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>> CASTILLO: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. THE TIME IS NOW 10:02 A.M.
ON THIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 OF 2024. THE COMMUNITY HEALTH MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. MADAME CLERK, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? >> AYE. >> CASTILLO: ANY ABSTENTIONS OR OPPOSITION? GREAT. MOTION PASSES.
WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE WILL HEAR ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENTS TOGETHER. FIRST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IS JACK FINGER ON ITEM 2 AND 4.
>> WELL, MADAME CHAIR, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. A COUPLE OF ITEMS ON YOUR AGENDA THAT I DO WISH TO ADDRESS FOR YOU TODAY. ONE OF THEM IS ABOUT THE COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST FOR -- LET'S SEE. WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE SAN ANTONIO CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM. CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM WITH THE IDEA OF , OH, EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF SUPPORTING A SAFE, TEMPORARY SHELTER FOR CHILDREN AT RISK KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE AND FAMILIES TOGETHER. IT SAYS CREATE A NURSERY -- A CHILDCARE RESOURCE AVAILABLE WHERE CAREGIVERS CAN HAVE A SAFE PLACE FOR CHILDREN TO STAY WHILE THEY ADDRESS STRESSFUL, PERSONAL EVENTS OR CRISIS SITUATIONS.
NOW, I BELIEVE -- WHAT WAS IT? MS. ROCHA GARCIA AND I THINK MR. MANNY PELAEZ ALSO JOINED YOU IN FILING THIS. YOU KNOW, WHEN HAS RAISING CHILDREN NEVER BEEN STRESSFUL OR HAVING A PERSONAL CRISIS IN YOUR FAMILY? HAS ANYBODY THOUGHT THAT IF WE SUGGESTED THAT WOMEN AND MEN STOP USING -- STOP HAVING SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE, THEN GET MARRIED AND THEN HAVE CHILDREN INSIDE OF MARRIAGE AND WITH THE MAN GOING TO WORK AND THE MOTHER STAYING HOME TO TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS. THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE SOLVED AUTOMATICALLY. YOU KNOW, MAYBE DID IT EVER OCCUR TO YOU THAT ALL THESE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WE SPEND SUPPORTING CHILDCARE DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY THROUGH OUR CITY IS NOT WORKING AND YOU THINK IT'S BECOME A CRISIS? NO. I'M SORRY. AND LIKEWISE, THE SITUATION WITH THE CHILDCARE -- LET ME GET MY ACT TOGETHER HERE. YES.
OKAY. AND THE OTHER ISSUE WAS ABOUT THE -- IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE HERE. THE OVERDOSES, PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.
OVERDOSES. WHEN HAVE WE NOT HAD AN OVERDOSE PROBLEM WITH OUR CITY? ONCE AGAIN, ARE WE SAYING THAT THE MILLIONS, MAYBE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE SPENT ON EDUCATION TO OUR KIDS SAYING DO NOT TAKE BAD DRUGS IS NOT WORKING? NOW, YOU'RE SAYING I DON'T HAVE COMPASSION FOR THESE PEOPLE. EXCUSE ME. WHEN DOES ANYBODY HAVE
COMPASSION FOR THE POOR GUYS THAT HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS? >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU,
MR. FINGER. >> YEAH. >> CASTILLO: WE HAVE UP
NEXT DR. POTTER. >> HI. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIRWOMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE.
I HADN'T PLANNED ON STARTING WITH THIS BUT RESPECTFULLY I DISAGREE WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT JUST CAME AND THERE'S SCIENCE AND EVIDENCE THAT FACTUALLY DISAGREES WITH EVERYTHING THAT WAS JUST SAID WITH RESPECT TO THE GENTLEMAN AND HIS RIGHT TO EXPRESS THOSE OPINIONS. MY NAME IS DR. JENNIFER POTTER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BE WELL TEXAS. PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TO TALK ABOUT ITEM 4 . I HAVE 20 YEARS BACKGROUND IN RESEARCH AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT IN PRACTICES TO MITIGATE THE
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SCOURGE OF ADDICTION AND ADVERSE SUBSTANCE-RELATED CONSEQUENCES FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND THE TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SERVICES COMMISSION. I AM SOMEONE WHO HAS ADDICTION IN THEIR FAMILY AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE IT IS DIFFERENT NOW AND PEOPLE ARE DYING AT RATES THAT ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN HAS EVER BEEN. I'M HERE TO JUST MENTION I WHOLLY EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THE RESOLUTION DECLARING OVERDOSE A HEALTH CRISIS.WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR RESOLUTION OF AN OVERDOSE CRISIS IS THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN. THE RESOLUTION IS BOTH TIMELY AND ESSENTIAL AS IT ACKNOWLEDGES THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF OVERDOSES IN OUR COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY MEANS FAMILIES AND MOMS AND PEOPLE WHO LOSE THEIR LIVES AND EVERY LIFE IS WORTH SAVING. THE INCLUSION OF METHAMPHETAMINE, A STIGMATIZING PHENOMENON, ALONGSIDE OPIOIDS IS PARTICULARLY NOTEWORTHY AND HIGHLY COMMENDABLE. ADDRESSING METHAMPHETAMINE WILL ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO COMBAT THE DEATHS LOCALLY AND INCREASINGLY NATIONALLY. ADDITIONALLY, IT IS CRUCIAL TO RECOGNIZE AND MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS WHICH OFTEN HINDERS INDIVIDUALS FROM SEEKING AND RECEIVING THE HELP THEY NEED. STIGMA IS A THREAT TO LIFE. THE CITY ACCOMPLISHES THIS IN A WAY UNIQUE NOT ONLY TO OUR REGION BUT TO THE STATE OF TEXAS AND OUR NATION.
YOU ARE DOING CUTTING-EDGE WORK. THE RESOLUTION'S EMPHASIS ON A FRAMEWORK THAT ENCOMPASSES PREVENTION, HARM REDUCTION, TREATMENT, AND RECOVERY IS ALIGNED WITH THE BEST EVIDENCE AVAILABLE BASED ON DECADES OF RESEARCH.
THIS HOLISTIC APPROACH ADDRESSES THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, RECOGNIZES THE INTERPLAY OF UNTREATED MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, TRAUMA, AND SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO CARE.
FURTHERMORE THE COMMITMENT TO EXPANDING HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES AGAIN AN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE, INCREASING THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF NALOXONE IS CRUCIAL. THESE INITIATIVES SUPPORTED BY THE ALLOCATION OF OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS WILL ENHANCE OUR COMMUNITY ICE CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO THIS VERY WELL CRISIS. AND MAKE PEOPLE LIKE ME MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE WORK WE DO, AND THERE ARE MANY COMMITTED TO THAT. I APPLAUD THE COLLABORATION WITH BEXAR COUNTY. IT'S THE BEST POSSIBLE APPROACH WHO CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THE CITIZENS OF OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S A COORDINATED AND COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE. IN CLOSING, I APPLAUD THE THOUGHTFUL, SCIENCE-BASED APPROACH OF THIS RESOLUTION. IT REFLECTS A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITIES OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND UNDERSCORES THE VALUE OF A COORDINATED EVIDENCE-BASED RESPONSE. I URGE THIS COMMITTEE TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION AND TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING MEASURES THAT WILL SAVE LIVES, WILL SAVE LIVES AND PROMOTE RECOVERY IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME AND CONSIDERATION. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, DR. POTTER.
JAMIE MENDOZA. >> KALIA BARRETT ON ITEM 3. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 2, THE BRIEFING PROVIDING FINDINGS FROM A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND RECOMMENDED ACTION ON A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST RELATED TO THE COST-FREE SAN ANTONIO CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM PRESENTED BY MELODY WOOSLEY.
>> THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
MELODY WOOSLEY, DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR OF HUMAN SERVICES. WE HAVE SOME NEW EQUIPMENT HERE. FIRST I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS WORK REALLY HAS BEEN LED BY REBECCA FLORES, OUR HUMAN SERVICES EDUCATION PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR. AND SHE IS PART OF A WORKING GROUP OF CITY STAFF.
ERICA FROM METRO HEALTH AND CAPTAIN GALLEGO FROM SAPD THAT HAVE DONE THIS RESEARCH AND PUT TOGETHER THE INFORMATION, THE BRIEFING TODAY, AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS. AND SO AT THE MARCH 28, 2024 COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING, HUMAN SERVICES PRESENTED STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO A CCR FILED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS ROCHA GARCIA AND PELAEZ TO EXPLORE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM. COMMITTEE MEMBERS APPROVED STAFF'S DEVELOPMENT OF A PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY STUDY TO ASSESS THE NEED AND THE VIABILITY OF ESTABLISHING CRISIS NURSERIES IN SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY.
A WORKING COMMITTEE FROM HUMAN SERVICES, METRO HEALTH, AND SAPD REVIEWED
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BEST PRACTICES, SHARED DATA, AND HELD LOCAL STAKEHOLDER INPUT SESSIONS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING THIS TYPE OF SUPPORT.FEEDBACK SHARED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS WERE FOCUSED IN FOUR KEY AREAS INCLUDING BACKGROUND ON CRISIS NURSERIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, CONSIDERATIONS FOR CRISIS NURSERY MODELS AND BUDGET, AND IMPLEMENTATION RECOMMENDATIONS.
THERE ARE MANY CRISIS CARE MODELS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS TO MEET THEIR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS. WE IDENTIFIED COMMONALITIES AMONG THOSE SUCH AS CARE IS FREE, TEMPORARY, AND HAS MINIMAL BARRIERS TO ENTRY.
CARE IS PROVIDED AT LICENSED FACILITIES. CARE IS AVAILABLE WHEN FAMILIES ARE EXPERIENCING A CRISIS OR AN UNEXPECTED SITUATION IMPACTING THE CHILDREN'S SAFETY. CARE IS VOLUNTARY AND SERVICES SUPPORT THE GOAL OF KEEPING CHILDREN WITH FAMILIES. PARENTS MAINTAIN LEGAL CUSTODY OF THEIR CHILDREN WHILE THE CHILDREN ARE IN CRISIS CARE.
AND CENTERS PROVIDE A WELCOMING, SAFE HAVEN FOR CHILDREN WITH TEMPORARY DAY AND EVENING AND OVERNIGHT CARE BEING AVAILABLE. REVIEW OF CRISIS NURSERY DATA SHOWS COMMON CHARACTERISTICS AMONG FAMILIES WITH ACCESS TO THOSE CARE NURSERIES. TYPICALLY THEY ARE AT INCREASED RISK FOR CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. SINGLE MOTHER, HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD, LIVING BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL, AND EXPERIENCING UN OR UNDEREMPLOYMENT.
ADDITIONALLY THE HUMAN SERVICES 2023 COMMUNITY WELL-BEING SURVEY REPORTED HIGH RATES OF RESIDENTS WHO ARE FINANCIALLY INSECURE, VULNERABLE, AND ALSO UNAWARE OF RESOURCES THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO THEM. THE RATE OF CONFIRMED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES AND REMOVALS IN BEXAR COUNTY POINT TO THE NEED FOR CRISIS NURSERY SERVICES. IN 2023, FAMILY PROTECTIVE SERVICES CONFIRMED ALMOST 4700 VICTIMS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. 47% OF WHICH WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 5. BEXAR COUNTY HAS THE HIGHEST RATE OF REMOVALS AND PLACEMENTS IN THE STATE. AND ABOUT 985 CHILDREN WERE MOVED IN 2023.
