* 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. [00:00:40] GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER THE NINTH, 2017. COUNCIL MEMBER VINNO, COUNCIL MEMBER SHAW COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SALDANA. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ WILL NOT BE HERE TODAY. EARLY, EARLY THIS MORNING. SHE HAD A BABY GIRL. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO TO, TO KEVIN AND SHIRLEY, COUNCIL MEMBER BROCK, HOUSE COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER ELIAS. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY HERE. AND MAYOR NURENBERG HERE. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A FORUM. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL A SESSION. THE TIME RIGHT NOW IS 9:20 AM WE'LL BEGIN WITH AN INVOCATION, A GUEST OF COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME AND THANK REVEREND DR. ED KERN, REVEREND OF TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH FOR COMING TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING TODAY. UH, DR. ED KERN HAS BEEN THE PASTOR OF TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HARLANDALE AREA, LOCATED IN DISTRICT THREE FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, AND HAS BEEN PART OF THE ORDAINED MINISTRY OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA FOR 44 YEARS. HE'S ORIGINALLY FROM HOUSTON AND IS MARRIED TO SHARON, A RETIRED N E I S D TEACHER AND HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS, LAUREL AND REGINA. HE HAS ALMOST AS MANY DEGREES AS COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL, INCLUDING A VA IN COMMUNICATION, A MASTER'S OF DIVINITY FROM TRINITY LUTHERAN AND A DOCTOR OF MINISTRY FROM THE AUSTIN PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. HIS WORK WITH THE PEOPLE IN OUR CITY SPANS MANY CAUSES IN ORGANIZATIONS. REVEREND DR. KERN HELPED RAISE MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS AS THE FOUNDER AND FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SA CROP WALK FOR WORLD HUNGER. HE ALSO SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE SA COMMUNITY OF CONGREGATIONS BOARD, THE CAM ADVISORY BOARD, AND SAM ADVISORY BOARD. DR. KERN IS THE RE RECIPIENT OF MANY ACCOLADES, BUT I'LL HIGHLIGHT ONLY A FEW. HE WAS HONORED WITH A DISTINGUISHED RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP AWARD, SA COMMUNITY OF CHURCHES, THE CHURCH WORLD SERVICE, TEXAS BRANCH PIONEER AWARD, AS WELL AS CHRISTIAN ASSISTANCE MINISTRY'S LIFETIME SERVICE AWARDS. HE HAS TACKLED MANY SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES THROUGH THE CHURCH, INCLUDING POVERTY AND HUNGER, AND HAS SERVED ON THE E L C A SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS SENATE POVERTY AND JUSTICE TAX FORCE. TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH IN DISTRICT THREE ALSO SERVES AS A GREAT PLACE FOR MEALS ON WHEELS AND CONTINUES TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU DR. K FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. LET US PRAY. GOD OF ALL CREATION, WHATEVER WE NAME YOU OR HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND YOU, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY AND THE MANY BLESSINGS WE HAVE RECEIVED. WE THANK YOU FOR THE PEOPLE WITH WHOM WE ARE IN CONTACT DAILY, OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, STRANGERS, AND VISITORS. WE THANK YOU FOR THE ABILITY TO USE OUR MINDS TO DISCERN YOUR WILL AND TO WORK TO CREATE A STRONG AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY. WE THANK YOU FOR OUR CITY AND ALL WHO SERVE IT, FOR THOSE WHO TEACH AND THOSE WHO PROTECT, FOR THOSE WHO CLEAN AND THOSE WHO REPAIR, FOR THOSE WHO WORK IN PARKS AND THOSE WHO WORK ON ROADS AND STREETS, FOR THOSE WHO PLAN AND THOSE WHO MAKE THE PLANS HAPPEN, FOR THOSE WHO HEAL AND THOSE WHO COUNSEL FOR THOSE WHO GOVERN AND THOSE WHO ELECT FOR ALL, WHO LIVE INTO THE BEST EXAMPLE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CITIZEN. WE THANK YOU FOR OUR MANY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, A RAINBOW OF COLORS AND LANGUAGES. WE PRAY FOR ALL IN YOUR COMMUNITY WHO FACE POVERTY, WHO ARE HUNGRY, UNEMPLOYED, OR UNINSURED. WE PRAY FOR ALL IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY ILL. WE PRAY FOR ALL IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO LIVE IN [00:05:01] FEAR OF VIOLENCE AND THESE AND ALL THE BURDENS OF OUR LARGER CITY. LORD, HERE ARE PRAYERS. AS THIS MEETING BEGINS THIS MORNING, I PRAY FOR EACH PERSON HERE, GIVE EACH COUNCILPERSON CLARITY OF MIND, CREATIVITY, COMPASSION, DUE DILIGENCE, INTEGRITY, AND A SENSE OF HUMOR. GIVE THEM LISTENING EARS AND THOUGHTFUL WORDS. GIVE THEM PRESENCE OF MIND AND AN EVER OPEN HEART. AND ALL GOD'S PEOPLE SAID, AMEN. AMEN. THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC, WHICH IS STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU, PASTOR. WE'LL BEGIN WITH ITEM NUMBER THREE. EXCUSE ME, I'M SORRY. WE HAVE A ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TRANSLATION SERVICES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. ITEM NUMBER [3. Approval of Minutes for the City Council Regular Meetings of September 20 - 21, 2017] THREE IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, REGULAR MEETINGS FROM SEPTEMBER 20TH THROUGH THE 21ST. OKAY, AND WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER THREE. PLEASE VOTE. ITEM [4. Councilmember Rey Saldaña will be sworn-in as Mayor Pro-Tem, serving the term November 10, 2017 through January 19, 2018.] NUMBER FOUR IS A SWEARING IN FOR MAYOR PRO TEM. COUNCILMAN MEMBER RAY SALDANA. GOOD MORNING. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. I STATE YOUR NAME. I RAY SALDANA. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF, OF THE OFFICE OF MAYOR TEM MAYOR PRO TEM OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND OF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES, PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND DEFEND, PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION, CONSTITUTION AND LAWS AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. OF THE UNITED STATES, AND OF THIS STATE. AND OF THIS STATE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD. CONGRATULATIONS. ALL RIGHT, BEFORE WE GO INTO OUR REGULAR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, ITEM NUMBER FIVE HAS BEEN PULLED AND WILL BE HEARD ON DECEMBER 7TH. THERE WILL BE NO HEARING TODAY. AND ALSO, AS THE CLERK HAD MENTIONED, WE DID HEAR THIS MORNING, UH, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ HAS DELIVERED A YOUNG HEALTHY BABY GIRL. SO OUR THOUGHTS AND OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ AND HER FAMILY. WE HAVE SOME VERY SPECIAL GUESTS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. UH, AND WE'LL RECOGNIZE THEM SHORTLY. UH, THEY ARE HERE FOR WHAT IS THE 10TH ANNUAL LUMINARIA, WHICH IS A GREAT TRADITION OF ARTS AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT WAS STARTED 10 YEARS AGO. SO I'D LIKE TO INVITE KATHY ARMSTRONG TO SAY A FEW WORDS AND THEN I'LL RECOGNIZE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO WELCOME OUR DELEGATES. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL. I'M KATHY ARMSTRONG FROM LUMINARY CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL. I WANT TO THANK THE CITY FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ALSO TO WELCOME OUR INTERNATIONAL GUESTS WHO ARE HERE FROM GUANG JU KOREA AND OUR GUEST FROM WIN HOOK NAMIBIA. THEY'RE HERE AS CULTURAL DELEGATES TO LEARN FROM LUMINARIAS CONTEMPORARY ART FESTIVAL AND FOR A CULTURAL EXCHANGE. AND WE HOPE THAT WE, WE SEE YOU ALL THIS FRIDAY NIGHT FROM SEVEN TO MIDNIGHT. THANK YOU, KATHY. THIS TIME I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE TO WELCOME OUR DELEGATION FROM WIN HOOK NAMIBIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY ALREADY TO COME DOWN AND VISIT WITH JOSEPH AND GRACE JOSEPH. KAWAN DENGUE IS AN A IS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, KIND OF A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FROM NAMIBIA. AND, UH, GRACE, UH, PURA IS, UH, IS ALSO JOINING US ON THIS. AND I'VE PR TRUST ME, I PRACTICED THOSE NAMES JUST SO I WOULDN'T, I'M SURE IT'S LIKE THEM SEEING BROCK HOUSE. THEY'RE LIKE, WHAT IS, WHAT ARE WE GOING ON AROUND HERE? UH, BUT I'M, I WANTED TO WELCOME YOU. I THINK THIS IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. AND JOSEPH AND I WERE ACTUALLY TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, WHICH I THINK IS SUPER COOL ABOUT THESE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE TO REPRESENT DIFFERENT SISTER CITIES, IS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HIS ELECTED TERM OF FIVE YEARS, UH, ME, AT THIS FOR ONLY FIVE MONTHS. AND WE WERE JOKING BACK AND FORTH A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE STRUGGLES AND HOW, HOW OUR DIFFERENT CULTURES AND OUR OPPORTUNITIES AND OUR AS BEING ELECTED OFFICIALS. SO, UH, I THINK WE HAVE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. UH, VIN HOOK WAS ESTABLISHED AS A SISTER CITY IN 2016. MY PRE PREDECESSOR, COUNCILMAN LOPEZ, UH, VISITED [00:10:01] NAMIBIA AND, UH, AND, AND SIGNED THAT AGREEMENT. UH, SO WE ARE IN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY HERE TO ALSO WORK ON OUR LUMINARIA, BUT ALSO WATER CONSERVATION. SO, UH, ALTHOUGH WE MOVED THE SAWS ISSUE TODAY, IT WAS TIMELY BECAUSE WE HAVE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH VIN HOOK, UH, TO DEAL WITH WATER CONSERVATION ISSUES AND SHARE IDEAS. AND WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE SISTER CITY AGREEMENTS OFFER US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. UH, SO ON BEHALF OF, OBVIOUSLY MAYOR NUREMBERG IS WITH US TODAY AND THE REST OF THE CITY COUNCIL, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND WELCOME YOU TO OUR CITY, AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT TIME AND I WILL BE HERE TO HELP YOU WHEREVER POSSIBLE. UH, SO ENJOY YOUR STAY AND WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER, UH, OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS AS WE ENGAGE OUR SISTER CITY AGREEMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BRONK HOUSE AND COUNCILMAN PERRY WILL WELCOME OUR DELEGATION FROM KWANGJU CORRIO. GREAT. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE, THE FOLKS HERE FROM KWANGJU, UH, THAT ARE JOINING US THIS MORNING IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS. I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN WITH THEM THIS MORNING AND, UH, UH, WE HAD A DIALOGUE BACK AND FORTH ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE DONE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND HOW LONG THAT THEY'VE BEEN HERE AND WHEN THEY'RE EXPECTED TO, UH, LEAVE THE CITY. BUT THEY HAVE REALLY ENJOYED THEIR TIME HERE AND, UH, UH, REALLY LEARNED A LOT HERE ABOUT SAN ANTONIO. AND I HOPE TO DO THE SAME COMING INTO KOREA. I TOLD HIM I NEVER GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO KOREA DURING MY SERVICE TIME, BUT, UH, UH, THAT WAS ONE PLACE THAT I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. UM, UH, BUT I WANT TO THANK MR. MR. YANG, UM, UH, MS. KIM AND MS. YANG, UH, FOR COMING HERE TODAY AND BEING RECOGNIZED AND, AND, UH, LEARNING THIS, UH, UM, THE COMMUNITY CENTER THAT WE HAVE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. IT'S OVER AT THE, UH, UH, U T S A KIMCHI FESTIVAL AND THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES, THE ASIAN FESTIVAL. THAT'S, UH, UH, QUITE SOMETHING TO SEE, UH, THAT Y'ALL PARTICIPATE IN. UM, AND EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE WELCOMED TWO HIGH SCHOOL GROUPS WHOSE VISITS WERE, UH, UH, FACILITATED BY INCARNATE, UH, SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS AND INCARNATE WORD HIGH SCHOOL AND THE WORLD HERITAGE OFFICE DIRECTOR COLLEEN SWAIN, JUST LAST WEEK GRACIOUSLY HOSTED, UM, IN KWANGJU AS SHE TOURED THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. SO, UH, SHE IS ABLE TO GO THERE AND VISIT YOUR GREAT COUNTRY AS WELL. UM, WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE YOU HERE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR ANNUAL LUMERA EVENT AND HOPEFULLY HAVE YOU PARTICIPATE IN THAT AND LEARN AND TAKE THAT BACK WITH YOU TO KWANGJU. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU AND WELCOME HERE TO SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PERRY. UH, AND AGAIN, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, AND OUR SISTER CITIES NETWORK, WE WANNA WELCOME YOU ALL TO OUR CITY. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL STAY, UH, AND EXPERIENCE ALL OF SAN ANTONIO'S WONDERFUL CAR ARTS AND CULTURE. UH, THROUGH OUR GREAT TRADITION OF LUMINARIA, I DO RECOGNIZE WE ARE ALSO CELEBRATING OUR 300TH ANNIVERSARY NEXT YEAR. AND WANNA WELCOME, UH, DELEGATIONS FROM YOUR COMMUNITIES BACK, UH, TO SAN ANTONIO. UM, I DON'T NEED TO TELL OUR DELEGATION FROM GUANGXI THE IMPORTANCE OF A CITY'S HISTORY SINCE YOU ARE GOING TO BE CELEBRATING YOUR 2000TH AND 75TH ANNIVERSARY NEXT YEAR. UH, BUT WE HOPE YOU'LL BE JOINING US TO CELEBRATE AS WELL. SO, WELCOME TO SAN ANTONIO AND ENJOY YOUR STAY. THANK YOU. SO FACE ME, TURN AROUND. OKAY. HERE'S A SMALL TOKEN OF OUR THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, SURE. [00:15:01] SO LET'S SEE. EVERYONE CAN MOVE OVER THIS THE SAN ANTONIO SHUFFLE. OKAY, VERY GOOD. 1, 2, 3 AGAIN. 1, 2, 3. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. ALL [Consent Agenda] RIGHT. AT THIS TIME I'D LIKE TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES, UH, IF THEY WISH TO PULL ANY ITEMS FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. 28, ME 12, 23 AND 28. MAYOR 30 24 AND 25. 24. 25, 31. OKAY. 18 COUNCILS MEMBER PAZ HAD PULLED 31. YEAH, 18, I HEAR. OKAY. ANY OTHERS? I HAVE 12, 18, 23, 24, 25, 28, AND 31. YES, MAYOR. MAYOR. JUST A PROTOCOL. WE CAN JUST CHIME IN AND THEN GET THE FLOOR AND THEN HEAR THE ITEMS SO THAT I CAN TAKE IT ALL DOWN. SOMETIMES SOME OF US ARE WHISPERING, SOMETIMES SOME OF US ARE ACTUALLY SOME PUTTING INTO THE SPEAKER. SO CHIME IN. WAIT YOUR TURN, THEN GET YOUR ITEM POOLED. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER 10, NUMBER 16 AND 17. OKAY. IT'S GONNA BE A LONG DAY, FELLAS. ITEM NUMBER 10, 12, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 28, AND 31 HAVE BEEN PULLED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION FIRST. YEAH. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE. 31 IS, YEAH, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. SO MOVE SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. WE DO HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK FOR, UH, A CONSENT AGENDA ITEM TO BE HEARD. I'LL CALL UP JACK M FINGER. WELL, MAYOR BERG, OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, UH, MR. MAYOR, SOMETHING THAT REALLY BEARS, UH, COMMENTARY THIS MORNING. YOU PULLED ITEM NUMBER FIVE, THAT'S THE BIG SAWS RATE, INCREASE YOUR WATER UTILITY RATE INCREASE, YOU PULLED IT. BUT NORMALLY, MR. MAYOR, NEVER IN ALL THE YEARS I'VE BEEN COMING HERE HAVE, UH, THE CITY MAYOR OR COUNCIL OR WHOEVER IT WAS, TELL THE CITY CLERK, DO NOT LET ANYBODY SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON THIS. NEVER SEEN THAT, MR. MAYOR. NOW I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHO SHE GOT THE DIRECTION FROM AND WHY. I MEAN, YES, WE ON CONTROVERSY SOMETIMES THERE ARE, UH, YOU DO PULL 'EM FOR FAR DELAYS AND TAKE A LITTLE CLOSER LOOK AT IT, BUT PEOPLE, UH, OF INTEREST WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THIS AND SPEAK ON IT REGARDLESS. AND Y'ALL HAVE ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN TODAY. YOU'RE NOT LIKE, JUST LIKE THE STATUE BEING REMOVED UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS. YOUR TRANSPARENCY IS LACKING, SIR. BUT BY GOLLY, WE'LL, UH, JUST JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WE, I DID HAVE A FEW THINGS I WANTED TO DISTRIBUTE TO YOU GUYS, SO I'LL LET THE, UH, LITTLE ARTICLE THERE AND THOSE OF YOU WATCHING MAY WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT IT ALSO JUST, UH, ABOUT WHAT SAWS IS HIDING FROM YOU GUYS. YEAH, JUST, JUST, JUST TOP OF IT THERE BY THE ALAMO TORCH AND THE TITLE OF IT THERE, LORD, MR. AUDIO VISUAL [00:20:01] MAN. THERE YOU GO. DOES NIERENBERG AND THE CITY COUNCIL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND FLIP THE PAGE WITH, UH, $3 BILLION DOLLAR VISTA RIDGE PROJECT? THAT'S WHAT'S DRIVING UP OUR RATES, SIR. THANK YOU. NOW MR. BODY WAS YOUR MAN. WE'LL GO ON TO THE REST OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. LET'S SEE HERE. ITEM NUMBER 17. THANK YOU. I'LL TAKE THAT BACK. ITEM NUMBER 17, FUNDING FOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. IT'S TOP HEAVY WITH, UH, BICYCLE LANES TO THE EXCLUSION OF MAIN LANES WHERE FAR, UH, VEHICLES. YEAH. AND ALSO IT FUNDS THE SOUTH SIDE OVER OVERPASS. YEAH. UH, GUYS ON THE WEST, ON THE SOUTH SIDE TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE 2 81. MR. COURAGE, THE 2 81 OVERPASSES. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN THAT ONE THERE. ITEM 20 MUNICIPAL COURT CHANGES AND THIS ONE'S GONNA SAIL RIGHT ON THROUGH WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA. WHAT ARE YOU YOU'RE DOING HERE? YOU'RE TAKING AWAY, YOU'RE ACTUALLY TAKING AWAY THE TWO CITIZENS, MR. MAYOR, THE TWO CITIZENS THAT ARE ON THIS COMMITTEE. AND WHAT ARE YOU REPLACING THEM WITH? THREE CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE. . YES. MY GOLLY. TAKING AWAY THE CITIZENS, PUTTING ON CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE THERE. AND WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE HERE? WELL, 28 WELFARE HOUSING. OH GOODNESS. SO MANY SCANDALS. SO LITTLE TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. FINGER. UH, WE DO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP FOR AN ITEM THAT WAS NOT PULLED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. SO I'LL HAVE, UM, DENISE, OH, UM, EXCUSE ME. EXCUSE ME. DESIREE LANIS. MS. DESIREE ESE STILL HERE. OKAY. UM, SHANIQUA JOHNSON. OKAY. AND SAY I'M STUCK. UM, WE ARE HERE FOR THE ALEXANDER APACHE COURTS AND, UM, WE'RE DISCUSSING ABOUT THE, UH, DEMOLISHING OUR, OUR APARTMENTS. AND MY CONCERN IS THE DRUGS THAT GOES ON OVER THERE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO CHANGE IT BECAUSE THAT WHAT IT NEED TO BE CHANGED. UH, WE NEED A CHANGE IN ALEXANDER APACHE COURTS. UM, IT IS, IT IS JUST THE DRUGS THAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE AND WE JUST NEED TO GET IT REMOVED. I MEAN, WE HAVING A LOT OF ISSUES WITH NEEDLES, GUNS, PROSTITUTES, AND I HAVE KIDS MYSELF, AND THEY'RE NOT SAFE WHERE THEY ARE. THEY DON'T EVEN WANT TO BE OVER THERE WHERE WE STAY AT BECAUSE IT'S TOO MUCH VIOLENCE GOING ON FROM EIGHT IN THE MORNING TO ALL NIGHT SHOOTING ALL DAY LONG. UH, PROSTITUTES WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STREETS IS SAD. KIDS OUTSIDE LATE AT NIGHT, 12 AND THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WITH THEIR PARENTS AND THEY PARENTS JUST STRUNG OUT ON DRUGS. AND I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO JUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. IT'S, MY KIDS DON'T EVEN WANNA BE IN SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE OF, OF IT. SO THAT'S, SO THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. JOHNSON. MICHELLE TOMILLO. MICHELLE TOMILLO. OKAY. IS, UH, DESIREE ESE BACK. THOSE ARE THE ONLY FOLKS SIGNED UP FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, SO I'LL HAVE TO ASK IF MS. ALANISE COMES BACK IN, IF SHE HAS A WRITTEN STATEMENT, WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THAT TO COUNCIL, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE ON WITH THE REST OF THE AGENDA. THANK YOU MS. JOHNSON. ALRIGHT, THAT'S ALL OF THE ITEMS, OR THAT'S ALL THE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK FOR ITEMS ON, UH, CONSENT AGENDA. SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. IT, I'M SORRY, MS. ESE? YES. ARE YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK? YOU WERE CALLED UP EARLIER. HELLO, . UM, I WAS GONNA SPEAK ABOUT, SORRY [00:25:01] THAT THE MEETING THAT WE HAD TODAY FOR THE ALLAN AND HOW WE APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AND TO HOPEFULLY ACCEPT THIS GRANT THAT WE'RE TRYING SO HARD TO GET AND TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY AND FAMILIES THAT ARE IN NEED AS WELL. AND I DON'T KNOW, I FORGOT MY SPEECH. I'M SO SORRY. UM, DO YOU WANNA HELP ME? I'M SORRY, I, I FORGOT MY SPEECH. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HERE. HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SITUATION. YOU SMOKE DRUGS. YEAH, THE DRUGS. I'M SORRY, I'M . IT'S NOT ABOUT THE DRUGS. I KNOW IT'S, WE HAVE A LOT OF DRUGS AND CRIME ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE FEEL THE NEED THAT WE NEED A MORE PATROL IF Y'ALL HELP IN ANY WAY. AND THEY'RE IS A LOT OF THINGS ENDANGERING FOR OUR KIDS. AND I DON'T KNOW, HONESTLY, THAT'S ABOUT IT. THAT'S ABOUT IT. SHE'S JUST NERVOUS. YEAH, I'M NERVOUS. I'M SORRY. YOU DID GREAT MS. EZ. WE GOT YOUR MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. MOVING ON [10. An Ordinance accepting the lowest qualified bid and awarding a construction contract to Curran Contracting Company in the amount of $5,106,286.05 funded by the Sales Tax Venue Funds included in the FY 2018 Capital Budget in connection with the Leon Creek Greenway (IH-10/1604 to The RIM) located in Council District 8 and the Salado Creek Greenway (Huebner Road to Loop 1604) located in Council District 9; and authorizing an Access Agreement with Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to allow for the construction and maintenance of trail improvements where the trail improvements cross TxDOT’s right-of-way. [María Villagómez, Assistant City Manager; Xavier D. Urrutia, Director, Parks and Recreation]] NOW TO OUR ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. WE'LL BEGIN WITH ITEM NUMBER 10. ITEM NUMBER 10 IS AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE LOWEST QUALIFIED BID IN AWARD A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT TO KORAN CONTRACTING COMPANY IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,106,286 AND 5 CENTS FUNDED BY THE SALES TAX VENUE FUNDS INCLUDED IN FISCAL YEAR 2018, CAPITAL BUDGET IN CONNECTION WITH THE LEON CREEK GREENWAY IH 10 16 0 4 TO THE RIM LOCATED IN COUNCIL DISTRICT EIGHT, AND THE SOTO CREEK GREENWAY HEBNER TO LOOP 1604, LOCATED IN COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE AND AUTHORIZING AN ACCESS AGREEMENT WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS WHERE THE TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS CROSS TDOT'S RIGHT OF WAYS. COUNCILMAN SNIA TH THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I PULLED THIS ITEM. UH, AND XAVIER, I THINK YOU'VE BEEN MANAGING THIS PROGRAM FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WHICH IS OUR LEON CREEK GREENWAY SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE GOING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE, UH, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. CAN YOU, DO YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION LINED UP FOR THIS? SURE. SHOULD I, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND RUN THROUGH IT? I, I DON'T THINK IT'S VERY LONG. I LOOKED AT THE BACKUP HERE. SO, UH, TODAY WE'RE HERE TO, UH, REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT. UH, THIS IS FOR, UH, TWO SEGMENTS OF THE GREENWAY SYSTEM. UH, ONE IS THE LEON AND THE OTHER IS ON THE SATO. THE LEON, UH, PREDOMINANTLY IN DISTRICT EIGHT, UH, WILL COME UP AND CONNECT, UH, THROUGH THE RIM, UH, PROPERTY FROM THE EXISTING, UH, TRAILHEAD WE HAVE THAT'S KNOWN AS THE VALERO TRAILHEAD TRAILHEAD AT 1604. AND THEN THE, UM, OTHER ONE IS ACTUALLY FROM OUR EBNER ROAD, UH, ON THE SATO, UH, THAT WILL PUNCH THROUGH TO 1604. UH, SO THAT WILL TAKE YOU, THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE FAMILIAR, THE TRAIL THAT'S RIGHT, UH, NORTH OF HARDBERGER PARK. THIS WILL BE A CONTINUATION THAT ULTIMATELY WE'RE MOVING INCHING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO CONNECTING THE LEON AND THE SATO, UH, NORTH OF 1604. UM, THE CONTRACT IS WITH CURRENT CONTRACTING, UH, AGAIN, IT'S TWO SEPARATE SEGMENTS IN TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS AT, UH, RIGHT AROUND $5.1 MILLION. UH, LOW QUALIFIED BID WAS UTILIZED. UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF TXDOT AGREEMENTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THAT ALLOW US TO CONSTRUCT THE TRAIL AND MAINTAIN IT WITHIN THE TEXT DOT RIGHT OF WAY. UH, AND STAFF IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THESE TWO ACTIONS, THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT, AS WELL AS THE AGREEMENTS WITH TXDOT THAT ALLOW US TO BUILD IN THEIR RIGHT OF WAY. OKAY. THANK YOU, XAVIER. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TWO THINGS. WE'RE TAKING ACTION ON THE LETTING OF THE CONTRACT. SO WE'VE SELECTED A LOWEST BID CONTRACT AWARDEE, AND WE'VE GOT SOME AGREEMENTS WITH TEXDOT BECAUSE WE'RE CUTTING ACROSS. CORRECT. SO THE, THE, THE HOWARD PEAK GREENWAY TRAIL SYSTEM, WHEN IT'S, WHEN IT'S COMPLETED, IS GONNA BE AN AMAZING, UH, WAY FOR NOT JUST RECREATIONAL RUNNERS, BIKERS AND PEDESTRIANS, BUT MAY EVEN BE A FORM OF TRANSPORTATION. AND I THINK I ASK YOU THIS QUESTION EVERY TIME IT COMES UP, XAVIER IS, IS WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET OURS? AND, UH, WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UM, THE SOUTHWEST SIDE AND THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO GETTING RIGHT. UH, ITS PORTIONS, I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND IN THE QUEUE. IT'S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ENSURING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THE LEON CREEK SIDE. UH, SO BRIEF [00:30:01] ME, PLEASE TELL ME WHEN WE CAN COME TO EXPECT A SO THE 2015 PROGRAM DID INCLUDE THE EXTENSION OF THE LEON ON THE SOUTH SIDE, SOUTH OF, UH, LEVI STRAUSS PARK, UH, ALL THE WAY TO MILITARY. MM-HMM. , IT'S ABOUT ALMOST TWO MILES, JUST SHY OF TWO MILES. I THINK IT'S 1.9 MILES LONG. THAT WILL, UH, END AT THE MONUMENT THAT'S BEING CONSTRUCTED. THE PLAZA AREA THERE AT, UH, KIND OF THE GATEWAY TO RANDOLPH LACKLAND, UH, THAT, SO THAT TO LACKLAND. I'M SORRY, TO LACKLAND. TO LACKLAND. I'M SORRY. YES, I'M SORRY. LACKLAND, UH, SO SOUTH. SO THAT WILL PUNCH SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 90. AND THEN WE'LL HUG ALONG THE, UM, ACCESS ROAD. THERE'S A NUMBER OF PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS THAT ARE GONNA BE REQUIRED, UH, WITH THIS TRAIL SEGMENT. THERE'S A COUPLE OF PRIVATE PROPERTIES THAT WE'LL HAVE TO CROSS. THERE IS A CHURCH, UH, THAT WE'LL HAVE TO WORK WITH ABOUT GAINING ACCESS THROUGH THEIR PROPERTY. UH, POTENTIAL STREET CLOSURE. THERE IS A STREET ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE CHURCH AS WELL THAT WE WILL NEED TO TRA TRAVERSE, UH, AND THEN A NUMBER OF TRE OUT RIGHT AWAYS TO GET THERE. SO WE ARE, UH, UNDERWAY ON THE PROPERTY ACQUISITION PIECE. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF RIGHT OF ENTRY REQUESTS OUT TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS, UH, AND THEN, UH, ALSO WORKING WITH TXDOT IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TO, UM, MAKE SURE WE GET RIGHT OF ENTRIES TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE WE CAN ALIGN THE TRAIL BEFORE WE CAN PUT IT OUT FOR DESIGN. AND, AND XAVIER, WE, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THIS QUESTION, UH, COME UP AT LEAST WHEN THE COMMUNITY ASKS IF IT'S GOING TO BE A COMPLETE CIRCLE ACCESS AROUND THE CITY IS, UH, WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE GET TO THE POINT THAT IT RUNS INTO THE MILITARY BASE, IN THIS CASE, LACKLAND. RIGHT? AND HAVE WE MADE A DEFINITIVE CHOICE OR IS THE BOARD DISCUSSED THE IDEA OF, OF ALLOWING US TO GO THROUGH MILITARY DRIVE AS AN ALTERNATIVE RATHER THAN CUTTING THROUGH, SINCE WE TECHNICALLY CANNOT CUT THROUGH MILITARY BASE FOR A GREENWAY TRAIL, UM, THAT INVOLVES A ROAD DIET RIGHT AT THE MONUMENT OF HIGHWAY 90 AND MILITARY DRIVE. WHAT'S THE CONSENSUS? SO THERE IS A, UH, DEFINITELY THE LEON CREEK ADVISORY BOARD IS SUPPORTIVE OF CONTINUING THE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT, EVEN IF IT GOES OFF OF CREEKWAY. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE IDEA IS THE CONNECTIVITY, UH, AND THE CONTINUITY OF THE TRAIL. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF OPTIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. ONE IS MILITARY, THE OTHER IS SAWS HAS A SEWER LINE PROJECT THAT THEY ARE UNDER. UM, THEY'RE EXPLORING TO REPLACE A SEWER LINE THAT GOES THROUGH THE MIDDLE, MIDDLE OF THE MILITARY BASE. THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT MOVING THAT IN PRIVATE PROPERTY THAT'S IN BETWEEN, UH, THE PORT AND THE MILITARY BASE. SO THERE IS A POTENTIAL MAYBE THAT WE PARTNER WITH THEM, THAT AS THEY'RE DOING THAT SEWER REPLACEMENT, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO LAY A TRAIL, THEY WILL THEN CONNECT US AND THEN WE'LL HAVE TO GO TO THE WEST TO CONNECT TO PEARSALL PARK. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF OPTIONS WE ARE LOOKING AT TO SEE WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE AND ALSO PROBABLY THE LESS DISRUPTIVE TO, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY TRAFFIC, UH, BUT ALSO PROPERTIES AND TRYING TO SEE WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE AND THAT PEOPLE WILL USE WHERE WE'RE, WHERE WE'RE CLOSER TO PEOPLE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, MAYOR, I'M, I'M READY TO MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL ON THIS. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE DON'T GET, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THE, THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE CITY ISN'T LOST AND DOESN'T FALL BEHIND WHEN IT COMES TO CONNECTIVITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE MAKING INVESTMENTS ON A REALLY GREAT GREEN TRAIL FOR OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S BEEN, UH, A LONG TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING THIS DISCUSSION. THERE'S JUST A FEW MORE HOOPS THAT WE HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH BECAUSE OF THE MILITARY BASE. A FEW MORE HOOPS THAT WE HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH BECAUSE OF SOME ACQUISITION. SO, UH, I'LL MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL. THERE'S A MOTION. AND THEN SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 10. WE DO HAVE ADDITIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERS LIKE TO MAKE COMMENTS STARTING WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, XAVIER. I THINK THAT, UH, YOUR DEPARTMENT'S DOING A GOOD JOB ON WORKING ON EXPANDING, UH, THESE TRAILWAYS. UH, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE SATO CREEK TRAIL BRIEFING FOR THE CONNECTION NORTH OF 1604 THAT WAS HELD FOR THE ROGERS RANCH COMMUNITY EARLIER THIS WEEK. UH, AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE CONCERNS THEY EXPRESSED WAS THAT, UH, CAN WE LIMIT, UH, ANY KIND OF, UM, ENGINE POWERED VEHICLE FROM ACCESSING THESE TRAILS. UH, THIS PARTICULAR AREA HAS SEEN, UH, AN UPTICK IN BREAK-INS. THEY'RE VERY CONCERNED THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS TRAIL MIGHT ENABLE. AND I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE IT DISABLES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO, UH, GET INTO SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES AND, AND CAUSE PROBLEMS. NOW, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY TIMES WE PARTNER WITH C P S IN THEIR UTILITY EASEMENTS IN ORDER TO CREATE SOME OF SECTIONS OF THESE TRAILS. AND, UM, I'M WONDERING IF, IF THERE'S ANY PROCESS THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION OF THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND THESE TRAILS [00:35:01] FROM THEM BEING USED, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR NEFARIOUS PURPOSES, BASICALLY KEEPING VEHICLES, EVEN MOTORIZED FOUR-WHEELERS, MOTORCYCLES, SCOOTERS OFF OF THOSE TRAILS. SO IT'S LESS LIKELY THAT CRIMINAL ELEMENTS WILL GAIN ACCESS TO NEAR THESE COMMUNITIES AND CREATE PROBLEMS. SO HOW DO WE ADDRESS THOSE AS WE PROCEED FORWARD WITH THESE TRAILS? SO A COUPLE THINGS. ONE IS THE CODE DOES RESTRICT THE TYPE OF, UM, I GUESS VEHICLE FOR, YOU KNOW, LACK OF A BETTER WORD, THAT CAN BE UTILIZED ON THE TRAIL. THE OWNER ONLY MOTORIZED VEHICLE THAT CAN BE UTILIZED IS A WHEELCHAIR. UH, SO IT ONLY ALLOWS SKATEBOARDS, UH, BICYCLES WALKING AND RUNNING, OF COURSE. UM, THE OTHER THING IS AT A NUMBER OF KEY LOCATIONS, IF YOU'LL NOTICE, SOMETIMES WE HAVE PINCH LOCATION LOCATIONS WHERE YOU MAY SEE EITHER BOLLARDS OR ACTUAL, UH, BIG BOULDERS, WHICH IS A MORE DECORATIVE WAY THAT WE TRY TO CONTROL. SO IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE BASICALLY KEEP, UH, THE ABILITY FOR FOUR, YOU KNOW, FOUR WHEELERS OR, UH, TRUCKS OR SOMETHING ELSE BE BEYOND SERVICE MAINTENANCE VEHICLES FROM ACCESSING THOSE POINTS. IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A CHALLENGE WHEN WE UTILIZE C P S OR SAWS RIGHT-OF-WAYS BECAUSE AGAIN, SINCE THEY ARE THE UTILITIES RIGHT-OF-WAYS, THOSE ARE USUALLY BUILT TO WITHSTAND THEIR HEAVY EQUIPMENT. IF THEY HAVE AN ISSUE OR THERE'S SOMETHING THAT THEY NEED TO REPAIR, THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT POINT. BUT WE'VE BEEN, I THINK, VERY SUCCESSFUL IN WORKING WITH THEM, UH, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, BOLLARDS ARE IN PLACE, THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE LOCKED THAT WILL EITHER GATES THAT WILL LIMIT AND THEN THEY HAVE ACCESS WHEN THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO THOSE AREAS. UH, THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WITH THE PARK POLICE, UH, AND OUR TRAIL STEWARDS, THE OTHER THING WE FOUND VERY SUCCESSFUL WAS OUR TRAIL STEWARDS BEING OUT. THERE'S MUCH MORE VISIBILITY. WE HAVE EYES AND EARS ON THE TRAIL, UH, IN MORE ABUNDANT NUMBERS, AND THEN THEY ARE ABLE TO REPORT IF THERE ARE INCIDENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, OF A MOTORCYCLE OR A FOUR-WHEELER OF SOMEONE OFF ROADING, THAT WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION QUICKLY TO EITHER PARK POLICE OR S A P D. SO I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE THAT WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. WE ALWAYS KNOW WHEN WE GO INTO A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD, PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED. BUT I THINK, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAYBE WE CAN HELP DO TOO IS CONNECT SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS TOGETHER SO THEY CAN HEAR SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE EXISTING TRAILS AND REALIZE THAT WHILE WE HAD THE SAME CONCERNS, EVERYTHING HAS REALLY WORKED OUT. AND TO TRY TO GIVE THEM SOME PEACE OF MIND AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CONSTRUCTION. UH, I WAS GLAD TO HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT GATES BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE C P S ROADS ARE WIDE OPEN USUALLY, RIGHT? UNLESS THEY'RE INTO SOME OF OUR PARK AREAS. SO, UH, YEAH, GATING THAT, SO VEHICLES DON'T HAVE ACCESS UNLESS THEY'RE C P SS VEHICLES. MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO KEEP VEHICLES OFF OF THOSE TRAIL ROADS THAT WE USE. UH, AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, TRAIL STEWARDS AND PARK STEWARDS, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THAT WE'VE BROUGHT INTO THAT PROGRAM? UH, SCATTERED AROUND OUR PARKS? SO IN OUR VOLUNTEER PIECE, WE HAVE, UH, APPROXIMATELY 70 THAT WE'VE TRAINED THROUGH. NOW THEY COMMIT TO DIFFERENT HOURS AND DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF THEY GIVE BACK, BUT IT'S QUITE A NUMBER. AND THEN WE HAVE AROUND CLOSE TO 40, WE TRY TO TARGET OF OUR OWN TRAIL, UH, TRAIL STEWARDS THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE. THESE ARE PART-TIME STAFF THAT WE HAVE THAT GO OUT. SO THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO, WE TRY TO COVER THE TIMES OF DAY WHEN THERE ARE, WHICH SOUNDS KIND OF, UH, ANTI LOGICAL, BUT IT IS, WE TRY TO TARGET THE TIMES OF DAY WHEN THERE AREN'T A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE TRAIL. SO THE IDEA BEHIND THAT IS TO HAVE A STAFF MEMBER WHO'S OUT THERE. SO WHEN THERE ARE FEWER RUNNERS OR BIKERS, THEY FEEL REASSURED THAT THERE'S A PRESENCE THERE. SATURDAY MORNING WHEN WE KNOW THE TRAILS ARE PACKED, THERE REALLY ISN'T A NEED. THERE'S SO MANY CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS USING OUR TRAILS THAT IF THERE'S AN ISSUE, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THEY CAN ASSIST OR CALL OR HAVE, YOU KNOW, BE WITNESSED. SO AGAIN, I THINK WITH THE TRAIL STEWARDS PROGRAM AND THE VOLUNTEER TRAIL WATCH PROGRAM, WE ARE REALLY COVERING OUR TRAILS. AND WHAT WE SEE IS REALLY A, A WAY TO MANAGE INCIDENTS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, DO NOT BELONG IN THE TRAIL SYSTEM. HOW ARE WE PROGRESSING WITH THE EFFORT TO PUT IN KIOSKS OR, OR PHONE BOXES ALONG OUR TRAILS AND PARKS? SO WE HAVE, UH, DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF CALL BOXES, UH, SINCE THE INITIAL, UH, C C R THAT NOW MAYOR, MAYOR NUREMBERG STARTED WHEN HE WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, WE TARGET THOSE FOR VERY REMOTE AREAS. SO I IMAGINE PROBABLY IN SOME OF THE CONNECTIONS THAT WE SEE NORTH OF 1604, WHERE WE'RE CONNECTING THE LEON AND THE SATO, WE'LL PROBABLY SEE THE NEED FOR SOME THERE BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN AREA THAT'S REALLY, UH, HUGGING CLOSE TO THE MILITARY BASE AND KIND OF A VERY, UM, AREA WHERE WE HAVE A LARGE LAND PARCELS THAT ARE JUST [00:40:01] VACANT. UH, SO THAT'S WHERE WE'VE BEEN UTILIZING, UH, THE CALL BOXES ON THE KIOSK. WE WORKED WITH, UH, INNOVATION TO LOOK AT, UH, IDENTIFYING, UH, FOUR PARKS THAT ARE IN DIFFERENT QUADRANTS OF THE CITY THAT WE COULD PILOT THE KIOSK. I KNOW THE ITEM WENT TO, UH, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, I THINK A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO TO LOOK AT THAT AGREEMENT. UH, THAT AGREEMENT WILL BE COMING TO COUNCIL, UH, I BELIEVE IN EARLY DECEMBER. UH, INNOVATION WILL BE BRINGING THAT AGREEMENT TO COUNCIL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT IDENTIFYING FOUR PARKS THAT WE COULD PILOT THE KIOSK TO SEE HOW DO WE, UH, NOT ONLY ADD INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY, BUT ALSO INFORMATION ABOUT PARKS, WHAT'S IN THIS PARK, ANY ACTIVITIES THAT ARE OCCURRING IN THAT PARK. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE TALKED ABOUT LIKE IN OUR DOG PARKS, MAYBE EVEN INFORMATION THAT TALKS ABOUT A C S FREE MICROCHIP SPAY AND NEUTER CLINICS, THOSE KIND OF THINGS. YOU HAVE, AGAIN, KIND OF A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE AT OUR DOG PARKS. AND SO NOT ONLY PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT PARKS, BUT OTHER SERVICES THAT CITY PROVIDES THAT MAY MAYBE ARE VERY RE UH, RELEVANT TO, UH, DOG OWNERS. WOULD IT BE OUR ANTICIPATION THAT SOMEDAY WE WOULD PUT THESE OUT ON THE TRAILS AS WELL AS IN THESE PARKS IF THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL? I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'LL SEE FROM THE PILOT COUNCILMAN. WE'LL SEE HOW THE USES, UH, TRAILS SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE KIND OF, WE HAVE A TWO USERS OF THE TRAIL SYSTEM. YOU HAVE OUR REALLY, WHAT I CONSIDER OUR HARDCORE PEOPLE THAT ARE OUT THERE BIKING AND RUNNING AND WANT NO DISTRACTIONS. THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN, THEY'RE OUT. AND THEN YOU HAVE MORE OF THE LEISURE, THE RECREATIONAL PERSON WHO WANTS TO WALK. AND SO THAT MAKES MORE SENSE MAYBE WHERE WE SEE A LARGE NUMBER OF THE RECREATIONAL USERS TO HAVE THE KIOSK. AND MAYBE AS OPPOSED TO WHERE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, LARGE STRETCHES WHERE PEOPLE ARE JUST IN AND OUT TO, YOU KNOW, DO THEIR, YOU KNOW, RUN THEIR, UH, FIVE K OR, OR RUN THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR COUPLE OF MILES AND THEN GET, YOU KNOW, GET HOME. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE WHEN WE DO THIS PILOT WITH INNOVATION. UH, WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE SOME, UH, DESIGNS, UH, POTENTIAL DESIGNS BEFORE THEY COME TO COUNCIL, MAYBE A WEEK OR TWO AHEAD OF TIME TO THE PROCESS? UH, I DON'T KNOW. WE'LL GET THE PROCESS BEFORE COUNCIL, BUT DEFINITELY BEFORE ANYTHING'S IMPLEMENTED. SO THE COUNCIL ACTUALLY WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY ENTER INTO THE AGREEMENT TO WORK WITH, UH, THE COMPANY THAT'S DOING THE KIOSK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WORKING WITH THAT COMPANY AND THEN GOING BACK TO THE FRIENDS GROUPS, TO THE PARK USERS AND SAYING, OKAY, WHAT, HOW WOULD THIS KIOSK BEST WORK FOR YOU? AND WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE SO THAT IT'S NOT EITHER DISRUPTIVE OKAY. TO YOUR PARK ENVIRONMENT. AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA VARY COUNCILMAN BASED ON THE PARK. I THINK, FOR EXAMPLE, IN A VERY URBAN PARK, IF WE LOOK LIKE AT ALMANOR FLAKE PARK IN DISTRICT FIVE, THE KIOSK WILL HAVE A, I THINK IN THE RESIDENTS WOULD WANT A VERY DIFFERENT LOOK THAN WE MAY SEE UP KIOSK LOOKING AT HARBERGER PARK WHERE YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF TREES AND IN A VERY, YOU KNOW, UH, KIND OF HILL COUNTRY LOOKING ENVIRONMENT. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANT IS THAT FLEXIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO, UH, PILOT A COUPLE OF, UH, DIFFERENT KIOSK. LOOKS GOOD. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD, UH, ENSURE THE PUBLIC HAS YES. UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THESE AND HAVE SOME INPUT INTO 'EM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I MOVE THE QUESTION. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN COURAGE, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. THANK YOU XAVIER, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND TO COUNCILMAN SALANG FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS ITEM. I THINK IT'S VERY EXCITING AND GLAD TO SEE IT PROGRESSING. I DO WANT TO UNDERSCORE HIS SAME QUESTION OR HIS SAME CONCERN ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT, UH, THERE IS PROGRESS MADE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE DISTRICT IN TERMS OF THE, THE TRAILWAYS. COULD YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT THOSE PLANS ARE? SORRY, IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY? COULD YOU SPEAK TO WHAT THOSE PLANS ARE AND WHAT THEIR STATUS IS WHEN WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE THAT? THANKS. SURE. SO, UM, THE TRAIL SYSTEM IN ITS INCEPTION, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH WERE, WHAT WE FELT WERE THE QUICKEST WAYS TO BE ABLE TO, UH, GIVE THE COMMUNITY ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY OF, OF THIS RECREATIONAL FEATURE WAS WE FIRST WENT OUT AND WE LOOKED AT PROPERTY THAT THE CITY OWNED. WE LOOKED AT CONNECTING TO EXISTING PARKS. SO A LOT OF THE FIRST TRAILS THAT WE SAW OPEN WERE, UM, HAD MINIMAL LAND ACQUISITION TO THEM. WHAT WE WILL FIND AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT THE SYSTEM AND WE ARE, ARE IN EITHER MORE DENSE AREAS, UH, WHETHER THAT'S OUR, UM, WEST SIDE CREEKS OR WHETHER WE ARE IN MORE, UM, AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE THERE'S MULTIPLE PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE TO CROSS, THOSE WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER JUST BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS OR RIGHTS OF ENTRY OR EASEMENTS THAT WE'LL HAVE TO ACQUIRE. SO WHAT WE HAVE IS WE'VE BEEN WORKING IN THE SYSTEM IN THE FOUR QUADRANTS. UH, WE'VE BEEN VERY CONSCIOUS TO MAKE SURE WHEN WE BRING TO COUNCIL A PACKAGE THROUGH EACH PROPOSITION THAT WE ARE, UH, UH, BASICALLY ROUGH, ROUGH PROPORTIONALITY THAT WE ARE PROVIDING SOMETHING IN EVERY AREA AND ADDING CONNECTIVITY. UH, THE BIGGEST I WOULD SAY, UM, THE LAST, THE 20, THE 2010 PROGRAM, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST [00:45:01] DIFFERENCE IN THAT PROGRAM WAS THE WEST SIDE CREEKS AND A NUMBER OF THE TRIBUTARIES THAT WERE DEVELOPED UNDER THAT PROGRAM. AT THAT POINT, COUNCIL REALLY LOOKED AT KIND OF A SHIFT IN POLICY OF NOT FOCUSING JUST ON THE RING AROUND THE CITY, BUT REALLY CONNECTING TO NEIGHBORHOODS. HOW DO WE CONNECT NEIGHBORHOODS TO THE SYSTEM AND TO OTHER PARKS. AND SO WE HAVE, UH, A BALANCE NOW OF CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE GOAL OF THE RING AROUND THE CITY, BUT ALSO NOT, UH, FORGETTING ABOUT HOW DO WE CONNECT THE PEOPLE TO THAT SYSTEM. I THINK INITIALLY THE, THE VISION WAS YOU WOULD DRIVE AND THEN GET ON THE TRAIL AND WALK AROUND. AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE EVOLVED. WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THE COMMUNITY HAS EVOLVED, THE REQUEST FROM NEIGHBORHOODS HAS EVOLVED SAYING, WE DON'T WANNA DRIVE TO THE GREENWAY, WE WANT THE GREENWAY TO COME TO US. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE WORKED TOWARDS. SO THERE'S BEEN A BALANCE OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTORS. WE HAVE SOME IN DISTRICT 10 THAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS ISSUANCE. UH, WE SEE EXPANSIONS OF EXISTING ONES, THE, THE TRAILHEAD AT LEON VISTA IN DISTRICT SEVEN THAT WE'VE HAD TO EXPAND BECAUSE AGAIN, WE SEE MORE USE. WE SEE THE NEIGHBORHOODS WANTING TO COME IN AND CONNECT. UH, SO, UH, THE APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT WE DID A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, AND THE TRAIL CONNECTOR THAT WILL BE TO THERE OFF OF MAINLAND I BELIEVE OR CLOSE TO THERE ON, ON BANDERA, THOSE ARE DIFFERENT. THOSE ARE BEYOND THE RING, BUT THOSE ARE CONNECTING THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT EVENTUALLY WILL CONNECT TO THE RING. SO, UH, WE ARE CONSCIOUSLY MAKING SURE THAT IT'S VERY DELIBERATE THAT WE ARE NOT FORGETTING THE RING, BUT WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT LEAVING ANY NEIGHBORHOODS BEHIND. THANK YOU XAVIER. YOU HAVE A LOT TO BALANCE AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE THE ONE, UH, DOING THAT. UH, SO YOU MENTIONED THE, WHAT YOU DID RECENTLY IN DISTRICT SEVEN AND YOU HAD PUT IN AN L I D PARKING LOT. YES. UH, SO, WHICH I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR AND I NOTICED THERE'S A PARKING LOT FOR THIS PACKAGE AS WELL. WILL YOU BE USING L I D FEATURES? SO WE AT WHERE WE CAN, WE LOOK AT THE TOPO AND SEE WHAT FEATURES WE CAN IN OUR 2015 PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY, THERE WAS LANGUAGE THAT WAS ADDED BY COUNCIL THAT LOOKED AT WHERE IT'S POSSIBLE FOR US TO DEFINITELY INCORPORATE THOSE LOW IMPACT DESIGN FEATURES. UH, WHETHER THAT'S CLEANSING WATER, IS IT, BEFORE IT REACHES THE CREEK, WHETHER IT'S THE, UH, PERVIOUS PARKING LOTS. SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE WILL BE DEFINITELY LOOKING AT WHEN WE HAVE THIS DESIGNED. UH, AND WE DO THAT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SYSTEM. AND WHAT WE HAVE ACTUALLY DONE TOO IS LOOK TO SEE WHERE WE CAN GO BACK AND RETROFIT. SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS AS WE EXPAND OR LOOK AT UPDATING, UH, FACILITIES AND, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, WHERE CAN WE MAKE THIS CHANGE, UH, THAT MAKES THE BENEFIT? SO THAT IS SOMETHING WE DEFINITELY ARE LOOKING AT AT EVERY PROJECT. ALRIGHT, THANKS A LOT, XAVIER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 10, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. WE HAVE SOME GUESTS [31. Consideration of the following three items regarding economic incentives for Ernst & Young U.S. LLP (EY) associated with EY's capital investment of at least $8.5 million, the creation of 600 full-time jobs in City Council District 8: [Carlos Contreras, Assistant City Manager; Rene Dominguez, Director, Economic Development] 31A. An Ordinance approving a 6-year, 100% Tax Abatement Agreement based on a capital investment of at least $8.5 million and the creation of 600 new full-time jobs over five years at the site. 31B. An Ordinance approving a performance-based Chapter 380 Economic Development Incentive Fund Grant Agreement up to a maximum of $309,000 based on 309 new full-time jobs making $50,000 or more annually within the first five years. 31C. A Resolution nominating Ernst & Young, U.S. LLP for designation as a Texas Enterprise Zone Project.] IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WILL HAVE TO DEPART SOON, SO I'M GOING TO MOVE ITEM 31 UP. UH, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND HEAR THAT FIRST. SO I'LL RECOGNIZE NOW. COUNCILMAN PIAS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I PULLED THIS ITEM, UH, BECAUSE, UH, WHAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING IS EXCITING FOR DISTRICT EIGHT, AND I BELIEVE IT'S EXCITING FOR ALL OF SAN ANTONIO. MANY OF YOU HAVE, UH, PROBABLY REMEMBER SEEING SOME OF THIS EITHER IN THE NEWSPAPER OR UH, IN THE NEWS MEDIA. AND I KNOW THAT WE'D, UM, DISCUSSED IT HERE IN-HOUSE AT SOME OF OUR MEETINGS. AND IT'S FINALLY, AFTER A LONG TIME, RENEE COME TO FRUITION. AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR THE HARD WORK YOU'VE DONE. UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ERNST AND YOUNG ITEM 31 ON OUR AGENDA. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH ERNST AND YOUNG, IT, IT'S NO EXAGGERATION WHEN YOU SAY IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, AUDITING, ACCOUNTING, TAX RISK MANAGEMENT, CYBERSECURITY IT COMPANIES ON THE PLANET, UH, FOUNDED IN 1894. THEY'VE GOT PRESENCE, UH, SIGNIFICANT PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AUSTRALIA, EUROPE, ASIA, AND AND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. UH, REVENUES EXCEEDING $12 BILLION AND A COMPANY RENOWNED FOR, UH, RECRUITING AND TRAINING SOME OF THE BEST WORKFORCE, UH, ON THE MARKET AND, UH, EQUIPPING THEIR PEOPLE WITH SKILLS TO LEAD AND THRIVE IN OUR 21ST CENTURY CENTURY GLOBAL ECONOMY. UH, THESE JOBS OF THAT VARIETY ARE THE KIND OF JOBS THAT WE WORK VERY HARD TO ATTRACT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND RENEE, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE, THIS IS WHAT YOU DEDICATE YOURSELF TO IS TO BRING THIS KIND OF WORK TO US. AND SO, UH, I DO KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT ERNST AND YOUNG LEADERSHIP TEAM IN THE ROOM AND, AND I INVITE Y'ALL TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM. UH, SO WE CAN, UH, HAVE A CHAT. UH, WE'VE GOT THE, UH, UH, STEVE HOWE, HE'S THE CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING PARTNER, MICHAEL AND SARAH, UH, AND JOHN FERRARO. UH, [00:50:01] UH, ARE THEY IN THE ROOM, RENEE, OR WHO'S HERE WITH US? NO, LEMME INTRODUCE WHO. WE DO HAVE COUNCILMAN JEFF RUMMEL IS THE FINANCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATION SOUTHWEST MARKET LEADER. AND THEN LISA FRAIL IS ACTUALLY OVERSEEING AND THE MANAGING PARTNER FOR THE PRESENCE THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. GREAT. AND SO THE PRESENCE THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, I THINK IS 260 PLUS JOBS. THAT'S RIGHT. RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, UH, AT FROST TOWER. THAT'S RIGHT. UH, WHICH IS EXCITING IN AND OF ITSELF. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVESTMENT IN SAN ANTONIO. UNDERSTAND THAT THIS, UH, PROPOSAL THAT'S COMING BEFORE US IS 600 ADDITIONAL THAT'S RIGHT. HIGH PAYING JOBS, UH, IN DISTRICT EIGHT, AND THAT, UH, IT IS AN INVESTMENT ON THE PART OF ERNST AND YOUNG OF $8.5 MILLION IN SAN ANTONIO'S ECONOMY, AND IT'S A CAPITAL INVESTMENT. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S EXCITING TOO. UM, YOU'RE GONNA BE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WITH DEGREES AND, UH, THE JOBS, UH, OBVIOUSLY EXCEED OUR MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS WITH REGARDS TO THOSE KINDS OF JOBS THAT WE INCENTIVIZE. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING, UM, NORTH OF $50,000 AND A HUNDRED PLUS OF THOSE JOBS ARE GONNA BE NORTH OF 75,000. AND SO WITH THAT, UH, I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT, UH, MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HERE IN THE ROOM UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS NEW JOB CREATION THAT IS BEING PROPOSED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO BY ERNST AND YOUNG, UH, THESE 600 JOBS ARE NOT INCLUDING THE 265 JOBS THAT ALREADY EXIST. AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT 850 PLUS OR 860 PLUS JOBS IN SAN ANTONIO THAT ARE ERNST AND YOUNG JOBS, AND THAT IS EXCITING. AND SO I WANNA WELCOME YOU TO CITY COUNCIL. UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SAN ANTONIO. AND, AND I'LL END WITH MENTIONING TO EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM WHO'S WATCHING THAT WE COULD HAVE EASILY LOST THIS DEAL TO, UH, GEORGIA AND FLORIDA, AND THAT WE'RE IN A BLOODY KNUCKLE COMPETITION FIGHT WITH OTHER CITIES FOR DEALS LIKE THIS AND TO WIN ONE IS EXCITING, AND IT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE HARD WORK THAT WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE OUT THERE, UM, HUNTING AND THAT WE MAKE OURSELVES AS AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION AS POSSIBLE. THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK, RENEE. THANKS, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PLI. UM, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. CERTAINLY, UH, YOU REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH THE WORK YOU DO. SO I I CERTAINLY COMMEND YOU FOR THAT. I HAD A, A QUESTION THOUGH. I KNOW WE, WE RECEIVE BRIEFINGS, BUT, UH, AS USUAL, WE DON'T ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE NAMES OF THE COMPANIES THAT WE DEAL WITH WHEN WE HAVE THESE BRIEFINGS TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT POLITICALLY INFLUENCED, SO TO SPEAK ABOUT THOSE DECISIONS WE MAKE. SO NOW THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S ABOUT THIS COMPANY, I WANTED TO CLARIFY, UH, ON THE JOBS THAT ARE BEING, UM, PREPARED FOR, UH, IN THIS PROJECT, IT SAYS 600 JOBS. WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN OF THOSE JOBS? WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE THEY OUT OF 100 THIS AND 200 THAT, OR CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE BREAKDOWN IS ON THOSE JOBS? RIGHT. WELL, AT LEAST 50, OVER 50%, 309 OF THE 600 ARE THOSE JOBS THAT WILL PAY SALARIES OF AT LEAST A MINIMUM OF 50,000. WE ANTICIPATE, UH, THEM PAYING MORE THAN THAT. THAT'S A BASE SALARY COUNCILMAN. AND THEN THE REMAINING JOBS, UM, ALL MEET THE, UM, WAGE GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED BY COUNCIL. SO ALL WILL BE PAID OVER 1568 AN HOUR. BUT IN TALKING TO EY LEADERSHIP, OBVIOUSLY THOSE RANGES, UH, DRAMATICALLY MOVE UP THAT SCALE BECAUSE OF THEIR PAY STRUCTURE. UH, THEY HAVE OVERTIME AND, AND OTHER PAY INCENTIVES. SO UPWARDS OF OVER 22, UH, $22 AN HOUR, COUNCILMAN EASILY, I THOUGHT I HAD SEEN SOMETHING THAT INDICATED THAT THE MINIMUM WAS GONNA BE $11 AND 68 CENTS AND THAT MAYBE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF THOSE JOBS WOULD GO ABOVE. RIGHT. 15 SOMETHING AN HOUR. YES, SIR. THE CURRENT GUIDELINES HAVE A LIVING WAGE ASPECT TO THEM OF 1168 AN HOUR THAT'S INDEXED AND CHANGES ANNUALLY. A HUNDRED PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES HAVE TO MAKE THAT, BUT WITHIN ONE YEAR OF OPERATIONS, 70% OF THE EMPLOYEES HAVE TO MAKE A MINIMUM OF THE BEAR COUNTY AVERAGE ALL INDUSTRY WAGE OF 1568. THAT'S ALSO INDEXED ANNUAL END CHANGES. BUT THOSE ARE THE TWO WAGE GUIDELINES. WE ANTICIPATE THIS PROJECT PAYING WELL NORTH OF THAT COUNCILMAN, BUT THOSE ARE THE BASE SALARIES THAT, UH, COUNCIL HAS ESTABLISHED. OKAY. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT CLARIFICATION. I STILL, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE 30% THAT MAY ONLY BE EARNING 11 OR 12 OR $13 AN HOUR. IT'S AWFUL HARD TO MAKE A LIVING AT THAT KIND OF PAY IN THIS COMMUNITY OR ANYWHERE ELSE. BUT I BELIEVE, I GUESS THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO ADDRESS AS A COUNCIL RAISING THAT BASE RATE, UH, ABOVE $11 AND CHANGE AN HOUR IF WE'RE GOING TO EXPECT SOMEBODY TO BE ABLE TO LIVE ON THOSE KINDS OF WAGES. BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE POTENTIAL, UH, FOR SO MANY GOOD PAYING JOBS [00:55:01] IN THE CITY, AND I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT. SURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU, RENEE, AND I KNOW ALEX HAS WORKED HARD ON THIS PROJECT TOO. AND THANK YOU TO EY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVESTMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UM, YOUR INVESTMENT IN SAN ANTONIO AND ALSO EVEN THE WORK AND THE PIPELINE THAT YOU EVEN HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH U T S A THAT IS HERE AND THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK ON. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. AND THIS IS A DISPLAY OF US WORKING TOGETHER AND GETTING TO THE RIGHT, UH, DEAL THAT IS GOING TO BRING ALL OF THESE JOBS TO SAN ANTONIO THAT ARE VERY MUCH, UM, UH, FOCUSED ON, UH, STEM AND MATH AND OTHER ITEMS. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE GONNA OPEN UP FOR THIS. UH, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU, RENEE, TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM AGAIN. AND, UM, I THINK WE DO NEED TO, WE DID HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS IN OUR EXECUTIVE SESSIONS, AND I'M GLAD THAT I DO BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO KEEP HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR A M I IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND HOW DO WE INCREASE THAT A M I. BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR, YOUR WORK AND WELCOME TO SAN ANTONIO. AND WITH THAT I MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 31. UH, COUNCILMAN IDES. YEAH. YEAH, I'M, I APOLOGIZE, RENEE. I WAS SUPPOSED TO MOTION FOR THIS THING AND MY MOM IS IN THE CROWD AND I'M JUST SO NERVOUS THAT SHE'S WATCHING ME RIGHT NOW, . AND SO I TOTALLY FORGOT. AND, UH, SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN GRO FOR DOING THAT FOR ME. . I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UM, JEFF RUMMEL, WHO IS HERE, THE SOUTHWEST MARKET MARKET LEADER FOR EY, AS WELL AS LISA REO MANAGING PARTNER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO FOR YOUR LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT TO SAN ANTONIO. AND THIS IS ANOTHER STEP FOR US TO REALLY RECOGNIZE THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS GROWN ITS PILLAR INDUSTRIES. THE, UH, I THINK TOWNSMAN PLY IS MENTIONED IT AND, AND SAID VERY WELL JUST HOW RESPECTED ERNST AND YOUNG IS NOT JUST HERE IN SAN ANTONIO OR ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, BUT GLOBALLY. AND SO HAVING A GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE, UH, BRAND AND COMPANY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO ADDS TO A LONG LIST OF MOMENTUM THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN CREATING IN THAT AREA. UH, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH, UH, IS DONE ON, UH, SOME VERY CLOSE PARTICIPATION WITH THE PUBLIC. AND THE PUBLIC BRINGS WITH IT MANY HIGH EXPECTATIONS. UH, SO AGAIN, I THINK WHEN WE CAN DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THE RIGHT WAY, UH, IT BENEFITS EVERYONE AND THIS IS A GREAT DEMONSTRATION OF THAT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. AND THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 31. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU ALL. ITEM NUMBER [12. An Ordinance authorizing the execution of a funding agreement between the Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc. and the City of San Antonio in an amount up to $1,000,000.00 to construct a new gymnasium for the Battered Women & Children’s Shelter, a 2017-2022 Bond funded Project and authorizing the execution of a 20 year lease agreement for the new 7,200 square foot gymnasium located on their campus. [Peter Zanoni, Deputy City Manager; Mike Frisbie, Director, Transportation & Capital Improvements]] 12. ITEM NUMBER 12 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A FUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES INCORPORATED AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN AN AMOUNT OF UP TO $1 MILLION TO CONSTRUCT A NEW GYMNASIUM FOR THE BATTERED WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S SHELTER. A 2017 THROUGH 2022 BONDED BOND FUNDED PROJECT AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A 20 YEAR LEASE AGREEMENT FOR THE NEW 7,200 SQUARE FOOT GYMNASIUM LOCATED ON THEIR CAMPUS. COUNCILMAN RAVI. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A SMALL PRESENTATION. YES, WE DO. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I AM REZI HOSSEIN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR TRANSPORTATION AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT DEPARTMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR PARTNER ON THIS PROJECT. MARTA PLAYAS FROM FAMILY VIOLATION PREVENTION SERVICES AND THE SERVICE THEY PROVIDE TO OUR COMMUNITY IS OPERATED BY FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES INC. FUNDED IN 1990. 1977 CAN ACCOMMODATE 222 PEOPLE. SHELTER SERVICE INCLUDES 24 HOUR CRISIS HOTLINE COUNSELING AND LEGAL SERVICES SCHOOL, PRE-K TO GRADE 12, ADULT EDUCATION SERVICES, CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AND MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE. PROJECT SCOPE INCLUDES 7,200 SQUARE FOOT OF FACILITY, INCLUDES 4,390 SQUARE FOOT GYM, LOBBY RESTROOM STORAGE, 17 SPACE PARKING LOT, AND LANDSCAPING FUNDING TO BE PROVIDED. REIMBURSEMENT BASE. NEW GYM WILL PROVIDE SAFE, SAFE RECREATIONAL SPACE TONIER LEASE AUTHORIZED PUBLIC OWNERSHIP AND AUTHORIZED CITY'S CONTRIBUTION TOWARD [01:00:01] THE PROJECT. PROJECT WILL PROVIDE SERVICES FOR COMMUNITIES. BENEFIT CONSTRUCTION IS SCHEDULED TO START NOVEMBER, 2017 AND WILL BE COMPLETED AUGUST, 2018. RECOMMENDED ACTION, APPROVAL OF FUND FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES, INC. IN AMOUNT OF UP TO 1 MILLION. COUNCILMAN, I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, RAZZI. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME ONE CITIZEN TO BE HEARD. YEAH, WE, WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 12. MARTA ELIAS. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. UH, CITY COUNCILWOMAN. UH, CITY COUNCILMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY IN RELATIONSHIP TO THIS VERY ITEM. I HAVE NOTHING BUT APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE FOR HAVING US ALLOWED, UH, THE, UH, REQUEST FOR AN ACTIVITY CENTER SLASH GYM TO BE INCLUDED IN THE BOND ALLOCATION, UH, AGENDA. UM, ABOUT A YEAR AGO OR SO AGO, THE CHILDREN AT THE SHELTER CANNOT LEAVE THE SHELTER WHILE THE PERPETRATOR AND THE ABUSER, UH, IS, UH, NOT APPREHENDED. OR EVEN IF THE DIRECT ABUSER IS APPREHENDED, THERE ARE FAMILY MEMBERS, THERE ARE FRIENDS OF THE ABUSER THAT ARE, UM, AROUND THE FAMILY AND WILL MAKE GOOD ON THREATS THAT THEY HAVE MADE FOR THAT REASON. AND ALSO BECAUSE WE WANT TO NORMALIZE THE CHILDHOOD OF THESE CHILDREN AS THEY COME. ARRIVING AT A BATA WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S SHELTER IS NO FUN. IT'S NO NORMAL STATE FOR ANY CHILD HAVING PLAY, HAVING A SCHOOL NORMALIZES THEIR LIFE. SO ON RAINY DAYS, THEY HAVE TO GO TO THEIR DORMS ON EXTREMELY HOT DAYS, THEY HAVE TO GO TO THEIR DORMS. THE ACTIVITY CENTER WILL ALLOW THEM TO HAVE AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND ACTIVITIES ALONGSIDE THEIR MOTHERS TO REKINDLE THE NURTURING, UM, CAPABILITIES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE OF THE ABUSE. THAT IS A VERY PERSONAL THANK YOU NOTE THAT I WANTED TO BRING TO YOU ALL TODAY. I ALSO HAVE ANOTHER PERSONAL, UH, THANK YOU NOTE THAT I WANT TO DELIVER. AND THAT IS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR AGREEING TO LIGHT CITY BUILDINGS IN PURPLE. IT ONLY SYMBOLIZES THAT THE CITY STANDS WITH THE VICTIMS STANDS WITH THE ISSUE AND STANDS, UM, RESOLUTE IN ADDRESSING IN LARGER AND MORE IMPORTANT WAYS, UM, AN ISSUE THAT PAINS SO MANY. I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO HAVE A STUDY THAT ULTIMATELY, UH, DETERMINES WHAT THE COST IN DOLLARS IS SO THAT WE, HAVING ARRIVED AT UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE HUMAN COST OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS, WE CAN ALSO PAIR IT WITH WHAT THE COST IS IN TERMS OF DOLLARS. 146 WOMEN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS WERE, WERE KILLED AT THE HANDS OF THEIR ABUSERS, 68% WITH A GUN. TODAY, 183 WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE AT OUR BATTERED WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S SHELTER. 97 OF THEM ARE CHILDREN. WE NEED TO CONSIDER THE RELATEDNESS OF THE ISSUE TO EVERY OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. HOMELESSNESS, 80% OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION COMES DIRECTLY FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. REASON WHY THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE AT HEAVEN FOR HOPE, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. 80% IS WAY TOO MANY AT A TIME. WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS, IT IS REALLY RELATED TO CHILD ABUSE. 78% OF THE FAMILIES THAT WE HELP ARE INVOLVED IN C P S, UM, SERVICES WITH C P S SERVICES. IT IS REALLY RELATED TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE. IT IS REALLY RELATED TO THE EVER-GROWING INCARCERATED POPULATION. IT IS REALLY RELATED TO, UM, TEEN PREGNANCY, DATING, VIOLENCE, BULLYING. WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO TREAT THESE ISSUES IN A VERY SUPERFICIAL WAY. I WAS LISTENING TO N P R THIS MORNING AND I HEARD HOW OUR GOVERNOR, UM, DECLARED VERY APPROPRIATELY THAT WE WILL COMBAT EVIL WITH GOOD. HE SAID IT AT THE TIME THAT IT NEEDED TO BE SAID [01:05:01] IN FRONT OF THE PEOPLE THAT HE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE VICTIMS OF THE AWFUL EVENTS THAT IN SUTHERLAND SPRINGS. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT WHEN HE GOES BACK TO HIS OFFICE, THAT HE WILL BRING TO US A NUMBER OF ACTIONS THAT WILL BE TAKEN. WORDS, VIGILS, TESTIMONIALS ARE NECESSARY, BUT BY FAR IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILMAN CAR, UH, COURAGE. YOU CAME TO VISIT THE SHELTER AND YOU AND I HAD A VERY, UM, PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION. AND I INFORMED YOU ABOUT THE STATS AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS RELATED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN OUR CITY AND HOW WE PLACE, UM, DISHONORABLY IN THE STATE, IN THE IN THE NATION. I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE THE REST OF YOU TO COME AND VISIT YOUR SHELTER. I WOULD LIKE TO STAND HAND IN HAND WITH YOU ALL WHILE WE ALL ADDRESS THIS ISSUE THAT PAINS SO MANY. IT IS THE ISSUE. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATEDNESS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO EVERYTHING THAT IS DYSFUNCTIONAL IN OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MS. PEZ. THANK YOU. I THINK WE'RE JUST GONNA GO TO SOME, SOME COMMENTS AND, UH, WELL, SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY, MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND, AND, UH, MAKE SOME COMMENTS TO MOVE THIS FORWARD. FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND, UH, ALL YOUR HARD WORK, UM, TACKLING THE DIFFICULT WORK AS YOU DESCRIBED, UH, TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF. UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UM, AS YOU POINTED OUT, IT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND VISIT, UH, THE SHELTER AND WORK WITH, UH, MELODY WOOLSEY, UH, TO SEE HOW WE AS A CITY CAN CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER. I WANT TO THANK THE DISTRICT ONE FACILITIES BOND COMMITTEE, LEROY SSOS, BILL KIC, AND ANDY RODRIGUEZ FOR RECOGNIZING, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROJECT AND SECURING THE FUNDS, UH, TO GET THIS GOING. YOU KNOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, PROVIDING THIS FACILITY UPGRADE WILL ENHANCE THE MISSION OF THE BATTERED WOMEN'S SHELTER WHILE CREATING A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING A DIFFICULT TIME. AND CERTAINLY, UM, I THINK YOU'RE, YOU, YOU CAN COUNT ON THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY. AND ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. UM, THIS IS, THIS IS A, A MEANINGFUL AND, UH, IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT AFFECTS A LOT OF US, AS YOU MENTIONED. SO I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER 12. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. IF I, IF I MAY JUST ADD, UM, ON THE PRESENTATION, THERE IS A TYPO. IT IS NOT A 20 YEAR LEASE ON THE LAND. IT'S 200 YEARS, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUN. COUNCILMAN TREVINO. COUNCILMAN GRO. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR PULLING. WELL, THIS, THIS ITEM, BUT I WANNA THANK YOU, UM, MRS. , UM, MATA FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING, AND WITH THE FA FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION, UH, CENTER TOO. I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP THE ISSUE. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GYM. THIS IS A T C I PROJECT, AND WE SEE THAT IT, IT IS A GYM. BUT WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S BUILDING A SAFE SPACE. IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE SAFE HAVENS AROUND FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, AND I THINK WITH THE CONVERSATION THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING RECENTLY, BUT THE EPIDEMIC THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN SAN ANTONIO AND IN THE NATION, UH, FOR DECADES NOW, WE NEED TO DO MORE THAN JUST HAVE WORDS, BUT ALSO TAKE STEPS IN ACTION. AND IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CAN DO TO TAKE ACTION, TO TAKE STEPS FOR CREATING SAFE SPACES, I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. BECAUSE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WE DO SEE THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SO MANY OTHER EPIDEMICS IN OUR, IN OUR CITY IN PARTICULAR WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, GUN VIOLENCE AS WELL. I HAVE A QUESTION. UH, CHIEF ERIC, Y'ALL ARE HERE. OKAY. I HAVE A QUESTION IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS A WHILE. WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT'S I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, FAMILY VIOLENCE, THE CORRELATION, AND ALSO EVEN, UM, MAKING SURE PROCESS IS THERE AND FOLLOWED. AND I KNOW THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE S V U UNIT TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES, BUT I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE PROCESS OR THE GUN [01:10:01] SURRENDER AND REMOVAL, UH, FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUSPECTS THAT EXIST, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHAT IS THAT PROCESS? UM, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ISN'T THERE A GUN REMOVAL AND SURRENDER PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? UH, SAY THAT LAST PART AGAIN, COUNCILMAN ON THAT? IS THERE A GUN REMOVAL OR SURRENDER PROCESS FOR, FOR PERPETRATORS FOR CON CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? THERE, THERE'S AN, UH, AN ORDER THAT'S ISSUED BY THE JUDGE, I BELIEVE THAT REQUIRES YOU TO SURRENDER YOUR FIREARMS. YES, MA'AM. SO HOW DO WE FOLLOW UP WITH THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS, OR, SO THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO FIND THOSE SAFE SPACES, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THOSE WOMEN OR MEN OR FAMILY MEMBERS STILL FEEL SAFE? IS THAT FOLLOWED THROUGH? AND HOW IS IT FOLLOWED THROUGH TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STILL DON'T HAVE GUNS? COUNCILWOMAN? I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A PROCESS RIGHT NOW THAT WHERE POLICE GO AND SEARCH THE HOME OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO, I, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT PROCESS EXISTS FROM, FROM THE COURT'S PERSPECTIVE ON HOW THAT HAPPENS, HOW THAT'S HOW THAT ORDER IS CARRIED OUT. BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ADD TO THE LIST OF, OF, UH, PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE ARE, UH, DOING INTERNALLY RIGHT NOW. I THINK THAT, UM, FIRST I'LL FIND OUT IF THERE, IF THE COURT HAS SOME TYPE OF PROCESS FOLLOW UP PROCESS ON THAT. UH, BUT IF IT DOESN'T, THEN WE WILL ADD THAT TO OUR PROCESS IMPROVEMENT LIST, UH, INTERNALLY. I THINK THAT'S, IM IMPORTANT JUST TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN ORDER TO ADD THOSE PROTECTIONS FOR OUR COMMUNITY HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND IF WE HAVE TO WORK IN COORDINATION OR IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES, LET'S DO THAT. BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, IF THERE ARE STEPS THAT WE CAN TAKE, AND IT IS, IT'S ABOUT THOSE CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS WELL, UM, THAT WE CAN CREATE SAFER SPACE TO THOSE, THOSE VICTIMS AND THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS, SO WE CAN HAVE THE SAFE SPACE. BUT I DO WANNA THANK YOU, MS. BELI, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO, ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND YOURSELF, AND THE SS A P D, WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON, UM, THAT WE CAN, WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER AND THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE CREATE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THOSE SAFE SPACES. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN GRO AND COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I DID HAVE THE, UH, DISTINCTION, UH, AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, UH, FROM MARTA AND HER STAFF ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, UH, AT THE FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION CENTER. THIS, UH, ITEM THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY TALKS ABOUT A FACILITY, A GYMNASIUM, UH, A RECREATIONAL FACILITY FOR CHILDREN TO USE. BUT THE WORK THEY DO AT THE FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION CENTER IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT AS WE'RE BEGINNING TO HEAR. AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I HOPE IS THAT THE COUNCIL WILL REALLY ADDRESS HOW WE CAN BE A GREATER SUPPORTER OF THE WORK THEY DO. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BROUGHT FORWARD, AND IT'S RELATED TO WHAT, UH, COUNCILWOMAN GRO WAS JUST ASKING ABOUT AS THE CHAIR OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, UH, I'VE ASKED THE CITY AUDITOR TO AUDIT MUNICIPAL COURT RECORDS TO DETERMINE HOW THEY ARE PASSING ON THE, UH, NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO THE NATIONAL F B I DATABASE THAT, UH, KEEPS TRACK OF THAT. UH, AS YOU HEARD, UH, THE, THE, UH, CHIEF SAY, ANYONE WHO'S CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS ORDERED BY THE COURT TO GIVE UP ANY OF THEIR WEAPONS. THEY'RE ORDERED NOT TO PURCHASE OR MAINTAIN ANY KIND OF WEAPONS. UH, THAT'S A PROCESS THAT I THINK YOU'VE HEARD THE CHIEF SAID. THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING TO BEGIN TO LOOK AT. BUT BEYOND THAT, WE NEED TO INFORM THAT NATIONAL DATABASE BECAUSE AS WE HAVE HEARD, IN THE CASE OF THE KILLINGS JUST SOUTH OF OUR COMMUNITY, THAT INDIVIDUAL WAS CONVICTED OF FAMILY VIOLENCE, BUT HIS NAME WAS NEVER PUT INTO THAT DATABASE, AND HE WAS ALLOWED TO BUY WEAPONS, WHICH HE USED TO DO SUCH A, A HORRENDOUS A ACT AS HE DID. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR CITY IS DOING ITS JOB TO PROTECT THE MEN AND WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY BY MAKING SURE ANYONE CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS PUT INTO THAT NATIONAL DATABASE. AND WE HOPE TO GET SOME RESPONSE ON THAT AUDIT WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. AND AGAIN, MARTA, THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL WORK YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. MARTA, WOULD YOU COME TO THE PODIUM, PLEASE? I, I WASN'T GONNA ASK OR, OR WEIGH IN ON THIS, BUT, UM, I THINK THIS COMMUNITY, THIS CITY NEEDS TO HEAR YOUR VOICE A LOT MORE. UM, WHAT COUNCILMAN COURAGE SAID, AND I, I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE [01:15:01] IN GENERAL WHO HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE FUTURE OF THE CITY TO GO VISIT, GO TALK TO YOU, AND VISIT, UH, THE SHELTER. UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO ALIGN THE PRIORITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES SO THAT WE CAN RECOGNIZE THINGS LIKE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARE NOT SIMPLY, UH, ISOLATED ISSUES FOR US TO FOCUS ONE OR TWO ORGANIZATIONS ON, BUT THEY'RE CORRELATED TO SO MANY OTHER ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY, FROM MENTAL HEALTH TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE, TO, UM, CHILD NEGLECT. UM, I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. UM, BUT MORE THAN THAT, I, I WANT TO CALL ATTENTION, UM, TO SOME OF THE STATISTICS THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED. HOW MANY WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE AT THE SHELTER TODAY? 183. HOW MANY DO YOU EXPECT TOMORROW? UM, ON THE AVERAGE, BY THE END OF THE WEEK, WE WILL HAVE SEVEN, EIGHT FAMILIES ADDED TO THE WEEKLY CENSUS. WHERE DOES BEXAR COUNTY RANK IN THE STATE OF TEXAS? AND WHERE DOES THE STATE OF TEXAS RANK IN THE UNITED STATES ON THESE ISSUES? IN TERMS OF ROW NUMBERS, 146 WOMEN THAT WERE KILLED, WE STAND FOUR FOURTH AFTER, UH, HOUSTON, DALLAS, FORT WORTH, THEN SAN ANTONIO. UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT PER CAPITA BEAR COUNTY IS SECOND TO HARRIS COUNTY. AND AS YOU SAW IN THE NEWSPAPER, MAYBE, UH, TWO WEEKS AGO AFTER WE UNVEILED THE, UH, STATE STATISTICS, THERE WAS A NOTABLE INCREASE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN BEXAR COUNTY COMPARED IN 2016 COMPARED TO 2015 AND 14. SO THERE IS A PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH PERHAPS IS THE MAIN POINT TO TAKE. AND HOW LONG HAS SAN ANTONIO, WELL, HOW LONG HAS BEXAR COUNTY SAN ANTONIO AREA BEEN TROUBLED BY THIS ISSUE? UH, OUTLYING ITS PEERS? UH, WE WERE PIONEERS. IF THAT SAYS ANYTHING. WE'VE BEEN, UH, PROVIDING SERVICES FOR THE PAST 42 YEARS, WILL BE IN MAY. UM, AND, UM, I, I, I GET THE QUESTION, MAYOR, QUITE FREQUENTLY. WHY IS IT, I, I CANNOT TELL YOU. IT IS A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE, AND THERE IS A GOOD NUMBER OF FACTORS THAT PERMEATE, UH, THE INCIDENTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. I WILL MENTION JUST A FEW, UM, THEIR CULTURAL ISSUES. UH, THERE'S GENERATIONAL VIOLENCE. WHEN YOUR SOCIAL TEMPLATE, SINCE BIRTH HAS BEEN TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND ABUSIVE, OR TO BE A VICTIM, THEN YOU HAVE THE NEXT GENERATION WITHOUT INTERVENTION READY TO STEP UP. IT IS, UM, UM, THE, THE PROBLEM IS MAGNIFIED BY OTHER ISSUES. UM, POVERTY, THOUGH, YOU HAVE REPRESENTATION IN ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS FROM ALL, UH, SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY. BUT AT THE SHELTER, THE, UH, STATS WILL TELL YOU, THE DEMOGRAPHICS WILL TELL YOU THAT IT IS A MOTHER WHO'S 36 YEARS OLD, MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN, UH, WITH A SIXTH GRADE EDUCATION THAT COMES TO THE, TO THE SHELTER. THAT IS OUR MEAN DEMOGRAPHICS THAT, AGAIN, DOES NOT EXCLUDE THOSE, UH, PEOPLE IN OTHER PROGRAMS THAT REPRESENT A DIFFERENT SET OF DEMOGRAPHICS. WELL, I MEAN, IT, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, MARTHA, WE, WE'VE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS, PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS IN THE PAST. WE'VE HEARD YOUR VOICE BEFORE. UM, THE WORK YOU DO IN THE FACE OF REAL HORROR FROM FAMILIES IS, IS, UH, WORDS CAN'T REALLY DESCRIBE. UM, I DO BELIEVE YOU WERE ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THIS COMMUNITY, AND, AND YOU OUGHT TO BE SAINTED FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. I THANK YOU. UM, BUT WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF SAN ANTONIO AND WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO BE AS A CITY OF THE FUTURE. WE SIGNED A CHARTER FOR COMPASSION AS A COUNCIL THIS VERY FIRST MEETING. AND SO COUNCILMAN ENCOURAGES COMMENTS ABOUT, LET'S FIGURE THIS OUT. IT'S NOT EASY. UM, NO, THIS IS A, AS YOU SAID, A VERY COMPLICATED AND CULTURAL ISSUE, AND ONE THAT'S BEEN LONG LASTING FOR SAN ANTONIO. BUT AS WE GO INTO OUR 300TH ANNIVERSARY, AND WE TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO BE, AND, AND THE FACT THAT OUR TRICENTENNIAL IS MORE THAN JUST ABOUT A PARTY, I WOULD LIKE TO CHALLENGE US ALL AROUND THIS DAIS AND AROUND THIS COMMUNITY TO HELP WORK WITH YOU IN A MORE CONCERTED EFFORT. SO WE CAN FINALLY BRING SAN ANTONIO OFF OF THIS LIST. UM, THAT AFFECTS FAR TOO MANY FAMILIES IN SAN ANTONIO AND HAS AN IMPACT THAT HAS REVERBERATES THROUGHOUT [01:20:01] THIS CITY AND THROUGHOUT THIS REGION. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWERS ARE. I KNOW MELODY WOOSLEY AND HER STAFF ARE DOING YEOMAN'S WORK TO, YOU KNOW, USE WHAT LITTLE RESOURCES WE HAVE TO AFFECT THE ISSUE. BUT IF WE FOCUS IN ON THIS ISSUE OF FAMILY VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, KNOWING THAT IT'S SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGE FOR SAN ANTONIO, AND WE SIMPLY START TO TURN THE SHIP A LITTLE BIT NEXT YEAR, I WOULD CONSIDER THAT ONE OF THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR TRICENTENNIAL. I STAND CHALLENGED ALONGSIDE WITH, UH, THIS, UH, COUNCIL. AND I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORDS. I WILL BRING THEM TO THE VICTIMS THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW AT THE SHELTER, TO THE STAFF, AND THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY SHOULD HEAR OF YOUR DISPOSITION AND YOUR DESIRE TO ASSIST IN A LARGER AND MORE IMPORTANT WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK, MS. PALIS. THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME, MAYOR CHRISTY CHAPMAN. T C I, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, UM, THE LEASE BETWEEN THE CITY AND FAMILY PREVENTION SERVICES FOR THE PREMISES IS 20 YEARS FOR CLARIFICATION. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, UH, MRS. ELLA, I ALSO JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND TELL YOU THAT I, UH, SUPPORT THE MAYOR AND HIS CHALLENGE TO US, AND WILL BE ALSO REACHING OUT TO YOU AND, AND MY COLLEAGUES, AND TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. UM, CERTAINLY AT, AT LEAST AT OUR COMMITTEE, AT OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH INEQUITY COMMITTEE. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AN ISSUE ABOUT COMMUNITY HEALTH. IF WE DON'T HAVE HEALTHY FAMILIES, WE DON'T HAVE A HEALTHY SAN ANTONIO. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, AND WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. AND, AND I, I FORGOT TO MENTION ONE OTHER THING. I DON'T WANT THE, THE, THIS CONVERSATION TO BE ABOUT SHAMING SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. I THINK IT REQUIRES A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM ALL OF US TO, TO DO IT, UH, BUT TO, TO ILLUSTRATE THE DEGREE TO WHICH PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED. AND YOU MIGHT NOT HEAR ABOUT, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE OUR POLICE CHIEF BILL MCMANUS, WHO HAS BEEN ON YOUR BOARD FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, CHIEF, UH, FROM ALL SECTORS, IT REQUIRES OUR ATTENTION. AND, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT WORK WITH YOU, MARTA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TO, TO SECOND THAT COMMENT. WE NEED ALL SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY TO BE ON HANDS BECAUSE THE ISSUE IMPACTS ALL OF THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MARTHA. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 12. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 16. [16. An Ordinance authorizing the execution of an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the temporary street closure of State right-of-ways on Old Pearsall Road from Holm Road to Medina Base Road for District 4's Surclovia event to be held on Sunday, November 19, 2017. [Peter Zanoni, Deputy City Manager; Mike Frisbie, Director, Transportation & Capital Improvements]] ITEM NUMBER 16 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN AGREEMENT WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, OR TDOT FOR THE TEMPORARY STREET CLOSURE OF STATE RIGHT OF WAYS ON OLD PEARSALL ROAD AND HOME ROAD TO MEDINA BASE ROAD FOR DISTRICT FOUR'S SELO EVENT TO BE HELD ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER THE 19TH, 2017. COME, COUNCILMAN SALANA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE, ACTUALLY REFERRING TO THE LAST ITEM, THE REALLY SOBERING REMINDER FOR US, BUT ALSO CALL TO ACTION, WHICH I, I, I AM REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THAT. UH, WHEN, WHEN A CITY IS FACING CHALLENGES, IT'S EASY TO GET TO DISCOURAGED BY NOT KNOWING WHICH CHALLENGES TO APPROACH FIRST. AND, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT MARTA AND HER WORK IS, UH, LEADING. AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US AS A COUNCIL TO SAY, WE WANNA TAKE CHARGE AND MAKE THIS A BIG PRIORITY. SO THANK YOU MAYOR FOR THAT. UH, SOBERING AND, AND I THINK, UH, UH, HEARTWARMING CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE ABOUT A COMPASSIONATE CITY. BUT, UM, JUST TO SHIFT A LITTLE BIT, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, DO SOMETHING DOWN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. THIS WAS AN IDEA THAT ACTUALLY CAME TO US FROM, UH, THE GOOD FOLKS AT A A R P, WHICH WAS TO TRY TO DO WHAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY, UM, DONE IN THE DOWNTOWN WITH SELO, WHICH IS CLOSING DOWN A STREET AND ROADWAY AND GIVING IT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY FOR ONE DAY, FOR A SHORT TIME. SO THE VOTE WE'RE TAKING TODAY IS ABOUT A STREET CLOSURE. AND, UH, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS, IS TAKE WHAT WORKED AND WHAT, UH, REALLY ATTRACTED A LOT OF PEOPLE TO OUR DOWNTOWN IN SELO AND DO IT DOWN ON THE SOUTH SIDE NEAR PEARSALL PARK. AND WE'RE CALLING IT SLO, UH, THE CLEVER FOLKS, UH, CAME UP WITH THE NAME. AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE DEPLOYING THAT NOVEMBER. LET ME NOT GET THIS RIGHT. UM, NOT GET THIS WRONG NOVEMBER 19TH, SUNDAY. THAT'S GREAT. SO, UH, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO RUN THROUGH THE ENTIRE PRESENTATION, UH, ANTHONY, BUT, UH, JUST TELL ME QUICKLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE VOTING ON. OKAY. ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD AND THANK YOU. I'M JUST, GO AHEAD. BASICALLY, THE ITEM IS FOR CONSIDERATION OF AN AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT, UH, WITH TECHSTAR FOR THE TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF O PERSONAL ROAD BETWEEN HOME AND MID BASE ROAD. AND IT'S GONNA BE ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH. AND SO THE, THOSE ARE THE LIMITS OVER [01:25:01] THE YEARS, AS THE CITY'S HAD THESE EVENTS, UH, IT'S PRIMARILY BEEN ON BROADWAY, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'VE HAD THE LAST EVENT, WHICH WAS ON OCTOBER, THE, AND SO THAT WAS THE 13TH EVENT THAT WAS HELD IN THE CITY. SO THIS NEXT ONE, LIKE I SAID, IS GONNA BE AN OLD PERSONAL, AND IT'S THE VERY FIRST TO BE HELD IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CITY. SO STAFF RECOMMENDS THE APPROVAL OF THIS ITEM. THANK YOU, ANTHONY. AND THIS, THIS IS REALLY HOUSEKEEPING, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO, TO COOPERATE WITH TXT. IT IS THEIR ROADWAY, AND IT'S A, IT'S AN EXCITING ROADWAY TO DO IT ON BECAUSE OLD PEARSALL ROAD WAS, UH, BUILT BACK IN A TIME IN WHICH, UH, YOU NEEDED SEVEN LANES OF TRAFFIC BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MUCH, UH, TRAFFIC WAS GOING THROUGH OLD PEARSALL AND MILITARY DRIVE. UH, YOU DON'T HAVE AS MUCH TRAFFIC. SO NOW WE'RE GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY ON ONE SUNDAY, SEVEN FULL LANES. UH, I INVITE MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES TO JOIN ME THAT MORNING ON THE 19TH OF NOVEMBER. UH, IT'S GONNA BE A REALLY GREAT TREAT, AND A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAVE COME TOGETHER AT THAT INTERSECTION WITH BRING THE BEGINNING OF PEARSALL PARK, UH, AND A LOT OF OTHER INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING. SO, UH, NOVEMBER 19TH SULO, I WANNA DO A QUICK SHOUT OUT TO MY STAFF WHO HAS BEEN WORKING PRETTY DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROGRAMMING, UH, IS, IS HIGH ENERGY AND, AND FUN AND FUN-FILLED THAT ENTIRE SUNDAY. SO LET ME THANK ISMAEL, UH, ARA AND JOHANNI HERANDEZ, WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE FOLKS FROM A A R P AND T C I AND CARLOS, WHO HAS BEEN LEADING AS OUR POINT MAN ON, ON SOME OF THE WORK, BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE LOGISTICAL WORK. AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE SECURITY OUT THERE TO DETOUR, UH, FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT TYPICALLY TRAVEL THROUGH THAT, UH, SUNDAY. SO IT'S SORT OVIA COMING DOWN TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. REALLY EXCITED. IT'S THE FIRST, UH, OF ITS KIND DOWN THERE. AND, UH, WE'LL REPORT BACK WITH PICTURES AND VIDEOS, BUT, UH, HOPEFULLY YOU CAN SEE IT FOR YOURSELVES. ON NOVEMBER 19TH, I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVAL. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 16, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 17. [17. An Ordinance authorizing submittal of eight transportation projects for funding consideration by the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO) for funding in the amount of $66.8 million from federal funds for the construction of eight projects in the total estimated amount of $83.5 million through the FY 2019-2022 Transportation Improvement Program and authorizing the acceptance of federal funds if awarded. [Peter Zanoni, Deputy City Manager; Mike Frisbie, Director, Transportation & Capital Improvements]] ITEM NUMBER 17 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SUBMITTAL OF EIGHT TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS FOR FUNDING CONSIDERATION BY THE ALAMO AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, A A M P O FOR FUNDING, AND THE AMOUNT OF $66.8 MILLION FROM FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF EIGHT PROJECTS, AND THE TOTAL ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF $83.5 MILLION THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR 2019 THROUGH 2022 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, AND AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE OF FEDERAL FUNDS IF AWARDED. COUNCILMAN SALANA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ITEM THAT I DON'T WANT TO, TO SKATE BY ON THE AGENDA. SO, IF, IF, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVEN'T SET SAT ON THE M P O, I KNOW THAT COUNCILMAN BROADCAST, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL AND COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ AND I, UH, TALK ABOUT THE WORK THAT HAPPENS AT THE M P O. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IS BEING LET OUT. WE ARE COMPETING WITH, UH, COMPETING IS A, IS A TOUGH WORD TO USE WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO PLAN REGIONALLY FOR TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS. SO I'M JUST GONNA SAY THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS SUBMITTING CLOSE TO $60 MILLION WORTH OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. AND, UH, WHAT IS POSSIBLE TODAY IS TO HAVE A POLICY DISCUSSION AS TO HOW THINGS GET ON THAT CALL FOR PROJECTS. $66 MILLION IS A TON OF MONEY. UH, AND SO WE SHOULD HAVE SOME DIRECTION AS TO MAKING SURE THAT IT IS TRULY APPLYING SOLUTIONS TO OUR TRANSPORTATION ISSUES IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALSO CONNECTED TO THE FULL REGION. SO, UH, ART, I'M GONNA PASS IT TO YOU. YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECTS THAT WILL MAKE UP OUR, OUR SHARE OF SAYING THIS IS WHAT WE WANT. UH, WE MAY NOT GET, IT'S $150 MILLION WORTH OF ELIGIBLE PROJECTS WE'RE SUBMITTING FOR 66 MILLION. WE MAY NOT, WE MAY NOT GET IT ALL. UH, BUT WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW IS, IS WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE OF THIS COUNCIL GOING FORWARD TO THE M P O. AND WE'LL BE YOUR VOICE, UH, AT THE, AT THE M P O. AND, AND I AS THE VICE CHAIR, WILL CONTINUE TO BRING YOUR PRIORITIES DOWN THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING PROJECTS THAT WE NEED. UM, DONE. SO, WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND PASS ALONG. THANK, THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. UM, SO COUNCILMAN'S, CORRECT, THIS IS A, UH, ACTION TO REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO BOTH SUBMIT, UH, THE LIST OF PROPOSED PROJECTS AS WELL AS RECEIVE, UH, FEDERAL FUNDING IF SELECTED. UH, SO WE'LL BE ASKING, UH, FOR APPROVAL FOR THAT, FOR THE, THE MPOS TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. SO, UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE THE MPOS, UH, THREE AND A HALF COUNTY AREA, IT'S BAYAR COUNTY, KAMAL COUNTY, GUADALUPE COUNTY, AND A PORTION OF KENDALL COUNTY. AND THE REASON THAT'S IMPORTANT IS THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IS A A FOUR YEAR PLAN FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. IT'S A LIST OF PROJECTS, UH, THAT SETS FORTH, UH, THE, THE, THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WE WILL BE RECEIVING TO CARRY OUT ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS. UH, THE, THE, THE TIP IS, AS WE CALL IT, IS APPROVED BY THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY BOARD. UH, SO MOVING FORWARD FOR THIS CALL OF PROJECTS THAT'S DUE ON DECEMBER, ULTIMATELY IT WILL BE SCORED AND RANKED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE M P O AND APPROVED BY THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY BOARD WITH A EXPECTED DATE OF APRIL OR MAY, 2018. UH, THE TIP IS UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS, AND WE JUST RECENTLY WENT THROUGH AN AMENDMENT PROCESS, UH, FOR THE CURRENT [01:30:01] TIP, WHICH IS THE FISCAL YEAR 17 THROUGH 2020. SO THE TYPE OF PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THE TIP, UH, RANGE FROM ADDED CAPACITY PROJECTS. SO WE'RE ADDING LANES TO HIGHWAYS OR LANES TO, UH, LOCAL, UH, RED ARTERIAL STREETS. THERE COULD BE OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, JUST EXPANDING, UH, THE INTERSECTION TO INCREASE THE, THE FUNCTION OF THE OPERATION, UH, OR SWITCHING THE, UH, RAMP CONFIGURATION ON MAIN LANES OF HIGHWAYS. THERE'S ALSO STANDALONE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS AS WELL. UH, SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CAPACITY. THERE'S ALSO THE OTHER MODES OF, OF TRANSPORTATION, UH, THE TIP FOCUSES ON AS WELL AS OTHER PROJECTS. AND SO THOSE ARE, ARE ONES, UH, LIKE PLANNING STUDIES OR TRANSIT PROJECTS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY NECESSARILY SCORED, UH, LIKE THE OTHER PROJECTS ARE. BUT THESE ARE IMPORTANT PROJECTS. UH, OUR ACTUAL, OUR MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN WAS, UH, ONE THAT WAS PUT, UH, PUT FORWARD THROUGH THIS PART OF THE TIP THAT WAS COMPLETED A COUPLE YEARS AGO. SO THE, THE PROJECT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TIP, IT'S A MILLION DOLLAR MINIMUM, UH, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THESE ARE FEDERALIZED PROJECTS. SO, UH, A SMALL PROJECT THAT'S FEDERALIZED IT, IT, IT BECOMES, UH, IT CAN BECOME COMPLICATED AND MORE LENGTHY. SO THE CUTOFF IS A, IS A MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION COST. UM, AND THAT'S KEY TO NOTE. SO I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE COSTS IN A MINUTE. BUT, UM, THERE IS A 20% LOCAL MATCH REQUIREMENT. UM, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY FOR CONSTRUCTION. SO, UH, WITH THE PRO, THE OTHER PROJECT DEVELOPMENT COSTS, LIKE THE DESIGN UTILITY RELOCATION RIGHT OF WAY, THAT'S NOT THROUGH THIS TIP PROGRAM. SO WHEN YOU ADD THOSE COSTS TO THE 20% MATCH, IT'S MORE LIKE A 50 50 COST SHARE. UH, SO THIS CALL FOR PROJECTS, THE FUNDING SOURCE IS THE S D P M M, WHICH IS THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM, METROPOLITAN MOBILITY. THERE'S A TON OF DIFFERENT FUNDING TYPES, UH, THAT GET PASSED THROUGH BOTH TEXO AND THE M P O. UH, AND THIS SPECIFIC CALL IS FOR THE S ST P P M FUNDS. UM, THE, THE FUNDING RANGE IS 150 MILLION UP TO 170 MILLION DEPENDING ON WHAT, HOW MANY YEARS, UH, OF, OF PROJECTS GET SELECTED. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'LL STILL BE DETERMINED MOVING FORWARD. SO THE WAY WE LOOKED AT THE PROJECTS IS, AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS. ONE OF THOSE IS THE LOCAL MATCH REQUIRED. UH, SO WE LOOKED FOR PROJECTS THAT HAD OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE KNEW OF RIGHT NOW THAT HAD, UH, ALREADY LEVERAGED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THE BOND, UH, OR EVEN OPPORTUNITIES WITH TXDOT. WE ALSO KNOW OF ONGOING NEEDS AND CHALLENGES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. UH, MANY THINGS THAT YOU ALL BRING TO US. UH, AND THEN ALSO LO LOCATIONS OF SPECIFIC CONCERN. UH, ONE I'LL MENTION IS THE, THE, UH, RAILROAD CROSSING THERE. IT'S OUR SAMAR IN RIO CITY, UM, THAT, THAT'S ONE THAT'S BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR A WHILE. AND WE LOOK AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET FUNDING. AND THAT ONE ACTUALLY HAS MONEY THROUGH THE BOND AS WELL. UH, WE ALSO LOOK AT CONTINUATION OF OUR PROGRAM. SO VISION ZERO IS, IS A HUGE PROGRAM FOR THE CITY. UM, IN THE CURRENT TIP, WE HAVE $3 MILLION FOR BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AROUND THE CITY. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT CONTINUING THAT PROGRAM AS WELL THROUGH, THROUGH THIS OPPORTUNITY, AS WELL AS OUR INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PROGRAM THAT'S ADDING, UH, THE, THE DIFFERENT DEVICES OUT AT THE INTERSECTIONS TO MAKE OUR TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYSTEM SMARTER. UH, SO THAT'S ALSO IN THE, IN OUR PROPOSAL LIST. SO, UM, THIS IS THE EIGHT, THE EIGHT PROJECTS WE'RE REQUESTING APPROVAL ON. UM, WE HAVE 'EM GROUPED BY THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS. AGAIN, THAT'S THE OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, CAPACITY, PROJECTS, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN, AS WELL AS THE OTHER. UH, SO THE, THEY'RE GROUPED WITHIN THE CATEGORIES AND THEN PRIORITIZED BASED ON, UM, EITHER LEVERAGE FUNDING OR, UH, SPECIFICS OF WORKING WITH, WITH OUR STAFF AS WELL AS YOU ALL. SO THIS ARE SIMILAR. OVERPASS IS, IS OUR TOP ONE FOR OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. THERE'S $10 MILLION IN THE CURRENT BOND. UH, THIS IS ONE THAT WE'VE APPLIED FOR FEDERAL GRANTS IN THE PAST ON, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THAT THROUGH THIS, THIS PROCESS. ALSO, UH, IN THE OPERATIONAL CATEGORY WOULD BE CONTINUATION OF OUR I T S PROGRAM. WE CURRENTLY HAVE $4 MILLION IN THE CURRENT TIP, AND THIS WOULD BE A CONTINUATION OF THAT. UM, LOOKING AT ADVANCING OUR MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN. WE DO HAVE SOME, UH, PLANNING, ADDITIONAL PLANNING WORK THAT WE'RE SEEKING FUNDING THROUGH THE N P O ON. WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT PARTNERING WITH VIA ON THIS PROJECT AS WELL. LOOKING AT SOME MASS TRANSIT OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS YOUR TRADITIONAL TRANSIT OPPORTUNITIES. SO THAT'S A KEY ONE TO, TO FURTHER IMPLEMENT OUR MULTIMODAL PLAN. AND MOVING INTO THE BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT CONTINUING THE CITYWIDE PROGRAM WHERE, UH, ONCE WE GET TO THAT, THAT YEAR, WE CAN PICK WHAT, WHAT PROJECTS MAKE SENSE AT THAT TIME, AS WELL AS LEVERAGING THE FUNDING WE HAVE FROM THE CURRENT BOND FOR THE ROOSEVELT CORRIDOR, APPROXIMATELY $13 MILLION IN THE BOND, UH, STRETCHING FROM ABOUT ST. MARY'S ALL THE WAY DOWN TO FOUR 10. SO WE'LL BE SEEKING TO ADD FUNDING, UH, WITH, WITH THIS CALL FOR PROJECTS TO THAT, TO ENHANCE IT. UH, ANOTHER IMPORTANT PROJECT IS THE HARRY WACH CORRIDOR. WE'VE LOOKED AT OPPORTUNITIES GOING BACK FOR THE LAST FIVE OR SIX YEARS ON HOW TO FUND, UH, MORE. UH, IT'S A GATEWAY TO THE, THE BA THE FORT THERE. SO WE WANNA LOOK AT PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE MORE OF A COMPLETE STREET THROUGH BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS, AS WELL AS SOME LANDSCAPING IMPROVEMENTS. UH, SO THAT'S A KEY PROJECT AS WELL. AND THEN AS FAR AS THE CAPACITY PROJECTS, LOOKING AT, UH, BASICALLY EXTENDING SOUTH THROUGH BRAUNFELS THERE AT BROOKS FROM WHERE IT ENDS CURRENTLY DOWN SOUTH TO, TO LOOP FOUR 10, UH, IT'S A CRITICAL PROJECT, UH, NOT ONLY FOR, UH, CIRCULATION [01:35:01] THROUGH BROOKS, BUT ALSO TO RELIEVE CONGESTION. I KNOW SOUTHWEST MILITARY GETS HEAVILY CONGESTION IN THE PEAK PERIOD, SO THIS WOULD HELP DIVERT SOME OF THE TRAFFIC. SOME WORK, UH, HAS ALREADY BEEN STARTED ON THAT ONE. FROM A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE, $2 MILLION WAS INCLUDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 17, UM, BUDGET AS A FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH BROOKS. AND SO THAT PROJECT'S CURRENTLY BEING DESIGNED, IT'S ABOUT 30% COMPLETED IN THE DESIGN. UH, AND THEN THE LAST PROJECT FROM CAPACITY STANDPOINT IS REALLY FILLING IN THAT LAST GAP OF PRU ROAD. PRU ROAD'S, A CORRIDOR THAT SPANS BOTH DISTRICT, UH, EIGHT AND BORDERS DISTRICT SEVEN, SOME GREAT WORK'S BEEN DONE ALREADY. UH, WITH THE 20 2007 BOND, WE HAVE ANOTHER CORRIDOR OR SEGMENT OF IT, UH, WITHIN THE 2017 BOND. AND THEN THIS WOULD BE THAT LAST PIECE TO REALLY CONNECT BASICALLY, UM, BANDERA ROAD ALL THE WAY DOWN TO I 10, PROVIDING MORE CONGESTION RELIEF. SO THE, THOSE ARE THE, UH, EIGHT PROJECTS. WE'RE SEEKING APPROVAL ON THE FUNDING, UH, AND THEN OVERLAYING, UH, HOW THOSE INTERACT WITH OUR REGIONAL CENTERS. IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING. IF YOU REMEMBER FROM THE 2017 BOND, 65% OF THE, THE 180 PROJECTS ARE WITHIN OUR REGIONAL CENTERS. UH, SO MOST OF THESE PROJECTS EITHER TOUCH ON IT OR ARE RIGHT NEAR THE REGIONAL CENTERS. SO THE FUNDING THAT THE, AGAIN, THE COST THAT WE'VE WE'RE SHOWING HERE, OF THE 83.5 MILLION, THAT'S THE TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST OF THAT. THERE'S A 20% LOCAL MATCH REQUIREMENT, SO THAT'S THE 16.7. SO THE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT, UH, WOULD BE COMING TO US WOULD BE THE 66.8 THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN. UH, SO THAT CONCLUDES MY, MY PRESENTATION. I'M GLAD TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. THANKS. THANK YOU, ARDEN. I, I DO HOPE THAT THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS FROM, FROM THE COUNCIL, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, 'CAUSE THIS CAN GET, OH, SURE. LET'S TAKE A CITIZEN. I'M SORRY, I'M, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT. WE DO HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE 'EM NOW AND THEN GET INTO THE COMMENTS. UM, EDWARD CASTOR, MORNING, MORNING MAYOR, AND, UH, ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS. UH, ED CASTOR, I'M AT OUR COUNCIL DISTRICT EIGHT, AND CONCERNING THE ALAMO AREA, M P O AND, AND TIPS, AND, YOU KNOW, IMPROVING OUR ROADS, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL FOR THAT. BUT WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THIS PROJECT, THE, THE EIGHT THAT ARE COMING HERE BEFORE Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, I, I'VE NOTICED, UH, THE VERY FIRST ONE, PROJECT ONE, THE REAL STREET ZZA MOORE BRIDGE, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PROCESS, WE'RE GONNA GET FEDERAL FUNDING AND, YOU KNOW, FEDERAL FUNDING STARTED DRYING UP. BUT FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, YOU KNOW, I'VE READ THE NEWSPAPERS, SEEN THE, THE NEWS CHANNELS, YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THERE. THEY'D LIKE TO SEE AN UNDERPASS. AND WELL, I LIVE IN THE MEDICAL CENTER AND I USE THAT UNDERPASS THERE IN THE MEDICAL CENTER. IT'S GREAT. HADN'T HAD ANY FLOODING THERE. BUT, UH, MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE FOR, TO WORK WITH UNION PACIFIC AND SEE IF WE CAN BUILD OVER OUR EXISTING ROADS. AND I KNOW UNION PACIFIC HADN'T BEEN MUCH OF A PARTNER, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE TO KEEP WORKING WITH THEM. BUT ACCORDING TO, TO WHAT THESE DOCUMENTS SAY, WE CAN EITHER APPROVE 'EM ALL, REJECT THEM ALL, OR WE CAN ADD AND SUBTRACT. SO I'M FOR SUBTRACTING NUMBER ONE. AND THE LAST COMMENT I WOULD HAVE WAS, YOU KNOW, IS BOND MONEY. I KNOW THAT NUMBER ONE WAS, WAS IN THE 2017 BOND. SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN HAVE, UH, MECHANISMS IN PLACE WHERE WE CAN TAKE THAT BOND MONEY AND GET THESE OTHER PROJECTS STARTED EARLIER INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR FUTURE BONDS OR FUTURE CITY MONEY. SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD, I WOULD ASK MY CITY STAFF IS, ARE THERE, YOU KNOW, MECHANATIONS IN PLACE TO WHERE WE CAN TAKE IT, THAT EXISTING BOND MONEY THAT WORKS FOR A PROJECT AND MOVE IT TO GET OTHER PROJECTS STARTED QUICKER. SO, AS I SAID, I'M, I'M APPROVAL, UH, DISAPPROVAL FOR NUMBER ONE TO REMOVE IT FROM THE LIST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. KASSER. COUNCILMAN HANLEY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU TO OUR, OUR CITIZEN WHO'S COME UP AND, AND, AND GIVEN US SOME INPUT AND FEEDBACK. I, UH, LIKE I SAID, THIS IS A, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROJECT 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES THAT I GET SKEPTICAL OF. I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE ARE SUBMITTING THESE PROJECTS, THAT THEY TRULY ARE THE, THE, THE WHIM, THE WILL, AND THE POLICY OF THIS COUNCIL. SO, UH, WHEN THESE THINGS COME, COME UP, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT DRIVEN TOO MUCH BY CITY STAFF IN, IN, IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S A GROUP OF PROJECTS THAT PERHAPS ARE ON THEIR LIST THAT MAY NOT BE ON OUR LIST. SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH MOST OF THE PROJECTS. SOME OF THE PROJECTS ARE, ARE WHAT I'D HOPED TO HAVE LEARNED, [01:40:01] UH, TRUE, WHICH IS THAT THE PRIORITIES OF THE STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN HEARING FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITIZENS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS ARE ALSO THE, THE SAME WILL AND INTERESTS OF THE COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE SUBMITTED AND SAID TO SAID TO, YOU KNOW, THE STAFF WHO MAY HAVE MET WITH THEM ONE-ON-ONE, THAT THAT IS A PROJECT WHERE, WHETHER IT'S HARRY SBA OR IT'S BROOKS DEVELOPMENT. UM, BECAUSE WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN IN MANY CASES, WHEN WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AFTER BIG AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH TRANSPORTATION, IS THAT WE, WE SPREAD IT TOO THIN THAT WE ARE TRULY NOT ACTUALLY HAVING A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS OR CONGESTION ISSUES THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UH, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M PLAYING WITH MY CARDS FACE UP, WHAT I WANTED TO DO WHEN I INITIALLY CONSIDERED, WHAT COULD WE TRULY HAVE AN IMPACT WITH, IF WE HAD, UH, ACCESS TO 20, 30, 40, $50 MILLION WORTH OF TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS, WOULD BE TO PERHAPS DO SOMETHING LIKE A, A, A CORRIDOR PROJECT, WHETHER IT WAS ON FREDERICKSBURG ROAD OR SAN PEDRO OR MILITARY DRIVE TO TRY TO GIVE SAN ANTONIO ITS FIRST TASTE OF A TRUE B R T THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE, THE COST OF RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION, OUR ABILITY TO ACTUALLY GO INTO A CORRIDOR THAT IS OUR MOST HIGHLY TRAVELED IN THE COMMUNITY AND, AND BRING A REAL TRANSPORTATION SOLUTION AND OPTION TO THE CITY. BUT OUR, COME TO US AND MAYBE TALK TO US ABOUT, THERE ARE, THERE ARE, I I I'M GONNA CALL THEM RESTRICTIONS, BUT THERE'S JUST WAYS TO PUT PROJECTS IN, IN FRONT OF THE M P O THAT MEANS THEY COMPETE, UH, AT A BETTER SCALE, MEANING THAT THEY WILL ACTUALLY GET FUNDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ACTUALLY BE SUBMITTED AS PART OF A PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES FOUR DIFFERENT COUNTIES WHO ARE ALSO SUBMITTING THEIR PROJECTS. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS THAT YOU DO HAVE TO BE, YOU HAVE TO BE TALL ENOUGH TO RIDE THIS RIDE, MEANING YOU HAVE SOME OF YOUR PROJECTS HAVE TO AT LEAST HAVE SOME LEVERAGED FUNDING, WHICH IS WHY THE Z SAMMO PROJECT, OF WHICH WE'VE ALREADY PUT $10 MILLION WORTH OF OUR BOND BONDS STANDS TALL AMONGST ALL THE OTHER PROJECTS. SO, UH, JUST SO THAT, FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY, LET'S HAVE THE CONVERSATION YOU AND I HAD DISCUSSING WHY WE CAN'T JUST SAY, LET'S TARGET ALL THE MONEY TOWARDS, UH, A PROJECT LIKE ADDING B R T LANES TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SURE. SO A COUPLE THINGS, UH, COUNCILMAN, UM, THE, THE TIP AGAIN, IS TARGETING CONSTRUCTION WORK. SO IT'S A, IT'S A FOUR YEAR PLAN. THE PROJECTS WE'VE PUT FORWARD, UH, THE, THE THOUGHT IS THEY, THEY NEED TO BE READY TO BE CONSTRUCTION WITH CONSTRUCTED WITHIN THE FOUR YEARS. SO THAT'S ONE THING. UH, SECONDLY, ALL THE, THE, THE DIFFERENT PROJECT TYPES ARE, ARE, THERE'S THE SCORING SYSTEM THAT THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEES WILL, WILL SCORE ON. AND SO THERE'S DIFFERENT BREAKDOWNS. I KNOW WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS ON CAPACITY VERSUS, UH, OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. UH, THIRDLY, VIA HAS, HAS BEEN ALREADY DOING A LOT OF WORK, UH, LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT B R T, THEY'LL ACTUALLY BE COMING TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, UH, THIS MONTH TO PRESENT AN UPDATE ON THAT. UH, AND, AND VIA IS ALSO SUBMITTING PROJECTS, UH, IN THE TIP AS WELL. SO, UH, I BELIEVE THEY'LL BE SUBMITTING SOMETHING TO FURTHER ONE OF THOSE CORRIDORS, LIKE YOU'RE MENTIONING. NOW, UH, AGAIN, SOME OF THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT COSTS ARE NOT PART OF THIS PROGRAM. SO YOU MENTIONED RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION, UTILITY RELOCATION, DESIGN COSTS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S THE BURDEN IS ON THE SUBMITTER. THIS, UH, TIP CALL IS FOR CONSTRUCTION ONLY. SO, UH, THERE, SO TO TARGET ONE CORRIDOR, UM, IT, IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH, UH, THE, THE TAC AND, AND A LOT OF THOSE SOFT COSTS, THE LOCAL COSTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY ONES THAT, UM, ARE REIMBURSED BY THE TIP PROGRAM. SO, UM, I, I DON'T FEEL THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOSING ANYTHING BY NOT JUST SAYING, WE'RE GONNA THROW ALL OUR MONEY IN ONE CORRIDOR BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT'S BEEN GOING ON ALREADY. UH, AND THAT VIA, WE'LL BE PUTTING FORWARD SOME COSTS AS WELL. UM, AND THEN SECONDLY, WE DO HAVE SOME, SOME MORE PLANNING WORK THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. AND IT WILL BE LOOKING AT REALLY TAKING THE NEXT LEVEL OF OUR MULTIMODAL PLAN, WHICH IS THE, THE CITYWIDE KIND OF POLICY LOOK. AND THEN DIVING INTO SOME OF THOSE CORRIDORS TO SAY, UH, HOW DO WE MEET THOSE POLICIES, UH, THAT THE PLAN LAID OUT AND LOOKING AT OP, UH, MODES, WHETHER IT BE MASS TRANSIT, B R T OR OTHER MEANS, UM, ON SOME OF THOSE CORRIDORS. SO WE DO HAVE A MIX OF THAT IN THIS, IN THIS CALL FOR PROJECTS AND, AND COLLEAGUES, YOU'LL HEAR ME TALK A LOT ABOUT, UM, WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THINGS IN WHEN WE NOTE PROJECTS LIKE A B TRUE B R T LANE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO OR TRUE TRANSIT LANE ARE GONNA TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO IMPLEMENT, WHICH IS SOMETIMES WHY I, WHEN, WHEN LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO FUND PROJECTS, I WORK WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY BECAUSE THESE PROJECTS ARE SO LONG, THEY TAKE SUCH A LONG TIME TO ROLL OUT. UM, BUT ONE OF THE PROJECTS I WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE IS, IS AN IMPORTANT ONE BECAUSE IT IS BEEN PART OF A CONVERSATION THAT HAS LASTED PROBABLY ABOUT 10 YEARS, WHICH IS IN COUNCILWOMAN, UH, UH, GONZALEZ'S DISTRICT. UM, SO SHE GAVE BIRTH TO A NEW LIFE. SO SHE, I THINK SHE'S DONE ENOUGH WORK FOR TODAY. SO LET ME DO A LITTLE BIT OF WORK FOR HER. UM, THIS IS A PROJECT THAT SHE'S BEEN HEARING ABOUT SINCE SHE CAME INTO OFFICE IN 2013, AND HER PREDECESSOR HAS BEEN HEARING ABOUT FOR, UM, ABOUT EIGHT YEARS PRIOR TO THAT. AND WHAT IS TRUE ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS THAT IT IS NOT GOING FAST IN, IN FACT, THIS IS NOT, LET'S GO AS FAST AS WE CAN TO DESIGN THIS PROJECT. LET'S GO AS FAST AS WE CAN TO GET THIS, UH, OUT TO THE [01:45:01] COMMUNITY. WE'RE GOING AS SLOW AS WE MUST. AND THE SLOWEST PART OF ANY PROJECT IS IDENTIFYING THE RESOURCES AND THE FUNDS TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR IT. SO WE'VE GOT $10 MILLION IN THE BOND PROJECT. UH, WE, WE HOPE TO SUBMIT THIS BECAUSE IT'LL BE ONE OF OUR STRONGEST SUBMITTALS, UH, IN TERMS OF FEDERAL DOLLARS COMING DOWN BECAUSE IT'S SOLVING A TRUE NEED, UH, IN A COMMUNITY THAT IS, THAT IS BISECTED BY 40 MINUTES OF CONGESTION IN SOME CASES BECAUSE OF A UNION PACIFIC RAILWAY. IT IS ONE OF THEIR BUSIEST, IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT THE ENTIRE STATE'S REGION OF UNION PACIFIC, UH, FREIGHT NETWORKS. SO DOING THIS, I THINK IS, IS GONNA BE AN IMPORTANT CHARGE. WE'RE NOT CREATING B R T LANES, WE'RE NOT YET CREATING, UH, THE, THE NEXT, THE NEXT BEST REVOLUTIONARY TRANSIT SOLUTION, BUT WE'RE DOING IS SOLVING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM USING RESOURCES FROM THE M P O TO DO THAT IN DISTRICT FIVE. SO, UH, I'M EXCITED THAT IT IS PART OF OUR, OUR CALL, AND IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF OUR MOST COMPETITIVE, IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THE EIGHT, UH, ALL OF THEM ARE VERY WORTHY, BUT I THINK THAT ONE IS GONNA GET THE BEST SCORE WHEN IT COMES TO THE TECHNICAL, UH, UH, SCORE, AS WELL AS THE SOLUTIONS THAT IT WILL HELP SOLVE. AND WE REALLY, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR ABOUT A DECADE. SO, UM, I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE MOVING THIS FORWARD. IT'LL BE PART OF A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS TO NOT HIDE THE BALL. UH, JUST BECAUSE IT'S ON THE LIST DOES NOT MEAN IT'S GUARANTEED FUNDING. SO, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SUBMIT WHAT WE CAN AND COME BACK TO US, OUR, I'M SURE, WITH THE REPORT. BUT, UH, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVAL AND MOVE IT TO THE COUNCIL FOR DISCUSSION. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 17. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, LET ME ADD MY, UH, SUPPORT TO THIS PARTICULAR, UH, PROPOSAL. UH, I'VE GONE TO C ZAR ZAMORA IN FRIO CITY, AND I'VE, I'VE HAD TO TRY AND MANEUVER THROUGH THE, THE DIFFERENT LANES OF TRAFFIC THAT MERGE IN THAT AREA AND HAVE SAT THERE WAITING FOR THE TRAIN TO GO BY. SO I KNOW IT CAN BE A REAL DIFFICULT SITUATION AND PROBABLY VERY UNSAFE. UH, AND SO I THINK MAKING THAT THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS, IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF WHAT'S GOING FORWARD. BUT I'M SURE ALL OF THESE ARE IMPORTANT PRIORITIES THAT I'M GLAD TO SEE ON HERE, AND I HOPE WE'LL, YOU KNOW, BE SUCCESSFULLY, UH, SUPPORTED, UH, WITH THE FUNDING WE'RE ASKING. BUT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SALDANA, YOU ALSO ASKED FOR OUR PRIORITIES FOR THE M P O. SO I WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LET YOU KNOW THAT MANAGED LANES AND TOLL LANES ARE NOT A PRIORITY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN MY DISTRICT, DISTRICT NINE. UH, AND I WOULD VENTURE TO GUESS THAT I WOULD BE SPEAKING FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN DISTRICT SIX AND SEVEN, AND EIGHT, AND NINE, AND 10, WHO FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT MANAGE LANES AND TOLL LANES AND TOLL ROADS ALONG 1604 ARE NOT THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE SUPPORT. AND YOU, AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE ON M THE M P O, I HOPE WILL RELAY THAT TO YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS AS WELL AS WHEN YOU CONNECT WITH THE R M A AND TXDOT. UH, BASICALLY WE DON'T WANT, AND I THINK WE'LL VIGOROUSLY OPPOSE TOLL ROADS AND TOLL LANES ON LOOP 1604 ON HIGHWAY 2 81, ON I 10, ON I 35, AND I'LL BE GLAD TO, UH, BE THE DRUM MAJOR AND LEAD THE BAND IN THAT EFFORT. BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU WANTED TO KNOW WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE. THAT'S MINE. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, I WANT TO THANK OUR VICE CHAIR COUNCILMAN SALDANA FOR LEADING THE EFFORTS THERE AND ALL OF, UM, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WHO SERVE ON M P O. THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE. AND THOSE, EVEN THE, YOUR PREDECESSORS HAVE BEEN ON THERE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THIS IS, UM, AN SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE ON, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE REGION, THIS THREE COUNTY REGION. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK ART REINHARDT AND MIKE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO AND YOUR STAFF DO, AND ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS AND WORKING WITH ME, BUT ALSO, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR. UM, WELL, I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE ROOSEVELT. UM, S SP 5 36, THE PED AND BIKE LANES, WE'RE USING LEVERAGE DOLLARS FROM THE BOND THAT WE PUT IN THE 2017 BOND, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. THERE'S ACTUALLY TWO BOND PROJECTS IN THE 20 IN, IT'S A TOTAL OF 13 MILLION. OKAY. SO THAT'S HELPING WITH THE LEVERAGE OF THIS PROJECT? THAT'S CORRECT. IN ADDITION, WE'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS WITH TDOT MM-HMM. , YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT'S, MOST OF THAT'S A STATE CORRIDOR, SO, UH, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IF THEY CONTRIBUTE MONEY OF FUTURE, UH, FUTURE TURNBACK AS WELL. SO THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS IN PLAY. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND ANOTHER, OBVIOUSLY A PROJECT IS SOUTH NEW BRAUNFELS, UM, GOING FROM LYER TO LOOP FOUR 10, AND FOR MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WHO DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW WITH BROOKS CITY BASE. UM, YOU KNOW, [01:50:01] WE WERE VERY BLESSED TO HAVE THE BROOKS AREA THERE, BUT WHAT THE AIR FORCE DID WAS THEY ALSO LEFT STREETS THAT ENDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AIR FORCE BASE THAT WE NOW HAVE TO FINISH AND MOVE OUT. SO WE'RE, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK ON TO, UM, BE PROACTIVE ABOUT ALLEVIATING CONGESTION IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, FOR MY PRIORITIES PLANNING, COUNCILMAN, AND I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD THIS FROM ME BEFORE, IS I, AND BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THE DISCUSSION OF LOOKING HOW MANY M P O DOLLARS HAVE ACTUALLY COME TO THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO, AND IT HASN'T BEEN MUCH. UM, SO MY PRIORITY PLANNING WOULD BE TO LOOK AND SEEING WHERE WE CAN, THE M P O CAN HAVE THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POINT SYSTEM AND THE GRADING SYSTEM, IF YOU WILL, TO NOT ENABLE AND GIVE POINTS OR PERCENTAGES TO THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE IN, NOT JUST IN CONGESTED AREAS, BUT GIVING MORE PRIORITY OR LOOKING AT THOSE AREAS THAT ARE BEING PROACTIVE TO ALLEVIATE THE CONGESTION. SO WE'RE NOT JUST BUILDING OUT MORE CAPACITY OR BUILDING OUT MORE AREA THAT ENABLES THIS CONGESTION IN THE FUTURE. WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE HAVING THE CONVERSATION, THE LARGER CONVERSATION, POLICY DISCUSSION ABOUT SPRAWL AND HOW WE GROW AS A CITY AND ANNEXATION WELL, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE'RE PUTTING DOLLARS SOMEWHERE, THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING THEM IN AN AREA THAT'S GOING TO PERPETUATE THAT KIND OF SPRAWL THAT WE'RE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT. UM, SO I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE PROJECTS THAT ALSO WE KNOW THAT THE BILL, THAT THE, THE DEVELOPMENT IS COMING. SO LET'S PUT THOSE DOLLARS TOWARDS BEING PROACTIVE AND ALLEVIATING CONGESTION THAT WE KNOW IS GOING TO COME FORWARD. SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO, TO SAY AND PUT FORWARD, AND I'M GLAD WE'RE WORKING ON THIS RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN VERON. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU TO STAFF FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS AND FOR BRIEFING US ON THIS ART AND ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS. I ALSO WANNA THANK THE COUNCILMAN WHO IS THE VICE CHAIR OF THE M P O AND CHAIR OF OUR TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE FOR BRINGING THIS FOR DISCUSSION AND NOT JUST LETTING IT GO THROUGH WITHOUT COUNCIL INPUT. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND HE'S ALSO DONE A GREAT JOB ASKING FOR CLARITY ON WHERE THE INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN OVER TIME IN TERMS OF ADDED CAPACITY IN ALREADY CONGESTED AREAS VERSUS, YOU KNOW, OTHER PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL AS OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. SO I WANNA THANK HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP ON THAT. UH, ON THE M P O AND RECENTLY IN OUR, IN OUR MEETING THAT WE HAD IN AUSTIN WITH THE CAPITAL AREA, UH, M P O, I DO HAVE, UH, SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UM, THE CORRIDORS AND THAT PROPOSAL, IF YOU COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT MONEY WOULD BE EXPENDED IF WE WERE SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT. THANK YOU. SURE. UH, COUNCILWOMAN, SO THE, THE PROJECT IN THE OTHER CATEGORY IS AN $8 MILLION ASK, UH, FOR PLANNING, MORE PLANNING WORK. AND SO WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT DOING IS PARTNERING WITH VIA ON THAT, UH, THEY'RE CITY STREETS. SO WE, WE WANT TO RUN THAT PROCESS, BUT WE NEED SOME INPUT ON SOME OF THE STUDIES THEY'VE DONE LOOKING AT MASS TRANSIT ON SOME OF THESE CORRIDORS ALREADY. SO THE THOUGHT IS WE WOULD SELECT EIGHT CORRIDORS, UH, LOOKING AT A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE STUDY WORK PER CORRIDOR. UM, AND, AND HALF OF THOSE WOULD BE OP UM, CANDIDATES FOR HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT. THE OTHER HALF WOULD, WOULD BE MORE TRADITIONAL TRANSIT, STILL STILL BUS, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL. BUT LOOKING AT REALLY FURTHERING THE MULTIMODAL PLAN THAT THAT COUNCIL APPROVED BACK IN A, UH, AUGUST OF 2016, TAKING THE NEXT STEPS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THAT PLAN WITH SOME ADDITIONAL STUDIES SO THAT WHEN WE HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THE FU THE NEXT CALL FOR PROJECTS OR THE NEXT BOND, WE'LL KIND OF HAVE THE PLAYBOOK IN PLACE ON, ON WHAT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH. THANK YOU. AND COULD YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU WILL GO ABOUT SELECTING THOSE, UH, CORRIDORS? SO, I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU ONE THAT I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN. I, I AM GLAD THAT WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON FREDERICKSBURG ROAD, BUT, UH, WE DO HAVE THE BANDERA CORRIDOR, WHICH IS EXTREMELY, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST CONGESTED PARTS OF, OF THE CITY, AND WE ALL, WE KNOW WE CAN'T BUILD OUR WAY OUT OF CONGESTION. SO I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY APPROPRIATE TO LOOK AT THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE THERE. SO I'D JUST LIKE TO HEAR YOUR PROCESS FOR SELECTING THE CORRIDORS AND HOW YOU'LL ENGAGE US IN THAT. THANK YOU. SO, SO, UM, SOME OF THIS I THINK WILL BE ENTERED AT THE NEXT TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE WHEN VIA COMES IN AND TALKS ABOUT THE RAN RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDORS. UH, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE PLANNING TO, OF THE SEVEN CORRIDORS THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, PICK ONE TO MOVE FORWARD IN, FORWARD WITH, WITH FURTHER EVALUATION. SO THERE'LL BE SEVERAL OTHER CORRIDORS LEFT THAT A LOT OF WORK HAS BEEN DONE. AND SO WE WOULD PICK FROM, FROM THOSE OTHER CORRIDORS TO, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW THE FINAL RANKING OF THOSE SEVEN CORRIDORS, UM, FROM A RIDERSHIP OR AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE, UH, UNFOLDS. AND THEN WE CAN PICK FROM THAT FOR THE OTHER CORRIDORS, WE WOULD LOOK AT VARIOUS THINGS, UM, DEPENDING ON WHAT WORK'S ALREADY BEEN DONE THROUGH THE CURRENT BOND. [01:55:01] UH, ALSO LOOKING AT CRASH DATA, UM, AND, AND OTHER, UH, STATISTICS TO SEE WHAT MAKES SENSE ON, ON, BASED ON THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, WHAT, WHAT WE WANNA MOVE FORWARD WITH. THANK YOU ART, AND THANK YOU FOR PRIORITIZING, UH, SAFETY AND LOOKING AT, AT CRUSH DATA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I TOTALLY AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE AND, UH, ON THIS TOLLWAY BUSINESS, AND I APPRECIATE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, MAKE THAT COMMENT, UH, TO YOU AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE ON THE M P O, THAT THEY KNOW THAT, UH, UH, DISTRICT 10 AS WELL IS VERY, VERY CONCERNED ABOUT TOLLWAYS UP ON THE 16 0 4, 2 81 35 CORRIDORS. AND, UH, WE, WE WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE SUPPORTING THAT IN, IN DISTRICT 10 EITHER. HAVING SAID THAT, UH, UM, I WENT BACK AND DID SOME RESEARCH AND, AND THIS HAS TO DO WITH, UM, STATE FUNDING ACROSS THE BOARD OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE BEEN FUNDED HERE IN THIS REGION, SAN, PARTICULARLY SAN ANTONIO AND OUR MAJOR THOROUGH AFFAIRS, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BEHIND THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH AREA, HOUSTON AREA, AND AUSTIN AREA CONSISTENTLY. WE'VE ALWAYS COME IN, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE THE SEVENTH LARGEST CITY, AND YET WE ARE COMING IN BEHIND THESE OTHER METRO AREAS. SO THAT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD. AND I HAVE HAD, UH, MEETINGS WITH TXDOT ON THIS, AND I AM GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE MEETINGS ON THAT, THAT WE HAVE BEEN LEFT, UH, BEHIND IN TDOT FUNDING OVER THE YEARS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS, UH, UH, VERY UNFAIR. THERE'S A LOT, I WAS GIVEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UH, REASONS WHY THAT IS, BUT, UH, NONE OF, NONE OF 'EM REALLY HELD WATER IN MY BUCKET. UM, WE, WE HAVE NOT BEEN, UH, TREATED FAIRLY HERE IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA WHEN IT COMES TO TECH STOCK FUNDING. AND, AND, UH, UH, LIKE I SAID, I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. THERE'S NEW LEADERSHIP UP IN, UM, FOR TDOT AND I'M HOPING TO GET SOME MEETINGS WITH THEM AS WELL. AND I HOPE YOU COULD JOIN ME IN THAT AND, UH, UH, BRINGING THOSE ISSUES FORWARD AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED SOME CATCHING UP HERE. WE NEED SOME CATCHING UP TO THOSE OTHER METRO AREAS. NUMBER ONE, UM, WE NEED AN EQUITY LENS. THERE. THERE YOU GO. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. WE NEED AN EQUITY LENS ON THAT. THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S A GOOD COMMENT. BUT ANYWAY, UH, UH, ONE OF THE PRIORITIES, UH, AS FAR AS, UH, ROADS GO, I DO KNOW THAT, UH, ART, YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, HARRY WURZBACH ABOUT THE, UM, PEDESTRIAN BIKE PATHS ALONG THAT WAY, BUT HARRY WURZBACH IS IN TERRIBLE CONDITION, AND THAT'S OUR ENTRANCE WAY TO ONE OF OUR LARGEST EMPLOYERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, FORT SAM HOUSTON. NOT ONLY THAT, IT'S THE ENTRANCEWAY TO OUR NATIONAL CEMETERY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, I'VE TOLD EVERYBODY THIS, I'M EMBARRASSED TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD. UM, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE MANY, MANY BURIALS ARE TAKING CARE, TAKING THAT PATHWAY TO THAT NATIONAL CEMETERY TODAY FOR, SINCE 1991, THERE'S BEEN 35,000 BURIALS THERE, 35,000. AND GUESS WHO THAT IS? THAT'S OUR GREATEST GENERATION THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY FROM THE WORLD WAR II, KOREA, VIETNAM. I MEAN, IT, IT GOES ON AND ON. AND, AND AGAIN, I'M EMBARRASSED TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD AND WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING THOSE FAMILIES AND MOURNERS GO DOWN THAT ROAD EVERY DAY, AND WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. IT, IT AGAIN, IT'S NOT, UH, UH, JUST THE, UH, A MAIN ENTRYWAY THAT AFFECTS ALL OF THE, I MEAN, THAT'S ONE OF OUR LARGEST EMPLOYERS THERE AT FORT SAM AND PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER THE CITY. IF, IF THERE WAS A CITYWIDE PROJECT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A CITYWIDE PROJECT UNDER THIS LAST BOND, AND IT IS NOT THAT FORT, UH, HARRY WACH HASN'T BEEN LOOKED AT IN THE PAST, IT HAS, AND FOR SOME REASON IT HAS JUST NOT MADE THE LIST. SO I WANT TO REALLY PUSH TO GET THAT ROAD DONE AND, UH, LOOK FOR THE REST OF THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT ME ON THAT AND FIGHT FOR DOLLARS FROM THE STATE AS WELL THROUGH, AS WELL AS THE M P O TO, TO WORK ON THAT. SO WITH THAT, I'LL LEAVE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN TNO. [02:00:02] THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YEAH, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UH, WE IDENTIFIED SOME PROJECTS IN, IN DISTRICT ONE, SPECIFICALLY, UH, FRED ROAD AND, AND SAN PEDRO, UH, FOR SOME SIDEWALK GAPS AND THE Z CROSSINGS. UM, I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT IS, IS THAT WE HAVE AREAS IN ON FRED ROAD WHERE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE BUT TO WALK ON THE STREET TO GET FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER, AND THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. SO WE WANT TO ADDRESS THAT CONCERN RIGHT AWAY, AND CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THIS WILL HELP ALLEVIATE THAT GAP. UH, I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE, UH, SAN PEDRO, UH, BEING LOOKED AT AS, AS ANOTHER CORRIDOR, UH, THAT IS ALSO INDICATIVE OF HOW WE ARE LOOKING AT THE BIGGER PICTURE FOR THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT AND THE, THE CORE OF THE CITY AS, UH, THESE CORRIDORS IMPACT FLOW IN AND OUT OF THE, THE CENTRAL CENTER CITY. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, UH, ART, UM, LET ME JUST ASK YOU, UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT SAN PEDRO AND, AND FRED ROAD. UH, TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS. AS I SEE, I, IT'S GOOD TO SEE ROOSEVELT ON THERE. IS THE BIG PICTURE FOR, FOR THE CENTRAL BUS BUSINESS DISTRICT IS, IS TO IMPROVE A LOT OF THESE, THE FLOW IN AND OUT OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. IS THAT CORRECT? UH, THAT'S CORRECT. WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN RECENTLY WORKING ON UPDATING THE, THE CITY'S DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, UH, STUDY. SO, UH, SPECIFICALLY TARGETING THE C B D ON THAT AS WELL AS LOOKING AT OTHER STREET CLOSURES. SO, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK, UM, FROM A STUDY LEVEL, AND THEN ALSO WITH ALL OF THE PROJECTS EVERYWHERE YOU DRIVE DOWNTOWN, YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION ZONES EVERYWHERE. SO, UH, THAT IS BEING LOOKED AT. AND THEN SPECIFICALLY ON SAN PEDRO, THAT COULD QUITE, QUITE POSSIBLY BE ONE OF THE CORRIDORS THAT WE WOULD LOOK TO FURTHER PLAN OUT. UM, SO THANK YOU ART, UH, THANK, UH, YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR DEPARTMENT. UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO THIS MOVING FORWARD. I WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN SYA FOR, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UM, AS, AS IS POINTED OUT, THERE'S, THERE'S CERTAINLY A LOT OF NEED, UH, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY. UM, AND JUST WANNA ENDORSE THE, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT THE, THE CONNECTIVITY THAT THE CENTER CITY PROVIDES TO THE REST OF THE CITY IS CRITICAL, AND I JUST APPRECIATE THAT THERE'S A BIG PICTURE APPROACH REGARDING THESE CORRIDORS. AND, AND THAT'S OUR PRIORITIES IN IN DISTRICT ONE. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, FLOW IN, IN AND OUT, IN AND OUT OF THE CENTER CITY IS, IS, IS, UH, WELL-PLANNED, IS SAFE AND EFFICIENT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN TREVINO. ALL RIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 17. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER [18. An Ordinance appointing Nadia Islam, Jesus Diaz, Judy Razo, Dr. Anika Smith and Shelley Baillargeon to the Citizen Advisory Action Board for two year terms of office. [Erik Walsh, Deputy City Manager; William McManus, Chief of Police]] 18. ITEM NUMBER 18 IS AN ORDINANCE APPOINTING NADIA ISLAM. JESUS DIAZ, RU JUDY RAZZO, DR. ANIKA SMITH, AND SHELLY ER GIAN TO THE CITIZENS' ADVISORY ACTION BOARD FOR TWO YEAR TERM OF OFFICE. COUNCILWOMAN VIGRAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I PULLED THIS ITEM JUST TO HIGHLIGHT THIS AND WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH THIS BOARD. SO ERIC, IF YOU CAN JUST SHARE WITH US AND, AND THE VIEWING PUBLIC WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. SURE. UH, MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THIS IS A IMPORTANT BOARD FOR, UH, THE CITY AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UH, LEMME GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND IN, IN, UH, THIS, THIS CHIEF'S ADVISORY ACTION BOARD, OR AS WE REFER TO IT AS THE DISCIPLINARY REVIEW BOARD, IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT, UH, WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, UH, TO DEAL WITH CITIZEN COMPLAINTS, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, INVESTIGATIONS INTO OFFICERS, AND ULTIMATELY, UH, POTENTIALLY AND POTENTIALLY DISCIPLINE. UM, THE BOARD WAS CREATED, UH, THROUGH THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT IN THE, UM, UH, LATE EIGHTIES AND HAS UNDERGONE A NUMBER OF CHANGES, BUT PROBABLY THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OCCURRED IN 2009 WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, UH, THAT YEAR WHERE WE, UH, ONE OF THE PRIORITIES OF THE CITY WAS TO EQUALIZE THE, THE NUMBER OF CITIZENS INVOLVED IN THAT REVIEW PROCESS. AND SO THAT CONTRACT, THAT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, UH, ESTABLISHED THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD APPOINT 14 TOTAL CITIZENS, UM, THAT THE MANAGER WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, ADVERTISING AND SELECTING AND MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL THAT THE POLICE CHIEF WOULD ALSO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL, AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE A TOTAL OF 14 INDIVIDUALS. PREVIOUS CONTRACTS ALSO GAVE THE UNION, UM, THE ABILITY TO STRIKE NAMES FROM CONSIDERATION, AND THAT WAS ALSO REMOVED IN 2009. SO THE, THE, THE, THE, UH, THE, THE BOARD IS MADE UP OF SEVEN CITIZENS AT ANY ONE TIME, AND SEVEN UNIFORM OFFICERS [02:05:01] THAT ARE APPOINTED BY THE CHIEF AND ROTATED EVERY SIX MONTHS. AND THE OFFICERS RANGE AND RANK FROM DEPUTY CHIEF TO PATROL OFFICER. THE BOARD, UM, UM, HEARS INVESTIGATIONS ON COMPLAINTS AGAINST POLICE OFFICERS, UH, WHETHER THEY BE ADMINISTRATIVE IN NATURE OR USE OF FORCE CASES OR, UH, ANY TYPE OF GENERAL CITIZEN COMPLAINT. SO THE, THE COMPLAINANT COMES IN, UH, FILES THE COMPLAINT, INTERNAL AFFAIRS CONDUCTS THE INVESTIGATION, AND THEN, UH, THIS BOARD THAT MEETS EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY, UH, MEETS TO HEAR THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION. UM, AND ALL 14 INDIVIDUALS, THE, UH, FOUR, THE SEVEN CITIZENS AND THE SEVEN UNIFORM OFFICERS ARE ALL IN THE ROOM TOGETHER. UM, AND HAVE, UH, THE SHARED BENEFIT OF BEING ABLE TO QUESTION THE COMPLAINANT OR ASK FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS, ASK QUESTIONS OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATOR, AND, UH, POTENTIALLY THE OFFICER IF HE OR SHE DECIDES TO, UH, ATTEND, THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND UNDER THE CONTRACT. UM, AT THAT POINT, THE BOARD MAKES A DETERMINATION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE COMPLAINT IS FOUNDED OR UNFOUNDED. AND, UH, IF THE COMPLAINT IS FOUNDED, THEN BOTH THE CITIZEN PORTION OF THE BOARD AND THE UNIFORM PORTION OF THE BOARD MAKE SEPARATE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS OF DISCIPLINE TO THE CHIEF. UH, THE NEXT STEP OF THE DISCIPLINARY PROCESS IS THAT THE CHIEF, UH, MEETS WITH THE OFFICER AND, UH, DISPENSES A FINAL DISCIPLINE. SO IT, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF OUR, OF OUR, UM, DISCIPLINARY PROCESS AND OUR REVIEW PROCESS. AND, UH, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT WAS, UH, ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES IN THE 2009 CONTRACT. PREVIOUSLY TO 2009, THE NUMBER OF CITIZENS THAT SAT ON THAT BOARD WERE THREE. SO YOU, YOU HAD A, YOU HAD THREE CITIZENS AND SEVEN OFFICERS HEARING THE RESULTS OF COMPLAINTS, AND, AND IT WAS A, A PRIORITY TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AT THE TIME, AND THE MANAGER THAT WE CERTAINLY NEEDED TO INCREASE THE CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT. UM, TODAY'S ACTION, UH, WE HAD FIVE VACANCIES ON THE, UM, ON OUR, UM, UM, CITIZEN BOARD. UM, NINE ARE CURRENTLY FILLED. UM, AND SO WE WENT THROUGH, UH, AN ADVERTISEMENT PROCESS. WE, WE INTERVIEWED 16. THE INTERVIEW PANEL WAS MADE UP OF MYSELF, LIZ PROVINCIO, FROM, UH, CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, CHIEF MCMANUS, AND THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS CAPTAIN. AND, UH, OUTTA THOSE 16, WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT, UM, THAT THE COUNCIL APPOINT, UH, MR. JESUS DIAZ, UH, MS. NADIA ISLAM, UH, MS. JUDY RASO, DR. ANIKA SMITH, AND, UH, MS. SHELLY, UH, BYLER, JOHN. UM, AND WHILE I'M TALKING ABOUT IT, UM, UM, AND I'VE MENTIONED IT TO SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE OTHER NINE, UM, CURRENT POSITIONS THAT ARE FILLED EXPIRE IN FEBRUARY, UH, TOWARDS, TOWARDS THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2018. SO, UH, HERE NEXT MONTH, WE'LL BEGIN ADVERTISEMENTS AND THEN SCHEDULING MEETINGS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SEE IF THEY'VE GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS OR KNOW OF ANY, UM, INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THIS BOARD. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, CLARIFICATION AND THE EXPLANATION. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE PULLED THIS AND HIGHLIGHT THIS, TO LET OUR, LET OUR PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE ARE WANTING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TRANSPARENCY, BUT ALSO MORE IMPORTANTLY, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE FAITH AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN US AND THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE WORKING IN AND WITH. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE MEMBERS ON THE PANEL, ON THE CHIEF'S, UM, ADVISORY BOARD BECAUSE THEY ARE VOLUNTEERS. ALL OF THE CITIZENS ARE VOLUNTEERS, SO I'M VERY, UH, APPRECIATIVE OF THEM AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO WITH THAT, I MOTION TO APPROVE. ALL RIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 18, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 23. [23. A Resolution to initiate Plan Amendments and Zoning for properties located in the following areas of Council District 1: South of West Mulberry Avenue, areas adjacent to East Mulberry Avenue, South of Hildebrand and East of McCullough; Areas in the northern portion of River Road inside District 2, just North of their boundary along Mulberry; Areas South of Gramercy, North of Ashby, West to Fredericksburg, and East to San Pedro; and South of Culebra Road, north of Leal Street, East to Colorado Street and the western boundary of the district, as requested through a Council Consideration Request by Councilman Trevino. [Roderick Sanchez, Assistant City Manager; Michael Shannon, Director, Development Services]] ITEM NUMBER 23 IS A RESOLUTION TO INITIATE PLAN AMENDMENTS AND ZONING FOR PROPERTIES LOCATED IN THE AREAS OF COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE SOUTH OF WEST MULBERRY AVENUE, AREAS ADJACENT TO EAST MULBERRY AVENUE, SOUTH OF HILDEBRAND, AND EAST OF MCCULLOUGH AREAS IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF RIVER ROAD INSIDE DISTRICT TWO, JUST NORTH OF THEIR BOUNDARY, ALONG MULBERRY AREAS SOUTH OF GRAMERCY, NORTH OF ASHBY, WEST OF FREDERICKSBURG, AND EAST TO SAN PEDRO AND SOUTH OF RA ROAD, NORTH OF LEO STREET, EAST TO COLORADO STREET, AND THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE DISTRICT AS REQUESTED THROUGH A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER TRAVINO. COUNCILMAN VEO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A QUICK PRESENTATION. YEAH. YES, I DO. ALRIGHT, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL AND MAYOR. UM, JUST WANT TO GO OVER, UM, UH, LARGE AREA [02:10:01] REZONING RESOLUTION TO GET THE PROCESS STARTED. SO WE'LL START, UM, AGAIN, IT STARTED WITH A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST, UM, A MONTH OR SO AGO. AND I'LL TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ZONING BACKGROUND AND OUR RECOMMENDATION ALONG WITH THE PROCESS. SO IN OCTOBER, UH, COUNCILMAN TREVINO SPONSORED A A C C R TO LOOK AT SEVERAL AREAS IN THE DISTRICT. ONE THAT ARE REALLY A NEED FOR, UH, US TO TAKE A LOOK AT, NOT JUST PARCEL BY PARCEL, UH, LIKE WE DO EVERY OTHER THURSDAY WHEN WE COME TO YOU FOR SPECIFIC REZONINGS, BUT, UH, LOOK AT A NEIGHBORHOOD OR AN AREA OF A NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THERE'S, UH, FOUR AREAS THERE, ACTUALLY FIVE, IF YOU, YOU LOOK AT THE BEACON HILL AND ALTA VISTA AREA IN DISTRICT ONE, UH, THAT WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT. SO, UM, REALLY THE BACKGROUND IS, UH, ZONING HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1938, UH, BUT IT'S CHANGED OVER THE YEARS. UM, SO WE HAD SOME OR ORIGINAL ZONING DESIGNATIONS, UM, AND OVER THE YEARS THROUGH, THROUGH SOME CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN INITIATED BY, UH, JUST DIFFERENT CODES, 1965, WE, WE CHANGED THE CODE AGAIN. WE WENT FROM WHAT'S CALLED THE PYRAMID ZONING SCHEME, WHICH SAID IF YOU WERE INDUSTRIAL ZONE, YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING UNDER THAT. UH, WE STARTED IN 65, WE WENT TO CATEGORICAL ZONES, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT WHAT WE DO TODAY. UM, AND THEN IN 2001, WITH THE ADOPTION OF OUR UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSIONS THAT TOOK EXISTING PROPERTIES AND GAVE THEM NEW LABELS. UH, THINGS THAT YOU SEE TODAY, MF 33 C TWO ZONES, INDUSTRIAL ONES, UH, THAT YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH. BUT IT CAUSED, UH, SOME CHALLENGES, UM, AND SOME PROPERTIES THAT ARE NOT ZONED FOR WHAT THEY HAVE, UH, RIGHT NOW. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS, UH, LOOK AT THIS AND THE PROCESS IS ON THESE, UH, FIVE AREAS. UH, TODAY IS A RESOLUTION TO START THE PROCESS SO THAT CITY STAFF, UH, AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WORKING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, HISTORIC, UH, CAN START REACHING UP, UM, REACHING OUT TO PROPERTY OWNERS. WE'LL START DOING SOME FIELD WORK, ANALYZING EACH AND EVERY PROPERTY, UH, REACHING OUT TO PROPERTY OWNERS AND NEIGHBORHOODS TO REALLY LOOK AT THEIR PROPERTIES AND THEIR CURRENT ZONING TO SEE IF IT'S APPROPRIATE, UH, WITH THE PLAN OR THE CURRENT USE. UM, AND THEN WE'LL START MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS. UH, EVENTUALLY WE'LL GET TO THE, THE NORMAL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION PROCESS THAT U C S EVERY, UH, EVERY, UH, OF THE THURSDAY. AND THEN, UM, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL COME OUT WITH CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. SO, UM, REALLY THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION TODAY SO WE CAN GET STARTED WORKING WITH THE PROPERTY OWNERS NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, AND ALL THOSE THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED. THERE IS A FISCAL IMPACT, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S 1200 ACRES OR SO, WE ESTIMATE DEPENDING ON HOW MANY, UH, ZONING CHANGES AND THOSE TYPE OF THINGS, UH, THAT COULD COME OUT OF THIS, ABOUT $24,000 WORTH OF COST THAT WOULD BE ABSORBED BY THE D S D, UH, ENTERPRISE FUND. AND WHAT THIS PROCESS WILL BEGIN, WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON TWO LARGE AREA REZONINGS RIGHT NOW, UH, THE EASTERN TRIANGLE AREA, UM, IN DISTRICTS TWO AND, AND THREE, AND THEN THE WORLD HERITAGE. BUT IT WOULD START, UH, SOMETIME CLOSE TO THE SUMMERTIME IN FISCAL YEAR 2018. SO WITH THAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. UH, THANK YOU MIKE. COUNCILMAN VINEO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, SOME CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. SORRY ABOUT THAT. YES, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER 23. I'LL START WITH C WINKLER. C WINKLER. GOOD MORNING. I HOPE IT'S STILL MORNING. YOU, EXCUSE ME. LET ME HELP YOU OUT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. I LIVE AT 5 35 EAST ATCH AND SIX RESIDENTS FROM THE 500 BLOCK OF ATCH HAVE ASKED ME TO REPRESENT THEM THIS MORNING. SO JUST PRETEND LIKE THERE'S SEVEN PEOPLE HERE. WE ARE EXTREMELY OPPOSED TO THE MF 33 CONVERSION AND THE INCONSISTENCIES IT WILL BRING TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THE WRONGFUL CONVERSION OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OPENS THE DOOR TO THE TAKING AWAY OF THE CHARACTER OF OUR AREA TO INCLUDE THE RIGHT TO ENJOY OUR SURROUNDINGS, UNFETTERED WITH COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, INCREASED TRAFFIC, COMPETITION FOR PARKING AVAILABILITY. UM, IT IS INTERESTING THAT NORTH AND WESTMONT VISTA WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS DESIGNATION AT THIS POINT. WE ARE UNAWARE OF HOW AND WHY THIS CONVERSION ERA OCCURRED, BUT IT IS BEYOND RATIONAL THINKING THAT A STREET THAT WAS 145 [02:15:01] HAS 145 MODEST HOMES AND EIGHT APARTMENT BUILDINGS COULD BE A RATIONAL CANDIDATE FOR MF 33. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. WINKLER. JAMES THUR WALKER. GOOD MORNING. I AM JAMES THUR WALKER. MY WIFE AND I OWN A HOME, UH, IN DISTRICT ONE, AND OUR HOME IS IN THAT 500 BLOCK OF EAST ATCH THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT. NOW, OUR HOMES WAS BUILT IN 1905, SO WE SHARE ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS OF THE 300 YEAR HISTORY OF SAN ANTONIO. UH, IT IS A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE, AS ARE MOST OF THE PHONES THAT ARE ON THAT BLOCK. AND THE ADJACENT BLOCKS, UH, THE NATIONAL REGISTER DESCRIBES SINCE IT'S IN MONTE VISTA, THE NATIONAL REGISTER DESCRIBES THE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD AS BEING A RESIDENTIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT WITH 1,723 RESIDENTS. AND IT ALSO GOES ON TO SAY THAT THEY'RE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES THAT COMPRISE THE BULK OF THE DISTRICT. YET UNLIKE THE MAJORITY OF MONTE VISTA, OUR BLOCK AND THE ADJACENT BLOCKS ARE CONSIDERED MF 33 ZONED, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSING UNIT WITH UP TO 33 UNITS IN IT. NOW ALL OF THESE HOMES ARE ALL SINGLE FAMILY UNITS OF THE SAME RELATIVE SIZE AND SPACE AND LOT SIZE. SO IT'S INCONSISTENT THAT THIS MF 33 ZONING WOULD BE APPLIED TO THIS DISTRICT, UH, SINCE THE CITY'S STATED AND PUBLISHED STRATEGIC HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN SITES THAT THE CITY IS, UH, DEDICATED TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT SAN ANTONIO'S HISTORIC DISTRICTS, AND TO STRENGTHEN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S REPUTATION AND SIGNIFICANCE AS A SPECIAL PLACE OF AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE. I URGE YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS REZONING EFFORT TO BE ABLE TO PRESERVE THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT IN MONTE VISTA AND BE CONSISTENT WITH THE SAN ANTONIO'S 300 YEAR HISTORY THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO CELEBRATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. WALKER. ANTONIO VINCENTE GARCIA. GOOD MORNING MAYOR IN CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ANTONIO GARCIA. I LIVE AT 2 43 EAST ATCH IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE MONTE VISTA HISTORIC DISTRICT. I CAN CONFIRM THE 91 YEAR HISTORY OF MY HOUSE AS BEING A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOME. ITS HISTORY STARTED WITH THE CLEGG FAMILY IN 1926. IT CONTINUED WITH THE KELLY FAMILY AND NOW TO THE PRESENT DAY WITH THE GARCIA FAMILY. DESPITE ITS HISTORICAL AND CURRENT USE, MY SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOME IS ZONED AS MULTIFAMILY. MF 33, NOT RESIDENTIAL R. THERE EXISTS A TOTAL OF 154 STRUCTURES IN THE EAST ATCH, EAST MULBERRY AREA BETWEEN MCCULLOUGH AVENUE AND STADIUM DRIVE. ALONG 2 81 OF THE 154 STRUCTURES 146 ARE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOMES. SOME OLDER, SOME NEWER, SOME SMALLER, SOME LARGER THAN MY HOME. BUT WHAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT WE ARE ALL ZONED ERRONEOUSLY AS MULTIFAMILY AND NOT RESIDENTIAL. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THAT WE HAVE IN COMMON. WITH MF 33, WE ARE ALWAYS ON GUARD AGAINST PERMITTED USAGE, WHICH ARE NOT IN CHARACTER WITH OUR EARLY 20TH CENTURY NEIGHBORHOOD. WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME PROTECTION AS OUR NEIGHBORS IN NORTHERN MONTE VISTA, WHO HAVE RESIDENTIAL ZONING WITH MF 33. INTENSE INFILL DEVELOPMENT IS A REALITY IN OUR AREA, AN AREA THAT IS MOSTLY COMPRISED OF SINGLE STORY CRAFTSMEN AND SHOTGUN STYLE HOMES. AND FOR THE RECORD, WE DO SUPPORT THE SA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WHEN INFILL DEVELOPMENT IS AFFORDABLE AND SHOWS A LEVEL OF SENSITIVITY AND RESPECT TO THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT WE ARE NOT ALONE. THERE ARE CLOSE TO 500 LOTS IN MONTE VISTA WHERE ZONING MAY NOT REFLECT ITS CURRENT LAND USE, CREATING STRESS UPON THE NEIGHBORHOOD FA FABRIC. WHAT WE EXPERIENCE TODAY IN OUR LOCALIZED AREA IS, IS EXPERIENCED IN OTHER LARGE AREAS OF MONTE VISTA. IN MY HAND, I HAVE A TOTAL [02:20:01] OF 210 SIGN PETITIONS AND EMAILS FROM MONTE VISTA. RESIDENTS WHO SUPPORT THE LARGE AREA OF REZONING IN OUR HISTORIC DISTRICT 113 ARE FROM THE TARGETED AREAS IN THE BALANCE FROM OTHER PARTS OF MONTE VISTA. ONE CAN SEE THIS AS A SIGN OF OUR CONCERN, OR ONE CAN SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY, A MESSAGE TO CITY COUNCIL THAT OUR COMMUNITY WANTS TO IMPROVE ITS QUALITY OF LIFE, ITS STABILITY BY INITIATING, INITIATING A CITY PROGRAM THAT FURTHER ENHANCES THE RESIDENTIAL NATURE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT CITY COUNCIL PASS THE LARGE AREA REZONING. C C R. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. GARCIA. PAULA BONDERANT. MY GOODNESS, YOU ALL HAVE A LOT TO DEAL WITH. MY NAME IS PAULA BONDERANT. I LIVE AT 2 0 8 WEST CRAIG PLACE IN MONTE VISTA, ALSO IN THE SOUTHERN PART, WHICH IS KIND OF WONKY ZONE. UH, I'M ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE TIER ONE NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION, WHICH ALSO SUPPORTS THE C C R. AND I'M ALSO ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MONTE VISTA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, WHICH WHOLEHEARTEDLY HAS VOTED TO SUPPORT THIS LARGE AREA REZONING INITIATIVE. I HAVE A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT. SHE COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. SHE'S AT WORK. WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO THANK YOU. WHILE CITY STAFF UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP IS WORKING HARD TO GET READY FOR LOTS OF NEW FOLKS TO COME TO SAN ANTONIO, IT'S VERY ENCOURAGING TO THINK THAT YOU ALL HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOUR OLD FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE AND ARE HERE AND PLAN TO STAY HERE PAYING TAXES AND VOTING AND JUST GENERALLY PITCHING IN. WE'LL BE VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU IF YOU APPROVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT OUR ZONING. IT WILL COST A LITTLE MONEY, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, IT WON'T HURT ANYBODY AND IT WILL HELP TO PRESERVE SEVERAL OF SAN ANTONIO'S HIGHLY DISTINCTIVE VINTAGE AND HISTORICAL NEIGHBORHOODS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU, MS. BONDERANT. BARBARA WHITT. HOWELL. GOOD MORNING. UM, MY NAME IS BARBARA WOOD HOWELL. UH, AND, UH, I'M HERE, UH, TO REPRESENT THE TIER ONE NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION STEERING COMMITTEE. UH, TIER ONE IS A COALITION, UH, THAT NOW HAS 40 MEMBERS OF VARIOUS INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS. WE SUPPORT THE C C R REGARDING THE LARGE AREA REZONING. THE C C R PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR NEIGHBORHOODS TO WORK WITH THEIR COUNCIL OFFICES TO REVIEW AND CORRECT INCOMPATIBLE ZONING. CURRENTLY IN PLACE. IT ALLOWS COMMUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER ON ZONING ISSUES AND ALSO MAKES TO MAKE DECISIONS ON COMPATIBLE ZONING WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE C C R SO IMPORTANT TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THANK YOU MS. HOWELL. DAWN HANSSEN. UM, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. I'M SPEAKING AS A DISTRICT ONE RESIDENT, AS WELL AS THE CHAIRPERSON FOR SAN ANTONIO NEIGHBORHOODS FOR EVERYONE. AND I'M SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE C C R. UM, THE C C R SEEMS REACTIONARY, IT SEEMS ARBITRARY. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE PEOPLE WHO CAN BE HERE TO SPEAK TODAY ARE PROBABLY MOSTLY RETIREES AND MAKING THAT ASSUMPTION AND HAVE THE TIME TO BE HERE DURING THE DAY, WHEREAS YOUNGER PEOPLE, YOUNGER PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE JOBS NINE TO FIVE ARE NOT HERE TO SPEAK. SO I'M REPRESENTING 20 OF MY MEMBERS. UM, AND MOST OF THE C C R SEEMS TO BE ABOUT DOWN ZONING, MF 33 AND RMM FOUR, WHICH IF WE'RE REALLY, UM, COMMITTED TO SOCIAL EQUITY IN THE CITY AND INCLUSIVENESS, THIS IS VERY EXCLUSIONARY. UM, DOWN ZONING TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES IS AN SOCIAL ECONOMIC EXCLUSIONARY TOOL AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED BY THIS COUNCIL. UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CITY AND THE GROWTH AND INCORPORATE HOUSING CHOICE AND MIDDLE, MIDDLE HOUSING TO BE, UH, AFFORDABLE FOR ALL IN ALL NEIGHBORHOODS, I, UM, ASK YOU TO CONSIDER WHY WE SHOULD BE DOING THIS REZONE. NOW, UH, A LOT OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE IN THE REZONE [02:25:01] ARE IN PLANNING EFFORTS THAT ARE ALREADY TAKING PLACE. MIDTOWN PLAN, WESTTOWN COMMUNITY PLAN, WHICH, UM, IS GONNA MAKE SOME SUGGESTIONS ON LAND USE AND THE END RESULTS OF THE PLAN. AND, UM, I'D ALSO ASK YOU, IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE MONTE VISTA, WHERE THE HOME PRICES ARE 500,000 TO $2.9 MILLION MILLION DOLLARS, HOW IS THIS REZONED DOWN TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES GONNA IMPROVE AFFORDABILITY IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS? I WOULD GUESS WITH MY ASSUMPTION AND WITH MY EXPERIENCE IN HOUSING, THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO IMPROVE AFFORDABILITY. UM, SO KEEPING PEOPLE OUT PRICED OUT OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS IS NOT THE SOLUTION. I, UM, ASK FOR YOU TO RECONSIDER, UM, THE C C R. AND IF WE'RE GONNA DO A REZONE, LET'S DO A CITYWIDE REZONE BECAUSE THERE'S NON-CONFORMING USES IN ALL DISTRICTS. AND LET'S DO ANALYSIS. LET'S DO DATA. LET'S LOOK AT A HOUSING AFFORDABILITY. HOUSING CHOICE. MIDDLE HOUSING, MF 33 ENDS UP BEING SIX PLEXES ON A 5,000 SQUARE FOOT LOT. THAT IS NOT HIGH DENSITY HOUSING. THAT IS THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS. IT'S IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN BEACON HILL. UM, IT IS NOT A NON-CONFORMING USE. IT FITS WELL WITH SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. SO PLEASE, I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER IF WE'RE GONNA BE INCLUSIVE, IF WE'RE GONNA BE A SOCIALLY EQUITABLE CITY AND ALLOW PEOPLE CHOICES ON WHERE THEY WANT TO LIVE, PLEASE DO NOT, UH, APPROVE THIS REZONE PROCESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. HANSSEN. WE HAVE ONE MORE I SKIPPED OVER. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. UH, SUMMER GREATHOUSE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, CITY COUNCILMAN AND CITY COUNCILWOMEN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. UM, I'M HERE AS A RESIDENT OF MONTE VISTA AND AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, I THINK MOST OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND WITH THE PRESSURES THAT WE'RE FACING, UM, SURROUNDING THE INCREASED DEVELOPMENT IN OUR AREA. UM, I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT I'M A REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY. I'M ALSO 35 YEARS OLD, SO I THINK I'M A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL, SO I, I WOULDN'T, UM, LET THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER SPEAK FOR ALL OF US. UM, I ALSO REPRESENT DEVELOPERS, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO, AND IN FACT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO ACCOMMODATE OUR GROWING POPULATION. HOWEVER, I JUST WANNA STATE THAT OUR POSITION IS NOT ONE OF ANTI-DEVELOPMENT OR EXCLUSION. IT'S ONE OF APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENT AND LAND USE GIVEN A UNIQUE CHARACTER AND HERITAGE IN THIS, IN THIS AREA. I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF ONE ISSUE PRESERVATION. I'D LIKE TO READ YOU PART OF THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION TO ENCOURAGE THE PRESERVATION OF THE DISTINCTIVE HERITAGE OF THE MONTE VISTA AREA TO KEEP THE PHYSICAL IDENTITY OF THE LATE 19TH, EARLY 20TH CENTURY DISTRICT INTACT. ALSO, A STATEMENT ON THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WEBSITE. THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS ESTABLISHED CERTAIN DISTRICTS IN AN EFFORT TO PRESERVE AND RECOGNIZE SPECIAL AND UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS AND CORRIDORS. YOU MIGHT ASK, HOW DOES ZONING AFFECT PRESERVATION GOALS? DON'T WE HAVE H D R C AND O H P TO TAKE CARE OF THAT? YEAH, WE DO. BUT PRESERVATION IS ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN THE EXTERIOR OF A BUILDING. IT'S ABOUT LAND USE AND DENSITY, WHICH AFFECTS TRANSPORTATION, PARKING, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND EVERYTHING. IT GOES TO THE HEART OF THE CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. USE OF A PROPERTY CAN HAVE AS MUCH OF AN EFFECT AS THE COLOR OF PAINT AND CLOSING OF A PATIO OR EVEN BUILDING OF A FENCE. SO WHY DO WE NEED TO REASSESS THE ZONING IN THESE AREAS? THE LARGE AREA, ZONED MF 33 IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, APPEAR TO BE THE RESULT OF THE CODE CONVERSION. THE USES AND DENSITY ALLOWED UNDER THIS ZONING ARE NOT APPROPRIATE IN THIS PARTICULAR CONTEXT. WHILE MANY OF THE HOMES ARE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SOME MULTI-FAMILY USES. HOWEVER, THERE ARE OTHER MULTI-FAMILY OR MIXED USE ZONINGS THAT ARE MORE APPROPRIATE WITH THE CURRENT USE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUCH AS RMM OR MF 18. INCORRECT ZONING IN THIS AREA HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON PRESERVATION AND CAN EVEN, IN THE WORST CASE, INCENTIVIZE, DESTRUCTION, OR DETERIORATION OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF PRESERVATION. IT COMES DOWN TO GOOD STEWARDSHIP OF AN AREA THAT THE CITY HAS DETERMINED IS WORTH PRESERVING AND CLOSING. PLEASE HELP US ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF PRESERVATION, NOT JUST OF THE FACADES OF THESE BUILDINGS, BUT OF THE FABRIC OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. A UNIQUE PIECE OF SAN ANTONIO HISTORY AND HERITAGE. PLEASE SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION TO INITIATE REZONING OF THESE PROPERTIES IN MONTE VISTA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. GREATHOUSE. COUNCILMAN VINNO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, I'D ALSO LIKE TO GIVE, UH, DR. GEMMA KENNEDY A CHANCE. SHE, SHE CAME IN, UH, A LITTLE [02:30:01] LATE, BUT WANT TO GIVE HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO SPEAK. UM, SHE HAS A LETTER FROM RIVER ROAD. GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL. A LONG MORNING. I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A LONG AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS GEMMA KENNEDY KAISER. I LIVE AT 5 0 9 RIVER ROAD. I'M HERE TO, I'M ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF, UH, THE RIVER ROAD NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND A CO-CHAIR OF THEIR PLANNING COMMITTEE. I'M HERE TO READ OUR SUPPORTING LETTER, UH, TO BACK THIS, UH, WHAT, UH, COUNCILMAN TREVINO, UH, C C R REQUEST, THE RIVER ROAD NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORTS DISTRICT ONE COUNCILMAN TREVINO'S COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST FOR LARGE AREA REZONING OF PROPERTIES. THE RIVER ROAD NEIGHBORHOOD MASTER PLAN WAS DEVELOPED OVER A FOUR YEAR PERIOD, WAS ADOPTED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AS AN ORDINANCE WAY BACK IN 1985. THIS C C R SUPPORTS THE RIVER ROAD NEIGHBORHOOD FUTURE LAND USE PLAN, WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL AS PART OF A PLAN UPDATE IN 2006. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED IN 1976. IT WAS INCORPORATED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS IN 1977. BECAME AN IR I R SS, RECOGNIZED 5 0 1 C THREE IN 1985, AND WE BECAME A RIVER ROAD HISTORIC DISTRICT, WHICH WAS APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN 2010. SINCE 1976, THE RIVER ROW NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN EVERY ASPECT OF SUPPORTING NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT WITHIN ITS GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDS. OUR BOUNDS EXTEND NORTH TO THE SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM BUILDING SOUTH TO EAST CRAIG EAST TO THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER, AND WEST TO I H 2 81. WHAT IT MEANS IS WE'RE SURROUNDED BY BRACKENRIDGE PARK AND HIGHWAY 2 81, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITHIN THOSE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDS TO DO THE BEST GROWTH FOR THAT AREA AND FOR THE PARK THAT WE'RE ASSOCIATED WITH. BUT MOSTLY BECAUSE WE HAVE THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER RIGHT NEXT TO US AND THE IMPACT OF BUILDINGS THAT IMPACTS OUR, UH, RIVER OVERLAY. IN RECENT YEARS, UH, WE HAVE WORKED WITH PROPERTY OWNERS TO REZONE AREAS AND KEEPING WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS. THESE INCLUDE, WE NEGOTIATED THE MAJOR OFFICE BUILDINGS YOU SEE ALONG 2 81. THESE INCLUDE, UH, ON ST. MARY'S AND EAST MULBERRY REZONING TO MULTIFAMILY FROM INDUSTRIAL ON THE, FOR FORMER BRACKEN RIDGE HORSE STABLES, WHICH WE MAY ALL REMEMBER AND STUFF CITY. UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD REALLY WORKED VERY HARD TO ONE, MAKE SURE THAT'S A PARK AREA AND REZONING FOR THAT. WE ALSO, UH, NEGOTIATED WITH PROPERTY OWNERS IN A CASE THAT WAS REZONED A COMMERCIAL LOT FROM INDUSTRIAL ONE, WHICH WAS A NON-CONFORMING USE TO MATCH OUR FUTURE LAND POSTS. OUR PLAN DESIGNATIONS. I JUST WANTED TO SAY ONE MORE THING AS I LEAVE, IS THAT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF MULTI-FAMILY 30 THREES, BUT WE ALSO HAVE NON-CONFORMING INDUSTRIAL SITES ON, UH, OUR AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE, UH, CORRECTED. AND MOST OF OUR MULTIFAMILY IS SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING, AND THEY'VE BEEN THAT WAY, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY LITTLE SHOTGUN HOUSES ON THESE ACRES. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. UH, DR. GEMMA KENNEDY. UM, AND AGAIN, THAT'S, THAT WAS A POINT I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE, THAT THIS IS NOT SOLELY ABOUT MF 33. THIS IS ABOUT, UH, A MULTITUDE OF ZONING, UM, IDENTIFICATIONS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CORRECT. UH, FIRST I WANT TO THANK, UH, ALL OF YOU THAT ARE HERE TODAY, UM, WHO, WHO HAVE WRITTEN LETTERS, UH, WHO HAVE SPOKEN UP ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. UM, THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS ABOUT CORRECTING A LEGACY OF INCOMPATIBLE ZONING CENTERED IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS. AND I APPRECIATE THE INPUT AND DIALOGUE DISTRICT ONE HAS HAD WITH THE MANY AFFECTED NEIGHBORHOODS. I WILL CONTINUE THE PROACTIVE WORK TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE OUR GREAT URBAN CORE NEIGHBORHOODS AS IT RELATES TO RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY AS WE CONTINUE TO REDISCOVER. AND WE WILL NEVER FORGET THE GEMS OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IN DISTRICT ONE. UM, I DO WANNA POINT OUT A QUICK SUMMARY OF, OF WHAT THIS IS, RIGHT. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THESE ARE FOUR AREAS, UH, FOUR AREAS THAT ARE HISTORIC, UM, OR NCDS, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICTS. THE FIFTH AREA IS, UH, THE WEST END AND THE CORRIDOR, UM, DOWN SARA SAMMO, [02:35:01] WHICH WE JUST TALKED ABOUT. UH, MANY BUILDINGS ON SARA SAMMO ARE, ARE VACANT, ARE, ARE, ARE, UH, NOT ZONED CORRECTLY. AND IT'S ARGUABLE THAT THEY, THEY RELATE TO THAT VERY ISSUE. IN FACT, I WANNA READ, UM, I HAVE SOME LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM THESE NEIGHBORS ASSOCIATIONS, BUT ONE THAT WAS VERY, VERY STRIKING FROM THE WEST END ORGANIZATION. WEST END HOPE AND ACTION ORGANIZATION. UH, A LITTLE EXCERPT FROM THEIR, THEIR LETTER OF SUPPORT. IT SAYS, WE HAVE MANY INSTANCES OF PROPERTIES, WHICH WOULD BE VIOLATING CODE COMPLIANCE, BUT BECAUSE OF IMPROPER ZONING, THE CITY'S UNABLE TO ASSIST, FOR EXAMPLE, UTILIZATION OF CHURCHES AND HOMES AS AUTO REPAIR SHOPS. HISTORICALLY, THE WEST END AREA HAS SEEN INEQUITABLE TREATMENT IN REGARDS TO ZONING AND PLANNING AS EVIDENCE OF THE FORMER ZONING CODE AND THE CONVERSION WE HAVE TODAY. THIS REZONING WILL HELP TO STABILIZE THE LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR AREA. AND I WILL SUBMIT THIS TO THE CLERK FOR THE RECORD. UH, I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT, WE HAVE, WE GOT MANY LETTERS OR PETITIONS FOR SUPPORT, AND WE'LL ALSO SUBMIT THIS FOR THE RECORD, UM, AND MANY LETTERS OF SUPPORT AS WELL. UH, SO WE ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS WILL NOT REZONE WITHOUT PROPERTY OWNER'S CONSENT. UM, LOTS OF OPTIONS FOR MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH ARE MORE APPROPRIATE, UH, WILL BE LOOKED AT. UM, THE CORRECT ZONING OF, OF RENTAL PROPERTIES OR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES TO THEIR CURRENT USE WILL ALSO HELP TO LOWER THEIR TAXES. THIS WE CONFIRM WITH A BARE APPRAISAL DISTRICT, SCOTT GRISCOM, UH, LARGE AREAS OF INAPPROPRIATE ZONING, LARGELY DUE TO CODE CONVERSION HAS ALSO CHANGED THE URBAN PATTERNS. AND WE KNOW THIS, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS RIGHT NOW. BUT WHY ARE WE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW? BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING THE PRESSURES RIGHT NOW. AND I, I, I WANNA SAY THAT THIS IS A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO AN ONGOING ISSUE OF THE, OF THE CORE AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN DISTRICT ONE. ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES IN, IN HELPING TO PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF, OF PROTECTION IS THE, THE ABILITY TO WORK ALONGSIDE WITH, WITH NEIGHBORHOODS AND NEIGHBORS, UH, THAT ARE JUST WANTING TO KNOW HOW THE CITY IS, IS MOVING FORWARD, HOW CERTAIN PROJECTS ARE, ARE HANDLED, AND WHY SOME OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS MIGHT BE CHANGING. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE, THE, THE CONCERNS, UM, REGARDING, UH, THE, THE CHANGE IN IN CHARACTER OF SOME OF THE, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS WE ALL KNOW TOO WELL. UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN LAR LARGELY LAR SUPPORT FROM PROPERTY OWNERS, REAL ESTATE AGENTS, ENGINEERS, AND DEVELOPERS. UM, THIS BEGINS A PROCESS AS, UH, MIKE SHANNON, SHANNON JUST POINTED OUT, UH, TO, TO REALLY, UH, HELP TO CORRECT A LOT OF ISSUES THAT I THINK HAVE, HAVE, HAVE BEEN A LEGACY ISSUE FOR, FOR DISTRICT ONE. AND I THINK IT'S ALSO, UH, INCUMBENT ON OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS TO, TO POTENTIALLY LOOK AT THIS, INTO, IN THEIR DISTRICTS, AS WAS STATED THERE. THERE ARE ISSUES IN OTHER AREAS OF OUR CITY, UH, AND WE WELCOME THAT DISCUSSION AS WELL. UH, BUT WE THINK THAT THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, UH, NOW BECAUSE, BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURES THAT ARE OCCURRING NOW. SO, UH, OUR HOPE IS THAT WE HAVE A, A PROACTIVE EFFORT, UH, UNDERWAY, UM, RIGHT AWAY. AND I HOPE TO GET YOUR SUPPORT HERE ON COUNCIL REGARDING THIS VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC, UH, THAT'S GONNA AFFECT THE, THE, THE CORE OF OUR CITY. AND, UM, WITH THAT, A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, THE RESOLUTION TO INITIATE PLAN AMENDMENTS FOR AND ZONING, UH, IN DISTRICT ONE. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 23, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU COUNCILMAN TREVINO FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND TO THE RESIDENTS WHO CAME OUT TO, TO SPEAK THEIR OPINIONS ON THIS. I KNOW YOU COULD BE DOING OTHER THINGS RIGHT NOW, BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. UM, I, I AGREE. THIS IS, THIS IS HELPING PROPERTY OWNERS WITH UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. THIS CONSEQUENCES OF THE CODE CHANGE. SO IT REALLY IS CORRECTING ERRORS, AND THAT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE DO THAT, WE DO IT CORRECTLY. AND SOMETIMES WE DO HAVE TO CLEAN UP AFTER, AFTER OURSELVES. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, AND YOU MENTIONED, UH, ENCOURAGING EACH OF US TO LOOK INTO OUR OWN DISTRICTS, AND, UH, I WOULD, I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT AS WELL. WHAT I'D, I'D WANNA KNOW FROM, UH, ZONING STAFF IS WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND IS, DOES THIS PROCESS ALLOW FOR YOU TO LOOK AT OTHER PARTS OUTSIDE OF THE ONES IDENTIFIED IN THE C C R OR WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE A NEXT STEP FOR, FOR THOSE OF US INTERESTED IN, IN PURSUING SOMETHING SIMILAR? [02:40:01] UM, SO I THINK TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THE CURRENT RESOLUTION WOULD AUTHORIZE CITY STAFF TO REALLY START DIGGING INTO THESE AREAS. UM, WE WOULD CERTAINLY, IF WE WANTED TO LOOK AT OTHER AREAS LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST, UM, WITH FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, AND SOME CURRENT, WE WOULD, UH, SEE AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE HEARING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, DO SOME PRELIMINARY, UH, UH, DATA GATHERING WITH YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, BUT WE WOULD NEED A RESOLUTION FROM THIS BODY TO REALLY START, UH, ANY TYPE OF REZONING OR POTENTIAL REZONING PROCESS, UM, OF ANYBODY'S PROPERTY. UH, THE, THE, THE STATE LAW SAYS A PROPERTY OWNER, UH, CAN APPLY TO REZONE THEIR PROPERTY, UH, OR THIS BODY CAN, WE CAN'T JUST DO IT OURSELVES. UM, BUT I, WE COULD MEET WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY TO TALK ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS OR ANY THAT YOU HEAR, YOU, YOU THINK, UH, YOU'RE HAVING SOME OF THE SAME CHALLENGES THAT I THINK, UH, THE COUNCILMAN TRAVINO HAS IDENTIFIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MICHAEL. LIKE, LIKE SOME OF THESE AREAS, UH, PARTS OF DISTRICT SEVEN AREN'T SCHEDULED FOR, UH, REVIEW IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. UH, IF AT ALL. I THINK WE DON'T HAVE ANY REGIONAL CENTERS IN DISTRICT SEVEN WHERE JUST TO TELL A LITTLE BIT OF THE MEDICAL CENTER. SO, UM, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, IN PURSUING THAT WITH YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 23. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM NUMBER 24. [24. An Ordinance authorizing the execution of the following contracts for state representation services: (a) Focused Advocacy, to provide year-round services for a two-year renewal term in an amount not to exceed $8,500.00 per month; (b) Texas Lobby Group, to provide services for a one-year renewal term in an amount not to exceed $7,500.00 per month; and (c) Marc A. Rodriguez to provide services for a one-year renewal term in an amount not to exceed $7,500.00 per month; and (d) Jesse Ancira to provide state representation services for a one-year term in an amount not to exceed $7,500.00 per month. [Carlos Contreras, Assistant City Manager; Jeff Coyle, Director, Government & Public Affairs]] ITEM NUMBER 24 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF THE FOLLOWING CONTRACTS FOR STATE REPRESENTATION SERVICES, ITEM A IS FOCUSED ADVOCACY TO PROVIDE YEAR-ROUND SERVICES FOR A TWO YEAR RENEWAL TERM IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $8,500 PER MONTH. ITEM B IS TEXAS LOBBY GROUP TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR A ONE YEAR RENEWAL TERM IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 7,500 PER MONTH. AND ITEM C IS MARK A. RODRIGUEZ TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR A ONE YEAR RENEWAL TERM IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $7,500 PER MONTH. AND ITEM D JESSE, AN TO PROVIDE STATE REPRESENTATION SERVICES FOR ONE YEAR TERM IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $7,500 PER MONTH. COUNCILMAN BROCKO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, JEFF, DID YOU HAVE A, I THINK HAD A SHORT PRESENTATION, RIGHT. A BRIEF ONE. UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION TO EXERCISE RENEWALS IN OUR, UH, STATE LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT CONTRACTS. UH, BETWEEN CARLOS AND MYSELF, UH, WE'VE DIRECTED OUR, OUR STATE LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS FOR THE PAST FIVE SESSIONS NOW NEARLY A DECADE. AND, AND I THINK WE WOULD BOTH AGREE THAT THE TEAM THAT WE HAD THIS PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH WAS THE RESULT OF A R F P PROCESS BEFORE THE SESSION, UH, WAS THE BEST TEAM THAT WE HAVE HAD TO DATE, THE MOST COHESIVE AND THE MOST EFFECTIVE IN WHAT WAS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. UH, THE, THE TOP LINE METRIC FOR OUR SESSION, UH, WAS AN 86% SUCCESS RATE AMONG THE PRIORITY ITEMS THAT THE COUNCIL HAD IDENTIFIED IN OUR AGENDA. UH, AND SO, UH, GIVEN THAT WE BROUGHT THE TEAM IN BEFORE THE, UH, THIS I G R COMMITTEE A MONTH OR SO AGO TO, TO, UH, RECAP THE SESSION AND TALK ABOUT THE STEPS GOING FORWARD, UH, THE MESSAGE THAT WE GOT FROM THE I G R COMMITTEE WAS NOT TO TAKE OUR, OUR FOOT OFF THE GAS, THAT, UH, THINGS WOULD CONTINUE TO BE CHALLENGING FOR CITIES AT THE STATE CAPITOL. AND SO, UM, ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE DO, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT WE EXERCISE THE ONE OPTIONAL RENEWAL THAT WAS IN THEIR CONTRACTS. UH, FROM, FROM PRIOR, UH, SINCE THAT MEETING, UH, WE'VE HAD BOTH THE SPEAKER AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR ISSUE MORE THAN 350 INTERIM CHARGES. UH, A LARGE NUMBER OF THEM RELATED TO CITIES AND HEARINGS ARE BEGINNING, UH, IN VERY SHORT ORDER. AND SO BY, BY BRINGING OUR TEAM BACK, PUTTING OUR TEAM IN PLACE, NOW, IT DOES TWO THINGS. IT MAKES SURE WE'RE REPRESENTED THROUGH THIS INTERIM PROCESS TO BEST, UH, REPRESENT THE CITY GOING FORWARD INTO THE NEXT SESSION. AND SECONDLY, IT HELPS US MANAGE, UH, POTENTIAL CONFLICTS AS LOBBYISTS HIRE NEW CONFLICTS THAT HIRE CLIENTS. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THERE ARE CONFLICTS AND WHEN THEY'RE REPRESENTING US, IT ALLOWS US TO MANAGE AROUND THEM AND ENSURE THAT THE CITY IS ADEQUATELY REPRESENTED, UH, AS OPPOSED TO COMING INTO THE GAME LATE AND, UH, AND TRYING TO SEEK REPRESENTATIVES WHO CAN, UH, WHO CAN REPRESENT US. ALL OF THAT SAID, THE I G R COMMITTEE VOTED AT OUR AT OUR LAST MEETING, UH, TO BRING THIS ITEM, UH, FORWARD TO COUNCIL. SO VERY QUICKLY, THIS IS, UH, OUR TEAM AND WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING. UH, THIS WOULD BE A RENEWAL OF THE, UH, ONE FULL-TIME LOBBY FIRM FOCUSED ADVOCACY FOR A TWO YEAR PERIOD, BEGINNING, UH, NOW AND THROUGH THE [02:45:01] NEXT SESSION. UH, THEY ARE A FIRM THAT FOCUSES SPECIFICALLY ON CITIES. THEY HAVE A VAST MUNICIPAL, UH, EXPERIENCE. THEY'RE, UH, OTHER CLIENTS INCLUDE CORPUS CHRISTI, FORT WORTH, AUSTIN, AND SO WE'RE REGULARLY ABLE TO COORDINATE WITH THESE OTHER CITIES WITH THEIR HELP. KURT SELIS IS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE TEXAS HOUSE. HE'S A FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. BRANDON AIAN IS A FORMER DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, UH, AND WAS A CHIEF OF STAFF TO SEVERAL LEGISLATORS. AND SNAPPER CARR IS A FORMER GENERAL COUNSEL AND, AND LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL TO THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS THAT WE, UH, BRING BACK, UH, NEXT YEAR, UH, SEVERAL OF THE CONSULTANTS THAT WE HAD ON BOARD AS OUR SESSION ONLY CONSULTANT. SO THE WAY WE'VE STRUCTURED IT IS WE HAVE ONE CONSULTANT YEAR ROUND, AND THEN AS WE START TO GEAR UP, UH, CLOSER TO THE SESSION, WE BRING IN OTHER REPRESENTATIVES TO HELP ROUND OUT OUR TEAM. AND SO THE TEAM, THIS PAST, UH, REGULAR SESSION AND SPECIAL SESSION IS UP IN FRONT OF YOU, JESSE AND SRA IS A FORMER MAYOR OF THE CITY OF TAYLOR. SO HE UNDERSTANDS, UH, CITIES FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. HE'S THE FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO SPEAKER STRAUSS, AND THAT HAS PUT HIM IN A POSITION OF DEVELOPING VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE CHAIRMAN OVER THE YEARS THAT THE SPEAKER, UH, APPOINTED TO, TO CARRY OUT VARIOUS COMMITTEE ACTIONS. AND HE IS A FORMER GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE TEXAS COMPTROLLER. MARK RODRIGUEZ, UH, SERVED HERE AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN AN I G R ROLE FOR MANY YEARS. HE WAS ALSO AT THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND THEN FORMERLY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE US HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. HE HAS BEEN, UH, A GO-TO PERSON FOR US, PARTICULARLY WITHIN OUR OWN DELEGATION. HIS RELATIONSHIPS THERE ARE, ARE TREMENDOUS. AND IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO LATER, I CAN TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIFICS. UH, MIKE TOOMEY IS ALSO A FORMER MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. HE WAS ALSO A CHIEF OF STAFF TO BOTH GOVERNOR PERRY AND GOVERNOR BILL CLEMENTS, AND ALSO ON HIS TEAM. EXCUSE ME, IS CARRIE SIMMONS, A FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF, CAN I NEED A DRINK OF THE, UM, UH, TEXAS HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS? UH, SHE'S BEEN A FORMER LEGISLATIVE AIDE AND HAS BEEN NAMED A RISING STAR AT THE CAPITOL. AS I MENTIONED, OUR, OUR TEAM IS STRUCTURED SO THAT WE HAVE ONE FIRM THAT COMES ON FULL-TIME, AND THEN OTHER FIRMS THAT COME ON LATER AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE SESSION. SO IF YOU LOOK UP HERE, OUR, OUR TIMELINE IS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. WE'RE IN THE LATE PART OF 2017. UM, WE'RE IN BASICALLY WHAT IS THE INTERIM PERIOD AND BEGINNING IN, UH, THE SUMMER OF NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BEGIN DEVELOPING OUR LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM. WE TYPICALLY BRING THAT PROGRAM TO, TO THE COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER PRIOR TO THE SESSION. THE SESSION THEN BEGINS IN JANUARY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND WE'LL RUN FOR, UH, APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS, UH, THROUGH TO JUNE WHEN THERE'S A THREE MONTH, THREE WEEK VETO PERIOD FOR THE GOVERNOR. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE ARROWS ABOVE THAT, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT FOCUSED ADVOCACY, LIKE LAST SESSION, REPRESENT US THROUGHOUT THAT PERIOD. AND THE OTHER REPRESENTATIVES COME ON IN JULY OF NEXT YEAR TO HELP WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM TO BRING TO YOU AND THEN REPRESENT US THROUGH THE SESSION AND THROUGH THE GOVERNOR VETO PERIOD. THESE ARE THE PROPOSED TERMS OF THE CONTRACT. THEY'RE THE SAME AS, AS LAST SESSION, UH, 8,500 A MONTH FOR THE LEAD FIRM, 7,500 A MONTH FOR THE OTHERS. UH, THE LEAD FIRM BEING A TWO YEAR CONTRACT, THE OTHERS BEING 12 YEAR, 12 MONTH CONTRACTS THAT STRADDLE, UH, THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AS I MENTIONED. AND I WILL ADD THAT OUR TOTAL BUDGET, UH, IN THE INTERIM YEAR, WHICH WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, UH, BECAUSE OUR FISCAL YEAR DOESN'T LINE UP DIRECTLY WITH THE LEGISLATIVE YEAR, OF COURSE, BUT WE ARE IN WHAT IS A NON SESSION YEAR. WE SPEND CURRENTLY ABOUT HALF OF WHAT WE SPENT IN 2008, UH, PRIOR TO 2010, WE HAD FIVE LOBBY TEAMS ON, UH, CONTRACT FULL-TIME, UH, INTERIM END SESSION. IT COST ABOUT $318,000 A YEAR. AT THE TIME. MY PREDECESSOR CARLOS, THOUGHT WE COULD DO IT MORE, UH, EFFICIENTLY AND COST EFFECTIVELY IF WE STRUCTURED IT THE WAY WE HAVE IT NOW. AND SO WE, UH, IN THIS, UH, PARTICULAR INTERIM YEAR, OUR BUDGET IS 169,000, UH, RELATIVE TO THAT THREE 18, UH, 10 YEARS AGO. AND THEN FINALLY, UH, COUNCILMAN PERRY HAD ASKED IN COMMITTEE ABOUT PERFORMANCE METRICS. WE DO HAVE, UH, PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR ALL OF THEM. THE MAJOR MEASURE OF ANY LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT IS WHETHER THEY HELP PASS OR DEFEAT BILLS. AND SO THOSE ARE OUR TWO PERFORMANCE MEASURES. WE HAVE A, A SUCCESS RATE, A PASSAGE RATE OF 75% OF THE PRIORITIES OR INITIATIVES THAT, UH, THAT THE CITY BRINGS FORWARD, BILLS [02:50:01] THAT WE SEEK TO PASS. AND THEN WE ALSO REQUIRE THEM TO HELP US DEFEAT 85% OF THE BILLS THAT WE ACTIVELY OPPOSE. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL OF THOSE BILLS ARE IN ADVANCE, BUT WE END UP DEVELOPING DURING THE SESSION A MATRIX OF ALL THE LEGISLATION THAT WE ARE ACTIVELY OPPOSING. LAST SESSION, WE DIDN'T BRING ANY BILLS FORWARD AS A, AS A STANDALONE INITIATIVE. SO WE DID SORT OF A HYBRID WHERE IT WAS ALL OUR PRIORITIES, AND AS I MENTIONED, WE HAD AN 86%, UH, SUCCESS RATE AMONGST THOSE. UH, SO WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, JEFF. I, UH, I WAS DIGGING INTO A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF ON OTHER ITEMS, AND I DIDN'T GET A, A CHANCE TO HAVE TOO BIG A CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT THIS. SO I'M, I'M GLAD I GOT TO SIT THROUGH YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, AND KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM. AND IT ANSWERS A COUPLE OF MY QUESTIONS ALREADY. WHEN I SAW THE OVERLAPPING NATURE OF, UH, THESE CONTRACTS, THE BIGGEST A COUPLE THINGS I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WAS, NUMBER ONE, THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S $31,000 A MONTH MM-HMM. , UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO LOBBYIST AND, UM, AND WITH THE DRASTIC CHANGES IN AUSTIN MM-HMM. , RIGHT? I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, THREE OR FOUR NEW COMMITTEE CHAIRS, UH, A NEW SPEAKER. UH, WE JUST DON'T KNOW THE DIRECTION, RIGHT? WE, WE, WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GONNA END UP. IS IT GOING TO MOVE IN A DIRECTION THAT'S LESS OR MORE FAVORABLE TO THE CITY? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN THAT. OBVIOUSLY YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE, BUT, UH, WITH, WITH SUCH DRASTIC CHANGES, MY FIRST QUESTION WOULD BE DID THE, AND, AND YOU KNOW, I'M SURE A MEMBER OF THE IG R COMMITTEE, IF THERE WANTS TO, THE CHAIR WANTS TO CHIME IN JUST TO KIND OF HELP THE DISCUSSION. I'M, I'M FINE WITH THAT, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHY NOT WITH THE, UH, THE TOTAL CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO OCCUR HERE THAT WE DIDN'T GO BACK OUT TO R F P ON IT AND GIVE THIS AN OPPORTUNITY. I GET IT'S A CONTRACT EXTENSION. YEAH. BUT, UH, IT WOULD APPEAR TO ME WE'D BE PLAYING IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BALLGAME HERE, UH, IN THE NEXT SESSION. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU COULD KIND GIMME MORE DOWN ON THAT. SURE. I THINK THAT'S A FAIR QUESTION. LET ME, UH, FIRST SORT OF LAY OUT THE TIMELINE FOR THE LEGISLATURE. EVERY MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE HAS TO RUN IN A PRIMARY THIS COMING MARCH, AND THEN WIN A GENERAL ELECTION NEXT NOVEMBER. SO REALLY EVEN WHO THE LEGISLATORS ARE, UH, IS NOT FULLY DETERMINED UNTIL THE END OF NEXT YEAR. WHEN THE LEGISLATURE CONVENES IN JANUARY, THEIR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO ELECT A HOUSE SPEAKER. AND THEN THE HOUSE SPEAKER WILL IDENTIFY COMMITTEE CHAIRS. THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR RUNS STATEWIDE, SO HE'LL, HE, THAT WILL BE DETERMINED IN NOVEMBER. UH, AND AGAIN, HE THEN APPOINTS HIS CHAIRS IN LATE JANUARY, EARLY FEBRUARY. SO IF WE WERE TO WAIT FOR ALL OF THAT DUST TO SETTLE, WE WOULD BE A MONTH, EASILY A MONTH INTO THE SESSION, UH, WHEN WE WOULD BE TRYING TO SELECT CONSULTANTS. SO WHAT WE DO IS TRY TO BASE, UH, IS TRY TO BUILD OUR TEAM TO BE AS WELL-ROUNDED AND REPRESENTATIVE AS POSSIBLE. WE, AS THE CITY, OF COURSE, ARE NOT PARTISAN IN ANY WAY, BUT THEY ARE IN, IN AUSTIN. AND SO HOPEFULLY AS YOU, YOU HEARD FROM, AS I LAID OUT THE TEAM POLITICALLY, THEIR RELATIONSHIPS AND PAST EXPERIENCES SPAN, UH, THE BOARD. UM, SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, TO WORK WITH ALL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE. THAT'S ONE KEY THING FOR US. WE ALSO TRY TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE SPECIFIC EXPERTISE. AND, UH, AND SO, UM, WE HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE, WHO ARE MUNICIPAL EXPERTS. WE HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERTS, UM, WHO ARE, HAVE STRONGEST RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR DELEGATIONS, OTHERS, WITH OTHER MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY WHO MAY NOT KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US. SO WE TRY TO GIVE OURSELVES THE BEST WELL-ROUNDED TEAM POSSIBLE SO THAT WHEN WE GET UP THERE, NO MATTER WHO GETS APPOINTED CHAIR, WE, WE HAVE A GOOD EXTENSION OF OUR STAFF UP THERE AND BEING ABLE TO, TO REPRESENT THE CITY AS BEST WE CAN. THE, UH, AND YOU KNOW, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED IN THE PAST, UH, AS FAR BACK AS, YOU KNOW, THE END OF JUNE AND JULY ABOUT THE NATURE WITH WHICH THE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY, UH, TAKES ON AUSTIN, RIGHT? IT'S A VERY ANTAGONISTIC APPROACH AND QUITE A BIT, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO LOCAL CONTROL ISSUES AND A SERIES OF OTHER THINGS. SO I THINK YOU HIT A NAIL ON THE HEAD THAT'S VERY CONCERNING TO ME ABOUT WHO WE SEND UP THERE, WHICH IS, UH, COST ASIDE, RIGHT? WHICH, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF THESE FOLKS ON HERE, I WOULD TELL YOU, I HAVE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT THEM REPRESENTING US. UH, THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M CAUTIOUS IF NOT WILLING TO SUPPORT THIS, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S SOME NAMES ON HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, WE TAKE A VERY, UM, HARD LINE STAND AGAINST AUSTIN. I LIKE THE WAY YOU PUT THAT. I THINK THAT WAS VERY ASTUTE WHEN YOU SAID, HEY, WE'RE NONPARTISAN. WE GOTTA GO UP THERE AND PLAY IN A PARTISAN GAME. AND, AND THE BREADTH OF THE TEAM, UH, WE SEND UP THERE IS VERY IMPORTANT. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD YOU WENT A LITTLE BIT INTO THE, YOU KNOW, THEIR BACKGROUNDS AND, AND, AND THE HISTORY OF THEM. UH, ON THE LAST SLIDE, IT MENTIONED, UM, MECHANISMS FOR MEASUREMENTS TO COUNCILMAN PERRY'S POINT. THOSE SEEM VERY BROAD. SO WHEN WE, I GUESS THE ONLY ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE IF THEY DON'T HIT THAT METRIC AT THE END [02:55:01] OF THE SESSION IS THEY JUST DON'T GET RENEWED. I'M SORRY, THEIR CONTRACT. LET'S, I MEAN, IT JUST SAYS WE HAVE TO GET 75% OF OUR WORK DONE, UH, IN A, YOU KNOW, IN OUR FAVOR OR WHATEVER IT IS, WHICHEVER ITEMS YOU'RE LISTING THERE. I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT LANGUAGE OF IT, BUT, UM, THE ONLY ACCOUNTABILITY METRIC FOR THAT IS THEY JUST DON'T GET RENEWED ON THEIR NEXT CONTRACT. OUR, OUR CONTRACTS GIVE US AN OPTION TO TERMINATE, UH, I THINK WITH 30 DAYS NOTICE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. SO, SO WE COULD TERMINATE A CONTRACT. IS THAT ANDY'S, DID I GET IT RIGHT? OH, 10 DAYS, I'M SORRY. 10 DAYS NOTICE. SO IF WE DID NOT FEEL WE WERE GETTING ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION FROM A CONSULTANT, WE COULD, UH, TERMINATE THEM. IT, I'LL SAY IT IS, IT IS CHALLENGING TO MEASURE THE WORK OF A LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT. ON THE ONE HAND, IT'S VERY SIMPLE TO SAY, DID THE BILL PASS OR FAIL? AND SO WE TRY TO PUT THE NUMBERS AROUND THERE. BUT THE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU LOOK FOR IN A CONSULTANT ARE THEIR JUDGMENT, THE STRATEGY THAT THEY PUT FORTH, UH, THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY HAVE AT THE, AT THE CAPITOL, AND HOW YOU BRING THAT TO BEAR. AND THEN ULTIMATELY THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE TO US. THOSE ARE NOT ALL EASY THINGS TO MEASURE WITH NUMBERS. UH, SO WE DO OUR BEST TO, TO DEVELOP IN ADDITION TO THE HIGH, HIGH LEVEL METRICS, THE, THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE EXPECT OF THEM. AND WE HAVE NOT RENEWED, UH, CONSULTANTS CONTRACTS WHO WE DIDN'T FEEL, UH, DID THE BEST JOB FOR US. IT'S, IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, I WANNA GO BACK TO SOMETHING YOU SAID. THE ANTAGONISM, UH, I WOULD ARGUE IS NOT COMING FROM THE CITY. UH, WHERE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE ARE MANY STATE OFFICIALS WHO HAVE DECIDED CITIES ARE A PROBLEM AND, AND NEED TO REIGN IN THE AUTHORITY OF THIS BODY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS. SO WE'RE IN A, IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS SOMEWHAT HOSTILE TO, FOR SOME, NOT EVERYBODY. UM, AND IT REALLY TAKES, UH, SOMEBODY BEING COMMITTED TO THE CITY TO BE UP THERE FIGHTING SOME OF THESE BATTLES WITH US BECAUSE THEY, THEY INEVITABLY WILL BURN RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEMBERS WHO, WHO MAY BE IMPORTANT TO THEM FOR SOME OTHER CLIENT AND SOME OTHER ISSUE. SO HAVING, HAVING CONSULTANTS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO WHAT WE'RE ABOUT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING, UH, IS IMPORTANT TO US AND WE VALUE THAT A LOT. THAT'S A GOOD EXPLANATION, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I KNOW YOU AND CARLOS ARE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN. AND, UH, I WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, SAY THAT FROM A, A MEASUREMENT, RIGHT, A METRIC PIECE, THAT THOSE METRICS ARE PRETTY, THEY ARE, THEY JUST SUPER HIGH LEVEL. AND I, I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT MEANS REALLY. SO, I MEAN, I WOULD IMAGINE IT'S HIGHLY ATTAINABLE, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MET YOU, I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCESSION. IT'S DIFFICULT TO EVEN MEASURE, YOU KNOW, HOW OR WHO OR WHAT, OR JUST NOT BILL'S, PASS, LOAN'S, NOT GONNA GET IT DONE. IT'S RELATIONSHIPS. SO I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. THOSE, THOSE ARE THINGS YOU LOOK AT. UH, AND I, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS. I WOULD JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHO WE'RE SENDING UP, THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT PERSON, RIGHT? OR PERSONS OR TEAM, UH, AND THAT'S YOUR GUYS, YOU'RE THE EXPERT IN THOSE THINGS, OBVIOUSLY. BUT I, WE, YOU KNOW, EACH OF US HAVE OPINIONS ON THESE FOLKS AS WELL, AND THEY'RE REPRESENTING, UH, THE OPINIONS OF THIS BODY. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TOUGH TIME, RIGHT? AND I, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN ANTAGONISTIC ENVIRONMENT AND I WOULD HOPE, I WOULD BE HOPEFUL 'CAUSE WHO KNOWS WHAT'S COMING OUT IN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, RIGHT? I WOULD BE VERY HOPEFUL THAT, UH, WE TRY TO FIND WAYS TO WORK WITH AUSTIN AND GET THINGS DONE BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU AROUND THIS PLACE, YOU GOTTA WIN ELECTIONS. AND THEY'RE WINNING ELECTIONS STATEWIDE EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS. SO THEY CONTROL THE AGENDA AND THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO PUSH IT. UM, IT'S GONNA GET, WHICHEVER WAY YOU FALL POLITICALLY IS GONNA GET MUCH MORE POSITIVE OR MUCH WORSE FOR YOU IN AUSTIN, DEPENDING ON WHO GETS SEATED IN THESE VERY POWERFUL POSITIONS. SO, UM, WHILE WE ARE TAKING A HEAVILY, YOU KNOW, ANTAGONISTIC APPROACH ON SOME ITEMS AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM ON SOME OTHERS, THESE LOCAL CONTROL ISSUES AND EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING AND HOW WE, UH, WORK WITH AUSTIN IS GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, TO FIND WAYS TO GET THINGS DONE. SO I AGREE. UM, I DO APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION AND THE WORK, CARLOS AND THE STAFF, BUT, UH, AT THIS TIME I'M NOT GONNA SUPPORT THE MEASURE, SO THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN B HOUSE, COUNCILMAN CURRY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, JEFF, LET ME ASK, HOW MANY, UH, STAFF PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE WHO WORK DIRECTLY FOR YOU? WHO LOBBY FOR US IN AUSTIN? RIGHT? VERY SMALL TEAM. YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT . UM, MY, IN MY DEPARTMENT MYSELF, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MEGAN DODGE, AND OUR STATE LEGISLATIVE MANAGER, UH, CHRISTINE WRIGHT, I, I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT'S EVERYONE. WE, EDUARDO CARASCO IS AN ATTORNEY IN OUR DEPARTMENT WHO'S IN-HOUSE AND HANDLES THE 2000 PLUS BILLS THAT WE TRACK THROUGHOUT THE SESSION, SENDING 'EM OFF TO DEPARTMENTS AND, AND GETTING INPUT AND THAT SORT OF THING. SO WE HAVE A VERY SMALL STAFF. THE REASON WE HAVE CONSULTANTS IS TO EXTEND THAT STAFF, UH, TO BE ABLE TO BE BEST REPRESENTED UP THERE. I HAVE SAID BEFORE, AND I FIRMLY [03:00:01] BELIEVE THIS, THERE IS NOBODY AT THE CAPITOL WHO HAS A BROADER SCOPE OF ISSUES THAN CITIES. IF YOU'RE AN AT AND T, YOU'RE WATCHING A HANDFUL OF TELECOM BILLS. IF YOU'RE AN ENGINEERING FIRM, YOU MIGHT CARE ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FUNDING. WE HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY, TAX ISSUES, TRANSPORTATION FUNDING, LAND REGULATION DEVELOPMENT, LEGAL ISSUES. UH, IT JUST GOES ACROSS THE BOARD. IT WAS MORE THAN 2000 BILLS LAST SESSION THAT OUR DEPARTMENT TRACKED. AND SO HAVING CONSULTANTS HELPS EX EXTEND THAT. AND, AND, UH, AS OPPOSED TO HAVING A BIG TEAM IN-HOUSE, WE HAVE A, A SMALL, NIMBLE TEAM AND THEN, UH, PROFESSIONALS THAT WE CONTRACT WITH TO HELP US MM-HMM. , UM, NOW, AND I'M SURE THESE FOUR ARE ALL WELL QUALIFIED TO DO THEIR WORK. UM, I'M SURE THEY'VE ALL, YOU KNOW, DONE LOBBY WORK BEFORE YOU CALL 'EM CONSULTANTS. I CALL 'EM LOBBYISTS. THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE. THEY'RE OUT TALKING TO LEGISLATORS AND THEIR STAFF, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. UM, IN THE METRICS, UH, DO WE HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT WITH THEM TO WORK ONLY FOR THE CITY IN THEIR LOBBYING AS THEY, AS THEY WORK DURING THE SESSIONS? NO, WE DON'T. SO WE, WE HAVE PART-TIME LOBBYISTS THEN. 'CAUSE THEY CAN WORK FOR OTHER INTERESTS AT THE SAME THEY DO. WE'RE PAYING $90,000 FOR PART-TIMERS. YES. WELL, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THEIR TIME IS COMMITTED EXCLUSIVELY TO CITY BUSINESS? I COULDN'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN SAY WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THEIR TIME. WE DON'T HAVE THAT IN THE METRICS, BUT, BUT THEY, THEIR PER THEIR PERCENTAGE OF TIME? NO. NOW THEY DO HAVE TO REPORT, UH, THEIR CLIENTS TO THE STATE ETHICS COMMISSION WHO, WHO THEIR CLIENTS ARE. I'LL TELL YOU THAT IT'S NOT PART-TIME DURING THE SESSION. IT'S OVERTIME DURING THE SESSION. THEY'RE THERE EARLY MORNING, LATE AT NIGHT, UH, ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK. UM, AND, AND I'VE SEEN IT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AND HEARINGS AT 1:00 AM IN THE MORNING THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE TESTIFIED ON BEFORE. DO WE SETTLE? BUT, BUT THAT'S DURING THE SESSION. DO WE SET LIMITS ON WHO THEY CAN WORK FOR? NO. THEY WILL. ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF US, UH, CONTRACTING WITH THEM NOW IS THAT WHEN CONFLICTS COME UP, THEY CAN'T HIRE, THEY CAN'T, UH, UH, CONTRACT WITH OTHER CLIENTS THAT ARE IN CONFLICT WITH US UNLESS WE APPROVE IT. SO THEY WILL COME TO US AND SAY, UM, WE'VE BEEN APPROACHED BY SUCH AND SUCH COMPANY, DO YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH IT? AND WE WILL SAY, ACTUALLY, YES, THEY'RE PUSHING AN ISSUE THAT WE, UH, ARE OPPOSED TO. AND SO IN SOME CASES, WE WILL FLAT OUT, UH, DISCOURAGE THEM FROM TAKING ON THAT CLIENT. AND OTHER CASES, WE WILL WORK AROUND THAT AND NOT USE THAT CONSULTANT ON THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE AND, AND RELY ON SOME OF THE REST OF OUR TEAM, UH, TO WORK ON IT. BUT EVERY, EVERY, UH, CONTRACTED LOBBYIST AT THE CAPITOL HAS MORE THAN ONE CLIENT. AND, AND THAT'S WHY THERE ARE STRICT STATE RULES ABOUT REPORTING THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT'S ALL OUT IN THE OPEN. WELL, I WOULD'VE THOUGHT YOU WOULD'VE HAD A METRIC BUILT IN THERE THAT WOULD SAY, WE WANT 50% OF YOUR TIME, OR 25% OF YOUR TIME, OR 75% OF YOUR TIME, $90,000 FOR A PART-TIMER, UH, TO ME, IS GROSSLY OVERPAID. UH, I, I DON'T SUPPORT THIS AS IT'S BEEN PRESENTED. AND WITH THE ANSWERS THAT YOU'VE GIVEN ME, I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. COURAGE. COUNCILMAN P UM, THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, JEFF. UM, HAVING DONE THE JOB OF A LOBBYIST IN THE PAST, I'M FAMILIAR WITH, UH, THE WEBSITE, CAPITAL STATE TX US, AND I'VE GOT IT UP HERE, AND I'M LOOKING AT THE SENATE, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE FOR LAST MONTH, THIS MONTH AND NEXT MONTH. AND JUST ON THE HEALTH SIDE, UH, LAST WEEK WE HAD HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEET PUBLIC HEALTH, UM, COMMITTEE THIS MONTH. AND NEXT, WE'VE ALSO GOT ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS. LAST MONTH WE HAD APPROPRIATIONS, URBAN AFFAIRS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH MEET ON THE SENATE SIDE. LAST WEEK, WE HAD BUSINESS AND COMMERCE. WE ALSO HAD I G R THIS WEEK, WE'VE GOT HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND TRANSPORTATION NEXT MONTH, CYBERSECURITY AND FINANCE. AND THOSE ARE ALL THE MEETINGS THAT WE MONITOR AND, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY FROM TIME TO TIME, EVEN WHEN WE'RE NOT IN SESSION. RIGHT. AND SO, UH, MY ONLY COMMENT, AND I'LL STOP NOW, MAYOR, IS, UH, THERE'S A SENSE OF URGENCY ON MY PART TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MONITORING AND ATTENDING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE THINGS. AND ALSO, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S GONNA BE TURNOVER WITH THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, BUT EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM KNOWS THAT THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD IN AUSTIN WITH THE STAFFERS WHO DON'T TURNOVER , AND THEY STAY THERE. AND SO THE RELATIONSHIP MAINTENANCE WITH THE STAFFERS IS PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHO SITS IN THE BIG CHAIR. SO, UM, GET TO WORK, JEFF. THANKS. AND, AND I'LL ADD TO THAT, YOU MENTIONED A LOT OF THOSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS. LET ME JUST RUN THROUGH SOME OF THE INTERIM CHARGES THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED ALREADY. THERE'S ONE ON THE ALAMO, HOW FUNDS ARE EXPENDED AND HOW THE PLANS ARE DEVELOPED. THERE'S ONE ON HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND, AND STATE RULES AND PROGRAMS AND LOCAL RULES THAT HELP THAT. THE PROPERTY TAX REFORM ISSUE FROM LAST SESSION IS ANOTHER INTERIM CHARGE. UM, WE HAVE, UH, INTERIM CHARGES ON MONITORING [03:05:01] THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW ANNEXATION LAW. UH, THERE'S ONE ON ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS, A HEARING NEXT WEEK THAT WILL BE A REPLAY OF THE BATHROOM BILL DISCUSSION, UH, CHARGES ON PROTECTING OUR MILITARY BASES, TRANSPORTATION FUNDING TO COUNCILMAN PERRY'S POINT. SO THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN. UH, AND, AND YES, WE'LL BE ACTIVE CHAIRMAN, UH, SANA HAS ASKED THAT AT OUR NEXT I G R MEETING, THE, UH, FULL-TIME LOBBY CONSULTANT TEAM, COME TO THE COMMITTEE WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT OUR INTERIM STRATEGY AND NEXT STEPS FOR HANDLING THESE. SO THAT'S HIGH ON OUR LIST. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PIAS, COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, A COUPLE QUICK FOLLOW-UPS ON COUNCILMAN K'S POINTS. AND I WANTED TO, UH, AGREE WITH HIM, UM, UM, WHOLEHEARTEDLY ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY'RE RECEIVING AND THEIR ACTUAL TIME COMMITMENT. AND IF THEY'RE SHOWING UP AND ATTENDING THESE MEETINGS. WHAT ARE YOUR TRACKING MECHANISMS, UH, TO ENSURE YOUR TEAM AND STAFF THAT THEY'RE MEETING, UM, OUR REQUIREMENTS? RIGHT. AND THEN I, AND SO YOU GO AND CHECK, ARE YOU LOOKING AT COMMITTEE ROLES? ARE YOU LOOKING, HOW ARE YOU FIGURING THAT WHILE THEY'RE IN A PART-TIME ROLE, THEY HAVE OTHER CLIENTS? I, I GET THE YEAH. THAT NOTION, BUT HOW ARE YOU MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING A JOB AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING UP THERE? I'M JUST CURIOUS. YEAH. WE, WE REQUIRE WEEKLY REPORTS FROM THEM ON THEIR ACTIVITY. WE MEET WITH THEM DURING THE SESSION, UH, EVERY MONDAY. UH, AND REALLY, UH, IN THE SESSION, IT'S ALMOST DAILY. UH, I WILL ASSIGN TO THEM, LET'S SAY THERE'S AN ISSUE BEFORE A HOUSE URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. I WILL ASSIGN EACH OF THEM WITH, UH, SPEAK, COMMUNICATING WITH AND ADVOCATING TO A SPECIFIC MEMBER ON THAT COMMITTEE AND REQUIRE OF THEM THAT THEY COME BACK TO US WITH REPORTS ON, ON ANY QUESTIONS THAT MEMBER HAS AND, AND, AND HOW WE MIGHT APPROACH THEM FURTHER. UM, SO THERE, THERE'S A VERY HANDS-ON LEVEL OF ACTIVITY WITH THEM. I, I WANNA STRESS THAT IN THIS INTERIM PERIOD, UH, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS ONE, ONE FIRM, THE OTHER ONES ARE, ARE, WILL BE COMING ON IN ADVANCE OF THE SESSION AND THROUGH THE SESSION. SO THE ACTIVITY LEVEL IS MUCH MORE INTENSE THEN. UH, BUT THE ONE FIRM WILL BE VERY, VERY BUSY, UH, IN THIS INTERIM, WITH ALL THE INTERIM ACTIVITIES WE HAVE. THEY DO GO TO HEARINGS FOR US, AND, AND WHEN WE CAN'T BE THERE, PROVIDE REPORTS TO US ON THE TEAM, AND YOU'RE GONNA BRING 'EM INTO A B SESSION, THIS ENTIRE TEAM TO MEET WITH THE COUNCIL. UM, WE CAN, WE'VE BROUGHT, WE BRING THEM TO I G R. SOMEBODY MENTIONED IT. I DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY WERE, AND I THINK ACTUALLY, UM, I SHOULD ALSO SAY TWO I G R. OKAY. BUT, BUT I SHOULD ALSO SAY NONE OF THE ACTIVITY UP THERE GOES ON WITHOUT THE COUNCIL'S, UM, AWARENESS. YOU ALL APPROVE THE AGENDA. WE GO ADVANCE. THE REASON FOR THE I G R COMMITTEE IS SO THAT WE ARE REGULARLY REPORTING TO THE COMMITTEE ON, ON WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND THEN DURING THE SESSION, THERE ARE, UH, TYPICALLY REPORTS TO THE FULL COUNCIL ON WHAT BILLS ARE OUT THERE, WHAT WE'RE WATCHING, AND HOW WE'RE . RIGHT. I, I WOULD JUST, I WOULD JUST CLOSE WITH, UH, AND A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT COUNCILMAN IMPLIES WAS TALKING ABOUT THE, THAT THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND THE ATTENDANCE, THAT THOSE ITEMS ARE PART OF THE CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENT, RIGHT? I MEAN, AM ARE WE PAYING 7,500 BUCKS A MONTH FOR MARK RODRIGUEZ TO SHOW UP? OR HIS SECRETARY? I MEAN, I, WHO'S SHOWING UP? I MEAN, MARK, WHO, WHO'S HE, WHO'S WHAT, HOW DOES THIS WORK? I MEAN, IF THE ONLY TWO METRICS WE HAVE IS WE ACCOMPLISH 75% OF WHAT WE WANT, THAT'S A PRETTY OVERRIDING, SOLID METRIC THAT YOU GUYS CAN MEASURE ON, ON A GLOBAL SCALE. BUT, BUT THE DAY-TO-DAY STUFF, WHICH IS THE PEOPLE WE'RE SENDING UP, THAT'S WHY I'M CONCERNED ABOUT CERTAIN PEOPLE ON THIS LIST, WHICH IS HOW, HOW, HOW ARE THEY REPRESENTING US? ARE THEY ACTUALLY SHOWING UP? ABSOLUTELY. AND IS IT THEM OR IS IT, UH, SOME PARALEGAL OR IS IT A, YOU KNOW, IS IT SOME, WHO KNOWS, RIGHT? YEAH. UM, SO I WOULD LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE, WHILE I'M NOT GONNA SUPPORT THIS TO SEE, YOU KNOW, GREATER CONVERSATION ABOUT METRICS TO HOLD THESE FOLKS ACCOUNTABLE. I MEAN, 7,500 BUCKS A MONTH TO A, TO A LOBBYIST ON A PART-TIME CONTRACT, 90,000 A YEAR MAY NOT BE OVERRIDING OR THAT MUCH MONEY. CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, PERHAPS IT'S JUST A DROP IN A BUCKET TO THESE FOLKS. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S TAX DOLLARS. SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE HOLDING THESE FOLKS ACCOUNTABLE AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY SHOWING UP AND DOING THEIR JOB. AND, UH, JUST TO HAVE THOSE IN CONTRACTUALLY PART OF THE CONVERSATION IN THE FUTURE CONTRACTS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT SO WE CAN GET GOING WITH THE DAY. AND, AND I DO APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION AND, AND, AND YOUR INTERACTION ON THIS ONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BROCKO. COUNCILMAN SALDANA, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU TO THE INPUT FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES IS THE, UH, CHAIR OF THE I G R COMMITTEE. PART OF THE, OUR FUNCTION IS TO, UH, ENSURE THAT WHEN WE'RE WORKING, WE'RE NOT WORKING JUST IN A VACUUM. WHEN WE HAVE ISSUES AND WE PASS ORDINANCES, THINGS LIKE TEXTING WHILE BANNING, OR TREE ORDINANCE THAT PROTECTS, UH, OUR TREE CANOPY, UH, ISSUES THAT ALLOW US AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO GOVERN WITHOUT, UH, PROBLEMS AND BLOCKS COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO INTERACT WITH AUSTIN. WE INTERACT WITH, UH, WASHINGTON D C UH, AND I WISH THAT THE RULES OF THE GAME WERE DIFFERENT, THAT, UH, THE RULES OF THE GAME WERE THAT CITIES DIDN'T HAVE TO HIRE, UH, CONSULTANTS WHO, WHO DO THIS ON A FULL-TIME BASIS. AND, YOU KNOW, [03:10:01] I, I WISH THAT THESE CONSULTANTS, THESE LOBBYISTS WERE CHEAP. UM, BUT THE CHEAP ONES PROBABLY CAN'T GET US INTO THE IMPORTANT MEETINGS THAT WE NEED TO TAKE WITH THAT CHAIRS OF COMMITTEES TO EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT ANY, ANY ATTACK ON, ON, ON, ON MILITARY MISSION, MAYBE, MAYBE A SE MAYBE A SENATOR OR REPRESENTATIVE WHO DOESN'T HAVE A MILITARY BASE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE TYPE OF IMPACT BECAUSE HE, HE DOESN'T REPRESENT, OR SHE DOESN'T REPRESENT A COMMUNITY WITH A MILITARY BASE. BUT WE DO. AND PART OF OUR JOB AS COUNCIL MEMBERS IS BEING ABLE TO GET TO THAT PERSON, TO TALK TO THEM AND, AND TALK THEM THROUGH WHAT CONSEQUENCES THAT WOULD HAVE FOR US ECONOMICALLY, WHAT CONSEQUENCES IT WOULD HAVE FOR US IF, IF THEY DISBAND OUR ABILITY TO, TO, UH, HAVE AN ORDINANCE, WHETHER IT'S TEXTING WHILE DRIVING, OR ANY OTHER ISSUES LIKE A NON-DISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE. UH, I, I WISH THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO ARM OURSELVES WITH, WITH CONSULTANTS OR LOBBYISTS, BUT, UH, THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE NOT SUCH THAT, UH, YOU GO INTO IT AND DISARM YOURSELF. AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA, ESPECIALLY FOR THE COST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS TO NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM UNTIL WE NEEDED THEM. BUT IF AT THAT TIME, UH, WHETHER THE SESSION IS GOING ON FOR THREE MONTHS, AND YOU'RE ASKING YOURSELF, YOU'LL, I, WE KEEP BANGING OUR HEADS AGAINST. SO WHILE WE CAN'T GET INTO THESE MEETINGS, UH, WE NEED TO HIRE SOMEBODY. AT THAT POINT, ALL THE CITIES HAVE HIRED FOLKS, AND THE TEAMS ARE LOYAL TO THE CITIES WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFYING THEIR PRIORITIES, WHETHER IT'S TRANSPORTATION, WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, UH, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT DURING OUR I G R COMMITTEE. SO, TO BE FAIR, TO THE I G R COMMITTEE MEMBERS, TO COUNCILMAN PERRY, COUNCILMAN IRAN, WE ASKED A LOT OF THESE TOUGH QUESTIONS AS WELL, TOO, BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE TO JUST THROW MONEY AT, AT, AT ISSUES AND SAY THAT THIS IS GONNA SOLVE IT. WE TRY TO BE AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE, DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS, UH, WITH THESE INDIVIDUALS. SO IF, IF NOT THIS, THEN WHAT I GUESS IS THE ANSWER FOR, FOR MY COLLEAGUES, AND I THINK THIS BUILDS UP THE BEST STRATEGY WE HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT COMBATIVE, BUT PARTNERS AND, AND SHARING INFORMATION DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. UH, I KNOW THAT WE'RE MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY, SO I THINK THERE'S A PEOPLE GETTING HUNGRY AND GRUMBLING, BUT I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND, UH, MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL. BUT WITH THAT, ALSO SAY THAT, UH, WE INVITE COLLEAGUES TO COME AND JOIN US AT OUR, OUR I G R COMMITTEE. THEY'RE OPEN TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. IF, IF NOT, WE DO WANT TO SET A TIME TO SCHEDULE THE, UH, CONSULTANTS TO COME IN AND TALK, TALK TO US ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES, SO EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SALDANA. AND I'LL, I'LL JUST CLOSE WITH JUST A BRIEF COMMENT, UH, TO GIVE CONFIDENCE TO, UH, OUR RESIDENTS WHO DEPEND ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE TEAMS THAT WE HAVE TO INTERACT WITH IN AUSTIN. I'VE SPOKEN WITH A NUMBER OF COLLEAGUES FROM OTHER CITIES, AND THEY BY FAR VIEW OUR I G R TEAM, ESPECIALLY THE ONE THAT IN THE EFFORT ASSEMBLED DURING THE SPECIAL SESSION TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE, UH, TEAM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS WITH REGARD TO MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE. SO, UM, GOOD WORK, JEFF. YOU HAVE LED THIS EFFORT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW, UH, WITH CARLOS IN A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY. OUR, OUR SUCCESS RA, OUR SUCCESS MEASURE WAS LIMITING DAMAGE, UNFORTUNATELY, RIGHT? WITH THE AGENDA THAT WAS PUT AHEAD OF US. BUT, UM, I THINK THAT THE TEAM THAT YOU'VE ASSEMBLED AND, AND BY VIRTUE OF THIS, UH, RENEWAL SHOWS THAT WE'VE DONE, UH, YEOMAN'S WORK TO MEET SUCCESS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 24. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES AT THIS TIME BECAUSE OF A TIME CERTAIN, UH, PRESS CONFERENCE. WE ARE GOING TO RECESS, UH, BRIEFLY. CITY COUNCIL WILL RESUME THE A SESSION AGENDA AT 1:00 PM HEY, ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE. WE'RE BACK NOW FROM, UH, A BRIEF RECESS. TIME IS 1:08 PM WE'LL GET UNDERWAY WITH [25. An Ordinance authorizing a contract with Veritas Clearwell for the purchase of the eDiscovery Solution to assist in responding to Open Records Requests in the amount of $288,000.00, funded from the New Technology Portfolio project. [Carlos Contreras, Assistant City Manager; Jeff Coyle, Director, Government and Public Affairs]] ITEM NUMBER 25. ITEM NUMBER 25 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT WITH VERUS CLEARWELL FOR THE PURCHASE OF [03:15:01] THE E-DISCOVERY SOLUTION TO ASSIST IN RESPONDING TO OPEN RECORDS REQUEST IN THE AMOUNT OF $288,000 FUNDED FROM THE NEW TECHNOLOGY PORTFOLIO PROJECT. COUNCILMAN BROCKO, UH, THANK YOU, MAREN. I'LL BE, UH, THIS QUICK AS POSSIBLE ON THIS ONE. I WANTED TO THANK JEFF COYLE. THANK YOU, JEFF, IN THE WORLD, WHEREVER YOU ARE TODAY. UH, THERE HE IS. NO BIGGIE. NO BIGGIE. I WANTED TO JUST, UH, GIVE YOU A, A, A BIG THANK YOU, REALLY. UM, OFTENTIMES WHEN, AND, AND, AND I THINK THIS IS A FAIR POINT TO MAKE, SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET A LITTLE ROUGH, BUT WHEN YOU, UH, I GOT TO WORD THIS RIGHT, BUT WHEN YOU, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE PUSHING AND YOU'RE ASKING QUESTIONS, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO DIG INTO HOW TO MAKE THINGS BETTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO STAKE YOUR, YOU KNOW, BE A PERSON OF PROCESS AND TRYING TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND ALL THESE BIG WORDS, UH, I REALLY WANTED TO LET THE, MY PEERS KNOW, AND THE FOLKS KNOW, AND, AND, AND THE PUBLIC, THAT YOU REALLY DID A SELF-EXAMINATION THAT ABOUT YOUR PROCESS, RIGHT? AND IT'S NOT EASY, UM, TO SAY, HEY, THERE ARE, THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN ALL DO BETTER. AND I THINK THAT WAS THE FIRST WORDS THAT I HAD WITH YOU ABOUT THIS. UM, AND I, I DON'T CONSIDER THIS ITEM A, YOU KNOW, A VERY SMALL ITEM. IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT, DOESN'T REALLY GET HEADLINES OR IT'S NOT OVER THE TOP. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT WOULD ANYBODY WOULD CONSIDER BIG VOTE, MOST OF THE TIME IT'S A CONSENT ITEM JUST GOES RIGHT ON PAST. BUT OUR ABILITY, AND I I WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS IS LIKE A SYSTEMIC CHANGE ITEM, UH, AT OUR CITY GOVERNMENT. OUR ABILITY TO GET TO INFORMATION AND THEN DISTRIBUTE THAT INFORMATION TO CITIZENS, RIGHT UPON THEIR REQUEST, IS A CORNERSTONE OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND GOVERNANCE. UH, I, I STAKE, IT WAS A MAJOR ISSUE IN MY FIGHT TO GET TO THIS SEAT, WHICH WAS TRANSPARENCY IN EVERYTHING WE DO, AND THE ABILITY TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND ARGUMENTS AND DIALOGUES IN FRONT OF THE PUBLIC, UH, WAS ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE PILLARS OF I, I RAN ON. SO WHEN I STARTED THE C C R TO GET THIS DONE, ONE OF IT WAS WHAT, WHAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING OUT OF THE EYE OF THE PUBLIC? AND IF A, IF A CITIZEN SAYS, HEY, I WANT TO ASK A QUESTION, HOW DO WE GET IT DONE? UM, AND HOW CAN I GET TO THAT INFORMATION AND, AND AVOID HUMAN ERROR OR, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, A HUMAN, UM, PERSON WHO DECIDES PERHAPS NOT TO FOLLOW. I MEAN, THERE'S A TON OF REASONS, RIGHT? THAT WE MAY NOT GET INFORMATION ACCESSED AND THEN DELIVERED ON AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST. BUT, UM, THIS, UH, SOFTWARE AND THIS OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU'VE DISCOVERED THAT YOU WORKED THROUGH AND YOUR PROCESS THAT YOU'RE UPDATING, I REALLY WANTED THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT, UH, YOU, YOU AND YOUR TEAM, AND THE CITY'S MADE A TREMENDOUS STEP FORWARD IN OPEN RECORDS AND TRANSPARENCY. UH, AND AS LONG AS THE REQUESTS ARE COMING IN AND GOT GOOD KEYWORDS AND, AND GOOD SEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DELIVER INFORMATION IN A TIMELY FASHION. I THINK IT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YOUR AVERAGE TURNAROUND TIME ON OPEN RECORDS REQUEST WAS EIGHT DAYS. EIGHT DAYS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE MEETING THE GOALS, UH, IN TIMELINESS AND TURNAROUND, BUT THIS IS GONNA ELEVATE THE REACH, RIGHT? YOUR TEAM'S ABILITY TECHNOLOGICALLY, YOU KNOW, DIGITALLY TO GET TO, UH, EVEN MORE INFORMATION. SO IT DOES RAISE THE BAR RIGHT, UH, AT CITY HALL TO WHEN YOU'RE WORKING IN, IN A DIGITAL MEDIUM TO BE PREPARED. IF A CITIZEN WANTS INFORMATION, THEY CAN GET TO IT. SO I WANTED TO THANK YOU PERSONALLY, UH, AND JUST, AND RAISE THE COST ISN'T ANYTHING. IT'S COMING FROM THE EXISTING TECHNOLOGY BUDGET, CORRECT? YES. RIGHT. SO, UM, IS KEVIN HERE? YES. YEP. RIGHT. SO WE'RE NOT, WHAT'S THE BUDGET? WHAT'S THE, RIGHT, SO WE'RE NOT, YEAH, IT'S COMING FROM THE EXISTING TECHNOLOGY FUND. THIS ISN'T, WE'RE NOT CREATING OR RAISING ANY NEW FUNDS OR FEES OR CUTTING ANYTHING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, CORRECT? YES, COUNCILMAN, THIS IS COMING FROM THE, UH, TECHNOLOGY PROJECT FUND FROM 2017. OKAY. PERFECT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. IT'S AN UPGRADE TO OUR PROCESS, AND, UH, I WANTED TO THANK YOU AND, AND THE TEAM, UH, AND, UH, LET THE, LET THE CITIZENS KNOW THE SUCCESS, UH, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE HERE IN THE FUTURE WHEN IT COMES TO OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS. SO THANK YOU. AND WITH THAT, I'LL MOTION TO APPROVE THE ITEM. SECOND. OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 25. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER 28. [28. An Ordinance authorizing partial Neighborhood Stabilization Program loan forgiveness in the amount of $136,487.69 (and accrued interest as of the date of City Council Action) of the original loan amount of $2,517,838.00, for the Gillette Square Apartments, a 43 unit multi-family development, located at 642 Gillette Boulevard, in Council District 3; and acceptance of a $600,000.00 pay off amount. [Peter Zanoni, Deputy City Manager; Verónica R. Soto, Director, Neighborhood and Housing Services Department]] ITEM 28 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING PARTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS STABILITY STABILIZATION PROGRAM FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS IN THE AMOUNT OF $136,487 AND 69 CENTS, AND ACCRUED INTEREST AS OF THE DATE OF THE CITY COUNCIL ACTION OF THE ORIGINAL LOAN AMOUNT OF MORE THAN $2.5 MILLION FOR THE GILLETTE SQUARE APARTMENTS. A 43 UNIT MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, LOCATED AT 4 6 4 2 GILLETTE BOULEVARD IN COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE, AN ACCEPTANCE OF A $600,000 PAYOFF AMOUNT. COUNCILMAN PERRY? [03:20:01] YES, THANK YOU, SIR. UH, THE REASON I POLL THIS, I, I JUST WANTED TO BE ON RECORD SAYING THAT, UH, I DON'T AGREE WITH, UH, FORGIVENESS OF, UH, NOTES, ESPECIALLY WITH TAXPAYER MONEY. UM, THIS, I'M NOT AGAINST, UH, YOU KNOW, DEALS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE HELPING AN AGENCY TO COME IN AND BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THAT'S FINE. UH, BUT WHEN THEY MAKE A DEAL WITH US, I EXPECT THEM TO LIVE UP TO THAT DEAL AND NOT COME BACK TO US SAYING, HEY, WE CAN'T AFFORD THIS, AND WE WANT YOU TO FORGIVE OUR DEBT. UM, WE'LL, WE, WE'LL PAY YOU A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF IT, BUT WE NEED TO BE, UH, FORGIVEN THE REST OF THAT DEBT. I DON'T, I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU AND I, IF, IF WE CAN'T MAKE LOAN PAYMENTS OR WHATEVER, THERE'S CONSEQUENCES TO THAT THERE, AND THERE'S REMEDIES FOR THAT AS WELL. UM, IF I GET A LOAN FROM A BANK, UM, YOU KNOW, I GOTTA REPAY THAT LOAN. I'M NOT THERE. I CAN'T JUST GO IN THERE AND SAY, HEY, I CAN'T MAKE THE PAYMENTS. WILL YOU FORGIVE THAT DEBT? UH, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, AND I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS. UH, I'M VERY, VERY PROTECTIVE OF THE TAXPAYER DOLLARS THAT WE DON'T GET INTO THIS OPPORTUNITY OF, OF FORGIVING DEBTS. EITHER SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH THE DEAL UPFRONT AND THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO AFFORD IT RIGHT FRONT, OR, OR THIS PROGRAM. THERE'S FLAWS IN IT THAT ALLOWS THIS KIND OF THING TO HAPPEN, UM, ON PROVIDING THE, THIS, THIS TYPE OF HOUSING FOR US. SO, I, I JUST WANT TO GO ON RECORD SAYING THAT I DON'T AGREE WITH FORGIVENESS OF THESE DEBTS. IT'S USING TAXPAYER MONEY. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, I GUESS ALONG WITH THAT, WHY DON'T WE SEE ABOUT RESTRUCTURING THIS AND GIVING THEM A LONGER TIME TO, UH, PAY THIS DEBT OFF, UH, VERSUS WHEN IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE REGULAR, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT YOU DO WITH BANKS. YOU KNOW, YOU RESTRUCTURE YOUR, YOUR DEAL TO GET IT ON LONGER TERMS OR WHATEVER, TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THOSE PAYMENTS AND REPAY THAT MONEY. SO THAT'S WHERE I'M COMING FROM. UH, BE HAPPY TO HEAR WHAT WE CAN DO TO, UH, UH, GO AROUND AND JUST FORGIVING, UH, A LOAN AND NOT HAVING THEM REPAY TO THE CITY WHAT THEY BORROWED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, VERONICA SOTO WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES DE DEPARTMENT. SO IN ESSENCE, THIS, UH, ITEM IS TO HAVE PARTIAL, PARTIAL FORGIVENESS OF A LOAN. UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE GETTING A REPAYMENT, AND I HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION WHERE I'LL GO THROUGH IT QUICKLY. SO THIS IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION PROGRAM. UH, THIS PROGRAM WAS A FEDERAL RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL MORTGAGE, UH, CRISIS WITH MANY FORECLOSURES. AND THAT'S HOW THIS PROPERTY CAME INTO THE HANDS OF THE SAN ANTONIO ALTERNATIVE HOUSING CORPORATION. IT WAS ABOUT TO BE FORECLOSED. IT WAS A 43 UNIT DEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT SIX FOR TWO GILLETTE BOULEVARD IN COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE. THEY USED THESE FUNDS THAT WAS A ONE-TIME ALLOTMENT TO ACQUIRE AND REHAB THE PROPERTIES WITH A COMMITMENT TO KEEP IT AFFORDABLE. ALL 43 UNITS IN THE DEVELOPMENT ARE AFFORDABLE UNITS. 40 OF THOSE UNITS SERVING INDIVIDUALS FAMILIES EARNING 50% OF THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME USING TODAY'S, UH, AMOUNTS. THAT, UH, MEANS THAT A FAMILY OF FOUR MAKING $29,500 IS ABLE TO LIVE IN THESE APARTMENTS. AND SO THOSE ARE THE UNITS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS PARTIAL LOAN FORGIVENESS. THIS IS THE LOCATION MATH SHOWING THAT THIS IS, UH, IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, AND THIS IS WHAT IS ON THE TABLE. UM, I'LL POINT TO THE 2010 NOTE. UM, THE 2009 2010 PERIOD WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR LOANS, UH, FOR ANY REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS. SO THEY CAME WITH A 2009 NODE TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY IN REHAB. THEY COULD NOT SECURE PRIVATE FINANCING BECAUSE THE MARKET REALLY TIGHTENED UP AT THAT TIME. SO THEY CAME BACK AND SECURED A SECOND 2010 NODE. AND THAT IS THE ONE WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE SUPPORTING SUCH LOW RENTS WITH THE 50% A M I, THE, UM, OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY, AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDER LOCALLY, WHO HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE NINETIES, UM, IS LOOKING AT A RESTRUCTURING ESSENCE. BUT PART OF THAT RESTRUCTURE MEANS PARTIAL FORGIVENESS OF THE $636,488 THAT THEY HAVE IN THIS NOTE. SO THEY CAME AND OFFERED A REPAYMENT OF $600,000 SO THAT WE DO NOT LOSE THE AFFORDABILITY FOR THESE UNITS, AND IT IS PAYING A, A [03:25:01] SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF WHAT REMAINS. SO WHAT THEY'RE ASKING COUNSEL, UH, TO FORGIVE IS ONLY 136,488 WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 43 UNITS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 3000 $174 PER UNIT. AND THERE WAS A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW PROCESS TO VET THIS ITEM. STAFF REVIEWED THE PROPOSAL, UM, FOR OVER TWO YEARS. THEY HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE INCOME THEY HAVE RECEIVED AND MAKING IT WORK SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE UNITS AFFORDABLE. JUST THIS YEAR'S, $60,000 WAS INVESTED IN THE PROPERTY TO REHAB IT. AND SO THEY FIRST OFFERED $450,000 AS A PAYOFF. THE PARENT COMPANY OFFERED $150,000 TO THEM THAT THEY WOULD NOT USE FOR ANOTHER PROJECT, BUT TO BE ABLE TO PAY OFF A LARGER PORTION OF THE LOAN. AND THAT IS WITH STAFF RECOMMENDED THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY INVESTMENT COMMITTEE, WHERE STAFF IN OUR DEPARTMENT FROM OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SIT. UM, SO WE REVIEWED BOTH PROPOSALS, THE INITIAL 450 PAYOFF WITH A LARGER PORTION TO FORGIVE, AND THE LARGER PAYOFF AMOUNT, $600,000. SO THAT'S WHY WE ARE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU, ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS OF THAT $136,000 SO THAT THEY CAN LIVE UP TO THE COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THESE, UM, UNITS AS AFFORDABLE TO THE YEAR 2040. AND SO WE DID GO TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMMITTEE ON OCTOBER 18TH. THERE WERE VERY GOOD QUESTIONS, UH, ASKED AT THAT MEETING ABOUT EXAMINING THE PRO FORMA AND OUR DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS. AND NOW THIS ITEM IS IN FRONT OF YOU. I KNOW REPRESENTATIVES FROM SAN ANTONIO, UM, ALTERNATIVE HOUSING CORPORATION. I DON'T SEE THEM RIGHT NOW. THEY WERE HERE EARLIER. BOTH MR. KEITH NEWCOMB AND MR. ROD REDEL, UH, WERE HERE. BUT, UM, IT IS RARE TO GET THIS KIND OF ITEM. UM, AND AGAIN, LET ME JUST SHOW YOU THE NUMBERS. THE PARTIAL LOAN FORGIVENESS BEING REQUESTED IS 136,000 4 88. THE PAYMENT OR REPAYMENT THEY WILL MAKE IS FOR $600,000, WHICH WOULD BE PAID TO THE CITY SO THAT WE CAN USE IT AS PROGRAM, PROGRAM INCOME TO BE USED TO HELP OTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVISION IN THE COMMUNITY TO TAKE CARE OF THAT BALANCE OF $736,000. UM, AND THAT IS THE ITEM BEFORE YOU. UH, IT IS MORE OFTEN THAT WE GET AFFORD FORECLOSURE, UH, WHERE WE LOSE THE AFFORDABILITY AND WE ACTUALLY LOSE THE INVESTMENT. AND SO FOR THEM TO BE COMING AND OFFERING US OPTIONS, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEFORE YOU, BECAUSE THIS, IT'S AN AMOUNT OF MONEY. THEY DO HAVE A CONTRACT, AND IT IS, UH, AN AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HAS TO COME BEFORE COUNCIL, SINCE STAFF DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THIS. LOAN FORGIVENESS. WHEN WE STRUCTURE DEALS LIKE THIS WITH THE FEDERAL MONEY, WE GET, WE OFTEN DO PARTIAL LOAN FORGIVENESS, UH, ON THESE ITEMS. SO FORGIVING LOANS IS ROUTINE, UM, WHEN WE STRUCTURE THESE KIND OF DEALS GOING FORWARD. THAT REALLY CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION, UNLESS Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UM, THANK YOU, VERONICA. BEFORE I TASK IT OVER TO COUNCILWOMAN VERAN, WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM CALLED EDWARD CASTOR. UH, YES. UH, EDWARD CASTOR, DISTRICT EIGHT. I'M GLAD, UH, KEEPS SEEING MS. SOTO O EVENTUALLY, I'M GONNA HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO HER ABOUT WHAT SHE CAN DO FOR MY LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD AND JUST REITERATE AND HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE POINTS THAT SHE TALKED ABOUT. YOU KNOW, THIS STARTED BACK IN 2009, 2010, AND, UH, REAL ESTATE MARKET WAS BAD. SO THIS ENTITY COULD NOT FIND, I GUESS, COMMERCIAL FINANCING. SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS, IS THAT, UH, WE USED THE, I'LL CALL IT THE N S P FUNDING. THE CITY GAVE 'EM N S P FUNDING IN 2010. SO THAT'S HOW N S P FUNDING GOT INVOLVED WITH THIS. SO WE GAVE 'EM THE MONEY. THEN THEY SAID THAT AROUND 2015, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE HAVING DIFFICULTIES, SO THEY WENT TO THE CITY AND THEY ASKED FOR SOME ASSISTANCE. AND THE ASSISTANCE THAT WAS GRANTED, WE GAVE 'EM AN EXTENSION UNTIL DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THIS ENTITY, BUT IF YOU'LL LOOK, YOU KNOW, THE REASON WHY I GUESS THIS ENTITY IS HAVING PROBLEMS IS DUE TO A CASH FLOW ISSUE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE IN THAT PIPELINE THAT IS, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T CONCERN ME. [03:30:05] NOW, THIS ENTITY, THEY'RE BACK HERE WANTING MORE N S P FUNDS, AND GRANTED IT'S A LITTLE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND, BUT WE'VE DONE THIS TWICE WITH N S P FUNDS FOR THIS ENTITY. SO, YOU KNOW, I SAY IT'S TIME TO, YOU KNOW, CUT BAIT. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE LOSING 40 PLUS THREE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS OUT OF THAT HOUSING STOCK FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT SOMETIMES WE'VE, WE'VE JUST GOT TO DO THIS. 'CAUSE IF THESE ENTITIES CAN'T SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN, WELL, THIS IS HOW THEY GET WILLOW DOUBT. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. CASTOR. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WANNA THANK THE WORK OF ALL OF OUR, UH, STAFF RIGHT NOW. AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROJECT IN DISTRICT THREE, AND IT'S IMPORTANT PROJECT OVERALL WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MS. SOFER, THE EXPLANATION, BECAUSE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, WE USUALLY SEE THESE IN FORECLOSURES, SO THAT MEANS THAT WE WOULD BOTH HAD THIS COME, COME TO US IN FORECLOSURE. WE WOULD'VE NOT ONLY LOST THE AFFORDABILITY, WE WOULD'VE LOST THE DOLLARS IN THE FIRST PAY PLACE. YES, MA'AM. THAT'S CORRECT. SO WE WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE BEEN GETTING THIS LUMP SUM OF $600,000. THAT'S CORRECT, MA'AM. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AND I AM ALSO VERY PROTECTIVE OF OUR TAXPAYERS AND OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THIS IS FOR. SO, AND I KNOW THIS ALSO WENT TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMMITTEE, SO WITH THAT, I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER 28. COUNCILMAN SALANA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. IF I CAN, I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS. I MIGHT BE IN THE, UH, UNIQUE POSITION OF BEING ONE OF THE ONLY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WHO'S ACTUALLY SLEPT AT THESE APARTMENTS BEFORE. UH, THESE ARE, UH, BY EVERY NATURE, TRUE AND TRUE. UH, THESE ARE AFFORDABLE. AND, UH, WHEN I, YOU KNOW, SPENT THE NIGHT THERE WITH A FRIEND OF MINE WHO WAS WITH A SINGLE MOTHER AND TWO CHILDREN, ONE OF WHICH WAS A FRIEND OF MINE, UH, IT WAS VERY MUCH THE CASE THAT THESE WERE PROBABLY SOME OF THE ONLY UNITS THEY COULD AFFORD TO LIVE IN. SO THE QUESTION I THINK WE HAVE IS TOO, TO, TO CONSIDER, AND I THINK COUNCILMAN PERRY'S POINT IS AN IMPORTANT ONE, WHICH IS, ARE WE GOING AROUND AND JUST FORGIVING LOANS TO, UH, ENTITIES WHO ARE BUILDING SOME PRODUCT THAT THEY CAN'T SUSTAIN? AND I THINK YOUR QUESTION, YOUR CONVERSATION YOU HAD WITH ME, MS. SOTO, WAS THAT PERHAPS IF THEY WERE CHARGING MORE FOR THESE UNITS, THE CASHFLOW PROBLEM WOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE. BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO STAY AT A RATE AT WHICH THEY ARE AFFORDABLE UNITS FOR FAMILIES, UH, WHO IN SOME CASES STRUGGLE TO FIND AFFORDABLE PLACES TO LIVE IN OUR CITY. AND, AND WE'VE READ ABOUT IT. WE KNOW IT'S IN HEADLINES. UM, SO THAT'S ONE CHOICE IS WE CAN STAY FIRM ON THE PRINCIPLE OF NOT FORGIVING LOANS. BUT THE OTHER PRINCIPLE, THE OTHER CHOICE WE HAVE IS CAN WE TRY TO RETAIN UNITS, VERY SCARCE AMOUNT OF UNITS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE AFFORDABLE AND KEEP THEM AFFORDABLE? IN THIS CASE, ACTUALLY, IT'S THE BETTER OF, OF TWO OPTIONS. IN FACT, WE, IN, IN THE SECOND OPTION OF JUST HOLDING FIRM ON THE LOAN, FORGIVENESS MEANS THAT WE DON'T GET ANY PAYBACK AND IT GOES INTO FORECLOSURE, AND WE LOSE THE AFFORDABILITY OF THESE UNITS. UH, AND WE, AND WE ARE STUCK WITH, WITH NOTHING AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, THAT SATISFIES ANY ONE OF OUR POLICY OBJECTIVES. AND OUR POLICY OBJECTIVE IS, IS FOR US TO BE A CITY WHERE YOU CAN STILL AFFORD TO LIVE IN, IN OUR CITY, IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE THEY HAVE AVAILABLE UNITS FOR THAT. SO I'M PROUD TO SUPPORT. AND SECOND, THE MOTION. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SALDANA. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. JUST WANTED TO GO BACK ON, UM, WHAT I'M SAYING HERE IS THAT I DON'T, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR THIS PROJECT. WHAT I DON'T, UH, AGREE WITH IS SETTING UP A DEAL. AND, AND, AND YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ARE WE DOING THESE DEALS CORRECTLY SO THAT THEY CAN AFFORD TO PAY THESE LOANS BACK? WELL, OBVIOUSLY THIS DEAL WAS NOT SET UP CORRECTLY THAT WE, UH, ARE GONNA GET OUR MONEY BACK. SO THAT'S WHERE I HAVE THE BIG PROBLEM. EITHER OUR DEALS AREN'T STRUCTURED CORRECTLY, OR THEY'RE, THEY'RE, UH, NOT PLANNING THESE CORRECTLY ON THE RENTS THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE CHARGING. AND I UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT I, WHAT I DON'T AGREE WITH IS AFTER THE DEAL IS MADE THAT, UH, THEY CAN'T MAKE THOSE RENTS, AND THEY'RE COMING BACK TO US SAYING, HEY, WE CAN'T MAKE OUR RENTS, SO PLEASE FORGIVE OUR, OUR LOANS. AND I, I HEAR THE COMMENT, IT'S ONLY $138,000. WELL, THAT $138,000 ARE TAX DOLLARS THAT WE SHOULD BE, UM, PROTECTING AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S NOT GOING WHAT, WHAT, UH, YOU KNOW, DOWN THE DRAIN. SO I'M, I'M, THAT'S WHAT I'M AGAINST. AND I, I THINK WE NEED TO [03:35:01] MAKE SURE THAT THESE DEALS ARE STRUCTURED CORRECTLY SO THAT WE DO GET OUR MONEY BACK ON THESE, THESE LOANS. I'M NOT SAYING TO, UM, GET RID OF ANY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT SOMETHING WAS INHERENTLY WRONG WITH THIS PARTICULAR DEAL. AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T STRUCTURE DEALS IN THE FUTURE, THAT WE'RE GONNA GET ADDITIONAL COMEBACKS TO US SAYING, HEY, SORRY, WE CAN'T MAKE THESE PAYMENTS. UH, FORGIVE THOSE, FORGIVE THOSE, UH, NOTES FOR US. SO I, I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T, UH, CAN'T SUPPORT THIS PARTICULAR, UM, ORDINANCE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. UH, TH THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, UH, WANTED, I MEAN, I'LL, YOU KNOW, I'M SYMPATHETIC OBVIOUSLY TO THE, THE, THE PROTECTION OF TAX DOLLARS, UM, AND THE POINT THAT COUNCILMAN PERRY'S TRYING TO MAKE, AND I, I DID NOTICE THAT WHEN YOU SAID ONLY $138,000, I WOULD, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE, PROBABLY NOT A GOOD WAY TO PHRASE, UH, TAXPAYER RESOURCES. IT'S NOT ONLY IF IT'S ONLY ONE BUCKET, IT STILL MATTERS TO PEOPLE. RIGHT. BUT, UM, I THINK SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD HATE TO LOSE AN ASSET THAT, UH, THAT IS PUTTING A ROOF OVER SOMEONE'S HEAD. I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S THE GREATER CONCERN FOR ME. I'VE BEEN IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS BEFORE I GOT IN THIS WHOLE POLITICAL GAME. AND, UM, THE FINE LINE ON LOSING AN ASSET LIKE THAT, WHEN SOMEBODY AT LEAST COMES TO YOU EARLY AND YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT, I UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESS. IF I AM STRUGGLING TO MAKE IT, UM, AND I GO IN AND I VISIT WITH MY LENDER, UM, THEY MAY RESTRUCTURE SOMETHING FOR ME TO HELP KEEP ME IN MY HOME. UH, OR IT MAY BE AT THE END OF THE ROAD WHERE I HAVE TO LET THE HOME GO. I MEAN, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THOSE ARE LEGITIMATE PROCESSES THAT WE ALL HAVE TO FACE, BUT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE ACTIONS. I DON'T BELIEVE THOSE CONSEQUENCES SHOULD BE PAID BY THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY OCCUPYING A HOME. AND TO COUNCILMAN ALANA'S POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE TO WORK HARD TO PROTECT THOSE OF US THAT HAVE THE LEAST IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND, AND SO THAT'S THE BIGGER CONCERN FOR ME IS THE FOLKS AT, UH, SAN ANTONIO ALTERNATIVE HOUSING AND, AND ROD AND THEM, WHO THEY'RE TRYING TO PROTECT. AND IT'S A NOBLE CAUSE, I GET IT. BUT HE HAS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS INABILITY TO MAKE A PAYMENT. SO MY QUESTION TO YOU THEN BECOMES, UM, I WANNA KEEP PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES 100%. I DON'T WANNA LOSE THAT ASSET. BUT HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT IN THE FUTURE THEY'RE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS? WHAT ARE YOUR, WHAT ARE YOUR METRICS AND THINGS AND MEASUREMENTS AND EVALUATION, RIGHT? YOU'RE UNDERWRITING IN THE FUTURE. I WOULD LIKE GUARANTEES THAT HE'S NOT ANY ORGANIZATION, ONCE THEY COME BACK AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, HE CAN'T COME AND DO IT AGAIN. I MEAN, IT, IT, HIS BAR TO GET THE, I'M JUST BEING RESPECTFUL OF THE TAXPAYER DOLLAR, RIGHT? HIS BAR TO GET ANY FURTHER FUNDS HAS TO BE NOW HIGHER THAN ANYBODY ELSE'S BECAUSE HE HAS COME BACK AND SAID, I CANNOT GET THIS DONE TO THE POINT WHERE I NEED TO HAVE MONEY FORGIVEN. 'CAUSE I CAN'T MAKE MY PAYMENT. IF I DO THAT, THE BANK WILL PROBABLY WORK WITH ME, BUT MY CREDIT SCORE IS GONNA GO WHERE IT'S, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA BE, I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET A LOAN AGAIN. THAT'S THE REAL CONSEQUENCES. SO WALK ME THROUGH, IF YOU CAN, HOW IN THE FUTURE WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT FRANKLY, HE'S NOT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST OR THAT ORGANIZATION, RIGHT? HE OR SHE, THE ORGANIZATION DOESN'T RECEIVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES OR FUNDS IF THEY CAN'T PAY BACK WHAT THEY'VE RECEIVED IN THE PAST. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO LET ME TALK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLICIES. UM, SO THIS DEAL IS SOMETHING FROM 2009 AND 2010. OUR POLICIES, UM, HAVE BEEN REVISED SINCE THAT TIMEFRAME JUST UP TO ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. THE WHOLE WAY IN WHICH WE STRUCTURE DEALS WAS, UH, CHANGED SO THAT NOW WE HAVE AN UNDERWRITER THAT IS PART OF THE PROCESS. PRIOR TO THAT, WE DID NOT HAVE THAT, UM, BE A FORMAL PART OF THE REVIEW PROCESS, BUT NOW WE DO, UH, PAY FOR THE COST OF FORMAL UNDERWRITING FOR ANY DEVELOPMENT THAT IS SEEKING THESE FEDERAL FUNDS. SO AFTER THEY COME TO COUNCIL, WE GO THROUGH THAT FORMAL PROCESS, AND IT'S A VERY RIGOROUS UNDERWRITING PROCESS SO THAT WE DO AVOID THIS, UH, GOING FORWARD. UM, YES, THIS DEAL COULD HAVE BEEN STRUCTURED DIFFERENTLY. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT'S SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS OLD. IT IS FACING US NOW, AND SO WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IT NOW, BUT OUR CURRENT POLICIES ARE MUCH STRONGER WITH THE UNDERWRITER. UM, THE UNDERWRITER IS SOMEONE WHO IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, UH, EXPERT IN THE FIELD. UM, HE REWROTE THE FEDERAL HOME REGULATIONS IN 2013. SO THAT'S WHO WE UTILIZE. AND SO THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN WITH ANY DEALS THAT COME BEFORE THIS BODY TODAY. OKAY. SO I GUESS THIS ONE WASN'T UNDERWRITTEN TO THE LEVELS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING NOW, CORRECT? YES, SIR. OH, WOW. WELL, THAT'S AN INTERESTING POINT. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, TO COUNCILMAN PERRY'S POINT WAS HOW DID THIS DEAL EVEN GET APPROVAL? PROBABLY GOT THROUGH BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A STRICT UNDERWRITING CREDENTIALS. AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL UN UNFORTUNATELY PREVENT THIS ORGANIZATION FROM OBTAINING ANY FURTHER FUNDING UN UNTIL THEY'RE ABLE TO REHABILITATE THEIR LOANS AND PAY THEM APPROPRIATELY. WE ALL SUFFER THOSE CONSEQUENCES. EVERY ONE OF US, IF WE CHOOSE TO ASK FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS OR, OR, UH, SOME [03:40:01] SORT OF DEBT REPAYMENT PLAN OR WHATEVER. AND TRUST ME, WE PEOPLE GO UP AND DOWN IN LIVES, AND ONE YEAR YOU MAY BE RIDING HIGH IN THE NEXT YEAR, YOU COULD BE FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET A PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, RIGHT? SO, UM, I MEAN, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF IT BECAUSE, UH, I, I DO WANNA KEEP PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES AND I, AND I, I THINK WE'VE, UM, AND THEY HAVE, THEY DO HAVE A GOOD TRACK RECORD. I MEAN, I'M NOT GONNA DEMEAN SAN ANTONIO ALTERNATIVE HOUSING CORPORATION TOO FAR ON IT. I THINK IN THE FUTURE THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS ACTION. UH, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LOT OF YEARS AND A LOT OF GOOD FOLKS, AND THEY'VE KEPT PEOPLE IN HOMES. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD DIG DEEPER INTO THEIR FINANCIAL STABILITY, HOW THEY'RE DOING IF THEY COME BEFORE US. AGAIN, I THINK THAT BAR NEEDS TO BE VERY HIGH FOR THAT ORGANIZATION. HAVING ASKED OR RECEIVED $136,000 LOAN FORGIVENESS, TAXPAYERS, YOU KNOW, WE TURN IN A BLIND EYE TO IT THAT HE NEEDS THAT, THAT THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT AND REALLY SCRUB INTO THESE ORGANIZATIONS' FINANCIALS BEHIND THE SCENES. BECAUSE IF HE CAN'T MAKE THESE PAYMENTS AND IT'S 136,000 BUCKS IS THE DIFFERENCE. WHAT DO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS LOOK LIKE ON THEIR, THEIR NET WORTH? WHAT ARE THEY SITTING ON? WHAT ARE THEIR FUNDING? WHAT ARE THEIR RESERVES? I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WAS MISSED THAT THIS ORGANIZATION CAN'T CARRY. $136,000. THERE'S, THERE'S SOME BIGGER QUESTIONS THERE GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, BUT I'M GLAD THERE'S AN UNDERWRITER AND A PROFESSIONAL THAT'S A GREAT HIRE. WHOEVER BROUGHT THAT PERSON ON OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE WE SHOULD BE WHEN WE'RE UNDERWRITING AND PULLING KIND OF COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THESE TYPES OF FOLKS THAT PUT THE EXPERT IN IT AND LET 'EM UNDERWRITE THE DEAL. SO I'VE TALKED WAY TOO MUCH ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S MORE A FUTURE ACCOUNTABILITY THING THAT I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT. SO, I'LL, I'LL BE SUPPORTIVE OF IT TODAY. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 28. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. THAT'S THE BALANCE OF OUR A SESSION AGENDA. WE DO NOT HAVE A ZONING AGENDA TODAY, AND WE DO NOT HAVE A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT AFTERNOON. . * 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.