[00:00:03]
UM, WE'RE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL TO TAKE ROLE LATER 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM RIGHT NOW.
DO WE? YOU CAN TECHNICALLY START IT, START THE MEETING FOR BRIEFINGS ONLY, BUT, WE'LL, WE CAN DO, WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT.
'CAUSE YOU'RE, THERE'S NO ACTION.
SO NOW NO MINUTE TO, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE MINUTE VOTE LATER.
COUNCIL MEMBER, I MEAN, I'M SORRY.
COMMISSIONER JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ.
COUNCIL MEMBER MAKI RODRIGUEZ.
PRESENT, SIR, WE CAN BEGIN THE MEETING.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
ITEM.ACTUALLY, WE HAVE, UH, CASEY MADRID WITH THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
UM, I WANNA PREFACE HER PRESENTATION BY SAYING THAT WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP THAT, UM, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, UH, HAD, UH, IN PREPARATION FOR THE SA TO DC TRIP FOR THIS YEAR.
IT WAS WONDERFUL TO HEAR SO MANY WONDERFUL COMMENTS FROM THE AGENCIES POST TRIP ON THE GREAT COLLABORATION THAT SAN ANTONIO BROUGHT TO WASHINGTON DC.
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UH, CASEY WILL BE COMING UP AND PRESENTING A RECAP ON OUR TRIP ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR EXTENDING THE INVITATION TO PRESENT TO Y'ALL THIS AFTERNOON.
I WANNA PROVIDE JUST A VERY BRIEF RECAP OF THE TRIP AND THEN, UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER.
SO, WE VISITED DC UM, MARCH 27TH THROUGH THE 30TH.
UH, THIS IS JUST A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TRIP.
UM, THIS TRIP IS ORGANIZED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SAN ANTONIO HISPANIC CHAMBER, THE NORTH CHAMBER, AND THE SOUTH TEXAS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP.
AND I SEE MY OTHER PARTNER IN THE ROOM, VIC, WITH SAMCO.
WE'VE BEEN MAKING THIS TRIP TO DC FOR 40 YEARS, AND THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT TRIP FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND AS SALLY MENTIONED, WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE HAD HIGH ENGAGEMENT ON BOTH THE CITY AND COUNTY LEVEL.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS THAT MADE THE TIME TO JOIN US FOR THIS TRIP.
UM, IT WAS VERY, IT WAS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JONATHAN GURWITZ, WHO IS NOW PARTNER AT, UM, K G B TEXAS COMMUNICATION.
HE REALLY DID A FANTASTIC JOB OF LEADING OUR DELEGATION AND SECURING GREAT SPEAKERS TO SPEAK TO OUR GROUP, UM, AND SPEAK TO THE ISSUES THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR BUSINESS LEADERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
UM, THE LEADERSHIP TEAM, UM, THERE ARE 12 ISSUE TEAMS TOTAL, AND IT WAS CHAIRED BY TYLER SCHRADER OF BOEING, BRETT PIOT OF JUNGLE DISC.
HE, UH, CHAIRED CYBER CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WAS CHAIRED BY DR.
SEAN MICAH, AND SUPPORTED BY DEB CAL CALDWELL OF ANY I S D.
OUR ENERGY ISSUE TEAM WAS REPRESENTED, REPRESENTED BY, UH, C P S ENERGY WITH JULIA KOREA HAYES, AND CHRISTIAN KRUEGER HEALTHCARE AND BIOSCIENCE WAS LED BY JAMIE MANGELSDORF OF UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER.
SAN ANTONIO HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM HAD REPRESENTATION FROM SLA WITH MICHELLE MADSON.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE WAS SUPPORTED BY ROBERTO ESPINOZA OF NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL HOUSING WAS REPRESENTED BY SAHA, NADIA ISLAM.
MILITARY AFFAIRS WAS SUPPORTED BY RICK KREIDER WITH PORT SAN ANTONIO.
TRANSPORTATION WAS LED BY MELISSA MONTEM OF H N T B AND HEAVILY SUPPORTED BY VIC BOYER OF SAMCO.
SMALL BUSINESS WAS LED BY JEREMY ROBERTS AND WATER WAS LED BY EDUARDO PARRA AND, UH, CONSISTED OF PARTNERS FROM THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY AND SAWS.
WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED ATTENDEES JOIN US ON THIS TRIP.
WE HAD OVER 50 ISSUE TEAM MEETING, ISSUE TEAM MEETINGS.
IF YOU CONSIDER THE AGENCY VISITS, IT'S CLOSER TO 60, 70 MEETINGS TOTAL.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT FOUR YEARS, WE SECURED A VISIT WITH THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY.
THE MILITARY AFFAIRS TEAM HAD A DEF, UH, MEETING WITH DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY AND A PENTAGON AND A C C VISIT.
AND WE HEARD FROM PROGRAMMING PIECES THAT FOCUSED ON DIGITAL A ACCESS AND BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE.
UH, COUNCILMAN PALAIS GREATLY APPRECIATED YOUR UPDATE ON THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
FEDERAL PRIORITIES, WE HEARD FROM US CENSUS DIRECTOR ROBERTO SANTOS, AND WE HAD ADDRESSES FROM OUR BEXAR COUNTY CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, CHARLES SMALLS.
HE SPOKE TO OUR GROUP ABOUT ALL OF THE REALLY AMAZING AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AVAILABLE TO THE SAN ANTONIO BEAR COUNTY COMMUNITY.
AND IT WAS VERY NICE TO HAVE HIM IN THE ROOM AND MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF V'S.
UM, IT WAS A REALLY CRITICAL AND EXCITING UPDATE FOR US TO RECEIVE IN DC AND WE HAD A PANEL DISCUSSION ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WITH JAMIE FRANCIS OF THE US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WITH CITY MANAGER ERIC WALSH, MAKING REMARKS ON THE CONNECTION TO THE CITY'S ESSAY READY TO WORK PROGRAM.
I JUST INCLUDED SOME REALLY NICE PICTURES OF OUR GROUP.
UM, THIS IS MAYOR RON NUREMBERG AND
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SAN ANTONIO HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARINA GONZALEZ WITH AMBASSADOR ZUMA.I CANNOT, UH, EXPRESSED GRATITUDE ENOUGH FOR SHERRY DAWA.
HE'S HELP SECURING THE AMBASSADOR TO SPEAK TO OUR GROUP.
UM, REBE COMMISSIONER REBECCA CLAY FLORES WITH JONATHAN REITZ AND SAN ANTONIO, PRESIDENT SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER PRESIDENT C E O RICHARD PEREZ.
AND HERE ARE SOME OTHER GROUP PICTURES FROM THE EVENT.
UM, JUST THEY'RE REALLY GREAT PHOTOS OF THE GROUP AND JUST EXPRESS ALL THE EXCITEMENT TO BE TOGETHER IN THE ROOM.
SO WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
I DO WANNA JUST EXPRESS THAT EVERYBODY WAS REALLY EXCITED TO BE BACK IN DC THIS IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS FOR NEXT YEAR.
IF THERE ARE ANY VISITS THAT Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
WE WERE CAPPED FOR THE PENTAGON VISITS FOR ABOUT SIX ATTENDEES THIS YEAR, AND I THINK IT MIGHT INCREASE BACK TO 10 MOVING FORWARD.
AND IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU WANNA ATTEND, YOU'RE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO LET US KNOW.
UH, I THINK YOU CAPTURED ALL OF IT.
UH, AND I'LL JUST GO ON THE HORN.
COMMISSIONER, ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? UH, WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, IT WAS AN, UH, AN EXCELLENT TRIP AND I APPRECIATE ALL THAT WAS DONE.
HAVING BEEN ON SEVERAL OTHER TRIPS IN YEARS PAST, THIS WAS REALLY NICE, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, I REGRET NOT BEING ABLE TO GO, UM, BUT I AM GLAD THAT IT WAS, UH, FRUITFUL AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, FUTURE YEARS.
UM, THIS WAS RECEIVED POSITIVELY LAST TIME.
JUST WANNA REITERATE, UM, SORRY, I KNOW I SPEAK VERY QUIETLY.
UM, I WANNA REITERATE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, INVOLVEMENT FROM OTHER CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, INCLUDING, UM, BOTH AFRICAN AMERICAN AND BLACK CHAMBERS, AS WELL AS THE L G B T CHAMBER AND OTHER MINORITY, UH, BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, BUT THAT WAS RECEIVED WELL, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY SEEING THAT COLLABORATION IN THE FUTURE.
WE'RE ALL GOING AROUND MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, ESSAY TO DC OR ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ESSAY TO DC SUMMARY WE JUST RECEIVED.
AND YEAH, NO, UH, IT WAS A GREAT TRIP.
IT'S TWO DAD GUM COLDS FOR ME.
BUT, UH, OTHERWISE IT WAS GREAT AND REALLY ENJOYED IT.
UH, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO FOLLOWING UP ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT ACTIONS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AND, UH, OFFERING ANY HELP THAT I CAN, WHERE, WHEREVER I CAN.
SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.
AND, UH, IT WAS A, IT WAS A GOOD TRIP AND A LOT OF ACTIVITIES TO COME UP BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT TRIP.
AND I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT COUNCILMAN PERRY WAS THE HARDEST WORKING MEMBER OF THAT TRIP.
EVERYWHERE I LOOKED, HE WAS IN A MEETING AND I, I DIDN'T KNOW.
I THOUGHT THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE DOPPELGANGERS THAT LOOKED JUST LIKE HIM.
BUT, UH, YOU, YOU ATTENDED ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING AND MORE, UM, AND YOU'RE INDEFATIGABLE AND THANK YOU FOR COMING UP THERE.
AND, UH, AS ALWAYS, THE, UH, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER AND TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT IT'S BEEN TWO, THREE YEARS SINCE WE'VE DONE THIS TRIP, RIGHT? UH, BECAUSE OF COVID AND YOU GUYS BROUGHT IT BACK IN FULL FORCE.
UH, AND I KNOW THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO, UH, TO BRING, TO PUT ON THE FIRST ONE AND MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS AS GOOD, IF NOT BETTER, THAN THE VERY LAST ONE YOU GUYS HOSTED.
MY BEST TO RICHARD AND, AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM.
AND I DO WANNA SHARE THAT WE'LL HAVE A, A LENGTHY FOLLOW UP DOCUMENT REPORT TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE WITH ACTION ITEMS ALRIGHT.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN PALAS, I G R MEMBERS, SALLY BASTO, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
AFTER A BRIEF PAUSE OF STATE LEGISLATIVE WORK, WE ARE BACK IN FRONT OF YOU TO PREPARE, UM, SOME INFORMATION FOR YOU REGARDING THE 88TH STATE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM.
