* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:01:09]
          GOOD MORNING. 
          THE TIME IS NOW 9:08 AM ON AUGUST 13TH, 2026, AND THE MEETING OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. 
          MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL ROLL COUNCIL. 
          MEMBER COR PRESENT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ IS HERE VIRTUALLY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MUNGIA PRESENT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ALMAN. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ALTE GATO. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MEA GONZALEZ. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SPEARS HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. 
          HERE. 
          MAYOR JONES. 
          HERE. 
          MAYOR, WE HAVE QUORUM. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO IS RECOGNIZED TO INTRODUCE, INTRODUCE TODAY'S INVO. 
          THANK YOU AND GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. 
          THIS MORNING I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME PASTOR ADAM AGUILAR, WHO WILL BE DELIVERING ON THE INVOCATION ON BEHALF OF THE KINGDOM SOLDIERS MINISTRIES, A SAN ANTONIO BASED NONPROFIT MINISTRY DEDICATED TO SERVING, UPLIFTING, AND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES ACROSS SAN ANTONIO AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. 
          THROUGH ITS COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS, KINGDOM SOLDIERS MINISTRIES HAS WORKED TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT IN THE LIVES OF FAMILIES FACING HARDSHIP BY PROVIDING ESSENTIAL RESOURCES SUCH AS FOOD, CLOTHING, AND AS WELL AS PRAYER, MENTORSHIP, GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT. 
          THEIR WORK IS ROOTED IN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESIDENTS AND BEING PRESENT WITH FAMILIES WHEN THEY NEED A HELPING HAND. 
          PASTOR AGUILAR AND HIS TEAM ARE COMMITTED TO BEING CONSISTENT SOURCE OF HOPE AND SUPPORT FOR SAN ANTONIO FAMILIES. 
          OFTENTIMES, YOU WILL FIND THEM OUT AT COMMUNITY EVENTS IN OUR DISTRICT FIVE BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR, PROVIDING OUR YOUTH WITH FREE HAIRCUTS AS THEY PREPARE FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, CONNECTING WITH FOLKS OR EVEN GIVING, UH, AGAIN, HAIRCUTS AND RESOURCES TO COMMUNITY. 
          THEIR DEDICATION TO SERVING AND SERVICE REFLECTS THE POWER OF COMMUNITY, FAITH AND NEIGHBORS COMING TOGETHER TO UPLIFT ONE ANOTHER. 
          SO, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME, UH, PASTOR AGUILAR. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          I'M GONNA ADJUST THIS REAL QUICK. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO FIRST START OFF, UH, WE CAN, UH, BOW OUR HEADS TO ANYBODY. 
          FEEL FREE TO JOIN IN, UH, IN THIS QUICK PRAYER REAL QUICK AS WE GET STARTED. 
          HEAVENLY FATHER, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR THIS MORNING, FATHER GOD, THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO COME HERE AND, UH, PRAY OVER EVERYONE HERE, FATHER GOD, UH, PART OF THE CITY'S COUNCIL, UH, THE MAYOR HERSELF, UM, AND ALL THOSE THAT ARE SURROUND AND SUPPORT, UH, THIS CITY, UH, WITH THE DEDICATION AND HARD WORK THAT THEY HAVE BEHIND IT. 
          LORD, WE WANT TO COVER THEM. 
          WE ASK THAT YOU, UM, THAT YOU BLESS YOUR FAMILIES. 
          BLESS EACH AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL HERE TODAY. 
          UH, BLESS THE CITY, FATHER GOD, UH, ALLOW IT TO CONTINUE GROWING AND BEING UNITED. 
          FATHER, GOD, AND YOUR PRESENCE. 
          FATHER, WE ASK THAT YOU, UH, JUST GIVE US ALL THAT RENEWANCE AND THE STRENGTH THAT WE NEED, UH, IN THE AREAS WE NEED IT THE MOST. 
          FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND THIS TIME TO BE ABLE TO, UH, ALSO AS WELL PRESENT EVERYTHING, UH, HERE TODAY IN YOUR NAME, WE'RE PRAYING. 
          AMEN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AMEN. 
          THANK YOU, PASTOR. 
          PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. 
          ALL RIGHT, WE'VE GOT A SPECIAL CELEBRATION TODAY, THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY, AND I KNOW WE HAVE SOME FOLKS, UM, FROM THE ORGANIZATION HERE. 
          SO IF YOU'D PLEASE COME TO THE FRONT, I WILL READ THE, UM, PROCLAMATION AND, UM, AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR REMARKS. 
          CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HEREBY PRESENTS ITS OFFICIAL. 
          CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER, 125TH ANNIVERSARY AND CELEBRATION OF HUNDRED 25 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE AND EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT. 
          THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER PREVAILS AS A DEVOTED CHAMPION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY. 
          SINCE ITS FOUNDING AS A HAVEN FOR ORPHANED AND ABANDONED CHILDREN, THE ORGANIZATION HAS ACHIEVED ITS MISSION TO 
          [00:05:01]
RESTORE, INNOCENCE, AND STRENGTHEN FAMILIES THROUGH COMPASSIONATE TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE. 
          FOR OVER A CENTURY, THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER HAS GROWN INTO A CONTINUUM OF EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO BREAK CYCLES OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT, GUIDED BY CORE VALUES OF RESPECT, TRANSPARENCY, INTEGRITY, EXCELLENCE, COLLABORATION, AND OPTIMISM. 
          TCS DELIVERS SERVICES ROOTED IN SAFETY, TRUSTWORTHINESS, EMPOWERMENT, AND THE BELIEF THAT EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO BE SEEN, HEARD, AND VALUED. 
          SERVING UPWARDS OF 2000 CHILDREN EACH YEAR, THE AGENCY PROVIDES TREATMENT, FOSTER CARE, MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, AND FAMILY STRENGTHENING INITIATIVES, INCLUDING COM RE I, PARENT SA, AND NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP THROUGH THE HARVEY E NAJEEM HELP CENTER FAMILIES RECEIVE SPECIALIZED TRAUMA-FOCUSED OUTPATIENT CARE AND EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPIES THAT PROMOTE HEALING AND STABILITY. 
          AS THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER COMMEMORATES THIS MILESTONE, WE HONOR THE CHAMPIONS WHOSE UNWAVERING SUPPORT HAS SHAPED ITS LEGACY. 
          THIS CELEBRATION HIGHLIGHTS 125 YEARS OF LOVE, HOPE, AND CARE, AND ENSURES THE CONTINUATION OF CRITICAL PROGRAMS FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO JOIN YOU IN CELEBRATING THIS REMARKABLE MILESTONE AND EXTEND HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES FOR THE YEARS AHEAD. 
          HAPPY 125TH ANNIVERSARY, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'M LARISSA MOON, THE CEO AND PRESIDENT OF THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER ON BEHALF OF THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER. 
          THANK YOU FOR THIS MEANINGFUL RECOGNITION OF OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY. 
          WE ARE HONORED BY THE CITY COUNCIL'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS MILESTONE AND HUMBLED TO RECEIVE THIS CERTIFICATE FROM THE CITY. 
          WE HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO SERVE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. 
          THIS HONOR BELONGS NOT ONLY TO OUR PRESENT DAY ORGANIZATION, BUT TO EVERY PERSON WHO HAS HELPED CARRY THIS MISSION FORWARD THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, IT BELONGS TO THE STAFF WHO SERVED WITH DEDICATION AND HEART, THE VOLUNTEERS WHO GAVE THEIR TIME SO GENEROUSLY, THE DONORS AND PARTNERS WHO INVESTED IN HOPE, THE BOARD MEMBERS WHO HELPED GUIDE THE WORK AND THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHO HAVE ALLOWED US TO WALK ALONGSIDE THEM. 
          FOR 125 YEARS, THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER HAS STOOD BESIDE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES DURING SOME OF LIFE'S MOST VULNERABLE AND CHALLENGING MOMENTS. 
          THIS RECOGNITION IS A POWERFUL REMINDER THAT OUR WORK HAS NEVER BEEN CARRIED BY THIS ORGANIZATION ALONE. 
          IT HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE COMPASSION, TRUST, AND PARTNERSHIP OF A COMMUNITY THAT BELIEVES EVERY CHILD DESERVES LOVE, SAFETY, STABILITY, AND HOPE. 
          WE APPRECIATE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK AND FOR STANDING WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WE ARE PROUD AND HONORED TO BE PART OF THE NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS SERVING VULNERABLE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN THIS CITY. 
          THIS CERTIFICATE REMINDS US THAT OUR HISTORY IS NOT SIMPLY MEASURED IN YEARS, BUT IN LIVES TOUCHED, FAMILY, STRENGTHENED, AND HOPE RESTORED. 
          AS WE CELEBRATE 125 YEARS, WE HONOR THE LEGACY OF THOSE WHO BEGAN THIS WORK IN 1901. 
          WE THANK THOSE WHO CONTINUE IT TODAY, AND WE LOOK AHEAD WITH DETERMINATION TO SERVE THE NEXT GENERATION OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN WITH THE SAME COMPASSION, COURAGE, AND HOPE THAT HAVE GUIDED THE CHILDREN SHELTER SINCE THE BEGINNING. 
          WE ARE GRATEFUL, INSPIRED, AND MORE COMMITTED THAN EVER TO CONTINUING THIS LEGACY OF HOPE, HEALING, AND SERVICE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS SPECIAL RECOGNITION AND FOR HELPING US CELEBRATE A LEGACY THAT BELONGS TO THE ENTIRE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY. 
          LASTLY, THANK YOU MAYOR JONES AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR YOUR DEDICATED SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE VITAL WORK STRENGTHENS SAN ANTONIO AND IMPROVES THE LIVES OF ALL WHO CHOOSE TO LIVE HERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WOULD ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING? OKAY. 
          NO ONE HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNCILWOMAN . 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THANK YOU TO THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER TEAM WHO IS HERE WITH US TODAY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER IS LOCATED IN THE HEART OF DISTRICT SEVEN, AND AS Y'ALL CELEBRATE 125 YEARS, Y'ALL, AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL WERE DOING THIS, UH, WAY BEFORE, UH, CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS WERE IN PLACE IN TEXAS. 
          SO Y'ALL HAVE BEEN TRULY LEADING THE WAY. 
          IT'S, IT IS A GRASSROOTS EFFORT TO SUPPORT CHILDREN, UM, AND THEN, UH, ANIMALS IN NEED. 
          AND IT IT'S JUST A TRUE TESTAMENT TO NURTURING THE NURTURING, FAMILY ORIENTED, UH, 
          [00:10:01]
ENVIRONMENT THAT Y'ALL FOSTER THERE, UM, FOR SO MANY KIDS IN NEED. 
          AND SO THANK YOU FOR LEADING THE WAY, NOT ONLY FOR SAN ANTONIO, BUT FOR TEXAS IN ALL Y'ALL'S EFFORTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          THE NEXT ITEM IS THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. 
          ERIC, OVER TO YOU. 
          UH, NO MANAGER'S REPORT THIS MORNING. 
          MAYOR, THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO TAKING THE CONSENT AGENDA BEFORE THE INDIVIDUAL ITEM SO THAT WE MAY CLEAR THE BUSINESS OF THE DAY? OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          ITEMS EIGHT 
          [CONSENT AGENDA
 ]
THROUGH 18 ARE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. 
          THIS MEANS THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED AS A GROUP AND THERE WILL NOT BE A STAFF PRESENTATION UNLESS PULLED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. 
          PLEASE NOTE ITEM 15 HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN BY STAFF AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED TODAY. 
          UM, ARE THERE ANY, I'LL BE PULLING ITEM 16. 
          ARE THERE ANY ITEMS COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA TO BE HEARD INDIVIDUALLY? OKAY. 
          UH, WE HAVE NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON, UM, THE CONSENT AGENDA. 
          OKAY. 
          IS THERE MOTION, UH, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA EXCEPT FOR ITEM 15, WHICH HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN IN ITEM 16, WHICH I HAVE PULLED MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          OKAY. 
          IT IS MOVED. 
          AND SECOND, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA EXCEPT ITEM 15, WHICH HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN AND ACCEPT ITEM 16, WHICH HAS BEEN PULLED. 
          ARE THERE ANY HIGHLIGHTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONSENT AGENDA? OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. 
          THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA, EXCEPT FOR ITEM 15 AND ITEM 16, PLEASE VOTE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OH, SHE IS THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNCILMAN N VRAN, WE NEED TO SEE YOU ON THE CAMERA, PLEASE. 
          UH, I AM ON CAMERA. 
          I SENT A PICTURE OVER TO IT. 
          I CAN SEE MYSELF ON THE CAMERA ON MY IPHONE. 
          I DON'T KNOW THE, THE PROBLEM'S ON THE CITY BEND. 
          MADAM CLERK, IS THAT OKAY? THE CLERK IS NOT ABLE TO SEE YOU. 
          ANDY. 
          UM, THE CLERK SAYING, DID I MAKE A MOTION? WE SUSPEND THE MEETING UNTIL, UH, IT CAN FIX THIS. 
          ANDY? UH, DO YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDATION THAT'S UP TO THE PRE PRESIDE? THAT'S UP TO THE PRESIDER MAYOR. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THE CLERK IS SAYING THAT SHE NEEDS TO SEE, UH, THE COUNCILWOMAN AND SO WE WILL TAKE A RECESS UNTIL IT CAN, CAN FIX THIS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT THE COUNCILWOMAN, UH, COUNCILMAN MKI RODRIGUEZ. 
          THERE WE GO. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY, SO WE JUST VOTED, UM, A VOICE VOTE PLEASE FROM COUNCILMAN OF JOINING US VIRTUALLY. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          THE MOTION CARRIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE'S NO OBJECTION. 
          UH, THE CITY MANAGER WILL PRESENT THE, THE COUNCIL WITH AND DISCUSS ITEMS FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX AS A GROUP. 
          INDIVIDUAL VOTES WILL BE TAKEN ON ITEMS FIVE AND SIX. 
          OKAY. 
          HEARING NONE, ERIC, OVER TO YOU. 
          UM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR 
          [4. 
Presentation of the City of San Antonio 2027 Proposed Operating and Capital Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2026. [Erik Walsh, City Manager]]
IS A PRESENTATION OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, 2027, PROPOSED OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OP OCTOBER 1ST, 2026. 
          ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS AN ORDINANCE SETTING. 
          THE CITY'S PROPOSED MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE AT 35.14 CENTS PER $100 OF TAXABLE VALUATION. 
          AND THE CITY'S PROPOSED DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE AT 21.15 CENTS 
          [00:15:02]
PER $100 OF TAXABLE VALUATION AS RECOMMENDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2027, PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          AND ITEM NUMBER SIX IS AN ORDINANCE SETTING THE DATES, TIMES, AND LOCATIONS FOR THE PER FIRST AND SECOND PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 26, 27, AND THE PROPOSED TAX RATE FOR THE TAX YEAR, BEGINNING JANUARY 1ST, 2026, AND ENDING DECEMBER 1ST, 31ST 2026, WHICH ARE WEDNESDAYS, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2026 AT 5:00 PM AND THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2026 AT 9:00 AM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AND TWO SCHEDULING BUDGET WORK SESSIONS. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CLERK. 
          ERIC, OVER TO YOU. 
          THANKS. 
          MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, I LIKEN, UM, THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH WITH THE PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          UM, I, I THINK ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF GATES, RIGHT GATE ONE WAS THE FINANCIAL FORECAST WE PRESENTED TO YOU ALL IN MAY, UM, AND THE WORK SESSION WE HAD, UH, GATE TWO IS, UM, THE, THE SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD AT THAT BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          GATE THREE IS THE TRIAL BUDGET CONVERSATION WE HAD IN JUNE. 
          AND THE FINAL GATE, WHICH IS THE LONGEST STRETCH THAT WE HAVE OVER THE NEXT MONTH, WILL BE THE CONSIDERATION OF THE PROPOSED ADOPT, UH, THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND YOUR EVENTUAL ADOPTION ON SEPTEMBER 17TH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CITY CHARTER. 
          UM, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE WORK SESSION SCHEDULE AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, BUT, UH, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL UPFRONT BECAUSE YOUR FEEDBACK AND GUIDANCE AS WE WENT THROUGH THOSE THREE EARLIER GATES WERE CRITICAL TO THE WORK THAT WE, UH, WE AS STAFF DID OVER THE SUMMER TO LAY OUT A PROPOSED BALANCE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 AND A PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 28. 
          SO, UH, BEGINNING, UH, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW. 
          UM, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, FISCAL YEAR 27 AND, AND THIS PROPOSED BUDGET IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING BUDGETS THAT I'VE HAD TO WORK ON AND, UM, SINCE I'VE BEEN, UH, CITY MANAGER FOR FOR SURE. 
          BUT, BUT AS I REFLECT BACK ON 32 AND A HALF YEARS, A LOT OF THAT WORKING IN BUDGET, UH, ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF A NUMBER OF ISSUES. 
          UM, LIKE MANY COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND IN PARTICULAR THE STATE, UM, OTHER TEXAS STATE, UH, TEXAS CITIES ARE DEALING WITH MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH. 
          UM, AUSTIN, FORT WORTH, DALLAS, HOUSTON, CORPUS CHRISTI. 
          UM, AND, AND I THINK, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT AS YOU, IF YOU DO SEE INFORMATION OR PRESS ABOUT THOSE OTHER CITIES, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NOTICE IS THAT, UH, THEY'RE ALL DEALING WITH THE SAME ISSUES, BUT THEY'RE SHORTFALLS ARE SMALLER. 
          AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE PRIMARY REASON BECAUSE WE HAVE A FINANCIAL PROP POLICY TO MANAGE AND, AND BUDGET OVER A TWO YEAR CYCLE. 
          UM, SO WE ARE SEEING CONTINUED TO SEE INCREASING RISING COSTS, DECLINING PROPERTY VALUES, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT HERE IN A SECOND, UM, AND LIMITS ON OUR ABILITY TO GENERATE REVENUE. 
          UH, WE ENTERED THE BUDGET PROCESS WITH A PROJECTED SHORTFALL OF NEAR NEARLY $158 MILLION, UM, THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 28. 
          THE, THE SPENDING PLAN THAT YOU SEE, THAT YOU'LL SEE TODAY, THE PROPOSAL YOU'LL SEE TODAY REFLECTS THE STRATEGIES AND EXPENSES AND INCREASED REVENUES THAT, UH, WE BELIEVE, UH, ARE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND STABILITY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION. 
          UH, THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE, THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED, UH, BALANCES FISCAL YEAR 27 AND 28, AND ALSO PROVIDES A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 29. 
          AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, THE, THE LAST THING I'LL, I'LL, I'LL NOTE IS THAT, UH, WE ARE IN A DOWNWARD CYCLE. 
          UM, IT, IT HAS BEEN, UH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN NEGATIVE TAXABLE VALUE GROWTH SINCE 2011, WHICH WAS PROBABLY AN ADVENT OF THE, UH, OF THE RECESSION. 
          WE'VE MODELED OUR, OUR FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS AS IF WE WERE IN A RECESSION. 
          WE'RE GENERALLY PRETTY MODERATELY CONSERVATIVE IN TERMS OF, UH, OUR APPROACH IN TERMS OF REVENUE, AND WE'RE TAKING THAT APPROACH FOR FISCAL YEAR 28. 
          UM, I SHARED WITH YOU ALL LAST WEEK, UH, OUR RE OUR, THE AFFIRMATION OF OUR BOND RATINGS FROM, UH, THE THREE BOND RATING AGENCIES. 
          UM, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT WE DO, NOT ONLY FOR ISSUING DEBT, UH, AND, AND ACHIEVING SAVINGS IN TERMS OF INTEREST RATE SAVINGS, UH, BUT, BUT IT IS A STRONG FOUNDATION OF, OF HOW THIS ORGANIZATION, YOU ALL AND THE STAFF MANAGE OUR FINANCIAL CAPABILITY, UM, AND HOW WE APPROACH IT. 
          WE HAVE A HISTORY OF POSITIVE BUDGETARY PERFORMANCE AND STRATEGIC MEASURES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FINANCIALLY STABLE. 
          UH, WE HAVE WELL EMBEDDED POLICIES AND, AND AND PRACTICES. 
          UM, WE HAVE AN EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT TEAM, UM, WITH, UM, WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT WE DO AS AN ORGANIZATION OR ANY ORGANIZATION 
          [00:20:01]
WITH MANAGING OUR EXPENSES ON A MONTHLY, UH, BASIS. 
          UH, QUARTERLY UPDATES TO YOU ALL MULTI-YEAR BUDGETING APPROACHES AND ADHERENCE TO OUR RESERVE POLICIES AND OUR OTHER FINANCIAL POLICIES, UM, STANDARD AND POURS AND MOODY'S, AS I SHARED LAST WEEK, REAFFIRMED US AS AAA AND FITCH AT AA PLUS. 
          UM, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS THE LARGEST CITY IN THIS COUNTRY WITH THE BEST BOND RATING AGENCY. 
          AND, AND, AND, AND I THINK THAT HELPS US FROM A, CERTAINLY FROM A MARKET STANDPOINT WHEN WE GO TO ISSUE DEBT. 
          BUT IT HELPS US FROM A CREDIBILITY STANDPOINT AS WE, UH, WORK ON CHALLENGING BUDGETS SUCH AS THIS ONE. 
          THE PROPOSED BUDGET, UM, BEFORE YOU, UM, IS TOTALS $4.4 BILLION ALL FUNDS, UH, THAT'S MADE UP OF $1.76 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND, $1.4 BILLION IN OUR CAPITAL BUDGET AND 1.2 BILLION IN OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS SUCH AS THE AIRPORT AND SOLID WASTE AND STORM WATER. 
          UM, THE, THE, UH, THE OVERALL BUDGET CITY BUDGET INCREASE IS 8.6%, BUT 6.3 OF THAT IS DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TERMINAL OUT AT THE AIRPORT. 
          UM, ASIDE FROM THAT, OUR OPERATING PART OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET, UH, IS GOING UP 2.3%. 
          SO WE'VE MANAGED THOSE EXPENSES ACROSS THE BOARD, NOT JUST IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, AND WE ARE ACCOMMODATING AND THE NECESSARY CONSTRUCTION THAT WE HAVE OUT AT THE AIRPORT AND ALL Y'ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THAT PROJECT. 
          UH, AND THE ISSUANCE OF DEBT THAT WE TOOK TO THE MARKET, UH, HERE ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO. 
          THE GENERAL FUND IS, UM, UH, IT PROPOSED AT $1.76 BILLION. 
          THAT'S A $69 MILLION INCREASE IN OUR GENERAL FUND, A 4.1% INCREASE. 
          AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE JUXTAPOSED POSITION THAT WE WERE IN IN JUNE IN THE TRIAL BUDGET, UH, WHERE REVENUES WERE PROJECTED TO GROW AT A LOWER RATE THAN OUR EXPENSES. 
          AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MANAGE OUR EXPENSES DOWN PRIMARILY THROUGH REDUCTIONS, UH, UH, TO, TO MAINTAIN THAT 4.1% INCREASE OVERALL CITY POSITIONS. 
          UM, WE, WE, UM, CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, 17,000, I'M SORRY, 13,739 POSITIONS. 
          UM, AND THE PROPOSED BUDGET, UM, INCLUDES 13,746. 
          SO A NET INCREASE. 
          I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR DECREASE IN, IN TERMS OF STAFFING POSITIONS A LITTLE BIT LATER ON IN THE, IN THE, UH, PRESENTATION. 
          SO HOW DID WE BALANCE THE BUDGET, UM, THAT YOU ALL SAW IN, IN JUNE FROM THE TRIAL BUDGET? UM, THE CONVERSATION YOU ALL HAD, THE WORK WE DID AND THE CONVERSATION YOU ALL HAD OUR BUDGET WORK SESSION AROUND MANDATED EXPENSES, UH, PRIORITY CITY SERVICES THAT WERE PRIORITIZED BY YOU ALL AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET SURVEY. 
          UM, AND, AND THE OTHER THINGS THE CITY DOES WAS KEY TO THAT CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD BOTH OF THE TRIAL BUDGET AND THE, AND THE PREPARATION OF THIS PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          'CAUSE WE FOCUSED ON THE OTHER, PRIOR OTHER CITY SERVICES IN TERMS OF REDUCTIONS AND REDUCED EXPENSES. 
          UM, SECONDLY, UH, WE, UM, ARE FOCUSING ON USING AVAILABLE PROPERTY TAX CAPACITY. 
          AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MORE ABOUT THIS LATER ON IN THE PRESENTATION. 
          BUT WE HAVE, UH, WHAT THE STATE HAS GRANTED TO CITIES AND COUNTIES IN 2019 IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH IS THE ABILITY TO USE UNUTILIZED TAXABLE VALUE OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD. 
          WE WE'RE ABLE TO BANK THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES WE'RE ABLE TO BANK THAT. 
          UM, AND, UH, THE EXPRESS PURPOSES AS DICTATED BY THIS LEGISLATURE IN 2019 WAS TO ALLOW CITIES AND COUNTIES TO SMOOTH THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS, GIVEN THAT THEY WERE REDUCING THE PROPERTY TAXABILITY FROM 8.5% TO 3.5%. 
          AND SO WE, UH, HAVE ONLY UTILIZED THAT ONCE SINCE 2019. 
          UM, AND WE ARE PROPOSING TO UTILIZE THAT, THAT UNUSED INCREMENT, UH, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          AND THEN, UH, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THIS, UH, BOTH AT THE WORK SESSION, AT THE TRIAL BUDGET, UM, INCREASING OUR REVENUE AND EXISTING FEES AND PERMITS TO BETTER ALIGN WITH OUR COST OF SERVICE. 
          AND SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS, UH, 30 AND ALMOST 30 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN NEW REVENUE OVER TWO YEARS. 
          UM, AND THAT'S ABOUT $10 MILLION MORE THAN WE SHOWED YOU ALL IN THE TRIAL BUDGET. 
          WE WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THOSE AREAS THAT YOU ALL GAVE US FEEDBACK ON, UM, AND, UM, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT HERE IN A SECOND. 
          SO, UM, OVERALL AT THE TRIAL BUDGET, YOU WILL RECALL THAT OUR EXPENSES WERE PROJECTED TO GROW, I'M SORRY, OUR REVENUES WERE PROJECTED TO GROW AT 2.3%, AND OUR EXPENSES GROWING AT 6.9%. 
          [00:25:01]
THE PROPOSED BUDGET BEFORE YOU TODAY FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, HAS OUR REVENUE GROWTH AT 5.1% AND OUR EXPENSE GROWTH AT 4.1%. 
          SO STRUCTURALLY, WE HAVE REALIGNED, UM, THE, OUR CAPABILITY TO BE ABLE TO COVER OUR EXPENSES. 
          UM, AND I THINK THIS IS A MAJOR, UM, AND, AND, AND, AND NOT JUST FOR FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          AND I'LL SHARE WITH YOU HERE IN A SECOND. 
          PART OF THIS IMPACTS FISCAL YEAR 28, 29, 30, AND 31. 
          UM, THAT STRUCTURAL REBALANCING, UM, OUR PROJECTED DEFICIT FOR THE TWO YEARS WAS $157.7 MILLION. 
          WE HAVE $89.6 MILLION IN PROPOSED REDUCTIONS OVER THE TWO YEARS, UH, UTILIZING THAT UNUSED INCREMENT BOTH IN FISCAL YEAR 27 AND WITHIN OUR FISCAL YEAR 28 PLAN, UH, IS 90.2 MILLION. 
          OUR FEE INCREASES THAT I JUST MENTIONED A SECOND AGO ARE AT $30.4 MILLION. 
          WE REVISED OUR REVENUE AND EXPENSE PROJECTIONS FOR BOTH THIS FISCAL YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 27 AND FISCAL YEAR 28 AS WE WENT THROUGH THE BUDGET IN JULY WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. 
          AND THAT SAVED AN ADDITIONAL $17.4 MILLION OVER THOSE THREE YEARS. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE NEW SPENDING OF $8.2 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, AND OF COURSE, OUR ADJUSTMENTS FOR OUR FINANCIAL RESERVES. 
          WE, WE LEAVE THERE $48.9 MILLION IN AN ENDING BALANCE OVER AND ABOVE OUR, OUR REQUIRED RESERVES UNDER OUR FINANCIAL POLICY. 
          AND REALLY THAT'S MEANT TO OFFSET EXPENSES AND PREPARE FOR FISCAL YEAR 29. 
          UM, THE, UM, PRESENTATION THAT WE GAVE YOU DURING THE FORECAST, UM, SHOWED THAT WE HAD A PROJECTED SHORTFALL IN, UH, FISCAL YEAR 29 OF $206 MILLION. 
          THE PROJECTED SHORTFALL NOW WITH THIS PROPOSED BUDGET IN 27, AND THE PLAN FOR 28 REDUCES THAT TO $38 MILLION. 
          UM, OUR FISCAL YEAR, 31 SHORTFALL IN THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST WAS $264 MILLION. 
          AND THE ADJUSTMENTS WE'RE PROPOSING RIGHT NOW REDUCED THAT ALMOST BY 50% DOWN TO $136 MILLION. 
          SO THE RESTRUCTURING OF OUR REVENUES AND OUR EXPENSES, MANAGING OUR EXPENSES, UH, AND ALIGNING THOSE THINGS HELPS US NOT ONLY FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, BUT THERE'S A RIPPLE EFFECT AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. 
          SO IN TERMS OF GENERAL FUND REVENUE, KIND OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IN TERMS OF WHERE WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, WE, WE ARE SEEING A DECREASE IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE OF $8.3 MILLION. 
          THIS IS, THIS IS BUDGET TO BUDGET, UH, A A 1.8%, UH, DECLINE IN REVENUE. 
          UM, WE HAVE A SALES TAX AT A 1.2% CHANGE, UH, ADDITIONAL $4.9 MILLION. 
          UM, GENERALLY, AND, AND, AND, AND LIKE, LIKE OTHER THINGS, WE ARE MODERATELY CONSERVATIVE. 
          WE ARE SEEING A SOFTENING, WE HAVE SEEN A SOFTENING IN TERMS OF, OF, UM, UM, SALES TAX. 
          UM, THAT'S NOT UNIQUE TO SAN ANTONIO. 
          OTHER CITIES AND TEXAS ARE SEEING THAT AS WELL. 
          UH, WE ARE ANTICIPATING, UH, PROBABLY BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, UH, OR EARLY NEXT WEEK, THAT WE WILL RECEIVE, UH, THE NEXT SALES TAX, UH, CHECK FROM THE STATE. 
          THAT WILL BE REFLECTIVE OF, UH, A LOT OF ACTIVITY THAT HAPPENED IN SAN ANTONIO IN JUNE, PRIMARILY AROUND THE PLAYOFFS. 
          AND I DO ANTICIPATE THAT NUMBER TO BE, UH, GREATER. 
          UH, AND WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU ONCE WE, UH, RECEIVE THAT. 
          OUR CPS REVENUE, UM, WE'VE REVISED OUR PROJECTIONS FOR THIS YEAR, UH, FOR OUR RE-ESTIMATE FOR THIS YEAR DOWN $15 MILLION BECAUSE FRANKLY, IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS GREEN IN SUMMER. 
          UH, WE HAD A LOT OF RAIN AND COOLER WEATHER IN JUNE AND JULY THAT CERTAINLY AFFECTED REVENUE. 
          UM, AND SO WE MADE THOSE REVISIONS FOR TO OUR FISCAL YEAR 26, UH, RE-ESTIMATE. 
          WE ARE PROJECTING, UH, CONSERVATIVELY $547.8 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, UH, WHICH IS AN 8.6% INCREASE. 
          AND THEN JUST KIND OF OUR OTHER REVENUES, THERE'S A SLIGHT INCREASE OF 0.6%. 
          SO OVERALL, OUR REVENUE PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET, UH, IN 27 IS INCREASING AT 5.1%. 
          LEMME TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TAXABLE VALUES AND, AND PROPERTY TAXES. 
          UM, WE SHARED WITH YOU ALL THE PRELIMINARY DATA WE RECEIVED FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT IN, UH, IN MAY AND JUNE. 
          AND AT THAT POINT, WE WERE PROJECTING A 2.1% DECLINE IN OVERALL TAXABLE VALUES. 
          UH, WE RECEIVED A CERTIFIED ROLE THE LAST WEEK IN JULY, GOT A LITTLE WORSE. 
          IT WAS A DECLINE OF 2.71 MILLION, UH, PERCENT, WHICH REFLECTS ABOUT $4.3 BILLION IN LOST TAXABLE VALUE, WHETHER THAT'S APPEALS 
          [00:30:01]
OR EXEMPTIONS OR LAWSUITS OR, OR WHAT HAVE YOU. 
          UM, THAT VALUE, THAT TAXABLE VALUE DISAPPEARED. 
          AND, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT NOT ONLY WE ARE DEALING WITH, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT EVERY TAX AND ENTITY WITHIN BEXAR COUNTY IS DEALING WITH. 
          UM, ARE FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          JUST TO KIND OF RECAP AND GIVE YOU SOME HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, IN FISCAL YEAR 25, WE SAW A 4.35% INCREASE IN TAXABLE VALUE. 
          UH, THIS YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 26, WE SAW NEGATIVE GROWTH IN TERMS OF BASE VALUE, BUT THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW VALUES THAT WERE COMING ONLINE, UH, MADE UP A A NET DIFFERENCE, UH, TO A POSITIVE 1.32%. 
          UM, AND THEN FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, BASED ON THAT CERTIFIED ROLE, WE'RE SEEING A LITTLE OVER 4% DECREASE IN TAXABLE VALUES THAT KIND OF WASH AWAY THE 1.35% IN NEW IMPROVEMENTS THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING ON THE TAX ROLLS, UM, THAT YOU, YOU'LL SEE THE TAX, THE TAX RATE THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING, UH, BY UTILIZING THE, THE, UM, UNUSED INCREMENT, YOU ALL WILL VOTE ON A PROPERTY TAX ADJUSTMENT BASED ON THAT UNUSED INCREMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 ONLY. 
          WE'RE PRESENTING TO YOU ALL A FISCAL YEAR 27 AND 28 PLAN. 
          THE PLAN IS JUST THE PLAN. 
          YOU DO NOT VOTE ON THAT. 
          WE'VE ADOPTED ONE BUDGET AT A YEAR. 
          UM, BUT THE PLAN GIVES US KIND OF THE GUIDELINES AND THE, THE GUIDEPOSTS TO MANAGE OUR EXPENSES AS WE GO INTO FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          UM, THAT, THAT INCREASE, UH, THAT WE'RE PROPOSING WOULD REFLECT, UH, ON AVERAGE, UH, TO THE AVERAGE RESIDENCE HOUSEHOLD, AN ADDITIONAL $2 AND 95 CENTS PER MONTH. 
          NOW, FOR ALL OF YOUR TOWN HALLS, WE ARE BREAKING THAT OUT BY DISTRICT, SO WE'LL HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU ALL. 
          UM, IT'S OBVIOUSLY GONNA BE DIFFERENT BASED ON, ON, UH, ON COUNCIL DISTRICTS, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, USING THE AVERAGE CITYWIDE AVERAGE, IT'S A $2 95, UH, IMPACT, UH, ON PROPERTY TAX BILL PER MONTH. 
          NOW, 47% OF OUR RESIDENT HOMESTEADS ARE FROZEN, WHETHER THAT'S THE SENIOR TAX FREEZE OR THE DISABILITY TAX FREEZE, UM, AND WILL NOT BE IMPACTED. 
          SO 47% OF OUR RESIDENTS HOUSEHOLDS, UM, WILL NOT SEE ANY SORT OF IMPACT IN TERMS OF THIS PROPOSAL. 
          AND THEN, UH, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT NUMBER, UH, GIVEN OUR TAX FEES FOR SENIORS AND DISABILITY, OUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, WE ARE FOREGOING ALMOST 156 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN FOREGONE, UH, TAX REVENUE, PROPERTY TAX REVENUE. 
          AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT PRIOR COUNCILS HAVE, HAVE, UM, HAVE SET. 
          UH, IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, MAKES US UNIQUE. 
          UH, SAN ANTONIO IS, UH, THE LARGEST CITY IN THE STATE THAT HAS A SENIOR TAX FREEZE. 
          UM, CORPUS CHRISTI HAS IT, UH, I THINK EL PASO HAS IT, UH, BUT NO OTHER CITY HAS THAT, AND THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR SOME TIME, AND THAT HELPS INSULATE, UH, THOSE OVER 65, UH, FROM ANY ADJUSTMENTS, UH, OR IMPACTS OF PROPERTY TAX NOW IN TERMS OF THE $30.4 MILLION IN, IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE. 
          UM, AND, AND NEXT YEAR, OR I'M SORRY, NEXT WEEK'S, NEXT TUESDAY'S FIRST WORK SESSION IS GONNA BE EXPRESSLY FOCUSED ON THESE REVENUES THAT ARE ON THIS SLIDE, ALL THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO MAKE, AS WELL AS ALL THE REDUCTIONS. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA DO, WE'RE GONNA DO IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. 
          THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT SEEING BITS AND PIECES THROUGH EVERY DEPARTMENTAL PRESENTATION. 
          WE WANNA SHOW YOU ALL THE REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS AT ONCE SO THAT YOU SEE THE BIG PICTURE, UH, AS WELL AS ALL THE REDUCTIONS AND, AND IMPACTS TO SERVICES. 
          UM, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THESE THINGS ON, ON THESE AREAS IN THIS SLIDE, UM, TOTAL $30.4 MILLION. 
          I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BETWEEN POLICE AND FIRE FEE ADJUSTMENTS AND, AND REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS, THAT IS THE MAJORITY OF OUR $30.4 MILLION. 
          IT, IT, UH, IS $21.3 MILLION OF TOTAL NEW REVENUE COMING INTO THE CITY. 
          AGAIN, A LOT OF THIS WAS BASED OFF OF, UH, COST OF SERVICE. 
          UM, AND PART OF THIS WAS PART OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 27 PLAN. 
          UM, EMS TRANSPORT FEES, AID ONLY, UH, DEVELOPMENT PER FIRE DEVELOPMENT PERMITS, UH, IN, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, ALARMS, ECITATIONS, UH, ADJUSTMENTS TO TOWING AND THE USE OF OUR ONLINE SYSTEM FOR NON-CONSENT TOWS. 
          UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER AREAS THAT WE ARE ADJUSTING, UH, THROUGH A COUPLE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, A CS SOLID WASTE, WHICH WILL HELP, UH, BEEF UP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING BY, UH, THE WASTE HAULER PERMITS. 
          UM, WE ARE RECOMMENDING, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE TRIAL BUDGET, A NON-RESIDENT LIBRARY CARD FEE OF $20 PER YEAR. 
          AND, UH, WE'VE CONSERVATIVELY 
          [00:35:01]
ESTIMATED THIS, UH, AND, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS NEXT TUESDAY, UH, AS WELL AS DURING THE LIBRARY, UH, BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          BUT WE'RE GONNA ROLL IT OUT AS, AS, UH, LIBRARY CARDS EXPIRE, 26% OF OUR ACTIVITY AND, UH, MATERIAL CHECKOUT RIGHT NOW AT THE LIBRARY SYSTEM IS BEING DONE BY NON SAN ANTONIO, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS. 
          SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE'RE RECOVERING THAT COST, UH, OF PROVIDING THAT, THAT VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          UH, FIESTA, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS DURING THE, THE JUNE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, WE ARE TARGETING TO RECOVER, UH, AT LEAST 50% OF OUR POLICE EXPENSES AS IT RELATES TO ALL THE MAJOR, UH, FIESTA EVENTS. 
          WE HAVE MET WITH THE FIESTA COMMISSION, AND, UH, WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL WITH YOU IN THOSE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS. 
          THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CODE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. 
          SOME OF THESE CAME FROM, FROM, UH, THE, THE COUNCIL CONVERSATION, UH, THE PROACTIVE APARTMENT PROCESS, METAL AND USED AUTO REPAIR, UH, RECYCLERS, UH, GARAGE SALE PERMITS. 
          WE ARE ALSO ADDING AN ADDITIONAL LICENSING FEE OR PERMIT TO AIRBNBS, UH, PRIMARILY TO OFFSET THE COST OF POLICE EXPENSES, UM, AND THE CALLS ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, AIRBNBS. 
          AND THEN, UH, A NUMBER OF ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR PARKS AREA. 
          SO, AGAIN, A LOT MORE DETAIL. 
          WE'RE GONNA GO INTO VERY, A LOT OF DETAIL WITH YOU NEXT TUESDAY AT YOUR FIRST BUDGET WORK SESSION ON THE, ON THESE AREAS IN TERMS OF REDUCTIONS, AND THIS WILL BE PART OF TUESDAY'S PRESENTATION TOO. 
          UM, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU ALL TO SEE IT ALL COMPREHENSIVELY RATHER THAN OVER A PERIOD OF 10 OR 11 DIFFERENT WORK SESSIONS. 
          BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT THE, UH, ONE OF THE LARGEST AREAS OF REDUCED SPENDING THAT WE HAVE ARE IN THAT OTHER CITY SERVICE CATEGORY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT DURING THE BUDGET WORK SESSION, UH, 27 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OVER THE TWO YEARS. 
          WE ARE TRANSFERRING SOME ELIGIBLE STREET MAINTENANCE, UH, WORK FROM OUR OPERATING BUDGET TO OUR CAPITAL BUDGET FOR A TOTAL OF $10.6 MILLION IN SAVINGS. 
          UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF EFFICIENCIES AND REDUCTIONS, UH, THROUGHOUT A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS, UH, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THEM, PART OF THE LINE ITEM REVIEW THAT WE DID, UH, WITH, UH, EVERY DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, AND THAT TOTAL IS 10.6, I'M SORRY, $12 MILLION. 
          WE HAVE OUR COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, THAT, UH, WE DID, UH, THIS PAST YEAR. 
          AGAIN, OUR FIVE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE FOCUSED ON WERE POLICE, FIRE, MUNICIPAL COURT, LIBRARY, AND HR. 
          SO THAT, THAT EFFORT, UH, RESULTED IN $12.8 MILLION IN SAVINGS OVER TWO YEARS. 
          WE ARE U UTILIZING THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING FUND, WHICH IS, IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE FUND, UH, THAT BOTH CITY INITIATED UHT AND DEVELOPER INITIATED TURS PAY TO THE CITY TO ADMINISTER. 
          ONE OF THE, UH, ELIGIBLE EXPENSES IN TERMS OF THE USE OF TURS FUNDS IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 
          SO WE'RE USING SOME OF THOSE AVAILABLE BALANCES TO, UM, INCREASE FRANKLY, OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING SPEND. 
          AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT HERE IN A SECOND. 
          UH, WE'RE ELIMINATING THE, UM, THE, THE BALANCE OF THE, UM, THE RES FUND, WHICH, UM, THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH ACRONYMS. I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT IT STANDS FOR, BUT IT IS OUR CAPTURED FUND FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHERE WE CAPTURED SOME PORTION OF OUR CPS REVENUE TO OFFSET, UH, SOME OF OUR, UM, UH, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND OUR WORK IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          IN TERMS OF HEAT ISLAND EXPENSE, THIS FUND WAS PRIMARILY REDUCED, UH, WITH THE, UH, THE APPROVAL OF THE LAST FIRE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. 
          WE'RE ELIMINATING THE BALANCE OF IT. 
          THERE IS STILL FUNDING IN THERE THAT SUPPORTS OUR SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE. 
          UM, BUT, BUT THAT, THAT, THAT SAVINGS RESULTS IN $2.8 MILLION OVER THE TWO YEARS. 
