* 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.
          [00:00:04]
          CALL OUR SPECIAL 
          [1. 20-5330 Briefing on Funding Alternative for Edwards Aquifer Protection Program. [Ben Gorzell Jr., Chief Financial Officer]]
CITY COUNCIL SESSION TO ORDER. 
          UM, MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER  I. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. 
          PRESENT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HODA. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL PRESENT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER PEZ. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY AND MAYOR NURNBERG HERE. 
          UH, I, I THINK SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MY VIDEO. 
          IT JUST WENT OUT, BUT I WILL READ THE CAPTION NOW. 
          THE CAPTION IS BRIEFING AND FUNDING ALTERNATIVE FOR EDWARD'S AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          GREAT. 
          UM, ALRIGHT. 
          WE JUST HAVE THE ONE ITEM TODAY FOR, UH, REVIEW AND DISCUSSION. 
          SO LEMME TURN IT OVER TO STATE MANAGER ERIC WALSH. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          COUNSEL. 
          UH, YES. 
          OUR WORK SESSION THIS AFTERNOON IS, UH, AN UPDATE TO THE COUNCIL ON, ON OUR EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM, AS WELL AS A FUNDING ALTERNATIVE. 
          UH, HOMER WILL GO THROUGH THE EXISTING PLAN AND ELEMENTS AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE, UH, OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS. 
          UM, AND THEN, UH, BEN GOZO WILL WALK THROUGH A FUNDING ALTERNATIVE. 
          UH, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, AGES AGO, BUT, UM, THE, WE DID HAVE A B SESSION BACK IN FEBRUARY AND LET IT CONNECT, UH, AND, AND KNEW THAT WE NEEDED TO DEVELOP A FUNDING ALTERNATIVE FOR THE COUNSELOR TO CONSIDER. 
          UH, IF YOU'LL RECALL, AT THAT B SESSION, UH, DR. 
          FRANCINE ROMERO WAS THERE. 
          SHE IS OUR CHAIR OF THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD. 
          UM, SO, UH, ALTHOUGH THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN TERMS OF PRIORITIES AND WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, THE FUNDING ALTERNATIVE THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT, UH, EARLIER IN THE YEAR IS STILL A VIABLE OPTION. 
          AND THEN WE'LL WALK THROUGH AND IN, UH, IN DETAIL WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON, UH, THAT OPTION FOR US TO CONTINUE TO, UH, FUND THIS PROGRAM. 
          SO I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO HOMER, THEN WE'LL GO TO BEN AND THEN, AND THEN BACK TO YOU, MAYOR. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. 
          UH, THANK YOU ERIC. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. 
          I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE, UH, CITY'S EDWARD FOR PROTECTION PROGRAM AND, UM, HIGHLIGHTS AND, AND ACHIEVEMENTS TODAY. 
          UH, AS WE LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, YOU'LL NOTE THAT, UH, YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE A THUMBNAIL THERE IN THE RIGHT HAND, UH, PANEL. 
          AND THAT BASICALLY IS THE AQUIFER AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. 
          THE DRAINAGE AREA IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS CONTRIBUTING ZONE. 
          IT IS JUST ABOVE THE RECHARGE ZONE. 
          AND THEN RIGHT BELOW THAT, WE HAVE THE ARTESIAN ZONE. 
          BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT THE AQUIFER IS THE CITY'S PRIMARY SOURCE OF WATER ESTIMATED AT ROUGHLY 70%. 
          AND LOOKING AT THIS, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT SPANS OVER SEVERAL COUNTIES, UH, WEST OF, UH, BEAR COUNTY AND IN THE HILL COUNTRY. 
          AND, UM, ACROSS THIS ENTIRE TERRAIN, THERE'S VARIOUS, UH, PORTIONS THAT ARE VERY POROUS, HAVE SINK HOLES AND, AND FRACTURES, AND ALLOW THE AQUIFER TO REPLENISH AND RECHARGE DIRECTLY, UH, FROM RAINFALL. 
          UH, IN FACT, WE'VE HAD VERY RAINY, UH, WEAK THIS WEEK. 
          AND, AND I SAW A REPORT THIS MORNING. 
          I THINK THE AQUIFER'S UP TWO FEET IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THE GEOLOGY, OF THE AQUIFER AND WHAT A UNIQUE FEATURE AND BENEFIT IS TO, UH, THE COMMUNITY. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, AS WE'VE SEEN DEVELOPMENT OCCUR IN SAN ANTONIO THAT HAS PROLIFERATED WEST OF BEXAR COUNTY. 
          AND SO AS DEVELOPMENT GROWS, WE HAVE LESS OF THESE FEATURES THAT ALLOW THE AQUIFER TO RECHARGE AND REPLENISH ITSELF. 
          SO AS WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, I I WANT TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT, UM, OUR, SOME PARTNERS, THIS ISN'T ALL OF THEM, BUT, UH, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO AS A CITY ORGANIZATION IN, UH, PROTECTING THE QUANTITY OF WATER IN THE AQUIFER AS WELL AS THE WATER QUALITY, UM, THERE'S SEVERAL PARTNERS THAT HELP DRIVE THAT MISSION FORWARD. 
          UM, SOME 
          [00:05:01]
OF THESE PARTNERS INCLUDE THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY, SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM, SAN ANTONIO, UH, RIVER AUTHORITY, AND, AND OUR LAND ACQUISITION TEAM, UM, AND THE SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION TEAM. 
          AND TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, THEY HELP GUIDE THE PROCESS FOR HOW WE PROTECT PROPERTIES, UM, OVER THE AQUIFER. 
          THE CITY DOES IT IN, UM, THREE PRIMARY WAYS. 
          IT IS THROUGH, UH, LAND PURCHASE, UM, CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, WHICH IS, MAKES IT THE BIGGEST PART OF OUR PORTFOLIO. 
          AND THEN, OF COURSE, WATER QUALITY PROJECTS, BECAUSE WE KNOW PROTECTING THE QUANTITY OF WATER RECHARGING INTO THE AQUIFERS ACCORDANCE, BUT ALSO THE QUALITY OF THE WATER IS, IS EQUALLY CRITICAL. 
          AS, UH, WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          I WANT TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND KIND OF OF REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE DETAILED PROCESS THAT, UH, WE GO THROUGH FOR BRINGING ANY PROPERTY, UM, INTO THE PROGRAM FOR PARTICIPATION. 
          UH, THE PROCESS REALLY BEGINS WITH MODELING AND RANKING OF THE PROPERTY, UTILIZING THE SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION TEAM. 
          UM, THE TOOL LOOKS AT A MULTITUDE OF ATTRIBUTES, UH, A COUPLE OF THEM BEING SIZE AND LOCATION OF, UH, PROPERTY. 
          AND THE MODEL WAS UPDATED MOST RECENTLY IN 2019, AND INCLUDED OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES, UM, SUCH AS THE PROXIMITY OF PROPERTIES WITHIN WATERSHED. 
          SO THE, THE SCIENTIFIC SCORING MODEL, THE EVALUATION TEAM THAT, THAT USES, THAT MODEL, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK TO TRY TO KEEP FRESH AND, UH, UPDATE EVERY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS. 
          SO, AGAIN, THAT WAS MOST RECENTLY DONE IN 2019. 
          UH, BUT ONCE THE PROPERTY IS RANKED, UM, THE LAND ACQUISITION TEAM COMPRISED OF GREEN SPACES ALLIANCE AND THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, UH, THEY ACT, UH, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY TO CANVAS AREAS AND LOOK AT POTENTIAL PROPERTIES FOR PARTICIPATION. 
          ONCE THAT MODELING IS DONE, THE LAND ACQUISITION TEAM WILL BRING FORWARD TO THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD THESE PROPERTIES FOR REVIEW AND SEEK GUIDANCE AND INPUT. 
          AND BASED ON CAB'S DIRECTION, THERE'S MULTIPLE LEVELS OF DUE DILIGENCE THAT OCCURS. 
          UM, THAT BEGINS WITH A, UH, GEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND APPRAISAL OF THE PROPERTY. 
          AND AFTER THAT POINT, THE LAND ACQUISITION TEAM COMES BACK TO CAB YET AGAIN TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE, TO SEEK FURTHER GUIDANCE AND EVALUATE, IS THIS A PROPERTY THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE MOVING TOWARDS, UH, BRINGING INTO THE PROGRAM FOR AQUIFER PROTECTION PURPOSES? AND AT THAT POINT, UM, WITH THAT STAGE TWO, UH, DUE DILIGENCE APPROVAL, UM, THE LAND TEAM GOES BACK OUT, PERFORMS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, AND WE'LL LOOK AT BEGINNING EFFECTIVELY NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE LANDOWNER OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT, UH, BUT ALSO FOR, UH, THE PRICE THAT WE WOULD PAY TO PROTECT THAT PROPERTY. 
          AND THEN LASTLY, UM, THE LAND ACCURACY TEAM WILL SEEK FINAL RECOMMENDATION AND ENDORSEMENT BY THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD. 
          AND ONCE, UM, THE CAB MAKES THAT RECOMMENDATION FOR PROCEEDING AND APPROVING THE ACQUISITION, UH, CITY STAFF BRINGS FORWARD THAT RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ULTIMATELY FOR, UH, FINAL APPROVAL. 
          THE, UH, NEXT SLIDE, UH, WILL HIGHLIGHT AND GO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH AND TALK ABOUT THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD. 
          AND IT'S REALLY BEEN AROUND IN PLACE SINCE, UM, THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROGRAM. 
          UH, THE ORDINANCE CREATED THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD IN APRIL OF 2000, AND IT IS A NINE MEMBER BOARD. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE I HIGHLIGHTED SOME OF OUR PARTNERS EARLIER THAT SIT ON THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD HAS A REPRESENTATIVE, WHICH, UH, DR. 
          FRANCINE ROMERO IS THE PARKS BOARD REPRESENTATIVE, WHO ALSO DOES CHAIR THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEE. 
          UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COMPOSITION OF CAB, WE DO HAVE PARTICIPATION BY COUNTY WEST OF BEXAR COUNTY. 
          SO WE HAVE MEDINA COUNTY, UH, ALSO, UM, HAS A POSITION ON DEKALB GIE VALLEY COUNTY, UH, TEXAS PARK AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THEN, UH, THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION. 
          LOOKING AT THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE FUNDING HISTORY. 
          SINCE PROGRAM INCEPTION, UM, SINCE 2000 VOTERS HAVE 
          [00:10:01]
APPROVED $325 MILLION FOR THE PURPOSE OF AQUIFER PROTECTION. 
          AND DURING THAT TIME, WE, UH, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY PROTECT OVER 160,000 ACRES ACROSS, UM, MANY OF THE PROPERTIES ARE WEST OF BEX COUNTY, BUT ACROSS THE CONTRIBUTING ZONE, THE RECHARGE ZONE AND PROPERTIES HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY AS WELL. 
          ULTIMATELY, UM, PROTECTING OVER 160,000 ACRES. 
          I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF, UH, CRITICAL THINGS. 
          YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOK TO DO AS, AS BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF, UM, THIS FUNDING, WE LOOK TO LEVERAGE THESE WHERE APPROPRIATE AND WHERE POSSIBLE. 
          SO SINCE PROGRAM INCEPTION, UM, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE OVER $11.6 MILLION IN PROGRAM REVENUE, RESULTING IN NEARLY $19 MILLION IN PARTNER MATCH. 
          THAT ALLOWED US TO BRING, UM, OVER 2,700 ACRES INTO THE E A P P PORTFOLIO. 
          SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS, UM, IT REALLY IS FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL, NOT JUST OUR STAKEHOLDERS THAT HELP, UH, SUPPORT THE PROGRAM AND PROVIDE GUIDANCE. 
          AND THEN YOU'LL SEE ON THIS SLIDE, THERE IS AN ASTERISK BY, UH, THE $100 MILLION IN 2015. 
          THAT IS BECAUSE, UM, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WHERE WE HAD, UH, FUNDS EARMARKED FOR THE PURPOSE OF, UH, WATER QUALITY PROJECTS SPECIFIC TO BEX COUNTY. 
          SO OF THE 10 MILLION, UH, THOSE ARE RELEGATED TO BEX COUNTY, AND THEY'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON THOSE AREAS OF TOWN WHERE, UH, WATER QUALITY MAY BE BELOW T C Q STANDARDS. 
          SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THAT ASTERISK THERE FOR THE 2015, UM, PROCEEDS. 
          OF COURSE, THE OTHER, UM, 90 MILLION IS, UH, DEDICATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF, UH, PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS AND SECURING THOSE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS. 
          AND THE NEXT SLIDE KIND OF PROVIDES A GOOD VISUAL OF, AGAIN, YOU SEE NOT ONLY THE LAYOUT OF THE AQUIFER, BUT WHERE OUR INVESTMENTS ARE. 
          SO, UM, THE GREEN IS THE DRAINAGE OR CONTRIBUTING ZONE. 
          THAT BLUE AREA IS A RECHARGE ZONE. 
          YOU SEE A LOT OF HEAVY INVESTMENT THERE. 
          UM, AND SO THE ORANGE POLYGONS REPRESENT WHERE WE HAVE INVESTED THESE DOLLARS SINCE, UH, THE INCEPTION IN 2000 WITH PROPOSITION THREE AND NOW PROPOSITION ONE, UM, TOTALING EXACT NUMBER THERE, 160,330 ACRES. 
          AND AS WE, UM, MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THAT IS WHERE I WILL TURN IT OVER TO BEN TO TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING ALTERNATIVE FOR THE PROGRAM. 
          THANK YOU, HOMER, AND GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          THE REMAINDER OF THE PRESENTATION WILL FOCUS PRIMARILY ON THE FUNDING ALTERNATIVE THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING FOR THE CONTINUED FUNDING OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          THIS PROPOSED STRUCTURE WOULD REPRESENT THE NEXT ITERATION OF FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM. 
          HOMER DID COVER A FEW MINUTES AGO, THE FOUR PROPOSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED SINCE 2000 THAT I PROVIDED THE FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM, WANTED TO GIVE YOU A STATUS UPDATE ON THE LATEST, UH, UH, VERSION OF THAT THAT WAS APPROVED BY VOTERS IN 2015. 
          BEFORE I GET INTO THE SPECIFIC ALTERNATIVE, SO IN 2015, VOTERS DID APPROVE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, UH, TOWARDS THE PROGRAM. 
          BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, WE BELIEVE THAT, UH, WE WILL REACH THAT CAP OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN THE SPRING OF 2021, SOMEWHERE AROUND MARCH. 
          UH, THAT COULD CHANGE A LITTLE BIT, UH, JUST BASED ON HOW OUR SALES TAX COME IN, UH, OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. 
          BUT IT WILL BE IN THAT MARCH 20, 21 TIMEFRAME. 
          ONCE THAT DOLLAR THRESHOLD IS MET, THE UM, SALES TAX FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM WOULD EXPIRE. 
          AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE'RE PROJECTING THAT THERE'LL BE ABOUT $20 MILLION THAT WILL HAVE BEEN COLLECTED, BUT WILL NOT HAVE BEEN SPENT ON THE PROGRAM YET. 
          WE BELIEVE THOSE FUNDS COULD CARRY THE PROGRAM THROUGH FY 2022. 
          AND SO WE'RE PROPOSING THAT THIS ALTERNATIVE FUNDING STRUCTURE, IF YOU ALL APPROVE THIS, IT WOULD BEGIN IN FY 2023 TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM. 
          , IN ITS SIMPLEST TERMS, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING IS ISSUING DEBT, UH, TO FUND THE PROGRAM. 
          AND I'M GONNA GO INTO THE MORE SPECIFICS OF HOW WE'RE DOING THAT. 
          UH, BUT THE, BUT THE CONCEPT WOULD BE TO PRIMARILY FUND THE PROGRAM THROUGH THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS OR DEBT. 
          WE WOULD, AND I'LL GET INTO THE MORE 
          [00:15:01]
SPECIFICS OF THE FUNDING ALTERNATIVE. 
          WE WOULD ESSENTIALLY CONTRACT WITH OUR EXISTING MUNICIPAL FACILITIES CORPORATION TO CARRY OUT THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. 
          THIS IS AN EXISTING CORPORATION THAT WAS CREATED BY THE CITY IN 2001. 
          UH, BASED ON THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND THE CITY ORDINANCE. 
          UH, THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL ARE THE BORDER DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION. 
          IT IS A STATUTORY CORPORATION THAT ALLOWS US TO ACHIEVE CERTAIN PURPOSES. 
          ONE OF THOSE IS THE ISSUANCE OF DEBT. 
          UM, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHY WE'RE USING THIS AVENUE, BUT THAT IS OUR, OUR RECOMMENDATION. 
          UH, AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          WHAT I'LL DO IN THE NEXT SEVERAL SLIDES IS JUST WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE KEY PROVISIONS OF THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE AND THE FINANCING AGREEMENT THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE APPROVED WITH THAT, UH, ORDINANCE. 
          UNDER OUR PROPOSAL, THE CITY'S TOTAL COMMITMENT FOR THE PROGRAM WOULD BE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. 
          UH, THAT PROGRAM FUNDING WOULD BE UP TO 10 YEARS. 
          UH, THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT DOES EXCLUDE INTEREST COSTS 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE ISSUING DEBT, UH, FINANCING COSTS AND MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT COSTS THAT WE INCUR FOR MONITORING FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR MONITORING COMPLIANCE, UH, WITH THE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS. 
          THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVE IS THE SAME AS THE CURRENT PROGRAM. 
          AND I'M ACTUALLY GONNA, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH TO PUT ON THE SLIDE, BUT I KNOW THIS IS, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR SOME OF THE STAKEHOLDERS. 
          I WANTED TO READ THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVE THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE ORDINANCE. 
          THAT OBJECTIVE STATES THAT IT MEANS ACTION TAKEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESERVING AND PROTECTION OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER WATERSHED TO INCLUDE A RECHARGE, RECHARGE AREA OR A RECHARGE FEATURE PROTECTION PROJECT, A CONSERVATION EASEMENT, AND AN OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION PROGRAM. 
          YOU'LL FIND THAT SAME LANGUAGE IN CHAPTER 3 34 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, WHICH WAS THE BASIS FOR THE ELECTIONS THAT HAPPENED, UH, SINCE 2000, UH, UH, ON THE SALES TAX VENUE. 
          SO THE LANGUAGE IS THE SAME, THE PROGRAM IS EXACTLY THE SAME. 
          WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION IN TERMS OF HOW WE FUND THE PROGRAM. 
          THE ANNUAL PROGRAM FUNDING WOULD BE AN APPROXIMATELY EQUAL AMOUNT OVER THE PROGRAM TERM. 
          SO FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PLAN FOR AND PUT INTO OUR BUDGET, PUT INTO OUR FORECAST. 
          SO WE HAVE ASSUMED A FUNDING PERIOD OF UP TO 10 YEARS, AND WE, WE'VE ASSUMED ROUGHLY EQUAL AMOUNT, SO ABOUT $10 MILLION PER YEAR. 
          A KEY PROVISION OF THIS THOUGH, IS THAT WE CAN ADJUST BASED ON REALLY TWO FACTORS. 
          ONE IS WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF THE PROGRAM FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR? THE SECOND IS, WHAT IS THE CITY'S FINANCIAL COMP CAPACITY WHEN WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION OTHER BUDGET NEEDS. 
          SO WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT THOSE TWO FACTORS AND WE CAN ADJUST THAT ANNUAL FUNDING AMOUNT OF $10 MILLION. 
          UM, THE, THE, UH, OTHER COMPONENT HERE THAT'S IMPORTANT IS THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD. 
          THIS BOARD HAS PLAYED A REALLY KEY ROLE IN ADVISING, UH, THE CITY, THE CITY COUNCIL, SINCE THIS PROGRAM'S CREATION IN 2000. 
          UH, IT WOULD CONTINUE UNDER THIS PROPOSED STRUCTURE, SO THEY WOULD CONTINUE IN THE ROLE OF ADVISING ON THE PROGRAM. 
          UH, WE DID ADD WITHIN THE DOCUMENTS A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS AS WE LOOK AT DEFINING HOW MUCH ANNUAL PROGRAM FUNDING SHOULD BE INCLUDING FOR THE, IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE UPCOMING CITY'S FISCAL YEAR BUDGET. 
          WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE HAVING A DIALOGUE WITH THE CAB. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA ASK THEM TO, ONE, PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE COUNCIL ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND, AND, AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE IN THE CURRENT YEAR, BUT ALSO IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DO THEY SEE IN TERMS OF THE NEEDS FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. 
          WE WOULD TAKE THAT INFORMATION ALONG WITH ANALYZING OUR FINANCIAL CAPACITY, AND WE WOULD DEVELOP A RECOMMENDATION. 
          WE WOULD TAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION TO THE CAB BOARD TO GET THEIR INPUT, AND THEN ULTIMATELY WE WOULD COME BACK AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE MARON COUNCIL, UH, YOU ALL THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE PROPOSED BUDGET ON WHAT THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR'S FUNDING SHOULD BE. 
          ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE CURRENT PARKS DEPARTMENT STAFF THAT PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THE PROGRAM, UH, THAT WOULD CONTINUE TO STAY IN PLACE UNDER THIS PROPOSED STRUCTURE AS WELL. 
          WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PROGRAM FUNDING AND HOW DO WE CREATE THE PROGRAM FUNDING, OR HOW DO WE FUND THE PROGRAM GOING FORWARD, UNDER THIS STRUCTURE, WE'RE PRIMARILY TALKING ABOUT FUNDING IT THROUGH THE ISSUANCE OF DEBT. 
          AND WE'RE GONNA DO IT TWO WAYS, UH, UNDER THIS PROPOSAL. 
          ONE IS SHORT-TERM COMMERCIAL PAPER. 
          THIS IS JUST DEBT THAT IS, UH, SHORT-TERM IN NATURE. 
          [00:20:01]
UH, WE'D LIKE TO PUT IN PLACE $30 MILLION OF CAPACITY. 
          AND, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT, WE WOULD ALSO BE ISSUING LONG-TERM FIXED RATE DEBT, UH, WITH A 20 TO 25 YEAR AMORTIZATION. 
          SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS HAS COME UP IS WHY USE COMMERCIAL PAPER? THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, IN THAT IT'S NOT A TRADITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT. 
          IT'S NOT A STREET CONSTRUCTION PROJECT WHERE WE'VE GOT A CONTRACTOR IN PLACE AND WE'RE GETTING PROGRESS BILLINGS AND WE'RE PAYING AS THAT WORK IS BEING DONE. 
          UH, THIS IS REALLY, UH, EXPENDITURES LINE UP MORE WITH THE ACQUISITION OF THE EASEMENTS OR THE PROPERTY. 
          SO THE COMMERCIAL PAPER, BECAUSE IT'S A SHORT TERM NOTE, ALLOWS US TO REALLY MATCH THE TIMING OF WHEN WE NEED THE MAR THE MONEY I E WHEN DO WE BORROW THE MONEY WITH, UH, WHEN WE NEED THE MONEY SO WE CAN ACTUALLY MANAGE OUR COSTS, UH, MORE EFFECTIVELY THAT WAY THE $30 MILLION CAPACITY NUMBER ALLOWS US TO MANAGE OUR COSTS AS WELL, BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT CAPACITY, THE ABILITY TO BORROW. 
          UM, SO WE WANNA KEEP THAT TO BE A MANAGEABLE NUMBER. 
          THE WAY THE PROGRAM WOULD WORK, WE WOULD EXPEND THE $30 MILLION FIRST. 
          ONCE WE HIT THAT CAP, WE WOULD REFINANCE THAT SHORT-TERM PAPER WITH THE LONG-TERM FIXED RATE DEBT. 
          THAT FREES UP THE COMMERCIAL PAPER PROGRAM AGAIN. 
          AND THEN WE WOULD CONTINUE TO REPEAT THAT PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE TERM OF THE PROGRAM. 
          UM, IN TERMS OF, WE ALSO BUILT INTO THE DOCUMENTS THE ABILITY FOR THE CITY TO CASH FUND SOME OF THE PROGRAM, UH, DURING THE TERM AT OUR DISCRETION. 
          THAT COULD BE FROM ANY AVAILABLE REVENUES OF THE CITY. 
          IT COULD INCLUDE GRANTS THAT WE COULD GO OUT AND APPLY FOR. 
          UH, THESE PROCEEDS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UNDER THE PROGRAM CAN BE USED TO LEVERAGE GRANT FUNDS AS LONG AS WE'RE MEETING THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVE, UH, UH, UH, THAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. 
          AND AGAIN, ANY LAWFUL AVAILABLE REVENUES CAN BE USED TO PAY FOR THE DEBT, TO PAY FOR THE DEBT OR TO CASH FUND. 
          UM, WHEN I SAY ANY LEGALLY AVAILABLE REVENUES, REALLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS ANY REVENUES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THE CITY THAT DON'T HAVE A RESTRICTION ON THEM. 
          SO I'M PRIMARILY TALKING ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UH, IN TERMS OF DEBT SECURITY, WE WILL BE PLEDGING A PORTION OF THE CITY'S PAYMENT FROM SASS. 
          SO THIS IS OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE AS SECURITY FOR THE BONDS. 
          WE'RE DOING THAT FOR TWO REASONS. 
          ONE IS THIS IS THE MECHANISM THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE TO GIVE SECURITY TO THE BOND HOLDER. 
          SO THIS IS SOMETHING THEY CAN LOOK TO AS A BOND HOLDER AND HAVE COMFORT THAT IF WE FAIL TO APPROPRIATE MONEY FOR, UH, DEBT, THAT THEY'VE GOT SOME KIND OF RECOURSE BACK. 
          UM, THAT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT AS WE STRUCTURE THIS AND, AND DEVELOP THE CREDIT PROFILE. 
          THE OTHER REALLY IMPORTANT PART IS THAT THIS REVENUE STREAM REALLY CREATES THE ABILITY FOR US TO ISSUE DEBT OR BONDS FOR THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          IT'S THE NEXUS BY WHICH WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT UNDER, UH, THE STATE STATUTE. 
          I WANNA BE REALLY CLEAR HERE 'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S BEEN SOME CONFUSION ABOUT THIS EARLY ON. 
          THIS IS, WHEN I SAY CITY PAYMENT FROM SAS, THIS IS THE CITY'S DOLLARS. 
          THIS IS WITHIN OUR BUDGET. 
          THESE ARE DOLLARS WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          THERE IS NO OTHER APPROVAL OR COORDINATION FROM SAS THAT'S REQUIRED. 
          WE'RE SIMPLY USING A PORTION OF THE REVENUES THAT WE HAVE WITHIN OUR GENERAL FUND TO ESTABLISH SECURITY FOR THE BONDS. 
          AND THEN WE ARE USING ANY AVAILABLE REVENUES IN THE GENERAL FUND TO ACTUALLY MAKE PAYMENTS ON THOSE BONDS. 
          UH, IN TERMS OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET, THERE'LL BE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, UM, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT APPROPRIATING ANNUALLY. 
          ONE IS WE'LL NEED TO TRANSFER ENOUGH FUNDING TO THE CORPORATION TO COVER THE DEBT SERVICE ON THE BONDS. 
          I'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THERE'S SUFFICIENT, UH, REVENUES OR FUNDS AVAILABLE TO DO THAT. 
          UH, I MENTIONED THAT OUR DISCRETION, WE CAN CASH FUND PART OF THE PROGRAM. 
          SO THERE ARE ARE TIMES WHEN WE HAVE GOTTEN REVENUES THAT ARE REALLY ONE TIME IN NATURE. 
          MAYBE IT'S A SALE OF PROPERTY OR SOME OTHER ISSUE HAS COME UP THAT MAY LEND ITSELF WELL TO BEING USED AS A SOURCE FOR THIS PROGRAM. 
          WE PUT IN THERE THE ABILITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CORPORATION AND TO BE ABLE TO CASH FUND SOME OF THESE REQUIREMENTS SO THAT WE WOULDN'T BE ISSUING ALL DEBT FOR IT. 
          UH, SOME OTHER THINGS ARE THAT PROGRAM EXPENSES SUCH AS THE MONITORING FOR COMPLIANCE OF THE EASEMENTS AND THE ACQUISITIONS THAT WE'VE DONE. 
          THAT'S REALLY CONSIDERED MORE OF AN OPERATING EXPENSE, AS WELL AS UPDATES TO WHAT'S CALLED THE SET MODEL. 
          UM, THOSE WOULD BE FUNDED FROM OUR OPERATING BUDGET, UH, GOING FORWARD, AND WE WOULD BEGIN TO DO THAT IN F Y 2023. 
          A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT HERE. 
          UM, THIRD PARTY ASSISTANCE. 
          SO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WORKING WITH THE CAB HAS A NUMBER OF PARTNERSHIPS IN PLACE TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM TO INCLUDE THE MONITORING FOR COMPLIANCE AND AT TIMES GETTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AS THEY'RE DOING DUE DILIGENCE ON EASEMENTS OR PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS 
          [00:25:01]
THAT WILL CONTINUE UNDER THIS PROPOSED STRUCTURE. 
          AND THOSE COSTS CAN EITHER BE ALLOCATED AS A PROGRAM COST, DEPENDING UPON, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING. 
          OR IT CAN BE EXPENSED BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT TYPE OF, UM, COST THEY'RE INCURRING. 
          AND, AND THE DIFFERENCE THERE IS, AGAIN, IF IT'S A COST FOR INCURRING THAT GOES TOWARDS THE ACQUISITION, IT WOULD BE PART OF PROGRAM COSTS. 
          IF IT'S SOMETHING LIKE MONITORING, THEN THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD PICK UP IN OUR OPERATING BUDGET. 
          THIS LAST ITEM, UH, IS REALLY A KEY PIECE AND IT REALLY TALKS ABOUT UNDER THE ORDINANCE AND THE FINANCE AGREEMENT IMPROVING, IF YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS, ALONG WITH THE CORPORATION I MENTIONED, YOU ALL ARE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION. 
          UM, WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE A PROVISION THAT SAYS IF THERE IS A MATERIAL CHANGE IN THE PROGRAM IN TERMS OF HOW WE FUND IT AND WHAT WE'RE DOING, THEN THAT ORDINANCE AND FINANCE AGRE FINANCING AGREEMENT WOULD NEED TO BE AMENDED BY CITY COUNCIL ACTION, AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE PLACED ON THE AGENDA AT, AT A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. 
          AND YOU COULD ONLY DO THAT AFTER HAVING HAD TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS AT LEAST 30 DAYS APART. 
          UM, THIS WOULD NOT, OR THIS WOULD, UH, A MATERIAL CHANGE IN THE PROGRAM COULD NOT JUST HAPPEN THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. 
          UM, GIL HAVE BEEN THROUGH OUR BUDGET PROCESS. 
          OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE ALWAYS DEALING WITH A LOT OF ISSUES AS WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. 
          WE COULDN'T MAKE A MATERIAL CHANGE TO THE PROGRAM IN THE BUDGET. 
          IT WOULD REQUIRE THAT YOU GO IN AND AMEND BOTH THE ORDINANCE AND THE FINANCING AGREEMENT BY CITY COUNCIL ACTION. 
          AND AGAIN, YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS AT LEAST 30 DAYS APART. 
          THIS NEXT GRAPHIC WE JUST TRIED TO PUT IN SOME, JUST TRIED TO PUT IN SIMPLE TERMS HOW THINGS KIND OF FLOW HERE. 
          UM, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE THE CITY HERE. 
          WE HAVE THE MISS MUNICIPAL FACILITIES CORPORATION. 
          WE HAVE THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM AT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD OR CAP CONTINUING IN THEIR ROLE OF ADVISING THE CITY AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AS WE MOVE FORWARD ON THE PROGRAM. 
          SO THE FIRST STEP IS THE CITY WOULD CONTRACT WITH THE CORPORATION TO CARRY OUT THE PROGRAM ON THE CITY'S BEHALF. 
          WE WOULD THEN HAVE THE ABILITY THROUGH THE CORPORATION TO ISSUE BONDS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. 
          UM, THOSE BONDS, UH, WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE, WE WOULD BE GETTING BOND PROCEEDS FROM BOND HOLDERS THAT WOULD BE USED TO FUND THE PROGRAM. 
          AND THEN WE WOULD BE USING A PORTION OF THE CITY'S PAYMENTS CITY GENERAL FUND DOLLARS FROM SAS TO CREATE THE SECURITY, UH, FOR THE BOND HOLDERS. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO, AS I MENTIONED, RESERVED AT OUR DISCRETION, THE ABILITY FOR US TO CASH FUND PART OF THE PROGRAM, UM, AS WE LOOK AT OUR BUDGET, AND IF THERE ARE ONE-TIME REVENUES THAT, THAT MAYBE MAKE SENSE TO, TO PUT TOWARDS THIS PROGRAM, WE WOULD HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, THE CORPORATION WOULD, WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO CASH FUND THE PROGRAM. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO REPAY THE DEBT SERVICE FOR THE BONDS AND THE BORROWING THAT WOULD'VE OCCURRED. 
          THAT WILL HAPPEN ANNUALLY THROUGH THE CITY'S BUDGET PROCESS, WHERE WE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE CORPORATION, UH, AT A MINIMUM ENOUGH FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE, UH, THE CORPORATION HAS SUFFICIENT, UH, DOLLARS AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. 
          AND THEN AT OUR DISCRETION, WE COULD PUT IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO CASH FUND THE PROGRAM. 
          IN TERMS OF THE NEXT STEPS, THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO HAVE, UH, THE COUNCIL AND THE CORPORATION, UH, APPROVE THE ORDINANCE AND THE FINANCING AGREEMENT. 
          THESE ARE REALLY THE DOCUMENTS THAT ESTABLISH THIS FINANCING STRUCTURE THAT, THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT. 
          THESE DOCUMENTS ARE IN SUBSTANTIALLY FINAL FORM, AND STAFF IS PREPARED TO PROCEED WITH CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF THESE DOCUMENTS ON THURSDAY, UH, UH, SEPTEMBER 17TH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO PROCEED AT THAT POINT. 
          UM, WE HAVE ALSO UPLOADED THESE DRAFT DOCUMENTS TO THE AGENDA ITEM OF THIS MORNING FOR THIS ITEM. 
          UH, AND WE ALSO SENT IT TO A NUMBER OF AQUIFER STAKEHOLDERS AS WELL. 
          UM, I ALSO WANT TO NOTE FOR YOU THAT, UM, WELL FIRST LEMME TALK ABOUT THERE, THERE WILL BE SOME OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO APPROVE SOME OTHER FINANCING DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT THE STRUCTURE THAT WE WOULD DO IN LATE FFY 21, EARLY F Y 2022. 
          AND THOSE ARE REALLY AROUND ESTABLISHING THE COMMERCIAL PAPER PROGRAM. 
          THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE FROM A SIGN FINANCING STRUCTURE. 
          WE CAN'T DO IT NOW. 
          IT'S GOTTA BE CLOSER TO, WE ACTUALLY EXECUTE THE PROGRAM. 
          UH, THAT HAS TO DO WITH SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ATTORNEY JOURNAL'S OFFICE. 
          SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THE TIMING IS A LITTLE CLOSER TO WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY EXECUTING THE PROGRAM. 
          SO AGAIN, LATE F Y 21 OR EARLY F Y 22, WE WOULD BE BRINGING THOSE DOCUMENTS FORTH FOR APPROVAL. 
          [00:30:01]
AND AGAIN, THE PROGRAM FUNDING WOULD BEGIN IN FY 2023. 
          UM, I ALSO WANTED TO NOTE FOR YOU THAT THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD DID PASS A RESOLUTION ON AT THEIR AUGUST 26TH, UH, MEETING THAT RESOLUTION SUPPORTS A FUNDING ALTERNATIVE TO CONTINUE THE CITY CITY'S EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM TO INCLUDE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CAB OR CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD. 
          UH, WE WILL FORWARD THAT RESOLUTION TO YOU, UM, SO THAT YOU HAVE THAT. 
          UM, AS I CLOSE, I DO WANT TO THANK, UH, AND RECOGNIZE A NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAVE WORKED ON THIS PROPOSED STRUCTURE. 
          I WANT TO THANK HOMER GARCIA AND, AND HIS TEAM IN PARKS HAVE BEEN GREAT TO WORK WITH AS WE PUT THIS TOGETHER. 
          OF COURSE, ANDY SE SEGOVIA AND, AND A COUPLE OF HIS TEAM MEMBERS, RAY RODRIGUEZ AND STEVE WHITWORTH. 
          UM, I NEED TO ESPECIALLY RECOGNIZE CLAY BENFORD. 
          HE'S ONE OF OUR OUTSIDE BOND ATTORNEYS. 
          HE'S REALLY BEEN, UH, WITH MCCALL PARKERSON HORTON. 
          HE HAS REALLY BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US PUT THIS AND DEVELOP THIS PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE FUNDING STRUCTURE. 
          AND THEN LASTLY, I REALLY WANNA ALSO EXTEND MY THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THE CAB MEMBERS AND TO THE MANY AQUIFER STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE AN OP THAT I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS. 
          UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR TIME. 
          THEY LET US REALLY WALK THROUGH THIS PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE WITH THEM. 
          UH, I APPRECIATE THEIR QUESTIONS, UH, THEIR COMMENTS AND THEIR INSIGHTS. 
          THAT HAS REALLY HELPED US OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO CONTINUE TO REFINE BOTH THE ORDINANCE AND THE FINANCING AGREEMENT TO TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT THEY'VE RAISED, BUT ALSO IN SOME CASES, PUT SOME MORE CLARITY INTO THE DOCUMENTS IN TERMS OF HOW THIS WOULD WORK AND WHAT WE'RE INTENDING TO DO. 
          SO I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THEIR INPUT AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. 
          SO WITH THAT, UH, MAYOR, I WILL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. 
          AND THERE ARE SEVERAL TEAM MEMBERS ON THE LINE HERE THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BEN. 
          AND, AND I, I DO WANNA THANK YOU AS WELL FOR, FOR THE GREAT WORK OVER THE LAST MANY, MANY MONTHS, UH, ON THIS PROGRAM THAT WE'RE REVIEWING TODAY. 
          UM, AND, AND BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, WHO I ALSO WANNA PUBLICLY THANK FOR, FOR LEANING INTO THIS PROCESS AND, AND BRING ASSEMBLING STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE MADE IT A STRONGER ORDINANCE. 
          I I DO WANNA JUST HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THIS HAS BEEN AN ENORMOUSLY, UH, VALUABLE AND, UM, UM, SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN PROTECTING THE AQUIFER. 
          IT'S, IT'S A MODEL PROGRAM, AND IT'S BEEN WIDELY RECOGNIZED, NOT JUST LOCALLY AND STATEWIDE, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND EVEN INTERNATIONALLY. 
          AND THERE ARE MANY FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN PART OF THAT SUCCESS. 
          UM, AND I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF THEM THAT HAVE BEEN PART OF THE PROCESS FOR ESTABLISHING THIS NOW NEXT ERA, UH, FOR THE OFFER PROTECTION PROGRAM, SO THAT ALL OF THAT SUCCESS REMAINS INTACT AND WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD UPON IT. 
          UM, DR. 
          FRANCINE ROMERO, WHO HAS BEEN THE, THE CHAIR OF THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD, UM, MY PREDECESSOR, UH, BONNIE CONNOR, UM, WHO WAS ONE OF THE, UM, FOUNDERS OF THIS PROGRAM, ALONG WITH SUSAN HUGHES, UH, AND BEN YOUNGBLOOD, THE FOUR OF 'EM, UH, IN PARTICULAR LEANED IN, UH, TO A MEETING WE HAD PROBABLY BACK IN JANUARY, UH, TO ESTABLISH WHAT SHOULD BE THE GUIDEPOST FOR A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, WHAT THOSE WERE AND THE OUTCOME OF THAT PARTICULAR MEETING. 
          UH, BUT ALSO BEFORE I DO THAT, LET ME MENTION, UM, THE GIA BOARD IN PARTICULAR, UM, ON O PIECE, WHO'S THE DIRECTOR AS WELL AS DR. 
          RON GREEN, LONGTIME BOARD MEMBER WHO'S ALSO ON THE SCIENCE EVALUATION TEAM. 
          OUR CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE, UH, TO HELP STEER THIS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          AND THEN I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE MY FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, JIM GREENWOOD, UH, WHO ALSO PLAYED A KEY ROLE, UH, IN THE ASSEMBLY OF ALL THESE MEETINGS EARLY ON. 
          UH, SO THE THREE PILLARS OF THE PROGRAM, NUMBER ONE, UH, WAS IDENTIFIED. 
          WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE OF THE OFFER PROTECTION PROGRAM REMAINED THE SAME, UM, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, IT'S WELL MANAGED, IT'S A GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN, UH, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT INTERESTS THAT ARE, UH, IN THE RECHARGE AND CONTRIBUTING ZONE AS WELL AS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THIS PROGRAM. 
          THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD, THE LAND ACQUISITION TEAM, SCIENCE EVALUATION TEAM, AND CERTAINLY OUR TALENTED CITY STAFF, UH, IN PARTICULAR GRANT ELLIS AND HOMER GARCIA ARE ALL PART OF MAKING SURE THAT THIS PROGRAM IS MANAGED AND GOVERNED SUCCESSFULLY. 
          UM, SO THAT'S NUMBER ONE. 
          NUMBER TWO, UM, BEN AND FRANCINE, BONNIE, 
          [00:35:01]
SUSAN AND OTHERS, UH, WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THE POINT THAT WE WANTED THE COMMITMENT, THE STRENGTH AND SIZE OF THE COMMITMENT TO THE PROGRAM, UH, TO, UH, BE THE SAME. 
          UM, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE INCREASED THE COMMITMENT. 
          THE PUBLIC HAS INCREASED THE COMMITMENT TO A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN THE PREVIOUS ROUND, THE 2015 PROPOSITION, UM, THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THIS PROGRAM. 
          OUR COMMITMENT OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IS EQUAL TO THE 2015 PROPOSITION. 
          AND IF YOU REMEMBER, THE 2015 PROPOSITION WAS TIED TO A DOLLAR AMOUNT, AN ACCRUED, ACCRUED SALES TAX, NOT TO A TIME PERIOD. 
          UH, THE IDEA THAT IT WAS FIVE YEARS. 
          UH, IT WAS A ROUGH AVERAGE TIMELINE IT TOOK TO ACQUIRE, TO ACCRUE THAT AMOUNT. 
          IN REALITY, IT'S TAKEN LONGER. 
          UM, THAT ACCRUAL WON'T OCCUR UNTIL, UH, THEN YOU, YOU MENTIONED SOMETIME MIDDLE END OF, OF 21. 
          AND IN REALITY, THE SPEND, UH, IN ORDER TO, UH, SPEND THAT AMOUNT AND ACQUIRE THE EASEMENTS, IT'S GONNA TAKE EVEN LONGER THAN THAT. 
          SO WE WERE ACCOMPLISHING THAT WITH THIS PROGRAM. 
          THE THIRD, UM, WHICH IS, IS DIFFERENT, BUT STILL, UH, STRONG, UH, WITH THE NEW REVENUE STREAM, IS THE SECURITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMITMENT THAT WE MAKE TO THE OFFER PROTECTION PROGRAM IS INTACT. 
          UH, JOHN COURAGE IN PARTICULAR, UH, WEIGHED INTO THIS AND MADE THIS A VERY STRONG, UH, PROGRAM IN WHICH WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT THE COMMITMENT THAT WE MAKE TO THE OFFER TODAY CAN'T BE UNDONE ON A WHIM, UH, WOULD REQUIRE A LOT OF PUBLIC INPUT. 
          UH, BUT THAT CHANGES THAT WE WANT TO MAKE ONGOING TO STRENGTHEN IT. 
          UH, POTENTIALLY IF WE SEE A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT'S VALUABLE, THAT WE NEED MORE FLEXIBILITY TO ACQUIRE AN EASEMENT, WE HAVE THAT ABILITY. 
          UH, BUT THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS US TO HAVE A COMMITMENT THAT WILL REMAIN INTACT FOR FUTURE CITY COUNCILS, UH, TO BUILD UPON. 
          SO THAT IS AN ACCOMPLISHED AS WELL. 
          UH, IT'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, MY HAT'S OFF TO EVERYBODY WHO, WHO WEIGHED INTO THIS AND MADE THIS A STRONG PROGRAM. 
          I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, TO, UH, VOTING ON THIS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SOLIDIFYING THE NEXT ERA OF THE AQUA PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          YOU WANNA MAKE A COUPLE OF POINTS THOUGH, AND ASK ONE QUICK QUESTION ON THE RECORD, UH, THAT I THINK HAS BEEN ASKED A FEW TIMES. 
          UM, THE 160,000 PLUS ACRES OF EASEMENTS THAT WE HAVE ACQUIRED, UM, THOSE ARE PERPETUAL, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO THOSE EASEMENTS. 
          IS THAT CORRECT, HOMER? UM, IF, IF FOR SOME REASON THERE'S A MODIFICATION TO THIS PROGRAM, OR, OR, OR THE PROGRAM DOESN'T HAPPEN, THOSE 160,000 ACRES THAT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED AS PART OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM ARE OURS FOREVER AND EVER, AND EVER. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? YES, MA'AM. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          NUMBER TWO. 
          UM, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM IN TERMS OF WHAT WILL BE ACQUIRED TO PROTECT, RECHARGE, UM, AND IT'S A DEBATE WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. 
          DO WE GO FURTHER WEST, UH, TO ACQUIRE LARGER PROPERTIES OVER THE RECHARGE ZONE, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE FARTHER AWAY FROM THE, FROM THE CITY? OR DO WE SPEND MORE TIME IN MORE NORTHERN REGIONS BUYING SMALLER PROPERTIES THAT ARE PART OF THE CONTRIBUTING ZONE IN HIGHLY DEVELOPED AREAS TO PROTECT PORTIONS OF THE WATERSHED THAT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY IMPACTFUL. 
          THERE'S A, THERE'S SOME SPLIT DISCUSSIONS ON THAT, BUT THAT SHOULD BE THE DOMAIN I WOULD THINK OF EXPERTS, SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS, HYDROLOGISTS, GEOLOGISTS, FOLKS LIKE DR. 
          RON GREEN, WHO IS PART OF THE SCIENCE EVALUATION TEAM THAT HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHY, UH, THEY WERE ASSEMBLED. 
          DOES THIS PROGRAM MODIFY THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THE SCIENCE EVALUATION TEAM HAS OR THE AUTHORITY THAT THEY HAVE WITH REGARD TO SHAPING THE CRITERIA FOR LAND ACQUISITION? ME, I, I, I'LL ANSWER THAT ONE. 
          NO, THE, THE, THIS PROGRAM, UH, UH, IS EXACTLY LIKE THE CURRENT PROGRAM. 
          WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          LAST THING I'LL SAY IS, UH, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION, OBVIOUSLY ABOUT THE SECOND PART OF, UH, THIS ONE 8 CENT, AND THAT IS THE LINEAR CREEKWAY TRAILS PROGRAM. 
          UM, AS YOU KNOW, UH, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT TOOK A VOTE BACK IN, UH, FEBRUARY, I BELIEVE, UH, COMMITTING TO THE NEXT ROUND OF CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CREEKWAY. 
          THE AGREEMENT HAD BEEN TO, UH, ENSURE THAT OUR GOVERNANCE, THE LENAR CREEKWAY ADVISORY BOARD, AS WELL AS OUR STAFF, CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN THE TRAILS AND THE NEW TRAILS THAT COME UNDER OUR PORTFOLIO. 
          UH, THAT HAS BEEN, UM, A COMMITMENT THAT THE JUDGE STANDS BY. 
          UH, WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK TOGETHER, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS PART OF, UM, THE PROGRAM MOVING 
          [00:40:01]
FORWARD. 
          OBVIOUSLY, THE PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED FORECAST, AND THEY HAVE TO WAIT FOR THEIR PROPERTY TAX ROLES TO SOLIDIFY, UH, SCHEDULING OF ACQUISITIONS. 
          BUT THE COMMITMENT REMAINS, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO, UM, COMPLETING THAT, UH, TOGETHER WITH THE COUNTY. 
          UM, AGAIN, HATS OFF TO YOU, JOHN. 
          UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. 
          AND LET ME, LET ME GIVE IT FIRST, UH, TO YOU, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER HO CAB. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, I THINK THAT YOU AND THE STAFF HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF OUTLYING OUTLINING WHERE WE WANNA GO, UH, FROM HERE. 
          BUT I THINK ALL OF US AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE JOBS OF, UH, THE CITY GOVERNMENT IS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND PROTECTING THEIR HEALTH. 
          IT IS, IS PREMIER AND PROTECTING OUR WATER IS PART OF THAT WHOLE SERIES OF PROTECTIONS THAT GOVERNMENT IS CHARGED WITH. 
          AND SO, UH, I SAID AT THE OUTSET OF THESE DISCUSSIONS THAT PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WANT TO KNOW THAT THE EDWARDS IS GOING TO REMAIN PROTECTED IN WHATEVER FORMAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH. 
          AND THAT'S SOMETHING I'VE HEARD. 
          I KNOW EVERY COUNCIL PERSON HAS HEARD THAT FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS. 
          UH, THIS WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF WHERE WE GO, UH, WITH THE EDWARDS AND, AND HOW WE PROCEED TO ENSURE IT'S PROTECTED, UH, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, GIVING CITY GOVERNMENT THE FLEXIBILITY TO HANDLE OTHER MAJOR ISSUES THAT HAVE COME UP DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. 
          AND I THINK WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF DOING THAT. 
          I, I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT, AND I HOPE TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO EXPLAIN THIS AND ENSURE THE PEOPLE AND MY DISTRICT AND AROUND THE CITY THAT THIS IS A SOLID PLAN, THAT THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT THE AQUIFER FOR YEARS TO COME. 
          IT'S NOT JUST, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE SAYING IT'S GONNA BE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OR IT'S GONNA BE, UH, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT AS YOU'VE HEARD, THESE PROTECTIONS, UH, THE LAND ACQUISITION, THE CON CONSERVATION ACQUISITIONS ARE GONNA BE PERPETUAL. 
          AND I DON'T SEE IT ENDING AT THE END OF THIS A HUNDRED MILLION. 
          AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY EXPECTS THAT EITHER. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS WE HOPE TO DO IS DEVELOP A CONTINUING PARALLEL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EDWARDS UNDERGROUND WATER DISTRICT AUTHORITY, WHO IS BY ITS ESTABLISHMENT THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE, IS CHARGED ALSO WITH PROTECTING THE AQUIFER. 
          SO WHAT THE CITY'S DONE OVER THE, THE PAST 20 YEARS AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO GOING FORWARD OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS IS PART OF THAT PROCESS. 
          BUT I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA BE SEEING A GREATER PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT THE EDWARDS AREA GOING FORWARD. 
          AND SO OURS IS JUST A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO THAT ONGOING EFFORT TO PROTECT THE EDWARDS. 
          AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA SEE THE AQUIFER AUTHORITY TAKE EVEN A GREATER ROLE IN THAT AS TIME GOES FORWARD. 
          AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASSURED THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN. 
          AND IT'S A STRONG PROGRAM TO PROTECT, UH, THE EDWARDS AFER AND OUR WATER IN THIS COMMUNITY. 
          SO I FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT IT, AND I'M GONNA BE A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR IT AND MY COMMUNITY EDUCATING THEM SO THEY UNDERSTAND, UH, WHERE WE ARE ON THIS. 
          AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT EVERYBODY'S BEEN DOING ON IT. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COVEO HDA, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IT'S CLEARED UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT I'VE HAD AND THE COMMUNITY HAS HAD, UM, ABOUT THE PLAN GOING FORWARD, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO SUPPORTING AND ADVOCATING FOR IT AS WELL. 
          I DO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. 
          UM, HOMER, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE FUNDS EXPENDED SO FAR HAVE PROTECTED OVER 160,000 ACRES, WHICH IS PHENOMENAL. 
          WILL YOU TELL ME WHERE THIS ACREAGE BENCHMARKS IN THE ORIGINAL GOAL SET BACK WHEN THE PROGRAM FIRST STARTED, YOU TALKING ABOUT ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2000? YEAH, WAY BACK. 
          I AM, I DO NOT HAVE, UH, THAT INFORMATION. 
          UH, LET ME ASK, UH, PHILIP COVINGTON IS, UM, WORKS AND DIRECTLY OVERSEES THAT PROGRAM. 
          UH, I WILL WORK WITH HIM TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT THAT GOAL AND INTENT WAS BACK IN 2000 IN TERMS OF WHAT THE GOAL WAS AT, AT THE TIME. 
          I BELIEVE, UM, IT WAS 45 MILLION. 
          I NEED TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT MY SLIDES, BUT I'LL GET THAT INFORMATION. 
          I, I DON'T KNOW. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UH, SOME FOLLOW UPS FOR, UH, FOR THAT. 
          UM, IF YOU CAN GET ME THE INFORMATION AS, ARE WE CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL GOAL, WHICH IS, WHICH YOU MENTIONED, UM, AND ALSO IF WE'RE, IF WE'VE HIT OR IF WE'RE CLOSE TO 
          [00:45:01]
HITTING A FAIR MARKET CEILING. 
          SO YOU COULD FOLLOW UP WITH, UM, ME ON THE, THAT INFORMATION, AND IT COULD BE ANSWERED COUNTY BY COUNTY, NOT JUST BEXAR COUNTY, BUT PER COUNTY. 
          UM, SO I'LL MOVE ON. 
          UM, I, I LISTENED TO SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          WE HAVE HAD SOME VIRTUAL H O A MEETINGS IN MY DISTRICT, AND, UH, THEY'VE EXPRESSED CONCERN. 
          I THINK THERE MAY BE SOME MISINFORMATION OUT THERE, BUT THEY, THEY HAVE EXPRESSED A CONCERN ABOUT A SAW RATE INCREASE THAT WOULD COVER THE PAYMENT TO THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND. 
          CAN ANYBODY ADDRESS THAT? COUNCILMAN? THIS IS BEN. 
          I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THAT. 
          UH, THIS WOULD NOT, UH, UH, RESULT IN ANY KIND OF SAW RATE INCREASE. 
          WHAT WE ARE USING IS, UH, GENERAL FUND DOLLARS, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE PLEDGE IS THE CITY'S PAYMENT FROM SAWS, BUT THESE ARE GENERAL FUND DOLLARS. 
          THEY WOULD NOT RESULT IN ANY KIND OF SAW RATE INCREASE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, BEN. 
          AND FINALLY, UH, THE, THIS IS JUST FOR MY OWN CLARIFICATION. 
          WHAT, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CURRENT E A P P PROPERTY EVALUATION PROCESS AND THE PROPOSED FUTURE PRO PROCESS, SPECIFICALLY THE APPROVAL STAGE? I'M, I'M, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE CONTINUING ROLE OF THE CAB. 
          UH, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY'LL CONTINUE TO ADVISE. 
          CAN YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE MORE ON THAT? UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER, AND HOMER, YOU CAN JUMP IN AS WELL, BUT THE CURRENT PROCESS IN TERMS OF HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS TODAY, WOULD STAY INTACT. 
          IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY WORK EXACTLY THE WAY IT DOES TODAY. 
          UH, EXCEPT THAT WHEN THE PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS COME TO COUNCIL, YOU'LL BE APPROVING THEM AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION. 
          BUT THE ROLE OF THE CAB, THE WAY THE PROCESSES, UH, PROPERTIES ARE VETTED, E EVERYTHING IN TERMS OF HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS TODAY WOULD REMAIN INTACT. 
          AND THEN YOU SAID THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WOULD BE THAT IT COMES TO COUNCIL THEN, SO YOU APPROVE, UH, PROPERTY EASEMENTS, UH, CURRENTLY, UH, MATTER OF FACT, I THINK THERE'S ACTUALLY ONE ON THE AGENDA HOMER FOR NEXT THURSDAY, POTENTIALLY. 
          YES. 
          UM, SO YOU APPROVE THOSE ONCE THEY'VE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THAT RECOMMENDATION'S MADE TO THE COUNCIL UNDER THIS STRUCTURE, YOU WOULD BE APPROVING IT STILL, BUT IT WOULD BE UNDER THE, THE CORPORATION AS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. 
          I SEE. 
          OKAY. 
          THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU, BEN. 
          THANK YOU, HUMMER. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER VARDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          AND THANK YOU COUNCILMAN COURAGE FOR WORKING ON THIS, UM, WITH THE TEAM. 
          AND, UM, THANK YOU, BEN. 
          I, UH, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ON THIS, AND MAINLY JUST BECAUSE I, I JUST SAW THIS, UM, UH, RECENTLY AND I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT. 
          AND SO MY FIRST ONE IS REALLY ON THE PROGRAM FUNDING, AND IT'S SPECIFIC TO THE ISSUANCE OF DEBT. 
          AND SO I KNOW COMMERCIAL PAPER IS TYPICALLY USED FOR, UH, FINANCING OF PAYROLL AND, AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. 
          AND, AND I, I KNOW SHORT TERM LIABILITIES. 
          I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT F D I C INSURED UNLESS I'M, UH, WRONG ON THAT. 
          BUT HOW DO, UH, STANDARD AND POORS AND MOODY SEE THIS AS FAR AS THE CITY GOES? UM, I'M JUST WONDERING, I, IS IT A STABLE MARKET? I KNOW EARLIER IN THE YEAR, IN, IN ABOUT MARCH, THE FEDERAL, UH, RESERVE BANK WAS LOOKING TO, UM, I, I, I GUESS MAKING THE LOANS, UM, IN HELP OF STABILIZING THE MARKET. 
          SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT YOU CAN TELL ME ABOUT THAT, HOW, HOW YOU THINK IT WOULD AFFECT OUR CREDIT RATINGS. 
          UM, I DON'T ANTICIPATE HAVING ANY KIND OF NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR CREDIT RATING, UH, IN THIS CASE. 
          AND A LOT OF GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES DO THIS. 
          UTILITIES DO THIS A LOT, T P S AND SAWS. 
          UH, YOU ESTABLISH COMMERCIAL PAPER PROGRAMS FOR CAPITAL COSTS, SO NOT PAYROLL, NOT THE SHORT TERM LIABILITIES. 
          UM, IN THIS CASE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING IT BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES ALIGN WELL WITH THE WAY THE PROGRAM WORKS. 
          SO AS PROPERTIES ARE VETTED, YOU KNOW, THAT IS REALLY WHAT THE EXPENDITURE FUNDS GOES TOWARDS AS WE'RE ACQUIRING PROPERTIES OR EASEMENTS. 
          THIS REALLY ALLOWS US TO, ONE, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SHORT-TERM INTEREST RATES ON, ON, UH, KIND OF WHERE RATES ARE TODAY. 
          BUT SECONDLY, IT REALLY HELPS US ALIGN WHEN WE BORROW THE MONEY WITH, WHEN WE NEED THE MONEY. 
          SO WE CAN LITERALLY, UH, ONCE WE ESTABLISH A PROGRAM, WE MAKE A DRAW, WE CAN HAVE DOLLARS WITHIN PROBABLY LESS THAN 30 DAYS. 
          SO THAT REALLY HELPS US A LOT, NOT INCUR ADDITIONAL INTEREST COSTS, UH, MORE THAN WE NEED TO. 
          GOOD, BEN. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. 
          I WAS HOPING FOR, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS ALSO, UM, A CONSIDERATION OF, UH, SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLES. 
          AND SO I'M WONDERING IF, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, LOOKED AT THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THEN I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION ALSO, UM, IN THE, UH, CITY OPERATING BUDGET THAT YOU HAVE, I THINK IT'S SLIDE I, I CAN'T TELL WHICH SLIDE. 
          OH, SLIDE 10. 
          [00:50:01]
WHAT IS THE SS F T MODEL THAT WE'RE REFERRING TO? HITS ON THE FOURTH BULLET POINT. 
          OH, THE SET MODEL, UH, HOMER, DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN THAT ONE A LITTLE BIT MORE? YES. 
          SO THE SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION, UM, TEAM LOOKS AT THE, THE MODEL, AND THAT'S HOW PROPERTIES ARE RANKED. 
          AND SO THE MODEL IS UPDATED PERIODICALLY, USUALLY ABOUT EVERY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALWAYS CAPTURING THE MOST RELEVANT, UH, INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THE SCIENCE THAT DRIVES, UM, KEY INDICATORS OF THE PROGRAM. 
          SO, UH, AND IT'S NOT A SHORT PROCESS. 
          SO WE ACTUALLY, THE MODEL ITSELF, WE DO WORK, AND THAT'S VETTED THROUGH THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD AS WELL. 
          SO MOST RECENTLY, WHILE CAB ADOPTED THE MODEL THAT EXISTS TODAY, THAT OCCURRED IN 2019, WE ACTUALLY BEGAN THAT PROCESS, UM, IN 2018. 
          AND SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE, UTILIZE, UH, OUR WATER EXPERTS TO KEEP THE MODEL CURRENT, UH, EVERY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS ON THE SAME SCHEDULE AS WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. 
          DOES, DOES THAT ANSWER, UH, THE QUESTION? IT, YES, IT, IT'S HELPING ME. 
          UM, HOMER, MAYBE WE CAN JUST GET OFFLINE JUST SO THAT I, I COULD, UM, UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          I DO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION ON THE ANNUAL PROGRAM FUNDING, AND IT WAS ON SLIDE NINE. 
          AND SO IT SAYS THAT IT CAN BE ADJUSTED BASED ON EPPS NEEDS OR THE FINANCIAL CAPACITY OF THE CITY, UH, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION OTHER BUDGETARY NEEDS. 
          SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND, HOW WOULD THIS BE BASED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS? ARE WE LOOKING AT THIS QUARTERLY, UM, HOW I, I KNOW IT'S ANNUAL, UH, THAT WE FUNDED, BUT HOW ARE WE KEEPING TRACK OR HOW ARE WE, UM, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, THAT, THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAN BE FUNDED FOR YEARS TO COME? UH, YES, COUNSEL, AND THAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          LET ME, LEMME TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND EXPLAIN HOW THAT WOULD WORK. 
          SO REALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS SETTING HOW MUCH PROGRAM FUNDING WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR THE, FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. 
          AND WE WOULD WANT INFORMATION FROM THE CAB IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH FOR THE CURRENT YEAR, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, KIND OF WHAT DO THEY SEE THE NEEDS FOR POTENTIAL FUNDING FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. 
          UM, WE'VE ESTABLISHED THIS PLAN WITH ABOUT ROUGHLY EQUAL AMOUNTS OF ABOUT 10 MILLION. 
          SO BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE GET FROM THE CAB IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH, UH, FUNDING THEY THINK THEY NEED FOR AN UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, WE WOULD LOOK AT THAT ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH IN THE BUDGET AND, AND DO WE NEED TO ADJUST? DO WE HAVE CAPACITY TO ADJUST THAT? UM, SO THAT GIVES US SOME FLEXIBILITY TO, TO ADJUST THAT. 
          THE PROCESS WOULD INCLUDE GETTING INPUT FROM THE CAB. 
          SO WE WOULD ACTUALLY, FINANCE STAFF WOULD ACTUALLY MEET WITH THE CAB, GET THAT INPUT TALK WITH PARKS, HOMER AND HIS TEAM, UH, DEVELOP A PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATION THAT WE WOULD TAKE TO THE CAB TO GET THEIR INPUT ON. 
          AND THEN WE WOULD, UH, HAVE A DIALOGUE ABOUT THAT AND THEN ULTIMATELY COME BACK TO COUNCIL THROUGH THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT WHAT THE FUNDING FOR THE, FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR SHOULD BE. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU, BEN. 
          AND THEN I, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS YOU OR IF IT'S A HOMEWORK QUESTION, BUT ALSO I'M ASSUMING THAT WE HAVE LIKE SHORT-TERM PLANNING, LIKE A A FIVE YEAR PLAN, A 10 YEAR PLAN, I'M HOPING A 20 YEAR PLAN, UM, DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO THAT? CAN I SEE THAT? I HAVEN'T SEEN IT. 
          I, I'D JUST LOVE TO SEE WHAT, WHAT THE PLANS ARE. 
          Y YES, WE CAN WORK TO GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU. 
          WE DO, AGAIN, AS WE LOOK AHEAD FOR PROPERTIES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TARGET BACK TO THE SCORING MODEL. 
          ONE OF THE MOST RECENT UPDATES WAS LOOKING AT, UM, THE PROXIMITY OF AVAILABLE PROPERTIES WITHIN KEY WATERSHEDS. 
          AND SO TALK ABOUT THE PROLIFERATION DEVELOPMENT. 
          THERE'S BEEN SOME HIGH LEVEL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF STARTING TO FILL IN THE GAPS. 
          UH, BUT WE CAN FOLLOW UP AND GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE SAUCE BOARD FEEL ABOUT THIS? I, UM, I, I SEE A LOT OF E I P P IN HERE AND, AND, AND, AND CO COLLABORATION. 
          AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW THE SAUCE BOARD FEELS ABOUT IT. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD TAKE THE QUESTION. 
          MAYBE MAYOR, I'M SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER, COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? YEAH, I, I'M JUST WONDERING HOW THE SAUCE BOARD FEELS ABOUT THIS OR, UH, I'M, I'M ASSUMING THEY'VE BEEN BRIEFED ON IT, OR, OR MAYBE THERE'S A POTENTIAL BRIEFING COMING UP ON IT. 
          I'M JUST WONDERING HOW, HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT IT. 
          YEAH, SO, UH, THERE IS A BRIEFING COMING UP, UH, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE THE SAWS BOARD BRIEFED ON IT BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL DID. 
          AND, BUT I'LL TELL YOU THAT THE, THE BRIEFING WILL BE INFORMATIONAL ONLY BECAUSE AS BEN LAID OUT, THERE'S NO AUTHORITY RELINQUISHED BY THE CITY, UH, TO SAWS. 
          NOR NOR IS IT DEPENDENT ON REVENUE FROM 
          [00:55:01]
SAWS, UH, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. 
          SO WE WE'RE OUT OF COURTESY GOING TO PROVIDE A, AN INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING OF THE SAWS BOARD. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. 
          GREAT, THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROSA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER AL. 
          UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          AND, UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, M MY QUESTIONS HAVE MORE TO DO WITH THE CREEKWAY. 
          UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, UM, THE EDWARDS OFFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          THERE'S BEEN A PRETTY VOCAL, UM, CON UH, CONSTITUENCY TALKING ABOUT THAT. 
          BUT MY CONCERN HAS BEEN FOR THE CREEKWAY PROGRAM, UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE BUILDING OUT THOSE FACILITIES, THE ONES THAT WERE LEFT TILL THE END WERE ALL THE WEST SIDE CREEKS AND THE URBAN CREEKS INNER CITY. 
          UM, AND SO NO SURPRISE, UH, YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS THOSE ARE LEFT, THE FUNDING GETS SHIFTED TO SOME OTHER PRIORITY, AND THAT'S A, A TREMENDOUS CONCERN OF MINE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE COUNTY WILL TAKE IT OVER AND I KNOW THAT THEY HAD BEEN BRIEFED. 
          UM, I GUESS I JUST, UH, I I I SUPPOSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY ASSURANCES THAT THOSE WILL CONTINUE, UM, UNTIL THEY VOTE ON IT AT SOME CERTAIN POINT. 
          I MEAN, UH, IT, IT IS JUST, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, UH, I, I I KNOW THAT WE CANNOT SPEAK FOR THE COUNTY, UM, OR THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UM, IN, IN WHAT THEY APPROVED BACK IN FEBRUARY, THERE WAS NO FUNDING ALLOTTED TO THAT AM AM I CORRECT? IT WAS MORE JUST A, AN AGREEMENT THAT THEY WOULD TAKE IT ON, BUT NO DOLLARS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 
          COUNSEL? UH, I, ERIC, GO AHEAD. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          MARY, WERE YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING? NO, NO, GO AHEAD, ERIC. 
          WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, BACK IN FEBRUARY, COMMISSIONER'S COURT, UM, APPROVED, UH, VOTED AND APPROVED ON AN ITEM THAT WAS, UH, REALLY A, UH, A WATERSHED AND, UH, LINEAR CREEK DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 
          AND AT THE TIME, THIS IS ALL PRE COVID, UM, THEY HAD ASKED, UH, THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY AND THE COUNTY STAFF TO WORK ON A, ON A FINANCING PLAN. 
          UM, BUT CONCEPTUALLY THIS, IT WAS ABOUT $200 MILLION OF, OF WATERSHED AND CREEK DEVELOPMENT, OF WHICH ABOUT 80 OF IT WAS, UM, 70 OR 80 WAS FOR THE CREEK WAYS. 
          AND, AND SO THAT'S THE PIECE THAT HASN'T COME BACK YET. 
          AND, UM, I THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPE OF IMPACT COVID WILL HAVE ON PROPERTY TAX VALUES. 
          'CAUSE THAT WAS A DEBT FUNDED PROGRAM THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE PURSUING. 
          UM, BUT, BUT AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, I I THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION BETWEEN, UH, THE MAYOR AND THE JUDGE ABOUT, ABOUT THE COMMITMENT THAT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE A CAPITAL PROGRAM DONE YET AT THIS POINT. 
          UM, SO, WHICH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, LIKE GIVES ME A LOT OF PAUSE AT THAT IS STILL PENDING. 
          AND, AND EVEN STILL, THAT AGREEMENT, OF COURSE, WAS PRE COVID, BUT IT WAS RELATED TO A VIA FUNDED, UH, PROJECT, NOT NECESSARILY A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT THAT NOW WE ARE PURSUING. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I I, I AM, I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT OUR WEST SIDE CREEKS ARE NOT GONNA GET FUNDED. 
          I KNOW EARLY ON IT WAS PRESENTED. 
          PERHAPS WE COULD, YOU KNOW, USE THE BOND PROGRAM FOR THAT. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW, HOMER CAN, DO YOU HAVE A STATUS ON SOME OF THOSE CREEKS AND WHAT'S LEFT PENDING? I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE STILL SHORT MAYBE 70 MILLION TO COMPLETE THAT PROJECT, UM, TO COMPLETE ALL THE, THE URBAN CREEKWAY, INNER CITY, SARA SAMURA, ALSAN, UM, MAYBE SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS CO UH, COUNCILWOMAN, IF I MAY, UH, CAN I RECOMMEND THAT WE PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE CREEKWAY AND GREENWAYS, UH, SEPARATELY SINCE WE'VE, UH, POSTED FOR ONLY DISCUSSION ON THE, UH, AQUIFER PROGRAM. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THANKS ANDY. 
          UM, UH, YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL RESPECT THAT. 
          UM, UH, AS YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, BUT IT HAS BEEN A BIG CONCERN OF MINE THAT THAT'S STILL LEFT PENDING. 
          UH, SO, UM, JUST REGARDING THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROGRAM, UM, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, A SMOOTH TRANSITION. 
          UM, I GUESS MY FINAL QUESTION IS REGARDING THE, UM, UH, IN, UM, THE NOTES. 
          I'M SORRY THAT IT, IT IS, UM, IS THERE NO END DATE, ISN'T IT? THE A HUNDRED MILLION, I MEAN, IT'S UP TO A HUNDRED MILLION. 
          SO THAT A HUNDRED MILLION COULD LAST FIVE YEARS, OR IT COULD LAST 10 YEARS. 
          IT'S A DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT CAPS US, NOT A TIMELINE. 
          [01:00:04]
UH, THAT IS CORRECT. 
          WHAT WE'VE STRUCTURED HERE IS A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS COMMITMENT. 
          WE'VE ASSUMED, AGAIN, A PLAN THAT GOES UP TO 10 YEARS. 
          UH, BUT WE COULD CERTAINLY GO FASTER THAN THAT. 
          AND I MENTIONED THE TWO FACTORS THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO ADJUST THAT ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT. 
          SO OUR COMMITMENT AT THIS POINT IS FOR A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND SO I GUESS I I, I HAVE ALSO A LITTLE BIT OF PAUSE, UM, IN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE CONTINUALLY MAKING CUTS IN OUR BUDGET. 
          I MEAN, THIS IS A TIME WHERE WE'RE SEEING A REDUCTION IN SERVICES, UM, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE ANTICIPATE THAT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          BUT THE PART THAT'S SECURE, UH, BECAUSE THAT IT'S STILL PART OF THE SALES TAX, UH, IS 25 MILLION, IS THAT WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY? AND THEN IN FUTURE YEARS, THE ADDITIONAL A HUNDRED, SO WE, UH, BELIEVE THAT WE'LL HIT THE CAP FROM THE CURRENT SALES TAX PROPOSITION IN MARCH OF NEXT YEAR, ROUGHLY. 
          IS THAT, AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WHAT IS THERE A DOLLAR AMOUNT TIED TO THAT? UH, IT'S A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IS WHAT WAS APPROVED BY VOTERS IN 2015. 
          SO WE THINK WE'LL HIT THAT CAP IN MARCH OF 21. 
          UH, AT THAT POINT, THE SALES TAX WOULD EXPIRE, BUT WE THINK THERE'LL BE ABOUT $20 MILLION LEFT THAT WILL HAVE COLLECTED BUT NOT HAVE SPENT, WE BELIEVE THAT CAN CARRY THE PROGRAM THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2022. 
          AND THEN THIS NEW STRUCTURE WOULDN'T START UNTIL 2023 OKAY. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          WELL, SO THEN, YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE'LL DETERMINE AT WHAT, AT THAT POINT, WHAT THE BUDGET LOOKS LIKE. 
          MAYBE, WE'LL, THINGS WILL START TO RECOVER AND WE WON'T BE DOING SO MANY CUTS. 
          BUT I MEAN, THIS, AS IN EVERYTHING, IS IT UP FOR, UM, RENEWAL BY THE COUNCIL? UM, I MEAN, IF WE GET IN A VERY BAD WAY AT SOME FUTURE DATE, IS THIS ANOTHER POTENTIAL, UM, I GUESS BUCKET THAT COULD BE, UM, I MEAN, IT'S GENERAL FUND MONEY, AM I RIGHT? SO THAT, THAT'S CORRECT. 
          TO MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS WE NEEDED TO OVER TIME. 
          YEAH. 
          SO LET ME, LET ME ANSWER, UH, TWO OF YOUR QUESTIONS THERE. 
          MAYBE TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF COMFORT. 
          UM, THE PROGRAM WOULDN'T START UNTIL 2023. 
          WE'RE GONNA START IT WITH COMMERCIAL PAPER. 
          AND BASED ON THE WAY WE'VE PROGRAMMED IT OUT, I DON'T ANTICIPATE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          IN 23 THROUGH 25, WE'RE PROBABLY TALKING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 600,000, MAYBE BY 2025, WE GET UP TO ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS ROUGHLY. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA BE EASING OUR WAY INTO THE PROGRAM, SO TO SPEAK. 
          UM, TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION, OBVIOUSLY, I THINK JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE SALES TAX, IF WE GOT INTO A POSITION WHERE WE WERE IN SOME KIND OF SIGNIFICANT RECESSION AND WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT CONTRACTION IN THE ECONOMY, THEN THAT WOULD BE PART OF WHAT WOULD GO INTO HOW WE SET THE FUNDING FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. 
          SO IT WOULD WORK BOTH WAYS, BOTH IN TERMS OF WHEN THE GENERAL FUND'S IN A GOOD POSITION AND THINGS ARE GOING WELL, WE'VE GOT OUR BASE TO WORK OFF OF. 
          WE COULD ALWAYS INCREASE THAT AMOUNT. 
          BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN, IF WE SAW SOMETHING JUST REALLY SEVERE CAUSING SIGNIFICANT CONTRACTION, WE COULD TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE RECOMMEND FUNDING FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU BEN. 
          UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, LEMME JUST PICK UP ON THAT JUST A MINUTE, BEN. 
          JUST TO BE CLEAR, UM, AS THE, UM, AS THE MACROECONOMIC CHANGES, UM, THE SAME WOULD BE TRUE FOR THE SALES TAX, BUT OUR COMMITMENT TO THE $100 MILLION REMAINS THE SAME. 
          THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER . 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          UM, HOMER, DOES THE, UM, UH, FIGURES ON SLIDE NUMBER SIX INCLUDE THE MONEY FOR THE, FOR THE, UH, LINEAR CREEK SYSTEM, OR IS THAT JUST THE MONEY THAT WENT TO THE AFER PROTECTION? IT IS JUST AQUIFER PROTECTION. 
          AND HOW MUCH WAS FOR THE LINEAR CREEK? UH, 80 MILLION. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          80. 
          80. 
          SO REALLY IT'S 325 PLUS 80, RIGHT? WELL, THE, THE 80 MILLION IS THE CURRENT TAX ISSUANT FOR THE GREENWAY PROGRAM. 
          THIS SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS TOTAL, UM, 
          [01:05:01]
COMMITMENT BY THE VOTERS UNDER THE EDWARDS AQUIFER SINCE 2000. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, SO THE, TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, YOU NEED TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE SAME FOR THE GREENWAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO OVER THAT 15 YEARS, $325 MILLION, AND, UM, YOU HAVE A PLAN, YOU SHOWED US A MAP ON HOW MUCH PROPERTY WE ACQUIRED, AND THIS, THIS PLAN IS FOR A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT, LET'S SAY 10 YEARS. 
          UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PROPERTY DO YOU THINK WE CAN LEASE WITH THAT A HUNDRED MILLION VERSUS WHAT WE'VE, UH, JUST PUT IN AGAINST THE, UH, 15 PROP WHERE WITH A HUNDRED MILLION, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO SAY, IS BASICALLY LAND IS BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE, RIGHT? SO A HUNDRED MILLION UNDER THIS LAST PROP BOUGHT US X AMOUNT OF ACRES, A HUNDRED MILLION UNDER THIS NEXT PROPOSAL IS NOT GONNA GET US THAT SAME, UH, NUMBER OF ACRES. 
          SO BASICALLY WE'RE NOT GONNA BE GETTING ONE FOR ONE WHAT WE DID UNDER THIS LAST PROPOSITION, RIGHT? I THINK IT'S A FAIR CHARACTERIZATION. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, I I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT THAT. 
          WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING, UM, WE'RE GONNA GET AS MUCH AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST UNDER THIS PROPOSITION WITH THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, IF I'M, IF I CAN ALSO WEIGH INTO THAT BASED ON THE SCIENCE EVALUATION TEAM'S CRITERIA, WHICH PROPERTIES ARE ACQUIRED IS ALSO A, A BIGGER FUNCTION OF THAT DOLLAR FIGURE IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF ACRES ACQUIRED. 
          BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE'S A DEBATE AS TO WHETHER WE GO WEST FOR LARGER ACREAGE OR WE GO NORTH FOR MUCH SMALLER ACREAGE OVER THE CONTRIBUTING ZONE. 
          BUT I SAY THAT OVER TIME, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET AS MUCH AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST BECAUSE LAND PRICES ARE CONTINUING TO RISE. 
          SO THAT'S MY POINT. 
          UH, BEN, YOU'RE SAYING ISSUANCE OF DEBT, UM, UH, LET ME GO BACK IN HISTORY A LITTLE BIT. 
          HOW MUCH WERE WE GETTING FROM SAS A COUPLE YEARS AGO? WASN'T IT LIKE 2.5%? 2.7%, 2.7%? HOW MANY DOLLARS WAS THAT ABOUT? UH, COUNCILMAN, I'D HAVE TO PULL THAT FOR YOU. 
          I DON'T RECALL THE GIMME A ROUND FIGURE. 
          GIMME A ROUND FIGURE. 
          GIMME A ROUND FIGURE. 
          I WANNA BALLPARK IT AROUND 19, $20 MILLION. 
          OKAY. 
          AND WAS IT THIS COUNCIL OR THE COUNCIL PRIOR WHERE WE ACTUALLY RAISED THAT PERCENTAGE? IT WAS, UH, FOR F Y 2020 AS PART OF THE ADOPTED BUDGET, UH, WE INCREASED THE 2.7% TRANSFER UP TO 4%. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I THINK THAT WAS DRIVEN BY MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN COURAGE AS WELL, IN THAT THE RATIONALE BACK THEN WAS OUR GENERAL FUND NEEDS SOME HELP. 
          SO WE'RE JUST GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM SAS. 
          AND HOW MUCH, OR HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE TALKING NOW ON THAT FOUR OVER 4% DOLLAR WISE, I THINK THIS YEAR IT ADDED ABOUT $10 MILLION TO THAT, THAT, UH, BUDGET. 
          SO THAT WE'RE UP TO $30 MILLION, ANOTHER $10 MILLION. 
          AND I REMEMBER THAT DISCUSSION. 
          I ASKED MR. PUENTE POINT BLANK, IS THIS GOING TO, IS THIS GONNA INCREASE THE RATES FOR SAW? AND HE SAID, YES, SOME POINT IN TIME IT WILL, YES, IT WILL INCREASE THE RATES. 
          SO NOW WE'RE SAYING WE DON'T NEED THIS IN THE GENERAL FUND ANYMORE. 
          WE'RE GONNA ISSUE DEBT, TAKE ON ADDITIONAL DEBT USING THAT MONEY. 
          SO, NO, IT'S NOT REALLY, WE'RE NOT INCREASING ANYTHING FROM SAS, BUT WE'RE ALREADY DRAWING IT FROM SAS, WHICH IS GONNA INCREASE, UH, RATES FOR EVERYBODY HERE THAT SAW SERVICES. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TAKING ON MORE DEBT, WE'RE USING MONEY THAT WE INITIALLY SAID WE NEEDED HELP IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          NOW WE'RE NOT NEEDING THAT HELP IN THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH I, I THINK IS GOING BACK ON WHAT WE DISCUSSED WHEN WE FIRST RAISED THIS. 
          AND I, I VOTED AGAINST THAT RAISE, BY THE WAY. 
          UM, COUNCILMAN, CAN I, CAN I GIVE YOU SOME CLARITY ON THAT POINT? WELL, I, I JUST WANNA MAKE MY POINT THAT, YOU KNOW, WERE, WE DID UNDER INCREASING THAT FUND OR THAT FEE TO SAS WAS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT IN OUR GENERAL FUND. 
          BUT YES, WE'RE GONNA USE THAT TO HELP PAY FOR THE DEBT, NOT ONE FOR ONE. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND 
          [01:10:01]
THAT OVER TIME, BUT STILL IT'S CREATING ADDITIONAL DEBT IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR THIS, FOR THIS, UM, PROTECTION OF OUR AQUIFER. 
          SO, I, I DON'T THINK THAT'S FAIR. 
          I, I THINK THAT ANOTHER BIG THING IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WHY DIDN'T WE WAIT UNTIL THIS NEXT ELECTION IN NOVEMBER? I DON'T SEE ANY REASON THAT WE'RE HAVING TO RUSH THIS THROUGH RIGHT NOW. 
          WE DIDN'T GIVE THE VOTERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE FOR THE AQUIFER. 
          WE'RE JUST DOING THIS OFFLINE SAYING, OH, TRUST THIS, WE'LL FUND THIS AND FUTURE COUNCILS WILL FUND THIS, BUT WE DIDN'T GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO VOTE. 
          NOW IT'S TOO LATE TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. 
          SO WHY DON'T WE JUST DELAY THIS UNTIL THE NEXT BALLOT IN MAY TO SEE IF THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GETS PASSED OR THE VIA GETS PASSED. 
          I DON'T SEE WHY WE HAVE TO DO THIS NOW AND PUT THIS OFF UNTIL MAY THIS NEXT YEAR. 
          WE STILL, THIS PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE SPRING. 
          SO WHY ARE WE RUSHING TO DO THIS NOW? AND AGAIN, LET THE VOTERS DECIDE IF THEY PASS THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN VIA, WELL THEN, YEAH, IT'S OFF THE TABLE. 
          AND THEN LET'S DISCUSS THIS. 
          SO I DON'T AGREE WITH THE TIMING ON THIS. 
          I DON'T AGREE WITH TAKING ON MORE DEBT THAT'S GONNA BE PASSED ON TO THE RATE PAYERS FROM SAWS. 
          IT'S ALREADY TOLD US, YEAH, YOU'RE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET A RATE INCREASE BECAUSE THEIR BUDGETS AT THE TIME WAS BASED ON THAT TWO AND A HALF OR 2.7% FEE TO THE CITY. 
          BUT NOW THAT'S BEEN INCREASED. 
          SO I, I DON'T AGREE WITH THE TIMING. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, IS THIS, OH, ANOTHER QUESTION, BEN. 
          IS THIS GONNA AFFECT OUR ISSUANCE OF OTHER CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION AND WILL IT AFFECT OUR NEXT BOND IN 2022? NO, SIR. 
          NEITHER ONE. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT IT IS, IT IS NEW DEBT THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TAKING ON. 
          I JUST HAVE TO VENT HERE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE PLAYED AROUND WITH TAXPAYER MONEY AND RATE PAYER MONEY, AND HERE WE'RE PLAYING AROUND WITH IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S GONNA IMPACT OUR NEIGHBORS HERE IN THIS CITY THAT IS GONNA HAVE TO PAY MORE. 
          WHEREAS BEFORE THE SALES TAX WAS TAKING CARE OF THIS, THAT ANYBODY BUYING ANYTHING, WHETHER THEY'RE VISITORS OR NEIGHBORS HERE IN TOWN, THAT WERE USING OUR SALES TAX TO DO THAT, BUT WE DIDN'T GIVE OUR VOTERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON THIS. 
          AND I'VE SEEN SEVERAL POLLS THAT SAID THE AQUIFER IS WAY HIGHER THAN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OR VIA, AND YET WE'RE NOT GIVING OUR VOTERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON. 
          THAT'S WHAT REALLY GETS ME. 
          SO I, I'M TELLING YOU, I CAN'T, I CAN'T SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. 
          AND, UM, I WILL EDUCATE MY VOTERS UP HERE IN DISTRICT 10, WHAT'S GOING ON? JUST, AND I HOPE YOU EDUCATE YOUR, LIKE YOU SAID, JOHN, EDUCATE YOUR VOTERS IN DISTRICT NINE AS WELL. 
          BUT TELL 'EM THE WHOLE STORY. 
          THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MAYOR. 
          IF I, IF I, IF I MAY ONE, ANNIE, JUST ONE SECOND. 
          HOLD ON. 
          LET ME JUMP IN, IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          JUST, I, I, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND, UH, COUNCILMAN PERRY, YOUR YOUR POINT, BUT I DID WANNA, I DID WANT TO JUST REMIND THE COUNCIL, BECAUSE THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE WERE DEALING WITH A LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT HAD REDUCED TELECOM REVENUE TO ALL CITIES IN THE STATE. 
          UM, AND, AND WE SAW A LOSS OF NINE TO $10 MILLION. 
          AND SO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY LAST SUMMER, WE WENT, UH, AND INCLUDED THE PROPOSED BUDGET, THE 2.7 INCREASE TO 4% WAS TO MAKE UP FOR THAT, THAT, UH, PRETTY BIG DIVOT IN REVENUE THAT WE GOT THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION LAST YEAR. 
          AND IT WASN'T JUST BECAUSE WE WANTED TO, WE WERE LOOKING TO RECOVER, UH, RATHER THAN, UH, ELIMINATE, UH, UH, BASIC SERVICES FOR THE, FOR THE CITY. 
          BUT I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT. 
          I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT. 
          AND YOU GO AHEAD. 
          UH, THE, THE CLARITY I, THE, UH, THE CLARITY I WANTED TO ADD WAS THAT, UM, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A TAX PROPOSAL ALREADY ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT UNDER STATE LAW, YOU CAN ONLY DO THAT EVERY 365 DAYS. 
          AND BECAUSE OF THE PECULIARITY OF WHEN THE ELECTION DATE IS FOR NEXT NOVEMBER, WHICH IS LESS THAN 365 DAYS, THE EARLIEST WE CAN PUT ANOTHER TAX PROPOSITION BEFORE THE VOTERS IS IN MAY OF 2022. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLARIFICATION, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. 
          [01:15:01]
AND LET ME, LET ME ALSO, UH, CLARIFY ONE POINT BECAUSE IT'S GOTTEN OUT THERE, AND I DON'T THINK A WHOLE LOT OF FOLKS GET THE DISTINCTION. 
          IT'S A MINOR POINT, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT. 
          THESE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ARE NOT LEASES. 
          THESE ARE OWNED PROPERTY, UH, PROPERTY RIGHTS BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, AND THEY'RE OWNED IN PERPETUITY. 
          LET ME GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, SO I AM JUST GONNA START BY SAYING, UM, BEN, I HOPE YOU'VE WRITTEN ALL OF THIS DOWN VERY CLEARLY IN OUR OPERATIONS MANUAL OR ELSE YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE YOU ARE THE CARRIER OF THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS. 
          SO, UM, I'M JUST GONNA PUT THAT OUT THERE, ERIC AND BEN. 
          UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          DOES THIS, HOW OFTEN DOES THE CONSERVATION, UM, THIS PROGRAM GET AUDITED BY THE CITY? THAT IS DONE AS PART OF OUR ANNUAL AUDIT. 
          SO OUR EXTERNAL AUDIT, IT'S ONE OF THE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE. 
          SO THAT BECOMES PART OF OUR ANNUAL AUDIT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND WHEN IT COMES TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND, UH, THE, THE AREA AND THOSE, ALL OF THE PLAYERS THAT ARE PART OF SELECTING THE PROPERTIES IN THESE VARIOUS, UM, COUNTIES AND ALL OF THESE ENTITIES WITH THE CAB, UM, DO, DO ANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE BUSINESSES? HAVE WE LOOKED AT ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST, BUSINESS, BUSINESS INTEREST, ANYTHING LIKE THAT WITH SELECTING, UM, THE PROPERTY THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO PUR PURCHASE? AND HAVE WE EVER EXPERIENCED THAT? I'M GONNA, GO AHEAD, HOMER. 
          I, I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THE, THE QUESTION. 
          THE QUESTION IS FOR, HAS THERE EVER BEEN ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR ANY PROPERTY OWNER THAT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM? AND, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT'S BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT BUSINESS INTEREST WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OR IS THAT THE, THE LINE OF BUSINESS IN BUSINESS INTEREST WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO OR BUSINESS INTEREST WITH THEIR PARTNER, THEIR FRIENDS WORK WITH THE, UM, SAN ANTONIO, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, OR THEY'RE PART OF SOMETHING ELSE AND THEY SIT ON THE CAB MAKING DECISIONS, OR THEY OWN A PIECE OF PROPERTY NEXT DOOR TO THE PROPERTY THAT THE CITY'S GOING TO BUY. 
          SO HAVE WE EVER EXPERIENCED THAT, THAT, THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IT? NO. 
          AND, AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. 
          UM, UNDER, FOR ANY INVESTMENT THAT WE BRING FORWARD UNDER THIS PROGRAM, IT GOES TO THE CONSERVATION ADVISORY BOARD. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE WE'VE HAD OUR, UH, WATER QUALITY PROJECTS, THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS THAT ARE RESTRICTED TO BEAR COUNTY, UM, WE HAVE HAD CAB MEMBERS RECUSE THEMSELVES AND LEAVE THE ROOM FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          SO THEY'RE NOT VOTING ON ITEMS THAT WOULD PRESENT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. 
          SO THAT'S ONE EXAMPLE. 
          BUT NO, THAT, THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED, NO, ONLY BECAUSE THIS IS A LOT OF, UM, THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY AND IT'S MANY YEARS, AND IT CAN BE A LOT OF SPECULATION THAT, UH, PEOPLE CAN GO BUY A PROPERTY IN AND AROUND. 
          SO THAT'S, I HAVE TO VERBALIZE THAT. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S ONE OF MY BIGGEST CONCERNS WITH THIS WHOLE THING THAT I'VE HAD SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE, THIS PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND I ALSO WANTED TO ASK, UM, IN YOUR SLIDE, LET ME PULL THIS UP IN YOUR SLIDE CHIHUAHUA, Y'ALL, UM, ON SLIDE NUMBER, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CAB REPRESENTATIVE, IT SAYS, UM, CAB REPRESENTATIVES IN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES, NINE CITY COUNCIL APPOINTED MEMBERS. 
          BUT THESE ARE THE NINE SLOTS. 
          THEY'RE ALL SPECIFIC CATEGORIES. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WE'RE APPOINTING INTO THIS. 
          THESE ARE THE NINE CITY COUNCIL APPOINTED MEMBERS, EDWARDS, OXFORD AUTHORITY, PARKS, PARKS BOARD, ET CETERA, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. 
          THAT WAS ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND THAT'S BY ORDINANCE. 
          SO, AND IT'S EVERY TWO YEARS. 
          AND WE'VE HAD MEMBERS ON THERE SINCE 2000. 
          OF COURSE, THAT'S SCOTT HALTE WITH SA. 
          SO HE'S BEEN THERE FOREVER. 
          UM, AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, OF COURSE, DR. 
          ROMERO, WHO'S BEEN THERE SINCE 2010. 
          WE HAVE ONE SLOT THAT IS OPEN AND AVAILABLE RIGHT 
          [01:20:01]
NOW. 
          WHERE IS THAT SLOT? WHERE ARE WE IN THE PROCESS WITH APPOINTING, OR DO WE EVEN APPOINT SOMEBODY THERE? OR THEY HAVE TO JUST AUTOMATICALLY, THEY'RE NOT EVEN A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          THEY'RE JUST ONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. 
          WHAT ORGANIZATION IS MISSING? UVALDE COUNTY? AND SO THEY MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR SOMEBODY TO FILL THAT SEAT. 
          UM, THAT HAS NOT OCCURRED. 
          SO, UM, THE STRUCTURE THOUGH, AS CREATED BY ORDINANCE, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS COME FROM THOSE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THAT'S BY ORDINANCE. 
          AND WE'RE NOT CHANGING THAT, OR THAT'S NOT UP FOR RECOMMENDATION FOR CHANGING, UM, ON THIS, ON THIS ORDINANCE. 
          WELL, I MEAN, THAT GIVES ME PAUSE, UH, JUST BECAUSE IT'S BEEN LIKE THIS FROM 22,000 AND EVERYBODY HAD TO AGREE TO THIS. 
          UM, BUT AS WE, AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT. 
          SHOULD WE ADD SOMETHING? CAN WE ADD SOMETHING LEGALLY TO THIS AS WE MOVE FORWARD? IF WE'RE CHANGING THIS, UM, AND THE, THE STRUCTURE, I'D BE INTERESTED IN HAVING THAT CONVERSATION. 
          AND THEN, UM, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN, I MEAN, LOOK AT, UH, HAVING SOME OF THE, THESE DOLLARS FOR OUR CREEK WAY. 
          I MEAN, IN, IN THEORY WE COULD USE SOME OF THIS DOLLARS FROM THE CREEK CREEK WAY, OR NO, LEGALLY, I, I KNOW. 
          BEN, DO YOU WANT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION ABOUT USING THESE DOLLARS UNDER THIS PROPOSED FINANCING PLAN FOR CREEKWAY DEVELOPMENT? YEAH, BEN, I BELIEVE, AND I'M GONNA ASK, UH, CLAY BENFORD TO CORRECT ME IF I'M NOT, UH, RECALLING THIS CORRECTLY, BUT I BELIEVE THE, THAT, THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN. 
          YEAH, I WAS GONNA, I WAS GONNA NOT BASED ON THE WAY THE ORDINANCE IS DRAFTED TODAY, 'CAUSE WE'VE DRAFTED IT SPECIFICALLY TO COVER THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER ONLY, BUT, UM, THE ABILITY TO ISSUE DEPTH FOR CREEK WASTE, UH, UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK COULD BE DONE. 
          CLAY, DO YOU WANT CHIME IN? YEAH, BEN, I, I AGREE. 
          UM, AND THIS PROGRAM, AS YOU SAY, HAS BEEN SPECIFICALLY RESEARCHED AND STRUCTURED FOR EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION AND THE BREADTH AND SCOPE IS IDENTIFIED IN THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES. 
          UM, I DO NOT KNOW OF A PROHIBITION FOR ISSUING DEBT FROM A SOURCE OF REVENUES FOR CREEK WASTE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. 
          BUT I WOULD CAVEAT THAT, THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO BUILD A SIMILAR PROGRAM PROBABLY FROM THE GROUND UP BECAUSE IT'S NOT YET BEEN DONE BEFORE, INCLUDING THE FULL, UH, BREADTH AND SCOPE OF LEGAL VETTING TO CONFIRM COMPLIANCE. 
          UH, RIGHT. 
          COUNCILMAN? I WAS GONNA ADD THAT, UH, WE, WE CERTAINLY, IT SHOULDN'T, CODE WOULDN'T BE JUST A SUPPLEMENT TO THE CURRENT STRUCTURE AND PROGRAM. 
          IT WOULD HAVE TO BE, AS CLAY SAID, SOMETHING WE DEVELOPED FROM THE GROUND UP FOR THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING, IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD USE THEN? BECAUSE I, I THINK THE COUNTY DOES NEED TO MOVE FORWARD 'CAUSE THEY'VE COMMITTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CREEK WASTE. 
          YES. 
          BUT IF THERE'S A WAY TO CONTINUE TO AUGMENT IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE BUILT UP FROM THE GROUND AS A, AS A PLAN, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA PLAN B OR PLAN C, PLAN G, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO HAVE, UM, FOR US. 
          SO WHEN WOULD, HOW QUICK WOULD WE HAVE TO CREATE THIS IN TERMS OF A CREEKWAY PROGRAM? I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A SPECIFIC TIMELINE. 
          YEAH. 
          BECAUSE IF WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT NOT UNTIL 2022 WHERE THE MONEY WOULD HAVE TO BE, UH, LOOKED AT. 
          BUT I SEE A FRUSTRATION AND CONCERN ON ERIC WALSH'S FACE. 
          SO I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO HEAR FROM ERIC. 
          WELL, I WERE, WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT CREEKWAY OR ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AQUIFER COUNCILWOMAN? NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT CREEKWAY. 
          YEAH. 
          USING SOME MONEY FOR CREEKWAY. 
          YEAH. 
          I MEAN, LOOK, I THINK I, I THINK PART OF THIS ALSO IS THAT, UM, THE, THE CREEK WAY, THE CREEK WAY WILL, WILL BE CONTINUING TO COLLECT FUNDS THROUGH NEXT SPRING AS WELL. 
          THERE WILL BE MU THERE WILL BE PROJECTS THAT NEED TO CONTINUE. 
          IT'S NOT GONNA, THE DEVELOPMENT WON'T, WON'T STOP NEXT APRIL. 
          UM, THE, THE, THE REAL ISSUE IS, IS WHAT COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ BROUGHT UP, WHICH IS THAT THERE'S 
          [01:25:01]
FURTHER SEGMENTS THAT NEED TO BE DEVELOPED. 
          AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK, I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY ON, ON FUNDING THOSE SEGMENTS. 
          UM, AND, AND I ASSUME WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF IN A SIMILAR POSITION WHERE WE'VE HAD TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THAT RIGHT NOW. 
          BUT, BUT IDEALLY THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE, UM, MY RECOMMENDED FIRST ALTERNATIVE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          THE SECOND ALTERNATIVE IS THAT IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO, THAT DOESN'T WORK OUT AND THE COUNCIL WANTS TO ALLOCATE SOMETHING OUT OF THE 2022 BOND PROGRAM WOULD BE A SECOND. 
          ALL THAT'S GONNA TAKE OUT, UH, UH, RESOURCES THAT, THAT, UH, THAT WE ALL, UM, ARE ALL LOOKING FOR ANYWAY. 
          BUT MY PRIMARY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY TO BUILD OUT THAT PROGRAM. 
          WE DID THAT WHEN WE DID THAT EARLIER IN THE YEAR PARKS, UH, HOMER, HIS STAFF AND DR. 
          BRIDGER WORKED WITH THE RIVER AUTHORITY AND THE COUNTY TO MATCH UP THE SEGMENTS THAT WERE NEEDED, AND THOSE WERE INCLUDED. 
          AND I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE DOWN THAT PATH. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE ON, ON THE COUNTY MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND I FORGOT ABOUT THE BOND. 
          UM, BUT, UH, OKAY. 
          I, I GOT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IF I CAN ADDRESS ONE OTHER ISSUE, POINTED OUT, COUNCILWOMAN, THE, UH, THE CAB MEMBERSHIP IS SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL CAN ALWAYS ADDRESS, UH, OUTSIDE THIS FINANCING STRUCTURE THAT WE'RE SETTING UP. 
          SO IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY TO DO THAT LATER ON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GRO. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER PAL. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          UH, FIRST I, I WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE FOR ALL OF HIS WORK ON THIS AND FOR HIS ENTHUSIASM FOR THIS, UH, ISSUE. 
          I THINK IN THE MIDST OF ALL THESE OTHER THINGS GOING ON, UH, YOU TOOK IT UPON YOURSELF TO DO THIS, AND I, AND I REALLY THANK YOU, UH, FOR TAKING THAT RESPONSIBILITY AND BRINGING US TO THIS POINT, JOHN. 
          UM, I ALSO, UH, WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, HOMEWORK. 
          GREAT WORK WITH THE TEAM. 
          UM, I, ANYTIME I GO TO MY DOCTOR'S OFFICE, THE RECEPTIONIST, UH, TELLS ME TO THANK YOU BECAUSE, SORRY, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I DO IT,  IT TELLS ME THE THANK YOU, BECAUSE YOU GUYS DO SUCH A GREAT JOB, UH, KEEPING THE TRAILS CLEAR AFTER IT RAINS, YOU'RE JUST LIKE, OVERNIGHT IT HAPPENS SO THAT THERE'S NEVER A HOLDUP FOR BEING ABLE TO USE THE TRAILS. 
          SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR THAT WORK. 
          UM, I, UH, I WANTED TO ASK, UH, IN, IN OUR HISTORY OF GETTING HERE, THERE WAS A, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF OTHER IDEAS THAT HAD BEEN FLOATED AROUND, AND I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHERE THOSE ARE NOW, IF THEY'RE COMPLETELY OFF THE TABLE OR NOT. 
          UH, ONE OF THEM HAD BEEN, UH, SOME SORT OF LEGISLATIVE OPTIONS. 
          WE WERE GOING TO ASK THE LEGISLATURE, UH, WAS IT IF WE COULD, UH, ISSUE BONDS, UH, OR DEBT TO PURCHASE PROPERTY OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY? WAS THAT OR OUTSIDE OF THE CITY BOUNDARIES? WAS THAT THE PREVIOUS PROPOSAL? COUNCILMAN? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LEGISLATIVE ONE. 
          I'LL HAVE SOMEBODY TO CHIME ON THAT. 
          BUT I, I, WE DID TALK ABOUT, AT ONE POINT IN TIME, UH, AMENDING THE CITY CHARTER OR ASKING TO, UH, HAVE THE CITY CHARTER AMENDED. 
          THERE'S LANGUAGE IN THE CHARTER THAT SAYS WE CAN ONLY ISSUE BONDS FOR PUBLIC WORKS, WHICH IS, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. 
          THIS CONVERSATION HAS COME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES. 
          YOU MAY RECALL IT CAME UP WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT HOUSING A FEW YEARS BACK AS WELL. 
          UH, BECAUSE OF THE WAY OUR CHARTER IS BOARDED WITH PUBLIC WORKS INSTEAD OF PUBLIC PURPOSE, LIKE MOST MAJOR TEXAS CITIES, THAT CREATES A PROHIBITION FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ISSUE BONDS FOR HOUSING, FOR PROGRAMS LIKE THIS. 
          SO WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF TIMES, UH, POTENTIALLY, UH, ASKING THE VOTERS TO GIVE US A CHARTER AMENDMENT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO ISSUE BONDS FOR PROGRAMS LIKE THIS AND HOUSING. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, SO MAYBE LET ME DIRECT THAT TO THE MAYOR. 
          UH, MAYOR, CAN YOU REMIND ME WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER OPTIONS THAT WE WERE PURSUING PREVIOUSLY WERE? UH, COULD YOU CLARIFY YOUR QUESTION? OPTIONS FOR JUST THE AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM? CORRECT. 
          UM, REALLY THE ONLY ONE THAT, UH, GOT ANY TRACTION IN THE BEGINNING, UH, WAS, UH, USING SAWS REVENUE DIRECTLY TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM AT SAWS AS A SAWS FUNCTION. 
          YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THAT THE ORIGINAL LAND ACQUISITION PROGRAM WAS BIRTHED OUT OF SAWS. 
          UH, AND SO THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ALTERNATIVES WE LOOKED AT. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          WELL, I MUST BE MISREMEMBERING. 
          I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT, UM, A STATE LEGISLATURE ISSUE. 
          UM, ONE OF THE, UM, UH, CONCERNS THAT I'VE HEARD FROM, FROM THE PUBLIC, UH, WAS ENSURING THAT WHICHEVER DIRECTION WE MOVE IN, WE HAVE CONSISTENT FUNDING FOR THE, UH, 
          [01:30:01]
FOR THE PROGRAM. 
          UH, I UNDERSTAND THE ABILITY TO, TO SORT OF HAVE A KNOB THAT WE CAN, UH, MOVE DOWN IN THE EVENT OF A, OF ANOTHER ECONOMIC CRISIS. 
          UM, SO I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S VERY SMART. 
          UM, BUT WHAT, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS, UM, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR FUTURE COUNCILS TO, UM, TO CHANGE COURSE ON, ON WHATEVER DECISION WE MAKE? LET, LET'S SAY, WELL, LET'S SAY WE ADOPT THIS AND WE GO FORWARD WITH THE AGREEMENT, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR, UH, NEXT TERMS COUNSEL TO, TO UNDO IT? SO IN THAT CASE, THE, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WOULD HAVE TO HAVE, UH, TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROGRAM AT LEAST 30 DAYS APART. 
          AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO SCHEDULE AN ITEM TO AMEND BOTH THE ORDINANCE AND THE FINANCING AGREEMENT AND TAKE THAT UP AT A REGULAR, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO AMEND OR, UH, ELIMINATE THE PROGRAM. 
          AT THAT POINT. 
          IT COULD NOT BE DONE THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. 
          AND IF I CAN ADD TO THAT, COUNCILWOMAN, THERE'S ALSO, IN THE ORDINANCE IT SAYS THAT ONCE, ONCE BEN ISSUES DEBT ON THIS, THERE CAN'T BE AN AMENDMENT OF THE ORDINANCE OR THE AGREEMENT AS LONG AS THERE'S OUTSTANDING DEBT ON IT. 
          IS THAT CORRECT, BEN O ONLY AS IT RELATES TO THE PAYMENT OF THE BONDS THAT ARE ALREADY OUTSTANDING, IT DOES NOT COMMIT THE COUNCIL TO CONTINUE WITH THE PROGRAM GOING FORWARD, BUT IT DOES COMMIT US TO CONTINUE TO PAY FOR THE DEBT THAT WE'VE ALREADY ISSUED. 
          RIGHT, OKAY. 
          UM, ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO, WELL, AT A GIVEN TIME, HOW MUCH DEBT WOULD WE HAVE? OUTSTANDING, BASED ON THE WAY WE'VE STRUCTURED THIS WITH THE COMMERCIAL PAPER, WE ARE, UH, ASKING FOR A $30 MILLION CAPACITY NUMBER, AND WE WILL DRAW AGAINST THAT $30 MILLION AS, UH, PROPERTIES MOVE FORWARD AND EASEMENTS MOVE FORWARD. 
          AND THEN ONCE THAT $30 MILLION IS, UH, FULLY UTILIZED, WE WILL ASK THE COUNCIL TO ALLOW US TO REFINANCE THAT INTO LONG-TERM DEBT. 
          THAT NOW FREES UP THAT COMMERCIAL PAPER PROGRAM AGAIN AT $30 MILLION, AND WE CONTINUE THAT THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM. 
          SO AT $30 MILLION, HOW, UM, HOW MUCH DOES THAT BIAS IN TERMS OF THE LENGTH OF THE PROGRAM, WOULD YOU SAY? SO RIGHT NOW, WE'VE AGAIN ASSUMED THAT IT'S A 10 YEAR PROGRAM AT ROUGHLY, YOU KNOW, EQUAL AMOUNTS, SO ABOUT $10 MILLION A YEAR. 
          BUT A, A AGAIN, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, WE'VE BUILT IN, UM, THE ABILITY TO ADJUST THAT NUMBER. 
          SO IF WE WANT TO GO FASTER AND THE, AND THE, THE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS ARE THERE AND WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ABSORB THAT, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT MORE QUICKLY. 
          SO IT, IT IS AN ADJUSTABLE PROGRAM BASED ON OUR NEEDS, UH, OR THE PROGRAM'S NEEDS AND OUR, OUR BUDGET CAPACITY. 
          I GUESS WHAT I, WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS IF THE COUNCIL MOVES FORWARD WITH THIS IDEA HOW, UM, BUT A FUTURE COUNCIL DECIDES TO MOVE IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. 
          WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, HOW LONG IS THAT GUARANTEE, RIGHT. 
          OR, OR HOW MUCH ACREAGE IS GUARANTEED? THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WITH THIS DECISION. 
          HOW MUCH TIME DOES THAT BUY US, UH, IN THE EVENT THAT WE WANNA LOOK FOR SOMETHING THAT'S MORE PERMANENT? UH, A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER. 
          'CAUSE IT KIND OF DEPENDS WHAT WE DO IN 2023 ON THE OUNCE, ON THE, ON THE, UH, BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM. 
          I WOULD THINK ONCE THE COUNCIL AUTHORIZES THE $30 MILLION IN CAPACITY, AT THAT POINT, STAFF HAS THE ABILITY TO DRAW AGAINST THAT CAPACITY FOR PROJECTS AND TO DO ACQUISITIONS. 
          YOU KNOW, THAT COULD BE, IF WE'RE DOING 10 MILLION, UH, $10 MILLION A YEAR, THAT COULD BE THREE YEARS. 
          UM, THE ONLY WAY THAT COULD CHANGE AGAIN, IS, IS THE COUNCIL WOULD HAVE TO PUT SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA, AMEND THE ORDINANCE, AND YOU WOULD PROBABLY HAVE PROPERTIES COMING FORWARD THAT, THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO NOT APPROVE. 
          SO AT AT LEAST PROBABLY A COUPLE OF YEARS THAT I WOULD THINK THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE CERTAINTY, UM, UH, THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I THINK FROM MY STANDPOINT, WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE WAY WE'VE CREATED THE PROGRAM AND STRUCTURED IT, THAT WE'VE PUT AS MUCH CERTAINTY AROUND IT AS WE CAN IN TERMS OF OUR A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS COMMITMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN THE, UH, YOU JUST REMINDED ME THIS, THIS DOES NOT TAKE EFFECT UNTIL 2023. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          UM, WELL, IT TAKES EFFECT NOW. 
          WE JUST WOULDN'T FUND IT UNTIL 2023. 
          SORRY. 
          SO TO COUNCILMAN PERRY'S POINT, UM, WE REALLY DON'T EVEN NEED TO APPROVE IT NOW. 
          I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S BASICALLY, THIS IS, IF WE DO APPROVE THIS NOW, THOUGH, IT'S A COMMITMENT TO THE, TO THE PUBLIC OR OR TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE WILLING TO INVEST IN THIS PROGRAM. 
          HOWEVER, IT CAN ALSO BE UNDONE BY THE FUTURE COUNSEL BEFORE ANY DEBT IS EVER ISSUED. 
          [01:35:01]
RIGHT. 
          THAT, THAT, THAT IS, UH, TECHNICALLY A POSSIBILITY. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY, THAT'S THE ONLY CONCERN. 
          I I, WELL, NO, I'VE, SEVERAL CONCERNS . 
          THAT'S, THAT'S ONE CONCERN. 
          I MEAN, I DON'T PREDICT THE COUNCIL WILL JUST UPRIGHT UNDO IT, BUT I DO WORRY ABOUT THE FUNDING AMOUNTS. 
          UM, SO A A COUPLE OF LAST, UH, POINTS, AND I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW ANDY AND BEN IF YOU'RE ANSWER THIS ONE. 
          UM, BUT NUMBER ONE, I, I DO THINK, UM, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE TRAILS PROGRAM AND THE EQUITY QUESTION REGARDING HOW THE WEST SIDE WAS THE LAST SIDE TO GET, UH, PROJECTS. 
          AND IT'S, IT IS LIKE HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF THE, THE TRAILS FUNDING PROGRAM. 
          AND I, I THINK, UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE COUNTY OR SOME OTHER WAY, I, I JUST THINK IT'S LIKE A VERY SAD SITUATION FOR US TO BE IN, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT. 
          SO I, UM, I, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT ELSE I CAN DO TO, TO HELP FIND SOME SORT OF FUNDING SOURCE FOR THAT. 
          MY, UM, MY APPOINTEE IS THE CHAIR OF THE LINEAR CREEKS WAY, UH, ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
          HE'S ALSO VERY WORRIED ABOUT THIS. 
          AND THEN THE, THE LAST THING IS, IS IT POSSIBLE TO DO AN EQUITY ANALYSIS ON THIS FUNDING STRUCTURE? MY, MY THOUGHTS ARE, OH, I'M GONNA GO JUST OVER MY TIME. 
          MY, MY THOUGHTS ARE WHO IS BENEFITING FROM THIS PROGRAM AND WHO IS PAYING INTO THIS PROGRAM? ULTIMATELY, THIS IS ABOUT PROTECTING OUR WATER SOURCE. 
          AND, UM, AS UNPOPULAR AS IT SOUNDS, WE ALL PAY A WATER SUPPLY FEE ON OUR SAWS BILL. 
          AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT PROTECTS OUR WATER SOURCES, OR IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PAYING IT FOR, FOR VISTA RIDGE OR FOR OTHER LOCATIONS. 
          SO TO ME, IT MADE LOGICAL SENSE FOR THIS TO BE IN THERE. 
          HOWEVER, I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA SEE RATES GO UP EITHER. 
          UM, BUT NONETHELESS, I, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE'S, UH, ANY SORT OF INSIGHT OUR EQUITY STAFF CAN, CAN GIVE US ON THIS PROPOSAL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER S FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER T. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. 
          YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M LISTENING TO THIS CONVERSATION AND, AND I'M REMINDED OF, UH, OF WHAT I, WHAT I TELL MY KIDS ALL THE TIME, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THAT I'VE BEEN HIRED BY THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS AND HAVE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. 
          AND, UM, I'M, I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT WE'RE HAVING THIS ONE. 
          IT'S, UH, THIS IS WHAT WE WERE HIRED TO DO. 
          UM, OUR, OUR JOB IS ALSO TO BALANCE COMPETING INTERESTS. 
          AND, UM, I DON'T THINK WE'RE EVER GONNA STRIKE A PERFECT BALANCE. 
          AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY ON THIS COUNCIL WHO'S NAIVE ENOUGH TO THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA STRIKE A PERFECT ONE. 
          UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT EVERYBODY ON THIS COUNCIL STRIVES AT, YOU KNOW, TO GET AS CLOSE TO PERFECT AS POSSIBLE. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING ABLE TO ACHIEVE PERFECTION IS ALWAYS GONNA BE A TERRIBLE REASON NOT TO DO SOMETHING. 
          UM, AND I, I RECOGNIZE IN DISTRICT GATE, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, ENTRENCHED IN THEIR POSITION THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM AS IT CURRENTLY EXISTS, IS SACRED. 
          IT'S INVIABLE. 
          YOU CAN'T TOUCH IT. 
          IT SHOULD BE IN PLACE IN PERPETUITY. 
          AND THAT'S A WORD WE'VE USED A LOT TODAY IN PERPETUITY, UM, AND SHOULDN'T BE DISTURBED. 
          UH, ON THE OTHER HAND, I'VE GOTTEN JUST AS MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE, UH, WHO UNDERSTAND THAT 2020 HAS DEALT US SOME CARDS, UM, THAT WE CAN'T IGNORE. 
          AND THAT, YOU KNOW, RUNNING TO THE AID OF WORKERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, UM, THE ONUS IS ON US TO ACTUALLY MEET THAT CHALLENGE AND NOT SHY AWAY FROM IT. 
          AND THAT THIS IS, UM, ONE OF THOSE WAYS THAT WE'RE GONNA DO THAT. 
          AND SO, THESE CLASHES OF OPINION, UM, THEY'RE NEVER GONNA, THEY'RE NEVER GONNA GO AWAY. 
          UM, AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S JUST THE NATURE OF OUR JOB, RIGHT? AND ONE, ONE OF THESE DAYS, THERE'S GONNA BE A FUTURE COUNCIL WHO'S GONNA BE DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT WE CONTINUE TO FUND PRE-K FOR ESSAY. 
          THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. 
          AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HOWL, UH, FOR THE SAME REASON THAT, YOU KNOW, MANY OF 'EM ARE HOWLING TODAY. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING IS TRULY PERPETUAL, IT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ABSOLUTE FACT THAT OUR DECISIONS ARE NEVER GONNA BE ALL POPULAR. 
          UM, AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH TODAY, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M SEEING IS, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO SECURE AND DEDICATED FUNDING AND TO CONTINUE THE GREAT WORK THAT THE CAB HAS DONE IN ADMINISTERING THIS, UH, EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND WE'RE GONNA USE THIS DEDICATED FUNDING FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS. 
          THAT'S A WIN-WIN, RIGHT? AND I, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THAT WE REALLY, 
          [01:40:01]
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO CELEBRATE A REALLY BIG WIN-WIN LIKE THE ONE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER TODAY. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA PROVIDE DEDICATED AQUIFER FUNDING, AND WE'RE GONNA BAKE INTO IT. 
          ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE GONNA BAKE INTO IT GUARANTEES, RIGHT? CONTRACTUAL SAFEGUARDS, UM, INVIABLE CONTRACT COVENANTS, BONDING, YOU KNOW, AND FINANCE PROMISES THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR FINANCE PARTNERS, THAT'S, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS DEDICATED STREAM THAT'S NOT GONNA FLUCTUATE, RIGHT? UM, A FUNDING PLAN, BEN, I MEAN, TELL ME IF I'M WRONG. 
          IT'S A FUNDING PLAN THAT IS GONNA BASICALLY BE IMMUNE FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE UPS AND DOWNS OF MARKETS, RIGHT? UH, COUNCILMAN AS, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, THE COMMITMENT TO A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, AND WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADJUST THE ANNUAL AMOUNT, UH, THAT PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE. 
          UH, THE ONLY, THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD CHANGE IT, UH, WOULD BE, AGAIN, THE COUNCIL, UH, IN THE FUTURE AMENDING THE ORDINANCE AND THE, AND THE FINANCING AGREEMENT AFTER HAVING TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS. 
          BUT THE AGREEMENTS THEMSELVES, UH, DELEGATE THE STAFF, UH, THE, THE AUTHORITY TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE TO EXECUTE THE PROGRAM AS IT EXISTS TODAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND WHAT YOU'VE PUT IN FRONT OF US ALSO, I MEAN, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IS A FUNDING PLAN THAT'S NOT GONNA NEGATIVELY IMPACT OUR CREDIT RATING OR IMPEDE THIS COUNCIL OR FUTURE COUNCIL ACCESSING BONDING CAPACITY, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. 
          DO WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A VERY MANAGEABLE OPTION, UH, FOR US? YEAH. 
          AND SO, SO FAR, I MEAN, I THINK WHAT I'VE SPELLED OUT AND WHAT I'M SEEING IS A WIN WIN WIN. 
          AND THEN ON TOP OF ALL THAT, WE'RE GONNA BE BRINGING IN, UH, A GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS AND CROSS-DISCIPLINARY EXPERTS TO HELP MANAGE THIS THING, CONTINUE TO MANAGE IT. 
          I MEAN, PEOPLE LIKE FRANCINE ROMERO, UH, WHO IS THE SMARTEST HUMAN BEING ON THIS PLANET, UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE, THE AQUIFER AUTHORITY, THE RIVER AUTHORITY SAWS ELSE, THE, UH, OUR APPOINTEES TO THE ADVISORY, THE PARKS AND REC, YOU KNOW, UH, ADVISORY BOARD, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, MEDINA COUNTY, UVALDE. 
          I MEAN, LIKE, THAT IS A REALLY SOLID GROUP. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO I RESPECT A LOT CAN GET BEHIND THAT, THEN I'M GONNA GET BEHIND IT. 
          UM, AND SO, UM, I DID HAVE SOME OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT THE LINEAR CREEK, UH, TRAILS, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE'VE COMMITTED TO THE PUBLIC AND WE'VE SHOWN THE PUBLIC THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, ARE STILL IMPORTANT TO THIS COUNCIL. 
          I MEAN, FOR GOODNESS SAKE, IN OUR 2021 BUDGET, WE'VE MADE COMMITMENTS IN THERE THAT ARE GONNA, YOU KNOW, THAT BASICALLY THIS BUDGET FEATURES THAT WE'RE STILL GONNA FUND CONNECTORS AND TRAIL BUILD OUT. 
          UM, I, I THINK WE'VE SIGNALED TO THE PUBLIC THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE LIGHTLY. 
          UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT RAIL CONNECTORS, AND, I'M SORRY, TRAIL CONNECTORS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE BEING INSTALLED ON THE SATO CREEK AND, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING TO BAMBERGER PARK. 
          WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ONE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING U T S A OR THE REST OF THE TRAIL SYSTEM. 
          UM, I MEAN, ON MY WATCH, AND I DON'T THINK ON ANYBODY ELSE'S WATCH, WE'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, ALLOW THE TRAIL PROP, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS TO FALL BY THE WAYSIDE. 
          AND SO, UM, MAYOR, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THIS ONE. 
          AND, UH, THANK YOU BEN, AND THANK YOU ERIC FOR, FOR DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER EZ, COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREW SULLIVAN. 
          UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I I, I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS AS WELL, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SELDOM THAT I AGREE WITH, UH, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE IN DISTRICT 10, BUT I HAVE TO AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN PERRY ON THIS CASE. 
          AND, UM, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY. 
          BECAUSE BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST WHY WE DO THINGS. 
          IT'S HOW WE DO THINGS. 
          IT'S, THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. 
          AND THAT IS PART OF MAINTAINING THE PUBLIC TRUST IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE'RE ALL HERE TO REALLY DO. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT, UH, JOBS AS, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I'M REFLECTING ON A LOT OF THE NEWS THAT I'M SEEING THAT'S, THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS REGARDING A, A, A PRESIDENT WHO, WHO HAS KEPT CERTAIN INFORMATION TO HIMSELF, AND IT'S AT, AT THE DETRIMENT OF PEOPLE'S LIVES. 
          UM, AND, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, ALL THE FACTS AND UNDERSTANDING HOW, HOW SOMETHING IS PUT TOGETHER IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHY, UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW, AND I THINK, ERIC, YOU WERE JUST MENTIONING THE BOND AND HOW IF WE PUSH SOMETHING INTO THE BOND, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GOING TO REDUCE THE CAPACITY FOR SOMETHING. 
          [01:45:01]
I MEAN, THAT'S JUST, THAT'S JUST COMMON SENSE. 
          AND, UH, AND SO TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN FUND SOMETHING AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, LITTLE IMPACT. 
          WELL, YOU KNOW, UM, I'M FIGHTING EVERY YEAR TOOTH AND NAIL, UH, FOR, FOR PROGRAMS. UH, SOMETIMES IT'S FOR AS LITTLE AS IN THIS CASE, I, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK MY SMALLEST REQUESTS $30,000 TO HELP WITH ID RECOVERY. 
          UM, EVERY PENNY COUNTS, AND I WORRY THAT WE'RE SQUEEZING THINGS OUT. 
          AND, UM, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE JUST NEED TO, YOU KNOW, PUT EVERYTHING OUT THERE AND, AND, AND, AND BE VERY UPFRONT ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY IN FRONT OF US. 
          'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, UNLIKE MY COLLEAGUE IN D EIGHT, I, I'M NOT COMFORTABLE, AND AM I COMFORTABLE? BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE VOTING ON THIS, UH, SO, SO QUICKLY. 
          UM, I, I HAVE TO AGREE THAT IT SEEMS LIKE WE COULD VOTE ON THIS AFTER, UH, THE NOVEMBER VOTE AND, AND CREATE A PLAN AND, UH, AND WORK WITH PEOPLE TO, TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE, HOW WE HAVE A PLAN B. 
          AND FOR EXAMPLE, SPEAKING OF PLAN BS, UM, I, I, I GOT A TEXT FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER TOMMY CALVERT, WHO LET ME KNOW, UM, QUOTE, UH, TODAY IN COMMISSIONER'S COURT, WE HAVE THE COUNTY MANAGER AND THE JUDGE, AND ALL COMMISSIONERS SAY, WE DID NOT AGREE TO FUND LINEAR PARKS. 
          WE DID NOT VOTE ON IT. 
          JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW YOU CAN WATCH THE ARCHIVES ON THE COURT OF THE COURT. 
          THE COUNTY MANAGER ASKED THE CITY TO STOP TELLING PEOPLE THE COUNTY WILL, WILL PAY FOR LINEAR PARKS. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, MY REQUEST TODAY IS WHAT'S OUR PLAN? B I I WANT TO, I WANT TO TO HEAR THAT. 
          I MEAN, BECAUSE IF, IF, YOU KNOW, NUMBER ONE, LET'S VERIFY THIS INFORMATION, BUT WHAT IS THE PLAN B FOR THAT? IF, IF THERE, IF, IF THIS IN FACT IS TRUE? UM, AND ON TOP OF THAT, WE, WE, WE DID SAY, WELL, THAT THIS MONEY'S COMING IN AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S COMING OFF OF OUR GENERAL FUND, BUT IT'S THE CONTRIBUTION THAT WE GET AGAIN, AND WE INCREASE THAT CONTRIBUTION THIS YEAR FROM 2.7 TO 4%. 
          UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, UH, MANY PEOPLE WARNED US THAT THAT CREATES AN ACCELERATED RATE INCREASE. 
          AND I, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST WORRIED THAT, UM, AGAIN, WITH EVERYTHING WE'RE FACING IN THE PANDEMIC AND ALL THE THINGS WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH, UH, THAT SOMETHING LIKE WATER, UH, BECOMES, UH, UH, AN AFFORDABILITY ISSUE, UH, OR, OR, OR SOMETHING THAT E E EXACERBATES THAT. 
          AND SO I, I JUST THINK WE NEED TO BE, UM, THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THIS. 
          AND IF WE, IF WE SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING AT THIS, UH, I THINK WE COULD SEE, UH, SOME MORE OF THE MATH THAT, THAT, THAT, AT LEAST THAT I'M SEEING OR INTERPRETING, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF THE, THE SAME PEOPLE, MY COUN, MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN ELIAS MENTIONED, AND, AND I, THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THEM. 
          I'M HEARING THE OPPOSITE. 
          THEY'RE A, THEY'RE, IN FACT, THEY'RE ASKING ME TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS. 
          AND, UH, AND SO I, I, I THINK THAT WE AS A CITY, ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME, HAVE TO HAVE TO LAY OUT, UH, EVERY, EVERY FACT, EVERY HARSH TRUTH, UH, AS, AS, UH, AS PLAINLY AS POSSIBLE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, $10 MILLION DOESN'T JUST APPEAR OUTTA NOWHERE. 
          IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T NOT AFFECT ANYTHING IN OUR BUDGET. 
          AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I I DO THINK THAT THERE'S TIME FOR US TO, TO DISCUSS THIS FURTHER AND, UH, UH, POTENTIALLY LOOK AT THIS, UH, AFTER A NOVEMBER VOTE. 
          UH, THERE'S TO, TO REALLY GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT, WHAT THE IMPACT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I, THAT I WAS, THAT I WAS GIVEN, UH, TO ASK WAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN TO, UM, THERE'S PART OF THE, THE EDWARDS AFER PROTECTION PLAN, 10 MILLION THAT IS DEDICATED TO RESEARCH AND PROJECTS, UM, THAT, UH, MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE WATER QUALITY. 
          WHAT'S, WHAT'S HAPPENING? YOU KNOW, HOW IS, I MEAN, I GUESS I'M HEARING THAT MUCH OF THE STRUCTURES IS NOT CHANGING, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S ASPECTS OF IT, UH, THAT CAN, RIGHT. 
          AND SO I, I THINK WHAT, WHAT, AT LEAST WHAT I'M HEARING, AND WE, AND, AND I'M SURE, UH, YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD SIMILAR, IS THAT THERE'S PEOPLE THAT JUST FEEL CONCERNED AND FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          AND, AND A LOT OF THINGS ARE, ARE, ARE NOT COMPLETELY, UM, VETTED. 
          UH, AND I, YOU KNOW, I THINK, I, I THINK I HEARD MY, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE PERRY SAY, YOU KNOW, HE, HE, HE WANTS TO 
          [01:50:01]
LET HIS, HIS, UH, CONSTITUENTS KNOW ALL THE FACTS. 
          AND, AND I PLAN TO DO THE SAME. 
          I MEAN, THIS IS, UH, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE CAN DO. 
          IT'S, IT'S, UH, THIS IS WATER, AND WE HEARD THAT 70, 73%, UH, OF OUR SOURCE. 
          AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE, UH, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT, UH, HOW WE PROCEED WITH, WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          I, I DO APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK. 
          UH, I DO APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND A WAY. 
          BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I ALSO CAN'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT I JUST GOT A TEXT SAYING, LINEAR CREEK WASTES ARE NOT GONNA BE SECURED BY THE COUNTY. 
          I, I, I, UM, I SEE THE MATH IN FRONT OF ME AND SAYS, YOU KNOW, $10 MILLION ARE GONNA COME OUT OF, UH, OUR, OUR GENERAL FUND, OR ARE NOT GONNA GO INTO OUR GENERAL FUND BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY GONNA BE COMMITTED. 
          UM, ESPECIALLY IN A TIME WHEN I'VE HEARD OUR CITY MANAGERS SAY, WE'VE GOT A FIVE YEAR RECOVERY AHEAD OF US, UH, A FIVE YEAR RECOVERY, THAT MEANS REDUCE REVENUES, REDUCE OPERATIONS FOR THE CITY, UH, REDUCED, UH, REDUCTION IN, IN, IN SO MANY THINGS. 
          AND SO I WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT HOW, HOW THOSE THINGS ARE NOT GONNA BE REDUCED. 
          UH, I WANT TO BE REASSURED THAT SO THAT I COULD, SO THAT I CAN TELL MY CONSTITUENTS THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA SEE THAT IMPACT. 
          UM, AND, UH, AND SO, UH, THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE. 
          I THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE ARE, ARE, ARE FEELING, UH, LIKE THEY'VE BEEN LEFT OUT. 
          AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M TRYING TO, TO, UH, HELP FIND, UH, SOME ANSWERS FOR THEM. 
          BUT, UH, I ALSO WANNA BE VERY, VERY UPFRONT ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THE MATH AND ABOUT HOW, HOW SOME THINGS, UH, ARE, ARE PROCESSED. 
          IT'S NOT JUST WHY. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN. 
          HI. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          UH, ONE SECOND. 
          GO. 
          GO AHEAD, ERIC. 
          AND THEN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN. 
          YEAH, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S TWO THINGS. 
          ONE I WANTED TO RESPOND TO, TO, UM, TO COUNCILMAN TREVINO. 
          AND I'M GONNA FORWARD TO THE COUNCIL, UH, A COPY OF THE, UM, THE ITEM THAT WAS ON THE MARCH 10TH COMMISSIONER'S COURT AGENDA, AS WELL AS THE VOTE, AS WELL AS THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT. 
          I'LL FORWARD THAT TO THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL. 
          AND, AND, YOU KNOW, GIVE MARCH 10TH WAS A LONG TIME AGO, BUT, UM, AND, AND, AND, AND AS I SAID, THEY, THEY ARE ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR FINANCIAL PICTURE LOOKS LIKE. 
          BUT, BUT I WANTED YOU TO SEE WHAT IS IT THAT I'M LOOKING AT THAT I HAVE SEEN AND THAT I WAS, UH, AWARE OF BACK IN MARCH. 
          AND, AND SECONDLY, I THINK IT, I THINK IT PROBABLY WARRANTS, UH, PROBABLY BEN KIND OF RETOUCHING UPON AS YOU DID IN THE PRESENTATION, UM, THE, THE FUNDING PLAN AND, AND HOW IT'S BEING, UH, HOW IT'S BEING PROPOSED. 
          BEN, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT, THE INCREMENT? SURE. 
          SO, UM, IN THIS SCENARIO, WE WOULDN'T ACTUALLY BEGIN TO FUND THIS STRUCTURE AGAIN UNTIL 2023. 
          WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COMMERCIAL PAPER PROGRAM, UH, AND THEN USING LONG-TERM DEBT TO TAKE OUT THAT COMMERCIAL PAPER PROGRAM WITHOUT GOING THROUGH ALL THE DETAILS AND MECHANICS OF HOW THAT WOULD WORK. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'VE MODELED THAT BASED ON WHAT WE THINK INTEREST RATES WILL BE IN THE FUTURE. 
          JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, BECAUSE WE'RE BORROWING MONEY, IT'S NOT A $10 MILLION IMPACT TO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          IT'S THE IMPACT OF, OF, OF THE DEBT SERVICE ON THAT, IF YOU WILL. 
          SO IN 2023, UH, INCLUDING THE OPERATIONS COSTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY FUNDED, UH, FROM THE SALES TAX THAT THAT IS INCURRED BY PARKS, THE DEBT SERVICE COMBINED WITH THAT, PROBABLY A LITTLE OVER A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN F Y 2023 OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, UH, F Y 2024, ABOUT 800,000, UH, FY 2025 A MILLION THE FOLLOWING YEAR, IT WOULD JUMP UP TO ABOUT 2 MILLION IN FY 2026. 
          UH, BECAUSE WE'D BE TAKING OUT THE COMMERCIAL PAPER AND TAKING THAT INTO LONG-TERM DEBT BASED ON THIS STRUCTURE, WE WOULD MAX OUT AT JUST OVER, UH, OR JUST UNDER $7.1 MILLION IN 2034. 
          UM, AND IT WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THAT DEBT WAS PAID OFF, AND THEN IT WOULD START TO DROP OFF IN AROUND 2051. 
          THE, THE PART, AND THIS IS JUST A PLAN AT THIS POINT, OBVIOUSLY AS WE GET CLOSER, WE CONTINUE TO MODIFY IT. 
          AND I MENTIONED THE FACT THAT YOU COULD CASH FUND A LITTLE BIT, THAT WILL CUT OUT INTEREST COSTS. 
          UH, WE'RE GONNA SMOOTH SOME OF THE IMPACT OUT TO TRY TO MANAGE THE IMPACT TO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          SO THERE'S SOME TOOLS THAT WE CAN DO, UH, AND WE CAN USE IN ORDER TO, TO MANAGE THE IMPACT ON THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE RECOMMENDED THE STRUCTURE. 
          UM, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION, TWO OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO MENTION, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, IT WON'T 
          [01:55:01]
IMPACT THE 2022 BOND PROGRAM, UM, THAT IS SET BASED ON OUR 21 CENT TAX RATE. 
          SO WE, WE SIZE CAPACITY TO THAT. 
          THE BIGGEST UNKNOWN WE HAVE THERE IS WHAT ARE OUR, WHAT DO OUR PROPERTY TAX VALUES LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD? SO YOU RECALL DURING THE DEBT PLAN PRESENTATION, I GAVE YOU WHAT WE THINK THAT NUMBER IS TODAY, AND WE'RE ASSUMING VALUES ARE GONNA DROP, BUT WE DON'T KNOW. 
          UM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE A MUCH BETTER IDEA NEXT SUMMER OF WHAT THAT BOND PROGRAM IN 2022 COULD LOOK LIKE, AND WE'LL CERTAINLY KEEP YOU UPDATED AS WE GO THROUGH THAT. 
          AND THEN THE LAST POINT I WANTED TO MAKE IS ON, IS ON THE SAWS TRANSFER. 
          UM, WE DID, UH, PROPOSE TO YOU AS PART OF THE F Y 20 BUDGET TO INCREASE THAT TRANSFER FROM 2.7% UP TO 4%. 
          AND YES, UM, THAT INCREASE, UM, UH, DOES IMPACT SA WHEN WE GO, WHEN WE INCREASE THE RATE IN, LIKE IN THAT CASE FROM 2.7 TO FOUR, I WAS ABOUT A $10 MILLION IMPACT. 
          YOU RECALL THAT SAWS PROVIDED INFORMATION TO US THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD REALLY ABSORB THAT FOR, FOR 2020 AND 2021, BUT THAT IS A COST TO SAUCE, AND THAT WOULD BE BAKED INTO A FUTURE RATE INCREASE WHENEVER THEY COME FORWARD. 
          UH, I THINK THEY ALSO SAID THAT IN AND OF ITSELF, THAT DOESN'T DRIVE A RATE INCREASE. 
          WHAT DRIVES RATE INCREASES IS THEY'VE GOT A PRETTY BIG CAPITAL PLAN, UM, AS WELL AS THEIR OPERATING BUDGET THAT THEY'VE GOTTA MANAGE. 
          UM, BUT ONCE WE SET THE RATE LIKE WE'VE DONE IN 2020, AND AGAIN, THIS PROGRAM DOESN'T START TILL 2023, UM, WE'RE NOT, UH, HOW DO I, WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT USING PART OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY BUILT INTO THE BUDGET TODAY. 
          WHAT I'M USING, WHEN I MENTION THE NUMBERS OF WHAT WE EXPECT THE IMPACT TO BE IN 23 TO 25, UH, IS GONNA BE FUTURE GROWTH IN THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE USING THE, THE PLEDGE TO THE BONDS AS BOND SECURITY. 
          WE'RE HAVING TO USE THE SA TRANSFER CITY GENERAL FUND DOLLARS TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION SO THAT STATUTORILY WE CAN ISSUE BONDS FOR THIS PURPOSE. 
          WE CAN PAY FOR THAT DEBT WITH ANY AVAILABLE GENERAL FUND REVENUES. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT, UM, KIND OF CLARIFICATION IS THAT WHEN I TALK ABOUT THAT $550,000 IMPACT IN 23, MEGAN, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE ASSUMING THE GENERAL FUND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME GROWTH. 
          WE'RE CLEARLY GONNA GO THROUGH CYCLES MUCH LIKE WE DO TODAY, UM, WHERE WE MAY GO THROUGH A PERIOD OF CONTRACTION AND WE'LL HAVE TO MANAGE THAT MUCH LIKE WE MANAGE, UH, EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO OFFER THOSE COMMENTS AND, UM, THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU BEN. 
          UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, COURAGE. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND, AND THANK YOU BEN. 
          THANK YOU ERIC. 
          UM, AND HOMER. 
          AND SO, UM, COUNCILMAN TREVINO DID BRING UP SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN KIND OF CIRCULATING, UM, FROM COMMISSIONER CALVERT AND JUST WANTED TO KNOW, UM, ERIC, IF YOU COULD DEFINITELY PROVIDE US WITH THAT CLEAR UP. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 
          UM, AND THEN, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT WE'RE ASKING THE COUNTY FOR WHEN IT COMES TO THE, THE CREEKWAY AND THE TRAILWAYS, HOW MUCH ARE WE ASKING THEM TO CONTRIBUTE? BECAUSE THE CONVERSATION IS 200 MILLION. 
          UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO FIND OUT IF THAT IS THE ACTUAL, UM, CONTRIBUTION WE ARE ASKING FOR, OR IS IT STILL KINDA ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW? UM, COUNCILWOMAN THE, UM, AND, AND YOU'LL SEE IT IN THE PRESENTATION THAT I'LL SEND TO YOU SHORTLY HERE, UM, BUT ON, IN EARLIER THIS YEAR, UM, THE, THE, UM, THE COUNTY'S PROGRAM HERE SHOWS, AND THIS IS A FIVE TO 10 YEAR PROGRAM THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT, UH, IN, IN MARCH, OUT OF A $240 MILLION, UH, ESTIMATED, UH, TOTAL PROJECT, UH, 83 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS WERE PRIMARILY DESIGNATED TOWARDS, UH, TRAILS OR LINEAR CREEKS AND THE, AND, AND THOSE AREAS. 
          SO THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OTHER WATERSHED TYPE OF, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE BUILT IN. 
          AND YOU'LL SEE IN THE ATTACHED, UH, SPREADSHEET, UH, THE, THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS. 
          AND AGAIN, ERIC, IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE ARE GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THE LINEAR CREEK WAYS THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD SET, UH, SCHEDULE A SEPARATE MEETING TO DISCUSS THAT BECAUSE THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF INTEREST IN THAT. 
          THANK YOU, ANDY. 
          THAT WAS GONNA BE MY NEXT QUESTION, . 
          I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, AND SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THAT DEFINITELY CLARIFIED AND CLEARED UP AS WE GO FORWARD TO SEE HOW THAT TRULY LOOKS AS A FULL SCOPE OF THIS PARTICULAR, UM, PROGRAMMING AND TRANSFERRING, UH, A FUND ALTERNATIVE. 
          [02:00:01]
I THINK, UM, BEN, IF I COULD ASK, IF YOU COULD GIVE US KIND OF A MOCK, UM, MATRIX OF HOW THIS PROGRAM LOOKS FROM INCEPTION, UM, TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, TO WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE AS WE GO FORWARD, IF WE'RE GONNA USE THIS PARTICULAR FUNDING ALTERNATIVE. 
          UM, I KNOW WE'RE STILL IN A, IN A SYSTEM OF UNCERTAINTY WHEN IT COMES TO COVID. 
          SO KNOWING HOW THIS IS REALLY GONNA IMPACT OUR GENERAL FUND AND THOSE RESOURCES OF OUR BOND ISSUANCE AND, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT OVER DEBTED, UM, AS WE GO FORWARD, I THINK NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BREAK DOWN AND, UM, SHOW TO NOT ONLY THE COUNCIL, BUT TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, UH, THEY HEAR THE CONVERSATION, BUT IT'S NOT A FULL PICTURE. 
          SO I THINK THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD ADDRESS AS WE GO FORWARD, UM, WITH HELPING EVERYONE, UM, GET ON BOARD WITH HOW WE CAN DO THIS FROM NOT ONLY JUST THE O AQUIFER PROTECTION, BUT THE CREEK WAYS AND HOW WE CAN GO FORWARD AND TRULY MAKE THIS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COLLABORATE WITH ON, UM, AND NOT JUST HAVE IT AS A CITY ISSUE BECAUSE EVERYONE USES THE AQUIFER. 
          UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY NEED TO, TO LOOK AT ACROSS THE BOARD BEING IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU COULD DO A MOCKUP PLAN OF AND, AND HOW THAT BREAKS DOWN, ERIC. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GONNA BE A LITTLE MORE WORK, BUT I THINK THAT IT NEEDS TO BE A FULL PICTURE. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT WILL HELP KIND OF SOLIDIFY HOW WE CAN DO THIS EVEN IN THIS TIME WHERE WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE GENERAL FUND IS GONNA LOOK LIKE AS WE GO FORWARD. 
          UH, COUNCIL, WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK ON THAT AND PUT THAT TOGETHER. 
          AND, AND ACTUALLY I WAS MAKING THAT COMMENT AND BREAKING A NOTE TO MYSELF. 
          HERE'S COUNCILMAN TREVINO WAS, WAS TALKING THAT, UM, WE CAN PUT, CERTAINLY PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER THAT, UH, PROJECTS WHAT WE THINK THE IMPACT WILL BE IN THE GENERAL FUND OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. 
          SO THAT PICTURE'S VERY CLEAR. 
          AND THAT'S ALL. 
          MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ANDREWS SULLIVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          UH, IT'S, IT'S BEEN, UH, A LITTLE SURPRISING TO HEAR SO MUCH OF THE DISCUSSION ABOUT, UH, THE CREEKWAY BECAUSE IT IS A SEPARATE ISSUE. 
          UH, AND I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF THE CREEK WAVES. 
          WE WANNA CONTINUE DEVELOPING THOSE ABSOLUTELY. 
          BUT THAT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HOW WE'RE GONNA PROTECT THE AQUIFER. 
          AND I THINK THE SAME THING CAN BE SAID ABOUT THE NOVEMBER ELECTION COMING UP, UH, FOR WORKFORCE, UH, DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PROTECTING THE AQUIFER. 
          UH, THAT'S GONNA BE A CHOICE THAT THE VOTERS WILL MAKE AT THAT TIME. 
          BUT THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AQUIFER IS VERY RELEVANT RIGHT NOW. 
          AND I THINK PART OF THE REASON IT'S RELEVANT RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A PLAN IN FRONT OF US AND IT'S NOT ONE THAT'S DEPENDING ON WHAT THE COUNTY CAN DO, AND IT'S NOT REALLY, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE VOTERS CAN DO, IT'S DEPENDING ON WHAT WE CAN DO AS COUNSELOR, AS THE COUNCIL TO CONTINUE THE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE HAD IN PLACE FOR SO LONG TO PROTECT THE AQUIFER. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, WELL, HOW MANY PROJECTS ARE WE GONNA DO EVERY YEAR AND HOW MUCH MONEY IS IT GONNA COST? AND, AND WHAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE AQUIFER DOESN'T HAVE 25 PROJECTS LINED UP, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE AN ESTIMATE THAT IT'S GONNA COST X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS TO BUY THOSE 25 PROJECTS. 
          IT'S REALLY BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE LAND, THE LOCATION, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ITS VALUE IN PROTECTING THE AQUIFER, THE PRICE THAT THE LAND MIGHT COST, THE WILLINGNESS THAT THE OWNER THAT WE CONTACT MAY HAVE TO EVEN PROVIDE AN EASEMENT. 
          ALL OF THOSE FACTORS GO INTO WHICH PROPERTIES ARE MOVED FORWARD AND WHEN, AND WHAT IT'S GONNA COST, AND HOW MUCH IT'LL COST EACH YEAR. 
          AND IF WE CAN EVEN PROTECT SOME SENSITIVE AREAS, IF OWNERS DON'T WANT TO SELL THE EASEMENT. 
          SO TO GO AHEAD AND TRY AND SAY, WELL, WE NEED TO HAVE ALL THAT BEFORE WE CAN MAKE THIS DECISION, KIND OF MAKES ME, UH, WONDER, WELL, IT'S WORKED SO WELL THE WAY IT'S BEEN, AND ALL WE'RE DOING IS PROVIDING ANOTHER FUNDING SOURCE. 
          WHY IS IT SO QUESTIONABLE TO PEOPLE? AND I GUESS IT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE ALL HAVEN'T BEEN AS WELL INFORMED ABOUT HOW IT WORKS. 
          UH, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO TAKE THE NEXT WEEK TO BE BETTER INFORMED. 
          UH, BUT ALSO A CRITICAL THING WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT IF WE DON'T PASS THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK OR NEXT WEEK OR NEXT MONTH, OF COURSE IT'S NOT ON 
          [02:05:01]
FOR THIS WEEK. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHY PUT IT OFF TILL NEXT JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OR MARCH? WILL THE AQUIFER BE BETTER OR WORSE OVER FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS? WHY WAIT FOR THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION? BECAUSE IF WE DECIDE AS A COUNCIL NOW, OR THREE MONTHS FROM NOW, OR FOUR MONTHS FROM NOW, TO GO AHEAD AND PUT THIS PLAN INTO EFFECT, UH, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE ELECTION WAS. 
          BUT IF WE DON'T DECIDE TO DO IT, WE ALSO DON'T DECIDE TO DO IT FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS AGO, UH, IN THE FUTURE. 
          WE CAN'T PUT IT ON THE BALLOT TO LET THE VOTERS VOTE ON IT UNTIL MAY OF 2021, WHICH WILL BE SIX MONTHS, EXCUSE ME, MAY OF 2022, WHICH WILL BE SIX MONTHS AFTER THE, UH, SALES TAX HAS EXPIRED. 
          AND SO WE'LL THEN BE ASKING PEOPLE, WHAT WE WANT YOU TO PUT IN A NEW SALES TAX FOR ONE EIGHTH PERCENT, THAT'S GONNA BE EVEN HARDER TO SELL TO THE PUBLIC IN 2022 THAN IT IS FOR THE PUBLIC UNDER TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE AS A COUNCIL ARE TAKING THE ACTION TO PROTECT THE AQUIFER TODAY. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, BEING SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE TRAILS AND SO CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN NOVEMBER ELECTION IS, IS REALLY A FALSE NARRATIVE RELATIVE TO WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US RIGHT NOW. 
          YES, THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME GOOD QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANT, WANT TO SATISFY IN YOUR MIND, AND YOU WANNA BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THIS TO THE PEOPLE IN YOUR DISTRICT, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          BUT TO SAY WE NEED TO PUT IT ON TO LATER TO WATCH FOR ANOTHER ELECTION OR TO SEE WHAT THE COUNTY MIGHT DO ABOUT, UH, THE CREEK WAY IS, IS IRRELEVANT COMPARED TO PROTECTING THE AQUIFER AND THIS GOOD PLAN THAT WE HAVE. 
          I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA FIND A BETTER ONE. 
          I REALLY DON'T. 
          AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN WAIT A YEAR AND A HALF TO HAVE ANOTHER ELECTION THAT'S GONNA RAISE PEOPLE'S SALES TAX AT THAT TIME TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD AND, AND THE THE AQUIFER GOES UNPROTECTED IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING. 
          SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO REALLY THINK HARD AND STUDY THE INFORMATION. 
          AND, UM, AND THE OTHER THING IS, I KNOW ALL OF YOU HAVE CONSTITUENT ISSUES THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU, BUT WHAT THIS PLAN DOES DOES NOT TAKE AWAY ANY OF THE MONEY AVAILABLE THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER, MAYBE A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF OUR BUDGET. 
          UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD LET WHAT WE NEED OR WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS TODAY OR IN THIS NEXT BUDGET OR IN THE FOLLOWING BUDGET TO HOLD YOU BACK BECAUSE IT'S VERY GOOD FINANCING OVER A VERY LONG TERM AT MINIMAL AMOUNTS PER YEAR. 
          AND, UH, SO I JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYBODY OF THOSE, THOSE EXPLANATIONS THAT WE'VE HEARD. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          JUST REAL QUICKLY, AND I I JUST WANT TO, UM, RECAP ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID TO ME. 
          IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND. 
          WHAT WON'T WE BE ABLE TO USE AND PAY FOR IN THE GENERAL FUND, BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING ON MORE DEBT FROM THIS, AND WE'VE ALREADY SAID THAT JUST TO EXECUTE THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR US NOW IS GONNA TAKE US OUT INTO 2022 ANYWAY. 
          SO EVEN IF, IF THIS WORKFORCE SOLUTION DOESN'T PASS OR THE VIA DOESN'T PASS, I THINK THAT WOULD LINE UP GREAT FOR MAY OF 2022, JUST AS ANDY SAID, PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY. 
          LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH THIS SALES TAX MONEY. 
          AND IF IT PASSES IN THIS NOVEMBER, WELL THEN WE CAN GIN THIS BACK UP AGAIN AFTER THIS NOVEMBER ON THE BE THAT IT WILL BE FUNDED, OR IT WON'T BE FUNDED, IT DOES IMPACT THE AQUIFER. 
          AND TO TALK ABOUT THE EQUITY PIECE, THIS IS ABOUT EQUITY ALSO. 
          THIS IS ABOUT USING SALES TAX FUNDING FOR THE AQUIFER VERSUS USING OUR GENERAL FUND, WHICH MEANS WE WON'T HAVE THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THE SERVICES THAT OUR CHARTER HAS PUT IN FRONT OF US TO EXECUTE EVERY YEAR. 
          SO TO SAY THAT WE CAN'T DO THAT IN MAY OF 2022, THAT'S NOT CORRECT. 
          WE CAN, BECAUSE THIS MONEY WE HAVE NOW, WE'RE NOT EVEN GONNA HAVE IT EXECUTED UNTIL 2022 ANYWAY. 
          SO THAT WOULD DOVETAIL INTO WHEN IT'S REQUIRED IF THIS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT DOESN'T GET PASSED. 
          SO TO ME, IT'S ALL ABOUT, LET'S NOT MAKE THIS DECISION HERE. 
          LET'S MAKE SURE THAT OUR PEOPLE GET A VOICE IN THIS BIG DECISION ON HOW TO USE SALES TAX MONEY. 
          [02:10:01]
OR THEN WE GO BACK, IF THAT DOESN'T WORK OUT, WE GOT TIME TO GO BACK AND DO THIS LATER ON. 
          AND THE, THE FACT THAT EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THE COUNTY PITCHING IN MONEY, I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY THAT THE COUNTY IS NOT . 
          THAT'S NOT FREE MONEY EITHER. 
          ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS, ALL OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE PAYING COUNTY TAXES AS WELL. 
          SO IF THEY PAY FOR THE LINEAR ARCS TRAILWAY SYSTEM, THEY'RE TAKING IT AWAY FROM SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING, FLOOD CONTROL OR WHATEVER. 
          SO IT'S THE SAME ISSUE THERE. 
          IT'S NOT FREE MONEY COMING INTO OUR CITY. 
          WE ARE PAYING THAT. 
          OUR CONSTITUENTS AND NEIGHBORS ARE PAYING FOR THAT AS WELL. 
          SO I'M JUST TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR OUR RATE PAYERS AND EVERYBODY IN THIS CITY AND NOT JUST JUMP INTO SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT READY FOR. 
          AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE READY FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. 
          AND I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN TREVINO. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TAKING AWAY FROM OTHER SERVICES THAT WE SHOULD BE PROVIDING. 
          THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, GONZALEZ, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROSA GARCIA. 
          UH, SO THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR. 
          SO, UH, JUST, UH, I MEAN, I THINK WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT THE CREEKWAY AND THE EDWARDS ACT FOR PROTECTION PLAN, WERE NOT THE SAME, BUT THEY WERE ALWAYS PRESENTED TO THE VOTERS AS A PACKAGE. 
          WE VOTED THEM TOGETHER. 
          THERE WAS PROP ONE AND PROP TWO, OR MAYBE IT WAS THREE AND FOUR NOW, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT THEY WERE PRESENTED AS A PACKAGE. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO, UH, UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE ASKING SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, BECAUSE IN REMOVING, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, TAKING IT FROM THE VOTERS TO VOTE FOR THE EDWARDS AQUIFER IN THE CREEKWAY, WE'RE MOVING IT TO WORKFORCE IN VIA. 
          SO I MEAN, THOSE I THINK ARE VERY, UH, I SUPPORT THE WORKFORCE IN VIA INITIATIVE. 
          UM, UH, BUT MY BIGGEST PRIORITY HAS BEEN FOR THE CREEKWAY BECAUSE WHEN THE VOTERS APPROVE THAT, IT WAS ALSO DONE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
          AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THEY JUST HAD MORE MONEY TO RUN CAMPAIGNS. 
          UH, EVEN THE CREEK RACE PROGRAM THAT WAS BY HOWARD PEAK, THAT WAS DESIGNED 20 YEARS AGO, AND THEY DID THE OUTER RING FIRST. 
          ALL OF THE NORTHSIDE DISTRICTS GOT FUNDED FIRST. 
          UH, AND, AND THAT WAS THE PLAN. 
          UH, EVERYBODY KNEW THAT WHEN THEY WENT TO THE VOTERS, AND THAT WAS WHY IT GOT SUCH OVERWHELMING SUPPORT, UM, UH, BECAUSE IT WAS BEING COVERED IN THAT AREA FIRST. 
          SO NOW THAT WHAT'S PENDING AND WHAT'S LEFT ARE THE WEST SIDE CREEKS AND THE URBAN AREA, UH, SMO CREEK TO THE SE TO THE FAR WEST, UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THAT MOMENTUM, UM, OF VOTERS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. 
          AND WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO DO IT INTERNALLY, WHICH MAY BE GOOD, OR MAYBE NOT, BUT EVEN AS COUNCIL MEMBER TAVYA WAS SAYING, I HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TO THE COMMISSIONERS IN, IN THE PAST, AND THEY HAVE NOT SAID THAT THEY SUPPORT THAT THEY HAVE VOTED ON IT OR THAT, THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO FUND THE PROGRAM. 
          THAT WAS A VERBAL CONVERSATION. 
          UH, SO I DON'T WANNA HOLD ANYBODY TO THAT, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO THROW ANYBODY UNDER THE BUS ON THE COMMISSIONER'S SIDE, BUT, UH, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE WAS NOT, UM, A COMMITMENT TO DO THAT. 
          SO THAT IS WHY I HAVE SUCH CONCERN ABOUT THE FUNDING FOR THE URBAN CREEKWAY INNER CITY CREEKWAY, WHICH WERE ALWAYS THE LAST TO GET DONE BY DESIGN. 
          SO AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, KNOW THIS OTHER, UH, DISCUSSION, UH, REGARDING THE EDWARDS AQUIFER, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL MENTIONED IT IN HER REMARKS AS WELL. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW ONE WOULD DO, UM, AN EQUITY, UH, UM, ASSESSMENT OF THAT PROGRAM, BUT IT IS ALWAYS CONCERNED ME THAT WE ARE TAKING TAXPAYERS DOLLARS AND FUNDING RICH LANDOWNERS TO NOT DEVELOP THEIR PROPERTY. 
          THAT'S ALWAYS SEEMED ODD TO ME, AND NOT THAT IT'S NOT A, A TRANSPARENT PROCESS, AND NOT THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE SUFFICIENT OVERSIGHT, BUT AS ALWAYS, UH, UM, CONCERNED ME, UH, AND HAVE FELT LIKE THAT MIGHT IN ITSELF BE AN INEQUITABLE PROGRAM. 
          SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT CAN BE DONE OR NOT. 
          UH, IT'S PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY IN THE NEXT WEEK THAT WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THIS. 
          UM, I MEAN, I SUPPORT CONTINUING THE PROGRAM. 
          I THINK THE PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTS IT. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE THE PROGRAM. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I ALSO HAVE A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO, UM, THE WEST SIDE CREEKS, UH, IN THE PROCESS. 
          SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S ALL I HAVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES. 
          I, I JUST ALLY WANNA THANK ANDY, UM, BECAUSE HE'S HYPERVENTILATING OVER THERE, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WHOLE OTHER, UH, TOPIC OF CONVERSATION ON, 
          [02:15:01]
UH, LINEAR CREEK WAYS. 
          AND, UH, I'M A FAN TOO. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR, UH, SAYING THAT WE SHOULD ADD THAT TO AN AGENDA OFFICIALLY, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 
          I ALSO, UM, WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, IT, IT, THANK, UH, BEN G AND BEN, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFICATION. 
          I, UM, FOR SOME REASON EARLIER I WAS ASKING, UM, ABOUT THE, UH, UH, THE NOTES AND, AND SPECIFICALLY I WAS LOOKING FOR THE, UM, COMMERCIAL PAPER. 
          AND SO, AND THEN I REALIZED, WAIT, IT'S 2023 AND I'M ASKING ABOUT THE MARKET NOW. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR BEING UNDERSTANDING AND, AND, AND NOT CALLING ME OUT ON THAT. 
          UH, BUT THEN YOU, YOU DID VERY NICELY EXPLAIN LATER REMINDED US THAT IT STARTS IN 2023. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          I ESPECIALLY THOUGH, UM, WANNA THANK MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, COUNCILMAN COURAGE, AND I DON'T THINK HE HAS ANY FAVORITES, BUT I'M FEELING LIKE MAYBE I'M HIS FAVORITE. 
          UM, BECAUSE I GOT THE INFORMATION TWO WEEKS AGO FROM HIM. 
          UM, AND I, I EVEN, UH, RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM HIM LETTING YOU KNOW HE WAS GONNA SEND SOME INFORMATION, AND HE MADE HIMSELF AVAILABLE TWO WEEKS AGO. 
          UM, AND I READ THROUGH THE INFORMATION THAT HE SENT, AND IT'S THE SAME INFORMATION THAT IS ADDED, UM, NOW AS WELL IN THE ATTACHMENTS, UH, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN, NOT ON THE AGENDA PORTION, BUT ON THE OTHER PART THAT SAYS MEETING DETAILS. 
          AND YOU CAN CLICK ON IT AND GO THROUGH IT THERE. 
          UM, BUT ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT I WOULD POINT OUT TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES SO THAT IT CAN JUST HELP CLEAR SOME CONFUSION ON ORDINANCE, UM, ON THE ORDINANCE THAT'S ATTACHED, ATTACHED THE DRAFT ORDINANCE ON PAGE NUMBER TWO, UM, THIS ITEM REFERENCES THAT NOTWITHSTANDING THE DETERMINATION TO THE REQUEST OF THE VOTERS THAT WE REDIRECT THE SALES TAX. 
          UM, THE CITY COUNCIL HEREBY FINDS AND DETERMINES THAT CONTINUATION OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PRO PROTECTION PROGRAM TO BE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE CITY'S FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY. 
          AND THAT A NEW ITERATION OF SUCH PROGRAM TO CAUSE ITS CONTINUATION BEYOND THE CURRENT ITERATIONS EXPECTED 2022 CI CITY FISCAL YEAR END EXPIRATION IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS. 
          AND IT ALSO GOES ON, AND I WON'T READ, UH, WORD FOR WORD BECAUSE I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU ALL READ THE RESOLUTION, OR I HOPE THAT YOUR STAFFS WOULD HAVE READ THE RESOLUTION. 
          I'M SURE THEY DID. 
          UM, THAT THIS IS A DEDICATED SOURCE OF FUNDING THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. 
          SO BEYOND THE SALES TAX, WE ARE LOOKING TO CONTINUE, UM, THIS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR RESIDENTS, IT'S IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. 
          AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU STAFF FOR ALL THE TIME THAT, THAT YOU TOOK ON DOING THOROUGH RESEARCH, AND THANK YOU ESPECIALLY TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE, UH, COURAGE FOR BEING SO HIGHLY INVOLVED. 
          AND I KNOW, UH, AGAIN, THAT I, I DON'T THINK THAT I'M THE FAVOR, BUT I KNOW YOU REACHED OUT TO ME. 
          SO I HOPE THAT YOU HAD ALSO REACHED OUT TO OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND THAT THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNE TIME. 
          THAT TWO WEEKS WAS MAYBE ENOUGH, UH, TO GATHER SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. 
          THAT'S ALL. 
          MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          WELL, REMEMBER COUNCILWOMAN, I COULDN'T TALK TO A MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, SO THERE WERE A FEW I REACHED OUT TO. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          AND I, I DID JUST WANT TO, UH, CHIME BACK IN FOR A THING REGARDING THE, THE EQUITY REVIEW. 
          ONE, ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAD ABOUT THAT IS THAT, THAT THE CITY OWNS SAUCE. 
          AND, UH, ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF OWNING SAW IS THAT WE DO GET A PORTION OF THEIR REVENUE DIRECTED TO US, AND THAT'S, UH, BECAUSE OF THE INVESTMENT THE CITY MADE AT, AT THE TIME. 
          UM, BUT IT WILL BE FROM A PORTION OF THAT REVENUE THAT THIS PROGRAM GETS PAID. 
          BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE EDWARDS AQUIFER, UH, THAT SUPPLY OF WATER DOESN'T ONLY, UH, GET USED BY THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT THAT THERE IS USAGE OUTSIDE OF THE BOUNDARIES OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          SO THAT IS, UM, THAT IS REALLY KIND OF WHAT, WHAT I MEAN WHEN IT COMES TO EQUITY. 
          IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS DISCUSSION ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? LIKE, PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LIVE WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THEY, THEY GET THE BENEFIT, SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING, UH, NEARBY. 
          SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S, UH, REALLY ONE OF ONE OF MY KEY CONCERNS WHEN IT, WHEN IT COMES TO THE EQUITY DISCUSSION. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, COUNCIL MEMBER GRA MAYOR. 
          UM, I JUST WANTED TO PUBLICLY THANK COUNCILMAN FOR COURAGE FOR HIS WORK ON THIS, UM, AND BEING DILIGENT AND JUST, UM, SAY, I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE THESE ARE THE EXACT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT AQUIFER FUNDING THAT, OR THE CREEK WAYS, AND WE'LL HAVE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CREEK WAYS, BUT THIS IS EXACTLY THE CONVERSATION WE SHOULD HAVE BE HAVING, EVEN IF IT WERE PRE COVID, AND WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT CONNECT SA, THIS IS THE CONVERSATION WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAVING. 
          SO THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN. 
          [02:20:01]
WELL, AGAIN, I WANNA THANK, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, JOHN, UM, BEN, UH, OUR TEAM FOR THE GREAT WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE. 
          AND, AND LET ME REITERATE SOMETHING I THINK MANNY SAID, WHICH IS THAT, UM, OUR, OUR JOB IS TO FIND SOLUTIONS. 
          IF STATUS QUO WORKS FOR THIS CITY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. 
          BUT WE ALL KNOW WHERE WE WERE WHEN WE SAW THE IMAGES OF THIS PANDEMIC. 
          AND OUR, OUR, OUR PRIORITIES HAD TO SHIFT. 
          THEY DID. 
          WE WEREN'T TALKING ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT A YEAR AGO. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT NOW, AND IT'S BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS RELIEF. 
          OUR FOLKS NEED TO GET BACK TO WORK. 
          WE NEED TO GET PEOPLE BACK TO SUSTAINABILITY. 
          WE KEEP THE ROOFS OVER THEIR HEADS. 
          UH, THIS HAS TAKEN A HERCULEAN EFFORT ON SO MANY PEOPLE'S PART, INCLUDING YOU ALL. 
          AND FRANKLY, IF STATUS QUO WORKED, UH, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. 
          BUT YOU AND I ALL KNOW WHAT STATUS QUO HAS BROUGHT TO THE CITY, WHICH IS AN EVER WIDENING INCOME GAP. 
          60,000 PEOPLE A WEEK IN THE, IN THE FOOD BANK LINES. 
          AND FRANKLY, IF WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE AQUIFER, WE'RE SIMPLY TALKING ABOUT THE AQUIFER STATUS QUO DOES NOT RESULT IN THE ADEQUATE PROTECTION OF THE EDWARDS AFER CONTRIBUTING OR RECHARGE ZONES. 
          WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO WORK WITH THE EDWARDS AFER AUTHORITY IN THE FUTURE TO LEVERAGE OTHER JURISDICTIONS IF WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA DO THE JOB AS A COMMUNITY, NOT JUST SAN ANTONIO, TO ADEQUATELY PROTECT THIS GOD-GIVEN, UM, LIFE OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE COMMITTED TO DOING. 
          BUT THE FIRST, AND, AND, AND MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS AGENDA IS FOR US TO PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS. 
          YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T DO IT ALL, BUT WE CAN TRY TO STRIKE AS CLOSE TO A BALANCE OF OUR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. 
          AND I KNOW NOBODY HERE WANTS TO ABANDON INVESTMENT IN MAKING SURE OUR ECONOMY RECOVERS AND PEOPLE GET BACK TO WORK, AND WE CAN HELP FAMILIES SUSTAIN AND GET OUT OF POVERTY. 
          SO FROM, FROM THE QUESTION THAT WE WILL HAVE BEFORE US, UH, IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE, DO WE SUPPORT PROTECTION OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER? DO WE SUPPORT THE EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM THAT IS PROTECTED 160,000 ACRES IN PERPETUITY? IF THE ANSWER IS YES, BELIEVE ME, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE, JOHN, BEN, AND MANY PEOPLE THAT WE'VE NAMED FROM THE AQUIFER COMMUNITY THAT HAVE BEEN TURNING OVER EVERY SINGLE ROCK TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN FUND EASTMANS OUTSIDE OF BEXAR COUNTY. 
          THERE'S NOT THAT MANY. 
          UM, BUT THEY'VE WORKED DIRECTLY WITH THE FOLKS IN THE CAB, WITH GIA, WITH MANY OTHER FOLKS. 
          AND THIS IS THE SOLUTION, ONE THAT HAS, UM, MINIMAL IMPACT TO OUR ANNUAL SPEND, GENERAL FUND, UH, ONE THAT HAS NO IMPACT TO, UH, SAWS RATES. 
          ONE THAT HAS VERY LITTLE IMPACT TO, UH, THE PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE ALL TRYING TO CONTINUE, BUT CERTAINLY ONE THAT IS NOT STATUS QUO. 
          SO I, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND THE PERFECT SOLUTION. 
          I DON'T THINK THERE IS ONE WHEN WE HAVE NEW DEMANDS AND NEW NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND I CERTAINLY, UH, DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THAT OUR PRIORITIES WOULD SHIFT TO FOOD SECURITY, HOUSING SECURITY, AND GETTING PEOPLE BACK TO WORK SO SUDDENLY IN FEBRUARY. 
          BUT UNLESS WE'RE WILLING TO WALK AWAY FROM ONE OF THOSE ISSUES, WE'VE GOTTA FIND SOLUTIONS. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S EASY TO FIND, UM, CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS, WAYS THAT THINGS MIGHT FAIL. 
          THERE'S A THOUSAND WAYS ANY ONE OF THESE INITIATIVES MIGHT FAIL, BUT TO WORK HARD TO FIND A SOLUTION WHICH THEY'VE DONE, UH, UNLESS THERE'S A BETTER ONE, LET ME KNOW. 
          LET JOHN KNOW. 
          LET THEN LET OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES KNOW WHAT THAT IS. 
          BUT UNLESS THERE IS A BETTER ONE, UM, THAT ACCOMPLISHES THE, UH, THAT, THAT MEETS THE CHALLENGES OF ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, UM, LET'S MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS SOLUTION. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK JOHN AND EVERYBODY THAT'S WEIGHED IN ON THIS. 
          UH, THESE ARE DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS. 
          THERE'S NO DOUBT THEY HAVE HELPED US REFINE THE PROGRAMS AND THE, AND THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE BROUGHT FORWARD. 
          AND, AND NO DOUBT THIS ONE WILL GET STRONGER EACH AND EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. 
          BUT LET ME, LET ME LEAVE WITH ONE THOUGHT, AND THAT HAS TO DO, IF, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THESE OTHER COMPETING DEMANDS POST PANDEMIC, WOULD, WOULD I SUPPORT JUST ME PERSONALLY? BECAUSE AGAIN, I, I'LL, I'LL SHOW EVERYBODY THE 
          [02:25:01]
SCAR TISSUE FROM 2015, GETTING THE FRONT BACK ONTO THE BALLOT. 
          BUT WOULD I SUPPORT, GIVEN WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THIS CITY, PUTTING THE EASEMENT PROGRAM BACK ONTO A SALES TAX REVENUE? I DON'T THINK SO. 
          AND THE REASON IS THIS IS THE MOST REGRESSIVE FORM OF REVENUE THIS CITY HAS. 
          AND TO UTILIZE SUCH A REGRESSIVE FORM OF REVENUE FOR PURCHASING EASEMENT EASEMENTS THAT WE HAVE ALTERNATIVES TO PURCHASE WITH, UH, WHILE I WATCH THE INNER CITY OF OUR EARTH AND POORER AND OUR INCOME GAP GROW WIDER AND WIDER, I DON'T THINK I COULD DO THAT. 
          THERE ARE BETTER SOLUTIONS, AND I THINK JOHN, UH, WITH, WITH A FEW TRADE OFFS, UM, YOU FOUND IT, UH, BEN, UH, FRANCINE, BONNIE, SUSAN, BEN YOUNGBLOOD, THEY FOUND IT. 
          AND I WANT TO HELP IT GET OVER THE FINISH LINE. 
          SO, UH, THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR GREAT CONVERSATION. 
          WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK, UH, TO REFINE AND ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS. 
          UM, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TOGETHER AND, AND SOLIDIFYING THIS DEAL. 
          AND, AND BY THE WAY, YES, ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH ALL THE STATEMENTS ON CREEK WAYS, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE GOTTA WORK JUST AS HARD COOPERATIVELY TO GET THAT DONE TOO. 
          SO, UH, WITH THAT, UH, THERE IS NO FURTHER, UH, DISCUSSION. 
          SO THE TIME IS 3:31 PM ON THIS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2020, AND OUR MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. 
          THANKS EVERYBODY.
* 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.