* 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. [00:00:03] GOOD EVENING. I AM FRANCINE ROMERO. I'M THE ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THE U T S A COLLEGE OF PUBLIC POLICY, AND IT'S MY GREAT PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN CAMPUS. AND WE HAVE A LONG TRADITION HERE OF PARTNERING WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO DISCUSS TOPICS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. AND WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HOST THIS EXCITING COMMENCEMENT TONIGHT. THIS ISN'T OUR USUAL COMMENCEMENT AT THE ALAMO DO, UH, BUT ONE THAT DOES BEGIN A NEW CHAPTER FOR OUR CITY. THE FORUM TONIGHT WILL BE INFORMATIONAL, BUT IT'S ALSO ASPIRATIONAL FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE EITHER IN THE AUDIENCE OR WATCHING ON LIVESTREAM. ANY STUDENTS WANNA GIVE A LITTLE SHOUT, LET US KNOW THEY'RE HERE. THAT WAS A QUIET SHOUT, YAY TO THE STUDENTS. UM, SO GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEW CITY MANAGER AND HIS PATH TO THIS POINT IN OUR CAREER WILL GREATLY IN HIS CAREER, WILL GREATLY INSPIRE THOSE STUDENTS WHO HOPE TO WORK IN CITY MANAGEMENT UPON GRADUATION. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO DO HAVE THAT DREAM. EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS WILL BE THE NIGHT WHEN MANY STUDENTS WILL BE MOTIVATED TO CONSIDER THIS CAREER PATH FOR THE FIRST TIME AND YEARS FROM NOW, THEY WILL REMEMBER THIS DISCUSSION. SO, TO GET THIS ALL STARTED, IT IS NOW MY GREAT HONOR TO INTRODUCE OUR MAYOR. YOU KNOW, HIS BACKGROUND, HE GREW UP IN AUSTIN, WENT TO COLLEGE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND SINCE HIS ELECTION IS MAYOR IN 2017, HE HAS BEEN A STRONG LEADER ON ISSUES OF CIVIC PARTICIPATION, THE ENVIRONMENT, ACCOMMODATING OUR RAPID MUNICIPAL GROWTH, INFRASTRUCTURE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND MANY MORE. HIS VISION IS ONE OF A COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY WITH A GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE ECONOMY, BUT WE KNOW HIM HERE AS U AT U T S A AS A PARTNER FROM WAY BACK, EVEN BEFORE HE RAN FOR CITY COUNCIL WHEN HE JOINED IN OUR SA 2020 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS. AND OF COURSE, FAST FORWARDING TO RECENT MONTHS, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS OF THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF TO SUPPORT OUR INNOVATIVE VISION FOR THE U T SS A DOWNTOWN CAMPUS. OUR CAMPUS AS A WHOLE LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE MAYOR, OUR NEW CITY MANAGER, AND HIS TEAM TO MAKE THIS DREAM A REALITY. SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING MAYOR RON NIERENBERG. GOOD EVENING. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING, UH, TONIGHT'S CONVERSATION. I THINK IT WILL BE ENLIGHTENING, UH, AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE INSPIRING AS WELL. I FIRST WANT TO THANK U T S A FOR HOSTING US, UH, DR. ROMERO, UH, AND ALL THE FOLKS HERE AT THE ADMINISTRATION, I SEE ALBERT FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE. ARE THERE ANY U T S A STUDENTS HERE TONIGHT? ALL RIGHT. WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IS AND PARTICIPATION IS TO THE HEALTH OF OUR DEMOCRACY, AND THAT'S WHAT TONIGHT IS ALL ABOUT. IN FACT, UH, I AM VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT ME AND MY COLLEAGUES ON THE CITY COUNCIL HERE, AND I KNOW SEVERAL OF THEM ARE HERE. COUNCILMAN TREVINO, UH, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, COUNCILMAN HALL IS HERE AT, I'M SORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE ELSE, BUT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WORKING VERY HARD IN RECOGNITION OF THE FACT THAT IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY, WHICH IS EVER EVOLVING AND CHANGING AND THE STANDARDS EVER INCREASING WITH REGARD TO PARTICIPATION AND TRANSPARENCY, THAT WE ARE PIONEERING, UH, THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE ARE SEATING OUR NEXT CITY MANAGER, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, THIS, UH, PROCESS IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TWO WEEK PERIOD OF TIME WHERE OUR CHOSEN FINALIST ERIC WALTZ, HAS BEEN MEETING WITH DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND OF COURSE, HERE IN A SYMPOSIUM, UH, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR DOWNTOWN, UH, U T S A CAMPUS, UH, TO HEAR FROM, UH, THE PUBLIC OF SAN ANTONIO, THE PUBLIC THAT WE SERVE EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE KNOW THAT THE WORK OF THE CITY MANAGER IS HARD. IT'S 24 7, IT'S 365 DAYS A YEAR, AND NOT ALL THE TIME WILL A CITY MANAGER BE ABLE TO SEE AND HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL IN A DIRECT WAY AS THIS. BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART, UH, OF THE NEXT ERA FOR SAN ANTONIO. SO, UH, I DO WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO OUR CO-HOSTS FOR THE EVENING, WHICH IS THE SA SPEAKUP PROGRAM. I'M NOT SURE IF JEFF, I SEE YOU, THEA, AND I KNOW YOU, YOU WILL HEAR FROM, UH, LAURA ELIZABETH MAYS, JEFF COYLE, ALL PART OF OUR, UH, GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, OUR ESSAY SPEAKUP PROCESS, OUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR YOU TO HAVE DIRECT INPUT ON THE WORK OF CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY GOVERNMENT AS A WHOLE. I WANNA THANK THEM FOR THEIR WORK, UH, IN CONTINUING TO OPEN UP THE PROCESS AND ACCESS TO OUR CITY GOVERNMENT. UH, SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A GREAT CONVERSATION TONIGHT. UH, I WANT TO INTRODUCE THE MODERATOR FOR THIS EVENING, [00:05:01] MARIA LUISA CESAR. UH, MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE REMEMBERED HER AND HER BYLINE WHEN SHE WAS WITH THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS. SHE IS A FORMER PROFESSIONAL JOURNALIST. SHE'S NOW, UH, THE FOUNDER OF A NONPROFIT CALLED GREATER GOOD, UH, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT COMMUNICATION CONSULTING FIRM. UH, I HAVE KNOWN MARIS, UH, MARIA FOR A LONG TIME, UH, AS A COLLEAGUE, BUT NOW AS SHE EMBARKS ON HER OWN CAREER, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT SHE'S CURRENTLY DOING IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, MARIA LUISA CESAR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS IMPORTANT CONVERSATION AND COMMUNITY DIALOGUE. AND HOLD. HELLO TO THOSE AT HOME WATCHING LIVE ON ESSAY SPEAK UP.COM. FACEBOOK ORT V SS A THANKS FOR BEING PART OF THIS PROCESS. YOUR VOICES ARE SO IMPORTANT. MANY OF YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS, BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL, SAN ANTONIO IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE US WITH A COUNCIL MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT. THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES DEFINES THIS FORM OF GOVERNMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS. ONE, THE