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>> THE TIME IS 2:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH, AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO BUDGET WORK SESSION IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. >> WE HAVE A QUORUM.
>> MAYOR JONES: THIS MEETING IS TO HEAR ABOUT THE BUDGETS FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS.
ERIK, OVER TO YOU. >> THANK YOU, MAYOR. WE WILL START OFF WITH HOMER IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND THEN JOSEPHINE FROM SOLID WASTE WILL GIVE OUR PRESENTATION. HOMER.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M HOMER GARCIA, INTENSIVE I II. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT. I WANT TO THANK OUR FAMILY MEMBERS WITH US TODAY. I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR WORK AS WELL AS NIKKI RAMOS OVER RECREATION SERVICES AND ALSO SOME OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM AND MANY THAT ARE LISTENING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK IN HELPING US DO WHAT WE DO.
THIS SLIDE IS A PRESENTATION OVERVIEW. BEFORE I BEGIN COVERING, I WANT TO EXTEND A THANKS TO ERIK WALSH AND THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN GUIDANCE AND DEVELOPING THIS BUDGET. WE ARE ARE ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS.
WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH JUSTINA TATE AND HER BUDGET TEAM AS WELL AS KATE KINNESON AND HER TEAM. I WANT TO THANK THEM AGAIN FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN HELPING PUT TOGETHER OUR PROPOSED BUDGET THAT I WILL REVIEW TODAY. SO I'M GOING TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT SO YOU GET A LAY OF THE LAND. CERTAINLY, WHAT OUR PROPOSED SPEND PLAN IS. I WILL DETAIL THE FINDINGS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW. WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED, AND THEN I'M GOING TO CLOSE AND FOCUS REALLY ON OUR CORE SERVICES, INITIATIVES KEY PROGRAMS AND THEN PROVIDE A SUMMARY IN THE END. I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND BEGIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE HARD WORK OF OUR TEAM.
MORE THAN 500 STRONG. . IN 2022, WE BECAME A NATIONALLY ACCREDITED DEPARTMENT. WE ARE THE SECOND LARGEST PARK SYSTEM A CRED DEMONSTRATING COMPLIANCE WITH 154 STANDARDS. WE'RE UP FOR REACCREDITATION IN 2027. THAT'S LED BY OUR PARK ADMINISTRATOR.
IT TOOK EVERYBODY TO ACHIEVE THAT MARK. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IN 2024, THAT WE BECAME -- WE HAVE CERTIFIED -- SAFETY CERTIFICATION EFFECTIVELY. THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL BECAUSE WE REALLY FOCUS ON SAFETY FIRST WITH OUR TEAM, MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO THEIR JOB. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE TRAINING AND THE COMMODITY SIDE BUT MAKING SURE THEY HAVE SAFETY IN EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO, FOR NOT TAKING CARE OF OUR TEAM, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO MEET DEMANDS AND NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. LASTLY, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, WE ARE A GOLD MEDAL AWARD FINALIST FOR THIS YEAR.
A YEAR AGO, WE RECEIVED A STATE GOLD MEDAL AWARD FROM OUR STATE AFFILIATE WHICH IS A TEXAS RECREATION AND PARK SOCIETY.
THAT INDICATED THAT WE'RE THE BEST IN WHAT WE DO IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. WE'RE UP FOR A NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARD, AND WE'LL KNOW THE RESULTS OF THAT NEXT WEEK. SO MORE TO COME THERE.
SO WE HAVE OUR THREE EXECUTIVES HERE, AGAIN, HOMER GARCIA, DIRECTOR, MELINDA SERDA. THIS PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE THINGS THAT HER TEAM FOCUSES ON. CERTAINLY PARKS SANITATION, KEEPING ACCESS TO OUR PARKS OPEN, BUT MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE CLEAN AND FUNCTIONAL FOR THE COMMUNITY'S USE.
THAT INCLUDES OUR SKILLED TRADES TEAM AS WELL AS OUR URBAN FORESTRY DIVISION. NIKKI, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE, IS OVER RECREATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WE HAVE A VAST PORTFOLIO.
THE DEPARTMENT UNDER HER LEADERSHIP, IT'S NOT ONLY OUR 28 RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND POOLS, OVERSEES OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
ALL THREE OF US WORK SEAMLESSLY IN MANAGING OUR TEAM OF 500 STRONG IN SUPPORT OF THEM AND CERTAINLY IN SUPPORT OF ONE ANOTHER AND THE WORK
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THAT WE DO. SO THIS IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLING OF OUR PARK SYSTEM. WE ARE VAST. WE HAVE MORE THAN 270 PARKS, MORE THAN 260 MILES OF TRAIL. NUANCE HERE, MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH OUR GREEN WAY TRAIL SYSTEM WHICH IS MORE THAN 100 MILES ENCOMPASSING SAN ANTONIO. THIS IS INCLUSIVE OF ALL TRAILS WITHIN OUR PARK SYSTEM AS WELL. THAT MEANS THERE'S REALLY A TRAIL NEVER ALMOST EVERYBODY IN SAN ANTONIO THAT WANTS TO ACCESS ONE. WE HAVE NUMEROUS PARAGRAPH I WILLIANS TO CELEBRATE OF WHAT THE MOMENT IS. WE HAVE 28 RECREATION CENTERS. I'LL DETAIL THE PROFILE OF THOSE HERE A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE SLIDE. AND ALSO, SOME OTHER POPULAR AMENITIES SUCH AS DOG PARKS AND THAT NUMBER IS CONTINUING TO GROW.THIS SLIDE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
YOU'LL SEE THIS HAS GROWN BY 21 MILLION SINCE 2019.
THIS IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF KEEPING PACE WITH THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO MANAGE OUR GROWING PARK SYSTEM. I DO WANT TO TAKE -- HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THEM. ONE IS IN DISTRICT 9.
FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR, THAT WAS TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A LOT OF OPEN FIELDS.
THIS CHANGED THAT. WE ALSO HAVE THE BERKELEY V, SMALL PARCEL THIS DISTRICT 2 LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE BRIDGE, BUT THERE'S A LOT IN THERE. SO THAT WAS ALSO VERY HIGH PROFILE PROJECT COMING ONLINE FOR OUR PARK SYSTEM. AND ANOTHER EXAMPLE, OF COURSE, HERE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT 1, CIVIC PARK. NOW, OVER THIS I AM TOO, WE HAVE ALSO OPENED UP 45 ADDITIONAL MILES OF GREEN WAY TRAILS.
SO, AGAIN, THIS IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF KEEPING PACE WITH THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO MANAGE OUR PARK SYSTEM. SO ACROSS ALL FUNDS, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT PROPOSED BUDGET IS MORE THAN $111 MILLION.
I HIGHLIGHTED THE GENERAL FUND AT OVER 74.
I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO UNPACK OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS UNDER $18 MILLION COMPRISED OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FUND. THAT COMES IN RIGHT AT $11.6 MILLION. FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT KNOW OR AS A REMINDER, THIS IS A $1.50 FEE THAT'S ON CPS BILLS FOR RESIDENTS.
ALSO IN THESE RESTRICTED FUNDS IS CITY CEMETERIES.
THOSE GO TO THE OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF THOSE LOCATIONS, THE HISTORIC CEMETERIES ON THE EAST SIDE.
AS WELL AS OUR TREE MITIGATION FUND, I WILL DETAIL THAT LATER IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT THAT'S REALLY LARGELY WHAT COMPRISES THOSE RESTRICTED FUNDS. I WANT TO POINT OUT, PART OF THIS $111 JUST UNDER $20 MILLION FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, OF PARTICULAR NOTE THERE IS MORE THAN HALF OF THAT, $10 MILLION TO BE EXACT, IS CONTINUED PROTECTION OF THE AQUIFER PROTECTION PLAN WHICH I WILL DETAIL LATER IN THE PRESENTATION. $111 MILLION TO MANAGE THIS VAST PORTFOLIO.
SOMETHING THAT DETAILS THE RESULTS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW, I MENTIONED EARLIER THIS PROCESS REALLY STARTED LAST FALL WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH BUDGET OFFICE AND INNOVATION TEAM, AND $1.27 MILLION WAS IDENTIFIED IN REDUCTIONS IN THREE PRIMARY AREAS.
THE FIRST BEING MOWING. WHEN THE CURRENT YEAR BUDGET WAS ADOPTED, WE HAD APPROPRIATED DOLLARS IN ANTICIPATION OF A HIGHER COST OF SERVICE.
WHEN BIDS CAME IN, THEY WERE FRIENDLY, LOWER THAN WE THOUGHT, AND SO THESE DOLLARS ARE BEING CAPTURED BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND, BUT THE LEVEL OF SERVICE AND MOWING SCHEDULES IS NOT BEING IMPACTED.
THAT IS NOT CHANGING. SECOND IS TEMPORARY STAFF HOURS.
WE SEE HERE RIGHTSIZING THE BUDGET TO THE TUNE OF $623,000.
IN F FISCAL YEAR '24 THROUGH THIS COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW, WORKING WITH INNOVATION IN THE BUDGET OFFICE, WE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL CLASSES WHERE THERE WAS ZERO PARTICIPATION, AND SO FOR US, WHAT THAT SHOWED IS, WE HAD A LEGACY APPROACH IN PLACE TO HOW WE PROGRAM THESE FACILITIES. THE MODEL WAS, EVERY ROOM, EVERY HOUR. THAT PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO
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HIT RESET AS WE LOOK TO HOW CAN WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND PROGRAMMING THAT THEY WANT TO SEE AND UTILIZE? THEN LASTLY, THERE WAS A DATA DRIVEN APPROACH TO OUR -- HOW WE MAINTAIN AND KEEP OUR PARKS ACCESSIBLE, CLEAN, AND FUNCTIONAL FOR THE COMMUNITY TO USE.THAT RESULTED IN A REDUCTION OF TWO VACANT MAINTENANCE WORKERS AT A PRICE POINT OF $116,000. THIS WAS A DATA-DRIVEN PROCESS LOOKING AT TIME STUDY ANALYSIS FOR HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET INTO THE FIELD AND THEN BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE PARK, ITS USAGE, THE AMENITIES IN THE PARK, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE SERVICES TO KEEP THEM CLEAN, AND THEN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT LOCATION? SO THROUGH THIS, AGAIN, WE REALIZED AN OPPORTUNITY TO, HOW CAN WE BETTER DO THAT? WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPLEMENTING A SECONDARY REPORTING LOCATION. RIGHT NOW, ALL OF THAT TEAM, THEY REPORT TO OUR RON DARNER HEADQUARTERS BEHIND THE STADIUM ON THE WEST SIDE.
IN THIS INSTANCE, WE HAVE A FACILITY IN DISTRICT 2 ON THE EAST SIDE FOR ANYBODY WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH WHEATLY HEIGHTS, ON THE SOUTH END, THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING THAT WAS NOT BEING USED. WE ARE REPURPOSING THAT AND GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS TO SET UP A SATELLITE LOCATION TO GET OUR TEAMS OUT TO THE FIELD QUICKER AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED $480,000 IN REDUCTIONS.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT IS COMPRISED OF SIX VACANT POSITIONS. THOSE ARE DETAILED ON THE SLIDE. THAT REPRESENTS JUST UNDER $400,000. ALL OF THESE DUTIES HAVE BEEN ABSORBED BY EXISTING STAFF, MEETING CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS AND NOT CHANGING ANYTHING GOING FORWARD. THERE'S BEEN A COMMENSURATE ADJUSTMENT IN BUDGET LINE ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. JUST OVER $92,000 ON CONTRACTS AND COMMODITIES, AND THEN A SLIGHT MODIFICATION THERE WITH OUR TEMPORARY STAFF BUDGET. SO ALL COMBINED, IN ADDITION TO THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW FINDINGS, SOME ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS ARE IDENTIFIED HERE. ONE OF THE THINGS THROUGHOUT -- IT REALLY IS A REMINDER IN THE WORK WE DO EVERY DAY BUT WAS A HIGHLIGHT THROUGH THIS PROCESS THIS PAST YEAR UNDER THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW IS OUR CORE SERVICES.
OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ARE A CORE SERVICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. WE FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THAT PARKS ARE ACCESSIBLE AND CLEAN FOR THE COMMUNITY TO USE, FUNCTIONAL. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A TEAM THAT GOES OUT AND MAKES SURE BATHROOMS ARE CLEAN AND LITTER IS PICKED UP.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE A RESPONSE TO REPAIRS NEEDED, WHETHER IT'S IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY VIA 311 OR THINGS THAT WE SEE WHEN WE GO OUT THAT NEED ATTENTION. THAT INCLUDES OUR URBAN FOREST AND NECESSARY TREE MAINTENANCE. AT THE SAME TIME, AS WE HIGHLIGHTED EARLIER, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE ONE YEAR FURTHER INTO THE BOND PROGRAM THAN A YEAR AGO, AND SO THERE'S JUST UNDER $677,000 FOR KEEPING PACE WITH THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO MANAGE THAT PARK -- THIS GROWING PARK SYSTEM. THIS IS A REFLECTION OF 1.7 MILES OF TRAILS, ONE IN DISTRICT 5. THIS IS THE WEST COLLEGE LINK WHICH INCLUDES A TRAILHEAD BUT ALSO A& TRAIL CONNECTION TO DISTRICT 9 ALSO INCLUDES A TRAILHEAD. WE HAVE TWO NEW PARKS COMING ONLINE IN DISTRICT 6 AT SUZETTE KNORR AND THEN BUSH AND CHUTES PARK WHICH IS VIA THE BOND AS WELL. THIS IS TO SAY, THESE ARE THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO KEEP PACE WITH THE GROWING PARK SYSTEM. I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT DOG PARKS BEING POPULAR. WE HAVE TWO MORE COMING ONLINE, ONE AT BEACON HILL AND ONE AT CONCEPTION PARK.
MAKING SURE THAT PROJECT DELIVERY AND DEMAND BY THE COMMUNITY IS BEING MET IN OUR PLANNED PROGRAMMING AND INVESTMENTS.
ANOTHER CORE SERVICE IS RECREATION PROGRAMMINGMENT IT'S ABOUT REMOVING BARRIERS TO ACCESS. AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, I'LL DETAIL THIS OF THIS SHORTLY. A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMMING IS FREE OR LOW COST. SO IN DOING SO, WE HAVE -- THAT'S WHAT DRIVES OUR WORK PLAN ACROSS 28 FACILITIES. QUICK PROFILE OF OUR 28 LOCATIONS, WE HAVE 19 FULL-SERVICE CENTERS. WHAT THAT MEANS IS, THEY ARE HIGHLY ATTENDED. SO WE HAVE PROGRAMMING IN PLACE.
THIS IS WHERE WE HAVE THE LEGACY MODEL FOR EVERY ROOM, EVERY HOUR.
WE ALSO HAVE FIVE OPEN PLAY CENTERS. WHAT THAT MEANS IS, PEOPLE CAN COME IN AND TAILOR USE OF THE FACILITY TO THEIR
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LIKING, WHETHER IT'S TO READ A BOOK, CONNECT TO WI-FI, GO TO THE GYM AND PLAY A GAME OF HORSE. BUT WE HAVE LITTLE TO NO PROGRAMMING IN THESE INSTANCES, BUT LOOKING AT OUR ATTENDEES TO DATE IN THE CURRENT YEAR, 70% OF THEM ARE AGES 6 AND UP. THEN WE DO HAVE FOUR ADULT SENIOR CENTERS SERVING 18 AND UP. I TALKED ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW AND LOOKING AT FOCUSING ON QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT, WE WANTED TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT -- WELL, HOW CAN WE DO THAT? SO WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING TOWARDS PROVIDING STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING AT PEAK DEMAND TIMES FOR ALL AGES, AND THIS INCLUDES TODDLERS AND GENERAL RECREATIONAL OFFERINGS. SO UNDER THE NEW MODEL, THE 19 COMMUNITY CENTERS WILL INCREASE HOURS OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY.THE CURRENT SCHEDULE OF 2:00 TO 9:00 P.M. MOST WEEKDAYS WILL MOVE TO 10:00 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M. WE'RE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WITH ONE SIMPLE THING, ADJUSTING STAFF SCHEDULES. THIS ENHANCES THE UTILIZATION OF THE FACILITIES, OF PARKS, IN ALIGNMENT WITH PEER CITIES AS WELL. OUR CORE SERVICE EXTENDS TO PROGRAMMING BEYOND OUR BRICKS AND MORTAR FACILITIES. WE HAVE FITNESS, ATHLETICS, AND AQUATICS. ALL IN ALL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR OFFERINGS, MORE THAN 95% ARE FREE TO THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE IN THE UPCOMING YEAR.
LOOKING AT FREE FITNESS CLASSES THAT WILL REMAIN AND CONTINUE.
ATHLETICS, AGAIN, WE HAVE FLAG FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL LEAGUES.
THOSE ARE LOW COST OFFERINGS TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND AQUATICS, PRIMARY COMPONENT OF THAT IS OUR POOL SEASON.
IT JUST CONCLUDED. THOSE ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE PROVIDE FREE GROUP LESSONS AND LOW COST INDIVIDUAL SWIM LESSONS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL ALSO BE INTRODUCING NEW IN FITNESS IS LOOKING AT EXPANDING THE HOURS OF WOOD LAWN GYM. OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE'VE UTILIZED WHEATLY HEIGHTS AS A FITNESS HUB AND BASED ON PROGRAMMING AND RESPONSE THERE, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THAT LOOKING AT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CAPTIVE AUDIENCE AND WHY PEOPLE COME TO THE FACILITIES.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ABLE TO EXPAND AND DO AS PART OF OUR BASE BUDGET AND CORE SERVICES. I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT APART FROM THE BOND, WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT ARE FUNDED TO THE TUNE OF $8.7 MILLION.
THE BUDGET PART OF -- BIGGEST PART IS YEAR THREE OF A FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM TO INTRODUCE SHADE OVER PLAYGROUNDS. TO DATE, WE HAVE DONE THIS AND COMPLETED 24 INSTALLATIONS CITYWIDE. 11 MORE LOCATIONS WILL RECEIVE SHADE OVER PLAYGROUNDS. THAT WILL BEGIN THIS FALL AND BE COMPLETED IN MAY AHEAD OF THE HOT SEASON.
ADDITIONALLY, DAVID SCOTT YMCA IN DISTRICT 2, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED IN THE BUDGET $3.2 MILLION FOR BOILER AND AIR HANDLER REPLACEMENT.
THAT IS A PROJECT THAT WILL BE LED BY THE BUILDING SERVICES DEPARTMENT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE COLLABORATING AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE YMCA SO THAT'S A COORDINATED EFFORT, AGAIN, WITH THE GOAL OF MINIMAL IMPACT TO OPERATIONS.
AND WHILE WE HAVE A VAST SYSTEM THAT WE MAINTAIN, I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME KEY PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR.
AGAIN, I THINK DEMONSTRATES THE FOCUS ON THE PARKS TEAM, MAKING SURE THAT OUR FACILITY IS ACCESSIBLE AND FUNCTIONAL FOR THE COMMUNITY TO USE. WE HAVE THREE LISTED PROJECTS, IMPROVEMENTS AT DENVER HEIGHTS. THE POOL WILL RECEIVE NEEDED MAINTENANCE IN DISTRICT 5 AND ALSO IN DISTRICT 5, ROOF RENOVATION AT THE CENTER. THESE WILL NOT IMPACT PUBLIC ACCESS OR OPERATING HOURS. I HIGHLIGHTED EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION -- THIS IS ONE OF OUR RESTRICTED USE FUNDS -- THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN IN THE MAKING SINCE 2000.
DURING THAT TIME, OR OVER THIS TIME AND AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO PROTECT AND ADD PROPERTIES TO OUR PORTFOLIO. TO DATE, 166,000 PROPERTIES PROTECTED,
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AND MORE THAN 187,000 ACRES OVER THE AQUIFER. AS WE MOVE FROM A SALES TAX PLAN TO FUNDING IT TO A NEW FUNDING MODEL THROUGH THE SAN ANTONIO FACILITIES CORPORATION, THAT IS A $100 MILLION TEN-YEAR PLAN. WE'RE ENTERING YEAR FOUR. I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT OF OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, 19.7, MORE THAN HALF IS FOR AQUIFER PROTECTION. THAT'S WHAT THIS REPRESENTS. AS OF RIGHT NOW, I HAVE TARGETED 7 PROPERTIES BASED ON WILLING LANDOWNERS. THIS IS A VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION PROGRAM. SO PROPERTY OWNERS DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN IT, THEN THE LAND ACQUISITION TEAM LOOKS AT THOSE THAT DO.TARGETING 7 PROPERTIES, NEARLY 2400 ACRES. THIS MOVES US CLOSER TO SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE AS WE WILL BE APPROACHING 190,000 ACRES PROTECTED OVER THE AQUIFER. I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE THINGS.
YOU KNOW, IN THE WORK THAT WE DO, WHERE IT MAKES SENSE AND WHERE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY, WE LOOK TO LEVERAGE OUR LOCAL DOLLARS.