          WE ARE USING OTHER GENERAL FUND PROGRAMS, UM, AND WE'RE APPROPRIATE AND WE'RE LEGAL MOVING THOSE EXPENSES TO SOME RESTRICTED FUNDS THAT HAD THE CAPABILITY TO FINANCE THEM. 
          WE ARE PROPOSING AN INCREASE IN OUR PARKS ENVIRONMENTAL FEE OF 25 CENTS PER MONTH. 
          THAT'S A FEE THAT RIGHT NOW THAT EXISTS, UH, THAT INDIVIDUALS PAY, THAT THE PUBLIC PAYS TO OFFSET, UH, PART OF THE TREE MAINTENANCE, I'M SORRY, THE PARKS MAINTENANCE AND TREE MAINTENANCE IN OUR PARK SYSTEM. 
          UM, SO WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $6 MILLION IN THAT AREA. 
          AND THEN THERE'S SOME DEPARTMENTAL RESTRUCTURINGS, BOTH IN 27 AND 28, UH, UH, WHERE WE ANTICIPATE, UH, UH, $5.5 MILLION OVER THE TWO YEARS. 
          SO THAT IS OUR $89.6 MILLION IN REDUCED SPENDING IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          THE GENERAL FUND DOES PROPOSE ELIMINATING 101 POSITIONS. 
          54 OF THOSE ARE 
          [00:40:01]
FILLED. 
          UM, AND BECAUSE WE ARE IN A HIRING FREEZE AND HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, HR HAS BEEN WORKING SINCE JULY TO IDENTIFY, UM, AREAS WHERE THOSE 54 INDIVIDUALS CAN MOVE INTO THOSE VACANT POSITIONS. 
          UM, THOSE EMPLOYEES WILL WORK WITH THOSE 54 EMPLOYEES. 
          I DO NOT AN, I DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY LAYOFFS BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SUFFICIENT ABILITY WITHIN OUR, OUR, OUR FREEZING, UH, OF POSITIONS. 
          UH, AS WE GO INTO FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          I AM ANTICIPATING KEEPING THAT HIRING FREEZE IN PLACE FOR NON-CRITICAL POSITIONS. 
          AND SO WE HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE RIGHT NOW WHERE HUMAN RESOURCES AND THE BUDGET OFFICE REVIEW THOSE VACANCIES AND OUR, AND, AND WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENTS ON WHAT IS CRITICAL AND WHAT IS NOT. 
          UH, I MEET WITH THEM EVERY TWO WEEKS TO GO THROUGH THAT LIST AND THEN KICK LOOSE ANY POSITIONS THAT, THAT ARE CRITICAL, SUCH AS NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS OR, UH, ANIMAL CARE OFFICERS OR CODE OFFICERS. 
          BUT, BUT THAT PROCESS AS WE GO INTO 27, I DO ANTICIPATE KEEPING THAT PROCESS IN TACT TO, TO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY AS WE GO INTO THE, UM, IF WE GO INTO FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          SO, UM, THE BUDGET PRIORITIES THAT YOU ALL TALKED ABOUT AND THAT WE RECEIVED IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, SURVEY, PUBLIC SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE, SENIORS, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND COMMUNITY SPACES, AND THEN THE COMMUNITY SURVEY REALLY PRIORITIZED HOMELESS SERVICES, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, POLICE STREETS, AND FIRE AND EMS. AND SO I'LL WALK THROUGH THOSE AREAS HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES. 
          THEY'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THIS IS A, UM, UH, A BUDGET THAT HAS A MAJORITY REDUCTIONS, WE ARE MAKING SOME TARGETED INVESTMENTS IN THOSE PRIORITY AREAS TO CONTINUE, UH, THE WORK, UH, THAT, THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE AND THAT WE'VE DONE AS AN ORGANIZATION IN, IN THESE AREAS. 
          LEMME START WITH THE EMPLOYEES FIRST. 
          UM, SO 17,003 17, I'M SORRY, I KEEP SAYING 17,000, 13,700 POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE. 
          UM, THE, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET, UM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS DURING THE JUNE WORK SESSION. 
          UM, I'M PROPOSING A 3% ADJUSTMENT FOR THE CIVILIAN, UH, POSITIONS. 
          UH, FIREFIGHTERS WILL RECEIVE A 5%, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR COLLECTIVE BARGAIN AGREEMENT AND POLICE, UH, 4%, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. 
          UH, THE POLICE OFFICERS ARE SCHEDULED TO VOTE FOR THEIR, UH, TENTATIVE, UH, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT LATER ON THIS MONTH. 
          UH, WILL, UM, CERTAINLY MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT VOTE, UH, WHEN IT OCCURS BY THE, BY THE END OF THE MONTH. 
          UH, AND IF APPROVED, I ANTICIPATE BRINGING THAT TO COUNCIL IN, UH, EARLY SEPTEMBER FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. 
          OUR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, UM, WILL SEE, UH, A, UH, UH, WE'RE PROPOSING TO SEE AN INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTIONS, UH, BOTH PREMIUMS. UM, AND IN TERMS OF ADJUSTMENTS, IN TERMS OF OUT OF, OUT OF POCKET AND DEDUCTIBLES, UM, DEPENDING ON THE HEALTHCARE PLAN THAT OUR CIVILIANS PICK, UM, THAT IMPACT WILL BE ANYWHERE FROM $6 AND 34 CENTS A MONTH TO 178, A LITTLE OVER $178 A MONTH FOR FAMILY COVERAGE ON OUR VAL VALUE PLAN. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS, AND, AND, AND, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN ON COUNCIL FOR A WHILE, UH, WILL, WILL REMEMBER THIS, WE GO THROUGH A PRETTY DETAILED ANALYSIS OF, OF WHAT HAPPENS TO EMPLOYEES AND OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          DO THEY HAVE THE BEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE RIGHT, UH, HEALTHCARE DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILIES AS THEY GO THROUGH OPEN ENROLLMENT IN THE FALL? UM, WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UH, 111 EMPLOYEES THAT, UM, EVEN WITH A 3% ADJUSTMENT, UM, AND THESE PREMIUM ADJUSTMENTS, WE'LL SEE A NEGATIVE DECREASE IN TAKE HOME PAY. 
          UM, AND, AND, AND BASED ON OUR REVIEW, UM, AND I SHARED THIS WITH THE EMPLOYEES, UH, ON A WEBEX THIS MORNING, BASED ON OUR REVIEW THERE ARE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO DOUBLE OUR EFFORTS WITH THE EMPLOYEES AS WE GO THROUGH OPEN ENROLLMENT, PARTICULARLY WITH THESE EMPLOYEES BECAUSE, UM, HEALTHCARE DECISIONS ARE CRITICAL, UM, AND THEY'RE IMPORTANT AND THEY CAN BE EXPENSIVE. 
          AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE NOT BEING TOO CONSERVATIVE IN TERMS OF THEIR HEALTHCARE SELECTION. 
          UM, SO WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH THOSE EMPLOYEES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO, TO MAKE THE BEST SELECTION. 
          UH, THE EMPLOYEE, I'M SORRY, UH, UNIFORM EMPLOYEES. 
          UH, THE PROPOSED, UH, TENTATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE POLICE OFFICERS DOES HAVE ADJUSTMENTS TO DEDUCTIBLES OUT OF POCKETS AND PREMIUMS. AND, UH, WE'LL EVALUATE THAT, UH, AS THEY, UH, GO TO THEIR, GO THROUGH THEIR VOTING PROCESS. 
          UM, JUST TO PUT 
          [00:45:01]
A MARKER OUT THERE, WE WILL, THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS, UH, EXPIRES NEXT SEPTEMBER. 
          AND SO WE'LL BE NEGOTIATING ON A NEW COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH THEM, UH, PROBABLY BEGINNING IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OF, UH, 27. 
          SO, UH, HOMELESS SERVICES, UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET HAS, UH, $30.8 MILLION AND, AND MAINTAINS OUR INVESTMENT IN THIS AREA, UM, WITH A, WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE. 
          UH, WE ARE FOCUSED IN THE HOMELESS PROGRAM, AND YOU'LL SEE THIS IN THE, IN THE BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          WE ARE FOCUSED ON THE PRESENTATION THAT MARK CARMONA GAVE YOU ALL IN MAY, UH, OUR SHELTER AND HOUSING FRAMEWORK. 
          UM, AND, AND THAT IS REALLY KIND OF FOCUSED IN, IN THREE MAIN AREAS, UH, COLLABORATING ON CASE MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM INTEGRATION, UM, A PILOT ENCAMPMENT, UM, APPROACH TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE, UM, AND RESOLVE THOSE, UH, FREQUENTLY OCCURRING ENCAMPMENT SITES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY. 
          AND THEN MAXIMIZING OUR STREET OUTREACH, UM, TO THOSE THAT IN PARTICULAR HAVE MENTAL HEALTH OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES. 
          WE DO HAVE, UM, THROUGH OUR HOUSING BOND, WE HAVE, UH, $9 MILLION IN OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, UM, THAT, THAT WE HAVE, UM, UH, RECEIVE THROUGH INTEREST, UM, THROUGH THOSE BONDS. 
          AND, UH, I'M PROPOSING THAT WE UTILIZE THAT $9 MILLION, UM, IN THIS AREA TO REALLY INCREASE BED CAPACITY, EMERGENCY SHELTER, BED BED CAPACITY, AND, UH, POTENTIALLY ENHANCE, UH, DAY SERVICES TO PERIOD, PERIOD PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          YOU ALL RE WILL RECALL, WE HAVE FUNDED THIS YEAR, IT ENDS THIS FALL, A THE LOW BARRIER SHELTER AT, UH, CAESAR CHAVEZ AND, UM, AND SANTA ROSA, THE HOTEL THAT LEASE EXPIRES THIS FALL, UH, WE ARE NOT RENEWING THAT LEASE AND DID NOT HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE. 
          PART OF THIS IS, UH, THAT $9 MILLION IS MEANT TO PRO PROVIDE A STOP GAP, UM, AND INCREASE BED CAPACITY AT SOME OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, AND WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL WITH YOU IN THAT BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          BUT, BUT, BUT I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UM, ACCOMPLISH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MARK LAID OUT TO YOU ALL, UH, IN THAT PRESENTATION IN MAY. 
          IN TERMS OF HOUSING, UM, OUR HOUSING, UH, BUDGET, UH, PRIMARILY MADE UP OF THE GENERAL, GENERAL FUND, BUT ALSO SOME OF OUR GRANT FUNDED FEDERAL FEDERALLY GRANT FUNDED PROGRAMS IS $37.7 MILLION. 
          UM, IT IS, SEE, IT IS PROPOSED TO HAVE A 14.6% INCREASE IN, IN ITS BUDGET. 
          UM, WE ANTICIPATE, UH, BY THE END OF, UM, UH, TO BE AT 50%, UH, OF OUR TARGETED, UH, GOALS IN TERMS OF HOMES, UH, BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR, UH, 26. 
          UM, AND, AND THAT IS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON IN TERMS OF THE SHIP. 
          I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS BOTH AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL, UM, AND, AND, UH, ONE OF THE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS, YOU'LL SEE, UH, AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DEBT MANAGEMENT PLAN AND THE CAPITAL BUDGET WILL BE ON THE 2027 PROPOSED BOND PROGRAM. 
          SO I'M SURE THAT THIS WILL BE A, A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION. 
          UH, THE BUDGET, UH, THAT $37.7 MILLION INCLUDES 57, UH, $5.7 MILLION TO ASSIST, UH, 1,820 HOUSEHOLDS. 
          UH, IN TERMS OF RENTAL AND RELOCATION ASSISTANCE, IT DOES ASSUME IT DOES INCLUDE $500,000 FOR THE VOUCHERS PROGRAM TO ASSIST THOSE 800 OUT HOUSEHOLDS, AS YOU ALL, AS YOU ALL DEBATED THAT ISSUE. 
          UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, BOTH AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL AND HERE AT COUNCIL, IS THAT WE WOULD REALLOCATE $500,000 OF EXISTING DOLLARS, BUT UTILIZING SOME OF THE EXISTING FUNDS THAT WE'VE GOT, WE'RE ADDING $500,000 FOR THAT PROGRAM IN THE PROPOSED 97 MAJOR AND MINOR REPAIRS. 
          AND I KNOW, I KNOW THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH, BUT, BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A, A HUGELY IMPORTANT ITEM, UH, AND PROGRAM THAT THE CITY PROVIDES TO THE COMMUNITY TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES. 
          UM, SO THERE'S, THEIR FUNDING IS INCLUDED. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE $12.7 MILLION IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR GAP FINANCING, WHICH INCLUDES FUNDING FOR A PILOT TO INCENTIVIZE THE MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING PROGRAM OR GAP THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT, COUNCILMAN K HAS TALKED ABOUT. 
          SO WE'RE SETTING ASIDE FUNDS TO, UH, RUN THAT PILOT PROGRAM IN FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          WE'RE PROPOSING TO SET ASIDE FUNDS FOR THAT. 
          OUR STREET INVESTMENT OF $129.8 MILLION IS INCREASING BY 6%. 
          UM, PART OF THIS IS DUE TO SOME OF THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING IN TERMS OF REVENUE, UH, PROPOSING TO MAKE IN TERMS OF REVENUE, OUR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN F STREETS AS WE GO INTO FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          IT'S A TOTAL OF 1,979 PROJECTS FOR A TOTAL OF 534 MILES OF OUR STREET 
          [00:50:01]
NETWORK THAT WILL BE MAINTAINED OR PROPOSED TO BE MAINTAINED. 
          UH, GOING INTO, UH, FISCAL YEAR 27, UM, OUR SIDEWALK INVESTMENT IS $12.8 MILLION, WHICH WILL, UH, CONSTRUCT 12.8 UH MILES, NEW MILES OF SIDEWALKS AND REPAIR 8.7 MILES OF OUR SIDEWALK NETWORK. 
          UM, AS PART OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PRESENTATION THAT YOU ALL WILL RECEIVE IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET WORK SESSION, WE'LL GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL IN TERMS OF OUR SIDEWALK MASTER PLAN AND THE NETWORK AND, AND WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING. 
          A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE BOND PROGRAM. 
          UM, WE'LL ALSO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON OUR REVIEW OF OUR, I AM OUR STREET, I AM OUR SMP PROGRAM, OUR STREET MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. 
          UM, WE ARE MAKING SOME, SOME ADJUSTMENTS WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS BUDGET TO, UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK YOU ALL ALL DEAL WITH, UM, YOUR CIP AND YOUR N FUNDING IN TERMS OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN COSTS. 
          UM, WE'RE SETTING ASIDE MONEY WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS BUDGET TO UTILIZE THAT TO PERFORM THOSE DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AND COST ESTIMATES. 
          THAT WAY YOU CAN MAXIMIZE, UM, THOSE DOLLARS THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO THE DISTRICTS FOR THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. 
          SO WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL IN THOSE AREAS. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING IN, IN PUBLIC WORKS AND, AND, UH, WE'LL WALK THROUGH YOU THROUGH THOSE WITH YOU IN THE WORK SESSION. 
          OUR ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, UH, DEPARTMENT IS PROBABLY, I, I SHOULDN'T SAY PROBABLY IS THE LARGEST, IS THE, WE WILL SEE THE LARGEST INCREASE OF ANY GENERAL FUND, UH, DEPARTMENT. 
          UH, THAT BUDGET IS GOING UP 12%. 
          THE PRIMARY REASON IS THAT WE HAVE THE NEW VETERINARIAN HOSPITAL THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION OUT THERE AT THE CAMPUS RIGHT NOW. 
          WE ARE ADDING THE OPERATING FUNDS AND THE POSITIONS TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE THAT NEW FACILITY. 
          UM, AND, UH, WE DO THE, THE BUDGET DOES INCLUDE SOME REDUCTIONS, UH, MINIMAL REDUCTIONS INTO THE, IN THE DEPARTMENT OVERALL. 
          UH, OUR STATS IN TERMS OF, OF, UH, WORK AT, AT ANIMAL CARE SERVICES CONTINUES TO, UM, REFLECT POSITIVE, UM, UH, MEASURES BASED ON THE INVESTMENT THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS MADE OVER THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS. 
          UM, AND I, I'M CERTAINLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT, UH, WE EXPECT TO, UH, END THIS YEAR IN FISCAL YEAR 26 WITH 93.4% OF OUR CRITICAL CALLS BEING ANSWERED. 
          AND YOU ALL WILL RECALL THAT THREE YEARS AGO THAT WAS AT 40%. 
          SO WE HAVE BEEN HYPER-FOCUSED IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING THOSE CRITICAL CALLS. 
          OUR LIVE RELEASE RELATE RATE HAS, UM, UH, HOVERED THERE AROUND JUST BELOW 90% AT 88%. 
          AND OUR SPAY NEUTER SURGERIES CONTINUE TO ESCALATE EVERY YEAR BASED ON INVESTMENTS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS APPROVED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT, UH, WE ANTICIPATE CONTINUING TO GROW IN FISCAL YEAR 27 AT ALMOST 43,000 SPAY NEUTER SURGERIES. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, WITH ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, IT'S ABOUT ENFORCEMENT, IT'S ABOUT THE LIVE RELEASE, IT'S ABOUT ADOPTIONS, AND IT'S ABOUT SPAY NEUTER SURGERIES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE MOVING THE BALL IN ALL FOUR COURTS BECAUSE ONE SOLUTION ISN'T GONNA SOLVE ALL THE ISSUES. 
          AND SO, UM, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES CERTAINLY WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN THEIR BUDGET AS PROPOSED, UH, UM, IN THE BUDGET TODAY, UH, BEFORE YOU, UM, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET IS AT 676 MILLION 6, 676 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. 
          WE ARE PROPOSING 27 NEW SAPD OFFICERS, UH, TO PREPARE FOR THE OPENING OF THE NEW TERMINAL AT THE AIRPORT. 
          IN FISCAL YEAR 28. 
          UH, WE HAVE APPLIED FOR A COPS GRANT, UH, FOR THOSE FUNDING, UH, FOR THOSE OFFICERS. 
          WE ARE ALSO CONTINUING THE TRANSITION OF PARK POLICE RESPONSIBILITIES TO SAPD BY MOVING 22 PARK POLICE VACANCIES TO SAPD. 
          UM, YOU ALL RECALL, WE, WE GAVE YOU AN UPDATE IN LATE MAY. 
          UH, WE APPROVED POSITIONS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET TO MOVE VACANCIES INTO SAPD. 
          SOME OF THOSE FUNCTIONS WILL BEGIN, TAKE, WILL BEGIN, UH, TAKING OVER BY SAPD AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. 
          THOSE POSITIONS HAVE ALL BEEN TRAINED AND RELEASED AND GRADUATED FROM THE ACADEMY. 
          AND SO, UH, WE'LL BE, UM, UH, CONTINUING THAT PROCESS, UH, WITH THOSE 22 VACANCIES AND PARK POLICE, UH, THE PROPOSED BUDGET, AND WE'LL GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS IN TERMS OF THE POLICE PROPOSED BUDGET IN THE WORK SESSION. 
          BUT WE'RE EXPANDING OUR POLICE, UH, DRONE DETAIL, UH, BY REALLOCATING SOME EXISTING RESOURCES, UM, AND, AND, AND, AND LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN USE THOSE DRONES TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PROACTIVE IN TERMS OF POLICE ACTIVITY. 
          WE ARE MOVING, UH, SIX PATROL DETECTIVES THAT ARE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON EVIDENCE COLLECTION IN THE FIELD, UM, TO, UH, HOMICIDE AND SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT FOR INVESTIGATIVE PURPOSES TO HELP BALANCE OUT CASELOAD AND 
          [00:55:01]
ADDING THREE CIVILIANS, UH, THREE CIVILIAN CRIME INVESTIGATORS IN THE FIELD TO TAKE UP THAT WORK. 
          UM, PRIMARILY THIS IS BEING FUNDED BY A REDUCTION IN OVERTIME. 
          UM, AND, UM, OVERALL, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET PROPOSED BUDGET HAS $5.4 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS THAT ARE COMING FROM OVERTIME. 
          LINE ITEM REVIEWS, UH, A NOTIFICATION SYSTEM THAT WE DON'T USE VERY OFTEN AT THIS POINT, AS WELL AS THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS $451.2 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, PART OF THE ANALYSIS THAT WE DID IN THE POLICE IN THE BOTH POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS WAS, AS WE LOOKED AT OVERTIME, GENERALLY SPEAKING IN ANY ORGANIZATION, UM, OVER TIME, IF UTILIZED PROPERTY IS MORE EFFICIENT, COST EFFICIENT THAN HIRING POSITIONS. 
          UM, AND PERIODICALLY WE REVIEW BOTH OF THOSE, UH, DEPARTMENTS TO SEE WHERE ARE WE SPENDING OVERTIME IN AREAS AND WOULD IT BE A BETTER INVESTMENT IN TERMS OF ADDING POSITIONS AND REDUCING THE OVERTIME. 
          AND SO, UM, EIGHT NEW UNIFORM POSITIONS WILL BE, UH, PROPOSED TO BE ADDED TO OUR TRAINING ACADEMY AND RECRUITMENT AND APPLICATION, UH, PROCESSING. 
          UM, THOSE POSITIONS RIGHT NOW ARE BEING FUNDED BY OVERTIME, AND THEN WE'RE BACK FILLING THOSE POSITIONS AT THE STATIONS. 
          SO WE WILL SEE SAVINGS BY ADDING THESE POSITIONS. 
          THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL POSITION THAT WE'RE, UH, PROPOSING TO ADD, TO PERFORM AND BE DEDICATED TO ANNUAL SCHOOL FIRE INSPECTIONS. 
          AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE HAVE BEEN UTILIZING OVERTIME WHERE IT'S A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENT FOR US TO, UH, ADD A POSITION AND REDUCE THAT OVERTIME EXPENSE. 
          IN THE, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OVERALL, THERE'S $3.7 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS IN THE, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, 2.9 MILLION. 
          UH, DOLLARS OF THAT IS IN, UH, OVERTIME, UM, AND $783,000 IN LINE ITEM REVIEWS AND OTHER ADJUSTMENTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW. 
          AND OUR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FUND, UH, IS PROPOSED AT $171.6 MILLION. 
          UM, WE ARE PROPOSING A $1 INCREASE IN THE MONTHLY FEE, UH, FOR SOLID WASTE. 
          UH, WE STILL HAVE VERY COMPETITIVE RATES IN TERMS OF OUR PEER CITIES AND THE LOCAL PRIVATE PROVIDERS, AND WE'LL SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU AT THE SOLID WASTE BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          UM, OVERALL, THE THE BUDGET IS, IS, IS PROPOSED TO GO UP ABOUT $3.1 MILLION, AND THAT'S TO HELP SUPPORT THE OPERATIONS AT THE STAR CREST TRANSFER STATION, WHICH WE TOOK, UM, CONTROL OF HERE EARLIER THIS YEAR OR LAST YEAR FROM A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR. 
          UM, THAT'S ONE OF THREE SITES THAT OUR SOLID WASTE CREWS USE TO, UH, REMOVE, UH, MATERIAL. 
          UM, AND, UM, WE'RE ADDING TWO POSITIONS TO KEEP UP WITH OUR CUSTOMER GROWTH. 
          UM, SOLID WASTE, UH, VISITS OVER 400,000 HOMES TWICE A WEEK, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING UP WITH THAT WORK IS, IS CRITICAL. 
          THE, UH, AIRPORT FUND, UM, PROPOSED BUDGET IS AT $85.9 MILLION. 
          THE INCREASE OVERALL IN THE OPERATIONS BUDGET IS AT 3%, WHICH ALIGNS WITH OUR FINANCIAL POLICY OUT AT THE AIRPORT. 
          UH, WE ARE ANTICIPATING TO EXCEED 10 AND A HALF MILLION PASSENGERS, UH, THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          AGAIN, UH, 47 NONSTOP LOCATIONS, UH, THAT ARE OUT FLYING OUT OF SAT, UH, SAT WITH 12 DIFFERENT CARRIERS. 
          THE TERMINAL PROJECT, WHICH WE WILL UPDATE YOU ALL AT THE BUDGET WORK SESSION, IS CERTAINLY IS UNDERWAY AND IS ON SCHEDULE, ON BUDGET AND, UH, ON TIME, UM, TO BE COMPLETED IN, UH, IN, UH, SECOND QUARTER OF 2028. 
          UH, AND THEN AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE 27 OFFICERS THAT WE'RE ADDING FOR TERMINAL C WILL BE FUNDED OUT OF THE AIRPORT FUND, OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FUND, UH, WHICH IS ONE OF THE FUNDS WE FOCUSED ON IN OUR BUDGET, IN OUR FIVE-YEAR FORECAST. 
          AND, UM, IN OUR EARLIER CONVERSATIONS, UH, ACCOUNTS FOR ALL OUR REVENUES AND EXPENSES RELATED TO DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, UH, IN THE CITY. 
          UM, AND OUR REVENUES ARE CERTAINLY CLOSELY TIED TO, UH, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. 
          WE'VE NOT INCREASED OR CHANGED, UM, THE, UM, UH, THE REVENUE MODEL AT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UH, SINCE 2008 AND OVER THE LAST YEAR. 
          WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AS, AS LAST YEAR'S AS PART OF LAST YEAR'S, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WE WERE GONNA WORK DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 26 WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. 
          UM, TO REVISIT THESE AREAS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S CRITICAL FOR US, AND YOU'LL SEE IN THE BUDGET WORK SESSION WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, IS MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING UP WITH OUR COMMITMENTS IN TERMS OF OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES, OUR PLAN REVIEWS, OUR INSPECTION TIMELINES, UM, TO KEEP PROJECTS ROLLING AND MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          [01:00:02]
UM, UM, WE IMPLEMENTED A STRATEGIC HIRING FREEZE IN FISCAL YEAR 26 TO BEGIN, UH, ADDRESSING PART OF OUR DEFICIT. 
          THE FISCAL YEAR 27 PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES THE FIRST YEAR OF A THREE YEAR PLAN, UH, TO INCREASE REVENUES BY 35% BY INCREASING REVENUES BY 15%. 
          AND AGAIN, WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IN THIS AREA. 
          THE BALANCE HERE IS MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN OPERATE AND RESPOND TO REQUESTS, WHETHER THEY'RE RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL IN A TIMELY MANNER, UH, TO NOT DELAY PROJECTS. 
          AND, UH, WE BELIEVE THIS PROPOSED, UH, PLAN, UH, HELPS US MAINTAIN THAT AS WE GO, AS WE GO FORWARD. 
          UM, YOU'LL SEE ON THE CHART ON THE, ON THE TABLE THERE AT THE BOTTOM, WE DID SEE A CHANGE, UH, A DOWNWARD CHANGE IN NEW RESIDENTIAL, UH, THIS FISCAL YEAR FROM, UH, FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          WE'RE PROJECTING A SLIGHT INCREASE, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 FOR BOTH COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL. 
          UM, AND HOPING THAT COMMERCIAL CONTINUES TO OUTPACE THAT, THAT DEVELOPMENT, UH, PART OF THAT, PART OF THAT, UM, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL ASPECT TIES BACK TO OUR PROPERTY TAX AND MAKING SURE THAT, THAT THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR PLANNED TO BE CONSTRUCT, CONSTRUCTED, GET THROUGH THE PROCESS AND GET CONSTRUCTED ON TIME. 
          AND THAT HELPS US FROM A NEW VALUE STANDPOINT IN TERMS OF TAXABLE VALUES, UH, ON OUR PROPERTY TAX SIDE. 
          SO, UM, I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION THAT OUR CAPITAL BUDGET IS PROPOSED AT $1.4 BILLION. 
          UM, MOST OF THIS INCREASE IS DUE TO THE LARGEST PIECE OF THAT PIE CHART YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE, WHICH IS THE AIRPORT, UM, HAS A PROPOSED SPEND OF $860 MILLION, WHICH IS 61% OF OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          UM, AND THEN, UH, THAT IS, UH, FOLLOWED BY OUR, OUR NUMBER TWO PRIORITY IN TERMS OF WORK, UH, WHICH ARE OUR STREET WORK. 
          THAT'S THE COMPLETION OF OUR 2022 BOND PROGRAM, AS WELL AS OUR IMP, OUR S AND P PROGRAM THAT'S FUNDED THROUGH THE CAPITAL BUDGET, UH, AT 15% OR $218 MILLION WORTH OF SPEND AS WE GO INTO FISCAL YEAR 27. 
          AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE CAPITAL BUDGET WITH YOU ALL AND THE DEBT MANAGEMENT PLAN. 
          SO WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL. 
          THERE ARE A NUMBER OF NEW PROJECTS THAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO ADD IN THE, IN THE, UH, CAPITAL BUDGET. 
          UM, THE REMOVAL OF A LOW WATER CROSSING AT VITAL CREEK, UH, WHICH EXPERIENCED THE DEVASTATING FLOOD, UH, AND LOSS OF LIFE, UH, LAST JUNE. 
          UH, WE ARE PROPOSING TO, UH, CONTINUE THE WORK IN SHORING UP AND REBUILDING THE UH, DAM AT RED BERRY, UH, WHICH FLOWS INTO THE SATO CREEK. 
          UM, AND WE'LL WALK THROUGH THOSE, UH, THOSE PROJECTS WITH YOU. 
          WE'RE MAKING SOME ADJUSTMENTS, UM, IN TERMS OF REPLACEMENT OF HVAC SYSTEMS AT TWO OF OUR BRANCH LIBRARIES THAT ARE IN NEED OF THAT. 
          WE TRY TO DO THAT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO KEEP UP WITH, UH, THE MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS AT THOSE, UH, HEAVILY USED FACILITIES. 
          SO, UH, OBVIOUSLY TODAY IS JUST THE BUDGET PROPOSAL. 
          BUDGET TOWN HALLS BEGIN NEXT WEEK. 
          UM, UH, WE'LL HAVE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE SEVEN SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK AND THREE THE FOLLOWING WEEK. 
          OUR BUDGET WORK SESSIONS BEGIN NEXT WEEK. 
          UM, OUR TAX RATE HEARINGS THAT YOU WILL, UH, CONSIDER HERE SHORTLY ON SEPTEMBER 2ND AND THE 10TH WITH BUDGET ADOPTION ON SEPTEMBER 17TH. 
          UM, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THE PROPOSED BUDGET WORK SESSION THAT WE HAVE, UM, FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. 
          UM, ON TUESDAY, AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, WE WILL GO THROUGH ALL OF THE REDUCTIONS AND ALL OF THE REVENUE. 
          UH, AND FREDDY WILL GIVE THAT PRESENTATION. 
          ALL THE DEPARTMENTS WILL BE HERE TO CERTAINLY ANSWER DETAILED QUESTIONS ON WEDNESDAY, UH, AUGUST 19TH, WE WILL COVER MUCH LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR, UH, AS PART OF THE BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          UH, PRIMARILY A FOCUS ON THE CITY INITIATED TOURS, UH, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT ON AUGUST 25TH. 
          UM, HUMAN SERVICES, UM, I'M SORRY, HOMELESS SERVICES, HUMAN SERVICES HEALTH, AND A CS ON THE 26TH. 
          WE'LL COVER THE CONVENTION CENTER ARTS VISITS TO SAN ANTONIO, THE AIRPORT, AND DSD ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST WILL BE AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION 'CAUSE WE'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE BOND. 
          UM, OUR DEBT MANAGEMENT PLAN, OUR CAPITAL DELIVERY, AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC WORKS, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATION. 
          UM, JUST IN TERMS OF THE BOND UPDATE, AND I, I THINK I'VE SHARED THIS WITH ALL OF YOU BASED ON THE TAXABLE VALUES AND THE DECREASE IN TAXABLE VALUES. 
          UM, BARRING ANY CHANGE THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED AS, AS A GROUP OR YOU ALL HAVE DISCUSSED AS A GROUP IN TERMS OF UTILIZING A VARIABLE RATE APPROACH WITH OUR BOND PROGRAM, OUR 
          [01:05:01]
CAPACITY RIGHT NOW, BASED ON THE DECLINE IN TAXABLE VALUE IS $450 MILLION FOR A 2027 BOND PROGRAM. 
          SO, UM, CERTAINLY WE'LL GO INTO A LOT MORE DETAIL WITH YOU ON, ON SEPTEMBER 1ST. 
          NOT SHOWN ON HERE IS, UH, BUT IF YOU'LL, YOU'LL NOTICE ON THE CALENDAR THAT WE SEND OUT WEEKLY, WE DO HAVE MARKED, UH, FOR SEPTEMBER 30TH, UH, A B SESSION CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNCIL ABOUT THE 2027 BOND PROGRAM. 
          SO AS SOON AS WE ADOPT BUDGET, WE'RE GONNA GO STRAIGHT INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU ALL ON SEPTEMBER 2ND, WE WILL COVER FIRE POLICE, MUNICIPAL COURT, SEPTEMBER 8TH, LIBRARY PARKS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SOLID WASTE, UM, UH, THE NINTH, UH, WE'LL COVER ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION AND HR. 
          AND THEN WE, AS WE'VE HISTORICALLY DONE, ARE LEAVING TWO BUDGET WORK SESSIONS FOR YOU ALL TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS, UH, AS A GROUP, AS WE APPROACH, UH, THE SEPTEMBER 17TH, UH, CONSIDERATION OF THE, OF THE BUDGET FOR YOU ALL. 
          SO, MAYOR, UH, COUNSEL, THAT THAT, UH, CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. 
          UH, I, I WANT TO, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, UM, FOR, FOR THE FRANK CONVERSATION THAT YOU ALL HAD IN MAY AND IN JUNE. 
          UM, IT IS INSTRUMENTAL TO US AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET. 
          UM, AND I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND, UM, THE RAMIFICATIONS AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TODAY AND UTILIZING THE UNUSED INCREMENT. 
          UM, IT HAS BEEN 33 YEARS SINCE THE CITY HAS ADJUSTED THAT TAX RATE, AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE. 
          UM, SO I DON'T TAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION LIGHTLY, BUT I DO FEEL LIKE GIVEN THAT WE ARE IN A DOWNWARD CYCLE, THAT, UH, WE NEED TO MAKE THE STRUCTURAL CHANGES FOR OUR ORGANIZATION AND FOR THE COMMUNITY TO MAINTAIN THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. 
          UM, CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE, I'M SURE THAT THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF COUNCIL CONVERSATION ABOUT ALTERNATIVES, UH, TO THAT AND, AND WE'RE, AND WE'RE PREPARED FOR THAT. 
          UM, BUT I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU ALL AND THE GUIDANCE THAT YOU ALL AS A GROUP HAVE GIVEN US, BECAUSE IT WAS IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DID AT THE END OF MAY IN PREPARATION FOR THE JUNE TRIAL BUDGET, AND THEN, UH, FRANKLY, INSTRUMENTAL TO THE WORK THAT WE DID IN THE MONTH OF JULY IN TERMS OF FOCUS THAT WE TOOK, UH, FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          SO, AND THEN, AND THEN LASTLY, YOU KNOW, ALL THE FOLKS BEHIND ME IN THE AUDIENCE, UH, FROM, UH, MARIA AND JUSTINA AND FREDDY, AND THE REST OF THE ELT AND THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS AND THE FISCAL STAFF AND ALL THE DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN HARD AT WORK SINCE, UH, LATE MARCH TO PREPARE FOR THE FORECAST, THE TRIAL BUDGET, AND EVENTUALLY THE PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          WE HAVE EVERYBODY'S ON PINS AND NEEDLES BECAUSE AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, THIS IS, WE GOT ANOTHER MONTH OF THIS. 
          AND, UM, AND THERE'LL BE PLENTY OF CONVERSATION AND, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. 
          BUT, UH, APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT THE FOLKS BEHIND ME DID TO, UH, GET US TO TODAY'S POINT. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU, ERIC. 
          LET ME REITERATE, UM, MY THANKS TO YOU AND THE STAFF THAT HAS WORKED VERY HARD, UM, AND CERTAINLY HAS TRIED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ALL PREPARED FOR THIS MEETING AS WELL. 
          I KNOW A LOT OF HARD WORK GOES INTO MAKING THE DETERMINATION ABOUT WHERE SOME OF THESE CUTS CAN DO AND IMPROVEMENTS CAN DO WHAT WE, WE HAVE DESCRIBED, WHICH IS MINIMIZING IMPACTS ON OUR MOST VULNERABLE AND TRYING TO MINIMIZE ANY LONG-TERM IMPACTS AS A RESULT OF SOME OF THESE CHANGES. 
          SO, THANK YOU. 
          WE HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. 
          JACK FINGER. 
          WELL, MAYOR JONES, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. 
          MY NAME IS JACK FINGER, AND I WAS OBSERVING A FEW THINGS FROM THE PRESENTATION MADE HERE A MOMENT AGO. 
          THE, UH, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU'RE NOT LIVING WITHIN YOUR MEANS, LIKE WE, THE TAXPAYERS HAVE TO LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS. 
          YOU'RE GIVING A 3% INCREASE IN SALARIES TO THE BUREAUCRACY AND, UH, AND HOW, AND HOW MUCH ARE YOU RAISING OUR TAX RATES? 3%. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO RAISE OUR FEES FOR WELL, AMBULANCES. 
          YEAH, YOU'RE GONNA RAISE OUR GARBAGE PICKUP FEES AND YOU'RE GONNA INCREASE THE POLICE FORCE BY MERE PITTANCE OF 20 OR 30 INDIVIDUALS. 
          [01:10:02]
SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN CLAMORING OUR NEEDS FOR FOR YEARS. 
          THE CITY MANAGER AT THE BEGINNING SAID IS WE, THE TAXPAYERS ARE SUFFERING LIKE AS IF WE WERE IN A RECESSION. 
          YES, IT IS. 
          LIKE WE ARE IN A RECESSION WITH, WITH INFLATION GOING UP, HOW MUCH EVERYBODY FEELS THIS. 
          WE CAN'T BUY THE STUFF THE GROCERS WE USED TO BUY. 
          I YOU AND YOU. 
          WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO? INSTEAD OF LOWERING OUR TAXES AS JUST FOR US WHO ARE SUFFERING, YOU WANNA RAISE IT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO INCREASE THE INCOME, THE REVENUE. 
          YOU KNOW WHAT THIS REMINDS ME OF? SOME BUREAUCRAT MANY YEARS AGO HAD A, UH, A CRAZY SUGGESTION TO, TO HIS, HIS, UH, GOVERNMENT OFFICES. 
          AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAID, AND I'M REFLECTING IT, I'M REPLACING IT. 
          HIS OFFICE WITH THAT OF THE CITY COUNCIL TAX HIKE. 
          IT'S A PROPOSED TAX HIKE, CITY COUNCIL TAX HIKE, QUOTE, THE BEATINGS SHALL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES. 
          YEAH. 
          THE BEATINGS SHALL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES. 
          YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE. 
          YOU WANT TO ADD GASOLINE TO OUR FIRES, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT. 
          AND YOU SAY, WELL, AND, AND CONSEQUENTLY, OUR PROPERTY TAX VALUES GO DOWN, THAT BRINGS LESS REVENUE IN. 
          IT SAYS, OH, WELL, WE'VE GOT, WE CAN'T BELIEVE HAVE THAT HAPPEN. 
          WE'VE GOTTA INCREASE OUR REVENUE. 
          AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU RAISE OUR TAXES, OUR PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING VERY HARD TIMES SURVIVING. 
          BUT, BUT, UH, YOU, YOU DECIDE TO RAISE THE, WHAT WAS THE, THE, THE BEDS FOR THE HOMELESS. 
          WHAT WAS IT? NOT 9 MILLION BUCKS THERE OR, SO YOUR PRIORITIES ARE ALL SKEWED. 
          OKAY? THAT WAS THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE, UH, PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM FOUR, ITEM FIVE RATHER. 
          EXCUSE ME. 
          OKAY. 
          WE WILL MOVE ON TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          UM, I'M GONNA BEGIN WITH, UH, WITH THE GOOD THANK YOU TO, UM, ERIC FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UH, JUSTINA, UH, EVERYBODY, UM, IN THE BUDGET DEPARTMENT, UM, FOR, FOR, FOR ALL OF THE WORK. 
          UH, UH, I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH JOB. 
          I I KNOW WE'RE IN A TOUGH SPOT. 
          UM, SO I DON'T WANT ANY OF THAT, UH, TO GO UNNOTICED W WITH, YOU KNOW, AFTER MY COMMENTS SHORTLY, BECAUSE IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT, UH, THAT I'M NOT HAPPY AT ALL WITH WHERE WE AT. 
          AND, AND THE THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD RAISE TAXES ON THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO RIGHT NOW IS FRANKLY, UM, UNCONSCIONABLE. 
          UM, BUT YOU GUYS, THE WORK YOU'VE DONE, IT'S EXTREMELY VALUABLE. 
          UM, ONE EXAMPLE, RIGHT? SIZING, LIBRARY STAFFING, UH, AGAINST A DOCUMENTED DROP IN USE. 
          UH, THAT'S THE EXACT KIND OF WORK, UH, THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING. 
          UM, I THINK I SAW UP THERE $12.8 MILLION, UH, THAT WE FOUND THROUGH OUR, YOU KNOW, BEGINNING THE ZERO BASED BUDGETING EFFORT. 
          THESE BUDGET REVIEWS, WE'VE LOOKED AT THESE DEPARTMENTS, WE FOUND $12.8 MILLION. 
          THAT'S REALLY GOOD WORK. 
          UM, BUT WE FRANKLY, UM, NEED MORE OF THAT. 
          SO, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL, UM, FOR, FOR THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE. 
          WE NEED TO MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION TODAY AND THE VOTES THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO TAKE, ALL RIGHT? THIS IS A FIRST STEP TO A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE ON THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE, UM, ARE STRUGGLING TO LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, UM, AT A TIME WHERE, UH, EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE FOR OUR CITIZENS. 
          THE THOUGHT THAT THIS CITY GOVERNMENT WOULD SIT UP HERE AND RAISE THE PEOPLE'S PROPERTY TAXES, WHEN FRANKLY, UM, WE JUST HAVE NOT DONE EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN YET AS A CITY, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FRIVOLOUS, THE WASTEFUL SPENDING IS GONE, OR THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN RID OF ALL OF THE NICE TO HAVES FOR 33 YEARS. 
          WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS. 
          WE WENT THROUGH NINE 11. 
          WE WENT THROUGH THE FINANCIAL CRASH IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS. 
          WE WENT THROUGH COVID, YET SOMEHOW WE DIDN'T RAISE TAXES ON THE CITIZENS YET SOMEHOW TODAY, WE THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING, 
          [01:15:01]
UH, THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. 
          UM, FRANKLY, IT'S OUTRAGEOUS. 
          OUR, OUR TAXPAYERS DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO SIMPLY INCREASE THEIR HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS, UH, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN COSTS GO UP, THEY HAVE TO MAKE THE DIFFICULT CHOICES REDUCE SPENDING, RESTRUCTURE PRIORITIES. 
          YET TODAY WE TALK ABOUT JUST LET'S BRING SOME MORE REVENUE INTO THE CITY AND RAISE TAXES ON THE CITIZENS. 
          IT'S NOT RIGHT. 
          GOT SO MUCH IN THIS BUDGET. 
          I MEAN, WE ONLY GOT THIS, WE ONLY GOT THIS BUDGET BOOK A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, RIGHT? AND JUST MY, MY TEAM AND I WORKED OVER THE WEEKEND AND WE TOOK A LOOK AT IT. 
          I MEAN, SO MUCH MONEY IN HERE TO STILL BE CUT. 
          SISTER CITIES, $300,000 PROTOCOL AND DIPLOMACY, $400,000 GEO SUPPORT SERVICES, $100,000. 
          THERE'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT SERVICES, LINE ITEMS, $2.7 MILLION ACROSS 6.3 POSITIONS. 