54% OF THOSE WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 5. EXPOSURE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS ALSO A FACTOR IN MANY CPS REMOVALS. THE MAP THAT'S PICTURED HERE HIGHLIGHTS THE NUMBER OF FAMILY VIOLENCE CRIMES REPORTED TO SAPD IN 2023 AND IT IS ALSO ILLUSTRATING THE VALUE OF CRISIS NURSERY SERVICES AND INTERVENTIONS IN REDUCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AS PART OF OUR ASSESSMENT, THIS COSA WORKING GROUP MET WITH LOCAL FUNDERS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DISCUSS THE NEED FOR CRISIS NURSERY SERVICES. PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION REGARDING LICENSING REQUIREMENTS, UNITED WAY OF SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY TO INCORPORATE THEIR EXPLORATION OF CRISIS NURSERIES INCLUDING COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS THAT THEY HELD. LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS OF CHILDREN-CENTRIC NONPROFIT AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. AND WE HOLD STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONS ON MAY 23 AND MAY 24. ABOUT 140 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE INVITED AND WE HAD 46 ATTEND AND PROVIDE INPUT. THE COMMUNITY INPUT WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE REPORT AND INTO THIS BRIEFING. SO CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR BEXAR COUNTY INCLUDE THE AGE RANGES TO BE SERVED.
THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIONS. AND ALONG WITH THAT GOES THE CHILD TO STAFF RATIOS THAT ARE MANDATED BY LICENSING REQUIREMENTS. ALSO CONSIDERING THE LENGTH OF TIME A CHILD OR A SIBLING GROUP COULD ACTUALLY 72 HOURS BUT WITH HOPEFULLY SOME FLEXIBILITY AND CONTINUED CARE, POST-RESIDENTIAL. THE EASE OF ACCESSIBILITY OF THERAPEUTIC AND MEDICAL SERVICES AT THE CENTER, INCLUDING SPECIALIZED CARE FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE MEDICALLY FRAGILE OR DISABLED. AND THEN ALSO PROVIDING SUPPORT TO CONTINUE SCHOOLING OR SCHOOLWORK. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND THE
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NUMBER OF CRISIS NURSERY CENTERS IN THE COMMUNITY. DEPTH OF AFTER-CRISIS SUPPORT SUCH AS COUNSELING, HOME VISITS, PARENTING EDUCATION, AND WORKFORCE SUPPORTS. AND, OF COURSE, FUNDING AVAILABILITY.AND SO BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS. THE TYPE OF MODEL PROPOSED OF COURSE IS GOING TO DETERMINE THE COST AND COMMUNITY FUNDING OPTIONS.
THE COSA WORKING GROUP REVIEWED A DRAFT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND BUDGET DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL LOCAL NONPROFITS WHO HAVE BEEN AND ARE ADVOCATING FOR CRISIS NURSERIES IN BEXAR COUNTY. WE ESTIMATE A PROJECT WITH 10 TO 12 OVERNIGHT 24-HOUR SLOTS AND CARE FOR UP TO 16 CHILDREN PER WEEKDAY.
WOULD HAVE FIRST-YEAR COSTS RANGING FROM $1.5 MILLION TO $2 MILLION.
THIS WOULD INCLUDE THE START-UP COST, CAPITAL COST, AND TRAINING ALONG WITH ANNUAL OPERATING. ONGOING COSTS TO OPERATE CENTERS LIKE THAT WOULD BE FROM $1 MILLION TO $2 MILLION. IT'S A BIG RANGE BUT UNTIL WE HAVE SOMETHING FIRMER IT WOULD BE HARD FOR ANYONE TO DEVELOP THE BUDGET.
DURING THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, PARTICIPANTS SUGGESTED FUNDING BE INCLUDED THAT SUPPORTS ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR STAFF AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. AND SO PROPOSED CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS IN SAN ANTONIO. OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO INCLUDE CRISIS NURSERIES AS A FUNDING STRATEGY IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 AND FISCAL YEAR 2027 CONSOLIDATED FUNDING RFP, WHICH WILL BE ISSUED IN THE SPRING OF NEXT YEAR.
THE UNITED WAY CHILDREN AND STRONG FAMILIES INCLUDED AS FUNDING STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT RESPITE SERVICES AND CAREGIVER SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. THOSE CONTRACTS WOULD BEGIN IN THE SUMMER OF 2025, WHICH ALIGNS WITH OUR CONSOLIDATED FUNDING TIMELINE FOR '26 AND '27.
WITH THOSE CONTRACTS BEGINNING ON OCTOBER 1ST. AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR NEXT STEPS REALLY ARE TO CONTINUE ENCOURAGING COLLABORATION OF AGENCIES THAT HAVE EXPERTISE IN THIS AREA AND IN SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. AND TO CONTINUE TO ASSESS CRISIS NURSERY FUNDING STRATEGIES AND WORK WITH OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY FUNDERS, WHICH INCLUDE THE CITY, THE COUNTY, UNITED WAY, AND VARIOUS PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATIONS. SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
THE TEAM IS AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WE HAVE A NUMBER OF NONPROFIT REPRESENTATIVES IN THE AUDIENCE AND REALLY THAT'S THE GROUP THAT HAS BROUGHT THIS FORWARD. THEY HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK ALREADY, WHICH MAKES OUR WORK EASIER, OF COURSE. SO, THANK YOU.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, MELODY FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TEAM AND ALL THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS AS WELL AS TO COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ FOR INTRODUCING THIS INITIATIVE.
I'LL HAND IT OVER TO DR. ROCHA. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU TO MEL AND THE TEAM AND TO ALL OF OUR NONPROFITS WHO ARE HERE. GREAT WORK THAT YOU ALL DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ALL DO IT BUT YOU DO IT. I WAS MARRIED AND I NEEDED A SAFE SPACE AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A SAFE SPACE. THERE WAS FRIENDS THAT I COULD TURN TO AND THAT I COULD SPEND THE NIGHT AT THEIR HOUSE AND THEY WOULD TAKE ME IN. TO ME, THIS IS CRITICAL FOR OUR FAMILIES BECAUSE A LOT OF FAMILIES DON'T HAVE THAT SAFE SPACE. THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO GET OUT. THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO SEEK HELP.
SINCE 2013 WE BURIED 55 INFANTS AND TODDLERS. THE AVERAGE AGE IS 8 MONTHS OLD. WE ABSOLUTELY NEED THIS. IT'S HEARTBREAKING WHEN YOU THINK OF THE NUMBERS. AND SO I'D LIKE TO THANK THE CHAIR FOR PUTTING THIS UP SO QUICKLY SO THAT WE COULD ADDRESS THIS. LAST MONTH THE MAYOR AND I HELPED FUND A PRAYER GARDEN AT ANY BABY CAN. AND I'M JUST SHAKING BECAUSE IT HAPPENED RIGHT AROUND MOTHER'S DAY AND THOSE MOTHERS WERE JUST -- THEY
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HAD EXPERIENCED A LOSS THAT WE WILL NEVER, IF WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH, HAVE TO GO THROUGH. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT OUR CITY IS WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. SO THE ABILITY TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IS, TO ME, EXTREMELY PERSONAL AND IT IS MISSION FOCUSED. OUR JOB AS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IS TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN.
COUNCILWOMAN ALDERETE GAVITO. >> GAVITO: I WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THAT.
I ALSO DO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE NONPROFIT LEADERS WHO ARE HERE.
I KNOW THIS WORK IS TOUGH AND CHALLENGING DAY IN AND DAY OUT BUT YOU ALL PUSH US FORWARD AND YOU ARE ALL TAKING THE LOAD OF TAKING CARE OF OUR KIDS.
YOU KNOW, I SERVED ON THE BEXAR COUNTY CHILD WELFARE BOARD FOR A SLIVER OF TIME AND I THINK OF HOW TOUGH THAT WAS FOR ME, JUST IN LOOKING AT THOSE NUMBERS OF KIDS WHO NEEDED OUR HELP. Y'ALL ARE IN THIS DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
SO I DON'T THINK THANK OU IS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR THE WORK YOU ALL DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW, AS COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA SAID, THE STATISTICS BEHIND CHILD ABUSE ARE STAGGERING IN BEXAR COUNTY AND THIS IS NEEDED. WE ALL KNOW THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES DO NEED THAT SAFE SPACE AND WHEN IT CAN AMOUNT TO KEEPING A FAMILY INTACT AND IT CAN RESULT IN KEEPING A FAMILY INTACT, THEN I THINK WE ALL NEED TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN FOR THAT. I DID HAVE SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING THE BUDGET CONSIDERATION. MELODY, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I JUST HAVE A FEW LOGISTICAL QUESTIONS. WHAT IS THE PROJECTED
CAPACITY THAT WE USE TO DETERMINE THE COST ESTIMATE? >> SO THIS WAS ACTUALLY BASED ON THE PROPOSAL THAT WE REVIEWED AND SOME OF THE BUDGET INFORMATION WE GOT FROM OTHER CRISIS NURSERIES, WHICH WAS NOT VERY COMPREHENSIVE.
AND SO IT WOULD BE BASED ON THE COST OF STAFFING, OF COURSE.
THE COST OF THE FACILITY, TO OPERATE THE FACILITY, AND ANY WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE AHEAD OF A FACILITY BEING READY FOR THIS TYPE OF A PROGRAM.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT WOULD GO INTO IT. >> GAVITO: AND IF WE COULD SEE THOSE NUMBERS. I WANT TO BE FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET SEASON. BUT HAVING THAT DATA WILL HELP US PUSH OUR ARGUMENT EVEN FURTHER. AND THEN ALSO, TOO, WE WANTED TO CHECK HOW MUCH THE COST INCREASES WITH INCREMENTAL CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, AND LIKE IF WE SEE THAT THESE CRISIS NURSERIES ARE HELPING SO MANY IN THE FIRST YEAR, YOU KNOW, WHAT INCREASING CAPACITY COULD LOOK LIKE, JUST SO THAT WE'RE NOT SCRAMBLING.
AND THEN THE ESTIMATED NEED OR DAILY USAGE FOR A PROGRAM LIKE THIS, IF YOU DON'T MIND SENDING THAT INFORMATION TO US, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. ALSO, I DO THINK -- I THINK IT'S SLIDE 2 OR SOMETHING, ABOUT THE PRIMARY GOALS OF FAMILIES STAYING TOGETHER.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD TRACK THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE CRISIS NURSERY PROGRAM AND SEEING HOW MANY OF THOSE FAMILIES DO STAY TOGETHER AND SO WE CAN REPORT ON THAT YEAR OVER YEAR. I'M ASSUMING THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE COMPELLING. AGAIN, YOU KNOW FOR FUTURE COUNCILS, THEY WILL SEE THE NEED. THEY WILL SEE THE POSITIVE RESULT AND IT JUST MAKES THE STORY EASIER AND THE BUDGET REQUEST EASIER.
