* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING [00:00:01] EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. TIME IS 10:07 AM ON THIS 15TH DAY OF JUNE, 2022. WE'LL CALL OUR MEETING IN ORDER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER HERE? COUNCIL MEMBER EO HDA. COUNCIL MEMBER PALIS. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. PRESENT. BARON NIERENBERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT, UM, WELCOME EVERYONE. WE HAVE, UH, TWO BRIEF ITEMS TODAY, BOTH ON REAPPOINTMENTS TO OUR CITY AGENCIES. UH, ITEM NUMBER. BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, LET US, UH, GET TO THE APPROVAL OF THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, MINUTES OF MAY 25TH, 2022. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THOSE SECOND MOTION AND A SECOND FOR [Approval of Minutes  ] APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER ONE. ANY CORRECTIONS OR QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. [Briefing and Possible Action on  ] GO TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS THE REAPPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES TO OUR SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM FOR THE NORTH SECTOR AND FOR THE SOUTHEAST QUADRANT. UM, AND, UH, THESE ARE TWO REAPPOINTMENTS, ONE FOR CHAIR, UH, JOLYNN, JAMESON, UH, BURLEY, AS WELL AS OUR, UM, SOUTHEAST QUADRANT TRUSTEE, MARILYN RAIN, MARY LOU REYNA, UH, WHO ARE BOTH HERE AND PRESENT. UH, THE WAY THAT WE'LL DO THIS TODAY IS WE'LL BRING YOU BOTH UP, UM, JUST TO TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE AFTER A BRIEF OPENING STATEMENT FROM BOTH OF YOU. AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS. THEN, UH, WE'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, THEN WE'RE GONNA BRIEF BREAK INTO ONE EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO, UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON THE WAY THAT WE'LL DO THIS? OKAY. IF THERE ARE NONE, THEN LET'S GO AHEAD AND BRING UP OUR CHAIR AS WELL AS OUR SOUTHEAST QUADRANT. ONE SECOND HERE. LEMME PULL UP THE ITEM. ALRIGHT. UM, SO AGAIN, WE HAVE, UH, CHAIR JOLY LEBLANC, JAMESON, AS WELL AS MARY LOU RENA, AND, UH, CHAIR JAMESON. IF YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GO FIRST, THAT'D BE GREAT. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I WANNA FIRST THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE CONFIDENCE PLACED IN MY, UH, INITIAL APPOINTMENT TO THE SAWS BOARD. AND AS CHAIR, I'M EXCITED TO SEEK REAPPOINTMENT FOR THIS POSITION TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY IN THIS CAPACITY. SINCE 2020, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAVE RATIFIED MANY POLICY DECISIONS THAT HAVE BENEFITED OUR COMMUNITY, AND MOREOVER SECURED THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, SA STAFF THROUGH THE DIRECTION OF THE BOARD, HAS PROVEN TO BE INCREDIBLY RESILIENT THROUGH COVID WINTER STORM URI, AND THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN INTERRUPTIONS. UM, WE ESTABLISHED THE COVID RELIEF PROGRAM FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ADDITIONAL ARPA FUNDED CO UM, RELIEF PROGRAM AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR RESILIENCY RECOMMENDATIONS AFTER THE URI STORM. WE HAVE NOW TRANSITIONED INTO OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY, CONTINUITY MODE. WE CONTINUE TO ENJOY AA PLUS BOND RATING HIGHEST EVER FOR UTILITY. AND LIKE CSA AND OTHER PUBLIC UTIL ENTITIES, SAWS HAS HAD TO CHANGE THE WAY IT DOES BUSINESS. WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONED TO ALLOW WORK FROM HOME OPTIONS WITHOUT ANY BUSINESS INTERRUPTION. WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY, SUCCESSFULLY INITIATED OUR METER MODERNIZATION PROGRAM, AND WE'VE DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN COMMUNITY PIPE REPAIR PROGRAMS AFTER WINTER STORM. WE URI ALL WHILE WE HAVE CONTINUED TO EXECUTE SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL PROGRAMS TO BENEFIT THE OVERALL INFRASTRUCTURE AND, UH, CAPITAL PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE THREE MILE W SIX SEWER TUNNEL PROGRAM, WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN DECEMBER OF 21. WE'VE INITIATED OVER 1 MILLION CONTRACTS FOR IN CONSERVATION PROGRAMS THAT HAVE SAVED OVER 1.1 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER. AND WE'VE DONE THIS WITHOUT ANY RATE INCREASES IN THE 2122 TIMEFRAME. NOW, UPCOMING, OUR RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS CONTINUING THEIR WORK, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO BRINGING THE RATE ADVISORY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL IN, UH, LATE 2022 [00:05:01] FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. SO, I HEARD THE BELL, I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, AND I HAVE A COLLEAGUE AND I'D LIKE TO GIVE HER TIME, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS WORK, AND I APPRECIATE THE CONSIDERATION TO CONTINUE TO DO SO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHAIR JAMESON, TRUSTEE RENA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JILL. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, I TOO WANNA, UH, SAY THANK YOU, UM, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE FOR CONSIDERATION OF REAPPOINTMENT TO THE SAS BOARD. UH, THE PAST FEW MONTHS HAVE BEEN, UM, BOTH EXCITING AND CHALLENGING, UM, BUT VERY GRATIFYING FOR ME. I HAVE BEEN LEARNING A LOT, UH, BUT I'VE, I'M HAPPY AND I SAY YES, I'M HAPPY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO SERVE MY COMMUNITY IN THIS ROLE. SO EVERY MONTH WHEN WE HAVE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD AT THE SASS BOARD MEETINGS, I GET TO, IT REMINDS ME OF WHY I AM THERE, WHAT, WHAT OUR PURPOSE IS. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, I REPRESENT MY NEIGHBORS, MY COLLEAGUES, AND, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO IN GENERAL. AND I, I HAVE NOT, UM, I DO NOT FORGET THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THAT ROLE. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALLOWING ME TO SERVE. UM, AGAIN, AS, AS, UH, CHAIR JAMESON WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE, YOU KNOW, DO WORK POST COVID. I, UH, YURI, UH, HAS BEEN THE FRONT OF OUR WORK. UM, WE ARE READY TO ADDRESS THE SSB THREE ISSUES, UH, WITH GENERATORS AT OUR SITE SO THAT THESE, UM, SAME EVENTS THAT HAPPENED, UM, IN 20 20, 20 21 WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. UM, AT LEAST WE HAVE SOME BACKUP PLANS AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT MOVING FORWARD TO GET THOSE IN PLACE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE, UH, HAVE THE SAYING AT, AT WHERE I WORK AT MY FULL-TIME JOB IN THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION, OUR FOLKS, THEY, THEY'RE OFTEN SAY, PLAN FOR THE WORST AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. AND SO, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT FROM OUR TEAMS ON THE FRONT LINES AT SASS, UM, WHEN I SEE THEM, I DRIVE BY, SEE THEIR PROJECTS WORKING AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO DO TO OUR ENGINEERS AND OUR LEADERSHIP. I'VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH THAT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I'VE BEEN WELCOME TO ASK QUESTIONS AND FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, BEHIND WHAT'S HAPPENED BEHIND THE SCENES ON SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT MAKE AND AFFECT THAT OUR, UH, RATE PAYERS. SO AGAIN, UM, IT'S BEEN A VERY WONDERFUL KIND OF LEARNING EXPERIENCE. SO, LASTLY, I'LL JUST TELL YOU THAT I WAS ASKED TO SERVE IN THE ACADEMY OF WATER INFLUENCERS, SOME HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AS OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER LAST MONTH. AND, UM, AS A ROLE MODEL FOR THEM, THEY ASKED ME TO SPEAK ABOUT MY POSITION. AND, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I LEFT THEM WITH WAS ONE DAY I HOPE TO SEE THEM, UH, AT, IN THIS, IN THIS POSITION. AND, UH, IF THEY CONTINUE WITH THEIR WATER EFFORTS, THEY WILL, UH, SAN ANTONIO WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, HAPPY TO HELP ANSWER. THANK YOU TRUSTEE REYNA. ALRIGHT, UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE REAPPOINTMENTS TO, UH, NEW FULL TERMS. UH, SO, UH, I'LL TURN IT NOW TO MY COLLEAGUES IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION. COUNCIL MEMBER, KEO HNA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. I'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS YOUTH GROUP. IT'S SPECIFICALLY GEARED, UM, TOWARDS WATER. SUPER INTERESTING. AN ACADEMY OF WATER INFLUENCERS. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT IT'S CALLED. IT'S REALLY ALL I'LL CONTACT YOU OFFLINE. THAT'S VERY INTERESTING. BUT I DO HAVE A, A QUESTION FOR EACH OF YOU IS, UH, WILL YOU DISCUSS A COUPLE OF AREAS WHERE YOU SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAWS TO IMPROVE? UM, WELL, I THINK WE DO A REASONABLE JOB FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE, UM, BECAUSE THE, THE, THAT ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING. I THINK OUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY WILL BE AFTER OUR METERS ARE FULLY INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THEY WILL PROVIDE DIFFERENT INFORMATION TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND THEY WILL HAVE DIFFERENT DEMANDS AND DIFFERENT NEEDS, AND WE NEED TO BE READY FOR THAT. AND SO WE'RE ALREADY, UM, ESTABLISHING SOME FOCUS GROUPS TO UNDERSTAND THAT INFORMATION AND TRYING TO ANTICIPATE THE KINDS OF RESPONSES THAT WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR WHEN THAT METER PROJECT IS COMPLETED. SO THAT'S ONE AREA. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE, I'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, P I'M FROM A PR BACKGROUND, BUT IS, YOU KNOW, HOW THE, THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE COMMUNICATE WITH OUR, UM, OUR RATE PAYERS. SO I'VE, I MET WITH THE TEAMS. I AM VERY VOCAL IN OUR, UH, BOARD MEETINGS ABOUT THAT SPECIFICALLY. ARE WE KNOCKING ON DOORS? ARE WE, UH, EMAILING? ARE WE PUTTING DOOR HANGERS? THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE ON AND, YOU KNOW, FIND A WORKAROUND WHEN THEY AREN'T WORKING. AND THAT'S ONE OF MY MAIN, UH, FOCUSES THAT I THINK WE CAN SEE SOME IMPROVEMENT, CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT AND, AND ALSO VISIBILITY. AND, UM, I TOLD ONE OF THE ENGINEERS RECENTLY THAT WHEN YOU SEE THOSE BIG, UH, SIGNS ON THE, ON THE ROAD AND YOU SEE THE SAWS TRUCKS, THAT MAYBE WE COULD HAVE A, A QR CODE. THE [00:10:01] QR CODE MADE A COMEBACK DURING COVID, AND IT, YOU CLICK ON THE QR CODE AS THE DRIVER, MAYBE YOUR PASSENGER TAKES A PICTURE OR IF YOU'RE WALKING, AND THEN IT GIVES YOU MAYBE A ONE PAGE ABOUT WHEN YOU GET TO THAT, UH, WHAT THE PROJECT IS, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE. SO YES, RIGHT NOW THERE'S A PHONE NUMBER AND THERE'S OTHER THINGS, BUT AGAIN, MAKE IT EASY AND, YOU KNOW, PUT THAT INFORMATION, UH, RIGHT OUT THERE FOR THEM. SO THAT'S A COUPLE OF IDEAS THAT I'VE HAD AND THINGS THAT I, I CONTINUE TO PUSH WITH THEM, UM, WHEN IT'S DEEMED APPROPRIATE. . THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT BOTH OF THOSE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES OR FRONT FACING WITH, WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, THE PEOPLE OF OUR CITY. UM, AND OUTREACH IS SUCH A DIFFICULT THING, I THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL OF US. SO I, I DO REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND I'D LIKE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU, JOLYN, ABOUT WHEN THE, UH, METERS WILL ALL BE INSTALLED AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. IT'S, UM, IT'S TARGETED FOR 2026. OKAY. WE STARTED THIS PAST YEAR, BUT TARGETED FOR 2026. OKAY. BUT WE CAN SHARE INFORMATION ON WHERE WE'VE ACTUALLY INSTALLED DATE. OKAY. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU LADIES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KIO. HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU BOTH FOR, UH, STEPPING UP AND OFFERING YOURSELVES, UH, TO SERVE. AND I THINK ALL OF US HERE AS WELL AS YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SIGNIFICANCE OF SERVING OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CAPACITY OF, UH, ONE OF OUR MAJOR BOARDS. LIKE, LIKE SA. UM, I'D LIKE TO JUST ASK BOTH OF YOU, UH, TO TELL ME, BECAUSE YOU ARE A REPRESENTATIVE OF A, A SEGMENT OF THE CITY OR THE COMMUNITY, UH, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING IN THAT COMMUNITY AS OPPOSED TO JUST PEOPLE COMING TO TALK AT THE, THE MEETINGS? I MEAN, HAVE YOU HAD SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES? HAVE YOU SET UP YOUR OWN MEETINGS? HAVE YOU ATTENDED H O A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING IN YOUR COMMUNITY ABOUT SAS OR ITS POLICIES OR ITS ACTIVITIES? SO I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM BOTH OF YOU SOME OF YOUR EXAMPLES OF THAT, PLEASE. SO, I HAVE NOT ATTENDED OR REACHED OUT AND ASKED ANY H O A IN MY PARTICULAR QUADRANT TO ATTEND THEIR MEETINGS. I CERTAINLY RECEIVE EMAILS FROM INDIVIDUALS. UM, I RECEIVE CALLS FROM INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE REACHED OUT TO ASK PARTICULAR ISSUES. UM, SO I, I HAVE NOT DONE THAT AND WAS CERTAINLY OPEN TO DO THAT. IF INVITED, I WOULD CERTAINLY ATTEND. UM, REACHING OUT TO THEM AND ASKING FOR THE INVITE WOULD, IS SOMETHING I WOULD CERTAINLY TAKE UNDER CONSIDERATION. I FIND THE ROLE TO BE A DUAL ROLE, ONE SERVING AS CHAIR, SO BEING REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL OF THE QUADRANTS RIGHT. AS WELL AS THE NORTH QUADRANT. BUT I'M CERTAINLY OPEN AND, AND AM ACCESSIBLE CURRENTLY. OKAY. THANK YOU AGAIN. I, I HAVEN'T ATTENDED ANY MEETINGS AND I'M EXCITED. UM, AND AS, AS I'M SURE CHAIRWOMAN, UM, LYN WILL, UH, AGREE WE ARE ABOUT TO GO OUT WITH ABOUT 80, I THINK THEY PREDICT ABOUT 80 COMMUNITY MEETINGS WHEN WE, UH, CONCLUDE OUR RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND, UH, GET INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY. SO WITHIN 80 MEETINGS, UH, ALL OVER THE CITY, LIBRARIES, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, UH, I EXPECT TO ATTEND SOME OF THOSE. I DO LOOK AT THE, UH, REVIEW THE, UH, RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S, UM, VIDEO, TRY TO SEE WHAT, HOW THE CONVERSATIONS ARE GOING. UM, AND I DO MEET WITH MY COUNCILWOMAN ON A REGULAR BASIS TO GIVE HER AN OVERVIEW. AND WE SHARE A LOT OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE JUST VIA PHONE. AND SHE'LL GIVE ME, UM, MY MARCHING ORDERS AT TIMES. SO, NO, BUT THAT'S ONE OF MY, UH, ON MY CHECKLIST TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A, AS A BOARD MEMBER, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ATTEND SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITY MEETINGS. AND AGAIN, I BELIEVE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO START FROM JULY TO NOVEMBER AND ABOUT 80 MEETINGS. SO I THINK, UH, SURE. WE'LL HAVE A LOT ON OUR PLATE. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL AND, AND EVEN AS AN APPOINTED OFFICIAL, I THINK, UH, WE HAVE PROBABLY TWO MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES. ONE IS TO SET POLICY AS YOU DO FOR, FOR THE WATER SYSTEM, AS WE DO FOR CITY COUNCIL, BUT ALSO I THINK TO BE A WATCHDOG OVER THE ORGANIZATION THAT YOU SIT ON A BOARD OR A COUNCIL FOR. AND I'D BE INTERESTED IN HEARING WHAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN AS A PARTICULAR POLICY OR PROCESS OR SUBJECT MATTER THAT YOU REALLY HAD TO DELVE INTO BECAUSE YOU REALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, OR YOU FELT LIKE THERE WAS MORE THERE THAT YOU WANTED TO KNOW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BEING A WATCHDOG. SO CAN EITHER OF YOU SHARE THAT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'VE HAD ON THE BOARD? WELL, I'LL LIST THEM FOR YOU. THE BUDGET, THE CAPITAL PROGRAM, THE DISTRICT COOLING SYSTEM, THE COMPENSATION SYSTEM. COMPENSATION SYSTEM FOR THE C E O, THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE C E O AND [00:15:01] WHAT WE'RE DOING OVERALL FOR EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES AT SAUCE. OKAY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT. UM, I, I HAPPEN TO BE, HAVE BEEN APPOINTED ALSO TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. SO, UM, AS A, UM, OVERSEEING THAT WITH, UM, WITH TRUSTEE MCGEE, I'M LEARNING A LOT AS WELL AND ASK QUESTIONS AS NEEDED. UM, I DID ALSO HAVE, UM, THE USA UH, THAT ARE BEING ISSUED. UH, THAT WAS A BIG LEARNING CURVE FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND HOW CONTROVERSIAL SOME OF THEM WOULD BE AND WHAT OUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WERE. AND IN ONE IN PARTICULAR, I THINK IT WAS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, YOU KNOW, WE DELVED INTO, UM, HOW WE COULD GET WHAT THE, UM, BUILDERS WERE WANTING, UH, THE U SS A AND ALSO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE WANTING AND WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND OUR ENGINEERS, YOU KNOW, DOING, UH, MAKING COMPENSATIONS FOR, WELL, IF WE WILL ISSUE THE U S A, IF THEY DO THIS, THEY DO THIS. UM, AND IT WAS, UH, IT WAS ALSO ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES, I THINK THEY WERE MENTIONING THAT THEY HAD MADE SO MANY CONCESSIONS FOR, UH, FOR THE BUILDER. AND, UH, WE DUG DEEP INTO THAT ONE BEFORE IT WAS APPROVED. AND, UM, BRIEFINGS. UM, ALSO, WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT THE FIRST TIME AROUND, WE ASK THEM TO TABLE IT AND BRING US BACK FOR A SECOND BRIEFING OR A THIRD BRIEFING. AND WE'VE DONE THAT SEVERAL TIMES. SO I THINK, UM, WE ARE HOPING TO UNDERSTAND IT VERY CLEARLY BEFORE WE MAKE A DECISION. AND THAT'S HOW WE, YEAH. AS I SAID. UH, AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE ANSWERS. UH, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE JOB, I THINK IS BEING A WATCHDOG. THE OTHER PART IS TO SET POLICY OR DIRECTION FOR POLICY. COULD EITHER OF YOU SHARE ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE SEEN, UH, AS A BOARD MEMBER THAT YOU THINK NEEDS SOME, UH, NEW DIRECTION ON POLICY OR A NEW POLICY YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE BROUGHT IN? WELL, I'M EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE NEW RATE STRUCTURE FOR THE DISTRICT COOLING SYSTEM. IT'S BEEN A SYSTEM THAT HAS HAD A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, HAS NOT HAD A REPRESENTATIVE RATE STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT IT. IT SUPPORTS MANY OF OUR DOWNTOWN FUNCTIONS AS WELL AS SUPPORT, SUPPORT, AUTHORITY. AND THIS IS ONE AREA WHERE THE BOARD RECENTLY LOOKED AT A BUSINESS PLAN FOR THIS OVERALL SYSTEM, UH, AND WILL BE PROPOSING A NEW RATE STRUCTURE WITH THE CITY STAFF, ULTIMATELY TO COME TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THAT SYSTEM. AND SO IT IS NOT IMPACTING THE WATER AND WASTEWATER CUSTOMERS AS IT HAS OVER THE PAST YEARS. SO THAT'S ONE AREA. UH, WE CONTINUE. WELL, AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO COMPLETING OUR CONSENT DECREE PROGRAMS, UM, I'M LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT FROM AN OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY STANDPOINT, THAT THE STRUCTURE IS STILL IN PLACE SO WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL AGAIN AND HAVING TO PLAY CATCH UP WITH UPDATING INFRASTRUCTURE BECAUSE IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO DO IT THAT WAY. AND SO WE NEED A MORE PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS PROGRAM FOR CAPITAL PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN SCHEDULE IT AND AFFORD IT IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T IMPOSE TOO MUCH OF AN, A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON OUR CUSTOMER BASE. UM, CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTINUES TO BE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE GOING TO INTERFACE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS MUCH DIFFERENTLY AFTER OUR METER MODERNIZATION PROGRAM IS COMPLETED. BECAUSE CUSTOMERS, CUSTOMERS WILL SEE IN NEAR REAL TIME HOW THEY'RE USING WATER. AND THEY WILL HAVE DIFFERENT DEMANDS AND THEY'LL HAVE DIFFERENT REQUESTS OF THIS WATER SYSTEM. AND SO HOW WE COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, HOW WE RESPONSE TO THEM, WITH THEM, HOW WE PROVIDE PROGRAMS FOR THEM TO HELP THEM MEET THEIR WATER NEEDS, BUT STILL CONSERVE AT THE SAME TIME WILL BE INTERESTING. MM-HMM. . SO THOSE ARE THREE AREAS TOP OF MIND. GREAT. I, I HAVE A COUPLE THAT, UM, THAT I COULD MENTION. UM, WE ARE LOOKING RIGHT NOW, UM, WE HAVE, UM, OUR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES AND SALARY, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE INCOME LEVELS ARE. UM, WE'RE LOOKING, I'VE ASKED, UM, OUR STAFF TO LOOK AT, UM, AGAIN, WHAT IS AUSTIN DOING? WHAT DO THEIR NUMBERS LOOK LIKE? AND SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT, MAY NOT CHANGE THE POLICY, BUT WE WANNA KNOW THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN SAN ANTONIO IS, IS AS GOOD, IF NOT BETTER, AGAIN, THAN WHAT, UH, SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES ARE DOING FOR, UH, THOSE THAT NEED ASSISTANCE TO PAY THEIR BILLS. SO IF, IF, UH, WE FIND THAT WE'RE NOT UP TO PAR WITH SOME OF THE OTHERS, UH, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A POLICY CHANGE, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE, UH, TO LOOK TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE WE HAVE A HUGE, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSERVED POPULATION. AND, UM, THOSE NUMBERS MIGHT CHANGE. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, UH, COMMUNICATION, I'M ALWAYS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DON'T SAY THAT'S HOW WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE TO, UH, LOOK AT HOW WE'RE COMMUNICATING AGAIN ON LOTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS AND OUTREACH. AND ONE OF THE AREAS THAT HAS COME UP RECENTLY, AND I WAS, UH, HONORED TO MEET WITH, UM, CONGRESSMAN CASTRO WHEN WE DID ESSAY TO DC IS, YOU KNOW, OUR, UM, SWIM BEE NUMBERS. [00:20:01] YOU KNOW, IF, UH, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THOSE NUMBERS UP AND, UM, AND HOPEFULLY AWARD CONTRACTS AS, UH, AS APPROPRIATE. BUT IF WE HAVE TO LOOK AT POLICY ON HOW THOSE ARE DONE AND IF WE NEED TO, UH, FIND A WORKAROUND ON, UH, GETTING THAT TO OUR LEVELS, OUR NUMBERS BETTER, UM, THAT MIGHT BE A POLICY IN THE FUTURE THAT COULD CHANGE. BUT WE ARE ALWAYS WORKING ON THEM. SO, YEAH. MAYOR WITH YOUR INDULGENCE. I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION, AND IT'S RELATED TO, UH, CASH ON HAND AVAILABLE THROUGH SAWS. AND I, I'M JUST GONNA GO BACK A SECOND AND THINK BACK TO ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN I'D BEEN ON A COUNCIL FOR ABOUT A YEAR. UH, AT THAT TIME I TALKED TO SAWS ABOUT THEIR BUDGET AND ABOUT CASH ON HAND, AND THEY HAD APPROXIMATELY $550 MILLION CASH ON HAND, WHICH BASICALLY, UH, IS RESERVE FUNDING THAT CAN BE USED FOR A LOT OF, OF DIFFERENT THINGS. UH, AND I WAS RATHER SURPRISED TO HEAR FROM THE, UH, FROM THE PRESIDENT THAT WE CURRENTLY AT C AT SAS HAVE $1.2 BILLION OF CASH ON HAND OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT AMOUNT OF CASH ON HAND AS RESERVE OPERATING INCOME? COUNCILMAN, I'M AWARE THAT YOU ARE NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH THE AMOUNT OF CASH ON HAND THAT SAAS HAS HAD HISTORICALLY. UM, AND I WILL JUST ADDRESS IT FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT. I THINK, UH, AN ORGANIZATION HAVING CASH ON HAND IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE OVERALL FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THAT ORGANIZATION. WHAT IT DOES IS IT ALLOWS THE ORGANIZATION TO HAVE EQUITY WALKING INTO ITS CAPITAL PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE DOWN THE COST OF DOLLARS THAT CUSTOMERS ULTIMATELY PAY FOR THOSE CAPITAL PROGRAMS. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE, UH, A HEALTHY FINANCIAL SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE A VARIETY OF OPTIONS TO OFFSET THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU HAVE TO BORROW TO REALIZE YOUR CAPITAL PROGRAMS. AND SO, FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT, UM, WE LOOK AT THAT VERY STRINGENTLY, UH, WHEN SAWS PRESENTS THE BUDGET AND THEIR CAPITAL PROGRAMS. BUT I THINK FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT, IT IS AN IMPORTANT POLICY TO HAVE, UM, PSS IN THE CITY. BOTH ENTITIES HAVE VERY STRONG CASH ON HAND BALANCES FOR THAT VERY SAME POLICY PURPOSE. AND IT, IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PAL, THANK YOU. I, I HAVE, UM, ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT THAT Y'ALL ARE EXCELLENT. UM, AND YOU CONTINUE TO EXCEED ALL EXPECTATIONS. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOU BOTH. UH, I WILL JUST MAKE A, A REQUEST GOING FORWARD 'CAUSE YOU BOTH HAVE MY SUPPORT. UM, AND YOU'RE ALWAYS WILL. MY REQUEST IS THAT MAYBE AT SOME POINT SOON WE TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, PAY STRUCTURE FOR EMPLOYEES AT THE UTILITIES AS, AS THEY RELATE TO PAY STRUCTURE AT THE CITY. UM, THE REASON I BRING THAT UP IS BECAUSE THE PUBLIC BELIEVES THAT WE ARE ALL THREE, THE TWO UTILITIES IN THE CITY THAT WE'RE ALL SORT OF THE SAME. UM, AND THEY COME TO US AND THEY SAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT SAS? COUNCILMAN? WHY DID I GET THIS THING RIGHT? AND WHEN WE EXPLAIN, NO, NO, NO, THESE ARE THREE AUTONOMOUS AGENCIES, THE THE PUBLIC DOESN'T REALLY GET IT RIGHT. AND WHEN THE PUBLIC HEARS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE EXACT SAME POSITION REQUIRING THE EXACT SAME SKILLS FOR A POSITION THAT Y'ALL HAVE, AND THAT FOR SOME REASON SAWS PAYS MORE THAN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT DOES NOT COMPUTE. AND THEN, AND THAT IN FACT FRUSTRATES AND IT SHOULD BE FRUSTRATING TO THE, TO THE TAXPAYER. AND SINCE THERE ARE, THERE ARE CUSTOMERS, I, I HAVE NO GOOD ANSWER AS TO WHY IT IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD HAPPEN. AND SO, UM, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S, UH, A, UM, I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE FOR US TO LEVEL SET, RIGHT? SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE ALSO ANOTHER PHENOMENON, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS PERCEIVED POACHING, UH, FROM, UH, THE UTILITIES, UH, YOU KNOW, ON CITY STAFF. UH, 'CAUSE GOD KNOWS WE HAVE A HARD ENOUGH TIME HIRING THE SMARTEST, SMARTEST PEOPLE EVER. AND IF WE'RE LOSING THEM JUST BECAUSE OF A FEW EXTRA BUCKS, BECAUSE THE UTILITY WAS ABLE TO OFFER THEM A FEW EXTRA BUCKS, EVEN THOUGH NO ADDITIONAL SKILLS OR EXTRA WORK IS REQUIRED, MAN, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU, PROCUREMENT FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? UM, AND SO WE HAVE, I I, I THINK WE HAVE A, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. AND MY ONLY REQUEST IS THAT AT SOME POINT, WHENEVER YOU, WHENEVER YOU'VE GOT THE TIME, UH, 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT Y'ALL ARE VERY BUSY, BUT, UM, I, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE. 