* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:01]
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED IN ABOUT A MINUTE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. 
          WELCOME TO THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING. 
          AND WE HAVE, WE WILL BE STARTING TODAY WITH A PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          WE HAVE SEVEN PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. 
          AND, UM, I AM CHAIRING TODAY ON BEHALF OF MY COLLEAGUE, MANNY, UH, ELIAS. 
          'CAUSE THERE'S A, UH, RULE THAT DOESN'T ALLOW HIM TO CHAIR IF HE'S VIRTUAL, BUT HE'S WITH US, SO WE, HE WILL STILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE MEETING. 
          SO WE WILL START OFF WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          ROLL. 
          ROLL. 
          OH, I'M SO SORRY. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          ROLL, ROLL CALL COUNCIL MEMBER GERRAN. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ELIAS. 
          CHAIR ELIAS. 
          GOOD MORNING, CHAIR PRO TEM ROT GARCIA. 
          HERE, MA'AM, WE HAVE A QUORUM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE'LL START OFF WITH OUR PUBLIC COMMENT AND I, I CAN'T SEE THE LEAST LIST. 
          I SEE THERE'S SEVEN SPEAKERS. 
          APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          SORRY, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          OH, SORRY. 
          I WAS GONNA START WITH PUBLIC COMMENT, 
          [Approval of Minutes
 ]
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING ON JUNE 24TH. 
          DID EVERYBODY GET A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT? ALWAYS I MOVE THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          I SECOND. 
          THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE TABLE FOR APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          EVERYBODY IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? PLEASE SAY NAY. 
          AYE. 
          ANY ABSTENTION? SO, MOTION, CARRIE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NOW 
          [Public Comments
 ]
WE'LL MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          HOW DO I, CAN YOU READ THE FIRST PERSON? I DON'T SEE THE LIST. 
          THE FIRST SPEAKER IS JEREMY ROBERTS, FOLLOWED BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ. 
          YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALWAYS EXCITED TO BE THE FIRST ONE. 
          SPEAKING, UH, , MY NAME IS JEREMY ROBERTS. 
          I'M THE CHAIR FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION. 
          UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS A PRESENTATION THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TODAY ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          IT'S SOMETHING I GOT TO PREVIEW AND IT'S, I THINK IT'S GREAT. 
          UM, IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK REFLECTS THE CATEGORIES THAT WE HAD OUTLINED IN ARPA, SOME OF THE FIVE CATEGORIES THAT WE HAD PROPOSED FROM THE SPAC ON WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN THE SHORT TERM VERSUS THE LONG TERM. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ADMINISTERED OR LOOKING TO ADMINISTER THE 17 MILLION FROM THE ARPA FUNDS THAT ORIGINALLY WENT OUT. 
          BUT THE REMAINING AMOUNT, THAT 13 MILLION THAT IS GONNA FIT INTO THOSE CATEGORIES, THOSE FIVE CATEGORIES, THE REST OF THE FIVE CATEGORIES, BUT ALSO FIT INTO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, THERE IS A PARALLEL TO WHAT WE HAVE DECIDED FROM THE SBA TO THIS PLAN. 
          SO WE ARE SUPPORTING IT. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I'D ALSO LIKE TO MENTION IS THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH CITY STAFF AND WITH E W D C ON THE, THE, UM, I GUESS THE OUTPUTS AND, AND THE, UH, I, I GUESS THE, WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY IS THE EXECUTION OF THAT STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          AND SO JUST WANTED TO ECHO THAT AND BE ABLE TO SAY THAT WE'RE HERE AND WE'RE HERE TO, TO TAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS OR ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK THAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN GETS TODAY. 
          AND THEN I'LL BE HERE TO ACTIVATE ON THAT AND BE ABLE TO USE THAT AS PART OF MY AGENDA ITEMS MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND FROM THAT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO PIVOT AND MAKE CHANGES AND ITERATE AS NEEDED. 
          SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WASN'T ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT, BUT I IDEALLY, THAT'S REALLY OUR FOCUS ON THE S A C IS TO REALLY SUPPORT THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          THANK YOU, JEREMY. 
          WE HAVE ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ NEXT, FOLLOWED BY CHARLES FUENTES. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          MY NAME IS ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ AND I'M A TELECOMMUNICATION WORKER LOCAL HERE AT THE C W A. 
          I COME TO Y'ALL TODAY BECAUSE I'M DISAPPOINTED IN THE LABOR STANDARDS THAT Y'ALL HAVE DECIDED TO NOT PARTICIPATE IN. 
          UM, WORK OUT HERE IS HARD. 
          WE NEED SAFETY STANDARDS AND USING CONTRACTORS AND NOT DOING THOSE THINGS LIKE THAT CAUSES EVERYTHING IN A BIND, WHICH PUTS MONEY IN DIFFERENT PLACES THAT COULD BE SAVED FOR THE CITY TO GO TO OTHER PROGRAMS AND OTHER FUNDING, STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          UM, I HERE TODAY BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT SAFETY. 
          SAFETY, SO I CAN CONTINUE ON TO WORK AND MAKE SURE I HAVE A GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR Y'ALL TO DO WHAT Y'ALL NEED TO DO TODAY, SUCH AS VIRTUAL STUFF AND USING CONTRACTORS AND STUFF LIKE THAT WILL MAKE THIS HARD FOR US TO DO THESE THINGS LIKE THIS. 
          NOW WE ALREADY SEE IT WITH THE PANDEMIC, WITH THE KIDS BEING FALLING BEHIND AND STUFF LIKE THAT IN SCHOOL. 
          WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THEM GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE AND BROADBAND NETWORKING TO THIS AREA. 
          I HOPE Y'ALL TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION AND HEAR THE REST OF US THAT ARE COMING HERE TO FIGHT ABOUT THIS. 
          AND WE WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO GO AND ACTUALLY REVIEW WHAT'S GOING ON AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT LABOR STANDARDS 
          [00:05:01]
HERE TO GET THIS INFRASTRUCTURE UP FOR Y'ALL. 
          THANK YOU MR. RODRIGUEZ. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CHARLES FUENTES, FOLLOWED BY MANTU. 
          GOOD. 
          UH, UH, MORNING, UH, CHARLES FUENTES. 
          I'M A C W A MEMBER TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKER. 
          UM, OUR UNION HAS MET WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, THE, UH, CITY'S MAYOR, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. 
          UM, AND WE'VE BEEN PATIENT, WE'VE BEEN UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THE FLUCTUATIONS OF PLANNING AND OPINIONS, UH, NAVIGATING LEGAL HURDLES TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS, IS AND WAS, UH, ABOVE BOARD. 
          AND WE'VE BEEN CONSISTENT WITH OUR MESSAGE. 
          IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE WORKER. 
          IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO BE DOING THIS WORK DAY IN, DAY OUT BUILDING AND MAINTAINING. 
          THE CITY NEEDS A RELIABLE AND FUTURE-PROOF BROADBAND NETWORK. 
          AND IT NEEDS TO BE CONSTRUCTED AND MAINTAINED ETHICALLY WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF WORKER PROTECTIONS. 
          WE FOUGHT FOR AND WON SIMILAR PROTECTIONS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. 
          IT WAS A HISTORIC MOVE TO GET LABOR LANGUAGE IN A FEDERAL BILL, AND WE ARE PROUD OF THAT. 
          BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          WE CAN AND SHOULD DO MORE FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS BY TYING THESE WORKER PROTECTIONS DIRECTLY INTO THE FUNDING. 
          WE CAN ENSURE THAT WORKERS IN SAN ANTONIO WILL HAVE A SAFE JOB SITE. 
          WE'LL BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO SEE THEIR FAMILY AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND WE'LL ALSO BE ABLE TO BRING HOME A LIVING WAGE AT THE END OF THE DAY WITH BENEFITS THAT WILL SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR YEARS TO COME. 
          SO I'M ASKING THAT Y'ALL HIGHLY CONSIDER REVISITING, UH, THIS PROPOSAL AND MAKING CERTAIN THAT THE WORKERS IN THIS PROJECT, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE, ARE PROTECTED. 
          THANK YOU, CHARLES MANU. 
          AND, SORRY, GO AHEAD. 
          T SO PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDS TO BE RESERVED FOR ITEMS, UH, THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT RELATED TO SOMETHING ON TODAY'S AGENDA, THEN PLEASE, UM, COME UP AND SPEAK. 
          BUT IF NOT, WE'RE GONNA ASK THAT YOU RESERVE YOUR COMMENTS FOR WHEN THAT ITEM APPEARS ON OUR NEXT AGENDA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MANUEL ANOU, FOLLOWED BY KNOWING MALDONADO. 
          YEAH. 
          I'M GONNA HOLD MY COMMENT UNTIL THE LINE ITEM. 
          OKAY. 
          AND IT LOOKS KNOWING MALDONADO FOLLOWED BY KELLY OR KAYLEE DELUCCA. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN SUSAN OR SARAH, SO YOU ALL ARE HERE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER THREE. 
          AND SO CAN WE GET CLARIFICATION FROM THE SEA ATTORNEY? UH, ARE THEY NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK ON, ON, ON THAT ITEM OR IN REGARD TO WHAT THEY WERE VOICING TODAY? SO I'M NOT SURE THAT THE BROADBAND WOULD BE RELATED TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          UM, BRENDA JUST, OKAY. 
          I I, I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE. 
          THAT'S THE ONE THAT I HAD MENTIONED ALSO EARLIER. 
          IF MY COLLEAGUES ARE OKAY WITH YOU WITH IT, I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE THEN. 
          GOOD DEAL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THEN WE WILL. 
          SO WE WILL TAKE UP, UH, MANUEL TU AT THIS MOMENT. 
          ANTU, I'M SO SORRY. 
          YES, IT'S OKAY. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          SO MY NAME IS MAN TU. 
          I'M ALSO A TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKER WITH THE C W A 61 43 HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, I WANTED TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE PERSONABLE, UH, PERSONAL ABOUT, UH, HOW THIS AFFECTS ME. 
          UH, I GREW UP, UH, WHAT'S KNOWN AS LIKE A JACK OF ALL TRADES SINCE I WAS 15 YEARS OLD. 
          I WORKED THE SUMMER WITH MY DAD, REMODELING HOUSES, UH, HANGING DRYWALL, STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          UM, SOMETHING OSHA WOULD'VE SHUT DOWN REALLY QUICKLY, . 
          UM, IT WASN'T UNTIL I BECAME A UNION WORKER THAT I REALIZED THE CALIBER OF WORK AND SAFETY THAT YOU GET IN, IN A, IN A UNION, UH, A LOT OF THE WORK I GO OUT AND SEE IS DONE VERY POORLY. 
          UH, A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE HAVING TO FIX THINGS THAT ARE DONE WRONG BY CONTRACTORS. 
          UM, SO REALLY ULTIMATELY I WANTED TO ALSO EXPRESS MY DISAPPOINTMENT IN LEAVING OUT LABOR STANDARDS FOR THE BROADBAND'S. 
          UH, R F P. 
          UM, IT DOESN'T GIVE US A SEAT AT THE TABLE. 
          UH, WE KNOW COMPANIES LIKE TO COMPETE FOR WHO CAN BUILD BETTER BROADBAND AT A LOWER PRICE. 
          UH, AND THEN AGAIN, TO TOUCH ON HOW IT WAS PERSONAL TO ME, I, I'VE GONE OUT 
          [00:10:01]
PLENTY OF TIMES TO DO WORK WITH MY DAD. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I'M SETTING UP SERVICES OR DOING WORK, I COULD SEE POOR CONSTRUCTION BEING DONE VIA, YOU KNOW, OSHA VIOLATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          IT, IT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE HAD A, IF WE HAD A SEAT TO NEGOTIATE JOBS LIKE THIS AND, YOU KNOW, USE SAFETY STANDARDS, BRING HIGHER SAFETY STANDARDS TO THE TABLE THAT WOULD BENEFIT NOT ONLY SAN ANTONIO, BUT YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE, THE COMMUNITY, AND SUCH FORTH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MR. ANOU. 
          NOI MALDONADO, FOLLOWED BY KAYLEE DELUCA. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          I'M NOI MONTALVO. 
          UH, I'M A TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKER AND A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNICATIONS WORKER OF AMERICA, C W A 61 43 HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, BEING A UNION MEMBER MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. 
          I'M A TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION MEMBER, AND WE ARE TRAINED TO DO OUR WORK RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. 
          WE HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS, HIGH QUALITY SAFETY TRAINING AND POLICIES IN PLACE TO SPEAK OUT WHEN WE SEE UNSAFE OR POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WORKING CONDITIONS. 
          THIS DOESN'T HELP ME IF I SHOW UP TO A JOB FIX SOMETHING THAT A SHODDY CONTRACTOR DID WRONG. 
          THIS PUTS ME AND MY COWORKERS IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS ALL THE TIME. 
          WHEN PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO DO LOW QUALITY WORK FOR CHEAP, OUR COMMUNITY AND ME AND MY COWORKERS DESERVE BETTER. 
          WE HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL ENGAGE AND HEAR THE VOICES OF FRONTLINE WORKERS LIKE US WHEN THEY ARE MAKING POLICY DECISIONS LIKE BROADBAND. 
          R F P. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MR. MALDONADO. 
          CAN I KINDLY DELUCA FOLLOWED BY SARAH KARA. 
          BIAS RUSH. 
          KAYLEE? NO. 
          KAYLEE. 
          OKAY. 
          SARAH CAR CARAS RUSH. 
          HI, AND GOOD MORNING COUNSEL. 
          IT'S GREAT TO, UH, BE WITH YOU ALL THIS MORNING. 
          APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE WORK THAT THE CITY IS DOING TO DEVELOP A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          UM, I WANTED TO, UH, FIRST CONGRATULATE THE TEAM THAT'S BEEN WORKING SO HARD ON GETTING THIS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. 
