[00:00:06]
I ANTONIO IN SAN ANTONIO ESPAN.
THE TIME IS NOW 12:01 PM ON FRIDAY, JUNE 27TH, 2025, AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND THE GOAL SETTING COMMITTEE MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER.
THE CITY CLERK WILL CALL ROLE COUNCIL MEMBER CORE COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
[ ITEMS]
UH, SESSION WILL PROBABLY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, THAT WE DO HERE AS WE, UH, PROVIDE INITIAL GUIDANCE ON HOW WE WILL SPEND OTHER RESOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED TO US, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE TODAY, AS WELL AS SETTING OUR, OUR COMMUNITY UP FOR SUCCESS.UM, SO APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO, UH, TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
AND ERIC, PLEASE PROCEED WITH THE STAFF PRESENTATION.
UM, IF WE GO TO THE FIRST SLIDE, UM, LET ME JUST COVER HIGH LEVEL THE, OUR AGENDA.
UH, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH AN UPDATE TO THE COUNCIL, UH, ON OUR, ON OUR, UH, FINANCIAL POSITION.
UH, AND THIS IS UPDATED, UM, SINCE THE MID-YEAR BUDGET PRESENTATION THAT WE GAVE TO THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC.
WE'LL GO INTO FINANCIAL POLICIES, UM, WHICH WE'LL FOCUS IN, UH, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT REVENUE STRATEGIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR FINANCIAL, UH, POLICIES, UH, THAT WE'LL ASK THE COUNCIL TO REVIEW TODAY AND PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK ON.
UM, IT, IT'LL ALSO INCLUDE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CURRENT SITUATION ON OUR TAXABLE VALUES.
WE ARE SEEING A, A LITTLE BIT OF A SHIFT, SO WE'RE GONNA GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL IN THAT AREA.
WE'LL COVER THE RESULTS OF THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, UM, TALK ABOUT STRATEGY TO BALANCE FY 26 AND PLAN FOR 27.
UM, THEN OPEN IT UP FOR, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL DISCUSSION AND FEEDBACK.
AND THEN, UH, I'LL, I'LL ATTEMPT TO RECAP THIS UP WITH, UH, THE MAYOR AT THE END OF THE MEETING.
SO AS I MENTIONED, UH, WE'LL, TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS GONNA FOCUS ON, UM, WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW IN FISCAL YEAR 25 AND, UH, WHERE WE'RE PROJECTING IN 26, 20 AND 27.
UM, THE FORECAST, UH, THAT WAS PRESENTED, UH, IN MAY DOES HAVE DEFICITS BEGINNING IN 25.
UM, AND AS WE TALKED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, AND AS, AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, WE'LL GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE, UH, STRUCTURAL BALANCE OF THE GENERAL FUND AND, AND, UH, WHY THAT IS A GROWING ISSUE FOR US THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
UM, GENERALLY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA HEAR TODAY ALSO IS THAT, UH, REVENUES ARE, ARE GROWING SLOWER THAN OUR HISTORICAL GROWTH, WHICH GOES BACK TO OUR IMBALANCE.
UM, UM, CURRENT SITUATION, UM, NOT UNIQUE TO SAN ANTONIO.
UM, MANY OTHER TEXAS CITIES ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING, UM, PUSH AND PULLS IN BOTH SALES TAX AND PROPERTY TAX.
UM, SO WE'RE NOT UNIQUE, UM, IN THAT SENSE.
UM, AND THE OBJECTIVE OF TODAY IS TO OBTAIN POLICY DIRECTION AND FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALL, UH, TO HELP GUIDE THE PREPARATION OF THE BUDGET.
SO WITH THAT MAYOR, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO JUSTINA TO GO THROUGH THE FIRST SECTION WE ARE GOING AS WE GO THROUGH SECTIONS, UH, JUSTINA, TROY, ELLIOT, BEN GOEL.
AND THEN WE WILL, UH, GO INTO ALANA REED, THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, AND THEN I'LL PICK UP THE BACK END OF THE PRESENTATION.
AFTERNOON, MARON CITY COUNCIL.
I'M THE BUDGET DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
TODAY I'LL BEGIN WITH AN UPDATE ON
[00:05:01]
THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND EXPENSE PROJECTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 20 25, 20 26, AND 27.ON MAY 7TH, WE PRESENTED THE FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST, WHICH PROJECTED DEFICITS FROM FISCAL YEAR 25 THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2030.
SINCE THAT PRESENTATION, WE HAVE RECEIVED TWO ADDITIONAL MONTHS OF REVENUE DATA, WHICH HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO OUR FINANCIAL PICTURE.
LET ME START WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR CURRENT ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL UNCERTAINTIES THAT WE ARE FACING AFTER FALLING FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS.
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE DID IMPROVE IN MAY, HOWEVER, AS REPORTED ON JUNE 24TH, CONSUMER CONFIDENCE HAS DECLINED IN JUNE, LOSING ABOUT HALF OF WHAT WAS GAINED IN MAY.
THE FEDERAL RESERVE MET ON JUNE 18TH AND SAID THAT IT WOULD KEEP INTEREST RATES UNCHANGED FOR THE TIME BEING IN MAY, 2025.
WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO REPORTED THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE SAN ANTONIO AREA WAS 3.7%.
THIS IS A STILL LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, HOWEVER IT IS UP AS COMPARED TO APRIL, WHICH WAS 3.4%.
WITH CHANGES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, THERE'S STILL UNCERTAINTY AROUND FUNDING CONTINUED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS, INITIATIVES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
AS A REMINDER, THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR 2025, A ADOPTED BUDGET INCLUDES ABOUT 327 MILLION OF FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING, AND THIS PROVIDES FUNDING FOR 758 POSITIONS AT THIS TIME.
WE DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT, IF ANY, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL ON THESE GRANTS.
SO THE TRIAL BUDGET DOES NOT ASSUME LOSING ANY GRANT FUNDS.
AND FINALLY YOU'LL HEAR DURING THIS PRESENTATION AN UPDATE ON TWO BILLS THAT WERE PASSED DURING THE 89TH LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS, WHI, WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BOTH PROPERTY TAX AND OUR FOOD LIQUOR LICENSE REVENUE.
SO WANTED TO PROVIDE A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR GENERAL FUND REVISED BUDGET.
THE TOTAL BUDGET IS 1.6, $1.6 BILLION.
THE GENERAL FUND IS FUNDED FOR FROM FOUR MAIN REVENUE SOURCES.
THIS INCLUDES PROPERTY TAX, WHICH IS BUDGETED AT ABOUT $472 MILLION CPS, WHICH IS BUDGETED AT $459 MILLION.
AND AS A REMINDER, THE CITY RECEIVES 14% OF ALL CPS GAS AND ELECTRIC GROSS REVENUE AS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES AND SALES TAX IS BUDGETED AT $410 MILLION.
THE FINAL COMPONENT OF OUR REVENUES IS OUR OTHER RESOURCES, AND THIS IS COMPRISED OF EMS TRANSPORTS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND USER FEES.
THESE REVENUES COMBINED FROM THE BASIC SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CITY TO INCLUDE PUBLIC SAFETY AT ABOUT 61.9% OF THE GENERAL FUND, FOLLOWED BY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PARKS, THE REMAINING FUND SERVICES SUCH AS OUR LIBRARIES, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, AND CODE ENFORCEMENT.
THE NEXT SLIDE REFLECTS THE SPENDING IN THE GENERAL FUND BY PERSONNEL AND NON PERSONNEL COST.
AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE TABLE, ALMOST $113 MILLION OR 67, 66 0.7% OF THE GENERAL FUND IS RELATED TO SALARIES AND BENEFITS.
APPROXIMATELY 12.6% OR $210 MILLION PROVIDES FOR OUR TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES, INSURANCE, FUEL, AND OUR FLEET.
THE CONTRACTUAL SERVICE EXPENSE CATEGORY IS ABOUT 11.4% OR ABOUT $191 MILLION.
THIS FUND'S CONTRACTS SUCH AS OUR TOWING EXPENSES, AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONTRACTS VIA AND THE UT HEALTH CONTRACT.
FINALLY, OUR TRANSFERS ARE APPROXIMATELY 5.9% OF THE GENERAL FUND OR ABOUT 98.7%.
THIS INCLUDES FUNDS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT MATCH MATCHES, AND THE RESILIENCY ENERGY AND EFFICIENCY SUSTAINABILITY FUND.
THE NEXT SLIDE DETAILS OUT SOME OF OUR OTHER RESOURCES THAT WERE INDICATED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
A MAJORITY OF OUR OPERATING REVENUES COMES FROM PROPERTY TAX, SALES TAX AND THE CPS PAYMENT, AND THIS REFLECTS ABOUT 83% OF OUR REVENUES.
THE REMAINING 17% INCLUDES USER FEES AND OTHER CHARGES TO INCLUDE OUR EMS TRANSPORTS FEES, ALARM TOWING, AND RIVER BARGE.
ALSO, IT INCLUDES USER FEES SUCH AS OUR PARKS AND LIBRARIES AND SERVICE CHARGES FOR BIRTH AND DEATH, DEATH
[00:10:01]
CERTIFICATES.THE CITY HAS SOME FLEXIBILITY IN THESE USER FEES AND WE'LL BE REVIEWING THESE FOR POTENTIAL REVENUE CHANGES, SPECIFICALLY FOR MUNICIPAL COURT FINES AND FOOD RELATED FEES WITH THE CHANGE IN THE STATE LAW.
THE NEXT SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE OVERALL IMPACT OF OUR UPDATED REVENUES ON THE GENERAL FUND.
FOR OUR GENERAL FUND, OUR TOTAL REVENUE BUDGET IS ABOUT $1.6 BILLION.
WITH THE ADDITIONAL, UH, INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SINCE MAY, WE HAVE UPDATED OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS AND ANTICIPATE ENDING THE YEAR APPROXIMATELY $5 MILLION AHEAD OF OUR REVISED BUDGET.
THIS IS DRIVEN BY BETTER THAN ANTICIPATED SALES TAX FOR OUR JUNE CHECK, AS WELL AS BETTER CPS REVENUES AS A RESULT OF WEATHER AND FUEL.
BASED ON OUR UPDATED REVENUE AND EXPENSE PROJECTION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE GENERAL FUND FINANCIAL POSITION IS ABOUT $8.1 MILLION BETTER THAN AT THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST.
THIS IS PRIMARILY DUE, AS I MENTIONED, FROM BETTER REVENUES AND SLIGHTLY LESS EXPENSE.
AS DEPARTMENTS CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR EXPENSES AS PART OF OUR FINANCIAL PRACTICES.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR ON A MONTHLY BASIS BOTH REVENUES AND EXPENSES AND WE'LL UPDATE PROJECTIONS AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS RECEIVED AND THESE UPDATED PROJECTIONS WILL BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 PROPOSED BUDGET.
IN THE NEXT SLIDE, I WANTED TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE TWO BILLS THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTED OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUES.
FIRST IS SB, I'M SORRY, HB NINE, WHICH EXEMPTS 125,000 IN BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX.
I DO WANNA NOTE THAT THIS IS PENDING VOTER APPROVAL IN NOVEMBER.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THIS WOULD REDUCE OUR PROPERTY TAX BY ABOUT $5.6 MILLION AND WILL IMPACT OUR FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET.
SECOND IS SB 1008, AND THIS PROHIBITS A MUNICIPALITY FROM ASSESSING BOTH A LIQUOR AND FOOD LICENSE ON THE SAME ESTABLISHMENT.
ONLY ONE OF THE TWO CAN BE ASSESSED AND IT ALSO ESTABLISHES MAXIMUM AMOUNTS FOR FOOD RELATED FEES AND PERMITS.
AS A RESULT OF THIS BILL, WE ARE ANTICIPATING A LOSS IN THE GENERAL FUND OF ABOUT $1.9 MILLION.
THIS NEXT SLIDE COMBINES THOSE ASSUMPTIONS INTO THE TRIAL BUDGET.
THE TRIAL BUDGET IS BASED UPON UPDATED REVENUES AND EXPENSE PROJECTIONS AND INCLUDES THE IMPACT OF THE STATE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.
BASED ON THIS UPDATE, FISCAL YEAR 2025 IS BALANCED, HOWEVER, FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27 CONTINUE TO HAVE A DEFICIT AND WE ARE NOT STRUCTURALLY BALANCED IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WITH THIS, I WILL TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO TROY ELLIOT, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
AS JUSTINA SAID, MY NAME'S TROY ELLIOTT, I'M THE CITY'S CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, AND I OVERSEE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, ALL THE FINANCE RELATED ACTIVITIES, ACCOUNTING AND PROCUREMENT FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
I'D LIKE TO START MY PRESENTATION JUST PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF OUR CITY'S FINANCIAL POLICIES.
UM, EACH YEAR AS WE START THE BUDGET PROCESS AND KICK OFF WITH GOAL SETTING, WE PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THESE, UH, FINANCIAL POLICIES, LOOKING FOR AN AFFIRMATION, HAVE A REVIEW AND DISCUSSION, AND ULTIMATELY ADOPTING THESE FINANCIAL POLICIES.
BEFORE DIVING INTO THE DETAILED POLICIES, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THESE FINANCIAL POLICIES.
THESE POLICIES ESTABLISHED POLICY GUIDANCE ON FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR BUDGET AND THE ONGOING FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DURING THE YEAR.
THEY PROVIDE COHESIVE POLICIES AND PRACTICES AND ARE CRITICAL TO MAINTAINING A STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION.
AS WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE ECONOMY HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT VOLATILE WITH COD PROPERTY VALUES ESCALATING AND DECLINING NOW.
UM, AND THESE, UH, UH, FINANCIAL POLICIES PROVIDE US THE FLEXIBILITY, UH, TO ADAPT TO CHANGING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND ALLOWS OUR CITY CONTINUE TO PERFORM WELL AND FINANCIALLY.
UM, THESE FINANCIAL POLICIES, POLICIES ARE TAILORED TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND THEY ALSO PROVIDE A KEY ELEMENT IN, UM, MAINTAINING OUR CITY'S EXCELLENT BOND RATINGS.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR CITY'S BOND RATINGS, WE HAVE AAA FROM MOODY'S, WE HAVE AAA FROM STANDARD AND POS, AND WE HAVE A DOUBLE, UM, DOUBLE A PLUS FROM FITCH WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK.
THAT POSITIVE OUTLOOK WITH FITCH MEANS THAT WE ARE IN THE TRA TRAJECTORY TO AAA, UM, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO EVALUATE US AND THESE POLICIES ARE, UM, UM, GO A LONG WAY IN ACTUALLY ESTABLISHING THOSE AAA RATINGS.
DIVING DOWN INTO THE ACTUAL SPECIFIC CURRENT FINANCIAL POLICIES, AND I'LL GO THROUGH THESE RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS MAINTAIN A GENERAL FUND ENDING BALANCE OF 15%.
[00:15:01]
UM, AS CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, WE TALKED ABOUT WE'RE CURRENTLY STRUCTURALLY IMBALANCED.ONE OF OUR POLICIES IS TO MAINTAIN THAT STRUCTURAL BALANCE AS WE DEVELOP THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND THE TWO YEAR PLAN, UM, MAKING SURE THAT OUR REVENUES ALIGNED WITH OUR EXPENDITURES AND OUR SPENDING.
AND IT'S JUSTINA WAS TALKING ABOUT IS MAINTAINING A TWO YEAR BUDGET PLAN FOR THE GENERAL FUND ALONG WITH OUR ADOPT PLAN.
SO WE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE IN THE SECOND YEAR AND THEN SPECIFICALLY THE PROPERTY TAX.
AND I'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON THIS, UM, IN THE SECOND PART OF MY PRESENTATION.
BUT ANNUAL ANNUALLY REVIEW THE IMPACT OF STATE IMPOSED 3.5% PROPERTY TAX CAP UNDER SB TWO, ITS IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY.
PROVIDE A RECOMMENDATION ON WHETHER TO ADJUST THE PROPERTY TAX RATE.
ALSO MY PRESENTATION A FEW MINUTES, I'LL SPEND SOME TIME ON PROPERTY RELIEF, UM, AND WHAT THE IMPACT ACT IS TO OUR, UM, HOMEOWNERS, BUT WE ALSO ANNUAL REVIEW PROPERTY TAX RELIEF WITH THE FOCUS ON OUR HOMEOWNERS.
THE NEXT ITEM IS ANNUAL REVIEW AND PERIODICALLY ADJUST FEES AND CHARGES, PROVIDE FOR COST RECOVERY, CONSUMER RELIEF AND OR ALIGNMENT WITH POLICY GOALS.
AND AS JUSTINA SHOWED YOU ON SLIDE SIX, THAT SPINNING WHEEL PUBLIC SAFETY IS CURRENTLY AT ABOUT 61.9%.
THIS, UM, POLICY FOCUSES ON MAINTAINING PUBLIC SAFETY SPENDING BELOW 60, 60% OF THE GENERAL FUND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A BALANCED APPROACH BETWEEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND OUR OPERATIONS, UM, RECORDED IN THE GENERAL FUND.
THE SECOND TO LAST IS MAINTAIN A $3 MILLION CONTINGENCY IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
AND THEN FINALLY ON THIS PAGE, UM, ADDRESS INTERNAL SERVICE DEFICITS WITHIN THREE TO FIVE YEARS.
AND WHAT THAT LAST BULLET MEANS IS WE MANAGE OUR SELF-INSURANCE FUNDS, OUR WORKERS' COMP, OUR LIABILITY, OUR AUTO, AND OUR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.
SOMETIMES THOSE FUNDS ARE FAIRLY VOLATILE DUE TO AN ANTICIPATED CLAIM GROWTH AND THE ANALYSIS, UM, FOR OUR LIABILITIES ON OUR ACTUARIAL STUDIES.
IN THE EVENT THAT THERE IS A DEFICIT, WE DON'T WANNA SOLVE IT AND HAVE THE IMPACT ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION ALL IN ONE YEAR.
BUT THIS POLICY ALLOWS US TO ADDRESS THOSE DEFICITS AND SMOOTH SOLVING THOSE DEFICITS OVER THREE TO FIVE YEARS.
THIS POLICY IS, UM, ALSO LOOKED AT IN ADDITION TO OUR RATING AGENCIES PROVIDING AND OUR AUDITORS AS WELL WITH RESPECT TO THE INTERNAL FUND DEFICITS.
THE LAST POLICY I'LL TALK ABOUT, UM, THAT'S RELATED PRIMARILY TO THE GENERAL FUND AS WELL IS GONNA BE OUR CITY PAYMENT FROM CPS IN THE 14%.
UH, THERE'S A COUPLE POLICIES.
OVERARCHING POLICY THOUGH IS TO ANNUALLY ASSESS THE CITY'S PAYMENT FROM CPS ENERGY TO DETERMINE THE PORTION, IF ANY, DEEMED TO BE UNUSUAL OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND ONE TIME IN NATURE.
AND ALSO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE AMOUNT TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION FACTORS SUCH AS OUR ECONOMIC CONDITION, OUR OVERALL FINANCIAL POSITION, THE IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY, THE BENEFIT TO COMMUNITY AND RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP.
THERE ARE TWO COMPONENTS TO THIS FINANCIAL POLICY.
THE FIRST IS THE BASE BUDGET COMPONENT, AND WHEN WE BUILD OUR BASE BUDGET, IT ROLLS INTO THE ADOPTED BUDGET.
UM, THAT'S BASED ON GINA TALKED, UM, JUSTINA TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF THOSE FACTORS.
WE LOOK AT WEATHER, WE LOOK AT RATE, WE LOOK AT FUEL PRICES, ALL THOSE, UH, CUSTOMER GROWTH.
AND THAT GOES INTO DEVELOPING OUR BASE BUDGET.
IN THE EVENT SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT IS UNUSUAL OR OUT OF THE ORDINARY THAT CAUSE US TO EXCEED THAT BASE BUDGET BY 10% BY POLICY, WE'LL BRING THAT RECOMMENDATION BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND THAT EX THAT EXCESS, WE'LL HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH COUNCIL ABOUT HOW WE HANDLE THAT EXCESS.
UM, UNDER THIS POLICY, IT WOULD GO TO CPS ENERGY FOR RESILIENCY AND RELIABILITY PROJECTS, ARTURO REEF FUND, CITIES RE UH, RESILIENCY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY FUND.
ON THE OTHER SIDE, UM, OUR SYSTEM SELLS THIS IS A LITTLE MORE VOLATILE.
LOOKING BACK HISTORICALLY OVER TIME, WE TYPICALLY GENERATE ABOUT $10 MILLION IN OFF SYSTEM SELL.
SO THIS POLICY PUTS A CAP IN PLACE ON OFF SYSTEM SALES.
ANYTHING ABOVE THAT $10 MILLION WE RESERVE IN A CAPITAL RESERVE FUND, THOSE AMOUNTS ARE RESERVED TO THE END OF THE YEAR.
IN THE EVENT THAT OUR BASE BUDGET UNDERPERFORMS BELOW OUR ADOPTED BUDGET, WE CAN ACTUALLY SOLVE THAT REDUCTION OR THAT DIFFERENCE OR THAT VARIANCE BY PULLING FROM THIS CAPITAL RESERVE FUND TO KEEP THE CITY WHOLE.
IN TERMS OF OUR CITY, UM, CITY PAYMENT, ADOPTED BUDGET OR BASE BUDGET, ANY AMOUNTS LEFT OVER, THEY CAN BE USED AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE OVERARCHING POLICY, UM, LOOKING AT OUR FINANCIAL POSITION OR IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY.
AND IT ALSO CAN BE PROVIDED TO CPS FOR RESILIENCY PROJECTS AS WELL.
UH, BEN GOZA IS GONNA GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL IN THE FUTURE PRESENTATION, UM, ABOUT THIS POLICY SPECIFICALLY.
NEXT, I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, OUR CITY OF PROPERTY TAX.
AS I MENTIONED IN OUR CITY POLICIES, THERE WERE TWO ITEMS THAT WE SPECIFICALLY LOOK AT WITH RESPECT TO PROPERTY TAX AND PROPERTY TAX VALUES.
AND JUST TO RESTATE THOSE, WE ANNUALLY REVIEW THE IMPACT OF OUR STATE IMPOSED 3.5% PROPERTY TAX CAP, UM, ON SERVICE DELIVERY, AND THE OPTION TO ADJUST THE TAX RATE.
AND WE'LL TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THAT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL SLIDES.
AND ALSO THE IMPACT, UM, ON OUR, UM, HOMESTEAD, OUR RESIDENTIAL HOMESTEADS.
[00:20:01]
RELIEF, I THOUGHT IT'D BE BENEFICIAL TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE BUILDING BLOCKS THAT WE LOOK AT AND WE ANALYZE AS WE DEVELOP OUR PROPERTY TAX RATE AND OUR PROPERTY REVENUES AND OUR ESTIMATES.THERE'S SEVERAL PIECES TO THAT.
WE HAVE THE KEY STATUTORY PROVISIONS BY THE STATE THAT WE OPERATE WITHIN.
AND THE NEXT THREE SLIDES, I'LL GO THROUGH THOSE, TALK ABOUT THE EXEMPTIONS THAT WE PROVIDE, TALK ABOUT HOW THE STATUTORY, UM, SB TWO IMPACTS OUR RATES, TALKS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN VALUE GROWTH, AND THEN PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER WITH AN ESTIMATE TODAY BASED ON WHAT OUR RATES, WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE IN TERMS OF PROVIDING PROPERTY TAX RATES AND WHAT THE REVENUE IS THAT PRODUCED.
I'LL KEEP IN MIND AS I GO THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION, WE ARE A MONTH AWAY FROM RECEIVING THE CERTIFIED ROLE.
SO A LOT OF THE NUMBERS AND TAX RATES AND ESTIMATES YOU'RE GONNA SEE WILL CHANGE IS BASED ON OUR BEST AVAILABLE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AND THAT WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE AS WE GET TO THE CERTIFIED ROLE IN THE END OF JANUARY.
FIRST OF ALL, ON THIS SLIDE, THERE'S TWO PIECES AND WHEN IT COMES TO HOMESTEADS, HOMESTEADS IN TEXAS ARE LIMITED TO 10% GROWTH.
AND THAT WAS KEY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
'CAUSE WITH THE DRASTIC, UM, GROWTH WE SAW IN OUR HOMESTEAD VALUES, THIS IS, UM, TANTAMOUNT TO A CIRCUIT BREAKER.
SO IN THE EVENT HOMESTEADS ARE GROWING AT 15%, FOR EXAMPLE, BY THIS STATUTE OR BY THIS, THIS AMOUNT, THEY CAN ONLY GROW UP TO 10%.
THAT 5% ABOVE IS BANKED AND IT'S ROLLED FORWARD TO FUTURE PERIODS.
SO ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, AND THIS DOES PRESENT SOME CONFUS, SOME CONFUSION SOMETIMES TO OUR TAXPAYERS AND SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS.
'CAUSE IN A PERIOD OF PREVIOUSLY HAVING HIGH GROWTH AND NOW WE'RE MOVING TO A PERIOD OF LOW GROWTH, THEIR MARKET VALUES MAY BE COMING DOWN, BUT THAT BANK TAX VALUE MAY BE ROLLING FORWARD.
SO THE MARKET VALUE'S GOING DOWN, BUT THEIR TAXABLE VALUES MAY STILL BE GOING UP.
SO THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A KEY PROVISION IN LIMITING THE AMOUNT THAT OUR VALUES CAN GROW EVERY YEAR FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
THE SECOND ONE IS SENATE BILL TWO.
THIS IS ONE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, SPECIFICALLY IN OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
IN 2019, THIS WAS PUT IN PLACE AND IMPACTED OUR FISCAL YEAR 2020.
IT REDUCES THE PROPERTY TAX ROLL BA ROLLBACK RATE OR WHAT WAS FORMALLY CALLED THE ROLLBACK RATE AND CHANGE THE NAME TO THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, WHICH IS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT UNDER STATE LAW.
WE CAN INCREASE OUR PROPERTY TAX REVENUES, WHICH IS 3.5%, PREVIOUSLY 8%.
IT'S ONLY APPLICABLE TO OUR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE.
THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE IS WHAT FUNDS OUR GENERAL FUND.
ROUGHLY THE 472 MILLION THAT THAT JUSTINA WAS TALKING ABOUT, THERE'S TWO COMP, THERE'S TWO COMPONENTS TO THE TAX RATE.
I'LL TALK ABOUT THE OTHER ONE LATER, LATER.
ONE IS THE M AND O OR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, AND THE OTHER ONE IS THE DEBT SERVICE FOR PURPOSE OF SENATE BILL TWO, IT ONLY FOCUSES ON THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS PORTION OF THE TAX RATE.
THIS STATE ALLOWED RATE APPLIES ONLY TO BASE VALUE GROWTH.
IT DOES NOT APPLY TO NEW IMPROVEMENTS, NEW IMPROVEMENTS AROUND UNCAPPED EVERY YEAR AND CONTINUE TO GROW.
IT ONLY CAPS OUR BASE VALUE GROWTH.
THE CITY IS ALLOWED TO GO UP TO 3.5%.
AND IN WORKING WITH THE STATE DURING THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS LEGISLATION, THAT WAS PURPOSEFUL TO BASICALLY ALLOW CITIES, MUNICIPALITIES, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS GROWTH UNDERNEATH SB TWO UP TO 3.5%.
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT TO SUSTAIN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
THERE'S REALLY TWO COMPONENTS TO THIS IN PERIODS OF HIGH VALUE GROWTH, THE WAY IT WORKS AND THE WAY SV TWO WORKS, WHEN THAT VALUE GROWTH IS GOING UP, IT WILL ACTUALLY REDUCE THE TAX RATE TO CAP OUR TAX REVENUE AT 3.5%.
SO IT ALLOWS YOU TO GROW UP TO 3.5% IN PERIODS OF LOW GROWTH OR STAGNANT OR STABLE GROWTH LIKE WE'RE SOMEWHAT EXPERIENCING TODAY, WHEN WE DEVELOP THE TAX RATE, THE TAX RATE WILL BE UNDER THIS MAXIMUM CAP, BUT IT ALLOWS, THE STATE STATUTE ALLOWS COUNCIL THE ABILITY TO RAISE THAT RATE UP TO THAT 3.5% TO BASICALLY SUSTAIN MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS DUE TO INFLATION.
OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAIN AGREEMENT GROWTH AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND I'LL SHOW YOU SOME EXAMPLES IN THE, IN THE, IN THE LATTER PART OF THE PRESENTATION IN ADDITION TO THE 3.5% CAP, THIS LEGISLATION ALSO RECOGNIZES THAT IN THE EVENT THAT YOU ADOPT A TAX RATE THAT IS BELOW THE MAXIMUM CAP OF 3.5%, SO WE CAN ACTUALLY THAT MARGIN BETWEEN THE ADOPTED TAX RATE AND THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE OR THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE THAT CAN BE RULED FORWARD FOR A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS AND BANKED IN THE EVENT THAT WE NEED IT TO SUSTAIN MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS.
COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS IN THE LEGISLATION, UH, LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEFORE LAST VOTERS APPROVED, UM, A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT, TEXAS PROPOSITION FOUR.
THIS SIMILAR TO THE 10% WE TALKED ABOUT ON RESIDENTIAL HOMESTEADS.
THIS BASICALLY CAPS ALL NON-HOMESTEAD REAL ESTATE PROPERTY VALUED UNDER 5 MILLION OR LESS TO A 20% APPRAISAL INCREASE PER YEAR.
[00:25:01]
WORKS THE SAME WAY AS WHAT I JUST EXPLAINED ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE.THIS WAS PUT IN PLACE AS A THREE YEAR PILOT PROGRAM.
