[ ITEMS ]
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BELIEVE WE HAVE OUR QUORUM TIME IS 2:02 PM ON THE NINTH DAY OF AUGUST, 2023.
WE'LL CALL OUR CITY COUNCIL B.
MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER COR PRESENT PRESIDENT, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN.
WE HAVE TWO ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY.
UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TODAY.
THE FIRST PRESENTATION IS, UH, FROM OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, AND THEY'LL PROVIDE A BRIEFING ON THE FINDINGS OF OUR 2023, UM, SP, A DISPARITY STUDY.
UM, COLETTE HOLT, THE INDU INDUSTRY EXPERT WHO PERFORMED THE STUDY IS HERE WITH US TODAY TO PRESENT THE FINDINGS AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE COUNCIL MAY HAVE.
UM, IN SUMMARY, THE THE STUDY SHOWS THAT OUR SPTA PROGRAM HAS PERFORMED WELL IN ASSISTING LOCAL MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS, UH, COMMUNITY, UM, AND THAT THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AS WE CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE, UM, IN THE AREAS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN, ASIAN AMERICAN, AND NATIVE AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESSES.
FROM MAY TO JUNE OF THIS YEAR, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CONDUCTED A SERIES OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UM, UH, CAMPAIGNS TO BRIEF SMALL BUSINESSES STAKEHOLDERS ON THE RESULTS OF AND GATHER SOME FEEDBACK THEY'LL SHARE WITH YOU TO ADDRESS THE STUDY FINDINGS.
UH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL EXPLORE ENHANCEMENTS TO THE SP ORDINANCE ONCE COUNCIL, UH, ADOPTS THE STUDY LATER ON, UM, THIS MONTH.
UH, AND THAT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED, UH, FOR AUGUST 31ST OF, OF THIS, OF THIS MONTH.
IN ADDITION, UM, AND, AND MOST OF YOU'RE AWARE, UM, THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN, UH, NEW EFFORTS THROUGH, UM, SUPPLY SA, WHICH SEEKS TO ADDRESS BARRIERS, UM, COLLECTIVELY THROUGH ALL THE PUBLIC SECTOR AGENCIES, UH, WORKING TOGETHER.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MICHAEL SINDEN.
HE WILL, UM, INTRODUCE THE TOPIC AND THE INTRO, UH, AND, UH, AND, UH, COLETTE, MIKE.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
I'M AN ADMINISTRATOR WITH THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AND THIS BRIEFING WILL PROVIDE THAT OVERVIEW ON THE 2023 SAB BETA DISPARITY STUDY, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED, UM, IN MAY OF THIS YEAR.
THE STUDY CENTERS AROUND OUR SAB BETA PROGRAM, WHICH WAS IMPLEMENTED TO IMPROVE THE UTILIZATION OF LOCAL, SMALL, MINORITY, AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES ON CITY CONTRACTS.
WE DO THIS SPECIFICALLY TO CURE HISTORICALLY DOCUMENTED RACE AND GENDER DISPARITIES FOUND IN PREVIOUS ADOPTED STUDIES DATING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1992 AND 2010.
THE FINDINGS FROM THIS NEW STUDY WILL HELP THE CITY EVALUATE FUTURE AMENDMENTS TO THE CURRENT SO BETA ORDINANCE.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, AND WHAT A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T REALIZE, IT SERVES AS THE LEGAL BASIS IN WHICH WE WILL EVEN CONTINUE THE RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS APPLICATION OF THE PROGRAM.
TO PERFORM THIS STUDY, UM, THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZED AN AGREEMENT WITH COLETTE HOLT AND ASSOCIATES, WHO IS A LOCAL SMALL WOMAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN OWNED BUSINESS.
FOR SOME BACKGROUND, COLETTE HAS OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN CONDUCTING COURT APPROVED DISPARITY STUDIES AND DESIGNING COURT APPROVED PROGRAMS, UM, INCLUDING NUMEROUS FOR TEXAS PUBLIC AGENCIES.
SHE'S A FREQUENT EXPERT WITNESS AND MEDIA AUTHOR ON THIS SUBJECT, AND SHE HAS GONE SO FAR AS TO CO-AUTHOR THE NATIONAL MODEL OF DISPARITY STUDY GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BECOME THE ACCEPTED STANDARD OF WISH TO CONDUCT STUDIES THAT CAN WITHSTAND JUDICIAL SCRUTINY.
COLETTE IS HERE WITH US TODAY, SO I'M GONNA HAND THIS BRIEFING OVER TO HER SO SHE CAN SHARE THOSE STUDY SUMMARY AND FINDINGS.
THANK YOU, MICHAEL, AND GOOD AFTERNOON TO ALL OF YOU, AND THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK AGAIN.
UM, AND, UH, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, AND MICHAEL, UH, AFTER I'M DONE, I BELIEVE HAS SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TIMELINE AND THE ROLLOUT THAT THE CITY'S PLANNING.
SO JUST A QUICK, UH, WRAP UP ON THE CURRENT LEGAL STANDARDS.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA BORE EVERYBODY HERE WITH ALL OF, OF THE, THE ELEMENTS THAT COULD POSSIBLY GO INTO A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT THE LEGAL, UH, FRAMEWORK IS THAT THE FEDERAL COURTS HAVE GIVEN US FOR RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS PROGRAMS. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW IS THAT THEY ARE SUBJECT TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF JUDICIAL REVIEW CALLED STRICT CONSTITUTIONAL SCRUTINY.
UH, AND THIS MEANS THAT A RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS CONTRACTING PROGRAM, AND REALLY ANY RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS PROGRAM HAS
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TO MEET TWO TESTS.UH, THE FIRST IS THAT THE PROGRAM IS BASED ON STRONG EVIDENCE OF THE AGENCY'S COMPELLING INTEREST IN USING THE HIGHLY DISFAVORED TOOL OF RACE-BASED DECISION MAKING.
UM, AND THIS CAN, UH, BE PROVEN BY STATISTICAL AND QUALITATIVE OR ANECDOTAL DATA.
UH, THE SECOND IS THAT ANY REMEDY THAT THE AGENCY ADOPTS MUST BE NARROWLY TAILORED TO THE EVIDENCE UPON WHICH IT RELIES.
UM, SO THAT MEANS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT YOU NEED TO, UH, SET YOUR CONTRACT GOALS ON A NARROWLY TAILORED BASIS.
UM, MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS THAT ENSURE THAT ONLY, UH, FIRMS OWNED BY PERSONS THAT WOULD BE SUBJECT TO SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION IN THIS MARKETPLACE ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.
AND THEN FINALLY, UH, THE COURTS HAVE TOLD US THAT THESE PROGRAMS MUST BE PERIODICALLY REVIEWED.
UH, THEY'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER THEY GO ON QUOTE UNQUOTE TOO LONG.
UM, AND SO, UH, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AS MICHAEL MENTIONED, HAS REPEATEDLY REEXAMINED THE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS ITS CURRENT PROGRAM.
SO OUR STUDY OBJECTIVES, UH, WERE REALLY FOURFOLD.
UM, THE FIRST, OF COURSE, IS TO MEET THAT FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL TEST.
THE SECOND WAS TO PROVIDE THE CITY WITH CURRENT UPDATED DATA FOR SETTING GOALS ON A CONTRACT BY CONTRACT BASIS.
WE ALSO WANTED TO USE THE STUDY AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SOLICIT INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY, UH, FROM YOUR STAKEHOLDERS, FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS, IN OTHER WORDS, ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAM FUNCTIONS.
WE WANTED TO ASK THEM ALSO ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THE OVERALL SAN ANTONIO MARKETPLACE, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR, AND TO SOLICIT ANY RECOMMENDATIONS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS, UM, OR ENHANCEMENTS.
AND THEN BASED ON ALL OF THAT, WE HAVE PROVIDED, UM, VERY TARGETED RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY THAT EMBODIED BEST PRACTICES AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT THAT ARE TAILORED TO YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION.
SO, UM, WE HAD TWO BASIC TYPES OF DATA SOURCES.
UH, THE FIRST ARE QUANTITATIVE, UM, OR STATISTICAL.
WE LOOKED AT THE CITY'S VENDOR RECORDS FOR FORMERLY PROCURED CONTRACTS OF $50,000 OR GREATER FOR FISCAL YEARS, 2014 THROUGH 2020.
SO THAT IS A GOOD LONG AND DEEP SNAPSHOT OF THE CITY'S CONTRACTING ACTIVITY.
UH, WE ALSO COLLECTED AND VERIFIED, UH, DATA FROM PRIME VENDORS, PRIME CONTRACTORS ABOUT BOTH THEIR PAYMENTS AND WHAT SUBCONTRACTORS THEY UTILIZED ON THE PROJECT, WHAT THOSE SUBCONTRACTORS WERE PAID AND WHO THEY WERE.
WE PUT TOGETHER AN OVERALL DIRECTORY OF MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS, UM, THAT, UH, THE CITY HAS REQUESTED THAT WE GIVE THEM.
SO, MICHAEL, I DIDN'T FORGET, UM, THAT YOU CAN USE FOR ADDITIONAL OUTREACH BECAUSE WE DID IDENTIFY FIRMS THAT ARE NOT CERTIFIED, UH, AND IN THE PROGRAM, BUT WHO MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE.
AND THAT IS ANOTHER SOURCE THAT YOU COULD INCREASE YOUR POOL OF CERTIFIED MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED VENDORS.
UH, FOR OUR OVERALL BUSINESS UNIVERSE, WE LOOKED AT, UH, HOOVERS, WHICH IS WHAT DUN AND BRADSTREET IS CALLED NOW.
THAT GIVES US A VERY BROAD AND DETAILED, UH, ESTIMATE OF WHAT FIRMS ARE OUT THERE IN THE SAN ANTONIO MARKET THAT PROVIDE THE TYPES OF GOODS AND SERVICES THAT THE CITY PURCHASES.
UH, WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT SOME US CENSUS DATA BASES, UH, THAT TAKE A BROAD SNAPSHOT OF THE OVERALL ECONOMY.
AND THEN WE PROVIDED, UM, A COMPENDIUM OF SCHOLARLY RESEARCH, PARTICULARLY, UH, DIRECTED TOWARDS DISCRIMINATION IN COMMERCIAL CREDIT.
OUR QUALITATIVE OR ANECDOTAL DATA, UH, INCLUDED BUSINESS OWNER INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS.
UM, I PERSONALLY INTERVIEWED 101 PEOPLE, UH, FOR THIS STUDY.
SO, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO GET EXCELLENT PARTICIPATION FROM THE COMMUNITY AND BROAD INPUT ACROSS A LARGE DEMOGRAPHIC BASE.
UH, WE HAD 223 RESPONDENTS TO THE ELECTRONIC SURVEY.
AGAIN, UM, THIS IS REALLY, UM, VERY, VERY GOOD SOLID DATA, UH, IN TERMS OF, UM, GETTING INPUT FROM A LARGE VARIETY OF, OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF VENDORS.
WE ALSO INTERVIEWED CITY STAFF, 'CAUSE THE CITY STAFF ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY KNOW THE PROGRAM BEST TO GET THEIR IDEAS ABOUT HOW THINGS WORKED, UH, AND HOW THINGS MIGHT BE IMPROVED.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE AN APPENDIX THAT COLLECTS ALL OF THE ANECDOTAL DATA FROM THE VARIOUS TEXAS DISPARITY STUDIES THAT WE'VE DONE FOR TDOT AUSTIN, HARRIS COUNTY, TRAVIS COUNTY, CENTRAL HEALTH, AND, AND SOME OTHER AGENCIES.
UM, THE FIRST THING WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT WAS WHAT WAS THE CITY'S UTILIZATION OF MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS AS A PERCENTAGE OF ALL THE DOLLARS THAT IT SPENT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD, WE ENDED UP WITH A FINAL CONTRACT DATA FILE OF APPROXIMATELY 887 MILLION CONTRACT DOLLARS, UH, WITH 549 PRIME CONTRACTS.
UH, THAT WAS ABOUT 628 MILLION, AND THEN OVER 1100 ASSOCIATED SUBCONTRACTS AT ABOUT 259 MILLION.
THE FEDERAL COURTS ARE VERY CLEAR THAT A LOCAL AGENCY LIKE A CITY, MUST LIMIT THE REACH OF ITS PROGRAM TO ITS OWN LOCAL
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MARKET AREA.MIGHT TURN OUT THAT IT'S, THE JURISDICTION MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE THE METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA, BUT IT MIGHT NOT.
UM, IN THE END FOR THIS STUDY, IT WAS THE SAN ANTONIO M S A, UM, AND THAT CAPTURED, UM, ABOUT 75% A LITTLE OVER THAT OF THE FINAL CONTRACT DATA FILE.
SO WE LIMITED OUR ANALYSIS TO FIRMS THAT WERE LOCATED WITHIN THIS MARKET AREA.
YOU ALSO HAVE TO DETERMINE IN A DISPARITY STUDY, WHAT IS THE PRODUCT OR INDUSTRY MARKET THAT THE AGENCY OPERATES IN.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF NAS CODES, BUT THE CITY DOESN'T BUY EVERYTHING THAT'S SOLD OUT THERE.
UH, IT TURNED OUT THERE WERE 128 DISTINCT SUB-INDUSTRY, SIX DIGIT CODES, UM, IN THE FINAL CONTRACT DATA FILE.
SO OUR ANALYSIS WAS LIMITED TO THOSE 128 CODES THAT WERE IN THE SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA.
SO THAT WAS OUR UTILIZATION OF MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS BY THE CITY.
WE ALSO HAD TO DETERMINE WHO WAS AVAILABLE, WHAT'S THE AVAILABILITY OF FIRMS IN THAT MARKET AND GEOGRAPHIC AND THE PRODUCT MARKET AND GEOGRAPHIC MARKET AREA.
UM, THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF TABLES IN THE STUDY.
UH, BUT, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS AFTERNOON, UH, WE SUMMARIZED THIS AND YOU CAN SEE THERE WHAT THE USE UTILIZATION WAS, WHAT THE WEIGHTED AVAILABILITY WAS, AND THEN WHAT WAS THE DISPARITY RATIO.
SO LEMME SPEND A MINUTE JUST UNPACKING THAT.
UM, WHAT YOU CAN TAKE FROM THAT IS THAT THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE, INCREASING AND INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND MINORITY OWNED FIRMS. REALLY, THE C CITY IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR HOW WELL IT HAS DONE.
UM, THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY AREAS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED, BUT OVERALL, THIS PROGRAM IS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL.
UH, THERE ARE GOOD RESOURCES DEVOTED TO IT.
YOU HAVE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I THINK YOU HAVE COMMITTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTED STAFF THAT WANNA GET SOMETHING DONE.
UM, THE PROGRAM HAS NOT BEEN EVENLY SPREAD ITS BENEFITS ANYWAY, HAVE NOT BEEN EVENLY SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF THE GROUPS.
SO YOU'LL SEE THERE THAT THERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE, UM, MORE EFFORTS COULD BE MADE, UM, AND PERHAPS SOME MORE FOCUS, UH, GIVEN, UM, I WANNA SAY, SAY BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, WHAT UNWEIGHTED AVAILABILITY RATHER, WHAT WEIGHTED AVAILABILITY IS, BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY A TERM THAT'S NOT FAMILIAR TO, TO, TO FOLKS.
THERE'S NO REASON IT SHOULD BE.
UM, IT JUST MEANS WHAT WAS THE HEADCOUNT THEN ADJUSTED TO REFLECT HOW MUCH MONEY THE CITY SPENT IN A PARTICULAR CODE.
SO YOU CAN JUST DO AN UNWEIGHTED HEADCOUNT, AND THAT IS IN THE STUDY.
AND, UH, THAT'S WHAT THE CITY WILL USE FOR SETTING CONTRACT GOALS GOING FORWARD, BECAUSE THAT'S WEIGHTED BY THE SCOPES OF THAT PARTICULAR SOLICITATION.
BUT OVERALL, WE NEEDED TO GIVE YOU A ROLLED UP NUMBER.
SO WHAT YOU SEE THERE IN THE FOURTH COLUMN, WEIGHTED AVAILABILITY REFLECTS THE AVAILABILITY FOR EACH GROUP WEIGHTED ACROSS ALL THOSE 128 NAS CODES.
I'M, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
IF PEOPLE AREN'T, AREN'T QUITE CLEAR.
THE DISPARITY RATIO MEASURES THE GAP BETWEEN UTILIZATION AND AVAILABILITY.
UM, SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANNA ADD THAT COLUMN UP, AND THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS.
THEY, THEY'RE, THE ROWS ARE INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER.
'CAUSE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ANSWER THERE IS THE QUESTION, WERE FIRMS UTILIZED IN PROPORTION TO THEIR AVAILABILITY.
TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS LESS THAN A HUNDRED PERCENT, THAT'S LESS THAN PARITY.
THAT MEANS THAT THERE WERE MORE FIRMS OUT THERE THAN WERE ACTUALLY UTILIZED.
SO YOU SEE THERE, THE DISPARITY RATIOS ARE IN THE LAST COLUMN TO YOUR RIGHT, WE TESTED THOSE RESULTS FOR STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
THAT IS ESSENTIALLY, HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT THESE ARE THE RESULT OF CHANCE? AND WE DO HAVE AN APPENDIX IN THE STUDY THAT, UH, GOES INTO SOME DETAIL ABOUT WHAT STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE MEANS.
UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, BLOCKED OUT THAT PAINFUL CHAPTER IN YOUR EDUCATION, UM, IN STATISTICS CLASS, AND WHAT JUST ASSUME PROBABLY NOT REMEMBER.
UM, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET THE BASIC CONCEPT.
UM, SO THEN TURNING TO WHAT ELSE YOU CAN TAKE FROM THIS CHART, UM, YOU CAN SEE THERE THAT WEIGHTED AVAIL, UH, UTILIZATION IS BELOW AVAILABILITY FOR BLACKS, NATIVE AMERICANS, ASIANS, AND NON MWBES OVERALL.
UM, AND THAT FOR HISPANICS AND WHITE WOMEN, UM, THE PROGRAM HAS DONE VERY WELL.
UH, AND THEIR UTILIZATION, UM, IS, UH, EXCEEDS PARITY.
SO THAT WAS OUR, UH, A, A, A ROLL UP OF ALL OF OUR FINDINGS, UM, FOR THE CITY'S OWN CONTRACT RECORDS OWN CONTRACTING ACTIVITY.
WE ALSO WANTED TO INCLUDE AN ECONOMY-WIDE DISPARITY ANALYSIS, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY FOR AN AGENCY LIKE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTING A PROGRAM FOR A LONG TIME, UM, I WOULD'VE BEEN VERY SURPRISED TO SEE A LOT OF LARGE AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DISPARITIES, BECAUSE THE WHOLE POINT OF THE PROGRAM
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IS TO REMEDIATE THOSE DISPARITIES IN THE MARKETPLACE.SO IF THE PROGRAM IS REASONABLY SUCCESSFUL, YOU AREN'T LIKELY TO FIND LARGE DISPARITIES IN YOUR OWN CONTRACTING, WHICH IS A GOOD THING, MEANS THAT YOU'RE RUNNING A PRETTY GOOD PROGRAM AND YOU ARE.
BUT WE WANTED TO TAKE A, A PROXY FOR WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF THE CITY WERE TO DROP ITS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION CONTRACTING EFFORTS.
UM, AND THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS TWO DATABASES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR THIS.
THE FIRST IS THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY.
UM, THIS IS A 24 MONTH ROTATION OF, UM, INDIVIDUALS.
