[00:01:30]
COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO HERE.COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN.
WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION.
THE TIME IS NINE 30, EXCUSE ME, 9:20 AM
[Additional Item 1]
AS WE HAVE BEEN DOING, WE'LL BEGIN OUR SESSION WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE, RECOGNITION FOR ALL THE VICTIMS OF OUR C OVID 19 PANDEMIC.THIS, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS OBSERVED A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO BEGIN OUR CITY COUNCIL SESSIONS FOR THE LAST MONTH OR SO AS THIS CRISIS BEGAN, AND RECOGNITION OF ALL OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO PROTECT THE LIFE AND SAFETY OF OUR NEIGHBORS, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES TO THE BATTLE.
SO WE APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR COOPERATION WITH THAT.
WE ALSO THANK OUR ARCHDIOCESE, UH, AND MANY OF THE CHURCHES THAT ARE OBSERVING THAT WITH US BY RINGING THE BELLS OF THE SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL MISSION, SAN JOSE, UH, SAN JUAN CONCE, AND MANY OTHER CHURCHES AND PLACES OF WORSHIP THROUGHOUT OUR CITY.
[1. Invocation]
SESSION TODAY, UH, WE WILL HAVE AN INVOCATION, UM, AND I'M PROUD TO ASK TO COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE.UH, JONATHAN ELLIS, THE CONQUERORS ASSEMBLY, FORMERLY THE GREATER LINCOLN PARK TEMPLE CHURCH OFFICIALLY INSTALLED ELDER JONATHAN DAVID ELLIS AS PASTOR IN MAY OF 1996.
PASTOR ELLIS IS THE SECOND SON OF BISHOP WILLIAM ELLIS.
AND FIRST LADY MARY ELLIS OF THE APOSTOLIC PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF MORGAN PARK IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
AT THE AGE OF 14, PASTOR ELLIS WAS CALLED INTO THE MINISTRY.
HIS PASSION AND VISION HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TO CHANGE A GENERATION THROUGH EVANGELIZING PREACHING AND TEACHING AN UNCOMPROMISING GOSPEL.
HE HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HIS KINGDOM.
PASTOR ELLIS HAS BEEN SO FAVORED TO RECEIVE A PORTION OF HIS MINISTERIAL EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTION FROM BISHOP NOEL JONES OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
BISHOP LARRY TROTTER OF CHICA CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND BISHOP DAVID COPELAND HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, PASTOR JONATHAN ELLIS IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY OF CHURCHES FOR SOCIAL ACTION, A COALITION OF OVER 25 INTERDENOMINATIONAL
[00:05:01]
PASTORS WHO HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF SAN ANTONIO.PASTOR ELLIS CURRENTLY OVERSEES AND DIRECTS OVER 10 MINISTRIES IN THE CONQUERORS ASSEMBLY, WITH A PASSION TO REACH THE UNREACHABLE, THE ASSEMBLIES COMMUNITY CENTER AND OUTREACH STOREHOUSE MINISTRY HAVE ENGAGED IN PROVIDING FREE FOOD AND CLOTHING TO THE HOMELESS IN SAN ANTONIO.
THE BATTERED WOMEN'S SHELTER, SAM'S MINISTRIES AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS ARE JUST SEVERAL CHARITABLE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE CONQUERORS ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN PRIVILEGED TO SERVE.
OUR FATHER AND OUR GOD, WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS DAY THAT YOU HAVE BLESSED US TO SEE.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVING KINDNESS AND YOUR TENDER MERCIES, AND YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO US, AS A WORD, HAS DECLARED THAT WE HAVE BEEN ENJOINED TO PRAY FOR ALL MEN, KINGS AND LEADERS AND RULERS, AND THOSE THAT ARE IN AUTHORITY.
SO TODAY, LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD BLESS OUR LEADERS ACROSS THIS WORLD, ACROSS THIS NATION, ACROSS THIS STATE, AND ACROSS OUR CITY.
WE LOOK TO YOU, LORD, FOR WISDOM AND DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE.
IF WE WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE YOU IN ALL OF OUR WAYS, YOU WOULD DIRECT OUR PATHS.
WE PRAY NOW, LORD, THAT YOUR HAND WILL BE UPON EACH AND EVERY ONE WHO IS LEADING THIS CITY.
LORD, WE PRAY THAT YOU WOULD DIRECT THEM, THAT YOU WOULD GUIDE THEM, THAT YOU WOULD GUARD THEM, AND THAT YOU WOULD KEEP THEM LORD, NOT FOR JUST ONE AREA, BUT FOR ALL OF THE CITIZENS OF THIS GREAT CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WE ASK NOW, LORD, THAT YOUR BLESSINGS, YOUR FAVOR WOULD BE UPON US.
AND AGAIN, LORD, FOR THOSE THAT HAVE LOST LOVED ONES, FOR THOSE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULT TIMES RIGHT NOW, WE PRAY THAT YOU WOULD COMFORT, THAT YOU WOULD STRENGTHEN, AND THAT YOU WOULD LIFT HIM.
AND WE WILL THANK YOU, AND WE WILL PRAISE YOU IN YOUR STRONG SAVING, SECURE NAME OF JESUS THE CHRIST.
[2. Pledge of Allegience]
THANK YOU PASTOR ELLIS, UH, FOR, UH, THE BENEFIT OF OUR VIEWING AUDIENCE AND THOSE WHO ARE IN THE CHAMBER TODAY.UH, THE MUSIC THAT YOU HEARD EARLIER WAS KING PELICAN, A LOCAL BAND PLAYING EL SANTOS STOMP.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO KING PELICAN FOR PROVIDING THE MUSIC TODAY.
UH, I ALSO WANNA MAKE NOTE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, AS YOU SEE, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS, FOUR MEMBERS, UH, AS THEY HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST MONTH, ARE REAPPEARING REMOTELY.
UH, THAT IS FOR THE PURPOSES OF US BEING ABLE TO PHYSICALLY DISTANCE HERE ON THE DIOCESE AS WE ARE DOING IN THE REST OF THE CHAMBERS.
ALSO, IN THIS ERA OF PHYSICAL DISTANCING, WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, FEWER TIMES, UH, FEWER OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO HAVE COUNCIL, UH, CHAMBERS OPEN FOR THE PURPOSES OF CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
WE'LL BE HEARING A REPORT IN A BIT, UH, FROM THE CITY MANAGER ABOUT HOW WE CAN PROVIDE FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT.
BUT FOR TODAY, UH, EVEN THOUGH
[Additional Item 2]
THIS IS A CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AT.THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE HEARD ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, BUT WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE THOSE FOLKS NOW.
UH, WE DO HAVE TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA FOR INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING TODAY.
UH, THIS IS A, A BRIEFING ONLY AGENDA FOR THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE'LL GET TO THOSE RIGHT AFTER WE HAVE OUR CITIZENS TO BE HEARD COMMENTS.
SO WE'LL START, UH, AND AGAIN, WE'LL TAKE THESE TOGETHER SINCE THE PRESENTATIONS WILL BE HEARD TOGETHER.
I'LL START WITH RICK TREVINO AND MR. TREVINO, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY JACK FINGER, AND THERE IS A, UH, MICROPHONE ON THE STAND.
UH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH IT, BUT WE WILL SANITIZE IT IN BETWEEN SPEAKERS.
UM, I USED TO BE A TEACHER, AND IT WAS AS A TEACHER, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED OR KNEW SOMEONE WHO WAS EVICTED.
A FEW OF MY STUDENTS, AND I'LL NEVER FORGET THE TYPE OF TRAUMA THAT MOMENT HAD IN ON, HAD ON THEIR LIVES.
AND JUST RECENTLY, WE WERE HAVING ABOUT 12 TO 11,000 EVICTIONS A YEAR IN BEXAR COUNTY.
MARY'S, AND I'M NOW HELPING OUT WITH HOUSING.
AND NOW I'M SEEING, UM, MORE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY EVICTION.
IT'S THE SAME, A PAINFUL EMOTIONAL MOMENT IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.
AND IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT A HEALTHCARE CRISIS, EVICTION CAUSES DEPRESSION, CAUSES DIVORCE, SUICIDE.
IT AFFECTS NOT ONLY, UM, THE FAMILY, BUT THEIR FRIENDS.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE STRUGGLING.
[00:10:01]
TO BE BOLD, AND MR. WALSH AND THE CITY MANAGER BE BOLD AND COMMIT $110 MILLION TO RENTAL ASSISTANCE.I'VE HEARD DIFFERENT NUMBERS BE FLOATED AROUND 25 MILLION.
LET'S MATCH WHAT WE PUT IN THERE.
THAT'S LESS THAN 10%, 40 MILLION.
THERE ARE PEOPLE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE STRUGGLING.
AND REALLY THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM, AND THIS ISN'T SOME ARBITRARY NUMBER, THERE ARE ABOUT 120,000 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE THAT ARE VULNERABLE RIGHT NOW THAT CAN'T PAY RENT.
YOU MULTIPLY THAT NUMBER BY THE AVERAGE RENT, AND YOU GET A NUMBER AT OR AROUND A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, THAT'S JUST ONE MONTH'S RENT.
IT SHOWS THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM AND HOW MUCH, $270 MILLION ISN'T REALLY THAT MUCH MONEY SPECIFICALLY TO THAT ISSUE.
SO WHAT THE CITY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THAT THE LADDER OF LAW, THE CITY GOVERNMENT, HAS NO TOP AND NO BOTTOM, THAT ISN'T JUST GONNA PREFER THE LANDLORDS.
AND SO WHAT IF IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET THE MONEY OUT THERE, HOLD IT THERE, AND IF THE MONEY ISN'T SPENT, DO SOMETHING CREATIVE AND MOVE THAT MONEY INTO SOMETHING SO YOU GUYS CAN KEEP THE MONEY.
I KNOW THERE'S A PRESSURE TO SPEND IT.
I THINK WE ALSO SHOULD MOVE TO PUSHING THE FUNDS TOWARDS A NONPROFIT TO STREAMLINE THE ISSUE, TO STREAMLINE THE MONEY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING LIKE, WELL, ONLY 50% OF THE RISK MITIGATION FUND OR THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE FUND HAS BEEN USED.
A LOT OF, A LOT OF LANDLORDS DON'T WANNA SIGN UP AS VENDORS.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE LANDLORD DOESN'T WANNA PLAY BALL? THE TENANTS IS OUTTA LUCK.
AND LOOK, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
I, I SEE WALSH, UH, SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL SUGGESTS 75 MILLION BUCKS TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
I JUST SPENT LAST NIGHT READING 10 YEARS WORTH OF ARTICLES.
AND WHERE'S THE BANG FOR THE BUCK? LET'S BESTS IN RENTAL ASSISTANCE, YOU'LL BE CELEBRATED FOR IT.
FROM THE CITY, CITY MANAGER FORUM OF GOVERNMENT.
MR. FINGER, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY BEVERLY WATTS DAVIS.
WELL, MAYOR NURENBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M.
WELL, ON THIS PORTION OF THE AGENDA, I WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION TO THESE TWO ITEMS HERE.
YOU KNOW, THE BIG QUESTION YOU'RE GONNA BE FACED WITH TODAY IS WHY ARE IS A CITY IN SUCH DIRE FINANCIAL STRAITS? WELL, IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT BEEN GETTING THE REVENUE THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING.
WHY ARE THEY OUT OF WORK? WELL, BECAUSE OUR LEADERS, NAMELY YOU HAVE TOLD US TO SAY, STAY SEQUESTERED AT HOME.
WELL, WHY? BECAUSE OF THE DISEASE, THE PANDEMIC THAT'S GOING AROUND.
WELL, WHAT'S CAUSING THAT PANDEMIC? WELL, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS DRIVING IT? WELL, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE COMING DOWN WITH THE CHINA VIRUS.
SIR, GO AHEAD AND STICK ME TO THE COPS, SIR.
YEAH, BUT, BUT THE QUESTION IS, WELL, HOW DO WE KNOW THAT IT'S REALLY A TRUE PANDEMIC? UH, MR. ION MAN PUT UP THAT FIRST THING THAT'S RIGHT THERE.
AND, UH, JUST SHOW, SHOW THE, UM, THE, THE, UH, INKED AREAS THERE.
THE, UH, YEAH, TODAY OR YESTERDAY WE HAD, UH, AS LOW AS, UH, UH, 29 REPORTED CASES.
AND, AND THAT MATCHES WHERE THINGS WERE AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
UH, AND SO, BUT HOW DO WE KNOW THAT 29 IS ACTUALLY A REAL NUMBER? WHY DO I ASK THAT QUESTION? AND YOU CAN RETURN THE CAMERA TO, TO THE PODIUM IF YOU WOULD.
WHY DO I ASK THAT QUESTION? IT'S BECAUSE THE STATE HAS BEEN TELLING US THAT THESE NUMBERS MAY BE INFLATED.
THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE TO, UH, THAT THE, THAT PEOPLE RE WHO REPORT THESE STATISTICS TO ADD THOSE WHO THEY THINK MAY HAVE DIED OF THE, OF THE C THE CHINA VIRUS OR JUST THINK, OR, OR JUST MAY HAVE GOTTEN IT OR, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
WE MAY ACTUALLY HAVE BE HAVING LOWER NUMBERS.
SO WE, FOR ALL WE KNOW, WE, WE, BUT YOU, YOU GUYS KEEP MOVING THE GOALPOST.
YOU, YOU, AT FIRST YOU TOLD US THAT YOU JUST WANTED TO FLY US, THAT YOU JUST WANTED TO FLATTEN THE CURB.
THEN YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD ENOUGH VENTILATORS BEFORE EVERYBODY.
THEN YOU SAID WE WANTED TO, TO HAVE ENOUGH TESTS FOR EVERYBODY.
[00:15:01]
AND NOW YOU SAY, WELL, WELL, WE'VE GOTTA, WE CAN'T TAKE EVERYBODY OFF UNTIL WE GET THE, UH, UH, THE, UH, A CURE FOR IT.WHAT'S IT CALLED? A, A, A WELL, ANYWAY, THE, THE, THE, THE CURE FOR, FOR, FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR THE VIRUS.
AND THEN, AND NOW, MR. MAYOR TO ADD THINGS, IT SAYS, MAYOR SUGGESTS A STIPEND MATCH.
WELL, MR. MAYOR, HOW MUCH IS THAT GOING TO BE FOR EVERYBODY? AND HOW MUCH IS THAT GOING TO GO? PUT US IN THE RED? WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR THAT? HUH? THANK YOU, MR. FINGER.
I JUST WANTED TO BE ABLE TO BE HERE TO SHARE WITH YOU.
WE HAD A WONDERFUL, AS, AS GOOD CITY PARTNERS WITH YOU.
WE HAD A WONDERFUL COVID, UM, COVID RESPONSE YESTERDAY.
THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN FOR BEING WITH US.
JADA SULLIVAN, YOU, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.
BUT YESTERDAY, WE SERVED 656 PEOPLE WHO CAME THROUGH FOR ELLA AUSTIN.
THEY RECEIVED MASKS, GLOVES, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
THEY RECEIVED HAND SANITIZER, CLEANING PRODUCTS, ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP.
AND THEY ACTUALLY RECEIVED, UM, ONE WEEK'S WORTH OF FOOD PER PERSON THAT WAS ACTUALLY IN THEIR CAR.
SO IT WAS JUST A WONDERFUL EVENT.
IT WAS AMAZING, THANK YOU TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WHO WAS THERE WITH US AND TO THE OTHER 25 PARTNERS WHO WERE ALSO THERE.
BUT IN TERMS OF JUST BEING REALLY GOOD CITIZENS AND BEING GOOD PARTNERS WITH THE CITY, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I WOULD ASK YOU ALL TO CONSIDER IS, AS WE LOOK AT THE C O I D AS AS IT IS THE COVID UM, VIRUS, WE WOULD ASK YOU TO ACTUALLY CONSIDER SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO WE WOULD CALL CREDIBLE MESSENGERS.
WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE TO BE DOING TESTING AND CONTACT TRACING.
AND JUST TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY WORKING WITH SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE PO POPULATIONS, THOSE WHO ARE H I V POSITIVE, THOSE WHO ARE, WHO ARE TRULY HAVE OTHER, UH, DISEASES THAT COMPROMISE THEIR HEALTH.
AND ASK YOU TO REALLY WORK WITH THOSE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO ACTUALLY WORK WITH YOU, TO ACTUALLY REACH AND KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED WITH OTHER DISEASES, SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT AS THEY'RE TESTED, UM, WE TEST THEM FOR COVID, AND THEN WE TRACE THEM TO MAKE SURE THE CONTACTS THAT THEY'RE HAVING, UM, ARE NOT SPREADING THIS DISEASE FURTHER.
SO I JUST WOULD ASK YOU TO DO THAT.
AND AGAIN, UM, JUST BRINGING YOU GOOD NEWS FROM THE EAST.
MR. ANI, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWED BY NAZARITE RUBIN FLORES PEUS, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY MANAGER, AND THE EXECUTIVE STAFF.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE TIME TO SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ALLOCATING SOME OF THE EMERGENCY RELIEF DOLLARS THE CITY HAS RECEIVED FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP TO FUND AND REINVIGORATE THE LOCAL PERFORMING VISUAL ARTS AND OUR ARTISTS.
THE EFFECTS OF C OVID 19 HAVE BEEN FELT BY ALL, AND I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE WORTHWHILE AND NECESSARY PROGRAMS THAT REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION AND FUNDING THAN YOU HAVE FUNDING FOR.
REALIZING THAT I STILL ASK YOU CONSIDER AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE ARTS ARE NOT ONLY A VITAL COMPONENT OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, BUT ALSO A SAFE HARBOR FOR MANY DURING THESE MOST TROUBLING OF TIMES.
AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, THE ARTS IS CURRENTLY FUNDED ENTIRELY BY THE HOTEL MOTEL BED TAX, WHICH HAS BEEN DECIMATED.
TOURISM IS A MAJOR FUND GENERATOR FOR SAN ANTONIO.
AS A RESULT OF THE DECREASE THE CITY STAFF HAD TOOK THE DIFFICULT STAFF OF HAVING TO FURLOUGH SOME OF ITS OWN EMPLOYEES.
AT THE SAME TIME, ALL OF THE DELEGATE ARTS AGENCIES WERE CUT ALL OF THEIR YEAR END FUNDING.
MANY OF THESE AGENCIES AND OUR LOCAL ARTISTS ARE STILL DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE UP FOR THIS LOST REVENUE BY ALLOCATING SOME OF THE FEDERAL MONEY TO THE ARTS.
THIS WILL BE A START TO FINDING AN ALTERNATIVE REVENUE SOURCE THAT CAN HELP THE ARTS AND IS NOT CONSTRICTED BY THE 15% HOTEL MOTEL MAXIMUM STATE ALLOCATION MANDATE.
I BELIEVE THESE FUNDS SHOULD GO TO AGENCIES THAT ARE DOING VITAL AND FREE WORK WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
MUCH OF THIS WORK IS FOR OUR CHILDREN WHILE THEY'RE NAVIGATING A NEW DIGITAL WORLD.
THESE FUNDS ARE FOR THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO, OUR CHILDREN, OUR FAMILIES.
NOW, WHEN THEY MOST NEED THE ARTS TO SHOW THEM THE HOPE THAT THE FUTURE CAN BRING.
SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THAT MAGIC MISTAKENLY THOUGHT IT COULD REOPEN OUR PERFORMANCES FOR CHILDREN.
IF WE COULD HAVE THE CHILDREN AT OUR DAY CAMPS, WHY COULD WE NOT LET THEM SEE A SHOW DURING WHILE THEY WERE THERE? AND THE PUBLIC? UH, UNFORTUNATELY, WE WERE WRONG.
[00:20:01]
CAN STILL NOT REOPEN.EVERYONE IN THE ARTS VALUES THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF OUR PATRONS.
AND FOR FOREMOST, AND FOLLOWING EVERY GUIDELINE AND SAFETY PROTOCOL, THE ARTS WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE WHAT WE DO FOR THOSE WHO WANT AN OUTLET.
CREATIVITY AND WHAT AND HOW WE DO IT IS WHAT MAKE THE ARTS SPECIAL AND A VITAL PART OF SAN ANTONIO LIFE.
WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO OPEN AND GENERATE REVENUE, IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SURVIVE UNLESS THERE IS SOME FUNDING MADE AVAILABLE TO US THAT IS NOT TIED TO TOURISM, BUT TO THE QUALITY AND PRESERVATION OF THE ARTS THAT MAKE SAN ANTONIO UNIQUE.
I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT WHEN YOU VOTE TO ALLOCATE FEDERAL FUNDS TO THE CITY, YOU DEFINITELY INCLUDE THE ARTS FOR ALL WE DO AND BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU, MR. ANI NAZARITE, RUBEN FLORES PEREZ.
UM, UM, MY NAME IS, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, MY NAME IS NAZARITE RUBEN FLORES PEREZ.
AND YOU PROBABLY KNOW TOO, THAT I'M UNDER THE LAW OF LAW AND KINDNESS, THE LAW OF HEAVEN, AND THE LAW THAT THAT LAND THE LIBERTY LAWS ONE, UH, REGISTERING WASHINGTON, K C H ONE CIVIL SIX.
UM, I, I DID WANNA, UH, I, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET HERE.
I MADE IT A POINT, UM, THAT YOU'RE ALL DOING A GREAT JOB.
I MEAN, I KEEP UP TO WHAT'S GOING ON, AND I, I KEEP, UH, AT HOME CHECKING IT OUT HOW, HOW YOU ALL BEEN RUNNING AND MANIPULATING THE SYSTEM IN A PROPER MANNER.
AND, UH, YOU ALL DOING A GREAT JOB.
AND WE DO MAKE MISTAKES SOMETIMES, BUT, UH, BUT WE CAN ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES.
'CAUSE WE GOTTA STICK TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND JIM.
UM, SO I WANTED TO EXPRESS MYSELF ON THAT POINT.
AND ONE THING ON, ON ITEM, UH, THREE CONCERNING THE, THE MONEY THAT'S COMING IN, THE, UH, SHOT IN THE ARM BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE, UH, USING IT IN A PROPER MANNER.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE MAKING A GOOD DECISION.
DON'T FORGET THE CITY EMPLOYEES, WHITE COLORS AND THE BROWN COLORS.
SO, UH, THAT MUCH I DO ASK YOU.
[Items 3 & 4]
OKAY.AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO OUR ITEMS FOR BRIEFING TODAY.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND HAVE THE, UH, CLERK READ THOSE CAPTIONS, AND WE'LL MOVE TO THE PRESENTATIONS.
ITEM THREE IS A BRIEFING ON THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR 2020 BUDGET, FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE FOR THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER, 2019 TO APRIL, 2020.
AND PROJECTIONS FOR MAY FROM, FOR MAY TO SEPTEMBER, 2020 AM MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT WILL BE PRESENTED AND INCLUDES REVISIONS TO THE CITY'S ADOPTED BUDGET FOR REVENUE IMPACTS AND PROGRAMS SUSPENDED OR DELAYED AS A RESULT OF THE IMPACT OF C OVID 19 RATIFICATION OF EMERGENCY PURCHASES AND GRANT AWARDS RELATED TO THE CITY'S RESPONSE TO THE C OVID 19 PANDEMIC AND APPROVAL OF OTHER ACTION TAKEN BY THE CITY RELATED TO C OVID 19.
ITEM FOUR IS A BRIEFING AND UPDATE ON A PROPOSED PLAN FOR THE CITY'S CONTINUED RESPONSE TO THE C OVID 19 PANDEMIC AND A C OVID 19 COMMUNITY RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY PLAN AND CITY COUNCIL INPUT AND DISCUSSION.
OKAY, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC WALSH.
UH, SO, UH, TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS A, UH, PRESENTATION AS THE CAPTION, UH, READ, UH, A PRESENTATION ON OUR MID-YEAR BUDGET.
UH, MUCH OF THAT INFORMATION YOU ARE AWARE OF.
AND I WANTED TO POINT OUT A COUPLE OF ELEMENTS THAT, UH, THAT ARE INCLUDED TODAY.
THE OTHER PART OF THE PRESENTATION IS ON OUR PROPOSED RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY PLAN.
UM, THE, IN TERMS OF THE MIDYEAR BUDGET, UH, MOST OF THAT INFORMATION WE'VE SEEN BEFORE, UH, WE HAVE INCLUDED A RECOMMENDATION IN THERE, UH, THAT YOU'LL SEE TO PROVIDE SOME RENT, DEFERRALS AND ABATEMENTS FOR A NUMBER OF OUR CONTRACTORS.
UM, AND WE TRIED TO, UH, BE, UH, JUDICIOUS AND CONSISTENT, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE PRESENTATION.
I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE INCLUDED SOME FUNDING TO REINSTATE SOME OF THE SERVICES FOR THE UPCOMING SUMMER THAT WE HAD, THAT WE HAD, UH, SUSPENDED, UH, FUNDING FOR, UH, TWO MONTHS AGO.
UH, SPECIFICALLY A REVISED POOLS OPERATION PLAN.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT LATER ON IN THE MEETING.
UM, WE ARE STILL ON TRACK, UH, TO PROVIDE A FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST FOR OUR UPCOMING, UM, FISCAL
[00:25:01]
YEAR, UH, AND A TRIAL BUDGET ON JUNE 18TH.UH, WE ARE, UH, QUICKLY ALREADY INTO THE, THE, UH, PROCESS OF DEVELOPING OUR FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET.
UH, I DID WANT TO POINT OUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UM, RECOVERING RESILIENCY PLAN THAT YOU'LL HEAR, UH, TODAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, TODAY'S STAFF RECOMMENDED PLAN IS, IS BASED ON, UH, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT WE'VE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED WITH YOU, AND, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, I THINK THE, THE TWO PREVIOUS COUNCIL DISCUSSIONS.
SO I KNOW TODAY IS, UH, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNCIL TO WEIGH IN ON, ON THE CONCEPTS AND THE, UH, PROPOSAL SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH EXECUTION.
UM, I SAID SEVERAL WEEKS AGO THAT, UH, THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, UH, ISSUES THAT THE COUNCIL WAS GONNA BE DEALING WITH.
HOW DO WE RECOVER? AND WE HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF IMMEDIATE NEEDS, AS A COUPLE OF OUR SPEAKERS TALKED ABOUT TODAY.
UM, AND, AND WE HAVE SOME LONGER TERM COMMUNITY, UM, IMPACTS THAT WE HAVE ALL SEEN AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC.
SO HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MOVE SMARTLY, UH, THROUGH, UH, THE RECOVERY PROCESS AND MAKE INVESTMENTS? UH, THERE ARE, THERE'S STILL A GREAT DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT, UH, WHEN DOES AN EMERGENCY TECHNICALLY END? WHEN DOES THE RECOVERY TECHNICALLY BEGIN, AND HOW LONG WILL RECOVERY TAKE? AND, AND I WANTED TO REITERATE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
I MEAN, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE FOUR OBJECTIVES THAT WE HAVE TO, UH, ENSURE THAT THE ONGOING RESPONSE RELATED TO C O V I AND EXPENSES ARE ACCOMMODATED FOR, AND NOT NECESSARILY OUT OF OUR BUDGET, BUT MAKING THOSE ACCOMMODATIONS, WE ARE GOING, NUMBER TWO, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REALIGN OUR FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET TO THE FINANCIAL REALITIES.
UH, NUMBER THREE, WE DO, WE STILL NEED TO DELIVER BASIC SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND NUMBER FOUR, AND A BIG PART OF TODAY'S CONVERSATION IS HELPING OUR COMMUNITY RECOVER.
UM, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TODAY'S CONVERSATION.
WE'VE WORKED, UM, UM, WE'VE WORKED HARD THE LAST TWO AND A HALF MONTHS.
WE'VE REALLY WORKED HARD THE LAST TWO WEEKS ON THIS, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY.
UM, AND A LOT OF DEPARTMENT HEADS AREN'T IN THIS ROOM, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UM, THAT THIS HAS BEEN A, A, A HUGE TEAM EFFORT.
SO, WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MARIA.
WE'LL GO TO COLLEEN, AND THEN MARIA WILL WRAP IT UP WITH THE FINANCIAL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BUDGET, OR ABOUT THE, UH, THE, UH, GRANT FUNDING.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
I'M MARIA VIE GOMEZ, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, AND THIS MORNING I'M GOING TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A MID-YEAR REVIEW OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 2020 BUDGET THAT BEGAN OCTOBER 1ST, 2019, AND WILL END SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2020.
UH, BEFORE I GET INTO THE DETAILS, SO THE PRESENTATION, I WANNA CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT YOU RECEIVED A BINDER THAT INCLUDES THE MATERIALS AND DETAIL OF THE SUMMARY PRESENTATION THAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING TODAY.
IT INCLUDES THE POWERPOINT, IT INCLUDES THE, UM, FINANCIAL REPORT.
IT ALSO PROVIDES DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TO TAKE ACTION ON JUNE THE FOURTH.
IT ALSO PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON BUDGET INITIATIVES THAT YOU APPROVED AS FAR OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2020 BUDGET.
YOU WILL SEE THAT ABOUT THREE OF THOSE, UH, INITIATIVES, ROUGHLY ABOUT 70, UH, HAVE BEEN, UH, CANCELED AS A RESULT OF THE SUSPENSION OR DELAYING OF SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'LL BRIEF YOU ON BACK IN APRIL.
AND, UH, YOU WILL ALSO SEE SOME OF THOSE INITIATIVES THAT ARE ON TIME AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, UH, BUT ALSO SOME INITIATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN DELAYED AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS INCLUDED IN, IN THAT REPORT, UH, TO LET YOU KNOW THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR CITY OPERATIONS ACROSS THE CITY.
SO WITH THAT, UH, WHAT I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT TO YOU TODAY IS OUR GENERAL FUND, AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS, SPECIFICALLY THE HOTEL ANCY TAX, UH, IN THE AIRPORT.
UH, AS PART OF THE PRESENTATION, WE'LL GIVE YOU A FINANCIAL UPDATE ON C OVID 19, AND THEN THE RECOMMENDED MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
SO, JUST, UH, AS A WAY OF BACKGROUND, THE TOTAL C BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020 IS $2.9 BILLION.
THE GENERAL FUND BEING THE LARGEST OPERATING FUND OF THE CITY AT 1.27 BILLION ARE RESTRICTED FUNDS, 938 MILLION.
THAT INCLUDES THE AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, AND THOSE ENTERPRISE AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS THAT ARE RESTRICTED, UH, FOR SPECIFIC USES.
AND FINALLY, OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM THAT IS PRIMARILY COMPRISED OF OUR 2017 BOND, UH, PROJECTS, SOME AIRPORT PROJECTS AND OTHER CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION ACROSS THE CITY.
[00:30:01]
WILL FOCUS ON THE GENERAL FUND AND A COUPLE OF OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS IN DETAIL.AND THEN JUST AN OVERALL HIGHLIGHT ON THE OTHER RESTRICTED FUNDS.
SO EARLIER IN APRIL, WE PROVIDED, PROVIDED THE COUNCIL WITH AN UPDATE OF WHERE, WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF C OVID 19 ON THE CITY'S BUDGET.
THE LAST PRESENTATION WE MADE TO THE COUNCIL, WE HAD INDICATED OUR PROJECTIONS WERE ABOUT 200 MILLION CITYWIDE FOR ALL OF THE ENTIRE, UH, UM, BUDGET.
UH, WE HAVE REVISED THOSE PROJECTIONS BASED ON REVENUES THAT WE RECEIVED, UH, FOR APRIL, UH, SOME OF 'EM FROM MARCH, ACTIVITY LIKE SALES TAX.
UM, SO WHAT WE ARE PROJECTING AS OF TODAY, UH, WITH THAT ADDITIONAL ONE MONTH OF DATA IS $198.6 MILLION AS A PRELIMINARY REV REVENUE LOSS FOR THE CITY OF THAT AMOUNT, 84.4 MILLION IS A GENERAL FUND AND 114.2 MILLION IN OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS.
I, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT TO THE COUNCIL THAT OUR BUDGET REMAINS BALANCED WITH THE ACTIONS THAT, UH, WERE TAKEN BY THE CITY MANAGER BACK IN MARCH AND APRIL, AND WITH THE PROPOSED, UH, MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT THAT WE ARE, UM, PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY FOR YOUR ACTION NEXT WEEK.
MOVING ON TO OUR GENERAL FUND SPECIFICALLY, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS, IN THIS $1.27 BILLION BUDGET, UH, THE THIS GRAPHIC REPRESENTS BOTH A COMBINATION OF REVENUES AND EXPENSES.
OUR MAJOR SOURCES IN THE GENERAL FUND INCLUDE OUR PROPERTY TAX, UH, C P S PAYMENTS, SALES TAX, AND OTHER RESOURCES LIKE E M S, TRANSPORT FEES, UH, TRAFFIC FINES AND LIQUOR BY THE DRINK TAX.
THE WAY THAT THESE DOLLARS ARE INVESTED, UH, UH, ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS OF THAT, THOSE RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, FOLLOWED BY STREETS, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC WORKS, UH, OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND THEN ROUGHLY OVER 20 OTHER IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS IN THE CITY, INCLUDING THE LIBRARY, HUMAN SERVICES, CODE ENFORCEMENT, MUNICIPAL COURT, UH, AND, AND OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE CITY.
SO THIS TABLE BEFORE YOU, UH, PROVIDES YOU WITH A SUMMARY OF THOSE REVENUE SOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY C OVID 19.
OUR PROPERTY TAX, AS THE COUNCIL KNOWS, WE RECEIVE A CERTIFIED PROPERTY TAX ROLE FROM THE BARE APPRAISAL DISTRICT IN JULY OF EVERY YEAR.
SO OUR COLLECTIONS ARE PRETTY MUCH CONSISTENT WITH THAT CERTIFIED ROLE AT THIS POINT.
WE'RE NOT ANTICIPATING ANY DEVIATION FOR THAT FROM THAT ADOPTED BUDGET.
SO THERE'S NO VARIANCE, UH, THERE.
UH, SALES TAX IS THE, THE REVENUE SOURCE THAT HAS BEEN IMPACTED THE MOST, UH, THROUGH APRIL, WE HAVE SEEN A REVENUE LOSS OF $5.3 MILLION, AND THAT IS PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY MARCH ACTIVITY.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT APRIL ACTIVITY WILL PROBABLY BE, UM, WORSE THAN MARCH SINCE A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES WERE CLOSED FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL, UH, DURING MARCH.
WE STILL HAD A COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT, UM, BUSINESSES WERE OPEN.
UH, BUT WE WON'T HAVE THAT, UH, CHECK FROM THE STATE UNTIL, UH, EARLY JUNE.
SO WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU WITH A FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST, WE'LL BE REVISING THOSE PROJECTIONS AGAIN WITH THAT ADDITIONAL, UH, DATA POINT.
BUT AS OF TODAY, THAT $44.1 MILLION IS OUR ESTIMATED REVENUE LOSS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020 FOR SALES TAX C P S ENERGY.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, SEEN A REVENUE LOSS OF $6 MILLION.
THAT IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THE MILD WEATHER THAT WE EXPERIENCED, UH, IN THE WINTER AND EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UM, THE IMPACT OF C OVID 19, UH, IS SEEN IN THE MONTH OF APRIL IN THE, FOR THE, THE BALANCE OF THE YEAR.
SO THE TOTAL VARIANCE IS 14.6 MILLION.
UM, OTHER REVENUES, AND I'LL GO THOSE, I'LL GO OVER THOSE IN DETAIL IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING A 25.7 MILLION REVENUE LOSS AND THOSE OTHER REVENUES IN THE GENERAL FUND.
JUST TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON OUR SALES TAX REVENUE.
THIS IS A GRAPHIC THAT YOU, YOU'VE SEEN IN THE PAST.
WE UPDATED IT TO SHOW THAT FROM OCTOBER TO, UH, APRIL, UH, WE HAVE THAT VARIANCE OF $5.3 MILLION.
BUT AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE DOTTED LINE, THE MAJORITY OF THAT REVENUE LOSS, UH, IS ANTICIPATED BETWEEN APRIL AND SEPTEMBER.
AND THAT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT $38.8 MILLION.
SO THAT IS HOW THAT 44.1 IN REVENUE LOSS BREAKS OUT BETWEEN OUR ACTUALS THROUGH APRIL AND WHAT, WHAT WE ANTICIPATE FOR THE BALANCE OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
THIS TABLE, UH, PRESENTS A SUMMARY OF THOSE OTHER GENERAL FUND REVENUES THAT I MENTIONED THAT ARE ALSO BEING IMPACTED BY C OVID 19.
THIS IS A TRANSFER FROM THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY
[00:35:01]
TAX, UH, THE PAYS FOR HISTORY AND, AND PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES WITHIN A GENERAL FUND.WE ARE ANTICIPATING A REDUCTION OF 50% FOR THAT TRANSFER, UH, RECREATION AND CULTURAL, UH, REVENUES.
THAT INCLUDES OUR RIVER BARGE.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING A REVENUE LOSS OF $7.2 MILLION FOR THE ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR.
AS MUCH OF THOSE, UM, ATTRACTIONS, LIKE THE BARGES HAVE NOT BEEN AN OPERATION, UH, FOR THE MONTH OF, UM, HALF OF THE MONTH OF MARCH AND APRIL.
AND ALSO SOME OF OUR, UM, PARKS REVENUES, LIKE FOR PAVILIONS, UH, WERE NOT, UM, UTILIZED DURING THOSE MONTHS.
UH, INTEREST ON TIME DEPOSITS.
WE ALSO SEE IN A $2.2 MILLION IN REDUCTION.
UH, E M S, UH, TRANSPORTS ARE LESS PEOPLE ARE UTILIZING THE SERVICES.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING A SIX AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, UM, UH, IMPACT.
AND AGAIN, PRIMARILY THAT, THAT IS OUR E M S TRANSPORTS.
AND THEN OTHER REVENUES, UH, THAT INCLUDES LIQUOR BY THE DRINK TAX, UM, $4.2 MILLION FOR, FOR THE BALANCE OF THIS, UM, FISCAL YEAR.
SO THAT IS JUST TO GIVE YOU A HIGHLIGHT OF WHAT IS COMPRISED AND THOSE OTHER, UH, GENERAL FUND REVENUES.
SO I'M GONNA MOVE FORWARD NOW TO THE MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, UH, ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAD, UM, SUSPENDED AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19 WERE SUMMER PROGRAMS. WITH THIS ACTION, WE ARE RECOMMENDING TO THE COUNCIL TO ADD BACK TO THE BUDGET $322,000 TO DO A MODIFIED, UH, POOL SEASON AT 11 TARGETED POOLS ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, THIS POOLS WILL BE OPEN DURING THE WEEKENDS, AND WE'LL HAVE ROTATING SCHEDULES DURING THE WEEK, AND THOSE WILL BE OPERATED AT A 25% CAPACITY.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR ACTION NEXT THURSDAY.
THIS FOLLOWING TABLE PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF THE, UH, MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT JUST FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
THE PROGRAM SUSPENDED AND DELAYED TOTAL IN $83 MILLION.
THE LIST OF THOSE PROGRAMS IS INCLUDED IN YOUR BINDER.
UH, AND THAT INCLUDES OUR STREET MAINTENANCE, UH, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE DELAYED TO 2021.
IT INCLUDES, UM, THE SUSPENSION OF SOME OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SET INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, UH, OUR SUMMIT, UH, PROGRAMS AS WELL IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND.
THE NEXT ITEM IS A, UH, REIMBURSEMENT THAT WE ARE ANTICIPATED FOR EXPENSES IN THE GENERAL FUND RELATED TO C OVID 19.
AND I WILL GO INTO MORE DETAIL OF THAT AT THE NEXT, UM, SECTION OF THE PRESENTATION.
BUT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING IN REIMBURSEMENT, UH, SPECIFICALLY TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR EXPENSES INCUR SO FAR.
WE ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCED DEPARTMENT SAVINGS ACROSS, UH, GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS, PRIMARILY IN FUEL, AS FUEL PRICES ARE, UH, PRETTY MUCH, UM, QUITE A BIT BELOW WITH THE BUDGETED AMOUNTS, UH, AND ALSO ADDITIONAL SAVINGS IN DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS. UM, AND FINALLY, UH, AS YOU SEE AS A POSITIVE NUMBER OR AN ADDITION TO THE BUDGET IS A $10.4 MILLION TO ADD A FUNDS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE LUMP SUM PAYMENT PROVIDED TO THE FIREFIGHTERS AS DIRECTED BY THE ARBITRATION ORDER, UH, EARLIER THIS CALENDAR YEAR.
SO IN TOTAL, A REDUCTION, UH, OR MID-YEAR ADJUSTMENT IN THE GENERAL FUND IS $85 MILLION.
THIS GRAPHIC PROVIDES YOU A SUMMARY WITH, UM, JUST TO ILLUSTRATE THAT OUR GENERAL FUND REMAINS BALANCED.
UM, THE CITY MANAGER PROVIDED THE CITY COUNCIL WITH AN UPDATE OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 2019 FINANCIAL STATUS, UH, AND WE INFORMED THE COUNCIL THAT WE HAD $15 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED WHEN WE ADOPTED THE BUDGET IN SEPTEMBER.
SO THAT IS OUR BETTER BEGINNING BALANCE.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE ANTICIPATING REVENUE LOSSES OF 84.4 MILLION.
WE ARE RECOMMENDING, UH, FOR YOU TO TAKE ACTION TO OFFICIALLY REDUCE THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET BY $85 MILLION.
AND THAT RESULTS IN AN ENDING BALANCE OVER AND ABOVE OUR BUDGETED FINANCIAL RESERVES OF 15.6 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020.
SO IN SUMMARY, WHAT THIS SLIDE, UH, THE TAKEAWAY IS THAT OUR BUDGET REMAINS BALANCED JUST LIKE WE WERE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
SO I'M GONNA TRANSITION TO SOME OF OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS, BEGINNING WITH THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
THIS GRAPHIC IS JUST TO ILLUSTRATE, UH, THAT THE HOTEL TAX RATE FOR SAN ANTONIO IS 16.75%.
UH, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO RECEIVES 9% OF THAT TOTAL.
[00:40:01]
DEDICATED TO PAY FOR THE DEBT OF OUR CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION, AND 7% IS DEDICATED TO SUPPORT OPERATIONS IN OUR CONVENTION FACILITIES, WHICH IS OUR CONVENTION CENTER IN THE ALAMO DOM.UH, 35% IS DEDICATED TO VISIT SAN ANTONIO, UH, 15% ALLOCATED TO ARTS, AND THEN 15%, UH, TRANSFERRED TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR HISTORY AND PRESERVATION.
SO THIS IS, UH, GRAPHIC IS TO ILLUSTRATE WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF COLLECTIONS OF THE HOTEL ANCY TAX RATE.
SO IF YOU SEE THE TABLE AT THE BOTTOM FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL, WE HAVE SEEN A REVENUE LOSS OF CLOSE TO $16 MILLION.
AND THAT, AGAIN, IS PRIMARILY ACTIVITY IN MARCH AND APRIL.
UH, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT THIS, UH, ACTIVITY WILL, WILL CONTINUE, UM, TO DECLINE COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 2019.
AND FROM MAY TO SEPTEMBER, WE'RE ANTICIPATING AN ADDITIONAL REVENUE LOSS OF 24.2 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $40 MILLION IN THIS, UH, TOTAL BUDGET OF OVER $90 MILLION IN THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
THE GRAPHIC ABOVE THE TABLE ILLUSTRATES HOW FROM OCTOBER THROUGH FEBRUARY, WE WERE TRACKING WITH THE ADOPTED BUDGET, AND BEGINNING IN MARCH, YOU SEE THAT SHARP DECLINE IN REVENUE MARCH AND APRIL.
WE ANTICIPATING, BASED ON OUR PROJECTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU TODAY, UH, THE MAY WILL BE A CHALLENGING MONTH AS WELL, BUT WE'RE ANTICIPATING PERHAPS TO START PICKING UP SOME BUSINESS IN JUNE AND JULY, NOT AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE, AS BUDGETED OR IN THE PRIOR YEAR, BUT TO START TO SEE SOME RECOVERY IN IN, IN THAT REVENUE SOURCE.
OUR CONVENTION CENTER AND ALAMO DOM REVENUE ARE FOLLOWING THE SAME TREND AS A HOTEL ANCY TAX.
UM, THIS, UH, REVENUE OF OVER $32 MILLION FOR THE YEAR.
OCTOBER TO APRIL, WE SAW A REVENUE LOSS OF 3.6 MILLION, PRIMARILY MARCH AND APRIL.
AND FROM MAY TO SEPTEMBER, WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UM, AN ADDITIONAL REVENUE LOSS OF 11.2 MILLION.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, EVENTS, UH, SCHEDULED, UM, UNTIL THE MONTH OF JULY THAT HAVE NOT CANCELED.
WE'RE STILL IN CONTACT WITH THOSE, UH, SPONSORS TO SEE.
THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE, UM, WITH THOSE, UM, SCHEDULED.
SO THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE THE REVENUE STARTING TO PICKING UP IN JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER.
BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THE COUNCIL AS WE HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE SPONSORS.
SO WHEN YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE $40 MILLION REVENUE LOSS IN THE HOTEL, ANCY TAX, PLUS THE 14.8 IN THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND THE ALAMO DO THAT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT $54.8 MILLION THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO ADJUST THE BUDGET BY.
SO MIDYEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH WE, WHAT WE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL BACK ON APRIL THE NINTH, UM, ACCOMPLISHES THAT REDUCTION TOTAL OF 57 AND A HALF MILLION.
OUR CONVENTION FACILITIES IS A REDUCTION OF 30% OF THEIR ADOPTED BUDGET, AND THAT INCLUDES FURLOUGHING, UH, ABOUT 270 EMPLOYEES, AS WELL AS, UM, REDUCING COSTS AS THE FACILITIES ARE CLOSED, AND UTILITIES, UH, AND OTHER MAINTENANCE EXPENSES.
I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS IS AN UPDATED NUMBER.
WHAT WE PRESENTED TO YOU BACK ON APRIL THE NINTH, THEY, WE HAD A REDUCTION OF ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
THEY HAVE UPDATED, UH, THEIR, UH, REDUCTIONS AND NOW IT'S SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION OR 30% OF THEIR TOTAL ALLOCATION FOR THE YEAR ARTS AND CULTURE.
THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE HAD SHOWN THE COUNCIL A REDUCTION OF 2.3 MILLION HISTORY AND PRESERVATION, A 50% REDUCTION TO THE GENERAL FUND, OUR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICE.
UH, SOME EMPLOYEES WERE FURLOUGHED AND SOME ACTIVITIES WERE SUSPENDED AT 29% REDUCTION.
UH, WE ALSO HAD MENTIONED TO THE COUNCIL THAT WE'RE USING OUR CONTINGENCY TO BE ABLE TO, UM, OFFSET THE REVENUE LOSS AS WELL AS TRANSFERRING CAPITAL PROJECTS A CAP, CAPITAL, CAPITAL PROJECTS TO THE PROPERTY TAX DEBT FUND.
THE DETAIL OF THOSE TRANSFERS ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR BINDER WITH THE SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNTS.
AND THEN FINALLY, OUR HOSTING OBLIGATIONS AND FILM, FILM INCENTIVES, INCENTIVES, WE DID A REDUCTION OF $2.6 MILLION.
MOVING ON TO OUR AIRPORT, UH, FUND.
UH, THESE PROJECTIONS ARE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE SHOW THE CITY COUNCIL.
OUR REVENUES IN APRIL CAME IN PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT, WHAT HE, WHAT WE HAD PROJECTED.
SO THERE'S NO CHANGES AT THIS TIME.
A TOTAL LOT OF 43.2 MILLION REVENUE LOSS, CLOSE TO 27 MILLION IN OUR OPERATING EXPENSES.
AND THEN OUR PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGE AND OUR CUSTOMER FACILITY CHARGE ARE ALSO IMPACTED.
[00:45:01]
GRAPH IS JUST TO ILLUSTRATE THE DRAMATIC, UH, DROP IN THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH OUR SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.UM, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SLIDE, OUR 2020 BUDGET WAS OVER 10 MILLION PASSENGERS.
UH, WE HAVE SEEN A REDUCTION OF 1.8 MILLION FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL AND MAY TO SEPTEMBER.
WE ANTICIPATING ANOTHER $3.3 MILLION, UH, 3.3 MILLION REDUCTION IN PASSENGERS.
SO OUR REVENUES REFLECT THE LESS ACTIVITY FROM THOSE, UH, PASSENGERS.
THIS NEXT GRAPHIC REPRESENTS A PROPOSED MIDYEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FOR THE AIRPORT, CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE HAD SHOWN THE COUNCIL BACK IN APRIL.
UH, WE ARE PROPOSING TO SUSPEND AND HAVE SUSPENDED AND DELAYED OPERATING PROJECTS IN THE AIRPORT FUND.
UH, WE ALSO TOOK ACTION IN OUR PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGE IN OUR CUSTOMER FACILITY, UM, CHARGE AS WELL TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE DEBT PAYMENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED UNDER BOTH FUNDS AND STAY BALANCED.
THIS IS AN UPDATE ON THE OTHER RESTRICTED FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY C OVID 19, UH, $16.1 MILLION.
UH, WE HAVE UPDATED OUR A T D IN THE LINEAR GREEN WASTE AND AQUIFER BASED ON UPDATED DATA.
UM, THE OTHER PROJECTIONS ARE PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE HAD SHOWN THE COUNCIL IN, UH, BACK IN APRIL.
THE STORMWATER REGIONAL FACILITIES IS A NEW FUND THAT WE HADN'T INCLUDED BACK IN APRIL THE NINTH, AS WE ARE SEEING ALSO AN IMPACT IN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY THAT IS IMPACTING THAT FUND.
SO I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO THE OTHER MIDYEAR ADJUSTMENTS THAT THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
I'M GONNA BEGIN WITH THE RATIFICATION OF FEDERAL GRANTS THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN AWARDED.
UH, OVERALL, WE HAVE BEEN AWARDED $361 MILLION, UH, AND WE ARE ASKING FOR RATIFICATION OF $347 MILLION WITH THIS MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT.
THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS A, A BREAKDOWN OF THE 347 MILLION IN GRANTS THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR RATIFICATION, INCLUDING THE 270 MILLION, UH, CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND, UH, AIRPORT GRANTS, PUBLIC HEALTH CHILDCARE SERVICES, COMMUNITY SERVICES, BLOCK GRANT, HEAD START, SENIOR NUTRITION AND FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT.
AND JUST TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME CONTEXT, UH, THE BALANCE OF THE, OF THE GRANTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN AWARDED, 14 MILLION YOU HAVE ALREADY APPROVED THROUGH OTHER ORDINANCES, INCLUDING THE 7.7 MILLION IN C D V G FUNDS THAT WE USE FOR THE HOUSING EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
A $3.9 MILLION EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT FOR HOMELESS ASSISTANCE.
UH, 2.3 MILLION FOR A, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT GRANT FOR PERSONNEL AND SUPPLIES, AND 393,000 FOR, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR E M SS, UH, RELIEF FUND, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR, FOR FIRE.
SO THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND THE NEXT ITEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IS THE RATIFICATION OF EMERGENCY PURCHASES THAT WE HAVE, UM, EXECUTED SINCE THE MONTH OF MARCH, A TOTAL OF 10.7 MILLION.
THIS, UH, LIST OF PURCHASES IS INCLUDED IN YOUR BINDERS.
YOU CAN SEE THE VENDORS' DOLLAR AMOUNTS AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE, THE ITEMS THAT WE PURCHASED.
BUT IN SUMMARY, THAT INCLUDES, UH, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND ALSO FOR OUR CITY CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, UH, TESTING, UH, CLEANING SUPPLIES AND DECONTAMINATION EQUIPMENT, HAND SANITIZERS VEHICLES FOR TESTING, AS WELL AS OTHER EQUIPMENT, AND THEN HOTELS THAT WE HAVE SECURED FOR COVID POSITIVES AND HIGH RISK HOMELESS.
THE THIRD ITEM ON THE MIDYEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT IS, UM, A RECOMMENDATION ON REQUESTS THAT, THAT THE CITY HAS RECEIVED IN TERMS OF ABATING, UH, RENTAL, UH, REVENUE OR DEFERRAL OF REVENUE.
SO THIS TABLE IS BROKEN OUT BY FUNDING SOURCE.
WE HAVE THOSE UNDER THE GENERAL FUND, THE AIRPORT FUND, AND THEN OTHER RESTRICTED FUNDS.
SO WE WERE STRATEGIC IN TERMS OF THE RECOMMENDATION WE'RE MAKING TO THE COUNCIL AS TO WHERE THE ABATEMENTS ARE SIMILAR IN NATURE FOR THOSE TENANTS REQUIRING THIS ABATEMENTS.
THERE'S A FOUR MONTH RENT ABATEMENT, UH, RECOMMENDED APRIL THROUGH MAY FOR THE SOME TENANTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER AND LA VITA THAT HAS AN IMPACT OF $200,000 TO THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT IS ALREADY REFLECTED IN THE MID-YEAR ADJUSTMENT.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS NO IMPACT.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE REQUEST IS FOR A 90 DAY DEFERRAL, AND THEY WOULD PAY THAT BACK OVER 12 MONTHS.
THE DEFERRALS IS FOR THE AIRLINE, RE, UH, AIRLINES FOR $6 MILLION, AS AS, AND
[00:50:01]
ALSO FOR THOSE TENANTS THAT HAVE GROUND IN BUILDING LEASES WITH THE CITY AT 2.4 MILLION ON OUR RESTRICTED FUNDS, WE ARE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO DO A RENT ABATEMENT OF FOUR MONTHS FOR MARK MARKET SQUARE AT TENANTS, UH, ALSO A TWO MONTH ABATEMENT FOR PARKING, CONTRACTS AND RETAIL.UM, ALSO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT IF THERE IS NOT A BASEBALL, UH, SEASON, THIS, UH, SUMMER, THAT WE ALSO ABATE THE RENT OF SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS AND FOR SAN ANTONIO SPORTS, UM, WE ARE ALSO RECOMMENDING A RENT ABATEMENT FOR THE TIME THAT THE ALAMO DOME, UH, IS CLOSE TO, TO THE PUBLIC.
SO ALL THAT COMBINED IS $1.7 MILLION, UH, TO THOSE RESTRICTED FUNDS FOR FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
AND FINALLY, I'M GONNA CLOSE THIS, UH, PRESENTATION BY, UM, SHARING WITH YOU SOME OF THE NEXT STEPS IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET PROCESS.
WE WILL BE COMING BACK TO YOU ON JUNE 18 WITH A FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST.
IN OUR TRIAL BUDGET PRESENTATION, WE ANTICIPATE FISCAL YEAR 2021 TO BE A CHALLENGING YEAR.
SO WE ARE PRESENTING IN THAT TRIAL BUDGET PRESENTATION SOME, UM, REDUCTIONS THAT WE CAN BEGIN DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNCIL AS PART OF THE GOAL SETTING SESSION ON JUNE 26TH.
SO WE'LL PRESENT THOSE TO YOU ON THE 18TH, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THE DISCUSSION ON THE 26TH TO GET YOUR POLICY DIRECTION.
BEFORE WE START PREPARING THE PROPOSED BUDGET, THE CITY MANAGER WILL PRESENT A PROPOSED BUDGET ON AUGUST THE SIXTH.
UH, WE WILL HAVE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORK SESSIONS FROM AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER, AND THEN WE'RE SCHEDULED TO ADOPT THE, THE 2021 CITY BUDGET ON SEPTEMBER 17.
IN CONCLUSION, WE STILL HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTY IN TERMS OF THE IMPACT OF C OVID 19, HOW, UH, CONSUMERS ARE GONNA BEHAVE, JUST HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PREDICTING HOW THAT IS IMPACT OUR ECONOMY, UH, WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED ECONOMIC DISRUPTION FOR WHICH DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY WITH THE ACTIONS THAT THE CITY MANAGER HAS TAKEN AND THAT YOU HAVE SUPPORTED, SUPPORTED.
OUR BUDGET REMAINS BALANCED TODAY FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020, AND WE ANTICIPATE BUDGET CHALLENGES FOR 2021.
WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO DR.
COLLEEN BRIDGER TO TALK ABOUT OUR C OVID 19 RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY PLAN.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, MY PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION IS TO COVER THE RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN.
UM, SORRY, WAITING FOR MY SLIDES TO SHOW UP.
SO MY PRESENTATION WILL DO A BRIEF REVIEW OF, UM, WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK.
WE'LL GO INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE STRATEGIES AND, UH, RECOMMENDED FUNDING FOR EACH OF THESE RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES IN THE, UM, STAFF PROPOSED PLAN.
AND THEN, UM, SHARE NEXT STEPS WITH YOU AFTER I FINISH THE PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT.
THEN, UM, MARIA WILL COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING ASPECTS OF IT.
I DO WANNA MENTION THAT THERE IS ANOTHER BINDER ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, IT SAYS, CITY RESPONSE AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY ON THE FRONT PAGE.
IN THAT BINDER, YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU ALSO HAVE, UH, A MORE DETAILED SPREADSHEET SHOWING THE BUDGETS FOR THE EMERGENT, THE ONGOING EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
YOU'VE GOT THE FINAL VERSION OF THE, UM, WATCH EXPAND ASSURE PLAN, WHICH IS THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THE HEALTH TRANSITION TEAMS RECOMMENDATIONS.
I'M PRETTY SURE THAT, UM, MY WORKING TITLE IS MATRIX QUEEN BECAUSE EVERYTHING I'VE DONE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS HAS BEEN PUT INTO A MATRIX.
UM, BUT WE HAVE YET ANOTHER MATRIX FOR YOU, UM, THAT LAYS OUT THE DIFFERENT FUNDING IN ONE LOCATION BY PILLAR, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE FACT SHEETS FOR YOU ON EACH OF THE PILLARS THAT GIVES YOU MORE DETAILS ABOUT, UM, THE RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES, UM, MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE FUNDING ALLOCATIONS, AND IF WE KNOW PARTNERS THAT WE'LL BE WORKING WITH, UM, YOU'LL SEE THOSE LAID OUT FOR YOU AS WELL.
SO THAT'S JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, UM, WHAT YOU WILL HAVE IN THAT BINDER.
SO THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED THAT, UM, WE ARE UTILIZING THESE GUIDING PRINCIPLES, UM, AND WE'RE USING
[00:55:01]
THESE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR BOTH THE RESPONSE AND THE RECOVERY, UM, FROM C OVID 19.AND IN MY 25 YEARS WORKING, UM, IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, I'VE NEVER HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF BOTH RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY AND RECOVERING FROM AN EMERGENCY AT THE SAME TIME.
SO THIS SIMULTANEOUS WORK, UM, IS DEFINITELY TEACHING, UM, THESE, UH, GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS, UH, A NEW WAY OF THINKING AND PIVOTING AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, SO JUST A REMINDER THAT, UH, DR.
EMMERICH AND CHIEF HOOD TWO WEEKS AGO COVERED, UM, THE RECOVERY PLAN.
AND YOU DO HAVE THAT DOCUMENT IN YOUR BINDER.
THE FOCUS FOR TODAY IS ON, I MEAN, YOU HAVE THE RESPONSE PLAN.
THE FOCUS FOR TODAY IS THE RECOVERY PLAN.
SO THIS WAS THE MATRIX FROM LAST WEEK.
AND, UM, JUST A REMINDER, WHAT WE COVERED LAST WEEK WERE THESE FOUR PILLARS, THESE PILLARS OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT, UM, DIGITAL, WE'RE CALLING IT DIGITAL INCLUSION NOW, AND HOUSING SECURITY.
UM, WERE THEMES THAT WE PULLED FROM, UM, MULTIPLE REPORTS THAT HAD BEEN DONE EITHER SHORTLY BEFORE C OVID 19, OR WORK GROUPS AND TASK FORCES, UM, THAT WERE FORMED IN RESPONSE TO C OVID 19.
SO THERE WERE DOZENS OF, UM, DOCUMENTS THAT WE REVIEWED IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH THESE, UM, PILLARS AND THE 14 STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
TODAY WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT EACH OF THE FOUR PILLARS.
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT 14 STRATEGIES.
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT WHAT THE EXPECTED DELIVERABLES OR OUTCOMES ARE FOR EACH OF THE STRATEGIES.
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR EACH OF THESE STRATEGIES.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
AND FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, YOU CAN SEE THE TOTAL FUNDING FOR THAT PILLAR IS $80 MILLION.
THAT IS BROKEN OUT BY $70 MILLION GOING FOR WORKFORCE TRAINING AND SUPPORT SERVICES, AND $10 MILLION GOING FOR CHILDCARE SUPPORT.
UH, SPECIFICALLY, UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT WORKING ON INTAKE AND REFERRAL WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, CAREER NAVIGATION AND JOB PLACEMENT WITH SA WORKS, BIOMED SA, CYBERSECURITY, SAN ANTONIO AND OTHERS.
UM, WRAPAROUND SUPPORT AND CASE MANAGEMENT WITH PROJECT QUEST EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
UM, ALAMO COLLEGES, A BIG COMPONENT OF THIS 70 MILLION IS A $48 MILLION SUBSIDY PROGRAM, SO THAT WHILE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SCHOOL AND, UM, LEARNING NEW SKILLS, THEY WILL RECEIVE A SUBSIDY, UM, A, A LIVING SUBSIDY SO THAT THEY HAVE, UM, INCOME COMING IN AND CAN AFFORD TO PAY THEIR RENT AND BUY THEIR GROCERIES.
UM, THE OTHER ITEM IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PILLAR IS THE TEMPORARY CHILDCARE SUPPORT FOR WORKING FAMILIES.
THIS IS A GRANT FUNDED ITEM, UM, AND DOES ALLOW US TO PROVIDE THREE MONTHS OF CHILDCARE SUPPORT WHILE UM, INDIVIDUALS ARE GOING BACK TO, UM, SCHOOL OR GETTING JOB TRAINING EXPERIENCE.
THE NEXT PILLAR WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IS HOUSING SECURITY.
THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDING ALLOCATED TO THE HOUSING SECURITY PILLAR IS $50 MILLION.
UM, THIS ONE HAS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIES IN IT, SO I'M GONNA SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME HERE.
UM, FAMILY INDEPENDENCE INITIATIVE, OR F I I IS A PROGRAM THAT Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
UM, FROM A MONTH OR SO AGO WHEN LORI HOUSTON PRESENTED THE, UM, EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT INCLUDED A PARTNERSHIP WITH F I I, THIS EXPANDS THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH F I I AS AN ADDITIONAL 1000 FAMILIES.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES, THIS IS BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN OTHER CITIES.
F I I HAS BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR OVER A DECADE, AND THESE ARE THE OUTCOMES THAT THEY HAVE SEEN IN OTHER CITIES, AND WE SEE NO REASON WHY WE CAN'T HAVE THESE SAME OUTCOMES.
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YOU KNOW, AN INCREASE IN, UM, MONTHLY INCOME WITH A DECREASE IN THE USE OF SUBSIDY PROGRAMS, UM, SUCH AS TANF AND SNAP.AND THEN THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF SAVINGS, UM, AMONG THESE FAMILIES THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE F I I, UM, WILL BE BUILT UP TO ON AVERAGE $1,000.
THE NEXT AND MOST SIGNIFICANT STRATEGY AS FAR AS FUNDING IS CONCERNED FOR HOUSING SECURITY IS THE FAIR HOUSING COUNSELING AND RESOURCE CENTER.
UM, $25 MILLION OF THAT CENTER, UM, IS, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO THE EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
SO THAT WOULD TAKE THE TOTAL FUNDING TO $50 MILLION FROM THE ACTION THAT YOU TOOK, UM, LAST MONTH TO THIS EDITION AS WELL.
UM, WE WILL ALSO WORK WITH AREA NONPROFITS TO PROVIDE LEGAL, UM, COORDINATION AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, OUR, EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF THIS, UM, RESOURCE AVAILABILITY.
THE NEXT STRATEGY THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IS, UM, A RESOURCE CENTER FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY.
UM, THIS IS BOTH VIRTUAL AND PLACE-BASED, SO AGAIN, WORKING WITH OUR AREA NONPROFITS, UM, TO EXPAND SOME OF THE EXISTING SERVICES THAT THEY OFFER, AS WELL AS, UM, PROVIDE THIS IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES IN ORDER TO ACCESS THESE RESOURCES AND LEARN ABOUT THE SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
UM, AGAIN, WE, WE WENT, WE ESTIMATE THAT WE WILL SERVE ABOUT 6,500 RESIDENTS AND, UM, THAT FROM, UH, THE START OF THIS PROGRAM THROUGH JUNE OF 2021.
UM, OUR EXPECTED OUTCOME IS THAT HOUSEHOLD DEBT WILL BE REDUCED BY $4.9 MILLION ACROSS THE CITY.
THE NEXT ITEM IS, UM, TO CONNECT RESIDENTS TO LOW COST FINANCIAL PRODUCTS.
UM, THERE ARE TWO SPECIFIC PRODUCTS IN THIS STRATEGY.
UH, ONE IS CALLED THE BANK ON INITIATIVE.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN PILOTING ALREADY.
WE'VE HAD REALLY GOOD SUCCESS OF, UM, CONNECTING PEOPLE WHO DON'T TYPICALLY HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, UM, AND HELPING THEM ESTABLISH THAT RELATIONSHIP.
UM, THE SECOND ONE IS THE, UM, THE TAX REFUND ANTICIPATION LOANS, UM, TO AVOID PEOPLE, UM, NEEDING TO GET THESE HIGH INTEREST, HIGH FEE, UM, TAX RETURN LOANS.
UM, ANOTHER ITEM THAT WE PILOTED THIS TAX SEASON, WHICH WAS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL, THAT WE WILL BE EXPANDING, UM, FOR PEOPLE AFFECTED BY C OVID 19, IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH AREA CREDIT UNIONS TO GET, UM, A LOW FEE, NO INTEREST LOAN, UM, BASED ON THEIR EXPECTED TAX RETURN.
SO WE HAVE TWO DOOR TO DOOR STRATEGIES.
UH, THIS DOOR TO DOOR STRATEGY INVOLVES WORKING WITH FAMILIES.
AND, AND I DO WANNA CLARIFY THAT WHEN WE USE THE WORD FAMILIES, UM, WE USE IT IN THE BROADEST SENSE POSSIBLE.
SO I KNOW THAT, UM, COUNCILMAN TREVINO MENTIONED SEN SINGLE SENIORS YESTERDAY OR LAST WEEK.
UM, WE DEFINITELY THINK OF, UM, INDIVIDUALS LIVING BY THEMSELVES, INDIVIDUALS LIVING TOGETHER, KIDS, NO KIDS, UM, SENIORS VERY YOUNG.
SO IT'S THIS REALLY WIDE ARRAY OF PEOPLE.
SO I JUST, I DID WANT TO CLARIFY THAT BASED ON SOME INPUT THAT WE'VE HAD.
UM, BUT WE WILL BE GOING, UM, DOOR TO DOOR TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THOSE AREAS THAT, UM, HAVE THE, UM, MOST CONCERNING EQUITY SCORES BASED ON THE OFFICE OF EQUITY ASSESSMENTS, UM, THAT WE'RE REACHING OUT TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS AGAIN, UM, WITH THOSE TRUSTED MESSENGERS TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT RESOURCES AND SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
UH, SO AGAIN, WORKING WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AREA, NONPROFITS AND AREA UNIVERSITIES AND STUDENTS TO GET THAT WORD OUT ABOUT WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, THE NEXT ITEM IS THE, THE DIGITAL CASE MANAGEMENT PLATFORM.
AND, UM, THIS ONE IS A REALLY IMPORTANT WAY FOR US
[01:05:01]
TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH OUR PHILANTHROPY PARTNERS AND OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UM, SO THAT AS ALL OF US ARE WORKING TO RESPOND TO AND RECOVER FROM C OVID 19, WE'RE DOING IT IN A COORDINATED MANNER.SO THIS ALLOWS US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME SYSTEM, KNOWING THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING TO THESE FAMILIES SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING ALL OF THE POSSIBLE SERVICES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND MAKE SURE ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING SERVICE PROVISION, UM, TO INDIVIDUALS.
FINALLY, FOR, UM, HOUSING SECURITY, THE LAST ITEM IS HOMELESS SHELTER OPTIONS WITH SERVICES.
AND WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING WITH THIS STRATEGY IS TO WORK WITH OUR AREA HOMELESS SHELTERS, UM, TO IDENTIFY UP TO 500 HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE READY TO BE TRANSITIONED TO A HOTEL.
THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL THEN RECEIVE INTENSIVE, UM, SERVICES AND, UM, A FOCUS ON RAPID REHOUSING INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO GET THEM OUT OF THE SHELTERS PERMANENTLY.
UM, WHEN WE DO THAT, THAT WILL FREE UP ADDITIONAL SPACES FOR THE INCREASED NUMBER OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS THAT WE ARE SEEING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO INTO OUR HOMELESS SHELTERS AND START TO RECEIVE THE SERVICES AND SUPPORT THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM AT, IN THOSE SHELTERS.
UM, I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT, OF THAT $9.2 MILLION, ABOUT 4 MILLION IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE RENTAL OF A HOTEL.
UH, ABOUT 875,000 IS FOR FOOD FOR PEOPLE WHILE THEY ARE IN THE HOTEL.
ABOUT 850,000 IS FOR STAFFING.
UM, WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS IN THAT HOTEL, FOCUSING ON THAT RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, THERE'S $2 MILLION IN THIS 9 MILLION TO PAY FOR THE RAPID REHOUSING WORK.
AND THEN, UM, 600,000 FOR OUTREACH AND EDUCATION.
OH, I FORGOT MY FAVORITE PART.
THE, WE ARE ALSO, UM, EXPANDING OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FUNDING.
SO, UM, DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS LAST YEAR, UM, WE SHARED WITH COUNCIL THAT THERE'S CURRENTLY ABOUT $20 MILLION OF CITY FUNDING, UM, ADDRESSING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, BOTH THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
COMBINED, THERE'S ABOUT $20 MILLION.
WHAT THIS WOULD DO WOULD BE ADD AN ADDITIONAL $3.3 MILLION TO ENHANCE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE STARTED AND ARE FINDING ARE WORKING EXCEPTIONALLY WELL.
THIS WOULD FAST TRACK THEIR IMPLEMENTATION TO SCALE.
SO THAT'S LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR PREVENTION ACTIVITIES THROUGH, UM, THE LOVE IS CAMPAIGN, WHICH HAS BEEN WILDLY SUCCESSFUL AND POPULAR, UM, AS WELL AS WORKING ON THAT PRIMARY PREVENTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
UM, SO WORKING WITH STUDENTS WHO ARE LIVING IN HOUSEHOLDS THAT WHERE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS OCCURRING TO HELP THEM DEVELOP COPING SKILLS AND NOT BECOME EITHER VICTIMS OR BATTERS THEMSELVES.
UM, ALSO THE EXPEDITING OF THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HIGH RISK TEAM THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, AND THEN DOING A BETTER JOB OF INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY, UM, IN DIRECTING SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
SO THE THIRD PILLAR IS SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT.
THE TOTAL FUNDING FOR, UM, THIS PILLAR IS $33 MILLION.
UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED BOTH A VIRTUAL AND A PLACE-BASED, UM, RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE HUB.
THIS ONE TARGETING SPECIFICALLY SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND AGAIN, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PLAN, WE ARE DEFINING SMALL BUSINESSES AS BUSINESSES WITH 20 OR FEWER EMPLOYEES.
UM, SO THESE HUBS, WE WILL BE CONTRACTING WITH, UM, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS, SUCH AS W D C, SAGE, SOUTHSIDE FIRST AND MAESTRO, UM, FOR THE PLACE-BASED HUBS.
AND THEN FOR THE VIRTUAL HUBS, WE WILL BE PARTNERING WITH LAUNCH SA.
THE NEXT ITEM IS OUR SECOND DOOR TO DOOR ENGAGEMENT ITEM, THIS ONE FOCUSING ON OUR BUSINESSES.
SO WE WILL GO DOOR TO DOOR, UM, TO WORK WITH, UM, SMALL BUSINESSES THAT MAY NOT BE CONNECTED
[01:10:01]
TO THE CHAMBERS, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, AND MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THESE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO LET THEM KNOW.AND AGAIN, WE WILL BE PARTNERING, UM, WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES.
SO SAN ANTONIO, E D F WILL BE COORDINATING THIS OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, UM, ACTIVITY.
UM, FOR TRAINING, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTER AND LAUNCH SA.
UM, AND THEN FOR THE ACTUAL PROVISION OF THE OUTREACH, UM, ACTIVITIES, WE'LL BE WORKING AGAIN WITH W D C SAGE SOUTHSIDE FIRST, AND FOR, UM, SPECIFIC FINANCIAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE LYFT FUND.
THE, UM, LARGEST, UH, FUNDING ALLOCATION FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT IS SPECIFIC TO GRANTS TO, UM, MICRO BUSINESSES.
AND SO WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING IS, UM, APPROXIMATELY A THOUSAND BUSINESSES WOULD RECEIVE GRANTS RANGING FROM 10,000 TO $75,000, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE BUSINESS.
AND, UM, WE WILL BE DOING THIS VERY QUICKLY.
THIS IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS, UM, WE NEED TO GET THESE RESOURCES INTO THE COMMUNITY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO YOU CAN SEE A PRETTY AMBITIOUS TIMEFRAME HERE.
UM, AND I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT ALSO IN THIS, SO, 27 MILLION OF THIS, OF THE 33 MILLION GOES TO, UM, GRANTS FOR MICRO BUSINESSES.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE ALLOCATED $2.6 MILLION OF THAT 33 MILLION SPECIFICALLY TO ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, SO WHETHER IT'S A SOLE PROPRIETOR ARTIST OR A NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION, UM, THERE IS 2.6 MILLION, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR THEM.
THE OTHER THING IS, UM, I KNOW MANY OF YOU WERE AT THE P P E, UM, DISTRIBUTION EVENT ON YESTERDAY.
I HEARD THAT IT WENT SPECTACULARLY.
UM, I HEARD THAT, UH, SOME OF Y'ALL ROLLED UP YOUR SLEEVES AND HELPED OUT, AND THAT WAS REALLY APPRECIATED.
SO, UM, $2 MILLION OF THAT 33 MILLION, UM, WAS ALLOCATED TO THE PURCHASE OF THOSE P P E SUPPLIES.
THE LAST STRATEGY THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS DIGITAL INCLUSION.
UM, SO THE TOTAL FUNDING FOR THIS FOURTH PILLAR IS $27 MILLION.
AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE BULK OF THAT FUNDING IS ALLOCATED TO DISTANCE LEARNING FOR STUDENTS.
UM, AGAIN, WORKING WITH, UM, OUR OFFICE OF EQUITY, WORKING WITH S A I S D AND EDGEWOOD I S D, WE'VE IDENTIFIED 50 NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, PHASE ONE, WE WILL FOCUS ON, UH, 32 KEY NEIGHBORHOODS, 24 IN THE S A I S D, UM, CATCHMENT AREA, AND EIGHT IN THE EDGEWOOD I S D AREA.
PHASE TWO WILL FOCUS ON NINE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, IN THE HARLANDALE I S D AND TWO IN THE SOUTH SAN I S D, AND THEN THREE IN THE SOUTHWEST I S D.
UM, AND THEN PHASE THREE, WE'LL FOCUS ON KEY NEIGHBORHOODS NINE IN JUDSON, I S D, ONE IN NORTHEAST I S D, AND THREE IN NORTHSIDE, I S D.
SO, UM, SPECIFICALLY HOW THIS FUNDING IS BROKEN OUT, THIS $27 MILLION.
UM, THE FIRST BULLET THERE, THE CORE INFRASTRUCTURE AND FIBER CONNECTIONS, UM, THAT WILL BE ABOUT $4 MILLION.
THE NETWORK ACCESS AND WIRELESS MESH, UH, IS THE BULK OF THE EXPENSE AT 17 MILLION.
AND THEN THE, UM, THE ACTUAL CONNECTING OF THE STUDENTS AT THEIR HOMES IS ABOUT $6 MILLION.
ADDITIONALLY, IN THIS PILLAR, WE HAVE THE CSO RECOVERY PORTAL, AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS, UH, AN EXPANSION OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING TO GET THE REALLY GREAT DASHBOARDS AND VIRTUAL INFORMATION OUT TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND WE WILL, WHEN THIS IS FINISHED, HAVE ROUGHLY 150 ADDITIONAL WEBPAGE FOR THE COMMUNITY D.
SO MY LAST SLIDE IS TO, UM, JUST REVISIT THE TIMELINE.
SO YOU CAN SEE WE STARTED THIS ON MAY 20TH WITH THE B SESSION PRESENTATION THAT COVERED THE HIGH LEVEL PILLARS
[01:15:01]
AND STRATEGIES.TODAY, WE WENT INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THE STRATEGIES.
UM, WE WILL, WE VERY MUCH WANT YOUR INPUT ON WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE, THE DISTRIBUTION RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL TAKE THAT INPUT OVER THE NEXT WEEK AND PUT THAT INTO THE FINAL PLAN.
THAT WILL BE, UM, FOR YOUR VOTE ON JUNE 4TH, SO A WEEK FROM TODAY.
UM, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER.
UH, WE WILL FOCUS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION AGAIN IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES.
UM, SO I'M NOW GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO MARIA, WHO'S GOING TO COVER THE BUDGET, UM, ASPECTS OF THIS PLAN.
AND THEN, UM, THERE ARE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
SO MAYOR AND COUNCIL, MY PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION IS TO TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING STRATEGY TO BE ABLE TO FUND THE ONGOING EMERGENCY RESPONSE THAT THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE RESILIENCY, UH, PLAN THAT DR.
THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE HAVE USED FOR OUR 2020 BUDGET AS WE, UH, PRESENTED THIS MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT, AND WE CONTINUE TO USE FOR 2021, IS TO DETERMINE THE COST OF THE ONGOING RESPONSE.
AND WHAT I'M PRESENTING TO YOU, TO YOU TODAY IS OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE THROUGH DECEMBER 30 OF 20, UH, 20.
ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE FISCAL CHALLENGES, UH, THAT WE HAVE AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19 SPECIFICALLY REFLECTED IN OUR REVENUES.
AND THAT INCLUDES THAT MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT THAT WE ARE, UM, ASKING FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION NEXT WEEK, UH, ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CITY SERVICES, WHICH WE HAVE DONE FOR 2020.
AND WE ARE WORKING ON FOR 2021, WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU WITH A FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST IN THE TRIAL BUDGET, WE WILL BE PRESENTING, UM, SOME REDUCTIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET IN ORDER TO STAY BALANCED AND BE ABLE TO MANAGE THOSE FISCAL CHALLENGES.
AND A VERY IMPORTANT PRIORITY FOR US IS TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY AS WE ARE, UH, RECOVERING AS, AGAIN, AS A COMMUNITY FROM C OVID 19.
UH, JUST TO REMIND YOU, THESE ARE THE FUNDING SOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, I WILL POINT OUT THE TOTAL IS $361 MILLION.
WE HAVE A TYPO ON THAT SLIDE, AND WE'LL FIX IT AS 347, WHICH IS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU'RE RATIFYING.
BUT THE TOTAL AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED IS $361 MILLION IN, IN FEDERAL GRANTS.
SO THAT IS THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH.
AND WE, UM, OUR STRATEGY CONSISTED OF MAXIMIZING RESOURCES WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE GETTING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE ABILITY TO REIMBURSE THE CITY FOR EXPENSES, UH, DEDICATED TO C OVID 19, UM, AND ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE BUDGET REDUCTIONS THAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR, AND THAT WE WILL BE DOING IN FISCAL YEAR 2021.
THE OTHER, UH, FEDERAL RESOURCES THAT ARE FORTHCOMING THAT WE ANTICIPATE, UM, HOPEFULLY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL BE MAKING A A DECISION SOON, THAT INCLUDES ADDITIONAL, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, UH, C D V G AND C S V G.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE AVAILABLE AT THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY PROGRAM REIMBURSEMENT, WHERE THE CITY PAYS 25%, UM, AS A LOCAL MATCH FOR ELIGIBLE EXPENSES.
SO THE COST OF THE ONGOING RESPONSE IS BROKEN DOWN IN THREE DIFFERENT, UH, SECTIONS OR THREE DIFFERENT BUCKETS.
UH, ELIGIBLE PAYROLL EXPENSES, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND, UH, IS ALLOWING US TO GET, UH, REIMBURSED FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DEDICATED TO THE RESPONSE OF COVID TO 19.
YOU'LL SEE IN THE BINDER THAT DR.
BRIDGER, UM, DESCRIBE THE DETAIL OF HOW WE GOT TO THAT 114.6 MILLION.
IT'S PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF, UH, PAYROLL EXPENSES, UH, RELATED TO OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND A PORTION OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
UH, WE HAVE WORKED VERY DILIGENTLY, UH, INTERNALLY WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, TO BE ABLE TO CERTIFY THOSE EXPENSES TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS THEY, UM, REQUIRE THAT WE, UM, UH, CERTIFY THAT, AND THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS, IS A INDIVIDUAL WHO MAKES THAT FINAL DECISION IN TERMS OF WHAT, UH, PAYROLL EXPENSES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
THE NEXT BUCKET IS OUR WATCH, EXPAND, AND ASSURE PLAN, WHICH IS THE HEALTH IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
THAT IS $54.5 MILLION, AND THAT REPRESENTS THAT ADDITIONAL COST OVER AND ABOVE OUR PAYROLL EXPENSES THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO INCUR PRIMARILY FOR TESTING, CONTACT
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TRACING, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UH, AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT THAT IS NEEDED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO DO THE TESTING IN, UH, NURSING HOMES AND CONGREGATE SETTINGS.AND FINALLY, OUR, UH, ESTIMATE FOR, UH, CITY PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES OF $20.7 MILLION.
UH, WE HAVE USED ABOUT HALF OF THAT ALREADY TO BUY THOSE ITEMS THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO RATIFY, UH, SUGGESTS, UH, PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, HAND SANITIZERS AND DECONTAMINATION EQUIPMENT.
UH, THE CITY MANAGER WILL TALK ABOUT, UH, LATER, UH, TODAY OUR PLAN TO REOPEN SOME OF OUR PUBLIC FACE FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EQUIPPED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND START INTERACTING WITH THE PUBLIC AS WE, UH, BEGIN THAT PROCESS.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER $10 MILLION THAT IS INCLUDED IN THAT 20.7.
NOW, THE RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY PLAN, UH, THAT WAS JUST PRESENTED BY DR.
TO SUMMARIZE ON THIS SLIDE, 80 MILLION FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING SECURITY, 50 MILLION SMALL BUSINESSES, 33, AND DIGITAL INCLUSION 27.
SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO, UM, REVIEW WITH YOU TODAY IS THE ALLOCATION OF THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND OF 270 MILLION, AS I MENTIONED IN IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
UH, THE ELIGIBLE PAYROLL EXPENSES THAT WE WOULD BE ALLOCATING TO THIS FUNDING IS 114.6 MILLION COMPRISED OF FIRE HEALTH AND E AND POLICE.
UM, PRIMARILY ADDITIONALLY, OUR WATCH EXPAND AND ASSURE PLAN AT 54.5 MILLION PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES OF 20.7, AND THEN THE BALANCE OF OVER 70, UM, $79 MILLION FOR THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY PLAN.
THIS NEXT TABLE IS A SUMMARY, AGAIN, OF OUR STRATEGY TO MAXIMIZE THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, TO OUR, UH, CITY RESPONSE AND COMMUNITY AND RES RESILIENCY PLAN THAT WE'RE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY.
UM, ALSO, UH, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE BUDGET REDUCTIONS THAT WE'VE DONE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020 AND ANTICIPATED BUDGET REDUCTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021.
UM, OUR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND TO ALLOCATE FUNDING TO THOSE, UH, PRIORITIES OF THE CITY COUNCIL THAT YOU ARTICULATED LAST WEEK, INCLUDING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING SECURITY, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND DIGITAL INCLUSION.
SO THIS TABLE, UM, SHOWS OUR STRATEGY TO BE ABLE TO FUND THE PROGRAMS THAT WE PRESENTED TODAY UTILIZING, UH, 270 MILLION FROM THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND, 17 MILLION FROM OTHER FEDERAL GRANTS, AND $94.6 MILLION FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
SO THAT CONCLUDES, UH, OUR, OUR HIGHLIGHT OF THE STRATEGY, HOW WE ARE GOING TO FUND THE CITY RESPONSE AND THE RESILIENCY PLAN.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER BACK TO THE CITY MANAGER, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS BEFORE I HAND IT BACK OVER TO YOU, MAYOR.
SO, THE, THE PLAN YOU SAW, UH, TODAY, UH, IS, IS OBVIOUSLY TARGETED TOWARDS THE RECOVERY OF INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES WHO'VE BEEN AFFECTED BY C OVID 19.
THE PLAN ALSO ASSUMES THAT WE WILL REDUCE OUR BUDGET IN FI IN FISCAL YEAR 21, UH, AS WE, AS WE BALANCE AND MOVE FORWARD, UH, TO NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
UH, I SAID LAST WEEK THAT, UH, AND ACTUALLY I THINK COLLEEN SAID THIS LAST WEEK, I'M TAKING CREDIT FOR WHAT COLLEEN SAID, SORRY.
THE, THE PLAN IS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
UM, AND, AND THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES ARE THE, ARE THE REALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO THIS BECAUSE, UH, THEY WILL ASSURE THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING A PLAN AND THAT WE ARE DELIBERATE IN THE EXECUTION OF THAT.
UH, I DO THINK THAT, UH, IT'S LIKELY THAT WE WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING THAT'S STILL UP IN THE AIR, BUT WE'RE, AS WE'RE ALL WATCHING, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON DC I THINK THE LIKELIHOOD IS, IS THAT, UM, THERE'S A, THERE'S A MORE THAN A FAIR CHANCE THAT THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE, UH, WITH THE RESUM, WITH THE RESUMPTION OF COUNCIL COMMITTEES, UH, NEXT WEEK.
UH, MANY OF THESE EXECUTION PLANS NEED TO BE FINALIZED.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN RELATIVELY QUICKLY IN THE MONTH OF JUNE.
UH, AND AS WAS MENTIONED BY, UH, COUNCILWOMAN HRA AT ONE OF OUR PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS, UH, UH, HERE WITH THE COUNCIL, UH, THE FINANCIAL AND PROGRAMMATIC MONITORING OF THE PLAN IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE, UH, HITTING OUR TARGETED OUTCOMES.
AND WE WILL BE DEVELOPING A DASHBOARD TO ASSIST AND FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES, BE ABLE TO REPORT, UH, PROGRESS.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION AND INPUT, UH, FROM THE COUNCIL TODAY.
[01:25:01]
YOU VERY MUCH, ERIC.AND, AND, UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
I FIRST WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF FOR A REALLY GREAT JOB IN PUTTING TOGETHER A PLAN, UH, THAT I THINK IS A RESULT OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT INPUT, UH, CERTAINLY FROM OUR COMMUNITY, UH, FROM THE COUNCIL AND, AND ALSO FROM THE C OVID, UH, 19 ACTION WORKING GROUPS, UH, THAT WERE CONVENING OVER THE LAST, UH, COUPLE OF MONTHS.
YOU CAN SEE THE PRIORITIES IN THIS PLAN, UH, VERY MUCH REFLECTED FROM THE DISCUSSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN THOSE GROUPS.
UM, SO LET ME JUST, UH, MAKE A FEW COMMENTS.
TH THIS IS A SWATH OF FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT I THINK, UH, WE WOULD BE TEMPTED TO SEE, UH, AS A, A WAY OF JUST PATCHING THINGS UP.
BUT THIS SHOULDN'T BE AN INSURANCE CLAIM WE MAKE AGAINST OUR PRE PANDEMIC ECONOMY.
OUR, OUR PURPOSE FOR THIS, UH, GOES BEYOND THAT IF WE'RE DOING OUR JOBS RIGHT? UH, WE'RE UNDERSTANDING THAT A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS, AND THEY'RE TEEING AROUND THE EDGE.
THEY WANT ACTION, THEY NEED RELIEF, AND THESE FUNDS ARE CERTAINLY SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.
UH, AND IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE FEDERAL FUNDS, AND WE'RE SORT OF ENGAGING RIGHT NOW IN A FEDERAL PROCESS WITH ACTION BY THE COUNCIL TO APPROPRIATE IN SPECIFIC AREAS.
BUT THE WORK OF THE CITY COUNCIL, AGAIN, CONTINUING, UH, TO REFINE COURSE CORRECT AND MAKING SURE, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE FUNDS ARE IMPLEMENTED PROPERLY TO, TO, UH, ENSURE THE MOST RELIEF AND IMPACT THAT WE CAN GET.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, UH, I THINK A FEW THINGS NEED TO BE STATED.
FIRST, OUR ENTIRE EFFORT, UH, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS HAS BEEN, AS YOU SAID, ERIC, FOCUSED ON RESPONSE OPERATIONS OF THE CITY.
I THINK WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE HITTING ALL OF THOSE MARKS AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE FUNDS.
UH, WHERE WE ARE TODAY, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, DR.
BRIDGER COULD PROBABLY SPEAK, UH, TO THIS, BUT WE HAVE, UH, HAD SOME DEGREE OF SUCCESS IN FLATTENING THE CURVE.
UM, OUR NUMBERS, UH, IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL, UH, HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY IS IN A STRONG POSITION, BUT OUR JOB IS NOWHERE NEAR DONE.
UH, WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A PROPER, UH, HEALTH RESPONSE, AND THAT'S BAKED INTO THIS PLAN.
OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL, OF COURSE, IN THIS ENTIRE EFFORT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY AND A HEALTHY RECOVERY.
THAT BEING SAID, IT, IT IS TIME TO SET THE RIGHT PRIORITIES, AND WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GET THIS WRONG.
SO I AM VERY GLAD TO SEE, UH, THE PILLARS OF THESE FUNDS IN THESE FOUR SPECIFIC AREAS.
UH, NUMBER ONE, UH, WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT AS WE GET PEOPLE BACK ON THEIR FEET, THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO WORK, UH, THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE US TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE, TOO MANY COMMUNITIES IN THIS CITY THAT SIMPLY ARE LEFT OUT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ACCESSING OR NOT ABLE TO ACCESS THE INTERNET.
UH, SECOND, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO LOSE THEIR HOMES AS A RESULT OF THIS PANDEMIC.
WE DON'T EXACTLY KNOW WHAT THE CEILING OF THOSE FUNDS ARE GONNA BE.
UH, BUT I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE THAT A, A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE CARESS ACT DOLLARS ARE GOING INTO ADDITIONAL RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND PROGRAMS, INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTING PEOPLE THAT NEED RELIEF TO THE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
UH, THIRD, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
UH, COUNCILMAN PIAS, UH, HAS SPOKEN A LOT ABOUT THIS.
WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC IN THAT SOME OF THE JOBS THAT WE'VE LOST WILL SIMPLY NOT COME BACK.
AND IF WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE BACK TO WORK, BEING ABLE TO HAVE A PAYCHECK AND ENSURE THAT THE RECOVERY OF THEIR FAMILIES, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO MOBILITY.
THAT MEANS ACCESS TO NEW TRAINING AND NEW EDUCATION FOR THE JOBS THAT WILL BE HERE.
UH, AND WHILE THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COMPLETE BY THE END OF THE YEAR, I'M GLAD THAT THE PROGRAM ALLOWS US THE FLEXIBILITY TO ACCOMPLISH THAT WITH SOME VERY REPUTABLE PARTNERS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE PILLAR OF OUR ECONOMY.
WE WILL NOT GET THIS COMMUNITY STARTED AGAIN UNLESS OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS SUPPORT.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM.
UH, I THINK THE LIFT FUND IS THE RIGHT PROGRAM, UH, PARTNER, UH, TO, UH, ENGAGE WITH.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF, IF COUNCIL MEMBER VERON, AND I KNOW A NUMBER OF US WERE OUT THERE, PROBABLY EVERYBODY WAS OUT THERE YESTERDAY, UH, BUT IF YOU, UH, WERE ABLE TO SPEAK EVEN FOR 20 SECONDS WITH THE BUSINESS OWNERS THAT WERE DRIVING UP YESTERDAY, YOU KNOW, THE LEVEL OF DESPERATION THAT THEY HAVE, BUT ALSO THEIR EAGERNESS TO HELP PEOPLE GET BACK TO WORK.
SO THOSE DOLLARS ARE GONNA BE VERY WELL SPENT.
UM, I, I THINK WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO ALLOCATE TOO MUCH TO IT, UH, THAT WE, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO COMPLETE THE GUIDELINES OF THE PROGRAM, BUT, BUT I CAN ALSO SEE THAT
[01:30:01]
FUND BEING FLEXIBLE AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE BUSINESSES WHO NEED THEM VERY DESPERATELY.UH, I DO WANT TO THANK PUBLICLY ALL OF THOSE BUSINESS OWNERS WHO CAME OUT YESTERDAY, UM, TO RECEIVE THE P P E.
UM, NOT ONLY ARE THEY, UH, GOING THROUGH SOME VERY TOUGH TIMES AND NAVIGATING THAT, UH, VERY WELL, THEY'RE ALSO SHOWING A COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY, TO A SAFE RECOVERY.
AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE POINTED OUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS REALLY STEPPED UP TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE CAN GET BACK TO WORK, BUT THAT ALSO WE CAN EN ENSURE SOME CONFIDENCE THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK TO WORK SAFELY, AND WE'RE PROTECTING THE PUBLIC AND CONSUMERS AND THE EMPLOYEES.
I LOOK FORWARD TO A HEALTHY DISCUSSION, BUT I THINK, UM, ERIC, YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE HIT THE RIGHT MARKS ON THIS, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO THE NEXT STEPS WITH THE COUNCIL COMMITTEES.
COUNCIL MEMBER, ANDREW SULLIVAN.
UM, THANK YOU TO OUR CITY STAFF AND OUR CITY MANAGER, UM, FOR PUTTING THIS PRESENTATION TOGETHER.
I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR MARIA.
MARIA, WHEN IT COMES TO THE 361 MILLION IN THE GRANT FUNDS, ARE THOSE FUNDS PRE COVID OR ARE THOSE ALL GRANTS THAT WE'VE APPLIED FOR, UM, DURING THE PANDEMIC? THEY'RE ALL, THEY'RE ALL HAVE BEEN AWARDED, UH, DURING THE PANDEMIC COUNCILWOMAN.
DO WE HAVE ANY OUTSTANDING GRANTS? THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL GRANTS THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UH, POTENTIALLY SOME C D B G, UH, C S B G AND, UM, PERHAPS ADDITIONAL CARESS ACT.
UM, SO WE ARE, WE ARE, UH, WATCHING VERY CLOSELY WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING, HOPING THAT THEY ARE GOING TO AWARD ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO SAN ANTONIO.
SO THOSE GRANTS POST COVID OR, UH, COVID RELATED, OR ARE THOSE GRANTS, THE ONES THAT WE APPLIED FOR PRIOR TO GOING THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC? UH, THOSE GRANTS THAT I WAS REFERRING TO, THERE ARE, UH, C OVID 19, UH, RELATED GRANTS.
UM, DO, UH, WE HAVE A LIST OF ALL OF THE GRANTS THAT WE HAVE APPLIED FOR PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, BUT THAT'S THERE FOR YOU, COUNCILWOMAN.
WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, OUR CONVENTION CENTER, OUR ALAMO DOS AND OUR, UH, VENUES, WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF THE OUTSIDE, UM, ARTS HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY ABLE TO, TO RESUME NOT AS FAR AS HAVING FULL FLEDGED CONCERTS OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE, BUT ARE WE WORKING WITH OUR ARTS AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT TO BRING ANY KIND OF MAYBE DIGITAL, UM, VENUE ASPECT OR, OR CONCERTS TO THE COMMUNITY TO HELP REVITALIZE THE LIFE OF OUR CONVENTION CENTERS? I'M GOING TO DEFER THAT EITHER TO CARLOS OR LORI TO GIVE YOU THAT SPECIFIC ANSWER.
COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN, WHILE THEY'RE WALKING UP TO THE PODIUM? UH, LET, LET ME ADD THAT.
UM, TECHNICALLY RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE STILL, UH, EVEN UNDER THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER, NO GATHERINGS ALLOWED.
UM, AND SO, UH, PLANNING FOR THOSE TYPES OF EVENTS I THINK ARE DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW.
THE GOVERNOR, UH, IS MAKING ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT, I THINK NEXT WEEK ON JUNE 3RD.
UM, AND, UH, I'LL, I'LL, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO ADD BEFORE LORI JUMPS IN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SUSPENDED, UH, FUNDING FOR THE ARTS AGENCIES AND ARTS PROGRAMS THAT WE FUNDED AT LEAST, UH, IN, UH, IN APRIL.
AND SO, UM, PART OF THOSE EVENTS MAY ENTAIL THE EXPENSE OF, OF, UH, FUNDS.
UM, AND, UH, AS YOU SAW IN THE PRESENTATION, UH, ARTS PROGRAMS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM UNDER THE SMALL BUSINESS, UH, PILLAR, UH, TO, TO MAYBE BE ABLE TO DO SOME OF THAT.
BUT THERE, RIGHT NOW, THERE ISN'T ANY ADDITIONAL CITY FUNDING TO DO THAT, AND THERE ISN'T A CITY FACILITY TO DO THAT IN RIGHT NOW.
AND COUNCILMAN, I WAS GONNA ADD, IN ADDITION TO WHAT ERIC SAID, WE HAVE DONE SEVERAL ONLINE OR DIGITAL PERFORMANCES WORKING WITH OUR AGENCIES THAT WE FUND.
I'LL POINT OUT MUSICAL BRIDGES AROUND THE WORLD.
THEY HAVE DONE CONCERTS AND DONE THROUGH, THROUGH FACEBOOK LIVE, AND WE'VE HAD SEVERAL OTHER ENTITIES DO SOMETHING SIMILAR.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE HIGHLIGHTED.
UM, AS WE RECEIVE OUR DATES, UM, CONTINUOUSLY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AIRPORT, I DUNNO, WHY EXPAND AND ASSURE, ARE WE LOOKING AT INDIVIDUALS THAT DO NOT HAVE INSURANCE AS MUCH AS THAT? LIKE WHAT YOU STEP OVER THIS SPECIFICALLY TO TESTING? UM, ANYBODY CAN BE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE.
[01:35:01]
AND ARE WE LOOKING AT HOW WE ARE, UM, HELPING THOSE THAT HAVE TESTED POSITIVE BUT HAVE NO INSURANCE, HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING ANY KIND OF MEDICAL CARE, THEY HAVEN'T HAD ANY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS? IS THAT BEING LOOKED AT UNDER THE WATCH, EXPAND ISU INDIRECTLY, YES.UM, AND HAS BEEN PART OF OUR RESPONSE EFFORTS UP TO NOW AS WELL, WHEN, WHEN WE ARE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DO THE CONTACT TRACING ON ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO TEST POSITIVE PART OF THAT CONTACT TRACING PROCESSES TO DETERMINE DO THEY HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO STAY WHILE THEY'RE SICK? IF THEY DON'T, THEN WE CAN PUT THEM IN ONE OF OUR HOTELS.