          ALEX AND BRENDA AND THE TIP STRATEGIES TEAM, UH, HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, TIRELESSLY TO PUT TOGETHER A PLAN THAT I BELIEVE WILL BE, UM, UH, VERY BENEFICIAL FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AS WE LOOK TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND EXCEL IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES. 
          SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WANT TO EXPRESS MY, UM, UH, I SHOULD BACK UP, EXPLAIN WHO I AM. 
           SARAH RAVIS RUSH. 
          I'M CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR GREATER SS A T X. 
          AND, UH, WE ARE THE REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, UH, ORGANIZATION HERE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT IS, UH, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION. 
          FOR THOSE THAT, THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH US. 
          SO MY APOLOGIES, I SHOULD HAVE STARTED THERE. 
          UM, BUT WANNA EXPRESS MY OVERALL, UH, SUPPORT OF THE PLAN. 
          UM, I BELIEVE THAT THERE CERTAINLY ARE STILL A LOT OF IMPLEMENTATION ELEMENTS THAT WE WILL NEED TO WORK THROUGH AFTER ALL, PLANS ARE ONLY AS SUCCESSFUL AS HOW THEY GET IMPLEMENTED. 
          UM, AND I THINK IT'S CRITICAL THAT THOSE ARE DONE IN PARTNERSHIP. 
          UM, AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE CITY AND GREATER SS A T X HAVE A LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIP OF WORKING TOGETHER. 
          AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WALKING ALONGSIDE THE CITY AS YOU ALL BEGIN TO ROLL OUT THIS STRATEGY. 
          AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THIS, UH, ONGOING CONVERSATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN. 
          UM, AND I WANTED TO, UM, ALSO JUST SPECIFICALLY SAY THAT I THINK THERE'S SOME VERY INTERESTING ELEMENTS OF THIS PLAN THAT WOULD HELP SAN ANTONIO TO REALLY MOVE, UH, INTO SUCCESS. 
          UM, THE NEXT PHASE OF SUCCESS, AND THAT SPECIFICALLY IS LOOKING AT SOME OF THE LAND BANKING AND, UH, CREATIVE SOLUTIONS AROUND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, THAT I THINK WILL HELP US TO DRIVE INCREASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BOTH AT THE LOCALIZED COMMUNITY LEVEL, BUT ALSO, UH, IN THE SENSE OF THINGS LIKE, UH, CREATING A MEGA SITE SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT SOME OF THESE, UH, MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENTS THAT ARE OUT, UH, LOOKING FOR LOCATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY. 
          SO, WOULD LOVE TO, UM, BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. 
          UM, AS YOU ALL ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS PLAN, HAPPY TO DIG IN ON ANY SPECIFICS WITH HOW THAT MIGHT RELATE TO GREATER SS A T X. 
          SO I'LL BE HERE FOR THE, THE DURATION OF THE BRIEFING AND WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE ANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS THROUGHOUT. 
          BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, I APPRECIATE IT. 
          AND I THINK THAT ALEJANDRA LOPEZ SIGNED UP FOR THE WRONG ITEM AND I SEE HER IN, 
          [00:15:01]
IN THE CROWD. 
          AND, AND IF IT'S OKAY WITH MY COLLEAGUES, CAN WE ADD ONE MORE PERSON TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT? WHAT ITEM DID YOU SIGN UP FOR? ALEX? YOU DID SIGN UP. 
          YOU SI SIGNED UP FOR THREE. 
          DO YOU HAVE HER ON THERE? I DO NOT HAVE HER. 
          OKAY. 
          ALEX, HOW DID YOU SIGN UP? WHEN DID YOU ON THE SA UM, SPEAK UP WEBSITE? AND I'M JUST GONNA SAY THAT I CANNOT NAVIGATE THAT WEBSITE. 
          IMAGINE HOW IT'S FOR OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          THANK, I THINK WE'RE OKAY WITH, COME ON. 
          COME ON UP. 
          ALEX, GO AHEAD. 
          WE HAVE THREE MINUTES. 
          SORRY. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. 
          I, UM, APPRECIATE, UH, THAT I REALLY THOUGHT I HAD SIGNED UP CORRECTLY, BUT APPARENTLY NOT. 
          UM, GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS ALEJANDRA LOPEZ. 
          I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE, AND I CURRENTLY SERVE AS THE PROUD PRESIDENT OF THE SAN ANTONIO ALLIANCE OF TEACHERS AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL, THE UNION THAT REPRESENTS WORKERS IN S A I S D. 
          UH, I'D FIRST LIKE TO COMMEND, UM, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FOR MAKING SUCH A BOLD INVESTMENT TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. 
          UH, WHEN THE C OVID 19 PANDEMIC HIT I, ALONG WITH MY OTHER, UM, TEACHER COLLEAGUES TRANSITION TO VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION AND SAW FIRSTHAND THE INEQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET AMONGST STUDENTS AND STAFF, SS A I S D, LIKE OTHER SAN ANTONIO DISTRICTS, WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO ENSURE THAT ALL 48,000 STUDENTS WERE ISSUED DEVICES TO TAKE HOME SO THEY COULD ENGAGE IN VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION. 
          BUT WE ALL QUICKLY REALIZED THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH. 
          SINCE MANY HOUSEHOLDS WEREN'T EQUIPPED WITH HIGH-SPEED ACCESS, HOUSEHOLDS THAT DIDN'T HAVE INTERNET SERVICE WERE ISSUED HOTSPOTS, BUT THERE WERE NUMEROUS HOUSEHOLDS THAT DID HAVE INTERNET SERVICE. 
          IT JUST WASN'T FAST ENOUGH TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION. 
          SO YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE FRUSTRATION OF 27 YEAR OLDS WAITING FOR A VIDEO TO LOAD. 
          SO WE COULD CONTINUE OUR MATH LESSON. 
          THIS INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WILL HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT IN OUR S A I S D COMMUNITY. 
          TODAY, I ASK THAT YOU EXTEND THIS INVESTMENT BY ENSURING THAT THERE ARE ROBUST LABOR STANDARDS INCLUDED IN THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY AREAS BY INCLUDING LABOR STANDARDS IN THE R F P PROCESS. 
          THE INITIATIVE GOES FAR BEYOND JUST PROVIDING MUCH NEEDED DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT ALSO GUARANTEEING THAT THESE JOBS THAT ARE CREATED ARE HIGH QUALITY JOBS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WHEN WE MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME WITH THE MOST QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS. 
          LET US SEND A STRONG MESSAGE TO THOSE COMPANIES WHO SEEK TO BID ON THIS ENORMOUS PROJECT THAT WE HAVE HIGH STANDARDS, INCLUDING SAFETY TRAINING, CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE. 
          AS A SECOND GRADE TEACHER, I WOULD OFTEN THINK ABOUT MY STUDENTS' FUTURES, THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS THAT THEY WOULD COMMUNICATE TO ME. 
          STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, THEY CAN'T ALL BECOME TIKTOK STARS AS THEY PLAN, EVEN THOUGH I CAN'T PREDICT WHAT JOBS THEY'LL DO WHEN THEY BECOME ADULTS. 
          I CAN CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE AND ORGANIZE TO ENSURE THAT ALL JOBS IN THIS CITY ARE ONES OF DIGNITY AND RESPECT. 
          AND THAT DIGNITY AND RESPECT BEGINS RIGHT, RIGHT HERE WITH THE LANGUAGE IN THE R F P. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MS. LOPEZ. 
          WE'LL 
          [Briefing and Possible Action on the following items
 ]
CONTINUE ON TO, UM, ITEM NUMBER TWO, AND THANKS EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT AND SPEAKING. 
          WE APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR, YOUR INPUT ITEM NUMBER TWO IS CONSIDERATION OF APPLICANTS TO THE GOAL SETTING COMMITTEE. 
          THERE'S TWO SEATS AVAILABLE. 
          THE SUBCOMMITTEE THAT WAS MADE UP OF, UH, DISTRICT FIVE, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO AND DISTRICT NINE, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BRINGING DOWN A SHORT LIST TO US. 
          THERE WERE FOUR APPLICANTS ONE, UM, WITHDREW AS OF YESTERDAY. 
          SO, OR ACTUALLY THIS MORNING, I THINK, SO IT'S BEEN REDUCED TO THREE. 
          WE HAVE THREE CANDIDATES THAT ARE HERE TO SPEAK. 
          THERE'S TWO SEATS FOR THE CATEGORY OF CITIZEN AT LARGE FOR A TERM TO EXPIRE ON MAY 31ST, 2023. 
          YOU HAVE THE PRESENTATION. 
          THE PRESENTATION IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          OH, I'M ON A TIMER TWO. 
          JUST KIDDING. 
          , SORRY. 
          YOU HAVE THE PRESENTATION IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NEED A STAFF PRESENTATION OR, UM, IF IT, IT'S TWO SLIDES. 
          UH, SO I'LL DEFER TO MY COLLEAGUES TO SEE IF THEY WANT THE PRESENTATION. 
          IF NOT, THE THREE APPLICANTS EACH HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. 
          UH, THEN WE WILL HAVE, UH, QUESTIONS AND, UM, WE WILL CONTINUE THE PROCESS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          DO YOU WANNA HEAR THE PRESENTATION? DO YOU WANNA SEE THE STAFF PRESENTATION? I DON'T THINK I NEED TO. 
          I THINK I'D LIKE TO. 
          COUNCILMAN PAL, ARE YOU GOOD WITHOUT THE PRESENTATION OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT? OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I THINK WE'VE DONE THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES. 
          SO WE'LL START WITH THE, UM, THE APPLICANTS AND WE WILL START OFF WITH, UM, JULIANA LOPEZ, FOLLOWED BY FRANK MUNOZ. 
          AND THEN WE WILL END WITH DR. 
          LIANG WARD. 
          SO, UM, JULIANA LOPEZ, IF, UH, SHE CAN COME UP AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR OPENING REMARKS, WILL A COUPLE OF THE APPLICANTS BE OUTSIDE OF THE ROOM WHILE YES. 
          THEY'RE, I BELIEVE THEY'RE GONNA BE WALKED OUT RIGHT NOW, SO. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU MS. LOPEZ. 
          AND NITA, THE FLOOR IS YOUR, I HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR OPENING COMMENTS. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          UH, JULIANA LOPEZ IS MY NAME. 
          I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN 
          [00:20:01]
SAN ANTONIO, UM, ON THE NORTH SIDE. 
          UH, I, UH, WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL AT HOMES, WENT TO INCARNATE WORD COLLEGE. 
          UM, I'VE BEEN IN BANKING FOR, UH, 32 YEARS AND VERY INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, I DO SIT ON THE BOARD OF THE Y M C A ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND DISTRICT THREE I WORK IN DISTRICT THREE. 
          I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE AND, UH, VERY INVOLVED WITH THE SOUTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHICH IS NOW THE SOUTH TEXAS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP. 
          UH, I CHAIR THEIR BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
          UM, I ALSO WORK WITH THE SHERIFF'S, UH, FOUNDATION BOARD AS WELL. 
          UM, DO HAVE A LOT OF FAMILY MEMBERS HERE IN POLITICS AND IN THE PAST, UH, THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. 
          AND, UH, I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS, UH, THINKING OF ME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MS. JULIANA, WHY DID YOU APPLY TO THE GOAL SETTING COMMITTEE AND WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE THE COMMITTEE PLAYING IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE S BETA? SO, UM, I RECENTLY TERMED OFF THE SOUTH CHAMBER BOARD, WHICH I WAS EXTREMELY INVOLVED WITH. 
          AND I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PASSIONATE ABOUT AND REALLY WANNA COMMIT TO. 
          AND I HAVE THE TIME NOW TO DO IT. 
          UM, AND SO FOR ME, UH, THE COMMUNITY AND, AND GOAL SETTING, WORKING FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. 
          SO ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO, TO HELP WITH THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT ANSWER. 
          AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. 
          AND CAN YOU ALSO MAYBE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR FOCUS WOULD BE ON, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE, SHOULD YOU BE ON THE COMMITTEE? YOU KNOW, AS A , AS A BANKER OF 32 YEARS, SMALL BUSINESSES ARE MY PRIORITY. 
          AND SO THAT IS TYPICALLY WHAT I'M, I'M TRYING TO FIGHT FOR. 
          UM, WHETHER IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH, WITH HIRING, VACATION TIMES, ET CETERA. 
          I TRY TO STAY INVOLVED WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. 
          UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I'M INTERESTED IN WOULD BE, UM, ELDERLY. 
          UM, I DO DEAL WITH A LOT OF ELDERLY ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          I HAVE CLIENTS THAT I AM CONSTANTLY CALLING NONPROFITS FOR AND TRYING TO HELP. 
          AND SO IT REALLY IS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          I'LL START OFF WITH MY COLLEAGUE, UM, WHO'S REMOTE TODAY, COUNCILMAN ELA OR CHAIR ELAS. 
          WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS OF JULIANA? JULIANA? YEAH. 
          HI. 
          HI. 
          UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. 
          DO YOU, UH, DO YOU MONITOR, UH, THIS MEETING? I MEAN, DO, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, WHAT GOALS THEY'RE SETTING? DO YOU, HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING AT THE WORK THAT THIS COMMITTEE HAS DONE IN THE PAST? IF SO, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON US? YEAH, AND I'VE ONLY READ WHAT THE COMMITTEE STANDS FOR AT THIS POINT, SO, NO, I HAVEN'T FOLLOWED IT. 
          DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU, UH, ON A COMMITTEE LIKE THIS? I DID ALREADY EMAIL MY QUESTIONS IN AND GOT THEM ANSWERED, SO I'M, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR APPLYING. 
          THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN P. 
          COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          UH, GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU FOR, UH, DEMONSTRATING INTEREST IN SERVING ON THE GOAL SETTING COMMITTEE. 
          CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, ESPECIALLY THOSE PERTAINING TO LOCAL, STATE, AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES? SO, MY ONLY EXPERIENCE WITH THAT WOULD BE, UM, ATTENDING DIFFERENT, UH, EVENTS THAT TELL BUSINESSES AND TELL PEOPLE HOW TO GET THE PERMIT PERMITTING. 
          UM, AS, AS I SAT ON THE BOARD OF THE BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE CHAMBER, UM, WHAT I WOULD TRY TO DO IS BRING IN PEOPLE, UM, TO SPEAK AT THE CHAMBER BREAKFAST, UH, THE CHAMBER BOARD LUNCHEONS, THINGS LIKE THAT ON, UH, PERMITTING AND, UH, HOW TO OBTAIN THAT, UM, HOW IT'S AVAILABLE TO, TO ANYBODY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. 
          UM, SO THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY EXPERIENCE I HAVE WITH THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, JULIANA. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. 
          COUNCILMAN COURAGE. 
          YES. 
          UM, THANK YOU MS. LOPEZ FOR APPLYING, UH, THE APPLICATION OF EDTA TOOLS BY THE GOAL SETTING COMMITTEE IS A DATA ANALYTICAL PROCESS, AND IT'S GUIDED BY CASE LAWS, STATE LAWS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU AT INTERPRETING DATA TO EITHER ASSESS PROGRAM APPLICATION RECOMMENDATIONS OR TO MAKE YOUR OWN? SO FOR PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS, I'M PROBABLY NOT COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , UM, I'M VERY GOOD AT ANALYZING DATA. 
          I, AGAIN, I, ACCOUNTING WAS MY MAJOR. 
          UM, SO LOOKING AT NUMBERS, I DO A LOT OF STUDY, AND SO I, I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE BEING ABLE TO AT LEAST LOOK AT THAT AND, AND ANALYZE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. 
          AND THEN I, I DO HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU, JULIANA. 
          WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE IN ASSISTING OR ADVOCATING FOR THE SMALL MINORITY, 
          [00:25:01]
UM, AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN GENERAL? YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES AND ELDERLY IN GENERAL, BUT A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL PLEASE. 
          SO, I SPEND MY PERSONAL TIME OUTSIDE OF THE BANK HELPING SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. 
          UM, TODAY I AM GOING TO THE BLACK WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS EVENT AT THE Y W C A. 
          I HAVE A BOOTH THERE. 
          I SPONSOR A LOT OF EVENTS THAT ARE WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, UH, MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES. 
          UM, I DO SPEND MY OWN PERSONAL TIME, LIKE I MENTIONED, HELPING BUSINESSES FILE FOR THEIR L L C OR THEIR CORPORATION. 
          I AM A REGISTERED AGENT AND I DO OFFER THOSE SERVICES FOR FREE. 
          UM, I DO OFFER FINANCIAL SERVICES TO ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE FOR FREE AS WELL, HELPING THEM PUT TOGETHER A P AND L AND A BALANCE SHEET, UM, AND ALL OF THAT. 
          I DO, YOU KNOW, AT NO COST. 
          IT'S JUST TO HELP THOSE, THOSE MINORITY BUSINESS OWNERS. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, JULIANA. 
          YOU ARE ARE FREE FOR NOW, SO THANK YOU. 
          YOU CAN HAVE A SEAT. 
          WE HAVE OUR NEXT CANDIDATE, FRANK MUNOZ, UM, WHO WILL BE COMING UP. 
          HI. 
          GOOD MORNING MR. MUNOZ. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING ON THE COMMITTEE. 
          AND, UM, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR OPENING REMARKS AND THE FLOOR IS YOURS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          MY NAME IS FRANK MUNOZ. 
          AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE CONSIDERED, UH, FOR THIS POSITION. 
          UH, I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, WENT TO SCHOOL IN SOMERSET, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, 1987. 
          UH, I LEFT FOR THE UNITED STATES NAVY. 
          I SERVED MY COUNTRY, CAME BACK, UH, THEN I STARTED WORKING WITH A ENGINEERING CONSULTING FIRM HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, I EARNED BOTH MY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE DEGREES HERE AT TEXAS A M SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, CURRENTLY I SERVE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE SOCIETY OF MARKETING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. 
          ALSO, I'M A MEMBER AND COMMITTEE VOLUNTEER FOR THE HISPANIC CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION, SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, I WORK CLOSELY WITH MARK PRICE WITH ELMO COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO KIND OF HELP THEIR, THEIR, UH, UH, SPONSORSHIP AND, AND, UH, GENERATING FUNDS FOR, FOR THE STUDENTS THERE AT, AT, UH, ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE. 
          UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          ALRIGHT, WELCOME BACK. 
          THE TIME IS NOW 10 58 ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST THE 31ST. 
          AND THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING WILL NOW RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION. 
          NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          AGAIN, THANK YOU TO OUR, UH, FOLKS WHO, WHO SHOWED UP TODAY AND WHO WERE INTERESTED IN THE COMMITTEE. 
          UH, WE HAVE SOME VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS TO MAKE SOMETIMES, AND ONE OF THEM IS ALWAYS CHOOSING WHO ENDS UP ON THE COMMITTEE. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST. 
          AT THIS TIME, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR RECOMMENDATION AT THE FIRST AVAILABLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO ACT ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR. 
          IF I MAY, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE TO RECOMMEND JULIANA LOPEZ AND FRANK MUNOZ TO THE GOAL SETTING COMMITTEE. 
          I SECOND AND WE ARE WAITING ON COUNCILMAN PELA TO JOIN IN FOR, FOR THE VOTE, BUT, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE THAT VOTE AND THEN, BUT THANK YOU. 
          SO THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          AND AGAIN, WE'RE JUST WAITING. 
          THERE HE IS. 
          AWESOME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO, UH, COUNCILMAN EZ. 
          JUST JOINED, COUNCILMAN, THERE'S A MOTION ON THE TABLE AND A SECOND FOR JULIANA LOPEZ AND FRANK MUNOZ TO BE RECOMMENDED. 
          UM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION FROM ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES COUNSELING EZ? NO. 
          OH, YOU, ME, TO, THEY'RE GETTING. 
          OKAY. 
          WELCOME TO, IF YOU ARE THE HOST, ENTER YOUR SAVED PHONE NUMBER FOLLOWED BY POUND. 
          IF YOU'RE NOT THE HOST, PRESS POUND. 
          ENTER YOUR ATTENDEE ID NUMBER. 
          YOU KNOW, WHAT I HATE IS WHEN I DO THAT AND I PUSH THE WRONG BUTTON, I GOTTA COUNCILMAN BEL. 
          YOU CAN HEAR US? I CAN HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. 
          AWESOME. 
          GOOD MOTION 
          [00:30:01]
FOR JULIANA LOPEZ AND FRANK MUNOZ TO BE RECOMMENDED TO THE FULL COUNCIL AT THE NEXT MEETING. 
          IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? NO. 
          NO. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WE'LL TAKE THE VOTE. 
          ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S NO MOTION CARRIES. 
          CONGRATULATIONS, UH, MS. LOPEZ AND, AND MR. MUNOZ. 
          AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          AND, UM, I BELIEVE THAT, BRENT, YOU'RE PRESENTING, GO AHEAD. 
          IT'S THE FLOOR IS YOUR, SO I THINK WE HAVE THE WRONG, UH, ITEM. 
          WELL, I'LL GO AHEAD. 
          UH, THE NEXT PRESENTATION, UH, OUR TEAM FROM T I P STRATEGIES WILL BE PROVIDING IT. 
          SO, UH, GOOD MORNING. 
          I'M BRENDA HICKS SORENSON, DIRECTOR OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HERE AT THE CITY. 
          IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE THIS MORNING AND TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION REGARDING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          AS MENTIONED, THE T I P STRATEGIES TEAM WILL BE PROVIDING THE PRESENTATION, UH, THIS MORNING. 
          BUT I WANTED TO JUST TOUCH UPON A FEW THINGS BEFORE, BEFORE THAT PRESENTATION. 
          I WANT TO REITERATE THAT THIS EFFORT WAS NOT INTENDED TO RECREATE THE WHEEL, AS WE ALREADY HAVE A NUMBER OF PLANS IN, UM, SUCH AS THE REGIONAL ALL IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND ESSAY TOMORROW, JUST TO NAME A FEW. 
          WE REALLY WANTED TO LOOK AT THOSE PLANS WITH FRESH SET OF EYES, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, AND UTILIZE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPECIFICALLY DEFINE OPPORTUNITIES AND PRIORITIES FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 
          THIS ALSO, UH, EMPHASIZES THAT IT'S A DRAFT. 
          IT SAYS DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION ONLY. 
          AND AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO REITERATE THAT IT IS A DRAFT. 
          THIS IS A PROCESS IN WHICH WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING E W D C TODAY, WITH ANY REVISIONS INCORPORATED INTO WHAT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR A CITY COUNCIL B SESSION IN LATE SEPTEMBER, FOLLOWING FEEDBACK AT THAT TIME, WE ARE TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO PRE PREVENT PRESENT THE DOCUMENT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION IN LATE OCTOBER. 
          WE WILL BE ASKING CITY COUNCIL TO ACCEPT THE PLAN VERSUS ADOPTING IT AS THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT POLICY DISCUSSIONS INCLUDED, AND BELIEVE THOSE MERIT SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS. 
          ONE SUCH EXAMPLE IS THE INCENTIVE POLICY. 
          THE CURRENT INCENTIVE POLICY EXPIRES AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, AND WE WILL BE PROPOSING A REVISED POLICY, ONE THAT ALIGNS TO THE PROPOSED PLAN TO E W D C IN CITY COUNCIL LATER THIS YEAR. 
          THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL BE UTILIZING THIS DOCUMENT AS A FRAMEWORK TO ESTABLISH OUR WORK PLANS GOING FORWARD. 
          THIS WILL INCLUDE ONGOING EFFORTS, SHORT, MID, AND LONG-TERM EFFORTS AS WELL. 
          WITHIN THOSE WORK PLANS, WE WILL IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL POLICY DISCUSSIONS AND WORK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AND LEADERSHIP TO MOVE THOSE FORWARD FOR POTENTIAL COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. 
          WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS ON IMPLEMENTATION. 
          I'D LIKE TO NOW INTRODUCE JOHN CARIS FROM T I P STRATEGIES FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR HAVING US HERE. 
          AGAIN. 
          UH, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, AND THANK YOU, BRENDA, FOR KIND OF SHARING WHERE WE ARE IN THE, IN THE PROCESS AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED. 
          UH, IMPORTANTLY, THIS IS REALLY A DRAFT OF THE PLAN THAT YOU ALL HAVE, HAVE RECEIVED. 
          AND WE'LL GIVE YOU JUST AN, AN OVERVIEW. 
          LET ME SEE IF I CAN, IS IT THE GREEN AND RED BUTTON TO MOVE FORWARD ADVANCE? IF YOU WANNA GO TO A SPECIFICS SLIDE, JUST TYPE IN THE NUMBER AND ENTER. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, SO AS, UH, AS BRENDA MENTIONED, WE REALLY WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU ALL THE FRAMEWORK OF, OF THE PLAN. 
          AND WHEN WE WERE IN FRONT OF THIS COMMITTEE BACK IN JUNE, WE SHARED WITH YOU OUR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM ALL OF THE QUALITATIVE INPUT THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS AND BUSINESS LEADERS, AND ALSO SOME OF THE DATA ANALYSIS. 
          SO WE HAVE COMPLETED THE FIRST TWO PHASES OF THE PROJECT, THE DISCOVERY PHASE, AND THE OPPORTUNITY PHASE. 
          AND WE ARE NOW MOVING FULL FORCE INTO THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE. 
          SO WE HAVE OUR FIRST FULL DRAFT OF THE PLAN. 
          THERE WILL BE ADJUSTMENTS, UH, AND TWEAKS MADE TO, TO THAT BASED IN PART ON YOUR INPUT. 
          AND WE WILL BE ALSO PRODUCING A, A MUCH MORE BEAUTIFUL DESIGN DOCUMENT AS WELL AS AN IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX THAT LAYS OUT SPECIFIC TIMELINES AND, UH, LEAD ORGANIZATIONS BOTH WITHIN THE CITY, BUT ALSO PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          AND WE APPRECIATE, UH, JEREMY AND SARAH FOR LENDING YOUR SUPPORT TO THE PLAN. 
          THERE ARE MANY OTHER PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN PROVIDING INPUT TO THE PROCESS THAT WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE, UH, TO IMPLEMENT THE, THE STRATEGIES. 
          SO I'M GONNA JUST KIND OF TOUCH ON, SO WE, THESE ARE THE, THE COMPONENTS THAT REALLY INFORM THE FRAMEWORK AND THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE PLAN, WHAT WE HEAR FROM, FROM YOU ALL, 
          [00:35:01]
UH, AND THAT THE, THE, Y'ALL BEING KIND OF A BROAD BOTH, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS, RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, PARTNERS, THAT'S THE QUALITATIVE INPUT THAT IS CRITICAL. 
          ALSO WHAT THE DATA TELLS US. 
          UM, ALL THE DATA THAT WE ANALYZED LOCALLY, BUT ALSO COMPARING SAN ANTONIO TO PEER CITIES AND LOOKING AT GLOBAL TRENDS, AND THEN ALSO WHAT THE STRATEGIC CONTEXT IS. 
          SO WE SHARE SOME OF THE, UH, QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION LAST TIME, BUT WE WANTED TO JUST REMIND OURSELVES THAT A LOT OF THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING, AS BRENDA MENTIONED, ESPECIALLY OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          WE CAN LOOK AT ALL THE TRENDS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, ACCELERATED BY THE PANDEMIC AND HOW THAT AFFECTS THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE. 