YOU KNOW, AND I LOVE THAT WE HAVE INCORPORATED THE WORK OF THE NONPROFITS AND THE STRENGTHS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO CREATE THE BEST-TAILORED VERSION OF THIS PROGRAM.
YEAH. AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE I DO THINK THIS PROGRAM NEEDS TO BE A BUDGET PRIORITY AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING IT COME TO LIFE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND ALL OF Y'ALL'S WORK MAKING
THIS HAPPEN. >> WE DO HAVE A DOCUMENT WE'LL CIRCULATE TO YOU ALL AFTER THIS. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF UPDATES TO MAKE.
>> GAVITO: AWESOME. >> AND WE CAN CIRCULATE THAT INFORMATION.
IT HAS MORE INFORMATION ON BUDGET AND METRICS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> GAVITO: APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU.
THANKS, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER DR. KAUR.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
THIS IS DEFINITELY A HIGH-NEED AREA. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I KNOW COUNCILMEMBER PELAEZ.
QUICK QUESTION. WHAT IS THE THINKING BEHIND PUSHING THE FUNDING PRIORITY
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TO FISCAL YEAR '26 VERSUS TRYING TO GET SOMETHING IN FISCAL YEAR '25?>> SO AT THIS TIME THERE'S NOT ANY FUNDING OR PROPOSAL TO FUND THIS IN THE BUDGET YEAR 2025. WE GENERALLY DO FUND DELEGATE AGENCIES THROUGH THAT CONSOLIDATED FUNDING PROCESS, WHICH WOULD BE A TWO-YEAR FUNDING PROCESS.
IT ALSO ALIGNS WITH WHAT WE KNOW THE UNITED WAY IS DOING.
AND SO IF THEIR FUNDING WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO AGENCIES IN THE SUMMER AND OUR FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER OF NEXT YEAR, THIS PROCESS, THE CONSOLIDATED FUNDING PROCESS ALIGNS WELL WITH THAT PLAN. IT ALSO GIVES US TIME TO TALK TO OTHER COMMUNITY FUNDERS IN THE COUNTY TO TRY TO GET INTO THEIR BUDGET
CYCLES. >> KAUR: SO WE WOULD BE FUNDING THIS THROUGH THE DELEGATE AGENCY PROCESS? OKAY. AND SO WITH THAT, IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE FUNDING A NONPROFIT FUNDER AND OPERATOR TO ACTUALLY RUN THE FACILITY. WE'RE JUST PROVIDING THE FUNDING SOURCE.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. >> YES.
SO WE WOULD ACCEPT PROPOSALS THAT WOULD DESCRIBE AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A COLLABORATION OF AGENCIES THAT SUBMIT A PROPOSAL.
YOU KNOW, WE GO THROUGH OUR REGULAR EVALUATION PROCESS AND SCORING PROCESS.
WE WILL PUT INFORMATION -- YOU KNOW, THE WAY WE DO IT IS WE LIST THE STRATEGIES THAT WE WANT TO FUND IN A SCOPE OF WORK AND DESCRIBE THE SERVICES.
BUT LEAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TO PROPOSE WHAT MAKES SENSE.
>> KAUR: GREAT. THANK YOU TO ALL THE NONPROFIT PARTNERS THAT ARE THERE AND OF COURSE THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT. BUT JUST SEEING THAT NUMBER, THE 4,675 NUMBER HURTS. JUST WANT US TO CONSIDER AS A COMMITTEE TO CONTINUEO PREVENTIVE MEASURES TOO FOR THAT CHILD ABUSE NUMBER. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU, CITY FOR THE PRESENTATION. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
THE LAST TIME WE HAD A BRIEFING ON THIS ITEM I ASKED IF A POLICE REPORT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ACCESS SERVICES. AND I BELIEVE IT WAS A NO, CORRECT? OKAY. YEAH.
SO AND I ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WE HAVE CONSTITUENTS COME TO OUR OFFICE, WHETHER IT'S NEEDING UTILITY SERVICE OR WANTING TO APPLY FOR MINOR REHAB.
AND OFTENTIMES THEY'RE WORRIED THAT IT MAY SNOWBALL INTO A POTENTIAL CPS CASE AND/OR SOMETHING ELSE. I GUESS MY QUESTION IS HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTING FAMILIES WITHIN THE CRISIS NURSERY CENTER TO SERVICES? I UNDERSTAND THAT IF THERE IS ISSUES OF ABUSE OR NEGLECT THAT CPS MUST BE CALLED. BUT HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING FULL
WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE TRYING? >> SO FIRST, NO, A POLICE REPORT IS NOT REQUIRED. THE IDEA REALLY, I THINK, IS TO TRY TO GET FAMILIES TO COME IN BEFORE THEY GET TO THE POINT WHERE THERE WOULD BE A POLICE REPORT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE AN ASSESSMENT DONE TO ENSURE THAT THE FAMILY IS -- OR THE CHILDREN OR PARENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM.
AS FAR AS ENSURING THAT THERE'S WRAPAROUND SERVICES, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE A REQUIREMENT OF ANY FUNDING THAT WE PUT OUT. AND THEN, AGAIN, THE RESPONDENT WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT THAT PACKET LOOKED LIKE, IF IT'S ON SITE OR REFERRAL BASED. THERE ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS TO THIS PROJECT AND I FOR ONE WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT THE COMMUNITY COMES BACK WITH.
>> CASTILLO: YEAH. I'M REALLY FASCINATED WITH WHAT COMMUNITY WILL DETERMINE AS A CRISIS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ST. LOUIS MODEL IDENTIFIES WOMEN EXPERIENCING POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AS A CRISIS AND THEY CAN ACCESS SERVICES.
BUT I UNDERSTAND IT DOES NEED TO GO THROUGH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS. BUT JUST ENSURING THAT WE'RE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT WOULD WE CONSIDER A MOM WHO HAS BEEN ISSUED A NOTICE TO VACATE BECAUSE HER UTILITIES WERE SHUT OFF AND SHE HAS CHILDREN. WOULD THAT BE CONSIDERED A CRISIS AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HE OR SHE TO RECEIVE SERVICES IN THE CRISIS NURSERY CENTER. BUT ULTIMATELY THIS IS NECESSARY.
THOSE NUMBERS ARE STARTLING AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS COUNCIL AND FUTURE COUNCILS WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN ROOT CAUSES AND ENSURING THAT WE HAVE SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE
ROCHA GARCIA AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ FOR THIS INITIATIVE. >> YOU KNOW, THIS ITEM WARMS
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MY HEART AND NORMALLY I WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING BUT MANY OF YOU HAVE KNOWN ME FOR YEARS. I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY MOTHER BECAUSE SHE'S THE REASON I'M HERE TODAY. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MY FATHER WAS NOT ONLY ABUSIVE TO MY MOM, BUT HE PULLED OUT A GUN ONE NIGHT AND BROUGHT ALL FIVE OF US TOGETHER, AND MY MOTHER IN THE SAME ROOM. ALL SIX OF US. AND BECAUSE OF HER BRAVERY WAS THE ONLY REASON THAT I'M HERE TODAY. SHE -- I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE CALMED HIM DOWN. I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAD PTSD AT THE TIME.I COULDN'T TELL. BUT HE TREATED MY MOTHER AS IF SHE WAS ONE OF THE CHILDREN, LIKE US. AND BECAUSE ALL OF US WERE YOUNG AND LITTLE, SOMEHOW SHE CALMED HIM DOWN, GOT HIM OFF TO WORK THE NEXT MORNING.
GOT US ALL DRESSED FOR SCHOOL, AND WITHIN MINUTES SHE CAME AND PICKED US UP AND LEFT HOUSTON TO TEXARKANA, TEXAS. SO THIS IS JUST TO HONOR MY MOM, SAMANTHA MCCARY, FOR SAVING US. THANK YOU, DR. ROCHA GARCIA.
NORMALLY YOU DON'T HEAR MCCARY SAY ANYTHING, JUST KIND OF KEEPS IT GOING.
BUT MADAME CHAIR, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, MR. MCCARY FOR SHARING. CAN WE GET AN ACTION FOR THIS ITEM?
>> GARCIA: I MOVE TO FORWARD TO COUNCIL. >> I SECOND.
>> CASTILLO: CAN WE GET A VOICE VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
>> AYE. >> CASTILLO: ANY OPPOSITION? MOTION CARRIES. WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 3, A BRIEFING ON THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY REPORT ON THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH BEXAR COUNTY FOR LIBRARY SERVICES.
AND IT WILL BE PRESENTED BY KATHY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIR CASTILLO AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M KATHY DONELLAN.
I'M THE INTERIM LIBRARY DIRECTOR FOR YOUR SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM AND I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THE LIBRARY'S NEWLY-ADOPTED STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, AS WELL AS TO GIVE YOU A STATUS UPDATE ON OUR NEGOTIATIONS WITH BEXAR COUNTY FOR THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT EXTENDS LIBRARY SERVICES TO ALL OF BEXAR COUNTY. I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE A COLLEAGUE WHO HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN BOTH OF THESE EFFORTS. WITH ME TODAY IS JESSICA, OUR INTERIM ASSISTANT LIBRARY DIRECTOR FOR SUPPORT SERVICES.
AND JESSICA WILL ALSO ASSIST ME WITH QUESTIONS. SO TO BEGIN, I'LL JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY.
I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE AWARE WE'RE A NETWORK OF 30 LOCATIONS SO WE HAVE LIBRARIES ACROSS THE CITY IN ALL AREAS OF TOWN. WE'RE A VERY WELL-USED LIBRARY SYSTEM WITH ABOUT 3 MILLION VISITS TO OUR LIBRARIES EACH YEAR.
WE HAVE OVER 8 MILLION ITEMS THAT ARE BORROWED ANNUALLY. AND THAT'S BOTH PRINT AND DIGITAL. WE OFFER PUBLIC TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS A REALLY IMPORTANT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE OVER 2 MILLION HOURS OF WI-FI USE AND COMPUTER SESSIONS EACH YEAR. WE'RE ALSO VERY PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE A 94% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RATE. THAT'S ONE OF THE HIGHEST WITH CITY SERVICES.
SO WE HAVE FOUR PILLARS OF LIBRARY SERVICE THAT ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN WHAT WE DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR STAFF OF PROFESSIONALS THAT PROVIDE SERVICE, OUR COLLECTION OF OVER 2 MILLION ITEMS THAT ARE PRINT AND DIGITAL MATERIALS AND OUR NETWORK OF CONNECT TECHNOLOGY LABS, AS WELL AS OUR BUILDINGS THEMSELVES. THOSE ARE IMPORTANT COMMUNITY SPACES FOR MEETINGS TO OCCUR AND OTHER SERVICES TO BE DELIVERED. WE ALWAYS PUT OUR CUSTOMER AT THE FOREFRONT OF EVERYTHING WE DO. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT GUIDES OUR EFFORTS AND TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE PUBLIC.