IT STARTED IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.
THE LEGISLATURE DID, UM, LOOK AT IT DURING THIS LAST LEAD SESSION.
NO LEGISLATION PASSED TO AMEND IT.
UH, SUSPECT THAT IN THE NEXT LEG LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT THERE'LL BE ACTION TO EITHER MODIFY THIS OR EXTEND IT BEYOND THE THREE YEAR PILOT PROGRAM.
THE OTHER WOR UM, ITEM OF NOTE IN THE 88 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS, UM, THE TAX EXEMPTION FOR CHILDCARE FACILITIES AMENDMENT.
THIS IS A LOCAL OPTION FOR MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, IT AUTHORIZES A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY TO GRANT A PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION TO A QUALIFYING CHILDCARE FACILITY.
A QUALIFYING CHILD CARE FACILITY JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION BASICALLY HAS TO BE LICENSED BY THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION TO PROVIDE CHILDCARE, PARTICIPATE IN THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION'S TEXAS RISING STAR PROGRAM AND AT LEAST 20% OF CHILDREN ENROLLED RECEIVE SUBSIDIZED SUBSIDIZED CHILDCARE SERVICES.
AND ON THE NEXT SLIDE I'LL SHOW YOU, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL IN THE PRIOR YEAR FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.
ASTINA JUST MENTIONED HB NINE WAS PASSED.
IT EXEMPTS, UM, UP TO $125,000 OF APPRAISED VALUE OF BUSINESS, TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY FROM THE CURRENT EXEMPTION OF $2,500.
IF THIS IS PASSED BY THE VOTERS AS A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
UM, IT'LL BE EFFECTIVE AT JANUARY 1ST, 2026 UPON APPROVAL BY THE VOTERS, WHICH WOULD IMPACT OUR TAX YEAR, OUR FISCAL YEAR 2027.
ALSO, AS JUSTINA MENTIONED, UM, THIS WOULD DECREASE OUR REVENUE BY ABOUT $5.6 BILLION AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THROUGH SOME OF OUR ESTIMATES IN THE FUTURE.
TO PUT THAT IN CONTEXT, CURRENTLY THERE'S ABOUT 37,700 ACCOUNTS ON BUSINESS PROPERTY ACCOUNTS.
UNDER THE $2,500 EXEMPTION, IT EXEMPTED ABOUT 5,600 ACCOUNTS.
WITH THIS CURRENT EXEMPTION IN PLACE, IT EXEMPTS UP TO 29,000, 29,000 ACCOUNTS.
SO IT MOVES THE NEEDLE QUITE A BIT IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF EXEMPTION.
WHO'S GETTING THOSE EXEMPTIONS.
THE LAST ITEM, UH, I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IS SB 9 73.
AND BEFORE MOVING INTO THIS ONE, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.
BUT LAST YEAR, THE MIDDLE OF LAST, UH, MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR, THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD WAS MODIFIED BASED ON STATE STATUTE.
IT ALLOWS THE, IT ALLOWS THREE, THE ADDITION OF THREE BOARD MEMBERS, UM, THAT ARE AT LARGE AND THEY'RE ELECTED IN A GENERAL ELECTION.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE FIVE BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE APPOINTED BY THE TAXING ENTITIES.
AND THEN YOU ALSO HAVE THE TAX COUNTIES TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR THAT IS ON THAT BOARD GIVEN THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE CHANGE.
UM, THEY TOOK ACTION DURING, DURING, UM, DURING ONE OF THEIR SESSIONS IN SEPTEMBER, BASICALLY TO MODIFYING THE APPRAISAL PROCESS AND WHAT THEY DID AS A NEWLY ORGANIZED BOARD.
UH, LEMME BACK UP A LITTLE BIT.
THE BCAD IS ACTUALLY REQUIRED TO ADOPT AN APPRAISAL PLAN EVERY TWO YEARS.
THEY ADOPTED THAT APPRAISAL PLAN LAST SEPTEMBER WITH MODIFICATIONS TO IT.
UH, THE APPROVED PLAN REQUIRED THE CHIEF APPRAISER TO SKIP A YEAR OF APPRAISALS FOR PROPERTIES IN WHICH THE OWNER SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGED THEIR VALUATION.
BASICALLY, IT'S ESSENTIALLY GRANTING A ONE YEAR REPRIEVE ON VALUE GROWTH IN THE NEXT YEAR.
SO BASICALLY IT WOULD HOLD FOR ANYBODY ENTERING INTO A PROTEST, THEY WOULD BASICALLY GET A ONE YEAR BUY OR REPRIEVE AND THEIR VALUE WOULD STAY THE SAME FOR TWO YEARS.
THAT COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACTS ON OUR VALUATIONS.
UM, THE STATE RECOGNIZED THAT AND AS A RESULT, THEY PUT IN PLACE THIS LEG LEGISLATION SB 9 73 THAT PROHIBITS THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS FROM APPROVING A REAPPRAISAL PLAN THAT PREVENTS THE CHIEF APPRAISER FROM APPRAISING PROPERTY AS OF JANUARY ONE MORE OR LESS SAYING YOU HAVE TO APPROVE PROPERTY ANNUALLY EVERY YEAR ON JANUARY 1ST.
THERE'S NO ABILITY TO PROVIDE A BUY, UM, FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN PROTEST.
MOVING INTO, UM, CURRENT CITY PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, A LITTLE BIT OF KIND OF THE HISTORY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH OUR EXEMPTIONS.
AND THERE'S TWO TYPE OF EXEMPTIONS.
THERE'S THE LOCAL EXEMPTIONS, BA BASED UNDER STATE STATUTE, US CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN ADJUST.
YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO ADJUST.
THERE'S ALSO THE STATE EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE ALLOWED BY THE STATE.
AN EXAMPLE OF A STATE EXEMPTION WOULD BE DISABLED VETERANS, UM, THAT THEY CONTROL.
THE EXEMPTIONS AS A LOCAL EXEMPTIONS ARE GONNA BE OUR HOMESTEAD, OUR OVER 65, OUR DISABLED PERSONS EXEMPTION, AND THE CHILDCARE FACILITY EXEMPTION.
THEN WE ALSO HAVE A TAX FREEZE AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
WE FIRST DIPPED OUR TOE INTO THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION IN 2020 WITH A 0.01% EXEMPTION THAT EQUATES TO A FLAT $5,000 IN 2023.
THE EXEMPTION INCREASED FROM THAT AMOUNT UP TO 10%.
AND IN 2024, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION INCREASED FROM 10% TO 20%.
20% IS THE MAXIMUM OF THE EXEMPTION UNDER STATE LAW.
WE CAN'T GO ABOVE THAT AND IT'S BASED ON OUR PERCENTAGE.
AND THIS WAS PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS AND PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO OUR, FOR OUR HOMESTEADS
[00:30:01]
DUE TO THE RAPID INCREASE IN HOME VALUES.ALSO IN 2025, APPROVED IN 24 WAS THE CHILDCARE FACILITY EXEMPTION UP TO A HUNDRED PERCENT.
THE BASE OF THAT EXEMPTION IS 50%.
UH, COUNCIL CHOSE TO MOVE THAT UP TO A HUNDRED PERCENT.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR OVER 65 EXEMPTION.
HIS IN 23, IT INCREASED FROM 65,000 TO 85,000 AND OUR DISABLED PERSON'S EXEMPTION INCREASED FROM 12,585,000.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST BENEFITS TO OUR RESIDENTS THAT WE HAVE IS THIS BOND BOX DOWN HERE CALLED THE TAX FREEZE.
WHEN YOU TURN 65, YOU NOT ONLY RECEIVE THE OVER 65 EXEMPTION OF $85,000, BUT YOUR CITY TAX BILL FREEZES.
SO IT REALLY INSULATES OUR OVER 65 POPULATION FROM ANY VALUE INCREASES OR ANY PROPERTY TAX INCREASES 'CAUSE THEIR BILL IS FROZEN.
UNLESS THEY PROVIDE A NEW IMPROVEMENT TO THEIR HOME, THEY WILL PAY THE SAME AMOUNT TO YEAR OVER YEAR.
THERE ARE, UM, IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THERE ARE ONLY TWO OTHER CITIES.
WE HAVE THE CITY OF CORPUS AND FORT WORTH THAT PROVIDE, UM, A TAX FREEZE.
THE OTHER CITIES LIKE AUSTIN AND HOUSTON DON'T PROVIDE THOSE.
SO IN ORDER TO KEEP UP WITH INFLATION, THEY HAVE TO CONSTANTLY INCREASE THAT EXEMPTION, UM, EVERY YEAR TO BASICALLY KEEP UP P ALSO PROVIDING YOU JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT LOOK.
SO THE VALUE OF THOSE EXEMPTIONS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT EQUATE TO ABOUT $157.3 MILLION OF OUR LAST PRELIMINARY INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE BCA.
AS FAR AS HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, WE HAVE ABOUT 257,000 HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS.
THOSE PROVIDE OVER $80 MILLION IN RELIEF TO OUR LOCAL HOMESTEADS.
OUR OVER 65 EXEMPTION, WE HAVE ABOUT 113,000 EXEMPTIONS AS WELL EQUATING TO ABOUT 50,000 IN THE OVERRATED 65 EXEMPTION WITH ANOTHER 25 MILLION IN TAX FREEZE.
AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT 113,000 COMPARED TO THE OVERALL EXEMPTIONS.
THAT MEANS ABOUT 44% OF OUR HOMESTEADS ARE OVER 65 AND FROZEN IN TERMS OF THEIR TAX BILL.
JUST FOR CONTEXT, UH, 5,400, UM, ACCOUNTS FOR THOSE EXEMPTIONS AND 116 DURING THEIR CHILDCARE FACILITY TURNING, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A SENSE OF THE HISTORICAL TAX RATE AND THIS, UM, BASICALLY PROVIDES AN EXAMPLE OF US TALKING ABOUT UNDER SB TWO DURING PERIODS OF HIGH VALUE GROWTH.
SO WHEN FFY FY 2022 HAD ABOUT A 35% TAX RATE DUE TO THE HIGH VALUE GROWTH AND DUE TO THAT THREE 3.5% CAP, THE TAX RATE IN 2022 WAS REDUCED TO 33 CENTS TO CAP OUR GROWTH AT THAT, AT THAT 3.5% OF, OF REVENUE GROWTH.
2024 IT ALSO WENT DOWN AS WELL.
UH, COUNCIL DID CHOOSE TO PICK UP, UM, ALSO INCLUDE THE UNUSED INCREMENT FROM THE PRIOR YEAR AND ROLL THAT FORWARD.
AND THEN WE MAINTAINED OUR TAX RATE INTO 2025.
AS I MENTIONED, OUR TAX RATE IS COMPRISED OF THE TWO COMPONENTS, OUR M AND O TAX RATE THAT FUNDS OUR GENERAL FUND AND OUR DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE THAT FUNDS OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM.
AND AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS AND THE WORK SESSIONS, WE'LL DO A, UM, A WORK SESSION SPECIFIC TO OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM AND THE DEBT SERVICE, UM, DEBT SERVICE RATE.
I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE ABOUT TRUTH AND TAXATION AND OUR SENATE BILL TWO, WHAT IS TRUTH AND TAXATION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS TNT.
THESE ARE OUR TEXAS LAW, THE ENSURE TRANSPARENCY.
THEY HAVE PUBLIC NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.
WE WILL HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE AND ALSO TALK GIVES US REQUIREMENTS ABOUT WHEN AND WHEN, NOT WHEN WE CAN'T, UM, INCREASE THE PROPERTY TAX RATE.
THERE'S SEVERAL RATES THAT YOU'LL HEAR US TALK ABOUT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES WHEN IT COMES TO OUR T AND T CALC.
UM, ONE IS THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE.
THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE IS DESIGNED TO GENERATE THE SAME MAINTENANCE AND OPERATE REVENUE AS THE PRIOR YEAR WITH CERTAIN ADJUSTMENTS.
SO BASICALLY IT DEVELOPS A RATE THAT COMPARES THE REVENUE RECEIVED IN THE PRIOR YEAR COMPARED TO OUR TAX BASE AND DEVELOPS A RATE THAT BASICALLY SAYS WITH CERTAIN ADJUSTMENTS, THIS TO PRODUCE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE AS YOU, UM, HAD IN THE PRIOR YEAR.
THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, AS I MENTIONED, THE STATE ALLOWS US TO GO UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 3.5%.
THAT 3.5% IS CALCULATED AS ABOVE THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE.
UM, IF WE GO ABOVE THE 3.5%, IT WOULD REQUIRE AN ELECTION.
THE ONLY TIME IT WOULD NOT REQUIRE AN ELECTION IS IF WE WENT ABOVE THE 3.5% FOR ANY USE OF UNUSED INCREMENT.
AND I TALK ABOUT THE UNUSED INCREMENT.
AGAIN, AGAIN, WHAT IT IS THAT REQUIRES US OR ALLOWS US TO USE ANY PRIOR YEAR.
UNUSED INCREMENT FOR TAX RATES ADOPTED UNDER 3.5% IN THE PRIOR YEAR BEFORE MOVING INTO OUR REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS.
UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR TAXABLE VALUE GROWTH AND WORKING WITH THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
WE'RE 2025, WE'RE FOCUSED ON ABOUT 4.2% GROWTH AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW THAT'S OUTLINED ABOVE ABOUT 2.7% IN OUR BASE GROWTH.
NEW IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE TO BE HEALTHY ABOUT 1.6% AND THOSE NEW IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE INTO
[00:35:01]
FY 26 AT 1.75% ON THE BASE FOR 2026 WORKING WITH THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT AS WE GET INFORMATION FROM THEM, AS WE'RE MAKING ESTIMATES FOR THOSE PROTESTS THAT ARE CONTINUING TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH BCAD AS WE LOOK AT ESTIMATED LITIGATION, AS WE LOOK AT ESTIMATED EXEMPTION GROWTH, OUR REVENUE BETWEEN 25 TO 26 AS RELATIVELY FLAT ON THE BASE.AS WE COMPARE THAT TO 27, WE KIND OF CONTINUE THAT ASSUMPTION, KEEPING IT FLAT, BUT THAT 1% DECLINE IS PURELY RELATED TO HB NINE AND THE, UM, THE PASSAGE OF THAT IN 2027 WHEN WE SEE THAT IMPACT TO BEGIN.
SO LOOKING AT THE BOTTOM LINE, IT KIND OF SHOWS THE PICTURE OF WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE.
AGAIN, THIS WILL CHANGE AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION FROM BCAD GOING FROM 4% DOWN TO ROUGHLY HALF PERCENT GROWTH IN 2027.
AS I MENTIONED, UNDER THOSE TRUTH AND TAXATION CALCULATIONS, THIS GIVES YOU A PICTURE OF WHAT THOSE RATES ARE BASED ON OUR BEST ESTIMATES RIGHT NOW, THE COMPARISON TO OUR CURRENT TAX RATE, AND THESE ARE THE OPTIONS UNDER OUR CURRENT ESTIMATE THAT COUNCIL COULD MOVE TO IF THEY WANTED TO.
YOU CAN MOVE UP TO THE MAXIMUMS OR YOU CAN MOVE TO ANY RATE IN BETWEEN OR BELOW THOSE MAXIMUM RATES.
SO LOOKING AT THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE IS SLIGHTLY BELOW OUR CURRENT RATE AT 33 CENTS OR 32.60 CENTS VERSUS OUR CURRENT RATE OF 33 CENTS.
IF WE WENT UP TO THE STATE ALLOWED RATE BASED ON OUR, BASED ON OUR CALCULATIONS, IT GOES UP TO THAT 0.34, WHICH IS ROUGHLY ABOUT 1.60 CENTS.
CONTINUING ADDING IN THE UNUSED INCREMENT FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
WE GO UP SLIGHTLY MORE ABOUT HALF A CENT TO THE 34, UH, 0.342.
AND THEN WE MOVING INTO OUR TWO YEAR PLAN.
WE'D ALSO LOOK AT GROWING THAT ANOTHER TH 3.5% AND YOU'LL SEE HOW THE IMPACT OF THAT ON THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF REVENUE GROWTH IF COUNCIL CHOSE TO PURSUE ONE OF THESE OPTIONS OR SOMETHING IN BETWEEN? IF WE STAYED AT THE CURRENT RATE COMPARED TO OUR TRIAL BUDGET, THERE'D BE NO GROWTH.
AN OPTION TO MOVE UP TO THE STATE ALLOWED RATE.
BASICALLY GROWING UP THAT 3.5%, IT WOULD PRODUCE ANOTHER $17.3 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE COMPARED TO THE TRIAL BUDGET GOING UP TO THE STATE ALLOWED RATE PLUS THE UNUSED INCREMENT BY ANOTHER $6.4 MILLION UP TO ABOUT $23.7 MILLION.
LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR PLAN FOR 2027 AND COMPARING TO THE TRIAL BUDGET, INCREASING ANOTHER 3.5% ABOVE AND BEYOND THE STATE ALLOWED AND UNUSED INCREMENT RATE APPROVED, POTENTIALLY APPROVED FOR 26, IT WOULD PRODUCE ANOTHER 35.8 MILLION COMPARED TO THE TRIAL BUDGET AND 42.4 MILLION IN 2020.
UM, GOING UP TO THE STATE ALLOWED RATE IN 2027, FLIPPING OVER AND LOOKING AT WHAT THAT DOES TO OUR AVERAGE HOMESTEAD.
OUR AVERAGE HOMESTEAD BASED ON INFORMATION TODAY IS ABOUT $235,000.
TAKING THAT AVERAGE HOMESTEAD, APPLYING THOSE RATES FOR FISCAL YEAR 26, OUR AVERAGE RESIDENTIAL HOME BILL WOULD GO UP ABOUT $57, UM, UNDER THE STATE ALLOWED RATE MOVING TO 67, ADDING IN THE UNUSED INCREMENT FOR 26 AND 27, IT'D BE AN ADDITIONAL $28 AT THE STATE ALLOWED RATE IN 29.
MOVING UP AGAIN FOR FY 27 UNDER THE STATE ALLOWED RATE AND UNUSED INCREMENT.
AS I WRAP UP MY PRESENTATION, A COUPLE OF KEY DATES TO KEEP IN MIND, UM, ON MAY 15TH WAS THE LAST DAY TO FILE A PROTEST.
SO RIGHT NOW, BCAD IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH ALL THE PROTESTS, TRYING TO GET AS MANY OF THEM DONE AS THEY CAN SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY CERTIFY OUR TAX ROLL ON JULY 25TH.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY HAVE TO HAVE 95% OF THE ACCOUNTS CERTIFIED TO DELIVER US A CERTIFIED ROLE.
AND THEN WE'LL START WORKING AND REFINING OUR NUMBERS BETWEEN THE CERTIFIED ROLE.
UM, WE WILL HAVE TWO, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE TAX RATE AND THEN POTENTIALLY, UH, ADOPTING THE TAX RATE ON SEPTEMBER 18TH.
PROPERTY TAX BILLS WILL BE MAILED ON OCTOBER 1ST WITH TAX BILLS BECOMING DELINQUENT ON FEBRUARY 1ST.
MAYOR, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO BEN TO START TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE CPS.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE ON OUR CITY PAYMENT FROM CPS ENERGY.
I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR FINANCIAL POLICY AND A RECOMMENDATION AT THE END IN ALIGNMENT WITH THAT POLICY.
SO I'M GONNA START HERE WITH THIS SLIDE ON, UH, OR THIS GRAPH ON SLIDE 31.
THIS IS OUR VARIANCE OF OUR ACTUAL CPS OR UH, CITY PAYMENT FROM CPS ENERGY AS COMPARED TO THE ADOPTED BUDGET.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IT FLUCTUATES QUITE A BIT FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
KIND OF UNDERPINNING THIS, REMEMBER THAT OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS ARE MODERATELY CONSERVATIVE.
TROY WENT THROUGH OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES AND HOW THOSE WORK TOGETHER COHESIVELY.
[00:40:01]
REALLY IMPORTANT.FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE BUDGET, WE'RE BUDGETING DOWN TO A MINIMUM OF 15% THAT'S LESS THAN A TWO MONTH RESERVE.
SO THE MODERATELY CONSERVATIVE REVENUE PROJECTIONS ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT RESERVE, UH, UH, LEVEL AND MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY AT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL.
THE OTHER THING IT DOES IS IT REALLY KIND OF SMOOTHS OUT THIS VOLATILITY THAT WE GET FROM YEAR TO YEAR BETWEEN THOSE REVENUE PROJECTIONS, THE TWO YEAR BUDGET PLAN THAT REALLY ALLOWS US TO TAKE OUT THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS.
IT DOESN'T REALLY CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF MON MONEY THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU HAVE TO SPEND.
WHAT IT DOES IS IT CHANGES WHEN YOU SPEND IT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'VE BANKED IT, WE'VE GOT IT, AND THAT WE CAN USE IT TO, TO SECURE, UH, OR SUPPORT RECURRING EXPENDITURES.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA MOVE TO THE FAR RIGHT ON THIS GRAPH.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF MOVEMENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR AS YOU COMPARE IT AGAINST THE ADOPTED BUDGET.
BUT IN FY 2022, THE VARIANCE AGAINST THE ADOPTED BUDGET WAS $74.7 MILLION.
YOU SEE THE FOOTNOTE THERE THAT, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE 24.7 DOESN'T INCLUDE $50 MILLION THAT WE RETURNED TO CPS ENERGY RATE PAYERS THROUGH A UTILITY CREDIT, UM, AS WELL AS SOME, UH, FUNDING FOR THE RESIDENTIAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HELP LOW INCOME, UH, RATE PAYERS.
THAT YEAR WE REALLY SAW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SALES.
IT WAS A VERY HOT SUMMER, UM, THAT REALLY DROVE THAT CITY PAYMENT UP SIGNIFICANTLY.
UM, ALMOST AN 8% INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.
AND THEN WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN NATURAL GAS PRICES.
FUEL PRICES CAN IMPACT, UH, THIS, THIS, UH, UH, REVENUE, UH, AMOUNT THAT WE GET FROM CPS ENERGY, IT ALMOST DOUBLE FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
SO THOSE TWO THINGS CULMINATED IN THAT $74.7 MILLION VARIANCE THAT WE SAW IN 2022 GOING INTO 2023.
UM, SALES KIND OF FLATTENED OUT WAS STILL A VERY HOT SUMMER.
UH, FUEL PRICES MODERATED A BIT, GOT DOWN INTO THE FIVES, BUT DIDN'T QUITE COME DOWN AS FAR AS WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD.
BUT THEN WE SAW SOME VOLATILITY ASSOCIATED WITH OFF SYSTEM SALES.
THESE ARE SALES THAT CPS ENERGY MAKES OF EXCESS POWER INTO THE ERCOT MARKET THAT DROVE OR WAS A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF THAT $61.7 MILLION VARIANCE THAT YOU SEE, UH, NOTED THERE ON THE SLIDE.
AND, UM, I'M GONNA PAUSE BEFORE I GET INTO 2024 BECAUSE AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AND LOOKING AT AND GOING THROUGH OUR BUDGET PROCESSES IN FY 22 AND FFY 23, OBVIOUSLY THESE WERE VERY SIGNIFICANT VARIANCES AGAINST THE ADOPTED BUDGET.
COUPLED WITH THAT, WE HAD HAD CPS ENERGY COME IN WITH RATE CASES IN THE FALL OF 2021 AND THE FALL OF 2023.
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT WE WERE GETTING FROM CPS ENERGY, THEIR NEED FOR RATE CASES TO SUPPORT THEIR SIZABLE CAPITAL PLAN.
THAT LED TO A LOT OF POLICY CONVERSATION TO INCLUDE THE FILING OF A CCR, UH, THAT CCR UM, HAD LOOKED AT POTENTIALLY US REDUCING THE 14% TO SOMETHING LESS, MAYBE 13 OR 12.
WE ADVISED AGAINST THAT, UM, AND REALLY TRIED TO REFINE OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES TO SEE IF THERE WAS A WAY THAT WE COULD, UM, TAKE A PORTION OF OUR CITY PAYMENT AND USE THAT TO REINVEST INTO CPS ENERGY TO HELP WITH THEIR SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL PLAN, UM, HAPPENING.
AT THE SAME TIME, CPS ENERGY ACQUIRED SOME NATURAL GAS PLANTS LAST SPRING.
SO THE SPRING OF 2024, THEY HAD EXCESS GENERATION, THEY HAD MORE EXCESS GENERATION, WHICH MEANT THEY WERE GONNA BE ABLE TO SELL MORE POWER INTO THE ERCOT MARKET.
THE ERCOT MARKET, YOU KNOW, FLASHING BACK AT THAT POINT IN TIME CONTINUES TODAY TO BE VERY TIGHT MARKET.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO SELL EXCESS POWER, UH, THAT THEN CAN BRING THOSE REVENUES INTO CPS ENERGY AND WE OF COURSE GET A PORTION OF THOSE.
SO AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE POLICY CONVERSATIONS, NUMBER OF B SESSIONS, A LOT OF DIALOGUE AND CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS, UH, WE RECOMMENDED A FINANCIAL POLICY THAT WOULD TAKE A PORTION OF THOSE OFF SYSTEM SALES, THAT CITY PAYMENT, THAT CITY PAYMENT THAT WE GET FROM OFF SYSTEM SALES AND USE THAT TO REINVEST BACK INTO CPS ENERGY.
UM, THEY WOULD BE USED FOR RE RESILIENCY AND RELIABILITY PROJECTS, BUT AS A WAY TO TRY TO HELP THEM FUND THEIR SIGNIFICANT, UH, CAPITAL PLAN.
TROY TOUCHED ON IT, REALLY, I'M, I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE POLICY, BUT JUST THE PIECE ASSOCIATED WITH OFF SYSTEM SALES ESSENTIALLY SAYS ONCE WE GET $10 MILLION IN CITY PAYMENT FROM OFF SYSTEM SALES, WE'RE GONNA PUT THE BALANCE OF THAT INTO ANYTHING ABOVE THAT, INTO A CAPITAL RESERVE FUND.
WE'RE GONNA HOLD IN A CAPITAL RESERVE FUND.
WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH OUR, THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE OUR BASE BUDGET FROM CITY PAYMENT IS UH,
[00:45:01]
WHOLE.IF IT'S NOT, WE'RE GONNA DEDUCT THAT THE REMAINING AMOUNT.
WE STILL HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU ALL TO DECIDE WHETHER WE SHOULD SEND THAT BACK OR NOT.
UM, SO I'M GONNA FAST FORWARD TO 2024 WITH THAT POLICY IN PLACE.
UH, WE, UH, WERE AT A $45.3 MILLION VARIANCE, UH, AGAINST THE ADOPTED BUDGET.
THE LARGEST CHUNK OF THAT WAS FROM OFFICE SYSTEM SALES.
SO, UM, WHAT YOU SEE LISTED, THERE'S 19.4 MILLION, THAT'S NET OF THE 25.9 MILLION THAT WE RETURNED TO CPS ENERGY, UM, TO SUPPORT RESILIENCY AND RELIABILITY PROJECTS.
SO THAT WAS THE IMPLEMENT, THAT WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POLICY THAT WE PUT IN PLACE.
THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS CITY PAYMENT FROM OFF SYSTEM SALES HISTORICALLY.
UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT, WHERE DID THE $10 MILLION COME FROM? WE LOOKED AT A 10 YEAR PERIOD FROM UH, 2014 TO 2023.
WE ELIMINATED WHAT WE CONSIDERED TO BE SOME OF THE OUTLIERS THERE.
UH, THE, THE AMOUNTS IN 20 18, 20 19 AND 2023 WE AVERAGED THE REMAINING YEARS.
SO THAT KIND OF SET THE BASE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE FELT LIKE WAS SUPPORTING RECURRING EXPENDITURES WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND.
AND, AND I SAY RECURRING 'CAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE FOCUS ON THAT PIECE OF IT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS POLICY AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING GOING FORWARD.
SO THE THINGS THAT CAN IMPACT CITY PAYMENT FOR US ARE OFF SYSTEM SALES.
HOW MUCH POWER CAN THEY SELL ON THE ERCOT MARKET? THAT'S GONNA HINGE A LOT ON WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SUMMER AND HOW MUCH EXCESS POWER THEY HAVE.
UH, NATURAL GAS IS A BIG ONE BECAUSE THEY DO PASS THROUGH NATURAL GAS, UH, AND RESELL THAT FOR PEOPLE USING NATURAL GAS.
UM, AS, AS A FORM OF EITHER HEATING THEIR HOMES OR IN THEIR BUSINESSES.
UM, THERE'S ALSO FUEL THAT SUPPORTS THEIR GENERATION FLEET, NATURAL GAS, UH, URANIUM, MORE COAL, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, THOSE ARE ALL PASS THROUGHS FOR THEM, BUT THEIR CITY PAYMENT ON THAT.
SO WHETHER FUEL PRICES ARE HIGH OR LOW IS GONNA IMPACT OUR, UM, CITY PAYMENT.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE WEATHER AND IT'S GONNA BE HOW COLD IS IT IN THE WINTER? HOW HOT IS IT IN THE SUMMER? HOW MANY HUNDRED DEGREE DAYS DO WE HAVE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, IS IT A MILD WINTER AND YOU DON'T REALLY GET A VERY SIGNIFICANT COLD SLAP, SNAP.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS COMBINE MOVE CITY PAYMENT UP AND DOWN.
