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I LIKE AUSTIN, BUT I LOVE SANTO LOVE DANCING IN GROOVE.
SO I LIKE, BUT I LOVE SANTON AND IF WE'RE PLACE TO GO.
WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL V SESSION.
THE TIME IS 2:12 PM ON THE SIXTH DAY OF APRIL, 2022.
WE'LL CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER.
MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER MCKAY RODRIGUEZ.
PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN.
COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT.
UM, AND WELCOME AGAIN TO OUR CITY COUNCIL SESSION
[ ITEMS ]
TODAY.WE HAVE TWO ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY.
UH, SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TWO SEPARATE DISCUSSIONS, UH, ON THESE ITEMS. UH, SO LEMME TURN IT OVER TO CITY MANAGER ERIC WALSH, GET STARTED.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COUNCIL.
OUR FIRST ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA IS A BRIEFING, UH, BY VIA, UH, METROPOLITAN TRANSIT ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE, UH, REGIONAL TRANSIT PLAN AND THE PROGRESS, UH, THEY'RE MAKING ON THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING, UH, PROGRAM.
JUST A QUICK REMINDER FOR EVERYBODY.
IN, IN NOVEMBER OF 2020, THE VOTERS APPROVED, UH, THE REALLOCATION OF A ONE EIGHTH, UH, OF OUR SALE, UH, ONE EIGHTH OF OUR ONE EIGHTH CENT OF OUR SALES TAX, UH, BEGINNING JANUARY, FIRST OF, OF 2026, UH, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DEDICATED FUNDING SUPPORT TO IMPROVING AND INCREASING, UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT OPTIONS, UH, WITHIN THE REGION.
UM, SINCE THAT TIME, VIA HAS BEEN PREPARING, UH, FOR THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PROGRAM TO ENSURE PROJECTS ARE READY, UM, AND IN, UM, IN, UM, THE PROPER POSITION, UH, AS THAT SALES TAX FUNDING, UH, BECOMES AVAILABLE AND MOVES OVER THERE, UH, IN 2026.
UM, JEFF IS HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, WHERE VIA IS AT IN RELATION TO ALL OF THAT, BUT ALSO TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE, UM, A R T NORTH SOUTH LINE.
UH, REMEMBER WHEN WE TALKED, UH, AT B SESSION ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AGO, ABOUT THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL? ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THE COUNCIL HAD WAS ABOUT HOW, UM, VIA HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE, UM, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SO JEFF WILL SHARE, UH, WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION'S, UH, CAPITAL PROGRAMS AND THEIR GRANT PROGRAMS. THEY'VE BEEN VERY ACTIVE, UH, IN THAT PROCESS.
AND CERTAINLY, UH, BOTH, UH, PROVIDES, UH, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS VIA.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JEFF.
UH, HE'S GOT HIS BOARD CHAIR HERE AS, OH, LET ME INTRODUCE THE BOARD CHAIR, UH, MR. REYES WHO WILL KICK US OFF.
MAYOR NUREMBERG, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US THIS TIME TODAY TO UPDATE YOU ON THE WORK AND PROGRESS HAPPENING AT VIA.
I HAVE HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING AS CHAIR VIA SINCE JANUARY, 2021.
IN THAT TIME, WE HAVE COME TO SEEK FIRSTHAND HOW IMPACTFUL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS TO KEEP THE ESSENTIAL AND NECESSARY WORK OF RECOVERING AND GROWING OUR ECONOMY.
MOVING AHEAD, I REMAIN IN AWE OF THE TIRELESS EFFORT OUR OPERATORS, MECHANICS, EMPLOYEES, PUT IN EACH DAY TO ENSURE OUR PASSENGERS GET THEIR DESTINATION SAFELY AND COMFORTABLY.
I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE APPOINTMENTS YOU HAVE MADE TO THE VIEW BOARD FOR THE PARTNERSHIP.
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YOU HAVE ALL CONTINUED TO SHOW US IN ADVANCE IN A MODERN MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR THE WORK YOU EACH DO TO HELP GUIDE OUR COMMUNITY.I AM JOINED TODAY BY BOARD MEMBERS AKEEM BROWN, A VICE CHAIR ATHLETE MALONE, BOARD SECRETARY, TRUSTEE LAURA CABILLA
PRESIDENT AND C E O JEFF A AND SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR WONDERFUL V STAFF AND LEADERSHIP TEAM.
I'M HAPPY TO BE HOME IN TIME FOR FIESTA.
JUST LAST WEEK, WHERE WE WERE IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL WITH THE A TO D C GROUP, MANY OF YOU WERE INCLUDED TO SHARE THE URGENCY OF TRANSPORTATION FUNDING WITH OUR FEDERAL LEADERS.
WE RETURNED FROM THAT SUCCESSFUL TRIP WITH THE NEWS THAT FUNDING FOR THE FIRST ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDOR HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED AND WAS REQUIRED, AND WAS REQUESTED IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET.
IT IS A HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT AND AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL TRANSFORM THE WAY WE LIVE AND MOVE.
IT'S AN EXCITING TIME FOR SAN ANTONIO AND IN VIA WITH THE NEW FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE LAW AND THE PASSAGE OF FY 2022 FEDERAL BUDGET.
OUR NATION HAS NEVER SEEN SUCH AN INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
WE ARE ALL DOING WELL TO CONTINUE TO SERVE VIA AND SAN ANTONIO AND WELL POSITIONED TO MAKE USE OF THIS UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING.
WE'RE WORKING EVERY DAY TO EXPAND VIA LINK, STRENGTHEN OUR BUS NETWORK, AND MAINTAIN A STRONG FOCUS ON ADVANCING KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PROJECTS WITH INNOVATION AT HEART.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.
FINALLY, BEFORE I ASK JEFF TO COME UP AND LEAD US THROUGH HIS PRESENTATION, I WANT TO REAFFIRM ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD OUR COMMITMENT TO BUILD ON THE MOMENTUM FROM THE LAST MONDAY'S HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME VIA PROJECT HAS BEEN INCLUDED AS A SPECIFIC LINE ITEM IN THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET, THE ONLY TEXAS PROJECT TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET, AND A CHANCE TO BRING 158 MILLION INVESTMENT TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY AND UPLIFT OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR MESSAGE TO YOU ALL IS WE ARE READY TO DO ALL WE NEED TO DO TO BRING THOSE FUNDS HOME WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED AND DESERVE TO DELIVER ON OUR PROMISE TO VOTERS TO CREATE THE MODERN MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT THEY WANT AND HAVE WAITED TOO LONG FOR.
AND WE REMAIN READY TO PARTNER WITH OUR CITY LEADERS AND THE ENTIRE REGION TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT THEY'RE MAKING A SOUND AND FRUITFUL INVESTMENT FOR THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO, CHAIR, I WAS SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY FIESTA BECAUSE THAT'S YOUR FORTE.
VIVA, VIVA FIESTA, VIVA VIA, WE HAVE BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? LET ME ADJUST THAT A LITTLE BIT.
SO I'M GOING TO, UH, START OUT THE, THE CHAIR HAS ALREADY GIVING YOU ALL THE GOOD NEWS, SO LIKE, I'M JUST GONNA GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS BEHIND IT, BUT LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT THAT DAY.
WE HAD A SPEAKER THAT DROPPED OUT AT THE LAST MINUTE.
UH, JONATHAN GER SAID, HEY, COULD YOU GET UP AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A R T OR WHATEVER? I SAID, SURE, SURE.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE? HE, WELL, ABOUT 40 MINUTES YOU'LL GO ON.
TWO MINUTES LATER, HE CAME BACK, HE SAID, NO, IT'S REALLY EIGHT MINUTES.
SO, OKAY, WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN.
WHILE I WAS SPEAKING, THE F T A CALLED ME.
SO AS SOON AS WE FINISHED SPEAKING, WENT OUT IN THE HALLWAY AND THE F D A SHARED THE NEWS OF THE, THE, THE CHAIR JUST SHARED WITH YOU.
I WAS SO EXCITED AND SHOCKED THAT MY BEARD IMMEDIATELY TURNED WHITE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE MAYOR WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE.
I WALKED OVER AND TOLD THE MAYOR, FORTUNATELY, HE DIDN'T HAVE A BEARD, SO YOU WERE SAVED FROM THAT.
I MEAN, I, THERE'S REALLY NOT TOO MUCH BETTER NEWS WE COULD BE SHARING THAN WHAT, WHAT THE CHAIR SHARED.
THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, AND WE ONLY FIRST SUBMITTED LAST
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AUGUST, AND WE'LL HAVE SOME LATER, LATER ON COME UP AND PUT THAT WITHIN CONTEXT OF THE FEDERAL PROGRAM BECAUSE WE, WE HAVE A GUEST WITH US WHO HAS, IS THE FORMER ADMINISTRATOR OF THE F D A UNDER OBAMA, WHO'S ALSO WORKING ON THE FINANCING OF OUR PLAN.SO I'M GONNA HAVE CAROLYN SHARE THOSE WORDS WITH YOU.
SO I AM JUST GOING TO START ROLLING HERE.
NOTICE THERE ARE NO TIME POINTS.
WE GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE.
SO I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT VIA TODAY ABOUT THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN, AND SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT PROJECT STATUS.
AND OUR NEXT STEPS, WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE MAXIMIZE THE FEDERAL FUNDING ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PROGRAMS AND THE KIND OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT WE'VE HAD.
AND AT THE VERY END, CAROLYN WILL COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THE FINANCING PLAN, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL KIND OF CLEAR ON WHERE THAT IS.
AND AGAIN, WE'LL PUT THE, UH, RECENT EVENTS WITHIN A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE.
SO WITH THAT, WE, WE REALLY HAVE THREE PRIMARY THINGS WE WANT TO DO, FIRST OF ALL, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS UPDATED AND WHAT'S GOING ON AT VIA.
THEN TO LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE ON THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN, WHICH THE VOTERS APPROVED 68%, THAT WE WOULD BEGIN RECEIVING SALES TAX IN 2026.
SO FRANKLY, AFTER THAT ELECTION, WE BELIEVED THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2026 TO ACTUALLY START IMPLEMENTING THOSE PLANS.
BUT WE HAD OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAVE ALLOWED US TO ADVANCE THAT PLAN AND THEN CLARIFY WHAT THE PATH PATHWAY FORWARD IS ON, UH, THE A R T SYSTEM.
ALRIGHT, SO THERE ARE REALLY THREE TOP PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW.
AND I PUT THE FIRST ONE FIRST BECAUSE IT DRIVES THE SECOND ONE AND IN SOME WAYS DRIVES THE THIRD ONE.
EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT IS A BIG DEAL.
UH, WE HAD, WE WENT ABOUT A YEAR DURING WHICH WE COULD NOT HIRE AND, AND TRAIN OPERATORS BECAUSE WE PHYSICALLY JUST COULDN'T DO IT.
DURING THAT YEAR, WE HAD HAD NORMAL ATTRITION.
WE, WE HAD TRID ABOUT 15 OPERATORS A, A MONTH, UH, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY BACKFILL.
AND SO WHEN WE GOT TO THE END OF THAT YEAR, WE HAD A HOLE AND WE HAD TO START TRYING TO FIND OUR WAY OUT OF IT.
AND IN FACT, BECAUSE OF THAT, THE LEVEL OF SERVICE ON THE STREET TODAY IS LESS THAN WHAT WE WANT TO HAVE ON THE STREET AND SLIGHTLY LESS THAN WHAT WE BUDGETED BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WHATEVER WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DELIVER, WE COULD DELIVER.
I MEAN, I CAN SAY, OH, WE'LL RUN, YOU'LL HAVE A BUS EVERY 30 MINUTES.
BUT IF I KNOW THAT ONLY ONE OPERATOR'S GONNA BE FOR THAT ROUTE, AND IT'S GONNA BE EVERY 60 MINUTES, I'D RATHER JUST TELL YOU STRAIGHT OUT, SO WE'RE IN A VERY HEAVY RECRUITMENT PROGRAM.
WE'RE WORKING WITH SA READY TO WORK.
WE'VE ALREADY SIGNED THE PLEDGE.
WE'RE WORKING WITH A NUMBER OF OF PARTNER AGENCIES RIGHT NOW TO HELP US NOT JUST IDENTIFY BUS OPERATORS, BUT ALSO MECHANICS, BECAUSE WE ALSO NEED TO HIRE MECHANICS.
THE SECOND PORTION WOULD BE THE RIDERSHIP DEVELOP, UH, RECOVERY.
OBVIOUSLY, WE, WE WANT TO REBUILD OUR RIDERSHIP.
WE'RE DOWN ABOUT 40% TO, UH, PRE COVID LEVELS RIGHT NOW.
BUT A LOT OF RIDERSHIP RECOVERY IS GONNA BE DRIVEN BY OUR BEING ABLE TO GET THE NUMBER OF OPERATORS AND PROVIDE THE KIND OF SERVICE THAT PEOPLE WILL WANT.
AND THEN FINALLY, ADVANCING OUR KEEP SAN SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN, WHICH IS GONNA BE A LOT OF WHAT THIS, THIS PRESENTATION IS ABOUT.
JUST A REMINDER, UH, WHO RIDES VIA, WELL, 57% OF THE PEOPLE ON THE BUS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO WORK, WHICH IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.
THAT'S A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF WORK TRIPS.
UH, 93% SAY THAT THEY RELY ON VIA TO MAKE FOR THEIR MOBILITY NEEDS.
AND 48% HAVE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES OF $25,000 OR YES OR LESS.
AND THAT KINDA GIVES YOU A SENSE WHO OF WHO IS OUT THERE.
AND SO WHAT RESOURCES DO WE HAVE TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO THAT MARKET AND TO THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO THIS IS THE F Y 22 REVENUE, UM, ALLOCATION.
IT'S A ODDITY, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE TYPICALLY THE BLUE IS ABOUT 75%.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE, UH, COVID RELIEF FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, IT PUMPED UP THE ORANGE, THE, THE FEDERAL SHARE.
SO THE FEDERAL SHARE HERE SHOWS 30%, BUT MORE TYPICALLY IT'S HALF THAT MUCH.
IT'S 15% ALL THE YEARS LEADING UP TO THIS, WHERE THE SALES TAX IS MUCH LARGER.
FAIR BOX FAIR BOXES ARE ONLY 4%.
THAT'S ALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIDERSHIP.
THE OTHER, UH, THE, THE CITY'S FUNDING IS RIGHT IN THERE AT 2.8%.
AND THEN THERE'S A VERY SMALL SLICE FOR THE REMAINDER.
SO OUR FUNDING IS PRIMARILY LOCAL FUNDING.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMBINATION OF SALES TAX AND FAIRBOX REVENUE, THOSE ARE DEFINITELY LOCAL FUNDS.
AND IN A TYPICAL YEAR, THEY'RE GONNA ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 85% OF ALL OUR FUNDING.
THE REMAINDER COMES FROM OUTSIDE.
I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN SLIDES LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT THIS IS KIND OF AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE STAND IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER THREE MAJOR MTAS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO YOU HAVE VIA CAPITAL METRO IN AUSTIN, DART IN DALLAS AND METRO IN HOUSTON.
AND THIS IS ANNUAL SALES TAX THAT ARE GENERATED FOR PUBLIC
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TRANSPORTATION.SO IN NOVEMBER OF 2020, WE HAD THE ELECTION, AND AS YOU KNOW, THE A T D I CALL IT A T D TWO BECAUSE IT'S THE SECOND PIECE OF A T D, UH, WILL BEGIN COMING TO VIA IN 2028.
SO BETWEEN NOW AND OR 2026, BETWEEN NOW AND 2026, THE SOLID RED IS WHAT WE BRING IN.
THEN IN 2026, WE'LL BRING IN THE INCREMENT ABOVE THAT, THAT REP REPRESENTS A D A T D TWO.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAD AN ELECTION IN AUSTIN.
THEY HAD, THEY HAD A VOTE, BUT IT WAS ON A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE OF 20 TO 25%, NOT A SMALL ASK.
IT HAS BEGUN ALREADY GENERATING REVENUE.
THEY, THEY, THEIR REVENUES ACTUALLY HAVE INCREASED BY 300 MILLION A YEAR.
BY THE TIME WE START GETTING OUR FIRST SALES TAX, CAPITAL METRO WILL HAVE $1.5 BILLION IN THE BANK FOR CA FOR TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS.
WHEN WE DO GET OUR INCREASE, IT WILL TAKE US 37 AND A HALF YEARS TO ACCUMULATE THAT SAME AMOUNT.
SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY UNDERFUNDED, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO CAPITAL METRO.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT BEFORE, THE PEANUT BUTTER RULE, WE HAVE A BIG AREA AND A LITTLE BIT OF PEANUT BUTTER.
WE HAVE TO SPREAD IT PRETTY THIN IS THE OUTCOME OF, OF THESE KINDS OF THINGS.
BUT WE DID RECEIVE THREE TRANCHES, IF YOU WILL, OF FUNDING AS, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL GOV GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATED WITH COVID RELIEF, A TOTAL OF $270 MILLION.
THE BOARD HAS ESSENTIALLY ALLOCATED 75% OF THAT TO ADVANCING KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING, TO NOT WAIT UNTIL 2026 AND START ALL THESE PLANS.
AND THE REMAINDER IS GOING FOR EXPENSES ASSOCIATED, EXCESS EXPENSES ASSOCIATED, ASSOCIATED WITH COVID.
WE'VE DRAWN DOWN ALL THOSE FUNDS.
THEY WERE, THEY WERE USED TO PAY FOR OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM AND ALLOWED US THEN THEREFORE, TO BUILD A SMALL CAPITAL RESERVE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE TWO ESSENTIAL PIECES OF FUNDING FOR THE NORTH SOUTH LINE.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE ELECTION.
THIS IS SIMPLY TO SAY WE HAD 68% APPROV, BUT PROBABLY WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT IS THE MAP WHERE IF IT SHOWS YELLOW IN A VOTING PRECINCT, THAT IS A PRECINCT THAT VOTED 50% OR MORE FOR US IN FAVOR.
IF IT'S RED, IT WAS AN AGAINST.
AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT THE YELLOW IS NEARLY UNIVERSAL, THAT WE HAD NEARLY UNIVERSAL SUPPORT FOR OUR SALES TAX INITIATIVE.
IF YOU ASK THE CUSTOMERS, AND FRANKLY, IF YOU ASK THE NON-CUSTOMERS WHAT MAY, WHAT WOULD MAKE TRANSIT ATTRACTIVE? UH, THE FIRST THING IS FREQUENCY.
AND I KNOW MANY OF YOU HEARD THE FREQUENCY, FREQUENCY, FREQUENCY, BUT I HAD TO USE, I COULDN'T JUST USE THOSE THREE.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT WHEN YOU ASK OUR RIDERS WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM, WHAT THEY, YOU KNOW, FREQUENCY IS PREDOMINANT RESPONSE, BUT THEN HOURS OF OPERATION.
SO YOU'VE HEARD THE STORIES OF PEOPLE THAT GET OFF WORK WORKING IN RESTAURANTS AT 11 O'CLOCK AND HAVE TO WALK HOME BECAUSE THE BUSES AREN'T RUNNING ANYMORE.
UH, THE LITTLE BIT OF WEEKEND SERVICE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER AND FINALLY TRAVEL TIME, THEY'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GET MORE PLACES FASTER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN, IT REALLY IS ALIGNED WITH THOSE THREE, UH, THREE FACTORS THAT THE CUSTOMERS HAVE EXPRESSED AND NON-CUSTOMERS HAVE EXPRESSED.
SO WE ARE OBVIOUSLY LOOKING AT MORE FREQUENT SERVICE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE OPTIONS OF SERVICE, SO WE CAN EXPAND OUR AND HOURS AND WE'RE INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY AND ESPECIALLY IN ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT TO TRY AND ADDRESS, START, BE, START ADDRESSING THE TRAVEL TIME ISSUE.
SO I'M JUST GONNA QUICKLY GO THROUGH THOSE THREE PIECES BETTER.
BUS IS THE FIRST PIECE IN THIS GRAPH YOU SEE, UH, OF ROOTS BY FREQUENCY.
AND SO AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, UH, WE HAVE A, IF YOU LOOK IN 2017, WE ONLY HAD 2% OF OUR SYSTEM THAT OPERATED AT WHAT I CALL THE SWEET SPOT, WHICH IS 10 TO 12 MINUTES.
AND WE, WE HAD A QUARTER OF OUR SERVICE OPERATING ONCE AN HOUR, WHICH IS VERY UNATTRACTIVE IN BY 2020.
AND THIS IS THROUGH THE COMBINED INVESTMENT OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S FUNDS.
RECALL THAT THERE WERE 18 ROUTES THAT WERE DESIGNATED FOR INCREASED FREQUENCY.
WE SAW INCREASED RIDERSHIP ON THOSE UNIVERSALLY.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE 60 MINUTE FREQUENCY REDUCED, AND THEN WE INVESTED IN TWO NEW PRIMO CORRIDORS.
AND SO THE 10% ALSO INCREASED.
NOW, IN THE LONG TERM, OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO GET THE RUT OUT.
NO ONE, NO ONE IS ATTRACTED TO A SYSTEM THAT RUNS ONCE AN HOUR.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GET AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH BETTER BUS.
THE SECOND PIECE IS INNOVATION AT WORK.
AND SO MOST OF YOU, I BELIEVE, HAVE HEARD ABOUT VIA LINK.
UH, I DESCRIBE VIA LINK AS A REGIONAL RIDE SHARE TYPE PROGRAM, AN UBER OR UBER OR LYFT TYPE PROGRAM.
AND SO YOU SEE ON THE MAP HERE, THIS IS THE NORTHWEST, WHICH IS THE MOST RECENT SEGMENT WE ADDED.
UM, ESSENTIALLY YOU HAVE AN APP
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OR YOU CAN USE A PHONE.YOU BOOK YOUR TRIP, YOU GET INFORMATION JUST LIKE YOU DO WITH UBER OR LYFT, WHAT THE LICENSE PLATE OF THE VEHICLE BE, WILL BE, WHAT THE COLOR OF THE CAR WILL BE, WHERE THAT CAR IS.
YOU CAN TRACK THE CAR ON YOUR PHONE WHEN IT GETS THERE, YOU'LL HAVE A NOTE OF WHEN YOU CAN EXPECT TO ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE DESTINATION, YOU GET TO RATE THE DRIVER JUST LIKE YOU DO AN UBER OR LYFT.
SO I'M VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT OUR DRIVERS HAVE AN AVERAGE RATING OF 4.8 OUT OF FIVE, A VERY FAVORABLE RATING.
THE NICE OTHER THING, NICE THING ABOUT, UH, VIA, VIA LINK IS THAT IT'S VERY FLEXIBLE.
SO YOU SEE THAT THERE'S KIND OF A YELLOW OR GOLD AREA AT THE SOUTH END THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL SYSTEM, BUT AS WE HAD THIS OPERATING OUT HERE, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THERE WERE, THERE WAS TRIP MAKING THAT WE COULD, WE COULD BENEFIT FROM.
AND SO, AND SO WE CAN JUST VERY EASILY EXPAND THOSE ZONES.
AND WE'VE DONE THAT ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE ALREADY AS WELL.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO A, UH, I'M SAYING TO A R T.
SO I'M GONNA SAVE YOU A THOUSAND WORDS BY SHOWING YOU SOME PICTURES.
ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT OR A R T IS A RELIABLE, MODERN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT DELIVERS FAST, FREQUENT, AND COMFORTABLE SERVICE OUTSIDE OF REGULAR TRAFFIC WITH ALL DOOR BOARDING, OFFBOARD, FAIR COLLECTION, DEDICATED LANES, SIGNAL PRIORITY, REAL-TIME ROUTE INFORMATION AND VEHICLES ARRIVING AT EACH STATION EVERY 10 TO 15 MINUTES.
VIAS, A R T PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO MOVE MORE PEOPLE FASTER AND FARTHER, CONNECTING THEM TO WORK AND JOB TRAINING, SCHOOL MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS AND EACH OTHER.
THE FIRST A R T CORRIDORS PLAN TO RUN FROM THE AIRPORT AREA ALONG SAN PEDRO AVENUE THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND ONTO THE ROOSEVELT PARK MISSION CO CONCEPTION AREA.
VIAS PLANNED A R T LINES ARE POSITIONED TO RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING SPECIFICALLY FOR TRANSIT, USING DEDICATED LANES COMBINED WITH THE VOTER APPROVED FUNDING FOR KEEP SA MOVING OR KSS A PROJECTS THAT'S AVAILABLE IN 2026.
THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS WILL MOVE US CLOSER TO THE PROJECTS PLANNED OPENING IN 2027.
INVESTING IN FAST, AFFORDABLE TRANSIT SOLUTIONS LIKE A R T IS CRITICAL TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING AND GROWING.
COMMUNITIES WITH RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEMS HAVE SEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOB CREATION ALONG THE DESIGNATED ROUTES.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF MAKING SURE OUR REGION STAYS ECONOMICALLY COMPETITIVE.
IT HELPS MOVE MORE PEOPLE TO MORE PLACES TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THAT GETS US ALL WHERE WE NEED TO GO.
ALRIGHT, SO THIS IS THE FIRST INVESTMENT IN A R T.
IT'S NOT THE ONLY INVESTMENT, IT'S THE FIRST INVESTMENT.
AND IT DOES RUN FROM THE AIRPORT DOWN SAN PEDRO THROUGH DOWNTOWN TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN.
ON THIS MAP, YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE VARIOUS COLOR SHADINGS.
UH, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE SHADING THAT'S KIND OF BRIGHT PINK, THAT'S WHERE WE WOULD HAVE THE CENTER STATIONS, LIKE YOU SAW IN THAT VIDEO PRIMARILY WHERE WE, WE WOULD BE RUNNING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.
THERE WOULDN'T BE BUSES, THEREFORE IN THE CURB LANES ANYMORE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WITH STATIONS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BLUE AREAS, THAT'S, THOSE ARE AREAS WHERE THERE'S NOT SUFFICIENT RIGHT OF WAY TO DO THAT.
AND SO WE'LL BE OPERATING IN CURB LANES, DIAMOND LANES WHERE YOU HAVE BUSINESS ACCESS, RIGHT TURNS IN AND OUTTA DRIVEWAYS AT INTERSECTIONS AND BUSES THROUGH THOSE SECTIONS.
