[1. Call Meeting to Order and Announce that a Quorum is Present.]
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IT IS FIVE 30 ON FEBRUARY 11TH.
WE'LL CALL THE ORDER OF THIS MEETING OF THE ASK CITY COUNCIL, AND WE DO HAVE A FORUM PRESENT WITH SIX MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PRESENT IN THE ROOM.
AND THE SEVENTH SHOULD BE JOINING US VERY SHORTLY.
AND WE'LL MOVE RIGHT INTO ITEM NUMBER TWO, CI CITIZEN.
COMMENTS ON CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS IN THE PUBLIC TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL ON ITEMS THAT ARE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO DO SO, PLEASE COME FORWARD AT THIS TIME.
SEEING NONE, WE WILL CLOSE THAT SEGMENT AND MOVE ON TO
[3. Council Member Clarification Requests Regarding Consent Agenda Items. ]
ITEM NUMBER THREE.MEMBER CLARIFICATION, REQUEST REGARDING CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY ITEMS THAT NEED CLARIFICATION OR QUESTION FROM COUNSEL? MAYOR, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS THAT I THINK THEY CAN PROBABLY DO FOR DATE, THE WORK SESSION.
SO, SO IT'S NOT CONSENT ITEMS. UM, OH, OH, YEAH.
UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE, A COUNCIL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
THE QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL SENDS INTO STAFF REGARDING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA ARE FOOTAGE OF THE DOCUMENT.
THE RESPONSES ARE SENT OUT TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THAT DOCUMENT IS ALSO UPLOADED TO OUR WEBSITE.
SO ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT DOCUMENT CAN GO TO THE, UH, TO THE WEBSITE, PULL UP THE AGENDA, AND THERE WILL BE A LINK ON THE AGENDA THAT'S USUALLY PUT IN THERE A FEW HOURS BEFORE, UH, THE MEETING STARTS.
AND SO THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ANYBODY.
[a. Present and discuss a report on the FY 2024 Service Agreement between the Town of Addison and the Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce and the proposed FY 2025 Service Agreement. ]
IN FOUR A, OUR WORK SESSION REPORTS FOUR A IS PRESENT AND DISCUSS A REPORT ON THE FY 2024 SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TOWN OF ADDISON AND THE METRO CREST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE PROPOSED FY 2025 SERVICE AGREEMENT.ASHLEY, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
UM, I'M GONNA PRE OR AT LEAST INTRODUCE THIS ITEM.
SO THIS IS A REPORT ON THE FY 2024 SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TOWN AND METRO CREST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE PROPOSED FY 2025 AGREEMENT.
MICHAEL GALLOP, THE PRESIDENT, AND CEO OF METROCREST CHAMBER IS HERE.
HE WILL MAKE HIS PRESENTATION.
AND THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, VERY GOOD.
ALL RIGHT, MAYOR, COUNCIL STAFF.
I KNOW EVERYBODY, AS SHE SAID.
I'M MICHAEL GALLOP, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE METRO TRUST CHAMBER.
I HAVE BEEN WITH THE METROCREST CHAMBER NOW FOR, WELL, SATURDAY WILL BE ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS.
SO, UM, AND IT'S, IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A GOOD YEAR.
SO HERE TONIGHT TO, JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A, AN OVERVIEW, SOME HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT WHAT THE CHAMBER HAS DONE, WE HAVE THE SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE TOWN OF ADDISON, UM, AND I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN THE REPORTS THAT, THAT I SEND TO WAYNE ON A QUARTERLY BASIS AND THE NEW ONE.
UM, SO I'M GONNA HIT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, BUT FIRST I WANTED TO JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT THE CHAMBER, JUST REALLY MORE FOR THE VIEWING AUDIENCE, UH, IN CASE ANYBODY WONDERS, BECAUSE WE ALWAYS RUN INTO QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHO ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE DO? UM, AND THERE'S ALWAYS A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THE CHAMBER.
UM, SO REALLY, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS, IS A VOLUNTARY ORGAN OR AN ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
WE'RE A SEPARATE 5 0 1 C SIX NON-PROFIT STATUS, UM, CORPORATION.
SO C SIX ORGANIZATIONS HAVE MEMBERSHIPS.
AND OUR MEMBERSHIPS, OUR MEMBERS ARE MADE UP OF BUSINESSES, CITIES, MUNICIPALITIES, HOSPITALS, UM, ANY, ANYBODY REALLY THAT WANTS TO JOIN.
BUT PRIMARILY BUSINESSES WE'RE ABOUT 80% SMALL BUSINESS, 80 TO 85% SMALL BUSINESS.
UM, AND THEN THE SMALL TRIPS, PERCENTAGE OF MUNICIPALITIES, AND THEN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THESE THREE POINTS HERE.
WE ARE A CATALYST FOR BUSINESS GROWTH, A CONVENER OF LEADERS AND INFLUENCERS, AND A CHAMPION FOR A STRONGER COMMUNITY.
THOSE ARE KIND OF OUR OVERARCHING GOALS AND THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO, WHAT WE'RE NOT, AND THIS IS WHERE THE CONFUSION COMES IN, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT WE ARE PART OF THE CITY.
UM, LITTLE LESS CONFUSION HERE BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY REPRESENT AND WORK WITH THREE DIFFERENT CITIES.
UM, BUT IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, YOU WORK FOR THE CITY? NO, SOMETIMES I WISH I DID.
I MIGHT GET PAID MORE, AND I HAVE BETTER BENEFITS.
I HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE, BUT WE DON'T.
WE'RE, WE'RE NOT A, WE'RE NOT A POLITICAL BODY.
WE'RE NOT A DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY.
WE'RE NOT A PARTNER OF THE CITY.
WE'RE NOT AN AGENCY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS OR THE US CHAMBER.
WE ARE A MEMBER OF THE US CHAMBER.
WE'RE A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS, WHICH IS THE TEXAS CHAMBER, JUST LIKE YOU'RE A MEMBER OF OURS.
BUT WE ARE NOT, WE DON'T REPRESENT THEM, AND THEY DON'T SPEAK FOR US EITHER.
UM, WE'RE ALSO NOT A CHARITABLE INSTITUTION.
SO MEMBERSHIP DUES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CHAMBER AREN'T, UH, SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN, UM,
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USE ON YOUR INCOME TAXES, A AS A CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION.UM, THEY MAY, AND I SAY MAY 'CAUSE I'M NOT A TAX ATTORNEY OR, OR A CPA, THEY MAY BE DEDUCTIBLE AS A BUSINESS EXPENSE.
UM, SO SOME OF YOU PROBABLY SAW THIS LAST YEAR, RIGHT AFTER I STARTED.
I PUT OUT MY VISION FOR THE METROCREST CHAMBER AND WHAT I WANTED TO SEE HAPPEN OVER THE TIME THAT I'M HERE.
UM, AND THIS WAS IN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH THE BOARD WHO HIRED ME TO DO SOME OF THESE THINGS.
UM, BUT THE, WE JUST START, UH, THE TOP TWO ARE MY MOST, THE THINGS I'M MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT, WORKFORCE AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND THAT'S JUST HELPING OUR EMPLOYERS FIND A, A SKILLED WORKFORCE.
FINDING EMPLOYEES, GETTING, UM, GETTING FUTURE EMPLOYEES READY TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE.
WE HEAR A LOT OF TIMES THAT, THAT, UH, STUDENTS ARE BEING VERY WELL TRAINED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
BUT, AND THIS IS QUOTING A AN EMPLOYER, SOMETIMES THEY'RE JUST NOT HUMAN.
THEY'RE NOT READY, THEY'RE NOT READY TO ADULT.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA WORK ON IS HELPING THEM GET READY TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE, HELP THEM BE PREPARED, HELP THEM BE AWARE OF WHAT'S OUT THERE.
AND THERE'S SOME DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND, AND WORKING ON.
WE'VE GOT A WORKFORCE AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.
WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, CREATING SOME PROGRAMS THERE, ADVOCATING FOR BUSINESS, REPRESENTING BUSINESS AND THEIR INTEREST AT ALL LEVELS.
SO WHETHER THAT'S AT THE CITY LEVEL, THE COUNTY LEVEL, THE STATE LEVEL, THE FEDERAL LEVEL, UM, MOST OF OUR FOCUS IS AT THE CITY LEVEL.
UH, YOU PROBABLY KNOW IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'RE GONNA BE GOING TO AUSTIN FOR OUR LEGISLATIVE DAYS.
HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME DAY THAT Y'ALL HAVE A RETREAT, I THINK.
SO, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, THAT SCHEDULING DIDN'T WORK OUT REAL WELL.
UM, BUT WE WANT TO REPRESENT BUSINESSES.
WE'RE GONNA TELL OUR LEGISLATORS WHAT IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS, WHAT WE THINK THEY SHOULD BE WORKING ON, AND WHAT THEY SHOULDN'T BE WORKING ON.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT A BILL, IN CASE ANYBODY IS WONDERING, WE DON'T LOOK AT THE AUTHOR OF THE BILL, WE LOOK AT THE CONTENT OF THE BILL.
WE DON'T CARE WHICH SIDE WROTE IT.
IF IT'S GOOD FOR BUSINESS, WE'RE GONNA SUPPORT IT.
IF IT'S BAD FOR BUSINESS, WE'RE GONNA OPPOSE IT.
UM, SIMILARLY AT THE CITY LEVEL, WE DON'T REALLY RUN INTO A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE WANT TO OPPOSE.
BUT IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING CHANGING YOUR SIGN ORDINANCE AND THAT'S GONNA AFFECT BUSINESS, REACH OUT TO US.
WE CAN HELP YOU GET SOME INPUT FROM THE BUSINESS OWNERS THAT THAT MIGHT IMPACT.
UM, IF, IF A BUSINESS IS WANTING TO EXPAND THEIR FACILITY, THEY WANT TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS, OR THEY WANNA MOVE TO A NEW LOCATION, THEY CAN REACH OUT TO US AND WE'LL HELP THEM WITH THAT.
I WILL TELL BUSINESS OWNERS, I TELL 'EM VERY OFTEN, I CAN'T HELP THEM BREAK THE RULES, BUT I CAN HELP THEM FIGURE OUT WHAT THE RULES ARE SO THEY CAN FOLLOW THE RULES.
AND GENERALLY THAT MEANS I'M GONNA REACH OUT TO WAYNE OR SOMEBODY HERE IN THE TOWN OF ADDISON.
I'M GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY CONNECT WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE THAT OUT THEMSELVES.
OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP, I THINK WITH THE TOWN OF ADDISON AND WITH OUR OTHER TWO CITIES THAT WE WORK WITH.
ACCREDITATION AND EXCELLENCE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, MOST OF YOU, YOU PROBABLY HAVE FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE LIKE THE, I THINK IT'S, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE CHIEFS, WHAT IS THAT CALLED? THE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A CERTIFICATION OR AN ACCREDITATION THAT FIRE, THAT FIRE STATIONS OR FIRE DEPARTMENTS CAN GET, RIGHT? SAME THING WITH POLICE DEPARTMENTS, I THINK SO, MAYBE, YEAH.