ALL OF OUR POLICIES, WHAT WE DO IN PRACTICE IS REALLY TRY TO FOCUS ON WHAT'S THE RECURRING PIECE FROM YEAR TO YEAR, HOW DO WE LEVEL THAT OFF SO THAT AS WE EITHER ADD IMPROVEMENTS OR SUPPORT OUR BUDGET THAT WE'RE SURE WE'RE CAN SUSTAIN THAT OVER TIME THAT WE'RE NOT CAUSING BECAUSE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING BUDGETING WISE, WE'RE NOT CAUSING PEAKS AND VALLEYS TO OCCUR THEN CAUSING IMPACTS TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE CAN'T SUPPORT THOSE SERVICES.
SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF WHAT WE TRY TO LOOK AT FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
THIS SLIDE IS JUST A A WHAT'S IN THE TRIAL BUDGET AND KIND OF THE RECOMMENDATION THAT IS TIED INTO OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL POLICY.
I'LL START WITH THE TABLE ON THE RIGHT.
THE TABLE ON THE RIGHT SUMMARIZES FROM OCTOBER TO MAY.
THAT FIRST COLUMN IS OUR BASE PAYMENT.
SO THIS IS CITY PAYMENT EXCLUDING OFF SYSTEM SALES.
WE'VE COLLECTED $271.2 MILLION THROUGH MAY.
WE'RE ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS AHEAD OF THE ADOPTED BUDGET.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 2% OR LESS AGAINST WHAT, WHAT WHAT WE HAD BUDGETED B CHANGED A LOT.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WE WERE AHEAD SIGNIFICANTLY.
WE LOST GROUND IN THE WINTER AND THEN WE'VE, WE KIND OF EVENED OUT AND PICKED UP A LITTLE BIT MORE IN MAY TO GET US TO ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
THE NEXT TWO COLUMNS DEAL WITH CITY PAYMENT FROM OFF SYSTEM SALES.
YOU CAN SEE IN THAT MIDDLE COLUMN THAT WE HIT THE $10 MILLION CAP THAT WE SET IN OUR POLICY IN FEBRUARY.
AND THEN EVERYTHING ELSE STARTING IN FEBRUARY, OUR CITY PAYMENT FROM OFF SYSTEM SALES IS ACCUMULATED IN THAT CAPITAL RESERVE FUND.
THAT'LL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND THEN, UH, WE'LL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU ALL AS WE GET TO THE END OF THE YEAR.
NOW I'M GONNA PIVOT TO THE POLICY IN A SECOND AND THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE'RE MAKING, BUT, UH, I'LL GO BACK TO THE TABLE ON THE LEFT.
SO THE LEFT HAND TABLE GIVES YOU A PROJECTION OF CITY PAYMENT FROM OFF SYSTEM SALES THAT WE BELIEVE IS, IS, UM, MODERATELY CONSERVATIVE.
UM, THE $10 MILLION IS LISTED THERE IN TERMS OF THE, THE BASE THAT WE WOULD HAVE WITHIN OUR BUDGET.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE CAPITAL RESERVE FUND OVER ON THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE A RANGE THERE OF 17.9 TO 22 MILLION.
YOU CAN SEE A DECLINING SLIGHTLY.
UM, AS OUR COMMUNITY GROWS, AS OUR LOAD GROWS, UH, CPS ENERGY WILL HAVE LESS EXCESS POWER TO SELL INTO THE MARKET.
SO THAT TREND IS FOLLOWING THAT.
AGAIN, I THINK THOSE NUMBERS ARE A LITTLE BIT CONSERVATIVE.
WE GET THESE GET UPDATED WE ALL THE TIME WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH CPS ON THAT.
BUT, UM, THAT'S OUR PROJECTION IS ABOUT 59.3 MILLION
[00:50:01]
OVER THE THREE YEAR PERIOD FROM 25 TO 27.SO GOING BACK TO THE OVERARCHING FINANCIAL POLICY THAT, THAT TROY KIND OF WENT OVER, YOU HAVE THE TWO UNDERNEATH IT THAT TALK ABOUT HOW WE DO AGAINST OUR BASE BUDGET AND THEN HOW WE DO ON OFF SYSTEM SALES.
BUT IF YOU REMEMBER RIGHT ON THAT VERY TOP OF THAT SLIDE IT SAID, AND WE WE PUT THIS SAFEGUARD IN PLACE TO MAINTAIN THAT FLEXIBILITY IS THAT WE ALWAYS WANNA LOOK AT, UH, OUR OWN FINANCIAL POSITION, IMPACT TO SERVICES, IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO GIVEN THAT POLICY AND THE WAY WE STRUCTURED IT, WE ARE RECOMMENDING CONSISTENT WITH THAT POLICY TO RESERVE THIS 59.3 MILLION TO HELP US ADDRESS THE GAP, THE SIGNIFICANT GAP THAT WE HAVE IN FY 2027.
UM, SO WITH THAT, UH, MAYOR AND COUNSEL, THAT CONCLUDES MY PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION.
LEMME TURN IT OVER TO ALANA REED, OUR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR WHO WILL DO THE NEXT SECTION.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS ALANA REED AND I SERVE AS THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT.
I'M HERE TO SHARE THE RESULTS OF THE FY 2026 BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY AND HIGHLIGHT HOW WE ENGAGED OUR COMMUNITY IN UNDERSTANDING THEIR PRIORITIES IN THE BUDGET.
THIS YEAR WE CONTINUED THE SAME TWO-PRONGED APPROACH WE'VE USED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS TO CAPTURE RESIDENTS TOP PRIORITIES AND SERVICE NEEDS FOR THE UPCOMING BUDGET.
WE CONDUCTED BOTH AN INDEPENDENT STATISTICALLY VALID SURVEY THROUGH THE ETC INSTITUTE AND A GENERAL COMMUNITY SURVEY VIA SA SPEAKUP.COM AND ALSO ON PRINTED SURVEY CARDS.
THIS DUAL APPROACH ALLOWED A BROAD AND INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION ENSURING THAT EVERY RESIDENT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN.
THE SURVEY WAS OPEN FROM MAY 12TH THROUGH JUNE 6TH, AND AVAILABLE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH TO WALK US THROUGH THE METHODOLOGY AND KEY FINDINGS.
I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO RYAN MURRAY.
HE'S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH AT ETC INSTITUTE.
ETC INSTITUTE HAS A LONG STANDING REPUTATION AS A NATIONAL LEADER IN COMMUNITY RESEARCH.
SINCE THEIR FOUNDING IN 1982, THEY'VE CONDUCTED IN, THEY'VE CONDUCTED SURVEYS IN OVER A THOUSAND CITIES, ACROSS ALL 50 STATES.
SO RYAN, I'M GONNA INVITE YOU UP TO GIVE THE PRESENTATION.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU MAYOR MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL FOR HAVING US TODAY.
UH, THERE'S A FEW NEW FACES, SO I'LL KIND OF, UH, GET INTO THE METHODOLOGY OF THE RESULTS IN JUST A MINUTE.
BUT, UH, JUST TO KIND OF PREFACE THIRD TIME THAT WE'VE OFFERED OUR PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS FOR THE CITIES IS A, IS A BUDGETING TOOL, BUT THE TOOL IS, UH, A LOT OLDER THAN THAT.
IN 2005, UH, WE WERE WORKING WITH SOUTHEAST, UH, ARMY INSTALLATIONS.
WE WERE TRYING TO DETERMINE WAYS ON HOW WE COULD HELP AND BETTER INFORM LEADERS WITH RESIDENT DRIVEN DECISION MAKING.
AND SO WE DEVELOPED THIS PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATING THAT BOTH WAYS EQUALLY THE IMPORTANCE AS WELL AS THE NEEDS THAT ARE UH, KIND OF EITHER MET OR NOT MET FOR A VARI VARIETY OF SERVICES OR FACILITIES.
AND SO WE'VE KIND OF USED THAT IN 2005, SET THE GROUNDWORK FOR IT.
AND OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS WE'VE REALLY USED IT IN PROBABLY 500 DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.
WE'VE SET BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT PRIORITIES FOR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE YEARS.
AND FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS YOU ALL HAVE USED THIS ANALYSIS.
THE RESULTS ARE RELATIVELY SIMILAR, UH, BUT THE METHODOLOGY IS REALLY THE SAME IN TERMS OF THE PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS.
WE'RE GONNA WEIGH BOTH THE IMPORTANCE, UH, OF THOSE ITEMS AS WELL AS THE NEEDS.
AND I'LL GET JUST INTO THAT AFTER WE GET THROUGH THE METHODOLOGY HERE.
SO AS ALANA MENTIONED, UH, THIS WAS A MULTIFACETED APPROACH AND THE CITY TOOK ON SOME, UH, GENERAL PUBLIC OR SOME, UH, GENERAL COMMUNITY INPUT.
THE COMMUNITY INPUT THAT WAS RECEIVED BY ETC INSTITUTE WAS A MANAGED RANDOM SAMPLE.
AND WHAT WE DID IS WE TOOK ALL RESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES WITHIN YOUR CITY'S LIMITS.
WE SELECTED A RANDOM SAMPLE OF THOSE BASED ON YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
WE MAILED OUT SURVEYS AND THEN WE CONTINUED TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT SPECIFIC GROUP OF RANDOMLY SELECTED HOUSEHOLDS UNTIL WE REACHED OUR 1,199 COMPLETED SURVEYS.
BUT IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD AT LEAST 100 SURVEYS IN EACH ONE OF YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE FREQUENTLY WILL GO OVER KIND OF OUR MINIMUM GOAL FOR THESE PROJECTS.
THE OVERALL RESULTS PROVIDE US A MARGIN OF ERROR OF ABOUT 3%.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN THERE, IT'S ACTUALLY 2.83% AT THE 95% LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS GIVING ME A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE ROOM FOR MY, UH, MENTAL MATH EXAMPLE.
IF WE TAKE THAT MARGIN OF ERROR TO 3%, IF WE ASKED A YES NO QUESTION IN OUR SURVEY AND 50% OF RESPONDENTS WERE YES AND 50% WERE NO 95 OUT OF A HUNDRED TIMES, IF I GO AND RANDOMLY SAMPLE YOUR COMMUNITY, COLLECT A HUNDRED SURVEYS FROM EACH ONE OF YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS, WE SHOULD GET THESE SAME EXACT RESULTS PLUS OR MINUS THAT 3%.
SO ANY GIVEN INSTANCE, 95 OUT OF A HUNDRED TIMES, IT MIGHT BE AS HIGH AS 53%
[00:55:01]
YES.NOW THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES 5% OF THE TIME WHERE THOSE RESULTS ARE GONNA PASS OUT THROUGH THAT, THAT THREE PLUS OR MINUS 3%.
BUT WE KNOW BASED ON THE GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION, THE RANDOM SAMPLING METHODOLOGY AND THE FACT THAT THE RESULTS VERY ACCURATELY MATCH THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE COMMUNITY, THAT OUR RESULTS ARE VERY SOUND AND STATISTICALLY VALID.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE IS BASICALLY A RANDOM SAMPLE METHODOLOGY ENSURING THAT WE'VE TOUCHED A GOOD PROPORTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ENSURING WE HAVE A GREAT PROPORTION OF RESULTS ACROSS EACH ONE OF YOUR 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
FOR APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISONS, THEY'RE GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTRIBUTED AND DEMOGRAPHICALLY DISTRIBUTED AS THE CENSUS BUREAU WOULD EXPECT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO BASING ON CENSUS BUREAU STATISTICS IN TERMS OF THE PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS THEMSELVES, IT'S TWO PRONGED AND IT'S IMPORTANCE.
THIS IS SHOWING THE OVERALL FORCED RANKING IMPORTANCE FOR ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT WERE LISTED ON THE SURVEY THIS YEAR.
AS YOU CAN SEE, EACH ONE IS GIVEN A PERCENTAGE RANKING BASED ON THE SUM OF THE RESPONDENT'S TOP FOUR CHOICES IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS KIND OF AN APPLES TO APPLES BETWEEN IMPORTANCE AND NEEDS, MAKING SURE WE'RE WEIGHING BOTH EQUALLY.
WE BASICALLY APPLY A WEIGHTED SCALE THERE.
AND SO AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS ABOUT 40%.
I'M GONNA PICK ON HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT, PICKUP OR CLEANUPS 'CAUSE IT'S ABOUT 30%.
IF WE GIVE 40% THE 100 SCALE, MEANING IT'S THE HIGHEST MOST IMPORTANT ITEM, IT RECEIVES A 100 OUT OF 100.
THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS WILL RECEIVE ABOUT A 75 PER OR 75 AS A SCORE.
THAT'S BECAUSE 30% OF 40% IS ABOUT 75%.
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW OUR WEIGHT GOES.
IT'S REALLY SIMILAR TO A, UM, A WEIGHTED GRADE IN A COLLEGE COURSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHERE SOMEBODY GETS A 90% THAT MAKES UP THE NEW 100.
WE ALSO ASKED RESPONDENTS HOW WELL THEIR NEEDS ARE BEING MET FOR THE VARIOUS FACI, OR EXCUSE ME, THE VARIOUS SERVICES THAT WERE LISTED AS YOU CAN SEE OUT ON THE LEFT, THERE ARE SOME SERVICES FOR WHICH SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS DON'T HAVE A NEED, BUT FOR THOSE SERVICES THAT THEY DID HAVE A NEED, THOSE RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED TO RATE HOW WELL THOSE NEEDS ARE CURRENTLY BEING MET.
WE DO A SIMILAR ANALYSIS OF THOSE NEEDS RATINGS, AND WE DETERMINE HOW WELL THOSE NEEDS ARE GENERALLY BEING MET BY ASSESSING HOW OR WHICH ITEMS HAVE KIND OF THE GREATEST LEVEL OF PARTLY AND NOT MET NEEDS.
AND AGAIN, WE STANDARDIZE THOSE RESULTS TO 100 TO, AGAIN, GIVE US A 50 50 BREAKDOWN OF IMPORTANCE AND NEEDS.
AND THIS EXAMPLE, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS STREETS SERVICES TO ASSIST THE HOMELESS.
KIND OF TOP THAT LIST IN TERMS OF UNMET NEEDS.
WHEN WE ADD THE TWO RATINGS TOGETHER, IT DEVELOPS OUR PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS.
AND I LIKE TO START AT THE BOTTOMS OF THESE LISTS, TYPICALLY, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE ITEMS AT THE BOTTOMS OF THE LIST CAN SOMETIMES BE MISINTERPRETED.
AND SO THE, THE GARBAGE AND RECYCLING SERVICES BEING AT THE BOTTOM IS ACTUALLY A GOOD SIGN.
IT'S A CORE COMMUNITY SERVICE THAT IF WE STOPPED PROVIDING WOULD CAUSE MAJOR ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IMMEDIATELY, IT WOULD CLIMB THE LIST DRAMATICALLY IF WE TOOK, UH, INVESTMENT AWAY FROM THAT.
THE ANALYSIS TELLS US THAT WE SHOULD MAINTAIN CURRENT LEVELS OF EMPHASIS IN THAT SERVICE, BUT A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN INVESTMENT IN THAT SERVICE IS UNLIKELY TO GO TO MEET A LARGE LEVEL OF UNMET NEED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
AS WE CLIMB THE LIST AND INTO THAT LIGHT BLUE, INTO THAT LIGHTER TEAL AT THE VERY TOP, WHAT WE FIND IS THAT THOSE SERVICES HAVE THE LARGEST LEVELS OF IMPORTANCE, AS WELL AS UNMET NEEDS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
AND INVESTMENTS IN THOSE SERVICES SHOULD GO TO SERVE THE LARGEST LEVELS OF UNMET NEEDS, MEANING THAT YOU'LL SERVE UNMET NEEDS IN THE LARGEST LEVEL OR THE LARGEST NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS THE CITY.
NOW, IN ADDITION TO DOING THIS CITYWIDE, BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH GOOD COUNCIL DISTRICT RESULTS, WE'RE ABLE TO RUN THAT ANALYSIS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT AS WELL.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, TO KIND OF KEEP THINGS CLEAN, UH, I'VE SEPARATED THE TOP FIVE FROM THE REST OF THE RESULTS.
LAST YEAR, THERE WAS A LOT MORE DISCREPANCY, MEANING THERE WERE A FEW MORE WHITE BOXES THAN WE SEE ON THE RESULTS THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR WE SEE KIND OF A, A COMING TOGETHER OR MORE COHESIVE ATTITUDE ACROSS EACH ONE OF THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AND IN THIS EXAMPLE, WE CAN SEE THAT ALMOST EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL DISTRICT HAD THOSE TOP FIVE PRIORITIES IN SOME ORDER IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JUST A FEW OF THOSE COUNCIL DISTRICTS OUT TO THE RIGHT THERE.
OVERALL, THE ANALYSIS IS MEANT TO TRACK UNMET NEEDS AS WELL AS IMPORTANCE.
AND WE WANNA BALANCE THOSE ITEMS AND ENSURE THAT WE RUN THIS ANALYSIS BY EACH ONE OF YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
WE ALSO DEVELOP A DASHBOARD THAT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO STAFF AS WELL AS COUNCIL, AND YOU CAN LOOK AT THOSE RESULTS BY YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS AS WELL.
THAT'S MY PRESENTATION OF THE, UM, PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS.
BUT WHEN WE COMPARE THE PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS AGAINST YOUR INDEPENDENT SURVEY, AND THERE WERE JUST A FEW DIFFERENCES, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK A LITTLE BIT DEEPER IN THE ANALYSIS, THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP.
AND WE SEE THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT SERVICES, UH, FOR THE HOMELESS AS WELL AS, UH, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, BOTH TOPPING OUT IN A COUPLE OF, IN BOTH THE SA SPEAK UP AS WELL AS INDEPENDENT SURVEY.
IF YOU GO BELOW THOSE TOP FIVE, YOU DO SEE SOME MORE, UH, SIMILARITIES, UH, AMONG THE RESULTS OVERALL, AND THAT IS THE PRIORITY INVESTMENT RATINGS.
UM, SO LET ME, I'M GO OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES.
UH, AND YOU, YOU'VE HEARD JUSTINE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, BUT, UM, JUST
[01:00:01]
TO PROVIDE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT IN TERMS OF THE STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE THAT WE HAVE IN THE GENERAL FUND, UH, AS WE PROJECT FORWARD, UM, WE, IN THE TRIAL BUDGET, UH, IN THE FISCAL YEAR 26 TRIAL BUDGET, UH, WE ARE PROJECTING REVENUES TO GROW AT 1% AND EXPENSES RIGHT NOW TO GROW AT 3.5%.SO THERE'S ABOUT A $97.4 MILLION DIFFERENCE THERE.
THAT IS, UH, WHAT WE ARE REFERENCING AS THE IMBALANCE.
UM, NOW, UM, PART OF THAT IS, UM, NEVER GONNA BE EXACTLY, UH, ZERO, RIGHT? I THINK IN REALITY.
UM, BUT AS WE LOOK AT 26 AND 27, WE ARE SEEING THAT GAP CONTINUE TO GROW.
UM, SO THAT JUST PUT, IT PUTS INTO CONTEXT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.
UM, PART, PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU ALL TODAY IS THAT FISCAL YEAR 26 SHOULD NARROW THAT GAP, UM, AND PUT US ON A PATH TO MANAGE ACCORDING TO OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES, TO MANAGE THAT STRUCTURAL BALANCE AND GET ON A PATH OF, OF, OF DEESCALATION IN TERMS OF THAT GAP.
UM, TWO OTHER POINTS THAT, THAT I WANT TO PLANT NOW IS THAT, UM, WE REVIEW OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL POLICIES IN THE FALL, NOT NOW, LET'S GET THROUGH THE BUDGET.
UM, BUT, UM, MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT A NEW HYBRID BUDGET APPROACH THAT WOULD BEGIN THESE CONVERSATIONS EARLIER WITH THE COUNCIL.
AND IN CONSIDERATION OF THAT HYBRID BUDGET METHODOLOGY THAT, UM, WE WOULD HAVE WITH YOU ALL IN IN OCTOBER, THAT WE ALSO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
I MEAN, THE, THE FINANCIAL POLICIES ARE OUR, UH, FOUNDATION OF HOW WE WILL MANAGE THE PUBLIC'S MONEY TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES.
UM, AND AS TROY WENT THROUGH EARLIER, UH, MUCH OF WHAT WE DO, ALMOST EVERYTHING WE DO IS UNDERPINNED, UH, TO THOSE FINANCIAL POLICIES.
BUT, UM, THERE ARE SOME SHIFTS IN ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
AND, UH, AND THAT'S WHY I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE, WE REVIEW AND LOOK AT POTENTIAL CHANGES IN THE FALL.
SO AS WE GO IN THROUGH THE, THE BALANCING OF FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27, UH, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT, UM, THAT, UM, WE, WE WANNA LAY OUT.
AND, AND SOME OF THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH THE MAYOR.
UM, BUT IN GENERAL, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES IS THAT WE FOCUS ON CORE OR MANDATED PROGRAMS, SERVICES, UH, THAT WE'VE MINIMIZED THE IMPACT TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND THEN WE MINIMIZE, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, UH, ANY LONG-TERM RISKS THAT WE MAY SEE OR FEEL AS A RESULT OF CHANGES IN THE BUDGET, RIGHT? SO THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE, UM, MAYBE A, A, A SHORT TERM GAIN AT THE LOSS OR AT THE EXPENSE OF A LONG-TERM IMPACT.
AND, AND, UM, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO DO, BUT I THINK IT, IT SHOULD SERVE AS ONE OF OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
UM, SO LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR CONVERSA YOUR, YOUR FEEDBACK ON THOSE PRINCIPLES.
THE, BEFORE I GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, YOU KNOW, STRATEGIES FOR DISCUSSION.
AND, AND AS I GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL, I'LL UNDERPIN MORE OF THIS, OBVIOUSLY, IN ACCORDANCE TO THE, OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL FINANCIAL POSITION.
UM, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO REDUCE EXPENSE NO MATTER WHAT WE DO.
UM, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN ANY SCENARIO THAT WE DISCUSS THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, BEN TALKED ABOUT, BEN AND TROY TALKED ABOUT OUR CURRENT CPS FINANCIAL POLICY, AND WE'LL SHOW YOU THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE, THE ULTIMATE FORMULA TO ENSURING THAT WE ARE, UM, UH, SETTING OURSELVES ON THE RIGHT PATH.
UM, ADJUSTING FEES AND CHARGES.
UM, I KNOW COUNCIL WILL REMEMBER THAT LAST YEAR WE ADJUSTED OUR EMS CHARGES, OUR TRANSPORT CHARGES, UM, TO, TO, TO REALLY REALIGN THOSE CHARGES.
AND WE, COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES, WE, WE KEPT THOSE RATES BELOW WHERE OTHER CITIES WERE AT, BUT THEY HADN'T BEEN ADJUSTED IN SOME TIME.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS WE CAN LOOK AT.
UM, AND JUSTINA TALKED ABOUT FINES AND FEES.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, I THINK WE'VE SEEN AN IMPACT ON IS THE COUNCIL'S ACTION EARLIER THIS YEAR ON MAXIMIZING THE FINES, UM, ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES.
UM, NOT THAT WE ARE, WE'RE USING THAT AS A REVENUE GENERATOR, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS CHANGE BEHAVIOR.
ARE THERE OTHER AREAS WHERE WE CAN DO THAT, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET? AND THEN FINALLY, UM, THAT WAS A, A LONG BUT IMPORTANT PRESENTATION THAT TROY LAID OUT BECAUSE THE PROPERTY TAX, UM, UH, FINANCIAL POLICY THAT WE HAVE REALLY, UM, IS UNDERPINNED BACK AGAINST WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF BASE TAXABLE VALUES.
[01:05:01]
UM, AND, AND AS TROY SAID, WE WON'T GET THE FINAL CERTIFIED ROLE TILL THE END OF JULY.THERE'S A LOT OF WORK GOING ON OVER THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT RIGHT NOW, BUT AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE, WE ARE ANTICIPATING NEGATIVE GROWTH IN OUR BASE TAXABLE VALUES, WHICH HASN'T OCCURRED SINCE, UH, THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2009, UH, RECESSION.
SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO LET ME WALK YOU WALK THE COUNCIL THROUGH THIS.
UM, AND THESE ARE, UM, THREE OF MANY SCENARIOS, BUT THEY ARE, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, UH, DESIGNED TO LAY OUT A SPECTRUM SCENARIO.
ONE IN YELLOW, UH, LAYS OUT AT THE BEGINNING, UH, THE, UH, TRIAL BUDGET DEFICITS THAT, UH, JUSTINA PRESENTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, $20.8 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 151.8 IN 2027.
UM, YOU SEE THAT, UM, IN SCENARIO ONE, WHICH IS REALLY ALL ABOUT REDUCING EXPENSE IN THE GENERAL FUND, NOTHING ELSE.
UM, YOU SEE THAT WE ANTICIPATE WE WOULD NEED TO REDUCE $45 MILLION, UM, IN OUR, OUR SPENDING IN FISCAL YEAR 26.
NOW, ON THAT SLIDE, YOU SEE DEPARTMENTAL REDUCTION SLASH UH, CBR, OUR COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEWS.
WE HAVE AN INTER, WE HAVE INTERNALLY SET THOSE, UH, REDUCTIONS TO THOSE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEWS THAT ARE REVIEWING FOR INEFFICIENCY DUPLICATION EFFICIENCIES, UM, IN THE FOUR DEPARTMENTS THAT WE LOOKED AT THIS YEAR AT $6 MILLION.
SO THAT LEAVES ANOTHER $39 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS THAT WOULD LEAVE A $24.2 MILLION BALANCE AT THE END OF THE YEAR THAT WE WOULD HOLD FOR 2027, AND THEN REDUCE ANOTHER A HUNDRED OVER A LITTLE OVER $127 MILLION IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET IN FISCAL YEAR 20 SEVEN'S BUDGET.
SO THAT IS THE, UM, WE'RE GONNA REDUCE OUR WAY OUT OF OUR CURRENT SITUATION.
THE GREEN, UH, SCENARIO TWO IS, UM, SIMILAR.
UM, THE REDUCTIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEWS, UM, A LITTLE BIT LESS IN TERMS OF REDUCTIONS, UM, BUT ROLLS IN THE FINANCIAL POLICY, UH, ON CPS PAYMENT THAT BEN TALKED ABOUT, OF THE $59.3 MILLION AND HOLDING, UH, THAT AMOUNT, UM, IN FISCAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, FISCAL YEAR 26, AND FISCAL YEAR 27 TO, UH, CONTINUE TO, UH, TO, UH, UH, ALIGN OUR, OUR SPENDING OVER THE TWO YEARS.
AND THEN AN ESTIMATE THAT WE'VE COME UP WITH.
AND, AND THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE MONTH OF JULY, BUT SOME INCREASES IN FEES AND CHARGES THAT WOULD, UH, RAISE ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
WE WOULD END 2026 WITH AN $11.2 MILLION THAT WE WOULD ROLL INTO 2027 AND THEN, UH, ROLL AND THEN, UM, UH, UTILIZE THE CPS FUNDING AND THE ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENTAL CUTS.
AND THEN SCENARIO THREE IS, IS KIND OF THE COMPILATION OF EVERYTHING.
AND IT'S, IF, IF THIS WAS A SPECTRUM, YOU, THE YELLOW IS WE ARE GONNA, UH, ELIMINATE SPENDING TO GET ON TRACK.
UH, SCENARIO THREE IS, UM, EVERYTHING ELSE WHICH TAKES INTO ACCOUNT DEPARTMENTAL REDUCTIONS, THE USE OF THE CPS REVENUE, UH, AND ALL SYSTEM SALES.
AND THEN, UH, THE AMOUNTS THAT TROY, UH, LAID OUT IN TERMS OF, OF, UM, ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TAX RATE.
I WILL GIVE YOU ADDITIONAL CONTEXT.
THE CITY HAS NOT RAISED THE CA THE, THE, UH, THE CITY'S TAX RATE, UM, SINCE, UH, SINCE I WAS IN COLLEGE.
SO IT'S BEEN SOME TIME, AND I SUSPECT IT WON'T BE A POSITIVE, UM, REACTION.
BUT IN ACCORDANCE TO OUR POLICIES THAT SAY THAT WE SH WE SHOULD ANNUALLY REVIEW THE THREE POINT A HALF PERCENT IN A NORMAL YEAR BASE VALUES ARE GROWING AT ONE OR TWO, OR AS OF LAST, UH, LAST YEAR, 2.6%.
UM, IT STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING AT NEGATIVE BASE GROWTH.
SO THOSE ARE THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, UM, THAT, THAT KINDA RUN THE GAMBIT.
THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF OTHERS, BUT, UM, UH, WE FELT THAT THIS WAS, UM, UH, THE BEST WAY TO KINDA LAY OUT, UH, THE ISSUE BEFORE YOU, UH, IN ADVANCE OF YOUR, OF YOUR CONVERSATION.
SO, UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, WE ARE, AS WE GO THROUGH THE WORK AND DELIVER THE PROPOSED, OH, I'M SORRY, ONE MORE SLIDE.
SO JUST KEY DATES IN TERMS OF, OF WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE, THE PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, WILL BE PRESENTED TO YOU ALL ON AUGUST 14TH, UM, THAT MONTH IN AUGUST.
WE HAVE A SERIES OF, UH, BUDGET COUNCIL BUDGET WORK SESSIONS, AND 10 COMMUNITY BUDGET TOWN HALLS.
UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHEDULED BUDGET WORK SESSIONS WITH YOU IN SEPTEMBER, UM, AND
[01:10:01]
BUDGET ADOPTION SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 18TH.AND IN TERMS OF THE KEY DATES, UH, I, I WANT, I WANTED TO INCORPORATE IN THERE THAT BEGINNING IN OCTOBER, THOSE, THAT DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT HYBRID BUDGET METHODOLOGY, UM, WE WOULD SCHEDULE FOR CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL IN OCTOBER, AS WELL AS THE REVIEW OF THE FINANCIAL POLICIES.
SO THAT GIVES YOU KIND OF A RUNWAY OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.
OBVIOUSLY, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO, UH, BE THOUGHTFUL, LOOK AT EFFICIENCIES, UM, MINIMIZE IMPACTS, UM, AND BE RESPONSIBLE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, THIS EFFORT.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION.
MARY, I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU TO, UM, FACILITATE THAT PART.
THANK YOU TO THE STAFF AS WELL FOR YOUR, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS THAT WERE VERY MUCH WELL LAID OUT.
UH, THAT MAKES IT VERY CLEAR, UH, THAT ONE WE ARE STRUCTURALLY ON.
SOUND HAS BEEN, WE'VE HEARD THREE OR FOUR TIMES IN THE COURSE OF YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
UM, AND I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES AND I APPEAR, RECOGNIZE THE DIFFICULTY, NOT ONLY IN OUR OWN BUDGET, UM, BUT ALSO IN LIGHT OF THE VERY DIFFICULT FISCAL CHALLENGE THAT WE ARE FACING BASED ON DECISIONS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND AT THE STATE LEVEL.
SO, AS, UM, AS WE ARE LOOKING AT WHERE WE MAY BE ABLE TO DO ANY OF THESE, FRANKLY, COURSES OF ACTIONS, ANY OF THESE SCENARIOS, WE'RE COGNIZANT OF HOW SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MAY BE IMPACTED ARE EXACTLY THE SERVICES THAT WOULD BE MOST RELIED UPON BY SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
HENCE, THE IMPORTANCE OF ONE FUNDING, UH, THOSE NO FAIL MISSIONS, THOSE CORE SERVICES WE MUST, UH, PROVIDE, IN PARTICULAR THOSE FOLKS THAT KEEP US SAFE, THEM HAVING THE RESOURCES TO DO SO.
UM, MINIMIZING ANY IMPACTS, UH, TO OUR MOST VULNERABLE AS STATED.
UM, AND THEN MINIMIZING ANY LONG-TERM RISK.
'CAUSE THERE'S RESULTS OF CHANGES IN THE BUDGET.
UM, ERIC ALLUDED TO IT, BUT YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE NOT GONNA CUT METRO HEALTH IN HALF, RIGHT? AS WE UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE CONSEQUENCES, FOR EXAMPLE, AS A RESULT OF DOING THAT.
UM, UH, SO I THINK WE, AS, AS WE LOOK AT THIS, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, COGNIZANT AGAIN OF, OF, UM, WHAT WE CAN DO IN 26, UNDERSTANDING OUR REAL CHALLENGES IN IS IN 27.
SO AGAIN, THANKS TO THE STAFFER LAYING THAT OUT, UM, AS BEST WE KNOW IT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, ERIC, UM, I THINK IT'D BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, THOUGH, GIVEN, UH, THE, FRANKLY, THE SEVERITY OF THE GAP, UM, IS HELPING US UNDERSTAND AND HELPING THE COMMUNITY ALSO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE MAY HAVE SOME POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, SO I'D ASK THE STAFF, UH, TO HELP US UNDERSTAND, UH, THREE OPPORTUNITIES IN PARTICULAR, UH, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UH, POTENTIALLY FROM TOURS, UM, HOW WE MIGHT FUND CERTAIN PROJECTS OUT OF THE BOND.
UM, AND, UH, HOW WE MAY UNDERSTAND HOW DEFERRING DELAYING CERTAIN PROJECTS IN PARTICULAR IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET, UM, MAY HELP ADDRESS, UM, OUR, AGAIN, MAJOR GAP IN IN 27.
I THINK IT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, THAT WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, AS THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO ALSO BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH THE RESOURCES THAT WE DO HAVE, THOSE ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY.
UM, I KNOW SOME ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW, BUT TO THE EXTENT WE CAN EXPEDITE THOSE, UH, THAT HELPS TO ENSURE THE RESOURCES WE ARE, WE DO HAVE ARE, ARE MOST EFFICIENTLY, UM, BEING UTILIZED.
I THINK, UH, IT GOES, ALSO GOES WITHOUT SAYING, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT 26 AND 27 ALSO IN THE CONTEXT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING OUR BOND RATING.
UM, SO, UM, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT REVIEWING OUR, OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES, BUT I KNOW THAT'S CALLED, SO KIND OF IN THE, IN THE BACK OF OUR MIND AS WE THINK ABOUT EACH OF THESE, UH, EACH OF THESE APPROACHES.
UM, LET ME, UM, SEE IF WE'VE GOT, UH, ANY, I'M SURE WE DO.
UH, THERE'LL BE TWO ROUNDS, TWO ROUNDS OF SPEAKERS, UH, WITH EACH MEMBER HAVING 10 MINUTES THE FIRST ROUND IN FIVE MINUTES, THE SECOND ROUND.
UH, SO PLEASE QUEUE YOURSELVES UP IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY.
AND I WILL START WITH, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CORE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU STAFF FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I WANNA START OFF BY GOING TO SLIDE 42 IF WE COULD.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN THE EDUCATION WORLD, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT, UH, PLUSES IN DELTA.
SO LET'S START OUT WITH THE PLUSES.
I THOUGHT WE COULD SHOUT OUT SOME OF THE AMAZING WORK THAT WAS HAPPENING BY SEEING HOW WELL FOLKS ARE SAYING THAT WE ARE MEETING SERVICES.
SO FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES BEING THE MOST MET SERVICES, PRETTY AWESOME.
DO WE HAVE, IS CHIEF FROSTO HERE? THANK YOU CHIEF ROSSO FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE DOING OVER THE DEPARTMENT.
YOU CONTINUE TO SHOW US THAT WE HAVE THE BEST FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP THERE.
AND THEN SECOND, WE HAVE A SOLID WASTE UP NEXT, DO WE HAVE OUR, AND I HAVE TO SAY, BOTH OF THESE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE BEST ARE LED BY TWO FEMALE WOMEN OF COLOR, WHICH IS PRETTY EXCITING TO SEE.
UH, BUT SOLID WASTE ALWAYS COMES THROUGH.
AND, AND ERIC AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY, LIKE WE, WE GET MAYBE A COUPLE OF CALLS HERE AND THERE WHERE OUR TRASH WAS PICKED UP, AND ERIC WAS LIKE, YEAH, THEY'RE SEAT, THEY'RE PICKING UP OVER 450,000 HOUSEHOLDS OF TRASH.
IF THEY MISS A COUPLE HERE AND THERE, WE CAN ADDRESS IT PRETTY QUICKLY.
[01:15:01]
DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB.SO I WANTED TO JUST SHOUT OUT THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS FOR THE WORKS THAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR PARKS AND REC AND LIBRARIES, THOSE ARE AMAZING SERVICES THAT I THINK A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT THE MAYOR WAS TALKING ABOUT OUR MOST UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY REALLY BENEFIT FROM.
SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THOSE NEEDS ARE BEING MET REALLY WELL.
I'M JUST GONNA MAKE ONE REQUEST AND, UH, I'M GONNA PASS OUT THIS MEMO THAT MY STAFF HAVE ME WRITE.
IF YOU CAN JUST TAKE ONE AND PASS IT DOWN TO ERIC.
SO OF THE NEEDS THAT WEREN'T MET, THE TWO OF THE TOP ONES ARE STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.
I KNOW OUR, UH, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT, UH, CLEANUPS AND SERVICES TO ASSIST HOMELESS IS A LONG-TERM STRATEGY WE'RE WORKING ON.
BUT STREETS AND SIDEWALKS, TO ME ARE TWO AN AREA THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE A GREAT SOLUTION FOR.
YOU KNOW, WE GET OVER, WE'VE GOTTEN OVER 5,500 CALLS IN THE DISTRICT ONE OFFICE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, BUT THE ONE THAT BREAKS MY HEART THE MOST IS SOMEONE WHO'S CALLING AND SAYING, MY SIDEWALK IS BROKEN.
I TRIP AND FALL ON IT EVERY DAY.
I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO WALK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP ME? AND I LITERALLY HAVE NO RESPONSE.
OR WHEN SOMEONE CALLS IN ON WAX WOOD AND IS LIKE, SHADY WOOD DOWN THE STREET, JUST GOT DONE.
WHEN IS MY STREET GETTING DONE? AND IF IT'S NOT ON THE FIVE YEAR IMP PLAN, WE HAVE NO RESPONSE TO THEM.
WE CAN SAY, ALL WE CAN SAY TO THEM IS, WE'LL, WRITE YOUR NAME DOWN.
WE KNOW, NOTED THAT YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR STREET REDONE, AND WE CAN TELL YOU HOW BAD IT IS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN.
SO MY ONE REQUEST, AND I KNOW ERIC AND THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM ARE ALREADY WORKING ON THIS, IS WE HAVE TO COMPLETELY REBUILD OUR STREETS AND SIDEWALKS PLAN.
MAYOR JUST MENTIONED ABOUT THINKING OF WAYS TO GET CREATIVE AROUND FUNDING FOR THIS.
AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THESE ARE CAPITAL PROJECTS, SO WE COULD POTENTIALLY USE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FUNDS TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS THEM, BUT I THINK WE HAVE TO START FROM THE GROUND UP.
SO RIGHT NOW, OUR GOAL FOR OUR IMP PROGRAM IS TO HAVE AN AVERAGE OF 80 P-C-P-C-I SCORE OR ABOVE AND LESS THAN 10% FAILING STREETS.
THE THING THAT HAPPENS THOUGH, IS WE FORGET THE C AND D STREETS.
SO OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE PERCENTAGE OF C AND D STREETS HAVE ACTUALLY INCREASED BECAUSE WE'RE MAINTAINING A AND B, AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO F STREETS WITH BOND DOLLARS.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THOSE MIDDLE TIER STREETS THAT HAVEN'T MAYBE BEEN DONE FOR 20 YEARS, WHEN WE WERE BLOCK WALKING, SO MANY OF US WERE JUST RECENTLY, YOU'LL WALK DOWN THE STREETS AND NOTICE, AND RESIDENTS WILL TELL YOU THIS, I'VE LIVED HERE MY WHOLE LIFE AND HAVE NEVER SEEN MY STREET MILLED, BUT THE THING THAT CONFUSED ME THE MOST WAS WHEN THEY WOULD SAY, OH, BUT THE STREET DOWN THE BLOCK HAS GOTTEN, UH, A SLURRY SEAL OR A MILL OVERLAY AND IS ON THE RIGHT MAINTENANCE PLAN.
BUT FOR SOME REASON, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE BEING LOOKED AT THAT CAREFULLY.
SO IT'S FRUSTRATING FOR THE RESIDENT BECAUSE THEY THINK, OH, THE PERSON ON THE STREET MUST KNOW SOMEBODY.
AND THAT'S HOW THEIR WORK IS GETTING DONE.
I MEAN, EVEN ERIC, WE JOKED ABOUT THIS, BUT THERE WAS A POINT WHEN YOUR STREET WAS GETTING DONE AND YOU WERE, WE WERE SAYING, WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THESE DECISIONS BEING MADE? AND WHEN YOU ASK ABOUT IT, RIGHT? WHEN YOU ASK WHY DID ONE STREET GET DONE OVER THE OTHER, THERE'S NO REAL SCIENCE BEHIND IT.
THERE'S LIKE THREE, THERE'S, I MEAN, THERE'S, I'M NOT SAYING THERE'S NO OPEN CONSIDERATION, THERE IS CONSIDERATION, BUT IT'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING INTO THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
AND AT THE END, WE'RE TRYING TO RECEIVE A PCI SCORE THAT'S NOT REALLY REFLECTIVE EQUITABLY OF OUR CITY'S NEEDS.
AND LET'S FACE IT, SOME OF OUR DISTRICTS HAVE AREAS THAT ARE JUST WORSE OFF CONDITION THAN OTHERS.
AND SO THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY SET OUT, WHILE IDEALLY IT'S EQUITY BASED, IT DOESN'T IN TURN ACTUALLY, UH, UH, TURN OUT TO BE TRULY EQUITY BASED.
AND SO WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO GET SIDEWALKS IN LOS ANGELES HEIGHTS, THERE'S SO MANY SYSTEMIC BARRIERS, OH, IT'S GONNA CAUSE A DRAINAGE ISSUE.
OH, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH RIGHT OF WAY SPACE.
I FEEL LIKE TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WE ARE JUST HITTING ISSUES WITH OUR LOWEST INCOME AREAS TO IMPROVE THEIR STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.
SO MY ONE BIG, BIG REQUEST FOR THIS YEAR IS OBVIOUSLY THIS IS GONNA TAKE TIME, RIGHT? WE DIDN'T, THIS PROBLEM WASN'T CREATED IN ANY OF OUR, UH, TENURE UP HERE.
IT'S A LONG-TERM PROBLEM THAT'S EXISTED BECAUSE OF THE WAY OUR CITY WAS BUILT.
BUT IT NEEDS INTENTIONALITY, AND I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD THIS, BUT I'M, WHAT I'M REQUESTING FOR THIS YEAR IS ONE, LET'S SET A NEW GOAL.
LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT A GOAL LOOKS LIKE FROM AN TRUE EQUITY BASIS THAT REALLY PRIORITIZES OUR LOWEST UNDERSERVED, LOWEST INCOME UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
FIRST, WHETHER OR NOT, AND I ASK ALL MY COLLEAGUES TO SAY WHETHER OR NOT THAT MEANS IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS FUNDING IN YOUR DISTRICT, RIGHT? CAN WE TRULY PRIORITIZE OUR MOST UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES? LET'S SET THAT GOAL.
AND THEN TWO, LET'S MAP OUT OUR WHOLE CITY.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON SHOULD KNOW WHAT IS THEIR PCI SCORE? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME MY STREET WAS BEEN OVERLAID AND WHAT WOULD IT, HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST TO DO A SIDEWALK IN THE STREET DONE? AND WHAT DATE, THEORETICALLY, COULD IT BE DONE SO THAT WE AT LEAST HAVE A PLAN FOR THEM TO OFFER? OKAY, I'M GONNA GET, COME OFF MY SOAPBOX NOW, BUT THIS IS MY, I'M REALLY HOPING THAT WE CAN AT LEAST CREATE A STEPPING STONE
[01:20:01]
TO TRULY ADDRESSING THE MAJOR INEQUITIES THAT EXIST IN INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR COMMUNITY.AND THAT'S WHAT I WILL OPPOSE TO MY COLLEAGUES AND CITY STAFF.
UM, ERIC, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA RESPOND.
YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE GONNA TAKE THE MIC, BUT OTHERWISE I'LL PASS IT BACK TO MAYOR.
WELL, I, I LET, LEMME SAY THE MAYOR AND I HAD A, HAD A BRIEF CONVERSATION AND WE JUST SCRATCHED THE SURFACE ON THIS.
BUT, BUT, UM, I, I CAN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE, BUT LET ME, LET ME PUT IT IN CONTEXT.
THE, THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE, THE IMP SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPED WHEN WE SPENT 18, $19 MILLION A YEAR.
UM, AND, UM, I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED SOME HELP TO FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO APPROACH IT.
UM, FROM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, UM, WE'RE SPENDING OVER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR PLUS A BOND PROGRAM.
UM, SO OVER FIVE YEARS, PROBABLY CLOSE TO A BILLION DOLLARS.
AND, AND THERE ARE STILL STREETS THAT, UM, HAVEN'T BEEN TOUCHED.
UM, AND, AND, UM, I THINK, I THINK WE ARE VICTIMS OF AN OLD PROCESS, UM, THAT WE NEED TO UPDATE.
AND, AND THIS WON'T BE A POPULAR THING FOR ME TO SAY TO, TO MY 11 BOSSES HERE, BUT, BUT I'M NOT SURE DIVIDING IT, UH, OR BUDGETING IT BY COUNCIL DISTRICTS THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT.
UM, I THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME PARTS OF TOWN THAT NEED A LOT MORE.
AND BECAUSE OF THIS OLD PROCESS THAT WE'VE GOT, THAT WE HAVE, UM, WE DO, WE, WE CATEGORIZE IT BY DISTRICT.
WE DON'T DO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BY THAT.
WE DON'T DO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BY THAT.
AND SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE REMINDING YOU ALL THAT WE HAVE A STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT SPENDING MONEY HERE, BUT, BUT WE ARE GONNA, WE ARE GONNA REALLOCATE SOMETHING TO BRING SOMEBODY IN HERE TO LAY OUT AN UPDATED PLAN TO YOU ALL ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE A BIGGER DENT FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE STANDPOINT BECAUSE IT'S CLEAR IT'S A PRIORITY OF MOST OF YOU.
MOST OF YOU TALKED ABOUT IT LAST WEDNESDAY AT THE CEREMONY.
UM, AND IT'S CLEAR THAT THE PUBLIC CONTINUES TO SEE IT A PRIORITY.
AND, AND, AND WE'RE GONNA NEED TO REBUILD THAT.
AND, AND, UH, I'LL LEAVE THE CHARGE.
CAN I JUST MENTION ONE LAST, LAST THING ON THE, UM, THE CHART? JUST 'CAUSE WE WANNA PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE STRATEGIES TO GO FORWARD.
OBVIOUSLY, STRATEGY THREE AROUND INCREASING PROPERTY TAX RATES.
I DON'T THINK ANY OF US UP HERE WOULD, OR MAYBE IT'S GOING TO BE VERY HARD AND I DON'T, UH, I UNDERSTAND.
I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I SUPPORT STRATEGY TWO, BUT I ALSO WANTED THE CITY STAFF THAT WERE HERE AND THE DIRECTORS THAT ARE HERE TO, TO JUST KNOW THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW HARD THIS IS GONNA BE BECAUSE $80 MILLION FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR IS NOT A SLIGHT UNDERTAKING.
AND THAT'S PEOPLE AND PEOPLE THAT WE CARE ABOUT, PEOPLE THAT MAKE OUR CITY RUN AND THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THE FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT I EMPATHIZE WITH THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, AND I, UM, AND WE WE'RE JUST HERE FOR YOU TO SUPPORT YOU IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN.
LET ME FOOT STOMP THE POINT THAT YOU JUST MADE, UM, BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND THEY ARE LARGE NUMBERS.
UM, BUT WHEN WE ALSO THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT, RIGHT? THIS GAP 151, UH, 0.8 IN FY 27, EVEN IF WE CUT EVERY LIBRARY, ALL OF METRO HEALTH, ALL HUMAN SERVICES, THAT'S STILL ONLY 140 MILLION.
AND WHEN I SAY, ERIC, WE NEED YOU TO SHAKE ALL THE OTHER BUCKETS OF MONEY TO GET THESE THINGS DONE.
UM, IT IS BECAUSE AGAIN, WE CANNOT, UM, THE SERVICES THAT SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY RELY ON, UM, WE CANNOT CUT THOSE WITHOUT HAVING SAID, WE'VE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE.
AND I WANNA JUST ALSO FOOT STOMP THE POINT THAT YOU MADE AT THE END THERE.
IT'S NOT ONLY DO WE NEED A MORE LOGICAL PROCESS, UH, WE NEED A PROCESS THAT OUR NEIGHBORS UNDERSTAND, RIGHT? THIS IDEA THAT SOMEBODY GOT SOMETHING 'CAUSE THEY KNEW SOMEBODY, UH, IS NOT, IS NOT WHAT WE HAVE ALL SIGNED UP FOR, RIGHT? UM, AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT WHAT OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES.
SO I KNOW ERIC IS GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMS PIECE AND ALANA AND HER TEAM ARE GONNA MAKE SURE THE COMMS PIECE OF THAT IS AS STRONG AS IT NEEDS TO BE.
UM, THE NEXT PERSON IS NOT HERE.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, VITO, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
UH, THANK YOU TO JUSTINA, TROY, BEN, ALANA, RYAN, AND ERIC, AND THE ENTIRE BUDGET TEAM.
I KNOW THAT PREPARING FOR THIS IS, IS A LOT OF WORK.
UH, THESE PRESENTATIONS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THIS BODY NEEDS TO FOCUS ON OUR CITY'S CORE AND BASIC SERVICES.
RIGHT NOW, COUNCIL IS STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE UP HERE KNOWING THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE HARD DECISIONS ON HOW THESE CUTS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAPPEN.
UM, AND SO TO ME, IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE PRIORITIZE THE FUNCTIONS THAT ONLY A CITY CAN DO.
UH, ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS, FIRE AND POLICE SERVICES INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE COUNCILWOMAN CORPS WAS SAYING.
AND A CS OUR TOP PRIORITIES TO FOLKS.
WE MUST ALIGN OUR SPENDING WITH THESE PRIORITIES.
UH, CONTINUING WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE
[01:25:01]
BUDGET REVIEWS IS ALSO IMPORTANT IN AND IDEN, AND WE NEED TO IDENTIFY WHERE SPENDING CAN BE REDUCED, LIKE WAS JUST SAID.UM, I WANNA GET SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PRIORITIZED FIRST.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN A HUGE ADVOCATE FOR ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS.
UM, AND OUR CITY HAS BEEN PUTTING MORE DOLLARS TOWARDS ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES.
THIS CAN HAPPEN ONLY THROUGH OUTREACH SERVICES, BUT IT ALSO HAS TO HAPPEN WITH MORE ONGOING EFFORTS TO CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN HOMELESSNESS IS ACTUALLY MOVING THE NEEDLE.
IN FISCAL YEAR 24, WE SPENT NEARLY 40 MI $49 MILLION TO, TO, UH, ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS.
AND I'D ARGUE MORE MANY RESIDENTS WOULD SAY THE PROBLEM'S GOTTEN WORSE.
SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR PROCESSES AND SAY, WHAT IS ACTUALLY MOVING THE NEEDLE? AND, AND WHAT IS NOT? I KNOW THAT DHS IS IN THE PROCESS OF A COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW.
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT REVIEW? COUNSEL, WHEN YOU'LL SEE THAT, UM, THAT AND THE OTHER THREE DEPARTMENTS IN THE, IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
YEAH, I, AND YOU KNOW, I, I WANT, YOU KNOW, WE SEEING THAT, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS A TOP CONCERN, AND SO I WANNA INVEST IN THAT ISSUE, BUT I, I REALLY WANT US TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT INVESTING IN WHAT'S WORKING AND ALSO JUST SAYING AND BEING HONEST WITH OURSELVES OF WHAT'S NOT WORKING, WHAT'S NOT MOVING THE NEEDLE, AND, AND THEN, UM, ADJUSTING ACCORDINGLY.
I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO APPROACH HOMELESSNESS HOLISTICALLY AND WITH THE HOUSING FIRST MINDSET.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND AGAIN, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY ECHO THE SENTIMENT THAT RESIDENTS ARE STILL NOT FILLING THINGS YOU'RE GETTING DONE.
IT IS HARD TO FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM IS GETTING ADDRESSED WHEN ENCAMPMENTS ARE IN PARKS, YOU KNOW, OR ARE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, OR THEY'RE CALLING US THE, THEIR COUNCIL PERSON'S OFFICE EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS TO TALK ABOUT ANOTHER ENCAMPMENT.
WE ALL, WE ALL SEE THIS STORY, WE ALL KNOW THIS STORY.
YOU CLEAN UP AN ENCAMPMENT ON ONE SIDE OF BANDERA ROAD, IT GOES TO THE OTHER SIDE, CLEAN IT UP ON THE OTHER SIDE, IT GOES BACK AGAIN.
SO I, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, I'M GONNA SAY IT AGAIN.
BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, WE TAKE A STEP BACK AND SEE WHAT IS WORKING, UH, WHEN, WHEN A, WHEN, UH, TACKLING THIS ISSUE.
UM, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT, THAT, ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT CAME TO MY OFFICE WAS HAVING A DEDICATED SAPD OFFICER, UH, GO WITH THE DHS, UH, OUTREACH PER, UH, OUTREACH, UM, COORDINATOR WHEN CLEANING UP ENCAMPMENTS.
OFTENTIMES WHEN DHS GOES TO AN AN ENCAMPMENT, IT'S TOO RISKY.
AND SO THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO CLEAN UP AND ADDRESS THE ENCAMPMENT.
AT LEAST THIS IS THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD.
UM, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO ADDRESS THE ENCAMPMENT AND HAVE TO SKIP IT ALL TOGETHER.
SO IF THEY WERE ARMED WITH, UH, AN OFFICER, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY'RE ABLE TO, TO MAKE STUFF HAPPEN QUICKER.
UH, NEXT I, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
TROY, YOU DID MENTION THE POLICY RELATED TO THE 66% CAP ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
COULD Y'ALL SEND THAT POLICY TOMORROW? IT IS JUST GONNA BE HELPFUL FOR, FOR DISCUSSIONS GOING FORWARD.
UH, I, I, I KNOW THAT 65 OFFICERS WERE PLANNED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET.
UH, WHAT IS THAT? ARE THOSE 65 OFFICERS INCORPORATED ALREADY? NO, MA'AM.
THE TRIAL BUDGET YOU SAW TODAY, UH, AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, IS ABSENT ANY, UM, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OR SPENDING ON NEW PROGRAMS. IT JUST FUNDS COMPLETELY FUNDS EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING NOW AND MAINTAINING THAT.
YOU KNOW, I, I DO WANNA STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF HIRING THOSE 65 POLICE OFFICERS.
THOSE WERE COMMITMENTS MADE TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO OUR RESIDENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS IS A PLACE THAT WE, UH, THAT WE REDUCE SPENDING.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE ON THE HIRING MOMENTUM, WHICH WILL HELP RETAIN OFFICERS AND ALSO RELIEVE THE COST OF OVERTIME HOURS.
UH, THE NEED FOR MORE OFFICERS IS SOMETHING THAT I PROBABLY, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE ABOUT IN ALMOST EVERY SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DID SEE THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES WITH HOTSPOT POLICING.
SO TO ME, AGAIN, THIS IS A STRATEGY THAT WORKS THAT WE NEED TO DO MORE OF.
I ALSO WANNA PUSH FOR HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH OPTION WHEN CALLING 9 1 1.
WE, I, RIGHT, WHEN WE GOT ELECTED TO COUNCIL, I KNOW ONE OF THE FIRST CHANGES WE MADE WAS HAVING THE SA CORE TEAM BE 24 7.
UM, THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY SEEN VERY
[01:30:01]
POSITIVE RESULTS.UH, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER.
AND WHEN PEOPLE CALL 9 1 1, THEY WILL HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH OPTION INSTEAD OF KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE TRIAGE OF, OF, OF A DISPATCHER AND THEN BEING, UM, GOING TO A MENTAL HEALTH TO THE SA CORE TEAM.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT FOR RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO TO BE ABLE TO CALL 9 1 1 AND THEN BE ABLE TO BE CONNECTED TO, UH, OUR SA CORE TEAM DIRECTLY FROM THERE.
UM, AND OF COURSE, WE CAN'T FORGET A CS ONE DISCUSSING PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GREAT POSITIVE MOMENTUM OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE A CS REMAINS FUNDED.
THE REASON WE GOT IN, PROBABLY, OR, OR A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO WHY WE GOT INTO THE HARD PLACE WE DID IS BECAUSE COUNCILS BEFORE US HAD NOT FUNDED A CS ACCORDINGLY.
SO WE DON'T WANNA MAKE THAT SAME MISTAKE TWICE.
INFRASTRUCTURE, I DEFINITELY WANNA ECHO THE SENTIMENTS.
COR SAID, YOU KNOW, IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE I, AT THE, WHEN WE WERE WORKING THE ELECTION SITE, I HAD THIS WOMAN COME UP TO ME AND SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHY THE CITY GETS SO EXCITED ABOUT FILLING 3000 POTHOLES A YEAR.
SHE'S LIKE, IF Y'ALL ARE FILLING THAT MANY, MAYBE Y'ALL AREN'T DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.
AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, I, I DO THINK LIKE COUNCILWOMAN, DR.
COR WAS SAYING, WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND SEE WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT.
LET'S CHANGE OUR BEST PRACTICES AND, AND GO FROM THERE.
YOU KNOW, DISTRICT SEVEN HAS, I THINK, PROBABLY THE SECOND HIGHEST, UH, NUMBER OF F RATED STREETS IN OUR DISTRICT.
CLOUD, I TELL ALL, ALL OF 'EM, YOU DON'T DRINK COFFEE AND GO DOWN ST.
AND IT'S, IT'S HEARTBREAKING BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE SO MANY OF OUR OLDER ADULTS LIVE, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE GOING TO CHURCH, THEY'RE GOING TO THE WALMART THERE, THEY'RE GOING TO, TO THE PLACES THAT THEY NEED TO GO FOR EVERYDAY LIFE.
UM, AND THEN ALSO TOO, YOU KNOW, I FILED THAT UTILITY COORDINATION, UH, CCR AND THAT'S BECAUSE SOME RESIDENTS ARE ACTUALLY SEEING THEIR STREETS TORN UP AND REPAVED FOUR OR FIVE TIMES IN A MATTER OF TWO OR THREE YEARS.
HOW WE'RE ALL OF THAT WASTE THAT WE'RE SPENDING BECAUSE THE CITY SAW CPS AND, AND OUR FIBER, I WOULD CALL 'EM FIBER UTILITIES, CAN'T COORDINATE IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE THAT STREETS ARE TORN UP, UH, REPAVED AGAIN AND AGAIN.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THAT THAT CCR PROCEED.