'CAUSE I'M LEFT WITHOUT AN ANSWER TO MY CONSTITUENTS AND I NEED AN ANSWER. RIGHT? AND, UM, SIMPLY SAYING, WELL, THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS. IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO THEM. AND, UM, AND IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO ME. ERIC, HAVE YOU, UH, IS THAT SOMETHING, IS IT FAIR TO ASK THAT, UH, OF THE TWO AGENCIES TO SIT DOWN AND LOOK AT THAT? [00:25:01] UM, YEAH, IT IS. AND, AND, UM, UM, AND TO INCLUDE C P S AS WELL, UM, IT IS, I THINK IT'S A REALITY OF, OF THE, UH, PUBLIC'S EXPECTATIONS, EVEN IN, IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY, THEY DON'T REALLY CARE IF IT'S SAW C P S FOR THE CITY. UM, AND THERE, THERE PROBABLY IS A, A BIT OF BALANCING, UM, AND, AND WE SHOULD BE SHARING INFORMATION YEAH. AND MARKET INFORMATION SO THAT, UH, ALL THREE ENTITIES ARE HIRING THE BEST AND RETAINING THE BEST. UM, BUT YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN CERTAINLY DO. OKAY. AND THEN MY SECOND REQUEST, AND I THINK THIS ONE'S EASIER, UM, READY TO WORK IS A PROGRAM THAT THE PUBLIC APPROVED WITH THEIR SACRED VOTE. UM, AND WE NEED EVERYBODY, UH, IN, RIGHT? AND I KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE TAKEN THE OATH AND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM, BUT IS IT POSSIBLE TO INCLUDE THE READY TO WORK MESSAGING IN BILL INSERTS AND IN SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, NEWSLETTERS OR PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT Y'ALL DO? UM, WE'RE LOOKING FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERY CHANNEL, UH, AVAILABLE TO US TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT MESSAGE OUT. AND I'D, I'D APPRECIATE IT IF YOU GUYS HELPED CHAMPION THAT, UM, IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY DOING IT. BUT THOSE ARE MY ONLY COMMENTS. UM, YOU HAVE MY, I IF I COULD VOTE 4, 5, 6 TIMES FOR YOU, I WOULD, UH, BUT I ONLY HAVE ONE VOTE, SO YOU'RE GONNA GET IT. THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER APPLI, AND I'LL JUST USE A, A BRIEF MOMENT, UH, AND SIMILAR TO WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PLY SAID, OBVIOUSLY, UH, I WILL BE SUPPORTING YOU. GLAD TO SERVE WITH YOU. UH, I THINK YOU'VE BOTH DONE A, A GREAT JOB, UH, THROUGH, UH, SOME PRETTY TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES, PARTICULARLY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, JR. UH, SO MY, MY QUESTION, I GUESS MY STATEMENT, AND I'D LOVE TO GET A REACTION FROM IT, IS THAT THERE'S INCREDIBLE SYNERGIES GOING ON RIGHT NOW BETWEEN C P S AND SAWS AND THE CITY IN THE AREAS OF SECURITY, UH, THROUGH THE R S O C AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE THROUGH THE E O C. IN WHAT OTHER WAYS, UH, POTENTIALLY COULD WE EXPLORE, UH, EXPANDING ON THOSE SYNERGIES? UM, CHAIR JAMESON, YOU HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCES IN ALL THREE OF THESE ENTITIES, UM, AND TRUSTEE REYNA, UH, IN YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE THROUGH CRISIS MANAGEMENT OF, OF LARGE ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL, UM, IN TWO RESPECTS, BOTH IN TERMS OF CRITICAL FUNCTIONS, UM, THINGS LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, FINANCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES, THINGS THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN PLYS TOUCHED ON, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF INFORMATION SHARING, WHAT WE'RE EMBARKING ON RIGHT NOW AT THE CITY IS TRYING TO CREATE A REGISTRY OF CRITICAL CARE, UM, RESIDENTS WHO NEED TO BE IDENTIFIED BEFORE THERE'S A DISASTER, SO THAT WE BEGIN TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THEM, SIGN THEM UP FOR ASSISTANCE, CHECK ON THEM, THINGS LIKE THAT. IN WHAT WAYS CAN WE BE COMBINING OUR EFFORTS IN GOOD TIMES AND IN TOUGH TIMES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FUNCTIONING AS TAXPAYERS EXPECT THAT WE ALREADY ARE, WHICH IS THAT THIS IS JUST ONE ORGANIZATION THAT HAS WATER, HAS ELECTRIC, HAS ALL THE OTHER CITY SERVICES. SO ONE AREA THAT COMES TO MIND IS THE CUSTOMER BASE. AND WHILE I, I UNDERSTAND THE PRIVACY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH SHARING CUSTOMER DATA, I DO THINK THERE HAS TO BE A WAY THAT WE CAN SHARE INFORMATION AS AN EXAMPLE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THE RESPECTIVE AFFORDABILITY PROGRAMS. UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S OVERLAP IN CUSTOMERS AND THERE MIGHT BE AN EASIER WAY TO ENGAGE THOSE CUSTOMERS SO THAT WHEN THEY APPLY, ONCE THEY APPLY FOR ALL, UM, PROGRAMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM. UM, AND THIS IS NOT THE ONLY ENVIRONMENT THAT SUFFERS FROM THAT IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH ENVIRONMENT. WE SUFFER FROM THE SAME ISSUE. MANY TIMES WE SERVE THE SAME CITIZEN, AND MANY TIMES WE, THERE ARE SERVICES THAT WE'RE MISSING OFFERING THAT CITIZEN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A COMBINED, WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHARE THAT DATA. SO THAT'S ONE, IT SOUNDS LIKE LOW HANGING FRUIT. I KNOW THERE WILL BE LOTS OF, UH, LEGAL ISSUES TO ADDRESS IN TERMS OF PROTECTING CUSTOMER DATA AND SHARING INFORMATION. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH CONSENT AND COMBINED TECHNOLOGY, THERE MAY BE A SOLUTION THERE. THAT'S ONE THAT COMES TO MIND. UM, THE OTHER IS, I, I KNOW THAT EVERY YEAR WE SAY THAT WE COORDINATE CAPITAL PROGRAMS, UM, BUT IT STILL IS A CHALLENGE FOR OUR CITIZENS WHEN THEY SEE ONE ENTITY WORKING IN AN AREA AND THEN THE OTHER UTILITY HAS TO COME BACK AND DO SOME OTHER WORK. SO THERE'S THERE, THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT THERE. UM, BUT WITH ALL OF THE SYNERGIES AND ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S AVAILABLE, I THINK THAT WE'LL ONLY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT, UH, EN ENHANCED COMMUNICATION AND THE ABILITY TO COLLABORATE WITH ALL OF THE ENTITIES. THANK YOU. UM, JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT, I HAVE, AND, AND MAYOR AS, UH, WE SIT ON THE DIOCESE, WE'VE HEARD SEVERAL TIMES OUR LEADERSHIP AT SAS TALK ABOUT HOW THIS, UH, THERE'S ONE THING THAT GOOD THAT CAME FROM COVID [00:30:01] WAS THIS BUILDING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FOLKS AT C P S AND HOW IT'S BEEN BETTER THAN EVER. UM, THERE'S THINGS THAT THEY'RE SHARING, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM CALENDAR ITEMS, YOU KNOW, LIKE, LET'S GET TOGETHER AT THIS POINT AND TALK ABOUT THIS, UH, AND STRATEGIES. SO I THINK WHAT I'VE SEEN FROM, FROM THE DIOCESE IS THAT, UH, SAWS IS REALLY EXCITED THAT THIS NEW, THIS NEW RELATIONSHIP IS, UH, IS WORKING AND IT'S BENEFITING BOTH PARTIES. AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CONTINUE TO GROW. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, WITH, UM, THEIR TEAM, I THINK THEY HAVE A VERY SMALL, UH, CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM AND A CRISIS, UH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM THAT, UH, WE GOT A PRESENTATION FROM RECENTLY THAT WE WOULD LIKE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GROW. AND AGAIN, NOBODY THINKS ABOUT IT. DO WE NEED A TEAM, UH, TO DO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT? UH, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING THAT EMERGENCY, BUT AT THIS POINT WE KNOW IT HAPPENS. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN WITH THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, THAT'S HELPFUL. UM, AND SO I, I DID COME UP WITH AN ASK THEN, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, PALAIS IS THE CHAIR OF OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, UH, COMMITTEE HERE. WE'RE ABOUT TO ENTER A 2023 SESSION. UM, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS, IS GET OUR ATTORNEY TO RECOMMEND WHATEVER NEEDS TO HAPPEN FROM A STATUTORY STANDPOINT AT THE STATE, UH, TO PROVIDE FOR A MORE SEAMLESS, UM, EXCHANGE OF DATA SO THAT WE CAN BUILD WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. THE, THE CHALLENGE FOR US ON THE DIOCESE THAT, AS YOU KNOW, UM, WHETHER IT'S SAWS, C P S VIA OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS IN THE CITY, ULTIMATELY THE ACCOUNTABILITY FLOWS THROUGH THE, TO THE CITY COUNCIL. AND SO EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT NOT HAVE THE LEVERS AT OUR CONTROL FOR SOME THINGS, UH, OR THE ANSWERS, FRANKLY, UH, WE ARE GONNA BE ASKED THE QUESTIONS AND EXPECTED TO COME UP WITH THE SOLUTIONS. SO IF THERE IS A BETTER WAY THAT WE COULD MANAGE THE FLOW OF INFORMATION, UM, AND REALLY FILL THE GAPS THAT MAY EXIST, THAT LEGALLY PREVENT US FROM DOING THAT, UH, WE CAN GO UP TO THE SESSION TOGETHER AND, AND TRY TO ADVOCATE FOR A SOLUTION TO THAT. ANDY, IS THAT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE? ABSOLUTELY, MAYOR. I MEAN, TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE ARE ANY, UH, REGULATORY, UM, CONSTRAINTS TO SHARING INFORMATION, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT. OBVIOUSLY SOME HAVE STRONG POLICY REASONS BEHIND THEM, BUT, UH, WE'LL WORK WITH THE, UH, TWO RESPECTIVE UTILITIES AND SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TOGETHER TO, TO TRY TO MANAGE THE FLOW IN AN APPROPRIATE WAY AND, AND HAVE MORE EXCHANGE. GREAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, OR THANK YOU BOTH AGAIN FOR YOUR, UH, STEADFAST LEADERSHIP THESE LAST FEW YEARS. UM, I KNOW MARY LOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE RELATIVELY NEW, BUT YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING YOUR SERVICE, UM, AT THESS BOARD. WE'RE GONNA MOVE, UH, WE'RE GONNA TRANSITION INTO THE NEXT ITEM TO HERE FROM R V TRUSTEES FOR, UH, FOR REAPPOINTMENT. AND THEN AFTER THAT WE'LL BREAK INTO A VERY BRIEF EXECUTIVE SESSION TO COME BACK, UM, WITH ACTION. SO IF I MAY NOW CALL, UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS THE REAPPOINTMENT TO THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, UH, TWO POSITIONS, ONE OCCUPIED BY ATHLETE MALONE, AS WELL AS ONE OCCUPIED BY BOB CUOMO. AND, UM, Y'ALL BOTH CAN APPROACH TOGETHER AND WE CAN DO THE SAME THING. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU DRAW DREW STRAWS BEFOREHAND, BUT WHOEVER WOULD LIKE TO GO FIRST WITH A BRIEF STATEMENT, AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO, UM, QUESTION AND ANSWER WHERE WE AT. WELL KEEP GOING STRAIGHT RIGHT HERE. THIS IS THE DESK. OKAY. MICROPHONE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE MY COMMUNITY AND IN THIS CITY. UM, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS A VITAL PART TO THE SUCCESS OF ANY CITY. WITHOUT IT, THERE WOULD NOT BE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, OR SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AS IT IS KNOWN THROUGHOUT, VIA HAS WORKED VERY HARD ON A LIMITED BUDGET TO PROVIDE ALL OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN WORKING AND TO GET THOSE OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED TO ALL CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, UM, [00:35:03] AND MOST DEFINITELY TO THE DISABLED, SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND HAVE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS IN THEIR LIVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. MALONE. MR. CUOMO. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, IT IS MY GREAT HONOR TO SERVE WITH BETH LEE MALONE ON THIS BOARD. UH, SHE BRINGS A, A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCES AND SHE'S, UH, UH, EVERYWHERE SHE GOES. SHE IS A TRANSIT RIDER. I RIDE AS FREQUENTLY AS I CAN, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT SINCE APRIL THERE, I THINK APRIL NUMBERS ARE ABOUT 21% INCREASE, AND I THINK THE GAS PRICES HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH THAT, BUT I EXPECT THAT THERE'LL BE EVEN GREATER NUMBERS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. UH, I DID PRESENT TO EACH OF YOU A COPY OF SOME REMARKS ABOUT MY SERVICE ON THE BOARD. I AM VERY PROUD TO SERVE AS A LABOR REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOARD APPOINTED BY CITY COUNCIL. AND I AM RESPECTFULLY ASKING FOR YOU TO REAPPOINT ME FROM MY FINAL TERM ON THE BOARD. I THINK I'VE MADE A DIFFERENCE. UH, I'M HAVING A GREAT DEAL OF FUN. AND, UH, UH, IN RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENT, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, COURAGE. UH, IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS I DID ATTEND A LOT OF MEETINGS AND TALK A LOT ABOUT, UH, ABOUT VIA, THIS WAS KIND OF AS WE WERE PREPARING FOR THE, UH, THE ONE EIGHTH CENT SALES TAX INCREASE, ET CETERA. UH, SINCE COVID AND SINCE A SPINAL CORD INJURY TWO YEARS AGO, I HAVE NOT, UH, BEEN AS ACTIVE AND HAS NOT BEEN OUT IN THE PUBLIC AS MUCH. UM, BUT, UH, I'M STILL AVAILABLE. AND I DO TAKE A LOT OF CALLS AND EMAILS FROM A VARIETY OF PEOPLE WITH SUGGESTIONS THAT WE HAVE TRIED TO IMPLEMENT. ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE DID IMPLEMENT, I'M A MEMBER OF A GROUP CALLED NEIGHBORHOOD FAITH CONVENING IN THE ALTA VISTA, MONTE VISTA, BEACON HILL AREA. AND THEY CAME UP WITH A SUGGESTION THAT WE REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR NONPROFITS OR CHURCHES WHO WANT TO BUY PASSES, DAY PASSES, WEEK PASSES, OR MONTHLY PASSES IN BULK, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT OF HOMELESS THAT COME TO 'EM. AND THE HOMELESS CAN'T GET SERVICES UNLESS THEY HAVE DOCUMENTATION AND THEY HAVE TO GET ON A BUS, GO ACROSS TOWN TO GET THAT DOCUMENTATION. SO THEY ASKED ABOUT THAT, AND WE WERE ABLE TO BY INITIATIVE TO IMPLEMENT THAT. AND SO THERE'S A 25% REDUCTION IN THAT. AND I JUST LEARNED LAST WEEK THAT THERE ARE 57 AGENCIES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROGRAM RIGHT NOW IN ABOUT A YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF TIME. SO I'M REAL PLEASED WITH THAT INITIATIVE, AND I'M LOOKING, I'M TRYING TO GET THE NUMBERS ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WE ACTUALLY SERVE THROUGH THAT. SO, ANYWAY, UH, AVAILABLE FOR ANY KIND OF QUESTIONS. I THINK, UH, MY STATEMENT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. AND, AND AGAIN, I'M ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND I REALLY HAVE A GOOD TIME SERVING MY COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MR. CUOMO, MS. MALONE, UM, WE'LL GO NOW TO DISCUSSION. AND SO LEMME START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. I USED TO SIT ON THE BOARD OF VIA, THAT'S NOT EASY WORK. UH, YEAH, I SOMETIMES, I, I REMEMBER WHEN I'M SITTING UP HERE ON THIS DAAS, THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD COMPONENT OVER THERE WAS A LOT MORE DIFFICULT TO SIT THROUGH, UH, THAN HERE. UM, AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S GOOD. UH, AND I THINK THAT WE'VE SELECTED SOME TOUGH PEOPLE WHO'VE GOT, UH, A VERY GOOD, UH, BSS METER, RIGHT? UH, AND ALSO, UH, VERY, VERY SHARP LENSES, UM, WITH WHICH TO LOOK AT THE DETAILS. UH, YOU'VE DONE EXCELLENT WORK. YOU'VE GOT MY SUPPORT. UM, I ALSO THINK, BOB, THAT YOUR VOICE, UM, YOU BRING THE VOICE OF THE TRADES AND, UH, LABOR, AND I THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S A, THAT'S A VOICE THAT SOMETIMES HAS A DIFFICULT TIME BREAKING THROUGH THE NOISE. AND I THINK YOU DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AT BREAKING THROUGH THE NOISE. UH, AND I'M, UH, I'M A BIG SUPPORTER. I'M A BIG FAN. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN ENTHUSIASTIC YESTERDAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO SIT IN THE AUDIENCE AND HEAR PEOPLE BEFORE YOU SO YOU CAN KIND OF ANTICIPATE AS, AS YOU DID BUMP. UH, BUT I, I HAVE REALLY SOME OF THOSE SAME QUESTIONS AND I'LL GIVE, AND I'D LIKE TO ASK BOTH OF YOU TO RESPOND. AND, AND THE FIRST ONE WAS, AND, AND YOU STARTED TO TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, WAS, UM, MS. MALONE, UH, BEING A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DISABLED COMMUNITY OR COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, PROBLEMS TRYING TO USE VIA, COULD YOU TELL ME, HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT IN THAT COMMUNITY AND TALK WITH THEM TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THEIR NEEDS AND CONCERNS OVER THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT YOU'VE SERVED ON THIS BOARD? UH, IN TERMS OF GETTING OUT AND TALKING TO THEM, [00:40:01] I SERVE ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT, UM, ORGANIZATIONS. MM-HMM. AND COMMITTEES FOR DISABLED. SO I'M CONSTANTLY TALKING TO THEM ABOUT IT AND TALKING TO VIA ABOUT IT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME ABOUT FROM THAT IS IN APP THAT IS NOW BEING, UH, PUT OUT FOR USE IS STILL GETTING SOME OF THE KINKS OUT CALLED NAVI NAVI LENS. NAVI LENS IS AN APP WHICH YOU DOWNLOAD ON YOUR PHONE OR YOUR TABLET. UH, IT WAS CREATED FOR THE BLIND, BUT DEAF CAN HEAR IT, DEAF CAN USE IT ALSO. UM, AND ALSO ANY TOURIST THAT SPEAKS A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE CAN USE IT. IT IS A G P SS. YOU BASICALLY TYPE IN WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AND WHAT BUTS DO YOU NEED. AND ONCE YOU GET THE INFORMATION, IT IS G P S GUIDED. AND WHEN YOU GET UP TO THE BUS STOP, YOU CAN HOLD YOUR PHONE UP TO IT, UP TO THE BUS, UH, SIGN ABOUT 40 FEET AWAY, AND IT WILL TELL YOU IF YOU ARE AT THE CORRECT BUS STOP. IT WILL ALSO TELL YOU WHAT TIME YOUR BUS WILL ARRIVE. ONCE YOUR BUS ARRIVES AND YOUR PHONE IS POINTED TOWARD THE BUS, IT WILL TELL YOU HOW MANY FEET IN FRONT OF YOU THAT YOU NEED TO WALK TO GET ONTO THE BUS. MM-HMM. . UM, AND THERE'S SEVERAL OTHER FACTORS, BUT WITHIN TALKING TO THE COMMITTEES AND DIFFERENT BOARD THINGS THAT I'M ON, AND GOING BACK TO VIA, THEY HAVE WORKED THE PROBLEMS OUT, STILL WORKING KINKS OUT IN SEVERAL THINGS. AND NOT ONLY FOR THE DISABLED, BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY ON THE WHOLE. GOOD. WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WOULD HOPE, UH, UH, FROM ALL OF US, THAT WE'RE OUT LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY AND FROM THAT WE GET NEW IDEAS OR WAYS TO IMPROVE EXISTING WAYS AND SERVICES. UH, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, SERVING ON ANY BOARD OR COMMISSION OR COUNCIL, WHATEVER, UH, I THINK YOU HAVE TWO ROLES. ONE, TO BE, UH, SOMEONE WHO IS OFFERING DIRECTION, POLICY DIRECTION. THE OTHER IS TO BE A WATCHDOG TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ORGANIZATION THAT YOU SIT ON THAT BOARD IS FUNCTIONING, UH, AND DOING THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU AND THE COMMUNITY WOULD EXPECT. CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY EXAMPLE OF ANY KIND OF, UH, OF EFFORT THAT WAS GOING ON THAT YOU FELT NEEDED MORE WORK OR YOU WANTED TO DELVE INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE, OR THAT YOU THINK YOU WERE ABLE TO MAKE AN IMPROVEMENT IN BECAUSE YOU WERE KIND OF A WATCHDOG ON THAT. EITHER OF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU COULD SAY ABOUT THAT. UH, WELL, AS OF RIGHT NOW, EXCUSE ME, I SERVE AS AUDIT CHAIRPERSON FOR OUR BOARD. AND THERE WERE ONE OR TWO SECTIONS. AND MAIN, THE MAIN ONE WAS CYBER. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE LOOKED INTO. AND I KNOW FOR A, I KNOW RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT GETTING THAT BASICALLY IMPLEMENTED INTO, UM, A CONSTANT CHECK BECAUSE OF ALL THE, THE CYBER, NOT FRAUD, BUT, UH, SECURITY. SECURITY, YEAH. CYBERSECURITY THAT IS GOING ON IN AND AMONG THE DIFFERENT TRANSIT AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. BOB, HOW ABOUT YOU? WELL, ONE FURTHER COMMENT ON THE NAND SYSTEM, 'CAUSE I USE IT, AND I'M NOT VISUALLY IMPAIRED, BUT, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED SITES RIGHT NOW IN SAN ANTONIO, AND WE'VE JUST GOTTEN THE APPROVAL THROUGH THE, UH, HELP OF, UH, UH, CONGRESSMAN CASTRO TO GET FUNDING TO DO SYSTEM-WIDE OVER THE NEXT YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF. WHEN IT TRANSLATE, UH, WHATEVER LANGUAGE IS ON YOUR CELL PHONE, IT WILL TRANSLATE IT INTO ONE OF THOSE 33 LANGUAGES. SO WHAT A BOON FOR, FOR VISITORS TO OUR COMMUNITY. UH, SECONDLY, I CHAIR THE ATAC COMMITTEE, WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. AND AGAIN, THROUGH MY EFFORTS, WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON THAT COMMITTEE. WE NOW HAVE A PERSON, WE JUST HAD A MEETING LAST WEEK FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH THE NEW COMPLIMENT OF MEMBERS. UH, AND WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS VISUALLY IMPAIRED, UH, WHO, UH, UH, AND SOMEBODY WHO IS DEAF, WHO REQUIRES AN INTERPRETER AND AN AUTISTIC GENTLEMAN, [00:45:01] AND A, UH, A PERSON WHO REPRESENTS THE CITY COUNTY, UH, COMMISSION FOR THE AGING. SO A MUCH MORE DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE, DIFFERENT, UH, NEEDS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. AND, UH, OUR C E O SAID THAT THAT WAS THE MOST, UH, ENERGIZED MEETING OF THAT COMMITTEE SINCE HE'S BEEN HERE ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN. UH, HE'S BEEN HERE ABOUT ABOUT EIGHT YEARS MM-HMM. . SO, UM, THAT'S ONE THING. SECONDLY, IN THE TERMS OF POLICING THAT YOU AND I HAVE DISCUSSED, UH, I ATTENDED A MEETING WITH ABOUT 11 COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES AND THE HEAD OF, UH, SAFETY AND SECURITY AND THE POLICE CHIEF JEFF ORT AND SOME OTHERS. AND WE HAD A VERY, VERY WIDE OPEN DISCUSSION, VERY, VERY TRANSPARENT DISCUSSION. AND MANY OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WERE MADE BY THE COMMUNITY GROUP, I THINK IT'S ACT FOUR SA, THAT BROUGHT THOSE ISSUES TO US, ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED. THEY'RE VERY, VERY VALID, VALID CONCERNS. UH, UH, ONE OF 'EM, WELL, THEY TALKED ABOUT A CERTAIN, A FEW THINGS, AND THEY SAID, WELL, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING. AND THEY BROUGHT OUT THAT THIS IS NOT SPELLED OUT IN THE POLICY, IT IS NOW BEING SPELLED OUT IN THE POLICY BECAUSE THEY RAISED A VALID POINT THAT WHILE THIS IS BEING IMPLEMENTED ON YOUR WATCH, WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE'S A CHANGE OF COMMAND THERE, IF IT'S NOT IN THE POLICY, IT COULD BE CHANGED EASILY. SO, UH, THOSE THINGS ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED. WE HAVE A VERY, VERY GOOD DISCUSSION AND GOOD CHANGES ARE BEING MADE IN THAT CAPACITY. THE LAST THING I'LL ASK YOU ABOUT IS VIA HAS BEEN, UH, THE RECIPIENT OF A LOT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS THROUGH GRANTS AND, UH, THE PROGRAM. UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW MUCH MONEY VIA HAS THAT HAS COME IN OR WILL BE COMING IN FOR SOME OF THESE, UH, FEDERAL DOLLARS AND OTHER MAYBE STATE DOLLARS THAT HAVE COME IN FOR TRANSPORTATION? AND IS THERE A GENERAL DIRECTION THAT YOU THINK THAT SHOULD BE GOING IN FOR THE USAGE OF THAT MONEY? WELL, WE HAVE $154 MILLION GRANT FROM THE, UH, FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION, UH, GROUP. AND THAT, THAT MONEY IS COMING IN BECAUSE WE PASSED THE ONE 8 CENT SALES TAX. AND WHEN AN F D A REPRESENTATIVE WAS THERE AT OUR MEETING NOT TOO LONG AGO, I ASKED A SPECIFIC QUESTION, WOULD WE BE RECEIVING THIS MONEY HAD WE NOT PASSED IT? AND HER ANSWER WAS, DEFINITELY, WE WOULD NOT BE IN THE RUNNING FOR IT. AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HAVE MATCHING FUNDS. IN SOME CASES WE HAVE TO SHOW THAT, THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUR MONEY INTO IT. I HOPE THAT'S RESPONSIVE TO YOUR QUESTION. DO YOU KNOW THE DIRECTION YOU'RE GONNA BE GOING WITH THAT MONEY IN THE ADDITIONAL ONE, A SALES TAX? I THINK THAT THAT MONEY, WELL, THAT MONEY FROM THE F D A I THINK IS GONNA BE EARMARKED FOR THE NORTH SOUTH, UH, A R T LINE THAT'S GONNA GO UP AND DOWN TO SAN PEDRO. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU BOTH ETHICALLY AND BOB, FOR, UH, YOUR, YOUR TIME, YOUR TALENT, YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. YOU'RE BOTH FORCES TO BE RECKONED WITH. AND SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, YOUR EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF VIA AND OUR CITY. CAN YOU DISCUSS POTENTIAL WAYS VIA CAN IMPROVE VIA TRANS AND, AND ANY ANY WAYS THAT, UM, YOUR, OUR CITY COUNCIL CAN HELP OR OUR CITY? I'LL BE MORE SPECIFIC. EXPANDING, UM, LOOKING AT EXPANDING THE, UM, BOUNDARIES VIA TRANS, VIA TRANS, OOH, EXCUSE ME, VIA TRANS IS AT THIS TIME UNDER IT, IT IS. I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S AT ITS MAXIMUM THAT IT CAN BE DUE TO FEDERAL A D A LAWS IN ORDER TO GET IT, UM, EXPANDED EVEN MORE. THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE THE FEDERAL A D A LAWS. UM, THIS IS WHY THEY ARE IMPLEMENTING VIA LINK, NOT ONLY TO REPLACE SOME OF THE BUS SERVICE AS A POINT-TO-POINT CONTACT, BUT ALSO TO HELP WITH SOME OF THAT. BECAUSE IN SOME RURAL AREAS, THERE IS NO BUS SERVICE. AND BECAUSE THERE IS NO BUS SERVICE VIA TRANS CANNOT GO THERE. SO WITH THE VIA LINK, WHICH IS, UH, WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE AND EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU CAN USE VIA LINK AS AS YOUR VIA TRANS, AND THAT'S EV AND IT'S THE SAME COST AS RIDING THE BUS. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. YOU WILL TAKE IT FROM YOUR HOUSE TO THE TRANSIT AREA, WHICH IS CLOSEST TO YOU, OR WITHIN THAT 12 SQUARE, 12 SQUARE MILES, YOU CAN GO TO THE GROCERY STORE OR WHATEVER STORE THAT YOU NEED TO GO TO. WOULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION, PLEASE? YES, [00:50:01] SIR. IT WAS JUST, UH, HOW, UM, VIA, UM, AND POTENTIALLY THE CITY CAN EXPAND, UH, VIA TRANS OR, OR ENHANCE THE SERVICES. OKAY. UH, WELL FIRST OF ALL, UH, A FEW YEARS AGO WE DID CHANGE THE CONTRACT EMPLOY, UH, CONTRACTOR FOR VIA TRANS. AND SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE HAD FEWER COMPLAINTS AND GREATER ON TIME SERVICE. AND THAT WAS A, A HARD DECISION BECAUSE IT WAS A LONGTIME VENDOR WHO HAD THAT CONTRACT, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF CONSTERNATION ABOUT IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR JOBS, BUT ALMOST EVERYBODY WHO WORKED FOR THE PRIOR CONTRACTOR WHO APPLIED FOR A JOB, UH, THAT WAS AT A NON-SUPERVISORY CAPACITY, WAS, WAS HIRED. MOST OF THEM WERE REHIRED, UH, AT A GREATER RATE OF PAY. I MIGHT ADD. UH, WE HAVE A NEW SET OF, UH, PROPANE, UH, VIA TRANS UNITS THAT WERE BASICALLY DESIGNED BY OUR STAFF HERE IN-HOUSE. THEY ARE MORE EFFICIENT AND THEY'RE MORE COMFORTABLE TO RIDE. AND, UH, SO WE'RE REAL PROUD OF THAT. AND YESTERDAY, I HAD THE GREAT PLEASURE WITH MY WIFE JOANNE, WHO'S BACK HERE, UH, TO GO THROUGH THE NEW PARATRANSIT FACILITY THAT WILL SOON BE OPENING WHERE GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION USED TO BE ON, ON, UH, FREDERICKSBURG ROAD. THIS IS A PHENOMENAL REPURPOSING OF A BUILDING. I HOPE YOU'LL ALL HAVE A CHANCE TO COME LOOK AT IT. UH, WE WERE SO IMPRESSED, AND AGAIN, MOST OF THE DESIGN WORK, UH, WAS DONE BY OUR STAFF. AND WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, THIS IS THE FIRST FACILITY THAT VIA HAS BUILT, BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS ONE OVER ON, ON, UH, UH, FLORA THAT EXISTED WHEN VIA PURCHASED THE EXISTING ENTITY. SO THIS IS THE FIRST ONE WE'VE BUILT. AND, UM, I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA REMAIN AT THE OLD FACILITY ARE GONNA BE VERY, VERY JEALOUS BECAUSE IT'S A, IT'S A MARVELOUS FACILITY, BUT IT'S GONNA MOVE THE ENTIRE VIA TRANS FLEET TO, UH, FREDERICKSBURG ROAD AND THE EMPLOYEES WHO PARKED THERE TO FREDERICKSBURG ROAD. AND I USED TO LIVE ABOUT TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM ME IN ALTA VISTA. AND ONE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS WAS THE PARKING ISSUE THAT, UH, ALWAYS EXISTED THERE. SO THIS IS GONNA FREE UP A LITTLE BIT OF THAT. AND, UH, AND I THINK IT'S GONNA HAVE OVERALL, UH, POSITIVE RESPONSES FROM, UH, FROM ALL OF OUR CITIZENS AND MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE HAVE THE, UH, DEDICATION OF THAT Y'ALL ALL ATTEND. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU FOR ENLIGHTENING ME ON ON THOSE ISSUES. I, UM, AND IT'S A FAIR POINTLY ABOUT, UH, VIA LINK, AND I KNOW THAT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL, UH, PROGRAM AND, UH, LIKE TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THAT. MY ONLY CONCERN IS, AND MAYBE THIS, UH, COUNCILMAN BELAY, WE CAN DISCUSS THIS OFFLINE WITH YOUR, WITH I G R, BUT IS IF THERE ARE THE FEDERAL LAWS THAT ARE PROHIBITING EXPANSION, AND IF THERE'S A WAY TO LOBBY THEM TO, UH, UM, INCLUDED IN OUR AGENDA ANYWAY, TO, TO PROHIBIT SO WE'RE NOT PROHIBITED FROM EXPANDING TRANS, THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE LINK ISN'T ALWAYS DOOR TO DOOR, AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, NEED TO BE PICKED UP AT THEIR DOOR. SO MAYBE THERE'S A WAY TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. I HAD A, A CALL NOT TOO LONG AGO FROM SOMEONE WHO WORKS WITH A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO WERE HIRED BY H E B AND OTHER PLACES, AND SHE HELPS THEM, UH, LEARNED HOW TO RIDE THE BUS AND ALL THIS, THE PERSON LIVED, UH, OR WAS WORKING OUTSIDE OF VIAS SERVICE AREA, AND THEY WANTED VIA TRANS TO TAKE THE, NOT VIA TRANS, UH, VIA TRANS TO TAKE 'EM TO THEIR WORK SITE. AND H E B WANTED IT AND ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF. BUT WE CANNOT GO OUTSIDE OF OUR SERVICE AREA. UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN EXPANSION OF OUR SERVICE AREA, BUT THAT REQUIRES THE SURROUNDING CITIES TO, TO BUY INTO IT. AND, UH, BUT THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THAT A CITY OF THE SAN THE SIZE OF AUSTIN IS MOVING TO SAN ANTONIO THE NEXT 20 YEARS BY BY 2040. WELL, THEY'RE NOT JUST COMING TO SAN ANTONIO. THEY'RE COMING TO UNIVERSAL CITY AND LIVE OAK AND SHIRTS AND ALL THESE OTHER PLACES. AND I WISH THAT THEY WOULD GET ON BOARD SO WE COULD BUILD A TRULY A REGIONAL, UH, TRANSIT SERVICE. YEAH, WE'VE RECEIVED SIMILAR CALLS FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST OUTSIDE THE, THE BOUNDARY AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S HARD TO TELL THEY, THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE SERVICES. SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KIO H, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR BOTH FOR YOUR INTEREST AND FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. I'M, UM, STILL CONCERNED A LOT WITH LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY, UM, AND FOR EXAMPLE, ON AUGUST THE EIGHTH VIA LINK WILL FOR THE FIRST TIME VIA IN DISTRICT FOUR. AND SO, UM, WHILE I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS, I ALSO THINK THAT DISTRICT FOUR, UM, COULD HAVE BEEN BENEFITING A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS THAT, THAT I REPRESENT NEED ACCESS. AND SO THE REPLACEMENT OF ROUTE 5 24 AND ROUTE 62 WITH THE VIA LINK, I THINK WILL, WILL BE CRITICAL. UM, I, I WANTED TO ASK YOU SPECIFICALLY WITH [00:55:01] THIS LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY. I HAVE, UM, I HAVE A, A STREET, UH, THAT HAS SEVERAL WORKPLACES. THERE'S ABOUT 36 EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE TO WALK, UH, 0.7 MILES. IT'S ABOUT A 13 MINUTE, UM, WALK. UM, THERE'S MAJOR CONCERNS FOR SAFETY. THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL ACCIDENTS ALONG THAT, UM, STRETCH OF ROAD. IT'S DARK. UM, A LOT OF THEM ARE WOMEN BY THE WAY THAT, THAT HAVE TO WALK IN THE DARK. UH, THERE'S TWO SHIFTS. THERE'S MORNING SHIFT, THERE'S AN AFTERNOON SHIFT, UM, AND IT, THERE'S, THERE'S NO SIDEWALKS THERE. UM, THERE'S NO, UM, SAFE ALTERNATIVE AND THERE'S DRAINAGE ISSUES, BY THE WAY. SO EVERY TIME THAT IT RAINS, IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT. UM, THEY STILL MAKE IT. AND SO THEIR FOLKS, UH, THEIR, THEIR HUMAN RESOURCES PEOPLE REACHED OUT AND I DON'T THINK THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE VIA WORKS TRANSIT BENEFIT. AND SO I WAS WONDERING, UM, JUST HOW MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME, UH, SHOWCASE THAT PROGRAM TO, TO EMPLOYERS IN MY AREA, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF RESIDENTS THAT I REPRESENT THAT PROBABLY HAVE NO IDEA THAT THEIR WORKPLACE COULD TAKE CARE OR, OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VIA TRANSIT BENEFIT PROGRAM. SO CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MAYBE SOME PLANS THAT YOU ALL MIGHT HAVE TO, UM, SHOWCASE, HIGHLIGHT, EXPAND, UM, THE VIA WORKS TRANSIT BENEFIT PROGRAM, THE VIA VAN POOL IS THE MAIN ONE. UM, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER WHO WHO RUNS THAT PROGRAM. BUT BASICALLY, WHICH THE VIA VAN POOL IS, THERE WOULD BE A VAN THAT ONCE, UM, THEY HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE AND THE DRIVER WOULD BE A PERSON FROM THE BUSINESS AND THEY WOULD PICK EVERYBODY UP, DROP THEM AT AT WORK, COME BACK, PICK THEM UP AND DROP THEM BACK AT THEIR HOUSE OR AT A MAIN, UH, PICKUP POINT. UM, AND OFF, RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW MUCH IT IS A MONTH. UM, BUT BASICALLY WHAT IT IS, IS PAYS THE WHATEVER THE PERSON PAYS IS FOR THE INSURANCE AND FOR THE VAN. AND IT'S A CONTINUOUS THING. IT'S CALLED VIA VAN POOL AT THIS TIME. I CANNOT REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHO IT WOULD BE, BUT I WOULD BELIEVE IT WOULD BE UNDER PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. AND YOU WOULD TALK TO, UM, MR. HERRERA AND JOHN GARY HERRERA. SURE. NO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. A I I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, THERE, I, I THINK THAT WE, WE DO NEED TO CONCENTRATE AND SEE HOW WE COULD HELP, ESPECIALLY OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE TRYING TO PROTECT THEIR EMPLOYEES, THAT, THAT MIGHT HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO GET TO, TO THEIR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. UM, I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION IS SAFETY. UM, SPECIFICALLY SAFETY VIA PASSENGERS. I, UM, HAD, UM, SOMEONE WHO, WHO WORKED IN MY OFFICE, UM, WAS, UM, APPROACHED, UM, BY SOMEONE WHO WAS A RIDER OF THE BUS AND, UM, IT WAS A WOMAN. AND, UM, SHE EXITED THE BUS AND SHE FEARED FOR HER SAFETY. AND NOTHING WAS EVER DONE. AND I STILL HAVEN'T, NOBODY HAS REALLY EVER FOLLOWED UP ON THE SAFETY ISSUES THAT, THAT OR HOW WE FOLLOW UP ON, ON SAFETY ON VIA BUSES, PARTICULARLY FOR, UM, FOR WOMEN WHO ARE ON THEIR OWN, UM, WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE SOMEBODY TO, TO BE WATCHING FOR THEM. AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT, WHAT YOUR STANCE ON SAFETY ON VIA BUSES IS, AND PARTICULARLY IN REGARD TO THESE WOMEN WHO GET ON THE BUS ON THEIR OWN PRETTY EARLY ON AND, AND DON'T, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE. OKAY. UH, AS I CAN TELL YOU, I RIDE THE BUS RIGHT NOW. I'M RIDING VIA TRA BUT I STILL RIDE THE BUS. UH, I HAVE TAKEN THE BUS AS EARLY AS FIVE 30 IN THE MORNING. UM, BASICALLY I CAN TAKE, I'VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH SAFETY. THE DRIVERS ARE PRETTY MUCH AWARE OF SOMETHING. IF THEY ARE NOT, IF YOU SPEAK UP, THEY WILL STOP. UM, THERE IS RECORDINGS ON THE BUS, THERE ARE VIDEO CAMERAS, THERE IS RECORDINGS ON THE BUS, AND I'M NOT SURE OF WHY THEY WAS NOT ADDRESSED. OKAY. AND I'LL FOLLOW UP. YEAH. BUT, UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR HONESTY. UM, MS. LEY, I APPRECIATE, I THINK YOU AND I ADD SOMETHING. MM-HMM. AND I THINK, UH, IT WOULD BE BE A GOOD IDEA IF WE WERE TO SET A MEETING UP WITH C E O JEFF ARNT AND THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE AND YOU AND MAYBE SOME OF THE EMPLOYERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND, UH, SAFETY IS A MAJOR CONCERN. THE, THE VIA TRANSIT POLICE HAVE STAFF OF ABOUT 30 PEOPLE IN DALLAS. THEY [01:00:01] HAVE 30 PEOPLE WHO DO NOTHING BUT CHECK TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE PAYING THE RIGHT FARE. AND THEY HAVE A STAFF AND ALSO IN HOUSTON OF ABOUT 300 TRANSIT OFFICERS. SO WE ARE UNDERSTAFFED, WE ARE UNDERFUNDED AND ALL THESE TYPES OF THINGS, BUT UH, SAFETY IS AN UTMOST CONCERN, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, WHILE THEY'RE IN OUR CARE ON THE BUSES. BUT WHEN THEY GET OFF IN, YOU KNOW, AT EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THINGS THAT, THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN AND WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE KILLED AT TRANSIT STOPS LAST YEAR BY PEOPLE WHO DRIVING RECKLESSLY. AND THAT'S A GREAT CONCERN TO US. UM, WE'RE TRYING TO WORK ON THOSE THINGS, BUT, BUT IF YOU CALL ME, I'D BE HAPPY TO SET UP SUCH A MEETING. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER PAZ. VERY, VERY QUICKLY, JUST FOLLOWING UP ON THAT, UH, YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, THE POLICE, UH, UH, I'M SURE YOU READ THE SAME STORIES I READ. THEY ALARMED ME, UM, ABOUT POLICE BEING A LITTLE BIT TOO HEAVY HANDED AND LESS PROFESSIONAL AND IN THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE APPROACH THAN OUR SS A P D DOES. UM, I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE, UM, THE, UM, THE BAR ON THAT PROFESSIONALISM, IF IT'S BEING PERCEIVED THAT THEY'RE NOT, IT NEVER HURTS TO TRAIN, UH, THEM, MAYBE TRAIN ALONGSIDE S A P D OFFICERS, MAYBE GET SOME OF OUR FOLKS TO BRING UP, UH, AND PROFESSIONALIZE THOSE, THOSE JOBS IN A WAY WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CUSTOMERS ARE JUST AS SAFE IF NOT SAFE, BUT ALSO THEY WALK AWAY FROM THOSE INTERACTIONS FEELING IT, IT, I'M SORRY, THEY WALK AWAY FROM THOSE INTERACTIONS IN A BETTER PLACE THAN THEY WERE BEFORE THE INTERACTIONS. IS THAT, IS THAT FAIR TO ASK YOU ALL TO, TO LOOK AT THAT CATEGORICALLY DENY SOME OF THOSE ARTICLES IN THE NEWSPAPER OR ON THE, OR THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA? I SUPPORT, UH, CHIEF WITHERALL WHO CAME FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND HELPED PUT INTO PLACE SOME OF THOSE TRAININGS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. UH, WE HAVE MORE TRAINING FOR OUR POLICE THAN THE IN EXCESS OF WHAT SS A P D DOES. AND MY EXPERIENCE WITH THEM HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT, BUT TOTALLY. UH, NOW ONE OF THE THINGS BROUGHT UP WHEN WE HAD THE POLICING, UM, MEETING, THEY THOUGHT THAT, THAT THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED CITATIONS WERE IN EXCESS OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, AND THAT IS TRUE, THEY WERE IN EXCESS OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, BUT THEY'RE RIGHT IN LINE WITH OUR RIDERSHIP DEMOGRAPHICS AND, UH, AND SO, UH, BE GLAD TO, TO GET A MEETING WITH YOU AND, AND OTHERS. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK BY DYLAN COLLIER SAID THAT WHEN A WOMAN WAS RUN OVER AND KILLED RECENTLY ON INTERSTATE 10, THAT THE WOMAN HAD BEEN IN CUSTODY OF A TRANSIT POLICE OFFICER. WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF IN CUSTODY? THE POLICE OFFICER WAS THERE ON ANOTHER MATTER AND HAPPENED. THIS WOMAN HAPPENED TO BE BECOME, AND HE WAS TRYING TO GET HER BECAUSE SHE WAS WITHOUT CLOTHES TRYING TO GET HER TO GET IN THE BACKSEAT OF THE CAR, WHICH SHE REFUSED TO DO. THEN SHE WENT AND SAT DOWN ON THE STREET AND GOT HIT AND KILLED NOW THAT SHE WAS NOT IN CUSTODY OF TRANSIT POLICE. BUT THAT'S THE WAY THE, THE NEWS ARTICLE, UH, APPEARED. AND SO AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY WANNA MAKE SURE THESE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN, BUT THINGS DO HAPPEN THAT ARE TOTALLY BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE OFFICERS. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE GONNA TAKE THE BLAME FOR IT. YEAH. AND SO, I I I I DON'T QUARREL WITH YOU. THERE'S GONNA BE TIME FOR US LATER TO QUARREL. RIGHT. WHAT I'M ASKING AND, AND WHAT I'M HOPING IS I CAN GET A RESOUNDING YES FROM BOTH OF YOU, IS IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT, THEN ALWAYS WE PARTNER UP TOGETHER ALWAYS TO IMPROVE. RIGHT. AND IF WE'VE GOT TOOLS AND IF, IF WE AT S A P D KNOW WAYS TO HELP YOU IMPROVE, WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO US LOOKING UNDER THE HOOD TO, UH, YOU KNOW, BRING IN SOME ADDITIONAL EYEBALLS AND, AND SOLUTIONS? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. AND IN THE PREVIOUS LIGHT, I REPRESENTED POLICE OFFICERS IN THE SAN ANTONIO SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THEY ARE CERTIFIED PUBLIC POLICE OFFICERS. THEY HAVE A DUTY TO RESPOND WHEN THERE'S A COMMISSION OF A FELONY OR AN INFRACTION OF LAW. ALL RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S WHEN THEY GET IN TROUBLE. 'CAUSE PEOPLE SAY, WHY IS TRANSIT POLICE DOING WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING? THANK YOU. I THINK THE PERCEPTION IS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. AND I SPEAK FROM RIDING ON THE BUS TRANSIT, POLICE GETS ON THE BUS AND THE FIRST THING COMES OUT THEIR MOUTH IS, THAT'S NOT A COP. WE DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM. THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. BUT THERE IS ALSO ROOM FOR EDUCATION TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THESE MEN ARE POLICE OFFICERS, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ON THE BUSES AND TO CARRY OUT THE LAW. AND ONCE THAT [01:05:01] PERCEPTION IS CHANGED, I THINK A LOT OF THIS, ALONG WITH THE IMPROVEMENT AND THE OTHER, LIKE YOU SAID, THE, THE, THE OTHER SUGGESTION THAT YOU MADE, WE WOULD COME TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MUCH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PEZ, I, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT WEREN'T ALREADY COVERED HERE, BUT I WILL SAY, UM, IN MY VIEW WE HAVE A, A MOMENT IN TIME WE HAVE TO CAPTURE. UM, WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD SEEN A FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION PUT THEIR FULL WEIGHT BEHIND THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND TRANSIT IN THE UNITED STATES, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS THAT HAVEN'T RECEIVED THAT SORT OF SUPPORT BEFORE. UM, IF NOT FOR THE FACT THAT WE'RE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S NO OBSTACLE BETWEEN THAT FUNDING IN OUR COMMUNITY. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS, BUT WE ARE ADVOCATING FOR DIRECT TO LOCAL FUNDING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. UM, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE WITH BOTH OF YOU AND WITH THE CHAIR AND AND OTHERS. UM, ACCELERATION OF THE EAST WEST CORRIDOR IS ABSOLUTELY A PRIORITY NOW THAT WE HAVE THE NORTH SOUTH IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL, UH, COME TO FRUITION. BUT NOT SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE INITIAL MUNICIPAL SALES TAX. HAVE WE SEEN BOTH A LOCAL AND A, A FEDERAL SUPPORT ENVIRONMENT THE WAY WE HAVE NOW, GOING BACK PROBABLY FIVE YEARS, WHERE, UH, THIS COUNCIL SUPPORTED, UH, THE $10 MILLION, UM, GENERAL FUND TRANSFER ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AS WELL AS PAVING THE WAY NOW TO A, AN ADDITIONAL 8 CENT THAT IS GONNA GO INTO OPERATIONAL FUNDING. SO LET'S CAPTURE THE MOMENT AS BEST WE CAN, UH, WHICH IS GONNA REQUIRE COORDINATION AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE AGGRESSIVE AS WE APPROACH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO, UM, OUR TIME IS NOW FOR, UH, VIA AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE, Y'ALL. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, THAT IS THE BALANCE OF OUR DISCUSSION. NOW WE ARE GONNA BREAK VERY [Executive Session  ] BRIEFLY INTO AN EXEC EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, SO THE TIME IS NOW 11:14 AM ON THIS 15TH DAY OF JUNE, 2022. THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING WILL RECESS INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS, UH, UNDER TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION. WHAT IS IT, ANDY? I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE MY NUMBERS UP HERE. OH, . LEMME SEE THIS. IT'S, UH, WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS IN CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY UNDER SECTION 5 5 1 0.071. THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT. GREAT. THANK Y'ALL. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. WE'RE GONNA STEP IN. OKAY. THE TIME IS 11:20 AM ON THIS 15TH DAY OF JUNE, 2022. CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE IS RE IS BACK FROM ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION. NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN. UH, WE'RE GONNA RESUME OUR DISCUSSION NOW. I WILL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA WITH A MOTION. THANK YOU MAYOR. I MOVE THAT WE SEND TO FULL COUNSEL THE REAPPOINTMENT OF GLYN LEBLANC JAMESON FOR THE NORTH SECTOR. AND MARI LOU RENA FOR THE SOUTHEAST QUADRANT ON THE SAN ANTONIO WATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR A TERM ENDING MAY 31ST, 2026. SECOND. ALL RIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL COUNSEL OF THE REAPPOINTMENT OF OUR TWO TRUSTEES. ANY DISCUSSION? THANK YOU AGAIN, BOTH FOR STEPPING UP TO CONTINUE TO SERVE. UM, PLEASE VOTE. ALL RIGHT, MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL SEE ALL, UH, VERY SOON. AND COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA AGAIN ON ITEM THREE. THANK YOU MARY. I MOVE THAT WE SENT TO FULL COUNSEL CONSIDERATION THE REAPPOINTMENT OF ROBERT KUMO AND ETLI MALONE AS VIA TRUSTEES FOR A TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2023. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR RECOMMENDATION OF FULL COUNSEL OF OUR TWO TRUSTEES. AGAIN, THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE AND GREAT LEADERSHIP HEARING. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU ALL. NO DRAMA TODAY, . TIME IS 11:22 AM ON JUNE 15TH, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. HAVE A GREAT AFTERNOON. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.