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>> COURAGE: GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. WELCOME TO THE MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE. APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE. I THINK WE MAY HAVE ANOTHER COUNCILMEMBER DROP IN ON US IN A FEW MINUTES. LET'S GO AHEAD AND BEGIN WITH THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE.
[Approval of Minutes ]
IS APPROVAL THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 19 OF THIS COMMITTEE. I HOPE EVERYBODY HAS HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT. IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT IT, NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING IT UP. IF NOT, I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THEMINUTES OF AUGUST 19TH. >> MOVED. >> SECOND.
>> COURAGE: IT'S AND MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
HEARING NONE. WE HAVE FOUR BRIEFING ITEMS, I THINK ONE HAS POSSIBLE -- OR TWO OF THEM MAY TAKE SOME POSSIBLE ACTION BY THIS COMMITTEE.SO MADAM CLERK, WOULD YOU GO AHEAD AND READ THE FIRST ITEM, NUMBER 2.
>> CLERK: A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON VIA'S ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT RESOLUTION TO REPEAL THE SALES TAX EXEMPTION FOR
TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES. >> COURAGE: OKAY. THANK YOU.
LET'S SEE. JOHN, ARE YOU GOING TO BRING THAT UP?
>> SURE, WE'RE GOING TO TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO VIA'S TEAM.
SO 2078 MARKS IS GOING TO -- TOM MARKS IS GOING TO START US.
>> I'M GOING TO LEAVE THE TECHNICAL STUFF TO MR. SANCHEZ.
THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. WE JUST GOT ABOUT NINE SLIDES TO RUN THROUGH PRETTY QUICKLY. WE'VE HAD SOME INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS TO UPDATE THE DIFFERENT OFFICES. SO -- SORRY.
THAT DOES SAY HOW TRANSIT IS FUNDED IN SAN ANTONIO. JUST AS A REMINDER, THE LEGISLATION GAVE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITIES. IN 1997 BEXAR COUNTY TOOK THE FIRST STEP AND VIAIST THE MISDEMEANORS MTA IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
THE BARREL ON THE LEFT SIDE GIVES A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THE SALES TAX IN THE STATE OF TEXAS LOOKS LIKE. OBVIOUSLY 6.25 GOES TO THE CITY'S SAN ANTONIO.
-- CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. ONE PERCENT GOES TO CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND ONE PERCENT WAS OTHER. THAT WAS WHERE THE HALF CENT CREATED IN 1977 FOR THE MTA CAME FROM AND SUBSEQUENTLY IN THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES LIKE THE ATD CREATED FIRST IN 2024 AND THEN AGAIN IN 20 --. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S THE PRE-K IN THERE.
ALL OF THAT, IT JUST EQUALS THAT ONE PERCENT. THAT'S HOW ALL OF OUR TRANSIT IS FUNDED HERE LOCALLY. WITH THAT, IN -- WITH SALES TAX, THOSE THREE BLOCKS ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, THOSE ARE ALL THE DIFFERENT SALES TAX CATEGORIES IN TEXAS. TO BE EXEMPT FROM COLLECTING SALES TAX WITH A CALF YET IF THE LOCAL AREA REMOVED THAT EXEMPTION, THEY WOULD START TO BE COLLECTED AND DISTRIBUTEED. THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO REMOVED THAT EXEMPTION FOR THEMSELVES AND SO WE'RE HERE JUST ASKING FOR THE PORTION OF THE ATD SINCE WE'RE THE ORIGINAL -- THE FIRST RECIPIENT BEFORE WE DISTRIBUTE IT OUT.
AND THEN ALSO THE ORIGINAL MTA CREATED IN 1987. IT WOULD JUST ADD THE TELECOM PORTION OF THE COLLECTION TO THAT 75 -- .75% OF THE SALES TAX ON THAT ONE CENT OR THE ONE PERCENT OF THE OTHER. AND THAT, AGAIN, IF ANYBODY IS WONDERING, SO ORIGINALLY, YOU KNOW, THE BULK OF A PHONE BILL WAS SOLELY BASED AROUND LAND LINE. NOW THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT ARE PART OF YOUR PHONE THAT YOU CAN -- THE TELECOM IS ONLY ON A SPECIFIC PART OF IT APPS. WE BROKE DOWN THE NUMBERS, TOOK THE SALES AND USE TAX FROM THE SAN ANTONIO'S BUDGET, THAT'S ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.
THAT GIVES ALL THE DIFFERENT BREAKDOWNS AND WE USE A TAX COLLECTOR TOWARDS THE BOTTOM MIDDLE. IF YOU TOOK ABOUT AN AVERAGE $100 BILL, IT WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT NINE CENTS THAT WOULD BE ADDED WHEN THE TELECOMS COLLECTED BOTH THE ATD AND
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THE MTA PORTION. THAT IS JUST AN AVERAGE BILL OF $100.IF YOU HAVE A $50 BILL OR, SAY, ONE OF THE LOWER PRICED CHARACTERS OR ECONOMIC PRICED CHARACTERS LIKE A $15 A MONTH, THAT WOULD BE ABOUT ONE CENT A MONTH, A $50 BILL WOULD BE HALF OF NINE CENTS. IT'S FAIRLY NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT AND THE MORE YOU PAY FOR YOUR PHONE SERVICE, AND THAT'S ONLY ON THE PORTION OF THE PHONE SERVICE FOR YOUR BILL, IT'S A VERY SMALL AMOUNT. AGAIN, THE TEXAS COMPTROLLER'S WEBSITE LISTS ALL THE ENTITIES THAT HAVE REMOVED THE EXEMPTIONS.
OVER 255 CITIES, OVER 0 COUNTIES THAT COLLECT SALES TAX, SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICTS AND ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE IS ALL THE OTHER MTAS THAT HAVE ALREADY REMOVED THIS FOR THEMSELVES SO WE'RE JUST ASKING TO BE ADDED FOR THE MTA AND THE ATD. AND SO THE PROCESS WAS BY STATE CODE FOR THE ATD WE ONLY NEEDED TWO FOUNDING EVENLY AT THIS TIME, SO OUR BOARD AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. FOR THE MTA PORTION WE HAD TO TAKE IT TO ALL THE FOUNDING ENTITIES. THAT LIST UNDERNEATH THE BUS ARE ALL FOUNDING CITIES FROM 1977 AND THOSE ARE THE SUBURBAN CITIES. WE PASSED IT THROUGH ALL OF THEM EXCEPT FOR ONE IN OLMOS PARK AND WE'RE SCHEDULED FOR THEM NOVEMBER 20TH COUNCIL AGENDA. BUT WE'RE ASKING THE CITY TO TAKE THIS UP NOW AND SO THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT JUST TAKES OUR ATD BOARD, OUR BOARD PASSED BOTH IN JUNE. AND SO WE'RE SIMPLY ASKING TO MOVE THIS FORWARD TO THE COUNCIL IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW US TO REMOVE THAT EXEMPTION ON BOTH PORTIONS. THEN I THINK I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO RON.
>> THANK YOU, TOM. HEY, HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING? SO IF I COULD READ YOUR MINDS, YOU ARE PROBABLY SAYING OKAY, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE REVENUE YOU ARE GOING TO GENERATE FROM THAT. I'M GOING TO TAKE THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES TO EXPLAIN THAT. VIA SHOWED THIS SLIDE TO YOU SOME TIME BACK BUT IT'S VERY TELLING. VIA COMMISSIONED A STUDY AND ASKED FOLKS WHAT WOULD IT TAKE, WHAT FREQUENCY WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER RIDING TRANSIT.
YOU CAN SUE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE -- SEE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE, THAT'S A 60-MINUTE FREQUENCY MEANING THE BUS COMES TO THAT STOP EVERY 60 MINUTES MEANING IF YOU ARE MISSED THAT BUS, YOU ARE WAITING ANOTHER 60. A LITTLE OVER ONE PERCENT OF PEOPLE SAID WE'LL TAKE THE BUS. NOT TOO MANY.
YOU REALLY DON'T SEE AN IMPROVEMENT UNTIL YOU GET TO 30 MINUTES.
AT A 30-MINUTE FREQUENCY GOES UP TO ABOUT 20% AND RE WEE SEE IMPROVEMENT UP TO 10 MINUTES. ALMOST 80% SAID WE WOULD TAKE THE BUS IF WE HAD A TEN -MINUTE FREQUENCY. SO FOR US, WE HAVE 75 FIXED ROUTES.
32 OF THOSE ROUTES OR 43% OF THEM HAVE 60-MINUTE SERVICE. THOSE FOLKS FOR THOSE 32 ROUTES THAT MISSED THEIR BUS THAT WAIT AN HOUR, 22 ROUTES HAVE 30-MINUTE SERVICE.
WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF WORK TO DO TO IMPROVE OUR FREQUENCY.
SO ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS OUR PLAN. IT'S CALLED THE BETTER BETTER BS PLAN. AND THIS IS A FIVE-YEAR PLAN, FIVE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION, SO IT'S DESIGNED TO DO SOMETHING EVERY YEAR FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO IMPROVE OUR SERVICE. THE FIRST THING WE WANT TO DO IS BRING ALL OF OUR ROUTES TO 30-MINUTE SERVICE SO THERE WOULD BE NO MORE 60-MINUTE ROUTES, THEY WOULD BE 30 MINUTES OR BETTER. ALSO, WE WANT TO IMPROVE THOSE ROUTES THAT HAVE A 15-MINUTE SERVICE OR BETTER. WITH THIS PLAN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO ADD 6% TO THOSE ROUTES. SO WE INCREASE FREQUENCY THERE. WE WILL IMPROVE SERVICE TO JOBS.