IS THAT IT? UM, SO WITH, WITH CHAMBERS, THE US CHAMBER FOUNDATION DOES, GOES THROUGH AN ACCREDITATION PROCESS.
THEY LOOK AT NINE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
THOSE CATEGORIES GO VERY IN DEPTH.
THEY LOOK AT THINGS LIKE FACILITIES.
THEY WANT KNOW IF WE'RE A DA COMPLIANT, DO WE HAVE AN ALARM SYSTEM? DO WE HAVE CAMERAS? THEY WANT, THEY WANNA LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
ARE WE, ARE WE HAVING REGULAR AUDITS? ARE WE HAVING REVIEWS OF OUR FINANCES? UH, WHAT IS OUR, WHAT DOES OUR GOVERNANCE LOOK LIKE? IS OUR BOARD SET UP CORRECTLY? DO WE HAVE GOOD BYLAWS? THEY LOOK AT OUR PROGRAM, THEY LOOK AT EVERYTHING.
AND IT'S VERY INTENSE PROCESS THAT TAKES PROBABLY TWO TO THREE YEARS TO COMPLETE WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH IT.
IT'S A FIVE STAR ACCREDITATION.
THOSE ARE THE LEVELS YOU CAN GET ACCREDITED, THREE, FOUR OR FIVE STARS.
AND OF COURSE, WE'RE GONNA SHOOT FOR FIVE STARS.
'CAUSE WE WANT TO BE THE BEST OF THE BEST SMALL BUSINESS EMPOWERMENT.
AS I MENTIONED, 80 TO 85% OF OUR MEMBERS ARE SMALL BUSINESS.
SO WE WANT TO DO THINGS TO HELP THEM GROW.
WE WANT TO EMPOWER OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THEN DRIVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH.
AND I'M NOT TRYING TO DO WAYNE'S JOB.
I WANT TO HELP OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS, UH, WANT TO HELP THOSE DEPARTMENTS WANNA HELP OUR BUSINESSES GROW.
SO, UM, THIS EARLIER THIS YEAR, ACTUALLY, IN NOVEMBER, THE BOARD HAD A BOARD RETREAT AND WE SET UP OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND THESE WERE THE FOUR AREAS OF EMPHASIS, VOICE OF BUSINESS, STRENGTHENING, ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT ON THE LAST SLIDE.
AND THAT'S REALLY ABOUT GROWING THE CHAMBER, BECAUSE THE, THE, THE MORE WE GROW, THE STRONGER WE ARE.
THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE, UM, UH, UH, TRAINING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, GROWING OUR NUMBERS IN MEMBER BUSINESSES, UM, EMPLOYEE TRAINING, ANYTHING THAT MAKES US BETTER AND MAKES OUR MEMBERS BETTER, MAKES OUR COMMUNITIES BETTER.
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, THAT'S WHERE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ACCREDITATION.
AND THEN MARKETING AND STORYTELLING.
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IN GENERAL AROUND THE WORLD NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF TELLING THEIR STORY, BECAUSE WE DO A LOT OF GREAT THINGS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT WE'RE DOING.THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO WE'RE GONNA WORK ON OUR MARKETING AND OUR STORYTELLING.
THERE WAS EVEN A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A REBRAND, MAYBE A NEW NAME, DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE, HAVE NO IDEA.
IT'S HARD TO MAKE AN ACRONYM OUTTA C AND A AND F AND B THAT JUST DOESN'T WORK.
UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA WORK ON THAT.
WE'RE GONNA PUT IT TOGETHER A TASK FORCE AND SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND GET BETTER AT TELLING OUR STORY AND OUR MARKETING.
SO ONTO THE SERVICE AGREEMENT.
ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THAT? OKAY, GOOD.
SO, ONTO THE SERVICE AGREEMENT, I'M GONNA HIT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS.
I LIKE TO DO THIS AT THE MEMBER BREAKDOWN.
UM, I, I, I'VE SHARED THIS WITH SOME OF IT WITH THE OTHER CITIES, AND THEY WERE KIND OF SURPRISED THAT, THAT THE NUMBERS WERE CLOSER THAN THEY THOUGHT.
UM, BUT OUR MEMBERSHIP IS MADE UP OF 16% OF, UH, 16% OF OUR MEMBERS ARE ADDISON BASED BUSINESSES.
UM, THAT WAS A FUN EXERCISE BECAUSE SOME OF THE ADDISON AND SOME OF THE FARMERS BRANCH MEMBERS HAVE A DALLAS ADDRESS.
SO I ACTUALLY HAD TO GO THROUGH MAPS AND LOOK AND SEE IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY IN ADDISON, WHICH WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
16% ARE FROM ADD, YOU SEE 27 AND 29% FROM FARMERS BRANCH IN CARTON.
AND WE HAVE 28% THAT AREN'T IN ANY OF THOSE THREE CITIES.
AND I GET ASKED THAT QUESTION A LOT, WHY DO YOU HAVE MEMBERS THAT AREN'T IN YOUR CITY? WELL, IF THEY DO BUSINESS HERE, THEY SHOULD SUPPORT THE CHAMBER BOTTOM LINE.
SO IF THEY DO BUSINESS HERE, WHETHER THAT'S A CONTRACTOR WITH THE CITY OR IT'S A REALTOR, OR IT'S A BANKER, UM, IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE DOING BUSINESS IN ONE OF OUR CITIES, THEY SHOULD JOIN OUR CHAMBER.
YOU SEE THE BREAKDOWN, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THERE'S A LOT OF 'EM IN THAT BELTLINE CORRIDOR.
UM, AND THEN UP AND DOWN, UM, UP OVER HERE IN THIS AREA RIGHT HERE.
UM, SO SOME OF THE THINGS IN, IN THE SERVICE AGREEMENT, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING, OBVIOUSLY AWARENESS.
UH, WE HELP VERY OFTEN WITH MARKETING YOUR EVENTS AND YOUR ACTIVITIES.
UM, SOME OF THOSE THINGS, AND THIS IS IN A, UM, ALL INCLUSIVE LIST, BUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS INCLUDED A PACE PRESENTATION THAT WAS SET UP LAST YEAR.
UH, WE HELPED MARKET THE TASTE ON THE TARMAC, UH, OCTOBER FEST, UM, THE CORPORATE NIGHT AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT, OF COURSE.
AND THEN NEWSLETTER MARKETING.
THERE'S ALWAYS LINKS TO SOMETHING IN OUR NEWSLETTER FOR ADDISON.
UM, THE BUSINESS EXPO, WE HELD THAT AT THE RENAISSANCE, UH, HOTEL LAST YEAR.
WE HAD 52 VENDORS AND ABOUT 400 GUESTS THAT CAME THROUGH.
I THINK SOME OF YOU WERE THERE THAT DAY.
BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION.
WE GET TOGETHER AND HAVE LUNCH AND TALK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.
BUSINESSES I NEED TO VISIT, BUSINESSES THAT, THAT HE NEEDS TO VISIT.
WE HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS ONGOING.
AND WE'VE ALSO DISCUSSED SOME THINGS THAT I'LL, I'LL MENTION A LITTLE BIT LATER ABOUT REALTORS AND MANUFACTURERS AND RESTAURANTS.
AND THOSE ARE SOME THINGS I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT.
IN THE PAST, THAT SUMMIT WAS THE THREE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS GIVING PRESENTATIONS LAST YEAR.
WE EXPANDED THAT AND WE HAD A SPEAKER FROM THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION AND A SPEAKER FROM THE DALLAS FED.
UM, THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND IT A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, WORKING ON GETTING A COUPLE OF OTHER SPEAKERS IN AS WELL, INCLUDING POSSIBLY SOMEBODY FROM TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS.
I, LAST YEAR THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE, THE SERVICE AGREEMENT, WE HAD 45 ADDISON BUSINESSES RENEWED THEIR MEMBERSHIPS.
22 NEW MEMBERS JOINED THE BUSINESS.
WE HAD FIVE WOMEN IN BUSINESS EVENTS IN ADDISON.
AND OUR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS HAD THREE SOCIAL EVENTS IN ADDISON AS WELL.
UM, EMPOWERING ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESS, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE THE RESOURCES ON OUR WEBSITE WITH SCORE AND SB D-S-B-D-C AND SBA.
WHEN MEMBERS APPROACH US AND ASK FOR HELP, YOU KNOW, IF THEY NEED HELP WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN, I CAN DO IT, BUT I'M GONNA SEND 'EM TO SBDC 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE BETTER AT IT.
I'M GONNA SEND 'EM TO SOMEBODY FROM SCORE.
BUT WE HAVE THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE.
WE ALSO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS, OUR WOMEN'S BUSINESS FORUM, OUR CONNECT AND LEARN LUNCHES.
WE'VE HAD SPEAKERS AT THAT HAVE TALKED ABOUT A VARIETY OF TOPICS, UH, INCLUDING AI MARKETING, DIGITAL MARKETING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, A FOCUS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND NON-PROFIT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTING ADDISON BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
UM, IRONICALLY, BOTH TIMES LAST YEAR AND THE NEW CLASS, WE HAD SIX ADDISON STAFF AND, AND RESIDENTS TOTAL IN OUR LEADERSHIP METRO CLUB LEADERSHIP METRO PRESS CLASS.
HOW MANY YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH LEADERSHIP METRO PRESS.
WERE, WERE YOU, WERE YOU IN THE BEST CLASS
THAT'S, IT'S ALWAYS THE BEST CLASS.
WE HAD, I THINK WE HAD EIGHT RIBBON CUTTINGS.
SOME OF OF THOSE MEMBERS WERE PUTT SHACK, UM, UH, APARTMENT COWORK, FROST BANK AND OTHERS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE ANNUAL MAYOR'S FORUM MAYOR THIS YEAR, WE'LL DO BETTER.
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FOR YOU SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SQUEEZE TOGETHER.I HAVE MY OWN CHAIR, SO IT DIDN'T BOTHER ME SO MUCH, BUT I WAS, I WAS NOTICING YOU GUYS, YOU COULD, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU AND MAYOR LYNN ARE FIGHTING OVER THE SEAT THERE,
UM, WE'LL DEFINITELY DO BETTER THIS YEAR.
UM, AND WE'LL, WE'LL BE HAVING THAT EVENT AS AGAIN, AS WELL.
UM, WORKING WITH THE AIR, ABSENT AIRPORT, AIRPORT ENGAGEMENT.
UM, OF COURSE, WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS THAT ARE FBOS AND BUSINESSES AROUND THE AIRPORT.
THEY'RE ALWAYS INCLUDED IN OUR EMAIL LIST.
THEY'RE INVITED TO ALL OF OUR EVENTS.
UM, THE ADDISON AIRPORT IS FOCUSED, UH, OR HAS, THERE'S A FOCUS ON THAT DURING LEADERSHIP METRO PRESS.
THAT'S ACTUALLY THIS THURSDAY.
UM, OUR LEADERSHIP METRO PRESS DAY IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DAY.
AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT MEETING WILL BE AT THE ADDISON AIRPORT.
UM, C-SUITE ENGAGEMENT, WE HELPED LAST YEAR WITH THE TASTE ON THE TARMAC, CREATED A LIST OF, UH, C-SUITE CEOS, CFOS, COOS, PRESIDENTS, VICE PRESIDENTS.
WE PULLED TOGETHER THAT LIST FROM OUR DATABASE, AND THAT INCLUDED, THAT INCLUDED, UM, THOSE C-SUITE FOLKS FROM, FROM CURRENT MEMBERS AND FROM PAST MEMBERS, MEMBERS THAT HAD DROPPED THEIR MEMBERSHIP.
SO WE COULD CREATE A BIGGER LIST FOR THAT.
UH, MET WITH, UH, UM, ABBY AND KIM FROM PARKS AND REC, RIGHT? AND, UH, ON MONDAY, AND WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THAT AGAIN, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA BE, UH, MARKETING THAT OUT TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY TO, UM, TO, UH, ALL OF, UH, ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND AND BEYOND.
AND THEN THE, THE HOLIDAY PARTY WE HELD LAST YEAR, WAS IT MILLIONAIRE? A BUNCH OF YOU WERE THERE.
UH, AND I THINK WE HAD A GOOD TIME THERE.
SO, KEY INITIATIVES FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
UH, TALK ABOUT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED A, A BOOTCAMP THAT WE, THAT WE MAY DO.
AND, AND THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE HAS BEEN MEETING EVERY MONTH AND LOOKING AT DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES.
AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS MAY BE A BOOTCAMP WHERE WE BRING THIS, BRING THOSE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FOR OVER SEVERAL WEEKS, FOR A COUPLE HOURS A WEEK.
AND WE EDUCATE THEM ON THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THEM ON THINGS LIKE SOFT SKILLS, ESSENTIAL SKILLS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW TO DRESS FOR SUCCESS.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING SOME GRANTS TO HELP COVER THAT SO WE CAN GIVE THEM A STIPEND, MAYBE BUY THEM SOME GIFT CARDS SO THEY CAN GO BUY SOME BUSINESS, SOME PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS ATTIRE.
UM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COULD ALSO LOOK LIKE A, COULD BE A, A PLATFORM THAT, UH, IS A, A, A ONE STOP SHOP FOR OUR EDUCATION PARTNERS, FOR OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS, AND FOR STUDENTS.
AND UNEMPLOYED TO UPLOAD RESUMES, UPLOAD JOB OPENINGS, PROVIDE TRAINING AND EDUCATION ON THE WEBSITE.
THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT ONES OF THOSE WE WE'RE DOING.
AND NEXT WEEK WE HAVE A MEETING WITH, UH, SARAH CASTRO FROM THE US CHAMBER FOUNDATION WITH A PROGRAM CALLED EPIC, WHICH IS A PROJECT BASED PROGRAM WHERE WE WILL ACTUALLY GET TEAMS OF STUDENTS FROM THE, FROM THE HIGH SCHOOLS.
AND THEY WILL GO TO WORK, BASICALLY FOR AN EMPLOYER ON A PROJECT.
AND IT'S A EIGHT TO 12 WEEK PROJECT THAT THEY'LL WORK ON.
IT'S KIND OF A COMPETITION BETWEEN THOSE STUDENTS.
SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, SMALL BUSINESS EMPOWERMENT, ALWAYS GONNA CONTINUE OUR TRAINING, OUR CONNECT LUNCHES, WE VERY OFTEN HAVE TRAINERS AT THAT.
UM, WE HAVE FOLKS COME IN AND GIVE US UPDATES ON, ON DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE'RE ALSO BRINGING IN SPEAKERS FOR OTHER KINDS OF TRAINING.
WE'LL BE DOING LUNCH AND LEARNS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AT THE CHAMBER.
I THINK I'VE COVERED THAT REALLY WELL.
UM, AND THE REGIONAL COLLABORATION YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH CARROLLTON AND FARMERS BRANCH.
AND WE JUST WANT TO CON WE WANNA BE A PART OF THAT AND CONTINUE THAT PARTNERSHIP AND, AND FIND WAYS FOR US TO GROW AND GET EVEN BIGGER AND BETTER RECOGNITION AROUND THE REGION.
SOME FUTURE INITIATIVES THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME FOLKS ABOUT STARTING A VETERANS BUSINESS ALLIANCE.
THAT'LL BE AN ALLIANCE THAT'S FOR BUSINESSES AND BUSINESSES THAT SERVE VETERANS.
UH, SENIOR SERVICES ALLIANCE, SIMILAR TO THE VETERANS ALLIANCE.
IT'LL BE FOR, FOR BUSINESSES THAT SERVE SENIORS, AND THEN A MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS.
AND I'VE, I HAD MEMBERS APPROACH ME ABOUT ALL THREE OF THOSE.
SO THOSE WILL BE GETTING STARTED UP THIS YEAR.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAYNE AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IS BRINGING TOGETHER REALTORS AND BRINGING THEM TOGETHER FOR A DAY WHERE THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT ADDISON AND ALL OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
SO WE'RE GONNA WORK ON GETTING THAT SET UP.
UM, DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH RESTAURANTS.
WE, UH, ALREADY HAVE A, A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, WHEREBY ANY NEW MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER, IF THEY'RE NOT MEMBERS OF TRA, CAN ACTUALLY GET A DISCOUNT ON THEIR TRA MEMBERSHIP, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM AS WELL.
AND THEN ONE OF THE ONES I'M THE MOST EXCITED ABOUT IS THE MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION.
UH, RIGHT AFTER I STARTED, I WAS APPROACHED BY SOME MEMBERS ABOUT STARTING A MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION.
AND IF YOU'VE HEARD OF THE DALLAS COUNTY MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION, IT'S BASED OUT OF THE GARLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
MOST OF THEIR MEMBERS ARE GARLAND AND MESQUITE BASED BUSINESSES.
SO THE BUSINESSES HERE APPROACHED ME, ASKED ME IF WE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN STARTING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
OF COURSE, I AGREED WE WOULD, WE MET WITH PAUL MAYER, WHO RUNS THE DCMA OVER THE GARLAND CHAMBER, AND ASKED HIM, YOU KNOW,
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DO WE WANT TO BE A SUBSIDIARY? AND HIS RESPONSE WAS, NO, YOU NEED TO START YOUR OWN ORGANIZATION.SO WE'VE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH SOME MANUFACTURERS WITH THE THREE CITIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS, AND, UM, WE HAD A MEETING SET UP A PRESENTATION OR AN EVENT SET UP LAST YEAR, AND IT JUST DIDN'T PAN OUT.
IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE HOLIDAYS.
IT'LL PROBABLY BE SOMETIME IN MAY OR JUNE.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS REALLY IF YOU, IF YOU KNOW MANUFACTURERS, YOU KNOW DISTRIBUTORS, THEY HAVE A UNIQUE SET OF NEEDS THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER.
YOU KNOW, THEY NEED NETWORKING, BUT THEY DON'T NEED NETWORKING WITH, WITH, WELL, SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT COME TO OUR NETWORKING LUNCH, THAT'S NOT REALLY WHO THEY WANNA NETWORK WITH.
THEY WANNA NETWORK WITH EACH OTHER.
THEY NEED EDUCATION FOR EACH OTHER.
THEY NEED EDUCATION AT THEIR LEVEL.
IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT SET OF NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE.
AND THE, THE GOAL THERE REALLY IS TO GET THEM TOGETHER, FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, AND THEN FIND A WAY TO TO, TO MEET THOSE NEEDS.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MICHAEL.
QUESTIONS FROM ANYBODY? MORNING? YEAH, I'VE GOT A COUPLE.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, MICHAEL, GREAT PRESENTATION AND I LOVE, UM, WHERE YOU ALL ARE, WHERE YOU'RE TAKING THE, THE CHAMBER.
UM, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US, UH, AS FAR AS OUR METRO PRESS, UH, PARTNER CITIES, WHAT THEIR CONTRIBUTION LEVELS ARE GONNA LOOK LIKE TO THE CHAMBER, UH,
UM, THE CONTRACT WE HAVE WITH, UM, CARROLLTON, I BELIEVE IS FOR 15,000 A YEAR.
AND WE CURRENTLY, THE CONTRACT WE HAVE WITH FARMERS BRANCH IS CONTINGENT ON DOING SPECIFIC TASKS FOR THEM.
UM, BUT THEY SPONSOR AND ATTEND OUR EVENTS.
AND, UM, UH, I'VE GOT A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS IN THERE RELATED TO THE EXHIBIT A OF THE SERVICE AGREEMENT, BUT I THINK THEY'RE MORE FOR DAVID.
UM, WITH WAYNE, WAYNE BEING OUT RIGHT NOW.
UM, I DUNNO IF YOU CAN PULL THAT UP, BUT, UM, HAVE IT UP ON NUMBER ONE, ONE F IT SAYS, COLLABORATE ON HOSTING A REALTOR FOCUSED EVENT WITH UPDATES ON THE ADDISON RESIDENTIAL MARKET.
IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE RESIDENTIAL MARKET OR MAYBE COMMERCIAL? UH, BE, I'M THINKING OF CHRIS'S IDEA WHERE WE WANTED TO BRING HIM, BRING HIM IN AND KIND OF SHOW HIM SOME OF OUR COMMERCIAL, MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND OUR, AND WHEN, SO THAT PROGRAM, AND WITHOUT WAYNE BEING IN HERE, I THINK IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT EXCEPTION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, I'LL LET ASHLEY JUMP IN AS I'M SPEAKING, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, AND WE MENTIONED IT A COUPLE MEETINGS AGO, IS TO DO A REALTOR DAY WHERE WE'RE BRINGING IN COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL REALTORS TO SHOW EVERYTHING GOING ON IN ADDISON.
SO THAT WOULD BE FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL.
CERTAINLY THE CHAMBER COULD HAVE A PART IN THAT, BUT THAT'LL BE PUT ON BY THE TOWN.
UM, SO THAT MAY BE WHAT THAT'S REFERENCING, BUT I'LL ACTUALLY JUMP IN WITH ANY CONTEXT.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S, IT'S NOT ONLY THAT, BUT ALSO BRINGING IN SOME OF THE TOWN HOME DEVELOPERS, HAVING THEM LOOK AT WHAT'S AVAILABLE.
SO IT, IT'S KIND OF A MIXTURE, TAKING WHAT WE HAD TALKED WITH THE MAYOR ABOUT, AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT SOME OF THESE DEVELOPERS THAT HAVEN'T LOOKED AT IT AT US IN THE PAST ARE COMING TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE.
AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL, UH, RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPERS? MM-HMM
YEAH, REALTORS, UM, RESIDENTIAL REALTORS TO UNDERSTAND OUR RE BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR RESIDENTIAL MARKET.