AND THEN THERE ARE SOME YELLOW ZONES, AND THOSE ARE ZONES IN WHICH WE'RE SIMPLY IN MIXED FLOW TRAFFIC.
IN ORDER TO BE QUALIFIED FOR THIS KIND OF PROGRAM FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST 50% OF THIS LINE IN SOME KIND OF EXCLUSIVE RIGHT OF WAY OR DEDICATED RIGHT OF WAY.
AND, AND CLEARLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, SO WE DID ACHIEVE THAT.
SO WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF, OF A R T? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, AND I'LL, I'M GONNA GO BACK MAYOR, TO WHEN YOU DID, UH, CREATED SA CONNECT AND, UH, HENRY, HENRY CISNEROS WORKED ON THAT, THAT WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS, THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT LIGHT RAIL VERSUS A R T B R T, RIGHT? AND I, I REALLY CREDIT THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CITY AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THOSE THAT WERE WITH US IN RECOGNIZING THAT WE CAN GET THE BENEFITS OF A RA, OF A BUS, I'M SORRY, OF A RAIL LINE WITHOUT THE EXPENSES OF A RAIL LINE.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WE CAN GET MORE THAN WHAT THE RAIL LINE WILL GIVE YOU BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE FLEXIBILITY IF YOU IMAGINE A RAIL LINE ON SAN PEDRO, AND IF A TREE FELL ACROSS THE INTERSECTION, THAT RAIL LINE'S STUCK, BUT THAT B R T IS NOT STUCK AND CAN GO OUT AND AROUND AND IT CAN EXTEND BEYOND THE ENDS OF THE IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WE'RE GONNA GET THE BENEFITS OF LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT PLUS AT ABOUT HALF THE COST.
SO IT ALLOWS US TO BUILD TWICE AS MUCH WITH THE
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RESOURCES WE HAVE.UH, IT WILL PROVIDE FAST AND RELIABLE SERVICE, AND WE KNOW THAT'S WHAT WE, WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
LEMME JUST TALK ABOUT FAST AND RELIABLE SERVICE.
SO SADLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, POOREST ZIP CODE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND YOU LOOK AT HOW FAR PEOPLE CAN GET BY BUS TO A JOB SITE, AND YOU SAY, WE'RE GONNA ASSUME 45 MINUTES FOR A COMMUTE, RIGHT? THEY CAN GET TO ABOUT 12% OF THE JOBS IN BEXAR COUNTY.
THE OTHERS ARE OUTSIDE THEIR REACH AT THAT POINT.
THEY HAVE AN OPTION OF, OF RIDING FOR SEVERAL HOURS TO GET TO AND FROM WORK, BUT THEY HAVE VERY RESTRICTED, UH, RESTRICTED ABILITY TO GET AROUND DRIVEN BY INFREQUENCY, BECAUSE INFREQUENCY MEANS YOU WAIT LONGER FOR TRANSFERS AND IT ALSO MEANS YOU WAIT LONGER FOR THE VEHICLE.
THIS IS GOING TO WORK ON BOTH OF THOSE AND GET PEOPLE FASTER THROUGH THAT CORRIDOR AS A START TO GIVE THEM MORE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES.
SO VERY MUCH TRANSFORMS THE WAY THE SERVICE IS DELIVERED.
IT'S NOTHING LIKE NOTHING WE HAVE TODAY.
THEY'LL BE ENCOURAGED, IT WILL ENCOURAGE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THERE WAS A REPORT JUST YESTERDAY THAT TALKED ABOUT HOW, UH, B R T SYSTEMS AND THAT THEY STARTED FOCUSING ON THE HEALTHLINE IN, UM, UH, CLEVELAND, THE HEALTHLINE CLEVELAND, AND THE KIND OF BENEFITS AND LAND USE THAT THAT BROUGHT ALONG.
AND THEN IT WILL ACCOMMODATE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY.
SO WHEN WE GET TO, IF AND WHEN WE GET TO A POINT WHERE BUSES CAN BE AUTONOMOUS, THEY COULD OPERATE IN THAT LANE AUTONOMOUSLY, AND WE CAN, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE AS THAT OPPORTUNITY ARRIVES.
RIGHT NOW, OUR PLAN IS TO HAVE ALL ELECTRIC BUSES.
UH, THEY'LL HAVE TO BE SPECIAL BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO HAVE DOORS ON BOTH SIDES.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS WHEN YOU GET TO THE STATION, THE DOOR HAS TO BE ON, ON THAT SIDE.
WHEN YOU GET TO THE CURB, IT HAS TO BE ON THE NORMAL SIDE, RIGHT? BUT WE'RE GONNA COLLECT THE FARES OFF THE VEHICLE THAT'LL MAKE THIS TRIP FASTER.
AND SO WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN, YOU GET ON THEY CLOSE.
SOUNDS LIKE A RAIL SYSTEM PRETTY MUCH, RIGHT? AND THAT'S WHAT, WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THIS DOES.
THAT OFF FAIR, OFF BOARD COLLECTION IS A REAL BIG BENEFIT TO TRAVEL TIME BECAUSE IF YOU'VE RIDDEN THE BUS, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE FAIR BOX AS PEOPLE LOOK FOR THE CHANGE, TRY TO GET THE DOLLAR BILL, UH, GO THROUGH THE MACHINE, TRY TO GET THE THE THING TO READ THE PASS.
THIS WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THAT.
WE HAVE BEGUN, UH, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EFFORT, UH, LA LAST WEEKEND OR THE WEEKEND BEFORE, WE HAD TWO.
WE HAD ONE MEETING AT THE V M C ON SAN PEDRO AND ANOTHER ON THE, ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
UH, I WAS AT THE MEETING ON SATURDAY MORNING AND WE HAD EX EXCELLENT TURNOUT WITH A LOT OF VERY GOOD QUESTIONS AND A LOT OF VERY SUPPORTIVE THOUGHTS.
SO THIS IS THE TIMELINE FOR THAT FIRST CORRIDOR.
YOU SEE WHERE WE ARE IN RED, UH, WE WILL BE ADVANCING, UH, THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK AND EARLY ENGINEERING.
SO WE'RE AT ABOUT 10% ENGINEERING.
THAT'S THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ONLY AT 10% ENGINEERING.
WE'LL BE AT ABOUT 30% ENGINEERING ABOUT A YEAR FROM NOW.
AND THEN WE WILL GO BACK, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL REEVALUATE OUR GRANT PROPOSAL, WHICH BY THE WAY, DID RECEIVE A MEDIUM HIGH RATING AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
AGAIN, VERY UNUSUAL, A MEDIUM HIGH RATING.
BUT WHEN I LOOK AT THE CRITERIA, I THINK, HEY, THERE'S NOWHERE BUT UP FOR US.
SO I'M, I'M VERY CONFIDENT WE'LL STAY MEDIUM HIGH, BUT THEY WILL AT THAT POINT GIVE US PERMISSION TO GO INTO COMPLETE ENGINEERING, FINAL ENGINEERING.
AND THAT WILL TAKE US THROUGH ABOUT 2024 WHEN WE GET THE FINAL ENGINEERING DONE.
THEN WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY BUILD AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE THE FUNDS THAT ARE IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET.
SO WE'LL HAVE A FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT AT THE END OF 20 24, 25, AND 26 IS CONSTRUCTION.
AND WE OPEN SOMETIME IN, IN 27.
SO THAT'S THE, THE TIMELINE FOR THE, THE PROJECT.
AND NOW I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE OUR GUEST.
CAROLYN FLOWERS IS THE MANAGING PARTNER OF INFRAS STRATEGIES.
UH, BUT, AND THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
THAT'S IMPRESSIVE CAROLYN, BUT PERHAPS MORE IMPRESSIVE.
SHE'S A FORMER HEAD OF THE F T A UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.
SO AS I SAY IN HAMILTON, SHE HAS BEEN IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS AND SHE CAN KIND OF TELL YOU WHAT THAT MEANS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.
AND, UM, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THIS PROJECT IS ONE THAT IS TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR SAN ANTONIO AND HAVING THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING AT THE F T A AND ALSO HAVING THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING A GRANTEE.
I WORKED AT CHARLOTTE AREA TRANSIT SYSTEM AND ALSO IN LOS ANGELES FOR 19 YEARS.
SO I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, ACTUALLY HAVE SEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROCESS FROM THE BEGINNING TO END, UH,
[00:30:01]
WITH PROJECTS THAT I WORKED ON IN CHARLOTTE, LIGHT RAIL AND STREETCAR, UM, AND LOOKING AT EXPRESS BUS AND ALSO, UH, WORKING IN LOS ANGELES ON THE B R T PROJECT AND BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR BUS OPERATIONS.SO GOING THROUGH THE PLAN FOR FUNDING HERE, UM, FIRST OF ALL, THIS PROJECT IS 100% FUNDED AT THIS POINT, UM, BY VIA AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT, UM, SOURCES OF FEDERAL FUNDING.
UM, THERE IS THE FEDERAL FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT THAT JEFF JUST TALKED ABOUT THROUGH THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
UH, THAT THROUGH NOW WITH THE, UH, I I J A AND THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW, UH, F T A IS NOW GETTING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MONEY THAN THEY GOT WHEN I WAS THERE.
UH, 3 BILLION A YEAR, PLUS 1.5 BILLION IN ADVANCED APPROPRIATIONS, WHICH MEANS THAT IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE IN THE PROCESS AND IT'S A GREAT TIME FOR FEDERAL, UH, TRANSIT PROJECTS TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS THAT WE PROBABLY WON'T SEE AGAIN.
SO, UH, THE WHY NOW IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THE OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCE HERE IS REALLY THE FINANCING SIDE, WHICH IS THE TIA LOAN, WHICH IS THE TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING ACT.
AND THIS HAS A BENEFIT, UH, VERSUS BONDING BECAUSE IT OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LOWER UH, RATES.
IT ALSO HAS A DEFERRED, UM, PAYBACK.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO START PAYING THE LOAN BACK UNTIL FIVE YEARS AFTER YOU'RE IN, UH, REVENUE SERVICE.
AND, UH, AND THERE THE OPPORTUNITY HERE IS AFFORDED BY VIA NOW HAVING A LOCAL COMMITMENT.
UM, YOU CAN'T GET THE FEDERAL GRANT WITHOUT HAVING A LOCAL COMMITMENT.
AND ON THE TIA SIDE, THEY DO LOANS, LOAN GUARANTEES AND LINES OF CREDIT, BUT THEY ALSO LOOKING FOR A LOCAL COMMITMENT.
SO THE FUNDING THAT IS AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE IS A WAY OF GUARANTEEING THAT LOAN.
AND SO IT OFFERS, IT OFFERS, UH, LOWER FINANCING AND, AND BETTER CASH FLOW FOR VIA AT THIS POINT.
AND THEN, UH, THE 56.7 MILLION IS THE LOCAL COMMITMENT FROM VIA ON THE OPERATING SIDE.
UM, THE REVENUE IS, IS, UH, COMING TO PAY FOR THE OPERATING COSTS, UH, THROUGH THE A T D TWO REVENUES AS WELL AS THE FAIRBOX RE REVENUES.
AND SO THIS IS THE OVERALL PLAN FOR, FOR FUNDING THE PROJECT OVER, UM, THE LIFE OF THE, UH, PROJECT HERE.
AND I, I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SEEN THE WHY NOW, AND I WANTED TO REAFFIRM WHAT THE CHAIR HAD STARTED OUT WITH.
UM, THIS IS RECEIVED A MEDIUM, MEDIUM HIGH RATING.
AS JEFF SAID, THE PROJECT WENT INTO, UH, THE FEDERAL PROCESS LAST AUGUST.
AND BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT HAS MOVED VERY QUICKLY AND IT SHOWS THE MERITS OF THIS PROJECT.
AND SO YOU'RE NOW IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET AND THE ONLY PROJECT THAT WAS RECOMMENDED FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND, UM, AS I SAID, THE LOCAL SALES TAX COMMITMENT HAS ALLOWED YOU TO GET TO THIS POINT.
AND YOU'RE ALIGNED WITH THE ADMINISTRATION'S FEDERAL, UM, POLICIES RIGHT NOW FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SAFETY, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE AND EQUITY, ADDRESSING THE ISSUES OF POVERTY, UH, AREAS OF PERSISTENCE, AND WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO VIA AND TO SAN ANTONIO.
UM, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, BEING A GRANTEE AND A GRANTOR, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOOKS AT, AND ESPECIALLY F T A WHEN YOU PUT THESE PROJECTS IN PROCESS, IS THEY LOOK FOR THE LOCAL PARTNERSHIP.
THEY LOOK FOR THE COMMITMENT FROM THE REGION TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD.
AND SO TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING AT THIS POINT, UH, VIA HAS GOTTEN A REALLY GOOD RATING, AND THEY'LL BE REASSESSED ON THAT RATING.
AND SO THERE'S AREAS THAT CAN BE
[00:35:01]
STRENGTHENED IN TERMS OF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY, UH, THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, INCREASE OR IMPROVE THE RATING AND, UM, MAINTAIN THAT RATING THROUGH THE PROCESS.SO THE OPPORTUNITY TO COORDINATE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THE, AND THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY IS ONE THAT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL THAT I CAN SAY.
UM, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT IS GOING TO IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY, IMPROVE ACCESS TO JOBS, ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, AND ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO I JUST WANNA REEMPHASIZE THAT WITHOUT THE LOCAL, WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO HAVE THE LOCAL MATCH FOR THE MONEY THAT'S IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, WE, WE CAN'T GO ANYWHERE THE F D A HAS SHARED WITH US, AND I BELIEVE THE MAYOR, YOU WERE IN THE MEETING THREE YEARS BACK WHERE THEY SAID THEY HAVE A STACK OF PROPOSALS THAT ARE JUST SITTING THERE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A LOCAL MATCH, AND THEY JUST DON'T, THEY DON'T EVEN PICK 'EM UP UNTIL THEY GET A LOCAL MATCH.
THE SECOND THING IS WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, THE DOLLARS TO OPERATE THE LINE, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU MONEY TO BUILD A LINE, AND THEN YOU THROW UP YOUR HANDS AND SAY, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO RUN IT.
RIGHT? SO OBVIOUSLY IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE, AS YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM, UH, HAVE THE REVENUES ALSO TO SUPPORT THE OPERATION, MOSTLY COMING FROM THAT NEW A T D.
SO WE'RE REALLY IN A UNIQUE POSITION, WHICH IS PARTLY, UH, DRIVEN BY THE A T D TWO AND PARTLY ACTUALLY DRIVEN BY THE CO COVID RELIEF FUNDS THAT ALLOW US TO MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD.
WE HAD SEVEN CORRIDORS THAT WE STARTED WITH.
UH, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL CORRIDORS THAT ARE HIGH PRIORITY, RIGHT, RIGHT BEHIND THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS THE ONE THAT GOT IN LINE AND, UH, I BELIEVE I DO THIS.
SO I'M HERE FOR, TO ANSWER AS MANY QUESTIONS AS I POSSIBLY CAN.
UH, JEFF, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION, CHAIRMAN REYES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION AS WELL.
UM, LET ME JUST KIND OF OPEN UP WITH A FEW STATEMENTS.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER GRA, WHO ALSO WANTS TO RECOGNIZE SOME GUESTS WHO I THINK ALREADY DEPARTED.
BUT, UM, FIRST OF ALL, SAN ANTONIO HASN'T RECEIVED, UH, A D O T GRANT OF ANY KIND, UH, IN OVER A DECADE.
UH, THAT'S OUR STATE OF TRANSIT IN TERMS OF OUR FEDERAL COOPERATION.
UH, AND YOU MENTIONED THAT IT WAS A, IT WAS A GREAT DAY, UH, TO RECEIVE WORD THAT THE, UH, PRESIDENT'S BUDGET HAD THE A A R T NORTH SOUTH CORRIDOR IN IT.
BUT I THINK IT'S WORTH RECOGNIZING THAT THAT DAY DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, OH, NO, THAT DAY.
A LOT OF WORK HAPPENED IN THE MEANTIME.
AND I REMEMBER BEING HERE IN 2017, WE HAD JUST, UM, GONE THROUGH A CYCLE WHERE COUNSEL DENIED A $10 MILLION GENERAL FUND ALLOCATION ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO VIA, UH, THE COUNCIL IN 2017 TOOK THAT ISSUE UP AGAIN.
AND, UH, HENCEFORTH WE'VE HAD A $10 MILLION CONTRIBUTION FROM THE GENERAL FUND INTO VIA FOR OPERATIONS SINCE THEN.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, AS WE ALL WELL KNOW, DESPITE THE PANDEMIC, UH, WE MADE ADJUSTMENTS, DEALT WITH OTHER ISSUES, UH, FIGURED OUT HOW TO CONTINUE OUR CREEKWAY TRAILS FUNDING, OUR EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM.
AND STILL, UH, TOGETHER, WE FIGURED OUT HOW TO CREATE ATT TWO, WHICH IS TO BRING THAT ONE 8 CENT NOW OVER TO VIA PERENNIALLY STARTING IN 2026, IF NOT FOR VOTERS, UH, RESOUNDING APPROVAL OF THAT, UH, COUNCIL AND VIA THE COUNTY COOPERATING TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE LONG-TERM LIFE AND SUPPORT OF TRANSIT IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE WOULD BE BACK WHERE WE WERE WITH THE F D A THREE YEARS AGO, WHICH IS THAT WE HAD SOME GREAT IDEAS, BUT NO COMMUNITY SUPPORT OR LEVERAGE FUNDING TO ACCOMPLISH THEM.
SO, UH, I WANT TO CREDIT THIS COMMUNITY, THIS COUNCIL VIA, UM, THE, THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TOGETHER TO GET US TO A POINT WHERE I THINK WE ARE FINALLY, UH, IN FINALLY IN A POSITION OF REALIZING SOME BONAFIDE MASS TRANSIT IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND SO, WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, I THINK THAT PUTS A CAPPER ON, UM, THE KINDS OF EFFORTS THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO, UH, TO MAKE, UH, TRANSPORTATION, UH, OR BRING TRANSPORTATION IN SAN ANTONIO INTO A MODERN ERA.
UM, SO, UM, WITH THAT, I WOULD JUST, AGAIN, UH, ASK THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED.
ONE THING THAT CHAIRMAN REYES AND I HAVE DISCUSSED, UH, OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I'M, I'M VERY GLAD TO HEAR, UH, BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE WORKFORCE ISSUES THAT VIA HAS EXPERIENCED, YOU'RE GONNA BE COOPERATING WITH SA READY TO
[00:40:01]
WORK TO HELP US OR HELP YOU, UH, FILL SOME OF THE DRIVER SHORTAGES THAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING, UH, BUT CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION EXCHANGE WITH US TO SEE HOW WE CAN HELP LEAN INTO THE ISSUES OF VIA, UH, POTENTIALLY OPERATIONALLY.UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, DESPITE ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AND, AND PERHAPS SOME OF THE PIVOTING THAT WE'VE HAD TO DO AS A COMMUNITY, IF YOU WERE TO GO BACK TO THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD TO BEGIN CONNECT SA AND EVEN THOUGH THAT'S NOT, UH, AN ENTITY WE REALLY DISCUSS ANYMORE, IF YOU GO BACK TO THOSE CONVERSATIONS, IF WE COULD DRAW OURSELVES A MAP TO WHERE WE WANTED TO BE IN 2020 OR 2022, WE WOULD BE DESCRIBING THE MOMENT THAT YOU'RE COMING TO PRESENT ON TODAY, JEFF.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PERSISTENCE AND CREATIVITY TO GET HERE.
LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT, UH, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO BE PUTTING A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND, UH, WHILE WE'RE STILL HERE.
SO, UH, I KNOW YOU HAVE UP THERE 2027, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME APPROVALS THAT NEED TO TAKE PLACE IN BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, UH, IF NOT PUSH YOU, UH, TO TRY TO MEET OR BEAT THAT TIMELINE BECAUSE OF THE CLOCK HAS BEEN TICKING ON TRANSIT IN SAN ANTONIO FOR, UH, THE BETTER PART OF OUR LIFETIME.
SO, UM, THANK YOU AGAIN, JEFF, AND THANK YOU TO THE BOARD WHO ARE HERE FOR MAKING THIS PRESENTATION A PRIORITY.
SO, MR. BAYER, I, I WANT TO ADD THAT ACTUALLY THIS WHOLE THING STARTED WITH WHEN YOU WERE A COUNCIL MEMBER AND YOU HAD THE EFFORTS TO PUT TOGETHER A MOBILITY PLAN FOR THE CITY, AND VIA WAS PUTTING IT TOGETHER, THAT'S WHERE IT REALLY STARTED.
IT STARTED THAT FAR BACK, RIGHT? SO IT'S, YES, IT'S, IT'S A LONG, ARDUOUS PROCESS, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE, HAVE REACHED IT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THANK CLEARLY.
I'D LIKE TO JUST TAKE A MINUTE JUST TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN HDA AND COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, BRAVO, WHO ATTENDED THE F D A MEETING WITH US LAST WEEK, AND WERE VERY ELOQUENT.
AND THE, AND THE F D A PEOPLE SAID, YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS CERTAINLY SEEM ENTHUSED AND CONNECTED, AND THAT GOES A LONG WAY.
SO THANK BOTH OF YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THAT MEETING.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO, THANK YOU.
I WANNA THANK THE BOARD, UH, FOR COMING TODAY AND FOR YOUR SERVICE.
I KNOW THIS IS, UM, HARD WORK AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY TO THE RESIDENTS OF, UH, SAN ANTONIO, AND THAT YOU, YOU GET PRESSURE FROM THE COUNTY RESIDENTS ALSO.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
THIS WAS THE FIRST PRESENTATION FOR SOME STUDENTS WHO HAD TO GET BACK FROM THE DISTRICT THREE, UH, LEGACY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE OVER ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND THE SOUTHEAST SIDE.
AND, UH, I'M GLAD THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE THE PRESENTATION AND SEE WHERE WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD.
I WANNA THANK THE BOARD AND YOU, JEFF, AND YOUR TEAM, UH, FOR SUPPORTING THE RAISES GRANT FOR BROOKS.
I THINK AS WE WORK AS A TEAM TOGETHER AND WE MOVE FORWARD, WE CAN, UM, WE CAN, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE GET TO A, A WAY WHERE WE HAVE, UH, RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, UM, REGARDING THE VIA NORTH AND SOUTH CORRIDOR PROJECT.
IT, BECAUSE IT SITS IN A CENTRAL LINE, WHERE ARE THE PARK AND RIDES FOR THE SOUTH, UH, SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST OF SAN ANTONIO GOING TO SIT, I KNOW WE HAVE ONE IN BROOKS, BUT I'M, I'M THINKING THE SOUTHEAST SIDE AND MAYBE THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF WHERE THAT, THE KIND OF PARK AND RIDE FOR THEM TO POSSIBLY WALK OR DO THAT VIA LINK MILE.
SO RIGHT NOW, WE DO NOT HAVE PARK AND RIDES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROJECT.
UH, WE WOULD HAVE CONNECTIONS THROUGH POTENTIAL VIA LINK AND THE REST OF THE TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UM, THE OTHER, UH, QUESTION I HAVE IS, THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME EFFORT ON THE CITY'S PART IN TERMS OF, UM, POLICING AND TRAFFIC POLICE AS WE MAKE THIS ADJUSTMENT TO, UH, THE STREETS.
UH, SO IS THERE GONNA BE VIA TRANSIT POLICE OR ERIC, YOU MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, ARE WE JUST GOING TO INCREASE OUR TRAFFIC PATROL IN THIS AREA? NO.
COUNCILMAN, I AND JEFF MENTIONED THIS, WE DO HAVE TO WORK OUT AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH VIA, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE NEED TO DO.
SO I SUSPECT THAT, UH, ISSUES SUCH AS ROAD MAINTENANCE RIGHT AWAY, UH, ENFORCEMENT WILL ALL BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION.
AND, UM, OKAY, BECAUSE I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE HOW, HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT.
I'VE SEEN, UM, THE VIAS TRANSIT POLICE OUT FOR FIESTA, WHICH HAS BEEN GOOD, BUT I THINK, AND IT'S JUST GONNA TAKE A WHILE FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN WHAT THE TRAFFIC RULES ARE, IS THAT WE MIGHT NEED MORE, UH, TRAFFIC, UM, TRAFFIC POLICE, UH, AND NOT ON THEIR
[00:45:01]
BIKES DOWNTOWN TO KIND OF HELP WITH, WITH THE, UH, HELP HELP OUR DRIVERS DOWNTOWN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEW RULES OF THE ROAD ARE.AND THEN, UH, SPEAKING OF MAINTENANCE OF THE STREETS, AND WHEN WE WORK ON THAT, UH, AGREEMENT, I REALLY WANT US TO FOCUS ON A DIG ONCE, UM, KIND OF OPPORTUNITY AND MAKE SURE WE KEEP THAT COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH VIA, BECAUSE I KNOW WHY I LOVE THIS IDEA IS BECAUSE IF WE HAVE, WHICH WE ALWAYS DO DOWNTOWN
BUT I WANT US TO BE MINDFUL THAT, UH, A CHANGE IN A BUS LINE CAN, CAN MEAN A JOB FOR SOMEBODY ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT COMMUNICATION OPEN SO THAT WE, WHEN WE'RE DOING THESE PROJECTS, THE RIDERS KNOW HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE FOR US TO, UM, FOR, FOR THEM TO USE AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE OR FOR THEM TO GO TO ANOTHER BUS STOP.
SO LET'S JUST MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, UM, UH, DOING THAT.
AND CAN YOU TELL ME ON LEVERAGING WITH THE COUNTY, WHAT ARE THE PLANS THERE, JEFF? LEVERAGING WITH THE COUNTY THAT'S, YEAH.
SO THE A T D IS DIVIDED IN THREE POTS, 50% TO VIA, UH, 25% TO THE CITY.
25% GOES TO LEVERAGED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.
THE COUNTY IS THE ONLY ENTITY THAT'S PURSUED MONEY OUT OF THAT POT AND HAVE FULLY AND FULLY BONDED AGAINST THAT POT RIGHT NOW FOR A SERIES OF PROJECTS, WHICH INCLUDE 1604, FOR EXAMPLE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE REMEMBERING IN THE COUNTY IS PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROCESS.