OUR MOST RECENT STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WAS ADOPTED BY OUR GOVERNING BOARD, THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, IN FEBRUARY 2024 . AND WHILE WE FOCUS EACH TIME
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WE UPDATE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN ON NEW EMERGING NEEDS, WE ALSO DO RETAIN CORE ELEMENTS OF OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES. AND THIS INCLUDES OUR MISSION STATEMENT.SO WE DID RETAIN OUR MISSION STATEMENT FROM PAST YEARS AS WELL AS OUR VISION STATEMENT AND OUR CORE VALUES. BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY AT THE BASIS OF EVERYTHING WE DO. SO THE MISSION STATEMENT IS THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY CHANGES LIVES THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF INFORMATION, IMAGINATION, AND IDEAS. TO START THE PROCESS OF UPDATING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, WE PUT THE CUSTOMER AT THE CENTER OF WHAT OUR EFFORTS WERE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS ARE. WE BEGAN OUR LATEST PLANNING PROCESS WITH AN ANALYSIS, OF COURSE, OF COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS, AND THEN A SERIES OF OTHER SPECIFIC TACTICS TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY. AND EACH OF THESE THAT I'LL MENTION BRIEFLY WERE CONDUCTED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE INCLUSIVE OF THE COMMUNITY. THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY-VALID SURVEY OF USERS AND NON-USERS. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE CAPTURED THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO USE THE LIBRARY SYSTEM BUT ALSO PEOPLE WHO DON'T YET USE THE LIBRARY SYSTEM. AND THEN IN ORDER TO ROUND OUT A STATISTICALLY-VALID SAMPLE OF USERS AND NON-USERS, WE ENGAGED OTHER TACTICS WHERE WE HAD UNDERREPRESENTATION IN THAT SAMPLE. AND SPECIFICALLY ONE OF THOSE TACTICS WAS BLOCK WALKING IN AREAS OF TOWN. I KNOW AT LEAST ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMITTEE ALSO BLOCK WALKED WITH US. AND THEN WE ALSO DID A SERIES OF FOCUS GROUPS. WHAT THIS ALLOWED US TO DEVELOP -- LET ME GO BACK ONE. WHAT THIS ALLOWED US TO DEVELOP, BASED ON ALL THAT INFORMATION AT THE STARTING POINT REGARDING OUR CUSTOMERS, WAS SOME PERSONAS. THESE HELPED US TELL THE STORY OF THOSE NEEDS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF USERS AND DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST THAT THE LIBRARY SERVES, AS WELL AS FOR NON-USERS. WE USE THIS AS A WAY TO KIND OF SIMPLIFY THAT PICTURE AND PUT TOGETHER SOME PROFILES THAT ALLOWED US TO THINK ABOUT WHICH SERVICES ARE RESPONSIVE AND PERHAPS WHAT AREAS WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
AND THIS WORK INCLUDED A VERY LARGE PART OF OUR LIBRARY ORGANIZATION.
WE ACTUALLY HAD OVER 82 LIBRARY STAFF MEMBERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS WORK.
AND OUT OF ALL OF THAT WORK CAME EIGHT STRATEGIC GOALS. SO I'LL GO THROUGH THESE VERY BRIEFLY BUT I DID WANT TO EMPHASIZE EACH OF THESE EIGHT STRATEGIC GOALS THAT I'LL SHARE, WE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN IMPLEMENTATION OF SOME SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO THESE GOALS. SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO DELAY BEGINNING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN. I'LL SHARE WITH YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO THE FIRST GOAL, GOING BACK TO OUR MOST IMPORTANT PART OF HOW WE DELIVER SERVICE IS OUR STAFF.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TOOK CARE OF OUR STAFF, DEVELOPED OUR STAFF, TOOK THEIR NEEDS INTO ACCOUNT. SO WE'RE UNDERTAKING A COUPLE OF THINGS IMMEDIATELY. ONE IS A STAFFING STUDY TO LOOK AT THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES NEEDED BY OUR TEAMS WHERE WE MAY NEED TO SHORE UP RESOURCES FOR OUR TEAMS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. AND THEN WE ALSO DO -- WE'RE GOING TO RESTART OUR ANNUAL STAFF SURVEY, WHICH MEASURES ENGAGEMENT BY OUR CITY STAFF TEAM TO SEE WHERE WE MIGHT NEED TO OFFER ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO OUR TEAM.
THIS INCLUDES BOTH PART-TIME AND FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE THE LIBRARY DOES HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF PART-TIME POSITIONS AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TO ENHANCE THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE. AND WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON ALL OF OUR ELECTRONIC RESOURCES, OUR WEBSITE, OUR APP, OUR DIGITAL MATERIALS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ACCESSIBLE AND USABLE BY THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
THE BIGGEST PROJECT WE HAVE IN OUR PROJECT PORTFOLIO, WHICH IS ALREADY FUNDED AND MOVING FORWARD THIS YEAR, IS A REDESIGN OF OUR WEBSITE. THIS REALLY REPRESENTS OUR DIGITAL LIBRARY AND OUR 24/7 SERVICE. OUR THIRD GOAL IS TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND PROGRAMS OF COURSE THAT ARE EMERGENCY RESPONSIVE TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND FOSTER COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. SO WE'RE FOCUSED ON SHORT-TERM A COUPLE OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT AREA. ONE IS AN ADDITIONAL EIGHTH LEARN AT SAPL SITE. THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL LEARN AT SAPL, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON
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ADULT EDUCATION AND ALSO RESOURCE REFERRAL. AND THEN WE REFOCUSED OUR EFFORTS ON SERVICES TO OLDER ADULTS. SO TREATING OLDER ADULTS AS A POPULATION OF FOCUS AND NOT NECESSARILY JUST A PART OF OUR ADULT PROGRAMMING IN GENERAL. OUR FOURTH GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR LIBRARY BUILDINGS AND SPACES ARE ACCESSIBLE, SAFE, AND INCLUSIVE.ONE OF THE PROJECTS WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT'S IN DESIGN RIGHT NOW IS OUR FIRST BRANCH BETWEEN SPACE. THIS WILL BE PART OF THE CARVER BRANCH LIBRARY BOND PROJECT. FIFTH IS OUR LIBRARY BOOKS AND MATERIALS .
THIS IS OUR COLLECTION OF 2 MILLION ITEMS WHICH ARE BOTH PRINT AND DIGITAL.
RECENTLY WE LAUNCHED A CORE COLLECTION. WE'RE MARKETING THIS AND WE'RE VERY PLEASED WITH THE CIRCULATION SO FAR. TO REALLY BRING ATTENTION TO THOSE MATERIALS. AND WE ALSO ARE UNDERWAY, AS PART OF THE LAS PALMAS BOND PROJECT TO REFRESH THEIR COLLECTION OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS, SO WHEN THEY REOPEN WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF NEW ITEMS. BUT WE KNOW THAT IF PEOPLE AREN'T AWARE OF OUR SERVICES AND AREN'T USING OUR SERVICES THEN THEY CAN'T BENEFIT FROM OUR SERVICES. SO ANOTHER AREA OF STRATEGIC FOCUS IS A MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR THE LIBRARY. ONE THING WE DEFINITELY LEARNED FROM THE BLOCK WALKING WAS THAT WHILE ALMOST EVERYONE WE TALKED TO HAD A VERY HIGH OPINION OF THE LIBRARY, THEY DIDN'T ALWAYS USE THE LIBRARY OR SEE HOW THE LIBRARY WAS RELEVANT TO THEM. AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON THOSE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND MAKE THE CASE AND TELL THE LIBRARY'S STORY ABOUT HOW WE CAN ASSIST PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO WANT TO EXTEND OUR SERVICES BEYOND OUR WALLS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING THE CUSTOMER WHERE THEY ARE.
ANOTHER FUNDED PROJECT IN OUR IT ROAD MAP PORTFOLIO IS A NEW ONLINE LIBRARY CARD REGISTRATION SYSTEM. WHAT THIS WILL DO IS ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO GET THEIR FIRST LIBRARY CARD OR RENEW THEIR LIBRARY CARD ONLINE WITHOUT NECESSARILY HAVING TO COME INTO A LIBRARY LOCATION. OF COURSE YOU CAN STILL COME INTO A LIBRARY LOCATION TO GET YOUR LIBRARY CARD OR RENEW IT, BUT THIS WOULD ALLOW FOLKS WHO PERHAPS ARE MORE INTERESTED IN OUR DIGITAL COLLECTION TO NOT HAVE TO COME IN.
AND THEN OUR FINAL GOAL IS REALLY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR PORTFOLIO OF PARTNERSHIPS AND ALSO DEVELOP NEW PARTNERSHIPS. WE HAVE TWO MAJOR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, TWO MAJOR SUPPORT GROUPS: THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION AS WELL AS OUR GRASSROOTS FRIENDS OF THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY.
WE'LL BE DEVELOPING AGREEMENTS WITH THEM TO BETTER OUTLINE OUR COMMON GOALS MOVING FORWARD. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO PURSUING NEW PARTNERSHIPS, ONE OF WHICH IS IN DEVELOPMENT NOW. THIS IS FOR OUR MENSTRUAL EQUITY PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE PADS, TAMPONS IN THE PUBLIC RESTROOMS AND WE'RE PURSUING A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS DIAPER BANK BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE THOSE PRODUCTS FOR THE CENTRAL LIBRARY, SPECIFICALLY . AND THEN THAT KIND OF CONCLUDES THE STRATEGIC PLAN PART OF THE PRESENTATION BUT WE DID BRIEFLY WANT TO GIVE THE COMMITTEE AN UPDATE ON THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH BEXAR COUNTY REGARDING OUR INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT. SO WE HAVE HAD THIS ARRANGEMENT WITH BEXAR COUNTY SINCE 936. SO MANY, MANY YEARS. AND WHAT THIS ALLOWS US TO DO IS FOR THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY TO EXTEND SERVICES TO ALL RESIDENTS OF BEXAR COUNTY, BOTH UNINCORPORATED BEXAR AND INCORPORATED CITIES OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO BUT WITHIN BEXAR COUNTY. THIS IS OF COURSE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTY PAYS A FEE FOR SERVICE, FOR THESE SERVICES TO BE EXTENDED BY SAPL. RIGHT NOW THE CURRENT ILA, WHICH IS IN PLACE, EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 30, 2024. SO AT THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR. THE CURRENT FEE FOR SERVICE IS $3 MILLION AND IT HAS BEEN AT THAT LEVEL FOR QUITE SOMETIME. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THE CITY IS REALLY SUBSIDIZING THE USE BY THE COUNTY RESIDENTS FOR THESE SERVICES. AT THE MOMENT THE USAGE BY NON-CITY BEXAR COUNTY RESIDENTS IS 26% OF OUR CIRCULATION. SO OVER A QUARTER OF THE CHECKOUTS ARE BY COUNTY LIBRARY USERS. AND SO THE IDEA IS IN
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NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE COUNTY, WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE TOWARDS A FAIR-SHARE PAYMENT BY THE COUNTY FOR THESE SERVICES. SO THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MANY MONTHS NOW. WE HAVE EXTENDED SOME OPTIONS FOR A FEE TO THE COUNTY LEADERSHIP. THIS WAS DONE IN A LETTER ON MAY 2 THAT GIVES SOME DIFFERENT OPTIONS BASED ON USAGE FOR WHAT THE COUNTY FEE COULD LOOK LIKE.AND IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING THIS FEASIBLE OPTIONS FOR THE COUNTY, IT IS IN THE FORM OF MULTIYEAR AGREEMENT OPTIONS THAT ALLOW A RAMP-UP PERIOD FOR THE COUNTY FOR BUDGETING PURPOSES. SO IT WOULDN'T START TOMORROW, IT WOULD BE A SERIES OF YEARS THAT THE COUNTY COULD RAMP UP TO THAT PAYMENT. THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE ONGOING FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR '25 AGREEMENT AND THE LAST MEETING TOOK PLACE ON MAY 28TH.