SO WHEN, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN THE PREVIOUS MEETING, THE MAYOR REFERENCED WHAT RICHARDSON DOES, WHICH IS A REALLY NEAT PROGRAM WHERE THEY COME OUT AND REAL ORDERS WILL COME OUT AND YOU CAN TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING GOING ON IN TOWN.
IT COULD BE THE PROJECTS WE HAVE GOING ON IN TOWN, IT COULD BE WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR UTILITIES, A NUMBER OF THINGS, ANYTHING GOING ON IN TOWN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT HAT AND CIRCLE PARK, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
SO REALTORS KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN TOWN AS THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, HELPING FOLKS TRY TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO LIVE.
UM, AND ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE AS WELL.
YEAH, I JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE CORRECT.
YEAH, I'LL JUST MAKE THAT FOLLOW UP COMMENT TO THAT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF SOMEBODY'S WORKING IN THE RESIDENTIAL SPACE, THEY MIGHT HAVE A CLIENT THAT'S MOVING IN OR MOVING WITHIN THE AREA THAT'S A BUSINESS OWNER.
SO IT IS GOOD FOR THEM TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR, IN OUR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS AS WELL.
AND SO EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON AROUND TOWN THAT WE WOULD WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW ABOUT, UH, A LOT OF TIMES THE RESIDENTIAL, UH, REAL ESTATE FOLKS JUST DON'T, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT AWARENESS BECAUSE THEY DON'T, I THINK TO THE POINT, YOU'RE PROBABLY ALLUDING TOMAR, WE DON'T HAVE THAT BIG OF A RESIDENTIAL MARKET HERE, BUT IT'S, IT'S GOOD FOR THEM TO KNOW WHAT WE HAVE AND WHAT'S COMING UP WITH THE TOWN HOMES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT THEN ALSO TO SEE THE COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES MM-HMM
FOR THEIR POTENTIAL CLIENTS THAT MIGHT BE LOOKING TO BUY A HOME, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A BUSINESS THAT THEY COULD POTENTIALLY RELOCATE AT SOME POINT.
JUST KIND OF JUST TO EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
AND I WAS KIND OF FIXATED ON, ON, ON YOUR IDEA, AND MAYBE WE'RE GONNA DO THAT DIRECTLY WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP,
[00:25:01]
UH, WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF THE CHAMBER.MAYBE THAT'S WHY I'M NOT SEEING THIS IN THE CHAMBER.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A DIFFERENT THING, RIGHT? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE ADS AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATION? WELL, WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS, UM, HAVING AN EVENT, WHETHER THAT'S PARTNERED WITH THE CHAMBER OR WITH, YOU KNOW, OUR OWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHEN WE TRY TO PARTNER WITH, UM, BROKERS THAT REPRESENT THE BUILDINGS, BUT THEN ALSO BROKERS THAT MAY BE, THAT MIGHT BE SERVING CLIENTS THAT ARE LOOKING TO RELOCATE, THINK THAT WOULD SERVICE US REALLY WELL.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THROUGH THE CHAMBER OR WITH WAYNE'S GROUP, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE VERY COMMERCIAL FOCUSED.
WELL, AND I THINK TOO, YOU COULD ALMOST WRAP INTO THAT, UH, THE, THE, UM, DEVELOPER MARKET ALSO, THAT PIECE COULD, COULD JOIN IN THERE AND PROBABLY BE, YOU KNOW, PLAY OFF OF EACH OTHER QUITE A BIT, I WOULD THINK.
AND I GET US OFF TRACK, BUT I JUST, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS, IS WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE.
SO, AND THEN THE OTHER, THE OTHER QUESTION WAS, IS ON FOUR FOUR B, INCREASED AWARENESS OF AIRPORT, NEW, NEW CUSTOMS FACILITIES AND THIRD FIXED BASED OPERATORS.
IS THAT THIRD, IS THAT JUST A TYPOS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIXED BASE OPERATORS? I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LEFT OVER, UH, FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S AGREEMENT WHEN WE WERE PROMOTING GALAXY FBO.
WE MAY WANNA JUST CLEAN THAT UP AS MY POINT.
UM, AND THEN ALSO ON FOUR C, UM, WORK WITH THE AIRPORT STAFF TO HOST AT LEAST ONE EVENT AT AT AIRPORT VIRTUAL, UH, OR IN PERSON.
AND SINCE WE'RE OUT OF COVID, IS THAT ANOTHER CLEANUP ITEM OR WE YEAH, WE CAN TAKE VIRTUAL OUT.
I HAD OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, QUESTION, MICHAEL.
YEAH, IT'S A GREAT PRESENTATION.
UM, YOU MENTIONED THE KIDS SORT OF MENTORING MM-HMM
NURTURING THAT, ARE THERE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS THAT ARE TIED TO FARMER? CORRECT.
AND CARROLLTON AND ADDISON'S STAFFS AND THEIR DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR HEADS? NOT AT ALL.
THERE'S NOT ANYTHING SET UP YET.
THAT'S PART OF WHAT THE WORKFORCE AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IS LOOKING AT, IS CREATING THAT PROGRAM.
THERE'S JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WE'VE LOOKED AT.
WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT INTERNSHIPS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT APPRENTICESHIPS, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. UM, SO THAT'S DEFINITELY ON THE RADAR.
AND IT WOULD BE THOSE, THOSE MENTORSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS WOULD BE OPEN TO CITIES.
IT WOULD BE OPEN TO BUSINESS OWNERS, ANYBODY THAT WANTED TO PARTICIPATE, THE KIDS WILL COME TO YOU BASICALLY.
THEY'LL SORT 'EM BASICALLY, YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS CATEGORY, IN THAT CATEGORY, AND THEN FILTER BACK TO SPACE.
WE'LL WORK, WE'LL WORK THROUGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND, AND GET THE KIDS THAT NEED TO BE IN THOSE POSITIONS.
I, I APPRECIATE BEING HERE TONIGHT AND YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I, I, I ALSO APPRECIATE THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH WAYNE AND OUR I CAN'T DEVELOPMENT GROUP.
UM, IT'S A SMALL STAFF AND, UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU DO AND PROVIDE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ALLOW US TO, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, LOOK LIKE WE'VE GOT MORE OF A, A PRESENCE OR MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, LARGER STAFF THAN WE DO MM-HMM
UM, YOU KNOW, I I I, I THINK YOU'VE CHECKED ALL THE BOXES OF THINGS WE'VE ASKED, UM, AND I LIKE SOME OF THE INITIATIVES YOU'VE GOT COMING.
I REALLY LIKE THE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND YOU AND I BRIEFLY TALKED ABOUT THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
THAT CAN BE JUST ONE OTHER TOOL THAT WAYNE HAS AS WE'RE OUT THERE COMPETING FOR BUSINESSES TO COME TO ADDISON.
SO THE, THE CHAMBER COVERS THREE CITIES AND, AND THE GREATER AREA, UH, ADDISON IS, IS THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR BY FAR.
UM, BUT IT IS A SERVICE AGREEMENT.
LIKE, LIKE CHRIS MENTIONED, UH, WE HAVE SOME SPECIFIC, UM, NEEDS LIKE, UH, THE AIRPORT AVIATION, LIKE AN AVIATION ALLIANCE TYPE NEED.
UH, RESTAURANTS OR, UM, A RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, MAYBE AN UMBRELLA UNDERNEATH THE CHAMBER.
I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, AN APPROPRIATE IDEA.
IS THERE ANY TALK ABOUT THAT? I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THE RESTAURANTS, THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, YOU DON'T WANNA DUPLICATE EFFORTS, BUT WHENEVER YOU BRING IT VERY LOCAL MM-HMM
UM, LIKE ALL OF OUR RESTAURANTS HERE, IT'S ONE OF OUR DIFFERENTIATORS.
IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE MOST OF THAT AND HELPING FACILITATE THEM, UH, WOULD BE, UH, A STRONG FOCUS THAT WOULD BENEFIT, UM, ADDISON.
UM, THEY, THEY, WE HAVE ACTUALLY HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT ALONG WITH THE VETERANS ALLIANCE AND THE WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS ALLIANCE AND THINGS.
SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OTHER ALLIANCES, JUST CAN'T DEMOL AT THE SAME TIME,
UM, BUT WE ARE, WE ARE DEFINITELY WORKING ON THAT.
AND THAT WAS PART OF THAT FOCUS TOO WITH THE, THE BRINGING THE REALTORS IN AND BRINGING THE REAL, THE RESTAURANTS IN AND BRINGING THOSE IN FOR PRESENTATIONS BY THE CITY OR BY THE TOWN OF ADDISON.
UM, SO THEY'RE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
[00:30:01]
SO, ABSOLUTELY.HOW MANY AMBASSADORS DO YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW? I HAVE ABOUT 20 AMBASSADORS.
ARE THEY 20 ACTIVE? ABOUT A LITTLE OVER HALF OR VERY ACTIVE? HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE MORE ADDISON CENTRIC? GOSH, UM, I, I WOULD THINK IT'S ABOUT A THIRD SPLIT BETWEEN THE THREE CITIES.
ANY OF THOSE, UM, RELATED TO THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, THOSE AMBASSADORS? NO, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE, WELL HAVE, WE HAVE SOME YOUNG PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.
UM, ELWIN COHN IS ONE OF OUR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE ANY AMBASSADORS FROM RESTAURANTS.
THERE'S JUST SOME, SOME OF THE THINGS I THINK ABOUT.
AND THEN THE AVIATION FOCUS AND, AND ADDISON'S VERY MUCH A BUSINESS TOWN AND, AND AN ADDISON BUSINESS ASSOCIATION TYPE OF FOCUS AS WELL.
UM, I, TO ME IT SEEMS, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE'S A LAG BETWEEN PLANNING BUDGET AND THEN COME BACK AROUND TO THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, BUT WE HAVE OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING LATER ON THIS MONTH, AND IT SEEMS LIKE SOME OF THOSE THINGS WOULD, UM, REALIGN THIS.
BUT AGAIN, THAT MAY BE JUST THE WHOLE CYCLE UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
SOME OF THOSE, SOME OF THE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT TO ADDISON IS RESTAURANT HEALTH.
UH, AVIATION THRIVING, AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY THRIVING.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE, MAKE
IF YOU GUYS, IF IF EVERYTHING CHANGES IN YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN, WE CAN REVISIT THIS AND CHANGE OUR FOCUS IF WE NEED TO.
I'M NOT SAYING WE NEED TO, I'M JUST SAYING THESE ARE SYN.
I'M JUST SAYING WE'RE OPEN TO THAT.
WE WANNA DO WHAT WE CAN TO SUPPORT THE TOWN OF ADDISON.
TO ME AND TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, SO JUST LAST WEEK WE, WE MET WITH SOME FOLKS WITH THE, UH, GREATER DALLAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS UNDER THE TRA, UH, UMBRELLA.
AND SO WE, WE, WE, IT WAS JUST KIND OF A GET TO KNOW YOU MEETING AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA, WE WANNA LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO, TO PARTNER TOGETHER ON SOME THINGS COMING FORWARD.