THE OTHER THING I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FOCUSED ON, UH, AND MAYBE HAVE SOMETHING GO MORE TO IS THE MARKETING, UH, TEAM AND MARKETING RIDERSHIP ON THE BUS.
UM, I THINK WE WANT WOMEN, CHILDREN GOING TO SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, UH, SENIORS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO FEEL LIKE THIS IS, THIS IS FOR THEM ALSO, AND, AND THAT THEY'RE VALUED WRITERS.
SO IF WE COULD JUST WORK ON THE MARKETING FOR THAT, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW YES, IT'S, IT'S USED FOR, UH, GETTING PEOPLE TO WORK AND FROM WORK, BUT IT, IT, IT'S ALSO USED BY, UM, A LOT OF MY SENIORS AND, AND I KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THIS AREA, A LOT OF KIDS GOING TO SCHOOL.
AND AS WE SEE KIDS GO TO MORE, UM, UH, CHARTER SCHOOLS OR SPECIALTY SCHOOLS, I THINK AT THE CAS MED SCHOOL OVER AT BROOKS, THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE ON THE BUS.
AND, AND I WANT THEM TO FEEL WELCOME ON THAT.
UH, AND THOSE ARE ALL MY POINTS.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND WE'LL BE, WE WILL BE WORKING ON AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT THAT DEALS WITH ENFORCEMENT AND, UH, MAINTENANCE OF THE PROCESS.
UH, I, I DID THAT IN HOUSTON WHEN WE PUT LIGHT RAIL IN THE STREETS OF HOUSTON.
SO WE WILL BE WORKING WITH ERIC ON THAT.
AND I, THAT WILL, THAT COMES TO THE COUNCIL FOR THEIR APPROVAL.
COUNCILMEMBER VRAN COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, YET THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING HOW IT, IT'S VERY EXCITING, THE UPDATE IN THE, UM, THE PROJECT, AND I THINK IT'S THE FUTURE.
AND I THINK THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT DURING THE BUDGET, UH, YOU KNOW, WE SAW THIS SLIDE, A SLIDE THAT WAS VERY SIMILAR, SLIDE EIGHT, WHERE, UM, IT SHOWS, YOU KNOW, THE GAP, THE DEFICIT, UH, OR THE GAP, UM, IN FUNDING BETWEEN, UM, OUR, OUR TRANSPORT VERSUS AUSTIN, DALLAS, AND HOUSTON.
UM, AND I HOPE THAT AT SOME POINT WE HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE MAY, HOW WE CLOSE THAT AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME REAL, UH, SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS.
UM, WHILE I UNDERSTAND HOW THE DECISION CAME TO BE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THE NORTH SOUTH CORRIDOR, UH, WAS CHOSEN BEFORE THE EAST WEST, IT, I, IT WOULD BE REMISS OF ME, UM, IF I DIDN'T MENTION THE HISTORICAL AND ONGOING DISINVESTMENT, UM, AND CONTINUED ACTION OF PLACING OUR SIDES OF TOWN LAST.
AND I SUPPORT THIS PROJECT BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF VIABLE ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT, BUT IT IS A BIT DISAPPOINTING THAT MY CONSTITUENTS WILL NEED TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER FOR, UH, THE SAME ACCESS.
AND I HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, IN CLOSING THE GAP, WE CAN GET CLOSER TO, UM, FOLK ON THE EAST AND WEST SIDE TO GET THE SAME, SAME ACCESS.
I AM WONDERING IF THIS MAKES THE NORTH, SOUTH, UH, BUS ROUTES MORE EFFICIENT, UM, AND WOULD ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE BURDEN ON THE NETWORK.
WOULD THIS MEAN AN INCREASED, UM, INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND FREQUENCY OF SERVICE FOR THE EAST SIDE? I'M SORRY, I MISSED THE LAST PART OF YOUR QUESTION.
WOULD IT, SO IF THIS MAKES THE NORTH AND SOUTH MORE, UH, MORE, UH, EFFICIENT MM-HMM.
[00:50:01]
WE ARE READY WITH OUR NEXT LINE.UH, THE MAYOR REMARKED ABOUT CONNECT SA AND, AND RECALL THAT WHEN WE CA UH, MAYOR, YOU, I'M SURE YOU RECALL WHEN WE CAME TO COUNCIL, WHEN HENRY, UH, CISNEROS CAME TO COUNCIL SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WE HAD NORTH SOUTH LINE OF THE EAST, WEST LINE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FUNDS FOR THE EAST WEST LINE YET, AND THERE WERE CERTAIN PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS THAT WERE GONNA MAKE IT MORE CHALLENGING THE EAST.
SO WE, WE STARTED WITH NORTH-SOUTH, BUT WE WANT TO COME RIGHT BEHIND WITH EAST WEST.
AS SOON AS WE CAN IDENTIFY THE, THE FUNDING WE NEED, WE, WE HAVE ENOUGH WITHIN AT D TWO TO FUND RUNNING THE EAST WEST LINE.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE, UH, FUNDS TO DO THE LOCAL MATCH FOR THE FEDERAL SHARE.
WE ARE ACTUALLY HOPING THAT WE CAN START MOVING THAT LINE THOUGH THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, SOMETIME LATER THIS YEAR.
THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
'CAUSE THAT'S A VERY VALUABLE LINE.
NORTH, SOUTH AND EAST WEST WERE FAIRLY COMPARABLE, UH, WITH RESPECT TO RIDERSHIP AND, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THEY, WE NEED MORE THAN ONE LINE TO HAVE A NETWORK, CLEARLY.
SO, YES, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO US FINDING, FINDING THOSE FUNDS SO WE CAN MOVE THE EAST WEST LINE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE ALONGSIDE THE NORTH SOUTH LINE.
AND I'M SURE I WON'T BE THE ONLY PERSON TO SAY SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE SLIDE, UH, SHOWING THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF, OF RIDERSHIP.
AND SINCE VIA RIDERSHIP IS COMPOSED, UM, MAINLY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR, MY QUESTION IS, UM, WITH INCREASING CONCERN FOR INCIDENTS OF RACIAL BIAS AND MENTAL HEALTH INCIDENTS IN POLICING, I'M WONDERING, HAS VIA TRANSIT POLICE GONE THROUGH, UM, WITH TRAINING FOR THAT? AND WILL THIS BE, OR WILL THAT BE A PART OF A FUTURE PLAN TO IMPROVE VIA? THE ANSWER IS YES AND ABSOLUTELY.
UM, AND I'LL, I'LL ADD THAT, UM, ACT FOUR SA AS AN ORGANIZATION I RESPECT, UH, TREMENDOUSLY.
AND THEY, UM, THEY'VE SHARED SOME DATA THAT SHOWS THAT TRANSIT OFFICERS HAVE BEEN GIVING MORE, UH, NON BUS RELATED CITATIONS THAN BOTH HOUSTON AND DALLAS.
AND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CONCERN.
SO I JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT.
BUT THAT'S ALL FOR MY COM, UH, FOR MY COMMENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO.
UM, JEFF, YOU KNOW, WE WENT FROM, UH, MAYBE A WEEK BEFORE THE TRIP TO DC WHERE YOUR STAFF ASKED FOR A MEETING WITH ME AND, UM, TO TALK ABOUT ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT A R T.
AND, UH, MY INTERIM EXECUTIVE SECRETARY SAID, NO, NO, HE CAN'T MEET AT THAT TIME.
'CAUSE HE HAS ANOTHER MEETING TO, TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT ART
AND SO THERE WAS THAT LITTLE CONFUSION.
WE GOT TO, I GOT TO MEET WITH YOU ALL, AND I WENT FROM, BUT THEN WE WENT TO DC AND, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, WE WENT FROM, YOU KNOW, ALMOST MISSING, UM, UH, MEETINGS BECAUSE OF CONFUSION TO, AFTER I GOT TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME WITH YOUR TEAM IN DC THAT I FEEL LIKE A PART OF THE VIA TEAM.
AND IT WAS A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE.
UM, I, I LOVED THAT, UH, I WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPANY THE VIA TEAM AND TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT IN DC TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION TO ADVOCATE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND, UH, ACTUALLY I STILL HAVE YOUR CARD
UH, BUT IT WAS COOL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS AN EXAMPLE OF WE ARE, UM, OF, OF WHAT ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT WOULD BE IN TERMS OF THAT.
YOU PAY IT FOR IT IN ADVANCE, AND THEN YOU JUST GET RIGHT ON.
UM, AND, AND WHAT WAS ALSO EXCITING, I DON'T THINK YOU MENTIONED THIS, IS THAT THAT WAS THE, THE, THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATOR, NUIA FERNANDEZ, THAT WAS HER FIRST MEETING WITH ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC SINCE THE PANDEMIC WAS WITH US.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE THERE TO DOUBLE DOWN ON SECURING THAT $158 MILLION.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL SAID THAT PART OF THE GOAL WAS, UM, CAROL HAD SAID, PART OF THE GOAL THERE IS TO, TO MAINTAIN OUR SCORE OR IMPROVE OUR SCORE.
AND I THINK AS A TEAM, WE DID A GREAT JOB OF THAT.
AND I, I WANT TO ACTUALLY CALL OUT A, A TEAM BROWN WHO WAS KNOCKING IT OUT OF THE PARK IN THAT MEETING.
THAT WAS, THAT, THAT WAS, THAT WAS GREAT TO WATCH.
UM, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I'M HERE TO CONTINUE TO SHOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, BUT I'M ALSO HERE AND, AND, AND I'M ALSO HERE TO SUPPORT THE MAYOR WHEN HE SAYS, LET'S MOVE FASTER.
AND I'M ALSO HERE TO SUPPORT COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ WHEN HE SAYS, LET'S GET AN EAST WEST LINE GOING.
SO LET'S, YES, LET'S MOVE FASTER, BUT LET'S MOVE FASTER.
LET'S NOT WAIT TO START THAT EAST WEST LINE.
I'M, AND, AND I WILL SUPPORT YOU IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN FROM MY ROLE HERE TO, TO MAKE THAT, MAKE THAT HAPPEN SOONER.
[00:55:01]
I THINK COUNCILMAN, THANK YOU FOR SHARING ABOUT OUR VICE CHAIR.LEMME JUST SHARE WITH YOU A STORY THAT, SO AKEEM HAS ALWAYS SAID, HE HAS A PROJECT THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO HIS HEART, AND HE SAYS, UNTIL THAT PROJECT IS DONE, I'M STAYING ON THE BOARD.
AND I SAID, THAT'S ALL WELL AND GOOD.
IT JUST MEANS I WILL DELAY THAT PROJECT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
WELL, LATER DURING THAT MEETING, THE, THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FT A LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, I SEE WHY YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP HIM ON THE BOARD.
THAT WAS TOTALLY IMPRESSIVE JOB AKEEM.
AND YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING THAT WAS FUN IS, YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE TAKING PUBLIC TRANSIT AND, AND WHILE WE WERE WALKING THERE, HOW I WAS ABLE TO SEE WITH YOUR TEAM, UH, PROTECTED BIKE LANES IN DC AND, AND OTHER FEATURES OF THEIR PUBLIC TRANSIT.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE TOOK SOME PICTURES OF THAT AND WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE DID.
SO IT WAS, UH, I REALLY ENJOYED GETTING TO BOND WITH YOUR ENTIRE TEAM, WITH YOUR BOARD, UH, WITH THE CHAIR, FERNANDO REYES, AND, UM, LOOK, LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT YOU.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO COUNCILMAN COURAGE.
AM I READING THAT CORRECTLY? THANK YOU.
THINGS JUST SWITCHED UP ON THIS SCREEN.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN KADA, THANK YOU.
UM, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND CONGRATULATIONS ON VIA BEING ONE OF THE SEVEN PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET FOR $158 MILLION THROUGH THE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS PROGRAM.
I'M HONORED TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THAT MEETING.
UM, WITH, UH, WE MET WITH THE F T A, WHAT A DAY, NOT EVEN, WAS IT THE DAY OR LATER THAT, THAT DAY ABOUT AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT ALONG WITH COUNCILMAN BRAVO AND MEMBERS OF YOUR INCREDIBLE TEAM, FERNANDO, KAMI AND AKEEM.
AND I REALLY WAS GRATEFUL TO GET TO KNOW THEM A LITTLE BETTER AND SEE THEM IN ACTION.
AND I WAS ALSO VERY IMPRESSED WITH, UH, UM, REALLY ALL OF YOU AND AKEEM.
ONCE HE STARTED TALKING, I WAS LIKE, COOL, I'M GONNA SIT BACK.
BUT, UM, I WAS REALLY HONORED TO BE THERE AND, UM, REALLY HEAR FROM THE F D A, WHY THEY BELIEVED IN THIS PROJECT.
AND, UH, AND I HAVE TO ADMIT, DURING THAT I KEPT THINKING EAST WEST, EAST, WEST, YOU KNOW, I'M ON THE OTHER END OF THAT SPECTRUM.
BUT, UM, WHEN WE DISCUSSED THIS FUNDING AND HOW MUCH IT WAS GONNA TRANSFORM OUR CITY, AND TO SEE JUST THE EXCITEMENT IN THE ROOM, THE EXCITEMENT, NOT JUST FROM OUR SIDE OF THE TABLE, FROM THE F T A, WAS REALLY INCREDIBLE AND, AND JUST, UM, UH, EXCITING.
AND IT MAKES ME FEEL A LITTLE MORE KIND OF JUSTIFIED IN HOW GOOD THIS PROJECT IS.
AND IT WAS MENTIONED TODAY, BUT I THINK IT BEARS REPEATING.
IT WAS THE ONLY PROJECT IN TEXAS THAT WAS FUNDED.
AND, UM, AND THE FIRST TIME THAT WE WENT FOR IT, RIGHT? WHICH IS WHY WE SHOULD ALWAYS GO FOR IT.
UH, THE NORTH SOUTH A R T IS VITAL FOR OUR, OUR CITY TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO HAVE EASIER ACCESS TO PART, UH, PARTS OF ALL PARTS OF THE CITY.
I'LL TELL YOU IN YOUR PRESENTATION, THE 10 TO 15 MINUTE FREQUENCY IS EXCITING FOR ME.
I THINK IT'S A GAME CHANGER IN OUR CITY, UH, AS FAR AS TRANSPORTATION.
AND, UM, CAROLYN, I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION AND THE PERSPECTIVE YOU GAVE US, UH, HERE TODAY.
UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE PROJECT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED BY VIA AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THOSE ARE NOT WORDS WE HEAR VERY OFTEN.
IT'S, IT'S JUST VERY, VERY EXCITING TIME FOR, FOR US, I THINK HERE ON THE COUNCIL, UM, WHEN THIS IS COMPLETED AND WILDLY SUCCESSFUL, THE NORTH SOUTH, UH, A R T, UM, THE NEXT STEP WILL BE THE EAST, WEST A R T.
AND I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
I WOULD LIKE TO GET GOING AS SOON AS WE CAN.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY WE GO BACK TO THE, THE TROUGH, YOU KNOW, FOR UM, FOR, UH, THE 2024 BUDGET PRESIDENT'S 24 BUDGET, AND SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT FUNDING ANYTIME SOONER.
I THINK ALSO THAT THIS IS GONNA SHOW THE IMPACT IT'S GONNA MAKE ON OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE, UM, MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THAT REALLY RELY ON THIS TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO SCHOOL AND TO WORK.
UM, SO I WONDER IF THERE'S, CAN WE START ON THAT FUNDING NOW, OR AT LEAST THAT, THAT ABSOLUTELY.
GETTING THAT READY, ABSOLUTELY.
WE CAN BEGIN THE PROCESS OF THE KINDS OF STUFF YOU HAVE TO STUFF, THE KINDS OF WORK PRODUCTS YOU NEED TO PRODUCE IN ORDER TO GO TO THE F D A AND ASK PERMISSION TO ENTER IN THE BEGINNING OF THAT PROCESS.
AND CAMI'S, PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY STARTED WORKING ON THAT, AND WE'RE IDENTIFYING FUNDING SO THEY CAN ADVANCE THAT, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT, I DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL THE NORTH SOUTH LANE IS OPERATING AND PEOPLE SAY, OH, WE SHOULD DO EAST WEST, BECAUSE I WANT EAST WEST COMING RIGHT BEHIND IT.
WELL, BEFORE WE HAVE OPERATION ON THE NORTH SOUTH.
AND I, I'D LIKE IF, IF WE COULD, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AT TRANSPORTATION WE GET KIND OF UPDATES ON THE PROGRESS OF THE NORTH, SOUTH AND, AND, AND EAST WEST WHEN WE GET STARTED.
UM, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ALSO ABOUT VIA LINK AND, UM, AND OF COURSE, SO MUCH OF OUR COMMUNITY USES VIA TRANS, WHAT PLANS DO WE HAVE TO EXPAND, UH, LINK OR TRANS? IS ANY OF THAT MONEY? IS IT
[01:00:01]
ALL A R T? SO VIA, VIA LINK EXPANSION, AGAIN, ORIGINALLY WOULD'VE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL WE STARTED RECEIVING THE EXTRA SALES TAX, BUT BECAUSE WE HAD THE, THE, THE FUNDS FROM THE COVID RELIEF, WHICH THE, WE TOOK A PORTION OF THOSE FUNDS AND WE'RE GONNA PAY, TYPICALLY YOU ONLY USE, YOU KNOW, ONE TIME FUNDING FOR CAPITAL, RIGHT.BUT BECAUSE WE KNOW WE HAVE OPERATING FUNDS COMING IN 2026, WE CAN FUND OPERATIONS BRIDGE FUNDING, IF YOU WILL, OUT OF THAT.
AND SO WE'RE USING PART OF THAT, UH, 75% THAT WAS ALLOCATED OVER TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING IN ORDER TO BEGIN, UH, ADVANCING MORE MOBILITY ON DEMAND, MORE VIA LINK TYPE SERVICE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
IN FACT, OUR NEXT PROJECT WILL LIKELY HAPPEN, UH, THIS SUMMER, AND IT WOULD BE A, A SERVICE THAT WOULD CONNECT FROM THE MADELA TRANSIT CENTER DOWN TO TEXAS A AND M, AND THEN BEYOND DOWN TO, TO, UH, THE TOYOTA AREA.
AND RIGHT NOW TOYOTA HAS NO, NO BUS SERVICE.
AND SO THIS'LL BE A FIRST, AND AGAIN, AS EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING TO FIND PEOPLE TO, TO WORK, THEY'RE FINDING MORE AND MORE THAT, WELL, I FOUND THE PERSON, BUT I CAN'T GET THEM TO WORK.
AND SO WE LOOK AT VIA LINK, ESPECIALLY AS A WAY TO EXTEND THE REACH OF THE SYSTEM.
BUT, UM, I DO PREFER THAT THEY'RE RIDING THE BUS
UM, BUT, UM, SO, WELL, BEFORE I FORGET, I WANNA THANK THE BOARD.
I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE GOT, UM, THAT THIS IS VOLUNTEER WORK FOR THEM.
SO I I REALLY APPRECIATE THEM BEING HERE AND ADVOCATING REALLY, AND VERY STRONGLY ADVOCATING TO NOT JUST US, BUT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT VIA IN THEIR, UM, IN YOUR MISSION.
AND I'M FULLY COMMITTED TO BUILDING A STRONGER AND MORE RELIABLE AND MORE FREQUENT.
I, I'VE HEARD YOU SPEAK MANY TIMES ABOUT FREQUENCY, UM, TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR OUR CITY AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT, UM, AIMS TO WORK TOWARDS SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR, FOR ALL THE, ALL, ALL OF OUR CITY.
AND WE NEED THAT TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE TO CONNECT PEOPLE FROM HOUSING TO WORK AND, AND WHEREVER IT IS, FAR SOUTH SIDE, FAR NORTH SIDE, UM, AND HOPEFULLY, UM, VERY SOON EAST TO WEST.
UM, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT VIA TRANS AND VIA LINK SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE, UM, OUR SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY RELIES ON VIA TRANS TO GET EVERYWHERE THEY NEED TO GO.
AND THEN LINK, I THINK, HAS BEEN REALLY A GAME CHANGER FOR US AS FAR AS OUR SENIORS.
SO I'M REALLY, UH, EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I'LL, I'LL, UH, GIVE YOU TO THE NEXT COUNCIL.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN, IN DC THANK YOU.
I MEAN, I, I REALLY, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MORE EXCITING MEETINGS.
I MEAN, THERE, THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH, UM, EXCITEMENT IN THE ROOM ABOUT WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN AND HOW I WAS GONNA TRANSFORM OUR CITY.
AND I WAS APPRECIATIVE THAT THE, THE F T A SAW THAT.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO COUNCILWOMAN DR.
UM, THANK YOU JEFF, AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE TEAM AND BOARD MEMBERS FOR BEING HERE.
I'M, UM, REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT THE GREAT PROGRESS AND CONGRATULATIONS.
UM, IT'S HARD WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE, BUT, UH, IT'S PAID OFF.
UM, AND THERE, IN REGARDS SOMEONE TO WHAT COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ WAS SAYING, BUT I'M BEING MORE GENERAL.
CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THE CITY'S EQUITY ATLAS WILL BE USED TO ADVANCE SOME OF THE PROPOSED PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED OR POTENTIAL PROJECTS? SO THE, UH, THE, THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION, UH, EVERY YEAR IS EVALUATED AND ASSIGNED TO, TO SOME SPECIFIC CAUSE.
RIGHT? THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME DURING C O V I D WHEN WE STOPPED THE 10 MILLION BECAUSE WE WERE CUTTING SERVICE AND CUTTING SERVICE, AND THE AGREEMENT WAS ALL ABOUT ADDING SERVICE AND FREQUENCY.
SO ERIC CALLED ME, WE TALKED AND SAID, WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO EVEN MAINTAIN FREQUENCY, LET ALONE ADD FREQUENCY.
AND SO WE STOPPED THE 10 MILLION FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, WE'LL HAVE DISCUSSION PRIOR TO OR GOING INTO YOUR BUDGET CYCLE WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
I HAVE IDEAS THAT I'LL SHARE WITH HIM, AND THEN I'M SURE HE'LL SHARE WITH YOU.
AND THEN IF THE GOAL IS TO MOVE PEOPLE MORE EFFICIENTLY AND DESIGN A SYSTEM THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, UM, WHAT PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY PROJECTS CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE OVERALL PLAN, UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, SIDEWALK GAPS OR SIDEWALKS AND NEED OF REPAIR, WILL THOSE BE PRIORITIZED IN THE 2022 BOND PROGRAM OR N FUNDING? AND WILL YOU BE WORKING WITH US TO, TO FIGURE THAT OUT? I THINK THAT'S AN ANOTHER QUESTION.
I MEAN, I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES, MAYBE BETWEEN TAMIKA AND RAZZIE AND VIA THE, THE IDEA IS THAT WE PRIORITIZE THAT.
AND THEN HOW ARE SURVEYS SHARED? BUT I CAN I, CAN WE JUST ADD THAT YES, WE'RE GONNA NEED THE HELP OF THE COUNCIL OFFICES TOO, BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER PART OF THAT, THAT THE
[01:05:01]
DECISION TREE.HOW ARE THE SURVEYS SHARED AND WHAT IS THE FORMAT THAT YOU RECEIVE THE MOST RESPONSES ON? UM, I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THAT? SURVEYS, UM, LIKE YOUR SURVEYS, UH, TO YOUR CUSTOMERS, WHAT IS THE FORMAT THAT RECEIVES THE MOST RESPONSES? WELL, THE, UM, IN THE PASSENGER SURVEYS, YOU'RE RESPONDING, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT, CORRECT.
SO FIRST OF ALL, WELL, THERE ARE A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS, RIGHT? I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE PASSENGERS, AT LEAST NINE OUT OF 10 GIVE US VERY HIGH SCORE.
AND IN FACT, UH, WE HAVE A CONSULTANT THAT DOES THIS.
WE USE AN EXTERNAL CONSULTANT.
THEY DO THIS AT ABOUT A DOZEN TRANSIT PROPERTIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO THEY CAN KIND OF COMPARE US TO AT LEAST THOSE TRANSIT PROPERTIES.
AND THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S CALLED A NET PROMOTER SCORE.
AND ALL OF YOU, I'M SURE, HAVE TAKEN A SURVEY WHERE THEY SAY, HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND OR NEIGHBOR? THAT'S THE NET PROMOTER SCORE QUESTION.
AND THEY COMPARE THOSE NUMBERS AND YOU GET WHAT THEY CALL A NET PROMOTER SCORE.
ACTUALLY, OUR VIA TRANS NET PROMOTER SCORE IS THE HIGHEST SCORE THEY'VE EVER SEEN.
AND SO YOU DO THAT WITH THE PASSENGERS THAT ARE ON THE, THE BUS.
AND THEN, IS THERE A WAY, A WAY TO TRACK THE RIDERSHIP LEAVE LEVELS, UM, SPECIFICALLY, UH, DURING TIME PERIODS? AND SO I'M INTERESTED TO SEE HOW PRIMO 1 0 2 AND, UH, PRIMO 1 0 3, SO MILITARY STAR, ZAMORA, AND EXPRESS 64 ARE PERFORMING BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE'S FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES, OBVIOUSLY, UM, TO THE SOUTH OF FOUR 10.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S MORE DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING AROUND TOYOTA, WE KNOW WITH NAVISTAR, ET CETERA.
SO IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY, AGAIN, TO TRACK THOSE RIDERSHIP LEVELS DURING SPECIFIC TIMES? SO, UH, I'M GONNA FIRST SAY THE, THE STANDARD RESPONSE, WHICH IS OUR RIDERSHIP IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET BY ROUTE.
AND I THINK IT'S WEEKDAY SATURDAY, SUNDAY AVERAGE WEEKDAY SAT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
BUT I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO GO TO THE WEBSITE AND LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL DATA.
WE CAN PULL THAT DATA TOGETHER, BUT IT, IT IS THERE, JEFF, THAT'S WONDERFUL, BECAUSE ONE OF MY OTHER QUESTIONS WAS GOING TO BE, UM, CAN COUNCIL MEMBERS RECEIVE QUARTERLY, UH, UPDATES OR ANNUAL OR SOMETHING? UM, JUST SUMMARIZING SOME OF THESE, I MEAN, THE DASHBOARD IS GREAT.