SO A LOT OF THE DATA THAT YOU SEE IN THE POPULAR MEDIA, UH, COMES OFF OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY.
UM, AND THERE WE FOUND THAT WOMEN AND MINORITY, UH, FORM BUSINESSES AT A LOWER RATE AND EARN LESS FROM THE BUSINESSES THAT THEY DO FORM THAN COMPARABLE WHITE MALES SUGGESTING THAT WHILE THE CITY HAS BEEN QUITE SUCCESSFUL IN MANY REGARDS IN REMEDIATING MARKETPLACE DISCRIMINATION, THAT DIDN'T MEAN THAT IT DISAPPEARED OUT THERE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD.
THE OTHER DATABASE THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS THE CENSUS BUREAU'S ANNUAL BUSINESS SURVEY.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A MISNOMER BECAUSE THEY REALLY DON'T DO IT ANNUALLY.
IT'S EVERY FIVE YEARS IN THE END.
UM, BUT IT LOOKS AT FIRMS. THE A C S LOOKS AT PEOPLE, THE A B S LOOKS AT FIRMS. AND AGAIN, WE FOUND THAT MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS EXPERIENCE, UH, DISPARITIES IN THEIR INCOME FROM THEIR BUSINESSES COMPARED TO SIMILAR NON-MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS. WE ALSO, UM, HAVE A SECTION IN THERE THAT, UH, SUMMARIZES THE WHAT HAS BECOME REALLY QUITE, UH, EXTENSIVE GOVERNMENT AND SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND LITERATURE ON DISCRIMINATION AND ACCESS TO COMMERCIAL CREDIT.
A LOT OF SURVEYS AND STUDIES DONE NOW, ESPECIALLY UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE.
UM, AND THERE WE FIND THAT CREDIT DISCRIMINATION, UH, CONTINUES TO IMPEDE MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS, UM, ESPECIALLY BLACK-OWNED FIRMS. UH, AND THAT HUMAN CAPITAL CONSTRAINTS, THINGS LIKE ACCESS TO NETWORKS, THE ABILITY TO GET A QUALITY EDUCATION ALSO CONTINUE TO OPERATE AGAINST WOMEN AND MINORITY ENTREPRENEURS.
SO THAT'S OUR QUANTITATIVE EVIDENCE.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR QUALITATIVE AND STATISTICAL PORTION OF THIS STUDY, WHICH AGAIN, WE USED, UH, SURVEYS AND, UH, PERSONAL INTERVIEWS TO GATHER.
AND THERE WE, WE HEARD REPEATEDLY, SADLY, BUT NOT SURPRISINGLY, THAT WOMEN AND MINORITY ENTREPRENEURS STILL EXPERIENCE BIAS PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THEIR COMPETENCY AND THEIR QUALIFICATIONS.
UM, THE GEE, WE DIDN'T KNOW A HISPANIC OWNED FIRM COULD DO THAT KIND OF WORK, OR WE'VE NEVER HAD A WOMAN BEFORE.
OR, UM, YOU KNOW, ISN'T THERE SOMEBODY ELSE I CAN TALK TO HERE? YOU KNOW, THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS, UM, AND EXPERIENCES SADLY, ARE ALL TOO COMMON.
UH, MOST PEOPLE REPORTED THAT THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS, UH, CONTRACTING, UH, DIVERSITY PROGRAMS ARE VERY CRITICAL, IF NOT CRUCIAL, UH, TO THEIR SUCCESS AND EVEN SURVIVAL, UH, OF THEIR FIRMS. MANY OF THE INTERVIEWEES REPORTED THAT THEY GET VERY LITTLE WORK OUTSIDE OF GOALS PROGRAMS, AND THAT FIRMS THAT USE THEM TO MEET DIVERSITY GOALS OFTEN DON'T EVEN SOLICIT THEM WHEN THERE ARE NO GOALS.
SO THE PROGRAMS ARE STILL VERY IMPORTANT.
GENERALLY, PEOPLE SAID THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S PROGRAM WORKS WELL AND WAS WIDELY SUPPORTED.
THEY DID, HOWEVER, OF COURSE, HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY THOUGHT COULD BE IMPROVED.
AND THEN FINALLY, THERE WERE A LOT OF COMMENTS ABOUT THE OVERALL PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
UM, THIS REALLY GOES TO RACE NEUTRAL ELEMENTS, UM, AND INITIATIVES.
UM, THIS INCLUDED THINGS LIKE CONTRACTS THAT WERE TOO LARGE FOR SMALL FIRMS TO PERFORM.
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS WERE SEEN SOMETIMES AS BEING TOO HIGH.
UM, THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SURE, ANY BONDING COULD BE A ANOTHER TYPE OF BARRIER, UM, AND DIFFICULTY ACCESSING, UH, WORKING CAPITAL.
SO BASED ON ALL THOSE FINDINGS, WE MADE YOU SOME VERY DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, WE CERTAINLY DO BELIEVE YOU HAVE A LEGAL BASIS TO CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT A RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS PROGRAM.
AND THAT REALLY IS THE FIRST ORDER QUESTION, UM, FOR A DISPARITY STUDY.
IS THERE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO USE RACE AND GENDER IN SOME RESPECTS IN YOUR CONTRACTING ACTIVITIES? UH, WE DO THINK YOU SHOULD REVIEW YOUR RACE AND GENDER NEUTRAL MEASURES THAT YOU'RE USING NOW TO STRENGTHEN THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ARE NO HIGHER THAN NECESSARY.
UM, THAT EXPERIENCE, UH, QUALIFICATIONS, UH, DON'T SAY YOU HAVE TO BUILD 10 FIRE STATIONS IN ORDER TO BUILD THE 11TH ONE.
YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE EQUIVALENT EXPERIENCE FOR OTHER AGENCIES, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, UM, REALLY SHOULD, SHOULD BE REVIEWED.
UM, WE DO THINK THAT SOME PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR PROGRAM SUCCESS WOULD BE USEFUL.
I MEAN, THE OBVIOUS ONES ARE, YOU KNOW, DID YOU MEET THE GOAL? UM, BUT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO LOOK AT IT.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU, YOU MAY RECALL FROM AN EARLIER SLIDE THAT THE UTILIZATION OF BLACK OWNED FIRMS WAS BELOW 100%.
UM, THAT'S AN AREA PERHAPS TO PUT SOME ADDITIONAL FOCUS TO.
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WE HAVE MORE BLACK-OWNED FIRMS COMING IN, GETTING CERTIFIED, GETTING WORK? UM, WHAT ABOUT PRIME CONTRACTS? THESE ARE NOT SUBCONTRACTING PROGRAMS. THEY COVER ALL CONTRACT DOLLARS.SO OUR MWBES BEING ABLE TO ADVANCE AND GET WORK AS PRIME CONTRACTORS.
UM, ANOTHER IMPORTANT MEASURE.
SO THERE, THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER, OTHER WAYS TO MEASURE SUCCESS.
UM, BUT MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT AT AN AGENCY A CITY CAN STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT SUCCESS MEANS TO YOU, UM, THEN YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET OUTCOMES THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR VALUES AND OBJECTIVES.
YOU DO NEED TO SET A NEW PROGRAM, SUNSET DATE, THAT'S JUST A LEGAL REQUIREMENT.
IT REALLY ISN'T SOMETHING YOU CAN SKIP AND THEN EVALUATE YOUR DATA, YOU KNOW, EVERY FIVE, SIX YEARS OR SO.
UM, DISPARITY STUDIES DON'T EXPIRE.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT LIKE A DRIVER'S LICENSE OR MILK OR SOMETHING.
UM, AND A PLAINTIFF WOULD HAVE TO PROVE THAT THE MARKET HAD CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE LAST STUDY.
BUT YOU STILL WANNA HAVE THE MOST CURRENT DATA THAT YOU CAN TO RUN THE BEST PROGRAM YOU CAN.
AND HERE'S MICHAEL BACK WITH NEXT STEPS.
SO TO CLOSE OUT, I'M GONNA PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE TIMELINE, OUTREACH SUMMARY, AND NEXT STEPS.
SO THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS THE TIMELINE IN WHICH THE STUDY WAS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC BACK IN MAY.
UM, RIGHT AFTER THAT, WE STARTED A PUBLIC OUTREACH CAMPAIGN THAT WRAPPED UP, UH, AT THE END OF JULY.
UM, DURING THAT TIMEFRAME, OUR SUB BETA COMMITTEE, UM, HOSTED A PUBLIC HEARING IN EARLY JUNE.
WE THEN BRIEFED OUR ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IN LATE JUNE.
AND THE VERY NEXT DAY, UH, THE SUB BETA COMMITTEE HEARD THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY AND RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE STUDY.
WE'RE HERE TODAY FOR THE B SESSION, OF COURSE, AND WE'RE GOING TO RECOMMEND CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THIS STUDY.
UM, AUGUST 31ST, LATER THIS MONTH.
THIS SLIDE GIVES YOU A HIGH LEVEL, UM, OVERVIEW OF THE OUTREACH WE DID TO COMMUNICATE THE STUDY FINDINGS TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, IN TOTAL, UM, WE WENT OUT AND HOSTED 19 MEETINGS WITH OVER 50.
UM, THAT INCLUDED REPRESENTATION FROM OVER 50 STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS JUST FOLKS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED TO SHOW UP WHO DON'T EVEN OWN BUSINESSES.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET OVER A HUNDRED ATTENDEES, AND A LOT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE BRIEFED YOU, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE ON THIS SLIDE.
WE ALSO SET UP AN ESSAY SPEAK UP CAMPAIGN, A DEDICATED WEBPAGE, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, NEWSLETTERS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO GET THE WORD OUT OF THESE MEETINGS.
AND SOME OF THE FEEDBACK SUMMARY YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE IS WHAT WERE THE HIGH LEVEL TAKEAWAYS, WHICH WERE LARGELY REFLECTED IN THE ANECDOTAL SECTION THAT COLETTE, UM, PRESENTED EARLIER.
THESE ARE THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE ANTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS.
SO, AGAIN, AUGUST 31ST IS ADOPTION OF THE STUDY, BUT RIGHT AFTER THAT, THE JOB ISN'T DONE.
WE'RE GONNA RECOMMEND WE TURN AROUND AND BEGIN AMENDING THE C BETA ORDINANCE THAT WILL START ITS OWN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
THAT'S BASED ON STUDY FINDINGS, YOUR ALL INPUT, AND OF COURSE, THE SMALL MINORITY WOMEN ON BUSINESS COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
UH, WE PLAN TO WRAP THOSE UP AND BRING THEM BACK TO Y'ALL FOR ADOPTION LATE IN 2023 AND HAVE A NEW AMENDED ORDINANCE IN EARLY MARCH OF 2024.
WITH THAT, UM, THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
UH, COLETTE AND I ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, MIKE AND COLETTE, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE THE TOP GUN OF THIS INDUSTRY HERE WITH US, SO, UH, APPRECIATE THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
I DON'T REALLY HAVE A WHOLE LOT, UH, TO ASK ABOUT OR TO SHARE OTHER THAN, UM, WHAT WAS ON THAT LAST SLIDE, MICHAEL, YOU KIND OF SUMMARIZED.
I WAS GONNA ASK YOU COLLETTE, IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE US A, A TASTE OF SOME OF THE ANECDOTAL, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CONTRACTORS HAD FOR US IN TERMS OF IMPROVING OUR OWN, UH, PROGRAM.
THAT WAS, THAT WAS A VERY NICE COMPLIMENT.
UM, PEOPLE MOSTLY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, FRANKLY, UM, AND, AND THINGS LIKE QUALIFICATIONS.
UM, THERE IS A, AN AN EFFORT UNDERWAY AND, AND MICHAEL AND ANNA AND, AND THAT CREW KNOW MUCH MORE ABOUT IT THAN I DO, UM, TO TRY TO OPEN UP THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS WITH SS SA SUPPLY SA.
AND THAT, THAT'S VERY EXCITING.
UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY ONE OF YOUR OBJECTIVES IS FOR FIRMS TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE OUT IN THE OPEN MARKET WITHOUT THE PROGRAM.
I MEAN, THAT IS AT LEAST A LEGAL OBJECTIVE ANYWAY.
AND SO THE ABILITY TO GET CONTRACTS ON AN EQUAL BASIS AND TO MAKE THE CITY AS SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY AS POSSIBLE WAS A LOT OF WHERE PEOPLE FOCUSED.
UM, NO ONE SUGGESTED THAT THE CITY DIDN'T WANNA HELP THEM.
I DIDN'T GET ANY OF THAT KIND OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.
SO I, I REALLY DO WANT YOU ALL TO HEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF, OF YOU AND THIS DEPARTMENT AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
I CAN TELL YOU, I, I'VE BEEN TO SOME AGENCIES WHERE ALL PEOPLE DID WAS SCREAM AT ME FOR TWO HOURS.
SO THIS WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT.
BUT IT WAS MORE ABOUT THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, QUALIFICATIONS.
UM, THERE WERE SOME VERY PARTICULAR
[00:25:01]
RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW TO COUNT JOINT VENTURES, FOR EXAMPLE.SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DOWN THERE IN THE WEEDS AND, AND PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN PARTICULAR PERSPECTIVES BASED ON WHAT INDUSTRY THEY'RE IN.
UM, BUT OVERALL, AND I CAN SAY THIS AND IT WAS TRUE FOR ME, THAT PEOPLE DID NOT COMPLAIN THAT YOU DID NOT PAY ON TIME.
AND, AND I HAVE TO MENTION THAT BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST QUESTION I ASK ANY NEW CLIENT, WHICH IS, WHAT'S YOUR NET PAID? IF YOU TELL ME IT'S MORE THAN 45 DAYS, I DON'T REALLY WANNA TALK ABOUT YOUR PROGRAM.
'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE GONNA GO BANKRUPT WORKING FOR YOU.
SO PEOPLE DID NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE MONEY.
UM, SO THAT MEANS THAT, THAT THINGS ARE GOING ALONG PRETTY WELL, THAT IF PEOPLE COULD GET WORK, THEY SAID THE CITY WAS A GOOD AGENCY TO WORK FOR.
IT WAS MORE ABOUT GETTING IN THE DOOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING IS HARD.
THERE'S A LOT OF PAPERWORK AND A LOT OF FORMS. I WAS AN ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY AND I KNOW WHY YOU WANT ALL THAT PAPERWORK AND ALL THAT STUFF.
UM, AND THERE'S JUST SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T DISPENSE WITH.
THERE WERE PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, MR. MAYOR WHO WANTED TO GET RID OF SURETY BONDING.
WELL, THERE'S THE TEXAS PUBLIC BOND CONSTRUCTION ACT.
AND BESIDES THE CITY WOULD BE LEFT HOLDING THE BAG WHEN THE PROJECT GOES SOUTH.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP PEOPLE GET THE TOOLS RATHER THAN NECESSARILY CHANGE WHAT THE TOOLS ARE.
UM, BUT OVERALL, UM, PEOPLE WERE PRETTY COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT THE CITY.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT THEY MENTIONED WAS THAT BY AND LARGE, MANY OF THE, OF THE FIRMS DO NOT USE THEM OUTSIDE OF GOALS PROGRAMS. UM, SO THERE'S A GREAT FEAR THAT IF, IF THE CITY WERE TO STOP SETTING GOALS, THAT MANY OF THESE FIRMS WOULD NOT GET WORK.
AND, AND THAT'S CERTAINLY WHAT WE HEAR ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UM, WHEN PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN STRUCK DOWN, THE UTILIZATION USUALLY DISAPPEARS, AND IT CAN BE AS FAST AS WITHIN THE NEXT QUARTER THAT YOU COULD GO FROM DOUBLE DIGITS TO ZERO.
SO THE PROGRAMS ARE STILL REALLY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING SUPPLY.
S A, YOU KNOW, CITI IS ONE ENTITY IN THIS WHOLE MM-HMM.
BUT, UM, WITH RESPECT TO PUBLIC AGENT, OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES, UH, USING THE CITY AS AN EXAMPLE, WE CAN ALSO, UH, PROVIDE FOR BETTER CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, THOSE OTHER MYRIAD, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTING PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAPPEN IN OTHER AGENCIES.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE GOALS OF SUPPLY.
S A UM, I WAS ALSO GONNA MENTION, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD SAID THAT, UM, WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE OUR, WHAT MM-HMM.
UM, AND SO TO THAT EXTENT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS, AND I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED ON THAT LAST SLIDE TOO, THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE CONSIDERED, UH, FOR, JUST FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT, IS HOW ARE WE MOVING THE NEEDLE ON THE AVAILABILITY OF FIRMS, UH, THAT ARE RIGHT NOW UNDERREPRESENTED? ARE BLACK-OWNED FIRMS, ASIAN OWNED FIRMS, NATIVE AMERICAN OWNED FIRMS, UM, ARE, IS THERE MORE GROWTH IN THE INDUSTRY SO THAT THERE IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, UM, UH, BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR BUSINESSES IN THESE CATEGORIES TO COMPETE MM-HMM.
UM, I THINK WE'LL FIND SOME OF THAT THROUGH, UH, THE ROUND TABLES THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH SUPPLY SA, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO BE LOOKING AT THAT THROUGH OUR OWN CONTRACTING JUST HERE AT THE CITY.
AND I, I DO WANT TO AGAIN, EMPHASIZE WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
UH, I HAVE HEARD THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OFTEN IS THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OF THESE BUSINESSES TO DO WORK, UH, OUT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHERE THERE ARE NOT THESE SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE LOOKING OUT FOR, UM, DISPARITIES AND CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES.
THEY, THEY JUST CAN'T COMPETE AT ALL.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN USE OUR CONTRACTING POWER, UH, TO PROVIDE FOR, UH, THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL AND GROWTH OF BUSINESSES HERE THAT ARE MORE THAN LIKELY IN ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES, UH, THE BETTER OFF WE'LL BE AS A WHOLE ECONOMICALLY IN SAN ANTONIO.
I THINK THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY IMPORTANT PROGRAM.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS, COLETTE, MIKE, THE WHOLE TEAM.
SO, UH, WE'LL MOVE ON NOW TO DISCUSSION WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA.
UH, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU COLETTE.
AND I HOPE YOU'VE ADJUSTED TO THE WEATHER BY NOW.
I FEEL THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME THAT I'VE LISTENED TO THIS, SO I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT MY COLLEAGUES KNEW THAT, UM, DURING THE E W D C COMMITTEE, I HAD MADE THIS, I HAD MADE THE SUGGESTION OF RECEIVING, UH, SS A C COMMITTEE FEEDBACK SOMEHOW, AT LEAST THROUGH E W D C, OR I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL HEAR WHAT OUR APPOINTEES ON THE SBA C ARE ARE GIVING IN, IN TERMS OF FEEDBACK.
AND SO SPECIFICALLY FOR THE BE THIS TIME AROUND, I DON'T KNOW IF, UM, THEY WERE
[00:30:01]
ABLE TO GATHER THAT.UH, BUT I, I DID WANNA POINT THAT OUT THAT I, I ASKED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT AND IT'S IMPORTANT WORK THAT THEY DO.
AND THEN, UM, REMIND ME, COLETTE, UM, THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION TO REEVALUATE THE DATA AND IT'S EVERY SIX YEARS.
UM, WHAT WAS THE BENEFIT OF WAITING THAT LONG? YOU, YOU ANSWERED SOMETHING, BUT REMIND ME WHAT YOU SAID.
WELL, SOME OF IT IS SIMPLY THAT MARKETS DON'T CHANGE THAT FAST.