PART OF TODAY'S BRIEFING WILL INCLUDE THE INTERIM CHARGES THAT THE HOUSE AND SENATE THROUGH THE SPEAKER AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR HAVE BEEN FILED IN THE LAST MONTH OR SO.
THE BRIEFING WILL ALSO INCLUDE CITY RELATED CHARGES.
THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, TO US.
THESE ARE THE PRIORITY ITEMS THAT WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON IN DOING EXTENSIVE COLLABORATION WITH T M L, OTHER CITIES, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS HERE WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
THAT INCLUDES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, OF COORDINATION WITH OUR STATE, UH, CONSULTANTS AS WELL.
AND I WILL BE PROVIDING A RECAP OF THE SCHEDULED HEARINGS, A FEW THAT HAVE ALREADY TAKEN PLACE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO GET STARTED.
A QUICK LOOK OF THE CITY'S LEGISLATIVE, UH, DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE FOR THE 88TH PROGRAM.
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INTERNAL PROCESS LAST MONTH IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS TO TODAY.WE'RE IN FRONT OF YOU TO GAIN FROM YOU SOME INITIAL FEEDBACK FROM THIS COMMITTEE.
WE WILL BE BACK MULTIPLE TIMES, UH, THROUGH THIS COMMITTEE, OTHER COUNCIL COMMITTEES, AS WELL AS FULL COMMITTEE SESSIONS.
AND WE ALSO WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN FEEDBACK FROM YOU ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN MAY AND JUNE OF 2022 FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK AND ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS IF YOU SO WISH TO REQUEST THOSE.
WE PLAN TO BE BACK IN FRONT OF THIS COMMITTEE IN AUGUST OF 2022 WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF OUR 88TH LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND OUR CONSULTANTS.
WE'RE AIMING FOR A SEPTEMBER CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, THE INFORMATION FOR THAT PROPOSED 88TH PROGRAM, TAKING US INTO THE FALL IN OCTOBER, ADOPTION OF THE PROGRAM, AND A COUPLE OF KEY DATES PRE-FILING FIRST DATE NOVEMBER 14TH, AND THEN THE FIRST DAY OF SESSION IS JANUARY 10TH OF 23.
SO WE ARE ALREADY ON ALL CYLINDERS MOVING FORWARD AND, AND PREPARING THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, GIVES YOU A BREAKDOWN OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE INTERIM CHARGES THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED ON THE HOUSE SIDE.
THE SPEAKER ISSUED 156 INTERIM CHARGES.
THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR ISSUED 84 FOR A TOTAL OF 240 OF THOSE 240 30 PLUS ARE CITY RELATED.
ALLOW ME TO SAY THAT THESE WILL BE PRIORITY ISSUES THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT VERY CLOSELY.
MANY OF THEM ARE RETURNING ISSUES FROM THE PREVIOUS SESSION OR SESSIONS BEFORE.
AND THERE WILL BE EXTENSIVE COLLABORATION HAPPENING ON THESE, UH, FOR VERY CLOSE MONITORING AND TRACKING.
A QUICK LOOK OF THE CITY RELATED INTERIM CHARGES, UH, SOMETIMES DURING THIS INTERIM PERIOD, COMMITTEES LOOK CLOSELY AT PAST LEGISLATION.
THESE ARE THREE OF THEM RIGHT HERE.
HB FIVE, THE EXPANSION OF BROADBAND SERVICES.
THIS ESTABLISHED THE BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
UM, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THE B D O PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THEIR PROGRESS, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF B D O, UH, ADDITIONALLY, WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR PROGRESS WITH THEIR STATE PLAN, THEIR MAPS, AND OTHER ONGOING ACTIVITIES THAT THEY WILL BE, UM, OFFERING THROUGH THE B D O SB TWO TEXAS PROPERTY TAX REFORM.
THIS IS ALSO ONE, UM, THAT WAS FROM 2019, AND THIS IS THE ONE THAT YOU MAY RECALL LOWERED THE PROPERTY TAX FROM 8% TO 3.5.
SO THIS ONE IS ONE THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING VERY CLOSELY AT.
THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE WILL BE LOOKING AT THIS ONE.
I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT SOME OF THESE ISSUES WILL BE LOOKED AT BY VARIOUS COMMITTEES.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES LOOKING AT THESE IN PARTICULAR.
THEY WILL BE REVIEWING THE LEGISLATION, POSSIBLY LOOKING AT OTHER PATHS FOR PROPERTY TAX REFORM.
UM, THEY WILL ALSO BE LOOKING AT THE STATE, UM, TAX, UH, SURPLUSES TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, UH, PROPERTY TAXES AS WELL.
SO ONE THAT WE WILL BE COORDINATING CLOSELY WITH OUR DELEGATION, OUR PARTNERS AND OUR CONSULTANTS TO BE PREPARED FOR THIS ONE.
SO THIS ONE WE'LL BE KEEPING AN A VERY CLOSE EYE ON.
THIS ONE WAS ONE OF THE MOST DETRIMENTAL BILLS DURING LAST YEAR.
UM, AFTER A LOT OF ADVOCACY WORK FROM JEFF, THE TEAM CONSULTANTS IN MANY CITIES.
THIS WAS ONE THAT AS ORIGINALLY FILED, WOULD'VE DONE AWAY WITH THE ABILITY TO DO CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION.
SO THOSE CFOS, UM, ARE, ARE ONES THAT WE CARE VERY MUCH ABOUT, AND WE'RE GONNA WATCH THIS VERY CLOSELY BECAUSE THIS WILL BE AN ISSUE THAT WILL BE COMING BACK AS WELL.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT, OF COURSE, IS MAKING SURE THAT THE LIST OF A, OF PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT COVERED UNDER COS DOES NOT EXPAND.
UM, THE TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED THAT AS A POSSIBILITY THAT THAT LIST OF PROJECTS THAT, UM, ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CFOS DON'T EXPAND.
SO A LOT OF WORK WITH T M L IN OTHER CITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON TOP OF THIS ONE.
A FEW MORE CITY RELATED INTERIM CHARGES, LOCAL BALLOT LANGUAGE AND, AND BOND ELECTIONS.
THIS ONE WILL STUDY, UH, BALLOT LANGUAGE USED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND LOCAL BALLOT PROPOSITIONS.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY WILL RECOMMEND, UH, CHANGES TO MAKE BALLOT PROPOSITIONS.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT MAKING SURE THAT THESE ARE USER-FRIENDLY FOR VOTERS AND TO STUDY THE PROCESS, UM, SO THAT IT'S FAIR AND CONSISTENT.
[00:15:01]
ARE A COUPLE OF COMMITTEES THAT ARE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THAT SENATE LOCAL, UM, GOVERNMENT.SENATOR MENENDEZ IS VICE-CHAIR, SO WE'LL BE WORKING WITH HIM AND HIS STAFF ON THIS ONE.
HOUSE ELECTIONS WILL BE LOOKING AT THIS AS WELL.
THEY WILL ALSO BE LOOKING AT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MAY AND NOVEMBER, UM, ELECTIONS AND DETERMINING WHAT THE DIFFERENCE ARE, THE DIFFERENCES ARE BETWEEN HAVING A MAY AND A NOVEMBER ELECTION.
SO A LOT GOING ON WITH THE BALLOT AND LANGUAGE, UM, IN BOND ELECTIONS.
UH, THE TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYING, THAT ONE I'M SURE IS VERY FAMILIAR TO YOU.
THEY WILL BE STUDYING, UH, HOW GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES USE PUBLIC FUNDING FOR LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.
WHAT TYPE OF GOVERNMENT ENTITIES ACTUALLY USE PUBLIC FUNDING, UM, FOR LOBBYING? UM, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE HOUSE DID NOT INCLUDE TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYING IN THEIR INTERIM CHARGES.
SO THAT SPEAKS A LITTLE BIT TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY DON'T HAVE, UM, THE APPETITE FOR PURSUING THIS.
AND IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE LAST TWO SESSIONS, UM, THIS PARTICULAR BILL, UH, LEGISLATION DID NOT, IT FAILED IN THE HOUSE THE LAST TWO SESSIONS.
SO WE'LL WORK CLOSELY WITH T M L, OTHER CITIES, UM, AND OUR CONSULTANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY, UH, ON TOP OF THIS ONE VERY CLOSELY LAND USE ZONING RESTRICTIONS AND ANNEXATION.
IT'S GOING TO STUDY ETJ AND, UM, ANNEXATION AUTHORITY.
THIS ONE WILL ALSO BE SEEN BY SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SENATOR MENENDEZ.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THAT VERY CLOSELY AT AS WELL.
IN WORKING WITH HIS TEAM ON THE HOUSE LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SIDE OF THE HOUSE, THEY WILL BE STUDYING LAND USE REGULATIONS AND HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
SO AGAIN, TWO AREAS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING VERY CLOSELY AT.
WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH MARK CARMONA OF OUR HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT HE REMAINS ENGAGED AND WE COORDINATE ACCORDINGLY WITH HIM.
UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES IS ONE THAT'S GOING TO COME BACK.
CHAPTER THREE 80 AND 3 81 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE.
THIS IS RELATED TO INCENTIVES THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES ARE ABLE TO GIVE, UM, TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
UH, WHAT THE STATE'S GONNA BE LOOKING HERE THROUGH THE COMMITTEES IS ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER MODELS, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND ALSO LOOKING AT CONNECTIONS WITH INCENTIVES AND JOBS CREATION.
SO ALL TOPICS, UM, THAT ARE COMING OUT OF, OUT OF THIS PARTICULAR CHARGE THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT VERY CLOSELY.
UM, THE, I'M SORRY, THE, THE MUNICIPAL FEES, INSPECTIONS AND PERMITTING.
THIS ONE WAS A STUDY THAT WE HOSTED THE HEARING HERE, UM, IN THESE VERY CHAMBERS.
AND WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK, UH, WITH OUR DELEGATION TO BE ABLE TO, UH, PROVIDE INFORMATION TO LOOK AT THIS CLOSELY.
UM, THEY STUDY MUNICIPAL FEES IN ASSOCIATION WITH SERVICES TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT IT'S NOT A REVENUE MAKING PROCESS THAT THE CITIES AND ENTITIES HAVE.
UH, MORE LATER ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE IN REGARDS TO THE PARTICULAR HEARING, THE LOCAL USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS, THE STATE'S GONNA BE LOOKING AT HOW THE STATE IS USING CARES, ARPA BILL FUNDING, AND OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING.
THEY'RE ALSO GONNA TAKE A LOOK AT HOW LOCAL ENTITIES ARE UTILIZING THE FEDERAL RELIEF FUNDING THAT CAME, UM, TO THE LOCAL ENTITIES, AS WELL AS HOW THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE USING FEDERAL FUNDING AS WELL.