UM, I DON'T REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS LAUNCHED, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IF, IF WE COULD HAVE THAT PUSHED OUT TO US MORE REGULARLY.
AND THEN, UM, MY NEXT QUESTION IS ON BUS FREQUENCIES.
IS THERE, IS THIS MORE OF A RECOVERY MODE, UH, DATING TO PRE PANDEMIC? OR IS IT, UM, PROGRESS? THAT WAS I, NEW PROGRESS THAT WAS IDENTIFIED.
SO OUR BUS FREQUENCY TODAY IS DRIVEN BY HOW MANY BUS OPERATORS WE HAVE.
REALLY, THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE THAT WE ONLY HAVE SO MANY BUS OPERATORS.
AND I SAID EARLIER, WE DON'T WANNA SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU SERVICE EVERY 30 MINUTES AND ONLY GIVE YOU EVERY SERVICE, SERVICE EVERY 60 MINUTES.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE MODIFIED THE SCHEDULES SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ASSURANCE THAT WE COULD MAKE, PULL OUT EVERY MORNING, THAT'S WHEN THE OPERATORS GOT THERE AND PULL OUT OF THE GARAGE AND THEY WOULD BE ON THE STREET.
AND SO THE CURRENT LEVEL OF SERVICE, WHICH IS VERY SIMILAR TO LEVEL SERVICE WE HAD BACK TOWARD THE BEGINNING OF COVID WHEN WE WERE KIND OF, KIND OF PULLING BACK, CURRENT LEVEL SERVICE IS LESS THAN WHAT WE WANT.
AND AS WE BRING ON ADDITIONAL OPERATORS AND, AND ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, ANYBODY WHO WANTS ME TO OPERATE, LET ME KNOW.
AS WE BRING ON ADDITIONAL OPERATORS, OUR INTENTION IS CLEARLY TO RETURN THE LEVEL SERVICE AT LEAST TO WHERE IT WAS.
AND THEN, UM, MY OTHER QUESTION IS ON THE BUS STOPS, HAS THE NUMBER OF BUS STOPS CHANGED? UM, WE WERE BRIEFED IN RECESSION ON THE 6TH OF MARCH OF 2019.
HAS THAT CHANGED? I THINK THE NUMBER OF BUS STOPS HAS GONE DOWN A BIT.
PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE IN THE NORTHEAST ZONE AND THE NORTHWEST ZONE OF VIA LINK, WE FORMERLY OPERATED BUSES AT 60 MINUTE FREQUENCY.
WE TOOK THOSE DOLLARS, WE PUT THEM INTO VIA LINK, BUT WHEN WE TAKE THEM OUT, WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY MAINTAIN THE BUS STOP, BECAUSE WE USE VIA LINK USES VIRTUAL BUS STOPS, WHICH ARE WITHIN LIKE 100 TO 300 FEET OF EACH OTHER, AS OPPOSED TO BUS BUS SPACING.
WHAT ABOUT, UH, PROTECTED BUS SHELTERS OR THOSE THAT ARE WITHOUT A BENCH? I KNOW I HAVE A, A FEW OF THOSE IN MY DISTRICT.
LIKE WHAT ARE, WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THAT? SO, BUS SHELTERS IS AN ONGOING PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, THAT WE RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNI, NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THE FACT THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS MORE SHELTERS ON THE STREET THAN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, AND SO THE PERCENTAGE OF BUS, BUS STOPS WHERE WE HAVE SHELTERS IS AT THE HIGH IN THE NATION.
UH, BUT WE CONTINUE TO WORK THAT WE, AND WE DO IT BASED UPON TWO THINGS.
ONE IS RIDERSHIP, OBVIOUSLY, RIGHT.
OR THE KIND OF ADJACENT DEVELOPMENT, LIKE WE PUT UP BUS STOPS, ET CETERA, AND SHELTERS BECAUSE OF A NEW DEVELOPMENT, LIKE A VA HOSPITAL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN THE SECOND FACTOR SOMETIMES IS, YES, WE WANT TO PUT A BUS STOP, WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT A SHELTER HERE, BUT PHYSICALLY
[01:10:01]
THERE'S NO PLACE FOR US TO PUT IT.AND SO THAT WE DO HAVE A LIST OF, MAYBE I'M GONNA GUESSTIMATE ABOUT A HUNDRED BUS STOPS THAT WE, THAT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR HAVING A SHELTER, BUT WE HAVE YET TO FIND A WAY TO PHYSICALLY FIT IT IN.
ONE OF THOSE IS RIGHT OUTSIDE PEARSALL PARK
SO I ALWAYS SEE A LOT OF MOMS WAITING WITH THEIR KIDS AFTER THE PARK.
AND SO, UM, SO I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT LIKE, HOW DO WE GET, UH, HOW, HOW WILL WE ADDRESS THAT EVENTUALLY, OR, OR BE INNOVATIVE ABOUT THAT.
UM, WHAT IS THE IMPACT, UH, YOU MENTIONED OPERATORS, AND SO WHAT'S THE OVERALL IMPACT ON THE, UM, OPERATORS THAT ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED? SO, I KNOW SOME OF THEM PROBABLY LEFT THEIR EMPLOYMENT DURING THE PANDEMIC, BUT HAS VIA, UM, WORKED ON COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION, UM, MAYBE DIFFERENT BENEFITS PACKAGES TO RECRUIT EMPLOYEES.
SO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I'LL JUST LET YOU KNOW, THE ATTRITION OF OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE, THE COVID PERIOD HAS BEEN NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE ATTRITION OF OPERATORS PRE COVID.
WHICH ACTUALLY SURPRISED A BIT, UH, I ADMIT.
BUT THAT, SO THE ATTRITION HAS BEEN PRETTY STEADY.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS WITH BUS OPERATORS, PEOPLE, UH, GO INTO TRAINING.
WE LOSE ABOUT 50% OF THOSE PEOPLE IN TRAINING.
THEY DON'T PASS A PHYSICAL, THEY DON'T PASS A DRUG TEST.
OR THEY DECIDE FAIRLY EARLY ON THAT, NO, THIS IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA.
SO YOU AL, SO YOU'RE HALF THOSE THAT GRADUATE, ABOUT 37% OF THEM ARE GONNA LEAVE DURING THE FIRST YEAR, AND THEN AFTER THAT, IT DROPS TO LIKE 3%.
SO IF YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE FIRST YEAR, IT'S A DIFFICULT TRANSITION YEAR.
UM, BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN COVID REALLY INFLUENCE HIGHER NUMBERS OF PEOPLE LEAVING.
BUT WHAT WE DID SEE THE INFLUENCE OF COVID WAS OUR INABILITY TO BE OUT THERE RECRUITING AND, AND REPLACING THEM.
AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME RECRUITING BUS DRIVERS AS WELL.
WHAT'S YOUR AVERAGE AGE, UM, UH, FOR YOUR BUS OPERATORS? WE, WE PAY A TRAINING WAGE OF $20 AND 25 CENTS A MONTH.
I'M SORRY, BUT I DON'T SPEAK ABOUT AGE.
NO, WE DO HAVE A, A, A FAIRLY SENIOR OPERATOR STAFF.
THAT'S WHY I WAS SAYING, SO A FAIRLY SENIOR OPERATOR STAFF, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WEREN'T ABLE TO BACKFILL.
'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE THE, TYPICALLY THE YOUNGER PEOPLE.
AND SO OUR AVERAGE AGE HAS PROBABLY GONE UP THERE.
WE HAVE OPERATORS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH THE SYSTEM 50 YEARS, GOT IT.
50 YEARS, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE NEARLY 50 YEARS OF SAFE DRIVING AT THAT.
IT'S IMPRESSIVE WHAT A LOT OF THESE FOLKS DO.
I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT, UM, IF WE AGE OUT TOO MANY AT ONE TIME, WHERE ARE WE GONNA FIND THEM? SO I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH SAN ANTONIO READY TO WORK.
UM, SAME THING IS HAPPENING WITH PILOTS, YOU KNOW, THIS IN THE AEROSPACE, AND SO I'M JUST REALLY CONCERNED AND JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GAME PLAN FOR, FOR RECRUITMENT.
WE ARE DEEPLY
I, I WASN'T ABLE TO REALLY FOLLOW SOME OF THE THINGS YOU HAD ON THE, UM, PRESENTATION.
SO I'VE GOT SOME QUESTION I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE NORTH SOUTH LINE.
UH, WHAT IS THE BACKBONE OF THAT NORTH SOUTH LINE SAN PEDRO? THE PA SAN PEDRO IS THE BACKBONE FOR SURE.
AND DOES IT CHANGE TO ANOTHER STREET ONCE YOU GET FURTHER SOUTH ON SAN, ONCE YOU GET THROUGH DOWNTOWN, THEN YOU, YOU CONTINUE SOUTH TO ROOSEVELT AND STEVE'S OKAY.
BUT THE SOUTH, THE, THE, THE DISTANCE THAT WE TRAVEL SOUTH IS FAR LESS THAN THE DISTANCE WE TRAVELED NORTH IN THE MM-HMM.
WHY WERE THOSE ROADS CHOSEN? I'M SORRY? WHY WERE THOSE ROUTES CHOSEN AGAIN, WHEN WE WERE DOING SYSTEM PLANNING, AND THAT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO WHEN THE CITY WAS DOING THEIR, THEIR, THEIR PLANS.
UH, WE HAD IDENTIFIED SEVEN CORRIDORS.
WE EVALUATED THOSE CORRIDORS BASED UPON, AND THOSE CORRIDORS, BY THE WAY, ALL HAVE HAD HAVE STRONG BUS RIDERSHIP TO START WITH.
AND WE EVALUATED THOSE CORRIDORS ALONG A BUNCH OF LINES, BUT WE KNOW WHAT THE RULES ARE.
I MEAN, THE NICE THING, WE KNOW WHAT THE RULES ARE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING.
IT'S NOT LIKE A BLACK BOX WHERE YOU, YOU PUT IT IN AND THEY SPIT OUT AN ANSWER.
IT'S LIKE, THESE, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA, THESE ARE THINGS WE'RE GONNA SCORE YOU ON MM-HMM.
AND SO FOR EACH OF THOSE LINES, WE COULD RUN, IF YOU WILL, UH, A SCORING PROCESS.
AND SO THE PRO THE LINES THAT ENDED UP WITH THE HIGHEST SCORING PROCESS OR THE HIGHEST SCORES ON OUR PROCESS.
CLEARLY THE F D A HAS TO DO IT THEMSELVES AND GIVE US THE RATING.
THOSE WERE THE ONES THAT KIND OF FLOATED TO THE TOP.
AND SO WE ENDED UP WITH THE AIRPORT TO THE SOUTH, SOUTH TOWN AREA.
AND THEN THE EAST WEST LINE WERE THE TWO THAT FLOATED TO THE TOP.
ARE THERE, UH, OR WHAT ARE ANY CHALLENGES TO BE OVERCOME IN DEVELOPING THESE? FOR EXAMPLE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE EMINENT DOMAIN AS A WAY OF ACQUIRING PROPERTY.
THE GOOD NEWS WITH THIS PROJECT
[01:15:01]
IS THAT ANY PROPERTY WE HAVE TO TAKE ARE GOING TO BE TYPICALLY LIKE CURB CUTS AT AN INTERSECTION WHERE MAYBE YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT A RIGHT TURN LANE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.THERE'S NOT ANY SIGNIFICANT, AND THERE'S CERTAINLY NO LONG LINEAR STRIP OF RIGHT OF WAY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE.
WHAT WE DID IS WE WORKED WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT TO AVOID THAT.
UM, WHAT'S THE PROJECTED, UH, RIDING TIMES ON, ON THAT ROUTE? HOW, HOW OFTEN? UH, THINGS LIKE THAT.
I'M GONNA TURN MY BACK FOR JUST A SECOND.
FROM END TO END, 40 MINUTES FROM END TO END, WHICH WOULD BE PROBABLY 30 TO DOWNTOWN.
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE FREQUENCY WOULD YOU SAY? OH, WE'RE GONNA RUN EVERY 10 TO 15 MINUTES.
WHAT IS THE PROJECTED RIDERSHIP ONCE YOU GET THIS BUILT? SO I HAVE THAT NUMBER.
SO RIGHT NOW WE CARRY ABOUT 4,000 OR PRE COVID.
I THINK WE CARRIED ABOUT 4,000 PEOPLE IN THAT CORRIDOR.
WE EXPECTED NEARLY DOUBLE THAT, AND THEN BY 2040 TO BE UP AT ABOUT 14, 13 5, 13,500 TRIPS A DAY.
UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT THAT OCCURS ALONG THESE, AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY COMMON.
WHAT KIND OF COMMERCIAL OR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT DO YOU FORESEE OCCURRING? WELL, THESE LINES TYPICALLY GENERATE, UH, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE WITHIN GOOD PROXIMITY OF RELIABLE AND FREQUENT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY USES, BUT THEN THERE'S TYPICALLY AN ANCILLARY COMMERCIAL THAT SUPPORTS THAT.
UM, ANOTHER QUESTION THAT CAME TO MY MIND.
DO YOU THINK MUSK'S BORING COMPANY PROJECT COULD HAVE ANY NEGATIVE EFFECT ON, ON THIS PROJECT? NO.
I THINK IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MARKET.
OUR LINE IS BEING BUILT FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS REGION.
BUT YOU WILL HAVE CONNECTIONS TO THE AIRPORT, RIGHT? YES.
AND, AND, AND, AND THAT TRIP WILL BE A DOLLAR 30 ALL THE TIME.
YOU ALSO, UH, SHOWED I THINK A CONNECTION NORTH, UH, AND A CONNECTION SOUTH OF THE MAIN ROUTE YOU HAD ON THERE.
SO THE DASH LINES HAVE TWO PURPOSES.
ONE IS THAT WE COULD EVENTUALLY EXTEND THE TREATMENT ON THE NORTH SIDE.
WE'D BE LIKELY TO EXTEND IT IN A H O V TYPE TREATMENT, FRANKLY, I BELIEVE.
UM, AND IT'S TO INDICATE THAT AS I SAID, THAT THE, THE, THE A R T V CAN GET TO THE AIRPORT AND THEN CONTINUED FURTHER NORTH BECAUSE IT'S A RUBBER RETIRED VEHICLE.
SO WE DON'T HAVE THE CONSTRAINT.
AND SOUTH, LIKE THE SAME, THE SAME THING TO THE SOUTH? MM-HMM.
SO HOUSTON STREET ON THE EAST SIDE AND COMMERCE ON THE WEST SIDE, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S ONGOING PLANNING WORK, ESPECIALLY ON THE WEST SIDE.
WELL, THANKS FOR CLEARING THOSE UP FOR ME.
I'M ON THE Q NEXT, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UH, MAKE MY, MY COMMENTS.
UM, UH, THANK YOU JEFF, UH, THANK YOU TO YOUR TEAM AND THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR BEING HERE.
AND I WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU ALL FOR, UH, ALL OF THE WORK THAT IT TOOK TO GET TO THIS POINT.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SEMINAL IN, IN VIAS HISTORY, AND I, I THINK YOU KNOW, THE GRAVITY OF THAT.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO, UH, MS. FLOWERS.
I JUST WANNA SAY, I'M SURE YOU ARE HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER, SO THANK YOU FOR DECIDING TO TAKE ON THIS GIG, UH, WITH VIA, I I THINK IT, IT CAN MEAN A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.
UM, JEFF, YOU KNOW, I NEVER STOPPED TALKING ABOUT MY TIME AT VIA, SO, UM, AS A, AS A FORMER PLANNER THERE, UM, I WORKED WITH, UH, MS. UH, KAR IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT THE TIME.
UM, I'M REALLY THRILLED, UH, TO BE AT THIS, TO SEE YOU, UH, BRING THE AGENCY TO THIS POINT.
UM, I ACTUALLY JOINED VIA SHORTLY AFTER THE LOSS OF THE LIGHT RAIL VOTE.
YOU WERE IN HOUSTON, I BELIEVE.
UH, BUT WE WERE THERE AND IT WAS A SAD, SAD TIME.
UM, THERE WAS, UH, A LOT OF, UH, REALLY LOW MORALE, UH, AND NOT BECAUSE OF THE AGENCY'S LEADERSHIP, BUT BECAUSE OF THE RESULT OF THE VOTE.
AND, UH, FRANKLY, UH, WE, WE HAVEN'T MADE IT EASY ON VIA, AS THE VOTERS OF, OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, BUT WE CAME OUT OF THAT, AT LEAST BY THE TIME I LEFT, UH, WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT TAX, WHICH MAYBE DIDN'T BRING US LIGHT RAIL.
UH, IT BROUGHT US A MUCH MORE MODEST, UH, INCREASE IN, IN FUNDING.
AND I, I CALL IT THE FUNDING THAT HELPED US LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY, BECAUSE THINGS
[01:20:01]
WERE, WERE PRETTY DIRE, BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE OUR DREAMS COME TRUE.IT DIDN'T, UM, MATERIAL, UM, MATERIALIZE OUR VISION.
SO, SO HERE WE ARE NOW WITH ATD TWO, UH, AND DOING THAT, UM, I JUST, UM, I HAVE A NUMBER OF THINGS TO, TO ASK AND, AND SOME COMMENTS ON THIS.
UM, SO I, I HAD THE MEETING WITH, WELL, I'VE HAD A MEETING WITH KAMI AND, UH, MANJII.
SO THAT WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
THANK YOU FOR WALKING ME THROUGH THAT ABOUT THE SELECTIONS PROCESS.
AND THEN WITH JOHN GARY AND LEROY ALLWAY.
AND ONE THING THAT THEY IMPRINT IMPRESSED UPON ME WAS, UH, THE I L A AND THAT WE WOULD BE WORKING ON THAT WITH VIA, AND IT, WHAT I WALKED AWAY WITH, OR ROLLED MY CHAIR AWAY WITH AFTER WE FINISHED THAT MEETING WAS THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A VERY BIG RESPONSIBILITY ON OUR ORGANIZATION TO ENSURE THAT YOU GET THE SUPPORT THAT YOU NEED TO BRING THAT LINE, UH, TO FRUITION, BUT TO BRING THAT MONEY HOME.
AM I, DID I UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY? OH, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
IS A, IT'S A PROJECT THAT'S BUILT IN A CITY STREET AND MAKES USE OF A CITY STREET.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY A PARTNERSHIP.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC CONDITIONS THAT THE F T A HAS PLACED ON THAT I L A THAT WE NEED TO, UH, BE CONCERNED ABOUT AS A COUNCIL? SO WE, UH, WE HAVE ENGAGED AN I L A SPECIALIST WHO WORKED ON ILAS, LIKE IN DENVER.
AND AS YOU KNOW, DENVER RECEIVED THE LARGEST EVER CAPITAL CAPITAL GRANT.
UM, SO THIS IS A PERSON THAT'S PUT TOGETHER, ILAS ACROSS THE NATION, HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THAT WE'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA COME IN, THEY ALREADY HAVE KIND OF A CHECKLIST OR AN OUTLINE.
AND, AND THE ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE WHO MAINTAINS WHAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL.
WHAT, WHAT'S OUR ROLE IN THAT? WHAT'S THE CITY'S ROLE IN THAT? UH, KEEP KEEPING THE STREET CLEAN, MAINTAINING THE BUS STOP AND THE STATIONS, ALL THOSE THINGS.
ENFORCEMENT DEFINITELY IS AN ELEMENT OF THE I L A.
SO, UH, WE DECIDED SINCE THIS IS OUR FIRST ROUND HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, THAT WE'D BRING SOMEBODY IN THAT'S GONE SEVERAL ROUNDS ALREADY.
I'LL KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THAT, BUT, UM, IT'S, YOU MUST SUBMIT IT BY NEXT YEAR, IS THAT CORRECT? IN ABOUT A YEAR.
UM, I WILL, UM, ACTUALLY GOING BACK TO THE A T D, UM, A COUPLE OF OF QUESTIONS ON THIS.
UM, SO WE ARE TAKING OUT TFI DEBT FOR, FOR THAT OR, YOU KNOW, GETTING THAT LOAN AS PART OF, UH, BEING ABLE TO BUILD THE SYSTEM MM-HMM.
UM, I GUESS I'M WONDERING HOW THAT BREAKS OUT IN TERMS OF, OF FINANCES.
HOW ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO BOTH IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME? I THINK THERE'S A LIMIT ON THE PAYBACK.
I THINK CAROL CAN ANSWER THAT FAR BETTER THAN I, BUT BECAUSE SHE, SHE BUILT THE FINANCIAL PLAN.
BUT I KNOW THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT THE ATD TWO AND HOW WE WOULD APPORTION IT AND GO AHEAD.
IT'S, IT'S REALLY ANALOGOUS TO A MORTGAGE.
AND SO WITH, WITH THE TIA PROGRAM THAT'S RUN BY THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S, BUILD AMERICA BUREAU, YOU ACTUALLY DON'T START PAYING IT BACK UN UNTIL YOU'RE IN OPERATIONS FIVE YEARS AFTER YOU'RE IN OPERATIONS.
AND THEN YOU HAVE 30 YEARS TO PAY BACK AS PART OF THE B I L.
THERE IS, THERE IS, UM, UH, A CHANCE NOW THAT YOU CAN PAY BACK OVER 75 YEARS
FOR SOME REASON, I THOUGHT THREE TO FOUR YEARS.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THAT WAS GONNA BE POSSIBLE.
AND, AND SO, UH, ON THE 30 YEAR FINANCING, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING OUT, PAYING THAT OVER 35 YEARS, THERE'S PROBABLY ABOUT 68.9 MILLION THAT'S GOING TO BE, UH, THE INTEREST PAYMENTS.
SO IT IS, IT'S, IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, A LUMP SUM.
IT IS OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THEIR OPERATING EXPENSES, THAT DEBT PAYMENT, THAT'LL WILL BE PART OF IT.
UM, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION ON, UM, LET ME GO BACK TO SOMETHING THAT COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ BROUGHT UP.
AND IT'S A CONVERSATION I HAD WITH YOUR TEAM ABOUT EAST WEST VERSUS, UH, NORTH SOUTH.
MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THE NORTH SOUTH WAS MORE COMPETITIVE IN TERMS OF BRINGING DOWN FEDERAL DOLLARS AND THAT THAT'S WHY, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS SELECTED FIRST AND THAT, THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE.
UM, I GUESS WHAT I HEARD YOU, OR MAYBE IT WAS CAROLYN SAY, WAS THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO SEE THIS TYPE OF FEDERAL FUNDING AGAIN FOR A LONG TIME.
AND THAT WORRIES ME ABOUT THE EAST WEST LINE.
AND I, I KNOW WE'RE ALL SITTING HERE SAYING,
[01:25:01]
OH, GO DO IT.GO DO IT
SO I, I GUESS, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS OR WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PROCURING THE CAPITAL PORTION OF THE EAST WEST LINE? SO THE FIRST THING IS WE WANT TO GET IN LINE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE, THE FUNDS EVENTUALLY WILL NOT NECESSARILY BE RENEWED.
SO THAT'S OUR, OUR KEY OBJECTIVE.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN EXPLORING WAYS TO MEET THE GAP, IF YOU WILL.
WE HAVE A, A, A CAPITAL GAP GAP.
WE'RE RUNNING OUR FINANCIAL MODEL AGAIN TO RE RE UH, ESTIMATE THAT GAP.
AND THEN WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK TO OTHER ENTITIES TO, UH, TO ASSIST US WITH A ONE-TIME FUNDING OF THAT GAP.
OTHER THERE ENTITIES, MEANING THE CITY OR THE COUNTY? WELL, IT COULD BE THE COUNTY THERE'RE IN.
REMEMBER WE COLLECT THE A T D, SO, AND, AND PROUDLY SO.
IT IS ONLY COLLECTED IN, UH, IN THE JURISDICTION OF SAN ANTONIO, BOTH AT D ONE AND AT ATD TWO.
UM, SPEAKING OF THE, WELL, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT.
IT STILL DOESN'T GIMME MUCH
WELL, IT'S TAKEN US 40 SOME YEARS TO GET THIS ONE LINED UP.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE 40 SOME YEARS TO GET THE NEXT ONE.
'CAUSE I WON'T BE HERE, UH, THEN.
SO, UM,
SO I, I DO WANT TO REVISIT THIS TOPIC ABOUT, UM, SIDEWALK, UH, SUPPORTIVE PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE A T D.
JEFF, YOU AND I HAD HAD A CONVERSATION, UM, ABOUT THE, THE A T D AND I WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND A T D TWO.
AND, UH, I WAS REMINDED THAT WHEN A T D WENT FORWARD, WHEN MANJII AND I PUT A T D FORWARD
UM, BUT THAT THE PORTIONS THAT WENT TO THE CITY AND THE COUNTY WERE INTENDED TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR, UH, FOR THE BUS NETWORK.
IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? I THINK IT WAS WISHED THAT THAT WOULD BE CORRECT
FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW THE CITY WHEN THE, UH, WITH SIDEWALK FUNDING, YOU KNOW, THE PLAN THAT WAS TAKEN TO THE VOTERS SAID THE SIDEWALKS WOULD FOLLOW THE BUS MM-HMM.
AND SO THERE WASN'T THAT INFERENCE.
NOW I KNOW SOME OF THE SIDEWALKS DIDN'T NECESSARILY FOLLOW THE BUS, BUT NONETHELESS, THAT WAS THE INTENT.
SO, UM, IT, AND PERHAPS THIS IS TOUCHY RIGHT NOW, BUT A T D TWO MM-HMM.
ARE THOSE GOING TO VIA, OR ARE THOSE STILL DEDICATED TO THE CITY AND THE COUNTY? SO RIGHT NOW, UH, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE HALF AND THE COUNTY HAS ALREADY TAKEN, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS ALREADY TAKEN ACTION TO DEDICATE THAT, THAT OTHER PIECE OVER TO VIA UNDER THE, UM, I THINK UNDER THE PRECEPT THAT THE FIRST PLAN, THE FIRST A T D, THERE WAS A PLAN.
IT SAID VIA WOULD DO THIS WITH THE MONEY, THE CITY WOULD DO THIS WITH THE MONEY, AND THEN THE, THE OTHER, THE, THE LEVERAGE POTTER ORDER WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS.