WITH THIS PLAN, 43% MORE JOBS WILL HAVE ACCESS WITHIN 30 MINUTES USING THE BUS.
WHAT'S REALLY COOL ABOUT THIS PLAN, WE'VE BROKEN IT DOWN BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
WE'RE GOING TO COME AROUND AND VISIT WITH EACH OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY AND SHOW YOU WHAT IS IT IN FOR YOUR DISTRICT. WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT ROUTES, POSSIBLY ADJUSTING SOME OF THEM. WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY, LOOK AT THE MAJOR EMPLOYERS, UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO IMPROVE SERVICE TO DISTRICT.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING WITH YOU EARLY NEXT YEAR TO GO OVER WHAT THE PLAN MEANS FOR YOU. NOW, THIS PLAN IS A VERY GOOD PLAN, BUT IT'S NOT
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COMPLETELY FUNDED. SO THAT'S WHY THIS REVENUE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO VIA BECAUSE IT WILL GO TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN. THIS -- EVEN WITH THIS REVENUE, WE PROBABLY WON'T GET TO THE FULL FIVE YEARS, BUT THIS REVENUE IS CRITICAL TO THAT. IF YOU ARE WONDERING, THE PLAN FOR THIS IS TO -- WE'RE BRIEFING BOARD MEMBERS NEXT MONTH IN NOVEMBER, GETTING THEM FAMILIAR WITH THIS PLAN. WE'LL BE TALKING TO YOU IN JANUARY AND THEN TAKING IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC. LIKE ALL PLANS WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC AND WE WANT TO FINE TUNE THE PLAN ACCORDING TO WHAT WE HEAR AND THE GOAL IS TO TAKE THIS PLAN TO OUR BOARD IN APRIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. SO IN SUMMARY, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO SEND THIS ITEM ON TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR THEIR APPROVAL.WE BELIEVE THE IMPACT OF THE END USER, THE CELL PHONE USER IS MINIMAL.
BUT THE IMPACT TO VIA, AND EVEN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO COULD BE SIGNIFICANT.
SO WITH THAT, TOM AND I AND THE REST OF OUR VIA CREW IS HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
YOU MAY HAVE. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU. LET ME START OFF WITH A FEW QUESTIONS I HAVE. I THINK THE LAST COMMENT YOU JUST MADE, ROB, IT'S -- WELL, LET ME ASK YOU MORE CLEARLY. WHAT KIND OF PHONE DO YOU NEED TO BE USING TO BE TAXED ON THAT? IS IT A CELL PHONE?
IS IT A LAND LINE? >> YEAH, THIS IS ON THE CELL PHONE BILLS.
>> COURAGE: OKAY. SO DOESN'T AFFECT LAND LINES OR ANYTHING.
>> YEAH, IT'S ALREADY BEING COLLECTED ON THE LAND LINE. >> COURAGE: OKAY.
I KNOW THAT VIA HAS HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH ENOUGH DRIVERS.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO TRY AND INCREASE THESE RATES FOR MORE SERVICE TIMES AND EVERYTHING, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS TO DO THAT? AND ALSO I KNOW DO YOU HAVE
ENOUGH BUSES IF YOU ARE GOING TO ADD MORE ROUTES? >> KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A FIVE-YEAR PLAN. AND YES, WE DO HAVE ENOUGH BUSES AND WE ARE HEAVILY RECRUITING AND ADVERTISING FOR DRIVERS. ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS TURN ON YOUR TV AND YOU ARE SEEING OUR SUPER HEROES COMMERCIAL. OUR BOARD JUST APPROVED A RAISE FOR OUR DRIVERS JUST AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING. SO YES, WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS IF WE CAN GET THIS REVENUE APPROVED TO PUT THIS PLAN INTO PLACE.
>> COURAGE: YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN SERVING ON THE COUNCIL FOR SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AND I REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO WE AUTHORIZED GIVING VIA AN EXTRA $10 MILLION A YEAR TO INCREASE SERVICE. I THINK MOST OF US WOULD AGREE WE HAVEN'T INCREASED THE SERVICE. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT MAY HAVE GONE INTO THAT, BUT I THINK THE CITY IS RECONSIDERING EVEN THAT $10 MILLION BEING AVAILABLE FOR THAT CONTINUED SERVICE TO VIA. DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS PLAN IS GOING TO WORK OUT WITH THIS SMALL SIX TO EIGHT MILLION A YEAR AMOUNT?
>> ABSOLUTELY. THIS IS NOT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SEEK OTHER FUNDING SOURCES. BUT BY PUTTING THIS PLAN IN PLACE, WE ARE GOING TO REDUCE FREQUENCY TO 30 MINUTES.
AND I CAN'T WAIT TO VISIT WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS FOR DISTRICT 9. WE WILL SHOW YOU SPECIFIC ROUTES THAT LEAD TO YOUR MAJOR EMPLOYERS AND COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND SHOW YOU HOW WE'RE GOING TO
IMPROVE THAT FREQUENCY. >> COURAGE: I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SKEPTICAL ABOUT MY DISTRICT BECAUSE IT NEVER HAS HAD VERY MUCH SERVICE SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANY OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS?
YES, COUNCILWOMAN. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR. ON AVERAGE, HOW MUCH ARE YOU EXPECTING FROM ONE BILL? IS IT THE NINE CENTER AMOUNT?
>> THAT'S IF YOU -- NINE CENT AMOUNT? >> YES, IF THAT'S THE
AVERAGE BILL. >> KAUR: IS THAT THE AVERAGE BILL.
>> THERE'S ALL SORTS OF THINGS THAT COME TOGETHER TO MAKE UP ONE CELL PHONE BILL.
THE COLLECTION WILL ONLY BE APRIDE TO ABOUT $12 OF THE $100 BILL BASED ON ALL OF IT. YOUR DATA, TEXT MESSAGES, ALL OF THOSE FALL UNDER OTHER CATEGORIES WHERE IT'S ALREADY BEING COLLECTED AND DISTRIBUTED.
THIS WOULD BE THAT LAST PORTION. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S ROUGHLY 10% OF A TOTAL BILL. IF YOU HAVE A $15 BILL, IT WILL ONLY BE APPLIED ON A
VERY SMALL AMOUNT. $100 BILL, ABOUT $12. >> KAUR: DO YOU KNOW WHAT
THE AVERAGE BILL SIZE IS FOR A SAN ANTONIO RESIDENT? >> YOU KNOW, IT -- IT, YOU KNO, VARIES. IN ORDER TO GIVE WHOLE CENT NUMBERS WE SORT OF PULLED
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THE $100 -- >> KAUR: I NOTICE IT'S ONLY $12 WHAT'S MISSING.
I WAS CURIOUS TO GET MORE OF THE NUMBER. IF YOU GUYS COULD FOLLOW UP AND LET ME KNOW WHAT THE AVERAGE AND EVEN IF YOU COULD DO IT BY DISTRICT SO WE CAN GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF -- I CAN'T ASSUME THAT EVEN IF IT'S -- A BILL IS LIKE $500 YOU ARE STILL LOOKING AT NOT AS MUCH IF IT'S 10% OF THE BILL.
>> WE PULLED ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS WHO LIVES IN OLMOS PARK, HE HAS A $329 BILL, IT'S ONLY 10% AND HE'S PAYING FOR DIFFERENT FAMILY MEMBERS AND HE'S STILL RUNNING ONLY AROUND THAT 10 DOOR $12 PER BILL. WE'LL PULL AS MUCH DATA AS
WE CAN AND SEND IT TO YOU. PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE -- >> KAUR: WHAT'S THE SPECIFIC ITEM THAT'S NOT -- THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING RIGHT NOW?
IT'S NOT TEXT, IT'S NOT WEB, IT'S JUST THE PHONE LINE? >> YES.
>> KAUR: THE ACTUAL COST OF A FINE LINE. IF YOUR PHONE LINE IS $12,
THAT'S WHERE YOU GOT IT. >> CORRECT. >> JD POWER AND ASSOCIATES DOES WORK ON THIS, NATIONWIDE IT'S $141. HERE IN SAN ANTONIO $125.
I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE COUNCIL DISTRICT-SPECIFIC DATA BUT IT'S FOR THE CITY.
SO THIS IS IN ADDITION TO SOMEONE'S PHONE BILL. >> CELL PHONE BILL.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: OKAY. I GUESS I DO FIND THAT A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING.
SO SOMETHING THAT I FIND INTERESTING OR A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION TO WHAT COUNCILWOMAN DR. KAUR WAS ASKING, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE AVERAGE BILL IN
SAN ANTONIO, HOW DID YOU CALCULATE $16 MILLION? >> WE HIRED JOHN FROM TSP.
THERE IS SOME CITYWIDE DATA AND BASED ON NUMBER OF CELL PHONES OUT THERE, MARKET SATURATION, HE WAS ABLE TO BACK INTO SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS.
SOME TELECOM COMPANIES ARE MORE OPEN WITH USER NUMBERS, SOME ARE NOT AS OPEN.
SOME OF IT IS AN ESTIMATION. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU.
LOOKING AT -- I GUESS THAT WOULD BE GOOD INFORMATION TO FOLLOW UP WITH.
I'D APPRECIATE THAT. >> SURE. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: ABOUT HOW MANY ROUTES IS THAT -- I'M LOOKING AT THE IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH THE PROPOSED BETTER BUS PLAN. SO IF THE NUMBER OF ROUTES WITHIN 15 MINUTES OR BETTER
INCREASED BY 6%, HOW MANY ROUTES IS THAT? >> THERE'S 10 TO 15 ROUTES
THAT HAVE THAT SERVICE, SO 6% OF THAT. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: DO WE
HAVE A LIST OF WHICH ROUTES THOSE ARE? >> WE SURE DO.