UM, YOU KNOW, I ALSO THINK THAT WE NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION FLOODING AND DRAINAGE.
I'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, THAT AS AN OPTION IN THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET SURVEY.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE JUST SAW THE TRAGEDY WE FACED HERE RECENTLY.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN DISTRICT SEVEN, DRAINAGE AND FLOODING IS, IS ALSO A HUGE, A HUGE PROBLEM FOR US.
UM, I DO THINK THAT THE UPCOMING BUDGET SHOULD INCORPORATE THE PUBLIC WORKS AUDIT THAT COUNCILMAN GUILE, COUNCILWOMAN CORE.
AND I PUSHED FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL FOR THE CCR WAS TO BE COMPLIMENTARY TO THE TRANSITION FOR A NEW PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR.
SO THIS IS THE TIME TO SET THE RESET BUTTON ON PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, AND, UM, SEE AGAIN, LET'S LOOK AT OUR STRENGTHS.
LET'S LOOK AT OUR OPPORTUNITIES AND, AND GO FROM THERE.
I ALSO DO WANNA, UH, PRIORITIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF SENIOR SERVICES.
UM, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS FEEL THAT THEIR SENIOR SERVICES ARE SOMEWHAT MET, ARE SOMEWHAT UNMET IN MY DISTRICT.
AND SO I FILED A CCR THIS MORNING TO EXPAND TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR OLDER ADULTS TO SENIOR CENTERS.
THE GOAL IS TO EXPLORE PARTNERSHIPS WITH BEXAR COUNTY, WITH VIA, THIS ISN'T, UM, ASKING FOR THE CITY TO FUND IT ALL, BUT SO MANY OF OUR SENIORS CAN'T GET TO THEIR SENIOR CENTERS, UH, WHERE THEY CAN HAVE NUTRITIOUS MEALS, WHERE THEY CAN SOCIALIZE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE COMBATING, LONELINESS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET A RIDE THERE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT US TO LOOK AT HOW WE CAN TRANSPORT OUR SENIORS TO SENIOR CENTERS SO THAT THEY CAN BE ABLE TO, TO, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
AS WE PREPARE FOR THE 2026, UH, BUDGET CYCLE, I WANT TO ENSURE WE ENTER THIS SESSION WITH A CLEAR AND DISCIPLINED, UH, PLAN.
UH, GIVEN THE CURRENT BUDGET DEFICIT, WE MUST CONFRONT THE FISCAL REALITIES, UM, HEAD ON AND MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT REMAINS A PRIORITY AND WHAT MUST BE SCALED BACK OR POSTPONED.
UH, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR SLIDE 12 AND THAT, UH, ILLUSTRATION OF WHAT WE HAVE WHILE 20.8 MILLION IS, UM, IT MAKES ME GASP NOT
[01:35:01]
AS MUCH AS 2027, BUT IT DOES MAKE ME GAS.I KNOW THAT HISTORICALLY WHAT WE SAW AT CPS, WE CAN MAKE UP A LARGE PART OF THAT DEFICIT.
SO, IN ADDITION TO WHAT I THINK HAS BEEN CLEAR, AND I FELT LIKE WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE ABOUT MY PRIORITIES, WHICH THANK YOU, ALANA, FOR THE BUDGET SURVEY AND C AND E TEAM FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS, BECAUSE I THINK IT CLEARLY EXPRESSES WHAT THE PRIORITIES OF MY RESIDENTS ARE.
BUT AFTER SEEING SOME OF THE BREAKDOWN, I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THEM ABOUT WHY THEY DON'T THINK SOME THINGS MATTER, LIKE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
BUT THAT'S, THAT'S FOR ANOTHER CONVERSATIONS.
WE'VE SEEN CITIES ADDRESS THIS DEFICIT NATIONWIDE, AND SAN ANTONIO CAN DO IT ALSO.
AND I BELIEVE IF THE COUNCIL WORKS TOGETHER, WE CAN DO IT BETTER THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
SO, WITH THAT SAID, UM, WHEN WE START LOOKING AT, UH, MORE SESSIONS AND WHEN WE START COMING SPECIFICALLY FOR WHAT WE ASK AND WHAT WE PRIORITIZE, I WANT TO, TO MAKE THE UNDERSTANDING AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU BRING TO US NEXT TIME.
AND JUST, JUSTINE, MAYBE YOU CAN TALK TO THIS, WHERE WE CAN, UM, MAYBE GET SOME MORE FUNDING THROUGH OUR MUNICIPAL COURTS AND THE FINES THAT WE NEED TO COLLECT THERE.
PERMITTING CURRENTLY, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT WE MAKE IN GARAGE SALE PERMITS.
AND, UH, THOUGH CODE IS GOING TO BE UPSET, MAYBE WE DO THAT MORE THAN JUST ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT JUST MORE THAN ONCE A QUARTER OR TWICE A YEAR OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE PERMIT WHEN PEOPLE ARE LETTING PEOPLE PARK IN THEIR YARD FOR CONCERTS DOWN AT THE ALAMO DOME AND CONCERTS IN AND AROUND.
SO I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT HOW, WHERE WE ARE LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE AS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CUTS, AND THIS IS WHAT'S TROUBLESOME ABOUT, IS, UH, UH, A BUDGET HYBRID THAT YOU'VE PUT FORWARD, ERIC, IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CUT, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE WHAT IF WE WERE IN A GOOD YEAR, MY DEPARTMENTS WOULD ASK FOR, BECAUSE I WOULD HOPE MIKE SHANNON WOULD ASK FOR MORE CODE OFFICERS.
I WOULD HOPE THAT A CS WOULD ASK FOR MORE OFFICERS.
BUT WE ARE IN A, IN A SITUATION WHERE NOT ONLY CAN THEY NOT ASK FOR THAT, THOUGH THEY NEED IT, THEY'RE HAVING TO SAY, WE WON'T FILL THIS VACANCY, WE'LL FREEZE THIS FOR THE, THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
'CAUSE THAT WILL EVENTUALLY IMPACT OUR CORE SERVICES.
SO I WANNA MOVE OVER TO, UM, THERE WERE SOME SLIDES I WANTED TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT.
UM, AND IF WE COULD MOVE OVER TO THAT WONDERFUL SLIDE ON FINANCIAL POLICIES UPDATE, CITY PAYMENT, ADOPTED BUDGET.
'CAUSE I THINK THE SLIDESHOW, UM, AND IF WE COULD PUT THAT ONE UP.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, AND I, I WANNA KIND OF GIVE A HISTORY FOR, UM, MY NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE IS THAT 2022 50 MILLION RETURN TO RATE PAYERS.
THAT WAS A FIVE, FIVE VOTE FROM THIS DAIS THERE.
HALF OF US HERE WANTED TO PUT A PIN IN IT AND TALK ABOUT HOW WE LOOK AT THAT MONEY STRATEGICALLY.
THE OTHER HALF, FIVE OF US WANTED TO, WELL, THAT WASN'T MY FIVE, BUT THE OTHER FIVE WANTED TO SEND IT BACK TO THE RATE PAYERS.
AND THEN WE HAD ONE ABSTENTION.
SO THAT WAS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF THE CONVERSATION FOR THAT FINANCIAL POLICY THAT THE, THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED AND A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, HAS LEFT CITY COUNCIL IS NO LONGER HERE THAT WE NEED TO PROBABLY LOOK AT AGAIN.
AND I THANK YOU FOR, UM, SLIDE, THE OTHER SLIDE THAT TALKS ABOUT US LOOKING AND ADDRESSING OUR PRIORITIES HERE AND OUR, OUR FINANCIAL STATE THAT WE ARE.
BECAUSE WE DID NOT, WE ANTICIPATED, UH, WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN AT THE STATE, BUT WE ALWAYS HOPE FOR THE BEST.
AND SO I THINK AS WE LOOK AT, AND I THINK, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT SLIDE IT WAS, IT WAS ONE OF ERIC'S SLIDE WHERE, WHERE WE TALK ABOUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THE CITY SERVICES, THE CORE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE.
AND I FEEL LIKE THE CITY HAS REALLY, UM, WHITTLED DOWN TO CORE SERVICES, AND WE ARE LOOKING AT DELEGATE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE SOME EXTRA NEEDS.
I'VE GOT, AND, AND WE HEARD THEM COME AND TALK AT PUBLIC COMMENT.
I HAVE AMBASSADORS WORKING WITH, UM, A CS TO TRY AND ADDRESS THAT ISSUE.
WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS AND CHURCH GROUPS TRYING TO HELP WITH, UM, WITH HOMELESS, UH, ENCAMPMENTS AND, AND THEY'RE FEELING THE BURDEN TOO.
[01:40:01]
NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS WE'VE DONE A LOT TO STREAMLINE.AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'VE UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN WHERE WE'VE MOVED AND WE'VE WANTED, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT WITH A LENS THAT, THAT ADDRESSES THE, UM, INEQUITIES THAT WE'RE PERPETRATED ON THE, THE, THE SOUTH, THE EAST, THE WEST, AND THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS, AND WE TALK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE STREETS, BUT WE DON'T, WHAT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IS SOIL EROSION.
WHAT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE, WHERE PEOPLE ARE BUILDING AND WHAT I HAVE TO BUILD ON IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR.
WHEN, WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO DEVELOP IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, THEY MIGHT BE DEVELOPING IN WHAT USED TO BE RURAL.
SO WE DON'T HAVE, I HAVE, WE TALK ABOUT F STREETS.
I HAVE NO STREETS IN SOME, I HAVE NO, I HAVE NO STATIONS FOR, FOR, UH, SAWS.
WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE ON WELLS.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AS WE TALK ABOUT IT.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS AND WE TALK ABOUT OUR PROJECTS, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT IT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE, FROM THROUGHOUT THE CITY, BECAUSE HISTORICALLY SO MUCH OF, OF SAN ANTONIO WAS ANNEXED IN AND THEY HAD THEIR OWN RULES IN THEIR OWN, UM, WAY OF DOING THINGS.
SO ERIC, WHAT I WANT FROM YOU, UH, AND TEAM IS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO MORE PERMITS IF WE NEED TO DO AN ORDINANCE REGARDING PERMITS, UH, ABOUT PARKING OR, UH, A D OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, AND MAKING SURE WE'RE GETTING WHAT WE SHOULD BE GETTING, UH, THROUGH MUNICIPAL COURTS.
THE OTHER THING IS, I'D LIKE TO SEE, AND ROSIE, I SEE YOU'RE HERE WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS, WHAT WE HAVE IN CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT SIT AT OR OVER THAT $10 MILLION MARK, UM, IN AND AROUND.
AND IF WE COULD FOCUS ON CITYWIDE BEFORE WE GET TO DISTRICT SPECIFIC, SO WE CAN LOOK AT POSSIBLY THOSE BEING PART OF THE BOND.
BECAUSE WHERE I SIT RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF PRIORITIZING, AND, AND I SEE I, I SEE NHSD HERE AND UH, AND DSD AND ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, CUTTING.
THESE ARE NOT GONNA GET US TO WHERE WE NEED.
IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE OUR, OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS.
IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE BIGGER PROJECTS, AND WE CANNOT TOUCH THE 66%.
SO WHAT I NEED IS TO SEE WHERE WE CAN DO THAT AND WHERE WE COULD POSSIBLY MOVE THAT TO BOND.
BECAUSE THE IDEA OF PUTTING ANOTHER, OF INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES AND INCREASING, UM, TAXES ON THE RESIDENTS, IS IT, IT THAT IS NOT, THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I AM PREPARED TO ENTERTAIN AT THIS TIME.
UM, THAT IS JUST, UH, IN THIS, IN THIS CRISIS.
THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT SPENDING MONEY, THAT THE SALES TAX DOES NOT SEEM TO ME TO, TO MEET UP, THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES.
AND IT HAS FOR YEARS THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT SPENDING, OR THEY'RE SPENDING ONLINE, OR WE NEED TO FIND OUT THEIR SPENDING PATTERNS BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IS IMPACTING OUR LOCAL BUSINESS.
YES, PART OF IT IS CONSTRUCTION THAT WE HAVE GOING ON ALL OVER TOWN, BUT PART OF IT IS THAT PEOPLE ARE JUST NOT GETTING OUT AND, AND SHOPPING IN PERSON.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND, AND AS YOU KNOW, HOUSING AND HEALTH AND, UM, TAKING CARE OF MY SENIORS ARE ALL THE, UM, PRIORITIES THAT I HAVE.
BUT WE, UM, WE NEED TO ADDRESS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS MONEY WITHOUT PUTTING THE BURDEN BACK ON THE, UM, THE, THE, THE TAXPAYER.
I, AND AGAIN, I'M GONNA, WE NEED, WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO GET THEM BACK INTO THE STORES.
IF THEY'RE SPENDING THE MONEY, WE NEED TO GET THEM BACK INTO THE STORES TO DO THAT.
UM, SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR KIND OF PUTTING THIS PRESENTATION.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS.
I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A, I DON'T WANNA SAY FUN, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A VERY INTERESTING BUDGET SESSION THIS YEAR.
SO THANK YOU, UH, TEAM FOR ALL YOUR WORK.
UH, I JUST WANT TO BEGIN BY THANKING, UM, ERIC JUSTINA, BEN TROY, EVERYBODY INVOLVED WITH THE BUDGET PROCESS.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK.
I KNOW HOW MUCH, UM, TIME Y'ALL HAVE PUT IT PUT INTO ALL OF THIS, AND IT'S NEVER EASY, AND IT'S, UH, PARTICULARLY NOT GOING TO BE EASY, UH, THIS YEAR OR NEXT.
[01:45:01]
THIS DAY WAS, THIS DAY WAS COMING.I, I THINK IF, UH, IF WE ALL ARE HONEST WITH OURSELVES AND, AND TOOK A LOOK AT THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WE, WE WOULD'VE SEEN, WE WOULD'VE SEEN THIS DAY COMING.
UM, I REMEMBER AFTER GOING THROUGH MY FIRST, UH, BUDGET CYCLE, AT THE END OF 2023, UH, I SAT DOWN WITH MY TEAM AND, AND SAID, MAN, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT CONCERNS ABOUT THIS.
I'VE GOT CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WE SPEND OUR MONEY.
WE'VE, UH, WE'VE GOTTA DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
AND, UM, THAT'S WHY WE, WE, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT DOING BUDGETING PERHAPS IN A, IN A DIFFERENT WAY, UM, MOVING FORWARD.
BUT I, BUT I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING TO THINK ABOUT TODAY IS IT'S TIME TO FOCUS ON THE MUST HAVES AND NOT THE, UM, THE WANTS.
UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOTTA DO TODAY.
WE, WE'VE GOTTA RETURN THE FOCUS TO CORE CITY SERVICES THAT WE ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO DELIVER TO OUR CITIZENS.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LAW AND, AND ERIC, THE, THE PFM GROUP, WHICH THE, THE CITY HIRED, UM, YOU KNOW, TO LOOK AT OUR BUDGETING PROCESS, THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE WE REQUIRED TO DO BY LAW? AND THAT'S WHAT'S OUTLINED BY THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION, TEXAS LAWS, THE CITY CHARTER VOTER REFERENDUMS, ET CETERA.
AND WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE LAW AND WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO, AGAIN AS A CITY GOVERNMENT, NUMBER ONE, IT'S OF COURSE, PUBLIC SAFETY, POLICE SERVICES, THE TEXAS, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE ONE, UH, AND A NUMBER OF CASES HAVE SAID THIS IS, THIS IS SOMETHING A CITY GOVERNMENT HAS TO DO.
AND WE'VE ALL SAID A NUMBER OF TIMES THAT PUBLIC SAFETY HAS GOT TO BE OUR TOP PRIORITY.
NUMBER TWO, WHAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW IS THAT WE MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT? UNDER THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE, MUNICIPALITIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR STREET CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, UH, AND SAFETY.
WE'VE GOT TO FOCUS ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
NUMBER THREE, WHAT'S MANDATED BY THE LAW IS CODE ENFORCEMENT.
AND I KNOW THAT WE ALL GET A BUNCH OF CALLS, RIGHT, ON CODE ISSUES.
TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 3 42, AGAIN, UH, TALKS ABOUT CODE ENFORCEMENT.
WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A FOCUS THERE.
AND THEN THE FOURTH AREA, UH, THAT'S SORT OF PARTIALLY MANDATED BY THE LAW IS, UH, IS ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, RIGHT? TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE, CHAPTER 8 22 TALKS ABOUT ANIMAL CONTROL, UH, DANGEROUS DOGS, ET CETERA, WHICH WE'VE BEEN ADDRESSING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO WE'VE GOT LIMITED RESOURCES.
UH, WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR CITIZENS, UH, AS TO AS TO WHAT THEY WANT.
YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THE, UH, THE, UM, THE BUDGET SURVEY WAS, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY SAID, THEY ASKED THE CITIZENS, WHAT ARE OUR GREATEST NEEDS, RIGHT? AND THEY TALKED ABOUT ENCAMPMENT, CLEANUPS, AND STREETS.
AND WHEN I SAW THAT, THAT GOES BACK TO WHAT I THINK WE NEED TO BE DOING UP HERE.
AND I KNOW Y'ALL ARE TIRED OF HEARING ME SAY IT, BUT WHEN WE LOOK ABOUT, WHEN WE LOOK AT ALLOCATING OUR CITIZENS TAX DOLLARS, WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE MOST DIRECTLY AND POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR CITIZENS' DAY-TO-DAY LIVES? WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS IN STREETS, THESE ARE THINGS THAT EVERY MORNING PEOPLE DRIVE OUTTA THEIR, UH, THEIR HOMES, AND BAM, THEY'RE ON A STREET, RIGHT? AND THEY'RE DRIVING DIFFERENT STREETS TO WORK.
AND AS WE'VE ALL SAID, AS WE ALL KNOW, 22% OF THE ROADS IN THIS CITY ARE IN POOR AND FAILING CONDITION.
UH, THEY DRIVE PAST, YOU KNOW, THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS THAT ARE MAYBE SOMEWHERE, UH, LOCATED CLOSE TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT OUR CITIZENS, UM, FEEL THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS, AND WE NEED TO FOCUS ON WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES US TO DO AS A CITY GOVERNMENT.
WHEN I LOOK AT THE THREE SCENARIOS, LET'S BE VERY, VERY CLEAR AT THE OUTSET.
SCENARIO THREE IS AN ABSOLUTE NON-STARTER, NO NEW TAX HIKES ON OUR CITIZENS.
IT WOULD BE, UM, IN MY OPINION, IRRESPONSIBLE AND CRUEL TO DO THAT TO OUR CITIZENS.
UH, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, UH, I LOOK AT SCENARIO TWO.
SCENARIO TWO, CONTEMPLATES INCREASING FEES AND CHARGES ON OUR CITIZENS.
I'M TIRED OF CONTINUING TO INCREASE FEES AND CHARGES ON OUR CITIZENS.
AND YOU KNOW, WHAT WE SAW IN THE BUDGET SURVEY, RIGHT? AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS SOMETHING THAT OUR, OUR CITIZENS HAVE TALKED TO US ABOUT.
WELL, HOW DO WE MAKE HOUSING MORE
[01:50:01]
AFFORDABLE? WE KEEP MORE MONEY IN PEOPLE'S POCKETS.WE HOPEFULLY ATTRACT JOBS TO OUR CITY.
WE HOPEFULLY ATTRACT GOOD PAYING JOBS TO OUR CITY.
WE DON'T TAKE MONEY OUT OF THEIR POCKETS WITH ADDITIONAL FEES AND CHARGES.
THE MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS, THE MORE THEY'RE ABLE TO AFFORD, UM, A PLACE TO LIVE.
SO I DON'T LIKE SCENARIO TWO BECAUSE IT INCREASES FEES AND CHARGES, UM, ON OUR CITIZENS.
ADDITIONALLY, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT CPS ENERGY, AND RATHER THAN GIVING THEM THE MONEY ON THE OUTTA MARKET SALES AND GIVING IT, UH, YOU KNOW, BACK TO US THE REASON WE PUT THIS POLICY IN PLACE, AND I REMEMBER MAYOR NUREMBERG, UM, STATED IT ON THE RECORD AT, AT, AT OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS LAST YEAR.
UH, THE REASON WAS TO ELIMINATE OR MITIGATE FUTURE RATE INCREASES ON OUR CITIZENS.
AND AGAIN, SO IF WE TAKE THIS MONEY BACK TO HELP FILL THIS DEFICIT, UM, WE CAN REST ASSURED CPS ENERGY IS GONNA BE BACK IN HERE.
THEY'RE GONNA BE ASKING FOR A RATE INCREASE OR MAYBE A GREATER INCREASE THAN THEY WOULD HAVE, UH, BEFORE, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL MONEY.
AND THAT'S GONNA BE MORE MONEY IF THIS BODY WERE TO APPROVE SUCH A RATE HIKE THAT AGAIN, COMES OUT OF OUR CITIZENS' POCKETS, WE'VE GOT TO STOP DOING THAT.
AND THAT'S WHY I'M VERY, UH, I'M STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF SCENARIO ONE, AND I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE HARD AND IT, AND IT, AND IT WILL BE, IT WILL BE PAINFUL.
UM, BUT SCENARIO ONE IS WHERE I, I HOPE THAT THIS BODY WILL LAND BECAUSE, UM, IT, IT WILL ALLOW US, I THINK, TO, TO RESET AND RECALIBRATE AS A, AS A CITY GOVERNMENT, UH, AND GET US BACK TO A BASELINE WHERE WE CAN THEN, UH, BEST MOVE FORWARD.
UM, JUST A COUPLE OF SPECIFICS.
OF COURSE, I SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, THE NEW, THE NEW BUDGETING MODEL THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT IN THE FALL.
UH, ALSO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A TALK ABOUT DELEGATE AGENCIES.
IS THAT RIGHT, ERIC AS WELL? UH, YES SIR.
THAT'LL ACTUALLY BE IN THE OCTOBER TIMEFRAME AS WELL.
UH, ABOUT, UH, PART TWO OF THE EARLIER CONVERSATION, UH, ON DELEGATE AGENCIES.
AND JUST A REMINDER OF THE REST OF THE COUNCIL, UH, WHAT, WHAT THE COUNCIL APPROVED EARLIER IN THE YEAR WERE, UH, CONTRACTS THROUGH MAY OF 20, UH, SIX.
UM, THE FULL, THE FULL 12 MONTHS WORTH IS INCLUDED IN THE TRIAL BUDGET, BUT, BUT THE CONTRACT'S ONLY THROUGH MAY.
AND THAT WAS TO ALLOW, UH, THE NEW MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO HAVE THAT POLICY CONVERSATION IN THE FALL.
AND, AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE A PART OF THE EQUATION WHEN WE, WHEN WE LOOK FORWARD, UM, TO THE COMING YEARS, UH, I FORGET HOW MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE SPEND THERE.
AND, AND AGAIN, SO MANY GOOD PROGRAMS WITH, YOU KNOW, WORTHY NEEDS INVOLVED THERE.
BUT THE, THE DAYS OF, YOU KNOW, OKAY, YOU'RE HERE EVERY YEAR, 500,000 FOR YOU.
250,000 FOR YOU, A HUNDRED GRAND FOR YOU.
JUST BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY CAN'T CONTINUE TO GET THOSE DOLLARS.
UH, I HOPE WE LOOK AT WHICH PROGRAMS WE'RE REALLY SEEING A RETURN ON INVESTMENT, UH, FROM WHEN WE DECIDE WHO TO FUND IN THE FUTURE.
UM, REGARDING POLICE, UH, I, I'M WITH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ALDRETE VITO.
UM, PLEASE, PUBLIC SAFETY IS, IS NUMBER ONE I'VE ADVOCATED.
WE, WE NEED ANOTHER 200 OFFICERS.
THE PLAN WAS TO FUND IT OVER THREE YEARS.
I'VE ADVOCATED TO GET THAT DONE OVER TWO YEARS, BUT AT A MINIMUM, AT A MINIMUM, WE NEED TO STICK TO WHAT THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS AND GET THOSE 65, UH, NEW OFFICERS FUNDED.
WE COULD HAVE NEW SAFE OFFICERS, UM, FROM THAT GROUP.
AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE TOWARDS THE GOAL THAT OUR SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS SET FORTH TO GET MORE, UH, THE NEW 60 40 MODEL THAT WE WANT TO GET TO MORE OFFICERS, UH, THAT ARE ACTUALLY OUT THERE ON PATROL.
AND WE'VE SEEN THAT, THAT WORKS.
SO IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY INVESTMENTS, IT'S INVESTMENTS IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, IT'S INVESTMENTS IN CODE ENFORCEMENT.
UH, IT'S TRYING TO DIRECTLY AND POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR CITIZENS' DAY-TO-DAY LIVES.
ERIC, DID YOU WANNA ADD SOMETHING? J JUST ONE, ONE POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
UM, SO, UM, THE, THE CPS POLICY THAT, THAT BEN COVERED, JUST FOR, FOR CLARIFICATION, AND I, I CERTAINLY KNOW THERE WAS A VERY HIGHLY DEBATED CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNCIL LAST YEAR, BUT THE POLICY ACCOMMODATES
[01:55:01]
AND, UH, ACCOUNTS FOR OUR ABILITY, YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE MET OUR BASE REVENUE IN ADVANCE OF MAKING A DECISION ABOUT A REINVESTMENT BACK IN, INTO CPS.SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE, THE FAIL SAFE THAT WAS BUILT IN AS THE COUNCIL, UH, DISCUSSED THAT POLICY LAST YEAR.
IT'S NOT AN EITHER OR THE WAY THE EXISTING POLICY IS.
STEP ONE, $10 MILLION, STEP TWO, ANYTHING OVER THAT INTO THAT COPPER RESERVE.
STEP THREE, DID WE HIT OUR REVENUE? STEP FOUR, UH, DEBATE AND DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE REINVESTING.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS CLEAR.
UM, UM, BASED ON THE COMMENTS, THANK YOU, ERIC.
THANK YOU STAFF FOR THE PRESENTATIONS.
UH, LAST NIGHT I WAS AT THE PALM HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND GOING THROUGH THE ITEMS OF UPDATES OF THINGS GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT AND DOWN HERE AT CITY HALL.
UH, I SHARED WITH THEM THAT TODAY WE WOULD BE DISCUSSING THE UPCOMING BUDGET AND THAT WE WERE POTENTIALLY FACING A DEFICIT, AND WE NEEDED TO PREPARE IN TERMS OF WHERE WE MAY POTENTIALLY HAVE TO REDUCE SERVICES AND OR, UM, PUT FREEZES ON HIRING NEW POSITIONS, UH, AT THE SAME TIME.
AND WITHIN THOSE UPDATES, I WAS INVITING EVERYONE TO COME OUT TO THE PROJECT MARVEL CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE.
AND MY CONSTITUENCY HAD, UM, QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF THESE TWO PRO PROJECTS, THE BUDGET PROCESS AND DEFICIT CONVERSATION RUNNING PARALLEL WITH BUILDING A DOWNTOWN IN THE COST OF BILLIONS.
SO, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING IN PREPARATION FOR THE BUDGET TOWN HALLS, I HOPE YOU ALL CAN ANSWER.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT ARE ASKING, WHAT TYPE OF BELLS AND WHISTLES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT A PARK DOWNTOWN, WHILE ALSO POTENTIALLY SEEING ANY PROJECT IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR PARKS SLOW ROAD, OR POTENTIALLY HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT FINANCIAL FISCAL YEAR.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET SURVEY, UM, IT'S CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE SEE IN OUR CONSTITUENT SERVICES, WALK-INS AND PHONE CALLS.
UM, PRIMARILY THE NEED FOR, UH, HOUSING SERVICES, WHETHER IT'S FOLKS, UH, FACING AND OR EXPERIENCING EVICTION OR LOOKING TO APPLY OR FOLLOW UP ON THEIR HOME REHAB APPLICATION UNDER ONE ROOF, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UH, OFTENTIMES NOT JUST IN DISTRICT FIVE, BUT ALL THROUGHOUT OUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS, WE HAVE MORE APPLICANTS THAN WE DO HAVE SLOTS.
UH, SO AT THE MINIMUM, MY EXPECTATION IS THAT WE MAINTAIN, IF NOT LOOK TO INCREASE, UH, FUNDING FOR THESE PROGRAMS. UH, FURTHER, UH, IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WE KNOW THAT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF NUISANCE AND VACANT PROPERTIES.
AND IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR REVENUE, HOW CAN WE REEVALUATE THOSE FINES FOR SOME OF THESE ABSENTEE LANDLORDS AND OR VACANT PROPERTIES THAT SERVE AS A NUISANCE? UH, AND OFTENTIMES IT'S A HOST FOR PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS.
THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITY THAT GO ON IN THESE VACANT LOTS.
UH, AND WE, AND IF WE TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS THOSE, UH, PROBLEM PROPERTIES IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO NOT JUST ADDRESS, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS, BUT ALSO AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONCERN AS WELL.
UH, LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, THERE'S A SIMILAR CONCERN IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THAT WAS ANOTHER CONCERN THAT CAME UP IN TERMS OF US DREAMING BIG FOR PROJECT MARVEL, UH, IS WE HAVE RESIDENTS, RIGHT, THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING, UH, DECADES, UH, IF NOT GENERATIONS FOR BASIC INFRASTRUCTURES LIKE STREETS AND SIDEWALKS, MANY OF WHICH ARE NOT CONNECTED TO SAWS, UH, SEWAGE, THEY DON'T HAVE LATERAL CONNECTIONS.