SO WE WILL BE TRACKING ALL FEDERAL FUNDING DISCUSSIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING DURING THESE, UH, STATE HEARINGS DURING THE INTERIM IMPACT OF INFLATION ON LOCAL USE OF GOVERNMENTS AND REVENUE COLLECTION.
UH, THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE IS LOOKING AT THIS ONE, AND THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT THE INFLATION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT'S REVENUE COLLECTION.
UH, THEY'LL ALSO BE LOOKING AT PROPERTY TAXPAYERS TAX BILLS AND HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS.
SO ALL VERY IMPORTANT, UM, ISSUES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TRACKING VERY CLOSELY AS WELL.
A QUICK LOOK AT ADDITIONAL CHARGES OF INTEREST.
UH, FIRST ONE IS VETERANS AFFAIRS.
THEY WILL BE STUDYING VETERANS BENEFITS, EMPLOYMENT, MENTAL HEALTH.
UM, AS A QUICK NOTE, GENERAL AYALA MET WITH SENATOR HANCOCK, UM, EARLIER THIS WEEK TO SPEAK ABOUT, UM, THE MILITARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOOTPRINT, DAG AND OTHER IMPORTANT MILITARY AFFAIRS ITEMS, UM, GENERALISTS HERE IF, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
UM, ANOTHER AREA IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THEY'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT OPTIONS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCING AS WELL AS, UH, HOMELESSNESS.
WE'RE COMMUNICATION, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, WITH MARK CARMONA TO
[00:20:01]
WORK IN TANDEM FOR ANY INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL AND HIGHLIGHT SAN ANTONIO'S PRIORITIES HERE.NO HEARING HAS BEEN SET HERE YET, BUT WE'RE TRACKING CLOSELY.
UM, THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO BE LOOKING AT WORKFORCE AND WORKFORCE, UM, REENTRY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
UH, THESE ARE VARIOUS ISSUES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN OUR PAST LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO LOOK AT VERY CLOSELY.
I'VE BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT THE INTERIM COORDINATION.
THIS EXTENDS TO OUR STATE CONSULTANTS, T M L, OUR BIG CITY LOBBY, UH, LOBBYIST CITIES, CITY DEPARTMENTS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, AND BIG CITY MAYORS.
THAT IS A PLATFORM THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAP INTO A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF MAYORS THAT THE, THE MAYOR CURRENTLY LEADS.
A QUICK LOOK HERE AT THE PAST HEARINGS I MENTIONED THE HOUSE URBAN AFFAIRS.
UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF COORDINATION HERE THAT HAPPENED WITH THE B C L, UH, AND T M L.
THEY SPECIFICALLY, UH, LOOKED AT WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE RESPONSE, UH, TO WEATHER EMERGENCIES.
OUR VERY OWN SAWS, UM, ATTENDED AND THEY, UH, TESTIFIED AS WELL AS, UH, SAW, UH, THE WATER, UH, ENTITIES FROM DALLAS, UM, AND HOUSTON, AND I BELIEVE ONE OTHER CITY AS WELL.
THEY ALSO LOOKED AT THE MUNICIPAL FEES, MOSTLY LOOKING AT, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, FEES AND PERMITS AND ASSOCIATED, UH, WITH THESE SERVICES.
COSTA WAS RECOGNIZED FOR BEING, UM, A GOOD STEWARD OF THEIR MUNICIPAL FEES AND HOW WE BALANCE THAT WITH, WITH THE REVENUES.
SO THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO HEAR, UH, FROM THE TESTIMONY THAT HAPPENED FROM THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION AND THE ASSOCIATION OF BUILDERS SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ON, UH, APRIL 20TH.
THAT ONE WAS, UH, ONE THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER REGARDING THE BOND ELECTIONS AND, AND BALLOT LANGUAGE.
THAT ONE WILL BE ONE, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT VERY CLOSELY.
UM, THE ENTITY THAT TESTIFIED AT THIS HEARING WAS THE TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION, UM, A CONSERVATIVE THINK TANK IN AUSTIN.
AND SO THIS ONE WILL BE A PRIORITY FOR SURE FOR 2023.
THIS WILL BE ONE THAT WILL BE PART OF OUR, OUR DEFENSE STRATEGY.
ANOTHER ONE HERE ON APRIL 20TH, THE HOUSE, UM, SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
UH, THIS ONE ALSO WAS ON THE 20TH, AND IT WAS LOOKING AT INCENTIVES AND JOBS CREATION.
THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE PROVIDED AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAJOR INCENTIVES AND PROGRAMS THAT EXIST AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND THEY WILL WORK, UM, TO PROVIDE, HOPEFULLY, OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE MORE COMPETITIVE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS ON THE 21ST HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS.
UH, THEY STUDIED ADDITIONAL WAYS TO PROVIDE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF AND POSSIBLY THE USE OF THE 3 BILLION FROM ARPA AND TAX RELIEF.
THESE ARE ADDITIONAL SCHEDULED HEARINGS.
APRIL 26 HOUSE SENATE AFFAIRS COORDINATION HERE WITH B C L AND T M L APRIL 26TH.
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION, MAY 4TH, SENATE FINANCE, MAY 17TH, SENATE FINANCE.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THESE VERY CLOSELY.
UM, A QUICK NOTE, THE ONE ON APRIL 26TH, HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS.
THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT BROADBAND HOUSE TRANSPORTATION, WILL BE LOOKING AT A LOT OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING COMING THROUGH BILL AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
UH, MAY 4TH, SENATE FINANCE WILL BE LOOKING AT INFLATION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND ON MAY 17TH, SENATE FINANCE, AGAIN, PROPERTY TAX RELIEF.
MR. CHAIRMAN, I G R MEMBERS, THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
UH, WE'LL, WE'LL GO AROUND THE HORN AND, UH, COUNCILMAN PERRY, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OBSERVATIONS, ANECDOTES? NO.
UM, AS FAR AS ANY ADDITIONAL ITEMS, SALLY, WHEN CAN WE START TALKING ABOUT ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO PUT ON OUR AGENDA? SURE.
SO WE WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR INPUT TODAY, COUNCILMAN THAT PRELIMINARY INPUT IS IMPORTANT TO US, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL.
WE CAN SCHEDULE ONE-ON-ONES WITH YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE, UH, UH, OPTIONS, UH, FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO GET FEEDBACK FROM YOU.
YEAH, THERE, THERE'S A COUPLE OF 'EM THAT I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OVER TIME, JEFF, ON THE, UH, PARTICULARLY ON THE DESIGN BUILD OPPORTUNITIES WE HAD THAT ONE THAT WE SUBMITTED, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS AGO, AND IT DIDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
I THINK WE NEED TO TRY THAT AGAIN.
UH, THE OTHER IS THE, UH, TAX CREDIT, UH, HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
UH, WE HAVE ISSUES EVERY YEAR WITH THE TIMING OF THAT PROGRAM.
THE STATE SEEMS TO TAKE FOREVER.
AND WE COM THEY COMPRESS OUR TIMELINE INTO SUCH A TIGHT, UM,
[00:25:02]
TIGHT TIMELINE THAT IT'S HARD TO GET OUR THINGS ACCOMPLISHED IN ORDER TO SEND UP A GOOD PACKAGE TO THE STATE.SO I THINK WE NEED TO SEE ABOUT WORKING, WORKING SOMETHING INTO THE AGENDA FOR THAT ITEM ALSO.
SO THOSE ARE TWO OF 'EM JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I KNOW THERE'S OTHERS THAT WE'VE TALKED OVER THE YEARS TO, UH, GET INTO OUR PACKAGE AS WELL.
SO, THAT'S IT FOR NOW, BUT, UH, YES, IF WE CAN GO BACK AND KIND OF, UH, RACK OUR BRAINS ON WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SINCE THE LAST TIME AND EVEN BEFORE THAT TO SEE IF WE SHOULD BE ADDING THAT TO OUR AGENDA ALSO.
COMMISSIONER, I HAVE NO QUESTIONS, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT PRESENTATION ON THIS TO SEE WHERE WE ARE ON THESE ISSUES.
UM, I DON'T HAVE TOO, UM, TOO MANY COMMENTS.
I DO LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, PROVIDING FEEDBACK BETWEEN MAY AND JUNE.
UM, I AM WONDERING, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE, I'M WONDERING IS THERE ANY LIMITATIONS OR HAS IT EVER BEEN EXPLORED, UM, ADDING REPRESENTATION FROM THE STATE LEVEL? OR IS IT, I WE HAVE CITY AND COUNTY REPRESENTATION.
I'M WONDERING, IS THERE, HAS THAT EVER BEEN EXPLORED? YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT REPRESENTATION AT STATE LEVEL.
WHAT EXACTLY? SO, UH, LIKE AS A MEMBER, AS A MEMBERSHIP FOR THE COMMITTEE, IS THAT A THING THAT'S POSSIBLE? COUNCILMAN, UM, EXCUSE ME, I'LL CHIME IN HERE.
THE, UM, OF COURSE, THIS COMMITTEE WAS, UH, CONSTITUTED BY THE MAYOR AS PART OF THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES.
I THINK IT WAS THE MAYOR'S DECISION ULTIMATELY TO MOVE THE CITY AND COUNTY TOGETHER.
I THINK THE PROBLEM WE WOULD RUN INTO WITH STATE REPRESENTATION IS WE'RE COMING UP AND REPORTING ON AND SEEKING DIRECTION ON BILLS THAT LEGISLATORS ARE FILING AND OR VOTING ON.
UM, BUT YOUR, I THINK YOUR POINT IS, UH, TO, TO HAVE THIS COMMITTEE BE INFORMED AND IN DIALOGUE WITH OUR MEMBERS, WHICH I, I THINK IS ABSOLUTELY ACHIEVABLE.
UH, WE TYPICALLY DO A FULL DELEGATION BRIEFING, UM, WITH THEM IN THE NOVEMBER TIMEFRAME BEFORE THEY GO INTO THE SESSION.
UM, AND RIGHT NOW, UM, UH, REPRESENTATIVE MARTINEZ FISHER IS CONVENING A GROUP OF THE DELEGATION TO MEET MONTHLY, ACTUALLY OVER AT CITY HALL.
THEY'RE USING, UH, OUR BRIEFING ROOM OVER THERE FOR A MONTHLY MEETING AMONGST THEMSELVES.
UM, WE COULD LOOK FOR SOME WAYS TO CONNECT THIS GROUP, THIS COMMITTEE WITH THAT GROUP AND, AND, AND FOSTER AN ONGOING DIALOGUE.
BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE PROBLEMATIC TO ACTUALLY PUT THEM ON THE COMMITTEE THAT ULTIMATELY IS GONNA BE TAKING ACTION ON OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS.