          UM, AND EVEN JUST SINCE WE DRAFTED THE, THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE PLAN THAT THAT VERY FIRST, UH, BUBBLE THERE ON THE TOP LEFT, THE FEDERAL FUNDING, WE NOW HAVE YET ANOTHER MAJOR FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCE, THE I R A WITH HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF CLIMATE, UH, RESILIENCE INVESTMENTS THAT WILL BE COMING ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVER THE NEXT DECADE OR SO. 
          SO WE DID WANT TO JUST POINT OUT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THESE FACTORS THAT WE WANTED TO CONSIDER THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFLUENCE OVER THESE, THESE EXTERNAL FACTORS, UH, BUT THEY DO AFFECT THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN SAN ANTONIO OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. 
          AND WE WON'T GO INTO DETAIL ON ANY OF THESE, BUT I DID JUST WANT TO TOUCH ON ONE PARTICULAR AREA BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A, A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY. 
          AND THAT'S THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY IN, IN A, A PHASE THAT YOU COULD REALLY CALL IT THE, THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS, HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE IN OUR COUNTRY, JUST AS ONE SNAPSHOT. 
          AND THIS DATA IS AVAILABLE, UH, INTERACTIVELY AS WELL. 
          BUT LOOKING AT THE AMOUNT OF INDUSTRIAL SPACE CURRENTLY BEING BUILT IN THE US OVER 600 MILLION, OVER 640 MILLION SQUARE FEET, WHICH IS 15 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF SPACE THAT WAS BEING BUILT DURING THE GREAT RECESSION, 2010, 2011. 
          AND JUST IN, IN THE SAN ANTONIO MARKET, THERE'S OVER 7 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF SPACE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. 
          AND IF YOU GO UP I 35 TO AUSTIN AND DALLAS-FORT WORTH, THIS IS REALLY THE, THE EPICENTER OF, UH, BUSINESS PARKS AND INDUSTRIAL PARKS. 
          EVERYTHING FROM MANUFACTURING, WAREHOUSING, EVEN DATA CENTERS FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY. 
          SO IT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY. 
          UM, ANOTHER I'LL JUST SHARE WITH YOU A COUPLE MORE, UH, DATA SLIDES BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR PLAN FRAMEWORK. 
          AND I'LL ASK KATRINA PARKI TO COME UP HERE AND SHARE WITH YOU, UH, THE FIRST OF THE, THE FOUR GOALS. 
          UM, ANOTHER ONE THAT WE KNOW IS CRITICAL IS, UH, GLOBAL AND DOMESTIC AIR ACCESS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          AND THE, THE AIRPORT HAS MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR PLANS TO EXPAND AND IS MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME OF THOSE. 
          AND JUST LOOKING AT THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE, THIS DATA RUNS THROUGH OCTOBER, 2021. 
          WE WERE ACTUALLY JUST LOOKING AT THE, THE MORE RECENT DATA AVAILABLE, AND YOU'RE CLOSER. 
          THE, THE ORANGE LINE THERE IS THE, THE SAN ANTONIO, UH, DOMESTIC PASSENGERS, YOU'RE CLOSER TO RECOVERING FROM THE, UH, THE PANDEMIC IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC, NOT QUITE THERE. 
          UH, AND BUT AS A COMPARISON, THE, YOUR NEAREST COMPETITOR OF THE AUSTIN AIRPORT HAS ALREADY WELL SURPASSED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC AS OF EARLIER THIS YEAR. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW IS A CRITICAL FACTOR THAT AFFECTS ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND IT AFFECTS THE, THE INDUSTRIES THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND, AND SUPPORT AND ATTRACT. 
          AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PARTNERS, INCLUDING GREATER S A T X WILL, WILL BE CHARGED WITH SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PLAN, WHICH IS THE EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT OF COMPANIES LARGE AND SMALL. 
          WITHIN THESE FIVE INDUSTRY AREAS, WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO FOCUS IN ON, UH, THE, THE INDUSTRIES WHERE YOU HAVE THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTRACT COMPANIES FROM OUTSIDE, BUT ALSO GROW EXISTING COMPANIES, INCLUDING, UH, STARTUPS AND HIGH GROWTH COMPANIES, BUT ALSO HELPING YOUR SMALL AND MID-SIZE COMPANIES, UH, EXPAND INTO MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATING INVESTMENT IN JOBS WITHIN EACH OF THOSE FIVE AREAS. 
          IT MOBILITY, INCLUDING AUTOMOTIVE, AEROSPACE, UH, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, REALLY BUILDING ON THE, THE UNIQUE ASSET OF C P S ENERGY, BUT SOME OF YOUR OTHER ENERGY ANCHORS, CORPORATE AND FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, BIOSCIENCE BEING A, AN UNDERAPPRECIATED INDUSTRY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, LAST TIME, THAT A LOT OF FOLKS OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO AND ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE OF TEXAS, DON'T ALWAYS APPRECIATE JUST HOW LARGE OF AN ANCHOR THAT IS. 
          SO, JUST A COUPLE MORE DATA POINTS THAT WE THOUGHT WERE REALLY CRITICAL TO THE 
          [00:40:01]
OUTCOMES AND THE, THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN, THE INCOME LEVELS. 
          WE, WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT INCOME. 
          AND WHEN YOU COMPARE SAN ANTONIO TO PURE CITIES, THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS ON THE LOWER END OF THAT. 
          SO WE KNOW THAT THAT HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY A CHALLENGE. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN. 
          UM, AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE INCOME LEVELS DISAGGREGATED BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, THIS IS WHERE THE PICTURE STARTS TO BECOME PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES ARE AND HOW YOU, ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE GROWN AS, UH, AS A CITY, ADDITIONAL JOBS AND INVESTMENT IN RECENT YEARS, THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST CONCERNING CHART OUT OF ALL THE, THE DATA THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT, IF YOU WERE TO GO BACK SEVERAL YEARS AGO, UH, HOUSEHOLD INCOMES, UH, FOR HISPANIC AND LATINO HOUSEHOLDS WERE PRETTY MUCH RIGHT AT THE CITY, MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, BUT HAVE, HAVE NOT GROWN FROM 2015 TO 2020. 
          AND THE PICTURE IS EVEN, EVEN MORE STARK FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS WHERE THEY WERE CLOSE TO THE MEDIAN, AVERAGE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, BUT HAVE ACTUALLY FALLEN IN RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE NUMBERS. 
          SO IF YOU HAD TO BOIL DOWN THE CHALLENGES OF A, AN EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR SAN ANTONIO, THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THOSE KEY AREAS WHERE PROGRESS HAS TO BE MADE. 
          SO THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PLAN, AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE, THE SAME FRAMEWORK THAT WE PRESENTED IN DRAFT FORM, UH, TO YOU ALL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. 
          AND WE'VE, WE'VE TAKEN THE FRAMEWORK AND WE'VE BUILT STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS BASED ON YOUR INPUT AND BASED ON ON OTHER INPUT FROM COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS AROUND THOSE FOUR GOALS THAT ARE AT THE BOTTOM. 
          BUT I WANTED TO START AT THE TOP AND JUST KIND OF COME BACK TO THE OBJECTIVE THAT, THAT BRENDA MENTIONED. 
          THIS IS REALLY ABOUT, YES, BUILDING A MORE COMPETITIVE, MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT IT'S ABOUT DEFINING THE ROLE THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PLAYS IN THAT. 
          AND WE'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH THESE FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT EVERY ONE OF THESE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. 
          YOU, YOU CAN'T HAVE ECONOMIC HEALING WITHOUT INVESTMENT AND GROWTH. 
          YOU CAN'T HAVE A MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY WITHOUT, UH, MORE EQUITY, AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A, A STRONGER TAX BASE TO SUPPORT ALL OF THAT. 
          SO WE STAND BEHIND EVERY ONE OF THESE. 
          THE GOALS, THERE ARE THREE, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY, UH, TOPICAL PRIORITIES, THE FIRST BEING INNOVATION AND INDUSTRY, THE SECOND BEING FOCUSED ON PLACE AND REAL ESTATE. 
          THE THIRD REALLY FOCUSED ON TALENT AND WORKFORCE. 
          AND THE FOURTH GOAL IS, YOU SEE, IT'S KIND OF COLORED A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. 
          SO THE, THE IDEA BEHIND THAT ONE IS IT IS THE TOOLS, THE, THE PARTNERSHIPS AND THE, THE STAFFING WITHIN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THAT ARE NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE, THE OTHER THREE GOALS. 
          SO THE FIRST THREE ARE REALLY THE WHAT, AND THE FOURTH IS MORE ABOUT THE HOW. 
          SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO KATRINA TO KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH THE FIRST GOAL, JOHN. 
          SO AS JOHN MENTIONED, OUR FIRST GOAL IS ALL ABOUT INNOVATION AND INDUSTRY. 
          SO, UM, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THE TOP LEVEL IS WHAT THE GOAL IS ALL ABOUT. 
          BENEATH THAT ARE THREE STRATEGIES. 
          AND THEN EACH STRATEGY HAS A LIST OF ACTION ITEMS IN THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT ITSELF. 
          EACH ACTION ITEM HAS ADDITIONAL BULLETS ABOUT, WE'RE GONNA KEEP IT PRETTY HIGH LEVEL TODAY SO THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH EVERYTHING. 
          BUT WITH THE GOAL NUMBER ONE, IT'S ALL ABOUT BUSINESS RETENTION, BUSINESS EXPANSION, LOOKING AT BUSINESS ATTRACTION AS WELL. 
          UM, ALSO SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO SUPPORTING THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE READY TO GROW AND WANT TO SUSTAIN THEIR OPERATIONS. 
          LOOKING AT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND HOW THOSE ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT THE SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          AND THEN FINALLY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP. 
          SO LOOKING AT THOSE CAPITAL INTENSIVE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DRIVEN ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE IN SAN ANTONIO AND WANT TO GROW, UM, SPECIFICALLY AROUND CYBERSECURITY, UM, AND INDUSTRIES LIKE THAT. 
          SO ON, WE'RE GONNA DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SIDE OF THINGS. 
          SO ON OUR NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AGAIN, ALL ABOUT RETAINING SAN ANTONIO'S EXISTING EMPLOYER BASE, HELPING THOSE WHO WANT TO EXPAND, EXPAND WITHIN SAN ANTONIO, AND ALSO LOOKING AT BUSINESS ATTRACTION. 
          SO ON THE BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION SIDE OF THINGS, WE WANT TO SUPPORT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND INCREASING THEIR BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION VISITS. 
          SO THAT EXISTING EMPLOYER BASE STAYS IN SAN ANTONIO AND EXPANDS IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          NEXT UP IS BUSINESS ATTRACTION. 
          SO LOOKING AT PARTNERING WITH GREATER 
          [00:45:01]
S A T X AS THEY ARE THE LEAD ENTITY IN CHARGE OF RECRUITING BUSINESSES TO SAN ANTONIO, BUT FOCUSING THOSE EFFORTS ON THOSE FIVE STRATEGIC INDUSTRY CLUSTERS THAT JOHN PREVIEWED EARLIER. 
          UM, THIRD UP IS BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE. 
          SO BOLSTERING THE E D D AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT TRENDS ARE IMPACTING THOSE FIVE STRATEGIC INDUSTRY CLUSTERS AND HOW CAN B R E BE A BIT MORE TARGETED TO SUPPORT THOSE INDUSTRY CLUSTERS. 
          FOURTH IS MARKETING. 
          SO PREVIOUSLY WE TALKED ABOUT THE PERCEPTION SURVEY THAT WAS CONDUCTED IN WHICH WE REACHED OUT TO, UM, SITE SELECTORS AND REAL ESTATE BROKERS TO ASK THEM WHAT DO THEY THINK OF SAN ANTONIO? AND A BIG PIECE OF THAT WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SAN ANTONIO'S ASSETS AND STRENGTHS. 
          AND SO MARKETING IS A KEY COMPONENT TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MAKING SURE THAT SITE SELECTORS REAL ESTATE BROKERS, UM, BUSINESS EXECUTIVES KNOW ABOUT ALL OF THE ASSETS THAT SAN ANTONIO CAN BEAR TO SUPPORT THEIR BUSINESS AND THEIR BUSINESS GROWTH. 
          AND THEN FINALLY, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT. 
          SO LOOKING AT INTERNATIONAL MARKETS, HOW CAN WE ATTRACT INTER INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT TO SAN ANTONIO? HOW CAN WE RECRUIT, UM, ANY BUSINESSES WHO ARE HEADQUARTERED ELSEWHERE TO SAN ANTONIO? BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO IS AN EMERGING INTERNATIONAL HUB. 
          AND SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO SUPPORT THAT? THE NEXT GOAL, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO JOHN TO TALK ABOUT PLACEMAKING IN REAL ESTATE. 
          GREAT, THANKS KATRINA. 
          SO THE, THE GOAL, THE SECOND GOAL IS REALLY ABOUT WHAT CAN THE CITY AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT DO TO ACCELERATE REDEVELOPMENT AND NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL GOOD PAYING JOBS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT. 
          UH, THE, THE ONE AROUND PLACE-BASED DEVELOPMENT. 
          THAT'S WHAT I'LL SPEND THE MOST TIME TALKING ABOUT IN JUST A MINUTE. 
          I'LL DO KIND OF GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THAT ONE. 
          UM, SO WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT. 
          UM, THE SECOND ONE IS REALLY CULTURE AND AMENITIES. 
          SO LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE THE COMMUNITY HERITAGE AND BALANCING PRESERVATION WITH RESPONSIBLE GROWTH IN HISTORIC AREAS. 