CITY COUNCIL OVERSEES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION MAKES POLICY AND SETS A BALANCED BUDGET TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL. APPOINT A PROFESSIONAL CITY MANAGER TO CARRY OUT THE DAY-TO-DAY ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS. WITH THAT IN MIND, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE SAN ANTONIO'S PROPOSED FINALIST FOR THE NEXT CITY MANAGER, ERIC WALSH. ERIC BRINGS WITH HIM MORE THAN 24 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. HE WAS APPOINTED CITY MANAGER IN 2006 AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER IN 2011. IN HIS TIME AT THE CITY, HE'S MANAGED MANY MAJOR DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING POLICE AND FIRE, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, THE METROPOLITAN HEALTH DISTRICT, SOLID WASTE, AND THE 3 1 1 CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER. HE CURRENTLY OVERSEES DEPARTMENTS REPRESENTING AN $862 MILLION SLICE OF SAN ANTONIO'S, $2.8 BILLION FISCAL YEAR 2019 ADOPTED BUDGET, AND 5,950 OF THE 12,374 EMPLOYEES AT THE CITY. THERE WILL BE A QUIZ AT THE END. BEFORE WE GET STARTED, ERIC WOULD LIKE TO START OUT BY TELLING YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HIMSELF. PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING YOUR PROPOSED BOND LIST FOR CITY MANAGER ERIC WALSH. ALL RIGHT. I DID NOT PICK THE MUSIC. OH, I LIKE IT THOUGH. I LIKE IT. UM, THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR AND, UH, DR. ROMERO AND, UH, MARIA FOR, FOR, UH, BEING HERE TONIGHT AND HELPING, UM, IF I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS, IT'S BECAUSE THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME I'VE DONE THIS FRONT OF MY PARENTS. SO , I'M GONNA TRY NOT TO LOOK OVER THERE. , UM, WHO AM I? UM, FIRST OF ALL, I'M HONORED. HONORED AND HUMBLED AND, AND REALLY EXCITED, UH, TO BE THE PROPOSED FINALIST, UH, FOR THE NEXT CITY MANAGER POSITION, UM, IN, IN MY PROFESSION. AND, AND THOSE OF YOU M P A STUDENTS HERE TONIGHT, YOU'LL LEARN, UM, IT IS, UH, IT IS NOT, UM, COMMON TO BE IN CITY MANAGEMENT AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE CITY MANAGER IN THE CITY WHERE YOU GREW UP AT. AND SO THAT'S AN EXTRA BONUS FOR ME. UM, I FEEL LIKE I'M EXTREMELY, UM, UH, IN A, IN A, IN A GREAT POSITION TO DO SOMETHING, UM, IN A COMMUNITY THAT I LOVE AND IN A COMMUNITY THAT I, THAT I CALL HOME. SO, MARIA TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO I AM. UM, UM, AS SHE SAID, I'VE WORKED FOR THE CITY FOR ALMOST 25 YEARS. UM, I STARTED WITH THE CITY FOR U GRADUATE STUDENTS. I STARTED WITH THE CITY ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER I GRADUATED FROM GRADUATE SCHOOL. AND, UH, YOU KIND OF BLINK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE ON A STAGE, UM, AND YOU'RE A PROPOSED FINALIST. I WORKED MY WAY UP THROUGH THE ORGANIZATION, UM, AND AS MARIA TALKED, I I WAS PROMOTED, UH, BY CHERYL SCULLY IN 2006, UH, AS AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER IN 2011 AS A DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. AND I'VE HAD THE, THE, THE FORTUNATE, UM, UM, POSITION TO BE. UM, IT'S SO NICE TO SEE FAMILIAR FACES OUT HERE. HI, ROSE, ERIC, CONGRATULATIONS. UH, I'VE, I'VE, I'VE BEEN IN A FORTUNATE SITUATION. I, I MEAN, THIS IS, THIS IS HOME FOR ME. IT'S, IT'S HOME FOR, [00:10:01] UM, FOR ALL MY LIFE. I CHOSE TO GO TO SCHOOL HERE. I CHOSE TO WORK HERE. UM, MY WIFE IS A NATIVE SAN ANTONIO, UM, AND MY WIFE SANDRA, WHO'S OVER HERE, SANDRA WAVE. THERE YOU GO. IT'S HOME. AND, AND IT MEANS A LOT MORE TO ME. AND I WANT THIS COMMUNITY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ORGANIZATION THAT, THAT I'D BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TO DO GREAT THINGS AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL ON THEIR PRIORITIES AND EXECUTING THEIR DIRECTIVES. AND NOW, LEMME TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. AND MARIA, MARIA MENTIONED IT. WHAT DOES THE CITY MANAGER DO? UM, THE CITY MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITY IS TO, UM, FACILITATE CONVERSATION, UM, INFORM THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF OPERATIONAL OR FISCAL IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH DECISIONS THEY MAY MAKE. UM, THE CITY MANAGER OVERSEES THE ORGANIZATION AND THE PERSONNEL ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF THE, OF THE HOUSE. AND WITH OVER 12,000 EMPLOYEES AND A TWO POINT SOME ODD BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET, UM, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. SO THE CITY MANAGER OVERSEES THAT. THE CITY MANAGER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING, GIVING THE COUNCIL ALTERNATIVES AS THEY HAVE THEIR POLICY DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. AND WHEN THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MAKE A POLICY DECISION, IT'S THE MANAGER'S JOB TO LINE EVERYBODY UP IN THE ORGANIZATION IN ORDER TO EXECUTE IT. THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL POINT THE HILL, AND WE TAKE IT. AND IT'S, IT'S A REAL SIMPLE CONCEPT, AND, AND I'M CERTAINLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE, UH, THIS EVENING. UM, BUT IT'S A CLEAR, SIMPLE CONCEPT, AND, AND I THINK SOMEHOW THAT GETS LOST OVER TIME. UM, I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UH, WITH THEIR PRIORITIES, UH, BOTH AS INDIVIDUALS AND CERTAINLY AS A GROUP. AND, UM, THIS IS A EXCITING TIME. AND, UM, I GOTTA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY BUDDY JASON HERE, . SO WITH THAT, I'M READY FOR QUESTIONS. LET'S, LET'S DO IT. THANK YOU, ERIC. SO, UM, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. I LOVE THAT YOUR PARENTS ARE HERE. HELLO. WELCOME. UM, SO OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'VE ASKED RESIDENTS WHAT BURNING QUESTIONS THEY HAVE FOR YOU. THEY'VE RESPONDED, THEIR QUESTIONS WERE SUBMITTED THROUGH EVENTBRITE VIA EMAIL@SASPEAKUP.COM AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED SOME FROM TONIGHT'S AUDIENCE. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING ENGAGED WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND WITH THIS PROCESS. I KNOW WE CAN'T COVER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS TONIGHT, BUT WE'LL TRY TO GET TO AS MANY AS WE CAN. SO LET'S TAKE OUR FIRST QUESTION. NOW. OUR FIRST QUESTION WAS SUBMITTED ON EVENTBRITE BY REBECCA. SHE WANTS TO KNOW, WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE SAN ANTONIO'S CITY MANAGER? SO I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. MM-HMM. , IT'S, UM, IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S A CAREER ACHIEVEMENT FOR ME, UH, TO BE IN THIS PROFESSION AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE CITY MANAGER. UM, AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S EXTRA SPECIAL BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO'S HOME, UM, IT'S, UM, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF HARD WORK MM-HMM. . UM, BUT I THINK I'M DEDICATED TO THE COMMUNITY AND I WANNA SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, AND I SAID THIS THE OTHER DAY, UM, UM, AT, AT CITY HALL, I WANT SAN ANTONIO TO BE THE, THE TOP OF EVERY LIST. MM-HMM. THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE, THE BEST, BEST PLACE TO WORK, THE BEST PLACE TO RAISE A FAMILY. AND THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE PART OF SUPPORTING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AS THEY DETERMINE THOSE PRIORITIES AND, AND SOMEBODY NEEDS TO EXECUTE 'EM. I LOVE THE HOMETOWN PRIDE. DO YOU THINK THAT IF YOU WERE, UH, IN A DIFFERENT CITY THAT YOU'D BE INTERESTED IN TAKING THIS JOB IF I WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE? UHHUH . SURE. SAN ANTONIO'S A GREAT CITY. YEAH. THAT'S THAT. YEAH. THAT'S WHY WE HAD, UM, AS THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ADVERTISED THE POSITION WE HAD CANDIDATES FROM, FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, SO THAT'S RIGHT. WHO WOULDN'T WANNA WORK HERE? UM, SECOND QUESTION COMES FROM GLORIA, WHO IS HERE TONIGHT. GLORIA, ARE YOU HERE? YOU WANNA RAISE YOUR HAND WAVE? NO. OKAY. SHE ASKED US EARLIER, WHAT IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY FOR THE CITY? WHAT'S A THING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO GET ACCOMPLISHED FIRST? UM, WELL, THERE'S SO MANY PRIORITIES. . YEAH. UM, FIRST PRIORITY FOR ME, UM, WILL BE, BE ALIGNING MYSELF WITH THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL'S EXPECTATIONS. UM, I MEAN, YEAH, THERE ARE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES, UM, AND ADMINISTRATIVE THINGS, AND CERTAINLY THE MANAGER HAS A ROLE IN, IN A LOT OF THAT. BUT, BUT I THINK IT'S GONNA BE CRITICAL, UM, FROM [00:15:01] DAY ONE TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL. SO FOR ME, THAT'S, THAT'S CRITICAL DAY ONE. UM, THE REST OF IT, IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL GONNA BE PRIORITIES. IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE, UM, DELIBERATE IN ITS APPROACH. AND, UM, BUT, BUT I NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT DAY ONE, UM, IF NOT RIGHT NOW MM-HMM. , I'M IN LOCKSTEP WITH WHAT THE MAYOR, COUNCIL ONE. THANK YOU. NATALIE AND MARIA ALSO ASKED ON EVENTBRITE, UM, WHICH IS A VERY SIMILAR QUESTION. WHAT CHANGES ARE YOU PLANNING TO MAKE AS SOON AS YOU TAKE OFFICE? AS SOON AS I TAKE OFFICE MM-HMM. , MAYBE SOME DECORATIVE CHANGES. I DON'T KNOW. YEAH. I'M NOT THE DECORATIVE TYPE. UM, PRETTY SIMPLE. UM, RIGHT OFF THE BAT, NOTHING, I THINK, I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME. I, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FOLKS HERE ON THE FRONT ROW THAT ARE PART OF OUR TEAM. UM, UM, AND I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO THEM. I THINK WE NEED TO BE DELIBERATE MM-HMM. , UM, AND THOUGHTFUL, UH, AS A BIG ORGANIZATION WITH OVER 12,000 EMPLOYEES, UM, UM, WE NEED TO POTENTIALLY REALIGN SOME ISSUES MM-HMM. , BUT, BUT I WANT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, KIND OF GET THAT FEEDBACK INTERNALLY. AND IT, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR 24 AND A HALF YEARS, AND I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA OF THINGS I WANT TO CHANGE, BUT, BUT WALKING INTO A JOB LIKE THAT WHERE, UH, WITH THAT TYPE OF RESPONSIBILITY, I DON'T THINK YOU MAKE CHANGES RIGHT OFF THE BAT. AND, AND, UM, I THINK THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A THOUGHTFUL PROCESS. AND, AND I SUSPECT THE COUNCIL WILL BE EXPECTING, UM, SOME PROGRESS REPORT OVER A 30, 60 OR 90 DAY TIMEFRAME. UM, BUT, BUT I THINK I'VE GOTTA GET INTO THE POSITION AND START VISITING. AND, AND I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT I HAVE, UM, HAD A LOT OF SUPPORT AND FOLKS CONGRATULATING ME, AND I SAID THIS LAST NIGHT TO A GROUP I WAS TALKING TO THEM. FRANKLY, THE MOST HUMBLING PART, UM, IS WHEN YOU'VE GOT EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE COME THAT YOU DON'T REALLY INTERACT WITH, THAT HAVE COME OUT AND FOUND YOU AND, AND CONGRATULATED YOU, OR YOU GOT, UH, FORMER EMPLOYEES LIKE ROSE RYAN, UM, HERE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE HUMBLING PART OF THIS. AND, AND I THINK THAT THE ORGANIZATION'S GONNA DESERVE SOME LISTENING TOO. I LOVE THAT. YEAH. I LIKE THE IDEA THAT YOU TAKE SOME TIME TO REALLY TAKE KIND OF A TRUE ASSESSMENT AND A PULSE. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. YEAH. UM, SO LET'S TAKE A QUESTION FROM FACEBOOK. BRUNO WANTS TO KNOW LANIS I PARA MM-HMM. , I'LL LET YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT ONE IN SPANISH. . YEAH. OH, THAT WAS GOOD. THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. YEAH. RIGHT. OKAY. SO I'M GONNA REPEAT THAT QUESTION IN ENGLISH. UM, BRUNO, ASK ERIC, CAN YOU TELL US SOME OF THE INITIATIVES YOU PLAN TO CONTINUE IN MAKING CITY GOVERNMENT MORE INCLUSIVE, SPECIFICALLY WITH REGARDS TO LANGUAGE? YEAH. WELL, UM, AND, AND COUNCILMAN TRAVINO HERE, AND, AND THAT'S BEEN A BIG PRIORITY OF HIS. AND I THINK OVER THE, THE LAST, UM, COUPLE OF YEARS, THE CITY HAS, UM, UM, GONE. UM, AND WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DONE IT A LONG TIME AGO. UM, AND INCORPORATED SPANISH SPEAKING, UM, SERVICES AT PUBLIC EVENTS. UM, WE'VE, WE'VE EXPANDED THAT AND, AND YOU'LL SEE A S L HERE TONIGHT. WE'VE EXPANDED THAT TO A S L UH, FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TYPE OF SITUATIONS. UM, IT'S CRITICAL BASED ON THE COMMUNITY THAT WE, THAT WE, UM, THAT WE LIVE IN, UM, PRINTED AND, AND UH, PRINTED, UM, MATERIAL AND ONLINE RESOURCES, BOTH IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH ARE CRITICAL. AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF MAKING SURE THAT WE KEEP, AS AN ORGANIZATION, A PULSE ON THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT THE, WHAT THE NEEDS ARE. IT'S NOT, UM, AND, AND MAYBE OTHER CITIES DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT, BUT, BUT I THINK WE'VE DONE A LOT AND, AND COUNCILMAN TREVINO HAS BEEN, UM, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE PROPONENTS OF THAT IS REALLY PUSHED THE ORGANIZATION TO EXPAND THOSE SERVICES. THAT'S GREAT. YEAH. COUNCILMAN TINO. HELLO. UM, GEORGE, R S E PED WITH THIS GREAT QUESTION. AS THE NEW CITY MANAGER, WHAT PLANS DO YOU PROPOSE TO ENSURE THAT ALL CONTRACTORS DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY ARE TREATED EQUALLY AND FAIRLY? MM-HMM. . SO, UM, THE COUNCIL HAS ADOPTED, AND, AND IT'S A POLICY TO THE CITY TO, UM, GIVE PREFERENTIAL POINTS TO SMALL, LOCAL, UM, MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES. IT'S A PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR, FOR A WHILE. AND THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL HAVE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THAT. UM, IT IS, IT IS INCORPORATED WITHIN OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS. UM, AND IT'S HAD, UM, GREAT RESULTS, UM, LAST, UH, REPORTING PERIOD THAT OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT [00:20:01] DEPARTMENT OVERSEES THAT, UH, REPORTED THAT OUT OF THE 220 SOME ODD MILLION DOLLARS THAT THE CITY CONTRACTED FOR, WHERE YOU HAD, UM, SMALL LOCAL, UH, MINORITY OR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES ELIGIBLE, UH, A LITTLE OVER 50% OF THAT, THOSE CONTRACTS WENT TO THOSE TYPES OF BUSINESSES. SO THAT'S GREAT, I SUSPECT. AND IT'S, IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO BE, BE A PRIORITY OF THE COUNCIL AND, UM, AND, AND THEREFORE INCORPORATED WITHIN OUR, UM, WITHIN OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS. AND THAT'S A, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT THAT, THAT THE CITY, UM, HAS BEEN INVESTED IN, UH, FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THAT'S FANTASTIC. YEAH. I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. AND AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, UM, I'M NOT A NON-PROFIT. I'M JUST A STRAIGHT FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS. I'VE LEARNED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YEAH. WHAT THE CITY OFFERS. HAVE YOU GOTTEN CERTIFIED? NOT YET. GET CERTIFIED. YEAH. IT'S ON MY TO-DO LIST. GET CERTIFIED . UM, SO WE RECEIVED SEVERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STILL PENDING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS UNION. FOR EXAMPLE, CURTIS ASKED IF THE CONTRACT WOULD BE ACHIEVED THROUGH NEGOTIATION OR ARBITRATION. AND CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU PLAN TO REACH AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FIRE UNION? THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. I'VE GOTTEN AT EVERY PLACE I'VE GONE MM-HMM. SURE. YOU HAVE. UM, THERE ARE, UM, THIS IS, THIS ISSUE HAS GONE ON FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. AND, AND, UM, LET ME SAY THAT I KIND OF, I FEEL THE ADDITIONAL BURDEN, I'LL CALL IT A BURDEN 'CAUSE I FEEL IT A LITTLE BIT OF A WEIGHT. UM, AT THE END, UH, FIREFIGHTERS ARE CITY EMPLOYEES. UM, THEY, UM, ALMOST 1800 OF THEM, UM, THEY, UM, DO A, UM, A GREAT, PROVIDE A GREAT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND I, AND I KNOW AT SOME POINT IT'LL GET RESOLVED. I, I THINK, I THINK ALL SIDES ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE FAIR MM-HMM. , AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE CRITICAL. UM, I THINK, UM, THE, THE MAYOR, UH, ASKED THE CITY ATTORNEY IN, UM, IN, UH, DECEMBER TO, OR IN NOVEMBER TO DROP THE LAWSUIT. THAT LAWSUIT'S BEEN DROPPED SINCE THEN. AND, UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATIONS AND, AND I THINK FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE PREPARED TO NEGOTIATE AND, AND RESOLVE THAT. AND, UM, BUT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, IT, IT TAKES TWO PARTIES TO COME TOGETHER. AND I THINK THE OVERRIDING PREMISE IS THAT, UM, UH, I THINK IT JUST NEEDS TO BE FAIR ALL AROUND. IT'S, IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING UNREASONABLE EITHER SIDE. I THINK, UM, FROM A LONG-TERM, UM, FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, THERE WILL BE OTHERS THAT WILL BE WATCHING US AND OTHERS BEING, UH, RATING AGENCIES ON HOW WE, RIGHT. HOW WE DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE. SO WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE THOUGHTFUL IN THAT, BUT, BUT AT SOME POINT IT WILL GET RESOLVED ONCE WE GET TO THE TABLE. AND I'M, I'M CERTAINLY CONFIDENT OF THAT. AND I, I KNOW IT'S, IT'S A BIG ISSUE THAT'S HANGING OUT THERE. I KNOW IT'S A BIG ISSUE AND A COMPLEX ISSUE. AND I LOVE THAT YOU SPOKE TO FAIRNESS. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THAT MEANS TO YOU? WELL, I MEAN, WHEN, WHEN I SAY FAIRNESS TO ALL, UM, IT'S, IT'S, UM, AWARDING COUNCIL OR, UM, FIREFIGHTERS WITH COLLECTIVE BARGAIN AGREEMENT THAT THEY CAN OPERATE UNDER. UM, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT'S AFFORDABLE, THAT SHOULD BE AFFORDABLE TO THE CITY. AND AS WE MANAGE, UM, A WHOLE WIDE ARRAY OF EXPENSES, UM, AND WHICH IS THE MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITY ALONG WITH THE STAFF, UM, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO DIRECT TOWARDS THE MARYLAND CITY COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES. AND, AND THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT PRIORITIES. AND, AND EVERY YEAR THE COUNCIL, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL WILL GO THROUGH A BUDGET WORK SESSION IN, YOU KNOW, MAY, JUNE TIMEFRAME TO KIND OF SET THEIR PRIORITIES. AND THAT'S A HUGELY DIFFICULT TASK, UM, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY AND, UM, AND LIMITED RESOURCES. SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, I THINK, I THINK WE NEED TO BE FAIR, UM, AND, AND MAKE SURE IT'S AFFORDABLE. THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THE FOLLOW UP. I APPRECIATE IT. SURE. UM, SO PROPOSITION B PLACED A CAP ON THE SALARY OF ANY FUTURE CITY MANAGER AND LIMITED THEIR TENURE TO EIGHT YEARS. THIS QUESTION COMES FROM MARTA VIA EVENTBRITE. WHAT ARE YOU MOST COMMITTED TO SEEING TAKE PLACE DURING YOUR EIGHT YEAR TENURE? UM, THAT'S A HARD QUESTION. UM, THERE ARE SO MANY PRIORITIES. UM, WHAT I, I, I THINK, UM, I HAD A CONVERSATION IN DECEMBER WITH, UM, UH, SOMEONE WHO HAS SPENT, UM, A LONG TIME IN THE, UM, CITY MANAGEMENT PROFESSION. AND, UM, UH, THE POSITION HAD JUST OPENED UP. AND, UH, I WENT AND TALKED TO HIM AND SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EIGHT YEARS, AND WE WERE EATING LUNCH AT THE TIME. I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EIGHT YEARS. AND, UM, [00:25:01] HE WAS LOOKING DOWN AT HIS PLATE, OF COURSE, HE'S, HE'S PROBABLY DONE THIS FOR 45 YEARS. AND, UM, HE STOPPED AND HE LOOKED UP AND HE SAID, THAT'S PLENTY. THAT'S PLENTY. THE AVERAGE TENURE OF A, OF A CITY MANAGER IN, IN, IN, UH, THIS COUNTRY IS PROBABLY 8, 7, 8, 9, MAYBE 10 YEARS. UM, I WANNA DO THE MOST I CAN WITH THE TIME THAT THE COUNCIL WILL GIVE ME. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT, THAT, UH, WHEN I, AT SOME POINT LEAVE, IF, IF I'M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET THE JOB AND AT SOME POINT LEAVE, I CAN LOOK BACK AT, UM, AND KNOWING THAT, THAT I ALIGN THE ORGANIZATION TO ACHIEVE WHATEVER, UM, PRIORITIES THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL HAVE. I WANT COUNCILMAN TREVINO OR COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, OR COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL OR COUNCILMAN HALL TO LEAVE OFFICE WITH THOSE BOXES CHECKED. UM, AND FEELING LIKE THAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING. UM, AND I THINK, UM, MORE TO THE POINT, AND I MENTIONED IT EARLIER, THE HUMBLING PART. I WANT EMPLOYEES TO KIND OF THINK WE'RE GONNA MISS THEM. SO YOU WANNA BE A GOOD BOSS, AMONG ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU WANNA DO. WELL, I, HOPEFULLY I WILL BE. I, YEAH, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALREADY HAVE BEEN. YEAH, YEAH. IT'S AN IMPORTANT, IT, IT'S IMPORTANT. IT, IT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A TEAM APPROACH, I BELIEVE, AND, AND THAT'S KIND OF MY MENTALITY ANYWAY. UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GOT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, BUT, BUT, UM, FROM, FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T ACHIEVE. AND I'M, AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN THAT, AND THAT'S PROBABLY FROM MY OLD SPORTS DAYS. AND THAT'S JUST, THAT'S THE WAY I'M BUILT. WE'RE GONNA GET TO YOUR SPORTS DAYS. OH, NO. A LITTLE BIT LATER, . SO A RESIDENT FROM DISTRICT EIGHT, UH, WHO ASKED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, ASKED VIA EMAIL, WHAT STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO PROPERLY REPRESENT AND ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO ALL PARTS OF THE CITY? EQUITY HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS AT THE CITY RECENTLY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU'D ENSURE THAT THAT WOULD HAPPEN FOR ALL PARTS OF THE CITY? YEAH. WELL, PART PART OF THAT IS, AND TWO YEARS AGO, UM, AND, AND INITIALLY WORK THAT WAS DONE BY COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ ON THE FRONT END, UM, UH, REGARDING STREET MAINTENANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, THE CITY STARTED TO LOOK AT, UM, ALLOCATING RESOURCES THROUGH OUR ANNUAL BUDGET, UM, WHERE WE HAD THE GREATEST NEED. AND, UM, THAT'S BEEN INCORPORATED IN THE LAST TWO BUDGETS MM-HMM. , UM, THE CITY HAS AN OFFICE OF EQUITY, AND, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT INTERNAL TO THE ORGANIZATION THAT WE SH WE SHIFT SO THAT DEPARTMENTS RECOGNIZE THAT AND ALIGN THEIR REQUESTS THROUGH THE BUDGET APPROPRIATELY. THE, THE CONCEPT IS THAT WE SHOULD BE INVESTING IN THOSE PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY, UM, THAT HAVE HAD CERTAIN HISTORIES OR CHALLENGES, OR HAVE CERTAIN NEEDS, AND NOT JUST A, A, A PEANUT BUTTER APPROACH, UH, WHERE YOU'RE SPREADING IT ALL. AND, AND, UH, I, I, I SEE THAT AS A CONTINUED POLICY DIRECTIVE OF THE COUNCIL. UM, WE, UH, TODAY WE HAD OUR, OUR MONTHLY DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING AND, AND THE OFFICE OF EQUITY CAME IN AND BRIEFED ALL THE CITY EXECUTIVES. AND THERE'S A WHOLE SERIES OF TRAININGS THAT'LL BE GOING ON THIS, THIS YEAR, BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO ALIGN THE ORGANIZATION TO THINK THROUGH THAT. AND, AND, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, LET ME GIVE A SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE DID, WHAT THE CITY DID TWO YEARS AGO. UM, RATHER THAN, UM, INVEST, UH, A BUNCH OF MONEY IN STREET MAINTENANCE EQUALLY AND ALL THROUGH ALL, UH, THE 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS, UM, THE STAFF TOOK THE APPROACH THAT WE WERE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CITY, I'M SORRY, EVERY STREET IN THE CITY HAD AT LEAST A SCORE OF 70. NOW OUR TRANSPORTATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT DEPARTMENT SCORES, UH, STREETS. AND THE IDEA WAS, LET'S RAISE EVERYBODY UP. AND, AND THAT MEANS IN SOME AREAS OF TOWN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO INVEST MORE. UM, IT'S A SIMPLE CONCEPT. AND, AND, AND A LOT OF CITIES ARE STARTING TO SEE THAT AS, AS REALLY TACKLING THE ISSUES THAT, THAT, THAT CERTAIN PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY MIGHT HAVE BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN THE TYPE OF INVESTMENT, UM, AND NOT JUST IN INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT IT COULD BE IN SOCIAL SERVICES, POLICE SERVICES, UM, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE INVESTMENTS ARE ALIGNED WHERE THE GREATEST NEED IS AT. AND, AND, AND SO I KNOW THAT'S GONNA BE A CONTINUED PRIORITY OF THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, AND CERTAINLY WILL BE INCORPORATED WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION AND, AND IS IN FACT HAPPENING TODAY. FANTASTIC. AS A RESIDENT IN SAN ANTONIO, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS CERTAINLY A POINT OF PRIDE FOR ME. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I TALK TO MY FRIENDS ABOUT WHEN I'M TALKING TO FOLKS WHO LIVE IN DIFFERENT CITIES. UM, DEXTER, WHO IS HERE TONIGHT, DEXTER. [00:30:01] HI DEXTER. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. UM, HE ASKED, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MAKE CITY GOVERNMENT MORE TRANSPARENT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC? GREAT QUESTION. LAST THURSDAY, DEXTER, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE COUNCIL, UM, YOU, YOU FOLLOW CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS? YOU DO. SO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, WHO'S SITTING HERE IN THE SECOND ROW, UM, INITIATED A, UM, PROPOSAL THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL APPROVED AND, AND RESOLUTION FORM THAT SET ASIDE A NUMBER OF, UM, ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPLES, UH, FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND, AND HOW THE CITY, UM, REGARDLESS OF DEPARTMENT, BUT HOW THE CITY CONSISTENTLY ENGAGES THE PUBLIC FOR INPUT THE FLOW OF COMMUNICATION, TRANSPARENCY, CONVENIENCE FOR, UH, THE PUBLIC. UM, AND A LOT OF EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE PAST. AND I, AND, AND THE PART ABOUT THIS RESOLUTION THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL LAST WEEK IS, AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY PART OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEAD BRIEF, UH, BRIEFING THIS MORNING, IS WE'RE CONVERTING THAT INTO AN ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE SO THAT DEPARTMENTS SEE THAT IT'S PART OF THE CITY'S POLICY. AND, AND I SEE JEFF COYLE THERE IN THE BACK, AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF HERE. UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE MAKING INPUT CONVENIENT TO YOU IS, IS, UH, THERE IS NO FINISH LINE ON THAT TYPE OF STUFF. AND, UM, THE EXAMPLE I, I LIKE TO, TO POINT TO, WELL, LEMME BACK UP BEFORE I GIVE YOU THE EXAMPLE. I THINK THERE ARE SOME FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE EXTREMELY INVOLVED, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY REPRESENT THE MAJORITY. YOU HAVE, UM, MAYBE COMMUNITY GROUPS OR BUSINESS GROUPS OR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, BUT YOU'VE GOT EVERYBODY IN BETWEEN THAT IS, UH, WORKING, UH, HELPING KIDS WITH HOMEWORK, UM, UM, LIVING THEIR LIFE, WORKING TWO JOBS. THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME. AND, AND, AND THE CITY NECESSARILY HASN'T MADE IT EASY TO BE TO, TO, TO MAKE IT CONVENIENT. THAT'S THE PRINCIPLE BEHIND THE, THE RESOLUTION THAT COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, UH, RECOMMENDED THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVED. BUT I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED TO CONTINUE TO DIG THROUGH THAT HOLE BECAUSE THERE ARE, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE NEED TO MAKE TO MAKE IT EASIER. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THE EXAMPLE I LIKE TO USE IS THAT MY COUNCILMAN COUNCILMAN COURAGE LAST YEAR WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY, UM, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE NEXT DOOR? RIGHT? RIGHT. SO, UH, WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY, UM, HAD A SURVEY ON NEXTDOOR AND HE SENT IT OUT AND IT WAS, IT WAS PROBABLY SEVEN OR EIGHT DIFFERENT SMALL LITTLE PROJECTS, A TURN LANE HERE, A SIDEWALK, UH, HERE, NOT A LOT OF MONEY. UM, AND, UM, HE HAD A GREAT RESPONSE AND, AND IT, IT KIND OF LAID OUT WHERE HE THOUGHT THE INVESTMENT NEEDED TO BE MADE. THAT'S, THAT PROBABLY TOOK 30 SECONDS. UM, AND WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME REAL INPUT. NOW, CAN WE BALANCE A, A $2 BILLION BUDGET WITH NEXT DOOR? PROBABLY NOT, AND I'M NOT SURE I'D WANT TO TRY, BUT, BUT, BUT THE CONCEPT IS THERE. UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OTHER THING THAT THE CITY'S, UH, EXPERIMENTED IN AND, UH, WITH JEFF'S OFFICE AND, AND MARIA VILLA GOMEZ DOWN ON ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER DOWN HERE ON THE FRONT, UH, ROW, ARE THESE TELE-TOWN HALLS, WHICH IS NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT CALL OUT AND INVITE YOU TO PARTICIPATE. AND, UH, WE'VE HAD SOME TEST RUNS ON WITH THAT TECHNOLOGY, AND IT GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO FOLKS TO JUST LISTEN TO AND BE PART OF PUBLIC MEETINGS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE DOWNTOWN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIND PARKING. UM, AND, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME IN THE EVENINGS, MAKE IT CONVENIENT. YOU CAN SIT AT HOME AND LISTEN TO IT. SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED TO CONTINUE TO, TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE ON THAT. THANK YOU. UM, I LOVE THE CONVENIENCE PIECE AS WELL. JUST MAKING THINGS A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCESSIBLE AND CONVENIENT FOR FOLKS IS ALSO GONNA INCREASE, UM, ENGAGEMENT. ENGAGEMENT. YEAH. RIGHT. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THIS IS A MULTIFACETED QUESTION. WE RECEIVED SEVERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, ON NEXTDOOR MARY TOLD US THAT HER PRIMARY INTEREST IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. SHE'S 72, EDUCATED AND LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY FROM EVENTBRITE. ROSEMARY ASKED, HOW WILL YOU WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOODS TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PREVENT DISPLACEMENT? UM, AND MICHAEL, WHO IS IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT ASKED, WILL YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING? AND IF SO, HOW? THROUGH A BUDGET, THROUGH STAFFING MM-HMM. . SO LAST YEAR, UH, THE MAYOR HAD, UH, CREATED A, A MAYOR'S TASK FORCE ON, ON HOUSING. AND THEY PROVIDED A, A REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL LAST SUMMER. [00:35:01] AND, UM, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WAS A PRIORITY OF THE COUNCIL, UM, AS THEY, AS, AS THEY GAVE THAT DIRECTION TO STAFF LAST SUMMER. AND THE, AND THE, THE, THIS YEAR'S BUDGET INCLUDES A LITTLE OVER $25 MILLION TOWARDS THE FIRST PHASE OF, OF THAT REPORT. AND 17 OF THAT IS NEW MONEY. UM, IT IS, UM, IT IS A PRIORITY OF THE COUNCIL, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PRIORITY TO THE STAFF TO BE INCORPORATING THAT INTO, INTO FUTURE PLANS. UM, ONE OF THE ELEMENTS, AND IT WAS PART OF, IN, IN, IN ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS IS A RISK MITIGATION FUND, WHICH, UM, HAS BEEN SET ASIDE, MONEY SET ASIDE TO HELP, UH, WITH THOSE FOLKS THAT FIND THEMSELVES IN A DISPLACEMENT SITUATION MM-HMM. AND, UH, WHICH IS KEY AND WHICH WAS ONE OF THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THEM, FROM THE TASK FORCE. UM, THERE ARE A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS THAT, UH, THAT THE CITY HAS FUNDED THROUGH THERE. IT'S, IT'S PARTLY SOME NEW DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO REHABBING EXISTING FACILITIES. THE, THE, THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE THAT, THAT, UH, THE TASK FORCE FOUND AND CONCLUDED WAS THAT, UH, OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, UM, HOUSING COSTS, WHETHER THEY'RE HOMES THAT ARE OWNED OR RENTS HAVE GROWN AT A FASTER CLIP THAN, UM, UH, MEDIAN, UH, SALARIES OR WAGES MM-HMM. . AND SO, UM, THE, THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL DECIDED THAT BEFORE THIS BECOMES A CRISIS, NOW THAT THERE'S, THERE'S POTENTIALLY SHORT, THERE'S A SHORTAGE NOW, BUT BEFORE THIS BECOMES MORE OF A CRISIS LIKE IT IS IN OTHER CITIES IN THIS COUNTRY, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING NOW. AND, UM, UM, SO WE, WE'VE INCORPORATED PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE ONE ROOF, UM, PROGRAM, WHICH WAS ALSO INITIATED ORIGINALLY A COUPLE YEARS AGO BY, BY COUNCILMAN TREVINO, UM, UH, WITH HIS COLLEAGUES, UM, WHICH IS REPLACING PEOPLE'S ROOF. I MEAN, SOME, SOME FOLKS JUST NEED AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN TERMS OF RESOURCES, UM, SO THAT THEY'VE GOT A PLACE TO LIVE AND IT'S A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE, AND IT'S, UM, IT'S, UM, UM, UM, BETTER FOR THEM FROM A LIVING CONDITION STANDPOINT. AND WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY AS WELL IS THAT IT'S A MULTI-PRONGED EFFORT OH, YEAH. DEFINITELY. THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT, UH, DISPLACEMENT AS WELL AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS WELL AS REHAB. YEAH. UM, AND THAT IT'S AN ONGOING EFFORT. IT IS. AND, AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE OTHER BIG RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TASK FORCE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE, THAT, UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT ARE, IS WORKING ON THIS YEAR, IS REALLY BETTER COORDINATING THOSE HOUSING SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC. AND, AND WE TALK ABOUT ENGAGEMENT, BUT, BUT MAKING SURE THAT FOLKS KNOW WHERE TO GO, UM, UH, FOR HELP AND, UH, AND MAKING IT EASILY, EASILY ACCEPTABLE OR ACCESSIBLE. MM-HMM. . GREAT. MICHAEL G SENT US AN EMAIL QUESTION REGARDING SITE AND RELEASE POLICIES. ERIC, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE TO CREATE A SITE AND RELEASE PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND WHAT THE CITY'S ROLE COULD BE IN ENCOURAGING NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS TO ADOPT SIMILAR PROGRAMS? MM-HMM. , THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND, AND THE POLICE CHIEF IS