR IN PROPERTY TAXES AND MORE AND MORE EACH YEAR THAT WE CAN'T GIVE SOME RELIEF TO OUR HOMEOWNERS ACROSS SAN ANTONIO. AND IT'S NOT ZERO RIGHT NOW, IT'S $28 FLAT ACROSS A LOT OF THE, ALL THE CATEGORIES. AND IF WE INCREASE IT UP TO 5%, UH, YOU CAN SEE WHAT THAT INCREASE IS ALSO ACROSS THE BOARD. BUT LET'S ALSO SHOW WHAT THAT 10 UP TO 10 AND THE 20% IS ALSO WHAT, WHAT THE IMPACTS ARE. AND I SAY, WE CAN DAD GUM IT, WE CAN AFFORD THIS, AND LET'S HELP THE HOME HOMEOWNERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY RIGHT NOW, SIR. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. WE CAN CERTAINLY GO BACK AND, AND DO THOSE ADDITIONAL SCENARIOS, UM, SHOWING UP TO 10% OR 20% AND SHOW YOU WHAT THOSE LOOK LIKE. I KNOW YOU AND I HAVE HAD THE CONVERSATION IN THE PAST ABOUT YOUR DISPLEASURE ON SHOWING THAT SLIDE. I DO THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SHOWS KIND OF BOTH PICTURES OF WHAT THAT INCREMENTAL BENEFIT IS TO OUR PROPERTY TAXPAYERS AND ALSO WHAT THE TOTAL IMPACT IS THAT THEY'RE RECEIVING OVER, UM, THE BASE THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE AND ALSO THE INCREMENTAL BENEFIT. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, COUNCILMAN, I'LL SAY DITTO FOR A LOT OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID. UM, THERE'S, THERE'S ONE THING I THOUGHT I I MISSED WHEN WE HAD THE ORIGINAL PRESENTATION ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND THAT WAS, WE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT BUDGET. THAT'S ONE OF THE ENTERPRISE AREAS. WHY WAS THAT NOT INCLUDED IN THIS? COUNCILMAN? WE, WE TYPICALLY, WE, WE INCLUDE THE SOLID WASTE IN THE FINANCIAL FORECAST. WE'VE NOT TYPICALLY INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE THREE PLUS NINES. UM, AS, UH, JUSTINA POINTED OUT, WE, WE FOCUS ON THE FOUR FUNDS THAT ARE MORE REFLECTIVE OF THE ECONOMY. THE SOLID WASTE FEE IS BASED OFF OF USAGE AND, AND NOT NECESSARILY THE ECONOMY. OKAY. UM, I NOTICED ON ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE FUNDS, UH, DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES, [03:05:01] THEY HAD SOME PROJECTIONS HERE, WHICH KIND OF, UH, PUT A QUESTION IN MY MIND. UH, IT'S ON PAGE 17 AND IT PROJECTS, UM, THAT FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, THE, UH, DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES FUND IS AHEAD BY $900,000, BUT THEY FIGURE FOR THE OTHER NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, IT'S ONLY GONNA INCREASE ANOTHER $400,000. AND, YOU KNOW, TO MY WAY OF THINKING, THE BUSIEST PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT YEAR IS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN THE SECOND QUARTER AND THE THIRD QUARTER, UH, RATHER THAN THE FIRST QUARTER. AND SO I'M SURPRISED WE'RE NOT PROJECTING MORE, UH, THAN JUST A, A $400, $400,000, UH, SURPLUS FOR THE NEXT NINE MONTHS. WELL, COUNCILMAN, I CAN ADD A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ON THAT. SO CERTAINLY, UH, WE DID PROJECT OUR, OUR PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, TO BEGIN THE YEAR. WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD, UH, KIND OF A UNIQUE FIRST QUARTER WHERE THE RESIDENTIAL, UH, DID NOT, UH, WHILE IT'S VERY STRONG IN THE FIRST QUARTER, IT DIDN'T INCREASE AS MUCH AS WE THOUGHT AND THE COMMERCIAL DID A LITTLE BIT MORE. SO WE'VE ACTUALLY GONE OUT AND TALKED TO OUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. UH, THEY ARE PREDICTING THAT IT'S GOING TO GONNA STAY VERY STRONG, LIKE, LIKE WE'RE SEEING. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE SOME OF THE SAME UNCERTAINTY. I THINK JUSTINA HAD MENTIONED, UH, VERY, UH, VERY UNCERTAIN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW THE NEXT TWO QUARTERS ARE GONNA GO, EVEN THOUGH THE SUMMERTIME IS USUALLY THE BUSIEST FOR CONSTRUCTION. YEAH. SO I THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE, UH, TO, TO PROJECT AS WE DID. UH, AND I, I THINK YOU'LL SEE, UM, YOU'LL SEE MORE AS WE GET INTO THE SIX PLUS SIX, BUT I, I THINK THAT'S, WE'RE HEARING FROM THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, UH, FROM BOTH THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF US WANNA SEE IS WHAT'S IT GONNA LOOK LIKE SIX MONTHS FROM NOW? ARE THERE, ARE THE PROJECTIONS PRETTY STEADY OR ARE THERE UPS AND DOWNS THAT'LL HELP US UNDERSTAND THAT? ONE THING WE DON'T TALK ABOUT. AND, AND I THINK TO A CERTAIN EXTENT WE SHOULD, WHENEVER WE LOOK AT THESE, UH, FUNDS, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BALANCES, HOW MUCH MONEY'S IN THERE, UH, AND I KNOW ENTERPRISE FUNDS OR OUR KEPT SEPARATE FROM OUR GENERAL FUND, UH, BUT IT IS CITY MONEY AND, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE CERTAIN, UH, CATEGORIES OR REASONS OR OPPORTUNITIES TO USE THAT MONEY FOR THINGS OTHER THAN THE ENTERPRISE THAT IT SEEMS TO BE GROWING IN. AND I THINK I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED TO THESE REPORTS, UH, EVERY QUARTER SO THAT WE HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW ARE THOSE ENTERPRISE FUNDS DOING. I KNOW 10 YEARS AGO, 12 YEARS AGO, YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ENTERPRISE FUNDS AND THE FORMER, UH, CITY MANAGER WANTED TO SEGREGATE THOSE. I DON'T KNOW. IT WAS, IF IT WAS FOR A PURPOSE OF ACCOUNTING OR FOR A PURPOSE OF LIMITING COUNCIL'S OPPORTUNITY TO USE THAT MONEY. BUT WHATEVER THE REASON WAS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE KEPT UP TO DATE ON WHAT THOSE BALANCES ARE AS WE HAVE THESE REPORTS CA COUNCIL, LET ME, IF I HOLD ON ONE SECOND, THAT THE, THE CREATION OF ENTERPRISE FUNDS WAS NOT DONE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE PRIOR CITY MANAGER'S DESIRE. THOSE, THOSE ENTERPRISE FUNDS HAVE EXISTED, UH, FRANKLY SINCE I STARTED IN THE BUDGET OFFICE 28 YEARS AGO. MY MISTAKE, I'M SORRY. SO THEY, THEY WERE NOT JUST CREATED, UH, FUNDS LIKE THE AIRPORT AND SOLID WASTE AND THE HOTEL MOTEL FUND, OUR STRUCTURAL ACCOUNTING, UM, UH, UM, FUNDS THAT ARE DONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH G A S B AND GAP. UM, WE CAN ALSO INCORPORATE THE FUND BALANCE INFORMATION, BUT, BUT JUSTINA JUSTINA'S GONNA POINT OUT THAT, THAT ALL THAT INFORMATION IS IN THE BOOK IN YOUR THREE PLUS NINE DETAIL, INCLUDING THE SOLID WASTE FUND. SO GO AHEAD, JUSTINA. CORRECT. SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE FISCAL YEAR THREE PLUS NINE