AND SO, SO IT MIGHT BE, MIGHT BE GOOD FOR US TO KINDA LET, LET THE EXPERTS IN THE RESTAURANT WORLD DO THAT AND 'CAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, TO, TO HIS POINT, TO MICHAEL'S POINT, THEY'RE, THEY HAVE SMALL STAFF, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THEY CAN DO.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S SOME PARTNERSHIPS ALONG THE WAY OR SOMETHING, BUT YEAH.
BUT THEN, BUT THE, THE, UH, UH, GREATER DALLAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION FOLKS ARE REALLY, UH, INTERESTED IN, IN BECOMING MORE INVOLVED IN ADDISON BECAUSE THEY KNOW OUR, OUR STOCK OF RESTAURANTS AND, AND SO THEY'RE, THEY'D LOVE TO GROW THEIR MEMBERSHIP AS WELL.
SO, UM, SO WE'LL BE HAVING SOME MORE OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
CHAMBER NEEDS TO BE PLUGGED INTO THAT TOO APPROPRIATELY.
UH, MAYOR, I'VE GOT, UH, A QUESTION, BUT A, A THOUGHT BEFORE I ASK THE QUESTION.
UM, IF, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT ALREADY, THE EXHIBIT A TO THE, UH, SERVICE AGREEMENT IS EXCEPTIONAL.
IT, IT BREAKS DOWN THE SCOPE OF WORK AND, AND, UH, THE WORKLOAD, UH, KIND OF BY DIVISION, AND THEN THE, IT, IT FURTHER BREAKS DOWN THE, UH, WHAT DOLLAR AMOUNTS ARE GETTING PAID AND, AND FOR WHY.
SO, UM, IF, IF ANYBODY HASN'T TAKEN A LOOK AT THAT, I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO LOOK AT THAT.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S APPROVED.
UM, THE, THE, UH, LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS FOR DAVID, IS THIS, IF APPROVED, IS THIS COMING OUT OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND? YES.
WE ALREADY APPROVED THIS SPAN.
IT'S IN THE BUDGET FROM LAST YEAR FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO MICHAEL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, BECAUSE HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN NOW SINCE, SINCE, UH, METROCREST CHAMBER MERGED WITH FARMERS BRANCH CHECK? IT'S ALL BEEN OVER A YEAR NOW, RIGHT? UH, YEAH, IT WAS ONE MONTH AFTER, WELL, 15 DAYS AFTER I STARTED
SO THAT WAS KIND OF BIG CHANGE RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.
COULD YOU GIVE US A PICTURE OF WHAT THE MEMBERSHIP COUNT LOOKED LIKE, UM, FOR METROCREST BEFORE AND THEN WHENEVER Y'ALL MERGED, YOU KNOW, BECAME QUITE A BIT LARGER CHAMBER, AND THEN WHERE THAT NUMBER HAS GONE SINCE THAT TIME? THE, THE, UH, I THINK WE WERE, BEFORE THE MERGER, WE WERE AROUND 375.
WE BROUGHT ON ABOUT 200 MEMBERS, UM, FROM FARMERS BRANCH.
THERE WAS, UH, OBVIOUSLY SOME OVERLAP.
THERE WERE ABOUT 30 MEMBERS THAT OVERLAP, BUT WE BROUGHT ON ABOUT A NET OF 30.
UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY AT 560 MEMBERS.
UM, SO WE, WE'VE LOST SOME MEMBERS.
UM, WE'VE GAINED A LOT OF MEMBERS, BUT WE'VE LOST MEMBERS.
UH, A LOT OF THOSE WERE FORMER MEMBERS OF THE FARMERS BRANCH CHAMBER THAT, THAT FRANKLY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT HAPPENED.
THEY WEREN'T INVOLVED AND DIDN'T PARTICIPATE AND WEREN'T AROUND.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE, WE'RE RIGHT NOW WE'RE 560 AND GROWING.
UM, WE ADDED 12 NEW MEMBERS LAST MONTH.
AND I KNOW IT'S CHALLENGING FOR, FOR CHAMBERS TO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE THE CHURN YEAH.
[00:35:01]
AND SO TRYING TO KEEP THAT POSITIVE GROWTH IS CHALLENGING.SO I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO SEE WHERE YOU ALL WERE.
YOU'VE, YOU THINK IT'S ON A GROWTH? YEAH, WE'RE DEFINITELY ON A GROWTH, UH, ON A, ON A GROWTH TRAJECTORY.
UM, AND, AND RELATIVE TO OTHER CHAMBERS AROUND US, THE, UM, I CAN THINK OF PLANO, UM, FRISCO, IRVING, LAS COLINAS, UM, SOME OF THOSE LARGER CITIES, CHAMBERS ARE LARGER THAN OURS.
THEY HAVE MORE MEMBERS THAN OURS.
UM, BUT IN, IN, UH, OTHER CHAMBERS WHERE I WAS AT BEFORE, UM, RICHARDSON GARLAND, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY ABOVE SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE CONSIDERED IN THE CHAMBER INDUSTRY, WE'RE CONSIDERED A, A LARGER MID-SIZE CHAMBER.
SO WE'RE NOT A LARGE CHAMBER, WE'RE NOT A DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER.
UM, BUT WE'RE IN THE LARGER MID-SIZE CHAMBER RANGE.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FOR MICHAEL? NO, I HAVE A COMMENT.
UM, I'M AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER JUST ON, JUST FROM THE BUSINESS SIDE, AND I REPRESENT ADDISON AS WELL.
BRUCE GOES TO THE CONNECT MERCHANT AS WELL.
UM, IT IS A THRIVING HEALTHY CHAMBER AND IT IS GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
JUST, THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION, BEEN INVOLVED FOR 20 YEARS, CLASS OF 20, UH, THE BEST CLASS LEADERSHIP CLASS.
UM, AND IT'S, UH, WE, IT'S BEEN THROUGH, UH, A LOT OF CHANGE OVER, IT'S ALMOST 50 YEARS OLD.
THAT'S WHERE THAT WHOLE METRO PRESS COMES FROM.
BUT IT'S, IT'S VERY ACTIVE, UM, AND VERY MUCH, UH, MEMBER FOCUSED.
AND I JUST SAT BESIDE SOMEBODY LAST WEEK, UH, AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE HOW THIS METROCREST CHAMBER HAS A MUCH BETTER, WARMER, INVITING FEEL AND ACTIVE FEEL THAN, UM, ANOTHER NEIGHBORING CHAMBER TO THE NORTH OF US THAT MAY START WITH F.
SO, UH, IT'S REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK ON THE CHAMBER.
I'VE HEARD THAT OVER AND OVER, SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT.
UH, BUT I DO LOOK AT IT FROM A, YOU KNOW, A SKEPTICAL, FRUGAL EYE OF, OF WHAT ARE THE RESULTS AND WHAT ARE WE PAYING FOR.
WANNA GET THE MOST OUT OF OUR, OUR, UH, PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU.
ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYBODY? ALRIGHT, MICHAEL, THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS ONE? NO.
[b. Present and discuss solid waste collection service for the Town, including an overview of the existing services provided and options for additional services not currently included in the contract.]
ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO.UH, ITEM FOUR, SPEED PRESENTED.
DISCUSS SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE FOR THE TOWN, INCLUDING AN OVERVIEW OF EXISTING SERVICES PROVIDED AND OPTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES NOT CURRENTLY INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACTS.
BECKY, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
BECKY DIVINITY, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING.
UM, I'M HERE JUST TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR CURRENT SOLID WASTE COLLECTION, UH, CONTRACT AND JUST TALK ABOUT SOME IDEAS, UM, THAT WE WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD DURING THE BUDGET, UH, SEASON.
THIS IS JUST INFORMATIONAL, UH, IN NATURE.
SO BRIEFLY, WE'RE GONNA GO OVER THE EXISTING COLLECTION SERVICE, THE CURRENT RATE, SHOW YOU SOME COMPARATIVE CITIES, UM, AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED THERE.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UH, PROS OF HAVING A SINGLE PROVIDER FOR COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE.
UM, AN EXAMPLE OF A ROADWAY IMPACT AND THEN SOME CONS OF THE SINGLE PROVIDER COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE.
SO EXISTING SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE HERE IN THE TOWN OF ADDISON.
UM, I BROKE IT DOWN INTO THE ACTUAL RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE SERVICE COLLECTION.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE TOWN FACILITY SO THAT YOU'RE AWARE.
UM, OF COURSE CWD IS OUR PROVIDER.
UM, THEY CURRENTLY PICK UP WITH BAG PICKUP SERVICE TWO TIMES A WEEK.
UM, THAT INCLUDES THE CURBSIDE ALLEYWAY.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE CLOSET COLLECTION, WHICH IS NEW FOR ME.
UM, VOLUME OF PICKUP IS NOT DICTATED.
UM, BESIDES THE ACTUAL, UM, BAGS IS 35 POUNDS OR LESS.
UM, RECYCLING PICKUP HAPPENS ONE TIME PER WEEK, AND THAT'S THROUGH A CART OR BIN SERVICE, UH, DEPENDENT UPON THE RESIDENTS PREFERENCE, THEN TLC FACILITIES.
UM, OF COURSE CWD IS ALSO THE COLLECTION SERVICE.
UM, THE ROLL OFF DUMPSTERS ARE PROVIDED TO SIX OF OUR TOWN FACILITY LOCATIONS.
UM, AND THAT IS FOR REFUSE AND RECYCLING.
AND THAT COLLECTION IS ON A AS NEEDED BASIS.
EACH ONE OF THE INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS ACTUALLY CALLS FOR COLLECTION PICKUP AT A MINIMUM THOUGH ONE TIME A WEEK.
SO SOMETIMES THOSE TIMES, OBVIOUSLY IN SERVICE CENTER, UM, WHEN WE HAVE ADDITIONAL COLLECTION, WE MAY HAVE TO CALL MORE THAN ONE TIME.
UM, CURRENTLY COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION IS PROVIDED BY THE BUSINESSES PREFERRED SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE.
UM, THOSE ARE ADMINISTERED PAYMENTS DIRECTLY BETWEEN THE BUSINESS OWNER, UM, AND THE SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE.
THE TOWN RECEIVES 5% OF THAT GROSS REVENUE THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED A HAULERS PERMIT FEE,
[00:40:01]
AND STEVEN TELLS ME THAT WE RECEIVE THAT PERMIT FEE QUARTERLY, LESS OBVIOUSLY THE SALES TAX.UM, CURRENTLY THERE ARE 10 SUPPLIERS THAT ARE, UH, O OPERATING AND RUNNING OUR ROADS, UM, AMONGST THE FOUR SQUARE MILES OF OUR TOWN.
AND, UM, THERE ARE FIVE THAT ARE SOME OF THE MAIN PROVIDERS, BUT THERE ARE 10 IN TOTAL.
SO THE RATE, UM, AND YOU SAW THE SPAC, UH, UH, WHEN STEVEN BROUGHT THIS FORWARD AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, THE MONTHLY FEE FOR EACH RESIDENTIAL UNIT IS $14 AND 83 CENTS.