WE DO STILL HAVE -- EXCUSE ME. I KNOW I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO COUGH EVENTUALLY. WE DO HAVE A TARGET END DATE FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR JUNE OF THIS MONTH TO GET IN PLACE AN AGREEMENT AND AGREED-UPON TERMS FOR FISCAL YEAR '25 THAT WOULD INCLUDE A COUNTY PAYMENT FOR THOSE SERVICES FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO KEEPING ON THE TABLE, IF THAT DOESN'T OCCUR, TO DEVELOP POTENTIALLY A FEE TO USERS FOR THAT OUT OF SERVICE -- THAT OUT OF SERVICE AREA SERVICE TO THE CUSTOMERS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE MOMENT. OF COURSE, MEETINGS WERE CONTINUING AND DISCUSSIONS ARE CONTINUING. SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION BUT I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
>> CASTILLO: GREAT. THANK YOU, KATHY FOR THE PRESENTATION, AS WELL AS TO THE ENTIRE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY TEAM. I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THERE WAS A GREAT SOCIAL MEDIA POST. IT WAS A MEGAN THEE STALLION REMIX. SHOUT OUT TO WHOEVER ON THE TEAM CAME UP WITH THAT.
IT WAS GREAT . I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THAT THE LAS PALMAS LIBRARY WILL BE GETTING SOME NEW BOOKS FOR THE REOPENING. I UNDERSTAND THEY WILL BE THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND THAT'S REALLY EXCITING BUT ALSO A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO DR. ROCHA AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT A POTENTIAL CCR HAVING ACCESS TO MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU ARE LEADING IN ACCESS TO THOSE PRODUCTS. AND PARTNERING WITH THE TEXAS DIAPER BANK I THINK IT DEMONSTRATES WHAT MANY OF OUR PUBLIC SPACES AND LIBRARIES ARE AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE. THOSE COMMUNITY HUBS, GETTING ACCESS TO SO MANY SERVICES. IN REGARDS TO THE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED AT LIBRARIES, OF COURSE OUR FIELD OFFICE IS INSIDE THE COLLINS GARDEN LIBRARY AND OFTENTIMES SENIORS COME IN ASKING FOR HELP NAVIGATING THE PRINTER OR APPLY FOR SOMETHING OR SEND A FAX. WE JUST LEARNED WE COULD GET FAXES AT OUR FIELD OFFICE.
THERE'S A HIGH INTEREST FOR DIGITAL LITERACY. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN THE TEAM IS DETERMINING WHAT TYPE OF PROGRAMMING IS AT EACH LIBRARY?
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO PRIMARILY HOW WE ASSIST WITH DIGITAL INCLUSION THROUGH DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS IS ONE-ON-ONE WITH CUSTOMERS AS THEY COME IN.
SOMEONE COMES IN WITH A PARTICULAR NEED. PEOPLE DO STILL NEED TO FAX.
I KNOW THAT IS SOMETIMES A SURPRISE. BUT FOR BENEFITS AND DIFFERENT THINGS, MEDICAL REASONS YOU DO HAVE TO FAX SOMETIMES.
IT REALLY IS THAT ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR COMPUTER LABS.
AND WE HAVE 28 COMPUTER LABS ACROSS THE CITY. >> CASTILLO: GREAT.
AND THEN IN REGARDS TO THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE FAIR SHARE PAYMENT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THERE WAS A COUPLE OF PROPOSED PLANS BUT CAN YOU GIVE ME A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT THE INCREASE WOULD LOOK LIKE?
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE DO HAVE A BACKUP SLIDE ON THAT.
WE'LL PULL THAT UP FOR YOU. >> CASTILLO: WHILE THAT'S GETTING PULLED UP, I WANTED TO BE SURE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT 26% OF FOLKS IN THE COUNTY USING CITY SERVICES IS SUBSTANTIAL. THAT'S A LARGE AMOUNT. BUT I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WHILE WE'RE HAVING THIS NEGOTIATION WITH THE COUNTY THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE ACCESS IN THE COUNTY TO OUR PUBLIC LIBRARIES. I THINK THE STATE WE'RE IN, WITH THE LACK OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND CORRECT INFORMATION, I JUST WANT TO
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ENSURE THAT FOLKS IN THE COUNTY CONTINUE TO HAVE ACCESS TO BOOKS AND DIGITALLITERATURE AND SO MUCH MORE. >> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AT THE CORE OF ALL THE NEGOTIATIONS. IN FACT, THERE WAS A DELAY IN GETTING THE CURRENT-YEAR AGREEMENT APPROVED WITH THE COUNTY BUT OF COURSE THE LIBRARY CONTINUED TO EXTEND SERVICES. WE DON'T WANT ANY KIND OF DISRUPTION AND ABRUPT END OF SERVICES. ON THE SLIDE THAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU NOW, IT'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. BUT BASICALLY AT THE CORE IS THIS IDEA THAT THERE WOULD BE A FEE PAID BY THE COUNTY FOR THE USAGE THAT'S USED BY THE COUNTY RESIDENTS. AND SO AGAIN THAT'S 26%. BUT THAT WOULD RESULT ULTIMATELY AS OPPOSED TO A $3 MILLION PAYMENT, JUST IN TODAY'S USAGE AND COST OF SERVICE, A $13 MILLION PAYMENT. OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A VERY DIFFICULT BUDGETING SITUATION FOR THE COUNTY SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EXTENDED SEVERAL DIFFERENT MULTIYEAR OPTIONS THAT WOULD ALLOW THAT RAMP UP TO OCCUR OVER TIME. SO WE HAVE A FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT OPTION, A SIX-YEAR CONTRACT OPTION, AND AN EIGHT-YEAR CONTRACT OPTION, ALL OF WHICH ARE BASED ON THE CURRENT LIBRARY-APPROVED OPERATING BUDGET. AND THEN THAT 26% OF COUNTY USE. ALL OF THOSE OPTIONS INCLUDE THAT.
THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EACH IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO RAMP UP TO THAT
PAYMENT. >> CASTILLO: HAS COUNTY LEADERSHIP SHARED A RESPONSE TO THESE PROPOSALS? AND, IF SO, WHAT'S THE SENTIMENT?
>> NOT YET. THERE WAS A MEETING BETWEEN OUR CITY LEADERSHIP AND COUNTY LEADERSHIP ON MAY 28TH. SO THAT WAS LAST WEEK.
>> CASTILLO: OKAY. GREAT. AND I COMMEND THE BOARD FOR ENSURING THAT WE'RE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE COUNTY.
I AM ALL FOR ENSURING THAT THEY'RE CHIPPING IN, ESPECIALLY WITH INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTING THOSE DOLLARS WITHIN CITY LIMITS.
AND THIS IS AN INTERESTING ISSUE IN THAT IT'S ACCESS TO INFORMATION.
I ALSO WANT TO ENSURE -- I UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED IS FAIR BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WANT TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS IN THE COUNTY CONTINUE TO HAVE ACCESS TO
ALL THIS INFORMATION. >> MADAME CHAIR, ALSO JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON YOUR COMMENT, WE'RE SCHEDULED TO MEET THIS COMING FRIDAY, HAVING REGULARLY-SCHEDULED MEETINGS. SO WE GET TO GO THERE TO MEET.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, KATHY. WE CAN NOW GO INTO DISCUSSION.
COUNCILWOMAN ALDERETE GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I DO WANT TO APPLAUD THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR Y'ALL'S CONSTANTLY CHANGING COURSE AND ALSO HOLDING THE CLIENT AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF Y'ALL'S GOALMAKING.
I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. IT'S A PRACTICE WE DID AT RACKSPACE. THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. WE HAVE STARTED GETTING COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE AC AT MAVERICK. WHEN WE SPEND TIME AT LIBRARIES, YOU SEE MOTHERS UNLOADING JUST THEIR CAR FULL OF KIDS AND SO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THAT SAFE, COOL SPACE TO SPEND SOME TIME. AND THEY CAN'T DO THAT AT MAURY MAVERICK RIGHT NOW. JUST WANTED TO MAKE A PLUG FOR THAT .
THANK YOU FOR FOCUSING ON DIGITAL LITERACY. JESSICA, I KNOW IN MY PREVIOUS ROLE WITH SA DIGITAL CONNECTS YOU MIGHT BE BETTER TO ANSWER THIS.
WHAT'S THE STATUS ON ESTABLISHING DIGITAL NAVIGATORS IN SAN ANTONIO? IS THAT SOMETHING SA DIGITAL CONNECTS IS DOING? .
>> AT THIS POINT THAT IS A VERY MUCH DESIRED PROGRAM BUT IT HASN'T BEEN PUSHED
FORWARD AS A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY QUITE YET. >> GAVITO: YEAH.
THAT IS SO NEEDED BECAUSE WHAT PREVENTS SO MANY PEOPLE FROM ACCESSING THE INTERNET IS EITHER PAYMENT, YOU KNOW, WHICH THE AFFORDABLE DISCOUNT PROGRAM HELPED WITH, BUT IT IS ALSO DIGITAL LITERACY. I MEAN, THEY CAN HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER AND THE INTERNET AND THEN NOT STAY SAFE WHEN ACCESSING AN E-MAIL OR NOT KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE AND LOOK FOR A JOB. DIGITAL LITERACY IS A HUGE NEED IN SAN ANTONIO. I THINK THAT THIS IS A SPACE FOR THE LIBRARY OR EVEN, YOU KNOW, PARTNERING WITH BIBLIOTECH TO COME IN AND HELP WITH THIS.
AND YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE WERE RESEARCHING WHAT OTHER CITIES WERE DOING, A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION WAS SHARED THROUGH LIBRARIES. IT WOULD BE GREAT AND HAPPY
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TO HELP OFFLINE WITH THAT TOO. ALSO, ON THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, I DO JUST WANT TO ECHO THE CHAIR'S COMMENTS. I HATE TO SEE THE SERVICE FEE HALTED FOR FOLKS IN THE COUNTY, BECAUSE I THINK THAT FURTHER EXACERBATES THE ISSUE OF THEM BEING ABLE TO ACCESS INFORMATION. BUT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL ARE MEETING, WORKING THROUGH IT. PLEASE KEEP US POSTED ON HOW WE CAN HELP.OBVIOUSLY, WE WANT THE COUNTY TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE BUT I KNOW THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF CONTEXT AND STUFF THAT SOMEHOW GOT WRAPPED UP IN THIS AGREEMENT. I'M TRUSTING Y'ALL ARE DOING Y'ALL'S PART BUT IF Y'ALL NEED HELP, WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, CHAIR.
THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. DR. ROCHA GARCIA.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH, KATHY FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE TEXAS DIAPER BANK. DURING THE GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT WE HEARD FROM THE GIRLS THAT THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS ACCESS TO THESE PRODUCTS AND SO I'M VERY EXCITED THAT YOU ALL ARE WORKING ON IT AND GLAD WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO A CCR, COUNCILWOMAN. THAT'S GOOD.
ALSO, I WAS ACTUALLY SHOCKED. I WAS EXPECTING ONE OF YOUR NUMBER ONE USERS, WHO IS HERE IN THE ROOM TODAY, TO HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS EARLIER TODAY. I ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT USE THIS.
I DO WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THANK YOU TO JESSICA.
MR. FINGER DOESN'T KNOW THIS BUT EVERY TIME HE'S MISSING, I ASK FOR A WELLNESS CHECK ON HIM AND MOST RECENTLY I'VE HAD THE LIBRARY, BECAUSE I KNOW HE GOES THERE ALL THE TIME, JUST CHECK IN ON HIS HEALTH BECAUSE MY HEART HAS NO ROOM FOR HATE AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS TAKEN CARE OF.
WITH THAT, CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THE PROCESS THAT YOU ALL USE TO UPDATE YOUR COLLECTION, SPECIFICALLY THE PHYSICAL VERSUS THE DIGITAL FORMAT?
>> SURE. SO WE HAVE, AT THE LIBRARY SYSTEM, A COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT UNIT THAT'S PRIMARILY COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT LIBRARIANS.
THEY'RE SPECIFICALLY TRAINED IN SELECTING MATERIALS. SO THEY GO THROUGH WHAT WE CALL A MATERIAL ALLOCATION PROCESS EACH YEAR. THEY KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF THE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES AROUND WHAT NEW CONTENT IS COMING OUT, WHAT FORMATS. AND THEN THEY ALSO KEEP A VERY CLOSE TAB ON SUGGESTIONS BY CUSTOMERS, WHICH YOU CAN DO THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
SO WE DEFINITELY SEE TRENDS IN THAT SOMETIMES. AND THEN ULTIMATELY THEY LOOK AT USE. SO USUALLY THEY'RE VERY SPOT ON AND THE NEW CONTENT THAT THEY SELECT, BOTH DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL, IS VERY WELL USED.
PEOPLE GET VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. AND, YOU KNOW, IF WE SEE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T PERFORMING THE WAY WE THOUGHT IT WOULD, WE INCREASE KIND OF OUR AWARENESS. AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN ENGAGED IN SOME MORE RECENT NEW WAYS TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT NEW TITLES.
ONE OF WHICH IS NO HOLDS WEEKENDS. SO WE PICK SOME TITLES PERIODICALLY THAT WE PUT OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER WAYS SO THAT YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THE DIGITAL TITLE WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT. SO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT TOO. SO WE HAVE A WHOLE TEAM OF LIBRARIANS WHO ACTUALLY WORK IN THE BASEMENT OF THE CENTRAL LIBRARY TO DO ALL THE MATERIAL SELECTION AND
TO MONITOR PERFORMANCE. >> GARCIA: DO YOU STILL HAVE VINYLS?
>> LPS, WE DO. WE HAVE IT AT FIVE LOCATIONS, INCLUDING
CENTRAL. >> GARCIA: THAT'S A GROWING POPULARITY AMONGST GEN-Z AND WHEN MY KID FOUND OUT YOU HAD VINYLS, HE WAS TELLING EVERYBODY ABOUT IT.
>> IT'S REALLY, REALLY GREAT. I HAPPEN TO HAVE A 20-YEAR-OLD SON AND HE WAS JUST AT CENTRAL THIS PAST WEEK BECAUSE OF THE VINYL.
>> GARCIA: SO MAYBE -- I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT OR WHAT OUR FOCUS IS AND HOW WE KIND OF GO WITH THESE TRENDS OR, I GUESS, THEY MIGHT BE FADS.
I FEEL LIKE YOU ALL RESPOND VERY WELL TO THAT AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT AGE GROUP ENGAGED, LIKE COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO SAID, WITH THE INFORMATION. BUT ONCE WE GET THEM IN, HOW CAN WE GET THEM INTERESTED IN MORE, RIGHT? SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF THE STRATEGIC GOALS? JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT
ARE YOUR KPIS? >> ABSOLUTELY. SO OUR THREE OVERARCHING KPIS ARE VISITS, CIRCULATION, AND HOURS OF TECHNOLOGY USE.
HOWEVER, FOR EACH OF THE STRATEGIC GOALS, WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER SORT OF AN ANNUAL BUSINESS PLAN OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO LAUNCH. I KIND OF GAVE A FLAVOR OF
[01:00:01]
SOME OF THOSE THINGS WE'RE IMPLEMENTING NOW AND EACH OF THOSE THINGS WILL HAVE MORE SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.I KNOW THAT'S KIND OF A GENERAL ANSWER BUT THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
>> GARCIA: I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I ASKED THAT QUESTION.
SPECIFICALLY WITH THE LEARN AT SAPL, WHAT KIND OF SPECIALIZED ASSISTANCE IS
OCCURRING? >> YES. SO AT LEARN, WE DO A LOT OF GROUP WORK AND ONE-ON-ONE WORK WITH CLIENTS. SO BASICALLY WHEN THEY COME INTO ONE OF THOSE SEVEN LOCATIONS, THE FIRST THING THAT OUR TRAINING OFFICER -- THAT'S THE JOB TITLE THAT STAFF AT LEARN DOES. THEY DO AN INTAKE PROCESS.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY MIGHT BE PURSUING THEIR GED OR THEY MIGHT NEED ACCESS TO ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSES. SO THAT'S WHAT THEY DO WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL CLIENT.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SOME GROUP COURSES THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGH THE LEARN CENTERS THAT FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE SEARCHING FOR JOBS AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
ANOTHER THING THAT HAPPENS OUT OF THE LEARN CENTERS IS BASED ON THE CLIENT'S NEEDS AND PLANS, WE DO RESOURCE REFERRAL. MANY OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WERE MENTIONED DURING MELODY'S PRESENTATION WE ALSO CONNECT FOLKS WITH THOSE. SO UTILITY ASSISTANCE, HOUSING ASSISTANCE, ET
CETERA. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER DR. KAUR.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I, LIKE SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, PROBABLY FELT LIKE THE LIBRARY WAS A VERY SAFE SPACE GROWING UP AND IT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
I WANT TO COMMEND YOU ON THE WORK FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND I SPECIFICALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE STRATEGIC GOAL NUMBER 5 AROUND THE DIVERSE COLLECTION.
I THINK THAT'S MY FAVORITE. I KNOW COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA GARCIA ASKED ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS DO THAT PROCESS BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT SO I WANT TO ECHO CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THAT WORK. FOR THE MARKETING CAMPAIGN GOAL FOR GOAL 6, I JUST WANTED TO ALSO ECHO THAT THE LIBRARIES HAPPEN SHIRT, I THINK I SAID IT BEFORE BUT THAT MARKETING CAMPAIGN WORKED EVERY TIME I WORE THAT SHIRT, EVERYONE LOVES IT AND COMMENTS ON IT. WANTING TO SAY IF YOU GUYS BRING THAT BACK, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY SUCCESSFUL.
UNDER STRATEGIC GOAL NUMBER 4, WITH THE SERVICES THAT YOU ALL ARE OFFERING, HAVE Y'ALL CONSIDERED FOR, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE GROWTH OF REMOTE WORK, POTENTIALLY OFFERING FOLKS THE ABILITY TO RENT A ROOM FOR REMOTE WORK?
>> YES. SO WE DID LAUNCH SOME SPACES IN LIBRARIES.
WE HAVE A COUPLE AROUND THE SYSTEM THAT ARE CALLED COLLABORATE.
AND THOSE ARE AVAILABLE TO RESERVE AND USE. AND THEY HAVE SOME SPECIFIC EMBEDDED TECHNOLOGY IN THEM THAT CAN HELP. WHAT WE FOUND CUSTOMERS GENERALLY ARE DOING IS THEY'RE USING OUR LIBRARY SPACES KIND OF LIKE PEOPLE USE STARBUCKS OCCASIONALLY FOR THE REMOTE WORK. BUT ON OCCASION THEY NEED A DEDICATED SPACE WHERE THEY CAN CLOSE A DOOR. SO THAT'S WHAT THOSE COLLABORATE SPACES ARE DESIGNED TO DO. IT'S A SMALLER SPACE.
YOU CAN RESERVE IT. YOU CLOSE THE DOOR. IT HAS A WAY TO DO A WEB CONFERENCE, FOR EXAMPLE, WITHIN THE SPACE. AND WE FOUND THAT THOSE ARE BEING USED FOR PEOPLE DOING JOB INTERVIEWS, ACTUALLY, QUITE A BIT.
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO HAVE A SPACE OUTSIDE THEIR HOME TO CONDUCT THAT JOB INTERVIEW.
>> KAUR: THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING. THANK YOU.
THE NEXT QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS AROUND THE AFFIRMING THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS DIAPER BANK FOR THE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. I WANTED TO OFFER ANOTHER NONPROFIT THAT I'VE HAD THE CHANCE TO WORK FOR, IT'S CALLED SINKING UP AND THEY PROVIDE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS SO THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER GOOD PARTNERSHIP TO LOOK INTO .
I ALSO WANTED TO ECHO COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE BEXAR COUNTY ILA. AND JUST RECOMMEND THAT WE WORK WITH THEM TO TRY TO GET THEM AN EQUITABLE SHARE AS POSSIBLE. I THINK OUR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON MAKING SURE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE. WE WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO SHIFT THAT SERVICE. ALONG THOSE LINES, I WANTED TO ASK IF WE HAVE ANY OTHER ILAS WITH ANY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES LIKE LEON VALLEY OR CONVERSE?
>> BECAUSE THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN SO LONGSTANDING AND BECAUSE WHEN A JURISDICTION
[01:05:04]
CONTRACTS FOR LIBRARY SERVICES IN THE WAY THAT BEXAR COUNTY DOES, THEY HAVE TO SERVE THE WHOLE COUNTY, INCLUDING INCORPORATED CITIES.SO RIGHT NOW THIS AGREEMENT COVERS THE WHOLE COUNTY, INCLUDING THE 26
INCORPORATED CITIES. >> KAUR: OKAY. UNDERSTOOD.
UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I WANTED TO COMMENT ON WAS JUST THE HOURS FOR THE CENTRAL LIBRARY.
THE CENTRAL LIBRARY IS A REALLY GREAT RESOURCE. WE HAVE SO MANY SCHOOLS THAT ARE RIGHT AROUND IT AND FOLKS THAT WANT TO USE IT AS AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, ET CETERA. BEFORE COVID THE HOURS WERE 9:00 TO 9:00 BUT THEY HAVE BEEN SHORTENED. IS THERE ANY PLAN TO INCREASE THE HOURS BACK?
>> THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE LOOKING AT VERY CLOSELY AND ACTUALLY IS BEING DRIVEN BY THE STRATEGIC PLAN. WE DON'T HAVE A PROPOSAL QUITE YET BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT CAREFULLY. SO I APPRECIATE THAT INPUT.
>> KAUR: YEAH. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. WE'D LOVE TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT. OBVIOUSLY IF IT MAKES OPERATIONAL SENSE AND EFFICIENCY SENSE. BUT, YEAH, IF YOU COULD KEEP OUR OFFICE POSTED ON THAT, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LEADING THIS WORK AS THE
INTERIM DIRECTOR. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
COUNCILWOMAN DR. ROCHA. >> GARCIA: I'M SORRY. I FORGOT ONE QUESTION.
ON SLIDE 15 YOU HAVE THE NEW AGREEMENT WITH THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION AND AN AMENDED AGREEMENT WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY. HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE IT WOULD AFFECT LIBRARY SERVICES? COULD IT POTENTIALLY BE A -- OR IS IT A POSITIVE?
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. >> SURE.
SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE IT WILL AFFECT LIBRARY SERVICES BUT ONE THING WE FOUND IS THAT OVER TIME SORT OF OUR OPERATIONAL UNDERSTANDING WITH THOSE TWO GROUPS HASN'T BEEN UPDATED THROUGH DOCUMENTATION, BASICALLY. SO WE WANTED TO SIT DOWN WITH THEM, KIND OF LEVELSET. BUT I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY MAJOR CHANGES.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> CASTILLO: ANY LAST COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? GREAT.
I WANTED TO BE SURE TO THANK ALL OF OUR SAN ANTONIO LIBRARIANS.
I KNOW WITH SUMMER KICKING OFF THEY'RE GOING TO BE VERY BUSY WITH A LOT OF KIDS LOOKING FOR THINGS TO DO. EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THEM AND THE ENTIRE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY TEAM. WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 4, RESOLUTION DECLARING OVERDOSE A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, PRESENTED BY JESSIE HIGGINS.
>> GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
I'M JESSIE HIGGINS, YOUR CHIEF MENTAL HEALTH OFFICER. BEFORE I JUMP INTO DATA AND THE PRESENTATION, I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE HEART-CENTERED WORK HAPPENING HERE TODAY EACH DATA POINT NUMBER WE TALK ABOUT REPRESENTS A FAMILY OR SYSTEM IN PAIN. THANK YOU TO THIS COMMITTEE FOR BRINGING THIS PAIN TO LIGHT AND KNOWING THAT WE CAN AND SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO ALLEVIATE IT . ON NOVEMBER 20, 2023 THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE BROUGHT YOUR CCR, CHAIR, TO LOOK AT HOW WE WERE GOING TO SPEND OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS.
YOU ALSO REQUESTED THAT WE CRAFT A RESOLUTION DECLARING OVERDOSE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. BEFORE ADDRESSING THIS RESOLUTION, I'D LIKE US TO LOOK AT THE LOCAL DATA THAT INFORMS IT AND OUR APPROVED SPEND PLAN FOR FY24 AND FY25. YOU HAVE SEEN THIS DATA BEFORE BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW IT AGAIN FOR CONTEXT. LOOKING CLOSELY AT BEXAR COUNTY AND TEXAS, WE CAN DELVE DEEPLY INTO THE LOCAL LANDSCAPE. ON THESE TWO GRAPHS THE GRAY LINE IS THE U.S. AS A WHOLE. THE RED LINE IS TEXAS. AND THE BLUE LINE IS BEXAR COUNTY. THESE GRAPHS SHOW DATA FROM 2018 TO 2022 AND SHOW A MORTALITY RATE FOR STIMULANTS AND OPIOIDS. BY STIMULANTS WE MOSTLY MEAN METHAMPHETAMINE. OUR STIMULANT OVERDOSE DEATHS OUTPACE NATIONAL, THE GRAY, AND STATE, THE RED LEVELS. AND THE GAP IS ACTUALLY WIDENING OVER TIME. THE SECOND CHART ON THE RIGHT SHOWS THE NATIONAL OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATH RATE IN GRAY, FAR HIGHER THAN OUR STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS BUT A RAPID RISE IN BEXAR COUNTY. AN INCREASE FROM 10 DEATHS PER 100,000 PEOPLE TO 13.7 DEATHS PER 100,000 PEOPLE IN JUST A YEAR IN THIS PROVISIONAL DATA.
LOOKING AT THE 2022 DATA, OVERDOSE DEATHS ARE RISING IN STIMULANTS POSE A HUGE RISK TO OUR POPULATION. YOU SAW THIS SLIDE BEFORE BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND OUR LOCAL LANDSCAPE. THE DATA IS FROM BEXAR COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER'S 2022 REPORT AND SHOWS THE BREAKDOWN OF OVERDOSE DEATH BY DRUGS. POLYSUBSTANCE USE IS COMMON, MEANING PEOPLE ARE NOT ONLY
[01:10:04]
USING ONE DRUG AND THAT STIMULANTS AND OPIOIDS BOTH POSE A THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE ASK THAT YOU SUPPORT THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONTINUUM TO INCLUDE ALCOHOL USE AND NOT JUST THINK OF ONE PARTICULAR SUBSTANCE OVER ANOTHER.THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE SPEND PLAN FOR FY24 AND '25 THAT YOU SAW IN FEBRUARY AT THE THREE PLUS NINE AND THAT COUNCIL APPROVED ON MAY 9. WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO WORK WITH HARM REDUCTION AGENCIES IN THE COMMUNITY TO BUILD CAPACITY AND THE OTHER LINE ITEMS FOR FY24 ARE IN THE WORKS. WE'LL BE WORKING HARD ON THIS OVER THE SUMMER. MOVING ALONG TO WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY.
COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING THIS RESOLUTION DECLARING OVERDOSE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. OTHER CITIES HAVE TAKEN SIMILAR ACTIONS AND WE SEE THIS DECLARATION AS A WAY TO SHOW OUR DEDICATION TO THIS ISSUE AND A WAY TO STRENGTHEN EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS AND FORGE NEW COLLABORATION IN THE WORK. THE FIRST DRAFT OF THIS DECLARATION WAS DEVELOPED BY METRO HEALTH, OUR INFORMATICS TEAM, TINA LOPEZ, OUR NATIONAL INITIATIVES ADVISER, PETER, THE OFFICE OF POLICY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND THEN IT WAS REVIEWED BY TWO COMMUNITY WORK GROUPS. THE SUBSTANCE USE TIGER TEAM AT STRAC AND THE HARM REDUCTION I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THE DRAFT IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT YOU CAN SEE THIS OUTLINE. WE OVERVIEW NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL DATA. WE HIGHLIGHT RISK FACTORS INCLUDING UNTREATED MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, TRAUMA, AND BARRIERS TO ACCESSING HEALTH SERVICES AND TREATMENT. WE UNDERSCORE THE FRAMEWORK OF PREVENTION, HARM REDUCTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY.
WE HONOR THE HARM TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE STRESS TO THE SYSTEM.
AND WE SPOTLIGHT THE VALUE OF A COORDINATED RESPONSE. TODAY THIS DECLARATION IS BEING PRESENTED TO YOU AS A DRAFT AND WE ARE OPEN TO YOUR FEEDBACK.
THE COMMITMENTS AT THEND TIE BACK TO EXISTING EFFORTS IN THE SPEND PLAN.
THESE INCLUDE EXPANDING HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES, EXPANDING THE AVAILABILITY, TRAINING AND USE OF NARCAN IN OUR COMMUNITY. DEVELOPING A COSA-SPONSORED PROGRAM OFFERING TARGETED PROVIDER EDUCATION, ADDRESSING STIGMA AROUND PREGNANT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING ADDICTION, IMPLEMENTING A MULTI-YEAR PLAN THAT DEMONSTRATES HOW SETTLEMENT FUNDS TO SUPPORT HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND LINKAGES TO RECOVERY OR TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND DEVELOPING A PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN THAT FOCUSES ON REDUCING MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA AND MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION IF YOU ARE WILLING, WE WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THEIR FEEDBACK AND ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS IN WHATEVER FEEDBACK YOU HAVE TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO THIS WORK ADDRESSING THE ISSUES OF FATAL AND NON-FATAL OVERDOSES IS NOT EASY WORK, BUT IT IS HARD WORK WORTH DOING.
I'M INTERESTED IN ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK YOU MAY HAVE TODAY.
THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, JESSE, FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND TO METRO HEALTH AND ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT PROVIDED INPUT ON THE RESOLUTION. AND THAT WAS A WEALTH OF INDIVIDUALS HELPING WITH THE DRAFT SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH WITH THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO THIS DRAFT.
A COUPLE OF THINGS, I WANTED TO THANK DR. POTTER AND BEFORE I CAME UP HERE, SHE ASKED WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN THIS WORK. AND I SHARED WITH HER IT WAS MY EXPOSURE IN THE COMMUNITY AND I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FINGERS TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT STRUGGLE WITH ADDICTION AND I REALLY VALUE HER COMMENTS AND HOW SHE SHARED THAT WE NEED TO WORK DISORDERS DESTIGMATIZING ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE USE, AND I THINK WHAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT FORTH HELPS US GET THERE.
I BELIEVE WITH THIS RESOLUTION WE DEMONSTRATE TO SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS THAT, ONE, WE SEE THE ISSUES OUT ON THE STREET IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS RESOLUTION BY INVESTING IN COMMUNITY AND ALL THE INITIATIVES THAT YOU HAVE LAID OUT IN THE DRAFT. IN REGARDS TO THE JOINT RESOLUTION, I THINK IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE BEER NOT DUPLICATING EFFORTS AND WORKING STRATEGICALLY WITH THE LIMITED FUNDS WE HAVE. AS PRESENTED DURING THE BUDGET IS ALSO HOW DO WE LOOK BEYOND SETTLEMENT DOLLARS TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND CARE TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS. BUT ULTIMATELY THANKFUL FOR
[01:15:04]
THE METRO HEALTH TEAM. THERE'S PLENTY OF WORK AHEAD THAT WE HAVE EARLIER TODAY GERMAN RADIO WAS HERE TALKING ABOUT THE FENTANYL CRISIS, INTERVIEWING WITH YOUR TEAM. ONE THING THAT CAME TO MIND IS HOW OFTEN WE HAVE CONSTITUENTS SHARING THEY ARE RECOVERING AND THEY ARE SO CLOSE TO RELAPSING.AND HOW QUICK IT IS TO RELAPSE IF YOU SLIP UP ON ONE ITEM.
