* 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. [00:00:36] ASK EVERYONE, CAN YOU SEE BY THE DAWNS EARLY LIGHT WHAT'S SO PROUDLY? WE HA AT THE TWILIGHTS WHOSE BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS THROUGH THE PER FIGHT OR THE RAMPART WE WATCHED WERE SO STREAMING, AND THE ROCKETS RED, THE BOMBS BURST AIR, GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE. WHO SAY DOES THAT STAR SPANGLED OR THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE? GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THAT WAS OUR VERY OWN SAN ANTONIO ZONE. ROGER VELASQUEZ, A NEWLY MINTED TEJANO GRAMMY AWARD WINNER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ROGER. GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF DECEMBER 13TH, 2018. COUNCIL MEMBER TNO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SHAW HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SALANA HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER BROCK HOUSE COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ELIAS WILL NOT JOIN US TODAY. HE IS ILL. SO WE WISH HIM, UH, A SPEEDY RECOVERY COUNCIL MEMBER, COURAGE PRESIDENT, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY HERE AT MERRY CHRISTMAS. AND MAYOR NURENBERG HERE. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. GOOD MORNING. WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR CITY COUNCIL, A SESSION AGENDA. THE TIME IS 9:17 AM I'D LIKE TO START BY WELCOMING IN VINDICATOR, SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR COUNT. OUR COLLEAGUE COUNCILWOMAN, REBECCA VIRON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. IT'S MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE PASTOR ISRAEL DE LA ROSA, BORN AND RAISED IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, AN ORDAINED MINISTER AT NEW SONG MINISTRIES FROM DECEMBER, 2009 UNTIL PRESENT. AND WE, WE'LL BE CELEBRATING HIS NINTH YEAR AS PASTOR ON DECEMBER 16TH, AND WE'LL BE HAVING, UM, NEW APPOINTMENTS TO COME. HE'S MARRIED TO JESSICA DELOSA, AN RN AT MCCOLLUM HIGH SCHOOL. SHE HAS THREE DAUGHTERS SET OF TWINS. AND ELIZABETH, ONE OF HIS DAUGHTERS, WHO IS A SOPHOMORE AT THE STEM EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL IN THE HARLANDALE I S D IS ALSO OUR DISTRICT THREE SAN ANTONIO YOUTH COMMISSION APPOINTEE. AND IN THE DISTRICT THREE LEGACY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE. HE, HIS, HIS TWIN DAUGHTERS, REBECCA AND TABITHA, WHO ARE IN THE FIFTH GRADE AT CAR BELL ELEMENTARY, WHO WAS A FORMER P E TEACHER AT ST. JOHN, THE EVANGELIST IN ST. JAMES, THE APOSTLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL. AND PEOPLE FIND IT INTERESTING THAT BEING A PASTOR, HE'S ALSO A SPORTS OFFICIAL, BOTH IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOL SYSTEM. SO THANK YOU PASTOR FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT AND FOR BLESS TODAY AND FOR BLESSING US. UH, GOOD MORNING. IT IS AN HONOR TO BE HERE THIS MORNING. I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK COUNCILMAN VERAN FOR THIS INVITATION, AS WELL AS OUR MAYOR AND ALL COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES HERE WITH US. WOULD YOU PLEASE BOW YOUR HEADS AS WE PRAY? DEAR WISE AND, AND HEAVENLY AND LOVING FATHER, FIRST, LET ME SAY THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF ALL WHO ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY WITH THE INTENT OF DOING GOOD WORK FOR OUR CITY. [00:05:01] THANK YOU FOR THE ABILITY TO BE INVOLVED IN USEFUL WORK AND FOR THE HONOR OF BEARING APPROPRIATE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, YOU HAVE SAID THAT THE CITIZENS OUGHT TO OBEY THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES SINCE YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED THOSE WITH AUTHORITIES TO PROMOTE PEACE AND ORDERING JUSTICE. THEREFORE, THIS MORNING I PRAY FOR OUR MAYOR AND FOR THIS ASSEMBLED COUNCIL, AS THEY GATHER HERE TODAY TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I PRAY THAT YOU WILL GRACIOUSLY GRANT THEM WISDOM TO GOVERN AMID THE CONFLICTING INTERESTS AND ISSUES OF OUR TIMES, A SENSE OF WELFARE AND TRUE NEEDS OF OUR PEOPLE, AND A KING THIRST FOR JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS. I PRAY THAT YOU WILL GRACIOUSLY GRANT THEM CONFIDENCE IN WHAT IS GOOD AND FITTING TO USE OUR RESOURCES WISELY AND WELL TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT PROMOTE THE COMMON GOOD AND THE ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER IN HARMONY EVEN WHEN THERE IS AN HONEST DISAGREEMENT. I PRAY THAT YOU WILL GR GRACIOUSLY GRANT THEM PERSONAL PEACE IN THEIR LIVES, JOY AND IN THEIR TASKS. AND I PRAY FOR THE AGENDA SET BEFORE THEM TODAY. PLEASE GIVE AN ASSURANCE OF WHAT WILL PLEASE YOU AND WHAT WILL BENEFIT THOSE THAT LIVE AND WORK IN AND AROUND OUR BELOVED CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND ABOVE ALL, LORD, I PRAY THAT YOU BLESS THEIR FAMILIES, EVERYONE HERE PRESENT ON THIS SEASON OF CHRISTMAS IN WHICH WE CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTH. IT IS IN THE NAME OF YOUR BLESSED NAME THAT WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. THE REPUBLIC. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PASTOR. THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS FOR US TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 14TH THROUGH 15TH. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER, 1415. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES WELL. UH, WE HAVE A FEW ITEMS, UH, THAT WE'D LIKE TO, UH, RECOGNIZE FOLKS WITH THIS MORNING BEFORE WE OFFICIALLY GET STARTED. UH, AND I THINK WE ALL GOT A, A LITTLE TASTE OF THE FIRST. AND THAT IS I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME LATIN GRAMMY WINNERS, ROGER VELASQUEZ AND THE LATIN LEGENDS TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING THIS MORNING FOR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE YOU GUYS COULD COME FORWARD. WE ARE CONGRATULATIONS. WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF YOU ALL. UH, SAN ANTONIO BASED HANNO BAND, THE LATIN LEGENDS. ALMOST ALL OF THE MEMBERS WE'RE BORN AND RAISED RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. ROGER VELAZQUEZ IS FROM THE SOUTH SIDE. HAVING ATTENDED HARLANDALE HIGH SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER, 2018, THE BAND TOOK HOME THE PRIZE FOR BEST TEJANO ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR TEX-MEX FUNK, WHICH IS AT YOUR, AT YOUR TABLES, AT THE LATIN, UM, ACADEMY OF RECORDING ARTS AND SCIENCES. THEY'RE THE ONLY WINNERS AT THE LATIN GRAMMYS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS. THE ALBUM WAS RECORDED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AT THE BLUE CAT STUDIOS UNDER THEIR INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL V DISCOS. MR. VELASQUEZ'S WIFE TARSA IS PRESIDENT OF THE RECORD LABEL. AND PLEASE HELP ME IN WELCOMING MR. ROGER VELAZQUEZ AND THE LATIN LEGENDS TO THE PODIUM. AND I'VE ROGER, UH, KIND OF IMPROMPTU GAVE US AN ACAPELLA STAR-SPANGLED BANNER. HE WASN'T PREPARED TO DO THAT, BUT WE ASKED HIM TO DO THAT. HE WAS VERY GRACIOUS. UH, I WON'T INTRODUCE YOUR BAND MATES 'CAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE NOT ALL PRESENT TODAY, ROGER, BUT IF YOU CAN INTRODUCE EVERYONE AND JUST, UH, SAY HELLO TO SAN ANTONIO, SIR. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, IT'S A, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE HONOR TO BE HERE TODAY. AND, UH, TO MY RIGHT, THIS IS FRANK SALAZAR, WHO PLAYS BASS WITH THE BAND AND IS ONE OF THE, UH, THE LEADING MEMBERS TO MY LEFT HERE IS, UH, GILBERT GIL, UH, BETO ELGA. HE'S, UH, AN AWARD-WINNING B M I PUBLISHER AND PLAYS TRUMPET IN THE BAND. AND, UH, MICHAEL RE SELMO AL, WHO IS OUR SAX PLAYER, AND, UH, HE'S BEEN WITH THE BAND THE LONGEST AND, UH, IS JUST A, AN AMAZING, INCREDIBLE HONOR TO BE HERE TODAY. AND I, I THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR RECOGNIZING US. UH, IT, IT FEELS GOOD TO, TO HAVE SOMEONE, UH, FROM OUR CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, NOTICE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE DID SOMETHING OF, OF, UH, OF THIS, UH, OF THIS ENORMOUS, YOU KNOW, UH, CALIBER. AND IT WAS, IT WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE HONOR TO WIN. BUT, UH, TO TWO HOURS AFTER WE RECEIVED THE, UH, THE, THE TROPHY I GET A TEXT FROM, FROM YOU MAYOR, UH, CONGRATULATING US AND LETTING US KNOW THAT THE CITY WAS PROUD OF US, AND IT MEANT A LOT TO ME. IT REALLY DID. MEANT A LOT TO ALL OF US. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'M, I'M KIND [00:10:01] OF GLAD THAT YOU DIDN'T BRING HER INSTRUMENTS BECAUSE MY WIFE IS IN THE AUDIENCE AND SHE'D MAKE ME CUMBIA AND EMBARRASS US ALL, . UM, WE KNOW MB DOES, WE COULD DO, WE COULD'VE DONE THAT. BELIEVE ME, ROGER. IT'S NOT JUST ME. WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF YOU. AND I DO WANT TO, UH, RECOGNIZE, UH, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WITH A CITATION TO THE BAND. AND THEN THERE ARE, MY COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS. IT SAYS HERE, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. HERE PIPE PRESENTS THE CITATION TO ROGER VELASQUEZ AND THE LATIN LEGENDS AND IN REC RECOGNITION OF WINNING THE BEST TEJANO ALBUM AT THE 19TH ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS HELD IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. THE PRIZE-WINNING ALBUM, TEX-MEX FUNK WAS THE FIRST EVER NOMINATION FOR THE BAND AND IS TRULY WORTHY OF COMMENDATION. NOW, THEREFORE, I ROD NUREMBERG, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL, PROUDLY COMMEND ROGER VELAZQUEZ AND THE LA LATIN LEGENDS ON THIS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS, ACHIEVEMENT, AND OFFER BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS. CONGRATULATIONS GUYS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF FANS ON THE DAIS. SO LET ME START WITH ONE COUNCILWOMAN, REBECCA VIGRAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. CONGRATULATIONS, ROGER, AND THANK YOU, UM, ALL OF YOU. I AM SO PROUD. AND WHAT A, A SYMBOL OF PRIDE FOR ALL OF US THAT YOU WENT OUT THERE AND THAT WE KNOW IN SAN ANTONIO THAT WE, WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE THE, THE HOLDERS, THE OWNERS OF THE HANO AND THE HANO MUSIC. AND SO THANK YOU FOR GOING AND FOR SHOWING UP AND FOR, UM, WITH YOUR SMALL, UM, MOM AND POP LABEL, BEAT OUT THOSE BIG RECORD LABELS OUT THERE. THAT'S THE WAY WE, WE DO THAT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND ROGER, WHO WENT TO, UM, HARLANDALE, WHO PLAYED, UM, IN HARLANDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND AS A DRUMMER WHO WAS IN THE MARCHING BAND AT HARLANDALE. UM, KNOWING THAT THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE THERE NOW CAN ALSO BE GRAMMY AWARD WINNERS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT PRIDE. AND I KNOW, UH, WHEN IT HAPPENED, YOUR BROTHER CALLED ME AND WAS LIKE, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. WE HAVE, HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO RECOGNIZE IT. SO I'M SO PROUD THAT WE CAN DO THIS HERE TODAY. THANK YOU FOR, UM, BEING HERE AND BEING PROUD SAN ANTONIANS AND REPRESENTING US. WELL, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN VERON. COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. OH, THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND SO I'M LOOKING AT THE, UH, THE, YOUR ALBUM HERE AND IT SAYS TEX-MEX FUNK. UH, SO I'M SO EXCITED TO HEAR WHAT TEX-MEX FUNK IS. UM, I DON'T KNOW THE GENRES, AND LATELY MY TIME HAS BEEN CONSUMED WITH DISNEY, UH, MUSIC. UM, SO I, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR IT AND LISTEN TO IT. AND I'M GLAD THAT THE GENRE IS PERHAPS REINVENTING ITSELF, UH, BECAUSE OVER THE YEARS, WE, UM, HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH OF ART TERO. I ONLY HEAR LOCALLY. UH, BUT, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE IT THAT IT'S STILL WITH US AND THAT YOU'RE REINVENTING IT AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A MILLENNIAL TO DO, UM, FUNK MUSIC. UH, SO, UH, I'M, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR IT AND TO LISTEN TO IT. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR REPRESENTING US SO WELL, UH, IN LAS VEGAS. AND, UM, YOU KNOW THAT THE HANA MUSIC STARTED RIGHT HERE, UH, AND THAT WE KEEP IT, WE KEEP IT ALIVE AND INTRODUCE IT TO OUR CHILDREN. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU GUYS. AND I'M GONNA ASK, UH, THE COUNCIL TO COME DOWN. WE CAN TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU. IS THAT ALL RIGHT? AWESOME. OKAY. OKAY. WHAT, CONGRATULATIONS, SAX PLAYER. HE'S OVER HERE. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU THE SAX PLAYER, RIGHT? MEET. CONGRATULATIONS. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OH, THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S, I'M USUALLY ON THE OTHER SIDE. THAT'S, WE CAN DO IT A LITTLE BIT CLOSER. EVERYBODY IN. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. SHOT. DID YOU GET THE JACKET? YES, I DID. . GET THE BROWN OFF. GET ONE WITHOUT. 1, 2, 3. ONE, TWO. OKAY, GUYS. CAUSATIONS, THANK YOU. SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR, HUH? YOU. OH, THANK YOU. [00:15:06] ALL RIGHT. UM, OUR NEXT POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. UM, FIRST I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE OUR FIRST LADY, ERICA PROSPER, WHO IS, UH, HERE, UH, ON BEHALF OF ONE OF THE CAPSTONE PROJECTS OF OUR TRICENTENNIAL, WHICH IS THE OUR LADY OF THE LAKE, UM, ANNUAL CIVIL RIGHTS, UH, MEMORIAL CIVIL RIGHTS HEARINGS, UH, ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS HEARINGS. AND SO TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF OUR GUESTS WHO I'D LIKE, IF YOU CAN COME TO THE PODIUM, UH, I'LL CALL ON OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UH, ANNA SANDOVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. PLEASE COME ON UP IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE HERE WITH THE, UH, WITH THE CONFERENCE GROUP. THIS WEEK MARKS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF A SPECIAL TIME IN OUR CITY'S HISTORY. A LOT OF THINGS WERE HAPPENING IN 1968 IN SAN ANTONIO, AND ONE OF THEM WAS THAT THE US COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS STARTED SEVERAL DAYS WORTH OF HEARINGS ON THE STATUS OF MEXICAN-AMERICANS IN THE SOUTHWEST. THE HEARINGS WERE HELD HERE AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY AND DREW HUNDREDS FROM ACROSS THE REGION. ONE OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS, DR. HECTOR P GARCIA, DESCRIBED IT, UM, I APOLOGIZE. LET ME MOVE ON. UH, PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE CAME TO TESTIFY, NOT JUST PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS, BUT STUDENTS AND MIGRANT WORKERS TOO. ON THE SCREEN, YOU CAN SEE A FEW PHOTOS OF THE HEARINGS AND QUOTES FROM A FEW OF THE TESTIMONIES ON SCREEN. THE HEARINGS EXPOSED DIFFICULT TRUTHS ABOUT OUR COUNTRY. FOR MANY, THEY VALIDATED THEIR EXPERIENCES OF DISCRIMINATION. THOSE WHO TESTIFIED, SPOKE OF CRAMPED, INSECURE HOUSING, UNSAFE AND EXPLOITATIVE WORKING CONDITIONS, AND BEING PUNISHED FOR SPEAKING SPANISH. BUT LAST MONTH, OVER 900 PEOPLE GATHERED AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE TO COMMEMORATE THE HEARINGS AND TAKE STOCK OF OUR PROGRESS AND OBSTACLES. IT WAS A MOVING CONFERENCE THAT INTEGRATED CULTURE AND HISTORY, AND MANY OF THE SESSIONS WERE STANDING ROOM ONLY. I HAVE HERE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE THEM. THANK YOU. IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND OURSELVES OF THE PAIN OF THE TIME AND THE RAW SUFFERING THAT PEOPLE WERE MADE TO BEAR. BUT IT WAS MORE THAN THAT. IT WAS A CHANCE TO TAKE INVENTORY OF PROGRESS SINCE THEN, AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CHALLENGES STILL REMAIN TODAY. I WANNA RECOGNIZE THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS WHO CAME TOGETHER TO ORGANIZE THE CONFERENCE. THAT'S MR. RICHARD VENA, THE CHAIR, MR. VENA, UM, COUNCILWOMAN MARIA TOTA, VAL ROSIE CASTRO, MARIO IAN, DR. BERTA PEREZ, MARIA VAZQUEZ, AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO PLAYED A ROLE AND IS HERE TODAY. TODAY, THIS COUNCIL WILL HONOR THE WORK OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE TO ADVANCE MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS IN OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTRY. WE'RE VERY LUCKY TO, TO HAVE THOSE OF YOU WHO LIVE THROUGH THE HEARINGS HERE WITH US TODAY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE MEDIAN AGE OF THE ORGANIZERS IS 70 YEARS OLD, BUT THE CAUSE ENDURES, AND WE NEED YOUNGER PEOPLE, INCLUDING THOSE OF US ON THE DAIS, TO STEP UP AND BECOME THE FLAG BEARERS OF THIS. CAUSE THE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE IS TOO RICH TO LOSE, AND THE CHALLENGES ARE TOO PRESSING TO GO UNADDRESSED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. SO THE MAYOR, UH, HAS A FEW REMARKS. YEAH. WELL, NO, I, I THANK YOU COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL, AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S COME HERE, UH, AND WHO HAD A PART IN ORGANIZING THE EVENT. UH, WHEN WE BEGAN OUR, THE PROCESS FOR PLANNING THE TRICENTENNIAL, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WASN'T JUST A PARTY, THAT WE WANTED AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON WHO WE HAVE BECOME AS PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALSO, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, STRUGGLES THAT OUR CITIZENS AND OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN THROUGH OVER THE YEARS AS A WAY OF EDUCATING OUR FUTURE. UM, SO THE HOLDING UP THE MIRROR CONFERENCE WHEN THE CONVERSATIONS FIRST STARTED ABOUT THAT BECAME, UH, A FOCAL POINT FOR US IN REMINDING OURSELVES THAT THE TRICENTENNIAL TRULY WAS GOING TO TURN OUT, UH, TO BE MORE THAN JUST A PARTY. SO, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL. UH, I HOPE THAT THE MESSAGE THAT WAS, UH, SO VERY CLEAR DURING HOLDING UP A MIRROR, UH, CONTINUES TO RESONATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW IT CERTAINLY DOES UP ON THIS [00:20:01] DAIS. AND SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MY WIFE, UH, WHO TEACHES ME THOSE LESSONS, UH, OF, UH, THE HEARINGS AND WHY THEY WERE NEEDED, AND WHY THEY'RE STILL NEEDED EVEN TODAY, UH, ON A DAILY BASIS. UH, AND HANDS THAT DOWN TO OUR SON AS WELL. SO, ERIC, I'M, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU. THANK YOU FOR MAKING US A BETTER COMMUNITY, AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME A BETTER MAYOR AND MAN, UM, COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR, FOR PULLING THIS WELL, FOR MAKING SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHT THIS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK, FOR THE FIGHT, AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE UP HERE. WELL, I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF. I'M UP HERE BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE AND MY FAMILY HAS DONE, AND I DO NOT TAKE THAT, UM, LIGHTLY. AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK FOR ALL PARTS OF TOWN AND, AND SPECIFICALLY FOR ME, UM, THE SOUTH SIDE, BUT ALL OF MY FAMILY THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, I WISH WE COULD SAY THESE, UM, HEARINGS IN THIS. WHAT HAPPENED THEN WAS IN THE PAST. BUT WE KNOW IT'S NOT. WE KNOW IT IS STILL HAPPENING NOW, UM, MORE THAN EVER. AND WE AS A COMMUNITY, UM, ALSO NEED TO BE SURE TO, UM, LET OTHERS RECOGNIZE WHEN IT IS HAPPENING. AND SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO KEEP THIS FRONT OF MIND FOR US HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE DISCRIMINATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, NATIONWIDE TO PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND TO CALL IT OUT AND TO SPEAK IT OUT, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE LIVED THIS, WE'VE FOUGHT THIS, AND WE CANNOT GO BACK. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN VIA GR COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN FOR BRINGING OUR GUESTS BEFORE US TODAY. UH, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SPONSORING SOME OF THE EVENTS, UH, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND. I HAD CONFLICTS EVERY TIME, AND I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE THE PROGRAM WAS SO FABULOUS. DOES ANYBODY KNOW IF THEY WERE RECORDED OR WE CAN SEE THEM AGAIN? WHAT, UM, COULD YOU PERHAPS SOMEBODY TALK ABOUT WHERE ONE CAN SEARCH FOR THAT? SURE. THAT THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, ROSIE, FOR BEING, EVERYTHING IS ON THE WEBSITE, OR WILL BE PUT SHORTLY, PUT ON THERE. MANY OF THE PANELS WERE RECORDED, UH, AND LIVE STREAMED AS WERE THE MAJOR SPEECHES. SO ALL OF THAT WILL BE ARCHIVED AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE, UH, AND PEOPLE CAN FIND IT THERE AND CAN FIND IT ON THE WEBSITE. GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO THAT WE ALL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO COME AND SEE, UM, HOW, WHAT CONVERSATIONS WERE HAD. AND, UM, I KNOW I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED THAT I COULD NEVER ATTEND ANY OF THEM. I HAD A CONFLICT EVERY TIME. BUT, UM, I ALSO, UH, JUST THINK THAT SOMEBODY, UH, UNFORTUNATELY VERY ABSENT FROM YOUR GROUP IS CHOCO MESSA. SHE WAS SUCH A CHAMPION FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS, AND I KNOW LIVED IT SIDE BY SIDE WITH, UH, EACH OF YOU. AND SHE WOULD TELL ME STORIES ABOUT ALL OF, OF YOU ALL AND ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DID. UM, ONE OF MY FAVORITE, UH, MEMORIES OF WITH HER WAS, UH, DRIVING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SHE WOULD SAY, THIS IS WHERE WE ORGANIZED IN YOU MARIA ANTONIO'S ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN RIGHT HERE, UH, ON THE CORNER OF COMMERCE AND SAN JACINTO. THIS IS WHERE WE TALKED AND WE ORGANIZED. AND, UM, WE, UH, LAUNCHED THE UNI PARTY. AND THIS IS, AND SHE WOULD TELL ME ALL THESE INCREDIBLE STORIES, UM, THAT WE HOPE WILL BE IN A BOOK SOMEWHERE, SOMEDAY. AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE WONDERFUL THINGS TO CONTRIBUTE, TO CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORIES IN WAYS THAT PERHAPS, UM, UH, AND PERSONAL STORIES AND SOME OF THE ONES THAT SHE WOULD TELL ME ABOUT THE LATE NIGHTS AND THE OLD SCHOOL WAYS THAT YOU DID THINGS ORGANIZING. AND ALSO, UM, THAT IT WAS MOSTLY WOMEN. SO MANY WOMEN WERE THE FRONT OF ALL OF THAT, AND OFTEN DID NOT GET THE CREDIT. THERE WAS USUALLY A MAN. SO NO OFFENSE TO THE MEN. I KNOW YOU ALL WORKED HARD TOO, UH, BUT, UM, THAT OFTEN IT WAS A MAN WHO TOOK CREDIT AND GOT THE GLORY. UH, BUT ACTUALLY ALL THE WOMEN BEHIND THE SCENES DOING ALL OF THE WORK. UH, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU ALL HERE, UM, REPRESENTED, UH, THIS MORNING. AND, AND ALSO, I, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT IS EVEN AS WE TALK TO OUR, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE LEARN IS THAT PEOPLE BECOME VERY AMBITIOUS AND VERY ACTIVE, UH, IN THEIR COLLEGE YEARS, AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER, AND THEN THEY SORT OF DROP OFF BECAUSE YOU GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR FAMILIES AND YOU HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES. UH, BUT EVERY ONE OF YOU HERE BEFORE US TODAY HAS REALLY STUCK WITH IT. YOU HAVEN'T JUST, UH, LET IT GO. YOU, YOU KEPT WITH IT ALL THESE YEARS AND ALL THESE YEARS. AND AS A RESULT, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE 50 YEAR CONFERENCE. SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING AND NOT GIVING UP. AND THAT'S ONE THING THAT I, I LEARNED FROM CHOCO IS THAT, UH, IT DOES TAKE GENERATIONS, UM, TO SEE THE CHANGE. AND WE SOMETIMES, WE DON'T SEE IT ON A DAILY BASIS, UM, AND THE RESULT DOESN'T COME FOR GENERATIONS LATER. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND FOR NOT GIVING UP. [00:25:02] THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. COUNCILMAN TREVINO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS IS, THIS IS, UH, TRULY, TRULY SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE, UH, SO GRATEFUL FOR. UH, WE UP HERE, UH, GET TO WALK THE PATH THAT, UH, THE U TRAILBLAZED AND, UH, SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL. I KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, MY MOTHER TOLD ME OF THE STORIES, UH, HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO, TO GROW UP, UM, SPEAKING SPANISH AND BEING TOLD THAT YOU, YOU REALLY, YOU CAN'T ANYMORE. YOU, YOU, YOU COULD GET IN TROUBLE FOR IT. AND, UH, I'LL NEVER FORGET THOSE STORIES. IT'S, IT'S, UH, LIKE THEY OCCURRED JUST YESTERDAY. AND I, AND I SEE IN ONE OF YOUR PROGRAMS OR YOUR ROUND TABLES, YOU HAD, UH, UH, LANGUAGE RESOURCE RELIABILITY AND, UH, WELCOME EDUCATIONAL LEADERS FROM THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, WHICH I'M TRULY PROUD OF. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL MAKING PROGRESS. BUT ONE, ONE THING THAT I WOULD HIGHLIGHT THAT I THINK IS SO CRITICAL, UH, AND SO IMPORTANT HERE AT CITY HALL IS WE HAVE MEANINGFUL SPANISH TRANSLATION HERE, PROVIDED EVERY SINGLE TIME WE HAVE A MEETING, OUR AGENDAS ARE TRANSLATED, AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO IMPROVE THAT. UH, I WANT TO THANK STAFF FOR SPECIFICALLY MARIA GOMEZ AND ROD SANCHEZ FOR, FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK AND ALL THE GREAT PEOPLE, AND THANK THE TRANSLATORS THAT ARE HERE FOR HELPING TO MAKE THIS A WELCOMING, INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR US ALL. THANK YOU ALL. THANKS, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN TREVINO. COUNCILMAN SALANI. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR, UM, BRINGING THIS ITEM AND THESE GIANTS TO OUR CHAMBER. WHEN, WHEN WE MAKE, WHEN WE USE THE TERM THAT WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS, I, I THINK OF THE STEADY SHOULDERS OF ROSIE CASTRO OR MARIO CAMPION, UH, IGNACIO PEREZ, AND A FEW OF THE OTHER FOLKS WHO HAVE, HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, CHARGING FORWARD IN THIS CITY AS THE COUNCILWOMAN DESCRIBED, 1968 WAS A, A TUMULTUOUS TIME IN THIS COUNTRY AND IN THIS CITY. AND SOMETIMES WE DON'T TALK ABOUT, UH, THOSE TIMES IN THIS CITY AS AS MUCH. SO IT'S, I'M GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT WE ARE DOCUMENTING OUR HISTORY. WE ARE DOCUMENTING, UH, THE STEPS THAT WERE TAKEN. AND, UH, I'M GLAD THAT EVEN SOME OF THE EVENTS, UH, MADE IT DOWN TO, UH, THE SOUTH SIDE. ERICA, YOU GOT TO HEADLINE, UH, THE SCREENING OF WILLIE VELASQUEZ'S, UH, UM, UH, DOCUMENTARY, WHICH IS FOR MOST FOLKS SHOULD BE REQUIRED WATCHING IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN, UH, SAN ANTONIO OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND THE POWER AND THE VOICE OF, OF PEOPLE. SO, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BRINGING THIS IN FRONT OF, OF SEVERAL GENERATIONS THAT I HOPE, UH, CONTINUES. UH, AND FOR, AGAIN, UH, THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE SET TO, TO ALLOW FOLKS LIKE US TO HAVE OPEN DIALOGUE, SIT AT THESE SEATS AND, AND HAVE A, A VOICE AT THE TABLE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SALDANA. AND I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE THE CHAIR RICHARD A AVENA, AS WELL AS, UH, DR. ESQUIVEL PENA AND ROSIE CASTRO, IF YOU'D LIKE TO STEP FORWARD, UH, AND MAKE A FEW COMMENTS AND, UH, AGAIN, A SINGLE YEAR, BUT VERY PO PIVOTAL FOR OUR HISTORY, AND WANT YOU TO TAKE SOME TIME, MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THAT. I WAS TRYING TO GET INTO THE OTHER OLD COUNCIL, AND I SAW THE MAYOR AND I THREATENED TO SUE HIM UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, BUT HE SAID, NO, WE HAVE GOOD LAWYERS. I SAID, OKAY, FORGET IT. FIRST. LEMME TELL YOU, 50 YEARS AGO, THE CITY COUNCIL DIDN'T LOOK LIKE IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW. OKAY? SO A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED. UH, THE 50 YEARS LATER HOLDING UP THE MAYOR PROJECT HAS TWO MAIN COMPONENTS. WE JUST FINISHED WITH THE FIRST ONE, WHICH IS A CONFERENCE. THE SECOND ONE IS THE REPORT THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE PUBLISHED AN ISSUE. AND WHEN THAT IS ISSUED, WE'RE CONSIDERING CALLING THE US CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION TO COME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO AND HOLD HEARINGS ON TWO MAJOR ISSUES, VOTING RIGHTS, AND IMMIGRATION THAT ARE BURNING ISSUES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UH, WHEN I CAME HERE 50 YEARS AGO, SAN ANTONIO WAS A VERY, VERY SEGREGATED CITY, UH, ECONOMICALLY, ETHNICALLY, AND RACIALLY. I LOOKED UP, UH, IN THE REPORTS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO THE COMMISSION AND HAD THE LITTLE, LIKE, ALAMO HEIGHTS AND, AND CASTLE HILLS. AND, AND I RAN INTO, UH, WE WENT OVER ON FREDERICKSBURG AND I 10, I CAN'T, CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF IT. I SAID, HOW MANY MEXICAN AMERICANS WERE LIVING THERE? HE SAID, ZERO. WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN THERE LATELY, BUT MEXICAN AMERICANS LIVE EVERYWHERE. SAN ANTONIO IS NOT AS SEGREGATED RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY AS IT USED TO BE, BUT THEY TELL ME THAT IT IS THE MOST SEGREGATED CITY, ECONOMICALLY IN THE COUNTRY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE OR NOT. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO [00:30:01] DO. UH, IT'S OUR HONOR TO MAKE OUR PRESENTATION TO THE CITY. AND ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO, ESPECIALLY TALKING TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA PICK UP THE MANTLE AND CARRY IT FORWARD, WILL BE HAPPY TO DO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. UH, ON BEHALF OF OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY AND PRESIDENT, DR. DIANE MELBY, WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF OUR GRADUATION ACTIVITIES GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE DAY, UH, I'D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, THE CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING MISS ERICA PROSPER, UH, THE VOLUNTEERS, THE OU TEAM, AND THE GENEROUS SPONSORS, ALL THE PRESENTERS OF THE CONFERENCE, INCLUDING A LOT OF COMMUNITY, UH, SCHOLARS AND ACTIVISTS HERE IN THE CITY, UH, AND REALLY THE ENTIRE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WHO CAME TOGETHER, THE TRICENTENNIAL, UH, COMMISSION TO, UH, CELEBRATE, UH, THE MAKING OF THE HOLDING UP THE MAYOR CONFERENCE, UH, AND MAKING IT A HUGE SUCCESS. UH, SO I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL, UH, MEMBERS FOR, UH, BEING INCLUDING, UH, UH, IN, IN THE PROGRAM ITSELF. THANK, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN AN SANDOVAL, UH, MAYOR RON BERG, AND THE REST OF THE COUNCIL FOR, UH, BEING PRESENT WITH US, AND ALSO FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO PARTNER AGAIN WITH OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY IN RETURN TO THE PLACE WHERE, UH, THE HEARINGS WERE HELD IN 1968. UH, SO PRESIDENT MELBY REFLECTED TO ME THAT THE CONFERENCE HAD A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON HER, AND THAT IT GAVE HER A SENSE OF HOPE, A GREAT SENSE OF HOPE, AND THAT SHE'S HOPEFUL THAT THE NOVEMBER CONFERENCE IS A SEED THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND BECOME THE SIGNATURE THAT DISTINGUISHES O L U AND THE NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY. THE, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY IS PREPARED TO CONTINUE TO, UH, THE SPIRIT OF THE CONFERENCE AND CONVENE FUTURE GATHERINGS, CONFERENCES IN SYMPOSIA TO REVISIT THE WORK THAT WAS BEGUN AT THE 1968 US COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS HEARING REVISITED 50 YEARS LATER FROM NOVEMBER 15TH TO THE 17TH, AND IS ONGOING REALLY THROUGHOUT THE CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND NATION. SO, THANK YOU AGAIN, COUNSEL, A WOMAN SANDOVAL, FOR TAKING TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE GREAT WORK OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ALL INVOLVED. PERHAPS THE NEXT CONFERENCE WE CONVENE AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY CAN BE FOCUSED ON LATINAS IN LEADERSHIP. AND YOU CAN COME AND PRESENT YOUR EXPERIENCE AND YOUR VISION AND OTHER COUNCILWOMEN AS WELL TO BE A PART OF THAT CONFERENCE AND JOIN THIS GREAT GROUP OF WOMEN WHO ARE BEHIND ME IN THIS EFFORT, UH, TO REVISIT PERHAPS FROM ANOTHER LENS, UH, THE WORK THAT'S BEEN CONTINUED. SO, THANK YOU AGAIN, THANK, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME SAY ONE OF THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS CONFERENCE IS THAT TODAY MARKS AT 50 YEARS. THIS WAS TIME PERIOD. THIS WAS THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH THE CONFERENCE WAS HELD. ONE OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT THINGS IS THAT IN 1968, AS I WAS A COLLEGE STUDENT GOING TO THE CONFERENCE, BEING AT OUR LADY OF LAKE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAUSED A LOT OF PAIN AND SUFFERING FOR PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WAS THE FACT THAT THE MAYOR, THE CONGRESSMEN, AND ALL THE POWERS THAT BE AT THAT TIME DID NOT WANT TO SEE THE CONFERENCE COME HERE AND DID NOT WANT TO SEE THE HEARINGS IN SAN ANTONIO. THAT THERE ARE NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, THERE ARE THINGS THAT SHOW, AND WHAT IT MADE US FEEL LIKE IS THAT WE DIDN'T BELONG. THAT SOMEHOW WE WERE STILL OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE INSTEAD OF BEING IN IT. YOU HAVE TOTALLY ERASED THAT YOU HAVE MADE IT SO THAT 50 YEARS LATER WE STAND HERE AND WE'RE PART OF EVERYTHING. THIS CONFERENCE TOOK A LONG TIME TO PLAN, AND WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE, WHETHER YOU WERE THERE OR NOT, EVERYONE WHO WAS THERE IN SPIRIT. WE ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE WELCOMING OF OUR MAYOR AND THE RECEPTION GIVEN BY THE HISPANIC CHAMBER AND ERICA PROSPER AND ANA'S WILLINGNESS TO TAKE PART IN THE CONFERENCE, EVEN ON THE DAYS THAT SHE WASN'T ON. UH, WE APPRECIATED HAVING HER THERE AND THINK EXTREMELY HIGHLY OF ANA. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW WILL HAPPEN, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WILL ARCHIVE THIS MATERIAL AND IT WILL BE THERE FOR THE FUTURE SO THAT THE CHILDREN OF TODAY AND THE THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF TODAY WILL NOT FORGET ALL THAT CAME BEFORE. [00:35:01] WE HAVE MANY OF US, AND MANY OF YOU WORK FOR A VERY LONG TIME TO SEE A CITY COUNCIL LIKE WE SEE NOW. AND THAT IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. WE KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL MUCH TO DO, BUT ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT THIS CONFERENCE WAS THAT EVERYBODY HAS NEW IDEAS ABOUT THINGS TO DO. SO WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT IDEAS, ONE OF WHICH IS A MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE OR MUSEUM, UH, BUT MANY OTHER THINGS THAT PEOPLE WILL BE WORKING FOR. AND I KNOW THAT MANY OF US FEEL THAT IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT. WE ALSO WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU FOR YOUR STAND THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN ON AS BEFORE. AND WE CONGRATULATE THE CHIEF AS WELL FOR HIS STAND. IMMIGRATION IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR US, AND IT'S A FIGHT WE'LL HAVE TO CONTINUE, UH, BECAUSE WE CANNOT AFFORD TO SEE THIS COUNTRY GO AGAINST ITS MORAL OBLIGATIONS. WE CANNOT SEE THIS COUNTRY FORGET ITS VALUES AND NOT WELCOME THE IMMIGRANT. WE CANNOT SEE THIS COUNTRY JAIL CHILDREN AND SEPARATE THEM FROM THEIR PARENTS. SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO DO, BUT WE THANK YOU FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS. ALL OF YOU ARE WORKING HARD, AND WE KNOW THAT, UH, AND WE VERY GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT YOU STOOD WITH US ON THAT DAY. THANK YOU. IT'S DECEMBER 13TH, UM, 2018. UM, IF, IF YOU DON'T MIND, LEMME JUST TAKE A MOMENT, BECAUSE WHEN WE STARTED THE PROCESS OF PLANNING A TRICENTENNIAL, MANY PEOPLE WERE ASKING, WHAT IS THE TRICENTENNIAL GONNA BE ABOUT? AND I THINK IT'S TAKEN US THIS LONG TO FIGURE IT OUT. UM, ROSIE YOU MENTIONED THAT, UM, IN 1968 THERE, THE COMMISSION WASN'T WELCOMED BY THE PEOPLE IN, IN, UH, AUTHORITY. UH, AND THAT YOU FELT LIKE THE CIRCLE, UH, DID NOT INCLUDE YOU, YOU WERE STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE INSTEAD OF INSIDE. UM, I THINK DURING THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR, AND I'M SO PROUD OF MY COLLEAGUES, AS DIFFICULT AS SOMETIMES OUR DEBATES ARE THAT I CAN LOOK BACK ON 2018, OUR TRICENTENNIAL YEAR, AND WHAT WE HAVE DONE WITH REGARD TO POLICY AND SOME OF THE MORE DIFFICULT STANDS THAT WE'VE TAKEN, SOME OF WHICH YOU'VE MENTIONED AND SAY TO OUR CITIZENS THAT OUR CIRCLE IS MUCH LARGER IN 2018 THAN IT WAS EVEN A YEAR PRIOR, THAT WE'VE WORKED HARD FROM JANUARY ONE TO DECEMBER 13TH TO EXPAND OUR CIRCLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LIVING UP TO THE PROMISE THAT EVERY SAN ANTONIAN DESERVES TO BE IN IT. UH, AND I SAY WITH A GREAT DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE TODAY THAT THAT'S TRUE. SO HAPPY TRICENTENNIAL. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. WE DO HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION, UH, BUT NOT TO BE ANTI-CLIMACTIC. UH, I'LL GIVE THAT TO YOU AFTERWARDS. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S IN THE GALLERY FOR YOUR PATIENCE. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE, UH, POINTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE THAT WE'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, AND I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER, UM, TO OUR CITY MANAGER, CHERYL SCULLY, TO HAVE THE FIRST THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND THOSE WHO ARE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT THIS MORNING TO RECOGNIZE OUR CITY ENGINEER, MIKE FRISBEE, UH, WHO JOINED THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN SEPTEMBER OF 2007. AND, UH, TOMORROW IS HIS LAST DAY WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AS HE GOES ON TO TAKE ON A NEW CHALLENGE. BUT WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT THIS MORNING TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE HIS OUTSTANDING SERVICE. DURING HIS 25 YEAR CAREER, MIKE IS KNOWN FOR FOSTERING GREAT TEAMWORK AMONG STAFF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS, UH, TO PRODUCE EXCELLENT LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT ENABLE HIM TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE ON CAPITAL PROJECTS. IN 2007, WHEN I RECRUITED MIKE TO SAN ANTONIO, IT WAS TO OVERSEE A NEWLY CREATED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT, FOCUSED SOLELY ON MANAGING CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION AND THE 2007 LARGEST BOND PROGRAM AT THE TIME, 550 MILLION, UH, 150 PROJECTS. AND, UH, WE COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY THAT THOSE WOULD BE DELIVERED ON TIME WITHIN BUDGET AND OF HIGH QUALITY. UH, THE VOTERS EXPRESSED THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THE CITY'S ABILITY TO MANAGE BOND PROJECTS APPROVING THEN THE 2012 PROGRAM. MIKE HELPED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT PROGRAM. WE ATTENDED ALL OF THOSE BOND [00:40:01] MEETINGS TOGETHER, AND THE CO THE, UH, VOTERS DID APPROVE THAT NEARLY $600 MILLION PROGRAM THAN AGAIN IN 2012 WITH ANOTHER 150 PROJECTS. IN 2013, WE COMBINED THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT WITH PUBLIC WORKS, AND MIKE BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. AND, UH, BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE PRIOR BOND PROGRAMS, UH, MIKE LED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2017 BOND PRO PROGRAM, NOW KNOWN AS OUR LARGEST IN CITY HISTORY, $850 MILLION. UH, WE'RE HAPPY WITH THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY, AND IT'S A TESTIMONY TO MIKE AND THE TEAM IN T C I TO DELIVER THOSE PROJECTS ON SCHEDULE AND WITHIN BUDGET, PROVIDING STREET CONSTRUCTION, DRAINAGE, SIDEWALKS, LIBRARIES, PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES, AND EVEN MUSEUMS. SO, UH, DURING MIKE'S TENURE, T C I, AS WE'VE COME TO CALL IT, OUR TRANSPORTATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT HAS ALSO MANAGED OTHER HIGH PROFILE PROJECTS, UH, THE LARGEST SINGLE PROJECT IN OUR CITY HISTORY THAT WE COMPLETED. THE CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION, 325 MILLION AT THE HENRY B. GONZALEZ CONVENTION CENTER, THE $172 MILLION CONSOLIDATED CAR RENTAL FACILITY AT SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AND MORE THAN $50 MILLION OF IMPROVEMENTS AT THE ALAMO DOME TO FOR RENOVATIONS. AND THAT'S ENABLED US TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE AS WE RECRUIT LARGE SPORTING VENUES TO SAN ANTONIO. WITNESSED BY THE AWARD OF THE 2021, UH, WOMEN'S N C A A FINAL FOUR, AND AGAIN, THE MEN'S FINAL FOUR IN 2025. UM, MIKE AND I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER OVER THE PAST 11 YEARS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT OUR WORKING TOGETHER GOES BACK AT LEAST 20 YEARS, UM, IN PHOENIX AND HERE, BUT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, MIKE, PETER, MARIA, BEN AND I HAVE MET AT LEAST MONTHLY TO REVIEW OUR SCHEDULE FOR BOND PROJECTS AND TO KEEP THEM WITHIN BUDGET. MIKE IS HIGHLY RESPECTED IN THE ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND BEYOND. MIKE WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, 2018 TOP 10 PUBLIC WORK WORKS LEADERS IN THE COUNTRY. UH, AND FOR THAT YEAR, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST COVETED AND PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS AWARDED BY THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION. ADDITIONALLY, I WANT YOU TO KNOW, IF YOU WEREN'T AWARE OF THIS, THAT MIKE SPENDS COUNTLESS HOURS OUTSIDE OF HIS LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES HERE AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO GIVE BACK TO THE YOUTH AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA. HE ALSO CHAIRED OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE FUND CAMPAIGN, UH, ONE YEAR FOR OUR CITY EMPLOYEES. AND OF COURSE, ANNUALLY WE RAISED MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS. MIKE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT AS WELL. HE CURRENTLY SERVES AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE ACE MENTOR PROGRAM OF THE GREATER SAN ANTONIO AREA, AND HE IS PAST PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL CHAPTER OF THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. HE MENTORS YOUNG STUDENTS WHO WANT TO BECOME ENGINEERS, AND WE THANK MIKE FOR THAT EFFORT. IT'S PART OF THE PROCESS FOR CREATING THAT PIPELINE. OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM HAD A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE MIKE'S PUBLIC SERVICE LAST WEEK AT OUR HOLIDAY EVENT, WHERE WE, UH, DID A COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITY FOR HAVEN FOR HOPE. BUT WE WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE MIKE THIS MORNING, UM, AS HIS LAST DAY IS TOMORROW, UH, I CAN SAY HAVING KNOWN AND WORKED WITH MIKE FOR 20 YEARS, HE IS A PROFESSIONAL, A CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL, BUT HE'S ALSO A GOOD MAN, COMMITTED TO FAITH AND FAMILY. SO LET'S, UH, JUST RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE MIKE THIS MORNING. AS WE ALL KNOW, HE'S TAKING ON A NEW ROLE AS VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT THE SAN ANTONIO WA UH, WATER SYSTEM. MIKE GODSPEED. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHERYL. I'M VERY MUCH HUMBLED TO BE, UH, IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UH, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND, AND CHERYL, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY YOU'VE PROVIDED TO ME, [00:45:01] UH, TO COME TO SAN ANTONIO. I, I CAME HERE BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP, BROUGHT THE FAMILY. UH, WE LOVE SAN ANTONIO. UH, IT IS A GREAT CITY. AS WE CELEBRATE, UH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE COMING UP HERE, WE WERE CELEBRATING THE, THE RICH ETHNICITY OF THIS COMMUNITY. AND THE, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, THE, THE HERITAGE AND THE HISTORY IS GREAT. UM, SO I'M, I'M HUMBLED. UM, IT'S BEEN A BLESSING TO BE, UH, YOUR LEADER IN T C I HERE. UH, BUT I DO WANT TO, UH, STEP BACK AND LOOK AT THE SUCCESSION PLANNING THAT HAS GONE ON OVER THE YEARS, JUST JUST TO, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GONNA LEAVE AT SOME POINT. AND SO THERE IS SUCCESSION PLANNING. SO TAKE A LOOK AT, AT THIS ROW IN, IN T C I, WE HAVE LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS, JUST LIKE THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND SO NE ANTHONY, CHRISTIE ROZY, PAUL, WE'VE GOT ART REINHARDT, WE'VE GOT REGINA, UH, OVER HERE, REGINA RODRIGUEZ, JESSICA SHIRLEY SIGNS. LIZ, I GUESS I CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR YOU, LIZ PROVINCIO, UH, OVER HERE. BUT, UH, GREAT LEADERS BACKED UP BY MORE LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION, JUST CONSTANTLY GETTING BETTER. UM, I'M EXCITED, UH, FOR THIS NEXT CHAPTER. I APPRECIATE MR. PUENTE THE OPPORTUNITY. AND, UH, I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE STEVE KLAUS. UH, YOU ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH MR. PUENTE AND WITH STEVE KLAUS. STEVE IS RETIRING FROM SAS AS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, UH, FOR 33 YEARS, UH, WITH SAS. SO STEVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE ONE BIG ORGANIZATION. YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE CITY, WE'RE C P S, SAS, DIFFERENT BOARDS, DIFFERENT CEOS, BUT ONE BIG PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATION. AND SO I'M JUST GONNA BE UP THE STREET A LITTLE BIT, UH, WORKING FOR SASS, BUT AGAIN, LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED PUBLIC SERVICE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS, MIKE. UM, THANK YOU, MIKE. WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF YOUR SERVICE HERE, AND AS I'VE SAID MANY TIMES WHEN ASKED, UM, IT IS A LOSS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. BUT'S YOUR RIGHT ABOUT THE TEAM THAT YOU'VE PUT IN PLACE AND THE TIME THAT YOU'RE HERE. AND WHAT IS A LOSS, UH, FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UH, THE ORGANIZATION IS ALSO A HUGE GAIN, UH, IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT YOU'LL BE DOING THERE, UH, AT SAWS IN THE NEXT ERA OF SAWS IN THE, IN THE HIGH DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE THAT THE CAPITAL, UH, SIDE OF THAT, UH, ORGANIZATION WILL, WILL HAVE. SO, UH, YOU ARE FILLING SOME INCREDIBLY LARGE SUES, UH, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY OVER AT SAWS, UH, BUT WE ARE CONFIDENT IN YOUR LEADERSHIP MOVING FORWARD, AND GRATEFUL YOU'RE STAYING HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. CONGRATULATIONS, MIKE. I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCILWOMAN GRO. UM, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL BECAUSE WE HAD OUR MEETING ALREADY, MIKE, BUT, UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UM, PROFESSIONALISM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO, TO COMMUNITY, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS, UM, GET THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEEDED. AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TREATED WITH RESPECT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO YOU ARE. YOU WANNA MAKE SURE EVERY HUMAN BEING IS TREATED WITH RESPECT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. AND I THANK YOU, CHERYL, FOR, UM, RECRUITING HIM HERE TO SAN ANTONIO. AND THANK YOU, UM, MIKE, FOR HAVING FOUND YOUR HOME HERE IN SAN ANTONIO WITH YOUR INCREDIBLE FAMILY. SO, UM, THANK YOU. WE ARE GOING TO MISS YOU. WE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU AND JUST HAVING ROBERT HERE IN THE FRONT ROW, IT'S, I'M LIKE, MM, LOOK AT HIM LOOKING AT US. SO, UM, WE, IT IS OUR LOSS AS AN ORGANIZATION, BUT WE'RE GLAD THAT YOU'RE STILL IN OUR FAMILY TREE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GRO. COUNCILMAN SALANA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I CAN'T HIDE THAT. I'M DISAPPOINTED. UH, MIKE, YOU REALIZE WE DON'T HAVE, UH, TERM LIMITS FOR YOUR POSITION. YOU COULD STAY MUCH LONGER IF YOU'D LIKE, IF IT'S, IF IT'S STILL SOMETHING YOU'LL CONSIDER, WE'LL TALK TO, UH, ROBERT PUENTE AND SEE IF WE CAN'T FIGURE SOMETHING OUT FOR YOU. BUT, UH, MIKE HAS BEEN GREAT. HE'S BEEN PUSHING, UH, THIS CITY IN, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND I'M JEALOUS THAT YOU, YOU ALREADY HAD A MEETING WITH MIKE TO SIT DOWN WITH HIM AND, AND REALLY CONGRATULATE HIM. BUT I'M NOT GONNA MAKE ANY JOKES. UH, MIKE, YOU'VE JUST BEEN TREMENDOUS FOR THIS CITY. YOU'VE BEEN A GIFT. AND SOMETIMES FOLKS, UH, WILL TELL ME, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THE STREET OR THE SIDEWALK, OR THE PARK, AND, AND FIRST I TELL THEM, LOOK, DON'T THANK ME. YOU PAID FOR IT. UH, BUT SOMEBODY HAD TO BUILD IT. AND, AND THEY, THEY ALWAYS HAVE SUCH HIGH MARKS FOR, FOR YOUR TEAM. UH, AND WHEN I THINK OF, OF OUR ENGINEERS, AND I THINK OF T C I AND SIMS AS, AS IT USED TO BE CALLED, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU. AND SO YOU'VE BEEN, UH, REALLY REMARKABLE TO, UH, THIS CITY. AND WHEN I SAY GIFT, I TRULY MEAN THAT, UH, FOLKS WILL NEVER KNOW ABOUT THE PROJECT THAT [00:50:01] TOOK TOO LONG BECAUSE IT DIDN'T TAKE TOO LONG. FOLKS WILL NEVER KNOW ABOUT, UH, THE PROJECT THAT, THAT CRUMBLED TOO QUICKLY BECAUSE IT DIDN'T CRUMBLE TOO QUICKLY. AND THEY'LL KNOW ABOUT, UH, THE, THE, THE ST STURDINESS, UH, OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, AND IT'S TOO BAD THAT, UH, YOU CAN'T DO, LIKE MOST OF US DO ON THE, ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, WHEN WE SEE A SMOOTH, UH, JUST FRESHLY POURED CONCRETE AND PUT OUR HANDS IN IT. UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT, UH, IF, IF, IF WE COULD, WE'D SEE YOUR HAND PRINTS ALL OVER THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO BASED ON THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT, UH, WE'VE PUT INTO COMMUNITIES THAT FOR A LONG TIME DIDN'T GET TO SEE, UH, SOME PROJECTS IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD. SO WE APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'VE BEEN PART OF THAT, AND THAT YOU'VE LEFT YOUR, UH, YOUR HAND PRINTS HERE, AND THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT YOUR FAMILY WITH US, AND THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TOO FAR, UH, OVER ITS SAUCE. THANKS, MIKE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SALANO, COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MIKE, UH, STOP LOOKING FOR LEARN LEE AT COUNCILMAN SALDANA. I'M OVER HERE, BUDDY. UH, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT PICTURE LIKE, MAN, THAT WAS A GREAT DAY. UM, UH, THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY I'M BLESSED TO REPRESENT. UH, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR US. UM, I DON'T WANNA TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT YOU BEING AN ENGINEER. I'M GONNA TELL JUST ONE QUICK STORY. UH, WE WERE AT A NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER LAST YEAR, AND I WAS STANDING UP ON THE STEPS OF THE, OF CITY HALL, AND I LOOKED OUT, AND I SPOT YOU IN THE CORNER, PRAYING AS INTENTLY AS I'VE EVER SEEN SOMEONE PRAY. AND WE CHATTED ABOUT IT, AND I LEARNED THE DEPTH OF YOUR FAITH. UM, AND I WAS JUST, JUST IMPRESSED BEYOND BELIEF ABOUT WHAT YOU CONSIDER THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN YOUR, YOUR LIFE TO BE. UH, AND THEY, THEY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE MIRROR EACH OTHER ON A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I WAS STRIVING, I SAID, MAN, I GOTTA BE AS GOOD AS THAT GUY, UH, WITH THE WAY HE CARRIES HIMSELF, UM, ESPECIALLY AS A MAN OF FAITH. SO, UH, I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT I RECOGNIZE THAT, AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY A KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS, UH, IS THAT YOU CARE ABOUT EVERYBODY'S EQUALLY THROUGH THE FAITH YOU, YOU HAVE, AND THE FAMILY YOU TAKE CARE OF. AND YOUR, YOUR YOUR PRIDE IN ALL OF THAT. WE'VE CHATTED ABOUT WYOMING STUFF, AND OVER THE YEARS, UH, YOU'VE HELPED ME AND MULTIPLE TIMES AND MEAN WHEN A YOUNG RAY, SIA, YOUNGER RAY SALANI AND I CAME IN, HE CAME INTO OFFICE AND I WAS RACE CHIEF OF STAFF IN 2011, I THINK IT WAS. WE LEANED ON YOU. I MEAN, YOU WERE THE ONE THAT HELPED US, UH, REBUILD THAT COMMUNITY AND DO THE THINGS IN MY TIME WITH THE COUNCILMAN, MY COLLEAGUE IN DISTRICT FLOOR NOW. AND, UH, I WANTED TO SAY THAT, UH, YOU ARE A, YOU'RE A FAR BETTER MAN OF FAITH, LEADER OF YOUR FAMILY THAN YOU ARE AN ENGINEER, AND YOU ARE THE BEST ENGINEER IN THE COUNTRY. SO IF THAT DOESN'T SAY HOW PROUD I AM TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE DOES. I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THE BEST OF LUCK, UH, ROBERT PUENTE AND SAS'S GAIN IS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S LOSS. UH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MUCH SUCCESS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, UH, AS YOU START AND EMBARK ON A NEW CAREER. I'M PROUD OF YOU. I'M PROUD TO CALL YOU MY FRIEND, AND I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK, AND I WILL BE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY IN DISTRICT SIX FOR WHATEVER YOU NEED GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE. GODSPEED, MIKE. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BHA. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. WOW. UM, MIKE, WE FIRST MET BACK IN, WHEN WAS IT, 2016. IT WAS ON THE BOND, UH, BOND ISSUES, UH, FOR THE 2017 BOND. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS ON THE STREET AND SIDEWALK COMMITTEE, THE BIGGEST CHUNK OF THE, UH, OF THE BOND. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I HAD SOME DIFFERENT IDEAS AND, UH, UH, YOU AND I WEREN'T SEEING EYE TO EYE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I SAW WHERE YOU WERE GOING, AND I, YOU KNOW, I SAID, HEY, THIS GUY'S GOT IT TOGETHER. AND I'VE LEARNED TO A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOU OVER THE TIME. AND, AND, UH, I'VE BEEN VERY, VERY HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR THIS CITY. UH, OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS, IS YOU, UH, YOU HAVE BEEN THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THAT, OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT. AND, UH, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND I, I'VE MENTIONED IT BEFORE, YOU KNOW, EVEN, EVEN WHEN THINGS AREN'T GOING WELL, YOU STILL HAVE A SMILE ON. AND THAT'S, THAT IS WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT YOU, AND I'VE MENTIONED IT BEFORE, THAT WE NEED MORE OF THAT ACROSS THE CITY SERVICES WITH A SMILE. IT DOESN'T COST ANYTHING. AND THAT IS, I THINK, VERY IMPORTANT. AND PEOPLE REALLY RECOGNIZE THAT AND APPRECIATE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR LOSS, THE CITY'S LOSS, BUT SAWS GAIN. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU SOME MORE IN THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE NEXT BUDGETS ARE COMING OUT. MR. PUENTE, I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AGAIN, , MR. KLAUS. YEAH. BUT, UH, YEAH, UM, I'M SURE YOU'LL BE SUCCESSFUL OVER THERE AND, UM, I'VE BEEN VERY HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU. LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU SOME MORE. AND, UH, GODSPEED TO YOU, MIKE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN VEO. THANK YOU, MAYOR MIKE. [00:55:01] UM, JUST, JUST WANNA SAY, UH, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE PERSON THAT YOU ARE, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN ASKED, WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT, THAT, UH, I THINK MOST PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE ABOUT THE CITY, AND THAT'S, UH, THE VERY PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING FOR THE CITY AND, AND, AND THE, THE HEART AND PASSION THEY HAVE FOR THE CITY. AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT. UH, CERTAINLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR COMMITMENT AND PERSONALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HOW INCLUSIVE YOU ALWAYS WERE, UH, IN WELCOMING ME INTO, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ACE EVENTS AND, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT IS A TRULY REMARKABLE, UM, MEASURE OF, OF, OF WHO YOU ARE BECAUSE, UH, YOU GOT A LOT OF US UP HERE THAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH. OF COURSE, YOU ALSO HAVE A, A CITY TO RUN. AND, AND SO, UM, I ALSO WANT TO GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR, FOR YOUR STEADINESS WITH THE BONDS, BECAUSE THAT, WATCHING, WATCHING YOU GO THROUGH THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO HERD ALL THE CATS AND GET US SUCCESSFULLY TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL ELECTION OF A BOND. AND OF COURSE, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT IS, IS SO IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US. AND, UM, JUST WANNA SAY THANKS, AND WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE DONNIE AND MARIE . THANKS. THANKS, COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN TREO. COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, MIKE, I, I DO WANNA SHARE A STORY, UH, OF, UM, A NIGHT THAT WE WERE AT LOWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE BRIDGE OF RIO CITY ROAD AND SARSAM, MORRA AND URA AND THE CITY PRIORITIZED THAT PROJECT. WE GOT 19 MILLION FROM N P O, 10 MILLION FROM THE BOND VOTER APPROVED PROJECT. UM, BUT IT WAS VERY CONTENTIOUS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THERE WAS, UM, JUST A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND, UH, PEOPLE WERE GETTING VERY UPSET AND ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS. AND OF COURSE, I'M NOT AN ENGINEER. I CAN'T ANSWER ANY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS. UH, BUT YOUR TEAM WAS THERE, AND YOU SAID TO THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE, THERE'S NO NEED TO, UM, SHOUT OR GET UPSET. WE'LL BE HERE AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS. UH, YOU SAID, I HAVE ALL NIGHT. WE WE'RE HERE, UH, AS LONG AS IT TAKES. UH, AND I THOUGHT THAT THAT REALLY SHOWED YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE CITY AND TO THE PROJECT, BECAUSE IT TAKES A LONG TIME. AND I COULD HAVE, I WANNA SAY WE WERE THERE TILL AFTER NINE O'CLOCK THAT NIGHT, UH, TRYING TO ANSWER PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS. AND THESE QUESTIONS ARE VERY TECHNICAL, OR, UH, OR RATHER, PEOPLE ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION. BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRANSLATE IT IN A SIMPLE WAY, BECAUSE MOST OF US ARE NOT ENGINEERS, AND MOST OF US ARE NOT TECHNICAL PEOPLE. UH, BUT A LOT OF IT IS THAT PEOPLE NEED TO TRUST THAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT BY THEM, THAT WE'RE, UH, HAVE THEIR BEST INTERESTS, AND THAT WE'RE BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WITH THEIR BOND DOLLARS, WITH THEIR MONEY, WITH THEIR TAX DOLLARS. UH, AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR PATIENTS, UM, IN TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE. AND THEN I THINK, UH, THAT YOUR TEAM ALSO HAS THE SAME RESPECT OF TRYING TO EXPLAIN THINGS IN A WAY, UH, THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN UNDERSTAND. AND I KNOW THAT'S A SPECIAL SKILLSET TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO, TO TRANSLATE THAT. AND, UM, I'VE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE WITH NEPHI, UH, WITH ANTHONY AND WITH ROZZIE, UM, JUST, UH, EXPLAINING IT IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE, UH, TRUST. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK HERE. UM, I KNOW THAT AT SAS WE HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS, UH, BEING ABLE TO TRANSLATE VERY COMPLEX PROBLEMS, UH, INTO A WAY THAT AN AVERAGE PERSON CAN UNDERSTAND. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR WORK OVER THERE. UH, AND, UM, I KNEW AT THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU SAID, WE'RE GONNA BE HERE AS LONG AS IT TAKES. I BELIEVED YOU. AND SO, UH, AND WE DID STAY THERE AS LONG AS IT TAKES. AND IRONICALLY, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BRIDGE OVER FRIO CITY ROAD, UM, ONE PERSON LEFT TO, UH, GET A BITE TO EAT, AND THEN THEY COULDN'T GET BACK BECAUSE OF THE TRAIN. SO THAT WAS, UM, . THERE YOU GO. UH, UH, AS A RESULT, UH, THE, A TREMENDOUS NEED FOR THAT PROJECT. SO, UM, THANK YOU, UH, FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR US, MIKE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU FURTHER AT SAUCE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. COUNCILMAN KURT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, WE'VE HEARD FROM ALMOST ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO I THINK HAVE EXPRESSED, UH, THE FEELINGS THAT, THAT I HAVE AS WELL. YOU'VE DONE SUCH A PROFESSIONAL JOB, AND YOU'VE REALLY MADE ALL OF OUR JOBS MUCH EASIER. UH, YOU CERTAINLY HAVE WITH ME. I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR PROFESSIONALISM AND HOW YOU REALLY WANTED TO WORK WITH ME, SO I UNDERSTOOD HOW THINGS COULD GET DONE. [01:00:01] UH, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU BENEFITED ME AS A COUNCIL PERSON, ALL OF US, BUT ALSO MY CONSTITUENTS, THE PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON AND THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO, AND YOU'VE BEEN VERY DEPENDABLE AND RELIABLE, AND HELPING US UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN GET THOSE THINGS DONE. I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING THAT, UH, WITH SAWS AND, AND IT IS A LOSS FOR US. BUT I, I WISH YOU WELL AND HOPE IT'S A, A GREAT CAREER MOVE FOR YOU. ALSO, THOUGH, I DO RECOGNIZE YOU'VE GOT A GREAT STAFF. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS BRAG TO PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT ABOUT HOW GREAT MY STAFF IS, AND I KNOW YOU DO THE SAME THING BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE A GREAT STAFF. THEY DO GOOD WORK. I'M SURE THEY'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS AND, AND SERVE US ALL. WELL, THANKS FOR BRINGING THEM ALL ABOARD, AND THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. COUNCILMAN SHAW. THANKS, MAYOR. I GOT A STORY. NO, I DON'T . DUDE, YOU'RE AMAZING. YOU'RE AWESOME. ENOUGH IS SAID. UH, I'LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. ALRIGHT. CONGRATULATIONS BUDDY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SHAW. COUNCILMAN COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MIKE, FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK, UM, AND FOR HOW YOU'VE SUPPORTED OUR, OUR COUNCIL OFFICE. UH, YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS, AND THEY'RE A REFLECTION OF YOU AND THE LEADERSHIP THAT YOU IMPART TO THEM. UM, ONE OF THE HARDEST PARTS OF MY JOB, I, I TELL PEOPLE, IS TELLING THE PUBLIC, I'M SORRY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET A SIDEWALK THIS, THIS YEAR. UH, AND MAYBE NOT, NOT NEXT YEAR. THAT'S HA PROBABLY HANDS DOWN THE, THE HARDEST PART OF MY JOB. AND YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE THAT, UH, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE. THAT'S A HARD PART OF YOUR JOB BECAUSE OUR RESOURCES ARE SO LIMITED AND OUR NEEDS ARE SO GREAT. UH, YET YOU MANAGED TO DO YOUR JOB LIKE THE COUNCILMAN SAID, WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE, AND YOU KEEP US MOVING FORWARD. AND I REALLY ADMIRE THAT. AND SO I WAS JUST VERY LUCKY TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. MIKE, I THINK YOU'VE HEARD FROM EVERYBODY, UH, HOW MUCH WE THINK OF YOUR WORK, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU, UH, IN THE YEARS TO COME. BUT CONGRATULATIONS ON A CAREER WELL DONE INTO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THREE. PERFECT. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. THANK YOU. INTIMIDATED BY. OKAY. AND FINALLY, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A RECOGNITION, UH, THAT I'D LIKE TO READ. AND IT'S SOMEONE WHO HAS SERVED THIS COMMUNITY, UH, VERY HONORABLY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND SOMEONE WHO I BELIEVE IS THE CONSUMMATE PUBLIC SERVANT, UH, WILLING TO TAKE THE HEAT AS COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL SAID. UH, BUT DOING SO IN, UH, AN ORGANIZATION THAT I THINK WE QUITE OFTEN TAKE FOR GRANTED AS ONE OF THE UNDERPINNINGS OF THIS COMMUNITY AND OUR SUCCESS MOVING FORWARD. AND THAT IS TO OFFICIALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF OUTGOING C E O O OF SAWS, STEVE KLAUS. STEVE, IF YOU CAN COME FORWARD. WHEREAS STEVE KLAUS BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH THE SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM IN 1985, WORKING IN THE ANALYTICAL LABORATORY AND PRE-TREATMENT DIVISIONS AND HOLDING MULTIPLE POSITIONS RANGING FROM SAMPLE COLLECTOR TO OPERATIONS ENGINEER, TECHNICAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, TO MOST RECENTLY, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT. AND WHEREAS STEVE PROVIDED OVERSIGHT OF SAWS, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS AND PERFORMED ENGINEERING ANALYSES OF EXISTING FACILITIES AND NEW INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE GROWING COMMUNITY. AND WHEREAS UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, A TEAM OF NEARLY 1000 WATER AND WASTEWATER PROFESSIONALS PROVIDE SAWS CORE SERVICES OF WATER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION, WASTEWATER COLLECTION AND TREATMENT SYSTEM MAINTENANCE, HEATING AND COOLING FLEET, TECHNICAL SERVICES AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT. AND WHEREAS STEVE'S DEDICATION TO SAWS VISION TO BRING LEADERS AND DELIVERING RESPONSIBLE WATER SERVICES FOR LIFE HAS NOT GONE ON UNNOTICED AND IS WORTHY OF COMMENDATION. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT KNOWN, THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY OF SAN [01:05:01] ANTONIO DO HEREBY SINCE EXTEND SINCERE APPRECIATION TO STEVE KLAUS FOR HIS DEVOTED SERVICE TO THE CITY AND ITS CITIZENS. MAY YOUR RETIREMENT OPEN UP NEW VISTAS WITH NEW CHALLENGES, NEW INTERESTS, AND ABOVE ALL, CONTINUED SUCCESS AND LONG LIFE. CONGRATULATIONS, STEVE, FOR ALL YOUR WORK FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. I WON'T KEEP YOU LONG. YOU KNOW, I CAME ALONG IN 1985 AND THE WORLD IN SAN ANTONIO WAS REALLY A QUITE A DIFFERENT PLACE. THERE WERE, I, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO COME ALONG. I'VE BEEN VERY PRIVILEGED IN THIS ROLE TO COME ALONG WHEN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF, AND I GOT TO BE A ROLE PLAYER IN SEEING SOME OF THAT OPPORTUNITY, UH, CONVERT INTO REALITY. AND THERE'S REALLY TWO MAJOR CHANGES THAT I'VE GOTTEN TO SEE IN MY CAREER WHILE I'VE SPENT TIME AT SASS. FIRST, AND NOBODY THINKS ABOUT IT TODAY, BUT IN 1985, THE RIVER BELOW SAN ANTONIO WAS BLACK. THERE WAS NO FISH LIFE. IT SMELLED TERRIBLE. THE PLANTS WERE HORRIBLY OVERLOADED AND ANTIQUATED, AND THROUGH SOME SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT AND A HECK OF A LOT OF WORK, IF YOU GO DOWN TO THOSE PLANTS TODAY, THE GUYS AT THOSE FACILITIES ARE SO CONFIDENT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND IN THE JOB THAT THEY'RE DOING, THAT THEY WILL DRINK A GLASS OF THE WATER, LEAVING THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. AND I THINK THAT'S JUST AN AMAZING TESTAMENT TO THE CONFIDENCE OF WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR PROCESS DOWN THERE TODAY, THE RIVER BELOW SAN ANTONIO IS IN FANTASTIC SHAPE AS A RESULT OF THAT. ALSO, ON THE WASTEWATER FRONT, WE'VE INVESTED SO MUCH MONEY IN MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR SEWAGE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE FORM OF THE COLLECTION SYSTEM. AND I KNOW THE COLLECTION SYSTEM WORK IS INCREDIBLY DISRUPTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND, AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS HAD, UH, ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD TO WORK THROUGH AS WE GO THROUGH, WHETHER WE'RE, UH, DOING A MAJOR TRENCHING OPERATION RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE, OR WHETHER WE'RE WORKING WITH YOU ON THE MILITARY BASES, OR WHETHER WE'RE GOING OVER SOME PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH OUR LARGER INFRASTRUCTURE OR ODOR PROBLEMS IN THE COLLECTION SYSTEM. BUT WE ARE INVESTING, AND WE ARE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH WITH THE CONSENT DECREE. THERE WILL BE AN END TO IT SOON. AND WHEN WE'RE DONE WITH THAT WORK, THEN WE WILL HAVE A SEWAGE COLLECTION SYSTEM THAT WILL BE READY TO TAKE SAN ANTONIO FORWARD FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS. ON THE OTHER SIDE, ITEM TWO THAT I'VE GOTTEN TO WITNESS IN MY CAREER IS WHAT WE'VE DONE IN DIVERSIFYING OUR WATER SUPPLY. IN 1985, WE JUST HAD A SINGLE SOURCE, THE EDWARDS AQUIFER, WE DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE BUT DIVERSIFIED WATER IN THE WORK THAT GOES TO DIVERSIFY WATER IS A VERY GOOD THING FOR SAN ANTONIO. I WAS PREPARED TODAY WASN'T TO BE, BUT I WAS PREPARED TO COME FORWARD AND DO A PRESENTATION FOR YOU IN YOUR, IN YOUR MEETING. YES, I WAS GOING TO. AND IN THAT PRESENTATION, I WAS GONNA COMPARE WHAT HAPPENED IN AUSTIN WITH THEIR CITYWIDE BOIL NOTICE AND THE, THE DETRIMENT THAT THAT CAUSED TO THAT COMMUNITY. AND HOW WE WON'T HAVE THAT IN SAN ANTONIO. WE WON'T HAVE THAT BECAUSE WE'VE DIVERSIFIED OUR WATER SUPPLY. THAT DIVERSITY IS A VERY GOOD THING. NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT FROM OUR BEST IN THE US CITY MANAGER. SO, CHERYL, ALTHOUGH YOU'RE NOT HERE, I DO APPRECIATE, WE DO APPRECIATE THE THINGS THAT SHE'S DONE FOR US, BUT IN REALITY, NONE OF IT WOULD'VE BEEN HA HAPPENING WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE AND THE SUPPORT FROM THIS COUNCIL. Y'ALL HAVE TO MAKE THE VERY TOUGH DECISIONS ON DO WE INVEST IN SAN ANTONIO? DO WE INVEST IN THAT WATER OR WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE? AND I REALLY THINK ALL OF THAT HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE MADE THOSE TOUGH DECISIONS AND ALLOWED US TO MOVE FORWARD TO SECURE OUR FUTURE. YOU KNOW, MR. FRISBEE HAS TREMENDOUS EXPERIENCE IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE SAN ANTONIO'S NEXT BIG CHALLENGE IS. WHERE SASS NEXT BIG CHALLENGE IS, IS HOW ARE WE GONNA MANAGE OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS? WE'RE GONNA BE DOING FOUR TO $500 MILLION PER YEAR OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. SO MR. FRISBEE WILL BE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU AND HE'LL BE EXPLAINING THAT WORK. AND AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE, I'M SURE YOU WILL CHALLENGE, YOU WILL QUESTION, AND YOU WILL MAKE SURE BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT DECISION, THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS HE'S BRINGING TO YOU ARE SOUND AND JUSTIFIED. OF COURSE, EVERYTHING I TALK ABOUT IS A PAST SUCCESS. I AM NOW IN THE PAST. AND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE? WELL, AS LONG AS WE HAVE THE CONTINUED WISE AND STEADY GUIDANCE OF MR. PUENTE, NOW THAT WE HAVE THE GUIDANCE OF OUR NEWEST WATER GEEK IN SAN ANTONIO, MIKE FRISBEE, AS WELL AS THE GUIDANCE OF DOUG EVERSON, WHO [01:10:01] I KNOW Y'ALL KNOW, AND NANCY BALINSKI, I THINK WE HAVE A FANTASTIC LEADERSHIP TEAM. SO BETWEEN THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AT SAS AND THE CONTINUED OVERSIGHT OF THIS GROUP IN WHAT WE'RE DOING, I CAN LEAVE KNOWING THAT OUR WATER FUTURE IS SECURE. SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS. I WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH OVER THE FENCE TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING. I I WANT TO, I WANNA BE A, A INVOLVED CITIZEN IN THE FUTURE. AND, UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND THE TIME THAT I HAVE WITH YOU AND IN THE ROLE THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO PLAY AT SAS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I, I KNOW WE'VE LINGERED QUITE A WHILE WITH, UH, POINTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, BUT, UH, THIS IS THE END OF A, A LONG AND, AND STELLAR CAREER, STEVE AT SAWS. THANK YOU. OUR, OUR, OUR CITY IS MUCH BETTER FOR YOUR SERVICE. UH, I I JUST WANT TO ILLUSTRATE ONE THING BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T, UH, REALLY SEE INTO THE WORK AND OPERATIONS OF SAWS. UH, I'VE DONE AS A MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL QUITE A BIT OF WORK IN WATER, UH, IN, IN LEARNING ABOUT, UH, THE HISTORY, BUT ALSO OUR, UH, OUR NEEDS IN WITH REGARD TO WATER SECURITY AND VISITING WITH PEOPLE, NO MATTER WHETHER THEY'RE INDUSTRY OR WATER EXPERTS, WATER ATTORNEYS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, UH, BUSINESS LEADERS. EVERYONE, UH, HAD ONE PERSON ON THEIR LIST OF TOP THREE MOST RESPECTED PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO WITH REGARD TO WATER. AND THAT WAS YOU, STEVE. UH, IF YOU EARN THE RESPECT FROM PEOPLE ON ALL SIDES OF THE DEBATE, YOU'VE TAUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT, UH, THE NATURE OF OUR, UH, COMMUNITY AS IT RE RELATES TO WATER. AND, UH, I THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, FOR HELPING US BE SMARTER ABOUT WATER AND FOR GUIDING US THROUGH, UH, WHAT WILL WILL BE A, A MORE SUCCESSFUL AND SECURE FUTURE. SO, JOB WELL DONE, STEVE. UM, WE DO HAVE A CERTIFICATE FOR YOU AS WELL. UH, BUT THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU. OH, I'M SORRY. . COUNCILMAN SALDANA, COME BACK. STEVE. STEVE, I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY SINCE WE'VE GOTTEN SO MANY YEARS TO, TO WORK TOGETHER, THAT I'M GRATEFUL FOR, UH, THE SERVICE THAT YOU'VE COMMITTED TO SAS AND, AND TO THIS CITY. UH, WHEN I CONSIDER THE FACT THAT, UM, I JUST ADMIRE FOLKS WHO ARE REALLY GOOD AT THEIR JOB, AND, AND YOU ARE PROBABLY THE, THE MICHAEL JORDAN OF THE, THE WATER ENGINEERING SYSTEMS AND C E O I HAVE BEEN, UH, UH, CONSISTENTLY IMPRESSED. UH, YOU'VE TAKEN ON SOME REALLY DIFFICULT ISSUES, UH, AND PRESENTED THEM UP HERE. UH, YOU'VE ALSO GOTTEN AS FAR AS, AS GOING DOWN TO MY DISTRICT AND, AND EXPLAINING TO ME THE SCIENCE AND THE ENGINEERING BEHIND SOME OF THE, UH, THE SEWER BELOW OUR FEET OR, OR THE SINKHOLE THAT THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED THAT WE HAD TO SIT ABOVE. AND, AND YOU WALKED ME THROUGH THAT, AND YOU MADE SURE THAT FOLKS, UH, WERE ASSURED AND I HAD CONFIDENCE BECAUSE, UH, I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOU AND, AND HOW WELL YOU DO YOUR JOB. SO, UH, STEVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR BEING SUCH A PROFESSIONAL. UH, AND I WILL SAY THAT I AND THE REST OF SAN ANTONIO WILL THINK OF YOU WHEN WE FLUSH OUR TOILETS. . THANK YOU. THANK, UH, AND, AND STEVE, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN SALANI. UM, I KNOW YOU WERE REFERRING TO ACTUALLY THE AGENDAS MEETING AT ONE O'CLOCK. YOU WEREN'T GONNA COME UP HERE AND GIVE US A PRESENTATION RIGHT NOW. I WOULD LOVE TO DO IT, BUT I, I WOULD ASK ROBERT IF HE WOULD BRING HIM BACK, UH, OUT OF RETIREMENT, AT LEAST FOR A DAY, TO GIVE US THAT PRESENTATION WHEN IT'S RE-SCHEDULED. YOU GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. LOVE TO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, STEVE. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. I KNOW WE HAVE AN A LOT OF THINGS ON THE AGENDA IN OUR BUSINESS PORTION OF THE AGENDA. LET'S, UH, START WITH A, UH, ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TRANSLATION SERVICES SAN ANTONIO. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS FROM WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AT THIS TIME. UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS THE ONLY ITEM LISTED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. ARE THERE ANY OTHERS FROM WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO PULL THE AGENDA? ITEM 42. OKAY. ITEM 42 IS PULLED FOR RECUSAL. ANY OTHERS? OKAY. [01:15:01] OKAY. AND 35 WAS PULLED, UH, FROM THE AGENDA. OKAY. HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR ITEMS 4 35 AND 42. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF, UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR 4 35 AND 42. UH, WE DO HAVE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS REMAINING ON CONSENT, AND THEN I'LL GET TO COUNSEL COMMENTS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. WE'LL START WITH JACK FINGER. WELL, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR BERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. WELL, WE ARE IN THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, THE SEASON THAT CELEBRATES THE BIRTH OF THE MAN WHO, UH, SAVED ALL OTHER MEN FROM THEIR SINS. WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT, UH, WHAT BIG SIN THE CITY COUNCIL'S GOING TO COMMIT THIS MORNING IN HONOR OF THAT SEASON. HOMOSEXUALITY, YEAH. THE, UH, PERVERTED, UH, SEXUAL ACTIVITY BETWEEN PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX SCOURGE OF SOCIETY. IT'S AN ABOMINATION, AND IT'S, UH, INTRINSICALLY DISORDERED. AND THOSE ARE NOT MY WORDS. THOSE ARE FROM THE CHURCH COUNCIL PEOPLE. WHY DO I MENTION THIS? WELL, ONE OF YOUR REPRESENTATIVES, MR. MANNY, WHO'S NOT HERE THIS MORNING, HE'S GOING TO RECOMMEND A, UH, A FEMALE HOMOSEXUAL, A LESBIAN TO BE PLACED ON A COMMISSION, THE MAYOR'S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN LITTLE ORGANIZATION. WHAT DOES IT DO? WELL, IT MAKES POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU, THE CITY COUNCIL, REGARDING ALL KINDS OF WOMEN'S ISSUES, UH, ABORTION, HOMOSEXUALITY, UH, GENDER QUOTAS, UH, TO YOU AND MS. SANDOVAL AND THE OTHER LADIES HERE ON THE COUNCIL. YES, THAT'S RIGHT. THEY HAVE. AND, AND, UH, CONSEQUENTLY, UM, MR. AZZ IS RECOMMENDING A, A LADY BY THE NAME OF RUBY RESENDEZ TO BE PLACED ON THAT COMMISSION. WHAT IS MR? OH, I KNOW. WHAT, WOULD YOU PUT THAT RIGHT THERE? YEAH. WHAT DOES MS. RIVERVIEW, UH, STAND FOR? WELL, IN AN INTERVIEW A COUPLE YEARS AGO, THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID, UH, THE UNDERLINED AREA. IT SAYS, I TOOK THE LEAP IN COFER CO-FOUNDED CILANTRO CREATIVE GRAPHIC DESIGN AGENCY, A SMALL L G B T, LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDERED OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS. SCROLL DOWN TO THE NEXT CIRCLE, MR. . IT SAYS, I AM THE PAST PRESIDENT OF THE SAN ANTONIO, L G B T, LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHERE I SERVED AS A BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2012. THE NEXT LINE ALSO SAYS, MY PARTNER, DR. SHARON NICHOLS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. PLEASE RETURN THE CAMERA TO THE PODIUM, IF YOU WOULD. YEAH, SHE PARTNER. PARTNER. I'M WHAT KIND OF PARTNER? A BUSINESS PARTNER? I DON'T THINK SO, UNLESS THEY'RE GIVING ALL KINDS OF BUSINESS TO EACH OTHER. YEAH. UH, NOW WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT HOW YOU, THE CITY COUNCIL VOTE ON THIS. ITS THING IS GOING TO SAIL RIGHT ON THROUGH, INCLUDING THE VOTES OF THE TWO CONSERVATIVE INDIVIDUALS HERE ON THE COUNCIL. MR. PERRY AND MR. MR. GREG BROCK HOUSE AS WELL. YES. I'M STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAS SOME MORAL COURAGE ON THIS ONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. ACTUALLY, I, I JUST RECOGNIZED, UM, IF I CAN TAKE A BRIEF POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. I JUST RECOGNIZE WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL GUESTS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE, UH, L G B T Q ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL. PLEASE STAND UP. THANK YOU. UM, IT'S, SORRY. THANK YOU, ASHLEY, FOR BEING HERE. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE OTHER NAMES ON CONSENT, UH, FOR COMMENT. BRIAN WEINER. GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I'D LIKE TO SAY I HAVE NO ECONOMIC, UM, BENEFIT FROM THIS PRESENTATION. I'D JUST LIKE TO, UM, MAKE A FEW STATEMENTS. [01:20:02] UM, I'M, I'M AGAIN, BRIAN WEINER. I'M OWNER LONE STAR SPECIALTIES, WHICH IS IN CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE. I'M SPEAKING ON THIS ITEM BECAUSE I'M A FARMER. RAY FAO, A FARMER REGENT OF THE RAY FAO EO ORGANIZATION, FARMER FIESTA COMMISSION BOARD MEMBER. I'M A PASSIONATE, I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT FIESTA AND PROUD OF THE POSITIVE IMPACT THAT IT HAS ON OUR COMMUNITY. FIESTA COMMISSION AND FIESTA ARE DEAR TO MY HEART. BEING A FORMER COMMISSIONER BOARD MEMBER, I HAD BECOMING CONCERNED WITH CERTAIN DECISIONS MADE BY THE FIESTA COMMISSION DIRECTOR THAT DID NOT PROVIDE FAIR SELECTION PROCESS FOR CERTAIN CONTRACTS. DESIGNER FOR THE FIESTA POSTER AND THE OFFICIAL FIESTA PHOTOGRAPHER. TO CLARIFY, I'M NOT OPPOSING THE SELECTION, THE FIESTA COMMISSION TO MANAGE FIESTA, BUT I AM OPPOSED TO THE CURRENT LANGUAGE IN THE NEW LICENSE AGREEMENT. THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD REQUIRE THE FSA COMMISSION TO OPERATE WITH HIGH INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND REPRESENT THE CORE VALUES, VALUES OF THE CITY, AND INVOLVE INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND REPRESENT THE CORE VALUES AND INVOLVE LOCAL COMMUNITIES WITH LOCAL, THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. WITH FIESTA, AS AN OWNER OF A SMALL MANUFACTURING BUSINESS, WHICH APPLY, WHICH HAS OVER 60 EMPLOYEES WHO ARE VOTING CONSTITUENTS, I'VE ALWAYS APPRECIATED THE CITY'S POLICY FOR FOLLOWING FAIR, TRANSPARENT, PUBLIC OR R F P PROCESS. WHEN THE CITY PROVIDES A NOTICE OF INTENT TO ALL RESPONDENTS, THE CITY ALSO PROVIDES A COPY OF A SCORING MATRIX TO SHOW HOW POINTS WERE ALLOCATED TO EACH RESPONDENT. THIS HELPS EVERYONE UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY FELL SHORT ON POINTS AND POSSIBLY IMPROVE THEIR PROPOSAL FOR THE NEXT CONTRACT. HD IS A FIESTA COMMISSION OFFICIAL POSITION THAT THEY DO NOT NEED TO FOLLOW A FAIR, TRANSPARENT PUBLIC OR F P PROCESS WHEN AWARDING CERTAIN CONTRACTS. THE FIESTA COMMISSION REFUSED TO RELEASE THE SCORING MATRIX FOR THE PRODUCTION OF OFFICIAL FIESTA MERCHANDISE, WHICH IS CONTRADICTED TO CITY VALUES. THE FIESTA COMMISSION'S DIRECTOR, AMY SHAW, DECIDED TO GRANT THE OFFICIAL FIESTA PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRACT TO SOMEONE IN CALIFORNIA WITHOUT HAVING A BIDDING PROCESS THAT WILL ALLOW LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS THE OPPORTUNITY PARTICIPATE. AND FINALLY, AMY SHAW DECIDED TO CEASE THE ANNUAL OFFICIAL FIESTA POSTER CONTEST THAT ART ARTISTS LOOK FORWARD TO PARTICIPATING IN. THANK YOU, MR. WEINER. THAT IT? YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. BILL SOLOMON. I'LL, UH, YOU'RE MR. SOLOMON. OKAY. UH, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MR. WIER. OKAY. THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE COMMISSION DIRECTOR MAKING EX EXECUTIVE DECISIONS WITHOUT APPROVAL BY THE FIESTA COMMISSION BOARD, WHICH IS TO DEPRIVING OUR COMMUNITY OF AN IMPORTANT INCLUSIVE FIESTA TRA TRADITION THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO SAN ANTONIO'S HEART. THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD REQUIRE A FAIR, TRANSPARENT PROCESS FROM THE FIESTA COMMISSION THAT WILL PROVIDE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES AND LOCAL ART, ART ARTISTS TO PARTICIPATE IN FIESTA. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE NEW LICENSE AGREEMENT ELIMINATED REQUIREMENT FOR THE FIESTA COMMISSION TO REIMBURSE THE CITY FOR SOME OF THE EXPENSES RELATED TO PUBLIC SERVICES PROVIDED FOR FIESTA SEVERAL YEARS AGO. THE REFA CANE ORGANIZATION WAS A WINNER OF A FAIR, TRANSPARENT R F P ORGANIZED BY THE CITY TO HOLD FIESTA DE LOS REYES, AN EVENT AT MARKET SQUARE DURING FIESTA, THE AGREEMENT SANCTIONED THE CITY ORDINANCE RESULTED IN THE CONSEJO PAYING THE CITY $355,000 IN THE MOST RECENT YEAR, WHICH WE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO. EXCUSE ME. HAPPY TO DO. WE REQUESTED TO GIVE OUT IN THAT ORDINANCE, WE REQUESTED TO GIVE OUT 20 SCHOLARSHIPS, ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS, INTO THE, WE ALREADY GIVE OUT, WHICH ARE OVER 150. THE TOTAL REVENUE IS FOR THE CONSO IS LESS [01:25:01] THAN HALF OF THE FIESTA COMMISSION'S REVENUE. THE RAYO CONS ORGANIZATION IS A 5 0 1 C THREE, AND HAS LIVED UP TO THE AGREEMENT, COMPENSATED THE CITY FOR THE SERVICES PROVIDED IN INTEREST. OFFERENCE, I BELIEVE THE FIESTA COMMISSION SHOULD DO THE SAME. I HAVE FAITH IN THE MAYOR CITY COUNCIL TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR LOCAL BUSINESS AND ARTISTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. WEINER. GLORIA, GLORIA LEACH, GLORIA LEACH, ERNEST SALINAS. MR. SALINAS, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY ANN ENGLERT. MAYOR. COUNSEL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. UH, MY NAME'S ERNEST SALINAS, AND I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE DELL VIEW AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. UH, AND RECENTLY WHILE, UH, CONDUCTING A NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS, WE DISCOVERED, UH, A HUNDRED HOMES THAT WERE WRONGFULLY IN THE WRONG ZONE, UH, AND NOT, UH, LIKE ALL THE OTHER, UH, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES IN BELLEVUE. UH, SO BASICALLY MY REQUEST IS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER, RESPECTFULLY, FOR YOU TO CONSIDER THE, UH, CHANGING THESE ZONES BACK TO ON THESE A HUNDRED PROPERTIES TO R FOUR. NOW, THESE PROPERTIES ARE LOCATED BETWEEN VANCE JACKSON AND, UH, SCALES, AND ALSO BETWEEN BARREL AND FREELING DRIVE. UH, SO AGAIN, THE MOST FAVORABLE, FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION, UH, TO HAVE THESE HOUSES, RESIDENTIAL HOMES ZONED TO R FOUR WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SALINAS. ANN ENG, GOOD MORNING, HAPPY HOLIDAYS. TO EACH OF YOU, I'M ANN ENGLER, AND I REPRESENT THE DELL VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD AREA ASSOCIATION. AND I JUST WANNA THANK, UH, OUR DISTRICT COUNCIL PERSON, ROBERTO TREVINO, FOR PREPARING A A C C R TO CORRECT THE ACTIONS OF THE AREA THAT ERNEST SPOKE ABOUT. THAT GOES FROM BARRELL DOWN TO FREELING, IMPACTING 100 HOMES AS THEY ARE CLASSIFIED AND ZONED RIGHT NOW AS MULTI-FAMILY, 33 WOMEN. IN ACTUALITY, THEY ARE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, AND I KNOW THAT FOUR, UH, OTHERS HAVE ALREADY, UH, SIGNED OFF ON THAT. AND I'M JUST VERY APPRECIATIVE THAT YOU'RE MAKING A CORRECTIVE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MS. ENGLER. GARY ALLEN. GARY ALLEN. OKAY. MR. ALLEN, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY REBECCA GONZALEZ. CAN I HAND THESE OUT? HOW LONG DO I HAVE ? YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MR. ALLEN. THREE MINUTES. OKAY. UM, THIS REALLY IS WHAT WAS JUST DISCUSSED WITH THE FIESTA COMMISSION AND THE PROBLEM WITH AMY SHAW. AND THAT'S WHAT MY FOCUS IS ON AS WELL. UH, I AM, UH, TO GIVE YOU THE CREDENTIALS TO TELL YOU THAT I'M AN EXPERT ON THIS, THIS PARTICULAR SUBJECT, I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ART, A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE. I'VE BEEN A HIGH SCHOOL ART TEACHER FOR 30 YEARS AND SURVIVED. AND, UH, ALSO A PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. I'VE WON DOZENS OF, UH, COMPETITIONS, ART COMPETITIONS. I HAVE, UH, HAD A NUMBER OF ONE MAN SHOWS. I, UH, HAVE JUDGED MANY SHOWS. SO I'M TELLING YOU THAT, SAY THAT I'M, KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. AND WHEN I COME ACROSS THIS COMPETITION, THE FIESTA POSTER COMPETITION SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND ENTERED, I THOUGHT I COULD WIN. SO I TRIED. I PUT MANY HOURS INTO IT THIS YEAR. I PUT 150 HOURS INTO MY DESIGN. THIS POSTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, OR THIS COMPETITION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS, AND THERE WERE 10 FINALISTS. AND OVER THE TIME OF THE LAST THREE YEARS, THE COMPETITION, THE RULES HAVE ALL BEEN THE SAME. AND THEY WERE THE SAME THIS YEAR. NOTHING WAS DIFFERENT. BUT WHEN WE GOT TO THE 10 FINALISTS, WHICH I WAS ONE OF THEM, UH, WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WASN'T FOR THE FIESTA POSTER COMPETITION, THE FISH OFFICIAL POSTER, THAT ARTISTS WERE, OUR ARTISTS WAS HIRED TO DO THIS. AND OF COURSE, I BECAME VERY UPSET AND SO DID SOME OF THE OTHER ARTISTS. THIS WAS A MISLEADING COMPETITION. IT WAS A FRAUD. IT WAS A DEBACLE. AND THAT WAS RUN BY AMY SHAW. AND IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN RUN THIS WAY. AND BEING PART OF MANY COMPETITIONS BEFORE THIS WAS NOT RIGHT. THEY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT US. THEY STEPPED [01:30:01] ALL OVER US, DIDN'T TELL US THE TRUTH. SO WHAT I'M SAYING TO YOU, I TRIED MANY TIMES ACTUALLY TO GET THIS FIXED OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND TO DEAF EARS. SO I'M SAYING THAT, UH, UH, SUCH AN IMPORTANT EVENT IS THE FIESTA CELEBRATION THAT REPRESENTS OUR HISTORY, OUR CULTURE, OUR ART, AND OUR MUSIC. AND FOR SOMEBODY TO DIRECT THAT ORGANIZATION AND TO STEP ON PEOPLE TO BE MIS OR MISLEADING AND DISHONEST IN SMALL THINGS, WILL BE THE SAME WAY IN BIG THINGS, HAS NO BUSINESS RUNNING THIS FIESTA COMMISSION. AND THAT'S MY STATEMENT. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU, MR. ALLEN. REBECCA GONZALEZ. MR. GONZALEZ, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY EMILIO AREOLA. THANK YOU. HI. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. UM, THANK YOU TO MAYOR NURNBERG AND TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF CAFE COLLEGE AND THE SAN ANTONIO EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP. MY NAME IS REBECCA GONZALEZ, AND I HAVE BEEN CAFE COLLEGE'S PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS THAT SS A E P HAS MANAGED CAFE COLLEGE. OVER 67,000 STUDENTS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED COLLEGE ACCESS SERVICES, GIVING THEM A PATH TO ACHIEVE THEIR EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS. WE'VE SEEN STUDENTS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, STUDENTS OF EVERY AGE, RACE, AND CREED, ALL WITH ONE COMMON GOAL OF REACHING THEIR POTENTIAL FOR STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL. CAFE COLLEGE HAS PROVIDED A BRIDGE OF KNOWLEDGE INTO THEIR COLLEGE TRANSITION FOR ADULTS. CAFE COLLEGE HAS BECOME A RELAUNCH POINT TO RETURN TO COLLEGE IN ORDER TO COMPLETE AN EDUCATION PAUSED DUE TO FAMILY OBLIGATIONS OR UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. THE MODEL OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY SS A E P AT CAFE COLLEGE HAS BEEN NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED. IT HAS SERVED AS A MODEL FOR NUMEROUS CITIES THROUGHOUT THE NATION, INCLUDING CAFE COLLEGE. HOUSTON, S A E P HAS ALSO CREATED COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS UTILIZING CAFE COLLEGE AS A GATHERING SPACE FOR ISDS UNIVERSITIES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO DISCUSS AND IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES FOCUSED ON COLLEGE ACCESS. THERE IS STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE, HOWEVER, WITH YOUR VOTE TODAY, S A E P CAN CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST TO OUR COMMUNITY, OUR STUDENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. GONZALEZ. EMILIO AREOLA, FOLLOWED BY MS. SUKO RAMOS. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. UH, MY NAME IS EMELIA OLA, AND I'M A, UH, PROUD SAN ANTONIAN AND A PROUD CITIZEN OF DISTRICT SEVEN. AND SO, IT'S MY HONOR TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY TO VOICE MY SUPPORT OF THE SAN ANTONIO EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP AND THEIR CONTINUED OPERATION OF CAFE COLLEGE IN 1989. THEN MAYOR HENRY CISNEROS AND BUSINESS MEMBER, SUCH AS MR. CHARLIE CHEEVER AND COPS METRO, UH, JOINED TOGETHER TO CREATE AN ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD PROVIDE COLLEGE ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES. UH, SINCE THEN, OVER 23,000 DEGREES HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO STUDENTS UTILIZING SS A E P SERVICES FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. SSSS A E P HAS PROVIDED THE PROGRAM AND OPERATION SUPPORT AT CAFE COLLEGE. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE SEEN THOUSANDS OF LIVES CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. WHETHER A STUDENT IS GETTING THAT LATE PUSH TO, UH, FINISH A SCHOLARSHIP TO AN ADULT RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER TAKING TIME AWAY FOR THEIR FAMILY, OR A SINGLE PARENT THAT'S WANTING TO IMPROVE THEIR LIFE, CAFE COLLEGE HAS BEEN THERE TO SERVE THEM. SS A P HAS BEEN GRATEFUL TO THE SUPPORT OF THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY AND SAN ANTONIO AS THEY RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING THEIR COLLEGE DREAMS. THESE STUDENTS, BOTH YOUNG AND SEASONED, WILL SHAPE A NEW, BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SAP'S WORK THROUGH CAFE COLLEGE IS ONLY BEGINNING. AND TOGETHER WE CAN CONTINUE TO CHANGE GENERATIONS OF LIVES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. AREOLA MITSUKO RAMOS, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL BERNARD. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS MITSUKO RAMOS WITH GOVERNMENT RELATIONS GROUP OF TEXAS. MY CLIENT IS BRIAN WEINER, PART OWNER OF LONE STAR SPECIALTIES. I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM 26. AS YOU'RE AWARE, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILS TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND CITY AS A WHOLE. CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF HAVE CONSISTENTLY REPRESENTED IN THE PAST THEIR SUPPORT OF PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO LOCAL, SMALL, MINORITY, VETERAN, AND OR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, AS WELL AS LOCAL ARTISTS. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS IN REGARDS TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS, TAXPAYERS DOLLARS AND HOW THEY'RE SPENT. TODAY, YOU'RE CONSIDERING A RENEWAL OF A 10 YEAR AGREEMENT WITH FIESTA COMMISSION TO MANAGE FIESTA FROM 2019 TO 2028. I'M NOT [01:35:01] SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION OF FIESTA COMMISSION TO MANAGE FIESTA, BUT RATHER OPPOSED TO THE LACK OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS IN THE PROPOSED LICENSE AGREEMENT. IN ADDITION TO GRANTING A LICENSE TO FIESTA COMMISSION TO MANAGE THE CARNIVAL AND PARADES ON THE CITY'S RIGHT OF WAY, THE CITY IS ALSO GRANTING A LICENSE TO FIESTA COMMISSION TO RAISE FUNDS FOR FIESTA, SOME OF WHICH REVENUE IS GENERATED FROM THE SALE OF OFFICIAL FIESTA MERCHANDISE. ON AND OFF THE CITY'S RIGHT OF WAY. THE AGREEMENT ALLOWS THE FIESTA COMMISSION TO SUB-LICENSE OR SUBCONTRACT CERTAIN GOODS AND SERVICES, WHICH CAN BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR LOCAL S B E M B E, WBE AND VBE, AND AS WELL AS LOCAL ARTISTS. HOWEVER, TO ENSURE THAT OUR LOCAL ARTISTS AND LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE A FAIR OPPORTUNITY TO BID ON THESE CONTRACTS, IT IS MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION THAT CITY COUNCIL SHOULD TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY IT WAS GRANTED BY YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO REQUIRE THE FIESTA COMMISSION REQUIRE THEM TO FOLLOW A FAIR, TRANSPARENT PUBLIC R F P PROCESS. THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. OTHERWISE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL FIESTA PHOTOGRAPHER FROM CALIFORNIA. WE HAVE SO MANY LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. FIESTA COMMISSION WILL CONTINUE TO, TO DENY RELEASING SCORING MATRIX TO RESPONDENTS. AND THE OFFICIAL FIESTA POSTER CONTEST WILL NEVER BE HELD AGAIN FOR OUR LOCAL ARTISTS TO COMPETE IN, WHICH HAS BEEN A GREAT TRADITION THAT WE'VE CELEBRATED. FIESTA COMMISSION WAS CREATED BY THE CITY, SO IT SHOULD BE SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL OF THE OTHER NONPROFITS TO FOLLOW BY REPRESENTING THE CITY'S CORE VALUES. AND I'M GONNA TAKE THE TIME OF COREY MEYER PLEASE, IF I, MR. THANK YOU AGAIN. FIESTA COMMISSION WAS CREATED BY THE CITY, AND THEY SHOULD BE SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR ALL THE OTHER NON-PROFITS BY REPRESENTING TRANSPARENCY, FAIRNESS, AND SUPPORT OF OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES AND ARTISTS. I HAD PROVIDED SOME RED LINE REVISIONS TO THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF FOR CONSIDERATION THAT MY CLIENT HAD PROPOSED THAT ENSURES THIS. UM, I HOPE YOU'LL TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. FINALLY, I HAVE A GREAT CONCERN THAT IN THE LAST WEEK, I NOTICED THAT THE CITY, UH, REMOVED THE REQUIREMENT FOR FIESTA TO PAY THE CITY FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF CERTAIN PUBLIC SERVICES THAT IT PROVIDES DURING FIESTA. THE EXISTING LICENSE AGREEMENT, UM, REQUIRES REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS OF PUBLIC SERVICES. AND AS YOU'RE AWARE, OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING SS A P D, SOLID WASTE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, ALL OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES FOR FIESTA, THEY, THEY COULD DESPERATELY USE THOSE FUNDS TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE OR TO PROVIDE MORE SERVICES TO OUR CITIZENS WHEN IT'S NOT DURING FIESTA. SO, UM, I WAS SURPRISED THAT THAT WAS TAKEN OUT. FIESTA COMMISSION GENERATES OVER $2.5 MILLION EVERY YEAR IN REVENUE ACCORDING TO THE REPORTS THAT THEY FILED WITH THE I R S. I JUST, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY FIESTA COMMISSION CANNOT REIMBURSE THE CITY SOMETHING FOR, FOR SOME OF THE EXPENSES THAT THE CITY SPENDS ON, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY CLEANUP SERVICES AND SO FORTH. I WOULD HOPE THAT CITY COUNCIL WILL LOOK AT THE RED LINE REVISIONS AND TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION AND, UM, NOT DISREGARD THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. RAMOS. MICHAEL BERNARD, GOOD MORNING. I'M MICHAEL BERNARD. I'M A LAWYER. I REPRESENT LONE STAR SPECIALTIES AND BRIAN WEINER. GOOD MORNING. MR. WEINER RESPONDED TO A, UH, AN R F P THAT WAS ISSUED BY THE FIESTA COMMISSION FOR THE AWARD OF A CONTRACT REGARDING THE, UH, SALE MANUFACTURER AND SALE OF, OF FIESTA MERCHANDISE. UH, THE R F P WAS, WAS ISSUED PUBLICLY. UH, THERE WAS A RESPONSE TO THE R F P IN ANOTHER VENUE. WE ARE LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT THAT R F P WAS ACTUALLY FOLLOWED OR NOT, BUT [01:40:01] THE, WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR HERE TODAY, AND SOME STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN THAT DIRECTION, IS THAT, THAT THE, THE ORDINANCE BEFORE IN THE ORDINANCE NOW REQUIRES A CERTAIN LEVEL OF A, OF A PUBLIC PROCESS, UH, IN THE SELECTION OF CONTRACTS. AND THE, THE NEW ORDINANCE BUILDS ON THAT A A LITTLE BIT. AND, AND IT ADDS CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS THAT, UH, MATTERS BE POSTED ON WEBSITES, AND THAT THE PUBLIC BE INFORMED, UH, LONE STAR AND BRIAN WEINER, WERE HOPING THAT THE ORDINANCE WOULD GO FURTHER THAN THAT AND MAKE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS EXPLICIT. UH, BUT THE, BUT THE CURRENT ORDINANCE, UM, DOES ADD ON TO THAT TRANSPARENCY. BUT MR. WEINER WAS HOPING THAT THE ORDINANCE WOULD GO FURTHER AND MAKE EXPLICIT WHAT, WHAT THAT WHICH MIGHT BE IMPLIED. UM, SO THAT THE R F P PROCESS, UH, IS NOT ONLY IS IT JUST DONE, UH, BUT IT'S ALSO, UH, CLEAR THAT IT'S REQUIRED AND, UH, THAT THE TERMS OF IT BE FOLLOWED. UH, AND, AND THAT'S THE HOPES IN THIS, IN, IN, IN THIS ORDINANCE AND WHAT, UH, MS. RAMOS HAS SUGGESTED, THE RED LINE VERSION B, TO, TO REQUIRE THOSE THINGS. THIS ORDINANCE MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE TRANSPARENT THAN THE LAST ORDINANCE DID. UH, AND OF COURSE, WE APPRECIATE THAT. UH, BUT THE, BUT THE HOPE IS, UH, THAT IT WILL BECOME THAT FIESTA'S SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND ITS CELEBRATIONS THAT THOSE, UH, REQUIREMENTS WHERE PEOPLE ARE, ARE OFFERED OR SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE, UH, FINANCIALLY, OUR SMALLER BUSINESSES IN THE FIESTA, AS WELL AS PARTICIPATE IN THE FESTIVITIES AND THAT THAT BE OPEN AND FAIR TO EVERYBODY. AND THAT WAS A REQUEST, UH, AS MS. RAMOS. AND, AND, UH, UH, MR. WEINER SAID THEY'RE NOT OPPOSING GRANTING THE, THE LICENSE TO FIESTA COMMISSION, BUT SIMPLY SEEK TO STRENGTHEN THAT, THAT THE FIESTA COMMISSION IS REQUIRED TO DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. BERNARD. COUNCILMAN SHAW. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I THINK MR. AND MRS. DEVEAU ARE, ARE HERE. THIS IS REGARDING ITEM NUMBER 23, THE APPOINTMENT, THE REAPPOINTMENT OF MR. UM, DEVEAU, WHICH IS OUR, ON OUR VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION. SO IF YOU DON'T MIND STANDING BRIEFLY, I, I JUST HAVE TO RECOGNIZE YOU, UM, AND YOUR WIFE, BECAUSE THIS IS A, THIS IS A, THIS IS A PAIR. I JUST WANNA THANK YOU, AND I'M HONORED FOR YOU REPRESENTING US ON THE, UH, THE COMMISSION OF VETERAN AFFAIRS. YOU SERVED 27 YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY AS A E SEVEN. YOU DID 22 YEARS WITH CIVIL SERVICE ON FOR THE FEDERAL SIDE. UM, YOU'RE VERY ACTIVE, NOT ONLY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, BUT IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE YOU. YOU ARE AMAZING INDIVIDUALS, AMAZING COUPLE, ME AND MY WIFE LOOK UP TO YOU. SO CONTINUE THE HARD WORK YOU DO IN DISTRICT TWO AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND IT'S A PLEASURE AND AN HONOR TO VOTE FOR, FOR YOUR REAPPOINTMENT THIS MORNING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SHAW. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT TWO ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT HAVE TAKEN, UM, YEARS TO, TO MOVE FORWARD. THE FIRST ONE IS, UM, ITEM NUMBER 28 ON THE AGENDA. I WANNA THANK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, 'CAUSE THIS IS OUR TAX ABATEMENT GUIDELINE RECOMMENDATIONS. THIS HAS COME THROUGH OUR, UM, ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS, MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS. AND THIS IS A FOCUS ON OUR INCLUSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY FOR AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF THE CITY. WE ARE MAKING STRATEGIC CHANGES TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE RECRUIT, RETAIN, OR EXPAND BUSINESSES, THAT THE TAX ABATEMENT INCENTIVES WILL BE ABLE TO, TO LOOK IN OUR DISTRESSED AREAS. AND SO THIS IS A GREAT MOVE. WE HAVE TO DO IT EVERY TWO YEARS. SO I'M VERY PROUD THAT WE'RE DOING AND TAKING THIS STRATEGY. THANK YOU TO RENEE AND ADRIAN FOR ALL OF THE WORK AND ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THIS IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT, AND IT'S ABOUT INCLUSIVE GROWTH. UM, NEXT, I ALSO WANT TO THANK, I KNOW SHANNON, I THINK SHANNON MILLER'S HERE. UM, THE ADMISSION HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGN MANUAL. UM, WE HAVE DESIGN MANUALS THROUGHOUT THE, THE CITY. THIS IS ITEM NUMBER 38. UM, WE HAVE DESIGN MANUALS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT NOW WE ARE HAVING GUIDELINES AND A MANUAL FOR THE MISSION HISTORIC DISTRICT. UM, A SENSE OF ARRIVAL, A SENSE OF PLACE WHEN PEOPLE, UM, ARE NOW IN AND AROUND THE AREA. I WANNA THANK ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BECAUSE WE HAD A VERY INTENSE COMMUNITY, UM, PROCESS AND ENGAGEMENT THAT TOOK, UM, MORE THAN A YEAR. AND IT WAS CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO HAVE THE AUTHENTIC FEELING WITH, UM, THAT SPOKE TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN THAT [01:45:01] AREA. SO NOW WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND AS WE GROW. SO, I WANNA THANK YOU, SHANNON, THANK YOUR TEAM. THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GRO. COUNCILMAN TREVINO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I JUST WANT TO TAKE A PERSONAL POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO, UH, THANK, UH, ANN ENGLERT AND ERNEST SALINAS FOR COMING OUT TO, TO SPEAK ON, ON AN ITEM, UH, ITEM 27 TO INITIATE A DELL DELL VIEW, UH, WHITE AIR REZONE. THIS IS A CORRECTIVE, UH, ZONING EFFORTS. UH, THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION PIECE, UH, MATCHING THE ZONING TO THE CURRENT LAND USE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING A LOT ABOUT, UM, AFFORDABILITY AND, AND, UH, PRESERVATION OF NEIGHBORHOODS TODAY. AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE THAT WE SHOULD BE, UH, INCLUDING. AND WE HAVE MANY MORE EFFORTS LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRICT. AND, UH, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU AGAIN. UH, WANNA INCLUDE, UH, UH, JULIE GRIZZARD, UH, IN BELLEVUE, UH, FOR, FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK AND HELPING US TO, TO GET IT TO THIS POINT. I LOOK FORWARD TO APPROVING IT TODAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN TREVINO. COUNCILMAN BROCKO. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANTED TO, UH, TAKE A POINT OF, UH, PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. 'CAUSE MY NAME WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, BY ONE OF THE SPEAKERS. UM, I SUPPORT ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES AND WHO THEY FEEL IS BEST AND RIGHT TO REPRESENT, UH, THEIR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND COUNCILMAN PLIS APPOINTING SOMEBODY. I DON'T KNOW, BUT I MEAN, I KNOW MR. RESENDEZ OF HER. UM, BUT IT'S THE COUNCILMAN'S, RIGHT? AND I SUPPORT THAT WHOLEHEARTEDLY AS I WOULD EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE MEMBERS ON THIS BODY. UH, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT AND BEST FOR YOUR COMMUNITIES, AND THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT THAT. UM, IT WAS MENTIONED SOME COMMENT ABOUT BEING A CONSERVATIVE. UH, THIS, I WILL TELL YOU, UM, BEING A CONSERVATIVE AND MORAL COURAGE, THEY'RE NOT THE SAME THING IN MY BOOK. UH, MORAL COURAGE, MR. FINGERS, ALSO ACCEPTING OUR DIFFERENCES BECAUSE THE BIBLE, I KNOW UNFOLLOW, UM, SAYS CLEARLY THAT WE ALL CREATED IN GOD'S IMAGE. AND, UH, I'M GONNA HONOR THAT BY RESPECTING ANYBODY WHO STANDS UP AT THIS COUNCIL AND SHOWS UP TO DO THEIR BEST. UM, AND I'M SORRY YOU FEEL OTHERWISE, BUT MY FRIEND, YOU ARE NOT A CONSERVATIVE IF YOU STAND THERE UP HERE AND TRY TO DEMEAN SOMEBODY JUST SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THEIR LIFE. UM, SO I WILL NOT STAND HERE AND HAVE MY NAME, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. UM, AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I STAND HERE TODAY. MAYOR, I DO APPRECIATE YOU CALLING ON, UH, TO, TO SOMEONE TO RISE UP AND RECOGNIZE THAT AS WELL, AND STANDING IN THE FACE OF THAT KIND OF, UH, I CANNOT STAND FOR IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. I JUST WANT TO, UH, MAKE A COMMENT ON ITEM NUMBER 15. UH, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT'S ABOUT 60% DONE ALREADY, AND THEY'RE ASKING FOR, UH, SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS IN ADDITION. THAT'S AT THE, UH, AIRPORT. IT'S ON THE, UM, UM, THE INSPECTION AREA FOR COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS COMING FROM OVERSEAS. AND IT'S A FEDERAL FACILITY THAT WE PROVIDE AND CONSTRUCT FOR THEM, AND THEY'RE JUST A USER. BUT THE ISSUE THAT I FOUND OUT WAS THAT, UH, THE COST INCREASES WERE NOT DUE TO CONSTRUCTION OVERRUNS, BUT CHANGES BY THE USER. AND I, I, I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THAT, THAT THE USER WAS, UH, THOROUGHLY INVOLVED DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT WAS BEING. AND, AND T C I DID A GREAT JOB. THEY'VE COME IN TWICE TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT HAPPENED ON THIS PROJECT AND WHAT THEY DID WAS CORRECT. AND I'M HAPPY WITH THEIR PERFORMANCE. AND AGAIN, A TESTAMENT TO MIKE FRISBEE ON, UH, UH, RUNNING THAT THROUGH AND TRYING TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT WITH THE EXISTING FUNDS. BUT IT WAS NOT ABLE TO BE DONE. AND AGAIN, IT'S DUE TO THE CUSTOMS PEOPLE CHANGING THEIR MINDS DURING CONSTRUCTION AFTER THE DESIGN WAS DONE. UM, I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT, THAT WE'RE HAVING TO PICK UP THE TAB BASED ON THEIR CHANGES DURING CONSTRUCTION. AND I INTEND TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR UP IN FORT WORTH, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET ON THEIR GAME AND THEY DON'T ALLOW THIS KIND OF THING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE TO OTHER CITIES. UM, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE BEYOND THAT HERE. WE HAVE TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DON'T HAVE A BUDGET OR THEY DON'T HAVE FACILITY FUNDS WITHIN THEIR, UH, BUDGET TO PAY FOR THESE TYPES OF THINGS, WHICH I WOULD REALLY GO AFTER THEM TO DO THAT. UH, HOWEVER, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT. SO THIS IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE FUTURE FOR OTHER AIRPORTS [01:50:01] AND OTHER CITIES THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE HAVING TO DO THEIR CUSTOMS INSPECTIONS HAD. SO, UM, I, I JUST WANT TO AGAIN, THANK T C I FOR DOING THIS PROPERLY. AND IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT FOR THIS HUGE COST INCREASE. IT'S ALL DUE TO, UH, ERRORS ON THE CUSTOM SIDE. AND I, I WILL BE SENDING THEM SOME, UH, A RATHER INTERESTING LETTER, UH, TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS PROJECT SO THAT THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT ITEM 39. IT'S A RESOLUTION, UH, TO BEGIN DEVELOPING AN OVERLAY DISTRICT AROUND WOODLAWN LAKE. UH, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN AN ARTICLE IN THE ARD REPORT THAT SAID, UH, CITY DROPS VIEW SHED PROTECTION PROPOSAL. WELL, I'M TELLING YOU, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING. UH, WE ARE STILL MOVING FORWARD ON PROTECTING THE VIEW AROUND WOODLAWN LAKE FROM WOODLAWN LAKE TO THE BASILICA. UM, WE'RE GONNA BE USING A DIFFERENT TOOL, SOMETHING CALLED, UM, RIVER IMPROVEMENT OVERLAY. I THINK I'VE GOT THAT RIGHT. UH, SO VERY EXCITED. UH, THE RESOLUTION WILL BE THE FIRST STEP IN MOVING FORWARD ON THAT. I WANNA THANK, UH, THE MAYOR FOR HIS SUPPORT ON THAT. COUNCILMAN TREVINO. WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY INVOLVED, UM, GOING FORWARD TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND OF COURSE, COUNCILMAN KHAW FOR, UH, CO-AUTHORING THAT C C R THAT GOT THIS PROCESS STARTED. UM, THIS IS OUR TRICENTENNIAL, AS YOU'VE HEARD US SAY, AND IT'S ALSO THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WOODLAWN LAKE PARK. SO WE KNEW WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL, UH, TO COMMEMORATE THAT, THAT ANNIVERSARY. UH, WOODLAWN LAKE IS REALLY THE EXTENSION OF A HOME TO MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA OR GREW UP, UM, AROUND THAT AREA. IN FACT, UH, TONIGHT WE'RE HAVING A TREE LIGHTING, UH, CEREMONY THERE. UH, WE HAVE A 21 FOOT CHRISTMAS TREE THERE. AND, UH, ON FACEBOOK, THERE'S ABOUT FOUR TO 5,000 PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN, IN THE EVENT. AND I AM SCARED THEY'RE GOING TO FIND OUT THAT I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL EVENTS COMPANY, THAT I AM JUST A COUNCIL WOMAN WITH SOME COOKIES AND HOT CHOCOLATE AT THE EVENT. UM, SO, BUT OF COURSE YOU'RE ALL STILL WELCOME TO COME. UM, I WANNA THANK THE, THE STEWARDS, UH, WHO HAVE WORKED IN TAKING CARE OF THE LAKE FOR SO LONG, INCLUDING THE WOODLAWN LAKE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE WEST END IMPROVEMENT GROUP IN THE, IN THE 1920S. AND THAT THANK YOU WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT THANKING THE PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF, INCLUDING MARIA GOMEZ, UH, XAVIER, VERONICA MORENO, AND OF COURSE, UM, MY DAD, WHO IS NOW RETIRED. HE'S A RETIRED CARPENTER FROM THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT AND TO, TO ALL HIS COLLEAGUES. UM, SO, UH, I WANT TO SHARE, UH, A SMALL VIDEO, UH, CELEBRATING THE LAKE. THANK YOU. SAN ANTONIO'S RICH HISTORY IS STEEPED IN ITS BEAUTIFUL NATURAL AREAS AND PARKLANDS, WHICH PROVIDE GREAT RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND VISITORS TO BE ACTIVE AND SPEND TIME TOGETHER. FROM PLAYGROUNDS TO SPLASH PADS TO HISTORIC SPRINGS, SAN ANTONIO'S BEAUTIFUL PLAY SCAPES PROVIDE MORE THAN 15,300 ACRES OF PARKLAND AND MORE THAN 150 MILES OF WALKING, HIKING, AND BIKING TRAILS HOME TO MORE THAN 240 PARKS AND GREEN SPACES. SAN ANTONIO IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR ITS HISTORIC PARKS AS WE WELCOME SAN ANTONIO'S TRICENTENNIAL. A SPECIAL PARK IN THE HEART OF SAN ANTONIO CELEBRATES ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY, WOODLAWN LAKE PARK, LOCATED IN ONE OF THE AREA'S. FIRST SUBDIVISIONS IS HOME TO THE CITY'S ANNUAL 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION. MOVIES IN THE PARK PLAY SCAPES AND GARDENS. THE PARK COMMEMORATES ITS CENTENNIAL IN 2018 AND RECENTLY RECEIVED THE HONORED LONE STAR LEGACY PARK DESIGNATION BY THE TEXAS PARK AND RECREATION SOCIETY. IN OCTOBER, THE COMMUNITY GATHERED TO CELEBRATE THE PARK'S 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCES, A FREE MOVIE SCREENING AND FIREWORKS. THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO OFFICIALLY WELCOMED WOODLAWN LAKE PARK TO ITS GREEN SPACES IN 1918. SINCE THEN, THE PARK HAS GROWN ADDING A ONE AND A HALF MILE WALKING TRAIL, INTERACTIVE FITNESS STATIONS, A SWIMMING POOL, TENNIS COURTS, A GYM, AND MANY MORE AMENITIES. THE PARK IS NOW HOME TO A COMMUNITY LED CENTENNIAL GARDEN, WHICH IS A PROUD SURF 300 PARTNER PROJECT BROUGHT TO LIFE BY THE WOODLAWN LAKE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION. TODAY, WOODLAWN LAKE CONTINUES TO BE A VITAL ATTRACTION FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND LIVES IN THE HEART OF ITS NEIGHBORS, BOTH NEAR AND FAR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT CLOSING SHOT IS THE VIEW THAT WE WILL BE, WE WILL BE PROTECTING IN HONOR OF THE PARK'S HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY. I FORGOT TO THANK OF COURSE, SHANNON AND COREY FROM OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION [01:55:01] FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK, UH, OVER THIS PAST YEAR. AND ROD SANCHEZ, OF COURSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO, UH, THE WOODLAWN LAKE PARK, UH, COMMUNITY. ALRIGHT, THAT IS EVERYONE WHO'S SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS REMAINING ON CONSENT. UH, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND. I DO WANNA NOTE, ACTUALLY, THERE IS A, UH, LETTER OF SUPPORT RECEIVED FROM THE SAN ANTONIO CONSERVATION SOCIETY ON ITEM 38, WHICH WILL BE FILED IN THE RECORD. UH, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL ITEMS SAVED. UM, THOSE PREVIOUSLY READ, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM NUMBER FOUR. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO THE CENTER CITY HOUSING INCENTIVE POLICY, CIP AND INNER CITY REINVESTMENT INFILL POLICY. I CRYPT. OKAY, UH, LORI, I KNOW WE HAD A EXTENDED, UH, PRESENTATION YESTERDAY, SO IF YOU HAVE A, A ABBREVIATION AND THEN WE'LL GET RIGHT TO, UM, UH, CITIZEN COMMENT. GREAT. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE INNER CITY REINVESTMENT INFILL POLICY AND THE CENTER CITY HOUSING INCENTIVE POLICY. THE FIRST POLICY I'LL DISCUSS IS THE INNER CITY REINVESTMENT INFILL POLICY. AND WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT WE CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS PROGRAM FROM THE INNER CITY REINVESTMENT INFILL POLICY TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FEE WAIVER PROGRAM. WE WILL CHANGE IT FROM A PLACE-BASED STRATEGY TO A NEEDS-BASED STRATEGY AND ONLY ALLOW PROJECTS THAT MEET FOUR CATEGORIES TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FEE WAIVERS. THAT WOULD INCLUDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, OWNER-OCCUPIED REHAB, HISTORIC REHABILITATION, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AND LEGACY BUSINESSES. AND AS I MENTIONED, IT'LL NO LONGER BE PLACE-BASED. IT'LL REALLY MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS ARE THAT NO PROJECT THAT IS GOING TO BE PURSUING A SHORT-TERM PARENTAL PERMIT THROUGH A TYPE TWO PERMIT WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE THESE FEE WAIVERS. THE NEXT POLICY I'LL DISCUSS IS THE CENTER CITY HOUSING INCENTIVE POLICY. WE ARE PROPOSING A TWO YEAR EXTENSION. THIS IS AN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SA TOMORROW PLAN, THE MAYOR'S HOUSING TASK FORCE. IT ALSO PRIORITIZES NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION, AND THERE'S A FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY AND DENSITY. THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY, WE HAVE A THREE LEVEL SYSTEM. LEVEL ONE IS THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, WHICH IS THE AREA IN THE YELLOW PEACH, UM, BOUNDARY LEVEL TWO IS THE AREA SURROUNDING THAT CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, WHICH IS PINK. AND THEN LEVEL THREE UM, INCLUDES THE 13 REGIONAL CENTERS IDENTIFIED IN THE SA TOMORROW PLAN, AS WELL AS THE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS THAT'LL BE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE VIA 2040 PLAN. WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED IS FIRST FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THESE INCENTIVES THROUGH THE CIP IS THAT YOU MUST BE WITHIN A BOUNDARY. ALL PROJECTS WILL BE SUBJECT TO DESIGN REVIEW PROJECTS REQUIRING REZONING FROM SINGLE FAMILY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE, AND THIS IS RETROACTIVE TO 2016 AND LEVEL ONE. YOU MUST PROVIDE TWO OR MORE HOUSING UNITS THAT MEET THE DENSITY REQUIREMENTS. LEVEL TWO, 10% OF YOUR UNITS MUST BE UP TO 80% OR WORKFORCE HOUSING, AND 10% MUST BE AT 60% A M I OR BELOW. OR YOU MUST BE ABOVE FIVE STORIES AND LEVEL THREE 20% OF YOUR UNITS MUST HAVE 60% AT 80, UM, 60% A M I OR BELOW. SO THAT IS AN ACTUAL REQUIREMENT. THE INCENTIVES YOU RECEIVE FOR A LEVEL ONE PROJECT IS YOU'D RECEIVE A WAIVER OF YOUR CITY FEES AND A SIZE IMPACT FEE WAIVER OF UP TO A MILLION DOLLARS. YOU'D RECEIVE A 15 YEAR TAX REBATE FOR 75% ON THE AVALOR TAXES THAT THE DEVELOPER PAYS TO THE CITY. WE ALSO HAVE A CAP FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE OVER $360,000. THEY WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR INCENTIVES THROUGH THE AS OF RIGHT PROGRAM. THIS IS THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE AMOUNT YOU CAN GET THROUGH AN F H A LOAN. AND THEN PROJECTS THAT ARE RENTING FOR MORE THAN 2 75 A SQUARE FOOT ARE ALSO NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THIS INCENTIVE. AND THEN FINALLY, IN LEVEL ONE, IF YOU DO INCORPORATE AFFORDABILITY INTO YOUR PROJECT, YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR AN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT OF $10,000 PER UNIT, UM, EQUAL TO ABOUT 10, UM, UP TO $500,000. LEVEL TWO. AS A REMINDER, YOU MUST HAVE THAT WORKFORCE AFFORDABILITY COMPONENT OR BE ABOVE FIVE STORIES. AND IF YOU MEET ONE OF THOSE TWO REQUIREMENTS, YOU RECEIVE A WAIVER OF YOUR CITY FEES, A SIZE IMPACT FEE WAIVER OF UP TO A MILLION DOLLARS, I'M SORRY, OF UP TO $500,000, A 10 YEAR TAX REBATE AT 75%. AND THEN YOU'RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE CITY FEE WAIVER PROGRAM. AND THEN LEVEL THREE, 20% OF YOUR UNITS MUST BE AT 60% [02:00:01] A M I OR BELOW. AND YOU WOULD ALSO BE ELIGIBLE FOR YOUR CITY FEES TO BE WAIVED, A SIZE AND PACK FEE WAIVER OF $250,000, AND THEN A 10 YEAR TAX REBATE OF 75% OF YOUR AD VALOREM TAXES. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION FOR TODAY. WE WENT OVER THIS IN, IN A LOT OF DETAIL YESTERDAY DURING THE B SESSION, AND I'M HAPPY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LORI. AND, UH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FOLKS HERE TODAY. UH, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS A BRIEF BUT TIME CERTAIN EVENT. SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE ARE GOING TO TAKE ALL CITIZEN COMMENT, WE'LL HAVE THE BRIEF RECESS, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK FOR COUNCIL DELIBERATION. SO I'LL BEGIN, UH, AND I'LL CALL NAMES IN ORDER. I'LL CALL THE NEXT NAME ON THE LIST. IF YOU CAN PREPARE, UH, TO COME FORWARD. WE'LL START WITH GRACIELA SANCHEZ, FOLLOWED BY JANNI FLORES. I HAVEN'T STARTED. OKAY. BUENO DIAZ. ALMOST A YEAR AGO, THE CITY PLACED A MORATORIUM ON C CHIP CITY STAFF HAS SPENT MEETING WITH SOME STAKEHOLDERS, MAINLY FOR-PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT DEVELOPERS. HOWEVER, THEY FAIL TO MEET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WILL BE MOST AFFECTED BY THESE POLICIES. AN ANAND'S GUIDING PRINCIPLE POLICIES, WHICH WERE SUPPOSED TO BE VOTED ON TODAY, UM, THAT WILL BE VOTED ON NEXT MONTH, UH, ARE IMPORTANT. AND I I HOPE THAT YOU CONSIDER PUTTING FORTH THOSE POLICIES OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TODAY AND NOT WAIT UNTIL THEY GET VOTED ON NEXT WEEK. THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. THE PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN MEANINGFUL, ENSURING THAT PUBLIC INPUT IS APPROPRIATELY CONSIDERED IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. IT HAS NOT BEEN TRANSPARENT BY COMMUNICATING THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS TO THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC IN THE PROCESS, OR PROVIDING TO YOU OR TO US. A RECORD OF THE INPUT RECEIVED AND THE RANGE OF VIEWS AND IDEAS EXPRESSED. HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY AT THESE MEETINGS STRICTLY TO DISCUSS THIS POLICY. WE WERE ONLY INVITED FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST WEEK, AND THANKS TO YOU, ANNA, ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS CAME. THIS PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN RESPECTFUL BECAUSE IF IT WERE, THEN WE WOULD'VE BEEN PART OF THIS PROCESS A LONG TIME AGO. UM, AND EVEN WHAT WE HEARD LAST WEEK WAS, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET. AND PEOPLE CHALLENGED THAT AND IT'S LIKE, WELL, TOO BAD. AND WE DIDN'T SEE ANY CHANGES. PROCESS WASN'T INCLUSIVE. AGAIN, I MENTIONED THAT NOR ACCESSIBLE, EVEN THE CONCEPTS. THIS, THE TECHNICAL, THE LANGUAGE IS SO TECHNICAL AND HARD FOR MANY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEMBERS TO HEAR. I MEAN, ONE OF THEM WAS THERE YESTERDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE B SESSION, AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING THERE. AND SHE WAS AFRAID TO COME AND SPEAK TODAY OR YESTERDAY, AND NOTHING WAS OFFERED IN SPANISH. AND YOU HAD TO COME TO THE CITY STAFF. AND ALL THE MEETINGS WERE DURING THIS, DURING THE WORKDAY, NOTHING AFTER HOURS. UM, IT WASN'T INFORMATIVE ENOUGH, IT WASN'T RESPONSIVE. AND AGAIN, NOT TIMELY WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR A DELAY AND YOU ALL KEEP ON PUSHING IT. SO TIMELINESS IS REALLY PROBLEMATIC. UM, PUBLIC INPUT IS FAIR BECAUSE IT ALLOWS FOR PARTICIPATION BY THOSE WHO WILL BE MOST AFFECTED. BUT PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WILL ALSO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC POLICY. BUT BECAUSE IT ALLOWS FOR THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF AN EXAMINATION AND DEBATE OF OUR POLICIES, I THINK YANA IS GONNA GIMME HER TIME. IN ABSENCE OF FULL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND FULL EXAMINATION OF THIS POLICY, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. SAN ANTONIO CONTINUES TO HAVE HUGE ECONOMIC DISPARITIES, AND THIS POLICY WILL AGGRAVATE RATHER THAN SOLVE THESE DISPARITIES, THE CITY IS COMMITTING MILLIONS AND ALREADY HAS COMMITTED A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TO ENCOURAGE DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL CLEARLY HAVE THE EFFECT OF DISPLACING POOR PEOPLE AND BRINGING THE MORE AFFLUENT INTO THE DOWNTOWN AREA. AND THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS STRATEGY IS THAT IT IS UNTESTED AND HAS DUBIOUS MERIT. THIS IS BASED ON A GRANT STRATEGY THAT'S SUBSIDIZING THE AFFLUENT WILL TRICKLE DOWN TO CREATE JOBS FOR LONG TERM, LONG TIME SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS, BUT THAT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WILL WORK ON BEHALF OF LOW INCOME RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO, IN IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. AND ON BEHALF OF THE NEWLY FORMED RIO COALITION, WE HAVE REQUESTED AND NOT RECEIVED ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING. WHAT ANALYSIS HAS THE CITY DONE THUS FAR TO DETERMINE IF SEA CHIP WAS OR MAYBE AN IMPEDIMENT TO FAIR HOUSING? COUNCILMAN SALDANA, ABOUT $360,000 HOME IS STILL NOT AFFORDABLE TO MOST FOLKS IN SAN ANTONIO [02:05:01] AND MY STAFF, AND SO MANY MILLENNIALS CANNOT AFFORD $1,375 A MONTH FOR A 500 SQUARE FOOT EFFICIENCY. WHAT ANALYSIS HAS THE CITY DONE THUS FAR TO DETERMINE IF SEED CHIP HAS HAD ANY, UH, DISCRIMINATORY IMPACT ON RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO? WHAT STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF CCHI ON CURRENT RESIDENTS? HOW HAVE C C D O OR OTHER CITY AGENCIES INVOLVE CURRENT RESIDENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REVISED SEED CHIP PROGRAM? AND THERE ARE MORE AND MORE AND MORE, UM, WHAT ARE THE CITY'S PLANS TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DISPLACEMENT OF LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS AND PROVIDE FUNDING FOR RELOCATION OF RESIDENTS WHO CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO LIVE IN THE SEA CHIP GEOGRAPHIC AREA? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE EXAMINATION OF THIS PROPOSED POLICY MUST ASK. AND THEY ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE ANSWERED BEFORE THE PEOPLE'S MONIES CONTINUE TO BE SPENT. PLEASE DELAY TODAY'S VOTE, ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WE AND MANY OTHERS HAVE ASKED IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO. I BELIEVE MOST OF YOU HAVE NOT MET WITH MANY, IF ANY COMMUNITY RESIDENTS OR ORGANIZATIONS REGARDING THIS POLICIES. AGAIN, IT'S SO RUSHED. I KNOW I HAVEN'T MET WITH ANY OF YOU. I ALSO KNOW THAT AT LEAST TWO MEMBERS OF THE MAYOR'S HOUSING TASK FORCE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE CURRENT C CHIP POLICIES BEING PROPOSED. STOP THE VOTE. BRING US INTO A FULLY ENGAGED COMMUNITY PROCESS. AND REMEMBER, AS WE CELEBRATE THE 50 YEARS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS HEARINGS AT O L L U, MANY OF US HAVE CONTINUED TO FIGHT FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS. SINCE THE 1968 HEARINGS, I WAS ONLY EIGHT, BUT AT LEAST FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS, I HAVE BEEN VERY ENGAGED ON THAT. AND I, AND THIS SEA CHIP POLICY CHALLENGES, THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF OUR CURRENT RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO DO NOT CREATE POLICIES THAT CONTINUE TO NOT ONLY ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATE US, BUT RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY PUSH THE MEXICAN AMERICAN AND BLACK COMMUNITIES AND POOR WORKING WHITE PEOPLE OUT OF THE INNER CITY ESQUE. YES. THANK YOU, MS. SANCHEZ. CYNTHIA SPIELMAN, FOLLOWED BY MARK SPIELMAN. MR. SPIELMAN, THAT'S YOU. HE'S GONNA SEE MY TIME. SEE YOUR TIME TOO, CYNTHIA, IF, IF I NEED IT, I PROBABLY WON'T NEED IT. GO AHEAD. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS CYNTHIA SPIELMAN AND, UM, I AM HERE JUST TO REPRESENT MYSELF THIS MORNING. NOT ANY ASSOCIATION OR ORGANIZATION, WHICH PROBABLY GIVES YOU A CLUE TO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY. WE HAVE A MOMENT IN THE CITY THAT COULD HAVE THE VISION, THE LEADERSHIP, THE COURAGE, THE IMAGINATION AND EXPERTISE TO CREATE A HOUSING POLICY THAT WOULD SOLVE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHORTAGE AND CREATE A VIBRANT AND LIVABLE DOWNTOWN. WHAT HAPPENED INSTEAD THROUGH THE CCHI RECOMMENDATIONS, WE FIND OURSELVES PLAYING A PART IN THE KIND OF POLITICS THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING ALL THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF THE POOR AND PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THIS CITY. YOU'RE CREATING WEALTH ON THE BACKS OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS. THE 68% OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT EXISTS DOWNTOWN WILL NO LONGER BE HERE IN FIVE YEARS. THE NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE WEST SIDE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS FROM WHERE MY FAMILY IS FROM, WILL NO LONGER HOUSE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE NOW IN 10 YEARS BECAUSE OF INDIRECT DISPLACEMENT, WHICH MAKE NO MISTAKE, IS AS PERNICIOUS AS DIRECT TO DISPLACEMENT. WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING IN OUR DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOODS, MAKING THE PROBLEM OF ECONOMIC SEGREGATION EVEN WORSE. INCENTIVIZING IS THE NEW REDLINING. FIRST, YOU KEEP THEM OUT AND THEN YOU PUSH THEM OUT. PROGRESS. SAN ANTONIO STYLE, LET ME REMIND YOU THAT HOUSING IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE. YOU ARE CREATING POLICY THAT MAKES THE POOR PAY FOR THEIR OWN DISPLACEMENT. AND THE ARGUMENT RECENTLY THAT ADDRESSING AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON HIGHLY VALUED LAND IS COSTLY AND EFFICIENT, IS THE KIND OF ECONOMIC ARGUMENT THAT CITY OFFICIALS HAVE ALWAYS USED TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS AGAINST THEIR AT-RISK CITIZENS. YOU'RE MAKING THE BURDEN ON THE POOR EVEN HEAVIER, AND WHERE WILL THEY GO? THE PROBLEM WITH THE STUDY THAT YOU'VE COMMISSIONED TO APPEASE THE PUBLIC IS THAT INSTEAD OF AN ASSESSMENT OF HOW TO PREVENT DISPLACEMENT. IT WILL BE A DOCUMENTATION OF YET ANOTHER INSTANCE OF DISPLACING THE POOR BECAUSE IT'S IN THE CITY'S BEST INTERESTS. AND FOR WHAT, WHAT ARE THOSE INTERESTS? IT'S BEEN CLAIMED IN MEETINGS AND PRESENTATION THAT IT'S TO HOUSE ALL THE NEW EMPLOYEES COMING TO U S A A AND THE FACULTY AND STUDENTS OF THE EXPANDED U T S A CAMPUS, OR IT'S FOR THE NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES. DOWNTOWN HOUSING IN THE FORM OF CONDOS WILL BE PRICED AT $360,000 RENTALS AT [02:10:01] 2 75 A SQUARE FOOT. A THOUSAND FOOT APARTMENT, TWO BEDROOMS WILL RENT FOR $2,750 A MONTH, OR AN 800 SQUARE FOOT, ONE BEDROOM FOR 2,200. WHAT MID-LEVEL EMPLOYEE OF U SS A A OF WHICH I THINK ARE THE MAJORITY COULD AFFORD THAT. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN WITH PHDS WHO ARE COLLEGE PROFESSORS WHO COULDN'T AFFORD THESE PRICES. AND DO YOU HONESTLY THINK COLLEGE GRADUATES WITH THEIR BURDEN OF STUDENT DEBT COULD AFFORD TO LIVE DOWNTOWN? NEVERMIND THE TEACHERS, CITY STAFF, NURSES, ARTISTS, CHEFS, ARCHITECTS, AND OTHER WORKING PEOPLE THAT MAKE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SO VIBRANT AND THAT YOU CLAIM TO WANT TO MAKE A, A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN FOR. SO WHO IS THIS FOR? THIS IS INCENTIVES FOR HOUSING FOR THE WEALTHY AT THE EXPENSE OF THE POOR, USING OUR PUBLIC DOLLARS TO BENEFIT FOR PROFIT DEVELOPERS. THIS IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO CREATE A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN OR A DOWNTOWN THAT MOST OF US ENVISION. AND WE DESERVE BETTER FROM YOU. AND THOSE WORKERS THAT YOU CLAIM TO BE BUILDING FOR, THEY WILL BE HEADED TO THE DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOODS IF THEY'RE STILL AFFORDABLE OR OUT TO THE SUBURBS BECAUSE THEY WON'T HAVE A CHOICE. AND INSTEAD OF EASING THE PRESSURE OF OUR INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS AND CONTROLLING SPRAWL, YOU'RE EXASPERATE THE PROBLEMS. AND FRANKLY, I'M SHOCKED WHEN WE WERE TOLD YESTERDAY THAT THIS POLICY IS THE PRODUCT OF, OF CONFIDENTIAL MONTHS OF CONFIDENTIAL, UM, UH, SPEAKING WITH DEVELOPERS, WE HAVE YET TO HAVE A FULL PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS. I KEEP HEARING THIS IS A CITY BY DESIGN. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THE FOR-PROFIT DEVELOPERS WHO'D BE DOING THE DESIGNING INSTEAD OF GOOD PUBLIC POLICY THAT WOULD BENEFIT US ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. SPIELMAN CULLEN JONES. MR. JONES WILL BE FOLLOWED BY DR. CHRISTINE RENAN. UH, EXCUSE ME. AND WITH THAT MAYOR KOA ALVIN SEEDS TIME IF I NEED BE SMA. OKAY. THANK YOU. GO AHEAD MR. JONES. OKAY. WITH THAT, UH, CULLEN JONES, DISTRICT TWO, UH, MAYOR COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND ITS INCENTIVE PROGRAM, SPECIFICALLY THE CI, EXCUSE ME, THE CENTER CITY HOUSING INCENTIVE POLICY, OR C I P AND THE OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER HAVE DONE A COMMENDABLE JOB OF INCORPORATING CITIZENS' CONCERNS ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD INSTABILITY AND RESIDENT DISPLACEMENT WITHIN A FRAMEWORK OF AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM FOR MARKET RATE HOUSING. THE CCHI POLICY DOES EVERYTHING IT CAN TO PROTECT RESIDENTS FROM DIRECT DISPLACEMENT AND PLEDGES TO WORK WITH THE HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DEPARTMENT ON POLICIES THAT MITIGATE THE EFFECT OF DISPLACING RESIDENTS. HOWEVER, THE POLICY DOES NOT PREVENT FAR MORE DESTRUCTIVE INDIRECT DISPLACEMENT. THE POLICY DOES NOT ADDRESS LARGER CONCERNS. PEOPLE IN THIS CITY HAVE ABOUT A COLLECTIVE VISION OF HOUSING, ADOPTING A POLICY LACKING OF MEANINGFUL PUBLIC PROCESS TO DETERMINE AN OVERALL HOUSING INCENTIVE POLICY FOR EVERYONE IN SAN ANTONIO JEOPARDIZES FUTURE DECISIONS. ESSENTIALLY, A BROKEN POLICY BECOMES THE POLICY CITIZENS' CONCERNS REGARDING INDIRECT DISPLACEMENT. INCENTIVIZED DEVELOPMENT CAUSES ADJACENT PROPERTY VALUES TO RISE AND INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES. RENTERS IN PARTICULAR, BECOME VULNERABLE. AS RENTS RISE, THE COST BURDEN FORCES HOMEOWNERS TO MOVE IN SHORT, VULNERABLE RESIDENTS FINANCE THEIR OWN DISPLACEMENT. INCENTIVIZING POLICIES LIKE THIS VERSION OF CCHI P MAKES THE BURDEN EVEN HAIRIER FOR THOSE AT RISK. THIS IS A BROKEN POLICY, SOME IN OUR COMMUNITIES. QUESTION THE QUESTION THE NEED FOR INCENTIVIZING MARKET RATE HOUSING. THEY ARGUE THAT SAN ANTONIO SHOULD SUBSIDIZE GENUINELY NEEDED HOUSING, AFFORDABLE TO MORE SAN ANTONIANS, NOT MARKET RATE HOUSING. DO WE CREATE A POLICY TO PRODUCE A, A LIVABLE, AFFORDABLE DOWNTOWN, OR DO WE INCENTIVIZE A WEALTHY ELITE DOWNTOWN? MANY RESIDENTS, EXCUSE ME. MANY RESIDENTS CRITICIZE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S OUTREACH METHODS AS COMPULSORY, SUPERFICIAL, AND MORE OF PRESENTATIONS THAN ACTUAL COMMUNICATIONS. THE MEETINGS INITIATED WITH VARYING STAKEHOLDERS ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE FOCUSED ON ADOPTING C I P, NOT SEEKING INPUT. NEIGHBORS CHARGE THESE MEETINGS AS PRESENTATIONS, NOT CONVERSATIONS TO CREATE CHANGE. CONTINUING THE CALL FOR TRANSPARENT AND INCLUSIVE POLICY AND DECISION DECISION MAKING BY THE CITY, THE SAN ANTONIO NEW BRAUNFELS, AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME MISLEADS AND ILLUSTRATES THE BROKEN MODEL. THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S, A M I IS 85% OF THE REGIONAL A M I AFFORDABLE HOUSING INTENDED FOR THOSE MAKING BELOW THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME CALCULATED USING REGIONAL METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA FIGURES OR THE M SS A IS ACTUALLY MARKET RATE WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. IF WE MUST USE M S A FIGURES IN THE POLICY, 60% IS THE UPPER LIMIT TO PRODUCE TRUE AFFORD AFFORDABILITY. TO HAVE A REFLECTIVE POLICY, OUR REQUEST POSTPONE THE CURRENT C CHIP [02:15:01] UNTIL THE COMPLETED VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT IS PRODUCED. AS PER THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE HOUSING POLICY FRAMEWORK PRODUCED BY THE MAYOR'S HOUSING POLICY TASK FORCE, AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR LATINO COMMUNITY ASSET BUILDERS VULNERABILITY STUDY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT COMPLETES THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ON DISPLACEMENT OF SAN ANTONIO'S RESIDENTS. LET'S CREATE A BETTER POLICY. TIER ONE NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION STEERING COMMITTEE. KOA ALVIN, CHRISTINE RENAN, TONY GARCIA, BUTCH HAYES, CULLEN JONES, RICKY KUSHNER, VELMA PENA, CYNTHIA SPILLMAN, AND THERESA IBANEZ. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. JONES. CHRISTINE RENAN. DR. RENAN WILL BE FOLLOWED BY WARREN WILKINSON. THANK YOU. NEW YORK CITY, CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE, PORTLAND, BOSTON, NEW ORLEANS. WASHINGTON D C AUSTIN, TEXAS. ALL UNTIL THE LAST 20 YEARS HAD FUNCTIONAL INNER CITIES THAT HOUSED THE WORKING MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASSES. I WAS A GRADUATE STUDENT RAISING TWO LITTLE KIDS BY MYSELF, LIVING IN AN EAST SIDE INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOOD IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. THOSE TWO KIDS GREW UP TO BE REALLY INTERESTING ADULTS BECAUSE THEY LIVED IN AN EAST SIDE, INNER CITY MIXED UP NEIGHBORHOOD IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. NOW, AS A PROFESSOR WITH GROWN KIDS OUTTA THE HOUSE, I COULD NOT AFFORD TO LIVE IN THAT EAST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD. DOWNTOWNS AND INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS OUR COUNTRY HAVE TURNED INTO PLAYGROUNDS FOR THE WEALTHY. THEY'RE NOT NEIGHBORHOODS. AND IS THIS WHAT WE WANT? THERE'S NOTHING, NOTHING NATURAL ABOUT THIS SITUATION. WE FIND OURSELVES IN THE SITUATION WE HAVE OF A DETERIORATED DOWNTOWN AND INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS THAT LACK INVESTMENT. WE CREATED THAT WITH YEARS OF INCENTIVE POLICY THAT DIRECTED INVESTMENT TO THE EDGES OF THE CITY RATHER THAN DOWNTOWN. AND THEN AS SOON AS THIS ECONOMIES BEGAN TO APPEAR IN THE FORM OF SPRAWL, TRANSPORTATION COSTS, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, WE REALIZED THAT THAT INCENTIVE STRUCTURE HAD COME TO AN END AND WE NEEDED A NEW ONE. THUS THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN THERE IS AND WAS NOTHING NATURAL ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THERE IS, WAS NOTHING NATURAL ABOUT IT THAT WE CREATED IT, THEN WE CAN GUIDE IT AND REGULATE IT RATHER THAN LEAVING IT UP TO SOME MYSTERIOUS MARKET FORCE. SO WHAT DO WE WANT? AND FINALLY, THIS RUSE ABOUT THE A M I FIGURES. WE ALL KNOW THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IF WE COMPARE M SS A AND C MEDIAN INCOME FIGURES. THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF THE CITY IS 75% OF THAT OF THE M SS A, WHICH MEANS THAT 84 80% AFFORDABILITY CUTOFF IS ACTUALLY HIGHER THAN THE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL OF OUR FAMILIES. WE ALL ALSO KNOW THAT WE MUST USE HUD GUIDELINES WHEN CALCULATING AFFORDABILITY STRUCTURES. SO LET'S BE HONEST AND USE THE 60% RATHER THAN THE 80%. LET'S SET ASIDE 30% OF UNITS IN THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR HOUSEHOLDS MAKING LESS THAN 60% OF HUD A M I, WHICH IS OUR WORKFORCE. IS IT A BAD THING THAT SOME OF OUR LOWEST INCOME FAMILIES LIVE ON OUR VERY VALUABLE LAND? IF YOU USE A HIGHEST AND BEST USE MODEL, IT IS, BUT WE'RE A CITY, NOT AN ACCOUNTING FIRM. SO WE SHOULD SAY MORE POWER TO THEM. WE KNOW WHY THEY'RE THERE, BECAUSE PAST POLICY PUT THEM THERE. AND NOW PRESENT POLICY WANTS THAT LAND BACK. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S OCCUPIED. SO TOO BAD. THANK YOU, DR. DREAN. WARREN WILKINSON, FOLLOWED BY RICHARD PEREZ. MORNING MAYOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS MANAGER SCULLY WARREN WILKINSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CENTRO SAN ANTONIO, ON BEHALF OF, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS REPRESENT RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, TOURISM, PROPERTY OWNERS, NOT ONLY DOWNTOWN, BUT THROUGHOUT THE CITY. UH, I ASK THAT YOU APPROVE, UH, AND SUPPORT THE UPDATES TO THE CCHI P AND THE ICRP PROGRAMS. THESE PROGRAMS ENCOURAGE DEVELOPMENT. THEY ADDRESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PROVIDE CONSISTENT AND PREDICTABLE POLICIES REGARDING AVAILABLE INCENTIVES. UH, THEY PROMOTE, UH, HISTORIC, UH, REHABILITATION WITH APPROPRIATE OVERSIGHT. THEY HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT OF LEGACY BUSINESSES, HOUSING DENSITY, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND THEY PROVIDE FOR A TWO YEAR, UH, REEVALUATION. THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMS WERE SUCCESS. THESE CHANGES, UH, ENHANCING, CLARIFY THE PROGRAM ATTRIBUTES. I HOPE YOU SUPPORT THESE, UH, POLICIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. WILKINSON. RICHARD PEREZ, FOLLOWED BY BRAD MCMURRAY. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS RICHARD PEREZ. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND C E [02:20:01] O OF THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. FOR 124 YEARS, THE CHAMBER HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN BUILDING AND SUSTAINING A DIVERSE AND PROSPEROUS ECONOMY. IN MY TENURE, WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN VARIOUS STRATEGIC PLANS OF THE CITY ON BEHALF OF OUR 2100 DIFFERENT MEMBERS TODAY, WE JOIN IN SUPPORT OF THE CHANGES TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FEE WAIVER PROGRAM AND THE CENTER CITY HOUSING, UH, INCENTIVE POLICY. THE CHAMBER BELIEVES THAT RESPONSIBLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS VITAL TO THE FUTURE GROWTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WELLBEING OF ALL ITS CITIZENS. THE CHAMBER HAS BEEN, UH, ACTIVE IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WORKING GROUP OF THE MAYOR'S, UH, TASK FORCE ON HOUSING, AND IS EAGER TO SEE SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED IN THE FEE WAIVER PROGRAMS. WE HAVE ALSO BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DOWNTOWN PLANNING GROUP OF SA TOMORROW, FOCUSED ON DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY. THE PROPOSED CHANGES YOU'RE VOTING ON TODAY ENSURE THAT THESE MASTER PLANS ARE CONNECTED, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE WORK OF MANY CITIZENS AND EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN THESE PROJECTS. ON BEHALF OF ALL OF OUR MEMBERS, WE ASK THAT YOU VOTE IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. PEREZ. BRAD MCMURRAY, FOLLOWED BY KRISTEN DAVILA. HELLO, MY NAME'S BRAD MCMURRAY, AND I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FOR PROSPERA HOUSING COMMUNITY SERVICES. WE'RE A LOCAL, UH, NONPROFIT HOUSING PROVIDER. WE'RE A 5 0 1 C THREE, AND WE WERE CELEBRATING, FORTUNATELY, OUR 25TH YEAR IN SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE, UH, OR OWN OR ADMINISTER OVER 5,000 UNITS THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AND SOUTH TEXAS. AND WE HAVE A, A SIGNIFICANT PRE PRESENCE HERE IN, IN SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE 16 MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS WITH OVER 2200 UNITS. SO I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE A DEFINITE INTEREST IN SAN ANTONIO. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM, THE REVISED FEE WAIVER PROGRAM, AND THE REVISED CCHI PROGRAM. THESE PROGRAMS ARE NOT PERFECT, BUT THEY'RE VERY, VERY GOOD. I MEAN, FROM MY SELFISH PERSPECTIVE, MY PASSION IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND I'VE HEARD A LOT OF PASSION FROM THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS. AND IF YOU ASK ME, I'D WANNA MAKE IT ALL ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING. BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT'S NECESSARY FOR A VITAL CITY. NOW, I HAVEN'T PUT THE 10,000 PLUS HOURS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT I HAVE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND SO I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK ON THAT. I HAVE AN OPINION, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY A QUALIFIED OPINION. BUT I DO HAVE A QUALIFIED OPINION WITH REGARD TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND I WANNA SAY THAT IN THE PAST AS, AS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPER, I'VE BEEN, I WORK HERE AT PROSPERA, BUT I'VE HAD PREVIOUS CAREERS AT THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING AUTHORITY, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, UH, WORKING IN EAST, UH, AUSTIN, DEVELOPING AND, AND, UH, REVITALIZING HOUSING THAT LED TO THAT ECONOMIC GROWTH. SO I'VE GOT A LOT OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES THAT THAT HELP IN MY OPINION. AND I JUST WANNA APPLAUD THE FACT THAT LORI HOUSTON AND JOHN JACKS AND, UH, VERONICA GARCIA AND THE REST OF THE CENTER CITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE STAFF REALLY REACHED OUT AND ASKED FOR THE NON-PROFIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING DIVIDER'S OPINIONS. WE GOT TO INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS. THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. SO I HEAR WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING, BUT IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, I WOULD SAY THAT THEY REALLY GAVE US A SEAT AT THE TABLE. I HAVE TO, TO MY, I'M VERY EMPATHETIC OF THE FACT THAT SOMEBODY WHO HAS A PASSION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMES IN AND HEARS ALL THESE ACRONYMS AND ALL THESE COMPLEX THINGS AND REALLY CAN'T, PROV DOESN'T UNDERSTAND IT. WELL, AFTER 20 YEARS, I'M STILL WORKING ON TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, IT'S A VERY COMPLEX PROCESS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANNA APPLAUD ABOUT THE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM IS THAT IT DOES FOCUS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THAT'S A CHANGE. IT'S GOT DEDICATED FUNDING FOR BOTH THE SAWS AND, AND THE CITY FEE WAIVER PROGRAMS, WHICH IS AN EXCELLENT THING. AND AS WELL, IT'S CREATED A CAP ON THAT FUNDING FOR THE SAWS FEE WAIVER SO THAT MULTIPLE PROJECTS CAN PARTICIPATE. NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS IT DOES TOO, IS IT, IT USES THE HUD INCOME LIMITS. NOW, I ECHO DR. DRE'S PERSPECTIVE. WE DO HAVE A DIFFERENCE. UH, THE 60% IS PROBABLY A BETTER WAY, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S ECONOMICALLY VIABLE FOR THIS OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE 60%. THAT'S WHY I THINK THE TWO YEAR PERIOD TO GIVE IT A CHANCE AND ANALYZE IT IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO DO IT. UM, I ALSO APPLAUD THE SEED CHIP FOR ELIMINATING THE LUXURY HOUSING. I KNOW THROUGH OH, THANK YOU, MR. MCCURY. I'D JUST LIKE YOU ALL TO SUPPORT THIS. THANK YOU. KRISTEN DAVILA, FOLLOWED BY JACK FINGER. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR. COUNSEL. MY NAME IS KRISTEN DAVILA, AND I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT AND TREASURER OF MERCED HOUSING TEXAS. MERCED IS A NON-PROFIT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. OUR PRIMARY BUSINESS IS TO DEVELOP AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE ALSO RUN AN OWNER-OCCUPIED REPAIR PROGRAM WHERE WE'VE REPAIRED OVER 630 HOMES IN THE CITY. [02:25:01] WE OWN FIVE MULTI-FAMILY COMMUNITIES IN THIS CITY. I'M HERE TODAY WITH MY PEERS FROM OTHER NONPROFIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT THIS ORDINANCE TO ADOPT AND THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CENTER CITY HOUSING INCENTIVE PROGRAM. I WANNA THANK THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO STAFF, AND IN PARTICULAR, MS. HOUSTON, MR. JACKSON, VERONICA GARCIA, FOR INVOLVING US IN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING THIS, UM, THIS ORDINANCE AND THIS POLICY. THEY MET WITH EACH ONE OF US INDIVIDUALLY AND GENUINELY HEARD WHAT WE HAD TO SAY AND INCORPORATED OUR FEEDBACK. AND IN PARTICULAR, THEY INCORPORATED OUR FEEDBACK AND OUR RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO USING THE HUD DEFINED INCOME LIMITS FOR PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY. SO I WANTED TO SAY THAT I, WE, MERCED, HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THIS PROCESS AND CONTINUE TO BE HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. DAVILA. JACK FINGER, MICHAEL TAYLOR. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MICHAEL TAYLOR HAVE DEBT FOR HUMANITY. UM, LAST NIGHT AT THE PUBLIC HEARING I SPOKE ABOUT, UM, HOW THE CITY PERMIT FEE WAIVERS AND THE IMPACT FEE WAIVERS, UH, THAT WE RECEIVE THROUGH THE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM ARE REALLY ESSENTIAL, UM, TO HABITAT'S, UH, BUDGET FOR NEW HOUSES. I TALKED ABOUT HOW THE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM IS CONTRIBUTING SIGNIFICANTLY TO HABITAT'S BUILDING, UH, NEW HOMES, EXCUSE ME, THEY'RE AFFORDABLE. SORRY. THEY'RE AFFORDABLE FOR LOW AND VERY LOW INCOME FAMILIES. AND HOW THE CHANGES THAT ARE, ARE PROPOSED, UH, WILL HELP US BUILD EVEN MORE HOMES. I MENTIONED THAT C C D O STAFF WERE VERY RESPONSIVE TO THE FEEDBACK FROM THE NONPROFITS, AND I WANTED TO PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE. THE ORIGINAL POLICY WAS BASED ON A YET TO BE PRODUCED LOCALLY DERIVED INCOME LIMIT STANDARD. UM, INSTEAD OF THE HUD STANDARD, WHICH OUR NONPROFITS PRETTY MUCH LIVE AND DIE BY, UH, WE EXPLAINED HOW DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE IT WOULD BE FOR THE CITY TO DEVELOP ITS OWN INCOME LIMITS THAT ARE ADJUSTED FOR FAMILY SIZE AND CORRECTED, UM, BASED ON MARKET RENTS, WHICH IS WHAT HUD DOES. AND I ALSO EXPLAINED, WE ALSO EXPLAINED HOW DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE IT WOULD BE FOR THE NONPROFITS TO COMPLY WITH TWO DIFFERENT STANDARDS. C C D O HEARD OUR CONCERNS AND THEY CHANGED THE POLICY AND THE INCOME LIMITS, UH, TO BE REFLECTIVE OF, OF THE HUD INCOME LIMITS. WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THE POLICY, UM, AND WE ASK THAT YOU APPROVE IT TODAY, UH, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DELAY CONSTRUCTION OF 22, NO 22 NEW HOMES FOR LOW AND VERY LOW INCOME FAMILIES THAT STARTING, UH, IN JANUARY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, I WOULD ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU, MR. TAYLOR. BILL SCHO. THANK YOU, MAYOR CITY COUNCILPERSONS. UM, I SPOKE LAST NIGHT AND SHARED SOME OPINIONS AND, AND ONE THING THAT WASN'T ABLE TO, UH, EXPAND UPON BECAUSE OF TIME LIMITATIONS. AND THAT IS, I UNDERSTAND THE, UH, CHANGES BEING MADE IN THE PROPOSED, UH, UH, UH, CCHI PROGRAM TODAY. UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THEM, SUPPORT THEM. BUT I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU AN OPINION THAT THEY MAY, UH, AND THIS IS COMING FROM, UH, BEING IN THE DEVELOPMENT WORLD TODAY AND SEEING LAND PRICES CLIMB, SEEING CONSTRUCTION COSTS CLIMB A CONCERN THAT, UH, THERE MAY BE A CHILLING EFFECT, AND THE, THE PROGRAM MAY BE SOMEWHAT INEFFECTIVE IN SPURRING ADDITIONAL, UH, HOUSING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. AND I JUST WANNA SHARE, UH, AN OPINION THAT IF THAT HAPPENS, I HOPE, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A TWO YEAR REVIEW. I'M, I'M HOPING THAT IF, IF THAT OCCURS, THAT THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT IT, UH, PERHAPS ANNUALLY. UH, SIMPLY AN ENCOURAGEMENT STRONGLY, UH, ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF THIS, OF THE CCHI P PROGRAM TODAY. AND, UH, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT KIND OF IMPACT IT MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SHO. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. THANK YOU, UH, FOR YOUR PATIENCE. CITY COUNCIL IS RE IS BACK FROM ITS RECESS. SO WE'LL RESUME, UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR AS WE LEFT OFF. AND THAT WAS AT, UH, COUNCIL COMMENT IN QUESTION. SO I'LL START WITH COUNCILMAN TNO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT, UH, SOME [02:30:01] OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, UH, WITH THIS, WITH THIS PROGRAM. UM, BUT I ALSO WANNA ADDRESS A COUPLE THINGS THAT I THINK ARE, ARE CRITICAL AS WE PUSH FORWARD. UH, BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE LAND IN THE CITY IS EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT. AND, AND WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR A SMART APPROACH. WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR A BETTER WAY. UH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF FEAR. AND THAT FEAR IS, IS ALSO DRIVING A LOT OF ANGER, UH, TOWARDS THE, THE WORK THAT IS, THAT I THINK IS BEING DONE TO HELP MITIGATE, UH, ISSUES OF AFFORDABILITY FOR A CITY. UH, SO FIRST I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, WE HAVE HEARD YOU, WE HAVE HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. WE'VE HEARD THE CALLS FOR, FOR THE DISPLACEMENT STUDY. AND, AND I AGREE, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE, PUT ALL OUR RESOURCES TO BEAR ON THIS. UH, THERE IS NO REASON, UH, THAT THIS STUDY CANNOT TAKE PLACE WHILE THE PROGRAM IS UNDERWAY. AND WE PLAN TO DO JUST THAT. UH, IF THERE ARE REPORTS THAT ANY INCENTIVE PROGRAM IS AT FAULT FOR DISPLACEMENT, WE WILL ACT IMMEDIATELY TO MITIGATE AND END THAT DISPLACEMENT. AND YOU HAVE MY WORD ON THAT. UH, I'M CONFIDENT THAT MY COLLEAGUES ALL AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT. UH, AGAIN, WE POINT OUT THAT EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE INVEST IN OUR DOWNTOWN RETURNS $13 RIGHT BACK TO OUR CITY. WHY DO I SAY THAT? BECAUSE THIS IS, AGAIN, THIS IS ABOUT, UH, HOW WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE A, A, A MUCH LARGER POLICY THAT IT WORKS WITH OTHER POLICIES TO HELP US FUND, UH, THE ABILITY TO, TO MITIGATE, UH, THE ISSUES OF AFFORDABILITY FOR A CITY. TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, WE HAVE MODIFIED THE C CHIP TO A POINT WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WILL BE STUDYING IT BOTH, WHETHER IT WILL, UH, CREATE SOME ISSUES, UH, OF DISPLACEMENT, OR IF IT'LL BE EVEN EFFECTIVE AT ALL. SO WE NEED TO BE TRUTHFUL ABOUT WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS ABOUT. UH, I WANT TO COMMEND LORI HOUSTON FOR ALL OUR HARD, HARD WORK AND TO, UH, THE FACT THAT, UH, HER AND HER STAFF HAVE REACHED OUT AND SPOKEN TO A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBER MEMBERS ABOUT THIS, UH, PROGRAM. UH, THEY HAVE MODIFIED, UH, THIS, THIS PROGRAM SIGNIFICANTLY TO ADDRESS THOSE, THOSE ISSUES AND CONCERNS. UM, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT THE MAJORITY OF OF ORDINANCES THAT WE HAVE PASSED, UH, IN RECENT HISTORY, HAVE BEEN ABOUT PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS, HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON AFFORDABILITY AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND I'M WILLING, UH, TO DISCUSS THIS PARTICULAR DECISION TODAY WITH ANYONE, ANYTIME, BECAUSE I'M CERTAIN THIS IS THE BEST DECISION FOR OUR DISTRICT AND FOR OUR CITY. UM, I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A, A CHANCE TO CHAMPION A BOLD VISION FOR SOLVING OUR, OUR CURRENT HOUSING CRISIS. BUT SEA CHIP SHOULD NOT BE A MARTYR IN THE PURSUIT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO FIND THE RIGHT METHOD FOR INCREASING AFFORDABILITY. AND OF COURSE, I REMAIN CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL GET THERE TOGETHER. AND I WANNA SAY TO THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE SPOKEN TO BEFORE AND HAVE COME TODAY, UH, GRACIELA, DR. RENAN, CYNTHIA SPIELMAN, UM, MANY OF YOU HAVE, HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY OUTSPOKEN AND CHAMPIONED, UH, VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT, THAT MATTER TO US ALL. UH, I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR FOR, FOR, UH, HELPING TO, TO GIVE SPACE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION, UH, WHILE KEEPING THE MOMENTUM OF OUR CITY GOING. THIS IS THE RIGHT APPROACH. UH, THESE ARE TOUGH DECISIONS THAT WE ARE ELECTED TO, TO TAKE ON. AND, UH, I BELIEVE THAT, THAT THERE IS NO SILVER BULLET. THERE IS NO SILVER BULLET. BUT AS PART OF THE PRESENTATION YESTERDAY, LAURA HOUSTON MENTIONED THAT THEY'LL BE EVALUATING THIS THING THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. THERE'LL BE, THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR CITIZEN INPUT. WE'LL ASK THAT WE CREATE A TIMELINE SO THAT WE CAN GIVE ADVANCED NOTICE TO FOLKS ABOUT THAT. UH, WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO BE, UH, INCLUSIVE AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE, THE COMPLEX STRATEGIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED HERE AT CITY HALL TO HELP ADDRESS, UH, BOTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A, A BRIGHT FUTURE AND CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM FOR OUR CITY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME. UM, AGAIN, UH, WITH THAT, I WANT A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER FOUR. SECOND. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN VINNO. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, SO I, WE OF COURSE HAD A, THE PRESENTATION YESTERDAY AND I HAD A CHANCE TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS, BUT I HAVE, UH, BEEN, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THINKING ABOUT A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS THAT CAME [02:35:01] TO ME, UM, AFTER YESTERDAY'S PRESENTATION, UM, ABOUT, AND SO VETO, COULD YOU COME, I, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AND I'M, I, I WONDER IF, DO WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE HERE FROM THE RIO LOFTS? I DON'T THINK SO. OKAY. SO, UM, WHAT I, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO ASK YOU, UM, ABOUT THE 6.5 MILLION THAT WE DID FOR REHAB, UH, THAT CAME FROM, SOME OF IT FROM THE HOUSING TRUST, UH, NOW I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME, BUT ALL OF THE FUNDING THAT WAS REQUESTED FOR HOUSING REHAB. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHERE, WHERE THAT ALL CAME FROM SURE. AND HOW MANY HOMES WE INTEND TO REPAIR WITH THAT? YES. SO, UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, VERONICA SOTO WITH NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES. YOU ARE REFERRING THE, TO THE 6.5 MILLION THAT WAS ALLOCATED AS PART OF THE BUDGET FOR THE OWNER OCCUPIED REHAB PROGRAM. UH, A LOT OF THE FUNDING FOR THAT WAS NEW GENERAL FUND MONEY THAT CAME TO THAT PROGRAM. BUT WE ALSO ARE UTILIZING FEDERAL HUD ENTITLEMENT GRANT MONEY, THE HOMES THAT ARE GONNA BE REPAIRED WITH THAT 6.5 OR 81 HOMES. WE HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOTTERY SYSTEM. WE USED AN EQUITY APPROACH TO DISTRIBUTE THEM CITYWIDE. SO WE WENT, THIS IS A CITYWIDE PROGRAM. BUT OVERALL, AS YOU KNOW, AND, AND AS WE PRESENTED TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMMITTEE, UH, YESTERDAY, WE HAVE OVER 17 MILLION IN NEW MONEY. MOST OF IT OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND IN SUPPORT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. A LOT OF IT WENT TO PROGRAMS LIKE OWNER OCCUPIED REHAB. WE HAVE NOW 5.25 FOR THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM. AGAIN, A CITYWIDE PROGRAM. AND WE HAVE, UM, SEVEN POINT, UH, TWO FIVE FOR GAP FINANCING AS WELL. 7.25 MILLION. YES. 7.25 MILLION FOR GAP FINANCING FOR ONLY FOR LARGE SCALE PROJECTS, OR WHAT IS THE, THIS IS FOR RENTAL AND HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. THE RENTAL GAP FINANCING AWARDS CAME BEFORE COUNCIL LAST THURSDAY. UM, THE HOME OWNERSHIP YOU SAW AT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMMITTEE, UM, YESTERDAY, AND THO THOSE WILL BE COMING FOR FULL COUNCIL CONSIDERATION IN JANUARY. AND THAT'S PART OF THE 7.5 MILLION, NOT THE 6.5 MILLION IS IN A SEPARATE, IT'S SEPARATE, YES, MA'AM. YES. SO, UH, OR SORT OF BUCKET, I GUESS WHAT I WANNA ASK, AND SO I'M, I'M THE REASON I'M ASKING THESE QUESTIONS, MAYOR, JUST SO THERE'S SOME CONTINUITY, BUT, SO I, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO, MY CONCERN OR MY DESIRE, UH, IN OUR HOME, UH, HOUSING IS TO PRESERVE EXISTING HOUSING MM-HMM. . UH, AND PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE HEARD YOU ME MENTION NOW MANY TIMES, DISTRICT FIVE HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF HOME OWNERSHIP ANYWHERE IN THE CITY WITH 1550 7% HOMEOWNERS. BUT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE HOMES WERE BUILT BEFORE 1960. AND WE KNOW THAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES, UH, AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AND SO HOW MUCH WE DEDICATE TOWARDS REHAB, UH, AND HOME OWNERSHIP IS WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US INVEST MORE. AND THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS WOULD BE GRANT FUNDED. THERE'S NO, UM, TYPICALLY THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT INTENDING TO PAY BACK THOSE LOANS. THEY HAVE TO STAY THERE FOR 10, 10 YEARS, 10 YEARS MINIMUM IF THEY STAY THERE FOR 10 YEARS. UM, AND IF THEY DON'T, THEN WHOMEVER THAT RIGHT, THEY PAY BACK, THEY HAVE TO PAY BACK THAT LOAN. SO, UM, WHAT, I GUESS WHAT I'M, I'M TRYING TO GET AT IS, IS THE DESIRE TO INVEST MORE OF OUR DOLLARS IN THAT CAPACITY. MM-HMM. . UM, AND I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE FOR YOU. THANK YOU. THAT, AND I SEE THAT DEBORAH IS HERE FROM REAL LOFTS. UH, AND SO I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT REAL LOFTS AS WELL. AND I'M ASKING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE YESTERDAY IN OUR B SESSION, UM, COUNCILMAN SALANA ASKED, WHY DO WE HAVE TO USE FUD HUD METRICS? AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING WE HAVE TO USE HUD METRICS BECAUSE THESE ARE FUNDS THAT ARE VERY COMPETITIVE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. UH, AND THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF STANDARD IN THE COUNTRY THAT WE USE WHEN WE ARE COMPETING FOR FUNDS. BUT IN THE RIO LOFTS EXAMPLE, WHICH IS ANOTHER PROJECT THAT'S ON THE CORNER OF DISTRICT FIVE AND DISTRICT THREE, IT'S LIKE IN VERY, UH, EDGE, UH, AND THAT WAS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, THAT GOT HUD MONEY, BUT THAT WE AT THE HOUSING TRUST GAVE RIO LOFTS AN ADDITIONAL $500,000, SO WE COULD HAVE GREATER AFFORDABILITY IN THAT PROJECT. UM, CAN YOU JUST CONFIRM THAT I HAVE THOSE DETAILS CORRECT. DEBORAH GUERRERO, [02:40:01] 39 15 SKYLARK OUT WITH THE N R P GROUP? ABSOLUTELY. THE REASON THAT WE HAD TO USE THE HUD INCOME LEVELS IS BECAUSE T D H C A THROUGH THE TAX CREDIT PROGRAM, WHICH IS A FEDERALLY FINANCED PROGRAM, REQUIRES THAT WE USE HUD INCOME. AND SO WE USE THE ICRP PROGRAM, UH, THE IMPACT FEE WAIVERS AND THE BUILDING PERMIT FEE WAIVERS TO ACTUALLY LAYER ONTO THAT COMPETITIVE 9% APPLICATION FINANCING APPLICATION. SO WE NEEDED TO USE THE SAME HUD INCOME, UH, AMOUNTS IN THAT CASE. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE THE STANDARD FOR ANY PROJECT WE DO THAT HAS AN AFFORDABILITY COMPONENT. AND IF WE AS A, AS A COUNCIL DECIDED WE WANNA HAVE GREATER AFFORDABILITY, WE HAVE TO FIND THAT MONEY SOMEWHERE. SO IT EITHER COMES FROM OUR GENERAL FUND MONEY, IT'S GONNA COME FROM LIKE A HOUSING TRUST. UM, WHAT ARE, I MEAN, AND MAYBE THAT'S MORE OF A QUESTION FOR THE STAFF, IF WE, WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO USE HUD IF WE WANNA LAYER FINANCING. ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN HONESTLY, THE REASON THAT WE SEE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILT IN DALLAS AND IN HOUSTON AND IN AUSTIN IS BECAUSE THEIR HUD A M I, UH, INCOME LEVELS ARE HIGHER, THEREFORE THEY CAN FINANCE AND, AND HAVE MORE FINANCING TO PUT MORE UNITS ON THE GROUND. RIGHT NOW, SAN ANTONIO IS SO UNBELIEVABLY LOW COMPARED TO IN AUSTIN. AND SO, UM, BUT THE NEED IS SO GREAT, BUT THE IDEA OF CONTINUING TO LAYER, TO CONTINUING TO GET DEEPER AFFORDABILITY, THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS WITH LAYERING. THIS PROGRAM ACTUALLY HELPS BECAUSE IT HELPS FILL THAT GAP TO PROVIDE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. RIO LOFTS IS SIMILAR TO MUSEUM REACH, WHICH IS THE, UH, THE, THE APPLICATION THAT EVERYBODY HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT THEY'D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO SEE. IT'S THE EXACT SAME APPLICATION. IT WAS JUST AWARDED LAST YEAR INSTEAD OF THIS YEAR. UH, OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT, DEBORAH. SO I, I GUESS, LORI, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WHAT WE, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THERE'S BEEN SOME ANGST, UH, IN THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT, OR I SHOULD SPEAK FOR MYSELF, MY REASON FOR, UM, A RELUCTANCE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE I CRIP IS BECAUSE OF THE, THE AFFORDABILITY THAT WE EXPECT AS A CITY OR THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT AS A COUNCIL, UM, IS NOT ENOUGH. I KNOW THAT WE, UH, AS A, A GROUP, WE WOULD LIKE, WE DISCUSS MORE AFFORDABILITY, MORE LIKE IN THE 50 TO 30% RANGE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE. AND IF WE WANT, IF WE WANNA SEE THAT AS A COUNCIL, THEN WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO MAKE SHIFTS IN OUR BUDGET. THAT MEANS WE TAKE MONEY FROM STREET MAINTENANCE. IT MEANS WE TAKE IT FROM PUBLIC SAFETY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER SOURCES WHERE WE CAN FUND THAT GAP? UH, IF WE WANNA SEE THAT GREATER AFFORDABILITY, GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE HUD, UH, THE HUD CONSTRAINTS TO FUND PROJECTS? NO. THE, THE SOURCES THAT WE TYPICALLY USE ARE THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROJECTS ARE THE 4% OR 9% THE PUBLIC FACILITIES CORPORATION. AND AS YOU'VE SEEN IN THE MUSEUM, REACH LOSS AND THE RIO LOFTS LAYERING THOSE HELPS US PURCHASE MORE AFFORDABILITY. ANOTHER GREAT TOOL THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE HOPE TO BE USING OVER THE NEXT YEAR IS THE DISPOSITION OF CITY OWNED LAND. SO WHEN WE OWN THE LAND, WE CAN CONTRIBUTE THAT AS PART OF THE PROJECT, WHICH WILL HELP DECREASE THE EXPENSES AND HELP US REACH DEEPER AFFORDABILITY. BUT THERE WERE ONLY TWO EXAMPLES I THINK THAT I SAW. THERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES THAT C C D O' WILL BE WORKING ON. HOWEVER, WORKING WITH VERO SOTO AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THEY'RE PURCHASING LAND FROM THAT $20 MILLION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS, BOND FUNDING. THEY CAN PURCHASE LAND, AND WE CAN ISSUE RFPS TO DO THAT. AND THERE MAY BE OTHER PROPERTIES THAT COME ONLINE, UM, OR BECOME AVAILABLE THAT WE CAN ISSUE, UM, RFPS ON TO GET MORE AFFORDABILITY. WE ALSO WORK WITH DEVELOPERS ALL THE TIME ON LOOKING AT THEIR PARCELS. AND WE COME TO COUNCIL WITH CONCEPTS ON HOW TO MAKE THESE PROJECTS AFFORDABLE. AND SO THE CCHI P IS ONE TOOL THAT'S BE, CAN BE USED TO LAYERED, BUT THAT DOESN'T PREVENT C C D O STAFF OR NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES STAFF TO COME BACK TO CITY COUNCIL WITH A SPECIFIC HOUSING PROJECT THAT HAS MORE AFFORDABILITY. SO I THINK, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT, BECAUSE AS I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE, I MENTIONED I THINK THE PROGRESS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAS BEEN VERY SLOW. MM-HMM. , UH, THERE'S A DESIRE ON THE COUNCIL TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS, BUT [02:45:01] MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT ACTUALLY PROJECTS ARE NOT MOVING, UM, IN, IN TERMS OF SORT OF LARGE SCALE PROJECTS. EVEN SOME OF THE SMALL INFILL HOUSING PROJECTS, UM, SOMETIMES TAKE TOO LONG. AND, UH, I HAVE ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG FOR YOU ALL TO DO A SMALL INFIELD HOME? UH, AND IT'S OFTEN BECAUSE THERE IS A CONCERN WITH FINANCING, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY EXPECTED IT WOULD COST, YOU KNOW, 50,000. BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT GIVEN EITHER THE EXTENT OF THE REMEDIATION OF THE LOT, OR, UM, THAT THE SAWS INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT HOW THEY ANTICIPATED IT WOULD BE BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS VERY OLD. UM, IT IS NOT AS AFFORDABLE AS THEY HAD HOPED. MM-HMM. , OR, AND THE PROJECT STALLS. UM, AND I, I HAVE MENTIONED, UH, HERE ON THE COUNCIL THAT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, SOME OF MY VERY FIRST MEETINGS, UH, WAS ABOUT LONE STAR. ONE OF MY VERY FIRST MEETINGS WAS ABOUT VITRA. UH, ONE OF MY VERY FIRST MEETINGS WAS ABOUT THE PROPERTY DOWN SOUTH, SOUTH SAMORA, WHICH WAS, UM, ANTICIPATED TO BE RETAIL HOUSING. NONE OF THOSE PROJECTS HAVE COME TO FRUITION. MM-HMM. , UH, AND THOSE ARE JUST THE ONES, THE LARGER SCALE ONES THAT I CAN THINK OF OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. UM, WE HAVE LOST A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT LOOKED PROMISING. UM, EVERYTHING FROM THE MALTHOUSE, WHICH HAD BEEN, UH, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR 60 PLUS YEARS, UM, WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR BUSINESS BECAUSE THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE CUSTOMERS ANYMORE. UH, WE'VE SEEN A, UH, CONSOLIDATION OF NOW SIX OF OUR CHURCHES, OUR WEST SIDE CHURCHES COMBINING. UH, AND WHEN I ASKED FATHER DAVID, WHY ARE WE CONSOLIDATING OUR CHURCHES, UH, THEIR RESPONSE WAS, WE HAVE NO PEOPLE, UH, ANYMORE. AND SO AS A RESULT, UH, WE HAVE ONE PRIEST FOR THREE CHURCHES, UH, IN THE, IN MY DISTRICT, IN DISTRICT FIVE. UM, AND, UH, IN FACT, ONE OF THOSE CHURCHES IS IN DISTRICT SIX ST. GABRIEL'S. UM, AND SO THE REALITY IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOSE POPULATION. UH, AND WE, UH, I FEEL THE NEED TO MOVE PROJECTS ALONG MORE QUICKLY, UH, BECAUSE THE FINANCING CAN BE STABLE IF IT'S IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. UH, BUT WITH THE EFFORT AND THE CONCENTRATION ON SMALL SCALE DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE MY SENSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT WE AND, AND THE COMMUNITY, WE KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES. WE HAVE BEEN VERY RESILIENT, UH, OVER THE YEARS. WE HAVE MANAGED TO HAVE BUSINESSES STAY FOR DECADES AND GENERATIONS. UH, BUT SOMETIMES WE NEED SOME HELP TO MOVE THOSE ALONG. UH, AND SO AS WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THIS, UH, I'M PREPARED TO SUPPORT IT IN THE HOPES THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO SEE DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT'S SUSTAINABLE, THAT IS RESPECTFUL. UH, AND PART OF THE WAYS THAT WE DO THAT IS BY COMMITTING AS A COUNCIL THAT WE WANNA INVEST MORE OF OUR FUNDS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS, WHETHER THAT'S SINGLE FAMILY, WHETHER IT'S BY CREATING GAP FINANCING FOR MULTIFAMILY, UH, WHETHER IT'S SELLING CITY LOTS, UM, VERY AFFORDABLY. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW WE'VE DONE THAT. UH, WE'VE SOLD OUR CITY LOTS FOR, UH, $500 TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE, UH, SINGLE FAMILY DEVELOPMENT. WE ARE TRYING TO BE MORE CREATIVE IN, UH, INFILL LOTS THAT ARE 25 SQUARE OR 25 FEET AND LESS. MM-HMM. , THERE'S SOME DIMENSIONS THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO BUILD ON. CAN WE INVEST MORE IN THAT KIND OF MM-HMM. , UH, OF PROGRAM TO BRING MORE PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT AND THEN ENCOURAGE THOSE TO STAY. UH, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE THINGS, THE REALITIES, WHAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY ON THE FLOOR RIGHT BEFORE US, IS THAT PEOPLE ARE LEAVING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE OUR HOUSES ARE FALLING IN ON THEMSELVES, AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OPPORTUNITY FOR GAP FINANCING TO STABILIZE THOSE HOMES AND KEEP THEM THERE LONGER. UH, SO I, I I, I AM, UH, PREPARED TO MOVE THIS FORWARD BECAUSE I JUST FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO MOVE THINGS ALONG, UH, AND HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO CONCENTRATE, UH, OUR EFFORTS IN THE AREAS WHERE WE NEED IT MOST IN AREAS THAT CONTINUE TO SEE A DECLINE IN POPULATION, UH, IN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES THAT CONTINUE TO DECLINE. UH, AND THEN ALSO THOSE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN PENDING FOR A LONG TIME. MANY OF THOSE PROJECTS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PROCEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, AND THE CITY HASN'T WANTED TO INVEST IN THE CLEANUP OF THOSE AREAS, UH, GIVEN THE EXPENSE. UH, AND WE SAW THAT OVER IN THE, ON THE SAR SAMOA PROPERTY. SO, UH, I WOULD LOOK [02:50:01] FOR A COMMITMENT FOR THOSE AS WELL, UH, SO THAT WE CAN DEVELOP ON THE LAND THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE THAT THE CITY OWNS. SO, UH, I, I WILL SUPPORT THIS WITH THE, UH, EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL WORK ON THOSE ISSUES. UM, AND, UH, I'M COMMITTED TO WORKING VERY HARD. WE STILL HAVE THE HOUSING PILOT, UH, IN THE DISTRICT. WE'VE DONE SOME THINGS VERY WELL, AS IN ALL PILOTS. UH, SOME THINGS HAVE NOT ENTIRELY GONE AS PLANNED, BUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE'S IN PLACE, UH, TO CONTINUE ON THAT. SO, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING TO WORK ON THIS ISSUE OF HOUSING, WHICH IS THE ULTIMATELY, UM, WHAT EVERYBODY CARES ABOUT. AND EVEN AS WE SIT ON THIS DAIS, AND WE CAN SAY THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE DONE THAT WE'RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF, THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE ALWAYS WANNA KNOW, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO FOR ME? AND SO, IF WE CAN SAY, I HELPED PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR HOMES LONGER, UH, I SURROUNDED THEM WITH SUPPORT SERVICES. UH, WE FIXED THE STREETS, WE FIXED THE SIDEWALKS, WE DID THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST TO PEOPLE. UM, WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER ON THIS COUNCIL. SO, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, LORI AND BETO, AND, UH, EVERYBODY THAT CAME TO SPEAK TODAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ, I WANNA COMMEND YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON HOUSING IN YOUR DISTRICT. I THINK YOUR PILOT PROGRAMS ARE INNOVATIVE AND VERY MUCH NEEDED, AND I HOPE, UH, I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE THOSE. THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT WORK. UM, I ALSO WANNA THANK LORI, UH, VERONICA AND, UM, VERO AND VERONICA FOR THE, UH, FOR, AND YOUR, YOUR WHOLE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON THIS POLICY. LORI, I KNOW YOU HAVE PUT IN LATE NIGHTS BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN YOU HERE, UM, WHEN I WAS HERE TOO. UM, YOU WERE PROBABLY HERE WHEN I WASN'T AS WELL. UH, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSAL WE HAVE TODAY IS MUCH IMPROVED OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. UM, YOU'VE ADDED, UH, AT MY REQUEST AND, AND MAYBE OF SOME OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER'S LANGUAGE SPECIFICALLY TO PROTECT DIRECT DISPLACEMENT FROM OCCURRING. UM, THERE'S PROTECTION OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, THE AGREEMENTS AS THEY'RE EXECUTED WILL NOW BE POSTED ONLINE AND PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT ADDITION. UH, WE'VE ALSO ADDED TRANSIT CORRIDORS AND, AND REGIONAL CENTERS, AND I DO THINK THERE'S AN ADVANTAGE TO INCLUDING THEM. UM, AND I ALSO, UH, LIKE SEEING, UH, GUARANTEED FEE WAIVERS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE, IN THE REVISED ICRP PROGRAM. UH, AND MANY OF THESE POINTS DO ADDRESS SOME OF THE COMMUNITY CONCERNS THAT, THAT I'VE HEARD. UM, LIKE WAS SAID BEFORE, THERE, THERE IS NO SILVER BULLET FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND OR, AND SEA CHIP WILL NOT BE THAT SILVER BULLET THERE. THERE'S GOING TO BE MANY TOOLS, UH, JUST LIKE THIS LAYERING, UH, PROCESS THAT COUNCILMAN GUERRO TOLD US ABOUT. THERE WILL HAVE TO BE MANY TOOLS. UM, NONETHELESS, I STILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AFFORDABILITY IS, IS A PROBLEM. UM, WHETHER THIS PASSES TODAY OR NOT, AFFORDABILITY WILL STILL BE AN ISSUE. AND SO IS, UH, INDIRECT DISPLACEMENT, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE INDIRECT IMPACTS HAPPENING. WE DON'T HAVE A QUANTIFICATION OR A QUALIFICATION ON THEM YET. UH, BUT I, I DO WANNA KEEP THAT IN MIND. UM, I, UH, UNFORTUNATELY I WON'T BE VOTING IN FAVOR TODAY. UM, I MADE A PROMISE TO MY CONSTITUENTS THAT I WOULD ENSURE THAT AS THE COMMUNITY GROW GREW, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A VOICE IN SHAPING THAT GROWTH. UM, IF, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE RECALLS, BUT WE WERE ON THIS DAIS, UM, IN THE FALL OF, OF 2017, AND THERE WAS A CONTENTIOUS VOTE FOR, UM, AN AFFORDABLE OR WORKFORCE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN MY DISTRICT. UH, IT DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BEFORE THAT HAPPENED, AND THAT CREATED A LOT OF DISTRUST ALONG THAT BANDERA CORRIDOR, UH, IN DISTRICT SEVEN. UM, AND I THINK HAVING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS, IS REALLY KEY TO EARNING THAT TRUST AND THEN KEEPING IT. SO, SO I MADE THAT PROMISE. SO NOW THAT WE'VE INCLUDED THESE, THESE CORRIDORS, I DO WISH WE, WE WOULD GIVE OURSELVES THE TIME TO INFORM THE STAKEHOLDERS ALONG THAT CORRIDOR. UM, THE REGIONAL CENTER PLAN TEAM MEMBERS, AND THOSE THAT ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED ALONG THE CORRIDORS. I DO APPRECIATE THAT YOU LIMITED THE ONE, THE QUARTER MILE BUFFER, AND YOU BROUGHT THAT INTO ADJACENT PROPERTIES. UH, BUT I STILL DO THINK WE NEED TO ENGAGE THE OWNERS OF THOSE PROPERTIES AND THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES WHO THRIVE FROM THAT LOCATION AND ON THOSE PROMINENT CORRIDORS IN, IN OUR CITY. UM, SO AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS MUCH IMPROVED. I JUST DO WISH WE HAD, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO ENGAGE THOSE. AND THAT WAS A COMMITMENT I MADE, UH, TO MY CONSTITUENTS AND I, AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO KEEP IT. SO I WANNA THANK, THANK YOU STAFF, AND I DO WANNA THANK COUNCIL FOR, FOR LISTENING TO MY CONCERNS. UM, AND I DO HOPE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO AT LEAST INFORM THE STAKEHOLDERS ALONG THOSE CORRIDORS. [02:55:01] UM, IN, IN DISTRICT SEVEN, SPECIFICALLY, BANDERA, WILSON, ZAMORA, FREDERICKSBURG, AND, AND BABCOCK. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. COUNCILMAN SALANA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, LET ME THANK LORI AGAIN. UH, NOT, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, BUT TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, LORI RAN THE MARATHON, THE FULL MARATHON, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. AND, UH, SHE DID A LOT OF TRAINING TO LEAD UP TO THAT. AND SO THIS IS REALLY THE PEN, THE, THE FINAL STRETCH HERE FOR YOU ON CCHI, BECAUSE THERE'S NO BETTER TRAINING FOR ANY CITY MANAGER WHO'S WORKING ON CCHI THAN TO HAVE TRAINED FOR A MARATHON. SO LET ME ASK YOU TO, TO TOSS BACK AND FORTH WITH ME SOME, SOME QUESTIONS IF WE CAN. WE'RE AT THE FINAL STRETCH, UH, IF I'M PREDICTING THIS CORRECTLY. BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, IF WE NEED TO, WE COULD STRETCH IT OUT A LITTLE MORE SO THAT I CAN GET MORE FOLKS ON BOARD WITH THE IDEA. SO LET'S GET BACK TO THE CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING YESTERDAY ABOUT HUD. I WILL, UH, TAKE YOU AT YOUR WORD AND EVERYONE'S WORD, WHO I THINK IS, IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. AND DEBRA GUERRERO, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND HELPING US SPEAK THROUGH, UH, WHAT HUD REQUIRES. AND I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO ME. SO THE QUESTION I HAD FOR YOU IS, IS LET'S USE THE HUD METRICS, BUT INSTEAD OF 80%, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR, TO USE HUD'S 60% A M I WHEN WE'RE CONSIDERING OUR, OUR MATRIX HERE OF AFFORDABLE PROJECTS? MM-HMM. , I THINK THAT IS A LITTLE MORE IN LINE WITH THE CITY'S AND, AND WE KNOW THAN LOOKING AT PERFORMAS. AND ACTUALLY A GREAT EXAMPLE IS THE BROADWAY JONES PROJECT THAT WE WORKED ON RECENTLY. WHEN YOU DROP IT LOWER, SO WE HAVE THE 10%, 60%, AND 10%, 80% TO BE ABLE TO BUY DOWN THAT 80% TO A 60, WE NEED AN ADDITIONAL $2 MILLION TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND SO WE KNOW THAT THE PROJECTS WILL NOT WORK. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING IN DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO. SO, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE WOULD BE A NURSE WOULD BE A TEACHER. AND WE DO HAVE A NEED FOR THAT TYPE OF HOUSING IN DOWNTOWN. 'CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE A DIVERSE RANGE OF OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES, UM, FOR, FOR, FOR THE WORKFORCE, FOR, UM, INDIVIDUALS MAKING MARKET RATE AND HAVING THAT AFFORDABILITY. SO IT'S ABOUT PROVIDING DIVERSITY OF OPTIONS AS WELL. I REALLY WANT TO STAY ON THOSE POINTS. UH, UH, LORI, THAT IN MY MIND, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU A QUESTION, BUT I THINK YOU, YOU, YOU'VE ALREADY GOTTEN CLOSE TO ANSWERING IT, WHICH WAS WE'RE, IF WE PASS SEED CHIP, UM, WITH ALL OF THE SAFEGUARDS WE HAVE IN HERE, WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? AND IN MY MIND, SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE A, A DIVERSE, UH, DOWNTOWN WITH WORKFORCE, UH, OPTIONS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT NOT ONLY, UH, A NURSE AND A 500 SQUARE FOOT, BUT MAYBE A TWO BEDROOM THAT IS AFFORDABLE TO A FAMILY UNDER A THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, WOULD WORK FOR THEM. MM-HMM. . AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S MY DRIVING MOTIVATION. NOTHING ELSE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF SEA CHIPS MATTERS, SEA CHIP MATTERS TO ME OTHER THAN MAYBE GET, MAYBE GETTING THAT RIGHT BECAUSE THIS WILL BE THE LAST OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE TO REALLY, UH, BE PART OF A BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WILL LEAD INTO POTENTIALLY TWO YEARS BEFORE WE EVALUATE THIS. UH, AGAIN, SO I, I WANT TO SPEAK TO WHAT I THINK I'VE LEARNED IN TERMS OF WHAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES WHEN WE TRY TO DO AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR WORKFORCE HOUSING IN A PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD. MM-HMM. , UH, I'VE SEEN EVEN IN MY OWN DISTRICT THAT LABELS AND TERMS LIKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOMETIMES SCARE PEOPLE. I, I WISH THAT WASN'T TRUE. AND I, I THINK RIGHT NOW YOU SEE THAT WE MIGHT BE WORKING ON AN AFFORDABLE PROJECT, UH, IN ONE PART OF MY DISTRICT, AND NEIGHBORS WILL HAVE QUESTIONS AND SCRATCH THEIR HEADS. AND SO WHAT I'M ASSUMING IS THAT IN THE FUTURE, IN 2023, IN 2024 IN OUR DOWNTOWN, IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN SEED CHIP, UH, AS IT'S CURRENTLY WRITTEN, WHICH IS WHY I'M CAUTIOUS, IS THAT WE'LL GET MORE MARKET RATE, UH, WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING. THERE'S, THERE'S ARGUMENTS FOR WHY THAT COULD BE GOOD, BUT MY ARGUMENT FOR WHY THAT MIGHT NOT, MIGHT NOT HELP US TOWARDS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL OF SUCCESS, DIVERSITY IN THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE IS THAT FOLKS BEGIN TO FORGET THAT THE CITY HAD A HAND IN CREATING THE DOWNTOWN. THE WAY THAT WE SEE IT IN 2023 OR 2024, THE CITY WILL FORGET THAT WE HELP SUBSIDIZE SOME OF THAT MARKET RATE HOUSING. AND THEY WILL ASSUME THAT THIS IS THE MARKET THAT CREATED THE OPPORTUNITY THAT MAKES IT SO THAT IT IS A PRICE OF ENTRY, UH, AT $2 ABOVE A SQUARE FOOT. SO I, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT WHAT HAPPENS IS IN THE FUTURE IS IT WILL HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT DOING AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT OR MIXED INCOME HOUSING PROJECT IN THE DOWNTOWN. AND THERE WILL BE THE TYPE OF RESISTANCE THAT WE SEE, EVEN IN OTHER PARTS OF THE DISTRICT TO THE IDEA OF, OF HOW DARE THE CITY EVEN CONSIDER PUTTING AFFORDABILITY INTO THE DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE THEY'LL USE TERMS LIKE, IT WILL CHANGE THE CHARACTER OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M IMAGINING PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN THE PROJECTS THAT ARE STILL BEING CONSTRUCTED TODAY. AND THEY'LL USE THAT LANGUAGE TO SAY THAT THEY DON'T WANT FOLKS WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE THERE. AND SO I [03:00:01] THINK THAT THE TIME TO GET THIS RIGHT IS AT THE BEGINNING. UM, AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MEASUREMENTS ARE RIGHT. AND SO THE HUD AT 60% A M I U SAY WILL COST US MORE. YES. UM, I'M WILLING TO SAY THAT IF, IF WE'RE GONNA BE SERIOUS ABOUT THE ISSUE OF, OF A DIVERSE DOWNTOWN THAT OFFERS THIS, WE HAVE TO SORT OF PUT UP OR SHUT UP IF WE WANT THAT AS OUR GOAL. MM-HMM. , UH, BECAUSE IF NOT, THEN I THINK WE'RE GONNA MARCH TOWARDS A REPLICATION OF, OF THE SUCCESS WE'VE SEEN FROM 2012 TO 2018, WHICH IS MOSTLY MARKET RATE. AND, AND I THINK WHERE IT'S GONNA BE EVEN HARDER IN 2024 TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OF FITTING IN, UH, TO THIS NEW DOWNTOWN THAT WE'VE CREATED THE CONCEPT OF AFFORDABILITY, ADD ON TOP OF THAT THE LAND PRICES WILL BE DIFFERENT. UH, I HOPE THAT, WE'LL, WE CAN NOD OUR HEADS IN AGREEMENT THAT THAT WILL PROBABLY BE TRUE. THAT LAND PRICES WILL ONLY GET MORE EXPENSIVE, UH, IN THE DOWNTOWN. THAT'S ALMOST, THAT'S THE REASON WHY I WANNA BAKE INTO THIS, THIS POLICY TODAY. UH, THE CONCEPT OF, OF HUD, IT'S 60% A M I, SO LET'S SUBMIT THAT IT WILL COST US MORE. UM, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT. CORRECT. THE DEVELOPERS WILL SAY IT COSTS TOO MUCH. THEY'LL PRESENT IT TO THE CITY AND THEY'LL SAY, CITY, IF YOU WANT 60% OF HUD A M I, MEANING, UH, FOLKS WHO MAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, $40,000 CAN AFFORD, UH, A, A UNIT IN THE DOWNTOWN, THEY'LL TELL US IT'S GONNA COST YOU 2 MILLION MORE. WE STILL HAVE THE OPTION TO SAY, I'M, WE CAN'T DO IT. WE CAN'T AFFORD IT, BUT I'M WORRIED THAT, THAT WE WON'T HAVE THAT OPTION IF WE GO FORWARD. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE POLICY IS, IS ONE TOOL, AND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2024 TO START WORKING ON THOSE PROJECTS. AND WE'LL BE DOING THAT, YOU KNOW, OVER THE NEXT YEAR WITH NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES AND WITH THE DISPOSITION OF THAT PRIVATE LAND AND THAT PUBLICLY OWNED LAND. AND SO ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS I'VE HAD WITH VERONICA SOTO IS WE HAVE THE CHERRY STREET PROPERTY, IT'S A FOUR ACRE PROPERTY, IT'S IN DISTRICT TWO. WE WANT AN ISSUE AN R F P FOR HOUSING AT 60% A M I OR BELOW. AND THEN WE'D EVEN PACKAGE THAT WITH A SEA CIP AND THEN POTENTIALLY COME TO COUNCIL BEFORE WE HAVE AN ISSUE THAT R F P REQUESTING A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE 9% TAX CREDIT PROGRAM. SO WE MAKE IT MORE COMPETITIVE AND WE MAKE IT, UM, SOMETHING THAT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILDER OR A MARKET RATE HOUSING BUILDER WOULD LOOK AT AND SAY, OH, OKAY, I CAN DO THAT WITH THOSE LAYERED INCENTIVES. SO I WANNA STRESS, WE'RE NOT GONNA WAIT UNTIL 2024 TO DO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE'RE DOING THAT NOW. THE CCHI P IS ONE TOOL THAT WE CAN USE, BUT WE WILL COME BACK TO COUNCIL REGULARLY WITH OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH, WE'RE WORKING ON ONE WITH ALAMO GROUP NOW, UM, THAT WILL PRESENT MORE AFFORDABILITY, BUT THE CCHI P IS NOT THE TOOL FOR THOSE PROJECTS IN THOSE PROJECTS THAT WE POTENTIALLY MIGHT DO. UH, LAYERED APPROACHES IS, IS THAT, WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU FORESEE THOSE PROJECTS HAPPENING IN TIER ONE OR TIER TWO? BOTH. OKAY. SO IF, IF WE WERE TO MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT, YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE POLICY? YES, I DO. TELL ME WHY. AGAIN, I THINK THAT FIRST WE, WE WOULD NOT HAVE ANY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO MAKE THAT AS AN AS OF RIGHT, UM, REQUIREMENT. SO IF WE WERE TO MAKE THAT A REQUIREMENT, WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING SOURCE TO SUPPORT THAT 60% ADDITIONAL 60% A M I. WE ALSO, UM, THERE IS A, A CERTAIN DEVELOPER THAT IS ONLY GONNA BUILD MARKET RATE AND WE STILL NEED MARKET RATE. WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE DO HAVE THAT WORKFORCE. SO THAT 80% IS IMPORTANT. IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT WORKFORCE HOUSING. AND THAT IS A, THAT IS A MARKET THAT WE'RE MISSING IN DOWNTOWN. SO IT COULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE DIVERSITY OF THE HOUSING PRODUCT THAT WE ALSO PROVIDE IN DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO. I GUESS I'M, I'M CONFUSED ABOUT THE TERM REQUIREMENT. IF WE PUT IN THE CURRENT 80% HUD MM-HMM. UP TO 80% LANGUAGE, WE HAVE, THAT'S A REQUIREMENT. SO YOU HAVE TO, SO IN LEVEL TWO, WELL, LEVEL THREE IT'S 60% A M I OR BELOW MM-HMM. , YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT. WE, THIS IS THE BROADER, SO WE'RE, WE'RE GOING FROM THE OUTSIDE. YES. AND WE HAVE, WE, AND WE HAVE THE AS OF RIGHT TOOLS TO SUPPORT THAT. AND LEVEL TWO, IT'S 10% AND UP TO 80, AND WHICH IS WORKFORCE AND 10% UP TO 60, WHICH IS AFFORDABLE. IF WE WERE TO DROP THAT DOWN TO 60. AND SO THEY EITHER HAVE TO DO 20% AT 60% OR GO ABOVE FIVE STORIES, MOST LIKELY THEY WOULD ALL GO TO SIX STORIES AND NOT EVEN CONSIDER THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A, A SOURCE OF FUNDING TO HELP SUPPORT THAT 60%. NOW THAT 60% COULD WORK WHEN WE PARTNER IT WITH A P F C AND WORKING WITH THE P F C MODEL AND MAYBE BUYING DOWN UNITS TO SUPPORT THAT 60% OR WORKING ON OTHER WAYS TO LAYER THOSE PROJECTS ON OTHER PRO ON OTHER PROPERTIES. GOTCHA. SO, [03:05:01] UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT. I, I I GET YOUR, THE POINT THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE MAKING, YOU'RE SAYING THAT, UH, IF WE ARE GONNA GIVE IT THE BEST CHANCE OF VICTORY, UH, AFFORDABILITY, THAT IT HAS TO BE AT SOME POINT, UM, A BETTER CHOICE AT THE DI AT AT THE DINNER TABLE TO EAT FOR DEVELOPERS RATHER THAN JUST TO GO UP TO SIX STORIES. BECAUSE THAT MIGHT BE, WE MIGHT BE FORCING THEM INTO THAT IF WE MAKE IT SO EXPENSIVE. AND YOU'RE ALSO SAYING, IF WE MAKE IT SO EXPENSIVE, WE MAKE IT EXPENSIVE UPON ON OURSELVES BECAUSE WE'D HAVE TO PAY INTO IT OR TO COMMIT TO THAT 60% HUD, UM, FIGURE, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS I, I THINK I'M, I'M READY TO SAY THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT IF WE'RE GONNA CURATE, UM, THE NEXT TWO YEARS, THAT WE CURATE IT IN A WAY THAT WE FEEL IS AFFORDABLE TO THE MAJORITY OF SAN ANTONIANS. UM, LET ME ASK ONE OTHER QUESTION. THE PIECE ON THE PIECE ON THE, THE PREDICTABILITY AND THE SPEED OF THIS IS WHAT CONCERNS ME BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE THAT I DON'T KNOW ARE POSSIBLE. UH, WE SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA EVALUATE IT PRETTY WELL MM-HMM. , UM, THAT IF SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT, UH, WE CAN, UH, PULL BACK THAT WE'RE GONNA STAY ON TOP OF THIS. BUT DOESN'T THAT, ISN'T THAT INCONGRUENT WITH, WITH AS OF RIGHT AS IT AS IT STANDS. I MEAN, YOU, YOU ARE, THE IDEA IS IT'S, IT'S AS OF RIGHT. MEANING YOU'RE ENTITLED TO THESE MM-HMM. , ONCE WE PASS THESE RULES, IF WE START QUESTIONING THAT, THEN THAT THROWS OFF PREDICTABILITY. MM-HMM. . SO HOW DO WE SAFEGUARD WHEN WE'RE AT THE SAME TIME SAYING IT'S PREDICTABLE, IT'S QUICK, BECAUSE I'M GONNA SAY AS IF I'M THE DEVELOPER, IT'S LIKE, NO, YOU PASS THE RULES. YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE RULES OF THE GAME. NOW, EVEN THOUGH I MIGHT BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING THAT LOOKS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU THOUGHT WAS GONNA BE PART OF THE PROJECT, IT IS PREDICTABLE FOR A CERTAIN TYPE OF PROJECT. THERE ARE SEVERAL PROJECTS THAT WE WORK ON WORK, THEY START AND THEY DISCOVER AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE, OR THEY DISCOVER ANOTHER ISSUE TO THE PROPERTY THAT INCREASES THEIR PROJECT COSTS. AND SO IT'S PREDICTABLE TO A CERTAIN LEVEL. SO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL, UM, IN THOSE CASES. AND SO IT'LL WORK FOR A FEW PROJECTS, BUT THEN IT'LL ALLOW US TO WORK ON SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE STAFF ATTENTION AND CATERING IN TERMS OF AN INCENTIVE PACKAGE. HMM. SO I THINK A GREAT EXAMPLE IS, I'LL GO BACK TO BROADWAY JONES JUST BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING WE RECENTLY DID, UM, THAT HAD ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS IN ENVIRONMENTAL THAT THAT NEEDED TO BE, UH, REMEDIATED. AND SO THE INCENTIVES THAT WE PROVIDED ABOVE THE SEED CHIP HELPED WITH THAT. YEAH. BROADWAY JONES IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. I, I, I LIKE BROADWAY JONES BECAUSE WHAT WE DID IS WE PASSED IT IN THIS COUNCIL AND, AND THEN N R P CAME BACK TO US AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE GOT A LITTLE MORE CREATIVE. THERE'S THIS MONEY THAT, UH, IF YOU WERE TO CONTRIBUTE, WHAT WAS IT? UH, DEBRA, IF YOU CAN SPEAK TO THIS EXAMPLE, $125,000 BACK MM-HMM. , WHAT THAT DOES IS THAT BUYS DOWN THE UNITS TO BE MORE AFFORDABLE MM-HMM. . CORRECT. AND, AND, UM, AT THE P F C, YOU ALL BOUGHT THEM DOWN, NOT ONLY AT 60%, BUT AT 50% TOO, I MEAN DOWN TO 50, WHICH MEANT THAT IF A, A POTENTIAL RESIDENT CAME TO BROADWAY JONES AND THEY WERE AT 50 OR 60, THAT, UH, WE WOULD GO AHEAD AND LEASE IT TO THEM. OF COURSE, QUALIFYING GOING THROUGH OUR QUALIFICATIONS AND THE P F C THROUGH THEIR PROCEEDS WOULD BUY DOWN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 80% RENT AND THE MM-HMM. 50 OR 60, DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY QUALIFIED. SO IT REALLY WAS A WAY TO GET DEEPER AFFORDABILITY INTO A A P F C. YEAH. AND RIGHT IN THE SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF DOWNTOWN. YEAH. AND WE JUST HAD TO BE WILLING TO PUT UP THE MONEY AND, AND, AND WE WERE, AND I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE HERE, IS THAT IF WE'RE WILLING TO PUT UP THE MONEY, I THINK WE END UP WITH A, WITH A BETTER PRODUCT, UH, THAT IS MORE GENUINELY, UH, DIVERSE IN ITS OFFERINGS FOR, FOR FOLKS WHO DON'T MAKE, UH, A TON OF MONEY. BUT, BUT THE ONE CAVEAT TO THAT, COUNCILMAN, JUST SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND, IS THE, THE REASON THAT THE COST IT WAS MANAGEABLE WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE BUYING DOWN FROM AN 80% TO A 60 OR 50. MM-HMM. . THE, THE CONCERN THAT I KNOW THAT LORI IS EXPRESSING WITH THE MARKET RATE IS YOU'RE BUYING IT DOWN FROM A MARKET RATE DOWN TO A 50 OR 60. SO THAT'S WHY THESE PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENTS DO WORK BETTER WHEN IT IS LAYERED WITH A P F C OR WITH, UH, SOME KIND OF TAX CREDIT FINANCING THAT'S SPECIFIC TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ESPECIALLY IN THESE AREAS WHERE IT IS MUCH HIGHER TO, TO DEVELOP LIKE DOWNTOWN. YEAH. I MEAN, THAT, IT, IT'S INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. I, I GRANT YOU THAT BECAUSE IN SOME CASES, SOME OF THESE BUY DOWNS ARE FROM MARKET RATES THAT ARE HIGHER THAN ANYONE I THINK IN, IN MY COMMUNITY WOULD BE ABLE TO AFFORD. SO THAT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT WHEN IT'S AT $2 AND 40 CENTS A SQUARE FOOT. EVEN IF YOU BOUGHT IT DOWN TO $2 A SQUARE FOOT WOULD STILL BE A SIGNIFICANT TASK. CORRECT. UM, BIG PICTURE, I THANK YOU FOR, I'M, I'M GOING TO APOLOGIZE TO MY COUNSEL THAT I MIGHT BE ANOTHER FEW MINUTES HERE. THE CIP WORKS WHERE [03:10:01] THE BEST PRIZE FOR A DEVELOPER IS THE CITY FEE WAIVERS. IS THAT, AM I MAKING AN ACCURATE CHARACTERIZATION? UM, THE, THE BEST TOOL IS, IS THE CASH THAT COMES AT THE FRONT END. SO THAT WOULD BE THE CITY AND SAS FEE WAIVERS. THE SAS FEE WAIVER IS THE, THE HIGHEST FINANCIAL TOOL. NOW, I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE BEST TOOL IN THAT TOOLKIT IS THE STAFF FACILITATION, HELPING THEM NAVIGATE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, THEY, THEY KNOW WHERE TO GO IN THE PROCESS. THEY KNOW WHAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MEET WITH. AND THAT IS, THAT IS A BIG TOOL THAT WE PROVIDE IN CENTER CITY. BUT THE BEST FINANCIAL TOOL THAT COMES WITH THE CIP WOULD BE THE STY WAIVERS AND THE CITY FEE WAIVERS. AND THEN THE TAX REBATE IS NEXT. THE TAX REBATES ARE SOMETIMES 10, 15 YEARS, OR ARE THEY CONSISTENT? YES, 10 OR 15 YEARS. 10 OR 15 YEARS DEPENDING ON WHERE THE LOCATION THE PROJECT IS LOCATED. COULD THE VALUE OF THAT 10 OR 15 YEARS, UH, UM, EQUATE TO A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF SAVINGS FOR THE PROJECT? YES, IT COULD. SO IT DEPENDS ON, YOU KNOW, HOW THE, THE LEVEL OF THE PROJECT. SO, UM, LET'S SAY THEIR CITY TAXES ARE PAYING ARE 200,000 A YEAR. I MEAN, THAT'S OVER 10 TO 15 YEARS. AND THAT TYPICALLY GOES TO THEIR, THAT GOES TO OFFSET THEIR EXPENSES. THAT HELPS 'EM WITH THEIR RETURNS. WHY CAN WE FIDDLE WITH THE, UH, WITH THE CONCEPT OF THE, OF THE YEARS ALLOTTED TO THE DEVELOPER? IF WE WANTED TO SAY BUY DOWN TO AFFORDABILITY, WE SAY THE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA BUY THAT DOWN IS GIVE YOU ANOTHER FIVE YEARS ON TAX ABATEMENTS. AND WE LOOKED AT THAT. AND FOR OUR LONG-TERM HOLDERS, WHICH IS WHO, WHO WE REALLY WANT TO, TO WORK WITH LONG-TERM, WHAT THE LONG-TERM HOLDERS, THOSE THAT, THAT COME IN AND OWN THE PROPERTY FOR A WHILE MM-HMM. , UM, THAT TAX REBATE IS KEY FOR THEM TO HELP THEM WITH THE, THE EXPENSES. CORRECT. I THINK IT'S KEY, TOO. CAN WE MAKE IT MORE ATTRACTIVE BY ADDING TO THE YEARS OF TAX REBATE AND IN EXCHANGE FOR THAT GETTING AFFORDABILITY, UH, COMPONENTS? NO, 'CAUSE IT, IT, IT, BECAUSE IT'S AN ANNUAL, UM, IT, IT IMPACTS THEIR EXPENSES ANNUALLY. IT WOULDN'T HELP THEM BOARD BUILD MORE AFFORDABILITY UP FRONT. OKAY. SO THEN THE BEST TOOL IF WE WANTED TO DO THAT WOULD BE CASH UPFRONT IN, IN FEE. YES. SAFETY WAIVERS. THAT IS THE BEST TOOL TO HELP OFFSET THAT INITIALLY. AND THEN THE BEST TOOL TO HELP WITH MORE AFFORDABILITY WOULD BE THE COMPLETE TAX EXEMPTION THAT THROUGH THE P F C. OKAY. OR THE 9% TAX CREDITS. UM, LET ME EXPRESS WHAT I THINK MIGHT BE SOME, SOME CONCERNS THAT SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE TRIED TO TRANSLATE TO ME THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT, WHICH IS, UH, THE CONCEPT THAT WHEN WE STARTED THIS, UH, THERE WASN'T A LOT OF, UH, WHEN WE WERE GOING INTO THE DOWNTOWN TO BUILD HOUSING MM-HMM. OR EVEN INTO THE PEARL, WHICH AT THAT POINT WAS JUST A PLACE THAT USED TO SELL BEER. THERE WASN'T A LOT OF OF COMMUNITY RESIDENTS THAT WERE IN THAT PLACE. AND SO I THINK THE SENSE THAT DISPLACEMENT WAS AT THE TOP OF PEOPLE'S MINDS WOULD BE INACCURATE FOR, UH, 2012 OR 13. BUT I THINK NOW WE'RE GETTING INTO PARTS OF, OF THE DOWNTOWN, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TIER TWO. MM-HMM. AND TIER THREE, WE'RE GETTING INTO NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THAT IS VERY MUCH AT THE TOP OF PEOPLE'S MINDS. AND SO I WANNA GO THROUGH AN EXAMPLE THAT COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ BROUGHT UP, BECAUSE I WANT THIS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. MM-HMM. . BUT I WANT US TO ALSO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE, THE PIMPLES AND WARTS THAT COME ALONG WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. SO, LONE STAR IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF A PROJECT THAT CAN REALLY GET OFF THE GROUND. AND, AND I WANT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN FOR THE SAKE OF LONE STAR AND FOR, UH, THE SAKE OF, OF A PROPERTY THAT'S BEING UNDERUTILIZED TODAY. UH, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT'S GOING TO BE MIXED INCOME, BUT I KNOW THAT WHAT'S AROUND THERE TODAY IS, IS, UH, ARE HOMES THAT ARE NOT MAKING AT THE CURRENT MEDIAN INCOME. I MEAN, I KNOW THAT PRETTY WELL BECAUSE I HAVE FAMILY THAT LIVES UP AND DOWN PROBAND. SO I THINK THAT'S THE CONCERN THAT YOU'RE SEEING EXPRESSED BY SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE WORRIED THAT IF WE'RE LOOKING AT, AND LEMME JUST MAKE SURE THAT LONE STAR IS IN TIER TWO. IT IS IN TIER TWO. LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW THAT WOULD REALIZE ITS, ITS SUCCESS UNDER THE CURRENT PROGRAM. MM-HMM. , UH, AND, AND WE DO KNOW THROUGH WORKING ON THREE PREVIOUS LONE STAR PROJECTS, THE C CHIP PROGRAM IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE THOSE PROJECTS HAPPEN, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT JUST HOUSING PROJECTS. THEY INCLUDE A, A RETAIL COMPONENT, AN OFFICE COMPONENT. SO THAT IS A PROJECT THAT WE WOULD BRING BACK TO CITY COUNCIL WITH AN INCENTIVE PACKAGE. UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UM, GONZALEZ, UM, WORK TO GET $5 MILLION IN THE BOND PROGRAM TO HELP WITH STREETS SURROUNDING LONE STAR. SO MOST LIKELY WHEN WE DO FIND A DEVELOPER THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE PART OF SOME OF OUR INCENTIVES, THAT WE'D BE DOING SOME OF THOSE STREETS. AND SO IT'S A BIGGER PROJECT THAN NISA SEA CHIP, UM, BECAUSE OF ALL THE OTHER, UM, COMPONENTS AND ISSUES WITH THAT PROPERTY. SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE CIP ALONE WOULD NOT WORK FOR THAT FOR A PROJECT AT LONE STAR. OKAY. SO THERE'S, THERE'S EXAMPLES THAT I THINK MAY MAYBE FIT MORE OF A DESCRIPTION WHERE HOUSING MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE OF AN ELIGIBLE PROJECT. AND IF IT'S MEETING, I THINK SOME OF THE NEEDS IN THE CURRENT OUTLINE, UM, IT WOULD BE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY AROUND IT. I, I SUSPECT. [03:15:01] AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE CONCEPT THAT SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE, UH, ASKING US FOR A POSTPONEMENT TO REALLY GET OUR HANDS ON THIS TO UNDERSTAND IS, WILL IT TRULY, UM, IMPACT ME IN A WAY THAT MIGHT NEGATIVELY STARTLE SOME OF THE CURRENT RESIDENTS WHO MIGHT BE LIVING IN THOSE AREAS? SO I, I THINK I'M, I'M SYMPATHETIC TO, TO THE CONCERNS, I'M SYMPATHETIC TO THE IDEA OF GETTING OUR HANDS AROUND A DISPLACEMENT STUDY. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG, UH, THAT WOULD TAKE, BUT MAYBE I CAN ASK VERO IF SHE CAN HELP ME THINK THROUGH THIS. 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT, UH, WHAT COMMUNITY HAS REALLY DONE A DISPLACEMENT STUDY IN A WAY THAT WE CAN FEEL PROUD OF TO POINT TO. THANK YOU. CAN YOU REPEAT YOUR QUESTION, PLEASE? YEAH. THE, THE CONCEPT OF HAVING A DISPLACEMENT STUDY IN ITS BASIC FORM, I IMAGINE THAT IT HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF INVESTMENTS AND WHAT AREAS ARE THE SORT OF NEXT TO TRIGGER, AT LEAST, UM, UH, THAT WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT FOR, FOR DISPLACEMENT. WHAT KIND OF DISPLACEMENT STUDY DO YOU THINK, UH, WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR US TO, TO REVIEW? SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, THE RISK MEDICATION POLICY FRAMEWORK JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIMEFRAME, AND WE'LL HAVE THAT INFORMATION AT THAT TIME. SO THOSE RESULTS WILL TELL US, UH, WILL TELL US THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE THINK ARE THE MOST AT RISK THAT WE'LL BE USING FOR, UM, ALL THE REST OF THE WORK THAT HAS TO DO WITH DISPLACEMENT. BUT WE'RE BRINGING THAT RISK MITIGATION FUND JANUARY, FEBRUARY. AND WE'LL HAVE, UM, A LOT OF THE FRAMEWORK FOR HOW WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THIS AS WELL. I MEAN, WE WE'RE BUILDING ON THE EXISTING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ASSESSMENT WORK THAT WAS DONE BY NCAP, ACTUALLY. OKAY. YEAH. NCAP HAS SOME, SOME, UH, SOME OF THAT EXACT WORK. I THINK THEY LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOODS AND SAY, THIS IS PROBABLY THE NEXT SHOE TO FALL IF WE'RE NOT CAREFUL. I, I, I DO THINK THAT CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SHOULD BE LEADING WHEN IT COMES TO, TO THESE KINDS OF EFFORTS. AND, AND, AND FOR ME, THIS IS JUST A QUESTION OF SEQUENCE. UM, I THINK THAT, THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THE, THE STUDY IN IN HAND BEFORE WE, WE GO INTO A BIG POLICY THAT MIGHT RUN US DOWN A TRACK THAT MOVES FASTER THAN WE CAN CONTROL. AND, AND IF, IF MY ISSUE WASN'T SEQUENCED, UH, THEN ONE OF THE ISSUES WHERE I THINK I'M GONNA JOIN, UH, THE COUNCILWOMAN ON THIS AND ASKING FOR A POSTPONEMENT IS THAT IT, IT REALLY IS NOT JUST ENOUGH FOR US TO HAVE A PRETTY GOOD SENSE OF, OF THE POLICY. AND LIKE I SAID, I THINK I HAVE A PRETTY GOOD SENSE BECAUSE YOU'VE SHARED SOME TIME WITH ME, LORI, AND VERO ON THIS ISSUE. UH, BUT I THINK FOR THE FOLKS LIKE SISTER CONSUELO WHO I WASN'T ABLE TO MEET OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, WHO'S CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE, UH, I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH HER AND TALK THROUGH WHAT THE NEW ICRP WOULD LOOK LIKE AND WHAT THE NEW CCHI REALLY MEANS OR DOESN'T MEAN TO HER. AND I WANT TO AT LEAST BE RESPECTFUL OF HER AS A RESIDENT WHO HAS A CONCERN, WHO SPEAKS FOR A CONSTITUENCY THAT IS USUALLY AT THE FRONT LINES OF, OF ANSWERING TOUGH QUESTIONS, UH, AND TRANSLATING THOSE TOUGH TOPICS AND COMPLICATED ISSUES, UH, TO THEM. AND SO RIGHT NOW IT FEELS TOO MUCH LIKE, UM, LIKE INSIDER BASEBALL. LIKE WE KNOW, I THINK WHAT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN, AND WE'RE TELLING THE COMMUNITY, JUST TRUST US. WE'VE DONE OUR HOMEWORK, AND LET US GO THROUGH AND DO THIS POLICY. I WOULD LOVE US TO GO THROUGH A PROGRAM WHERE IT SAYS, UH, WE'LL BRING YOU IN. WE'LL LET YOU UNDERSTAND THAT AND UNDERSTAND THE POLICIES AND WHAT WE THINK THE IMPLICATIONS WILL BE. AND YOU COULD SPEAK INTO, UH, WHAT YOU BELIEVE ARE, ARE YOUR BIGGEST FEARS AND CONCERNS. LIKE I SAID, I STILL HAVE SOME BIG FEARS AND CONCERNS, UH, ABOUT THIS THAT I DON'T THINK WILL BE QUELLED SPEC SPECIFICALLY AROUND, UM, THE HUD A M I GUIDELINES AND, AND THE 360,000 THAT WE ARE ALLOWING FOR SOME OF THE CONDO UNITS, UH, TO BE SUPPORTED BY, BY TAX ABATEMENTS AND CITY FEE WAIVERS AND SOFT FEE WAIVERS. SO, UM, MAYOR, I, I STILL WOULD ASK, I HOPE THAT SOME FOLKS WILL CONSIDER THIS, THAT WE LOOK AT THIS IN, IN 30 DAYS, AND I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE POSTPONED FOR 30 DAYS, COUNCILMAN. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR A POSTPONEMENT OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. COUNCILMAN, UH, THE CITY MANAGER HAD A, HAD A POINT OF INFORMATION JUST TO ANSWER THE COUNCILMAN'S QUESTION. RATHER THAN IDENTIFYING NEIGHBORHOODS FOR THE DISPLACEMENT PROGRAM AS PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION, THERE WILL BE CRITERIA AND A METHODOLOGY FOR EVALUATION SO THAT WE HAVE, UM, AND YOU MAY RECALL THIS, OF COURSE, EMANATED FROM THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SOAP WORKS PROJECT, UH, THAT WAS OF HIGH INTENSITY AS THE HOUSING TASK FORCE WAS DISCUSSING THOSE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY MADE AND WOULD PERTAIN TO A PROJECT LIKE THAT OR MISSION TRAILS ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AND SO WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON IS NOT SAYING THE DISPLACEMENT CAN ONLY GO HERE, HERE, OR HERE, BUT RATHER HERE ARE THE GUIDELINES AND THE METHODOLOGY. SO AS PROJECTS COME FORWARD, UH, THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR DEVELOPMENT, THEN WE HAVE THAT IN PLACE AND CAN READILY DEAL WITH IT. AND IN OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR, WE HAD RECOMMENDED $1 MILLION AS THE INITIAL FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM, UH, TO HELP IN THE DISPLACEMENT AND RELOCATION IF NEEDED. BUT TO KEEP PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE IS REALLY THE INTENT TO THE PROGRAM. AND PERHAPS IN FUTURE [03:20:01] BUDGETS, THE COUNCIL WILL CHOOSE TO, UH, INCREASE THAT, UH, DISPLACEMENT PROGRAM. SO WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU. THE STAFF IS WORKING ON THOSE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE METHODOLOGY AND THE GUIDELINES AS TO, UH, HOW THAT WILL OPERATE IN THE FUTURE. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY BECAUSE I THINK YOU WERE, YOUR QUESTION WAS WHAT AREAS OF THE CITY, AND IT'S FOCUSED ON GUIDELINES THAT, OF COURSE, WILL PERTAIN TO THOSE LEAST AFFORDABLE, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS. OKAY. COUNCILMAN, YOU YIELD THE FLOOR. WE'LL TAKE UP THE MOTION. YES. OKAY. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR, UH, POSTPONEMENT OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. SO WE'LL, UH, CONTAIN OUR COMMENT. IS THERE ANY COMMENT FROM THE COUNCIL ON THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR? IF NOT, WE'LL TAKE UP THAT MOTION FIRST SINCE IT'S PRIMARY. UH, SO THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR POSTPONEMENT OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. A YES VOTE IS TO VOTE IN FAVOR. POSTPONEMENT A NAY VOTE IS, IS A VOTE AGAINST POSTPONEMENT, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION FAILS. OKAY. WE'LL CONTINUE ON NOW WITH THE, UH, FIRST MOTION, UH, FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. UH, COUNCILMAN BROCKO. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, THANK YOU LORI AND, AND TEAM FOR, UH, YOUR, YOUR DILIGENT WORK, UM, TAKING A TON OF COMMENT, UM, ESPECIALLY BACK TO BACK LIKE THIS ON WHEN WE'RE HEARING A LOT OF SIMILAR STUFF. SO I'LL JUST TRY TO BE BRIEF AND BRING A COUPLE OTHER POINTS. UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WAS SAID YESTERDAY, UH, BY MY COLLEAGUE IN DISTRICT FOUR ABOUT, UM, THIS, THIS $360,000 AFFORDABILITY THING. I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT MY COLLEAGUE SAID, BUT IT WAS REFERENCING THAT THAT'S AN AWFUL HIGH AMOUNT OF MONEY TO BE INCENTING A PROPERTY THAT VALUE. UH, WHILE I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS, SO I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THIS. I, LIKE I SAID, I WROTE THE C C R LAST YEAR ABOUT FIXING THESE PROGRAMS SO WE COULD START INCENTIVIZING GROWTH EVERYWHERE IN THE CITY. THAT THAT'S WHAT I FELT THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. BUT I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT I JUST THROW A COUPLE THINGS THAT DO CONCERN ME TO YOU THAT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE WATCHING. ONE IS, IS THAT, UH, TO MY COLLEAGUE'S POINT WAS DON'T REALLY WANT TO BE INCENTIVIZING $360,000 OR 300,000 IN DISTRICT SIX. THAT'S A PRETTY NICE HOME MAN SUCKER'S 4,000 SQUARE FOOT. IT DOESN'T MAKE, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT'S TO BE ON THE HIGHER END OF THE COMMUNITY I REPRESENT. SO I WANNA BE VERY CAREFUL GOING FORWARD THAT WE MONITOR THAT. LIKE I'D BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING, UM, WHERE THESE DOLLARS ARE ACTUALLY GOING. UM, WHILE WE WANT TO DO 'EM, WE WANT TO, WE, WE DO WANT TO TARGET THEM TO HELP, UH, CREATE THESE OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS THE CITY. UH, AND WE TALKED YESTERDAY OF ALL OF THIS GRIEF OVER C CHIP, IT'S 7,500, IT'S 7,500 UNITS. I MEAN, UH, WE NEED 242,500 MORE ACROSS THE CITY TO HELP THIS INFLUX OF PEOPLE WE'RE HAVING OVER THE NEXT 20, 30, 40 YEARS. SO WE HAVE TO GET BETTER ABOUT IT. AND IN MY OPINION, IT GOES WAY FURTHER THAN JUST THIS SEED CHIP IS NOT THE, THE MAIN DISPLACEMENT FACTOR. UH, AND I JUST WANT, WANNA BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. THERE'S MULTIPLE THINGS I THINK ABOUT EDGEWOOD. UH, I THINK ABOUT OLD HIGHWAY 90. UH, WE'VE GOT THE WET SEA COMING IN THERE. IT'S $24 MILLION DEVELOPMENT ON OLD HIGHWAY 90. IT'S GOING TO TRANSFORM THE CORRIDOR. AND WHEN IT DOES, WE ARE FACING DISPLACEMENT BECAUSE OF THAT. UM, AND, AND WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WHEN WE COME AND WE DROP A SENIOR LIVING FACILITY IN THERE? WE BUILD A SENIOR CENTER, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT PUTTING A SENIOR CENTER, YOU KNOW, JOINTLY IN THE AREA WHEN WE START DOING OTHER TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT AS WELL. UM, LIKE WHAT ALAMO COLLEGES IS DOING, WE FACE A DISPLACEMENT CONVERSATION THERE TOO. SO I HOPE ANY CONVERSATION WE HAVE ABOUT DISPLACEMENT GOING FORWARD ALSO INCLUDES THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY FACTORS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THAT. IT'S NOT JUST C CHIPP, NOR IS IT I CRIP. IT IS THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE WAGES THAT MAKE SENSE IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, THE MORE MONEY SOMEONE MAKES, THE MORE HOME THEY CAN AFFORD. LET'S BE HONEST HERE, WE'RE BEATING AROUND A BUSH TRYING TO CLOSE AN AFFORDABILITY GAP, YET WE HAVEN'T ONCE MENTIONED THE WAGE GAP OR HARDLY IN THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE IN DEPTH ABOUT CREATING AND FINDING BETTER JOBS. SO THAT'S WHY I'M A BIG, A BIG ADVOCATE FOR PARTNERING WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO TRY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. AND THEN THE OTHER HALF OF THAT IS WE ALSO SHOULD REDUCE THE FEES. I THINK THE COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN SALANI HAD A VERY GOOD POINT I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT BEFORE, WHICH WAS EXTENDING THE TAX ABATEMENT IS A LITTLE FURTHER A DOLLAR'S A DOLLAR TO A DEVELOPER. SO IF, EVEN IF WE GIVE 'EM A FEW MORE YEARS AND AVOID THE INCENTIVE, I MEAN, THEY'RE JUST, THERE'S GOTTA BE BETTER COMBINATIONS WE CAN ALSO THINK ABOUT GOING FORWARD. UM, AND I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE TAX ABATEMENT PIECE AT ALL, AS LONG AS THEY'RE CREATING JOBS, IT MAKES SENSE, AND WE'RE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERYTHING THEY WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT, BUT IT'S JOBS AND WAGES. AND THEN IT'S ALSO WHAT'S ALSO CAUSING A LOT OF DISPLACEMENT THAT I WOULD'VE A CONCERN WITH ALSO IS, YOU KNOW, ALAMO COLLEGE IS COMING IN OFF OLD HIGHWAY NINE'S, EDGEWOOD, WHO'S GONNA BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY THAT'S ALREADY THERE. [03:25:01] UM, I, I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, HOW ARE THEY GONNA BE ABLE TO AFFORD THAT, RIGHT? I MEAN, THERE'S ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT GO INTO IT. SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO COME AROUND IS JUST TO KIND OF RIGHTSIZE THE CONVERSATION THAT THE SEA CHIP AND I, CRIP IS ONE COG IN A WHEEL OF OPPORTUNITY ACROSS THE CITY. AND WE'VE SPENT A YEAR TALKING THROUGH ALL OF THIS. AND, AND I'M ANXIOUS TO GET IT TO A VOTE AND PASS IT, LIKE I SAID YESTERDAY, BECAUSE, UH, WE'VE GOT SO MANY OTHER PRESSING ISSUES AND WE'VE, AND, AND WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO SOLVE 'EM WITH THE BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AND NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM MAKING A LITTLE BIT OF PROFITABILITY AS LONG AS THEY'RE MEETING OUR LARGER GOALS OF CREATING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF UNITS FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN. UH, AND, AND THEN WE NEED TO LOOK AT AND REALLY EXAMINE OURSELVES. UM, I THINK ON THE WAGE SIDE OF THINGS, BECAUSE FRANKLY PEOPLE, THERE'S DIGNITY IN WORK. THERE'S DIGNITY IN EARNING CASH. THE MORE CASH YOU MAKE, THE MORE YOU'RE GONNA SPEND AND THE MORE SQUARE FOOTAGE YOU HAVE. UH, AND, AND YOU WANNA STAY ON OLD HIGHWAY. NOW THESE PEOPLE DON'T WANNA LEAVE OLD HIGHWAY 