          THE WORST OF THESE IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPLIANCE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR $800,000, WHICH ACTUALLY COSTS MORE THAN THE TWO ACTUAL COMPLIANCE FUNCTIONS THAT IT SUPPORTS COMBINED HUMAN SERVICES COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT. 
          THE DESCRIPTION ON THIS ONE SAYS, THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE INDIVIDUAL ADVERTISING AND MARKETING BUDGET THAT EXIST FOR THE DIVISION. 
          I MEAN, THE DUPLICATION IS RIGHT THERE IN THE DESCRIPTION. 
          MAYOR'S FITNESS COUNCIL, $700,000. 
          MAYBE SOMEBODY CAN TELL ME, I THINK MAYOR NURNBERG PUT THAT INTO PLACE. 
          MAYBE SOMEBODY CAN TELL ME WHAT'S, WHAT'S COME OUTTA THAT IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS? SA TOMORROW REZONING, CITY INITIATED REZONING OF PRIVATE PROPERTY TO CONFORM TO AN ADOPTED PLAN. 
          THEN THERE'S DUPLICATIVE EFFORTS, EFFORTS THAT FRANKLY, WE SHOULD BE GOING TO THE COUNTY TO WORK WITH THEM ON DOWNTOWN OPERATIONS, GENERAL FUND, PAYING FOR LANDSCAPING, LIGHTING, SANITATION, WHEN WE'VE GOT PIT ASSESSMENTS, UH, THAT SHOULD COVER MOST OF THIS. 
          HOW WE CAN SIT UP HERE AND TELL THE CITIZENS WE'RE CONSIDERING RAISING THEIR TAXES WITHOUT FIRST GOING THROUGH, UM, OUR BUDGET WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB TO CUT OUT SOME OF THIS STUFF. 
          I, I CAN'T IMAGINE, AND LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS. 
          THIS IS A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM WITH THE WAY WE SPEND MONEY AS A CITY. 
          AND, AND I, AND LAST NIGHT I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, AND I COMPARE IT TO THIS, IN, IN PEOPLE'S EVERYDAY LIVES, RIGHT? MAYBE, UM, THEY GO TO THE STORE TO GET THE GROCERIES FOR THE WEEK WHILE THEY'RE THERE. 
          THEY'VE GOTTEN IN THE HABIT OF PICKING UP THEIR FAVORITE BAG OF CANDY WHEN THEY GO TO THE MOVIE THEATER, RATHER THAN GETTING THE MEDIUM DRINK. 
          THEY'RE IN THE HABIT OF GETTING THE LARGE AT HOME FOR CABLE. 
          MAYBE THEY GET NETFLIX AND HULU, AND YOU GET IN THE HABIT OF DOING THESE THINGS. 
          YOU DO THEM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 
          IT JUST BECOMES A PART OF WHAT YOU DO, BUT YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO DO THEM. 
          THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT HERE AT CITY HALL FOR YEARS. 
          WE SPEND ON ALL THESE THINGS, AND IT JUST BECOMES A PART OF WHAT WE DO. 
          AND WHERE DOES THAT LAND US WITH THIS $158 MILLION DEFICIT? YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY, I, I SAW SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY AND, AND, AND, AND SOMEBODY WAS, WAS BLAMING THE MAYOR FOR THIS DEFICIT. 
          AND, AND I SAID, NO. 
          I MEAN, I GOT A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THE MAYOR. 
          THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. 
          WE'VE TALKED ABOUT 'EM, BUT, BUT THE MAYOR CANNOT BE BLAMED FOR THIS BUDGET DEFICIT. 
          TH TH THIS IS THE RESULT OF AT LEAST A DECADE'S WORTH OF SPENDING HABITS THAT HAVE TO STOP. 
          AND TO BE IN THIS SITUATION AND SAY THAT THE ANSWER IS TO TAKE MORE MONEY FROM THE CITIZENS IN OF SAN ANTONIO IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG. 
          [01:20:10]
I MEAN, I, I GOT, YOU KNOW, MY, MY BIGGEST OTHER ISSUE, OF COURSE, WILL, WILL COME AS NO SURPRISE. 
          WE DO A STUDY THREE YEARS AGO FOR MORE THAN SIX FIGURES THAT SAYS WE NEED MORE OFFICERS PATROLLING THE STREETS OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          IT SAID WE NEEDED 360, I BELIEVE WE'VE PUT 200. 
          WE FUNDED 200. 
          WE NEED ANOTHER 170. 
          I MEAN, HOW MANY, HOW MANY INSTANCES OF CRIME AND SHOOTINGS IN WHATEVER ELSE HAVE WE SEEN JUST OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS? WE PARTNERED WITH UTSA ON THAT HOTSPOT POLICING STUDY THAT SHOWED, WHEN YOU PUT OFFICERS VISIBLE ON THE GROUND IN HIGH CRIME AREAS, GUESS WHAT HAPPENS? THE CRIME GOES DOWN. 
          I THINK THERE WAS A SLIDE EARLIER TODAY THAT SHOWED COUNCIL'S NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          IT WAS THERE IN THE TOP, AGAIN, FOR THE, FOR THE CITIZENS AS WELL. 
          YET, NOWHERE IN THIS $1.7 BILLION BUDGET, CAN WE COME UP WITH A MILLION OR $2 TO GET, UM, YOU KNOW, SAFE OFFICERS. 
          HOW ABOUT ANOTHER SAFE OFFICER IN EACH DISTRICT? WE ALL HEAR ALL THE TIME HOW MUCH OUR CITIZENS, UH, WANT MORE SAFE OFFICERS, MORE OFFICERS ON THE STREET HELPS DETER CRIME, KEEP OUR CITIZENS SAFE. 
          THAT'S OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. 
          WHY IN THE WORLD IN THIS $1.7 BILLION BUDGET, IS THERE NOT MONEY FOR THAT? THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE TAX INCREASE TOO, RIGHT? IT'S BEING PROPOSED FOR THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR. 
          I, I DON'T EVEN THINK THAT CLOSES WHAT OUR BUDGET DEFICIT WILL BE IN FIVE YEARS. 
          TH THIS IS A BANDAID, FOLKS. 
          IT'LL HELP GET US THROUGH THIS YEAR. 
          IT'LL HELP GET US THROUGH NEXT YEAR, FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, WE'LL BE IN THE SAME SITUATION. 
          UNLESS THIS CITY GOVERNMENT, RIGHT SIZES ITSELF, GETS RID OF, GETS RID OF THE WASTE, WE ARE BLOATED AND GETS BACK TO DOING WHAT A CITY GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT'S FOCUSED ON CORE CITY SERVICES. 
          IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY, IT'S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          WE GOTTA LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE ALONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU, ERIC. 
          THIS MORNING IS THE CITY'S FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET. 
          I RECOGNIZE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK AND THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION THAT WENT INTO DEVELOPING THE PROPOSAL, PARTICULARLY THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES BEFORE US AS A RESULT OF OUR CURRENT ECONOMIC STA STATUS, UM, NATIONALLY. 
          UH, I WANNA THANK OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC WALSH, DEPUTY CHIEF CITY MANAGER, MANIA GOMEZ, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, JUSTINA TATE, AND THE ENTIRE BUDGET TEAM FOR THEIR WORK AND PREPARATION OVER THE MONTH OF JULY. 
          I WANNA KNOW, OH, I UNDERSTOOD WHEN I WAS ELECTED IN 2021, THAT AS A RESULT OF THE COVID AND THE ARPA DOLLARS, THAT WE WOULD GET TO THIS POINT WHERE WE WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER A, UH, PROPOSED TAX INCREASE. 
          AND I THINK THAT YOU'VE COME VERY CONSERVATIVELY WITH THAT VARIABLE, AND I APPRECIATE THIS IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MENTIONED HERE, AND COMMENTS THAT'LL BE MENTIONED IN THE FUTURE. 
          WE CANNOT CUT OUR WAY OUT OF THIS BUDGET. 
          I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY ALLEGATIONS THAT THERE HAS BEEN FRAUDULENT SPENDING. 
          AND, UH, I SIT ON THE AUDI AUDIT COMMITTEE. 
          IS THERE PLACES WE CAN TIGHTEN UP? OF COURSE THERE IS, BUT THIS IS ABOUT INVESTMENT. 
          THIS IS ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH. 
          AND THIS ONLY HAPPENS IF WE INVEST STRATEGICALLY. 
          AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS NOT FOR THE, UH, THE CITIZENS TO BE BURDENED, BUT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE ASKING THEM TO DO IS TO INVEST INTO THEIR CITY, INVEST BACK INTO THE CITY SERVICES THAT THEY EXPECT AND THAT THEY DESERVE, AND INVEST BACK INTO THE INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          I THINK NOW, MORE THAN EVER, IS THE RIGHT TIME AS WE LOOK AT, UM, THE, UH, POLICE CONTRACTS AND BRINGING FORWARD, MAKING SURE WE HAVE A WELL-FUNDED POLICE DEPARTMENT, MAKING SURE WE HAVE A WELL-FUNDED CITY DEPARTMENT SO THAT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO STAY. 
          UM, SOME OF THE IDEAS OF THE 
          [01:25:01]
DEPARTMENTS TO CUT SISTER CITIES, UM, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, WHERE THAT IS WHERE I AM TODAY, CONTRIBUTING IN LEARNING, I THINK IS SHORTSIGHTED AND WORKS IF YOU ARE A CITY THAT IS OVER IS UNDER 60,000 PEOPLE, BUT WE ARE THE SIXTH LARGEST CITY IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO WE NEED TO WORK AS A LARGE CITY. 
          SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS ELECTED OFFICIALS, IS TO APPROACH THIS CHALLENGE AND DO WHAT WE WERE ELECTED TO DO, WHICH WAS MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS AND PROVIDE THE ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. 
          UH, THIS IS NOT A HOUSEHOLD BUDGET, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE FUTURE, HELPING MY RESIDENTS WITH THE HELP OF PROGRAMS, UH, FUNDED BY MY OFFICE TO MAKE SURE AND WORKING IN PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, THAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT THEIR BUDGET, AND THAT THEY'RE SEEING THAT THIS IS MANAGEABLE WHEN IT COMES TO FEE WAIVERS AND FEE INCREASES. 
          THOSE THINGS CAN BE REDUCED. 
          IF WE LOOK AT RECYCLING MORE, CONSERVATION MORE, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT, THAT OUR RATES STAY THE SAME, IF NOT LOWER, BY REDUCING OUR TRASH CAN SIZE. 
          SO, UM, THIS, THIS PANIC, THIS GLOOM AND DOOM. 
          I THINK WE KNOW ECONOMICALLY, WE FACE CHALLENGES. 
          WE KNOW IT'S, IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE AND GET WHAT WE NEED, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, WE ARE NOT IN, IN THE, UM, IN THE BURNING ERA THAT SOME WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT WE ARE. 
          UH, I DO LOOK FORWARD TO MORE CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, I DO LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, HEARING FROM THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND, UM, MAYBE POSSIBLY ADDING TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS. 
          ERIC, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING, UM, OUR CITY CONTRACTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN, UM, CONTINUE TO FUND, UH, SPECIFICALLY THOSE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MENTIONED EARLIER THAT I, I HAVE MET WITH AND TALKED WITH ABOUT MAYBE JUST ADJUSTING TO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AND BEING MOST STRATEGIC ON HOW WE USE THE FUNDS. 
          AND IN PARTICULAR, AS WE TALK ABOUT THE MOST VULNERABLE, AND I THINK ABOUT SAN ANTONIO EDUCATION PARTNERS, THAT IMPACTS ONE OF MY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND I HAVE FOUR IN DISTRICT THREE SIGNIFICANTLY. 
          SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT THAT AND WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS. 
          MY BELIEF IS THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT IN THE CITY AND TRULY A PUBLIC, UM, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE CAN WORK SUCCESSFULLY IN AREAS ACROSS THE CITY AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW. 
          UM, SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND AS WE, UM, LOOK AT THE BUDGET, I THINK, UM, I THINK YOU NEED TO PROVIDE MORE THAN A WEEK'S WORTH OF WORK, UH, TO TELL ME THAT THIS VALIDATES YOUR, UH, CLAIMS OF WHY WE SHOULD CUT BUDGETS. 
          BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH WE'VE BEEN WORKING. 
          I'VE BEEN WORKING ALL SUMMER ON THIS, UM, IN ADDITION TO WHEN I GOT ELECTED IN 2021, KNOWING THAT THIS DAY WAS COMING. 
          SO MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS THAT WE AS COUNCIL, IF WE ARE GOING TO PREACH THAT WE SHOULDN'T DO IT, THAT, THAT THEN COUNCIL COLLEAGUES LOOK AT THEIR OFFICES FIRST TO SEE WHERE THEY CAN SAVE MONEY, AND THEN CONTRIBUTE TO PROGRAMS THAT WILL HELP WITH, WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          SO, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO MOVING FORWARD AND HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, THE REALITY IS EVERYTHING IS GOING UP. 
          CITY OF SAN ANTONIO NEEDS TO PROVIDE SERVICES, RESIDENTS EXPECT SERVICES, AND I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THE CITY MANAGER AND THE TEAM HAS BROUGHT A GREAT INITIAL CONVERSATION, AND I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF WHERE WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS BUDGET, UM, MAKE THIS BUDGET WILL WORK, AND STOP WITH ALLEGATIONS THAT AFTER FOUR YEARS ON COUNCIL HAVE NOT BEEN PROVED. 
          SO MY DISTRICT THREE BUDGET TOWN HALL WILL BE HELD ON AUGUST 18TH FROM SIX 30 TO 8:00 PM ON THE SOUTH SIDE LION SENIOR CENTER. 
          I ASK THAT YOU ALL COME BY. 
          IF YOU HAVE HEARD SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS ON, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON TUESDAY. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SPHERES. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, I WANNA THANK CITY STAFF FOR YOUR HARD WORK, UM, PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. 
          I KNOW IT'S HARD AND IT'S HARD TO TRY TO APPEASE SO MANY OF US WITH DIFFERING, 
          [01:30:01]
WE ALL WANT THE SAME THING, BUT HAVE A DIFFERENT APPROACH. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S REALLY HARD TO DO, BUT, UM, I THINK THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO. 
          I, I HAVE SOME, SOME QUESTIONS. 
          I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I'LL START. 
          UH, CAN WE LOOK AT AN ACTUAL BUDGET SCENARIO WITHOUT THE INCREMENT INCREASE AND WITHOUT THE TAX INCREASE, WITHOUT THE, WITHOUT THE USE OF THE UNUSED INCREMENT COUNCIL? MM-HMM . 
          YEAH, CERTAINLY. 
          I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK I'M, I'M ANTICIPATING THAT YOU ALL ARE GONNA WANNA SEE AN ALTERNATIVE, UH, BUT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ONE PREPARED RIGHT NOW. 
          SURE. 
          BUT IT, BUT IT WOULD, IT WOULD, IT WOULD PROBABLY TIE BACK TO, UH, SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS THAT WE SHOWED YOU IN THE TRIAL BUDGET THAT WE DID NOT PROPOSE MM-HMM . 
          AS WELL AS SOME ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE SHOWED YOU IN JUNE. 
          BUT, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK ON A SCENARIO OR A COUPLE OF SCENARIOS, ACTUALLY. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, I'D ALSO LIKE TO SEE HOW MUCH WE COULD SAVE IF WE DID A, JUST AN ACROSS THE BOARD CUT PERCENTAGE WISE ON NON-MANDATED SPENDING, LIKE A 1%, 3% SORT OF THING, 5%. 
          UM, AND ALSO, WHICH DEPARTMENTS HAD THE BIGGEST INCREASE OTHER THAN POLICE AND FIRE, AND THE LARGEST DECREASE OTHER THAN POLICE AND FIRE. 
          UH, I WANNA ECHO WHAT COUNCILMAN WHITE SAID. 
          I'D LIKE TO SEE ALSO WHERE WE'RE DUPLICATING SERVICES THAT THE COUNTY CAN, WE CAN COME ALONGSIDE THE COUNTY OR OTHER SUBURBAN CITIES AND, AND, UH, WORK TOGETHER. 
          COMBINE FUNDING TOP OF MIND WOULD BE A CS, BUT, UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW WE COULD DO THAT. 
          AND THEN YOU MENTIONED WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE, UH, ON, WITH THE FREEZE ON NON-ESSENTIAL HIRING. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALREADY HAVE THE NUMBER ON HOW MUCH THAT SAVES US, BUT I'D BE INTERESTED IN THAT. 
          DO YOU ALREADY HAVE IT? GO AHEAD. 
          GO AHEAD, JUSTINA. 
          WE, WE DO, WE DO HAVE THAT BUILT INTO THE 27 AND 28 IS COUNCILWOMAN. 
          IT'S ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS IN FISCAL YEAR 2027, AND WE'RE, UM, PROJECTING ABOUT $2 MILLION IN 2028. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE DETERMINED WHICH PROGRAMS CREATED THE COVID RELATED WITH COVID RELATED FUNDING AND HOW WE DECIDED WHICH ONES REMAIN IN THE BUDGET. 
          SO, COUNCILWOMAN, UM, DO, DO YOU ME TO ANSWER AT THE END? I DON'T WANNA TAKE YOUR TIME. 
          YEAH, SURE. 
          FREEZE THE TIME IF YOU WANT TO. 
          OKAY. 
          FREEZE. 
          OH, GO AHEAD. 
          YEAH. 
          FREEZE THE TIME, PLEASE. 
          SO, UM, WHEN, WHEN THE CITY UTILIZED ARPA DOLLARS MM-HMM . 
          WE EXPRESSLY AVOIDED CREATING RECURRING EXPENSES WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UH, FRANKLY, UNLIKE A LOT OF OTHER GOV LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE COUNTRY, UM, THERE WERE, THERE WERE A HANDFUL OF PROGRAMS THAT WE FUNDED INITIALLY WITH ARPA IN 2021 THAT WE ASSUMED INTO THE DEPARTMENT, INTO THE GENERAL FUND IN 2022. 
          AND THEY WERE SOME INCREASES TO OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAM. 
          UH, THERE WAS, UH, AN ADJUSTMENT FOR, UM, SENIOR CENTER HOURS, WHICH, UM, WHICH WE, WE FUNDED, BUT, BUT BY FAR, THE MAJORITY OF THE MONEY, PRACTICALLY, THE ENTIRE AMOUNT THAT WE SPENT IN TERMS OF ARPA WAS SPENT ON ONE TIME, ONE TIME THINGS, OR WAS SENT ON, SPENT ON ONE TIME FUNDING OF AGENCIES THAT WENT THROUGH THE COUNCIL PROCESS. 
          SO, SO WE DON'T HAVE, WE'RE NOT UNLIKE SOME OF THE OTHER TEXAS CITIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE FEELING THE PINCH BECAUSE OF THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE ELIMINATION OF ARPA FUNDS. 
          THAT'S NOT CAUSING OUR ISSUE. 
          OKAY. 
          BECAUSE WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T FUND POLICE OFFICERS WITH IT. 
          WE DIDN'T DO, WE DIDN'T DO STREET MAINTENANCE WITH IT. 
          UH, WE, WE FOCUSED IT ON ONE-TIME SOURCES. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD. 
          THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. 
          UM, HERE'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M STRUGGLING WITH. 
          I, YOU KNOW, IN THE PROPOSAL WE RECEIVED, WE'RE REDUCING EACH DISTRICT'S CAPITAL BUDGET BY $800,000. 
          AND I'M REALLY STRUGGLING ON HOW I'M GONNA EXPLAIN TO MY CONSTITUENTS WHY SOME NON-ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR STREETS. 
          SO, I, I'M GONNA HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME WITH THAT ONE IF WE CAN. 
          THAT, THAT, THAT'S A HUGE DECREASE AND HIT TO EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING WITHIN OUR DISTRICTS. 
          UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO SEE THE CLEAR, MEASURABLE BENCHMARKS WE'RE GONNA USE TO PROVE THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE WORKING AND THAT TAXPAYERS ARE SEEING RESULTS. 
          UM, THE ONES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT KEEPING, AND IF WE'VE DONE A FULL REVIEW OF ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS AT THE CITY. 
          UM, BUT BEYOND THAT, JUST SOME 
          [01:35:01]
COMMENTS I WANTED TO MAKE. 
          FIRST, I, I WANTED TO THANK JUSTINA. 
          WE HAD A COUPLE OF EXTRA BUDGET TOWN HALLS FOR DISTRICT NINE. 
          I WAS TRYING TO REACH ALL OF THE QUADRANTS EARLY ON, SO WE HAD A COUPLE, AND SHE CAME TO ALL OF THEM. 
          AND THEN ART CAME, AND, AND MARIA CAME, AND WE HAD REALLY ROBUST DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TAX RATE. 
          AND SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME DURING THIS BUSY, BUSY TIME. 
          BUT, UH, AND ALSO, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR YOU'RE GONNA BE BREAKING OUT THE TAX INCREMENT BY DISTRICT AT OUR TOWN HALLS. 
          UM, THAT WAS THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION I THINK I GOT FROM MY DISTRICT, WAS THAT, UH, SO THIS PAST TUESDAY WE GOT AN EMAIL, A CITYWIDE EMAIL FOR EMPLOYEES FROM OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS ABOUT RESULTS BASED ACCOUNTABILITY. 
          THE TRAINING ASKS FOR THREE VERY BASIC QUESTIONS. 
          HOW MUCH DID WE DO? HOW WELL DID WE DO IT? AND IS ANYONE BETTER OFF? THREE QUESTIONS, MAKE BETTER DECISIONS. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A GOOD STANDARD FOR US TO BE USING WHILE WE'RE DOING THE, THROUGH THE BUDGET DISCUSSION. 
          UH, EVERY DEPARTMENT IS CAN, I'D LIKE TO SEE EVERY DEPARTMENT ASKING TAX. 
          IF YOU'RE ASKING TAXPAYERS FOR MORE MONEY, I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
          I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE OWE OUR TAXPAYERS. 
          UH, AND I WANNA SEE HOW I, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT HOW OUR RESIDENTS ARE GONNA ANSWER THEM. 
          SO THOSE ARE THINGS I'M GONNA BE PUTTING OUT TO MY, MY RESIDENTS AS WELL. 
          UH, WE'RE JUST FALLING SHORT. 
          I, I THINK BEFORE WE ASK TAXPAYERS FOR ANYTHING, WE NEED TO SHOW WHAT THEY'RE GETTING FOR THEIR MONEY RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, WHO IS IT? TOM CRUISE SAYS, SHOW ME THE MONEY. 
          I'D LIKE TO SEE. 
          THEY WANNA SEE HOW ARE YOU SPENDING OUR MONEY? UM, SO WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING HARD AT THIS. 
          I, WE'VE BEEN DIVING INTO IT AS WELL. 
          UH, HANSELMAN VIA AGRO HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD, BUT WE CANNOT SPEND OUR WAY OUT OF THIS DEFICIT, LET'S BE HONEST. 
          THE REASON WE'RE HERE IS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ANNEXING OUR WAY ANYMORE. 
          WE CAN'T GROW OUR ECONOMIC BASE ANYMORE. 
          SO THAT IS AN EXPECTED RESULT OF THE CHANGE IN ANNEXATION. 
          AND WHEN YOU COUPLE THAT WITHOUT A TOUCH SPENDING, WE ARE IN A BIND. 
          AND THIS IS ALL PRIOR TO THIS COUNCIL. 
          THIS IS, THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE JUST BUILDING AND BUILDING AND BUILDING, AND NOW WE'RE IN A BIND, BUT WE CANNOT SPEND OUR WAY OUT OF THE DEFICIT. 
          THE CUTS ARE REALLY A SHORT TERM SOLUTION. 
          SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IS REALLY THE LONG-TERM PATH FORWARD. 
          AND WE DO THAT THROUGH ECONOMIC GROWTH. 
          AND SO THAT MEANS MORE JOBS, UM, BETTER PAYING JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. 
          UH, WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS. 
          I'M LOOKING FOR A RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE'RE SPENDING. 
          MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE JUST REALLY GETTING WHAT, WHAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO IT. 
          UH, I DO LOOK AT THIS THE SAME WAY AS HOUSEHOLD, AS A HOUSEHOLD DOES. 
          UM, YOU DON'T RESPOND TO A DECREASE IN INCOME INCOME BY INCREASING YOUR SPENDING. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES DO THIS ALL THE TIME. 
          THEY PRIORITIZE THEIR SPENDING. 
          THEY DO ONLY THE, THE MUST HAVES AND NOT THE NICE TO HAVES. 
          AND WE HAVE TO SEPARATE WHAT WE NEED FROM WHAT WE WANT. 
          UM, I HAD ON SLIDE 11 AND 1711, I GUESS IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SAYING NEW POLICE PATROL, BUT IT'S REALLY TO ME, OR THIS IS IT. 
          OKAY. 
          ON 11, I JUST, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE DON'T HAVE MORE POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS IN, IN THESE, IN THIS BUD THIS TRIAL BUDGET. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S THE PRIORITY ON BOTH OF BOTH THE COUNCIL PRIORITY AND COMMUNITY SURVEYS. 
          AND DEFINITELY ALREADY IN MY COMMUNITY SURVEY, THEY'RE SAYING THAT, AND HOMELESS SERVICES EVEN INCORPORATES BOTH OF THOSE, UH, DEPARTMENTS WHEN THEY GO OUT TO DO ANY ABATEMENTS OR INTERVENE IN ANY WAY. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO A FIRE AND NEEDS AND RISK ASSESSMENT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN EVEN BE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE MEETING THAT MARK. 
          I KNOW, I, I, I HAVE GREAT CONCERN ABOUT THE NUMBER OF, OF FIREFIGHTERS FOR THIS GROWING LARGE CITY AND POLICE OFFICERS AS WELL. 
          UM, PRESENCE IS DETERRENCE AND WE NEED SOME PATROL. 
          WE NEED SOME SAFE, I MEAN, I, I WANNA ADD JUST AS MANY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN FOR BOTH. 
          UM, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S EASILY THE NUMBER ONE THING I HEAR IN MY DISTRICT, FAR AND ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE IS RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO I, I THINK WE HAVE TO DO THAT. 
          AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED THE, THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT I, THE HOUSING. 
          WHERE'S THE HOUSING SLIDE? IT'S SOMEWHERE IN HERE. 
          I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A BIG CITY AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HELPING 497 PEOPLE. 
          THANKS THAT THERE IT WAS 
          [01:40:01]
WITH $15.7 MILLION. 
          THAT IS A TON OF MONEY PER, PER PERSON OR PER HOUSEHOLD. 
          SAME WITH THE 18 1,820 HOUSEHOLDS ON THE RENT LOCA RENTAL ASSISTANCE THAT EQUATES TO LIKE $3,000 PER HOUSEHOLD. 
          I, I WANT US TO BE HELPING PEOPLE, BUT I WANNA HELP MORE PEOPLE. 
          AND I DON'T, THAT JUST SEEMS LIKE A LOT PER HEAD. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT AND A STRATEGY ON THE GAP FINANCING AS WELL. 
          UM, BUT I, I, I HAVE SOME IDEAS. 
          I KNOW WE'RE GONNA DIVE DEEP WITH EACH OF THE, UH, DEPARTMENTS, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THAT. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU ALSO FOR PUTTING THE TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT AT THE FRONT OF THE BOOK THAT COUNCILMAN WHITE REQUESTED. 
          AND SO THANKS FOR DOING THAT. 
          WE APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MY, MY LAST TOWN HALL I THINK IS AUGUST 19TH AT WALKER RANCH. 
          SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU THERE AND, AND STAFF THERE TO HEAR THE CONCERNS AND SEEING THE BUDGET BREAKOUT. 
          BUT, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO HERE. 
          BUT CLEARLY, I, I'M JUST GONNA SAY IT'S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          IT'S, IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY, AND WE'VE GOTTA GROW OUR ECONOMY IN A NEW WAY. 
          INSTEAD, WE CAN'T ANNEX, SO WE'VE GOTTA GROW IT BY GOOD PAYING JOBS AND, AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE. 
          SO, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER, ALDO MAYOR. 
          OH, PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          JUST ONE SECOND. 
          I, I, I WANT TO, I WANT TO KIND OF REINFORCE WHAT, WHAT YOU SAID, AND I, I DON'T KNOW IF, I DIDN'T NECESSARILY TALK ABOUT IT IN THE, IN THE PRE IN MY PRESENTATION, BUT I DID IN THE, IN THE LETTER TO YOU ALL ON THE BUDGET. 
          AND CERTAINLY WE'RE GONNA GO INTO THIS LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH ECONOMIC DEV, WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          BUT AS PART OF THAT WORK SESSION, WE'RE ALSO GONNA UPDATE YOU ALL ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. 
          UM, AND THEN, UM, THE INCENTIVE POLICY THAT WE NEED TO RENEW BY THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, UM, THOSE TWO THINGS. 
          AND, AND, AND, AND PART OF, PART OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE CONTINUING TO RECOMMEND TO YOU STRONGLY IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON JOB AND WAGE GROWTH. 
          THAT, UH, WE FOCUS ON EXPANSION OF CURRENT EMPLOYERS AND THE RECRUITMENT OF, OF NEW EMPLOYERS TO THE CITY. 
          AND, AND, AND FRANKLY, UM, FRANKLY, FROM A SHORT-TERM OR A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE, ADDITIONAL PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN THIS CITY IS CRITICAL. 
          AND, AND WHETHER THAT IS WORKING THROUGH, I KNOW THE MAYOR'S WORKING ON A NUMBER OF THOSE FRONTS, UM, IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES, UM, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH GREATER SATX. 
          BUT, BUT OVERALL, I MEAN, I THINK THE, THE REFLECTION THAT WE HAD OVER THE SUMMER, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT NEGATIVE TAXABLE VALUE GROWTH IN THIS CITY, UM, WE, WE NEED TO BUFFER AND BOLSTER OURSELVES. 
          UM, AND, AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, EVERYTHING WE DO SHOULD BE IN SUPPORT OF THOSE THREE THINGS. 
          AND, AND, AND WHEN I SAY EVERYTHING, THAT MEANS MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MAINTAINING PARKS. 
          'CAUSE THERE'S A, THERE'S A BIG QUALITY OF LIFE ASPECT OF THAT. 
          UM, PUBLIC SAFETY IS CERTAINLY CRITICAL. 
          INFRASTRUCTURE'S CRITICAL. 
          BUT THOSE INCENTIVE POLICIES AND THAT FRAMEWORK CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE WITH YOU ALL, AND WE'RE GONNA INITIATE IT THROUGH THE BUDGET CONVERSATION BECAUSE I THINK IT'S CLOSELY TIED TO OUR FINANCIAL POSITION, IS HOW DO WE BOLSTER THOSE THINGS AND PUT IT ON STEROIDS? 'CAUSE WE NEED TO DO MORE AND WE NEED MORE PRIVATE INVESTMENT. 
          TOTALLY AGREE. 
          ERIC, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN ALTO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THANK YOU TO, UM, CITY STAFF JUSTINA, UH, YOUR AMAZING THANK YOU, UH, FOR LEADING, UH, THE TEAM TO, TO GET THIS PROPOSED BUDGET READY FOR US. 
          I KNOW THAT WHILE MANY OF US WERE, UM, ENJOYING JULY, Y'ALL WERE REALLY HARD AT WORK. 
          SO DEFINITELY APPRECIATE ALL Y'ALL'S EFFORTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I COME FROM THE BUSINESS WORLD AND I KNOW THAT, UH, THINKING ABOUT CUTS IS, IS A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DO. 
          SO, UM, IT'S NOT LOST ON ME WHAT'S AHEAD OF US RIGHT NOW. 
          AND I, WHILE I THINK THE FIRST ROUND OF REDUCTIONS MAKE SENSE TO ME, I, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S STILL A WHOLE LOT MORE WORK TO DO. 
          UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE UPCOMING BUDGET BRIEFINGS WHERE WE'RE GOING INTO DETAIL ON, ON ALL OF, ON, ON ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          UM, I CANNOT GET ON BOARD WITH A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE RIGHT NOW AT ALL. 
          UH, THERE, I, I DO THINK THAT, AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S STILL A WHOLE LOT OF WORK TO DO FOR US AS A CITY TO TIGHTEN OUR BELT. 
          UM, TO ME, IT, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE COGNIZANT OF WHAT FAMILIES ARE FACING RIGHT NOW. 
          YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT IT'S HIGHER COST AT THE GROCERY STORE. 
          WE KNOW IT'S HIGHER COST WHEN THEY'RE GETTING GAS. 
          UM, I CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIOUS ADD ANOTHER BURDEN FOR SO MANY FAMILIES IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          IT TO ME, IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT RIGHT TO DO. 
          WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A POTENTIAL SAWS RATE INCREASE COMING UP. 
          WE KNOW THAT OUR SCHOOL 
          [01:45:01]
DISTRICTS ARE ALSO FILLING THE PINCH AND CAN POTENTIALLY ADD MORE TO OUR RESIDENTS. 
          UM, AND, AND REALLY, QUITE FRANKLY, THE ECONOMY BEING WHAT IT IS, LIKE, AGAIN, I CAN IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, ADD AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN FOR, FOR SO MANY FAMILIES, UM, IN OUR, IN OUR CITY. 
          UM, AND I KNOW THAT I MIGHT TAKE SOME HEAT FOR, UM, AGREEING WITH, WITH THE, THE, SOME OF THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE OF THE DAIS. 
          BUT TO ME, THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN ISSUE. 
          THIS IS AN AFFORDABILITY ISSUE. 
          WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE COST OF LIVING FOR OUR RESIDENTS. 
          AND AGAIN, THEY'RE FILLING THE SQUEEZE FROM ALL ANGLES. 
          AND WE, WE CAN'T, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE WORK THAT WE CAN DO, AND THE CITY DOES NOT NEED TO NEED TO PILE ON ON THEM AT THIS TIME. 
          I ALSO THINK, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO PUT THESE REDUCTIONS INTO PERSPECTIVE. 
          SO WE'RE LOOKING, IF WE LOOK AT, I KNOW, $158 MILLION, $158 MILLION DEFICIT SOUNDS MASSIVE. 
          BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE OF CUTS THAT WE ARE MAKING FROM OUR GENERAL FUND THIS YEAR, WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE A 1.6% CUT IN OUR GENERAL FUND NEXT YEAR. 
          WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE AROUND A 2% CUT IN OUR GENERAL FUND. 
          THAT IS ABSOLUTELY DOABLE. 
          WE ABSOLUTELY CAN MAKE THOSE CUTS. 
          I MEAN, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. 
          IS IT GONNA BE TOUGH? YEAH. 
          I MEAN, ARE WE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES, TOUGH DECISIONS? ABSOLUTELY. 
          I MEAN, SO MANY COMPANIES FACE 10% REDUCTIONS, RIGHT? WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT CUTTING AROUND 2% OF OUR GENERAL FUND. 
          WE CAN FIND THE MONEY AND WE CAN CUT THE MONEY. 
          UM, I, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN, UH, WHITE IN THAT WE, WHAT HAPPENED IS WE GOT SO USED TO DOING SO MANY THINGS. 
          AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT WE TALK A LOT ABOUT FOCUSING ON OUR CORE SERVICES. 
          WE THAT TAX, WE, WE, IT IS OUR JOB TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE TAXPAYER'S DOLLARS, AND THEY EXPECT THOSE CORE SERVICES TO BE DONE FOR THEM AND EVERYTHING ELSE, NOT NECESSARILY EXPECTED, RIGHT? AND SO WE GOTTA GET BACK TO THE BASICS. 
          WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT THEIR CORE SERVICES ARE MET. 
          WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT THEY LIVE IN A SAFE CITY, UM, THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH POLICE OFFICERS, THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH FIREFIGHTERS THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET, UM, ATTACKED BY A DANGEROUS DOG. 
          WE, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON THE CORE SERVICES AND EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO TIGHTEN UP. 
          BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, 1.6% REDUCTION IN OUR GENERAL FUND THIS YEAR, 2% REDUCTION NEXT YEAR, I MEAN, IS ABSOLUTELY DOABLE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, I I, I, I FEEL AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, IT DOES COME DOWN TO AFFORDABILITY. 
          AND I FEEL THAT WHEN WE'RE FIELDING CALLS FROM RESIDENTS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THEIR CPS BILL, FROM RESIDENTS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THEIR SAWS BILL FOR RESIDENTS WHO ARE ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE, FINDING FOOD, I FEEL THAT IF WE'RE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN, THAT WE AS A CITY ARE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN FOR THEM, YOU KNOW, IT CREATES A SNOWBALL EFFECT. 
          AND I'M NOT SURE THAT THEY CAN BOUNCE BACK OUT OF THAT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, EARLIER THIS WEEK I WAS AT A SENIOR CENTER, AND I HAD SEVERAL, SEVERAL SENIORS TELL ME, YOU KNOW, MARINA, WE'RE LOOKING, WE WE'RE HAVING TO MAKE THOSE CHOICES ON WHETHER THEY PAY FOR INSULIN OR THEY PAY FOR THEIR WATER BILL. 
          LIKE THESE, YOU KNOW, OUR SENIORS ARE ON FIXED INCOMES. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, US CHOOSING TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN ON THEM DOES NOT FEEL RIGHT TO ME. 
          ESPECIALLY WHEN IT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, PUTTING IT INTO PERSPECTIVE CUTTING 1.6% OF OUR GENERAL FUND. 
          WE ABSOLUTELY CAN DO THAT WORK. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IS, UH, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS EARLIER. 
          KIRK WATSON, THE MAYOR OF AUSTIN, UH, HE VOTED AGAINST, UH, THEIR PROPOSED BUDGET AND THEIR PROPOSED TAX INCREASE. 
          WHEN I WAS READING, UH, THE SUMMARY ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW LEADERSHIP REQUIRES BEING ABLE TO SAY NO. 
          UM, AND, UH, AND WE, WE HAVE TO SAY NO TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE GOT USED TO DOING. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, THESE ARE DIFFICULT DECISIONS. 
          THESE ARE UNCOMFORTABLE DECISIONS, BUT THEY ARE DECISIONS THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO RIGHT NOW. 
          ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I TOOK FROM IT WAS HE SAID, COMPASSIONATE, SHOULD COMPASSION SHOULD BE MEASURED BY THE LIVES WE IMPROVE, NOT BY THE DOLLARS WE APPROPRIATE. 
          AND I, I THOUGHT THAT WAS, UM, EXTREMELY SPOT ON BECAUSE SOMETIMES I THINK WE GET SO USED TO SPENDING AND OH, WE HAVE TO HELP THIS NONPROFIT OR THIS, AND WE HAVE TO, WE'RE USED TO DOING THIS. 
          AND THEN OUR BUDGET BALLOONS, UH, UNDERNEATH US. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, TAXPAYERS EXPECT US TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF, OF THEIR TAX DOLLARS AND, AND PROVIDE CORE 
          [01:50:01]
CITY SERVICES, NOTHING ELSE. 
          AND SO, UM, SO WE, WE GOTTA DO THAT. 
          UM, I TOO, THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN SPEARS, UM, ON, ON, UH, REQUESTING THE BUDGET WITH NO TAX INCREASE. 
          'CAUSE I, I DEFINITELY HAD ASKED FOR THAT, UM, AS WELL. 
          SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, UM, AS WE'RE COMING THROUGH THESE DISCUSSIONS. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST, I'LL CLOSE WITH THIS. 
          I MEAN, WE, WE UP HERE, WERE ELECTED TO MAKE HARD DECISIONS. 
          UM, THIS IS JUST PART OF OUR JOB, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UH, WE ARE LUCKY TO WORK WITH AN AMAZING CITY STAFF, UM, TO HELP US FIND THESE REDUCTIONS. 
          BUT THERE'S HARD WORK IN FRONT OF US. 
          BUT I KNOW THAT TOGETHER, WE, WE, WE CAN DO IT. 
          UM, THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND WE, WE CAN CUT 1.6% OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          WE CAN CUT 2% OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          IT'S GONNA BE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT THIS IS JUST, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. 
          UM, SO THAT WAY WE DO NOT PASS THE BURDEN ON TO OUR RESIDENTS. 
          THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER MEA GONZALEZ. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, LET'S SEE, WHERE WAS I GONNA, UH, THANK YOU TO, UM, JUSTINA AND MARIA AND THE ENTIRE BUDGET TEAM FOR, UH, GETTING US HERE. 
          UM, I KNOW THIS IS, UH, A LOT OF CREATIVITY BEHIND, UM, THIS PRESENTATION AND, UH, LISTENING TO, UH, US AS A COUNCIL, BUT ALSO TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          I THINK THE, THE SURVEY THAT, UH, THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE AND THE SURVEY, UH, I THINK THEY MATCH UP AT TIMES. 
          AND THEN SOMETIMES I, I MEAN, I SEE HOMELESSNESS COME UP A LOT MORE, UM, EVEN WHEN I'M AT HOA MEETINGS, THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE TALK ABOUT REGULARLY. 
          UM, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THIS BUDGET, UM, IS BALANCED NOT JUST FOR NEXT YEAR, UH, BUT ACROSS THE TWO YEAR PERIOD. 
          AND I KNOW THIS DOES NOT COME WITHOUT DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, SO I KNOW THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE GONNA CONTINUE. 
          UH, BUT I DO THINK THIS IS A STRONG, UH, STARTING POINT FOR US. 
          UM, AND THIS IS, UM, THE TOUGH QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT I GET FROM MY RESIDENTS, UM, AND THAT I'M RELAYING, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT, UH, E LISA'S PRIORITIES OR, UH, MARK'S PRIORITIES, BUT THIS IS REALLY THE PRIORITIES OF OUR RESIDENTS. 
          UM, AND OUR RESIDENTS DON'T COME TO CITY HALL EVERY DAY. 
          THEY DON'T COME TO COMMITTEE MEETINGS. 
          UM, THEY DON'T COME TO A SESSION B SESSION. 
          UH, THEY HEAR ABOUT MOST OF THIS STUFF ON THE NEWS THROUGH OUR NEWSLETTERS, UM, AND THROUGH, UH, THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO WITH THEM. 
          SO, UM, I, AND I, I THINK IT, IT REFLECTS THOSE PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE HEARING ON PUBLIC SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE, HOMELESSNESS AGAIN. 
          AND SO, UH, I, AGAIN, I, I DO THINK THIS IS A STRONG STARTING POINT. 
          UM, I SUPPORT EXPANDING, UH, THE HOMELESSNESS SERVICES, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE ENCAMPMENT, DECOMMISSIONING PILOT, UH, TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE, UH, THOSE AREAS. 
          I THINK THIS COMES UP IN, IN DISTRICT TWO EIGHT, QUITE A, QUITE A BIT. 
          UM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT WE CAN'T ANNEX OUR WAY OUT OF THIS. 
          AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THOSE AREAS BECOME, UH, WHAT THEY NEED TO BE TO BE A, A TAX SPACE FOR US, RIGHT? UM, AND SO THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. 
          UM, AND I WOULD SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL RAISING OF THIS FEE TO SPUR, UH, GREATER AIR INVESTMENT IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL. 
          BUT I ALSO THINK THAT ABATEMENT APPROACH IS ONLY AS STRONG AS THE CITY'S CAPACITY TO PROVIDE TRANSITIONAL AND PERMANENT HOUSING. 
          UM, SO THAT WAY THOSE FOLKS ARE NOT PULLED BACK INTO THE STREET, AND THEN WE WE'RE HERE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. 
          SO, UM, I THINK AS THIS PILOT MOVES FORWARD, I THINK IT MATTERS TO ME THAT WE HAVE HOUSING READY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO CHOOSE TO LEAVE THE STREETS AND ARE READY FOR HOUSING. 
          UM, SO A QUESTION FOR STAFF. 
          JUST HAS STAFF ESTIMATED ANY INCREASE IN HOUSING, UM, AS A RESULT OF THE PILOT PROGRAM? UM, COUNCILWOMAN, WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, WE'VE DONE PRELIMINARY. 
          WE'LL GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL IN THE WORK SESSION IN TERMS OF THE, THE PLAN THAT MARK LAID OUT TO YOU ALL IN MAY. 
          UH, WE DO THINK THAT THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL CAPACITY WE'LL BE ABLE TO, TO ACQUIRE OR HELP, UH, HELP ACQUIRE, UH, AS PART OF THAT $9 MILLION IN CAPITAL, BOTH IN TERMS OF DAY CENTER AS WELL AS EMERGENCY OVERNIGHT SHELTER. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I AM, I AM SUPPORTIVE OF MAINTAINING OUR FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          I THINK ANOTHER, UH, COLLEAGUE MENTIONED THE CONCERN ON THE DECREASE IN OUR CCIP FUNDING. 
          UH, THOSE ARE PROJECTS THAT WE WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOODS ON, UM, THAT, UH, GET A, A LITTLE BIT OF BOOST COMING FROM US. 
          UM, THEY, UH, GET ELEVATED AND, UH, WE CAN WORK 
          [01:55:01]
ON THOSE QUICKLY. 
          SO, UH, DECREASING THAT CIP FUNDING IS CONCERNING FOR ME, UM, AND MY RESIDENTS. 
          BUT I AM GLAD TO SEE THE FUNDING FOR IMPROVEMENTS. 
          I THINK IT'S, UH, UH, HVAC, UH, AT THE BOB ROSS SENIOR SENIOR CENTER, I THINK IS INCLUDED IN THAT, IN THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, COSTS. 
          SO, UM, I DO SUPPORT THE COST OF LIVING INCREASE. 
          I THINK, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW OUR, OUR CITY EMPLOYEES ARE THE ONES THAT DO THIS WORK DAY IN AND DAY OUT. 
          AND SO I THINK THIS INCREASES ESSENTIAL, UH, TO KEEPING THEIR PAY IN STEP WITH INFLATION AND THE OTHER PRESSURES ON OUR WORKFORCE. 
          UM, I DO APPROVE THE PROPOSED FEE INCREASES, UH, THAT WERE LAID OUT, UM, INCLUDING THE INCREASES TO THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL PERMIT FEES, UH, FOR BOTH THE TYPE ONE AND TYPE TWO SHORT-TERM RENTALS. 
          UM, AND I, AND I HOPE THAT MAKES ITS WAY IN YOUR BUDGET, UH, TOWN HALLS, I THINK IT'S JUST IN, UH, IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOW THEM SPECIFICALLY THOSE FEES THAT WE'RE INCREASING. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO, DO WE HAVE A, MAYBE A COLUMN THAT WE CAN INCLUDE THERE THAT SHOWS THEM, UH, THE LAST TIME WE INCREASED THOSE FEES. 
          UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, YES. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          UH, JUST SO, UH, FOLKS REALLY DO KNOW THAT THIS ISN'T JUST A NORMAL, YOU KNOW, FEE INCREASE OR, UH, WE REALLY ARE LOOKING BACK, UM, TO EVERY POSSIBLE FEE THAT WE HAVE. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT, UH, FEES. 
          THE LAST TIME THOSE WERE INCREASED WAS IN, WAS THAT 2008? 2008? YES, MA'AM. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, SO WE REALLY ARE LOOKING AT, UM, EVERY FEE POSSIBLE. 
          SO I THINK JUST TO PROVIDE MORE CONTEXT TO OUR, OUR RESIDENTS. 
          UM, AND ALSO I THINK A SLIDE, WHERE IS IT? UH, SLIDE EIGHT. 
          I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE THOSE SPECIFIC, UM, UH, NUMBERS FOR OUR DISTRICT, WHICH I THINK IS SO IMPORTANT. 
          UM, I GOT ASKED THIS QUESTION LAST NIGHT IN AN HOA MEETING, BUT REALLY JUST GIVING FOLKS THE LAY OF THE LAND, RIGHT? OF WHERE WE ARE. 
          UM, I MEAN, YOU SEE 47% OF HOMESTEADS ARE FROZEN. 
          UM, JUST WHENEVER I SEE THAT NUMBER, IT'S ALWAYS A, A REMINDER OF, OF REALLY WHERE THAT PUTS US. 
          AND I APPRECIATE THOSE EXEMPTIONS AND, AND FAMILIES RELY ON THEM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          BUT, UM, I JUST THINK THAT PAINTS A, A BROADER PICTURE OF, OF, FOR RESIDENTS. 
          UM, LET'S SEE, ON THE REDUCTIONS, THE PROPOSED CUTS TO THE, UH, AND I KNOW WE'LL GET INTO THIS ON THE, IN THE OTHER BUDGET WORK SESSIONS, UH, BUT ON THE 48 PROGRAMS, UH, FOR THE DISCRETIONARY, UH, FUNDING, I THINK ARE THOSE, THERE'S SOME CUTS BEING MADE ON WHICH AREAS? COUNCILWOMAN, ON THE DISCRETIONARY AGENCY FUNDING, JUSTINE IS COMING. 
          IT'S DISCRETIONARY, UH, DELEGATE AGENCIES. 
          IT'S INCLUDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2028 PLAN. 
          SO IT'S COMBINED 27 AND 28. 
          SO THERE'S NO CUTS IN 27. 
          OH NO. 
          CUT CUTS IN 27. 
          ONLY IN 28. 
          ONLY IN 28. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I GUESS MY QUESTION ON THAT IS JUST MAKING SURE THAT, UM, I GUESS IF THERE'S ANY OTHER SERVICES THAT WE OFFER IN THE CITY THAT OFFSET THOSE CUTS. 
          SO, UM, WHATEVER THE COMMUNITY IS, WHATEVER RESOURCES THAT THOSE PROGRAMS PROVIDE FOR THE COMMUNITY ARE, ARE THERE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER AT THE CITY THAT OFFSET WHAT THOSE CUTS ARE? ? UM, I AM SUPPORTIVE OF, OF, UH, UH, THAT INCREASE TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING. 
          UH, I HEAR THAT EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING I ATTEND, UM, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, POLICE GET THERE, UH, SOONER. 
          UH, UH, THE, THE RESPONSE TIME, UM, IS WHAT FOLKS ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON IN MY DISTRICT. 
          UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE SAFE OFFICERS, UH, WITH THE RESOURCES THEY NEED, UH, TO PROVIDE, UH, SAFETY TO OUR RESIDENTS. 
          UM, I THINK THAT'S IT. 
          SO THAT'S IT FOR NOW. 
          THOSE ARE MY QUESTION. 
          UH, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS AND, AND STATEMENTS. 
          SO AGAIN, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT OUR RESIDENTS, UH, KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING, UH, EVERYTHING WE CAN. 
          AND THIS IS JUST THAT FIRST STEP, UM, IN THIS PROCESS. 
          AND SO MAKING SURE THAT WE KEEP OUR BUDGET BALANCED AND MAINTAIN FUNDING FOR CORE SERVICES THAT OUR RESIDENTS CARE, UH, MORE ABOUT, UH, IS MY, MY FOCUS. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, UH, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, ERIC, FOR THE PRESENTATION AS WELL AS TO JUSTINA, ALFRED, AND THE ENTIRE BUDGET TEAM. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DUE DILIGENCE OF YOUR TEAM. 
          UH, EVERY YEAR THAT I'M UP HERE, UH, GIVING, UH, DIRECTION FOR A BUDGET ON BEHALF OF DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS, I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH, UH, THE WORK AND THE EXERCISES THAT YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM GO THROUGH TO ENSURE THAT AS WE WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS, WE'RE EQUIPPED WITH ALL THE INFORMATION, UH, TO, TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION, AGAIN, ON BEHALF OF 
          [02:00:01]
OUR CONSTITUENCY. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. 
          UH, WITH THAT, I'M PLEASED TO SEE WITHIN THE BUDGET THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE THE 3% COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT FOR CITY OF SAN ANTONIO EMPLOYEES, UH, GRATEFUL, UH, THAT, UH, THE CITY MANAGER SHARED AT THE TOWN HALL TODAY THAT THAT WAS GOING TO BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET. 
          UH, I KNOW THAT'S A PRIORITY FOR DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS, UH, MANY OF WHICH ARE CITY EMPLOYEES. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          UH, SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, AND THIS IS, UH, BECAUSE, UH, CITY EMPLOYEE HAS REACHED OUT REGARDING HEALTHCARE COVERAGE, AND I'M GRATEFUL SHE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH HR. 
          UM, BUT TO DO AN CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS IN TERMS OF WHAT HEALTHCARE COVERAGE LOOKS LIKE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES, UH, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, IN COMPARISON TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          UH, HER SPECIFIC REQUEST WAS FOR US TO EXPLORE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, UH, AND, AND TO COMPARE AND WHERE THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UH, INCREASE, UH, SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEES REGARDING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO EVALUATING AND THEN, UH, PREPARING FOR THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE. 
          UH, WITH THAT, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE CONVERSATION AROUND SALARY COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENTS. 
          UH, BUT I DO HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          WILL THOSE ADJUSTMENTS AND THE 3% COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT ALSO APPLY TO LGC EMPLOYEES? UH, YES, BUT WE'RE NOT, I'M SORRY. 
          YES, COUNCILWOMAN, BUT, BUT IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT FUNDING COMPLETE COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENTS MM-HMM . 
          SO IT'LL, IT'LL VARY DEPENDING ON WHERE WE HAVE PROBABLY THE, THE BIGGEST NEED IN TERMS OF THE EMPLOYEE WORKFORCE. 
          BUT, BUT ANY COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE DO, WHETHER IT'S IN 27 OR 28 OR FORD MM-HMM . 
          HAS ALWAYS INCLUDED THE LGC PORTION. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          AND I KNOW, UH, OUR L-G-T-L-G-C EMPLOYEES WILL, UH, APPRECIATE THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, BUT I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T THINK, ASK ME FOR THEIR ADVOCACY, SEE MANO AND LITTLE MINI MANO HERE. 
          UM, SO JUST THANK Y'ALL. 
          UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, ONE THING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME, UH, IN THE BRIEFING AND READING IT IN THE BOOK RIGHT NOW, UH, IS THE LIBRARY CIRCULATION REDUCTION. 
          UM, AND, AND WITH THAT NUMBER, SO I CREATED A LITTLE TAB THAT HAS A NO EXPLANATION. 
          MARK  FOR THE CIRCULATION HAS DECREASED BY 40%. 
          UM, IS THAT JUST BASED OFF OF THE CIRCULATION OF BOOKS? ARE WE TRACKING INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE GOING IN AND OUT OF THE LIBRARY AS WELL? WELL, WE, WE ARE TRACKING THAT, BUT, BUT, BUT THE PRIMARY RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET REVIEW WAS THAT, WAS THAT WE'RE SEEING A, WE'RE SEEING A LOT MORE, UM, ELECTRONIC BOOK CHECKOUTS, UM, AND VIRTUAL, UH, BOOK CHECKOUTS THAN WE ARE THE, THE ACTUAL BOOKS MM-HMM . 
          AND SO THERE'S BEEN A DECREASE IN THE MATERIAL CHECKOUT. 
          AND SO THE, THE STAFFING ANALYSIS THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF INNOVATION DID ALONG WITH BUDGET AND THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT WAS HOW DOES OUR WORKFORCE MATCH UP OUR, OUR STAFFING MATCH UP TO THE ACTIVITY? CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT, THAT VISIT THE LIBRARY THAT GO THERE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, NOT, MAYBE NOT ALWAYS TO CHECK OUT A BOOK MM-HMM . 
          PER SE. 
          BUT, BUT WE THINK WE'VE REACHED A BALANCE IN TERMS OF THE NECESSARY STAFFING AT THOSE POSITIONS, AT THOSE LIBRARIES TO ACCOMMODATE, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE PUBLIC THAT COME INTO THE, INTO THE FACILITIES. 
          YEAH, I, I UNDERSTAND AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, RIGHT, I KNOW FOLKS ARE WELL AWARE OUR FIELD OFFICES ARE WITHIN OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I LIKE TO GO TO THE COLLINS GARDEN LIBRARY TO READ FOR LEISURE ON SUNDAYS. 
          RIGHT? SO I SEE THE TRAFFIC, AND I UNDERSTAND FOLKS AREN'T NECESSARILY CHECKING OUT BOOKS OR USING THE COMPUTER, BUT FOLKS ARE CIRCULATING THE LIBRARY, UM, ASKING FOR HELP FROM FOLKS STAFFING THE LIBRARY. 
          SO I WANNA ENSURE THAT THAT WORK IS BEING ACCOUNTED FOR WITHIN THIS ANALYSIS TO ENSURE THAT AS WE SEE TRAFFIC AND OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEMS USED AS A COOLING AND A WARMING CENTER, UM, THAT THEY WILL BE, UM, ADEQUATELY STAFFED, UH, TO ACCOUNT FOR THE CIRCULATION OF MOVING BOOKS FOR FOLKS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY CHECKING THEM OUT, UM, BUT ARE USING COMPUTERS, HAVING QUESTIONS, AND OF COURSE, UTILIZING IT AS A WARMING AND OR COOLING, UH, CENTER. 
          UM, NOW MOVING ON TO THE REVENUE ENHANCEMENTS, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE INCREASES TO THE METAL RECYCLING FEES, UH, USED AUTO PARTS AS WELL AS THE PRO APARTMENT INSPECTIONS. 
          UH, BUT I DID HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTS, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE FEE FOR THE ALCOHOL AND BEVERAGE REVIEW. 
          CAN YOU OR, UH, SOMEONE ON THE TEAM, WALK ME THROUGH WHAT THAT IS? 'CAUSE 25 PROVOCATION FOR A-T-A-B-C APPLICATION SEEMS FAIRLY LOW. 
          I GUESS MY QUESTION MORE SPECIFICALLY, IF THIS IS A LICENSE, FOR EXAMPLE, A A, A CORNER STORE, A BUSINESS TO OPERATE AND SELL, UH, ALCOHOL. 
          SO COUNCILWOMAN TODAY, WE DO NOT CHARGE WHEN THEY APPLY FOR TABC LICENSE WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND ALL, WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS $25 PROCESSING FEE. 
          SO THAT'S THE TIME FOR OUR EMPLOYEE, THE ADMIN PERSON TO GO THROUGH THE APPLICATION AND LOG IT IN. 
          THAT'S WHY IT'S, IT'S LOW. 
          YEAH. 
          I I THE LICENSE FEE FOR THE TABC LICENSE ACTUALLY IS PAID TO THE STATE NORMALLY. 
          MM-HMM 
          [02:05:01]
. 
          THIS IS JUST A PROCESSING FEE ON OUR END. 
          YEAH. 
          AGAIN, RIGHT. 
          I, I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          I SEE THAT IT SAYS ZERO, RIGHT? AND IT'S GOING TO 25, BUT IT SEEMS FAIRLY LOW WHEN WE LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S A NEED FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, WHETHER IT'S, UH, THE CORRELATION TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO EXPLORE, UH, POTENTIALLY INCREASING THAT FEE. 
          BUT I APPRECIATE AMI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, NOW I DID HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. 
          UH, I'M NOT TOO SURE IF IT'S FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OR THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM. 
          UM, BUT I DO SEE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE, UM, A CONSULTANT DESIGN SERVICES FOR GENERAL FUND IMPROVEMENTS. 
          UH, WOULD THAT MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH OUR N AND IMP PROJECTS WHERE WE TEND TO SEE CONSULTING FEES, UH, WOULD THAT MEAN THAT THOSE FEES WOULD BE ELIMINATED BECAUSE THE CONSULTANT DESIGN SERVICES WOULD ABSORB THOSE FEES? YES, MA'AM. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          I I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          I KNOW STEPHANIE ON OUR TEAM, UH, WOULD REALLY VALUE THAT. 
          UM, 'CAUSE WE TEND TO SEE OUR CIP AND NAMP, UH, UH, BUDGET EATEN UP BY CONSULTANT FEES. 
          AND IF THIS ALLEVIATES THAT, I'M, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT ENHANCEMENT. 
          YEAH. 
          BUT I, I HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF YOU, AND I THINK, I THINK, UH, AS ART CAME INTO THE ORGANIZATION EARLIER THIS YEAR, HE'S SEEN THAT AS AN ISSUE THAT, THAT WE CAN, WE CAN APPROACH DIFFERENTLY FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT. 
          GREAT. 
          I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT ENHANCEMENT. 
          UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, I DO SEE THE REDUCTION OF TRAFFIC NAVIGATION AND AS WELL AS DIP. 
          AGAIN, THESE ARE THE BASICS THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS EXPECT THAT WE DELIVER ON. 
          UM, BUT I WOULD BE REMISS, RIGHT? I, I, I THINK I ALSO WANNA EXPRESS THAT WHILE WE NAVIGATE THIS BUDGET CONVERSATION, RIGHT? I, I SHARE THE SIMILAR SENTIMENT IN WHICH INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES SHOULD BE OF A LAST RESORT. 
          BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT HAS TO BE DONE WITH A BALANCE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE DELIVERING ON THE SERVICES THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS DESERVE AND EXPECT. 
          UH, AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, RIGHT, I I, I DON'T THINK IT'S, UH, FAIR TO COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC, RIGHT, THAT ONE, YOU'RE OPPOSED TO INCREASING AND OR EXPLORING A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, BUT GET YES TO THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING. 
          I THINK THAT MESSAGE IS DISINGENUOUS TO THE PUBLIC. 
          UM, BUT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY, AGAIN, TO EXPLORE EVERY, UH, EXERCISE, BUT AGAIN, MAINTAIN SERVICES FOR OUR CONSTITUENCY. 
          SO, UH, GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK OF THE, THE, THE, OF THE BUDGET TEAM, UH, AND OF ERIC ON THIS ITEM. 
          UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS AND THERE'S MANY MORE ITEMS THAT I WANTED TO DIVE INTO, BUT, UH, I'LL, I'LL HOLD ON UNTIL WE ENTER THOSE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CORE, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MAYOR, COULD YOU BRING UP SLIDE SIX PLEASE? SO, I WANNA THANK CITY STAFF FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT THEY DID THIS SUMMER. 
          WE HAD REALLY ROBUST CONVERSATIONS IN JUNE ABOUT WHAT WE ALL FELT, AND WHAT I THINK CITY STAFF HAS DONE IS A REALLY SOLID STARTING POINT FOR US TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR WHEN WE'RE IN A DEFICIT WHILE STILL MAINTAINING THE PROGRAMS THAT MEAN SO MUCH TO ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS. 
          SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A SLIGHT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE WITH THE UNUSED INCREMENT THAT'S BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET, BUT THIS BUDGET TO ME SHOWS, UH, HAPPY MEDIUM OF WHAT WE WOULD ASK THEM TO DO. 
          WE SAID, GO FIND REDUCTIONS SO THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING THIS $60 MILLION BURDEN ON OUR RESIDENTS. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CHART, THERE'S $41 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS THAT ARE ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          IT'S NOT IN ONE DEPARTMENT, IT IS ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          AND SO THEY FOUND REDUCTIONS HIGHER THAN WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY ASKING OUR RESIDENTS TO CONTRIBUTE. 
          IT'S ALMOST, ALMOST TWO TO ONE IN TERMS OF REDUCTIONS VERSUS PROPERTY TAX CAPACITY. 
          WE'RE USING JUST AN INCREMENT BECAUSE WE NEED TO HELP SUPPLEMENT TO DO THINGS LIKE A COLA INCREASE FOR THE 13,000 EMPLOYEES THAT WE ARE OFFERING JOBS TO, WHICH I BELIEVE ALL OF OUR, AS ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES, UM, WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TREATING THEM JUST AS WE WOULD WANT ANOTHER EMPLOYER TO TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES. 
          AND SO ALL OF THAT TO SAY IN SUMMARY, I THINK YOU ALL HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF TRYING WAYS TO INCREASE THE REVENUE WHILE STILL, OR SORRY, DECREASE, UM, EXPENSES WHILE FINDING A LITTLE BIT OF A SUPPLEMENT FROM REVENUE. 
          THERE WAS ONE MORE THING I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ON THAT SLIDE. 
          AND THAT IS NOT ONLY DID YOU GUYS FIND A WAY TO BALANCE THE BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR, BUT WHAT I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH IS THE ADDITIONAL RESERVE IN 28. 
          BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT A SHORT TERM PROBLEM. 
          MOVING CAPITAL FROM ONE SPACE TO ANOTHER, THAT IS JUST SHORT TERM ISN'T GONNA SOLVE OUR LONG TERM CHALLENGES. 
          AND SO FINDING WAYS TO PLAN AHEAD AND KEEPING SOME RESERVE THERE FOR NEXT YEAR, I THINK IS A VERY SMART FINANCIAL MOVE. 
          AND I COMMEND YOU ALL FOR COMING UP WITH THAT AND FINDING WAYS TO DO THOSE REDUCTIONS THIS YEAR AS WELL. 
          SO I'M GONNA DIVE INTO A COUPLE OF, UM, UH, THERE WAS ONE THING THAT WAS MENTIONED 
          [02:10:01]
ABOUT SENIORS EARLIER, AND I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE PROPERTY TAX RATE, IF YOU WILL HAVE FROZEN TAXES AS A SENIOR, THIS INCREASE IS NOT GONNA IMPACT YOU, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT, YES, MA'AM. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HOMESTEAD FOLKS, FOLKS THAT ARE DISABLED AND SENIORS THAT THIS IS NOT GOING TO IMPACT. 
          AND THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE, AS JUST AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER. 
          THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS. 
          SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS NOT, UM, DISADVANTAGING THOSE FOLKS. 
          SECOND, I WANTED TO SHARE THAT, UM, EARLIER THIS WEEK WE WENT TO GO VISIT, UH, A HOUSE ON TH TERRAIN THAT WE WERE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM AT. 
          AND THIS WOMAN THAT RECEIVED A BRAND NEW FENCE WAS SO THANKFUL TO NHSD AND THE TEAM THAT HELPED HER GET THIS BRAND NEW FENCE BECAUSE HERS WAS FALLING APART AND SHE WAS HAVING ISSUES WITH STRAY AND ROAMING DOGS IN HER BACKYARD. 
          THAT IS THE TYPE OF SUPPORT THAT OUR RESIDENTS EXPECT FROM US. 
          AND SHE HAVING NEW FAITH IN THE CITY. 
          'CAUSE WHEN SHE FIRST CALLED US, SHE WAS VERY UPSET THAT SHE FELT LIKE NOTHING WAS BEING DONE ABOUT THESE STRAY AND ROAMING DOGS. 
          AND WE WERE ABLE TO HELP HER IN A DIFFERENT WAY. 
          SHE'S NOW APPLYING FOR THE MAJOR MINOR HOME REHAB PROGRAM. 
          SO THOSE ARE THE SUCCESS STORIES THAT OUR BUDGET OF WHAT MIGHT NOT SEEM LIKE AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING TO OUR RESIDENTS. 
          THAT'S REAL VALUE FOR EACH OF WHAT SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT QUITE FRANKLY, CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE FENCE, THAT'S GONNA HELP EVERYONE ON THAT STREET. 
          AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE THE TERM GOOD NEIGHBOR, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE ASKING OUR RESIDENTS TO DO RIGHT NOW IS BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR. 
          'CAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, THERE ARE SOME OF US WHERE A $30 TAX RATE INCREASE FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR WOULD BE REALLY DIFFICULT. 
          AND THERE'S SOME OF US THAT HAVE PROBABLY HIGHER THAN THAT PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASES WHERE YOU MAY NOT FEEL IT, IT MAY BE A CUP OF COFFEE A MONTH THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO SPEND IN ORDER TO HELP YOUR NEIGHBOR DOWN THE STREET. 
          AND I DO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD NEIGHBORS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WANT TO HELP THE PERSON THAT KNOWS THAT NEED IT. 
          AND A LOT OF THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS, AND I KNOW YOU WOULD TOO, COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M SORRY, I'LL DIRECT COMMENTS TO THE CHAIR, BUT, UM, I, THERE ARE A LOT OF RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WILL BE WILLING TO SUPPORT THEIR NEIGHBOR BECAUSE THEY SEE THE IMPACT. 
          BUT THAT GOES TO THE COMMENT THAT WAS MADE EARLIER, IS WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT IMPACT. 
          SO AS WE GO THROUGH OUR BUDGET SESSIONS, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR FROM ALL OF OUR DIRECTORS ABOUT WHAT ARE THE PERFORMANCE METRICS WE CAN SHOW IN OUR DEPARTMENTS WHO, FOR FOLKS WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED AS A RESULT OF THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING, WHETHER THAT'S WITH SIDEWALKS, WHETHER THAT'S WITH HOUSING, OR WHETHER THAT'S WITH OUR, UM, SAEP FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS, ALL OF THOSE WORK THAT, THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR THE METRICS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FOLKS WILL WANT TO SUPPORT. 
          UH, A COUPLE OF THINGS ON REVENUE INCREASES. 
          SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES MENTIONED ALREADY. 
          WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE SOME OF THESE REVENUE INCREASES. 
          AS I WAS DIGGING INTO THE A CS ONES, UM, IN THE DETAILED BUDGET, I WAS A LITTLE UNCLEAR, UM, ABOUT HOW THOSE FEES ARE INCREASING. 
          FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE THAT WE'RE INCREASING AGGRESSIVE DOG FEES, BUT I WASN'T SURE HOW THE INCREASE WAS CALCULATED FOR THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT WAS BEING IMPACTED. 
          SO IN THE A CS BUDGET BRIEFING, IF Y'ALL COULD FOLLOW UP AND HELP ME, UM, AND HELP EXPLAIN THE IMPACT OF THOSE, WE'VE HAD SO MANY RESIDENTS THAT SAY, WE DEFINITELY NEED A CARROT AND STICK METHOD FOR A CS. 
          SO IF YOU WANNA HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE LEVEL THREE DOG, I FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD, UM, HELP SUPPORT THE, THE IMPACT OF THE BUDGET THERE AS WELL. 
          UM, I ALSO ASKED FOR A COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          PARKING TICKETS, WE INCREASED LAST YEAR IN THE BUDGET, BUT I DON'T THINK IN THIS TRIAL BUDGET WE SAW, UH, ANOTHER INCREASE. 
          SO ESPECIALLY FOR NOT AS MUCH AS THE HIGHER END ONES THAT ARE LIKE PARKING IN, UH, A HANDICAP SPOT, THOSE ARE, UH, THOSE ONES I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE DON'T DO, BUT PARKING IN A PERMIT ZONE. 
          A LOT OF FOLKS DO IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          SO IF WE COULD SEE WHAT THOSE MINIMUM RATES ARE AND TRY TO ADD TO THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AS AN UPDATE. 
          AND ALSO THE BOOTING FEE. 
          SO WE ARE INCREASING TOWING FEES AS A PART OF THIS BUDGET. 
          AND, UH, TOW, WE HAVE SOME TOWS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT TOW VERY AGGRESSIVELY. 
          AND SO WE WANNA GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER OPTIONS FOR PARKING ENFORCEMENT. 
          SO IF WE COULD RAISE THAT BOOTING FEE FROM 60 TO AT LEAST A HUNDRED, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THAT DOES FOR THE REVENUE, UM, REVENUE OPTIONS. 
          AND THEN IF WE CAN SEE IF THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE FUNDING THAT WE CAN ACQUIRE FROM REVENUE, MAYBE THERE'S WAYS THAT WE CAN SAVE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE REALLY, THAT ARE POTENTIALLY, UM, BEING CUT FROM THE BUDGET. 
          OTHER HIGHLIGHTS, OF COURSE, PUBLIC WORKS. 
          I'M EXCITED TO SEE, 
          [02:15:01]
UH, WHAT THE WORK THAT PUBLIC WORKS IS DOING. 
          THERE WAS, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNOW CAUGHT THIS, BUT, OR IF ERIC MENTIONED, BUT THE COMPLIANCE, UM, AND OPPORTUNITY ACCESS DEPARTMENT IS BEING SPLIT UP INTO DIFFERENT AREAS. 
          AND SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE IS GOING TO ART. 
          I KNOW THAT PUBLIC WORKS IS GONNA DO A GREAT JOB OF CONTINUING THAT, BUT I REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT GETS THE ATTENTION THAT IT DESERVES AND DOESN'T GET LOST. 
          BUT I TRUST THAT ART WILL KEEP THAT FOCUS. 
          UM, THE 9,900 K IN CAPITAL PROJECT BUDGET, HALF OF THAT IS FLASHING STOP SIGNS AND ROAD, UH, SOLAR SPEED SIGN, SOLAR SPEED SIGNS THAT ARE BEING REDUCED. 
          WE ARE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT ON IN THE DISTRICT ONE NAMP BUDGET BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT MY RESIDENTS REALLY ASK FOR. 
          SO, UM, THOSE THINGS, THEY HAVE A VERY LONG LEAD TIME, WHICH I'VE LEARNED. 
          SO I TELL MY RESIDENTS, IF YOU WANT A FLASHING STOP SIGN, IT MIGHT TAKE A YEAR, BUT WE'LL GET IT FOR YOU. 
          SO THOSE, I THINK THE IMPACT OF THAT WON'T BE, UM, HUGE. 
          ALSO, LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE SIDEWALKS, UH, UPDATES AND THE S AND P UPDATES THAT WE'VE BEEN FUNDING AND QUICK BUILDS. 
          THERE'S SOME FUNDING IN THERE FOR QUICK BUILDS SO THAT WE CAN CREATE TWICE AS MORE BIKE LANES IN AND AROUND DOWNTOWN, WHICH I KNOW WE'RE ALL EXCITED ABOUT. 
          UM, FROM A HOUSING PERSPECTIVE, I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT THE MAJOR MINOR HOME REHAB DID NOT GET CUT AND THAT WE HAVE SOME FUNDING IN THERE FOR MISSING MIDDLE. 
          SO LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM NHSD DURING THAT PRESENTATION. 
          AND THEN ALSO, JUST A QUICK SHOUT OUT TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS. 
          SO FOR FOLKS THAT DON'T OR HAVEN'T HEARD, OUR, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO BE TAKING OVER OUR RIVER WALK AND SOME OF OUR MAIN PARKS DOWNTOWN. 
          SO THAT MEANS WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE BIKE PATROL. 
          WE DEFINITELY LOVE OUR BIKE PATROL, SO EXCITED TO SEE THOSE CHANGES. 
          UM, AND THEN FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, I HAD A CHANCE TO GO TO THE GRADUATION LAST WEEK, AND SO EXCITED TO SEE THAT THERE ARE A FEW MORE OFFICERS THAT ARE GOING INTO THE TRAINING COMPONENT OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          I HAD NO IDEA HOW EXCITED FAMILIES GET TO SEE THEIR KIDS GRADUATE FROM THE ACADEMY. 
          IT WAS SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL TO BE ABLE TO WITNESS THAT. 
          UM, THE LAST THING I JUST WANNA END OFF WITH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN MENTIONED THIS IS IT, I REALLY DON'T LIKE SEEING THE SAEP BUDGET BEING CUT. 
          I UNDERSTAND THERE MIGHT BE SOME OVERLAP THERE WITH SCHOLARSHIPS WITH ALAMO PROMISE, BUT WHAT I'VE ASKED SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT SIT ON THAT BOARD IS, CAN WE FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH OF THOSE DOLLARS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO PROMISE KIDS VERSUS HOW MANY, HOW MUCH OF IT IS GOING TO STUDENTS IN DIFFERENT PROGRAMS? THOSE DOLLARS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR BECAUSE THEY WERE EXPECTING THEM. 
          SO A LOT OF THOSE SCHOLARSHIPS COULD BE IMPACTING STUDENTS. 
          SO I'D JUST LIKE TO CONTINUE TO, TO REVISIT THAT CONVERSATION AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GOVAN. 
          THANK YOU, MARIN. 
          THANK YOU TO THE TEAM, TO ERIC FOR THE PRESENTATION, TO THE ENTIRE TEAM FROM THE DEPARTMENT, LEADS TO THE CITY MANAGEMENT STAFF, THE BUDGET STAFF, AND THE FINANCE TEAM FOR JUST WORKING THROUGH ALL THESE DETAILS IN SUCH A DIFFICULT TIME. 
          UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION WE HAD IN THE PRE-BRIEFING WITH JUSTINA AND MARIA. 
          UM, THE CONSTANT QUESTIONS I'VE HAD WITH MARIA AS WELL, UH, THAT I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING ABLE TO ANSWER. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S DIFFICULT AND WE ARE ALL EXPECTING IT IN SOME WAY, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR SO, UM, THAT THIS MOMENT WOULD COME IN SOME FORM. 
          UM, AND I, I'M GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT FOR THE MOST PART, RIGHT? A LOT OF THESE THINGS FEEL MANAGEABLE. 
          UM, I THINK IT FELT A LOT MORE DIFFICULT, UM, OR A LOT MORE FRIGHTENING, I GUESS, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. 
          AND BECAUSE Y'ALL'S INCREDIBLE WORK, YOU MADE IT FEEL A BIT MORE SUCCINCT AND NOT AS, NOT AS DIFFICULT. 
          BUT NONETHELESS, THERE ARE STILL THINGS RIGHT, THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE I THINK YOU'RE HEARING FROM ALL OF US, RIGHT? UH, SOME TWEAKS THAT WE CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SERVICES THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE ASKING FOR ARE AS, UH, ROBUST AS POSSIBLE. 
          UM, AND AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE TOO. 
          UM, ON THE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. 
          JUST KIND OF TO START OFF WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK I PERSONALLY NEED TO TALK MORE WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT IT. 
          UH, I APPRECIATE THIS, UH, LOOK AT IT AND THIS, THE PRICE OR THE COST DECREASE COMPARED TO THE FULL 3.5% THAT WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. 
          UM, I WOULD DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, NOT ONLY OF WITHOUT, UM, A, UH, PROPERTY TAX INCREASE IN ANY FORM, UM, BUT ALSO ANY OTHER KINDS OF LIKE, UH, SCENARIOS WE COULD LOOK AT EVEN WITH THE LARGER INCREASE, JUST TO SEE WHERE THAT MONEY COULD GO TOWARDS TO SEE THE IMPROVEMENTS IN SERVICES. 
          BECAUSE I THINK SOMETHING THAT I STRUGGLE WITH, EVEN WITH THIS, UH, INCREMENT INCREASE IS THE FACT THAT IT'S JUST MAINTAINING. 
          UM, I THINK I CAN CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT AND IT'S DEFINITELY NECESSARY, BUT I THINK FOR RESIDENTS, UH, AND EVEN FOR MYSELF, WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT DO WE WANT OUR CITY TO BE AND WHAT KINDA SERVICES DO WE WANT TO HAVE WHEN WE KNOW THERE ARE SHORTFALLS IN TERMS OF DELIVERY OF SERVICE IN SOME FORM, WHEN WE STILL HAVE SERVER RESULTS SAYING THAT A CS AND HOMELESS SERVICES, UH, THE NEEDS ARE NOT BEING MET AS EFFICIENTLY AS THE FOLKS WOULD LIKE THEM TO BE MET. 
          JUST INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT, WHAT WOULD THAT NUMBER BE THAT COULD HELP IMPROVE THOSE SERVICES IN SOME FORM, IF WE'RE ASKING OUR RESIDENTS TO PAY MORE, I THINK THEY WOULD EXPECT ALSO SERVICES TO BE IMPROVED IN SOME WAY TOO. 
          SO WE JUST APPRECIATE SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, IF POSSIBLE. 
          UM, ALSO INTERESTED IN THE STRUCTURAL CONVERSATION AFTER THIS BUDGET. 
          UM, AND EVEN THROUGHOUT, UM, ABOUT HOW WE 
          [02:20:01]
ADDRESS SOME OF THE DECREASING PROPERTY TAXABLE VALUES WE SEE IN OUR CITY. 
          THINKING ABOUT, OF COURSE, THE EDIF CONVERSATIONS, BUT ALSO BEYOND THAT, UH, THINKING ABOUT OUR LAND USE AND PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT, UH, KIND OF CONVERSATIONS THERE. 
          UH, SITE DEVELOPMENT, NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS, EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL. 
          I THINK WE HEAR ALL THE TIME FROM GREATER C TX AND OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT EDUCATION IS A CRITICAL PART OF RECRUITING PRIVATE INVESTMENT HERE TO OUR CITY. 
          UM, AND SO FINDING WAYS TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS, UM, IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. 
          AND I THINK SOMETHING WE SHOULD, UH, NOT TAKE LIGHTLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT DOES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MEAN FOR OUR CITY. 
          UM, DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN THAT JUST BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE A LONGER CONVERSATION THAT'S NEEDED TO HAVE. 
          UM, I'LL GO INTO JUST A COUPLE LARGER QUESTIONS. 
          I WON'T TRY TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM TODAY 'CAUSE WE HAVE THE OTHER BUDGET WORK SESSIONS FOR THAT. 
          UM, ON THE EMPLOYEE COLA, OF COURSE, VERY SUPPORTIVE, UH, OF SEEING, UH, A COLA HERE AND GRATEFUL THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO IT. 
          UM, I AM A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT THE HEALTHCARE PREMIUMS, UH, IMPACT TO THAT. 
          AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WE CAN AVOID THAT. 
          UM, IN TERMS OF AVOID A, A NEGATIVE, UH, NUMBER FOR OUR RESIDENT, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, UM, I WANNA SEE SOME DIFFERENT, IF WE CAN SEE SOME DIFFERENT SCENARIOS ABOUT, UH, HOW HIGH WE CAN GET A COLA TWO B, UM, FOR MANY OF OUR, UH, LOWEST PAID EMPLOYEES IN PARTICULAR TO ENSURE THAT THOSE HEALTHCARE PREMIUMS DON'T OUTWEIGH OR, UH, GO PAST WHAT THE COLA WOULD BE. 
          I THINK FOR A LOT OF OUR WORKING FAMILIES, INCLUDING FAMILIES LIKE MY, MY OWN, WHEN WE SEE A BIT OF A COLA ESPECI IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, WHETHER IT'S IN EDUCATION IN THE ISDS OR BEYOND IN IN GOVERNMENTS, UM, WE OF COURSE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF IT. 
          WHEN HEALTHCARE HUMANS GO UP, IT JUST MEANS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PUSHED INTO, UH, A MORE DIFFICULT HEALTHCARE PLAN, UH, THAT THEN COVERS LESS AND LESS, IT MEANS MORE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS FOR THE, UH, INDIVIDUAL WORKER THEMSELVES. 
          UM, SO TRYING TO SEE IF WE CAN BOUNCE IN SOME WAY A BIT MORE, UH, WHICH WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THOSE SCENARIOS WOULD BE WITHIN THE STILL FRAMEWORK WITHOUT, UM, RAISING TAXES IN SOME FORM. 
          ON THIS PARTICULAR POINT, UM, ON HOMELESS SERVICES, AGAIN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, A CLEARLY KEY ISSUE, NOT ONLY FOR MY RESIDENTS BUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY, UH, I APPRECIATE THE KIND OF PREVIEW WE'RE GETTING IN THE BUDGET ABOUT, UH, WHAT THE DECOMMISSION EFFORT WOULD LOOK LIKE. 
          UM, I WAS LOOKING AT SOME OF THE URBAN INSTITUTE REVIEWS ON DENVER'S PROGRAMS OF IT. 
          AND WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN GET SOME MORE INFORMATION BY THE TIME HOMELESS SERVICES PREVENTS, UH, PRESENTS, UH, LATER THIS MONTH. 
          UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL CAPACITY OF, I GUESS, UH, OUR HOMELESS, UH, PREVENTION SERVICES, UH, ECOSYSTEM IN SOME FORM. 
          BECAUSE I GUESS WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M SEEING WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE IS THAT THEY COMMIT TO THIS EFFORT, UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME OTHER FUNDING IN PARTICULAR STRONG FORM OF FUNDING IN DENVER, UH, FOR TRANSITIONAL SHELTER, FOR NON CONGREGATE SHELTER, UM, FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. 
          AND SO I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND A BIT MORE WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE HERE LOCALLY. 
          'CAUSE I, WHAT I AM NERVOUS ABOUT IS THAT WHEN WE DO EFFORTS LIKE THIS, UM, THAT STILL ARE PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF FUNDING, THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE TOO MUCH OF A DIFFERENT RESULT. 
          UM, AND I DON'T WANNA SET UP BOTH, UH, OUR RESIDENTS, THE FOLKS IMPACTED BY THIS WORK IN TERMS OF THE HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND ALSO OF COURSE, OUR STAFF COMMITTING TO A NEW EFFORT THAT STILL RESULT IN SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO WE'RE SEEING NOW, WHICH IS PEOPLE BEING MOVED FROM SPOT TO SPOT ON AN EXTREMELY LONG WAIT LIST, UH, TO GET TO HOUSING AND TO GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED, BARRIERS TO ACCESSING CARE, UH, THAT WOULD HELP THEM BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE, UH, OR AT LEAST GET OFF THE STREETS IN GENERAL. 
          UM, SO JUST, I JUST WANT TO BE AS COGNIZANT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THOSE THINGS, UH, AND SEE WHAT THAT LOCAL IMPACT WOULD BE HERE ON SENIOR SERVICES. 
          UM, REALLY APPRECIATE OF COURSE, THE CONTINUED FUNDING THERE. 
          UM, AND THE FOCUS ON TRYING TO MAINTAIN, UH, THE LATER, THE LATER HOURS. 
          I DID NOTICE IN THE BUDGET THAT THERE WAS A EXCEPTION FOR THE, THE LATE, UH, I GUESS EVENING USE FOR AT LEAST TREVINO LOPEZ CENTER AS WELL AS, UH, I THINK, I THINK IT WAS THE ONE IN DISTRICT SEVEN THAT SOME OF MY RESIDENTS GO TO FEEL FREE TO ANSWER. 
          OKAY. 
          NO, IT WOULD BE ACROSS ALL SENIOR CENTERS, OR I'M SORRY THAT THE, THE COUNT FOR IT WAS THAT EXCLUDING THOSE TWO CENTERS? CORRECT. 
          AND SO I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND A BIT MORE SURE WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE AND WHY THEY'RE EXCLUDED. 
          UM, JUST BECAUSE ONE IS OF COURSE A PRIMARY ONE IN MY DISTRICT AS WELL AS THE OTHER ONE IS ONE THAT MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS GO TO IN THUNDERBIRD HILLS, AND I JUST WANNA SEE WHAT THE COMPARISONS LIKE THERE. 
          SURE, SURE. 
          BUT ALL THE EX, ALL THE HOURS WILL BE EXTENDED FROM SEVEN TO SEVEN. 
          YES. 
          GOT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THE OTHER POINT OF THAT, AND I KNOW I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, UM, BEFORE WITH MELODY AND MARIA, UM, AND JUSTINA, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN TALK BEFORE THE NEXT CONVERSATION AROUND, UH, DHS WHEN THEY COME TO PRESENT, UM, IS LOOKING AT, UM, I MEAN I'M VERY CONCERNED WITH THE NER, UH, PART  THAT ARE BEING CLOSED. 
          I UNDERSTAND THE COST SAVINGS OF IT. 
          I COMPLETELY GET THAT. 
          UM, IT IS ONE OF THE LARGER SENIOR CENTERS IN THE WEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE WEST END ONE ON NORTHWEST 18TH STREET. 
          ONCE YOU GO WEST OF THAT, THERE IS NOTHING UNTIL YOU GET OUTSIDE FOUR 10. 
          AND FOR THE RESIDENTS IN EDGEWOOD IN PARTICULAR, THERE'S A FEELING THAT I DON'T THINK SHOULD BE DISCOUNTED ABOUT. 
          I HAVE TO LEAVE MY AREA OF TOWN NOT ONLY WITHIN THE FIVE MILE RADIUS, UM, BUT ALSO OUTSIDE OF THE LOOP OF SAN ANTONIO, WHICH HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY THE KIND OF BARRIER FOR A LOT OF OUR RESIDENTS. 
          UM, TO GO 
          [02:25:01]
TO A COMPREHENSIVE SENIOR CENTER THAT IS NICE AND QUALITY, UM, BUT WOULD PREFER TO HAVE ONE NEARBY. 
          AND FOR IN PARTICULAR IN DISTRICT SIX WITH DONNER AND BETHEL, THERE ARE TWO SMALLER, UH, CENTERS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WE GET WHAT WE CAN, WHAT WE CAN AT THE MOMENT. 
          UM, AND SO I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SEE A BIT MORE CONVERSATION ON THE BACKEND BETWEEN MY OFFICE AND, AND STAFF, AS WELL AS, UM, JUST A COMPARISON ABOUT SPACE BETWEEN THOSE TWO AND OTHER KINDA CENTERS IN THE AREA. 
          AND HOPEFULLY A LONGER RUNWAY WOULD BE PREFERRED TILL WE GET, WELL, KNOCKING ON WOOD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP A LARGER SENIOR CENTER IN THE AREA, BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WORRY ABOUT THE TRAVEL TIME THAT WE DISCUSS THE COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE FOR SOME OF THE SENIOR CENTER BUSES THAT TAKE OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF TO GET PEOPLE TO ONE CENTER TO ANOTHER. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND IN THE, IN THE BUDGET BOOK, IT SAID LESS THAN FIVE MILES AWAY, I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE BASED ON THE TRAVEL TIME BETWEEN, UM, GARNER AND ROBINETTE AS WELL AS LEAST TREVINO AS WELL AS WEST END IS BEYOND FIVE MILES. 
          UM, ANY WHO, SO I JUST, THAT'S A BIG KEY PRIORITY FOR MYSELF AND FOR MY SENIORS IN THE AREA WHO HAVE HAD A GROWING PRESENCE AT BOTH OF THOSE, UH, CENTERS, BUT IN PARTICULAR NER, UM, TO NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN THEIR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WOLF STADIUM CONVERSATIONS, REDEVELOPING AN AREA THAT THAT WHOLE AREA AND PART OF MY DISTRICT, UH, HAS LOST A MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE AREA IS LOSING WOLF STADIUM WOULD BE LOSING A SENIOR CENTER. 
          AND IT FEELS AS THOUGH WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO CREATE STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO OUR TAX VALUE AND OUR TAX BASE AND INCREASING INVESTMENT HERE, REMOVING PUBLIC INVESTMENTS IN SOME WAY FROM ONE PART OF OUR CITY OR ONE PART OF, YEAH. 
          UH, IT'S JUST NOT THE, THE RIGHT PATHWAY FORWARD, AT LEAST NOT IN MY OPINION, BEYOND THAT. 
          UM, DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE INCREASE IN INVESTMENT IN A CS. 
          UM, WE'LL HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS LATER ON THERE ABOUT NON-CRITICAL CALLS. 
          UM, BUT OF COURSE, I KNOW A BIG FOCUS IS MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THOSE CRITICAL CALLS ADDRESSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 
          PUBLIC WORKS SHARE A LOT OF THE SAME, UH, SENTIMENTS AS MY COLLEAGUES AROUND CIP DOLLARS. 
          UM, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN GET THIS INFORMATION BEFORE THE PUBLIC WORKS MEETING ON THE CONSULTANT PIECE WITH NAMP, UH, AND TRAFFIC SAFETY, UH, OPERATIONS. 
          UM, DEFINITELY APPRECIATE COUNCIL CASTILLO'S POINTS ON THAT TO REDUCE THOSE COSTS. 
          MY TEAM HAS ALSO HAD TO COVER THOSE COSTS, UH, FOR SOME OF OUR NAMP PROJECTS HERE. 
          UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF COST AS WELL AS, UH, SERVICE DIFFERENCE AND HAVING CONTRACTORS DOING THIS WORK VERSUS HIRING IN-HOUSE SOMEONE WHO CAN DO THIS WORK AS WELL, UH, OR INSTEAD, UM, AND WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT OFFLINE BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING. 
          I THINK THE LAST TWO, UH, THINGS, WELL, I'LL JUST SAY LAST ONE, UM, IS THE LIBRARY CIRCULATION, OF COURSE, CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, IF THOSE STAFF MEMBERS ALSO DO ANY KIND OF PROGRAMMING ON SITE, UH, FOR ANY KIND OF TEEN EVENTS OR ADULT EDUCATION LEARNING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          UM, AND ALSO WHAT IS, UH, THE COST BEEN FOR OUR EBOOK SUBSCRIPTIONS, PUBLICATION SUBSCRIPTIONS AND LI AND LIBBY CONTRACTS. 
          UM, I'VE HEARD THEY'VE BEEN CHANGING OVER TIME FOR DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES. 
          WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR OURSELVES TOO. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. 
          I'M, I'M SORRY, MAYOR DID, WHAT WAS THE LAST POINT YOU MADE ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE LIBRARY, THE COST. 
          I WAS WONDERING, UM, WHAT'S THE, THE COST OVER TIME BEEN FOR EBOOK SUBSCRIPTIONS OR PUBLICATION SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THAT. 
          GOT IT. 
          AND THEN THE LIBBY CONTRACT AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN RAMONIA. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, I ALSO WANT TO ECHO, UH, JUST THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO'S WORKED ON THIS AND EVEN, UH, WORKING LATE NIGHTS. 
          AND JUSTINE, I CALLED YOU LAST NIGHT. 
          YOU WERE STILL HERE AT THE OFFICE, SO, UH, NO SURPRISE THERE. 
          BUT, UH, GOING TO SOME OF THE NOTES I HAVE HERE, I ALSO AM INTERESTED IN THE CIP ALLOCATION. 
          I KNOW THAT'S PART OF THE DEBT CAPACITY. 
          UM, SO THOSE ARE PROJECTS DONE BY DEBT. 
          SO I THINK MOST OF US WERE, UH, INTERESTED IN INCREASING THAT CAPACITY. 
          AND I THINK CIP IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. 
          WE'RE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF THINGS SUPPLEMENTING GENERAL FUND DOLLARS FOR THESE THINGS. 
          SO IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OUR PROJECTS, RIGHT, WE'RE ADDING SHADE TO PARKS. 
          WE'RE REDOING PARKS WITH CIP MONEY. 
          UH, WE ARE ALSO DOING STREET AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS. 
          UH, IN MY DISTRICT, WE'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT WITH PUBLIC WORKS ON A MAJOR STREET, AND I'M HAVING TO COVER QUITE A BIT OF THAT WITH MY ALLOCATION OF CIP. 
          SO IF THAT'S GOING TO BE CUTS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 200, IT'LL SEVERELY LIMIT WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO IN OUR OWN RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS. 
          AND AGAIN, SUPPLEMENTING GENERAL FUND PROJECTS. 
          UM, AND REAL QUICK, WHICH, WHICH DEPARTMENTS ARE SEEING GROWTH IN ALLOCATION? SO WE HAVE INCREASES IN ANIMAL CARE SERVICES AS WELL AS, UM, POLICE AND FIRE ARE A COUPLE OF THE INCREASES IN OUR DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS. 
          SO A CS POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ARE SEEING THE, UM, GREATEST INCREASES IN THEIR BUDGETS. 
          YEAH. 
          YES, WE HAVE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND YOU KNOW WHAT, COUNCILMAN YOU, YOU'RE THE SECOND COUNCIL PERSON THAT'S ASKED THIS QUESTION. 
          WE'VE GOT, WE, WE'VE KIND OF A HANDY SHEET THAT SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE OR DECREASE. 
          WE'LL EMAIL THIS TO YOU ALL THIS AFTERNOON. 
          OKAY, 
          [02:30:01]
GREAT. 
          THE WAY YOU'VE GOT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES FOR, FOR THE COUNCIL AND THEN FOR THE RESIDENTS IS, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT THREE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS, WHICH YOU WOULD CONSIDER TO BE PUBLIC SAFETY, ARE DEFINITELY SEEING INCREASES. 
          YOU KNOW, I HAD MY, MY SECOND QUESTION ON THAT WAS GONNA BE HOW MANY DEPARTMENTS ARE FACING CUTS SO WE CAN PROVIDE THAT. 
          'CAUSE I ALSO WANNA DO AT MY TOWN HALL, SHOW RESIDENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE CUTTING A LOT OF MONEY, WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS INCREASE. 
          WE ARE ALSO INCREASING ON THESE SERVICES THAT ARE HIGH PRIORITIES. 
          UH, AND WE ARE DOING OUR SHARE AND CUTTING BACK ON, ON A LOT OF THINGS. 
          AND I'M VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW IN PERHAPS MORE DETAIL LATER ON AND WHEN WE GO THROUGH EACH DEPARTMENT. 
          BUT I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE COST SAVINGS ARE REGARDING LATERAL MOVES FOR CITY STAFF, RIGHT. 
          WITHIN DEPARTMENTS, WHICH WOULD MEAN CUTTING PROGRAMS THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY DOING, MOVING THEM AROUND. 
          UH, AND THAT'S A COST SAVINGS. 
          SO I'M VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHICH PROGRAMS IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING TO BE CUT. 
          UH, BECAUSE I WANNA LET FOLKS KNOW THAT WHILE WE'RE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS GOOD, WE'RE NOT LAYING OFF A LOT OF CITY EMPLOYEES. 
          UH, THERE WILL STILL BE CUTS TO PROGRAMS REGARDLESS. 
          SO EVEN THOUGH METRO HEALTH, FOR EXAMPLE, MIGHT HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES, UH, AFTER THIS, UH, BUDGET PASSES, WHAT THEY'RE DOING WILL BE DIFFERENT. 
          AND I THINK WE ALL NEED TO KNOW THAT ALSO. 
          AND I THINK THE EMPLOYEES ALSO NEED TO KNOW THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 
          I THINK TODAY, UM, HR TALKED TO A LOT OF FOLKS AND, UH, BASED ON SOME OF THE LETTERS I SAW, THERE'S STILL A LITTLE WORRY, RIGHT? I THINK IT'S A LITTLE INTENTIONALLY VAGUE, UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY FOLKS ARE, ARE WORRIED THAT THEY MAY NOT COME BACK. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO WORK ON THAT. 
          ALSO, UH, WITH THAT, ALSO VERY PLEASED TO SEE THE 3% BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WHO WORKS HERE, UH, IS PART OF THE ECONOMY ALSO, RIGHT? AND SO THEY'RE CERTAINLY NOT IMMUNE TO INFLATIONARY ISSUES. 
          AND IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, HAVE YOU ALL IMPLEMENTED THE CBR STUFF FOR, FOR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THIS CYCLE? YES, SIR. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S INCLUDING THE PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          THERE'S ABOUT 12 AND A HALF, $12.3 MILLION IN, IN, UH, REDUCED REDUCTIONS IN SPENDING AS A RESULT OF THOSE REVIEWS OF THOSE FIVE DEPARTMENTS THIS YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          AND CAN YOU REMIND ME, WHICH, WHAT, WHAT FIVE DEPARTMENTS WERE THOSE? POLICE, FIRE, MUNICIPAL COURTS, HR, AND LIBRARY. 
          OKAY. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AND EVEN WITH THAT SEA, A COUPLE WILL BE HAVING INCREASES. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTED THE PFM ANALYSIS FOR THE BUDGET CYCLE THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          UH, GOOD TO KNOW. 
          AND I WAS REVIEWING THEIR ANALYSIS, THEIR PRESENTATION THAT WE GOT BACK IN MAY. 
          UM, AND I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, PART OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY AND, AND AS FAR AS CUTS AND WHERE WE WANT TO CUT AND, AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, PART OF THEIR ANALYSIS THAT WE PAID THEM TO, TO DO FOR US SAYS, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT A CLEAR EMPHASIS ON INTENDED RESULTS, THE APPROACH, UH, OF CUTTING RISKS EXACERBATING EXISTING CHALLENGES, IT MAY LEAD TO INEFFICIENCIES OR UNMET PRIORITIES WITHIN ESSENTIAL SERVICES. 
          ANOTHER BULLET POINT THAT, AGAIN, WE PAID THEM TO GIVE US SAYS PROGRAMS, UH, IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY CHANGES TO BUDGET ALLOCATIONS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES TO PRIORITIES. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, ALL, WE'RE ALL VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AND WHAT ADDITIONAL CUTS WE CAN MAKE. 
          BUT I JUST WANT TO GIVE A WARNING, A CAUTIONARY TALE THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CUTTING HERE AND THERE BASED ON LINE ITEMS WE THINK ARE UNPOPULAR OR WE THINK ARE, ARE NOT WORTHY OF GETTING MONEY IN THE GENERAL FUND COULD ALSO LEAD TO INEFFICIENCIES AND PROGRAMS THAT WOULD CAUSE A WORSE SITUATION. 
          UM, I THINK WE ALL WERE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THE EFFECTS OF CUTS AND IMPACT. 
          IT COULD COMMUNITIES. 
          IS THAT AVAILABLE? DO YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU HAD ANY, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR US? YES. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE REVIEWING WITH WHEN WE PRESENT ON THE REDUCTIONS IN THE REVENUES AT OUR NEXT, UH, BUDGET WORK SESSION NEXT TUESDAY. 
          NEXT TUESDAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I'LL BE VERY INTERESTED IN THAT ALSO. 
          AND I THINK WHILE YOU ALL ARE WORKING, I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN KNOWING YOU WRITE WITHOUT THE INCREMENT, WHAT KIND OF CUTS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT IN THAT NEXT PHASE, IF THAT WAS A COUNCIL DECISION. 
          BUT I THINK PUTTING THE CURRENT CUTS AND THOSE POTENTIAL CUTS INTO THE ANALYSIS OF WHO'S GONNA BE MOST AFFECTED BY THOSE CUTS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, UH, I HAVE A SUSPICION, RIGHT, THAT THAT'S GONNA BE PROBABLY DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH SIX. 
          UH, AND SO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO TELL MY RESIDENTS, RIGHT, LIKE OUR, YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN ARE GONNA BE AT MOST AFFECTED BY THESE CUTS, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO INCREASE ANY TYPE OF PROPERTY TAX. 
          UH, AND SO I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW, UH, AND WHAT THAT EFFECT WILL HAVE ON PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES, RIGHT? I MEAN, IF THERE'S AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS CUT, UH, FUNDING FOR PLACES 
          [02:35:01]
LIKE NEXT LEVEL, AND THESE CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY AT RISK, CHILDREN DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GO, WHAT THAT WILL MEAN ULTIMATELY ON THE BACK END OF THINGS. 
          UM, AND SO VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW YES, WHAT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITHOUT THE INCREMENTS. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT'LL BE GOOD INFORMATION FOR US TO HAVE FOR OUR, UM, INDEPENDENT, YOU KNOW, OUR OWN TOWN HALLS AND YOU ALL WILL HAVE AN EQUATION, RIGHT? SO IF SOMEONE HAS THEIR PROPERTY VALUE, THEY'D BE ABLE TO PUT IN TO THIS EQUATION, KIND OF KNOW HOW MUCH EXTRA THEY WOULD BE PAYING. 
          YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD. 
          ALRIGHTY. 
          WELL, AS WE GET INTO THE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS, I'LL CERTAINLY HAVE A LOT MORE QUESTIONS AND, AND DIVING INTO IT. 
          BUT I, I DO THANK Y'ALL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE PRESENTED TODAY, AND IT'S CERTAINLY A LOT OF IMMENSE CHALLENGES. 
          BUT YOU, EVEN WITH THE CUTS AND EVEN WITH THE INCREMENT INCREASE, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO MORE WITH LESS. 
          UH, I HAD SOME RESIDENTS AT MY OTHER TOWN HALL COME UP TO ME AND SAY, COUNCILMAN, WE UNDERSTAND RIGHT? IT MIGHT BE TIME TO INCREASE TAX, BUT, UH, WE ALSO EXPECT SERVICES TO BE BETTER. 
          UH, RIGHT. 
          AND SO THIS THING OF ORDER JUST INCREASING TO MAINTAIN, IT'S NOT A REALLY WINNING ARGUMENT FOR THOSE FOLKS, UH, WHEN THEY'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, ILLEGAL DUMPING OUTSIDE THEIR HOME IN MY DISTRICT WHEN THEY HAVE THESE LOTS THAT ARE VERY, VERY HIGH WITH GRASS, UH, WHEN THEY'RE SEEING A LOT OF STRAY DOGS, RIGHT? AND SO WE, UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE NORMALIZED THESE TYPES OF THINGS BECAUSE WE SEE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
          UH, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO EVEN PERFORM AT A HIGHER RATE, UH, EVEN WITH LESS BECAUSE WE'RE ASKING THEM TO PAY MORE. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO KEEP THAT IN THE BACK OF OUR HEAD. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ON THE SECOND ROUND, UM, COUNCILMAN WHITE HAS STEPPED AWAY. 
          OKAY. 
          WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE SECOND ROUND? OKAY, GO AHEAD, PLEASE SIGN IN. 
          I SIGNED IN. 
          NO. 
          OKAY. 
          IF YOU HAVE SIGNED IN, GO AHEAD, COUNCILMAN MESS, GONZALEZ. 
          OKAY, QUICK QUESTION. 
          SORRY, JUST A QUICK QUESTION. 
          I KNOW, UM, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES ASKED FOR, UH, ERIC, YOU AND YOUR TEAM TO GIVE US A SCENARIO, UM, WITHOUT THE INCREMENT, UNUSED INCREMENT, I BELIEVE, I GUESS AT THE SAME TIME, I'M WONDERING, UM, I KNOW YOU HAVE AN UNUSED INCREMENT FOR 27 AND A POTENTIAL FOR 28, AND WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE IF MORE OF THAT PO MORE OF THAT UNUSED WENT INTO 27 AND NOT 28? UH, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE OR WHAT THAT WOULD PROVIDE? SO, UM, THE, UH, THE, THE, THE 27 PROPOSAL AND THE 28 PLAN, UM, THE 27 PLAN ENVISIONS AND PROPOSES TO USE THE UNUSED INCREMENT FROM FISCAL FOR FROM 2025 AND 2026. 
          THERE IS AN UNUSED INCREMENT IN 2027 MM-HMM . 
          THAT WE'RE USING IN 28. 
          SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IF WE MOVED THE UNUSED INCREMENT THAT'S IN THE PROPOSED 28 PLAN UP TO 2027 MM-HMM . 
          THAT WOULD GENERATE AN ADDITIONAL $35 MILLION IN REVENUE IN 2027. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND THEN I GUESS, CAN YOU, AND IT, WHAT WOULD COME BACK THEN TO THE 27 BUDGET WITH THAT? WELL, THERE, THE, THE, THE, THE TAX RATE, THE PROPOSED TAX RATE WOULD BE SURE HIGHER THAN WHAT YEAH. 
          THAN WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING. 
          BUT IT WOULD MEAN 20, 35, 30 $5 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE, 27 THAT WOULD RIPPLE THROUGH AND ACCUMULATE FOR 28. 
          SO WE WOULD, I THINK, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS WHAT, WHAT'S THE IMPACT IF WE MOVE THAT 27 INCREMENT UNUSED INCREMENT? BECAUSE, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE, AS WE TALKED A BIT IN THE JUNE COUNCIL MEETING, UM, WE'RE NOT INCREASING PROPOSING TO INCREASE THE UP TO THE THREE POINT HALF PERCENT THAT'S ALLOWED UNDER, SO IT'S, IT'S CREATING ADDITIONAL UNUSED INCREMENT FOR 27. 
          THAT'S THAT CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE PROPOSING TO USE IN 28, NOT IN 27. 
          AND IN 28 WE'RE ONLY PROPOSING THE UNUSED NOT A, THE TRADITIONAL STATE ALLOWED 3.5, RIGHT? YES, MA'AM. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THOSE, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN WHITE. 
          YEAH, THANKS, MAYOR. 
          UM, REAL QUICKLY, I WANT TO, UH, AND, AND I TALKED ABOUT IT WITH MARIA AND JUSTINA IN THE, IN OUR BUDGET BRIEFING. 
          WHAT ELSE DID IT LOOK LIKE? WE WOULD HAVE TO CUT TO GET THOSE, UH, IF WE DO 10 ADDITIONAL SAFE OFFICERS ADDITIONALLY ON THE CIPI GUESS THE PROPOSAL IS TO BRING IT DOWN TO 200 FROM 
          [02:40:01]
FROM A MILLION. 
          UM, I'M, THAT DISTURBS ME AND I'M WONDERING IF PERHAPS THERE'S A COMPROMISE, UH, TO GET IT UP TO $500,000. 
          SO I GUESS THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER 3 MILLION, UM, DOLLARS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO THAT. 
          I WOULD BE INTERESTED, UH, IN THAT AS WELL. 
          UH, THANK YOU TO COUNCILMAN SPEARS FOR, FOR NOTING THE, THE TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT AND, AND THANK YOU TO, TO STAFF FOR, UM, FOR GETTING THAT DONE. 
          UM, COMPLETELY AGREE ON, ON GROWING REVENUE, RIGHT? THE ANSWER IS NOT TO ASK PEOPLE TO PAY MORE. 
          THE ANSWER IS TO GET MORE PEOPLE PAYING INTO THE SYSTEM, UH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BETTER PAYING JOBS AND MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON PROPERTY, UM, AND OTHER THINGS. 
          SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT REPORT FROM THAT, UH, UH, THAT FINANCIAL GROUP THAT CAME AND TALKED WITH, WITH ALL OF US, THAT, THAT, I GUESS WE'RE GONNA GET, ARE WE GONNA GET TO SEE THAT BEFORE WE VOTE ON THE BUDGET? YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THAT'S GREAT. 
          SO LOOK, LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT, BECAUSE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, IS OF COURSE GONNA BE A, A MAJOR WAY THAT, UH, WE GET OUT OF THIS. 
          IT'S, IT'S, IT'S CUTTING, SPENDING ONLY SPENDING ON CORE SERVICES AND IT'S GROWING OUR ECONOMY. 
          UM, MY MY LAST ISSUE HERE IS THESE BUDGET REVIEWS THAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR, WE DID THE BUDGET REVIEWS, WE FOUND THE $12.8 MILLION, WHICH DEPARTMENTS WAS, WERE, WERE, WAS THAT ON POLICE, FIRE, MUNICIPAL COURTS, LIBRARY AND HR. 
          OKAY. 
          AND SO THERE ARE A BUNCH OF OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAVE NOT CONDUCTED THESE REVIEWS ON, RIGHT? YES. 
          THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR. 
          WE, WE REINSTITUTED THOSE REVIEWS, UM, IN, UH, IN 23. 
          SO, SO WE ARE, THERE'LL BE A TARGET OF EMPLOY, UH, TARGET OF DEPARTMENTS FOR 27. 
          SO WE ARE, WE ARE, WE ARE POTENTIALLY, THIS BODY'S GONNA VOTE TO RAISE TAXES WITHOUT US HAVING DONE THESE BUDGET REVIEWS ON EVERY CITY DEPARTMENT. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S A TRUE STATEMENT, YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AGAIN, I, I KNOW THESE TAKE TIME. 
          UH, I GET IT. 
          AND, AND I APPRECIATE, CERTAINLY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT. 
          I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS TO DO THESE, BUT TO, TO RAISE TAXES WITHOUT HAVING GONE THROUGH EACH DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB TO CUT OUT THE WASTE AND DUPLICATION, I THINK IS WRONG. 
          JUST THIS YEAR. 
          LOOK, $12.8 MILLION, HOW MUCH WOULD WE FIND IN THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS? WE'RE NOT GONNA KNOW UNLESS WE LOOK, MY LAST QUESTION IS, UM, ERIC, IF WE VOTE TODAY ON, IS IT ITEMS FIVE AND SIX OR, OR LET'S JUST TAKE ITEM FIVE. 
          IF ITEM FIVE TODAY FAILS, WE SHUT DOWN THE CONVERSATION ON A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. 
          YEAH. 
          THE, THE, THE, THE BUDGET AS YOU WILL ADOPT IN SEPTEMBER, WILL INCLUDE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS. 
          OKAY, SO, SO, SO LET ME, LET ME, LET ME ADD TO THAT. 
          WHAT, WHAT YOU ALL ARE PROPO WHAT YOU, WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TODAY AFTER THIS CONVERSATION IS JUST SETTING THE SCHEDULE FOR PUBLICATION UNDER STATE REQUIREMENTS AND THE PUBLIC HEARING, BUT IT DOES NOT CLOSE THE, THE BOOK FOR YOU AS A GROUP TO MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TAX RATE, RIGHT? IF, IF, IF, IF THE ITEM FAILS TODAY, THEN THAT BOOK IS SHUT AND WE WILL MOVE FORWARD TO REDUCTIONS AND PERIOD. 
          I MEAN, THERE'S NO OTHER OPTIONS 'CAUSE WE'VE GOTTA, WE'VE GOTTA ADOPT THE BUDGET, WE'VE GOTTA DO THE PUBLIC HEARINGS, WE'VE GOTTA DO THE NOTIFICATIONS, AND YOU HAVE TO ADOPT THE BUDGET WITHIN A TIMELY MANNER ACCORDING TO THE CITY CHARTER. 
          OKAY? SO WE CAN SHUT OFF THE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE TAXES ON OUR CITIZENS TODAY BY VOTING NO TO ITEM FIVE. 
          WE SHOULD SAY HELL NO TO ITEM FIVE, VOTE NO, STOP IT NOW. 
          MAKE THE APPROPRIATE CUTS, UH, AND THEN MOVE FORWARD. 
          WE SHOULD NOT BE ASKING THE CITIZENS TO PAY MORE. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          MAYOR, MAYOR, I'LL JUST ONE OTHER COMMENT. 
          GO AHEAD, ERIC, PLEASE. 
          YEP, YEP. 
          UM, MY, MY, MY RECOMMENDATION GOT MEAN OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME CONCERN AND OBVIOUSLY MORE CONVERSATIONS AROUND POTENTIAL SCENARIOS THAT WERE REQUESTED, BUT, BUT I THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD MAINTAIN SOME FLEXIBILITY AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT MONTH. 
          UM, UM, AND, AND YOU LOSE THAT FLEXIBILITY IF, IF THAT ITEM IS CHANGED OR MENDED TO LEAVE THE TAX RATE THE SAME, WE WILL MOVE POST HASTE TO COMING UP WITH AN ADDITIONAL $65 MILLION WORTH OF REDUCTIONS THAT FRANKLY, UH, NONE OF US ARE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF CHOICES ABOUT, BECAUSE WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET. 
          SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S THE, THE OTHER PART. 
          GO AHEAD, COUNCILMAN. 
          YEAH, SORRY. 
          TINY THING I FORGOT. 
          UM, YOU GUYS HAVE GIVEN US THIS, THIS, UH, SAN ANTONIO FISCAL YEAR 2026 INVENTORY OF CITY PROGRAMS. IF WE COULD PLEASE GET THIS FOR 2027, UM, 
          [02:45:01]
AS SOON AS WE CAN, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL AS WELL. 
          YES, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANKS. 
          IN CASE IT'S HELPFUL FOR ANY OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES, UM, ERIC, AND, AND PLAIN SPEAK, WHAT YOU'VE JUST SAID IS WE'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT ADOPTING THE TAX RATE TODAY. 
          WHAT WE ARE DOING THOUGH, IS SAYING IT COULD BE THIS, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, FOR THAT TO BE LOWER. 
          YES. 
          UM, AND THAT'S THE FLEXIBILITY YOU'RE DISCUSSING. 
          CLOSING THAT OFF WOULD, UM, TRIGGER CUTS OF WHAT AMOUNT JUST IN FY 27? UH, WELL, $65 MILLION OVER 27 AND 28. 
          UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, IT WOULD BE, IT'D BE ABOUT $28.6 MILLION ADDITIONALLY. 
          OKAY. 
          THE BALANCE OF THAT WOULD BE IN 28. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND GO AHEAD. 
          ONE OTHER THING, MAYOR, YOU, YOU ALL ADOPT THE TAX RATE WHEN YOU ADOPT THE BUDGET BUDGET. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. 
          THAT'S WHEN YOU, THAT'S WHEN THE VOTING ON THE TAX RATE GETS SET. 
          YEP. 
          YEP. 
          NO, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. 
          I THINK THE FLEXIBILITY, UH, AND WHAT YOU WOULD DO BY JUST TURNING THAT OFF RIGHT NOW, ABSENT AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THE 28 MILLION WOULD COME FROM, ABSENT AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACTS ON THE COMMUNITIES, UM, IS I WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD DO. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNCILMAN GALVAN, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, REALLY QUICK, JUST WANTED TO ADD A POINT ABOUT, UM, SOMETHING COUNCILOR MENTIONED CENT AN EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP FUNDING AS WELL, TRYING TO SEE HOW WE CAN MAINTAIN SOME OF THOSE, UH, SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS. 
          OF COURSE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S PERFECTLY REASONABLE FOR US TO REVIEW THEM AND, UH, TO DISCUSS THE, UH, THE EFFECTIVENESS OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT OF THAT, UM, FOR THOSE, UH, THOSE FUNDS. 
          BUT ULTIMATELY, RIGHT, UH, THERE ARE STUDENTS WHO ARE STARTING SCHOOL WHO ARE EXPECTING TO RECEIVE THOSE DOLLARS TO HELP PAY FOR BOOKS, PAY FOR ANY KIND OF, UH, EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, TRAVEL OR TRANSPORTATION, ET CETERA. 
          AND SO I JUST WOULD WANT TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT ONE, UM, AND HOPEFULLY DISCUSS IT THROUGHOUT THE NEXT YEAR, BEFORE THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE AND NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR, UM, TO HELP ADDRESS ANY KIND OF POTENTIAL SHORTFALLS IN THE FUTURE THAT COULD HAPPEN. 
          UM, JUST WANNA BE MINDFUL OF THAT. 
          THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION WAS JUST KIND OF ON THIS PROJECT NEXT CONVERSATION, RIGHT? I THINK RAISING PRIVATE TAXES IS NEVER, UH, EXCITING IS NEVER DESIRED BY I THINK ANYBODY. 
          UM, I THINK FOR THE CONVERSATION AROUND WHAT THE IMPACT IS TO WORKING FAMILIES, OF COURSE WE UNDERSTAND THE, THE IMPACT TO WORKING FAMILIES, WHETHER IT'S A DOLLAR A CENTS, WHATEVER IT IS, THERE'S AN IMPACT FOR FOLKS WHO ARE STRUGGLING EVERY SINGLE DAY, RIGHT? THERE ARE A LOT OF EXEMPTIONS HERE, UH, IN OUR STATE, UH, AND HERE IN OUR CITY FOR SENIORS, FOR FOLKS DISABILITIES, UH, TO BE ABLE TO NOT FEEL THOSE COSTS DIRECTLY TO THEM, INCLUDING THESE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          BUT I DO WANT TO KIND OF JUST PAINT THE PICTURE OF WHAT IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, UM, FOR A WORKING FAMILY TO HAVE TO TIGHTEN THEIR BELTS, RIGHT? WE HEAR A LOT OF THIS KIND OF COMPARISON TO A PERSONAL BUDGET. 
          AND SO FOR A, A WORKING PERSON, UM, FOR SOMEONE WHO'S ON A FIXED INCOME FOR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, UM, WE HAVE TO TIGHTEN THEIR BELTS FOR EVERYDAY COSTS BECAUSE FOOD GOES UP OR HEALTHCARE GOES UP, OR HOUSING GOES UP IN PARTICULAR, THEY DO CUT COSTS PLAIN AND SIMPLE. 
          THEY'LL CUT COSTS ON VACATION TIME, THEY'LL CUT COSTS ON RECREATION, THEY'LL CUT COSTS SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY, THEY'LL CUT COSTS ON ON EDUCATION, THEY'LL CUT COSTS ON CARD MAINTENANCE, THEY'LL CUT COSTS ON, ON, ON ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS, ON HOBBIES, ON THEIR FAVORITE SNACK, WHATEVER IT IS. 
          AND AT SOME POINT, IF EVERYTHING KEEPS GOING UP, IF EVERYTHING ELSE KEEPS GETTING WORSE IN SOME FORM, THE ESSENTIALS THEY HAD START CUTTING BACK THERE TOO. 
          HAVE 'EM WITH MY FAMILY, BE STUCK, GONNA THE DOCTOR WE GO BEHIND ON UTILITY BILLS, WE GET BEHIND ON RENT, WE GET BEHIND ON, ON ALL THESE MAJOR THINGS TO OUR LIVES BECAUSE WE'RE CUTTING TO THE BONE AT SOME POINT. 
          AND WHILE I DON'T THINK WE'RE AT THAT RIGHT NOW WITH THE CITY, I DO THINK WE TALK ABOUT, OH, WE CAN'T EVEN DISCUSS INCREASES IN REVENUE IN ANY FORM OR FASHION TAX OR FEE OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, B, THAT WE'RE GONNA START CUTTING INTO THE BONE. 
          AND WHEN WE DO THAT, THOSE SAME WORKING FAMILIES WHO HAVE NO OPPORTUNITY OR STRUGGLE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE MOVIES EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, TO, TO HAVE HULU AND NETFLIX, TO BE ABLE TO WATCH THE FAVORITE SHOWS THAT MAYBE THEIR COWORKERS OR THEIR, OR THEIR, THEIR FRIENDS AT SCHOOL OR WHOEVER IT IS, THEY TALKING ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE LARGER SOCIETY AND CULTURE AND LIFE BEING MORE THAN JUST SOMEONE WHO WORKS, GOES TO, GOES HOME AND WORKS AGAIN THE NEXT DAY AND STRUGGLES UNTIL THE VERY END WHEN WE CUT BACK ON THESE PUBLIC UTILITIES, THESE PUBLIC SERVICES. 
          WHAT IS, WHAT IS LIFE FOR THOSE, FOR FOLKS LIKE THAT TO NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY, TO HAVE WORSE SERVICES THERE, TO HAVE WORSE SERVICES AT THE PARK, TO HAVE LESS MAINTENANCE THERE, TO HAVE LESS SHADE STRUCTURES AT THE PARK NEARBY YOU, TO KNOW THAT THERE'S DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR CITY THAT ARE JUST GONNA BE WITHOUT, BECAUSE SOME FOLKS JUST FEEL, WELL, WE JUST SIMPLY CAN'T EVER ASK OUR RESIDENT TO DO THAT. 
          I WOULD BE WILLING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, AND I THINK MY RESIDENTS ARE WILLING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION HONESTLY AND OPENLY ABOUT IF IT'S A DOLLAR TO MAKE SURE, MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SINGLE PARK HERE IN OUR CITY HAS SHADE OVER IT, WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY PART OF THE CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW. 
          FAIR ENOUGH. 
          I THINK THERE'S A WILLINGNESS TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 
          WE CAN OF COURSE CUT THE FLUFF, BUT LET'S NOT ALSO PRETEND THAT THE FLUFF IS GONNA JUST ONLY BE THAT THAT CUTTING BACK IS ONLY GONNA BE THOSE THINGS. 
          AT SOME POINT IT MAY HIT THE BONE. 
          AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE HONEST ABOUT THAT AND BE OPEN TO HAVING THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREVENT THOSE THINGS AND TO ENSURE 
          [02:50:01]
THAT OUR WORKING FAMILIES HAVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR CITY, WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE THE MEANS TO DO SO. 
          THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE GOVERNMENT'S HERE FOR, TO INTERVENE WHERE WE CAN TO PROVIDE THE HEALTH SUPPORT WE CAN. 
          THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF HAVING A PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT THAT BACK IN THE 19 HUNDREDS, THE LATE 18 HUNDREDS, WHEN WE WERE IN THE, IN THE ENTHRALLED OF THE, OF THE GILDED AGE, WHEN THERE WAS NO SOCIAL SERVICES IN SOME FORM, WE HAD TO RELY ON, ON THE WEALTHIEST IN OUR COMMUNITIES TO HAVE TO GIVE CHARITY AND SAY, OKAY, HERE, FINE. 
          THE FOLKS WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE CAN HAVE SOMETHING TO, TO BE IN SHELTER OF. 
          THEY WERE ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE COMMIT TO EACH OTHER THAT A SOCIETY, WE DON'T BELIEVE PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE A PLACE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT THAT'S SAFE AND QUALITY. 
          THAT WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T HAVE A, A, A GREEN SPACE TO GO TO SOMEWHERE TO ENJOY LIFE AND JUST GET OUT OF THE HOME FOR A SECOND. 
          THINGS LIKE THAT ARE JUST, ARE, ARE, ARE THE WORK THAT WE DO EVERY DAY. 
          AND I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. 
          UM, IT'S EASY TO SAY, RIGHT? OH, WE JUST CAN'T DO THOSE THINGS. 
          WE SHOULDN'T EVEN EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S EASY TO SAY THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE ALSO HERE WHO CAN'T SPEAK UP OR WHO DON'T SPEAK UP BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING DAY IN AND DAY OUT, WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO SAY, I HOPE I CAN GO TO THE PARK THIS WEEKEND AND HOPE IT'S AS GOOD AS IT CAN BE. 
          THAT'S WHY I WANT TAX DOLLARS TO GO TO BEGIN WITH. 
          SO ANYWAY, JUST WANTED TO GIVE MY 2 CENTS ON THAT. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CORE. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          UM, ERIC, WHEN YOU BRING BACK THE OPTIONS FOR US, IF IT, IF THE VOTE PASSES TODAY ON THE TRIAL BUDGET, COULD YOU BRING BACK TO US AN OPTION THAT SHOWS US WHAT IT WOULD, WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR RESIDENTS IF WE INCLUDED THE THREE YEARS OF INCREMENT THIS YEAR? UM, AND SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE, LIKE, HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR AS WELL? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO THE, THE SCENARIO THAT COUNCILWOMAN MESA GONZALEZ WAS ASKING? YES, MA'AM. 
          WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL. 
          AND UM, IT WOULD ALSO BE HELPFUL TO, 'CAUSE FOR IF WE DID NOT DO THE CUTS, IT WOULD BE 30 THIS YEAR, BUT THEN LIKE 60 NEXT YEAR, RIGHT. 
          UM, IF WE DIDN'T DO THE RAISE, I'M SORRY, IF WE DIDN'T DO THE PROPERTY TAX RAISE, IT'S LIKE 20, IT WOULD BE 60, IT WOULD BE $65 MILLION OVER TWO YEARS, IT WOULD BE $28 MILLION IN THE FIRST YEAR. 
          AND THE, THE BALANCE OF THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE FISCAL YEAR 20, RIGHT? LIKE 30. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          SO IF YOU COULD SHOW US THAT OPTION AS WELL, SO WE CAN SEE ALL THREE AND WHAT PROGRAMS THAT WOULD INCLUDE IN THAT WAY, UM, AS WAS SHARED, WE CAN HAVE SOME, WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE WANNA AFFECT THOSE PROGRAMS WITH WHAT WE'RE DECIDING ON. 
          WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS I'M THINKING ABOUT AND, AND GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALL, WE LAID OUT THE BUDGET WORK SESSION, BUT I'M, I'M THINKING THAT WE NEED TO PROBABLY NOT ON TUESDAY, BUT PRETTY QUICKLY ON THE FRONT END, HAVE A WORK SESSION BASED ON THESE SCENARIO CONVERSATIONS. 
          UM, THAT WAY YOU SEE THE FULL OPTIONS. 
          UM, AND SO WE MAY MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE WORK SESSION SCHEDULE THAT I SHOWED YOU JUST BASED ON THIS CONVERSATION SO THAT WE DO THAT EARLY ON. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, UM, THANKS, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, AND THEN ONE MORE THING, COUNCIL MEMBER MUNGIA MENTIONED THAT IF WE DO INCREASE RATES ON FOLKS, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE PROVIDING ARE EXCELLENT. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WHEN WE SAY WE'RE INCREASING 25 CENTS FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION, I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THAT RESIDENTS WILL NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THAT BECAUSE SOLID WASTE HAS ONE OF OUR HIGHEST PERFORMANCE METRICS IN THE ENTIRE CITY. 
          UM, ONE OF THE ONES I DO GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT, BECAUSE MANY OF YOU KNOW, I USE A LOT OF OUR SPORTS FIELDS IS THE QUALITY OF OUR SPORTS FIELDS. 
          AND SO, UM, WHEN I SHARED TO SOME FOLKS THAT THOSE RATES ARE GOING ALMOST DOUBLE, SO IT'S, INSTEAD OF $16 AN HOUR, IT'S GONNA BE $25 AN HOUR. 
          THE FOLKS THAT I INTERACT WITH SIGNIFICANTLY WERE VERY UPSET ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THE RATE, THE, THE STATUS OF THE FIELDS ARE NOT IMPROVING, BUT THEIR FEE FEEL, BUT THEIR FEES ARE. 
          SO IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT AS WE MEASURE HOW WE'RE INCREASING OUR REVENUES TO MAKE SURE THE SERVICE IS ALSO GOING TO IMPROVE. 
          SO I'D LIKE FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, WHEN YOU GUYS, UH, COME TO PRESENT TO EITHER LOOK AT A WAY THAT WE CAN ASSESS OUR FIELDS TO RATE THEM ON A SCALE OF LIKE ONE TO FIVE IN TERMS OF HOW BAD THEY ARE. 
          UM, AND THEN TWO OR HOW STRONG THEY ARE, SORRY, LET ME BE, UH, PURPLE LINING HOW, UM, STRONG THEY ARE. 
          AND THEN TWO, ALSO, IF THERE'S A WAY THAT WE CAN DO A, UM, A DIFFERENT FEE STRUCTURE FOR FOLKS THAT ARE LIKE RESERVING IT ONCE IN, YOU KNOW, A YEAR VERSUS SOMEONE THAT'S RESERVING THE FIELDS EVERY WEEK FOR A LEAGUE. 
          AND IF THERE'S A DIFFERENT WAY THAT WE CAN HELP THOSE FOLKS TO MAKE SURE, UM, THEY'RE NOT FEELING THE IMPACT AS SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING A LOT TO THE BUDGET. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. 
          THANKS. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          AND I'LL BE QUICK. 
          UM, JUST AS IT RELATES TO THE BUDGET TOWN HALL THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING PLACE IN MY DISTRICT ON MONDAY, UH, THERE WAS INFORMATION THAT I ASKED FOR, UM, AT OUR LAST, UH, AT BACK IN JUNE, UH, WHICH WAS ESSENTIALLY IF WE WERE TO NOT DO THE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE AND WE WERE NOT TO, UM, INCREASE REVENUE IN THAT WAY, UM, WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT TO SERVICES IN DISTRICT 
          [02:55:01]
TWO AND WHAT PRO WHAT PROGRAMS WOULD WE CUT AND WHAT DOES PARTICIPATION BY DISTRICT TWO LOOK LIKE? UM, AS WELL AS WHAT DOES THE PROPERTY TAX IMPACT LOOK LIKE FOR DISTRICT TWO RESIDENTS ON AVERAGE? AND IT SOUND, IT SOUNDS LIKE STAFF IS GONNA BE ABLE TO GET ME ANSWERS TO ONE OF THOSE TODAY, IS GONNA BE ABLE TO GIVE ME ANSWERS ONE OF THOSE TODAY. 
          BUT I DON'T THINK THAT BY MONDAY WE'LL HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THE REST OF IT. 
          AND SO I'M CONCERNED THAT THE CONVERSATION AT MY BUDGET TOWN HALL IS NOT GONNA BE EFFECTIVE. 
          AND SO, UH, I, I THINK WE SHOULD DELAY IT. 
          UH, AND I'LL BE WORKING WITH STAFF HOPEFULLY TO IDENTIFY A NEW DATES. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, A COUPLE OF YOU HAVE BROUGHT UP THE CIP AND I, I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF RATIONALE BEHIND THE RECOMMENDATION. 
          UM, UH, WE REDUCED IT BECAUSE IF WE, IF WE KEPT IT THE SAME AT A MILLION DOLLARS, THEN WE WOULD BE TAKING FROM THE CAPACITY FROM THE BOND PROGRAM. 
          SO, UM, BECAUSE IT'S, BECAUSE WHAT WE, HOW WE USE THAT CIP IN THE PAST HAS BEEN THROUGH CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION THAT ARE UTILIZED OUT OF OUR CAPACITY. 
          AND SO I WANTED TO PRESERVE AS MUCH OF THAT CAPACITY FOR THE BOND CONVERSATION FOR YOU ALL. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE REDUCE IT TO 200,000. 
          SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GONNA BE MORE CONVERSATIONS AROUND CIP IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S AN AMENDMENT TO THAT, THEN, THEN THAT'LL HAVE AN, AN IMPACT ON THE FOUR 50 VALUATION. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT YOU ALL UNDERSTOOD THE RATIONALE BEHIND THAT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR ALL YOUR, ALL YOUR OFFICES, UM, AND INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          BUT, BUT, BUT FROM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I WANTED TO PRESERVE IT FOR THE LARGER DISCUSSION AROUND THE BOND. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT WAS THE RATIONALE BEHIND IT. 
          THANKS, ERIC. 
          UM, WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM FIRST OR SECOND ROUND? OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I'M JUST GONNA PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF, ERIC, BECAUSE, UH, LAST YEAR WHEN WE INCREASED, UH, THE FUNDS FOR THE DISTRICT, CIP, WE ISSUED DEBT TO DO THAT, CORRECT? YES, MA'AM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, AGAIN, MY THANKS TO THE ENTIRE TEAM THAT, THAT, UM, UH, PUT IN THE WORK TO WHERE WE ARE. 
          AND I KNOW THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK, UH, THAT REMAINS AHEAD OF US. 
          UM, IN PARTICULAR WHAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT DOCUMENTS. 
          I KNOW WE'LL HAVE A SPECIAL SESSION ON IT, BUT IT'S REALLY HARD TO, UM, KIND OF APPRECIATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SOME OF THESE THINGS WHEN WE HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED THE, UM, DEBT MANAGEMENT PLAN. 
          SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT, TO THAT CONVERSATION. 
          UM, 8.3%, UH, PROPERTY TAX INCREASE OVER TWO YEARS IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. 
          IS THAT A FAIR WAY OF DESCRIBING IT, ERIC? YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE, THE FISCAL YEAR 28 PLAN. 
          THERE'S 3.9% IN 27. 
          AND, AND THE, THE PLAN FOR 28 WOULD BE UTILIZING THAT 27 INCREMENT? YES, MA'AM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AND THE, UH, SO JUST BASED ON THE, THE CONVERSATION, RATHER, THE, THE OPTION THAT WAS PRESENTED EARLIER, IF YOU TOOK THE INCREMENT IN 27, UM, THEN THAT THEN YOU'RE DOING AN 8.3% INCREASE JUST IN ONE YEAR VERSUS ACROSS TWO YEARS, CORRECT? YES, MA'AM. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          OKAY. 
          WHICH WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT, I THINK, IN LIGHT OF SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, INCREASES THAT WE ARE EXPECTED TO, TO AT LEAST HAVE REQUESTED OF US SAWS IN PARTICULAR. 
          OKAY. 
          AND TO REITERATE THIS BUDGET, THE PROPOSED BUDGET ONLY BALANCES IF YOU INCREASE THE PROPERTY TAX RATE 3.9% THIS YEAR, EXCUSE ME, IN 27 AND 4.4% IN 28. 
          IT ONLY BALANCES IF YOU DO THOSE TWO THINGS BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE LAID OUT, CORRECT? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT THE PLAN IS THE, YOU DON'T ADOPT THE PLAN. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          SO IT, NEXT SPRING WHEN WE'RE DOING BUDGET WORK SESSION, IF YOU ALL WANNA GO PURSUE ADDITIONAL REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS OR ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS, THEN WE WOULD SUBSTITUTE UNDERSTOOD. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT THIS UNDERPINS. 
          UM, IT UNDERPINS RATHER WHAT'S BEEN PROPOSED A 3.9% IN FY 27 AND A 4.4% IN FY 28. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I'LL, THERE'S A, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, THAT I'LL ASK ABOUT. 
          THE, UM, ONE I KNOW THAT IS, IS TOP OF MIND AND I, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SESSION ON IT, BUT JUST BECAUSE FOLKS I'M SURE HAVE, HAVE READ ABOUT IT AND IT'S A SIGNIFICANT, UM, INCREASE. 
          AND AS YOU'VE ARTICULATED, ERIC, THE HEALTHCARE PIECE IS ONE OF THE, THE FASTEST GROWING, UH, PARTS OF THIS. 
          SO, UM, THE, THE PRESTIGE, UH, THE ISSUE WITH THE, UM, THAT, THAT ONE PROVIDER PRESTIGE AND, AND THE 40, 40 MILLION, UM, DOLLARS, HOW DOES THAT, HOW SHOULD A NORMAL PERSON UNDERSTAND HOW THAT 40 MILLION INCREASE, UH, CONTRIBUTES TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW? YEAH, REMEMBER, WE'LL GO, WE'LL GO AND WE DO THE HR BUDGET. 
          WE'LL GO IN A LOT MORE DETAIL MM-HMM . 
          BUT THAT'S AN INTERNAL SERVICE FUND. 
          MM-HMM . 
          WE SPENT $250 MILLION ON 
          [03:00:01]
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FOR 29,000 LIVES MM-HMM . 
          AND SO, UM, ONE OF OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES IS IF WE FIND OURSELVES WITH ONE OF THOSE INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS IN A FINANCIAL POSITION, THAT WE WORK TO MITIGATE THAT OVER A THREE TO FIVE YEAR PERIOD. 
          MM-HMM . 
          PART OF THAT IS MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE INCREASING THE, THE, THE REVENUE TO THAT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UH, PART OF THAT IS TIED BACK TO THE PREMIUM INCREASES FOR, UH, EMPLOYEES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE POLICE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT AS WELL AS CIVILIANS. 
          IT WILL BE, UH, NO SURPRISE, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FIRE ASSOCIATION THAT WILL BE A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WITH THEM IN THE SPRINGTIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE STAY UP IN TERMS OF INCREASING THAT COST IN TERMS OF EITHER COVERAGE, WHETHER IT'S DEDUCTIBLES OUT OF POCKETS OR THE PREMIUMS. UM, SO IT IS HAVING A, AN IMPACT ON OUR GENERAL FUND AND ALL OF OUR OPERATING FUNDS, BUT IT IS NOT A MAJOR DRIVER IN TERMS OF OUR, OUR OFFSET. 
          BUT, BUT WE'LL GO INTO A LITTLE, LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL. 
          WE'LL UPDATE YOU ALL AT THE BUDGET WORK SESSION. 
          UM, ON THE CONVERSATIONS WITH PRESTIGE AND BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, WE'VE MADE SOME PROGRESS IN THAT SENSE. 
          I'M, I'M THANKFUL THAT THE EMPLOYEES HAVE, UM, HAVE HEATED SOME OF OUR, OUR, OUR, UM, UH, CAUTIONS AROUND UTILIZING FREE STANDING EMERGENCY ROOM CLINICS THAT WORK WILL CONTINUE TO CONTINUE WITH EMPLOYEES. 
          AND, UH, AND, AND WE WILL, WE'LL FULLY BRIEF YOU GUYS AT THAT WORK SESSION. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I'LL, I'LL REITERATE WHAT I SHARED, UM, CERTAINLY EARLIER THIS YEAR, BUT THEN ALSO IN THE PRE-BRIEF IS AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET SESSIONS, UM, AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CU AS, AS BEST ABLE, THE CUMULATIVE IMPACTS NOT ONLY OF THE CUTS IN, IN ANTICIPATED CUTS IN 27 AND 28, BUT WHAT THAT MEANS IN LIGHT OF CUTS THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THOSE SAME PLACES IN IN 2025. 
          UM, AND POTENTIALLY 26. 
          I THINK, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, AN ANALOGY I WOULD USE IS, IT MIGHT, MIGHT, BASED ON MY BACKGROUND, IS, IS ARE THESE ORGANIZATIONS STILL MISSION CAPABLE? RIGHT? WHEN YOU CUT THEM SO MUCH, HAVE YOU CUT THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEIR LEVEL OF SERVICE IS MAYBE NOT WORTH THE SQUEEZE ANYMORE? AND HOW MIGHT BE, BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT, UM, LOOKING AT DOING THAT JUST COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY OTHER THAN JUST REDUCING, UM, WHAT IT, WHAT IS PROVIDING SO THAT IT MAY BE NOT EVEN PROVIDING, UH, WHAT ONE WOULD ANTICIPATE. 
          SO A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF, OF, UM, THE OPERATIONAL, UM, IMPACT AS A RESULT OF THOSE THINGS OVER TIME. 
          'CAUSE WHILE, AGAIN, JUST IF WE MIGHT BE CUTTING IT THIS TIME BY 10%, BUT WHEN YOU ADD THAT OVER TIME, WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN POTENTIALLY A 30% DECREASE IN SOMETHING OVER TWO, THREE YEARS, THEN WE REALLY NEED TO DETERMINE IF THAT IS STILL THE BEST WAY TO PROVIDE THAT. 
          OR WE MIGHT WANNA DO, DO SOMETHING, UM, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY FOR EVERYONE'S EDIFICATION. 
          ERIC, WHEN YOU SAID THE AVERAGE, UH, RESIDENT WOULD SEE THE TWO, UM, $2 95 INCREASE, UM, WHAT IS, HOW ARE YOU DEFINING AVERAGE? SO THE, UM, THE AVERAGE RESIDENCE'S TAXABLE VALUE AFTER EXEMPTIONS IN, IN SAN ANTONIO RIGHT NOW IS 200, A LITTLE OVER $231,000. 
          SO WE'RE APPLYING THAT, UH, PROPOSED ADJUSTMENT, UTILIZING THE END USE TAX INCREMENT TO THAT, TO THAT TAXABLE VALUE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO THAT'S AFTER EXEMPTIONS. 
          YEP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I WANNA MAKE SURE THE, THE PUBLIC UNDERSTOOD, UH, KIND OF WHERE THEY WERE RELATIVE THAT TO THAT, TO THAT AVERAGE. 
          UM, BASED ON, LEMME SEE, I WANNA GO TO SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS THAT WERE, UM, IDENTIFIED. 
          UM, THE HIRING FREEZE IN 27 AND, AND 28, JUST FOR THE PUBLIC'S SAKE. 
          UM, CAN YOU GIVE AN IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, THE NON-ESSENTIAL VERSUS ESSENTIAL THAT THESE WOULD BE APPLIED TO ERIC? THANKS. 
          SO THEY ARE, UM, GONNA BE AROUND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO BE, WE'LL NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS ALSO PROVIDE SERVICES LIKE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT. 
          UM, IT'S PROBABLY EASIER TO, TO DEFINE THE CRITICAL POSITIONS, MAYOR, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. 
          THOSE ARE HOWEVER YOU WANNA PROVIDE IT. 
          YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. 
          THOSE ARE THE, THE CRITICAL POSITIONS THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE A HIRING FREEZE ON ARE 9 1 1 DISPATCHERS. 
          UM, SOME OF OUR EVIDENCE TECHNICIANS, UH, CIVILIAN EVIDENCE TECHNICIANS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, OUR CODE INVESTIGATORS, OUR ANIMAL CARE OFFICERS, UM, DEPENDING ON STAFFING, IT COULD BE ANIMAL CARE ATTENDANCE. 
          UM, A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS WILL PROBABLY GET, UM, CONSOLIDATED AND, AND FROZEN. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S KIND OF HOW, AND, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA REVIEW THAT. 
          THEIR HR AND BUDGET ARE GONNA REVIEW IT WEEKLY. 
          I'M GONNA REVIEW IT WITH THEM EVERY TWO WEEKS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UH, WE ARE ADDRESSING POINTS OF, OF NEED AND, AND SQUEEZING DOWN WHERE WE CAN SQUEEZE DOWN IN TERMS OF COST. 
          GREAT. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, IT'S BEEN ALLUDED TO BY ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, BUT I WILL ALSO BE VERY INTERESTED IN, UM, THIS PROPOSED ELIMINATION OF THE COMPLIANCE OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS OFFICE, UH, CUTTING EIGHT POSITIONS, 
          [03:05:01]
NINE BEING TRANSFERRED, UH, CONSIDERING THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT THEY DO FOR SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE GOING TO BE INCREASINGLY IN NEED OF THEIR SERVICES. 
          WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CUTS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, SO DISABILITY ACCESS, IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS, CIVIC, UH, CIVIL RIGHTS, THE, UH, THE $5 MILLION REDUCTION IN THE DELEGATE AGENCIES AND, AND FY 28 48 PROGRAMS, UM, AND THOSE FOCUSED ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH FAMILY STRENGTHENING SENIOR INDEPENDENCE IMPACTING 9,350, UM, UNDUPLICATED CLIENTS. 
          I THINK IT'S REALLY, I KNOW THAT'S IN 28, UM, BUT IF WE, IF WE ARE UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR BA OUR BUDGET ONLY BALANCES, IF WE DO THAT LATER ON, WE CERTAINLY HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW WE ARE ACCOUNTING FOR AND, AND, AND PLANNING FOR THOSE. 
          AND I'LL COME BACK TO THAT WHEN I TALK ABOUT READY TO WORK HERE SHORTLY. 
          SOME OF THESE CUTS, UM, UH, I DON'T AGREE WITH, AND I, I WANNA MAKE, WANNA WORK WITH MY COLLEAGUES TO MAKE SURE WE FIND A WAY TO, UH, UH, TO PUT THESE BACK IN PARTICULAR, FOR EXAMPLE, TO WE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, UH, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          I THINK THAT IS, UH, IS, UH, A CRITICAL, UM, UH, A CRITICAL BENEFIT AND SOMETHING WE WANT FOLKS TO DO, WHICH IS INVEST IN THEMSELVES, AND WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD HELP THEM DO THAT. 
          UM, IN GENERAL, UM, I, I'D LIKE TO, AND IF YOU WANNA SPEAK TO IT NOW, I, I WELCOME THAT SOME OF, SOME OF THE, UM, I STILL HAVE A CHALLENGE WITH SOME ASPECTS OF THE THINGS THAT WERE, THAT WERE LEFT IN FROM THE TRIAL BUDGET, UH, IN LIGHT OF SOME OF THE CUTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE PROPOSED. 
          UM, AND I SAY THIS BECAUSE AS, AS BEEN ALLED BY SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, I THINK OUR NEIGHBORS ARE WILLING TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS. 
          I THINK THEY ARE ASSUMING THOUGH, THAT WE ARE DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO, TO CUT OUT AS MANY THINGS, UM, OR REDUCE THEM IN A WAY THAT IS COMMENSURATE WITH THE NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY IN LIGHT OF SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE BEING, THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED. 
          UM, AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I MEAN, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT CUTTING A MATERNAL MORTALITY, UH, PILOT, UM, AND WHY THEN WOULD WE ONLY BE REDUCING OUR FIESTA COSTS BY 50%, RIGHT? IF WE ARE LOOKING AT, AGAIN, REDUCING THE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT, ELIMINATING THE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR OUR CITIZENS, WHY WOULD WE STILL BE GIVING THE SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN A MILLION DOLLARS? IF WE'RE LOOKING AT CUTTING ONE, ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES THE, UH, CULTURAL INITIATIVES, WHICH OVERSEES THE CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICTS, LOCAL MAKERS PROGRAM, LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM, CULTURAL CONTEXT PROGRAM, UM, WHY WOULD WE STILL BE GIVING THE BOOK FESTIVAL $150,000? THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE HAVE TO, AND OH, BY THE WAY, DOING THOSE THINGS WHILE RAISING PEOPLE'S PROPERTY TAXES AS PROPOSED. 
          SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE GOTTA MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN FACT SERVING THE MOST VULNERABLE. 
          BECAUSE IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, FIESTA, IF, IF IT'S FIESTA AND MATERNAL MORTALITY PILOT, IT'S GONNA BE THE MATERNAL MORTALITY PILOT. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S JUST COMMON SENSE. 
          UM, SO GOING BACK TO THAT, AND IF YOU WANNA SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO IT, UM, UM, JUSTINA, I KNOW THERE'S A BIG POT OF MONEY THAT WE'VE GOT, UM, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF SO MANY OF THESE CUTS BEING IN THE HEALTH SPACE. 
          UM, THE 1115 WAIVER PROGRAM, AND JUST KIND OF IN GENERAL, IF YOU CAN GIVE US THE LOGIC OF, OF HOW, ONE, HOW MUCH MONEY THAT IS IN THAT POT, AND TWO, WHAT, WHAT'S THE LOGIC OF APPLYING THAT, UM, THIS YEAR IN THIS BUDGET AND IN THE NEXT YEARS? SURE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          SO WE'RE PROJECTING TO GO INTO FISCAL YEAR 2027 WITH ABOUT $19 MILLION. 
          AND MEDICAID WAIVER HAS FUNDED SOME PRIORITY AND MANDATED SERVICES IN THE PAST. 
          SO THAT INCLUDES OUR DENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, UH, STANDUP SA, UH, SOME COMMUNITY NUTRITION DIABETES PROGRAMS. SO WE ARE LOOKING IN SOME OF OUR ES, UH, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION, UM, UH, WORKLOAD THAT WE HAVE. 
          SO WHAT WE DID IS WE LOOKED AT THOSE PROGRAMS AND IN ORDER TO, 'CAUSE IT IS ONE TIME FUNDING MM-HMM . 
          UM, SO WE WANTED TO CONTINUE THOSE PROGRAMS FOR AS LONG AS WE COULD. 
          SO WE MADE SOME REDUCTIONS, WE CUT SOME PROGRAMS, BUT THEN THAT WILL, THE, THE REMAINING FUNDING AND THE REMAINING PROGRAMS WILL BE, WILL BE ABLE TO FUND THOSE THROUGH WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE 2029. 
          MM-HMM . 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND I, I, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WE UNDERSTAND, TO YOUR POINT, IT'S ONE, ONE TIME FUNDING, BUT, UM, THAT FLEXIBILITY AND THAT MONEY IN LIGHT OF THE FEDERAL CUTS THAT WE'RE SEEING, MEDICARE, MEDICAID, CHIP AND SNAP, IT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND JUST KIND OF THE, THE SPEND, THE BURN RATE, UM, ON THAT AND, AND WHERE IT'S GOING. 
          SO, THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          DO YOU WANT ME TO KIND OF ANSWER THAT? YEAH, PLEASE GO AHEAD. 
          FIRST PART OF THAT PART, SO, YOU KNOW, AND WE OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE GONNA GET MORE INTO THIS AS WE GET THROUGH THE WORK SESSIONS, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF ART BEHIND THE, THE MATH, RIGHT? MM-HMM . 
          AND, AND THERE ARE THE REDUCTIONS AND THE LOGIC BEHIND THEM COME FROM A COUPLE DIFFERENT SOURCES. 
          [03:10:01]
ONE, DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THERE ARE PLENTY OF DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS I GOT OVER THE WEEKEND, OR I'M SORRY, OVER THE WEEKEND, OVER THE SUMMER THAT, UH, THAT I SAID ABSOLUTELY NOT TO RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY, I DON'T THINK THEY WERE ACHIEVABLE. 
          I THINK THEY HAD PROBABLY GREATER IMPACTS. 
          BUT, UH, I RELY UPON THE EXECUTIVES IN THE DEPARTMENTS TO MANAGE THEIR BUDGETS AND THEIR PROGRAMS. THE, THE, THE SECOND, UH, KIND OF LENS IS, UH, MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, UM, AND, AND THAT HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF BOTH, FRANKLY, MARIA AND JUSTINA, UH, AND THE YEARS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE SPENT DOING THIS TYPE OF WORK. 
          AND THEN LASTLY, IT'S THE COUNCIL CONVERSATION THAT YOU ALL HAD IN MAY AND JUNE. 
          I MEAN, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE BOOK BUDGET, UH, THE BOOK FAIR OR THE, THE BOOK FESTIVAL WAS TALKED ABOUT PLENTY. 
          AND I HEARD THAT LOUD AND CLEAR. 
          SO, UM, MAKING SURE THAT I'M, I'M ASCERTAINING AND PULLING THAT FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALL AS A GROUP, UH, MY OWN PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE, OF THE DEPARTMENTAL STAFF. 
          AND IT'S NEVER PERFECT, RIGHT? AND THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A WHOLE MONTH AHEAD OF US, BECAUSE YOU ALL WILL UNDOUBTEDLY MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS A COMPLETE PROCESS. 
          I APPRECIATE THAT, ERIC. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AS WE LOOK AT, UM, ADDITIONAL REVENUE STREAMS, I WANNA THANK, UM, ALEX AND, UM, JUSTINA, UH, FOR THE, THE VERY HELPFUL INTELLECTUAL EXERCISE TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT OF THAT READY TO WORK MONEY CAN ACTUALLY PAY FOR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE CURRENTLY PAY FOR OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, AND BASED ON THE FY 26 BUDGET, IT WAS ABOUT 4.5 MILLION JUST SHORT OF THAT. 
          UM, IN 27, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT DECREASES TO ABOUT 2.1 ONLY BECAUSE THE SAN ANTONIO EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP IS, IS ZEROED OUT. 
          UM, AND I MEAN, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE I THINK THAT IS  THAT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN. 
          ZEROING OUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 3,500 KIDS, UM, IN LIGHT OF SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE STILL FUNDED. 
          BUT WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT AS, AS ERIC DESCRIBED THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          UM, AND SO IN LOOKING AT, UM, THE, THE READY TO WORK, UH, THINGS THAT COULD BE PAID FOR, UM, OUT OF, COULD BE PAID FOR NOW, RIGHT? ABSENT THE, UH, ABSENT THE A, A PUBLIC VOTE, UM, I AM VERY ENCOURAGED TO SEE NOT ONLY THE 2.1 MILLION I HAD MY TEAM GO THROUGH. 
          UM, AND I KNOW THAT WAS JUST THE INITIAL INITIAL ANALYSIS, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          IN LOOKING AT SOME OTHER PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY IN DE THE DELEGATE AGENCY SPACE, SO IT LOOKS LIKE THERE MAY BE AN ADDITIONAL, UM, THE TEAM IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH, WITH JUSTINA AND MARIA ON THIS, AN ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL 3 MILLION. 
          AND THE REASON ALL THAT'S IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE IF YOU'RE USING THE READY TO WORK MONEY TO, TO PAY FOR THOSE THINGS IN THE GENERAL FUND, WHAT THAT DOES THEN IS, IS ALLOW US TO UTILIZE THAT MONEY ON ADDITIONAL CORE SERVICES. 
          SO IT FREES UP THAT GENERAL FUND MONEY, SO WE CAN APPLY TO WAR CORD SERVICES. 
          AND AS WE CAN SEE THE SIGN, THE CUTS ARE SIGNIFICANT. 
          SO AS CREATIVE AS WE CAN BE IS, UH, IS, IS WHAT I WOULD PROPOSE. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, AS MENTIONED, UM, A COUPLE OF MILLION DOLLARS WOULD HELP TO RESTORE, UM, THE, UH, THE DISTRICT'S CAPITAL, THE SIP, UH, SIP ACCOUNTS. 
          UM, AND SO IT WOULD BE MY HOPE THAT BEING CREATIVE WITH THAT READY TO WORK MONEY TO BACKFILL SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT MAY ACTUALLY HELP GET US GET THE ACCOUNTS CLOSER TO A MILLION DOLLARS AS AS POSSIBLE. 
          I'M ALSO VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, AS WAS MENTIONED IN, IN THE MEMO AND THE ANALYSIS, ONE POTENTIAL RECIPIENT OF THAT IS THE SAN ANTONIO EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP. 
          I THINK WHILE THOSE SCHOLARSHIPS, UM, I MEAN IT'S 200 $5,500 A PIECE, UM, IN THIS AFFORDABILITY CRISIS, THOSE AMOUNTS OF MONEY COULD BE THE DETERMINATION ABOUT WHETHER SOMEBODY GOES TO COLLEGE OR WHETHER THEY DON'T. 
          AND I, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, AND I'M VERY EXCITED, AS IN THE INITIAL ANALYSIS, IT SHOWS THAT READY TO WORK MONEY CAN BE USED IN THIS BUDGET TOWARD THOSE THINGS. 
          NOT ONLY COULD IT BACKFILL THE 2.1 THAT WAS CUT OR PROPOSED TO BE CUT, BUT YOU COULD ACTUALLY DOUBLE THAT AMOUNT. 
          AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH MY COLLEAGUES. 
          ADDITIONALLY, PROJECT QUEST, WE KNOW THEY DO GREAT WORK. 
          UM, THEY ARE ANOTHER ONE THAT CAN BE FUNDED WITH THE READY TO WORK MONEY TODAY. 
          UH, NOT ONLY FUNDED AT TWO POINT MILLION AS PROPOSED, UH, BUT WE COULD DOUBLE THAT IF WE WANTED TO, AND IF IT WAS ASSESSED THAT PROJECT QUEST HAD SUCH CAPACITY. 
          SO, UM, VERY EXCITING, UH, TO, TO UNDERSTAND THE FLEXIBILITY THAT WE HAVE THERE. 
          AND I THINK THAT FLEXIBILITY IS, IS ONLY IMPORTANT AS UNFORTUNATELY THE ECONOMY IS NOT, IS NOT GETTING BETTER. 
          UM, AND WE WILL SEE THE IMPACTS OF THE, UH, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL CONTINUE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          DR. 
          JACOB HAS ALREADY DESCRIBED THE DECREASE IN, IN, UH, SNAP RECIPIENTS IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHY HAVING FLEXIBILITY TO HELP THE MOST VULNERABLE IS SO IMPORTANT. 
          UM, I DID ASK, UM, ERIC AND I DIDN'T QUITE, I DON'T THINK I SAW IT IN THERE. 
          UM, AND WE CAN HAVE A, A FOLLOW ON DISCUSSION ON IT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN INCREASE IN AUDIT PERSONNEL. 
          UH, THOSE FOLKS PAY FOR THEMSELVES IN THE SAVINGS THAT THEY IDENTIFY. 
          SO I THINK IT, AND I THINK, UM, BUDDY PROVIDED SOME ANALYSIS THAT SHOWS WE MAY BE, UM, A LITTLE BIT 
          [03:15:01]
LOWER THAN THE PER CAPITA IN OTHER MAJOR TEXAS CITIES. 
          SO I'D LIKE US TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL TO, TO ADD THOSE FOLKS AGAIN, IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THEY FIND THAT THEY FUND THEMSELVES AS WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL REVENUE AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THIS MAY BE, I KNOW YOU'RE CHANGING THE SCHEDULE A LITTLE BIT BASED ON, ON WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE HERE. 
          UM, BUT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, UH, RAISING THE PROPERTY, THAT DISCUSSION ABOUT THE OPTIONS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT RAISE THE PROPERTY TAX, UM, UH, ERIC, WHAT I'D LIKE US TO DO AS PART OF THAT IS ALSO UNDERSTAND, UM, HOW MUCH COULD WE BRING BACK FROM THE EXISTING PROPERTY TAX THAT WE COLLECT, BUT WE FOREGO VIA TS. 
          I'D LIKE TO BRING THAT INTO THE CONVERSATION BECAUSE THERE'S PROPERTY TAX THERE, IT'S JUST NOT COMING INTO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          AND SO HOW MIGHT WE LOOK AT THAT, THAT, UH, THOSE POTS OF MONEY ACROSS THE VARIOUS TOURISTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CAN COME INTO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UH, THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. 
          I KNOW THE PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR, UM, ALL OF THE OUTSIDE CONTRACTS, UH, THAT, THAT WE HAVE, UM, IS IN ROUTE. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          ON THE BOND CAPACITY, UM, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FULLER DISCUSSION ON IT, BUT JUST FOR EVERYONE'S CONTEXT, 450 MILLION IS WHAT WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW, UM, ANTICIPATED, ERIC, WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT, THAT VARIABLE RATE CONCEPT THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH YOU ALL. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND OF THE 2022, UM, GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND, THE 1.2 BILLION, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS UN ISSSUED? UM, ABOUT 200 MILLION, BUT WE'RE ISSUING, WE'LL BE ISSUING THAT, UM, WE, WE WE'RE ISSUING LATER ON THIS MONTH, AND THERE'LL BE ABOUT $200 MILLION THAT'LL BE ISSUED NEXT YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          UM, THOSE ARE MY INITIAL COMMENTS, UM, AS WE GET BEGIN THIS, AND AGAIN, REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH MY COLLEAGUES AS WE SHORE UP SOME OF THESE, THESE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, PROPOSED CUTS AND UNDERSTANDING. 
          NOW WE'VE GOT SOME FLEXIBILITY IN PARTICULAR WITH THE READY TO WORK FUNDS. 
          UM, GREAT. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY FINAL COMMENTS FROM YOU, ERIC, ON THIS TOPIC? NO, MA'AM. 
          I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION AND, AND, UH, THE, THE ENTIRE, UH, PROBABLY TWO THIRDS OF THE AUDIENCE IS READY FOR THE NEXT MONTH, SO WE'LL GET AFTER IT. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          I CAN SEE EVERYONE'S TEXAS INSTRUMENT CALCULATOR FROM HERE, . 
          THANKS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ONTO ITEM ONE SECOND. 
          SORRY. 
          YEAH, SO WE TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THE, OOPS, SORRY. 
          YEAH, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION AGAIN. 
          ITEM NUMBER FIVE 
          [5. 
Ordinance setting the City’s proposed maintenance and operations tax rate at 35.138 cents per $100 of taxable valuation and the City’s proposed debt service tax rate at 21.150 cents per $100 of taxable valuation as recommended in the FY 2027 Proposed Budget. [Erik Walsh, City Manager]]
IS AN ORDINANCE SETTING. 
          THE CITY'S PROPOSED MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE AT 35.14 CENTS OF PER $100 OF TAXABLE VALUATION. 
          AND THE CITY'S PROPOSED DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE OF $21 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY, TWENTY ONE 0.15 CENTS PER $100 OF TAXABLE VALUATION AS RECOMMENDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM FIVE? MOTION? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          DID YOU GET THE SECOND? KELVIN IS THE SECOND. 
          OKAY. 
          IT IS MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE. 
          ITEM FIVE, STAFF IS PRESENTED. 
          PUBLIC COMMENT HAS BEEN HEARD AND COUNSEL HAS DISCUSSED THE ITEM. 
          PLEASE VOTE YES. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          NAY B NAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THE MOTION CARRIES. 
          WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE ON ITEM SIX, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ CAPTION. 
          THE CAPTION. 
          ITEM NUMBER 
          [6. 
Ordinance 1) setting the date, times, and locations for the first and second Public Hearings on the proposed budget for FY 2026 – 2027 and the proposed tax rate for the tax year beginning January 1, 2026 and ending December 31, 2026: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM, and Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM at the City Council Chambers; and 2) scheduling Budget Work Sessions. [Erik Walsh, City Manager]]
SIX IS AN ORDINANCE SETTING THE DATE, TIMES, AND LOCATIONS FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 2026 THROUGH 27, AND THE PROPOSED TAX RATE FOR THE TAX YEAR, BEGINNING JANUARY 1ST, 2026, AND ENDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2026, 
          [03:20:01]
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2026 AT 5:00 PM AND THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2026 AT 9:00 AM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AND TWO SCHEDULING BUDGET WORK SESSIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM SIX, FIVE AND FOUR. 
          FIVE AND FOUR. 
          COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. 
          AND THEN, OKAY. 
          IT IS MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE. 
          ITEM SIX, STAFF HAS PRESENTED, PUBLIC COMMENT HAS BEEN HEARD, AND COUNCIL HAS DISCUSSED THE ITEM. 
          PLEASE VOTE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          THE MOTION CARRIES ITEM SEVEN. 
          UH, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION. 
          [7. 
Ordinance ordering a sales and use tax election to be held on November 3, 2026 in the City of San Antonio, Texas for voters to consider reauthorizing the PreK 4 SA Program for a period of twenty (20) years following the expiration of the current authorization in March of 2029 and extending the current 1/8 of a cent sales and use tax for a period of 20 years for the benefit of the San Antonio Early Childhood Education Municipal Development Corporation’s (the “Corporation”) to be used for the Pre-K 4 SA Program in accordance with Chapter 379A of the Texas Local Government Code. [Alejandra Lopez, Assistant City Manager; Sarah Baray, Ph.D., Pre-K 4 SA CEO]]
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS AN ORDINANCE ORDERING A SALES AND USE TAX ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026 IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, FOR VOTERS TO CONSIDER REAUTHORIZING THE PRE-K FOR ESSAY PROGRAM FOR A PERIOD OF 20 YEARS FOLLOWING THE EXPIRATION OF THE CURRENT AUTHORIZATION IN MARCH OF 2029, AND EXTENDING THE CURRENT ONE EIGHTH OF A SINCE SALES TAX AND USE TAX FOR A PERIOD OF 20 YEARS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SAN ANTONIO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS TO BE USED FOR THE PRE-K FOUR SA PROGRAM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CHAPTER 3 7 9 A OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, PLEASE, SARAH. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. 
          UM, MY NAME IS SARAH BRAY. 
          I AM THE CEO OF PRE-K FOR SA, AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE A BRIEF ON THE PROGRAM BEFORE YOUR DISCUSSION ON REAUTHORIZATION. 
          PRE-K FOUR SA IS AUTHORIZED UNDER CHAPTER 3 79 A OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE BETTER JOBS ACT. 
          THIS ALLOWS CITIES TO LEVERAGE LOCAL SALES TAX FOR THE PURPOSE OF CERTAIN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES, INCLUDING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THAT PREPARES CHILDREN WITH FOUNDATIONAL ACADEMIC SKILLS. 
          UH, HOLD ON. 
          HOLD ON ONE SEC, PLEASE KEEP IT DOWN. 
          OKAY. 
          CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE NOT STAYING FOR MY PRESENTATION. 
          THEY MIGHT HAVE WORK TO DO, I THINK . 
          THAT'S REALLY, YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PRE-K FOUR SA WAS FIRST AUTHORIZED IN 2012 WITH BY THE VOTERS WITH A, UH, 53% APPROVAL. 
          UM, DURING THE FIRST AUTHORIZATION, WHICH RAN FROM 2012 TO 2021, WE OPENED FOUR MODEL AWARD-WINNING EARLY EDUCATION CENTERS AND THE GARDENDALE EARLY LEARNING PROGRAM. 
          ANNUAL INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS THAT ARE BAKED INTO THE DNA OF THE PROGRAM FROM THE BEGINNING HAVE SHOWN THAT CHILDREN ENTER PRE-K FOUR SA BELOW THE NATIONAL NORM IN KEY INDICATORS, AND THEY LEAVE WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL NORM, UM, WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED WITH THE PROGRAM. 
          ADDITIONALLY, LONG-TERM OUTCOME STUDIES HAS SHOWN THAT OUR CHILDREN, WHEN THEY REACH THIRD GRADE, UH, HAD BETTER READING, BETTER MATH, BETTER ATTENDANCE, AND LOWER SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS. 
          UM, AN ROI STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT PRE-K FOUR SA RETURNED $59 MILLION IN BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY BEYOND THE COST OF THE PROGRAM. 
          IN ADDITION, WE, THE PROGRAM COLLECTIVELY SERVED OVER 14,000 CHILDREN DIRECTLY IN OUR CENTERS, BUT WE SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL 13,000 CHILDREN IN 119 LOCAL SCHOOLS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS THROUGH THE AWARDING OF $21 MILLION IN GRANTS AND OVER 60,000 HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. 
          IN 2020, THE VOTERS REAUTHORIZED PRE-K FOUR SA WITH 73% OF THE VOTE. 
          SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN OFF AND RUNNING WITH THE SECOND AUTHORIZATION. 
          OUR SPECIFIC PROMISE TO, WHOOPS, I'M NOT EVEN ADVANCING, MY APOLOGIES. 
          UM, OUR SPECIFIC PROMISE TO THE VOTERS WAS TO, IN 2020, WAS TO BUILD ON THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM AND SERVE MORE YOUNG CHILDREN. 
          UH, AT THE TIME, MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES WERE ESPECIALLY SQUEEZED OUT OF THE EARLY LEARNING, UM, MARKET BECAUSE THEY DID NOT QUALIFY AND CONTINUE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR FREE PUBLIC PRE-K THROUGH THE EDUCATION AGENCY, AND THEY COULD NOT AFFORD IT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. 
          SO OUR PROMISE THERE WAS TO, UM, SERVE THOSE MIDDLE, FIND A WAY TO SERVE THOSE MIDDLE CLASS, UH, FAMILIES AT AN AFFORDABLE, AFFORDABLE RATE. 
          AND WE HAVE DONE THAT FROM 2021 TO 2026. 
          WE HAVE SERVED OVER 25,000 CHILDREN IN OUR PROGRAMS. WE'VE EXPANDED ACCESS AND ELEVATED THE QUALITY. 
          WE MADE GOOD ON 
          [03:25:01]
OUR PROMISE BY CREATING OVER 1700 MIDDLE, UH, CLASS SEATS FOR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES WHO MAKE UP TO 85% OF STATE MEDIAN INCOME. 
          BUT WE DID MORE THAN THAT WHEN WE REALIZED, UH, THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT SAN ANTONIO DID NOT, UM, WAS NOT AWARDED THE SPACE, UM, FORCE, UM, EXPANSION. 
          WE, AND PART OF THAT WAS DUE TO THE LACK OF QUALITY EARLY LEARNING AND CARE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES. 
          WE WORKED WITH JBSA AND OUR MILITARY'S AFFAIR DEPARTMENT HERE AT COSA TO DETERMINE WHAT THAT, WHAT THE NEED WAS, AND HOW TO TURN THAT DEFICIT FOR THE CITY INTO AN ASSET SO THAT THE NEXT TIME THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY CITY USA THAT WE ARE, THAT IS AN ASSET FOR US, UM, AT WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO WE SERVED, UM, SINCE REAUTHORIZATION, UM, OVER 1200 MILITARY AFFILIATED FAMILIES. 
          THAT INCLUDES ACTIVE DUTY, UH, VETERANS AND RESERVISTS AND ACTIVE DUTY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FREE PUBLIC PRE-K, BUT THE OTHERS ARE NOT. 
          AND SO WE'VE EXPANDED THOSE OPTIONS. 
          WE'VE ALSO EXPANDED OUR ABILITY TO SERVE CHILDREN WITH EXCEPTIONAL NEEDS. 
          'CAUSE WE'VE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT THERE ARE TOO FEW SEATS AND TOO FEW OPTIONS FOR THOSE FAMILIES. 
          AND THIS YEAR WE LAUNCHED A PILOT INFANT AND TODDLER PROGRAM AND A PILOT SUMMER PROGRAM BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD FROM FAMILIES THAT THOSE ARE BIG GAPS IN THE SYSTEM AS WELL. 
          IN ADDITION TO EXPANDING ACCESS, WE'VE, UH, ELEVATED THE QUALITY. 
          SO WE WORK WITH OVER 90 CHILDCARE PROVIDERS IN OUR SHARED SERVICE ALLIANCE, AND WE, UM, 96% OF THOSE ARE RATED QUALITY, UH, TEXAS RISING STAR, THREE OR FOUR STAR. 
          UM, THESE CENTERS ARE LOCATED IN EVERY DISTRICT ACROSS SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT FAMILIES HAVE OPTIONS, CHOICES FOR HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING AND CARE, UM, CLOSE TO HOME OR WORK, WHATEVER IS CONVENIENT FOR THEM. 
          THESE PROVIDERS ARE SMALL BUSINESSES, PRIMARILY OWNED BY WOMEN. 
          WE PROVIDE PEDAGOGICAL AND, UH, BUSINESS COACHING AND, UH, PURCHASING SUPPORTS TO HELP THEM NOT ONLY SERVE MORE FAMILIES AT A HIGHER QUALITY, BUT ALSO TO BECOME SUSTAINABLE, VIABLE BUSINESSES. 
          AND WE SERVE OVER 4,800 CHILDREN THROUGH THE SHARED SERVICE ALLIANCE EACH YEAR. 
          AND SO WE'VE DONE A LOT IN SAN ANTONIO SINCE PRE-K FOUR A STARTED IN 2012, BUT THERE'S MORE TO DO LAST JANUARY, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF INITIATE A STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AS WE DO EVERY FIVE YEARS. 
          UM, AND AS PART OF THAT PROCESS, WE LOOK AT THE DATA ON THE STATE OF EARLY LEARNING IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO WE LOOKED AT THE STUDY THAT WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE CITY A A FEW YEARS AGO ON THE STATE OF EARLY LEARNING IN BEXAR COUNTY. 
          WE LOOKED AT OUR OWN, UM, PROGRAM EVALUATIONS AND OTHER STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN OVER THE DONE OVER THE COURSE OF THE AUTHORIZATION. 
          AND THEN WE LOOKED AT, UH, CHILDCARE, UH, DESERTS FROM CHILDREN AT RISK, AS WELL AS A PILOT. 
          THE WEST SIDE PILOT, UH, PROGRAM THAT WAS DONE BY THIS. 
          THE, UH, SAN ANTONIO EARLY MATTERS. 
          WHAT THE ANALYSIS REVEALED IS THAT WE'VE MADE GREAT PROGRESS, BUT THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE IN THE AREAS OF INCREASING ACCESS, UM, STRENGTHENING QUALITY AND MAKING IT MORE AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES. 
          SO IF WE ARE TO BE REAUTHORIZED, IF YOU PUT IT ON THE BALLOT AND THE VOTERS SAY YES, WE WILL OF COURSE, CONTINUE TO SERVE FAMILIES AT THE LOWEST, UM, UM, PART OF THE INCOME SCALE, BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF OUR BREAD AND BUTTER. 
          BUT WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EXPAND ACCESS THROUGH SOME PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO FIND SOME WAYS TO MAKE CHILDCARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND MAKE IT MORE AVAILABLE. 
          BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, EARLY LEARNING AND CARE IS AS MUCH AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT AS IT IS, UM, AN INVESTMENT IN OUR YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. 
          SO, JUST SOME INFORMATION ON THE CURRENT AUTHORIZATION. 
          THE VOTE WAS HELD NOVEMBER 3RD, 2020. 
          UM, SALES TAX FOR THAT AUTHORIZATION BEGAN ON APRIL 1ST, 2021, AND THE SALES TAX WILL BE COLLECTED THROUGH MARCH 30TH, 2029. 
          THE PROGRAM HAS FUNDING THROUGH JUNE 30 THROUGH JUNE 30, 20, 29. 
          KEY ELECTION DATES FOR NOVEMBER. 
          UM, AS YOU KNOW, MONDAY IS THE LAST DAY TO AUTHORIZE, UM, UH, A REFERENDUM, PUT IT ON THE BALLOT FOR NOVEMBER. 
          IF THIS IS PLACED ON THE BALLOT, WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU WITH WHAT WE CALL THE PROMISE TO VOTERS WITH MORE SPECIFICITY ABOUT WHAT WE, UM, IT, WHAT OUR GOALS ARE FOR THE NEXT AUTHORIZATION, AND WHAT WE THINK WE CAN ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT WE ARE PROMISING THE VOTERS TO DO AS WE HAVE IN THE LAST TWO, UM, AUTHORIZATIONS. 
          OCTOBER 5TH IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE. 
          OCTOBER 19TH IS EARLY VOTING, AND OCTOBER 30TH IS THE LAST DAY OF EARLY VOTING. 
          AND THEN ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3RD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          [03:30:02]
THANK YOU. 
          UM, COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          I WANNA START OFF BY OF COURSE, THANKING ALL OF THE TEACHERS. 
          I'M SORRY, BEFORE STAFF. 
          COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN? SORRY. 
          I GOT, GOT  GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF HERE. 
          YES, MY, MYSELF. 
          MY APOLOGIES. 
          I GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF. 
          NO WORRIES. 
          WE HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. 
          ANDREA MEEZ, FOLLOWED BY PAUL RODRIGUEZ, AND THEN DIANA URIEGAS AND JACK FINGERS. 
          SO WE HAVE FOUR INDIVIDUALS SIGNED UP. 
          YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR JONES AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          MY NAME IS ANDREA RAMIREZ. 
          I'M A DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENT, A FORMER MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH EDUCATOR, AND I CURRENTLY SERVE AS A YOUTH LEADERSHIP MANAGER AT UP PARTNERSHIP, A BACKBONE ORGANIZATION WORKING TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS BEXAR COUNTY FROM CRADLE TO CAREER. 
          I'M HERE TODAY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF ORDERING THE NOVEMBER ELECTION TO REAUTHORIZE PRE-K FOR SA FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS AT A TIME WHEN WE CAN'T ALWAYS COUNT ON FEDERAL FUNDING FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS. THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF INVESTMENT THAT HAS TO BE SECURED LOCALLY. 
          SAN ANTONIO VOTERS HAVE SHOWN THEIR SUPPORT FOR PRE-K FOR ESSAY TWICE IN 2012. 
          AND AGAIN, IN 2020. 
          THIS NOVEMBER, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LET VOTERS DECIDE AGAIN AND GIVE THIS PROGRAM THE LONG-TERM STABILITY IT NEEDS. 
          AS A FORMER MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER, I SAW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STUDENTS ENTER SCHOOL WITHOUT THE FOUNDATION OR SUPPORT THEY NEED. 
          I ALSO HAD STUDENTS WHO WOULD MISS SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING CARE OF YOUNGER BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHILE THEIR PARENTS WORKED. 
          THAT EXPERIENCE TAUGHT ME THAT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ISN'T JUST ABOUT PREPARING A 4-YEAR-OLD FOR KINDERGARTEN. 
          IT CAN HELP A WHOLE FAMILY STAY ON TRACK FOR WORKING PARENTS. 
          FINDING AFFORDABLE, HIGH QUALITY PRE-K CAN BE DIFFICULT. 
          FAMILIES MAY NOT ALWAYS KNOW WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE OR HOW TO NAVIGATE THEM. 
          AND WHEN YOUNG CHILDREN DON'T HAVE RELIABLE EARLY LEARNING AND CARE, THE EFFECTS CAN REACH THE ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD. 
          AND INCLUDING OLDER SIBLINGS WHO MAY BE ASKED TO STEP IN AS CAREGIVERS. 
          PRE-K FOR SA HELPS ADDRESS THAT NEED BY PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, AND OPTIONS DESIGNED WITH WORKING FAMILIES IN MIND. 
          AND FOR CHILDREN THAT EARLY FOUNDATION MATTERS. 
          PRE-K FOR ESSAY EVALUATIONS HAVE FOUND SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN AREAS INCLUDING LITERACY, MATH, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. 
          THAT FOUNDATION DOESN'T END IN PRE-K, IT IS THE FIRST STEP IN A LONGER JOURNEY THROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND CAREER. 
          SO I URGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT PRE-K FOR ESSAY, NOT AS AN ISOLATED PROGRAM, BUT AS PART OF THE BROADER INFRASTRUCTURE OUR CITY NEEDS TO HELP CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THRIVE. 
          AND AS WE LOOK BEYOND EARLY CHILDHOOD, I HOPE WE CONTINUE ASKING HOW SAN ANTONIO CAN SUSTAIN THAT INVESTMENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH, INCLUDING PROTECTING FUNDING FOR YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTITIES THAT HELP YOUNG PEOPLE BUILD ON THAT FOUNDATION AS THEY GROW. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO ENGAGING WITH THE CITY DURING THE UPCOMING BUDGET TOWN HALLS ABOUT HOW WE CAN PROTECT AND GROW THAT CONTINUUMS OF, OF SUPPORT TOGETHER. 
          BUT TODAY, I URGE YOU TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP, ORDER THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, AND GIVE SAN ANTONIO VOTERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REAUTHORIZE PRE-K FOR ESSAY FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR INVESTING IN SAN ANTONIO'S CHILDREN'S, FAMILY AND FUTURE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PAUL RODRIGUEZ, FOLLOWED BY DIANA UGAS. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR JONES AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          UH, MY NAME IS PAUL RODRIGUEZ, AND I SERVE AS POLICY DIRECTOR FOR A PARTNERSHIP. 
          UH, JUST TO REITERATE A COUPLE OF POINTS FROM MY COLLEAGUE, ANDREA. 
          UM, WE ARE HERE TODAY IN SUPPORT OF ITEM NUMBER SEVEN AND THE CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN PRE-K FOR SA FOR ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED REASONS, UH, MENTIONED BY MY COLLEAGUE. 
          UH, BUT I THINK THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT WE WANTED TO ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, IS THAT THE INVESTMENT IS SO SIGNIFICANT. 
          UH, WE KNOW THE IMPACT THAT PRE-K HAS ON KINDERGARTEN READINESS AND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE, UH, ACADEMIC AND LIFE TRAJECTORY FOR A STUDENT. 
          UM, TALKING ABOUT THIRD GRADE READING, UH, COMPLETING MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION, UH, AND ALSO POST-SECONDARY ENROLLMENT AND COMPLETION. 
          UM, WE STAND AS AN ORGANIZATION WITH PARTNERS THAT ARE READY TO SUPPORT THIS CONTINUED INVESTMENT, UH, ALSO IN TERMS OF DATA INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, IN TERMS OF ENSURING THAT, UM, THAT WHEN IT COMES TO BEING ABLE TO TALK ABOUT OUTCOMES IN ALL OF THE POSITIVE WORK THAT CAN BE DONE WITHIN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PRE-K, UH, SPACE, UM, THAT WE'RE ENSURING THAT IT IS CONNECTING ACROSS A CONTINUED, UM, LINE OF SUPPORT ALL THE WAY THROUGH POST-SECONDARY COMPLETION AND 
          [03:35:01]
ALSO EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. 
          UM, WE KNOW THAT THAT IS DISTINCT FROM POST-SECONDARY COMPLETION, UH, AND ALSO UP FOR, UM, DISCUSSIONS, UM, IN A WAY ON HOW THAT IS SUCH, ALSO SUCH AN IMPORTANT METRIC, UH, FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT FROM, UM, FROM A GROUND LEVEL, THIS CONTINUED INVESTMENT IS VERY CRITICAL, ESPECIALLY FOR A CONTINUED TIME PERIOD OF 20 YEARS. 
          SO, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND ALL OF, UH, YOUR WORK ON THIS ITEM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DIANA UGAS, FOLLOWED BY JACK FINGER. 
          MR. FINGER, IF YOU'D MAKE YOUR WAY UP HERE, PLEASE. 
          THANKS. 
          IS THIS, UH, ABOUT, UH, YEAH, VOTING ON THE, THIS IS THE PRE-K FOR ESSAY EX. 
          OH, NO, I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          I SIGNED UP FOR THE, UH, YEAH, VOTING ON THE, UH, KEEPING THE, THE, THE, ON THE BUDGET ON, NO, THAT, UH, MAR THE MARVEL, RIGHT? THE MONEY BUDGET THAT'S ON MONDAY. 
          YEAH. 
          FOR THE, FOR THE, WE'LL SEE YOU ON MONDAY. 
          YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YES, MA'AM. 
          WE HAD DISCUSS YESTERDAY. 
          YEAH. 
          SO WE, WE'LL SEE YOU ON MONDAY THEN, IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA SPEAK ON THE PRE-K FOR ESSAY ITEM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU JACK FINGER. 
          WELL, MADAM MAYOR, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, UM, I'M A FAIRLY PERTINENT QUESTION. 
          IS PRE-K FOR SA REALLY WORTH ITS SALT, OR IS IT JUST ANOTHER GLORIFIED CHILDCARE PROGRAM? HMM. 
          YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THAT, UH, THAT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION THERE, AND I, UH, I WAS LOOKING, SEARCHING FOR THE SLIDE THAT TELLS US HOW THE PRE-K FOR ESSAY GRADUATES, HOW THEY SURPASS ALL THEIR OTHER CLASSMATES, UH, AT LEAST A FEW YEARS INTO THE, UH, INTO THEIR SCHOOL YEARS. 
          I DIDN'T SEE IT. 
          I LOOKED FOR SOME, YOU TELL ME IF I MISSED IT, BUT I DID NOT SEE ANY GRAPH THAT TELLS US HOW THE PRE-K FOR ESSAY GRADUATES ACTUALLY SURPASSED THEIR CLASSMATES BY ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT. 
          AND IF SO, AND IF SO, BY MORE THAN JUST AFTER FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, AFTER THE THIRD OR FOURTH GRADE INTO THE EIGHTH GRADE, THE HIGH SCHOOL, I WANT TO KNOW, DO PRE-K S EIGHT DOESN'T REALLY BENEFIT THE KIDS FOR ALL THE MONEY THAT WE'VE BEEN POURING INTO IT FOR THE LAST 16 YEARS HERE. 
          DIDN'T SEE THAT. 
          I SEE HOW IT'S, IT'S PROGRESSING, HOW IT, THEY'RE EXPANDING THEIR PROGRAM, HOW THEY'RE GETTING MORE PEOPLE INTO IT, HOW THEY'RE, THAT'S THEIR MEANS OF SUCCESS. 
          UHUH, I DO NOT COUNT SUCCESS AS TO HOW BIG YOU'VE EXPANDED YOUR PROGRAM. 
          I COUNT SUCCESS AS TO IS THE KIDS REALLY BENEFITING FROM IT? AND NOW, WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO, MR. AUDIO? VISUAL MAN, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT TO SEE WHAT THAT, UH, ITEM SAYS THERE, INCLUDING THE UNDERLINED AREAS THERE. 
          ORDINANCE ORDERING A SALES TAX AND USE SALES TAX ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026. 
          UH, FOUR VOTERS TO CONSIDER REAUTHORIZING PRE-K FOR SA FOR A PERIOD OF 20 YEARS. 
          I REPEAT A PERIOD OF 20 YEARS FOLLOWING THE EXPIRATION OF THE CURRENT AUTHORIZATION, ET CETERA, ET FOR ONE EIGHTH SALES TAX WARRANT PERIOD OF 20 YEARS. 
          AND YOU RETURN THE CAMERA IF YOU WANT TO. 
          I'M SORRY, I HAVE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. 
          I CAN SEE MAYBE AS AN EXPERIMENT TO SEE IF IT REALLY WORKED, BUT I NOT SEEING ANY, ANY GOOD GRAPHS THAT TELLS US WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. 
          YOU WANNA EXPAND IT FOR 20 YEARS? EXCUSE ME. 
          THAT WAS OUR FINAL SPEAKER. 
          MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM SEVEN? SO WE MAY BEGIN COUNCIL DISCUSSION, MOVE TO APPROVE. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION. 
          COUNCILMAN MCKEE 
          [03:40:01]
RODRIGUEZ, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, GOING BACK, YOU KNOW, I WANNA START OUT BY THANKING ALL THE TEACHERS, SUPPORT STAFF AND LEADERS WHO MAKE PRE-K FOR ESSAY THE SUCCESS THAT IT IS. 
          I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU, UH, FOR MANY OF YOU, YOU ARE PREPARING FOR A 2028 ELECTION, BUT IT'S BECAUSE OF THE GREAT NEED THAT OUR CITY HAS, THE GREAT WORK THAT PRE-K FOUR SA IS DOING, AND THE CONFIDENCE THAT I HAVE AND THAT MANY OF US ON COUNCIL HAVE IN THE PROGRAM TO BRIDGE THAT GAP, UH, AS WELL AS THE URGENCY OF THE MOMENT THAT WE'RE IN, THAT WE'RE CALLING ON AN EARLY REAUTHORIZATION SO THAT IT WILL GRANT MUCH MORE STABILITY AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY TO MEET OUR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS. 
          WHEN I WAS A 25-YEAR-OLD HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN 2021, NEARLY EVERY PERSON THAT I MET CONNECTED WITH ME BECAUSE THEY HAD A TEACHER IN THEIR FAMILY. 
          AND NEARLY EVERY PERSON I MET AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES IN OUR DISTRICT. 
          AND I REMEMBERED THAT FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS AND HOPELESSNESS THAT I FELT AS A TEACHER, KNOWING THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH OUTSIDE OF MY CONTROL BECAUSE I COULDN'T CONTROL THE WORLD MY STUDENTS WERE NAVIGATING WHEN THEY GOT TO MY DOOR, OR THE BURDENS THEY WERE CARRYING WHEN THEY SAT AT THEIR DESK, OR WHEN THEY HAD TO STAY HOME TO BABYSIT WHILE THEIR SINGLE MOM WORKED TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILY. 
          AND I ALSO COULDN'T CONTROL ANY OF WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED OR BEEN ABLE TO RETAIN BY THE TIME THAT THEY JOINED MY CLASS. 
          BUT PRE-K FOUR SA IS BREAKING DOWN DOORS, UH, PROVIDING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE QUALITY EDUCATION, AND THEY'RE SETTING UP A GENERATION OF CHILDREN FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS WELL INTO HIGH SCHOOL. 
          AND SO THE EXPANSION OF PRE-K FOUR SA HAS ONE OF OUR MOST EFFECTIVE CITY PROGRAMS, HAS, UH, BEEN A PRIORITY OF MY, OF MINE SINCE THEN. 
          AND MY HOPE WITH THIS FUNDING IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE GREAT WORK YOU'RE DOING, PROVIDING QUALITY PRE-K AT YOUR FOUR CAMPUSES, WORKING WITH ISDS TO IMPROVE THEIR OFFERINGS, SUPPORTING C CHILDCARE PROVIDERS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS, AND PROVIDING PRE-K THREE, AND THEN EXPANDING IN FAN TODDLER EDUCATION BEYOND THE EXISTING PILOT PROGRAM. 
          BEYOND THAT, I HOPE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO INVEST IN NEW CAMPUSES, ESPECIALLY A NEW CAMPUS IN THE INNER CITY. 
          I HOPE YOU'LL EXPAND YOUR PRESENCE AND SUPPORT ACROSS THE CITY AND INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY TO PRE-K SO WE CAN REACH ALL STUDENTS. 
          WE HAVE THREE FACILITIES THAT TREND NORTH ON THE NORTHWEST, NORTHEAST, AND NORTH SIDE, AND WE NEED THAT PRESENCE AND INVESTMENT IN THE EAST SIDE AND THE REST OF THE URBAN CORE. 
          SO MY HOPE IS THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FILL THAT GAP ON ANOTHER NOTE, NOW THAT I'M A PARENT AND I'VE LOOKED INTO PROGRAMS FOR MY DAUGHTER, I CAN SAY FIRSTHAND THAT CHILDCARE IS EXPENSIVE. 
          AND IN MANY HOUSEHOLDS, AND INCLUDING MINE, YOU HAVE TO WORK FULL TIME TO AFFORD IT. 
          AND SO MANY PEOPLE CAN'T MAKE IT WORK OUT FINANCIALLY. 
          AND SO THEY'RE STAYING UNEMPLOYED. 
          AND I SEE HUGE POTENTIAL IN THE INFANT TODDLER CARE PROGRAM TO DO WONDERS FOR FAMILIES ALL AROUND SAN ANTONIO, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO OUR WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOALS. 
          THE RESEARCH AS, UH, DR. 
          BERE MENTIONED SHOWS THAT WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO MORE THAN DOUBLE OUR CHILDCARE SEATS, PARTICULARLY FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS. 
          SO IF WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS ECONOMIC SEGREGATION, IF WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THE IMPACTS OF REDLINING, AND IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR THE SINGLE MOTHERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET OR ANY FAMILY IN, IN NEED IN SAN ANTONIO, THIS IS ONE OF THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THAT. 
          SO A 20 YEAR REAUTHORIZATION DEMONSTRATES OUR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND ALLOWS PRE-K FOR SA TO FINANCIAL STABILITY AND CAPACITY. 
          THEY NEED TO MAKE MUCH NEEDED INVESTMENTS FOR GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN. 
          SO I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MUNGIA GALVAN, AND MESA GONZALEZ, AS WELL AS MAYOR JONES FOR THEIR EARLY SUPPORT IN THE FILING OF THIS, UH, REAUTHORIZATION MEMO. 
          AS WELL AS THE COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTERS OF PRE-K FOR SA LONG BEFORE THIS WAS AN ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION. 
          I KNOW WE COULDN'T FIT EVERYBODY ON THE MEMO, BUT I KNOW MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE ADVOCATES AND SUPPORTERS OF THIS PROGRAMS, OF THIS PROGRAM. 
          UH, WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO INVEST HOLISTICALLY AND BEYOND PRE-K WELL INTO ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL, AND YOUNG ADULT PROGRAMMING. 
          BUT IT STARTS HERE, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS AN ITEM THAT WE ARE SENDING TO VOTERS FOR FINAL APPROVAL. 
          SO I HOPE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD UNANIMOUSLY AS A SHOW OF CONFIDENCE IN THE PROGRAM, AND THEN WE'LL LET THE VOTERS DECIDE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, IN 2012, IN THE, IN, I'M SORRY, IN THE 2020, 2010S WHEN, UM, THEN MAYOR CASTRO STARTED TALKING ABOUT PRE-K FOR SA, I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMAZING IDEA. 
          I, I KNEW THAT IT WOULD IMPACT GREATLY THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT THREE, THE SOUTH SIDE, THE EAST SIDE, AND THE WEST SIDE. 
          AND I WAS PROUD TO SUPPORT IT THEN. 
          I WAS PROUD TO SUPPORT IT IN THE 2020, UM, RENEWAL. 
          THEN ALSO, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS EARLY RENEWAL PROGRAM AND THE YEARS OF 20 YEARS ASKING FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE WE HAVE THE RESULTS. 
          AND THE DATA THAT CAME COMES FROM OUR FIRST GRADUATING PRE-K FOR SA CLASS, WHICH I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. 
          UH, DISTRICT THREE, THE SOUTH SIDE, AND INCLUDING PART OF THE SOUTHEAST SIDE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE WITH A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO CREATE AN INCREDIBLE FACILITY THAT TAKES IN THE TODDLERS, UM, TAKES IN THE THREE YEAR OLDS AND, AND THE FOUR 
          [03:45:01]
YEAR OLDS, AND JUST CREATES AN AMAZING ENVIRONMENT. 
          AND I WANT THAT CITYWIDE. 
          I WANT US TO OWN OR BE GIVEN THE LAND. 
          WHAT IS PUT FORWARD TODAY, I FEEL, UM, WAS TOO RUSHED. 
          I THINK WE NEED MORE TIME. 
          UH, I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO DELAY IF I CAN'T, BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT IF I COULD, BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT I CAN'T. 
          SO I MEAN, IT'S WITH THE HEAVY HEART THAT I JUST DON'T THINK NOW IS THE TIME. 
          I WOULD MUCH RATHER MOVE THIS FORWARD IN THE MAY OF 2027. 
          I WOULD MU OR FALL OF 2027, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, UM, AND I KNOW I'VE BEEN TOLD ANDREW, HOW, UH, ANDY, HOW IS THIS A REAUTHORIZATION IF WE ARE CHANGING THE MAXIMUM PERIOD OF YEARS FROM EIGHT TO 20, AND IF IT, IF THIS HAS NOT EXPIRED. 
          THE OTHER IS I ASKED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE VERBIAGE, A SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON OF THE VERBIAGE OF THE, UH, THE BALLOT LANGUAGE. 
          AND I HAD NOT BEEN PROVIDED THAT UNTIL, I GUESS AN EMAIL WAS SENT YESTERDAY. 
          SO HOW IS THIS AN ACTUAL REAUTHORIZATION AND NOT A NEW, UM, A NEW FORM OF WHAT WE USED TO DO? A COUNCILWOMAN? I'M GONNA ASK, UH, RAY RODRIGUEZ, THE ANSWER IS SPECIFICALLY THE QUESTION, BUT IT IS, UH, WHICH IS WHY WE TRY TO USE SPECIFICALLY THE WORD REAUTHORIZATION AND MAKE IT VERY CLEAR IN THE BALLOT LANGUAGE, IN THE ORDINANCE, AND EVERYWHERE WE TALK ABOUT IT, THAT WE'RE ADDING 20 YEARS TO THE CURRENT AUTHORIZATION. 
          SO RAY, IF YOU WANNA ADDRESS THAT MORE SPECIFICALLY. 
          YES, THAT'S CORRECT. 
          COUNCILWOMAN, AND YOU'RE CORRECT. 
          IN THE INITIAL DRAFT THAT CAME OUT ON, UH, LAST WEDNESDAY, IT, UH, WAS BASICALLY A, UH, UH, A CUTOUT OF THE PREVIOUS ELECTION, WHICH ALSO REAUTHORIZED THE PROGRAM. 
          UH, IN FINALIZING THE ORDINANCE, WE ADDED THE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE FOR THE REAUTHORIZATION, UH, WHICH IS FOR THE MAXIMUM OF 20 YEARS, WHICH IS WHAT THE STATUTE ALLOWS. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT, UH, IN IS THE LANGUAGE, 'CAUSE THE LANGUAGE WE, I GOT, OR I STILL HAD, AND I I I HAVEN'T SEEN THE NEW ONE IS THAT YOU SAY VOTERS TO CONSIDER REAUTHORIZING THE PRE-K FOR ESSAY PROGRAM FOR A PERIOD OF 20 YEARS IN THE VERBIAGE FROM 2012 AND 2020, WE CALL IT THE SAN ANTONIO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR, UH, SO WHAT MY CONCERN IS, UM, THE SPECIFIC PRE-K FOR SA USE, I'M AFRAID, IS GONNA LIMIT US IF WE TRY TO HELP OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY TEXAS A AND M AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, IF THEY ATTEMPT TO, UH, IF THEY'RE NOT AFFILIATED OR USE THE TERM PRE-K FOR ESSAY. 
          I, I JUST FEEL PRE-K FOR ESSAY PROGRAM, UM, IS VERY SPECIFIC. 
          AND I, I FEEL LIKE IT IS GOING TO EXCLUDE PEOPLE FROM, UM, FROM PARTICIPATION OR THE FUNDING THAT WE ARE, ARE PLANNING TO COLLECT FOR 20 YEARS OF SALES TAX MAN COUNCILWOMAN. 
          AND MAY I JUST ADD, SO, SO TAKE THAT LANGUAGE IN THERE, IN THE DRAFT CAN BE AMENDED BY THIS COUNCIL AT ANY TIME THAT'S NOT FINALIZED. 
          THE POSTING LANGUAGE, WHICH WAS REQUIRED TO BE POSTED, UH, THREE DAYS BEFORE THIS MEETING HAD THE, THE AUTHORIZATION THERE. 
          UH, IF THERE'S ANY TWEAKS THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO THE BALLOT LANGUAGE, WE CAN DO THAT AT THIS MEETING WITH A MOTION AND A VOTE OF THE COUNCIL. 
          THAT BEING SAID, COUNCILWOMAN, THOUGH THE CURRENT LANGUAGE THOUGH DOES NOT RESTRICT, UH, WHAT PRE-K CAN DO. 
          UH, AS DR. 
          BARRE, UH, STATED, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, THERE'LL BE A PROPOSITION THAT THE VOTERS CAN SEE IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT TAX REVENUE IS SUPPOSED TO BE SPENT ON. 
          SO, UM, UH, I THINK THE LANGUAGE DOES NOT RESTRICT, UM, WHAT PRE-K FOUR SA HAS DONE OR INTENDS TO DO. 
          UH, IF THIS PASSES, WELL, I'M NOT COMFORTABLE TODAY VOTING FOR, UM, PROPOSITIONS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN VETTED OUT. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE TALK OF, UM, NEW BUILDINGS, WHEN, WHEN THERE, THERE'S JUST, IF YOU COULD BRING UP THE SLIDE ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU DISCUSSED THAT WAS DISCUSSED BY DR. 
          BERE, LIKE, HERE WE GO FROM HERE, HERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES. 
          CAN Y'ALL BRING UP THAT SLIDE SO I CAN SEE IT AGAIN? AND, UH, DR. 
          BURRAY, CAN YOU ANSWER WHAT, WHAT SORT OF OPPORTUNITIES HAS THE BOARD TALKED ABOUT SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS THE DATA THEY CURRENTLY HAVE? AND WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO IF THE 
          [03:50:01]
RESULTS FROM THE GRADUATING CLASS? IT ISN'T WHAT WE ANTICIPATED THE OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD. 
          SO, COUNCILWOMAN, UM, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING THE BOARD AND STAFF AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE DATA, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE GAPS IN ACCESSIBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF THREE. 
          THAT WAS, UM, HUGE. 
          THERE ALSO IS, THERE ARE GAPS, UM, IN PROVIDERS WHO ARE OPERATING AT NON-TRADITIONAL HOURS, WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE HOURS OF 6:00 AM TO, UM, 6:00 PM. 
          AND SO THOSE, WE DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC, ONE OF THE, THE PIECES THAT MAKES PRE-K FOUR SA SUCCESSFUL IS THE ARCHITECTURE OF IT ALLOWS THE ORGANIZATION TO EXPAND, UM, AND, AND RESPOND AS THE CONTEXT CHANGES. 
          AND SO, UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE STARTED WORKING WITH CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, BECAUSE THEY CAN DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS MORE NIMBLY THAN WE CAN, BUT WE CAN SUPPORT THEM IN DOING THEM. 
          BUT THEN ALSO FOR OUR OWN SCHOOLS, WE'VE EVOLVED AS THE LANDSCAPE HAS EVOLVED, AND SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ACCESS ISSUES, QUALITY CONTINUES TO BE A CONCERN. 
          SO WE'LL ALWAYS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HIGH QUALITY BECAUSE ONLY HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING AND CARE DELIVERS THE LONG-TERM BENEFITS. 
          AND THAT AFFORDABILITY IS A HUGE ISSUE, AS MANY HAVE STATED. 
          YEAH, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I WANNA GET THERE, BUT THIS, THIS SHORT NOTICE AND THE FACT THAT, UH, THERE ISN'T MORE OF A CLEAR, UH, LIKE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD, THAT IS TRUE, BUT BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A, UH, CLEAR KIND OF DIRECTION ON HOW THAT IS GOING TO HELP SPECIFICALLY THE, UM, THE, THE, THE CHILDREN IN ME NEED IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SO THEY'RE BEING HARDEST HIT, UM, THAT, THAT MAKES IT, I JUST DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE, UH, MOVING THIS FORWARD TODAY. 
          I WOULD LIKE MORE TIME. 
          I'M NOT SAYING I, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE I'M GONNA SUPPORT PRE-K FOR SA AND IT, IT IS FUTURE VENTURES. 
          IT IS JUST THAT I CANNOT GET MY HEAD HEAD AROUND WHY WE WOULD, WHY WE WOULD JUMP THIS UP TWO YEARS IN ADVANCE WHEN WE HAVE, UH, THE ENTIRE YEAR OF 2027 TO, TO BRING THIS FORWARD A YEAR IN ADVANCE WITH MORE OF A PLAN AND, UM, AND LESS, LESS, UH, LESS QUESTIONS. 
          UM, BECAUSE WHAT I'M HEARING IS LET'S BUILD MORE SCHOOLS. 
          LET'S, LET'S SEE WHAT'S THERE. 
          BUT I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THE COOPERATION YET, AND I WOULD'VE WANTED TO SEE MORE COOPERATION WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS ARE DOING THIS WORK. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA BE THERE FOR YOU. 
          I WALK THE HALLS OF, UH, DISTRICT THREE AND, YOU KNOW, THE ARTWORK IS ALL THERE FOR PRE-K FOR SA. 
          UM, DR. 
          BERE, WE WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET THAT, UM, THAT PRE-K UP AND RUNNING IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR BECAUSE OF THE RENTAL PROBLEMS WE WERE HAVING FOR OUR FORMER ONES. 
          SO THIS IS, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IT TAKES THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, AND I THINK IN SHORT NOTICE TO ASK THEM TO, UM, TO SAY YES WITHOUT, UH, OR TO ASK ME TO SAY YES CONFIDENTLY. 
          I, I, IF THEY QUESTION ME, I COULDN'T HONESTLY SAY THAT, THAT THIS IS THE BEST. 
          I WE NEED MORE TIME. 
          WE JUST NEED MORE TIME. 
          SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS. 
          UH, I UNDERSTAND THE, UM, THE NEED, BUT I, I WON'T BE SUPPORTING THIS TODAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COULD YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING, COUNCIL WOMAN, IF I MAY? UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NEW BUILDINGS, WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT REPLACING OUR LEASED BUILDINGS AND UPDATING THE, UM, ONES THAT WE OWN THAT NEED SOME UPDATING MORE SO THAN GOING OUT THE GOAL OF PRE-K, FIRST SA HAS NEVER BEEN TO PUT A PRE-K FOUR SA ON EVERY CORNER. 
          IT HAS BEEN TO BUILD A, A LANDSCAPE THAT WORKS FOR THE FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. 
          AND SO, UM, THAT'S OUR PRIMARY FOCUS, IS FIGURING OUT HOW DO WE HAVE FACILITIES, MUCH LIKE WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF OUR LEASED SOUTH CENTER, THAT WASN'T WORKING GREAT FOR US INTO THE FACILITY THAT, THAT YOU'VE SEEN. 
          SO WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, UM, WITH OUR NORTH CENTER AND OUR WEST SIDE CENTER AS WELL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THA THANK, THANK YOU, SARAH, BUT THAT, THAT WAS, AGAIN, ALMOST FIVE YEARS IN THE, IN THE MAKING. 
          SO, UM, YEAH. 
          I THANK YOU AND I APPRECIATE IT. 
          AND IF WE HAD JUST HAD MORE TIME, I THINK, I THINK I'D BE A HUNDRED PERCENT BEHIND THIS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. 
          UH, MESO GONZALEZ. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, DR. 
          BRAVE FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, WHAT BEGAN AS A FULL DAY PRE-KINDERGARTEN FOR OUR THIRD THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS HAS SINCE EXPANDED, UH, TO SERVE YOUNGER CHILDREN WITH EDUCATION CENTERS ACROSS THE CITY, PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY EARLY EDUCATION, MOST OF IT, FREED OF THE FAMILIES WHO NEED IT MOST. 
          UM, THIS ITEM CALLS FOR THAT ELECTION, UH, FOR NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026, EXTENDING THE FUNDING THAT SUSTAINS THE PROGRAM BEYOND ITS 
          [03:55:01]
CURRENT AUTHORIZATION. 
          I THINK ACTING NOW WHILE AHEAD OF THAT EXPIRATION IS ABOUT CERTAINTY AND FORESIGHT. 
          UM, IN FACT, UH, AS PART OF A MOMENTUM 2030 STRATEGY LED BY GREATER SATX, SAN ANTONIO HAS SET A UNIFIED GOAL TO RAISE THE REGION'S HIGHER EDUCATION ATTAINMENT RATE TO 45% BY 2030. 
          UM, AND IN THAT, THE, IN THAT REPORT, THE REPORT IDENTIFIES NON-ACADEMIC BARRIERS, SPECIFICALLY FAMILY CAREGIVER RESPONSIBILITIES, AND WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY AS CORE FOCUS AREAS FOR IMPROVING STUDENT RETENTION AND COMPLETION ACROSS SAN ANTONIO'S POST-SECONDARY PIPELINE AND COMPLETION IS THE KEY WORD, RIGHT? THAT IS WHAT, UH, THE GOAL SHOULD BE FOR, UM, OUR CITY. 
          UM, AND FOR MY COLLEAGUES. 
          UH, ALSO IN 2025, UH, THE HIGHER ED STUDENT SURVEY THAT WAS DONE, UH, BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UM, IDENTIFIED 71% OF THOSE RESPONDENTS IDENTIFIED THOSE, EXCUSE ME, 71% OF THE RESPONDENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILDREN IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD INDICATED THAT INCREASED ACCESS TO CHILDCARE WOULD IMPROVE STUDENT RETENTION. 
          SO AGAIN, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MOMENTUM 23 STRATEGY LED BY GREATER SATX OR THE HIGHER ED, UH, STUDENT SURVEY, UH, ACCESS TO CHILDCARE IS ESSENTIAL FOR FOLKS, UH, FINISHING, COMPLETING, UH, THAT HIGHER ED EDUCATION. 
          UM, SO I THINK, AGAIN, THE PARTNERSHIPS, AGREEMENTS, INVESTMENTS THAT MAKE PRE-K FOUR SA SUCCESSFUL DEPEND ON A STABLE, PREDICTABLE SOURCE OF FUNDING IN THE YEARS AHEAD. 
          SECURING THAT FUNDING FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS GIVES THE PROGRAM THE RUNWAY IT NEEDS TO PLAN AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE. 
          UM, I'M PROUD TO STAND WITH MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAKI RODRIGUEZ, MONIA AND GALVAN, UH, WHO SIGNED A FOUR SIGNATURE MEMO, AND TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE SUPPORTING TODAY, ASKING THAT THIS QUESTION BE PLACED BEFORE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER, I ASKED FOR THE COUNCIL SUPPORT IN GIVING SAN ANTONIO, SAN ANTONIO THAT CHOICE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, ERIC, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE? MAKE? YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO ADD, AND, AND I DON'T THINK, UM, SARAH HAD A CHANCE TO SHARE THIS PART YET, BUT IN YOUR, IN THE COUNCIL CALENDAR, UH, WE HAVE RESERVED A SEPTEMBER 1ST DATE FOR PRE-K FOR SA TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND LAY OUT THE PLANS AND ACTIONS, STATEMENTS AND GOALS, UH, IF APPROVED TODAY, THAT'LL BE IMPORTANT FROM A FACTUAL STANDPOINT, UH, AGAIN, UH, FOR BOTH YOU ALL AS WELL AS STAFF TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FACTS TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, THE BENEFITS OR THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFITS OF, OF APPROVING THE, THE NOVEMBER PROPOSITION. 
          SO THAT IS, THAT IS ON YOUR CALENDAR RIGHT NOW, ERIC. 
          THANKS FOR THAT. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT, THAT PRE-K EDUCATION IS, IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATED OUR, OUR CONVERSATION YESTERDAY. 
          UM, I'M GLAD WE ARE TAKING, UH, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SERIOUSLY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GOVERNOR AND THE FOLKS AT THE STATE LEVEL, UH, ARE DOING THE SAME. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MY, MY VOTE TODAY, UH, IS, IS NOT AN INDICATION OF ANY SORT OF CRITICISMS OF, UH, OR ANY CRITICISM OF, OF THE WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING OR WHAT YOU, OR WHAT YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO DO. 
          SO, SO I WANT THAT NOTED AT THE OUTSET. 
          UM, WITH THAT SAID, I BELIEVE YOU TOLD ME YESTERDAY THERE'S SOME REPORT COMING IN SEPTEMBER, RIGHT? THAT'S GOING TO SHOW US THE RESULTS OF, OF, UH, OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON OVER THE PAST, UH, PERIOD OF TIME. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? WELL, IT WON'T BE IN SEPTEMBER. 
          IT'LL BE LATER THIS FALL, PROBABLY IN NOVEMBER, LATER NOVEMBER. 
          UM, AS WE DO EVERY YEAR, WE HAVE REPORTS, AND THEN WE, WE HAVE OUR FIRST COHORT OF GRADUATES, UM, OUR SENIORS THIS YEAR, BUT THERE IS A REPORT COMING ON WHAT, WHERE THEY WERE AS FRESHMEN IN HIGH SCHOOL. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, SO THIS REPORT, REALLY A REPORT CARD, UH, OF RESULTS FOR THIS PROGRAM IS COMING LATER THIS YEAR. 
          YET TODAY, THE EFFORT IS TO VOTE PRIOR TO GETTING THOSE RESULTS. 
          AND I JUST HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THAT. 
          AND AS THE COUNCILWOMAN SAID, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT SIGNING US UP FOR 20 YEARS OF USING TAX DOLLARS, UM, FOR THIS WITH NO, UM, NO 
          [04:00:01]
SORT OF METRICS TO BE PUT IN PLACE EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS THAT COULD GIVE US AN OFF RAMP. 
          UM, I JUST, I JUST THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT'S TOO MUCH. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, I MEAN, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS GONNA LOOK LIKE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW AND LET ALONE 20 YEARS FROM NOW. 
          AND, AND THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT I THINK, UH, POTENTIALLY, UH, THIS MONEY 10, 15 YEARS FROM NOW, UM, COULD BE USED FOR. 
          I MEAN, WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NEEDS WILL BE AT THAT POINT. 
          AND SO, AGAIN, THE 20 YEAR ASPECT OF THIS PROPOSAL TODAY, UH, AS COUNCILWOMAN VIA GRAND LAID OUT, JUST REALLY GIVES ME PAUSE. 
          AND, UM, IT'S REALLY JUST FOR, FOR THAT REASON, UH, AND THE FACT THAT I DON'T SEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE, UH, TO HAVE, UH, VERIFIABLE METRICS ALL ALONG THE WAY, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST CAN'T, I JUST CAN'T SUPPORT IT BASED ON THOSE FACTORS. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU, DR. 
          BRA. 
          UM, IF YOU WANNA GIVE A, UH, UH, A SPOILER ON THE, UH, ON THE REPORT CARD. 
          UM, DO THE KIDS DO WORSE? NO. 
          UM, THEY DO BETTER. 
          OKAY. 
          AND TO BE CLEAR, WE HAVE ANNUAL, UM, EXTERNAL EVALUATIONS THAT SHOW CHILDREN DO BETTER EVERY YEAR. 
          IS THERE, IS THERE ANY LITERATURE ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT EVER ON THIS TOPIC THAT SHOWS THAT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS NOT BENEFICIAL TO THE INDIVIDUAL OR THE COMMUNITY? NO. 
          IN FACT, TO THE CONTRARY, THERE'S ABOUT 50 YEARS WORTH OF RESEARCH THAT SAID 50 50 YEARS, FIVE ZERO, YES. 
          OKAY. 
          OF RESEARCH THAT SAYS IT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO INCREASE, NOT JUST, UM, ACADEMIC MM-HMM . 
          OUTCOMES, BUT LIFE OUTCOMES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES. 
          WHEN YOU SAY MOST EFFECTIVE, DO YOU MEAN HIGHEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILWOMAN CORE, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES WHO BROUGHT THIS FORWARD TODAY, COUNCIL MEMBER MKE RODRIGUEZ, COUNCILMAN MS. GONZALEZ, AND COUNCIL MEMBER GUI GALVAN FOR PUTTING THE MEMO TO PUT THIS ON, UH, THE AGENDA TODAY. 
          UH, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT I STARTED THIS WORK IN POLITICS BECAUSE I WAS AN EDUCATOR. 
          DR. 
          BREY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE THAT I SPOKE TO WHEN I MOVED TO THE CITY TO TALK ABOUT EARLY CHILDCARE AND WHAT QUALITY EARLY CHILDCARE LOOKS LIKE. 
          SO THE STATISTIC THAT WAS JUST MENTIONED, I WANNA CLARIFY, THERE'S ALWAYS AN IMPACT TO STARTING KIDS EARLIER IN EARLY CHILDCARE CENTERS, BUT THERE IS A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR QUALITY EARLY CHILDCARE CENTERS. 
          AND THE ONE THING THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IN OUR CITY THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WORK ON, IS THERE IS A VERY BIG VARIETY OF EDUCATION CENTERS UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE. 
          AND SO THERE ARE SOME WHERE YOU REALLY DON'T GET ANY KIND OF, UH, CURRICULUM BASED EDUCATION BEFORE YOU ENTER KINDERGARTEN. 
          IT'S REALLY A DAYCARE VERSUS AN EDUCATION CENTER. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF THE, THE CENTERS THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED. 
          AND I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF WAYS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. 
          ONE, ANOTHER STATISTIC THAT WE KNOW IS THIRD GRADE READING SCORES AND MATH SCORES ARE THE NUMBER ONE INDICATOR TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL FOR A KID. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT, SO, UH, I KNOW IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THERE IS NO METRIC FOR SUCCESS, BUT THERE ACTUALLY IS, EVERY YEAR, AS DR. BRAY MENTIONED, THEY DO AN EXTERNAL AUDIT. 
          THERE ARE VERY FEW PROGRAMS IN THE CITY THAT I CAN STAND UP HERE AND CONFIDENTLY SAY, WE DO AN EXTERNAL AUDIT. 
          AND EVERY YEAR THERE'S ACTUAL PERFORMANCE BASED METRICS THAT ARE SHOWN. 
          AND THE ONE THAT I ALWAYS LOVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE MOST IS THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS THE MOST. 
          SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE IMPACT THAT THEY HAVE ON ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE VERSUS NOT, THE SCORES RISE SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT HAD NOT GOTTEN PRE-K THAT WERE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, THAT WERE NOT IN PRE-K FOR SA. 
          AND SO THAT IS WHAT I THINK THE MISSION THAT WE SOLD, OR THAT, UH, THEN MAYOR CASTRO SOLD TO THE COMMUNITY THAT IS TRULY COMING TO FRUITION. 
          THERE ARE ALSO VERY FEW PROGRAMS FROM THE CITY THAT YOU SEARCH ONLINE, AND THEY GET ACTUAL RESEARCH-BASED STUDIES PRODUCED IN, IN RESOURCE IN ERIC. 
          THERE'S NO OTHER PROGRAM FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT'S IN ERIC. 
          AND IT'S AWESOME TO SEE OUR CITY BEING HIGHLIGHTED ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR A PROGRAM THAT IS TRULY, IN MY OPINION, THE MO ONE OF ITS KIND A, A REVENUE SOURCE THAT IS CONSISTENT. 
          IT'S NOT, WELL, IT'S MAYBE NOT CONSISTENT, BUT IT'S AT LEAST PROTECTED. 
          YES, IT DOES FLUCTUATE, WHICH MAKES I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL DO CHALLENGING, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THAT PROTECTED REVENUE SOURCE MEANS THEY CAN PLAN 
          [04:05:01]
10 YEARS OUT TO NOW, HOPEFULLY 20 YEARS OUT, SO THAT WE CAN EVEN CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. 
          THERE'S A LOT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH PRE-K FOR SA WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING AS WELL. 
          THERE'S A PROJECT DOWN IN THE SOUTH SIDE AT JULIETTE VITA THAT WE WANNA START AN EARLY CHILDCARE CENTER FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AND THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY OF WAYS THAT WE CAN GROW. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT I LOVE ABOUT THE PROGRAM IS THAT THEY'VE DONE SO DILIGENTLY. 
          IT WASN'T POPPING UP A SITE EVERY YEAR ACROSS THE CITY. 
          AND I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEY RODRIGUEZ MENTIONED THE NEED IN THE URBAN CORE, AND THERE IS A NEED. 
          I KNOW LAND COSTS ARE HIGHER, AND IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO SUPPORT THAT, BUT I DO THINK THE WORK OF EARLY MATTERS AND THE WORK OF GETTING MORE FOUR STAR RATED SCHOOL FOR, UH, EARLY CHILDCARE CENTERS IS GONNA REALLY HELP WITH THAT. 
          SO ALL THAT TO SAY THERE IS PERFORMANCE BASED METRICS THAT SHOW THE SUCCESS OF THE KIDS. 
          MY FAVORITE METRIC THAT I LOVE TO SHARE IS THE TEACHERS. 
          THIS IS WHAT I THINK IS THE GAME CHANGING FACTOR OF PRE-K FOR ESSAY AND WHY IT IS VERY HIGH QUALITY CHILDCARE. 
          THEY ARE THE ONLY, I BELIEVE, THE ONLY INSTITUTION THAT IS PAYING BETWEEN 75 AND 95, IS THAT THE RIGHT RANGE ISH? MM-HMM . 
          FOR EDUCATORS. 
          AND ONE OF THE ARTICLES I WAS READING THAT THEY HAD 322 OUT OF 324 TEACHERS SIGN THEIR CONTRACTS TO RENEW. 
          THAT IS UNHEARD OF IN THE EDUCATION FIELD. 
          THAT'S A 99% RETENTION RATE. 
          THAT'S PROBABLY NOT EVEN, THAT'S UNHEARD OF, EVEN IN THE CITY IN ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS. 
          THAT IS INSANE. 
          99% RETENTION. 
          THAT SHOULD TELL YOU ABOUT THE CULTURE, THE COMMUNITY THAT'S BEING BUILT, UH, IN THIS ORGANIZATION. 
          AND I KNOW DR. 
          BRA AT THE HELM, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH THAT. 
          SO I WAS A LITTLE UNCERTAIN ONLY, OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE KNOWS I LOVE PRE-K FOR SA, BUT I WAS A LITTLE UNCERTAIN BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANY DATA TO SHARE HOW THIS VOTE WAS GONNA GO, AND IF WE WERE DOING IT EARLY AND HOW 20 YEARS, UM, WAS GOING TO RESIDENTS. 
          WERE GONNA FEEL ABOUT THAT. 
          I ACTUALLY SUPPORT IT BECAUSE I THINK COUNCILMAN MS. GON IS GONNA MENTION THIS, BUT WE DO LONG-TERM DEALS ALL THE TIME. 
          WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT ONE ON MONDAY. 
          AND SO I DON'T THINK IT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK OUR RESIDENTS TO INVEST IN SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW THEY CARE ABOUT, WHICH IS EDUCATION. 
          IT ALWAYS COMES UP EVEN IN THE POLL THAT A PARTNERSHIP DID. 
          I KNOW THEY WERE HERE FOR OUR CHARTER VOTE LAST YEAR. 
          ALL OUR RESIDENTS CLEARLY WANT SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION. 
          AND I HOPE IT'S OKAY IF I SAY THIS, BUT, UM, I TALKED TO SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS AND THEY DID A VERY BRIEF POLL THIS WEEKEND OF RESIDENTS AND RESIDENTS ACTUALLY POLL HIGHER IN 73% SAYING THEY WANT A 20 YEAR SUPPORT FOR PRE-K FOR SA VERSUS THE LOWER AMOUNT. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE, AND THANK YOU TO THE BOARD FOR QUICKLY DOING THAT POLL. 
          I THINK IT'S ALWAYS HELPFUL TO HAVE DATA. 
          UM, I ALSO TALKED TO SOME FOLKS THAT DO CAMPAIGN WORK, AND BECAUSE OF THE, UM, ELECTIONS THIS FALL WITH THE PRIMARIES, UH, I'M SORRY, WITH THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, THERE IS GOING TO BE AN INCREASE IN VOTER TURNOUT THAN WHAT WE NORMALLY SEE IN A NON-PRESIDENTIAL YEAR. 
          AND SO ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THIS VOTE IS GOING TO PASS WITH ONE OF THE HIGHEST APPROVAL RATES AS IT ALREADY HAS DEMONSTRATED. 
          AND THEN AS A RESULT, Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO SOME REALLY STRATEGIC LONG-TERM PLANNING. 
          AND I PLAN ON HELPING IN EVERY WHICH WAY I CAN. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK, AND THANK YOU FOR BUILDING SUCH A STRONG TEAM, UM, WITH YOU, THAT THAT DOES ALL OF THAT, UM, AS WELL. 
          LAST THING I JUST WANNA SHOUT OUT IS WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT SOME STUFF ON MONDAY FOR AN ARENA DEAL. 
          AND I KNOW THAT, UM, FOLKS THAT INVESTED IN THE SPURS HAVE ALSO INVESTED IN PRE-K FOUR SA AND MAKING IT HAPPEN. 
          AND ESPECIALLY THE SOUTH SIDE FACILITY THAT'S IN D THREE, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. 
          UM, AND SO I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THAT CONTINUED SUPPORT IN THE NEXT BUILDINGS THAT COME UP AS WELL. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILWOMAN SPEARS, PLEASE. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          I THINK MY, I I ASKED FOR A LOT OF INFORMATION WHEN WE TALKED YESTERDAY, BUT, UM, FOR ME, THIS JUST FEELS, UH, LIKE IT'S NOT RIPE. 
          I I, I'VE NEVER SEEN AN A SITUATION WHERE YOU WOULD PROVIDE THE FUNDING WITHOUT A FULL BUSINESS PLAN AND A STRATEGIC PLAN LAID OUT. 
          I DO THINK THIS IS VERY IMPACTFUL WORK. 
          I KNOW THAT IT IS. 
          I I I KNOW IT'S A, IT'S A, A SERIOUS NEED. 
          IN FACT, THIS IS SOMETHING I TALK A LOT ABOUT WITH OUR MILITARY COMMUNITY. 
          THEY'RE GREATLY IMPACTED. 
          THEY DON'T MEET THE THRESHOLD. 
          OFTEN THERE'S THIS GAP OF PEOPLE THAT REALLY NEED HELP HERE. 
          AND I MEAN, I WOULD WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, THOSE NEEDS ARE GETTING ADDRESSED, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR MILITARY. 
          BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, IT JUST FEELS RUSHED TO ME. 
          I FEEL, UM, LIKE WE CAN 
          [04:10:01]
GET THIS ALL, UH, WORKED OUT, GET UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING. 
          I'M NOT COMFORTABLE COMMITTING MY KIDS TO A TAX FOR 20 YEARS. 
          THAT MEANS THEY'LL BE TAXED ON IT. 
          AND, UM, I THINK THE WORK IS TRULY IMPORTANT. 
          WE KNOW THE STUDY SHOWS THAT IT IS. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PLAN THAT WE'RE LAYING BEFORE US MAKES SENSE. 
          I MEAN, HOW DO YOU PROJECT WHAT WE'RE DOING OVER 20 YEARS? I MEAN, THE SCHOOL, THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE RIGHT SIZING. 
          THEY'RE CLOSING A LOT OF THEIR BUILDINGS. 
          MAYBE THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT LAID OUT BEFORE US YET. 
          UM, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, THEY, ARE THEY EXPANDING THEIR PROGRAMS AT ALL? I KNOW THAT, UM, THEY DO A LOT OF THIS. 
          DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR COST PER PUPIL IS VERSUS THE MARKET OR EVEN VERSUS THE SCHOOL? YEAH, SO IN TERMS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IT IS ABOUT THE SAME IN TERMS OF HOUR PER HOUR. 
          WE SERVE CHILDREN THOUGH FROM SEVEN 15 TILL 6:00 PM IN THE PROGRAM, WHEREAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS SERVE UNTIL 3:00 PM AND THEN PARENTS PAY ADDITIONALLY. 
          UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE TAKE OUR BUDGET AND DIVIDE IT BY THE 2000 CHILDREN WE SERVE DIRECTLY IN OUR CENTERS, BUT WE DO MORE THAN THAT. 
          AND SO, UM, I DON'T HAVE THE FIGURE RIGHT NOW OF THE MOST RECENT, BUT WE'VE DONE THAT ANALYSIS OVER THE YEARS AND, UM, TO BE COMPETITIVE, WE'RE ACTUALLY, WE'RE FOR SURE NOT AT THE HIGHEST END OF THE SCALE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          CHILDCARE, UM, HIGH QUALITY CHILDCARE COSTS, UM, CAN COST UP TO $22,000 A YEAR, AND WE'RE NOT THERE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, AND SO WE, BUT WE LOOK AT THAT VERY CAREFULLY. 
          YEAH, I KNOW. 
          THAT'S CLOSE TO WHAT I PAID FOR. 
          YEAH. 
          EACH OF THOSE, EACH OF MY KIDS TOO, SO, I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S EXPENSIVE. 
          UM, SO I DO, I MEAN, I'M EXCITED TO SEE ALSO WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE SENIORS THAT ARE GRADUATING THIS YEAR. 
          AND THEY'RE, AND I THINK THAT WE'LL SEE POSITIVE RESULTS THERE, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT, UM, AND HOW IT CAN IMPACT OUR WORKFORCE. 
          AND I THINK IT CAN ONLY HELP THE ARGUMENT. 
          UH, I JUST THINK WE HAVE TIME FOR THIS. 
          UM, I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE 20 YEARS. 
          I DON'T SEE THE URGENCY TO DO IT RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, AND MY QUESTION TOO IS, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT, I SEE THIS AS A NEED FOR SURE, UH, THE NIGHT, WEEKEND AND DROP IN CHILDCARE, BUT THEN WE'RE SAYING THAT IT'S EDUCATIONAL. 
          AND WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY. 
          I, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER, HOW, HOW THIS FITS INTO THAT. 
          I DO SEE A NEED, BUT IF WE'RE SAYING THIS IS FOR EDUCATION, BUT IF IT'S AT NIGHT, OBVIOUSLY THE CHILD, THE CHILDREN WILL BE ASLEEP OR THEY SHOULD BE MM-HMM . 
          UM, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. 
          THERE IS FOR SURE A NEED HERE. 
          WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH SHIFT WORK OR, UM, THAT IMPACTS OUR POLICE AND FIRE, THAT IMPACTS OUR, UM, MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY, ALL OF IT. 
          SO I JUST FEEL LIKE I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER. 
          AND SINCE THERE IS FUNDING THROUGH 2029, I'M JUST NOT READY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TODAY. 
          AND, UM, BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WORK. 
          VERY IMPORTANT WORK. 
          AND THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GALVAN, PLEASE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          AND THANK YOU, DR. 
          BURRAY, FOR THE PRESENTATION TODAY. 
          AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FOR HELPING PUSH THIS CONVERSATION FORWARD TO TODAY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I, I APPRECIATE THE HEALTHY SKEPTICISM THAT SOME FOLKS CAN HAVE, OR JUST QUESTIONS THAT FOLKS HAVE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE SURE THAT THIS PROGRAM IS WORKING AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS, AND AS DELIVERING ON THE RESULTS THAT WE EXPECT IT TO AND OUR RESIDENTS EXPECT IT TO. 
          UM, I, I SHARED SOME OF THOSE, THOSE SIMILAR CONCERNS OR THOUGHTS, UM, PRIOR TO THIS COMING FORWARD. 
          UH, I BELIEVE WHEN PRE-K FIRSTA PRESENTED A COUPLE MONTHS AGO ABOUT THIS IDEA, RIGHT, OF WHAT WE COULD BE LOOKING AT IN THE FUTURE, UM, I SHARED A LITTLE BIT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT, WELL, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME KIND OF MORE DETAILED PLANS, AND I STILL BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO THOSE THINGS. 
          UM, I BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE MAKE PLANS HERE AT THE CITY, NO MATTER WHETHER IT'S WITHIN HOUSING FRAMEWORKS OR IN PUBLIC SAFETY, OR WITHIN HEALTHCARE OR, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, OR PARKS MASTER PLANS, THEY HELP US KIND OF GUIDE THE POST OF WHERE WE'RE GOING TO, WHERE WE'RE GONNA GO HERE IN THIS VEIN. 
          BUT WE KNOW EACH OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS TOO, UH, PRIOR TO THE PLAN BEING CREATED, OR EVEN DURING THE PLAN OR AFTER WHATEVER IT MEET, WE KNOW THE GOAL HERE, RIGHT? THE GOAL FOR THE PARKS MASTER PLAN IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE HAVE INCREDIBLE PARKS IN EVERY PART OF OUR CITY. 
          SAME THING FOR LIBRARIES, SAME THING FOR HOUSING, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          I THINK THE SAME THING WILL BE HAD AND HAS BEEN HAD FOR THE LAST, UH, SEVERAL YEARS, UH, WITH PREK FOR A, IS TO EXPAND EARLY CHILDHOOD, EARLY CHILDHOOD, UH, EDUCATION, HIGH QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE CITY. 
          UM, WHILE OF COURSE WE GAVE OUR STATE THAT THE SOLE OPERATOR OF THAT, THE SOLE FOCUS OF THAT, UH, OR SOLE PROVIDER OF THAT, IT HAS BECOME AND HAS BEEN A TRUE LEADER IN THE CITY AND IN THE NATION, UM, TO PROVIDE THIS WORK IN THE HIGH QUALITY MANNER THAT IT DOES. 
          I MEAN, TO THE CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT THE, THE, THE RESEARCH BEHIND IT, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE HIGH SCOPES, UH, CURRICULUM, WHICH HAS BEEN, I MEAN, A NOBLE PEACE PRIZE, LIKE AWARDED, UH, CURRICULUM, UH, FOR THE EFFECTS IT HAS ON, ON STUDENTS. 
          UM, I, I MEAN, I, FROM ANYBODY WHO KNOWS ME OR HAS TALKED TO ME MORE DEEPLY OR DETAIL DETAILED, UH, MY MOTHER IS SOMEONE WHO IS, UH, CHILDCARE, UH, WORKER FOR YEARS FOR AN ENTIRE CAREER, IS AT NORTHSIDE, ISD, DOING THAT WORK RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, 
          [04:15:01]
HAS NEVER WORKED IN PRE-K, FIRST SA, BUT WAS AT, UM, THE, UH, METHODIST SCHOOLS ON THE SOUTH SIDE ON FIT STREET. 
          THAT WAS ONE OF THE MODELS FOR PRE-K FIRST A TO GO TOUR. 
          UM, AND THEY SPOKE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF CARE THERE THAT WAS BEING PROVIDED TO STUDENTS ON THE SOUTH SIDE, UM, AND PRE-CARE FIRST, A, BEING ABLE TO LEARN FROM THOSE MODELS AND SAY, WE'RE NOT ONLY GONNA DO THIS FOR THIS PART OF TOWN, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE CITY IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF PROGRAM THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE, AND WE TALK ABOUT THE BIRTH RATE IN OUR CITY AND PROPERTY, UM, AND POPULATION GROWTH HERE IN OUR CITY. 
          I MEAN, ALL THESE THINGS COME TOGETHER AND WE TALK ABOUT EARLY CHILD EDUCATION, THE FACT OF FOLKS BEING ABLE TO, UM, TO BE ABLE TO, TO PICK UP A SHIFT NOW BECAUSE THEY ARE ABLE TO HAVE KIDS IN A HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION SETTING, UM, THAT IS STRUCTURED. 
          THAT IS, UH, I MEAN, THAT IS JUST IMPACTFUL TO THAT STUDENT'S LIFE. 
          UM, WHICH CAN HELP WITH HOLISTIC SUPPORT TOO. 
          THERE'S, THERE'S, IT'S A NO BRAINER TO TRY TO SUPPORT THIS WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR FAMILIES IN THIS CITY HAVE ACCESS TO THIS KINDA OPPORTUNITY. 
          AND AGAIN, WHILE PRE-K FIRST SE CAN, UH, HAS ITS LIMITS, HAS ITS BOUNDS, BEING ABLE TO BE FLEXIBLE, BEING ABLE TO WORK, UH, AND BE AVAILABLE FOR HOPEFULLY 20 YEARS, UM, AS A STABLE PROGRAM TO POTENTIALLY RECEIVE STATE FUNDING, POTENTIALLY RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE FUTURE, THAT OUR STATE AND FEDERAL LEADERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT AND DISCUSSING, WHY WOULDN'T WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S AVAILABLE THE SAME WAY OTHER ENTITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY DO THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE, THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SAY CONSISTENTLY TO THEIR PARTNERS THAT WE ARE HERE FOR 20 YEARS WITH A STABLE REVENUE STREAM TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE AND CONTINUE TO EXPAND AND WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS THROUGH THE STORMS THAT WE SEE IN EDUCATION. 
          UM, THEY CONTINUE TO LEAD. 
          YOUR PROGRAM CONTINUES TO LEAD. 
          SO ANYWAY, ALL THAT BEING SAID, I, I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, UH, THIS ITEM. 
          UM, HAPPY TO BE A SUPPORTER. 
          HOWEVER, I CAN BE, OF COURSE, EVEN WITHIN, UH, THE WORK THAT WE DO, THE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH THIS THING WITH A, UH, WITH A FINE COMB, UM, AND BE ABLE TO PROBABLY PROVIDE PUBLIC EDUCATION WHEREVER WE NEED TO OR PROVIDE PUBLIC EDUCATION ON THIS CONVERSATION WHEREVER YOU NEED TO. 
          UH, HAPPY TO BE A, A PARTNER IN THAT. 
          AND SO, AGAIN, JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES AND THE INCREDIBLE, UH, STAFF, UH, PRE-K FOR SA, ALL THE WAY FROM THE TOP DOWN, UH, WHO DELIVER THIS PROGRAM FOR OUR STUDENTS AND JUST STARTED RECENTLY TOO. 
          YES, . 
          UH, SO THANK YOU AGAIN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MUNGIA, PLEASE. 
          THANK, THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I HEARD A LOT TODAY ABOUT DATA THAT YOU DON'T HAVE DATA, IT'S MISSING DATA, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DATA. 
          UH, BUT Y Y'ALL HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME AND THERE IS DATA OUT THERE. 
          SO I RECALL READING THESE THINGS OVER TIME. 
          SO I DID A QUICK SEARCH, RIGHT? AND, UH, EXPRESSED NEWS, 2024, UH, CEO FOR CHILDREN AT RISK. 
          SAID, IF YOU'RE A TEACHER AND YOU HAVE A CLASS OF 20, AND ONLY TWO OF THEM WENT TO PRE-K FOUR SA, YOU'RE NOW TEACHING TO THE 18. 
          THE OTHER TWO ARE JUST TAGGING, TAGGING ALONG. 
          UH, IN 2020, YOU DID AN INTERVIEW WITH NPR AND YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU, YOU HAVE AN OUTSIDE EVALUATOR THIRD PARTY COME IN EVERY SINGLE YEAR, UH, TO EVALUATE YOUR PROGRAM AND PRE-K FOR ESSAY. 
          SO CHILDREN ARE ENTERING YOUR PROGRAM BELOW THE NATIONAL NORM AND KEY INDICATORS IN COGNITION, LITERACY, MATHEMATICS, AND THEY LEAVE YOUR PROGRAM WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL NORM, MEANING THAT THEY'RE MORE READY, UH, FOR KINDERGARTEN, RIGHT? WHICH GOES TO WHAT THE CU HAD JUST SAID. 
          UH, AND THEN LONG TERM IMPACT IS BECAUSE OF THE WAYS OF EARLY LEARNING. 
          UM, SO THAT'S IMPORTANT. 
          AND THEN ARTICLE IN AP 2026, IT REPORTS STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED PRE-K FOUR SA HAVE SCORED HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE ON THIRD GRADE MATH AND READING, ACCORDING TO THE URBAN EDUCATION INSTITUTE AT UTSA, UH, THOSE OUTCOMES CONTRIBUTE TO WHAT YOU, UM, VIEW AS KEY SUCCESSES OF THE PROGRAM. 
          CHILDREN WITH THE GREATEST NEEDS RECEIVE THE SAME QUALITY EDUCATION AS KIDS FROM WEALTHIER FAMILIES. 
          UH, AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT KIDS DO WELL ON THIRD GRADE MATH AND READING? THOSE ARE PREDICTIVE OF HOW THEY WILL DO THROUGHOUT THEIR EDUCATIONAL CAREER, RIGHT? SO IF A CHILD IS EXCEEDING IN THIRD GRADE MATH AND READING, THE LIKELIHOOD OF THAT SUCCESS CURRENT ALL THROUGHOUT THEIR EDUCATION IS, IS VERY HIGH. 
          VERY HIGH. 
          AND THAT'S PROVEN NATIONALLY. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO THE FACT THAT YOUR PROGRAM GETS YOU IS SHOWING THAT PEOPLE THAT KIDS COULD GO THROUGH YOUR PROGRAM END UP DOING BETTER ON THAT MEANS THAT THEY'RE PROBABLY ALSO DOING BETTER ALL THE WAY THROUGH YES. 
          THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL. 
          YES. 
          SO I DON'T NEED TO WAIT FOR THE REPORT TO COME OUT THAT THE KIDS, THE FIRST CLASS IS GONNA GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY'RE GONNA DO WELL. 
          WE CAN ALREADY SEE THOSE INDICATORS OUT THERE. 
          UH, AND I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT YOU ALL DO, AND I THINK I WOULD HOPE THAT SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE ANTI-GOVERNMENT WOULD APPRECIATE IS THAT YOU'RE NOT JUST TRYING TO EXPAND YOUR FOOTPRINT OF PRE-K FIRST. 
          YOU'RE TRYING TO GET OTHER FOLKS UP TO PAR ON THEIR PROV EDUCATION PROVIDING FOR, FOR PRE-K. 
          YES. 
          FAMILIES NEED CHOICES, AND WE'RE NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR EVERY FAMILY. 
          SOME FAMILIES WANT THEIR 
          [04:20:01]
CHILDREN CARED FOR AND EDUCATED IN FAITH-BASED PROGRAMS, IN SMALLER HOME PROVIDERS, IN THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
          WE SUPPORT ALL OF THOSE 'CAUSE FAMILIES NEED HIGH QUALITY OPTIONS THAT THEY CAN AFFORD. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO, AS SOMEONE WHO REPRESENTS AN AREA WITH A, A DESERT FOR HIGH QUALITY CHILDCARE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALL HAVE A LONG RUNWAY TO CONTINUE WORKING AND INVESTING. 
          I KNOW THERE'S ALSO, UM, CHALLENGES, RIGHT? WITH LEASES THAT YOU HAVE, RIGHT? AND, AND NOT HAVING A LONGER RUNWAY MEANS THAT YOU ARE, UM, HAVING TO CONTINUE LEASING, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST OPTION FOR THAT. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT THIS. 
          I THINK IT'S, IT'S A CLEAR WINNER. 
          UH, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THE CITY HAS EVER DONE IS TO INVEST IN EARLY EDUCATION, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. 
          AND I DO WANNA TAKE THE TIME TO THANK MY BOARD MEMBER, UH, WHO'S BEEN, I THINK, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF, OF THE INSTITUTION, RICHARD BETIS, WHO'S DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB OVER THERE. 
          AND I PROBABLY THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE LAST BOARD HE'LL EVER GET OFF OF IS, IS THAT ONE, HE LOVES IT SO MUCH, BUT THANK YOU, DR. 
          BERE, AND LOOK FORWARD TO PASSING THIS TODAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANDY, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          I JUST WANTED TO MAKE ONE CLARIFICATION ON, UH, ERIC HAD POINTED OUT THAT ON SEPTEMBER ONE THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE A SCHEDULE FOR PRE-K FOR SA TO COME UP AND COME, UH, DESCRIBE TO THE COUNCIL THEIR PLANS. 
          I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR TO THE COUNCIL THAT IF THE MEASURE TODAY IS APPROVED, IT BECOMES A BALLOT PROPOSITION. 
          THEREFORE, UH, NO CITY TIME OR RESOURCES CAN BE USED TO ADVOCATE FOR OR AGAINST THE PROPOSITION. 
          SO THAT SEPTEMBER ONE SESSION HAS PURELY GOTTA BE A FACTUAL DISCUSSION. 
          UM, JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLARIFICATION HELPFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANKS, ANDY. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ON THE SECOND ROUND, COUNCILWOMAN MEA GONZALEZ? NO. 
          OKAY. 
          ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? OKAY. 
          THANK YOU DR. BRAY. 
          THANKS TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, FOR, FOR RAISING THIS. 
          UM, I THINK THIS IS, UH, THERE'S, IN MY MIND, UH, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE CAN DO TO SAY THAT WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT NO LONGER BEING THE THIRD MOST IMPOVERISHED MAJOR CITY IN THE COUNTRY. 
          UM, I ALSO THINK ABOUT THE RECENT CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH, UH, FOREIGN DELEGATIONS LOOKING AT SETTING UP SHOP HERE. 
          AND THEY'RE IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, PARTICULARLY IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR SPACE. 
          UM, AND LITERALLY JUST IN THE LAST 30 DAYS. 
          UM, AND THEY, THEY'RE, THE CONCERN IS, IS NOT HAVING THE, THE HIGH END THE TALENT FOR THE HIGH END SEMICONDUCTORS. 
          AND SO THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PACKAGING, WHICH IS GOOD, RIGHT? AND THOSE, I MEAN, GOOD PAYING JOBS, A GOOD PAYING JOB, UM, BUT TO MAKE SURE, IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO HEAR WHEN YOU'RE NOT COMPETITIVE FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT, UH, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. 
          AND SO I THINK THIS IS A DEMONSTRABLE INVESTMENT THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE WE ARE MAKING OURSELVES AS COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR THESE THINGS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO US TODAY, FOR EXAMPLE, PHOENIX, UH, THAT HAS A-T-S-M-C PLANT THERE. 
          IF WE WANNA BE AS COMPETITIVE FOR THOSE KINDS OF THINGS IN THE FUTURE, WE HAVE TO, UM, DEMONSTRATE. 
          AND I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S NO BETTER, UH, UH, TALKING POINT TO THAT THAN THIS, THAN THIS COMMITMENT AND, AND RE-UPPING THIS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. 
          I'M NOT GONNA BELABOR SOME OF THE POINTS THAT MY, MY COLLEAGUES ALREADY MADE IN TERMS OF THIS BEING NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED. 
          UM, SO WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THAT. 
          UM, DR. 
          BRA, CAN YOU SPEAK, JUST TO LAY FLAT FOR SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY, UM, WHEN, WHEN SAN ANTONIO WAS PASSED OVER FOR SPACE COMMAND, PRE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION WAS A PART OF THAT. 
          UH, THE OTHER PIECES OF THAT WERE PUBLIC TRANSIT, HEALTHCARE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. 
          UM, BUT WHEN, WHAT, WHAT WOULD, KNOWING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO EXTEND FOR 20 YEARS, WHAT DOES THAT ALLOW YOU TO DO? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALLOWS US TO DO IS GIVE ASSURANCE ALSO TO OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          OUR 90, WE WANT TO EXPAND, UM, TO SERVE UP TO 300 OF THOSE PROVIDERS. 
          UM, AND WE ARE HELPING THEM TO GET M-C-C-Y-N CERTIFIED, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY CAN ACCEPT MILITARY SUBSIDIES. 
          UM, SO THAT WE ELIMINATE WHAT IS NOW SEEN AS A LACK OF CHILDCARE SEATS FOR MILITARY FAMILIES TO ACTUALLY HAVING A SURPLUS SO THAT FAMILIES HAVE CHOICES. 
          AND THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING. 
          BUT TO DO THE INVESTMENT THAT IT REQUIRES, WE NEED TO KNOW THAT IT'LL BE THERE. 
          IT WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO GET OUT OF THOSE LEASES THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT ARE NOT PARTICULARLY FAVORABLE. 
          SO WE CAN PUT MORE MONEY INTO PROGRAMMING AND SPEND LESS ON LEASING BUILDINGS THAT ARE LOVELY, BUT PERHAPS NOT AS, UM, NOT AS WHAT THEY COULD BE IF WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD ONE FOR EARLY LEARNING. 
          SO APPROVING THIS ACTUALLY, UH, THIS REAUTHORIZATION EARLY ACTUALLY IS A COST SAVING MEASURE. 
          IT IS. 
          IT WILL HELP US TO, YES, BECAUSE THEN WE CAN, IT'S PREDICTIVE. 
          'CAUSE WHEN YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO PREDICT, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO PLAN FOR THOSE BUILDINGS BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE'LL HAVE THE REVENUE SOURCE AND WE HAVE TO STAY WITHIN OBVIOUSLY OUR AUTHORIZED BUDGET, WHICH WE DO. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, 
          [04:25:01]
SO IN THIS ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, WE CERTAINLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, IDENTIFYING ALL THE COST SAVING MEASURES AS AS POSSIBLE. 
          AS WE KNOW COSTS DON'T, THEY DON'T TRADITIONALLY COME DOWN OVER TIME, DO THEY? DO THEY JUST, THEY JUST KEEP INCREASING. 
          UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          UM, OF COURSE I WILL BE SU SUPPORTING THIS. 
          I I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING THOUGHTFUL, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING SEEN FIRSTHAND WHAT, HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO BASING DECISIONS. 
          UM, I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT, UH, PRIORITIZING SAN ANTONIO KIDS. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UH, THIS IS, UM, AGAIN, THE MILITARY KIDS, THEY, THEY HAVE OTHER, TO YOUR POINT, THEY HAVE OTHER CHOICES. 
          THEY HAVE OTHER OPTIONS. 
          THEY ALSO HAVE MORE MEANS, I WOULD ARGUE, THAN SOME OF THE, THE SAN ANTONIO FAMILIES THAT ARE SERVICE THAT ARE BEING SERVICED OR, OR NOT BEING SERVICED. 
          SO, UM, CURRENTLY, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE STUDENTS ARE, UM, UH, THE CHILDREN OF, OF ACTIVE DUTY? AND I SAY, AND I SAY THAT'S IMPORTANT 'CAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT RESERVE, YOU TALKED ABOUT GUARD, UH, OR VETERANS RATHER. 
          UM, BUT IT'S THE ACTIVE DUTY FOLKS THAT OFTEN WILL ONLY BE HERE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          AND SO WE REALLY WANNA PRIORITIZE SAN ANTONIO KIDS. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          UM, WHAT IS THE, DO WE HAVE A CAP RIGHT NOW ON, ON HOW MUCH WE ALLOW FOR, FOR MILITARY OF, UH, FOR STUDENTS RATHER FROM ACTIVE DUTY FAMILIES? WE TEND TO HAVE ABOUT 15 TO 20% OF OUR FAMILIES ARE SOMEHOW AFFILIATED, BUT THEY'RE NOT MOSTLY ACTIVE DUTY. 
          A LOT OF THEM ARE GRAND RETIRED GRANDPARENTS, VETERANS WHO ARE RAISING THEIR CHILDREN. 
          I'D HAVE TO GET YOU THE NUMBER OF HOW IT BREAKS OUT BETWEEN ACTIVE DUTY AND ALSO RESERVISTS OR OTHERS THAT ARE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE HERE. 
          THEY'RE REGULAR RESIDENTS. 
          BUT ALSO, HAVING SAID THAT, IT'S ALWAYS WITH AN EYE TOWARD ECONOMIC SCALE, RIGHT? SO THE LOWER INCOME VETERANS WOULD HAVE HIGHER PRIORITY THAN, SAY A HIGHER INCOME VETERAN. 
          YEAH, UNDERSTOOD. 
          WHEN YOU BRING BACK THE PLAN. 
          SO I DO WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, HAVE A, A, A THOUGHTFUL UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE'RE PRIORITIZING MILITARY KIDS. 
          AND IF THAT DOES REQUIRE, YOU KNOW, CAPPING IT TO A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE SO THAT WE'RE NOT TURNING AWAY SAN ANTONIO KIDS THAT ARE GONNA BE IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR 10, 15 YEARS, UM, THEN, THEN WE NEED TO KNOW THAT, UH, 'CAUSE AGAIN, ALL ABOUT SUPPORTING THE MILITARY KIDS, BUT IF THEY'RE ONLY HERE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, UH, YOU KNOW, THANKFUL THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM, FROM THIS PROGRAM. 
          BUT, UM, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO PRIORITIZE OUR OWN. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS? OKAY, GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. 
          IT IS MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, PLEASE VOTE AN ENTHUSIASTIC I . 
          GREAT. 
          THE MOTION CARRIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ITEM 
          [16. 
Ordinance extending line-of-duty injury leave for San Antonio Fire Engineer Robert Beyer. [Maria Villagomez, Deputy City Manager; Valerie Frausto, Fire Chief]]
16 PLEASE. 
          ITEM NUMBER 16 IS AN ORDINANCE. 
          IT'S EXTENDING LINE OF DUTY INJURY LEAVE FOR SAN ANTONIO, FIREFIGHTER ROBERT BYER. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, PLEASE CHIEF, THANK YOU. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COUNSEL, THIS ITEM IS A REQUEST FOR A SECOND LINE OF DUTY LEAVE EXTENSION AND RESTORATION OF 416 HOURS OF ACCRUED SICK AND VACATION LEAVE USED BY AN EMPLOYEE WHILE RECEIVING TREATMENT, UH, FOR A LINE OF DUTY ILLNESS. 
          AND I WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME, SOME QUICK BACKGROUND ON THIS. 
          THAT EMPLOYEE, UH, CONTRACTED THE ILLNESS BACK IN AUGUST, UH, 2021 AND REQUIRED INTERMITTENT LEAVE, UH, RELATED TO THE TREATMENT THROUGH DECEMBER OF 2024. 
          COUNSEL PREVIOUSLY APPROVED RESTORATION OF 144 HOURS OF ACCRUED LEAVE USED FROM JANUARY 6TH THROUGH THE 29TH OF JANUARY OF 2023. 
          THE REQUEST HERE TODAY IS SEPARATE FROM THAT PREVIOUS APPROVAL. 
          THIS REQUEST IS RESTORATION OF THE ADDITIONAL 416 HOURS OF ACCRUED SICK AND VACATION LEAVE USED BETWEEN APRIL OF 2023 AND DECEMBER, 2024, WHILE UNDERGOING, UNDERGOING CONTINUED TREATMENT FOR THAT SAME LINE OF DUTY ILLNESS. 
          AND THE 416 HOURS TO CLARIFY, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THE 144 HOURS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED. 
          SINCE THEN, THE EMPLOYEE HAS COMPLETED TREATMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LEAVE PERIOD, AND HE'S RETURNED TO FULL DUTY AS OF MARCH 31ST OF 
          [04:30:01]
THIS YEAR. 
          TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 1 43 PROVIDES THE INITIAL PERIOD OF LINE OF DUTY LEAVE AND AUTHORIZES CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE AN EXTENSION BEYOND THAT PERIOD. 
          BECAUSE THESE 416 HOURS OCCURRED BEYOND THE INITIAL LINE OF DUTY LEAVE, COUNSEL APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO RESTORE THE EMPLOYEE'S ACCRUED LEAVE. 
          SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS, UM, FOR APPROVAL OF THE SECOND LINE OF DUTY LEAVE EXTENSION AND RESTORATION OF THE 416 HOURS. 
          AND THE BASIS FOR THIS RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE LEAVE WAS USED FOR CONTINUED TREATMENT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THAT EMPLOYEE'S LINE OF DUTY ILLNESS. 
          WITHOUT APPROVAL, THE EMPLOYEE WOULD ABSORB THE 416 HOURS OF PERSONAL ACCRUED LEAVE, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF SICK LEAVE AND VACATION LEAVE FOR THE TREATMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ILLNESS CONTRACTED IN THAT LINE OF DUTY ILLNESS. 
          SO I AM AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. 
          THANKS, CHIEF. 
          UM, THIS ONE SEEMED A LITTLE BIT, UM, EXTRAORDINARY. 
          SO I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE I ALSO WANTED TO UNDERSTAND IF THIS IS NORMAL PRACTICE OR IF WE'D BE SETTING A PRETTY, UH, UM, EXTRAORDINARY PRECEDENT BY RESTORING, UM, 560 HOURS OF SOMEBODY'S LEAVE. 
          SO, UM, I GUESS HELP US UNDERSTAND, AND THE REASON THIS ALSO KIND OF CAUGHT MY ATTENTION IS JUST BECAUSE OF THE RECENT AUDIT ON, ON FIRE DEPARTMENTS OVER TIME. 
          AND SO WHEN I SAW THAT THIS ESTIMATE THE FISCAL IMPACT IS ONLY $20,000, UM, WE KNOW THROUGH THAT AUDIT THAT WHEN SOMEBODY IS OUT, THERE'S A KIND OF A WATERFALL EFFECT IN TERMS OF WHO THEN HAS TO COME ON AND BE ON OVERTIME, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. 
          SO, UM, ESPECIALLY IN GENERAL, I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE PRECEDENT THAT WE'RE SETTING. 
          I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE ACTUAL IMPACT OF, OF DOING THIS AND WHAT THIS MAY MEAN FOR FUTURE SIMILAR REQUESTS, UM, PERIOD. 
          UH, SO ANY ANY POINT OF THAT PLEASE? YES, MAYOR, THE, UH, THESE TYPE OF REQUESTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED IN THE PAST, AND BECAUSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE 1 43 ALLOWS FOR US TO PRESENT THIS TO COUNCIL, IT IS THE GOVERNING BODY'S DECISION WHETHER THIS IS APPROVED OR NOT. 
          UM, THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST AND HISTORICALLY APPROVED SO ON THE EMPLOYEE'S BEHALF, HE REQUESTED THE LEAVE BE REINSTATED OR RESTORED TO THE ORIGINAL BALANCES. 
          UM, AND THAT IS WHY I AM HERE TODAY TO PRESENT ON HIS BEHALF THAT REQUEST. 
          IF, IF I COULD ADD, MAYOR, PLEASE. 
          UM, AS THE CHIEF NOTED IT, IT'S THE COUNCIL'S DISCRETION. 
          AND SO EVERY TIME WE HAVE ONE OF THESE, IT, IT, IT, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS PRECEDENT DOESN'T REALLY APPLY HERE IN THAT EACH CASE IS ADDRESSED INDIVIDUALLY AND THE COUNCIL CAN DECIDE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, NOT DRIVEN BY WHAT WAS DONE IN THE PAST. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          BUT I THINK WE MAY BE RAISING EXPECTATIONS, UM, IF WE SEE THIS IN THE, IN THE FUTURE. 
          SO UNDERSTAND IT DOESN'T SET THE PRECEDENT UNTIL YOU ACT, TAKE THE ACTION TO DO IT. 
          HOWEVER, I THINK YOU MAY BE RAISING PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS WHEN YOU HAVE 560 HOURS OF, OF LEAVE THAT WAS APPROVED TO BE TAKEN ALL OF A SUDDEN RESTORED. 
          UM, ERIC, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO ADD? YES, MA'AM. 
          I WAS JUST GONNA ADD THAT, THAT THE PROCESS THAT, THAT BOTH HR, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GO THROUGH TO VALIDATE BEFORE WE PUT 'EM ON THE AGENDA. 
          THERE'S A PROCESS INTERNALLY BECAUSE CERTAINLY THERE ARE PROBABLY INSTANCES WHERE, UH, WE DO NOT BELIEVE A STAFF THAT IS A FIRE CHIEF THAT THE, THE REPLENISHMENT OF THAT LEAVE ONCE UTILIZED FOR AN ON-DUTY INJURY OR AN ON-DUTY ILLNESS, UM, DOESN'T WARRANT IT. 
          SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT YOU DON'T SEE AS A COUNSEL. 
          UM, AND, AND SO THAT INTERNAL PROCESS KIND OF VALIDATES, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CIRCUMSTANCES ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. 
          AND, AND, AND IN THIS CASE, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS, THIS WILL BE THE SECOND ITEM, THE SECOND TIME HE'S COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL OR THE, THIS INDIVIDUAL'S COMING BEFORE THE COUNCIL FOR A RE RESTORATION OF LEAVE. 
          UM, AND, AND WE BELIEVE IN, IN, AND I'M SPEAKING FOR THE CHIEF, BUT ALSO FROM MY STANDPOINT, WE, I THINK THIS IS A, A FAIR THING TO DO IN TERMS OF THE RE THE RESTORING OF THAT LEAVE THAT, THAT INDI THIS INDIVIDUAL, THIS FIREFIGHTER UTILIZED FOR THAT INTERMITTENT TREATMENT, UH, FOR THAT ILLNESS. 
          'CAUSE JUST HELP AGAIN, THAT AUDIT IS LIKE IN MY MIND. 
          RIGHT? UM, SO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS ON THAT TYPE OF LEAVE TO BEGIN WITH THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO USE HIS OWN LEAVE. 
          UH, IN MOST CASES, A AN EMPLOYEE THAT, UM, CONTRACTS AN ILLNESS OR SUSTAINS AN INJURY, 
          [04:35:01]
THEY ARE OFF FOR A PERIOD AND NORMALLY IT'S WITHIN A YEAR THEY'RE BACK AT WORK. 
          IN HIS CASE, HE, UH, ACTUALLY DID RETURN TO WORK IN A LIGHT DUTY CAPACITY, UH, WHICH IS WHY THAT TRIGGERED THE INITIAL REQUEST FOR, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE 4, 4 16 HOURS. 
          UM, THAT WAS THE FIRST LINE OF DUTY EXTENSION. 
          AND, UM, HE DID APPEAL SOME TREATMENT THAT WAS BEING DENIED. 
          AND BECAUSE OF THAT, UM, WE ARE HERE TODAY AFTER THE FACT REQUESTING THE EXTENSION ON THE SECOND SET OF HOURS, WHICH IS THE 466 MAYOR AND COUNCIL. 
          UM, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          WE'RE LIMITED ON WHAT WE CAN SAY ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE'S, UM, MEDICAL SITUATION AND IT'S LESS ABOUT THE MEDICAL AND, AND MORE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL PRECEDENT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE WILL TAKE THIS INTO EXEC THEN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CAN I CALL TO QUESTION WE NEED EIGHT MAYOR, THAT'S A MOTION THAT THAT'LL REQUIRE EIGHT VOTES. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU WANNA DO IT OR NO, THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO DEBATE ON IT. 
          WE CAN ALSO TAKE THIS INTO EXEC SESSION IF YOU WANNA UNDERSTAND IT. 
          DO YOU WANT TO DO, UH, I'LL SECOND IT. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ WILL NEED YOUR VOTE IF YOU WANT TO VOTE ON THIS. 
          COUNCILMAN MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. 
          I THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THE VOTE IS TO CALL QUESTION. 
          THE VOTE IS TO CALL TO QUESTION TO STOP DEBATE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, WHITE, WHITE. 
          COUNCILMAN WHITE SECONDED IT, PLEASE VOTE. 
          AYE THE MOTION CARRIES. 
          SO WE'LL GO TO THE MAIN MOTION, WHICH IS, UM, APPROVING ORDINANCE, THE ORDINANCE. 
          PLEASE READ THE, UH, THE CAPTION, MADAM CLERK. 
          ITEM 16 IS AN OR ORDINANCE EXTENDING LINE OF DUTY INJURY LEAVE FOR SAN ANTONIO. 
          FIREFIGHTER ROBERT BYER. 
          OKAY, APPROVE. 
          ONE SECOND. 
          ONE SECOND. 
          WE ALREADY HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          PLEASE VOTE I THE MOTION CARRIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE WILL GO INTO EXEC SESSION. 
          I'D ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO REMAIN SEATED WHILE I TAKE US INTO THAT. 
          THE TIME IS 
          [Executive Session
At any time during the meeting, the City Council may recess into executive session in the C Room to consult with the City Attorney's Office (Texas Government Code Section 551.071) and deliberate or discuss any of the following:
 ]
NOW 1:46 PM ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH, 2026. 
          THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL NOW MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5, 1 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE AND TO DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 51 0 8 7, THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 2 AND LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO LITIGATION INVOLVING THE CITY, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, ALL PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 1. 
          THE TIME IS NOW 2:56 PM ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH, 2026, AND THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL WILL RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION. 
          NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          THE TIME IS NOW 2 57 AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.