I WANT TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS THAT AT LEAST KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT, AND I THINK IT KEEPS YOU ALL UP AT NIGHT TOO.
THAT IS THE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE STUPEFY PERCENTAGES BY WHICH PROPERTY VALUES HAVE INCREASED STATEWIDE, THE LEGISLATURE IS GONNA BE PLACED UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
AND IN THE PAST, THIS LEGISLATURE HAS EXCELLED AT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT TAXES BY MAKING US
AND SO THEY, THEY VERY KINDLY TIGHTEN OURS.
UM, THAT HAS ME WORRIED, RIGHT? AND SO AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROPERTY TAX REFORM, UM, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE SET THE TONE HERE, THAT THEY ALWAYS HAVE THEIR KNIVES SHARPENED FOR COUNTIES AND CITIES, BUT NOT FOR STATE PROJECTS.
RIGHT? THE SECOND THING THAT WORRIES ME IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I HAVE A FEELING THAT, UM, IT WORRIES C P S ENERGY AS WELL, AND THAT IS THAT THERE'S SOME FOLKS UP THERE THAT WOULD LOVE TO SEE US DIVESTED OF A C P S AND BRING IN MULTIPLE COMPANIES IN HERE TO, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, YOU KNOW, PROFIT OFF OUR CUSTOMERS AND NOT LEAVE ANY OF THAT PROFIT BEHIND.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I, I, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE COORDINATION THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH C P S GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA IS ALIGNED WITH OURS.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD THING IS, WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT IT A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND THAT IS AN EASTWEST CORRIDOR FOR VIA.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE CAN BE A FORCE MULTIPLIER IN MAKING SURE THAT VIA IS, UH, MESSAGES ARE GETTING COMMUNICATED UP THERE BY OUR LOBBYISTS AS WELL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT.
AND THEN MY, MY OTHER FEAR IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, THEY ATTEMPT IT EVERY YEAR, BUT, YOU KNOW, AND IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME IF THE HOUSE DECIDED TO SAY, OKAY, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD THING TO DO THIS PROHIBITION ON LOBBYING, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE, IT'S A SCARY PROPOSITION, BUT TWO, IT COULD BE WORSE
[00:30:01]
IF, IF LOBBYING WAS DEFINED AS ANY AND ALL LOBBYING AT ALL LEVELS, RIGHT? SO PROHIBITING US FROM GOING AND LOBBYING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I, WE DO NEED A PLAN IN PLACE IF THIS GETS TO THE POINT WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT HAPPEN AS FAR AS HOW WE ARE GONNA RESPOND INTERNALLY TO, TO, TO THE POSSIBILITY OF NOT BEING ALLOWED TO TELL THE SAN ANTONIO STORY IN, IN AUSTIN, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE BRING THAT OPERATION IN HOUSE.UH, BUT A ANYWAY, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK ON THAT, BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT KEEP, KEEP ME UP, COUNCILMAN.
PROPERTY TAXES IS, UH, TOP OF EVERYBODY'S, UH, CONCERNS RIGHT NOW.
AND IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THE STATE DOES, BUT, UM, WE NEED TO BE IN TUNE TO WHAT THAT IS.
AND I, I, I LOOK BACK AT MY TIME ON THE I G R HERE, AND I REMEMBER ONE TIME THAT WE DID GET TOGETHER WITH OUR DELEGATION.
IT WAS, UH, I THINK IN THE FROST TOWER, UH, WAY BACK WHEN.
AND, UH, UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT NOT JUST TO GIVE ONE WAY FEEDBACK TO THEM ON WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE, BUT LISTEN TO THEM ALSO ON WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE FOR THE REGION.
AND, AND IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, IT WAS MORE OF A ONE-WAY DIALOGUE LAST TIME.
AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE IT BOTH WHERE WE CAN SIT DOWN AND, UH, HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD DISCUSSIONS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, BOTH IN WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AL ALSO, AND MAYBE THERE'S SOME PLACES THAT WE MEET IN BETWEEN, SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU SAID, POSSIBLY IN NOVEMBER SOMETIME YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT THAT WE ARE OFTEN PRESENTING TO THEM IN THAT MEETING IN NOVEMBER.
AND, AND THEY'RE DOING THAT WITH A LOT OF OTHER ENTITIES IN TOWN WHO HAVE ESTABLISHED LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS.
THAT'S OUR OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEF THEM ON WHAT OUR AGENDA IS.
UM, BUT TO YOUR POINT, UH, THERE'S NOTHING THAT WOULD STOP US FROM SCHEDULING SOMETHING WITH THEM OVER THE SUMMER AND HAVING A MORE INFORMAL BACK AND FORTH DIALOGUE ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT.
I THAT COULD BE VERY, I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE THAT.
AND, AND TO YOUR POINT, SIR, ABOUT C P S GETTING OUR, KNOWING WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS GOING TO THE LEGISLATURE WITH, ESPECIALLY WITH C P S AND SAW SINCE WE OWN THOSE ENTITIES AND, AND, UM, MAKING SURE WE'RE COORDINATING BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND OURSELVES ALSO ON WHAT'S GOING FORWARD.
SO YEAH, THAT, THAT, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN.
NOW, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS, WE'RE GONNA BE PIVOTING OVER TO THE FEDERAL SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
I CAN GET THAT PRESENTATION UP HERE SHORTLY.
TODAY'S PRESENTATION, UM, WILL ENCOMPASS A FEDERAL UPDATE ON THE BILL OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE COME TO FRUITION OR THAT ARE, UM, NEARLY COMING TO FRUITION AS FAR AS AVAILABILITY.
THERE ARE VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE COMING IN Q.
THE FIRST ONE IS A MULTIMODAL PROJECT, DISCRETIONARY GRANT OPPORTUNITY.
UM, IT'S A VERY LARGE D O T OPPORTUNITY THAT'S BEEN PULLED TOGETHER BY D O T, THAT INCLUDES MEGA INFRA AND RURAL.
THESE ARE PRIMARILY LARGE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE GRANT, UH, PROJECTS.
UM, THAT WILL TIE IN BRIDGES, HIGHWAYS, RAIL, TRANSIT, AGAIN, OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.
ONE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS WELL IS SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL WEATHER STATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
AND I WILL BE GOING INTO A FEW MORE DETAILS ON THESE HERE MOMENTARILY.
THE NEXT PART OF THE PRESENTATION WILL ENCOMPASS THE F Y 23 COMMUNITY FUND FUNDING PROJECTS.
THIS IS, UM, THE OLD EARMARK PROCESS THAT CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS HAVE IN PLACE THROUGH THEIR HOUSE AND SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES.
A QUICK LOOK AT INFRA IN MEGA AND RURAL.
THIS IS, AGAIN, A COMBINED NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY.
THESE ARE THE THREE GRANTS FOR MEGA.
THERE'S 1 BILLION AVAILABLE PER PROJECTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR HIGHWAYS, BRIDGES, TRANSIT INFRA IS 1.5 BILLION FOR PROJECTS, AGAIN, OF REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.
UH, AGAIN, THOSE ARE MAJOR RAIL FREIGHT PASSENGER HIGHWAYS, BRIDGES.
THE NEXT PIECE IS RURAL 300 MILLION AVAILABLE TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, SPECIFICALLY IN RURAL AREAS.
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE MAY 23RD.
[00:35:01]
A VERY QUICK, UH, TURNAROUND.D O T UM, PURPOSELY PUTS VERY SHORT TURNAROUND PERIODS ON THESE BECAUSE THEY WANNA TRY TO WEEDED OUT, UM, FEWER OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS, UH, ENTITIES TO SUBMIT.
SO INSTEAD OF HAVING 200 APPLICATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY'LL GET LESS.
AND SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE STATUTE LIMITATIONS, UM, ON WHEN THESE AWARDS NEED TO BE MADE.
SO THE FEWER APPLICATIONS THEY HAVE, THE, THE SHORTER THEIR REVIEW IS.
WE HAD A PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION WITH TEXT.
A LOT OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES, YOU MUST, YOU MUST DEMONSTRATE A LOT OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND COORDINATION.
SO WE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH TDOT TODAY.
UM, THEY ARE LOOKING AT THREE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS BECAUSE THEY ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THEY INFORMED US THAT NONE ARE IN SAN ANTONIO.
ONE OF 'EM IS IN THE DALLAS AREA, ONE OF THEM IS IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UH, ANOTHER ONE IN A RURAL, UM, AREA OF THE STATE.
UH, WE DID TALK TO THEM ABOUT, UM, THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF, OF ONGOING DIALOGUE WITH THEM.
KEEP IN MIND THAT MEGA INFRA, THIS IS YEAR ONE.
THERE ARE FIVE YEARS WORTH OF THESE.
SO WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS, UM, SAMCO INCLUDED, TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN WORK WITH OUR M P O AND TXDOT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SAN ANTONIO CONSIDERED IN FUTURE APPLICATIONS.
THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL.
THIS IS PRIMARILY YOUR VISION, UH, ZERO PROJECTS.
UM, ESSENTIALLY IT FOCUSES ON PREVENTING DEATH AND SERIOUS INJURY ON INJURIES ON ROADS AND STREETS.
IT'S $5 BILLION OVER AGAIN, OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
WE'RE EXPECTING THE NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN UP IN MAY.
SO TAMIKA MONVILLE, OUR TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, UM, IS, IS WORKING, UM, TO PO IDENTIFY SOME POSSIBLE VIABLE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, THIS IS AN AREA THAT'S VERY ROBUST FOR OUR TRANSPORTATION TEAM.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT POSSIBLE PROJECTS FOR, FOR THIS GRANT IN THE COMING WEEKS.
WE'RE WAITING FOR THE GUIDANCE THAT WILL DETERMINE ALL THE PARAMETERS AND THE GUARDRAILS FOR THAT.
SO WE'LL BE DOING AN ANALYSIS OF THE GUIDANCE ONCE IT'S RELEASED BY D O T.
CAN I JUMP IN REAL QUICK? UH, CHAIRMAN AND COMMITTEE, I JUST WANT TO, UH, MAKE THE POINT IN CASE IT'S LOST HERE.
THAT LAST SLIDE TALKED ABOUT A DEADLINE FOR THE APPLICATIONS IN MAY, RIGHT? MAY 23RD.
THIS IS THE RELEASE OF THE NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY IN MAY.
SO THERE'S A MUCH LONGER, SLIGHTLY LONGER TIMELINE ON THIS ONE.
WE'VE TALKED WITH TAMIKA AND, AND PROJECTS THAT ULTIMATELY HER DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS WOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
WE WOULD UPDATE YOU AGAIN AT A FUTURE MEETING BEFORE ANY OF THOSE GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE SUBMITTED.
SO I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO THINK THEY'RE BOTH DUE IN MAY.