REPORT, THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE SECOND TAB OF YOUR BINDER, IT INCLUDES THE BEGINNING BALANCES AS WELL AS THE ENDING BALANCES FOR EACH FUND AND WHAT WE ARE PROJECTING TO END EACH, EACH FUND FOR THE YEAR. THAT'S GOOD. I WASN'T ABLE TO GET THAT FAR THROUGH THE BOOK, SO I APPRECIATE IT. I'LL LOOK FOR THAT NOW, AND, AND SOLID WASTE IS INCLUDED IN THAT REPORT AS WELL. OKAY, THANK YOU. UH, I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE TAX BASE INFORMATION ON FILE ON PAGE 23. AND AGAIN, I'M LOOKING AT THE PROJECTIONS OF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS GOING TO BE THE BASE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROJECTING, OR WE'RE PROJECTING THE LOWEST BASE IN AT LEAST EIGHT OR NINE YEARS AS FAR AS, UH, THE INCREASE IN VALUE. AND I REMEMBER, UH, TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE LOOKING IN 2020 AT WHAT THE FORECASTS WERE, WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WORRIED THAT THE SKY WAS FALLING ON US. UH, AND IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THAT WAY. AND, UH, I'M JUST WONDERING WHY NOW WE'RE PROJECTING AS, AS YOU JUST HEARD FROM, UH, MIKE, THERE SEEMS TO BE A CONTINUED GOOD BUILDUP OF, OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY. HE SAID, [03:10:01] IT STILL LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE STRONG, BUT WE'RE CAN, WE'RE SAYING THERE'S GONNA BE, UH, LOWER VALUES OR LOWER INCOME FROM VALUES AND LOWER NEW CONSTRUCTION. AND SO WE'RE BASING A PROJECTION ON THOSE LOWER FIGURES WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KIND OF SEEING AND HEARING, UM, BETTER THAN WHAT THOSE PROJECTIONS SEEM TO INDICATE. SO I'M JUST SAYING, I, I HOPE THAT WE'LL LOOK AT THOSE AGAIN IN THREE MONTHS AND, AND REEVALUATE THOSE QUARTERLY. UH, AND I UNDERSTAND THINGS CAN CHANGE, BUT I HATE TO SEE US UNDERESTIMATE, AND AS MY MY FRIEND SAID, WE END UP WITH EIGHT OR $9 MILLION EXTRA IN OUR, UH, BUDGET, OR $35 MILLION EXTRA IN OUR BUDGET BECAUSE WE'RE, UM, HESITANT OR MAYBE EXTRA CONSERVATIVE ABOUT WHAT OUR PROJECTIONS ARE. AND, UH, I THINK THAT HURTS OUR OPPORTUNITIES. AND I THINK IT DID LAST TIME FOR PUTTING IN A TAX, UH, BREAK FOR HOMEOWNERS. AND I, I JUST DON'T WANNA SEE THAT CONTINUE. I'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, A MORE PRACTICAL VIEW RATHER THAN A CONSERVATIVE VIEW OF WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE CITY. THAT, THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. YEAH, COUNCILMAN, I THINK THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS WHEN YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE REFERRING TO SLIDE 23 AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT 2022, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY BASED ON THE CERTIFIED ROLE THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT. SO THESE ARE NOT PROJECTIONS. THAT'S ACTUALLY WHERE WE ENDED UP WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO 2023. AND I GUESS BACKING UP A LITTLE BIT FOR 2022, THAT 2.1% THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON THE BASE, THAT WAS COMPRISED OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES, THE RESIDENTIAL, WE KNOW WE HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES AT 8%, BUT WE ALSO SAW A SIGNIFICANT DOWNTURN ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC. SO THIS 2.1% ON THE BASE IS, IS ACTUALLY BASED ON THE CERTIFIED ROLE. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT OR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WATCHING THIS AND BE GIVING Y'ALL UPDATES. BUT, UM, ONCE WE GET THAT CERTIFIED ROLE COME JULY 25TH, WE WILL HAVE THE RESULTS FOR 2023 AS WELL. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE TO DECIDE ON A TAX INCREASE BEFORE THAT DATE. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO DO A LITTLE MORE INVESTIGATION AND PROGNOSTICATION IF THAT'S THE CASE, TO HELP MAKE THAT THAT DECISION. SO ANYWAY, YEAH, COUNCILMAN PART OF THIS IS, UM, UM, UM, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO WITH CERTAINTY BECAUSE OF THE CERTIFIED TAX RULE AT THE END OF JULY. AND THAT'S WHY WE START THIS CONVERSATION. WE'RE STARTING THIS CONVERSATION IN FEBRUARY, THIS YEAR, RATHER THAN IN JUNE, LIKE IN PAST YEARS. UM, IT'S REALLY A POLICY CON CONSIDERATION OF THE COUNCIL. I MEAN, REALLY, IF THE COUNCIL DECIDES TO TAKE THAT ACTION, THEN, THEN WE MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT IN THE BUDGET AND JUST DO WITH LESS, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, WE CAN GIVE YOU PROJECTIONS BASED ON WHAT WE THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN. AND TROY AND HIS STAFF WILL BE WITH B C AD EVERY MONTH BETWEEN NOW AND JULY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE LATEST AND GREATEST. AS TROY SAID, INTUITIVELY, WE THINK THAT WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GO OVER THE 3.5% TAX RATE. WE WON'T KNOW FOR SURE UNTIL THE, THE END OF JULY. BUT, BUT REALLY, I'M, I'M LOOKING FOR DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL ON WHAT SCENARIOS OR ALTERNATIVE YOU WANNA SEE AS WE GO INTO THE BUDGET THIS SUMMER, UM, OR THIS SPRING. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. I HAVE ONE LAST THING TO COVER, JUST A, A FEW SECONDS. BUT, UM, I, I NOTICED IN LOOKING AT SOME OF THE, UH, CHARTS AND GRAPHS WE'VE HAD IN HERE THAT SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS APPEAR TO BE WORKING SLOWER OR NOT ACHIEVING THE TARGETS THEY HAD HAD, UH, SS A P D FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE SLOWER RESPONSE TIMES BY ABOUT A HALF A MINUTE. UM, D S D HAS A SLOWER RESPONSE TIME FOR, UH, GETTING OUT FOR CALLS THAT THEY'RE GETTING ON CODE COMPLIANCE. I SAW SOMETHING SAYING IT COULD TAKE UP TO EIGHT DAYS IN SOME CASES. UH, D DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES, I MEAN, PUBLIC, UH, WORKS. UH, I'VE BEEN VERY DISSATISFIED HOW LONG IT'S BEEN TAKING THEM TO GET JOBS DONE THIS YEAR. AND THEY'RE BELOW A LOT OF THEIR LEVELS FOR THE 2017 BONDS PROJECTS HAVING ACHIEVED THE LEVELS. AND I, I JUST THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. WONDER, IS IT BECAUSE WE'VE GOT PEOPLE OUT SICK OR LOST WORK HOURS BY DEPARTMENT, OR IS IT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF VACANCIES, BUT THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. ERIC, DO YOU WANNA RESPOND TO THAT AND I'LL MOVE ON? YEAH. UH, UM, PROBABLY A COMBINATION OF ALL COUNCILMEN, BUT, UM, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND KIND OF WALK THROUGH THAT. I THINK WE'RE DEALING WITH A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES OPERATIONALLY, UM, UH, THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION. UH, PART OF IT COULD BE COVID RELATED. UM, PART OF IT COULD BE [03:15:01] VACANCY RELATED. UM, PART OF IT COULD ALSO BE, AS MARIA DESCRIBED TO COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA, THIS IS THE THREE PLUS NINE REPORT. SO YOU'RE ONLY LOOKING AT THE FIRST QUARTER, YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT, AND YOU'RE COMPARING IT TO A WHOLE YEAR'S WORTH AND THOSE OTHER, OTHER, UH, UH, BARS IN THE CHART. UM, BUT MORE THAN HAPPY TO KIND OF, I FRANKLY, I'D LIKE TO KNOW, UH, SPECIFICALLY IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC CONCERNS, UM, AND TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS 'EM. I, I'D CERTAINLY LIKE TO SEE THAT. AND, AND FROM THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM, UM, WE JUST MET WITH PUBLIC WORKS THIS WEEK ON THE BOND PROGRAM AND FOR THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM, AND WE ARE MAKING VERY STEADY PROGRESS. SO IF YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR CONCERN, I'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT IT. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO I JUST WANNA SAY I'M PLEASED WITH THE INCREASE, UH, BUT I DON'T WANNA GET TOO EXCITED BECAUSE WE'RE THREE MONTHS IN AND WE DID HAVE AN OMICRON, BUT, UM, I THINK I'M LIKE, UH, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UH, KABE, HAER WHERE I WANNA BE CAUTIOUS BECAUSE I WANNA HAVE, I DEFINITELY WANNA HAVE A PLAN IF WE DO HAVE A SURPLUS OF WHAT WE CAN DO WITH IT, BUT WITH US STILL IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC WITH WHAT'S GOING ON INTERNATIONALLY, I THINK WE, WE NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS AND LOOK AT LEAST UNTIL WE GET THAT OTHER THREE MONTHS, THAT SECOND QUARTER IN, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT. UM, THE OTHER, UH, ISSUES THAT KIND OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES BROUGHT UP WERE, UH, STAFFING, UH, AS, UH, COUNCILMAN RICHARD GARCIA MENTIONED, THE L G C COMMITTEE IS LOOKING AT THAT, BUT ERIC, I LOVE THAT WE HAVE A D THREE HOMELESS COORDINATOR ASSIGNED TO US. AND IF I COULD HAVE A D THREE METRO HEALTH COORDINATOR AND SOMEONE ASSIGNED TO ME FROM EVERY DEPARTMENT, I WOULD TAKE THAT TOO. SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE IN TERMS OF CONSIDERATIONS ALSO. BUT LET'S TALK, UH, EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE SUBJECT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS. SO, UH, TROY, IF, IF YOU CAN COME UP, PLEASE. I, I AM, I AM. IF WE ARE GONNA MAKE, IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THIS, WHICH YOU HAVE PRESENTED SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE PROBABLY AT LEAST THREE TIMES, UH, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE BCA IF WE COULD GET SOME DATA FROM BCA ABOUT HOW THEY ARE RAISING PROPERTY TAXES, ESPECIALLY IN SOME OF THE SECTORS WHERE THEY'RE, I'M BEING TOLD BY MY RESIDENTS IT'S BEING RAISED 10% OR 5%. IF THEY HAVE A MAP WHERE WE CAN SEE THAT, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE, UH, ALSO A GOOD THING AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN DECISIONS. THE OTHER THING AS COUNCILMAN KEO HAVER, UM, STATED, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHERE THESE HOUSES LIE, UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE EXEMPTION, BECAUSE FROM SLIDE 26, WHICH I THINK YOU SHOULD COMPLETELY LI LEAVE IN, UH, BECAUSE IT HELPS WITH, WITH ONE PERSPECTIVE, IS THAT A HOMESTEAD VALUE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICH IS A DISTRICT THREE HOME, UH, 100 AND $200,000, THEIR EXEMPTION IS JUST $28. AND THE ONLY PERSON THAT GETS AN INCREASE IS THAT $200,000 HOME WHEN THEY GET TO THE 3%, UH, EXEMPTION. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. SO MY RESIDENTS DON'T GET AN EXEMPTION INCREASE UNLESS I MOVE IT UP TO 3%. AND THEN A MAJORITY OF THEM THAT HAVE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS HOME, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE STUCK THERE AT $28. THAT'S CORRECT. FOR, UM, A HOMESTEAD VALUE TO RECEIVE ANY TYPE OF BENEFIT OVER A HOMESTEAD VALUE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, YOU'D PROBABLY HAVE TO BE AT 6% OR HIGHER. OKAY. SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT AN EQUITY LENS, WE WOULD NEED TO START AT 3%, AND THEN EVEN IF WE MOVED IT UP TO 5%, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, THOSE WITH A HUNDRED, THE, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MORE MODEST HOMES ONLY GETTING $28 A YEAR. CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND TELL ME, IN, IN, AND MAYBE, UH, SOMEBODY ELSE FROM CITY STAFF, $5 MILLION IS WHAT WOULD BE A LOSS? HOW MANY STREETS IS THAT? BECAUSE THAT'S, I WANNA KNOW HOW MANY STREETS IS $5 MILLION? HOW MANY JOBS IS THAT IN $5 MILLION? BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE'VE GOT THIS REVENUE, LET'S JUST, LET'S JUST, UH, GIVE, GIVE THIS OUT. BUT HOW DOES THAT IMPACT US STREET WISE AND JOB WISE? AND IF WE GO TO THE OTHER SLIDE, WHICH IS THE 27 SLIDE, UM, I'M LOOKING AT A GENERAL FUND LOSS OF $9 MILLION. [03:20:02] THAT'S, UM, THAT'S, OR WITH THE TOTAL $14 MILLION, THAT'S HOW MUCH A FIRE STATION COSTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IN BOND. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS TO GIVE A TAX BREAK AT 5%. WE ARE THEN GIVING UP A FIRE STATION. AND WHEN WE COME BACK AND YOU DO THAT PRESENTATION, THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO HEAR THAT THAT'S A FIRE STATION THAT'S NOT BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN A FACILITY. I WAS JUST GONNA MAKE ONE POINT OF CLARIFICATION ON THAT SLIDE THAT YOU WERE POINTING OUT FOR THE $14 MILLION. THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE $6 MILLION THAT WE, UM, THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THE CURRENT EXEMPTION TODAY. OKAY. SO, BUT THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO COME BACK WITH. I NEED, I NEED YOU TO PUT THIS IN TERMS THAT I CAN TAKE TO MY VOTERS TO, TO TELL THEM YOUR $200,000 HOME THAT YOU'RE GETTING A $56 EXEMPTION ON MEANS WE LOSE THIS IN STREETS, OR WE LOSE THIS IN JOBS BECAUSE THIS IS HOW THEY'RE GOING TO UNDERSTAND IT. THE OTHER ASPECT IS WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE WORK WITH BCA ON THIS PROCESS AND WE WORK WITH THE STATE. AND I KNOW JEFF ISN'T HERE, BUT MARIA, MAYBE YOU CAN ANSWER, UM, HAVE WE TRIED, OR ERIC, HAVE WE TRIED A LEGACY EXEMPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO, WHO FAMILIES WHO HAVE OWNED HOMES FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SO THAT THEY CAN GET TAX-FREE? WE TRIED THAT AT THE STATE LEVEL. UH, WE HAVE, AND THAT'S WHAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT YOU DESCRIBED IT BETTER. I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT THE WHOLE POINT WAS TO TARGET LEGACY HOMEOWNERS WHO HAVE BEEN HOMEOWNERS, WHO HAVE BEEN IN THEIR HOMES FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND HAVE SEEN VALUES GO UP AROUND THEM RAPIDLY THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. WE'VE SUPPORTED BILLS FOR SEVERAL SESSIONS THAT OUR OWN DELEGATION HAS BROUGHT FORWARD, AND IN FACT, WE, WE WANTED TO GET THAT FOLDED INTO SB TWO WHEN THE, THE REVENUE CAP BILL PASSED, UH, AND WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. SO, UH, AS TROY MENTIONED, THE STATUTE IS WHAT IT IS TODAY. IT'S A, UM, IT'S AN ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, ALL OR NOTHING. SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS, IS, AND WE COULD DO THE, I DON'T KNOW IF SA SPEAKS UP, CAN DO A SURVEY, BUT I, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE IN TERMS OF DISTRICTS WHERE THESE $500,000 AND $600,000 HOMESTEAD, UM, HOMESTEADS LIVE, WHERE THEY, WHERE THEY ARE AT. AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ALL ALSO PRESENTED WHEN WE BRING UP THIS CONVERSATION. AGAIN, IF WE'RE GONNA ADD SLIDES TO THIS PRESENTATION, THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO ADD ALSO. SO, UH, AGAIN, I, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST BE CAUTIOUS. C P S VISIT SAN ANTONIO, UM, SALES TAX. WE'RE COMING OUT OF THIS, BUT WE SAW WHAT, UH, WHAT A VARIANT COULD DO. AND I JUST DON'T WANT US TO SPEND MONEY WE DON'T HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, MAY, I MAY GO AHEAD. MARIA. I WANTED TO ADDRESS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILMAN COURAGE ON THE 24 7, UH, PERFORMANCE METRICS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO, UM, OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOR PRIORITY CALLS IS SIX MINUTES AND 35 SECONDS. THAT IS A TARGET. SO OUR ACTUAL RESULTS FOR 2022 WAS 6 26, WHICH IS BELOW THE TARGET. IT IS HIGHER THAN WHAT IT WAS IN 2020, FOR EXAMPLE. AND AS YOU MAY RECALL, DURING 2020, WE HAD COVID, A LOT OF PEOPLE, UH, WERE WORKING FROM HOME. THERE WAS LESS TRAFFIC ON THE STREETS, UH, AND LESS CALLS THAT CAME TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT TO, TO THOSE NUMBERS VERY QUICKLY, VERY QUICKLY, MAYOR, I ALSO WANTED TO ADD, UH, JUST A CLARIFICATION, UH, COUNCILMAN CUR. SO IF YOU REMEMBER, UH, IN 2021 AND 2022, WE HAD OVER 30, 30% OF OUR CODE OFFICERS DOING THE EMERGENCY DECLARATION ENFORCEMENT. SO WE DID SEE OUR RESPONSE TIMES GO UP TO EIGHT DAYS. AND I THINK THAT'S REFLECTED IN THE REPORT. BUT WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS IN THE FIRST QUARTER SO FAR OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE BACK DOWN TO OUR TWO AND THREE DAY GOAL. SO WE ARE GETTING OUT THERE QUICKLY, AGAIN, GETTING BACK TO NORMAL. WE'D BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND ANYONE TALK ABOUT SOME CODE CASES IN YOUR AREA. THANK YOU, MIKE. UH, AND MARIA, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU JUSTINE AND TROY FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, IN REGARDS TO THE PROPERTY TAX CONVERSATION, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF US REVISITING THAT INITIATIVE PUT FORWARD BY, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIEGO BENA AND SENATOR MENENDEZ TO ENSURE THAT COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT WE'RE WE'RE ON TOP OF THIS AND ENSURING THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE OUR PROPERTY TAXES ARE LOW NOW, RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE LIKE THAT FOR LONG. 'CAUSE WHEN YOU CONTINUE TO BUILD AND THOSE BUILDING PERMITS ARE PULLED, PROPERTY TAXES GO UP, I ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO GET A BRIEFING BY, UM, THE PROPERTY TAX APPRAISAL OFFICE, AND THEY'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE [03:25:01] WAYS IN WHICH PROPERTY TAXES FUNCTION AND WHAT INCREASES PROPERTY TAXES. UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, I'M PLEASED TO SEE IN THE REPORT THAT WE HAVE HIRED FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HOUSING TEAM, UH, HOWEVER, I AM CONCERNED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT, UM, THAT WE HAVEN'T FILLED THOSE POSITIONS THAT HELP PEOPLE SEEK ASSISTANCE, WHETHER IT'S EVICTION, NAVIGATING THE UNDER ONE ROOF OR MINOR REHAB PROGRAM. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. RIGHT? AND THIS TIES INTO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT NEEDING TO, UM, RECALIBRATE THE L G C TO INCREASE STAFFING. UH, IT'S BECAUSE THESE APPLICATIONS ARE TAKING OVER 30 DAYS AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S FOLLOW UP AND, UH, FOLKS ARE GETTING WALKED THROUGH THAT PROCESS TO WHERE THEY'RE RECEIVING THAT ASSISTANCE. AND WE'RE MINIMIZING EVICTIONS AS A CITY. UM, BUT I WANTED TO SHIFT TO DELEGATE AGENCIES. UH, I WOULD HOPE MOVING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A BRIEFING SIMILAR TO THIS ON OUR DELEGATE AGENCIES. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SYMPHONY SOCIETY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FUNDING THEM ROUGHLY $33,000. UM, AND AS WE KNOW, THE MUSICIANS ARE ON STRIKE. SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? UM, IF, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A DELICATE AGENCY THAT'S NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THEIR PROGRAM OR OBJECTIVE, UM, WHAT'S THE CITY'S ROLE IF YOU KNOW, THE ENTITY? THE DELEGATE AGENCY ISN'T FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE FUNDING THEM FOR SURE, COUNCILWOMAN. SO WE MONITOR THOSE, UH, DELEGATE AGENCY CONTRACTS ON A MONTHLY BASIS. AND, UM, WE CAN PROVIDE REPORTS TO THE COUNCIL ON THEIR PERFORMANCE ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, WHICH IS WHAT THE CITY MANAGER RECEIVED. SO WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COUNCIL. GREAT, THANK YOU. AND, AND I'M PLEASED TO SEE WITH THE PROJECT PRIORITY INITIATIVES, IT INCLUDES HOUSING. UM, AND, AND WITH THAT, I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE ALREADY DOING THE WORK WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, CONNECTING FOLKS TO APPLYING FOR THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CURRENT EXEMPTION AND HOW MANY FOLKS HAVE APPLIED FOR IT, IT'S VERY LOW. AND THERE'S ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE ETHEL PROJECT, AS WELL AS MY CITIES, MY HOME, WHO HELP COMMUNITIES APPLY FOR THAT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AND I THINK ONCE WE, UH, INCREASE THE EXISTING HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION APPLICANTS, THEN I THINK WE CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT INCREASING THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, I, I DO HAVE SIMILAR CONCERNS, UM, NOT WITH PUBLIC WORKS AS A WHOLE, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, THE ENGINEERS FOR THE TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT, UH, BUDGET CONVERSATION FOR US TO DRIVE DOWN, UH, THE WAIT TIME OF GOING THROUGH THOSE APPLICATIONS, WHETHER IT'S FOR SPEED HUMPS OR DESIGN. UM, I'M HEARING FROM COMMUNITY ABOUT A BACKLOG FROM APPLICATIONS THAT WERE PUT IN WAY BACK, UM, YEARS AGO. SO I WOULD LIKE TO MINIMIZE THAT MOVING FORWARD. AND I'M NOT TOO SURE IF THAT'S MAYBE HIRING ANOTHER ENGINEER, UM, OR WHAT THAT WOULD TAKE FOR THAT PARTICULAR COMPONENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. WE CAN, WE'LL DO SOME WORK ON THAT. COUNCILMAN. UM, I SUSPECT THAT THE WAIT TIME IS REALLY BEING DRIVEN BY ALLOCATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS. SO IF WE, IF THAT BECOMES A PRIORITY OF THE COUNCIL AND THERE'S ADDITIONAL, UH, MONEY THAT YOU'D LIKE THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO ADD, UM, THEN WE CAN DO THOSE PROJECTS QUICKER AND WE CAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT AT THE GOAL SETTING SESSION. OKAY, GREAT. THAT'S, UH, 'CAUSE IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, I THINK WE HAVE ONE ENGINEER FOR THAT. AND IF WE COULD INCREASE IT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO CONTINUE TO SHIP AWAY. I, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT LET US DO THE ANALYSIS. MM-HMM. IT MAY NOT BE ADDING A POSITION THAT DOES IT BECAUSE WE CONTRACT ALL THAT WORK OUT. MM-HMM. IT MAY BE ADDITIONAL MONEY TO CONTRACT OUT IN ORDER TO GET THE CONSTRUCTION DONE, THE SPEED HUMPS OR, OR WHAT HAVE YOU. BUT, WE'LL, WE CAN LOOK AT IT. I JUST DON'T KNOW IF IT'S NECESSARILY A PERSONNEL. MM-HMM. UH, DRIVEN MATTER. THANK YOU. AND LIKE SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, COLLEAGUES, I'M CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC. UM, BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT NEWS THAT DESPITE THE SURGE OF THE DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF COVID THAT WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE HOT TAX. UM, DOES THAT HOT TAX MEAN POTENTIALLY MORE FUNDING FOR OUR ARTS AND CULTURES? SO THE ARTS AND CULTURALS BUDGET IS BASED UPON THE, THE ADOPTED BUDGET OF 15%. SO IF THAT, IF THE HOT TAX CONTINUES TO PERFORM FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023, WE WOULD RE-LOOK AT THAT 15% IN THE, IN THE, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND, AND WITH THE PRIORITY ISSUES, UM, THERE, THERE'S A COUPLE ON THERE THAT GIVE ME CONCERN AND PAUSE, BUT I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE INITIATIVES FUNDED ONE TIME, LIKE THE HOUSING PROGRAMS AND OLDER ADULT TECHNOLOGY ARE PRIORITIZED AND SHIFT TO THE TOP OF THIS PRIORITY ISSUES LIST. UM, 'CAUSE WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THAT HUMAN COMPONENT IF WE WANNA CONTINUE TO, UH, NAVIGATE THE UNCERTAINTY OF THIS PANDEMIC THAT EVERYONE'S LIVING IN. UM, BUT DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH WE HAVE IN THE TOTALS EMERGENCY FUND? COUNCILMAN? I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR FINANCIAL RESERVES AT 10%? IT'S ABOUT $122 MILLION, [03:30:02] AND THAT'S 10% OF OUR OPERATING REVENUES. OKAY. THANK YOU, MARIA. UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WITH THE PRIORITY ISSUES, AND AGAIN, I KNOW THIS VARIANCE, WE SHOULDN'T SPEND IT BEFORE WE HAVE IT, UM, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IF WE LOOK AT THE OWNER REHAB PROGRAMS, UM, THERE'S SPECIFIC DISTRICTS WHERE WE EXCEEDED THE AMOUNT OF SLOTS PER DISTRICT, UM, BY MAYBE 33. AND I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MEET THAT NEED, UM, BY DISTRICT IF WE POTENTIALLY USE SOME OF THIS FUNDING FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. BUT THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, UH, WE HAVE, UH, A, A CITIZEN WE HEARD PUBLIC COMMENT AT THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR 5:00 PM AND OUR CONVERSATION ON THIS ITEM IS CONTINUING. WE ONLY HAVE ONE CITIZEN WHO'S SIGNED UP TO SPEAK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, SO I'M GOING TO, UH, RECESS US BRIEFLY TO TAKE THAT PERSON UP HERE SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ALL NIGHT FOR US TO FINISH THIS CONVERSATION. THE TIME IS 5:39 PM ON THE 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022. UH, AND WE ARE NOW RECESSING OUR B SESSION. WE'LL COME BACK IN, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES, BUT, UH, I WANNA CALL NOW TO COME SPEAK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. LON JET. MR. JET, IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP AND TAKE YOUR THREE MINUTES, UM, YOU HAVE THE, YOU HAVE THE PODIUM HERE AND THEN WE'LL GET ON WITH OUR MEETING. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT HERE ALL NIGHT. A FEW SECONDS HERE. WE GOTTA SET THIS THING UP. YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE, UH, YOU'RE GONNA BE, YOU'RE GONNA BE HAPPY. ALRIGHT, ROLL BACK. THERE WE GO. AND JUST HOLD THAT RIGHT THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US IN THIS WONDERFUL DAY. OKAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. HERE IT IS. GOT IT. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. MY NAME IS SERGEANT LON JETT IV RETIRED ARMY COMBAT VETERAN KOSOVO AFGHANISTAN. UM, WE ARE VETERANS FOR AMERICA AND WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF PROJECTS RIGHT NOW. VETERANS FOR AMERICA WAS FOUNDED IN 1990 BY VETERANS FOR VETERANS. OUR STORY STARTS IN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES. RICK MARTINEZ, HE WAS OUR FOUNDER, OR HE IS OUR FOUNDER. HE'S A MARINE VETERAN, COMBAT VETERAN VIETNAM. OUR MISSION AT VETERANS FOR AMERICA IS TWOFOLD. OUR MISSION IS TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS AND STOP VETERAN SUICIDES. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WE'RE DOING THROUGHOUT THE THE YEAR, BUT THESE TWO PROJECTS MEAN DEAR DEAR, DEAR TO OUR HEARTS. THE B F A VETERANS FOR AMERICA BASE CAMP VILLAGE FOR HOMELESS VETERANS, AND THE HOMETOWN HEROES PROJECT. IF YOU'VE DRIVEN ALONGSIDE THOUSAND OAKS DRIVE RECENTLY, YOU'LL NOTICE THESE BANNERS AND SOME SIMILAR, LIKE IT ARE, ARE UP THERE ALREADY. WE HAVE SEVEN BANNERS TO REPRESENT OUR SEVEN HOMETOWN HEROES. THAT'S ON THE, UH, THOUSAND OAKS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE LIBRARY. WE HAVE ANOTHER SEVEN THAT WE ARE, THAT ARE IN THE WORKS, AND, UH, WE ARE TRYING TO GET THOSE ESTABLISHED. WE WORK WITH DIXIE FLAG COMPANY. THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE ALLOWED TO DO THIS IN SAN ANTONIO. SO IT MAKES OUR JOB EASIER. UM, WE HAVE DIXIE FLAGS HERE TO, UH, TALK ABOUT THE QUOTE OF, UH, THE MONEY PORTION OF THE, UH, PROJECT. THIS IS MR. RUDY MARTINEZ. UH, WELL DON'T WE GET NINE MINUTES SINCE WE'RE A GROUP? NO, SIR. YOU SIGNED UP AS AN INDIVIDUAL. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, SO IF YOU HAVE MATERIALS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH US, WE CAN TAKE THOSE TWO. BUT GO AHEAD MR. JETT. OKAY. WELL, UH, JUST WANTED, UH, MR. MARTINEZ TO GO OVER THE, UH, IF YOU HAD ANY, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, LET US KNOW AND WE'RE, WE'LL BE RIGHT HERE FOR A LITTLE BIT, I GUESS. [03:35:01] OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. JETT. AND AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE MATERIALS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO DISTRIBUTE TO THE COUNCIL, WE CAN, WE CAN. THOSE, THOSE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. HAVE A GOOD ONE. HOPE YOU LIKE IT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT. YEAH, I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE FOUNDATION IS INVOLVED. ALRIGHT. HELP US OUT. ALRIGHT. AND JUST AS A REMINDER TO COUNCIL, AS WE RECONVENE THE MEETING, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT IS, UH, NOT AGENDIZED, UH, IN TERMS OF INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS. SO WE'LL GET BACK TO THE AGENDA AND TO THE ITEMS OR TO THE ITEM THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING NOW. SO THE TIME IS 5:44 PM ON THE 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022. AND OUR B SESSION IS NOW RECONVENED. AND WE'LL RESUME OUR DISCUSSION NOW, UH, WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I, UH, ALSO WANTED TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR, UM, THE COUNCIL STAFF SIZE ADJUSTMENT DURING THE MID-YEAR BUDGET REVIEW. UM, I DO CONCUR WITH, UH, I THINK IT WAS HRS RECOMMENDATION NOT TO ADD THE POSITION WITHOUT THE BUDGET. UM, I, I, I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THOSE OF US WHO WERE ON THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, UH, DID A LOT OF WORK AND, AND ADVOCATED WELL, THE CONSULTANT DID THE WORK. WE ADVOCATED TO ENSURE THAT, UM, THAT ALL OF OUR STAFF WOULD HAVE APPROPRIATE BENEFITS AND SALARIES. SO I WOULDN'T WANNA SEE THAT, UM, DISCARDED. UH, BUT NONETHELESS, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT ITEM COME FORWARD DURING MID-YEAR BUDGET, UH, REVIEW. UH, THE OTHER THING I, UH, DID WANNA MAKE SURE I I PUT OUT IS AT THIS POINT I CANNOT SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL, UH, HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION RIGHT NOW. WE, THAT BENEFIT WOULD REALLY BE FELT ONLY IN, UH, CERTAIN HOUSEHOLD, UM, SORRY, HOME VALUES. AND, UH, AND SO A LOT OF MY RESIDENTS WOULDN'T REALLY BENEFIT FROM THAT. UM, ALSO, I, I JUST DON'T SEE HOW IT CAN BE, UH, EQUITABLE WITH THE TOOLS THAT THE STATE HAS GIVEN US RIGHT NOW. UM, IN PARTICULAR, WE'RE AT A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF RENTERS WHO ARE, UM, HOUSING BURDENED IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THIS DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, UH, FOR THEM AS WELL. UH, WHEN WE DID APPROVE THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION LAST TIME, UH, MARIA, I HAD, I THINK I HAD ASKED YOU HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS IS THAT? DO YOU REMEMBER? I, 'CAUSE YOU YOU DID THAT CALCULATION THAT COUNCILMAN VERAN IS, IS ASKING FOR, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN TERMS OF CITY SERVICES? YEAH, SO ROUGHLY THE VALUE OF A NEW POLICE OFFICER IS ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS COUNCILWOMAN. SO THE, DEPENDING ON THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, SO FOR INSTANCE, IF IT'S A $3 MILLION IMPACT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 300. THANK YOU MARIA. AND THEN, UM, VERY MINOR POINT, BUT I PROMISED SOMEBODY HERE THAT I WOULD BRING THIS UP IS, UM, WHEN DID WE PUT THE THIS IN THE BUDGET? WHEN WE WENT TO THE NEW SYSTEM FOR LIKE TAPPING IN? WAS THAT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET OR? IT WAS LAST YEAR'S BUDGET? I THINK IT WAS THE PRIOR YEAR BECAUSE WE USE OUR PEG FUNDS AND I'M LOOKING AT JEFF COYLE SOMEWHERE HERE. I THINK IT WAS THE PRIOR YEAR COUNCILWOMAN. OKAY. NOT THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. SO THIS PROJECT'S STILL NOT WRAPPED UP THERE, THERE ARE STILL SOME, SOME ISSUES WITH IT. SO, UM, I KNOW IT'S REALLY MINOR IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD JUST CLOSE THE LOOP ON THIS AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OTHER OUTSTANDING ISSUES WE HAVE. SO IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T REGISTER AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE QUEUE FOR, FOR EVERYONE. SO. GOT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GRA. COUNCIL MEMBER. BRAVO. ERIC, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW HAPPY I AM WITH THIS NEW RECOMMENDED ANNUAL BUDGET CALENDAR. UM, IT'S, IT'S, UM, MORE SPREAD OUT. IT'S GONNA GIVE US MORE TIME TO GET PUBLIC INPUT. IT'S GONNA MORE GIVE US MORE TIME TO MEET WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AND HAVE, HAVE MORE IN DEPTH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES. AND, UH, I KNOW ERIC, I DID A LOT OF CRYING UP HERE DURING THE LAST BUDGET SESSION, AND, UH, NOW I'M SEEING THAT I FEEL LIKE YOU LISTENED, I FEEL VALIDATED. I'M SO HAPPY THAT I DIDN'T, I'M NOT EVEN MAD THAT YOU WAITED UNTIL TWO DAYS AFTER VALENTINE'S DAY TO SHARE THIS WITH US. THERE'S NO CRYING AT CITY HALL. COUNCILMAN, THANK YOU. UM, ON, UH, BUDGET SURPLUS. I'M GLAD TO SEE PROPERTY TAX SAVINGS AS A CATEGORY, [03:40:01] UM, BEING LISTED THERE AS SOMETHING FOR CONSIDERATION. UH, BUT I, BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS IS THE ONLY TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX. AND, UH, I HEARD JEFF COYLE TALK ABOUT HOW, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR, OUR LOCAL DELEGATION HAS TAKEN, UM, UH, YEAH, HAS PROPOSED BILLS ON FOR, TO SUPPORT LEGACY HOMEOWNERS. AND THAT HASN'T GONE ANYWHERE. AND SO I, THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO THINKING WHAT CAN WE DO HERE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL FOR LEGACY HOMEOWNERS? AND I WANT TO REVISIT THE CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, CONSIDERING THE, THE ATLANTA MODEL WHERE THERE WAS A, A CITY COUNTY FUND TO BE ABLE TO HELP LEGACY HOMEOWNERS IN AREAS WHERE THAT ARE RAPIDLY GENTRIFYING TO HELP KEEP THEIR, THEIR PROPERTY TAXES LEVEL. AND I THINK THAT COULD BE, UM, A SOLUTION THAT WE COULD LOOK AT. AND IF NOT, I, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO JUST EXPLORE WHAT ARE ALL THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE CAN, UM, CONSIDER FOR, FOR ANY KIND OF PROPERTY TAX RELIEF AND WHERE WE CAN, WHERE WE CAN LOOK AT EQUITY AND WHERE WE CAN ALSO PRIORITIZE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE HELPING THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THE MOST HELP AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT TAXING PEOPLE OUTTA THEIR HOMES. SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, THERE WERE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE STATE AND INACTION AT THE STATE. UM, YOU KNOW, THE STATE HAS THEIR STUFF. WE HAVE OUR STUFF. THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO TO DO SOMETHING FOR OUR HOMEOWNERS, NOT THE STATE. AND, UH, IT IS WITH, IN OUR POWER TO HELP OUT WITH REDUCED PROPERTY TAXES THROUGH A HOME STATE EXEMPTION. SO I JUST WANTED TO COME BACK AND, AND COMMENT ON THAT. AND PLUS, UM, UM, ERIC, UM, EXCUSE ME. UM, WHEN, WHEN WOULD THIS BE, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE HERE. WHEN WOULD THIS COME UP FOR A VOTE? WOULD IT BE RIGHT AFTER THE, UH, UH, GOAL SETTING SESSION? OR WHEN, WHEN WOULD THIS PARTICULAR ITEM BE ON A COUNCIL AGENDA? VOTE THE VOTE OF A, OF A POTENTIAL EXEMPTION? YES, SIR. WELL, IT DEPENDS ON THE CONVERSATION HERE. I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK AT THE FORECAST, UH, AND TRIAL BUDGET, WE CAN PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL SCENARIOS. OKAY. THAT'D BE EARLY MAY ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE, BUT IT WOULD NEED TO BE, UH, AGENDIZED OBVIOUSLY PRIOR TO JULY ONE. BUT I GUESS THAT THAT'S WHY I'M, THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY YOU SUGGESTED WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IN FEBRUARY. YES. UM, SO I'M, I'M LOOKING FOR DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL. YEAH. AND THAT'LL DRIVE THE, AND THAT'LL DRIVE THE SCHEDULE. OKAY. UM, UH, WELL, OBVIOUSLY AFTER THE, UM, GOAL SETTING SESSION, I THINK THERE'S ENOUGH TIME BETWEEN THEN AND JULY THAT THIS COULD BE CALLED OUT FOR INDIVIDUAL VOTE. ABSOLUTELY, YES, SIR. OKAY. UH, I JUST, AS LONG AS IT GETS DONE BEFORE ONE JULY, SO, UH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. AND I, YOU KNOW, UH, EVERY YEAR, AND I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES, OUR, OUR MOST IMPACTFUL JOB HERE IS TO APPROVE THE BUDGET. THE BUDGET DRIVES EVERYTHING FROM POLICE TO FIRE TO, UH, A D C, TO EVERYTHING ACROSS THE CITY. SO THIS IS OUR SINGULAR MOST IMPORTANT JOB ON CITY COUNCIL IS TO LOOK AT THE BUDGET, SCRUB IT, MAKE IT, MAKE SURE THAT IT'S GOING IN THE DIRECTION THAT WE WANT IT TO HERE ON COUNCIL AND THEN, UH, UH, PROVE IT, VOTE FOR IT OR AGAINST IT AND, UH, UH, MOVE ON FROM THERE FOR THE, FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT, THOSE DISCUSSIONS STARTING AGAIN, AND I REALLY SUPPORT THIS, DOING IT EARLIER, UH, GIVES US MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THINGS, STUDY THINGS, AND BE PREPARED FOR THESE, UH, MAJOR VOTES THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE UP HERE. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. I THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO, UM, SORT OF CLARIFY WHY I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL F T E HERE. AND IT'S BECAUSE, UM, THE L G C WAS FORMED, UH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I GOT HERE. BUDGET WAS PASSED IN SEPTEMBER AND THE CONVERSATION WAS, YOU KNOW, THE L G C WAS GONNA MEET AND WE WERE GOING TO CONSIDER APPROVING A HALFTIME F T E WITHOUT A BUDGET CHANGE. UM, WE HAVE NOT HAD A MEETING WITH THE FOIL GC. I AM GRATEFUL THAT A COMMITTEE DID MEET, UM, IN A FORTNITE AND HAVE THE POWER. UM, BUT I'M WONDERING DO THEY HAVE THE POWER TO ADJUST THE STAFFING BUDGET TO ANSWER THAT? UH, COUNCILMAN [03:45:01] THEY, I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT A ABSENT, UH, BUDGET TO WELL, AND IT'S TO IMPLEMENT THAT TO THE FULL G L G C, RIGHT? WELL, THE FULL L G C. RIGHT. BUT EVEN IF THE, I, I THINK EVERY RIGHT, IF THE FULL L G C MAKES A, A DECISION THAT NEEDS BUDGET, UH, SOMETHING INCORPORATED IN THE BUDGET, THAT THAT'LL BE RELIANT ON THE BUDGET, CORRECT? YES. YEAH. YES. IS THIS AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO HAVE THAT BUDGET CONVERSATION? UM, I THINK I UNDERSTAND. UNDERSTOOD. COUNCILWOMAN, UH, RUCHA GARCIA SAY THAT THAT SUBCOMMITTEE WAS GONNA TAKE THAT ISSUE UP AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO THE, TO THE REST OF THE LGC SLASH CITY COUNCIL? YES. WHERE