WE DO. I CAN PROVIDE THAT TO YOU. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THAT WOULD BE EXCELLENT. DO WE ANTICIPATE IT INCREASING RIDERSHIP?
>> WE DO. THAT IS THAT FIRST SLIDE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
SO IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, AT 60 MINUTES, YOU HAVE ONE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION SAYING YEAH, WE'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING TRANSIT.
ABOUT 30 MINUTES YOU GET ABOUT 30% OF FOLKS. IF YOU CAN GET UP TO 10 MINUTES WHICH FOR A FEW ROUTES, 83%, ALMOST 84% OF THE FOLKS SAY YEAH, WE WOULD BE INTERESTED. WE BELIEVE BY INCREASING FREQUENCY, MORE FOLKS WILL
RIDE THE BUS. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: BECAUSE I WOULD WANT SOMETHING MORE SPECIFIC THAN THIS. IF WE KNOW THE ROUTES THAT ARE GOING TO BE IMPROVING THEIR TIME AND IF ANY ARE GOING TO GET FASTER, WHAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HOW MANY USERS CAN WE ANTICIPATE USING EACH OF THOSE ROUTES, HOW MUCH DO WE EXPECT RIDERSHIP TO GROW AND WHAT CORRIDORS WILL BENEFIT FROM THAT INCREASED RIDERSHIP. THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO HAVE.
DO YOU HAVE RIDERSHIP BY COUNCIL DISTRICT? >> WE DO.
WE CAN SEND THAT TO YOU. SHORT PAST WE SENT THAT TO YOU BUT WE CAN GET YOU
UPDATED NUMBERS ON THAT. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: OKAY. THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
I'M WONDERING, COULD ANY OF THIS FUNDING BE USED TO IMPROVE EXISTING SHELTERS?
BUS SHELTERS? >> IT CAN BE. RIGHT NOW OUR FOCUS IS ON THIS BETTER BUS PLAN BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE IT COMPLETELY FUNDED AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE A GOOD PERCENT, 43% OF YOUR ROUTES AT 60 MINUTES, THAT'S OUR PRIORITY TO IMPROVE THAT FREQUENCY, GET THOSE DOWN TO 306789 -- TO 30.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: IS THE 6 TO 8 MILLION THE ONLY GAP OR IS THERE A GREATER
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SHORTFALL? >> WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE PLANS AND THE ROUTES.
WHEN WE VISIT WITH WITH YOU IN JANUARY, I'LL KNOW WHAT THE SHORTFALL IS FOR THE
FIVE YEARS, BUT THERE IS A SHORTFALL. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: I
THINK THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU.
>> COURAGE: OKAY. THANK YOU. NOW, THIS IS A BRIEFING WITH A CALL FOR THE COUNCIL TO TAKE ACTION, I BELIEVE, OR THIS COMMITTEE.
IT WOULD BE, I BELIEVE, TO RECOMMEND IT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. SO I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION AT THIS TIME TO GO AHEAD AND RECOMMEND IT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: ABSTAINING.
>> COURAGE: AND AN ABSTENTION. THAT'S MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL AVAILABLE OR COMMITTEE MEMBERS SO IT WILL BE MOVED FORWARD TO CITY COUNCIL. OH, IT HAS TO HAVE AT LEAST THREE MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE? >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: SO WOULD THE ITEM GO FORWARD TO
COUNCIL JUST WITHOUT A RECOMMENDATION? >> LOOKING FOR APPROVAL FROM THIS COMMITTEE TO MOVE FORWARD, RIGHT? SO IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OF VIA THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO COME BACK HERE, BUT WE'RE LOOKING TO GO FORWARD WITH COUNCIL WITH YOU ALL HAVING YOUR
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS I JUST ASKED THAT I DIDN'T GET ANSWERED SO I WOULD MAINTAIN MY STANCE.
>> COURAGE: SO LET ME UNDERSTAND. I'LL ASK OUR LEGAL ATTORNEY, WHAT DO WE HAVE RIGHT NOW? I THINK WE HAVE TWO DEFINITE AYES, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT TAKES THREE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO MOVE THIS FORWARD EVEN THOUGH THERE'S ONLY
THREE IN ATTENDANCE? >> I BELIEVE SO. I CAN FOLLOW UP AND MAKE SURE I HAVE THE SPECIFIC INFORMATION WHEN I SEE THE STATUTE.
>> COURAGE: SO WITH LACK OF A THIRD COMMITTEE MEMBER IN FAVOR OF IT, THEN THERE'S
NO RECOMMENDATION GOING TO THE COUNCIL AT THIS TIME. >>
>> COURAGE: OKAY. MOTION FAILS. >> CHAIR, IF I COULD, WE'RE HAPPY TO COME BACK TO THE COMMITTEE HERE TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE FULL COUNCIL IF THAT'S WHAT WOULD BE NECESSARY. ROD IS HERE ALSO IF YOU HAVE
ADDITIONAL -- >> WAITING ON ANOTHER COUNCIL PERSON TO COME IN, IF YOU WANT TO DELAY THIS UNTIL THEY GET HERE, WE'RE HAPPY TO WAIT.
>> OKAY. >> COURAGE: YOU KNOW, IT CAN ALWAYS BE CONSIDERED IF WE GET A FULL ENOUGH MEMBERSHIP IN ATTENDANCE, BUT [INAUDIBLE].
>> SO WE'RE GOING TO CHECK ON THAT AND MAYBE THAT WILL HELP OUR CONVERSATION.
WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT ITEM WHILE WE DO THAT. >> COURAGE: WE'LL GO TO
>> COURAGE: I DON'T KNOW. LET ME ASK OUR ATTORNEY. CAN WE TAKE ITEMS 3 AND 4,
HAVE THE DISCUSSIONS TOGETHER? >> YOU COULD HAVE THE
DISCUSSION TOGETHER. >> COURAGE: AND THEN WE CAN ASK OUR QUESTIONS AFTER,
MOVE IT ALONG A LITTLE FASTER. >> YES, YOU CAN DO BOTH
ITEMS TOGETHER. >> COURAGE: THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO.
WE HAVE A BRIEFING ON THE COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST ON UNION PACIFIC AND WHO IS AVAILABLE TO SPEAK TO THAT? RAZI.
>> HOSSEINI: GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
I'M RAZI HOSSEINI, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. THE BACKGROUND, THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD CCR WAS SUBMITTED BY COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ ON FEBRUARY 1ST, 2024.
THE CCR PROPOSES A STRONG PARTNERSHIP WITH UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD, KNOWN AS UPR, TO BETTER ADDRESS ISSUES SUCH AS ILLEGAL DUMPING WITHIN THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY. THE CCR REQUESTS CREATION OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH UP WITHIN THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY THAT HAS BECOME PUBLIC NUISANCE.
ON APRIL 23, 2024, CCR WAS PRESENTED TO GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE AND ASSIGNED TO PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO PRESENT TO TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
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COMMITTEE. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ROUTINELY ENTERS IN AGREEMENT WITH UPR FOR CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECT IN THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY.UPR MAINTAINS ITS RAILROAD CROSSING AND EQUIPMENT AND SOCIATED WORK WITHIN THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY. CITY DEPARTMENTS DO NOT ENTER UPR RIGHT-OF-WAY UNLESS THEY ARE GRANTED PERMISSION TO -- FROM UPR. DOES THE REQUEST ALIGN WITH THE COMMUNITY NEEDS OR PRIORITY IDENTIFIED IN COMMITTEE SURVEY.
NO, THE SURVEY IDENTIFIED'S TOP PRIORITY WERE STREETS, SIDEWALKS, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP AND PUBLIC SAFETY. DOES THE REQUEST ALIGN WITH THE DEPARTMENT GOALS. NO PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT RECEIVE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND UP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY. LET'S TALK ABOUT LEGALITY. THERE IS NO LEGAL BARRIER TO CREATION OR ENTERING INTO THE AGREEMENT SUCH AS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IN UPR. HOWEVER, TO CREATE AND ENTER INTO SUCH AN AGREEMENT WILL REQUIRE APPROVAL THROUGH THE RAILROAD COMPANY FOR CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL THROUGH AN ORDINANCE. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING.
THERE IS NO FUNDING REQUIRED IF UP MAINTAINS THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY AND CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS NO FUNDING TODAY TO MAINTAIN UPR RIGHT-OF-WAY.
WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGED WITH UP FOR LAST FEW MONTHS WORKING WITH THEM ON OUR MOU AND ALSO A FEW MONTHS AGO I REQUESTED EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT TO PROVIDE ANY PRIORITY CROSSING AND WE GOT NUMBER OF THEM FROM MANY COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND WE HAVE PROVIDED THOSE LISTS FOR THE UPR TO TAKE PROPER ACTION.
DECISION. AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH UPR ON THE DRAFT MOU, THERE IS SOME CRITICAL QUESTION THE COMMITTEE MAY CONSIDER TO ADVISE STAFF ON.
SHOULD UPR HAVE RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS WOULD THE CITY CONSIDER PROVIDING UPR PRIORITIZED LOCATION TO FOCUS THEIR RESOURCES ON IT. HOW SHOULD THE LOCATION TO BE PRIORITIZED. THIS IS THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE RAQUEL PRESENTING THE OTHER PROJECT. >> COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, MY NAME IS RAQUEL ESPINOSA. WHEN WE WERE -- LEARNED ABOUT THE CCR, IT WAS A MOMENT FOR US TO REFLECT ON THE TYPE OF NEIGHBOR THAT WE WERE. WE MEET WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ON A MONTHLY BASIS AND HAVE A VERY COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP.