AND THIS IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND VERY RESOURCE INTENSIVE FOR THE STAFF AS WELL.
UM, AND SO YOU CAN KIND OF CHASE YOUR TAIL IF YOU'RE ALWAYS COLLECTING AND DOING A NEW STUDY.
THAT'S WHY WE SAY FIVE, SIX YEARS OR SO.
THAT SEEMS TO SATISFY THE FEDERAL COURTS TOO.
IT WAS, I MEAN, THIS IS, IT WAS A VERY EXPENSIVE PROJECT FOR THE CITY, AND YOU DON'T WANNA KEEP REPEATING IT ANYMORE THAN YOU HAVE TO.
I THINK THAT PART OF THE KEY IS AS MICHAEL AND THIS TEAM, THOSE FOLKS ARE, ARE RUNNING THE PROGRAM EVERY DAY, THAT THEY LOOK AT THEIR OWN DATA.
THEY DON'T NEED ME TO DO THAT.
I MEAN, THEY QUESTION SURE, CALL ME, BUT, BUT THEY, THEY KNOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE REALLY DO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
SO YOU'RE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE STAFF THAT'S HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND VERY EXPERIENCED.
'CAUSE NOT EVERYBODY HAS THAT.
UM, AND SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOOK.
THEY, THEY, YOU HAVE THE B TWO G NOW SYSTEM.
YOU CAN GO IN THERE AND TAKE A DATA SNAPSHOT THIS AFTERNOON AND SEE WHERE YOU ARE.
SO I'M JUST SUGGESTING YOU NEED TO DO A STUDY EVERY, YOU KNOW, VERY OFTEN, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU'RE NOT, UH, REGULARLY EVALUATING WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE STAFF LEVEL.
AND COLETTE, WHAT ABOUT WITH THE ARPA FUNDING? 'CAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE SOME, UM, OBLIGATED THROUGH THE 24 OR THROUGH 2024, AND THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FULLY EXPENDED BY DECEMBER OF 2026.
SO WOULD THAT BE A DIFFERENT SET? LIKE HOW, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION MM-HMM.
SO THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING I THINK YOU'D NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT IS WHAT CAN YOU DO UNDER THE TERMS OF THE GRANT? UM, 'CAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY PRETTY SPECIFIC.
UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL, OF COURSE, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE, UM, GETTING A FAIR SHOT, UM, ARE BEING UTILIZED IN PROPORTION OF THEIR AVAILABILITY.
BUT YOU GOTTA LOOK AT, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL, THEY'RE DIFFERENT.
LIKE FEMA'S GOT DIFFERENT RULES AND DEPENDING ON WHAT AGENCY THE ARPA MONEY CAME THROUGH, UM, IT CAN BE DIFFERENT.
AND THAT, THAT WAS MY ONLY QUESTION.
I THINK MIKE WAS GONNA FOLLOW UP WITH US.
YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT ARPA OR NOT? SORRY.
SO WE TOOK YOUR FEEDBACK AND WE ACTUALLY DID BRIEF SBA IN ADDITION TO THE C BETA COMMITTEE YESTERDAY, AND WE GAVE 'EM A VERY SPECIAL MARKETPLACE DISPARITIES ADDITION TO HELP GUIDE THEM AS THEY MOVE FORWARD IN SOLVING THOSE DISPARITIES.
AND WE'LL GET TO SEE THAT OR DO WE GET TO SEE ANY FEEDBACK AS OF THAT? LIKE, OR WE CAN, WE CAN SHARE THE FEEDBACK WITH YOUR OFFICE THAT THEY GAVE TO US THERE.
IT WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE AND HOW TO USE IT MOVING FORWARD.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I GUESS I'LL START MY COMMENTS, UH, NAMING THAT A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE SEE TODAY, UM, I WANT TO EXPLICITLY NAME RACISM AND SEXISM.
RIGHT? AND THAT A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE SEE TODAY ARE, UH, ROOTED IN THOSE, IN THOSE ISMS AND IN THOSE, UH, SOCIETAL FLAWS THAT WE HAVE.
THE REASON WHY BUSINESSES HAVEN'T HAD ACCESS TO CAPITAL, THE REASON WHY SOME BUSINESSES PARTICULARLY, UH, MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN THE GRACE TO MAKE MISTAKES AND GROW AND STILL BE AWARDED CONTRACTS IN THE WAY THAT OTHERS HAVE.
UM, I THINK THAT'S MANIFESTED IN ITSELF.
AND SO IT'S VERY MUCH NECESSARY FOR US TO HAVE PROGRAMS LIKE THIS.
AND SO I, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR THE RESULTS AND FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND WHAT I LEARNED IS THAT WE HAVE FEEDBACK REGARDING, UH, IN THE NUMBER OF TIMES I'VE RECEIVED THIS, UH, BRIEFING, UH, IS THAT WE HAVE FEEDBACK REGARDING INSURANCE AND BONDING REQUIREMENTS, UM, OUR CONTRACT PROCUREMENT PROCESSES, COMPLICATED NATURE, UM, AND CHALLENGES REGARDING TO, UH, ACCESS TO CAPITAL.
AND SO I WAS GOING TO ASK FOR SOME EXAMPLES OF WAYS WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO IMPROVE IN THESE AREAS.
UM, AND I KNOW BEFORE THE END OF YEAR, WE'LL HAVE SOMETHING MORE CONCRETE.
UH, THE MAYOR DID ASK THIS QUESTION, BUT, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S COME TO MIND FOR ME THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT IS MAYBE A SPECIFIC CATEGORY FOR THOSE AREAS THAT WE WANT TO IMPROVE, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, A SPECIFIC POINT FOR BLACK, ASIAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN CONTRACTORS.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE FEASIBLE? COULD YOU GIMME JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT IT IS YOU'RE THINKING FOR BLACK, ASIAN, AND NATIVE AMERICAN CONTRACTORS? WHAT SO REMEDI ADDITIONAL POINTS, ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL POINTS? WELL, I PUT IT THIS WAY.
I'VE NEVER SEEN A, A PROGRAM UPHELD THAT GAVE POINTS, UM, BECAUSE THEN THAT'S AN ABSOLUTE PREFERENCE.
[00:35:01]
THAT THAT MIGHT NOT FLY, ESPECIALLY DOWN HERE IN THE FIFTH CIRCUIT, NOT EXACTLY KNOWN FOR ITS, UM, SYMPATHY TOWARDS CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES.UM, BUT CERTAINLY THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN UPHELD, FOR EXAMPLE, THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY DO NOT INCLUDE PREFERENCE POINTS.
SO I CAN'T SAY THAT A COURT WOULD NECESSARILY STRIKE IT DOWN, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU NOBODY'S EVER UPHELD IT.
AND THAT'S, UH, I EXPECTED THAT I EXPECTED THAT RESPONSE.
AND SO BEYOND SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC LIKE THAT IN DIRECT, WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN, WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN BE DOING? MM-HMM.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING THAT GETS AS DIRECT AND TO THE POINT AS POSSIBLE.
THAT WOULD BE, UM, MY FEEDBACK.
UM, AND REGARDING INCREASING AVAILABILITY OF MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, IT SEEMS LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMEWHAT A, A GREAT CHALLENGE.
AND SO I'M WONDERING IF WE ALREADY AT THE CITY HAVE, UH, AND THIS IS PROBABLY A QUESTION FOR CITY STAFF, DO WE HAVE PROGRAMS THAT AID ENTREPRENEURS AND POTENTIAL CONTRACTORS, UH, FROM THE INCEPTION OF THEIR SMALL BUSINESS? HMM.
SEE, THAT'S A GREAT CHALLENGE.
AND WE DO TRY TO SOLVE THAT BOTH WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OF THE C BETA PROGRAM.
THIS IS WHY WE HAVE PROGRAMS LIKE LAUNCH SA TO PROMOTE ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR GROUPS WHO MAY FIND THAT INACCESSIBLE TO BREAK DOWN THOSE BARRIERS.
AND WE ALSO HAVE, WHEN YOU START A BUSINESS MENTOR PROTEGE PROGRAMS TO GET DIRECT EXPERIENCE FROM FIRMS WHO'VE BEEN AROUND WHO CAN NAVIGATE YOU AROUND THE POTHOLES, THEY MAY HAVE FELL IN ALONG THE WAY.
UM, SO WE'RE TRYING TO SET UP THOSE AND GET THE WORD OUT ON THOSE PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE THOSE CAPACITY BUILDING ASSISTANCE TO HELP THEM GROW AND GET INTO THIS CONTRACTING EFFORT.
AND I'M ASKING QUESTIONS THAT I KNOW THE ANSWER TO.
UH, USING A STRATEGY FROM COUNCILMAN COO VARDA.
UM, I ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE WE DO HAVE PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE ONES YOU JUST NAMED.
AND NOW WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS DATA THAT HELPS SUPPORT US IN REACHING THIS GOAL FROM THOSE.
SO, AND IT'S AN INTEGRATION AND, UH, INCREASED COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION.
THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE FEASIBLE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
YES, WE ARE, UH, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON HOW WE CAPTURE, UM, OUTCOMES AND PERFORMANCE METRICS ON ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS. HAPPY TO SHARE.
COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO.
THANK YOU MS. HOLT, FOR YOUR WORK.
UM, A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.
UH, THE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE THE STUDY UNIVERSE, I THINK IT'S SLIDE SEVEN, WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR STUDY UNIVERSE.
UM, UH, MY CURIOSITY IS IF YOU SPOKE WITH, UM, WITH PE WITH CONTRACTORS, VENDORS, BUSINESSES THAT HAVE RECEIVED, UH, CONTRACTS OR HAVE BID FOR CONTRACTS, DID, UM, I THINK I, I THINK I UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU WENT OUTSIDE OF THAT, BUT WILL YOU EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE MORE? SURE.
WELL, THERE AND THERE, AND THERE ARE TWO LENSES TO LOOK AT THAT THROUGH.
THE FIRST WAS THE UTILIZATION DATA, AND THAT'S WHO THE CITY ACTUALLY CONTRACTED WITH.
AND THAT OF COURSE HAS TO BE THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ABLE TO GET WORK FROM THE CITY, EITHER AS PRIME VENDORS DIRECTLY OR AS SUBCONTRACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE PRIME CONTRACTS.
THAT WAS OUR UTILIZATION DATABASE, BECAUSE THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT IT MEANS.
WHO GOT UTILIZED FOR AVAILABILITY.
HOWEVER, WE WERE BROADER THAN THAT.
UM, THAT, THAT, THAT'S KIND OF A CIRCULAR, UM, APPROACH IF YOU JUST, EVERYBODY WHO GOT WORK WE KNOW IS AVAILABLE, BUT WE CAN'T ASSUME THEY'RE THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
SO THERE, WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE CITY'S VENDOR LIST, YOU KNOW, WHO HAD BID FOR WORK AS WELL AS ALL THE, UM, MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS THAT WERE CERTIFIED.
THAT, AND ANYBODY ELSE THAT WE COULD IDENTIFY.
THAT'S WHY WE LIKE TO USE, UM, HOOVERS, DUN AND BRADSTREET, IS BECAUSE THERE ARE FIRMS IN THERE THAT ARE WOMEN IN MINORITY OWNED, AND WE HAVE A SPECIAL CONTRACT WITH THEM TO BUY THAT EXTRA DATA.
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T JUST GO INTO HOOVERS AND GET IT.
THEY HAVE TO LITERALLY CREATE IT FOR US.
UM, BUT THEY CAN THEN BREAK DOWN FOR US ALL THE FIRMS THAT WERE IN THIS MARKETPLACE IN A PARTICULAR CODE AND WHETHER THEY WERE MINORITY OWNED AND WHAT KIND OF MINORITY GROUP THEY WERE.
'CAUSE I DON'T THINK THE FEDERAL COURTS WOULD APPROVE JUST GENERAL MINORITY, WAY TOO BROAD.
UM, SO WE DID ACTUALLY HAVE A VERY BROAD, UM, AVAILABILITY DATABASE BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND OVER ALL THESE YEARS, UM, IS THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO WORK FOR AN AGENCY, BUT FOR WHATEVER REASON, DON'T.
AND WHEN WE DID OUR INTERVIEWS, WE, WE REALLY TRY TO SUSS THOSE PEOPLE OUT.
NOW THEY'RE HARDER TO FIND BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY ON ANYBODY'S EASY LIST, BUT WE INCLUDE THEM ALL IN THE INVITATIONS.
AND I, AND WE CERTAINLY DID HAVE ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD REPRESENTATION THIS TIME AROUND OF FIRMS THAT HAVE NOT WORKED ON CITY CONTRACTS, BUT WOULD LIKE TO.
AND WHAT IS KEEPING THEM, 'CAUSE THEY'RE VARIOUS STAGES, RIGHT? THEY'RE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY SUCCESSFUL.
THEY'RE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ONLY SUBS.
THEY'RE THE PEOPLE WHO BID BUT DON'T GET WORK, AND THEN THEY'RE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM.
SO YOU REALLY WANNA DO, UM, THE BEST THAT YOU CAN TO BRING THEM ALL INTO YOUR STUDY.
[00:40:01]
BE PROPRIETARY TO HOOVER'S, DUN, AND BRADSTREET, BUT HOW DO YOU, HOW DOES A BUSINESS GET ON THEIR LIST? OH, WELL, YOU GOTTA BE REALLY, REALLY LITTLE TO NOT SHOW UP IN D AND B.IF YOU GO AND GET A F E I N NUMBER, IF YOU GO AND BORROW ANY MONEY, UM, BECAUSE THE WAY THAT, THAT, THAT DUN BRADSTREET MAKES MONEY IS BY FINDING YOU.
UM, SO YOU HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY SMALL NOT TO SHOW UP.
AND THIS MAY INTEREST YOU A LITTLE BIT.
UM, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I'M MAYBE LIKE 15, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE WERE DOING WORK FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THE COMMUNITY SAID WAS, WELL, WE'RE ALL, EVERYBODY'S REALLY SMALL AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE IN DUN AND BRADSTREET.
AND THEREFORE THE REPRESENTATION OF MINORITY FIRMS WAS LOWER THAN THE MARKETPLACE ACTUALLY SUPPORTED.
THAT TURNED OUT TO ACTUALLY BE JUST THE OPPOSITE, THAT IN FACT, MINORITIES AND WOMEN WERE PROBABLY OVERREPRESENTED IN D AND B A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THEY GO GET REGISTERED SOMEWHERE SO THEY CAN FIND THEM.
UM, WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME SMALL WHITE MALE OWNED FIRM MIGHT NOT REALLY SHOW UP ON ANYBODY'S REGISTER.
BUT NOW WITH EVERYTHING BEING ELECTRONIC AND THE, AND THE, AND THE INTERNET, YOU, YOU, YOU SHOULD GOOGLE, YOU SHOULD GO INTO D B AND TYPE YOUR OWN NAME IN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
BECAUSE IF YOU'VE EVER FILED A SCHEDULE C TAX RETURN, YOU, YOU MAY WELL HAVE A DUNS NUMBER.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO TO GET A LOAN, THEY ALWAYS WANT A DUNS NUMBER.
SO I THINK WE, WE PRETTY MUCH PICKED UP EVERYBODY.
I WONDER IF THEY PICK UP THOSE THAT GOT P P P LOANS TOO.
OH, YOU COULDN'T GET, YOU CAN'T GET A LOAN WITHOUT A DUNS.
OH, THEY'RE DEFINITELY IN THERE.
SO AT THAT, THE, BY VIRTUE OF JUST FILING FOR THE IF E I N NUMBER, THAT'S MM-HMM.
A LOT TIMES RADAR, LOT TIMES THEY'LL FIND YOU THAT WAY.
WHAT THEY'LL DO IS, UM, THEY GO TO THE SECRETARY OF STATES CORPORATION REGISTRIES.
SO THEY HAVE A BIG INCENTIVE TO GO FIND AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
WELL, I'M, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
I WAS, I WAS CURIOUS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY MOM AND POPS IN OUR CITY MM-HMM.
THAT ARE VERY SMALL AND MAYBE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, EVEN A BUSINESS.
THEY DON'T HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, REGULAR ACCESS MAYBE TO THE INTERNET, BUT JUST BY FILING FOR THE, THE YEAH, YEAH.
NUMBER OR YEAH, THEY HAVE A LICENSE FROM THE CITY IF THEY HAD TO GET A BUSINESS LICENSE.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE MAYBE YOUR DOG WALKER'S NOT IN THERE.
BUT YOU, YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE A VERY, VERY TINY SOLE PROPRIETOR THAT TO, TO NOT SHOW UP ON SOMEBODY'S RADAR SOMEWHERE.
SO THANK YOU THAT, THAT BRINGS YOU SOME REASSURANCE.
I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURPRISED AT ALL TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT OUR CITY STAFF IS DOING A GOOD JOB.
UM, I THINK ALSO BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT YOU BID FOR THIS PROJECT, AND IT'S NOT LOST ON ME THAT WE HAVE A, UH, WOMAN, MINORITY, UH, PERSON DOING THIS STUDY.
SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THAT THAT'S THAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THIS MM-HMM.
UM, BUT IT'S, IT ALSO IS HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT IT'S, UH, THERE'S NOT A BIAS, UM, DOING THIS STUDY.
UM, THERE, THERE WAS, SO I, I DIDN'T ATTEND THE, UH, AUDIT MEETING THE OTHER DAY, BUT THERE, AND MAYBE THIS IS FOR BEN OR TROY, BUT, UH, OR ERIC, BUT, BUT WERE SOME CALLS MADE TO ME ABOUT THE AUDIT MEETING ABOUT, UM, LATINA BUSINESS, SPECIFICALLY LATINA BUSINESSES BEING KIND OF OVER, UH, UM, WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? JUST NOT, NOT, UH, THEY'RE NOT, THEY WERE KIND OF OVERLOOKED MM-HMM.
UM, SO, UH, I THINK I'M GOING TO ASK IF OUR CHAIR OF AUDIT WILL TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT, UM, WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME HERE, THE INFORMATION, UM, THAT YOU DIDN'T HEAR A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT THERE, THERE IS A VERY SPECIFIC COMPLAINT ABOUT THAT.
MAYBE IT DIDN'T SHOW UP ON YOUR RADAR, BUT VERY RECENTLY IT CAME UP, I THINK IT WAS JUST A COUPLE DAYS AGO.
SO, UM, I, I THINK IF, IF THE CITY HAS ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT, I'D LIKE TO HEAR IT.
UM, BUT, UH, I, I THINK ALSO A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS ALREADY ASKED IS, I HEAR YOU SAYING WE'RE DOING WELL.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT THE CITY IS INCREDIBLE.
CITY STAFF DOES AN AMAZING JOB, BUT WE ARE ALWAYS STRIVING FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, UH, AS A CITY WITH THE BIG C AND, AND THEN CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND OUR RESIDENTS.
SO, UM, THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE WHAT ARE REALLY INTERESTING TO ME, UM, HOW WE AS COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN HELP OUR BUSINESSES TO GET ON, ON, ON THE RADAR, AS IT WERE, AND GET THESE CONTRACTS.
UM, OR AT LEAST BECOME AWARE OF CONTRACTS.
I MEAN, WE HAD A BIG, UM, CONTRACT A WHILE BACK FOR THE AVIATION, UM, MARKETING AND I, THERE WASN'T A SINGLE MINORITY FIRM ON THE, ON THE FINAL LIST.
UM, AND I CALLED SOME MINORITY MARKETING FIRMS, AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT, AND THEY WERE, THEY'RE BIGGER FIRMS. SO WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO IS, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FROM, FROM YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS IS HOW AS WE, AS A COUNCIL, UH, REPRESENTATIVES OUR CITY CAN HELP GET THAT WORD OUT.
