[00:00:11] >> >> THE MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE COMMITTEE IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. ALLOWING THE MEMBER SPEAKERS TWO COMMENTS PER ITEM, WITH FIVE MINUTES THE FIRST ROUND, AND [Approval of Minutes  ] THREE MINUTES THE SECOND ROUND. FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES? CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND? THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED, SAY NO. MOTION CARRIES. MADAM CLERK, ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? >> CHAIR, WE HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMENT. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: ALL RIGHT. [Briefing and Possible Action on the following items  ] WITH THAT, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION FOR ITEM 2. >> LAUNCH SA PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND CONTRACT RENEWAL RECOMMENDATION. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: CAN WE GET A STAFF PRESENTATION? >> GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M THE CEO, AN AIR FORCE VETERAN, BEEN IN SAN ANTONIO FOR 15 YEARS. I HAVE THE ABSOLUTE PLEASURE, JUST WANT TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT. WANT TO REWIND THE CLOCK FOR YOU BACK TO 2023, WHEN WE SAW THE RFP OPEN UP FOR LAUNCH SA, AND THE WORK WE HAVE BEEN DOING, SEEING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THE ECOSYSTEM FOR THE BETTER. SO WE APPLIED FOR THE RFP. AND WE HAD REALLY THREE FOCUSES IN MIND WHEN WE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THIS WORK COULD LOOK LIKE. AND THOSE THREE PIECES WERE NUMBER ONE, ACCESSIBILITY. MAKING SURE THAT AS A RESOURCE CENTER, LAUNCH SA SERVED AS AN ACCESSIBLE PLACE N FOR ANY ENTREPRENEUR, ASPIRING OR ALREADY IN THE MIX, HAS THE ABILITY TO GET SERVICE RIGHT AWAY. SECOND, BRINGING VALID RESOURCES AND VALUABLE RESOURCES TO THOSE FOUNDERS AND OWNERS. AND THIRD, ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTING AND ADVISING, WHICH HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE SEEN GREAT PROGRESS WITH OVER THESE PAST THREE YEARS. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT WITH DO WITH YOU ALL, AND I'M EXCITED TO BRING UP MATT TO GIVE THE PRESENTATION FOR YOU ALL. SO, DIRECTOR OF LAUNCH SA, MATT ESPINOSA. >> THANK YOU FOR G GIVING THIS PLATFORM TO TALK ABOUT OUR WORK, THIS PRESENTATION WILL SERVE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE LAST THREE YEARS OF THIS CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND GITAM. A LITTLE BIT OF HI HISTORY OF LAUNCH SA. IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2014. IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING IMPACT THAT CAN ONLY BE EXPLAINED BY CALLING IT A RESOURCE CENTER. I'LL TALK ABOUT OUR SERVICES, THE IMPACT WE'VE SEEN, AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR US WITH LAUNCH SA. STARTING WITH THE LAST THREE YEARS, IN 2023, GITAM BEGAN A RELATIONSHIP, UNDERSTANDING WHAT A POST-COVID LOOKS LIKE FOR RESOURCES SUPPORT IN SAN ANTONIO. SO THE FIRST YEAR WAS REBUILDING THE TEAM, UNDERSTANDING WHAT NEEDS BUSINESS OWNERS HAVE IN A POST-COVID WORLD. FROM THERE IN THE SECOND YEAR, WE RELAUNCHED THE LAUNCH SA SPACE THAT INCLUDED AN UPGRADE IN OUR PHYSICAL SPACE, ALONGSIDE A REBRAND AND RELAUNCH, AND ULTIMATELY OPENING THE DOORS BACK OPEN TO OUR COMMUNITY WITH EVENTS, PROGRAM, AND ASSISTANCE. THIS LAST YEAR HAS CONSISTED OF SCALING INITIATIVES. AFTER TWO YEARS OF RESEARCH, DATA, AND UNDERSTAND THE BEST WAY WE CAN BE A MODEL OF A MISSION STATEMENT OF BEING THE RESOURCE CENTER, WE'VE DONE IT A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS. THE PRIORITY IS ALWAYS THAT ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE, AS ACCESSIBLE AS WE CAN, A PARTNER NETWORK OF GROUPS THAT WE WORK WITH IN SAN ANTONIO, AROUND THE AREA, AND HOSTING EVENTS AND PROGRAMS THAT BRING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TOGETHER. LET'S START WITH BUSINESS ADVISING. THIS HAS BEEN A MAIN PILLAR. THE PICTURE IS CARLOS, OUR FULL-TIME BUSINESS ADVISER, WHO [00:05:01] HAS A VAST BACKGROUND OF WORKING WITH ENTREPRENEURS AND IS ACTIVELY WORKING ON A VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM THAT I'LL GET TO. WHEN IT COMES TO THESE SESSIONS, WE WORK WITH EVERYTHING FROM A BUSINESS JUST GETTING STARTED TO GROWING, TO NAVIGATING TOUGH CHALLENGES. ALONGSIDE CARLOS, WE HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL BUSINESS ADVISERS THAT HAVE OVER 30 PLUS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. IN THAT ONE-ON-ONE TIME, IT'S A SAFE, PRIVATE SPACE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS TO WORK WITH US AS LONG AS THEY NEED. IF WE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER, POINTING THEM TO A RESOURCE OR PARTNER THAT CAN PUSH FORWARD WHATEVER BUSINESS CHALLENGE OR ISSUE THEY MIGHT BE HAVING, OR SOMETHING THEY'RE TRYING TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS. OVER THE COURSE OF THE THREE YEARS, WE'VE SEEN OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE THROUGH OUR SESSIONS, NORMALLY 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR OF VIRTUAL OFFERINGS AND IN PERSON. WE HAVE SEEN OVER 2500 PEOPLE THROUGH OUR ASSISTANCE REQUEST FORM. WE TRY TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR A BUSINESS OWNER TO FILL OUT A FORM THAT GATHERS SOME INFORMATION TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. OFTENTIMES, THEY PREFER TO MEET WITH SOMEONE ONE-ON-ONE. IF WE'RE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM QUICKER, WE SHARE SOME RESOURCES THAT MIGHT PUSH FORWARD WHAT THEY'RE REACHING OUT TO US FOR. WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED LAUNCH SA LINK, THAT IS A PARTNER NETWORK WE'VE DEVELOPED. WE HAVE 68 PARTNERS. THESE PARTNERS REPRESENT THE INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE BRING THEM TOGETHER ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO WORK BETTER TOGETHER. WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERSES, BUT EACH OF US PROVIDE A UNECK PERSPECTIVE ON -- UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE. WE'VE BROUGHT SOME AMAZING EVENTS AND PROGRAMS TO THE TABLE, ULTIMATELY PROVIDING AS MANY RESOURCES AS POSSIBLE. LAUNCH SA LINK IS A TOOL PROVIDED BY THE CITY ON OUR WEBSITE THAT LISTS THESE PARTNERS. WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PROGRAMS THEY HAVE AVAILABLE, WHAT RESOURCES THEY CAN PROVIDE TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. AND MORE THAN THE PLATFORM AND PARTNER NETWORK, WE TRY TO GET THEM ENGAGED WITH OUR EVENTS AND PROGRAMS. WE'VE SEEN OVER 700 PLUS HOURS OF PARTNERS WORKING AND COLLABORATING, PLUS ANOTHER LIST OF COLLABORATORS AND VOLUNTEERS, AND BUSINESS OWNERS THAT HAVE GIVEN BACK THEIR TIME THROUGH THAT PARTNER NETWORK. NEXT UP IS EVENTS. WE'VE HOSTED OVER 500 EVENTS IN THE THREE YEARS OF BEING IN EXISTENCE AT LAUNCH SA -- THE LAST THREE YEARS OF THIS CONTRACT. WE'VE SEEN OVER 10,000 PEOPLE ATTEND THOSE EVENTS. THE APPROACH IS SIMPLE. IT ALLOWS US TO CONNECT IN PERSON WITH BUSINESS OWNERS. WE'LL TAKE TOPICS FROM OUR ASSISTANCE REQUEST FORM AND CREATE PROGRAMMING THAT'S TAILORED TO TRENDS OR ISSUES WE'RE SEEING. OF COURSE THE ONE-ON-ONE TIME IS GREAT FOR A LOT OF BUSINESS OWNERS, BUT IF WE'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT MORE THAN ONE OWNER AT A TIME, THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF OUR EVENTS ARE DEVELOPED. WE'VE WORKED ON A LIBRARY ROADSHOW EVENT. WHILE WE WERE CLOSED AND RELAUNCHING LAUNCH SA A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE PARTNERED WITH THE PUBLIC LIBRARY TO HOST A SERIES OF EVENTS ON THE ROAD. MORE THAN JUST ACTIVATING OUR SPACE, WE'VE HOSTED ROADSHOW EVENTS ACROSS TEN DIFFERENT BRANCHES HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. WE ACTIVELY BRING OUR PARTNERS TO THE TABLE FOR THOSE EVENTS. WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING FROM PANELS, TO RESOURCE FAIRS, TO INFO SESSIONS. IT'S BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH EACH OF THE DISTRICT OFFICES AND MEET BUSINESS OWNERS WHERE THEY'RE AT AND PROVIDE MORE MARKETING AND ACCESSIBILITY TO OUR PROGRAMMING. GOING INTO THIS RENEWAL, IT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO MORE OF. WE SAW A LOT OF GREAT FEEDBACK. AND ALREADY ASKS AND CONTINUES ON WHAT MORE PROGRAMMING THAT WE COULD DO ACROSS THE CITY. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES, I'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING. WE'RE ESTABLISHING OURSELVES AS A RESOURCE CENTER FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES. WE TRY TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE AND ON-DEMAND SERVICES, BUT WE'VE CREATED SOME PROGRAMMING THAT ALLOWS US TO GO DEEPER, STARTING WITH WAYPOINT. THIS TEACHES BUSINESS OWNERS THROUGH EIGHT WEEKS THE FUNDAMENTALS, THE FOUNDATION THEY NEED TO LAUNCH THEIR BUSINESS AND TURN THEIR IDEA INTO REALITY. WE'VE DONE THIS THE LAST TWO SUMMERS AND HAVE SEEN 30 BUSINESS OWNERS GO THROUGH THIS PROGRAM WITH A TON OF SUCCESS AND FEEDBACK FOR THEM TO PROPERLY LAUNCH. FROM THE ROAD SHOW EVENTS, WE LAUNCHED THE SMALL BUSINESS PEER GROUP, WHICH WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BRING BUSINESS OWNERS TOGETHER THROUGH AN ACCOUNTABILITY-LIKE EXPERIENCE. AND THESE GROUPS ARE 6-10 BUSINESS OWNERS. THEY COME TOGETHER, TACKLE CHALLENGES, TALK ABOUT WHAT RESOURCES MIGHT NEED, AND WE HAVE A FEW OF THOSE GOING ON ACROSS THE CITY, LOOKING TO CONTINUE TO HOST MORE OF THOSE. A COUPLE OF THE SCREENSHOTS ARE COFFEE SHOPS. WE'VE BEEN HOSTING OUR FIRST ONE THERE. AND WE TRY TO HOST A WIDE VARIETY OF THOSE ACROSS THE CITY [00:10:01] OF SAN ANTONIO. SO, WHAT'S NEXT FOR US AS WE GO INTO THIS RENEWAL. WE'LL HAD TWO CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY OF WAYS WE WANT TO CONTINUE SCALING OUR RESOURCES. COMMUNITY-BASED OUTREACH IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE'RE ACTIVATING OUR MAIN SPACE AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY. WE WANT TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, NOT ONLY PHYSICALLY BUT ALSO WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS TO SHARE RESOURCES AND PROVIDE THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE TO THESE BUSINESS OWNERS. AND THERE'S TWO PROGRAMS THAT HAVE EVOLVED THAT WE'RE PREPARED TO IMPLEMENT, STARTING WITH OUR VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT, WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE A VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP COHORT WE'RE READY TO LAUNCH, ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR VETERANS AS WE SEE AN UPTICK AND INTEREST IN THAT COMMUNITY. AND ALSO DIGITAL PRESENCE HAS BEEN A BIG FOCUS. WE'VE HOSTED A.I. EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS, BEING A BUSINESS OWNER IN 2026, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE ONLINE, BUT NOT JUST IN ONE PLACE, IN A THOUSAND DIFFERENT PLACES. WE WANT TO WORK ON SUPPORTING THEM THROUGH A COHORTED PROGRAM, BUT ALSO WORKSHOPS GEARED TOWARDS DIGITAL PRESENCE AND SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS GETTING ONLINE. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND I'LL PASS IT OVER TO ALFRED. >> ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. QUICKLY, STAFF RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO EXERCISE THE EXTENSION OF THIS THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT FOR ONE YEAR, WITH THREE ADDITIONAL ONE-YEAR RENEWAL OPTIONS. AND THEN FUND GEEKDOM LAUNCH WITH $602,000 THAT WE DETAILED DURING THIS YEAR'S BUDGET PROCESS. I WILL NOTE THAT THAT $602,000 IS MATCHED THROUGH VARIOUS SOURCES, FROM GEEKDOM AT 100%, AND RECOMMEND MOVING THIS TO CITY COUNCIL A SESSION FOR CONSIDERATION. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND TO MOVE THE LAUNCH SA AGREEMENT FORWARD TO FULL CITY COUNCIL SO WE MAY BEGIN DISCUSSION? WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM, AS PEOPLE ARE LOSING GRANT FUNDINGS. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF GATHER A PULSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. AND I THINK THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE WITH THIS. I THINK WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE IS MORE CHALLENGES, AS INFLATION RISES, AND WITH THE ADDITION OF TARIFFS, AND HOW IT'S IMPACTING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. THE OTHER IS WE ARE GOING TO SEE AN INFLUX OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING REPLACED BY A.I., OR OTHER, YOU KNOW, MANUFACTURING KIND OF AUTOMATION. SO HOW DO WE GET THEM INTO OTHER FIELDS, AND HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER. SO I'M VERY GLAD TO HEAR THIS PRESENTATION. I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS. I KNOW AFTER THE PANDEMIC, IT WAS VERY HARD. SO, I THINK WE'RE MAKING SOME PROGRESS. BUT I'D REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM MY COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SO, WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO FIRST? COUNCILWOMAN SPEARS. >> SPEARS: I JUST HAD A FEW QUESTIONS. ON SLIDE 4, CAN YOU TELL ME HOW MANY ACTUALLY ENDED UP STARTING BUSINESSES, OR EXPANDED THEIR OPERATIONS? >> SPECIFICALLY ON THE -- JUST BOTH NUMBERS PROVIDED THERE? >> SPEARS: YEAH. JUST IN GENERAL. >> YEAH, SO HAPPY TO SHARE MORE DETAIL OF THOSE ASSISTANCE REQUEST FORMS THAT COME IN. IT'S A WIDE VARIETY OF BOTH BUSINESSES REACHING OUT TO US PRE-STARTING AND ALSO NAVIGATING ALREADY BEING A BUSINESS OWNER. THE LAST TIME WE PULLED THE DATA IT WAS ABOUT A 50% SPLIT ON THE STARTUP, EARLY STAGE PROCESS, TO ALREADY NAVIGATING A BUSINESS. BUT WE HAVE MORE DETAILS AND DATA THAT WE CAN SHARE BOTH FOR THE THREE YEARS, OR IN THE MOST RECENT YEAR. >> SPEARS: YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW. AND THEN ON SLIDE 6 I THINK, CAN YOU DO A BREAKDOWN BY COUNCIL DISTRICT ON THE EVENTS THAT YOU HELD? >> WE DID AN EVENT IN -- TO CLARIFY, FOR THE ROAD SHOW, TEN EVENTS, ONE IN EACH DISTRICT. THE MAJORITY OF THE 574 NUMBER HAPPENED AT OUR MAIN SPACE. ON OCCASION WE WILL DO SOME PARTNER-RELATED EVENTS, BUT THE LIBRARY SHARE ROAD SHOW WAS ACROSS EACH DISTRICT. >> SPEARS: HOW ARE YOU GAUGING ? DO YOU FEEL -- DO YOU WANT TO EXPAND THAT? >> WE WOULD ACTIVELY LOVE TO CONTINUE THAT. IT'S THE SECOND YEAR THAT WE'VE DONE THIS. [00:15:01] FOR US, WE WERE FOCUSED ON GETTING MORE ATTENDEES AND STRONGER PROGRAMMING. THIS IS ORIGINALLY STARTED AS A WAY FOR US TO MARKET LAUNCH SA AND WHAT OUR SERVICES PROVIDE, BUT WE BROUGHT MORE PARTNERS TO THE TABLE. WE SAW A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THE RESOURCE FAIR. THERE WAS TEN ORGANIZATIONS YOU COULD CONNECT WITH. WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE THIS AND HAVE PLANS TO CONTINUE DOING MORE OF IT. WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH THE DISTRICT OFFICES WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE SPECIFIC -- AND BRANCH OUT A BIT MORE THAN JUST THE LIBRARY LOCATIONS. THAT WAS A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WE WANT TO CONTINUE, BUT ALSO THERE'S OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. >> SPEARS: YEAH. OKAY. AND THEN ON THE WAYPOINT PROGRAM, HOW MANY -- DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY YOU HAD THAT PARTICIPATED, OR HOW MANY ENTREPRENEURS COMPLETED IT? AND THEN ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESS PEER GROUP, HOW MANY WERE PARTICIPATING, OR JUST THE METRICS THERE? >> YEAH, WE CAN SHARE THAT. WE RAN TWO COHORTS OF THE APPOINT PROGRAM AND WE -- WAYPT PROGRAM. HAPPY TO SHARE INFORMATION AFTER THIS. >> SPEARS: SLIDE 11, MAYBE ONCE YOU SHARE A LOT OF THAT DATA, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN CONSIDERING THE RENEWAL, AND WHAT METRICS WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT THERE WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW. JUST TO SEE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN A MORE DETAILED MANNER. >> WITH CAN SHARE -- WE CAN SHARE THAT. IT IS A BALANCE. AS THE FRONT DOOR SO THAT, IT'S TO SMALLBUSINESSES, GETTING IN H BUSINESSES AND HAVING THAT CONSISTENT TRACTION AND TRACKING THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. SO WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH SOME OF THOSE. I THINK IT WAS 16 PARTICIPANTS HAVE GONE THROUGH THE TWO WAYPOINTS RIGHT NOW. SO, LOOK TO CONTINUE THAT AND EXPAND WITH AN ADDITIONAL VETERANS PROGRAM THAT WE DISCUSSED RECENTLY. >> SPEARS: YEAH. NO, IT'S DEFINITELY IMPORTANT WORK, PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO IS WORK ON OUR SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. SO I'M DEFINITELY SUPPORTIVE OF ANY PROGRAM THAT CAN REALLY ACCOMPLISH THAT WELL. SO I LIKE A LOT OF THE IDEAS AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. JUST LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING A LITTLE MORE DATA. THANKS. >> APPRECIATE IT. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: COUNCILWOMAN MEZA GONZALEZ. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING AT THE CITY, OR THROUGHOUT THE CITY. I HAD A QUESTION. JUST AS YOU GUYS ARE COMING FOR RENEWAL, IS THERE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS OWNERS AFTER THAT ONE YEAR? >> YEAH, SO THE SMALL BUSINESS PEER GROUP WAS OPEN TO BASICALLY ANY BUSINESS OWNERS THAT HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS PAST ONE YEAR. THAT WAS A WAY FOR US TO FOCUS MORE ON THOSE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED. WHEN YOU'RE STARTING A NEW BUSINESS, YOU HAVE MORE YOU WANO UNDERSTAND THESE RESOURCES, SO WE SEE MORE OF THE EARLY STAGE BUSINESSES. ALONGSIDE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE NEW PROGRAMS, WE'RE FOCUSING ON MORE THAN JUST STARTUPS, THE GROWTH PHASE OF BUSINESSES. IT TENDS TO GET MORE ONE ONE ONE STAY TAILORED ASSISTANCE. I ALSO FEEL THAT'S WHERE THE OUTREACH -- ANYTIME WE WORK WITH DISTDISTRICT OFFICES, CORRIDORS, WORKING WITH SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PART OF THE REVITALIZE SA PROGRAM, IT HAS ALLOWED US TO MEET BUSINESS OWNERS. AT THE GROWTH PHASE, YOU DON'T HAVE A CHANCE TO STOP BY. WE'RE HAPPY TO EXPLORE NOR OPPOMOREOPPORTUNITIES TO DO THAT OUTREACH. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: I THINK THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THEIR DATA SHOWS 64% OF THE NEW BUSINESSES LAUNCHED IN 2020 WERE STILL OPEN IN 2024. AND THAT'S -- I THINK THAT WE'RE ON THE HIGH END OF THAT AS A CITY, CORRECT? AND IF SO, I GUESS HOW HAVE WE PROMOTED THAT, OR SHARED THAT WITH FOLKS? I THINK THAT'S A BIG DEAL THAT WE SHOULD SHARE WITH FOLKS. NOBODY'S AT THE MIC. OKAY. YOU'RE COMING. >> YES. WITH OUR DASHBOARD, WE DO NEED TO PROMOTE THAT. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. THAT'S A BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING WHEN THOSE BUSINESSES PROBABLY STARTED DURING COVID. AND SO HOW WE CAN HIGHLIGHT THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. AND LET US KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO ON OUR END, IF THERE'S SPECIFIC TO DISTRICT 8, WE CAN PROMOTE IN THE NEWSLETTERS OR SOCIAL MEDIA. AS BASIC AS THAT IS ALL REALLY HELPFUL. AND ON -- WHAT IS IT, THE [00:20:03] PROGRAM THAT'S GOT THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR A YEAR OR MORE, THE SMALL BUSINESS PEER GROUP. DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR IN THAT SMALL BUSINESS PEER GROUP THAT'S BEEN THROUGH THE PROGRAM, IS STILL IN BUSINESS, AND CAN COME BACK TO THAT PEER GROUP TO SHARE CHALLENGES? >> YEAH, WE HAVE A TEAM MEMBER THAT IS LEADING THOSE FACILITATED CONVERSATIONS. THE IDEA IS FOR US TO SUPPORT LAUNCHING THESE ACCOUNTABILITY GROUPS. SO FOR THE FIRST 3-6 MONTHS WE'RE HELPING THEM LAUNCH THIS FOUNDATION FOR THEM TO MEET WITH ONE ANOTHER. WE'RE ACTIVELY EXPLORING WITH VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS TO LEAD THOSE GROUPS SO WE CAN DO MORE. BUT IT'S TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT WAY SO WE CAN SUPPORT THOSE, BUT LET THEM CONTINUE ON THEIR OWN, SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MORE BUSINESS OWNERS. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: IF YOU CAN PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN OF THE LAUNCH SA PARTICIPANTS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT, AND ALSO JUST A BREAKDOWN OF PARTICIPANTS BY INDUSTRY OR BUSINESS TYPE. I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN -- I'M SURE SO MANY SMALL BUSINESSES START FROM HOME. AND PROBABLY EVEN STAY AT HOME. A LOT OF TIMES, WITH THE WAY THE WORLD IS CONNECTED NOW. IF THERE ARE SMALL BUSINESSES LOOKING FOR PHYSICAL SPACE, WE HAVE EMPTY BUILDINGS ALL OVER THE CITY. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY COLLABORATION THERE. IS THAT TOO EARLY ON IN THE BUSINESS STAGE FOR THEM TO EVEN BE THINKING OF SPACE? >> YEAH, SO, OFTENTIMES WE'LL GET THOSE REACH-OUTS SPECIFICALLY. AND IT'S ALL ABOUT TIMING. SOMETIMES THEY'LL REACH OUT TOO EARLY, BUT A RELATIONSHIP IS BUILT THROUGH US OR ANOTHER ORGANIZATION TO WHERE THEY FIND AND CAN MOVE INTO THESE SPACES. THE MORE PARTNERS AND RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO SHARE SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT GROUP, I'D BE HAPPY TO EXPLORE WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. HAPPY TO SHARE THAT DATA. SOME HIGH-LEVEL COMMON INDUSTRIES THAT WE SEE IS FOOD AND BEV, RETAIL. A LOT OF PEOPLE ASPIRING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO HAVE A PHYSICAL LOCATION IF THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF THEIR HOUSE OR MAYBE THEY'RE DOING MARKETS, BUSINESS SERVICES IS ANOTHER ONE AS WELL. BUT WE HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN THAT I COULD SHARE MORE DETAILS. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: SUPPLY SA, DO YOU GUYS COLLABORATE WITH THEM, OR HOW ARE WE MAXIMIZING THOSE EFFORTS? >> THEY'RE ONE OF THE LAUNCH SA PARTNERS. THEY COME INTO OUR SPACE. WE'VE GONE TO THEIR SPACE AS WELL, MEETING WITH THEIR TEAM ONE-ON-ONE. WE FOUND A SWEET SPOT WITH PARTNERING AS WE GET SO MUCH OUTREACH AND INTEREST FOR PEOPLE LEARNING ABOUT THE RESOURCES TO PROVIDE SOME ONGOING PARTNERSHIP EVENTS WITH THEM. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: THANK YOU. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CITYWIDE OUTREACH AND THE INTENTIONALITY OF GOING OUT INTO THE FIELD TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE, AND THAT PRIORITY WITH Y'ALL'S WORK. I KNOW FOLKS REALLY VALUE THE EVENT THAT YOU ALL HAD. AND I HAVE A SIMILAR QUESTION. SO I'D LIKE TO ALSO SEE THE DISTRICT-SPECIFIC DATA AND WHAT THE TREND IS WITH D5 ENTREPRENEURS, AND WHAT THEY'RE EXPLORING, WHAT THEIR REQUESTS AND/OR NEEDS MAY BE. I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN TERMS OF THE PEER GROUPS AND THE COHORTS THAT YOU ALL HAVE, IS THERE A TREND WITH THE INDUSTRIES THERE AS WELL, OR ARE THEY INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC COHORTS THAT YOU ARE FACILITATING? >> ORIGINALLY, THE PROGRAM STEMMED FROM SOME COFFEE SHOP OWNERS COMING TOGETHER, BECAUSE THERE WAS THAT SHARED SAME COMMON ISSUES OF RUNNING A PHYSICAL SPACE, HOW YOU GET FOOT TRAFFIC, THINGS LIKE THAT. ORGANICALLY THAT FIRST GROUP WE LAUNCHED HAD FOOD AND BEVERAGE OWNERS. BUT WE HAVE NOTICED SOME TRENDS ACROSS DIFFERENT PARTS, BUT ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT A RIGHT COLLECTIVE OF GROUPS. SO IF THIS FIRST PROGRAM THAT WE'VE LAUNCHED HAS BEEN UNDERSTANDING THE RIGHT ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP OF TEN BUSINESS OWNERS, AND WHAT THEMES DO WE FOCUS ON, A LOT OF THE WORK HAS BEEN INDUSTRY AGNOSTIC TO WHERE WE'LL PRIORITIZE ONE OR TWO OF THE BUSINESS OWNERS BECAUSE YOU CAN LEARN A LOT WHEN SOMEONE IS TALKING ABOUT HIRING OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. BUT ALONGSIDE THE DATA WE SHARE, WE HAVE REPORTS ON WHAT THAT FIRST YEAR LOOKED LIKE. >> CASTILLO: I UNDERSTAND GEEKDOM WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TRACKING METRICS, BUT I THINK ABOUT TO THE POINT THAT WAS RAISED, QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY. AND OFTENTIMES, IF THERE'S A HANDFUL OF FOLKS, THAT'S MORE VALUABLE CONVERSATIONS YOU CAN HAVE VERSUS A LARGE COHORT OF PARTICIPANTS AND HAVING TO MANAGE TIME TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT INDIVIDUAL. SO I'M CURIOUS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO TRACK THE ATTENDANCE. I'M INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. HOW DO WE QUANTIFY THE IMPACT? I SEE THE METRICS THAT YOU HAVE. WHAT WILL THAT LOOK LIKE IN [00:25:02] TERMS OF THE METRIC TRACKING? IS IT SMALL BUSINESS HAD THIS ISSUE, WE CONNECTED THEM TO X ORGANIZATION OR DEPARTMENT, HOW IS THAT TRACKED? >> AT THE MOMENT, BECAUSE THERE SO MANY VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES, WE HAVE A COLLECTION OF DATA THAT STARTS BASED ON WHAT WE REPORT IN THE CONTRACT WHEN IT COMES TO EVENT ATTENDANCE, THE PROGRAMS WE'RE DOING, THE INFORMATION THAT BUSINESS OWNERS ARE REACHING OUT TO US TO SEEK FOR. NOW THAT THAT FOUNDATION IS BUILT, SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS, LIKE THE VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, THE DIGITAL PRESENCE, THERE'S WAYS TO GO DEEPER. IT'S A BALANCE OF TRYING TO PROVIDE A BROAD ENOUGH SERVICE TO ANY TYPE OF BUSINESS, BECAUSE WE FEEL WE'RE THE FIRST STOP, OR ONE OF THE FIRST STOPS VERSUS GOING DEEP ON ANY INDUSTRY. HISTORICALLY WE'VE DONE A LOT WITH FOOD AND BEVERAGE, BUT FOR US TO STAY BROAD HAS BEEN A PRIORITY. BUT WE ARE ACTIVELY ABLE TO START TRACKING MORE DATA. AND IT STARTS WITH ARE THE BUSINESSES SEEING AN IMPACT, WHAT ARE THEY SEEKING FOR, MORE DATA WE CAN COLLECT FROM THEM. >> CASTILLO: I APPRECIATE THAT. WITH THE WAYPOINT FOR THE EIGHT-WEEK STARTUP, IS THAT A ONE-TIME PURCHASE OF CURRICULUM, OR WHAT'S THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAYPOINT STARTUP TRAINING? >> THAT WAS DEVELOPED INTERNALLY THROUGH LAUNCH SA. AND IT'S AN EIGHT-WEEK TWICE A WEEK PROGRAM THAT WE RAN THE LAST TWO SUMMERS. BUT A LOT OF OUR CURRICULUM OR EVENTS STEMS FROM THE DATA FROM OUR TEAM. CARLOS, OUR BUSINESS ADVISER, WAS THE ONE THAT DEVELOPED THAT PROGRAM. >> CASTILLO: WONDERFUL. THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. LASTLY, MAYBE A QUESTION FOR ALFRED. WITH THE REIMAGINING AND THE RELAUNCH OF THIS INITIATIVE THAT WE'VE SEEN, HOW DOES IT ALIGN WITH THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK THAT COUNCIL IS GOING TO BE TAKING ACTION ON? I KNOW THERE'S A BROAD BASE OF GOALS, BUT WITH THE REIMAGINING, IS IT EMPHASIZING A PIECE WITHIN THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK THAT WE SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT? >> YEAH, I THINK IT'S A CONTINUATION AND IT EXPANDS ON THAT ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM. THEY ARE THAT BUILDER. THEY ARE THAT INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO THEY ARE A SIGNIFICANT INPUT ON THE FRONT END TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ALONG THROUGH THOSE PROGRAMS AND OTHER INITIATIVES TO GET THOSE IMPACTS IN THE FUTURE. AND SO, IT PLAYS A KEY ROLE AND WE'LL WORK WITH OTHER SMALL BUSINESS PARTNERS BECAUSE THERE IS THAT EXTREME AMOUNT OF NETWORK THAT NEEDS TO BE MANAGED. AND THEY HAVE DONE THAT. SO I WOULD SAY IT IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THAT FRAMEWORK IMPLEMENTATION. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: THANK YOU. SO, BEFORE WE MOVE ON -- THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION REGARDING THE POLICY FRAMEWORK. WHAT WE NEED TO SEE IS GROWTH. WE UNDERSTAND THAT, BECAUSE WE WERE NEGATIVE -- WHAT WAS IT, 2.7 IN OUR BUDGET? SO WE NEED -- WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO GROW. SO I AM GOING TO PUT SOME NUMBERS OUT THERE FOR YOU GUYS ALL TO CONSIDER. AND THEN WHEN YOU BRING THE PRESENTATION TO FULL CITY COUNCIL HAVE THIS YEAR AND WHAT YOUR GOAL IS TO REACH NEXT YEAR. SO, I REALLY DO -- I THINK THE NUMBERS FOR BUSINESS ADVISING, ESPECIALLY THOSE ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS -- TAKE A LOOK AT THAT IN TERMS OF WHAT DO WE HAVE, WHERE CAN WE GROW THAT. BY 2%, BY 3%. AND THEN THE TOTAL RESPONSES. IN TERMS OF THE PARTNERS, AND THE MENTORSHIP HOURS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THOSE INCREASE, ALSO. AND AGAIN, LOOK BACK. IF WE HAD 747 THESE PAST TWO YEARS, CAN WE GET TO 800. HOW CAN WE INCLUDE THAT. DOES THAT MEAN GETTING MORE PARTNERS. IN TERMS OF EVENTS, I LOVE THAT YOU GO INTO EVERY DISTRICT. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, HOWEVER, SO WE COULD MEASURE IT, IS IF YOU GO REGIONALLY AND MAYBE GO NORTH, GO SOUTH. SO DO AT LEAST FOUR OTHERS IN THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST, AND THEN DO ONE DOWNTOWN. I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. AND THEN WE COULD SEE WHAT IS OUR BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT. IS IT TO DO JUST THE REGIONALS WHERE WE BRING IT TOGETHER, OR IS IT TO GO INTO EVERY DISTRICT IN TERMS OF THOSE EVENTS. AND ALSO IN THE RESOURCE PARTNERS ENGAGED, IF YOU COULD SEND THAT LIST OUT OR HAVE THAT LIST PRESENT, BECAUSE FOR HOSPITALITY WORKERS AND THEY CAME FROM HOUSTON TO GIVE THEM ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO FOR THOSE BUSINESSES. AND I WOULD LOVE FOR THEM TO PARTNER WITH YOU ALL. WAYPOINT, VERY IMPRESSED THAT THAT IS SOMETHING YOU GUYS HAVE CREATED. I THINK WE NEED TO MARKET THAT BETTER IN TERMS OF THIS IS WHAT YOU GET AND NORMALLY YOU WOULD [00:30:01] HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS, OR GO ONLINE AND DO THIS. AND WE HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WORK THROUGH. THIS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. SIP AND SIT SITS IN MY DISTRICT. AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE THERE -- HOW I WAS ABLE TO HELP WITH THE STATE IS WE MADE SURE THEY HAD SOMEWHERE WE HAD AN EVENT THERE LAST WEEK. THE OWNER OF THE BUILDING IS DOING WINDOW REPLACEMENTS THERE. THIS DOES WORK. AND I AM GLAD THAT WE'VE SEEN THIS WITHIN THE COFFEE INDUSTRY. I THINK WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THE VETERANS AS THEY COME IN IS GOING TO BE KEY. BUT WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP IN TERMS OF THE POLICY FRAMEWORK IS AS WE LOSE HEADQUARTERS, AS WE DID ARMY NORTH AND SOUTH, WHAT SMALL BUSINESSES WERE IMPACTED. I'M THINKING SHOE SHINE, DRY CLEANERS, TAILORS, THINGS THAT RESTED ON THE MILITARY COMING IN AND BRINGING SERVICES. HOW DO WE GET THEM PLUGGED IN IN OTHER PLACES. HOW DO WE GET THEM TO CONTINUE TO FUNCTION. THE OTHER THING THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE Y'ALL WORK IS IF WE HAVEN'T REVITALIZED THAT, IS THAT LEGACY BUSINESS. THESE FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS AND MAYBE TARGETING THEM TO COME AND HELP GET THE MENTORSHIP AND THE RESOURCES. AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS IF THEY'RE PIVOTING FROM WHAT WAS A FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS, AND MAYBE THEY ONLY DID TAMALES, WHERE THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT NOW, IS COMING INTO LAUNCH SA AND SEEING WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE FOR ME NOW THAT PEOPLE ARE ALL ABOUT THE PROTEIN. BECAUSE GET ME A PROTEIN-FILLED TAMALE, THAT WORKS. SO, THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO MOVING THIS TO COUNCIL. MORE DETAILS WITH NUMBERS AND THE DISTRICTS, I THINK WE COULD HAVE THAT. DO ANY OF MY OTHER COUNCILMEMBERS WANT TO RESPOND? THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION HERE. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND TO MOVE THE LAUNCH SA AGREEMENT TO FULL CITY COUNCIL. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED SAY NO. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION FOR ITEM 3. >> ITEM 3 -- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RETURN ON INVESTMENT STUDY. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: IS THERE A STAFF PRESENTATION? >> GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, I'M WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HERE TO INTRODUCE. WE HAD THE RIVER PRIVILEGE OF WG WITH DR. STEVE. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME WE'VE PARTNERED WITH DR. NIVEN. AND HE'S GOING TO PRESENT HIS FINDINGS TO THE COMMITTEE. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE STUDY THAT WE'VE DONE ON THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. AND THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS BASICALLY JUST MENTIONED, TO CALCULATE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR ALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ACTIVE THROUGH 2025. THESE ARE PROJECTS IN WHICH THE CITY HAS INVESTED BUSINESS INCENTIVES AND STAFF TIME IN GENERATING BOTH JOBS AND INVESTMENT FOR THE COMMUNITY. A COUPLE OF KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY. THE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS ARE BRINGING IN LARGE REVENUES. AND THEY DO YIELD A SUBSTANTIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT, AS WE'LL SHOW YOU AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. ALMOST ALL COMPANIES REMAIN ACTIVE AND OPERATING IN SAN ANTONIO AFTER THEIR INCENTIVES EXPIRE AND CONTINUE TO GENERATE ECONOMIC IMPACTS. TO GET INTO SOME OF THE METHODOLOGY, START WING WITH THE TIME PERIOD AND DATA OF THE ANALYSIS, IT INCLUDES ALL CURRENTLY MONITORED ACTIVE PROJECTS THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2025, ANY TERMINATED PROJECTS WERE INCENTIVES WERE RECAPTURED ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. AND IT ASSUMES NO NEW INCENTIVE AGREEMENTS IN 2026 GOING FORWARD. SO JUST THE ACTIVE PROJECTS UP TO THE END OF 2025 ARE INCLUDED. THE ANALYSIS RUNS FROM 2010 THROUGH 2051. ALL PROJECTS -- PROJECT COSTS AND REVENUES WERE FLATLINED OUT TO 2051. I'LL GET INTO THAT IN A LITTLE [00:35:03] BIT MORE DETAIL. AND WE TOOK THE TIME PERIOD OF THE INCENTIVE AND DOUBLED THAT. WE USED THAT AS THE TIME PERIOD OF THE ANALYSIS. AND BEYOND THAT DOUBLE TIME, SO IT WAS A TEN-YEAR TAX ABATEMENT PROJECT, THEN WE USED 20 YEARS FOR THE TERM OF THE ANALYSIS. THE DATA CAME FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. OF COURSE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, CITY CLERK, CPS ENERGY, BEXAR APPRAISAL DISTRICT, BEXAR COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR, AND IMPLAN, A MODEL THAT WE USED IN THE ANALYSIS. CONTINUING WITH THE METHODOLOGY, WE MEASURED BOTH COSTS AND REMOVES AND USED THOSE -- REVENUES AND USED THOSE RESULTS TO CALCULATE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT. THE COST INCLUDES THE BUDGET OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT'S WORK ON INCENTIVES PROGRAMS. SO IT'S SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON FOLKS WORKING IN THOSE PROGRAMS AND THOSE COSTS. THE VALUE OF THE INCENTIVES, THE TAX ABATEMENTS, THE GRANTS, FOR EXAMPLE. ON THE REVENUE SIDE, THE REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUES WERE MEASURED. THE SALES TAX REVENUES FROM THE NEW JOBS CREATED WERE ALSO CALCULATED. AND CPS ENERGY REVENUES WERE INCLUDED AS WELL. WE TOOK ALL THOSE REVENUES, DIVIDED THEM BY THE TOTAL COST, AND THAT GIVES US A MEASURE OF THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT. THE MODEL THAT WAS USED IS PRETTY CONSERVATIVE. AGAIN, IT ONLY INCLUDES PROJECTS EXECUTED BEFORE -- OR AFTER 2010. MOST OF THOSE COMPANIES, ALMOST ALL THOSE COMPANIES ARE STILL OPERATING IN SAN ANTONIO THAT WERE HERE BEFORE 2010 AND ARE CONTINUING TO EMPLOY PEOPLE TO MAKE INVESTMENTS AND HAVE AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMY. TERMINATED PROJECTS AND RECAPTURED PROJECTS CONTINUE TO GENERATE REVENUE, BUT THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. AND AGAIN, THE TERM IN WHICH WE CALCULATED THE IMPACT, PARTICULARLY THE REVENUES, WAS LIMITED TO DOUBLE THE PERIOD OF THE INCENTIVE, OKAY. SO WE DIDN'T -- EVEN THOUGH, AGAIN, IMPACTS AND REVENUES ARE STILL BEING GENERATED BEYOND THAT DOUBLING PERIOD, WE DIDN'T COUNT THAT. WE CUT IT OFF AFTER THAT PERIOD. SO, TO SHOW SOME OF THE RESULTS, OR THE RESULTS, THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT GETS BACK TO THE EXPENSE OF THE STAFF ADMINISTERING THESE PROGRAMS OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD, ABOUT $33.6 MILLION. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF INCENTIVES GRANTED FOR ALL OF THE PROJECTS WAS ALMOST $111 MILLION. THAT GENERATED TOTAL REVENUES TO THE CITY OF $316.4 MILLION -- RESULTING IN NET REVENUES TO THE CITY OF $172 MILLION. THESE PROJECTS GENERATED TOTAL PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT OF $3.7 BILLION IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY. AND THESE LAST FOUR FIGURES SHOW THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT. SO, BASED ON DIFFERENT COSTS DISCUSSED ABOVE, THE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT PER DOLLAR OF INCENTIVES WAS $33.66 PER DOLLAR SPENT ON INCENTIVES. SO FOR EACH DOLLAR SPENT ON INCENTIVES, IT GENERATED $33.66 IN PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT IN THE ECONOMY. THE REVENUES THAT THESE PROJECTS GENERATED PER DOLLAR SPENT ON THE PROGRAMS, THE PROGRAMS BEING $33.6 MILLION, COMES OUT TO $9.42. SO EACH DOLLAR SPENT ON ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAMS GENERATES $9.42 IN REVENUES. THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THE REVENUES PER DOLLAR OF INCENTIVES WAS $2.86. SO THE TOTAL COST OF THE INCENTIVES, IF WE LOOK AT THAT COMPARED TO THE REVENUES THAT THEY GENERATE, EACH DOLLAR OF INCENTIVES PROVIDED GENERATES $2.86 IN REVENUES TO THE CITY. AND THE OVERALL FIGURE THERE, IF [00:40:01] YOU LOOK AT REVENUES PER DOLLAR SPENT ON BOTH PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES, THE ROI IS $2.19. SO, RATHER HEALTHY RETURNS RELATIVE TO THE COST. IF WE GO BACK AND COMPARE THIS TO THE LAST STUDY WE DID IN 2022, THE 2022 STUDY HAD A LOT MORE PROJECTS, 69 PROJECTS BEING INCLUDED THERE. WE HAD 25 PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF INCENTIVES IN 2022 WAS ALMOST 180 MILLION, 110.8 MILLION FOR THE PROJECTS IN THIS STUDY. THE TOTAL PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT TO THE PROJECTS IN 2022 WAS 5.6 BILLION, MEASURED AGAINST 3.7 BILLION IN THIS STUDY. YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARISONS OF THE ROIS. THE REVENUES PER DOLLAR SPENT ON PROGRAMS INCREASED IN THIS STUDY FROM 939 TO 942. THE REVENUES PER DOLLAR OF INCENTIVE DECREASED A BIT FROM $3.73 PER DOLLAR OF INCENTIVES IN 2022 TO $2.86 IN THIS STUDY. AND THE REVENUES PER DOLLAR SPENT ON PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES DECLINED ALSO A LITTLE BIT IN THIS CURRENT VERSION FROM $2.67 MEASURED IN THE 2022 STUDY DOWN TO $2.19 IN THE 2026 STUDY. AND OF THE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS, AND SOME OF THOSE TOP THREE TOTAL FIGURES, IT'S BASICALLY DUE TO -- AND SOME OF THE DECLINE IN THE ROI WAS JUST A DIFFERENT MIX OF PROJECTS. AND THE DECLINE CAUSED SOME OF THE TOTAL AMOUNTS, DRIVES THOSE DOWN. BUT THERE'S A DIFFERENT MIX OF PROJECTS. AND ONE OF THE BIG PROJECTS -- IT'S NOT IN THIS STUDY -- WAS IN THE LAST STUDY IN 2022 WAS THE ORIGINAL TOYOTA PROJECT, WHICH AS YOU ARE AWARE OF, IS STILL THERE AND STILL GENERATING A HUGE IMPACT, BUT IT'S NOT COUNTED IN THIS STUDY, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I LOOK FORWARD TO ANY QUESTIONS. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, DR. NIVEN. WE'LL GO AROUND TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE? YES, COUNCILWOMAN MEZA GONZALEZ. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. I THINK THESE ARE ALL -- A NUMBER OF US COULD ASK THESE QUESTIONS IN OUR OWN WAY, OUR OWN VERSIONS OF ROIS. AND SO, I'M TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS DATA TELLS US AS FAR AS WHERE SHOULD WE FORWARD, WHAT SHOULD THOSE INVESTMENTS LOOK LIKE. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF WHAT YOU WERE DOING, OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CAN HELP. BECAUSE I THINK STUDIES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT WHERE SHOULD WE BE INVESTING GOING FORWARD? >> I DO HAVE THE DATA BY PROJECT, BUT WE DIDN'T DO AN ANALYSIS TO LOOK AT IT SPECIFICALLY BY INDUSTRY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: OKAY. >> ONE THING THAT I WOULD ADD, COUNCILMEMBER, AND DR. NIVEN, I WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS, TOO, HOW MUCH THE VOLUME OF PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WOULD BE IMPACTING OUR RETURN RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2022 AND SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PROJECTS. SO, IS THAT IMPACTING OUR RETURN, THE FACT THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT LESS PROJECTS MAYBE COULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS? BECAUSE THAT WOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND IF WE NEED TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE ON SOME OF THESE PROJECTS, OR IF THIS SCALED-DOWN VERSION IS STILL GETTING US THE SAME LEVEL OF RETURN. >> I'LL GIVE YOU THE ECONOMIST'S ANSWER. IT DEPENDS. SO, IF YOU LOOK AT REVENUES PER DOLLAR SPENT ON THE PROGRAMS, THE COST TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAMS, THAT WENT UP 3 CENTS. IT'S BASICALLY EVEN. THE OTHER TWO MEASURES OF ROI DID GO DOWN SOME. THINK THAT'S MORE OF THE MIX, NOT NECESSARILY THE DECLINE, BECAUSE IT'S CERTAINLY FEASIBLE THAT WITH A DIFFERENT MIX, THAT ROIGOES UP. IT DOES AFFECT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF, SAY, PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT. [00:45:03] IT'S ALMOST $2 BILLION SMALLER. SO THAT WOULD AFFECT IT. >> AND ON THAT, SINCE WE'RE THERE, TOO, THE MEMO AND THIS SLIDE SHOWS THAT 373 VERSUS 286. AND JUST SINCE THEY'RE PER DOLLAR RATIOS, IS IT JUST SIMPLY THAT WE WENT FROM 69 TO 25 THAT THEY LOWERED, OR IS IT THE TYPE OF PROJECT THAT ROLLED OFF? >> IT'S THE LATTER. >> OKAY. AND SO THEN, DOES THAT KIND OF TAKE US BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF HOW . . . >> I'M THINKING THE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE MORE SUBSTANTIAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT WOULD SHOW THAT GREATER RETURN. I'M THINKING THAT MAY BE PART OF WHAT YOU'RE REFERENCING AS FAR AS MIX, BECAUSE THAT RETURN IS SO MUCH GAUGED ON THAT INVESTMENT AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE COMING ON TO OUR TAX ROLLS. >> EXACTLY. THE SALES TAX REVENUES FROM THE JOBS ARE INCLUDED IN HERE. BUT THAT'S A RELATIVELY SMALL PORTION. THE BIG RETURN IS COMING OFF OF THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: OKAY. I GUESS, HOW DO WE SUMMARIZE THAT OR TURN THAT INTO A POLICY OR GOAL? >> I THINK OUR INCENTIVE POLICY -- THE PROPOSAL THAT COUNCIL SAW A FEW WEEKS AGO, IT DOES LOWER THE BARRIER OF ENTRY. IT DECREASES THE POTENTIAL AMOUNT. IT'S STILL TRYING TO PROMOTE THAT CAPITAL INVESTMENT. I THINK WE'RE GOING FROM $10 MILLION MINIMUM TO A $5 MILLION MINIMUM TO TRY TO FOSTER THAT TYPE OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHERE WE WANT TO SEE THE GROWTH. AND WE STILL HAVE SOME PRETTY AGGRESSIVE TIERS WHERE THE HIGHER THE AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT THE MORE PROJECTS ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY, THE HIGHER LEVEL OF SUPPORT THAT WE'D BE WILLING TO CONSIDER OFFERING THEM. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> AND IT'S PER DOLLAR ON INCENTIVE, 5 MILLION TO 10 MILLION, BUT THE OTHER PART OF THAT EQUATION IS HOW MUCH INCENTIVES ARE GETTING OFFERED AS WELL. >> MEZA GONZALEZ: OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. I WAS CURIOUS IN TERMS OF THE METHODOLOGY WITH THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH CPS ENERGY, DOES THAT INCLUDE INCENTIVES LIKE THE RIDER, OR CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH WHAT THAT CPS ENERGY REVENUE ACCOUNTS FOR? >> YES. SO, FOR PRIVATE REASONS, WE COULDN'T GO THROUGH EACH PROJECT. SO, STAFF PROVIDED CPS ENERGY A LIST OF PROJECTS. AND THEY PROVIDED AN AGGREGATE FIGURE OF THE TOTAL REVENUES THAT WERE GENERATED FROM THE PROJECTS IN TERMS OF WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THERE. IN TERMS OF THE 16 -- >> E16 WOULD PLAY INTO IT, BUT WE JUST GOT THE AGGREGATE OF WHATEVER REVENUE IS COMING FROM CPS INTO OUR GENERAL FUND. AND SO, E16 WOULD PLAY A ROLE IF IT'S APPLIED, BUT IT'S JUST THAT DISCOUNT. SO WE WOULDN'T -- >> CASTILLO: I'M THINKING ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE COST AND THE METHODOLOGY HOW WE COULD INCLUDE THAT, THE INCENTIVE WITH THE E16 RIDER, HOW MUCH ARE WE FORGOING WITHIN THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND WITH THAT INCENTIVE. TO M PAINT A FULLER PATIENT IN T PATPICTURE OFCOSTS WOULD BE HEL. I'M CURIOUS WITH THE PROJECTS THAT WERE PRESENTED, IF THERE WAS AN ASTERISK THAT NOTATED THAT DID RECEIVE A RIDER, THERE'S VALUE WITH INCLUDING THAT INFORMATION WITH FUTURE ANALYSIS. >> AND COUNCILMEMBER, WE CAN FOLLOW UP ON THAT. I'M TRYING TO THINK. AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP ON THIS SPECIFICALLY, WHETHER THERE'S ANY PROJECTS IN THE ANALYSIS THAT WAS COMPLETED FOR THIS STUDY, WHETHER ANY OF THOSE PROJECTS ACTIVELY RECEIVED AN E16. BECAUSE I'M THINKING THE ONE THAT HAS IS NOT PART OF THE ANALYSIS ANYMORE. SO ON THE INCENTIVE SIDE, NOT NECESSARILY ON THE CITY REVENUE SIDE, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH CPS TO SEE IF ANY OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WE GAVE THEM ACTUALLY [00:50:06] RECEIVED ANY KIND OF E16 INCENTIVE. >> CASTILLO: THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND THEN WITH THE COST ANALYSIS AS WELL I'M CURIOUS WITH THE BUDGET OF THE EDD STAFF WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE IN TERMS OF HOURS. BUT I'M CURIOUS AND INTERESTED TO SEE WITH FUTURE STUDIES HOW CAN WE ACCOUNT FOR MORE CITY SERVICES. WHAT I MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE, I UNDERSTAND IT'S A CASE BY CASE BASIS AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD APPLY TO ANY OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE ANALYZED. BUT I'M THINKING FOR EXAMPLE, WAS THERE NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS TO HELP FACILITATE THIS PROJECT. WAS THERE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES THAT WERE NEEDED. AND WHAT IS THAT COST ASSOCIATED WITH IT. SO I DON'T KNOW BASED OFF OF WHAT YOU'VE ANALYZED IF THAT WOULD APPLY TO THAT, BUT MY QUESTION IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD BE QUANTIFIED? >> THAT TYPE OF COST WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS ANALYSIS. CORRECT ME HERE, BUT IF IT'S AN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT AND THERE'S COST DATA ON THAT. >> YES, COUNCILWOMAN, WE'D HAVE TO WORK WITH THOSE DEPARTMENTS. AS FAR AS EDD STAFF COSTS, UNLIKE PRIOR YEARS WHERE WE ALLOCATED THE FULL STAFF EXPENSIVE OF THAT TEAM, WE APPLIED IT BASED UPON THE AMOUNT OF TIME. WITH THE CURRENT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK AND EMPHASIS ON BUSINESS RETENTION, STAFF TIME IS NOT 100% ALLOCATED TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE. WHILE SOME OF OUR COMPLIANCE TEAM MEMBERS IT HAS 100%, SOME OF OUR OTHER STAFF MEMBERS IT MAY BE 40% OF THEIR TIME ON AGGREGATE. SO WE ACCOUNTED FOR THAT. IT REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF STAFF EXPENSE TO ADMINISTER THE INCENTIVES. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. LASTLY, WITH THE INCENTIVE ROI COMPARISON, CAN YOU REMIND ME, THE 90 CENTS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2022 AND 2026 FOR THE REVENUES PER DOLLAR SPENT ON PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES, THAT'S PRIMARILY DUE TO FEWER PROJECTS, IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? >> IT'S PRIMARILY DUE TO A DIFFERENT MIX OF PROJECTS. THE FACT THAT THERE'S FEWER PROJECTS IN 2022-2026 WILL MOSTLY AFFECT THOSE TOTAL FIGURES, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF INCENTIVES AND TOTAL PRIVATE CERTSECTOR INVESTMENT. THE THREE ROI FIGURES BELOW THAT ARE REALLY DRIVEN BY A DIFFERENT MIX OF PROJECTS. SO, YES THERE'S A SMALLER NUMBER, BUT THE TYPES OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN WITHIN 2022. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU FOR THAT UNDERSTANDING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: COUNCILWOMAN SPEARS. >> SPEARS: THANK YOU FOR THIS STUDY, DR. NIVEN. DOES -- HOW DO WE LOOK AT THE JOBS THAT ARE CREATED HERE, TOO, OR IS THAT EVEN LOOKED AT? >> THE JOBS ARE INCLUDED IN THE SENSE THAT THEY'RE USED TO CALCULATE THE SALES TAX REVENUES GENERATED FROM THOSE JOBS. SO I'D HAVE TO GO BACK. WE HAVE JOBS DATA. SOME OF IT IS ACTUAL JOBS DATA, SOME HAD TO BE PROJECTED. I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT AND DO THE CALCULATIONS. >> SPEARS: IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO IDENTIFY ANY SPECIFIC AGREEMENTS THAT PERFORMED PARTICULARLY WELL, OR SPECIFIC MIXES OF PROGRAMS AND INCENTIVES THAT PERFORMED EXCEPTIONALLY WELL? >> YES, I THINK SO. WE HAVE -- WE BUILT THE MODEL OUT. IT'S FOR EACH PROJECT. SO WE'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT EACH ONE, AND BASICALLY CALCULATE AN ROI FOR EACH ONE. >> SPEARS: AND THEN, CAN I ASK, IS IT HELPFUL FOR US -- ARE THERE OTHER PEER CITIES THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT TO HELP US HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING? A MORE CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT -- MORE OF WHERE WE ARE EXCELLING, OR WHAT WE COULD MAYBE DO DIFFERENTLY? I WOULD ASSUME THEY ALL DO IT SORT OF SIMILARLY WHEN THEY CALCULATE THESE RETURNS ON INVESTMENT. >> IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING. WE DID LOOK AT THAT. AND THIS TYPE OF STUDY IS PRETTY UNIQUE IN THE SENSE THAT I, ANYWAYS, THE A.I. I WAS USING, COULDN'T REALLY FIND ANYTHING LIKE THIS. [00:55:01] SO, WE CAN DIG FURTHER INTO IT, BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANYTHING I CAN POINT TO THAT GIVES US A BENCHMARK FOR THESE NUMBERS. >> SPEARS: OKAY. >> COUNCILMEMBER, SOMETHING ELSE I WOULD ADD IS A LOT OF THE BENCHMARKING, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING HOW YOU'RE REFERENCING PARTICULARLY PROJECTS THAT MAY BE OUTPERFORMING OR PARTICULAR APPROACHES, WE DO A LOT OF THAT ANALYSIS AT THE PROJECT-SPECIFIC LEVEL WHEN WE'RE CONSIDERING WHETHER TO PROVIDE AN INCENTIVE OR NOT FOR A PARTICULAR PROJECT. THIS TYPE OF ANALYSIS IS REALLY MEANT TO BE AT AN AGGREGATE LEVEL TO SEE OVERALL IS OUR APPROACH FROM A LARGER SAMPLE SOURCE VERSUS JUST THE ONE PARTICULAR PROJECT. OVERALL IS OUR INCENTIVE PORTFOLIO STILL HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND RIGHT NOW THE DATA IS TELLING US YES. >> I WOULD SAY YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT IN AGGREGATE TO FIND WHICH ONES ARE WORKING. >> WE ALSO LOOK AT IT INDIVIDUALLY ONE BY ONE. >> SPEARS: IS THERE A WAY TO MARRY THOSE STUDIES TO THEN SEE . . . THERE'S GOT TO BE A WAY TO IDENTIFY. WHEN WE DO THIS PARTICULAR THING, WE SEE A STRONGER -- OR A MORE CONSISTENT RETURN. >> I THINK WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY OBSERVED -- AND I'LL LOOK AT ALFRED FOR MORE RECENT PROJECTS, PROJECTS THAT HAVE THE MORE SUBSTANTIAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT, WHICH TEND TO BE MORE OF OUR INDUSTRY CATEGORIES ASSOCIATED WITH MANUFACTURING, WHERE THERE'S HEAVY INVESTMENT REQUIRED. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO SEE A BIGGER RETURN ON OUR DOLLAR. >> SPEARS: YEAH, BUT I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE IRRESPECTIVE IN ANYTHING. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT OUR INCENTIVES AND PROGRAMS, WHERE THEY IMPACT -- I KNOW THEY ARE VERY INDIVIDUALIZED. BUT MAYBE BECAUSE OF THE QUANTITY -- I KNOW WE ONLY HAD 25 THIS TIME -- YOU'LL SEE ONE CONSISTENT THING THAT WE'RE DOING OVER AND OVER THAT HELPS IT PERFORM WELL IRRESPECTIVE OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT. TAKE THE OUTLIERS OUT AND THEN LOOK AT WHAT'S REALLY HELPING US. >> AND I THINK ON THE FRONT END WE'RE DOING THAT. WITH THAT PERFORMANCE, WE'RE BUILDING IN THAT GUARANTEE ON THE FRONT END. THERE WON'T BE ANY ABATEMENTS UNTIL THEY HIT THAT CAPITAL INVESTMENT. WE'VE DONE THAT ANALYSIS ON THE FRONT END TO SHOW IF THEY REACH THAT LEVEL, THIS WILL BE THE TAX LEVEL OF REVENUE COMING IN. ON THAT FRONT END, WE'RE DOING THAT ASSESSMENT OF WHAT DOES THAT SALARY PAY. WE BALANCE AND ASSESS OTHER IMPACTS, NOT JUST REVENUES TO THE CITY. WE WANT THE NET FISCAL IMPACT AND THE JOB CREATION WITH HIGHER WAGES FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES. AND SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BALANCE. IT'S SIMILAR, BUT DIFFERENT. AND SO WE'VE SORT OF BUILT IT INTO -- >> SPEARS: I'M HAVING TROUBLE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO APPLY THIS STUDY, UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S PERFORMING WELL. SORRY. THANKS. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, DR. NIVEN. SO, WHAT I GATHERED FROM DISTRICT 7, $1 IS BRINGING $33 BACK TO US. IS THAT CORRECT? IF WE INVEST $1 ON SLIDE NUMBER 7, WE'RE GETTING $33. >> IN LOOKING AT PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: YEAH. SO, I THINK -- I APPRECIATE THE STUDY. I THINK WHAT IT TELLS ME IS OUR MOVE TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES IS WORKING. WHILE IT IS NOT WORKING LIKE IT DID IN 2022, THAT IS TOYOTA. AND I THINK THAT IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS COME ALONG EVERY YEAR. I THINK WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT THE 25 THAT WE DID HAVE. I -- THE STUDY LOOKS LIKE IT HAS GIVEN YOU THE MATERIAL. AND ANNA AND ALFRED AND THE TEAM TO LOOK AND GO WHERE SHOULD WE BE CONCENTRATING AND IN WHAT INDUSTRIES, AND WHAT OUR ZONING LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE THIS WILL IMPACT ZONING IN TERMS OF POLICY. AND THEN WHERE WE CAN SEE THE INVESTMENTS COMING IN REGARDING THE CHANGES WE'RE MAKING TO THE FRAMEWORK RIGHT NOW. I THINK ONE THING THIS STUDY DOES INDICATE IS THAT WE DO NEED TO MAKE CHANGES TO OUR INCENTIVE PROGRAM. SO THAT IS DEFINITE, BECAUSE WE DID SEE -- WHILE IT'S 3 CENTS THERE, 87 CENTS, 48 CENTS, THERE IS A DROP. AND I'M TRYING TO CONSIDER THE FACT THAT THERE'S NOT A TOYOTA. BUT WHAT SORT OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING THAT WE DO HAVE. SO TAKING THIS JUST AS IT IS, I [01:00:03] THINK THAT THIS IS KEY TO LOOK TOWARDS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. AS A MEANS ON IT THAT YOU CAN PUT IT TOGETHER IN SOMETHING THAT WE CAN USE TO TAKE OUT TO THE PUBLIC, LIKE YES, WHEN WE DO THE INCENTIVES, WE ARE GETTING AT LEAST THIS MUCH MONEY BACK. OR WE ARE GETTING MORE THAN OUR DOLLAR BACK. AND IN ADDITION, WE'RE GETTING INFRASTRUCTURE, IF IT'S INFRASTRUCTURE. DEPENDING ON THE REGION. I KNOW FOR MY AREA, IT'S A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS BRINGING IN IN SOME OF THEIR NEW BUILDS. AND IT'S EITHER BECAUSE WE ARE -- PART OF OUR INCENTIVE IS BUILDING THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, OR PART OF THAT'S COMING IN. AND I THINK WE NEED TO START TAKING CREDIT THOUGH, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T GIVE THEM INCENTIVES LIKE THE COUNTY GAVE IEM, THOSE ROADS THERE THAT THEY ARE BEING LOCATED AT ARE ROADS WE BUILT ON RESEARCH AND AROUND BROOKS. THAT'S INVESTMENT WE'VE PUT IN. SO IT IS COMING BACK TO THE CITY EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT ONE OF OUR INCENTIVE PROJECTS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL CAN DO A CATEGORY BUSINESS-READY, OR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. BECAUSE I THINK RIGHT NOW IT'S ABOUT JOBS, JOBS, AND MORE JOBS. SO IF WE ARE GOING TO SEE THAT -- THE CITY GROW AND GET TO THAT 1%, OR GET AT 0% FOR OUR BUDGET WE NEED TO SEE THAT HAPPENING. SO, I APPRECIATE THE STUDY. I THINK IT'S WORKING. I THINK WE'LL SEE SOME YEARS AS WE CONTINUE, BUT WHAT WILL HELP THE COUNCIL IS IF WE KNEW WHAT WAS GIVING US -- IF WE HAD A LITTLE MORE DETAILS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN MAKE IT SC DISTRICT-SPECIFIC, LIKE IN DISTRICT 9 WE KNOW THEY HAVE THE RECHARGE ZONE, SO THERE'S ONLY CERTAIN BUSINESSES AND INCENTIVES THAT CAN GO IN OVER THERE. IN DISTRICT 8 IT'S THE MEDICAL CENTER. I WAS HERE IN 2022. AND WE SAW SOME PEOPLE TRYING TO COME IN AND ASK FOR INCENTIVES ABOUT THAT. IN DISTRICT 5 IT'S REALLY SOME -- DISTRICT 5 HAS INDUSTRIAL, AND MIXED INDUSTRIAL. AND WHAT CAN WE BRING IN OVER THERE THAT CAN LEAD TO IMPROVEMENTS. AND AS Y'ALL KNOW, DISTRICT 3, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THERE'S NO STREETS. THERE'S NO INFRASTRUCTURE. SO WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW WE CAN TRANSLATE WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN HERE AND WHAT COULD HELP US GO OUT INTO A COMMUNITY MEETING AND SAY THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND THEN WHAT COULD HELP US AS WE GO OUT TO CONFERENCES OR WE MEET WITH BUSINESS LEADERS THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF BUSINESSES AND INCENTIVES WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE COME INTO OUR DISTRICT, BECAUSE THIS IS THE KIND OF ZONING WE HAVE. SO, I HOPE YOU CAN KIND OF GET THAT DONE WITH THIS STUDY. BUT THANK YOU, DR. NIVEN, FOR THE STUDY. I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE AN EXTREMELY HELPFUL TOOL AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND RECRUIT BUSINESSES, AND ACTUALLY GROW OUR MID-SIZE BUSINESSES TO STAY HERE AND BECOME HEADQUARTERS. >> COUNCILWOMAN, I ALSO WANTED TO ADD, WHILE DR. NIVEN MENTIONED THE CURRENT STUDY DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ORIGINAL TOYOTA, IT ALSO DOESN'T INCLUDE THE MOST RECENTLY APPROVED TOYOTA AGREEMENT, WHICH THE $3.6 BILLION PROJECTED INVESTMENT. SO WE'RE EAGER TO SEE THAT COME TO FRUITION AND INCLUDED IN OUR FUTURE STUDIES. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: I FIGURED IT DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT ONE, TOO. BUT I THINK CONSIDERING THE YEAR 2026 WAS, I'M IMPRESSED WITH THE 25. 2022, THE CITY WAS -- WE WERE COMING OUT. WE WEREN'T JUST COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE LEADING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC. AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITIES TOOK NOTICE. 2026, WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS YEAR IS GOING. SO I THINK WE DID OKAY. SO, THANK YOU AND I APPRECIATE THE STUDY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? THIS ITEM WAS FOR BRIEFING ONLY. DR. NIVEN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYANY CLOSING WORDS? >> THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME COME PRESENT. AND APPRECIATE ALL THE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. >> CHAIR VIAGRAN: THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO, THE ITEM WAS FOR BRIEFING ONLY. NO ACTION IS TAKEN. SO THAT'S ALL THE BUSINESS FOR TODAY. WE WILL BE HAVING A NOVEMBER 23RD MEETING, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CAN MAKE IT. WE'LL SEND THAT OUT. BUT THE TIME NOW 3:08 AND THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.