BUT THERE WAS A SERIOUS BLIND SPOT FOR US. WHILE WE TALK ABOUT QUIET ZONES AND CROSSING RENEWALS, THE BLIND SPOT WAS TALKING ABOUT RIGHT-OF-WAY MAINTENANCE. AND AS BACKGROUND, RAILROADS MAINTAIN THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAYS WITH THE PRIORITY OF MAKING SURE THE CROSSINGS ARE SAFE FOR DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS SO THEY CAN SEE APPROACHING TRAINS AS THEY APPROACH A CROSSING.
SO THAT HAS BEEN THE KEY PRIORITY FOR US TRADITIONALLY.
AND WHEN WE STARTED DIGGING INTO THIS CCR, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE COULD BE A BETTER NEIGHBOR AND WE NEEDED TO DO BETTER BY THE COMMUNITIES THAT -- WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK. AND DISTRICT 2 AND DISTRICT 10 ARE HEAVILY AFFECTED BY RAIL OPERATIONS. WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY RAIL LINES ACROSS THE CITY, BUT WE MADE AN EFFORT TO REALLY DIG INTO THE SITUATION AND FIND A SOLUTION.
AND THAT'S WHAT DELAYED MY PRESENTATION HERE BECAUSE I FELT IT WAS MORE PRODUCTIVE AND FELT THAT I OWED IT TO YOU FOR ME TO COME IN WITH A SOLUTION.
[00:30:01]
AND WE'RE A BIG COMPANY. WE'RE BASED IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA AND ESTABLISH NEW PROCESSES. WHAT WE'VE DONE IS ESTABLISHED A PROCESS WHERE WE HAVE AREAS THAT ARE MAINTAINED ON A CADENCE EVERY OTHER MONTH, AND THEN WE ARE ALSO TAKING THE REQUESTS THAT COME IN AND APPROACH THOSE ON A -- AS THEY COME IN. SO I FEEL LIKE WE'VE MADE SOME GOOD PROGRESS, IT'S NOT PERFECT, WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A BETTER PROCESS THAT'S MORE REFINED, BUT I WANTED TO SHOW COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ AND COUNCILWOMAN TERI CASTILLO AND COUNCILWOMAN KAUR AND ALL OF THE OTHER COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES WHO HAVE RAIL LINES IN THEIR DISTRICT, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE, OF COURSE YOU HAVE SOME AS WELL, AND I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THAT THIS WAS IMPORTANT TO US.WE APPRECIATE YOU CALLING IT TO OR ATTENTION. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE -- OUR ATTENTION. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN A CCR, BUT I THINK WE'RE A
BETTER NEIGHBOR FOR IT. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY MORE OF THE PRESENTATION? THERE IS. OKAY.
>> SO 16 YEARS AGO, I WORKED AT A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TRACKS OR TRAINS. I JUST KNEW THERE WAS THIS TRAIN COMPANY LOOKING FOR A SPOKESPERSON WHO WAS BILINGUAL AND SPOKE SPANISH. AS I WENT THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, I WONDERED WHAT EXACTLY DOES UNION PACIFIC DO.
THAT'S WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF -- THIS IS THE OLD PRESENTATION.
AND THAT'S WHY I LIKE TO START OFF WITH A SLIDE THAT'S PROBABLY COMING UP LATER THAT SHOWS THAT UNION PACIFIC MOVES THE GOODS THAT YOU AND I USE EVERY DAY.
WE MOVE LUMBER, TOYS, TELEVISIONS, GRAIN AND ANYTHING THAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A COMMUNITY. SO EVERYTHING IN THIS ROOM AND EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOME MOVED ON A TRAIN AT SOME POINT IN TIME. AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF OUR HISTORY AT UNION PACIFIC. WE WERE FOUNDED BY PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN WHO SIGNED THE PACIFIC RAILWAY ACT IN 1862. THAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IS PRESIDENT LINCOLN HAD THE VISION OF CONNECTING THE COUNTRY BY RAIL FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA, ESTABLISHING THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD THAT IS BASICALLY THE SPINE OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. HERE'S THAT SLIDE I MENTIONED THAT SHOWS WE MOVE GOOSE THAT YOU AND I -- GOODS THAT YOU AND I USE EVERY DAY. AND OUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT THE 10,000 COMMUNITIES -- I'M SORRY, THE 10,000 CUSTOMERS THAT DEPEND ON ON-TIME FASHION. THEY HAVE TO BE ON TIME EVERY TIME AND THAT'S WHAT OUR GOAL IS. WE'RE NOT COMPETING WITH OUR RAILROADS FOR BUSINESS, WE'RE COMPETING WITH TRUCKS AND TRYING TO GET SOME OF THAT FREIGHT OFF THE ROADS AND ON TO THE RAILS. SO AS YOU CAN SEE IN OUR MAP HERE, WE OPERATE IN 23 STATES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. AND THE STRENGTH OF THE UNION PACIFIC FRANCHISE IS THAT WE SERVE THE MAJOR POPULATION CENTERS THAT YOU SEE HERE. WE MOVE AND SERVE THE GULF AND WEST COAST PORTS.
WE CAN MOVE THINGS TO THE CANADIAN BORDER. AND WE ALSO ARE THE ONLY RAILROAD TO SERVE ALL SIX GATEWAYS TO MEXICO. AND THAT IS A BIG GROWING PART OF OUR BUSINESS. SHIPMENTS TO MEXICO HAVE INCREASED 7% SINCE 2021.
AND YOU PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT NEAR SHORING, MANUFACTURING IN MEXICO CONTINUES TO GROW AND THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT $140 BILLION OF NEW INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF MEXICO AS DIFFERENT COMPANIES START TO MOVE TOWARD THIS AREA TO MANUFACTURE THEIR GOODS. SAN ANTONIO'S CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE LARGEST RAIL MEXICAN GATEWAYS IS CRITICAL.
THE LARGEST GATEWAYS ARE LADDER, EAGLE PASS AND EL PASO -- LAREDO.
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLAIN TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT THE NORTH AMERICAN BLOCK WORKS AS A SINGLE UNIT. WE'LL HAVE AUTO PARTS THAT COME FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY OR CANADA THAT MOVE ON TRAINS THAT ARE SOUTH AND GO TO MEXICO.
ONCE THOSE PARTS ARE USED AND THE CAR IS FINISHED, THOSE FINISHED AUTOS ARE PUT
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ON RAILCARS AND THEN THEY ARE SENT TO THE BORDER WHERE WE PICK THEM UP AND MOVE THEM NORTHBOUND THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO MANY TIMES. SO WE MOVE PRODUCTS 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TELL YOU THAT ANOTHER PRODUCT THAT WE MOVE THROUGH SAN ANTONIO IS A LOT OF BEER.IT'S UNION PACIFIC'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY HYDRATED. ONE OF THE LARGEST -- ONE OF THE LARGEST BREWERIES IN THE WORLD IS ACROSS THE RIVER FROM EAGLE PASS, TEXAS. AND WE BRING A LOT OF BEER INTO THE UNITED STATES AND YOU WILL FIND 96,000 BOTTLES OF BEER IN ONE SINGLE RAIL CAR. SO WE CAN MOVE A LOT OF PRODUCT IN A VERY FUEL-EFFICIENT MANNER. IT TAKES 300 TRUCKS TO MOVE THE SAME GOODS AS ONE UNION PACIFIC TRAIN. THE TRAIN ARE THREE TO FOUR TIMES MORE FUEL EFFICIENT AND REDUCE 75% FEWER GREENHOUSE GAS HE MIXES. AS WE LOOK AT THIS -- EMISSIONS. AS WE LOOK AT THIS MAP, MAKE A MENTAL NOTE OF A LINE THAT CONNECTS SAN ANTONIO WITH LOS ANGELES BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO THAT IN A LITTLE BIT. I TALKED ABOUT OUR MEXICO BUSINESS.
WE DON'T OPERATE IN MEXICO. OUR PARTNERS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BORDER ARE FEDERAL MEX AND KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN, NOW CPKC AFTER A MERGER THAT HAPPENED RECENTLY. YOU CAN SEE ALL THE REACH WE HAVE IN THE INTERIOR OF MEXICO ON THIS SLIDE. SO WHO PAYS FOR THE CAPACITY AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT TRAINS MOVE ON. IT'S UNION PACIFIC. IT'S THE RAILROADS.
THEY ARE PRIVATELY FUNDED, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ROADS THAT ARE MAINTAINED WITH TAXPAYER DOLLARS. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TYPE OF FREIGHT THAT WE CAN MOVE ON A SINGLE GALLON OF DIESEL, IT MAKES SENSE, AND THAT IS THE CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLIC MOBILITY THAT UNION PACIFIC ADDS TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
THIS IS A SLIDE FROM -- REFLECTS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS LAST YEAR IN 2023. BUT THIS YEAR WE ARE INVESTING $3.4 BILLION ON OUR ABILITY TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS SAFELY. $1.9 BILLION GO TO JUST LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON. THAT'S TO REPLACE RAILS AND TIES.
AND THEN WE ALSO INVEST IN LOCOMOTIVES AND NEW FACILITIES AND NEW RAIL LINES TO SUPPORT CUSTOMERS AS THEY GROW. YOU WOULDN'T THINK OF A RAILROAD AS A HIGH-TECH COMPANY. I MEAN IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE RAIL LINES DON'T LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THEY DID IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS, BUT THAT'S FAR FROM THE TRUTH. THE RAIL LINES ARE TECHNOLOGICAL RUNWAYS, THEY ARE OUTFITTED WITH SENSORS AND DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT MONITOR THE HEALTH OF EACH AND EVERY TRAIN AS IT PASSES BY.