UM, SO I THINK THAT THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS, BUT, UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE CITY WANTS TO ANSWER ON ABOUT, UH, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.
I'M SORRY, MY TIMING IS IMPECCABLE.
I JUST STEPPED OUT FOR OH, YEAH.
[00:45:01]
ACTUALLY I'LL LEAVE THIS FOR THE CHAIR, BUT, UM, I GOT SOME CALLS ABOUT AUDIT THE OTHER DAY.UH, LATINA OWNED BUSINESSES FEELING LIKE THEY WERE OVERLOOKED IN THE BIDDING PROCESS, UM, THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIGH PROFILE WHEN THEY WERE ACTUALLY LOW, WHAT THEY WERE COUNTED AS LOW BID.
AND SO THE FINDINGS THAT MS. HOLT FOUND TODAY, THEY, THEY, THEY WOULDN'T AGREE.
SO CAN YOU GIMME A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE ON IT? YEAH, I GUESS I CAN, UH, START BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS HIGH PROFILE, HIGH PROFILE.
UM, CONTRACTS ARE TYPICALLY GONNA BE DISCRETIONARY CONTRACTS WHERE THE COUNCIL HAS DISCRETION TO MAKE SOME CHANGE OR TO, UM, HAVE DISCRETION INTO THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
LOW BIDS TYPICALLY DO NOT GO THROUGH THE HIGH PROFILE COMMITTEE BECAUSE IT LACKS THAT DISCRETION BASED ON THOSE LOW BID ITEMS THAT DETERMINE IT'S BASED ON PRICE ALONE.
SO THE ONLY DISCRETION THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ON THOSE LOW BID ITEMS IS REALLY ONE, TO NOT AWARD A BID AND GO BACK OUT AGAIN, UM, TO SOLICIT, TO SOLICIT THAT PRODUCT.
I GUESS THERE'S SOME DISCREPANCY AND YOU SAID THAT, BUT, UH, THE DEFINITION OF HIGH PROFILE.
UM, SO I GUESS I'LL TAKE IT OFFLINE WITH YOU AND TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CONCERN, BUT, UH, BUT THANK YOU.
COUNCIL MEMBER KIO, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTE.
UM, THANK YOU TO COLETTE AND TO THE CITY TEAM FOR DOING THIS AND FOR SHARING THESE FINDINGS.
I THINK THIS IS, UH, AN IMPORTANT CAUSE AND THANKS FOR, FOR YOUR HELP IN THAT EFFORT.
I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF JUST, UH, QUICK TACTICAL QUESTIONS REALLY FOR THE CITY ONE.
WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR PULLING IN, UH, OUR PARTNER AGENCIES INTO SUPPLY SA? LIKE WHEN WILL WE BE PULLING IN THE VIA CONTRACTS, THE AIRPORT CONTRACTS, THAT KIND OF STUFF? HELLO, COUNCILMAN.
I'M ANNA BRADSHAW, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO SUPPLY, SAY WE'VE BEEN MEETING ACTIVELY WITH THE 14 AGENCIES INVOLVED TO INCLUDE VIA SAWS, C P S, AMONGST OTHERS.
SO WE ARE ALL ACTIVELY MEETING TO DISCUSS MANY OF THE THINGS COLETTE, UM, MENTIONED TODAY.
MANY BEING RACE NEUTRAL MEASURES, SUCH AS, UM, ENSURING ACCESSIBILITY ON OUR COLLECTIVE WEBSITES TO BIDS, UM, OFFERING FORECASTING TOOLS SO SMALL BUSINESSES CAN PROJECT.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE, WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON AND IMPLEMENTING.
UM, AND, AND LOOK FORWARD TO UPDATING THE COUNCIL GOING FORWARD.
DO WE HAVE ANY SORT OF LIKE IN A YEAR FROM NOW OR SO, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MEASURES, UM, THAT WERE RECOMMENDATIONS AGAIN, LIKE IN, FOR EXAMPLE, FORECASTING THAT MM-HMM.
UM, WORKING WITH PROCUREMENT, UM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, WE PRODUCE AN ANNUAL PROCUREMENT FORECAST MM-HMM.
HOWEVER, SOME OF THE OTHER ENTITIES DON'T DO THAT.
UM, ONE OF THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS INITIALLY WAS TO MAKE, UH, BIDDING OPPORTUNITIES ACCESSIBLE WITHIN, UM, FEWER THAN FIVE CLICKS.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ALREADY DO.
SO, AND THOSE INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS, WE ARE ALREADY, UM, MEET OR EXCEED WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO AS A CITY TEAM IS TO CONTINUE TO LEAD AND, AND FURTHER HONE OUR PROCESS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN ACTIVE SOLICITATION THAT WE'RE REVIEWING NOW TO PROCESS MAP OUR ENTIRE PROCUREMENT PROCESS FROM BOTH THE INTERNAL CUSTOMER, THE CITY PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO THE VENDOR PERSPECTIVE MM-HMM.
UM, AND SO USING THAT TO CONTINUE TO HONE IN AND IDENTIFY THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE, UM, IT ALIGNS WITH THE FEEDBACK COLETTE RECEIVED, AND THEN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS.
SO I GUESS WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT Y Y'ALL ARE STILL KIND OF GATHERING THE SCOPE OF WORKING WITH ALL THOSE 14 PARTNER AGENCIES TO, WELL, UM, LET ME, LET ME JUMP IN.
UM, UM, SO THERE'S 14 PUBLIC AGENCIES MM-HMM.
AND, UM, NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY DOES EVERYTHING, UH, BETTER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE.
WE ARE, UM, BETTER ALIGNED AND ORGANIZED ON SOME OF THE THINGS MM-HMM.
UM, AND IT'S BECOME PART OF OUR NORMAL PROCUREMENT AND OUR NORMAL PROCESSES THROUGH YEARS OF POLICY SETTING BY THE COUNCIL.
UM, BUT THE OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES AREN'T AT THAT POINT.
AND THEN THREE OF THE 14 ARE ARMS OF STATE GOVERNMENT, SO THERE'S ANOTHER LAYER OF COMPLEXITY.
SO WE'VE MADE GOOD PROGRESS, UM, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF FERTILE GROUND.
AND, AND LIKE YOU SAID, I, I MEAN, I'M, I'M GLAD THAT Y'ALL ARE AT LEAST TALKING AND WE'RE HAVING THE CONVERSATION WITH THESE PARTNER AGENCIES TO LET THEM KNOW OUR STANDARD AND, AND HOW WE ARE KIND OF LEADING THE WAY HERE.
UM, THE OTHER, UH, QUESTION I HAD IS, UH, FOR THE CITY OR COLLETTE, YOU KNOW, DISTRICT SEVEN HAS, UM, A VARIETY OF MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN SMALL BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS IN OUR AREA, AND I'D LIKE TO, UH, CHECK IF THEY, THEY WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY MM-HMM.
[00:50:01]
A PARTICULAR INDUSTRY, THEY, IF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS WERE THEY INCLUDED AS A SEPARATE CATEGORY MM-HMM.UM, THE CENSUS HAS AND STILL DOES.
THERE'S, THERE'S LOTS OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW.
UM, CONSIDERED PERSONS OF MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN, UM, ANCESTRY OR ORIGIN, UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY AREN'T BLACK, UM, TO BE WHITE.
UM, BUT, UH, WE, WE CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXCLUDE ANY BUSINESS.
UM, ONE THING TO KNOW THOUGH IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE RESULTS GET WEIGHTED BY WHAT CATEGORIES THE CITY SPENDS MONEY IN MM-HMM.
AND SO WHILE THEY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S PROBABLY SOME CATERING DOLLARS, IT'S NOISE IN THE BIG PICTURE.
SO IT'S NOT GONNA HAVE ANY WEIGHT MM-HMM.
SO, UM, IF IT WAS, IF THEY WERE IN A CODE THAT, THAT, THAT YOU BUY FROM, WE DO INCLUDE THEM.
NOW, SINCE YOU ASKED, THIS MAY BE MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO KNOW MM-HMM.
AND WE HAVE TWO MAJOR CHALLENGES THERE.
THE FIRST IS THAT THERE'S NO DATA.
THE SECOND IS THAT THERE'S NO DATA, UM, BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S NO CERTIFICATIONS, SO THERE'S NO PLACE TO GO FIND OUT WHO THESE BUSINESSES ARE.
THE CENSUS DOESN'T PICK IT UP.
THERE'S NO CERTIFICATION AGENCY, SO I HAVE NO AVAILABILITY DATA TO WORK WITH.
THE SECOND THING IS I HAVE NO UTILIZATION DATA TO WORK WITH.
EITHER BECAUSE NOBODY'S BEEN ASKING WHO THESE BUSINESSES ARE.
SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO FOR THE CITY, AND I'M TRYING TO GET THAT FINISHED THIS MONTH MM-HMM.
THEY WOULDN'T BE PART OF A PRESUMPTIVE GROUP MM-HMM.
I CAN'T SAVE PEOPLE FROM HAVING TO COME THROUGH THE INDIVIDUAL DOOR.
AND I CAN, I CAN MAKE IT EASIER TO GET THROUGH IT.
SO THAT'S AS FAR AS WE'VE GOTTEN.
YOU MAY KNOW THAT GOVERNOR PRITZKER IN ILLINOIS SIGNED A, A LEGISLATION, I THINK IT WAS LAST WEEK, UH, TO ADD MENA AS A STATE DATA COLLECTION CATEGORY FOR THE STATE MM-HMM.
SO BEGINNING TO GET THE DATA TO SEE RIGHT.
UM, BUT IT HAS BEEN A VERY INTERESTING PROJECT, SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED AND I, I WILL, UM, WHEN IT'S BEEN ASS PUBLISHED, I'D BE HAPPY TO YEAH.
DEFINITELY INTERESTED BECAUSE WE DO HAVE, UM, A LARGE NUMBER OF MM-HMM.
I'M, I'M, AND WE KNOW THERE'S A PROBLEM, WE JUST CAN'T GO MEASURE IT.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I'D BE CURIOUS FOR SAN ANTONIO TO LEARN MM-HMM.
UM, ALSO TOO, ON SLIDE 11 WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS, IS THERE A TIMELINE THAT WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON SLIDE 11? SORRY,
I THINK IT'S A FEW MORE SLIDES HERE.
SO AS SOON AS THE STUDY'S ADOPTED, WE'RE GONNA TURN AROUND AND START THAT ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, AND WE'RE HOPING TO WRAP THAT UP AND BRING Y'ALL BACK, UH, AN ORDINANCE THAT YOU CAN ADOPT AND HAVE AMENDED BY THE END OF 2023.
I DID HAVE, I, I DID WANT TO, UM, PIGGYBACK OFF OF COUNCILWOMAN CAVEO HAVE'S QUESTION ON HOW THE SURVEYS WERE DISTRIBUTED.
AND THEN WE EMAILED THEM, AND THEN WE HAD A GREAT LOCAL SUB SUBCONTRACTOR.
UM, AND THEN WE EMAILED AGAIN, AND WE CALLED, WE ALSO WENT TO THE VARIOUS CHAMBERS AND OTHER GROUPS, UM, ADVOCACY TRADE GROUPS.
UM, SO WE, UH, WE THINK WE GOT A PRETTY GOOD CROSS SECTION OF, OF PEOPLE.
AND, UM, I DIDN'T NECESSARILY KNOW, YOU KNOW, I, I'LL BE CURIOUS FROM THE AUDIT COMMITTEE TO SEE HOW MANY, UM, IF LATINA BUSINESSES, SPECIFICALLY LATINA BUSINESSES DID FILL UNDER REPRESENTED HERE, AND TO MAKE SURE WE GET THAT RIGHT.
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT THAT'S GONNA GO THROUGH THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.
COUNCIL MEMBER ALTE VETO, UM, GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER ELA.
IT'S, IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
UH, I DON'T THINK ENOUGH CAN BE SAID, UH, ABOUT
[00:55:01]
WHO IT IS THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, PRESENTING THIS.UM, WE COULD HAVE CHOSEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY TO HELP US WITH THIS, BUT WE REALLY DID CHOOSE SORT OF THE MOST PREEMINENT EXPERT ON, OH, YOU'RE SO NICE ON, UH, THESE KINDS OF, UH, PROGRAMS. UM, AND I'M NOT BEING NICE.
I MEAN, LIKE, I, I REALLY AM SERIOUS.
I THINK SAN ANTONIO DESERVES EXCELLENCE, UM, ESPECIALLY ON RELATED TO SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT AND THAT WE BROUGHT YOU IN, I THINK IS A, A STATEMENT TO OUR DEDICATION TO, TO HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS FOR US.
UM, I, I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE HERE.
WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES ARE HUBS, RIGHT? I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE, UM, WE TAKE THAT AS, UH, IMPORTANT AS WE WOULD A MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS OR, YOU KNOW, AN AN ASIAN OWNED BUSINESS OR A VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS.
ANDY, I MEAN, THAT'S CORRECT, COUNCILMAN.
THAT'S WHY WE HAD THE, THAT DATA ALSO IN THE, IN THE DISPARITY STUDY.
BUT ONE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN THE OTHER.
I MEAN, THEY'RE ALL GIVEN, THEY'RE ALL CONSIDERED HUBS, RIGHT? WELL, THIS, IN THE CITIES PROGRAM, THEY BREAK IT DOWN INTO MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS, AND DIFFERENT AGENCIES USE DIFFERENT TERMS. SO HUB, HISTORICALLY UNDER-UTILIZED BUSINESSES, A TERM THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS USES.
AND YES, WHITE WOMEN ARE INCLUDED IN THAT CATEGORY.
PEOPLE SOMETIMES CALL THEM DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES.
THAT'S MORE OF A FEDERAL TERM, AND WOMEN ARE INCLUDED IN THAT AS WELL.
BUT CERTAINLY MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT FROM THE BEGINNING, WOMEN HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE CITY'S PROGRAM.
AND YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, UM, IT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN FOR LIKE OUR BIG AIRPORT PROJECT, RIGHT? THE, THE COMMUNICATION SIDE OF THIS, THE, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE MARKETING SIDE OF IT IS BEING DONE BY K G B, IS THAT RIGHT? UM, KATIE HARVEY'S FIRM, I THINK THAT'S A BIG DEAL, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE'VE GOT A VERY IMPORTANT FEMALE OWNED FIRM HERE IN SAN ANTONIO LEADING THE WAY ON, ON, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT STRATEGY AT THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT PROJECTS.
AND SO, UM, I, I THINK THAT WITH EVERY YEAR THAT PASSES, UH, WE'RE DOING A BETTER AND BETTER JOB.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S, THERE'S CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, UM, THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON.
I, THE WAY I I LOOK AT THIS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR KEY JOB HERE AT CITY HALL IS TO BE THE STEWARDS OF TAXPAYERS OF DOLLARS, RIGHT? AND I ALWAYS HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, REMIND FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, IF, IF YOU FIND YOURSELF TO BE THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, YOU'RE PROBABLY A TAXPAYER TOO, RIGHT? AND THAT, UH, ALL TOO OFTEN WE'RE PERCEIVED AS BEING OUT THERE HELPING, UM, THE FOLKS WHO'VE ALWAYS BEEN HELPED, AND, UH, AND IGNORING THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THE HELP THE MOST, RIGHT? WHO ARE JUST AS MUCH OUR CONSTITUENTS AS ANYBODY ELSE.
AND I, I ALWAYS LOOK AT THESE HISTORICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES OR THE DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES, AND REMIND FOLKS THEY PAY JUST AS MANY TAXES AS THE PEOPLE WHO, WHO ACTUALLY DO GET THE PROCUREMENT CONTRACTS, RIGHT? AND WHO GET THESE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS, I ALWAYS SEE RED IN MY BLOOD STARTS TO BOIL WHEN I HEAR THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE SORT OF ACOLYTES AND ADHERENCE TO THIS WHOLE ADAM SMITH'S INVISIBLE HAND, RIGHT?
AND IT, IT REALLY DOES, IT REALLY MAKES ME ANGRY TO HEAR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, UM, WHO, WHO BUY INTO THAT IDIOCY, RIGHT? UM, AND BECAUSE THE REALITY IS, IS WE'VE TRIED THE INVISIBLE HAND FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, AND WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH WAS JUST UNSPEAKABLE INEQUITIES, RIGHT? I MEAN, THE INEQUITIES, UM, WHOSE DEPTHS WE HAVE YET TO PLUMB, RIGHT? AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING HARD.
AND WHAT REALLY WORKS, WHAT WE KNOW WORKS, UH, CONTRARY TO THE INVISIBLE HAND IS, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR STEPPING IN AND TRYING TO KICK DOWN THOSE, THOSE, UH, THOSE BARRIERS.
AND ONE WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS BY WAY OF THIS PROGRAM, RIGHT? AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND ANYBODY OUT THERE, UH, WHO BELIEVES THAT THE INVISIBLE HAND IS, IS WORKING AND JUST HAS TO ASK THE WOMEN AND THE MEN WHO CONTINUOUSLY GET DENIED LOANS, WHO CONTINUOUSLY GET DENIED BONDING, WHO CONTINUOUSLY LOSE ON, YOU KNOW, RFPS FOR CONTRACTS AND GOVERNMENT.
AND, UM, I, I DO WANT TO, UH, ALSO EMPHASIZE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I SEE THE HISPANIC CHAMBER LEADERS HERE, UM, A LONG TIME AGO WHEN I HAD LESS WHITE HAIR ON MY HEAD.
I, I SERVED ON THE EXECUTIVE BOARD FOR THE, UH, HISPANIC CHAMBER FOR MANY YEARS.
UM, AND BACK THEN, WE WOULD REMIND OURSELVES THAT WE'RE NOT JUST A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BUT WE WERE, YOU KNOW, A, UH, A CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION AS WELL, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT THAT REMAINS TRUE TODAY.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THAT HOLDING OUR FEET TO THE FIRE AND REMINDING US THAT OUR JOB IS TO BE STEWARDS OF TAX DOLLARS OF THEIR MEMBERS TOO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE WOULDN'T LEAN IN AS HEAVILY INTO THIS.
AND I'M JUST, I'M HAPPY THAT WE'VE GOT FOLKS PUSHING US TO, TO LEAN INTO THIS.
AND SO, UM, I HAVE, I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS OTHER THAN GOOD JOB, UH, THANK YOU OTHER STATEMENTS OTHER THAN SAYING GOOD JOB.
UM, ANDY, UM, BASED ON, YOU KNOW, THE RECENT SUPREME COURT DECISIONS STRIKING DOWN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THEN THE ATTACK WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY
[01:00:01]
ON, UH, YOU KNOW, LIFT FUND AND THE COUNTY GETTING SUCKED INTO SOME BSS LAWSUIT, UH, OVER THEIR SPENDING OF ARPA DOLLARS.UH, AND, AND YOU TELL ME IF IT'S FAIR OR NOT TO ANTICIPATE THAT PROGRAMS LIKE THIS WILL BECOME THE TARGETS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, ACTIVIST LITIGANTS OUT THERE WHO ARE, WHO THINK THAT ADAM SMITH'S GHOST IS, IS THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE NEED TO, UH, BRING TO THE TABLE AS OPPOSED TO HELPING VULNERABLE PEOPLE.
AM AM I FAIR? IS IT FAIR TO ASSUME THAT, AND I'LL ASK MS. HOLT TO KEEP ME HONEST HERE, BUT THE REALITY CON, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN, IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN UNDER SCRUTINY AND ATTACK FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS.