JUST ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN LIKE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES AND ALL THESE KEY PILLARS THAT HELP PROVIDE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH ACCESS TO CARE AND RESOURCES AND SAFE SPACES. SO JUST GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK AND WITH THAT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES IF THEY HAVE ANY COLLEAGUES OR QUESTIONS. COUNCILWOMAN ALDERETE GAVITO.
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR BRINGING THE CCR FORWARD FOR US TO ADDRESS THIS. I MEAN IT IS DISHEARTENING TO SEE AN INCREASE IN OVERDOSES IN BEXAR COUNTY SINCE 2018.
I DIDN'T GET A DRAFT. DO WE HAVE THAT? I THINK HE SAID IT WAS IN FRONT OF US. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE DRAFT SO WE COULD SEE THE WORDING IN THERE. ONE OF THE THINGS I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS.
WHEN WE'RE DECLARING THIS AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, WHAT ACTION DOES THAT DO? DOES IT OPEN US UP FOR GRANTS OR WHAT IS THE VALUE IN DECLARING IT AS A PUBLIC
HEALTH CRISIS? >> THE VALUE IS MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY KNOWS THIS IS A PRIORITY. I THINK IT WOULD DEFINITELY STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEM OF CARE IN THE COMMUNITY AND WHEN WE'RE APPLYING FOR GRANTS.
YOU ALREADY HEARD WE HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH U.T. HEALTH AND BE WELL REPRESENTED BY DR. POTTER AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE COUNTY.
BUT YEAH, THE VALUE IS REALLY THE COMMUNICATION AND SETTING IT AS, YOU KNOW,
YOUR PRIORITY AND HOW YOU WANT TO ADDRESS IT. >> GAVITO: THAT MAKES SENSE TOTALLY. AND I DID WANT TO STRESS ON SLIDE NUMBER 7, THE HARM TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE STRESS ON THE SYSTEM. I MEAN, I DEFINITELY AM IN FAVOR OF US INCLUDING THE STRESS -- STRESS THAT OVERDOSES HAVE ON THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. I MEAN I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THERE'S STIGMA AROUND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THAT CAN MAKE THE PUBLIC WORRY OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS BEING USED TO SUPPORT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING ADDICTION, BUT I THINK WHEN WE MAKE THE ARGUMENT OF HOW THESE PROBLEMS DON'T JUST IMPACT THE INDIVIDUAL BUT THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE IT CAN GARNER SOME BUY-IN FROM FOLKS WHO MAY NOT BE DIRECTLY IMPACTED FROM THE ISSUE. I APPRECIATE THE NOTFULNESS THAT WENT INTO THE RESOLUTION, I LOOK FORWARD TO READING IT AND THANKS FOR
LEADING THE CHARGE ON THIS. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO, SO, -- SO MUCH.
I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB REPRESENTING CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND TRYING TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT. EVERY TIME I HEAR LIKE SOMETHING HAPPEN, I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF KIDS BECAUSE I'M A PROFESSOR.
EVERY TIME I HEAR SOMETHING I AM OH, MY GOSH I WONDER IF IT'S ONE OF MY KIDS.
IT MAKES ME NERVOUS UNTIL I KNOW MORE INFORMATION. BEYOND THAT, I KNOW THERE'S A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF THINGS THAT WE NEVER HAD TO EXPERIENCE MAYBE WHEN WE WERE IN THAT AGE GROUP. AND SO I JUST WANT TO FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S MULTIPLE SUBSTANCES THAT CAUSE A LOT OF THESE DEATHS AS WELL. BECAUSE OF THAT, LAST OCTOBER OUR D4 TEAM AND I TOOK THE PREPAREDNESS, THE NARCAN TRAINING THROUGH IS IS SECADA. IT WAS SO GOOD ACKNOWLEDGE EASY AND LIFE SAVING THAT I ASKED AS CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL AIDES TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A TRAINING.
I THINK WE'RE WORKING ON SCHEDULING THAT FOR ALL THE COUNCIL AIDES FOR LATER IN THE SUMMER. I HAD ALSO ASKED FOR TRAUMA-INFORM TRAINING AND THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THAT ON FRIDAY. I'M LOOKING FORWARD AND I'M JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT OTHER TRAININGS THEY MIGHT WANT.
BUT THEN ALSO, I'M EXCITED THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR LIBRARIES AS SAFE DISPOSAL SITES FOR DRUGS. TELL ME A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT.
HOW IS THAT GOING? >> ACTUALLY I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT.
>> GARCIA: OKAY. OR I THINK, YOU KNOW, OR MAYBE I ASSUMED WE WERE ALREADY WORKING ON IT. AND SO I HAD ASKED ABOUT THAT SOME TIME AGO, SO MAYBE
[01:20:03]
IT WAS MY ASSUMPTION. MY APOLOGIES. HERE'S MY FORMAL REQUEST THEN TO SEE IF WE COULD WORK WITH LIBRARIES OR EVEN WITH OUR OFFICES I THINK I HAD SUGGESTED. IS THERE THE ABILITY TO HAVE SOME SORT OF DISPOSAL? I THINK WHEN I FIRST MENTIONED IT, I ALSO MENTIONED CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE INVOLVED AND WHAT KIND OF REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE NEEDED, LOCK BOXES-TYPE STUFF, BUT ALL OF THAT. SO THERE YOU GO, JESSE.WE CAN WORK ON THAT FOR NEXT TIME. BUT THEN ALSO, AND I APPRECIATE THE RESOLUTION. I'M SUPPORTIVE, LIKE THE CHAIR IS.
I THINK THAT IT WILL HELP INIES COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND AND AWARENESS.
-- INCREASE. WHAT ARE THE ANTICIPATED EFFORTS THAT WE WOULD BE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY ON AS A JOINT RESOLUTION GOES FORWARD?
>> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. SO RIGHT NOW THE COUNTY, WE ARE IN ALMOST CONSTANT CONVERSATION. WE HAD OUR MEETING THIS MORNING WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM ON BOTH THE HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES AND THE NARCAN KIT SUPPLIES TRYING TO GET MATCHES SO WE CAN BE GIVING THE SAME AMOUNT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
THE COUNTY, AS YOU KNOW, AND I ACTUALLY DO HAVE A SLIDE. LET ME PULL IT UP REAL QUICK. CAN YOU TAKE ME TO SLIDE 14, PLEASE.
THE COUNTY RECEIVED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FUNDS THAN WE DID, AND THEIR UPDATE IS THAT THEY PUT OUT A NOFA FOR THE $12 MILLION OF FUNDING THAT THEY'VE HAD AND IT CLOSED ON MAY 28TH. SO THIS SUMMER THEY WILL BE SCORING THOSE PROPOSALS AND GIVING OUT THAT FUNDING. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THOSE PARTNERS.
OBVIOUSLY THE -- THERE ARE SEVERAL PARTNERS, BUT THEY ARE MORE LIMITED THAN WHAT MIGHT BE MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS OR OTHER NON-PROFITS WORKING IN THESE SPACES IN GENERAL AND SO WE'RE PRETTY PLUGGED IN WORKING TOGETHER IN THIS
AREA. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH, JESSE.
I APPRECIATE THE WORK AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHATEVER I CAN DO TO HELP.
THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: COUNCILMEMBER DR. KAUR.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE A -- OBVIOUSLY I DEGREE WITH THE RESOLUTION AND SUPPORT THE WORK WE'RE TRYING TO DO. JUST IN TERMS OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET AND HOW WE JUST -- THIS ALLOCATION AMOUNT. HOW ARE WE -- HAVE WE DONE ANY ANALYSIS ON LIKE HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING IN COMPARISON TO ANY OF THE
OTHER CITIES AROUND THE STATE? >> NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE.
>> KAUR: GIVEN WE TALKED -- WE'RE HEARING ABOUT FENTANYL AND FENTANYL ACROSS THE STATE. I WANTED TO SEE IF WE HAD DONE ANY COMPARISON.
DO WE KNOW IN TERMS OF HOW WE COMPARE IN TERMS -- IF WE'RE IN [INAUDIBLE] IN
TERMS OF FENTANYL? >> JUST LOOKING AT -- LET ME SEE.
LOOKING AT SLIDE 3, WE ARE HIGHER THAN THE STATE IN OUR DEATHS AND PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE WE ARE AN URBAN CENTER AS OPPOSED TO THE STATE OVERALL HAVING SEVERAL RURAL AREAS. I COULD DO -- WE CAN EASILY PULL THE NUMBERS FOR AUSTIN AND HOUSTON AND DALLAS AND FORT WORTH AND EL PASO. I WOULD GUESS THAT WE'RE PROBABLY EITHER ON PAR WITH THEM OR MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE HIGHER.
OFTENTIMES OUR NUMBERS ARE A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THOSE OTHER CITIES.
>> KAUR: UNDERSTOOD, YEAH, I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN JUST ONE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO ASK WAS AROUND THE BUDGET, LIKE THE COMMITMENTS WERE EXPANDING HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES, BUT I NOTICE OUR BUDGET FOR HARM REDUCTION [INAUDIBLE] WAS STAYING THE SAME FOR '24 AND '25.
DO WE THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO THE EXPANSION THAT WE NEED WITH MAINTAINING THE
BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR? >> HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES ARE SUPPLEMENTAL THROUGH OUR ARPA FUNDS. AS YOU RECALL, WE HAVE ABOUT $1.5 MILLION IN OUR BANK RIGHT NOW WITH THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS. WITH THE REMAINING 4.9 COMING IN OVER THE NEXT 17 YEARS. WE THOUGHT WE MIGHT GET OUR NEXT DISBURSEMENT IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR AND WE STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT.
THIS SPEND MAN IS ONLY $900,000. IT'S A LITTLE -- MAN, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO SPACE OUT SOME OF THAT FUNDING NOT OVER THE COURSE OF THE 17 YEARS, BUT TO GET US INTO THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
[01:25:04]
THE NARCAN SUPPLIES, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP IN YOUR COUNCIL OFFICES AND LIBRARIES, IN PUBLIC-FACING COSA DEPARTMENTS AND SO THAT'S WHY THAT BUDGET IS LESS FOR THIS YEAR AS WE TRY AND RAMP THAT UP AND MORE FOR NEXT YEAR. SO THIS REFLECTS WHAT WE TRIED TO DO AS THOUGHTFULLY AS POSSIBLE WITH HOW TO BEST SPEND THE $1.5 MILLION WE HAVE TODAY, THINKING ABOUT6.1 OVER THE NEXT 17 YEARS COMING IN. >> KAUR: OKAY, GREAT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. ANY LAST COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE YOUTH EDUCATION COMPONENT WITHIN THE RESOLUTION AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS. YESTERDAY I HAD A CONSTITUENT COME IN AND WE WERE TALKING PRIMARILY ABOUT ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE HEALTH CARE AND SEX EDUCATION AND HOW THAT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE, BUT HOW IT WORKED. AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FOLKS WE KNOW STRUGGLE WITH ADDICTION WERE INTRODUCED AS A VERY YOUNG AGE. I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR YOUTH ON PUBLIC EDUCATION FOCUS ON OVERDOSE AWARENESS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, JESSE, AND TO THE METRO HEALTH TEAM.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: THAN THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEETING AT 11.29.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.