THEY MONITOR EACH RAIL CAR AND EACH WHEEL ON EACH RAIL CAR.
WE HAVE SENSORS THAT ARE ACTIVELY TAKING THE TEMPERATURE OF EACH AND EVERY WHEEL, AND IF THERE IS A WHEEL THAT IS TOO HOT, THEN IT SENDS AN ALERT AND THE -- WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO RECEIVES THOSE AND THEY MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER THAT TRAIN NEEDS TO STOP OR IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED AT THE NEXT RAILYARD OR THE NEXT STOP. WE ALSO USE TECHNOLOGY TO MONITOR AND ENSURE THAT WE HAVE HEALTHY RAIL ON THE GROUND. WE USE ULTRASOUND THAT ALLOWS US TO LOOK AT IMPERFECTIONS INSIDE THE RAIL THAT CAN'T BE SEEN WITH THE NAKED EYE. WE ALSO HAVE SPECIALIZED GEOMETRY CARS THAT OPERATE OVER THE RAIL LINES AND THEY'VE GOT SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM THAT MEASURES THE GAUGE AND THE TOPOGRAPHY TO ASSURE EVERYTHING IS ALIGNED PROPERLY.
THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS WE DO TO HELP PREVENT DERAILMENTS AND ENSURE WE CAN STOP ACCIDENTS BEFORE AN ISSUE BECOMES A PROBLEM. AND ALL OF THESE THINGS HELP ENSURE THAT WE -- THAT WE KEEP -- WE MOVE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFELY AND IT
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HELPS CONTRIBUTE TO HAVING 99.9% OF THE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS GOING TO THEIR DESTINATION WITHOUT AN ISSUE OR AN ACCIDENT. I APOLOGIZE, THIS IS A PRESENTATION FROM -- THAT I SUBMITTED PREVIOUSLY SO I'M A LITTLE BIT OFF HERE.BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT I TALKED ABOUT.
AND, OF COURSE, I TALKED ABOUT THE HAZ-MAT RAIL SHIPMENTS.
OF COURSE, AGAIN, I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THE BENEFITS OF MOVING FREIGHT BY RAIL. IT TAKES A LOT OF TRUCKS TO MOVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF GOODS AS ONE TRAIN AND WE'RE A LOT BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO IN TEXAS WE HAVE 6500 MILES OF TRACK AND YOU CAN SEE THERE THAT WE -- WE HAVE CAPITAL INVESTMENT OF ABOUT 700-PLUS MILLION DOLLARS HERE IN TEXAS.
YOU CAN SEE HOW OUR RAIL LINES CONNECT THE STATE WITH THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE.
CLOSER TO HOME, YOU CAN SEE HOW OUR RAIL LINES CRISS-CROSS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HERE ON THIS SLIDE. OF COURSE, SAN ANTONIO IS A MAJOR RAIL HUB.
WE HAVE ABOUT 700 EMPLOYEES HERE WHO SERVE 80 CUSTOMERS AND WE'RE WORKING HARD TO GROW THAT NUMBER. SO I ASKED YOU TO TAKE A MENTAL NOTE OF THE LINE THAT CONNECTS US TO LOS ANGELES. THAT LINE IS USED BY INTERMODAL TRAINS.
THESE TRAINS ARRIVE AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, THE PORT OF L.A. ON SHIP WITH CONTAINERS THAT HAVE GOODS THAT YOU AND I PURCHASE AT ANY DEPARTMENT STORE.
THE CONTAINERS ARE REMOVED FROM THE SHIP AND PLACED ON A TRAIN THAT COMES TOWARD THE EAST. AND MANY TIMES THEY STOP AT OUR SAN ANTONIO INTERMODAL TERMINAL. AND WHEN THE TRAIN ARRIVES TO THE SAN ANTONIO INTERMODAL TERMINAL IN SOUTHERN BEXAR COUNTY, A CRANE LIFTS THE CONTAINER AND PUTS IT ON A PARKING SPOT, IF YOU WILL. A TRUCK DRIVER ARRIVES, CONNECTS THE CONTAINER ON TO HIS OR HER TRUCK AND THEN THAT BOX GOES TO A WAREHOUSE OR THE STORE, THE FINAL DESTINATION FOR THAT BOX. THESE PICTURES ARE FROM OUR SAN ANTONIO INTERMODAL TERMINAL. ANOTHER SHOUT-OUT TO OUR TECH ABILITIES. YOU KNOW, LONG GONE ARE THE DAYS OF WHEN SOMEONE WOULD COME OUT WITH A CLIPBOARD AND LOOK AT THE LICENSE. THE DRIVERS COME IN AND BASICALLY PUT THEIR THUMBPRINT ON THE SCREEN AND WE KNOW EXACTLY WHO IT IS AND THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEIR CONTAINER IS AT AND THEY PICK IT UP AND TAKE IT TO THE FINAL DECEMBER NICE. -- DESTINATION. WE ARE ACTIVELY -- WE ARE ACTIVELY INVESTING IN HELPING GROW OUR INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. IN FACT, WE'VE SPENT $97 MILLION IN THE PAST SIX YEARS TO GROW HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. THAT'S ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE SPEND ON MAINTAINING OUR RAIL LINES. I CAN TELL YOU SAN ANTONIO IS IMPORTANT TO US, BUT THE DOLLAR SIGNS ARE WHAT REALLY ILLUSTRATE HOW WE ARE IMPROVING OUR SERVICE HERE FOR THE CUSTOMERS. AND WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TO DEVELOP A SITE AROUND OUR SAN ANTONIO INTERMODAL TERMINAL.
WE HAVE ABOUT 700 ACRES THERE AND WE ARE TRYING TO ATTRACT GOOD COMPANIES THAT BRING GOOD-PAYING JOBS TO SOUTHERN BEXAR COUNTY. WE'RE ALSO SERVING THE TAYLOR PORT IN THE AUSTIN AREA. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE GROWTH THAT'S GOING ON HERE. YOU HAVE COMPANIES THAT BEFORE THEY LOCATE, THEY COME TO UNION PACIFIC AND SAY I NEED RAIL SERVICE AND I NEED TO BE IN THE SOUTH SIDE, I NEED TO BE NEAR MEXICO, I NEED TO BE NEAR QUICK ACCESS TO DALLAS FORT WORTH, MEXICO. AND THAT IS HOW THEY SELECT WHERE THEY LOCATE BECAUSE THEY DEPEND ON RAIL TO SEND AND RECEIVE THEIR GOODS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO GROW AND ARE VERY BOLD ON THIS AREA AND YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE A LOT MORE FREIGHT TRAINS TRAVELING BETWEEN THESE TWO CITIES. BLOCK CROSSINGS ARE CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE
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STRUGGLE WITH IN OUR COMMUNITIES. AND DISTRICT 2 IS AN AREA THAT HAS A LOT OF RAIL OPERATIONS. SO DOES DISTRICT 10.AND THAT IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR BLOCK CROSSING CALLS COME FROM.
AND THAT'S WHY I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO RAZI AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR MAKING IT A PRIORITY TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP START THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A GRADE SEPARATION AT RITTIMAN ROAD, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST BLOCKED CROSSING IN THIS AREA. UNION PACIFIC DOES NOT WANT TO BLOCK PEOPLE.
ANY MORE THAN THEY WANT TO BE BLOCKED. BUT OUR OPERATIONS, IF YOU CAN THINK ABOUT A RAILYARD BEING AN AIRPORT, AND, SAY, WE ARE AT AN AIRPORT AND THEN WE HAVE A TRAIN COMING IN FROM EAGLE PASS WITH FINISHED VEHICLES.
30 ARE GOING TO GO TO A NEARBY CUSTOMER AND THEN THE OTHER 20 ARE GOING TO GO TO CHICAGO. WELL, THEY HAVE TO MOVE THOSE CARS TO THE RAIL LINE THAT HAS ALL THE CHICAGO TRAFFIC AND THEN THAT TRAIN DEPARTS.
THAT HAPPENS 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, ALL DAY LONG IN OUR RAIL YARDS.
SO THE SOLUTION IS OVERPASSES. AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US. IT'S MY WORK HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT SORT OF HELPED ME ESTABLISH A GRADE SEPARATION GOSPEL, IF YOU WILL.
WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE STRUGGLING WITH THAT, BUT OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO GROW. I LIVE IN SOUTH TOWN. AS COMPANIES COME AND TALK ABOUT DEVELOPMENT, THAT CONVERSATION SHOULD INCLUDE HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THE EXTRA DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS WHO ARE GOING TO BE COMING TO THIS AREA, HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THEM ACROSS THE TRACKS. I WOULD OFFER TO YOU THAT OUR RESIDENTS NEED UNIMPEDED ACCESS ACROSS THE RAIL LINES AND THESE ARE THE SOLUTIONS.
OF COURSE, WHEN CROSSINGS ARE BLOCKED, WE HAVE TWO WAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN INFORM US OF THOSE. OUR RESPONSE MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION CENTER IS SORT OF OUR 911 CENTER. SO IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY, SOMEONE WILL PICK UP THE LINE AND LOOK INTO THE ISSUE. THE OPERATORS AT THE CENTER ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN SPEAK WITH THE TRAIN NEED TO SEPARATE THE CARS TO OPEN THE CROSSING, THEN WE WILL DO THAT.