STANDING UP THERE IN THE BACK. UM, IT'S AN ISSUE THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL, UH, AND THE CHIEF HAVE TALKED ABOUT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. UM, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ MM-HMM. , UH, AT LEAST THE LAST THREE YEARS, RIGHT. COUNCILWOMAN, I THINK. UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S, UM, IT'S, UH, IT, IT IT'S AN INITIATIVE THAT, THAT ALLOWS OFFICERS TO DECIDE ON THE SCENE, UM, WHETHER OR NOT TO ISSUE A CITATION RATHER THAN ARREST. RIGHT. AND THEY'RE GENERALLY LOWER LEVEL, NON-VIOLENT TYPE OF THINGS. THERE'S A SERIES OF, OF, UM, OF, UH, OF ISSUES THAT ARE ALLOWED UNDER STATE LAW THAT WOULD GIVE THAT OFFICER THE DISCRETION. AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATION INTERNALLY AND WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ABOUT IT. IT IS AN EFFICIENCY ISSUE FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT STANDPOINT, BUT, BUT IT'S ALSO, UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE 18 OR 19 YEARS OLD, OR YOU'RE 22 YEARS OLD, AND IT'S SOMETHING MINOR, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT OTHERWISE WITHOUT A SIGHT AND RELEASE PROGRAM WOULDN'T BE ARRESTED MM-HMM. OR MIGHT BE, MIGHT GET ARRESTED, AND WHAT TYPE OF IMPACT THAT HAS ON THE REST OF THEIR, THEIR, UH, THEIR LIFE. SO THE, SO THE COUNCIL HAS LOOKED AT BOTH THOSE ISSUES. THERE ARE TWO SIDES OF THE FORMULA ON SITE RELEASE. THE FIRST PART OF THE FORMULA IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND, UM, THEREFORE I THINK THERE, THERE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF TRAINING THAT HAS, THAT'S BEEN PREPARED. UM, THE SECOND SIDE OF THE FORMULA IS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. MM-HMM. . AND, UM, THE NEW DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAS, UH, HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE, UH, WITH THE POLICE CHIEF AND, UM, IS, [00:40:01] UM, INTERESTED IN PURSUING THAT BECAUSE WHEN THE, WHEN THE POLICE OFFICER WRITES THE TICKET, THERE'S GOT YOU, YOU'VE GOTTA TELL THE, THE INDIVIDUAL AND WHAT COURT TO RESPOND TO, WHAT, WHERE DO THEY NEED TO REPORT TO. AND SO THE NEW DA IS WORKING THROUGH THAT PROCESS. AND WE HAVE A, UH, A COUNCIL BRIEFING ON THAT ON FEBRUARY 13TH IN OUR B SESSION WHERE WE'LL GIVE THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE, UH, THAT WE'VE WANTED TO PURSUE FOR SOME TIME, AND I KNOW IT'S A PRIORITY OF THE DA AND AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR GOING, UH, INTO THE DEFINITION FOR THOSE OF US WHO DON'T KNOW, THAT WAS GREAT. UM, PAUL ASKED ON EVENTBRITE, WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE NEXT WAVE OF BUSINESS COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY COMING TO SAN ANTONIO? AND I'LL ALSO MENTION THAT WE HAVE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LEFT OF QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR REALLY TOUGH RAPID FIRE. OKAY. UM, SO THE CITY HAS A NUMBER OF, HAS AN ESTABLISHED, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICY, AND THAT'S SET BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL. AND IT INCLUDES TARGETED INDUSTRIES SUCH AS, UM, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND AEROSPACE, IT AND CYBERSECURITY, HEALTHCARE, AND BIOMED. UM, AND THOSE, THOSE TARGETS ARE STILL THERE. MM-HMM. , UM, THEY'RE NOT GONNA CHANGE WHEN A NEW CITY MANAGER IS APPOINTED. UM, PART OF PART OF OUR ROLE IS, UM, ADVISING THE COUNCIL AND, AND, AND BEING PART OF THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC DISCUSSION. WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, UH, LEO GOMEZ THERE FROM BROOKS. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE ALIGNED ON THOSE KEY TARGETED, UM, INDUSTRIES. WE'RE GONNA NEED TO STAY FOCUSED ON THAT. AND, AND, BUT OF COURSE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'LL TAKE OUR DIRECTION FROM THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL. BUT, BUT THOSE HAVE BEEN PRIORITY AREAS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS FOR THE CITY, AND I SUSPECT THEY'LL CONTINUE. YOU KNOW, ONE OTHER BIG ASPECT OF THAT, UH, AND THIS KIND OF CUTS ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES IS, UM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. RIGHT. AND, AND IT, UM, FOR ALL LEVELS OF EMPLOYEES THAT, THAT IN THE LONG RUN, UM, PREPARES PEOPLE TO, UH, TAKE ON, UH, DIFFERENT ROLES AND, UH, POTENTIALLY HIGHER PAYING ROLES. AND IT'S CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS, OVERALL SUCCESS OF THE COMMUNITY. I THINK WE'RE GONNA TAKE ONE MORE BEFORE WE MOVE ON. UM, TIM ASKED US ON FACEBOOK, HOW WILL YOU WORK TO CREATE A BICYCLE FRIENDLY CITY? I KNOW THAT COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK AROUND THIS ON VISION ZERO, NOT JUST BICYCLE FRIENDLY, BUT, UM, JUST FOLKS WALKING ON THE STREET MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFE. BUT IF YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND TALK ABOUT YOUR VISION, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT NEED TO CHANGE THE TERM BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE SCOOTERS, AND IT'S NOT JUST BICYCLES, RIGHT. UM, YEAH. YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE CITY HAS A BICYCLE MASTER PLAN. IT, IT, IT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED. AND I SPOKE TO THE, THE STAFF EARLIER, UH, TODAY, I, I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO, AND IT CERTAINLY IS A, IS A PRIORITY OF, UM, OF THE STAFF AND THE MARIAN COUNCIL BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SO MANY FOLKS THAT ARE USING OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. AND, UM, THAT BEGINS WITH HOW WE DESIGN PROJECTS. UM, THAT BEGINS WITH, UH, BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE THOUGHTFUL AS WE, UM, DESIGN THESE MAJOR CORRIDORS AND ALLOWS SPACE FOR, UM, NOT JUST BICYCLISTS, BUT SCOOTERS OR WHATEVER COMES AROUND THE CORNER SIX MONTHS FROM NOW. UM, AND THAT TAKES A LOT OF FORESIGHT AND THOUGHT AND PLANNING. UM, WE'VE GOT, UM, UH, BROADWAY, UH, A SIGNIFICANT PROJECT ON BROADWAY COMING UP MM-HMM. THAT HAS ALREADY GONE THROUGH THE DESIGN PHASE. AND SO, UH, WE'LL NEED TO KIND OF CONTINUE TO WATCH THAT, YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT. AND, AND, AND SOMETIMES IN SOME AREAS IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR THE CITY, UM, BUT WE NEED TO BE NIMBLE IN THAT SENSE. UM, BUT, BUT WHEN WE ARE, WE'VE GOT A $45 MILLION STREET PROJECT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DESIGNED. UM, THE COUNT, THE, THE, THE MAYOR, THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC ALL EXPECT THAT TO, TO, UH, FINISH ON TIME AND ON BUDGET. RIGHT. SO THAT REQUIRES US TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE FORESIGHT AND THOUGHT. AND, AND, UH, I THINK THAT BASED ON THE, A LOT OF THE CONVERSATION THAT'S GONE ON OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, OUR TRANSPORTATION AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, IS REALLY LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE THOUGHTFUL, BUT, BUT WE'RE NOT THERE. AND I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY DO A BETTER JOB. AND I, I THINK IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE AS WE DEAL WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. YEAH. I APPRECIATE YOU INCORPORATING SCOOTERS. I KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE VERY STRONG FEELINGS. THOSE YEAH. SEEN THEM ONLINE. UM, OKAY. WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT POLICY AND COVERED A LOT OF GROUND, BUT NOW I HAVE SOME RAPID FIRE Q AND A. UM, SAVE THE BEST FOR LAUGH. LAST, THESE ARE REALLY THE TOUGH QUESTIONS. ARE YOU READY? YEAH. YOU SURE? MAYBE? YEAH, SURE. OKAY, HERE WE GO. WHAT KIND OF BREAKFAST TACO IS YOUR FAVORITE? [00:45:01] UH, MIGAS. MIGAS. MIGAS. THAT'S A GOOD ONE. YEAH. IT'S LIKE VERY SAN ANTONIO. YEAH. MAGUS. IT'S EASY. YOU GUYS CAN LIKE BOO OR LIKE, YAY. THAT, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK MAGUS IS GOOD. CROWD RESPONSE. OKAY. WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE SAN ANTONIO SPUR? UH, DEMAR DE? YEAH. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SAN ANTONIO SPUR. OH, AND YOU ANSWERED, YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN? DEMAR DE DEMAR DE ROSEN. PEOPLE ARE LIKE LUKEWARM ABOUT THAT ONE. . ALL RIGHT. ZERO FOR TWO . I'LL GET BETTER. I'LL GET BETTER AS WE GET ALONG HERE. OKAY. UM, IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERPOWER, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU HAVE FLYING, FLYING YOU, LIKE WASTED NO TIME. YEAH. FLYING. YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS FOR A LONG TIME? UH, NO, BUT THAT'D BE COOL. THAT'D BE REAL COOL. OKAY. UM, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SPORT? YOU TALKED, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT YOUR KIND OF BACKGROUND IN SPORTS FOOTBALL. YEAH. OKAY. I'M A COLLEGE FOOTBALL GUY. OH, OKAY. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. YEP. UM, WHAT TV SHOW DO YOU BINGE WATCH IN YOUR LIMITED SPARE TIME, IF ANY? DO YOU DO THAT? YOU KNOW, , MY WIFE AND I WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS SANDRA WAVE. MY WIFE, SANDRA, MY WIFE AND I WERE JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, UM, NOBODY'S WATCHING TV IN OUR HOUSE. UM, THAT'S COOL. IT IT'S LIKE YOUTUBE. UM, IT'S VERY NETFLIX. UM, WE'RE NOT WATCHING A LOT OF TV AND WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT IT THE OTHER DAY. LET'S, SOMETHING'S CHANGED HERE. UM, NETFLIX MAKES IT SO EASY TO BINGE WATCH. YEAH. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, PERIODICALLY I'LL, I'LL DIVE INTO THERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF YOUTUBE AND, YOU KNOW, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, BUT NOT A LOT OF TV. WHEN YOU'RE DIVING INTO NETFLIX, DO YOU HAVE A SHOW THAT YOU LIKE TO WATCH, UM, THAT PEOPLE WANNA KNOW? NO. THEY, YOU DON'T REALLY WANT TO KNOW. , YOU KNOW, LOST IN SPACE WAS KIND OF COOL. I MEAN, SO YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT. YEAH, NO, THAT, I'M GONNA STRIKE OUT ON THAT ONE. OKAY. YOU'VE DONE, THIS IS, YOU'RE DOING GREAT. . UM, WHO DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR ROLE MODEL? MY DAD ALSO TOOK, THAT WAS AN EASY ONE. THAT WAS THE BEST ANSWER. I'VE GIVEN TIME RESPONDING. . UM, WHAT'S THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? UM, MAKE YOUR BED BY, UH, ADMIRAL MCRAVEN. COOL. I MAKE MY BED EVERY DAY EASY. SO EASY, EASY READER. VERY SMALL, VERY IN TUNE WITH THAT MOTTO. UM, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT? MARRYING SANDRA. OH, THAT'S VERY SWEET. YEAH. SO I THINK WE'VE COVERED A LOT TONIGHT. UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE ANYTHING IN CLOSING? THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GOOD SPORT WITH US . UH, I'M EXCITED. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAD FUN WITH THOSE, THOSE QUESTIONS AT THE END. UM, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT ARE, UH, IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT. UM, AND THEY'RE, A LOT OF 'EM ARE SITTING RIGHT HERE. UM, AND GUYS, IF YOU'LL STAND UP, THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS PART OF THE CITY EXECUTIVE TEAM. UM, WE, PETER ZONI, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, LORI HOUSTON, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, ANNIE SEGOVIA, CITY ATTORNEY MARIA VILLA GOMEZ AND CARLOS CONTRERAS. UM, ROD SANCHEZ OVER HERE, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. UM, THEY, THEY'RE A GREAT TEAM AND, AND, AND A LOT OF US HAVE WORKED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME, AND I'M CERTAINLY APPRECIATIVE OF YOU GUYS BEING HERE TONIGHT. UM, AND, AND WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF I SEE KIND OF SCATTERED AROUND THE ROOM THAT ARE ALL PART OF THAT CORE GROUP. UM, I'M, I'M EXCITED. I'M EXCITED TO, UH, TO GET TO WORK. UH, I'M EXCITED TO, UH, WORK WITH THESE FOLKS DOWN HERE AND, UH, AND, UM, HAVE COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ AND COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL AND COUNCILMAN HALL AND COUNCILMAN VINNO AND THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE THOSE BOXES CHECKED MM-HMM. , UM, AND, AND GET GOOD THINGS TAKEN CARE OF. SO, UH, I CERTAINLY VERY APPRECIATIVE OF EVERYBODY COMING HERE TONIGHT. UM, AND, UM, I'M, I'M READY TO GO TO WORK. AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. SURE. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. YEAH, I'M SORRY. SO I, I TALKED ABOUT MY, MY MOM AND DAD HERE. MY IN-LAWS ARE HERE. I GOT THE BEST IN-LAWS IN THE, IN THE WORLD HERE. GEORGE AND LILLIAN KIBA ARE RIGHT HERE. EVERYBODY WAVE. SO, AND I, AND I, AND I'VE GOT, I'VE GOT OTHER FAMILY HERE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE, THE OFFICE OR THE, UH, THE AUDITORIUM. THANKS FOR COMING DOWN. I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT. [00:50:01] SO YEAH. GREAT FAMILY. UM, FOLLOWING TONIGHT, ERIC WILL CONTINUE TO MEET WITH VARIOUS GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. CITY COUNCIL IS EXPECTED TO VOTE ON HIS APPOINTMENT ON JANUARY 31ST. WE INVITE YOU TO KEEP UP WITH A PROCESS BY VISITING SA SPEAKUP.COM OR FOLLOWING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ON SOCIAL MEDIA. UM, YOU CAN FIND THE CITY ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, AND YOUTUBE AT COSA GOV. UM, WE ALSO HAVE SEVERAL REPORTERS HERE. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. THEY WILL ALSO KEEP YOU INFORMED AND KEEP YOU ENGAGED. REMEMBER THAT IT'S YOUR CITY AND YOUR CITY MANAGER. THANKS FOR SPEAKING UP. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT. DISTANCE, FEET, SO MANY TIMES. * 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.