THIS TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE THREE PIECES TO THE PLAN.
WE HAD ONE PIECE OF THE PLAN, THE KS A PLAN, AND THOSE FUNDS, THE VOTERS APPROVED THOSE FUNDS ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IT SAID ON THE BALLOT, WHICH IS THAT IT WOULD SUPPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
WHAT I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, SO WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT TRANSLATES INTO IS, AND JEFF AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT, IS THAT IN 2026 WHEN THAT HAPPENS, UM, THAT PORTION OF THE, OF THE CITY IN ATD TWO WOULD GO TO VIA, BUT THE $10 MILLION FROM THE GENERAL FUND WOULD COME BACK TO THE CITY AT THAT POINT.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME, UH, MOVEMENT THAT NEEDS TO GO BACK AND FORTH, BUT IN SUPPORT OF THE, THE FACT THAT THE NUMBERS THAT JEFF SHOWED YOU, THEY'LL NEED THOSE DOLLARS TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE THAT, THAT LINE AND CONTINUE TO EXPAND.
BUT THE TRADEOFF WILL BE THE, THE $10 MILLION FROM THE GENERAL FUND THAT, THAT WE DO, THAT WE'VE HISTORICALLY DONE.
AND I'M GOING TO, UM, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BEING, UM, MAYOR PRO TEMP TO
NOW, UM, MY COLLEAGUES AT THE COUNTY MIGHT SAY THAT THIS IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS, BUT WHAT IS THE COUNTY DOING WITH, UM, WITH THEIR A T D ONE? IS THAT WHAT'S ALL GOING TO THE R M A OR WHAT? NO, I DON'T THINK ANY BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT BUILDING SIDEWALKS TO TRANSIT, RIGHT? NO.
THE, UH, THE, THE FUNDS THAT THE COUNTY IS LEVERAGING THROUGH THE A T D ARE PRIMARILY FOR MAJOR ROADWAY PROJECTS.
THE ONE IN PARTICULAR I RECALL IS THE CURRENT WIDENING
[01:30:01]
ON 1604.THE, THE COUNTY PROVIDED FUNDING TO HELP SUPPORT THAT TO, UH, TO TXDOT.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF PROJECTS THAT THE COUNTY IS LEVERAGING THOSE FUNDS FOR.
AND MOST DEFINITELY NOT ALONG THE LINES OF FOLLOWING THE BUS.
UM, MELISSA? OH, NO, MELISSA ALREADY WENT.
SHE GAVE HERSELF EXTRA MINUTES.
UH, THANK YOU MR. REYES, ART AND CAROL FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M ALWAYS REALLY EXCITED WHEN WE HAVE A CONVERSATION AND A PRESENTATION FROM VIA, UM, FOR THE LONGEST TIME I WAS TRANSIT ORIENTED, UH, TRANSPORTATION, TRANSIT, UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT DEPENDENT.
I'M THINKING ABOUT TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAME TIME.
UM, YOU KNOW, UP UNTIL THE RUNOFF LEADING TO THIS ELECTION, I DIDN'T GET MY DRIVER'S LICENSE.
AND FOR THE MAJORITY OF MY LIFE, I WOULD RELY ON VIA AND MY BIKE.
SO OUR PUBLIC STREETS ALL THE WAY WOULD GET ME TO AND FROM SCHOOL TO AND FROM WORK, UH, DESPITE LIVING CLOSE TO THE TRAILWAY, IT WAS NEVER THE TRAILS.
IT WAS ALWAYS VIA AND MY BICYCLE, UM, ON OUR STREETS.
SO I'M, I'M ALWAYS REALLY EXCITED, UM, PLEASED TO SEE THE CONVERSATION AND CONGRATULATIONS THAT YOU ALL ARE THE ONLY ENTITY IN TEXAS TO RECEIVE THIS FUNDING, UH, THAT'S REALLY EXCITING AND TELLING OF THE WORK OF YOU AND YOUR BOARD.
UM, I, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NORTH AND SOUTH PROJECT.
UM, WOULD THIS PROJECT IMPACT ANY EXISTING ROUTES OR WOULD IT IMPROVE ANY OF THE EXISTING ROUTES? SO THE ROUTES THAT ARE ON, FOR EXAMPLE, ON SAN PEDRO TODAY WOULD, WOULD BE REPLACED BY THE ROUTE THAT OPERATES ON SAN PEDRO.
SO THERE WOULD BE SOME CHANGING, PERHAPS IN SPECIFIC STOP LOCATIONS, BUT, UH, WE WOULD NOT RUN OVERLAPPING SERVICES.
AND, AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THE VIDEO THAT YOU ALL PLAYED.
UH, UM, BUT WHAT GIVES ME A BIT OF CONCERN, RIGHT? AND THIS IS BECAUSE I'M ALSO THINKING ABOUT THE EAST, WEST BY, UH, EAST, WEST, UH, PROJECT, AND THAT IT WOULD REQUIRE POTENTIALLY DEDICATED, UH, BUS LANES, UH, WITHIN THE DISTRICT FIVE PORTION OF THE WEST SIDE.
OUR STREETS ARE VERY NARROW, RIGHT? SO MY CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL USE OF IMMINENT DOMAIN, UH, WITHIN THE WEST SIDE.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE ALREADY EXPLORED? I KNOW YOU MENTIONED COMMERCE, BUT WHAT OTHER QUARTERS ARE Y'ALL LOOKING AT? UH, GOING THROUGH THE WEST SIDE? SO THAT'S WHAT I EARLIER, UH, ALLUDED TO, WELL, COMMERCE STREET, BUT WE'RE DOING OTHER ENGINEERING, AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON NORTH SOUTH WAS ABLE TO MOVE, MOVE A LITTLE QUICKER BECAUSE THE ENGINEER, THE ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD.
SO WE'RE IN JUST THE EARLIEST PART OF THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, AND AS I SAID, WE'RE LOOKING TO FIND FUNDING TO ALLOW US TO MOVE THAT FORWARD.
THERE'S THIS REALLY GREAT BOOK THAT I READ IN GRAD SCHOOL CALLED, UH, TRANSIT ORIENTED DISPLACEMENT OR COMMUNITY DIVIDENDS.
AND IT EXAMINES, UH, THE IMPACTS OF, OF SMART GROWTH ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
UM, WHILE I DON'T AGREE WITH EVERY ARGUMENT MADE IN THAT BOOK, IT, IT'S REALLY GOOD TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CONSEQUENCES THAT COULD HAPPEN, UH, WITHOUT PUTTING IN THE NECESSARY, UH, PROTECTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITIES WHO DO RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, NOT BY CHOICE, BUT BECAUSE IT'S ONLY OUR, OUR ONLY OPTION.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S ONE OF MY PRIMARY CONCERNS, AND I APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING THE QUESTION ON HOW WE WOULD FILL THAT GAP FOR THE POTENTIAL, UH, EAST WEST SIDE CORRIDOR.
UM, BUT I GUESS MY QUESTION FOR, UM, FOR THE NORTH SOUTH IS WE WOULDN'T SEE ANY REDUCTIONS, AND FOR MY CONSTITUENTS IN PARTICULAR, RIGHT? UM, THEY'RE ALWAYS ASKING FOR MORE ADDITIONAL ROUTES.
AND WITH THE GROWTH OF THE PORTS, THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, CAN WE GET A BUS ROUTE TO GO TO THE PORT? UH, CAN WE SEE THE 54 COME BACK? SO WE SEE A LOT OF, OF, WE RECEIVED RATHER A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT WANTING TO INCREASE ROUTES.
UM, AND, AND MY CONCERN IS THAT RESIDENTS MAY SAY LIKE, OKAY, WHY ARE WE DOING NORTH TO SOUTH, UH, WHEN WE'RE LOSING THESE BUS ROUTES? CAN YOU, UM, WALK ME THROUGH OR WALK MY CONSTITUENCY THROUGH THIS FUNDING AND HOW IT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR NORTH SOUTH AND ISN'T FOR ADDING ADDITIONAL BIKE, UH, BUS ROUTES? SO, UH, THE K SAN PLAN KEEPS SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLAN HAD LIKE THE THREE LEGS.
AND I KNOW THAT WE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON ONE LEG, BUT THE BETTER BUS IS STILL A PIECE OF THAT PLAN.
YEAH, IT DOESN'T, AND WHAT BETTER BUS DOES IS SEEK TO FOCUS OUR BUS RESOURCES IN HIGH DENSITY CORRIDORS MM-HMM.
SO THE PRESENT, I'LL JUST SAY VERY SIMPLY THAT THE PRESENCE OF AT D A T D, UM, A R T IN OUR PLAN DOES NOT RESULT IN US HAVING TO, WE'RE NOT DESIGNING IT BY, TO PAY FOR IT BY REDUCING BUS SERVICE.
WE'LL HAVE AREAS OBVIOUSLY THROUGHOUT TIME THAT WHERE WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, ET CETERA, BUT IT'S NOT DRIVEN BY, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA CUT SERVICE HERE, HERE, HERE TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY.
I'M ALSO PLEASED TO SEE, UM, Y'ALL'S WORK WITH THE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'RE EXCITED THAT DISTRICT FIVE MAY HAVE A POTENTIAL PROJECT AT KAWAN SQUARE THAT'S TRANSIT ORIENTED, UH,
[01:35:01]
UH, DRIVEN MM-HMM.UH, SO WITH THE UPCOMING HOUSING BOND, DO YOU ALL INTEND TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH ALIGNING THOSE PROJECTS? UH, I THINK, AGAIN, WHAT I REALLY VALUE ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION AND TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IS WHEN THERE'S LESS PARKING THAT LOWERS THE COST OF THE PROJECT, AND THAT'S OPPORTUNITY TO BUY DOWN RENT.
UM, SO WHAT ROLE, IF ANY, WOULD YOU ALL BE PLAYING, UH, WITH THAT WE WOULD WORK IN TRYING TO ADVANCE THAT.
AND, UM, F Y I I AM ON THE HOUSING COMMISSION.
AND THAT'S ONE OF MY PURPOSES IN BEING ON THE HOUSING COMMISSION.
UM, Y'ALL MAY HAVE DONE IT IN THE PAST, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE CUTE TO PUT ALL THE PAST VIA DIFFERENT TYPE OF BUSES ON THAT SPINNING THING.
IT'D BE CUTE, BUT THANK YOU, ART, I APPRECIATE IT.
YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR OWN MESSAGE.
AND I'M SORRY I MISSED THAT MEETING UP IN DC THAT I WOULD'VE LIKED TO BEEN THERE ALSO.
I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE BEEN THERE, BUT, UH, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ON, ON YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, STARTING WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS WHEN YOU GIVE US UPDATES AND PRESENTATIONS, I'D LIKE TO SEE YOUR METRICS OVER THE LAST FIVE OR 10 YEARS AND WHAT YOUR GOAL IS.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO SHOW WHAT YOUR GOAL IS AFTER THIS PROGRAM IS COMPLETED, THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, AND SEE WHERE THAT LINE IS GOING.
IS IT APPROACHING THAT GOAL OR IS IT NOT? IS IT GOING DOWN? THEN AFTER THIS PROJECT, YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WILL THAT ACTUALLY MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS? YOU GAVE SOME NUMBERS ON WHAT YOUR PROJECTIONS ARE GONNA BE.
SO I WOULD CONSIDER THAT AS A GOAL THAT SHOULD BE PLACED ON A METRIC SO THAT WE CAN SEE ARE YOU MEETING YOUR GOALS OR NOT.
UH, SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE THOSE, UH, METRICS PRESENTED WHEN YOU GIVE US UPDATES HERE.
UM, ON SLIDE NUMBER NINE, I THINK IT IS, UH, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY.
WHAT IS THAT? OVER $260 MILLION ON THE FEDERAL RELIEF RELIEF FUNDS.
IS THAT, IS THAT IT'S $270 MILLION.
AND MY MATH IS A BIT OFF, ABOUT 200, A LITTLE OVER 200 OF WHICH IS USING, WE ARE USING TO HELP MAKE THE LOCAL MATCH.
THAT'S HOW WE MAKE THE LOCAL MATCH ON THE, ON THE NORTH SOUTH A R T.
AND WE'RE USING IT TO ADVANCE SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, LIKE THESE ADDITIONAL, ADDITIONAL VEING ZONES.
WE'RE PAYING FOR THOSE ZONES THROUGH THAT.
I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE THE DETAILS ON THAT, BECAUSE YOU GOT 92 MILLION IN CARE, 61 MILLION IN IN 21, UH, CORONA RE RESPONSE, UH, AND THEN THE A R P AND I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE MATCH AND THAT KIND OF THING, BUT WHERE'S ALL THAT OTHER MONEY GOING? I'D LIKE TO SEE THE DETAILS ON THAT BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T KNOW, UH, AND HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN THAT INFORMATION.
SO I JUST WANNA SEE WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING.
ARE WE GETTING, WHAT WE'RE PAYING FOR? ARE, ARE WE GETTING A GOOD RETURN ON THIS INVESTMENT THERE AT VIA? SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT INFORMATION.
SO, UH, I'LL, I WAS JUST WILL SHARE THAT A BIG PIECE, 75% OF THAT FUND IS IN A RESERVE TOWARD THESE OTHER PROJECTS.
SO IT'S ONLY THE 25% THAT WE'VE ALLOCATED TO EXPENSES THAT WE HAD, SUCH AS NOT LAYING OFF ANY OF THE VIA TRANS DRIVERS WHEN VIA TRANS RIDERSHIP DROPPED BY 75%.
ALL THAT'S WHAT THOSE FUNDS WERE, WERE PROVIDED TO US TO HELP AVOID LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS, ET CETERA.
IF YOU COULD JUST GIMME A LINE ITEM ON WHERE ALL THAT MONEY WENT, THAT'D BE GREAT.
UH, THEN ON, UH, THE SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE ACTUAL ROUTE 17, TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT SPOT IS IT STARTING AT AND WHAT SPOT IS IT ENDING AT? I I SEE THE DIFFERENT COLORS AND DOTS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
TELL ME, TELL ME WHERE IT STARTS AND WHERE IT ENDS.
IT STARTS AT, LET'S JUST SAY IT STARTS AT THE AIRPORT.
COMES AROUND, GOES DOWN SAN PEDRO, AND IT ENDS IN SOUTH TOWN AT STEVE'S AND ROOSEVELT.
UH, AND ALONG THAT WHOLE ROUTE, ARE WE BUILDING ADDITIONAL LANES ALL THE WAY THROUGH, OR ARE WE TAKING AWAY LANES FROM OUR EXISTING LANE STRUCTURE GOING THAT ENTIRE ROUTE? SO THERE ARE SECTIONS OF THAT ROADWAY WHERE WE DON'T HAVE ANY ABILITY TO ADD LANES.
AND THAT'S WHERE I TALKED ABOUT THE BUSINESS ACCESS LANES, WHERE, WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN USE THE BUSINESS ACCESS LANES TO ACCESS DRIVEWAYS, ET CETERA, AND TO MAKE RIGHT TURNS ON THE STREET.
AND THE BUSES WOULD BE THE OTHER VEHICLES IN THAT LANE, IN THE PART TO THE NORTH.
I BELIEVE THAT WE, WE MAY LOSE ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION FOR A PORTION OF THAT PART TO THE NORTH.
I, I REALLY WANT TO EXPAND ON THAT BECAUSE
[01:40:01]
THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE PUBLIC.KNOWING THAT, HEY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GIVE UP LANES FOR THIS ADVANCED RAPID TRANSPORT THAT'S GOING FROM THE AIRPORT DOWN TO THE ENDING POINT.
I WANNA SEE EXACTLY WHERE WE'RE ADDING LANES, WHERE WE'RE TAKING AWAY LANES, AND HOW THAT'S GONNA AFFECT OUR, UH, PUBLIC THAT USES AUTOMOBILES TO GO UP AND DOWN, UP AND DOWN THESE ROADS.
AND THAT, THAT IS PART OF THE ANALYSIS THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE THE F T A IN THE EN ENVIRONMENTAL SECTION.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE LINE.
AND THAT'S IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW.
AND I, I THINK WE NEED TO GET THAT OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, LET'S SEE, UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT THESE SURVEYS AND I THINK SOMEBODY ASKED, ASKED THAT ALREADY.
UM, IT, UH, WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DID, DID YOU GIVE OUT SOME KIND OF RESULTS OF WHAT THESE SURVEYS DID? I, I DON'T RECALL SEEING, SEEING THAT.
OR DID Y'ALL POST THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEYS? WE, WE PRESENTED THE, WE PRESENTED THE RESULTS IN PUBLIC SESSION.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THE RESULTS ARE POSTED.
I'M NOT AT ALL HESITANT TO PROVIDE THEM BECAUSE THE RESULTS WERE OUTSTANDING.
AND I, I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO SEE THOSE.
AND THEY, THEY SHOULD BE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT AND, AND SEE THESE GLOWING REPORTS.
UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT WHAT THE, UH, PRELIMINARY RIDERSHIP NUMBERS ARE FOR THIS, FOR THIS LINE, SO THAT'S GREAT.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING.
LET'S SEE, THIS IS ON SLIDE 21.
UM, I UNDERSTAND ALL THIS, BUT AT THE, AND I HEARD A NUMBER OUT THERE ON THE, ON THE LOANS AND WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE FINAL COST ON THESE? THESE ARE WHAT THE GOING IN COSTS ARE, BUT IT DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR INTEREST ON ANY LOANS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED IN THIS SLIDE ALSO, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SHOWING THE WHOLE STORY.
THE WHOLE STORY SHOULD BE HOW MUCH IS THIS GONNA COST US? RIGHT.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED ON THIS SLIDE.
AND LET'S SAY THESE ARE IN, IN TODAY'S COST, OR NO, THEY'RE IN YEAR OF EXPENDITURE COSTS.
AND THE OTHER THING IS, BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY AT 10% DESIGN, THE BUDGET WE PRESENT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A 30% CONTINGENCY ON EVERYTHING.
SO, BUT IN A LOT OF PROJECTS, AND I DEALT WITH FEDERAL PROJECTS FOR MANY YEARS, IT STILL GOES OVER THAT BUDGET.
WHAT'S YOUR FALLBACK? WE WOULD HAVE TO VALUE ENGINEER OR FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
SO THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT HAVE GONE FORWARD.
UH, THEY, THEY HAD COMPLETE DESIGN, THEY FELT CONFIDENT IN THE BUDGET, THE ECONOMY CHANGED, THE BIDS COME IN HIGH.
AND SO THEY HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION.
I GUESS WE WON'T BUILD, BE ABLE TO BUILD THE WHOLE EXTENT.
THAT'S ONE THING ONE COULD DO.
AND, AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY WITH IN INFLATION GOING UP, UH, WERE THOSE FIGURES KIND OF BUILT INTO THIS AS WELL? I KNOW YOU GOT THE 30% IN THERE, BUT, UH, THERE IS AN INFLATION RATE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THE INFLATION RATE TODAY, AND AS I SAID, WE'RE UPDATING OUR FINANCIAL FLOW.
I DON'T THINK, I DON'T KNOW THAT THE, I SHOULD SAY THE PAST HAD AN INFLATION RATE THAT MAY NOT BE, UH, SHOW INFLATION AS RIGOROUS AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'LL, WE'LL BE TWEAKING IN THE MODEL.
AND WHEN WILL WE GET TO SEE THOSE TWEAKS? THE MODEL WILL GO INTO OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WHICH MEANS WE'LL BE PRESENTING IT IN AUGUST ABOUT THE, THE SAME TIME YOU GUYS.
SO WE'LL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THAT, COMPARING IT TO WHAT THIS PLAN IS CURRENTLY SHOWING TO WHAT THE TWEAKS ARE GONNA BE IN RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, JEFF, I'VE ALWAYS COMPLIMENTED Y'ALL ON BEING ABLE TO PERFORM THE SERVICE THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN PERFORMING, UH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU'VE BEEN GETTING.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT THAT.
UM, I, I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF THE VIA LINK, WHICH WE STARTED IN DISTRICT 10, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CONTINUE TO GROW ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S BEEN, UH, A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE TO, I, I KEEP GETTING COMMENTS FROM FOLKS AROUND DISTRICT 10, UH, ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL THAT SERVICE IS.
SO, UH, I INVITE THE REST OF MY COLLEAGUES TO REALLY DIG INTO THAT AND SEE ABOUT THAT PROGRAM AND, UH, SEE ABOUT GETTING IT ACROSS, ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE OF FOUR 10.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT SHOULD BE OUR GOAL.
AND I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS.
I KNOW YOU'RE STARTING IT IN ANOTHER PORTION OF TOWN, BUT WHAT IS THE OVERALL GOAL OF THAT PROGRAM? THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS SORT OF WHAT YOU DESCRIBED, WHICH IS HOW WE PROVIDE MOBILITY IN THE AREA OUTSIDE OF THE DENSELY DEVELOPED URBAN CORE.
I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE ON THE NORTH AND THE WEST, WE HAVE MORE DENSITY SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, OUT IN THE, THAT DIRECTION.
THE MEDICAL CENTER, FOR EXAMPLE, IS OUTSIDE FOUR
[01:45:01]
10 MM-HMM.BUT IF YOU CAN CONCEIVE IT AS YOU HAVE AN INNER PIECE OF THE S SYSTEM THAT HAS HIGH FREQUENCY BUS SERVICE AND YOU HAVE A RING AROUND THAT, THAT HAS SOME KIND OF, UM, DEMAND RESPONSE VIA LINK TYPE SERVICE OR OTHER THINGS THAT WE MAY DEVELOP AS TECHNOLOGY MOVES FORWARD.
UM, SO I'VE BEEN VERY COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT THAT EXCEPT FOR THE METRICS.
I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO SEE THE METRICS AND THOSE OTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, HOPEFULLY I CAN GET A COPY OF THOSE OTHER ISSUES.
BUT, UH, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN CRITICAL ABOUT THE EXISTING BUS STRUCTURE.
YOU KNOW, THESE BIG, HUGE LUMPY BUSES GOING AROUND ON OUR STREETS.
AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN CRITICAL ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY'RE TEARING UP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR STREETS.
AND I SEE THAT IN MY DISTRICT WHERE THE RUTS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU CAN FOLLOW THE BUS ROUTES BY JUST FOLLOWING THE RUTS.
UM, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY PLANS ON GETTING AWAY FROM THESE HUGE BUSES, GOING TO SOMETHING SMALLER OR SOMETHING TO, UH, HELP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS THE CITY? SO I, I CANNOT SAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO PULL 40 FOOT BUSES OFF THE STREET.
IN FACT, I CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE I HAVE FEDERAL FUNDS TIED UP IN SOME OF THOSE BUSES FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 15 YEARS.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO PAY FOR THOSE WHETHER I HAVE OTHER BUSES.
I THINK YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT OUR FUNDING DOESN'T PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GO OUT AND BUY A SECONDARY FLEET WITH ALL LOCAL MONEY.
HOWEVER, I THINK VIA LINK IS THE BEGINNING OF FINDING THE DIFFERENT KIND OF VEHICLE.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A BUS OUT THERE.
UH, WE ARE BUYING EIGHT ALL ELECTRIC BUSES.
UM, I BELIEVE THEY'RE 35 OR 40 FOOT STILL, BUT THEY'RE ALL ELECTRIC.
UH, THEY'LL PROBABLY BE CIRCULATORS WITHIN DOWNTOWN.
AND THEN FINALLY WE HAVE, UM, PROPOSALS AND WE, WE WENT, WE WENT OUT WITH AN R F P TO THE MARKET AND WE SAID, WE'D LIKE YOU TO LOOK AT HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BETTER SERVE DOWNTOWN BROOKS, PORT SA AND THE MEDICAL CENTER.
'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE BIG AREAS AND THE CIRCULATION WITHIN THAT.
AND AGAIN, I WOULD EXPECT THAT THOSE, WE, WE HAVE THOSE PROPOSALS, SO WE'RE ABOUT TO GO INTO EVALUATE THEM.
AND AGAIN, I WOULD EXPECT THOSE PROPOSALS WOULD BE FOCUSED MORE ON SMALLER VEHICLES.
COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY COUNCILS MEMBER PALS.
UH, JEFF, BUT, UM, I HAVE, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT THAT IT MATCHES, UH, WHAT JOHN, GARY AND LEROY AND I TALKED ABOUT TWO DAYS AGO.
UM, AND I, I SAW THE TAIL END OF, OF THE PRESENTATION, UH, YOU KNOW, I
UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE, OVER THE YEARS, IF YOU LOOK AT SAN ANTONIO AND HOW WE'VE FUNDED VIA, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE UNDERFUNDED VIA, RIGHT? AND THEN WE ALL THEN SCREAM AND YELL AT GOOD, WELL, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A BUS SYSTEM THAT IS AS ROBUST AND AS, YOU KNOW, HIGH PERFORMING AS ALL THE OTHER CITIES.
RIGHT? UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GET IGNORED BY WASHINGTON DC FOR DECADES, RIGHT? AND THEN WHEN YOU GET A HUNDRED PLUS MILLION DOLLAR, UH, WINDFALL FROM WASHINGTON DC YOU KNOW, WE CELEBRATE IT AS A, AS A MAJOR VICTORY.
RIGHT? AND IT IS, BUT COMPARED TO WHAT, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITIES PULL IN CONSISTENTLY, IT ISN'T.
AND I MEAN, JOHN GARY WAS, WAS TELLING ME THAT, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITIES ARE TALKING IN TERMS OF BILLIONS.
AND HERE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING VICTORY LAPSE 'CAUSE WE GET A HUNDRED MILLION PLUS.
AND THAT'S NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN.
I MEAN, THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE YOU CAME INTO AN AGENCY WITH ONE ARM TIED BEHIND ITS BACK, RIGHT? UH, AND I THINK YOU'VE DONE AMAZING THINGS WITH ONE ARM TIED BEHIND YOUR BACK.
AND I MEAN, YOU'VE, YOU'VE BASICALLY, YOU'VE VALUED, ENGINEERED AN AGENCY TO DELIVER EXCELLENT SERVICE FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
AND, UM, ALL THOSE RIDES THAT YOU PROVIDE EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
UH, BUT, AND SO I CONGRATULATE YOU TO THAT BECAUSE I THINK YOU'VE GOT A TEAM OF NINJAS OUT THERE WHO, WHO WITH VERY, VERY BASIC TOOLS ARE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE AMAZING.