AND THEN NON-EMERGENCY ISSUES CAN BE SUBMITTED THROUGH OUR UP.COM NOTIFY UP WEBSITE. SO WE ARE A BIG PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE ARE A VERY PROUD PART OF THE COMMUNITY. AND WE INVEST IN NON-PROFITS THAT ARE DOING GOOD WORK HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. THE SAN ANTONIO UP MINI TRAIN IS LIKE A CHILD OF MINE. I WAS INVOLVED IN HELPING GETTING THAT OFF THE GROUND AND I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF IT.
BUT WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT THE AREAS THAT ARE MOSTLY IMPACTED BY OUR RAIL OPERATIONS. AND I'M LEARNING ABOUT WHO THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE THROUGH WORKING WITH THE OFFICES OF COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ AND CALL OF YOUR OFFICES. SO WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT GUIDANCE.
SO WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS. I KNOW I WAS KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, MY PRESENTATION CHANGED FROM THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE I CONNECTED THE DOTS BETWEEN -- I KNEW DISTRICT 2 AND RITTIMAN ROAD HAD ISSUES, BUT THEN I WAS TALKING TO COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, I LOOKED AT THE -- I LOOKED AT ALL OF THE RAILROAD CROSSINGS.
BEXAR COUNTY HAS A LOT OF CROSSINGS, 350 CROSSINGS. AND I CONNECTED THE DOTS AND IT'S IS COMMUNITIES NEAR THE RAIL LINES THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE BLOCKED CROSSINGS THE MOST. I WOULD SAY IF WE'RE GOING TO BE A FIRST-CLASS CITY, WE NEED TO HAVE MOBILITY FOR EVERYONE. AND SO IF WE HAVE UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE NOT HAD THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT
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PEOPLE CAN GET ACROSS THE TRACKS, I WOULD ARGUE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO THAT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. WE HAVE OUR ROLE TO PLAY AND WE TRY TO MOVE THE TRAINS AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL ON THAT.>> COURAGE: OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'D LIKE TO TAKE A PAUSE RIGHT NOW. THE CITY ATTORNEY WENT AND CHECKED ON SOMETHING AND HE
WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND BRING US UP TO DATE. >> YES, CHAIR.
I RECEIVED CLARIFICATION THAT BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA CONCERNING VIA, THAT THE ITEM IS ONLY ASKING THIS COMMITTEE TO MOVE IT FORWARD FOR THE CITY COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION AND NOT TAKING SUBSTANTIVE ACTION ON IT.
A SIMPLE MAJORITY OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT WILL SUFFICE TO MOVE IT
FORWARD TORE THE COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION. >> COURAGE: I APPRECIATE THAT INTERPRETATION. WE DID HAVE TWO COMMITTEE MEMBERS AGREE TO MOVE IT FORWARD TO COUNCIL. LET ME JUST ASK, ARE YOU STILL IN AGREEMENT WITH
THAT, COUNCILWOMAN? >> YES. >> COURAGE: AND I AM AS WELL. AGAIN, DO YOU WANT TO ABSTAIN FROM VOTING,
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR, I VERY STRONGLY SUPPORT VIA, I WANT TO BE A SUPPORTER OF VIA.
MY CHALLENGE SPECIFICALLY IS I ASKED FOR VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT I THINK SHOULD BE EXPECTED. I THINK THESE ANSWERS SHOULD BE READILY AVAILABLE TO US AND THE FACT THEY WEREN'T IS CONCERNING TO ME. I WANTED TO BE CLEAR THAT WHEN FOLK COME TO COMMITTEES LIKE THIS AND THERE'S A FISCAL REQUEST AND WE ARE GOING TO BE EVENTUALLY ASKING FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS TO BE SUPPORTING VIA FINANCIALLY IN ANOTHER WAY THAT IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BE A ARE YOU POSITIVER STAMPED YES VOTE BECAUSE YOU SHOWED UP. THERE HAS TO BE SUBSTANTIVE COMMUNICATION THAT FOLLOWS WITH THAT. I'M GOING TO MAINTAIN MY VOTE. I WANT TO BE CLEAR I HOPE TO BE SUPPORTIVE WHEN THE ITEM COMES TO COUNCIL, BUT I ALSO EXPECT ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS I HAVE AND MAYBE THAT INCLUDE SOME THAT YOU MAY EXPECT TO ANTICIPATE AND SOME YOU WON'T.
THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS THAT I HAVE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSISTENT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND WE WILL WORK TO SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH YOU HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK OR THE WEEK AFTER WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS
AT THAT TIME. >> COURAGE: AND ROD, LET ME INTERJECT HERE.
I THINK YOU SAID YOU WOULD LET ANY COUNCILMEMBER GET SHARED WITH THIS
INFORMATION. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> COURAGE: PARTICULARLY THE TWO ABSENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO VISIT WITH THEM AS WELL. AS OF THIS TIME, WE DO HAVE A MAJORITY OF THE COMMITTEE IN ATTENDANCE RECOMMEND THAT THIS BE FORWARDED TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. OKAY, SO LET THE RECORD
REFLECT THAT. THAT'S GOOD. >> FOR COUNCILMEMBER
MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ, I DO HAVE A SYSTEMWIDE [INAUDIBLE]. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND LET US GO AHEAD AND GO BACK, MS. ESPINOSA, WE APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION AND I'M GOING TO REFER THIS NOW TO COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ WHO BROUGHT FORTH THE CCR REGARDING THIS.
SO COUNCILMAN, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU, CHAIR. I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF BY THANKING COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR SIGNING THIS CCR AND HELPING US LAUNCH THIS PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK RAQUEL FROM UNION PACIFIC AND I WANT TO SHERRI APPRECIATE THE COMMUNICATION I'VE RECEIVED FROM UNION PACIFIC AND I WANT TO SHARE THAT I DO BELIEVE THEY ARE MAKING EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE AND ARE REVEALING THEMSELVES TO BE WILLING PARTNERS WITH THE CITY. THAT'S TO BE NOTED.
I WOULD CHALLENGE THE NOTION THIS DOES NOT ALIGN WITH COMMUNITY NEEDS OR PRIORITIES CONSIDERING THE QUALITY AND CLEANLINESS OF EVERY TRACK IMPACTS THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS AND VEHICLES DRIVING OVER THE TRACKS ON A CITY ROAD.
MY GOAL WITH THE CCR IS IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY BETWEEN THE CITY, UNION PACIFIC AND OUR SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS THAT LIVE NEAR OR DRIVE THROUGH UNION PACIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH IS ALMOST EVERYBODY. JUST LIKE OUR STREETS, WE AS RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS EXPECT A LEVEL OF QUALITY ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO GET TO AND FROM WORK OR SCHOOL AND EVERYWHERE OUR ROADS NEED TO TAKE US.
SOME PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR UNION PACIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE SOMEONE ACCESSIBLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH WHEN WE SEE A SAFETY CONCERN. MOST OF THE COMMON CONCERNS ARE ILLEGAL DUMPING, TRASH, OVERGROWN EASEMENTS AND THE QUALITY OF THE CROSSINGS THEMSELVES. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS A CLEAR EXPECTATION OF
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COMMUNICATION AND LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY THAT WHEN AN ISSUE ARISES, WE CAN HAVE A REASONABLE EXPECTATION FOR WHEN THE ISSUE WILL BE RESOLVED.THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS CROSS UNION PACIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND IT'S PART OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALL PARTS OF OUR CITY BUT SUSPECTLY DISTRICT 2.
I HOPE IN THIS PROCESS WE BUILD PUBLIC TRUST AND ACHIEVE A LEVEL OF TRUST.
I'LL NOTE I WOULD FIND IT SOMEWHAT PROBLEMATIC TO NARROW OUR NUMBER OF CROSSINGS. THERE'S AN EXPECTATION ANY -- MAINTAIN THEIR GRASS, CERTAIN STANDARDS OF SAFETY AND APPEARANCE.
THIS INCLUDES HOMEOWNERS, BUSINESS OWNERS AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN.
IF THEY DO NOT MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS THEY RECEIVE FINES.
IF UNION PACIFIC IS GOING TO OWN AND OPERATE ON ALL OF THIS PROPERTY, IT IS UNION PACIFIC'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN ALL OF IT AS IS TRUE WITH ANY OTHER PROPERTY OWNER OR RESIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF A REALISTIC DISCUSSION ABOUT THE COST AND FEASIBILITY OF MAINTAINING A SCHEDULE OF CLEANING, MOWING AND STREET IMPROVEMENTS, IF THAT DISCUSSION HAS BEEN HAD OR WHAT WE CAN EXPECT.
IS RAZI STILL -- >> HOSSEINI: YES, I AM. COUNCILMAN, AFTER OUR DISCUSSION A FEW MONTHS AGO AFTER WE GOT THIS CCR, WE STARTED WORKING WITH UPR TO AT LEAST ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE -- WE GOT A GOOD NUMBER OF LIST YOU FROM AND OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND STILL WE ARE WORKING ON UPR. THEY PROVIDE US ON SAMPLE MOU THAT'S JUST TWO PRELIMINARY SAMPLE. COMMUNITY WORK MORE IN DETAIL WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT. WHEN WE PROVIDE CERTAIN -- HOW LONG TIME THEY HAVE. WE NEED TO GET GOOD CONTACT PERSON FROM UPR AND CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. WE ARE HOPING TO BRING THIS MOU TO COUNCIL'S APPROVAL
SOMETIME NEXT YEAR, EARLY NEXT YEAR. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: OKAY.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR MY EXPECTATION THAT ALL CROSSINGS AND RIGHT-OF-WAYS SHOULD BE MAINTAIN, PERIOD. THAT HAS NOT CHANGED. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO BE EXPLORED IS SHOULD IT BE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR THE CITY TO DO THE MOWING OR THE CLEANING THAT UNION PACIFIC SHOULD EXPLORE PAYMENT TO THE CITY FOR SERVICES.