UH, THE WEATHER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OR WAP, THIS IS FUNDING TO INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN HOMES, UM, ELIGIBLE.
UM, AND, UH, INDIVIDUALS ARE LOW INCOME.
THEY HAVE TO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA.
THERE'S 3.5 BILLION AVAILABLE TO THE STATE.
THE ALLOCATION TO THE STATE OF TEXAS IS $173 MILLION.
SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A PROGRAM THAT'S GONNA BE MANAGED AND RUN, UM, BY THE STATE.
UM, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF GUIDANCE THAT HAS BEEN, UM, RELEASED IN, UM, DIANE WRATH, UH, FROM ACOG HAS BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A COUPLE OF, UM, COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE STATE AND T D H C A, AND SHE'S WORKING ON GETTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
THE STATE APPLICATIONS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE DUE JULY ONE.
WE'RE GONNA BE TRACKING THESE CLOSELY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM THE FEDERAL AGENCIES IS UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE A STATE IS UNABLE OR CHOOSES NOT TO SUBMIT A STATE PLAN FOR THE ALLOCATION THAT HAS BEEN DETERMINED, THAT'S COMING TO THAT STATE, THAT THROUGH SOME PROGRAMS, OPENS UP THE POSSIBILITY FOR LOCALS TO APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FEDS.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING VERY CLOSELY IF THAT GUIDANCE IS PART OF THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO HOPEFULLY PIVOT AND, AND LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHICH LOCAL ENTITIES, INCLUDING THE CITY, COULD POTENTIALLY GO AFTER WEATHERIZATION, UM, UH, GRANTS, UM, UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
SO AS THE FEDERAL GUIDANCE IS COMING OUT, AS JEFF MENTIONED, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE TRACKING THIS VERY CLOSELY.
[00:40:01]
WE DIGEST IT, DETERMINE WHAT THE PARAMETERS, THE GUIDELINES, THE PRIORITIES OF THAT PROGRAM IS.WE'RE DOING THIS IN COORDINATION WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS, IT'LL BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT COMPETING WITH, WITH EACH OTHER ON THESE APPLICATIONS, AND MAKING SURE THAT, UM, SAN ANTONIO REGION APPLICATIONS THAT ARE GOING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UM, ARE FULLY SUPPORTED ACROSS, UM, A LARGE SPECTRUM OF PARTNERS.
A REVIEW OF POSSIBLE PROJECTS IS ALSO PART OF OUR NEXT STEPS, AND THAT WILL BE HAPPENING THROUGH, UM, THE COORDINATION WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS AND PARTNERS AS WELL.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL COUNCIL INPUT.
UM, THIS IS HAPPENING OF COURSE, THROUGH THE I G R COMMITTEE.
WE'LL BE BACK IN FRONT OF YOU.
WE'LL ALSO BE, UH, PRESENTING THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR TRANSPORTATION TEAM, UH, TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE OF ANY OPPORTUNITIES OR PROJECTS IDENTIFIED.
WE'RE LOOKING TOWARD A JUNE, UH, B SESSION FOR THE FULL COUNCIL.
AND, UM, IF NEEDED, WE'LL BE GOING TO THE MUNICIPAL UTILITIES COMMITTEE TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE WEATHERIZATION OPPORTUNITIES.
SO, UH, VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR COUNCIL INPUT.
AND WE ALSO WELCOME, OF COURSE, YOUR INDIVIDUAL INPUT.
UM, AND WE CAN MEET WITH YOU, UM, TO DISCUSS THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL.
HERE'S A QUICK UPCOMING GRANT FORECAST.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE AND JUST GIVE YOU A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT IS, UM, TO COME.
THE FIRST ONE HERE, UH, IN MAY IS THE BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM.
THIS WAS ONE THAT WAS MENTIONED, UM, BY TXDOT EARLIER.
UM, ON OUR CALL, THIS IS PRIMARILY TO FOCUS ON THE REHAB AND PRESERVATION OF BRIDGES, UM, THAT ARE ON THE NATIONAL BRIDGE INVENTORY LIST.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE RAILROAD CROSSING ELIMINATION AND THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES.
THESE ARE TWO THAT HAVE BEEN CONSTANTLY MENTIONED BY THE ADMINISTRATION.
UM, AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO APPLY, UH, THE RAILROAD CROSSING BASICALLY ELIMINATES HAZARD, UH, AT RAILROAD CROSSINGS.
AND THEN THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES REMOVES BARRIERS THAT HIGHWAYS HAVE CREATED, UH, TO SEPARATE THE COMMUNITIES FOR FROM, FROM ACCESS.
IN THE SUMMER, WE'RE LOOKING AT A FEW MORE.
UM, THE NATIONAL CULVERT REMOVAL, THE CONSOLIDATED RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE, THE STRENGTHENING MILITARY MOBILITY.
AND, UM, THIS IS THE SMART GRANT PROGRAM.
THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A SMART CITIES, UM, WHERE IT'LL LOOK AT TECHNOLOGIES FOR INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.
SO MORE ON THESE AS, UM, THEY COME ONLINE.
MOST OF THESE, I THINK ALL OF THEM ARE COMPETITIVE.
AND SO WE'LL BE, UM, ASSESSING THOSE GUIDELINES WHEN THEY'RE RELEASED.
ONTO THE NEXT PART OF THIS PRESENTATION.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE OVERVIEW, THE COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING REQUESTS BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, UM, IN THE PAST WERE CALLED EARMARKS, UM, OR CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED FUNDING.
IN 2021 WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE HOUSE AND SENATE DECIDED TO BRING BACK THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS TO SUBMIT PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE TO DETERMINE, MEET ALL THE CRITERIA THAT THE HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES HAVE HAVE DETERMINED.
THERE'S A MAXIMUM OF 1% OF THE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING AVAILABLE, UM, FOR THESE COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDINGS.
ALL THIS MEAN IS THAT EACH, EACH HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE HAVE A CERTAIN BUDGET, AND ONLY 1% OF THAT BUDGET CAN BE UTILIZED FOR THESE COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING REQUESTS.
THERE IS A VERY FAST TURNAROUND TIMELINE.
ULTIMATELY, THE TOTAL TIMELINE IS ABOUT A MONTH, BUT THAT INCLUDES THE TIME THAT THE CONGRESSIONAL MEMBER TAKES TO ASSESS, RANK, EVALUATE, AND HAVE COMMUNICATION WITH THE POSSIBLE ENTITIES THAT ARE SUBMITTING FOR US.
THE ONES THAT ARE SUBMITTING, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT AN AVERAGE A TWO WEEK TIME TURNAROUND.
SO YOU HAVE TO, UM, QUICKLY ASSESS THE GUIDANCE THAT IS RELEASED BY THE COMMITTEES AND ALSO BY THE MEMBER.
THE GUIDANCE FROM LAST YEAR CHANGED FROM THIS YEAR, SO WE HAD TO QUICKLY HA GO IN AND, AND, AND DIGEST THAT INFORMATION.
THE MEMBERS ARE LIMITED TO 15 REQUESTS.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS IS UP FIVE.
LAST YEAR, THEY COULD ONLY SUBMIT 15.
UH, THE MEMBERS ALSO HAVE TO RANK AND IDENTIFY THEIR TOP PRIORITIES.
AND MANY TIMES THEY DON'T ALWAYS GET ALL THEIR 10 LAST YEAR, ALL THEIR 15 THIS YEAR.
SO IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, OF COURSE, UM, HOW THE MEMBERS WILL RANK.
ALL THAT INFORMATION WILL BE MADE PUBLIC.
THIS IS A VERY TRANSPARENT PROCESS, AND THEY'RE REQUIRED TO PUT ALL THEIR REQUESTS THAT THEY ACTUALLY SUBMIT AND RANK ON THEIR MEMBER WEBSITES.
[00:45:01]
MUST HAVE STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT.IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THIS IS A PROJECT, UM, THAT IS SUPPORTED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC BUSINESS, UM, AND OTHER PARTNERS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO COORDINATE, UM, ON, ON THE SUBMISSION OF THESE BY DEMONSTRATING STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
UM, A VERY IMPORTANT POINT HERE IS A PROJECTS MUST BE COMPLETED IN 12 MONTHS.
SO THESE ARE NOT YOUR LARGE BUCKET MULTI-YEAR PROJECTS.
THEY HAVE TO BE PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE ON THE SHELF, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT MEET VERY SPECIFIC ACCOUNT CRITERIA.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO MENTION IS THAT THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES DO NOT USE ALL THEIR FUNDING BUCKETS, ALL THEIR AVAILABLE BUCKETS THAT FALL, THAT FUND ALL THE AGENCIES, THEY HAVE VERY SPECIFIC ACCOUNTS AND PARAMETERS, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO TWEAK THOSE.
SO IN, UM, THE NEXT SLIDES, I WILL BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON THESE.
SO THESE ARE THE THREE PROJECTS THAT WE ULTIMATELY SUBMITTED TO OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION.
THE FIRST ONE IS, UH, ESSAY READY TO WORK.
THIS IS A MILITARY COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY EXPANSION.
THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A, A, UM, PILOT PER SE OR EXPANSION OF ESSAY READY TO WORK THAT WILL FOCUS ON PROVIDING WORKFORCE AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO MILITARY MEMBERS AND THEIR SPOUSES.
THE REQUEST IS FOR 2 MILLION, AND WE SUBMITTED THAT TO CONGRESSMAN UM GONZALEZ THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE TEAM.
THE NEXT ONE, OUR AIRPORT SUBMITTED FOR ELECTRIC BUSES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS IS ESSENTIALLY TO PURCHASE THREE, UM, BUSES WITH ELECTRIFICATION AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT COMES WITH IT.
IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO DEMONSTRATE THE, THE HUMAN SIDE OF THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS CLEAR THAT THIS PROJECT WAS PART OF, UM, A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS LIST THAT THE AIRPORT HAS HAD IN PLACE.
AND THE REQUEST, UM, IS FOR $1.5 MILLION SUBMITTED TO CONGRESSMAN CASTRO.
AND THE FINAL ONE IS A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION TRIPLE P PARENTING PROGRAM.
UM, THIS WAS A GUARDIAN HOUSE LEAD REQUEST THAT WE SUBMITTED AS WELL TO CONGRESSMAN CASTRO REQUESTING $500,000.
UM, THE TRIPLE P PARENTING PROGRAM IS A NATIONAL MODEL, UM, THAT OUR METRO HEALTH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION TEAM, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER PARTNERS, INCLUDING GUARDIAN HOUSE USE, UM, TO PROVIDE POSITIVE, UH, PARENTING, UM, CLASSES AND INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PREVENT AND, UH, COMBAT DOMESTIC, UH, VIOLENCE ISSUES.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT, WHAT WE KNOW NOW IS THAT OUR CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS WILL BE LOOKING AT ALL THE SUBMISSIONS THAT THEY RECEIVED FROM ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
KEEPING IN MIND THAT SOME OF OUR CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS, UM, HAVE, UH, JURISDICTIONS OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, THESE ARE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE REQUESTS.
AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO RANK THEM SUBMITTING TO THE MEMBER DOESN'T GUARANTEE FUNDING.
UM, FOR THE MANY PARAMETERS, YOU KNOW, THAT EXIST, THEY HAVE TO RANK THEM.
UH, AT ULTIMATELY THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES NEED TO DETERMINE HOW MANY MEMBERS SUBMITTED, HOW MANY PROJECTS, UM, WERE SUBMITTED, AND HOW MUCH MONEY IS WITHIN THAT 1%, UM, THAT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE TO, TO SUBMIT FOR, FOR THEIR 1% CAP.
A COUPLE MORE PROJECTS THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT TO YOU, JUST A QUICK LOOK.
UH, C P S ENERGY SUBMITTED A $2 MILLION REQUEST FOR THEIR CASA VERDE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM THAT WAS SUBMITTED TO CONGRESSMAN KUER, UH, ADDITIONAL REQUESTS IN, UH, FOR $2 MILLION FOR THEIR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.
AND THEN, UH, THAT WAS SUBMITTED FOR CONGRESSMAN CASTRO SAWS ALSO SUBMITTED A COUPLE OF REQUESTS, 2 MILLION FOR BACKUP GENERATORS.
UM, THEY TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND THEY SUBMITTED, UH, TO THE THREE MEMBERS, AND IT'LL DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHICH MEMBERS IS GOING TO SUBMIT, FOR EXAMPLE, OR IF THEY ALL DO, IT'S ULTIMATELY UP TO THEM.
AND THEN A SECOND FUNDING REQUEST FOR MITCHELL LAKE WETLANDS.
THAT WAS SUBMITTED AS WELL TO CASTRO, UH, QUAY, UM, AND GONZALEZ IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, I HEARD THAT THE MEMBERS WERE RANKING THESE PROJECTS.
UM, THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE IS REQUIRING MEMBERS TO NOT POST ANYTHING ON THEIR WEBSITE FOR 15 DAYS.
SO NEXT WEEK WHEN THE MEMBERS SUBMIT THEIR RANKINGS, WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO WAIT A FEW MORE DAYS BEFORE WE'RE ABLE TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE RESULTS OF THESE ARE.
UM, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO POINT OUT THAT BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY FAST TURNAROUND PROCESS, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROJECTS WERE COMING FROM EXISTING COUNCIL APPROVED OR KEY COMMUNITY, UM, INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS SUCH AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION, UM, THROUGH THE DOMESTIC, UH, VIOLENCE COMMISSION, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT SUPPORTS, UM, THESE TYPE
[00:50:01]
OF, OF PROJECTS FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION.SO BECAUSE IT'S A VERY FAST TURNAROUND, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T TRY TO FIND NEW PROJECTS BECAUSE THE MEMBER HAS TO BE ABLE TO DEFEND THEM AND THEN PROVIDE STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
SO, UM, THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION ON THE FEDERAL SIDE.
I AM HOPING FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, I'LL START OFF WITH, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL MM-HMM.
AND I'M WONDERING, UM, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE WAITING FOR MORE GUIDELINES AND INFORMATION, BUT DO WE BELIEVE THAT THAT MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, LEVERAGE FUNDS TO ADVANCE REPAIRS ON F STREETS? UM, AND WOULD IT ALSO, WOULD IT ALSO POSSIBLY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE STREET LIGHTING, THINGS LIKE THAT? SO THERE IS A POSSIBILITY.
WE DON'T HAVE THE FULL PARAMETERS OF THIS.
WE HAVE, UM, SOME AREAS OF ELIGIBLE EXPENDITURES.
I'M NOT SURE IF, IF TAMIKA'S HERE, SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON THAT ONE.
COUNCILMAN TAMIKA MINORVILLE, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION.
SO AS YOU RECALL LAST WEEK, WE DISCUSSED THE EIGHT CORRIDORS THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED AS HAVING SEVERE PEDESTRIAN INJURIES.
WE THINK THAT IS THE MOST IDEAL TO MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY IDENTIFIED THAT FROM THE 2020 SPE A REPORT, SEVERE PEDESTRIAN INJURY REPORTS.
AND SO LAST BUDGET SEASON, WE TOOK THOSE EIGHT CORRIDORS AND IDENTIFIED LOCATIONS FOR MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THEM.
THE $5.2 MILLION WE HAVE NOW ARE BEING USED FOR PLANNING AND DESIGN.
$7 MILLION WILL HELP US COMPLETE THESE MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS.
SO WE BELIEVE THAT IS THE MOST COMPETITIVE RIGHT NOW, NOT KNOWING WHAT THE CRITERIA WILL BE.
AND OVER THESE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS OF THIS OPPORTUNITY, WE WILL WORK WITH YOU ALL THROUGH THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE TO IDENTIFY THOSE OTHER AREAS AND WE CAN FOCUS ON SAFETY.
WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS IN PUBLIC WORKS TO IDENTIFY HOW WE INTEGRATE VISION ZERO SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
BUT I THINK OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE TAKING THE DATA THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AND IDENTIFYING THOSE HOTSPOTS WHERE SAFETY LIGHTING ARE THE PRIORITY.
BUT WE WILL LOOK TO THIS BODY TO GUIDE US IN THAT.
BUT WE DO HAVE INFORMATION AND DATA THAT WE CAN, WE THINK WILL BE COMPETITIVE.
I WOULD LOVE A, UM, AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, I WOULD LOVE TO REQUEST A ONE-ON-ONE BRIEFING, UH, WITH MY OFFICE AND TEAM.
UM, I'M WONDERING WITH THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE, UM, DO WE ALREADY IDENTIFY THE PARTS OF SAN ANTONIO WHO HAVE THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF NEED FOR WEATHERIZATION? IS THAT LIKE A THING THAT, NOT A PROGRAM, IS THAT A TASK WE'VE ALREADY UNDERTAKEN? SO, UM, WE HAVE DIANE RAD HERE FROM ACOG, AND I'M GONNA INVITE HER TO COME UP.
UM, ACOG MANAGES A WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, AND WHAT WE KNOW NOW IS THAT THE STATE'S GONNA BE SELECTING CERTAIN ENTITIES THAT WILL BE, UH, MANAGING THESE FUNDS.
AND, UH, DIANE CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILS ON THAT.
UM, SIR, THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT IS CONDUCTED ALL THE TIME.
WE HAVE ONE UNDER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND ONE UNDER DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
SO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROGRAM WAS FUNDED, UM, AND IT FLOWS THROUGH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS THROUGH THEIR GRANTEES.
ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S AVAILABLE IS INDICATING THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE FORMULA ALLOCATED TO THOSE GRANTEES.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN MADE AWARE IF THERE'S GONNA BE ANY COMPETITION FOR ADDITIONAL GRANTEES AT THIS TIME.
UH, SO WE OPERATED IN THE 13 COUNTY AREA, AND WE ARE ALWAYS TAKING THE APPLICATIONS.
THERE'S AN EXTREMELY LIMITED AND RIGID ONE, UH, ON THE D O E, THE LIMITS FOR FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY'S 185% OF S M I.
AND, UH, WE ARE ALWAYS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS, SO WE NEVER HAVE TO IDENTIFY ANY PARTICULAR AREA BECAUSE IT'S OPEN TO THE ENTIRE REGION.
AND WE'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO BE WORKING WITH THE AREA.
AND ALWAYS, WE'VE NEVER, WE ALWAYS HAVE ADDITIONAL REQUESTS MORE THAN OUR FUNDING AMOUNT.
UH, SO ANY, ANY HOMEOWNER, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AN OWNER OCCUPIED PROJECT.
IT CAN BE A RENTAL, IT CAN BE, IN FACT, WE WORK WITH SAHA, UH, WHICH MAKES THE LB MUCH MORE EASIER, UH, TO DETERMINE.
WHAT WE'RE VERY ENCOURAGED BY IS THAT THE GUIDANCE SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT THIS IS GONNA BE MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE IN WHAT CAN BE DONE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO ADDRESS ROOFS
[00:55:01]
AND FOUNDATIONS AND ELECTRICAL ISSUES.UH, SO MANY OF THE REASONS THAT KEEP US FROM DETERMINING THAT OUR PROPERTY IS ELIGIBLE SEEMS TO BE, UH, ELIMINATED AND WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE TOTAL PACKAGE AND NOT JUST THE STRICTLY WEATHERIZATION PART.
SO THE, I THINK THE, THE CAUTION IS THAT ALL THE INFORMATION WE HAVE IS THAT THE FUNDS WON'T BEGIN TO FLOW FOR 18 MONTHS.
UH, SO THE INITIAL, UH, UH, YEAR, I THINK THE STATE IS WORKING VERY CLOSELY TO ENSURE A TRAINED WORKFORCE.
'CAUSE ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES WE HAVE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT IS FINDING THE CONTRACTORS AND THE WORKFORCE TO DO THE WEATHERIZATION WORK BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE PARTICULAR CERTIFICATION AND WORK.
SO THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FOCUSING ON HAVING THE TRAINED WORKFORCE TO DELIVER THE SERVICES, AND THEN THE SERVICES ARE LIKE 18 MONTHS OUT.
AND COUNCILMAN, IF I COULD INTERRUPT BRIEFLY.
UM, UH, DIANE IS REFERRING TO, WE MENTIONED WEATHERIZATION TWICE IN THE PRESENTATION.
SO THERE'S THE GRANT PROGRAM THAT FLOWS THROUGH THE STATE.
DIANE JUST ADDRESSED THAT CPSS, UH, COMMUNITY PROJECT REQUEST IS A SEPARATE THING ALTOGETHER.
THEY'RE HERE IF YOU WANT TO ASK THEM ANYTHING.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT DISTINCTION.
SO MY QUESTION WAS, I'LL SAY MY QUESTION, WHAT I HEARD THE ANSWER TO BE.
SO MY QUESTION WAS, DOES THE CITY ACTIVELY, UM, UH, COLLECT DATA ON WHICH PARTS OF SAN WHICH PARTS OF SAN ANTONIO PROBABLY NEED WEATHERIZATION THE MOST? IF THERE'S ANY COMMUNITIES THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM, UH, COMMUNITY-WIDE PROGRAMS? MY UNDERSTANDING IS NO.
A LOT OF THE DATA IS COLLECTED BASED ON WHERE APPLICATIONS ARE COMING FROM, BUT THAT WE'RE NOT PROACTIVELY LOOKING THAT, SEEKING THAT OUT.