UH, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT, UH, SOME OF THE SCENARIOS THAT HAVE POTENTIAL DEPARTMENT REDUCTIONS, UH, WITHOUT HAVING SPECIFICS IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE, UH, OR EQUIPPED TO GIVE DIRECTION ON WHICH SCENARIO TO MOVE FORWARD WITH.
UM, SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS PRESENTED IN THE BUDGET SURVEY, UM, I BELIEVE RYAN MENTIONED RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM, THAT'S OFTENTIMES WHERE THEY'RE FARING, FARING WELL, AND WE WOULDN'T WANNA REMOVE ANY FUNDING FROM THOSE DEPARTMENTS.
IF NOT, IT COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME A PROBLEM.
UH, AND WHEN I SEE METRO HEALTH AS ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT, UH, FOLKS ARE, ARE SATISFIED WITH, I THINK ABOUT SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH BRIEFINGS.
WERE SAN ANTONIO, UH, LEADS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS WITH STI.
UH, SAN ANTONIO LEADS 22ND IN THE NATION WITH STIS.
AND IT'S A LOT OF THESE FRONT FACING DEPARTMENTS, WHETHER IT'S PROVIDING FOLKS TO IMMUNIZATIONS, UH, AND OR TESTING OR CONTRACEPTIVES.
AND, UM, THE ESSAY FORWARD PLAN, RIGHT, UH, THAT METRO HEALTH TAKES ON.
I DON'T THINK WE CAN, UH, AFFORD TO REDUCE ANY SPENDING THERE.
SO, AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT REDUCTIONS, UM, FOR DEPARTMENT REDUCTIONS WOULD LOOK LIKE TO IMPACT SOME OF THESE KEY AND FRONT FACING DEPARTMENTS.
UH, AGAIN, UH, YES, PUBLIC SAFETY IS A CONCERN.
UM, RIGHT? WE LOOK AT THE HOTSPOT DATA, IT IS QUESTIONABLE.
UM, BUT WHAT THAT MEANS, UM, IS THAT
UM, HOWEVER, AT THE SAME TIME, IN TERMS OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND ACCESS TO CARE, DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS AND MANY SENIORS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WITH SAN ANTONIO, UNFORTUNATELY RELY ON EMS AS THEIR PRIMARY CARE AND ACCESS TO A HEALTHCARE CARE, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S BAPTIST HOSPITAL OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
UH, SO WITH THAT, I WANNA ENSURE, UH, THAT AS WE CRAFT, UH, AND
[02:00:01]
MAKE CHANGES TO THE BUDGET, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO FULLY STAFF OUR SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT SQUADS, UM, TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF 'EM THAT MAY HAVE BE PART-TIME STAFFED, ARE FULLY STAFFED, UH, AGAIN, RIGHT? THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE CONNECTING FOLKS TO ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, SAVING LIVES, PUTTING OUT FIRES, AND THEN ALSO RESPONDING IN THOSE VERY CATASTROPHIC EVENTS LIKE FLOODING, UM, CATASTROPHES.SO, UH, AT THE VERY LEAST, I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT INCREASING OR MAINTAINING, UH, THESE BUCKETS, AT THE VERY LEAST.
UM, AGAIN, IN TERMS OF FINANCIAL POLICY, UH, AND WHERE THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF US LOOKING AT TOURS AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT SOME OF THESE AREAS THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, UH, A DEMAND FOR, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOMELESS SERVICES.
UH, AND I THINK A GOOD EXAMPLE IS THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST.
I'M GRATEFUL FOR MY COLLEAGUES WHO VOTED TO HIRE, UH, TO, UH, OUTREACH COORDINATORS, TO CONNECT TO UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS TO HARM REDUCTION SERVICES, UH, IN AN AREA WHERE IT'S VERY MUCH NEEDED.
SO, UH, EXPLORING THOSE ADDITIONAL AVENUES FOR FUNDING, PARTICULARLY WITH THE TOURS AND BEING, UH, MORE INTENTIONAL.
WHAT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT HOW WE ARE TAKING CARE OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT CARRY OUT THE WORK THAT MANY OF US ARE ASKING FOR, RIGHT? UH, MANY OF US ARE ASKING FOR MORE SUPPORT, WHETHER IT'S CODE COMPLIANCE, SOLID WASTE, UH, THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, AFSCME'S, UH, BEING HEARD IN TERMS OF WHAT THEIR REQUESTS ARE.
UH, I, I DON'T KNOW, ERIC, IF YOU'VE MET WITH THEM, OR CAN WE COUNT ON YOU TO MEET WITH THEM TO HEAR WHAT THEIR BUDGET REQUESTS ARE? UM, I HAVEN'T MET WITH THEM YET, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, BUT I WILL BE.
UM, I, I KNOW, UH, THEY'D APPRECIATE IT AND OUR TEAM WOULD APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL.
UM, OF COURSE, RIGHT, THERE ARE SOME OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE FUND THROUGH THE HOT TAX, LIKE VISIT SAN ANTONIO, FOR EXAMPLE.
THEY DO A GREAT JOB SELLING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO BASED OFF OF OUR HEARTS AND CULTURE.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE HOT TAX DISTRIBUTION, I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, ERIC, FOR US TO REEVALUATE WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE LOOKS LIKE AND HOW CAN WE PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT TO THE CITY'S ARTS AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT, UH, TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR ARTISTS.
AGAIN, THERE'S A STUDY THAT SHOWS THAT SAN ANTONIO'S ARTS COMMUNITY HAS A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR, IF NOT BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S ECONOMY.
SO, UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR ARTISTS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS IS ALSO MORE MONEY, UH, IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMY AS WELL.
UH, AGAIN, I JUST REALLY WANNA EMPHASIZE IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITY.
I KNOW, UH, I'M GRATEFUL FOR AMIN AND MARK.
WE CREATED THE DART, UM, COST RECOVERY FEE.
THERE COULD BE OPPORTUNITY AS FOR US TO REEVALUATE WHAT THAT FEE LOOKS LIKE AND HOW CAN WE, AGAIN, AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE LIENS ON VACANT AND NUISANCE PROPERTIES.
UM, WHICH, UH, I LOOKED AT THE COMMENTS WITHIN THE BUDGET SURVEY, UH, THROUGHOUT THE MAJORITY OF OUR DISTRICTS, IF NOT ALL, SOMEONE'S MENTIONING A VACANT LOT AND OR NUISANCE PROPERTIES.
SO IT'S A CONSISTENT, UH, ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, I'M, AGAIN, UH, I KNOW FOLKS HAVE HIT ON IT AS WELL.
UH, WITH THESE SCENARIOS, I FEEL LIKE I NEED MORE INFORMATION TO GIVE DIRECTION.
UH, AND OF COURSE, WITH THE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, UH, WHETHER I'M AT THE SA HOPE CENTER OR AT OUR SENIOR CENTER, FOLKS ARE ASKING ABOUT WHAT KIND OF PROPERTY RELIEF CAN THE CITY PROPERTY TAX RELIEF CAN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO PROVIDE? UH, AND OFTENTIMES I'LL SHARE, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GET YOU ON A PAYMENT PLAN, OR THE, THE TAX ASSESSOR CAN GET YOU ON A PAYMENT PLAN, AND THEY SHARE, THEY'RE ALREADY ON ONE.
UH, SO THE PROPOSAL OF POTENTIALLY INCREASING THE BURDEN ON SAN ANTONIO ISN'T ONE THAT, UH, ANY OF US, AND I, I KNOW WE DON'T, UH, TAKE LIGHTLY, UH, BUT I'M HESITANT IN TERMS OF INCREASING THE BURDEN TO SAN ANTONIO FAMILIES VIA PROPERTY TAX, UH, WHEN WE STILL NEED MORE INFORMATION, IN MY OPINION, BEFORE, UH, PROVIDING DIRECTION.
UH, LET ME REITERATE, UH, I'D LIKE TO ALSO SEE, ACTUALLY, JUST GO AHEAD AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE ELSE UP HERE.
UH, THE AFSCME ASKS, UM, AND YOU'RE CORRECT, $5 BILLION IN TERMS OF THE, UH, ARTS AND CULTURE THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
UM, NEXT IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, PLEASE.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THE BUDGET IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR, AND I FEEL LIKE I GET TO BRING OUT MR. MCKEE RODRIGUEZ, THE MATH TEACHER, UH, COUNTER TO MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN WHITE'S.
A FEW YEARS AGO, MY FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE, I PREDICTED THAT WE WOULD BE HERE.
I BROUGHT OUT A WHITEBOARD AND TOLD Y'ALL THAT WE WERE APPROACHING A CRISIS.
IF WE KEPT INCREASING OUR POLICE BUDGET AT THE EXACT SAME RATE THAT WE WERE, UH, IT WOULD OUTPACE OUR BUDGET AND WE'D BE AT A $600 MILLION PD BUDGET BY 2028.
WE ARE FAR AND BEYOND THAT AT $660 MILLION.
THERE IS NO OTHER DEPARTMENT THAT GROWS AT THAT RATE, AND WE'LL KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT ACTING LIKE IF WE CUT OUR METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT LIBRARIES, HOMELESS OUTREACH, NONPROFITS, OR SOME OTHER SERVICES THAT OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS RELY ON, UH, IF WE CUT THOSE THAT WE'RE SUDDENLY GOING TO SAVE OUR BUDGET, IS VERY MISGUIDED.
IN FACT, UH, MY PRIORITIES, TO GO BACK TO THE MAIN QUESTION, UH, ARE FAIRLY SIMPLE.
NUMBER ONE, WE HAVE OVER A BILLION DOLLARS IN INFRASTRUCTURE NEED, AND WE ARE FINALLY
[02:05:01]
STARTING TO SEE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE WAITED DECADES FOR INVESTMENT, FINALLY RECEIVE IT.WE'RE ALL ANXIOUSLY AWAITING UPDATES TO PUBLIC WORKS, AND TO FIND OUT WHAT CHA WHAT CHANGES ARE IMPLEMENTED.
UH, BUT I'D DEFINITELY LIKE US TO REWORK THE EQUITY FUNDING FORMULA TO MAKE IT MUCH MORE MULTIDIMENSIONAL.
UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE ALLOCATING MONEY ON A DISTRICT BY DISTRICT LEVEL BASED NEED, UH, BASED ON NEED.
BUT I THINK WE SHOULD WORK IN ELEMENTS WITHOUT THAT FUNDING THAT, UM, ENSURE THAT EVEN THAT IT EVEN FURTHER ADDRESSES THE EQUITY NEEDS OF THAT SPECIFIC DISTRICT, RIGHT? SO IT SHOULD LOOK AT PAVEMENT DEGRADATION RATES.
IT SHOULD LOOK AT SOIL TYPES, USAGE, AND OTHER CRITERIA THAT IMPACT A ROADS QUALITY AND DURABILITY.
WE ALSO NEED TO ADDRESS EQUITY IN A HYPER INTENTIONAL, UH, INTENTIONAL WAY.
AND I THINK, I THINK I AM THIS CLOSE TO FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT FORMULA IS.
UH, BUT I'M GONNA SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME ON IT.
I DO WANNA GET TO A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE.
AND PUBLIC WORKS RECENTLY DELIVERED ME A MEMO TO DEFER FIVE PROJECTS THAT WERE ON THE IMP FOR THIS YEAR THAT I'VE ALREADY SHARED WITH RESIDENTS THAT WERE GOING TO BE DONE THIS YEAR, AND IT'S GOING TO BE, OR THEY WANT TO DEFER IT FOR FIVE YEARS LATER BECAUSE THE WORK, UH, THEY REQUIRE MORE WORK THAN PREVIOUSLY ESTIMATED.
AND WHAT THAT TELLS ME IS THAT THESE PROJECTS WERE NOT GRADED ACCURATELY, UH, AND THAT OUR ENTIRE PCI AND, UH, SCORING PROCESS IS EITHER OUTDATED OR INCORRECT.
AND IT RAISES THE QUESTION OF EFFICACY IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO REITERATE SUPPORT FOR OUR CIP AND N PROGRAMS. THESE ARE SOME OF THE ONLY TOOLS THAT WE HAVE TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROJECT NEEDS AS THEY ARISE.
UH, THIS ALSO HELPS US INVEST STRATEGICALLY IN OUR STREETS, SIDEWALKS, TRAFFIC MITIGATION, FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS, PARKS AND GREEN SPACES.
UH, WITH CIP, WE'VE GOTTEN TO FUND, UH, NEW ARTWORK OVER NORTH NEW BRAUNFELS, UH, A NEW PARK ON VACANT CITY OWNED PROPERTY IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FIELD OFFICE, LAND ACQUISITION FOR OUR BRAND NEW SENIOR CENTER, UH, FOR WHICH WE APPROVED A CONTRACT WITH AN ARCHITECT YESTERDAY.
UH, AND IMPROVEMENTS ON ECOMMERCE THAT HAS FINALLY ENDED THE CYCLE OF PEOPLE REPEATEDLY CRASHING INTO A SMALL BUSINESS, AND IT'S BEEN THE SOURCE OF OUR COMMUNITY'S BIGGEST CELEBRATION.
SO IF WE CAN'T INCREASE CIP AND NAMP, UH, I WOULD APPRECIATE IF WE COULD AT LEAST HOLD THE LINE.
UH, NUMBER TWO, I WANNA STATE THAT ANIMAL CARE SERVICES IS AN AREA OF INVESTMENT THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD TO SLOW DOWN ON.
THIS DEPARTMENT HAS, HAS BEEN SAID PREVIOUSLY UNDERFUNDED FOR DECADES, AND IT TOOK THE LOSS OF LIFE FOR US TO REACH THIS POINT WHERE WE'RE MEETING A FRACTION OF THE DEPARTMENT'S NEEDS.
WE NEED PET OWNER EDUCATION, WE NEED SPAY NEUTER, WE NEED BRICK AND MORTAR.
AND THE RISK WHEN WE DON'T HAVE IT, HAS PROVEN, UH, HAS PROVEN ITSELF.
UM, OUR EAST SIDE SPAY NEUTER HUB TAKES UP ABOUT HALF OF THE SITE THAT IT'S CURRENTLY LOCATED ON, AND THE OTHER HALF IS STILL AVAILABLE.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UH, WHAT KIND OF COMPLIMENTARY USES WE COULD IMPLEMENT THERE.
AND WE'LL WORK ON IDENTIFYING NON-GENERAL FUND DOLLARS, UH, TO BE USED TO BRING IT TO LIFE.
UH, BUT I'LL, UH, IT MAY NOT BE ME, BUT SOMEONE FROM MY TEAM WILL, UH, WILL SHARE THAT WITH MY COLLEAGUES.
UH, WE MUST, NUMBER THREE, MUST CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND PRIORITIZE HUMAN SERVICES, INCLUDING HOMELESS, OUTREACH AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR YOUTH, SENIORS, VETERANS, AND OTHER VULNERABLE AND MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS, INCLUDING THE WORK OF OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UH, WHO ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING TREMENDOUS LOSS UNDER THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.
WE ALSO HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH OUR REALITY, WHICH IS THAT ENCAMPMENT SWEEPS DO NOT GET HOMELESS PEOPLE OFF THE STREET.
AND UNTIL WE HAVE MORE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CITYWIDE, UNTIL WE HAVE TRAUMA-INFORMED LOW BARRIER SHELTERS THAT MEET THE NEEDS UNMET BY TRADITIONAL SHELTERS, AND UNTIL WE ARE ADEQUATELY ADDRESSING THE INTERSECTIONS OF OUR HOUSING CRISIS, OUR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, AND THE CRISIS OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY, THERE WILL BE PEOPLE LIVING IN DRAINAGE, DITCHES, UNDERPASSES, ABANDONED PROPERTIES AND STRUCTURES, AND ANYWHERE THEY CAN FIND SHELTER, UNTIL WE ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY AND TIME WE PUT INTO SWEEPING HOMELESS PEOPLE'S BELONGINGS AWAY, IF THEY HAVE NOWHERE SAFE TO GO, THEY WILL COME BACK IN A FEW DAYS, A FEW WEEKS, THEY WILL ALWAYS RETURN, AND YOU WILL CONTINUE SPENDING THOUSANDS OF HOURS IN TIME AND DOLLARS TRYING TO POLICE AN ISSUE THAT IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY WITH THE FORCE THAT WE ARE APPLYING.
I SEE A RECOGNIZED NEED FOR SERVICES, AND THAT INCLUDES MANY OF THE DELEGATE AGENCIES, SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE ALSO CANNOT AFFORD TO CUT AT BEST.
WE WOULD BE CUTTING SERVICES OUR RESIDENTS HAVE COME TO RELY ON.
AND AT WORST, WE ARE DIRECTLY DEFUNDING THE ONLY LIFELINE THEY HAVE THAT IS GOING TO TRICKLE DOWN.
AND IT LEADS TO DECLINING HEALTH OUTCOMES, LOWER EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATES.
IT LEADS TO HOMELESSNESS, VIOLENCE, CRIME.
AND AT ITS MOST EXTREME SUICIDE, HOMICIDE AND OTHER PREVENTABLE DEATHS, ONE OF MY FIELD OFFICES HAS SHARED WITH THE CITY'S STREET OUTREACH TEAM.
SO THE BENEFIT IS I'VE GOTTEN TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH THEM OVER THE YEARS.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, Y'ALL HEARD FROM ALICIA ON MY TEAM, WHO, UH, USED TO BE A HOMELESS OUTREACH COORDINATOR FOR THE CITY.
AND I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW MUCH TRUST IS LOST FOR OUR OUTREACH WORKER WHO TRY TO CONNECT THESE RESIDENTS WITH SERVICES.
UH, THAT TRUST IS LOST WHEN A POLICE OFFICER IS INVOLVED.
NOW, SOME OF THE FEEDBACK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR OUTSIDE OF PRIORITIES, UM, I AGREE WITH THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF MINIMIZING RISK TO VULNERABLE, UH, POPULATIONS AND MINIMIZING LONG-TERM RISKS.
UH, I THINK THERE'S SOME DISAGREEMENT ON
[02:10:01]
WHAT A CORE SLASH MANDATED SERVICE IS.THAT DEFINITION HAS EVOLVED OVER TIME, AND I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A DEFINITION OF WHERE THAT, UH, OF WHERE THAT LINE IS.
RIGHT? IS IT AFFORDABLE HOUSING? IS IT SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES? IS IT INCENTIVES FOR CORPORATIONS LOOKING TO COME HERE? IS IT SIMPLIFYING OUR STREET IMPROVEMENTS TO BEAR INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE NEGLECTING BIKE LANES, TREE CANOPY AND MORE? IS IT DEFUNDING OUR NON-PROFITS? AS I BELIEVE I HEARD FROM MAYOR JONES, I DO BELIEVE MINIMIZING RISKS TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WILL MEAN WE MAY BE MAKING INVESTMENTS AND SPENDING IN AREAS TRADITIONALLY NOT SEEN AS CORE FUNCTIONS, AND WE CAN'T AFFORD, UH, OFTEN MANY OF THOSE CUTS AND THOSE RISKS REGARDING OUR REVENUE AND EXPENSES.
UH, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST WAY THAT WE CAN NARROW THE GAP BETWEEN REVENUE AND EXPENSES WILL BE OUR CPS REVENUE.
THIS HAS BEEN AN AREA OF BACK, UH, AN AREA OF BACK AND FORTH FOR A WHILE REGARDING CPS REVENUE AND HOW MUCH WE RETURN TO CPS TO PREVENT A RATE INCREASE.
UH, AN AREA WE SEEM TO HAVE REACHED CONSENSUS PREVIOUSLY ON WAS IN THE EVENT THAT WE HAD A DEFICIT OR WERE UNABLE TO MEET OUR BA, OUR OWN BASE LEVEL OF SERVICE AS A GOVERNMENT, WE WOULD NOT SEND THAT MONEY BACK TO CPS.
AND I THINK WE ARE WELL BEYOND THAT POINT RIGHT NOW, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY INDICATION THAT IF WE DID SOMEHOW MANAGE TO SEND MONEY THEIR WAY, THAT THEY WOULDN'T STILL REQUEST A RATE INCREASE A FEW MONTHS LATER REGARDING THE PROPERTY TAX REQUEST.
I UNDERSTAND IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE, UH, BUT IN THE INTEREST OF FRUGALITY, UH, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T WASTE ANY STAFF HOURS MAKING THAT EVALUATION.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS BODY WOULD EVEN ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF A PROPERTY TA PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASE.
UH, I WILL ALSO SAY I'VE HEARD TURS MUL MENTIONED A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND IT SHOULD BE CLEAR AND CLEANLY STATED, THAT MOST CITY INITIATED TURS WERE ESTABLISHED TO ENSURE DIRECT INVESTMENT AREAS OF TOWN THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDER INVESTED IN, UH, IN SOME WAYS TURS HAVE BEEN EXPLOITED BY DEVELOPERS AND USED AS TOOLS OF GENTRIFICATION AND DISPLACEMENT.
UH, WHERE WE ARE NOW, AT LEAST IN HERS, LIKE THE INNER CITY TOURS, WHICH I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF CHAIRING, AND THE WEST SIDE TOURS, UH, CHAIRED BY COUNCILMAN CASTILLO.
UH, THOSE HAVE TAKEN NEW FORM AND ARE ADDRESSING COMMUNITY NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED, UH, INCLUDING OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEED, OUR PUBLIC FACILITIES NEED AND PROGRAMMING IN AREAS OF TOWN THAT HAVE AGAIN, BEEN NEGLECTED.
WE HAVE, HOWEVER, SEEN TOURS LIKE THE HOUSTON STREET TOURS AND MID, MID, UH, MIDTOWN TOURS BECOME A LOT MORE HIGH PROFILE AS OF LATE.
BUT I WOULD THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF MOVING INVESTMENTS FROM THE GENERAL FUND INTO THOSE TOURS THAT WERE AIMED SPECIFICALLY AT SUPPORTING UNDER RESOURCED DISTRICTS LIKE THE INNER CITY AND DISTRICT TWO.
I DO LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM THE REST OF MY COLLEAGUES.
IF I HEAR SOMETHING THAT REALLY PINGS MY INTEREST, I'LL CHIME IN AND ECHO IT OR COUNTER IT.
UM, JUDGING BY THE PRIORITIES THAT WERE MOSTLY INDICATED ON SLIDE 46, IF WE CAN GO TO THAT ONE.
SO FRESH OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, THOSE ARE EXACTLY A LOT OF THE CORE SERVICE ISSUES THAT MY RESIDENTS HAVE HAD.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT'S, UH, A HIGH PRIORITY, UH, FOR MOST OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, SO SOMETHING MY COLLEAGUES MENTIONED, I THINK IS WORTH NOTING, IS THE NUMBER, THE TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT PERHAPS DIDN'T FILL OUT A SURVEY THAT ARE NOT BEING REPRESENTED HERE.
SO IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT ON THE PAPER SURVEY, UM, THE HIGHEST RANKED I BELIEVE IN THAT IS SENIOR SERVICES.
SO OUR DISTRICT WENT TO SENIOR SERVICES.
I THINK THEY ALL GOT DISTRIBUTED THERE.
THEY, OF COURSE, WANT TO MAINTAIN THOSE SENIOR SERVICES, AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY REFLECTIVE HERE WHEN IT COMES TO HOMELESSNESS, OF COURSE, THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE ACROSS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT THERE ARE TWO CATEGORIES IN THE TOP FIVE SERVICES TO ASSIST CLEANUPS, UH, ENCAMPMENT, CLEANUPS OR THAT, AND, UM, SERVICES TO ASSIST HOMELESS.
LAST FISCAL YEAR, I DO RECALL THAT THE CITY INCREASED BY A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT.
THE AMOUNT OF CLEANUP FREQUENCIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED THAT HAS NOT LOWERED, UM, HOMELESSNESS AT ALL, IN FACT, HAS EITHER BEEN MAINTAINED OR IT'S GROWN OVER TIME.
AND SO, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE BUDGET FOR DIRECT SERVICES TO HOMELESS, AT LEAST FROM THE CITY PERSPECTIVE, THERE WAS MORE MONEY BEING SPENT ON INDIRECT SERVICES THAN DIRECT SERVICES.
AND OF COURSE, THAT INDIRECT SERVICES ARE A FIXED COST.
SO THAT IS NOT GONNA REDUCE THE BUDGET IF SOMEHOW THAT GOES AWAY.
BUT THOSE RESOURCES CAN BE UTILIZED IN OTHER AREAS WITHIN THOSE RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS.
SO I'D LIKE US TO SEE, UM, AS WE DEVELOP THAT BUDGET AND THE STRATEGY FOR OUTREACH, HOW THAT HAPPENS.
IT'S WORTH NOTING TOO ON THAT POSITION.
UH, I CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE AN OUTREACH COORDINATOR FOR HOMELESSNESS.
IT'S BEEN VACANT FOR SOME TIME NOW.
I KNOW THAT'S BEING WORKED ON RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK THERE HAS BEEN A QUITE A HIGH OVERTURN IN THAT POSITION CITYWIDE.
UH, AND THAT BRINGS ME TO A, A GOOD POINT ABOUT THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE POSITION WORKLOAD, UH, AND THE PAY FOR THAT
[02:15:01]
POSITION.SAME THING WHEN IT COMES TO ANIMAL CARE SERVICES.
OUR A CO FROM DISTRICT FOUR HAS BEEN REROUTED TO DEAL WITH CRITICAL CALLS, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
THAT'S THE PRIORITY OF THE ENTIRE COUNCIL AND THE ENTIRE CITY.
BUT NOW I DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY PICKING UP STRAYS IN DISTRICT FOUR.
UH, AND AGAIN, THAT POSITION HAS ALSO HAD A LOT OF OVERTURN OVER TIME.
AND AGAIN, I THINK IT'S BECAUSE THE WORKLOAD AND THE DEMAND VERSUS THE COMPENSATION FOR THAT POSITION.
UM, SO I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT, UM, SYSTEM WIDE AS WELL.
UM, IF YOU CAN GO TO SLIDE 16, PLEASE.
SO THIS, UH, POLICY I KNOW IS NOT, UM, SO THIS YEAR, OF COURSE, TO PLUG THE DEFICIT, WE'RE NOT SENDING ANY MONEY BACK.
IS THAT CORRECT? SAY IT AGAIN, COUNCILMAN.
SO, WITH THE FINANCIAL DEFICIT THAT WE ARE PROJECTING NOW, WE'RE NOT PLANNING ON SENDING ANY OF THE OFF SYSTEM SALES BACK THIS FISCAL YEAR.
THE, THE TRIAL BUDGET, UM, DOES NOT ASSUME THAT IT IS ASSUMED IN THAT GREEN SECTION AT THE END IN ONE OF THOSE SCENARIOS.
SO AROUND THIS, UH, LET'S SEE HERE.
THERE WAS ANOTHER SLIDE, I THINK WAS IT RIGHT AFTER THIS ONE THAT BEN TALKED ABOUT WITH THE, UM, WITH WHAT THE POLICY HAS NOW AND THE OVERAGES SLIDE 33 PROBABLY.
SO, SO FAR, UM, WE HAVE $10 MILLION OVER THE $10 MILLION CAP, CORRECT? YES, SIR.
SO I KNOW WHAT THE INTENT WAS BEHIND THIS POLICY, AND I, I AGREE WITH THE INTENT AND IN TRYING TO BE CREATIVE WITH TRYING TO ADDRESS FUTURE RATE HIKES.
UM, HOWEVER, I, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVENTUALLY, AND AGAIN, THIS IS A, A UNIQUE FISCAL YEAR IN THE NEXT TWO, BUT USING THAT OVERAGES, INSTEAD OF SENDING THAT BACK TO CPS ENERGY, TAKING THAT BACK TO THE CITY AND USING THAT FOR ONE TIME COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRIORITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WERE ON, UM, THE PRIORITY SLIDES, SLIDE 46.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY IN THE, IN THESE CATEGORIES TO DO ONE TIME COSTS THAT WILL NOT NECESSARILY BE REOCCURRING, THAT COULD HELP DRIVE DOWN THE NEED IN THAT SPECIFIC CATEGORY.
UH, SO ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, RIGHT? I MEAN, MENDING FENCES, GIVING, UM, FOLKS TETHERS, UH, DOG HOUSES, ALL THOSE TYPES OF THINGS ARE GONNA KEEP DOGS IN THEIR HOME HELP THAT SITUATION.
OBVIOUSLY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS THAT DO ONETIME COST ASSOCIATED WITH CLIENT SERVICES FOR THAT.
STREETS ARE MORE OR LESS THE CYCLE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO THEM RIGHT, THAT IS ONE TIME IN NATURE AS FAR AS WE'RE LOOKING AT ON OUR TIMETABLE.
UM, YOU'RE NOT GONNA TOUCH A SIDEWALK THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED FOR ANOTHER 20 PLUS YEARS, RIGHT? UM, THAT'S A WAY TO FILL THAT GAP.
THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN IS A HIGH PRIORITY AND A HIGH NEED FOR RESIDENTS.
AND THAT ALSO REDUCES SOME OF THE, UM, PROCESSES THAT HAPPENED BEFORE WITH PREVIOUS COUNCILS, RIGHT? WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE RFP PROCESSES, WE, THEY VOTED AND THEY WOULD JUST ALLOCATE MONEY TO CERTAIN NONPROFITS WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE DELEGATE AGENCY PROCESS, WITHOUT GOING THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S A WAY TO KIND OF REDUCE THE DEBATE ON THAT, BUT ALSO TACKLE CORE SERVICES THAT ARE, UM, THERE AS WELL.
AND I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT ABOUTT, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE INITIATORS.
UM, UM, JUST LOOKING AT THOSE PROJECTS IS IDEALLY THEY COULD HELP SUPPLEMENT GENERAL FUND ISSUES IN THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS THAT YES, HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR HAVING A HIGH NEED.