UNDER THIS PROGRAM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DO SO OVER THE YEARS WITH MORE THAN 32 MILLION DOLLARS ADDITIONAL TO THE CITY'S LOCAL DOLLARS TO PROTECT THE AQUIFER. THESE ARE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH USDA, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, AND WE ANTICIPATE THERE WILL BE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE THESE DOLLARS. I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD FOR THEIR GUIDANCE IN HELPING THE TEAM MIXTURE WE'RE FOCUSED WHERE WE NEED TO BE AND CITY COUNCIL'S SUPPORT FOR CONTINUING THE PROGRAM.
SIMILARLY, I THINK FROM -- WHEN I HEAR FROM SOME OF MY PEERS IN THE INDUSTRY, I GET ASKED A LOT ABOUT [INDISCERNIBLE].
MAKING. TODAY WE HAVE MORE THAN 102 MILES COMPLETED WITH ADDITIONAL ONES COMING ONLINE. IN THE CURRENT BOND, THERE WAS 103.5 MILLION DOLLARS THAT VOTERS APPROVED FOR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN EXPANDING THIS TRAIL SYSTEM WITH THE GOAL BEING A TRAIL -- CONTINUOUS TRAIL SYSTEM AROUND SAN ANTONIO.
SO CURRENTLY, 49 MILLION DOLLARS IN PRODUCTION, AND THIS WILL GROW TO 60 MILLION OVER THE NEXT YEAR. ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE COUNTY'S CONTRIBUTION TO SEEING THE VALUE IN OUR TRAIL SYSTEM AND WANTING TO INVEST IN THAT. IN FEBRUARY OF '22, COUNCIL APPROVED A TRY-PARTY INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT.
THE CITY, COUNTY, AND THE RIVER AUTHORITY. THE COUNTY IN THAT ILA IS LOOKING AT INVESTING MORE THAN $83 MILLION OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD, MUCH LIKE WE PROTECT AQUIFER IN THE SAME MANNER.
THEY DO THAT THROUGH THEIR BUDGET PROCESS. WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS, THE FIRST PROJECT IS ABOUT TO GET OUT OF THE GATE THIS FALL WITH THEM, AND THIS IS ALONG THE CREEK FROM ALDERETE TO THE PARKS.
THIS IS STANING DISTRICTS 5 AND 6. MORE THAN TWO MILES COMING ONLINE AND $1 M$11 MILLION IN COUNTY'S INVESTMENT.
THE PLAN THAT'S LAID OUT IS ACTUALLY WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON DELIVERING.
EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, I TALKED ABOUT ONE OF OUR RESTRICTED USE FUNDS. 6.2 MILLION DOLLARS. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THIS IS VASTLY LOWER THAN A YEAR AGO. AND THAT IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF AVAILABLE REVENUE TIED TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
SO I WANTED TO KIND OF PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF A RESET ON WHAT THIS RESTRICTED USE FUND IS. IT IS REALLY FOCUSED ON TARGETING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND CARE OF TREES PLANTED THROUGH THE FUND BOTH ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTIES. SO ON THE FRONT END, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THESE PERMITS.
THEY ARE TRACKING TO SEE REVENUE COMING INTO THE FUND ON THE BACK END, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, WE PROGRAM THOSE DOLLARS. I'M GOING TO OUTLINE HERE EXACTLY HOW THAT'S DONE. SO IN THE CURRENT -- IN THE PROPOSED FY '26 BUDGET, WE WILL BE GETTING MORE THAN 1 1
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TREES PLANTED IN THE COMMUNITY. IT WILL PRODUCE MORE THAN 1200 TREES. WE HAVE OUR ENT ENTERPRISE APPROACH THROUGH COOL NEIGHBORHOODS WORKING WITH OUR -- OUR TEAM IN SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY TO MAKE SURE WE'RE BRINGING OUR EFFORT TO THE TABLE. THAT IS GETTING RESIDENTS THAT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM A TREE AT NO COST TO THEM.AND THAT IS DONE AND INCLUDES UTILITY LOCATES, WORKING WITH THE RESIDENT TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF NATIVE SHADE TREE THEY WANT.
THEN WE DO THE INSTALLATION AT THE CONVENIENCE OF THE HOMEOWNER. WHEN THAT'S DONE, WE'RE ENGAGING THEM, MAKING SURE THEY HAVE THE EDUCATION NEEDED TO CARE FOR THAT TREE GOING FORWARD. ALSO, APART FROM COOL NEIGHBORHOODS, WE HAVE OUR COMMUNITY TREE PROGRAM, AND THAT IS A VERY, VERY POPULAR PROGRAM. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SINCE FISCAL YEAR '20, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THERE'S BEEN A HYPER FOCUS ON RESIDENTIAL TREE PLANTING AND MAKING SURE RESIDENTS ARE GETTING THEM. TO THAT END, WE'VE CONNECTED RESIDENTS TO NEARLY 8,000 TREES, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDING TO THAT IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. THAT TRACK RECORD HAS LET US TO STATE RECOGNITION WITH THE COMMUNITY TREE PROGRAM. WE'RE RECEIVING THEIR GOLD LEAF AWARD. THIS IS THROUGH THE TEXAS A&M FOREST SERVICE. THAT WILL BE HAPPENING LATER THIS MONTH.
ROSS JOSE IS WITH US TODAY. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK. AGAIN, REREFLECTION OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING TREES TO THOSE IN MOST NEED.
BEYOND RESIDENTIAL TREE PLANTING, WE ALSO LOOK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING PACE IN LEVERAGING -- TALKED ABOUT LEVERAGING FUNDS A MOMENT AGO IN THE AQUIFER PROFESSION PROGRAM.
SAME HERE. IN THE BOND, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED PROJECTS THAT WE CAN ATTRIBUTE AND DIRECTORY DOLLARS TO EXTEND SERVICE DELIVERY. SO THIS REPRESENTS 2.4 MILLION DOLLARS ACROSS PARKS LINEAR TRAIL BONDS, AND STREET BONDS.
I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT GUIDES OUR WORK IS NOT JUST THE COLLABORATION WITH SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY, BUT SOME OF THE WORK AT UTSA. THEY HAVE DEVELOPED A HEAT VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TOOL MANY THESE PROJECTS THAT THEY -- MORE THAN HALF OF THEM -- EXCUSE ME. ALL STREET BOND AND HALF OF THE PARK BOND ARE THESE HIGH HEAT VULNERABILITY AREAS YOU.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE SOUTH BRAZOS FROM THE CREEK TO APACHE CREEK.
CULEBRA ROAD. AND THEN HIGHLAND PARK LOCATED IN DISTRICT 3.
MOVING ON FROM LEVERAGING THESE WITH OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS, IN EDUCATION AND PROGRAMMING, WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S EDUCATION GOING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY RELATIVE TO OAK WILT. THAT'S BEEN A LONG-STANDING PRACTICE.
AND ALSO, I WOULD SAY, ALMOST EQUALLY COMPETITIVE WITH OUR COMMUNITY TREE PROGRAM, OUR TREE ADOPTIONS AND GIVEAWAYS.
SO WE WILL GET OUT MORE THAN 8800 TREES TO THE COMMUNITY ACROSS 60 EVENTS CITYWIDE. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT URBAN FORESTRY EXPLORERS. IN THE TEAM, WE LOOK AT WHERE OUR BUSINESS SEGMENTS IS APPROPRIATE TO CROSS POLLINATE.
A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT HERE. THIS WAS DELIVERED IN A YOUTH PROGRAM AND IT WILL CONTINUE IN FISCAL YEAR '26. IT WAS LOOKING AT ENGAGING OUR YOUTH SO THEY UNDERSTAND BASIC TREE BIOLOGY.
THE BENEFITS OF TREES, AND THE OVERALL WONDERMENT OF TREES.
IT IS DELIVERED OVER SEVERAL MODULES, AND AT THE END, THEY HAVE AN ACTIVITY BOOK TO TAKE HOME TO SHARE WITH THEIR FAMILY.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED A VERY POSITIVE RESPONSE FOR, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO. LASTLY, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT THEHE NEIGHBORHOOD TREE CARE PROGRAM, AND TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT PART OF THE TREE CANOPY MITIGATION FUND.
AS WE WERE LEADING UP TO TODAY, WE WERE LISTENING TO PRIOR COUNCIL WORK SESSIONS, AND RELATIVE TO PROVIDING MAINTENANCE TREE CARE, THAT PROGRAM IS DELIVERED THROUGH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN AN AGREEMENT WITH THE VENDOR, AND TO DATE, WE HAVE PROVIDED SERVICE TO 54 RESIDENTS WITH ANOTHER 45 IN THE QUEUE. THIS WORK WITH CONTINUE IN FISCAL YEAR '26. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD ON AND WORK WITH THE VENDOR IN MAKING SURE, AGAIN, THE WORK PLAN IS BEING DELIVERED AS INTENDED. SO TO SUMMARIZE, I WANT
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TO JUST REALLY REFLECT ON, YOU KNOW, OUR APPROACH GOING FORWARD IS AN ENHANCED DELIVERY MODEL ACROSS THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.WE'VE SEEN WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN OUR OPERATIONS TEAM AND ALSO RECREATION SERVICES. WE'RE DOING THAT BY IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE HARD WORK THAT CAME OUT OF THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS THROUGH THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS.
THAT IS A SATELLITE LOCATION ON THE EAST SIDE AT WHEATLY HEIGHTS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT IS -- BECAUSE WE ARE MOVING TO A NEW MODEL WAY OF DOING BUSINESS IS MAKING SURE WE'RE MONITORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THAT AND THAT WE'RE CALIBRATING APPROPRIATELY ALONG THE WAY BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE FIELD, ONCE THINGS ARE IMPLEMENTED, AND FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE GETTING, WHETHER IT'S FROM RESIDENTS DIRECTLY THROUGH 311 AND CERTAINLY CITY COUNCIL.
RELATIVE TO OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS, ABOVE AND BEYOND AND OUTSIDE OF CBR, WE IDENTIFIED, AGAIN -- TAKE A MOMENT TO RESET AND HOW CAN WE BETTER CONNECT THE COMMUNITY TO OUR FACILITIES? SO WE WILL BEGIN WORKING TO IMPLEMENT THOSE HOURS FOR -- THE NEW HOURS FOR OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS. WE'RE NOT LOSING SIGHT. IT'S OUR GOAL TO REMAIN THAT WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES IN 2027.
I WANT TO CLOSE WITH OUR CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS.
THE WORK THAT WE DO, IT GOES BEYOND THE 500 TEAM MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE.
THEY SERVE AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER FRANKLY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PARTNERS ARE AN EXTENSION OF WHAT WE CAN DO AND CAN ACHIEVE.
MOST CURRENT EXAMPLE, DENVER HEIGHTS IS IN DISTRICT 2, AND THE LIBRARY, WE KNOW, HAS A RENOVATION PROJECT GOING ON, THE CARVER, WHERE THEY HAD TO -- IT'S EFFECTIVELY A TWO-YEAR PROJECT.
THEY WERE LOOKING TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN THE AREA OF INTEREST.
DENVER HEIGHTS WAS ONE OF THOSE LOCATIONS THAT WAS MORE TAILORED USE, NOT FULLY PROGRAMMED. SO I REACHED OUT AND OFFERED DENVER HEIGHTS.
WENT AND TOOK A TOUR. A COUPLE SHORT MEETINGS LATER WITH THEIR TEAM AND OUR TEAM, WE NOW HAVE DENVER HEIGHTS OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY PROVIDING LIBRARY SERVICES AND NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF PARK SERVICES. SO CO-LOCATED REALLY BUILDING ON A SYNERGY OR REALLY CREATING A SYNERGY THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE FRANKLY.
I OFFER THAT AS ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW WE GO ABOUT OUR WORK AND WHAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THAT. THAT IS A GOOD REFLECTION OF OUR PARKS WORK ETHIC THAT IS GUIDED BY EXCELLENCE, EQUITY, EMPOWERMENT, AND ENGAGEMENT IN ALL THAT WE DO.
THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. OF COURSE, THE TEAM WILL BE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. I'M GOING TO TURN IT
OVER TO JOSEPHINE. THANK YOU. >> SO GOOD AFTERNOON.
A LITTLE BIT TOO LOUD THERE. SO GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JOSEPHINE VALENCIA.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT. BEFORE I START MY PRESENTATION, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A BRIEF ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM OUT HERE.
I AM SURE MANY OF YOU KNOW IN THIS CASE AND ANDREW WHO WORK FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. OUR NEWEST MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM ANDREW -- GILBERT WHO HAS WORKED FOR OUR DEPARTMENT FOR MANY YEARS BUT HE HAS MOVED INTO THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR POSITION. I'M SURE YOU'RE WORKING WITH HIM CLOSELY IN THE FUTURE. TODAY, I'M GOING TO BE GIVING YOU AN OVERVIEW OF OUR DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS OUR PROPOSED BUDGET AND HIGHLIGHT OUR SERVICE PRIORITIES FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, WE PROVIDE CART COLLECTION SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS. WE ALSO PROVIDE CURBSIDE BRUSH AND BULKY COLLECTION. WE OPERATE FOUR DROP-OFF CENTERS, A FLEET DIVISION, AND WE PROVIDE A VARIABILITY OTHER OF SERVICES ON DEMAND BY APPOINTMENT. OTHER SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE ON A CITYWIDE BASIS INCLUDE OUR ILLEGAL DUMPING AND HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEAN-UPS. SO OUR BUDGET CONSISTS OF TWO SEPARATE FUNDS, THE OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE FUND, THE SOLID WASTE FUND.
IT'S AN ENTERPRISE FUND. IT RECEIVES NO TAX DOLLARS FROM THE CITY. IT IS FUNDED BY USER FEES FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. WE ALSO HAVE A SEPARATE FLEET SERVICES FUND.
[00:35:02]
THIS IS AN INTERNAL SERVICES FUND THAT IS FUNDED BY THE WORK THAT WE DO FOR SOLID WASTE AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.SO OUR BUDGET -- OUR MAIN BUDGET, 64% OF OUR MAIN OPERATING BUDGET COMES FROM -- IS USED TO FUND OUR CURBSIDE SERVICES.
THAT WOULD BE OUR CART COLLECTIONS AS WELL AS BUSH AND BULKY COLLECTIONS COMBINED THE TWO FUNDS ARE ROUGHLY OVER $193 MILLION.
SO THE POSITIONS WITH THE SPLIT OF PUBLIC WORKS INTO TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, THAT LEAVES SOLID WASTE AS THE LARGEST CIVILIAN DEPARTMENT WITH 808 EMPLOYEES. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE ARE AN ENTERPRISE FUND. SO WE PROVIDE CART COLLECTION SERVICES PRIMARILY TO SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES.
WE OFFER OUR CARTS IN THREE DIFFERENT SIZES. THE SMALLER THE CART, THE SMALLER THE FEE. WE ARE PROJECTING ABOUT 382,000 SOLID WASTE RATE PAYERS FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR. IN ADDITIONS TO THE SOLID WASTE FEE, THERE IS A SEPARATE ENVIRONMENTAL FEE.
THIS IS A SEPARATE ENVIRONMENTAL FEE FROM THE PARKS FEE.
SO PARKS AND SOLID WASTE BOTH HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL FEES.
OUR $3 ENVIRONMENTAL FEE IS ASSESSED ON A LARGER CUSTOMER BASE.
SO THE SOLID WASTE FEE IS ONLY CHARGED TO FOLKS WHO GET CART SERVICE.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL FEE IS CHARGED TO EVERYONE EN, INCLUDING RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN APARTMENTS AS WELL AS COMMERCIAL ENTITIES.
SO OUR THREE CARTS COME IN THREE COLORS, THREE SERVICES.
GARBAGE IS OUR BROWN CARD. RECYCLING IS BLUE.
ORGANICS IS OUR AGREE CART. WE PROVIDE WEEKLY SERVICE FOR EACH OF THESE SERVICES. COMBINED, WE COME TO YOUR HOME ALMOST 60 MILLION TIMES A YEAR. 99.9% OF THE TIME, WE GET YOUR CARTON TIME ON THE DAY THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO.
BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SUCH LARGE VOLUMES, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 60 MILLION COLLECTIONS, THAT .08 THAT ARE MISSED, THAT EQUALS A LARGE NUMBER. THAT'S ABOUT 49,000 MISSED CALLS A YEAR.
OUR NUMBERS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER, AND WE THINK WE CAN DO EVEN BETTER NEXT YEAR. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT NEXT.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING OUT WHAT WE ARE CALLING THE SMART COLLECTION SYSTEMS OR S CS. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAPH ON TOP, THAT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT HALF OF OUR DRIVERS HOW THEY DO THE COLLECTIONS RIGHT NOW. THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN ROLLED OUT TO ABOUT HALF OF OUR TRUCKS SO FAR. SO THE OLD SYSTEM IS BASICALLY A PAPER MAP AND A PENCIL. IT'S VERY EASY FOR A DRIVER TO MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN THIS IS HOW THEY ARE PROVIDING THEIR COLLECTION. OUR VETERAN DRIVERS PROBABLY HAVE THEIR ROUTES MEMORIZED, BUT OUR NEWER EMPLOYEES AND EVEN VETERAN DRIVERS WHO MAY BE COVERING FOR SOMETHING ELSE, LET'S SAY A DRIVER IS ON VACATION AND THEY ARE DRIVING A NEW ROUTE, WE GIVE THEM A PAPER MAP AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS WE'RE ROLLING OUT A NAVIGATION SYSTEM THAT'S A TABLET THAT YOU CAN SEE IN THE PHOTOGRAPH ON THE BOTTOM. THIS IS PROBABLY SIMILAR TO NAVIGATIONS YOU MAY HAVE IN YOUR CAR RIGHT NOW OR ON YOUR PHONE WITH A FEW EXTRAS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN MAKE IT OUT IN THE PHOTO, BUT THERE'S DOTS ON THIS TABLET. EACH ONE OF THOSE DOTS CORRESPONDS TO A CUSTOMER. AND AS THE DRIVER STOPS IN FRONT OF EACH HOUSE, THAT DISABILITY CHANGES COLOR.
SO THAT GIVES A DRIVER A QUICK VISUAL ASSESSMENT THAT LETS THEM KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HE SERVICED A CART OR NOT. WHILE HE'S STILL IN THE AREA, IF HE MISSED AN AREA, HE CAN GO BACK. THIS WILL ELIMINATE THE COSTLY GO BACKS AT THE END OF THE DAY. THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS IS SERVICE VERIFICATION.
THIS SYSTEM TIES INTO OUR EXISTING CAMERA SYSTEM.
SO WHEN THE DRIVER COMES BY THE HOUSE, WE HAVE VIDEO -- WE HAVE VIDEO RECORDINGS OF THAT. IF A RESIDENT WERE TO CALL LATER AND SAY YOU MISSED US, WE CAN PULL UP THE VIDEO AND SAY IF THE DRIVER MISSED IT OR WAS THE CART NOT OUT. THE OTHER THING IS LIVE CAPTIONS.
SOMETIMES WHEN WE MISS A CART, WE DIDN'T MISS IT.
WE LEFT IT BEHIND ON PURPOSE. MAYBE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CART WAS A RECYCLING CART FULL OF CONTAMINATION AND WE COULDN'T COLLECT IT. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE DRIVER TO PRESS A BUTTON, LOG THAT IT'S AN EXCEPTION, AND THEN THE SUPERVISOR WOULD KNOW WHICH ADDRESSES WERE NOT COLLECTED AND ALLOW US TO FOLLOW UP.
THE OTHER THING THAT THIS SYSTEM DOES IS ASSIST WITH BILLING RECONCILIATION. AS I MENTIONED, ALL OF THESE DOTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A CUSTOMER. SO LET'S SAY WE HAVE A DRIVER COMING BY AND HE SEES A WHOLE BUNCH OF CARTS ON A NEW STREET, HE'LL SERVICE THEM, BUT IF THERE'S NO DOT, THAT MEANS THERE'S NO BILL.
SO THAT WILL ENABLE OUR STAFF TO FOLLOW UP WITH THESE LOCATIONS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE BEING BILLED CORRECTLY. I'M SURE MANY OF YOU ARE
[00:40:04]
FAMILIAR WITH OUR BRUSH AND BULKY COLLECTIONS. THAT IS GOING TO BE CONTINUING UNCHANGED. WE'RE PREDICTING WE WOULD HAVE LETTED ABOUT 80,000 TONS. SO THE TONS THAT WE COLLECT FROM THE BUSH AND BULKY SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE BROWN CART, THEY ARE ALL LANDFILL.THE CITY DOES NOT CURRENTLY OWN AND OPERATE ANY ACTIVE LANDFILLS. WE CONTRACT WITH TWO PRIVATE LANDFILLS IN THE AREA. WHAT THE CITY DOES OWN IS A TRANSFER STATION.
A TRANSFER STATION IS A FACILITY WHERE A GARBAGE FROM REGULAR SIZED GAR BACK TRUCKS IS TRANSFERRED INTO LARGER VEHICLES, TYPICALLY AN 18-WHEELER TRACTOR-TRAILER. BY TRANSFERRING THE WASTE INTO A LARGER VEHICLE, THIS ALLOWS THE FACILITY TO TAKE THE WASTE TO A LANDFILL THAT MAY BE FURTHER AWAY OUTSIDE OF THE CITY AND POTENTIALLY AT A LOWER RATE. AS I SAID, THIS FACILITY IS CURRENTLY OPERATED BY A CONTRACTOR. THE CONTRACT ENDS AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE BUDGET, IF YOU LOOK IN THE CAPITAL, WE HAVE SET ASIDE 2.5 MILLION FOR POTENTIAL REPAIRS TO THE FACILITY. WHILE WE MAKE REPAIRS AND UPGRADE THE FACILITY, IT WILL BE CLOSED. BUT OUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE IS TO REOPEN IT. WE WILL BE ISSUING AN RFP AROUND JANUARY, FUTURE PLANS MAY INCLUDE ANOTHER LONG-TERM CONTRACT OR IT MAY INCLUDE CITY OPERATION OR SOME UNKNOWN USE THAT MAYBE SOMEONE HAS AN INNOVATIVE IDEA FOR THIS PROPERTY. SO WE HAVE A DEDICATED TEAM THAT DOES OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY. WE DO PRESENTATIONS AT SCHOOLS. WE DO PRESENTATIONS AT HOA MEETINGS, VARIETY OF BUSINESS GROUPS AS WELL. THIS TEAM ALSO DEVELOPS OUR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS. WE HAVE SOME DEDICATED LITERATURE FOR SCHOOLS, AT BOTH YOUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOLCHILDREN AS WELL AS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. WE ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING TWO COMPLEMENTARY BUT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS ON ILLEGAL DUMPING. WE HAVE ONE CAMPAIGN ON& THE TOPIC STRESSING THE ILLEGAL PORTION OF THIS AND REMINDING FOLKS THIS IS A CRIME.
WE ARE ALSO RUNNING A COMPLEMENTARY CAMPAIGN REFINING FOLKS ABOUT THE DROP-OFF CENTERS THAT WE OPERATE THAT PROVIDE A FREE AND LEGAL RESOURCE FOR RESIDENTS TO DUMP MATERIALS AT. SIMILAR TO WHAT HOMER MENTIONED BEFORE, WE ARE ALSO AN ISO SAFETY CERTIFIED ORGANIZATION.
WE WERE THE FIRST MUNICIPALITY AS WELL AS THE FIRST SOLID WASTE ORGANIZATION TO ACHIEVE THE SAFETY CERTIFICATION, AND TODAY WE ARE PART OF A LARGER INITIATIVE THAT INVOLVES MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS.
INSTEAD OF EACH -- SOLID WASTE HAVING AN INDIVIDUAL CERTIFICATION, WE HAVE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS THAT MAINTAIN THE CERTIFICATION AND WE JUST WENT THROUGH THE WE ARE CERTIFICATION PROCESS THIS YEAR. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT FROM THE SAFETY PERSPECTIVE THAT I THINK MIGHT SURPRISE SOME OF YOU IS THAT WE RUN A DRIVING SCHOOL. WE ARE COMPLETELY CERTIFIED BY THE STATE TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO OBTAIN A CDL LICENSE, AND THIS MEANS ONE-STOP SHOP. OUR EMPLOYEES CAN TAKE THE PERMIT EXAM ON OUR SITE. THEY CAN TRAIN VIA SIMULATOR, WHICH YOU SEE IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH. THEY CAN TRAIN ON THE ROAD. WE HAVE CERTIFIED TRAINERS.
WE CAN DO THE FINAL DRIVING EXAM. WE CAN EVEN PRINT THE TEMPORARY DRIVER'S LICENSE WHEN THEY PASS THAT ROAD EXAM.
THE ONLY THING OUR DRIVERS NEED TO DO IS TO GO GET THEIR PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN. THIS TIES INTO THE NEXT BULLET.
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A DRIVING SCHOOL AND THE RA EN WE DO THAT IS WE HAVE A DRIVER APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. THIS IS A FEDERALLY REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. REHIGH TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES. TRAIN THEM TO GET THEIR COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE AND THEY CAN GET A JOB WITH THE CITY, SPECIFICALLY WITH SOLID WASTE. SINCE IT IS A FORMAL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, IT BYPASSES THE NORMAL INTERVIEW PROCESS. SO ONCE AN EMPLOYEE OBTAINS THEIR LICENSE AND MEETS CERTAIN MILESTONES, THEY ARE ABLE TO -- THEY ARE OFFERED A FULL-TIME JOB.
SINCE THIS PROGRAM HAS STARTED, WE'VE HAD 147 PEOPLE OBTAINING THEIR COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE. OVER 100 OF THEM GOT EMPLOYED WITH THE DEPARTMENT. EVEN FOR THE ONES WHO DID NOT GAIN EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT, I STILL CONSIDER THIS A WIN FOR THE CITY BECAUSE THIS MEANS YOU HAVE ANOTHER RESIDENT OUT THERE WITH A MARKETABLE SKILL THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO GET A JOB IN SAN ANTONIO AND CONTRIBUTE. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE OPERATE FOUR DROP OFF CENTERS, TWO OF THESE DROP OFF CENTERS ACCEPT HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE. THE FACILITIES ARE OPEN TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.
THEY ARE ONLY OPEN TO RESIDENTIAL USE. AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL FEE. SO TO USE THE FACILITY, WE ASK RESIDENTS TO BRING A COPY OF THEIR C PS BILL SHOWING THEY ARE A RATEPAYER AS WELL AS IDENTIFICATION TO MATCH UP WITH THAT BILL. IN ADDITION TO THE BULKY
[00:45:02]
DROP OFFS, WE OPERATE ONE BUSH DROP OFF CENTER.THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE BUSH DROP OFF CENTER IS TO PROCESS THE MATERIALS THAT OUR CREWS PICK UP FROM THE CURB. SO ALL THE BRUSH THAT IS COLLECTED FROM THE CURB AS WELL AS ANY BRUSH DROPPED OFF BY RESIDENTS IS GROUND INTO MULCH. WE HAVE TWO LEVELS AVAILABLE.
WE HAVE A COARSE MULCH AVAILABLE AT NOAGE KHAKI.
IF YOU COME IN A PICKUP TRUCK, WE'LL LOAD YOU UP.
IF YOU HAVE A SCHOOL OR NONPROFIT ENTITY THAT REQUIRES LARGE AMOUNTS, WE WILL DELIVER AT NO CHARGE. WE ALSO PROVIDE ILLEGAL DUMPING AND ENCAMPMENT CLEAN-UPS. THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY RECENTLY. WE WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH DHS TO ASSESS SITES, AND WE CLEAN THE SITES AS NECESSARY.
THERE'S A GROUP OF SITES THAT WE KNOW ARE ILLEGAL DUMPING PROBLEMS AND WE VISIT THOSE ON A PROACTIVE BASIS. SO ROUGHLY ABOUT HALF OF THE CALLS FROM ILLEGAL DUMPING THAT WE ASSESS COME THROUGH 311 CALLS.
THE OTHERS WE FIND ON OUR OWN. WE HEAR FROM YOU OR THAT WE JUST ARE AWARE ARE REOCCURRING SITES. SOME OF OUR LESSER KNOWN SERVICES ARE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION, ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT CURRENTLY OPERATE ANY LANDFILL, WE HAVE IN THE PAST.
THERE ARE 7 LANDFILLS THAT WE MAINTAIN. WE DO A VARIETY OF GAS TESTING, WATER TESTING, EROSION CONTROL, LAWN MAINTENANCE AND SO ON.
IT IS OUR DEPARTMENT THAT MAINTAINS, ALSO CLEANS UP THE SIDEWALK LITTER CANS AS WELL AS DEAD ANIMAL COLLECTION. THE FINAL DIVISION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS OUR INTERNAL SERVICES FUND.
THIS FUND SUPPORTS VEHICLES FOR SOLID WASTE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE DO HEAVY EQUIPMENT VEHICLES FOR ANY DEPARTMENT.
WE DON'T SERVICE LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES, LIKE SEDANS OR PASSENGER VANS, BUT ANY LARGE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT SUCH AS A STREET SWEEPER OR PUBLIC WORKS, ALL OF THOSE GO THROUGH US. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT OUR MECHANICS IS THAT THEY ARE ON A JOB PROGRESSION PROGRAM. THIS ALLOWS THEM TO PROMOTE BASED ON SKILLS INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR A VACANCY. BASICALLY, WE BREAK SOMETHING ON A TRUCK ON PURPOSE AND HAVE THE MECHANIC SAY FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. SO THEY HAVE TO DIAGNOSE AND MAKE THE REPAIR WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME FRAME. THOSE WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL CAN PROMOTE INTO A NEW POSITION FROM MECHANIC ONE TO MECHANIC TWO AND MECHANIC TWO TO MECHANIC THREE. I THINK THIS HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR US. ONE OF OUR INITIATIVES IS TO WORK ON CREATING A FORMAL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM TO KIND OF BUILD ON THE SUCCESS WE'VE HAD IN OUR DRIVER PROGRAM. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH HR, O AND B AND READY TO WORK ON THE PARAMETERS FOR THAT PROGRAM. I THINK THE MECHANICS THAT WE HAVE ARE FABULOUS. WE HAVE AN AVAILABILITY RATE OF 91%. WHEN OUR MECHANICS WORK ON STUFF, THEY DO IT FASTER, BETTER, AND AT A MORE COST EFFECTIVE RATE THAN SENDING IT OUT TO A PRIVATE VENDOR. THIS ISN'T JUST HYPE FROM ME.
I KIND OF HAVE FACTS TO BACK THIS UP. KING AND QUEEN HERE ARE THE WINNERS OF LAST YEAR'S INTERNATIONAL MECHANIC COMPETITION.
BOTH OF THESE GENTLEMEN CAME IN FIRST PLACE IN THE TRUCK DIVISION AND FIRST PLACE IN THE OFFER ROAD HEAVY EQUIPMENT DIVISION.
THEY, ALONG WITH OUR DRIVERS, COMPETED AGAIN THIS YEAR IN THE STATEWIDE COMPETITION, AND WE BROUGHT HOME 6 TROPHIES ON THAT.
OUR MECHANICS CAME IN FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD IN THE STATEWIDE COMPETITION AND KING AND QUEEN ARE GOING TO DEFEND THEIR INTERNATIONAL TITLE NEXT MONTH. BUT IN CONCLUSION, IT'S NOT REALLY ALL ABOUT THE TITLE OR ABOUT WINNING TROPHIES.
IT'S ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEES. EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT WORKS FOR US, FROM THE MAINTENANCE WORKER TO THE FLEET ADMINISTRATOR, TO THE DRIVER, WE ALL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ACHIEVING THAT 97% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RATE. IT IS NOT JUST A STATISTIC. IT IS A DEMONSTRATION OR WHAT I LIKE TO WALL THE TRIPLE PS, PROFESSIONAL, PASSIONATE, AND PRIDE.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I TELL MY EMPLOYEES. THAT'S SOMETHING THEY TELL ME. THAT'S SOMETHING THEY DEMONSTRATE EVERY DAY WHEN THEY COME TO WORK. SO IN CONCLUSION, THERE ARE NO CHANGES IN OUR RATE. THERE ARE NO CHANGES IN OUR SERVICE LEVEL.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE GREAT SERVICE. THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
HOMER, MYSELF ARE BOTH AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
>> GREAT. THANK YOU. MR. GARCIA.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, REALLY APPRECIATE THE USE OF DATA AND ADJUSTING YOUR SCHEDULE FOR GREATER ACCESS AND LONGER
[00:50:07]
HOURS. IT'S IN LINE WITH WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING.THE UTSA RESEARCH THAT YOU MENTIONED WITH RESPECT TO THE TREE PROGRAM, HAVE OUR EFFORTS REACHED THE TIPPING POINT NEEDED FOR THE MINIMUM EFFECT THAT RESEARCH I'M SURE WOULD SAY YOU'VE GOT TO GET TO HERE IN ORDER TO SEE THE IMPACT THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? HAVE WE REACHED THE MINIMUM AND HOW FAR ARE WE FROM REACHING THE
MAXIMUM IMPACT IN THOSE AREAS? >> I DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER FOR YOU, MAYOR. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL NEED TO FOLLOW UP ON. I DO KNOW THAT, AGAIN, FOR OUR TEAM, RESILIENCY, SUSTAINABILITY, THEY ARE LISTENING.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO FOLLOW UP ON. >> I APPRECIATE THAT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE PROGRAMS THAT WE INVEST A LOT OF RESOURCES IN, UNDERSTANDING HOW CLOSE WE ARE GETTING TO GOAL IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT.
TO THAT, MAYBE YOU MAY NOT HAVE THE OTHER PIECE TO THIS, I KNOW ONE OF THE PROGRAMS -- AND ERIK, HELP ME REMEMBER -- THE METRO HEALTH PROGRAM WHERE WE HELPED WITH RESOURCES FOR KIDS WITH ASTHMA, IS THAT FEDERAL -- IS THAT FUNDED BY FEDERAL GRANTS, OR DO WE PAY FOR
THAT OUT OF OUR OWN FUNDS? >> IT'S LOCALLY FUNDED,
I THINK IT ALSO WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY AS THEY ARE CHANGES NOT ONLY IN REGULATIONS THAT PROTECT OUR AIR QUALITY BUT POTENTIAL FUNDING. I WELCOME UNDERSTANDING HOW OUR TREE PROGRAM IS INFORMED BY RATES OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA.
WE KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THEM ARE MUCH MORE SEVERE AND LONG LASTING GIVEN THEY'RE STILL IN DEVELOPMENT. HOW CAN WE HELP MITIGATE THAT CERTAINLY THROUGH THIS TREE PROGRAM POTENTIALLY. WE SHOULD TRY TO HELP OURSELVES AS MUCH AS WE CAN. THE -- I UNDERSTAND THE ELIMINATION OF PROGRAMS FOR FOLKS NOT SHOWING UP. CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT WAS -- WHAT ARE DEMANDS FOR PROGRAMMING THAT ARE
GOING UNMET? >> THAT ARE UNMET? >> CORRECT.
>> I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY THAT ARE NOT BEING MET. WE DO KNOW WHAT HAS BEEN VERY POPULAR WITH THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF PROGRAMS THAT WE PROVIDE. WE DO KNOW BASED ON THE CLASSES THAT WE OFFER WHERE THERE WAS ZERO, THAT WAS JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING AS AN OPPORTUNITY. BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF UNMET NEEDS FROM A PROGRAMMING PERSPECTIVE.
>> OKAY. SO AT A CENTER, IF SOMEBODY WERE TO SAY, I WOULD LIKWOE TO SEE THIS, IT'S NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED OR I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF X, Y, OR Z, AND THAT IS NOT PROVIDED, THOSE IN MY MIND ARE UNMET NEEDS. SO HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR VERSUS WHAT WE HAVE -- WHAT WE ARE PROVIDING?
>> THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. WE RECEIVE THAT DIRECTLY AT THE CENTERS, AND SO OUR MULTITUDE OF PROGRAMMING IS REFLECTIVE OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE. WE'VE GOT, FOR EXAMPLE, VARIOUS DISCIPLINES AROUND ARTS OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CULTURAL PROGRAMMING, ALL OF THAT CHANGES DAILY. WE HAVE A CENTRAL PROGRAMMING UNIT THAT PROGRAMS AND CAPTURES WHAT ARE YOU HEARING IN YOUR VARIOUS CENTERS. THEY DEVELOP THE CURRICULUM AND GO BACK OUT. WHAT WE DO, IT IS A DIRECT REFLEX, OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE. IT'S NOT STAGNANT
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. >> THIS QUESTION IS REALLY INFORMED BY WHEN I WENT TO THE BUDGET TOWN HALL IN DISTRICT 5 AND HEARD FROM FOLKS THAT, AGAIN, SEEK THE PROGRAMMING AND THE BENEFIT OF PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE CONTEXT OF ADDRESSING PUBLIC SAFETY CHALLENGES. RIGHT? AND SO TO THE EXTENT WE ARE HEARING OR THERE IS A REQUEST FOR MORE PROGRAMMING, I UNDERSTAND WHERE THERE IS NOT A DEMAND BASED ON PEOPLE NOT SHOWING UP -- UNDERSTAND -- BUT WHERE THERE'S AN INCREASE IN DEMAND, HOW WE'RE DETERMINING, WE'RE JUST NOT GOING TO MEET THAT VERSUS DETERMINING THAT
MAY ACTUALLY BE BENEFICIAL TO DO. >> YES.
>> SOMETIMES IT'S JUST FRANKLY A DOLLARS AND CENTS EXERCISE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT. TO THE EXTENT THERE'S FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, THAT IS SAYING ACTUALY THAT 32% OF THAT 79,000, THAT IS GOING AWAY, WE WOULD APPRECIATE IF WE REPURPOSED SOME OF THAT IN LIGHT OF NOT WHAT PEOPLE ARE HEARING BUT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SECOND AND THIRD ORDER EFFECTS AS A RESULT OF THAT PROGRAMMING SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY. OKAY.
MS. VALENCIA, PLEASE. >> I AM ALL ABOUT USING DATA AND TRYING TO BE AS SMART ABOUT HOW WE IDENTIFY HOW WE CAN BEST UTILIZE RESOURCES AND MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING NEEDS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
THE VIDEO THOUGH ABOUT VIDEOING PEOPLE'S HOMES AS YOU'RE PICKING UP
[00:55:04]
TRASH. DID I CAPTURE THAT ESSENTIALLY?>> YEAH. WE'RE NOT -- THERE IS A CAMERA SYSTEM ON OUR TRUCKS THAT DO TAKE VIDEO ALREADY. WHAT THIS NEW IS SYSTEM WOULD DO IS MAKE IT EASIER TO PINPOINT THE LOCATION.
>> OKAY. WHAT WITH IS CAPTURED ON THAT? I SAY THAT -- WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS AROUND HERE ABOUT CONSENT AND WHAT IS CAPTURED IN THAT VIDEO AND ENSURING PEOPLE ACTUALLY IN FACT KNOW SOMETHING ON THEIR PROPERTY IS BEING RECORDED. SO CAN YOU GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT'S BEING
CAPTURED? >> SO THE ORIGINAL CAMERA SYSTEMS WERE INSTALLED AS PART OF OUR SAFETY SYSTEM. THEY ARE CAPTURING AS MANY CARS HAVE VIDEO THAT CAPTURE GOING FORWARD, AND THEY ALSO HAVE A CAPTURE VIDEO ON THE SIDE. SINCE OUR TRUCKS HAVE A MECHANICAL ARM, WE HAVE A CAMERA SYSTEM THAT HELPS OUR DRIVERS WITH THE ARM, PICKING UP THE CAN. THERE'S A CAR, A MAILBOX.
THERE'S A CAMERA SYSTEM INSTALLED FOR SAFETY REASONS TO ASSIST WITH THE COLLECTIONS. SO WE ARE NOT INSTALLING NEW CAMERAS ON THE VEHICLES. THIS IS -- SO TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IT'S CAPTURING, IT'S CAPTURING WHAT IS ADJACENT TO THE TRUCK.
THAT'S NOT A NEW SYSTEM. >> OKAY.
I WELCOME JUST A SIMPLE, SHOW ME A PICTURE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
WERE THE HOMEOWNERS ASKED ABOUT CONSENTING TO THIS IN ANY WAY?
>> THEY WERE NOT. >> I WELCOME LOOKING AT THE IMAGE, PLEASE, TO DETERMINE IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, IT'S RECORDED TO DETERMINE IF SOMEBODY SAYS, YOU DIDN'T PICK UP MY TRASH, YOU'RE GOING TO SAY WE DID. WE'VE GOT IT RECORDED.
I WOULD WELCOME UNDERSTANDING HOW LONG YOU KEEP T WHAT'S BEING
RECORDED, ET CETERA. WHAT WAS THE -- >> MAY I ALSO ADD, THE MAIN -- THIS IS KIND OF A SECONDARY BENEFIT OF IT.
THE MAIN REASON FOR THE CAMERA SYSTEM IS FOR SAFETY AND COLLECTION TO MAKE SURE LET'S SAY, THERE'S SOMEONE STANDING BY IN A BLIND SPOT AND WE'RE NOT ABOUT TO TAKE OUT THE ARM AND HIT THEM, FOR EXAMPLE, OR
HIT A CAR. >> YEAH. I APPRECIATE THAT.
THE CDL TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIP, HOW MUCH DO WE SAVE AS A RESULT
OF DOING THAT IN-HOUSE. >> I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN QUANTIFY A SAVINGS FROM A NUMBER. I THINK WHERE OUR SAVINGS IS ON THE RECRUITMENT SIDE. IF I WERE TO TRY TO HIRE 100 DRIVERS OFF THE STREET RIGHT NOW, I DON'T THINK I COULD DO THAT.
TYPICALLY, WE -- BEFORE THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, WE HIRED PEOPLE WITH A CDL. IT'S NOT LIKE WE PAY THEM HERE'S A TUITION REIMBURSEMENT. GET YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE.
ALL THE FOLKS HAVE A CDL COMING IN OR THEY GET A CDL THROUGH OUR
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. >> OKAY. THANK YOU.
>> GALVAN: THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU SOLID FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU, PARKS, FOR ALLOWING MY OFFICE TO BE PART OF YOUR OFFICE AT GARNER. I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS STARTING WITH PARKS.
FOR THE CLASSES THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY PARTICIPANTS IN THERE, WHAT WERE THE PARTICIPATION RATES FOR THOSE PROGRAMS IN YEARS PAST?
YEAR BEFORE OR SEVERAL YEARS? >> KATE HAS AN ANSWER FOR
YOU. >> GALVAN: GREAT, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, KATE. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, KAY KENSON, SOME OF INNOVATION.
THEY WERE THE -- THE RATES WERE VERY SIMILAR IN THE YEARS PAST.
SO WE LOOKED AT DATA FOR FOUR YEARS AND IT RANGED ANYWHERE BETWEEN 31 TO 33%
ZERO CLASS PARTICIPATION. >> GALVAN: THANK YOU. AND I GUESS DO WE HAVE ANY FOLLOW-UP SURVEYS OR ANY REASONING BEHIND WHY FOLKS WEREN'T PARTICIPATING IN THOSE PROGRAMS? WEREN'T SHOWING UP AT ALL OR PEOPLE WERE LEAVING THE
PROGRAM? >> YEAH, WE DID LOOK AT THE SURVEYS THAT THE PARKS HAD DONE THROUGH THEIR PLANNING AND COMMUNITY INPUT EFFORTS. IT BASICALLY POINTED TO -- THERE'S A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES, EVERYTHING FROM ARTS TO YOGA TO FITNESS TO NATURE EVENTS. THERE'S SUCH A BREADTH. AND THEY WERE PROGRAMMING THE SPACES EVERY HOUR FOR EVERYDAY. WHAT WE SAW IN THE COMMUNITY SURVEY IS THAT SOME FOLKS WOULD JUST WANT TO USE A ROOM AT A COMMUNITY CENTER, MAYBE NOT USE THAT CLASS, BUT A ROOM IN THE COMMUNITY CENTER HAD A CLASS AND THINK DIDN'T HAVE A PLACE TO PLAY A BOARD GAME OR JUST MEET WITH FRIENDS.
SO THERE'S NOT HARD DATA ON IT, BUT IT POINTED TO -- ALSO WE TALKED TO COMPARATIVE CITIES WHO WEREN'T DOING THE DEPTH OF USES.
THEY WERE DOING FOR MULTI-GENERATIONAL PURPOSES. SO THAT STARTED TO POINT US
TO A MORE AGILE AND DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH. >> GALVAN: GOT IT.
[01:00:01]
THANK YOU. THAT WAS THE MAIN QUESTION OF FIGURING OUT IF THERE WAS ANY DATA BEHIND -- OBVIOUSLY THAT'S THE BIGGEST ONE, BUT WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY QUALITATIVE PROGRAM THIS PROGRAM WASN'T WHAT IT INTENDED TO BE OR WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OR PEOPLE NOT SHOWING UP, PERIOD.>> YEAH. I THINK OUR BIGGEST RECOMMENDATION IS TO LOOK AT THE DATA ON A REGULAR BASIS TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT BOTH YOU AND THE MAYOR HAVE
SUGGESTED. >> GALVAN: GREAT, THANK YOU.
I WAS GOING TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RESIDENTIAL TREE PLANTINGS.
I APPRECIATE THIS PLAN AND I KNOW IN OUR HOA AND A MEETING WE HAD IN DISTRICT 6, SOME RESIDENTS ASKED WE SEE THESE GO UP AND THEY DON'T LAST AS LONG AS THEY THINK THEY WOULD. THAT COULD COME FROM DIFFERENT PIECES OF THE HOMEOWNER WHO MAY NOT MAINTAIN IT AS WELL AS IT SHOULD BE OR WHATEVER THE REASON MAY BE. DO WE TRACK ANY DATA OF WHERE THESE TREES GO OR HOW
LONG THEY LAST IN A COMMUNITY? >> WE DO TRACK WHERE THEY GO SO WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY'RE AT. AS FAR AS HOW LONG THEY LAST IN THE COMMUNITY, WE'RE NOT THERE YET. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL BE DOING HERE IN THIS UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR IS TAKING A SAMPLING SO THAT WE CAN GO OUT AND CHECK ON THOSE MORE THAN 8,000 TREES SINCE 2020, BUT ALSO REACHING OUT DIRECTLY VIA MAIL TO THOSE RESIDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN CONTACT US AS WELL. WE DO KNOW THAT IF A RESIDENT CONTACTS US AND WANTS A REPLACEMENT TREE, WE WILL DO DEFINITELY THAT. AND JUST IN LARGE PART OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE EVERY TREE SURVIVE. INDUSTRY STANDARD IS THAT'S
ANYWHERE BETWEEN 80 AND 90%. >> GALVAN: I GUESS I'LL FIND OUT FROM THE SAMPLING
RATE -- >> THEY WILL MEASURE THAT AGAIN BASED ON WHAT THE
INDUSTRY STANDARD IS. >> GALVAN: SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
OH, I WAS GOING TO ASK ACTUALLY, DO WE HAVE A DISTRICT BREAKDOWN OF HOW MANY TREES ARE PLANTED AND IS THERE ANY PRIORITY PLANTING? I KNOW THE HEAT INDEX PIECE, BUT ALSO IN SCHOOLS AND WALKING PATHS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT LIKE THAT, ARE THERE ANY FACTORS IN THERE FOR TREE PLANTINGS?
>> SO YOU'RE ASKING IF WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF WHERE THE TREES WILL BE GOING?
>> GALVAN: CORRECT. WHERE THEY'VE BEEN SENT, I GUESS.
>> THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, WE CAN FOLLOW UP AND GET YOU THAT INFORMATION AGAIN.
WE KNOW THE RESIDENTS ARE GOING TO BE RECEIVING TREES IN OUR PROPOSED SPEND PLAN, WHERE THEY'RE GOING VIA ROADWAY PROJECTS, SO WE CAN GET A HEAT MAP TOGETHER TO
SHOW EXACTLY AND LAY THAT OUT. >> GALVAN: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS FOR PARKS.
FOR SOLID WASTE, JUST A FEW QUESTIONS AROUND ILLEGAL DUMPING.
OF COURSE A BIG ISSUE AND I THINK A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY I KNOW FOR SURE WITHIN DISTRICT 6, THE CREEKWAY IS ALWAYS A BIG ISSUE. SO I WANTED TO ASK THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS ON IT. ONE BEING I KNOW WE STARTED DOING THE OUTREACH RAINS, LAST YEAR, MAYBE THE YEAR BEFORE TOO. WHAT HAS BEEN ANY RESPONSE FROM THAT OR ANY EFFECT? ARE WE TRACKING ANY DATA WITH THAT EFFECTIVENESS?
>> I THINK THE NUMBERS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT IS WE ARE SEEING INCREASED USAGE OF OUR DROPOFF CENTERS. SO THAT PART I THINK IS -- THAT PART IS GREAT.
I HAVE UNFORTUNATELY NOT REALLY SEEN A REDUCTION ON THE ILLEGAL DUMPING SIDE, BUT I THINK WE ARE GETTING MORE PEOPLE WITH THE BUCKETS.
>> GALVAN: AND ANYTHING IN TERMS OF RECURRING OR WORK SITES?
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT DATA IS STRONG. >> UNFORTUNATELY NO.
>> GALVAN: GOT IT. THEN I GUESS THE LAST QUESTION, I DON'T REMEMBER IF THIS WAS ASKED BEFORE AT A DIFFERENT BUDGET CONVERSATION, BUT DO WE HAVE A CAUSE FOR THE HOT SHOT CREW AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS FOR SOLID WASTE TO HAVE TO PICK UP A LOT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING VERSUS LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS OF LIGHTNING
BARRIERS AND RESOURCES WE COULD TRY TO -- >> WE DO HAVE COSTS FOR OUR ILLEGAL DUMPING PER COLLECTIONS AND I CAN GET YOU THOSE.
>> GALVAN: OKAY. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THERE HE IS.
>> SO FOR THE ILLEGAL DUMPING CREW, THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING AS WELL AS THE I WILL HELL HOMELESS CLEANUPS IS ABOUT 7.8 AND THEN 2.7 IS FOR
ILLEGAL DUMPING. >> GALVAN: DO WE HAVE A MAP OF THE HOT SPOTS FOR
EACH DISTRICT, FOR RECURRING SITES? >> WE CAN PROVIDE YOU ONE.
>> GALVAN: GREAT. AND I THINK THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> CHAIR: CHAIR KAUR.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. HOMER, I SAY THIS EVERY TIME. YOU AND PARKS DO A GREAT JOB, YOU HAVE AN AMAZING TEAM. I LOVE TO SEE ALL THE AWARDS AND ACCOLADES THAT YOU GET BUT WE SAY THAT ABOUT ALL THE OUR THRIVING DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU SET THE BAR HIGH WHICH MEANS WE HAVE TO PUSH YOU EVEN HIGH IRRELEVANT. I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOUR TEAM WHO CAME OUT TO YOUR 95TH CELEBRATION AT SAN PEDRO LIBRARY AND I GOT TO SEE THE EVENTS HAPPENING JUST IN MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. TO POINT THAT KATE JUST MADE ABOUT THE BREATHTH OF RELEVANT EVENTS, I HAD NO IDEA THERE WERE OVER 300,000
[01:05:05]
FOLKS ATTENDING THE PARK EVENT. ESPECIALLY FITNESS IN THE PARKS. I'VE SEEN GREAT SUCCESS AND I WANT TO SAY SHOUT OUT TO THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE THAT DATA PRESENTED TO US IN TERMS OF ATTENDEES AND WHERE THEY'RE GOING. SO IF YOU COULD SEND US A BREAKDOWN BY OUR DISTRICT I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. WE LOVE PARTNERING ON THOSE EVENTS. AND SO MY PUSH FOR YOU IS GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE TAKE OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN TERMS OF INNOVATION? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE STRUGGLE WITH AT LEAST IN A LOT OF OUR AREA BECAUSE OF CLIMATE IS GRASS. I THINK WE HAVE TO START LOOKING AND EXPLORING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO GRASS. WHETHER IT'S TURF, AND TURF PEOPLE GET A LOT OF HUSHBACK ON BECAUSE IT GETS HEAT RESISTANCE, BUT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT -- BECAUSE IT GETS SO HOT. I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH SOME FOLKS AND WITH THE INNOVATION THAT IS NOW IN EXISTENCE WITH TURF, I THINK THERE IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO START LOOKING AT PILOT PROGRAMS WHERE WE CAN TRY PARTICULARLY IN AREAS THAT GET USED MAINLY IN EVENINGS OR AROUND THAT MAY NOT BE DIRECT SUN.SO IF THERE'S GRASSY AREAS THAT ARE UNDERNEATH TREES OR UNDERNEATH SHADE TO SEE IF THERE'S A POSSIBILITY TO START USING ALTERNATIVE METHODS.
IT WILL HELP ON CONSERVATION AND ALSO ON MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
AND THINKING ABOUT WHERE IT IS A LITTLE MORE POSSIBLE FOR OUR PARK SPACE.
SO I WAS ACTUALLY TALKING -- THE OTHER IDEA IS I WAS TALKING TO [INDISCERNIBLE] YESTERDAY, THEY CAME TO OUR OFFICE AND THEY WERE TELLING ME THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE THE INITIAL SITE THAT THEY HAD ON THE EASTSIDE WAS FOUNDED BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT KIND OF THE MAYOR WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS SEPEDA.
WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW WAS A THING, CRIME PREVENTION BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN REPLICATE HOW THAT SPACE THAT THEY HAVE THERE IS MAINTAINED SO WELL. BUT WE HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMUNITY GARDENS THAT I KNOW AT LEAST IN DISTRICT 1 THAT DON'T GET THAT SAME KIND OF ATTENTION AND I THINK IT'S SIMILAR BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A SYSTEM OR A PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN IN THE WAY THAT A FULL NON-PROFIT CAN DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. SO WE WERE DISCUSSING HOW WE HAVE THAT PROGRAM FOR ADUS WHERE OUR NHSC DEPARTMENT HAS BUILT OUT THIS IS WHAT A TEMPLATE WOULD LOOK LIKE IF YOU WANTED TO BUILD AN ADU IN YOUR BACKYARD, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR, THAT YOU COULD TAKE A COMMUNITY GARDEN AND HOW THE PARKS DEPARTMENT CAN HELP PARTNER WITH YOU. WE WERE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT IT SPECIFICALLY FOR A SPOT ON CAPITAL AVENUE AND BEACON HILL WITH THE HELP OF NHSD AND HOMER, WE WERE ABLE TO -- THERE WAS A PROPERTY THAT WAS FORECLOSED ON BECAUSE OF LACK OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT HADN'T BEEN PAID SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM TO BE ABLE TO REDESIGN THAT SPACE AS AN EXTENSION TO THE PARK THERE.
THAT WAS A SPOT PREVIOUSLY THAT'S RIGHT ABOUT THERE'S A LOT OF UNHOUSED FOLKS LIVING THERE, THERE WERE SOME FIRE CONCERNS AND IT WAS A CONCERN FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO BEING ABLE TO CREATE IT AS A PARKS SPACE WE'RE HOPING TO SEE THAT AREA GETS A LITTLE BIT MORE EXCITEMENT AND TRAFFIC BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT ACTIVATION IS A GREAT WAY TO ADDRESS THAT. SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT COMES OF THAT AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN USE THIS AS A PILOT FOR SOMETHING THAT COULD BE REPLICATED IN OTHER AREAS.
SO TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S POINT ABOUT HEAT MAPS AND TREES IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO KNOW IF THERE ARE AVAILABLE SPACES LIKE THIS.
WE TALK ABOUT VACANT LAND AND I KNOW THAT VACANT LAND MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE GRASS ON IT, BUT IT COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE LAND IN FLOODPLAINS AND OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE'S HIGH CRIME TO BE ABLE TO DO THINGS LIKE COMMUNITY GARDENS THAT THE COMMUNITY MANAGES. I KNOW THAT Y'ALL'S BUDGET LINE ITEM DID NOT INCREASE REALLY SIGNIFICANTLY. ACTUALLY IT DROPPED A LITTLE THIS YEAR.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT TO TAKE IT THAT ON.
I WOULD LOVE TO START THINKING ABOUT IT AND MAYBE IT'S PARTNERING WITH THE NOTIFICATION DEPARTMENT TO TRY TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THESE NEW THINGS FOR THE
NEXT PHASE OF PARKS. >> ABSOLUTELY. JUST A QUICK COMMENT.
ONE, CERTAINLY OPEN TO IT. THANK YOU FOR THE CALL TO ACTION.
NUMBER TWO, REGARDING TURF, WE ACTUALLY HAD A VENDOR THAT TO YOUR TECHNOLOGY, SOME OF THE PELLETS, I GUESS, THAT ARE MAINTAINED, THEY HAVE A WATER COMPONENT THAT KIND OF HAS A TIMED RELEASE OVER THE TIME OF THE DAY OR THROUGHOUT THE DAY SO IT KIND OF COOLS IT A LITTLE BIT. WE DON'T HAVE IT IN PLACE YET, BUT CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK AT. AND WE HAVE AN EXISTING PARTNERSHIP WITH GREEN SPACES ALLIANCE, BACK TO THAT TEMPLATE IDEA, I LIKE THAT. MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ENGAGE THEM IN.
WE'VE GOT OUR NOTES. >> ALSO, I WANTED TO GIVE A QUICK SHOUT-OUT TO MICHAEL ON YOUR TEAM WHO IS AWESOME. HE'S ALWAYS THE FIRST PERSON TO RESPOND TO ALL OF OUR
CALLS. >> MR. HELINSKI. WE HAVE ANOTHER MICHAEL.
HE'S PROBABLY LISTENING. HE'S NOT WITH US, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT HE GETS THE NOTES. THANK YOU FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
>> YEAH, WE ALWAYS GET OUR CALLS ABOUT A LIGHT'S OUT OR WE NEED SOMETHING AND HE'S REALLY GREAT ABOUT WORKING WITH CAMERON ON MY TEAM. AND THEN THE LAST THING I
[01:10:01]
WANTED TO PUSH YOU GUYS ON CONSIDERING FROM THE INNOVATION LENS IS WI-FI IN OUR PARKS SPACES. OBVIOUSLY IF THERE'S ONE WITH THE LIBRARY THERE, BUT JUST HAVING MORE CONNECTIVITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE PAVILIONS WHERE THERE'S A PLACE TO SIT THAT FOLKS COULD ACCESS IT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE. THANK YOU, HOMER FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.>> THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO SOLID WASTE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. YOU'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB.
YOU'VE BEEN FOR A YEAR NOW AS WELL AND YOU TOOK THE REIGNS AND STARTED TO RUN.
I LOVE THAT WE'RE FINALLY DOING THINGS ON THIS. I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO USE A MAP. REMEMBER PRINTING OUT DIRECTIONS ON MAPQUEST? I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HAVING TO DO THAT. I WOULD HAVE FAILED AS A DRIVER. I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE USING TECHNOLOGY NOW TO HELP THEM.
YOU GUYS AGAIN DO A GREAT JOB. YOU'RE RIGHT, 97% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS PROBABLY THE HIGHEST -- I'M SURE IT'S THE HIGHEST ACROSS THE CITY.
BUT THE ONES THAT WE HAVE NOTICED THAT HAVE BEEN MISSING SOME PICKUPS ARE OUR SENIOR WALKUP PROGRAM. SO WE HAVE SOME FOLKS THAT SIGN UP FOR THE SENIOR WALKUP PROGRAM WHERE THEY ACTUALLY COME UP AND GET THE TRASH.
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT'S A NUANCE THERE THAT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO
TRACK FOR FOLKS? THE DRIVERS? >> I THINK IT'S THE PAPER MAP. AGAIN, IT'S HAVING A -- THEY HAVE A PAPER MAP AND THEN THEY HAVE A LIST OF ADDRESSES ON PAPER ALSO THAT SAYS THESE ARE YOUR SENIOR WALKUPS. DON'T FORGET THESE FOLKS. THAT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER BENEFIT OF THE SMART COLLECTION SYSTEM BEING ABLE TO FLAG THE WALKUPS TO SAY IT'S NOT ONLY A DOT, BUT IT'S A DOT WHERE YOU NEED TOO GET OFF THE TRUCK.
>> KAUR: AND WHEN WILL THAT BE FULLY ROLLED OUT? >> WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION. WE PROJECT WE'LL BE DONE BY DECEMBER OR JANUARY.
>> KAUR: GOT IT. WELL, THANK YOU ALL. I THINK THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION IS PRETTY SELF EXPLANATORY. THE ONLY OTHER IDEA I HAVE FOR YOU GUYS IS HOW DO YOU WORK WITH THEM -- ERIK, WE SAY THIS ALL THE TIME.
YOU SAID 60 MILLION VISITS TO OUR RESIDENTS' HOMES. IT SEEMS TO ME IT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO GET INFORMATION TO PEOPLE'S HOUSES.
I WONDER WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL TIME IT WOULD TAKE FOR THE WORKERS TO BE ABLE TO DROP OFF A FLYER AT SOMEONE'S HOME IF THERE IS SOMETHING COMING UP? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS ALREADY PARTNER WITH LIKE OUR NEW CAPITAL PROJECTS DELIVERY DEPARTMENT, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF THAT'S POSSIBLE. I'M NOT SURE IF THAT JUST COMPLETELY THROWS OFF THE
TIME OR -- >> I THINK IT WOULD THROW OFF THE TIME FROM THE GARBAGE COLLECTION SIDE. WHERE THERE MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY IS WITH THE BRUSH AND BULKY, SINCE WE'RE ALREADY DELIVERING FLYERS. AND WE HAVE ADDITIONALLY DONE THAT, HOWEVER IT TAKES US ABOUT 12 WEEKS. SO IF IT'S A TIMELY -- TO COVER THE ENTIRE CITY. IF IT'S A TIMELY MESSAGE THAT WE HAVE A MEETING NEXT WEEK, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET IT OUT ON A TIMELY BASIS, BUT IF IT'S A MESSAGE THAT HAS A LITTLE BIT OF AN EVERGREEN QUALITY, IF IT CAN WAIT FOR A THREE MAINTAIN MONTH ROLLOUT, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH.
>> KAUR: OKAY. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S WORK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MAYOR, THANK YOU.
>> MAYOR JONES: THANKS, CHAIR QUARTER. WE HAD COMMUNITY GARDENS THAT WERE GROWING TRUTHFUL AND WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CLOSE OUR BUDGET GAP HERE.
CHAIR ALDERETE GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS, THANKS, HOMER AND JUSTINA AND EVERYONE AT PARKS. WE HAVE A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH Y'ALL. YOU'VE BEEN PARTNERS ON A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES.
I'M ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT. WITH THE RESEARCH ON THE EGRESS AND MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT MOVING THEM FROM CITY TOOK TO CITY PARK AND FINDING A SOLUTION THAT WORKS SO WE CAN ALL CO-EXIST TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I'D ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU ALL IN COORDINATING WITH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT ON THE WOODLAWN LAKE BIKE PATH.
IT'S LONG OVERDUE AND WE'RE EXCITED THAT WE'RE COMING TO FRUITION.
I KNOW THAT LAST YEAR WE HAD A REALLY BIG WIN WITH THE ORLP GRANTS, 3.5 MILLION.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GETTING CLOSER. JUST WAS CURIOUS WHY IT
WASN'T ON THIS PRESENTATION? >> THERE WAS NO INTENDED -- ONOVERSIGHT. AND HERE'S THE OTHER PART OF THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF GRANTS THAT WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED SO THANK YOU FOR THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND WE ARE GETTING CLOSER.
SO THANK YOU. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU. WE'RE ALL VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE MUCH NEEDED TLC THAT WOODLAWN LAKE WILL BE LET GETTING WITH THAT GRANT.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT. ALSO DEFINITELY APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S RIGHT-SIZING EFFORTS ON THE TOPIC OF EGRETS, ARE THERE ANY EFFORTS TO RIGHT SIZE THE CLAPPERS ON WOODLAWN LAKE. SOMETIMES WE SEE PEOPLE OUT
THERE AND NOT MANY BIRDS. >> RELATIVE TO OUR PLAN FOR BIRD DID HE TURNS, THAT IS
[01:15:02]
SOMETHING THAT WE ARE BRINGING IN-HOUSE AND WILL BE DIRECTLY MANAGED BY THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. AS YOU'RE AWARE WE'VE BEEN UTILIZING A VENDOR TO DO THAT. THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES AND IT WILL BE THROUGH OURDIRECT MANAGEMENT WITH OUR STAFF. >> GAVITO: OKAY.
I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HOW WE DO THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE WORKED WITH YOU ALL ABOUT CLAPPERS AND THE GUNSHOTS. AND WHILE THEY'RE DETERRING THE BIRDS, THEY'RE ALSO -- THEY'RE JUST NOT GREAT FOR PEOPLE WALKING THEIR DOGS AT PARKS, RIGHT? IT'S KIND OF NOT A GREAT EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY FOR DOGS WHO ARE SCARED AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO I JUST WANT TO PLANT THAT SEED SO WE CAN MAYBE THINK OF DIFFERENT METHODS GOING FORWARD BECAUSE THAT -- WHILE IT'S EFFECTIVE, SOMETIMES THERE'S ALSO A BIG BACKLASH TOO.
I'M GLAD TO SEE ON SLIDE 12 THAT WE'RE EXPANDING THE WEEKDAY BECAUSE ME AND MY TEAM GET A LOT OF TEXTS ABOUT THAT AND CALLS ABOUT THAT, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT ADDITIONAL ACCESS. ALSO EXCITED ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL SHADE STRUCTURES IN DISTRICT 7. YOU KNOW, THAT WAS SOMETHING I HEARD ON MY FIRST CAMPAIGN TRAIL IS HOW MANY PLAYGROUNDS DON'T HAVE SHADE STRUCTURES. AND IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE IN TEXAS BECAUSE LITTLE ONES WILL BURN THEIR HANDS. SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT RIGHT FOR OUR KIDDOS.
ON SLIDE 15, THERE WAS A COFFEE WITH THE COUNCILWOMAN I HAD ACTUALLY ON THIS PAST ELECTION DAY AND HOLY MACKEREL, WE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT TRAILS AND TRAIL SAFETY. SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF RESIDENTS DON'T FEEL SAFE ON THE TRAIL. THEY'VE OBVIOUSLY HEARD ABOUT RECENT DEATHS AND CRIMES ALONG THE TRAIL SYSTEM. SO WHAT IS THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DOING TO INCREASE SAFETY AND SECURITY ON THE TRAILS?
>> SO THERE'S A FEW THINGS THERE. ONE OF THE THINGS IN THE 2022 BOND IS LOOKING AT TRAIL LIGHTING ALONG CERTAIN SEGMENTS WHERE APPROPRIATE ON OUR GREENWAY TRAIL SYSTEM. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THE BOND, AND I BELIEVE WE'VE GOT A PLANNED SEGMENT ALONG ZARZAMORA CREEK. I DON'T RECALL THE LIMITS RIGHT NOW, SO LOOKING AT TRAIL LIGHTING IS ONE. SECONDLY, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR VOLUNTEER -- EXCUSE ME, WE HAVE TRAIL STEWARDS, WE ALSO HAVE VOLUNTEER TRAIL STEWARDS, AND THOSE TWO WORK HAND IN HAND TO REALLY JUST SERVE OR PROVIDE, OBSERVE AND REPORT FUNCTION.
OUR TRAIL STEWARDS, WE GO THROUGH A LITTLE TRAINING WITH PARK POLICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THEY'RE OUT ON THE TRAILS THEY KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND HOW TO PROPERLY RESPOND, NOT ENGAGING IN INCIDENT. THEY SEE SOMETHING, CALL IT IN. AND FINALLY, I MEET REGULARLY WITH PARK POLICE AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSS TRAILS OR OTHERWISE IS WHAT ARE THE TRENDS WE'RE SEEING SO THEY CAN BE AWARE AND HAVE AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE.
>> COUNCILWOMAN, AS THESE TRAILS CONTINUE TO BE BUILT OUT, THEN THE ADDITIONAL STAFFING NECESSARY FOR PARK POLICE AS WE TRANSITION TO SAPD, TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE NECESSARY REGULAR PATROLS THERE ON THE LINEAR CREEK PART OF IT.
>> GAVITO: AND I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO MANAGE, YOU KNOW, JUST A WIDE TRAIL SYSTEM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT AS A RUNNER -- I WOULDN'T CALL MYSELF A CYCLIST BECAUSE I'M SO THE SO GREAT AT IT.
AS A RUNNER, CYCLIST, IF YOU SEE SOMEBODY EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE YOU FEEL SAFE.
YOU RUN INTO THIS -- I WOULDN'T CALL IT A PROBLEM. YOU RUN INTO THIS AT PHIL HARBURGER. YOU CONSTANTLY FEEL SOMEBODY ON THE TRAIL SO YOU FEEL THERE COULD BE HELP IF YOU NEED IT. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE HEARD A LOT OF RESIDENT FEEDBACK OF JUST THE FEELING OF UNEASINESS AND NOT FEELING SAFE ON A TRAIL. SO HOWEVER WE CAN AMP UP THOSE EFFORTS, THE BETTER.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT STATE RECOGNITION, THAT'S NO SURPRISE.
I KNOW Y'ALL ARE A GREAT DEPARTMENT. ON SLIDE 17 IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE TREES POPPING UP AROUND THE CITY AND REDUCING OUR HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.
WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT PHASE OF PLANTING TREES AT WOODLAWN LAKE. MY GIRLS AND I STOP BY THE TREES AND TALK TO THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GROWING OKAY. WE DO TALK TO THEM, YES, YOU CAN TALK TO PLANTS. IT'S A GOOD THING. I KNOW THAT WE DO GET -- CONTINUE TO GET ASKED ABOUT MY OAK WILT REPLACEMENT BY RESIDENTS.
AND WE'RE SEEING THAT THE PROBLEM HAS EVEN SPREAD INSIDE THE LOOP IN DISTRICT 7. SO I ANTICIPATE A DEMAND FOR THIS PROGRAM TO INCREASE.
I KNOW THAT IT WAS APPROVED BY PCDC LAST YEAR AND THAT THE OAK WILT REPLACEMENT VOUCHER PROGRAM WOULD BEGIN. SO I WANTED TO CHECK IN ON THAT, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE?
>> THAT PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN THIS UPCOMING YEAR.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS THAT THE TREES THAT WE PROVIDE AS
[01:20:04]
REPLACEMENT -- AGAIN, THAT WE'RE NOT COMING BACK WITH AN OAK TREE, BUT MAKE SURE IT'S A NATIVE TREE AND THAT IT'S COMMENSURATE IN VALUE WITH OUR TREE PLANTING PROGRAM. SO THAT IS FUNDED. THE PLAN WAS ALWAYS THAT ITWOULD BEGIN IN 2026 FOR IMPLEMENTATION. >> GAVITO: SOUNDS GOOD.
WE DO GET QUESTIONS AND WE DO SET THE EXPECTATION THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THEM WITH MORE OAK TREES, BUT WE GET ASKED ABOUT THAT A LOT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO GET A LOT OF CALLS ON IS HOW PARKS AND SOLID WASTE WORK TOGETHER TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF OAK WILT THROUGH THE BRUSH COLLECTION SCHEDULE. SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BRUSH COLLECTION DURING PEAK TIMES FOR OAK WILT. SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE HOW Y'ALL COORDINATE BECAUSE
WE'VE GOTTEN THAT FEEDBACK QUITE A BIT. >> WE DO TO YOUR POINT COLLABORATE WITH SOLID WASTE AND ON A QUARTERLY BASIS WE PUT OUTDOOR HANGERS SO PEOPLE KNOW WHEN IS THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO PRUNE TREES AND THEN ALSO PROVIDE APPROPRIATE CLEANING TECHNIQUES AND TIPS AND JUST INFORMATION SO THAT THEY KNOW TO PREVENT THE SPREAD EFFECTIVELY. BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT GOES OUT QUARTERLY AND WE CONTINUE -- IT'S BEEN A LONG-STANDING PRACTICE AND
IT WILL CONTINUE AS WELL IN THE UPCOMING OPERATING YEAR. >> GAVITO: OKAY.
AND MY TEAM AND I WILL SEND YOU -- BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE THERE ARE MISSES IN THE COORDINATION SO WE'LL MAKE SURE TO TEND YOU ALL THAT FEEDBACK SO THAT WE KNOW AND WE CAN DIG INTO FOR WHATEVER REASON WHY RESIDENTS MAY FEEL IT'S A
MISS WITH THE OAK WILT SCHEDULE. >> YES.
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU SO MUCH, HOMER, I APPRECIATE IT.
FOR SOLID WASTE, THANK YOU TO JOSEPHINE AND EVERYONE AT SOLID WASTE.
YOUR DEPARTMENT IS ALWAYS SO RESPONSIVE AND HELPFUL EVERY TIME WE REACH OUT, A 97% SATISFACTION RATE IS NO SURPRISE. I DID NOT KNOW OUR CARTS HAD NAMES SO MY GIRLS AND I WILL BE MAKING DECORATIVE NAME BAGS FOR BART, LYNDON, KIRBY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. GLAD TO FLEECE NO RATE INCREASE. I KNOW THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE FEELING THE SQUEEZE ON CPS AND THAT'S DEFINITELY WELCOME. ON SLIDE 8, THE SMALL COMPOST BINS ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR AMONG RESIDENTS. ME AND MY GIRLS USE THAT EVERYDAY. I WANTED TO ASK YOU HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THAT PROGRAM?
>> I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THAT. I THINK THEY WERE VERY POPULAR, AS YOU SAY. EVERYONE LOVED THEM. I DIDN'T SEE THAT TRANSLATE INTO A LARGE NUMBER OF FOOD IN THE CART, THOUGH. SO THERE WAS A GREAT ENTHUSIASM, EVERYONE IS LIKE, YES, I WANT ONE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE
USING THEM FOR. >> GAVITO: INTERESTING. I -- YOU KNOW, I DO THINK THAT THE COMPOST COMMUNITY CAN -- THERE'S A LOT OF TIPS AND TRICKS, RIGHT? I KEEP MY COMPOST BIN IN THE REFRIGERATOR, RATE, SO I HEARD THAT FROM SOMEONE.
I'M WONDERING IF PEOPLE KNOW TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS. IF NOT, IF YOU LEAVE COMPOST OUT, FOLKS WILL COME AND TOUGH LIKE THAT. BUT IF THERE'S WAYS THAT WE CAN SHARE TIPS AND TRICKS ON HOW TO COMPOST PROPERLY SO THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY UTILIZE THESE BINS, LET US KNOW. I WAS ALSO CURIOUS WHY WE DON'T SEE COMPOST BINS AT CITY HALL? THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FOOD HERE TOO. >> I THINK IT'S ON THE LOGISTICS OF TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE CAN GET THE FOOD COLLECTED IN A TIMELY MANNER
BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T WANT TO HAVE -- >> GAVITO: FOOD SITTING OUT. YEP. THAT WAS BASICALLY ALL MY
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> MAYOR JONES: I WANT TO REITERATE THE ASK FOR THE ALTERNATIVES ON THE GUNSHOTS.
OBVIOUSLY WE'VE GOT A LOT OF VETERANS IN OUR COMMUNITY, MANY WHO ARE UNFORTUNATELY DEALING WITH PTC. AND THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING -- PTSD, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS TRIGGERING AND MAY BE DETERRING PEOPLE FROM VISITING THE PARK. WONDERING HOW QUICKLY YOU CAN TRANSITION TO OTHER OPTIONS. THANKS. COUNCILMAN WHYTE.
>> WHYTE: THANK YOU. I LEARNED A LOT FROM THOSE QUESTIONS, TALKING TO TREES AND THE COMPOST COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS.
I'LL START WITH SOLID WASTE JUST TO CHANGE IT UP. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, MY CONSTITUENT SERVICES TEAM REACHED OUT TO ME THIS MORNING AS WE WERE GOING OVER THE SCHEDULE FOR TODAY, AND SAID, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT I LET Y'ALL KNOW HOW APPRECIATIVE THEY ARE OF HOW RESPONSIVE YOUR DEPARTMENT IS. WHENEVER WE REACH OUT FOR ANY CONCERN, WHATEVER IT IS, YOU GUYS ARE VERY, VERY RESPONSIVE AND MY FOLKS APPRECIATE IT AS DO THE RESIDENTS, SO THANK YOU. ILLEGAL DUMPING CLEANUPS, IT LOOKS LIKE INCREASED TO MORE THAN 12,000 LAST YEAR. IS THIS -- ARE WE HAVING HIGHER DUMPING ACTIVITY OR
[01:25:03]
BETTER REPORTING AND RESPONSE? >> I THINK IT'S -- IT'S A
LITTLE BIT OF BOTH, BUT MORE ON THE MORE TIMELY RESPONSE. >> WHYTE: MORE TIMELY RESPONSE, OKAY. ARE WE TAKING STEPS OR LOOKING AT DIFFERENT STRATEGIES SO THAT ALL OF OF OUR RESOURCES AREN'T CONSTANTLY TIED UP WITH
THESE CLEANUPS? >> WE ARE WORKING WITH SAPD TRYING TO CRACK THE CODE ON THE PREVENTION SIDE AND ON CATCHING THINGS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE AS A DEPARTMENT, WE'VE EMPLOYED GAME CAMERAS IN A VARIETY OF LOCATIONS.
WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH SAPD. YESTERDAY IT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL, BUT WE DID OUR FIRST ATTEMPT YESTERDAY USING DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN A KNOWN ILLEGAL DUMPING SITE TO SEE IF ANYONE COULD BE CAUGHT THAT WAY.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING MORE OF THOSE. LIKE I SAID, YESTERDAY WAS THE VERY FIRST ATTEMPT. WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH SAPD ON DEPLOYING A CAMERA TRAILER. IT'S MORE ON THE DETERRENT SIDE.
IT'S NOT A CAMERA HIDDEN IN THE TREES, BUT A BIG TRAILER SAYING YOU ARE UNDER
SURVEILLANCE. >> WHYTE: OKAY. WELL, GOOD.
THE MORE WE CAN DO TO DETER THE ACTIVITY, THE BETTER. I NOTICED IN THE BUDGET THERE'S A PROPOSED 6-MILLION-DOLLAR INCREASE IN CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.
WHAT'S BEHIND THAT? >> LET ME LOOK AT THAT. THAT'S MOSTLY OUR CPI FOR LANDFILL IS ALSO A CHANGE IN OUR BALCONES RECYCLING CONTRACT.
>> WHYTE: THE CONTRACTUAL PRICE WENT UP OR THEY'RE DOING MORE WORK FOR US?
>> SO FROM '25 TO '26 WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO AND A HALF ON THE RECYCLING CONTRACT.
IT IS A DIFFERENT CONTRACT STRUCTURE THAN IN THE PAST. IT IS AN ADDITIONAL -- AN ADDITIONAL 800,000 IN THE FEES THAT WE PAY FOR CPS BILLING.
WE PAY CPS FOR THEM TO SEND OUT BILLS ON OUR BEHALF. >> WHYTE: OKAY.
>> JUST ONE THING TO ADD. OF THAT TWO AND A HALF MILLION FOR THE STARCREST THERE'S A MILLION DOLLARS FOR BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS AT THE STARCREST.
>> WHYTE: OKAY. ONE MORE QUESTION IS WITH CURBSIDE COLLECTION IT LOOKS LIKE IS ABOUT 64% OF THE BUDGET. PERCENTAGE OF COLLECTIONS COMPLETED BY FIVE P.M. HAS I GUESS LAGGED JUST A LITTLE BIT.
ANYTHING WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO CONSISTENTLY HIT THAT 88% TARGET THAT Y'ALL ARE
LOOKING FOR? >> TWO THINGS. WE NEED TO FILL SOME OF OUR VACANCIES. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF EMPLOYEES RETIRE AND AS WE BRING ON NEW EMPLOYEES IT TAKES THEM A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO KIND OF GET UP TO -- THEIR SPEED COLLECTION. SO THAT'S PART OF IT. SO IT'S VACANCIES, IT'S NEWER EMPLOYEES, BUT I THINK THE SMART COLLECTION SYSTEM NOT ONLY IS GOING TO HELP ON THE MISSES, IT'S GOING TO REALLY ENABLE OUR NEWER DRIVERS TO KNOW WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. SO I THINK THEY WILL BE MORE EFFICIENT AND THAT WILL HELP
US GET TO THAT TARGET. >> WHYTE: HOW MANY VACANCIES ARE WE TALKING
ABOUT? >> 61. >> WHYTE: AND WE'RE
ACTIVELY TRYING TO FILL THOSE? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> WHYTE: ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. PARKS, HOMER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I SHOULD SAY YOU GUYS ARE ALSO VERY RESPONSIVE.
EVERY TIME I CALL YOU, YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT ON IT. I WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR THE BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS THAT YOU DID, AND I KNOW WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THESE 32% OF CLASSES THAT HAD ZERO PARTICIPANTS, AND LOOKING AT THESE OTHER PROGRAMS WHERE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, LOW VOLUME OF PEOPLE THAT ARE PARTICIPATING.
AND THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT I REALLY THINK WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO DO ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE BOARD, AND THAT THE ZERO-BASED BUDGETING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS REALLY GOING TO HELP US WITH.
TO HAVE MONEY GOING TOWARDS THESE THINGS WHERE WE'RE JUST NOT GETTING OUR BANG FOR THE BUCK IS DOING A DISSERVICE TO OUR CITIZENS BECAUSE AGAIN THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO EVERY YEAR IS HOW WE SPEND THEIR TAX DOLLARS.
DID YOU -- AND I APOLOGIZE IF I MISSED IT. ARE WE GOING TO ADJUST HOW WE'RE OFFERING THE CLASSES? ARE WE GOING TO DO FEWER OR WHAT WAS THE?
>> YES. THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, BY VIRTUE OF THE REDUCTION, THAT MEANS THERE WILL BE FEWER CLASSES. HOWEVER, WE'LL BE FOCUSED ON QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY, AND TO SOME OF THE ANECDOTAL RESPONSES WE HEARD -- THANK YOU, KATE, FOR ALL THE WORK GOING INTO IT. ONE OF THE THINGS WE FOUND, COUNCILMAN, IS YOU GO IN A CENTER, THERE'S FIVE ROOMS JUST RANDOMLY, RIGHT, AND YOU'VE GOT FIVE PROGRAMS TO CHOOSE FROM. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
[01:30:01]
WE FOUND IN THE CASE OF SOME OF OUR YOUTH CENTERS IS ONCE KIDS GET OUT OF SCHOOL THEY DON'T WANT TO GO STRAIGHT INTO STRUCTURED PROGRAM. THEY WANT SOME DOWNTIME.SO WE'RE GOING TO BE SHIFTING AND WHAT WE'RE CALLING IS TAILORED USE, WHETHER YOU WANT TO READ A BOOK OR SOMEONE NEEDS TO COME IN AND FILL OUT A JOB APPLICATION, WHATEVER IT MAY BE. SO THERE'S GOING TO BE DOWNTIME IN THE CENTER WHERE WE WILL STILL HAVE PRESENCE AND OFFER PROGRAMMING, BUT IT'S LESS PROGRAMMING. AND WE WILL BE FOCUSED ON PROGRAMMING REALLY FOR ALL AGES. AND BY OPENING THE PLAYBOOK, SO TO SPEAK, EARLIER IN THE DAY, WE HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESSFUL ONEOFFS IF YOU WILL, WHERE WE'VE HAD TALLER PROGRAMMING OR AN EXAMPLE I THINK OF, JOE WARD COMMUNITY CENTER IN DISTRICT 7, WE HAD A SENIOR PROM. BUT OUR HISTORICAL DEFINITION THAT IS A YOUTH CENTER, BUT THIS PAST SPRING WE HAD A SENIOR PROM, ABOUT 50 SENIORS CAME IN, LOVED IT. AND SO WE'RE DOING MORE OF THAT.
ONE OTHER KIND OF REAL EXAMPLE, OUR ADULT SENIOR CENTERS DON'T HAVE GYMS BUT SENIORS WANT TO BE ACTIVE. SO WE'LL TRANSPORT THEM TO THE NEAREST CENTER AND THEY'LL DO SOMETHING LIKE CHAIR VOLLEYBALL IN THE GYM. SO THERE ARE REAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE KNOW WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TAILORED PROGRAMMING, IT
MIGHT NOT BE EVERY HOUR, EVERYDAY, EVERY ROOM. >> WHYTE: MORE STRATEGIC APPROACH TO THAT. THAT'S GOOD. COMPLETION RATES IT LOOKED LIKE HAVE FALLEN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, 82% AND DOWN AND NOW IT'S 81%.
I ALSO SEE SERVICE REQUESTS COMPLETED ON TIME, 12,000 WAS THE TARGET IN '25 AND WE'RE ONLY LOOKING TO TARGET 11,600 THIS YEAR. TREES PLANTED AND ADOPTED, 14,000 IN '25 WAS THE TARGET, AND ONLY 11,000 IS THE TARGET THIS YEAR.
THIN WHEN I JUST MENTIONED, SERVICE REQUESTS COMPLETED WITHIN ESTABLISHED TIME FRAMES, 85% WAS THE TARGET IN '25, 80% IS THE TARGET THIS YEAR.
WHY ARE WE -- AT LEAST IT APPEARS TO ME WE'RE SCALING BACK OR WE'RE NOT TARGETING
DOING AS MUCH IN THE COMING YEAR? >> SO IN THE CASE OF TREES, WHEN THIS MEASURE WAS ESTABLISHED, IT WAS BASED ON --T DEVELOPMENT PROCESS WHEN WE WERE ACTUALLY SEEING WHAT REVENUES WERE GOING TO COME IN AND LOOKED AT.
SO AGAIN, BACK TO LIKE OUR TREE FUND BUDGET, ABOUT HALF FROM WHAT WE ADOPTED -- IN THE CURRENT OPERATING YEAR IS ABOUT TO END. SOME OF THAT, THAT'S A REASON WHY YOU SEE THE DECREASE IN NUMBERS. RELATIVE TO THE COMPLETION REQUEST FOR WORK ORDERS, THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF REALLY WHAT OUR CURRENT ABILITY IS ABLE TO DO. WE ALWAYS WANT TO DO IT HIGHER.
IF WE CAN OVERACHIEVE WE WILL, BUT LOOKING AT AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, AND
MAKING SURE IN ESSENCE THESE ARE RIGHT-SIZED AS WELL. >> WHYTE: SO LAST YEAR WE PROJECTED BEING ABLE TO COMPLETE 85% IN TIME. THIS YEAR WE'RE THINKING WE CAN ONLY COMPLETE 80% IN TIME. THAT'S FROM, WHAT, LACK OF
RESOURCES, BEING MORE REALISTIC? >> IT'S GOING TO BE VARIOUS THINGS. RIGHT NOW WE'RE ON TARGET. WE DID PLAN TO COME IN AT 85% AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR. WE'RE ON TRACK TO COME IN RIGHT AT 81%, BUT IT WILL BE FROM VARIOUS THINGS. COULD BE A SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES. IT KINDS OF VARIES SPECIFICALLY BY THE TYPE OF
WORK ORDER REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE. >> WHYTE: GOT IT.
OKAY. I MIGHT FOLLOW UP WITH YOU MORE ON THAT POINT.
THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU.
>> MAYOR JONES: COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO. >> CASTILLO: IF YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. LIKEWISE WITH SOLID WASTE, MY CONSTITUENT SERVICES TEAM SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OVER AT THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT FOR JUST ALL THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO. AND OFTEN TIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, JUST OVERALL OPERATIONS OF A CITY, SOLID WASTE IS THE BACKBONE OF ANY CITY, RIGHT? IF YOU SHUT SOLID WASTE DOWNTOWN OR SOLID WASTE EMPLOYEES DO NOT SHOW UP, WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE ON OUR HANDS. SO I'M JUST SAYING THANK YOU TO ALL THE WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO. I THINK THE PROTOTYPE PROGRAM AND MODEL THAT YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD LOOK TO REPLICATE, ERIK, WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, PARTICULARLY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING AND HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF THE MINOR REHAB PROGRAMS OR SOME OF THE DELICATE AGENCIES WE HAVE DO DO THINGS LIKE GUARDRAILS AND RAMPS. I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BUILD UP THE SKILL SET OF SAN ANTONIANS. AND TO THE POINT THAT JESUSFEIN RAISED, WHETHER THEY GET HIRED ON LONG-TERM, THEY HAVE A SKILL SET TO BE QUALIFIED AND COMPETITIVE IN TERMS OF SEEKING EMPLOYMENT. IT'S JUST ALL AROUND APPLAUSE FOR YOUR TEAM.
I'M GRATEFUL TO HEAR IN TERMS OF ENFORCEMENT ON ILLEGAL DUMP WILLING THAT THERE ARE STEPS IN PLACE IN TERMS OF ENFORCEMENT, WHETHER IT'S THE DRONES OR HAVING THOSE STATIONS THAT CALL PEOPLE OUT WHEN THEY'RE ABOUT TO ILLEGALLY DUMP.
[01:35:04]
YOU KNOW, IN D5, YOU ARE WELL AWARE BECAUSE WE WORK WITH YOUR TEAM, BUT ON DELL GAD GO STREET, PARTICULARLY IN DISTRICT 5, FOLKS COME TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND DUMP.PART OF IT IS WE HAVE A LOT OF VACANT PROPERTIES AND YOUR TEAM IS VERY RESPONSIVE IN HELPING TO ADDRESS THAT NUISANCE IN THE COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT Y'ALL DO AND JUST WE REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL.
>> THANK YOU. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. HOMER, IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO AS WELL, RIGHT, WE REALLY VALUE THE WORK OF YOUR TEAM AS WELL.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE RENAMING EVENTS THAT WE HAVE, RIGHT, THE IMPORTANCE AND IMPACT THAT HAS IN TERMS OF HONORING THE HISTORY, SHARING OUR VALUES AS A CITY, AS A DISTRICT, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, TELLING THAT STORY OF DISTRICT 5 THROUGH PARKS BY, YOU KNOW, RENAMING OR NAMING. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO. THOSE EVENTS ARE JUST AMAZING AND THE FAMILIES ARE ALWAYS GRATEFUL TO OUR TEAM. I'M LIKE NO, IT'S HOMER AND HIS AMAZING TEAM THAT HELPED PUT THIS EVENT TOGETHER. THANK YOU.
AND IN TERMS OF THE WORK FOR MAINTENANCE AT THE PARKS THAT YOU ALL DO, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, RIGHT, I LOVE THE 311 APP. I USE IT.
I'M UNDER AN ALIAS BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW HOW RESPONSIVE FOLKS ARE GOING TO MY TICKET. BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IN TERMS OF THE REPAIRS WITH THE SKILLED TRADES AND STAFF PERFORMING THESE IMPROVEMENTS, I HAVE MADE REQUESTS ON THE 311 APP, WHETHER IT'S A GRADE THAT'S UNLEVELED OR WATER IS LEAKING FROM A FOUNTAIN, AND YOUR TEAM AND THE 311 TEAM ARE VERY RESPONSIVE IN ADDRESSING THOSE CONCERNS THAT ARE REPORTED THROUGH THE APP.
SO JUST WANTED TO GIVE Y'ALL'S THANKS THERE. AND I DO IT BECAUSE IT'S TO SEE HOW THE SYSTEM IS WORKING, RIGHT? I KNOW FOLKS CAN ALWAYS CALL OUR FIELD OFFICE, BUT THE GOAL IS THE APP AND 311 WORKS.
SO THAT'S WHY I ENJOY USING IT. AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WHAT WAS VERY LOUD AND CLEAR AND YOU WERE THERE AND YOUR TEAM AS WELL, WHAT WAS VERY CLEAR FROM DISTRICT 5 RESIDENTS IS THE VALUE THAT PARKS PROGRAMMING PLAYS FOR THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO. BEYOND RECREATION, RIGHT, IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY, IT'S ENSURING THAT FOLKS CAN BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR OVERALL HEALTH. AND THE CONCERN WAS WE DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS REDUCED OR THESE FOR ENSURING THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE PROGRAMS THAT FOLKS ARE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT WILL CONTINUE IN TERMS OF BASKETBALL. AND IT WAS JUST OVERALL REALLY GOOD TO HEAR FROM D5 RESIDENTS TO SAY, HEY, D5 PARKS SERVE AS SUCH A HUB FOR A COMMUNITY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE PARKS PROGRAMMING THAT ARE ACTIVE AND FULL REDUCED FROM THE BUDGET. AND IN TERMS OF THE TREE PROGRAM, I KNOW I ASKED IT DURING THE CODE COMPLIANCE MEETING IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY TREE FUND, AND I ASKED THAT TO CODE BECAUSE TYPICALLY THEY'LL OFFER IT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, RIGHT, IF THEY'RE GETTING A VIOLATION FOR A TREE THAT'S DYING AND/OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. I WANT TO BE SURE -- I
UNDERSTAND THERE ARE STILL FUNDS ALLOCATED? >> THAT IS CORRECT.
BUDGET AMENDMENT CURRENT YEAR 300,000 SO THERE'S STILL FUNDING AVAILABLE.
THAT PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE AND WILL BE ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE PARKS
DEPARTMENT. >> CASTILLO: GREAT. I WANTED TO SAY THAT IF WE GET TO POINT THAT WE ZERO THAT DURING MIDYEAR BUDGET CONVERSATION WE COULD LOOK AT REPLENISHING THAT FUND. AGAIN, IT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT CODE COMPLIANCE OFFICERS CONNECT [INDISCERNIBLE] TO CUT DOWN THE TREE.
AND IT'S SOME SOMETHING THAT I KNOW OUR RESIDENTS ARE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR.
I WANT TO ENSURE THAT FUND IF WE GET TO ZERO WE'RE REFRIEND INITIALING IT.
-- REPLENISHING IT. AND OVERALL, GRATEFUL FOR BOTH SOLID WASTE AND PARKS AND ALL THAT Y'ALL DO. AND GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT THERE WILL BE CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS NOT ONLY IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT WE'RE KEEPING UP TO DATE.
ONE THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT AND YOUR TEAM PARTICIPATED AT THE MEMORIAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ON WAS THE GREENWAY FROM MEMORIAL ALONG THE TRAIL, RIGHT, FROM MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL, ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY, A LITERAL PATHWAY TO HIGHER EDUCATION. SO JUST REALLY GRATEFUL TO SEE MANY OF THESE PROJECTS
COME TO FRUITION. >> THANK YOU. VERY EXCITED.
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR JONES:
MR. CASTILLO ANGUANO. >> THESE WERE BY FAR MY FAVORITE PRESENTATIONS OUT OF THE ENTIRE BUDGET WORK SESSION, SO I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL FOR THAT.
HOMER, I'LL START OFF WITH YOU. IT WAS AWESOME MEETING YOU AT THE COFFEE SHOP THE OTHER DAY, SO YEAH, THAT WAS REALLY AWESOME.
LET'S SEE, LET'S SEE. I THINK ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME ABOUT PARKS AND REC WAS THAT I DON'T THINK THE EASTSIDE HAS GOTTEN THIS MUCH INVESTMENT IN THE PAST, AND MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE COUNCILMAN MCGEE RODRIGUEZ CAME INTO THE PICTURE AND
[01:40:02]
CAME HEAD IN. BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.IT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY INCREDIBLE. AND COUNCILMAN GALVAN TOUCHED ON THE 32% AS OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS DID BECAUSE I WAS VERY CURIOUS AS TO WHY THERE WAS LOW COST ATTENDANCE AND WHETHER THERE WAS ANY MARKETING THAT TOOK PLACE OR WHAT FEEDBACK WE GOT. I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT IT WAS ALL DATA DRIVEN AND THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU STUCK WITH WITH THE RESTRUCTURING.
SO THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY AWESOME. THE TRAILS AND BIKE, THAT IS REALLY, REALLY INCREDIBLE. I KNOW -- I'M A CYCLIST MYSELF, SO I'VE ALMOST CYCLED AROUND THE ENTIRE GREENWAY TRAILS HERE. AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY DO CENTURY RIDE SO THAT'S REALLY, REALLY EXCITING, SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THAT. LOTS OF KUDOS TODAY. AND I KNOW THAT OUR LIBRARIES AND PARKS ARE OFTEN THE BRIDGES TO OUR LOW INCOME COMMUNITY SO IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR INVESTMENTS IN THESE TWO DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, ARE JUST CRITICAL AND JUST -- WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING SURE OUR CONSTITUENTS HAVE A HEALTHY AND STABLE, YOU KNOW, PLACE TO BE.
LET'S SEE. I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. OH.
YEAH. THE WORLD EARTH DAY EVENT THAT WAS HELD AT WOODLAWN, THAT EVENT WAS INCREDIBLE. THERE WAS TREES BEING GIVEN OUT.
I ACTUALLY TOOK A CYCLING RIDE TO WOODLAWN AND THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY INCREDIBLE. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT PARKS AND REC HOSTED THAT, SO THAT'S REALLY, REALLY AWESOME. I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR PARK OTHER THAN THE LAST SHOUT-OUT FOR THE HELIA PARK WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
I'LL MOVE ON TO SOLID WASTE. OH, YES. SO COUNCIL MEMBER ALDERETE GAVITO TOUCHED ON HOW SUCCESSFUL WITH ARE WITH OUR RESIDENTS ADOPTING THE SMALLER CARTS AND SOME PARTS OF TOWN THAT WERE A SUCCESS IN THE ADOPTION OF SIMILAR GARBAGE CARTS. I GUESS I WANTED TO SEE A FOLLOW-UP ON YOUR THOUGHTS BECAUSE I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THEY'RER. AND THEN WITH ILLEGAL DUMPING, I FORGOT WHICH SLIDE IT WAS, BUT IT SAID THAT THERE WAS A TEAM THAT DOES THAT. WHAT TEAM IS THAT OR IS THAT THE HOT SHOT CREW?
>> SO WE HAVE THREE DEDICATED TEAMS, THREE HOT SHOT CREWS BASICALLY.
>> ANGUANO: OKAY, OKAY. ARE THEY STILL RECEIVING FUNDING FOR THAT?
>> YES. >> ANGUANO: PERFECT, COOL. LET'S SEE, AND THEN I GUESS I WANTED TO SEE HOW WE GAUGE THE SUCCESS OF OUR ILLEGAL DUMPING WITH AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS AND WHAT METRICS WE'RE USING TO GAUGE THOSE. AND I KNOW THAT WE -- LIKE WITH THE DISTRICT 2, THEY CREATED THESE SIGNS FOR SPEEDING AND SO I WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD POSSIBLY -- IF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED IN THIS AS WELL WITH CREATING A SIMILAR AD CAMPAIGN THAT WOULD DISCOURAGE ILLEGAL DUMPING.
I KNOW THAT MY OFFICE WILL BE WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT IF THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN. >> WE'D BE HAPPY TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU OR ANYONE WHO HAS A NEW, INNOVATIVE IDEAS.
I THINK THIS IS A CITYWIDE PROBLEM AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE COLLABORATION FROM EVERYONE AND IDEAS FROM EVERYONE TO TRY TO ADDRESS IT.
>> ANGUANO: YES, I AGREE, I AGREE. I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS AND KUDOS THAT I HAVE, BUT YEAH -- ACTUALLY, THE TEAM WANTED ME TO SHOUT YOU GUYS OUT -- WHO WAS IT? VERONICA MORE RENO FROM PARKS AND LYNN COX FROM SOLID WASTE, THEY SAID THAT THESE TWO ARE THE ONES THAT THEY ARE GETTING THE JOB DONE. I WANT TO APPRECIATE Y'ALL AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING.
THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR JONES: COUNCILWOMAN SPEARS.
>> SPEARS: THANK YOU, MAYOR AND THANK YOU FOR THE EXCELLENT PRESENTATIONS.
JOSEPHINE, I STARTED WITH YOU BECAUSE IT'S SHORT AND SWEET.
Y'ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. >> THANK YOU. >> SPEARS: I WANT TO ECHO WHAT COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO IS SAYING. IF YOU STOP, THE WORLD STOPS SPINNING. IT WOULD BE A HUGE PROBLEM ON OUR HANDS.
YOUR APPROVAL RATING IS HIGH AND MY RESIDENTS HAD NO COMPLAINTS.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD, COUNCILWOMAN KAUR ASKED ABOUT THE WALKUPS FOR SENIORS SO I'M GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THAT AND I WILL PROBABLY WANT YOU TO COME TO
A TOWN HALL TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE PROGRAMS YOU OFFER. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> SPEARS: THANK YOU. ON PARKS, WITH HOMER, QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS.
CAN YOU DO LIKE A NEIGHBORHOOD OR COMMUNITY MAP IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL SPACES IN IN DISTRICT 9 THAT WE COULD REPURPOSE OR REDEVELOP FOR PARKS AND
TRAILS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE? >> YES. >> SPEARS: OKAY.
AND SO I NOTICED IN THE BUDGET BOOK YOU MENTION THAT YOU ARE IMPLEMENTING THIS SA
[01:45:04]
TOMORROW PLAN, BUT I DIDN'T SEE IT REFERENCED IN THE PRESENTATION.CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT AT ALL? >> DO YOU KNOW THE PAGE
NUMBER? >> SPEARS: YEAH, 554. >> WHILE WE LOOK UP THE REFERENCE, I WILL SAY GENERICALLY FOR A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO IN PARKS, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VARIOUS PLANNING DOCUMENTS FROM AN ENTERPRISE PERSPECTIVE, PARKS TOUCHES MANY OF THEM SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS -- SO THE CITYWIDE GOAL OF SAN ANTONIO NEIGHBORHOODS WILL PROSPER THROUGH THE COMMUNITY'S LONG-TERM REINVESTMENT AND REVITALIZATION. SO THAT -- THAT IN PART SPEAKS TO I THINK OUR STRATEGY FOR WHERE WE MAKE SURE WE'RE PUTTING TREES IN THE GROUND. RESIDENTS, STREETS, PARKS, ALSO SPEAKS TO THE DELIVERY OF BOND PROJECTS. WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AND PLANNING FOR THE CURRENT BOND AND I THINK THAT [INDISCERNIBLE] PARK IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT.
IT WAS MAKING SURE WHERE IS THE NEED IN THE CONTINUING INVESTMENT WHERE WE STARTED.
SO THAT'S WHAT IT SPEAKS TO BECAUSE THE SA TOMORROW PLAN OR BACK TO PARKS TOUCHES
MANY PLANS AND THAT'S ONE OF THEM. >> SPEARS: I'M HAPPY YOU MENTIONED THAT PARK. THAT'S ON MY LIST TOO. SO I LOVE THAT PARK.
IT IS AN ALL ABILITIES PARK AND WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER DISABILITY-FOCUSED PARK OPENING IN ANOTHER DISTRICT. BUT I WAS CURIOUS THAT PARK IS SEEING IMMENSE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC. PEOPLE ARE GETTING PARKING TICKETS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A BIG ENOUGH PARKING LOT AND WE'RE BEING ASKED FOR INCREASED SAFETY AND MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL STEWARDS THERE. IS THERE AN EFFORT -- BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING SOME GRAFFITI THERE AS WELL. IS THERE AN EFFORT AND HOW DO YOU KIND OF DECIDE WHERE YOU ALLOCATE RESOURCES LIKE THAT? DO YOU TRY TO PREVENT THOSE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES RATHER THAN JUST FIXING THEM -- AS OPPOSED TO JUST FIXING THEM? I GUESS I'M ASKING A LOT ABOUT THAT PARK BECAUSE IT'S GETTING USED SO MUCH.
THE USEFUL LIFE OF THE ASSETS ARE GOING SUPER FAST. >> RIGHT.
AND THAT'S WHY WE KNOW BACK TO THE GROWTH, TALKING ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, THAT'S REALLY TRANSFORMED THAT COMMUNITY BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF THE SPACES WHERE WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH JUST OPEN FIELDS. AND THAT'S WHY RIGHT NOW THERE'S NOT A USER AGREEMENT IN PLACE. IT WAS VERY CLEAR THE COMMUNITY WANTED TO JUST BE ABLE TO COME AND WALK ON THE FIELD AS NEEDED.
SO IN THE CURRENT BOND I BELIEVE, AND WE CAN GET AN UPDATE, THERE IS ADDITIONAL PARKING COMING, OKAY, AND WE KNOW IT'S A POPULAR PARK. ADDITIONALLY WE HAVE A DEDICATED TEAM THERE SO THEY'RE LISTENING. WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU NOTICE ANY PATTERNS OF WHEN MAYBE MISUSE IS OCCURRING THAT WE CAN ADJUST AS NEEDED, BUT WE KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK.
AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS IN MAKING SURE BACK TO OUR CORE SERVICE, WHEREVER THE PARK IS, IN THIS CASE THE RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE PARK, THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY TO USE AND IT IS FUNCTIONALLY.
>> AND YOU DID A GREAT JOB IN PROTECTING THE CARTS FEATURES.
I LIKE THAT YOU PROTECTED THESE AREAS. ON THAT NOTE, HOW ARE YOU WORKING TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE --D DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS, ARE THEY BEING FULLY ENFORCED AND ARE WE TRACKING AND MONITORING WHEN WE'RE USING PARKLAND VERSUS THE FILO AND --S
IMPORTANT IN MY DISTRICT OBVIOUSLY. >> THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES.
THE FEE-IN-LIEU OF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT FOR OUR PART WE GO THROUGH THOSE PLAN REVIEWS AND WE ESTABLISH THOSE FEES THAT IS IN-HOUSE IN PARKS.
WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COLLECTING WHAT WE NEED TO. BACK TO GENERAL UDC, THE REGULATORY SIDE, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DOES A FANTASTIC JOB OF THAT AND I CONTINUE TO WORK WITH AMIN ON ANY ISSUE, BUT YES, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE DIRECTLY MANAGE IN TANDEM, BUT ON THE FEE SIDE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE MAKE SURE WE ARE
COLLECTING WHAT IS NEEDED. >> SPEARS: OKAY. AND I ALSO WANT TO ECHO WHAT MY -- WHAT THE MAYOR AND MY COLLEAGUES WERE ASKING ABOUT IN HOW TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF USERS WHEN WE'RE DECREASING THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS, BUT I DID HEAR YOUR RESPONSE THERE. AND THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN GALVAN FOR ASKING ABOUT THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT. I TOO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT MAP, THE USE OF THE INDIRECT COSTS. AND THEN ON THE TROUBLE CREEK TRAILHEAD.
THAT'S HARD TO SAY THREE TIMES FAST, BUT I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE OUR
[01:50:01]
RESIDENTS HAVE SOME INPUT ON THAT, IF THAT'S STILL SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO.>> THAT PROJECT IS ALREADY DESIGNED AND SO FROM AN INPUT PERSPECTIVE THAT IS BEST CAPTURED AT THE FRONT END. IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS -- WE CAN GET YOU A PROFILE OF EXACTLY WHAT'S COMING ONLINE AT THE TRAILHEAD. IF THERE'S SOMETHING ON THERE MISSING BASED ON INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY, LET US KNOW BECAUSE, AGAIN, JUST MAKING UP AN EXAMPLE, BUT IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TREES THERE AND WE WANT TO DO
YOGA. SO -- >> SPEARS: YEAH, I THINK
IT IS THAT. >> LARGELY IT'S DESIGNED. BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CAN'T RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INPUT AND WE'RE OPEN TO THAT.
>> SPEARS: OKAY. BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO BE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING FOR THE EDWARD'S, ESPECIALLY FROM DISTRICT 9 WHO CARE SO MUCH ABOUT IT.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT. LOVE PARKS AND REC AND WE APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH AND THINK YOU ARE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB. THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR JONES: COUNCILWOMAN MEZA GONZÁLEZ.
GONZÁLEZ GONZÁLEZ I'LL START WITH SOLID WASTE. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING, 97% IS A BIG NUMBER AND MY SEVEN-YEAR-OLD WOULD PROBABLY SAY IT'S 100% BECAUSE WHEN YOU PASS BY AND PICK UP, HE'S VERY EXCITED. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE 'RE DOING. I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU GUYS ARE USING TECHNOLOGY FOR INSTEAD OF THOSE -- THAT PAPER AND MAPQUEST THAT YOU HAD GOING ON.
AND THEN ALSO JUST ON THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, I AGREE WITH THAT COMPLETELY.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT ASSET IN YOUR DEPARTMENT AND IF WE CAN USE THAT IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS I THINK THAT WOULD BENEFIT US. THANK YOU.
THAT'S ALL. FOR PARKS, HOMER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'VE SAID THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, DISTRICT 8 IS THE ONLY DISTRICT WITHOUT A COMMUNITY CENTER AND WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE ONE.
I HEAR THAT FROM RESIDENTS ALL THE TIME. IF WE CAN JUST THINK OF SPACES THAT ALREADY EXIST LIKE OUR BONNIE CONNOR PARK OR EVEN COLLABORATING WITH IGO LIBRARY. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF GREEN SPACES AROUND THAT THAT MAYBE WE COULD PUT A COMMUNITY CENTER. I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND MAKE IT INTERGENERATIONAL WHERE WE'VE GOT -- WE KNOW THAT -- LIKE CODY LIBRARY, FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU GO THERE FROM ABOUT 3:00 TO 5:00, IT'S AFTER SCHOOL CARE, IT REALLY IS, THAT'S WHAT IT'S USED FOR. SO IF WE CAN THINK OF SPACES IN THAT WAY TOO AS FAR AS COMMUNITY CENTERS, RIGHT, HAVING A SENIOR PROM IS PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING THAT WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE, BUT PEOPLE USE THEM. SO THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.
I WILL ALWAYS JUST CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR A COMMUNITY CENTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
ALSO, I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED IN THE BUDGET TOWN HALL I HAD, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON SPLASH PADS IN DISTRICT 8, IF THERE WAS ANY -- IF THERE
WAS ONE COMING UP OR ONE BEING BUILT SOON, IDEAS. >> SO YEAH.
RIGHT, I WAS THERE. IT WAS REALLY LOOKING AT BACK TO WHERE AN APPROPRIATE SPACE FOR THAT IS. PROBABLY THE MOST OPTIMUM LOCATION MIGHT BE SPRINGTIME. SPLASH PADS ARE SO POPULAR THAT THEY'RE A DRAW.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT GOES IN THE RIGHT SPOT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT A BUNCH OF CARS PARKED UP AND DOWN NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T THINK THROUGH IT ALL THE WAY. SO REALLY IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO FIT WITHIN THE CHARACTER OF THE SPACE, BUT GO BEYOND JUST THE SPLASH PAD BUT SOME COMPLIMENTARY THINGS LIKE PARKING. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO EVALUATE.
>> GONZÁLEZ: OKAY. GREAT. ON FREDERICK PARK IS THERE AN UPDATE ON THE PARKING SITUATION THERE? I KNOW FOLKS PARK UP AND DOWN, FEED RICK PARK ON THE WEEKEND, IT'S BUSTING AT THE SCENES.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WAS IT A BOND PROJECT? I CAN'T REMEMBER THE PARKING
FOR THAT. >> YES. IT IS A CURRENT BOND PROJECT. MY MEMORY TELLS ME BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS PROMINENT IN THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR THE 2022 BOND SO THIS IS -- WE'LL GET AN UPDATE FROM PUBLIC WORKS BUT THAT IS SOMETHING, YOU'RE RIGHT,
PARKING EXPANSION. >> GONZÁLEZ: ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ALL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> MAYOR JONES: CHAIR MUNGIA.
>> MUNGIA: I'M GOING TO START WITH PARKS. SORRY, I KNOW YOU JUST SAT DOWN. JUST A FEW THANK YOUS RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
WE WORK A LOT WITH JACKIE AND SANDY AT PARKS SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR WORK. AND A SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO VERONICA.
I'VE WORKED WITH HER SINCE I STARTED ON COUNCIL A LONG TIME AGO.
SHE'S FANTASTIC. I WANT TO AGREE WITH DISTRICT 1 ON THE GRASS REPLACEMENT. IT'S SOMETHING I TALKED TO YOU ABOUT BRIEFLY.
[01:55:01]
NOT NECESSARILY JUST FOR THE FIELDS, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH AREA IN OUR PARKS THAT ARE KIND OF DEAD SPACES THAT WE WON'T REALLY USE FOR ANYTHING.AND IN THE SUMMERTIME IT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST DEAD GRASS SO IF WE COULD UTILIZE NATURAL LANDSCAPING IN SOME OF THOSE SPOTS. I THINK THAT COULD BE REALLY HELPFUL AND ADD SOME BEAUTY AND ESTHETIC TO THE AREA, AS WELL AS EDUCATING FOLKS ABOUT THAT, WHAT IT IS. THE TREE PLANTING AND LOUD AND LOW AIR QUALITY AREAS I THINK IS A REAL GOOD IDEA. I WAS ON A -- ONE OF MY RESIDENTS DID A TOXIC TOUR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SOMEONE BROUGHT UP WAS THE NEED FOR TREES IN THAT AREA BECAUSE OF THE LOW AIR QUALITY. AND ALSO WE KNOW THAT THEY CAN ALSO BE A NOISE BLOCKER. SO SOMEWHERE IN THE QUINTANA, LACKLAND AREA I THINK WOULD BE A GOOD PRIORITY. AND SOME OF THAT IS AN EASEMENT AREA SO NOT NECESSARILY APPROXIMATE PEOPLE'S PRIVATE PROPERTIES OR RESIDENTIAL HOMES, BUT LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN EVEN WORK WITH UNION PACIFIC IN SOME CASES TO ADD THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC. AND I KNOW ONE OF YOUR SLIDES HAD THE PLAYGROUND SHADE PROJECTS FOR FIVE YEARS.
COULD YOU SEND MY OFFICE A LIST OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THE FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM? I DIDN'T SEE ONE IN D4 FOR THIS YEAR, BUT IT'S NOT TO SAY WE HAVEN'T ALREADY HAD ONE OR WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GET SOME IN OUR DISTRICT?
>> YES, SIR, WE WILL. MONEY AND DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE COUNTY'S TRAIL EXTENSION THAT'S SUPPOSED TO GO FROM PEARSALL PARK DOWN TO HIGHWAY 16?
>> FROM PEARSALL PARK DOWN TO HIGHWAY 16? >> ON YOUR MAP THAT'S ONE OF THE PLANNED SEGMENTS THAT THE COUNTY IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
>> YES, I CAN GET YOU AN UPDATE AND I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE CONNECTION, BUT I'M TRYING TO RECALL FROM MY MIND WHERE THAT'S AT. BACK TO THE COUNTY'S 10-YEAR PLAN, RIGHT, IT WAS KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT WAS IN THE OUT YEARS BUT I CAN GET YOU AN ANSWER ON THAT AND THAT IS A CONNECTOR IN THE OVERALL
BUILDOUT AS YOU SAW THERE. >> MUNGIA: YEAH. IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE LAST CONNECTIONS FOR LEON CREEK ESPECIALLY LOOKING AT THE MAP THERE.
AND THEN IF YOU CAN SEND ME AN UPDATE ON THE FORT SAN ANTONIO, THE DESIGN PHASE FROM THE BOND. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHERE THAT IS IN DESIGN.
>> I DO. IT'S DESIGN ONLY, SO THE IDEA IS THAT IT WOULD BE
SHOVEL READY FOR THE FUTURE FUND. >> MUNGIA:
>> I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S AT IN DESIGN, BUT TO YOUR POINT, THERE'S ONLY GOING TO BE DESIGN IN THE CURRENT -- SO THAT IT'S A CRITICAL PART OF THE RING.
>> MUNGIA: YES, WE HEARD HERE FIRST IT'S A CRITICAL PART OF THE RING FOR THE NEXT BOND. THANK YOU, SIR, THAT'S ALL FOR YOU, APPRECIATE IT.
IF WE COULD HAVE SOLID WASTE COME UP. SO WANT TO GIVE A QUICK SHOUTOUT ALSO TO JANICK WHO IS HERE TODAY, EDDIE ESQUIVEL FOR THE WORK.
AND Y'ALL ARE EXTREME PROBLEM SOLVERS, EVERY TIME WE HAVE AN ISSUE THAT WORKS WITH Y'ALL, YOU GUYS SHOW UP AND HELP US OUT, AND THAT MEANS A LOT.
DISTRICT 4 IS HOME TO PROBABLY SOME OF THE MOST ILLEGAL DUMPING IN THE CITY, AND SO IT PLAGUES OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT'S NOT GREAT FOR THE RESIDENTS IN THE AREA, BUT Y'ALL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE TO HELP OUT WITH THAT AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. QUINTANA IS ONE OF THOSE SITES, RIGHT? WE HAVE HISTORY OF ILLEGAL DUMPING OVER THERE, IT'S WHERE THE MEMORIAL IS, I KNOW Y'ALL SERVICE TRASH AT THAT MEMORIAL, THANK YOU FOR THAT, AND YOU ALSO REGULARLY CLEVCLEAN THAT UP, ALSO. SO THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE RESIDENTS THERE, BECAUSE THAT IS THE SITE OF A MASS CASUALTY. SO THANK YOU FOR ADDING RESPECT TO THAT AREA. OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN TRAILERS EVERY MONTH, I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG WE'LL BE DOING THAT, YOUR TEAM IS GREAT. THEY'RE SUPER HELPFUL AND OUT THERE TO BE HAPPY SERVING RESIDENTS, THANK YOU FOR THAT AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT SHOUTOUT. WE DO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CAPACITY ON THE TRAILERS. IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU PROMOTE THAT AMONG YOUR CONSTITUENTS, BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE, WHEN COVID HIT, WE SUSPENDED THE
TRAILERS. >> MUNGIA: IN MY HISTORY, IT'S BEEN TONS OF MATERIALS PICKED UP SO FAR, OPTIMISTIC IN THINKING IT HELPS PREVENT ILLEGAL DUMPING, FOLKS ARE ABLE TO DUMP THAT, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WITH THE SOLAR LIGHTS THAT WE HAVE, THAT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP TARGET SOME ILLEGAL DUMPING SITES.
THERE ARE TWO VACANT LOTS RIGHT IN THE ENTRANCE OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ALWAYS HAS ILLEGAL DUMPING OFF OF RAY ELLISON AND THERE'S NO LIGHT IN THAT FIRST BLOCK, SAME
[02:00:06]
THING WITH QUINTANA, THERE ARE NO LIGHTS OUT THERE, I THINK THAT WILL BE HELPFUL FOR THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT.>> JONES: THEIR VIAGRAN? CHAIR VIAGRAN? >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. IT'S REALLY HARD BECAUSE I DON'T THINK Y'ALL NORMALLY PRESENT TOGETHER, WHEN Y'ALL PRESENT SEPARATELY, PARKS, YOU'RE MY FAVORITE, SOLID WASTE, YOU'RE MY FAVORITE, NOW Y'ALL ARE BOTH HERE.
GUYS HAVE DONE SOME GREAT WORK. ONE THING I WANT TO SEE WITH THE TREE GIVE AWAY IS MAKE SURE WE PUT CALL BEFORE YOU DIG, 811, VERY CLOSE TO WHERE WE DROP OFF THOSE -- WE HAVEN'T PICKED UP THE TREES, I KNOW THAT'S ONE CONCERN WE HAVE, THEY'RE NOT CALLING BEFORE THEY DIG, AND THEY MIGHT CAUSE A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE. THE OTHER IS I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO THE SAN ANTONIO PARKS FOUNDATION FOR ALL THEY DO, AND HOW THEY WORK WITH US, IT'S SUCH GOOD NEIGHBORS, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS MAYBE WE GET -- IF A SURVEY OR YOUR TEAM CAN KIND OF GRADE THE SWIMMING POOLS, SO THEN WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT WHERE WE NEED IMPROVEMENTS OR SAN ANTONIO PARKS FOUNDATION COMES, WE CAN -- WE CAN LOOK AT THE POOLS, BECAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF USE, AND I WAS REALLY HAPPY THAT WE COULD PILOT THE SUMMER AT KING BORROW, IT STARTED OFF SLOW, BUT I'M ENCOURAGED BY THAT, BECAUSE THOSE SENIORS REALLY WANTED TIME TO THEMSELVES WITHOUT THE KID KIDS IN THE POOL. I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH -- I WANT TO KEEP IT IN DISTRICT 3. IF WE MOVE TO MOVE THAT FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION TO SEE WHERE THE BEST RESPONSE IS, LET'S DO THAT, BUT I -- I'M GOING TO TRY AND LOOK FOR THE FUNDING TO MAKE SURE I CAN GET THEM THERE. YOU KNOW THE SENIORS IN DISTRICT 3 BASICALLY GET WHATEVER THEY WANT, BUT I TOLD THEM NO TO AN AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR THIS YEAR. SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT I WAS EXCITED ABOUT TO SEE.
THE OTHER IS THE DOG PARKS AND REALLY HOW WE CAN LET THE ANIMAL LOVERS KIND OF ENJOY THAT AND MAINTAIN THAT, SO JUST KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
IF YOU COULD GET US THAT LIST OF SHADE CENTER YOU CAN STD WHEN THEY'RE COMING, I HAD A GENTLEMAN IN ONE OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS GET AFTER ME FOR ABOUT A YEAR, AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS COMING, AND THEN WHEN IT FINALLY CAME, THIS JUST HOW THE CITY WORKS. THERE'S A LIST, AND -- AND IT'S COMING SO I APPRECIATE
THAT. >> TO FOLLOW-UP ON YOUR QUESTION, SO THERE ARE THREE SCHEDULED FOR DISTRICT 3, THAT INCLUDES CONCEPCION PARK, HIGHLANDS PARK AND SOUTH SIDE LIONS, TO FOLLOW-UP ON COUNCILMAN MUNGIA'S QUESTION, WE DID THREE SHADE STRUCTURES IN 24 AND 25, WE HAVE SEVERAL MORE SCHEDULED FOR 27 AND 28 IN
DISTRICT 4. >> VIAGRAN: GREAT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
YOUR TEAM IS DOING REALLY WELL. I DO WANT TO LOOK -- EXPLORE MORE ON THE ASTRO TURF THAT WE TALKED. I KNOW THOSE ARE RUNNING THE SOFTBALL FIELDS WANT THAT, AND I KNOW THAT WE NEED TO JUST CONTINUE TO KIND OF SEE HOW THE TECHNOLOGY GROWS AND WORKS WITH OUR OFFICE, OUR CITY, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR EFFORTS, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING WITH YOUR TEAM, PROBABLY PRETTY
REGULARLY, AGAIN, THIS YEAR TOO, SO THANK YOU. >> SOUNDS GOOD, THANK YOU.
>> VIAGRAN: JOSEPHINE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK, AND I JUST WANT TO ECHO WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT THE TRAILERS, WE DO THAT PROBABLY QUARTERLY WITHIN THE -- WITHIN DISTRICT 3, AND WE NORMALLY GET A REALLY GOOD TURNOUT, BUT WE DO WANT TO EXTEND IT OUT TO OUR FAITH BASED GROUPS AND ALSO TO SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS TO DO THAT. I KNOW IT'S SHORT NOTICE AND WE CAN'T DO IN THIS YEAR, BUT I REALLY THINK PEOPLE ON SAN ANTONIO NEIGHBORS TOGETHER WANT TO MAKE A TRAILER, EITHER THE WEEKEND BEFORE OR THE WEEKEND AFTER, PART OF THEIR NEIGHBORS TOGETHER THING, IT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD THING TO DO. SO AS I VISIT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, ON THAT NIGHT, I'M GOING TO REMIND THEM THAT THEY CAN ALWAYS FIND A PARKING LOT AND DO A DIAL A TRAILER THERE, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
ALSO FOR THE EFFORTS REGARDING THE CLEANUP OF ENCAMPMENTS AND REALLY WANT TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAM ABOUT JUST HOW MUCH WE ARE FINDING SHOPPING CARTS IN THE DRAINAGE DITCHES AND THE CREEKS AND ALSO PATIO FURNITURE.
I KNOW WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF REPORTS OF MISSING PATIO FURNITURE, PROPERTY CRIMES
[02:05:02]
ON THAT, AND THEN WE CAN -- I CAN DRIVE AROUND DISTRICT 3 AND I SEE THEM IN A DRAINAGE DITCH, THAT IT HAS BEEN SET UP ON A DRAINAGE DITCH, SO WE REALLY WANT TO -- I'M WORKING WITH DIFFERENT NEIGHBORS, MISSION SAN JOSE PARISH IS VERY INTERESTED IN HELPING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REDUCING THOSE PROPERTY CRIMES AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE STAYING OUT OF THE DITCHES AND THE CREEKS ALONG THEIR WAY. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION ON THE CDL TRAINING AND APPREP 'TIS SHIP. RODEO WAS SOMETHING, WHEN MY DAD WAS WITH -- IT WASN'T CALLED PUBLIC WORKS THEN, BUT IT'S PUBLIC WORK NOW, HE ORGANIZED THAT ONE YEAR, THE RODEO, AND SO WHEN Y'ALL STARTED I'VE BEEN A COUPLE OF TIMES, IF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVEN'T, IT'S KIND OF THIS BIKE RODEO, BUT IT'S CALLED THE RODEO, AND THEY USE THE BIG TRUCKS TO KIND OF MANEUVER, AND I'M LIKE, OH, MY GOSH, NO. IT'S -- IT'S SO DIFFICULT, BUT YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE TRAINING IS NEEDED, AND WHERE THE APPRENTICESHIP IS NEEDED, AND WHAT IS SO FUNNY IS SOMETIMES IT'S THE SAME GENTLEMEN, OR WOMEN, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD WOMEN DRIVERS TOO, THAT WIN EVERY YEAR, AND YOU CAN TELL THE REST OF THE TEAM IS TRYING REALLY HARD TO KNOCK THEM OFF THAT, YOU KNOW, TOP SPOT., BUT -- AND I FEEL LIKE Y'ALL ARE MAKING IT HARDER. THERE'S ONE, I WAS LIKE, OKAY -- BUT, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE SEE, AND IT GOES BACK TO WHY I TELL MY RESIDENTS ALL THE TIME, PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THE STREET.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THE STREET. PARK IN YOUR DRIVEWAY, BECAUSE IT IS -- IT IS SUCH A -- IT'S SUCH AN ORDEAL TO GET THROUGH, AND THEN WE WANT IT TO BE ON TIME, AND SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS THERE, AND THEN I DO LOOK FORWARD TO PILOTING AND I'VE TALKED TO DAVID MCCARRIE ON THIS, FOR OUR HAZARD WASTE AND DROPOFF CENTERS, BECAUSE I REALLY THINK WE AT DISTRICT 3 ARE WILLING TO HELP WHERE WE HAVE A COMMUNITY GROUP OR A FAITH BASED GROUP THAT WANTS TO HELP THEIR NEIGHBORS TO GET THE HAZARDOUS WASTE TO THE DROP OFF CENTERS, THAT WE WOULD BE WILLING TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE AND CLEAR THAT THEY HAVE OH HAVE PAID THAT FEE AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A CERTIFIED DISTRICT 3 COUPON THEY CAN TAKE THREE HOUSEHOLD WORTHS IN THEIR TRUCK, WE REALLY WANT TO WORK WITH YOU GUYS ON THAT, I THINK IT'S PART OF BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR, AND AS YOU KNOW, DISTRICT 3 HAS A LOT OF SENIORS IN THERE, AND IF I DON'T KEEP TRACK OF MY SENIORS, THEY WILL JUST LET EVERYTHING KIND OF BUILD UP, SO I'M LOOKING AT THAT FOR THE HAZARDOUS WASTE, AND ALSO FOR THEIR MEDICATION, MAKING SURE WE GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TOOLS AND THE PHARMACIES GIVE THEM THE RIGHT THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR MEDICATIONS THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO USE. I WANT TO E -- I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS.
ANYTHING YOU GUYS CAN DO TO DO DIAL A TRAILERS WOULD BE SO GRATEFUL, BECAUSE IF IT ENDS UP AT THE CREEK, IT ENDS UP ON THE SOUTH SIDE, AND IN ONE OF OUR CREEKS THERE, AND WE CAN -- I CAN ONLY ASK THE VOLUNTEERS TO GO OUT SO MANY TIMES TO CLEANUP THAT RIVER, AND ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP, I GET SO EXCITED, AND I'VE TOLD JOSEPHINE THIS STORY, I GET SO EXCITED, BECAUSE EVERY TIRE I SEE GO INTO A DIAL A TRAILER IS ONE LESS TIRE THAT GOES INTO THE RIVER.
I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'RE
DOING. THANK YOU. >> JONES: CHAIR GALVAN?
>> GALVAN: A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS, WANT TO ECHO ON THE PROGRAM PIECE AND SEEING WE CAN DO THAT WORK FOR MORE IN HOUSE APPRENTICESHIPS AND WORKFORCE TRAINING THROUGHOUT OUR CITY. ALSO WANTED TO KNOW, WELL, OF COURSE, SUPPORTING THE TURF THAT COUNCILMEMBER KAUR MENTIONED, WHEN SHE MENTIONED THE COMMUNITY GARDEN SPACES, THINGS SIMILAR TO THAT, I KNOW METRO HEALTH, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER HUB IS KIND OF SHIFTING AT THIS MOMENT, THINKING ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN MAYBE UTILIZE THE CLIMATE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM, THE STATE PROGRAM TO HELP WITH THOSE PIECES IF THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT WAYS TO BUILD UP THAT, THOSE KIND OF GARDENING GROUPS, I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST HURDLES, PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING INVOLVED THE WAY WE WANT THEM TO BE, THAT'S A WAY WE CAN UTILIZE PROGRAMS THAT DO THIS WORK ALREADY, MAYBE NOT QUITE GO INTO GARDENING, SIMILAR TO IT, COULD HELP ADDRESS THE ISSUE, MAYBE EVEN POTENTIALLY WORK WITH YOUTH AS WELL, TO ADDRESS PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS. OR HELP MAKE AN IMPACT WITH PUBLIC SAFETY.
ON THE PIECE ABOUT I BELIEVE COUNCILWOMAN KAUR MENTIONED WI-FI, I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER WHEN I WAS AT THE GREEN LINE, AT BROOKS,
[02:10:05]
CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, VIAGRAN, THE LIGHTING HAS WI-FI IN IT, FIGURING OUT WAYS WE CAN HAVE THOSE THROUGHOUT OUR PARKS AS WELL, WHETHER IT'S ON WALKING TRAILS THERE, THERE ISN'T LIGHTING, NEXT TO THE PIF VOLUMEPAVILIONS, I DON'T KNW PRACTICAL OR COST EFFECTIVE IT IS, BUT I WOULD BE IS INTERESTING IN SEEING WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. THROWING THAT OUT THERE, TO THE COUNCILMAN'S POINT ABOUT COMMUNITY CENTERS, I KNOW SHE'S PUSHING FOR THE DISTRICT 8 ONE, I'M NOT GOING TO KNOCK HER ON THAT BY ANY MEANS, I DON'T REMEMBER THE PARK PLAN OR SA TOMORROW DOING THIS WORK, LOOKING AT PLACES WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF ACCESS TO COMMUNITY CENTERS OR EVEN TO WATER ACCESS SUCH AS POOLS OR SPLASH PADS, IF THERE CAN BE LONG RANGE PLANS OF HOW WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE PIECES, IN DISTRICT 6, HOAS MORE TOWARD THE PART OF THE DISTRICT GOING TOWARD LOOP 410 AND 151 EXPANDED, THE COMMUNITY CENTERS ONCE HAD UNDER HOAS ARE GONE, NOT A POOL, NO WATER PLAY ACCESS UNLESS THEY GO FARTHER OUT, OF COURSE YOU DO A GREAT JOB OF POOLS IN DISTRICT 6, NONETHELESS, TRY TO THINK ABOUT WHERE THOSE COULD BE, WHERE THEY COULD GO, IF THAT WORK IS ALREADY BEING DONE BY PARKS, YOU CAN SEE ARE WE EVALUATING ACCESS TO THESE PLACES ALREADY, AS OUR LANDSCAPE SHIFTS IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES WITHINHOAS, OR PRIVATE SPACES GOING AWAY. >> THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, ONE OF THE THINGS, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THE SA TOMORROW PLAN, WE HAVE OUR PARKS SYSTEM PLAN, THAT IS UPDATED EVERY 20 -- EXCUSE ME, EVERY TEN YEARS, AND THE CURRENT SYSTEM PLAN WAS ADOPTED IN THE SPRING OF 2019, AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T -- IT PROBABLY TAKES ABOUT TWO YEARS TO DEVELOP THAT, WE'RE NOT THERE YET TO UPDATE IT, WE'RE STARTING THOSE DISCUSSION, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN LOOK BACK IS WHAT DOES OUR CURRENT PARK SYSTEM PLAN SAY, AND WHERE ARE WE AT THIS THAT PROCESS AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO PLANNING AND UPDATING IT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AS AN INDUSTRY STANDARD JUST AGAIN FOR ONE PERSPECTIVE, IT IS REALLY LOOKING AT PROVIDING ACCESS TO.
LONGER ACCESS, TALKING ABOUT ACCESS, WE KEEP SPLASH PADS OPEN HERE, MARCH TO THE END OF OCTOBER, ROUGHLY, AND THEN THEY GO DARK, WE WINT RISE THEM, AND IT'S REALLY LOOKING MORE AT THAT THAN POOLS, POOLS HAVE A SHORT TIME PERIOD, OF COURSE APART FROM THE NADATORIUMS THAT THE CITY HAS ACCESS TO, THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS FROM A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE THAT GUIDE THE WORK THAT WE DO, WE CAN GO BACK TO LOOK TO SEE RELATIVE TO OUR ADOPTED PARK SYSTEM PLAN HOW IT ADDRESSES THAT.
>> GALVAN: THAT WOULD BE GREAT. HOAS ARE, I THINK, PARTICULARLY IN D6, AS OUR DISTRICT HAS CHANGED OVER TIME, WE'RE SEEING IT GO FROM MEADOW VILLAGE, TO TIMBER RIDGE, HOA DISBANDED FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, PARTICIPATION, COST, THE CENTERS ARE GONE, LOOKING FOR COMMUNITY CENTERS, CUELLAR I THINK IS THE ONLY ONE OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT OUTSIDE OF NONHOA ONES, NEW CLUBHOUSE TOO ON THE EDGE, BUT KIND OF BETWEEN, KIND OF A DESERT IN TERMS OF WHERE YOU ARE, I THINK THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS, I DID WANT TO USE THE LAST COUPLE OF SECONDS TO SAY ON THE POINT ABOUT WHERE WE CAN HAVE PLACES THAT ARE COLLABORATIVE, ABOUT LIBRARIES AND PARKS TOGETHER, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A FULL SCALE, I'M APPRECIATIVE WE HAVE THE LIBRARY, NEXT TO OUR TRAIL HEAD, GIVE THE FEELING TO THE RESIDENTS THAT ALL OF THESE PIECES ARE
TOGETHER. >> JONES: COUNCILMAN, THANK YOU, GO AHEAD.
>> THANK YOU. I HAD TWO NOTES, GOING BACK, BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE MENTIONING THE TRAILS A LITTLE BIT, I DO KIND OF LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING ON THE TRAILS, I DID A 50-MILE RACE ALONG THE GREEN WAY, AND IT WAS VERY, VERY HARD HIKING BACK FROM EISENHAUER, BECAUSE IT WAS PITCH BLACK, AND SO I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING WE COULD DO WITHIN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR, OR MAYBE IT IS, BUT I WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, THROW THAT OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S SOLAR OR SOMETHING, WE CAN DO TO LIGHT UP OUR TRAILS, BUT THAT'S IT FOR THE PARKS, AND THEN WITH SOLID WASTE, THIS ONE KIND OF HAS TO DO WITH THE E CAMPMENT SUITES, AND I MENTIONED THIS IN THE EARLIER BUDGET SESSION WITH THE NEW HOMELESS STRATEGIES THAT I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT ANOTHER SOLUTION.
I DON'T THINK THAT ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS ARE A LONG-TERM SOLUTION, AND
[02:15:02]
THAT -- WAS THIS THE -- THE ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENT SITES, IS THIS WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR, COMPANY? COUNCILMAN? GO DOWN YOUR E-MAILS, THAT I'MED THE MEMO ON THE 22ND, IT HAS THE MAP OF THE RECURRING SITES, IT ALSO LAYS OUT THE COST OF IT AS WELL, FOR THE AVERAGE COST OF DIRECT SERVICES FOR ABATEMENTS, SO I WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT. I JUST -- I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT ANOTHER SOLUTION HERE, BECAUSE IF WE'RE JUST GOING BACK AND BACK AND BACK TO JUST CLEANUP, YOU KNOW, THESE FOLKS ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO WHERE THEY STARTED, I WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, JUST FOREVERYBODY'S, YOU KNOW, PEACE OF MIND, THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> JONES: CHAIR KAUR.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAD A QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU, HOLMER, I FORGOTTEN I SPOKEN TO FOLKS AND HEARD THAT SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK WAS CUT FROM THE BUDGET THIS
YEAR? >> SO -- I CAN'T -- I'M NOT THE BEST ONE TO ANSWER THAT.
WHAT I CAN SHARE BUT IS SPAIKS PEER IN THE PARK, AT SAN PEDRO PARK THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR THAT, AND WHEN I MET WITH HER, INDICATED WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT IT, BUT IT WOULD BE THROUGH THINGS THAT WE DO FOR ANY
PARTNER, SUCH AS IN KIND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT. >> KAUR: GOT IT, MAYBE YOU AND I CAN TALK OFFLINE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT TO SEE IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITY.
IT'S A GREAT EVENT, I WANT TO SEE MORE OF IT. ONE OTHER QUESTION I HAD FOR YOU IS, THIS MIGHT BE A BIGGER PROJECT, BUT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT UPDATING THE WATER FOUNTAINS AT SAN PEDRO SPRINGS PARK TOO, I WAS WONDERING IF WE HAD LIKE A COST PER FOUNTAIN, IF WE COULD USE YOUR CIP FUNDS, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE HAS PARKS THAT IS AFFECTED BY THIS, I WOULD CONTRIBUTE SOME OF OUR CIP FUNDS TO UPGRADE THE WATER FOUNTAINS IF THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
>SO A COUPLE OF THINGS, YES, WE CAN GET YOU INFORMATION, WE DO TRACK A PRICE PER FOUNTAIN, DIFFERENT STYLES OUT THERE, WE ALSO HAVE AN ACTIVE BOND PROJECT, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH THAT ON PUBLIC WORKS IN THE COMING WEEKS TO FINALIZE SCOPE, MAP OUT WHAT TIME LOOKS LIKE FOR CONSTRUCTION, I DON'T RECALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THAT'S BUILT INTO IT, I ALSO FEEL IT'S NOMINAL ENOUGH WE CAN DELIVER THAT
THROUGH THE BOND PROGRAM. >> KAUR: I WAS THINKING OF A WAY TO EXPEDITE THAT
RATHER THAN WAITING FOR -- >> WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU SO MUCH, HOLMER. THIS IS DATA REQUEST, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE IT, Y'ALL HELPED US GET THE ADDITIONAL TRASH RECEPTACLES ON NORTH ALAMO, I WAS SUPER GRATEFUL, IT WAS QUICKER THAN I EXPECTED WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT DONE, MY QUESTION IS HAVE WE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THE PER UNIT COST, TRASH COMMUNITY, TRASH RECEPTACLES ARE, WE WANTED THE TRASH RECEPTACLES, NOT JUST LIKE THE COST TO INSTALL IT, BUT LIKE THE COST TO CONTINUE TO SERVICE IT, IF WE WANTED TO SAID A 20 MORE TRASH RECEPTACLES ON AN AREA WHERE WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF FOOT TRAFFIC TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO USE THOSE, WHAT IT
WOULD ADDITIONALLY COST TO SERVICE THAT. >> WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT, BUT I CAN DO SOME CALCULATION AND FOLLOW-UP WITH YOU.
>> KAUR: OKAY. THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SEE, LIKE INDIVIDUAL FOR LIKE ONE TIME WITH THE COST MAYBE WE COULD EXTRAPOLATE, AND ALSO FOR STREET SWEEPING. I THINK KIND OF LIKE I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE WERE TO FOCUS SOME OF THAT AREA, IF WE WERE TO SPREAD OUT THE CHARGES, WHAT IT WOULD COST FOLKS. WE CAN TALK ABOUT ITOFF LINE, AREAS THAT HAVE HEAVY F AND B TRAFFIC, IF WE ARE BEING ABLE TO COST OUT SOME OF OUR SERVICES, TO THEN BE ABLE TO SAY THIS IS WHAT IT ADDITIONALLY COSTS US TO SERVICE THE RIVER NORTH AREA, OR TO SERVICE THE ST. MARY'S STRIP, AND HOW COULD WE THEN CREATE SOME KIND OF,
YOU KNOW, PACKAGE FOR THAT. >> DO YOU HAVE A GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IN MIND.
>> KAUR: I HAVE MULTIPLE. >> BECAUSE THAT'S -- AND IT'S NOT JUST SOLID WASTE,
IT'S PUBLIC WORKS, THE STREET CLEANING. >> KAUR: RIGHT.
>> BECAUSE WE'VE DONE, AND I'LL CALL THEM IRREGULAR/REGULAR CLEANINGS ON THE D5 SIDE TO THE WEST, AND SO THERE'S -- THAT'S -- LET US PUT TOGETHER SOME ESTIMATES ON BOTH THE TRASH AND RECYCLING RECEPTACLES AND STREET SWEEPING ABOUT HOW WE CAN APPLY MAYBE THOSE SERVISERVICES IN OTHER AREAS. THERE'S A COST, I THINK MAYBE WE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY, THAT IS SOMETHING WE BRING BACK
TO YOU GUYS,. >> KAUR: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> JONES: I KNOW ONE OF THE COMMUNITY GROUPS PARTICULARLY ACTIVE ON THAT, THE NORTH MAIN GROUP, SO THAT WOULD BE HELP.
LET ME -- MR. GARCIA, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THIS EARLIER, MY MOM WILL
[02:20:05]
CRITIQUE ME AS A DAUGHTER OF A LONG TIME SPECIAL ED TEACHER, DO WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE SUFFICIENT PROGRAMMING FOR YOUTH THATHAVE SPECIAL NEEDS? >> THAT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES THAT, NO.
>> JONES: OKAY. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF VISITING THE MITCHELL'S LANDING PARK IN DISTRICT, WHICH IS TOP TIER. VERY EXPENSIVE, I UNDERSTAND, BUT FRANKLY, LOOK, AS THERE ARE CHANGES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT ARE MAKING IT HARDER FOR FOLKS TO HAVE MORE AGENCY AND FAMILY PLANNING, WE WILL SEE MORE CHILDREN, AND WE WILL SEE MORE CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, I WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR PARKS AND PROGRAMMING ACCOUNTS FOR THAT.
I WELCOME UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY DOING, HOW WE WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER ACCOUNT FOR THAT, NOT ONLY IN THE FACILITIES BUT IN THE PROGRAMMING, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY WITH THE TWO NEW PARKS, THE ORR PARK AND THE (INDISCERNIBLE)
PARK. >> REAL QUICK I THINK AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, IT WASN'T IN THE PRESENTATION, ANOTHER GRANT WE RECEIVED IS THE AIM TO FLOAT GRANT, THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT, TWO YEAR, LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, WHERE WE TAKE YOUTH DURING OUR SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM, THEY GO AND LEARN HOW TO KAYAK, WE TAKE THEM AND BUS THEM FROM CENTERS DOWN TO THE PARK, RIGHT THERE AT THE RIVER, AND PART OF THAT INSTRUCTION WE INCLUDE ARCHERY, WE INCLUDE WATER CONSERVATION MODULE, AND WE'VE EVEN TAKEN SENIORS OUT TO LEARN HOW TO KAYAK, AND SO THERE IS AGAIN ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A MULTI-COST POLLINATORRATING IF YOU WILL, SOME OF OUR PROGRAMMING, AND THAT IS THROUGH AN AIM TO FLOAT GRANT, WE'RE LOOKING AT CONTINUING DOING THOSE TYPE OF THINGS, ALWAYS SCANNING THE ENVIRONMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO THROUGH COLLABORATION, THROUGH A
PARTNER, OR CERTAINLY GRANTORS. >> JONES: YEAH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE IDENTIFY THOSE TYPES OF GRANTS, BUT ALSO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A MINIMUM LEVEL OF PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE WILLING TO FUND OURSELVES JUST GIVEN THE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITH KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AND ESPECIALLY IN PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE ALREADY ONE UNDERSERVED BUT FRANKLY UNDERRESOURCED TO ADDRESS THOSE THINGS THEMSELVES. I THINK AND I'LL JUST SAY, I THINK THIS CONVERSATION REALLY TOUCHES ON SOME OF THE POINTS WE HAD IN THE LAST CONVERSATION WHEN WE SPOKE ABOUT TIRZ, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE MINIMUM LEVEL OF INVESTMENTS THAT WE WANT ACROSS EACH OF OUR DISTRICTS, PARKS AND REC, OR SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMMING SPEAKS TO HOW WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE MORE STRATEGIC CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE REVENUE, WHEREVER IT MAY COME, HOW IT NEEDS THE NEED ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY TO A MINIMUM LEVEL THAT ANYBODY WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPECT FROM THEIR CITY WHERE THEY LIVE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THE VERY LEVEL PRESENTATIONS, I THINK THAT IS IT AT THIS POINT.
THE TIME IS NOW 4:23, ON SEPTEMBER 9TH, AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.