          REALLY CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE, THE COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS SIDE OF, UH, ARTS AND CULTURE WHILE PRESERVING THE, THE HERITAGE OF THOSE UNIQUE ASSETS THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS THAT REALLY ARE, ARE UNPARALLELED WITHIN ANY OTHER TEXAS CITY. 
          AND IT'S REALLY, UH, OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE. 
          AND THEN THE OUTDOOR AMENITIES, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY IS, AGAIN, BUILDING ON THE DECADES OF INVESTMENTS IN TRAILS AND, AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE AMENITIES THAT ARE EXPANDING AROUND THE, THE RIVERWALK AND THE SAN PEDRO CREEK EXTENSIONS. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE TOURISM, UH, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT TOURISM IS A HUGE EXISTING ECONOMIC ENGINE, BUT COULD BE FURTHER LEVERAGED THROUGH SOME OF THE GLOBAL EVENTS THAT BRING IN PEOPLE FROM, UH, OUTSIDE OF THE STATE AND COUNTRY. 
          AND USING THAT MORE FOR TALENT ATTRACTION AND RETENTION, WHICH KATRINA WILL SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE TALENT STRATEGIES, BUT ALSO STRATEGIC BUSINESS ATTRACTION. 
          AND THEN 2.3 INFRASTRUCTURE WE MENTIONED THE AIRPORT. 
          SO THAT'S, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT REALLY HEADING THAT UP. 
          BUT THE ROLE THAT E D D CAN PLAY IN SUPPORTING THE, THE AIRPORT. 
          AND IT'S, UH, IT'S REALLY GROWTH AS A DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL HUB. 
          UM, TRANSPORTATION MORE BROADLY SPEAKING, WORKING WITH OTHER PARTNERS, THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS VIA OTHER, OTHER GROUPS. 
          AND THEN REALLY LOOKING AT UTILITIES AS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE AND MAKING SURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE INVESTMENTS ARE CONTINUING TO BE MADE THROUGH THE BOND PROGRAM, BUT ALSO WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH, WITH SAWS AND C P S AND OTHER PROVIDERS. 
          BROADBAND IS, IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT IS ANOTHER NON-NEGOTIABLE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESSES AND WORKFORCE. 
          AND THEN TAKING A, A, A CLOSER LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING AROUND RESILIENCE SYSTEMS AND, UH, ORDINANCES LIKE THE, UM, THE, UH, THE, THE NAME SLIPPING, THE, UM, THE BUILDING ORDINANCE THAT, THAT YOU'RE KIND OF TAKING SOME, SOME CUES ON, UH, THE DECONSTRUCTION. 
          THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF, UH, FROM CITIES LIKE, LIKE PORTLAND THAT HAVE THAT. 
          SO USING THAT AS A, A WAY TO BALANCE OR INVESTMENT IN EXISTING NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT ALSO PROVIDE GREATER WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITIES. 
          SO I'LL JUST TOUCH A LITTLE BIT MORE ON, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PLACE-BASED DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THERE'S A LOT IN THIS, THIS GOAL. 
          WE PROBABLY WON'T TOUCH ON ALL OF IT, BUT WOULD LOVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE AROUND SOME OF THE, THE GOALS AROUND SPECIFIC, UM, AREAS 
          [00:50:01]
OR SPECIFIC TYPES OF NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. 
          SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT REGIONAL CENTERS, UH, AND THE, THE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT COULD TAKE PLACE IN MAJOR INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS. 
          SO TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE, UH, THE CURRENT AND CONTINUED GROWTH OF THAT INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITY AND POSITIONING SAN ANTONIO FOR FUTURE MEGA SITES, BUT ALSO SMALLER SCALE INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITIES, UM, SO THAT THOSE CAN PROVIDE GOOD JOBS AND INVESTMENT, BUT ALSO CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM IN OTHER AREAS, WHETHER IT'S THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THE MEDICAL CENTER AREA, PORT SAN ANTONIO, OTHER EXISTING REGIONAL CENTERS. 
          SO THAT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THERE THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CAN BE DOING. 
          AND WE'LL, WE'LL GET TO THE TOOLS IN JUST A MINUTE. 
          UH, WITHIN GOAL FOUR, ONE OF THE BIG IDEAS IS TO TAKE SOME OF YOUR EXISTING TOOLS AND BETTER RESOURCE THEM AND PERHAPS REPURPOSE THEM. 
          SO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, THE S A E D C, IS ONE OF THOSE UNIQUE TOOLS THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT HERE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          UM, BUT ALSO IN COMMUNITY AREAS AND, AND MAJOR CORRIDORS, THERE'S A LOT OF PLANNING WORK THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE AND WILL CONTINUE. 
          BUT TYING THAT TO THE BUSINESS AND REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO ALLOW FOR MORE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT WITH MORE HOUSING, BUT ALSO CREATING ADDITIONAL SPACES FOR BUSINESSES WITHIN YOUR MAJOR ECONOMIC NODES AND COMMUNITY AREAS IS SOMETHING THAT IS A, IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY WORKING WITH THE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND OTHERS TO LEVERAGE THE WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE ON SA TOMORROW AND SA CORRIDORS. 
          AND THEN THERE'S SOME CREATIVE THINGS THAT, THAT WE THINK ARE, ARE REAL OPPORTUNITIES AROUND LAND BANKING TO PRESERVE SITES FOR EXISTING BUSINESSES AND TO PROVIDE NEW SPACES WITHIN SOME OF THESE AREAS. 
          UH, THERE ARE PROGRAMS THAT ARE IN PLACE IN OTHER CITIES THAT I KNOW THAT AUSTIN, WITH THE PROJECT CONNECT TRANSIT PROGRAM HAS DEDICATED, UH, A FEW HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TOWARD AN ANTI DISPLACEMENT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN NEW INVESTMENT IS COMING IN AND RAISING LAND VALUES, THAT IT DOESN'T, UH, DISPLACE EXISTING RESIDENTS AND IT PROVIDES MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOUSING. 
          BUT WE ALSO THINK THAT KIND OF APPROACH CAN BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL SPACES TO ALLOW MORE BUSINESS, UH, OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN AREAS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING A WAVE OF INVESTMENT AND GROWTH. 
          AND THEN YOU KIND OF LINKING THE, THOSE KINDS OF LAND AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES WITH THINGS LIKE INNOVATIVE FINANCING. 
          UH, THERE'S A NUMBER OF STRATEGIES FOR USING THE, THE FINANCING AND, AND REAL ESTATE, UH, AND PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE POLICIES ALL KIND OF CONNECTED TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING NEW INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES, BUT ALSO, UH, MAKING SURE THAT EXISTING RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES CAN PARTICIPATE IN THAT, IN THAT EEC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          SO I WILL HAND IT BACK TO KATRINA TALK, TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT TALENT AND WORKFORCE. 
          THANK YOU, JOHN. 
          SO SOME OF YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY IS TALENT AND WORKFORCE A PART OF A PLAN FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT? AND THAT'S BECAUSE SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANNOT HAPPEN WITHOUT A RESILIENT WORKFORCE. 
          WE KNOW THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS DOING A LOT OF GREAT WORK AROUND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 
          UM, I RECENTLY READ AN ARTICLE THAT THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COMMENDED THE CITY FOR ALL OF THE WORK AROUND READY TO WORK. 
          UM, THOSE INITIATIVES SHOULD CONTINUE THAT TRAINING AND EDUCATION SHOULD CONTINUE TO UPLIFT SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS SO THAT WE CAN START TO TACKLE SOME OF THOSE DATA TRENDS THAT JOHN SHOWED WHEN IT COMES TO MEDIAN INCOME, SAN ANTONIO BEING THE, THE LOWEST, UM, MEDIAN INCOME COMPARED TO PEER BENCHMARKS AND ALSO, UM, THOSE RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES WHEN IT COMES TO INCOME LEVELS. 
          UM, SO THE FIRST PILLAR OF STRATEGIES IS ALL ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CONTINUING TO INVEST IN INITIATIVES LIKE READY TO WORK, CONTINUING TO MARKET TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, WORKING WITH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, UPLIFT ALL OF THE STUDENT POPULATION THAT COMES INTO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, UM, RESOURCES AT ALAMO COLLEGES, U T S A U I W. 
          UM, AND THEN FINALLY LOOKING AT HOW TO TARGET RESOURCES TO UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS AS WELL. 
          UM, OUR SECOND STRATEGY IS ALL ABOUT TALENT RETENTION AND ATTRACTION. 
          SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED, THE ROBUST NETWORK OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SAN ANTONIO IS AN INCREDIBLE ASSET AS A U T S A ALUM MYSELF, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE KEEP ALL OF THOSE ROAD ROADRUNNERS IN SAN ANTONIO, CONNECTING THEM TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, OPPORTUNITIES IN SAN ANTONIO IS A REALLY BIG EFFORT UNDER 
          [00:55:01]
THAT STRATEGY. 
          ALSO LOOKING AT RETAINING THAT MILITARY PERSONNEL. 
          SO ALL OF THOSE FOLKS WHO COME IN TO WORK AT JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, AGAIN, WITH THE TRENDS OF C OVID 19, THE INCREASE OF REMOTE WORK, THAT'S ALSO A BIG PRIORITY UNDER TALENT RETENTION AND ATTRACTION. 
          MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN KEEP ALL OF THOSE WORKERS WHO NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE WHEREVER THEY'D LIKE. 
          AND THEN ALSO TARGETED TALENT ATTRACTION AROUND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, ADDITIONAL REMOTE WORKERS. 
          BUT I'LL SAVE THAT, UM, FOR OUR NEXT SLIDE. 
          FINALLY, WRAPAROUND SUPPORT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          SO TO HAVE A RESILIENT WORKFORCE THAT WORKFORCE NEEDS ATTAINABLE HOUSING OPTIONS, THAT WORKFORCE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO GET FROM THEIR HOME TO THEIR EMPLOYMENT CENTER EASILY AND EFFICIENTLY, UM, BROADBAND IS A VERY BIG ISSUE AS WELL. 
          SO AGAIN, WITH REMOTE WORK BECOMING MORE AND MORE PREVALENT, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE REMOTE WORKERS HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, EASILY AND EFFICIENT, UH, BROADBAND TO WORK EFFICIENTLY. 
          ADDITIONALLY, CHILDCARE IS A VERY BIG ISSUE AT, WITH C O V I D. 
          WE SAW, UM, THE SPOTS IN CHILDCARE CENTERS LIMITED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOME CHILDCARE CENTERS WERE CLOSING TO UH, KEEP THEIR EMPLOYEES SAFE. 
          SOME CHILDCARE CENTERS WERE DEALING WITH BUSINESS, UM, OPERATION ISSUES THEMSELVES. 
          AND THEN FINALLY LOOKING AT HEALTH FOR WORKERS. 
          SO THAT INCLUDES MENTAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL HEALTH, MAKING SURE THAT WORKERS HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE RESOURCES SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO WORK EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES. 
          BUT NOW WE'RE GONNA DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THE TALENT RETENTION AND ATTRACTION STRATEGY. 
          SO FIRST UP IS TALENT RETENTION. 
          WE WANT TO RETAIN ALL OF THE WORKERS THAT COME TO SAN ANTONIO, ALL OF THE POTENTIAL WORKERS WHO COME TO SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO THE FIRST THREE ACTION ITEMS ARE ALL FOCUSED ON TALENT RETENTION, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, HOW CAN WE CONNECT LOCAL STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN SAN ANTONIO? AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS IN, UM, THE CITY RIGHT NOW THAT ARE WORKING ON THOSE EFFORTS, INCLUDING ALAMO FELLOWS AND, UM, THE LEADERSHIP SAN ANTONIO PROGRAM. 
          AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, MILITARY PERSONNEL IS AN INCREDIBLE ASSET FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO HOW CAN WE WORK WITH THE MILITARY AND VETERAN AFFAIRS OFFICE TO UM, MAKE CONNECTIONS TO THOSE MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO MAY CONSIDER SAN ANTONIO FOR RETIREMENT, MAY CONSIDER STAYING IN SAN ANTONIO FOR CIVILIAN WORK AS THEY ARE SEPARATING FROM SERVICE, UM, AND ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO KEEP THOSE FOLKS HERE, UM, REMOTE AND HYBRID WORKERS. 
          SO AGAIN, AS MORE OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN MOVING TO REMOTE AND HYBRID WORK, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THOSE WORKERS WANT TO STAY IN SAN ANTONIO AND FEEL CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY HERE? AND THEN FINALLY, TARGETED TALENT ATTRACTION. 
          SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, UM, DIFFERENT WORKERS THAT CAN BE TARGETED FOR TALENT ATTRACTION. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, FOLKS IN AUSTIN, UM, MIGHT WANT TO MOVE TO SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE OF THE ATTAINABLE HOUSING OPTIONS HERE, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE AUSTIN METRO AREA. 
          UH, BUT THROUGH TARGETED TALENT ATTRACTION MARKETING EFFORTS, CONNECTING THOSE FOLKS TO THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY, UM, THAT'S ANOTHER WAY TO GROW THE TALENT BASE IN SAN ANTONIO AND TO CONTINUE PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE CITY. 
          SO NOW I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO JOHN. 
          GREAT. 
          ALRIGHT, SO THIS IS THE LAST ONE, AND I'LL TRY TO KEEP IT BRIEF 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT WE WANT TO GET YOUR, YOUR INPUT AND I'M SURE YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          SO GOAL FOUR IS REALLY LOOKING AT ALL THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIPS AND AS WELL AS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT STAFF, UH, AND TRYING TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, WHICH WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD MORE DETAILS AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE OF OKAY, THOSE GOALS ONE THROUGH THREE, THOSE ARE GREAT. 
          WE AGREE THAT THOSE ARE PRIORITIES, BUT HOW DO WE DO THIS? SO THE TOOLS UNDER THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS ANOTHER, IS ONE OF THOSE MAJOR EXISTING TOOLS THAT COULD BE MUCH BETTER LEVERAGED AND FOCUSED AROUND, ESPECIALLY WE THINK THAT THE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO PUBLIC PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, BOTH LARGE AND SMALL, IS SOMETHING THAT THE E D C COULD BE USED. 
          AND THERE ARE OTHER COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS AND AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT, THAT TYPE OF A PUBLIC-PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT MODEL THAT CREATES GROWTH AND BENEFITS FOR, FOR RESIDENTS, BUT REALLY ACCELERATES INVESTMENT, UH, LOOKING AT OTHER INCENTIVES. 
          SO I KNOW THAT'S GONNA BE AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS AS WELL. 
          AND WHAT KINDS OF OTHER TOOLS, SUCH AS THE TAX INCREMENT, REINVESTMENT ZONES, CAN THEY BE BETTER USED BEYOND THEIR, THE HISTORIC USE, UH, FOR THINGS LIKE HOUSING? SO I KNOW IN, UH, WHERE BRENDA WORKED IN FORT WORTH, THEY THEY REALLY USED THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING FOR, UH, A LOT OF REALLY IN INNOVATIVE BUSINESS GROWTH AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING HOUSING, 
          [01:00:01]
BUT ALSO OFFICE SPACE AND, AND OTHER TYPES OF USES. 
          SO WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND A TON MORE TIME ON, ON THIS 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU ALL PROBABLY HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE ARE HEADED. 
          THIS IS AN, UH, WHAT WE CALL AN IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX THAT WE WILL PRODUCE BASED ON THE ACTIONS AND THE, THE LEAD AND SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS AND THE TIMELINES THAT WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THE INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS. 
          SO WE JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THAT IS, UH, ONE ADDITIONAL COMPONENT THAT WILL BE COMING. 
          SO I THINK THAT IS ALL THAT WE HAD, UNLESS THERE ARE ANY OTHER COMMENTS. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU. 
          I KNOW THAT I MET WITH YOU ALL, UH, BACK IN MAY, UH, TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE, THE ITEMS THAT I THOUGHT SINCE THEN. 
          UM, I HAVE ABOUT 10 PAGES WORTH OF QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. 
          I WILL NOT GO OVER ALL OF THEM TODAY. 
          SO I'LL GO OVER SOME OF THE, THE HIGHLIGHTS TODAY. 
          AND I'M GONNA START OFF WITH A QUICK QUESTION TO ALEX. 
          HAS E D D EVER HAD, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN A STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN? AND, AND WHEN WAS THE LAST ONE CONDUCTED? IF SO, ACROSS THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT LIKE THIS? NO MA'AM. 
          OKAY. 
          I DIDN'T THINK SO. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO DOUBLE CHECK. 
          SO CONGRATULATIONS. 
          I SHOULD, I SHOULD QUALIFY THAT NOT SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE, WHICH WAS LIKE 2010. 
          OKAY. 
          GOT IT. 
          AND THEN I KNOW THAT THE, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESENTED THIS TO THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND THERE WAS A LINK ON THEIR WEBSITE, SO THANK YOU. 
          IF ANYBODY'S HERE FROM THE CHAMBER. 
          DID ANY OTHER CHAMBER LOOK AT, YAY. 
          SO IS THERE ANY OTHER CHAMBERS THAT WERE ABLE TO SHARE, UM, THE LINK WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS OR WITH, WITH THEIR, UM, BUSINESS PARTNERS? SOMETHING IN NORTH CHAMBER, HISPANIC CHAMBER. 
          YEAH. 
          SO WE HAD, THAT WAS ONE OF OUR STAKEHOLDER FOLLOW-UPS THAT WE HAD WHERE WE INVITED ALL OF THE CHAMBER, UH, LEADERSHIP IN. 
          AND, UH, WE DID PROVIDE THE DRAFT PLAN TO ALL OF THEM FOR FEEDBACK. 
          UM, HOW THEY APPROACHED IT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. 
          UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, ONE CHAMBER PUT POSTED THE LINK. 
          UH, SOME OTHERS I KNOW SHARED WITH BOARD MEMBERS, UH, SHARED, UH, IN DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          BUT WE DID SHARE IT WITH ALL OF THE CHAMBERS. 
          WE ALSO SHARED IT WITH ALL OF OUR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS PARTNERS. 
          AND THEN, UH, WE ALSO CIRCLED BACK WITH A LOT OF THE STAKEHOLDERS WHO WERE INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF THE INTRODUCTION, IT HIGHLIGHTED CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS. 
          UM, IN INTRODUCED A PROBLEM TO BE ADDRESSED THERE WAS, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A REASON THAT THIS WAS PRESENTED IN TERMS OF ASSET BASED INSTEAD OF DEFICIT BASED LENS. 
          SO THE SECOND PARAGRAPH YOU'RE DESCRIBING IS THE INTRO. 
          YEAH. 
          SO WE, WE WANTED TO TAKE A CLEAR-EYED APPROACH TOWARD WHAT ARE THE ASSETS, BUT ALSO WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES. 
          SO WE, WE TRIED TO PRESENT BOTH, UH, THE THINGS THAT HAVE HELD SAN ANTONIO BACK, BUT ALSO THE, THE STRENGTHS AND ASSETS. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE WERE, WE WERE AIMING FOR WITH THE NARRATIVE, WHICH IS STILL CERTAINLY OPEN TO, UH, TO INPUT AND ADJUSTING. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY LOOK AT A PLACE WHERE ECONOMIC AND UPWARD MOBILITY IS ACCESSIBLE, RIGHT? SO A CITY OF OPPORTUNITY. 
          WE HAVE MILITARY, MILITARY, CITY, U S A, WE HAVE COMPASSIONATE CITY, U S A, UM, BUT I REALLY THINK THAT, UH, THAT UPWARD MOBILITY, BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES, I THINK AS A CITY IN WORKFORCE INFRASTRUCTURE AND EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE, EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING, I THINK SHOULD BE ONE OF THE FOCUSES ON HERE. 
          UM, THE NUMBER OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IS I, I THINK, NOT LEVERAGED AS A MARKETING POINT, AS A SELLING POINT. 
          SO I THINK THAT THAT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT WE CAN DO. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE EVER COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES, UH, OUR PEER CITIES TO SEE HOW MANY HIGHER ED INSTITUTIONS, FOR INSTANCE, ARE IN THOSE CITIES. 
          BUT WE ALSO HAVE GREAT COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND I KNOW THAT ALTO COLLEGE IN, IN MY DISTRICT AND SAC RIGHT NOW IS NUMBER ONE TOP COMMUNITY COLLEGE. 
          SO I THINK THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY LEVERAGE THAT AS WELL. 
          WE ALSO HAVE REALLY GOOD PROGRAMS, UM, THAT HAVE REALLY GIVEN US A GREAT R O I, RIGHT? AND SO I'M THINKING PROJECT QUEST IS CELEBRATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND $26 OF RETURN IN INVESTMENT TO ME IS REALLY GOOD. 
          SO LEVERAGING AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR OTHER WORKFORCE PARTNERS ARE, I THINK IS GONNA BE CRITICAL. 
          I THINK IT'S A GREAT FRAMEWORK. 
          UM, I THINK THAT DEFINITELY WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOCUS ON EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE CORE OF THIS. 
          SO, AND I APPRECIATE THAT FOCUS. 
          THERE'S STILL SOME KEY CHALLENGES. 
          THE LOWEST HOUSEHOLD MEDIAN INCOME AMONGST THE PURE CITIES IS, UM, CONCERNING THE LOW EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT CONTINUES TO TO BE SOMETHING THAT, THAT, THAT WE ARE CHALLENGED WITH RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES THAT ARE SEEN IN HEALTH, WEALTH, HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, TRANSIT, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATION. 
          ALL OF THOSE, UM, ARE CONCERNING. 
          BUT IN PARTICULAR, I THINK THAT THE DISPARITY TRAIT THAT'S MISSING IT WAS NOT EXPLICITLY NOTED WAS THE GENDER WAGE. 
          AND SO, UM, THAT OPPORTUNITY DISPARITY, 
          [01:05:01]
Y W C A DOES AN INCREDIBLE JOB. 
          WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER WITH THEM FOR YEARS. 
          I THINK THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED. 
          WOMEN MAKE UP HALF THE POPULATION AND THEY'RE KIND OF MISSING HERE, AND WE SHOULDN'T. 
          SO THAT'S ANOTHER, UH, THING THAT I THINK NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, THAT EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REALLY INCLUDES WOMEN, RIGHT? AND SO THEY'RE RAISING CHILDREN AND BREAKING THROUGH THE CYCLES OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY. 
          SO I WOULD ASK THAT MAYBE YOU ALL ALSO INCLUDE Y W C A IN, IN THIS. 
          WE ALREADY HAVE THAT HIGHLY SEGREGATED DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS THAT YOU ALL KIND OF ADDRESSED, UM, OUTSIDE OF LOOP FOUR 10, THE SUBURBAN SPRAWL, WHICH CONTINUES TO AFFECT US, AND WE NEED TO BE CONSIDERATE OF THAT AS WELL. 
          HAVE A HISTORY OF LOW WAGES, COMPLETELY, UM, UNDERSTAND AND HAPPY THAT YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET THE HOUSING PRICES WE CAN'T EVEN DEVELOP ON THE SOUTH SIDE BECAUSE THERE'S NO INFRASTRUCTURE AND IT COSTS MORE TO DEVELOP. 
          SO THINGS THAT MAYBE, UM, I THINK ARE ASSUMED, I, I DON'T WANT THEM TO BE IMPLIED. 
          I, I WANT THEM WRITTEN IN THERE, RIGHT? AND CLEARLY STATED, BECAUSE TO ME, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT OTHERS WILL SEE AND, AND HOPEFULLY PUT, PUT A WORK, I'M SORRY, PUT A WORKFLOW TO, TO THE PLAN. 
          BUT ALSO I THINK THAT MAYBE, UM, WE CAN DO A BREAKDOWN OF, UH, INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS AND INVEST AND INVESTMENTS THAT HAS HELPED OUR RESIDENTS AND IN CERTAIN AREAS OF TOWN. 
          I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS WELL. 
          AND I THINK THAT IF WE HAVE ALSO POVERTY RATES AND PEOPLE ON SUPPLEMENTAL ASSISTANCE, UH, THOSE WHO ARE HOUSING COST HEALTH, UH, THE BURDENED LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, I THINK THAT THAT ALL NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL AS WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN STRATEGY. 
          AND THEN I WOULD HOPE THAT WE ARE INCLUDING THE BEXAR COUNTY ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS PLAN, IF THEY HAVE ONE. 
          UM, SARAH, RIGHT? THE SOUTH ALAMO REGIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE HOMELESS OPPORTUNITY, HOME, NAMI HEALTH, UM, THE HEALTH COLLABORATIVE, EVEN UNIVERSITY HEALTH, AND ENGAGING THEIR STAKEHOLDERS, BECAUSE I, I THINK THAT WE FORGET ABOUT THAT. 
          BUT, UM, I, I, THAT THAT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY. 
          THEN THE OTHER THING THAT I WANNA FOCUS ON IS OPPORTUNITY ZONES. 
          AND SO WE HAVE 24 DESIGNATED CENSUS TRACKS IN BEXAR COUNTY. 
          IS THERE A STATUS UPDATE OR WHEN WILL BE WE BE FOCUSING ON THAT? I THINK THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON A PORTFOLIO OF HUBS, IF YOU WILL. 
          UM, AND ALEX, I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT, BUT I'M, I'M JUST WONDERING IF, IF MAYBE YOU CAN TELL ME WHEN WE WILL HAVE, UM, AN UPDATE ON, ON HOW EVERYTHING WORKS COLLABORATIVELY. 
          WE DO, WE DID DEVELOP ACTUAL OPPORTUNITY ZONE PLANS. 
          UM, I BELIEVE THERE WAS ONE FOR THE WEST SIDE AND ONE FOR THE NEAR SOUTH SIDE AND SOUTH, UM, WEST SIDE. 
          UM, BUT WE CAN, I, I'M IMAGINING THOSE WERE, THAT WAS PART OF THE WORK THAT WAS ALSO REVIEWED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANNA NECESSARILY DUPLICATE THINGS, UM, THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN ANALYZED. 
          BUT WE CAN, UM, WORK TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SOME OF THAT WORK, IF YOU'D LIKE. 
          YES, PLEASE. 
          AND SO, AGAIN, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING FITS TOGETHER. 
          YOU REFERENCE ECONOMIC HEALING. 
          WHY IS THAT TERM USED AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ECONOMIC HEALING? SO EACH ONE OF THOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES ACTUALLY CAME FROM THE, THE, SOME OF THE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DOING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN, AND WERE KIND OF WRITTEN INTO THE R F P P, AND WE'VE KIND OF PULLED THEM OUT AND HIGHLIGHTED THEM. 
          SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ECONOMIC HEALING, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED BY AND HAVEN'T RECEIVED THE TYPES OF PUBLIC OR PRIVATE INVESTMENT AS OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY, UH, GOING BACK DECADES. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW WE SEE THAT IS CORRECTING HISTORIC WRONGS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          THERE'S SOME INDUSTRIES THAT I FEEL ARE ALSO EXCLUDED. 
          SO ARTS, TOURISM, AND HOSPITALITY. 
          UM, I'M ON THE VISIT SAN ANTONIO BOARD, SO I FEEL LIKE I WOULD NOT BE DOING MY JOB IF I DON'T MENTION THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A PERCEPTION AS A LOW INDUSTRY, UM, OR LOW WAGE INDUSTRY. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT COVID HAS AFFECTED THAT. 
          AND SO I'D LIKE TO SHIFT THAT NARRATIVE AND THAT PERCEPTION. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE MARKET OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, THROUGH THE ARTS, IT, IT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO THAT. 
          AND THEN, UH, THAT SS A E D C, I KNOW THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING, OR I THINK THAT WE'RE REPURPOSING THAT ENTITY. 
          IS THAT GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT THIS COMMITTEE TAKES UP, ALEX, OR WHO WOULD BE THE ONE TO DO THAT? YES, MA'AM. 
          BECAUSE TECHNICALLY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS ANOTHER TOOL THAT WE CAN USE TO LEVERAGE. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERATION FOR, FOR THIS BODY FIRST AND THEN FOR THE FULL COUNCIL AS WELL. 
          GOT IT. 
          AND THEN THAT BRINGS ME TO THE INCENTIVES. 
          AND, UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. E D D HAS SOME, N H S D HAS SOME, UM, D S D EVEN PUBLIC WORKS. 
          IS THERE A REASON THAT THEY'RE KIND OF SCATTERED ALL AROUND? I'M FORTUNATE AS CHAIR OF PLANNING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THAT I GET UPDATES ON SHIP AND U D C AND TOURS, AND ACTUALLY THREE OF US IN HERE ARE ON THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. 
          BUT I THINK THAT, UM, WE, IT WOULD SERVE US RIGHT, RIGHT. 
          TO UNDERSTAND WHY THERE'S ALL OF THESE SPECIALTY INCENTIVES. 
          [01:10:01]
ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THAT THOSE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WERE ALSO INVOLVED SO THAT THEY COULD UNDERSTAND, UM, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLABORATION, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, REORGANIZATION IN SOME WAY. 
          UM, BEING VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE UNDERSTOOD WHY THINGS LIVE WHERE THEY LIVE, IF IT'S FROM A STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVE, IF IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE CLOSER TO THAT CLIENTELE OR THAT POPULATION THAT THEY SERVE, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE STAY CONNECTED AND THAT WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER'S OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES AND PROGRAMMING AVAILABLE. 
          GOT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN MY FINAL COMMENTS, I'LL CONCENTRATE ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          AND I THINK THAT, UM, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THE ROLE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS LARGELY UNDERSTATED. 
          WE HAD THE PRESIDENT OF THE TEACHERS UNION TODAY SPEAK TO US, UM, AS WELL. 
          BUT, UM, I THINK THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF EXPOSING OUR CHILDREN TO CAREERS, UM, AND PROVIDING INTERNSHIPS AND, AND MENTORING. 
          UH, ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT TOYOTA HAS DONE FOR A LONG TIME, AND NOW THAT PORT SAN ANTONIO IS DOING IS AT BACKYARD RECRUITING. 
          AND SO WE HAVE, I THINK IT'S 16 SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          AND, UM, WHETHER I, I THINK THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE SWOT ANALYSIS UNDER A WEAKNESS, RIGHT? IN THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT, UM, TO LEVERAGE ALL OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT'S, UH, MISSING. 
          AND THEN JUST FINALLY, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE UPDATES WILL BE DONE REGULARLY ON THE PLAN, ALEX. 
          SO IF YOU COULD ANSWER THAT, AND THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO SHARE ALL OF MY NOTES WITH YOU ALL. 
          YOU WOULD WELCOME. 
          THE NEXT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE NEXT MONTH TO TAKE THIS FEEDBACK, SEE WHAT CHANGES, WHAT UPDATES WE NEED TO MAKE. 
          THE NEXT STEP IS GONNA BE A B SESSION PRESENTATION AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, AND THEN IT'LL BE QUARTERLY REPORTING, OR HOW DO YOU ENVISION THAT? WE HAVEN'T GONE THAT FAR YET. 
          OKAY. 
          IF, UM, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME STRATEGIES THAT ARE GONNA BE MUCH MORE TIMELY, THERE'S GONNA BE MUCH MORE ACTION TAKEN, UM, MORE, UH, MORE QUICKLY AFTER THAT. 
          THERE MAY BE SOME THAT ARE MORE LONG-TERM FOCUSED, BUT I'LL DEFER TO BRENDA IF SHE HAS OTHER IDEAS. 
          SO THERE ARE SOME METRICS ALSO ON HOW WE CAN SHOW THAT WE'RE MOVING THE NEEDLE WITH THESE STRATEGIES. 
          UH, SO WE, WE'LL BE WORKING, UH, ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO MEASURE THOSE. 
          UM, A LOT OF THOSE ARE ANNUAL MEASUREMENTS, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT DEVELOPING, UH, ASSUMING WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, HAVE THE RESEARCH STAFF THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET BUDGET, UH, BUT AS PART OF ALREADY IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN. 
          UH, BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY LOOKING AT HAVING DASHBOARDS AND HOW WE CAN MOVE, UM, MEASURE THE ACTIVITIES AND, UH, THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PLAN. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, BRENDA. 
          COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, ALEX AND BRENDA AND TIP STRATEGIES FOR Y'ALL'S WORK ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          I ALSO WANNA THANK, UH, GERALD GARCIA, OUR BROOKS APPOINTEES HERE AS WELL, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, ALL THE FOLKS WHO GAVE PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY. 
          UM, GIVEN THAT TALENT AND WORKFORCE IS A KEY SECTION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, RIGHT? AND THERE IS, UH, EMPHASIS ON BROADBAND AS A PIVOTAL UTILITY THAT WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE, RIGHT? IT WAS SHARED THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE THE WORSENING DISPARITIES ACROSS RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS, RIGHT? THAT'S EXTREMELY ALARMING SLIDE THAT WE SEE. 
          UH, AND WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH STRONG UNIONS AND HIGHER PAY AND BENEFITS FOR WORKERS, RIGHT? SO, WHILE I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE INCLUDING THE CHAMBERS IN THIS PROCESS, YOU CAN'T HAVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT WORKERS. 
          UM, SO MY ASK WOULD BE, I KNOW I ASKED THIS DURING THE LAST BRIEFING THAT IF WE CAN INCLUDE LABOR IN THIS CONVERSATIONS TO DISCUSS THOSE PROTECTIONS, AND ULTIMATELY HOW WE CAN, UM, CLOSE THIS DISPARITY GAP THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, THAT'S WORSENING HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO MY ASK IS THAT WHEN WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THE STRATEGIC PLAN, AND WHEN WE'RE CREATING THE RFPS TO SUPPORT, UH, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE'RE DEVELOPING THE CONTRACTS, WHAT KIND OF ASSURANCES CAN WE HAVE THAT WE ARE GOING TO INCLUDE LABOR IN THE PROCESS? I, I CAN CERTAINLY TOUCH UPON THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS. 
          UH, WE DID INVITE LABOR TO PARTICIPATE IN, UH, THE STAKEHOLDER ROUND TABLES, UH, THAT WE HAD. 
          AND WE PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED THAT LIST OF, OF WHO WAS INVITED. 
          UM, AND THEN WE ACTUALLY HAD A SESSION, UH, SCHEDULED ON MONDAY OF THIS WEEK, UH, WITH LABOR REPRESENTATIVES THAT WE ENDED UP RESCHEDULING TO FRIDAY, GIVEN THAT SECRETARY WALSH WAS HERE IN TOWN, AND A LOT OF, UH, THE FOLKS WERE INVOLVED IN THAT. 
          YES. 
          CAN YOU SHARE, UH, WHO WAS INVITED AND HOW WE'RE, UM, WHAT WAS THE OUTREACH LIKE SO WE CAN, UM, WE PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED THE, THE LIST FOR THE STAKEHOLDERS, UH, THAT WERE INVITED IN THE ROUND TABLE SESSION. 
          UH, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY, I BELIEVE WE MAY HAVE ALREADY PROVIDED YOUR OFFICE WITH THE FOLKS WHO WERE, UH, INCLUDED IN, IN THE FRIDAY INVITATION, BUT WE WILL CERTAINLY FOLLOW UP. 
          YEAH, THAT'D BE HELPFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          'CAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THE INDEX AND I DIDN'T SEE THEM AS A STAKEHOLDER. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, RIGHT. 
          MY ASK WOULD BE THAT WE INCLUDE THE F L C I O IN THE SAME CAPACITY THAT WE'RE INCLUDING THE CHAMBERS IN THESE CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, SO I, I'M PLEASED TO HEAR THAT 
          [01:15:01]
THERE IS CONVERSATION AND WE ARE GOING TO INCLUDE LABOR IN THAT PROCESS. 
          UM, ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN, RIGHT, IS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SWOT ANALYSIS, AND IT HAS, UH, IT HAS POVERTY REPUTATION FOR LOWER COST OF LABOR AND ECONOMIC DISPARITIES, RIGHT? I JUST WANNA ENSURE THAT WHEN WE INCLUDE LABOR IN THAT PROCESS, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO UPLIFT COMMUNITIES BY ENSURING THAT THEY HAVE THAT REPRESENTATION. 
          UM, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS THAT I THINK THAT, UM, ARE WORTH MENTIONING THAT THIS STUDY, UH, PROVIDES. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT EMPHASIS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS, LAND TRUST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, LAND BANKING AND INNOVATIVE LAND OWNERSHIP MODELS. 
          AND ONE THING THAT I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO READ AS A STRATEGY, UH, WAS AN EMPHASIS ON ESSENTIALLY GREEN UNION JOBS, RIGHT? SO IT RECOMMENDS LINKING CLIMATE CHALLENGES MORE DIRECTLY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, OFFERS A LARGELY UNTAPPED SOURCE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH BY RECRUITING NEW TARGET INDUSTRIES, DRIVING INNOVATION IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND ATTRACTING AND DEVELOPING TALENTED WORKERS. 
          AND I THINK YESTERDAY WE HAD A VERY ROBUST CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT, UH, MORE WEATHERIZATION FUNDING. 
          AND I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THAT WAS A RECOMMENDATION, UM, IN THIS PLAN. 
          UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, RIGHT? THERE'S A EMPHASIS ON MORE EFFICIENCY WITH OUR BDOS, UH, MORE WORK FOR PROGRAMS THAT ARE DIFFERENTLY ABLED AND REDUCING THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. 
          SO I THINK THOSE ARE SOME GREAT STRATEGIES, UM, THAT ARE BEING RECOMMENDED. 
          AND THERE ARE ALSO SOME STRATEGIES THAT I, I THINK COULD USE A BIT MORE SPECIFIC SPECIFICALLY. 
          UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IT'S PRIMARILY AROUND, UH, INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, AND I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS WITH THAT, RIGHT? BUT ULTIMATELY, I RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, CITY COUNCIL PLAYS A HUGE ROLE IN WHAT ZONING GETS APPROVED. 
          SO I, I UNDERSTAND THAT PIECE. 
          UM, I ALSO WANTED TO ASK, UH, CITY STAFF WITH THE, WHAT, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACCEPTING AND ADOPTING A STRATEGIC PLAN? UH, SO WITH ADOPTING THE PLAN, IT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT REALLY IMPLIES A KIND OF ADOPTING ALL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE PLAN THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING FORWARD WITH ALL THAT, WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE PLAN. 
          IT'S, IT'S BASICALLY GIVING KIND OF THAT HEAD NOD TO, IT'S A GOOD FRAMEWORK MM-HMM. 
          , BUT THAT THERE'S STILL CONVERSATIONS. 
          AND AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE'S SOME SPECIFICITY, THERE'S A LOT OF LANGUAGE LIKE MM-HMM. 
           CONSIDER AND EVALUATE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DOCUMENT. 
          AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE'S SOME SIGNIFICANT POLICY CONVERSATIONS MM-HMM. 
          , UM, THE INCENTIVE POLICY, JUST ONE OF 'EM. 
          BUT THE LAND BANKING, THE, THE UTILIZATION OF, UH, S A E D C, FOR EXAMPLE, TURS, ON AND ON AND ON. 
          SO ACCEPTING IT ALLOWS FOR MORE OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS TO TAKE PLACE AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, WITH THOSE CONVERSATIONS. 
          THANK YOU, BRENDA. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL. 
          AND AGAIN, RIGHT. 
          SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE WITH THE PLAN ARE PRIMARILY WITH THE ZONING AND JUST RECOGNIZING THAT WHEN THIS MOVES FORWARD, THAT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY AS CITY COUNCIL TO SAY YES OR NO TO THOSE, UM, ZONING CHANGES. 
          UM, SO, UH, GREAT STRATEGIES. 
          AGAIN, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, HUGE PIECES THAT I'M EXCITED TO SEE US DISCUSS IN DIFFERENT COMMITTEES. 
          UM, AND THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN. 
          COURAGE. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          I, I WOULD PRESUME IT'S FAIR TO SAY THIS IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS, AND, UH, YES. 
          WHEN DO YOU EXPECT THAT YOU'LL HAVE A MORE COMPLETE, UH, OVERVIEW OF WHAT YOU THINK THE PLAN WOULD BE THAT YOU'D WANT TO PRESENT MORE FORMALLY, UH, FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION? YES. 
          SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE ARE TARGETING FEEDBACK, UH, THIS WEEK AND INTO NEXT, AND THEN REALLY TAKE ALL OF THAT FEEDBACK. 
          AND THAT IS WHAT WILL BE THEN PRESENTED IN A B SESSION TO CITY COUNCIL, CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 28TH. 
          AND THEN, UM, AGAIN, ANY ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK AT THAT POINT IN TIME. 
          AND THEN TENTATIVELY TARGETING LATE OCTOBER FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. 
          OKAY. 
          I HAVEN'T HAD REALLY THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH THIS VERY MUCH. 
          I'M GONNA BE WORKING WITH MY STAFF TO DO THAT, BUT TODAY THERE'S JUST THREE OF THIS COMMITTEE, THERE'S TWO MEMBERS WHO AREN'T HERE GIVING ANY INPUT ON THIS. 
          UM, AND I KNOW THAT YOU CAME AND YOU TALKED TO ALL OF US INDIVIDUALLY, AND YOU GOT SOME EARLY FEEDBACK FROM US ON WHAT WE THOUGHT WERE, WERE POINTS FOR BEING CONSIDERED IN, IN THE PRODUCT YOU WERE, YOU WERE PRODUCING. 
          UH, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW, UH, WHAT COUNCILMAN GRO OR OUR CHAIR MIGHT'VE WANTED TO ADD TO THIS CONVERSATION. 
          UH, NOW IS ALL OF THIS GOING TO EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER AS OF RIGHT NOW? THIS PARTICULAR PRESENTATION? NO. 
          SO THIS PRESENTATION WAS, UM, OR THE, THE DRAFT WAS PROVIDED TO E AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE PACKET. 
          AGAIN, WE WERE PLANNING ON TAKING ALL OF THE FEEDBACK, 
          [01:20:01]
UM, FROM TODAY, UH, PROVIDED SUBSEQUENT TO THIS MEETING, AND THEN WORKING ON THAT REVISION. 
          THAT REVISION IS WHAT WE WILL THEN BE UTILIZING FOR THAT CITY COUNCIL CONVERSATION. 
          AND WE'LL BE PROVIDING THAT DRAFT DOCUMENT WHEN WE HAVE THAT AVAILABLE FOR ADDITIONAL CON CONVERSATIONS AND CONSIDERATION. 
          YEAH. 
          THAT, THAT'S WHAT I SEE AS, AS SOMETHING THAT I, I DON'T FEEL VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT, UH, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, THERE'S THREE OUT OF FIVE, SO 40% OF THE FEEDBACK ISN'T HERE TODAY. 
          UH, AND, UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HEAR FROM OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS. 
          UH, EVEN THOUGH YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT FROM ME AND ALL OF US AT THE BEGINNING, AS WE KIND OF LOOK AT WHAT YOU FIND, UH, AND, AND WHERE YOU SEE SHORTCOMINGS OR WHERE YOU SEE ADVANTAGES OR WHERE WE SEE INCENTIVES OR, OR OTHERWISE, I THINK EVERYBODY NEEDS TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TO SAY ABOUT THAT BEFORE WE EVEN HAVE A B SESSION BECAUSE, UH, AT A B SESSION, WE GET TO A POINT WHERE EVERYBODY GETS 10 MINUTES AND THEN WE GET ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES. 
          UH, AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET ENOUGH FEEDBACK BECAUSE I WOULD THINK EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD WANNA REALLY LOOK AT THIS AND REALLY THINK ABOUT IT AND REALLY TALK ABOUT IT WITH THEIR COMMUNITY AND, AND, AND THEIR STAFF AND COME UP WITH, YOU KNOW, THEIR PERCEPTION OF WHERE THIS IS HEADED. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, AND A B SESSION DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US ENOUGH TIME TO DO THAT IF ALL YOU'RE DOING IS GETTING THIS A DAY OR TWO BEFORE A B SESSION, UH, TO LOOK AT IT AND COME UP WITH SOME MINOR, UH, CONSIDERATIONS. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, I, I, I KNOW I NEED TO LOOK AT THIS MORE. 
          I SEE THINGS IN IT THAT I COULD MENTION TODAY THAT I WOULD, UH, EITHER DISAGREE WITH OR HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT OR, UH, WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, MORE INFORMATION ON. 
          BUT I'M NOT GONNA TRY AND DO ALL THAT RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE I REALLY HAVEN'T HAD TIME ENOUGH TO GO THROUGH THIS. 
          UH, AND I, I THINK IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT STEP. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS CITY GOING FORWARD FOR 10 YEARS. 
          UH, AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE ON THIS. 
          AND I, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK THAT, UH, WE'RE NOT GIVING THE COUNCIL, UH, OUR STAFF AND OUR COMMUNITY ENOUGH TIME TO PUT TOGETHER OUR, UH, ADEQUATE RESPONSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          SO THAT'S JUST MY VIEW RIGHT NOW. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. 
          AND ALEX, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO BRING IT BACK TO E W D C FOR ANOTHER GO AROUND? UM, FROM A TIMING PERSPECTIVE, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT. 
          IF THE COMMITTEE WISHES TO PROVIDE MORE FEEDBACK, WHAT WE CAN CERTAINLY DO AS WELL IS, UM, MEET INDIVIDUALLY WITH A COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT, THAT WEREN'T ABLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TODAY, UM, TO GET THAT AS WELL. 
          I THINK WHAT WE COULD ALSO DO, UM, BETWEEN NOW AND IF WE, IF, IF WE WANT TO COME BACK TO E W D C, UM, IT TRIGGERS THE, THE TIMELINE FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE FULL COUNSEL, OBVIOUSLY. 
          UM, THE OTHER THING WE'RE PUSHING UP AGAINST IS APPROVAL OF THE INCENTIVE OR CONSIDERATION OF OUR, UM, TAX INCENTIVE GUIDELINES, WHICH DO EXPIRE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          SO OUR, OUR PLAN, WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT THIS PLAN THAT WE, WE HAVE SOME SORT OF ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PLAN AND THE STRATEGIES INCORPORATED IN IT SO THAT THE INCENTIVE POLICY COULD BE ALIGNED TO THESE STRATEGIES IF WE DON'T HAVE, UM, ANY KIND OF ACCEPTANCE OR OFFICIAL KIND OF NOD THAT YES, THIS IS, THIS IS THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING AT, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED FOR US TO RECOMMEND AN INCENTIVE POLICY PRIOR TO THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          AND I KNOW THAT, UM, COUNCILMAN PAL SEEMED TO BE FINE WITH THE PLAN OR AS I UNDERSTAND LOOKING AT, AT HIS CHIEF OF STAFF OVER HERE. 
          UM, AND, AND WE HAVE A MONTH BEFORE IT GOES TO BE SESSION. 
          SO WHAT WOULD, UM, I GUESS NOT APPROVING A FRAMEWORK DUE TODAY, BECAUSE IT, IT'S SET AS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION TODAY POSSIBLE IF, IF THE, UM, COMMITTEE PREFERS THAT WE COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE GOING TO B SESSION. 
          AGAIN, IT'S JUST GONNA BE THE TIMING, THE WAY THAT THIS WOULD, UH, POTENTIALLY DOMINO THAT FIRST CRITICAL POLICY THAT WAS MENTIONED BEING THE INCENTIVE POLICY, PERHAPS NOT BEING READY FOR, FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION BEFORE THE CURRENT VERSION EXPIRES. 
          OKAY. 
          LET ME HAVE MY, MY COLLEAGUES WEIGH BACK IN. 
          COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. 
          UM, THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          I WANTED TO CHIME BACK IN TO, TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE PRE UNIONS THAT WERE INVITED WAS SA VOTING TRADES, U A LOCAL 1 42, THE TRADES COUNCIL, SOUTHWEST WORKERS UNION IRON WORKERS, LOCAL 66, UH, I B E W, LOCAL 60 AND UNA. 
          SO I WANTED TO, UM, HIGHLIGHT THAT FOLKS WERE INVITED. 
          SO THANK YOU, BRENDA. 
          UM, BUT MY ASK WOULD BE THAT WE CAN INCLUDE THE C W A IN THIS, UM, STAKEHOLDER GROUP AS WELL. 
          AND WE DID GET AN EX AN EXPANDED LIST MM-HMM. 
          UM, RECENTLY. 
          GREAT. 
          UH, IN PART THANKS TO, UH, 
          [01:25:01]
SECRETARY WELSH'S VISIT AND WHATNOT. 
          AND, UH, SO WE'LL GET YOU THAT EXPANDED LIST, UH, WHO WAS INVITED FOR FRIDAY. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, BRENDA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. 
          COURAGE. 
          YEAH, I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT IT INCENTIVES. 
          ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS INCENTIVES AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO AS A CITY? WE ARE NOT AUSTIN, WE CAN'T OFFER THE SAME KIND OF INCENTIVES THAT THEY DO. 
          UH, AND, AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO TAKE A LONGER LOOK AT THIS. 
          I WOULD SAY CERTAINLY LIKE TO SEE A PLAN THAT PROMOTES OUR AMENITIES AND OUR ADVANTAGES AND, UH, POTENTIAL FOR COMPANIES TO BENEFIT FROM THOSE KINDS OF THINGS OTHER THAN FINANCIAL AMENITIES THAT WE CAN OFFER IN A A DOZEN DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          IT WAS AN EXTRA PAGE ON THIS PRESENTATION, WHICH NOTED 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7 OR EIGHT DIFFERENT AMENITIES THAT OTHER CITIES OFFER, OR NOT AMENITIES, BUT INCENTIVES. 
          I DON'T WANT TO COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT SAYS THESE ARE 10 INCENTIVES THAT WE'RE GONNA OFFER FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO BRING BUSINESSES IN HERE. 
          THIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO ME SHOULDN'T BE JUST DEPENDING ON FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. 
          I THINK PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY HAVE SAID LONG AND HARD, WE'RE TIRED OF INCENTIVIZING BUSINESSES TO COME HERE. 
          AND, UH, AND WHAT HAVE WE GOTTEN OUT OF ALL OF THAT? MAYBE WE'VE GOTTEN TOYOTA, UH, AND MAYBE WE'VE GOTTEN ONE OF TWO OTHERS, BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN EVERYTHING AUSTIN'S GOT OR EVERYTHING HOUSTON AND DALLAS HAS RECEIVED. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, I WANNA SEE MORE OF A PLAN THAT DOESN'T COME UP TO EIGHT OR NINE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES, BUT ARE GONNA PROMOTE THE ADVANTAGES THAT WE HAVE OR HOW WE'RE GONNA DEVELOP OUR ADVANTAGES AND, AND THE AMENITIES THAT WE HAVE. 
          'CAUSE WE'VE GOT GREAT AMENITIES AND I THINK PEOPLE WILL COME WHEN THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE ARE. 
          AND PART OF OUR PLAN SHOULD BE OFFERING ALL OF THESE QUALITY OF LIFE AMENITIES TO ATTRACT MORE BUSINESSES TO COME HERE. 
          AND I DON'T NECESSARILY SEE THIS SO FAR IN THIS PLAN, SO THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING I, I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE TIME DEVOTED FOR US TO LOOK AT IT AND EVALUATE IT. 
          BUT THAT, THAT'S JUST ME. 
          I'M ONE OF 11. 
          WELL, COUNCIL MEMBER, I ACTUALLY WOULD APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YOU. 
          UM, LIKE YOU SAID, ONCE, ONCE YOU'VE HAD TIME AND YOUR STAFF HAS HAD TIME TO REVIEW IT, BECAUSE EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID IS PRETTY MUCH GOAL NUMBER TWO ABOUT AMENITIES, ABOUT PLACEMAKING AND HOW WE NEED TO MAKE THIS COMMUNITY, UM, IT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. 
          YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. 
          AND THOSE ARE THE PARTICULAR STRATEGIES WHEN IT COMES TO PLAY SPACE, WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE AND AMENITIES AND THEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          UM, BECAUSE THAT BENEFITS NOT JUST THE EXPANSION THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, BUT ALSO OUR CURRENT RESIDENTS. 
          SO I, I THINK IT'S, IT, A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MIGHT ALREADY BE IN THERE, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE AND I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING WITH YOU AND THE TEAM, UM, TO REALLY GET INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN FACT ON THE SAME PAGE. 
          WELL, THAT CERTAINLY WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME INDIVIDUALLY, BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE'S ONLY 60% OF OUR COMMITTEE HERE TODAY, WHICH I ALSO FEEL IS KIND OF A, A BARRIER TO SAYING YEAH, WE'RE READY TO PASS THIS ON THE COUNCIL. 
          NO SIR. 
          WE'LL EXTEND THAT OPPORTUNITY TO THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AS WELL. 
          AND, AND ACTUALLY WE CAN OPEN IT UP TO THE, TO THE REST OF THE COUNCIL BEFORE THE B SESSION. 
          ABSOLUTELY AS WELL, I THINK SHOULD, YEAH. 
          ALEX, I THINK THAT WAS GONNA BE MY RECOMMENDATION. 
          IF YOU CAN SEND THE PLAN OUT WITH A MEMO SAYING THAT IT'S A DRAFT, RIGHT? AND, UM, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT NOT EVERYBODY ON ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HAS WEIGHED IN JUST YET, AND THAT IT'S A FRAMEWORK, PRELIMINARY DRAFT AND, AND MAYBE GET SOME FEEDBACK BEFORE THE B SESSION. 
          BUT THAT, THAT KIND OF PUTS ME BACK AT THE, THE ORIGINAL QUESTION. 
          SO IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO TAKE ACTION ON TODAY OR ARE WE OKAY BECAUSE IT WAS LISTED AS BRIEFING OR POSSIBLE ACTION? ACTION IS NOT REQUIRED. 
          OKAY. 
          SO LONG AS WE, WE STILL, UM, THE PLAN FOR US WOULD STILL BE TO MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS OR PLANNING TOWARDS THAT B SESSION. 
          THERE'S A LOT THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN BETWEEN IN THE NEXT MONTH, BUT WE'RE GONNA KEEP MOVING TOWARDS THAT. 
          OKAY, WONDERFUL. 
          WELL THEN WE'LL JUST TAKE IT UP AS EVERYTHING AND THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND THE TIME IS EXACTLY 12 O'CLOCK AND UH, WE ARE ADJOURNED. 
          THANKS EVERYONE.
* 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.