* 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. [00:01:14] WELL, THIS GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF JANUARY 30TH, 2020. COUNCIL MEMBER VINNO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER IRAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER COVEO HDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PALLIA HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER, COURAGE PRESIDENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY HERE. AND MAYOR NURENBERG HERE. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL A SESSION AGENDA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE CONVENE TODAY. THE TIME IS 9:22 AM AND WE WILL BEGIN OUR SESSION WITH AN INVOCATION GUEST OF COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. THANK YOU MAYOR. I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR INDICATOR, VANCE BLACK FOX. VANCE IS A CITIZEN OF THE CHEROKEE NATION AND HE CURRENTLY SERVES AS THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN BOARDING SCHOOL HEALING COALITION. HE'S AN ALUMNUS OF TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY, AS WELL AS THE LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT CHICAGO, WHERE HE IS THE CREATOR AND PRODUCER OF THE ANNUAL VINE DELORIA JUNIOR THEOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM. LOCALLY VAN SERVES AS THE GUEST CURATOR OF THE INDIAN MUSEUM AT THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES. HE HELPS COORDINATE THE CITY'S ANNUAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION AND IS A BOARD MEMBER OF THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY. VANCE ALSO SERVES AS THE INDIGENOUS THEOLOGIAN FOR THE CITY'S FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE AND LEADS THE INITIATIVE'S RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AND DIVERSITY TEAM. HE'S ALSO A MEMBER OF ST. JOHN LUTHERAN'S CHURCH DOWNTOWN. WELCOME, MR. BLACK BOX WA MAYOR NUREMBERG CITY COUNSELORS, FELLOW CITIZENS OF THIS CITY. IT IS GOOD TO BE GATHERED HERE WITH YOU IN THIS PLACE. MY NAME IS CHY, I'M THE SON OF ANITA, THE GRANDSON OF SHARON, THE GREAT-GRANDSON OF OKLAHOMA, THE GREAT, GREAT-GRANDSON OF BERTHA, THE GREAT-GREAT-GREAT GRANDSON OF ANNA. I'M A CITIZEN OF THE CHEROKEE NATION. MY ENGLISH NAME IS VANCE BLACK FOX. AND WHILE I WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE HEART OF THE CHEROKEE NATION ON WHAT IS NOW KNOWN OR HAS COME TO BE KNOWN AS OKLAHOMA, I NOW CALL THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HOME. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'M GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO CALL SUCH A SACRED CITY AND BEAUTIFUL SACRED PLACE AND BEAUTIFUL CITY HOME. HOWEVER, IT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT AND MOST APPROPRIATE THAT WHENEVER WE GATHER IN PUBLIC FORUM, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE SACRED LANDS UPON WHICH WE PRESENTLY MOVE ARE THE ORIGINAL LANDS OF THE BEAUTIFUL AND MIGHTILY RESILIENT KOTE AND KOWA PEOPLES, THE KOTEK. AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CARING FOR THIS PART OF MOTHER EARTH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, CONTINUE TO DO SO PRESENTLY AND NOW SHARE THEIR PLACE. THIS CITY WITH THOUSANDS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO REPRESENT NUMEROUS TRIBAL NATIONS FROM ACROSS TURTLE ISLAND AND THEY SHARE THIS PLACE WITH YOU. I WANT TO THANK RAMON DIEGO VASQUEZ, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE TAP ALAM KOTE NATION FOR JOINING ME THIS MORNING FOR [00:05:01] THE INVITATION AND FOR BRINGING THE DRUM ADO. AND OF COURSE, I WANT TO THANK CITY COUNCIL TO VENO FOR EXTENDING ME THE INVITATION TO BRING BLESSING AND GIVE THE INVOCATION THIS GORGEOUS MORNING COUNCILOR . I'M HONORED. SO TODAY WE'LL BE PRAY SAYING A PRAYER THAT IS A RITUAL PRAYER SHARED BY MANY DIFFERENT TRIBAL CULTURES AND NATIVE NATIONS HERE ON TURTLE ISLAND. AND IT IS A DIRECTIONAL PRAYER THAT MANY OF US CALL THE FOUR DIRECTIONS PRAYER. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PROBABLY A FEW NATIVE PEOPLE, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES OUT ALL ACROSS TURTLE ISLAND, ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE WATCHING THIS LIVE STREAM JUST TO SEE IF I MESS IT UP SO THAT THEY CAN TEASE ME LATER. SO I MAY HAVE TO PRAY FOR THEM, ESPECIALLY HARD TODAY. SINCE MY FAMILY LIVES IN OTHER PLACES OR CANNOT BE HERE TODAY, I HAVE ASKED SOME MEMBERS OF MY SURROGATE SAN ANTONIO FAMILY, LANDRY, LYNN, AND ANN, TO JOIN ME NEAR THE PODIUM FOR THE PRAYER FOR SUPPORT, CARE AND GOOD ENERGY THAT OF COURSE INCLUDES RAMON AND THE DRUM. I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE SHARING THIS PRAYER, THIS EXPERIENCE WITH ALL OF YOU TODAY. SO I THINK OUR CIRCLE IS READY AND WE'LL BEGIN OUR DIRECTIONAL PRAYER BY FACING THE EAST. SO IF EVERYBODY WILL FACE THE EAST WITH ME, LET US TALK TO THE CREATOR. WE FACE THE EAST, THE DIRECTION OF NEW BIRTH, NEW BEGINNINGS AND GRACE AS WE FACE THE EAST UN CREATOR. GOD, WE PRAY FOR OUR CHILDREN, OUR BABIES. WE PRAY THAT YOU GIVE US THE COURAGE AND FORESIGHT TO CARE FOR THE CHILDREN THAT LIVE AMONG US TODAY, BUT ALSO FOR THE COURAGE AND FORESIGHT TO CARE FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS. WE PRAY FOR ALL THE VULNERABLE AMONG US. WE PRAY FOR OUR NEIGHBORS WHO ARE LIVING WITHOUT HOMES OR SHELTER. WE PRAY FOR THE POOR, THOSE WHO ARE CHALLENGED BY HAVING TOO LITTLE. AND WE PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE CHALLENGED WITH HAVING TOO MUCH. WE ESPECIALLY PRAY FOR OURSELVES AND ASK YOU TO GIVE US THE COMPASSION WE NEED TO BE BETTER CAREGIVERS IN THIS PLACE. WADO, WE FACE THE SOUTH, THE DIRECTION OF GROWTH, RECEPTION, AND TRANSFORMATION AS WE FACE THE SOUTH. WE PRAY FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE KOTE AND PEOPLE TO WHOM FOR GENERATIONS AND GENERATIONS YOU HAVE PROVIDED THE WISDOM NEEDED TO BEST CARE FOR MOTHER EARTH IN THIS PLACE. MIGHT WE TOO BE BLESSED WITH THE HUMILITY THAT WE NEED TO JOIN THIS CARE FOR ALL OF OUR NON-HUMAN SISTERS, BROTHERS, SIBLINGS, THE FOUR-LEGGED, THE TWO-LEGGED, THE NO LEGGED, THE WINGED, THOSE THAT BURROW, THOSE THAT PERCH, ROCK, PLANT, TREE, GRASS, DIRT MEDICINE, THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE AND THE WATER THAT GIVES US LIFE. WE ALSO PRAY FOR THOSE WHO JOURNEY TO VISIT US IN THIS PLACE. AND WE PRAY FOR THOSE WHO COME SEEKING REFUGE. MAY WE READILY PROVIDE CARE AND NOURISHMENT TO THOSE IN NEED OF A NEW PLACE JUST AS MOTHER EARTH AND ALL OF OUR SIBLINGS HAVE DONE FOR SO MANY IN THIS PLACE, INCLUDING US WADO, WE FACE THE WEST, THE DIRECTION OF STRENGTH, RESILIENCY, AND SACREDNESS. AS WE FACE THE WEST. WE PRAY FOR OUR WOMEN, OUR LIFE GIVERS, MATRIARCHS THE MOST SACRED AMONG US. WE ALSO PRAY FOR THE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN FOR WHOM JUSTICE IS ALSO MISSING AND FOR WHOM JUSTICE ISN'T BEING SOUGHT IN THE UNITED STATES. WE PRAY FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WHO CONTINUE THE PAINFUL SEARCH. AND I LIFT UP BY NAME TODAY, MY COUSIN AUBREY DAMRON. BE WITH THE LIFE GIVERS AND SACRED AMONG US HERE IN THIS PLACE IN OUR CITY AS THEY OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE PRESENTED THEM FOR SIMPLY BEING A WOMAN TODAY. BE IT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, [00:10:01] RAPE, MURDER, KIDNAP, HOMELESSNESS, UNEQUAL PAY, SHAME OR FEAR. WE GIVE THANKS FOR THEIR BEING RESILIENT, BUT ASK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF COURAGE THAT WE MIGHT DELIVER THEM. JUSTICE WADO, WE FACE THE NORTH THE DIRECTION OF WISDOM, STORIES, AND RESPECT AS WE FACE THE NORTH. WE LIFT UP AND CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF OUR ELDERS AND ANCESTORS FOR THE GIFTS OF INSIGHT AND WISDOM THAT YOU CREATOR HAVE REVEALED TO THEM THROUGH THEIR JOURNEYS. THEIR INSIGHT AND WISDOM ARE SO VITAL TO OUR OWN JOURNEYS TODAY. MAY WE ALWAYS RE BE READY TO HEAR THEIR STORIES AND RECEIVE THEIR WISDOM FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE WITH WHOM WE WILL SHARE ON DOWN THE ROAD, WE HEAR OUR ELDERS FROM ACROSS TURTLE ISLAND WHO WERE CALLING US TO RELIGHT OUR FIRES AND TO INVITE ALL TO GATHER, TO PRAY, SHARE STORIES, BE SILENT TOGETHER, LISTEN AND TO LAUGH A LOT. ALL GOOD MEDICINE. SHOW US CREATOR HOW TO REGROW YOUR GOOD MEDICINE IN THIS PLACE, WADO. SO WE RETURN TO THE CENTER AND WE LOOK DOWNWARD TO MOTHER EARTH AND HONOR HER, REVERE HER, AND THANK YOU FOR HER HEARTBEATS. WE LOOK UPWARD TO FATHER SKY AND OUR ANCESTORS AND HONOR THEM, THOSE WHO DREAMED OF US SO LONG AGO. WE LOOK WITHIN AND GIVE THANKS FOR OUR OWN HEART THAT BEATS HERE IN THIS PLACE. CREATOR GOD, GREAT SPIRIT. BE WITH OUR CITY, COUNCILORS AND MAYOR AS THEY DO THEIR WORK TODAY. BE WITH ALL THOSE WHO ARE PRESENT OR PRESENTLY ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY WHO SUPPORT THEIR WORK TODAY AND EVERY DAY. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUN TASKS AND THE PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS THAT ARE AHEAD OF THEM, AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGES THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED HERE. SOME OF WHICH WE HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU. BLESS THESE LEADERS WITH GOOD ENERGY, GOOD HEALTH, AND STRENGTHEN THEIR COMPASSION, HUMILITY, COURAGE, AND SENSE OF CALL TO SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO AND ALL OF TURTLE ISLAND, WADO, WADO, WADO, WADO, WADO. MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED MEETING TODAY, . I 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. THANK YOU, BROTHER, BLACK FOX. ALL RIGHT, THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF DECEMBER 5TH AND DECEMBER 11TH. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES DECEMBER FIVE AND 11, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT, UH, WE HAVE ONE ITEM SCHEDULED FOR INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING TODAY. IT'S THE SWEARING IN OF OUR NEW MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES. UM, WE WILL HEAR THAT INDIVIDUALLY THERE ARE NO OTHER ITEMS LISTED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. SO AT THIS TIME, AND ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS FROM WHICH THEY WOULD LIKE TO PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. 7 23, ITEM SEVEN AND 23, 28, 26, MAYOR 26. ANY OTHERS? ALRIGHT, FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION, I HAVE ITEMS 7 23, 28, AND 26. IF [00:15:01] THERE ARE NO OTHER ITEMS, UM, FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. I MOVE. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR 7 23, 26, AND 28. WE DO HAVE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEMS REMAINING ON CONSENT. LEMME CALL THOSE FOLKS NOW. KATHY VALDEZ. MS. VALDEZ WILL BE SPEAKING ON ITEM 33. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. UH, I AM THE C E O OF PROJECT MEND, THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT NETWORK FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES. I'M HERE TODAY SIMPLY TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF SUPPORT, UH, FOR C D B G FUNDING FOR THE NEW PROJECT MEN HEADQUARTERS AND FULFILLMENT CENTER. UH, YOUR SUPPORT IS GONNA HELP US REACH OUR GOLD, HOPEFULLY OF GROUNDBREAKING THIS YEAR, UH, MUCH LATER THIS YEAR. UM, IN THE NEW FACILITY, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO TAKE IN MORE DONATIONS OF MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO SANITIZE AND REFURBISH THOSE ITEMS, WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE ABLE TO, UM, REALLY PUT INTO PLAY OUR, AND OFFER OUR REPAIR SERVICES, NOT JUST, UH, FOR THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT THAT OUR CLIENTS RECEIVE, BUT ALSO OPEN UP THOSE REPAIR SERVICES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, UH, THAT WE ALREADY KNOW IS, UH, VERY DESPERATELY NEEDED. UH, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU AGAIN. WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT A GROUNDBREAKING. THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. VALDEZ. MARY ANN LUNA. GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL AND MAYOR. I AM LINDA WALKER. I'M HERE AS TO SPEAK FOR MARY LUNA. UM, I BRING YOU GREETINGS FROM MADISON INDEPENDENT LIVING, UH, HOME OF MANY VETERANS AND WOMEN VETERANS. WE NEED TO SPOTLIGHT OUR WOMEN MORE. UM, MARY IS HERE TODAY BECAUSE SHE IS A VIETNAM ERA VETERAN. SHE, UM, HAS SERVED OUR COUNTRY AS, UM, A DENTAL ASSISTANT AND 25 YEARS AS A NURSE. SHE, UM, IS GRATEFUL TO PROJECT MEND WHO HAS BROUGHT HER, UM, A RE A CHAIR THAT ALLOWS HER TO GET UP MORE EASILY AND ALL THE THINGS THAT PROJECT MEND DOES FOR OUR VETERANS AND SENIORS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE GRATEFUL. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THEM. UH, JUST RECENTLY I WANTED YOU TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT MARY THAT, UM, WHILE SHE WAS SERVING, SHE, UM, LIKE I SAID, SHE WAS A DENTAL ASSISTANT AND THEN SHE BECAME A, A NURSE. SHE WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH HEART FAILURE AND SHE WEARS A LEG BRACE BECAUSE OF MULTIPLE FRACTURES SHE HAD RECEIVED. UH, AND SHE'S RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSON'S. SO GETTING AROUND AND GETTING UP AND DOWN IS VERY IMPORTANT AND WE DO APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT FOR THAT. UH, SHE'S RECEIVED MEDICAL, EXCELLENT MEDICAL CARE FROM THE VA, BUT SHE STILL WANTS TO MAINTAIN HER INDEPENDENCE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. UH, AND THE RECLINER THAT PROJECT MEND, UH, RECENTLY GAVE HER HELPED BECAUSE THE RECLINER SHE HAD WAS NOT ABLE TO, TO FILL HER NEEDS. SHE WAS, HAD TO STRUGGLE TO GET OUT OF IT. SO WE ARE SUPER GRATEFUL FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. UM, AND THE VA WAS KIND ENOUGH TO BRING AS PROJECT TO, TO HELP MARY. I TRY TO ADVOCATE FOR HER AND GIVE HER A VOICE THAT NEEDS TO BE HEARD THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO, THE, THE CITY OF MANY VETERANS AND, AND ALL. SO WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE HERE TODAY AND BE DUE TO HER VETERAN STATUS. HER CHAIR CAME TO HER AT NO COST, WHICH AGAIN, WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR, FOR HER SERVICE AND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT FOR HER. UM, SHE'S VOLUNTEERED FOR THE RED CROSS HOSPITALS AND AS MANY LOCAL THINGS AS SHE CAN STILL PARTICIPATE IN. SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR LISTENING US TO US TODAY AND EXTEND YOU A WARM WELCOME TO COME AND VISIT US AND SEE HOW SENIORS LIVE AT THE MADISON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. WALKER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. LUNA. ALRIGHT. UM, I NEED TO, UH, MAKE A SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT TO THE, UH, CONSENT MOTION. IF, IF, IF I MAY, UH, ITEM 24 WILL BE HEARD INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL, UH, WITH ITEM FOUR, OUR TWO MUNICIPAL COURT, UH, APPOINTMENTS. SO IF THAT'S OKAY WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA WILL MAKE THAT AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION. OKAY. ALRIGHT. [00:20:01] UH, THAT'S EVERYONE WHO SIGNED UP FOR ITEMS THAT ARE REMAINING ON CONSENT. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF ITEMS. THE, UH, I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT PROJECT MEND, AND I KNOW THEY'RE LEAVING RIGHT NOW, BUT IT IS A PHENOMENAL ORGANIZATION AND PROGRAM THAT THEY HAVE THERE, SO I'M GLAD THAT WE CAN DO OUR PART. I KNOW THAT, UM, MY FAMILY, WE WERE ABLE TO DONATE A LOT OF MY, UH, THE EQUIPMENT THAT MY DADDY HAD USED, UM, AFTER HE PASSED AWAY. HE WAS A VETERAN AS WELL. THERE WERE BEDS, THERE WERE WHEELCHAIRS, THERE WERE SO MANY, UM, ELEMENTS THAT THEY USED. SO IT WAS OUR HONOR. THEY, THEY BROUGHT A VAN OVER TO THE HOUSE, PICKED IT ALL UP, A VAN FULL, AND THEY TOOK IT, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO USE IT. SO THANK YOU PROJECT MEN FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO. UM, ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ITEM NUMBER 19, OUR PORT SAN ANTONIO BOARD APPOINTEE FOR DISTRICT THREE. UM, MARY LOU RENA, SHE IS A GREAT ADVOCATE IN THE COMMUNITY. SHE'S ENGAGED AND ACTIVE, AND SHE'S GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO PORT SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, I, I, I WANNA CALL EVERYBODY'S ATTENTION TO, UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA AND SOME OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, THAT, THAT ARE NOT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND HIGHLIGHT, UH, THEM AS, UH, IMPORTANT, UH, BECAUSE OF, UH, THE WORK THAT WE DO IN, UH, IN WASHINGTON D C THIS, UH, NEXT MONTH, UH, MOST OF YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL BE IN SAN IN, UH, THE NATION'S CAPITAL, UH, REPRESENTING SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND A LOT OF YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHY IT IS THAT WE'RE HEADING UP THERE. UM, AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE GO UP THERE IS BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO SENDS A LOT OF MONEY UP IN THE FORM OF TAXES, UH, TO WASHINGTON D C AND DOESN'T GET IT ALL BACK. UH, AND SO WE GO UP THERE AND, UH, WE MAKE SURE TO TWIST ARMS AND, UH, TELL THE SAN ANTONIO STORY. AND SO, UH, THE REASON I WANT TO MENTION THIS NOW IS BECAUSE ITEMS 12 14 15, ITEM 34, ITEM 33, UH, THESE ALL HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, AND THAT IS THAT THEY ARE MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, BUT FOR OUR DC WORK AND THE WORK THAT JEFF COYLE, UM, AND HIS TEAM DO, UH, AND THE WORK THAT OUR I G R COMMITTEE DOES. AND SO I WANT TO JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. ITEM 12 INCLUDES $6 MILLION, UH, FOR THE AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, UH, THESE FUNDS, UH, ALONG WITH A CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY, YOU'RE GONNA BE USED FOR A TAXIWAY AND A RUNWAY, UH, REHAB AND IMPROVEMENTS. ITEM 14 IS, UH, RELATED TO THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PREPAREDNESS GRANT. UH, THAT IS, UH, $2.8 MILLION, UH, GRANT SINCE 2003 TO PLAN, TRAIN, AND PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES. AND LASTLY, ITEM 15 IS A REQUEST TO THE C D C FOR EIGHT PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATES TO WORK WITHIN METRO HEALTH. AND THESE ASSOCIATES ARE GONNA BE 100% FUNDED BY THE C D C AND WILL WORK IN, UM, METRO HEALTH PROGRAMS, INCLUDING SA KIDS BREATHE PROJECT, THE PROJECT WORTH, ACES, UH, VIOLENCE PREVENTION, TUBERCULOSIS, AND ORAL HEALTH INITIATIVES. UM, AND I'M ALSO HIGHLIGHTING THESE TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR GOING, UH, TO S A D D C AND FOR BEING, UM, VERY GOOD REPRESENTATIVES AND IN ANTICIPATION OF THE HARD WORK YOU'LL BE DOING IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS IN PREPARATION FOR THE S A D D C AND ON THAT TRIP. UM, THANKS FOR PUTTING ALL THAT IN, AND THANKS FOR PUTTING YOUR LIVES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO ON HOLD WHILE WE ALL GO UP THERE AND, UH, TWIST ARMS AND TELL THE SAN ANTONIO STORY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER . AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR YOUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE I G R COMMITTEE AS CHAIR. ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE SALLY ERTA, WHO'S ON THE I G R TEAM, HAS DONE INCREDIBLE WORK OVER THE YEARS. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, A PROJECT MEND. I, THEY DID LEAVE, UH, RIGHT NOW PROJECT MANNED, UH, IS IN DISTRICT ONE, BUT SOMEHOW WE'VE WOOED THEM OVER TO, TO DISTRICT SEVEN. UM, SO I'M VERY GLAD TO HAVE THEM THERE. ONCE THEY DO OPEN, THEY WILL BE THE SECOND LARGEST, UM, MEDICAL, UH, REUSE FACILITY IN THE NATION AND THE LARGEST IN, UH, TEXAS. AND I JUST, UH, ALSO WANNA TO ECHO HOW IMPORTANT THE WORK THEY DO IS BECAUSE ONCE SOMEONE, UH, GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS OF LOSING THEIR MOBILITY OR THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF DIAGNOSIS, THE LAST THING THEY REALLY WANNA WORRY ABOUT IS HOW THEY'RE GONNA GET THE MONEY TO, UM, GET THAT EQUIPMENT, GET THE HOSPITAL BED, UH, EVEN IF IT'S A PILL CRUSHER, SOME, SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THAT. SO, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE LITERALLY ANGELS, UH, AMONG US IN THE WORK THAT THEY DO. SO, UH, I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE'RE WE'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM TO THAT EXTENT. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, ITEMS 15 AND 16, [00:25:01] UH, WITH, UH, IF I, THE SUBMISSION FOR ITEM 15, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HAS MENTIONED IS SUCCESSFUL. WE'LL HAVE EIGHT PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATES THAT'S EXTENDING OUR STAFF IN METRO HEALTH BY EIGHT, UH, INDIVIDUALS FULLY FUNDED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL. UM, SO AS, AS YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE DEDICATED FUNDING JUST FOR HEALTH, UH, PROGRAMS HERE AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THE COUNTY DOES, THEY HAVE A A, A HOSPITAL TAX, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT. SO ANY FUNDING WE CAN GET FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS WELCOME. UM, AND IN ADDITION, WE'LL BE HAVING, UM, AT LEAST ONE FELLOW, UH, JOINING US AS WELL. THAT'S ITEM 16. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE METRO HEALTH TEAM FOR SECURING THAT FUNDING FOR, FOR THE FELLOW. AND LASTLY, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE, UH, DR. WILLIS MACKEY, IF HE'S STILL HERE. NO, YOU ARE, UH, THANK YOU, DR. MACKEY. UH, I KNOW YOU'RE BEING REAPPOINTED TO ONE OF YOUR FUNCTIONS ON THE C P SS BOARD. THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THAT. AND I REMEMBER WHEN WE, UH, APPOINTED YOU HERE, UH, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND, UH, ONE OF THE REASONS I, I, UH, THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THAT TEAM IS, UH, IN YOUR ROLE AS SUPERINTENDENT, UH, YOU CERTAINLY HAD TO DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC . UH, NOT JUST, NOT JUST YOUR CUSTOMERS, BUT THE, BUT THE PUBLIC AND THAT PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY AND BALANCING ALL THOSE INTERESTS. AND I, UM, I DO HOPE TO CATCH UP ON YOU TO SEE HOW THAT'S GOING, UH, WITH THE BOARD. THAT'S, UH, VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I, UH, WANNA HIGHLIGHT ITEM NUMBER 29. I JUST WOULD LIKE TO THANK, UH, MY PAST AND PRESENT COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR CONTINUED ADVOCACY FOR EQUAL PAY FOR COUNCIL AIDS. THIS EFFORT HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING, AND I'M HAPPY TO SEE THE FUNDS REQUESTED FINALLY BECOME AVAILABLE. I LOOK FORWARD TO COMPLETING THIS PROCESS AS WE CONTINUE TO, TO REVIEW OUR, UH, BENEFITS FOR COUNCIL AIDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. I JUST WANTED TO PIGGYBACK ON WHAT COUNCILMAN PIAS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE SA TO DC TRIP. I, I, THERE'S MORE TO THAT TRIP THAN JUST THE FEW ITEMS THAT HE BROUGHT UP TO OUR ATTENTION. UM, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE MILITARY. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO DC TO THE PENTAGON WITH THE MAYOR HERE SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, UH, TO TALK ABOUT ADDITIONAL MISSIONS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT OUR MILITARY, NOT ONLY THROUGH THE COMMUNITY, BUT WITH THROUGH OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UM, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO SUPPORTING THE MILITARY. AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THAT ON THIS TRIP AS WELL. GOING BACK TO THE PENTAGON, REINFORCING THOSE, THOSE ISSUES TO AGAIN, SUPPORT OUR MILITARY AND TO, UH, SHOW THAT WE ARE MILITARY CITY U S A AND, UH, PUT THAT FOOT FORWARD DURING THIS, THIS, THIS WEEK AS WELL. SO, JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT PORTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I ALSO WANTED TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF COUNCILMAN TRIOZ REMARKS. AND AS A CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL AID COMPENSATION AD HOC COMMITTEE, I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE FOR THEIR THOUGHTFUL INPUT AND TIME. THOSE INCLUDE COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO, COUNCIL WOMAN SANDOVAL, AND, UH, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. I ALSO WANT TO THANK BEN GOEL, OUR C F O, UH, LAURIE STEWART, CRYSTAL STRONG FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, AND LIZ PROVENCIO FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. SINCE OUR INITIAL MEETING ON OCTOBER THE 19TH, WE MET NINE TIMES TO DISCUSS THE TOPIC, WHICH MERITS GREAT CONSIDERATION. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION AS WE DISCUSS BENEFITS FOR COUNCIL AIDS. ENSURING THE PROCESS WAS TRANSPARENT, FAIR, AND TIMELY WAS AND REMAINS ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES FOR OUR COMMITTEE. OUR SUBCOMMITTEE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTED TODAY ARE THE PRODUCT OF THOROUGH EVALUATIONS AND INPUT BY SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS. COUNCIL AIDE WERE KEPT INFORMED REGULARLY DURING THE PROCESS, THROUGH UPDATES PROVIDED THROUGH EACH DISTRICT'S CHIEF OF STAFF, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL SERVE AS GUIDELINES AND HELP COUNCIL MEMBERS NAVIGATE THE PROCESS OF CREATING A TEAM THAT IS EQUIPPED AND PREPARED TO MEET THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH DISTRICT OFFICE. DURING THIS PROCESS, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THERE'S NO COMPARABLE MODEL THAT ENCAPSULATES THE UNIQUE STRUCTURE AND ROLE OF OUR CITY COUNCIL OFFICES AND OUR CITY COUNCIL AIDS. AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT OUR CITY IS LEADING IN THESE EFFORTS TO ENSURE OUR COUNCIL AIDE ARE OFFERED EQUITABLE COMPENSATION FOR THE WORK THEY DO SERVING OUR COMMUNITY. SO, THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL. LADIES, THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROCESS, AND I KNOW THAT MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, UH, ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME MORE DISCUSSION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR YOUR STEWARDSHIP OF THAT COMMITTEE. UM, I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ONE ITEM, AND THAT IS TO, UH, THANK MY FRIEND, UH, [00:30:01] NOW A SERVANT ON OUR PUBLIC ARTS COMMITTEE, UH, OUR PUBLIC ART COMMISSION, EILEEN KRET, WHO'S HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, EILEEN, I LOOK FORWARD TO ALL YOUR WORK ON THAT COMMISSION, UH, AND, UH, MORE GREAT CONVERSATIONS AHEAD. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING AS WELL. AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, MY COLLEAGUE ON THE C P SS BOARD, UH, DR. MACKEY, THANK YOU ALSO FOR BEING HERE TODAY. ONE QUICK ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE. ITEM 24. THE SWEARING IN PORTION WILL BE DONE TOGETHER. UH, THE ACTION WILL BE ON THE CONSENT, SO, UH, THE SWEARING IN WILL BE CONDUCTED JUST SHORTLY ON, ON, UH, ON ITEM FOUR. SO WITH THAT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THAT'S ALL ITEMS SAVED FOR 7 23, 26, AND 28. AND THEN ITEM FOUR, WHICH WILL BE HEARD INDIVIDUALLY, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM FOUR. ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS AN ORDINANCE APPOINTING CARLA OBETTO AS MUNICIPAL COURT PRESIDING JUDGE FOR A TERM OF OFFICE EXPIRING APRIL 30TH, 2021. AND ITEM 24 IS AN ORDINANCE APPOINTING MELANIE CASTILLO AS A FULL-TIME MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE FOR THE REMAINDER OF A TWO YEAR TERM EXPIRING APRIL 30TH, 2020. I HAVE ASKED THIS MORNING JUDGE BULL TO DO THE HONORS OF SWEARING IN THE NEW JUDGES. SO JUDGE BOWL. OKAY, WE'RE, UM, BEFORE WE DO THAT, BEFORE WE'RE GONNA, I'M GONNA GIVE IT OVER TO OUR, UH, MUNICIPAL COURT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN. UH, SO WE CAN YEAH, ANDY, I, I WAS GONNA INTRO, I WAS GONNA OPEN. OKAY, GO AHEAD. AND HERE. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. UH, THIS ITEM WILL APPOINT JUDGE CARLO BLATO AS THE MUNICIPAL COURT PRESIDING JUDGE. IF APPROVED BY THE COUNSEL, JUDGE ODO WILL REPLACE OUTGOING PRESIDING JUDGE JOHN BULL. UH, JUDGE BULL HAS SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY WITH GREAT DISTINCTION FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. NOW I CAN SEE WHY JUDGE BULL WANTED ME TO, WANTED TO EDIT THIS BEFORE I WANTED TO EDIT MY COMMENTS. NO, BUT HE HAS SERVED WITH A GREAT DISTINCTION FOR OVER 10 YEARS IN THAT POSITION, UH, JUDGE ODO IS THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, CHAIRED BY COUNCILWOMAN MELISSA CAVEO HDA. I'LL ASK THE COUNCILWOMAN NOW TO, UH, DISCUSS THE COMMITTEE'S WORK AND INTRODUCE, UH, JUDGE ODO. THANK YOU, MR. SEGOVIA. I'D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH THANKING THE MEMBERS OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, COUNCILWOMAN ANA SANDOVAL COUNCILWOMAN, DR. ADRIANA ROCHA, GAR GARCIA, UH, JUDGE PETER SAKA, JUDGE CATHERINE TORRES AL AND ATTORNEY JACQUELINE ROBERSON. THE SELECTION PROCESS WAS NOT EASY AT TIMES. WE SPENT MANY LONG NIGHTS TOGETHER. I THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT. STAYING LATE INTO THE EVENING. OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MEETINGS, WE HAD A NUMBER OF REMARKABLE CANDIDATES. THIS IS A VERY COMPETITIVE FIELD, UH, TO CHOOSE FROM. SO THE COMMITTEE MEMBER'S HARD WORK AND DEDICATION IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. SECONDLY, I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T THANK JUDGE JOHN BULL FOR HIS TIRELESS YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COURT. HE FAITHFULLY SERVED AS MUNICIPAL COURT PRESIDING JUDGE FOR 16 YEARS IN PREVIOUSLY AS A MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE TOTALING 20 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COURT. HE EXEMPLIFIES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TRUE PUBLIC SURFER SERVANT, AND I'M HONORED TO CONSIDER HIM A COLLEAGUE. AS WAY OF BACKGROUND, THE SAN ANTONIO MUNICIPAL COURT INCLUDES A 24 7 CENTRAL MAGISTRATE OPERATION, WHICH IS OPERATED IN CLOSE, COLLABORATE COLLABORATION WITH BEXAR COUNTY. THE COURT PROCESSES APPROXIMATELY 300,000 FILINGS ANNUALLY AND EMPLOYS 10 FULL-TIME JUDGE JUDGES AND NINE PART-TIME JUDGES. THE COURT PRESIDES OVER GENERAL APPEARANCES MAGISTRATE COURT, AND ASSISTS WITH JUVENILE IN TRUANCY DOCKETS, MAKING THE PRESIDING JUDGE SELECTION SO IMPORTANT, AS WELL AS A NIGHT MAGISTRATE. QUALIFICATIONS FOR MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES REQUIRE THEM TO BE A US CITIZEN, A TEXAS RESIDENT, A LICENSED ATTORNEY IN GOOD STANDING, HAVE PRACTICED LAW IN TEXAS FOR A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS, AND A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING APPOINTMENT. I'M HONORED TO BE RECOGNIZING THE APPOINTMENT OF JUDGE CARLA ALO TO THE PRESIDING JUDGE POSITION. SHE HAS SERVED AS A MAGISTRATE JUDGE FOR OVER 20 YEARS, HAVING BEEN APPOINTED TO THE ROLE IN SEPTEMBER, 1999. SHE'S TIRELESSLY SERVED THE COURT AND HER COMMUNITY THROUGH THE, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, AND IS COMMITTED TO UPHOLDING THE RULE OF LAW. SHE'S A GRADUATE OF U T S A AND THURGOOD MARSHALL SCHOOL OF LAW AT TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. I HAVE NO DOUBT SHE WILL CONTINUE JUDGE JOHN BULL'S TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE AND PROVIDE A GREAT SERVICE TO HER COMMUNITY. ADDITIONALLY, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE APPOINTMENT OF JUDGE MELANIE CASTILLO. SHE HAS DILIGENTLY SERVED THE MUNICIPAL COURT SINCE 2018 WITH CONVICTION AND DEDICATION MATCHED BY FEW. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HER AND SEEING THE COURT PROGRESS WITH THIS NEW LEADERSHIP. SHE'S ALSO A, A GRADUATE OF THE INAUGURAL CLASS OF LATINA LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. THEREFORE, AT THIS TIME, I MOVE TO APPROVE THE ORDINANCE. SECOND. ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION [00:35:01] AND SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO FIRST, UH, THANK THE COMMITTEE, ALL THE SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS CHAIRED BY COUNCILMAN GAO, HDA, AND ALL OF THE, THE MEMBERS WHO WERE THERE. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAD A GREAT SELECTION OF CANDIDATES, UH, TO CHOOSE FROM AND HAD GREAT, UH, CONVERSATIONS. SO I THINK THAT SPEAKS HIGHLY TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, THANK JUDGE BULL FOR HIS SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND, UH, CONGRATULATE, UH, JUDGE, UH, MELANIE CASTILLO. AND OF COURSE, UM, JUDGE PRESIDING JUDGE CARLA ODO. UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND SPEAKING WITH ME, UH, JUDGE ODO FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS, UH, FIELDING SOME OF MY CONCERNS AND HOPES THAT WE CAN HAVE FOR THE MAGISTRATES. I'M LOOKING FORWARD THAT YOU WILL BE MAKING THIS COURT SYSTEM, UM, WITH COLLABORATIVE WITH ALL OF THE JUDGES AND THE STAFF. I'M GLAD THAT IT IS GOING TO BE YOUR OWN AND YOU WILL HAVE YOUR FINGERPRINTS AND YOUR, UM, YOUR DIRECTION TOWARDS THIS. AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UM, ISSUES THAT HAVE HAPPENED AND THAT ARE COMING UP, THE DOUBLE MAGISTRATION THAT'S HAPPENING, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS FUNCTION AND WORKS FOR OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY, OUR RESIDENTS, AND ALL, ALL THAT STAY INVOLVED. SO, UH, CONGRATULATIONS, WELL DONE. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE MOVING FORWARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. COUNCIL MEMBER ELAS. THANK YOU. I, UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, YOURS AS, UH, YOUR FAMILY FOR BEING A FAMILY OF SERVICE, UH, MARIO, I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR, UH, QUITE A LONG TIME. AND, UH, YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE MARRIED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER PERSON WITH A SERVANT LEADER HEART IS REALLY NO SURPRISE TO ME AT ALL. UH, AND I AM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, FINGERPRINTS THAT THE ALEDO FAMILY LEAVES IN SAN ANTONIO ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE. AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH. AND, UM, JUDGE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO DO ALL THE HARD WORK. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PALIS. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I WANTED TO SAY, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO CARLA ON YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY. AND I JUST HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I SEE MARIO AND HE'S JUST BEAMING. SO I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE GREAT, UM, PUBLIC SERVANTS, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU DO. I DO HAVE TO POINT OUT THAT WE'RE APPOINTING TWO VERY STRONG WOMEN TODAY. AND SO THAT MAKES ME VERY PROUD. UM, MY FELLOW LONGHORN, MELANIE CASTILLO, UM, WHO SERVED ON THE ETHICS REVIEW BOARD WHILE I WAS THERE, HER WORK WAS ALWAYS APPRECIATED. I'M FORTUNATE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE WORKED WITH HER AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH HER. UM, AND THEN ALSO TO JUDGE BULL. SO I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT I, UM, I, I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF YOUR WORK, AND IT WAS THROUGH YOUR WORK ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, AND THAT WAS WHEN I WAS AT SOUTHWEST I S D. AND YOU ACTUALLY CAME OUT TO THE BOARD MEETINGS. AND SO YOU HAD NO IDEA WHO I WAS, BUT I WAS LISTENING. I THOUGHT, THIS GUY'S GREAT. AND SO, UM, THE ADMINISTRATORS WERE A FAN OF YOUR WORK. AND I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND SPECIFICALLY TO THE STUDENTS IN OUR DISTRICTS. SO THANK YOU, JUDGE BULL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. YES, THANK YOU, SIR. JUST WANTED TO ECHO THOSE WORDS. UH, JUDGE BULL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE DONE HERE FOR THE CITY. IT'S, UH, YOU MOVE THE NEEDLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE, TO THE NEW FOLKS COMING ON BOARD. I THINK THAT'S GREAT. LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU. AND, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, CONGRATULATIONS JUDGE ODO. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SERVICE. AND, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO JUDGE CASTILLO AS WELL. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I I JUST WANNA SAY ONE THING ABOUT JUDGE BULL. UH, YOU KNOW, MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN YOUR TENURE, UH, BUT MORE, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE, THE YOUTH RE ENGAGEMENT CENTER AT THE FRANK GARRETT CENTER IS, IS TRULY AN AMAZING EXAMPLE OF YOUR WORK AND YOUR COLLABORATION AND YOUR SPIRIT. UM, THAT COMMUNITY TRULY, TRULY APPRECIATES IT. THE ENTIRE CITY'S GONNA BENEFIT FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. AND I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS, ALWAYS BEING OPEN TO, TO MEETING AND TO COLLABORATING AND CREATING INCREDIBLE IDEAS, UM, THAT HELP MOVE OUR CITY FORWARD. THANK YOU, JUDGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I TOO, JUST WANNA CONGRATULATE, UH, UH, CARLA FOR, UH, HER APPOINTMENT TODAY, UH, SUCH SO MANY YEARS. I KNEW YOU'D BEEN THERE A LONG TIME, BUT OVER 20, UM, SO MUCH, UH, DESERVED, UM, AT THIS POINT. SO, UH, SO GLAD THAT WE, UM, THAT I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO [00:40:01] MAKE THIS APPOINTMENT TODAY. AND ALSO, UM, TO JUDGE BULL. I HOPE YOU RUN OFF INTO THIS SUNSET. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE STILL, UM, UH, AND, AND A SUPER ENDURANCE RUNNER. UM, YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY MILES, 50 K MARATHONS. AND, UM, UH, SO OBVIOUSLY THAT'S THE KIND OF WORK YOU NEED TO DO TO BE A MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE. SO, UM, UH, I HOPE YOU ALL, UM, YOU ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU, AND ESPECIALLY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DID FOR OUR KIDS WITH THE TRUANCY COURTS. I THINK THAT IS REALLY TRANSFORMATIVE, UH, FOR OUR KIDS, ESPECIALLY IN SS A I S D. SO, THANK YOU ALL, UH, SO MUCH, UH, FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING, AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. I ALSO WANT TO, UH, CONGRATULATE JUDGE CARLO RERO JUDGE, UH, MELANIE GUILLO AND THEIR NEW APPOINTMENTS THAT WE'LL BE CELEBRATING TODAY. I WANT TO THANK, UH, ALL OF THE STAFF THAT HELPED US IN PREPARING FOR THOSE INTERVIEWS AND HELPING US TO GIVING US THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE THE, THE CORRECT DECISION. SO THANK YOU. UM, I SEE YOU HERE TODAY AND, UH, I JUST, UH, WANTED TO MAKE A, A FEW COMMENTS FOR, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WEREN'T ABLE TO, TO SEE THE JUDGE, UH, INTERVIEW. WELL, I GUESS IT'S ALL CONFIDENTIAL, BUT , WHAT I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS THAT, UH, SHE, SHE BROUGHT WITH HER, UM, A VISION, UH, ALONG WITH ALL OF HER SKILLS AND HER EXPERIENCE. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL POSITION, UH, AS WE'VE LEARNED OVER, AS I LEARNED IN THE COURSE OF, OF THESE INTERVIEWS, IS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO'S NOT ONLY GOING TO ADMINISTER, UH, REALLY THIS HUGE ARM OF THE CITY THAT MOSTLY STAYS SILENT. WE DON'T REALLY HEAR ABOUT IT HERE AT COUNCIL. UH, IT'S KIND OF OFF ON, ON ITS OWN, BUT YOU NEED TO ADMINISTER THAT, MANAGE ALL THE PEOPLE THERE. BUT YOU ALSO NEED TO HAVE SOME LEVEL OF VISION FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T, UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE ELECTED JUDGES AS PART OF THE CITY, OBVIOUSLY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THEIR OWN ENTITIES. IT IS, IT IS THIS COURT, IT'S MAGISTRATION AND, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DA THAT ARE THE GATEWAY TO THAT WHOLE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. SO AT THIS POINT, WE CAN REALLY SET THE TONE, OR YOU AND YOUR VISION AND YOUR DIRECTION WILL SET THE TONE, UH, FOR WHAT IS TO COME AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE THAT PEOPLE WILL HAVE AFTER INTERACTING WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. AND, UH, JUDGE BULL, THAT IS WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN, IN YOUR TENURE, IS YOU'VE REALLY GIVEN MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY THE YOUTH, A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE. UM, SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND, UH, JUDGE ODO, WE EXPECT WONDERFUL THINGS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, JUDGE JOHN VO. SO THIS IS WHERE THE COWBOY RIDES AWAY. FINALLY, UM, A CAREER OF GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS. JUDGE, THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND TO THIS COUNCIL. UH, TO THE FOLKS WHO HAVE SAT UP HERE FOR SO MANY YEARS, UH, IT'S NOT EASY TO DO WHAT YOU DO. I WANT TO THANK YOU PERSONALLY, UH, FOR NOT JUST, UH, THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE COURT, BUT ALSO TO REALLY TRAIN UP A SET OF LEADERS WHO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE, AND I THINK WE FEEL COMFORTABLE HANDING OFF TO THE NEXT, UH, GENERATION OF, UH, LEADERS AT THE MUNICIPAL COURT. UM, WHEN WE FIRST HEARD OF, UH, YOUR IMPENDING RETIREMENT, UH, GAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF CONSTERNATION AND CONCERN AND SOME NERVES ABOUT HOW WE WOULD REPLACE YOU. UH, BUT KNOWING AND SEEING THE GREAT WORK OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDING JUDGE OLIO TO TAKE YOUR PLACE, UH, IT SETTLES ALL THOSE NERVES. UM, YOU'VE LEFT A GREAT LEGACY, UH, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA SAID ABOUT, UH, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT I THINK IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THAT WAS MY FIRST VOLUNTEER POSITION WHEN I WAS HERE AS A, AS A RESIDENT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THAT'S WORK THAT NEEDS TO CONTINUE. SO, UM, JUDGE ALEDO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR STEPPING UP TO THE TASK. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AS THE COURT CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM WITH PARTNERS LIKE, UH, DIEGO GONZALEZ. YOU WILL ALSO HAVE PARTNERS IN THE CITY COUNCIL. AND THEN TO, UH, MELANIE CAST CASTILLO, A BRILLIANT YOUNG ATTORNEY WHO HAS A VERY BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF HER THAT YOU WOULD CHOOSE TO SPEND PART OF THAT CAREER WITH US AT THE BINO SUPPORT. WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. UH, THE, THE NEW ROLE YOU'LL BE TAKING ON IS NOT AN EASY ONE, BUT, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU WOULD DO THAT. SO THANK YOU TO, UH, CHAIR CHAIRWOMAN, UH, KABEER HAER FOR A VERY GOOD PROCESS. I THINK WE'VE LANDED ON, UH, GREAT APPOINTMENTS AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD NOW TO THE OFFICIAL SWEARING IN AND FOR JUDGE BOULDER RIGHT AWAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUDGES. ANDY [00:45:01] IS, UH, YOU'RE GONNA TAKE IT FROM HERE OR WE NEED TO HAVE A, WE NEED TO HAVE A, THE, UH, VOTE FIRST. OKAY. WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM FOUR. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, ANDY, UH, UH, MAYOR, I WOULD SUGGEST THE, UH, THE NEXT, UM, UM, ITEM WOULD BE IF JUDGE OELA WOULDN'T GONNA MAKE ANY COMMENTS AND END THE SWEARING IN. I KNOW ALSO, JUDGE BULL HAS NEVER BEEN LOST FOR WORDS, SO I'D INVITE HIM UP TO THE PODIUM AS WELL. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER, CITY CLERK, CITY ATTORNEY AND CITY STAFF. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK, WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK JOHN BULL FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE TO THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY. FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, I HAD THE HONOR RECENTLY TO ACCOMPANY JUDGE BULL TO, UM, AN AWARD CEREMONY THAT THE BE COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT. THEY WERE BESTOWING THE HIDALGO AWARD ON, UM, ON JUDGE BULL. AND IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE THERE WITH HIM. IN HIS ACCEPTANCE REMARKS, HE QUOTED THURGOOD MARSHALL. UM, HE SAID THAT YOU DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT AND LET THE LAW CATCH UP. AND THAT'S WHAT JUDGE BULL HAS BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR, BUT BECAUSE OF HIS VISION AND SOUND LEADERSHIP, THE SAN ANTONIO MUNICIPAL COURT HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF MANY ISSUES THAT HAVE FACED OTHER TEXAS CITIES. AND WE HAVEN'T FACED THE SAME CORRECTIVE OVERSIGHT OR SCRUTINY THAT THOSE OTHER TEXAS CITIES HAVE FACED BECAUSE OF HIS LEADERSHIP AND VISION. UM, HE'S GONNA BE A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW, BUT, UH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE. IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK ALONGSIDE YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT FRIEND. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO LEARN FROM YOU AND TO SERVE WITH YOU, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE GREATLY MISSED. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK COUNCILWOMAN KABE HDA, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, AND COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA, AS WELL AS THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF, AND FOR THEIR WORK ON THE MUNICIPAL COURT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I KNOW THAT COMMITTEE WORK CAN BE TOUGH AND CHALLENGING, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND COMMITMENT ON THIS EFFORT. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. AS I MENTIONED, I'M EXCITED AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS NEW CHALLENGE. CITY MANAGER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COUNCIL. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND MR. SEGOVIA. IN THE COMING COMING YEARS, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY HUSBAND, MY FAMILY, HE WAS HERE, MY HUSBAND MARIO, MY PARENTS GODLESS, AND GLORIA DE LEON. I'D LIKE ALSO TO ACKNOWLEDGE JUDGE YVONNE GOMEZ, WHO'S HERE. SHE'S BASICALLY FAMILY AND YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE HER HUSBAND, BEXAR COUNTY DA JOE GONZALEZ, WHO'S HERE WITH WHO'S HERE SUPPORTING ME AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, YOUR LOVE, YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT, AND YOUR SUPPORT. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN BLESSED WITH GREAT, I'VE BEEN BLESSED ALWAYS WITH GREAT FRIENDS AND SUPPORTIVE FAMILY. THERE WERE MANY SUPPORTERS WHO ENCOURAGED AND HAVE RIDES ME THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, AND I WANNA EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO THEM. FINALLY, I WANNA RECOGNIZE MY COLLEAGUES AT MUNICIPAL COURT, OUR GREAT STAFF AND THE JUDGES WHO SERVE A BROAD SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND TREAT EVERY, EVERY CITIZEN WITH COURTESY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT. WE RESOLVE ROUGHLY 300,000 CASES A YEAR. MY GOAL AS PRESIDING JUDGE WILL BE TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS IN A FAIR, EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT MANNER. THANK YOU. THIS TIME I WILL BE BRIEF. UM, IT WAS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE THIS JOB. I AM A FIFTH GENERATION SAN ANTONIAN, AND AS MY DAD OFTEN REMINDS ME, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS IN OUR D N A. AND IT WAS, IT WAS A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO SERVE IN THIS CAPACITY, UM, UH, TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS. YOU MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE. IT WAS NEVER A QUESTION TO ME WHO SHOULD REPLACE ME, BECAUSE ON SEPTEMBER THE SEVENTH OF 1999, CARLA ALETO AND JOHN BULL WERE SWORN IN AS JUDGES FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO O AND WE SHOWED UP AT AN INSANE ASYLUM [00:50:01] . AND, AND I REMEMBER I HAD TRIED A MURDER CASE A MONTH BEFORE, AND I WAS IN MUNICIPAL COURT, AND I WAS LIKE, THIS IS CRAZY. THERE WERE WERE LINES OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD GO OUTSIDE THE FRONT OF MUNICIPAL COURT ALL THE WAY DOWN THE SIDEWALK. AND, UM, WHY I THINK CARLA AND I BECAME INSTANT FRIENDS WAS THERE WERE TWO PHILOSOPHIES AT MUNICIPAL COURT. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE SITTING THERE THAT NEED TO BE SEEN. AND THERE WAS ONE PHILOSOPHY THAT WAS, THAT'S THEIR PROBLEM. THERE WAS ANOTHER PHILOSOPHY SHARED BY CARLA AND I, WHICH WAS, THAT'S OUR PROBLEM. AND SO WE WERE ALWAYS STAFF, EVERYBODY WAS ALWAYS GET, GET DEION AND BULL, GET DEION AND BULL SO WE CAN COME AND GET PEOPLE MOVED THROUGH THAT SYSTEM. AND THAT WAS THE WAY WE SAW IT. UM, TO HER CREDIT, AND NOT, NOT FOR ANY OTHER REASON THAT IT JUST WASN'T RIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER WE WERE APPOINTED, CARLA GOT STUCK IN THE MIDNIGHT MAG FOR SIX MONTHS AND, UM, SHE PERFORMED IT LIKE A CHAP. AND WHAT I'VE ALWAYS TOLD PEOPLE IS, UNLESS AND UNTIL AND WHY SHE'S THE BEST CHOICE. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, IF YOU FORGET THE, THE THE PAST, YOU'RE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT. SO WE'VE SEEN WORST CASE SCENARIO MUNICIPAL COURT, AND UNLESS YOU'VE SAT IN THE MAIN APPEARANCE COURT AND DEALT WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE A DAY OR, OR WORKED IN THE, THE OVERNIGHT MAGISTRATION, WE ARE THE ONLY TWO THAT HAVE EVER DONE THAT. AND YOU CAN MASTER ANY PROCESS AT MUNICIPAL COURT IF YOU CAN DO THOSE TOO. I WILL ALSO SAY, AND IT'S NOT LIKE PAT MYSELF ON THE BACK OR PATTING HER ON THE BACK. THE TWO OF US SEPARATELY HAVE ADJUDICATED MILLIONS OF CASES SINCE WE'VE BEEN AT MUNICIPAL COURT. NOT HUNDREDS, NOT THOUSANDS, BUT MILLIONS. AND AND BEFORE I WAS PRESIDING JUDGE, SINCE I'VE BEEN PRESIDING JUDGE, Y'ALL COUNSEL, PEOPLE WILL CALL ME ABOUT, HEY, I GOT A CONCERN ABOUT A CO COMPLIANCE CASE OR ANIMAL, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, NONE OF YOU ON THIS COUNCIL OR PREVIOUS COUNSELS HAVE EVER CALLED ME TO SAY, WE GOT A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE WAY YOU OR JUDGE OTO TREATED A PERSON APPEARING IN COURT. AND THAT'S ON MILLIONS OF CASES BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS SEEN OUR JOB AS WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC. WE, WE HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER. AND I WILL TELL YOU, OUR RELATIONSHIP IS MORE LIKE SIBLINGS AND THIS WILL SUM UP OUR RELATIONSHIP. WHAT SHE SAID TO ME THIS WEEK WAS, ARE YOU GONNA CRY BULL? SO LIKE SOMETHING YOUR SISTER WOULD SAY, RIGHT. AND SO ONLY INTERNALLY, I WOULD NEVER GIVE YOU THAT, THAT THAT SATISFACTION, THAT SATISFACTION OF CRYING. UM, BUT SHE'S A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. SHE MARRIED MY DAUGHTER. SHE'S THE ONLY PERSON I WOULD'VE HAD TO DO THAT. AND, UM, IT, IT'S JUST BEEN A PLEASURE. I I JUST REAL QUICKLY WANTED TO, TO SAY, UM, I'VE, I'VE SAID REPEATEDLY, I WAS THE THIRD PRESIDING JUDGE APPOINTED WITHIN FIVE YEARS BECAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS AT MUNICIPAL COURT, THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A FOURTH PRESIDING JUDGE APPOINTED WITHIN SEVEN YEARS, HAD TWO THINGS NOT HAPPEN. THE FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS BECAME MAYOR AND CHERYL SCULLY CAME ON AS MANAGER. AND THEY BOTH RESPECTED AND WORKED WITH ME TO UNDERSTAND THE COURT'S ROLE IN CITY GOVERNMENT AND TO HELP US MOVE FORWARD. AND I COULD NEVER HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THAT EARLY SUPPORT AND THEN CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM, FROM THE COUNCIL. THERE ARE ALSO SOME PEOPLE WITHIN ON THE CITY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. UM, I, I HAVE NOTHING BUT THE HIGHEST REGARD FOR ERIC WALSH. HE, HE, I'VE KNOWN HIM SINCE I STARTED. UH, HE'S JUST ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT GUY TO DEAL WITH. UM, I APPRECIATE HIS FRIENDSHIP. WE LIVE IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD, SO I'LL JUST BE CALLING HIM ABOUT POTHOLES. UM, BUT THEN, UH, AND, AND OF COURSE MARIA VILLA GOMEZ TOO. I WORKED WITH HER EARLY ON WITH THE BUDGET AND, AND YOU, YOU'VE JUST GOT A DYNAMITE TEAM THERE. AND THEN MY STAFF AT MUNICIPAL COURT, FRED GARCIA CAME ON AS THE CLERK OF THE COURT. AND WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR YEARS AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A VERY PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP. WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SHE READ A BOOK AND SHE CAME HOME AND TOLD MY WIFE AND I THAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT IMPULSIVE PUPPY AND SLOW DOWN SNAIL. AND THAT MOM WAS SLOW DOWN SNAIL AND I WAS IMPULSIVE PUPPY. AND SO I WOULD TELL YOU THAT THAT'S KIND OF FRED AND I'S RELATIONSHIP. HE SLOWED DOWN SNAIL AND I'M IMPULSIVE PUPPY, BUT WE, [00:55:01] IT WORKS. UM, AND, AND REALLY SPECIAL FOR NORMA MORALES, ARIA ARIAS, WHO'S MCC COURT ADMINISTRATOR. AND WHEN I HIRED HER, WE WERE DOING INTERVIEWS AND SHE ONLY HAD THREE REFERENCES ON HER RESUME. AND THEY WERE PHIL HARDBERGER, ALMA LOPEZ AND BARBARA AL. AND SO I SAID, WELL, I DON'T HAVE TO INTERVIEW ANYBODY ELSE. UM, AND SHE HAD BEEN THE OFFICE MANAGER FOR FRANK HERRERA, AND SHE'S BEEN A VERY CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND OF MINE. SHE'S, SHE HAS TO HEAR IT ALL. AND, UH, AND THERE'S A LOT OF TIMES WHERE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, SHE WAS THE ONLY PERSON I COULD TALK TO ABOUT THAT STUFF. BUT, UM, MY ONLY ADVICE TO NORM, TO, UM, CARLA WOULD BE, THE TWO THINGS I ALWAYS TRY TO REMEMBER IS JUST TRY TO DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING. AND IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER, DON'T MAKE IT ANY WORSE. , YOU KNOW, AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S STUFF MY DAD TOLD ME EARLY ON. BUT IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH ALL OF YOU AND, UM, UM, AND, AND YOU JUST, YOU JUST MADE A FANTASTIC CHOICE AND YOU MADE A FANTASTIC CHOICE FOR THE OVERNIGHT TOO. MELANIE GOT DROPPED RIGHT IN IT LIKE WE DID. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS SHE ACTUALLY GOT A MANUAL. YEAH. WE DIDN'T GET A MANUAL. WE DIDN'T GET A MANUAL, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT SHE, SHE JUMPED RIGHT INTO IT. SO, SO I JUST WANT TO, WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY, UH, MAYOR, GIVEN THAT, UH, JUDGE BULL'S STILL AN ACTIVE JUDGE, WE'RE GONNA ASK HIM TO DO, UH, THE HONOR OF, UH, SWEARING IN BOTH, UH, JUDGE ODO AND JUDGE CASTILLO. ARE WE DOING IT HERE OR OVER HERE? DON'T MESS IT UP NOW, JUDGE. I DIDN'T HAVE THESE 20 YEARS AGO. SO WE'LL START WITH JUDGE CASTILLO. I, AYE. MELANIE CASTILLO. MELANIE CASTILLO, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY PAID, PAID, OFFERED, OFFERED, PROMISED TO PAY, PROMISED TO PAY, CONTRIBUTED, CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING OR PROMISED ANY OFFICE OR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING OR WITHHOLDING OF A VOTE OF A VOTE AT THE ELECTION AT WHICH I WAS ELECTED AT THE ELECTION OF WHICH I WAS ELECTED OR AS A REWARD TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT OR CONFIRMATION OR AS A REWARD TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT OR CONFIRMATION, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD. NUMBER TWO, THIS IS YOUR OATH OF OFFICE. I'M MELANIE CASTILLO. I'M MELANIE CASTILLO. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF MUNICIPAL COURT, JUDGE KNIGHT MAGISTRATE, THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE AND KNIGHT MAGISTRATE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND WILL AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, PRESERVE, PRESERVE, PROTECT, PROTECT AND DEFEND AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS, THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES, OF THE UNITED STATES, AND OF THIS STATE. SO HELP ME, GOD, END OF THIS STATE. SO HELP ME GOD, TAG YOU'RE IT . I, I, CARLA OTO, CARLA OTO. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY PAID, THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECT, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY PAID, OFFERED, OFFERED, PROMISED TO PAY, PROMISED TO PAY, CONTRIBUTED, CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE OR THING OF VALUE OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING OF A VOTE AT THE ELECTION AT WHICH I WAS ELECTED FOR A VOTE AT THE ELECTION FOR WHICH I WAS ELECTED. UH, OR AS A REWARD OR AS A REWARD TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT. TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT. OR CONFIRMATION. OR CONFIRMATION, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD, I, I, CARLA OVO DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF MUNICIPAL COURT, PRESIDING [01:00:01] JUDGE OF THE OFFICE OF MUNICIPAL COURT. PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, PRESERVE, PRESERVE, PROTECT, PROTECT, AND DEFEND AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION, THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. AND OF THIS STATE. AND OF THIS STATE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD. YOU'RE RIGHT. THANK YOU, PEN. CONGRATULATIONS. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. WHERE ARE YOU GONNA BE? JUDGE BOOK CONGRATULATIONS SO MUCH. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. YES. GONNA STEP BEHIND THAT PODIUM AND READ YOUR CERTIFICATE ONE. THANK YOU. REALLY JUDGE. THANKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. TO, TO MAKE THIS OFFICIAL, BECAUSE THIS IS ALSO IN PART OF RETIREMENT CEREMONY, UH, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HEREBY EXTENDS ITS OFFICIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO JUDGE JOHN BULL IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR 20 YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THROUGHOUT YOUR TENURE, YOU'VE BEEN DEDICATED TO PRESIDING OVER GENERAL APPEARANCES, MAGISTRATE COURT, AND ASSISTING WITH JUVENILE CASE MANAGEMENT. YOUR EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP IS PRESI PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE SECOND LARGEST COURT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS NOT GONE UNNOTICED AND IS TRULY WORTHY OF COMMENDATION. THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ARE PROUD TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON A JOB WELL DONE. MAY YOUR RETIREMENT OPEN NEW VISTAS WITH NEW CHALLENGES, NEW INTERESTS, AND ABOVE ALL, CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR THE YEARS TO COME. CONGRATULATIONS PRESENTED THIS 30TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2020, SIGNED BY ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JUDGE. ALL RIGHT. UM, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE. UM, WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO THE REST OF OUR INDIVIDUAL ITEMS AND WE'LL BEGIN WITH [01:05:01] ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. ITEM SEVEN IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A CONTRACT WITH B T I INC, D B A AMERICAN ENGINEERING AND THE AMOUNT OF $58,583 AND 35 CENTS TO PROVIDE A MOBILE SHOWER TRAILER FOR THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. FUNDING IS INCLUDED AND AVAILABLE IN FY 2020. ADOPTED CITY COUNCIL PROJECT FUND AND D H S GENERAL FUND BUDGETS. COUNCIL MEMBER TRAVINO. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MARIA VILLA GOMEZ, MELODY WOOLSEY AND EDWARD GONZALEZ, AS WELL AS, UH, MY PAST AND PRESENT COLLEAGUES, COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WHO SUPPORTED THIS EFFORT TO PROVIDE A HAND UP AND NOT A HANDOUT TO THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK DAWN WHITE FOSTE, WHO SPOKE EARLIER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHRISTIAN ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES FOR AGREEING TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY IN HOSTING THE SHOWER TRAILER PILOT PROGRAM ON THEIR CAMPUS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. UH, MELODY WOULD, UH, I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD PROVIDE US A BRIEF PRESENTATION. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. SO LAST YEAR, COUNCILMAN TRAVINO REQUESTED THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PURCHASE A MOBILE SHOWER, UM, UNIT TO PROVIDE HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS EXPERIENCING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WITH ACCESS TO HYGIENIC SHOWER FACILITIES. HYGIENE REDUCES THE SPREAD OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND ALSO BRINGS DIGNITY TO THE HOMELESS. UM, IT ALSO BRING, BEING CLEAN PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES, BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, LOOKING FOR JOBS AND LOOKING FOR APARTMENTS. SHOWERS ALSO PROVIDE US WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE THE HOMELESS AND OTHER SERVICES WHILE WORKING ON THE MOBILE SHOWER PROJECT, UM, OR MOBILE SHOWER PURCHASE. OVER THE SUMMER, D H S BEGAN PARTNERING WITH CHRISTIAN ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES OR CAM TO INITIATE THE MOBILE SHOWER PILOT BAPTIST CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES LOANED CAM, A VERY LARGE EIGHT STALL SHOWER UNIT TO IMPLEMENT A PILOT PROJECT FOR THE SHOWERS. THIS UNIT IS MOBILE, BUT IT IS QUITE LARGE AND MUST BE MOVED BY A SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK. CAM MAKES IT A POINT TO, UM, IN THEIR, IN THEIR WORK, THEY MAKE IT A POINT TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME AND LISTEN TO A HUMAN CONNECTION AND UNEXPECTED LEVEL OF CARE AND SUPPORT WHILE THEY'RE THERE. AND AS OF DECEMBER 31ST, 2019, THE MOBILE SHOWER PILOT PROVIDED MORE THAN 1400 SHOWERS TO 404 INDIVIDUALS ONCE THE NEW MOBILE UNIT IS OPERATIONAL. AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT BY APRIL HUMAN SERVICES WILL RETURN THE LOAN UNIT TO, UH, BAPTIST CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES AND USE OUR MORE FLEXIBLE MOBILE UNIT AT CAM TO CONTINUE OFFERING SHOWERS THREE DAYS PER WEEK. CURRENTLY THAT'S ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAYS, AND SATURDAYS. AND WITH THE CONTINUED, UH, UH, ASSISTANCE OF CAM VOLUNTEERS AND ONE PART-TIME EMPLOYEE, UH, A, WHICH IS A HUMAN SERVICES TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE, ONGOING OPERATIONS COST OF APPROXIMATELY $600 PER MONTH ARE FUNDED IN THE HUMAN SERVICES FISCAL YEAR 2020 BUDGET TO SUPPORT WATER COSTS LAUNDRY, AND THE PART-TIME EMPLOYEE. THE FORMAL BID FOR A PORTABLE SHOWER WAS ISSUED IN AUGUST OF 2019. WE RECEIVED ONE BID THAT WAS DEEMED RESPONSIVE. THE BID INCLUDED A 16 BY SEVEN FOOT SHOWER TRAILER WITH A THREE STATION COMBO, WHICH MEANS TWO STANDARD SHOWER STALLS AND 180 A COMPLIANCE STALL. THE TOTAL COST OF THE SHOWER IS $58,583, OF WHICH 32,000 IS FROM YOUR CITY COUNCIL PROJECT FUNDS, WHICH WERE PROVIDED BY THE MAYOR AND EIGHT COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND THE REMAINING 26,000 IS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL FUND BUDGET. AND SO STAFF IS RECOMMENDING PURCHASE OF THE MOBILE SHOWER TRAILER, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. THANK YOU, MELODY. UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO, UH, ASK, UH, DAWN WHITE FOSTE IF SHE COULD COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS, UH, MISQUOTED. I THOUGHT SHE SPOKE EARLIER, BUT I'D LIKE FOR HER TO SAY A FEW THINGS. I WANNA THANK THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THIS COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERING SHOWERS FOR THE HOMELESS, UM, AND PROVIDING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR EXPERIENCE WITH OFFERING A PILOT PROGRAM, UM, TO THE HOMELESS. MY NAME IS DAWN WHITE FICK, AND I AM THE PRESIDENT AND C E O OF CHRISTIAN [01:10:01] ASSISTANCE MINISTRY, AND HAVE BEEN THERE FOR 10 YEARS, AND I'VE WORKED IN NONPROFIT WORK FOR 20 YEARS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. CAM IS A 43 YEAR OLD NONPROFIT THAT SERVES 50,000 PEOPLE ANNUALLY. 25% OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE HOMELESS, AND OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO PEOPLE IN CRISIS. OVER A HUNDRED HOMELESS ARRIVE AT OUR STEPS EACH MORNING TO GET FOOD, CLOTHING, AND HYGIENE ITEMS, OR EVEN TO CHECK THEIR MAIL. OUR VALUES FOCUS ON PROVIDING GRACE AND IMMEDIATE HELP, AND SPECIFICALLY OUR VALUES, OUR COMPASSION, HOPE, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, SERVICE, AND TRUST. CAM WAS APPROACHED TO IMPLEMENT A PILOT SHOWER PROGRAM UTILIZING THIS STONE ADDED SHOWER SYSTEM. UM, WE WERE WILLING TO SAY YES TO THAT EVEN THOUGH WE HAD NEVER OFFERED SHOWERS, AND WE HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO HAVE THAT MANY HOMELESS SHOW UP TO GET A SHOWER. AND, UM, BUT WE BELIEVED THAT OUR HOMELESS HAD SHARED WITH US OVER AND OVER THAT THEY WERE DESPERATE FOR A SHOWER. AND WE SAW MANY CLIENTS THAT WERE GETTING JOBS WHERE WE WERE PROVIDING THEM HAIRCUTS OR CLEAN CLOTHES, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE EXTRA ABILITY TO CLEAN THEMSELVES. WHAT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU TODAY IS THAT THIS PILOT PROGRAM EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS. WE PROVIDED SHOWERS TO OVER 1400. WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE HYGIENE ITEMS BECAUSE THE VOLUNTEERS THAT CAM HAVE BECAME, UM, ENTHRALLED WITH THIS PROGRAM AND PROVIDED THOSE DONATED ITEMS. WE OURSELVES DON'T SPECIFICALLY SEEK ANY FUNDING FROM GOVERNMENT OR THE CITY. SO MY ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THIS PROGRAM AND THESE SHOWERS, IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDING TO SUPPORT A PROGRAM THAT WE WANNA DO. WE'RE WILLING TO CONTINUE TO UTILIZE OUR VOLUNTEERS AND OUR 43 YEAR OLD SYSTEM OF SERVING CLIENTS IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS A REALITY FOR OUR CLIENTS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID NOT KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN WAS NOT ONLY WOULD THE CLIENTS BE CLEAN ON THE OUTSIDE, THERE WAS A VISIBLE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR DEMEANOR AND THEIR ATTITUDE, UM, FROM THE INSIDE AS WELL AS THE OUTSIDE. AND OUR VOLUNTEERS BECAME ENGAGED WITH OUR VOL, OUR HOMELESS CLIENTS, IN A WAY THAT WE HAD NEVER BEEN BEFORE WHEN WE WERE GIVING SACK LUNCHES OR HYGIENE ITEMS OR CLOTHES, OR EVEN CUTTING THEIR HAIR AS OUR CLIENTS WERE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND BEGAN TO REGAIN SOME OF THEIR OWN SELF-WORTH WITH REGULAR SHOWERS. AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST SOMETHING ONCE A MONTH, BUT THREE TIMES A WEEK, IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHO THEY WERE, WHO THEY WANTED TO BE, AND EVEN WHAT THEY NEEDED TO DO TO MOVE FORWARD, STARTED TO HAPPEN THROUGH AND DURING THIS TRANSFORMATIVE SHOWER PROCESS. I WAS JUST AT A MEETING WITH HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS YESTERDAY, UM, DOING A SURVEY, AND SHOWERS WERE ONE OF THE TOP THREE THINGS THEY INDICATED THEY NEEDED. OUR MARKETING PLAN TO PROMOTE THIS SERVICE AS YOU ALL SAW UP THERE, WAS THAT JAMES TAYLOR SONG, SHOWER, THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE WITH LOVE SHOW THEM THE WAY THAT YOU FEEL. AND I JUST LOVE THIS PART. THINGS ARE GONNA BE MUCH BETTER IF YOU ONLY WILL. SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS WATER AND SOAP CAN TRANSFORM A PERSON'S LIFE. THIS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE PERFECT. AND OUR CLIENT'S ROSE TO THE OCCASION, AND THROUGH THIS DIGNIFIED PROCESS, BEGAN SEEING THEMSELVES AND THEIR OPPORTUNITIES AS HOPEFUL. WE HOPE THAT OUR CITY WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS A REALITY FOR FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND INVEST IN THIS TRANSFORMATIVE SERVICE. THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING US PILOT AND BE A PART OF THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DON. UM, REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK TO ALL THE, THE VOLUNTEERS. UM, TO, TO ALL THE FOLKS THAT, THAT HAVE HELPED PUSH THIS ALONG, THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR HELP. THANK YOU. UM, AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE, THIS PROGRAM HAS ILLUSTRATED THE NEED FOR DIGNIFIED SOLUTIONS, LIKE PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CARE OF BASIC HUMAN NECESSITIES CLEANLINESS. IT HAS ALSO ALLOWED CAM TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE EXPERIENCED, INFORMED STANDARDS AND PRACTICES MANUAL FOR, FOR US TO USE IN THE FUTURE WITH THE SHOWER TRAILER, SHOWER TRAILER THAT WE ARE APPROVING TODAY. I HOPE TO, TO, UH, LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY MORE OF THESE AND DEPLOY THEM WHERE THE NEED REQUIRES US TO DEPLOY THEM. AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK, UH, MY COLLEAGUES FOR, FOR HELPING TO SUPPORT THIS AND MOVING THIS FORWARD. I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM SEVEN COUNCILS MEMBER ELAS. THANK YOU. UM, REALLY SIMPLY PUT, UH, COUNCILMAN TREVINO, IF WE CAN INSTALL KIOSKS DOWNTOWN FOR TOURISTS, WE CAN PROVIDE SHOWERS FOR, UH, THE MOST VULNERABLE HUMAN BEINGS IN OUR CITY. UH, THANK YOU MELODY, AND THANK YOU DR. BRIDGER, FOR HELPING US MAKE THIS HAPPEN. IT'S A LONG TIME COMING. I KNOW THAT OTHER CITIES DO THIS, [01:15:01] AND, UH, SOMEHOW THEY'VE MANAGED TO CONTINUE EXISTING. UH, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS IS JUST A BA I I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A BASIC SERVICE. UM, MORE IMPORTANTLY, UM, IMAGINE TRYING TO GET A JOB. IMAGINE TRYING TO GET A JOB WITHOUT THE ACCESS TO A SHOWER, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, A SINK IN WHICH TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH IN. UM, I, I WANNA LIVE IN A SAN ANTONIO WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY, AND I'M GLAD THAT, UM, OUR CITY'S FINALLY DOING IT. SO THANKS FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. COUNCILMAN TRIVINIA. I'M GLAD TO SUPPORT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ELIAS. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. I WAS JUST, MY CHIEF OF STAFF CAME UP HERE AND SAID, MAN, YOU'RE GONNA LOOK LIKE A MEANIE. YOU KNOW, I, AND I'M NOT LOOKING AT IT THAT WAY. WE'VE DONE RESEARCH ON THIS, AND WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THERE'S A LOT OF CITIES THAT DO PROVIDE THIS, BUT IT'S NOT WITH CITY FUNDS. IT'S THROUGH NONPROFITS, ORGANIZATIONS THAT STEP UP AND FUND THESE ITEMS AND OPERATE 'EM, MAINTAIN 'EM, AND GET THESE THINGS OUT TO WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED. I'M ALL FOR THAT. I'M NOT FOR, NOR DID I SUPPORT WITH MONEY OUTTA MY FUNDS FUNDING GOING TOWARDS THIS TRAILER, BECAUSE IT'S NOT IDENTIFIED AS TO WHO IS GONNA OPERATE IT, WHO'S GONNA MAINTAIN IT, WHO'S GONNA MOVE IT AROUND TO THESE PLACES, WHO'S GONNA BE HOOKING IT UP TO, TO THE UTILITIES, WHO'S GONNA BE SERVICING IT WHEN IT BREAKS DOWN AND IT WILL BREAK DOWN. ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE STILL OUT THERE THAT IS GONNA BE ADDING TO THE OVERALL COST OF THIS SHOWER UNIT TO THE CITY. I'M ALL FOR NONPROFITS ON GETTING TOGETHER AND PROVIDING THIS AND PURCHASING THIS EQUIPMENT AND MOVING IT AROUND. I, I'M ALL FOR THAT. I JUST DON'T SEE THE, THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE CITY TO GET INTO ANOTHER PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. AND WE HAVE, TRUST ME, WE'VE GOT LOTS OF PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT WE OWN AND OPERATE HERE IN THIS TOWN, BUT THIS IS ANOTHER RESPONSIBILITY THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SADDLED WITH WHEN THINGS DON'T WORK OUT, RIGHT. SO, I, I DON'T SUPPORT THIS. LIKE I SAID, WE'VE DONE RESEARCH. THE RESEARCH THAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH IS MULTIPLE CITIES THAT DO HAVE THESE SHOWER UNITS THAT THEY USE, BUT IT'S OWNED, OPERATED, MAINTAINED, NOT BY THE CITIES, BUT BY THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT GET GRANTS, PRIVATE DONATIONS, THAT KIND OF THING TO DO THAT WITH. AND I STILL THINK THAT'S THE WAY WE SHOULD GO WITH THIS AND NOT TAKE ON ANOTHER RESPONSIBILITY HERE IN THE CITY FOR EXECUTING THIS OPERATING, MAINTAINING, MOVING, SERVICING, ALL OF THAT. IT'S NOT JUST, IT'S NOT JUST THE COST OF THIS SHOWER UNIT. THERE'S OTHER COSTS THAT GO ALONG WITH IT. SO, NO, I, I CAN'T SUPPORT THIS BEING OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE CITY. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT IDEA, COUNCILMAN, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU MOVING IT FORWARD. I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED. THE CITY JUST SIMPLY DIDN'T TAKE IT ON AS, UH, A FULL UNDERTAKING. UH, WHEN THAT IDEA CAME UP, I THOUGHT IT WAS WORTHWHILE. UH, BUT I THINK MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBER BRINGS UP SOME VERY GOOD QUESTIONS. AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE D H S COME UP AND, AND TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW IT WILL BE OPERATED, MAINTAINED, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, UH, GOING FORWARD. RIGHT? AND SO, UM, D H SS WILL HAVE RESPONSIBILITY OVERSIGHT FOR THE TRAILER. IT'LL BE IN OUR INVENTORY. AND SO MAINTENANCE AND THOSE KINDS OF RESPONSIBILITIES WILL BE ON US. WE'VE ALREADY WORKED WITH SAWS TO SET UP THE ACCOUNT THAT WE NEED FOR THE ADDITIONAL WATER, AND WE'RE, WE'RE COVERING THAT BILL. UM, WE WILL WORK WITH OUR, WE, UH, RIGHT NOW DON'T HAVE A FULL-SIZE TRUCK THAT WOULD PULL THE TRAILER, BUT WE HAVE A PIECE OF A VEHICLE THAT WE THINK WILL, OR WE'LL WORK WITH OUR OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO MOVE THE TRAILER WHEN TWO EVENTS WHEN NECESSARY. THAT WON'T BE A WEEKLY OR DAILY OCCASION. AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO MANAGE THAT, I THINK QUITE EASILY. AS I MENTIONED, UM, WE SPEND ABOUT $600 A MONTH ON THE CURRENT PILOT, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY FOR A MUCH LARGER TRAILER. AND SO WE FEEL LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CURRENTLY WITHIN RESOURCES WE CAN MANAGE THE OPERATIONS. WHAT ABOUT, UH, PERSONNEL? SO WE HAVE ONE PART-TIME EMPLOYEE [01:20:01] WHO, UM, WORKS ON THE DAYS THAT THE SHOWERS ARE OFFERED, UM, OVER AT, AT CAM MINISTRIES. AND THEN CAM MINISTRIES HAS PROVIDED THE VOLUNTEERS REALLY, THAT MAKE THE PROGRAM WORK, UM, SO THAT THERE'S ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS THERE TO MANAGE PEOPLE GOING IN AND OUTTA THE STALLS, UM, MEN AND WOMEN AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE THAT NEED, UM, PRIVACY AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT NO ONE IS BARGING IN ON THEM. AND THEN ALSO THOSE VOLUNTEERS ARE HELPING CONNECT THEM TO OTHER SERVICE, ENGAGING THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ENGAGED PREVIOUSLY IN, UM, SERVICES AND INITIATIVES THAT WILL HELP THEM MOVE FORWARD. AND AS DON MENTIONED, UM, THE PILOT PROJECT WE DID HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. WE WANT TO CONTINUE DOING THIS AND, AND WE FEEL LIKE THIS MOBILE TRAILER UNIT WILL, WILL HELP US EXPAND AND REALLY MOVE OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. AND WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE HOMELESS ALL OVER THE COMMUNITY AND ENCAMPMENTS AND, AND THAT THAT TRAILER COULD POTENTIALLY BE SOMETHING THAT HELPS US ENGAGE THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY SOMETIMES VERY CHRONICALLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS, UM, HELP, THEY HELP BUILD TRUST. THEY HELP, UM, LIKE WE SAID, CONNECT TO OTHER SERVICES. YOU KNOW, I THINK THOSE ARE SOME KEY INGREDIENTS, UH, THE CONNECTION TO OTHER SERVICES. AND ALSO THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE, UM, OTHER AGENCIES, NONPROFITS, UH, THAT ARE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE WITH THIS. AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A KEY IS, UH, BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND GETTING MANY OF THE NONPROFITS TO GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, PARTICIPATE WITH US IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TOWN AT DIFFERENT TIMES. AND, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, AND I THINK ALL OF US AGREE, UH, A SITUATION IN THIS COMMUNITY WHERE HOMELESSNESS IS A BIG CONCERN IN EVERY PART OF THE CITY. I'VE HEARD MY FELLOW COUNCILMAN DISTRICT 10 MANY TIMES TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT HOMELESS? AND THIS CERTAINLY IS A WAY OF DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT IN HIS DISTRICT. MY DISTRICT, EVERY DISTRICT IN THE CITY, YES, I CAN JUST ENVISION SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN HOMELESS FOR MONTHS OR YEARS AND MAYBE PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T HAD A SHOWER OR ANY KIND OF PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR MONTHS AT A TIME AND WHAT THEIR SELF-IMAGE MUST BE. BUT WHAT COULD THAT SELF-IMAGE BE IF THEY WERE ABLE TO GO AND GET CLEANED UP AND HAVE A SHOWER AND COME OUT AND FEEL LIKE THEY'RE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING FOR A CHANGE INSTEAD OF WHAT THEY SEE IN A PUDDLE OR THEY SEE IN THE RESTROOM MIRROR AT SOME GAS STATION, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PERSONALLY GROOM THEMSELVES OR TAKE CARE OF THEIR HYGIENE FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS AT A TIME. AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THIS KIND OF A SERVICE. AND I THINK CRITICALLY ALONG WITH THAT, HAVE OTHER SERVICES AVAILABLE WHEN PEOPLE COME, WHETHER IT'S D H F STAFF, WHETHER IT'S, UH, UH, HAVEN FOR HOPE STAFF, WHETHER IT'S OTHER NONPROFIT STAFF. YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THIS CAN MAKE AN IMPACT IN HELPING PEOPLE GET OFF THE STREETS AND STOP BEING HOMELESS. 'CAUSE THE FIRST THING IS SELF-RESPECT. IF YOU CAN'T RESPECT YOURSELF, YOU WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM THE COMMUNITY, YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO HIDE. AND I THINK PUTTING YOURSELF IN A, A POSITION OF LOOKING AT YOURSELF CLEAN AND REFRESHED AND UNDERSTANDING THAT, HEY, YOU'RE A HUMAN BEING, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE IS PART OF THAT FIRST STEP TO GET YOU BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO I COMMEND YOU, COUNCILMAN, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I COMMEND CAM FOR TAKING THIS ON AS A, AN EARLY PILOT PROJECT. I, I COMMEND THE CITY FOR TAKING THIS ON, AND I HOPE WE DO EXPAND THIS. AND I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO TO FIGHT HOMELESSNESS HERE IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. I, UH, WANNA THANK THE COUNCILMAN FOR BRINGING THIS ISSUE FORWARD AND I'M, I'M GLAD STAFF HAS COME ALONG. UM, I, I THINK IT TOOK US A LONG TIME TO, TO GET TO THIS POINT. UM, BUT I THINK ANYONE ON THIS DAIS KNOWS THAT FEELING WHEN YOU GET OUT OF A SHOWER AND WHEN YOU'VE REALLY NEEDED IT, EVEN WHEN YOU DIDN'T. UM, HOW IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN THINK, WHERE YOU CAN GATHER YOUR THOUGHTS. UH, SOME PEOPLE COME UP WITH IDEAS IN THE SHOWER, BUT HOW IT TRANSFORMS YOUR DAY AND YOUR MOOD, AND, AND YOU SPOKE TO THAT, DAWN. SO I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S AN ACT OF COMPASSION TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS, UM, AT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE CITY BUDGET, THIS IS REALLY JUST SOMETHING VERY TINY. AND I KNOW IT WILL TAKE WORK, BUT IT WILL, IT WILL CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES. THANK YOU STAFF. AND, UH, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER VINNO. [01:25:03] THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YEAH, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT ONE OTHER, ONE OTHER ITEM. UM, MELODY, CAN I ASK ONE, ONE MORE QUESTION? THE, THE SHOWER TRAILER, YOU KNOW, WOULD IT BE AVAILABLE FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS? LET'S SAY A TORNADO HIT US OR A MICROBURST LIKE WE EXPERIENCED LAST YEAR, WHERE NEIGHBORHOODS MIGHT BE OUT, UH, YOU KNOW, OUT OF THEIR HOMES. WOULD IT BE AVAILABLE FOR FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS? YES. UM, AND AS WE WERE EXPLORING HOW TO PURCHASE THE FACILITY, WE ACTUALLY DID TALK TO THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, CHIEF ZEPEDA. UM, HE WAS SUPPORTIVE OF THE CITY HAVING, UH, SUCH A UNIT FOR JUST THOSE PURPOSES. AND SO IT WOULD BE AVAILABLE. SO WE HAVE A, A ROBUST EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER. WE'VE EXPERIENCED EMERGENCIES. WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT, THAT, THAT IT'S, THIS ISN'T REALLY, NOT JUST HOMELESS, BUT THERE'S TIMES WHEN WE HAVE THIS VERY PARTICULAR NEED, RIGHT? YES. YES. THANK YOU. UH, AGAIN, I JUST WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THIS ALL ALONG, AND, UH, I'M JUST GLAD WE'RE FINALLY MOVING THIS FORWARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. AND I ALSO WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO FOR HIS, UM, PERSISTENCE, UH, AND DETERMINATION IN GETTING THIS OVER THE FINISH LINE. I, I HAD SOME OF THE SIMILAR QUESTIONS THAT ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAD ASKED, AND I APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU TOOK TO, TO ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS. I THINK THIS MAKES IT A, A, UH, STRONG SUPPORT, UH, FOR A, AS COUNCIL MEMBER, PLY SAID, A BASIC HUMAN SERVICE, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT HAS EMBRACED THAT AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR GETTING THE JOB DONE. LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS. AND WITH THAT IS, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 23. ITEM 23 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE NEGOTIATION AND EXECUTION OF CHAPTER THREE 80. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FORGIVABLE LOAN AGREEMENT FOR UP TO $282,000 EIGHTY TWO, TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY $2,225 TO SOJO COMMONS. TWO LP FOR CONSTRUCTION OF 15 AFFORDABLE CONDOMINIUMS TO BE SOLD TO HOUSEHOLDS EARNING AT OR BELOW A HUNDRED, 120% OF AREA MEDIAN. MEDIAN INCOME FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $282,225 IS AVAILABLE IN THE INNER CITY INITIATIVE FUND. FISCAL YEAR 2020. ADOPTED BUDGET. COUNCILMEMBER TRAVINO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I'M HIGHLIGHTING THIS ITEM BECAUSE IT WILL PROVIDE SOME MUCH NEEDED, UH, MISSING MIDDLE FOR CELL HOUSING PRODUCT IN THE PEARL AREA. ARGUABLY, ONE OF THE HOTTEST REAL ESTATE MARKETS IN THE CITY. 15 AFFORDABLE CONDOMS WILL BE SOLD TO HOUSEHOLDS EARNING AT OR BELOW 120% OF THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME AS PART OF A 48 UNIT PROJECT, AND A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF $15.383 MILLION IN REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY IMPROVEMENTS. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT, THE DEVELOPER WILL ACT AS THE CITY CONTRACTOR TO DELIVER A CONTIGUOUS AND MUCH NEEDED SIDEWALK PROJECT TO AN AREA THAT HAS LONG SUFFERED FROM HEAVY INDUSTRIAL USE. I WANT TO THANK THE, THE WORK OF THE DEVELOPER AND, UM, IN PARTICULAR WITH THIS ASPECT, UNDERSTANDING HOW INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENTS ALL CAN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN PARTNERSHIP. UH, I'D LIKE TO TO INVITE THEM UP TO MAYBE SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE PROJECT OR EVEN ANSWER, UM, WE CAN POINT OUT, YEAH. MR. INDO, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN TINO. AND, AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL. UH, MY NAME IS STEVE ENDO. I LIVE AT 5 0 3 EAST GUNTHER STREET, 7 8 2 1 OH HERE IN TOWN. UM, THIS IS OUR FOURTH PROJECT, THE C CHIP PROJECT. UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WORKING WITH STAFF. THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. UH, AND WE APPRECIATE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE AFFORDABILITY OF THE FORGIVABLE LOAN FOR FIVE ADDITIONAL UNITS OVER THE, THE STANDARD THAT WE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DON'T THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS THAT THERE ARE OTHER COMPONENTS TO AFFORDABILITY OTHER THAN JUST THE HOME ITSELF. THERE'S MAINTENANCE, UPKEEP, TRANSPORTATION, AND IN PARTICULAR IN THIS LOCATION BAR RIGHT BY PEARL, UM, WITHIN PROBABLY A 10 MINUTE WALK. THERE'S, UH, FUTURE CREDIT, HUMAN ADMINISTRATIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE PEOPLE, UH, JEFFERSON STATE BANK, UH, A NEW POLICE SUBSTATION, ALL OF WHICH [01:30:01] ARE THE TYPES OF JOBS THAT, UM, UH, ARE IN THE AREA, UH, AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE WHERE YOU COULD POTENTIALLY LOSE A SECOND CAR AND, AND HAVE SOME SAVINGS ON THE TRANSPORTATION FRONT, ON THE MAINTENANCE FRONT. UM, WE HOPE THAT IT'LL BE, IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL, IT'LL PROVE ITSELF OUT AS A, AS A MODEL TO CREATE SOME MORE OF THESE PROJECTS IN THE INNER CITY. UH, ONE QUICK QUESTION. SO THIS, THIS DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH YOU FOR, FOR SOME TIME NOW, UM, BUT THIS DEVELOPMENT IS, IS A PORTION OF THE FORMER FLASHER EQUIPMENT PROPERTY, RIGHT? SO, CORRECT. AND IT, AND IT INCLUDES IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY YES. TO INCLUDING UNDER UNDERGROUND CONVERSION OF UTILITIES, NEW SIDEWALKS AND STREET LIGHTING. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. YES. THOSE, UH, THE STREETS HAD, UH, HAD REALLY BEEN BEAT UP FOR PROBABLY THE LAST 30 YEARS BY FLASHER EQUIPMENT COMPANY. NO, UH, NO. UH, YOU KNOW, NEGATIVE TO, TO FLASHER EQUIPMENT, BUT THEY'RE HEAVY INDUSTRIAL USE. SO THIS IS AN OLD INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY. UH, THAT WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD HAD, UH, HAD SEEN A LOT OF HEAVY USE. AND SO WHILE WE DO GET SOME SUB SUBSIDIES FROM THE CITY, I CAN SAY THAT IT'S A FRACTION OF THE MONEY THAT WE PUT BACK INTO STREETS, REDOING UTILITIES, UPGRADES, DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, ALL THAT IS, IS A, A BIG EXPENSE OF DOING PROJECTS IN THE, IN THE DOWNTOWN AND OUT, JUST OUTSIDE THE DOWNTOWN AREA. AND SOMETHING THAT'S NOT SEEN IN THIS IS ALSO YOUR, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR TRANSPORTATION AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DEPARTMENT. I THINK, I THINK, UH, I WANNA SAY THAT THAT COLLABORATION HAS ACTUALLY HELPED TO, TO MAYBE CREATE SOME, SOME NEW STANDARDS OR NEW WAY NEW APPROACHES TO HOW WE, UH, TACKLE A LOT OF THESE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU AND FRANK FOR, FOR, YOU KNOW, BEING AVAILABLE AND REALLY BEING ENGAGED, UH, WHAT WE THINK IS, UH, AN EXEMPLARY PROJECT OF HOW WE CAN PARTNER, UH, WITH MORE OF THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS. UH, I WANNA ALSO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS PROJECT IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE MAYOR'S HOUSING POLICY FRAMEWORK PLAN, WHICH IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR 2,767 HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS IN THE 81 TO ONE 20% AREA MEDIAN INCOME RANGE OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS. AND I THINK YOU'RE MEETING THAT. YES. AGAIN, THANK YOU. I THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, THEREFORE, I, I MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 23. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 23. COUNCIL MEMBER KURZ, YOU WEREN'T IN THE QUEUE. OKAY, NOW YOU ARE. ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I'VE ASKED TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS IN OPPOSITION, UH, TO THIS ORDINANCE PROVIDING THIS, UH, $282,000, UH, CITY TAX GIVEAWAY. I HAVE A, A PROBLEM WITH THIS FOR A LOT OF REASONS. FIRST OF ALL, COUNCILMAN, YOU JUST CALLED THIS ONE OF THE HOTTEST REAL ESTATE MARKETS IN THE CITY, BUT WE'RE GIVING AWAY $282,000 TO A DEVELOPER TO, UH, GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE, UH, STUDIO APARTMENTS AND ONE BEDROOM APARTMENTS. UM, YOU KNOW, THE PROJECT IS ALREADY RECEIVED 789,000 FROM THE CITY IN FEE WAIVERS AND REBATES. THE ADDITIONAL 282 WILL GO JUST FOR FIVE ADDITIONAL. IT'S NOT 15 UNITS THIS BUYS, IT JUST BUYS FIVE ADDITIONAL. AND WHAT ARE QUESTIONABLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS THAT'LL BE COMPRISED OF ONE BEDROOM AND STUDIO APARTMENTS? YOU KNOW, VERONICA SOTO ASSERTS THAT BECAUSE HOMES IN THIS AREA ARE VALUED OR WILL BE VALUED IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE AT $350,000 AND ABOVE THAT 120% A M I WOULD BE, UH, ABLE TO SECURE SOME FAMILIES FOR THE AREA. HOWEVER, FAMILIES DON'T OFTEN LIVE IN ONE BEDROOM OR STUDIO APARTMENTS IN 2018. I WAS A BIT HESITANT WHEN I VOTED TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CHIP PROGRAM. IT WAS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE CHANGES WOULD BE USED TO IMPROVE FAIRNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM. AND THESE CHANGES WOULD LEAD TO A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO THE COMMUNITY. AND I'M SAD TO SAY THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSAL SET BEFORE THIS COUNCIL ADHERES TO ANY OF THOSE CONDITIONS. I SHARED MY CONCERNS WITH THE COUNCIL AT THAT TIME OF THE HIGH, UH, A M I RATES WHEN LOOKING AT AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 120% OF THE AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME IS NOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE MAJORITY OF SAN ANTONIANS. AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THESE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BEING DEDICATED TO THIS PROJECT HELP THE CITY ACHIEVE ITS GOAL OF CREATING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I UNDERSTAND IT'S IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE PEARL BREWERY, WHICH IS [01:35:01] AN EXPENSIVE PLACE TO LIVE, BUT COULD THESE DOLLARS BE SPENT CREATING MORE THAN JUST FIVE UNITS SOMEWHERE ELSE? COULD WE NOT BE MORE EFFICIENT IN THE ALLOCATION OF THESE FUNDS? THIS DEAL DOES NOT SERVE FAMILIES. THE AFFORDABLE PRODUCTS THEY ARE OFFERING ARE ONE BEDROOM AND STUDIO APARTMENTS WITH VERY LOW SQUARE FOOTAGE. AND I BELIEVE THIS PROJECT IS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF, OF THE CITY'S GOAL, OR AT LEAST OUR INTENTION AS A COUNCIL AT THAT TIME FOR CREATING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE CITY. AND THAT'S WHY I DON'T SUPPORT THIS. I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY BE DEVELOPED FOR MULTIFAMILY AT 60% A M I OR EVEN 80% A M I THAN 48, UH, EITHER INDIVIDUALS OR MAYBE COUPLES THAT ARE GONNA BE PAYING 120% OF A M I, AT LEAST FOR THESE 15 UNITS. SO I REALLY THINK THE STAFF HAS ERRED IN OFFERING THIS ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO PROVIDE THAT WOULD STILL HAVE HAD THE DEVELOPER GO FORWARD WITH THIS PROPERTY. AND, UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT BETTER AFFORDABILITY AND NOT INVESTING OUR TAXPAYERS MONEY IN SUBSIDIZING FOR PROFIT DEVELOPMENT IN THIS AREA. THESE HOMES ARE GONNA BE SOLD ANYWHERE. WELL, THE 15 THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, THEY'RE SAYING $250,000, BUT MANY OF THEM ARE GONNA BE OVER $350,000. I, I THINK IT'S JUST A MISTAKE AND I'M GONNA BE VOTING IN OPPOSITION TO IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. UH, WE HAVE ANOTHER, UH, REQUEST HERE. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. UM, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON THE, ON THE ITEM IS ANYBODY FROM NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES HERE BY ANY CHANCE? I'M WITH THE CENTERS OF VERONICA GARCIA. I'M WITH CENTER CITY DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT, AND OUR DEPARTMENT IS THE ONE THAT'S RECOMMENDING THE FORGIVABLE LOAN. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, SO I JUST HAD A, UH, A MEETING ON THE C D B G FUNDING. MM-HMM. WITH N H SS D, AND THEY WALKED ME THROUGH SOME OF THE, UH, PROCESS THAT THEY GO THROUGH BEFORE RECOMMENDING, UH, THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT LETTERS OF SUPPORT, OH, SORRY. THE C D B G FUNDING. AND, UM, I JUST WANTED THEM TO, TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. UM, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH IT? UM, VAGUELY FAMILIAR WITH THE CD. I'M OH, OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. YES. I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS IN OUR UNDERWRITING REVIEW. RIGHT. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ONE FOR N H S D VERSUS THIS ONE? IT'S A VERY SIMILAR PROCESS WHEN WE WORK WITH THE DEVELOPERS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT REVIEW OR THE C D B G FUNDING, THEY GIVE US THEIR PROFORMA. WE, WE LOOK TO SEE WHERE THE GAP IS, LOOKING AT THE MARKET, LOOKING AT WHAT RENTS WE CAN GET, AND THEN COMPARING TO THE LAND VALUES AND THEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS. AND THEN WE LOOK TO SEE IF THEIR GAP THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING IS, IS ACT TRULY A GAP. AND THAT'S SOMETHING SIMILAR WE DO HERE IN CENTER CITY AS WELL. RIGHT. SO, UM, DO WE ALSO HAVE A THIRD PARTY, UH, UNDERWRITER REVIEW? NO, WE DO THAT INTERNALLY. THESE ARE, UM, USUALLY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE THE C CHIEF IS, AS OF RIGHT, THIS WAS OUTSIDE THE SEED CHIP. WE HAVE THE EXPERTISE IN-HOUSE TO, TO DO THIS. AND SO CITY STAFF DID REVIEW THE ANALYSIS AND THE REASONS WHY THIS, UM, PROJECT NEEDS ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES IS BECAUSE THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS ARE HIGH. UM, LAND VALUES REMAIN HIGH AND SALES PRICES, THESE ARE MUCH LOWER SALE PRICES THAN WHAT YOU WOULD GET, UM, IN A DIFFERENT PART OF THE TOWN. SO THERE WAS A GAP. AND THAT'S HOW OUR FUNDING IS BEING USED TO HELP WITH THAT. OKAY. SO C C D O HAS THAT EXPERTISE IN HOUSE? YES. BUT N H S D DOESN'T, THEY, THEY CONTRACT THAT OUT FOR, MAINLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT, A LARGE VOLUME COMING THROUGH. THIS IS ONE PROJECT. UHHUH , C D B G. WE'VE RECEIVED 12 APPLICATIONS, AND SO WE HAVE SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME MM-HMM. , SO WE CONTRACT THAT OUT TO HELP WITH CAPACITY. OKAY. SO THAT REVIEW AND THOSE DOCUMENTS, THOSE ARE AVAILABLE? YES. MM-HMM. . OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THEY'RE NOT PART OF THE PACKET OR ANYTHING TODAY? NO. OKAY. BUT WE CAN, WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, I'D LIKE TO, UH, ASK, UH, I BELIEVE THIS IS GOING INTO, UH, AN AREA WITH THET. YES. SO CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT WHY THAT'S NOT, UH, A FUNDING OPTION FOR THIS? UM, IT COULD BE, BUT THE SEA CHIP ACTUALLY IS USING THE TOURS FOR THE TAX REBATE. SO THIS PROJECT IS ALREADY RECEIVING T FUNDS BY VIRTUE OF BEING A CENTER CITY HOUSING INCENTIVE POLICY PROJECT. AND SO IT RECEIVES A 75% TAX REBATE. THE TAXES ARE ALREADY GOING IN THE TS, SO THE TS IS GONNA REIMBURSE 'EM THOSE TAXES. THE REMAINING 25% [01:40:02] IS GOING INTO AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND DEDICATED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE AREA. AND SO WE DECIDED SINCE THE PROJECT WASN'T CONTRIBUTING TO THE TOURISM ANYMORE, 'CAUSE WE'RE REATING IT OR DIVERTING THAT FUNDING, WE'RE GOING THIS ROUTE WITH THE INNER CITY INCENTIVE FUND LOAN. UM, AND THEY MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT REINVESTING IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE MM-HMM. WITH, AND WHAT MONEY IS THAT IS GONNA BE USED FOR THAT. THE INNER CITY INCENTIVE FUND WILL HELP WITH THAT INFRASTRUCTURE COST BECAUSE, SO NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE USING THOSE FUNDS, SO WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY CAN DECREASE THE SALES PRICE OF THOSE FIVE UNITS. MM-HMM. , NORMALLY THE SALES PRICE WOULD TAKE THE BURDEN OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS. SO I I SUPPORT MAKING THIS MORE AFFORDABLE. THERE IS, THERE'S NO DOUBT THIS IS AN AREA WHERE IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER FOR, UH, FOLKS TO, TO MOVE INTO. I GUESS MY, UH, MY CONCERN IS WHERE THE MONEY'S COMING FROM MM-HMM. FROM, UM, AND, UH, SO RIGHT NOW, UH, THE WAY OUR TURS WORK IS SOME OF THAT, THAT BASE LEVEL OF REVENUE WHEN THE TURS WAS CREATED, CONTINUES TO COME TO THE CITY FOR GENERAL FUND. BUT THEN EVERY, UH, EVERYTHING ADDITIONAL SINCE THEN, THE TS KEEPS IT AND THEY DECIDE WHERE THAT GOES. SO THAT MEANS THAT ALL THE, UH, VALUE THAT'S BEEN ADDED FROM ALL OF THAT INVESTMENT THAT'S DRIVEN UP, THE PROPERTY VALUES THERE THAT WE'VE COLLECTED IN, UH, OR THAT HAVE BEEN COLLECTED IN PROPERTY TAXES. THE CITY RIGHT NOW FOR THE GENERAL FUND DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THAT. CORRECT. HOWEVER, FOR THE MIDTOWN TOURS, THEY DID CONTRIBUTE $1.5 MILLION TO OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUDGET. UM, THEY'VE ALREADY APPROVED THAT. AND THEN THE C CHIP, SO ANY HOUSING PROJECT THAT'S WITHIN THE MIDTOWN TOURS, THE TOURS IS PAYING THAT REBATE, NOT THE GENERAL FUND. AND SO THE, NORMALLY THAT INCREMENT WOULD STAY IN THE TOUR, BUT BECAUSE OF THE POLICY THAT'S BEEN ADOPTED BY COUNCIL AND BY THE TOURS BOARD, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO KEEP THAT INCREMENT. IT'S GOING BACK TO THE PROJECT. AND I THINK, AND I THINK THAT'S FAIR MM-HMM. THAT IT SHOULD COME FROM THERE. UM, BUT I THINK EVERY, I THINK EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER KNOWS THAT EVERY YEAR WE STRUGGLE HERE JUST TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY TO, YOU KNOW, REDO THE ALLEYS MM-HMM. THAT RIGHT NOW ARE FLOODING HOUSES IN MM-HMM. IN DISTRICT SEVEN, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKING THOSE HOUSES HARDER TO MAINTAIN MM-HMM. AND COSTING THOSE, UH, THOSE HOMEOWNERS MM-HMM. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. SO I, UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEED OUTSIDE OF, UM, OF THIS PARTICULAR, UH, AREA. AND SO I I, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO APPROVE THIS WHEN I SEE THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THAT, THAT WE HAVE IN, IN MY COMMUNITY. WELL, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS, UM, THERE'S A COMMENT MADE ABOUT HOW THIS, UM, IS IN, IN LINE WITH THE MAYOR'S HOUSING POLICY FRAMEWORK. SO I, THIS IS, UH, I'M NOT SURE WHO COULD ANSWER THIS QUESTION, BUT IF SO, UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT GOES TO THE HOUSING COMMISSION FOR REVIEW AND DO THEY BLESS THIS BEFORE IT COMES TO US? NO. SO THE, THE PROJECTS, UM, DO NOT GO TO THE HOUSING COMMISSION, BUT THIS IS WITHIN THE MAYOR'S HOUSING TASK FORCE REPORT GOALS. AND SO THEY HAD A GOALS FOR RENTAL, AND THOSE RENTALS GOAL GOALS WERE 30% A M I, UM, 30 TO 50, 60%, AND THEN 80. AND THEN YOU JUMP TO OWNERSHIP GOALS. AND SO THEY HAD A GOAL FOR 80 TO, OR 60 TO 80% A M I, AND THEN 80% TO ONE 20%. M I, THERE IS A NEED FOR THAT MISSING MIDDLE, AND THAT, THAT AFFORDABLE, THAT, THAT'S WHERE THE HOUSING IS, IS NEEDED FOR THAT FOR SALE PRODUCT. AND SO THIS IS MEETING THAT GOAL, RIGHT. IT, IT HELPS GET TO THAT. UM, AND, UH, AGAIN, I SUPPORT, UH, HAVING HOMES THAT ARE AFFORDABLE. I, I'M, I'M NOT CONVINCED ON THE MECHANISM FOR FUNDING THIS. MM-HMM. . SO, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. LORI. IS, UM, IS THERE A PRESENTATION AND I, I WAS JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED AND THANK YOU COUNCILMAN TURINO FOR PULLING THE ITEM BECAUSE I DIDN'T, UH, REALIZE THAT THERE, THERE WAS, UM, SOME DISCUSSION. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, COURAGE FOR BRINGING THOSE POINTS UP. IS THERE A PRESENTATION THAT YOU ALL CAN GO THROUGH? I DON'T REMEMBER IT GOING THROUGH ANY OF THE COMMITTEES THAT I SIT ON. MM-HMM. , AND I ALSO HAVE MY STAFF LOOK THROUGH AND, AND THIS WOULD'VE BEEN AN ITEM THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. MM-HMM. . SO MAYBE YOU COULD ALSO HELP ME EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF WHAT COMMITTEES IT, IT WENT THROUGH, OR JUST HELP ME A LITTLE BIT. THIS DID NOT GO THROUGH A COMMITTEE. THIS IS A SMALL GRANT ON TOP OF THE CIP. UM, AND WE BRIEFED THE COUNCIL MEMBER, HE HAD BEEN WORKING WITH HIM FOR SOME TIME ON THIS PROJECT, AND THE GRANT IS COMING FROM THE INNER CITY INCENTIVE FUND, WHICH WAS CREATED TO DO THIS. WE DO HAVE A PRESENTATION. I CAN ASK VERONICA GARCIA TO STEP UP AND DO THIS. OKAY. YES, PLEASE. THANK YOU, [01:45:01] LAURIE. THANK YOU, VERONICA. OKAY. GOOD MORNING STILL, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I AM VERONICA GARCIA. I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR OUR CENTER CITY HOUSING, OUR CENTER CITY DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT. SO THIS PROJECT IS A FORGIVABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOAN. IT DOES COME OUT OF OUR INNER CITY INCENTIVE FUND, AND IT'S TO HELP THE SOJO URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN ITS AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED $282,225. THIS LOAN WILL HELP SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF 48 UNITS, 15 OF WHICH ARE AFFORDABLE, AS WELL AS SUPPORT SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED AT THE SITE. THIS PROJECT BRINGS MANY BENEFITS, MANY OF WHICH COUNCILMAN TREO HIGHLIGHTED. THIS IS THE FIRST NEW CONSTRUCTION MIXED INCOME FOR SALE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDTOWN AREA. AND THIS ISOF FLOW WILL HELP GET US TO THAT GOAL. IT IS LOCATED WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE PEARL. IT'S ADJACENT TO A BIKE ROUTE, AND IT'S LESS THAN 10 MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN BY PUBLIC TRANSIT. THE DEVELOPMENT IS LOCATED AT THE FORMER FLASHER EQUIPMENT COMPANY, SO THIS WILL ADD MUCH NEEDED OUT HOUSING TO AN AREA. AND THE PROJECT DOES INCLUDE OVER $1 MILLION OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS ALONG BOTH LOCUST AND GRAYSON STREETS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES A TOTAL OF 48 TOWN HOMES AND CONDOMINIUMS LOCATED ON LOCUST AND GRAYSON STREETS WITH THE PROJECT. THERE ARE 15 WITH THE PROJECT. THERE ARE FIF TOTAL OF 15 HOMES THAT WILL BE RESERVED FOR HOUSEHOLDS EARNING AT OR BELOW 120% A M I. THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE THE UNDERGROUND CONVERSION OF UTILITIES, NEW SIDEWALKS, AND STREET LIGHTING ALONG TWO STREETS. CONSTRUCTION IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN MAY OF THIS YEAR, AND PROJECT WILL BE TOTALLY COMPLETED BY APRIL OF 2020. THE INCENTIVES AWARDED FOR THIS PROJECT ARE THROUGH OUR SEED SHIP POLICY. SO THEY ARE AWARDED ADMINISTRATIVELY. THIS INCLUDES CITY FEE WAIVERS OF $44,864 SAS FEE WAIVERS IN THE AMOUNT OF $151,248. AND THE PROJECT ALSO WILL QUALIFY FOR 10 YEAR TAX REBATE. THAT TAX REBATE IS CAPPED AT 75% OF THE CITY'S PROPERTY TAXES THAT ARE PAID. AND THE REMAINING 25% OF THOSE PROPERTY TAXES WILL GO INTO A SEPARATE FUND TO HELP AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS ELSEWHERE. THE PROJECT IS ESTIMATED TO CONTRIBUTE WITH THOSE 200, THAT 25% DIVERSION TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND OVER 10 YEARS. THAT'S ESTIMATED TO CONTRIBUTE ABOUT $200,000. AS WE MENTIONED THAT THIS PROJECT IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE MAYOR'S HOUSING POLICY TASK FORCE, WHICH IDENTIFIES THAT CITY FUNDS AND INCENTIVES FOR OWNERSHIP SHOULD GO TO HOUSING THAT'S AFFORDABLE TO HOUSEHOLDS UP TO 120% A M I. THIS PROJECT, UM, IS WITHIN THE 81 TO 120%, WHICH THERE'S A NEED FOR AT LEAST 2,700 UNITS WITHIN THAT PRICE RANGE. FINALLY, STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE FORGIVABLE LOAN, WHICH WILL HELP SUPPORT ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE UNITS INTO THE PROJECT. SO BY OUR SEED SHIP POLICY, THIS PROJECT IS ONLY REQUIRED TO DO 10 AFFORDABLE UNITS AT THAT LEVEL. AND AS WE'VE WORKED WITH THE DEVELOPER, UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO KIND OF RESTRUCTURE THE DESIGN. UM, THE COUNCILMAN MENTIONED THEY ARE SMALLER UNITS AND THERE ARE WILL BE SOLD AND, UH, ONE BEDROOM, STUDIO, TOWN HOMES AND CONDOS, AND THEY WILL BE SOLD TO FAMILIES AT THOSE INCOME LEVELS. SO THEY ARE INCOME RESTRICTED AND WITH, BY LAYERING THE FORGIVABLE LOAN. AND, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT OUR INNER CITY INCENTIVE FUND, IT IS A SEPARATE FUND THAT WE HAVE AND THAT WE DO FORGIVABLE LOANS OUT OF TO HELP INCENTIVIZE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THAT IS ONE OF THE RESTRICTIONS OF THE FUND. WE HAVE TO DO PROJECTS THAT HELP INCENTIVIZE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE THAT DEVELOPER WAS ABLE TO MEET THAT CRITERIA IN TWO WAYS. ONE, BY BUYING DOWN THE COST AND CREATING MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS IN THE PROJECT. AND TWO, BY HELPING SUPPORT THOSE HIGHER INFRASTRUCTURE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT COSTS THAT ARE NEEDED AT THE SITE. THANK YOU. VERONICA, WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON'T APPROVE THIS TODAY? IF THIS FORGIVABLE LOAN IS NOT APPROVED TODAY, THE PROJECT WOULD STILL QUALIFY FOR THE CIP INCENTIVES. SO THE SAWS AND THE CITY FEE WAIVERS WOULD STILL BE RECEIVED AS LONG AS THEY ARE ABLE TO INCLUDE AT LEAST 20% OF THE UNITS TO MEET THOSE INCOME RESTRICTIONS. SO AT THE 120% A M I OR BELOW, THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE ALSO FOR THE PROPERTY TAX REBATE. WHAT THE DEVELOPER HAS COMMUNICATED IS THAT WITHOUT THIS PARTICULAR FORGIVABLE LOAN, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ADD THOSE MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS INTO THE PROJECT. SO IT WOULD PROBABLY JUST, UM, KIND OF AFFECT THE DESIGN, THE DENSITY OF THE PROJECT [01:50:01] MAY BE DECREASED AS WELL. SO THAT ALL THAT KIND OF GOES INTO CONSIDERATION WITHOUT THIS FUNDING. AND THEN A FINAL QUESTION ON THE SAS FEE WAIVER, IS THAT STANDARD $151,000? OR HOW, HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? HELP ME REMEMBER THAT. IT'S CALCULATED BASED ON THE IMPACT FEE WAIVER NEEDED AT THAT SITE. SO SINCE THIS PROJECT IS 48 UNITS, UM, SAS CALCULATES THAT AND IT'S LIKE A DOLLAR VALUE PER UNIT. OKAY. SO EVERY PROJECT IS DIFFERENT, DEPENDS ON THE UNITS. THANK YOU, VERONICA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. THANK YOU. UM, WHAT IS 120% OF THE A M I IN THE AREA? SO IN OUR CITY THAT TRANSLATES TO A COUPLE EARNING ABOUT $68,000 A YEAR. SO $68,000 A YEAR. AND HOW MUCH ARE THESE RENTAL UNITS OR OWNED? THESE ARE HOME OWNERSHIP AND BECAUSE THEY ARE HOME OWNERSHIP, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE ALLOWED TO GO UP TO THE 120% A M I. AND SO HOW MUCH ARE THESE GOING TO BE? UM, THAT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY BECAUSE THESE HOMES WON'T BE SOLD FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS. UM, YOU CAN ESTIMATE A COUPLE EARNING THAT MAY BE ABLE TO AFFORD 230, 200 50,000. IT DEPENDS ON A LOT OF FACTORS. WHAT ARE INTEREST RATE? SO A, A STUDIO, UM, A STUDIO CONDO HOUSE WOULD THEN COST 230,000 AT 120% OF THE AI AT 120%. AND IT'LL DEPEND ON WHAT THAT FAMILY CAN'T AFFORD. WELL, SURE. UM, AND THEN, SO OUR FORGIVABLE LOAN IS FOR 282 NOT TO EXCEED 282. CORRECT. SO WE, AND YOU SAID IF THEY DON'T GET THIS FORGIVABLE LOAN, THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO WHAT? THEY WOULD ONLY DO 20% OF THE UNITS AS AFFORDABLE. SO THAT MEANS 10 UNITS WOULD BE AFFORDABLE, NOT 15. SO WE'RE BUYING DOWN FIVE MORE UNITS FOR $282,000. AND IT IS ALSO HELPING SUPPORT THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED. SO THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, WHAT PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT THERE? UH, THERE'S OVERHEAD UTILITIES. SO THEY HAVE TO BE CONVERTED TO UNDERGROUND UTILITIES ON, THEY'RE GONNA UNDERGROUND THE UTILITIES THERE? YES. YES. SO IT'S ON BOTH STREETS, ON TWO STREETS, LOCUST AND GRAYSON STREET. THE SITE HAS NO SIDEWALKS AT ALL IF YOU GO BY THERE. SO THEY'LL HAVE TO BE, BECAUSE IT'S A NEW DEVELOPMENT, THEY HAVE TO BRING IT UP TO THE CODE. SO THERE HAS TO BE NEW SIDEWALKS CONSTRUCTED ALL ALONG BOTH STREETS. AND THE STREET LIGHTING ALSO NEEDS TO BE UPGRADED. SO WE'RE, WE ARE GOING TO BE PAYING FOR THE SIDEWALKS AND THE UNDERGROUND CONVERSION OF UTILITIES. THIS HELPS. THE ACTUAL LOAN FORGIVENESS IS TIED TO MAKING THOSE FIVE ADDITIONAL UNITS AFFORDABLE, BUT ALL OF THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED AT THE SITE IS WHAT MAKES THIS PROJECT SO CHALLENGING. SO WHAT IS, UM, OKAY, SO WHAT IS THE, UM, I KNOW IT'S CCHI, SO WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY'RE INTENDING TO BE WITH THIS PROJECT? IT'S A $15 MILLION DEVELOPMENT. OKAY. BUT I, I KNOW THAT CCHI, THAT WHEN WE PASSED IT MM-HMM. WAS BECAUSE IT HELPS WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. YES. SO THERE'S ALREADY, AS WAS MENTIONED, TONS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING IN THIS AREA ALREADY. YES. SO WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT THIS PROJECT GOING TO CONTINUE TO IN INDUCE OR BRING FORWARD? WELL, FIRST THE SEED SHIP WAS CREATED TO HELP PROVIDE MORE HOUSING IN SAN ANTONIO. THAT'S WHAT IT WAS. AND THE HOUSING IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND SO IT'S, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALREADY IN THE AREA. THERE IS NOT A LOT OF FOR SALE PRODUCT, IT'S RENTAL. OKAY. SO WE NEED FOR SALE PRODUCT IN THIS AREA. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT. YOU KNOW, THE FIRST YOU SATURATE THE AREA WITH RENTAL, AND THEN ONCE YOU SATURATED THE MARKET WITH THAT RENTAL PRODUCT, THEN THE FOR SALE PRODUCT WILL COME. AND THEN AFTER THAT ADDITIONAL COMMERCIAL AND OTHER RETAIL WILL FOLLOW BECAUSE YOU HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THAT AREA. BUT THE, BUT THE COMMERCIAL'S ALREADY THERE IN THE AREA. NOW THERE IS COMMERCIAL THERE, THERE SHOULD, THERE COULD BE MORE. I MEAN, SO FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S LOOK AT, YOU HAVE PEARL HAS A LOT OF RESTAURANTS, HAS A LOT OF SHOPS, UM, BUT DOES IT TALK ABOUT HOW IT HAS CREDIT HUMAN AND HOW IT'S 10 MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN, BUT DOES IT HAVE A DAYCARE? DOES IT HAVE A, UM, DRUG STORE? THOSE ARE THE, THAT'S THE TYPE OF RETAIL YOU WANT TO SUPPORT A NEIGHBORHOOD, AND YOU NEED PERMANENT RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA TO BRING ON THAT NEIGHBORHOOD SERVING RETAIL. SO THE RETAIL, LIKE A DAYCARE CENTER IS GOING TO BE AFFORDABLE FOR ALL OF THOSE FAMILIES THAT LIVE IN THE AREA TOO. RIGHT. I'M, I'M JUST SPEAKING TO THE TYPE OF COMMERCIAL RETAIL. I, I GET IT. I UNDERSTAND THAT'S MISSING IN THAT AREA. SO YOU CAN HAVE A NICE MEAL, YOU CAN BUY A NICE BLOUSE, BUT CAN I GET MY PRESCRIPTION REFILLED? CAN I, THOSE THAT'S THE TYPE OF RETAIL THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THAT'S THE PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT THAT WE WANT TO SEE. OKAY. SO WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW WITH THAT 200, 2,767 UNITS OF GOAL FOR THE PRODUCTION REHABILITATION? BECAUSE I KNOW YOU GAVE US THAT, SO I CAN'T REMEMBER. SO, I MEAN, I WOULD SAY WITH THE TOURISTS COMING ONLINE, I THINK THERE'S A, THE TOUR [01:55:01] THAT'S GONNA PROVIDE SOME OF THAT AS WELL. UM, I THINK THAT WAS ON THIS AGENDA. UM, THERE IS, I WOULD SAY WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO AT LEAST 30% OF THAT GOAL. MM-HMM. . AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RECALIBRATING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THE MEADOWS ISN'T ANYWHERE NEAR THE PEARL, JUST SO YOU NO, I'M JUST SAYING LIKE, IT DOESN'T SPEAK TO AREAS, BUT WE WANT THE HOUSING TO BE IN OUR REGIONAL CENTERS TOO. OKAY. OKAY. AND I WANNA MENTION THE UNDERGROUND UTILITIES, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE UNDERGROUNDING IT BECAUSE THEY WANT THE AREA JUST TO HAVE UNDERGROUND UTILITIES. THEY HAVE TO BY CODE. OKAY. IT'S NOT AN, IT'S NOT AN OPTION. IT'S, IT'S A REQUIREMENT FOR FIRE ACCESS ISSUES. AND THIS IS THREE, UH, STORIES TALL. WELL, I'M JUST GETTING THAT FROM THE RENDERINGS. IT'S THE, THE FOUR STORY. IT'S FOUR, FOUR STORIES. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, FIRST I WANT TO CONGRATULATE MY COLLEAGUE HERE ABOUT PROTECTING OUR GOVERNMENT FUNDS HERE. MM-HMM. OUR TAX DOLLARS FROM, UH, UH, OUR HARD EARNED TAXPAYERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. BUT HAVING SAID THAT, UM, WHAT'S THE TOTAL PACKAGE OF INCENTIVES AND REBATES AND WHAT HAVE YOU? THE TOTAL PACKAGE, IF YOU PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER, WHAT IS IT? IT'S ABOUT $1 MILLION. ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS. MM-HMM. . OKAY. AND, UH, THIS PARTICULAR PORTION IS THE 282,000 THAT'S GONNA HELP PURCHASE, UH, FIVE UNITS AS I UNDERSTAND IT. YEAH. IT'S GONNA HELP OFFSET THE COST FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL ULTIMATELY HELP BRING DOWN THE COST OF FIVE UNITS TO MAKE THEM AFFORDABLE. GOTCHA. I I UNDERSTAND THAT. I, I GUESS, UM, IN THIS AREA, BROADWAY MM-HMM. AROUND THE PEARL. I REMEMBER A CONVERSATION HAD BY THIS COUNCIL HERE A WHILE BACK THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS AREA IS, UH, A HIGH RENT DISTRICT MM-HMM. , IT'S, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPERS ARE COMING IN LEFT AND RIGHT TO DEVELOP THIS AREA. WE NEED TO START LOOKING AT CUTTING BACK ON INCENTIVES BECAUSE IT IS, IT IS SELLING, IT IS BEING DEVELOPED. SO I I, I AM, UM, I'M LOOKING AT THAT SAYING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE SHOULD, SHOULD THROTTLE BACK ON INCENTIVES FOR THIS AREA BECAUSE IT IS, IT, IT'S HAPPENING. WE DON'T HAVE TO STEP IN AS A CITY AND REDUCE, HELP, REDUCE PRICES, GIVE THESE INCENTIVES, WHETHER IT'S SAWS OR C P SS OR, YOU KNOW, WHOMEVER OR THE CITY STEPPING IN. UH, YOU KNOW, LET'S LET THIS PLACE DEVELOP THE WAY IT IS AND NOT GET INVOLVED AND TRYING TO OFFSET THOSE COSTS TO BRING IT DOWN. LOOKING AT THE COST OF THESE, EVEN THE AFFORDABLE UNITS, MAN, I DON'T THINK I COULD AFFORD TO MOVE DOWN THERE. SO, UH, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF MISSING THE MARK ON WHAT THIS, WHAT THIS PROGRAM WAS INTENDED. SO I'M, I'M HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME, UH, SUPPORTING THIS AS WELL. I'M, I'M PRO BUSINESS, PRO DEVELOPMENT, BUT LET THE MARKET, LET THE MARKET DETERMINE WHAT IS AFFORDABLE, WHAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE, AND LET THE MARKET BEAR THE BEAR THE COST. AND I DON'T WANNA STRESS WITHOUT OUR SUBSIDY, YOU WILL HAVE UNITS OF $500,000 OR ABOVE. SO WE ARE HAVING TO COME IN TO HELP BRING THEM DOWN TO CREATE THAT AFFORDABILITY. YES. THIS AREA WILL DEVELOP, AND YOU WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE TOWN HOMES FOR SALE PRODUCT GOING NORTH OF $700,000. THIS IS A WAY TO BRING IN EMPLOYEES WHO WORK IN THAT AREA, IN A REGIONAL CENTER WHO ARE MAKING 200 THOU, I MEAN, WHO ARE MAKING $70,000 A YEAR, THEY CAN AFFORD A ONE BEDROOM HOME FOR 230,000. AND THAT'S STILL WITHIN THAT 30%, WHICH YOU BE, SHOULD BE CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR HOME. YEAH. AND I, I, AGAIN, I, I DON'T SEE THAT THAT IS REALLY AFFORDABLE. WE'RE TRYING TO, WE'RE TRYING TO SHOEHORN IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON OUR MOST EXPENSIVE REAL ESTATE HERE IN TOWN. AND WE ARE, YES, WE ARE BRINGING THAT DOWN A BIT MM-HMM. , BUT TO ME, WE'RE STILL MISSING THE INTENT AND THE MARK ON THIS, ON THIS, UH, UH, TAX-FREE MONEY. I MEAN, UM, FORGIVABLE LOANS. SO YEAH. I'M, I'M HAVING A, I'M HAVING A TOUGH TIME, TIME WITH THIS, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, COUNCIL MEMBER OF GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR. AND, AND SO I, I REALLY COUNCILWOMAN VERAN ASKED THE QUESTIONS I HAD REGARDING THE UNDERGROUND UTILITY, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR UNDERGROUND UTILITY IN A LOT OF SPACES. MM-HMM. , UH, I KNOW I WAS ASKING FOR IT AROUND SOME PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS WHERE WE HAD, YOU KNOW, 30 AND $40 MILLION INVESTMENT AND WE COULDN'T GET THAT DONE ON ROOSEVELT COUNCILWOMAN. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO BURY THE POWER LINES BECAUSE [02:00:01] IT'S PART OF THE WORLD HERITAGE. SO WHAT MAKES, UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT IT WAS A CODE REQUIREMENT TO BURY THE POWER LINES. UH, AND I KNOW SOME PROJECTS IN MY DISTRICT GOT KILLED BECAUSE THE DEVELOPER WAS REQUIRED TO BURY THE POWER LINES, AND THERE WAS NO INCENTIVE TO DO THAT. SO COULD YOU JUST EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT? I SEE, UM, STEVE HERE, YES. I'M GONNA ASK STEVE SPEAK TO THIS, BUT THIS WAS A CODE REQUIREMENT FOR FIRE SAFETY REASONS. YES. IT'S IN, IN THIS CASE, WHEN YOU'RE, UH, OUR PROJECTS TEND TO BE DENSER THAN SOME OF THE OTHERS THAT YOU'LL SEE THAT ARE FURTHER OUT FROM THE AREA. UH, AND SO WHEN YOU'VE GOT A MULTI-STORY BUILDING ON A STREET FRONT, AERIAL ACCESS FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS. AND THE ONLY WAY TO TO GET THAT IS TO UNDERGROUND THE, THE OVERHEAD OVERHEADS. SO WITHOUT THIS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND, AND YOU KNOW, THAT I THINK THAT'S QUESTIONABLE. UM, I'M AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS DIDN'T COME TO A COMMITTEE, BUT I GUESS THAT THE QUESTION I HAVE IS THAT WITHOUT, I KNOW THAT IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO BURY THE POWER LINES. AND SO MY SENSE IS THAT WITHOUT THIS PART OF THE INCENTIVE, YOU COULDN'T DO THE PROJECT BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE OF BURYING POWER LINES, OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH A COUPLE OF PROJECTS IN MY DISTRICT THAT THEY HAD THAT CONCERN. SO, BUT IS THAT PART OF THE TS FUNDING? I I REALLY AM KIND OF CON CURIOUS ABOUT HOW THIS PROJECT GETS A PERRY LINE POWER LINE BURIED AND GETS BILLED AND OTHERS HAD THE SAME REQUIREMENT AND DON'T, DON'T GET BUILT. WELL, I, UH, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THAT'S, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ASIDE FROM THAT. SO IT'S NOT A TAKE MONEY FROM HERE AND IT'S GOING SPECIFICALLY TO UNDERGROUNDING UTILITIES IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PROJECT WORK. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY, FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT, THERE'S A, A TON OF PUSH AND PULL AND HOW MANY UNITS, AND DO YOU MAKE 'EM BIGGER? DO YOU MAKE 'EM SMALLER? DO YOU TRY AND GET YOUR NUMBERS TO WORK? UM, BUT, UM, BUT I'LL SAY THIS, ANY OF THE, OF THE CLOSE IN INNER CITY SITES HAVE A TON OF INFRASTRUCTURE REDO THAT'S REQUIRED TO GET THE PROJECT OFF THE GROUND. AND SO THERE'S ONE THING THAT, THAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT, WHICH IS THE HARD COST, WHICH IS WHAT WE TALK ABOUT HERE, IS THE HARD COST. BUT THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF MAN HOURS AND MEETINGS OVER THE PAST THREE, FOUR OR FIVE YEARS ON THIS SITE ALONE, UH, DEALING WITH THIS STUFF. I MEAN, THERE'S 30 OR 40 MEETINGS WITH C P SS SAWS, UH, AT AND T ALL THE DIFFERENT PLAYERS TO TRY AND GET THIS TO HAPPEN. SO, UM, IF YOU WERE TO TOSS IN EVERYBODY'S, UH, HOURLY COST IN, IN TRYING TO GET THIS STUFF TO HAPPEN, IT'S, IT'S JUST DOESN'T REALLY MAKE ANY SENSE UNLESS YOU'RE FROM SAN ANTONIO AND YOU CARE ABOUT TRYING TO DO SOMETHING DOWN HERE, AND IT'S OUR LIVING. BUT, UM, IF YOU'RE FROM HOUSTON, DALLAS, ST. AUSTIN COMING IN TO LOOK AT A PROJECT AND IT'S PURELY ABOUT THE NUMBERS, THEN YOU CAN'T GET YOUR, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GETTING CHARGED FOR SAWS IMPACT FEES OR UNDERGROUNDING UTILITIES OR WHAT HAVE YOU, IF THE NUMBERS DON'T WORK, YOU GO TO THE NORTH SIDE OR YOU GO FURTHER OUT. RIGHT. WELL, AND AND I, I, I, I'VE SEEN THAT PLAY OUT OVER THE YEARS AND WHY WE UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S SO DIFFICULT TO GET URBAN PROJECTS DONE. YES. UM, AND, AND ESPECIALLY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THE DEVELOPER'S REQUIRED TO PUT THE SIDEWALKS IN, THE DEVELOPER'S REQUIRED TO DO ALL THESE THINGS. AND I, I'VE, YOU KNOW, HEARD ME TALK ABOUT OVER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, IF WE PUT IN THE SIDEWALKS, IF WE DID THE UTILITIES, IF WE PAID FOR THE C P S ENERGY COSTS, COULD YOU BUILD AFFORDABLE PRODUCT? AND THEN STILL THERE'S LIMITATIONS. OH, YEAH. OH YEAH. UH, AND SO, UM, I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF, OF IN FIELD DEVELOPMENT, OF ADAPTIVE REUSE. UH, AND SO IN FACT, MAYBE THAT'LL LEAD ME TO ANOTHER QUESTION THAT PERHAPS I MISSED. IS THIS, IT'S A GROUND UP, I GUESS YOU'RE TEARING DOWN SOMETHING IN BUILDING, I'M SORRY. IS THERE CURRENTLY A BUILDING THERE? IS IT A DEMOLITION AND THEN IT WAS A DEMOLITION OF THE OLD FLASHER. OKAY. AND THAT DEMOLITION HAS ALREADY OCCURRED? YES. OH, OKAY. PART OF IT, THERE'S STILL ONE BUILDING THERE THAT WE HAVEN'T TAKEN DOWN YET, IS PART OF THE PLAN TO, LIKE AN OLD SHED BUILDING UHHUH , WHICH IS ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT C P S ENERGY'S HERE IN THE HOUSE WAITING FOR THE NEXT ITEM, BUT IT IS ALSO A QUESTION I'VE HAD WITH C P S ENERGY OVER THE YEARS WHEN WE GO FROM A USE THAT WAS, UM, PERHAPS A LOT OF WAREHOUSING YEAH. TO THEN HOUSING. THERE'S A REALLY EXPENSIVE COST FOR THAT. AND IT, IT REALLY, UH, IMPACTS THE DEVELOPER'S ABILITY TO BUILD A PRODUCT WHEN THE C P S ENERGY COSTS, UH, ARE SO SIGNIFICANT BASED ON THE CHANGE OF USE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE OR NOT, SINCE I'M NOT THAT INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROJECT. AND, UH, AND SO I'VE ASKED, YOU KNOW, MANY TIMES, CAN'T YOU HAVE IT SET ASIDE DIFFERENT FROM THE IMPACT FEES TO HELP WITH, UH, REDEVELOPMENT OF CERTAIN AREAS WHERE YOU HAD A WAREHOUSE AND YOU'RE TRYING TO DO [02:05:01] HOUSING OR RETAIL OR SOMETHING ELSE. SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE HERE NOT FOR THAT PURPOSE, BUT AT LEAST THEY'LL HOME ME, SAY IT ON THE RECORD AGAIN, THAT WE NEED SOME TYPE OF, OF, OF, UH, FUND JUST TO DEAL WITH THAT NOT RELATED TO AFFORDABILITY. I MEAN, I, I THINK THAT, UM, I THINK THIS PROJECT WOULD WORK WITHOUT THE AFFORDABILITY COMPONENT. I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. UH, SEEMS TO ME LIKE THIS PROJECT MAYBE COULD HAVE JUST BEEN A MARKET RATE PROJECT, HIGH DOLLAR , UM, AND COULD HAVE BEEN THAT, UH, AND NOT, NOT USE THESE INCENTIVES BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE DO NEED A RANGE OF PRODUCT. UH, AND, AND THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST, UM, FOR SALE PRODUCTS, UM, OF THIS TYPE, UH, IN THE AREA. UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I, I, I WANNA SEE THIS KIND OF DEVELOPMENT AND I WANNA, UH, SUPPORT, UM, INFILL, ADAPTIVE REUSE, UH, DENSITY, ALL THE THINGS THAT I THINK ARE REALLY IMPORTANT IF WE'RE ALSO GONNA INVEST IN TRANSIT, UH, IN THE CORRIDOR, WHICH IS PART OF, UH, WHY I, I, I'M SUPPORTIVE, UH, OF THIS. I JUST, UH, I, I WISH THAT WE WERE NOT, UH, AND THIS IS NOT FOR STEVE, BUT FOR, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE OTHERS IN THE HOUSE, UM, WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO DO INFILL PROJECTS, UM, WITHOUT TAKING FROM AFFORDABILITY COMPONENTS. SO, UM, WE KNOW THAT IT'S JUST HARD TO, UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU, IF YOU HAVE A CODE REQUIREMENT TO BURY THE POWER LINES, UH, THEN I THINK WE NEED TO FIND A SOURCE FOR THAT THAT DOESN'T TAKE FROM AFFORDABILITY. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I WILL BE WORKING THROUGH SOME OF THOSE AS WELL. BUT, UM, I WISH C P S COULD JUST HAVE A FUND TO HELP US BEARING, UH, POWER LINES. AND HOPEFULLY, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THE VIRA PROJECT MM-HMM. IN MY DISTRICT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE, OR PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE DONE MORE AT SAN JUAN, OR WHEN WE GO TO THE REDEVELOPMENT OF ALSAN, UH, ESPECIALLY THE LOFTS, UH, I SUSPECT THEY MAY HAVE SIM SIMILAR CONCERNS THERE AS WELL WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU'RE CHANGING THE USE OF THE SPACE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THE PROJECT, BUT, UM, WE, I, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD FIND A BETTER WAY TO INVEST, UH, OUR, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS, UH, FOR PROJECTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UM, I'D LIKE TO HAVE YOU COME BACK UP, YOU KNOW, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, SURE. I, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE COME ACROSS OUR COMMITTEE ONLY BECAUSE WE ARE ASKING FOR SOMETHING, UH, A LITTLE MORE EXCEPTIONAL. UH, WE'RE GIVING THE NORMAL SEED CHIP, BUT WE'RE ALSO OFFERING SOMETHING ABOVE THAT. AND I THINK THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO REVIEW THIS PROJECT LIKE WE DO MANY OTHERS. SO LET ME ASK YOU, UH, YOU'RE PROJECTING 48 UNITS RIGHT NOW, CORRECT? UH, WHAT, UH, WHAT'S THE BREAKDOWN OF THOSE UNITS? THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS WE WOULD'VE WANTED TO HEAR EARLIER. RIGHT. UM, 24 TOWN HOMES AND 24 CONDOMINIUMS. UH, AVERAGE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE TOWN HOMES IS ABOUT 1500 SQUARE FEET. UH, AVERAGE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE CONDOMINIUMS IS ABOUT A THOUSAND SQUARE FEET. OH. CAN YOU, CAN YOU BREAK THAT DOWN? HOW MANY OF THOSE CONDOMINIUMS? A ONE BEDROOM, TWO BEDROOM STUDIO. WHAT, WHAT DO YOU PROJECT THE SIZE OF THE CONDOMINIUMS? I WANNA SAY I'M, I'M JUST, I DON'T HAVE IT COMMITTED TO MEMORY, BUT I WANNA SAY IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT A THIRD, UH, ONE BEDROOM, UH, ONE THIRD, TWO BEDROOM, AND ONE THIRD, UM, THREE BEDROOM. WHAT ABOUT THE STUDIO? UH, THE STUDIO IS A ONE BEDROOM. OKAY. SO, SO IT'S NOT A, IF YOU THINK OF A STUDIO AS NOT HAVING A BEDROOM, WE HAVE THE MINIMUM IS ONE BEDROOM, ONE BATH. AND, AND HOW BIG IS THAT UNIT? UH, THE SMALLEST IS ABOUT 750 SQUARE FEET. OKAY. WHICH, UH, WHICH SOUNDS SMALL, BUT I, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIRST CAME BACK, MY DAD RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE. WE CAME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO. WE LIVED IN BELLEVUE, UM, AND IT WAS A FAMILY OF, UH, TWO PARENTS, A GRANDFATHER AND FOUR KIDS. AND THE BELLEVUE HOMES ARE A THOUSAND, 1100 SQUARE FEET. SO IT, IT IS POSSIBLE. YEAH. I LIVED OVER THERE. IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE. I LIVED OVER THERE MYSELF ON LA AMANDA, RIGHT NEARBY THAT AREA. SO I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. UH, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A 700 SQUARE FOOT, ONE BEDROOM, SO WE'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT GONNA HAVE A FAMILY LIVING IN THERE. PROBABLY A, A COUPLE, POSSIBLY A COUPLE WITH A CHILD. WELL, MAYBE YOU'RE OPTIMISTIC, I THINK. YEAH. BUT BE THAT AS IT MAY, UH, WHAT DO YOU PROJECT THE COST? UH, WELL, HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE ONE THIRD OF, OF HALF? I'D SAY ONE THIRD OR SO YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT EIGHT? UH, YEAH. 20. THAT'S [02:10:01] FOUR. A THIRD WOULD BE ABOUT EIGHT OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE, I BELIEVE SO. OKAY. EIGHT TO 10. AND THEN SOME ARE GONNA BE TWO BEDROOM. YEP. AND THEN THE TOWN HOMES. MM-HMM. , THOSE ARE GONNA BE BIGGER. ABOUT 1500 SQUARE, SQUARE FEET, HUNDRED SQUARE FOOT AVERAGE. YEAH. AND, UH, SO WHAT ARE YOUR, WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THE TOWN HOMES? WHAT ARE YOU PROJECTING? UM, I WANT TO SAY JUST OFFHAND FROM THE, UH, MID THREE HUNDREDS LOW TO MID THREE HUNDREDS TO THE MID FIVE HUNDREDS, UHHUH . AND I THINK SOMEBODY FROM MY STAFF TOLD ME YOU WERE PROJECTING FOR THE ONE BEDROOM STUDIO. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TWO 50 AND TWO 80, SOMEWHERE IN THAT RANGE. OKAY. SO IT'S NOT TWO 30, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BETWEEN TWO 50 AND TWO 80. AND WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WOULD BE THE INCOME SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO EARN TO LIVE IN A HOUSE? OR WHAT WOULD BE THE PAYMENT? I'M SURE YOU'VE HAD TO LOOK AT THESE, WHAT YOU'RE PERFORMING TOGETHER. UH, TWO EARNER FAMILY, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF, OF 70,000 OR SO. UM, AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, SO I HESITATE TO, TO TOSS SOMETHING OUT, YOU KNOW, ON THE RECORD. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, WHETHER IT'S FOR OUR PROJECT OR FUTURE PROJECTS THAT I THINK EVERYONE NEEDS TO, THAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE ON COUNCIL TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION, IS THAT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT JUST THE GUIDELINES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE ONLY THING THAT'S REALLY FROM THE GUIDELINES THAT'S TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ARE, UM, PAYMENT, UH, INSURANCE, PROPERTY TAXES, 30%. UH, IT DOESN'T TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION TRANSPORTATION COST. RIGHT? IT DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ONGOING HOUSE MAINTENANCE. UM, AND DOES, UH, AND THOSE ARE TWO HUGE FACTORS, PARTICULARLY IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, WITH THE SPRAWL THAT WE HAVE, DOES THAT, IF YOU WERE TO SAY, OKAY, TALK OUR PROJECT AND YOU COULD DO SOMETHING, UH, CHEAPER IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION, THAT MAY BE THE CASE, BUT I, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT MAY BE 10 MILES OUT, 15 MILES OUT. I DON'T KNOW IF NOW YOU HAVE TO GO OUT TO 1 51 AND 1604 TO GET THAT. AND SO YOU, YOU'VE GOT THAT. AND IF YOU HAD THOSE SAME TWO PEOPLE, ONE WORKING AT THE, THE POLICE SUBSTATION AND ONE WORKING AT CREDIT HUMAN MAKING THAT INCOME POTENTIALLY DITCHING A CAR, WHETHER IT'S NEW OR USED, I JUST GOT RID OF MY USED CAR AND I PROBABLY SPENT 3000 A YEAR ON MAINTENANCE COST. THERE'S FACTORS, THERE'S MONEY, AND THERE'S COST TO THOSE OTHER COMPONENTS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THE STANDARD GUIDELINES. SO, AGAIN, WHETHER IT'S OUR PROJECT OR FU FUTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE EITHER INNER CITY OR THAT ARE IN SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENT NODES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE, SO THAT VIA CAN BECOME A, A VIABLE, UH, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, UH, WITH INCREASED USE. THERE'S OTHER THINGS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WITH THE AFFORDABILITY. UH, AND IN THIS CASE, YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, CREDIT HUMAN, JEFFERSON STATE BANK, A LOT OF NONPROFITS, UM, A LOT OF RESTAURANTS WITH, UH, KITCHEN HELP, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DO THAT FOR A LIVING THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. UM, AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT. SO I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT TO JUST LOOK AT WHAT DOES IT COST TO BUY THE PLACE, BUT IT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER STUFF THAT GOES INTO, UH, THE COST OF LIVING. RIGHT. WELL, YOU KNOW, I DO ROUGH CALCULATING WHEN I, WHEN I LOOK AT NUMBERS AND 70,000 INCOME, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 30% OF THAT IS 21,000. YOU BREAK THAT DOWN OVER 12 MONTHS AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT $1,600, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE, A LITTLE BIT LESS AROUND $1,600 A MONTH. IS THERE ALSO GOING TO BE A CONDO FEE MANDATORY? UM, A CONDO FEE? THAT'S MANDATORY. BUT IN OUR CASE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE DONE ON, IF YOU THINK OF THE TYPICAL CONDOS IN SAN ANTONIO, WE'VE TYPICALLY BEEN GETTING GRAND HYATT, UH, THE THOMPSON HOTEL, UH, WITH CONDO FEES ARE A DOLLAR A DOLLAR 25 A SQUARE FOOT PER MONTH. UH, THE CONDOS THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH, WITH IN THE PAST, UM, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET 'EM DOWN TO 15 CENTS, 20 CENTS, 25 CENTS PER SQUARE FOOT PER MONTH, UM, VERY EFFICIENT AND VERY AFFORDABLE. AND THAT'S WOULD BE THE GOAL ON THIS PROJECT. SO YOU'RE SAYING MAYBE A HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH CONDO FEE, MAYBE A HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH. AND, AND AGAIN, I WOULD THROW OUT THAT, UH, IF YOU COMPARE, UH, PUT CONDO NEXT TO A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE, A CONDO IS GONNA BE REQUIRED TO THROW THAT INTO THE MONTHLY PAYMENT, WHEREAS A SINGLE FAMILY HOME AT WHATEVER AGE DOES NOT HAVE THAT COMPONENT TOSSED IN. OKAY. NOW, UH, YOU HAVE TO DO THE UNDER UNDERGROUND UTILITIES BY CODE. SO IF YOU DON'T GET THE 282,000, IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T BUILD THE PROJECT. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE IN SOME OTHER FORMAT THAT EITHER GENERATES ENOUGH MONEY OR, OR WHAT HAVE YOU. AND THAT TYPICALLY MEANS LOWER THE NUMBER OF UNITS AND RAISE THE PRICE. OKAY. BUT WHAT THE MARKET WILL BEAR. RIGHT. TYPICALLY. OKAY. WELL, I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL . THANK YOU. UM, I, I DO THINK WE'VE HAD A VERY, UH, SPIRITED, OR AT LEAST INTERESTING DISCUSSION FOR, UH, THINGS TO [02:15:01] DISCUSS, UH, LATER. I ALSO WANNA BE MINDFUL THAT, UH, THE COUNCILMAN HAS WORKED ON THIS, UM, ON THIS ITEM WITH HIS PARTNERS AND WITH THE STAFF. AND I KNOW HE'S DONE, UH, A LOT OF WORK ON IT AS HE DOES ON ALL OF HIS PROJECTS, SHOWERS. I CALL IT THE TREVINO SHOW, WHEN EVERYTHING THAT WE PULL IS, IS SOMETHING THAT HE, UH, THAT HE'S BEEN WORKING ON. UM, BUT, UH, AND I, AND I WOULD WANT MY COLLEAGUES TO BE RESPECTFUL TO WHAT HAPPENS IN MY DISTRICT AS WELL. UM, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER REMAINS THAT, SORRY, MAN, YOU'VE JUST GOT A VERY INTERESTING DISTRICT WHERE A , A LOT OF THE INCENTIVES ARE, ARE TARGETED. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A BLESSING AND A CURSE, RIGHT? SO YOU WILL GET THE, YOUR PROJECTS WILL GET THE ADDITIONAL SCRUTINY OF THE, OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, UH, JUST SOME FINAL QUESTIONS BEFORE WE WRAP UP. UM, IN TERMS OF THE 120%, A M I, AND I APOLOGIZE IF I MISSED THIS, ARE, OH, IT'S AREA MEDIAN INCOME. SO THAT IS NOT THE SAN ANTONIO MEDIAN INCOME? NO, IT'S AREA MEDIAN INCOME, WHICH FOR A FAMILY OF TWO IS $68,000. OKAY. AND, UM, WE'LL, REMEMBER THAT THE SAN ANTONIO MEDIAN INCOME IS LOWER BECAUSE, UH, AND OUR AREA IS ALREADY VERY LOW. RIGHT. HIGH AS POVERTY, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. UM, I WANNA GO BACK TO THE CONDO FEES. MM-HMM. , UM, I, I GUESS I'M A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT YOU DON'T HAVE AN AMOUNT FOR THEM, BUT WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE THRESHOLD OF AFFORDABILITY IS THAT, UM, THAT, THAT IS SURPRISING TO ME. WE HAVEN'T, UM, I HAVEN'T CALCULATED OUR BUDGET AMOUNT YET, BUT I, UH, KNOW FROM, SO THAT'S NOT PART OF THE PROFORMA OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. OKAY. NO, WE HAVE BALLPARK. UM, BUT, UM, IF I GO BASED OFF OF MY PREVIOUS PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY 20 CENTS, 25 CENTS PER SQUARE FOOT IS WHAT WE'VE KIND OF ESTIMATED. SO YOU'VE INCLUDED THAT IN THE COST OF THE AFFORDABLE UNITS OR THE UNITS THAT ARE GOING TO BE MADE WELL, QUASI AFFORDABLE, THAT ARE GONNA BE AT 120% A M I WHEN HOMES GO TO WHEN YOU GO TO GET LOAN QUALIFIED, UM, THEY TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION THAT THAT'S PART OF THE, THE OVERALL, UH, NUMBER THAT THE BANK LOOKS AT FOR THE MORTGAGE. OKAY. BUT WHERE WE'RE, BUT WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THE BANK TO LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING THE DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS AFFORDABLE. SO IF HE, TODAY, SO FOR THESE FIVE UNITS, IF HE SELLS THESE FIVE UNITS TO SOMEBODY OTHER MAKING $68,000 A YEAR, THEN THE ENTIRE AMOUNT IS RECAPTURED. AND SO WE MONITOR THAT. AND SO HE HAS TO SHOW US WHEN HE GOES TO THE BANK THAT THE INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS WHO PURCHASE THAT ARE NOT OVER THE 120% A M I. AND SO THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO THE BANK'S REVIEW, THOUGH. LIKE IF THEY, IF THEY WERE TO MORTGAGE, LET'S SAY THAT THE, THE UNIT'S 250,000, THEY MORTGAGE $230,000 AND THEY PUT DOWN 20,000, THEIR PAYMENT WOULD BE AROUND 1100. AND THEN ASSUMING IT'D BE ABOUT ANOTHER HUNDRED FOR THE HOMEOWNER'S FEES, $1,200, AND THEN WITH TAXES ABOUT, I THINK THAT 1100 WAS THE TAXES. SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE LOOKING AT $1,200 A MONTH. SOMEBODY MAKING $68,000 A YEAR. 33% OF THAT IS 1800 A MONTH. SO THEY'RE BELOW THAT THRESHOLD. AND, BUT IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THEIR DOWN PAYMENT IS, WHAT THE TAXES ARE, AND WHAT THE ULTIMATE SALES PRICE IS. BUT THE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS YOU ARE NOT SELLING IT TO ANYBODY WHO'S MAKING OVER THAT $68,000 MM-HMM. . AND THAT IS GOING TO BE ENFORCED BY C C D O MONITORING. WE MONITOR IT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AND ALONG WITH THE C CHIP. SO IF THEY PAY, IF THEY DO THAT, THEY VIOLATE THE ENTIRE AGREEMENT AND EVERYTHING'S RECAPTURED. MM-HMM. . AND, UM, AND THAT NEW, UH, THIS FALLS UNDER THE NEW GUIDELINES WHERE, UM, NO SHORT-TERM RENTALS WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE CORRECT, NO SHORT-TERM RENTALS AND THE 20% REQUIREMENT. SO THEY HAVE TO AUTOMATICALLY DO 10, BUT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING THEM DO 15 MM-HMM. . OKAY. UM, ANOTHER, ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU IN TERMS OF, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, THIS IS FOR MR. INDO MM-HMM. , YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, THAT ADDITIONAL CAR. AND I, I COMPLETELY AGREE. UM, BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEES THAT ANYBODY WHO MOVES IN HERE IS GOING TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE UP THEIR CAR. IT'LL JUST BE EASIER FOR THEM TO DO SO. NO, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST BECOMES VIABLE. SO TELL ME HOW YOU, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'RE PROVIDING WITH THE CONDO, WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL AMENITIES? IS, IS THERE A PARKING SPACE? THERE'S PARKING SPACES. UM, I WANNA SAY FOR THE ONE BEDROOMS WE HAVE, SOME HAVE ONE, SOME HAVE TWO. UM, THERE'S A, A POOL MM-HMM. , AND, AND THAT'S IT. WE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A GYM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO IS THE PARKING, THE COST OF THE PARKING SPACE INCLUDED IN THE RENT INCLUDED IN THE, INCLUDING THE PURCHASE PRICE? YES. [02:20:01] SO, UM, I'M GUESSING YOU PROBABLY WERE REQUIRED TO DO THAT, TO GET FINANCING, BUT IF I WANNA BUY A TWO BEDROOM AND I DON'T WANNA BUY THE PARKING SPACES WITH IT, IS THAT AN OPTION FOR ME? 'CAUSE THAT WOULD REALLY BRING DOWN THE PRICE FOR THE, FOR THE PERSON WHO'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, OR, UM, THEY COULD CERTAINLY HAVE 'EM AND, AND LEASE 'EM OUT TO ONE OF THE OTHER OWNERS THAT NEEDS AN EXTRA SPOT. I'VE, I'VE SEEN PEOPLE DO THAT BEFORE. OKAY. AND, UM, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU ESTIMATE THAT BUILDING THE COST, THE, THE PARKING WAS, UM, IN TERMS OF THE WHOLE PRICE OF YOUR PROJECT? THE COST OF THE PARKING, THE PARKING SPOT ITSELF, I WOULD, AGAIN, JUST GUESSTIMATING, I THINK THE COST WOULD PROBABLY BE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF PROBABLY 25, 30,000 OF THE OVERALL EXPENSE FOR EACH PARKING SPACE THAT WAS BUILT, DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF PARKING WE DO FOR THAT BUILDING. SURE. OKAY. UM, SO IF WE EVER DO REVISIT THESE GUIDELINES, UH, AGAIN, I, I DO NOT WANT TO BE USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO SUBSIDIZE PARKING THAT'S REQUIRED FOR PEOPLE TO BUY. I CAN'T CHANGE THAT RIGHT NOW. MM-HMM. , THOSE ARE THE GUIDELINES THERE. BUT I WILL BE VERY CLEAR AND SHARE THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN , . BUT, UH, BUT I WILL SHARE THAT WITH MY, UH, WITH MY COLLEAGUES, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMETHING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CALL AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE ARE FORCING THOSE PEOPLE TO TAKE ON THAT PURCHASE. THEY HAVE TO GET THE FINANCING FOR THAT ADDITIONAL $25,000. AND, UH, WE ARE, WE ARE BY INCENTIVIZING THAT, PRICING THEM OUT, POSSIBLY BEING ABLE TO BUY THAT HOME. WE WERE JUST HERE YESTERDAY TALKING ABOUT VIA AND HOW THERE ARE JOB REQUIREMENTS OUT THERE THAT SAY, MUST HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION CODE FOR HAVING YOUR OWN CAR. UM, SO I, I JUST THINK WE'RE MAKING IT REALLY HARD ON PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD A CAR. SO, THANK YOU. I, I WOULD AGREE. AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, THAT WE DO HAVE UNITS THAT ARE OF THE SAME SIZE THAT ARE PRICED DIFFERENTLY BASED ON WHETHER THEY HAVE ONE CAR OR TWO CARS. AND I THINK I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT SAN ANTONIO OVERALL. THERE'S STILL A BIT OF A CHICKEN IN THE EGG. UH, YOU'VE GOTTA GET THE DENSITY SO THAT VEHICLE BECOMES MORE VIABLE TO WHERE PEOPLE START TO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN GET RID OF THE SECOND CAR OR NOT HAVE A CAR. UM, BUT THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO UNIT YOU CAN BUY WITHOUT PARKING, CORRECT. MM-HMM. . OKAY. THANK YOU. AND COUNCILMAN, I DO WANNA MENTION THAT FOR OUR RENTAL PRODUCT, WE WORK WITH A DEVELOPER, AND THEY MOST ALWAYS AGREE THAT THE, IT'S A, AN OPTION TO BUY A, A SPACE FOR, FOR SALE. OFTENTIMES, THE OWNER WANTS THAT SPACE BECAUSE IF THEY EVER SELL THEIR INVESTMENT 10, 15 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, THEY WOULD NEED TO HAVE A PARKING SPACE, UM, POTENTIALLY FOR THAT SALE. BUT FOR RENTAL, IT'S A LOT EASIER TO WORK WITH, UM, DEVELOPERS ON THAT ISSUE. UM, I, I UNDERSTAND. AGAIN, THE IDEA IS WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE SUBSIDIZING THAT WITH, WITH OUR DOLLARS. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UM, A VERY, UM, UH, IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. I THINK WHAT WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED IS THE TENSION THAT WE STILL HAVE IN THIS CITY BETWEEN THE NEED FOR INFILL DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ATTEMPTED TO SOLVE IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. CERTAINLY THE WORK OF THE, UH, N H D S D DEPARTMENT AND THE HOUSING COMMISSION IS PART OF THAT. UM, BUT LET'S JUST REMEMBER WHERE WE CAME FROM. WHEN THE INCENTIVE PROGRAM STARTED, UH, UNDER THE DECADE OF DOWNTOWN, THERE WAS NOTHING HAPPENING. AND SO THESE INCENTIVES WERE CREATED TO BEGIN A KICKSTARTED, A, A, A HOUSING ECOSYSTEM THAT WAS BASICALLY DORMANT. IT'S DONE THAT JOB. AND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THIS COUNCIL SUPPORTED A MORATORIUM ON THE CCHI P PROGRAM, KNOWING THAT WE NEED TO TWEAK THE INCENTIVE POLICIES TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE NO LONGER HEAVILY INCENTIVE, HEAVILY INCENTIVIZING JUST MARKET RATE PRODUCT THAT MOST SAN ANTONIO FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD. IT TOOK US A WHILE TO GET TO A POINT WHERE WE COULD USE THAT TOOL IN A WAY THAT INCENTED SOME AFFORDABILITY AND SOME OF THE MOST HIGH PRICED REAL ESTATE IN OUR CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT DOWNTOWN REMAINS A PLACE FOR EVERYONE. UH, AND I THINK THERE'S, THE DISCUSSION HERE CLEARLY ILLUSTRATES THE TENSION THAT STILL EXISTS, BUT THAT IS THE C CHIP PROGRAM WE ADOPTED BEFORE IT WAS SIMPLY AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL. THEN WE CREATED A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT INCENTED AT LEAST SOME AFFORDABILITY. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY. THIS IS WHERE THE PROJECT IS COMING IN FROM. UH, SO I DO SUPPORT THE PROJECT. I ALSO SUPPORT US GOING BACK OVER THAT INCENTIVE POLICY AND LOOKING AGAIN, AS I BELIEVE THE DEPARTMENT IS ALREADY ENGAGED IN, TO SEE HOW WE NEED TO FURTHER TWEAK IT. WE'RE NEARING THE END OF THE HOUSING GOALS THAT WE ESTABLISHED 10 YEARS AGO. UH, AND CLEARLY THIS CITY NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS, UH, MORE, UH, AND DEEPER AFFORDABILITY AND, AND, AND THE PRODUCTS THAT WE'RE INVOLVED WITH. BUT THIS PROJECT THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE TODAY [02:25:01] MEETS ALL OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE SET UP SO THAT WE WOULD SEE PROJECTS LIKE THIS COME FORWARD TO US. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE, I THINK, VERY IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. I THINK, UH, IT'S, IT'S HELPED PAVE, UH, PAVE THE ROAD FOR US, UH, TO HAVE ANOTHER DISCUSSION AND RE-LOOK AT OUR HOUSING INCENTIVES OVERALL. AND WE SHOULD BE ENGAGING THE, THE BODIES THAT HAVE BEEN FORMED TO DO THAT VERY WORK, N A N H S D HOUSING, UM, COMMISSION, UH, OUR CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES AND SO FORTH. BUT AT THIS POINT, THIS IS THE PROJECT, UH, THAT, UH, HAS BEEN SET UP BECAUSE OF THESE PROGRAMS. AND, AND THIS IS THE PROJECT THAT I WOULD SUPPORT. UH, SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 23, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM 26. ITEM 26 IS AN ORDINANCE EXTENDING THE C P S ENERGY SAFE FOR TOMORROW. ENERGY PLAN STEP THROUGH JANUARY 31ST, 2021, AND APPROVING AN ADJUSTMENT IN THE FUEL SURCHARGE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, I'M THANKFUL TO THE C P SS ENERGY CREW WHO'S STILL HERE. AND I'M SO SORRY ABOUT HAVING TO, UH, KEEP YOU ALL FROM, FROM YOUR, UH, REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS AND JOBS. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S A FULL PRESENTATION, UM, HERE IN JUST A SECOND, BUT I WANTED TO START OFF BY, BY TELLING YOU WHY, UH, I PULLED THE ITEM COUNCIL MEMBER. I'M SO SORRY. IT'S, WE DO HAVE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. OH. SO THAT'S PERFECT. IF YOU'LL ALLOW ME, I'LL ABSOLUTELY, I'LL BRING THOSE UP, AND THEN I'LL PUT THE FLOOR BACK TO YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. SORRY ABOUT THAT. YES, NO PROBLEM. UM, WE'LL START, UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS. SO I'LL BEGIN BY PAUL WITH PAUL RAB. MR. RAB, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY BRUCE TEEL, YOU, MR. MAYOR, UH, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF CITY STAFF. I'M HERE. MY NAME IS PAUL ROBBIE. I'M THE ENERGY MANAGER FOR THE NORTHEAST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND I'M HERE TO URGE YOU TO APPROVE THIS ORDINANCE EXTENDING C P S ENERGY STEP PROGRAM THROUGH THE END OF JANUARY, 2021. THE NORTHEAST SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS WORKED WITH C P S ENERGY AND UTILIZING THEIR STEP PROGRAM TO COMPLETE MANY ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. IN PARTICULAR, IN OUR CURRENT BOND CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM, THE DISTRICT RECEIVED OVER $300,000 IN INCENTIVE PAYMENTS FOR 10 MAJOR L E D LIGHTING RETROFIT PROJECTS. THESE PROJECTS ARE NOW SAVING OVER 2 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS OF ENERGY A YEAR, RESULTING IN ONGOING UTILITY COST SAVINGS TO THE DISTRICT OF OVER $200,000 A YEAR. NOW THAT MOST ALL OUR BOND PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FUNDED AND ARE NEARING COMPLETION, THE DISTRICT'S BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS APPROVED AND ALLOCATED THOSE $300,000 FOR ADDITIONAL L E D LIGHTING PROJECTS. BY LEVERAGING THESE FUNDS WITH THE STEP PROGRAM INCENTIVES, WE EXPECT TO, UH, WORK ON AND COMPLETE AN ADDITIONAL 26 L E D LIGHTING PROJECTS AT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUSES. IF THE, UH, STEP PROGRAM INCENTIVES ARE NOT AVAILABLE, THEN WE MAY ONLY BE ABLE TO COMPLETE AS FEW AS ONE THIRD OF THESE PROJECTS. THE L E D LIGHTING PROJECTS HAVE HELPED US IMPROVE OUR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR STUDENTS, PROVIDE BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, AND SIGNIFICANT UTILITY COST SAVINGS FOR OUR TAXPAYERS. SO, AGAIN, I URGE YOU TO APPROVE THIS ORDINANCE EXTENDING THE STEP PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. ROBBIE. BRUCE TEAL. MR. TEAL, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY ANDREW WOOD STEELE. GOOD MORNING, . UH, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR AND, UH, COUNSEL FOR ALLOWING ME TO [02:30:01] SPEAK TODAY. MY NAME IS BRUCE STEELE. I'M A DIRECTOR WITH FRANKLIN ENERGY. FRANKLIN IS A COMPANY THAT, UH, PROVIDES GRID OPTIMIZATION AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FOR UTILITIES AND, AND, UH, GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES ACROSS THE, UH, COUNTRY AND IN CANADA. UH, WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 25 YEARS, AND WE WORK WITH, UM, ABOUT 150 UTILITIES ACROSS THAT AREA. CURRENTLY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE ARE INVOLVED IN THE, UM, SAVE NOW PROGRAMS. UH, WE WORK BOTH ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE AND WITH THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM, CASA VERDE, WHICH I KNOW MOST OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH. AND, UM, MY COMMENTS ARE INFORMED BY A LOT OF INTERACTIONS WITH THIS, UH, FOLKS IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, WHETHER IT BE ON THE PHONE, IN THEIR HOMES, UH, OR IN THE MANY COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT WE, THAT WE'RE PART OF. UM, WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH MANY OF YOU IN THOSE, THOSE TYPES OF EVENTS. UM, SO WE'VE, WE'VE ENJOYED OUR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH C P S SINCE 2016. AND, UH, OUR PARTNERSHIP HAS ALLOWED US TO REALLY DO, UH, GREAT, GOOD IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'VE, UH, WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TALK TO RESIDENTS, UH, RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THEM BOTH WHEN WE'RE PERFORMING WORK. UH, THEY TAKE THE TIME TO SIT DOWN AND SEND PERSONAL NOTES TO US. UH, SO WE KNOW THE IMPACT IT'S HAVING IN THE COMMUNITY. IT'S ALSO AN ECONOMIC IMPACT. UM, WE HAVE ABOUT 32 FOLKS THAT WORK HERE LOCALLY IN SAN ANTONIO. WE WORK WITH, UH, LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF CONTRACTORS THAT ARE PERFORMING, UH, WORK IN, IN THE FIELD OF HVAC, UH, INSULATION. AND, UH, WE ALSO EMPLOY SEVERAL SUBCONTRACTORS THAT DO WORK ON THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM. AND AGAIN, UM, THESE PROGRAMS MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THOSE JOBS AND, UH, SUPPORT OF THE PROGRAMS. UM, THE PROGRAMS ARE DIVERSE AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS, UH, REALLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. SO ALL SAN ANTONIOS HAVE, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS. UM, WHETHER IT BE AN EQUIPMENT REBATE, A NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION, OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES THERE FOR EVERYBODY. THAT INCLUDES THE INCOME QUALIFIED WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM. SO, REALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS. AND, UM, I JUST WANNA MENTION A FEW OF THOSE. SO, AS A RESULT OF THESE PROGRAMS, WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN ABOUT 30,000 SINGLE FAMILY MULTIFAMILY HOMES AND PROVIDING RETROFITS, PROVIDING EDUCATION TO THOSE, UH, CITIZENS ABOUT, UH, THE, THE VALUE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY. UH, WE'VE ALSO WEATHERIZED, UH, THROUGH C P S, UM, 12,500 HOMES, SAW THAT BEING A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN THAT COMMUNITY. UH, ABOUT 40,000 STUDENTS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND WE PROVIDE KITS TO THOSE STUDENTS, AND THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO TAKE THAT BACK HOME AND VISIT WITH THEIR PARENTS ABOUT, ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY. SO WE VERY MUCH SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. WE THINK IT'S VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY, AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. TEAL. ANDREW WOOD. MR. WOOD, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY RUSSELL SEALE. HELLO. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. UH, MY NAME IS ANDREW WOOD. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF SALES AND OPERATIONS FOR GOMAR SOLAR. UM, WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKSTORY, UM, A LITTLE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR MYSELF. I MOVED TO SAN ANTONIO IN 2006 TO STUDY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT U T S A. DURING THAT TIME, UH, THEY RELEASED AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PROGRAM. SO I DECIDED, UH, COMPLETELY PIVOT. INSTEAD OF JOINING THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY AFTER COLLEGE, I DECIDED TO, UH, STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE HIRED IN 2009 BY, UH, BILL SINKIN AT SOLAR SAN ANTONIO. SO WHEN I STARTED IN 2009, THERE WERE, UH, 39 SOLAR INSTALLATIONS IN SAN ANTONIO. SO BABY INDUSTRY, UM, REALLY JUST AN ADVOCACY GROUP TO GET THE WORD OUT. UH, OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE THE SOLAR INDUSTRY GROW TO OVER 18,000 SOLAR INSTALLATIONS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THAT'S ALL DUE TO THE STEP PROGRAM. SO, UM, JUST FOR MYSELF ALONE, I'M FORTUNATE TO HAVE C P S ENERGY AND THE STEP PROGRAM BEHIND THE INDUSTRY THAT I'M A PART OF. AND I KNOW, UH, THERE'S THOUSANDS OF SOLAR INSTALLERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT ARE RELYING ON THESE, UH, STEP FUNDS TO HELP THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO ADOPT SOLAR ENERGY, UM, THEN IT EXPENSE TO OTHER INDUSTRIES AS WELL. SO, UM, I'D LIKE YOU TO, UH, THINK ABOUT SUPPORTING THE STEP PROGRAM, EXTENDING IT FOR ANOTHER YEAR. UM, THE ONLY REASON WE'RE STANDING HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE THE PROGRAM WAS SO SUCCESSFUL. UM, IF IT WASN'T AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT HAS BEEN, WE WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE ASKING FOR ANOTHER YEAR, UM, 'CAUSE WE'D STILL BE TRYING TO REACH THOSE GOALS. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, AND I HOPE YOU EXTEND IT. [02:35:02] THANK YOU, MR. WOOD. RUSSELL SEAL, MR. SEAL, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY DREW SUTTER. THANK YOU, MAYOR BERG. UM, I WAS, UH, THERE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STEP PROGRAM AND WHERE IT CAME FROM. IT STARTED WHEN MAYOR HARBERGER SLAMMED HIS FIST ON THE TABLE WHEN THE NUKE WAS COMING OUT AND SAY, WHAT ARE Y'ALL GONNA DO ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DE DEMAND MANAGEMENT? WITHIN SIX MONTHS, MAYOR HARBERGER GOT EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER FROM THE, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO THE BUILDING A COMMUNITY, TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY. AND IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, WE DEVELOPED THE STEP ORDINANCE THAT CITY COUNCIL APPROVED, WHICH HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM THAT JUST NOT HELPED THE PEOPLE WHO UTILIZE IT. IT HELPS EVERYBODY IN PREVENTING A VERY EXPENSIVE, UH, POWER PLANT TO BE BUILT. THAT WAS ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AT THE TIME. NOW, THE PROGRAM, WE MISWORDED AND WE MADE A MISTAKE IN THAT PROCESS AND USED THE WORD AND 771 AND 2020. THE REASON WE'RE HAVING TO EXTEND THIS PROGRAM IS BECAUSE WE WORDED THE ORDINANCE WRONG OVER A DECADE AGO. OUR PROBLEM, THOUGH, HAS BEEN WE HAVE NOT HAD A GOOD PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS GOING FORWARD FOR THREE YEARS. WE HAVE SEEN THIS WALL COMING UP AND HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. BEFORE PAULA WAS C E O DOYLE WAS TALKING ABOUT STEP TWO. AND HOW ARE WE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH STEP TWO WITH THE PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS? HOW ARE WE GONNA MEASURE IT? ARE WE GONNA MEASURE IT WITH P POWER OR ENERGY? WE MISNAMED THE PROGRAM, SAVE ENERGY TOMORROW WHEN IT WAS A 771 MEGAWATT POWER PROGRAM. WE HAVE NOT MEASURED IT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING. WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION. ARE WE GONNA BE REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES? ARE WE GONNA BE REDUCING PEAK POWER? ARE WE GONNA BE REDUCING KNOCKS? COULD WE MEASURE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS? AND HOW DO WE DO THAT IN A PUBLIC PROCESS? WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD. YES, PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS, BUT WE CAN'T WAIT ANOTHER YEAR TO DEVELOP FLEX STEP. WE NEED TO GET THAT MOVING. NOW WE HAVE, Y'ALL HAVE SUPPORTED A 2030 GOAL FOR OUR CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION PLAN, AND WE CUT OFF ANOTHER YEAR AND PUSHING IT OUT. THE MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGY WE HAVE IS THE STEP PROGRAM. SO YES, PLEASE PASS THIS, BUT PLEASE GET A MORE ROBUST PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS ON HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD WITH FLEX STEP, MOVE AGGRESSIVELY, MOVE FAST, BE FLEXIBLE. PEOPLE LIKE, UM, RICK LUNA HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL IN ROLLING THIS, UH, PROJECT OUT. PEOPLE LIKE BEN GOEL, UH, WITH THE CITY STAFF HELPED DEVELOP THIS PROGRAM AND BRING EVERYBODY TOGETHER, UH, WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING, KNOWS THIS FANTASTIC FUNDING MECHANISM THAT DOESN'T TAKE BOND MONEY. WE WOULD HAVE SPENT, UH, ANOTHER BILLION DOLLARS FOR THE BOND MONEY TO DEVELOP THE PROGRAM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. SEAL. DREW SUTTER, MR. SUTTER, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY GREG HARMON. THANK YOU, MR. MARION. COUNSEL, UH, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, COME AND SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE, UH, BRIDGE STEP FUNDING FOR C P S ENERGY. UM, I'M SPEAKING BOTH AS A SENIOR MANAGER OF CLEAR RESULT. UM, WE'RE A CONSULTING COMPANY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, PARTNERS WITH UTILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, THINK ENERGY EFFICIENCY, UM, AND SO ON. UH, AND HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH C P S ENERGY SINCE 2016, UM, BUT ALSO AS A DISTRICT NINE RESIDENT, UM, WHO HAS HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO WORK IN WITH SOME INVOLVEMENT IN THE STEP PROGRAM, UM, SINCE 2011, AND HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE SOCIETAL BENEFITS IN THE MARKET TRANSFORMATION THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THAT TIME. UM, REALLY FORTUNATE FOR THAT. UM, FOR OUR COMPANY, WE HAVE, UH, BETWEEN 15 AND 30 JOBS, DEPENDING ON THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE GOING ON DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THIS PROGRAM, AND HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE, UH, BENEFITS TO, UM, OUR TRADE ALLY PARTNERS, UH, THE RESIDENTS, AND HAVE SEEN THROUGH THEIR DEDICATION OF, UH, EVEN OTHER PARTNERS. AND I'D LIKE TO REITERATE WHAT, UH, BRUCE AND ANDREW, UM, SAID. THIS IS A STORY OF ACHIEVEMENT AND THROUGH THE DEDICATION OF ALL PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE RESIDENTS IN OUR, OUR COMMUNITY AND BUSINESSES, UM, WHICH IS WHAT WE PRIMARILY WORK WITH, SEEING THE DEDICATION, UM, THAT IT TAKES, UH, IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THAT GOAL. UM, I CAN ALSO SPEAK FIRSTHAND TO THE DEDICATION RESPONSIBILITY C P S ENERGY TAKES IN ENSURING THAT ALL THE STEP FUNDING USED AND INVESTED IN THIS, INVESTED IN THIS ACHIEVEMENT HAS BEEN [02:40:01] USED WISELY AND, UM, WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER COMMENS COMMENSURATE AND MEASURABLE RETURN ON THOSE INVESTMENTS. UM, IN MY TEAM'S CORNER, WE HAVE BI WE HAVE PROGRAMS TAILORED FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, FOR, UM, SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS FOR OUR MILITARY PARTNERS, AND YES, FOR THE LARGER ENTITIES WE HAVE, UM, WITHOUT GETTING TOO FAR INTO THOSE NUMBERS, UM, LET ME JUST USE AS AN EXAMPLE. UH, OUR LAST INCENTIVE FUNDING RUN THAT WE HAVE, AND WE, WE MANAGE, AGAIN, COMMERCIAL REBATES. AS OF YESTERDAY, WE SORT OF CLOSED OUT THE FISCAL YEAR AND OUR CURRENT PROGRAM YEAR. UM, AND IN THAT RUN WE HAD 652,000 IN INCENTIVE DOLLARS, WHICH TRANSLATES TO 6 MILLION, OVER 6 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS, WHICH IS WELL OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN ENERGY SAVINGS YEAR OVER YEAR TO THE C P S CUSTOMERS. UM, AND FACILITATED THROUGH THE HARD WORK OF THE C P SS ENERGY TEAM AND OUR PARTNERS, UM, WHICH INCLUDES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS SINCE WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED, UM, HUNDREDS OF TRADE ALLY, UH, CONTRACTORS IN OUR NETWORKS THAT HAVE ALL COME TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE. IN THAT GROUP THAT I JUST DESCRIBED OF OUR, OUR FUNDING FROM YESTERDAY, WE HAVE A MILITARY FACILITY, THREE LOCAL ISDS, A PROMINENT MUSEUM THAT HAS A EDUCATIONAL MISSION, UM, SOME PROMINENT MANUFACTURERS AND THE CORPORATIONS THAT, THAT ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH SAN ANTONIO. UM, NOT TO MENTION THEM BY NAMES, BUT MAYBE MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE 15 SMALL BUSINESSES IN THERE, INCLUDING GROUPS OF CAR WASHES, A CHINESE RESTAURANT AND AUTO SERVICE STORE, UH, PARTS CENTER, AND A SMALL DESIGN STUDIO. UM, SO IN CLOSING THE ASSET, YOU CONTINUE THIS FUNDING HAS BECOME CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO THE PLANNING AND OPERATIONS OF ALL PROGRAM STAKEHOLDERS, AND THAT'S THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO IN THE BUSINESS IS THIS BRIDGE FUNDING WILL ALSO GIVE US TIME AND C P S ENERGY TIME TO FORM A VERY, UH, TAKE THE TIME NEEDED TO FORM A DELIBERATE AND THOUGHTFUL APPROACH TO FLEX STEP IN WHAT COMES NEXT. SO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. SUTTER. GREG HARMON. MR. HARMON, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY AARON STEEN. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, FOR THE SIERRA CLUB THAT WE DO SUPPORT FUNDING STEP THROUGH THIS BRIDGE YEAR INTO THE NEXT PHASE, UH, WHAT THEY'RE CALLING FLEX STEP. UM, I HATE TO LOSE THAT TIME. WE KNOW IT'S WORKING FOR WORKING FAMILIES IN SAN ANTONIO. UH, BUT WE DO WANNA SEE THE AMBITION LEVEL RAISED WHEN WE GO INTO FLEX STEP, WHICH WILL BE THE NEXT 10 YEAR CHUNK, UH, IN TERMS OF HOW CAN WE TARGET THOSE FAMILIES WHO REALLY BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THIS, AND NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE GONNA SAVE A LITTLE ON THEIR BILL AND BUY ANOTHER FLAT SCREEN TV. UM, SO WE CAN DO REALLY WORK THIS PROGRAM AND WE CAN GET THE GAS OUT AS AN INCENTIVE, UM, UH, BECAUSE WE'VE COMMITTED TO DOING THIS, UM, FOR FAMILIES IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALSO TO AS A CLIMATE RESPONSE AS WELL. SO AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO THE, YOU HEARD RUSSELL TALKING ABOUT THE 2030 GOAL, UM, THE ENERGY THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BURN, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO CREATE, UH, IS THE BEST TO START WITH. BUT, UM, AND SO WE AS THE, THE, THE SIERRA CLUB, WE'VE GOT ACTUALLY ALREADY WE WERE TALKING WITH C P S YESTERDAY, WE HAVE A CONSULTANT THAT WE'VE HIRED. WE'RE WORKING ON A REPORT, WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THE BEST PROGRAM THAT WE CAN. UH, SOME OF THE STUFF MAYBE THEY THOUGHT OF, MAYBE SOME THAT THEY HAVEN'T. BUT AS GOING FORWARD, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT CLEAN ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY, UH, THEY POSITION SAN ANTONIO, UH, AS A LEADER, UH, GLOBALLY, UH, IF WE REALLY RATCHET DOWN ON THIS. BUT THE MOST CRITICAL PROBABLY QUESTION, I THINK IT'S INTERESTING, WHAT STEP DOES IS IT BRINGS INTO QUESTION LIKE, UH, WHO WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY AND ASKS THE QUESTION AGAIN WHO C P S ENERGY IS FOR. UH, WE'VE HEARD, UH, REALLY INTERESTING, UH, CONVERSATION THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLANNING OVER HERE AT, UH, THE C P SS BOARDROOM. AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL OF Y'ALL TO COME OVER AND TAKE A FEW HOURS AND, UH, IT'S 30% OF THE OPERATING BUDGET, RIGHT? SO, UM, GET TO KNOW YOUR UTILITY. UM, BUT THERE'S BEEN REALLY GREAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT STEP AND ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE UTILITY. AND, UH, IN HERE DURING THE CLIMATE VOTE, ANNA SANDOVAL ASKED THIS QUESTION, SAID, IS IT JUST TO MAKE MONEY FOR OUR BOTTOM LINE? IS THAT WHAT THE UTILITY IS HERE FOR? AND THERE'S A BOARD MEMBER WHO WILL TELL YOU, YES, THEY ARE JUST UTILITY TO MAKE MONEY TO SERVE THE THE C'S BOTTOM LINE. UM, BUT WHEN I THINK ABOUT CITY PUBLIC SERVICE, I HEAR SOMETHING ELSE THAT SOME WE MAY HAVE LOST. AND I THINK THAT IS THE SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC. UM, AND SO, UH, I'M HOPING THAT WE REALLY WILL REFOCUS IN THIS PERIOD BEFORE THE NETFLIX STEP AND ASK OURSELVES ABOUT THAT. [02:45:01] I MEAN, WE'RE IN A GOOD DIRECTION. I THINK GENERALLY AT THE UTILITY RIGHT NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF TR, YOU KNOW, GETTING MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY, BUT I THINK THERE'S ALSO STILL A LOT OF RESISTANCE IN TERMS OF HOW DO WE, UM, DEMOCRATIZE OUR UTILITY? HOW DO WE CREATE PROGRAMS THAT REALLY SERVE THOSE WHO NEED IT AND AREN'T JUST CONTINUING TO FEED GROWTH EVEN THROUGH GREEN PROGRAMS LIKE STEP. SO THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU, MR. HARMON. AARON STEIN, FOLLOWED BY PATRICK ATWATER. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR NURNBERG, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF. MY NAME IS AARON STEIN, AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF EXTENDING THE, UM, STEP PROGRAM FUNDING, UH, AS THE NEXT ITERATION OF C P S ENERGY REBATES ARE BEING DEVELOPED. I WAS HIRED IN THIS ROLE IN DECEMBER OF 2017, AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY LEVERAGE THESE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP AND GROW A SUCCESSFUL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM WITHIN SS A I S D. AND PART OF THAT IS BRINGING IN INCENTIVE DOLLARS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH STEP. AND THIS PAST YEAR, WE BROUGHT IN, UH, JUST UNDER $350,000 THROUGH DEMAND RESPONSE AND REBATES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY. AND I'M EXCITED TO SAY THAT A, A PORTION OF THOSE FUNDS WILL BE REINVESTED INTO OUR BACK, INTO OUR SCHOOLS TO, UH, TO IMPROVE THEM. AND, UH, EXAMPLES ARE GONNA BE THINGS LIKE L E D LIGHTING IN CLASSROOMS AND GYMS. AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT NOT ONLY SAVE ENERGY, BUT THEY ALSO, UH, IMPROVE THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. SO THERE'S A REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK LOOP THERE. THE MORE WE'RE ABLE TO INVEST IN THESE PROGRAMS, THE MORE WE'RE ABLE TO RECEIVE REBATES, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO, TO GROW THOSE. UM, ADDITIONALLY, UH, BECAUSE OF THE PROGRAM'S SUCCESS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE OUR ANNUAL UTILITY COSTS BY OVER $1.4 MILLION. AND TO A INNER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. AND BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO HIRE SOME ADDITIONAL STAFF TO SUPPORT, UH, AND BOLSTER OUR ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS, AGAIN, CREATING THAT, THAT POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP AND GROWING IT. SO, UM, I'M HERE TO ASK THAT YOU, UM, ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO BUILD UPON THIS MOMENTUM BY EXTENDING THE STEP FUNDING AND ALLOWING OUR INPUT IN THE NEXT ITERATION OF C P SS ENERGY'S, UM, INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. STEIN. PATRICK ATWATER, MR. ATWATER, YOU'D BE FOLLOWED BY MARIO BRAVO OF 'EM. GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS PATRICK ATWATER, AND I'M THE FOUNDER AND C E O OF 180 SOLAR. WE'RE A COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SCALE SPECIALIZED SOLAR DEVELOPMENT FIRM HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. UH, WHEN WE STARTED THE COMPANY IN 2014, UH, WE SEARCHED, WE'RE ACTUALLY, AT THE TIME WE WERE IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND WE LOOKED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ON WHERE WE WANTED TO HEADQUARTER OUR NEW COMPANY. WE LOOKED AT NEW YORK AND CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, MINNESOTA, EVEN GEORGIA, AND NARROWED IT DOWN TO TEXAS OUTTA THAT SEARCH AND THEN NARROWED IT DOWN TO AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO. WE ORIGINALLY WERE THINKING AUSTIN, BUT AFTER LOOKING MORE CLOSELY, WE CHOSE, UH, SAN ANTONIO. AND THE REASON WE CHOSE IT WAS THAT, UM, BASED ON PRIOR EXPERIENCES WORKING WITH INVESTOR OWNED UTILITIES, THAT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO GET THINGS DONE AND MOVING FORWARD, RENEWABLE ENERGY, UH, POLICIES. SO WORKING WITH THE LARGEST MUNICIPALLY OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANY IN THE COUNTRY, WE THOUGHT THAT THAT WOULD GIVE US A CHANCE TO HAVE OPEN DIALECT IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD, UM, IMPORTANT POLICIES THAT WOULD HELP US GROW. THE OTHER THING WAS THE STEP PROGRAM. SO WE LOOKED AT THOSE TWO THINGS AND DECIDED WITHOUT EVER HAVING VISITED SAN ANTONIO TO MOVE THE COMPANY DOWN HERE IN HEADQUARTER. AND, UH, WE'RE VERY GLAD THAT WE DID. AND IT'S SIX YEARS LATER, AND WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL HERE IN TOWN, DOING LOTS OF GREAT PROJECTS. AND SO I WANT TO CONTINUE THAT SUCCESS AND CONTINUE TO GROW OUR COMPANY HERE. AND, UH, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE NEED THAT STABILITY AND THAT, UH, AND KNOWING THAT WE'VE GOT THOSE STEP FUNDS IN ORDER TO HELP OUR CLIENTS AFFORDABLY PURCHASE THESE SOLAR PROJECTS. THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS NOT JUST THE FUNDING, BUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH SANTO OR WITH C P S ENERGY. AND AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF YOU GUYS OVER THE YEARS THAT WE'VE HAD. WE'VE HAD SOME UPS AND DOWNS IN, UH, GETTING SOME THINGS, UM, UH, FEELING LIKE WE HAVE A STABLE MARKETPLACE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. BUT I CAN SAY HONESTLY, THAT, UM, JUST IN THE LAST YEAR, THAT CONVERSATION HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD SINCE, SINCE COMING TO SAN ANTONIO THAT C P S HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE TO WORK WITH AND HAS SET UP JUST RECENTLY A SOLAR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THAT I'M HONORED TO SIT ON. AND WE ARE HELPING THEM DESIGN AND COME UP WITH, UH, POLICIES THAT WE THINK ARE GONNA BE PRODUCTIVE FOR THE SOLAR INDUSTRY AS PART OF THIS NEP NEXT STEP TWO PROGRAM. SO [02:50:01] I ENCOURAGE YOU TO, UM, TO, UH, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT STEP THROUGH THIS NEXT YEAR AND, AND KNOW THAT THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING BETWEEN THE SOLAR INDUSTRY AND C P S HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE BEST THAT WE'VE, WE'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO CONTINUE THOSE. THANK YOU, MR. ATWATER. MARIO BRAVO. GOOD MORNING COUNSEL. I'M HERE TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR THE STEP PROGRAM. AND YOU KNOW, THE MOST AFFORDABLE ENERGY THERE IS, IS THE ENERGY THAT YOU DON'T USE, AND THAT'S WHAT THE STEP PROGRAM IS ABOUT. UM, I RECENTLY, UP UNTIL THREE DAYS AGO, SERVED AS THE CHAIR OF A STAKEHOLDER GROUP THAT MET WITH C P S ENERGY QUARTERLY. AND I WILL SAY THAT THAT STAKEHOLDER GROUP WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN SHAPING HOW THE STEP PROGRAM IT LOOK WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE FUTURE. AND, UH, SINCE 2018, WE'VE ACTUALLY ASKED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS IN WRITING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS WHAT, WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE. AND, UH, C P S ENERGY WILL PROBABLY TELL YOU, WELL, WE, WE HAD THOSE DISCUSSIONS, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT TWO MINUTE DISCUSSIONS. I'M, I'M TA I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THEM JUST SHARING A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION. I'M TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TOGETHER A MEETING WHERE YOU CAN DIG INTO THE DETAILS AND, AND HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CREATING A ROBUST DEBT PROCESS THAT'S EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE. UM, AND I, I MENTION THIS BECAUSE I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS AT C P S ENERGY IS BROKEN. NOW, JUST LAST FRIDAY, THE MAYOR CIRCULATED A MEMO, UH, PROPOSING A RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR C P S ENERGY. UH, SAS HAS A RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, A PUBLIC RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, C P S ENERGY DOES NOT. UM, AND I CAN SAY THAT AT THE, THE MAYOR BROUGHT THIS UP AT MONDAY'S BOARD MEETING, AND C E O PAULA GOLD WILLIAMS PUSHED BACK VERY, VERY STRONGLY AGAINST THIS. AND SHE ASKED A QUESTION OF THE MAYOR IN THAT MEETING. SHE ASKED, IS YOUR INTENTION FOR THIS, UH, ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO REPLACE MY BOARD OF TRUSTEES? AND THAT WAS A GROSS MISINTERPRET INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THE MAYOR'S PROPOSING. AND I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT SHE ASKED THAT. I BELIEVE IT WAS A FEAR TACTIC DESIGNED TO GET THE, TO SCARE THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS INTO OPPOSING THE MAYOR'S PROPOSAL. UM, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I GO TO ALL OF THE C P S ENERGY BOARD MEETINGS, AND WHAT I'VE BEEN SEEING THERE IS A TENSION. AND THAT TENSION IS BETWEEN WHAT IS C P S ENERGY? ARE THEY A COMPANY WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE IS TO SEEK PROFITABILITY ON THE BACKS OF C P SS ENERGY RATE PAYERS? OR IS IT AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE OPERATED IN A WAY THAT REFLECTS THE VALUES OF OUR COMMUNITY? AND SO, IF YOU BELIEVE, LIKE I DO, THAT C P S ENERGY IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WE OWN AND THAT SHOULD REFLECT THE VALUES OF OUR COMMUNITY, I WANT TO ASK YOU ALL TO THROW YOUR FULL SUPPORT BEHIND THE MAYOR'S PROPOSAL FOR THIS PUBLIC RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. BRAVO, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS. I NOTICED THERE'S SEVERAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS HERE AND, UH, N E I S D, AND S E I S A I S D. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW IN, IN DISTRICT FOUR, AND I'LL SHOW UP SOME STATS RIGHT NOW, ONLY 24 SCHOOLS HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM. UM, AND, AND IT LOOKS LIKE COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ'S, UH, DISTRICT HAS BEEN VERY FORTUNATE THAT SHE HAS A HUNDRED IN HER DISTRICT. SO THAT'S GREAT. UM, AND SO I WANTED TO START OFF BEFORE, UH, I MOVE ON, UM, BY SAYING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE A, A LITTLE BIT STO A STORY WITH YOU ALL ABOUT ONE OF MY MENTORS WHO, UM, LEFT US WAY TOO SOON, AND HIS NAME WAS MANUEL MENDEZ VALEZ. AND HE ALWAYS ADVOCATED FOR THE UNDERREPRESENTED. UM, AND ONE DAY, AS WAS HIS USUAL STYLE, HE CAME TO MY OFFICE AND HE, UM, YOU KNOW, SO HE WE'RE ALWAYS JUST BURST INTO MY OFFICE. AND I HAD JUST BEEN, UM, SELECTED AS PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE, AND HE TOLD ME, MA'AM, WE NEED GREATER TRANSPARENCY ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND YOU'RE THE BOARD LIAISON. I SAY, YOU'RE GONNA, YOU'RE GONNA HELP ME BECAUSE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S GREATER TRANSPARENCY. AND SO, AND I, I WAS, I STARTLED, I GUESS BECAUSE I'M THINKING, I JUST STARTED, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? AND SO, BUT, UM, IT WAS GREAT. I GOT TO WORK WITH HIM. AND IMAGINE MY SURPRISE, EARLIER THIS WEEK, I MET WITH A GROUP OF ADVOCATES, UM, WHO WERE REQUESTING GREATER TRANSPARENCY FOR THEIR PUBLIC UTILITY. UM, AND I WALKED IN AND, UH, I WAS WAITING FOR A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THEY WERE WAITING ON, ON SOME FOLKS TO GET HERE. AND I SEE MR. YE'S, DAUGHTER CELIA, WHO I HADN'T SEEN SINCE SHE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. AND SHE, UH, LAST TIME I'D SEEN HER ACTUALLY WAS IN HER UT LONGHORN MARIACHI OUTFIT AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL. UM, AND SHE TOO WAS ADVOCATING FOR TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, AND SHE WAS ADVOCATING FOR THE UNDERREPRESENTED. AND IT MADE [02:55:01] ME VERY PROUD BECAUSE HER DAD HAS PASSED. AND I TOLD HER THAT I WAS VERY PROUD FOR HER TO BE CONTINUING HER DAD'S, UH, WORK. AND ONE DAY, I'M SURE MAYBE SHE TOO WILL HAVE A FOOTBALL FIELD NAMED AFTER HER, LIKE HER DAD DOES, OR, UM, A BUILDING OF SOME SORT. BUT I WAS VERY PROUD. AND, AND THAT WAS NOT THE ONLY REASON THAT I PULLED THE ITEM TODAY. UH, BUT I DID WANT TO, UM, WORK ALSO FROM A MARKETING AND FROM A PUBLIC AFFAIRS PERSPECTIVE AND ADVOCATE FOR BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THAT GREATER TRANSPARENCY. AND SO MY, UM, MY OLD HAT HAD ME, AGAIN, OVERSEE THE WEBSITE AT SOUTHWEST I SD AND BY THE WAY, UH, I WAS THE ONLY SENIOR STAFF MEMBER WHO ATTENDED ALL BUT ONE CONSTRUCTION MEETING FOR SOUTHWEST I S D. SO I UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF, UH, UH, OF PARTNERSHIPS. I, I LOVE IT. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOU DO. AND SO I JUST WANNA HAVE A CONVERSATION OR START A CONVERSATION ABOUT SOME ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY. AND THE FIRST THING THAT I DID IS I CALLED THE WEB DEVELOPER THAT I WORKED WITH AT THE TIME AT SOUTHWEST I S D, AND I WAS LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE WEBSITE, AND THIS WAS ONLY AFTER I HAD WORKED WITH ONE OF THE C P S EXECUTIVES TO HELP ME FIND, UH, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PAGE AND WHERE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES OR, OR VIDEOS OR ANYTHING THAT I COULD FIND. SO, UM, IT, IT TOOK US A COUPLE OF TIMES. AND SO FIRST I WAS TOLD, OH, WELL, MAYBE IT'S A DIFFERENT BROWSER, CHECK A DIFFERENT BROWSER, AND THEN, OH, WELL CHECK A DIFFERENT MOBILE MAYBE FROM YOUR MOBILE PHONE. AND SO I, I WANTED TO PROVE A POINT THAT TOOK ABOUT 11 MINUTES. UH, SO LATER ON, I CALLED THE, THE WEB DEVELOPER, AND I ASKED, YOU KNOW, I SAID, IN, FROM MY MARKETING PERSPECTIVE, FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, IF I'M SELLING SOMETHING TO MY CUSTOMERS ONLINE, TWO CLICKS, THAT'S THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT THAT IT SHOULD TAKE FOR SOMEONE TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE A PRODUCT. AND SO, UH, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, TO, UH, ASK C P S IF THEY WOULD CONSIDER MAYBE MAKING IT A LITTLE EASIER TO FACILITATE THE PROCESS OF FINDING THIS INFORMATION, UM, FROM THEIR FRONT PAGE. UH, ADDITIONALLY THEN I THOUGHT, OKAY, WELL, LET'S GO TO SOCIAL MEDIA, RIGHT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SO, UM, AS, AS YOU ALL CAN IMAGINE, I, I DIDN'T HAVE TOO MUCH TIME, SO I ASKED MY STAFF TO DO THIS FOR ME, AND I ASKED THEM TO GO AND FIND THE LAST TIME THAT C P S ENERGY HAD, UH, POSTED ABOUT A, A MEETING ABOUT A BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING. AND SO, UM, OR ABOUT A STEP PLAN. AND SO MY STAFF SAYS, UH, WELL, ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS SAYS, COUNCILWOMAN, I COMB THROUGH C'S CP S'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES AND FOUND NOTHING ON BOARD MEETINGS. THEY ONLY MENTIONED THE NEWEST BOARD MEMBER ON FACEBOOK WHEN SHE WAS APPOINTED BACK IN 2019. THROUGHOUT THE PAGES, I ONLY FOUND ONE POST ON STEP, AND THAT FACEBOOK POST WAS FROM JULY 29TH. UM, AND SO THEN HE PROCEEDED TO GIVE ME A COPY OF IT. AND SO IT WAS A, A STEP ENERGY REBATE, UM, COMMERCIAL, UH, AND THEN IT, AND I BELIEVE THIS ONE ACTUALLY, THAT, THAT HE ATTACHED WAS ALSO FROM 2009. AND SO, AND I WAS FINE, UH, WITH, WITH THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE I THOUGHT, OKAY, WELL, THIS IS WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT. SO, UM, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ENGAGEMENT. WE WANT TO HAVE ADDITIONAL ENGAGEMENT. THERE'S A GROWING NUMBER, ADULTS, UH, OF 55 PLUS ADULTS WHO ARE ON FACEBOOK. UM, THEY ARE ENGAGED. MY, LIKE, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE HAVE GRANDMOTHERS THAT ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK, SO THAT'S SOCIAL MEDIA. WE HAVE, UM, TEENAGERS, WE HAVE YOUTH THAT WANT TO BE INVOLVED. THEY'RE ON TWITTER, THEY'RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND SO, UM, I, I KNOW THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT A YOUTH ADVOCACY GROUP OF SOME SORT, LIKE AN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP ADVOCACY, BUT THAT'D BE ONE OF THESE THINGS THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO FACILITATE, UH, UH, THE PROCESS WITH, WITH C P SS ENERGY. SO I WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TODAY'S OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK FORWARD AND SEE HOW DO WE CONTINUE THAT ENGAGEMENT. AND I DO APPRECIATE, UM, RUDY GARZA, UH, MY FELLOW LONGHORN, BY THE WAY. THERE'S A LOT OF BURNT TO IN THE ROOM TODAY. UM, BUT SO HE AND HIS LETTER SAID, REALIZING THAT OTHER THINGS WERE A PRIORITY FOR, FOR THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP, UM, AND REALIZING MORE INPUT WOULD BE HELPFUL. WE FELT IT PRUDENT TO SEEK MORE PROGRAM INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY IN 2020. SO I DO WANNA SAY THAT I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I KNOW THAT RUDY IS IN THE INTERIM CHIEF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT OFFICER ROLE NOW, AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HIS WORK AND TO, UM, HOW WE CAN, UM, MOVE FORWARD AND, AND CREATE THIS, THIS DISCUSSION, UH, THAT I THINK WOULD BE MEANINGFUL. UM, WITH THAT SAID, I HAVE, UH, A, A DOCUMENT THAT, UH, JOHN LEAL AND KEVIN MATOLA, THEY'VE BEEN WONDERFUL. EVERY TIME THAT I ASK FOR INFORMATION, THEY GIVE IT TO ME. AND SO, UM, WHAT I DID, I RECEIVED THIS YESTERDAY, AND I WILL CONFESS THAT I WAS DOING THIS DURING B SESSION OF CONNECT ESSAY. I KNOW. UH, SO JUST REAL QUICK, UH, WE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE KEEP ALL COMMENTS ON THE STEP PROGRAM. YES. [03:00:01] OKAY. OKAY, NO PROBLEM. AND THIS IS THE STEP PROGRAM. AND SO THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU ALL. AND SO IF YOU SEE, THIS IS WHERE, WHERE MY, WHERE I'M LEADING, WE HAVE, UM, DISTRICT FOUR IS THE 10TH IN PARTICIPATION BY COUNCIL DISTRICT. UH, AND SO YOU COULD SEE I'VE HIGHLIGHTED FOR YOU ALL THE, THE, THE YELLOW ARE THE LOWEST, THE ORANGE ARE THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATIONS. AND I HAVE COPIES OVER HERE, IF ANY OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE THEM. UM, IF WE BREAK IT DOWN BY COST, BY INVESTMENT. YOU SEE, UH, WELL, I'M KIND OF FORTUNATE, I GUESS DISTRICT FOUR IS FALLS FIFTH, YOU COULD SEE WHO THE NUMBER, NUMBER ONE IS. AND SO, UM, IN, IN THE 10TH. AND SO AGAIN, I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO ASK FOR, ALSO, IN ADDITION TO ADDED TRANSPARENCY, I'D LIKE TO ASK IF THERE COULD BE MORE MARKETING EFFORTS FOCUSED ON, UM, SOME OF THE DISTRICTS THAT REALLY NEED IT, BECAUSE WE ARE ALL, AS TAXPAYERS SUBSIDIZING THIS PROGRAM. I BELIEVE IN IT, I THINK IT WORKS. I JUST NEED AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE TO KNOW THAT THE DISTRICTS THAT NEED IT THE MOST ARE REALLY BEING MARKETED TO. AND I HAD A NICE CONVERSATION EARLIER WITH RUDY GARZA, AND SO HE, HE'S, HE'S ON IT, HE'S ALL IN FAVOR. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED, BUT I DO, AGAIN, I, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT I TOOK THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE THAT, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THOSE ORANGE NUMBERS, UM, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, IN, IN, IN DISTRICTS AND NINE INTEND, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT TAKES AN INVESTMENT. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT FOUR MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO INVEST, BUT THERE'S SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVEN'T TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF IT IN DISTRICT FOUR OR IN DISTRICT SEVEN EVEN. AND SO I'D LIKE TO GET AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE TO THAT 100 RIGHT ON SCHOOLS INSTITUTION. I THINK WE SHOULD ALL BE LOOKING AT OUR DISTRICTS TO GET UP TO THAT NUMBER. AND SO THAT IS THE REASON THAT I PULLED IT. I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS SOME ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY THAT WE WORKED TOGETHER, UM, GOING FORWARD. AND THAT THE, UM, THE PROMOTIONS OR THE PARTICIPATION IS INCREASED ACROSS THE DISTRICTS BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT INEQUITY LENS, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THIS, THIS, THIS FORM AND YOU CAN TAKE IT DOWN NOW, UM, THAT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THAT ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, THE NEXT TIME THAT WE SEE IT, THAT THERE'S A CONSCIOUS EFFORT. UM, AND THEN THERE WAS, UH, SOME, THE, AND, AND I JUST, I WOULD LOVE SOME ADDITIONAL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. I KNOW YOU ALL HAD A RECENT FO RECENT FOCUS GROUPS, UM, RESIDENTIAL SMALL BUSINESS COMMERCE. UH, I'D LOVE TO INVOLVE ALSO FOLKS, UM, WHO MIGHT NOT, MIGHT BE 65 PLUS. I KNOW IN ONE OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT I WAS SHOWN, ONLY 6% OF 17 CUSTOMERS WHO WERE IN THAT FOCUS GROUP WERE AT AGE 65 PLUS. AND THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT NEED US THE MOST. AND THEY'RE A LOT IN MY DISTRICT. UH, AND SO I JUST WANNA WORK TOGETHER WITH C P S ENERGY AND MAKE SURE THAT WE THINK ABOUT THIS. UM, THE INNOVATION DEPARTMENT, I THINK CAN PROBABLY, UH, AT C P SS ENERGY CAN PROBABLY CONNECT, UH, AND, AND MAYBE WORK ON SOMETHING THAT GETS US TO BE MORE INNOVATIVE ABOUT REACHING THESE, UM, THESE FOLKS. UH, AGAIN, WE ARE PART, WE'RE ALL PART OF IT. WE'RE ALL PITCHING IN FOR, UM, FOR THIS. AND SO WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TARGET TO EVERYBODY WHO NEEDS IT. SO THAT WAS THE REASON THAT I PULLED IT TODAY, AND I'D LOVE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH YOU ALL AND MAKE EVERYTHING MORE ACCESSIBLE. THANK YOU. YES, GO AHEAD. THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, ABSOLUTELY. WE HAVE, UM, VERY MUCH HEARD. THE PROGRAM IS GREAT. UM, BUT THE ABILITY FOR US TO DO MORE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, DEFINITELY WE AGREE TO DO THAT. THE SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU RAISE ARE GREAT. WE HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW TO BUNDLE, TO YOUR POINT, UM, MULTIPLE PROGRAMS TOGETHER, STEP PROGRAMS, AFFORDABILITY, DISCOUNT PROGRAMS, SENIOR PROGRAMS. AND SO, UM, WE, WE'D LIKE TO DIG IN, USE OUR, OUR CREW TO GO OUT AND DO OUTREACH MORE TO TAILOR IT TO WHAT YOU AS COUNCIL MEMBERS THINK WE NEED TO DO, TRY TO MAYBE EVEN DO SOME ZIP CODE PILOTS SO WE CAN KIND OF CLUSTER AND FIND VALUE ALL THE WAY, UM, THROUGH THE CHAIN. SO ABSOLUTELY, I WOULD SAY, UM, 2019 WAS EXTREMELY INTERESTING. I MEAN, YOU ALL DID A TON OF WORK AROUND CAP. UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE DRIVE MORE FOCUS. AND SO CAP TOOK A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT. OUR FLEXIBLE PATH TOOK A LOT, A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT. I WOULD SAY A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS, HAVE BEEN ABOUT CARBON AND EMISSIONS AND OUR COAL UNITS, AND WHAT DO WE DO AND HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE THE, THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE. [03:05:01] AND I THINK THAT TOOK A LOT OF OUR CAPACITY FOR 2019. WE HAD AN EXTREMELY GREAT PROGRAM. WE WERE RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY BY THE ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY BY A US SENATOR WHO TALKED ABOUT OUR PROGRAM BEING THE BEST IN THE NATION. AND EVEN THOUGH IT, IT'S TOUGH TO EXECUTE, AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE IT WAS VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL. IT WAS A GREAT PROGRAM, BUT IT CAN ALWAYS BE BETTER. AND WHEN WE LOOK BACK AT 2019 AND STARTED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO, WE THINK DEFINITELY MORE CONVERSATION IS IMPORTANT. AND SO THIS BRIDGE PROGRAM WILL ALLOW US TO TIGHTEN UP, GET SOME MORE INPUT, AND AT THE SAME TIME, LOOK AT WHAT WE WOULD DO LONG TERM. SO TO YOUR POINT, COUNSEL, AND WE WILL TAKE ALL OF THAT IN AND WE WILL TAKE SUGGESTIONS FROM ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, WHAT CAN WE DO TO EDUCATE AND DO BETTER OUTREACH? WE WILL DO THAT. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I KNOW MR. AWA, AND I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S STILL HERE, AND I APPRECIATED HIS COMMENTS. UM, SO HE JUST TALKED ABOUT THE FORMATION OF A SOLAR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. SO, UM, IT, IT WOULD BE NICE ALSO TO, TO HAVE FORMATIONS OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEES. UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT I NOTICED IN, IN THE COMMUNICATION AS I ASKED FOR INFORMATION. UH, I WANTED TO ASK SPECIFICALLY, WHO IS BEING, UM, ASKED TO PARTICIPATE AND BEYOND DEMOGRAPHICS. I THINK THAT WE ALSO HAVE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, UM, THAT ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH, BY THE WAY, I SAW ALL MEN COME UP AND SPEAK TODAY. UH, SO I'M HOPING THAT, THAT WE WORK ALSO WITH A LOT OF, UH, SMALL WOMEN VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES. UH, AND SO NOT THAT I DON'T APPRECIATE Y'ALL COMING, BUT HOPEFULLY WE COULD GET SOME MORE WOMEN, UH, TO COME AND SUPPORT THE PROGRAM NEXT TIME. AND THEN I'D ALSO LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU. I WANT TO SEE WHAT THE PLAN GOING FORWARD IS, RIGHT? SO HOW DO WE INCREASE, LIKE, WHAT IS A GOOD GOAL TO HAVE? BECAUSE I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A AN EXAMPLE. IN MULTI-FAMILY COUNCIL PARTICIPATION BY DISTRICT DISTRICT FOUR HAS ONLY HAD 170 MULTI-FAMILY UNITS. THAT'S THE LOWEST. UM, BY THE WAY, THE HIGHEST HAS BEEN IN DISTRICT AID, COUNCILMAN PE, AND YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO KNOW 6,523 UNITS. SO YEAH, SO YOU'RE A WINNER. CONGRATULATIONS, COUNCILMAN. UM, BUT THAT 170 IN DISTRICT FOUR, HOW DO WE LEVERAGE PARTNERSHIPS SO THAT WE COULD, UM, MAYBE WORK TOGETHER WITH MAYBE THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION? MAYBE IT'S, UM, THE REAL ESTATE COUNCIL, I DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS, BUT HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE THE OWNERS OF THOSE MULTIFAMILY UNITS? AND DISTRICT FOUR AND DISTRICT FIVE HAS 203, SO WE'RE, WE'RE THE TWO LOWEST. AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN, UH, 382 IN YOUR AREA. SO WE'RE, WE'RE THE LOWEST. AND SO HOW DO WE GET UP TO THE MANNY S DISTRICT LEVEL? HOW DO WE GET, UH, EVEN TO A THOUSAND BY THE END OF THE YEAR OR SOMETHING? AND SO, UM, AND IT MIGHT BE THAT IT TAKES PARTNERING. IT MIGHT BE OUR OWN COUNCIL OFFICES HAVE TO HELP PUSH ALONG. I KNOW COUNCILWOMAN SULLIVAN, UH, ANDREW SULLIVAN GAVE ME AN IDEA ABOUT, UM, BRINGING YOU ALL ALONG, UH, TO SOME EVENTS LIKE SHE DOES. AND SO IT'S A WONDERFUL IDEA. I JUST WANT TO MOVE THE NEEDLE FORWARD. SO I JUST, I WOULD LOVE A PLAN. UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF MAYBE ALL MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES COULD GIVE YOU ALL GOALS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REACH, BUT WORK ON THE, THE GOALS TOGETHER. UM, BUT MAYOR, THAT'S IT. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS FOR NOW. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, SO, UH, I JUST THANK THE COUNCILWOMAN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UM, I KNOW, UM, I'M SORT OF SAD TO REPORT THAT I BELIEVE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE DON'T HAVE MORE PARTICIPATION IS BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD MUCH DEVELOPMENT IN DISTRICT FIVE. UM, AND WE HOPE THAT THAT'S CHANGING SOON. BUT THE REALITY IS WE HAVEN'T HAD A WHOLE LOT OF LARGE INVESTMENT, UH, LARGE MULTIFAMILY, UM, HARDLY ANY RETAIL. SO, UH, WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO MORE OF THAT. BUT WE HAVE HAD LOTS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAMS, UH, IN OUR SMALL SCALE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR HOUSES. UM, AND, AND IN FACT, THE REASON THAT I STARTED THE LET'S PAINT PROGRAM IN TWO, WHEN I FIRST GOT ELECTED THAT VERY FIRST YEAR, WAS BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT C P S ENERGY HAD THIS WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM. AND SO WHEN WE WERE FIRST GETTING STARTED ON THAT, JUST IN DISTRICT FIVE, WE HAD ABOUT $150,000. AND THE IDEA WAS, IS THAT WE WOULD GET PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES, UH, PROVIDE THEM WITH A VARIETY OF SERVICES, UH, GIVEN THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT THE CITY HAD AND THE DISTRICT HAD, AND TRY TO HELP THEM WITH EVERYTHING. SO THE CITY CAME IN AND TO DO JUST A PAINTING PROGRAM. IT WAS VERY SIMPLE. IT WASN'T REALLY DESIGNED TO, YOU KNOW, BE A HOUSING PROGRAM FOR LIFE LIKE WE HAVE TODAY. WHEN WE FIRST, WHEN I FIRST STARTED THAT MANY YEARS AGO, IT WAS REALLY JUST TO TOUCH PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES. AND WE THOUGHT IF WE, IF WE CAN GET THEIR HOUSES PAINTED, [03:10:01] NOT REAL COMPLICATED, WE CAN GET IN THE HOME AND WE CAN SEE WHAT OTHER SERVICES THEY NEED. ARE THEY, UH, FOOD INSECURE, DO, ARE THEY, WOULD THEY BE AVAILABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SENIOR SERVICES PROGRAM? UM, DO THEY NEED MEALS ON WHEELS OR WHATEVER THINGS. UM, AND, AND THEN THE C P SS ENERGY WOULD DO THE WEATHERIZATION PART. SO I I, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. SO I'M NOT SURE WHO IS THE CORRECT PERSON TO ANSWER IT. BUT WHEN YOU DID THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM, UH, AND, AND WE DID LAYERING, I'D HOPED TO HAVE THE INFORMATION TODAY AND I DIDN'T HAVE A TIME CHANCE TO GET IT ALL TOGETHER, UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM AND THE PAINTING PROGRAM AND, UM, OTHER SERVICES CONNECTION TO OUR SENIOR PROGRAM. THAT WAS REALLY THE IDEA WAS TO BUILD A STRONG COMMUNITY. UM, BUT YOU GUYS THEN CAME IN WITH THE WEATHERIZATION. SO WHAT OTHER PROGRAMS WERE AVAILABLE TO STABILIZE HOUSING, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM WAS SUPPOSED TO DO, WAS TO HELP STABILIZE HOMES. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO THE PROPER PERSON, IF PAULA, IF YOU WANNA COME ANSWER THAT, OR I MEAN, MAYBE OUR CITY STAFF TO SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY, UH, AS A CITY, WE ARE NOW SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY WEATHERIZING HOUSES, UM, WITH THE PAINT, WITH THE, UH, ROOF PROGRAM, WITH, UH, SOME OF THE MINOR REHAB PROGRAMS AND THAT SORT OF STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING THAT WE WERE NOT DOING, UM, SEVEN YEARS AGO WHEN I GOT ON THE COUNCIL. SO, DO YOU KNOW, ALL I, I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY CITY STAFF QUESTION, BUT LIKE, WHAT ARE ALL THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE DOING TO HELP STABILIZE THE HOME? WE HAVE, WE DEFINITELY HAVE THE STATS FOR YOU, BUT I CAN GIVE YOU HIGH LEVEL AND WE CAN ALSO COME BACK BY AND TALK TO YOU. I MEAN, THIS HAS ALSO ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD PASSION OF YOURS THAT HAS INSPIRED US. SO, UM, OUR, OUR WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM IS ONE OF OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL, UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE TOUCHED 25,000, 27,000 HOMES WITH WEATHER WITH THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM NOW. AND YOU AND I HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION WHEN YOU WEATHERIZE, WHEN WE WEATHERIZE A HOME, WE'RE TRYING TO SEAL IT AROUND THE WINDOWS, AROUND THE DOORS. UM, WE'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE IT TIGHTER, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT ULTIMATELY WILL HELP SAVE MONEY. WHAT WE HAVE STRUGGLED WITH IS FOUNDATION WORK. AND YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT. HOW COULD WE DO SOMETHING? THE, THE PROGRAM FROM A A STANDARDIZED NATIONAL, GLOBAL VIEW IS NOT DESIGNED TO FIX THE FOUNDATION. AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS. PROBABLY IF FOUNDATIONS WERE MORE SECURE AND ROOFS WERE MORE SECURE, THAT NUMBER COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BIGGER. BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE, AND WE'VE BEEN RESEARCHING AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO IT. AND IF THERE IS ANY MONEY, IT'S USUALLY SMALL IN COMPARISON TO THE COST OF THE INVESTMENT. I MEAN, AS YOU KNOW, UH, FOUNDATIONS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. IT'S HUGE INVESTMENTS. NOW WE ARE STILL INTERESTED IN PARTNERING. 'CAUSE WE THINK YOU DON'T WANNA DO THE FOUNDATION AND NOT DO WEATHERIZATION. WE, WE HAVE VERY MUCH LOOKED AT OTHER PROGRAMS, A WHITE ROOF PROGRAM THAT, THAT COUNCILMAN TREVINO HAS PUT OUT THERE. WE HAVE THAT PROGRAM. UM, AND THEN WE ARE LOOKING, AND SO I, I, I DON'T, I I'M, I'M INTERRUPTING YOU BECAUSE I THINK THE QUESTION I WAS TRYING TO GET AT IS, ARE WE DUPLICATING SERVICES WITH THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM AND THE ROOF PROGRAM? UH, AND OR I MEAN, ARE WE, UM, COULD WE PERHAPS TURN MORE OF THAT OVER TO C P S ENERGY AND WE CAN, OR WE TAKE ON MORE OF THAT? AND THE C P S ENERGY DOES THE WEATHERIZATION P PIECE? UM, I'M THINKING MORE OF, UH, WELL, I I WILL SHARE IT, LORI. I WOULD SAY WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING, WE'RE PARTNERING, BUT I'LL TURN OVER. UM, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. AND IN FACT, WE'RE HAVING SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH C P S NOW ABOUT HOW WE CAN PARTNER WITH THEM ON OUR UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM. UM, THOSE HAVE BEEN, UM, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US WHEN THEY GO INTO HOMES. THEY CAN IDENTIFY, UM, NEEDS AND THEY CAN CONTACT US AND SAY MAYBE THEY NEED A ROOF OR MAYBE THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN OUR MINOR REPAIR PROGRAM. SO THAT COORDINATION IS HAPPENING AND, UM, IT'S NOT DUPLICATION, BUT YOU DON'T DO ROOFS. 'CAUSE IT SEEMS, IT DOES SAY HERE THAT YOU HAVE A ROOF PROGRAM. WE, THEY DO HAVE A ROOF PROGRAM. UM, BUT WE HAVE THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM, THE WHITE PROGRAM, UM, THE WHITE ROOF PROGRAM. AND SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM ON HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THEIR DOLLARS AND POTENTIALLY DO MORE. SO PERHAPS THEY HELP FUND MATERIALS, WE PAY LABOR. UM, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. SO IT'S CALLED, IT'S CALLED A COOL ROOF. IS THAT DIFFERENT? UM, PAULA, IT'S THE SAME. IT'S THE SAME. IT'S THE SAME. SO, SO THAT'S, UM, THE, THE, UM, COOL ROOF PROGRAM IS A REBATE PROGRAM. WE DON'T, I SEE. WE DON'T DO ROOFS. WE WORK WITH ROOFERS. WE'VE BEEN OUT AND TALKING, TALKING TO ROOFERS IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY DO THE ROOFS. IF YOU GET THEM REFLECTIVE AND LIGHT, THAT WORKS. WE [03:15:01] DON'T DO DESIGN. THEY DO DESIGN, THEN WE WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THEN WE GIVE A REBATE, BUT WE'RE NOT DOING THE SAME ACTIVITY. WELL, I, I'LL, I, I, I UNDERSTAND HERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STEP PROGRAM, WHICH I'M SUPPORTIVE OF, BUT I WONDER IF WE CAN'T GET THAT BRIEFING AT SOME POINT. LIKE WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT WE'D HAVE DONE A LOT OF LAYERING, UH, TO TRY TO STABILIZE HOMES IN THE DISTRICT. UM, YOU KNOW, BY NOW, I THINK EVERYBODY'S HEARD ME TALK ABOUT, UM, SOMETHING LIKE OVER 70% OF, OF THE BUILDINGS IN DISTRICT FIVE WERE BUILT BEFORE 1970. UH, AND IN FACT, WE DID A DEEPER DIVE IN THE CENSUS TRACK AROUND THE OPPORTUNITY ZONES AND FOUND OUT THAT 70% OF THOSE BUILDINGS WERE BUILT BEFORE 1935. SO THAT'S WHY I WAS TALKING ABOUT HELP WITH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND DOING ADAPTIVE REUSE. WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF THOSE BUILDINGS ARE VACANT, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, UM, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN INVESTED IN IS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH, UH, COST OF C P S ENERGY TO GET THOSE UP TO DATE AND, UM, ADAPTIVE TO WHATEVER NEW USE. SO, UH, PERHAPS IN ANOTHER BRIEFING, WE CAN REALLY GET THAT RIGHT, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE WE'RE MISSING THE OPPORTUNITY. EVEN WHEN WE DID IT IN DISTRICT FIVE AND TRIED TO LAYER, YOU KNOW, THE PAINT PROGRAM WITH THE HOUSING PROGRAM, WITH THE FOOD PROGRAM, WITH THE SENIOR PROGRAM AND ALL THESE THINGS, WE NEVER, WE NEVER DID QUITE GET IT STREAMLINED. UH, WHAT WE DID FINALLY GET STREAMLINED WAS THE ABILITY TO REHAB HOMES. UM, BUT WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY, I THINK, CONNECT ALL OF THE DOTS. I THINK WE CAN STILL DO THAT BETTER. THAT'S WHY I THINK WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT REALLY FIGURING OUT HOW WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE SERVICES. AND THAT WE'RE, FIRST OF ALL, NOT DUPLICATING SERVICES, UM, BUT ALSO, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF EVERYTHING BECAUSE, UH, I, I, THEY ARE ALL INTERCONNECTED. UH, AND IN A DISTRICT LIKE MINE WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF OLD BUILDINGS OR THEY'RE GONNA BE OUTDATED, THAT JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR AGE ARE GONNA NEED A COMPLETE REHABILITATION, UH, WE KNOW THAT WE WANNA KEEP THOSE BUILDINGS IN PLACE. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF INFORMATION NOW THAT SHOWS THAT IT'S MUCH CHEAPER TO STABILIZE HOMES, UM, THAN IT IS TO TEAR THEM DOWN AND REBUILD THEM. AND THAT WAS PART OF MY COMMENTS EARLIER, AND I KNOW YOU ALL WERE HERE LISTENING ABOUT A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, WHICH I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE. BUT, UH, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE STILL MISSING THE MARK SOMEWHERE, UM, THAT WE'RE, UH, AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, BUT I STILL FEEL LIKE WE'RE MISSING THE MARK OF, OF REALLY HELPING STABILIZE, UH, OLD BUILDINGS AND OLD HOUSES IN THE DISTRICT. SO, I, I, I, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ITEM, UH, TODAY. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION. DID I HEAR SECOND, SECOND, SECOND ON, UH, APPROVAL OF ITEM 26. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I'M GONNA BE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, AND I'VE BEEN SUPPORTIVE ALL ALONG OF WHAT C P S ENERGY'S TRYING TO DO TO, UH, YOU KNOW, CONSERVE ENERGY IN THIS CITY. AND I THINK THE POINT THAT THEY'VE MADE OVER THE LAST, UH, YEAR OR SO IS THAT THEY'VE REALLY SAVED US FROM BUILDING A WHOLE NEW POWER PLANT TO TRY AND PROVIDE THE KIND OF ENERGY THAT WE'VE SAVED OVER THESE LAST, UH, NINE YEARS IN THIS PROGRAM. AND, AND I CERTAINLY WANNA SEE THAT CONTINUE. UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS BRIDGE PLAN, I THINK IS, IS CERTAINLY AN ORDER, AND IT SHOULD BE A SIMPLE, UH, MOVE FOR US TO MAKE AS A COUNCIL. BUT I THINK ALL OF US ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IS GONNA BE IN THAT FLEX STEP AND HOW MUCH, UH, PUBLIC INPUT WILL GO INTO THAT. UH, I THINK RUSSELL GAVE US A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW HE WAS PART OF THAT PLAN THAT WAS DEVISED NINE YEARS AGO, AND, UH, THAT MAYBE THERE WAS A, A WORD THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE OUTCOME AT THAT TIME. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS. UH, AND I HOPE THEY'LL CONTINUE TO BE, UH, ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDERS AS WE GO WITH STEP FLEX, SO THAT, UH, AS A COMMUNITY, WE'RE GOING TO PERPETUATE THE CON THE, UH, CONSERVATION THAT PEOPLE ARE UNDERTAKING. BUT WE CERTAINLY NEED TO EXPAND IT MORE. UH, I SEE IT, IT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 180,000 PEOPLE, WHETHER THEY WERE FAMILIES OR INDIVIDUALS WITHIN A FAMILY HAVE PARTICIPATED IN A NINE YEAR PROGRAM, UH, IN THE CHART THAT, THAT YOU SHOWED US, UH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN. BUT THERE'S A MILLION AND A HALF PEOPLE LIVE IN THE CITY. THERE'S PROBABLY THREE TIMES AS MANY FAMILIES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN PARTICIPATING THAT PROBABLY COULD IF THEY KNEW ABOUT IT BETTER. UH, AND SO I HOPE THAT WE'LL SEE, UM, MORE, UH, EDUCATION ABOUT IT AND MORE INCLUSION IN ITS DEVELOPMENT. WE'VE GOT 11 PROGRAMS NOW THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE, AND I HOPE WE CAN ADD NUMEROUS OTHERS THAT WE THINK CAN HELP US, UH, CONSERVE MORE AND, UH, ADDRESS OUR ENERGY CONCERNS. [03:20:01] BUT I THINK ALSO WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND, UH, NOT JUST CONSERVATION, BUT WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO FOR THE FUTURE? AND I KNOW THE MAYOR'S ADDRESSED THAT BY TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TOGETHER, UH, MORE CITIZEN INPUT AND A RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UH, AND THAT COMMITTEE WOULD, I WOULD THINK ALSO LOOK AT WHAT THE RESOURCES ARE THAT WE'RE USING. AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S A, A GOOD FORWARD MOVE AS WELL AS THE STEP FLEX PLAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. THANKS. UH, TWO THINGS. UH, PAULA, YOU TOO ARE, UH, A SERVANT LEADER, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU DO. UM, YEAH, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, YOU'RE A LIFELONG SAN ANTONIAN, UH, YOU LIVE HERE AND, UH, YOU ALSO CONSUME, YOU KNOW, YOUR SERVICES AND CITY SERVICES. AND I KNOW THAT YOUR ENTIRE TEAM OF C P SS ENERGY EMPLOYEES OR SAN ANTONIANS WHO ARE OUT THERE TO MAKE THE CITY BETTER, I, THIS IS YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, UM, OF, UM, THE WONDERFUL JEWEL THAT WE HAVE IN C P S, WHICH IS, UM, YOU KNOW, MUNICIPALLY OWNED COMPANY, AND WE GET TO CONTROL OUR OWN DESTINY. AND IF THIS WERE A FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, THEY SURE WOULDN'T BE OUT THERE TRYING TO HELP CUSTOMERS FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE LESS OF THE PRODUCT, UM, OR HOW TO PAY THE COMPANY LESS. UH, AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY AMAZING, UH, FACT THAT'S OVERLOOKED QUITE OFTEN, RIGHT? AND I GET IT. NOBODY LIKES TO PAY A BILL, AND IT'S A RECURRING BILL THAT COMES IN EVERY SINGLE MONTH. AND, YOU KNOW, MOST HOMES HAVE, WHAT IS IT, SIX DEVICES LIKE THESE IN THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, AND PEOPLE ARE GETTING MORE AND MORE DEVICES LIKE THIS. AND, YOU KNOW, THE HOMES ARE JUST BECOMING MORE AND MORE ELECTRIFIED. UH, AND THAT JUST MEANS MORE CONSUMPTION OF THE PRODUCT THAT YOU GUYS SELL. AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE OWNED BY SOME SORT OF INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR UP IN NEW YORK OR FAR, FAR AWAY, UH, THEY'D BE PUSHING YOU EVERY SINGLE DAY TO MAKE MORE MONEY, MORE MONEY, MORE MONEY, AS OPPOSED TO, UH, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE BETTER OFF. AND, YOU KNOW, UH, PACIFIC COAST GAS AND ELECTRIC IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A COMPANY WHO IS NOW FACING, YOU KNOW, THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING INVESTOR CENTERED AS OPPOSED TO CUSTOMER CENTERED, RIGHT? AND SO I'M HAPPY THAT IT'S YOU WE HAVE HERE AND NOT P CG AND E UH, SO I DO WANT TO ASK YOU THOUGH, WHAT COULD BE BETTER ABOUT THE STEP PROGRAM, UH, IN YOUR OPINION, AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD TO FORECAST OUT FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS FROM NOW, HOW THIS PROGRAM COULD IMPROVE, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? WONDERFUL QUESTION, COUNCILMAN. UM, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I I, I DO AGREE THAT MORE, UM, EDUCATION, MAKING PEOPLE AWARE WHAT THE PROGRAM IS WOULD BE BETTER. UM, I DEFINITELY BELIEVE THAT, UM, CUSTOMER INPUT, INPUT AND STAKEHOLDER INPUT IS A CRITICAL PART OF DOING IT. AND I THINK WE GOTTA FIND SYSTEMS THAT REALLY WORK. UM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS, UH, WAS COMMENTED ON EARLIER, THE SOLAR TEAM, THE SOLAR COMMUNITY, THERE ARE MANY SOLAR INSTALLERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S BEEN PART OF OUR NEW ENERGY ECONOMY PROCESS, BUT THEY HAVE A SPECIAL PERSPECTIVE AND KNOWLEDGE FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. THEY LOOK AT THIS WHOLE INDUSTRY AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, SOUP TO NUTS. AND, UM, WE STARTED THAT PROGRAM. WE SAID, WELL, LET'S HEAR MORE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM WHAT YOU NEED TO BE VIABLE TO DO MORE OUTREACH. AND IN PARTICULAR, SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT IS HOW DO YOU GET A WIDER RANGE OF DEMOGRAPHICS AND MORE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES? YOU COUPLE THAT WITH THEN IMPLEMENTING NEW TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY. WE STARTED WITH, SO WITH SOLELY A ROOFTOP PROGRAM, THAT WAS A REBATE PROGRAM. THEN WE WENT TO A SOLAR HOST PROGRAM WHERE NOW SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY A DOLLAR TO GET INSTALLED. WE HAVE AN ARRANGEMENT WITH A THIRD PARTY, ONE OF ONE OF, UH, THE KEY MEMBERS. AND WE'RE GONNA DO MORE OF THAT. WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE PEOPLE DO, UM, EFFORTS ON ROOFTOP SOLAR. THE CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY GET A REBATE FOR, UH, A CREDIT ON THEIR BILL, AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO PUT $1 IN. AND THEN WE HAVE COMMUNITY SOLAR WHERE PEOPLE CAN BUY A PANEL AND THEY CAN SIZE THE, THE ISSUE IS THERE ISN'T ONE ANSWER, ONE, ONE SIZE FITS ALL. IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE A REALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY WITH A LOT OF NEEDS AND MAYBE NOT AS MUCH MONEY IN SOME PLACES. AND, AND NOBODY, NOBODY HAS PROBABLY AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY NEED, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP LISTENING AND EXPAND AND ADD THOSE PROGRAMS. SO REALLY TRYING TO FIND MORE SYSTEMS TO GET MORE OUTREACH TO, TO LASER IN DIFFERENT AREAS. I DON'T THINK ONE PARTICULAR GROUP CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SURE, WE'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE FROM OUR STUDENTS, AND WE'RE ASKING THEM QUESTIONS. WHEN WE HAVE OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM EVERY SUMMER, WE DO ABOUT 50 TO 60 INTERNS. THEY COME IN AND THEY'RE STARTING TO DO GROUND UP SOLUTIONS. LIKE, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE YOUR PROGRAMS BETTER? WE ARE DEFINITELY LISTENING, BUT THOSE ARE JUST SMALL [03:25:01] GROUPS THAT WERE KIND OF MICRO DRILLING IN. WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT A SYSTEM TO COLLECT ALL THAT DATA AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. I WOULD SAY THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT. AND IF YOU WOULD INDULGE ME FOR A MINUTE, WHAT THIS IS, IT IS NOT A SINGLE PROGRAM. AND EVERY COMMUNITY CAN DESIGN WHAT THEY WANT FROM THE, FROM ITS PROGRAM. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS PROGRAM WAS A LIGHT BULB PROGRAM IN THE VERY BEGINNING. AND AT, AT FIRST, WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, THIS WAS A CRAZY TIME WHEN PEOPLE HAD REGULAR LIGHT BULBS, AND WE SAID, HEY, LOOK AT THIS. REALLY, YOU KNOW, GOOD TECHNOLOGY, IT'S GREAT. IT COST ABOUT 10 BUCKS TO 15 BUCKS FOR A LIGHT BULB. AND IT'S NOT VERY GOOD. IT'S NOT THAT EFFICIENT YET, YOU'RE, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE FOR IT TO WARM UP, BUT IT'S GONNA SAVE THE COMMUNITY AND HELP SAVE THE WORLD. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, WE COULDN'T, NOBODY WOULD BUY THAT LIGHT BULB, BUT WE WENT AHEAD AND BOUGHT THE LIGHT BULBS, GAVE IT TO PEOPLE, HELP THEM CHANGE THEIR, THEIR BELIEF. AND BY FEEDING THAT INDUSTRY, THE PRICE OF THE LIGHT BULBS CAME DOWN AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TECHNOLOGY WENT UP. AND NOW PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO BE PAID TO DO THEIR LIGHT BULBS. AND SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THE PROGRAM'S GONNA MORPH AS TECHNOLOGY GETS BETTER OVER TIME, AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO, AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO INCENT PEOPLE TO JUMP INTO THINGS THAT THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY DO. WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON, OBVIOUSLY, HOW CAN WE INCENT MORE EVS, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY? HOW CAN WE AS INCENT MORE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT ALL OVER TOWN SO THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE IT, THEY CAN. HOW DO WE INCENT PARTNERING WITH VIA TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR PUTTING AND PILOTING EVS IN OUR MARKET? SO IT'S NOT THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT THE, YOU CAN BE HERE AND SAY IT'S GONNA LOOK A, A PARTICULAR WAY IN FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, OR 10. IT IS THAT OPENNESS TO KEEP INVITING PEOPLE IN, TRYING NEW THINGS BY LISTENING TO WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT, AND THEN LETTING US HELP CUSTOMERS EASE INTO THAT TECHNOLOGY BY HAVING THIS FUND THAT HELPS US DO IT. SO, SO I GUESS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN SUMMARY, I WOULD SAY WE JUST, I THINK THE MORE WE DO IT AND THE MORE THAT WE GET OUTREACH AND GET PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED, IT WOULD BE GREAT. UM, THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THIS IS, LOOK, THE, WE WILL TALK TO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO TALK TO US, AND WE TAILOR IT WHERE THEY WANNA GO. WE JUST HAD A MEETING WITH, UM, WITH LIKE, IN THE EDUCATION SPECTRUMS, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, EVERYTHING, EVERYONE WHO DID PRO, THEY DO PROGRAMS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO HELP SAVE ENERGY, BUT THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT CADENCE PROBABLY THAN SOMETIMES THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP OR THE SOLAR GROUP HAS A DIFFERENT CADENCE. UM, THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT GROUP HAS A DIFFERENT CADENCE, OR THE MANUFACTURING GROUP HAS A DIFFERENT CADENCE. AND WHILE I KNOW EVERYBODY WANTS THEM ALL TO BE IN A ROOM, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET EVERYBODY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND THEN TRY TO BRING THEM IN CLOSER AND CLOSER, AND ULTIMATELY HAVE BIG MEETINGS TOGETHER. I THINK ULTIMATELY WE COULD GET EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM TOGETHER, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE BRINGING THEM IN BASED UPON WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN, AND THEY'RE BEGINNING TO GET PRETTY INTERESTED. SO I THINK IN FIVE YEARS WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET IN AND SOONER WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT STOPPING PEOPLE, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET THEM AND REALLY ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS AND WORK TOGETHER AND FIND SOLUTIONS. AND I THINK ONE DAY WE'LL HAVE IT TO WHERE IT'S JUST AN OPEN DISCUSSION AND YOU CAN HAVE ANYBODY IN THE ROOM. YEAH. THANK YOU. THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT TO UNPACK. UH, BUT WHAT I, WHAT I'VE HEARD IS JUST SIMPLY, IT'S A PRO, IT'S A PROJECT THAT EVOLVES AS YOU INNOVATE MORE AND MORE, UH, TO SOLVE, UH, PROBLEMS. AND, UM, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT YOU TO CONTINUE DOING. SO THE OTHER THING IS, YOU, YOU, YOU'RE RIGHT, DISTRICT EIGHT, UH, SEEMS TO BE NUMBER ONE IN, UH, YOU KNOW, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAM. I, THAT'S ACTUALLY DISAPPOINTING. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ALL THE OTHER DISTRICTS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT AND, YOU KNOW, WITHIN, YOU KNOW, TO THE SAME DEGREE. I WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT DISTRICT EIGHT, YOU KNOW, HAS, IS LEANING IN MORE, UH, THAN THE OTHER DISTRICTS? WELL, UH, YOU KNOW, I GUESS WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IT'S A, IT'S A NINE YEAR PROGRAM. GETTING PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR IS A BIG DEAL. AND TRYING TO INTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY IS A BIG DEAL. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE PUTTING THEIR, THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. WHAT MAYBE WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IS TIGHTENING UP THEIR HOUSE. AND SO IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL THEM A SOLAR PROGRAM OR SOME OTHER PROGRAM, THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO TIGHTEN UP THEIR HOUSE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MATTER OF WHERE PREFERENCES ARE. WE HAVE A THERMOSTAT PROGRAM, AND SO SOME, SOME CUSTOMERS LIKE AND WANNA TALK ABOUT IT AND SOME DON'T. SO, SO I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY. WE JUST TRY TO MARKET ALL OVER TOWN AND THEN SHOW UP WHERE PEOPLE WANT US TO DO. BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY DO MORE TO TRY TO, TO, TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS AND CONNECT, LIKE I SAID, THE AFFORDABILITY DISCOUNT, THE SENIOR BENEFITS. OUR CREW DEPARTMENT GOES [03:30:01] OUT AND CONNECTS CUSTOMERS WITH PROGRAMS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ENERGY. AND THIS WAS A, THIS WAS AN IDEA FROM THAT WE GOT FROM YOU ALL, HOW CAN WE HELP THE CITY, THE CONSTITUENTS? AND SO, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY, BUT I DO THINK IT'S TAILORED TO WHAT PEOPLE CURRENTLY KNOW AND DEMAND. AND THE MORE EDUCATION WE CAN DO AND THE MORE MARKETING AND THE MORE THAT CONNECTION AND BUNDLING, I THINK WE CAN GET THE OTHER, OTHER PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY UP IN OUR, IN THE NUMBERS. YEAH. AND, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT I WOULD HATE IS FOR THIS TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, AN UNINTENTIONAL INNOVATION REDLINING, UH, SITUATION WHERE NO, SIR, YOU KNOW, THE AFFLUENT SIDE OF TOWN IS SOMEHOW LEANING IN AND, YOU KNOW, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS REALLY GREAT PROJ PROJECT AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT TAKING CARE OF, YOU KNOW, UH, DISTRICTS THAT, YOU KNOW, SHOULD PROBABLY WOULD EVEN BENEFIT MORE, RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE THOSE PENNIES PROBABLY MEAN A LOT MORE THAN THEY DO, YOU KNOW, TO OUR DISTRICT. AND SO I'M, I'M INTERESTED IN HELPING OUT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE PUT WIND IN THE SAILS ON THE PROJECT, UM, ON, ON YOUR SIDE OF TOWN COUNCILWOMAN. SO, UH, LASTLY WHAT REALLY WORRIES ME A LOT AND KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT IS CONSUMER PROTECTION FROM SCAMS. MM. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FOLKS IN MY DISTRICT GET THE PHONE CALLS, A LOT OF ELDERLY FOLKS, AND I MEAN, I GET THEM TWO OR THREE TIMES A DAY ON THIS PHONE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS, HI, I'M IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD INSTALLING, UH, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEIGHBOR'S SOLAR PANELS AND ALL THAT. YOU GOTTA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE WEIRD PROGRAMS. AND, UM, TO WHAT EXTENT DO Y'ALL ALSO GO OUT AND EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT, HEY, THESE ARE THE LEGIT GUYS AND THESE ARE THE CROOKS AND YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, JUST 'CAUSE THEY'RE INSTALLING PANELS ON YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THEY'RE LEGIT, RIGHT? WELL, WE, UM, WE MONITOR THE PERFORMANCE OF EVERY ONE OF THE INSTALLERS OUT THERE. BASICALLY, THEY HAVE TO BE CERTIFIED, AND, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE TRAINING, THE SKILLS, AND THE CREDIBILITY TO THE, TO DO THE JOB. WE ALSO MONITOR WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GETTING COMPLAINTS OR THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT MORE ABILITIES TO MAKE, UM, THAT INFORMATION, UH, MORE READILY AVAILABLE ON PEOPLE'S PHONES AS WELL. SO WE DO A LOT OF EDUCATION. PEOPLE CAN CALL OUR, OUR REGULAR, UM, ENERGY ADVISOR, OUR CALL CENTER, AND WE CAN GIVE THEM INFORMATION AS WELL AND REFERRALS FROM THAT STANDPOINT. BUT WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SCAMMERS. UM, HAVEN'T HAD, HAVEN'T HAD A FEVERISH PITCH OF ISSUES AROUND THINGS, LIKE ANYTHING IN THE STEP PROGRAM REALLY. IT'S BEEN PRIMARILY JUST PEOPLE CALLING AND THREATENING FOR CUTOFFS, AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH STEP. AND THAT'S, WE, WE KEEP GOING THROUGH WAVES OF THAT. SO WE'RE DOING, WE'RE DOING MAILERS, WE'RE DOING COMMERCIALS, OKAY. WE'RE DOING SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA KEEP TRYING TO DO MORE THINGS TO OUTREACH, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD PAPERS, UM, TALKING TO CHURCHES, THOSE KIND OF THINGS THAT OUR, ON OUR HORIZON. THANK YOU, PAULA. IT WAS, UH, SO LASTLY FOR EVERYBODY'S BENEFIT, I, I GOT TO BUMP INTO PAULA A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. UH, I WAS IN COURT, UH, DEALING WITH SOMETHING FOR A CLIENT, AND THERE'S PAULA IN THE JURY ROOM, UH, HANGING OUT, UH, DOING HER CIVIC DUTY. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU HAD TO SIT AROUND FOR TWO DAYS. TWO DAYS, UH, WANING. BUT, UH, THANKS FOR TAKING THAT SERIOUSLY. ALSO. I TOOK IT VERY SERIOUSLY. YEAH. WONDERFUL. IT WAS NICE SEEING YOU. THANKS, PAULA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, SO MS. PAULA GOLD WILLIAMS, IT IS AN HONOR TO SEE YOU IN FRONT OF US, UM, AS A CHEROKEE TO CHEROKEE FROM SAM HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL. WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REPRESENTING THE WAY THAT YOU REPRESENT AND TO SET THE TONE THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING FROM ANY PART OF ANYWHERE IN THIS CITY. AND SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, I THANK YOUR TEAM. I THANK JOHN FOR ALWAYS BEING, UM, AVAILABLE TO TAKE MY CALLS, ANSWER MY QUESTIONS, AND EVEN GO OUT TO MEET WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS IN THEIR HOME FOR COFFEE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO. I KNOW THAT WHEN WE FIRST TOOK OFFICE, THE MAIN THING I WANTED TO DO IS GET THE INFORMATION THAT C P S OFFERED OUT TO OUR SENIORS. AND SO THE RECOMMENDATION THAT COUNCILWOMAN WAS SPEAKING ABOUT WAS WE HAD, UH, BRANDON, WHO WOULD GO OUT TO OUR SENIOR CENTERS AND TAKE HIS TEAM WITH THEM WITH THE IPADS AND SIT DOWN AT A TABLE AND LITERALLY GO THROUGH EVERY PROGRAM THAT YOU GUYS OFFERED. AND I BELIEVE THAT IS WHY THE MONEY IN DISTRICT TWO IS FIRST, UM, BECAUSE WE MAY NOT HAVE A LOT OF THE PARTICIPATION, BUT BECAUSE OF THE OLDER HOMES THAT WE HAVE AND THE HISTORICAL PART, AND MOST OF THEM ARE GAS STEEL WITH GAS STOVE AND GAS HEATERS, C P SS WENT OUT AND ACTUALLY CAPPED THAT AND PUT IN, UM, CARBON, UH, OXID, UH, CARBON MONITORS AND, AND EVERYTHING. AND SO IT REALLY HELPED OUR SENIORS THAT WERE GOING THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TIME OF BEING IN HOMES THAT HAD NOT BEEN CARED FOR, FOR OVER 50 YEARS. SO WE [03:35:01] REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING. WE'D LOVE TO SEE THE PARTICIPATION GO UP, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE NEED TO DO, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE WHOLE BUILDING OPTIMIZATION. WE ONLY HAVE ONE. SO THAT SPEAKS TO, UM, HOW MUCH MORE OUTPUT AND, UM, NETWORKING WE NEED TO DO WITH ONE ANOTHER. I KNOW THAT WORKING WITH C P SS DIRECTLY AND HAVING THE MONTHLY MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE TRULY DOES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE, BECAUSE YOU GET TO HEAR NOT ONLY FROM US AS A COUNCIL, BUT YOU GET TO HEAR FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT SPEAK TO US ABOUT WHAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO SEE HAPPEN WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR ENERGY, UM, WITH THE BILLS. I KNOW THAT A LOT OF OUR SENIORS ARE, ARE VERY LOW INCOME. AND SO WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING THEIR HOME WEATHERIZED TO WHERE THOSE BILLS CAN BE LOWERED, TRULY DOES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. AND WE KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE PUT IN A LOT OF YOUR, NOT ONLY FINANCES, BUT THE, THE MANPOWER THAT GOES INTO MAKING THAT HAPPEN. SO WE SEE THAT OUR BILLS AND DISTRICT TWO AND OUR RESIDENTS ARE TRULY UNDERSTANDING WHAT C P S DOES. YOU'RE NOT JUST HERE FOR ENERGY, BUT YOU'RE HERE TRULY FOR THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO. SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT, AND WE CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE NUMEROUS AWARDS THAT C P S HAS RECEIVED IN JUST THIS PAST YEAR FOR THE VISIONARY IDEAS THAT YOU BRING FORWARD TO, TO ENERGY. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO EXACTLY WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS GONNA DO, WHAT THE NEXT STEP OF THE STEP PROGRAM WILL DO, AND HOW WE AS A CITY CAN TRULY WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INFORMATION OF ALL OF OUR SERVICES THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR COMMUNITY ARE PUT OUT INTO THE FOREFRONT. AND THAT MEANS THAT WE AS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PUSHING EVERY ITEM THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS OUT TO THEM. SO THANK YOU AGAIN, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT C P SS HAS TO OFFER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO. HDO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO, MANNY, NOT ONLY OF COURSE, IS MS. PAULA GOLD WILLIAMS, A RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO. I GET TO CLAIM HER AS A CONSTITUENT OF DISTRICT SIX. SO YEAH, . UM, BUT, UH, THANK YOU TO C P S, PAULA AND JOHN FOR TAKING TIME WITH ME ON THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU TO MARIO BRAVO AND, AND, AND DEI BEL MARS AND THEIR GROUPS FOR, UM, ALSO SPENDING TIME WITH ME. I WANT TO JUST MAKE IT CLEAR I FULLY SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. I ALSO FULLY SUPPORT, UM, A HEFTY PUBLIC PROCESS. UM, I, WE'VE SPOKEN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE PUBLIC PROCESS THAT, THAT YOU HAVE NOW AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BENEFITING FROM THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND TRANSPARENCY. I REALLY WANNA ENSURE THAT, THAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE, THE PROGRAM AND, AND I THINK, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, ROCHA GARCIA TOUCHED ON THIS, BUT, UM, TO HELP THEM EVEN, NOT ONLY TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MARKETING IT AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT, BUT EVEN SEEKING THEM OUT AND SEEKING OUT LOWER INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND THAT MIGHT BE, MIGHT QUALIFY FOR THESE PROGRAMS AND SEEKING THEM OUT AND EVEN MAYBE HELP GOING A STEP FURTHER AND INITIATING THE PROCESS WITH THEM JUST TO HELP THEM GUIDE THROUGH THE PROCESS. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS, UH, AND ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WITH, UM, LOWER INCOMES THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET OR, OR DIFFERENT, UM, FORMS OF COMMUNICATION THAT WE'RE, WE MIGHT BE USED TO. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO ELABORATE MAYBE A LITTLE MORE ON WHAT C P S HAS DONE IN THAT REGARD? OR WHAT, WHAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE FOR C P SS TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE? UM, YEAH, AND JUST STOP ME, UM, UH, UH, AT ANY POINT IN TIME IF I GO ON TOO LONG. . UM, WELL, WELL, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF OUTREACH. UM, WE, UH, WE CAME TO THE COUNCIL, I DON'T KNOW, BACK IN THE 2013 TIMEFRAME. AND THE SUGGESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, COULD YOU HELP IN TERMS OF GOING TO SENIOR SITTER CENTERS AND HAVING PEOPLE HELP DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID, UM, AND, AND WHAT, WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT, UH, UH, BRING THE IPAD SIGN PEOPLE UP, AND WE HAVE EXPANDED THE TRAINING OF THE, OF WHAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE. WE HAVE MULTIPLE FOLKS TO GO OUT AND DO EVERYTHING FROM DOING SIGN UP TO EXPLAINING OUR PROGRAMS, TO LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE HOME THAT WE CAN OFFER SUGGESTIONS TO, AND CONNECT THEM BACK TO OTHER PROGRAMS THAT MAY BE CITY RUN PROGRAMS, BUT THEY COULD BE, TO COUNCILMAN PERRY'S POINT, IT COULD BE A NOT-FOR-PROFIT THAT DOES WORK, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR WHATEVER THAT FAMILY MAY NEED. SO IT'S, WE DON'T DO JUST ONE THING. WE DO MULTIPLE THINGS, AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO ALL THE WAY TO THE HOME AND FOLLOW UP. WE DO A CERTAIN ELEMENT OF CASE WORK, AND, UM, AND THEN WE JUST TRY TO BE HELPFUL AND LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER FROM, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. AND SO WE DO THAT, BUT WE ALSO, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM IS, OR A THERMOSTAT PROGRAM OR A WHITE ROOF PROGRAM, [03:40:01] UM, D DIFFERENT, UM, APPLIANCES THAT THEY CAN GET TO GET A DISCOUNT AND A REBATE. BUT WE UNDERSTAND OFTENTIMES OUR, OUR CITIZENS WHO NEED THE MOST HELP ACTUALLY DON'T NEED A REBATE. THEY NEED JUST MORE COLLECTIVE HELP AND COMPREHENSIVENESS, AND THEN FOLLOW UP FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. AND THAT'S WHY I DON'T THINK WE'RE DONE. I THINK, UM, I THINK WHEN WE ADDED, UH, SOMETHING LIKE THE, THE, UM, ROOFTOP PROGRAM WHERE IT'S A SOLAR HOST AGAIN, WE'VE HAD, UM, PEOPLE COME IN AND TELL US THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO SPEND $1, BUT THEY FELT GREAT ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY, NOW, THEY CAN HAVE A, A SYSTEM ON THE TOP OF THEIR HOUSE. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO PUT A DOLLAR AND THEY GET A REBATE. IT REDUCES, UM, THEIR OVERALL CONSUMPTION. AND THEY, AND THEY FELT LIKE THEY DID THE RIGHT THING BY JUST LETTING THE COMMUNITY USE THEIR ROOFTOP. AND I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO COMPLIMENT, AGAIN, UM, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, IT'S, IT'S INTERESTING, WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO DO IS COMBINE AND AGGREGATE VALUE. ONE THING THAT COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ HAS TALKED TO US ABOUT A LOT OTHER THAN THESE STRUCTURAL ISSUES AROUND HOMES, IS THE SECURITY AND THE LIGHTING PERSPECTIVE. AND SO LIGHTING UP STREETS AND GOING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PARTNER AND DO THAT. AND THEN SHE TALKED ABOUT, WELL, WHAT ABOUT HOMES THAT REALLY CAN'T AFFORD, UM, A LOT OF SYSTEMS? AND WE STARTED OUT THINKING ABOUT LIGHTS IN THE BACK, BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENED IS THROUGH HER INSPIRATION, WE WORKED WITH ONE OF OUR PARTNERS, GREEN STAR, AND WE DEVELOPED A, A SECURITY LIGHTING THAT IS SOLAR POWERED, GOES ON THE BACK OF THE HOME. IN OTHER WORDS, THEIR BILL DOESN'T GO UP JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE CONSUMING ENERGY, BECAUSE THAT UNIT IS POWERING THAT SECURITY LIGHT. IT'S SAFER IN THE BACK IF SOMEBODY'S WALKING IN THE BACK ALLEY, SOME WAY THAT LIGHT AUTOMATICALLY POPS ON. AND THAT CAME, AGAIN, ORGANICALLY FROM LISTENING TO ONE SUGGESTION ABOUT LIGHTING, ANOTHER SUGGESTION ABOUT, UM, THE SECURITY OF CITIZENS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU WANNA DO ADDITIONAL PROGRAM? HOW DO YOU BRING IN ONE OF YOUR PARTNERS? AND THEN ULTIMATELY, HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT PILOT? WE PILOT IT IN YOUR AREA. AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE PUTTING IT IN THE, IN OUR, UM, REAP PROGRAM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE PUTTING IT IN THE STEP PROGRAM. AND SO I CAN, I, WE CAN GET YOU A LOT MORE INFORMATION, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO DO. WE TRY TO LISTEN, WE TRY TO COMBINE, WE TRY TO PARTNER, AND THEN WE TRY TO COLLABORATE FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, IF THAT'S, UM, HELPFUL EXAMPLE. IT IS. AND I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. I'D LIKE TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION. ABSOLUTELY. BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO. HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND, UH, I'LL ALSO BE SUPPORTING THE PROGRAM. I THINK A STEP IS SOMETHING THAT OUR COMMUNITY SHOULD BE PROUD OF. THE FACT THAT WE'VE AVOIDED BUILDING ADDITIONAL FACILITIES BECAUSE OF IT, THAT'S A BIG DEAL. IT'S, UH, ENERGY AVOIDED, UH, DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE DON'T GET THE REVENUES FROM NOT SELLING THAT, UH, THAT ENERGY. UM, WHICH IS WHY I'M, I'M ALSO EXCITED ABOUT THE IDEA OF A, OF A RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A CHALLENGE THAT'S GONNA BE FACING THIS COUNCIL IS IF WE REALLY WANT TO IMPLEMENT THAT CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN, THAT MEANS PUSHING DOWN EMISSIONS, PUSHING DOWN THE ENERGY THAT'S USED, HOW WILL THAT COMPROMISE OUR BUDGET? WE NEED TO FIND SOME SORT OF, OF RATE STRUCTURE THAT ADDRESSES THAT. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME IN, UH, IN THE MAYOR'S, UH, PROPOSAL. UM, I ALSO WANNA THANK, UH, YOUR TEAM FOR, THERE'S A LOT OF 'EM HERE FOR BEING SO, UH, SO RESPONSIVE TO THE QUESTIONS THAT, THAT I HAD. UM, I HAVE TO ADMIT, I WAS NOT ABLE TO READ ALL THE PIECES OF PAPER YOU PRODUCED IN THE PAST, UH, 24 OR 48 HOURS. UH, BUT, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING THAT. AND I THINK ONE OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAD SUGGESTED HAVING A BRIEFING ON SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS. I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT AT MY COMMITTEE IF, UH, UH, UNLESS THE MAYOR WANTS TO DO IT AT A, AT A B SESSION. BUT DEFINITELY HAPPY TO DELVE INTO SOME OF THESE, UM, MORE IN DETAIL. NOW, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I HAD, I, IF I DID NOT POINT OUT THAT IN TERMS OF STEP PROGRAM DOLLARS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT, THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN INVESTED, I HAVE BEEN DOING A POOR, OR DISTRICT SEVEN'S BEEN DOING A POOR JOB. WE'VE ONLY GOTTEN, WE WERE NUMBER 10 OF 10 COUNCIL DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF, IN TERMS OF INVESTMENT. AND COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO DID A GREAT JOB. THERE WAS A, A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN THAT DISTRICT. UM, SO I, I THINK THIS, UM, IS SEEING THINGS BY DISTRICT OR BY GEOGRAPHY IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING LATELY HERE ON THE COUNCIL. UM, SO IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE LENSES THAT WE'RE USING AND THAT WE WILL BE USING WHEN WE LOOK AT OTHER DECISIONS THAT, THAT WE MAKE, INCLUDING, UH, APPROVAL OF THE, OF THE STEP PROGRAM AND, AND WHATEVER YOU COME FORWARD WITH IN, IN THE FUTURE. UM, I THINK, UM, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT I, [03:45:01] I THINK C P S DOES A PHENOMENAL JOB WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ENGAGING OR GETTING INPUT FROM THEIR CUSTOMERS. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO COMPLAINTS, UH, ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE A, UH, A YOUNG MAN, JACOB BETIS, WHO IS OUR LIAISON TO THE DISTRICT SEVEN COUNCIL OFFICE. UH, HE WAS THERE JUST A FEW DAYS AGO. SOMEONE FROM MY STAFF, UM, WAS TALKING TO HIM. HE LEFT. THE NEXT PERSON WHO CAME IN THE DOOR AT THE FIELD OFFICE WAS SOMEONE WHOSE ELECTRICITY HAD BEEN CUT OFF. THEY HAD PAID THEIR BILL, BUT IT CAME IN LIKE JUST A MOMENT AFTERWARD. UM, SO MY TEAM CHASED JACOB OUT DOWN IN THE PARKING LOT. JACOB CAME BACK IN. EVERYTHING IS OKAY. UM, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT VERY, UH, QUICK TURNAROUND. UM, YOU ALSO, UH, YOU HAVE THESE COMMUNITY FAIRS. UH, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT'S AVAILABLE THERE TO, TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND TO, UM, AND TO CUSTOMERS. SO I, I THINK THAT IS GREAT. IN FACT, I THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME LESSONS THAT WE CAN LEARN IN TERMS OF THE SERVICES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES AND HOW WE, HOW WE GET FEEDBACK. AND I SEE BEN GOLE WRITING THIS DOWN. TAKE TAKE NOTES, TAKE NOTES, BEN. UM, WHERE, WHERE I'M LOOKING FORWARD, UH, TO ADDITIONAL INTERACTION WITH C P S IS NOT SO MUCH JUST WITH THE, THE CUSTOMERS, BUT WITH THOSE OF US HERE AND WITH THE PART OF THE PUBLIC THAT FEELS LIKE C P S IS PUBLICLY OWNED, AND THAT AT SOME POINT THAT ALLOWS FOR, UH, SOME KIND OF STAKEHOLDER INPUT. SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT WHEN YOU TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMER. AND I THINK, UM, LIKE, LIKE MARIO MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE SEEMS TO BE A TENSION ABOUT THAT. I UNDERSTAND. AND, AND WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION BEFORE ABOUT HOW IS C P SS FORMED AND THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE APPOINT THE BOARD MEMBERS AND THEY MAKE THE DECISIONS, AND WE KIND OF PRETTY MUCH LET THEM RUN THAT. UM, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE PAPER SAYS, WHAT THE DOCUMENTS SAY. BUT I, I DO THINK WE'RE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE IN 2020 TODAY. WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE'VE ADOPTED A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE'RE ADOPTING MUCH MORE TRANSPARENCY MEASURES HERE AT THE COUNCIL. SO I THINK IN TERMS OF WHERE THIS COUNCIL IS, I, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE, BUT MY SENTIMENT IS THAT WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE DO EXPECT A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPARENCY, AND WE DO WANT THE UTILITY THAT HAS OUR NAME ON IT, UM, TO EXEMPLIFY THE VALUES THAT THIS COUNCIL ADOPTS TO. SO, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, A DIALOGUE IN, IN THAT VEIN. UH, I REALIZE IT MAY BE A BIT OF A MODE SHIFT, UM, AND, UH, BUT I, I DO HOPE THAT WE CAN WORK THROUGH THAT TO TOGETHER. AND PAULA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. AND I AM SO PROUD THAT SOMEONE WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SAN ANTONIO AND WENT TO AN S A I S D SCHOOL, EVEN IF IT WASN'T THOMAS JEFFERSON, IS, UH, IS AT, IS AT THE HELM OF THE BIGGEST U YOU KNOW, MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY IN, IN THE COUNTRY. I WAS SINGING APPRAIS FOR OUR, OR FOR C P S AT THE, UH, AT KIM BRITTON'S EVENT THAT SHE HAD THE CLEAN TECH LEADERS FORUM THE OTHER DAY. UH, AGAIN, IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I'M VERY PROUD TO BE FROM SAN ANTONIO. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MAYOR, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, PAULA. UM, SO, UM, YES, ABSOLUTELY. AGAIN, UM, WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER. AND, UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS MORE INTEREST AND THERE'S MORE TO BE DONE FROM A COMMUNITY STANDPOINT. UM, I KNOW WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT A PUBLIC INPUT LAST YEAR AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LIVE STREAMING AND ALL THAT. WE GOT THERE. WE GOT THERE. WE'RE NOT REALLY, WE'RE IN OUR OLD BUILDING. SO THE LIVE STREAMING ISN'T AWESOME, . AND SO IT'S NOT AS GOOD AS HERE. YOU, THIS IS PERFECT. WE WE'RE, WE HAVE A VERY TALK ABOUT A OLD BUILDING OUR BUILDINGS. UM, IT WAS INITIALLY BUILT IN 1911. AND SO WE'RE, WE STILL HAVE SOME EFFORTS AND THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. UM, AND THE MAYOR HAS TALKED TO US AND THE CONVERSATION, UH, HAS STARTED, AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A MEETING NEXT MONTH, WELL, YEAH, NEXT MONTH TO TALK ABOUT THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE THEY'LL. AND SO YES, ABSOLUTELY, WE HEAR YOU. AND I, I AGREE ABOUT A RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT'S, THAT IS, UM, THAT'S HELPFUL BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T REALLY LOOKED AT THE STRUCTURE OF OUR RATES IN A REALLY LONG TIME. AND IT, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, I THINK GETTING MORE INFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING, HOW WE'RE DOING, WHAT SUGGESTIONS PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE, SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW IS THAT COST ALL BE COVERED AND, AND HOW DO YOU GET THERE? IT TAKES EFFORT. AND SO WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. UM, MY ONLY, MY ONLY COMMENT, BECAUSE [03:50:01] THIS WAS IN THE PAPER AND IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MENTIONED, I, I WANNA PUT A POINT FOR CLARIFICATION. AND IT'S VIDEOTAPED, AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN READ IT. I DIDN'T SAY SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH THE RATES ADVISORY COMMITTEE. WHAT I SAID WAS, AND IT WASN'T THE MAYOR, IT WAS ANOTHER TRUSTEE THAT WAS TALKING ABOUT OTHER THINGS LIKE COST CONTROL AND MAINTENANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALL THOSE THINGS. AND IT WAS A SUGGESTION ON THEIR PART TO TRY TO MOVE THAT TO THAT COMMITTEE. AND THAT'S WHEN I ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT RATES FIRST? ARE WE JUST TALKING ABOUT DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS? AND SO IT WAS MISQUOTED IN THE PAPER, IT'S MISQUOTED HERE. YOU CAN GO BACK AND VIDEOTAPE AND LOOK AT IT. THAT WAS THE COMMENT. BUT C P S ENERGY IS NOT AGAINST THAT. AND IT'S GONNA GO TO THE BOARD FOR FULL DISCUSSION, AND THE MAYOR'S GONNA CHAMPION THAT, AND THE BOARD'S GONNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT. BUT I JUST WANNA HAVE CLARITY. I AM NOT FIGHTING AGAINST THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. IT'S JUST INTERESTING. LOOK, THE EMOTIONS ARE HIGH AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO DO GREAT BY THEIR CUSTOMERS, AND THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE HEARD, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THEY'RE SIT YOUR CONSTITUENTS, THEY'RE OUR CUSTOMERS. THEY'RE OUR INVESTORS THROUGH YOU. AND SO WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WANT, THEY WANNA BE HEARD. AND, AND WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA DO BETTER AT THAT AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GO FORWARD. WE HAVE LOOKED AT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. WE ARE ALIGNING. I JUST WANNA ASSURE YOU THAT THIS MANAGEMENT TEAM IS COMMITTED TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, PAULA. AND I, I MEAN, YOU DID BRING UP THAT COMMENT. THAT WAS, I, I GUESS MISQUOTED IN, IN THE PAPER. NO PROBLEM WITH THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR IT. I THINK WE CAN LEARN FROM SAWS AND MAYBE EVEN DO A BETTER JOB THAN , THAN THEY DO. UM, I HEAR, I HEAR NODS OVER HERE. UM, THE, BUT I THINK THAT IS INTRICATELY LINKED TO GENERATION PLANNING NOW. NO ONE'S GOING TO, I DON'T THINK ANYONE CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR TEAM THAT DOES THAT. THEY'RE EXPERTS. THEY DO IT DAY IN, DAY OUT. THEY'RE, THEY'RE BUYING WHEN IT'S HIGH, WHEN IT'S LOW, AND ALL THAT STUFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE TOUR OF THE, OF THE GAS PURCHASE ROOM. UM, BUT I THINK, UH, IN TERMS OF JUST SEEING HOW THAT GENERATION MIX AFFECTS THE RATES AND HOW THE GENERATION MIX WILL HELP US MEET OUR LONG-TERM CLIMATE GOAL, I, I DO THINK THAT THAT ALSO NEEDS TO BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. UM, ARE YOU OPPOSED TO THAT? I, OR I HOPE YOU'RE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. WE HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS NOW. WE JUST DON'T AGREE AND WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO ABOUT THAT. SO NO, WE'RE NOT AGAINST TALKING ABOUT THE GENERATION MIX AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE BILLS. SO, SO LOOK, WE, WE MEET AND WE TALK ABOUT, AND THE PRIMARY FOCUS HAS BEEN CLOSE. THE COAL PLANTS PUT A DATE ON IT, ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, CLOSE THEM ALL RIGHT? WE CLOSED SOME IN 2018, BUT WE HAVE MUCH OLDER PLANTS THAT LIKE, LIKE MY, LIKE, LIKE I HAVE A CAR, I PUT IT IN THE SHOP, I GOT IT OUTTA THE SHOP. I HAD TO PUT IT BACK IN THE SHOP. WHY? BECAUSE IT'S A OLD CAR. SO WE HAVE OLD PLANTS, SO WE WANNA TALK ABOUT THE OLD PLANTS AND WE WANNA TALK ABOUT THE COAL PLANTS. AND SO IN THE CONVERSATION, IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING CONVERSATIONS, WE HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING TO THE RIGHT TO, TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT, RIGHT? SO, SO THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE SAID, CLOSE THEM. AND I SAID, WELL, WHAT IF WE REPOWER THEM ON A PATH AND MAYBE THEY'RE GONNA BE GAS PLANTS INITIALLY, AND THAT THAT WILL REDUCE THE CARBON EMISSIONS A LOT, REDUCE THE EMISSIONS, AND THEN, AND THEN, OR MAYBE WE REPOWER WITH SOME SOMETHING ELSE. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT? WE GET TO AN IMPASSE IN THE DISCUSSION BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE THOSE PLANTS COMPLETELY CLOSED DOWN. AND, AND THEN I THINK IT JUST DETERIORATES AND THEN WE GO DOWN THE ROAD. BUT WE'RE NOT DONE. WE ARE DEFINITELY WANTING TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS. WHAT OPTIONS WOULD THE COMMUNITY BE INTERESTED IN? SURE. SO MAYOR, I KNOW WE'RE GETTING, UH, SLIGHTLY OFF, VERY MUCH OFF TOPIC HERE, BUT WE ARE, BUT WE ARE SUPPORTING YOUR, YOUR EFFORT. I'D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU WHENEVER I GET TO AN IMPASSE WITH FOLKS. WE LOOK FOR MEDIATION OR WE LOOK FOR A MEDIATORS. SO DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION, RIGHT? OR, OR SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP US FACILITATE THE DIALOGUE. OKAY. I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU OFFLINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, LET ME JUST WRAP UP, UM, WITH A COUPLE OF STATEMENTS. ONE IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY VOICE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS BRIDGE, UH, TO THE NEXT ERA OF STEP. UM, AND WOULD LIKE TO, AS MY COLLEAGUES, UH, SEE MORE DISAGGREGATED DATA AS IT RELATES TO THE ADOPTION OF STEP PROGRAMS WITHIN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING OUR PART TO MAKE SURE THERE'S EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PROGRAMS. UM, BUT LET ME BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT ALL OF THIS. THIS IS, YOU DESCRIBED IT, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL AS A MODE SHIFT. [03:55:01] GREAT PHRASEOLOGY, UH, 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS. THIS IS A NEW ERA. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE AT C P S ENERGY TODAY VERSUS WHAT WAS HAPPENING MAYBE EVEN THREE YEARS AGO, A LOT HAS CHANGED. A LOT HAS CHANGED, UH, FROM A TRANSPARENCY STANDPOINT. UH, MAYBE THESE WERE SMALL STEPS, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE BIG STEPS FOR A LARGE ORGANIZATION IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY. WE DO HAVE, UH, STREAMING LIVE WEB MEETINGS AT THIS POINT. WE INVITE EVERY MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE, WHETHER THEY CAN GO THERE OR NOT. WE DO HAVE PUBLIC INPUT, UM, AT THE MEETINGS. VERY SMALL STEP FOR MOST, BUT A LARGE STEP FOR A LARGE ORGANIZATION. AND NOW WITH THE DISCUSSION TAKING PLACE WITH A RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND, UH, INCLUSIVE OF THAT, IN MY, IN MY REQUEST IS TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION ABOUT RATE STRUCTURE BEING INCLUSIVE OF GENERATION, BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, IT DOES, IT IS INTRICATELY LINKED. THESE DISCUSSIONS ARE TAKING PLACE AT THE BOARD. UM, THAT'S THE LIMIT AT WHICH I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT IT NOW, SO WE DON'T GET A FIELD OF IT. UH, BUT, BUT LET ME BE VERY CLEAR. IT'S BEEN A VERY COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT IN THAT ROOM. UM, THIS IS A PARADIGM CHANGE. UH, BUT, BUT IT'S BEEN COLLABORATIVE. AND I WANNA THANK, UH, MY COLLEAGUE ON THE BOARD, DR. MACKEY, FOR BEING HERE FOR WHAT, FIVE HOURS AT THIS POINT. UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR THAT COLLABORATION, BUT I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS FROM C P S HERE AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE WATCHING DISCUSSION. YOU HAVE HEARD NOW THE COUNCIL, UM, AND OUR POSITION ON MAKING SURE THAT THESE ARE INCLUSIVE CONVERSATIONS. WHEN I'M SITTING THERE AMONG FIVE ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, I REPRESENT THIS ENTIRE COUNCIL. I REPRESENT THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND I BRING THOSE REQUESTS ON THEIR BEHALF AS WELL AS MY OWN. UH, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT CONVERSATION AS WE, UH, GET INTO THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE COMMITTEE. THIS IS A PARADIGM CHANGE. UH, BUT I THINK IT'S A VERY PRODUCTIVE ONE GIVEN ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AS A COMMUNITY. AND TO KEEP THAT ORGANIZATION THAT IS THE LARGEST MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY IN THE COUNTRY, BEING A STRONG FINANCIAL PARTNER, INVESTING OUR DIVIDENDS BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS WELL AS BEING A FORWARD-LOOKING, UH, POLICY-ORIENTED BODY THAT CAN MAKE A CLEAR DIFFERENCE IN OUR BIGGER OBJECTIVES ON CLIMATE, ET CETERA. THAT'S A BIG TASK, BUT WE'RE UP TO IT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO MY COLLEAGUES AND TO THE C P S ORGANIZATION FROM BEING HERE. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR WHOVILLE. ITEM 26, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. UH, ITEM 2028. AND LET ME JUST MAKE A REAL QUICK NOTE. THERE ARE FOLKS HERE FOR THE SPECIAL SESSION AT ONE O'CLOCK. WE ARE ONLY GOING TO HEAR THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ITEM, BUT WE HAVE TO CONVENE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. UH, SO WE ARE GOING TO ACTUALLY CONVENE THE SPECIAL SESSION AT TWO O'CLOCK, BUT ONLY HEAR THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ITEM TODAY. SO WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH THIS ITEM 28, GO INTO EXEC AND THEN WE'LL BE BACK. ITEM 28. ITEM 28 IS A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES LEADING TOGETHER CITIES AGENDA. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS. I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE'VE MOVED UP FORWARD TO THIS POINT WITH OUR NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, UM, RESOLUTION. UM, WHAT WE HAVE, I HAVE THE GREAT HONOR OF SERVING ON THE BOARD AND THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT WE KNOW IS THAT N L C, WHICH MANY OF YOU ARE ALSO PARTICIPANTS OF NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, IS THE VOICE OF AMERICA, CITIES, TOWNS, AND VILLAGES REPRESENTING MORE THAN 200 MILLION PEOPLE. AND N L C WORKS TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL LEADERSHIP, INFLUENCE POLICY, AND DRIVE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS. SO THIS YEAR, UM, OR LAST YEAR, I WAS SELECTED TO BE PART OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITY'S 2020 PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE THAT CRAFTED THE LEADING TOGETHER CITY'S AGENDA, ADVANCING THE PRIORITIES OF AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH 28 LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DEVELOP KEY PRIORITIES, URGING CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT TO SUPPORT A NONPARTISAN AGENDA, ENSURING ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TAKE THE CITY'S PRIORITIES SERIOUSLY. THE LEADING TOGETHER 2020 CITY'S AGENDA IS A FORMATIVE, NON-PARTISAN CALL TO ACTION OUTLINING STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, RECOGNIZING THE URGENCIES OF OUR NATION'S COMMUNITIES. I WAS THE ONLY [04:00:01] LOCAL OFFICIAL FROM TEXAS TO SERVE ON THIS, UH, TASK FORCE. AND I KNEW WE HAD A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF THIS WORK. SO WORKING WITH THIS DIVERSE GROUP, WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP THESE KEY PRIORITIES THAT URGES ALL CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT TO SUPPORT THIS NONPARTISAN AGENDA AND ENSURE THAT ALL THE LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TAKE CITIES' PRIORITIES SERIOUSLY. THESE PRIORITIES ARE, NUMBER ONE, BUILDING SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE. TWO, CREATING A SKILLED WORKFORCE, THREE, ENDING HOUSING INSTABILITY AND HOMELESSNESS. AND FOUR, REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE. AS LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS, WE ARE CHARGED WITH KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. AND EVERY DAY 100 AMERICANS DIE BECAUSE OF GUN VIOLENCE. AND HUNDREDS MORE ARE SHOT AND INJURED. IT'S TIME FOR THE NATION'S ELECTED LEADERS TO WORK TOGETHER AT ALL LEVELS TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS BY ADVANCING COMMON SENSE SOLUTION TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR CHILDREN, WHILE ENSURING THAT LAW ABIDING RESIDENTS MAINTAIN THEIR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE. I'M PROUD THAT WE IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE BEEN LEADING THE WAY ON MANY OF THESE FACTORS. WE'VE PASSED PRIORITIES SUCH AS DECEMBER, 2018. THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED THE NEW TAX ABATEMENT GUIDELINES THAT PRIORITIZE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND EQUITABLE GROWTH. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT, THE MAYOR'S HOUSING POLICY, TASK FORCE, AND APPROVED KEY RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AS WELL AS OUR WORK WITH THE COMMON CONCERNS IN HOME BASE TO FORM A HOMELESS STRATEGIC PLAN. SO MAYOR, UM, I'M VERY PROUD THAT EVEN OUR N L C, UH, AND I KNOW YOU'VE SPOKEN ON MANY OF THOSE PANELS FOR HOMELESSNESS AND HOME AND HOUSING STABILITY, AND I'M PROUD, UH, THAT OUR N L C PRESIDENT JOE BUSCAINO, WHEN I WAS TALKING TO HIM ABOUT SAN ANTONIO, UH, MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS RESOLUTION, HE SAID THAT LEADING TOGETHER IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE COMMITMENT TO, OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO AMERICA'S AGENDA. LOCAL LEADERS MUST ALSO TAKE UP THE MANTLE TO HELP GROW THE SPIRIT OF PARTNERSHIP AND PROGRESS IN OUR NATION. AND HE APPLAUDS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND COUNCILMAN GRO FOR TAKING OFFICIAL AND UNIFIED ACTION IN SUPPORT OF THIS 2020 CITIES AGENDA. THESE PRIORITIES IMPACT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. AND I HAVE TO THANK, UH, SALLY, UH, SALLY, WHO WORKED SO HARD IN I G R WITH OUR FEDERAL AGENDA AND WITH NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, UM, AND PUTTING TOGETHER A PHENOMENAL AGENDA FOR US WITH THE SA TO DC TRIP. AND SO THANK YOU, SALLY, FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK THAT YOU DO. AND SO I MOVE FORWARD AND I MOVE TO MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES LEADING TOGETHER CITY'S AGENDA. OKAY, THERE WAS A MOTION AND ABOUT A HALF A DOZEN SECONDS. UH, FOR ITEM 28, UH, PLEASE VOTE. SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. UM, WE DO HAVE A BRIEF CITY MANAGER'S REPORT, THEN WE'RE GOING TO CONVENE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, THEN WE'LL BE BACK OUT AT TWO O'CLOCK. ERIC. THANKS, MAYOR. UM, TWO QUICK ITEMS. UM, I WANTED TO, UH, INTRODUCE TO THE COUNCIL SINCE NONE OF HER AGENDA ITEMS WERE PULLED TODAY. UH, DR. DAWN EMRICH, OUR NEW HEALTH DIRECTOR, UH, DAWN, IS SITTING HERE NEXT TO DR. BRIDGER. UH, DAWN HAS AN EXTENSIVE, UH, CAREER IN, UH, THE HEALTH FIELD, BOTH IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, AS WELL AS OREGON. UM, SHE'S WORKED IN A NUMBER OF AREAS, UH, UH, INCLUDING HOUSING. UH, SHE WAS THE CHIEF HEALTH STRATEGIST, UH, FOR THE COUNTY IN, IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. SHE'S GOT EXPERIENCE IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UM, AND A WHOLE HOST OF, OF, UH, A GREAT BACKGROUND. AND, AND I WANTED TO WELCOME DAWN TO THE EXECUTIVE TEAM. HER FIRST DAY WAS ON MONDAY, AND, UH, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED. I DID ALSO WANT TO THANK, I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S HERE. I DID WANT TO THANK, UH, JENNIFER HARRIET, WHO WAS OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR DURING THAT PERIOD. JENNIFER DID A GREAT JOB AND IS STILL WITH THE CITY. UH, BUT I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HER HARD WORK OVER THE LAST NINE MONTHS. DAWN, WELCOME TO THE CITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WAS GONNA SAY GOOD MORNING, BUT IT'S NOT ANYMORE, IS IT? UM, THANK YOU. I AM JUST SO HAPPY TO BE HERE. I WON'T TAKE TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME. YES, IT'S THE FOURTH DAY AND DRINKING FROM THE FIRE HOSE. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. UM, WE WILL HAVE SOME UPDATES [04:05:01] FOR YOU FOR THE CORONAVIRUS, OF COURSE, THAT IS DEVELOPING EVERY SINGLE DAY. BUT I JUST WANTED TO JUST TELL YOU JUST HOW MUCH I AM, UH, BEEN WELCOMED, WARM, WELCOME SO FAR, AND JUST REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IMMERSING MYSELF INTO THE COMMUNITY AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE AND THE HISTORY OF THIS CITY. AND, UM, JUST, I'M READY TO GO. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I CAN ANSWER THEM. IF NOT, UM, WE DO . OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PALIS. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. FIRST OF ALL, WELCOME. THANK YOU. UH, TO, TO SAN ANTONIO. YOU, UH, FILL SOME ENORMOUS SHOES. YES. I MEAN, LIKE REALLY BIG, LIKE SPURS SIZE SHOES. UM, AND, UH, I I'M SURE THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE UP TO THE CHALLENGE. UM, I, I WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH YOU SOMETIME SOON. YES. UH, WE CAN, I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS I'D LIKE TO PUT IN FRONT OF YOU AND, UH, WE CAN TALK ABOUT ARMADILLO LEPROSY ON TOP OF THAT, RIGHT. COUNSEL, UH, COLLEEN. UH, BUT, UM, I DO WANT MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU KEEP FRONT AND CENTER AS WE MOVE FORWARD THIS TOPIC OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. I, I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ON YOUR VERY FIRST DAY NOW, UM, I, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THAT'S THE ONE THING THAT WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT PROBABLY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE THIS YEAR. AND COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ AND I, UH, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED THIS ADVENTURE AND, UH, THANKFULLY IT'S GROWN LEGS. AND SO YOU ARE INHERITING A REALLY BIG DEAL. AND, UM, WE COMMEND THAT, UH, TO YOU AND, UM, DON'T SCREW IT UP, . THANKS . CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WELCOME. YEAH, WELCOME. WELL, I'LL SAY JUST AS IF I CAN MENTION THIS TO YOU, I AM MEETING WITH ALL OF YOU. IF IT'S NOT ON THE CALENDAR, IT WILL BE SOON. I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION TO YOU THAT MY DISSERTATION WAS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. YES. IT WAS ON BATTERIES INTERVENTION PROGRAMS. SO, UM, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU. THIS IS A, DEFINITELY A TOPIC OF MY, UM, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WAS, THIS POSITION REALLY APPEALED TO ME 'CAUSE I SAW WHAT YOU WERE DOING. SO IT'S IN ALIGNMENT WITH MY GOALS AND MY VALUES, AND SO I'M TOTALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING IN, ROLLING UP MY SLEEVES. ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PLI. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. WELCOME DAWN. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, YOUR SERVICE HERE AND WE'LL TALK LATER TODAY. THANK YOU. YES. WE'LL WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, DAWN. THANK YOU. AND ALSO THANK YOU AGAIN TO DR. HARRIETT AS WELL. THANKS. YEP. ALRIGHT. JENNIFER WALKED IN AFTER, UH, AFTER I THANKED HER PUBLICLY. SO JENNIFER, THANK YOU FOR, UH, SERVING IN THE INTERIM ROLE. YOU DID A GREAT JOB. APPRECIATE IT. UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THE SECOND ITEM, UH, IS, UH, JUST A REAL QUICK EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT THAT I WANTED TO, TO SHARE WITH YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SHOWN YOU SEVERAL OF THESE, UH, SPOTLIGHT VIDEOS, BUT, BUT TODAY'S VIDEO IS ON AN EMPLOYEE BY THE NAME OF RAY PARRISH. RAY IS A AIRPORT SAFETY ANALYST, UH, WHICH IS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE AIRPORT. UH, HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING, ORGANIZING, AND INSPECTING AND INVESTIGATING SAFETY INCIDENTS AT OUR AIRPORT. AND IT'S A PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE F A A AND OTHER AVIATION ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE, THE COUNTRY. RAY'S BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS, UH, AND BEFORE WORKING, UH, FOR THE CITY, HE WAS PREVIOUSLY EMPLOYED WITH UNITED AIRLINES AND BEFORE THEN, UM, UH, HE'S RETIRED FROM THE AIR FORCE. SO LET ME SHOW THAT QUICK VIDEO. AND THANK RAY FOR HIS WORK OUT AT THE AIRPORT. IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. MY NAME IS RAY PARRISH. I'M A SAFETY ANALYST FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THE NEW SYSTEM THAT WE USE HERE IS CALLED SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS BEING PROACTIVE, MEANING WE WANNA BE OUT THERE WITH THE CUSTOMERS AND EVERYTHING AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT'S WRONG WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO FIX IT BEFORE IT HAPPENS. THERE'S NO TYPICAL DAY AT MY JOB. YOU COME IN AND SOME DAYS IT'S VERY, UH, MILD AND OTHER DAYS WE HAVE TWO OR THREE INCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS OR DAMAGED HITTING PROPERTY. SO WE'RE ALWAYS ON THE GO AND MOVING AROUND. EVERYBODY'S INVOLVED IN SAFETY AND MAKING IT SAFETY FOR OUR PASSENGERS TO FLY OUT OF THIS AIRPORT. UH, I GET A, A FEELING THAT WE'RE ALL A TEAM TO MAKE THIS AIRPORT THE SAFEST ENVIRONMENT POSSIBLE. WE DON'T OFTEN, UH, THINK ABOUT THE BEHIND THE SCENES, UH, WORK THAT'S DONE IN A LOT OF OUR FACILITIES. AND I WANTED TO THANK RAY AND THE AVIATION TEAM. FINALLY, MAYOR AND COUNCIL LAST TONIGHT. UH, YOU, UH, RECOGNIZED TWO V EMPLOYEES FOR SOME OUTSTANDING WORK THAT THEY DID, UH, ABOUT GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND, UH, AND HELPING A, A WOMAN IN NEED. I DID WANNA SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL, AND I'LL BE RECOGNIZING THE TWO EMPLOYEES TOMORROW AT OUR CORE, UH, SUPERVISORS MEETING. UH, WE HAD TWO PARKS EMPLOYEES THAT WERE, UH, DRIVING, UH, AND SAW LAST WEEK AND SAW A WOMAN WHO WAS BEING ATTACKED BY TWO DOGS. UH, THOSE TWO PARKS EMPLOYEES STOPPED, UH, CHASED THE DOGS, UH, CALLED POLICE IN E M SS. THE DOGS WERE AND A C S THE DOGS [04:10:01] WERE CAPTURED, THE WOMAN WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL, BUT THESE TWO PARKS EMPLOYEES DID, WENT, WERE GOING BY AT THE RIGHT TIME, AND, UH, TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES TO INTERJECT AND, UH, BE RECOGNIZING 'EM TOMORROW. THOSE THINGS HAPPEN AND I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO BRING THEM TO, TO, TO, TO TO THE, THE COUNCIL TO BE RECOGNIZED AS WELL. AND WE'LL GET THAT SCHEDULED. BUT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK. THANKS MAYOR. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH ERIC. ALRIGHT, SO THE TIME IS NOW WOW. ONE 30, UH, AND A SESSION IS NOW ADJOURNED. UH, ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 30TH, 2020, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL NOW MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071, CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY AND THE DELIBERATE DISCUSS ITEMS POSTED ON JANUARY 29TH, 2020 B SESSION AGENDA, BUT NOT REACHED OR COMPLETED AT THAT TIME. OKAY. SO WE WILL BE, UH, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU CAN GRAB LUNCH AND TAKE IT INTO EXEC. WE WILL BE HERE AT OR AS SOON AFTER TWO O'CLOCK AS HOSPITAL. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. * 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.