SO YOU CAN DO SHADE AT PARKS, YOU CAN DO SIDEWALKS WITH TOURS.
YOU CAN DO A STREET PROJECT WITH A TOURS, UH, FUND, AND THAT HELPS SUPPLEMENT THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSES WE HAVE, UH, AND ALLOWS IT TO BE SPREAD IN OTHER AREAS THAT DO NOT HAVE CITY INITIATORS LIKE DISTRICT FOUR.
WE ONLY HAVE DEVELOPER INITIATORS.
UH, AND I DO SUPPORT LOOKING AT THE CODE LIEN RECOVERY.
I THINK THERE'S A WAY THAT WE COULD START TO SETTLE LIENS THAT WE HAVE ON PROPERTIES AND JUST START COLLECTING.
SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET, YOU KNOW, $500 VERSUS 800 OR A THOUSAND DOLLARS ON A PROPERTY, THAT'S A WAY TO TAKE IN THAT MONEY AND HELP REINVEST TO HELPING RESIDENTS IN NEED WITH THOSE AS WELL.
UM, AND TO THE, YOU KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE IS A BIG THING.
THAT WAS SOMETHING I WORKED ON FOR MANY YEARS.
I DO SUPPORT COUNCILOR'S LOOK INTO THAT.
I, I THINK WE DO HAVE A REALLY GOOD PLATFORM TO START WITH, WHICH IS THE PUBLIC WORKS PLATFORM, UH, WHICH WAS A CCR THAT I WAS VERY PROUD TO WRITE AS A STAFFER.
AND THAT IS SUPPOSED TO SHOW YOU HISTORIC INVESTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY, NOT JUST AN IMP, UM, BUT ALSO BOND, UH, NAMP, CIP, WHICH WE ALL HAVE DISCRETIONARY BUDGETS OVER.
AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE OVER TIME WHAT AREAS OF
[02:20:01]
THE CITY ARE NOT BEING TOUCHED OR WORKED ON.AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD TOOL FOR US TO HAVE IN COUNCIL AND FOR PUBLIC WORKS TO SEE WHERE WE'RE MISSING THE MARK ON SO MANY INVESTMENTS, UH, THAT NEED TO BE MADE.
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCILMAN GALVAN.
UH, I'M GONNA START OFF, I'LL USE MY SECOND ROUND MORE SO FOR MY SPECIFIC PRIORITIES ON DEPARTMENTS AND DIFFERENT, UH, ISSUES, BUT I'M FOCUSED FIRST ON THE, UH, SCENARIOS TO BALANCE.
DEFINITELY NOT COMFORTABLE WITH SCENARIO ONE OR THREE THE MOST ONE I AM COMFORTABLE WITH IS SCENARIO TWO, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S SOME THINGS MISSING OR JUST SOMETHING I WANNA LOOK MORE INTO OR SOME OF THESE OTHER PIECES WITHIN OUR BUDGET OR WITHIN OUR EXPENSES THAT WE TYPICALLY USE.
UM, STARTING OFF, BEFORE WE EVEN GET INTO THAT, I THINK ABOUT OUR GENERAL REVENUES AND EXPENSES THAT WE DO, UM, WITH OUR CITY.
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO LOOK AT WAYS THAT, OR LOOK AT DOING SOME KIND OF PUBLIC REPORT.
UH, I REMEMBER LOOKING A WHILE BACK AT, UH, A REPORT PUBLISHED WHEN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF TAYLOR TEXAS, UM, THAT REALLY LOOKED AT WAYS THAT THE CITY, UH, WAS SPENDING ITS MONEY, UH, WHERE THE REVENUE WAS COMING FROM WITH PROPERTY TAXES AND SALES TAXES ACROSS THE CITY.
AND IT HAD A GEOGRAPHICAL LOOK AT IT, UM, TO REALLY SHOW WHERE THE CITY WAS REALLY GETTING MANY OF ITS, UH, THE BULK OF ITS REVENUE FROM WHERE IT WAS SPENDING A LOT OF IT ON, AND WHERE IT STILL HAD GAPS TO WHETHER IT WAS ON INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE, UH, OR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.
UH, LOOKING AT CITY SERVICES AND WHERE THOSE ARE AT, AND WHERE THEY WERE LACKING AS WELL, UM, WHERE SOME OF THE DEFERRED PROJECTS WERE GOING ON, UH, AS WELL.
NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, UH, BROKEN DOWN BY DISTRICT TOO, SO WE CAN KIND OF BETTER UNDERSTAND AS A COUNCIL, BUT ALSO THE PUBLIC TOO, I THINK SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHERE EACH, UH, DISTRICT IS MAYBE, UH, LACKING IN SERVICES OR LACKING IN INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES OR, UH, NEEDING MORE INVESTMENT OR IS GETTING A LOT OF REVENUE FROM, UH, FOR OUR GENERAL CITY.
AND I THINK IT'LL BE HELPFUL FOR OUR LARGER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE INVEST IN THE CITY, OUR CITY AS A WHOLE.
SO I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE ALONG WITH THE FISCAL REVIEW OF OUR LAND USE.
UM, I THINK THAT PART OF THAT STAYING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT TAYLOR TEXAS DID, THEY HAD AN HONEST CONVERSATION, UM, WITH THEIR RESIDENTS THROUGH A LONGER TERM PROCESS.
AND I KNOW IT'S SIMILAR TO OUR ESSAY TOMORROW PROCESS, TO TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT THEIR CITY IS BUILT AND CONTINUE TO BE BUILT, UH, THAT'S IMPACTING THEIR REVENUES AND THEIR SPENDING AS WELL.
I THINK, OF COURSE, ABOUT SPRAWLING INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.
UH, THEIR CITY CONTINUES TO GROW LOOKING, UM, AT REDUCING A BIT OF THAT SO WE DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY CREATE NEW ROADS AND NEW, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE AND NEW CITY SERVICES OUT FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM OUR CITY CENTER.
UM, THAT WILL ONLY STRAIN OUR CITY SERVICES FURTHER AND INCREASE MORE MAINTENANCE.
AND A LACK OF COMPLETE STREETS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO DO THOSE PIECES.
AND SO I'D RATHER LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN, UH, BRING THAT A BIT MORE INWARD INTO OUR CITY.
AND SO WE ARE AT LEAST DOUBLING UP INVESTMENTS RATHER THAN, UH, SPENDING ONE HERE, SPENDING ONE HERE, AND HAVING TO CONTINUE TO ADD ON MORE AND MORE, UH, EXPENSES ONTO OUR BUDGET AND ONTO OUR CITY STRAINS AND OUR BOND TOO.
SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA CIRCLE US, CIRCLE, UH, OUR, BRING US BACK AROUND TO, UH, LOOKING AT THE WAYS THAT WE DO A DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY, WHETHER IT'S HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OR IT'S COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MAKING SURE THAT IT'S MORE AFFORDABLE OR AT LEAST EASIER TO DO IN OUR CITY.
UM, AND WHEN I SAY IN OUR CITY, I MEAN WITHIN OUR CITY LIMITS, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE SEEING THAT IT IS CHEAPER, UM, FOR DEVELOPERS TO DEVELOP, WHETHER IT'S HOUSING OR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OR OTHER PIECES OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY LIMITS.
AND THAT'S ALSO MAKING US LOSE SOME OF OUR REVENUE HERE.
UM, AND SOME OF OUR HOUSING OPTIONS TOO, WHETHER THEY'RE AFFORDABLE OR NOT, AND MAKING SURE THAT LIKE OTHER CITIES, UM, CREATING THOSE EXEMPTIONS OR CREATING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, FOR DEVELOPMENT TO BE DONE IN A WAY THAT SUPPORTS OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR AFFORDABLE LEASE SPACE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES OR SOME OTHER KIND OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT, MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE TOOLS AVAILABLE BY OUR CITY TO MAKE THE, UH, THAT WORK DONE IN A MORE AFFORDABLE WAY.
UM, THAT KINDA LAYERS ONTO THE VACANT LOTS PIECE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO MENTIONED, ACTIVATING THOSE VACANT LOTS AND LOOKING AT A LONG-TERM STRATEGY RATHER THAN JUST A CONSTANT CLEANUP AND CLEANUP WHEN THERE'S ILLEGAL DUMPING GOING ON.
YES, OF COURSE WE WANNA CLEAN THEM UP, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT CONSISTENTLY GETTING MORE TRASH ON THEM AND LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN EITHER ACTIVATE THEM THROUGH SOME KIND OF, UH, BARRIERS THERE, OR ACTING ON THEM WITH GREEN SPACE, OR ACTING THEM WITH HOUSING OR OTHER PIECES LIKE THAT, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY LOOK AT WAYS OF DOING.
AND THAT GOES FOR, I THINK, THE MAJORITY OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE.
WE'RE LOOKING, I THINK WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS OR PRESENTING THOSE TWO SO THAT DOWN THE LINE WE'RE NOT HAVING TO KEEP STAY IN THESE ISSUES OVER AND OVER AGAIN, UM, WITH OUR BUDGET, WHETHER IT'S IN THESE NEXT TWO YEARS OR THE TWO YEARS AFTER THAT, WE'LL STILL BE HERE HAVING TO DECIDE THOSE PIECES.
AND SO I'D RATHER SEE SOME LONG-TERM POLICY OR STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TO REALLY REDUCE THESE EXPENSES THAT WE HA ARE HAVING HERE.
UM, ANOTHER ONE SIMILAR TO THAT, THE TOUR PIECE I THINK HAS BEEN INTERESTING CONVERSATION HERE.
UM, ABSOLUTELY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT RETHINKING THE TOURS OVERALL, WHETHER IT IS UTILIZING THE TOUR TO PLUG IN HOLES WHERE WE SEE 'EM IN A GENERAL FUND, OR ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, UH, IN PRIORITY AREAS OR LOOKING AT SUNSETTING OR SCALING THEM BACK.
OVERALL, I THINK THERE'S SOME PIECES THERE THAT ARE A BIT CONCERNING WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THESE, UH, SOME TOURS HAVING A LOT MORE MONEY THAN OTHERS, UM, AND THEM NOT GOING NECESSARILY BACK TO THE AREAS, UH, THEY SHOULD BE, OR BACK TO OUR GENERAL FUND WHERE WE MAY NEED THEM TO SERVE THE AREAS THAT THEY'RE OVERLAPPING WITH OR OTHER PARTS OF OUR CITY OVERALL.
SO I WANNA DEFINITELY LOOK AT RETHINKING OUR TOURS OVERALL, AND WHETHER THAT, WHERE THAT GOES, I THINK WE'LL HAVE THAT FULL DISCUSSION ABOUT, UM, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M REALLY FOCUSED IN ON.
FINALLY, I THINK WE ALSO SHOULD LOOK AT, UH,
[02:25:01]
OUR CORPORATE SUBSIDIES AND OUR MASSIVE PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS THAT WE, UH, INITIATE FOR, UH, NON HOMEOWNERS ALIKE.I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, NEEDS TO BE SAID ABOUT HOW OFTEN ARE WE GIVING OUT 99 A YEAR PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS OR A HUNDRED PERCENT PRIVATE TAX ABATEMENTS TO EITHER LARGE DEVELOPMENTS OR OTHER KINDS OF, UH, I GUESS GENERAL GENERALLY DONE DEVELOPMENTS, UM, FOR NON HOMEOWNER ONES TO FIGURE OUT WAYS THAT WE CAN MAYBE REDUCE SOME OF THOSE OR SCALE THEM BACK AND SEE WHAT THEIR, WHAT THEIR IMPACT IS ON OUR CITY, RIGHT? I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS A GOOD IMPACT THAT WE HAVE WHEN WE TRY TO ALLURE BUSINESSES HERE TO OUR CITY, OR DIRECT CORPORATIONS TO OUR CITY TOO.
BUT IS THE PRODUCT TAX ABATEMENT THE BEST WAY WE CAN DO THAT? OR ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS, UH, SOME PIECES WITH, UM, BUILDING LEASES, RIGHT? MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE MORE AFFORDABLE OR OTHER TOOLS TO HELP US LOOK AT MAKING SITES READY FOR DEVELOPMENT, RATHER THAN HAVING TO SAY, HERE, YOU CAN TAKE THE WHOLE MONEY AND THE HORSE AND EVERYTHING WITH IT.
UM, AND THEN WE NEVER SEE THAT RETURN NECESSARILY IN OUR PROPERTY TAX, UH, REVENUE, BUT WE ONLY SEE IT IN SALES TAX POTENTIALLY.
UM, WHICH OF COURSE, WE'RE SEEING BE REDUCED.
SO THOSE ARE SOME PIECES THAT I REALLY WANNA LOOK AT TO, UM, IN A LONG TERM WAY ON OUR SPENDING IN OUR REVENUE.
SOMETHING ELSE TOO, OF COURSE, THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS FOR OUR CITY EMPLOYEES ARE GONNA BE KEY.
I THINK MIRRORING WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO SAID ABOUT THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE DOING THE WORK THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, MAKING SURE THEY CAN AFFORD, UH, TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT IS IMPORTANT.
MAKE SURE THAT THE BENEFITS THEY NEED TO DO THAT IS IMPORTANT TOO.
AND SO MAKING SURE THAT OUR CITY HAS THE CAPACITY TO CONTINUE TO RAMP UP THOSE PIECES AND ADJUST THE COST OF LIVING, UH, FOR OUR CIVILIAN, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES ALIKE.
AND SO DEFINITELY WANNA SEE, UH, ERIC, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO MEET WITH, UH, OUR CIVILIAN PUBLIC SAFETY UNIONS TO CONSIDER THEIR RANK AND FILE NEEDS, UH, IS IMPORTANT TO ME.
SOMETHING ELSE TOO, I THINK IS, FOR ONE LAST PIECE OF, UH, PIECE ON THIS IS, UM, THE PRIDE TAX EXEMPTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR HOMEOWNERS.
UH, I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MAINTAINED, BUT I THINK IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN LOOK AT, AND I THINK IT'LL HAVE TO LOOK, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT STATE LAW ON THESE PIECES TOO, RIGHT? UM, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN DO TIERS OR SOMETHING OF THE SORT TOO SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS WHO NEED IT THE MOST ARE GETTING THE, UH, MOST BANG FOR THEIR BUCK WHILE FOLKS MAYBE, UH, CAN AFFORD A LITTLE BIT OF THE HIGH TAXES THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE, CAN AFFORD TO PITCH IN THOSE PIECES SO THAT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS CAN HAVE LIBRARIES STILL AND PARK STILL, AND ALL THE INVESTORS THAT WE NEED IN OUR CITY.
THAT'S, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK INTO.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A EASY THING TO DO, BUT I PREFER TO AT LEAST REVIEW IT.
LET ME SEE WHAT ELSE WE HAVE HERE.
DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN THE CPS POLICY REVIEW, UM, LATER THIS FALL.
SO I'M EXCITED TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT PIECE, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE, UH, ARE USING THE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE AS MUCH AS, AS THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN DO IT.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER K'S PIECE ABOUT, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, I THINK SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WITH THAT IS A REVIEW OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR A LOOK AT A STRATEGY WITH A NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS.
WHETHER IT'S, INSTEAD OF JUST DOING A STREET BY STREET, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO THAT WAY IT'S NOT PEOPLE HAVING TO SAY, WELL, WHAT ABOUT MY STREET? I SAW MY NEIGHBORHOOD GET IT, OR I SAW ALL MY OTHER STREETS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD GET IT, BUT NOT MINE FOR SOME REASON.
MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A DECENTLY OR BETTER, A BIT BETTER OF A STREET.
I STILL THINK A NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACH IS A BIT BETTER, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SOME BETTER EQUITY IN THE AREA AND THAT THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD GETS, UH, THE WORK DONE THAT THEY NEED.
UM, AND I THINK IF WE DO THOSE PIECES, DEPLOYING OUR RESOURCES A BIT BETTER, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE COMPLETE STREETS AT THE FOREFRONT TOO, TO REDUCE SOME OF THOSE OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, MAINTENANCE WOES THAT COME WITH ONLY DOING, UH, ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS, UTIL UH, COORDINATING WITH OUR UTILITIES AS WELL.
I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO REDUCE SOME OF THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING IN THE LONG TERM, IDEALLY, RIGHT? WHETHER IT'S WITH OUR BIKE LANES OR OUR, OUR SIDEWALKS.
WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THESE PE THOSE ARE NOT USED IN A WAY, UH, THAT IS AS DAMAGING TO EVERYTHING ELSE IS, WHETHER IT'S THEY'RE NOT BUSES GOING ON THEM, OR THEY'RE NOT LARGE TRUCKS GOING ON THEM EITHER.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, HOUSING FIRST APPROACH HAS TO BE DONE THERE.
IF WE'RE GONNA KEEP DOING THESE CLEANUPS, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, THE CAPACITY TO HAVE ADEQUATE, UM, HOMELESS OUTREACH WORKERS TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS HARD WORK, UM, AND ACTUALLY HAVE A PLACE FOR THESE FOLKS TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO, UH, TO SERVICES THE SERVICES THAT AREN'T FULL ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT THERE'S MENTAL HEALTH GAPS IN OUR, OUR MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE GAPS IN OUR CITY ADDICTION RESOURCE GAPS IN OUR CITY, UH, ID RECOVERY GAPS IN OUR CITY.
ALL THOSE PIECES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED TOO.
WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOMELESS, UH, ENCAMPMENTS, IT CANNOT JUST BE THAT WE'RE PUSHING 'EM ASIDE BECAUSE THEY'LL CONTINUE TO PERSIST.
AND SO UNTIL WE ADDRESS THOSE PIECES ON THE BACK END, I THINK IT'S A BIT TOUGH, UH, TO CONTINUE INVESTING IN THOSE PIECES, UM, OR MAYBE INCREASING THEM.
I GUESS WE HAVE TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH IS MY, IS MY VIEW ON IT.
I THINK I'M GONNA PAUSE THERE AND I'LL COME BACK AROUND FOR A SECOND ROUND FOR THE MORE OF MY PARTICULAR FOCUSES.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCILWOMAN MEZA GONZALES, PLEASE.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, TO CITY MANAGER AND CITY STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT AND IDENTIFYING SOLUTIONS TO HELP US BALANCE THE BUDGET DURING THESE CHALLENGING, UH, FINANCIAL TIMES.
I APPRECIATE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT WERE MENTIONED IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
UM, LAYS A PRETTY CLEAR, UH, FOUNDATION OF, OF WHERE THE TEAM IS STARTING.
UM, SO I REMAIN DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES AND IMPACT THIS MAY HAVE ON OUR RESIDENTS.
UM, MY TOP PRIORITY AND WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM
[02:30:01]
DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENTS ON THE CAMPAIGN, WHICH, WHICH WAS JUST ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, UM, ENSURING THAT WE CONTINUE DELIVERING THESE ESSENTIAL SERVICES, PARTICULARLY CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND PROACTIVE PUBLIC SAFETY INITIATIVES THAT SUPPORT DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENTS, FAMILIES AND SENIORS THAT'S DOING SO WITHOUT PLACING ADDITIONAL BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS THROUGH INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES.UM, AGAIN, NINE DAYS INTO THIS JOB.
SO I WENT BACK TO MY CONSTITU SERVICES TEAM, UH, JUST TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE CALLS THAT THEY'RE RECEIVING.
UH, MOST OF THEM COME, UH, BY WAY OF CODE ENFORCEMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, PARKS, SOLID WASTE, AND ANIMAL CARE SERVICES.
SO AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT WE PRIORITIZE, PRIORITIZE THOSE, UM, ISSUES THAT RESIDENTS ARE HAVING.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE CONVERS, UH, NOTES THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN MADE ON OUR TOURS AND PCI PROCESS, UM, ALSO SUPPORTING OUR CITY EMPLOYEES.
UH, WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO FIND RESPONSIBLE EQUITABLE WAYS TO MAINTAIN SERVICES WHILE PROTECTING THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
UM, THAT ALSO INCLUDES, I THINK, AVOIDING THE CUTS TO THE LOCAL EQUIVALENT OF SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE OR THAT OUR NONPROFITS PROVIDE, UM, AND THAT ARE BEING CUT CURRENTLY AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL.
SO, AGAIN, JUST REALLY WANTED TO REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING THOUGHTFUL, RESPECTFUL, AND DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS THAT ALLOW US TO CONTINUING DELIVERING THESE SERVICES THAT OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTS AND DESERVES.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SPEARS, PLEASE.
AND THANK YOU CITY STAFF AND THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE FOR YOUR PREPARATION AND THE GREAT PRESENTATION.
UM, SO DIFFICULT TIMES, DIFFICULT FINANCIAL TIMES CALL FOR TOUGH DECISIONS, AND THIS MEANS CUTTING FUNDS, STREAMLINING, AND LOOKING FOR DUPLICATION OF PROCESSES AND SERVICES.
HOWEVER, WHILE WE'RE MAKING THESE TOUGH DECISIONS, WE CANNOT RISK THE SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS.
SO WE DO NEED TO GET BACK TO BASICS AND FOCUS ON THOSE WHO PROTECT US AND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE THAT KEEPS OUR RESIDENTS MOVING AND OUR BUSINESSES THRIVING, AND WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT FUNDING FOR OUR STREETS, SIDEWALKS, AND DRAINAGE.
13 LIVES LOST DUE TO FLOODING IS INEXCUSABLE, AND IT HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE CANNOT WAIT FOR BONDS.
AND WHILE DRAINAGE PROJECTS ARE ARE EXPENSIVE, THE INVESTMENT TO PROTECT CITIZENS AND THEIR PROPERTY CANNOT BE MEASURED.
I ALSO WANT AN EVALUATION OF THE RATIO OF THE C AND D GRADED STREETS COM COMPARED TO THE A STREETS, BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING AGING INFRASTRUCTURE ALL OVER OUR CITY, BUT PUBLIC SAFETY IS NUMBER ONE, AND IT IS THE AREA THAT WE NEED TO ENSURE IS PROTECTED.
THIS MEANS A ROBUST DISPATCH OPERATION THAT IS FULLY TRAINED AND STAFFED.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TEAM AND PROTECT PROJECTED FTE GROWTH.
BUT EVERY YEAR OUR COUNCIL HAS ASKED FOR MORE OFFICERS.
AND THOUGH WE KNOW WE ARE SHORT STAFFED, WE ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING INCREASES IN OUR CITY'S POPULATION.
SO LOOKING AT STAFFING IN WAYS TO GROW OUR POLICE FORCE BY 200 OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO MATCH THE POPULATION GROWTH AND RETENTION OF OUR CURRENT OFFICERS SHOULD BE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE 100 OFFICERS IN YEAR ONE AND THE 100 OFFICERS IN YEAR TWO.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FOCUS ON PATROLLING BECAUSE WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE CRIME PREVENTION.
THE PERCEPTION OF BEING SAFE IS OFTEN GREATER THAN THE REALITY OF HOW SAFE WE ARE.
WHEN I KNOCKED ON DOORS IN THIS CAMPAIGN AND HEAR PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY DON'T FEEL SAFE AND READ THE SURVEY COMMENTS AND SAY THAT THEY WANT MORE FIRE STATIONS, THIS PERCEPTION IS CLEAR AND IT CANNOT BE IGNORED.
PROPERTY CRIME IS NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME, AND WE NEED TO TREAT IT AS SUCH.
IT'S OUR HIGHEST DUTY TO PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR BUSINESSES AND ALL OF THOSE THAT VISIT SAN ANTONIO.
I'D LIKE TO LOOK ALSO AT INCREASING OUR FIREFIGHTERS SPEC, SPECIFICALLY ON OUR HIGH HEAVY SQUADS AT A RATE OF 138 UNIFORM PERSONNEL OVER FIVE YEARS.
BY INVESTING IN THE HEAVY SQUAD CONCEPT, WE CAN INCREASE AVAILABLE RESO RESPONSE RESOURCES WHILE DECREASING THE WEAR AND TEAR ON OUR EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE HEAVY TRUCKS.
STAFFING THE SQUADS AT DOUBLE COMPANIES IS AKIN TO ADDING A PERMANENT FIRST RESPONDER UNIT AT ALL.
DOUBLE COMPANIES, A UNIT WHICH CAN REMAIN IN SERVICE AND AVAILABLE FOR CALLS EVEN WHEN THE HEAVY TRUCKS ARE OUT ON PROLONGED RESPONSES SUCH AS FIRES, EXTRICATIONS TRAININGS, AND OTHER REASONS.
AND I CANNOT IGNORE THE FACT THAT OUR MILITARY AND VETERAN AFFAIRS BUDGET IS $700,000 AT A TIME WHEN WE NEED TO BE ENSURING OUR MISSIONS DO NOT LEAD THE CITY THE VETERANS AND THEIR SPOUSES HAVE ACC.
[02:35:01]
THAT THE VETERANS AND THEIR SPOUSES HAVE ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES THEY NEED, AND THAT WE ARE TRULY BEING INCLUSIVE OF OUR HEROES.LASTLY, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT I SUPPORT THE NEW HYBRID BUDGET APPROACH, SPECIFICALLY THE ZBB COMPONENT.
AND I DO NOT WANNA SEE TAXES, RA PROPERTY TAXES RAISED ON OUR CITIZENS.
AND I THINK STRATEGY ONE IS THE BEST APPROACH.
AND ERIC AND MARIA, MY TEAM, WILL BE REACHING OUT TO ASK FOR MORE BRIEFINGS TO GO OVER DEPARTMENTS AND BEGIN LOOKING AT POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS PRIOR TO THE AUGUST BUDGET WORK SESSIONS.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND EFFORT IN THIS PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF COMMENTS.
UH, WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER AL GA VITO, PLEASE.
JUST A FEW, UM, COMMENTS TO CLOSE OUT MY, UM, PREVIOUS, PREVIOUS, UM, TALKING POINTS.
ONE THING I I DO WANNA STRESS IS THE IMPORTANCE THAT CITY EMPLOYEES PLAY.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UM, HAVE TOUGH DECISIONS, BUT I THINK THAT THE PRIORITY NEEDS TO BE FOCUSED ON CUTTING, UM, DIFFERENT SPENDING ON PROGRAMS AND THAT KIND OF STUFF OVER CUTTING CITY EMPLOYEES.
EE EVERY CITY EMPLOYEE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE.
AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING AT ALL COSTS TO, UH, TO PROTECT THEM.
I DID HAVE A QUESTION ON, UM, ON SLIDE 51, THE EXAMPLES THAT WE'RE PROPOSING FOR INCREASES IN SCENARIO TWO AND THREE.
DO WE, DO WE HAVE EXAMPLES OF, OF WHAT FINES WOULD INCREASE? I, I THINK COUNCILWOMAN VRAN SAID POTENTIALLY MUNICIPAL COURTS FINES, WHICH I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE HAD ANY OTHER EXAMPLES.
WE'LL BE LOOKING OVER THE SUMMER AT OUR FINES AND USER FEES, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, AS COUNCILWOMAN
UH, I ALSO THINK THAT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE SCENARIOS, UH, ONE, I I THINK IT WAS COUNCILMAN MUNGIA MENTIONED IT ABOUT THE CPS POLICY, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A NEW COUNCIL FOUR YEAR TERM.
I THINK IT'S WORTH US TAKING A LOOK AT THAT AGAIN TO SEE WHAT MAKES SENSE FOR US GOING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH THESE FOUR YEAR TERMS. OH, I DIDN'T REALIZE MY HAIR WAS THAT MESSY.
UM, BUT ALSO TOO, I WANTED, I SEE BANNON STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION ABOUT USING THE CPS GENERAL FUND, UH, ON SCENARIO TWO, THAT 50, I THINK IT WAS 59 MILLION, BUT I'M, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF USING THAT MONEY TO OFF OFFSET THE DEFICIT, THE BUDGET DEFICIT, VERSUS USING THAT MONEY TO OFFSET A CPS RATE INCREASE.
AND THE, THE REASON FOR THAT IS 'CAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, I WANT US TO SEE WHICH ONE WILL BENEFIT THE RESIDENTS THE MOST.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY, PERFECT.
OF COURSE, RAISING PROPERTY TAXES IS NEVER A POPULAR CHOICE.
SO WE, WE MUST, UH, AVOID THAT.
AND I'M JUST GONNA CLOSE OUT MY COMMENTS BY REITERATING THAT CORE SERVICES AND BASIC SERVICES, AGAIN, SERVICES THAT ONLY THE CITY CAN PROVIDE NEEDS TO BE OUR, OUR NORTH STAR, ESPECIALLY AS, AS WE'RE MAKING VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK FROM CITY STAFF TO PREPARE US AGAIN FOR TODAY.
AND, AND I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THIS NEW HYBRID BUDGET METHODOLOGY.
SO THANK YOU FOR INCORPORATING THAT.
UH, NEXT IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OF GERRAN, PLEASE.
I I JUST WANNA REMIND PEOPLE, THE THE CPAS RATE INCREASE IS NOT A FOREGONE, IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
THEY STILL HAVE TO COME TO US, BUT WE ALL KNOW WHEN THEY CAME TO US LAST TIME, THEY TOLD US THEY WERE GONNA COME TO US WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
SO I, I WE'RE TALKING AS IF IT'S, UH, IF IT'S A DONE DEAL AND IT, IT'S NOT.
SO I JUST, I JUST WANNA PREFACE THAT.
BUT I DO WANNA GO ON, UM, I THINK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES BROUGHT UP, UH, SOME GOOD POINTS, AND I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT I LIKE THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL KIND OF VIEW THAT COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ WANTS TO TAKE.
I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND REALLY HOW THAT IS IMPACTING THE COMMUNITY CITYWIDE AND ON A NATIONAL LEVEL ABOUT HOW OUR COMMUNITY IS GROWING WITH THE ONGOING ANXIETY, UH, FRUSTRATION, JUST POLLUTION, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND, AND AGAIN, REITERATING THAT THERE IS A, UH, KIND OF A 20 YEAR GAP IN, UM,
[02:40:01]
BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN AND AND EASTERN SECTOR OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS.THE OTHER THING IS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, I, I DO WANT TO KIND OF LOOK AT IT AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST OFFICERS AND, AND FIREFIGHTERS, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT THE LIGHTING AND THE, THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO WALK SAFELY TO, TO AND FROM SCHOOL IN TERMS OF DO THEY HA DO THEY FEEL SAFE? AND, AND A CS AS, AS THAT PART, WHEN WE TALK PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, I DO THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LONG, HARD LOOK AT DRAINAGE.
I THINK THAT, UM, IS KEY TO OUR, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS AND, AND WHAT THE TREND IS IN TERMS OF, UM, AND I, I THINK THAT'S WHERE SOLID WASTE AND PUBLIC WORKS COMES.
'CAUSE SOLID WASTE HAS TO COME AND HELP WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO CLEAR OUT SOME OF THE AREAS IS WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT SORT OF BIG ITEMS ARE WE SEEING END UP IN OUR CREEKS AND DRAINAGE, UH, AND DRAINAGE DITCHES, UM, BECAUSE OF THE ENCAMPMENTS.
AND, UM, AND THE OTHER THING IS, OF COURSE, AFSCME AND, AND OUR CITY EMPLOYEES, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, UM, NEED THAT HELP.
AND, AND I KNOW EVERYBODY WOULD WANNA INCREASE THEIR DEPARTMENTS.
AND I DO LIKE DISTRICT FOUR'S IDEA ON TIME ON TERMS OF THE ONE TIME COST THAT IS EVIDENT IN OUR HOUSING, ESPECIALLY IN OUR, UH, REHAB OF EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHICH WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND, BUT AGAIN, WHEN WE GO INTO THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE STREETS AND THE STRUCTURE IS, SOME OF THEM ARE PAYING VERY HIGH CPS BILLS BECAUSE THEY WERE BUILT IN ERAS WHERE, WHERE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO HAVE A CENTRAL, UM, HEATING, UH, AND AIR.
SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT ALSO.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I'M LOOKING FOR THE CONVERSATIONS.
I REALLY DO HOPE THAT CITY STAFF HAS THE TIME AND WE ALL GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON THIS, BECAUSE I KNOW WORK BEGINS WHEN WE GO ON VACATION AND DON'T HAVE A SESSIONS AND B SESSIONS.
UM, SO, UM, JUST KEEP ON TRUCKING ALONG, GUYS.
CONTINUE TO DO THAT, AND WE'LL, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO OUR, UH, DUE DILIGENCE IN TERMS OF ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AND COMING UP WITH CREATIVE IDEAS.
UM, AND I'M, I'M WORKING ON 'EM RIGHT NOW TO PRESENT TO YOU GUYS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND EFFORT.
THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO.
UH, I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE, UH, SOMETHING THAT I'M HEARING, SOMETHING THAT I'M ALSO SUPPORTIVE OF, WHICH IS REVISITING THE CPS POLICY.
UH, UH, AGAIN, UM, COUNCILMAN VI POINTED THE CLOSE, UH, DEBATE THAT WE HAD IN TERMS OF THE OFF SYSTEM CELLS AND OR THE EX, UH, EXCESSIVE REVENUE AND HOW WE CAN POTENTIALLY USE THAT TO SUPPORT, UH, THE NEEDS WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND.
SO, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO US REVISITING THAT CONVERSATION.
UH, COUNCILMAN MUNGIA BROUGHT UP, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT POINTS IN TERMS OF THE HIGH TURNOVER WITHIN SPECIFIC CITY DEPARTMENTS.
UH, AND THERE'S VALUE IN LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN POTENTIALLY PROVIDE THE APPROPRIATE SUPPORT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE MAINTAINING OUR A CS OFFICERS AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL, AS WELL AS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.
AND THIS GOES HAND IN HAND WITH THE BUDGET SURVEY RESULTS, WHICH PRIORITIZE, UH, IN DISTRICT FIVE AND ACROSS THE CITY, UM, HOMELESS, UH, SERVICES, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ANIMAL CARE SERVICE, RIGHT? WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT, UM, OUR RESIDENTS, WHEN THEY CALL, WHETHER IT'S OUR CONSTITUENT SERVICES OFFICE OR 3 1 1, THAT THERE IS A RESPONSE AND THERE'S SOMEONE THAT OUR TEAMS CAN FOLLOW UP WITH IN TERMS OF FINDING A RESOLUTION.
UH, SO AT, AT, AT THE CORE OF THIS BUDGET CONVERSATION, I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT WE PROVIDE THE SUPPORT NECESSARY FOR EACH OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS TO CARRY OUT THE SERVICES THAT SAN ANTONIOS ARE CALLING US ABOUT.
UH, STREETS, SIDEWALKS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND DRAINAGE IN PARTICULAR HA, CONTINUES TO BE A HIGH PRIORITY FOR DISTRICT FIVE.
UH, DURING THE LAST BOND CYCLE, WE LEARNED THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS ABOUT A $6 BILLION INFRASTRUCTURE BACKLOG.
3 BILLION OF THAT IS RELATED TO DRAINAGE, WITH NEARLY 90 MILLION TIED TO PARKS, LIBRARIES, AND OTHER CITY FACILITIES.
UH, I KNOW THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OFTENTIMES CATCHES A LOT OF HEAT, BUT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MUCH.
UH, SO I'M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR ZY HIS TEAM, UH, AND ALL THAT THEY DO IN MEETING OUR CONSTITUENTS NEEDS.
'CAUSE UH, THAT'S ONE OF, UM, THE HIGH VOLUME CALLS THAT WE RECEIVE.
AND I MENTIONED IT, UH, DURING THE CEREMONY, BUT, UH, JAMES HALL, UH, OVER AT THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM ABSORBS SO MANY CALLS FROM STEPHANIE ON MY TEAM, WHETHER IT'S STREETS, SIDEWALKS, POTHOLES, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, THERE'S JUST A HIGH DEMAND, UM, UH, IN, IN OUR DISTRICT FOR THOSE, UH, SERVICES.
[02:45:01]
UM, ALSO, I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE RIGHT, THERE ARE A LOT OF OUR DELEGATE AGENCIES, AND I KNOW WE'LL GET INTO THE WEEDS IN THAT AT A LATER DISCUSSION THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED BY STATE AND FEDERAL CUTS.AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THESE BUDGET PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THOSE DELEGATE AGENCIES PROVIDING PUBLIC SAFETY SUPPORT.
FOR EXAMPLE, BIG BOMB SAFE HOUSE, UH, OPENED UP A HUB IN DISTRICT FIVE, AND THEY DO, UM, JUST VIOLENT INTERRUPTION SERVICES.
THEY BUILD RAPPORT WITH COMMUNITY, UH, FORMERLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS.
AND WE'RE SEEING, UH, THE IMPACT IN THE STATS THAT WE'RE SEEING A DECREASE IN A LOT OF, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY CALLS.
SO JUST ENSURING THAT WE DON'T ALLOW THOSE, UH, DELEGATE AGENCIES TO LOSE SERVICES OR POTENTIALLY CLOSE THEIR DOORS, UM, WOULD BE A DISSERVICE AND WOULDN'T HELP US MEET OUR PUBLIC SAFETY GOALS.
I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE RIGHT, I KEEP HEARING BASICS AND WHAT, WHAT I HEAR IS BUSINESS AS USUAL AND BUSINESS AS USUAL HAS HAD THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO LEAD WITH ONE OF, UH, THE HIGHEST, UH, POVERTY RATES, THE MOST ECONOMICALLY POOR ZIP CODE.
UH, SO I, I CHALLENGE WHAT BASICS ARE, AND I THINK, THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SA FORWARD PLAN THAT THE METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, IS CHARGING, UH, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE SEEING, UM, OPPORTUNITY AND SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE, THE CRISES THAT WE'RE SEEING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, AND THAT'S WHY, UH, I'M HESITANT TO SEE SOME OF THOSE ACROSS THE BOARD CUTS WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS, PARTICULARLY METRO HEALTH.
I THINK THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING WAS LISTED AS A TOP PRIORITY, IS THAT CORRECT? UH, NO, SIR.
IT'S BEEN, UM, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN IN THE TOP FIVE FOR, FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
THAT SPECIFIC AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YES.
NOT GOOD TO KNOW, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT, THAT'S CONTINUING TO BE AN ISSUE.
UM, AND I THINK PART OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH, OF COURSE, THE COST OF HOUSING, UM, COMPARED TO THE COST OF LIVING, UH, COMPARED TO INCOMES FOR PEOPLE OF ALL LEVELS.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY HURTS PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN POVERTY, WHO ARE LOW INCOME, AND OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WHO ARE MINORITIES.
SO I THINK WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL SERVICES, UM, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE, UTILITY ASSISTANCE, THOSE ARE TWO THINGS THAT PEOPLE COME INTO MY OFFICE, UM, EVERY SINGLE WEEK TO TRY TO GET PROGRAMS FOR.
UM, AND IT'S JUST SOMETIMES REALLY DEVASTATING THE WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH.
I THINK MAINTAINING METRO HEALTH PROGRAMS IS IMPORTANT.
UM, AS I UNDERSTAND, WE'RE SET TO LOSE BECAUSE OF FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD THINK OVER 50 EMPLOYEES THAT DO VACCINATIONS, WHO'S THAT GONNA HURT MORE, UH, WHERE THOSE PEOPLE LIVE.
THAT'S GONNA HURT THE MOST, UH, PROBABLY IN MY DISTRICT.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO, UM, MAINTAIN OR EVEN TRY TO INCREASE OUR EMS SERVICES.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK IN DISTRICTS 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE, THE THE AMOUNT OF HOSPITALS, UH, IS EXTREMELY LOW.
UH, IF YOU LOOK AT SOUTH OF 90, WHICH DOES INCLUDE DISTRICT TWO, IT'S PROBABLY ONE HOSPITAL, AND THAT'S ON IN THE MISSION SIDE.
AND THEN FOR MY RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT FOUR, THE CLOSEST ONE IS THE MISSION BAPTIST OR THE WESTOVER HILLS IN DISTRICT SIX.
AND YES, THE COUNTY IS BUILDING A NEW FACILITY SOUTH OF FOUR 10.
WE'RE STILL AT A NET DEFICIT WITH THOSE BEDS COMING ONLINE.
SO ACCESS TO CARE FOR MY RESIDENTS IS NOT THERE.
UH, AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO CUT THOSE THINGS, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE LACK OF HOSPITAL CARE THAT WE HAVE.
SO I THINK WE DO HAVE TO MAINTAIN OUR EMPLOYEE COLA COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT.
I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, BECAUSE OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, IMPORTANCE, I, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AT THIS TIME, ESPECIALLY INCREASED HOUSING COSTS, WHICH COULD BE PROPERTY TAX INCREASES OR USER FEE INCREASES.
AND I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE TO NOTE THAT I, I DO BELIEVE THAT BETTER OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE AREAS THAT ARE NOT MET, DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN MORE MONEY.
SOME OF THAT IS COMMUNICATION.
UH, AND SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW WITH OUR CODE COMPLIANCE STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH A GREAT CCI ALSO WROTE WHEN I WAS A STAFFER, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME PUBLIC MEETINGS COMING UP SOON ABOUT THAT CITYWIDE.
AND THAT'S AN INTENT TO RESHAPE WHAT THEY DO TO FIT NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT.
AND THAT SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY COST MORE MONEY.
SO I THINK IF WE GET BETTER COMMUNICATION, UM, I THINK PEOPLE WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SATISFIED WITH THAT AS WELL.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GALVAN.
UH, I JUST WANNA CIRCLE BACK A BIT ON MY PRIORITIES, UH, FOR DISTRICT SIX.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MICKI RODRIGUEZ'S, POINT ON N AND CIP.
MAINTAINING THAT FUNDING IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE DELIVERING, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE,
[02:50:01]
UH, FOR OUR COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS OTHER PIECES TOO THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.UM, HOUSING, OF COURSE, IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME PERSONALLY, BUT ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO MY DISTRICT AS, AS SHOWN, UH, IN THE, IN THE SURVEY.
UH, SO FIGURING OUT OR NOT FIGURING OUT AND CONTINUE TO INVEST IN, UM, SERVICES THAT MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EXPANDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ENSURING THAT FOLKS ARE ABLE TO LIVE HERE IN OUR CITY AFFORDABLY AND WITH DIGNITY TOO.
SO LOOKING AT, UH, DEVELOP DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, HOME REHAB AND WEATHERIZATION, UH, PROGRAMS, OUR MENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, AND OF COURSE OUR HOMELESS OUTREACH WORKER, HOMELESS OUTREACH WORKERS, UH, ARE MAINTAINED, IF NOT IMPROVED UPON, UH, AND SEE INCREASED FUNDING TO MAKE SURE THAT MORE FOLKS CAN BE ABLE TO, UH, LIVE HERE IN OUR CITY AFFORDABLY AND COMFORTABLY AND WITH DIGNITY.
UH, WE TALKED A BIT ABOUT MY VACANT LOTS PIECE.
I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT ONE WHERE IT WAS INFRASTRUCTURE, OF COURSE, UH, I THINK MANY COUNCILORS MENTIONED, BUT I THINK ALTO YOU MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, REDUCING THE KIND OF DUPLICATIVE EFFORTS, UH, IN OUR CITY, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COORDINATING WITH UTILITIES AND OTHER PIECES TOO.
UM, AND SO WHETHER IT'S DRAINAGE OR IT'S MAKING OUR STREETS SAFER OR IN JUST IMPROVING THE STREET MAINTENANCE OF IT, OR, UH, EXPANDING SIDEWALKS OR EXPANDING OTHER PIECES OF COMPLETE STREETS, UH, THAT WE DO ALL THOSE PIECES IN, UH, UNISON.
UM, SO WE CAN REDUCE SOME OF THOSE COSTS, BUT ALSO CONTINUE TO DELIVER THOSE SERVICES THAT OUR RESIDENTS AREN'T ASKING FOR.
HEALTH AND SAFETY, UH, DEFINITELY MAKING SURE THAT ME, METRO HEALTH, UH, MAINTAINS THE, AS MUCH FUNDING AS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER HUB AND ALL THE PIECES THAT THAT INCLUDES IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND MY DISTRICT.
UH, SO MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PIECES ARE MAINTAINED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
A CS OF COURSE, ALSO SAME WAY, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD AND HAVE THE FUNDING AND, UH, AVAILABILITY NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD ON THEIR, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN IS IMPORTANT TO ME.
SA CORE AND MIH AS WELL, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PIECES CAN BE FUNDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, SO THOSE, THOSE RESOURCES STAY IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
AND ALSO, UH, LOOKING AT WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT, AS VETO SAID, UH, THAT 9 0 1 MENTAL HEALTH OPTION IS CRITICAL FOR THAT PIECE.
I THINK TO BOTH OTHER VITO'S POINTS, UM, AND COUNCILLOR MUG'S POINTS ABOUT COMMUNICATION.
THAT'S ONE OF THE, I THINK, CRITICAL WAYS THAT WE DO IT.
HAVING THE BACKEND STAFF READY TO GO, UM, FOR EITHER MENTAL HEALTH OPTION OR MENTAL HEALTH CALLS OR THREE ON ONE CALLS PERIOD.
MAKING SURE THAT THREE ON ONE ALSO HAS THE, UH, RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO EXPAND SERVICES AND AVAILABILITY TO MORE OF OUR RESIDENTS TO ACCESS AND CALL IN ISSUES THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE IF WE DO NOT ADDRESS 'EM.
UM, ANOTHER PIECE THERE, SENIOR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SENIORS ARE ABLE TO, UH, ADDRESS ISSUES AT THEIR HOMES OR IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, THAT MAYBE THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO DO ON THEIR OWN IS IMPORTANT TO ME.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AGAIN, THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PIECES, UH, ARE ADDRESSED SO THAT OUR CITY EMPLOYEES CAN AFFORD TO LIVE HERE IN OUR CITY TOO.
ON THE FEES CONVERSATION, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A MORE, I MEAN, OF COURSE WE'RE GONNA SEE THEM LATER ABOUT WHAT THE ALT, UH, OPTIONS ARE, BUT WHAT ALL OF OUR FEES ARE AS WELL THAT WE CURRENTLY DO CHARGE.
UM, I WANNA SEE WHAT KIND OF, UH, FEES WE HAVE THROUGHOUT OUR CITY, WHETHER THE DEVELOPMENT FEES OR PERMITTING, UH, OR FOOD OR OTHER KIND OF PIECES.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THOSE LOOK LIKE.
I'M A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE, THE MUNICIPAL COURT FEES, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE YET.
SO I'M GONNA WAIT AND SEE UNTIL WE SEE WHAT ALL THOSE PIECES ARE.
UM, HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE? I WANTED TO ASK ERIC, HOW MANY UNFILLED FIRE AND SAP PD POSITIONS ARE THERE IN OUR CURRENT TRIAL BUDGET? UM, WE, WE CAN GET THAT FOR YOU.
UM, ACTUALLY BOTH CHIEFS ARE HERE, SO WE CAN LET THEM COME UP AND ANSWER.
OR EITHER WAY, OFFLINE OR IN PERSON WORKS NOW.
I AM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE 25 UNFILLED POSITIONS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, VALERIE FROSTO? UH, CURRENTLY WE HAVE 48 UNIFORM POSITION VACANCIES AND 10 CIVILIAN VACANCIES AS OF MAY 31ST, 2025.
JUST SAYING THAT, OF COURSE, THESE ARE TOUGH TIMES THAT WE'RE IN, WHETHER IT'S FOR OUR, OUR CITY ECONOMY OR OUR GENERAL NATIONAL ECONOMY.
AND SO MAKING SURE THAT, UH, OUR CITY IS INVESTING IN PIECES THAT DOESN'T LEAVE OUR WORKING FAMILIES BEHIND IS IMPORTANT.
AND AUSTERITY INEVITABLY ALWAYS LEAVES OUR WORKING FAMILIES BEHIND.
SO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PUSHING BACK AS MUCH AS THAT AS POSSIBLE TO REALLY INVEST IN OUR WORKING FAMILIES AND THEIR NEEDS IS CRITICAL TO ME.
AND I'M GLAD TO SEE MANY OF THE COUNCIL PUSHING FOR THAT PIECE TOO.
COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ.
UM, FIRST ALL, UM, STATE SUPPORT FOR AFSCME'S REQUEST AS WELL AS THE REQUEST FOR FIRE.
I WOULD ASK THAT AS A PART OF THE FOLLOW-UP MEMO AND DOCUMENTS THAT YOU GIVE, THAT YOU PROVIDE A LIST OF VACANCIES AS WELL AS THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE VACANCIES OR THE AMOUNT SET ASIDE FOR THOSE.
[02:55:01]
ALSO, WHILE WE'RE DISCUSSING TOURS, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE STATUS OF DEVELOPER INITIATED TOURS, UH, AS WELL AS THE TERMS OF THOSE AGREEMENTS.I KNOW THAT THERE'S, UM, CERTAIN PARAMETERS THAT HAVE TO BE MET TO SUNSET THOSE, BUT IF WE HAVEN'T FOLLOWED UP ON MANY OF THEM, AND IF THEY'RE NOT MEETING THEIR ENDS OF THE DEAL, THEN MAYBE IT WILL BE TIME TO CUT SOME OF THOSE OFF.
I KNOW THERE'S NOT A BUNCH OF 'EM, BUT WOULD JUST BE INTERESTED.
UM, LASTLY, CAN YOU GO TO SLIDE 59 FOR ME, OR 51? I'M SORRY, I'M NOT COMING FOR YOUR PROGRAM.
UH, COUNCIL MC CASTILLO, UH, COULD YOU WALK ME, SO JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR ON THIS.
FOR THE USE OF TWO YEAR RESERVE, WHY DID WE GO WITH THE THREE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 IN THE, IN THE THREE SCENARIOS? SO THE 24.2, 11.2, AND 25.9, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, MARIA VIE GOMEZ, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER.
SO ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IS TO BALANCE THE AMOUNT OF CUTS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO.
SO FOR INSTANCE, IN SCENARIO ONE, WITH THE 45 MILLION, UM, REDUCTION IN CUTS, WE TRIED TO MITIGATE WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO CUT IN 27.
SO THAT WAS THE IDEA WITH EACH OF THE SCENARIOS.
THE ENDING BALANCE WAS DIFFERENT IN EACH OF THE YEARS.
SO FOR SCENARIO ONE, FOR INSTANCE.
AND SO COUNCILMAN, SO THAT, THAT IS THE, THE SPECTRUM, RIGHT? THAT IF YOU, IF YOU, IF WE DIDN'T DO THAT, UH, 24.2 THAT ROLLED OVER INTO 27, THAT WOULD JUST MEAN THE 127 WOULD BE MORE SO IT'S TRYING TO SMOOTH, I THINK BEN USED THIS TERM EARLIER, WE'RE TRYING TO, IT'S NOT REALLY SMOOTH IN IT 'CAUSE IT'S STILL $127 MILLION, BUT THESE ARE JUST VARIATIONS THAT THAT COULD EXIST.
WELL, I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT ALONE FOR RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU COULD FOLLOW UP WITH THE INFORMATION THAT I JUST ASKED FOR.
I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE THINGS THAT I HEARD THAT I WANNA ECHO SUPPORT FOR OH, AS WELL.
SO NOW THAT WE'RE DONE TALKING ABOUT THE, THAT PART, ONE THING I HEARD THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS, UH, AS HAS BEEN SAID OVER THE YEARS, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE EVER GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE FULLY RECOGNIZING THE, THE WORK THAT OUR ANIMAL CARE SERVICE OFFICERS AND THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM DO.
AND IT LEADS TO THESE VACANCIES, ESPECIALLY IN OUR HOMELESS OUT IN OUR STREET OUTREACH TEAM.
AND THAT, AND THAT DIVISION I, THERE HAS TO BE SOME BALANCE BETWEEN ONE, THE WORKING CONDITIONS THAT, THAT THEY EXPERIENCE AND THE PAY.
UH, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT THERE RIGHT NOW.
AND I, I WOULD ADVISE, I THINK SPECIFICALLY WITH THESE TWO DEPARTMENTS AND MAYBE SOME OF THOSE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT EXPERIENCE SIMILAR CONDITIONS, UM, SOME SORT OF COMMITTEE OR A FOCUS GROUP, FIND OUT FROM THAT, FROM THEM SPECIFICALLY WHAT THEY WOULD WANT.
WHAT IS IT THE PAY, IS IT THE WORKING CONDITIONS? IS IT THAT, WHAT IS IT THAT THEY NEED? UM, AND HOW DO WE MAKE THIS A POSITION THAT'S MORE ATTRACTIVE AND THAT MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO STAY ONCE THEY ARE HIRED? UM, THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE THAT I DON'T THINK WE'VE ADDRESSED.
AND I WOULD THINK, I THINK THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT YEAR FOR US TO FINALLY GET TO THAT POINT.
UH, AND BY SAYING, I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE MY LAST MEETING BEFORE I GO ON PARENTAL LEAVE IN AUGUST, SO I WILL STILL BE AROUND Y'ALL.
I WILL HOPE TO MEET WITH YOU ALL, HOPE TO MEET WITH CITY STAFF, AND, UH, I'LL BE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH COUNCILMAN CASTILLO GUANO.
UH, SO I'LL STILL BE IN THE BACKGROUND.
PAOLO JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION.
UM, I WANTED TO CONVEY MY SUPPORT FOR SCENARIO TWO, UH, BUT ALSO WITH THAT, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THE CPS MONEY THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK, SO THE, THE CPS PORTION, I JUST CURIOUS, IS THAT COMING BACK TO THE FUND TO MITIGATE IMPACTS ON CORE SERVICES OR HAS THAT BEEN DISCUSSED YET? OR WHAT'S YOUR PLAN WITH THAT?
COUNCILWOMAN, THE MONEY THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK FROM CPS IS WHAT, WHAT'S THE, HAVE YOU DECIDED HOW WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE USING THAT MONEY FOR? SO, UH, IF YOU GO TO THE, IF WE GO TO THE GREEN, THE, THE, THE SCENARIOS THAT $59 MILLION THAT'S PROJECTED FROM 25, 26 AND 27 IS GOING TOWARDS, UM, REDUCING OUR DEFICIT.
IT'S NOT BEING ASSIGNED TO A SPEND, IT'S BEING ASSIGNED TO GET
[03:00:01]
US OUT OF DEBT, OUT OF A DEFICIT.I THINK, I THINK THERE WERE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WERE TALKING ABOUT A FUTURE POLICY CONVERSATION ABOUT SHOULD THERE, SHOULD THERE BE, SHOULD IT LOOK DIFFERENTLY? RIGHT NOW IT'S STRUCTURED 10 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WE HOLD EVERYTHING, WE COVER OUR REVENUE, AND THEN THE COUNCIL CAN DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE, UH, INVEST BACK INTO CPS FOR RELIABILITY.
I, I THINK MAYBE WHAT SEVERAL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TALKED ABOUT IS MAYBE IT'S, WE HOLD ONTO THAT AND WE DO SOME TYPE OF SERVICES OR FUNCTIONS ONE TIME IN NATURE HERE.
BUT, BUT ON THAT SLIDE RIGHT THERE, IT'S GETTING US OUTTA THE HOLE A LITTLE BIT.
UM, LET ME REITERATE MY THANKS, UH, TO THE STAFF, UH, AGAIN, FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THAT WENT IN TODAY'S, UH, WELL THOUGHT, WELL PREPARED, UH, PRESENTATION.
THANKS AS WELL TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FOR THE VERY THOUGHTFUL FEEDBACK.
UM, AS WE LOOK TO UNDERSTAND, UM, MORE SO THE IMPACTS, AGAIN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND WHAT THAT'LL MEAN, UM, IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY.
I THINK THAT IT'LL ALSO BE REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE GO THROUGH THE SUMMER, UM, TO THINK ABOUT OUR APPROACH AS WE HAVE COMMITTED AGAIN TO THOSE THREE, THREE THINGS, FUNDING OUR NO FAIL MISSIONS, MINIMIZING IMPACTS TO OUR MOST VULNERABLE AND MINIMIZING ANY LONG-TERM RISKS THAT WE'RE WORKING, UM, IN CONCERT WITH OUR STATE DELEGATION AS THEY IDENTIFY ISSUES THROUGH THE SPECIAL SESSION.
BUT ALSO REALLY REITERATING WITH OUR FEDERAL DELEGATION, UH, THE HELP THAT WE NEED, BUT ALSO, UM, THE REAL IMPACTS AS A RESULT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, I THINK WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN A, IN UM, ADDITION TO THE ASK THAT I MADE ERIC, A COUPLE OF THINGS, AS WAS BROUGHT UP HERE, THERE ARE SOME, UM, SERVICES THAT WE FUND, INVESTMENTS THAT WE MAKE THAT HAVE A HIGHER RATE OF RETURN THAN ONE WOULD UNDERSTAND.
UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, INVESTMENTS IN OUR ARTS AND CULTURE, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO I THINK HELPING THE, THE, THE, THE DAAS UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT MONEY, UM, ACTUALLY YIELDS A HIGHER RATE OF RETURN TO COME INTO THE COMMUNITY OR THE GENERAL FUND, I THINK IS, IS IMPORTANT.
UM, I THINK WE ALSO ALL HERE SHARE THE APPRECIATION FOR THE FO FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN, UM, THAT I HAD THE HONOR TO, TO HAVE AN ALL HANDS WITH THIS MORNING THAT ARE DOING THE WORK.
AND SO I THINK WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, IS THAT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND, UM, KIND OF WHERE WE ARE NOW IN TERMS OF DISTRIBUTION OF PAY BY DEPARTMENT, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN PARTICULAR THAT ARE DOING SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK, UH, TO ENSURE THOSE FOLKS ARE, ARE, UM, UH, FRANKLY COMPENSATED IN A WAY THAT WE ALL WOULD THINK IS, IS DESERVING.
AND LOOK, I THINK, UH, THERE WERE LOTS OF DISCUSSION HERE ABOUT WHERE WE'D LIKE TO KIND OF PROTECT AND WHERE WE'D LIKE TO PRIORITIES AND AT TIMES EVEN WHERE WE'D LIKE TO PLUS UP.
UM, BUT IN NONE OF THESE SCENARIOS IS AREA PLUS UP, RIGHT? UH, WE DO, AND, AND IN OUR OWN LIVES WE ALSO DON'T DO LESS.
UM, SO IT'LL BE IMPORTANT AND I LOOK WORKING FORWARD TO LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THIS, THIS BODY AS WELL AS WITH THE STAFF TO UNDERSTAND, UM, HOW WE ARE GOING TO, UM, IDENTIFY THOSE TRADE-OFFS IN LINE WITH WHAT WE ALL AGREED TO BE IMPORTANT.
UH, FUNDING THE CORE MISSIONS AS WE RIGHTLY DEFINE THEM.
UM, AGAIN, MINIMIZING LONG-TERM RISKS, UH, AND THEN, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MINIMIZING ANY RISKS TO OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.
UM, WITH THAT, WITH NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, UM, UH, LET'S SEE, WHERE'D IT GO? OKAY, GREAT.
UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
THE TIME IS NOW 3:03 PM AND THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED.