* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:03]
          OKAY. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. 
          I THINK WE'VE GOT ALL OF OUR MEMBERS LOGGED IN AND OUR TECH FIGURED OUT. 
          SO THE TIME IS 10:03 AM I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE TO ORDER. 
          LET'S START WITH THE ROLE, MADAM CLERK, COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. 
          AND MAYOR MEMBER HERE. 
          MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. 
          TODAY, UH, WE HAVE ONE ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR THE INTERVIEWS, UH, FOR SAS APPOINTEES. 
          WE DO HAVE ONE 
          [1. 20-4478 Approval of the minutes from the City Council Governance Committee Meeting on June 30, 2020.]
OTHER, UM, UH, MATTER TO GET TO, THOUGH THAT IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 30TH. 
          UM, SO, UH, TO START, I'LL GO AHEAD AND ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THOSE MINUTES. 
          I'LL MOVE THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          SECOND. 
          SECOND. 
          THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RSO GARCIA. 
          UH, ANY DISCUSSION? I, I AM SORRY I MISSED THAT. 
          COUNCILWOMAN, UH, TINA SANDOVAL. 
          YEAH, IT WAS ME. 
           SECOND. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          MOTION BY KZ. 
          UH, SECOND BY SANDOVAL. 
          ANY DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. 
          MOTION CARRIES. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          UM, 
          [2. 20-4304 Briefing and possible action on applicant interviews to the San Antonio Water System Board of Trustees (3 seats). [Tina J. Flores, Acting City Clerk]]
MADAM CLERK, IF YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND READ THE CAPTION FOR ITEM TWO. 
          ITEM TWO IS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON APPLICANT INTERVIEWS TO THE SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THREE FEET. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          UH, MADAM CLERK. 
          OKAY, SO LEMME JUST GO OVER THE LOGISTICS HERE. 
          UH, WE HAVE ALL OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THE SCREEN. 
          UM, WE ARE GOING TO GO THROUGH A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS. 
          UH, UNFORTUNATELY THEY WILL HAVE TO BE BY PHONE. 
          UH, SO ALL OF OUR, UH, PANELISTS, ALL OF OUR, UM, CANDIDATES THAT WE BROUGHT TO FINAL INTERVIEWS ARE QUEUED UP ONLINE. 
          I'LL READ THEM IN ORDER. 
          THEY'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES EACH FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, UH, FOLLOWED BY QUESTIONS FROM OUR COMMITTEE. 
          UH, IN ORDER TO DO THE QUESTIONS PROPERLY, SINCE I SEE YOU ALL ON THE SCREEN, UM, IF A COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO RAISE A QUESTION, IF YOU CAN JUST SIGNAL WITH YOUR HAND, AND THAT'LL GO AHEAD AND PUT YOU IN A QUEUE. 
          UH, AND THAT WAY WE CAN MOVE THROUGH THIS EXPEDITIOUSLY. 
          SO THERE WILL BE A THREE MINUTE OPENING STATEMENT FOLLOWED BY, UH, Q AND A. 
          AND THEN THE COUNCIL WILL THEN BREAK INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON A DIFFERENT LINE. 
          UM, IF THE, UH, IF ANYONE WANTS TO HANG OUT WHILE WE DO THAT, THAT'S FINE. 
          IT SHOULDN'T TAKE TOO LONG. 
          AND THEN WE'LL RECONVENE AND WE'LL, UH, NAME THE FINALIST TO RECOMMEND TO THE FULL COUNCIL THAT WILL BE ON THE AGENDA, UM, COMING UP. 
          SO, UM, AS YOU KNOW, UM, THE MAYOR HAS THE, UH, PREROGATIVE TO APPOINT THE CHAIR, AND OUR CHAIR APPOINTEE IS ON THE LINE AS WELL. 
          UH, A LITTLE BIT LESS SUSPENSE THAN THE TWO OTHER SEATS, UH, THAT ARE UP FOR APPOINTMENT. 
          BUT, UM, IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND START SINCE, UH, DYLAN ON THE LINE, UM, JOLENE IS ON THE LINE, AND I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE HER THREE MINUTES IN ANY Q AND A. 
          UH, WE'D LIKE TO EXCHANGE WITH HER, UH, AT THAT TIME. 
          AND THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD, GO AHEAD AND GET INTO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST, UM, QUADRANTS. 
          SO, UM, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UM, JOLENE LABANK EARLY. 
          UH, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? THEY'RE MERGING. 
          OKAY. 
          THEY'RE MERGING THE CALLS RIGHT NOW, SO JOLENE WILL BE ON THE LINE HERE IN JUST A SECOND. 
          AND, AND THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GIVE HER THREE MINUTES. 
           CALLS, SORRY, ONE SECOND Y'ALL. 
          OH, 
          [00:05:24]
I EVER HAD A TECHNICAL, WHOEVER HAD THE HOL MUSIC ON BEFORE. 
          IF YOU WANNA PUT THAT ON AGAIN WHILE WE GET, UH, INE ON THE LINE, THAT'D BE GREAT. 
          CAR REALLY MATTERS. 
          JUST REMEMBER THE CORE FOUR, SARAH. 
          JUST KIDDING. 
          MORNING JOLEN. 
          IS THAT YOU? YES. 
          HOW ARE YOU? GOOD MORNING, JOLENE. 
          UH, WE'RE DOING GREAT. 
          WE'RE, WE'VE GOT THIS FIGURED OUT NOW. 
          UM, YOU'RE ON THE LINE WITH THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          HELLO. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          WE'RE ALL ON MUTE, . 
          OH, OKAY. 
          CAN YOU HEAR US? YES. 
          YOU'VE GOT THREE MINUTES. 
          UM, WELL, I'M, I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, AND MORE SO TO JUST A, AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, I FEEL WITH MY VAST EXPERIENCE, BOTH WITH THE CITY HAVING BEEN, BEEN THERE WHEN WE CREATED SAWS, UH, MY WORK AT THE CITY WITH SAWS AND THE OTHER UTILITY, C P S, MY WORK AT C P S, UM, AND MY WORK NOW REALLY PREPARES ME FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO GUIDE THE BOARD AND WORK WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND WORK WITH THE SAW STAFF, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS VERY IMPORTANT NATURAL RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF HEAVY LIFTING THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE TO DATE REGARDING THE OVERALL WATER PLAN AND NOW OUR NEWEST SOURCE OF WATER, VISTA RIDGE. 
          UM, BUT I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE ISSUES WE'RE FACING, MAINLY GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, ALONG WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND SAS TO, FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR OVERALL COMMUNITY. 
          AND IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, DIRECT QUESTIONS OF ME, I'M CERTAINLY PREPARED TO ANSWER THEM. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JOANNE. 
          AND I'M SORRY I WAS MUTED, UH, PRIOR TO, BUT, UM, WE HAVE THE WHOLE COMMITTEE HERE NOW AND, AND YOU ARE OUR FIRST PANELIST. 
          AND SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THERE ARE ANY, UH, ANY OF THE PANEL, LIKE I'M TRYING TO GET Y'ALL BACK ON THE SCREEN SO I CAN SEE ANY HANDS RAISED. 
          UM, NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE COMMITTEE. 
          ANY QUESTIONS FOR JOANNE? COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. 
          UH, ALL RIGHT. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          UM, SO, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DYLAN, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. 
          UM, I I THINK YOU ARE REALLY A SUCH IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR THIS POSITION, GIVEN YOUR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCE, UH, ON SO MANY LEVELS OF THE GOVERNMENT. 
          SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          I JUST WANTED TO WELCOME YOU ON BOARD. 
          IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER, UH, YOU KNOW, PRE COVID, IN FACT. 
          UM, AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING HARD OVER AT THE CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE SERVICES, UM, AND OF COURSE ALL THE WORK THERE. 
          AND SO I GUESS I JUST, ONE QUESTION ARE, DO YOU CONTINUE YOUR SERVICE OVER AT HEALTHCARE SERVICES, THE CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE SERVICES AS THE DIRECTOR THERE? YES. 
          YES. 
          I WILL CONTINUE. 
          UM, I, I DID, UM, HAVE, I DID EXPRESS MY INTEREST IN CONTINUING, AND I, I JUST, I'M CONFIDENT THAT I CAN DO BOTH. 
          I HAVE A VERY STRONG LEADERSHIP TEAM THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN PLACE SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE FOR THREE YEARS. 
          AND, UM, I'M CONFIDENT WE CAN, WE CAN MANAGE BOTH, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AT THE CENTER. 
          GREAT. 
          WELL, I, I, I ALSO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN, I DON'T HAVE ANY DOUBT ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO, TO MANAGE IT ALL. 
          UM, ONLY THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER IN SO LONG. 
          AND SO I HOPE THAT YOU'RE WELL AND, UM, UH, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO WORKING TOGETHER, UM, WITH PAUSE, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT WE HAVE GOING ON IN OUR CITY, ESPECIALLY REGARDING EQUITY. 
          UM, AND SO PERHAPS YOU COULD SPEAK A LITTLE BIT, UH, ON WHAT YOU FEEL, UM, ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING IN OUR CITY, UH, TO PROVIDE, UM, EQUITY IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WELL, I THINK THE FOCUS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS TAKEN REGARDING EQUITY OVER THE YEARS AND CONTINUE TO VIEW IS AT THE VERY APPROPRIATE RESPONSE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          [00:10:01]
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE GROWING AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE GROWING IN ALL AREAS. 
          WE'RE GROWING IN LACK OF EDUCATION AND POVERTY, AS WELL AS GROWING, YOU KNOW, BEING ATTRACTED TO NEW INDIVIDUALS COMING HERE AND JOBS AND THAT SORT OF THING. 
          UM, BUT ALL OF IT NEEDS TO WORK COHESIVELY. 
          AND SO I, I THINK THE WORK, THE FOCUS OF THE COUNCIL IS LOOKING AND, AND TAKING REGARDING EQUITY AND SHARING THOSE RESOURCES AND HOW WE GROW AND PLACING RESOURCES WHERE THEY NEED TO BE TO ASSIST OR PRIME THE PUMP FOR THOSE AREAS THAT NEED THAT ADDITIONAL ATTENTION IS THE APPROPRIATE WAY TO GO. 
          IT, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA SEEM TRITE, BUT IT'S AN ALL OF THE ABOVE STRATEGY. 
          UM, AND, AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JILL. 
          AND, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, AND I'VE GOT YOU, JOHN. 
          THANK YOU, UM, JALYN, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS. 
          I I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU. 
          AND FIRST IT WOULD BE, UM, AS CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK, UM, IS MISSING, UH, ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE CURRENT SAUCE BOARD? WELL, I'M ANXIOUS TO KNOW HOW THE COUNCIL WILL APPOINT THE TWO VACANCIES THAT ARE PRESENT. 
          UM, AND THEN THAT WILL GIVE A COMPLETE PICTURE ON THE MAKEUP OF THE SAWS BOARD. 
          UM, SO I'M, I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL AUGUST 6TH, SO THAT WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT. 
          UH, I THINK THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, YOU HAVE HAD WOMEN BEFORE ON THE BOARD, UM, YOU'VE HAD BUSINESS REPRESENTATION ON THE BOARD, YOU'VE HAD COMMUNITY REPRESENTATION ON THE BOARD. 
          I WOULD HOPE THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD CONTINUE TO BE THAT BROAD IN ITS VIEW ABOUT REPRESENTATION ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT UTILITY BOARD. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION IS, THE EDWARD ZUCKER PROTECTION PROGRAM IS GONNA BE ENDING SOON IN ITS CURRENT, UH, FORM, POSSIBLY HAVING ACCOMPLISHED ITS PURPOSE OF PROTECTING LAND WITHIN THE RECHARGE ZONE. 
          SO DO YOU, UH, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SUPPORT SHIFTING FROM, UM, FROM THAT TO WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT AND, AND EVEN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? WELL, I THINK, AS I MENTIONED, IT IS GOING TO TAKE EVERYONE AT THE TABLE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE GROWING AND APPLYING OUR RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY. 
          SO WHILE THERE MAY BE A SHIFT TO THOSE OTHER AREAS THAT YOU MENTIONED, THERE STILL WILL BE A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE FOR THE WATER UTILITY TO PLAY. 
          AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD, ALONG WITH THE STAFF IS AT THE TABLE SO WE CAN GUIDE THOSE DISCUSSIONS SO WE CAN BEST SERVE THE FUTURE NEEDS OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          THANK YOU, JOLYN. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          I HAVE MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          UH, THANK YOU MS. BURLEY FOR, UH, ALLOWING US TO VISIT WITH YOU AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING AS THE, UH, THE NEW BOARD CHAIR F SAS, UH, COULD TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU WORKED FOR THE CITY WITH SAWS. 
          WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR EXPERIENCES? UM, INITIALLY WHEN SAWS WAS CREATED, I WAS ACTUALLY WORKING IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, AND SO MANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT I WORKED CLOSELY WITH IN WASTEWATER, UM, AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ACTUALLY TRANSITIONED OVER TO, UM, THE SAWS OF THE NEWLY DEVELOPED SAWS ORGANIZATION. 
          SO THERE WAS A LOT OF INTERFACE WITH, UM, STREET MAINTENANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION AND ALL OF THE ASPECTS OF PUBLIC WORKS WITH, UM, THE NEW AREAS THAT WERE TRANSITIONING OVER TO SAWS, WASTEWATER AND SUCH. 
          THEN I BECAME, UM, I WENT TO THE MANAGER'S OFFICE AND, UH, WORKED ON, UH, BUILDING THE ALAMO DOME AND OUR CONVENTION CENTER. 
          AND SO OBVIOUSLY I HAD A LOT OF INTERFACE WITH THEM THERE. 
          UM, WE PRE-BUILT A CHILL WATER FACILITY, THE CHILL WATER FACILITY THAT'S LOCATED ON THE ALDON PROPERTY. 
          UM, I CO-LED WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO'S NO LONGER AT SAS, BUT TO BUILD THAT FACILITY AS WELL AS EXPANDING THE CHILL WATER PIPE SYSTEM THAT'S PRESENT IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THAT SERVES MANY OF THE HOTELS AS WELL AS THE CONVENTION CENTER. 
          THEN WHEN I MOVED INTO THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER ROLE, UM, MY AREA INVOLVED PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, SO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS BEING THE LIAISON FOR BOTH OF THE UTILITIES, SAWS AND C P S. 
          SO MM-HMM. 
          , UM, A LOT OF INTERFAITH WITH THEM REGARDING 
          [00:15:01]
GROWTH AND, UM, ANNEXATION AND ZONING AND PUBLIC WORKS AND, UH, RATE CONSIDERATIONS. 
          UH, SO THAT WAS MY EXPOSURE, UH, DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT I SERVED AS DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. 
          THEN I LEFT THE CITY IN 2008, WENT TO WORK WITH C P S ENERGY, UM, AND MY INTERFACE WAS CONTINUED BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY JOINT PROJECTS WHERE WE ARE CO-LOCATING FACILITIES OR WE'RE IN THE VICINITY, SO A LOT OF UTILITY COORDINATION. 
          UH, THE LAST MAJOR PROJECT I WORKED ON FOR THE CITY WAS DEVELOPING THE FIBER INFRASTRUCTURE USING ACCESS FIBER THAT C P S ENERGY HAD FOR YEARS TO BUILD OUT, UM, OUR SYSTEM SO THAT WE COULD EXPAND OUR DIGITAL METER INFRASTRUCTURE MODERNIZATION OF ALL OF THE METER INFRASTRUCTURE FOR C P S ENERGY, AND ENSURING THAT THAT INFRASTRUCTURE HAD THE CAPACITY, BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT SAS WAS INTERESTED IN EXPANDING AND MODERNIZING THEIR METER INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL. 
          AND SO TO REALLY PLAN AND, UH, FORECAST ADDITIONAL CAPACITY FOR THAT INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE TWO ENTITIES CONTINUE TO TALK, AND SAWS IS NOW READY TO EXPAND THEIR METER INFRASTRUCTURE AND WILL LIKELY BE ON THAT PLATFORM THAT C P SS ENERGY PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED WHEN WE EXPANDED ALL OF OUR METER INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO VERY, UM, VERY ENGAGED IN MANY ASPECTS OF THE OPERATIONS AND RATE STRUCTURE AND RATE MAKING AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AND, UM, HOW WE FRUSTRATE CITIZENS WHEN ALL OF THE UTILITIES SHOW UP AT THE SAME TIME, . 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, THANK YOU. 
          UM, WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF HOW SAWS HAS DEVELOPED SINCE IT WAS CREATED, THE DIRECTIONS THAT IT'S TAKING ON VARIOUS THINGS? SURE. 
          WELL, HAVING EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRIOR WATER COMPANY BEFORE IT WAS SAWS, I WOULD SAY JUST THE, THE, UM, AND THEY'RE NOT PERFECT BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, BUT THE ORGANIZATION IS CERTAINLY MORE TRANSPARENT, MORE COMMUNITY FOCUSED THAN IT'S PREDECESSOR. 
          I, I DO HAVE THAT FRAME OF REFERENCE. 