AND THAT'S WHY ONE OF THE KEY THINGS TO DEFEND IT FROM A LEGAL STANDPOINT IS TO HAVE A VERY SOUND DISPARITY STUDY IN WHICH YOU CAN SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR A PROGRAM LIKE OURS.
BUT, UH, YES, IT'S SAFE TO SAY THEY'LL CONTINUE TO BE SCRUTINIZED AND ATTACKED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THE STATE OF THE LAW HAS NOT CHANGED WITH RESPECT TO THESE PROGRAMS. AND AGAIN, THE KEY, THE, THE, THE KEY ELEMENT THAT PROVIDES THE STRONGEST DEFENSE IS MAKING SURE WE HAVE A VERY SOLID DISPARITY STUDY ON WHICH WE BASE OUR PROGRAM.
OH, I, I KNOW THAT OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT'S IN GOOD HANDS, AND YOU TAKE IT SERIOUSLY TOO, ANDY, I APPRECIATE IT.
ONLY THING I WOULD SAY TO YOU, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE INVISIBLE HAND IS THAT WE DO HAVE SOME CASES THAT TALK ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AS BEING A MARKET FAILURE.
AND, AND SO THAT, THAT'S HOW I LIKE TO THINK ABOUT IT WHEN I TALK TO CERTAIN TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SORT OF THOSE IDEAS, IS THAT YES, THERE'S THE MARKET, BUT THE MARKET'S NOT PERFECT.
AND DISCRIMINATION IS A MARKET FAILURE, AND WE NEED TO CORRECT THAT.
SO THEN MAYBE ONE DAY WE GET TO THIS PERFECT MARKET, BUT WE'RE NOT THERE RIGHT NOW.
WELL, UH, MY FRIEND JUST GAVE ME, UH, AN OPENING TO WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK ANDY.
I THINK HE WAS LOOKING AT MY NOTES,
AND NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, I WANNA SAY I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, MS. HOLT.
AND MIKE, I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOUR STAFF HAS DONE ON THIS.
I THINK WE'VE SET A GREAT EXAMPLE ON HOW TO GO AHEAD AND SUPPORT MINORITY AND WOMEN'S OWN WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, CONTRACTORS, PRIME SUBCONTRACTORS THAT WANT TO GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE DIVERSITY AND EQUITY IN WHAT THE CITY DOES.
BUT I'M WORRIED ABOUT HB 21, 27, AND ONE OF THE MAJOR FACTORS OF THAT IS BUSINESS.
AND SO I'M WONDERING, WHEN THIS COMES TO COUNCIL FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND PASS AN ORDINANCE, IF IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE OR PROBABLE, OR LIKELY THAT A COMPANY THAT DID NOT GET A BID BECAUSE, UH, THEIR COMPETITOR GOT FIVE MORE POINTS BECAUSE IT WAS A WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS, MIGHT NOT SAY THAT'S AN UNFAIR BUSINESS PRACTICE, AND THAT'S AGAINST HOUSE BILL 21, 27, AND WE WANNA SUE THE CITY OVER THAT.
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY, A PROBABILITY, OR MAYBE IN YOUR OPINION, A LIKELIHOOD THAT THAT KIND OF ACTIVITY COULD OCCUR? AS YOU WELL KNOW, COUNCILMAN? UH, UH, I DON'T LIKE TO DISCUSS LEGAL RISK IN ANY DETAIL UNLESS WE'RE IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT'S A POSSIBILITY.
UH, BUT I WILL ALSO TELL YOU THAT AS BEEN POINTED OUT IN THIS DISCUSSION, A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN THE PROGRAM IS BASED ON CONS, FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES.
AND SO, UM, IF THAT COMES UP, WE'LL, UH, WE'LL DEAL WITH IT.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YEAH, IT'S A POSSIBILITY.
IF WE NEED TO GO IN THE OTHER ROOM,
BUT I THINK I, I, I, HOPEFULLY I ADDRESS YOUR, YOUR QUESTIONS OFFICIALLY, COUNSEL, AND I THINK THAT'S JUST MY CONCERN.
LIKE I SAID, I'M VERY, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, BUT IT, IT JUST, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONSIDER THAT EVERYTHING WE DO GOING FORWARD IS GOING TO BE SUBJECT BY SCRUTINY FROM INDIVIDUALS OR BUSINESSES OR STATE LAWMAKERS.
UH, THAT IS GOING TO CREATE A LOT OF DIFFICULTY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHY I'M GLAD THE CITY GOT INVOLVED WITH HOUSTON IN CONTESTING THAT, UH, THAT STATE LAW.
AND WE'LL SEE WHERE THE CHIPS FALL.
I MEAN, LET, LET ME JUST SAY, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE DISPARITY STUDY, SO YES, BUT, BUT THE, THE PANIC OVER 21, 27, I MEAN, GOODNESS GRACIOUS FOLKS,
[01:05:01]
IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE ALL RIGHT.IT'S GONNA BE ALL RIGHT, JOHN.
UM, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I, THAT I UNDERSTAND THIS STUDY IF I CAN.
UM, YOU, YOU MENTIONED, UM, LOOKING AT WHAT IS SUCCESS AND SOME THINGS WE MAY DO GOING FORWARD.
AND, UH, YOU MENTIONED ONE OF THOSE THINGS PERHAPS BEING, YOU KNOW, EMPHASIZING BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES.
UM, DO YOU SAY THAT BECAUSE OF, UH, I GUESS PAGE, UH, 10 HERE ABOUT THE UNDER UTILIZATION? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
SO IF I'M LOOKING AT, IF I'M LOOKING AT PAGE 10, THEN, YOU KNOW, IN COMPARING THE UNDER UTILIZATION, I GUESS, FOR BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES, AND THEN YOU HAVE HISPANIC OWNED BUSINESSES THAT I GUESS YOU WOULD SAY ARE, ARE OVERUTILIZED.
WELL, I DON'T LIKE THAT TERM BECAUSE IT IMPLIES THAT SOMEHOW MINORITIES AND WOMEN GETTING MORE WORK IS A BAD THING.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY, UM, IT IS A DISPARITY RATIO GREATER THAN A HUNDRED.
SO WHEN YOU MENTION EMPHASIZING BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T MENTION EMPHASIZING HISPANIC OWNED BUSINESSES, BUT IT, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT MM-HMM.
IS THAT THE REASON BECAUSE BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES ARE UNDERUTILIZED AND HISPANIC OWNED BUSINESSES? I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT OTHER THAN OVERUTILIZED, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO USE THAT IN A NEGATIVE CONTEXT.
THAT'S WHY, I MEAN, BECAUSE BLACK OWNED FIRMS HAVE NOT REACHED PARITY.
THAT'S ALSO TRUE FOR NATIVE AMERICAN OWNED FIRMS. YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S A BIGGER CHALLENGE.
THE AVAILABILITY IS SO LOW THAT IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT TO KIND OF KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT.
UM, ASIAN OWNED FIRMS ARE ALSO VASTLY UNDERUTILIZED.
UM, A LITTLE BIT BETTER AVAILABILITY THAN NATIVE AMERICANS, YOU KNOW, BUT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAN ANTONIO ARE WHAT THEY ARE.
AND SO, UM, CERTAINLY WE WANNA MAKE PROGRESS WITH ALL OF THOSE GROUPS.
UH, AND IT, IT SEEMS LIKE IT, IT, IT MIGHT BE AN EASIER LIFT WITH BLACK-OWNED FIRMS JUST BECAUSE THERE'S A BIGGER BASE TO START WITH.
AND, AND, AND IS THE GOAL, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT SUCCESS, TO HAVE UTILIZATION MATCH AVAILABILITY, THAT'S, THAT'S THE MINIMUM GOAL.
BECAUSE THEN AT LEAST YOU HAVE PARITY.
SO PEOPLE ARE GETTING WORK IN PROPORTION TO EXACTLY WHO'S OUT THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE FIRMS BE GETTING MORE THAN WHO'S OUT THERE SORT OF MAKING UP FOR HISTORIC UNDER UTILIZATION, WHEN YOU GO BACK TO YOUR OLDER DISPARITY STUDIES, REALLY IS A TESTAMENT TO HOW WELL THE CITY'S DOING.
UM, IN THE STUDY ITSELF, YOU WILL SEE THERE ARE A LOT OF CHARTS THAT BREAK THIS, ALL THIS DOWN.
I MEAN, THIS IS A REALLY ROLLED UP A BUNCH OF NUMBERS.
UM, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD URGE YOU TO DO IS LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL SUB-INDUSTRIES TO SEE HOW WELL PEOPLE ARE DOING SORT OF RELATIVE TO OTHER INDUSTRIES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MIGHT HAVE, UM, THIS IS, I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER, THIS IS TRUE, BUT IT'S USUALLY TRUE PRETTY GOOD UTILIZATION AND TRUCKING.
UM, THAT'S AN EASY INDUSTRY TO ENTER.
THE BARRIERS ARE LOW, THE PROFITS ARE LOW TOO.
BUT YOU USUALLY CAN FIND A LOT OF MINORITY OWNED TRUCKING COMPANIES.
OKAY, WELL, THAT'S GONNA SOMEWHAT DRIVE THAT, THAT DISPARITY RATIO.
BUT LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ARCHITECTS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT HEAVY CIVIL CONTRACTORS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OTHER AREAS.
AND THERE YOU MIGHT SEE, QUOTE UNQUOTE UNDER UTILIZATION.
SO THIS IS A ONE BIG PICTURE, BUT THE DISAGGREGATED DATA, I THINK, CAN HELP TO DRIVE WHERE THE CITY MAY WANNA PUT SOME EFFORTS.
SO IF YOU SEE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IN HEAVY CIVIL CONTRACTING, THAT THERE'S VERY LITTLE UTILIZATION OF, LET'S SAY HISPANIC FIRMS. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE, BUT IT MIGHT BE THAT MAYBE THAT'S A PLACE TO ALSO PUT SOME EMPHASIS.
SO WE, WE GIVE YOU THESE SLIDES BECAUSE IF I STOOD UP HERE WITH ALL THOSE CHARTS, YOU WOULD, YOU SHOULD LIKE SHOOT ME.
UM, BUT, UM, I THINK DISAGGREGATING IT AND LOOKING AT IT THROUGH A FINER LENS IS THE WAY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPE OF ADDITIONAL OUTREACH AND SUPPORT YOU WANT TO USE.
AND, AND SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE PERFECT MARKET A MINUTE AGO MM-HMM.
UM, SAN ANTONIO VERSUS, UH, OTHER CITIES MM-HMM.
HOW, HOW DO WE COMPARE WITH OTHER CITIES? WELL, I THINK OVERALL, YOU COMPARE VERY WELL.
THE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT THE UNDERLYING DEMOGRAPHICS OF A CITY ARE ALSO GOING TO DRIVE THIS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YEARS AGO WE DID A STUDY FROM MINNEAPOLIS.
WELL, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET NUMBERS LIKE THIS.
BUT, UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, COMPARED TO AUSTIN, AUSTIN'S DOING VERY WELL TOO.
[01:10:01]
THEY HAD RATIOS THAT LOOKED FAIRLY SIMILAR TO THIS, ACTUALLY.AND, AND, AND WHEN YOU SAY DOING WELL MM-HMM.
WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT THAT GROUP, THAT GROUPS ARE AT LEAST AT PARITY, AND THAT'S NOT TRUE FOR ALL THE GROUPS, BUT IT IS TRUE FOR WHITE WOMEN AND HISPANICS.
UM, AND AGAIN, IT'S SOMEWHAT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND YOU CAN'T GET VERY HIGH UTILIZATION OF A GROUP.
IF THERE AREN'T VERY MANY GROUP MEMBERS IN THE, IN THE COMMUNITY, THEN, YOU KNOW, JUST THE ARITHMETIC WON'T WORK.
UM, BUT WHEN I SAY DOING WELL, I SAY I, I, I LOOK AT, UH, TWO THINGS IN PARTICULAR.
THE FIRST IS OVERALL UTILIZATION, BUT ALSO ARE PEOPLE GETTING WORK AS BOTH PRIME CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS SO THAT THEY'RE NOT ALL RELEGATED TO THE SUBMARKET.
AND HERE SAN ANTONIO IS DOING PRETTY WELL, ESPECIALLY WITH HISPANIC CONTRACTORS.
THEY'RE GETTING WORK AS PRIMES, SO THAT'S GREAT.
UM, THEY'RE NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, STUCK UP UNDER SOME FIRM, UM, AND NOT ABLE TO GROW.
SO WHEN YOU SAY WE'RE DOING WELL, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT PARODY, YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY REFERRING TO, UM, HISPANIC OWNED BUSINESSES AND, UM, AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES? CORRECT.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, I THINK YOU RECOMMENDED UP THERE SIX YEARS.
WE, WE LOOK AT IT AGAIN, FIVE, SIX YEARS IN THERE.
SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT GONNA NEED A PROGRAM LIKE THIS FOREVER, RIGHT? WELL, I HOPE NOT.
AND, AND SO, BUT, BUT, BUT WITHIN THE NEXT SIX YEARS, YOU THINK THERE'S STILL A NEED FOR THIS PROGRAM, AND THEN WE SHOULD REEVALUATE THE DATA AT THAT POINT? WELL, CERTAINLY YOU WANNA KEEP REEVALUATING YOUR DATA.
I, I REALLY TRY NOT TO BE A PROGNOSTICATOR, AND I DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL ABOUT WHAT THE WORLD'S GONNA LOOK LIKE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY IF THE PAST IS ANY, ANY, ANY INDICATOR, THERE WILL STILL BE DISCRIMINATORY BARRIERS.
I MEAN, THE CITY IS JUST ONE ACTOR IN THE OVERALL MARKETPLACE.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR, OUR ECONOMY-WIDE DISPARITY ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATES THAT THERE ARE EXTREMELY LARGE DISPARITIES FOR EVERYBODY OUTSIDE OF THE PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, THAT SUGGESTS THAT MAYBE YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO KEEP THE PROGRAM FOR A WHILE, BUT I CAN'T GIVE YOU A, A DATE BY WHICH, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE BARRIERS WILL HAVE DISAPPEARED AND THERE WON'T BE ANY NEED FOR THIS ANYMORE.
COUNCILMAN, JUST TO, JUST TO ADD, HISTORICALLY, WE HAVE UPDATED THOSE DISPARITY STUDIES EVERY FIVE YEARS.
AND, AND AS WAS POINTED OUT BEFORE, COUNCILMAN THAT A LOT OF THAT IS BASED ON CASE LAW IN TERMS OF TRYING TO WEIGH, MAKING SURE YOU HAVE ACCURATE DATA WITH THE FACT THAT IT TAKES TIME FOR THESE PROGRAMS TO HAVE AN EFFECT.
COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO.
THANK YOU COLETTE AND MICHAEL AND TEAM FOR THE PRESENTATION, AS WELL AS TO THE, THE CHAIR OF E W D C FOR PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COMB THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION AND AMPLE TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS.
BUT NOW, IN REVIEW, I'M LOOKING AT THE OUTREACH SUMMARY, AND I'M REALLY PLEASED TO, TO BE REMINDED THAT, UM, A LARGE CHUNK OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WHO REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE WITH CONTRACTING QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS DID PARTICIPATE IN OUTREACH.
UM, BUT LOOKING AT THE LIST, RIGHT, I'M ALSO REMINDED OF THE PATH FORWARD, RIGHT? THERE'S RECOMMENDATIONS, WE ARE ONE PIECE.
UM, BUT WHAT I SEE HOPE IN A PATH FORWARD IS, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THE MAESTRO CENTER, UM, SERVES AS AN ACCELERATOR AND AN INCUBATOR.
AND I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO SOME OF THEIR WORKSHOPS, UM, WHERE THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT AND WALK SMALL BUSINESSES FROM A WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRIES, FROM PROFESSIONAL TO CONSTRUCTION, UH, AND BEYOND ON, UM, INSURANCE AND BONDING REQUIREMENTS, RIGHT? AND HOW TO COME UP WITH A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION TO QUALIFY FOR CITY FUNDING.
UH, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S ONE DELEGATE AGENCY.
UM, BUT EVERY TIME I'M INVITED AND GO THERE, I'M IMPRESSED WITH THE WORKSHOPS AND THE RESOURCES THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED.
UM, AND I SEE THAT AS ONE ROLE ON, UH, A NUMBER OF PIECES THAT NEED TO RUN PARALLEL, UH, AS SUPPORTING THOSE DELEGATE AGENCIES WHO HAVE A HISTORY AND A TRACK RECORD OF PROVIDING RESULTS, UM, AS A METHOD TO HELP US, UM, REACH A POINT TO WHERE, UM, WE'RE SEEING THE NUMBERS WE HOPE TO SEE.
UM, BUT THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS.
THANK YOU AGAIN, COLETTE, AND, UM, LOOKING FORWARD, UH, TO THE CONVERSATION.
UM, I JUST, I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT, UM, IT WAS UP UNTIL
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THE EARLY 1970S THAT WOMEN COULD NOT GET A CREDIT CARD OR A LOAN WITHOUT A FATHER OR A DAD.AND SO FROM THIS, FROM THE 50 YEARS, OR 50 PLUS YEARS TO NOW, WE, WE WEREN'T GONNA FIX THIS PROBLEM.
AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THIS STUDY, AND I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THE WORK.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO, SIX YEARS FROM NOW, LOOK AT THE SAN ANTONIO MARKET BECAUSE IT, IT'S CHANGED, YOU KNOW, UM, SIX YEARS AGO, THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE, THE CYBERSECURITY, IT WASN'T THERE WHAT WE'VE DONE IN STEM.
SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA STILL NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHY WE'RE DOING THIS, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESS, OR JUST BUSINESSES THAT WEREN'T EVEN, DIDN'T EVEN EXIST BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO.
AND AS WE CELEBRATE, AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BUSINESSES AND THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF VIA, UH, WHERE WERE WOMEN AND WHERE WERE, UH, MINORITIES IN THAT PROCESS.
SO I APPRECIATE THE, A ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE ON SLIDE 12, IF WE COULD PULL THAT UP.
THE ONE THING I WANNA BRING TO, UH, THE ATTENTION JUST OF EVERYONE AND MY COUNCIL MEMBERS, IS IF WE LOOKED AT THESE STORIES, THE NEGATIVE ASSUMPTIONS, THE QUALIFICATIONS, UNFORTUNATELY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, WE COULD APPLY THAT TO NONPROFITS, WE COULD APPLY THAT TO DIFFERENT ARTS GROUPS, UM, THIS NATION.
BUT THIS CITY IN PARTICULAR IS STRUGGLING WITH STILL SOME OF THESE, UM, NEGATIVE, UH, CONNOTATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THEM, UH, WANTING TO GET AHEAD.
I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, THE BARRIERS THAT WERE THERE, IT'S ONE THING THAT WE'VE HEARD, UM, I, AND I'M SURE, AND PEOPLE MENTIONED IN TERMS OF THE AUDIT, AND WHAT WE SAW WITH THE AUDIT WAS THE CONTRACT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY COME UP.
AND WE HAD FOUR SPEAKERS COME UP AND MENTION THE DISPARITY STUDY.
AND THEY HAD SEEN IT ALREADY, WHY? BECAUSE THEY SAT ON S BETA OR THEY SAT ON SSS A C AND THEY HAD BEEN PRESENTED THAT.
SO I THINK WHAT THEY WERE SAYING, WHICH I THINK WE NEED TO CONSIDER, IS THAT IN YOUR RECOMMENDATION, THAT WE DEVELOP THOSE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR SUCCESS, THAT WE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION, UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'VE DONE AND HOW WE DO THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR OUR ACCESSORIES, FOR OUR COMMODITY COMMODITIES.