AND THAT'S EXCLUSIVE OF THE SALES TAX AND APPLICABLE STATE FEES.
UM, ON NOVEMBER 1ST, THAT'S WHEN BECAME, THAT BECAME EFFECTIVE.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR COMPARATOR CITIES.
I THINK, UM, YOU'VE SEEN OTHER PRESENTATIONS BEFORE WHERE WE'VE USED SOME OF THESE SAME CITIES AND TOWNS, SO I TOOK THE TIME TO GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THEIR WEBSITES AND LOOK AT HOW AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING FROM A COLLECTION PERSPECTIVE.
UM, AS YOU CAN TELL, THERE'S A WIDE VARIETY OF SUPPLIERS, UM, BETWEEN REPUBLIC, WASTE CONNECTION, CWD, AND THEN ALSO SOME OF THE CITIES ACTUALLY DO COLLECTION THEMSELVES.
UM, PLANO IS UNIQUE WHERE THEY PICK UP THE RESIDENTIAL AND THE COMMERCIAL IS ACTUALLY DONE, UM, THROUGH, UH, REPUBLIC SERVICES.
SO YOU CAN TELL FROM EACH CATEGORY THEY'RE ALL PICKING UP RESIDENTIAL REFUSE.
THEY'RE ALL PICKING UP RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING THROUGH THEIR CONTRACTS WITH THEIR SUPPLIERS.
UM, BULK IS DIFFERENT DEPENDENT UPON WHAT THE TOWN IS ACTUALLY DOING.
AS YOU'RE AWARE, PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING DOES BOTH PICK UP, UM, IN THIS TOWN.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE SIMILARLY IN COPPEL, UM, IT'S NOT COLLECTED THROUGH THE SERVICE PROVIDER.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THERE DIFFERENCES.
UM, OBVIOUSLY CARROLLTON FARMERS BRANCH, UM, AND ADDISON ARE CURRENTLY NOT PROVIDING THAT COMMERCIAL SERVICE.
UM, AND I WILL MENTION HERE THAT THE COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES ARE REQUIRED TO USE SOLID WASTE SUPPLIERS THAT ARE SELECTED BY THE TOWN OR CITY IN THE ONES THAT SAY YES.
SO WHOEVER THE CONTRACT IS FOR THE RESIDENTIAL SUPPLIER IS THE SAME INDIVIDUAL WHO IS COLLECTING, UM, FOR THE COMMERCIAL REFUGE.
SO IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE SEPARATE CONTRACTS.
AND THEN OF COURSE ON COMMERCIAL RECYCLING, YOU KIND OF HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A MIXED BAG.
UM, RICHARDSON'S INTERESTING, THEY HAVE AN APPROVED HAULERS LIST.
UM, SO THEY TELL, UH, COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES FROM A RECYCLING STANDPOINT, THESE ARE THE ONLY INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU CAN USE.
AND ONE THING I'D LIKE TO MENTION IS, UM, COMMERCIAL REFUSE AND RECYCLING, SOLID WASTE COLLECTION, UM, OF THE CITIES THAT ARE RESEARCHED.
UM, AND I ALSO HAVE FRIENDS THAT WORK AT THESE LOCATIONS.
UM, BOTH SAXE AND PROSPER HAVE JUST GONE THROUGH AN IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUDING COMMERCIAL, UH, SERVICES IN THEIR TOWNS.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROS.
UM, EFFICIENCY AND CONSISTENCY.
SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF WE HAD ONE SOLID WASTE PROVIDER, IT WOULD STANDARDIZE THE SERVICE ACROSS THE TOWN.
UM, HELP SIMPLIFY THAT COLLECTION SCHEDULE, UM, AND SERVICE LEVEL.
SO IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, UM, IF WE HAD ONE SERVICE PROVIDER, IF THERE IS AN ISSUE, A DISRUPTION, SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENED WITH THAT COMMERCIAL COLLECTION, WE WOULD HAVE ONE POINT OF CONTACT THAT WE COULD GO TO AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH.
WE WOULD BE AWARE OF WHAT THOSE COLLECTION TIMES ARE AND DATES, UM, AND THE PROCESS OF WHICH THAT WILL MOVE, UH, THROUGH.
AND THEN WE CAN ALSO REGULATE ENFORCEMENT AND COLLECTION.
AND I WANNA EXPLAIN THIS A LITTLE BIT AND I'M GONNA HIT A LITTLE BIT ON THE REDUCED ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN WHEN I EXPLAIN THIS RIGHT NOW, IF A RESIDENT, ONE OF YOU, ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS OR ANYONE, UM, THAT OPERATES AND OWNS A BUSINESS IS CURRENTLY HAVING AN ISSUE, UM, THAT ACTUALLY GOES THROUGH CODE ENFORCEMENT AS A COMPLAINT OR THROUGH ADDISON FIX IT.
AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO KNOW THIS BUSINESS USES THIS COLLECTION SERVICE FOR COMMERCIAL COLLECTION.
SO SOMETIMES IT IS A GAME OF TELEPHONE FROM A PHONE CALL PERSPECTIVE OR A, YOU KNOW, A GAME OF TRYING TO FIND THE PROPERTY OWNER OR BUSINESS OWNER OF THAT COMMERCIAL LOCATION, UM, TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM.
AND SO IT JUST INCREASES THE LEVEL OF STAFF TIME AND THEN ALSO INCREASES, UM, THE FACT THAT WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A FORMAL WAY THAT WE'RE TRACKING THE DIFFERENT PROVIDERS THAT ARE PROVIDING THE SERVICE TO EACH ONE OF THOSE COMMERCIAL LOCATIONS.
UM, COST SAVINGS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS MENTIONED IS THAT WITH HAVING A SINGLE PROVIDER, IT CAN LEAD TO LOWER OVERALL COSTS AND THAT'S BEEN DONE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS THROUGH DIFFERENT CONTRACTS.
UM, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.
I TALKED ABOUT CODE ENFORCEMENT.
I ACTUALLY SAT DOWN WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT AND HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THEM.
UM, IT'S NOT EVEN SOMETHING THAT WE FORMALLY TRACK TO SAY WE GOT COMPLAINTS OVER AND OVER AND OVER IN
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THE SAME LOCATION.IT'S JUST BASICALLY KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION THAT THEY KNOW THEY'RE RECEIVING THE SAME COMPLAINTS OVER AND OVER.
UM, AND ALSO, UH, THERE'S MULTIPLE PROVIDERS.
UM, LIKE I MENTIONED, 10, UH, THERE'S FIVE THAT ARE THE MAIN ONES THAT ARE BEING USED.
BUT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN THAT, UM, THIS WOULD HELP ELIMINATE THAT ISSUE 'CAUSE YOU'RE CALLING ONE SUPPLIER.
UM, HAULERS, PERMITS ARE REQUIRED, BUT WE CURRENTLY HAVE HAULERS THAT ARE OPERATING WITHOUT PERMITS, UM, POSSIBLY.
UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN THAT WOULD NOT BE, UH, SOMETHING WE'D HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AND I THINK ONE THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WE LIKE TO PROVIDE TO OUR RESIDENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY.
IT WOULD ALSO PROVIDE THAT SAME LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THE COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES.
UM, WE JUST TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RESTAURANTS AND OTHER BUSINESSES THAT ARE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
AND SO WE WOULD HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO HAVE THAT SAME CONVERSATION AND HELP THOSE COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS WHEN THEY HAVE ISSUES.
UM, AND IT ALSO WOULD GIVE THEM AN ABILITY, AND I CALL IT A CAFETERIA PLAN FOR LACK OF BETTER TERMS, BUT AS WE WOULD LOOK AT A CONTRACT, IT WOULD GIVE 'EM AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THINGS THAT WOULD BE SPECIFIC TO THEIR NEEDS.
SOME MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT EMPHASIS ON RECYCLING DEPENDING ON THEIR BUSINESS VERSUS SOME, UH, REFUSE MAY BE HIGHER.
SO THAT WOULD GIVE AN ABILITY, UM, TO ACTUALLY, UH, HAVE SOMETHING, A CONTRACT THAT IS MORE, WE WOULD HAVE A CONTRACT THAT WOULD GIVE A WIDE VARIETY THAT WOULD HELP THE COMMERCIALS WITH WHAT THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS ARE.
REDUCTION IN SOLID WASTE TRUCK TRIPS.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE WITH HAVING 10 DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE DRIVING AROUND TOWN PICKING UP TO ALL THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, TRUCK AND TRAFFIC EMISSIONS.
SO, UM, THAT JUST INCREASES, UH, THE, THE, UH, EMISSIONS THAT ARE GOING THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
AND THEN STUDIES SHOW, UM, THAT IT ACTUALLY SLOW SLOWS THE DEGRADATION AND LIFESPAN OF A ROADWAY.
UM, SO IF ONE TRUCK IS TRAVERSING THAT ROADWAY VERSUS FIVE TRUCKS TRAVERSING THE SAME ROADWAY FOR FIVE BUSINESSES, THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT'S, UM, MAKES SENSE.
SO I WANTED TO PROVIDE A, A SIMPLE EXAMPLE, UM, TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.
UM, SO WE, UH, DESIGN ROADWAYS AND THESE ARE ALL TYPICAL SCENARIOS.
UM, IN ENGINEERING PRACTICE WHERE CONCRETE ROADWAYS, THE, UH, THE TYPICAL LIFESPAN IS 30 YEARS.
UM, STUDIES SHOW THAT ADDITIONAL TRIPS BY THAT HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND TRUCK CAN ACTUALLY DECREASE THAT LIFESPAN BY FIVE YEARS.
SO WE'RE GOING FROM 30 YEARS ULTIMATELY TO 25 YEARS JUST BECAUSE THERE'S ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THAT WASN'T PLANNED BECAUSE THERE'S MULTIPLE TRUCK, UH, SOLID WASTE TRUCKS TRAVERSING THAT.
SO IF YOU USE AN EXAMPLE MIDWAY ROAD, JUST THE COST OF THE PAYMENT WAS APPROXIMATELY $9 MILLION AND THAT'S OVER THE 30 YEAR LIFESPAN OF WHAT THE ROADWAY WAS DESIGNED FOR.
SO AS I MENTIONED, WE'VE ALREADY DECREASED BASED ON THIS MULTIPLE TRUCK TRAFFIC TO 25 YEARS.
SO IF YOU TAKE THAT FIVE YEARS, UM, THE ESTIMATED COST IMPACT IS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILLION OVER A NINE, UH, MILLION DOLLARS ROADWAY OVER THAT 30 YEAR LIFE.
SO YOU'RE ALREADY DECREASING THE ROADWAY LIFE BY $1.5 MILLION.
AND THESE ARE ALL ESTIMATES, UM, AND IT'S REALLY JUST KIND OF ENGINEERING PRACTICE TO LOOK AT THIS, UM, ESTIMATE THIS WAY.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO BASED ON RECENT CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS.
AND AS WE KNOW THROUGH TIME THOSE DOLLARS DO INCREASE SOME CONS TO HAVING A SINGLE PROVIDER FOR COMMERCIAL SERVICE.