BUT SAN ANTONIO DESERVES A LOT BETTER.
UH, AND UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE STORY THAT YOU GUYS WERE TELLING IN DC RECENTLY, WHEN, WHEN ALL OF US WENT UP THERE.
AND I SAW YOU TELL THAT STORY, AND I'M VERY IMPRESSED.
UH, AND IT'S CLEAR THAT THE FOLKS UP THERE ARE, THAT'S SINKING IN, RIGHT? WHY NOW AND NOT BEFORE.
UH, I THINK THAT YOU'RE BRINGING SOME LEADERSHIP TO THE TABLE THAT, THAT WE, THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE, RIGHT? AND IN THE FORM OF, OF FERNANDO REYES AND YOUR BOARD, I THINK YOUR YOUR BOARD IS AMAZING RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE GIVEN YOU HEAT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
'CAUSE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I THOUGHT YOUR, YOUR PREVIOUS BOARD WAS JUST LACKLUSTER AND LEFT A LOT TO BE DESIRED, BUT NOT THIS ONE.
UM, AND YOU BROUGHT, YOU KNOW, WE BROUGHT YOU A SUBJECT
[01:50:01]
MATTER EXPERT IN THE FORM OF REYES WHO REALLY IS A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT IN KAIZEN AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT AND PROBLEM SOLVING.AND I HOPE YOU'VE, YOU, YOU'RE SQUEEZING ALL THE JUICE OUTTA THAT GUY.
'CAUSE UH, YOU KNOW, HE IS, UH, HE'S REALLY QUITE AMAZING, RIGHT? UM, AND SO, UM, I DO, I DO WANNA SAY WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF AN INFLECTION POINT RIGHT NOW WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ASK THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, WELL, UM, WE WANT YOU TO GET ON THE BUS, RIGHT? UM, IT'S A GOOD THING TO GET ON THE BUS.
AND SO I'LL, UH, MAYBE I'VE TOLD YOU THIS IN THE PAST, UH, WE, IN, IN DISTRICT EIGHT, WE DO THESE EXERCISES IN, AT, UH, AT HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS MEETINGS WHERE WE ASK OUR HOMEOWNERS, HOW MANY OF YOU AGREE THAT VIA NEEDS TO BE BETTER FUNDED? EVERYBODY RAISE THEIR HANDS.
HOW MANY OF YOU AGREE THAT THE, THAT A LOT OF OUR TRAFFIC, UH, PROBLEMS WOULD BE ALLEVIATED IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY GOT ON THE BUS AND GOT OUT OF THEIR F ONE 50, RIGHT? UH, OR GOT OUT OF THEIR, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR FANCY PANTS, UH, CADILLAC, LIKE THE MAYOR'S, UH, AND, UH, WE, UH, UH, AND EVERYBODY AGREES.
EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS, RIGHT? THAT IN MANY WAYS OUR TRAFFIC SITUATION WOULD BE ALLEVIATED IF PEOPLE RODE THE BUS.
AND, UM, WE EVEN ASKED THEM, SHOULD YOUR COUNCIL AND SHOULD VIA, DO EVERYTHING IT POSSIBLY CAN TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GET ON THE BUS, OH, YES, WE SHOULD.
UM, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE GONNA START TAKING THE BUS AND NO HANDS GO UP? RIGHT? AND THAT'S A NORTH SIDE PHENOMENON, I'LL TELL YOU THAT, THAT JUST, THAT'S JUST THE REALITY.
AND YOU'VE BEEN IN THE ROOM, JOHN, AND YOU'VE BEEN IN THE ROOM, JEFF, WHEN, WHEN THAT HAPPENS, AND THEN THEY ALL EMBARRASSINGLY TURN RED AND, YOU KNOW, THEY LOOK DOWN AND BECAUSE THEY ALL COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS, IS I WANT EVERYBODY ELSE TO GET ON THE BUS, BUT JUST LEAVE ME ALONE AND I WANNA BE IN MY CAR.
RIGHT? AND I KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.
I KNOW WHAT IS REQUIRED TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
I JUST DON'T WANNA BE PART OF THAT SOLUTION.
UM, SOMETIMES IT BREAKS MY HEART BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE WILL EXPRESS THINGS LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, THE BUS IS REALLY FOR THOSE PEOPLE, RIGHT? QUOTE UNQUOTE.
RIGHT? AND WE'VE HAD A CONVERSATION APPEAR ON THE DIOCESE ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE, UH, AND HOW THAT, HOW THAT'S USED PEJORATIVELY, UH, FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR, PEOPLE ON, YOU KNOW, IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT TRUE.
UH, AND, UH, I, I WANNA BE A PART OF, OF, OF HELPING YOU GET RIDERS ON THIS BUS, RIGHT? UM, I DO THINK, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S DIFFERENT SELLING POINTS FOR DIFFERENT MARKETS, RIGHT? AND I, I, I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU GUYS AND YOU GUYS ARE DRIVING HOME THE POINT THAT FREQUENCY AND CONVENIENCE.
FREQUENCY AND CONVENIENCE, RIGHT? UH, AND, UH, ANYWAY, CONSIDER ME A PARTNER IN, IN, IN HELPING SPREAD THAT MESSAGE.
THE OTHER THING WE KNOW IS THAT IF WE CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THE EXACT SAME RESULT.
RIGHT? UM, AND WHAT IS THE, UH, WHAT IS THE IMPACT IF WE DON'T DO THIS NORTH SIDE, YOU KNOW, CONNECTION, IT'S GONNA BE MORE HORRIBLE TO DRIVE UP AND DOWN 2 81 AND I 10 AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WHAT THAT'S LIKE, RIGHT? IN FACT, IF YOU WANTED TO DO AN EXPERIMENT ON HOW TO, YOU KNOW, HOW TO REALLY, UM, DISADVANTAGE A COMMUNITIES AND CREATE WORSE TRAFFIC, RIGHT? ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS USE SAN ANTONIO AS THE CONTROL GROUP, RIGHT? UH, AGAINST WHICH, YOU KNOW, ALL OTHER, UM, GROUPS ARE COMPARED.
I MEAN, YOU UNDERFUNDED A CITY THAT HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN REDLINED, RIGHT? UH, AND, UM, THEN YOU PLAN THE CITY OUT IN A WAY THAT IT SPRAWLS, UH, TO MAKE IT MORE ATTRACTIVE TO BE IN YOUR CAR THAN TO EVEN CONSIDER BEING ON A BUS.
AND SO, I, I, UH, THERE THERE'S A LOT OF SORT OF HEADY IDEAS FOR YOU TO CHEW ON AND, AND YOU KNOW THEM ALL.
'CAUSE YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THEM ALL.
BUT HERE'S, HERE IS MY QUESTION, RIGHT? I I GET IT.
COUNCILMAN AL'S, RIGHT? MAY, THIS MAY BE THE LAST BIG WINDFALL WE GET, RIGHT? I HOPE NOT.
TALK TO ME ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN YOUR TEAM AND JEFF QUAYLE'S TEAM AND THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TEAM OVER AT THE COUNTY, AND HOW THAT MOVING FORWARD IS, IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT.
SO I WILL, UH, I WILL POINT TO ERIC, ERIC, UH, ASSEMBLES EVERY OTHER WEEK, THE CEOS OF, UM, VIA, UH, C P S SAWS, PORT SA, UH, BROOKS, A WHOLE I, AND THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, RIGHT? AND THE WHOLE POINT OF THAT IS, AND, AND, AND JEFF IS ON THAT CALL, AND JOHN, GARY'S ON THE CALL AND ON, AND LEROY'S
[01:55:01]
ON THE CALL FROM THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS SIDE.AND THE WHOLE POINT OF THAT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL TALKING, WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
WE SEE IF THERE'S EVER ANY OPPORTUNITY.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE RAYS GRANT THAT BROOKS IS PURSUING, WHEN, WHEN LEO PUT THAT OUT THERE, I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT, IF WE COULD CARVE OUT A, A LITTLE PIECE OF THAT SO THAT WE COULD PROVIDE A VIA LINK TYPE SERVICE, YOU KNOW, THERE FROM THE TRANSIT CENTER, THAT'S, THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT HAPPENS AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, YOU GET THE ONE PROJECT AND THERE'S NO NO INTERFACE, THERE'S NO COORDINATION.
UM, AND I WILL TELL YOU, AND I COUNCILWOMAN VIA GRANT, ESPECIALLY EVERY OFFICE I VISITED, I SOLD OUR RAISE GRANT AS MUCH AS I SOLD VIA NO OFFENSE BOARD, BUT, UH,
HOW WAS ONE OF YOUR BOARD MEMBERS MANY YEARS AGO? UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, RIGHT? AND WE KNEW WAY BACK THEN THAT YOU WEREN'T GONNA EVEN BEGIN TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS UNLESS YOU STARTED WITH NORTH, SOUTH, AND EAST WEST, RIGHT? AND THERE, THERE WAS ALWAYS THEN THE ARGUMENT, WHICH ONE COMES FIRST? I, I REALLY DON'T CARE SO LONG AS THEY BOTH EXIST AT SOME POINT, RIGHT? IN MY LIFETIME, THE, BUT NOW I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE EAST, WEST IN THAT WE NEED TO START PLANNING FOR THAT, RIGHT? AND IT'S GONNA COST US MONEY.
UH, I THINK IT'S AN INVESTMENT WORTH MAKING.
UM, I THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT $10 MILLION THAT WE'VE GIVEN YOU IN THE PAST, UH, I, JOHN, GARY, YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT IT YESTERDAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I CHEWED ON IT ALL, ALL NIGHT LONG.
I, I, I THINK THAT'S A $10 MILLION THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AS AN EXTRA, UH, INVESTMENT IN, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE GONNA ALSO GET FROM YOUR OTHER PARTNERS, RIGHT? WE, UM, I ALSO KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ISSUE BONDS.
IF, IF, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO, UM, I THINK YOU NEED TO PULL FROM EVERY SINGLE TOOL POSSIBLE, BECAUSE QUITE HONESTLY, THERE'S JUST NO MORE LAND OUT THERE FOR US TO CONTINUE WIDENING HIGHWAYS THAT JUST DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE, RIGHT? UM, AND WE CAN'T BUILD DOUBLE DECKERS BECAUSE THAT'S BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
BUT IF WE CAN SOMEHOW FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS BUS AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR MORE AND MORE PEOPLE, THAT IS THE LOWEST HANGING FRUIT OPPORTUNITY.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT, YOU'VE GOT, UH, NOT JUST MY SUPPORT UP HERE, MAN, BUT YOU GOT IT IN MY NEIGHBORHOODS TOO.
AND IF YOU GUYS NEED TO COME OUT TO MY NEIGHBORHOODS TO MEET AND TALK WITH MY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE GOOD PEOPLE OF DISTRICT EIGHT, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO, HAPPY TO HELP YOU OUT.
COUNCILMAN, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THE QUALITY OF OUR BOARD.
UH, WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT BOARD.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL, FOR THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU PUT ON THAT BOARD.
WE ALSO ARE BLESSED BY, WITH A GREAT STAFF.
YOU MADE VERY KIND COMMENTS ABOUT MY ROLE, BUT MY ROLE IS BASICALLY HIRING PEOPLE SMARTER THAN ME.
SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, THAT'S NOT THAT HARD, BUT I DO IT.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE EAST WEST CORRIDOR, UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF IDEAS, BUT I THINK WE, WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS PART OF THE ESSAY TOMORROW PLAN TOO.
AND THIS ISN'T ONE CONVERSATION THAT VIA IS GONNA FIX.
SO I APPRECIATE FOR ALL YOUR ADVOCACY AND ALL YOU GUYS DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EAST, WEST, UH, WE'RE TAKING THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
BUT I DO WANNA JUST BE MINDFUL THAT THIS IS GONNA, THIS IS BIG, UH, IN TERMS OF EAST WEST, AND WE, WE HAVE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES.
AND I JUST WANT US TO, TO SAY THAT MAYBE WE DO THAT CONVERSATION WITH SA TOMORROW AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOU'VE GOT IN FRONT OF US.
AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE, YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF US.
I THINK THE, THE HOUSING, THE DEVELOPMENT, I KNOW ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE IS COMING.
SO THERE WILL BE THAT NEED FOR, UM, FOR, UH, THIS NEW TRANSIT SYSTEM AS GAS PRICES GET HIGHER AS WE LOOK TO THAT.
AND, AND I KNOW, I, I WANT TO ECHO AGAIN, APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON THE EV AND I KNOW I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR TEAM ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO BE READY, WHAT, WITH WHATEVER'S LEFT ON THE TABLE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GO AFTER IT.
BUT I THINK THE EAST WEST CONVERSATION NEEDS TO BE A LARGER CONVERSATION WITH ESSAY TOMORROW.
SO ERIC, IF YOU COULD GET ON THAT.
COUNCIL MEMBER GRA COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY.
JUST REAL QUICKLY, UM, THAT REALLY, THAT SOUNDED GREAT ABOUT THAT $10 MILLION THAT WE'RE GOING TO RECOUP.
THAT I, I DON'T, I, I THINK WE NEED TO BE GETTING THAT SOONER.
UH, AND AGAIN, THAT GOES BACK TO MY EARLIER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE'S ALL THIS MONEY GOING FROM, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL AID? AND I THINK THERE, THERE'S ROOM IN THERE THAT, UH, THE CITY SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT THAT BACK IN THEIR GEN IN OUR GENERAL FUND, UH, FOR OTHER REQUIREMENTS HERE FOR THE CITY.
[02:00:01]
JUST WANT TO, UH, BRING IN, WE TALKED JUST REAL BRIEFLY ABOUT THAT NORTH PARKING GARAGE.IT, ARE YOU PLANNING ON CONNECTING THIS ALL THE WAY TO THAT NORTH PARKING GARAGE AT SOME POINT IN TIME? WE, WE CAN HAVE SERVICE THAT WOULD DO THAT.
UM, BECAUSE THE A R T IS SO FLEXIBLE THAT WE CAN START ON THE A R T AND THEN GET ON THE FREEWAY AND GO GO TO THAT PARKING RIDE.
WE ARE MAKING, LOOKING AT MAKING CHANGES LATER THIS SUMMER ON SERVICES THAT RUN OUT OF THAT PARKING RIDE, IN FACT.
AND SO I THINK WE'LL SEE SOME RESPONSE TO THAT.
BUT AGAIN, ARE WE TAKING AWAY LANES FROM NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY LANES TO TAKE AWAY.
UM, THE OTHER THING IS THAT, UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A QUESTION FOR YOU OR ERIC, TO HAVE A CHART OF EVERY TRANSPORTATION DOLLAR A T D ONE, TWO, UH, THE STATE TXDOT, THE CITY WHO IS FUNDING WHAT ON, AND THEN TO WHAT ORGANIZATION, AND THEN EACH ORGANIZATION, WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THAT MONEY, AND WHAT'S THE RESULTS? YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SO MANY POTS OF MONEY HERE AND DIFFERENT AGENCIES, UH, DEALING WITH TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS.
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A SINGLE CHART OUTLINING ALL THAT STUFF.
SO I DON'T, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO HERE AT THE CITY TO LINE THAT STUFF OUT, OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOU OR WHOEVER, TO LINE THAT ALL OUT TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR AS TO WHERE ALL OF OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING, WHO'S GETTING 'EM, AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH THEM IN WHAT AREAS.
UM, YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO MENTION HERE.
I DID WANT TO INVITE MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE TO COME TO THE M P O TO SAY WE DO HAVE LAND.
WE'RE EXPANDING 16 0 4, 16 LANES.
UM, WE ARE DOING A DOUBLE DECKER.
IT'S ALREADY FUNDED 20 MILES WORTH ON 35 OUT HERE, AND THAT'S STARTING THIS SUMMER.
WITH AN H O V LANE, BY THE WAY.
SO YES, WE DO HAVE LOTS OF LAND HERE IN TEXAS, AND WE ARE DOING DOUBLE DECKER HIGHWAYS HERE.
JUST A QUICK POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
UH, WHEN COUNCILMAN PIAS, WHEN YOU WERE, UH, TALKING ABOUT, UH, IF YOU PAY PEANUTS, YOU GET MONKEYS.
WERE YOU REFERRING TO YOUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES? YES.
UM, JEFF, JEFF, I JUST WANTED TO VOUCH FOR YOU.
I, I THINK I WAS IN SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH YOU IN DC AND YOU DID BRING UP THE S THE, THE RAISE GRANT.
UM, WE DID HAVE THE MONTE VISTA PRESIDENT REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT THE, THE ART LINE.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER, UH, NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL.
AND THEY'RE OFFERING TO ORGANIZE A PUBLIC INPUT SESSION.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO WORK WITH YOU ON SETTING THAT UP.
SO, UH, WE'LL BE IN TOUCH SOON.
I'M SURE HE IS TAKING THE NOTE.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED UPDATES.
WE DO HAVE ONE MORE ITEM, ERIC.
UH, IT SHOULD BE A RELATIVELY QUICK ONE.
IT'S A PRES SOLICITATION BRIEFING, UH, FOR A HIGH PROFILE PROCUREMENT, UH, FOR ONSITE SOLAR INSTALLATION AT CITY OWNED BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES.
SO DOUG WILL WALK THROUGH THIS, UH, HIGH PROFILE SOLICITATION.
THE, JUST AS A REMINDER TO THE COUNCIL, THE, UH, SA CLIMATE READY PLAN, UH, WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL IN OCTOBER OF 2019, CALLS FOR THE CITY TO, UH, ACHIEVE A ZERO NET EN ENERGY FOR ALL OF OUR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS BY 2040.
AND SO, DOUG HAS WORKED WITH JORGE AND 11 OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS TO IDENTIFY FACILITIES THAT WILL INCLUDE IN THE SOLICITATION, UH, THE R F P.
UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY BIND US.
IT'S JUST GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF OFFERS WE GET.
AND, UH, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DOUG TO WALK US THROUGH THE R F P.
AND, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UH, AS, UH, ERIC HAD MENTIONED, THIS IS REALLY A, A KEY POINT IN IMPLEMENTING THE, THE, UH, THE CLIMATE PLAN.
YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE AS A MUNICIPALITY DOING? AND, UH, AS ERIC HAD MENTIONED, ONE OF THE, THE CORE GOALS IS ACHIEVING ZERO NET ENERGY FOR OUR CITY FACILITIES.
UM, THERE'S ALL OTHER POLICIES RELATED TO OUR FACILITIES, BENCHMARKING ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS AND, AND REPORTING THEM.
UM, ERIC SIGNED A, UH, A NEW, UH, ENERGY POLICY, UH, AN ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR.
[02:05:01]
ACHIEVE THAT ZERO NET ENERGY, IT'S A COMBINATION OF, UM, NOT JUST IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, UH, WE'LL NEED TO OFFSET WITH RENEWABLE GENERATION.AND THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE DRIVING POINT OF THIS, UM, THIS PROPOSAL THAT'S, UM, INTERESTING.
UM, SO, UH, JUST WHAT IS ONSITE SOLAR? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND BASICALLY, UH, IN ITS SIMPLEST TERMS, IT'S, UH, PLACING SOLAR, UM, UH, ON OUR MUNICIPAL ROOFTOPS.
UM, UH, OUR MUNICIPAL PARKING LOTS, THOSE CONNECT DIRECTLY TO A, UH, A SITE LOAD SUCH AS A BUILDING.
UM, UH, WE WOULD BE SIZING THESE IF IT MOVES FORWARD, UM, TO SERVE THE LOAD OF THE BUILDING AND NOT TO SEND IT BACK TO THE GRID.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S A DIFFERENCE, UH, NET METERING RESTRICTIONS, UH, WITH C P SS, WE WANT THE LOAD TO STAY ON THE, ON THE ON SITE.
BUT YOU CAN SEE WE'RE STILL CONNECTED TO THE GRID AT ANY OF THESE FACILITIES TO PROVIDE, UM, POWER WHEN NEEDED.
IF THE SUN'S NOT SHINING, WE STILL NEED, WE NEED POWER.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A WAY OF START GETTING OUR BUILDINGS RUNNING ON, ON RENEWABLE ENERGY, UM, REALLY QUICKLY.
AND I, I KNOW, UM, TIME IS SHORT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF BEN BENEFITS WITH, WITH ONSITE SOLAR, PARTICULARLY LOCAL.
UH, THERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY EXCITING ABOUT THIS PROCESS IS IT'S NOT JUST SIMPLY PROCURING WEST TEXAS WIND.
THIS IS, THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE HIGHLY VISIBLE HERE.
UM, UH, HAS LOCAL, UH, AIR QUALITY BENEFITS.
THE POTENTIAL FOR CREATING, UH, LOCAL JOBS, UM, ALLOWS US TO SCALE UP, UH, LOCALLY WITH LOOKING AT OUR ENTIRE MUNICIPAL ASSETS TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH CAN WE ACTUALLY INSTALL.
SO IT'S A REALLY EXCITING PROCESS RIGHT NOW.
UM, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT IS, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OR SEEN SOLAR CARPORTS.
UH, I KNOW QUITE A FEW AUTO DEALERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT.
UM, BASICALLY WE'VE GOT LOTS OF PARKING LOTS, LOTS OF BIG PARKING LOTS WHERE WE PARK, UM, EMERGENCY VEHICLES, UM, UH, GARBAGE TRUCKS.
UH, THIS IS A GREAT WAY OF TAKING UNDERUTILIZED, I SHOULDN'T SAY UNDERUTILIZED, UM, PARKING LOTS, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY AT THEIR HIGHEST AND, AND, AND BEST VALUE AND PUTTING SOLAR ON THEM.
UH, AND NOT ONLY DOES IT PRODUCE POWER, UH, AND CLEAN ENERGY, IT PROVIDES SHADE, UH, WHICH IS, IS ESSENTIAL IN, IN OUR CLIMATE.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE SOLAR ASSETS.
UH, NOT A LOT, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME, YOU CAN SEE IN THIS CHART, IT'S VERY SMALL.
WE JUST HAVE 10, UH, WE HAVE, UH, EIGHT ROOFTOPS AND TWO CARPORTS, UM, TOTALING 677 KILOWATTS.
SO IT'S VERY, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S VERY SMALL.
UM, THOSE, THESE ARE, THESE ARE THE ASSETS.
UH, THESE ARE OUR CITY OWNED ASSETS.
THESE WERE FUNDED USING, UH, A FUNDS, UM, WAY BACK WHEN.
SO WE OWN AND, AND MANAGE THESE.
UH, YOU'LL SEE THE LARGEST ONE, UH, IS AT THE AIRPORT PARKING GARAGE.
THEY'RE ALL GENERATING, UM, AND THEY'RE ALL TIED DIRECTLY INTO BUILDINGS.
UM, AND SO THEY'RE ALL, THEY'RE ALL FUNCTIONING VERY WELL.
UH, WE ALSO DID, BACK IN 2017, COUNCIL THAT APPROVED AN AGREEMENT WITH, UM, A, A, A THIRD PARTY COMPANY, UH, CALLED POWER FIN, UH, WHO HAD A CONTRACT WITH C P S, UH, CALLED THE SOLAR HOST PROGRAM, WHERE WE BASICALLY, UM, PROVIDE OUR ROOFTOPS, UH, FOR A THIRD PARTY TO GENERATE POWER AND SELL, AND SEND IT AND SELL IT BACK TO C P S.
UM, WE GET A 3 CENT KILOWATT HOUR, UM, UH, UH, CREDIT FROM C P S, UM, AND THEY'RE ALL PRODUCING, IT'S A MONTHLY CREDIT THAT WE'RE GETTING.
AND THOSE GO, BASICALLY GO BACK INTO THE, INTO THE UTILITY BUDGET.
BUT AGAIN, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE PRETTY SMALL.
UH, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UH, OUR, OUR MUNICIPAL LOAD, WE NEED TO DO MORE.
SO WHAT IS THIS SOLICITATION THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON? IT'S REALLY LOOKING FOR QUALIFIED SOLAR PV PROVIDERS TO BASICALLY DO IT ALL TO DESIGN, ENGINEER, BUILD, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN, AND THEN DECOMMISSION, UM, WHEN THE TIME COMES, UM, ON OUR ROOFTOPS, UM, AND, AND POTENTIALLY PARKING LOTS.
UH, THE KEY TO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE WANT FOLKS TO BASICALLY REALLY UNDERSTAND THE C P S PROGRAMS AND POLICIES AND PROCESSES.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, C P SS OR THE CITY DOESN'T WANNA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING AND MANAGING, MANAGING THESE.
SO YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN R F P, YOU'LL SEE ESTIMATED VALUE IS, UH, IS NA, UM, IT'S 'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS R F P AND THE LANGUAGE THAT'S WRITTEN IN THERE, UH, IS FOCUSING ON, UH, COST NEUTRAL, UM, UH, PROPOSALS, UM, OR BETTER IF SOMETHING THAT CAN GENERATE REVENUE.
AND THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO, IF YOU REMEMBER THE, THE, UM, THE, THE EV CHARGING ON CITY LOT, UM, PROPOSALS, UH, PROCESS THAT WE WENT THROUGH WHERE WE RECEIVED FOUR PROPOSALS, THREE OF THEM HAD CHARGES TO IT, IT WAS GONNA COST US.
AND ONE WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE NOT JUST A COST NEUTRAL APPROACH, BUT GENERATE REVENUE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A SORT OF A SIMILAR PROCESS, IS WE WANNA SEE WHAT THE MARKET CAN BRING BACK TO US.
UM, IN TERMS OF PROPOSED TERM, TYPICALLY FOR THESE SOLAR PROJECTS, THEY CAN BE FINANCED, UH, UH, UP TO 25 YEARS.
THERE IS NO CURRENT CONTRACT, AND THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR
[02:10:01]
MULTIPLE VENDORS, AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE PUTTING OUT QUITE A FEW ASSETS.UH, AND VENDORS MAY, UM, CHOOSE DIFFERENT SITES TO BUNDLE, UH, BECAUSE THEY'LL MAYBE, MAYBE MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US THE BEST, UM, UH, THE BEST TERMS. UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE OBJECTIVES THAT ARE WRITTEN INTO THE, TO THE, UH, R F P THAT'S CURRENTLY DRAFT RIGHT NOW.