IT MAY NOT MEET, BE THE MARKETING GROUP, BUT EVEN IF THERE'S A LOCAL OWNED BUSINESS WHERE THEY'RE CHARGING A DOLLAR 10 AND SOMEBODY OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO IS CHARGING A DOLLAR, WE LOOK AT THAT DOLLAR 10 BECAUSE THEY, THIS IS A SAN ANTONIO OWNED BUSINESS, AND HOW DO WE MOVE THAT UP? SO I THINK THAT HAVING THIS DISPARITY STUDY, THE WORK YOU'VE DONE HAS BEEN CRITICAL TO THAT.
I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU HAVE.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENT ABOUT HOW THEY SAID WE PAY IN A TIMELY MANNER.
SO, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT, THAT THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF THEM STRUGGLE WITH.
AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN SUPPLY SA I THINK WE SHOULD TELL THE STORY OF PAYING ON TIME AND PAYING IN A TIMELY MANNER IS, UM, WHAT WE NEED.
I THINK IF THE CITY WANTS TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE IN TERMS OF THEIR BILOCAL, IN TERMS OF OUR, UM, BEST VALUE IN TERMS OF, UH, PRIORITIZING WHAT WE LEARNED HERE IN THE DISPARITY STUDY, THAT WE AS A COUNCIL NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND TAKE A LOOK.
IF YOU COULD PUT IT UP SLIDE 14, AND REALLY, UM, WORK AND MAKE THIS A, A CONCENTRATED EFFORT IN, IN OUR DIFFERENT COMMITTEES IN AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT ALSO IN OUR, OUR OTHER COMMITTEES AND AS A WHOLE ABOUT HOW WE, UM, HOW WE REALLY TOOK TALK ABOUT SUCCESS.
AND IF AT ANY TIME WE WOULD THINK ABOUT SUN SETTING THIS PROGRAM, WHAT WOULD WE NEED TO SEE? AND I JUST, WE, WE HAVE WORK TO DO.
WE AREN'T AWFUL, BUT WE, WE BY NO MEANS HAVE HAVE HIT THAT MARK OR WE ARE DOING THIS.
AND ON THE SLIDE ON THE UTILIZATION AND THE AVAILABILITY, I THINK IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE WE ARE A MAJORITY HISPANIC CITY.
IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT THE UTILIZATION FOR THE WEIGHTED AVAILABILITY IS 14.8%, BUT THE UTILIZATION IS 35.5%.
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BUT WE NEED TO GET NUMBERS EVEN ACROSS THE BOARD.AND I DO, I, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, OUR NUMBERS WITH THE ASIAN COMMUNITY AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I DO FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT DOING THE NECESSARY OUTREACH FOR, UH, FOR THOSE BUSINESSES.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE US CONSIDER THAT.
AND I THINK WE DO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS WONDERFUL AS SAN ANTONIO IT IS.
AND IT IS WONDERFUL THAT THE DISCRIMINATION AND THE MISCONCEPTIONS AND THE BARRIERS THAT WOMEN FACE ARE REAL, AND THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR FACE AND WOMEN OF COLOR FACE ARE REAL.
AND WE CANNOT IGNORE THEM ANYMORE.
COUNCIL MEMBER GRA, COUNCIL MEMBER CORE.
JUST REALLY QUICK QUESTION ON THE FEEDBACK SUMMARY ON SLIDE 17, THERE'S SOME COMPONENTS THERE, LIKE, UH, NEEDING ASSISTANCE FOR SUBMITTING BIDS AND INSURANCE AND BONDING REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT, BUT I DON'T SEE THOSE REFLECTED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS MOVING FORWARD.
ARE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY INCORPORATED OR ARE PLANS ELSEWHERE? JUST WANTED TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
I THOUGHT THAT WE DID TALK ABOUT TAKING A LOOK AT YOUR OVERALL PROCUREMENT PROCESSES AND QUALIFICATIONS, AND THAT WOULD BE SUBSUMED, YOU KNOW, UNDER THOSE.
UM, JUST KIND OF A QUICK WORD ABOUT BONDING.
UM, WHAT I HAVE FOUND IS THE MOST USEFUL ARE PROGRAMS THAT HELP PEOPLE TO INCREASE THEIR BONDING CAPACITY.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET RID OF BONDING AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA LOWER THE LIMITS.
SO IT'S MORE GETTING PEOPLE READY TO MANAGE IN THE SYSTEM THAT'S, THAT EXISTS THAT THEY HAVE TO, ESPECIALLY 'CAUSE THE MINUTE THEY GET OUTSIDE OF A CITY CONTRACT, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO BOND ANYWAY.
SO IF WE WANT THEM TO GROW, WE NEED TO GIVE THEM THOSE TOOLS.
THERE ARE SOME GOOD BONDING PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT, THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SOME OF THAT.
UM, THEY AREN'T CHEAP, BUT THEY'RE EFFECTIVE.
UM, SOME OF THIS FEEDBACK WE'VE HEARD, ESPECIALLY ON BONDING AND ACCESS TO CAPITAL OR THINGS WE'VE HEARD FROM SOME TIME.
SO WHILE COLETTE WAS UNDERGOING THIS STUDY, WE ACTUALLY PUT IN PLACE A BONDING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE HAD RUNNING NOW FOR ABOUT A YEAR.
SO DEFINITELY TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE AND NOT JUST WAIT AROUND FOR WHAT COLETTE'S COMING TO SAY AND PUT THINGS IN PLACE NOW.
AND THE SAME THING FOR THE SUBMITTING OF BIDS.
DO WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT'S, UM, AROUND TO HELP FOLKS SUBMIT BIDS? ABSOLUTELY.
SO THAT'S PART OF THE, UM, I THINK ANNA BRADSHAW HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE'S A R F P THAT JUST CLOSED.
WE'RE EVALUATING TO MAP THAT PROCESS AND SUGGEST IMPROVEMENTS TO MAKE THAT MUCH EASIER FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO ACCESS.
COUNCIL MEMBER COR, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER ONE? COLETTE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR WORK.
IT WAS A LOT OF FUN, AND IT WAS GREAT WORKING WITH THESE PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, COMMITMENT FROM THE TOP AND A GREAT STAFF.
PLEASE TELL OUR STORY WHEN OTHER CITIES HIRE YOU.
THIS IS HOME NOW, RIGHT? AND I'M, I'M A HOME CHEERLEADER, SO I'M, I'M ALL ABOUT SAN ANTONIO NOW.
UH, OUR SECOND ITEM IS A, UH, UPDATE ON THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT POLICY.
UM, THE POLICY IS, UM, UH, INCLUDES GUIDANCE ON ANNEXATIONS, MILITARY PROTECTION ZONES, SPECIAL DISTRICTS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS, UM, AND ON COLLABORATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES.
AND JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, I MEAN, THIS PROCESS HAS STARTED, RUDY AND I DRESSED ALIKE TODAY, ALMOST SO
UM, THE, THE CURRENT POLICY WAS ADOPTED IN 2016 AS PART OF THE SA UH, FORD PLAN IN, IN, UH, 2019.
WE INITIATED THIS PLAN AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN.
IT WAS PAUSED DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC AND RESTARTED A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
UM, IT'S, UM, UH, A COORDINATED AND COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS TO SET SOME FRAMEWORK ON HOW WE GROW.
AND THE POLICIES FOR THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER THE POLICY, UH, DOES NOT PROVIDE, UM, A WAY TO STOP OR SLOW DEVELOPMENT IN E T J.
UM, SOME OF YOU, SOME OF THE, THE COUNCIL WILL, WILL, WILL KNOW THAT PERIODICALLY WE DEAL WITH PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS THAT ARE CREATED IN OUR, OR THAT HAVE A REQUEST TO BE CREATED IN R E T J.
AND, UM, BUT THIS IS ATTEMPT AN ATTEMPT TO SET A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK, WHICH WAS THE ORIGINAL REQUEST OF THE COUNCIL IN 2019, TO, UH, PROVIDE SOME, UH, POLICIES, UH, FOR YOU TO CONSIDER AND FOR MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, DEVELOPERS OR DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE POLICIES ARE IN ADVANCE.
SO I'M GONNA TURN OVER TO RUDY FOR THE PRESENTATION.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
UH, MY NAME IS RUDY NINO, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, THIS ITEM IS A BRIEFING ON THE DRAFT GROWTH MANAGEMENT POLICY, UH, AND PROVIDING A HIGH LEVEL UPDATE ON THE DETAILS OF THE POLICY DOCUMENT
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ALONG WITH THE TIMELINE FOR ADOPTION.UH, THE POLICY UPDATE PROCESS HAS BEEN ONGOING, LIKE ERIC SAID, SINCE 2019.
IT WAS PAUSED, UH, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT HAD WAS PICKED BACK UP APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS AND ADOPT A POLICY THAT UPDATES OUR CURRENT CITY'S, UH, ANNEXATION POLICY AND ADDRESSES THE CRITICAL ISSUES RELATED TO GROWTH IN THE E T J AS A COMPONENT OF THE ADOPTED 2016 ESSAY.
TOMORROW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S CURRENT ANNEXATION POLICY NO LONG IS NO LONGER CONSISTENT WITH STATE, UH, ANNEXATION LAW, WHICH CHANGED IN 2017 AND 2019.
UH, THIS POLICY UPDATE IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE EVALUATION CRITERIA AND HIGHLIGHT TOOLS AND STRATEGIES AVAILABLE TO THE CITY FOR ADDRESSING GROWTH RELATED ISSUES IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S EXTRA TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION.
SO, I'D FIRST LIKE TO BEGIN BY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE E T J IS.
UH, THE MAP ON THE SCREEN SHOWS THE CITY'S FIVE MILE EXTRA TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION.
THIS IS WHAT'S ALSO KNOWN AS THE E T J FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
IT'S A DARK GRAY AREA SURROUNDING THE CITY LIMITS.
SINCE THE E T J BEGINS WHERE THE CITY LIMITS END, THE CITY'S PLANNING AUTHORITY IS VERY LIMITED FOR THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S CONVERSATION, THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS VERSUS IN THE E T J RELATED TO LAND USE PLANNING AUTHORITY.
THIS TABLE GIVES A GENERALIZED RUNDOWN OF THE POWERS AND AUTHORITY THAT THE CITY HAS WITHIN ITS LIMITS.
AND WITHIN THE E T J, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WITHIN THE FIVE MILE E T J, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CAN APPLY, CAN ONLY APPLY SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS FROM THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS RELATE TO THE PHYSICAL ENGINEERING AND LAYOUT OF PARCELS OF LAND.
ADDITIONALLY, THE TREE ORDINANCE, AQUIFER RECHARGE PROTECTIONS AND MILITARY PROTECTION POLICIES CAN ALSO APPLY.
WE ALSO WANNA BE CLEAR ON WHAT THIS PLAN IS.
THE DOCUMENT WILL SERVE AS THE CITY'S UPDATED ANNEXATION POLICY, WHICH DESCRIBES THOSE TYPES OF ANNEXATIONS THAT THE CITY MAY UNDERTAKE.
ADDITIONALLY, IT INVENTORIES THE VARIOUS TOOLS AVAILABLE TO THE CITY THAT MAY BE APPLIED IN THE COUNTY TO COLLABORATE ON GROWTH RELATED ISSUES.
HOWEVER, IT IS NOT A POLICY THAT INTENDS TO STOP DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTY, GIVEN THE LIMITED AUTHORITY THAT CITIES HAVE IN THE E T J.
THIS POLICY SEEKS COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERS TO WORK TOWARDS SOME COMMON GOALS WHILE RECOMMENDING CONSIDERATION OF THE VARIOUS CITY POLICIES THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
THROUGH THE STAKEHOLDER INPUT PROCESS, AS WELL AS MEETINGS WITH CITY STAFF AND REGIONAL PARTNER AGENCIES, WE DEVELOPED A VISION AND A SET OF GOALS, WHICH YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN.
LARGELY, THE POLICY AIMS TO ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE QUALITY DEVELOPMENT THAT THE CITY WOULD FIND BENEFICIAL TO POTENTIALLY ANNEX IN THE FUTURE.
THE GOALS ALSO SUPPORT THE ECONOMY OF THE CITY AND BROADER REGION, AS WELL AS PROTECT SENSITIVE NATURAL FEATURES OUR MILITARY ASSETS, AND ESTABLISH CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROACTIVE PLANNING BETWEEN OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS.
IN TERMS OF THE POLICY DOCUMENT ITSELF, IT IS ORGANIZED INTO TWO MAIN SECTIONS.
SECTION ONE RELATES TO THE ANNEXATION AND MILITARY PROTECTION AREAS.
GENERALLY, ANNEXATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR USE WHEN IT SUPPORTS THE PROTECTION OF OUR KEY ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND MILITARY ASSETS.
THE POLICY RECOGNIZES THE THREE PRINCIPLE METHODS OF ANNEXATION, THOSE BEING FULL PURPOSE ANNEXATION VIA VOTER APPROVAL, VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION AND ANNEXATION IN SUPPORT OF OUR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.
FULL PURPOSE ANNEXATION WOULDN'T TELL THE CITY CALLING AN ELECTION FOR AN AREA THAT IS BELIEVED TO BE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TO THE CITY AND TO THE EXISTING RESIDENCE.
VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION IS WHERE A PROPERTY OWNER FILES AN APPLICATION WITH THE CITY TO BE ANNEXED.
THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION WOULD HAVE TO BE CONTIGUOUS TO THE CITY LIMITS.
AND THE LAST METHOD IS TO PROTECT OUR MILITARY MISSIONS.
STATE LAW ALLOWS MUNICIPALITIES TO CALL ELECTIONS WITHIN FIVE MILES OF A MILITARY INSTALLATION AND ASSIGNED LAND USES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE ADOPTED PLANS TO LIMIT ENCROACHMENT ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AND PROTECT CRITICAL HABITAT HABITAT.
SECTION TWO RELATES TO STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH MANAGEMENT AND REGIONAL COORDINATION, WHICH INCLUDES CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING REQUESTS IN ORDER TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING GROWTH.
FOR PURPOSES OF THIS BRIEFING, THE TWO AREAS THAT I WILL COVER IN MORE DETAIL ARE SPECIAL DISTRICTS AND MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS.
A SPECIAL DISTRICT IS ESSENTIALLY A FINANCING TOOL USED BY A PROPERTY OWNER TO PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY FOR DEVELOPMENT IN ORDER FOR A PROPERTY OWNER TO CREATE A DISTRICT WITHIN THE E T J.
IT REQUIRES COUNTY APPROVAL AND THE CONTENT CONSENT OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
WE HAVE DEVELOPED A SERIES OF CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CITY'S CONSENT FOR SPECIAL DISTRICT, SUCH AS WAIVING VESTING FOR A PROJECT COMPLIANCE WITH THE UPDATED TREE ORDINANCE, AND AN ASSESSMENT PAID TO THE CITY FOR EACH RESIDENTIAL UNIT DEVELOPED.
THE ADOPTION OF THIS POLICY WOULD ALLOW THE CITY TO FORMALIZE AND STREAMLINE THIS PROCESS MOVING FORWARD.
THE OTHER RELATED GROWTH ISSUE IS, UH, MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS.
ON OCCASION, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECEIVES REQUESTS FROM
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OTHER CITIES TO ADJUST OUR BOUNDARIES WITH THE INTENT OF GIVING THEM ADDITIONAL LAND AREA.THIS POLICY LAYS OUT CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERING THE REQUEST SUCH AS ENSURING THAT THERE WOULD BE NO ADVERSE FISCAL IMPACT TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OR TO OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE EFFICIENT SERVICES.
THE SUGGESTED POLICIES WITHIN THE DOCUMENT WERE DEVELOPED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SEVERAL PUBLIC INPUT GROUPS, AS WELL AS INPUT FROM VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS TO COMPLETE THE FULL POLICY.
OUR, OUR OUTREACH PROCESS FEATURED A NETWORK OF REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS AND PROFESSIONALS ORGANIZED INTO THREE GROUPS, A WORKING GROUP, WHICH WAS COM, WHICH WAS A COMMITTEE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVERAL CITY OF SAN ANTONIO DEPARTMENTS AND PUBLIC ENTITIES, INCLUDING BEXAR COUNTY, SAS, C P S, THE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION AND MORE.
THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP IS A, IS A MAJOR STAKEHOLDER GROUP OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, ADVOCACY GROUPS, JOINT BASED SAN ANTONIO, AS WELL AS ECONOMIC AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT GROUPS.
THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ALSO ENGAGED WITH TWO FOCUS GROUPS, ONE COMPRISED OF ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORIC STAKEHOLDERS AND ADVOCATES, AND THE OTHER COMPRISED OF REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE POLICY AT THEIR JULY 26TH PUBLIC HEARING FOLLOWING THIS B SESSION.
THE POLICY WILL BE ON THE AGENDA FOR FORMAL CONSIDERATION AT YOUR HEARING ON AUGUST THE 31ST.
AND WITH THAT, MR. MAYOR, THAT CONCLUDES MY BRIEFING, AND I AM HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, RUDY, UM, CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF SENSE OF AS TO HOW, UM, THE COUNCIL BEYOND JUST READING THE DOCUMENT AND THE COMMUNITY ARE GONNA DIVE INTO SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THE PLAN? WITHIN THE DETAILS OF THE PLAN? ESSENTIALLY, WE HAVE THE ANNEXATION POLICY THAT WOULD BE UPDATED TO CONFORM A STATE LAW, WHICH AGAIN, UH, DEMONSTRATES THE THREE TYPES OF MAJOR ANNEXATIONS THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CAN, CAN PARTICIPATE IN.
UM, ASIDE FROM THAT, THERE IS, UM, A SERIES OF GROWTH MANAGEMENT AND REGIONAL COORDINATION STRATEGIES.
THE FIRST DEALING SPECIFICALLY WITH SPECIAL DISTRICTS, SINCE THAT IS PRIMARILY WHAT THE COUNCIL SEES MOST OF, UH, TYPICALLY YOU'LL SEE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS OR PIDS.
AND SO WHEN A, UH, PROPERTY OWNER OR DEVELOPER WERE TO COME IN AND REQUEST CONSENT FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, THIS POLICY WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE A STREAMLINED SET OF CRITERIA THAT WE CAN LOOK AT TO DETERMINE IF WE AS STAFF ARE GONNA RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF, OF THAT CONSENT TO THE COUNCIL.
UM, SECONDARILY, THE, UH, STAFF WOULD BE LOOKING TO CONDUCT SOME PLANS WITHIN THE EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON THE TYPES OF AREAS WHERE GROWTH WE, WE PROJECT THAT FUTURE GROWTH WOULD BE OCCURRING IN THE COUNTY AND ENSURE THAT OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS ARE, ARE ADEQUATELY, UH, PLANNING FOR THE TYPE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY.
UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK, UH, RECENTLY WITH C P S, UH, IN THAT REGARD TO, SO THAT THEY COULD LOOK AT THE TYPES OF POWER STATIONS THAT WOULD BE NEEDED IN CERTAIN AREAS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
AND THEY'VE USED OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ALONG WITH SOME OF OUR DATA, UH, RECENTLY IN ORDER TO GET A POWER STATION APPROVED BY THE P U C, UH, AROUND THE U T S A AREA.
UM, ADDITIONALLY THAT CONTINUED UTILITY COORDINATION AND THEN WORKING WITH SOME OF THE CITIES, UH, SURROUNDING BEXAR COUNTY SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS BOUNDARY ISSUES AND SO FORTH.