UM, THERE COULD BE POTENTIAL IN, UH, PRICE INCREASES TO THOSE COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
UM, IT MIGHT CHANGE THEIR EXISTING BILLING CYCLE.
THEY'RE CURRENTLY THE ONES THAT ARE WORKING THROUGH THAT CONTRACT ON A, UM, INDIVIDUAL BASIS.
UM, THEY MIGHT NO LONGER HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE A PROVIDER THAT SUITS THEIR NEEDS.
AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S 10 DIFFERENT PROVIDERS EACH, UM, INDIVIDUAL COMMERCIAL BUSINESS MAY BE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC FROM THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDER, AND THEN CUSTOMERS, UM, MIGHT PRIORITIZE THE ACTUAL COST OVER THE ACTUAL, UH, RECYCLING BENEFITS THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE OR THE WASTE REDUCTION.
SO IF, IF THEY'RE NOT BEING TOLD WHO THEY HAVE TO USE, UM, COST, UH, TENDS TO BE A FACTOR AS TO HOW THEY WANT TO HAVE THAT BECAUSE IT IMPACTS THEIR OVERALL BUDGET.
SOME WAYS THAT WE COULD MITIGATE THIS IS THROUGH EDUCATION AND TEACHING THE COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
UM, IF THE, UM, DECISION WAS MADE AT SOME PERIOD OF TIME TO INCLUDE COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE, UM, AND WORK WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE THE COMMERCIAL DELIVERERS, UM, AND PROVIDERS, IT WOULD PROVIDE FOR THAT COMMON SERVICE DELIVERY.
SO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WOULD USE THE SAME SOLID WASTE, UM, PROVIDER AND WE WOULD
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WANT TO WORK TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS A SMOOTH TRANSITION.UM, I'VE DONE THIS RECENTLY IN ANOTHER TOWN, UM, AND EDUCATION OUTREACH GRAPHICS, SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS, UM, AND EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, HOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN, WHEN IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
IT'S ALL VERY IMPORTANT TO THE TRANSITION BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S A FEW THINGS I KNOW ABOUT BEING IN THIS INDUSTRY.
IF YOUR FAUCET DOESN'T TURN ON, YOUR TOILET DOESN'T FLUSH, YOU DON'T HAVE ELECTRICITY AND YOUR TRASH DOESN'T GET PICKED UP, PEOPLE ARE NOT VERY HAPPY.
AND SO WE WOULD WANT TO ENSURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS, UM, AND OUR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS HAVE THAT SMOOTH TRANSITION.
IF WE WERE TO CHOOSE TO GO DOWN THIS ROUTE, WE COULD ASK, UM, CWD, UM, FOR, UH, A VARIETY OF OPTIONS THAT COULD ENHANCE OUR EXISTING SERVICES.
UM, AND THEN ALSO MULTIPLE RATE STRUCTURES COULD BE, UH, AVAILABLE TOO.
AND THOSE WOULD ALL BE CONVERSATIONS, UM, THAT WOULD HAPPEN IF COUNCIL DECIDES AT SOME POINT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.
SO NEXT STEPS, UM, OUR GOAL IS TO EXPLORE THOSE ADDITIONAL ENHANCED SERVICES I JUST MENTIONED, UM, WITH CW CWD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THEN CURRENTLY, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, UM, THE CONTRACT TERM, AS I MENTIONED, UM, BEGAN NOVEMBER 1ST, 2020.
UM, IT'S SET TO EXPIRE, UM, THIS YEAR ON OCTOBER 31ST.
UM, AND THAT IS WHAT WAS CONSIDERED THE INITIAL TERM.
WE DO HAVE THE OPTION OF ADDITIONAL TERM FOR FIVE YEARS.
UM, AND SO THEN THAT WOULD TAKE US INTO 2030 AND THAT IS AS LONG AS NEITHER PARTY TERMINATES THE CONTRACT AND WE HAVE 180 DAYS TO DO SO.
UM, AND SO AS I MENTIONED, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO BRING FORWARD SOME OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION, UM, DURING THE UPCOMING BUDGET PRESENTATIONS THAT WE WILL BE HAVING, UM, HERE IN SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND SO THAT IS THE END OF MY PRESENTATION AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
YES SIR, THOSE QUESTIONS GO AHEAD.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY ON THE FIVE YEAR CONTRACT, UM, WHEN IT'S UP FOR RENEWAL, IT'S FIVE YEARS OR THERE'S NO OPTIONS FOR ONE, TWO, OR THREE OR THE CURRENT WAY THE CONTRACT IS STRUCTURED IS AN ADDITIONAL FIVE YEAR TERM.
UM, BUT I THINK THOSE CONVERSATIONS CAN BE HAD, UM, IF NECESSARY, UM, TO LOOK AT.
UM, IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT THE WORDING IS, IT'S SAYING THAT THE ADDITIONAL TERM IS AN ADDITIONAL FIVE YEARS, BUT IT STATES THAT AT ANY TIME, UM, EITHER PARTY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TERMINATE, GIVEN 180 DAY NOTICE.
I REMEMBER GETTING STUCK IN SOME OF THOSE AGREEMENTS WERE REALLY LONG TERM.
SO I THINK WE SHOULD SHORTEN THE TERM, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK.
QUESTION, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, SO I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY RIGHT NOW, WHAT IS IT WE HAVE, WERE YOU SAYING WE HAVE 10, UM, VENDORS THAT ARE APPROVED OR WHAT FOR THE COMMERCIAL, UM, THAT'S CORRECT.
CUSTOMERS TO USE AND THEY COULD PICK FROM? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND THEY DEAL WITH THEM? YES, MA'AM.
AND WHAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT IS TO MAYBE BRING ALL THE COMMERCIAL INTO THE SAME VENDOR THAT DOES A RESIDENTIAL, WHO WOULD, WHO WOULD BE, WHO WOULD BE THE, UM, THE, UM, THE CUSTOMER OF THAT, OF THAT VENDOR.
SO, UM, WOULD IT STILL BE THE COMMERCIAL USER OR WHO'S GONNA CONTRACT WITH THAT? SO WE, THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THAT COULD BE DONE.
UM, BUT WHAT WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT IS HAVING CONVERSATIONS DIRECTLY WITH CWD TO BRING COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE INTO SOMETHING THAT THE TOWN ACTUALLY ADMINISTERS.
SO WOULD, WOULD THE TOWN THEN BE DOING THE BILLING BASED OFF OF THE RATES WITH, WITH, WITH THE COMPANY, YES MA'AM.
TO THE, TO THE ACTUAL USER? YES MA'AM.
THAT IS ONE OF THE OPTIONS, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE PREFERRED OPTION.
WELL THE QUESTIONS, YEAH, I GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON, UH, HAZARDOUS WASTE, LIKE PAINT AND THINGS LIKE THAT, OILS, UM, WELL, C-D-W-C-W-D PICKED THAT UP AND THE REASON I ASK IS I KNOW WHEN WE FIRST LANDED THAT CONTRACT, EVERY SINGLE RESIDENT GOT UM, SOMETHING IN THE MAIL THAT SAID THEY'LL PICK IT UP AND IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE, LIKE THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH.
ARE THEY STILL DOING THAT? DO YOU KNOW? UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING THAT ADMINISTERED BY OUR PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING, UM, AND THAT WE ARE HELPING AND ASSISTING WITH THAT.
AND MOST OF THE TRASH HAULERS HAVE GONE TO, IT'S AN ON-DEMAND SERVICE.
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PAINT HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, TYPICALLY, AND I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND CHECK.WE HAVE SO MANY THAT YOU CAN, UH, EACH HOUSEHOLD CAN DO A YEAR AND THEY'LL COME, THEY'LL TYPICALLY LEAVE YOU A BAG.
YOU PUT YOUR STUFF IN IT, THEY'LL COME COLLECT IT.
BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR TWO EVENTS A YEAR WHERE YOU CAN BRING THAT STUFF.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT.
'CAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE SOME PEOPLE PUT THAT OUT, LIKE PAINTS AND HAZARD STUFF AND IT JUST GETS THROWN IN WITH EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO I, YEAH, WE CAN, UM, WE CAN DEFINITELY WORK WITH MARY AND MARKETING TO GET SOME INFORMATION OUT AND WE'LL JUST PUT IT ON WHERE WE MAYBE DO THAT TWICE A YEAR OR SOMETHING WHERE WE PUT SOMETHING OUT THAT SAYS, HOW TO GET RID OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, PAINT HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE.
AND THEN I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON RECYCLING.
HAVE WE AUDITED THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE RECYCLING OR ACTUALLY BEING RECYCLED? UM, I'M NOT AWARE OF US AUDITING THEM AT ANY PROCESS.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION FOR US.
YEAH, WE COULD DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT.
I KNOW, UM, SEVERAL YEARS AGO BEFORE I CAME TO ADDISON, THERE WAS A COMPANY THAT WE FOUND WAS, UH, DUMPING THEIR RECYCLING.
SO I THINK THEY'VE GOTTEN MORE DILIGENT, BUT I'M SURE WE HAVE A REPORT OF HOW MUCH, UH, RECYCLING THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN UP AND ALONG WITH WHERE THEY HAVE, UH, DEPOSITED IT.
SO, 'CAUSE AND, AND I PROBABLY HAVE SOME COMMENTS DURING OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA GROW THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CDW, I WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME HELP FROM THEM.
UM, ON THE RECYCLING FRONT, I, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY RECYCLING WHAT WE'RE GIVING THEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW WE STILL HAVE SOME MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES THAT ARE NOT RECYCLING.
I'D LIKE TO TRY TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR THAT.
UM, AND THEN DO, WE HAVE CURRENTLY HAVE DROP OFF LOCATIONS FOR RECYCLING IF YOU DO LIVE IN A MULTIFAMILY PROPERTY THAT DOESN'T OFFER RECYCLING OTHER PLACES IN THE TOWN.
WE'VE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THAT.
PART OF THE ISSUE WITH THAT, AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ADDRESS THROUGH, IF WE BRING IN THE COMMERCIAL AND EVERYTHING, IS WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO REQUIRE THEM TO, TO OFFER, UM, RECYCLING.
AND SO A LOT OF 'EM JUST DON'T WANNA DO IT THROUGH THEIR COMPANY.
SO ADDING THAT IN AS A SERVICE, YOU KNOW, OKAY, YOU HAVE TO USE CWD AND WE'RE GONNA HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO RECYCLING.
CWD I'M SURE WE COULD WORK WITH THEM ON SOME SORT OF RECYCLING LOCATION.
UM, IT'S JUST NOT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED TO MULTIFAMILY ABOUT IT.
I KNOW JUST IN THE EIGHT YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE TALKED TO, ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE NEWER ONES THAT HAVE COME ON.
IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN OPEN TO.
BUT GOING TO ONE PROVIDER IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT I THINK WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT OF A CARROT TO GET THEM TO START DOING THAT.