I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PERHAPS EXPLORING SOME SORT OF CITY PROGRAM THAT DOES THAT.
UM, MY NEXT QUESTION'S ABOUT FUTURE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.
SO I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THE RAILROAD CROSSING ELIMINATION PROGRAM, UH, OR THE BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM.
AND I'M WONDERING, WOULD THESE FUNDS BE ABLE TO BE USED TO BUILD AN OVERPASS OR A BRIDGE, UM, TO MOVE CARS OVER A RAILROAD CROSSING? IS THAT, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A YES AND A YES.
WE'LL SPECIFICALLY HAVE TO BE LOOKING, I KNOW THAT THE, THE BRIDGE PROGRAM, THE BRIDGES HAVE TO SPECIFICALLY BE ON THE NATIONAL, UH, REGISTRY LIST.
SO WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT THAT LIST AND DETERMINE IF THE BRIDGE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT TO RENOVATE OR REHAB IS ON THE NATIONAL REGISTRY LIST.
AND I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN AS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT OPPORTUNITY COMES AVAILABLE, I WOULD ALSO LOVE A ONE-ON-ONE WITH MY TEAM.
UM, D TWO HAS A LOT OF INDUSTRIAL AREAS, AND SO OUR COMMUNITY FACES TREMENDOUS OBSTACLES WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE WE DEAL WITH A LOT OF RAILROADS.
UM, JUST ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A TRAIN GO THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF YOUR CITY
UM, AND SO I'M WONDERING, DO WE HAVE AN ANALYSIS WHAT MIGHT HELP US BE PROACTIVE? I'M WONDERING DO WE HAVE AN ANALYSIS WHERE, OF WHERE IN THE CITY WE HAVE THE GREATEST WAIT TIMES OR THE MOST DANGEROUS RAILROAD CROSSINGS? WELL LEAD TO TAMIKA.
WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THAT DATA.
WE CAN COLLECT THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
WE HAVE SIX DESIGNATED QUIET ZONES HERE IN THE CITY, BUT WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 60 RAILROAD CROSSINGS.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST NUMBERS OF RAILROAD CROSSINGS IN OUR CITY, BUT WE CAN GET THAT DATA FOR YOU.
IN TERMS OF THE DANGER, WE WOULD ESSENTIALLY TAKE THE CRASH DATA THAT WE PROVIDE FOR A LOT OF OUR CRASHES.
SO UNLESS THERE'S AN INCIDENT, THAT TYPE OF INFORMATION, WE'LL HAVE THAT IN THAT CRASH DATA WOULD CRASHES INCLUDE, LIKE IF IT WAS JUST A PEDESTRIAN, LIKE JUST A REGULAR PERSON WITHOUT A CAR CROSSING THE DATA THAT WE HAVE, IT WOULD BE IF THERE'S A CONFLICT WITH A PEDESTRIAN OR A BICYCLE OR A CAR, AN AUTOMOBILE.
SO WHEN ANY OF THOSE, IF IT'S A RAILROAD CRASH, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE WITH A VEHICLE.
AND IF THERE IS A INDIVIDUAL, WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE AS MUCH DETAIL IN REPORTS UNLESS THERE IS A BICYCLE.
SO SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY GET YOU DATA.
UH, WE'RE PROBABLY OVERDUE FOR, UH, A BRIEFING OR A MEETING ANYWAY.
JUST A QUICK QUESTION ON THE WEATHERIZATION.
UH, I NOTICE, I KNOW THAT C P S ENERGY HAS BEEN DOING WEATHERIZATION AND HAD A PROGRAM FROM BACK WHEN I WORKED THERE, KATHY
UH, COMMISSIONER I WILL CALL ON HI.
C P S CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION ON THE PLEASE.
[01:00:01]
C P S ENERGY.SO COMMISSIONER, TRANSFER YOUR QUESTION.
THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN AROUND AS PART OF OUR SAFER TOMORROW ENERGY PLAN SINCE 2009.
UH, SINCE THAT TIME WE'VE WEATHERIZED OVER TWO THOU 32,000 HOMES.
AND SO THIS ADDITIONAL FUNDING WOULD BE, UH, TO, TO HELP US SUPPORT THE PROGRAM.
UH, DIANE MENTIONED THE, THE HOMES THAT NEED THAT ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE ELECTRICAL ISSUES OR PLUMBING ISSUES AND THEY DON'T QUALIFY.
WE CURRENTLY SEE APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE, THE HOMES THAT WE RECEIVE DO NOT QUALIFY BECAUSE THEY NEED THAT ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.
SO WE'RE HOPING TO TAKE THIS $2 MILLION AND APPLY IT TO THAT TO BE ABLE TO TAP INTO THAT, THAT BUCKET OF HOMES THAT CURRENTLY DO NOT QUALIFY.
WHO, WHO ACTUALLY DOES THE WEATHERIZATION? IS IT CONTRACTED OUT? UM, OR IS IT THE EMPLOYEES? LIKE IT USED TO BE? IT'S VOLUNTARY ON EMPLOYEES.
OUR PROGRAM ENDED QUITE QUITE A WHILE AGO AND IT WAS A VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR C P SS ENERGY.
UH, WE HAVE CONTRACTORS THAT GO INTO THE HOMES AND SO WE SUBCONTRACT THAT OUT.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I ALWAYS HAVE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
UM, SALLY, IF YOU GO BACK TO ONE OF YOUR VERY FIRST SLIDES ON THIS, UM, LEMME GET BACK TO IT.
MULTIMODAL PROJECT, DISCRE DISCRETIONARY GRANT OPPORTUNITY, THEN SAFE STREETS AND THAT.
AND THEN YOU GO TO THE NEXT ONE WHERE IT ACTUALLY SHOWS WHAT THE GRANT PROGRAMS ARE.
YOU SAID THAT TEXAS ALREADY HAS IDENTIFIED WHICH ROADS HERE IN TEXAS THAT QUALIFY FOR WHICH CATEGORIES? UH, YES.
SO THAT IS FOR THE MEGA AND IN INFRA.
WE HAD A PRELIMINARY CONVERSATION WITH, UH, T DOT FEDERAL AFFAIRS TODAY, COUNCILMAN AND WHAT THEY SHARED WITH US, UH, WHAT WE FOUND OUT TODAY IS THAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED, UH, TWO, WORKING ON THE THIRD ONE.
THE FIRST ONE IS A PROJECT, A HIGHWAY PROJECT IN THE DALLAS AREA THAT, UM, IS VERY CLOSE TO COMPLETION.
SO THEY ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE FACT THAT THIS IS A VERY FAST TURNAROUND ON THE GRANT SUBMISSION FROM THE TIME THAT THE NOTICE OPENED, WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING IS IDENTIFYING A PROJECT, UM, IN THE DALLAS AREA THAT THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY TAKING OFF THE SHELF, UH, DUSTING OFF BECAUSE OF THE QUICK COMPLETION ON THE PROJECT, UM, THAT THEY'RE GONNA WORK ON.
NOW, THE OTHER ONE THAT THEY IDENTIFIED IS ONE IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON A, IDENTIFYING A THIRD ONE THAT'S GONNA BE IN A RURAL AREA.
UM, FOR THE RURAL PIECE, ONE THING THAT THEY DID POINT OUT, AND THAT JEFF STRESSED TO THEM IS THAT THE CITY, UH, AND PARTNERS WANNA HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE POSSIBLE PROJECTS TO THEM FOR CONSIDERATION FOR THE NEXT, UH, POSSIBLE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, EITHER THROUGH THESE OR OTHER, THROUGH D O T.
UM, WE DID IDENTIFY THAT PART OF THE PROCESS WILL BE FOR US TO WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR M P O, UM, AS WELL WITH OUR DISTRICT TECH ENGINEER.
SO IN COLLABORATION WITH TAMIKA RAZZIE, WE'LL BE WORKING ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF THOSE POSSIBLE PROJECTS AND CONTINUOUSLY MEETING WITH, WITH OUR, UH, DISTRICT TDOT, UM, TEAM TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, POSSIBLE PROJECTS FOR THEM.
SO DID WE HAVE ANY PROJECTS CONSIDERED FOR SAN THIS OUR M P O REGION HERE, ANY PROJECTS CONSIDERED BY TXDOT? SO THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO, BUT THEY DID NOT HAVE A PROCESS FOR LOOKING AT PROJECTS.
THEY SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED THESE PROJECTS BASED ON CRITERIA THAT THEY FELT WAS A QUICK TURNAROUND, THE PARAMETERS OF THE PROJECT.
UH, BUT NO, THEY DID NOT DISCUSS WITH THE CITY OR OTHER SAN ANTONIO PARTNERS THE POSSIBILITY OF OTHER VIABLE PROJECTS, WHICH IS WHY WE STRESS TO THEM TODAY THAT WE WANTED TO ENSURE TO CONTINUE THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM SO THAT WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE PROJECTS FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION FOR OTHER SUBMISSIONS.
NOW, I WILL ADD AS WELL THAT SOME OF THESE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES WILL HAVE A COMPETITIVE DISCRETIONARY ARM, WHICH MEANS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO APPLY THROUGH TXDOT.
WE CAN APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND NOT, THAT WILL DEPEND ON THE PARAMETERS AND THE GUIDELINES ONCE THEY'RE RELEASED.
I'M NOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
NUMBER ONE IS BECAUSE OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, THIS SAN ANTONIO REGION HAS BEEN DEAD.
LAST, LAST IN INFRASTRUCTURE FROM TXDOT, HOUSTON, DALLAS, AUSTIN, FORT WORTH, EL PASO HAS ALL GOTTEN MORE DOLLARS OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS.
UH, I MEAN, BY MANY TIMES AS WHAT WE'VE GOTTEN HERE IN, IN SAN ANTONIO, AND SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE M P O, I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR US TO GET MORE PROJECTS IN THE QUEUE, DESIGNING MORE, SETTING THEM ON THE SHELF.
AND THIS, I'M HEARING THAT THIS IS AN EXAMPLE
[01:05:01]
WHERE SOMEBODY HAD ONE SITTING ON THE SHELF READY TO GO, AND THEY GOT THE FUNDING.THEY WERE FIRST TO THE TROUGH, AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS, AND WE JUST DON'T SEEM TO GET IT HERE IN THE SAN ANTONIO REGION TO GET THOSE PROJECTS UPFRONT, GET 'EM UNDER DESIGN, SET 'EM ON THE SHELF, AND BE READY FOR FUNDING.
AND, AND THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN HERE IN THIS REGION UNTIL WE GET IN FRONT OF THE, GET THE HORSE OUT THERE, GET IT, GET IT OUT FIRST IN LINE.