UM, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW, AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING FOR MARKET DRIVEN RESPONSES.
UM, REALLY LOOKING AT PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO YIELD COST SAVINGS OR COST NEUTRALITY COMPARED TO OUR CO-SELL ELECTRIC, UM, COSTS AT THOSE BUILDINGS.
CAN SOMETHING BE PROVIDED THAT IS GONNA AT LEAST OFFSET, UM, OUR CURRENT, UH, COST, UH, FOR THAT ELECTRICITY THAT WE'RE PAYING TO C P S? UM, AND THEN REALLY, THE, THE BIG THING I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT IN THIS SLIDE IS, THE LAST ONE IS THIS.
IT'S ASSIGNING ANY AGREEMENTS.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DUE DILIGENCE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
WE NEED TO SEE WHAT THE MARKET IS, IS GONNA LOOK LIKE, AND THEN WE WOULD COME BACK WITH YOU, COME BACK TO YOU WITH ANY RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS IS THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
UH, YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED, THE THE BENEFIT OF ONSITE SOLAR AND LOCAL SOLAR IS, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UH, AND SO WE, UH, HAVE DRAFTED THIS LANGUAGE TO INCLUDE IN THE R F P THAT'S CURRENTLY DRAFT RIGHT NOW, BUT REALLY HIGHLIGHTING OUR VALUES.
UH, IT'S, IT'S REALLY CHALLENGING THESE RESPONDENTS TO, UM, IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER IT'S WORKFORCE TRAINING OR HIRING PEOPLE LOCALLY, PARTICULARLY IN THESE, UM, UH, BIPO BLACK, INDIGENOUS OR PEOPLE OF COLOR COMMUNITIES.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND, AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA BE HOPEFULLY LEANING TOWARDS THAT.
AGAIN, SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES.
AGAIN, LOCAL PEOPLE CAN SEE IT, PEOPLE CAN, UM, UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, HAVING ONLINE VIRTUAL PLATFORMS WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW THESE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS ARE PRODUCING.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE ALSO WANT TO OPEN IT UP TO OTHER IDEAS.
ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT THESE, THESE SOLAR FOLKS TEND TO BE REALLY CREATIVE? WHAT OTHER THINGS CAN YOU BRING IN YOUR PROPOSAL THAT'S GOING TO FURTHER OUR EQUITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE OBJECTIVES? SO HERE'S OUR PROCESS.
WE'LL GO THROUGH IT REALLY QUICKLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL PROCUREMENT IS GETTING THE RIGHT INFORMATION OUT, UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE.
OTHERWISE, THE, UH, RESPONDENTS AREN'T GONNA EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO WANNA START.
SO THE FIRST THING WE DID IS WE, WE SPOKE TO ALL OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS.
I MEAN, WE HAVE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PROPERTIES, BUT WE WANTED TO FIND OUT FROM THEM WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A GOOD IDEA.
UM, FROM THAT, THERE WERE SOME MINIMAL CRITERIA.
AND, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MENTION, WE, WE ARE STILL WORKING WITH THE AMERICAN CITIES CLIMATE CHALLENGE THAT ENDS IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR.
BUT WE'VE BEEN STILL GETTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE AND THE WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE NON-PROFIT, NON-PARTISAN, UH, GROUP OF CONSULTANTS WHO JUST PROVIDE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE.
THEY, THEY'RE NOT PUSHING US ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, BUT HELPING US WITH SOME OF THIS PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT.
UM, BUT BASICALLY WE JUST USED TOOLS TO FIND OUT WHAT IS THE SOLAR POTENTIAL FOR ALL THESE BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THEN CIRCLING BACK TO DEPARTMENTS WITH THE ONES THAT MET OUR THRESHOLD AND SAID, WHAT OTHER THINGS DO WE NEED TO KNOW? WHAT'S THE AGE OF THE ROOF? UM, ARE THERE OTHER CONSTRAINTS? WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THIS PROPERTY? IS IT GONNA BE SOLD IN 10 YEARS? WELL, WE DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD.
SO, UM, AND YOU CAN SEE WE LOOKED AT ALL TYPES OF FACILITIES.
THIS IS WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH, UH, 102 SITES ACROSS 11 DEPARTMENTS.
WE MIGHT GET A FEW MORE IN HERE.
THERE'S A FEW DEPARTMENTS WHO HAD A COUPLE IDEAS THEY WANT US TO LOOK AT.
BUT BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, OUR ESTIMATE IS 11 TO 15, 15 MEGAWATTS.
UH, WHICH, IF MOVING FORWARD, IF SUCCESSFUL, UH, IN, IN INSTALLING, THAT WOULD, UH, OFFSET ABOUT SIX TO 9% OF OUR CURRENT ELECTRIC LOAD.
NOW, WHILE THAT SEEMS, SEEMS SMALL, UM, FOR LOCAL, ONSITE MUNICIPAL, SOLAR, THAT'S ON THE LARGE END, UM, WHAT I, WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS, WHILE THIS IS MOVING FORWARD, WE CONTINUE NEED TO, NEED TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH C P SS, UM, AND FIGURING OUT WHAT OTHER OPTIONS ARE THERE.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO TALK TO 'EM ABOUT THE GREEN TARIFF.
ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY CAN HELP US WITH? THIS WILL ONLY GET US PART OF THE WAY.
THE OTHER THING I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT IS, AS C P S CONTINUES TO CLEAN THEIR ENERGY SUPPLY, IT'S ONLY GONNA HELP US, AND IT'LL REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO, TO, TO WORRY ABOUT OFFSETTING, BECAUSE WE'LL BE GETTING GREENER AND GREENER ENERGY.
UM, THIS IS JUST A PICTURE OF THE SCALE.
BASICALLY WHAT I JUST SHOWED YOU, UH, IS 18 TIMES WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
AND, AND THIS IS A PICTURE OF CP S'S 14 MEGAWATT BLUE WING SOLAR PROJECTS.
SO IT'S BIG, IT'S JUST DISTRIBUTED.
IT WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED ACROSS, UM, ALL PARTS OF THE CITY.
UM, IN TERMS OF SOLICITATION, YOU CAN SEE IT'S, IT'S PRETTY, UM, SPECIALIZED IN TERMS OF, UM, THE, THE EXPERTISE NEEDED.
SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS IS, IS PRETTY CLEAR IN TERMS OF VENDORS TO BE NOTIFIED.
YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE, UH, 37 IN THE CENTRAL, UH, REGISTRY AND TARGETED VENDOR OUTREACHES FIVE THAT MAY GO UP.
UM, WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH C
[02:15:01]
P S AND WE ARE EXPECTING, UM, HOPEFULLY THEIR, UM, THEIR VENDOR LIST.UM, SO WE CAN JUST BASICALLY TAP INTO THEIR EXPERTISE AND GET THAT OUT.
UM, AND THEN HERE YOU CAN SEE ON THE, ON THE RIGHT, THE, THE VOTING MEMBERS, UH, YOU SEE, UH, MR. DAVID MCCAREY, MYSELF, HOMER GARCIA FROM PARKS RUSSELL HUFF, UM, FROM PUBLIC UTILITIES AND FINANCE, KATHY DONLAN FROM THE LIBRARY, UH, GODA, GOLDA ZU, UM, OUR ENERGY MANAGER, AND STEVE SOUTHERS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL, THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER FROM AVIATION.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THREE NON-VOTING MEMBERS.
ONE, WE, UH, RICK LUNA FROM C P S.
UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE C P SS IS CONTINUALLY ENGAGED IN ALL OF THESE CONVERSATIONS.
UM, AND, AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE INTO Y N.
AND YOU'LL SEE WE ARE RECOMMENDING, UM, TWO FOLKS FROM ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE, JUST AGAIN, TO PROVIDE THAT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE.
THEY DON'T HAVE VOTING, UM, PRIVILEGES, BUT I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, THERE'S, THEY'VE WORKED WITH CITIES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON SIMILAR PROCUREMENTS AND HAVE BEEN VERY, UH, UH, HELPFUL IN, IN CRAFTING, UM, THIS PROCESS SO FAR.
UH, IN TERMS OF SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS, UH, AND AGAIN, MICHAEL SENDIN IS ALSO HERE.
YOU CAN SEE OUR, OUR BREAKDOWN FOR THE EVALUATION CRITERIA.
UH, UM, AND CURRENTLY, UH, THERE ARE NO, UM, EDTA REQUIREMENTS AT THIS TIME.
UH, AS, UM, THE, THE BETA TOOLS WERE NOT APPLIED BECAUSE THERE WAS A, THERE WEREN'T REALLY ANY OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THAT WERE DETERMINED, UM, FOR, FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
UM, 'CAUSE IT'S SUCH A SPECIALIZED, UM, UH, UH, FIELD RIGHT NOW.
AND HERE'S JUST OUR, OUR TIMELINE.
UM, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE, IT'S, UH, THE NEXT STEP IS IF, DEPENDING, WE'LL HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED.
BUT THE GOAL IS TO, TO RELEASE, UM, THE R F P, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY.
YOU'LL SEE THE DEADLINE IS 60 DAYS AWAY.
AND YOU MIGHT ASK, WHY, WHY SO LONG? AND THE REASON IS, UM, WE'VE GOT OVER A HUNDRED SITES.
UM, UH, DEVELOPERS MAY WANT TO GO AND LOOK AND, AND INSPECT AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE, THAT SHEER NUMBER OF SITES, AS WELL AS ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE NEED TO COORDINATE WITH AND GET THE INFORMATION TO THESE DEVELOPERS, WE THOUGHT IT WAS PRUDENT TO GIVE THAT, THAT 60 DAY, UM, UH, UH, TIMEFRAME.
UH, YOU KNOW, AND THE GOAL IS HOPEFULLY, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WILL HAVE, UH, EVALUATIONS COMPLETED IN, IN JULY.
UH, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT COMMITTED TO ANY PARTICULAR OUTCOME.
WE JUST WANNA SEE WHAT WE, WE GET, IF THERE ARE SOME, UM, OPTIONS THAT LOOK VIABLE, UH, WE DO WANT TO DISCUSS, UH, UH, AND NEGOTIATE WITH THEM IN AUGUST, AND THEN COME BACK IN SEPTEMBER WITH THAT POST SOLICITATION BRIEFING.
AND IF WE HAVE GOOD RESPONSES, HOPEFULLY ENTER INTO, UM, CONTRACTS, UH, LATE FALL, UM, WITH THE INSTALLATIONS BEGINNING MAY THROUGH AUGUST.
AND TYPICALLY THESE INSTALLATIONS TAKE SIX TO 10 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.
SO IT IS A LONG PROCESS, BUT I THINK WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE METHODICAL AND, UM, UH, ARE SETTING OURSELVES UP TO SUCCEED AS OPPOSED TO JUST TRYING TO GET SOMETHING OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I HOPE THAT WAS, UH, NOT TOO LONG, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ANTICIPATED FOR QUITE SOME TIME, SO THANK YOU TO, FOR BRINGING IT FORWARD.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE R F P.
UH, I DO FILE THIS ONE UNDER LEADING BY EXAMPLE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS FOR US TO BE, UH, APPRECIATIVE OF, OF THE, UH, MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION.
NUMBER ONE, UH, WE DO HAVE OUR CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION PLAN GOALS.
UH, AND WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A CONTRIBUTOR TO OUR EFFORTS TO REDU REDUCE EMISSIONS, IMPROVE AIR QUALITY, AND ULTIMATELY BE A CARBON NEUTRAL CITY BY 2050.
UH, THERE'S ALSO THE FACT THAT SAN ANTONIO BY 2020 WAS, UH, NAMED, UH, NUMBER ONE IN TEXAS, NUMBER FIVE, UH, IN THE UNITED STATES AND INTER WATTS OF SOLAR VOLTAIC CAPACITY.
UH, SO THAT WILL ALSO HELP IN THAT REGARD, OR THIS WILL ALSO HELP IN THAT REGARD.
UM, BUT THEN THERE'S THE BENEFIT TO US AS A COMMUNITY, UH, BECAUSE THESE ARE PUBLICLY OWNED FACILITIES IN TERMS OF COST, COST-EFFECTIVENESS, AND, AND EFFICIENCY.
SO IF, IF WE CAN DO THIS IN A WAY THAT DEMONSTRATES ALL THE OTHER REASONS WHY PRIVATE PARTIES WOULD WANT TO GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION, THEN I'M ALL FOR IT.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THE, UH, RESULTS OF THE R F P AND GETTING THIS, UH, UNDERWAY.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOUG, TO YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT.
UH, LET ME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL.
UH, GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE, UH, MAKING PROGRESS.
AND CLEARLY YOUR TEAM, UH, DID A VERY THOROUGH REVIEW OF, OF WHAT WAS AVAILABLE.
UM, REMIND ME, HOW, REMIND ME, HOW LONG WILL WE HAVE THE R M I TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND W R I? SO IT'S, UM, THROUGH THE AMERICAN CITIES CLIMATE CHALLENGE, IT ENDS IN THE END OF JUNE OF THIS YEAR, THIS JUNE.
AND WE'RE ALSO LOSING, UM, THE TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE ON BOARD WITH US.
ONE, ONE OF THE ADVISORS HAS ALREADY TAKEN ANOTHER POSITION SOMEWHERE.
SO WE HAVE HAVE ONE WHO'S STILL COMMITTED TO US THROUGH THE END OF JUNE, UH, THROUGH THE END OF JUNE.
UM, SO I WANNA ECHO THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS REGARDING
[02:20:01]
THE CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN.THERE ARE 13 STRATEGIES IN THERE, UH, TO MAKE, UH, FOR THE CITY, UH, IN PARTICULAR SO THAT WE CAN, UH, ACHIEVE, UH, YOU KNOW, NET ZERO EMISSIONS AS WELL TO AND BECOME A GREENER, UH, GOVERNMENT.
UM, YOU RECENTLY MENTIONED, UM, ERIC'S ENERGY POLICY, THE ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE.
I THINK, UM, I ANTICIPATE THAT IF THAT IS SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED, WE WILL SEE A REDUCTION IN LOAD.
AND, UH, THAT SIX TO 9% CAN HOPEFULLY GROW TO A GREATER PERCENTAGE IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, AND JUST TO ADD, WE'VE MM-HMM.
SO OUR CONSUMPTION IS GOING DOWN.
UM, AND YOU ADOPTED A NEW FLEET ACQUISITION POLICY, OR WE VOTED ON A NEW FLEET ACQUISITION POLICY AS WELL.
SO THERE WAS, IT WAS ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE.
UM, RELATED TO, UM, IN, IN, IN MANY WAYS MEMORIALIZING WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN HAPPENING, BUT, UH, IT, IT, AGAIN, IT'S PRIORITIZING THE MOST EFFICIENT VEHICLES POSSIBLE WHILE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE ABILITY FOR DEPARTMENTS TO, TO DO WHAT THEY NEEDED AND FOR, UH, THOSE WHO DRIVE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT CITY VEHICLES.
UM, BUT WORK HERE, I HAD, UH, PROPOSED A C C R WITH COUNCILMAN SALANA, SO THAT'LL TELL YOU HOW
SO I, I HOPE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PICK THAT BACK UP NOW THAT, UH, WE'RE ALL GOING BACK TO WORK AFTER, AFTER THE PANDEMIC.
UM, WHAT, UH, SORRY, WHERE AM I? UM, SO OUR GOAL IS TO ACHIEVE NET ZERO NET ENERGY FOR ALL MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS BY 2040.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S THE OBJECTIVE.
UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT US NOT OWNING OR MAINTAINING THESE OR C P SS NOT OWNING OR MAINTAINING THESE.
SO WILL THEY BE PRIVATELY OWNED AND WILL WE RENT THEM? SO WE NEED TO SEE WHAT WE GET BACK.
I THINK THAT'S, I THINK, I THINK OUR, OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO CAST A WIDE NET AND THEN SIT DOWN WITH INTERNALLY AS WELL AS C P SS AND SEE WHAT WE GOT AND, AND FIGURE OUT WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO GO.
AND, UH, FOR ME, SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS, UH, GETTING AS CLOSE TO A HUNDRED PERCENT AS WE CAN, UH, BUT RIGHT UP THERE IS SUPPORTING LOCAL JOBS.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE NOT THAT MANY LOCAL, UH, COMMERCIAL SOLAR VENDORS.
HOW MANY OF THOSE THAT YOU PUT ON THAT LIST ARE, ARE COMMERCIAL AND LOCAL? I'D HAVE TO GO BACK TO OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THREE, BUT LET ME, LET ME CONFIRM AND LEMME KNOW.
UM, SO I, WHAT I WOULD ASK IS THAT WHEN, WHEN THE EVALUATION IS DONE, OR MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT COULD BE A COUNCIL VALUE WHEN WE VOTE ON THESE, IS, UM, REALLY WHAT'S THE TRADE OFF BETWEEN THE CHEAPEST AND THE ONE THAT'S GONNA PROVIDE LOCAL JOBS? BECAUSE WE ARE INVESTING OUR TAX DOLLARS IN LOCAL, UH, WORKFORCE INITIATIVES.
AND MAYBE THIS IS, UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND YOU RUN THEM, PERHAPS THAT'S A MORE COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE LOCAL JOBS THAN, UH, THAN THE OTHER METHOD.
UH, I, I JUST THINK IT, UH, IS WORTH, UH, A LOOK.
UM, I KNOW YOU LOOKED, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR COST NEUTRAL OR, UM, REDUCTION, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WILL GENERATE REVENUE.
AGAIN, I'D RATHER GO FOR COST NEUTRAL IF THOSE JOBS OR IF IT COMES BETWEEN, UH, LOCAL JOBS AND NON-LOCAL JOBS.
UM, ARE THERE ANY, UM, UH, SORRY.
SO, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THIS GO FORWARD.
UM, I, I DO HOPE WE GET PAST SIX TO, TO 9%.
UM, MY, I HAD SPOKEN TO AT LEAST ONE LOCAL VENDOR, AND IT SOUNDED LIKE WE COULD GET, UM, A LOT MORE.
SO, UM, I, I HOPE THAT THAT'S ALSO A CRITERIA WHEN YOU, UH, EVALUATE THESE.
THANK YOU, DOUG, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, WITH THIS PRESENTATION, IT HAS ME THINKING OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE WITH THE NEW PROJECTS COMING WITH THE BOND, UH, HOW DO YOU SEE US POTENTIALLY WORKING THESE, UH, BOND PROJECTS PARALLEL TO, UH, THIS PROJECT? RIGHT.
SO I THINK THE FIRST THING IS WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ROY'S TEAM ON, UM, WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA, UH, FOR, FOR ALL OF THESE, ALL OF THESE NEW, UM, UH, PROJECTS GOING FORWARD, UH, AT A MINIMUM, MAKING SURE THEY'RE BUILT SOLAR READY.
UM, THAT, SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ORIENTATION, WE'RE LOOKING AT THEIR SORT OF PRE-READ FOR SOLAR.
I THINK THE CHALLENGE THAT WE RUN, RUN INTO IS, UM, SOME OF THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF IT, THE, WHAT REALLY SORT OF DRIVES A LOT OF THE SOLAR INSTALLATIONS ARE THE FEDERAL TAX CREDITS.
[02:25:01]
A CITY, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE.SO, UM, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO A COUPLE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THAT.
SO I THINK WE'LL CONTINUE TO, TO, TO DISCUSS WHAT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS PROCUREMENT, UM, JUST DUE TO TIMING.
BUT I, I, WE'VE BEEN, AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS INTERNALLY, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS AS A, A PHASE ONE.
AND I THINK THE PLAN IS TO, TO GO BACK OUT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE WITH MORE SITES, UM, AND, AND CONTINUE THE PROCESS GOING FORWARD.
SO I THINK WE HAVEN'T DECIDED YET, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY ON OUR RADAR.
AND ARE THERE ANY POTENTIAL GRANTS THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE, UM, THAT ASSIST IN CITIES TRYING TO GO GREEN? THE, THE BIG FUNDING THAT'S COMING IS, UM, THROUGH THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS.
AND THAT CAN GO TOWARDS ENERGY EFFICIENCY OR RENEWABLES, AND THEY'LL ALL BE, UM, COMPETITIVE, UM, UH, FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS WELL AS A PORTION GOING TO STATE.
SO THERE WILL BE FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THAT, UH, IF WE CHOOSE TO, TO USE IT FOR, FOR THIS SORT OF WORK.
UH, THAT'S REALLY EXCITING, RIGHT? I THINK AS WE LOOK AT DIFFERENT CITIES THROUGHOUT THE NATION, BOSTON IN PARTICULAR, FOLKS ARE IMPLEMENTING LOCAL GREEN NEW DEALS.
UM, AND WHILE WE HAVEN'T LOCALLY, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY IN WHAT WE SEE SURFACING OUR OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPLEMENT GREEN UNION JOBS.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE JOB TRAINING UPDATE THAT WE RECEIVED IN OUR COMMITTEE, UH, WE SAW THAT OUR DEMOLITION CONTRACTOR, JAY RAMAN, WAS IN THE TOP 10 OF GENERATING JOBS.
AND IF AS A CITY WE IMPLEMENT A DECONSTRUCTION ORDINANCE, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE EVEN MORE GREEN JOBS.
SO I THINK IT'S REALLY EXCITING, UM, TO SEE US SLOWLY HEAD IN THAT DIRECTION.
UM, I KNOW, UM, THE MAYOR, I BELIEVE OF PHILADELPHIA, UH, IMPLEMENTED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO IMPLEMENT OUR CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S DECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM.
UH, AND I'M HOPEFUL, UM, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, BUT, BUT WITH THAT, UH, I KNOW COUNCILMAN ANAS SANDOVAL TOUCHED ON IT THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT? TO CREATE THESE, THESE LOCAL JOBS.
UM, IS THAT A CONVERSATION THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HAVING WITH POTENTIALLY ALIGNING IT WITH THE JOB TRAINING PROGRAM? YES.
I, I THINK, I THINK THE KEY IS GETTING IT BUILT INTO OUR, OUR VALUE PROPOSITION THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK THE OTHER THING WE CAN DO IS ADD THAT INFORMATION INTO THE, THE, THE PROCUREMENT.
SO POTENTIAL RESPONDENTS KNOW WHO TO TALK TO IF I THINK JOB TRAINING IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY, UH, AS LONG AS THEY KNOW WHO TO TALK TO.
SO I THINK MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING ALL THAT INFORMATION SO THE RESPONDENTS KNOW HOW TO, TO GET IN TOUCH WITH SOMEBODY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY.
EXCITED TO SEE THIS MOVE FORWARD.
DOUG, I WANT TO SAY THE SAME THING TO YOU THAT WE SAID TO JEFF ON LET'S GET MOVING FASTER.
UM, I JUST, I WANTED TO ASK THAT, UH, IN THIS R F P THAT YOU CONSIDER, UM, ALLOWING FOR INNOVATION FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND MAKING SURE THAT, THAT IT'S WORDED IN A WAY THAT WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CITY OWNING OUR OWN ELECTRIC UTILITY.
UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE ANY KIND OF PRIORITY GIVEN TO, TO, UM, MAKING SURE THAT, THAT, UM, WE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SA READY TO WORK TO BE ABLE TO SCALE UP FASTER AND, UM, TO ALSO, UM, PRIORITIZE ANYBODY WHO WILL USE LOCALLY PRODUCED SOLAR PANELS OR ANY OTHER EQUIPMENT.
UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT SOLAR FOLKS CAN BE CREATIVE, UH, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE KEEPING THE BOUNDARIES WIDE OPEN TO ALLOW THAT CREATIVITY.
UM, AND SO I KNOW THAT WE REVIEWED 120 SITES OR WE BEING YOUR TEAM, UH, AND, BUT WE HAVE, I MEAN, HOW MANY PIECES OF PROPERTY DOES THE CITY OWN MORE THAN THAT? WELL, QUITE, IT'S, YEAH.
THE, THE, THE ORIGINAL LIST THAT I LOOKED AT, AND I, I KNOW I SHARED IT WITH THE COUNCILWOMAN, IT WAS, YEAH, IT WAS, IT WAS LIKE 6,000.
SO 6,000, RIGHT? SO I, I THINK WE CAN TELL 'EM, HERE, HERE ARE THE SITES THAT WE REVIEWED, BUT BY THE WAY, HERE'S THE LIST OF ALL 6,000.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE WAY WE DO GOVERNMENT, LIKE HOW DO WE BUILD A BETTER MOUSETRAP AND HAVING THAT LENS IN WHATEVER WE'RE DOING.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT TELLING PEOPLE, UH, WHAT KIND OF MOUSE MOUSETRAP TO BUILD AND WHERE TO PUT THE MOUSETRAP.
I WANT US TO BE TELLING, YOU KNOW, I WANT THE R F P TO BE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HOW MANY MICE WE WANT TO CATCH.
YOU GUYS SHOW US THE BEST WAY TO DO IT.
AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IT'S AS OPEN-ENDED AS POSSIBLE IN THAT WAY.
NOW, DOUG, DO YOU EXPECT US TO HAVE ENERGY COST SAVINGS? IT WOULD BE NICE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IN, IN, I THINK COST NEUTRALITY IS DEFINITELY POSSIBLE.
I, UM, I THINK SAVINGS AT ALL, IT'S ALL GONNA DEPEND UPON THE, UM, ONE, AND I THINK,
[02:30:01]
I THINK IT WAS COUNCILMAN PERRY MENTIONED IT, INFLATION, RIGHT? THAT'S A GAME, A GAME CHANGER RIGHT NOW.BUT IT'S ALL GONNA COME DOWN TO, UM, HOW THESE DEVELOPERS FINANCE THIS LONG-TERM.
I HOPE WE, WE GET SOME THAT ACTUALLY ARE GOING TO PRODUCE SAVINGS THAT WE CAN THEN REINVEST SOMEWHERE IN, IN, IN PROGRAMS. I, I LIKE THAT YOU BROUGHT UP REINVESTING THAT THOSE SAVINGS, UM, I EXPECT US TO GET COST SAVINGS, YOU KNOW, AND I, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE READY, READY TO BE CRITICAL OF OUR CLIMATE PLAN AND SAY IT'S GONNA COST US MONEY.
I WOULD LIKE US AND, AND, UH, ERIC, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO TAKE THAT, THOSE COST SAVINGS THAT WE, THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE THROUGH THIS AND, UH, INVEST THEM INTO IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR CLIMATE PLAN IN OTHER PROGRAMS. AND THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.