SO THOSE ARE THE KEY ISSUES THAT THE POLICY WILL HELP US ADDRESS THERE.
I, I GUESS, I GUESS WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PLANNING TEAM AND I, I SEE BRIDGET HERE.
UM, THIS IS, UM, IN MY PERSPECTIVE, ONE OF THE MOST SUBSTANTIVE AND IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE, WE DO FROM NOT JUST POLICY, BUT JUST A TACTICAL, UH, YES AND NO DECISIONS ON THE DIOCESE FOR THE CITY.
I MEAN, UH, ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN FOLLOWING THE GROWTH DISCUSSIONS IN THE CITY, UH, KNOWS THAT THEY'RE POLITICALLY CHARGED.
WE GO INTO THESE FIGHTS LIKE WE HAVE, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE FIGHTING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ADVERSARIES WITH BOTH HANDS TIED BEHIND OUR BACK.
WE'VE GOT STATE STATUTE THAT CONSTANTLY CHANGES, UH, AND WE'VE GOT REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, YOU KNOW, ASSETS THAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO DO SO EFFECTIVELY BECAUSE OF, UM, THE AQUIFER, THE MILITARIES BEING JUST A COUPLE OF 'EM.
SO, UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO START FROM THE TOP AND SAY, NUMBER ONE, UH, THE LIGHTEST ITERATION.
YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HENRY, BUT GONZALEZ AND HIS EFFORT TO CREATE A GREEN RING AROUND OUR COMMUNITY AND PREVENT DEVELOPMENT FROM HAPPEN, FROM EVEN OCCURRING IN THOSE AREAS THAT ARE SENSITIVE.
SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT, BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
UM, BUT THE LATEST ITERATION OF THIS STARTED REALLY WITH SA TOMORROW.
UH, WE ADOPTED SA TOMORROW THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN 2016 ON REALLY, IN MY MIND, THREE PRINCIPLES, UH, THAT THE PUBLIC IN
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ALL OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS, UM, NOT SURPRISINGLY, UH, BUT THANKFULLY AGREED ON, AND THEY'RE NOT WITHOUT, UM, SUBSTANTIVE POLITICAL DEBATE.THE FIRST ONE IS, THIS COMMUNITY HAS AGREED THAT IT'S IMPORTANT, IT'S IN ALL OF OUR BEST INTERESTS TO REDUCE SPRAWL.
I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME FOLKS THAT WOULD DISAGREE WITH THAT, BUT THAT'S WHAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS URGED US TO DO IN WRITING IN OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SECOND ONE IS WE WANT TO FACILITATE NODAL GROWTH.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE'S REALLY ESSENTIALLY NOT ONE DOWNTOWN IN SAN ANTONIO.
THERE'S ONE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, BUT THERE ARE MANY SORTS OF LIVE WORKPLACE CENTERS ALL AROUND THE CITY, DOWNTOWN BEING ONE.
YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO THE RIM, YOU GO TO THE FORUM, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WELL DEVELOPED LIVE WORK PLACE CENTERS AROUND THE CITY.
AND IT'S, AND IT WOULD BE A GOOD USE OF OUR RESOURCES, AN EFFICIENT USE OF OUR RESOURCES FOR US TO FACILITATE LIVE, WORK, PLAY, NODAL TYPE GROWTH IN THOSE AREAS.
AND THERE'S 13 IF YOU COUNT THE ONES THAT ARE EMERGING.
THE THIRD ONE IS, WE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGING THROUGH POLICY AND RESOURCE PLANNING, INFILL GROWTH.
SO POLICIES LIKE WHAT WE ADOPTED LAST YEAR IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, UH, PERMITTING OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS, REALLY IMPORTANT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL.
SO MY HOPE IN THIS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALL READ THIS, UM, A MONTH IS A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO REALLY ABSORB THE DEPTH OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GET A COPY AND PROVIDE IT TO THE FOLKS ON YOUR STAFF WHO ARE REALLY GOING TO, LIKE, DIG INTO THIS BECAUSE IT'S GONNA COME UP ON EVERYTHING THAT WE DO FROM ZONING TO, YOU KNOW, PUTTING OUT BONDED DEBT FOR, FOR THE AQUIFER PROTECTION, ET CETERA.
AND WE'RE GONNA GET PUSHBACK ON CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE PLAN.
UM, THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO DO IS FIGURE OUT, AND I SEE ANDREA HERE FROM C P S, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY IS HERE FROM SAS.
THERE ARE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE AT THAT, ON THOSE BOARDS THAT HAVE RELEVANCE TO THESE DISCUSSIONS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS.
AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AS, UH, THE, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE OWNERS OF THESE ENTITIES CAN PROVIDE SOME GUIDANCE FOR DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE ON THOSE BOARDS, THAT'S VERY USEFUL FOR US, UH, FINDING OUT WHERE THOSE IN INTERSECTIONS ARE.
BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, AGAIN, IF WE'RE GONNA ACCOMPLISH THESE THREE GOALS AMIDST ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE, IT'S GONNA BE A CONVERSATION BETWEEN ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
LAST THING I'LL SAY, UH, RUDY, I KNOW I'M NOT ASKING YOU ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, I DON'T THINK I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, WE KNOW WE HAVE LIMITED AUTHORITY AND WE HAVE OUR AUTHORITY CONSTANTLY UNDER ATTACK FROM THE LEGISLATURE.
I MEAN, FROM MY STANDPOINT, WE SHOULD BE USING THIS DOCUMENT TO GUIDE US TOWARDS OUR ASPIRATIONS OF THE CITY, UH, NOTING THAT IN SOME PLACES WE MIGHT END UP AT A BRICK WALL POTENTIALLY WITH STATE STATUTE.
UM, I KNOW THE DOCUMENT CAN'T, UM, UM, RECOMMEND THAT WE DO ANYTHING IN CONFLICT WITH THAT FRAMEWORK, BUT WE SHOULD BE COGNIZANT OF WHERE THOSE BRICK WALLS ARE.
SO IF THERE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGE, WE'LL KNOW WHERE THAT WE, WE WILL KNOW WHERE THAT IS.
UM, AND SO I GUESS, ANDY, IS THAT, IS THAT A FAIR, UM, ASSESSMENT? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH? YES, MAYOR, THAT THAT IS, 'CAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS A, A POLICY AND, AND THE, UH, BRICK WALLS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WILL BE VERY SPECIFIC TO THE PARTICULAR AREA OR DEVELOPMENT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO WE CAN WORK, UM, WITH THE CITY STAFF AND IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING WHERE THOSE BARRIERS ARE SO THAT IT'LL BE BETTER INFORM US AS TO, TO WHAT EXTENT WE CAN IMPLEMENT THE POLICY.
AND, AND YOU KNOW, RUDY, YOU'VE BRIEFED, UH, AT LEAST OZ, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE PLANS TO COME TO THE C P SS BOARD MEETING.
UH, I DO THINK WE SHOULD BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS AT THE COUNTY.
UM, BUT I WOULD JUST URGE EVERYBODY THAT, UH, IS GONNA BE MAKING DECISIONS FOR, UH, CITY LAND USE AND ALL THAT STUFF.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THIS IS US, THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT OTHER, OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE, UH, INVOLVED IN, IN THAT PROCESS READ THIS DOCUMENT AND, AND REMIND, REMIND OURSELVES WHERE IT CAME FROM.
AND THOSE WERE THOSE THREE THINGS THAT OUR, OUR COMMUNITY AGREED ON THROUGH A LOT OF MEETINGS DURING THE SA TOMORROW PROCESS WHERE WE WERE TRYING TO LEAD THIS CITY, UH, IN TERMS OF ITS GROWTH.
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
[01:40:01]
RUDY, UH, FOR THE, THE IMPOSSIBLE MISSION THAT YOU'VE BEEN TASKED WITH AND FOR GETTING US TO A, A RECOMMENDATION COUNCIL MEMBER, ROCHA GARCIA.I, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK AND I THINK THE, THE MAYOR SAID IT VESTED, IT FEELS LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK.
UM, ON SLIDE FOUR, YOU ALL HAVE KEEP A SEED AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, AND I'M GONNA REFER, UM, TO SLIDE FIVE, ALSO GOALS FOUR AND SIX.
AND I'M GONNA USE, UM, AN EXAMPLE THAT I RECENTLY WENT THROUGH DURING A TESTIMONY AT THE LEGISLATURE, AND I SAW SALLY BUSTO HERE EARLIER, I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S STILL HERE, BUT, UM, LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, LET'S GET THE, THE COUNTY ON BOARD, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY WERE ON OPPOSITE ENDS ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THAT'S WHAT IT SEEMED LIKE AT TESTIMONY, BUT IT WAS ONE COUNTY COMMISSIONER THAT WAS NOT, UM, IN LINE WITH, WITH THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS.
AND SO IT SEEMED TO THE LEGISLATURE THAT THE COUNTY WAS AGAINST THE CITY.
AND SO WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO IN THAT REGARD SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS OR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS THAT GO MAVERICK AND DO THEIR OWN THING AS OPPOSED TO THE FULL COUNCIL? AND I GET IT, RIGHT? BUT I MEAN, THIS PERSON BROUGHT LIKE A WHOLE SLEW OF PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, THE E E S D SITUATION THAT I WAS TOLD ABOUT, SO WHEN WE WENT IN THERE AS A CITY TO TESTIFY, AND WE WENT IN THERE WITH, UM, UH, I CALL HIM MONSTER DEPUTY CHIEF MONASTERY, RIGHT? UM, HE, UH, AND I WERE LIKE, WE'RE GONNA LOSE ON THIS ONE JUST BECAUSE WE'RE THE CITY AND HERE COMES THE CITY AND THEY'RE COMING AGAINST THE COUNTY AND THERE'S ALL THESE PEOPLE IN UNIFORM THAT WERE WITH THE COUNTY.
UM, AND I WAS LITERALLY TOLD, WELL, COUNCIL MEMBER, AND THIS WAS FROM, FROM THEM, FROM THE STATE.
YOU CAN'T SAY THAT THIS WOULD, THIS, YOU CAN'T ASSUME THAT THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
THIS CAN'T BE BASED ON A FUTURE ASSUMPTION THAT YOU ALL WILL BE, UH, ANNEXING.
AND SO I GUESS I AM, UM, I'M, I'M CONCERNED, RIGHT? AND I WANNA KNOW LIKE, WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THERE? SO ON SLIDE SIX, FOR INSTANCE, SECTION TWO, YOU HAVE MANAGEMENT AND RE REGIONAL, UM, COORDINATION, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT EFFICIENT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, RIGHT? AND SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE LIVES, UM, UH, FOR, FOR THOSE PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND SO FOR THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE AREA AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE COUNTY AND THE CITY.
SO HELP ME TO SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA FOLD THAT IN.
AND I THINK ERIC WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING PROBABLY, BUT, UM, BUT I, I'M JUST REALLY CONCERNED.
I LOVE PLANS, BUT WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ABOUT WHEN THEY DON'T WORK? LIKE HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO WORK? SO, UM, INDEPENDENT OF WHAT RUDY PRESENTED, UM, TWO THINGS.
ONE, WE HAVE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS WHERE IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER AND THERE AREN'T ANY LINES OF BOUNDARIES.
UM, SECONDLY AND MORE, MORE TO THE, THE, THE EXAMPLE YOU WERE USING THAT E S D LEGISLATION DID PASS.
WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING A DATE, CERTAIN BEGINNING ON MARCH 1ST OF NEXT YEAR.
UM, THEY WON'T HAVE TO GET OUR PERMISSION ANYMORE.
AND SO THAT WAS A SETTLEMENT, A, A RESOLUTION THAT BENEFITED BOTH SIDES.
UM, MARCH 1ST IS KEY BECAUSE THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF PROPERTY THAT IS SCHEDULED TO COME INTO THE CITY IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, MOST OF IT IN YOUR DISTRICT.
AND, UH, ALL THOSE NON ANNEXATION AGREEMENTS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THAT WHOLE ISSUE WAS COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT WE HAD AN E S D THAT SUED THE CITY THREE YEARS AGO AND LOST TWO OR THREE TIMES AT EACH LEVEL OF COURT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK WE'LL FIND OURSELVES IN THAT POSITION ANYMORE AFTER MARCH 1ST.
BUT IN TERMS OF JUST STRAIGHT EMERGENCY, UM, THE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS WE HAVE IN PLACE WITH THOSE ESDS, YOU KNOW, IT, THAT, THAT, UH, WE HAVE A REGIONAL RESPONSE SYSTEM AND, AND, UM, UM, I, I THINK WE'VE GOT A GOOD BASIS FOR THAT.
WELL, AND TO BE FAIR, ERIC, I KNEW THAT, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
AND SO, AND I WAS ARMED AND THEY USED THAT AS THEIR ARGUMENT.
AND LUCKILY WE GOT SENATOR MENENDEZ TO COME IN RIGHT.
LIKE, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT SOMEONE DOESN'T GO MAVERICK AGAINST ALL OF THEIR OTHER COLLEAGUES, A MAJORITY OF THEIR OTHER COLLEAGUES, BY THE WAY.
WELL, WE'RE GONNA BE, WE'RE GONNA BE NICE AND WE'RE GONNA TALK
HOW ABOUT THAT? DON'T, WHY DON'T WE DO THAT FIRST? YEAH.
SORRY, I'M, I, I'M, I'M HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE, SO I'M A LITTLE GROUCHY.
MY, TO CLARIFY ERIC'S COMP, WE'RE GONNA START OFF BEING NICE, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA
WHATCHA TALKING ABOUT
ALSO, I NEED TO PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE TO ANDREA ANDREA'S FROM SAS.
C P S IS NOT, BUT ANDREA, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
UH, WE'LL GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, PAL.
UH, THE GROUCHY COUNCILWOMAN HAD MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
[01:45:02]
UM, I JUST HAD ONE QUICK COMMENT.UM, YOU KNOW, WELL ACTUALLY TOO, I MEAN, I THANK YOU MAYOR FOR SHARING ALL THAT YOU DID WITH, UH, THE ESSAY TOMORROW PLAN.
'CAUSE I, I DO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP INTO CONSIDERATION, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE SO MANY OF US HAVE WORKED ON TRYING TO CREATE DENSITY FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS.
BUT, UM, WE ALSO KNOW THAT SAN ANTONIO IS EXPLODING IN GROWTH AROUND 1604 AND BEYOND.
I FEEL THAT WE IN DISTRICT SEVEN ESPECIALLY FEEL THIS BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE E E T J AND USE BENDERA ROAD, UM, TO COME IN.
SO AS A CITY, AND REALLY MY ONLY A COMMON IS THAT I JUST WOULD LIKE US TO USE THIS, THE, THIS, UH, POLICY TO ENSURE, UM, TO USE THIS POLICY IN OUR TRANSPORTATION PLANS.
AND WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING OF ALL THOSE RESIDENTS WHO ARE COMING IN AND USING OUR ROADS, AND THAT WE JUST TAKE IT INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAVE BEEN PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLAN.
AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND COUNCILWOMAN, THE, THE PART OF MAKING SURE WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH OTHER ENTITIES, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR IN, IN YOUR EXAMPLE, THE COUNTY TO UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF DECISIONS FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE STANDPOINT.
UM, I LOOKED AT THE LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS.
UM, AND I SAW FIRE AND, AND, AND OTHERS, BUT I DIDN'T SEE SS A P D OR THE BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE MM-HMM.
WAS THERE A REASON FOR THAT? UM, ACTUALLY, SIR, THAT THERE WAS, IT WAS A SYNOPSIS REALLY, OF, OF THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE PROCESS.
ON PAGE TWO, WE ACTUALLY LIST ALL OF THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND ENTITIES THAT PARTICIPATED.
UM, AND THAT DID INCLUDE BEXAR COUNTY FROM THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND SEVERAL OTHERS AS WELL.
SO WE DID HAVE THAT COORDINATION WITH THE, UH, WITH BEXAR COUNTY.
THERE WERE SOME INSTANCES WHERE, UM, FOLKS WERE INVITED AND MAY NOT HAVE ATTENDED.
UM, BUT WE WORKED THAT COMMUNICATION THROUGH OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND, AND SO DO YOU KNOW, WAS SS A P D INVOLVED AT ALL? YES.
S A P D ABSOLUTELY WAS INVOLVED, YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER, WHITE, COUNCIL MEMBER
UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
IN THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE PUT TOGETHER ON THIS PROCESS, I, UM, MY, MY DISTRICT IS, UM, ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING, UM, AREAS ACTUALLY IN THE COUNTRY.
UM, BUT ESPECIALLY IN OUR CITY.
AND WHAT I'VE RUN INTO A LOT WITH, UH, MORE RECENTLY ANNEXED AREAS IS, UH, SPECIFICALLY SAWS AND C P SS ISSUES, REALLY MORE SPECIFICALLY SAWS MM-HMM.
SO IS THAT INCLUDED IN THIS? IN, IN THE PLANNING, WE HAVEN'T HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH NEWLY ANNEXED TERRITORY AND THE EXTENSION OF SERVICES, BECAUSE TYPICALLY THAT IS A DEVELOPER FUNCTION.
THAT'S A FUNCTION OF WHEN THE DEVELOPER BUILDS OUT AN AREA.
THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE EXTENSIONS TO THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL SERVICES.
UM, SO NO, THAT, THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY A DIRECTIVE WITHIN THIS PLAN THAT WE WOULD BE PAYING FOR THAT.
SO WHEN I SAID RECENT, UM, I DIDN'T MEAN LIKE RECENT, RECENT
SO I HAVE A LOT OF, UH, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM KIND OF RURAL AREAS SURE.
THEY, THEY DON'T WANT SIDEWALKS.
THEY LIKE ALL OF THE, THEY, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE A LITTLE MM-HMM.
THEY'RE A LITTLE OWN RURAL POCKET.
AND I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU VERY SPECIFICALLY, WE HAVE ONE, UH, A COUPLE OF, ACTUALLY TWO STREETS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT DON'T HAVE SAWS MM-HMM.
UM, AND THEY WANT TO BE CONNECTED.
I WENT TO SAWS, UH, AND THEY ARE GOING TO CHARGE THE HOMEOWNER.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S A POLICY, BUT THIS IS LIKE 40 GRAND.
SO I WANNA BE SURE THAT THESE PLANS ARE INCLUDING, UM, THAT, THAT THEY'RE INCLUDING, UM, SPACE FOR, UH, SAWS AND C P S TO COME IN AND, AND I GUESS RETROFIT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T, THERE WASN'T A DEVELOPER.
THEY WERE BIG PLOTS OF LAND THAT PEOPLE JUST BOUGHT AND IT BECAME A NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO, UM, I MEAN, I NEED TO SELL THE, THE ISSUE, THE CURRENT ISSUE, BUT IN FUTURE, ESPECIALLY OUT, WE'RE IN THOSE OF US WITH DISTRICTS THAT HAVE, UM, THAT ARE NOT LANDLOCKED, THAT WE STILL HAVE PLENTY OF SPACE TO, TO, TO GROW.
UM, THAT, THAT PARTICULAR PROBLEM IS, UH, WELL, IT DOESN'T BECOME A PROBLEM.
BUT IS THAT INCLUDED NOW? UM, IT DEFINITELY SPEAKS TO THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COORDINATION BETWEEN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN THE CITY.
[01:50:01]
OF THAT COORDINATION IS UNDERSTANDING WHERE GROWTH IS GONNA OCCUR AND HOW ARE WE GONNA ENSURE THAT THOSE, THAT THOSE POCKETS OF GROWTH HAVE THE LEVEL OF SERVICES THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR THEM TO HAVE A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE.SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NECESSARY C P S INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE SAWS INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S CRITICAL TO THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT WE'RE DOING, SPECIFICALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE PIS.
THAT'S WHERE, UM, THIS POLICY IS REALLY GONNA BE MOST HELPFUL BECAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE SET OF CRITERIA RIGHT NOW.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEGOTIATE IN A CASE BY CASE BASIS, BUT THIS STREAMLINES THE PROCESS AND ALLOWS A DEVELOPER TO HAVE THAT BASELINE OF THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA REQUIRE IN ORDER FOR THE CITY TO GIVE A, GIVE CONSENT.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE TYPES OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE'RE GONNA WANNA SEE IN FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.
AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT RELYING ON A DEVELOPER.
'CAUSE THERE'S NOT ALWAYS A DEVELOPER.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE GOING OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE AREA I'M TALKING ABOUT IS 1 51, THEY, THERE ARE PEOPLE LIVING THERE THAT REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE, UM, NOT EVEN COUNTY.
I MEAN, THEY WERE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE, THEY WERE NOT, THEY WERE JUST NOT ANYTHING.
THEY WERE JUST SORT OF OUT THERE.
I MEAN, THEY WERE COUNTY, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THEY WEREN'T LIKE INNER, INNER AREA.
BUT, UM, SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANNA BE SURE THERE'S SO MANY PLACES OUT THERE GOING TOWARDS HE LOTUS THAT ARE, ARE JUST BOUGHT THESE TWO ACRE LOTS AND, AND WE'RE NOT BUILT BY A DEVELOPER AND THAT WE ACCOUNT FOR THAT GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO I'M GONNA SWITCH GEARS, BUT I FEEL LIKE YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING, ERIC? NO, NO, WE DO.
UM, SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE BIT.
UM, JUST, JUST TO, AND MAYBE THIS IS DIFFICULT, BUT, UH, TO, TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, OR AT LEAST HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE INTANGIBLES.
UM, WE, WE TALK SO MUCH ABOUT THE FAST GROWTH IN SAN ANTONIO AND WE LOOK UP THE ROAD AT OUR, AT OUR COUSINS IN, UH, IN AUSTIN, AND HOW DO WE PREVENT LOSING OUR, OUR CULTURE, OUR, OUR IDENTITY, OUR, OUR, YOU KNOW, BEING SAN SANTO, RIGHT? I, I DON'T, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT AND WE ALL TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT AS WE ARE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GROWTH, UM, I GUESS THAT JUST, THAT IS THERE, IS THERE A WAY TO BUILD INTO THIS PLAN THAT WE ARE, ARE TALKING ABOUT THOSE TYPES OF INTANGIBLES MM-HMM.
I THINK THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE MAYOR HAD REQUESTED, UM, A WHOLE FOCUS GROUP JUST ON THIS IDEA OF TALKING ABOUT THE NATURAL, HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COMMUNITY AND PRESERVING THOSE, THOSE RESOURCES, PARTICULARLY WITHIN, WITHIN THE E T J.
YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE START GROWING, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PRESERVING THOSE SPACES AND THOSE AREAS.
UM, THIS ALSO GIVES US THE ABILITY, AS GROWTH OCCURS ON OUR PERIPHERY, TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW THAT GROWTH SHOULD OCCUR.
AND SO THOSE ARE PART OF THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT WE CAN HAVE AS GROWTH CONTINUES TO OCCUR.
PROVIDED, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY COMES IN AND THEY MAKE A REQUEST OF THE CITY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, WE CAN ENTER INTO THOSE NEGOTIATIONS.
I, I THINK IT'S A SHAME THAT THE CITY HAS LOST ITS ANNEXATION AUTHORITY, UH, THROUGH ACTIONS AT THE STATE LEVEL.
UH, AND SO IT MAKES IT VERY CHALLENGING FOR US TO PLAN FOR GROWTH.
UM, I'VE SAT ON THE, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS AND, UH, I'VE BEEN TOLD, I'VE BEEN THE FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER TO GO TO A PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, AND AS LONG AS ANYONE CAN REMEMBER, AND I WAS ABLE TO SIT AS A VOTING MEMBER.
AND SO I CAME TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THAT PLANNING COMMISSION.
AND I'VE LEARNED ABOUT PIS AND PUDS AND MUDS AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT ACRONYMS FOR DIFFERENT PROCESSES FOR DEVELOPING LAND PIS THEMSELVES.
I, I'VE NOT VERY BEEN VERY FRIENDLY OVER, BECAUSE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE BUYING LAND.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE BUILDING OUT THERE.
AND IT ENDS UP SEEING LITERALLY UNBRIDLED GROWTH AND CONTINUED EXPANSION OF THE POPULATION IN AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE VERY LITTLE INFLUENCE.
AND YET ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE COME INTO SAN ANTONIO ALMOST EVERY DAY TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY.
AND THE CITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING FOR THAT SAFETY OR THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR WORK, OR THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO TRAVEL THE ROADS AND GO TO ALL THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN THE CITY.
UH, AND WE DON'T GET ENOUGH FROM THAT DEVELOPMENT TO HELP US SHARE THE COST OF ALL OF THOSE SERVICES.
UH, AND IT'S EVERYBODY ELSE WHO'S IN THE CITY WHO PAYS THE TAXES AND DOES THE SUPPORT THAT PEOPLE DEVELOPING OUTSIDE OF THE CITY DON'T HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO.
AND, AND I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
SOME OF THESE PIS, UH, OUR, OUR PROPOSALS FOR DOING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT THAT SAY, WELL, WE ARE
[01:55:01]
GONNA TAKE 20 YEARS TO DEVELOP THIS.AND WHAT IT MEANS IS IF THEY'RE GONNA SPEND THE MONEY TO PUT, PROVIDE THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE STREETING, THE, THE STREETS, THE LIGHTS, THE SEWER, THE WATER, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S GONNA TAKE THEM 20 YEARS TO GET THAT MONEY PAID BACK TO THEM.
WELL, THAT, THAT SOUNDS RELATIVELY FAIR.
HOPEFULLY IF THEY SELL A LOT MORE HOUSES AND THEY GET IT PAID BACK SOONER THAN THE PID ENDS AND IT NO LONGER CAN CHARGE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE, BUT THE CITY STILL DOESN'T GET MUCH OUT OF IT UNLESS WE TRY AND NEGOTIATE A LITTLE SOMETHING ELSE IN THAT PIT AGREEMENT, WHICH WE DO.
SOMETIMES WE NEGOTIATE FOR COMMERCIAL AREAS THAT MAY DEVELOP IN THAT PIT THAT THE CITY CAN CONNECT, COLLECT THE SALES TAX ON.
UH, AND I, I KNOW MANY OF YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT OR KNOW THAT, BUT, UH, THE PIS REALLY ARE, ARE SPRINGING UP ALL OVER THE NORTHWEST PART OF TOWN.
AND I THINK WE'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE THE CITY IS, IS LOSING ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE KIND OF LONG-TERM IN INFRASTRUCTURE, 10 TO 20 YEARS DOWN THE LINE, UM, WITHOUT GETTING THE, THE RIGHT KIND OF SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT'S GONNA BE USING IT.
UH, ONE THING THAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT THIS IS THAT WHEN SOMEBODY WANTS TO SET UP A PIT, THE FIRST THING THEY DO IS THEY GO TO SAWS AND THEY ASK FOR WATER.
AND THEY SAY, WELL, WE WANNA HAVE WATER LINES CONNECTED AND WE WANNA HAVE SEWER LINES CONNECTED.
WE'LL PAY FOR IT, BUT WE, WE WANT TO HAVE THAT.
WELL, ONCE SAWS DECIDES, OKAY, YOU CAN HAVE THAT, THEN THERE'S NOTHING TO STOP THEM FROM DEVELOPING THOSE AREAS.
ONCE SA SAYS, YEAH, WE'LL GIVE YOU WATER, WE'LL GIVE YOU SEWER, THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND BUILD AND BUILD.
AND, AND I THINK, AGAIN, THAT DOESN'T GIVE THE CITY VERY MUCH FLEXIBILITY IN HOW THAT GOES FORWARD.
UM, AND SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS, UH, I I HAD ONE IN MY DISTRICT IN DISTRICT NINE THAT WAS STARTED 30 YEARS AGO.
AND PART OF THE PIT AGREEMENT IS THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON MAKING IMPROVEMENTS.
AND IF YOU DON'T, UH, THEN THAT PIT CAN BE DISSOLVED.
NOW, UH, WHAT I HEARD ON ONE OF THESE PROJECT WAS, WELL, WE PUT IN A ROAD TO GET INTO THE AREA THAT WAS CONSIDERED THE KIND OF DEVELOPMENT THAT ALLOWED THEM TO TURN AROUND AND SAY, WE NEED TO EXTEND OUR PIT ANOTHER 20 YEARS.
'CAUSE WE STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BUILD OUT.
SO THERE'S SO MANY ISSUES AROUND DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE OF THE CITY THAT I THINK WE NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO CONTROL OR REGULATE THAT GROWTH FOR THE BENEFIT OF NOT JUST THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING OUT THERE.
MANY OF THEM DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE POLICE PROTECTION OR FIRE PROTECTION, BUT THEY'RE NOT PAYING THE CITY FOR IT.
AND THE DEVELOPERS AREN'T DOING MUCH TO DEVELOP IT.
THE COUNTY ENDS UP ASSUMING SOME OF THOSE COSTS AND DOING SOME OF THAT, BUT THEY DON'T ACTUALLY LIKE TO DO THAT.
AND YOU SEE A LOT OF THESE EMERGENCY SERVICE DISTRICTS GET CREATED.
AND I GUESS WHAT I'M, I'M TALKING ABOUT, WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO IS THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO HAVE BETTER PLANNING AND, AND BETTER DEVELOPMENT OF GROWTH, NOT JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY, BUT EVEN IN THE CITY.
WE LOOK AT ALL THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GOING ON EVERYWHERE, BUILDINGS GOING UP, HOTELS GOING UP, ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
AND, AND WE'RE A MESS WHEN IT COMES TO TRAVELING AROUND THE CITY BECAUSE OF ALL THE GROWTH THAT'S GOING FORWARD WITH LIMITED INPUT FROM US AS A CITY.
UH, THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHICH I SERVED ON FOR TWO YEARS AND, AND WENT TO PROBABLY 30 MEETINGS IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME, IS THAT SOMETIMES THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACTUALLY VOTES TO IGNORE WHAT'S IN THE SAN ANTONIO TOMORROW LAND USE PLAN THAT HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED BY THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY HAVE SAID, WE WANT THIS KIND OF DENSITY.
WE LIKE TO HAVE COMMERCIAL IN THIS AREA, THIS AND THAT.
BUT PEOPLE WHO WANNA DEVELOP GO IN AND SAY, WELL, WE WANNA DEVELOP MULTIFAMILY OR WE WANNA PUT A SHOPPING CENTER HERE THAT HAS HIGHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL PROPERTY.
AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION TOO MANY TIMES I FELT HAVE SAID, OKAY, THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT DEVELOPER.
AND I, I I THINK THAT'S SHORTSIGHTED.
IF WE'VE GOT A SAN ANTONIO TOMORROW LAND USE PLAN FOR AN AREA THAT'S BEEN APPROVED, THE DEVELOPERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY GO IN THERE, HEY, I CAN'T DO THIS HERE.
'CAUSE THE LAND USE THAT THE PEOPLE WANT IS X, Y, OR Z.
UH, AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO MORE, UH, TO PUT IN PLAY.
FINALLY ON, ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
[02:00:01]
I THINK THE PLANNING COMMISSION NEEDS TO BE CHANGED.I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED TO REFLECT COMMUNITY DESIRES BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, BY CHARTER IT IS, UH, AN APPOINTED POSITION THAT HAS PEOPLE WHO HAVE CERTAIN AMOUNTS OF EXPERIENCE OR EXPERTISE, SO TO SPEAK, BUT NOT NECESSARILY PEOPLE WHO JUST REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY.
AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THE CITY STAFF HAS THE EXPERTISE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEVELOPERS HAVE THE EXPERTISE ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, BUT LET'S NOT, UH, PACK THE COMMISSION THAT MAKES THE APPROVAL WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE IN FAVOR OF DEVELOPMENT.
I THINK THAT COMMITTEE SHOULD REALLY REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY MORE, BUT THAT WOULD MEAN A CHANGE IN OUR CITY CHARTER.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THOSE KNOWN FOR MY EXPERIENCE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS A LOT MORE ATTENTION.
I'M PLEASED THAT THE, UH, CITY, UH, THAT THE MAYOR IS APPOINTED ME THE CHAIR OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, AND HE'S LOOKING AT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT.
UH, SO I'LL CONTINUE TO BE ACTIVE ON THAT.
UM, I'M GONNA SAY A FEW THINGS, BUT I'LL, I'LL KEEP THE QUEUE GOING.
I'LL JUST ENCOURAGE US TO STAY WITHIN THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF THE, OF THE TOPIC.
WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT FAR, BUT STILL RELEVANT.
UM, BUT JUST AGAIN, THE GROWTH PLAN COUNCIL MEMBER GRO.
UM, SO RUDY, UH, CAN, I WOULD LIKE A MEETING BEFORE THE 30TH TO DISCUSS DISTRICT THREE SPECIFIC AREAS, IF I CAN, WITH YOUR TEAM OF, OF COURSE.
UM, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD, I THINK SINCE THE LAST TIME WE'VE MET, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT COME IN.
AND I DO WANNA ECHO WHAT, UH, COUNCILMAN KEO HDA SAID REGARDING SAWS.
I KNOW I HAVE ONE DEVELOPMENT COMING IN THAT BORDERS THE COUNTY AND THE CITY, AND THEY ARE BRINGING IN SOME SAWS, SEWAGE, AND I WANT, UH, THE SEWER, THE DRAINAGE AND THE SEWER LINES.
AND I DO WANNA SEE IF WE AS A CITY CAN'T LOOK TO GETTING THE PEOPLE CONNECTED THAT ARE, ARE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS TO THAT LINE ALSO AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO I THINK AS DEVELOPERS COME IN, WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET PEOPLE OFF SEPTIC TANKS, UH, IN PARTICULAR.
UM, THE OTHER THING IS IF WE CAN LOOK AT WITH SAWS AND C P S, THAT LONG-TERM PLAN, IF, IF WE BRING IN, BECAUSE HOUSING IS A, WE'RE IN A HOUSING CRISIS, I'M ALWAYS SAYING WHAT'S OUT THERE IN OUR TOOLKIT THAT WE CAN, WE CAN USE, AND, YOU KNOW, HOMES WITH SEPTIC TANKS IN SOME OF OUR RURAL AREAS, UH, IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR IS POSSIBLE, BUT I WANNA EVENTUALLY GET THEM OFF THE SEPTIC TANKS.
SO IF WE COULD WORK WITH SAWS IN THAT, IN THAT PLAN, IF, IF A BIG DEVELOPMENT COMES IN HERE, IF, UH, IF A HOME DEVELOPMENT COMES IN HERE, IF, IF A LIGHT INDUSTRIAL COMES IN AND THEY NEED, UH, AND THEY THEY'RE WILLING TO PAY, HOW CAN WE GET IT TO MOVE ON TO OUR RESIDENTS? I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KEY FOR ME.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO, UM, TALK TO OUR COUNTY PARTNERS.
I'M OF THE OPINION THAT IF THEY'RE ANYWHERE BETWEEN THE, IF THEY'RE SITTING ON THE BORDER BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE CITY, THEY'RE EVENTUALLY GONNA WANNA BE CITY.
SO WE NEED TO ANTICIPATE THAT THEY'RE GONNA REQUEST THAT EVENTUALLY.
SO I, I THINK WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS NICELY WITH OUR, OUR COUNTY COUNTERPARTS THAT IT'S JUST GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO IS JUST SO GREAT TO BE PART OF.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, KEEP THAT COMMUNICATION OPEN.
UM, I WOULD AGREE THAT EVERYBODY WANTS CITY SERVICES.
I'M NOT SURE EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A CITY TAXPAYER THOUGH,
UM, SO SAWS HAS COME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES AND, AND WE'VE PUSHED THIS POINT A LITTLE BIT AS WELL.
AND, AND THIS IS ALSO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO READ THIS DOCUMENT AND ALSO UNDERSTAND THE OBLIGATIONS OF OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE GROWTH DECISIONS.
SAWS HAS A SERVICE AREA, A CERTIFICATE OF CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY, THE C C N WITHIN THAT C C N, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO SERVE CUSTOMERS WHO APPLY FOR SERVICE.
UM, SO TO THE EXTENT THAT, UM, THOSE SERVICES ARE IN A C C N WAY OUT IN THE UTTER RIM OF THE C UH, OF THE CITY, UH, CONNECTING, THERE IS A STAT, UH, ESSENTIALLY A STATUTORY OBLIGATION.
UM, NOW IF WE KNOW THAT AND THE
[02:05:01]
DEVELOPMENT IS PLANNING ON A PIT, THOSE PIS STILL COME TO SAN ANTONIO TO THE COUNCIL.SO WE HAVE TO BE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT SAWS AND, AND IF DENSITY IS THE ISSUE, THEN THAT'S A, THAT'S A DISCUSSION THAT WE NEED TO BE HAVING HERE AT THE COUNCIL WHEN PEOPLE APPLY FOR AN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT.
UM, HOWEVER, I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT WE HAVE TO BE WORKING WITH SAWS AND, AND IN SOME CASES THE OTHER UTILITIES BEFORE THEY HAVE, UH, A DECISION TO MAKE ON A U S A BECAUSE SOMETIMES, OR A SERVICE AGREEMENT, SOMETIMES THEY ARE BEING ASKED TO DO THINGS THAT THEY'RE NOT OBLIGATED TO DO.
AND SO IN THOSE INSTANCES, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE LEVERAGE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO GAIN COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
UM, AND SO ALL THIS TO SAY THAT THERE, THIS IS A, UH, EXTREMELY COMPLICATED MAZE OF AUTHORITY, UH, IN WHICH WE ARE TRYING TO COMMIT TO SOME COMMUNITY GOALS THAT AGAIN, I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO EMPHASIZE.
AND SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE HERE, SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE SAWS, SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS DON'T EXIST IN ANY OF US, BUT WE HAVE TO COLLECTIVELY IDENTIFY WHERE WE HAVE LEVERAGE TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
SO, UM, I DON'T WANT TO, UH, AGAIN, UNDERSTATE THE IMPORTANCE OF US WORKING TOGETHER COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR SISTER AGENCIES, EVEN WITH VIA, AS WE WORK TO ACHIEVE THE, THE IDENTIFIED GOALS OF SA TOMORROW.
AND THIS STRATEGY, UH, AGAIN, IS A GUIDING DOCUMENT.
IT'S NOT GONNA GIVE US EVERYTHING WE NEED, BUT IT SHOULD ALSO INDICATE WHERE WE SHOULD BE ADVOCATING, UH, IN SOME CASES FOR BETTER POLICY OR BETTER PEOPLE TO CREATE THE POLICY.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, I THINK THAT'S EVERYBODY.
IS THERE ANY ANYMORE, UM, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS? ALRIGHT, IF NOT, IT'S 4 0 9.
UH, RUDY, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO CLOSE WITH? I DID NOT.
UH, 4:09 PM ON THE NINTH DAY OF AUGUST, 2023.