IF THAT MEANS PARTIALLY, WE CAN DO A PART OF THAT SERVICE, THEN WE ARE PAID FOR THAT PART. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED?
>> HOSSEINI: I THINK ANYTHING CAN BE ADDRESSED, BUT WE MAY HAVE TO DO PHASES. FIRST PHASE IS IMPORTANT CROSSINGS AND WE NEED TO DO PHASE 2 AND 3. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE FUNDING TO DO ALL OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY, ONLY CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THERE'S MANY MILE OF RIGHT-OF-WAY. ALSO IN ORDER FOR US TO DO SOME OF THE WORK, WE NEED TO
HAVE A COST ESTIMATE FOR US TO DO THE WORK. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: SO WITHOUT AN MOU, WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY WOULD IT BE TO MAINTAIN OVERGROWN GRASS,
ILLEGAL DUMPING, TRASH, ET CETERA? >> ALL OF THIS RIGHT-OF-WAY IS OWNED BY UNION PACIFIC. IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY, PERIOD.
WE ARE EXPLORING AN MOU WITH THEM SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THEIR RIGHT-OF-WAY. WE ACKNOWLEDGE IT'S THEIRS, IT IS THEIRS.
WE ARE HERE TO BE A PARTNER AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE SO THAT'S WHY WE ASKED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE INITIAL SITES AS A -- FOR THE INITIAL SITES.
UNDERSTOOD, AGREE, AND THAT IS UNION PACIFIC'S RESPONSIBILITY.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: ABSOLUTELY. RAQUEL, WOULD YOU MIND -- JUST FOR CONFIRMATION, WE KNOW THAT ALL OF THIS IS YOUR -- UNION PACIFIC'S RESPONSIBILITY THAT CURRENTLY EVEN WITHOUT AN MOU THE RESPONSIBILITY IS ON UNION PACIFIC TO MAINTAIN ALL OF IT, KEEP IT CLEAN, ALL THOSE THINGS.
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, THESE STANDARDS
ACROSS THE CITY? ON EVERY UNION PACIFIC -- >> ET CETERA THAT A GOOD QUESTION. -- THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. UNION PACIFIC HIRES ONE COMPANY THAT DOES RIGHT-OF-WAY MAINTENANCE ON A SYSTEMWIDE BASIS.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE TO START THINGS OFF IS WE LOOKED AT THE AREAS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION AND WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING THEM ON A SCHEDULE OF EVERY OTHER MONTH. AND THEN AS THE NEEDS ARISE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES AS THEY COME. WE DON'T HAVE -- I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN THAT IT IS UNION PACIFIC'S RESPONSIBILITY.
IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR US WITH SO MUCH RIGHT-OF-WAY, AND SO I THINK THAT WE'RE WILLING
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TO LOOK AT ALL OPTIONS, BUT YES, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY.>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU. SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO POTENTIALLY EXPLORE IS I IMAGINE YOU CHARGE A FEE TO ANY OF THE BUSINESSES
THAT YOU WORK WITH. >> UH-HUH. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: IF THERE ARE PARTS OF YOUR OPERATION SUCH AS MAINTENANCE OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY THAT CANNOT BE COVERED BY THAT FEE, IT MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY OR NEED TO AT SOME POINT EXPLORE ADDITIONAL FEES OR, YOU KNOW, INCREASE PRICES.
I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT ALSO NEEDS TO BE EXPLORED, BUT MY HOPE IS THROUGH THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY THAT MAYBE THERE'S MULTIPLE -- THERE'S MULTIPLE CONTRACTORS WHO -- OR CONTRACTS THAT MAY NEED TO HAPPEN TO ENSURE THE FAULT
IS THERE. >> YES. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: WHO DOES INSPECTIONS OR WHO ENSURES THAT THE COMPANY YOU CONTRACT WITH TO MAINTAIN THE PROPERTY, WHO MAKES SURE THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO?
>> I'M NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE ANYONE. I MEAN I HAVE -- AS WE WERE STARTING TO WORK ON THIS, I PERSONALLY WENT TO CHECK AFTER I WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE WAS ADDRESSED, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A RESPECTIVE INSPECTOR LOOKING AT OUR
RIGHT-OF-WAY FOR HOW HIGH THE GRASS IS. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: GOTCHA. I GUESS MY EXPECTATION IS THAT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL CAN DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, WHAT SYSTEMS CAN BE PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HAPPENING AND IT'S HAPPENING ON AN AS-NECESSARY BASIS.
I'LL CLOSE OUT BY SAYING I'VE SHARED WE'VE RECEIVED CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS STOPPED BY TRAINS FROM 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR, STOPPING THEM FROM GOING TO OR COMING HOME FROM WORK, PICKING UP STUDENTS FROM SCHOOL, THEY MISS MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS AND MORE. JUST LIKE HIGHWAYS, RAILROADS HAVE A HISTORY OF SERVING AS RED LINING. THAT NOTED A DISTINCT IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND SERVES AS THE VESSEL MY COMMUNITY HAS USED BECAUSE THEY KNOW CODE ENFORCEMENT IS A CITY FUNCTION. THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER AREAS WE HAVE TO EXERT AUTHORITY. MY HOPE IS THAT NOW THAT THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING PUBLICLY, AND I APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT AND BEING A WILLING PARTNER, I WOULD LOVE A FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION ABOUT POLICIES FOR WHEN AND WHERE TRAINS STOPPING AND FOR HOW LONG. I WOULD ALSO ASK, AND THIS IS A NEW IDEA, IN THE SPIRIT OF INNOVATION, IS THERE A WAY WE CAN COMMUNICATE THE TRAVEL OF UNION PACIFIC TRAINS TO MAP SERVICES OR GOOGLE MAPS THAT CAN APPROACH DRIVERS A TRAIN IS APPROACHING SO THEY CAN BETTER PLAN ROUTES, OR IS THERE AN ALERT SYSTEM THAT COMMUNICATES WITHIN A PARTICULAR DISTANCE FROM A DISTRIBUTION. I WONDER WHAT OPPORTUNITIES THERE ARE TO PROVIDE THAT
LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION. >> I KNOW WE HAVE A TEAM TRYING TO WORK ON SYNCING OUR OPERATIONS WITH THE GOOGLES OF THE WORLD. THAT'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLEX. THERE ARE COMMUNITIES LIKE THE CITY OF SUGARLAND THAT HAVE A TRAFFIC APP AND IF WE PULL THAT UP RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD SHOW US EACH AND EVERY ROAD, IF THERE'S CONSTRUCTION OR NOT AND EACH AND EVERY CROSSING AND WHETHER IT'S OPENED OR NOT. SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT THE CITY CAN EXPLORE.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK TO PUBLIC WORKS ABOUT THESE ISSUES.
AND AGAIN, WE WANT TO -- WE WANT TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE DEFINITELY WANT TO DO A BETTER JOB IN YOUR DISTRICT, AND I AM WILLING TO TAKE WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE DISCUSS TO OUR CORPORATE OFFICE AND ASK IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENT, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN EXPLORE. SO YOU HAVE MY WORD ON THAT. IN TERMS OF THE STOPPED TRAINS, I AM -- I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER AND MOVE THESE OVERPASS PROJECTS FORWARD. IT TAKES TIME, UNFORTUNATELY. BUT AT ONE POINT IN TIME, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CAME TO UNION PACIFIC AND SAID WE WOULD LIKE TO OPEN UP A ROAD HERE.
AND WHAT I NOTICE IN UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES IS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH ACCESS ACROSS THE TRACKS. SO I THINK THAT THROUGH OUR CONTINUED COLLABORATION AND DISCUSSING AND APPLYING FOR FUNDING TO EXPEDITE THESE PROJECTS, WE CAN WORK ON THIS. TXDOT IS ASKING THE LEGISLATURE FOR $175 FOR
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OVERPASSES. I WOULD SUGGEST IF THAT PASSES, WE WORK TOGETHER WITH THE CITY. WE PROVIDE LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR PROJECTS AND THAT WE GO AFTER THAT AND JUST START WORKING ON THOSE ONE BY ONE.>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU, MS. ESPI.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD TO THIS DISCUSSION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF YOUR ORGANIZATION COULD SEND US A COPY OF ALL OF -- A LISTING OF ALL OF THOSE CROSSINGS AND MAYBE YOUR OWN RECORD OF WHERE THOSE CROSSINGS HAVE HAD THE MOST DIFFICULTY WITH TRAFFIC ISSUES AND CONGESTION. AND I'D LIKE TO ASK RAZI TO MAYBE KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT IT FROM OUR PUBLIC WORKS PERSPECTIVE.
THEY MAY HAVE A PRIORITY OF THESE 25 MOST PROBLEMATIC CROSSINGS, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR US TO SEE AFTER WE GET THAT LIST HOW IT MEASURES WITH WHAT WE THINK THE PROBLEMS ARE WITH THE TRAFFIC FLOW OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE SO THAT MAYBE WE CAN COME TO A TARGET OF CERTAIN KEY ONES THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER ON WITH FEDERAL MONEY, AMPO MONEY AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WE CAN RECTIFY MORE AND MORE OF THESE. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO WORK ON THAT WITH OUR PUBLIC
WORKS DEPARTMENT AND GET IT TO US. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> COURAGE: THANK YOU. THESE WERE BRIEFING ITEMS. I'M SORRY, COUNCILWOMAN.
YOU HAVE ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU LIKE. GO AHEAD.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE. I WANTED TO -- THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS WERE LIKE WHICH AREAS SHOULD WE FOCUS ON. THE NUMBER ONE OF -- THE NUMBER ONE AREA THAT WE GET THE MOST AMOUNT OF CALLS IN IS FROM COLORADO GOING UP ON I-10. THEN WE'RE ALSO ACTUALLY INSTALLING A FENCE BY OR REQUESTED IT ON LULLWOOD THROUGH BEACON HILL AND WE GET A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT DUMPING AND CHALLENGES WITH OVERGROWN GRASS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT WE ALSO TRIED CALLING A BUNCH TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO IN PARTNERSHIP, BUT SO I'M REITERATING EVERY SENTIMENT COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ JUST MENTIONED. AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S YOUR RIGHT-OF-WAY, BUT WE ALSO LIKE YOU TO STEP UP AND BE BETTER FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU.
>> COURAGE: AND I GUESS TO GO ALONG WITH THAT, IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO HAVE A RECORD OF YOUR MAINTENANCE IN BEXAR COUNTY. YOU KNOW, -- OR SAN ANTONIO AT LEAST. WHAT ARE THE KEY MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY THAT YOU SEND OUT MAINTENANCE, HOW MUCH HAS BEEN SPENT ON MAINTENANCE OF RIGHT-OF-WAYS OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO. JUST, AGAIN, FOR OUR INFORMATION.
AND IF IT'S BROKEN DOWN BY COUNCIL DISTRICT, THEN THAT'S EVEN BETTER.
SO IF YOU COULD WORK ON THOSE FOR US, THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
WE HAVE ONE LAST ITEM AND IT IS ONE FOR POSSIBLE ACTION. IT'S A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON MODIFICATIONS TO THE ALAMO AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION PLAN.
AND SO RAZI, I KNOW YOU GO TO THOSE MEETS. YOU GOING TO MAKE THE
PRESENTATION? >> HOSSEINI: I DO. NPO WAS CREATED IN 1978 CONSISTING OF YOUR SIGNATURES, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, BEXAR COUNTY, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND VIA. REVISED FIVE TIMES SINCE ITS INSPECTION. MOST RECENTLY IN 2013 FOG THE 2010 -- FOLLOWING THE 2010NPO BOND EXPANSION. THE DOCUMENT OUTLINED ORGANIZATION PURPOSE, MEMBER AND -- [INDISCERNIBLE]. FOUR SIGNATURES, TXDOT, BEXAR COUNTY, COSA AND VIA TO APPROVED CHANGE OR REPEALS IT. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DURING MAY 2024 BOND EXPANSION AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP DISCUSSION RECOMMENDED TERMINATING THE AGREEMENT. NPO STAFF HAS TRANSMITTED RESOLUTION TO ITS TO TAKE ACTION ON AGREEMENT, ALL FOUR SIGNATURES MUST AGREE. THE ORGANIZATION HAS REVOLVED -- THE TRANSFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THE CREATION BECAUSE OF POPULATION GROWTH, AND ORIGINAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE NEED THAT WILL CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE.
AND THEY ARE ASKING TO CONSIDER THE REPEAL OF THE CONTINUUM AGREEMENT.
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AND RECOMMENDATION AND NEXT STEPS, TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE APPROVED AND HAVE THIS REPEAL FOR CONTINUING AGREEMENT, AND FULL I HAVE THE DIRECTOR OF NPO WITH ME AND HE AND I ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOUMAY HAVE. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU, RAZI. AND AS SOME OF YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THAT AAMPO COMMITTEE, AND AS WELL AS YOU MAY UNDERSTAND THIS, IT'S SIMPLY ENABLING AAMPO TO EXPAND ITS OPERATIONS INTO MEDINA COUNTY AND KENDALL COUNTY BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH IN THOSE AREAS AND THE ABILITY USING FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT COME TO AAMPO TO SERVICE THOSE AREAS FOR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS. IT ALSO EXPANDS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO HAVE ONE MORE SEAT ON THAT BOARD. SO COMMITTEE WHAT WE'RE DOING IS JUST ASKING THIS COMMITTEE TO JUST RECOMMEND IT GOES TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR APPROVAL.
SO ANY PARTICULAR QUESTIONS? >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU. OUTSIDE OF INCREASING THE AREA, I GUESS, UM, AND ADDING A SEAT FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS ON
MAYBE ADVOCACY EFFORTS OR ANY OF THE OTHER ROLES AND FUNCTIONS? >> MARTINEZ FROM NPO.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR, AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY ASKING THE BOUNDARY EXPANSION ITSELF ON? WELL, WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO THE BOUNDRY EXPANSION, FEDERAL ROLES KIND OF GUIDE HOW THE NPO BOUNDARY NEEDS TO BE SET, IT'S BASED ON FEDERAL CENSUS BOUNDARIES AS WELL. SO WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO THE BOUNDARY EXPANSION REGARDLESS WHETHER WE WANT IT OR NOT. AND I THINK THAT WE DO WANT IT, WE'RE A REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION BODY AND THERE ARE NEEDS, TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION.
AND OBVIOUSLY THE LARGER THE REGION GETS AND YOU MIGHT THINK THAT MEANS THAT IT'S DIMINISHING THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR SAN ANTONIO, BUT A LOT OF THE FUNDING THAT COMES TO THE NPO, ESPECIALLY FOR LARGE MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS DOES COME TO THE NPO BASED ON THE NPO BOUNDARY POPULATION, AND LANE MILES WITHIN THE NPO BOUNDARY AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS. SO AS WE EXPAND THE BOUNDARY WE'RE TAKING ON MORE PROBLEMS BUT IN RETURN HOPES TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDING BASED ON THE ADDITIONAL AREAS.
I WANT TO JUST CLARIFY, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR TODAY IS THE CITY AND FOR YOU TO AGREE TO MOVE TOWARD THE CITY COUNCIL THE TERMINATION OF THIS CONTINUING PHASE AGREEMENT.
THE CONTINUING PHASE AGREEMENT IS A DOCUMENT AS RAZI JUST OUTLINED THAT IS SIGNED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO VIA THEIR COUNTY AND TXDOT. AND IT WAS CREATED -- IT WAS USED TO STAND UP THE NPOS IN THE 1970S AND FOR FOUR DECADES THIS NPO WAS A BEAR COUNTY AND A CITY OF SAN ANTONIO NPO. AND SINCE THEN WE HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO COME OUT WITH GUADALUPE AND NOW MEDINA, AND WE ARE ASKING THAT THIS AGREEMENT GO AWAY.
THERE'S NO REASON FOR THOSE FOUR ENTITIES TO BE THE ONLY ONES TO MAKE MEMBERSHIP DECISIONS ON THE BOARD. AND THE BYLAWS OF THE ORGANIZATION CONTAIN THE EXACT SAME INFORMATION -- THE EXACT SAME INFORMATION AS THE AGREEMENT CONTAINS SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASK FOR EXAMPLE IT TO BE TERMINATED AND THAT'S THE ACTION THAT WE'RE ASKING OF THIS COMMITTEE. I WANT TO NOTE THAT BEAR COUNTYY AND VIA HAVE TAKEN ACTION TO TERMINATE AND I GOT AN UPDATE FROM TXDOT THAT THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS INFORMED THEIR STAFF THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO TERM NATE IT AS WELL ON THEIR OWN. SO THIS IS THE LAST SIGNATORY THAT WE'RE WAITING ON SO WE DO HOPE THAT YOU AGREE TO TERMINATE THE DOCUMENT AS WELL.
AND I DO WANT TO ALSO NOTE IN CASE -- BECAUSE I DID SEE SOMETHING SOMEWHERE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S A CONTRACT AND THAT YOU MAY BE LOSING SOME AUTHORITY IF YOU TERMINATE IT, HOWEVER, FEDERAL RULES DO REQUIRE THAT THE MAJORITY CITY, THE MAJORITY COUNTY -- WITHIN EACH OF THE NPOS -- HAVE MEMBERSHIP ON THE BOARD. SO THAT ALREADY SECURED MEMBERSHIP. AND IF WE'RE EXPANDING OR CHANGING THE BOARD SIGNIFICANTLY THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO DO THAT AS WELL.
SO THERE'S PROTECTIONS ALREADY FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY AND I WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR AND THAT'S WHY THIS AGREEMENT IS KIND OF REDUNDANT.
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT IT EXISTS AND WE CART IT OUT THOUGH OURS
ARE THE BY-LAWS THAT EVERYONE LOOKS FOR WITH THE MEMBERSHIP. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: EVERY QUESTION THAT I HAD, YOU JUST ANSWERED. THANK YOU, CHAIR.
>> COURAGE:COUNCILWOMAN, ANY QUESTIONS. SO THE MOTION WOULD BE THAT WE PASS ON TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT THEY AGREE TO TERMINATE THE PHASE ONE.
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RIGHT. OKAY, AND SO IS THERE A MOTION, PLEASE?>> KAUR: A MOTION TO DELAY. >> COURAGE: NO, NOT TO DELAY. THE MOTION MOVE WITH THE CITY COUNCIL TO ACT TO TERMINATE THE AGREEMENT. OKAY, AND A SECOND? OKAY. ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE.
DO WE HEAR YOU, COUNCILWOMAN? >> KAUR: AYE. >> COURAGE: I WASN'T SURE.
SO THE MOTION IS PASSED. I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES ALL OF THE ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY.
AND THANK YOU, COMMITTEE MEMBERS. WE ARE ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.