UM, DO THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS MEDICAL CARE? THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO NOT NEED TO ACCESS MEDICAL CARE BECAUSE THIS IS A VIRUS.
THEY JUST HAVE TO LET THEIR BODY TAKE CARE OF IT.
UM, BUT WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHEN TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.
UM, AND ALL OF OUR HOSPITALS ARE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB AT, UM, GETTING FOLKS IN AND, AND GETTING THEM BEDS AND TAKING CARE OF THEM.
UH, IF POSSIBLE, I'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, US LOOK AT THE, UM, MARGINALIZED POPULATION THAT WE KNOW WE'RE UNDERSERVED WITH INSURANCE AS WE GO FORWARD, BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO TACKLE A VIRUS THAT, UM, COMPLICATES AMONGST, UM, THOSE MAJORITIES OF INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO I LIKE TO SEE US INCLUDE THAT IN A PART OF THE PROCESS AS WE GO FORWARD.
UM, MY QUESTION IS FOR LORI, LORI, UNDER THE 25 MILLION THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY ALLOCATED TO RISK MITIGATION, UM, IF WE COULD GET AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE AS FAR AS THE BALANCE AND HOW MANY FAMILIES HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ASSISTED, AND THEN HOW THIS ADDITIONAL 25 MILLION WILL HELP, UM, AS WE GO FORWARD.
SO I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, WE, WE BELIEVE WE HAVE ABOUT $10 MILLION REMAINING AS PART OF THAT INITIAL 25 MILLION.
AND THEN THIS ADDITIONAL 25 MILLION, WE KNOW THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO HELP AT LEAST 10,000 FAMILIES WITH AN ADDITIONAL 25 MILLION.
LAUREN, HAVE WE DONE ANY KIND OF ANA ANNUALIZATION OF EXACTLY HOW MUCH, UH, RENT OR HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE NOT PAID RENT? UM, WITHIN THE MONTHS OF APRIL TO MAY? SO WE DON'T HAVE THE AMOUNT OF UNPAID RENT, BUT WHAT I CAN REF SHARE WITH YOU IS THAT IN APRIL OF 2020, I, UM, RENT COLLECTION WAS AROUND 87%.
AND THE PREVIOUS TIMEFRAME IN APRIL, 2019, RENT COLLECTION WAS AROUND 89%.
AND SO WE SAW A 2% DECREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF RENT THAT WAS COLLECTED WITHIN THE SAN ANTONIO NEW BRAUNFELS AREA.
SO WE'RE, WE SAW, I COULD SAY THERE'S A 2% DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR, DURING THIS TIME TO THIS YEAR.
LAURIE? UM, THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE FOR DR.
BRIDGER, I KNOW A LOT OF OUR SENIORS ARE WONDERING EXACTLY HOW, IF THEY ARE HAVING TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, ARE THEY ABLE TO GET, UM, THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED AS FAR AS THE NUTRITIONAL, UM, EVEN MEDICAL, UM, SO OF THEM HAVE CONCERNS? SO WITHIN THE PROCESS, ARE WE ACTUALLY INCLUDING THE TELEHEALTH ELEMENT, UM, TO REACH OUT TO THOSE, UM, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS OF OUR SENIORS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT, UM, SERVICES ARE FULLY AVAILABLE TO THEM, EVEN THOUGH THE RESOURCE CENTERS ARE NOT UP AND RUNNING YET? SO SPECIFIC TO, UM, FOOD, WE ARE TAKING FOOD TO SENIORS HOUSES IF THEY DO NOT HAVE TRANSPORTATION.
SO WE WE'RE REVERSING THE, THE MODEL, SO TO SPEAK, UM, SPECIFIC TO HEALTHCARE MEDICARE, WHICH, UM, IS THE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR THE MAJORITY OF OUR SENIORS, UM, HAS DONE A, A REALLY GOOD JOB OF, UM, EDUCATING PROVIDERS AND SENIORS ALIKE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF TELEHEALTH AND HAS HELPED PROVIDERS OFFICES REACH OUT TO SENIORS, UM, IS PROVIDING, UM, A BETTER REIMBURSEMENT RATE FOR THOSE VISITS.
SO, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN MOVE QUICKLY, IT'S MOVED RELATIVELY QUICKLY IN RESPONDING TO THOSE MEDICAL NEEDS FOR SENIORS ON MEDICARE.
IF WE CAN DO A GREAT JOB OF GETTING THAT INFORMATION OUT TO OUR SENIORS, I KNOW WE HAD SEVERAL SENIORS REACH OUT TO US IN REFERENCE TO, UM, NOT HAVING ANY OF THAT INFORMATION ARE BEING ABLE TO FIND IT, UM, VERY QUICKLY.
IT'S KIND OF LOST WITHIN ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT IS AVAILABLE.
SO IF WE COULD DO SOMETHING THAT REACHES TO OUR SENIORS DIRECTLY TO GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION, I THINK THAT WILL BE VERY BENEFICIAL
[01:40:02]
AS WELL AS OUR DOOR TO DOOR, UM, RESOURCE WORK.I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT.
AND THEN I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR REALLY STEPPING UP AS A CITY TO HELP OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
WE KNOW THAT MANY CAME THROUGH THAT LINE YESTERDAY, AND THEY WERE GRATEFUL TO RECEIVE THE SUPPLIES THAT THEY WERE GIVEN.
SO WE JUST LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO DO THE WORK OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND OUR RESIDENTS KNOW THAT ALL OF US ARE HERE WORKING TOGETHER TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO PUSH FORWARD.
SO THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU TO OUR CITY STAFF.
COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER KEEO.
UM, MARIA, IN THE BINDER FOR THE MIDYEAR BUDGET REVIEW, UNDER THE MIDYEAR ADJUSTMENTS, THAT TAB, IS THAT A COMPREHENSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE, UPDATED LIST OF THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED, UM, EITHER SUSPENDED OR DELAYED AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19? UH, YES.
COUNCILWOMAN, THAT IS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDES THE LIST OF THOSE PROGRAMS SUSPENDED OR DELAY? YES.
WILL RE WILL WE RECEIVE PERIODICAL UPDATES ABOUT THESE, UM, THESE PROGRAMS. WE, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO YOU, COUNCILMAN THESE PROGRAMS ARE BEING, UH, SUSPENDED OR DELAYED.
UM, SO AS WE, UH, BEGIN THE 2021 BUDGET PROCESS, THAT'LL BE A DISCUSSION FOR HOW THOSE WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE NEXT, IN THE NEXT YEAR.
HAVE WE OFFERED ANY, UH, RENT ABATEMENTS FOR THE AIRPORT VENDORS? HAVE THEY GOTTEN ANY HELP? I'M GONNA HAVE CARGO THAT OKAY.
SCOTT CONTA, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
MANY OF THE FOOD AND RETAIL CONCESSIONAIRES, THAT'S YOU'RE ASKING SPECIFICALLY BY CONTRACT, THE VAST MAJORITY OF 'EM BY CONTRACT HAVE A SUSPENSION OF THE MINIMUM ANNUAL GUARANTEE.
SO THEY GO TO A PERCENTAGE RENT.
AND BECAUSE THE BUSINESS HAS DROPPED OFF SIGNIFICANTLY, MANY OF WHICH ARE NOT EVEN OPERATING, THEY'RE PAYING VERY LITTLE OR NOTHING.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF 'EM THAT WE WILL BE INCLUDING THAT, THAT WE WOULD ALSO MOVE IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
UH, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY ARE BY CONTRACT.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT'S IT FOR YOU, CARLOS.
UH, IS THIS, I WAS JUST GONNA ADD REAL QUICK THAT THOSE, THOSE CONTRACT, UH, CONCESSIONARIES THAT CARLOS IS MENTIONING, THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACCOMMODATED FOR IN OUR FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 20 THIS YEAR.
AND IS THE, THE, THE CITY COUNTING ON MORE FEDERAL AID THROUGH THE HEROES ACT, OR IN OUR PLANNING, I'M SORRY, COUNSEL, IS THE CITY COUNTING ON MORE FEDERAL AID THROUGH THE HEROES ACT? AS WE PLAN, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE, UM, HAVEN'T, UH, TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ANY OF THAT FUNDING SINCE IT'S NOT APPROVED YET, BUT WE ARE WATCHING IT CLOSELY.
UM, THAT WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO THE CITY, OF COURSE, IF, IF WE WERE TO RECEIVE SOME OF THOSE FUNDS.
SO YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO YES.
JUST HOW THAT'S GONNA PAN OUT.
AND THEN I THINK MY LAST QUESTION IS FOR COLLEEN.
UM, WILL YOU PROVIDE ME WITH THE COST IN EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL TO TAKE TEMPERATURES, UH, FOR LIKE, AT ALL THE CITY BUILDINGS? I'M SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN PRESSURE POINTS, UM, LIKE ALL OF OUR POLICE AND FIRE STATIONS, JUST WANTING TO SEE HOW, UH, WHAT WE'RE, HOW THAT'S IMPACTING OUR BUDGET.
AND ACTUALLY JUST, THAT'S ALL MY, ARE YOU, I DID GIVE YOU, I DID GIVE MARIA A HEADS UP.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS, BUT RIGHT NOW, ALL OF OUR POLICE STATIONS AND OUR FIRE STATIONS ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE THERMOMETERS TO BE ABLE TO CHECK THE TEMPERATURE OF, OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
AND, AND LASTLY, I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS.
I JUST WANNA COMMENT ON THE, UM, THE, THE EVENT YESTERDAY, THE GREATER SAFER SA WE WERE ABLE TO, MANY OF US WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT KITS TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND THEY WERE JUST SO GRATEFUL, THEY WERE SO HAPPY.
UH, AND, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE TELLING US, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO GET SOME OF THIS STUFF, SO THANK YOU.
AND THEY WAITED IN, IN THE, THE WHOLE THING WAS A REALLY WELL OILED MACHINE.
I'M VERY IMPRESSED BY IT ALL, BY THE WAY.
UM, BUT THEY WERE JUST SO HAPPY AND GRATEFUL, AND THEY WAITED IN KIND OF SHORT LINES AND WENT THROUGH AND, UH, ONE OF THEM TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE DRIVING AWAY WITH HOPE.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, AND I THANK YOU FOR IT.
COUNCIL MEMBER KEO, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ.
AND SO LET ME START, UM, SOME OF MY QUESTIONS, UH, REGARDING THE SMALL BUSINESS FUNDING AS WELL, UH, WHICH I THINK, UM, IS FOR KALOS.
[01:45:01]
UH, SO, UM, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF, IF YOU KNOW THAT I HAD DONE SOME SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WITH LIFTFUND, UM, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.WE WERE CERTIFYING SMALL SCALE CONTRACTORS.
WE WERE, UM, WORKING WITH SMALL SCALE DEVELOPERS TO HELP.
UH, AND IT WAS VERY DIS SPECIFIC.
UH, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE ABLE TO DO WITH THAT WAS LEVERAGE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR, UM, WHAT ENDED UP BEING THE PILOT FOR THE HOUSING, UM, UM, HOUSE, THE MAYOR'S POLICY HOUSING TASK FORCE, WHICH WE HAD DONE MANY YEARS BACK.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO LEVERAGE ABOUT $110,000 OF PRIVATE FUNDS.
HAVE WE CONSIDERED THAT WITH SOME OF THIS OTHER, IS THERE PRIVATE FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO PERHAPS SMALL SCALE CONTRACTORS OR DEVELOPERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILWOMAN.
IN FACT, THE QUESTION WAS ASKED, UH, I THINK IN THE LAST PRESENTATION WHETHER WE WERE GONNA BE ATTEMPTING TO FIND OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING, WHETHER THEY'RE GRANTS OR PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT.
AND WE CERTAINLY WILL DO THAT.
UH, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY CURRENTLY THAT EXISTS, UH, BUT, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON, IS WHAT ARE OTHER FUNDING THAT CAN AUGMENT THAT? UH, AND THEN THERE COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL FEDERAL DOLLARS AS WELL.
UH, THE CARESS ACT PROVIDES A WHOLE SERIES OF BUCKETS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE STILL, THE GUIDANCE IS STILL STREAMING OUT ON EACH OF THOSE.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT YES, MA'AM.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UM, IMPORTANT, UH, BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M, I'M VERY, UM, INTERESTED TO SEE, UH, THE SUCCESS OF THE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM.
UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, UH, YOU ALL HAVE HEARD ME NOW SAY MANY TIMES THAT THERE ARE NO LARGE BUS EMPLOYERS IN DISTRICT FIVE.
WE'RE ALL JUST SMALL BUSINESSES.
UH, BUT I AM HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE'VE HAD A FEW OF OUR PLACES REVIVED, WHICH REALLY CONCERNED ME BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST HAD THIS STAY HOME, UH, ORDER, THEY JUST CLOSED THEIR DOORS.
AND I, I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THAT THEY WOULD COME BACK AT ALL, BUT AT LEAST I KNOW TWO OF THEM HAVE.
AND I, I'M, I'M, UH, GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT AND HOPEFUL THAT WE, UM, CAN FIND, UH, PERHAPS OTHER SOURCES, MAYBE THROUGH THE SS V A OR MAYBE IT'S THROUGH THE PRIVATE LENDERS, UH, TO STIMULATE THAT.
UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHAT, WHAT I, WE ANTICIPATE HAPPENING IS THAT PEOPLE THAT, UM, THEN BECOME CERTIFIED THROUGH THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CAN THEN GO BE EMPLOYED IN SOME OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES, WHETHER IT'S THE CREATIVE ECONOMIES OR, UH, MORE HANDS-ON.
UM, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT'S TO COME, BUT HOPEFULLY THEY'LL BE PREPARED FOR THAT.
SO, UM, THANK YOU, UM, FOR THAT.
ANOTHER QUESTION, UM, THAT I HAVE, UH, REGARDING THE CHILDCARE, UM, INITIATIVES.
AND, UM, I KNOW THAT WAS, THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, BUT IS WILL THE CHILDCARE RULES BE THE SAME AS THEY HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY? BECAUSE WE HAVE ALWAYS FUNDED CHILDCARE, UH, JUST NOT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE'RE DOING IT HERE.
SO DO THE SAME RULES APPLY BATTERY? UH, THE SAME RULES APPLY.
THIS IS JUST ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM WHAT WE'VE TYPICALLY HAD.
AND, AND WE DO ANTICIPATE, UM, MORE FUNDING FROM EITHER THE FED FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT COMING FOR CHILDCARE SERVICES.
BUT THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW OF RIGHT NOW.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD YOUR THEA TAKEN CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN, THAT WAS NOT ELIGIBLE.
UM, BUT IF WE HAD TRAINING FOR THEM, WHICH WE DO OFFER TRAINING, IF YOU HAVE FOR A SORT OF INFORMAL DAYCARE, UM, OR THEY WERE CERTIFIED IN SOME WAY, COULD THAT BE ELIGIBLE? SO I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IT IS, AND IF THAT'S WRONG, I'LL COME BACK AND CORRECT IT,
UM, I THINK THAT WE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN LICENSED CHILDCARE FACILITIES AND LICENSED FAMILY HOMES, CHILDCARE HOMES.
UM, SO I THINK THAT IF THEY ARE LICENSED WITH THE STATE, WHETHER THEY'RE A HOME OR A FACILITY, THEN UM, AN ARRAY OF FUNDING IS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
BUT LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THE DEAT HOME, UH, ISN'T, IS NOT A LICENSED FACILITY, SO THAT WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE.
I KNOW THAT WE HAD ALSO DONE THAT ON A SMALL SCALE WITH VOICES FOR CHILDREN, UH, AND A COUPLE OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHERE WE WERE TRYING TO GET ADDITIONAL TRAINING FOR PEOPLE THAT WERE AT HOME, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT IS REALLY THE SAFETY NET FOR MANY OF OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, IS THAT WE HAVE, UH, FAMILY MEMBERS HELPING EACH OTHER,
[01:50:01]
AND, UM, THAT OFTEN THE PAY IS NOT REALLY S SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY, UM, THAT PERSON DOING THE JOB.SO I HOPE THAT WE FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO THAT IN, IN SOME OF THESE, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CREATIVE, UM, IN THE WAY THAT WE SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO, UM, I GUESS, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I HAVE, UH, EVEN REGARDING THE, UH, WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED TODAY, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE WAY THAT IT'S BEING PRESENTED TODAY, BUT HOW, WHAT POTENTIAL, UH, DO WE HAVE, ERIC, FOR FLEXIBILITY IN THE EVENT THAT WE FIND THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE AREA IS, UM, NOT BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY, I THINK, TO, TO SPEND IT? AND IS THAT STILL THE SAME, THAT WE'RE STILL ON THE DESIRE OR THE, THE URGENCY TO FUND IT BY THE END OF THE YEAR? AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, WHAT IF WE DO FIND THAT IN FACT, WE NEED MORE HELP IN ONE AREA THAN ANOTHER? SO, UM, TWO, TWO OF THE PILLARS HAVE A MORE, UM, IMMEDIATE TIMELINE, UH, ON THAT CHART THAT MARIA SHOWED THE, UH, SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE, UH, PROGRAM AND THE HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY BEING FUNDED THROUGH THE, UH, CORONA RELIEF FUND.
THAT MONEY NEEDS TO BE, UM, UH, SPENT, UH, BY, UM, DECEMBER 30TH OF THIS YEAR.
AND SO, UH, AND THAT'S PART OF THE POINT THAT I THINK THAT IT, THAT I MADE AT THE END IS MONITORING WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE HITTING OUR OUTCOMES SO THAT WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER.
AND, UH, THERE'S STILL A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY THERE.
SO I, I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED TO WATCH IT CLOSELY.
I DO THINK THERE'S A HIGH DEGREE OF NEED, IMMEDIATE NEED ON BOTH THE HOUSING AND SMALL BUSINESS, UM, PORTION OF IT.
AND, UH, WE'LL HAVE TO, WE'LL HAVE TO MONITOR THAT.
I THINK, I THINK THE OTHER PORTIONS OF THAT, THE, THE 54 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE WATCH EXPAND ASSURE PROGRAM, UH, I THINK I, I THINK BASED ON THE PLAN THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE PUT TOGETHER, UM, THAT WILL BE, UH, EXECUTED.
THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF, THERE'S THE MAJORITY OF THAT MONEY IS IN TESTING, AND WE'RE ALREADY SPENDING THAT, UM, MONEY NOW, BUT, BUT I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED TO MONITOR IT AND STAY FLEXIBLE WHERE WE CAN.
I DO, UH, URGE US TO BE FLEXIBLE IN THE EVENT THAT WE FIND THAT WE ARE RAPIDLY DEPLETING ONE AND, AND NOT AS MUCH IN ANOTHER.
AND SO, UM, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
AND THEN I GUESS, UH, UH, MY LAST QUESTION, UH, ERIC, ALSO, WHAT ABOUT, UM, ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WERE FURLOUGHED, CAN WE USE ANY OF THIS FUNDING TO SUPPORT THEM? OR WHAT IS THE STATUS OF VAR CITY EMPLOYEES? UM, NO, WE CAN'T USE CORONA RELIEF FUNDS TO, TO, UH, TO DO THAT, UH, AND BRING THOSE EMPLOYEES BACK.
AND, UM, UM, RIGHT NOW THEY ARE STILL ON FURLOUGH THROUGH, UM, AT LEAST JULY 31ST.
UM, AND WE WILL BE WORKING ON THAT AS WE DEVELOP OUR FISCAL YEAR 21 BUDGET, UH, NOW, AND, AND BETWEEN NOW WHEN WE PRESENT THE FORECAST AND THE TRIAL BUDGET, UH, IN ORDER TO, TO MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHEN, UH, ACTIVITY WILL PICK UP, WE'VE HAD A, A LOT OF INTEREST, BUT NOTHING NAILED DOWN IN TERMS OF CERTAIN EVENTS, UM, WHICH NEED TO OCCUR SO THAT WE HAVE REVENUE.
AND SO, UH, WE'RE STILL IN A, IN A PATTERN WHERE THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE STILL OUT ON FURLOUGH THROUGH AT LEAST THE END OF JULY.
UM, SO I STILL HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT, SO LET ME JUST ASK IF, UM, IF WE, THROUGH THE, UH, AND I'M THINKING PARTICULARLY OF THE AL ARTS, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, UM, I KNOW THAT'S BEEN ON THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S MIND, AND I'VE HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, AND WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE ELIGIBLE THROUGH SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS, UM, BUT THEY ALSO NEED SUPPORT TO PERHAPS MONITOR SOME OF THAT FUNDING.
SO THERE'S NOT A WAY TO BRING SOME OF OUR ARTS EMPLOYEES BACK TO HELP WITH, UM, THE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO BRING THOSE PEOPLE BACK IN.
I KNOW THAT, UM, IT'S BEEN MENTIONED MANY TIMES THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR ARTS AND CULTURE ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH ARE ELIGIBLE, BUT OFTEN THEY WERE GETTING SUPPORT FROM ART, ARTS AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT.
SO PERHAPS, UM, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE SQUIRRELY, BUT WELL, I THINK YOU'RE, I THINK YOU'RE HITTING A, A, PROBABLY A, A THOUGHT THAT MOST OF US HAVE.
UM, WE'RE IN A DIFFICULT POSITION IN THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX FUND.
UM, I GO SO FAR TO SAY THAT I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT THAN I AM ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND.
[01:55:01]
AND WE'RE GONNA NEED TO MAKE SOME SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR BUDGET.UM, AND, AND I'M, I'M MOST CONCERNED, FRANKLY, ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE 266 EMPLOYEES THAT ARE FURLOUGHED.
NOT TO MENTION WE HAVE A $7 BILLION VISITOR INDUSTRY THAT WE HOPE RECOVERS.
UM, AND I THINK, I, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE TO TIGHTEN OUR BELT A LITTLE BIT.
I DO THINK THAT ARTS AGENCIES, EVEN THE ONES THAT WE DON'T FUND, BECAUSE WE ONLY CUT $1.2 MILLION OUT OF OUR BUDGET, AND WE SET ASIDE $2.6 MILLION IN THE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM, AT LEAST WE'RE PROPOSING THAT TO, TO THE COUNCIL.
I DO THINK THAT THOSE ARTS AGENCIES, IF APPROVED BY COUNCIL, SHOULD, UH, WORK QUICKLY WITH THE LIFT FUND AND THE CITY TO APPLY FOR THOSE FUNDS.
UM, BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT IS AN ADDITIONAL, UM, A RESOURCE THAT'S OUT THERE FOR 'EM.
UM, BUT, BUT I, I DON'T THINK AT THIS POINT WE CAN BRING EMPLOYEES BACK TO HELP MANAGE THAT PROGRAM.
UM, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS OVERALL FEDERAL FUNDING HERE.
UM, I, I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA BE TALKING ONLY ABOUT THAT, BUT I SEE THAT WE HAVE, UH, UNDER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND DIGITAL INCLUSION, WE SEE THE GENERAL FUND POPPING UP.
WHY, WHY ARE WE, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND AT THIS POINT? COUNCILMAN, AS WE, UH, LOOKED AT THE PRIORITIES OF THE COUNCIL IN TERMS OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, HOUSING SECURITY AND, AND DIGITAL INCLUSION, WE, OUR STRATEGY WAS TO MAXIMIZE THE FEDERAL RESOURCES AS WELL AS THE, UM, FLEXIBILITY WE HAD IN THE GENERAL FUND TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THOSE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
SO THE FACT THAT THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND IS, UM, ALLOWING US TO BE ABLE TO GET REIMBURSED FOR THOSE, I'M SORRY, THIS IS A MICROPHONE SELLER, UM, ALLOW, ALLOWING US TO GET A REIMBURSED FOR PAYROLL EXPENSES THAT WE'RE DEDICATED TO, UH, THE RESPONSE THAT COUPLED WITH THE CUTS THAT WE ARE MAKING IN FISCAL YEAR 2020 AND ANTICIPATED REDUCTIONS IN 2021 TO MAINTAIN THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE THAT IS GIVING US THAT STRATEGY, THE FLEXIBILITY TO ADD THOSE GENERAL FUND RESOURCES TO THOSE TWO PRIORITIES.
UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE PROGRAM THAT DR.
BRIDGER PRESENTED IS, GOES BEYOND DECEMBER 30TH, 2020 TO BE ABLE TO BE MORE IMPACTFUL.
SO HAVING THE GENERAL FUND, UM, BEING ONE OF THE FUNDING SOURCES FOR THAT PILLAR ALLOWS US THAT FLEXIBILITY TO GO INTO FISCAL, INTO CALENDAR YEAR 2021.
BUT AGAIN, IF WE WERE LOOKING AT FEDERAL FUNDS AND THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS, UM, FOR THESE CATEGORIES, THOSE NUMBERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN UP UNDER THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND AND NOT UNDER THE GENERAL FUND, IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TO THE BUDGET YET TO GO.
AND I, AGAIN, I THOUGHT THIS WAS TO CONCENTRATE ON THE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT WERE COMING INTO SAN ANTONIO AND HOW WE WERE GONNA PRIORITIZE THOSE FUNDS AND NOT BE LOOKING AT, OKAY, WHERE DO WE MAKE UP THE SHORTFALLS OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND? I, TO ME, THEY'RE TWO DISTINCT SEPARATE ENTITIES, AND WE ARE GONNA BE WORKING ON THE GENERAL FUND HERE SOON.
SO, UH, I GUESS I'M JUST A LITTLE CONFUSED OR DISAPPOINTED THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT OCCURRED FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, I'LL HAVE A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU, MARIA, BUT LET, LET ME JUST SAY A FEW THINGS I, UM, ABOUT PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE, THAT KIND OF THING.
OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, I, AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE THE BACKBONE OF THIS COMMUNITY.
AND IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE ALLOCATIONS, IT'S ONE OF THE SMALLEST LIST ALLOCATIONS HERE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND I, I JUST THINK THAT'S THE WRONG DIRECTION TO GO.
THEY NEED THAT HELP AND ASSISTANCE RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY YESTERDAY, CARLOS.
WE HAD OVER 5,000 REGISTERED FOR IT, AND WE ACTUALLY SERVICED HOW MANY, APPROXIMATELY 6,000, 7,000.
WE ACTUALLY SERVED, UH, 6,600 BUSINESSES.
AND I WENT ALONG CONGRATULATING THE VOLUNTEERS, THAT KIND OF THING, AND ALSO STOPPING ALONG THE WAY TALKING TO THOSE, AND YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE SMILES AND ACTUAL TEARS OF FOLKS SAYING, THANK YOU.
AND THIS IS JUST FOR A COUPLE OF GALLONS OF HAND SANITIZER, SOME
[02:00:01]
MASKS, COUPLE OF SIGNS, AND A THERMOMETER.AND YET THEY WERE SO THANKFUL FOR THAT, THAT THEY WERE GETTING SOMETHING FROM THE CITY AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP THEIR BUSINESSES.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUGGLING HEAVILY TO MAINTAIN WHAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE AND TRYING TO REOPEN AND HIRE PEOPLE BACK INTO THEIR BUSINESSES.
I, I, I THINK OUR WHOLE STRATEGY NEEDS TO BE SHIFTED MORE TOWARDS SMALL BUSINESSES AND AWAY FROM SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS TO OFFER THAT.
THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THIS PROGRAM WAS MEANT TO BE.
GET THAT MONEY OUT THERE, STIMULATE THE ECONOMY.
YOU KNOW, I, I, THERE'S, THERE'S SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG IN MY EYES WITH THIS ENTIRE PLAN.
WE'RE NOT FOCUSING ON GETTING THIS ECONOMY BACK, BACK ON ITS FEET AND STIMULATING THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES WHO HIRE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUGGLING TO PAY THEIR RENTS, FOOD, GAS, AND THAT KIND OF THING.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD ASK YOU TO GO BACK, TAKE A LOOK AND SEE IF WE CAN PULL SOME MORE MONEY INTO THE SMALL BUSINESS AREA.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LATER ON, OUR BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND, SINCE MOST OF THAT'S COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
AND LET'S CONCENTRATE ON THOSE $270 MILLION AND MAYBE EVEN ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT ARE GONNA COME FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A, LET'S TALK ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, THERE WAS A COMMENT THE OTHER DAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE THIS POLLYANNA VIEW THAT THINGS ARE GONNA GO BACK TO THE WAY THEY WERE BEFORE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYBODY IS GONNA GO BACK AND PROBABLY GET THE JOBS THEY HAD BEFORE, BUT WHEN I STOOD OUT IN THAT LINE YESTERDAY, TALKING TO THESE SMALL BUSINESSES, THEY WANT TO OPEN THEIR BUSINESSES UP.
THEY WANT TO HIRE PEOPLE AGAIN, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO IT.
THEY DON'T HAVE A POLLYANNA VIEW.
THEY HAVE THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS THAT THEY BUILT THESE SMALL BUSINESSES UP, AND THEY WANT TO CONTINUE THAT, AND THEY CAN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF HELP.
SO I, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THAT, EVEN IN THE BUDGET ABOUT SPENDING THAT MUCH MONEY ONTO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
THAT IS NOT A SHORT-TERM SOLUTION, THAT'S A LONG-TERM SOLUTION.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THAT.
AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY WANNA RETRAIN IN THE COMMUNITY.
BUT I GUARANTEE YOU, MOST OF THE PEOPLE WANT THEIR JOBS BACK THAT THEY HAD BEFORE AND NOT LOOK TO BECOME A COMPUTER TECHNICIAN OR A NURSE OR, UH, THAT KIND OF THING.
NOT TAKING ANYTHING AWAY FROM THOSE, THOSE CAREERS.
BUT WE STILL NEED THOSE OTHER FOLKS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY ONE OF THESE DAYS WE'LL GET OUR, UH, OUR VISITORS BACK TO SAN ANTONIO TO GO BACK, FILL UP THE HOTELS, DO OUR TOURIST TOURISTY THINGS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND WE'RE GONNA NEED FOLKS TO HANDLE THAT.
WE CAN'T EXPECT EVERYBODY TO LEAVE THOSE INDUSTRIES AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND WE'LL STILL BE SUFFERING IN THE HOTEL, THE FOOD, THE LOT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE SERVICE INDUSTRIES OUT THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS FEDERAL FUNDS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS HERE.
THIS, THIS ISN'T GONNA LAST FOREVER.
THIS IS LIKE A ONE SHOT DEAL, ASSUMING THAT WE GET MORE FEDERAL FUNDS IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE MAY NOT GET THAT ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUND.
SO THIS IS A ONE SHOT DEAL IF WE DON'T SPEND THIS MONEY WISELY AND GET THIS ECONOMY GOING AGAIN, IT'S LIKE THROWING THAT MONEY AWAY.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M AFRAID OF.
UM, WE STILL NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE AS A CITY ARE PERFORMING OUR CORE SERVICES STREETS, DRAINAGE LIBRARIES, OUR CORE SERVICES.
AND THAT'S, I, I'VE SAID THAT SINCE I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO, UM, WORK TOWARDS.
THAT'S WHAT OUR TAXPAYERS EXPECT, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE PROVIDING HERE.
UM, EXPECTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OR STATE GOVERNMENT TO DO EVERYTHING FOR US.
WE HAVE TO WORK ON OUR OWN IN A LOT OF AREAS AND PUT THAT MONEY WHERE IT'S BEST USED TO HELP GET THIS CITY BACK UP AND RUNNING FULLY.
BRIDGER, ON THE SMALL BUSINESS SLIDES, IT SAYS MICRO BUSINESS SUPPORT A THOUSAND BUSINESSES.
IS THAT, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF, IS THIS ONLY FOR MICRO
[02:05:01]
BUSINESSES HERE IN YOUR PROPOSAL? YES, SIR.DEFINIT, WHAT THE BUSINESSES, WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF THE MICRO BUSINESS? 20 EMPLOYEES OR LESS.
THERE'S ONE THING THAT I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL FUNDS THAT WERE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE CATEGORY IS 500 EMPLOYEES AND LESS.
THESE LARGER, SMALL BUSINESSES WIPED OUT THAT FUND RIGHT AWAY, WITHIN, WITHIN WEEKS.
AND HERE WE'RE SUPPORTING UP TO 25.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE BUSINESSES BETWEEN 25 AND LET'S SAY A HUNDRED? THEY'RE, THEY'RE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD HERE.
I, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT ALSO AND SEE IF THERE'S, UH, FLEXIBILITY TO INCLUDE OTHER SMALL BUSINESSES OTHER THAN JUST MICRO BUSINESSES FOR, FOR THIS HELP.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO PUT MORE BUCKS INTO THIS SMALL BUSINESS CATEGORY AND MORE THAN JUST MICRO BUSINESSES BECAUSE THEY, THEY LOST OUT ON THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS ALSO BECAUSE THEY GOT GOBBLED UP SO QUICKLY.
SO, UM, I'VE GOT OTHER QUESTIONS.
I'LL SEE IF, UH, MY COLLEAGUES GET THOSE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERED.
IF NOT, I'LL, I'LL CHIME BACK IN.
COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
I WANNA START BY CONCURRING WITH WHAT, UH, THE COUNCILMAN JUST SAID ABOUT INCREASING FUNDING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
UH, YOU KNOW, UM, I'LL HAVE TO SAY, AS HE DID, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES UNDER 20 EMPLOYEES, UH, SO IF SOMEBODY HAS 21, 22, 23, THEY DON'T GET ANY HELP.
IF SOMEBODY HAS, UH, 50, THEY DON'T GET ANY HELP.
I, I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THAT KIND OF A LIMITATION.
AND I THINK IT, IT CALLS FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO GO IN THERE.
UH, AND I, AND MARIA, MAYBE YOU CAN BE THE ONE TO ANSWER THIS.
UH, WE'VE GOT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND WE'VE GOT DIGITAL INCLUSION OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
NOW, TELL ME IF I'M WRONG HERE, BUT BOTH OF THOSE ARE ELIGIBLE UNDER THE CARES FUNDING, IS THAT CORRECT? YES.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND DIGITAL.
BUT I, I THINK WHAT WE DID, AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG, WE'VE DECIDED THAT WE COULD BETTER I IDENTIFY AND JUSTIFY PAYROLL TO THAT.
UH, INSTEAD OF SAYING, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PAYING EXTRA OUT OF OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET, WE'RE SAYING THAT EXTRA THAT WE'VE PAID RELATED TO C O I D, UH, FOR PAYROLL IS GONNA BE APPLIED TOWARD THE CARESS FUNDING.
AND SO THAT MEANS WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PUT EVERYTHING UNDER CARES.
COUNCILMAN, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE PROGRAMS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO YOU ON CYBERSECURITY AND ON, UM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WILL ALSO GO BEYOND DECEMBER 30 OF, UH, 2020.
AND, AND APPLYING GENERAL FUND DOLLARS TO DO THAT WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY.
WELL, I SORT OF UNDERSTAND WHY WE, WE'VE DONE THAT NOW.
WE, WE PROBABLY NEED TO REALLOCATE A LITTLE BIT OF THE WORKFORCE MONEY, UH, BECAUSE IT WILL BE LONGER TERM AND THERE IS A LIKELIHOOD, ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T COUNT ON IT, BUT THERE IS A LIKELIHOOD THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING MAY BE COMING ALONG, UH, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
ALSO, IN LOOKING AT YOUR PROJECTIONS, UH, YOU ARE LOOKING AT, AND I KNOW IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY, BUT YOU'RE LOOKING AT A PROJECTION OF HAVING $15.4 MILLION IN OUR BUDGET AT THE END OF THIS BUDGET YEAR.
UH, AND SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF WE WERE TO REALLOCATE SOME OF THAT WORKFORCE MONEY, UH, INTO SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT, WE'RE STILL RE WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A, A HEDGE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND IF MORE FEDERAL MONEY COMES IN, THAT GIVES US EVEN, UH, A GREATER HEDGE, UH, TO PROTECT OUR BUDGET NEXT YEAR.
SO, UH, LIKE THE COUNCILMAN SAID, I'D LIKE TO SEE US LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, ANOTHER ISSUE THAT, THAT I SAW, UH, TWO THAT I'VE SEEN THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE GENERAL FUND, UH, PUTTING SOME MONEY IN FOR POOLS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'VE GOT ENOUGH.
UM, WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T GIVE CHILDREN, UH, SOME PLACES TO GO TO DO THINGS THAT ARE HEALTHY FOR THEM AND FOR THE COMMUNITY, THEY'LL FIND THEIR OWN WAYS OF AMUSING THEMSELVES.
AND I'M WONDERING HOW MANY CITY POOLS DO WE ACTUALLY HAVE? WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 26, UH, POOLS ACROSS THE CITY.
UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE, AND DR.
[02:10:01]
PROBABLY ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE, IS THE TIMING THAT WE'RE STARTING THE POST SEASON.WE TYPICALLY START THAT PLANNING PROCESS IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH TO BE ABLE TO HIRE AND TRAIN THOSE TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES TO RUN THE PROGRAM.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE THAT TIME, UH, NOW TO BE ABLE TO SECURE ALL THE, UH, TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO, TO STAFF THE POLLS.
YOU, YOU DON'T THINK WE COULD GET HALF THE PEOPLE BACK WHO DID IT LAST YEAR, WHO WON'T NEED MUCH TRAINING? 'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT EVEN DOING HALF THE POOLS.
THE, THE PLAN, THE PLAN THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, THE PLAN THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, DOES OPEN ALMOST HALF THE POOLS AND DOES COUNT ON BRINGING BACK A LOT OF THE STAFF THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR, BASED ON PREVIOUS YEARS.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH WITH A NUMBER OF OUR LIFEGUARDS, UM, WHO HAVE TO GO THROUGH TWO TYPES OF TRAINING.
IF WE CAN BRING 'EM BACK, THEY ONLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH A WEEK'S WORTH OF TRAINING.
UM, IF THEY ARE STARTING FROM SCRATCH, THEN THAT'S A MUCH LONGER TRAINING PROCESS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DEFINITELY HAMPERED IN OUR ABILITY TO OPEN MORE POOLS BY THE FACT THAT INITIALLY WE, UM, HAD THAT AS A BUDGET CUT.
NOW WE'RE TRYING TO COME TO SOME SORT OF, UM, HAPPY MEDIUM WHERE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, THERE ARE POOLS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT WILL OPEN ON A, YOU KNOW, VARYING SCHEDULE.
AND, UM, AND WE, WE BELIEVE WE CAN GET THOSE POOLS STAFFED.
WELL, I KNOW WE'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT THEM BEING AN OPEN ON WEEKENDS.
THEY OPEN EVERY DAY DURING THE SUMMER.
C COUNCILMAN, LET ME, LET ME JUMP IN HERE.
THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE DIFFICULT PART OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH HERE.
UM, WE SUSPENDED ALL THAT FUNDING IN ORDER TO BALANCE OUR BUDGET.
AND SO I THINK THE RECOGNITION THAT WHERE, 'CAUSE 'CAUSE WHEN WE DID THAT IN APRIL, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT JUNE WAS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
WE HAVE, UH, SAN ANTONIO IS FAIR BETTER.
THERE ARE REOPENINGS OCCURRING.
WE THOUGHT IT, WE THOUGHT IT, UM, IMPORTANT TO START TO REOPEN THAT.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT KIND OF OUR RETURN TO WORK TO INCLUDE THE LIBRARIES HERE SHORTLY.
UM, I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT, BUT THE POOLS ARE GONNA LOOK DIFFERENTLY.
THEY'RE GONNA LOOK DIFFERENTLY BASED ON SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE GUIDELINES THAT THE GOVERNOR'S PUSHING OUT.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA LOOK LIKE THEY DID LAST SUMMER.
AND AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE SUSPENDED THE FUNDING FOR THAT.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS AND I KNOW THAT, THAT, UM, WE'RE ALL RINGING OUR HANDS A LITTLE BIT, BUT I THINK I NEED TO POINT OUT THAT THAT PORTION WAS, UH, SUSPENDED AS WE BALANCED OUR BUDGET.
I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE US EXPAND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT I REALIZE IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FUNDING AVAILABLE.
UH, SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST BROUGHT UP THOUGH THAT ALSO CONCERNS ME IS, UH, THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SUMMER COOLING PROGRAMS RIGHT NOW, ALL OUR SENIOR CENTERS ARE CLOSED AND ALL OUR LIBRARIES ARE CLOSED.
AND THOSE ARE VITAL AREAS THAT PEOPLE GO TO IN THE SUMMER AND JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, EVEN INTO SEPTEMBER WHEN WE'VE GOT 105, 110 DEGREE WEATHER, OR EVEN A HUNDRED DEGREES, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR SENIORS.
SO WHAT ARE WE GOING, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO RECTIFY THAT SHORTCOMING? RIGHT NOW, AS A REMINDER, METRO HEALTH IS THE CITY AGENCY THAT HA THAT OVERSEES THE HEALTH PLAN OR THE HEAT PLAN.
SO IF METRO HEALTH, UM, RAISES THE LEVEL OF, UM, CONCERN PER THE HEAT PLAN, WE HAVE CONTINGENCY PLANS IN PLACE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO OPEN SOME OF THESE CITY FACILITIES, UM, WITH APPROPRIATELY SOCIAL DISTANCED, UM, PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO GO DURING THE DAY WHEN IT IS TOO HOT.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT.
EVEN IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LIBRARIES ARE STILL CLOSED, IF METRO HEALTH RAISES THE HEAT ADVISORY LEVEL, UM, TO THE POINT WHERE WE NEED TO OPEN COOLING CENTERS, WE WILL STILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
WE'LL JUST DO IT WITH FEWER PEOPLE, SPREAD OUT ACROSS MORE PLACES.
I JUST LIKE TO SEE A COPY OF THAT PLAN IF IT COULD BE SENT TO ME.
I I JUST WANT THAT REASSURANCE.
ANOTHER CONCERN I HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE EMPLOY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE SUMMERTIME, A LOT OF AMBASSADORS.
WE REQUIRE A LOT OF BUSINESSES TO TAKE IN SUMMER INTERNS.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT'S THE PROSPECT ON THAT? I ASSUME WE'RE NOT GONNA BE HIRING ANY AMBASSADORS, BUT WILL BUSINESSES STILL BE OBLIGATED TO MAINTAIN THEIR COMMITMENTS FOR SUMMER INTERNS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE? SO WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT? SO NOT
[02:15:01]
THROUGH OUR BUDGETED PROGRAM, COUNCILMEN, THAT'S ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE SUSPENDED.SO THE, THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS WE ARE NOT PLANNING ON THAT PROGRAM FOR THIS SUMMER.
SO WE ARE NOT, UM, REQUIRING BUSINESSES TO DO THE SAME FOR, FOR THE SAME REASON.
'CAUSE WE WORK TOGETHER AT AS A PARTNERSHIP.
SO THAT IS ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS THAT, UM, WILL BE TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR OR THIS FISCAL YEAR.
MY, UH, FINAL CONCERN IS ABOUT THE HOMELESS.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT HELPING 500, UH, HOMELESS, UH, INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES FIND SHELTER AND WORK WITH THEM.
NOW, IS THAT 500 OF THE CURRENT, ALMOST 3000 WE'VE IDENTIFIED? OR ARE WE LOOKING AT 500 OF THE MAYBE TWO OR 3000 PEOPLE THAT BECOME HOMELESS? 'CAUSE THEY GET EVICTED? WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING IS TO TAKE 500 PEOPLE FROM THE SHELTERS AND MOVE THEM TO THIS HOTEL, WHICH WOULD THEN FREE UP 500 SPACES FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE SHELTERS, TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND GET THOSE SHELTER BEDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
THE 500 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THE HOTEL WILL THEN RECEIVE THAT NEXT LEVEL OF RAPID REHOUSING ASSISTANCE THAT THE SHELTERS BELIEVE THEY'RE, THEY'RE READY TO, TO GO TO.
WHAT IF THOUSANDS BECOME EVICTED OVER JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, ET CETERA? HOW ARE WE GONNA HANDLE THAT? WE, UM, WE MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT.
WE MENTIONED THAT WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE WILL BE GETTING ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING THROUGH C B D C D B G AND OTHER, UM, HOMELESS SPECIFIC FUNDING SOURCES.
UM, AND WE WILL INCORPORATE THOSE FUNDING AMOUNTS INTO THIS LIVING DOCUMENT AND UPDATE IT AS APPROPRIATE, WORKING WITH SARAH, WORKING WITH HAVEN FOR HOPE AND OTHER, UM, HOMELESS PROVIDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING WHAT OUR EXPERTS IN HOW TO PREVENT AND MITIGATE HOMELESSNESS THINK WE SHOULD DO.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GRA THANK YOU MAYOR.
AND I'M GOING TO, UM, JUST PREVIEW MY COMMENTS BY SAYING THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US.
AND, UH, IN ORDER TO HAVE A VOTE NEXT WEEK, I'LL PROBABLY MAYOR CHIME IN AGAIN AFTER THIS.
UM, FIRST I THINK I'M JUST GOING TO STICK ON THE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY PLAN, OR THE RESPONSE AND RESILIENCY PLAN RIGHT NOW AND TO SOME OF THE, THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE EARLIER.
AND I AGREE, YES, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY WITH THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY AND TO GET THESE DOLLARS OUT VERY QUICKLY.
SPECIFICALLY THIS, UM, THE, THE C V F DOLLARS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO DO, AND THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS CONTINUING TO DO RIGHT NOW IS TALK ABOUT HOW THESE FUNDS CAN BE USED FOR REVENUE LOSS OF CITIES.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE CITIES ARE THE ONES THAT ARE DOING ALL OF THE WORK ON THE GROUND, UM, WITH RESPECT TO OUR FEDERAL DELEGATION AND OUR FEDERAL COLLEAGUES IN THE ADMINISTRATION.
THEY'RE NOT THE ONES WHO ARE FACING OUR CITIZENS DAY TO DAY.
THEY ARE NOT THE ONES WHO ARE HANDING OUT THE HAND SANITIZER, UM, TO THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.
SO WE ARE THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WHO ARE HAVING TO DELIVER ALL OF THE, THE, UM, THE PRODUCTS AND THE SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS.
AND SO WHEN WE ARE MAKING THESE, UH, IT IS THEY SHOULD BE GIVING US THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS BECAUSE WE DO NEED THEIR HELP.
AND AS A TAX PAYING CITIZEN, I'M HOPING THAT THEY DO CONTINUE TO GIVE DOLLARS FOR CITIES WHO ARE DOING THE WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE FOR ALL OF THE CONSTITUENTS, INCLUDING THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, I AM HOPING THAT THEY DO ALLOW THESE DOLLARS TO GO FOR THESE SMALL CITIES.
'CAUSE AS I'M LOOKING AT THESE DOLLAR AMOUNTS RIGHT NOW, THIS, WE ARE BLESSED IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT WE ARE GETTING THESE DOLLARS.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THESE SMALL SUBURBAN CITIES LIKE, UM, LIVE OAK, LIKE CHINA GROVE, OTHER LITTLE CITIES THAT DO NOT HAVE THESE DOLLARS.
SO I'M HOPING THAT THEY DO COME TOGETHER AND DELIVER SOME MORE DOLLARS BECAUSE THAT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO DELIVER TO ME THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND TO ALL OF US, THEIR CONSTITUENCY.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YESTERDAY.
AND THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AS WAS MENTIONED, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND THE, THE ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO WROTE ON HER CAR, ON HER VEHICLE, THANKING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR WORKING WITH THE SMALL BUSINESSES AND TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THIS REALLY CAME OUT OF A, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION FROM OUR
[02:20:01]
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, OUR MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO SAID, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED.LET ME GO TO THE QUESTION OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND MICRO BUSINESSES.
UM, WHY DID WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF 20? WHERE DID THE DE DETERMINATION OF 20 EMPLOYEES COME IN? UM, AND LET ME START BY SAYING YESTERDAY WE SAW ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE COME IN, UM, TO YOUR POINT, IT WAS 25 EMPLOYEES OR LESS, AND WE HAD SUCH A GREAT TURNOUT WITH LESS THAN A WEEK OF REGISTRATION, AND SO MANY PEOPLE CAME OUT.
SO WE SEE THAT THE NEED AND THE THE THE NEED IS VERY GREAT.
SO, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF THAT DATA THAT YOU'RE GOING TO COLLECT BECAUSE OF EVERYONE WHO PRE-REGISTERED.
SO PLEASE TELL ME WHY WE'RE DOING 20 AND NOT 25 RIGHT NOW.
SO, COUNCILWOMAN, OUR, OUR GOAL WAS TO FOCUS ON THOSE BUSINESSES THAT ARE LIKELY NOT TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES TO EITHER THE PAYROLL PROTECTION PLAN PROGRAM OR THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOAN.
SO THAT WAS THE IDEA, IS TRY TO FOCUS ON THOSE ENTITIES THAT REALLY NEED THE ASSISTANCE THE MOST.
UH, IN BEXAR COUNTY, WE HAVE ROUGHLY 36,000 BUSINESSES.
UH, BUSINESSES UNDER 20 ARE ROUGHLY 29,000 BUSINESSES.
SO THAT CAPTURES A BIG PERCENTAGE OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN BEXAR COUNTY, PRESUMABLY IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, THAT WOULD NEED ASSISTANCE.
UH, AND WE'RE GONNA ANALYZE THE PEOPLE THAT CAME YESTERDAY TO SEE WHERE THEY WERE LOCATED, WHAT THE SIZE OF THE BUSINESSES WERE.
UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, BUSINESSES OF THAT 29,000 IN BEXAR COUNTY, 17,765 ARE LESS THAN FIVE.
AND AN ADDITIONAL 6,821 OR LESS THAN 10.
SO THAT'S A BIG PERCENTAGE OF THE BUSINESSES THAT'LL, THAT NEED THE ASSISTANCE THE MOST.
OUR PROGRAM, THE RESILIENCY PROGRAM, IS DESIGNED TO TRY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO THEM BESIDES BEYOND THE GRANTS.
WE WANNA BE ABLE TO BUILD IN RESILIENCY FOR THEM, PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, MAYBE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE, UH, BUSINESS PLANNING ASSISTANCE, AND UTILIZE OUR PARTNERS TO DO THAT.
SO AGAIN, THE FOCUS WAS TO TRY TO, TO FOCUS ON MICRO BUSINESSES, WHICH ARE GENERALLY NOT, NOT, UH, TAKEN CARE OF BY OTHERS, UH, AS WELL.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING THOSE DATA POINTS OF WHY YOU CAME UP WITH THE 20 AND THAT PERCENTAGE AND THAT NUMBER OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE REGISTERED IN BEXAR COUNTY.
THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND GIVES CLARITY FOR, UH, DETERMIN DETERMINATION OF 20 EMPLOYEES AND, UM, MEETING THAT NEED.
WHEN, AND I KNOW AT PART OF THE, THE MEETING WE HAD ON TUESDAY WITH THE REPORT OUTS, I BELIEVE SOMEONE GAVE THE, THE, UM, INFORMATION OR THE STORY OF, UH, EVEN THE RESTAURATEUR LISA WONG AND HOW EVEN WITH HER, UM, ACCOUNTANTS AND LAWYERS, ET CETERA, IT WAS STILL HARD FOR HER TO GET THOSE FEDERAL DOLLARS OR SOME SORT OF FUNDING.
SO EVEN WITH THOSE THAT HAVE ALL OF THESE BUILT IN SYSTEMS FOR OUR MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESSES WITH 20 EMPLOYEES ARE LESS, IT'S ALMOST, UM, IMP IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
UM, LET ME QUICKLY SAY, I WOULD, I'LL, I'LL START WITH HOUSING SECURITY, OR NO, LET'S GO.
UH, LOOKING AT THE MATRIX OF, OF 22, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THERE, BUT, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CF, UH, C V F FUNDING TO BE STRAIGHT FROM THE C C V F BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GET THAT OUT QUICKLY.
AND WHO WOULD, WHO ARE THE PARTNERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TO GET THIS OUT QUICKLY? ARE WE LOOKING AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN OUR DEPARTMENTS AS AS ONE AND LIFT FUND OR AS A COMBINATION COUNCIL? YOU ASKING SPECIFICALLY FOR THE SMALL GRANTS? RIGHT.
THEY HAVE THE MECHANISM TO DO THAT.
SO THEY'D BE THE PRIMARY PART THAT WE UTILIZE TO GET THE FUND THE GRANTS OUT.
AND SO THAT WOULD BE QUICK, QUICKLY THAT WAY? YES, MA'AM.
AND WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, THE 2.7 FOR C V F, IT'S BECAUSE THAT MONEY COULD BE QUICKLY DISTRIBUTED BEFORE DECEMBER, 2020 OR DECEMBER 31.
SO TELL ME WHY 67.3 MILLION AND COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
SO IS THAT BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT IT MORE IN THE LONG TERM OR MULTIPLE, THIS BUDGET AND THE NEXT BUDGET ONE MORE
AND WE KNOW THAT, UM, MANY OF THE BUSINESSES, EITHER THROUGH SURVEYS OR THROUGH WHAT THEY'VE ALREADY ANNOUNCED, WILL NOT BE OPENING UP.
AND SO THE EMPLOYEES THAT OTHERWISE COULD GO BACK TO THOSE JOBS, THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THAT
[02:25:01]
ABILITY TO DO THAT.UM, SO THE, THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE SOME TRAINING TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS, UM, WHO, WHO THEN CAN FIND A DIFFERENT JOB.
'CAUSE BECAUSE WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME BUSINESSES THAT SURVIVED DURING C OVID 19 MM-HMM.
SO THAT WAS THE, THE INTENT WAS TO HAVE BOTH SHORT TERM AND LONG-TERM PROGRAMS. OBVIOUSLY, LONGER TERM RETRAINING IS MORE IMPACTFUL.
THAT HELPS PEOPLE TO, UH, SORT OF, UH, AS DR.
FLORE SAYS, STACK THEIR, THEIR TRAINING.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU MIGHT GO IN AND GET A, UH, A FORKLIFT, UH, CERTIFICATION AND THEN ADD OSHA TRAINING TO IT, OR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF OSHA TRAINING SURE.
AND MAYBE A C D L LICENSE THAT'D BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR ME.
AND YOU MENTIONED THE TEMPORARY CHILDCARE SUPPORT FOR WORKING FAMILIES.
UM, WHO ARE THESE, WOULD IT BE UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHO THEY WOULD, UH, GO AS THEIR CHILDCARE PROVIDER? YES.
SO THAT'S, WE'RE NOT DETERMINING WHERE THEY NEED TO GO? NO, IT'S, IT'S PARENT CHOICE.
AND, UM, FOR THE, I WILL SAY, UM, YES, I DO BELIEVE WE NEED TO PUT A GOOD NUMBER, UH, A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
BUT I DO BELIEVE IF WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO BE FLEXIBLE WITH MORE DOLLARS INTO SMALL BUSINESS AND SMALL BUSINESS, UM, UH, GRANTS PROGRAM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL.
UM, I DO TO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO PUT MORE DOLLARS INTO OUR HOUSING SECURITY AND SPECIFICALLY THE EMERGENCY, UH, ASSISTANCE.
SO, LORI, I SEE YOU PEEKING OUT FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
AND CAN THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE REQUESTING RENTAL ASSISTANCE, CAN THEY MAKE MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE? YES.
AND IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FINDING OUT IS THAT WHEN THEY, THEY CALL US AND THEY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR, LET'S SAY APRIL, WHEN WE CALL BACK TO VERIFY WITH THEIR LANDLORD, WE CONFIRM THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE MAY EITHER MM-HMM.
AND SO WE END UP INCREASING THE PAYMENT TO COVER IT.
AND DO YOU HAVE THE DATA OF HOW MANY WE HAVE WHO ARE MAKING MULTI REQUESTS? BECAUSE IF THEIR JOB ISN'T OPENING UP UNTIL AUGUST, YES.
I MEAN, THEY'LL NEED HELP THROUGH ALL OF THIS TIME.
SO DO YOU ALL HAVE THOSE NUMBERS? WE, WE CAN EXTRACT THOSE NUMBERS, YES.
IF YOU COULD GET ME THOSE NUMBERS, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
AND FOR THAT REASON, ERIC IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I BELIEVE WE SHOULD PUT, UH, SOME MORE DOLLARS INTO THE EMERGENCY, UM, FUND THE EMERGENCY HOUSING FOR THAT, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT MAYBE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO PAY NOW, BUT AS THE MONTHS GO ON, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE, THEIR SAVINGS THAT THEY HAD ARE GOING TO BE DRIED UP.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, IN THERE.
UM, SO I DO HAVE THE DIGITAL REFERRAL PLATFORM FOR JOINT CASE MANAGEMENT.
I JUST WANNA SAY THIS FOR ANYTHING DIGITAL INCLUSION.
AND I SAW THAT THERE WAS A PORTAL AND I SAW THAT THERE WAS SOME, UH, TO CREATE A CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
IF WE ARE GOING TO ASK SOMEBODY TO CREATE THINGS, UM, OR CONSULT OR DESIGN, ET CETERA.
IF IT'S NOT CITY STAFF, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE HIRING LOCAL, THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE LOCALLY WHO CAN DESIGN OR MANAGE OR CREATE THESE PORTALS THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING IT OUTSIDE OF OUR, OF OUR REGION.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT FOR THE RECORD.
YOU HAVE ROUND TWO COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA.
AND I WANTED TO START OFF BY THANKING ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO PARTICIPATED YESTERDAY IN THE P P E AT THE ALAMO DE DISTRIBUTION.
AND SO, UM, I, I WANNA TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY ALSO TO THANK THE, I WAS WORKING WITH THE LIBRARY WORKERS.
UH, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING OUT THERE AND ALSO WITH THE NORTH CHAMBERS LEADERSHIP LAB FOLKS.
UM, BUT SHELBY'S REGISTERED CHILDCARE IS A SMALL BUSINESS IN D FOUR, AND THEY CAME OUT THERE YESTERDAY.
UH, AND, UM, SHELBY, MS. SHELBY ASKED ME TO SHARE A THANK YOU LETTER WITH MY COLLEAGUES.
UM, AND IT JUST SAYS, UH, DEAR CITY SAN ANTONIO, MY SMALL BUSINESS CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THE CRITICAL SUPPLIES DURING THE PANDEMIC.
WE LOVE SAN ANTONIO, SINCERELY, MICHELLE AND THE DAYCARE FAMILIES, AND I PROMISE THAT I WOULD SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL.
THAT'S WHY YOU ALL HAVE IT ON THE SCREEN TODAY.
UM, I WANNA ASK ALSO, SPECIFICALLY, CARLOS, HOW WE WILL BE HELPING THOSE THAT DID NOT GET TO GO OUT THERE YESTERDAY.
SO FOR INSTANCE, THERE WAS, UM, A SMALL BUSINESS, UH,
[02:30:01]
UH, ONE, ONE PERSON, UH, MAINLY MANNING SOME AT SOME TIME.AND SO HOW WE DISTRIBUTE TO SOME ADDITIONAL FOLKS THAT WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE A CATALYST, IS THERE PLAN FOR DISTRIBUTION COUNCILWOMAN? UM, AS IT TURNS OUT, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME PRODUCT LEFT OVER.
AND SO PART OF WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO, AND THAT'S, THIS IS ACTUALLY A SUGGESTION THAT SHERRY DELA SHAHI MADE, UH, IS FOR US TO, TO ANALYZE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE BUSINESSES CAME FROM AND IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS WHAT GAPS IN THE COMMUNITY AND PARTICULARLY THE HARDEST HIT AREAS, UH, ARE, SO THAT WE COULD THEN PRO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE A DISTRIBUTION.
AND, AND WE'VE THOUGHT ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THAT, UH, INCLUDING POTENTIALLY, UH, DO A REGISTRATION AND ALLOW THE COUNCIL OFFICES TO DISTRIBUTE THOSE.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UH, EVEN FOR Y'ALL TO HELP, UH, IDENTIFY, UH, THE BUSINESSES THAT IN YOUR DISTRICTS THAT, THAT NEED IT.
UH, WE ALSO MADE AVAILABLE BOTH AT 3 1 1 AND ONLINE, THE ABILITY TO MAIL IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY DID NOT NEED THE, THE TWO GALLONS OF SANITIZER TO BE ABILITY TO MAIL THOSE.
SO WE HAVE A NUMBER THAT SIGNED UP FOR THAT AS WELL.
SO WE'LL BE MAILING THAT OUT, UH, SHORTLY.
BUT, UH, WE'LL DEVELOP PLANS FOR THAT AND, AND, AND SET UP A PLAN FOR IT.
AND THEN ALSO, I KNOW WE HAD BUDGETED ABOUT $2 MILLION.
HOW MUCH DID WE SPEND YESTERDAY? OF THOSE $2 MILLION ON THE EVENT, COUNCILMAN? I BELIEVE IT WAS 1.9 MILLION.
UH, I'LL GET THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS 1.9 MILLION THAT WAS UTILIZED.
ALSO, UM, I WANTED TO THANK STAFF BECAUSE I THINK THAT YOU ALL WERE VERY CREATIVE, UM, IN LEVERAGING SOME OF THE FUNDING.
I LIKE THE WAY THAT YOU'VE SHIFTED SOME OF THE FUNDS EVEN TO, UH, TO USING GENERAL FUND BECAUSE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO USE MORE OF A LONG-TERM STRATEGY ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH.
UM, AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR PAYING PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
ON TUESDAY, I WAS A JUDGE ON THE SA SMART COMPETITION THAT ADDRESSED THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
AND, AND THE MAYOR CAME AND GAVE SOME WORDS.
AND, UH, BRIAN DILLARD, WHO I SEE IN THE CROWD TODAY, OUR CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER WAS THERE AS WELL.
AND IT WAS REFRESHING TO SEE SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT THE STUDENTS HAD THAT I THINK THAT WE AS A CITY CAN LEVERAGE.
UM, TWO OF THE, UH, SECOND AND THIRD PLACE WERE FROM JOHN J J HIGH SCHOOL, AND I SHARED IT WITH COUNCILWOMAN HACA THAT THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
I WAS, UH, ESPECIALLY PROUD BECAUSE THESE ARE THE STUDENTS THAT ZIP CODE 7 8 2 4 5 IS ONE OF THE ZIP CODES.
IT HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF DIGITAL, UM, UH, OR, OR HAS HIGH LEAST ACCESS TO DIGITAL ACCESS.
SO I WAS HAPPY THAT PEOPLE WERE THINKING ABOUT IT.
I'M ALSO HAPPY TO KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, LIKE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND CHURCHES THAT ARE THINKING OF HOW TO PROVIDE WIFI ACCESS TO THE RESIDENTS IN THIS TIME.
SO I REALLY DO THINK THAT THIS IS A TIME, UH, TO COME TOGETHER.
UM, AND I WANT TO ALSO RECOGNIZE, I SAW IN THE CROWD EARLIER ADRIAN LOPEZ, THE C E O OF WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S STILL THERE, BUT THANK YOU FOR WORKING, UH, WITH, WITH THE CITY AND ALSO DAVID ELLO FROM PROJECT QUEST.
IS THERE, UM, I BELIEVE, AND ALSO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING THERE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING, UM, ATTENTIVE AND LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION AND SEEING HOW IT IS THAT YOU ALL CAN STEP UP.
UM, I WANNA FOCUS, UH, UH, ON A FEW COMMENTS.
AND ERIC, MY FIRST COMMENTS ARE GONNA BE FOR YOU, UM, OR, OR QUESTIONS ARE GONNA BE FOR YOU.
UM, WILL WE EXPAND THE CURRENT FURLOUGHS, UH, OR WILL YOU BE PROPOSING SOME ADDITIONAL LAYOFFS? UM, I KNOW ON PAGE 50 OF THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, THE SEVEN PLUS FIVE REPORT, YOU HAVE, UH, AN ADDITIONAL $3 MILLION IT LOOKS LIKE ON PAGE 50 AS A POTENTIAL REDUCTION.
AND SO I KNOW THAT COMES FROM HOT TECH, BUT UM, I'M JUST A LITTLE BIT WORRIED.
CAN YOU JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE CURRENTLY FURLOUGHED EMPLOYEES WILL, WILL BE GOING THROUGH, OR IF THEY'LL BE
YEAH, THAT'S THAT $3.9 MILLION THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, THAT IS THE HIRING FREEZE THAT WE PUT IN PLACE, UH, BACK IN, UH, IN EARLY APRIL FOR THE REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
THE ANTICIPATED PROJECTED SAVINGS OF THOSE, UM, OF THAT HIRING FREEZE IS JUST UNDER $4 MILLION FOR THE REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
I DO, LET, LET ME CLARIFY THAT.
UM, CRITICAL POSITIONS LIKE NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS ARE EXEMPT FROM THAT.
AND, UH, AT THIS POINT, UH, REQUESTS ARE BEING REVIEWED BY MY OFFICE TO FILL POSITIONS, BUT THAT'S HIRING FREEZE.
ALSO,
AND I WAS WONDERING IF MAYBE LATER SOMEBODY COULD HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHERE WE WOULD BE REDUCING THAT.
I I WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED.
UM, AND THEN, UH, I DIDN'T SEE IT IN THERE, AND IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE WE GOT THE DOCUMENT JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO AND, AND IT'S 165 PAGER AND I JUST KIND OF QUICKLY SKIMMED THROUGH IT.
[02:35:01]
FUNDING TO VIA, DOES THAT SEIZE? I I DIDN'T SEE IT IN THERE.WHERE, WHERE WOULD I BE ABLE TO FIND IT? OR CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME UNDERSTAND, UH, IF THAT'S GOING TO BE SEIZING? I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION.
$10 MILLION FOR VIA, IS THAT YOUR QUESTION? CORRECT, YEAH.
SO, UM, FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, THE MID-YEAR IS REDUCING THAT 10 DOWN TO SEVEN, A TOTAL OF 3 MILLION TO REFLECT THE LESS FREQUENCY ON SOME OF THE ROUTES THAT THE CITY WAS FUNDING AS A RESULT OF C OVID 19.
UM, WE, UM, THAT DISCUSSION ON THE FUNDING FOR 2021 IS SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING WITH THE COUNCIL WHEN COUNCIL APPROVED THAT BUDGET FOR VIA WAS A RECURRING COST.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS ALREADY INCLUDED AS, AS PART OF THE, THE BASE BUDGET, BUT WE'LL BE REVIEWING THAT WITH YOU ALL AS PART OF THE 2021 BUDGET.
ALSO ON
CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT DEPARTMENTS THOSE ARE USED FOR? SURE.
SO THOSE ARE FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COUNCILWOMEN, UH, THEY'RE HAVING TO DO THE, UH, TESTING, UH, ACROSS THE CITY AND ALSO AT NURSING HOMES AND CONGREGATE SETTING.
SO THEY NEEDED THAT ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT TO EXPAND THE M I H UH, TEAM.
UM, THE, UH, FIRE CHIEF IS TRAINING OVER A HUNDRED FIREFIGHTERS WITHIN OUR OWN PERSONNEL TO BE ABLE TO BE EQUIPPED TO ASSIST WITH THE TESTING, UM, SO THE, THE ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT WAS NEEDED FOR THEM.
ALSO ON PAGE 1 33, AND THIS REALLY SPEAKS TO SERVICE AREA SIX THAT YOU ALL HAVE IDENTIFIED ON THERE, SENIOR SERVICE PARTICIPANT GOALS.
I'M ASSUMING, FOR INSTANCE, ON PAGE 1 38 THAT WE WILL BE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT POST COVID STRATEGIES.
UM, SAME FOR THE RECREATION FACILITY ASSISTANCE.
UM, AND THEN EVEN ON PAGE 1 46, THE COST PER PASSENGER AT THE AIRPORT THAT OUR GOAL WAS $12 AND 79 CENTS PER PASSENGER.
I'M ASSUMING BECAUSE OF COVID, WE WILL HAVE TO REVISE THAT SOMEWHAT.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF, LIKE, HELP, HELP ME WALK THROUGH THE STRATEGY, WHO'S THINKING ABOUT THIS? UM, ANOTHER ONE THAT I SEE ON THERE, AND THESE ARE MORE, MAYBE MORE OF CARLOS' QUESTIONS ON PAGE 1 48.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT ALAMO EVENTS.
SO WE, WE WERE BUDGETED FOR 115 DAYS OF EVENTS, UM, AND REVENUE PER ATTENDEE AT $10 AND 72 CENTS.
WHO'S PLANNING FOR THAT CHANGE? HOW ARE WE, UM, MAYBE LEVERAGING, UH, OR, OR WORKING WITH WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE SEEING AS WELL? YEAH, SO WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO COUNCILWOMAN ARE THE PERFORMANCE METRICS WITHIN THE, UH, BINDER WE PROVIDED.
SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WE DEVELOPED THAT, UM, THOSE BUDGETED AMOUNTS, AND THEN WE REPORT TO YOU OUR ACTUALS.
SO AS WE DEVELOP OUR BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THE, UH, CONVENTION CENTER FACILITY STAFF, UH, ONE TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH REVENUE WE THINK IS COMING IN, UM, AND ALSO CHECKING WITH OTHER CITIES TO SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING WITHIN THEIR CONVENTION CENTERS.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW.
NOTE MARIA AND ERIC, I DIDN'T, UM, NOTICE THAT THERE WAS ANY FOCUS ON DISABLED EMPLOYEES OR, OR ON, ON VETERANS.
AND I KNOW THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF HELP, UH, FOR VETERANS YET AT IN, IN ANY OF THE FUNDING SOURCES THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN REFERENCED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
BUT I JUST WANNA REMIND US THAT WE HAVE A BIG VETERAN POPULATION AND, AND JUST TO KEEP THAT IN MIND, AND I DON'T KNOW, CARLOS, IF THE HEROES ACT, UM, MIGHT ADDRESS SOMETHING OR IF YOU'VE HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE HEROES ACT AND, AND ANYTHING THAT WE MIGHT BE RECEIVING FROM THAT.
UH, COUNCILMAN ABOUT THE HEROES ACT.
UM, WE, WE DO KNOW THAT IT PASSED THE HOUSE, IF THAT'S YOUR QUESTION, UH, HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN UP IN THE SENATE SO FAR.
AND THEN WE CERTAINLY ARE KEEPING A WATCHFUL MIND ON ANY, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDING OR RELIEF FOR VETERANS.
AND THEN THE RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY CLASS,
I SEE THAT THERE'S REFERENCES FOR, UH, P P E FOR FIRE, BUT POLICE
AND ON THAT BUDGET THAT I, UH, DESCRIBED, PERHAPS ON THE PAGE YOU'RE LOOKING AT, THERE'S A $10 MILLION, I'M SORRY, $11 MILLION ALLOCATION THAT IS FOR PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR, UH, POLICE, FIRE, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND ALSO ALL OF OUR OLDER CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES ARE HAVING TO INTERACT WITH THE PUBLIC.
UM, SO THAT IS INCLUDED IN, IN THOSE NUMBERS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER R GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER PALIS.
[02:40:01]
THANK YOU, MAYOR.UM, I'M, I'M, I I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION.
I I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CARLOS OR MARIA OR LORI, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, COUNCILWOMAN HDA TALKED ABOUT THE CONCESSIONAIRES AT THE AIRPORT HAVING TO MAKE RENT EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NOBODY, THERE WAS NOBODY AT THE AIRPORT.
UM, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU GUYS LAID OUT THERE.
UH, I, AND THEN IT STARTED ME THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR PARTNERS AT THE TOWER AND ON THE RIVER BARGES AND ALL THAT.
AND, UM, WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE SITTING DOWN WITH THEM AND, UH, YOU KNOW, EXPLORING OPTIONS OR IF WE'RE JUST HOLDING THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE ON THE CONTRACT.
COUNCILMAN, UH, UM, I THINK YOUR, YOUR QUESTION, UM, RELATED TO THOSE CONTRACTS FOR WHICH WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL MINIMUM GUARANTEES, UM, FOR INSTANCE, THE, THE CONTRACT WITH, UM, UH, FOR THE RIVER BARGES, THE CONTRACTS WITH, UH, THAT WE HAVE AT THE AIRPORT AND OTHERS, PERHAPS, UH, WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THOSE, UM, UM, PARTNERS OF, OF OURS.
UH, SOME OF OUR CONTRACTS AUTOMATICALLY REDUCE THAT MINIMUM GUARANTEE, LIKE IN THE CASE OF THE AIRPORT, UM, AFTER A CERTAIN DOLLAR AMOUNT, THEY DROP TO A PERCENTAGE OF SALES.
UM, SOME OTHER ONES DO NOT, UH, UH, DO THAT.
SO THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION.
SO BASED ON THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE ARE HAVING, WHAT YOU SAW TODAY, THOSE ARE THE REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED AND THE REQUESTS THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL.
AND SO I I, I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, AND I'M SURE YOU GUYS WILL DO IT RIGHT, THAT, THAT, THAT WE SET THE TONE, UH, DURING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND NOT APPROACH IT AS A, HEY, HERE'S THE CONTRACT, SORRY FOR YOUR LUCK, BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU OWE AND YOU OWE IT.
UM, BECAUSE THIS IS ALSO, YOU KNOW, A CRISIS FOR THEM.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I USE THE WORD PARTNERS QUITE DELIBERATELY.
AND SO, UM, MY MY HOPE IS THAT Y Y'ALL WILL BE SENSITIVE TO THAT.
AND, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I'LL BE LOOKING FOR.
BUT, UM, MARIA, HOW MANY SWIMMING POOLS DO WE HAVE IN SAN ANTONIO? 26, COUNCILMAN? 26.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNEW THAT
UM, SO, SO MAYOR AND ERIC, UH, UM, Y'ALL HAVE MET MY DAUGHTER SOPHIA.
SHE'S, SHE'S 12 AND SHE'S BRILLIANT.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHE LIKES MOST IS GREEK MYTHOLOGY.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND SHE GOT FIRST PLACE IN THE CLASSICS TOURNAMENT RECENTLY.
AND, UM, I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT PEOPLE COMPETE ON THEIR FAMILIARITY WITH ROMAN AND, AND GREEK, UH, MYTHOLOGY, BUT SHE LIKES TO TELL ME THE STORY ABOUT, UM, ODYSSEUS AND WHEN HE HAD TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE, THE STRAIT OF MESSINA.
AND, UH, IT'S A PRETTY NEAT PARABLE ABOUT HOW HE HAD TO CHOOSE, UH, IN ORDER TO GET TO HIS DESTINATION, TO, UH, SAIL RIGHT NEXT TO A MONSTER CALLED SILLA, UH, OR SAIL NEXT TO A MONSTER CALLED, UH, KBDI.
AND, UH, EITHER OF THOSE TWO MONSTERS WILL EITHER DESTROY HIS SHIP, UH, AND TEAR IT TO PIECES.
AND THE OTHER ONE, I THINK WAS GONNA, YOU KNOW, HAD SIX HEADS AND WINGS AND WAS GONNA EAT ALL OF HIS, UH, ALL OF HIS CREW.
AND, UH, NO MATTER WHAT, HE STILL HAD TO SAIL THERE.
AND TO, UH, AND TO AVOID ONE, YOU HAD TO FLOAT CLOSE TO THE OTHER.
AND, UH, TODAY WE, YOU KNOW, AND I, I WAS TELLING HER THAT TODAY WE CALL THOSE A LESSER OF TWO EVILS CHOICE, RIGHT? OR ONE OF THOSE ROCK AND A HARD PLACE CHOICES, OR A DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON'T DILEMMA.
UM, AND, AND SO WHEN I HEARD COUNCILMAN PERRY AND COUNCILMAN COURAGE TALK ABOUT WANTING TO SEE MORE MONEY, UM, MOVED OVER TO THE, UH, TO THE SMALL BUSINESS, UH, INVESTMENTS, UM, I, I KEPT THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT CONVERSATION WITH MY DAUGHTER, BECAUSE I DO TOO.
I, I WANT MORE MONEY TO GO TO THE SMALL BUSINESS, UM, INVESTMENTS.
HOWEVER, I ALSO DON'T THINK THAT OUR INVESTMENT IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, INITIATIVE IS ENOUGH FOR THE SAFETY NET PROGRAMS OR NONPROFIT OR DIGITAL DIVIDE OR ALL THE OTHER PRIORITIES.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY THAT'S JUST A PRODUCT OF HAVING TO RECOGNIZE THAT $270 MILLION SOUNDS LIKE AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SEVENTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, IT'S NOT A NUMBER THAT EVEN BEGINS TO, YOU KNOW, EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, THE PROBLEMS, UH, THAT THIS CRISIS HAS COMPOUNDED, RIGHT? AND THESE ARE PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE STRUGGLED WITH FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER.
AND, UH, PEOPLE HAD ALWAYS SAID AT THE, WELL, PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS SAYING AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS THING, WOW, THIS IS GONNA BE REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE VIRUSES ARE THE GREAT LEVELERS.
ALL THE VIRUS WANTS TO FIND IS A HOST
[02:45:01]
IN WHICH TO INCUBATE AND THEN SPREAD.BUT, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THAT WASN'T WRONG.
UH, I, I'M SORRY, IT TURNS OUT THAT THAT WAS WRONG.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE VIRUS, IT TURNS OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPACTS PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, GETTING CRUSHED BY THE INEQUITIES THAT WE'VE ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND SO, UM, THERE'S NO DEBATE.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE INFECTIONS, UH, IMPACT PEOPLE WHO ARE POOR, UM, WORSE.
AND YOU'RE WORSE OFF IF YOU'RE POOR AND BLACK OR HISPANIC, OR IF YOU'RE POOR, BLACK AND HISPANIC AND OLDER.
UM, AND OR IF YOU'RE POOR, BLACK AND HISPANIC AND JOB, YOU KNOW, JOBLESS, YOUR HEALTH OUTCOMES IN THE FACE OF THIS, IN THE FACE OF THIS PANDEMIC ARE DEMONSTRABLY WORSE.
AND, UM, HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE AFFLUENT OR IF YOU'VE GOT SOME AFFLUENCE, YOU'RE PROTECTED FROM LAYOFFS, FROM GETTING EVICTED FROM NOT MAKING YOUR CAR PAYMENT, FROM HAVING TO VISIT PREDATORY PAYDAY LENDERS AND TITLE LENDERS AND DEFAULTING ON YOUR MORTGAGES.
AND, UM, WHEREAS THAT'S NOT THE CRISIS.
THAT'S, UM, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT THE CRISIS THAT'S GONNA BE FACED BY MOST FOLKS WITH SOME DEGREE OF AFFLUENCE, BUT IT WILL BE FACED BY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, UH, POOR.
AND SO THIS DEBATE ABOUT WHO NEEDS THE ASSISTANCE MOST, I, I GET IT.
I FEEL IT, RIGHT? BUSINESS OWNERS OR OUT OF WORK PEOPLE.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT DEBATE IS BOTH, UH, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS PEOPLE, BUSINESS PEOPLE CREATE JOBS, THE WORKERS FILL THOSE JOBS, AND IT'S A, IT'S A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP, AND NEITHER OF THEM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER.
AND, UM, BUT HERE WE ARE IN THIS UNIQUE, THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO THROW A LIFELINE TO THESE GROUPS.
AND WE'RE HAVING A DEBATE AS TO WHICH ONE OF THESE TWO CHILDREN WE LOVE MORE, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S, AND AND I DON'T THINK THAT DEBATE REALLY RESULTS IN MOVING PEOPLE OR CHANGING PEOPLE'S MINDS, BUT I, I THINK IT'S ALSO A FALSE DEBATE IN, IN THAT I THINK IT'S A, YOU KNOW, PRESENTS US WITH THIS BINARY CHOICE AND THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE FACING US.
AND SO I THINK IF, UH, I THINK ALL OF YOU'RE GONNA AGREE THAT IF ANYTHING, THIS PANDEMIC HAS REVEALED THAT THE PROBLEMS THAT WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH AND THAT WE'RE GONNA STRUGGLE WITH, UM, HAVE, HAVE ROUGHER EDGES, UH, THAN WE THOUGHT.
AND THAT THOSE ANGLES ON THOSE EDGES ARE, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, PRONOUNCED THAN, THAN BIGGER THAN WE EVER THOUGHT.
AND, UH, SO IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE A BINARY CHOICE, ALL WE'RE DOING IS SAILING RIGHT NEXT TO, YOU KNOW, THE MONSTER THAT'S GONNA SWALLOW THE SHIP, OR THE MONSTER THAT'S GOING TO EAT ALL THE CREW
UH, WHICH IS, WHICH IS WHY I REJECT THIS BINARY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, DEBATE.
I, I, I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US.
WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US IS, IS A PROBLEM THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE US TO PULL FROM EVERY LEVER.
BRIDGER, I'M GONNA, I'M, I'M GONNA SUPPORT WHAT YOU PUT IN FRONT OF US.
'CAUSE I THINK IT WAS REALLY THOUGHTFUL, AND I THINK IT'S ONE OF THESE WIDER NET APPROACHES.
UM, AND IT RECOGNIZES THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEM.
AND THAT, UM, IN ORDER FOR US TO AFFECT CHANGE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ATTACK ALL OF THESE HEAD ON.
UM, AND IT ALSO REVEALS THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF PAIN OUT THERE, UM, AND THAT WE'VE GOT VERY LIMITED RESOURCES.
AND SO, I, I DON'T THINK THIS $270 MILLION IS A PANACEA.
UM, AND IF ANYBODY'S SEEING IT AS, YOU KNOW, UH, THE WAY OUT OF THIS CRISIS, UM, I THINK THAT'S NAIVE.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE NAIVE ABOUT THIS.
I THINK EVERYBODY RECOGNIZES THAT THIS IS, THIS IS NOT MUCH MONEY AND, AND, AND, UH, TO WORK WITH, ESPECIALLY IN A CITY THAT HAS AN ANNUAL BUDGET OF $3 BILLION.
AND SO, ANYWAY, MAYOR, UM, I SUPPORT NOT, I, I THINK THIS WAS JUST A BRIEFING, UH, AND NOT AN ACTION, BUT IF IT IS AN ACTION, YOU KNOW, I MOVE TO IMPLEMENT THIS PLAN.
COUNCILMAN PEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
AND, UH, KIND OF OFF, OFF OF, UH, SOME OF THE RIFTS THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN PELA WAS SAYING, I, I DO LIKE GREEK MYTHOLOGY AND LIKE MY FAVORITE, UH, TELL SOPHIA, THAT IS THE MYTHOLOGY OF DATALESS FATHER, OF
UH, HE CREATED THE LABYRINTH, HE CREATED THE WINGS OF VICARS.
UH, A LOT OF LESSONS TO BE LEARNED BY SOMEBODY LIKE THAT.
AND, UH, AND THE, THE IMPORTANCE OF SOMEBODY LIKE DATALESS WHO WAS KNOWN AS THE WORLD'S, UM, GREATEST CRAFTSMAN AND ARTIST.
AND SO, UH, WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO, I WANNA JUMP INTO, UH, FUNDING FOR, FOR THE ARTS.
[02:50:01]
SO IMPORTANT? AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO KEEP HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT THAT, UH, WE CANNOT, WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE, UH, WHO WE ARE AS, AS A COMMUNITY.WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE, UH, THE, THE INCREDIBLE, UH, THINGS THAT, THAT, THAT ARTISTS BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT IN THIS PLAN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE BRINGING SOME MONEY TO, TO, UH, TO SOME NONPROFITS, BUT I, I HAVE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT A LOT OF INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS ARE GONNA BE LEFT OUT.
UH, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME MONEY FOR SOME FOR-PROFIT ART, A, UH, BUSINESSES, UH, THIS IS, THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT, THAT NEED HELP IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, THERE'S GONNA BE, UH, UH, GROUPS, LARGER GROUPS LIKE THE SYMPHONY THAT WILL BE, UH, THAT THAT WILL BE TECHNICALLY LEFT OUT, AND, AND WE SIMPLY CANNOT, UH, AFFORD TO, TO, UH, TO NOT SEE THE BIG PICTURE.
SO, UH, YEAH, I, I HAVE TO MAKE THAT, THOSE COMMENTS FOR, FOR THE ARTS, UH, FOR, FOR EVERYTHING THAT I, UH, AGAIN, UH, BELIEVE IN, UH, THE THINGS THAT WE LIVE FOR, THE THINGS THAT WE ASPIRE TO AND ARE INSPIRED BY.
UH, IT IS THE ARTS THAT, THAT I THINK HELP CREATE THAT WAY FORWARD.
AND IT IS THE STORIES LIKE THE MYTHOLOGIES OF DATALESS, UH, THAT HAVE, HAVE INSPIRED, UH, WHO I AM, UH, TODAY, UM, WITH REGARDS TO HOUSING.
UH, YEAH, I, I HAVE TO AGAIN, ALSO POINT OUT THAT, UH, THE RISK MITIGATION FUND, UH, WHILE AGAIN, WE, WE REALLY ALL APPRECIATE THE $25 MILLION THAT IS IN THERE.
AND, UM, I, I SUSPECT IS, IS, IS, IS LESS THAN, THAN, THAN WE, THAN WE KNOW, UM, IS, IS SIMPLY NOT GONNA BE ENOUGH.
SO I, I DO APPRECIATE THE ANSWERS ABOUT, UH, ALLOWING PEOPLE TO, TO REAPPLY, UH, JUST KNOW THAT WE, WE, WE EXPECT TO SEE A BIGGER WAVE COMING, UH, SOON, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE JP COURTS.
AND, AND SO IT, UH, ABOUT JUNE, AROUND JUNE 22ND IS WHEN THEY EXPECT TO SEE, UM, THE, THE, UM, THE, UH, UM, EVICTIONS FACING, UH, EVICTIONS COMING INTO THEIR, INTO THEIR COURTS.
AND, UH, AND I WOULD ASK THAT, UH, THAT OUR PROGRAM, UH, FIND A WAY TO CONNECT WITH THESE FIVE COURTS, UH, YOU KNOW, AS A WAY TO HELP ALSO PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME RESOURCES, UH, AS, UH, AND AS WELL AS CONNECTING THEM TO THESE OTHER ITEMS THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT FAIR HOUSING, AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS MENTIONED IN THERE, BUT I'M ASSUMING THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL IS, IS, IS BEING INCLUDED.
IF IT'S NOT, UH, I'M REQUESTING THAT IT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE PROGRAMS, UH, ALL MAKE PERFECT SENSE.
UH, AND, AND THEY, THEY REALLY MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE KNOWING THAT THERE'S FIVE COURTS, UH, THAT ARE GONNA BE LISTENING TO MANY, MANY CASES HERE VERY SOON, UH, THAT WE AS A CITY SHOULD, UH, FIND SOME WAY TO INFORM THEM AND, AND PROVIDE THEM, UH, THE, THE, THE TOOLKITS AND THE RESOURCES THAT THEY CAN GIVE, UH, MANY OF THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA BE IN THEIR COURTS, UH, UH, HERE SOON.
AND SO, UH, THAT, THAT IS MY REQUEST ON, ON THE HOUSING.
AND, AND I, I DO THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE 25 MILLION IS, IS NOT GONNA BE ENOUGH.
UH, IT IS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I HOPE THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND, AND SEE A REPORT THAT THAT'S GONNA DEMONSTRATE, I THINK, A MUCH HIGHER SPIKE IN, IN NEED WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
UH, AND, UH, AND SO, UH, I HOPE THAT WE CAN, THAT WE CAN, UH, HAVE MORE DISCUSSIONS ON THIS.
UH, AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST INFORMATION WE'RE JUST GETTING.
SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, I'M, I'M, I'M REALLY LOOKING AT THIS MORE BIG PICTURE.
AND OF COURSE, IN TERMS OF WORKFORCE PLAN, I, I, UH, I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S ALWAYS, IT IS ALWAYS CRITICAL TO HAVE, UH, A WORKFORCE STRATEGY FOR, FOR OUR CITY.
UH, I'M ALWAYS GONNA TO GONNA SUPPORT, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A WORKFORCE PLAN.
UH, BUT BECAUSE OF OUR CURRENT CRISES, UH, I CAN SAY THAT, UH, THE, THE ISSUES RIGHT NOW,
[02:55:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M FOCUSED MOSTLY ON, ON THE NEEDS, UH, THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS, THE EMERGENCY NEEDS OF THOSE, UH, THAT, UH, THAT ARE, UH, AT, UH, UH, NEEDING, NEEDING HOUSING AND, AND ASSISTANCE AND, AND, UH, HAVE SERIOUS, UH, FOOD INSECURITY.UM, I WILL ALSO MENTION, UH, THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, THE, UH, WORKFORCE PLANNING, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, UH, A STRONGER EMPHASIS ALSO ON, ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, UH, MECHANICAL, UH, MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE JOBS.
I THINK PROVI HAVE PROVIDED, UH, GREAT EXAMPLES OF RESILIENCY, UH, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS TIME.
UH, MANY OF THESE JOBS HAVE, HAVE NOT STOPPED OVER THE LAST, UH, THREE MONTHS, AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG PROPONENT OF, OF THOSE INDUSTRIES, UH, PROVIDING, UH, A LOT OF, OF UPWARD MOBILITY FOR MANY, UH, SHOULD THEY CHOOSE IT.
AND SO WE CAN PROVIDE SOME WAY TO, UM, UH, TO, TO PROVIDE THAT, THAT KIND OF, UH, THAT KIND OF SUPPORT.
UH, ALSO JUST WANT TO MENTION THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN POSSIBLE IF, IF, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE JUST GETTING THIS INFORMATION, UH, IF WE CAN SEE KIND OF A, UH, UH, STAFF, THE STAFF'S LINE ITEM BY LINE ITEM OF THIS PROPOSAL, UH, SO WE CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE, UH, OF THE NUMBERS OF, OF, OF WHAT THEY MEAN AND HOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE IMPACTING, UH, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND DIFFERENT, UM, SECTORS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO HELP.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LASTLY, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I'M JUST GONNA CLOSE WITH, UH, UH, A SIMPLE MESSAGE OF GRATITUDE.
UM, YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK I HAD TO, UH, QUICKLY CHANGE A POSITION IN THE, IN THE, ON THE DAAS BECAUSE I WASN'T FEELING WELL.
AND COUNCILMAN ELIA WAS KIND ENOUGH TO LET ME HAVE A SLOT SO THAT I CAN STAY HOME, AND YOU CAN KIND OF HEAR IT IN MY VOICE.
I'M, I'M, I'M NOT SOUNDING A HUNDRED PERCENT.
UM, AND, UH, YOU, I WAS FEELING A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER.
UH, I DID GO GET CHECKED AT, AT, AT, AT LOCAL TEXAS MED CLINIC, TESTED NEGATIVE FOR, FOR FLU.
AND C OVID 19, I WAS STILL WAS RUNNING A FEVER.
UM, ERIC WALSH, UH, WANNA THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOUR CONSIDERATE, UH, UH, NESS AND, AND, AND YOUR, UM, UH, COMPASSION AND, AND, AND SENDING THE, UH, SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND THEY CAME AND THEY CHECKED ME.
AND, UH, THEY, THEY DID A VERY, VERY THOROUGH, UH, ANALYSIS ON, ON ME.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, IT WAS, IT WAS QUITE AMAZING TO SEE THE, THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT, UH, THESE, UH, THESE GENTLEMEN, UH, GO THROUGH.
THEY, THEY, THEY CAME TO MY HOUSE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY TALK ABOUT HOW THEY, THEY DO THIS 50 TIMES A DAY, AND, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS QUITE AMAZING.
UM, ISAAC, UH, UH, WHO I FOUND OUT IS, UH, I JOKINGLY A VALLEY BOY, I JOKINGLY SAY HE'S FROM MERCEDES.
SO, UH, A BIG SHOUT OUT TO HIS, HIS FAVORITE SONG, UH, FROM PEBBLE, UH, MERCEDES BOY, AND, UH, KEITH, WHO WERE WITH HIM AS AS, AS WELL AS, UH, DR.
ES WHO, WHO HELPED ME RECOVER THROUGH THIS.
UM, THEY HAVE BEEN MONITORING ME AND CALLING ME, UH, DAILY TO, TO CHECK ON ME.
AND, UH, JUST WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, IN THE END, THAT'S REALLY, UM, WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO IS, IS BE THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT KIND OF SUPPORT, UH, AND THAT KIND OF, UH, COMPASSION, UH, WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE THAT, UH, FOR THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
AND JUST WANNA, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THANK, UH, THOSE PARTICULAR GENTLEMEN WHO HAVE BEEN, UH, VERY, VERY KIND AND, UH, GENEROUS, UH, WITH, WITH THEIR TIME WITH ME.
OH, WAS THERE SOMETHING YOU WANTED A RESPONSE TO? LORI, STAFF RESPONSES FOR COUNCILMAN TREVINO.
THAT WE WANTED TO GO OVER? UM, OKAY.
GO FIRST, COUNCILMAN, YOU BROUGHT UP THREE THINGS I'LL ADDRESS, UM, THE ARTS FUNDING RIGHT TO COUNSEL AND THE EVICTION COURTS.
SO FOR THE ARTS FUNDING, IT WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR SOLO ARTISTS, SO INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR ASSISTANCE CAN APPLY FOR THIS SPENDING, AND IT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FOR-PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE EVICTION PROCESS.
UM, I HAD SENT A MEMO OUT LAST WEEK, UM, WITH THE GOOD NEWS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING
[03:00:01]
WITH ALL OF THE PRECINCTS AND ALL HAVE AGREED TO ALLOW US TO HAVE A STAFF PRESENCE IN THE EVICTION HEARINGS.AND SO WE WILL HAVE CITY STAFF OR COUNTY STAFF, WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE COUNTY ON THIS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO SIGN PEOPLE UP WHO ARE LOOKING FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
AND SO WE'LL BE THERE ON SITE.
AND THEN WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH, UM, OUR RIGHT TO COUNCIL PROGRAM, AND WE'VE EXPANDED THAT IN THE $27 MILLION THAT WE ARE USING FOR THE HOUSING SECURITY PILLOW, PILLOW PILLAR.
THERE'S $500,000 ASSIGNED TO THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL PROGRAM, AND THAT'S GONNA HELP US STAFF UP FOR LEGAL RESOURCES, HELP US WITH THE EVICTION COURT PROCESS, AND DO MORE EDUCATION ON TENANTS RIGHTS.
AND SO, UM, WE HAVE HEARD THE COUNCIL'S CONCERNS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE HELPING THE MOST VULNERABLE, AND WE'VE BEEN VERY THANKFUL TO HAVE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOUR PRECINCTS AND THE FIVE JUDGES THAT OVERSEE THOSE EVICTION COURTS.
AND I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO COUNCILMAN, I'M SORRY,
I JUST
UH, THE QUESTION OF THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE ARE CLEARLY SOME PROFESSIONS, SOME JOBS, SOME INDUSTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SURVIVE AND, AND ACTUALLY DO QUITE WELL.
AND, AND YOU, YOU'RE AC YOU'RE ACCURATE IN SAYING CONSTRUCTION IS ONE OF THOSE.
SO THE, UH, THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOES INCLUDE CERTIFICATIONS AND RETRAINING SPECIFICALLY IN THAT AREA BECAUSE WE, WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THAT'S GONNA CONTINUE AND BE A, A VIABLE, UH, INDUSTRY POST C OVID 19.
UM, I HAD SOME, UH, COMMENTS PREPARED BY MY STAFF, BUT GIVEN THE DISCUSSION AROUND ODYSSEUS AND DATALESS, UM, I'M GONNA HAVE TO REFRAME ALL THAT, OF COURSE.
SO, UH, JUST A, UH, A TIDBIT IS WHEN ODYSSEUS WENT THROUGH THAT STRAIGHT, UH, HE HAD THE HELP OF A WOMAN, UH, HALF GODDESS, UH, HAVE MORTAL, AND HER NAME WAS CCY.
AND CCY, UH, WAS BASICALLY A, NOT QUITE A WITCH, LET'S JUST CALL HER A POTION MAKER.
AND THERE COULD BE HEALING POTIONS, AND THERE COULD BE, UH, HERDING POTIONS SUCH AS THE ONE THAT MADE SILLA.
UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SILA ENDED UP KILLING A LOT OF PEOPLE THROUGH THAT STRAIGHT, NONETHELESS.
UM, IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, YOU CAN READ UP ON HER.
AND DATALESS AND ODYSSEUS BOTH MAKE CAMEOS IN HER, IN HER LIFE.
UM, ALL RIGHT, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY MYTHOLOGY STORY.
SO, UM, I, I, UM, I LIKE A LOT OF THE THINGS IN THE PLAN, AND I, I DO THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU CAME TO US WITH THE, WITH THE CORE VALUES, I BELIEVE THEY WERE CALLED AT THE BEGINNING.
AND I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT AS A COUNCIL, WE AGREE ON WHAT THOSE ARE, AND THAT THAT SETS THE TONE, NOT JUST FOR THE SPENDING WITH THE CARES FUNDING, BUT AS WE MOVE INTO THE, UH, BUDGET ADJUSTMENT AND INTO NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
UM, AND PART OF THOSE VALUES, OR SOME OF THOSE VALUES, I SEE, UH, THEY'VE BEEN MENTIONED BY STAFF, THEY'RE CERTAINLY, UH, LISTED OUT, AND ONE OF THEM IS EQUITY.
UM, SO I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE AT SOME POINT HAVE A DISCUSSION ON WHAT THAT MEANS, UH, IN SOME OF THESE DETAILS.
AND I GUESS THAT'LL BE FLUSHED OUT IN THE, IN THE COMMITTEES.
UM, BUT PART OF THAT DOES INCLUDE HAVING, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AT THE TABLE AS WE DO SOME OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, UH, SORT OF, UM, HAVE REALITY CHECKS WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HELP.
SO I'D LIKE FOR US TO BRAINSTORM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN, EITHER AT COMMITTEES OR THROUGH SOME, UH, ENGAGEMENT, UH, PROCESS.
UM, I'M ALSO GLAD TO SEE, UH, THE SET ASIDE FOR, UH, FOR THE ARTS, UM, AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO, UM, TO SUPPORT THEM.
UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE KIND OF A VULNERABLE INDUSTRY BEING ONLY FUNDED BY, UH, BY HOT TAX RIGHT NOW.
SO I THINK THIS IS A POINT IN TIME FOR US TO CONSIDER WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE ONE FUNDING SOURCE FOR, UH, SOMETHING, UH, THAT IS, IS IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? AND WE'VE ALL HEARD IT'S IMPORTANT TO DIVERSIFY OUR INVESTMENTS.
UM, AND THAT'S, UH, I, I JUST THINK THAT'S SOMETHING FOR DISCUSSION, UH, DOWN THE LINE.
UM, I WANTED TO, UH, JUMP INTO, UH, A COUPLE OF, OF QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PUTTING THESE BINDERS TOGETHER.
I KNOW STAFF WAS HERE LATE LAST NIGHT, UH, DOING THAT, AND I REALLY WANTED TO WALK AWAY WITH MY BINDER THEN, BUT I WAS TOLD NO, IT IS NOT READY YET.
[03:05:01]
UM, I WILL EAT IT UP OVER THE, OVER THE WEEKEND.UM, IN TERMS OF THE HEALTH PLAN, TAB THREE AT THE, THERE ARE SOME PAYROLL ELIGIBLE EXPENSES LIKE, UH, THE HEALTH STAFF THAT HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS AND FIREFIGHTER STAFF THAT HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS.
AND CAN YOU CLARIFY AGAIN, HAVE THESE EXPENSES ALREADY BEEN MADE OR JUST SOME OF THEM? BECAUSE I NOTICE THAT THE NUMBERS ON THIS PAGE AT THE FRONT MATCHED THE NUMBERS IN THE BUDGET ON THE BACK, SO THANKS.
YES, COUNCILWOMAN, UM, THOSE EXPENSES, UH, SOME OF THEM HAVE ALREADY BEEN INCURRED.
THOSE ARE EXPENSES FOR MARCH, APRIL, AND MAY, AND THEN THE BALANCES, WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING THROUGH THE END OF DECEMBER, UM, 30TH, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE, WITH THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND.
UM, I KNOW IT'S HARD TO SAY, LIKE AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME WE'VE SPENT THIS MUCH, UM, BUT PERHAPS THAT'S, UH, OFFLINE WE CAN GET, UH, MORE DETAILED UNDERSTANDING.
I'M, I'M A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE, THE NUMBERS.
SO FOR INSTANCE, FOR EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT, I SEE 114,000, AND IF THAT'S OVER THE COURSE OF NINE MONTHS, IT JUST MAKES ME WONDER LIKE HOW MANY FULL-TIME PEOPLE IS THAT IT'S, IT'S REALLY MAYBE ONE OR, OR, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING WHAT, WHAT LEVEL THEY'RE AT.
SO I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT NUMBER.
AND, AND I WILL CLARIFY COUNCILWOMAN THE, UM, INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TODAY.
THOSE ARE INCLUDED IN THE PAYROLL COST.
UM, AND THEN WHAT YOU SEE ON THOSE OTHER EXPENSES BY, BY PROGRAM THAT REPRESENTS EITHER SUPPLIES, UH, FOR INSTANCE, OR MAYBE TEMPORARY STAFF THAT WILL BE, UM, HIGHER FOR THOSE SPECIFIC PURPOSES, LIKE CONTACT TRACING, FOR EXAMPLE.
BUT WE'LL BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU THOSE DETAILS BY PROGRAM.
AND, AND MAYBE I COULD JUST ASK HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT? I DON'T KNOW.
UM, THE EDUCATION PIECE, UM, WE HAVE A COHORT OF 20 TO 30 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GOING, UM, INTO COMMUNITIES AND PROVIDING DOOR TO DOOR, UM, PERSON TO BUSINESS PERSON TO FAITH-BASED LEADER EDUCATION IN ADDITION TO ANOTHER, APPROXIMATELY AT ITS PEAK, 20 TO 30 PEOPLE WHO ARE OPERATING THE HOTLINE THAT ALSO PROVIDED EDUCATION, UM, ON THE ENFORCEMENT SIDE THAT REPRESENTS MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS.
AND I DON'T KNOW THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STAFF WHO ARE DOING ENFORCEMENT.
UM, SO IT MAY BE THE 114,000 ISN'T REFLECTIVE OF ALL THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON IN THAT AREA BECAUSE THEY WERE EXISTING CITY EMPLOYEES.
BUT THIS IS JUST WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BILL CARES FOR, IS THAT WHY IT'S SEPARATED OUT THAT WAY? SO, SO TWO COMPONENTS, COUNCILMAN ON THAT.
UM, PERHAPS THE DOCUMENT THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE.
AND THAT IS ON THE ONGOING RESPONSE TAB, WHICH I THINK IS THE SECOND TAB.
THERE IS A COLUMN FOR THE ONGOING RESPONSE THAT HAS THE PAYROLL EXPENSES.
AND THEN TO THE RIGHT OF THAT IS ANOTHER COLUMN THAT TALKS ABOUT THE, UH, WATCH, UM, EXPANDED, EXPAND, I KNOW PROGRAM, THE NAME'S A LITTLE AND, UM, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE, THE, THE PERSONNEL, UM, CITY EMPLOYEES THAT ARE DEDICATED TO THOSE EFFORTS.
THANK YOU FOR, FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
UM, I WANTED TO, UM, TO GO A LITTLE BIT TO, TO SOCIAL SERVICES.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MYTHOLOGY, YOUR TIME REALLY GOES FAST.
UM, UH, SO I, I NOTICED, UH, THAT THE BUDGET IN THE, IN THE PROPOSED RESILIENCY PLAN FOR DOOR-TO-DOOR WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING SERVICES IS ABOUT, UH, IS HALF A MILLION, 500,000.
AND THE ONE FOR DOOR TO DOOR FOR MICRO BUSINESS IS 1.3 MILLION.
SO, UH, AT SOME POINT I'D LIKE TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW, WHY THOSE BUDGETS ARE SO DIFFERENT.
AND THEN I'D ALSO LIKE TO ASK, IS THE DOOR TO DOOR JUST FOR HOUSING SERVICES OR CAN WE ALSO COMMUNICATE OTHER POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND THAT ARE AVAILABLE SUCH AS, UM, YOU KNOW HOW TO, IF YOU HAVE A SMALL BUSINESS AND SOMEONE CATCHES YOU IN YOUR HOME, MAYBE YOU CAN CAN CONNECT THEM TO RESOURCES OR ACCESSING UNEMPLOYMENT.
UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE GET THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT DENIED AND DON'T HAVE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THEM TO GET WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY THEIRS.
UM, SO IF, OH, IF YOU COULD GO AHEAD AND, AND ANSWER THOSE AND, UH, AND I DO SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE, JUST PUTTING IT ON THE RECORD.
SO THE SHORT ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE DOOR-TO-DOOR WORK IS WE'LL GET YOU THE MORE
[03:10:01]
DETAILED BUDGETS.BUT, UM, THE CONCEPT BEHIND THIS IS EXACTLY AS YOU DESCRIBED IT, HAVING WELL-INFORMED INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HELP THEM ACCESS ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM, WHETHER THEY ARE A BUSINESS OR WHETHER THEY ARE A FAMILY STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
ONE THING THAT I'LL ADD, UM, TO, UH, COLLEEN'S ANSWER IS THAT WE WILL NEED TO TRACK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN, UH, CERTIFY THAT THE, THAT THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE, UH, ASSISTING HAVE HAD A DIRECT IMPACT TO C OVID 19 IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GUIDELINES THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN.
SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IF, IF, IF THERE ARE THESE NEXUS POINTS FOR SERVICES, UM, SOME, SOME SERVICES MAYBE THE CITY PROVIDES ANYWAY THROUGH NORMAL CHA CHANNELS, WE'LL TRY TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS.
BUT WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TARGETING FOLKS THAT HAVE HAD A DIRECT DOCUMENTED IMPACT TO COVID 19.
SO, I MEAN, IF YOU WALK UP TO SOMEONE'S, OH, I'M SORRY, CARLOS
WELL, CATHERINE AND I WAS SIMPLY GONNA ADD IT WITH RESPECT TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE IN THE DOOR-TO-DOOR WITH INVOLVING THEM.
PART OF THE RESILIENCY PLAN IS TO WORK WITH THE EXISTING SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, HELP THEM TO SORT OF BE MAYBE EVEN RETRAINED OR TRAIN THEIR EMPLOYEES TO DO THIS LONG TERM SO THAT NOT ONLY IT GOES THROUGH DECEMBER AUTHORITY, BUT THEY BECOME, THAT'S PART OF THEIR CULTURE, PART OF THEIR MISSION PERHAPS, IS TO DO SOME OF THAT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING FOR WITH RESPECT TO OUR PARTNERS THAT EXIST THERE.
UM, I WILL COME BACK WITH FIVE MORE MINUTES.
I WISH I KNEW GREEK MYTHOLOGY, BUT LAONA IS ALIVE AND WELL IN MY HOUSE.
UM, SO JUST SOME FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING BECAUSE I, I FEEL LIKE MANY OF US HAVE COMMENTED ABOUT WANTING TO BE FLEXIBLE, BUT WE DO HAVE TO VOTE ON THIS.
SO WHEN WE VOTE ON IT NEXT WEEK, DO WE THEN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE FLEXIBLE, OR DOES IT NEED TO COME BACK FOR A VOTE? OR HOW MIGHT THAT, UH, UH, WHAT SORT OF FLEXIBILITY DO WE HAVE ONCE IT'S APPROVED? OR DO WE NEED TO PERHAPS REQUEST SOME AMENDMENTS BEFORE YOU COME BACK? I KNOW THAT THE SMALL BUSINESS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I'M, I WAS, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS HERE AND MY SENSE IS A LITTLE BIT OF TWEAKING MIGHT BE NECESSARY, BUT HOW MIGHT THAT, UM, MIGHT IT BE APPROVING WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED NEXT WEEK AND THEN MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AS WE GO? SO, UM, IDEALLY NEXT WEEK, UH, WHATEVER IT LOOKS LIKE, BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE'RE GETTING FROM COUNCIL, YOU'LL, YOU'LL, YOU'LL, YOU'LL ADOPT A PLAN AND APPROPRIATE THE MONEY.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE, THERE ARE SOME EXECUTION PLANS THAT NEED TO BE FINALIZED, AND I THINK THERE'LL BE CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMITTEES IN THE MONTH OF JUNE.
BEYOND THAT, UH, THE GOAL IS TO HIT THE TARGETED OUTCOME, WHETHER IT'S 10,000 INDIVIDUALS IN WORKFORCE TRAINING OR 10,000, UH, UM, UH, FOLKS IN TERMS OF HOUSING ASSISTANCE.
WHAT WE'LL NEED TO DO IS TRACK THIS ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
AND DEPENDING ON, BASED ON YOUR EARLIER QUESTION, IF WE SEE A GREATER NEED, OR IF WE SEE WE'RE NOT SPENDING MONEY, OR MAYBE THERE ISN'T AS GREAT A NEED, THEN WE'LL NEED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
UM, THAT, THAT'S THE FLEXIBILITY THAT I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE.
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE, WE HAVE A GUIDING PRINCIPLES DOCUMENT THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT WHAT THE GOAL IS, UM, AND PROVIDES THAT FOUNDATION FOR ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING WE MAY HAVE.
UM, BUT, BUT CERTAINLY IF YOU SEE TWEAKS, IF YOU WANT, IF YOU WANT ADJUSTMENTS IN THE OVERALL PLAN, THAT'S WHAT TODAY IS FOR, OR WE, I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTERWARDS.
WELL, UM, I GUESS, UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THIS A SMALL BUSINESS, UH, I THINK IS A REALLY IMPORTANT COMPONENT.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, I'M RELUCTANT TO TAKE ANYTHING FROM HOUSING.
UM, GIVEN WE KNOW THAT THAT'S STILL ONE OF THE BASIC, UM, PRIORITIES FOR OUR CITIES TO, IF WE DO GO BACK INTO A SAFE, UH, STAY HOME ORDER, IN THE EVENT THAT WE HAVE A SECOND WAVE, UM, I THINK THAT SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE PRIORITY, UH, FOR OUR CITY.
SO WE ALREADY HAVE 25 MILLION, WE'VE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL 50 MILLION.
IS THAT RIGHT? JUST, UM, YES, MA'AM.
AND SO, UH, AND THEN WE KNOW THAT LORI'S WORKING ALREADY WITH THE MUNICIPAL COURTS, WHICH I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA.
SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE PROTECT PEOPLE IN THAT REGARD.
UM, THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE TOUCH POINTS, UH, SO THAT WE'RE PROTECTING THE PEOPLE THAT NEED IT.
UH, BUT I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVEN, UH, WE KNOW THAT 97%
[03:15:01]
OF ALL PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED IN SMALL BUSINESSES.UH, AND SO, UM, AND AS WE LOOK TO RETOOL AND RETRAIN, UM, IT'S STILL LIKELY THAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE GONNA GO BACK TO A SMALL BUSINESS.
SO, UM, WE HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS ARE PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, IN FACT, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT MY REQUEST CAN BE COUNCILWOMAN AS WE WORK THROUGH THE COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE REALLY INTERCONNECTED, THAT THE SMALL BUSINESS AND UM, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ARE, UH, VERY MUCH INTERTWINED AND THAT THE RESULTS PERHAPS ARE INTERTWINED, UH, SO THAT, UM, WE, WE REALLY GET THE IMPACT THAT WE NEED FROM THOSE TWO POCKETS OF FUNDING THAT WAS AVAILABLE.
I KNOW THAT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, KIND OF MIX MIXES IN THERE AS WELL.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE PAID ATTENTION TO ME OVER THE YEARS, YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY THAT ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT IS THAT NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE REALLY OLD FACILITIES, UM, THAT WOULD TAKE A VERY LONG TIME TO UPGRADE AND HAVE DIFFICULTY UPGRADING, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE SUFFICIENT BANDWIDTH.
SO WE MAY BE OVERCOMING THAT, I HOPE WITH THIS DIGITAL DIVIDE THAT WE'LL ENCOURAGE SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AREAS WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T SEEN TOO MUCH INVESTMENT.
SO, UM, WE'LL JUST, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THOSE THINGS IN THE COMMITTEE.
SO LET, MAYOR LET ME JUST, I, I THINK COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ'S POINT IS A REALLY GOOD POINT.
AND, AND COLLEEN MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION, AND, AND, AND SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT, COUNCILMAN TREVINO MENTIONED THE TRADES AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.
THERE IS A, AND, AND WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATION WITH SOME OF OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE IN THE ROOM.
THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TIE THAT SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM POTENTIALLY TO THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND LEVERAGE THOSE TWO EFFORTS.
AND, AND YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT, COUNCILWOMAN, IF, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE SOME FOLKS THAT DON'T WANT TO BE TRAINED, THEY JUST NEED A JOB OR THEY JUST WANNA GO BACK TO WORK.
AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, THE NECESSARY PATHS LAID OUT IN WORKING WITH, UH, ADRIAN AND, AND DR.
FLORES AND PROJECT QUEST, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, EMPLOYERS.
AND THAT'S WHY S A A D S A E D F AND ALAMO WORKSOURCE ARE, ARE PART OF THAT COHORT.
UM, BUT, BUT I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.
THE, THE, THERE IS, THERE IS A PART OF OUR EXECUTION PLAN THAT NEEDS TO CLOSELY ALIGN SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE WORKFORCE FOR AN ELEMENT OF THIS EFFORT.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN.
UM, I JUST WANT TO CHIME BACK IN, UH, FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE ONE THING THAT WE KNOW IS THAT WE'RE A COMPASSIONATE CITY AND WE'RE LOOKING AND WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT EQUITY.
UM, I LIKE TO JUST SEND A HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO THE GEORGE FLOYD FAMILY.
WE KNOW THAT AN INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS INJUSTICE EVERYWHERE.
AND AS WE LOOK AT THIS EQUITY BASED LENS THAT WE'RE LOOKING THROUGH, I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT WE HAVE A REPORT FROM LIFT FUND SHOWING US EXACTLY WHAT EQUITY LOOKS LIKE AS WE GO FORWARD.
UM, I LIKE TO SEE THAT REPORT AS IT BREAKS DOWN TO BUSINESSES THAT HAVE RECEIVED FUNDING DURING THIS COVID PANDEMIC.
UM, I ALSO LIKE TO REQUEST THAT LIFTFUND ACTUALLY WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY DRIVEN PARTNERS SUCH AS SAGE, SOUTHSIDE FIRST AND OTHERS THAT CAN ACTUALLY SPEAK TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR AREAS.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, CITY MANAGER, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO HAVE THAT DONE AS WE GO FORWARD WITH LOOKING AT LIFTFUND AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE FOR HELPING US WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
ALSO WITH RETRAINING AND RE-SKILLING, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT INCENTIVIZING BUSINESSES FOR OFFERING ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AS WELL.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO.
AND, UH, TO COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN AND TO COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ.
UM, WE HAVE HAD A DISCUSSION AND THE AGENDA FOR THE E W D C MEETING WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW.
AND SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING ARE THINGS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY MENTIONED.
COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN.
THAT WAS A GREAT, UH, SUGGESTION TO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GRANTS AND WHO WE'RE GOING TO PARTNER WITH IN ALL OF THESE, EITHER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OR WITH OUR GRANTS WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, WE SHOULD SEE HOW EQUITY BUILDS INTO THEIR, UM, ETHOS OF A ORGANIZATION.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR US
[03:20:01]
TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.AND I THINK IN OUR COMMITTEE, UH, WE WILL HAVE THE DISCUSSION MORE, UH, INFORMATION AND DIRECTION OF POLICY DISCUSSION FOR SHORT, MID, AND LONG-TERM.
UM, SO THAT'LL BE ALL INCLUSIVE AND WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS HERE.
UM, AND HAVE THEM IN THE BROADER SENSE WHEN WE COME, UM, ON TUESDAY AND THEN FURTHER ON DOWN THE MONTH.
'CAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN A QUICK AMOUNT OF TIME.
UM, AND BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE VOTING ON THIS NEXT WEEK, I'M HOPING THE QUESTIONS THAT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL JUST ASKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN WHY IS ONE AREA GETS 1.5 FOR DOOR TO DOOR, OH, I'M SORRY, 1.3 MILLION FOR DOOR-TO-DOOR ENGAGEMENT AND THE OTHER GETS 500,000.
IF YOU CAN GET THAT TO US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
AND ERIC, AS YOU'RE, UM, DEALING WITH THE, THE BUDGET AND THE MIDYEAR ADJUSTMENTS AND BRINGING THAT UP TO US, I'D LIKE US TO HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO REVIEW IT.
SO IF, AND, AND PLENTY OF TIME, MEANING TUESDAY, UM, WOULD BE ACTUALLY PLENTY OF TIME FOR FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO READ THROUGH IT.
AND SO WE CAN HAVE, UH, SOMETHING ON THURSDAY.
'CAUSE I DO KNOW I WANNA BE RESPECTFUL THAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE SOME A MODIFICATIONS TO THIS.
UH, SO THAT'S WHAT I'M, I'M THINKING MOVING FORWARD, I DO WANT TO KNOW ABOUT, UM, THE POOLS ON SLIDE NUMBER NINE.
UM, MARIA, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE POOLS OR WHOMEVER, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE POOLS BEING OPEN.
UM, DOES THAT MEAN ALL OF THE PARK PLAYGROUNDS AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OPEN, OR ARE WE JUST DISCUSSING POOLS? COUNCILWOMAN? I'LL COVER THAT IN THE, IN THE, THE, UH, WRAP UP PRESENTATION.
AND THEN THE CONVENTION CENTER YOU MENTIONED, UM, AND THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE POTENTIALLY STILL WANTING TO BE THERE, HAVEN'T CANCELED FOR JULY.
UM, SO WHAT IS YOUR PLAN OF ACTION? IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY STAFF THAT ARE THERE AT THE CONVENTION CENTER, BUT WE ARE STILL GONNA POSSIBLY HOST EVENTS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER.
AND HOW LARGE ARE THESE EVENTS? COUNCIL, COUNCIL, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON A PLAN RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD, UH, ASSUMING THESE EVENTS DO COME, UM, THAT WE WOULD BRING BACK SOME FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT.
YOU CAN'T, OBVIOUSLY CAN'T HANDLE IT WITHOUT FOLKS HERE.
SO, SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT PLAN RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE MEETING, UH, INTERNALLY THIS WEEK AND WITH THE CITY MANAGER, UH, TO KIND OF LAY THAT OUT.
UM, THE SIZE OF 'EM IS, IS, IS CERTAINLY, UM, IN QUESTION.
A LOT OF 'EM ARE FAIRLY LARGE EVENTS IN JULY.
UM, AND THEIR EXPECTATION IS THAT IT'LL BE A COMBINATION OF BOTH PEOPLE ARRIVING AND THEN PEOPLE DOING LIVESTREAM OR WEBEX TYPE OF TYPES OF ATTENDANCE.
UH, SO WE'RE STILL MANAGING THROUGH THAT.
UH, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE GONNA BE COMING IN JULY.
WELL, IF YOU CAN GIVE ME A DEFINITION OF FAIRLY LARGE, NOT RIGHT NOW, BUT LET ME, UM, KEEP GOING.
UM, ALSO TO THE ABATEMENTS ON SLIDE NUMBER 25, UH, YOU HAVE ON THERE, AND I KNOW IT WAS DISCUSSED WITH VISIT SAN ANTONIO AND OTHERS IN THE CENTRO FREE PUBLIC PARKING, UH, IN JUNE TO AUGUST ON THE WEEKENDS, AND FROM FIVE TO 2:00 AM ON WEEKDAYS, ARE YOU LOOKING AT EXPANDING THAT OR IS THAT, OR WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO EXPANDING IT EARLIER THAN 5:00 PM ALL FOR THE WEEKDAYS? DO COUNCILMAN, DO YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR AN ADJUSTMENT TO THAT? I, YES.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THERE'S A WAY THAT WE COULD EVEN OPEN IT EARLIER.
MAYBE TWO HOURS ON THE WEEKDAYS.
LIKE THREE O'CLOCK UNTIL, UM, TWO, I DON'T KNOW WHY SOMEBODY'S BE THERE 2:00 AM BUT I MEAN, 3:00 PM AT LEAST TWO HOURS EARLIER.
JUST, I MEAN, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO LET ME, LET ME KNOW AND, AND WHY YOU WERE LOOKING AT FIVE O'CLOCK.
'CAUSE I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING WE WERE JUST DOING ON TUESDAYS AT FROM FIVE, UH, TO 2:00 AM AND THEN FINALLY, UM, THE RIVER BARGES, ARE THEY ABLE TO OPERATE RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, THEY'RE OUTDOORS, THEY CAN LIMIT CAPACITY.
CAN THEY, CAN THEY OPERATE RIGHT NOW EVEN WITHIN THE GOVERNOR'S, UM, EMERGENCY ORDER? I THINK I CAN ANSWER THAT ONE.
UM, AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, THAT, THAT'S ONE CATEGORY THAT ISN'T REALLY, ISN'T SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED IN THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER.
IT'S A VERY UNIQUE THING, UH, TO THE CITY.
UM, BUT THOUGH, GIVEN THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER AND WHAT HAS OPENED, UH, THEY CAN OPEN.
BUT I THINK WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM RIGHT NOW ON A PLAN AS TO WHEN THAT HAPPENS AND HOW THAT HAPPENS.
AND, UM, I HAVE TO SAY, I'VE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE TO TELL A MYTHOLOGY STORY
[03:25:01]
BECAUSE IT DOESN'T COME IN HANDY, UH, AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF, OF LATIN THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS NEVER GONNA BE USEFUL.SO, UM, ANYWAY, I I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE DOOR TO DOOR.
SO, ERIC, UM, I UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU GO DOOR TO DOOR, YOU REALLY, UH, THERE ARE, THERE'S A CHANCE THAT MAYBE THE FAMILY HASN'T BEEN AFFECTED BY C OVID 19, BUT SAY THEY HAVE ANOTHER ISSUE.
I DON'T IMAGINE OUR, OUR FOLKS ARE JUST GONNA WALK AWAY
SO WE, WE, WE WILL STILL HAVE TO PAY THEM.
IT JUST WON'T BE ABLE TO COME FROM THE CARES MONEY WHEN YOU DO YOUR ACCOUNTING.
SO HOW, HOW ARE WE GONNA PREPARE FOR THAT? SO, COUNCILMAN, THAT'S PART OF THE EXECUTION PLAN.
I, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL AND DELIBERATE AND BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT HOW WE UTILIZE THIS MONEY AND, AND WE'LL BE FINALIZING, UH, THOSE EXECUTION PLANS ON HOW TO DO THAT.
WE DO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL AND WE HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
I THINK, UM, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT WHEN WE, WHEN WE EXECUTE.
I THINK IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO HAVE SOME GENERAL FUND CONTINGENCY, UM, OR TO PLAN TO USE SOME OF THAT, UH, IN CASE THERE ARE OTHER SERVICES WE CAN PROVIDE FOR THOSE FOLKS.
I JUST, I WOULDN'T WANNA SEE US WALK AWAY IF THERE ARE OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN HELP THEM IMPROVE THEIR LIVES.
AND WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO THAT.
UM, I, UM, WANTED TO, UH, ECHO COUNCILWOMAN, UH, ANDREW SULLIVAN'S COMMENTS ABOUT EQUITY, UH, BEING A VALUE OF THE PARTNERS THAT WE DO WORK WITH.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS A GARGANTUAN TASK.
WELL, MANY GARGANTUAN TASKS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS PLAN.
AND IT'S LIKE ERIC SAID, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A WHOLE BUDGETING PROCESS, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IT ALONE AND CERTAINLY NOT THIS QUICKLY.
SO THERE WILL BE MANY, UH, PARTNERS INVOLVED, AND I THINK WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL HAVE THE SAME VALUES IN TERMS OF HOW WE DISTRIBUTE FUNDS AND, AND HOW WE HELP THE COMMUNITY.
UM, IT, UH, SPEAKING OF WHICH, UH, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF DELEGATE AGENCIES ALREADY.
HOW WILL THEY BE, WILL WE BE TURNING TO THEM TO HELP US IMPLEMENT SOME OF THIS WORK? SHORT ANSWERS, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, AND THEN, UH, I WANNA MOVE ON TO, UH, THE BUSINESSES, UH, DISCUSSION.
I ALSO WANT TO A THANK, UM, ADRIAN FOR BEING HERE.
FLORES, WHO I THINK JUST GOT UP, BUT HE SAT THROUGH MOST OF THE MEETING, WHICH IS VERY IMPRESSIVE, UH, FOR SOMEONE SO BUSY AND, UM, THE QUEST, C E O FOR BEING HERE.
AND, UH, I KNOW THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF SOME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SORRY, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE BUILDING TRADES.
SO I, I LIKE TO SAY WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO NEED CARPENTER'S HANDS.
SOMETHING IS ALWAYS BEING BUILT IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND WE WANT THOSE PEOPLE TO BE, UH, SAFE WHEN THEY DO THE WORK, TO BE EDUCATED IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
UH, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES HAVE THE HIGHEST FATALITY, UH, RATES IN, IN ANY SECTOR FOR, FOR MORTALITY ON THE JOB.
UM, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO COLLABORATING ON THAT, UH, TO MAKE IT PART OF OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, ISSUE HERE.
UM, GOING BACK TO THE COMMENT REGARDING A LIFT FUND, I THINK THEY DID A TREMENDOUS JOB TO GET ALL THAT MONEY OUT TO THE, TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, I KNOW THEY WERE REALLY, UH, THEY WERE REALLY KIND OF STRETCHED TO, TO THEIR LIMIT.
SO I'M, I'M GOING TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES WHO WILL BE WORKING ON THAT IN THE FUTURE TO CONSIDER, UH, POSSIBLY, UH, LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL LENDERS AND CDFIS MAYBE TO EXPAND OUR NETWORK.
UM, I DON'T KNOW ANY PERSONALLY THAT COME TO MIND, BUT I'M SURE STAFF CAN, CAN HELP US ASSESS.
I THINK THAT WILL HELP US GET THE MONEY OUT FASTER.
UM, I KNOW THERE'S STILL THIS EDUCATION PART, RIGHT? AND THAT'S, THAT'S CRITICAL.
UM, SO WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT US IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST A SHORT-TERM PLAN, IT'S LONG-TERM.
AND, UH, I HAVE TO SLIGHTLY DISAGREE WITH COUNCILMAN PERRY ON THIS, BUT SOMETIMES, UH, I KNOW THERE'S AN URGENCY TO HELP PEOPLE GET BACK ON THEIR FEET, BUT WE ALSO WANT THE RECOVERY TO BE SUSTAINABLE.
SO IN TERMS OF EDUCATING BUSINESS OWNERS SO THAT THEY DO KEEP THEIR DOCUMENTS THAT, SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO APPLY FOR LOANS IN THE FUTURE, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY WAY, UH, THERE, THERE'S, UM, THERE'S ANY WAY ANYONE CAN ARGUE THAT THAT'S NOT A GOOD INVESTMENT, THAT HAS A LONG-TERM R O I, SO I'M VERY GLAD TO, TO SEE THAT.
I THINK ANOTHER WAY WE CAN MAKE THAT SUSTAINABLE IS IF WE ASSIST THEM IN HAVING SOME SORT OF ADVOCACY GROUP, UH, FOR MICRO BUSINESSES OR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT, YOU KNOW, AREN'T REALLY CONNECTED WITH THE CHAMBER.
IT'S A, THAT'S REALLY MORE FOR BIG, MORE ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES.
UM, I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO PUT TOGETHER A SMALL BUSINESS, UH, GROUP, UH, THAT COUNCILWOMAN ROCHE GARCIA PROPOSED.
UM, AND, BUT THAT'S A CITY GROUP.
I THINK WE MIGHT WANNA LOOK AT SOME SORT OF ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION TO ASSIST THEM IN, IN THE FUTURE.
[03:30:01]
AND MY TIME IS UP.UM, SO THIS CLOSES THE COMMENT PERIOD, AND I'LL JUST, UM, WRAP UP BY, UH, THANKING MY COLLEAGUES AND THANKING THE STAFF.
THIS HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION, AND IT ALSO ILLUSTRATES THE, UH, MAGNITUDE OF THE TASK, BUT ALSO THE, UM, RELATIVELY BLURRED LINES IN BETWEEN THESE PILLARS OF PRIORITIES, UM, THAT WE HAVE HERE.
UH, THE GOOD NEWS IS I THINK WE HEAR STRONG CONSENSUS FROM THE COUNCIL THAT THESE ARE THE AREAS OF FOCUS FOR OUR RELIEF EFFORTS.
UH, CERTAINLY THERE, IF IF THIS WAS A ONE PERSON DECISION, WE MAYBE WOULD MOVE SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS HERE AND THERE.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH THE, UH, FOCUS OF THE RECOVERY.
I DO WANT TO, AGAIN, COMPLIMENT OUR STAFF BECAUSE AMIDST ALL OF THE DISAGREEMENT ABOUT PARTICULAR NUMBERS, THEY BROUGHT BACK A PLAN AS COUNCILMAN PIAS, UH, DESCRIBED, THAT I THINK HITS THE NOTES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HIT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE WORK IS STILL YET TO COME THROUGH THE COMMITTEES, UH, FOCUSING IN ON THE PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS AND MAKING COURSE CORRECTIONS ALONG THE WAY.
BUT Y'ALL HAVE DONE A EXCEEDINGLY GOOD JOB, UH, CAPTURING THESE PRIORITIES.
UM, I KNOW WE DO HAVE A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT AND WE HAVE, UM, AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS WELL.
UM, AND BEFORE I GO TO THE RECOVERY PLAN, MANY OF YOU, UH, MENTIONED IT IN YOUR COMMENTS, BUT I DID WANT TO, UM, RECOGNIZE, UM, ALL OF THE WORK AND VOLUNTEERS THAT PARTICIPATED YESTERDAY.
AS CARLOS MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAD, UH, OVER 6,600 BUSINESSES COME THROUGH.
UH, WE HAD, UM, UNDER THE, THE LEADERSHIP OF ALEX LOPEZ AND, AND, UH, CHUI CHUI NAL, UH, JESSICA HARRIS AND MIKE SENDEN FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
THEY BROUGHT IN, UH, DEPARTMENTS, UM, PAUL STOUP AND THE 3 1 1 TEAM, KEVIN GOODWIN IN OUR I T S D DEPARTMENT THAT CREATED THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, UH, THE ALAMO DOME STAFF BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT SERVICES, SOLID WASTE, PUBLIC WORKS, C C D O, WORLD HERITAGE OFFICE, UH, LIBRARY, UH, S A P D, NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES, ARTS AND CULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.
JUST FROM THE CITY STANDPOINT.
UH, I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF THOSE EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT WENT OUT THERE YESTERDAY AND VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE, AND I, AND I'M, I KNOW I'LL MISS SOME, BUT I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAD MULTIPLE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OUT THERE WITH VOLUNTEERS, UH, THE ROTARIANS, SOUTHSIDE FIRST, W D C S A E D F, CENTRO, SAGE, UH, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, PORT SA, AND A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER VOLUNTEERS.
AND I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY, UH, IF THERE WAS ANY, UH, EVER ANY, UM, UH, EXAMPLE OF A ONE TEAM, UH, ATTITUDE.
IT WAS YESTERDAY, AND I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY.
I KIDDED WITH, UH, ALEX, AND TOLD HER THAT, UH, JESSICA, MIKE AND, AND SUI SUI, UH, DID SUCH A GREAT JOB COORDINATING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I WAS PROBABLY GONNA TRANSFER 'EM TO TRAFFIC CONTROL TO HANDLE OUR MASS EVENTS.
SO, UM, I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T MADE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLIC, BUT I WAS JUST KIDDING.
I DON'T WHEN I SAID THAT, BUT I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY.
SECONDLY, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, IF THEY'LL PULL UP THE SLIDE PRESENTATION.
AND WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, UH, ELEMENT.
UM, THE, UH, DAVID MCCAREY, CRAIG HOPKINS AND A, AND A GROUP OF EXECUTIVES AND DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON OUR OWN RETURN TO WORK PLAN.
AND YOU WILL GET A COPY OF THIS PLAN.
AND I WANTED TO KINDA WALK THROUGH AT HIGH LEVEL, YOU'VE SEEN SOME ELEMENTS OF IT.
UH, THE RETURN, UH, FOR WORK PLAN, UH, UM, WE SET ASIDE THREE KEY PRIORITIES AS WE DEVELOPED IT.
ONE WAS TO PROTECT PEOPLE, WHETHER THAT'S EMPLOYEES, VISITORS, CUSTOMERS, CONSTITUENTS.
BUT IT WAS TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT DAILY PROCESSES AND PRACTICES TO MINIMIZE THE TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES, VISITORS, RESIDENTS, AND CONTRACTORS.
NUMBER TWO WAS REDESIGNING OUR WORK ENVIRONMENT, WHICH MEANS MINIMIZING THE ENTRY AND POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS, UH, IN A, IN, IN THE PLACES WHERE OUR EMPLOYEES WORK AND WHERE OUR VISITORS AND CUSTOMERS COME.
AND THIRDLY, WAS TO, UH, UH, IMPROVE OPERATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY, UM, AND CONTINUALLY IMPROVE OUR PERFORMANCE, COLLABORATION, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE, UM, ALL WHILE DOING REMOTE WORK OR SOCIAL DISTANCING, UH, IN OUR, IN OUR, UH, WORK.
SO THE REOPENING, UM, PLAN, UH, THE RETURN TO WORK PLAN, UH, WAS, UH, BUILT UPON A MATRIX THAT WAS NOT CREATED BY DR.
UH, BUT, BUT A SIMPLE MATRIX THAT TALKED ABOUT, UH, REASONABLE PUBLIC DEMAND FOR THE SERVICE OR FUNCTION.
[03:35:01]
AND, AND NOT THAT THERE ISN'T A DEMAND, BUT, BUT SOMETIMES OUR DEMAND, UH, FOR SERVICES IS FACE-TO-FACE.SO HOW THOSE ELEMENTS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, UM, ARE WE COMPLYING WITH C D C STATE LOCAL EMERGENCY ORDERS AND OUR OWN PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, OFFICIALS, UH, GUIDANCE, UM, THE FINANCIAL, UH, VIABILITY, UH, AND THE, UH, BUDGET ALLOCATED.
WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT TODAY.
UM, BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE FOCUS THAT OUR DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN, UH, GOING THROUGH AS THEY'VE DEVELOPED THIS NEXT SLIDE, OUR OWN RETURN TO WORK, UH, PROTOCOLS.
I, MANY OF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS.
UH, WE HAVE STARTED ONSCREEN, I'M SORRY, ON ONSITE, UH, EMPLOYEE AND VISITOR SCREENING AT OUR FACILITIES.
UH, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
UM, EMPLOYEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR, UM, FACE MA CLOTH, FACE MASK WHEN WORKING IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH OTHER EMPLOYEES OR RESIDENTS.
UM, THEY MUST BE WORN, UH, WHERE, UH, WE CANNOT, UH, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
VISITORS TO OUR FACILITIES WILL BE REQUIRED TO, TO WEAR FACE COVERINGS WHERE THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING CANNOT BE MAINTAIN MAINTAINED.
UM, IN TERMS OF GUIDANCE FOR OUR DEPARTMENTS, UH, SOCIAL DISTANCING, WE ARE ENCOURAGING, UH, AND MINIMIZE ASKING THEM TO MINIMIZE AND PERSON MEETING, UM, AND DOING, RELYING UPON WEBEX AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
I HAVE FOUND THAT TO BE, UM, UH, EFFICIENT AND, AND I'M MORE OF A FACE-TO-FACE MEETING TYPE OF INDIVIDUAL, BUT, BUT I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE NEW REALITY.
SO WE'RE ENCOURAGING AND REQUIRING THAT AS WE GO FORWARD, UH, IMPLEMENTING CITYWIDE STRINGENT CLEANING AND SANITIZING PROTOCOLS.
AGAIN, WE'VE STARTED THAT IN OUR FACILITIES THAT ARE OPEN RIGHT NOW, AND IT'S CONTINUING.
IT WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT WITH OTHER FACILITIES, UH, EMPLOYEES WORKING REMOTELY.
UH, I HAD A, A TOWN HALL WITH, UH, EMPLOYEES LAST, UH, FRIDAY, WHERE WE HAD 1400 EMPLOYEES JOIN TWO CALLS.
UM, AND I'M, IF MANY, IF, IF THE COUNCIL SAW MY, UH, EMPLOYEE EMAIL OUT, UH, LAST FRIDAY, UM, FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, OUR REMOTE WORK EMPLOYEES, UM, SHOULD PLAN TO STILL BE OUT IN REMOTE WORK THROUGH AT LEAST SEPTEMBER 1ST.
NOW, THAT MEANS I, THIS SIMPLY THAT THERE MAY BE TASKS OR REQUIREMENTS WHERE EMPLOYEES DO NEED TO COME IN, AND WE WILL ADHERE TO THE TEMPERATURE, UH, CHECKS, UH, AND THE, UH, THE, UH, UH, BILLING MAINTENANCE HYGIENE PROTOCOLS.
BUT THERE MAY BE TASKS THAT NEED TO BE DONE.
UH, BUT FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, I TOLD THEM TO, UM, UH, EXPECT, UH, NOT TO RETURN UNTIL SEPTEMBER 1ST.
WE WILL BE TAKING THE SUMMER TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVE, UH, WORK SCHEDULES.
AND, UH, AGAIN, AS WE CONTINUE TO, UH, HIT OUR PRODUCTIVITY MARKS AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB, UH, WE WILL BE FLEXIBLE IN THAT SENSE.
AND THEN LASTLY, WORKPLACE DESIGN.
UH, AND, AND MARIA TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, AND AS PART OF OUR IMPACT TO OUR OWN BUDGET, BUT WHERE DO WE NEED TO DO SOME MODIFICATIONS TO BUILDINGS, SPLASH GUARDS, UH, AND, UH, UH, DOOR, AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENERS AND THOSE TYPES OF, UH, INDIVI CASES.
WE DEVELOPED, UH, FOUR PHASES.
AND YOU'LL NOTICE ON PHASE THREE AND FOUR, WE HAVE DATES TO BE DETERMINED.
AND I THINK, UH, GOING BACK TO WHAT COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ TALKED ABOUT, WE DO NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE AND I'LL, I'LL WALK THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PHASES.
UM, PHASE TWO IS SCHEDULED TO START ON JUNE 15TH.
THERE'S ONE ELEMENT THAT'LL START SOONER, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT.
PHASE THREE AND FOUR WILL DEPEND UPON LOCAL CONDITIONS, UH, WHERE WE'RE AT FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH STANDPOINT.
WE CURRENTLY, I MENTIONED THE 23 OVER 2300 EMPLOYEES THAT ARE WORKING HOME.
WE HAVE 538 THAT ARE DEPLOYED TO ALTERNATE WORK ASSIGNMENTS.
AND OUR CURRENT CLOSED FACILITIES, UH, ARE THE LIBRARIES.
OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS, OUR SENIOR CENTERS, THE ALAMO, DOM AND CONVENTION CENTER, UH, MUNICIPAL COURTS, OUR PRE-K CENTERS, UH, SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING CENTER, NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND, UM, ALL OF OUR PUBLIC FACING SERVICE DESKS, EXCEPT FOR THE ONE STOP CURBSIDE, ARE CLOSED.
UM, WE ARE, UH, BUT THAT'LL START ON JUNE 15TH.
WE WILL BE, UH, A PARTIAL WILL BE A PARTIAL REOPENING OF OUR 29 LIBRARY LOCATIONS.
UM, THAT WILL PRIMARILY BE CURBSIDE PICKUP AND DROP OFF FOR BOOKS AND MATERIALS.
WE ARE INCORPORATING, UH, NINE COMPUTER OR NINE LIBRARIES, UH, FOR ACCESS TO PUBLIC
[03:40:01]
COMPUTERS.UM, IT'LL ONLY BE FOR ACCESS FOR PUBLIC COMPUTERS, UH, AND THE USE THERE.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT ACCESS TO, UH, THE INTERNET.
AND, UH, RAMIRO AND HIS TEAM HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT WE WILL UTILIZE, UH, WESTFALL BRANCH LIBRARY, CARVER BRANCH LIBRARY, SCHAEFFER BRANCH LIBRARY, MISSION BRANCH, UH, PAN AMERICAN CORTES, JOHNSTON BISON, AND COLLINS GARDEN LIBRARIES TO, UH, OPERATE, UH, THE, UM, THE, THE, UH, COMPUTER AREAS.
THAT IS GONNA MEAN THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MONITOR THAT AND SANITIZE THOSE AREAS, UH, BECAUSE WE EXPECT, UM, A FAIR AMOUNT OF USAGE ON, ON JUNE 1ST.
OUR GRAB AND GO FOOD PROGRAM WILL BE AVAILABLE AND START THROUGH OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO BE OPENING UP, UM, EIGHT OF OUR CENTERS FOR OUR SUMMER PROGRAM, BEGINNING ON JUNE 15TH.
THAT SUMMER PROGRAM, OR THOSE CENTERS ARE, UH, COPERNICUS, SOUTH SIDE LIONS, MILLER'S POND, RAMIREZ, PALM HEIGHTS, QUAR GARZA, AND HAMILTON.
UM, WE'RE GONNA START IN A LIMITED FASHION.
UM, THIS PLAN IS DELIBERATELY, UH, CONSERVATIVE, UM, UH, IN THE OPENINGS.
AND, UH, AGAIN, I'LL TALK ABOUT THE NEXT PHASE, UH, HERE IN A SECOND.
OUR CITY CLERK OFFICE, THE VI VITAL RECORDS OFFICE WILL OPEN, UH, FOR APPOINTMENTS AND WALKUP SERVICE ON JUNE 15TH.
MUNICIPAL COURTS, WE'VE WORKED, THE TEAM HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH JUDGE ODO, AND, UH, FRED GARCIA WILL PARTIALLY OPEN TWO KIOSKS, AND THEY WILL RE, THEY WILL BEGIN UTILIZING ZOOM TRIAL HEARINGS, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES.
WE WILL PARTIALLY OPEN, UH, FOR OUR, OUR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ON OUR COUNTER, UH, FOR APPOINTMENTS.
UH, MUCH OF THAT WORK IS BEING DONE OVER THE PHONE RIGHT NOW, AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, ALLOWED FOR SOME IN-PERSON CONTACT WITH PROTOCOLS IN PLACE.
THIS SLIDE, UH, PHASE THREE, WE HAVE TO BE DETERMINED, AND I THINK THIS REALLY IS GONNA BE TIED TO OUR WARNING AND PROGRESS INDICATORS AS WE GO THROUGH THE MONTH OF JUNE.
UM, AND SO I WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU UPDATED, UH, IN TERMS OF, OF LIBRARIES, UM, IDEALLY WE WOULD OPEN UP AND HAVE MANAGED ACCESS AND LIMITED HOURS AT ALL OF OUR LOCATIONS.
UM, UH, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE, UM, METERED CIRCULATION AND REFERENCE, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, THERE'S ONE-WAY TRAFFIC FOR THE BROWSING COLLECTIONS AND MANAGED ACCESS TO, UH, ALL THE COMPUTERS, UH, IN THE, IN THE LIBRARIES.
AND A PARTIAL OPENING WITH OUR PARTNERS SUCH AS BOOKSELLER, THE BOOKSELLER, AND, UM, LAUNCH SA IN TERMS OF MUNICIPAL COURTS PARTIAL REOPENING WITH MODIFIED SERVICES FOR LIMITED NUMBER OF IN-PERSON GENERAL APPEARANCE HEARINGS, UH, PROVIDE COURT USERS A CONTACT FREE WALK-UP KIOSK SERVICE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE, A JURY AND NON-JURY TRIAL SETTINGS, UH, NOT RESOLVED REMOTELY OR BY TELECONFERENCE, UH, WOULD BE RESET AND ATTORNEY ACCESS WILL BE PROVIDED, UH, BY A DEDICATED EMAIL ACCOUNT THAT, UM, THE MUNICIPAL COURTS DEPARTMENT IS, IS WORKING ON.
IN TERMS OF OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER, WE WOULD OPEN 11 OUTDOOR, UH, POOLS.
IT WOULD BE JULY 3RD, FIVE LOCATIONS WOULD BE OPEN ON MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, AND THE OTHER FIVE LOCATIONS ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS.
UH, ALL 11 WOULD BE OPEN ON FRIDAY, UH, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, WE WILL HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE OCCUPANCY LEVELS THAT'LL SET BE SET BY, UM, AT THAT, THAT POINT BY THE GOVERNOR.
UM, THE POOL HOURS WILL BE ONE IN THE, IN THE AFTERNOON TO 8:00 PM AND THE POOLS ARE SAN PEDRO LINCOLN, SOUTH SIDE LIONS, KINGSBORO, HERITAGE, ELMENDORF, ROOSEVELT, QUAR, WOODLAWN, SPRINGTIME, AND L B J.
UM, ALL OF THE SPLASH PADS WOULD ALSO BE OPENED ON JULY 3RD.
THOSE, I'M SORRY, FIVE SPLASH PADS AT HEMISPHERE, LINCOLN, PEARSALL, BENAVIDES, AND ELMENDORF.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING SETTING A DATE THEN IN PHASE THREE FOR THE REOPENING OF PARK AMENITIES SUCH AS BASKETBALL COURTS, PLAYGROUNDS, FITNESS EQUIPMENT, SKATE PLAZAS, THE NATATORIUM, THE DONNER FITNESS CENTER, AND THE RESERVATION LOBBY LOCATED AT PARKS HEADQUARTERS.
I WANNA STRESS THAT WE WILL UTILIZE THE PROGRESS, UH, AND WARNING INDICATORS THAT HAVE BEEN SET HERE LOCALLY,
[03:45:01]
AS WELL AS THE GUIDANCE FROM OUR, UH, THE STATE.UH, IN TERMS OF D H S, UH, THE CAFE COLLEGE AND THE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP WOULD PARTIALLY OPEN THE NEXT LEVEL, UM, UH, PROGRAM WOULD BE OPEN FOR HIGH NEED CASES.
AND BY APPOINTMENT, UH, OUR CITY OPERATED VITA SITES WILL BE, UH, PARTIALLY OPENED.
AND OUR, UH, TAX CLINIC, UH, OPENED BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
THERE'LL BE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE THAT FOLKS WILL HAVE, GIVEN THAT THE, UH, TAX, UM, DEADLINE WAS MOVED TO MIDSUMMER AND OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD, UM, UH, EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS, UH, WOULD BE OPEN IN THAT PHASE.
UH, PHASE FOUR, UH, IS REALLY KIND OF A RESUMPTION TO NORMAL BUSINESS, AND I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT.
UM, PHASE FOUR WILL OBVIOUSLY BE BUILT UPON OUR PHASE THREE.
AND, UH, WHAT HAPPENS FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH STANDPOINT, FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE WERE, UH, I THINK, DELIBERATELY CONSERVATIVE IN THIS PLAN BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY EMPLOYEES ARE SAFE, BUT VISITORS AND CONSUMERS AND CUSTOMERS ARE SAFE IN OUR BUILDINGS.
UM, ALL OF THESE PHASES WILL, UM, ARE LINED UP TO REQUIRE THE NECESSARY MODIFICATIONS TO BE IN PLACE BEFORE THEY OPEN, AND THAT WORK IS UNDERGOING RIGHT NOW.
SO I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
WE HAVE A DOCUMENT THAT WE WILL, A PACKET THAT WE WILL ISSUE OUT TO YOU TODAY.
AND, UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I THINK, I THINK PHASE THREE AND FOUR WILL NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE.
AND, UH, WE WILL SET DATES AS WE CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR PULSE ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS.
SORRY FOR THE LONG, UM, CITY MANAGER REPORT MAYOR, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO SHARE WITH YOU PUBLICLY.
UM, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
UH, WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ELAS.
YOU WENT THROUGH A LOT OF THAT STUFF QUICKLY, AND, UH, IF YOU DID MISS IT, PLEASE, IF I MISSED IT, PLEASE FORGIVE ME.
UM, I, I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT, UH, PLANS TO RECONFIGURE THE, THE OPEN LAYOUTS AT FROST TOWER.
IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S IN, IN THE PLAN? UM, WELL ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WORK IS ONGOING.
THE DESIGN IS NOT DONE, COUNCILMAN, AND SOME OF THE INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD IS, UM, WHILE THERE MAY BE, UM, UM, WALLS THAT MAY NEED TO CHANGE, I THINK THE, PROBABLY THE OPERATIONALIZATION OF A CHANGE IN A WORK SCHEDULE WILL HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON THAT.
I DON'T THINK, UH, IN THE SHORT, IN THE SHORT TERM OR NEAR TERM, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE EVERYBODY, UH, BACK IN THE OFFICE LIKE WE WERE ON MARCH 1ST.
UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S GONNA BE A 40 OR 50 YEAR BUILDING.
AND SO, UM, CONDITIONS WILL CHANGE.
I'M EXPECTING SOMEWHERE OVER THE 40 OR 50 YEARS, WHAT I THINK WE CAN CONTROL IS, UH, WHO'S AT WORK AND HOW THEY'RE WORKING.
AND, AND THAT'S PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN, UH, THE DESIGN OF THE ACTUAL BUILDING.
YOU KNOW, I DO THINK, TO YOUR POINT THAT YOU MADE ON TUESDAY THAT THE REAL ESTATE, UM, MARKET, UH, AND OFFICE LAYOUTS, UH, AND THE THOUGHT BEHIND THEM ARE GONNA BE DIFFERENT, UH, UH, IN THE FUTURE.
WE WANNA REMIND THE COUNCIL, I THINK WE HAD SEVEN FLOORS OF THAT BUILDING THAT WE ANTICIPATED LEASING OUT.
UH, I THINK WE MAY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, I THINK, I THINK THERE MAY BE SOME, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO FIND CUSTOMERS FOR THOSE, OR LEASEES FOR THOSE FLOORS.
UM, BUT I THINK BUSINESSES WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IT THE SAME WAY WE ARE IN THAT, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND REMOTE WORK AND ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULES ALLOWS YOU TO SPREAD PEOPLE OUT, UH, BETTER THAN, UH, THE PLACEMENT OF THE CUBICLES.
SO I, I, I THINK, UM, THIS, THIS COUNCIL HASN'T GOTTEN A, A REPORT IN A WHILE ON SORT OF THE STATUS AND THE PROC THE PROGRESS WITH THAT, WITH THAT BUILDING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT, IF ANY PLANS ARE CHANGING AND HOW, UM, I THROWING IT OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, UH, MAYOR AND ERIC, THAT THE, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME FOR US TO KICK OFF THAT CONVERSATION AGAIN, EITHER HERE, YOU KNOW, AMONG ALL OF US IN AN A OR B SESSION, OR MAYBE EVEN IN MY COMMITTEE.
'CAUSE UM, I'D, I'D BE CURIOUS TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, I, I THINK MAYBE WE, WE COULD PLAN IT ON A, ON A COUNCIL BRIEFING OR AT A COMMITTEE IF YOU'D LIKE IT.
UH, AND WE CAN GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE CITY HALL PROJECT AS WELL THAT WE'VE ALL KIND OF WITNESSED AS WE WALK INTO, INTO WORK EVERY DAY.
MAYOR, I HAD ONE OTHER, I'M SORRY.
WERE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, JUST, UH, GO AHEAD, ERIC.
COUNCIL MEMBER PLYETT, I, I HAD ONE OTHER, UH, ITEM ON THIS ON THE, UH, MANAGER'S
[03:50:01]
REPORT.AND I'LL, I'LL SEND A MEMO OUT TO THE COUNCIL, UH, LATER ON.
BUT, UH, WE HAVE, UM, UH, WORKED OUT A PROCESS TO, UH, RESTART OUR, UM, CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF, UH, OF OUR NORMAL WORK WEEK.
UM, UH, AND IT, IT IS AN ONLINE FOR RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE PLANNING PURPOSES WE ARE DOING ARE WEDNESDAY B SESSIONS BY, UH, WEBEX.
AND SO, UH, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A PROGRAM THAT'S BEING UTILIZED BY OTHER CITIES AND BY OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO ALLOW FOR CITIZEN INPUT.
UM, THAT CITIZEN, YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE MEMO, THE CITIZEN INPUT PORTION AFTER OUR CONCLUSION OF OUR B SESSION, WILL REQUIRE A QUORUM OF THE COUNCIL TO STAY ON THE, THE, THE LINE, UH, UM, THE PUBLIC CAN EMAIL, LEAVE A VOICEMAIL, UH, PROVIDE COMMENTS, OR, UH, WE WILL CALL THEM AND THEY WILL BE LIVE.
UH, IT'LL RUN NORMAL, JUST LIKE A NORMAL, UH, CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PROCESS.
THERE'S TIME LIMITS AND SO FORTH.
UH, BUT, UH, I'LL SEND A MEMO OUT.
UH, WE HAVE WORKED WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND MY STAFF TO LAY THAT OUT.
AND I T S D MORE IMPORTANTLY 'CAUSE WE GOTTA MAKE SURE ALL THE CONNECTIONS ARE THERE, BUT WE WILL RESUME THAT NEXT WEDNESDAY.
AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF TRYING TO GET BACK TO SOME SENSE OF NORMALCY.
UH, ERIC, WE DO HAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS.
UM, ERIC, FOR CLARIFICATION, YOU MENTIONED, UH, FOR THE PARKS GRAB AND GO FOOD PROGRAM WILL BEGIN JUNE ONE.
CAN YOU GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILS OF WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE? AND IS IT AT, UM, THOSE PARKS THAT YOU MENTIONED, OR IS THAT ALL PARKS? AND WILL YOU BE GIVING US INFORMATION SO WE CAN PUT IT OUT THERE TO THE COMMUNITY? YES, TO YOUR LAST QUESTION.
UM, THIS IS PART OF OUR SUMMER FEEDING PROGRAM THAT WE OPERATE EVERY YEAR WITH THE PARKS.
UM, WE'RE DOING A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED SCHEDULE, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.
UM, BECAUSE FEWER PARKS AMENITIES WILL BE OPENED.
WE'RE PARTNERING WITH, UM, D H SS TO PROVIDE, UM, ACCESS TO THE GRAB AND GO FOOD SUMMER FEEDING PROGRAM THROUGH OTHER LOCATIONS.
SO IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES.
AND WE'LL GET ALL OF THE DISTRICT SPECIFIC LOCATIONS TO EACH OF YOUR OFFICES.
AND TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION, IT IS AT THE OTHER SITES THAT I DIDN'T MENTION AS WELL.
I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S A LISTING THAT WE'LL INCLUDE IN THE PLAN, UH, FOR THE, THE GRAB AND GO.
'CAUSE THAT'S A QUICK TURNAROUND TIME THAT WE NEED TO GET OUT.
A COUPLE OF, UM, A SESSIONS AGO, I THINK I ASKED ANDY ABOUT A POTENTIAL, UM, WELL, TWO THINGS.
THE FINANCIAL DASHBOARD THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, AND THEN ALSO A PROTOCOL TO THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO, TO, SHOULD WE SEE A SPIKE IN POSITIVES? UM, IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON THOSE TWO ITEMS? WELL, UM, THE FI WHILE, WHILE ANDY'S TURNING ON HIS MIC, THE FINANCIAL DASHBOARD PART IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE'LL DEVELOP AS A, AS PART OF THE PLAN YOU TALKED ABOUT TODAY OR THAT WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY.
AND, AND I DIDN'T HEAR YOU, THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION.
IT HAD TO DO WITH THE GOVERNOR'S, THE PROTOCOLS, THE HEALTH PROTOCOLS, RIGHT? THE, TO THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, JUST, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WAS, IS IF WE SEE A SPIKE LOCALLY, WHAT WE CAN DO, UM, IF, IF WE OR WE HAVE ANOTHER WAVE OR SOMETHING.
YES, THERE WAS, IN FACT, THE GOVERNOR HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE IN AMARILLO YESTERDAY, COUNCILWOMAN, IN TERMS OF WHAT THE STATE WOULD DO.
AND, AND THEY USED AMARILLO ACTUALLY AS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THEY DID HAVE A SPIKE BECAUSE THEY HAD A, UH, ACTUALLY THREE OF THE AREAS THAT HE HAD ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL SPIKES, WHICH WERE, UM, HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, I'M SORRY, UM, LONG-TERM HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, UH, MEAT PACKING PLANTS AND PRISONS.
THEY HAD ALL THREE THERE IN AMARILLO.
AND THEY DID, UH, DEPLOY, UH, AN AMOUNT OF RESOURCES IN TERMS OF TESTING, UH, ET CETERA, TO THAT, TO THOSE COUNTIES THAT WERE AFFECTED.
AND SO IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A PROCESS BY WHICH LOOKING AT THE HEALTH DATA, WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, AND THEN HOPEFULLY THEY WOULD BE, IF, IF THEY CALL FOR A DEPLOYMENT OF SUCH RESOURCES, THEY WOULD BRING 'EM DOWN OVER HERE TO BEXAR COUNTY.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE, WE HAVE OUR OWN PROTOCOL, RIGHT? AS, AS WE'RE REPORTING TO THE GOVERNOR.
BUT ALSO, UM, IF WE, I, I'M REALLY CONCERNED IF WE SEE A SPIKE AND, AND THE GOVERNOR HAS NOT ISSUED ANOTHER STAY AT HOME ORDER, THAT, THAT, UM, THAT WE ARE JUST KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ABLE TO FOLLOW UNDERNEATH.
OF COURSE, HIS, HIS RIGHT, UM, HIS RULES.
I'M GONNA ADD TO YOUR COMMENT.
UM, COUNCILMAN, I'VE SPOKEN WITH THE C O O
[03:55:01]
OF THE STRIKE FORCE FOR THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, AND AGREED THAT WE WOULD SEND THEM ANYTHING THAT WE, TO YOUR POINT, A SPIKE THAT WE SAW WORTHY OF SHARING.SO, AND THEY'RE EXPECTING THAT.
SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT COMES FROM METRO HEALTH IN TERMS OF CONCERNS, WE HAVE THE CHANNEL OPEN WITH THE STATE TO LET THEM KNOW, OKAY, THANK YOU.
BUT, BUT IF YOUR QUESTION IS IN TERMS OF WHAT FLEXIBILITY WE MAY HAVE MM-HMM.
I THINK IT'S ALL, I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO, TO, UH, NOTE THAT WE, WE, TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, WE'RE IN CHARGE OF OUR OWN DESTINY IN TERMS OF FACILITIES.
UM, AND, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE, IN THE GOVERNOR'S ORDERS IN THE PAST WHEN HE OPENED UP LIBRARIES, HE DEFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
AND SO, UM, IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE TRACK OUR, NOT ONLY WHAT'S HAPPENING STATEWIDE IN THE THREE AREAS THAT THE GOVERNOR'S IDENTIFIED, BUT OUR OWN PROGRESS AND WARNING INDICATORS THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT WE'RE REPORTING ON, AND WE MAY NEED TO REACT QUICKER.
IT REALLY, IT'LL REALLY DEPEND ON WHAT'S GOING ON HERE LOCALLY.
AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF THAT.
THAT'S EXACTLY MY THINKING, SO I, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE WATCHING THAT CLOSELY.
THE, UM, THE LIBRARIES THAT ARE GONNA OPEN UP ON JUNE 15TH, DO WE HAVE A FULL LIST OF THOSE YET? CAN WE GET THOSE LATER? THE, UM, ON THE 15TH, ALL 29 ARE GONNA OPEN UP FOR CURBSIDE.
THERE'S, THERE'S NINE DESIGNATED THAT'LL OPEN UP FOR THE COMPUTER AREAS, AND WE'RE GONNA SPREAD STUFF OUT AND IMPLEMENT, UH, UM, A CLEANING PROTOCOLS TO MAKE SURE THE COMPUTERS ARE SANITIZED BETWEEN USE.
SO ALL, ALL OF THEM ARE OPENING UP CURBSIDE? YES, MA'AM.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAB H AND I, I'LL JUST ADD TO THE CONVERSATION THAT WAS HAPPENING JUST JUST A MINUTE AGO.
WE HAVE BEEN, UH, IN A GOOD POSITION BASED ON OUR, OUR HEALTH TEAM AND THE ABILITIES THAT WE'VE HAD LOCALLY.
THE GOVERNOR'S ORDERS, UH, DO HINDER, UM, SWIFT LOCAL ACTION IN THE EVENT THAT WERE NECESSARY.
THANKFULLY, WE HAVEN'T BEEN IN, BEEN IN THAT POSITION, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT WE ALL HAVE A JOB UP HERE TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR NEIGHBORS AND OUR COMMUNITY FIRST.
UM, IF WE WERE IN A POSITION WHERE THE STATE'S ORDERS HINDERED OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT, THAT IS A LEGAL TEST, UH, THAT WE MAY HAVE EVENTUALLY HAVE TO CONSIDER.
SO THANKFULLY WE'RE NOT IN THAT POSITION, BUT, UM, LET IT BE KNOWN THAT WE ARE GOING TO EXECUTE OUR JOBS OF PROTECTING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THESE RESIDENTS.
FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER, ANDREW SULLIVAN.
I JUST WANT TO ASK THE CITY MANAGER WHEN IT COMES TO OUR SENIOR CENTERS, UM, WHAT PLAN DO WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY OPEN, IF ANY? AND THEN, UM, AS IT RELATES TO THE ONES THAT WE ARE PAYING RENT ON, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT WITHIN OUR BUDGET AS THEY'RE NOT OPEN AT THIS TIME? COUNCILWOMAN, THE, UH, OPENING OF SENIOR CENTERS RIGHT NOW IS IN PHASE FOUR.
THEY ARE, UM, UH, OUR VULNERABLE POPULATION.
AND, UH, WE ARE NOT, UM, PLANNING ON REOPENING THOSE, UM, CENTERS UNTIL WE, UH, HAVE, UM, COME OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT WILL BE.
UM, YOU HEARD EARLIER THAT THE, IF WE NEED TO USE SOME OF THOSE SENIOR CENTERS FOR COOLING CENTERS, WE WILL, WE WILL USE THAT.
UM, OUR, OUR PLAN RIGHT NOW IS TO CONTINUE THE DELIVERY OF MEALS TO THE SENIORS AS WE'VE BEEN DOING THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
BUT, UH, THAT IS, THAT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE, UM, THE LAST AREAS THAT WE WILL, UH, REOPEN.
AND THEN AS IT COMES TO THE ONES THAT WE'RE PAYING RENT ON, UM, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WILL BE LOOKED AT WITHIN THE BUDGET PROCESS? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I THINK WE WILL, I, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, BUT I'LL FIND OUT.
I, I THINK, WE'LL, WE'LL, ONE, WANNA MAKE SOME ACCOMMODATIONS ON THAT.
COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER GRO.
ERIC, CAN YOU PROVIDE FOR US AGAIN, JUST THE STATUS OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES, UM, THOSE, YOU'VE GIVEN IT TO US FOR THE COVID TESTS, THOSE WHO HAVE, UM, WHO ARE POSITIVE, MAYBE THOSE WHO, UM, HAVE RECOVERED, BUT THE STATUS OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE RECOVERED, THE, THE UPDATED RECOVERED NUMBER.
I WILL PUT THAT IN TODAY'S END OF DAY EMAIL TO YOU GUYS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, ERIC, AND I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT, UH, WE'LL BE MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS
[04:00:01]
SO THAT PEOPLE CAN USE THE COMPUTERS AT THE LIBRARY.THOSE ARE OFTEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OFTEN A WAITING LIST, I GUESS DEPENDING WHAT PART OF TOWN, TOWN YOU'RE IN.
UM, I, I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THEM OPEN IF POSSIBLE, BUT I UNDERSTAND YOU WANNA TAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME.
UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CURBSIDE PICKUP AT THE LIBRARIES, UM, DOES THAT MEAN, IS THAT JUST FOR VEHICLES? ARE WE GONNA ALLOW THAT FOR, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WALKING? I'VE, I'VE TRIED TO GO THROUGH A DRIVE THROUGH WALKING AND IT'S
NO, IT, IT DOES INCLUDE, UM, FOLKS THAT MAY COME UP TO THE LIBRARY AND, AND RAMIRO AND HIS TEAM ARE, UH, A EAGER TO GET BACK TO WORK AND B HAVE BEEN PRETTY CREATIVE.
AND SO THAT IS, THAT IS ONE OF THE OPTIONS THEY'VE BUILT IN.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SELECT YOUR BOOK ONLINE FIRST BEFORE YOU GET THERE, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND, UM, THAT CONCLUDES OUR COMMENTS, UM, AND OUR CITY MANAGER'S REPORT.
UH, BEFORE WE GO INTO OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING, COUNCILMAN? UM, WE DID WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE A MEMBER WHO IS GOING TO HAVE A CELEBRATION AND THAT PERSON IS GOING TO BE, UM, AN UNDISCLOSED, UH, AGE, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ WILL BE TURNING SOMETHING ON JUNE 2ND, SO LET'S SING HER A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
WOW, THAT'S THE FIR, THAT'S A FIRST HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUNCIL MEMBER.
[Executive Session]
HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.SO, UH, THE TIME IS NOW 1:20 PM ON THURSDAY, MAY 28TH, 2020.
THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WILL NOW MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071, AND DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.087, THE PURCHASE EXCHANGE OR LEASE OR VALUE OR REAL PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 AND CONSULTATION WITH CITY ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LITIGATION AGAINST THE CITY AND C OVID 19 PREPAREDNESS PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.071.
THE TIME IS 2:00 PM ON THURSDAY, MAY 28TH, 2020.
THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS RECONVENED FROM ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION AND NO ACT, NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN.
THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.