          UM, AND IT'S HAD GROWTH PAINS. 
          IT'S, IT'S STRUGGLED INITIALLY WITH THE OVERALL WATER PLANNING, BUT I THINK THEY'VE COME THROUGH WITH THAT. 
          I THINK THE FACT THAT THEY'VE GROWN TO THINK ABOUT THIS RESOURCE FROM A REGIONAL STANDPOINT VERSUS JUST SERVING THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, ITS IMMEDIATE SERVICE TERRITORY, UM, THEY BROADEN THE VIEW. 
          I DO THINK WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO HAVE A BROAD VIEW BECAUSE WE HAVE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM CUSTOMERS. 
          UM, WATER IS OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE, AND WITHOUT IT, NOTHING ELSE REALLY WORKS. 
          AND I THINK THEY HAVE EVOLVED, UH, TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE, THE, THE ROLE THAT OUR WATER RESOURCE PLAYS IN THIS COMMUNITY. 
          UM, I, I DON'T, BECAUSE I'VE NOT HAD DIRECT INTERFACE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, UM, AND EVERY ORGANIZATION AS OLD AS SAS IS PROBABLY COULD USE SOME, UH, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, UH, AROUND MANY OF THEIR PROCESSES. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S FOR EVERY ORGANIZATION THAT EXISTS. 
          AND SO THAT'S PROBABLY AN AREA THAT NEEDS REVIEW MM-HMM. 
          , UM, AND CONTINUOUS FOCUS. 
          UM, BUT I THINK, I THINK GENUINELY THE BOARD HAS KEPT THEM VERY ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          THEY'VE DEALT WITH SOME VERY TOUGH ISSUES, UM, AND I THINK, I THINK THEIR POSITION TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT FOR THIS COMMUNITY. 
          I KNOW YOU WEREN'T IN A POSITION TO, TO DO MUCH OR MAYBE SAY MUCH ABOUT THE PROJECT, BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY ON THE VISTA RIDGE WATER PROJECT? I HAVE READ A LOT ABOUT IT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AND I, I WILL JUST AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, I THINK THE FACT THAT WE NOW HAVE THIS WATER RESOURCE IS GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, I THINK THE TRANSITION OF RISK WAS PRETTY CREATIVE. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE PROJECT THAT SAS HAD TO UNDERTAKE ITSELF. 
          LOOKS LIKE IT PROBABLY COULD HAVE BENEFITED FROM, UH, SOME CONTRACT FROM PROJECT MANAGEMENT. 
          I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DETAIL TO VALIDATE THAT. 
          UM, BUT I THINK OVERALL IT PLACES SAN ANTONIO IN A MORE WATER SECURE POSITION. 
          UM, AND THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE NEED TO BE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU, YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT WATER BEING IMPORTANT, OBVIOUSLY. 
          UH, WHAT'S YOUR VIEW OF THE PROTECTION OF THE AQUIFER AND SAWS ROLE IN THAT 
          [00:20:01]
AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SAWS SELLING AQUIFER WATER OUTSIDE OF OUR USUAL SERVICE DISTRICT? YEAH, THIS MORNING I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DETAIL TO REALLY WEIGH IN ON, ON THE PARTICULARS, BUT I WOULD SAY AS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO THE ALL TO THE OVERALL SOURCES OF WATER FACADES, WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE AT THE TABLE. 
          UM, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M PRETTY OLD SCHOOL AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SELLING OFF LAND OR SELLING OFF RESOURCES, I'M PERSONALLY HESITANT, SO I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY OR PROPOSAL. 
          SO, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S, IT'S, IT'S A VERY COMPLEX DEAL AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PARTICULARS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED THERE. 
          BUT OBVIOUSLY, UM, WITH THE AQUIFER BEING SUCH AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO THE OVERALL WATER RESOURCE FOR THIS COMMUNITY, SOLVES ABSOLUTELY HAS TO BE AT THE TABLE. 
          YEAH, THERE'S A WATER PROJECT, THE H TWO O PROJECT, UH, WHICH IS A DESALINIZATION PROJECT. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER GONE OUT THERE AND TAKEN A LOOK AT IT. 
          I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO DO THAT, BUT I KNOW THAT WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED, IT WAS DEVELOPED TO PRODUCE TWICE AS MUCH WATER AS IT PRODUCES TODAY. 
          AND THERE'S A LARGE PART OF IT THAT SIMPLY HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED, THAT ONE WHOLE SECTION OF THE BUILDING IS JUST EMPTY, WAITING FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, UH, OR ADDING THE ADDITIONAL, UH, EQUIPMENT TO DO ADDITIONAL WATER DESALINIZATION. 
          DO YOU THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THAT SA SHOULD BE LOOKING AT AS ANOTHER WAY OF, UH, DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL WATER RESOURCES? WELL, I THINK IT DEPENDS ON HOW SASS, I'D LOVE TO LOOK AT THEIR ASSUMPTIONS FOR GROWTH. 
          I DO KNOW THAT SASS AND C P S BOTH HAVE MORE AGGRESSIVE AND MANY TIMES MORE ACCURATE GROWTH ASSUMPTIONS BECAUSE THEIR GROWTH HORIZON IS BASED ON ACTUAL CONNECTIONS, WHEREAS THE CITY'S GROWTH HORIZON IS BASED ON PLATTING ACTIVITY, WHICH CAN BE DELAYED FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. 
          SO I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR GROWTH ASSUMPTIONS BEFORE, UM, WE WOULD CONSIDER ASKING OUR RATE PAYERS TO INVEST IN, UM, I'M SURE UPDATING OR UTILIZING THE CAPACITY OF THAT FACILITY THAT'S SITTING THERE. 
          BUT I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT FIRST. 
          GOOD. 
          WELL, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS THE BEST THAT YOU CAN. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE LIMITED INFORMATION RIGHT NOW. 
          I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN, UH, AND, AND BE VERY INDEPENDENT MINDED AS YOU LOOK AT THESE THINGS. 
          AND, UH, I HOPE THAT, UH, YOU BECOME A VERY SUCCESSFUL LEADER IF YOU'RE A SELECTED, UH, TO LEAD THIS BOARD. 
          AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. 
          THAT'S ALL, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          AND, UH, I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF YOU HEAR ANY BARKING IN THE, IN THE BACKGROUND. 
          UM, SO, UM, UH, MRS. BURLEY, WE HAD A CHANCE TO, TO TALK PREVIOUSLY. 
          THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE, THE TIME TO DO THAT AND, UM, FOR BEING WITH US HERE TODAY. 
          UM, I HAVE A, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. 
          UH, FIRST OF ALL, I, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON COUNCILWOMAN, UH, ROCHA GARCIA'S QUESTION REGARDING THE, THE AQUIFER FUNDING. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABOUT TO, THE CITY IS GOING TO CONSIDER, UM, THE REDIRECTION OF THAT, UH, ONE EIGHTH CENT PUTTING IT ON THE, ON THE BALLOT. 
          AND THERE'S CERTAINLY BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AND, UH, FEELINGS  ON ALL SIDES OF, OF THE ISSUE. 
          UM, SO I, I'D REALLY JUST LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH YOU IS, YOU KNOW, IF AND WHEN, UM, ACTUALLY, IF, WHEN THAT TAX IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO SA FOR, UH, CONSERVATION EASEMENT PURCHASES, JUST WONDERING, WHAT ROLE DO YOU FEEL SAS WILL TAKE, UH, OR SHOULD TAKE, UH, GOING FORWARD WHEN IT COMES TO CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, NEW ONES, UH, BUT ALSO, UH, EXISTING ONES? WELL, I WOULD HOPE THAT IN THE DISCUSSIONS THAT THE CITY AND SAS HAD ABOUT INCREASING THE OVERALL, UM, RETURN OF REVENUE THAT THE CITY RECEIVES, THAT SAWS WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO FUND, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, THE NECESSARY PROGRAMS GOING FORWARD, CONSERVATION AND THE, AND, UH, HAVING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS IN THE WHOLE PORTFOLIO OF HOW WE PROTECT OUR WATER SOURCE IS I, I THINK, NECESSARY 
          [00:25:01]
TO CONTINUE TO REVIEW, TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN OUR EXISTING EASEMENTS AND LOOK AT NEW ONES AS WE GROW IN THIS COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE OVERALL PLAN TO PROTECT OUR RESOURCE. 
          SO I WOULD, UM, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SHIFTING FOCUS AND ASKING THE CITIZENS TO MAKE DIRECTIONS ABOUT OR, OR GIVE US GUIDANCE ON WHERE THEY WANT TO SPEND THEIR DOLLARS, UM, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND ENSURE THAT WE CAN STILL FUND AND PROTECT THE NECESSARY COMPONENTS, ALL OF THE COMPONENTS WE HAVE WITH OUR, WITH OUR, WITH PROTECTING AND PROVIDING OUR WATER SOURCE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, AND THEN MY, MY NEXT QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH, UH, PROBABLY AN AGE OLD CONUNDRUM, AT LEAST SINCE UH, SAWS WAS CREATED, IS, UM, OFTEN THE, OUR CONSTITUENTS WILL CONFUSE US FOR SAWS AND SAWS FOR US, AND VICE VERSA. 
          AND, UM, FROM THE CONSTITUENT SERVICE POINT OF VIEW, THERE, THERE REALLY IS, UH, NO DIFFERENCE, RIGHT? SAWS WAS CREATED BY THE CITY, UM, AND SHOULD, UH, KIND OF, THEY ENVISION US ALIGNING AS, UM, SORT OF TWO ARMS OF THE SAME BODY. 
          SO, UM, I GUESS I'D LIKE TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT, AND I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU ON, YOU KNOW, IT COULD COME UP WHEN IT HAS TO DO WITH OPERATIONAL STUFF, CAPITAL STUFF, EVEN POLICY ISSUES LIKE THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED AND THAT SAS SUPPORTED. 
          I'D REALLY LIKE TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON, IS SAS A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM THE CITY, OR HOW DO WE HAVE THE SAME OBJECTIVES, BASICALLY? WELL, I THINK ALL OF THE ENTITIES HAVE THE SAME OBJECTIVE, AND THAT IS TO SERVE A CONSTITUENCY THAT LOOKS THE SAME, WHETHER WE SAW THE RATE PAYER FOR C P SS OR A PROPERTY TAXPAYER, OR A CITIZEN OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO WE ALL SERVE THE SAME OBJECTIVE AS TO SERVE THAT CONSTITUENCY. 
          HOWEVER, EACH ENTITY HAS, UM, DIFFERENT, UH, REGULATORY ISSUES THAT THEY MUST COMPLY WITH. 
          UM, AND, AND TO THE DEGREE THEY CAN, AND I, I'M SAYING THIS, HAVING BEEN IN THE TRENCHES FOR ALL THREE OF THOSE ENTITIES, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE BEEN AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TABLE WHERE I'VE PLAYED THE OWNER OF BOTH UTILITIES, AND I'VE ALSO BEEN AT A UTILITY AND BEEN ON THE RECEIVING END OF THAT. 
          AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THAT PARTICULAR, UH, UTILITY, UM, ARE DRIVING SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE. 
          AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT COORDINATION AND, UM, AND, AND WORKING COMPREHENSIVELY, AND I DON'T WANNA OVERSIMPLIFY IT BECAUSE IT IS VERY COMPLEX. 
          THERE ARE A MILLION PIECES TO THAT, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO GO FORWARD, BUT TO SUGGEST, UM, IT IS THE SAME ENTITY AND HAS THE SAME ISSUES. 
          WE HAVE THE SAME GOALS, BUT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT LEVERS THAT, THAT REQUIRE THOSE ENTITIES TO THINK A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY SOMETIMES, WHETHER IT'S A WASTEWATER FACILITY OR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REGARDING WASTEWATER OR THE PROTECTION OF O OF THE BULK ELECTRIC SYSTEM, THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT DRIVERS THAT REQUIRE DIFFERENT DECISIONS. 
          AND I THINK ALL ENTITIES NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT AND MAKE SURE THE OTHER UNDERSTANDS THAT, UM, AS WE'RE TRYING TO SERVE THE SAME CONSTITUENCY BASE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THANK YOU. 
          YEAH, THERE'S NO EASY ANSWER TO, TO THAT ONE. 
          IS THERE, UM, AND THEN, UH, THE NO , AND THEN THE, THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU HAS TO DO WITH, UM, UH, THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT THAT VISTA RIDGE WAS BUILT. 
          UM, WE THOUGHT, UM, NOT, NOT WE THOUGHT, BUT YOU, YOU WOULD IMAGINE THAT IT'S, IT'S UP, IT'S BUILT, IT'S OPERATIONAL, UM, THAT CHAPTERS CLOSE, BUT FOR SOME PEOPLE IT REALLY ISN'T. 
          AND WE STILL CONTINUE TO HEAR ABOUT IT, UM, AT COUNCIL. 
          SO I, I'M JUST WONDERING, UH, WHAT COULD YOU DO, UH, TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH THOSE FOLKS, UM, AND KIND OF, UH, FIND SOME RESOLUTION WITH, WELL, AS A PUBLIC SERVANT, I'VE LEARNED OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, NO ISSUE IS EVER DONE. 
          AND IN THE ROLE THAT YOU ARE IN, YOU OWE IT TO YOUR CONSTITUENCY TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE AND PROVIDE INFORMA FACTUAL INFORMATION TO THEM, UM, AND EXPLAIN THE BASIS FOR THE DECISION. 
          AND, AND MANY TIMES THEY WILL NEVER ACCEPT, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU ARE. 
          UM, THEY WILL NEVER ACCEPT THE BASIS FOR YOUR DECISION, AND THAT'S FINE, 
          [00:30:02]
BUT YOUR ROLE NEVER ENDS. 
          YOU MUST CONTINUE TO BE THERE AND PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO THE CONSTITUENCY AND TO THE CITIZENS AND EXPLAIN THE BASIS FOR THE DECISION, AND JUST UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE. 
          UM, AND, AND MANY TIMES, I, I STILL RUN INTO INDIVIDUALS THAT DON'T AGREE ON AN ANNEXATION DECISION THAT WAS MADE YEARS AGO, OR, UH, THE HAVE SENT SALES TAX FOR THE ALAMO DOME, AND, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, THE CITIZENS VOTED, THE COUNCIL MAY HAVE VOTED. 
          UM, AND YOU JUST NEED TO EXPLAIN THAT TO THE CITIZENS, AND IT'S NOT A PERSONAL ISSUE, BUT YOU, YOU JUST NEED TO MOVE ON, BUT CONTINUE TO BE THERE FOR THEM. 
          SO, I, UM, SO NO, THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          UM, BUT I, I GUESS I'M ASKING, WOULD THEY, WOULD YOU HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH THEM? ARE, WOULD YOU BE APPROACHABLE? MM-HMM. 
          , ABSOLUTELY. 
          YOU HAVE TO BE, YOU HAVE TO BE MM-HMM. 
          , YOU'RE SERVING THEM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR JOB. 
          UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE ROLE AS CHAIR MM-HMM. 
          , OKAY. 
          SO THEY COULD EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, MEETINGS WITH YOU, CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU, THEM, OR ANY OTHER, UM, ADVOCACY GROUPS. 
          UM, AND THEN, SORRY, THE, THE LAST QUESTION, I KNOW I SAID THAT WAS THE LAST QUESTION, BUT IN TERMS OF PREPARING FOR THIS ROLE, UH, CAN YOU, I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE YOUR, YOUR WHOLE CAREER HAS BEEN PREPARATION FOR THIS. 
          CERTAINLY YOU HAVE, UM, MANY EX WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND YOU BRING SUCH, UH, UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES AND VERY INFORMED, UH, PERSPECTIVES TO THIS ROLE. 
          UM, BUT IN TERMS OF, UH, SINCE YOU'VE BEEN TAPPED, UH, FOR THIS, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PREPARATION, UH, THAT YOU'VE DONE? WELL, I HAD A BRIEFING WITH ROBERT VERY HIGH LEVEL, UM, AND I ASKED HIM TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION WITH ME. 
          UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING WITH THE BOARD, UM, AND HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRIORITIES THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY THE PRIOR BOARD. 
          UM, AND TALKING WITH THE MAYOR AND UNDERSTANDING THE PRIORITY IS ESTABLISHED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AS WELL AS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          UM, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST DAYS WE'LL BE LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE ARE AND, AND WHAT'S, WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA, UM, AND HOW WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER. 
          AND I, I KNOW THAT, UM, THE CITY IS LOOKING AT THEIR BUDGET. 
          BOBS WILL BE LOOKING AT THEIR CAPITAL PROJECT BUDGET TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE MOVING PIECES, IF YOU WILL, AND HELPING A STRATEGY OR AN AGENDA TO UNDERTAKE, TO ADDRESS ALL OF THOSE MOVING ISSUES. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, JOANNE, I, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU. 
          UH, I MAY HAVE ONE, UH, ON THURSDAY, BUT, UH, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR STEPPING UP. 
          I, I, UH, ECHO THE COMMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUES AND SAYING THAT, UM, IF WE HAD TO, UM, FIND SOMEONE TO TAKE SAWS INTO THE NEXT ERA, UH, WE'VE PROBABLY FOUND A VERY PERFECT PERSON TO DO THAT. 
          I'M VERY EXCITED TO WORK WITH YOU, UM, ON THAT BOARD. 
          AND I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES ON THE BOARD WHO ARE, UH, CONTINUING ON, UH, ALSO, UH, YOU'VE ASPIRED SOME GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THIS COMMUNITY ALREADY WITH MANY DIFFERENT, UM, UH, POSTS AND PUBLIC SERVICE. 
          THE ONE THING I'D ASK FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT, UH, WHICH I THINK YOU'RE UNIQUELY SUITED FOR, IS THAT THIS CITY HAS HAD, THIS COMMUNITY, HAS HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF ABOUT THE WATER ENERGY NEXUS. 
          AND WE REALLY HAVE GOTTEN NOWHERE WITH THAT CONVERSATION. 
          BUT I THINK THE ASSETS IN SAN ANTONIO ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO BE OF GREAT BENEFIT, UH, NOT JUST FOR, UH, CONSUMERS AND OUR OVERALL, UM, YOU KNOW, POSITION AS AN ENERGY PRODUCER AND PROVIDER, UH, AND WATER, UH, PROVIDER, BUT ALSO, UH, ONE IN WHICH WE CAN BE A LEADER, UM, CERTAINLY HERE IN SOUTH TEXAS AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND PERHAPS THE WORLD WITH REGARD TO HOW WE BRING THESE TWO UTILITIES TO CREATE SOME SYNERGIES, UH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR PUBLIC. 
          SO, UH, IF WE CAN THINK ABOUT THAT, IT'S A CONVERSATION I'D LOVE TO HAVE WITH YOU AT SOME POINT, AND I KNOW THE, THE COUNCIL AND AND SAWS AND, AND PERHAPS EVEN C P S WOULD LOVE TO HAVE AS WELL. 
          SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANKS TO ALL OF YOU. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          UM, INE UH, REPRESENTS THE NORTH SECTOR. 
          UM, AND SO NOW WE HAVE THREE CANDIDATES EACH FOR THE SOUTH AND THE SOUTHEAST. 
          ALL OF THEM ARE QUEUED UP, AND I WILL 
          [00:35:01]
TAKE THEM IN ORDER BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL PREPARED TO COME IN ORDER. 
          SO WE'LL START, UM, EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND ROBIN FOR QUESTIONS. 
          I'M GOING TO LIMIT OUR QUESTIONS TO FIVE MINUTES EACH. 
          IF YOU DO, SO, TRY TAKE YOUR FIVE MINUTES SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THERE'S NO, UH, DUPLICATE QUESTIONS AND WE CAN KEEP THE CONVERSATION MOVING. 
          UM, BUT, UH, WE'LL START WITH FEMI ELLI. 
          FEMI WILL BE FOLLOWED BY ED MORRIS AND BOTH OF THEM, UH, ARE SEEKING THE SOUTH SECTOR NOMINATION. 
          HELLO. 
          HELLO, SAMMY, IF THAT'S YOU, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO, UH, TO THE COMMITTEE FOR QUESTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. 
          HELLO. 
          OKAY, GOOD. 
          THANKS. 
          UH, GOOD MORNING MAYO AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR SELECTING ME TO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE SO BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOMINATION PROCESS. 
          UH, MY NAME, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IS ALL RESPECT ME. 
          I OFTEN GO BACK, WAIT, WE JUST LOST YOUR AUDIO FOR A SECOND. 
          HELLO? GO AHEAD, BENNY. 
          OKAY. 
          SHOULD I RESTART OR, I WASN'T SURE IF YOU PICKED UP EVERYTHING I SAID UP TO NOW. 
          UH, YOU, YOU CAN, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND RESUME WHERE YOU WERE BEFORE. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, I WAS JUST TO SAY, I'M A 16 YEAR RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO AND HAVE BEEN A STORE CUSTOMER FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME. 
          UH, I OWN A SMALL BUSINESS CONSULTANCY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND I'M ALSO AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT WITH A GROUP OF WATER TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES BASED IN HOUSTON. 
          PREVIOUSLY, I WORKED FOR 12 YEARS AT SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE AS A SENIOR RESEARCH ENGINEER ON CONTRACTS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHERE I PERFORMED ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RELATED RISK ASSESSMENT TO INFORM THE LICENSING OF ENERGY FACILITIES NATIONWIDE. 
          DURING THIS PERIOD, I ALSO SERVED FOR SEVEN YEARS AS AN EXPERT ADVISOR TO THE US E P A ON MASTERS OF NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT WITH A DOCTORATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AND GRADUATE DEGREES IN HYDROLOGY, WATER RESOURCES AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT, AND WELL TRAINED IN THE NATURAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF WATER. 
          AND WITH NEARLY 30 YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, BANKING, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND RESEARCH, MY SPECIALIZATION IN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, WATER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS RISK MANAGEMENT, PUTS ME SQUARELY AT THE NEXT SOURCE OF WATER TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS, AND SOCIETY. 
          I'M ALSO EXTREMELY HONORED TO HAVE SERVED AS CO-CHAIR OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE CREATION OF OUR FIRST CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN AND ESSENTIAL ROADMAP TO SAN ANTONIO'S SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. 
          AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED, MY ROOTS ARE IN AFRICA WHERE MORE THAN 35% OF THE POPULATION STILL LIVES UNDER WATER STRESS CONDITION, AND NEARLY 40% OF URBAN RESIDENTS LACK ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER. 
          IN ESSENCE, EVERY GALLON OF WATER GOES A LONG WAY. 
          THEREFORE, I COULD CLAIM THAT WATER CONSERVATION RUNS DEEP IN MY BLOOD. 
          THROUGH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCI AFFILIATIONS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL WATER ASSOCIATION AND THE WATER ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS, I HAVE GAINED EXTENSIVE INSIGHT INTO SOIL, WATER, AND WASTEWATER SERVICES, AND HAVE INTERACTED PROFESSIONALLY WITH SEVERAL ENTITIES THAT CURRENTLY SERVE THE UTILITY AT THE PUBLIC WATER UTILITY SOURCE BELONGS TO THE RESIDENTS OF SAN ANTONIO, AND AS SUCH, SOURCE TOWARDS A CRITICAL PUBLIC ASSET THAT MUST BE MANAGED WITH UTMOST CARE AND IN GOOD FAITH, I BELIEVE THIS STEWARDSHIP IS REFLECTED IN THIS BOARD, IN THIS BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND IT'S GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ON THE BOARD, I COMMIT TO AFFORDING THE UTILITIES TRADITION OF PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY, CUSTOMER AFFORDABILITY, RESOURCE CONSERVATION, AND FISCAL INTEGRITY. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS INVITATION, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTION. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOCTOR. 
          UM, WE'LL, UM, COUNCIL QUESTION, COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA, AND MUCH, MUCH APPRECIATED YOUR, UH, PREPARED REMARKS THAT YOU HAD. 
          I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          UM, AND THIS IS, AND YOU MIGHT, YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS AS A BUSINESS PERSON, BUT OUR CONTINUE, UM, OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO GROW WITH BUSINESSES EXPANDING AND THEN PEOPLE MOVING TO OUR AREA. 
          A FEW YEARS AGO, THE SAUCE BOARD TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE FUTURE WATER SUPPLIES BY ENTERING INTO THE VISTA RIDGE PIPELINE. 
          AS A BOARD MEMBER, AS A SAAS BOARD MEMBER, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE NECESSARY TO ACCOMMODATE, TO ACCOMMODATE OUR 
          [00:40:01]
GROWING POPULATION? UM, I'D SAY, FIRST OF ALL, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE GROWING AND, UH, FROM MY EXPERIENCE AND ALSO THE DELIBERATIONS WE HAD DURING THE, THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLIMATE ACTION ADAPTATION PLAN, WE ARE LOOKING TO ABOUT A MILLION MORE RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO BY THE YEAR 2040. 
          AND SO IT'S, IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO A DIVERSE, UH, SOURCES OF WATER, UH, SUCH THAT WE DO NOT PLACE OURSELVES AT THE RISK OF RUNNING OUT OF WATER OR HAVING UNDUE CURTAILMENTS IF WE HAVE A SMALLER, UH, POOL OF WATER RESOURCES TO, TO DRAW FROM. 
          SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WITH A PROJECT LIKE  AND ALL THE OTHER, UM, OPPORTUNITY, ALL THE OTHER SOURCES AVAILABLE, UH, TO THE CITY, NOW THAT WE HAVE A DIVERSE SOURCE, A DIVERSE SOURCES OF WATER THAT WE CAN MINIMIZE THE RISKS OF, UH, OF, OF RUNNING INTO, UH, SHORTAGES. 
          AND ALSO, OF COURSE, AS A WAY TO MITIGATE, UH, THE, THE RISK OF DROUGHT. 
          UH, WHICH AS YOU MIGHT KNOW, WE MAY BE ENTERING, ENTERING INTO ANOTHER DRUG CYCLE, UH, UH, THIS YEAR POSSIBLY, BUT WE DON'T KNOW. 
          BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT GIVEN ALL THE NATURAL HOW  DEVELOPMENTAL, UM, UM, GROWTH EXPECTATIONS TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIVERSE SOURCES OF WATER. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          UM, QUESTION. 
          AND THAT WAS A, A QUESTION IN GENERAL ABOUT SAN ANTONIO AND OUR GROWING COMMUNITY, BUT NOW I'D LIKE YOU TO BRING IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO THE AREA YOU WOULD BE REPRESENTING, AND WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE TO BE THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE FOR THE SOUTH SIDE SOUTHEAST SECTOR, UH, RESIDENTS AND CUSTOMERS OF SOS FROM, UH, FROM MY OBSERVATION, AND ALSO AGAIN, UM, FROM THE VARIOUS, UH, MEETINGS WE'VE HAD, UH, DURING THE CAP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND, AND JUST BEING THE RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO AND, AND TALKING TO MY FELLOW SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, I WOULD SAY WITH RESPECT TO THE SOUTH SECTOR THAT I'M APPLYING FOR, UM, AN ISSUE THAT COMES UP VERY FREQUENTLY, AND ALSO I HAVE SEEN THIS EVEN IN THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS, IS, IS JUST THE AFFORDABILITY OF, OF WATER. 
          UM, WE HAVE A COMMUNITY, A GROUP OF COMMUNITIES IN THE, IN THE SOUTH SECTOR THAT WOULD GENERALLY, GENERALLY BE CONSIDERED VULNERABLE, EITHER BECAUSE THEY'RE LOW INCOME OR THEY'RE ELDERLY. 
          AND, UH, AND I THINK AFFORDABILITY IS ONE BIG ISSUE THAT, UH, THAT THE, THE SOUTH SECTOR IS LIKELY TO FACE. 
          AND THAT HAS COME UP ALREADY, AS I SAID, UH, IN, IN IN RECENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS, AND JUST FROM GENERAL DISCUSSIONS AND COMMENTS, UM, UH, IN THE PUBLIC. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THAT WAS MY LAST QUESTION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA. 
          UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR FEMI? COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, ARE YOU, SORRY, I FORGOT TO TURN ON MY MIC. 
          , THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR, UH, SUBMITTING YOUR NAME AS AN APPLICANT FOR THE POSITION. 
          AND, UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE TOLD US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE. 
          AND, UH, I THINK THAT YOU MAKE SOME VERY VALID POINTS ABOUT THE VALUE OF WATER, AND THAT'S WHETHER, UH, IT'S IN ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD OR RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY. 
          AND I SEE YOU'RE AWARE OF CONCERNS AND YOU'RE PART OF THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UH, THE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE THE KIND OF WATER RESOURCES IT NEEDS TO CONTINUE ITS DEVELOPMENT AND MEET THE NEEDS OF EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          UH, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THAT, UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU, UH, FIRST OFF, UM, WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM, AS YOU'VE LOOKED AT IT FROM THE OUTSIDE, LIKE MANY OF US HAVE FOR YEARS? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HOW THE, THE, UH, SYSTEM'S BEEN OPERATING AND THE GENERAL DIRECTION SAS TAKES ON WATER ISSUES? UM, I'LL START BY SAYING I'VE BEEN, UH, SINCE, SINCE I BECAME, SINCE MOVING TO SAN ANTONIO, I'VE BEEN VERY OBSERVANT OF, UH, OF SALT AND, UH, AND IT'S, AND IT'S ROLE, UH, AS A PRO, AS AN ENGINEER, AND ALSO AS A WATER SCIENTIST. 
          I HAVE BEEN INTERACTED, AS I SAID, IN IN MY OPENING REMARKS WITH, UH, SEVERAL OF THE ENTITIES THAT SERVE THE UTILITY THROUGH, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH MY PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS. 
          AND, UH, INCIDENTALLY, I USED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS, AND WE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE, UH, MEETINGS IN THE SORT BUILDING THE SECOND, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE BUILDING. 
          SO I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT A LOT WITH, WITH STAFF OF, WELL IN THOSE, UH, PROFESSIONAL MEETING SETTINGS. 
          OVERALL, I WOULD SAY THE UTILITY HAS, UM, HAS BEEN SOME, HAS BEEN QUITE 
          [00:45:01]
FORWARD LOOKING. 
          UH, AGAIN, I GO BACK TO MY PREVIOUS COMMENT ABOUT VISTA REGION AND ALSO THE DIVERSIFICATION OF WATER SOURCES. 
          I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, UH, THAT THAT SOIL HAS TAKEN THAT, THAT FORWARD LOOKING LONG VIEW OF PROTECTIVE AND, UH, PROTECT GUARANTEE AND SECURING OUR WATER, UH, SURFACE, UH, FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND REALLY LOOKING AT OUR GENERATIONS TO COME. 
          UH, ON THE MANAGEMENT SIDE, I WOULD SAY, AGAIN, I HAVE HAD HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS SEVERAL OF THE, UH, OF THE BOARD MEETINGS IN RECENT TIMES. 
          UM, I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE IN PERSON, BUT I HAVE, I HAVE MADE THE DUTY TO, TO CATCH UP ON THE VIDEOS. 
          AND I FEEL THAT ON THE, TECHNICALLY THE, THE, THE, THE STAFF ARE VERY QUALIFIED. 
          UH, THEY COME UP TO THE BOARD WITH A LOT OF, UH, CLEAR, UM, PRINCIPLES AND, UH, THEY'VE BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE TO THE BOARD IN TERMS OF PROVIDING BRIEFINGS ON THE CURRENT ACTIVITIES GOING ON, BE IT THE, WITH THE INTEGRATION, UH, AND, AND OPERATION PROJECTS. 
          UH, THEY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS TO ADDRESS, UH, SANITARY SEAL OVERFLOWS, YOU KNOW, THE ADVANCED TERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS CONNECT H TWO O AND, UH, THE PROTECTION PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          THESE ARE ISSUES THAT THESE, THE STAFF AND MANAGEMENT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME BRING TO THE BOARD AND, AND BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THE BOARD WITH VERY CLEAR, UM, STATUS AND OF COURSE CLEAR ISSUES THAT THEY'RE FACING, YOU KNOW, SEEKING THE BOARD'S, UH, OPINION AND, AND DIRECTION. 
          SO I THINK OVERALL, IT'S BEEN A VERY PROFESSIONALLY RUN ORGANIZATION, AND I THINK MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN VERY, VERY, UM, PROACTIVE AND ALSO VERY OPEN, UH, STAY IN, IN THESE DELIBERATIONS THROUGH THE BOARD MEETINGS. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SAS, UH, SPREADING THE WATER RESOURCES BEYOND THE SAN ANTONIO AREA? FOR EXAMPLE, MAYBE SELLING SOME AQUIFER WATER OR DISTRIBUTING SOME OF THE VISTA RIDGE WATER OVER TIME? HOW FAR SHOULD SAN ANTONIO GO IN SHARING ITS WATER RESOURCES, UH, WITHIN OUR REGION? UM, I'D SAY THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT, UH, I, I'LL JUST LAY OUT, UH, MY PRINCIPLE REALLY OF VIEW THIS SUBJECT BECAUSE I'M NOT PRIVY TO MANY OF THE, THE DETAILS YET. 
          BUT FROM WHAT I'VE OBSERVED AND JUST MY, MY PROFESSIONAL, UH, JUDGMENT, I SEE THE, FIRST OF ALL, THE AVAILABILITY OF DIVERSE SOURCES TO BE THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE TO ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT GET INTO A SITUATION WHERE WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF WATER AND WE DON'T HAVE THE SOURCES OF WATER, BECAUSE THEN IT BECOMES MORE EXPENSIVE TO GET THE NEXT AVAILABLE SOURCE OF WATER IN THE DESPERATE SITUATION. 
          BUT, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE ARE EXCESS, UH, AVAILABLE WATER, UM, I SEE NO, NO PROBLEMS WITH, WITH, UH, WITH SELLING THE WATER, IF IT DOES NOT UNDERMINE THE AVAILABILITY FOR SAN ANTONIO, GIVEN THE OBJECTIVE GROWTH. 
          UH, I'M GOING TO DRAW A PARALLEL HERE WITH CCPS ENERGY, WHERE THERE ARE SOME, UH, PROVISIONS OF WATER, OF, OF ENERGY, I'M SORRY, TO, TO SOME OF THE NEIGHBORING CITIES. 
          WHAT THAT DOES IS IT PROVIDES ANOTHER REVENUE STREAM, WHICH INVARIABLY, UH, INDIRECTLY HELPS REDUCE RATES BECAUSE THERE IS, UH, RISK FOR, FOR, UH, FOR SANTON, THERE IS THE, BECAUSE THERE IS THAT EXTERNAL, UM, WHAT, WHAT THEY CALL THE WHOLESALE MARKET AND THE ENERGY IN THE ELECTRICITY SPACE, UM, TO PROVIDE FOR, FOR, TO MEET SOME OF THE REVENUE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE, FOR THE UTILITY. 
          SO TO THAT EXTENT OF HELPING, TO THE EXTENT IT CAN HELP REDUCE THE RATES FOR SANTON, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE AND WOULD CERTAINLY WANT TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO, TO, UH, TO SELL THE WATER, UM, TO NEIGHBOR UTIL WITHOUT UNDERMINING THE AVAILABILITY FOR SAN ANTONIO WORKFORCE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR FEMI. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, DR. 
          ROSSELLI, UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO, UH, OUR NEXT CANDIDATE FOR THE SOUTH SECTOR, AND WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET ED ON THE PHONE. 
          HE'S THERE, SIR. 
          OH, ED, ARE YOU THERE? ED? ARE YOU, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? FREE PARKING WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE REAR OF THE BUILDING. 
          OTHER SERVICES OFFERED AT SEVEN 19 SOUTH SANTA ROSA INCLUDE PASSPORT PROCESSING, PUT HELPER. 
          OKAY. 
          ONE SECOND WHILE WE GET ED BACK. 
          [00:50:09]
WE'RE GETTING ED ON THE LINE HERE. 
          ONE SECOND. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          THERE YOU ARE, ED. 
          UH, IS THAT YOU? YES, GOOD MORNING. 
          OH, GOOD MORNING, ED. 
          UM, SO ALL THE CANDIDATES HAVE THREE MINUTES, UH, FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS SO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          AND GOOD MORNING, UH, THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR GIVING ME THE TIME TO DISCUSS THIS OPPORTUNITY. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO BEGIN BY PROVIDING YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT MYSELF. 
          UM, I'M A NATIVE OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, I GREW UP IN SOME OF THE POOREST ZIP CODES IN SAN ANTONIO, AND THAT REALLY HELPED SHAPE MY VIEW OF PUBLIC SERVICE. 
          I WAS FORTUNATE TO OBTAIN A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY FROM ARVILLE LAKE UNIVERSITY, AND THEN A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FROM MATERNITY UNIVERSITY. 
          I'VE LIVED IN THE SOUTHERN END OF D TWO, CLOSE TO D THREE FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS. 
          UM, I'M MARRIED WITH THREE CHILDREN WHO'VE ATTENDED OR ARE CURRENTLY ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE AREA. 
          SO WE LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. 
          UM, I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES AFFECTING THIS COMMUNITY PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY, BOTH ON A MACRO AND MICRO LEVEL REGARDING MY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES. 
          YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE THROUGHOUT MY CAREER TO HAVE WORK IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND NONPROFIT SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY, AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SERVE IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS. 
          I UNDERSTAND PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, I UNDERSTAND PUBLIC SERVICE, AND PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, I UNDERSTAND AND POSSESS THE PASSION REQUIRED TO FULLY EXECUTE THE ROLE OF A, OF A PUBLIC SERVANT. 
          UM, I BEGAN MY CAREER AS A GRADUATE SCHOOL INTERN, PROGRESSED PROFESSIONALLY THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ORGANIZATION, ULTIMATELY SERVING AS AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, AND I WAS ALSO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS AT C P S ENERGY AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR A LARGE CIVIL ENGINEERING FIRM. 
          I HAD BENEFITED GREATLY BY, UH, HAVING SERVED IN ALL SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY AND IN A VARIETY OF OPERATIONAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND, AND LEADERSHIP ROLES. 
          UM, BUT IN ADDITION TO MY EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, I ALSO POSSESS A, A PASSION FOR PUBLIC SERVICE THAT'S PROMPTED ME TO BE CIVICALLY ENGAGED THROUGH VOLUNTEERING AND SERVING IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN AVAR VARIETY OF NONPROFIT BOARDS. 
          I SERVED AS THE CHAIR OF THE MARCH OF DIMES BOARD. 
          I'M THE INCOMING CHAIR FOR THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION. 
          I CO-CHAIR THE MARKETING COMMITTEE FOR THE MISSION HERITAGE PARTNERS BOARD, UM, AND BEEN ON THE BOARD OF THE WEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          UM, ADDITIONALLY, THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT HAS PROVIDED ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOARDS. 
          SO BOTH BEING A BOARD MEMBER AND RESPONDING TO BOARD MEMBERS, I UNDERSTAND BOARD GOVERNANCE ISSUES AND HAVE EXPERIENCE NAVIGATING THE NUANCES REQUIRED FOR BOARD MEMBERS TO MAINTAIN AN INDEPENDENT MINDSET, WHILE ALSO ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          AS TO WHY SAW THAT, I THINK THE THE ANSWER IS RELATIVELY SIMPLE. 
          NO ONE, ONE LOOKS UP THE STORY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          THAT STORY HAS ALWAYS REVOLVED AROUND WATER, FROM WATER QUANTITY TO WATER QUALITY ISSUES. 
          WATER HAS SHAPED THE COMMUNITY DIALOGUE SINCE SAN ANTONIO'S INCEPTION OVER 300 YEARS AGO. 
          I APPRECIATE THE ROLE WATER HAS PLAYED AND WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY IN SAN ANTONIO'S STORY. 
          SO IN ONE LOOK TO FUTURE ISSUES FACING SOIL TO INCLUDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUES, HOUSING ISSUES, AFFORDABILITY ISSUES, WATER QUALITY ISSUES, AUTOMATED METERING, UM, I'M EXCITED TO LEND MY BACKGROUND, MY EXPERIENCE, MY INTEREST IN PUBLIC SERVICE TO HELP THE ORGANIZATION AND THE COMMUNITY BY EXTENSION. 
          I WANNA BE SENSITIVE OF YOUR TIME AND RESPECTFUL OF OTHER BOARD MEMBERS. 
          THEREFORE, CONCLUDE MY REMARKS, AND I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS THE COMMITTEE MAY HAVE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ED. 
          UM, WE'LL START, UH, QUESTIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROSA GARCIA. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          AND, AND THANK YOU ED FOR, UM, THAT THOUGHTFUL, UH, INSIGHT THAT YOU PROVIDED US THAT I APPRECIATE THAT YOU BUILT IN THE HISTORY OF WATER IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          MY QUESTION IS, WHAT WAS THE LAST SA BOARD MEETING THAT YOU EITHER ATTENDED OR WATCHED? UM, AND WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ASKED IF YOU WERE A BOARD MEMBER OR WHAT TYPE OF QUESTIONS IN GENERAL? SO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I PARTICIPATED IN A, UH, I HELPED LEAD A, A DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT THAT LOOKED AT DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN THE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN SECTION SECTOR OF, OF TOWN. 
          UH, AT THAT TIME, I ATTENDED A COUPLE OF BOARD MEETINGS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING BEEN, UM, HAVING INTERFACED WITH SAS HAT, WEARING MY CITY HAT, WEARING MY C P S HAT AS WELL AS ON THE PRIVATE SECTOR, UM, I THOUGHT THE BOARD DID A, A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES AT HAND. 
          UM, I THINK THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, WATCHING THEM, UH, GET INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY WAS, WAS, UM, WAS ENCOURAGING. 
          I'M NOT SURE, YOU KNOW, I COULD ADD MUCH MORE TO, UH, WHAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. 
          AND THE BOARD MEMBERS WERE ENGAGED AND WERE ASKING, YOU KNOW, VERY THOUGHTFUL AND, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS THAT WERE REFLECTIVE OF THE FACT THAT THAT'S STUDIED THE MATERIAL AHEAD OF TIME. 
          . 
          THANK YOU. 
          ED, HAVE YOU SEEN THE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 19 
          [00:55:01]
ON TOMORROW'S SAUCE BOARD AGENDA? NO, I HAVE NOT. 
          IT'S, UH, AN ITEM ABOUT, UM, BASICALLY, UH, ANY DISCUSSION THAT YOU AS A BOARD MEMBER WOULD WANT TO BRING UP. 
          IT'S LITERALLY LISTED AS INQUIRIES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 
          AND SO I'M WONDERING WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS WOULD YOU BE ASKING AS A BOARD MEMBER? YOU'RE, YOU'RE CUTTING OUT A LITTLE BIT, BUT YOU SAID IT WAS AN AGENDA ITEM REGARDING INPUT ON WHAT INQUIRIES. 
          SO THEY ALLOW YOU TO BRING FORWARD INQUIRIES OR, UM, JUST BRIEFINGS, REQUESTS FOR BRIEFINGS. 
          WHAT WOULD BE MAYBE ONE OF THE FIRST BRIEFINGS THAT YOU ASKED FOR AS A BOARD MEMBER? OH, I SEE, UM, PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE, WHAT THE BOARD OR WHAT THE ORGANIZATION'S PLANS ARE FOR FUTURE, UH, METERING ISSUES. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT AUTOMATED METERING HAS BECOME A, YOU KNOW, HOT TOPIC FOR UTILITIES OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO. 
          AND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING FOR, FOR WHAT SAUL'S UH, ENVISIONS FOR THAT AND ANY IMPACT THAT MAY HAVE ON, ON AFFORDABILITY ISSUES. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, ED. 
          MAYOR, THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA. 
          UH, ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR F OKAY, IF THERE ARE NONE. 
          UH, NOPE. 
          THERE YOU GO. 
          JOHN, I SEE YOUR HAND. 
          UH, GO AHEAD, JOHN. 
          YOU HAVE A, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. 
          UM, I'M GONNA ASK, UH, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR, YOUR OVERALL VIEW OF THE DIRECTION THAT SAWS HAS BEEN TAKING AS AN ORGANIZATION AND IN OUR COMMUNITY IN DEALING WITH WATER ISSUES. 
          YOU KNOW, ONE BIG ISSUE WAS VISTA RIDGE. 
          UH, ANOTHER IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, TAKING CARE OF A FEDERAL MANDATE ON EXPANDING AND IMPROVING OUR, UH, WASTEWATER SYSTEM, UH, AND SEWER SYSTEM. 
          HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO FOLLOW THOSE ISSUES YOURSELF? DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION OF HOW SIZE HAS HANDLED THOSE? I HAVE, AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL TELL YOU, HAVING GROWN UP IN, IN SAN ANTONIO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A PRODUCT OF OUR PAST. 
          AND, AND IN IN PARTICULAR, I FOLLOWED THE VISTA RIDGE PROJECT QUITE CLOSELY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UH, GROWING UP I HEARD DISCUSSION FROM APPLE Y TO DISCUSSIONS OF, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES EXPRESSING, YOU KNOW, HESITATION REGARDING RELOCATING SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE OF LIMITED WATER SUPPLIES. 
          SO I, I THINK SAS WAS VERY PROACTIVE AND FORWARD THINKING IN IDENTIFYING AND SECURING AN ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCE, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF HOW THEY DEALT WITH THAT, WITH THE COMMUNITY, I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A DIFFICULT, IT'S A DIFFICULT TASK RIGHT THERE. 
          THERE'S ALWAYS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE DONE, YOU KNOW, THIS OR THAT BETTER, BUT I THINK OVERALL THEY, THEY HAD A, A VERY POSITIVE AND PROACTIVE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS STRATEGY. 
          I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WATCHING THEM FROM WHEN I FIRST ENTERED, YOU KNOW, MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER TO NOW I, AT LEAST FROM THE OUTSIDE, IT APPEARS THAT THEIR, UH, COMMUNITY DIALOGUE HAS BECOME MORE SOPHISTICATED, MORE THOUGHTFUL, MORE PROACTIVE, MORE ENGAGED. 
          AND, UH, I'VE ALSO SEEN THAT AS WELL ON THE, WITH THE, WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. 
          THEY'RE VERY ENGAGED AND, AND RESPONSIVE TO QUESTIONS FROM, FROM THAT SECTOR OF THE, OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, UM, BRINGING IN, UH, MORE WATER THROUGH VISTA RIDGE AND ALSO WE HAVE THE, UH, DESALINIZATION PLANT, UH, WE HAVE UNDERGROUND STORAGE. 
          UH, HOW FAR DO YOU THINK, UH, WE SHOULD GO WITH OUR PROTECTION OF AQUIFER ITS RESOURCES, BUT DISTRIBUTING WATER FROM ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT INPUTS TO A REGIONAL COMMUNITY AROUND SAN ANTONIO? WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK REFLEXIVELY, I'M, I'M A LITTLE GUARDED, RIGHT? JUST AGAIN, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE VIABILITY OF OUR, OF OUR WATER RESOURCES. 
          BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT AT SOME POINT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY AND, AND WE WORK AT A REGIONAL LEVEL, I, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULDN'T, I THINK IT'D BE, UH, NAIVE TO SHUT THAT, THAT CONCEPT DOWN COMPLETELY. 
          UM, HAVING SAID THAT, AGAIN, I'M KIND OF REFLEXIVELY A LITTLE GUARDED, JUST HAVING, UH, UH, REALLY UNDERSTOOD OUR, OUR LIMITATIONS IN THE PAST. 
          YOU KNOW, INCREASINGLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT, AT, AT DEVELOPMENT IN THIS COUNTRY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN PARTICULAR, THERE ARE REGIONAL MODELS, RIGHT? SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THAT SAN ANTONIO DOES NOT EXIST IN LIGHT ISLAND, WE HAVE 13, 16 SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES. 
          WE'RE SURROUNDED BY OTHER JURISDICTIONS. 
          YOU KNOW, IT'S, UM, IT WOULD BE NAIVE AND SHORTSIGHTED NOT TO INTERFACE WITH THEM. 
          BUT AGAIN, UH, WE HAVE TO PUT THE, THE NEEDS OF THE CITY FIRST AND, AND BE VERY STRATEGIC AND SOPHISTICATED IN HOW WE HANDLE THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S GONE THROUGH A LOT OF GROWTH AND WILL CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH GROWTH. 
          [01:00:01]
UH, IN ORDER FOR THAT GROWTH TO TAKE PLACE, THE CITY NEEDS TO EXTEND ITS UTILITIES. 
          HOW FAR DO WE GO IN EXTENDING OUR C P S ENERGY UTILITIES OR WATER UTILITIES? UH, DO WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND DEVELOPMENTS THAT GO OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY BORDERS, OUTSIDE OF OUR OJT, OUTSIDE OF THE ACTUAL, UH, AREAS THAT ARE MANDATED BY OUR WATER, UH, RESOURCES TO HANDLE, UH, DO WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT KIND OF GROWTH? SO, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING, I THINK WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SOILS, UH, A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY DIALOGUE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY REVOLVES AROUND WATER, BUT SEWER ACTUALLY PLAYS A, A HUGE ROLE IN, IN DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, A MILLION MORE PEOPLE COMING IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DECADES, THERE'S A WHOLE SECTORS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY THAT HAS NO SEWER. 
          SO, ABSENT AN OVERALL STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FRAGMENTED APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT. 
          SO, BEFORE WE EVEN LOOK OUTSIDE OF BEXAR COUNTY, I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE INFILL OPPORTUNITIES FOR BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF, OF WATER AS WELL AS PROVIDING SEWER. 
          OTHERWISE, YOU HAVE DEVELOPMENT THAT'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, PACKAGED PLANTS AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT IN AND OF THEMSELVES MAY NOT BE BAD, BUT OVERALL MAY PROVIDE A PATCHWORK APPROACH TO, TO, UH, SEWER AND WATER. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, FOR WHATEVER IT'S WORTH, YOU KNOW, NOT TRYING TO BE COY WITH THE, WITH THE BROADER QUESTION. 
          I, I UNDERSTAND IT. 
          UM, WHAT I'M SUGGESTING IS THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY ITSELF WHERE WE CAN REALLY, UH, LOOK TO EXTEND, UH, WATER AND SEWER. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T REALLY GROW NORTH, THERE'S A LOT OF GROWTH FAR WEST. 
          THERE REALLY IS GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST, AND SAS COULD BE AN IMPORTANT PLAYER IN SHAPING WHAT THAT DEVELOPMENT LOOKS LIKE. 
          THANK YOU, MR. MORRIS. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CURTISS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ED? THANKS, ED. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO OUR NEXT CANDIDATE. 
          UM, THANK YOU. 
          THIS, THIS CANDIDATE IS FOR THE SOUTHEAST SECTOR, UH, LETICIA. 
          OZUNA. 
          LETICIA, ARE YOU THERE? YES, I'M HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, LETICIA, WE, WE ARE GIVING EACH CANDIDATE THREE MINUTES, UH, FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT. 
          THEN WE'LL GO TO QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE SO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          HI, UM, I'M LETICIA OZUNA. 
          UM, I LIKE TO CALL MYSELF A TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL WITHOUT BOUNDARIES. 
          UM, I'M A SOFTWARE SYSTEMS ENGINEER, A SECURITY ENGINEER, A DATA ARCHITECT. 
          UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN A BUSINESS OWNER AND I'VE SERVED ON THE CITY COUNCIL, AND I LIVE ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, WHICH WHERE I HAVE RAISED MY FAMILY. 
          THIS IS MY HOME. 
          UM, I HAVE A MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN CYBERSECURITY FROM OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY. 
          IT'S A NATIONAL CENTER FOR ACADEMIC, UM, EXCELLENCE IN CYBER DEFENSE. 
          AND I'VE WORKED AS A CYBERSECURITY PROFESSIONAL FOR OVER 15 YEARS. 
          BUT I JUST WANT TO COME BACK AROUND AND SAY, YOU KNOW, ASIDE FROM ALL OF MY EXPERTISE IN BUILDING RESILIENCE SYSTEMS, I, THIS IS MY HOME. 
          UM, I LIVE HERE ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME IS MR. SAM, WHO'S LIVED IN THE AREA SINCE 1966. 
          UM, HE HAS HIS DREAM HOME THAT HE HAND WATERS EVERY MORNING. 
          UM, HE KNOWS ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS BY FIRST NAME, AND HE AND HIS WIFE, THEY KEEP AN EYE ON THE BLOCK, RIGHT? THEY MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS SHIPPED SHAPE AND TAKEN CARE OF. 
          AND I HAVE FRIENDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL, UM, PEOPLE THAT ARE COUNSELORS AND TEACHERS IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALK, NOT ONLY DO WE SHARE NOTES ON TAKING CARE OF REALLY OLD HOMES, UM, WE TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE KIDS AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THEIR FAMILIES. 
          A LOT OF 'EM, YOU KNOW, UM, COME FROM, UM, FAMILIES THAT HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES AND THEY'RE ECONOMICALLY STRESSED. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I, I MANAGE TEAMS, UM, AND I'VE DONE IT FOR A LONG TIME. 
          UM, MULTIMILLION DOLLAR TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS WITH AN EYE TOWARDS LASTING AND RESILIENT OUTCOMES. 
          I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE MY RESUME, BUT I'VE WORKED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, UM, PROVIDING, UM, SOUND ADVICE AND TRYING TO KEEP, UH, SYSTEMS AND PROFESSIONALS AND, YOU KNOW, THE FOLKS THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THE CHOICES ON BOARD WITH WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          UM, I'M A HANDS-ON MANAGER AND I'M ALWAYS OPEN TO INPUT AND I'VE GOT A DEMONSTRATED ABILITY TO WEIGH OPTIONS AND, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY JUST KIND OF GET THE JOB DONE. 
          [01:05:01]
UM, YOU KNOW, I'M EXPERIENCED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVEN FOR SAN ANTONIO, MY INFORMATION SECURITY BACKGROUND IS KIND OF UNUSUAL FOR, UM, A REGIONAL OR MUNICIPAL LEADER. 
          UM, AND I LIKE TO THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN DO, UM, I CAN BRING FORWARD, UM, TO WORK WITH THE CITY AND WITH OUR REGION, AND ESPECIALLY WITH SUCH A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF SAS. 
          IT'S A, YOU KNOW, I, AS WORKING AS A CITY COUNCILWOMAN, I FEEL LIKE I'M PRETTY WELL ATTUNED TO A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES, UM, FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THE INFORMATION DIVIDE, UM, THE WAY THAT FOLKS ARE PRIORITIZING WHAT GETS PAID AND WHAT DOESN'T GET PAID, ESPECIALLY AT A TIME LIKE THIS. 
          AND I THINK THAT I CAN HELP TAKE CARE OF MY OWN COMMUNITY, PROVIDE, UH, GOOD AND SOUND COUNSEL, UM, ON THE BOARD TO, UM, OUR SAS LEADERSHIP AND, YOU KNOW, JUST BE, UM, AN EFFECTIVE LISTENER. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LETICIA. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO, UH, COUNCIL QUESTIONS. 
          UM, WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA, JIM MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, THAT INTRODUCTION AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS COUNCILPERSON. 
          UM, AS WELL, I, I, UH, APPRECIATE YOUR ROLE THERE. 
          UM, I HAVE JUST TWO QUESTIONS. 
          MY FIRST ONE IS ON ITEMS NUMBER 17 AND 18 ON THE SAS BOARD AGENDA TOMORROW. 
          UM, THEY ARE REGARDING VISTA RIDGE. 
          THERE'S EVEN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE MATTER. 
          HAVE YOU DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THE PROJECT? AND, UM, IF SO, WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING INFORMATION, UM, THAT YOU'VE FOUND, AND WHY IS IT SO INTERESTING? YEAH, I THINK THE VISTA RIDGE, IT'S, IT'S MULTIFACETED IN, UM, TERMS OF, UM, HOW, UM, HOW WE'RE MANAGING THE, THE CONTRACTS AROUND THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, ABOUT THE FUTURE OF SAFEGUARDING, UM, OUR WATER SUPPLY. 
          I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S KEY. 
          UM, THAT'S, UM, THAT'S A VERY KEY ISSUE FOR SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE, UH, HAVE ENOUGH TO HAVE A, A ROBUST OR, YOU KNOW, A, A RESILIENT CITY. 
          UM, AND, AND THE OTHER IS, YOU KNOW, WATCHING THE, THE FINANCIALS, UM, ON, UH, ON THE INVESTMENT, RIGHT? I MEAN, VISTA RIDGE IS A LONG BET FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND I, I THINK IT'S A SOUND BET. 
          IT'S JUST MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THE UNDERPINNINGS AROUND THAT, UM, THAT WE, YOU KNOW, KEEP BASICALLY THE SAME, UM, TYPES OF, UM, UH, UH, I GUESS I PUT IT LIKE AS A HEDGE, RIGHT? LIKE WE WENT IN, UM, THINKING ABOUT THE, UM, THE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA MANAGE RATES, THE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, UM, OUR, OUR, THAT OUR FORECASTS ARE STILL FOUND. 
          AND, AND THAT TO ME, AND THERE'S LIKE A LOT OF MOVING PIECES WITH MR. RIDGE. 
          UM, BUT I THINK THAT, UM, I HAVE AN ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND I, YOU KNOW, CAN KIND OF KEEP A GOOD EYE ON WHAT WORKS BEST FOR, AND IT'S BEYOND LIKE THE CITY, RIGHT? I MEAN, THIS IS AN AREA OF 1.8 MILLION PEOPLE. 
          SO WHAT IS IN OUR BEST LONG-TERM INTEREST TO SECURE OUR WATER FUTURE? AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT, LIZ, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOUR COMMUNITY, I HAVE NO DOUBT, THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST, UM, AREAS. 
          I'M WONDERING HOW YOU WOULD WORK WITH, WITH SURROUNDING AREAS TO GET THEIR INPUT ON THE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, UM, IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE OUR SURROUNDING, UH, BEXAR COUNTY AREA. 
          YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT GO IN AND, UM, IT, IT'S HOUSEHOLDS, RIGHT? THAT, UM, UNDERPIN THE MAJORITY OF THE, UM, OF THE CONNECTIONS OF THE ACCOUNTS, UM, FOR SAWS. 
          AND IT'S A MUNICIPAL UTILITY, RIGHT? WE'RE BEHOLDEN TO OUR, UM, TO THE PUBLIC STAKEHOLDERS. 
          SO, I MEAN, TO ME, IT'S DOING A GOOD JOB AND TALKING ABOUT HOW WE'RE MANAGING NOT JUST CONSERVATION AND OUR WATER FUTURE, BUT IT'S ALSO DOING A GOOD JOB TALKING ABOUT RATES AND TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE FORECAST, UM, AS, AS, AS THE, THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF RACE WITH OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? I MEAN, THIS COMMUNITY IS SUPER SENSITIVE TO, UM, HIKES AND PRICES, AND NO MATTER IF IT'S TENNIS SHOES OR THE PRICE OF CHICKEN, OR LIKE HOW MUCH THEY'RE PAYING ON THEIR MONTHLY WATER BILL, AND IT, IT, IT'S THAT PART OF IT THAT, UM, THAT I, I, I FEEL LIKE WE WANNA BE REALLY ATTUNED TO FOR THE GREATER AREA, RIGHT? NOT JUST, I THINK IT'S A MISNOMER TO THINK THAT EVERYBODY THAT'S, UM, ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED IS ALL LIKE, 
          [01:10:01]
YOU KNOW, SOUTH OF COMMERCE, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. 
          IT'S DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT OUR CITY. 
          IT'S IN POCKETS EVERYWHERE. 
          AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT IS AN ISSUE THAT WE WANT TO HAVE TO DO REALLY GOOD MESSAGING THAT ABOUT HOW WE'RE MAKING OUR DECISIONS ON RATES ON OUR WATER FUTURE, ON HOW WE'RE MANAGING CONSERVATION, ON HOW WE'RE MANAGING, UM, OUR CONNECTIONS AND LIKE HOW WE'RE TAKING CARE OF FOLKS THAT ARE STRUGGLING. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR, UH, LETICIA OR COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE? THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, MS. OZUNA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRIOR SERVICE ON THE COUNCIL AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP FORWARD AND, AND SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY. 
          AGAIN. 
          UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU, UH, A KIND OF AN OPINION QUESTION ON WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE ROLE OF SAWS WHEN IT COMES TO CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, UH, PROTECTING, UH, OUR PRIMARY SOURCE OF WATER, THE AQUIFER? YEAH. 
          UM, I THINK, UH, SAWS IS, YOU KNOW, AT THE FOREFRONT, UM, OF, WELL, THEY, THEY SET THE EXAMPLE, THEY SET THE EXAMPLE FOR, UM, UH, FOR OTHER, UM, OTHER INDUSTRY PARTNERS. 
          THEY SET THE EXAMPLE WHAT, LIKE, WHAT WE EXPECT FROM, UM, MAJOR BUSINESSES COMING IN. 
          THEY, UH, SET THE EXAMPLE TO THE PUBLIC, UM, IN TERMS OF, UM, SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT THEY, UM, UNDERTAKE AND HOW THEY, UM, WORK WITH THE PUBLIC ON, UM, WATER CONSERVATION ON, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND UPGRADE, UM, AND ON, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THAT, YOU KNOW, SAWS AND THE RATE PAYERS. 
          WE ARE, UM, ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. 
          AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE THE TRUSTEES, UH, COUNCIL IS INVALUABLE, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY STAY INTACT. 
          BECAUSE WE, I, YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO CARES A LOT ABOUT WATER CONSERVATION. 
          WE'RE, UM, RAZOR FOCUSED ON, UM, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GO INTO ANY OF THE DROUGHT OR CONSERVATION ADVISORIES FOR OUR HOUSEHOLDS. 
          SO KEEPING SOLVES ON MESSAGE AND ON POINT AND WORKING TO LOOK FOR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE THAT MESSAGING AND STAYING ON POINT AND STAYING AT THE FOREFRONT, I THINK THAT'S, UM, A, A, A CRITICAL ROLE FOR THE UTILITY. 
          UM, YOU MENTIONED, UH, PUBLIC INPUT AND YOU KNOWS SAS HAS A RATE ADVISORY COUNCIL RIGHT NOW LOOKING AT FUTURE RATE HIKES. 
          DO YOU FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY? IT'S SOMETHING THE BOARD SHOULD BE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION? WELL, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          IT'S, I, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT UNDERPINS THOUGHTS AND WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE AND MAKES IT REALLY SPECIAL AND WHY, UM, I, UM, WHY I WOULD LIKE TO SERVE IS THAT IT'S A MUNICIPAL, IT'S A MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY, UM, UH, UTILITY. 
          AND IT SERVES A, A, A REALLY LARGE AREA, RIGHT? IT'S, IT GOES OFF TO, UH, I THINK IT'S LIKE 16 SEPARATE CITIES. 
          SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A WAY OF DOING CITIZEN, UM, INPUT. 
          YOU HAVE TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY ARE HEARD AND, YOU KNOW, UH, BRINGING EVERYONE IN TO TOWARDS, TO A CITY COUNCIL MEETING, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, JUST LEAVING IT, UM, YOU KNOW, AN OUTSIDE CHANNEL ISN'T REALLY THE VISIBILITY THAT, UM, THAT WE WOULD, WE WANT, YOU KNOW, AND AT THE SAME TIME, RIGHT, WITH ALL THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LET PEOPLE KNOW, UM, WHAT'S GOING ON TO A GOOD MESSAGE OF BRINGING THEM IN AND NOT LETTING THE FORUMS GET HIJACKED BY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SEVERAL SOURCES OF, OF WATER COMING IN, VISTA RIDGE AND THE AQUIFER. 
          WE HAVE CONTRACTS WITH A FEW OTHER, UH, REGIONAL WATER PURVEYORS, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE SMALL. 
          WE HAVE OUR, OUR OWN, UH, IN-HOUSE PROJECTS LIKE THE DESAL PLANT, UH, AND, UH, OUR, UH, AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY AREA. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , UH MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO HOW FAR DO WE GO IN, IN SHARING OR DISTRIBUTING OUR WATER SUPPLIES, UH, BEYOND, UH, SAN ANTONIO, BEYOND BEXAR COUNTY? I UNDERSTAND WE SHARE IT WITH THE OTHER 26 CITIES THAT ARE PART OF THE COUNTY IN AND AROUND, BUT HOW FAR DO YOU THINK WE GO 
          [01:15:01]
WITH SHARING THOSE WATER RESOURCES, UH, SELLING THOSE, UH, LIKE SELLING AQUIFER WATER OR THINGS LIKE THAT? YEAH, I'M GLAD, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT. 
          I MEAN, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO, IT'S NOT STATIC, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GROWING THIS, THIS, THE DEFINITION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OR THE CITY OR THE URBAN BOUNDARIES OR THE DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, WHICH AREAS COME UNDER DEVELOPMENT THAT'S ALWAYS UNDERGOING CHANGE. 
          AND THE, THE CITY ALWAYS HAS TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE STRATEGIC MOVE TO SAFEGUARD ITS ECONOMIC HEALTH, TO SAFEGUARD, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, THE, THE WELLBEING LIKE THE, THE INDUSTRIAL, THE FINANCIAL WELLBEING OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE, ONE OF OUR KEY ROLES IS TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO LOOK DOWN THE ROAD AS LONG AS, YOU KNOW, 30 TO 50 YEARS. 
          THAT'S WHAT THESE MAJOR, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, UM, ARE ALL ABOUT. 
          THAT'S WHAT, UM, WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE LEADERS, UM, IN THESE ROLES ARE TASKED TO DO. 
          SO I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD EVER SAY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES AND WE WILL NEVER EXCEED THIS THAT BACKS, UH, EVERYBODY INTO A CORNER AND LEADS, YOU KNOW, SO THE GROUND FOR BAD DECISION MAKING, YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO LOOK AT IT PLAYS INTO ANY DECISION ABOUT MOVING WATER OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE AREAS THAT WE ARE ALREADY COMMITTED TO SERVE, HAS TO BE A PART OF A GREATER STRATEGIC GOAL FOR THE ENTIRE AREA, RIGHT? LIKE OUR, OUR, UM, ENTIRE BASE. 
          AND IF WE CAN'T, IF WE CAN'T MAKE THAT, UM, RATIONALE, WE CAN'T JUSTIFY IT, THEN, YOU KNOW, THEN WE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERING A BIG DECISION LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT COULD BE INTERPRETED TO BE PUTTING OUR OWN FUTURE AT RISK. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, I I WOULD SAY IS WE ALL KNOW THAT WATER IS A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          JUST LIKE IF WE HAD EXCESS POWER, YOU WOULD WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHERE DOES IT MAKE STRATEGIC SENSE TO EXPAND? I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE THE PRIMARY THAT WOULD DRIVE, YOU KNOW, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. 
          YEP. 
          THANK YOU, MS. OZUNA. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CURRIES, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. OZUNA? OKAY. 
          UM, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO, UM, OUR, UH, CANDIDATE FILE CANDIDATE FOR THE SOUTH SECTOR FOR FERNANDO. 
          RAY HAD CPS ENERGY.COM THROUGHOUT THE ANTONIO AREA. 
          IF YOU WANT TO REQUEST A, IS FERNANDO ON THE LINE ON HOLD? TRY AGAIN. 
          FERNANDO, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? UH, YES. 
          TO WHOM ARE SPEAKING? UH, Y YES. 
          UH, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. 
          UH, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, AND THEN WE'LL GET TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO, UH, MEET WITH ME THIS MORNING. 
          UH, I, I VALUE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW OF, OR KNOW OF BEING, UH, I'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS IN SAN ANTONIO FOR WELL OVER 30 YEARS. 
          UM, ALMOST ALL MY BUSINESSES ARE CONCENTRATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          UH, HAD VARIOUS INDUSTRIES FOR CLOSE TO 30 YEARS. 
          UH, SOLD THAT BUSINESS TO INVEST INTO THE AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS, WHICH WAS, UH, THE TOYOTA OPPORTUNITY THAT CAME, UH, OUR WAY FOR OUR FAMILY. 
          UH, I HAVE CLOSE TO 400 EMPLOYEES, UH, COMBINED WITH THE, UH, VARIOUS AUTOMOTIVE, RED, AMEX AUTOMOTIVE. 
          UH, WE RECENTLY HAVE DEVELOPED TWO NEW BUILDINGS ON APPLEWHITE. 
          UH, ONE IS ALREADY ONGOING, AND IT'S ANOTHER ADDITIONAL BUSINESS, UH, REAL ESTATE. 
          UH, WE LEASED, UH, SPACE FOR, UH, I GUESS AT THIS POINT, MOSTLY THE TOYOTA SUPPLIERS AND FOR OURSELVES. 
          AND THEN SECONDLY, WE'RE BUILDING ANOTHER 110,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY RIGHT ACROSS THE TOYOTA, UH, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY BRING NEW JOBS TO SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, SO, YOU KNOW, I'M INVESTED VERY MUCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          I'M, I'M A SOUTH SIDE KID. 
          I GREW UP, WENT TO HARLANDALE HIGH SCHOOL, GRADUATED FROM HARLANDALE, UM, STILL INVOLVED WITH HARLANDALE. 
          I'M ON THE HARLANDALE FOUNDATION, UH, GROUP. 
          UH, I AM, UH, OF COURSE, A MEMBER OF THE SOUTH SIDE CHAMBER. 
          YOU ALL KNOW THAT I'VE BEEN CHAIRMAN OF THE HISPANIC CHAMBER, UH, FOR TWO YEARS, WHICH IS A DISTINCTION BECAUSE MOST, MOST 
          [01:20:01]
CHAIRMANS ONLY SERVE ONE YEAR. 
          BUT I HAD THE DISTINCTION AND THE PLEASURE OF SERVING FOR TWO YEARS. 
          UM, I ALSO AM CHAIRMAN OF THE COLISEUM ARENA BOARD, UH, WHICH IS PROPERTY OWNED BY THE COUNTY, UH, WHERE THE AT AND T SITS AND THE FREEMAN COLISEUM. 
          I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE BEEN, UH, HEARING A LOT ABOUT THE FREEMAN BECAUSE OF THE ASSETS THAT WE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS THERE. 
          UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE IT, UH, OR AT LEAST HAVE IT READY FOR USE, UH, FOR THIS COHORT, UH, 19, UH, UH, OVERFLOW MAYBE. 
          UH, WE'VE ALSO USED IT FOR HURRICANES. 
          WE RECENTLY HAD THE, UH, FEMA, UH, REQUESTING THE ABILITY TO USE THE FACILITY, UH, TO HOUSE, UH, HUGE NUMBER OF BUSES, UH, TO MAKE FOR THE SUPPORT OF PICKING UP PEOPLE ON THE, IN THE HURRICANE ARENA AREA. 
          UH, WE ALSO USED IT FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          UH, RODEO, OF COURSE, A BIG, BIG FUNDRAISER. 
          UH, SO REALLY, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A LOT OF SAN ANTONIO, AND, AND THE BIGGEST FACTOR THAT I HAVE GOING FOR ME RIGHT NOW IS THAT I'VE BEEN VERY BLESSED TO HAVE MY SON, JASON, WHO RUNS OUR TOYOTA BUSINESS NOW. 
          I'VE MADE HIM PRESIDENT. 
          I'M STILL CHAIRMAN, BUT HE DOES A RU A DAY-TO-DAY, UH, RUNNING OF THE BUSINESS. 
          UH, MY OTHER SON, FRED, IS RUNNING OUR TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS, UH, THAT'S DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO. 
          AND THEN MY DAUGHTER, WHO IS MY SENIOR ADVISOR, UH, FINISHED LAW SCHOOL AND IS HELPING ME WITH OUR REAL ESTATE BUSINESS. 
          SO, VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN BUSINESS, UH, VERY MUCH INVOLVED ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT I LIVE IN DOMINION. 
          THERE'S NO SECRET. 
          I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST 25 YEARS, I BELIEVE. 
          UH, BUT RECENTLY WE HAVE PURCHASED A, UH, A CONDOMINIUM, AND WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE INNER CITY, UH, TO LIVE. 
          UH, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME, MY WIFE AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA IN THE, IN, WELL, THE WHOLE PART OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          AND SO WE FEEL THAT, UH, IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR US TO MOVE THERE. 
          SO, UM, I AM VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT GOES ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          I'M VERY INTERESTED BECAUSE OF MY BUSINESSES, BECAUSE I'M A CITIZEN OF SAN ANTONIO, AND BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S GIVEN ME A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT MY FAMILY AND I ARE VERY BLESSED TO HAVE. 
          UM, GREAT, THANK, THANK YOU MR. EZ. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO, TO, UM, COUNSEL, UH, QUESTIONS. 
          SO WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          AND, UH, THANK YOU, UH, FERNANDO, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS AND YOUR INTEREST, UM, TO SERVE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          HAVE YOU SEEN AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 23 ON TOMORROW SA BOARD AGENDA? NO, I HAVE NOT. 
          OKAY. 
          IT'S A DELIBERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE COMPENSATION OF THE C E O. 
          WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT THE C E O OF A PUBLIC UTILITY SHOULD EARN AND HOW COMPENSATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED? WELL, I THINK I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PROGRESS THAT THAT CLAUSE HAS MADE OVER THE YEARS. 
          UH, I, I, FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO READ AND THE RESEARCH THAT I'VE DONE, UH, IT'S BEEN DOING VERY WELL. 
          IT'S BEEN REALLY SERVICING THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, WHICH ULTIMATELY ARE THE OWNER OF THE, UH, OF THE, UH, ASSETS THAT WE HAVE. 
          UH, WE HAVE WONDERFUL WATER, CLEAR, CLEAN WATER, UH, AND I JUST THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO EVALUATE HIS POSITION, UH, AS FAR AS WHAT HE IS DOING TO HELP SOLVE WHAT HE'S DOING TO HELP THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, AS FAR AS THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, I MEAN, THAT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY BECAUSE I'VE NOT BEEN INVOLVED ON, IN, IN, IN, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF, OF HIS MOVING UP TO, UH, OR BEING THE CHAIRMAN. 
          I MEAN, THE PRESIDENT OF SA. 
          UH, BUT I THINK YOU HAVE TO PAY A PERSON WHAT HE'S WORTH IF HE'S DONE WELL FOR US. 
          I THINK YOU NEED TO COMPENSATE HIM JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE. 
          UH, JUST LIKE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO MAKE A LIVING WAGE. 
          UH, SO, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, I, I DON'T HAVE A SET NUMBER FOR THE, UH, PRESIDENT OF SAS, UH, BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY WANT TO CONSIDER WHAT HE HAS DONE IN ORDER TO HELP, UH, THE, THE, THE SAS IN OVERALL, AND, AND WHAT, WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM VERIFICATIONS? WHAT ARE THE SHORT-TERM VERIFICATIONS? WHAT, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT, UH, IT, DOES IT IMPACT, UH, HIS SALARIES, UH, BEING INCREASE, UH, TO THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO? IF IT DOESN'T, WE NEED TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THAT, UH, BECAUSE NOTHING THAT WE DO SHOULD REALLY IMPACT THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO NEGATIVELY. 
          UH, SO I, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A NUMBER, UH, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY TELL YOU, UH, IF, IF HE'S DONE HIS JOB WELL AND, AND YOU ALL ARE PLEASED WITH WHAT HE'S DONE, THIS IS A CITY COUNCIL DECISION, UH, ULTIMATELY, UH, AND MY POSITION IS I WILL COMPENSATE AN INDIVIDUAL IF HE'S DOING THE JOB THAT WE NEED HIM TO DO. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, MY NEXT QUESTION IS A LITTLE BIT EASIER. 
          UM, WHAT TYPE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES WOULD YOU CHAMPION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A DIVERSE REPRESENTATION OF IDEAS AT THE TABLE BEFORE YOU CAST YOUR VOTE AS A SAUCE BOARD MEMBER? SO, IN OTHER WORDS, HOW WOULD YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY FOR INPUT 
          [01:25:01]
ON YOUR DECISIONS? GIMME EXAMPLES OF SOME THINGS YOU WOULD DO OR FOLKS OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU WOULD WORK WITH THAT WOULD BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST SIDE. 
          WELL, I THINK AT FIRST YOU HAVE TO START BY MEETING, UH, SOME OF THE, THE ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE SOUTH SIDE, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS. 
          UH, I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE A GENERAL MEETING TO FIND OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW THE, HOW THE, HOW THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          UH, I SEE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          AS YOU GO DOWN HIGHWAY 16, UH, YOU'LL SEE HORRENDOUS AMOUNTS OF HOUSES BEING BUILT. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING ON LONE STAR BOULEVARD AND WATSON, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE A HUGE DEVELOPMENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          AND SO I JUST THINK WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF, OF, OF WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE AND HOW WE'RE GONNA GROW THIS ENTITY. 
          WATER IS SO IMPORTANT TO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN LIFE. 
          UH, AND SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CHERISH AND TO TAKE CARE OF AND CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THE, WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE HAVE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE WATER SUPPLY IS THEREFORE CONTINUE GROWTH. 
          THANK YOU, FERNANDO. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA, UH, FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. REYES. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU MR. REYES, FOR PUTTING YOUR NAME FORWARD, UH, TO REPRESENT YOUR COMMUNITY ON THE SOS BOARD. 
          WE APPRECIATE, I KNOW ALL OF THE SERVICE THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING IN OUR COMMUNITY OVER THE YEARS. 
          UH, YOU'VE, YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS, OF COURSE, UH, AQUIFER WATER. 
          WE ALSO HAVE NOW THE VISTA RIDGE WATER. 
          WE ALSO HAVE A WATER STORAGE FACILITY ON THE SOUTHWEST PART OF, UH, THE CITY AS WELL AS DESALINIZATION PLANT OVER THERE. 
          WITH ALL OF THOSE SOURCES OF WATER PLUS CONTRACTS WE HAVE BRINGING IN WATER FROM OTHER SOURCES, UH, HOW DO YOU RATE, UH, THE VIEW, OR HOW DO YOU VIEW THE PROTECTION OF THE AQUIFER? IF YOU WERE TO GIVE IT A RATING FROM ONE TO 10, UH, WHAT'S OUR, OUR PROTECTION OF THE AQUIFER? WHAT SHOULD IT BE? WELL, EVERYTHING THAT I'VE READ ABOUT OUR, OUR AQUIFER, I THINK IT SHOULD BE RATED, AT LEAST AT NUMBER ONE. 
          I MEAN, THAT, THAT, TO BE IS SO IMPORTANT. 
          IT, IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING. 
          NOW, I'M, I'M, I'M HOPING YOUR SCALES FROM ONE TO 10, ONE BEING THE BEST. 
          I HOPE. 
          OKAY. 
          I CAN ACCEPT THAT . 
          OKAY. 
          TO ME, THAT'S, THAT, UH, THAT IS AN ASSET THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS. 
          IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT AND SEE, OKAY, IF WE DAMAGE THE AQUIFER, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO OUR CITY? YES, WE HAVE VISTA RIDGE COMING IN, BUT THAT'S ONLY A PORTION OF WHAT WE NEED. 
          UH, AND WE CAN'T SUSTAIN OUR GROWTH. 
          WE CAN'T SUSTAIN, UH, OUR LIVES IF WE DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE WATER. 
          AND FORTUNATELY FOR US, WE HAVE A WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL AQUIFER THAT DELIVERS SOME BEAUTIFUL CLEAN WATER. 
          AND SO FOR US TO DISREGARD IT OR BECAUSE SOMEHOW HURT THAT I, I, I JUST CAN'T SEE IT. 
          I MEAN, WE, WE JUST SO MUCH DEPEND ON IT. 
          AND, UH, SO I DEFINITELY IN, IN VERY HIGH PROTECTION OF, OF THE AQUIFER. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAVE IS THAT, UH, THE SAWS MAY DECIDE, LET'S SELL SOME OF OUR AQUIFER WATER, 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT MORE THAN WE NEED RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, AND, UH, I, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK OF THAT, HOW YOU WOULD DETERMINE IN YOUR MIND THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SA SHOULD UNDERTAKE. 
          WELL, I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO ANALYZE THE WHOLE SITUATION. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S A DIFFICULT QUESTION. 
          I MEAN, QUESTION AND ANSWER, BECAUSE, UM, YOU DON'T WANT THE WATER THAT WE HAVE TO GO TO WASTE. 
          IF WE HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF WATER, ABUNDANCE OF WATER, UH, THEN I THINK IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING, AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE WOULD HAVE AND TO HELP SOLVE AND HELP US AS SAN ANTONIO TO KEEP OUR RATES DOWN. 
          UH, I WOULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER IT. 
          NOW, OF COURSE, IF IT DOESN'T, IF IT DOESN'T REVERSE, AND I'M TOTALLY AGAINST IT, MY, MY FIRST RESPONSIBILITY, OF COURSE, IS TO THE COUNCIL AND THEN TO THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, IS TO PROTECT THE ASSET THAT WE HAVE. 
          UH, AND I WOULD NOT BE, YOU KNOW, UH, EASILY SWAYED TO SAY, WELL, LET'S SELL IT BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF IT. 
          NO, THE ANSWER IS, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN OUR GROWTH? DO WE HAVE ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN THE LIFE OF THE, OF, OF OUR CITY? UH, IF, IF THOSE ANSWERS ARE YES, THEN BASED ON THE RESPONSE THAT I WOULD GIVE FROM THE COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR AND THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO, WE MIGHT CONSIDER IT. 
          YES. 
          WE'RE NOT GONNA LET IT GO TO WASTE. 
          I MEAN, EVERYBODY NEEDS WATER. 
          AND FOR US TO 
          [01:30:01]
SAY, WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA SELL IT BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF IT, AND, AND RATHER LET IT ATE, THEN, THEN I THINK THAT WOULD BE FOOLISH. 
          BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER TO PROTECT US, UH, THEN DEFINITELY, NO, I WOULD NOT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SAS EFFORTS ON CONSERVATION AND BEING ENVIRONMENTALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, SOUND AS AN ORGANIZATION? WELL, EXCUSE ME. 
          UH, I THINK WITH THE CONSERVATION, I THINK WITH THE VISTA RIDGE, UH, COMING ONLINE, I THINK IT'S GONNA HELP US SOLVE A LOT TO, UH, COMMITTED TO CONSERVATIVE WATER. 
          UH, YEAH, I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. 
          I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO CONSERVE WHAT WE HAVE. 
          UM, I, I JUST THINK IT, IT JUST MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE FOR US TO, TO, TO, TO WORK WITH EVERY DROP OF WATER THAT WE DON'T USE. 
          UH, THEN WE CAN SUPPLY TO DEVELOP, UH, MULTIPLE AREAS. 
          UH, BUT THE, THE BOTTOM LINE IS, EXCUSE ME, THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WATER SUPPLY THAT WE HAVE IS ADEQUATE FOR THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          I MEAN, I, I CAN'T GET AROUND IT, UNFORTUNATELY. 
          I'M NOT THAT VERSE IN EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON AT ALL. 
          I HAVEN'T BEEN STUDYING IT. 
          UH, BUT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN IT FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT. 
          I'M VERY INTERESTED FROM A CITIZEN STANDPOINT, I'M VERY INTERESTED FROM, UH, JUST, UH, OUR STATE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR, OUR LIFE AND OUR GROWTH IN OUR CITY. 
          UH, IF, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON, I THINK WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LOOK AND TO, TO TRY TO PRESERVE OUR WATER, TO KEEP IT AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE. 
          UH, SO ENVIRONMENTALLY, I'M VERY MUCH ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FOR OUR WATER SUPPLY. 
          THERE. 
          I, THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT, THAT WE HAVE TO PROTECT THAT, THAT ASSET THAT WE HAVE. 
          UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALKING OKAY, GO AHEAD. 
          THAT'S FINE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          UH, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. REYES? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, FERNANDO. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO OUR NEXT CANDIDATE FOR THE SOUTHEAST SECTOR. 
          MR. JAMES SMILE. 
          JIM, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? JIM, ARE YOU THERE? JIM, IS THAT YOU? OKAY. 
          WE'RE HAVING, UH, SOME ISSUES WITH JIM'S CONNECTION. 
          SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO ROBERT POT. 
          ONE SECOND AS WE CONNECT, UH, ROBERT FOX. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, DO WE HAVE SOMEONE CONNECTED? UM, IS THAT, 
          [01:35:01]
UH, JIM? IS THAT YOU? YES, IT IS. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          WE RECONNECTED WITH, UH, JIM SMILE. 
          JIM, YOU'VE GOT, UM, THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO TO QUESTIONS. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          WELL, FIRST OFF, I WANTED TO THANK YOU, MAYOR AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW FOR THE OPEN SAW SLOT. 
          UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I FEEL QUITE, QUITE PASSIONATE ABOUT AND BELIEVE THAT I, I HAVE BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE THAT I CAN BRING TO THIS. 
          HELLO. 
          YOU'RE, YOU'RE, WE'VE GOT YOU. 
          JIM, GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, I'M, I'M BACK NOW. 
          UM, ANYWAY, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY OF SOMETHING THAT I'M REALLY QUITE PASSIONATE ABOUT. 
          AND, UH, UH, I'D SAY IN GENERAL, MY, MY INTEREST IS, IS VERY MUCH PEAKED AND, AND DRIVEN BY HOW SAWS AS A PUBLIC UTILITY CAN SORT OF BALANCE THE, ITS DUAL NATURE OF HAVING TO BE A, A WELL RUN AND A WELL-MANAGED BUSINESS, UH, ENSURING IT'S FINANCIAL VIABILITY AND, UH, COMPETITIVENESS AND QUALITY OF ITS SERVICE. 
          BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT REALLY NEEDS TO INTERNALIZE THE VALUES OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UM, BOTH IN, WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, CERTAINLY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, UH, UH, BEING, BEING ONE OF THOSE VALUES. 
          AND THERE ARE OFTENTIMES TENSIONS BETWEEN, UH, UH, THESE, THESE TWO SETS OF, OF OBJECTIVES. 
          AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE, UH, UH, BEING ON THE BOARD, I COULD, UH, HELP WITH THAT DIALOGUE AND BE A MEMBER OF THAT BOARD TEAM AND DISCUSSION FOR, UH, UH, FURTHERING POLICY AND STRATEGY, UH, TO ALLOW SAS TO, TO BE A GOOD CORPORATE AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE, UH, SERVICE PROVIDER FOR, FOR SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, MY BACKGROUND, I THINK, UH, LENDS ITSELF TO, UH, UH, MY BEING ABLE TO BE AN EFFECTIVE BOARD MEMBER. 
          I'VE WORKED FOR OVER 35 YEARS IN ISSUES OF WATER AND WATER MANAGEMENT, BUT ALSO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, EXCUSE ME. 
          AND IN DOING SO, DURING THE 20, ALMOST 20 YEARS I WAS WITH THE WORLD BANK, UM, I HAD RESPONSIBILITIES FOR, UH, UH, LEADING POLICY DIALOGUES WITH NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, UH, FOR STAKEHOLDER, UH, ENGAGEMENT, FOR, UH, UH, PUBLIC INVESTMENT, FOR, UH, PRIMARILY POVERTY REDUCTION, UH, SORTS OF, SORTS OF ISSUES. 
          BUT, UH, UM, AS I, MY, MY BACKGROUND BEING IN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, UH, WELL, WATER AND WATER MANAGEMENT AND LAND MANAGEMENT, WERE ALWAYS VERY, VERY CENTRAL TO THOSE. 
          UM, MY EXPERIENCE ALSO WITH MY, MY PROFESSIONAL WORK, I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH BUDGETING AND PROCUREMENT AND THOSE SORTS OF, UH, NITTY GRITTY THINGS THAT SA AS BOARD MEMBERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO, UH, BE CONVERSING WITH AND KEEP AN EYE ON. 
          AND I'M ALSO A VERY STRONG BELIEVER IN, UH, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF, UH, UH, THE EXPERTISE THAT NOT ONLY RESIDES WITHIN, UH, WITHIN THE ORGANIZATIONS YOU WORK WITH, BUT, UH, OUTSIDE AS WELL WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES. 
          AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING, UH, OF A BALANCED AND ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO THINGS. 
          WE ALL MIGHT HAVE OPINIONS GOING IN, BUT, UH, UH, THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE EXPLORE, UM, WHAT ARE THE RIGHT DECISIONS AND TRADE OFFS, UM, IS, UH, IS AS AS IMPORTANT. 
          ANYWAY, TO WRAP UP, I'LL JUST SAY I BELIEVE OKAY. 
          I'LL, I'LL LEAVE IT THERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JIM. 
          UH, WE'RE GONNA GO NOW TO COUNCIL QUESTION. 
          WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA MAYOR. 
          AND THANK YOU MR. S SMILE FOR, UH, WANTING TO SERVE IN, IN THIS CAPACITY. 
          I APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST. 
          UM, I, AND YOU ANSWERED ONE OF MY QUESTIONS ALREADY, SO I'M GONNA, UH, FOCUS ON THIS ONE. 
          BUT HOW WOULD YOU BALANCE THE, THE NEED TO RUN SAWS AS A BUSINESS, BUT STAY TRUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF SOME, UM, ONGOING OR EVEN PAST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN THE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION? OKAY. 
          WELL, FIRST, LET'S START BY SAYING THAT, UH, UH, A ACCORDING TO THE, UH, THE ORDINANCE, WHICH, UH, UH, ESTABLISHED SAWS, SAWS IS SUPPOSED TO, UH, STRIVE TO HAVE ITS, UH, OPERATIONAL POLICIES ALIGNED WITH THOSE OF THE CITY. 
          HELLO? WE ARE HERE. 
          I CAN HEAR YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          I'M, I'M SORRY. 
          UM, SO I THINK PART, PART OF THE ANSWER IS THROUGH, THROUGH 
          [01:40:01]
DIALOGUE AND, AND DISCUSSION WITH, UH, UH, WITH, WITH CITY COUNCIL, UH, IN, IN THIS, BECAUSE THERE, THERE ARE TRADE OFFS AND THE, THE, UH, I THINK THE, THE OTHER PART OF THE QUESTION THAT'S GOING IN IS, IS THAT WE, WE CAN'T BE, UM, TOO CONVINCED OF OUR OWN OWN RIGHTNESS, BUT, UH, TO, UH, UM, LOOK AT OR WHAT, WHAT THE ALTERNATIVES ARE. 
          NOW IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VISTA RIDGE, WE'VE GOT A VERY LARGE BILL COMING FOR THAT WATER, AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY THAT. 
          AND, UH, AS I SIT ON THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK A LITTLE MORE DETAIL AT THE NUMBERS. 
          AND IN THAT, I SEE THAT TRYING TO INTERNALIZE, UH, CITY'S POLICY FOR EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS IS CERTAINLY A WAY, A WAY FORWARD. 
          UM, WE, UH, UM, THERE, THE, THE RATES AT WHICH WATER IS BEING SHUT OFF FOR, UH, UH, FOR OUR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED CUSTOMERS WAS ACTUALLY QUITE HIGH. 
          AND SO, UH, IF WE CAN FIND A WAY FORWARD TO MAKE AN EQUITABLE RATE STRUCTURE, I THINK WE CAN RESOLVE A LOT OF THAT, UH, A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES WHERE WE TAKE A STRONG USER PAYS APPROACH. 
          AND, UH, WHEN I LOOK AT THE WATER USE PATTERNS OF, UH, UH, THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND, UH, UH, THE MAJORITY OF, OF, UH, RATE PAYERS AND WATER USERS, UM, THERE, THERE, 50% OF THE PEOPLE ARE USING A THIRD OF THE WATER. 
          UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S POSSIBILITIES IN THERE BY FOLLOWING, UH, UH, GOOD PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT, OF USER PAYS, UH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, BUILDING IN THESE EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS AND MAKING SURE THAT, UH, UH, WHAT PEOPLE PAY IS THEIR FAIR SHARE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          MR. SMILE. 
          NO OTHER QUESTIONS. 
          UH, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR, UH, COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL? UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, THANK YOU MR. SMILE FOR YOUR APPLICATION. 
          UM, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON SOMETHING THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT I'VE DONE VERY INTERESTING. 
          UH, YOU SAID YOU'VE DONE WORK, UH, NOT JUST WITH WATER, BUT IN POVERTY REDUCTION AND, AND CONNECTING THE TWO. 
          CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT WAS AND HOW YOU MIGHT APPLY THAT, UH, IF YOU'RE APPOINTED TO THE SPORT? OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          WELL, THE, UH, REALLY MY ENTIRE PROFESSIONAL CAREER HAS BEEN AN INSTITUTIONS WHOSE CENTRAL MANDATE, AND THEIR, THEIR REASON FOR, UM, FOR, FOR INVESTMENT, UH, WAS POVERTY REDUCTION. 
          SO WHAT I, WHAT I LEARNED THROUGH THAT WAS THE REALLY THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGING WITH THE, THE STAKEHOLDERS ON THE GROUND AND ON ON THE COMMUNITIES THEMSELVES. 
          IT'S, UH, UH, THERE'S A LONG GAP BETWEEN POL ASPIRATIONAL POLICIES AND THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY DELIVER ON THE GROUND. 
          AND I THINK WHAT I, ONE OF MY TAKEAWAYS FROM THAT, UH, THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR SAN ANTONIO IS THAT IN, IN MOST ECONOMIES, WE UNDERAPPRECIATE THE, UH, UH, THE LOCAL ECONOMIES, THE HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMY, UH, AND, AND THE, UH, OF THE FAMILY ECONOMY, IF, IF YOU WILL. 
          AND THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE. 
          AND THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN SAN ANTONIO THAT REALLY ARE SORT THE BACKBONE OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. 
          AND I THINK WE NEED TO, UH, UH, SEE HOW, UH, IN THE PROVISION OF SERVICE AND IN THE, UH, UH, FIRST, LET, LET ME CLARIFY. 
          I DON'T THINK WATER UTILITIES ARE A, ARE A VERY SHARP TOOL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK THAT THEY CAN, UH, CERTAINLY CREATE ECONOMIC, UH, UH, UH, DEVELOPMENT DISINCENTIVES, UH, IF IT'S A, GET IT WRONG. 
          SO, UM, AVOIDING GETTING IT WRONG REQUIRES YOU TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF WHO YOUR CLIENTELE IS. 
          AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S SOMEPLACE THAT, UH, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD WANNA FOCUS, UM, AS A MEMBER OF THE, OF THE SAWS BOARD OF A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, OF HOW OUR LOCAL ECONOMIES FUNCTION, NOT JUST OUR, OUR OVERALL CITY MACRO ECONOMY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          VERY INSIGHTFUL. 
          UM, YOU ALSO, UH, MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, CUTOFF, UH, UTILITY CUTOFF. 
          COULD YOU EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT? YES. 
          UM, SITTING ON THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WE HAD ACCESS TO INFORMATION THAT, UH, UH, SHOWED SORT OF AMONGST THE RATE PAYERS IN GENERAL, WHAT THE, UH, WHAT THE RATE WAS OF, UH, UM, OF, OF 
          [01:45:01]
WATER RESIDENTIAL, UH, UM, RATE PAYERS BEING, BEING CUT OFF DUE AN INABILITY TO PAY THEIR BILLS. 
          AND THAT WAS, UH, I THOUGHT WAS QUITE SURPRISINGLY HIGH. 
          UM, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IT'S SORT OF ON THE ORDER OF 13 TO 15%. 
          UM, SAWS HAS AN AFFORDABILITY PROGRAM, WHICH IS TO HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. 
          AND THAT PROGRAM, UH, HAS BEEN DOING A VERY GOOD JOB OF REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE. 
          BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN YOU STILL SEE THAT THERE'S A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING, UH, HELPED BY THAT PROGRAM, ARE STILL HAVING THEIR WATER CUT OFF, UH, DUE TO AN INABILITY TO PAY, UM, THERE'S, UH, THERE, THERE'S DEFINITELY A PROBLEM THERE. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WATER USE PATTERNS OF, OF THOSE FAMILIES THAT ARE ON THE AFFORDABILITY PROJECT OF, UM, PROGRAM AND GETTING CUT OFF, IT APPEARS AS IF WATER LEAKS AND JUST BAD PLUMBING COULD BE, UH, A BIG PART OF THIS BECAUSE THEY, SOME HOUSEHOLDS HAVE RATHER INORDINATE, UH, VOLUMES OF, OF USE, WHICH, UH, IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE. 
          BUT, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY USING THAT PRODUCTIVELY RATHER THAN LEAKING IT INTO THE SURROUNDING SOIL. 
          SO I THINK, UM, THAT THERE'S, THERE'S MORE THAT CAN BE DONE, AND WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT SAWS IS, IS NOT ALREADY TRYING TO DO A LOT, BUT, UH, UM, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S MORE THAT, UH, WE CAN DO. 
          AND, AND, UH, THERE'S PART OF THAT'S THE RACE STRUCTURE, AND PART OF THAT IS SORT OF THE, UH, WHAT WHAT SAWS MIGHT BE ABLE TO, UH, UM, SUCCESSFULLY DO IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, EXPANDING ITS, UH, UM, SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE. 
          AND, AND YOU DON'T WANNA SHUT OFF WATER. 
          IT'S, UH, VERY NECESSARY FOR, AS A HUMAN, UH, RIGHT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, JIM. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, THANK YOU MR. SMILE FOR, UH, PUTTING YOUR NAME IN. 
          UH, AND I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US INSIGHT INTO YOUR EXPERIENCE. 
          UH, I THINK IT'S VERY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE. 
          UH, LET ME ASK YOU, WHAT, WHO DO YOU THINK OR WHAT ORGANIZATIONS DO YOU THINK ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING THE AQUIFER IN OUR OVERALL COMMUNITY? UH, I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT IT'S ALL OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE, PROTECT THE AQUIFER. 
          I MEAN, SAWS, UH, IS SUPPOSED TO OPERATE, UH, AN AQUIFER, UH, PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          UH, IT HAS BEEN, SO, IT CLEARLY HAS A ROLE, BUT, UH, UM, I THINK IT'S A, IT, IT'S A RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL OF US. 
          AND THAT IS, UH, WELL, AS, AS COUNCIL IS, IS CERTAINLY AWARE IN THE DISCUSSION OF THE SALES TAX. 
          THAT'S A, UH, UH, A, A PENDING ISSUE. 
          AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A, A BROADER COMMUNITY DIALOGUE AND A, UH, AND I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, SAWS IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE A VERY CRITICAL PART OF THAT DIALOGUE. 
          UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ROLE IS, UH, OF SAWS IN THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF WATER THROUGHOUT OUR REGION, NOT JUST HERE WITHIN THE CITY? WELL, IT IS, UH, UM, WHERE, UH, PARTICULARLY WASTEWATER, SEWAGE GOES, THAT ENABLES HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT. 
          SO TO SEESAWS ALSO AS IF SAN ANTONIO WISHES TO HAVE A, A SMART GROWTH, UH, FUTURE. 
          UH, HOW, UH, WHERE SAW HOW SAWS PROVISION OF SERVICES, PARTICULARLY WASTEWATER, WHICH, UH, WHICH ENABLES HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, NEEDS TO BE CAREFULLY THOUGHT THROUGH. 
          UH, THERE'S CERTAINLY MANY PARTS OF THE TOWN THAT DO NOT HAVE, UH, UH, ADEQUATE WASTEWATER TREATMENT AT THIS TIME. 
          AND, UH, UH, HAVING AN INTENTIONAL APPROACH IF WE WANT TO SEE MORE INFILL, IF WE WANT TO SEE, UH, UH, SORT OF REDUCING SOME OF THE, UH, UH, SAN ANTONIO HAS VERY LOW DENSITY DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE, UH, WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS IN MANY AREAS. 
          SO WHERE WE RUN WASTEWATER AND WHERE WE RUN, UH, WATER SUPPLY, UM, CAN HELP DETERMINE SOME OF THOSE FUTURE, FUTURE GROWTH PATTERNS. 
          SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, BOTH WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE DIALOGUE ON, ON SMART GROWTH FOR SAN ANTONIO, AS WELL AS IN THE CONTEXT OF AQUIFER, UH, PROTECTION, UM, LOOKING AT HOW AND WHERE SERVICES PROVIDED, UM, IS A, IS A CRITICAL TOOL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          MR. SMILE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CUR, ANY FURTHER 
          [01:50:01]
QUESTIONS FOR JIM? ALRIGHT, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JIM. 
          UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO OUR FINAL CANDIDATE, UH, AND, UH, REPRESENTING THE SOUTHEAST SECTOR. 
          UH, WE HAVE ROBERT POTTS, UH, DR. 
          POT, YOU THERE? YEAH. 
          THIS IS ROBERT POTTS UHHUH. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU HAVE, UH, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL, UH, QUESTIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT THIS. 
          I'M INTERESTED IN THE JOB BECAUSE I'M INTERESTED IN MAINTAINING AND ENHANCING OUR WATER SUPPLY IN THIS CITY. 
          WE ARE INCREDIBLY BLESSED TO HAVE THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AS OUR BASE FOR OUR WATER SUPPLY IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          I THINK MOST PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT'S, IT'S A WONDERFUL RESOURCE, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S, DON'T THINK PEOPLE FULLY REALIZE JUST HOW BLESSED WE ARE TO HAVE IT. 
          UH, IT IS A, YOU KNOW, HIGH QUALITY, LOW COST, READILY AVAILABLE SOURCE OF WATER. 
          AND WE'VE DONE, UH, A GOOD JOB OVER THE LAST 25 PLUS YEARS OF, OF REALLY TAKING CARE OF IT AND, AND, AND LOOKING AFTER IT. 
          AND SO I'M INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THAT. 
          UH, IT IS FOR US, I THINK REALLY THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGG, AND WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT GOOSE KEEPS LAYING THESE GOLDEN EGGS FOR, FOR OUR FUTURE. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR PAST. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR FUTURE. 
          SO MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS WORKING ON NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, A LOT OF IT AROUND THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AND OTHER WATER RESOURCES AROUND THE STATE. 
          UM, OVER 20 YEARS AGO, I, UM, WORKED WITH A GROUP, INCLUDED BONNIE CONNOR AND SUSAN HUGHES, AS WE, AS WE PUT TOGETHER THE FIRST, UH, VOTE FOR THE FIRST, UM, SALES TAX TO, UH, PROTECT LAND OVER THE AQUIFER. 
          WE WERE WORKING ON THAT BACK IN 99, AND OF COURSE, THE VOTE WAS IN 2000. 
          AND OF COURSE, THAT LEGACY HAS CONTINUED AND HAS REALLY SHOWN HOW THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTS PROTECTING THE AQUIFER. 
          SO I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH IT THAT WAY, BOTH IN PUTTING IT TOGETHER, UH, WHEN I WAS NATURE CONSERVANCY, ALSO HELPING PROTECT SOME OF THE LAND THAT WAS ADDED TO THE PROGRAM. 
          AND THEN WHEN I WAS A GENERAL MANAGER OF THE EDWARD AUTHORITY, I SERVED ON THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. 
          SO IT'S BEEN ABOUT THE FIRST 10 YEARS OF IT, I WAS VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN IT. 
          THE OTHER THING IS IN MY BACKGROUND THAT MAY HELP, UH, IN, UH, HELP SAWS IS I WAS GENERAL MANAGER OF THE EDWARDS DOCK FOR AUTHORITY FOR SEVERAL YEARS. 
          DURING THAT TIME, WE BUILT THE CONSENSUS, UH, AROUND THE REGION THAT HELPED, UH, RESOLVE A LEGISLATIVE, UH, PROBLEM WE HAD IN THE, IN THE LAW. 
          AND, UH, GOT THAT THROUGH. 
          SO I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE WATER WARS. 
          I'VE, UH, I UNDERSTAND THE INS AND OUTS OF A LOT OF WATER POLICY IN THE STATE. 
          AND, UH, I THINK THAT CAN BE USEFUL FOR, FOR, UH, PEOPLE, UH, INVOLVED WITH, WITH SAWS. 
          I'M ALSO PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN PAYING A LOT OF ATTENTION TO PRICING AND HOW WE USE PRICING AS A WAY TO ENCOURAGE BETTER, BETTER USE OF THE AQUIFER AND MAINTAIN IT, UH, AND MAINTAIN ITS AFFORDABILITY. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, WATER IS AN INTERESTING RESOURCE IN THAT IT'S BOTH A NECESSITY AND IT'S A LUXURY. 
          AND SO THAT CREATES A REAL CHALLENGE FOR PRICING. 
          HOW DO YOU PRICE IT AS A NECESSITY WHERE IT OUGHT TO BE FREE OR CLOSE TO FREE FOR ALL THE THINGS WE REALLY NEED, BUT ALSO PRICE IT AS A LUXURY WHEN YOU'RE USING IT FOR THINGS LIKE SWIMMING POOLS OR, OR OTHER THINGS THAT ARE MORE LUXURY GOODS. 
          SO I THINK THERE'S SOME WORK THAT, UH, SAWS HAS DONE A LOT OF GOOD WORK ON THIS AND HAS BEEN A LEADER AROUND THE STATE ON, ON, ON TIERED PRICING, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME, UH, OTHER THINGS THAT COULD BE DONE TO MAKE IT EVEN MAKE IT EVEN BETTER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, DR. 
          POS. 
          OKAY, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO, UH, COUNCIL QUESTION. 
          WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROSE GARCIA MAYOR. 
          AND THANK YOU, DR. 
          POTTS, FOR YOUR INTEREST AND, AND FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          CAN YOU, UM, UH, AND THIS IS ROLLING OFF OF WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED. 
          CAN YOU GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF INNOVATIVE WATER SOLUTIONS IN OTHER CITIES, UM, THAT MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN RESEARCHING IT, UH, THAT YOU, YOU'D BRING FORWARD AS A BOARD MEMBER? WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN DO IS, IS, IS IN PRICING WATER. 
          UM, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR SAWS BILL, YOU SEE THAT IT'S BROKEN. 
          THE WATER BILL'S BROKEN OUT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          THEY HAVE A EDWARDS FEE, THEY HAVE A WATER SUPPLY FEE, THEY HAVE A BASIC METERING FEE. 
          AND I THINK THAT THE, WHAT WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE IN SAN ANTONIO IS THE EDWARDS SERVING IS REALLY KIND OF THE BASE FLOW FOR OUR WATER SUPPLY. 
          AND IF, AND IT'S ALSO OUR CHEAPEST WATER. 
          SO IF WE PRICED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BASIC, 
          [01:55:01]
SAY EVERYBODY'S ALLOCATED AMOUNT THAT COVER THEIR NECESSITY AT A VERY LOW RATE AND TIED IT ON THE BILL TO WHAT'S COMING FROM THE EDWARDS 'CAUSE, THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR THAT. 
          IF YOU'RE NOT PAYING VERY MUCH WATER FOR EDWARDS, AND THEN LOOKED AT, UM, PRICING WATER ABOVE THE, UH, THE, THE BASIC NECESSITY AMOUNT, UH, FOR THE SUPPLIES THAT WE'RE HAVING TO GO OUT AND GET TO ENHANCE OUR WATER SUPPLY, WHICH ARE MUCH HIGHER, HIGHER, UH, COST WATER, THEN I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE THE INCENTIVE OF PEOPLE TO USE LESS WATER. 
          UM, AND BECAUSE THEY WOULD LIKE TO, AND, AND ALSO HAVE THE INCENTIVE THAT PEOPLE REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR BASE FLOW COMES FROM THE EDWARDS AND ARE GONNA SUPPORT THE EFFORTS TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT THE EDWARDS, BOTH FOR WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY. 
          SO SOME PRICING THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE AROUND THE, AROUND THIS, UH, COUNTRY, I THINK COULD BE TAKEN EVEN TO A NEW LEVEL HERE. 
          THANK YOU, DR. 
          POTTS. 
          AND SO I'M GONNA, UM, CONTINUE ON THE INNOVATION PATTERN, IF YOU WILL. 
          AND SO, SAN ANTONIO IS THE ONLY US CITY TO REUSE ALL THREE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESS, UM, BYPRODUCTS, SO RECYCLED WATER, ORGANIC BIOSOLID, AND METHANE GAS. 
          HOW WOULD YOU, UH, FEEL ABOUT WHAT SAS HUMBLY REFERS TO AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRIFECTA? WHAT WOULD YOU CONTINUE ADVOCATING FOR, OR WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND CHANGING AND WHY? WELL, I, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE METHANE AND, AND SOME OF THE ISSUES YOU THERE USE, UH, YOU MENTIONED THERE, I AM SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH THE REUSE WATER, THE PURPLE PIPES THAT, UH, WE HAVE RUNNING AROUND THE CITY. 
          AND SAWS HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN, IN, YOU KNOW, TAKING THAT AND TAKING THAT TO USES THAT, UH, WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. 
          I MEAN, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATE THINGS IS THAT SO MUCH WATER THAT IS DRINKING WATER QUALITY GETS POURED OUT ON THE GROUND FOR, FOR LAWN MAINTENANCE OR GARDEN MAINTENANCE. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF A WASTE OF RESOURCES. 
          SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN EXPAND OUR REUSE, UM, OUR REUSE WATER AND OUR REUSE CUSTOMERS, I THINK THAT'S GONNA MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE. 
          AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING I'VE SEEN AND, AND WOULD ENJOY, UM, UH, SUPPORTING EXPANSION OF THE METHANE ISSUE I'M LESS FAMILIAR WITH. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          NO FURTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA, UH, FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR DR. 
          POTTS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          DR. 
          POTTS, YOU'VE HAD EXPERIENCE, UH, WITH THE AQUIFER AUTHORITY AND, AND NOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UH, SAWS, UH, WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP BUILDING DO WE NEED TO UNDERTAKE TO FURTHER PROTECT THE, UH, EDWARDS AQUIFER BETWEEN THESE ORGANIZATIONS? AND WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE OVERALL PROTECTION OF THE AQUIFER, UH, AND DISTRIBUTION OF WATER REGIONALLY? WELL, I THINK, UM, CERTAINLY BACK WHEN I WAS GENERAL MANAGER AT THE EDWARDS, UH, WE WORKED TO MAINTAIN A, A, A GOOD, UH, RELATIONSHIP WITH SAWS, WHICH IS WAS OBVIOUSLY OUR BIGGEST USER. 
          UH, AND WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON THE LEGISLATIVE, UH, ASPECTS TO RESOLVE THE, THE PROBLEM IN THE LAW, SAS WAS, UH, WAS A BIG, UM, WAS A, A, A MAJOR PARTNER IN THAT. 
          BUT IN THAT WHOLE PROCESS, THERE WAS A, AND IT, AND IT CAME OUT THROUGH THE, UH, ENDANGERED SPECIES PERMIT AND THE PROCESS THAT WAS DEVELOPED, UH, UH, TO DEVELOP THAT THERE WAS A STAKEHOLDER GROUP FROM REGIONAL USERS ALL OVER. 
          AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE REAL CHALLENGES WHEN I WAS AT THE EDWARDS, WAS BECAUSE I FOUND VERY QUICKLY THAT SAN ANTONIO WAS VIEWED OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS AS, UH, AS REALLY A THREAT TO THEIR WATER OR A THREAT TO THEIR, TO THEIR, UH, WAY OF LIFE. 
          AND A LOT OF IT WAS BASED ON COFFEE SHOP TALK AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TALKING TO, WELL, YOU KNOW, IF WE ONLY DID THIS, YOU KNOW, THEN IT WOULD ALL BE FINE. 
          AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS WE BROUGHT EVERYBODY INTO THE ROOM TOGETHER AND LET EVERYBODY KIND OF HEAR THIS FROM, FROM THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS PERSPECTIVES, WHICH OF COURSE I HAD THE, UH, THE PRIVILEGE OF HEARING SINCE I WAS WORKING REGIONWIDE, IT BEGAN TO DISSIPATE A LOT OF THE DISTRUST, UH, FROM DOWNSTREAM USERS, FROM THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY TO THE WEST, ALL OF THOSE WHO HAD A STAKE IN THIS REGIONAL WATER. 
          AND, UM, SO SOME, I THINK DID A LOT OF THAT. 
          I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. 
          IT NEEDS TO BE CONTINUED BECAUSE WE ARE IN THIS AS A REGION TOGETHER, AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE WITH WHETHER IT'S THE G B R A OR YOU KNOW, THE, THE OTHER, UM, UH, SOME OF THE COUNTIES AND SOME OF THE GROUNDWATER DISTRICTS AROUND. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRUST OF, OF SAWS JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID THEY'RE GONNA LOSE THEIR WATER. 
          AND A LOT OF THAT CAN BE, 
          [02:00:01]
UH, REDUCED IF NOT ELIMINATED, JUST THROUGH BETTER DIALOGUE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , UH, I KNOW IT'S, THIS ISN'T DIRECTLY RELATED, BUT I THINK IT'S VERY STRONGLY RELATED BECAUSE THE CITY HAS BEEN UNDERTAKING PROTECTING THE AQUIFER OVER THE YEARS. 
          UH, AND, UH, SHOULDN'T THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY HAVE THE AUTHORITY FOR MORE AQUIFER PROTECTION THEMSELVES BY LAND ACQUISITION AND CONSERVATION? AND DO YOU THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY SHOULD UNDERTAKE AS AN EFFORT TO, UH, PROTECT THE WATER SYSTEM FOR EVERYBODY? WELL, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A MORE EQUITABLE WAY OF DOING IT. 
          FOR INSTANCE, THE, UH, THE, THE RECHARGE PROTECTION PLAN THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN PASSED THROUGH THE SALES TAX, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A TAX ON SAN ANTONIO, UH, UM, CITIZENS. 
          BUT THE, THE, THE WHOLE REGION THAT DEPENDS ON THE AQUIFER BENEFITS FROM IT. 
          SO YES, IN LOTS OF WAYS, USING THE AQUIFER MANAGEMENT FEES THAT ARE, THAT ARE ASSESSED ON ALL OF THE USERS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE REGION WOULD BE A MORE EQUITABLE WAY OF PROTECTING, UH, THE AQUIFER SINCE EVERYBODY IN THAT, IN THIS REGION DEPENDS ON IT, NOT JUST SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, THE EDWARDS DOCKER AUTHORITY, I THINK, IS ALWAYS UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE TO KEEP ITS FEES LOWER AND, AND I BELIEVE EVEN HAS SOME LEGISLATIVE CAPS ON HOW HIGH THEY CAN RAISE THEIR FEES. 
          SO THERE MAY BE SOME CONSTRAINTS THERE, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN INVOLVE PARTNERS LIKE THE EDWARDS AND SOME OF THE OTHER MAJOR USERS IN DOING THE, CONTINUING THE GOOD WORK THAT SAN ANTONIO'S BEEN DOING THESE LAST 20 YEARS ON OFFER PROTECTION, I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE LOTS OF SENSE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , HAVE YOU FOLLOWED THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, DESALINIZATION IN SAN ANTONIO? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF EXPANDING OUR DESALINIZATION PROJECT, BRINGING IT UP TO, UH, ITS FULL POTENTIAL? I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU FOR APPLYING. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          UH, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR DR. 
          POTTS? UM, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR. 
          POT. 
          ALSO, JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR, UH, YOUR COMMENTS RELATED TO THE EDWARDS AFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          IT'S A CONVERSATION ABOUT EQUITY. 
          I THINK WE HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH AND, AND WE SHOULD BE HAVING. 
          SO, UM, APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND, UH, AT THIS POINT, WE 
          [Executive Session]
WILL NOW, UH, CONVENE THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION BRIEFLY, UH, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK WITH THE FORMAL RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING ON THE LINE. 
          UM, SO COUNCIL NOW HAS THE LINK TO GO TO THE EXEC EXECUTIVE SESSION, UM, WEBEX. 
          AND SO GO AHEAD AND LOG OFF, UH, IF YOU'RE ON THE PANEL, AND THEN MOVE INTO THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          WE'LL RECONVENE HERE IN, IN JUST A MINUTE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. 
          UM, WE'LL JUST WAIT A COUPLE MORE MINUTES SO WE CAN GET, UH, OUR COUNCIL LOGGED ON. 
          I THINK WE HAVE, ARE WE MISSING ANYONE? SHIRLEY? SHIRLEY'S GONE. 
          UH, THERE SHE IS. 
          UM, OKAY, I THINK WE HAVE THE COUNCIL LOGGED ON NOW. 
          SO, UM, AT THIS TIME, THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, UH, WILL RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION. 
          NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN, AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          UM, AND BEFORE I, UH, TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, LET ME JUST SAY, UH, TO ALL THE CANDIDATES, UH, NOT JUST THE ONES WHO MADE, UH, THE FINALIST INTERVIEWS, BUT, UM, ALL OF 'EM, UH, BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED TODAY, THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT ROUND OF INTERVIEWS I'VE EVER HAD TO DO. 
          UM, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR FINALISTS, UH, COULD BE AN OUTSTANDING MEMBER OF THIS BOARD AND PROBABLY OTHERS AS WELL. 
          UM, I'M, I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET THIS KIND OF QUALITY AND ATTENTION TO THIS BOARD AT THIS TIME BECAUSE IT'S VERY NEEDED. 
          BUT PLEASE REST ASSURED, UH, FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO DID NOT, UH, GET THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE FULL COUNSEL, UH, WE HOLD YOU IN, IN VERY HIGH ESTEEM AND APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP UP AND SERVE. 
          AND WE'LL BE LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SERVICES INCORPORATED IN THE COMMUNITY, YOUR OUTSTANDING GROUP OF LEADERS FOR OUR CITY. 
          UM, SO WITH THAT, LET ME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. 
          MAYOR, I MOVE THAT WE ADVANCE THE FOLLOWING CANDIDATES FOR SAS BOARD FOR FULL COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REPRESENTING THE NORTH SECTOR, 
          [02:05:01]
AND RECOMMENDED FOR PLACE OF CHAIR JOLYN BURLEY, REPRESENTING THE SOUTHEAST SECTOR, LETICIA OZUNA, AND REPRESENTING THE SOUTH SECTOR, DR. 
          ROBERT POTS. 
          SECOND. 
          OKAY, THERE IS A MOTION, UH, BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, AND A SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ FOR THE SLATE OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL COUNSEL THIS THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH. 
          UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY, HEARING NONE, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          A AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. 
          THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH, UH, FOR STAYING WITH US THIS ENTIRE TIME. 
          AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR CANDIDATES. 
          UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU, UM, IN MANY WAYS IN OUR CITY. 
          AND THE TIME IS NOW 12:44 PM ON THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 3RD, 2020. 
          THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. 
          THANK YOU ALL.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.