SO I'M, I'M, I'M UPSET BECAUSE I SEE THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN BECAUSE, AND I SIT ON THE M P O, SO I TAKE, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT ALSO, ON NOT PUSHING THAT MORE TO GET LINED UP FOR THIS EXACT EXAMPLE HERE.
AND NO, I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
UM, ESPECIALLY OVER THE TRACK RECORD THAT WE RECEIVED HERE IN THIS REGION, UH, FOR TXDOT FUNDING OR FEDERAL FUNDING, BECAUSE BASICALLY TDOT GETS MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THEN THEY DISTRIBUTE IT OUT FROM THAT AGENCY.
SO, YEAH, I'M, I'M JUST VENTING AGAIN ABOUT US NOT BEING PREPARED AND READY TO GO FOR WHEN MONEY STARTS TO FLOW.
I'VE BEEN, UM, THERE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A TERMINOLOGY, AND I DON'T SEE RAZZIE TAMIKA IS IN HERE, BUT THERE'S A TERMINOLOGY OF A CONSTRAINED SUBMISSION.
AND I GET SO ANGRY EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRAINING TO THE LEVEL THAT WE DO HERE IN SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE IT JUST PUTS US LAST IN LINE.
WE SHOULD BE, WE SHOULD BE SUBMITTING A, A DOUBLE BUDGET THAN WHAT, THAN WHAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET BECAUSE WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR FAILURE EVERY YEAR.
AND I, I WANT TO PUSH THAT AT THE M P O.
I WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT TO PUT MORE PROJECTS OUT THERE, GET A, GET A LEAD ON THESE THINGS AND GET 'EM READY FOR, UH, CONSTRUCTION FOR, YOU KNOW, ANY MONEY THAT MIGHT FALL OUT FROM TXDOT OR FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR WHEREVER, UH, TO GET THESE PROJECTS UNDERWAY.
I'M, I'M, I, I'M NOT BLAMING YOU, SALLY.
HERE WE HAVE A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF SOMEBODY THAT WAS READY, HAD IT ON THE SHELF, AND THEY'RE GETTING THE MONEY AND WE'RE NOT.
SO I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT EVEN WITHIN OUR OWN CITY RESOURCES HERE, UH, ON GETTING THESE PROJECTS READY TO GO AHEAD OF TIME.
WE KNOW WHICH PROJECTS ARE GONNA GO AND WHICH ONES AREN'T.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING THE RESOURCES TO PAY FOR 'EM.
AND I'VE TALKED, BROUGHT THIS UP AT THE CITY LEVEL.
WE NEED TO TAKE SOME MONEY OUT OF OUR GENERAL FUND OR WHEREVER AND START THE DESIGNS ON THESE THINGS EARLY AND GET THEM READY, UH, FOR FUNDING AND, AND, AND MAKE A CONCENTRATED EFFORT ON THAT.
SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE ON THE BUBBLE OR WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT, SURE, LET'S HOLD THOSE.
BUT FOR THOSE THAT WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA BE DOING, LET'S GET 'EM STARTED, GET 'EM STARTED EARLY, GET 'EM ON THE SHELF AND READY TO GO.
UH, JEFF, YOU, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU WANNA UNPACK, UNPACK SOME OF THAT.
I'M, I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
WE FEEL THE SAME WAY YOU DO, COUNCILMAN, BUT I THINK I WANNA MAKE CLEAR WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
UM, THE, THESE ARE, THIS IS THE MEGA AND INFRA PROGRAM.
SO THEY'RE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.
WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MEANS BY REGIONAL IS NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITHIN OUR SAN ANTONIO REGION.
FOR CONTEXT, THE LAST INFRA GRANT THAT OUR REGION PUT FORWARD THROUGH TXDOT WAS THE ENTIRE I 35 CORRIDOR FROM SAN ANTONIO TO AUSTIN, MAKING THE ARGUMENT THAT IT HAS REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE AS A MAJOR TRADE CORRIDOR AND SO FORTH.
SO WHEN WE MET AS OUR ROUNDTABLE WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, EVERYBODY ON THE CALL AGREED, NONE OF US AT THE, AT OUR LOCAL ENTITIES HAVE PROJECTS THAT MEET THAT SORT OF STANDARD.
OUR PROJECTS ARE MORE LOCALLY ORIENTED BY DESIGN.
AND SO WE ALL AGREED WE NEEDED TO GET TXDOT ON THE PHONE AND SEE WHAT THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT WHETHER THEY WERE PLANNING TO APPLY, AND WE WOULD ALL SUPPORT THEM BECAUSE WE WANTED OUR REGION TO BE REPRESENTED.
WE WERE DISAPPOINTED ON THE CALL TO HEAR THAT THERE WAS NOTHING BEING SUBMITTED BY TXDOT FROM OUR DISTRICT OFFICE TO THE FEDS, THAT IT WAS SOME OF THE OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND THE STATE WHO, WHO THEY WERE SUBMITTING ON OUR BEHALF.
AND WE COMMUNICATED THAT VERY CLEARLY.
YOUR FRUSTRATION IS SHARED, AND YOUR COMMUNICATION OF THAT AT THE M P O AND OTHER BODIES WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE WE'VE GOT FOUR MORE, FIVE MORE ROUNDS OF THIS OVER THE COMING YEARS, AND WE WANT OUR DISTRICT OFFICE TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND SUBMIT BIG PICTURE PROJECTS ON BEHALF OF OUR REGION.
SO, UM, LOUD AND CLEAR, COUNCILMAN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT WRONG.
AND, UH, WE, UM, I, I'M, I'M SURPRISED THAT TXDOT WOULD, UH, OPT TO DO NOTHING,
[01:10:01]
UH, IN THIS INSTANCE AND LEAVE, LEAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES UP TO OTHER REGIONS.UM, AND, AND MAYBE WE HAVE A CONVERSATION, JEFF, ABOUT GATHERING OUR, UM, OUR PARTNERS, UM, AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE TWO SENATORS AND, YOU KNOW, STEVE ALLISON AND, UH, YOU KNOW, PHIL CORTEZ AND SOME OTHER FOLKS UP THERE TO, UH, TO HELP US COMMUNICATE THAT DISAPPOINTMENT.
I IT'S UNACCEPTABLE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR OUR REGIONAL PARTNER IN DEX TDOT IS OKAY WITH DOING NOTHING.
UH, IN THIS INSTANCE WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS LITERALLY ASKING, YOU KNOW, SUBMIT SOME PROJECTS, WE'VE GOT SOME MONEY TO SPEND ON THIS.
UM, A VERY IMPORTANT POINT THAT COUNCILMAN MCGEE RODRIGUEZ MADE.
UH, AND THAT IS ABOUT THE WEATHERIZATION.
WE, WE'VE GOTTA COME UP WITH A WAY TO REALLY UNDERSTAND AND, AND INDEX, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, WHERE THESE WEATHERIZATION NEEDS LIVE.
UM, AND IT'S GOTTA BE BETTER THAN JUST COUNTING, UH, THE NUMBER OF, OF APPLICATIONS THAT COME THROUGH, BECAUSE THE FOLKS THAT NEED THIS THE MOST, THEY'RE JUST HOLDING ON.
I MEAN, THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO SERVE, THEY'RE BUSY SURVIVING, RIGHT? UM, AND ASKING THEM TO, YOU KNOW, FIND AN APPLICATION, FILL IT OUT CORRECTLY, SEND IT IN, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT GONNA GIVE US AN ACCURATE PICTURE.
UM, AND WE MAY BE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY OUR, FOR US TO COMMUNICATE TO OUR, TO THE RIGHT CONSTITUENTS, RIGHT? SO, UH, DOES THE COUNCILMAN IN DISTRICT EIGHT NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF ENERGY, UH, GOING OUT AND ASKING PEOPLE FOR WEATHERIZATION APPLICATIONS WHEN IN FACT, MAYBE THEY, THE MAJORITY, AND I SUSPECT THE MAJORITY OF 'EM ARE GONNA BE IN DISTRICT TWO, RIGHT? UM, OLDER HOUSES.
UH, SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO THAT.
SALLY AND I, I DON'T THINK IT'S YOUR TEAM.
I, I DON'T THINK IT'S ACOG AND THANK YOU DIANE, FOR, FOR COMING UP HERE AND, AND THANK YOU TO ACOG FOR LEANING INTO THIS PROBLEM.
UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S C P SS THAT THAT SHOULD BE INDEXING WEATHERIZATION NEEDS.
I THINK IT'S ON US, RIGHT? IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE'RE INDEXING LIGHTING NEEDS AND THE SAME WAY THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, HEAT MAPPING, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ILLITERACY AND HEALTH OUTCOMES.
I MEAN, I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT, UM, AN IMPORTANT MEASURE THAT WE ARE NOT TAKING.
AND IF WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS REGARDING WEATHERIZATION WITHOUT THAT DATA, THEN WE'RE NOT MAKING GREAT DECISIONS.
RIGHT? SO I MAYBE AT, AT A LATER POINT, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S SOMETHING TO ELEVATE UP TO ERIC, YOU GUYS TELL US WHO IS THE RIGHT PERSON OR WHAT'S THE RIGHT DEPARTMENT TO ACTUALLY TACKLE THE ISSUE OF FIGURING OUT WHERE THE WEATHERIZATION NEEDS LIVE? RIGHT.
COUNCILMAN, ONE IDEA PERHAPS IS TO LOOK AT, UM, OTHER CITIES AND HOW, WHAT MODELS OR DATA ANALYSIS THEY HAVE IN PLACE FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAMS THAT PERHAPS OUR CITY OR OUR COUNTY RUN.
WE ALSO HAVE THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES AND THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS WHO COULD BE A RESOURCE FOR US, UM, WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, WHAT SOME BEST PRACTICES WOULD BE TO GATHER THIS DATA.
SO, UM, I'LL COMMIT TO DO THAT ANALYSIS, UM, WITH THOSE ENTITIES AND PARTNERS TO SEE IF WE CAN IDENTIFY SOME POSSIBLE MODELS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT, UH, POSSIBLY THROUGH OUR SUSTAINABILITY, UM, OFFICE AS WELL.
ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER COMMENTS, PRESENTATIONS? NO.
THAT BRINGS US, UH, TO THE END OF, OH, YOU KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO? WE SHOULD PROBABLY VOTE THE MINUTES RIGHT NOW THAT, NOW THAT WE'VE GOT ENOUGH.
[Approval of Minutes ]
WE HAVE, UH, MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING AND NOW WE'VE GOT A QUORUM.UM, I THINK COUNCILMAN PERRY WANTS TO MOVE TO, UH, APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING.
I MOVE SECOND AND WE GOT A MOTION IN A SECOND.
UM, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE ADJOURNED.
I HOPE Y'ALL HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND.