* 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] COUNCIL MEMBER CAO HDA. COUNCIL MEMBER SAN HERE. CHAIR ELIAS. SIR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. SO THE FIRST THING WE DO IS APPROVE THE MINUTE OUR LAST MEETING, AND I HAVE FEELING COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA, READ THOSE THREE. CHAIR. [Approval of Minutes  ] I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 17TH. COUNCIL WOMAN CASTILLO. I SECOND. SECOND. ALL RIGHT. WE GOT A MOTION TO SECOND FOR APPROVAL. AND MINUTES. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE, PLEASE. THOSE ARE UNANIMOUS VOTES, ALOR. AND SO, UH, WE ARE OFF TO THE RACES. [Briefing and Possible Action on  ] SALLY, PRESENTATION'S YOURS. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION, I'LL BE PROVIDING YOU WITH WORKING ON THE DRAFT 18 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM. UM, AS YOU MAY RECALL, EVERY TWO YEARS, THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM PREMIERES A, UH, PROGRAM FOR YOUR REVIEW AND ULTIMATELY FULL COUNCIL APPROVAL THAT ALIGNS WITH EACH CONGRESSIONAL SESSION. UH, THE A HUNDRED 18TH, UH, CONGRESS WILL BEGIN ON JANUARY 3RD, 23, AND WILL RUN THE JANUARY 3RD, 2025. ESSENTIALLY, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVES A LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES GUIDANCE, UH, AND ARE ESSENTIALLY ARE MARCHING ORDERS, UM, IN WASHINGTON, UH, REGARDING FEDERAL ISSUES THAT ARE PRIORITY ISSUES FOR THE CITY BEFORE CONGRESS, THE ADMINISTRATION, UM, AND AGENCY. THE TIMELINE HERE TODAY, WE'RE HERE BEFORE YOU TO LAUNCH THE PROCESS TO GET FEEDBACK AND GUIDANCE FROM YOU ON THE RECOMMENDED DRAFT PROGRAM. WE WILL CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY, UH, IN DECEMBER AND IN JANUARY, AND WE WILL REACH OUT TO YOUR OFFICES TO SCHEDULE INDIVIDUAL BRIEFINGS FOR THE I G R MEMBERS AND, UM, ADDITIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL. AS I SAID, UH, THE FIRST SESSION, UH, YEAR FOR CONGRESS BEGINS ON JANUARY 3RD, UM, INITIALLY, ESPECIALLY DURING AN ELECTION YEAR. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, SO THERE IS NO REAL URGENCY IN THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY. MOSTLY THROUGH THE WHOLE MONTH WHEN, UM, COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS ARE BEING DETERMINED AS WELL AS LEADERSHIP POSITIONS BEING VOTED ON, WHICH WILL HAPPEN THE FIRST AND SECOND WEEK IN JANUARY IN WASHINGTON DC WE ARE AIMING FOR A JANUARY 11TH B SESSION, UH, BRIEFING, UH, WITH THE DRAFT PROGRAM. AND THEN WE WILL, UH, BE ALSO GOING TO CITY COUNCIL FOR A SESSION APPROVAL, UH, IN JANUARY, THE EXACT DATE TO BE DETERMINED. A QUICK LOOK HERE. WE LAUNCHED THE PROGRAM IN AUGUST, UM, IN JULY OF 2022, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENTS WITH OUR CONSULTANTS TO IDENTIFY, UH, PRIORITY ISSUES, RECOMMENDED ISSUES, UH, THAT ARE BEFORE YOU TODAY. WE'LL ALSO GET FEEDBACK AND GUIDANCE FROM YOU TODAY, AND IN THE NEXT 30, UH, PLUS DAYS PLUS, WE'LL ALSO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, AND OUR DELEGATION TO IDENTIFY ISSUES OF ALIGNMENT FOR THE TWO YEAR SESSION. A QUICK LOOK HERE AT THE SEVEN PILLARS, AS WE DID WITH THE STATE PROGRAM, WE TOOK THE STRATEGIC AND PLANNING DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND THAT HAVE EMBRACED VARIOUS PRIORITIES AND, UM, ITEMS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED WITHIN THESE PROGRAMS. THE FIRST PILLAR IS INFRASTRUCTURE, RESILIENCY, AND TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, WORKFORCE AND TRAINING IS THE THIRD PILLAR. PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, MILITARY PROTECTION, AND PUBLIC SAFETY. UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE, UH, PROGRAMS WE TOOK FROM THOSE VARIOUS STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS, SUCH AS ESSAY, READY TO WORK, SHIP ESSAY, DIGITAL EQUITY PLAN, THE ESSAY, CLIMATE READY PLAN, AND EVS, A TO KICKSTART, UH, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, RESILIENCY AND TRANSPORTATION SECTION. UH, THESE ARE THE ACTUAL SUPPORT STATEMENTS IN THE DRAFT PROGRAM. UH, SUPPORT AND ADVOCATE FOR THE RECEIPT OF FEDERAL FUNDING APPROVED BY BILL AND I R A AND OTHER APPROPRIATIONS LEGISLATION TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION, MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSIT AVIATION ISSUES, AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY TO MEET THE CONTINUED GROWTH, UH, FOR SAN ANTONIO. PLUS, PREPARE THE COMMUNITY FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. AS YOU'RE AWARE, FROM OUR CONTINUED BILL AND I R A UPDATES, WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING CLOSELY, UH, THE PROGRAMMING AND THE FUNDING AVAILABILITY THROUGH THESE, UH, TWO BILLS. THESE ARE MULTI-YEAR BILLS. UH, THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW IS A FIVE YEAR BILL, SO WE STILL HAVE OVER FIVE YEARS LEFT IN THAT PROGRAM. AND I R A, WHICH CONTAINS VARIOUS, UH, TAX CREDITS AND INCENTIVES AND OTHER FUNDING FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. UH, SOME [00:05:01] PROGRAMS ARE, UM, GOING TO BE INTO A 10 YEAR PROCESS AS WELL. UM, IN ADDITION, AS PART OF THE MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE, THERE IS SPECIFIC PROGRAM, UH, DSIP, THE DEFENSE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES, UH, FUNDING FOR PROJECTS THAT BENEFIT MILITARY BASES. THAT IS A, UH, D O D PROGRAM THAT OUR MILITARY AND, UH, VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT OFTEN PURSUES. THERE ARE SOME, UH, FIXES THAT THEY'D LIKE, UH, TO SEE REGARDING THE, THE PROJECT READINESS AND THE TIMELINES TO BE ABLE TO, TO EXECUTE THOSE, THOSE PROJECTS AND BE ABLE TO COMPETE, UM, EVEN MORE FULLY. THE NEXT SUPPORT STATEMENT IS FUNDING AND AGENCY RULES THAT ENSURE ALL SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO FAST, RELIABLE, AND AFFORDABLE INTERNET, REGARDLESS OF PROVIDER GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AGE, OR OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC STRATEGIES. THIS IS ESSENTIALLY PART OF OUR, UH, DIGITAL INCLUSION PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS, UM, ACCESS TO FAST AND RELIABLE BROADBAND ACCESS, UM, EQUIPMENT AND OTHER ASSETS. AS YOU RECALL, THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW INCLUDED 42 BILLION FOR THE BEAD PROGRAM. THAT IS A PROGRAM THAT IS GONNA BE PASSED THROUGH FUNDING, UH, THROUGH THE STATE. UH, WE ARE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH, UM, SA DIGITAL CONNECTS. UM, OUR INNOVATION TEAM HAS BEEN LEADING THAT COORDINATION, AND WE'VE BEEN TRACKING AND MONITORING THE WORK OF THE BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE FUNDING WILL BE A PASS THROUGH FUNDING THROUGH THE STATE. SO THAT IS ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE FEDERAL AND AND STATE COORDINATION, UM, WILL BE KEY. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE B D O MAPS THAT WILL IMPACT THE FUNDING FOR TEXAS, UM, IN THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY, 2023. CONTINUING ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE FRONT, UH, SUPPORT INITIATIVES IN THE F Y 24 F A A AUTHORIZATION. BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, THE F A A BILL, UM, IS A FIVE YEAR BILL. THE LAST TIME IT WAS AUTHORIZED WAS IN 2018. SO THE REAUTHORIZATION WILL TAKE PLACE, UM, HOPEFULLY IN 2023. CONGRESS OFTEN REQUIRES, UM, LENGTHY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE F A A REAUTHORIZATION BECAUSE IT IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE, UH, BILL. SO WE KNOW THAT CONVERSATIONS STARTED IN 2022. THEY WILL BE ONGOING THROUGH 2023, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE GA TEAM WILL BE LOOKING AT CLOSELY. OUR AVIATION TEAM, UH, HAS BEEN, UH, LOOKING AT SUPPORTING VARIOUS ITEMS THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE F A A REAUTHORIZATION, INCLUDING THE AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUNDING TO ALLOW GREATER FLEXIBILITY, UH, FOR THE USE OF A I P FUNDS, UM, AS WELL AS RAISING OR ELIMINATING THE PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGE, UH, CAP. SO THE CAP HAS NOT BEEN INCREASED SINCE 2000. SO IT'S BEEN, UH, STABLE AT FOUR 50, UH, FOR, UH, THAT MANY YEARS. SO THIS ONE IS A USER FEE, UH, THAT AIRPORTS ARE ABLE TO USE FOR AIRPORT EFFICIENCIES, UM, AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. SO THE FLEXIBILITY OF BEING ABLE TO COME TO COUNCIL AND GET AUTHORIZATION FOR AN INCREASED, UH, CAP IF WE HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY, WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, AS WELL AS MAINTAINING OR INCREASING FUNDING FOR THE FEDERAL CONTRACT TOWER PROGRAM. THIS IS A PROGRAM AS WELL UNDER THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, UM, THAT ALLOWS, UM, AIRPORTS THAT GET APPROVAL FROM THE F A A, UM, TO UTILIZE, UM, THE EXECUTION OF CONTRACTS TO RUN THE CONTRACT TOWER PROGRAM. UM, NEXT, UH, SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL EFFORTS TO SECURING NONSTOP FLIGHT FROM, UM, S A T, UH, TO D C A. THIS IS AN ITEM THAT POTENTIALLY, UH, WE COULD USE, UH, AS A VEHICLE IN THE F A A FOR REAUTHORIZATION. THE EXACT STRATEGY WILL REMAIN TO BE DETERMINED ALONG WITH, UM, THE AVIATION TEAM AND OUR, UH, CONSULTANTS, AND WITH YOUR GUIDANCE AS WELL. HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT AS POTENTIALLY THE F A A BEING IN A VEHICLE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, SLOTS, UM, IN AND OUT FLIGHTS OUT OF REAGAN NATIONAL, OR ANY EXEMPTIONS TO THE PERIMETER RULE WOULD HAVE TO BE, UM, APPROVED BY CONGRESS. SO, QUICK NOTE ON THAT. REAGAN, UM, NATIONAL AIRPORT IS, UM, HAS RESTRICTIONS ON PERIMETER, UH, RULE IN AND OUT FLIGHTS AND, UH, SLOTS. SO EVEN THOUGH THE F A A APPROVES IN AND OUT SLOTS OUT OF REAGAN NATIONAL, UM, CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION IS NEEDED IN ORDER FOR, UH, THOSE AUTHORIZATIONS TO TAKE PLACE. THE LAST TIME THERE WERE SLOTS, UH, BEYOND THE PERIMETER SLOTS APPROVED, UM, THAT WAS IN 2012 ONTO HOUSING, UM, STAFF, UH, SUPPORTS THE ENHANCEMENT AND EXPANSION OF THE HOUSING TAX CREDITS PROGRAM, SUCH AS A LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT TO TARGET AFFORDABLE HOUSING [00:10:01] FOR THOSE MOST IN NEED, AND ADVOCATE FOR THE CREATION OF NEW TAX CREDIT PROGRAMS TARGETED AT RENTERS AND, UH, MIDDLE INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. UM, WE KNOW THAT, UH, THROUGH THIS FEDERAL, UH, TAX CREDITS, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOW INCOME HOUSING IS A TOOL THAT OUR HOUSING TEAM, UM, HAS BENEFITED FROM IN THE PAST AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, UM, IN ORDER TO CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING STOCK, UM, IN DISTRESSED, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS, AS WELL AS, UM, THE NEXT STATEMENT, SUPPORT INCREASED FUNDING AND EXPANSION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS UNDER PROGRAMS THAT YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH. HOMES, C D V G, UM, AND, UM, E S G AS YOU KNOW, UH, THESE PARTICULAR FUNDING TOOLS, UM, ADDRESS, UM, THE REHAB AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, AND RENTAL UNITS, AS WELL AS PROVIDE, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT AND ALSO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS THROUGH THE E S G GRANTS. AND FINALLY, SUPPORT FUNDING AND PROGRAMS FOR RENTER PROGRAM SERVICES, INCLUDING LEGAL SERVICES AND EVICTIONS. OUR HOUSING TEAM, UM, WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT FEDERAL OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS, UM, HOUSING DISCRIMINATION ISSUES FOR RENTERS, ESTABLISH, UH, RENTER PROTECTIONS AS WELL, INCLUDING SPECIFIC GROUPS SUCH AS, UH, VETERANS, UM, FROM RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS. UH, WE KNOW THERE ARE VARIOUS, UM, BILLS THAT WERE FILED DURING THE CURRENT CONGRESS THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REFILED IN THE NEW CONGRESS. UH, SPECIFICALLY THE ENDING HOMELESSNESS ACT OF 2021, UM, THAT WE KNOW HAD OVER 70 SPONSORS, UM, ON CAPITOL HILL. SO WE KNOW THAT THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE REFILED DURING, UM, THE NEW SESSIONS. UM, SPECIFICALLY UNDER LEGAL PROTECTIONS. ACCESS TO LEGAL SERVICES IS IMPORTANT AS WELL, UH, FOR RENTERS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS SAFE AND RELIABLE, UH, LIVING CONDITIONS AND PROTECTIONS DURING, UM, EVICTION PROCESSES. UNDER THE WORKFORCE AND TRAINING FRONT, THIS IS OUR ESSAY, READY TO WORK PROGRAMMING AND SUPPORT FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, WE SUPPORT REAUTHORIZATION AND FUNDING FOR WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS, INCLUDING APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS AND WORKFORCE PROGRAMS THAT TARGET HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS. UM, AGAIN, THIS IS IN SUPPORT OF OUR ESSAY READY TO WORK PROGRAM. THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT, OR WE OA, UM, EXPIRED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, BUT CONGRESS HAS KEPT THE PROGRAM RUNNING THROUGH APPROPRIATIONS. SO BECAUSE IT'S FUNDED, THE PROGRAMMING HAS CONTINUED, AND THE REAUTHORIZATION OF WEOA WILL GIVE, UM, COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE, UM, FEEDBACK FOR FIXES ON THE PROGRAM, AND ALSO, UH, INCREASED FUNDING THROUGH CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT. SO WE WILL BE WORKING WITH OUR HOUSING TEAM, OUR SA READY TO WORK TEAM, UM, TO MAKE, UM, THOSE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS TO OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ONTO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. WE SUPPORT THE REAUTHORIZATION AND SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FOR THE CHILD NUTRITION ACT AND THE FARM BILL TO ENHANCE PROGRAMS THAT REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE COMMUNITY. UH, THIS IS A NEW ITEM RECOMMENDED IN OUR FEDERAL PROGRAM. FOOD INSECURITY AND NUTRITION IS ONE OF THE PILLARS OF OUR SA UM, FORWARD PLAN. ESSENTIALLY ONE OF OUR PRIORITY AREAS, THE CHILD NUTRITION ACT AND FARM BILLS ARE UP FOR REAUTHORIZATION IN 2023. UH, THE FARM BILL FUNDS FEDERAL FOOD PROGRAMS, INCLUDING SNAP AND EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM FUNDS, SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMS, CHILD NUTRITION, UM, AND OTHER, UH, CHILD UH, NUTRITION PROGRAMS. SO WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF, OF THOSE TWO BILLS. IT WILL COME FOR REAUTHORIZATION IN 23. UH, THE NEXT SUPPORT STATEMENT IS SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT ENHANCES THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES BY IMPROVING ACCESS TO CARE AND FOCUSING ON SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. UM, THIS LIKELY LOOKS, UH, FAMILIAR AS WELL. THIS IS ONE, UH, ALSO OF OUR PRIORITIES AND OUR PILLARS IN OUR ESSAY FORWARD PLAN, SPECIFICALLY ACCESS, UM, TO CARE. SO, WE WILL WORK WITH OUR METRO HEALTH TEAM TO, UM, IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL BRING THESE, UH, ACCESS AND, UM, POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING, UH, TO SAN ANTONIO. UM, ADDITIONALLY, SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL ACTION THAT ENABLES UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO CAME TO THE US AS CHILDREN, UH, TO LEARN LAWFUL STATUS. THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE DACA SUPPORT STATEMENT. UM, WE DIDN'T WANNA SPECIFICALLY MENTION DACA AS A PROGRAM BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS A POTENTIAL THAT CONGRESS WILL GIVE IT A DIFFERENT NAME, UM, OR WILL DESCRIBE IT DIFFERENTLY. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE AND MAINTAIN, UM, THE FLEXIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS, UM, VARIOUS ITEMS. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 135,000 DOCK UP PARTICIPANTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, UM, AND, [00:15:01] UH, UH, OVER 4,800 IN THE SAN ANTONIO REGION. SO THERE IS A GREAT NUMBER OF DOCK UP PARTICIPANTS CURRENTLY RECITING IN SAN ANTONIO AND IN TEXAS. UH, TEXAS HAS THE SECOND LARGEST, UM, NUMBER OF DACA PARTICIPANTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE KNOW THAT THEY OFTEN, THROUGH EDUCATION AND, UH, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF WHEN GOING THROUGH THE DACA, UH, PROCESS, THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. THEY'RE ABLE TO, UM, GET, UH, ADDITIONAL EDUCATION AND RETAIN, UH, GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, AS WELL AS OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IN HOUSING, ET CETERA. UH, THERE WAS SOME DATA THAT I FOUND, UM, THAT DEMONSTRATED THAT THERE ARE OVER 4,800 HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN TEXAS AND OVER 2,800 TEACHERS IN TEXAS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY DACA PARTICIPANTS. UM, SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE DATA IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF, OF, UM, THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IN WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO GAIN. UH, LASTLY, SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL ACTION THAT PROVIDES CONTINUED FUNDING, UH, TO SUPPORT NONPROFITS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO MIGRANT FAMILIES. AGAIN, THIS IS A GENERAL INSTATEMENT, UM, IN SUPPORT OF ESSENTIALLY THE EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER BOARD FUNDING. WE HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL TO WORK WITH, UM, OUR FEMA IN HOMELAND SECURITY PARTNERS, UM, IN WASHINGTON AND OUR LOCAL PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO DRAW DOWN, UH, THE REIMBURSEMENTS THROUGH THE EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER BOARD TO BE ABLE TO, UH, RETAIN THE FUNDING THAT THE CITY HAS EXPENDED, UM, FOR THESE MIGRANT SUPPORT SERVICES. WE HAVE CONTINUOUSLY RECEIVED GREAT NEWS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, RECEIVE A CLO VERY CLOSE TO FULL REIMBURSEMENT, AT LEAST 99% OF ALL THE EXPENSES, UM, THAT WE HAVE, UM, DONE IN THE, UH, HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FRONT. AND WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A, AN ANNUAL ALLOCATION THAT CONGRESS HAS TO MAKE, UH, TO FEMA. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR, WITH OUR DELEGATION, SPECIFICALLY SENATOR CORNYN AND CONGRESSMAN KUER. UM, AND, UH, OTHERS ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS FUNDING ONTO THE ECONOMIC, UM, AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FRONT. UH, WE SUPPORT FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS THAT INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR MANUFACTURING SUPPLY CHAINS, UM, AND RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENT. A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, YOU MAY RECALL, THE CHIPS IN SCIENCE BILL, UH, WAS, UH, PASSED IN CONGRESS, AND IT AUTHORIZED VARIOUS, UM, TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS, SPECIFICALLY REGIONAL INNOVATION HUBS. UM, THOSE REGIONAL INNOVATION HUBS WILL AIM TO SPUR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA. UM, WE KNOW THAT COSA, ALONG WITH THE TEXAS STARS CONSORTIUM, WHICH IS IS A, A, A TECH, UM, A CONSORTIUM GROUP, UM, ARE VERY INTERESTED IN PURSUING FUNDS, UM, UNDER THE CHIPS AND SCIENCE BILL, AS WELL AS, UH, PURSUE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE DESIGNATED AS A REGIONAL, UH, TECHNOLOGY FUND. SO WE WILL BE TRACKING THESE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES CLOSELY. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT AUTHORIZED THE PROGRAMMING, BUT IT WAS NOT FUNDED. SO THIS STILL NEEDS TO BE APPROPRIATED BY CONGRESS IN ORDER FOR THESE PROGRAMS, UM, TO OPEN UP AND, AND BE AVAILABLE. SO, MORE TO COME IN THAT FRONT ONTO HISTORIC TAX CREDITS. UH, WE SUPPORT ENHANCEMENTS OF HTCS THAT HELP DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE RESTORATION AND RE REUSE OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND, WHICH FUNDS THE STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS TO CARRY OUT, UH, THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT, UM, OR HISTORIC PRESERVATION TEAM HAS CONTINUALLY, CONTINUOUSLY USED, UM, UM, THESE OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR TOOLBOX TO BE ABLE BE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL. UM, THERE ARE VARIOUS EXAMPLES SUCH AS THE ST. ANTHONY HOTEL, THE ALAMEDA THEATER, THE, UH, BORDEN CREAMERY, UM, AND OTHERS, UH, SCHOOLS, UH, TRINITY UNIVERSITY THAT HAVE BENEFITED FROM, UM, THE USE OF HTCS. SO WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, UM, HTCS IN OUR FEDERAL PROGRAM ONTO MILITARY PROTECTION. UM, STAFF SUPPORTS LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE THAT REDUCES THE, UH, FINANCIAL BURDEN OF CIVILIANS SERVED AT MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITIES. UH, B A S C IS CONSIDERED A MILITARY, UH, TREATMENT FACILITY. ESSENTIALLY. EXISTING LAWS, UM, ALLOW MILITARY FACILITIES TO CHARGE THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE REIMBURSEMENT RATE WHEN THEY TREAT CIVILIANS AT THESE MILITARY, UM, FEDERAL MEDICAL FACILITIES. AND, UH, WE KNOW THAT B A SSS C REALLY BENEFITS FROM PROVIDING THESE TRAUMA SERVICES THROUGH TRAINING. UM, AND SO THERE IS SUPPORT FROM OUR MILITARY AFFAIRS TEAM TO SUPPORT AN AMENDMENT TO THAT LAW TO GET A WAIVER FOR THOSE FEES THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY BA SSS C. THIS IS, UM, A SUPPORTED ITEM AND COORDINATION WITH, WITH J [00:20:01] B S A THAT WOULD, UH, ALLOW, UH, CIVILIANS TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE, UH, CARE AT THIS MILITARY MEDICAL FACILITIES. AND B A S C WOULD BENEFIT FROM THIS AMENDMENT THROUGH, UM, CONTINUING TO EXPERIENCE, UH, TRAINING, UH, IN, IN MAKING SURE THAT THEIR TEAMS ARE RECEIVING THIS TRAUMA TRAINING. UM, AT B SS C, UH, ADDITIONALLY SUPPORT EXPANSION OF THE WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT PROGRAM TO MAKE MILITARY SPOUSES AN ELIGIBLE, UH, TARGET GROUP. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THE, THE WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT, UM, WAS PASSED, UH, BY CONGRESS. AND THERE ARE VARIOUS TARGETED GROUPS, UH, THAT, UH, THE PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYERS CAN, UH, UTILIZE. THIS IS, UM, AN I R S, UH, TAX CREDIT PROGRAM THAT THEY CAN TAKE, THAT THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE, AND THERE'S A RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 1800 TO 96 PLUS HUNDRED PER EMPLOYEE WHEN THEY HIRE SPECIFIC TARGETED, UM, INDIVIDUALS IN THAT GROUP. OUR MILITARY AFFAIRS TEAM IS ADVOCATING AND SUPPORTING THE MILITARY SPOUSES BE PART OF THE ELIGIBLE, UM, TARGETED GROUP. CURRENTLY, VETERANS ARE PART OF THAT TARGETED GROUP, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN IN LONG-TERM, UM, UNEMPLOYMENT. THIS IS A, UH, DEPARTMENT OF OF LABOR PROGRAM ONTO PUBLIC SAFETY. THIS IS A CARRY OVER ITEM. SS A P D ACTUALLY, UH, PURSUES THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANTS, UM, VERY READILY, UM, EVERY YEAR, UH, FOR, UM, EQUIPMENT, STAFFING AND PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAMS. THOSE GRANTS INCLUDE, UH, THE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANTS OR JAG, UM, COPS GRANTS, EDWARD BYR GRANTS, AND THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ARE ALSO PROGRAMMING THAT FALLS UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE THAT WE WILL BE, UM, LOOKING AND MONITORING CLOSELY, UH, FOR THIS NEW CONGRESS. ADDITIONALLY, SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND INCREASED FUNDING TO PROMOTE A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL, MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO REGIONAL PREVENTION PREPAREDNESS. THIS IS ESSENTIALLY YOUR HOMELAND SECURITY ITEM. UM, AS YOU MAY RECALL, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BEEN ABLE TO DRAW DOWN, UM, URBAN AREA SECURITY INITIATIVE OR U A C FUNDS YEAR AFTER YEAR. A FEW YEARS AGO, WE WERE ZEROED OUT AND THROUGH OUR, UM, ADVOCACY AND WORK WITH OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM, UM, AND OUR I G R COMMITTEE, WE WERE ABLE TO START, UM, GETTING INTO THE TRACK OF, OF GETTING THOSE AWARDS. WE FIRST WERE ABLE TO SECURE A MILLION DOLLARS, AND THEN THAT WENT UP TO THREE, UM, AND THEN PLUS. SO WE'RE REALLY WANTING TO GET MUCH CLOSER TO THE FIVE AND, AND 6 MILLION, UH, DOLLAR RANGE. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO, TO PUSH FORWARD FOR THAT. UM, OTHER GRANTS, UM, ARE THE REGIONAL CATASTROPHIC PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM, AND THE ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS. ALL THESE GRANTS ARE UNDER, UM, THE FEMA, UH, HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAMS. UH, THIS IS ESSENTIALLY OUR PROTECTION OF COMMUNITY INTEREST STATEMENT. THIS IS THE DEFENSE SECTION, UM, WHERE WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRACKING AND MONITORING, UM, ANY POTENTIAL REGULATIONS OR LEGISLATION THAT WOULD BE ADVERSE TO THE CITY. UM, AND THE COMMUNITY. HERE'S A LOOK AT OUR PARTNERSHIPS, VERY SIMILAR TO OUR STATE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM. THIS IS NOT AN ALL INCLUSIVE LIST. THIS IS JUST A GLANCE AT SOME OF THE PARTNERS THAT WE COORDINATE WITH. UM, THERE ARE MANY MORE, UM, THAT WE WILL BE COORDINATING WITH ON EMERGING ISSUES, AND THAT WE WILL BE IDENTIFYING AS THE, UH, CONGRESSIONAL SESSION PROGRESSES. MR. CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE MEMBERS, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. GO BACK. SURE. UM, SO , MM-HMM. , RIGHT? MEETINGS ABOUT MEETINGS, BUT I THINK THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THIS IS THE DISTILLATION AND THE SYNTHESIS OF A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT SPENT BY EACH DEPARTMENT TO, UM, COME UP WITH A LIST OF THINGS THAT ARE VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO US. AND SO, I APPRECIATE THIS. UH, WE SEE A LOT OF THINGS THAT COME UP ALMOST EVERY YEAR. THESE ARE OUR PERENNIAL, UH, ITEMS, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT, RIGHT? SO BRAC, YOU KNOW, ANTI BRAC, UH, YOU KNOW, EFFORTS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, POLICE GRANTS, SAFETY GRANTS AND ALL THAT. AND SO, UH, I, I, I THINK THIS IS, I THINK THIS IS GREAT. UM, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU PUT LOCAL NONPROFITS AT THE TOP OF THE SECOND, UH, COLUMN THERE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I, I'D, I'D LIKE TO SEE US DO, AND, AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR THE, THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE COMMENT ON IT, IS MAYBE GET WITH THE NONPROFIT COUNCIL, RIGHT? SO THIS IS LIKE THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR NONPROFITS RIGHT HERE IN TOWN. AND, UH, HAVE THEM SERVE MAYBE AS AN AGGREGATOR OF, OF, UH, [00:25:01] THE ASKS THAT THAT NONPROFIT COMMUNITY HAS, RIGHT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW. AND, UH, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE OUT THERE THAT WE'RE MISSING TO ADVOCATE FOR, RIGHT? SO THESE NONPROFITS, IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR 5 0 1 C THREE STATUS, CAN'T LOBBY, UM, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO, BUT WE CAN, UM, AND THEY ARE DELEGATE AGENCIES, AND SO THEY, THEY CARRY OUT A FUNCTION OF OURS THAT WE DELEGATE OUT. AND IF WE'RE NOT ADVOCATING FOR OUR FUNCTIONS, UM, THEN I THINK WE'RE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY. SO CAN, CAN WE DO THAT AT SOME POINT? AND, UM, THE, THE SECOND THING THAT I WANT TO MENTION IS THAT WE SPEAK TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES WHEN WE PUT LISTS LIKE THIS TOGETHER, UH, OF, YOU KNOW, THE PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE CHASING, UH, OVER THANKSGIVING, WE HAD ANOTHER WOMAN, UM, WHO HAD HER DOOR KICKED DOWN BY HER EX-HUSBAND, AND SHE WAS MURDERED IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN. UM, AND SO INCLUDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS ONE OF A LIST OF NINE OR 10 ISSUES ALONG WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, POLICE EQUIPMENT OR WHATEVER IT IS, OR, OR, I'M SORRY, COPY MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT AND BACK OFFICE. UM, I, I DON'T THINK DOES JUSTICE TO THAT TOPIC CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE'VE SPENT TALKING ABOUT IT. AND SO, WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IS A BREAKOUT OF THAT ONE ITEM, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, UM, TO MAKE IT AN INDIVIDUAL STANDALONE ITEM. 'CAUSE I THINK THAT ALSO COMMUNICATES TO OUR LOBBYISTS, UM, HOW IMPORTANT THAT ISSUE IS TO THIS COUNCIL, AS OPPOSED TO IT JUST BEING ONE OF MANY THAT WE JUST SORT OF LEAVE BEHIND, UH, YOU KNOW, UP THERE. UM, ALONG THOSE LINES, I, I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE'RE ALSO, ALSO, AND, AND I'LL DEFER TO THE COMMITTEE, UM, INCLUDING FOSTER CHILDREN. UM, WE, I DIDN'T SEE A MENTION IN THERE, BUT THERE IS A DIRECT LINE THAT YOU CAN DRAW FROM FOSTER CHILDREN TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TO HOMELESSNESS. UM, AND SAN ANTONIO IS ON THE LIST OF WORSE CITIES WHEN IT COMES TO PROVIDING FOR FOSTER CARE, UM, AND ALL THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY LOOKING AT THAT AS, YOU KNOW, AS OPPOSED TO THREE SEPARATE ISSUES, UM, WE'VE NEVER REALLY DONE A GOOD JOB OF LOOKING AT IT AS ONE BIG ISSUE WITH THREE POINTS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OF CAUSATION THERE. AND SO, UH, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE MY REQUESTS. AND I'LL, I'LL PASS IT ON TO COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL IF SHE'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, SORRY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, CHAIR AND SALLY, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, I'D LIKE TO ECHO THE, THE SUGGESTION REGARDING THE NONPROFIT COUNCIL OR WORKING WITH NONPROFITS. UM, IN PARTICULAR, I, UM, AND I KNOW I MENTIONED THIS TO JEFF A COUPLE OF TIMES, HOW CAN WE, UH, PULL TOGETHER SOME ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS? AND, UH, WE, WE HAVE A HANDFUL HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT, UH, STATEWIDE, THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE HOUSED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE THAT ARE LOCATED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE THAT MAY HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE, MORE OOMPH. AND, UH, COLLECTIVELY, UH, BRING SOMETHING TO, TO SAN ANTONIO, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO HELP, UH, REACH OUT TO SOME OF THEM AND PERHAPS COORDINATE, UH, YET ANOTHER MEETING TO TALK ABOUT ANOTHER MEETING THAT WE'LL PREPARE FOR MM-HMM. . SO, UM, IT'S NUMBER, UH, IT'S NUMBER ONE. UM, NUMBER TWO, UH, WELL, ACTUALLY, I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE MANY, MANY, MANY OF THESE NEW AREAS, UH, IN PARTICULAR, UH, SUPPORT FOR RENTERS. AND, UM, I'D LIKE TO FOCUS A LITTLE BIT ON THE, UM, REAUTHORIZATION OF, OF THE FARM BILL. ARE WE WORKING WITH, UH, ANY OF OUR, UM, HEALTH, UM, OR HEALTHCARE PARTNERS IN THE AREA WITH THAT, ON THAT ONE, OR EVEN, UM, EVEN SOME OF THE RESEARCH FACILITIES HERE, LIKE UT, UT HEALTH ON THAT ONE. SO, COUNSEL, THE ONE DISCUSSION THAT I'VE HAD, UM, PRIOR TO THIS MEETING HAS BEEN WITH THE SA FOOD BANK. AND SO, BECAUSE WE'RE LAUNCHING THE PROGRAM TODAY, BRINGING IT TO YOU AS A DRAFT PROGRAM, I APPRECIATE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO DO, UM, ADDITIONAL OUTREACH, AND I KNOW THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY ADD THEM TO THE LIST. THANK YOU. AND, AND THE REASON I BRING IT UP IS BECAUSE IN THE PAST, UM, AND I'M NOT SURE SURE TO THE EXTENT TODAY, BUT THE TYPES OF CROPS THAT ARE SUBSIDIZED BY THE FARM BILL, UM, END UP BEING CONSUMED A LOT MORE, RIGHT? UH, LOCALLY, WELL HERE, UH, DOMESTICALLY IN THE US AND THOSE PARTICULAR CROPS END UP CONTRIBUTING TO DIABETES. SO THE MORE WE SUBSIDIZE THEM, THE EASIER IT IS FOR PEOPLE TO, TO REACH TO THOSE TYPES OF FOODS, RIGHT? TO, TO, UM, FOR SUSTENANCE AND THE MORE WE CONTRIBUTE TO SOMETHING LIKE DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION AND MANY OTHER ILLNESSES. SO I THINK, UM, I, I HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SORT OF SOME THINGS WE SHOULD LOOK FOR IN THE, IN THE NEXT FARM BILL. I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW, HOW MUCH [00:30:01] IN DETAIL WE WANNA GET INTO THAT HERE. BUT I'M HAPPY TO SEND SOME OF THAT, UH, INFORMATION. THAT'D BE GREAT. COUNSEL TO YOU IN PARTICULAR, UM, OUR, UM, CITY STAFF WAS, IT, IT'S SUCH A MASSIVE BILL. SO IN PARTICULAR, WE WERE LOOKING, UM, AT THE NUTRITION AND THE FOOD, UM, INSECURITY SIDE OF THE BILL. BUT YES, IF YOU CAN GIVE US SPECIFICALLY SOME OTHER AREAS, UM, THAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE US, UH, PAY MORE ATTENTION TO AND HAVE MORE FOCUS ON, WE CAN DO SOME OF OUR DUE DILIGENCE WORK, UM, AHEAD OF THE FINAL PROGRAM. THANK YOU. AND, AND I KNOW THAT'S GONNA BE DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE REPRESENTING FARMERS, UH, HERE, AND, AND WE MIGHT END UP BEING AT, AT ODDS WITH THEM, BUT WE DO HAVE JUST TREMENDOUS ILLNESSES RELATED TO THE TYPE OF DIET THAT, THAT PEOPLE HAVE HERE. SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S WORTH A CONSIDERATION AT LEAST. ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND, UH, I'M ALSO REALLY GLAD TO SEE THE, UM, ACTUALLY, C COULD I ASK YOU ABOUT THE ACCESS TO INTERNET REGARDLESS OF A PROVIDER? SO RIGHT NOW THERE IS A PROGRAM, UM, I THINK IT'S CALLED THE A C P, IS THAT YES. IS THAT WHAT IT'S CALLED? SO, UM, CAN YOU TELL ME IS THE, THE IDEA TO EXPAND THAT PROGRAM OR TO KEEP IT GOING OR, SO THERE, THERE ARE VARIOUS PROGRAMS, UM, THAT ADDRESS DIGITAL, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE THROUGH THE N T I A OR THE F C C THAT CAME OUT OF THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW. MUCH OF THAT MONEY IS GONNA BE PASSED THROUGH, UH, THE STATE. SO, UM, THERE ARE SOME PIECES OF IT THAT ARE PRIMARILY I S P DRIVEN. SO, UM, THOSE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING OR THE PRIMARILY PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES, LIKE THOSE, THOSE REBATES OR INCENTIVES, RIGHT? UM, TO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE SIGNING UP FOR THOSE REBATES. SO THAT WOULD BE ONE PART OF IT. THE LARGEST PIECE OF THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW IS THE BEAD PROGRAM THAT REMAINS TO COME IN 2023. THE F C C RECENTLY RELEASED THE FIRST DRAFT OF THEIR MAPS. THE STATE OF TEXAS IN ALL THE STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE REVIEWING THAT. SO THE BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE SHOULD BE RELEASING THEIR EDITS OR THEIR VERSION OF THE STATE MAP IN EARLY 2023. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UM, THROUGH OUR INNOVATION TEAM, UH, BRIAN DILLARD AND THE SA DIGITAL CONNECTS GROUP, UM, TO BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON THOSE MAPS. AND THAT, UH, WEIGHING IN IS, IS CONTINUOUS. UM, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION REGARDING ANY PARTICULAR PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. I, I GUESS I JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW HOW MUCH FURTHER IT EXPANDED BEYOND THAT. AND WHAT YOU SAID WAS, UH, WAS VERY HELPFUL. THAT'S THE BIGGEST CHUNK OF IT. MM-HMM. IS ABOUT $42 BILLION. THAT'S THE BIGGEST CHUNK OF THE, I THINK IT WAS 64 BILLION THAT WAS PART OF THE BROADBAND, UM, DIGITAL INCLUSION PIECE IN BILL AND THE BEAD PROGRAM IS BY FAR THE LARGEST, UH, PROGRAMMING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE WAITING FOR FOR 23. COUNCILMAN, I'LL JUST ADD REAL QUICK. SALLY AND I WENT TO THE, UM, BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE PRESENTATION AT T M L, UH, JUST A MONTH OR SO AGO. AND, AND I, IF I RECALL THE TIMELINE WAS SPRING, THEY WERE EXPECTING TO BE ABLE TO PUT OUT GRANT APPLICATIONS OR, UH, A NOTICE FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNITIES TO APPLY. DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT, SALLY? IN THE TIMELINE? YEAH, POTENTIALLY MAYBE IN THE SUMMER. SO IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT THREE, FOUR MONTHS YEAH. FOR THE AWARDS TO COME OUT. THINGS HAVE BEEN COMING OUT REALLY SLOW BECAUSE IT'S A NEW PROGRAM, AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST A NEW LANGUAGE, PUBLIC COMMON OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN REQUIRED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR ALL THE STATES AFTER THEY SUBMITTED THEIR STATE PLANS, ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE INCLUDED. SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT MILESTONES THAT HAVE CAUSED THE TIMELINE TO GET A LITTLE LONGER, BUT JEFF IS RIGHT, A BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE SHOULD OPEN UP THOSE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, HOPEFULLY IN THE SPRING FOR POTENTIAL AWARD BEFORE THE END OF, UH, SUMMER 2023. THANK YOU, SALLY. AND THEN, UH, THE LAST THING I WANTED TO, TO DISCUSS IS, UM, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH UNDER INFRASTRUCTURE, RESILIENCY, AND TRANSPORTATION. AND, UM, ACTUALLY GOING BACK TO SOMETHING ELSE OUR CHAIR SAID, I, I, I DO UNDERSTAND AND AGREE REGARDING PULLING OUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UH, FROM THAT, FROM THAT SECTION, OR AT LEAST HIGHLIGHTING IT, OR EVEN PUTTING IT UNDER, UNDER HEALTH, WHICH IS WHAT WE DO HERE AT, AT THE CITY. UM, ANOTHER TOPIC THAT I FEEL IS, IS ALSO IMPORTANT, UM, HAS TO DO WITH RESILIENCY. AND I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, THAT THAT GETS THE FOCUS THAT, UM, THAT OUR COUNCIL IS WILLING TO GIVE IT, RIGHT? WHAT WE VOTED ON AS A, AS AN INDEPENDENT, AS AN INDEPENDENT FUND, BECAUSE WE, WE, I MEAN, IT'S THAT IMPORTANT TO US. SO I, I JUST DON'T WANT IT TO GET LOST. WE HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES WITH, WITH THAT NEW FUND. AND, UM, SO IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, PREPARING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, THERE'S JUST GONNA BE A LOT OF, OF OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR US [00:35:01] TO, FOR US TO SUPPORT OR SUPPLEMENT WHATEVER COMES OUT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO, UM, I GUESS I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE IT THE ATTENTION. IT, IT, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE IT COUNCIL, I KNOW YOU BRING UP A REALLY GOOD POINT, AND I JUST WANTED TO RE-HIGHLIGHT. THE REASON WE MENTIONED THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT IS BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, THERE IS A, A BIG, UM, ENERGY, UH, RESILIENCY IN CLIMATE, UH, LEANING COMPONENT IN I R A. SO, UM, IN COORDINATION WITH OUR SUSTAINABILITY TEAM, UM, AND OTHER PARTNERS, UH, WE WILL MAKE SURE WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR CONSULTANTS TO TRACK AND LEARN EVERYTHING THAT'S GONNA BE INCLUDED IN I R A THAT COMMUNITIES CAN BENEFIT FROM. THAT IS WHY ONE OF THE PILLARS, UM, ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE USED ARE OUR STRATEGIC PROGRAMS, IS OUR, UM, CLIMATE, UM, ACTION PROGRAM AND OUR, UM, SA EV PROGRAM, SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO USE THOSE COUNCIL APPROVED PLANS, UH, THAT ARE IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US, UM, ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON WHAT THE PRIORITIES OF COUNCIL HAS SET FORTH. YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. THE, THE IDEA IS TO, TO NOT LET THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE I R A AND THE B I L, UM, ESCAPE FROM US. SO, THANK YOU, UH, VERY MUCH. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS FOR THE TIME BEING. THANK YOU, SALLY. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU, SALLY, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'LL, I'LL START OFF WITH THE EASY QUESTION. UM, ON THE CONGRESSIONAL EFFORTS TO SECURE A NONSTOP FLIGHT, YOU MENTIONED SLOTS. UH, IS THERE ANY CITY AT AT RISK OF LOSING A SLOT? AND HOW DO THEY LOSE SLOTS? SO THAT, THAT'S ACTUALLY, THAT IS A TRICKY QUESTION. OH, OKAY. FIRST OF ALL, IT'S UP TO THE F A A. OKAY. AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS PROBABLY DETERMINED THROUGH A VERY LENGTHY PROCESS. THE ONLY EXAMPLE I'VE HEARD IS WITH, UM, LOW PERFORMING FLIGHTS, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS AIRLINE LED. SO THESE REQUESTS, THESE APPLICATIONS TO EITHER, UM, APPLY FOR A SPECIFIC AIRPORT, UM, OR THE REVERSE REMOVE A SPECIFIC AIRPORT FOR THOSE IN AND OUT FLIGHTS HAS TO BE INITIATED BY AN AIRLINE AND APPROVED BY THE F A A. SO, I, I IMAGINE THAT ASIDE FROM LOW PERFORMING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REASONS THAT AIRLINES MAKE, UM, TO THE F A A, THAT IS THE ONLY EXAMPLE THAT I'M FAMILIAR WITH. IF THERE WAS A, A IN AND OUT SLOT REMOVED, UH, FROM A PARTICULAR AIRPORT AS REQUESTED, UH, BY AN AIRLINE, I DON'T KNOW IF JEFF, ADDITIONAL, YEAH, THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION. 'CAUSE IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN THIS COMPLICATED ISSUE THERE. THERE'S TWO ISSUES AT PLAY. UH, FIRST OF ALL, REAGAN NATIONAL'S, I THINK THE ONLY AIRPORT THAT'S GOVERN REGULATED BY AN ACT OF CONGRESS. MOST AIRPORTS, IF JESUS WORKS OUT A DEAL WITH AN AIRLINE TO ADD A NONSTOP, WE FLY THERE. J F K, REAGAN, REAGAN, OH, J F K, WELL, BUT J F K IS BY THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK, BUT IT'S THE SAME CONCEPT. UM, THEY ONLY ALLOW SO MANY FLIGHTS IN AND OUT OF REAGAN BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THE AIRPORT AND THE AIRSPACE ISSUES AROUND THE NATION'S CAPITAL. SO THE FIRST PIECE IS THERE'S ONLY SO MANY SLOTS, UM, AND YOU, AND YOU HAVE TO GET ONE, BASICALLY. THE SECOND PIECE THAT LAYERS ON THIS IS THERE'S A PERIMETER RULE THAT SAYS ANY, UH, I THINK IT'S 1500 MILE, 1,250 MILES FROM DC IS CONSIDERED OUTSIDE OF THE PERIMETER. AND SO, INITIALLY, YEARS AGO, THE INTENT WAS FOR ALL OF THE AIRPORTS INSIDE THAT 1250 TO BE ABLE TO FLY TO REAGAN, BUT ANY LONG HAUL FLIGHTS, QUOTE UNQUOTE, WOULD GO TO DULLES. AND SO YOU HAD TO GET AN EX EXCEPTION TO THE LAW THROUGH CONGRESS TO BE ABLE TO GET AN OUTSIDE PERIMETER EXEMPTION TO THE, TO THE RULE. SO IT'S TWO THINGS, AND WE'VE TRIED ALL SORTS OF STRATEGIES IN THE PAST WHERE WE, UH, WOULD ADD LANGUAGE TO THE FEDERAL LAW THAT WOULD ALLOW AN AIRLINE TO SWITCH FROM INSIDE TO OUTSIDE. WE'VE, UH, TALKED ABOUT POTENTIALLY ELIMINATING THE PERIMETER AT SOME POINT. SO WHEN WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PLAYING FIELD, IT'S A VERY POLITICAL AND COMPLICATED PROCESS BECAUSE NO COMMUNITY WANTS TO LOSE THEIRS, TO YOUR POINT. UM, SO WE EITHER HAVE TO GET SLOTS ADDED AND WIN ONE, OR FIND A CREATIVE WAY TO ACCOMPLISH IT WITH, UH, WITHOUT RUNNING INTO POLITICAL HEADWINDS THAT HURT WITH THE SUPPORT OF AN AIRLINE . GOT IT. WELL, THANK YOU. UM, SO IT, IT SOUNDS REALLY COMPLICATED, BUT I GET IT. SO THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN THE, I I HAVE TWO PRIORITIES AND I, I WANTED TO ASK WHERE ONE OF THEM FIT. I DON'T KNOW IF IT FITS UNDER PUBLIC SAFETY. UM, UH, SO I'LL START WITH THAT ONE. AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS GONNA BE FOCUSED ON WOMEN'S ISSUES, WHICH THE CHAIR BROUGHT UP SOMETHING AND I THOUGHT THAT WE COULD PACKAGE IT TOGETHER, UM, BUT COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. AND SO, UM, WE HAVE THE IH 35 CORRIDOR, AND, UM, WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE SUMMER, THE UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF THE 53 MIGRANTS. UM, WE SAW SOME VANDALISM EARLIER, A FEW DAYS AGO TO, UM, A, UM, A MEMORIAL THAT WAS PLACED A TEMPORARY MEMORIAL. AND I THINK PEOPLE FORGET, UH, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE IT'S OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND. UM, I, I, I, I'M WILLING TO [00:40:01] BET THAT, UM, A WHOLE LOT OF, EVEN MY COLLEAGUES HAVEN'T GONE OUT TO THE MEMORIAL, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, I I, I DEFINITELY THINK THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS A LITTLE BIT MORE ON COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM, THE EFFORTS AROUND IT, AND THEN ALSO, UM, SOME ASSISTANCE RIGHT, TO TO, TO FOLKS, UM, IN GENERAL WHO, UM, MIGHT BE FLEEING FROM, FROM THAT TYPE. SO I KNOW YOU HAVE ANTI-SMUGGLING PROGRAMS IN THERE, AND I THINK THAT'S MORE ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE OF IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO ASK WHERE WE CAN FOCUS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF OUR TIME ON THAT. AND SO I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, WHAT TO DO, HOW TO DO IS A PERMANENT MEMORIAL, FOR INSTANCE. UM, BUT THIS IS THE LARGEST TRAGEDY THAT EVER HIT THE UNITED STATES, AND WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT ENOUGH. AND I FEEL THAT BECAUSE THAT HAPPENED IN SAN ANTONIO, THAT WE SHOULD BE A LITTLE BIT FOCUSED, MORE FOCUSED ON COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. I'LL, I'LL JUMP IN REAL QUICK, SALLY, AND YOU CAN SURE. CORRECT WHAT I, WHAT I MISSTATE . UM, OUR, OUR INTENT WITH THE PROGRAM IS TO BE SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. THE, THE CHALLENGE BEING COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM CAN MEAN A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS. SOME GOOD, SOME BAD. WE JUST, WE JUST DON'T KNOW. UM, SO WE'VE CHOSEN SPECIFIC THINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE DREAMERS AND THAT, THAT'S AN OBVIOUS ONE. I THINK IF THERE ARE SOME OTHER SPECIFIC REFORMS THAT THIS COMMITTEE FEELS LIKE ARE IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE, WE ARE DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN DOING IT. WE DIDN'T WANNA PUT SUCH GENERAL LANGUAGE THAT, THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW ULTIMATELY WHAT WE'RE SUPPORTING HERE SURE. IS THE CHALLENGE. THE, THE OTHER PIECE IS, UM, AND THIS APPLIES TO REALLY ALL THE ITEMS, AND IT, THE PROGRAM IS REALLY A REFLECTION IN SOME RESPECTS OF THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE. MM-HMM. THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH THAT ARE NOT LIKELY GONNA COME UP THAT WE DIDN'T INCLUDE. UM, I HAVEN'T HEARD SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM WITH THIS CONGRESS AND WITH IT NOW BIPARTISAN, UH, CHAMBERS MM-HMM. , I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THAT IS, BUT, SO WE, WE WOULD LOVE TO BE MORE SPECIFIC OKAY. AND INCLUDE THINGS THAT HAVE A REAL FIGHTING CHANCE WHERE WE CAN, WE CAN WEIGH IN ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE OF IT, AND SO THE NEED FOR EMPLOYEES, ET CETERA. BUT I CAN HAVE AN OFFLINE CONVERSATION WITH YOU ALL ABOUT THAT. SO I, I HAVE SOME IDEAS. THEY MAY BE CRAZY, BUT THAT'S OKAY. UM, THE NEXT PART THAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON IS LIKE, UM, UH, THE CHAIR MENTIONED WOMEN'S ISSUES. AND SO, UM, THE EQUALITY ACT EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN, MOTHERS IN THE WORKFORCE, UM, WHICH WE KNOW, UM, WE HAVE A, A STRONG CHAMPION ON, UM, ON, ON NOW ON OUR COMMITTEE. UM, BUT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, AS WELL ON THAT. UM, AND, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, THE INFORMATION ON THEIR, UH, WITHIN PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS A LITTLE BIT MORE. I WANNA TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO POINT OUT THAT NOW THIS COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF ALL WOMEN PLUS THEN THE CHAIR, RIGHT? WHO, UH, IS LEADING US. AND SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD CHANCE OF FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS ON, ON WOMEN'S ISSUES. SO, UM, WHATEVER IT IS THAT, THAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THAT I'M ALL IN. AND THEN THE FINAL ONE, UM, I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE, THE GREEN ENERGY, RIGHT? AND CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY. AND SO, UM, I KEEP SAYING THAT I FEEL LIKE, UM, EVS ARE GONNA BE THE NEXT FORM OF RED LINING FOR RESIDENTS, LIKE THE ONES THAT I REPRESENT. AND SO I, UM, I, I'M, I'M PART OF THE NLCS HD COMMITTEE, AS YOU ALL KNOW. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, ARE ADVOCATING FOR IS TO ENSURE THAT HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES DO NOT HAVE TO FACE UNAFFORDABLE COSTS, UM, THAT ARE RELATED TO THE TRANSITION. AND, AND IN PARTICULAR FOR ALREADY ENERGY BURDEN HOUSEHOLDS, RIGHT? AND SO I'M REALLY, REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT. I DON'T THINK THAT WE HAVE, UM, FOCUSED ON IT ENOUGH IN GENERAL AND FROM WHAT I SEE, BUT I, I DO THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR. I THINK THAT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO SUPPORT WITH JOB TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, JUST LIKE THE, THE N L C, UM, HAD MENTIONED FOR THAT MOVE AWAY FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL ECONOMY. I DON'T THINK THAT WE'VE TOUCHED THAT AT ALL. AND SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE, ARE READY AND, AND PREPARED TO DO THAT. UM, AND THEN SPECIFICALLY, I, I'VE SAID THIS A FEW TIMES, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE FOCUS ENOUGH EITHER ON R AND D, RIGHT? AND SO WHAT'S THAT INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE CAN BE THINKING OF? I, I FEEL THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TO SUPPORT, UM, THAT R AND D AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT IN HERE, BUT I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO SAY, SAY THAT BECAUSE I JUST, I JUST, I FEEL LIKE, UH, EVERYBODY, NOT JUST US, NOT JUST CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, I THINK EVERYBODY IS JUST KIND OF MISSING THE BOAT ON THAT. BUT THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR. GOOD JOB, SALLY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU, SALLY, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'M LOOKING AT A US DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, UM, UH, ONE PAGER, RIGHT? AND IT STATES THAT ONE POINT, UH, THAT MILITARY, THAT MORTALITY RATES FOR VETERANS THROUGH OVERDOSE IS 1.5 TIMES HIGHER, RIGHT? THAN A CIVILIAN. [00:45:01] AND AS MILITARY, U S A AND AS A CITY WITH AN OPIOID CRISIS, UM, MY HOPE UNDER, UM, WHETHER IT'S MILITARY OR PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, WOULD BE TO SUPPORT GRANTS FOR SUBSTANCE USE AND REDUCING BARRIERS TO CARE, UH, FOR VETERANS OR FOR THE GEN AND OR FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. UM, SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN INCLUDE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, UM, AGAIN, RIGHT? WE KNOW WE HAVE SEVERAL MILITARY BASES HERE. MANY VETERANS LIKE TO STAY HERE, AND WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO COPE WITH THAT TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE, AND WE KNOW THE, THE PRESCRIPTION TO, UH, HEROIN PIPELINE, RIGHT? IT'S HIGH. UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME SUPPORT FOR OPIOID OVERDOSE, UH, WITHIN MILITARY AND OR, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, AS WE ALL KNOW THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS OVER $3 BILLION OF DRAINAGE, UH, NEEDS THAT CONTINUALLY GO UNMET. I KNOW THERE ARE FEDERAL GRANTS FOR MITIGATION AND DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT, UM, LIKE THE BUILDING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, AND COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAMS. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US GO AFTER THOSE GRANTS. SO AN EMPHASIS ON DRAINAGE, GIVEN THE HIGH INFRASTRUCTURE NEED FOR THE CITY, IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, EMPHASIZED IN THE, THE PRESENTATION. AND I KNOW IT IS A PRIORITY FOR THIS TEAM. UM, OUTSIDE OF USING THE C D B G FUNDING FOR HOUSING, THERE'S OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE USED C D B G FUNDING TO, UH, APPLY FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK AT? WOULD THAT BE, UH, IN COMMITTEE, OR WOULD THIS BE THE TIME TO THE, TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT USING C D B G FUNDS FOR FLOOD CONTROL? C D BG IS FORMULA BASED, SO WE MM-HMM. , WE GET THE AMOUNTS BASED ON OUR YEAH. POPULATION COUNTS. I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY A CONVERSATION LOCALLY ABOUT HOW WE USE THOSE FUNDS. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN PURSUE IT. YEAH. I THINK, UH, THE CITY OF DETROIT HAS A GREAT MODEL OF USING THOSE C D B G DOLLARS FOR FLOOD UH, MITIGATION. AND GIVEN THE HIGH NEED, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US APPLY SOMETHING SIMILAR HERE. UM, SHIFTING TO HOUSING, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT THE SHIP HAS, UH, CITED THAT OVER 13,000 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE UNKNOWN AFFORDABILITY EXPIRATION DATES. DO WE HAVE A STRATEGY ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO ENSURE THAT THE AFFORDABILITY LEVEL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IS EXTENDED FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROPERTIES? UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT QUESTION, COUNCILWOMAN? YES. SO EACH PROPERTY IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES ARE GIVEN THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDITS, RIGHT? AND THEY HAVE EXPIRATION DATES. THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN HAS CITED THAT OVER 13,000 OF THOSE UNITS WHO, UM, ARE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROGRAMS ARE ABOUT TO EXPIRE. WHAT IS OUR FEDERAL STRATEGY TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE THAT AFFORDABILITY? I DON'T HAVE A RESPONSE FOR THAT. OKAY. BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY, UH, CHECK WITH OUR, WITH OUR HOUSING TEAM. I WOULD LOVE TO ARD, THOUGH. I, I SEE HIM TAKING A NOTE, BUT I DON'T THINK WE RECEIVED THAT INFORMATION FROM HOUSING SPECIFICALLY, RIGHT? NO. OKAY. WE CAN DEFINITELY RESEARCH THAT AND, AND GET YOU A RESPONSE, AND THEN, UH, FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN, UH, LEAN IN ON THAT BASED ON SHIP. I THINK I, I'D APPRECIATE THAT. AND, UH, I KNOW THAT, UM, ON MANY OF OUR PARTNERS, WE DO HAVE OPPORTUNITY HOME, UH, AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT WE CONTINUE TO INCLUDE THEM. A STAKEHOLDER THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS LABOR UNIONS. I KNOW WITH THE CURRENT, UH, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WITH MANY OF HIS GRANTS, HE DOES HIGHLIGHT, UM, UH, LABOR WITHIN HIS GRANTS. AND I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE US MORE COMPETITIVE IF WE INCLUDE THEM AS A STAKEHOLDER. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DONE, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO? UM, OKAY. RECENTLY, NO. COUNCILWOMAN, WE HAVE NOT MET WITH, WITH, UH, LABOR UNIONS. I KNOW THAT WHEN, UH, SECRETARY WALSH, OUR LABOR SECRETARY WAS IN SAN ANTONIO, THERE WERE SOME MEETINGS, UH, SCHEDULED, UM, AT THE MAYOR'S LEVEL WITH, WITH LABOR UNIONS THAT WERE PART OF THE AGENDA. UH, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE EXTENT OF, OF OUR INTERACTION WITH THEM. GREAT. THANKS, SALLY. UM, I WANTED TO SHIFT TO WORKFORCE AND TRAINING IN THE ECONOMIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. WE DISCUSSED AND AGREED THAT, UH, READY TO WORK SHOULD BE, UH, ACCESSIBLE AND HELP, UH, CONNECT COMMUNITIES TO, UH, OPPORTUNITY. RIGHT? WHETHER YOU HAVE, UM, A BLEMISH ON YOUR RECORD, RIGHT? FOR, I'M THINKING OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FORMERLY INCARCERATED, UM, FOR WORKFORCE TRAINING, IS THERE OPPORTUNITY TO INCLUDE SUPPORT FOR A PATHWAY, UM, TO GET, THERE'S A PATHWAY HOME PROGRAM, RIGHT? AND MY ASK IS IF WE CAN INCLUDE THAT, THAT WE MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO SUPPORT GRANTS, TO CONNECT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FORMERLY INCARCERATED TO WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMMING. SO I KNOW THAT THERE ARE FEDERAL, UH, PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT, THAT PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR FORMERLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS. MM-HMM. , UM, THAT'S ANOTHER NOTE THAT WE'LL HAVE TO WORK ON WITH OUR HOUSING TEAM, UM, TO SEE IF THAT'S SOMETHING [00:50:01] THAT'S PART OF, OF SHIP. I, I DON'T RECALL, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE FEDERAL GRANTS, UM, THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE. THEY'RE, THEY'RE OFTEN VERY UNDER, UM, UNDERFUNDED, UH, IN SOME YEARS THEY'RE NOT, UH, THERE AREN'T APPROPRIATIONS FOR THEM, BUT WE CAN DO RESEARCH AND SHARE THAT WITH YOU, COUNCILWOMAN, THANK YOU. BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR RECENTLY ANNOUNCED ITS PATHWAY TO HOME RECIPIENTS, WHICH I THINK WOULD HELP US WITH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM AS WELL. UM, AND THOSE ARE GRANTS THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY USE TO SUPPORT, UM, READY TO WORK. UM, THOSE ARE ALL MY NOTES FOR NOW. THANK YOU, SALLY. THANK YOU. AND SO, UM, ROUNDING THIS OUT. YOU OBVIOUSLY GOT A LOT OF HOMEWORK, UH, THAT'S BEEN ASSIGNED TO YOU, SALLY. UM, AND I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME MORE THE, IN PREPARATION FOR THIS MEETING. I WENT AND LOOKED AT AUSTIN'S, UH, LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR THE ONE 18TH CONGRESS. UM, THEY, THEY PROVIDE A VERY SIMILAR DECK OF, UH, OF SLIDES. AND THE PROBLEM WITH A DECK OF SLIDES IN A MEETING THAT IS LESS THAN AN HOUR, IS THAT IT DOESN'T INJUSTICE TO THE AMOUNT OF PRIORITIES, RIGHT? THAT, AND THESE ARE JUST EXAMPLES THAT WERE GIVEN TO YOU. UM, WHAT AUSTIN DOES IS IT PUTS TOGETHER A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, UM, THAT EXPLODES OUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE POINTS INTO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, UM, THE SECOND CHANCE HIRING GRANTS, RIGHT? AND EV GRANTS AND RESILIENCY GRANTS. AND SO, UM, I, I SENT YOU A COPY, SALLY AND I SENT, I SHARED IT WITH JEFF AS WELL. UM, I, I THINK THAT WE'VE REACHED A POINT WHERE MAYBE, UM, WE COUNCIL, AND I KNOW THAT COUNCILMAN ROCHE GARCIA WOULD APPRECIATE MORE THINGS TO READ, UH, THAT THIS COUNCIL WOULD PROBABLY BENEFIT FROM A DOCUMENT LIKE THAT, WHERE IT'S NOT JUST THE SLIDES, BUT WHERE UNDER EACH ONE OF THOSE CATEGORIES, YOU GIVE US CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF LIKE THE GRANTS THAT WE WOULD BE CHASING, RIGHT? OR LEGISLATION, UM, THAT WE WOULD BE, UM, UM, MONITORING AND TRYING TO AFFECT, RIGHT? AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE AIRWAYS AND AIRPORT TRUST FUND, RIGHT? THERE'S NO PLACE TO PUT THAT IN HERE. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, EVERY FEW YEARS THE LEGISLATION, UH, TRIES TO MAKE A RUN AT TAKING SOME OF THAT MONEY OUT FOR THINGS THAT ARE NOT TO BENEFIT AIRPORTS AND AIRWAYS. RIGHT? UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S NOT GONNA FIT IN YOUR, YOUR SHORT SLIDE DECK. SO CAN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THAT DOCUMENT I SHARED WITH YOU, UM, AND CIRCULATE IT TO, TO THE, TO, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, TO THE FOLKS AT THIS TABLE AND SOME OF YOUR STAFF? BECAUSE I THINK THAT UNLESS Y'ALL DISAGREE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT DOCUMENT I THINK IS VERY USEFUL TOOL. UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT CAPTURES ALL THE COMMENTS YOU HEARD FROM THIS COMMITTEE, RIGHT? UM, AND THAT WAY NOBODY FEELS LIKE, WAIT A SECOND. YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT HOUSING TAX CREDITS, AND YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, WE WILL TAKE A NOTE OF THAT, BUT I WAS LOOKING, NOBODY WROTE IT DOWN, RIGHT? AND SO, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T LEAVE THINGS ON THE TABLE THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US, AND THAT WE ONLY RELY ON, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS SLIDE DECK OF JUST A HANDFUL OF SLIDES. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SURE. NO, IT DOES. COUNCIL, IT'S MORE HOMEWORK FOR YOU. I'M SORRY, BUT NO, AND THAT, THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE. THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S MEETING IS TO BRING TO YOU THE DRAFT PROGRAM WITH STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS, GET YOUR FEEDBACK, YOUR GUIDANCE ON WHERE WE NEED TO RESEARCH ADDITIONAL ITEMS, ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES, UM, EXPAND ON THE PROGRAM. THERE ARE VARIOUS LAYERS TO THE PROGRAM. THE PRESENTATION IS ONE, IT WAS THE DRAFT PRESENTATION. UM, YOU ALSO SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE DRAFT, THE ACTUAL DRAFT PROGRAM THAT HAS THE SUPPORT STATEMENTS, WHICH WILL PURPOSEFULLY, UM, ULTIMATELY REMAIN, UH, GENERAL SUPPORT STATEMENTS. WHAT YOU SEEM TO BE DESCRIBING IT RESONATES WITH ME ARE ISSUE DOCUMENTS THAT WE DO, UH, CREATE. SO WE CREATE ISSUE DOCUMENTS FOR EACH OF THE ISSUES, UM, THAT WE WILL SHARE WITH THE COMMITTEE AND THE COUNCIL, UH, SPECIFICALLY WHEN YOU'RE IN FRONT OF THE APPROPRIATE AUDIENCE IN WASHINGTON OR WITH CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS THAT INCLUDE THE REQUEST, UM, A PARTICULAR ASK, UH, THE BACKGROUND THAT INCLUDES DATA, ET CETERA. SO WE CAN BE MORE PROACTIVE, UM, AND CREATE AND PREPARE THOSE ISSUE DOCUMENTS IN ADVANCE, AND PERHAPS ADD THAT INFORMATION. UM, SO THAT HAS MORE DETAILS. WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE PRESENTED TO THE, UM, TO THE FULL COUNCIL WHEN IT'S TIME TO UNVEIL THIS, IS THAT SLIDE DECK. 'CAUSE I, I DON'T, I DON'T, I I THINK THE SLIDE DECK'S GREAT, RIGHT? AND I, I KNOW WHAT THE ISSUE DOCUMENTS ARE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? WHAT I JUST SENT YOU IS VERY DIFFERENT. IT'S A, IT'S A 20 PAGE, UM, DOCUMENT THAT EXPLODES OUT EVERY ONE OF THESE ISSUES, RIGHT? AND THAT GIVES, AND, YOU KNOW, EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER AND THE PUBLIC AN IDEA OF WHAT THE HELL ARE WE REALLY TALKING ABOUT HERE? AND IS ANYBODY'S PRIORITIES BEING LEFT OFF THE TABLE, RIGHT? SO THE SECOND COMMENT THAT I'VE GOT, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM, IS WE'VE GOT TWO PARTNERS IN THE ROOM, RIGHT? THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, THE PORT, UM, OVER THERE, AND WE'VE GOT U T S A HERE. THE ONE THING I KNOW ABOUT THE [00:55:01] PORT IS YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB, JUAN ANTONIO, OF ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELVES, RIGHT? AND I SAW THAT YOUR NAME IS ON THE LIST OVER HERE, UH, AND THAT YOU'LL OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME KIND OF INFLUENCE OR SOME, SOME VOICE WHEN IT COMES TIME TO PUT THIS STUFF TOGETHER. BUT, BUT SALLY, IT'S THAT 20 PAGE DOCUMENT THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, AND I'M JUST USING IT AS AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL I KNOW YOURS WILL BE 21 PAGES, BUT, UH, UH, THAT'S WHERE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CIRCULATE THAT, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS SOME AUTHORSHIP OVER THAT DOCUMENT, RIGHT? UM, THE SECOND THING TOO IS THAT I KNOW THE UT SYSTEM, UM, REPRESENTED BY ALBERT OVER THERE. HI ALBERT, UM, IS, YOU GUYS USED TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT RELATIONS OFFICE IN AUSTIN, A REALLY ROBUST ONE. I MEAN, YOU GUYS HAD AN ARMY OF PEOPLE UP THERE, UH, NOT IN AUSTIN, IN DC, UM, WHOSE JOBS WERE JUST TO KNOCK ON EVERYBODY'S DOOR AND MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE UT SYSTEM WAS NOT BEING FORGOTTEN BY CONGRESS IN JUST A FIT OF DUMBNESS. SOME CHANCELLOR CLOSED IT. UH, AND THERE'S NOBODY IN DC RIGHT NOW, EXCEPT FOR SOME UNPLAYED VOLUNTEER, UM, WHO IS UP THERE KNOCKING ON DOORS. I, I THINK THAT WE COULD LEND SOME SUPPORT, UM, TO U T S A. UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY'RE CHASING A LOT OF GRANTS TOO, RIGHT? THAT ARE GONNA BENEFIT THE CITY. FOR EXAMPLE, U T S A IS CHASING, UM, A, YOU KNOW, A PROGRAM INVOLVING VELOCITY, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, PARTNERING UP WITH BOTH OF THEM. THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL OF SOUTH TEXAS IF, AND IT'S A RESILIENCE. UM, IT'S A RESILIENCE EFFORT. AND SO, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS ALBERT, BUT, UM, SALLY, WHAT I, WHAT I REALLY WANNA SEE US DO IS BE A PARTNER TO U T S A AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING UP THERE WHAT THEY CAN'T DO FOR THEMSELVES. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AND EXPLAIN THE, THE BUSINESS CASE AS TO WHY SAN ANTONIO WOULD BENEFIT FROM THIS AS OPPOSED TO JUST THE, A ACADEMIC CASE, RIGHT? THAT THEY WOULD, THAT THEY WOULD ADVOCATE FOR. SO ANYWAY, I THINK YOU GOT IT. UH, ALRIGHT. THANKS SALLY. I APPRECIATE IT. GOOD WORK. GOOD WORK, COUNCILMAN. ALL RIGHT. I'M HAPPY TO FURTHER COORDINATE WITH ALBERT AND, AND OTHER, UM, HIGHER ED PARTNERS. THEY'RE ALL PART OF OUR I G R ROUNDTABLE GROUP WHERE ALL THE GA STAFF GET TOGETHER, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY, UM, WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH, WITH U T S A, WITH WITH ALBERT ON THEIR PRIORITIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT A, WE'VE GOT A DECISION TO MAKE TODAY, DON'T WE, ON OUR NEXT ITEM. LET'S GO ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. READY TO GO, MR. CHAIRMAN? YEP. OKAY, MR. CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE. UH, THIS IS THE SECOND PRESENTATION. THE SECOND ITEM IS THE FEDERAL REPRESENTATION SERVICES CONTRACT. UH, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, UM, THE CITY HAS RETAINED CONSULTANTS, UM, FOR OVER 3, 4, 4 DECADES. UM, AS YOU KNOW, FEDERAL CONSULTANTS IN WASHINGTON D C UM, FACILITATE, UH, MEETINGS THAT ALLOW ACCESS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, UM, THAT ARE, UH, ESSENTIALLY PART OF OUR DELEGATION AND OUTSIDE OUR DELEGATION FEDERAL AGENCIES, WHICH ARE VERY KEY TO OUR PROCESS RIGHT NOW IN PURSUING FEDERAL FUNDING. UM, AS WELL AS, UM, AGENCY STAFF WHERE THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN THE WHITE HOUSE OR CAPITOL HILL. UM, THEY OFTEN FACILITATE LEGISLATIVE TRACKING, MONITORING, AND ADVOCACY, NOT JUST FOR, FOR BILLS, BUT ALSO FOR GRANTS, UM, AND, UH, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, UM, WHICH OF COURSE IS GRANT IDENTIFICATION AND THEN ADVOCATE, UM, FOR THOSE, UM, GRANT PURSUITS. UM, THEY ASSIST AND FACILITATE COORDINATION FOR ADVOCACY TRIPS, UM, TO WASHINGTON DC TO BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE FOR PRIORITIES, UM, FOR THIS BODY AND THE FULL COUNCIL, UH, AND OF COURSE, ASSIST WITH COALITION BUILDINGS, WITH, WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES. THAT REINFORCES THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES. UM, AS WELL AS THE CONFERENCE OF MAYORS, UH, WE LAUNCHED, UH, THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, UM, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE FINANCE TEAM. UM, A FEW MONTHS AGO, THERE WERE TWO CONCURRENT REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS THAT WERE RUNNING SIDE BY SIDE. UM, THE CONSULTANTS, UH, WERE WASHINGTON, DC BASED WAS THE FIRST R F P, AND THEN THE SECOND R F P WAS FOR THE LOCAL FEDERAL LIAISON. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE PROJECT, UH, SCOPE OF WORK, JUST A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, IS TO HELP US IMPLEMENT THE FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, FOCUS, UH, ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF PRIORITIES WITH CONGRESS, FEDERAL AGENCIES, UM, AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. UM, THE FINANCE TEAM, UM, SUPPORTED US TO DO, UH, OUR, UH, DUE DILIGENCE WITH OUTREACH TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE CAPTURING, UM, AS MANY POTENTIAL VENDORS THERE WERE. OVER, OVER, UM, UH, ABOUT 38, UM, IDENTIFIED. AND, UM, THE NOTICE OF THE RFPS WAS SENT TO THEM. UH, AND THERE WERE ALSO LOCAL ADS IN WASHINGTON, UM, IN, IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, A QUICK LOOK AT THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE. WE, UM, INVITED TWO COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, [01:00:01] LAURA VACCARO, VP OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT, UM, WITH VALERO AND, UH, DEBRA GUERRERO, SENIOR VP OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, UM, WITH THE N R P GROUP. AND THEN THE CSA MEMBERS INCLUDED, UM, ANDY SEGOVIA, OUR CITY ATTORNEY, TAMIKA MONVILLE, OUR TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR. UM, JESUS S OUR AVIATION DIRECTOR, UH, J UH, COY, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, UH, YOURS TRULY, AND EDUARDO CARRASCO, UH, FROM OUR GA TEAM WAS OUR ADVISORY MEMBER. UM, THE APPROVAL MILESTONES, UM, I PRESENTED TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE FOR THE PRES SOLICITATION BRIEFING, UH, BACK IN MAY. UM, THEN THE AUDIT COMMITTEE SENT A BRIEFING PACKAGE, UM, TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE NOVEMBER 15TH. AND WE ARE HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY, AND THE FULL COUNSEL IS SLATED, UH, FOR CONSENT OF THIS ITEM ON DECEMBER 15TH. UM, A QUICK LOOK HERE. UM, AT THE RESPONDENTS, THERE WERE SIX PROPOSALS THAT WERE RECEIVED FOR THE WASHINGTON D C R F P. UM, THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE SCORED THE RESPONDENTS AND INTERVIEWED FIVE FIRMS, UM, AND ONE FIRM, UH, WAS SELECTED AFTER FINAL SCORING, UH, BY THE COMMITTEE. FOR THE, UM, LOCAL LIAISON R F P TWO PROPOSALS WERE RECEIVED. THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE SCORED THE RESPONDENTS, AND THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED ONE FIRM. A QUICK LOOK HERE AT THE RECOMMENDED FIRMS. UM, THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE IS RECOMMENDING, UM, AIKEN GUMP FOR THE WASHINGTON DC, UH, FIRM. THEY ARE, UH, BASED, UM, IN WASHINGTON AND, UH, CERNA AND CERNA, UH, WALTER CERNA FOR THE LOCAL LIAISON. THIS IS THE AIKEN GUMP TEAM. WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING THE, THE TOP FIVE MEMBERS, UM, THAT THEY, UM, UH, PROVIDED IN THEIR STAFFING PLAN. THESE ARE THE FIVE MEMBERS THAT WE WILL HAVE THE MOST INTERACTION TEAM. THE FULL TEAM IS AN 11 MEMBER TEAM. UH, THE LEAD PARTNER, UM, WILL BE HANS ROFF. HE HAS 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN LEGISLATIVE, REGULATORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES. HE HAS ALSO FOCUSED ON, UM, IMMIGRATION ISSUES, UM, AS WELL AS HEALTHCARE ISSUES. UM, SUSAN LENT IS ALSO A PARTNER AT AING GUMP. SHE HEADS THE FIRM'S INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION PRACTICE, AND CO-HEADS THE FIRM'S, UM, AV INITIATIVE. SUSAN BRINGS DECADES OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THE FEDERAL AVIATION, UM, ADMINISTRATION, AND SHE ALSO HAS A LOT OF EXPERTISE IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, WHICH WE FIND WILL BE VERY VALUABLE WITH THE, UM, I R A, UH, PROGRAMMING THE NEXT NINE PLUS YEARS. UM, THE NEXT TEAM MEMBER IS, UM, VELA, ALSO A PARTNER WITH AIKEN GUMP. HE SERVED AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS REPRESENTING THE 34TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. UM, HE'S GOT VARIOUS AREAS OF EXPERTISE BASED ON COMMITTEES THAT HE SERVED DURING HIS TENURE IN CONGRESS, UH, AND CURRENTLY HAS, UM, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS, UM, AT THE VARIOUS AGENCIES AND AT THE WHITE HOUSE. UM, LAMAR SMITH, UM, IS SERVES AS AN ADVISOR FOR AIKEN GUMP AND IS ALSO PART OF THIS TEAM, SERVED IN CONGRESS FOR 32 YEARS, UM, REPRESENTING THE 21ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF TEXAS, OF COURSE, NATIVE, UH, SAN ANTONIO. AND SO HE KNOWS THE COMMUNITY REALLY, REALLY WELL AND HAS A LOT OF REALLY GREAT CONNECTIONS, ESPECIALLY NOW WITH THE, THE HOUSE, UM, BECOMING, UH, CONTROLLED BY THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS. UM, CONGRESSMAN SMITH HAS A LOT OF REALLY KEY, UM, PARTNERSHIPS WITH, WITH EXISTING CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS. UM, THE LAST TEAM MEMBER OF THIS, UH, FIVE, UH, TEAM, UH, FIVE PERSON TEAM IS JOSE BOON. HE IS A SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR WITH AIKEN. UM, HE SERVED 12 YEARS ON CAPITOL HILL, UH, WITH A FOCUS ON TRADE, ENERGY, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND COMMUNICATIONS. UM, AND HE ALSO BRINGS, UH, STRATEGIC EXPERIENCE, UM, TO THE MIX. HE SERVED AS, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF ON CAPITOL HILL, AND CURRENTLY HAS, UM, EXTENSIVE, UH, RELATIONSHIPS AS WELL. UH, THIS IS WALTER SERNA FOR THE LOCAL FEDERAL LIAISON. UM, AS YOU KNOW, WALTER SERNA IS A LOCAL SAN ANTONIO. HE'S PROVIDED 18 YEARS, UM, OF SUPPORT TO THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY, AND HAS PROVIDED A LOT OF SUPPORT TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S FEDERAL PROGRAM, UM, MAKING KEY CONNECTIONS WITH THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, NOT JUST FROM OUR DELEGATION, BUT OUTSIDE OF OUR DELEGATION, AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP US SUPPORT PRIORITY, UM, ISSUES THROUGH VARIOUS CONGRESSIONAL SESSIONS. HERE ARE THE PROPOSED TERMS. UM, AIKEN GUMP 270,000 ANNUALLY, UH, AGAIN, BASED IN WASHINGTON, D C CERNA AND CERNA, 45,000 [01:05:01] ANNUALLY FOR THE LOCAL LIAISON FIRM. AND THE CONTRACT TERM IS TWO YEARS WITH A TWO TWO YEAR RENEWAL OPTION AS APPROVED BY COUNSEL. THIS CONCLUDES, UH, MY PRESENTATION. I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. OH, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I I REALLY DON'T HAVE, UM, ANY QUESTIONS, UH, OTHER THAN, UH, A COMMENT. UM, YOU'LL, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THIS REPLACES TWO, UH, THIS ONE FIRM WOULD REPLACE TWO FIRMS, UM, THAT WE HAD IN THE PAST. ONE OF THEM, CLARK, UH, STRASSBERGER CLARK, I THINK, CORRECT. CLARK HILL. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE, THE NORMANDY, THE NORMANDY GROUP HEADED UP BY OUR FRIEND, UM, CONGRESSMAN BONIA. UM, THIS WOULD CENTRALIZE THAT AND OR AT LEAST BRING IT ALL IN UNDER ONE ROOF, CORRECT? UM, I'M CONFIDENT, UM, I, I WAS LOOKING UP BIOS RIGHT HERE. UM, MS. LENT IS A FORCE OF NATURE APPARENTLY, UM, HAS DONE A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. AND SO, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M IN FAVOR OF THIS, UH, BUT, UH, I'LL GO AROUND THE HORN. COUNCIL, MC CASTILLO, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? NO. COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN? I DO. UM, THANK YOU. UM, SO I GUESS I'D, I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH, UH, THE CHAIR AND THE COMMITTEE HOW WE FOLD IN OUR OTHER FUNDING SOURCE FOR, UH, THAT WE APPROVED AT, UH, AS PART OF OUR BUDGET FOR ADVOCATING AROUND THE B I L AND THE I R A AS FAR AS CLIMATE RESILIENCY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUCH. UM, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE PEOPLE YOU SELECTED COULD DO, UM, COULD DO A PHENOMENAL JOB AT THAT WORK JUST BASED ON, ON WHAT YOU'VE TOLD US, I THINK. UM, BUT WHAT, WHAT I'D LIKE TO, I GUESS WHAT OUR INTENT WAS WHEN WE ADOPTED THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCE IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE EVEN MORE RESOURCES TO PUT INTO THAT AREA. SO IS THIS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMITTEE OR, OR JEFF CHIME IN AS WELL? UM, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WANNA TAKE SEPARATELY, LIKE IN A DIFFERENT R F P OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WANNA, WE WOULD ADD ON TO THIS CONTRACT? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT USING THE RESILIENCY FUND FOR DC REPRESENTATION? MM-HMM. , WE'VE, YOU JUST, OR SOMEONE JUST TALKED ABOUT HAVING AN OFFICE IN DC SO THAT THEY DON'T FORGET ABOUT US. LIKE I, I MEAN, I'D LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING, UH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YEAH, I, I DON'T THINK WE'VE DISCUSSED, LET ME, THIS CONTRACT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY FUNDING FROM THE RESILIENCY FUND. THERE, THERE IS A DISCUSSION COMING IN MID-DECEMBER, I BELIEVE, ABOUT THE FUND. WE'VE ACTUALLY ALREADY TOLD THE AIKEN GUMP TEAM THAT EVEN THOUGH WE WON'T GET TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL UNTIL LATER THIS MONTH, WE WANT YOU FOCUSED ON I R A RIGHT NOW TO LINE UP OUR PROGRAMS WITH THE FEDERAL OPPORTUNITIES, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE REALITY IN DC IS ALL, WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR MORE GUIDANCE ON I R A. MOST OF THOSE CLIMATE RELATED PROGRAMS HAVE NOT COME, AND WE'VE CONFIRMED THAT WITH EVERYBODY ELSE WHO'S INTERESTED THAT WE TALK TO ALSO. BUT THE INTENT IS FOR OUR CONSULTANT TEAM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THE INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS WE'RE WORKING ON HERE, COMBINED WITH THE FUNDING THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE AS MUCH FEDERAL FUNDING AS POSSIBLE THROUGH I R A. ALL OF THAT SAID, TO ANSWER YOUR INITIAL QUESTION, WE HADN'T TALKED ABOUT USING THE FUNDING TO HIRE MORE LOBBYISTS WITH IT, UH, AT THIS POINT. THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT ISN'T THE DIRECTION WE'VE GONE. OKAY. WELL THEN MAYBE WHEN WE COME BACK IN DECEMBER, HERE'S THE THING, YOU'RE, THERE'S ONLY $275,000 AND, OR IS THAT IT? RIGHT? 2 75, 2 72 70. UM, AND THE MORE WE WE PULL THE CONSULTANTS IN ONE DIRECTION, THE LESS THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON IN, IN OTHER DIRECTIONS. AND THAT'S NOT MY INTENT WHEN I AM ADVOCATING FOR, FOR SOME OF THIS CLIMATE STUFF. I DON'T WANNA TAKE AWAY FROM THE WORK ON THE MANY OTHER IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP. UM, SO I, I GUESS, UM, I JUST, MAYBE WE CAN TALK THROUGH THAT OFFLINE AND IN TIME FOR THE, FOR THE DECEMBER MEETING. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND, UH, TO COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL'S POINT, I JUST WANNA REMIND, UM, US THAT WE HAVE THE N L C THAT ADVOCATES FOR CITIES, AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE USING THEM A LITTLE HEAVIER. I, I MENTIONED TO SALLY THAT, UM, I REALLY WANT TO GET MY COLLEAGUES INVOLVED IN, IN THESE EXPERT THINGS. LIKE I, I WOULD LOVE COUNCILMAN CASTILLO TO BE IN THERE FOCUSED ON HOUSING AND COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL WITH ENERGY. AND I KNOW THAT, THAT YOU ARE, UM, OR YOU HAVE BEEN A, A, A PASS, BUT I THINK THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY LEVERAGE, UM, THAT, THAT N L C PLUG BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING THE WORK EVERY DAY AND, UM, IRMA OVER AT N L C, LIKE KNOWS EVERYBODY. AND SO, UM, I WAS THINKING, GOSH, I WONDER LIKE OUR MEMBERSHIP, HOWEVER MUCH OUR MEMBERSHIP IS, WE GET A REALLY GOOD DEAL OUT OF IT, RIGHT? AND SO I'M SEEING 270,000 ANNUALLY. I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S NOT WHAT WE PAY N L C ANNUALLY, UM, BUT THEY'RE OUT THERE ADVOCATING. THE MORE THAT WE ARE OUT THERE, LIKE OUR FACES, UM, SAN [01:10:01] ANTONIO'S NAME IS OUT THERE, I THINK THAT THE MORE THAT THEY CAN HELP US ADVOCATE FOR. SO JUST A PLUG FOR N L C AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. SO THE, THOSE ARE FAIR POINTS. UM, AND, AND I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED, AND JEFF, I I ALWAYS ASK YOU, COME BUDGET TIME, UM, DO WE HAVE A VERY EFFICIENT HYUNDAI OR DO WE HAVE A FERRARI UP IN, UP IN DC RIGHT? UM, AND, AND I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, RIGHT? OR MAYBE, UM, UH, MAYBE WE SH MAYBE WE DON'T NEED A FERRARI, RIGHT? I, AND I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED, AND I THINK OUR JOB IS TO WONDER THAT, RIGHT? AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE WE'RE THROWING ALL THE RESOURCES NECESSARY IN ORDER TO GET THE JOB DONE. UM, I I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, UM, AIKEN BACK IN MY DAY WHEN I FIRST STARTED PRACTICING LAW, LAW, I THINK AIKEN GUMP WAS LIKE THE 20TH OR 30TH LARGEST LAW FIRM IN THE UNITED NATION. IN THE UNITED STATES. I, I THINK IT'S FALLEN FROM THAT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TEAM IS THE 30TH OR 40TH LARGEST IN THE NATION. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, UH, I DID SHOW UP THIS MORNING WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT ONE FIRM WAS THE BEST WAY TO GO. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALWAYS CHANGE OUR MINDS ON THIS, RIGHT? I MEAN, IF WE NEED MORE COVERAGE, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE FIELD, WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK AND BRING IN ANOTHER FIRM, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. COUNCILMAN. I MEAN, ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, A COMMITTEE, UH, THIS COMMITTEE PROVIDES THIS RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDANCE AND AN ULTIMATE APPROVAL FROM THE FULL CITY COUNCIL. BUT I MEAN, I'LL, I'LL LEAN ON JEFF FOR ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. 'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A, A, A BUDGET THAT WE WE'RE WORKING WITH RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? RIGHT. I, I THINK THAT'S CORRECT. UM, WE COULD ALWAYS ADD TO IT IF WE NEEDED TO. IT, IT'S A BUDGET QUESTION AND, AND SO FORTH. BUT WE, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE PUTTING ALL THE RIGHT RESOURCES TOWARDS THESE, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT B I L AND I R A PRESENT. THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THE FEDERAL WORK IS MORE INVOLVED AND MORE, MORE THAN IT EVER HAS BEEN, UH, AS A RESULT OF THIS. SO, UM, WE, WE ARE GONNA BE, UH, RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE WORKING WITH AIKEN GUMP. AND I WILL SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS REAL APPEALING ABOUT THEM IS THEY ARE A VERY LARGE AND POWERFUL FIRM. THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALSO A, UM, REPRESENTING HOUSTON. AND WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH HOUSTON, AND THEY'RE NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, NOT THREATENED BY THEM REPRESENTING BOTH OF US, BUT EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US. AND I THINK THE SELECTION TEAM REALLY FELT LIKE THIS WAS, UH, THIS WAS A BIG TIME FIRM THAT, THAT WE WERE GONNA REALLY STEP UP OUR GAME. WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA SEE THAT RIGHT OUTTA THE GATE WHEN WE START WORKING WITH THEM. UH, AND IF THERE'S A, A FEELING FROM THIS GROUP, UH, OR FROM THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE, THAT WE NEED TO PUT MORE RESOURCES TO IT, WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. I KNOW ERIC'S ALWAYS BEEN, BEEN OPEN TO THAT WHEN YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT IT IN THE PAST. UM, SO I, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM, RIGHT? YEAH, THAT'S, UH, OR IS THIS JUST FOR BRIEFING? UM, THIS JUST A BRIEFING BECAUSE IT WAS PART OF THE, UH, POST SOLICITATION AUDIT. UM, UH, IT WAS ACTUALLY, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING ITSELF WAS CANCELED LAST MONTH. OH, OKAY. UM, BUT THERE WAS A MEMO THAT CONVEYED ALL OF THE ACTION FROM THAT, THAT MEETING. SO THE, THE FORMAL PATH THAT THIS PROCUREMENT GOES THROUGH IS AUDIT, BUT OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF THE CLOSE INVOLVEMENT OF THIS COMMITTEE WITH THE GROUP, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE PRESENTED IT TO YOU AS WELL BEFORE IT GOES TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. LASTLY, HOW MANY FIRMS APPLIED? SIX, SIX FIRMS. CAN YOU GIMME A LIST OF THOSE? YES, WE CAN. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, NOW WHAT I DID FORGET TO DO WAS TAKE ACTION ON THE LAST ITEM. UM, AND WE DO NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON THAT, RIGHT? AONA, IF THIS IS POSSIBLE. ACTION. SO, YEAH, SO, SO THE QUESTION IS, IS DID WE THROW ENOUGH HOMEWORK AT YOU TO WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT TIME BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT B SESSION, UH, TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO FILL IN THOSE GAPS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED? OR SHOULD WE COME BACK, UM, FOR A FURTHER DISCUSSION? SO, I MEAN, REALLY, SALLY, ARE YOU COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO, TO GET THAT HOMEWORK DONE BEFORE? I AM, I AM, MR. CHAIRMAN, WE'VE GOT, LIKE I SAID, AT THE TOP OF THE PRESENTATION OVER A MONTH, UH, TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY, UH, PLUS, UH, THE REMAINING COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP NOT JUST YOUR GUIDANCE TODAY AND YOUR FEEDBACK, UH, BUT THEN, UH, SHARE ANY OTHER INFORMATION WITH THIS GROUP, UH, THAT WE GET FROM THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEN IS A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION, UM, YOU KNOW, A ACCOUNTING FOR THE COMMENTS MADE BY THE COMMITTEE. WHAT DO YOU THINK, TERRY? OKAY, SO WE GOT A MOTION TO SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. UM, THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. AND SO, UM, DO WE HAVE A THIRD ITEM OR ARE WE DONE? WE'RE DONE. WE'RE DONE. ALL RIGHT. EVERYBODY HAPPY? I HOPE YOUR THANKSGIVING WAS GREAT. THANKS FOR, UH, PARTICIPATING. THANKS, SALLY. GOOD JOB. * 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.