90. THEY WANNA STAY THERE. UH, AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE ABOUND. BUT I'M REALLY CONCERNED, I DIDN'T GET TO VOICE THAT VERY MUCH OVER THIS DISCUSSION, BUT I DO HAVE GRAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE DISPLACEMENT CONVERSATION. UH, AND, AND WE BROADEN THAT BEYOND JUST ONCE WE DROP AN INCENTIVE OR AN ITEM IN THERE. WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN THAT AREA AND, AND WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE HAPPENING THAT WE'RE ENCOURAGING THAT DISPLACEMENT POSITION. AND I'M GONNA GO BACK AND THINK ABOUT IT WITH WET. SEE, LIKE, OKAY, WHAT ARE WE DOING WHEN WE ACTUALLY DROP THIS IN THERE? THAT'S A QUESTION I'M GONNA ASK. HOW ARE WE, HOW ARE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE RESIDENTS RIGHT THERE? AND THEN THE SECOND PIECE IS, WHAT IS THAT DOING TO PROPERTY VALUES IS SOMETHING WE'RE NOT DIRECTLY CONTROLLING, BUT WE'RE A PARTNER IN WITH OUR, I MEAN, I'M PUTTING $10 MILLION OF STREET REPAIRS UP AND DOWN THAT STREET. WHAT IS THAT DOING TO THE PROPERTY VALUE? HOW IS THAT CHANGING OR MOVING THE DISPLACEMENT CONVERSATION BETTER? INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALSO A POTENTIAL FOR RAISING PROPERTY VALUES. IT, SO THERE'S STUFF A MUCH BIGGER CONVERSATION I'D LOVE FOR US TO TAKE FORWARD IN THE FUTURE. AND, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. UH, BUT LET'S BROADEN IT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND, UH, EVERYTHING THAT'S AFFECTING, UH, SOMEONE'S INABILITY TO PUT A, A, A BETTER, OR SOME CASES JUST A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD, BUT IN MORE CASES, JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE SQUARE FOOTAGE IN OTHER BEDROOM, MAYBE LIVE IN SOMEWHERE ELSE ON THIS, IN THIS COMMUNITY WHERE THEY CAN GET TO. I'M TRYING TO DO THE BEST I CAN AT DISTRICT SIX. WE HAVE MULTIPLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS GOING UP BECAUSE WE HAVE THE DIRT. IT'S INEXPENSIVE AND IT MAKES SENSE. PLUS WE'VE TRIED TO FOCUS ON THAT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S WELCOME TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND IT'S OPEN SEASON ON DEVELOPMENT IN DISTRICT SIX. NOT THAT THAT'S AN INVITE TO ANYBODY SITTING BACK OUT THERE, UH, BUT IT, WELL, I GUESS IT KIND OF IS. UH, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA TAKE ANYTHING WE CAN GET BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT. UH, THERE'S DIGNITY IN THE WORK AND THERE'S DIGNITY IN THE HOME, AND I THINK WE CAN GET THERE, BUT LET'S WATCH IT AND MAKE SURE WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THE FOLKS. THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT WORK. I APPRECIATE IT. WE'VE COME A LONG WAY ON THIS. I'M THANKFUL FOR THE VOTE TODAY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS AND GETTING THIS MACHINE MOVING AGAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR, UH, TO ALL, UH, CONSTITUENTS AND GROUPS WHO HAVE, UH, SHARED THEIR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING ICRP AND CCHI P WITH ME OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS. UH, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I HEARD YOU, I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THE CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE. I ALSO SHARE MANY OF THE CONCERNS MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, HAVE EXPRESSED HERE TODAY. UM, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, WE'VE MADE SOME POSITIVE CHANGES IN, UH, C I P PROGRAM. UH, AND THESE CHANGES ARE GEARED TO IMPROVE THE FAIRNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAMS, BUT MORE CAN BE DONE. I TOO SHARE THE CONCERN ABOUT THE HIGH RATES THAT WE LOOK AT FOR AFFORDABILITY. I HOPE THAT WE CAN DEVELOP A MECHANISM, AND I HOPE WE CAN FIND THE BUILDERS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD PROPERTIES AT AN AFFORDABILITY RATE. NOT AT 80% OF A $65,000 A YEAR SALARY, BUT MORE ALONG THE LINES OF 70, 60, 50 30 TRUE AFFORDABILITY FOR LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EARNING A LOT LESS, UH, BUT WORKING HARD IN OUR COMMUNITY. ALSO, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HOW WE'VE EXPANDED THE BOUNDARIES FOR BOTH ICRP AND CCHI P TO THE, TO THE POINT WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE INNER CITY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OF A VOICE IN, IN THESE CHANGES AND HOW IT MAY AFFECT THEM. AND THE ICRP PROGRAM WAS CREATED TO HELP DEVELOP IN THE INNER CITY, AND NOW WE'RE SAYING, WELL, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT CITYWIDE. UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE INNER CITY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR DEVELOPMENT FOR YEARS, AND IT'S JUST PASSED THEM BY. AND I THINK THAT THIS MECHANISM IS CONTINUING TO [03:30:01] ALLOW THEM JUST TO GET PASSED BY. I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, UH, LORI OR VERO, WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATING THIS, THESE PROGRAMS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS? FIRST, I WANNA STRESS THAT WE ARE INCORPORATING A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY IN THESE PROGRAMS. AND SO EVERY C CHIP CONTRACT THAT'S EXECUTED WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE. WE ALSO WILL DO AT LEAST ONE ANNUAL BRIEFING TO A COUNCIL COMMITTEE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING THE, THE STATISTICS AND THE, THE METRICS THAT WE'RE SEEING COME THROUGH THE SEED CHIP. WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE INCENTING LOOKING AT THEIR ANNUAL RATES ANNUALLY. SO THEY HAVE TO SUBMIT THAT TO US ON AN ANNUAL BASIS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THEIR REBATE SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THEY'RE WITHIN THE RENTAL RATE LIMITS THAT WE'VE, UM, INCORPORATED INTO THIS PROGRAM. UM, WE ALSO PLAN ON DOING, UM, MORE OUTREACH THROUGHOUT THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS AND YEARS. ACTUALLY, IF THE REGIONAL CENTERS, THOSE STILL HAVE MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS, WILL BE ATTENDING THOSE PUBLIC MEETINGS, MAKING SURE THAT AS THOSE LAND USE PLANS ARE FINALIZED, THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THE SEED CHIP WILL PROVIDE FOR, FOR THAT AREA. AND SO THAT IS A ANOTHER LEVEL OF OUTREACH, BUT WE'LL ALSO, AS I'VE DISCUSSED WITH NATALIE, WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING A SURVEY, UM, THAT'LL BE PRO AVAILABLE TO OUR FOR-PROFIT, OUR NON-PROFIT, UM, DEVELOPERS, AND ALSO LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN DO A SURVEY TO LOOK AT THE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE COMMUNITY. WILL WE BE, UH, TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS CREATING, UH, AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT ARE BEING OFFERED AS AFFORDABLE? WE'LL BE TRACKING ALL THAT. WE WILL BE TRACKING THAT. ABSOLUTELY. SO WE CAN, UM, PRESENT IN THAT ANNUAL BRIEFING. WE CAN SAY WE'VE EXECUTED 10 CONTRACTS AND OF THAT WE HAVE A THOUSAND UNITS OF WHICH 30% ARE AT THIS LEVEL OR SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT DATA TO YOU, AND WE'LL BE TRACKING THAT. SO WHEN WE COME BACK IN TWO YEARS WITH RECOMMENDED CHANGES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO, AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE MISSING, UM, IN DOWNTOWN, WITHIN THE INNER CITY OR WITHIN THE REGIONAL CENTER. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO ADJUST THE PROGRAM TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE, THOSE MISSINGS WITH, WITH THE PROJECTED CHANGES THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING RIGHT NOW, WERE YOU ABLE TO FORMULATE SOME KIND OF GOAL YOU THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REACH FOR A NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE UNITS? YES, AND SO WE LOOKED AT THE, UM, THE 10 YEAR PLAN THAT WAS DEVELOPED AS A PART OF THE MAYOR'S HOUSING TASK FORCE REPORT. AND SO THEY WERE PROPOSING ABOUT, UM, IT WAS 9,500 HOUSING UNITS, I BELIEVE, IN THE, UM, 30 TO 60% RANGE. AND THEY HAD DIFFERENT GOALS. WE BELIEVE THAT LEVEL ONE AND LEVEL TWO WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE 10% OF THOSE GOALS, 10% EACH, SO ABOUT A THOUSAND HOUSING UNITS IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS. AND THAT'S ASSUMING THAT WE HAVE OUR PFCS AND OUR, UM, LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT, CREDIT PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD AS WELL. WELL, WHAT ABOUT DISPLACEMENT? MM-HMM. NOT DIRECT MM-HMM. , BUT AS WE'VE HEARD INDIRECT, UH, DO WE HAVE, UH, A CONCERN ABOUT WHAT THAT COULD BE AND A WAY OF TRACKING THAT AND BEING ABLE TO REPORT THAT BACK TO US. MM-HMM. UM, THAT'LL BE PART OF, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES WORK THAT WE'LL BE DOING OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. THEY ARE WORKING ON THE DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY THAT WILL ADDRESS DIRECT DISPLACEMENT AS A RESULT OF PROJECTS THAT WE'VE INCENTED OR DISPLACEMENT RESULTING FROM AREAS EXPERIENCING RAPID NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGE. AND SO THAT'LL BE PRESENTED TO A COUNCIL COMMITTEE AND JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIMEFRAME AND COME BACK TO THIS COUNCIL IN EARLY 2019. ADDITIONALLY, THEY'LL BE DOING AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT LOOKING AT AREAS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED RAPID NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGE TO REALLY LOOK TO SEE HOW THAT IMPACTS THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS. OKAY. ONE OF THE THINGS I MENTIONED WAS, UH, INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS MAYBE BEING OVERLOOKED FOR DEVELOPMENT MM-HMM. , BECAUSE OF HOW WE'RE OFFERING THIS, THESE INCENTIVES A LITTLE WIDER THAN WE HAVE BEEN. UH, I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT WE HAVE, UH, WITHIN SOME OF OUR INNER CITY COMMUNITIES, SOME, UH, OPEN HOUSES TO EXPLAIN WHAT CCHI AND I CRYPT MEAN MM-HMM. , UH, IF NOTHING MORE TO REASSURE TO THEM MM-HMM. THAT THEY'RE STILL AVAILABLE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES MM-HMM. , BUT ALSO, UH, SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S A WIDER NET THAT'S BEING SET OUT TO, UH, DEVELOP MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND LIKE I SAID, I'M AFRAID A LOT OF THOSE COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED AND, AND MAY CONTINUE TO BE OVERLOOKED. BUT IF WE LET THEM KNOW THAT IT'S STILL AVAILABLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY CAN WORK TO ENHANCE DEVELOPMENT [03:35:01] IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO BE MADE WELL AWARE OF. UM, OVER TIME PEOPLE LOSE TRACK OF ALL OF THE COMPLEXITIES INVOLVED IN THESE THINGS. SO JUST A PIECE OF ADVICE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, YOU KNOW, I ACCEPT THE STAFF'S COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND EVALUATE HOW THESE CHANGES, UH, WILL AFFECT OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE AFFORD AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND DISPLACEMENT SERVICES. I BELIEVE THEY'LL BE MONITORING THE THOSE AND REPORTING BACK TO US, UH, AS THOSE DEVELOP OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE INCUMBENT UPON US OR ANY COUNCIL HERE TWO YEARS FROM NOW TO GIVE CLOSE REEVALUATION TO THESE. MY EXPECTATION IS THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND MODIFY THESE PROGRAMS TO ENSURE THE CITY'S INCENTIVES LEAD TO DRAMATIC INCREASES TO REAL, AFFORDABLE AND QUALITY HOUSING IN THE DOWNTOWN AND THE INNER CITY, AND THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY FOR ALL OUR RESIDENTS. THEREFORE, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SUPPORT THE CURRENT MODIFICATIONS THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED, AND LET'S HOPE WE SEE A LOT OF PROGRESS AND, UH, WORK TO MAKE IMPORTANT CHANGES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CURDS. COUNCILMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, LORI, VERONICA VETO, UM, EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED, THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE BEING HERE, UM, TO SPEAK TODAY AND FOR YOUR, UM, PATIENCE AND STAMINA TO BE WITH US THIS ENTIRE TIME, UM, ALL DAY LONG. UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS. I I MADE A LOT OF STATEMENTS YESTERDAY OR, UH, I MADE, UM, I SHARED A LOT OF, UH, QUESTIONS THAT MY RESIDENTS HAD SHARED WITH ME YESTERDAY THROUGH SOME OF THE, THE LETTERS. AND, UM, LORI, YOU ANSWERED A, A LOT OF THE, THE QUESTIONS WHEN IT TALKED ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENTS, DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND I THINK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVE ALSO BROUGHT THAT UP TODAY, UM, AS WELL. AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR A WHILE, AND I THINK AS MENTIONED YESTERDAY, WE, WITH THE MAYOR'S, UM, LEADERSHIP, RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT FIVE YEARS WAS TOO LONG FOR THAT, THE, THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN POLICY PROGRAM, THE CCHI P TO GO WITHOUT BEING REVIEWED, UM, AND TO DO THAT EXTENSION. SO WE PUT THE PAUSE AND NOW WE'RE MAKING THOSE REVISIONS, AND I THINK WE ARE COMMITTED TO THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, TO MAKE THESE REVISIONS AS, AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD IN OUR COMMUNITY. I HAVE TO SAY, UM, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, UH, YOU, YOU WERE, MA YOU HAD SOME EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT POINTS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR, UM, DILIGENCE ON THAT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE OWNER OCCUPIED REHAB. AND THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. IT IS OUR FAMILIES WHO CAN STAY IN THEIR HOMES THAT CONTINUE TO CREATE THESE DYNAMIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND, UM, AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT IS WHERE WE ALSO NEED TO FOCUS ON. WE ALSO NEED TO FOCUS AND PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND THAT IS WHAT I BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO HERE. SPECIFICALLY, I WOULD SAY WITH THE CITY FEE WAIVER PROGRAM, BECAUSE OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CON, UM, OPTION, THE, UM, OWNER OCCUPIED REHAB, THE HISTORIC REHABILITATION, AND THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND THE LEGACY BUSINESS INVESTMENT, THESE OP THING, THESE ITEMS ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE NOW FOR HOMEOWNERS, INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS THAT HAD NEVER HAD THIS OPPORTUNITY BEFORE. SO I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL AND HELP WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND HELP BUILD UP THE SOUTH SIDE AND GET ALL PARTS OF TOWN, I SHOULD SAY, AND HELP END THAT STIGMA OF ECONOMICS, THE MOST ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATED CITY IN THE UNITED STATES. I THINK THIS IS A STEP MOVING FORWARD, AND I, I'M HAPPY ABOUT THAT. I DO HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, DELORE, ABOUT THE, UM, TWO PROPERTIES THAT THE CITY OWNS RIGHT NOW. SO ARE YOU TELLING US RIGHT NOW, THIS COUNCIL, THAT THOSE TWO PROPERTIES WILL BE ABLE TO GO FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND WE CAN LOOK AT THE FINANCING AS LOW AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND NOT JUST WORKFORCE HOUSING, BUT WE COULD DO A MIX OF THIS? YES. THAT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION TO, TO LOOK AT THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE MAYOR'S HOUSING TASK POST REPORT AND FOCUS ON THAT 60% A M I BELOW. SO THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE TWO PIECE OF PROPERTIES THAT WE CAN, WE CAN USE WITH THESE NEW POLICIES FROM THE MAYOR'S HOUSING TASK FORCE AS WE WALK OUT. YES. WELL, THAT'S VERY ENCOURAGING AND I'M GLAD THAT IT'S GOING TO BE IN THE, UM, INNER CITY, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA [03:40:01] OR THESE PROPERTIES IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, FOR THAT. UM, I AM, I THINK THIS, THIS IS GOING TO BE, AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TAKE OUR, NOT TAKE OUR EYES OFF OF. AND AS I REQUESTED FROM YOU, UM, LORI, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THESE UPDATES, UM, TO THE COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ'S COMMITTEE, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE, AND I KNOW THAT COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, IF SHE WANTS A, A TALLY OR AN UPDATE OF HOW MANY, AS OF RIGHT PERMITS ARE MOVING FORWARD, ET CETERA, YOU ALL WILL BE READY TO PROVIDE THAT NO MATTER WHAT MONTH IT IS OR WHENEVER THAT COMMITTEE MEETS FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE. YES. WE'LL BE COLLECTING THAT DATA THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM AND IT'LL BE AVAILABLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I, I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK CONCURRENTLY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UM, THE ONE, THE RISK MITIGATION FUND, BUT ALSO THE ORDINANCE THAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING HERE WITH, UM, THIS AREA, BECAUSE KEEPING OUR RESIDENTS IN THEIR HOMES IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO PUT INVESTMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS INTO THOSE, INTO OUR AREAS OF TOWN THAT HAVE NOT HAD, UM, INVESTMENTS IN A REALLY LONG TIME. BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO, TO BRING THOSE INVESTMENTS IN IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND FINALLY TO, UH, ONE OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES POINTS. UM, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IN ORDER TO DO THIS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE RESIDENTS, OUR RESIDENTS WHO HAVE WANTED THESE ACCESS TO THIS KIND OF, UM, INCENTIVES OR FEE FEE, UM, WAIVERS, WE NEED TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITIES. AND THAT'S WHY I KNOW WE'RE, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UTILIZE SOUTH SIDE FIRST, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO TALK ABOUT THESE, UM, THE CITY FEE WAIVER PROGRAM SO WE CAN UTILIZE AND LEVERAGE WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GRO. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, LORI, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WHAT Y'ALL DONE. I I DO HAVE A QUESTION AS WELL. UM, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS. UM, I, I THINK Y'ALL HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB AND, AND IS THIS A PERFECT SCENARIO? I, I DON'T THINK SO. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'LL EVER GET THERE, BUT, UM, THE, THE CONCERN I HAVE IS WHAT, WHAT THIS PROGRAM WILL GROW INTO AFFECTING OUR, UH, GENERAL FUND MM-HMM. . AND WHEN I HEAR ABOUT, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, IMPACTING A NEIGHBORHOOD AND WHAT HAVE YOU, THAT COULD CAUSE, UH, DISPLACEMENT, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE MY CONCERN STARTS GROWING, UH, ON THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE PEOPLE BEING IMPACTED TODAY ACROSS SAN ANTONIO, NOT JUST BEING IMPACTED BY THESE TYPES OF DEVELOPMENTS, BUT OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AROUND SAN ANTONIO, AND HOW ARE WE GONNA DIFFERENTIATE THOSE, THOSE TYPES OF ISSUES VERSUS THESE TYPES OF ISSUES WITH THESE INCENTIVES TO, UM, DEVELOPERS IN, IN NEW AREAS AROUND TOWN VERSUS SOME OTHER DEVELOPMENT THAT'S TAKING PLACE, IMPACTING OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT AREN'T BEING INCENTED. HOW ARE WE GONNA MAKE THAT BALANCE? BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE BEING DISPLACED IN BOTH SCENARIOS, BUT ARE THOSE OTHER PEOPLE GONNA BE, UM, SOMEHOW HELPED WITH DISPLACEMENT COSTS? THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED AS PART OF THIS DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY THAT IS BEING FUNDED THROUGH THE RISK MITIGATION FUND. AND SO VERONICA SOTA WILL LOOK AT THINGS LIKE DIRECT DISPLACEMENT, RESULTING FROM PROJECTS WE'VE INCENTED DISPLACEMENT THAT HAS OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF RAPID NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGE. SO THAT COULD BE ANYWHERE. UM, AND THEN ALSO DISPLACEMENT THAT'S OCCURRING BECAUSE THERE'S A THREAT OF EVICTION OR DISPLACEMENT DUE TO HOMELESSNESS. AND SO HER STRATEGY WILL ADDRESS THOSE FOUR CATEGORIES, AND SHE'LL BE BRINGING THAT TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE, THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE LED BY COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIMEFRAME, AND THEN TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR A BRIEFING IN EARLY 2019. I MEAN, I CAN, I CAN LOOK AT OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND SAY IT'S RAPIDLY CHANGING AND GOING UP DISPLACING PEOPLE RIGHT NOW MM-HMM. . AND SO I, I, I'M GONNA, I HOPE WE HAVE VERY CLEAR GUIDELINES ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AND HOW WE'RE GONNA DIFFERENTIATE AND WHO'S GONNA BE ELIGIBLE ACROSS SAN ANTONIO, WHETHER IT'S FOR AN INCENTIVE PROJECT OR, OR NOT. SO, UH, [03:45:01] I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS AS A STEP, UH, I THINK AN IMPROVEMENT ON WHAT WE'VE HAD, AND WE'LL SEE WHERE THE NEXT JUNCTURE IS AND, AND CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, LORD. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN SALDANA, JUST A QUICK REQUEST, UH, LORI, UM, IF, IF THIS PASSES, CAN YOU, CAN I MAKE THE REQUEST THAT YOU, UH, LET US KNOW WHAT PROJECTS ARE COMING THROUGH? UM, MY, MY SENSE IS THAT THERE IS A, A, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DEVELOPERS AND PROJECTS THAT ARE WAITING IN THE WINGS THAT HAVE PROBABLY BEEN WAITING IN THE WINGS FOR A YEAR. MM-HMM. . AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE NOT ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN PRIVY TO THE PUSH FROM THIS COUNCIL TO TRY TO GET SOME AFFORDABILITY. THE NEW, THE NEW METRICS PROBABLY WERE ADDED TWO, THREE MONTHS AGO. UM, I'D LIKE TO, FOR US TO SEE SOME WAY TO REWARD THOSE FOLKS WHO ACTUALLY DO COME TO US WITH CREATIVE PROPOSALS. I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA BE THE FIRST THAT WE SEE, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THE FIRST, UH, PROJECTS THAT COME OUTTA THE GATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SALDANA AND I, UH, SAID MOST OF WHAT I WANTED TO SAY YESTERDAY, BUT I DID WANT TO, UM, KIND OF CLOSE ON THIS NOTE. UH, FIRST I'D LIKE TO START BY THANKING MY COLLEAGUES ON THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE OUR DOWNTOWN AND, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS. SECOND, OUR CITY STAFF, PARTICULARLY ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, LAURIE HOUSTON, AND YOUR STAFF FOR YOUR HARD WORK FOR GATHERING COMMUNITY INPUT ON THIS PARTICULAR CRITICAL ISSUE. SIX YEARS AGO, SAN ANTONIO DECLARED THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN. THIS WAS A BOLD VISION AROUND THE NOTION THAT WORLD CLASS CITIES HAVE VIBRANT DOWNTOWNS THAT ARE WELCOMING TO EVERYONE. AS A CITY, WE INCENTIVIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING, RETAIL, AND OFFICE SPACE AS PART OF A STRATEGY TO ATTRACT MORE RESIDENTS TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY IN THE URBAN CORE. SINCE THEN, WE'RE ON PACE TO CONSTRUCT, UH, THOUSANDS, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SQUARE FEET OF COMMERCIAL SPACE, AND 10,000 HOUSING UNITS. EVERY $1 THE CITY ALLOCATED WAS MATCHED BY $44 OF PRIVATE INVESTMENT. BUT THERE HAS BEEN A REAL CONCERN THAT WE COULD BE VICTIMS OF OUR OWN SUCCESS. IN FACT, WE'VE SEEN IT TO MANY FAMILIES ALREADY, A CONCERN THAT THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN COULD TURN INTO THE DECADE OF DISPLACEMENT, SOMETHING THAT NO ONE ON THIS CITY COUNCIL WILL ALLOW TO OCCUR. A YEAR AGO, WE CAME TOGETHER TO, AND HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE STRIKING A BETTER BALANCE BETWEEN THE OVERALL NEED FOR MORE HOUSING AND THE CENTER OF OUR CITY. AND AT THE SAME TIME, RECOGNIZING THE NECESSITY OF FOR MORE AFFORDABILITY. BUT WE SHOULD NO LONGER DELAY. THE TIME FOR ACTION IS TODAY. THE MAYOR'S HOUSING POLICY TASK FORCE REPORT SHOWED THAT SAN ANTONIO NEEDS A VAST AMOUNT OF MORE HOUSING, PARTICULARLY MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AS A COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE WORKING TO EXPAND THE SUPPLY OF HOUSING AT EVERY INCOME LEVEL. AND IN EVERY PART OF OUR CITY, THIS NEW AND IMPROVED POLICY WILL HELP US TO ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. WHEN BEFORE CCHI WAS NOT INTENDED TO PROMOTE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE HAVE NEW REQUIREMENTS TO INCLUDE AFFORDABLE UNITS AT BOTH 60 AND 80% LEVEL OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME. THE AREA WHERE DEVELOPERS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR INCENTIVES IS MORE TAILORED INTO THREE DIFFERENT AREA, THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS TO REFLECT THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORS. AND TO BETTER ALIGN WITH THE SA TOMORROW PLAN, WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE A LUXURY CAP SO THAT WE'RE NO LONGER SUBSIDIZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-END UNITS AND ALIGNING THIS PROGRAM WITH FEDERAL STANDARDS. AND IN THE NEW FEE WAIVER PROGRAM, WE NOW HAVE AN AFFORDABILITY COMPONENT. AT LEAST HALF OF UNITS MUST BE CONSIDERED WORKFORCE HOUSING AT 80% AREA MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL, WITH A QUARTER OF AFFORDABLE UNITS AT THE 60% A M I LEVEL. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING OUT FOR SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS AND PROPERTIES MARKED AS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION ARE SIMPLY NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THESE INCENTIVES. THIS NEW CENTER CITY POLICY IS ONLY A TWO YEAR EXTENSION AND CAN BE REVIEWED SOONER IF NEED BE. CITY STAFF IS ALREADY WORKING ON AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS AROUND DISPLACEMENT AND VULNERABILITY. AND OUR COMMITMENT TO THESE CONCERNS IS SERIOUS, AND IT IS UNWAVERING ON BALANCE. THIS NEW CENTER CITY HOUSING POLICY REFLECTS OUR COMMUNITY VISION OF COMPASSION, OF EQUITY AND PROSPERITY. AND SO AFTER A YEAR OF DELAY, A YEAR OF STUDY, A YEAR OF REFLECTION, AND A YEAR OF REFINEMENT, THE TIME IS NOW TO MOVE FORWARD. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT. YOU'RE HELPING US CRAFT A POLICY THAT WILL BE GOOD, UH, FOR OUR CITY. AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, KNOW THAT THIS CITY'S VALUES HAVE NOT CHANGED. ALRIGHT, SO WE NOW HAVE, UH, A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. PLEASE VOTE. [03:50:01] MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. UM, BEFORE I, DO WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT? NO, MAYOR, JUST AN EXECUTIVE SESSION FOLLOWING THIS MEETING. OKAY. WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE NEED TO CONTINUE FROM YESTERDAY, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I DID WANT TO, UM, TAKE A POINT. OH, SORRY. WE HAVE ONE ITEM LEFT, UH, FOR RECUSAL PURPOSES. SO, UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ENTER, UH, WAIT FOR OUR COLLEAGUE TO STEP OFF, AND THEN WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 42. MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM 42. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 42. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. AND BEFORE WE BREAK FOR OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION, I, I DO WANT TO TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. AS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN BREAKING IN THE NEWS TODAY. UH, WE'RE, UH, WITH HEAVY HEARTS, BUT WITH, UM, VOICES OF CONGRATULATIONS, WE WILL BE SENDING OFF SOON. OUR, UH, COLLEAGUE IN DISTRICT TWO, COUNCILMAN CRUZ SHAW. HE TAKES A DISTRICT JUDGE APPOINTMENT. UM, I DID WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAS, UH, DELIVERED HIS LETTER OF RESIGNATION WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN JANUARY 7TH. SO, UH, GET YOUR LICKS IN COUNCILMAN CRUZ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BEFORE THEN. UM, BUT WE, WE DID WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND COUNCILMAN, IF YOU'D LIKE THE FLOOR GO AHEAD. . IN TYPICAL CRUISE SHAW FASHION, HE DECLINES THE FLOOR. HE'S, HE WON'T SAY NO. HE'LL SAVE HIS LAST WORDS FOR HIS LAST DAY. NO. OKAY. NO, I, YOU KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, I TYPICALLY, I, I QUIT ONE THING ONCE IN, IN MY LIFE, AND THIS IS THE SECOND. SO IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR ME TO DO. UM, BEING OFFERED THE POSITION IS NOTHING I EVER STRIVE TO BE, OR I NEVER WANT TO BE A JUDGE. UM, THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF VERY QUICKLY. UM, I HAD ONGOING CONVERSATION WITH MY WIFE, PRAYED ABOUT IT, AND I THINK IT'S THE BEST THING THAT, THAT WE COULD DO FOR OUR FAMILY. UM, HONESTLY, I LOVE SERVING THE, THE DISTRICT TWO, I LOVE THE CONSTITUENTS. UH, I HAVE A GREAT D TWO TEAM, GREAT STAFF HERE. UM, WE CAN DO AMAZING WORK IF WE, WHEN, WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER. I THINK THAT'S KEY. UM, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO PUT, PUT OUT OUR EGOS AND THESE FALSE PRETENSES OF TITLES AND REALIZE WHY WE'RE HERE TO SACRIFICE OURSELVES. AND I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE ALL DOING THAT. UM, I, I SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY MANY TIMES, AND I, I TRY TO BE THE BEST PROFESSIONAL I CAN BE ON THE DAIS IN MY PRIVATE LIFE AND IN MY, MY PRACTICE. I JUST WANNA THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S HERE, THAT SUPPORTED ME, AND I'LL SEE ON THE OTHER SIDE LATER. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN, FOR THE RECORD. YOU'RE NOT OFFICIALLY DONE. YOU STILL HAVE TO MEET ATTENDANCE ON A NUMBER OF MEETINGS BEFORE THAT, SO, ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, UH, CITY COUNCIL WILL, UH, RESUME ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION. THAT WAS, THAT WAS, UH, RECESSED YESTERDAY. YEAH. LEMME DO THIS PROPERLY. THE TIME IS NOW 2:16 PM ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13TH, 2018. THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY SAN ANTONIO, WILL NOW MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071, AND DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS THE ITEMS POSTED BUT NOT COMPLETED OR REACHED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION YESTERDAY. * 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.