UM, I FIRST HAVE TO SAY, I'M PRESSED.
I AM DOUG, YOU, I'M OVER HERE.
I'M JUST, I WAS WAITING AROUND FOR A COUPLE HOURS, SO, WELL, MAYBE I, UH, I'M MIGHT RETRACTED ABOUT TO SAY, BUT, UM, KEEPING YOUR FOCUS THROUGH YOUR PERCUSSIVE, UM, ACCOMPANIMENT UP HERE, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHENEVER WE SEE A LIST AND WE SEE, UM, PLACES WHERE, UM, ITEMS ARE LOCATED, WE ALWAYS LOOK FOR OUR NUMBER, RIGHT? OUR DISTRICT.
AND OF COURSE, I DIDN'T SEE ANY, UM, IN DISTRICT SIX, BUT IS THE GOAL TO HAVE SOLAR PANELS ACROSS, UM, UM, I GUESS SPANNED OUT INTO EACH DISTRICT? YES.
AND WE, WE ACTUALLY, WE HAVE SOMETHING IN EVERY, EVERY DISTRICT.
SO I THINK IN SIX, WOW, THERE'S 19.
OH, WE ALREADY HAVE SOLAR PANELS.
NO, WHAT THE, THE WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WE'VE, WE'VE IDENTIFIED.
SO YEAH, NO, WE, WE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE AT LEAST BRINGING ONE OR TWO TO EACH DISTRICT.
AND WE HAVE 19 COMING TO DISTRICT SIX IF THE 19 SITES IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND HAVE WE TALKED TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS ABOUT, UM, THAT WE SHARE SPACE WITH LIKE, UM, WELLMED, PLACES LIKE THAT TO, TO MAYBE ADD SOME SOLAR PANELS THERE? SO WE, WE LOOKED AT SITES THAT THE CITY OWNS AND THEN LEASES TO THIRD PARTIES.
A FEW OF THEM WERE TOO SMALL, AND THEN IT DIDN'T, DIDN'T FIT.
UM, I THINK FOR THIS FIRST SOLICITATION, WE WANTED TO FOCUS SOMETHING THAT WE CONTROL RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY THE OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY PARTNERSHIP, PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.
THE, THE OTHER ONE THAT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL HAD HAD MENTIONED TO ME IS, IS SASS SAS HAS, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE FACILITIES DOWNTOWN.
AND WE, WE STARTED TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THEIR INTEREST AND THEIR OPEN, UH, AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THEM TO DO SOME OF THOSE AS ASSESSMENTS, BUT IT MAY BE A FUTURE, A FUTURE PROCUREMENT.
BUT I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO LOOK AT ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND FIGURE OUT ARE THOSE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO WORK TOGETHER.
BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT WE CAN DO JUST FROM A RESILIENCE PERSPECTIVE IS MORE DISTRIBUTED SOLAR ACROSS THE CITY.
AND THEN IF WE START FOLDING IN BATTERY STORAGE IN THE FUTURE, THEN THAT REALLY STARTS IMPROVING, UM, HOW OUR COMMUNITY CAN RESPOND TO DISRUPTIONS.
I'M GLAD YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT ALREADY.
UM, AND YOU MENTIONED THE JOB, UM, JOB CREATION.
ARE WE, UM, CONNECTING THEM TO, UM, ESSAY READY TO WORK? YES.
I THINK THAT WAS, THAT WAS A GREAT, A GREAT COMMENT THAT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE, IT'S NOT JUST ENOUGH SAYING THIS IS OUR VALUE, OUR OBJECTIVE, BUT THIS IS WHO YOU NEED TO TALK TO, UM, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN THIS, IN THIS SECTOR FOR US.
DOUG, SHOULD I GIVE YOU A HARD TIME, AH, TODAY? I MEAN, UH, YOU AND I ARE, UH, ARE ON THE SAME PAGE.
I DID SEE SOMETHING, UH, ERIC AND, AND RAZZIE, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ERIC'S STILL HERE.
UM, AND MAYBE ANDY, THIS IS FOR YOU TOO.
THERE, THERE WAS MENTION OF ANALYSIS OF THE CONDITION OF THE ROOF BEFORE RIGHT? INSTALLATION OF THE, UH, OF THESE ASSETS.
THE, UM, YEAH, I'LL, I'LL BE FRANK WITH YOU.
I, I REPRESENT ROOFS ALL OVER SAN ANTONIO AND THEY'RE BEEP THE CRAP, UH, WITH, UH, HAIL DAMAGE FROM 20 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
UM, AND SO AS WE'RE DOING THAT ANALYSIS, I THINK IT, IT, IT'S PROBABLY IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO DO AN ANALYSIS THAT GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND WHETHER OR NOT IT'LL SUSTAIN THE WEIGHT OF THESE NEW MODULES AND THEIR RACKS AND THE INVERTERS AND ALL THAT.
BUT, UH, WHETHER OR NOT BEFORE YOU DO THE INSTALLATION, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, YOU KNOW, UH, REMEDIATION OF THE ROOF, CORRECT? RIGHT.
AND, UH, WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S EXISTING DAMAGE WITHIN STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, ANDY, UH, AND SO, UH, BECAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU'LL FIND IT.
UM, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, ANDY, YOU'LL, YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE A HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH BEN GOEL AND WITH OUR RISK MANAGER ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE CLAIM BEFORE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU ADD THIS TO THE ROOF, UH, IF I GET THE CHAT, SO THE OP, SO THERE'S A COUPLE WAYS
[02:35:01]
TO GO ABOUT IT.ONE IS WE INVEST, OR TWO IS JUST MAKING SURE THESE RESPONDENTS ARE CLEAR AND HAVE THE OP IF THEY WANT TO, WE INVEST AND, AND, AND REPLACE THE ROOF PRIOR TO, RIGHT? BUT THE, IT'S ALL DO THE ECONOMICS WORK.
SOMEBODY'S GONNA HAVE TO BEAR THAT BURDEN, RIGHT? BUT, BUT IT, IT, I MEAN, IT'S PART OF A LARGER CONVERSATION, RIGHT? I MEAN, HAVE WE DONE, I MEAN, I, I THINK IT'S BRILLIANT THAT WE'RE INDEXING FOR STREETLIGHTS.
UM, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S FANTASTIC.
BUT, UM, HAVE WE DONE AN INDEXING, ANDY OR OZZY OR ERIC, HAVE WE DONE AN INDEXING FOR A CONDITION OF ROOF? YOU KNOW, UM, I CAN CHECK, I CAN FOLLOW UP AND DAMAGE ARISING FROM STORM DAMAGES.
I CAN FOLLOW UP AND CHECK WITH, UM, JORGE.
AND SEE, JUST 'CAUSE IT'S, I BET YOU HE DOES.
IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A LARGER ISSUE.
UH, DOUG, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE SOLICITATION OF THE ISSUE THAT YOU BRING BEFORE COUNCIL.
IT'S A, IT'S A BIGGER ISSUE AS THE COUNCILMAN, UM, UH, MENTIONED.
AND WE WILL, WE'VE DONE A, AN ASSESSMENT OF A NUMBER OF DOWNTOWN ROOFS.
BUT, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, WITH THE, THE NUMBER OF FACILITIES WE HAVE, WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SHORE THAT UP.
UM, THE OTHER THING TOO IS, UM, AND THIS ONE'S, THIS ONE'S UP YOUR ALLEY, DOUG, UM, THE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABS AND THE, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, UM, YOU KNOW, PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER AND THEY, THEY DID SOME PROJECT CALLED, THIS IS IN 2011, CALLED THE SUNSHOT INITIATIVE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY REALIZED THAT FOR THE MOST PART, THESE, THESE, UH, MODULES CAN WITHSTAND THAT KIND OF, THAT KIND OF HIT.
BUT, UM, THE, UH, INSURANCE COMPANIES LIKE U S A A, THEIR ACTUARIES AND THEIR LOST DATA SHEETS ARE SHOWING EVERYBODY THAT, UM, THE SIZE OF THE HAIL IN SAN ANTONIO
AND, UM, THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THESE MANUFACTURERS DO NOT TEST FOR HAIL LARGER THAN THE MINIMAL SIZE THAT WILL RESULT IN, YOU KNOW, POSITIVE RESULTS FOR, YOU KNOW, UH, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I MEAN, THEY'LL BE LIKE, LOOK, THEY WITHSTAND INHALED, BUT THEY WON'T, THEY WON'T TEST FOR ANYTHING BIGGER THAN A CERTAIN SIZE, UM, BUT SOME DO.
RIGHT? UM, AND THEY'LL MAKE STURDIER, YOU KNOW, PANELS THAT, YOU KNOW, AND RACKS AND ALL THAT THAT'LL WITHSTAND, UM, THOSE HITS.
AND SO AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WHEN IT COMES TO THESE MODULES, CHEAPER, NOT BETTER.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AND THINNER ISN'T BETTER, AND THEY'LL TRY TO SELL YOU, YOU KNOW, DOUBLE-SIDED SUPER ULTRA THIN AND ALL THAT.
AND THOSE, THOSE ARE GREAT SO LONG AS NOTHING EVER TOUCHES THEM AND NO WIND BLOWS ON THEM, ET CETERA.
RIGHT? SO, I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD IDEA MM-HMM.
UH, AND SO WE, WE, I, YOU'LL FIND THAT IN SOME POLICIES AND IF WE'RE GONNA BE MAKING THIS MAJOR INVESTMENT OR IF WE'RE GONNA BE PARTNERS WITH SOMEBODY IN THIS MAJOR INVESTMENT, RIGHT? AND THAT ASSET GETS REALLY, REALLY DAMAGED, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT LEFT WITH HAIL DAMAGE ON OUR BALANCE SHEET, UM, WHEN IT SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AN INSURANCE COMPANY.
AND THEN, UM, LASTLY, UH, WE HAVE A, UM, IN FACT, WHAT I'VE BEEN SEEING ALSO IS THAT IF THEY DO INCLUDE HAIL IN THE POLICY, THEY'RE NOW INCREASING THE DEDUCTIBLE BY 20 TO 40%, RIGHT? WHICH COULD BE ENORMOUS, UH, FOR US.
AND SO I, I DON'T WANNA, I DON'T WANNA DO THAT.
AND THEN LASTLY, UM, I, I WILL SAY THAT IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE PANELS, UM, THERE'S THESE, AND MAYBE YOU AND I VISIT LATER, RIGHT? BUT THERE'S THE, UM, THERE'S THESE TRACKERS, RIGHT? THE TRACK, THE SUN AND ALL THAT, RIGHT? AND THE ONES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEING AS THAT JUST NEVER GET HURT ARE THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY ALLOW YOU TO MOVE THE MODULE.
SO IT'LL BE VERTICAL DURING A HAILSTORM SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE HITS JUST GLANCE OFF AS OPPOSED TO ACTUALLY TAKING FULL FACE HITS.
AND SO, UM, ANYWAY, I MEAN, CAN, CAN YOU TELL I'M, I'M INTO IT? YEAH, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE INTERESTING POINTS, I THINK.
I LOVE ROZY AND HIS TEAM, RIGHT? AND I LOVE YOUR TEAM AND ALL THAT, BUT I, YOU KNOW, THE SELECTION TEAM THAT WE'VE GOT PUT TOGETHER, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY TALKS THE LANGUAGE OF STORM DAMAGE, RIGHT? WHEN IT COMES TO THESE AMAZING MACHINES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PUTTING ON OUR ASSETS.
AND SO ANYWAY, THO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER PALAZ, COUNCIL MEMBER CURRY
[02:40:01]
YOU KNOW, I WAS NOTICING IN YOUR PRESENTATION THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE SAVING UP TO SIX TO 8% OF OUR ENERGY IF THE PROJECT IS SUCCESSFUL, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
BUT I PRESUME THAT IS SIMPLY BASED ON AN AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYLIGHT HOURS AND AN AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS PER YEAR THAT ARE SUNNY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, HAVE, HAVE WE ALSO CONSIDERED INVITING ANY OF THESE APPLICANTS TO TALK ABOUT STORAGE AND IF THEY CAN PROVIDE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME KIND OF STORAGE WITH THEIR, THEIR PROJECT TO HELP INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT WE COULD GENERATE? YEAH, WE, SO WE, WE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS INTERNALLY.
'CAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN WHILE WE'RE GOING OUT.
CAN WE PUT THAT OUT THERE? SOME OF THE FEEDBACK I GOT FROM OUR ADVISORS WAS, IT MAY ADD A LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY THAT WOULD, UM, THAT WOULD SLOW US DOWN.
I'M OPEN TO BRINGING IT UP AGAIN.
I MEAN TO, YOU KNOW, EVEN POSSIBLY LEAVING IT OUT AS AN OPTION.
UM, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO PROPOSE STORAGE, LET'S SEE HOW IT PENCILS OUT.
'CAUSE IT IS, IT IS A, IT WOULD REALLY SORT OF OPEN UP SOME OTHER SITES.
YOU KNOW, THERE, I'VE, I'VE HEARD OR SEEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE NEW BATTERY TYPES THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED THAT ARE MODULAR, THAT ARE NOT HUGE, BUT CAN BE SMALLER AND, AND MAYBE PUT IN A PARKING SPOT THAT COULD COLLECT AND THEN REGENERATE LATER, PUT IT BACK INTO THE SYSTEM, SAVE US SOME MORE MONEY.
SO I'D, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT AS PART OF WHAT WE OFFER, AS MAYBE YOU SAY IS AN OPTION.
I HEARD THIS IN COMMITTEE, SO THE ONLY THING I DIRECTION I WANNA GIVE YOU IS IN TERMS OF S BETA AS WE POINT THAT.
SO THAT'S NOTHING YOU HAVEN'T HEARD BEFORE, BUT I, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING, UH, THE CHANGES AND VOTING YES.
HOW, UH, JUST A FEW QUESTIONS HERE.
UM, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE IMPACT TO C P S IS.
AND WHAT, WHAT OBLIGATIONS ARE WE GONNA TAKE ON WITH THAT? WHAT'S THE COST? WHAT'S THE TOTAL COST? ARE WE, THAT'S WHAT WE GOT.
THAT'S BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING, WE GOTTA FIGURE ALL THAT OUT.
ARE, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING CAR CARPORTS OR, OR EXISTING CARPORTS? YOU KNOW, I, I WANNA SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE OF THIS BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER ON THIS.
UM, WE'RE, UM, THE, UH, SLIDE 16 ON THE, ON THE VOTING VERSUS NON-VOTING MEMBERS.
I'D REALLY WANT TO SEE THAT CHANGED.
I THINK C P SS NEEDS TO BE A VOTING MEMBER ON THIS.
THIS SOLICITATION AND NOT A NON-VOTING.
UH, I, I, I JUST WANNA SEE THAT, UH, THEY SHOULD HAVE A VOICE ON THIS THING.
UH, GREAT TIMELINE, UH, PROPOSAL TIMELINE.
I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR LONGER TIMELINES TO GIVE CONTRACTORS, UH, ENOUGH TIME TO PUT IN GOOD PROPOSALS, UH, WITH SUBCONTRACTORS, ON AND ON AND ON.
SO, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
BUT I'M, I'M REALLY CONS, I REALLY WANNA KNOW WHAT THE COSTS ARE ON THIS.
AND IF THERE ARE COSTS ASSOCIATED, HOW ARE WE GONNA PAY FOR THIS? THAT'S, WHERE'S THAT MONEY COMING FROM? AND COUNCILMAN THAT'S, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
I THINK MY MAIN GOAL FOR THIS IS TO, TO FIND OUT WHAT THE MARK CAN BRING TO US.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHEN WE NEED TO AGAIN, WORK WITH RUSSELL HUFF'S TEAM OVER AT PUBLIC UTILITIES, HIS TEAM WILL LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THOSE FINANCIAL MODELS TO MAKE SURE IT ACTUALLY IS LEGITIMATE.
UM, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE COST IMPLICATIONS, BUT WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL WE GET SOMETHING BACK FROM, FROM VENDORS.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING HOW MANY VENDORS ARE ACTUALLY GONNA RESPOND, BECAUSE THIS MIGHT BE A FIGMENT OF OUR IMAGINATION.
I THINK IT'S MORE THAN A FIGMENT
I MEAN, WE'RE STILL, SO THE CITY WILL STILL BE PURCHASING ELECTRICITY, UM, FROM, FROM, FROM THEM.
BUT IT'S ALL, HOW DOES, HOW DOES THEIR FINANCIAL, FINANCIAL MODEL WORK? AND IF THEY DON'T MAKE MONEY, OF COURSE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA GIVE IT AWAY.
WELL, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING ALL THIS BECAUSE, UH, JUST, AND I'LL DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS AND I'LL, I'LL PUT THIS IN FOR THE RECORD ALSO, IS, UH, THERE'S A REPORT OUT OF THE
[02:45:01]
SAN ANTONIO REPORT IS A COMMENTARY FROM A MR. WAN FAM.DO YOU KNOW HIM? HIS NAME'S FAMILIAR.
THINK WAS POWER WITH HE DEALS WITH SOLAR.
AND, UH, THE TITLE OF IT IS WHY C P S ENERGY NEEDS TO STOP SUBSIDIZING SOLAR.
AND I THINK ALL THE COUNCILS SHOULD, COULD, SHOULD SEE THIS BECAUSE THERE'S REAL CONSEQUENCES FOR C P S AND THE CITY INDIRECTLY, BECAUSE WE GET 14% OF C P SS, UH, REVENUE.
I'M HEARING THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF POSSIBILITIES AND OPTIONS, UM, AND THAT WE WANT TO BE FLEXIBLE SO THAT WE CAN GET THE MOST CREATIVE SOLUTION.
MY, MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT WHEN YOU COME BACK, UM, I GUESS THERE'S A, THERE'S A LOT OF SCENARIOS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COMPARE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.
THEY WON'T NECESSARILY BE APPLES TO APPLES.
SO, I, I JUST LIKE TO GET YOUR COMMENTS ON THAT.
ERIC, DO YOU, DO YOU WANNA WEIGH IN OR, YEAH, LET ME, UM, WELL, THAT'S THE, UM, WE, WE CAN HAVE, WE CAN SCHEDULE ANOTHER CONVERSATION ON THIS, THIS PRES SOLICITATION IF YOU'D LIKE, BUT THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE ROLE OF THIS.
AND I DON'T WANT TO COUNSEL TO FEEL PRESSURED.
UM, WE DO HAVE A TIMELINE, BUT, BUT WE CAN HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION.
THE, THE, ERIC, I'M, I'M SORRY.
I THINK IT WOULD BE A POSTS SOLICITATION BRIEFING.
WELL, BUT I THINK WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING IS WHAT, UH, A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT OUR OFFERS ARE.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR OFFERS ARE.
I, I'VE, I'M HEARING DIFFERENT THINGS FROM THE COUNCIL AND, AND SO I THINK IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE MAYBE, MAYBE BEHOOVE US AND I'LL MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT WE TAKE SOME OF THE THINGS WE HEARD TODAY, UM, KIND OF REVAMP AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE OUGHT TO LEAVE THIS SOLICITATION AS WIDE OPEN AS POSSIBLE AND NOT VERY PRESCRIPTIVE BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE COSTS ARE.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE.
STORAGE VERSUS SELL BACK TO, TO C P S AND, AND MAYBE TAKE A STEP BACK AND THEN BRING IT BACK.
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEING NARROWLY DEFINED IN THE SOLICITATION, BECAUSE THEN WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DICTATE THE MARKET.
AND, UH, DOUG'S POINT DURING THE PRESENTATION IS, WE'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE.
WE KNOW OTHER AGENCIES HAVE, SO WE'VE LEARNED A LITTLE BIT FROM THEM, BUT THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION.
THAT WAY YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE, UM, UH, WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE DON'T KNOW, UH, WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET AND, AND WE DON'T UNTIL WE GET THE SOLICITATION BACK.
ARE ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU WANT TO COME BACK BEFORE THE R F P GOES OUT? OR AFTER? BEFORE.
THIS MIGHT BE A LONGER CONVERSATION.
I THINK THAT THAT SETS US UP TO MAKE IT MORE PRESCRIPTIVE, NOT LESS, DOESN'T IT? NO, I, I I WANT IT TO BE WIDE OPEN TOO.
YEAH, I WOULD, I I WOULD ARGUE THAT WE WANNA MAKE IT, MY RECOMMENDATION IS WE MAKE IT VERY OPEN AND NOT PRESCRIPTIVE.
SO I THINK WE HAVE THE SAME GOAL.
IT'S JUST, I'M, I'M, I THINK WE'RE HEARING DIFFERENT THINGS UP HERE, SO IF WE NEED TO GATHER BACK UP AND COME BACK IN A WEEK OR TWO, THEN, THEN WE'LL DO THAT.
UH, IF THE, IF THE COUNCIL'S COMFORTABLE, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE DO PRES SOLICITATION BRIEFINGS.
MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S GENERALLY COMF COMFORTABLE.
WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF GOOD SUGGESTIONS ABOUT ADVI UH, UH, SCORING MEMBERS.
UM, AND, AND WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THESE BRIEFINGS.
UH, WITH ME, I GUESS MAYBE JUST MY, MY FINAL POINT WOULD BE THIS IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER R F P WE, WE TYPICALLY DO WHERE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU COME FORWARD WITH ONE RECOMMENDATION, RIGHT? AND, AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR SCORING MATRIX AND EVERYTHING'S APPLES TO APPLES.
IT'S, THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK FOR
I JUST DON'T SEE HOW THAT'S GONNA WORK FOR THIS R F P TO COME WITH ONE RECOMMENDATION AND AN APPLES TO APPLES MATRIX BECAUSE OF HOW FLEXIBLE WE WANT IT TO BE.
COUNCILMAN, I, I, I HEAR, I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
THERE MAY BE WILD, DIFFERENT, WILDLY DIFFERENT VALUE PROPOSITIONS.
YOU KNOW, THIS ONE'S GOT THE CHEAPEST AND I, I THINK SOMEBODY HAD MENTIONED THIS ONE'S GOT THE CHEAPEST PRICE POINT, BUT THIS ONE HAS ALL THESE OTHER REALLY GREAT THINGS.
SO I GUESS WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS WHEN, WHEN TO GET THAT FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL BEFORE STAFF, JUST MAKING THAT, THAT DECISION.
UM, BUT IF WE'RE, WELL, WE CAN TALK SOME MORE.
IF WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW UP THAT'S, WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION THEN.
AND MY ONLY, UM, COMMENT ON THAT, WE DO HAVE AN EXEC SESSION, WE'VE GOT A BREAK INTO RIGHT NOW, BUT MY ONLY COMMENT ON THAT
[02:50:01]
IS LET'S GET MOVINGUH, WE, WE'VE WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS R F P, SO IF WE HAVE TO WIDEN THE APERTURE AND DO A, A VALUE JUDGMENT ON THE BACK END OF THAT, THAT'S FINE WITH ME.
UM, I, I, LET ME, LET ME MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE IN A, WE'RE VERY INTENT ON THIS COUNT, ON THIS TIMELINE.
SO IS THE COUNCIL COMFORTABLE BASED ON THIS, THIS AFTERNOON'S CONVERSATION FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD? AND WE'LL DO INDIVIDUAL BRIEFINGS.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY AS WE GET INTO THE PROPOSAL PROCESS, WE'LL KNOW MORE, BUT, BUT IS THE COUNCIL COMFORTABLE WITH US MOVING FORWARD? I, I HAD, I HEARD NO OBJECTION TO THE TIMELINE.
UM, OTHER THAN SOME INPUT ON, ON THE R F P.
COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO GREEN LIGHT FROM DISTRICT ONE.
UM, DOUG, UH, CAN YOU ALSO JUST CHECK IN REAL QUICK WITH SAAS BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING, UH, VIA WAS HERE AND, AND WE WERE IN THE ESSAY TO DC TRIP.
I, I ALSO ACCOMPANIED SA TO SEVERAL MEETINGS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT, WERE GETTING FUNDING FOR THE EMERGENCY BACKUP GENERATORS FOR, UH, CRITICAL WATER PUMPS.
AND, BUT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO USE THOSE, THOSE EMERGENCY BACKUP GENERATORS ALSO FOR PEAKING TO HELP, UH, FIRM UP, UH, RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR THE DAYS WHEN THE SUN ISN'T SHINING WELL.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO WRITE THAT IN OR JUST MENTION THAT IN CASE ANYBODY HAS ANY CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THAT DISTRIBUTED NETWORK OF EMERGENCY BACKUP GENERATORS FOR THOSE WATER.
WE CAN, WE CAN FOLLOW UP COUNCILMAN, UH, THEIR C P S AND SAWS ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY ON THAT ISSUE.
I WOULD, AND WE'LL, I'LL TALK TO BOTH OF THEM TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE, BUT, BUT MY SUGGESTION IS WE DON'T COMPLICATE THIS R F P WITH THAT ISSUE.
'CAUSE THAT'S MUCH, LET'S GET IT OUT THE DOOR THEN.
[EXECUTIVE SESSION At any time during the meeting, the City Council may recess into executive session in the B Room to consult with the City Attorney's Office (Texas Government Code Section 551.071) and deliberate or discuss any of the following: ]
UH, WE DO HAVE A, A, UH, IMPORTANT EXECUTIVE SESSION.WE'LL BREAK INTO, I KNOW WE HAVE A 5:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT, SO WE'RE GONNA RECESS AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK IF YOU GUYS CAN HANG TIGHT.
THE TIME IS NOW 5:03 PM ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2022.
THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WILL NOW MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO SEC CHAPTER 5 5, 1 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE AND TO DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.087, THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ISSUES OR ADVICE RELATED TO CLICK TO BARGAINING LITIGATION INVOLVING THE CITY OR C OVID 19 PREPAREDNESS UNDER SECTION 5 5 1 0.071.
GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
WE ARE, UH, NOW COMING OUT ON EXECUTIVE SESSION.
IT'S NOW, UH, 1737, UH, PM UH, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2022, AND THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WILL NOW RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION.
NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
ANY EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM NOT REACHED OR COMPLETED TODAY, MAY BE CARRIED OVER ON THE THURSDAY, APRIL 7TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
TODAY'S MEETING IS NOW IN RECESS.