THE, I THINK THE DISCONNECT IS, IS THE LGC CAN DO THAT. WILL CITY STAFF RECOMMEND RAISING THE CAP WITHOUT MONEY COUNCILMAN? UM, I WILL PERSONALLY SIT IN THOSE SUBCOMMITTEE CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS SO THAT WE STAY ALIGNED. UM, AND THAT'S THE COMMITMENT I'LL GIVE YOU AT THIS POINT. OKAY. I JUST REALLY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY. I NEED PEOPLE NOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN DISTRICT, TWO MORE CALLS. WE GET SO MANY WALK-INS. WE HAVE TWO FIELD OFFICES, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IN JUNE, JULY, AND AUGUST. AND SO I'M STRESSED OUT, MY STAFF IS STRESSED OUT AND I NEED THE, I NEED THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. UM, ANDY, DID YOU WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT? UM, YES. A QUICK BEFORE I GO ON, QUICK COMMENT, UH, UH, TO ADD ON TO WHAT COUNCILMAN BRAVO, UH, WAS ALLUDING TO IN TERMS OF THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE FOR, UH, TRYING TO ADDRESS PROPERTY TAX RELIEF. UH, YOU'RE RIGHT, COUNCILMAN THAT THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION IS JUST ONE TOOL. UH, AND WE WILL WORK WITH THE EQUITY TEAM TO SEE, WE, WE CAN COME UP WITH TOOLS AND MAYBE LOOK, AS YOU SAID, AT OTHER MODELS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH THAT WOULDN'T REQUIRE, HOPEFULLY, WOULDN'T REQUIRE A CHANGE IN THE STATE LAW THAT WE CAN DO. SO CERTAINLY WE'LL EXPLORE THAT. UH, AND WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO CALL ON THE EQUITY TEAM AS WE, AS WE WORK ON THE BUDGET AND IMPLEMENT THE BUDGET CALENDAR, UH, THAT THEY WILL WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENTS AS THEY, AS THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, USING THE BUDGET EQUITY TOOL, BUT ALSO WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENTS THAT AS THEY DEVELOP THEIR BUDGETS, IT, IT INCLUDES THE EQUITY PRINCIPLES THAT THE COUNCIL HAS ASKED US TO, TO ALWAYS LOOK TO AS, AS WE LOOK AT THE BUDGET. SO THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP. THANK YOU ANDY. AND, AND JEFF MADE THE COMMENT THAT IF THE COUNCIL, UH, DID CHOOSE TO PURSUE LEGISLATION, THAT WE COULD CERTAINLY ADD THAT TO THE I G R AGENDA. I CERTAINLY WOULD SUPPORT THAT. UM, BUT IF THAT COMMITTEE IS GONNA BE TAKING UP THIS ISSUE, UH, I WOULD ASK THAT THEY CONSIDER, UM, WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS THEY COULD MAKE TO I G R GIVEN OUR EQUITY PRIORITIES. UM, WE'LL MOVE ON TO COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I, I THINK, UH, GIVEN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AND LOOKING AT THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FUND AND HOW IT'S EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES, I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE WHAT COUNCILMAN BRAVO'S HITTING ON, RIGHT? THAT THERE'S ALTERNATIVE TOOLS FOR US TO, UM, MITIGATE DRASTICALLY INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES. FOR EXAMPLE, A PROPERTY TAX LOAN PROGRAM TO HELP HOMEOWNERS GET AHEAD OF, YOU KNOW, INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES, UM, THROUGH POTENTIAL RENT PROGRAMS, LIKE A PROPERTY TAX LOAN FOR NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION LOANS, SPECIFICALLY FOR LEGACY HOMEOWNERS AND SENIORS. SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, UM, AND I CHIMED IN WHEN ANDY TOUCHED ON IT, SO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. UH, AND THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD DISCUSSION. UM, I DID PICK UP, DID SOMEBODY ELSE CHIME IN? I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE QUEUE, SO, UH, LET ME JUST WRAP UP. I DID PICK UP ON THE COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, WHY DO WE REPORT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS. I THINK MARIA, YOU SAID ONE TO ONE POINT A HALF PERCENT IS, IS ROUGHLY WHERE WE END UP. I, I MEAN, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVE. I DON'T WANT TO BE UP HERE ON THE CITY COUNCIL HAVING BUDGETED ITEMS AND SERVICES INTO OUR ANNUAL BUDGET AND THEN COMING BACK WHEN WE'RE ABOUT TO ADOPT THE BUDGET, SAYING THAT WE'VE GOTTA CUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. UH, THE BUDGET OFFICE HAS BEEN CONSERVATIVE SINCE THE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE. UH, WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH ADDITIONAL VOLATILITY, OBVIOUSLY. UH, BUT WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA BE IN A POSITION WHERE IT'S THE OPPOSITE AND WE'RE HAVING TO CUT BACK SERVICES AS OPPOSED TO, UM, AD AMENDMENTS AT THE END OF THE BUDGET YEAR. SO, UM, ERIC, GO AHEAD. YEAH, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, MAYOR, THAT'S WHY THESE, THAT'S WHY QUARTERLY UPDATES, FINANCIAL UPDATES ARE CRITICAL AND, AND, UM, AND NOT DONE VERY MUCH IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. UM, BUT, BUT THIS TYPE OF REPORTING ON [03:50:01] A QUARTERLY BASIS IS CRITICAL. SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND AS THE GOVERNING BOARD, AS THE POLICYMAKING BOARD KINDA WHAT OUR TRENDS ARE, AND IT, IT CAUSES THIS CONVERSATION TO HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. I WILL JUST CAUTION AND I, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE, THE COMMENTS FROM SOME OF THE SEVERAL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THIS TODAY WAS NOT A BUDGET SURPLUS, IT WAS JUST THE FIRST QUARTER REPORT AND THINGS CHANGE AND GOD WILLING, THEY'LL, THEY'LL STAY POSITIVE, BUT IT'S JUST THE FIRST QUARTER REPORT AND WE'RE NOT DECLARING ANY SORT OF VICTORY. IT'S, IT'S AN, THERE'S NO FINISH LINE ON THIS TYPE OF STUFF. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION TODAY. I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY THE, THE BEST FINANCE, UM, QUARTERLY FINANCIAL CONVERSATION WE'VE EVER HAD AND, AND CERTAINLY WORTH, UH, THE TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ERIC. ALRIGHT. UH, THE TIME, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO PUSH OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION OF TOMORROW, ANDY? THAT'S CORRECT. MAYOR. WE ARE. OKAY. TIME IS 5:59 PM ON THE 16TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022. AND OUR CITY COUNCIL B SESSION IS NOW ADJOURNED. SEE YOU IN THE MORNING. I. * 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.