I WANNA JUMP IN HERE REAL QUICK.
UM, IN A PAST COUNCIL MEETING, GQ BROUGHT UP THE SAME QUESTION, BASICALLY THE SAME QUESTION YOU DID.
AND SO CWD UH, SHARED WITH OUR COUNCIL THAT, THAT THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO, TO GIVE US A TOUR AND LET US COME OUT AND TAKE A LOOK.
AND SO I FOLLOWED UP WITH 'EM ON THAT TWICE.
WELL, I'LL BE HAPPY WHAT GOT GOING ON, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT, UM, THERE WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT NO FOLLOWING THROUGH.
BUT THOSE ARE MAYBE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, FLUSH OUT IF WE DECIDE TO GO THE BUSINESS AND MAYBE WE TALK ABOUT IN OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING.
AND I WOULD JUST MENTION IF YOU'RE STILL INTERESTED IN IT TOUR, I'D BE HAPPY TO REACH OUT TO YEAH, I'M, I'VE BEEN WAITING.
I WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT BOOTS AND IT'S NOT PRETTY AND I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT, BUT I, I DUNNO WHAT, WE HAVE SOME HARD HATS.
I MEAN, I EXPECT, I EXPECT IT'S NOT GONNA, YOU KNOW, BE A LITTLE TRASHY.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU WITH THAT.
I KNOW THIS ISN'T REALLY ON THIS, UH, THE ITEMS SO MUCH, BUT, UH, THE ADDITIONAL FIVE YEAR TERM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US, UH, DO SOME, UH, DO AN RFP ON THAT, THAT IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE, UM, JUST TO CHECK OUR PRICING AND, AND THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE, ARE GETTING, UH, FOR THE VALUE.
AND SINCE WE'RE CONSIDERING ADDING ON OTHER SERVICES, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE.
AND AS WE GO THROUGH THIS RENEWAL, I FEEL LIKE WE, WE, UH, THE RESIDENTS AND, AND MY OBSERVATION OF CWD OTHER THAN NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THE, THE TOUR IS, IS POSITIVE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EVEN IF, IF WE CHOSE NOT TO GO THROUGH A FULL BLOWN RFP, THE ONE THING IS ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS, IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SO WE CAN REACH OUT TO OUR COMPARATOR CITIES, WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE BEING CHARGED.
UM, I I'M SURE YOU WERE AS SHOCKED
[01:00:01]
AS I WAS.I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED BY THE NUMBER OF OUR COMPARATOR CITIES THAT DO HAVE COMMERCIAL, UM, WITH THE SAME PROVIDER.
I JUST DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THAT WAS AS PREVALENT AS IT WAS.
BUT THE ONE THING THAT I WANT TO CAUTION IS WE DELIVER A LEVEL OF SERVICE HERE THROUGH CWD THAT A LOT OF CITIES DON'T.
SO WHEN YOU TAKE WHAT OUR COST IS, ESPECIALLY FOR RESIDENTIAL SERVICE, AND YOU COMPARE IT TO EVEN CARROLLTON OR FARMER'S BRANCH, WE, WE OFFER A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL OF SERVICE, BE IT THAT THE NUMBER OF COLLECTIONS WE DO, THE FACT THAT THEY TAKE THEM OUTTA OUR TRASH CLOSETS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, SO YOU JUST HAVE TO KIND OF KEEP ALL OF THAT IN MIND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UM, IT'S JUST NOT AN APPLES TO APPLES NUMBER.
EVEN JUST, I EXPECT THAT NORMALIZATION WOULD HAPPEN WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE COMPARISON.
AND YOU WOULD DIGEST THAT AND BRING IT TO US TOWARDS IT IS LEVEL.
SORRY, I WOULD JUST, IF WE ARE GONNA DO A RFP FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL SURFACE, I WOULD NEED TO HEAR SOME DIRECTION ON THAT BECAUSE WE NEED TO GET THAT PROCESS STARTED RIGHT NOW TO START TO, TO GET A FULL BLOWN RFP FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL SERVICE.
UM, IF THAT'S, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION, WE CAN CERTAINLY GO THAT ROUTE AND NOT BEEN OUR PLAN FOR RESIDENTIAL SERVICE TO THIS POINT THOUGH, I THINK IT'S CONVERSATION.
I'LL TAG, I'LL TAG ONTO THAT REAL QUICK.
JUST MAYBE HELP ANSWER THE QUESTION.
SO KNOWING THE STUDY YOU DID, AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
KNOWING THAT ONLY ONE OTHER CITY ALLEN THAT USED THE CWD, YOU HAVE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS FROM OTHER CITIES THAT FIVE YEARS IN COMPARISON TO ASKING FOR AN RFP, IS THAT PRETTY STANDARD? IS EVERYONE UNDER FIVE YEARS PRETTY STANDARD NOT ASKING FOR RPS EVERY OTHER, OR EVERY THIRD YEAR AT THIS POINT? IT'S VERY STANDARD TO DO A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT.
IT'S PRETTY STANDARD ACTUALLY, IN MOST RFPS.
IT'S VERY STANDARD TO USE FIVE IN MY, THAT'S HELPFUL FOR ME.
AND I ALSO WOULD MENTION IN THOSE COMPARATIVE CITIES, AND I GUESS I COULD HAVE ADDED THIS, UM, NONE OF THOSE ARE USING BAG SPACE LIKE WE ARE.
THEY'RE ALL USING, UM, CART COLLECTION FOR JUST THE REFUSE.
THEN IF IT'S THE STANDARD IS FIVE YEARS ACROSS THE COMPARER CITIES, DO WE TO PUT AN RP OUT? TO DAVID'S POINT? I DON'T THINK WE DO.
IN MY OPINION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER, ANOTHER FIVE YEARS.
I THINK IT'S, UH, OUR RESIDENTS, MY CONSTITUENTS WOULD LIKE TO DO SOME PRICE CHECKING.
I MEAN, TO, FROM A, YOU KNOW, AS THE FIDUCIARY OF THIS MONEY.
IF THE REST OF COUNCIL DOESN'T AGREE, THEN IT DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE.
I THINK, I MEAN, PRICE IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S ALSO, BUT VALUE'S MORE IMPORTANT.
IF WE'RE GETTING A LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WE'RE OVERALL SATISFIED WITH, NONE OF 'EM ARE GONNA BE PERFECT.
BUT IF WE'RE OVERALL PRETTY SATISFIED WITH IT, UM, GOING THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS.
AND, AND THEN, THEN, THEN ARE YOU REQUIRED TO TAKE THE LOWEST QUALIFIED BID? AND THEN MAYBE THEY DON'T TURN OUT TO BE AS GOOD AS WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE, SO, YOU KNOW, BIRD OF HAND.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'D BE SO MUCH ON BOARD WITH GOING FOR NEW RFP.
I'D BE, I'D BE HAPPY TO EXTEND THE, THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, UH, WITH CWD, BUT WE'D WANNA SEE WHAT THE, UH, GOING, GOING, IF WE WANNA GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH THE, UH, WITH THE SINGLE PROVIDER FOR COMMERCIAL, UM, I'D BE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THAT.
'CAUSE BECAUSE WE DO, WE HAVE A LOT OF TRASH TRUCKS RUNNING AROUND THE TOWN, UH, ALL WEEK LONG.
AND SOME OF THEM, UH, ONE, SOME OF THEM, THERE'S PRETTY OLD RAGGED TRUCKS THAT ARE REALLY LOUD, AND, AND THEY DO, THEY'RE TEARING UP THE STREETS OUT THERE.
SO, UH, I'D BE IN FAVOR OF THAT.
UM, THE QUESTION ABOUT, SO, SO SOMEBODY THAT A, A, A COMMERCIAL CUSTOMER THAT HAD ALREADY HAS A SERVICE AND THEY HAVE A CONTRACT WITH SOMEBODY, HOW WOULD THAT WORK? WOULD THEY HAVE TO TERMINATE THAT CONTRACT OR WOULD IT RUN OUT? THEY WOULD TERMINATE THEIR CONTRACT.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD WORK WITH THEM TO FACILITATE THE COLLECTION THROUGH THE TOWN.
UM, BECAUSE WE WERE HOME RULE CHARTER STATES THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO AND REGULATE TRASH COLLECTION WITHIN OUR TOWN.
AND CWD JUST DID THIS WITH SAXY.
WHEN WAS THAT? UM, I THINK IT ENDED UP IN SEPTEMBER.
AND SO, UH, WE'VE HEARD, UM, SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS ABOUT CW D'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AND REACHING OUT TO THOSE COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES, EVEN THOUGH WE WILL DO THE BILLING, THEY'LL OBVIOUSLY BE WORKING WITH CWD.
AND SO THEY DID A REALLY GOOD JOB FROM WHAT WE'VE HEARD OF, YOU KNOW, REACHING OUT TO THOSE BUSINESSES, HELPING THEM WITH THE TERMINATION OF THEIR CONTRACT, GETTING THEM SET UP ON THE NEW CONTRACT, SEEING WHAT THEIR NEEDS WERE, AND REALLY HELPING KIND OF DO THAT DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE OF THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO, AND COULD AND COULD THAT ALSO POSSIBLY BE, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
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A, A, A PROPERTY OWNER OR BUSINESS OWNER TO KIND OF RIGHT SIZE THEIR SERVICE.FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE HYPOTHETICAL, RIGHT.
UM, IF YOU HAD, IF YOU HAD A LOCATION THAT REGULARLY HAD OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS WITH PUTTING IT ON THE SIDE, HYPOTHETICAL YES.
UH, IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, COULD, COULD THIS BE A SOLUTION TO THAT? YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND UM, LUCKILY WE KNOW SOME PEOPLE TO THE NORTH WHO JUST RENEWED THEIR CONTRACT WITH CWD AND, UH, ACTUALLY ADDED IN A PENALTY THAT BOTH EITHER CAN GO TO THE BUSINESS OWNER OR CWD IF THEY'RE NOT COLLECTING THE TRASH IN THE RIGHT WAY.
SO IF THEY'RE LETTING THAT OVERFLOW AND NOT EMPTYING IT WHEN THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, UM, THEY CAN BE ISSUED A PENALTY.
AND SO WE, WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME LANGUAGE THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED INTO THE NEW CONTRACT MM-HMM
AND WE'LL ADD IT INTO OUR CONTRACT ALSO.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN BECKY'S PRESENTATION, SHE MENTIONED THE CODE ISSUES.
WE ALSO HAVE CODE ISSUES OF BUSINESS PROVIDERS COMING BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL COME AT 4:30 AM MM-HMM
AND THEN WE GO, WE HAVE TO GO, WE'LL CONTACT THE COMMERCIAL, CONTACT THE BUSINESS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHO THE, THE PROVIDER WAS.
WE'VE DONE THAT AND RELY ON THE BUSINESS TO THEN CO SO SIMILARLY, IT JUST, IT HELPS TO HAVE THOSE TYPE OF ISSUES RESOLVED A LOT QUICKER.
I LIKE THEM BEING MORE THE, THE PROVIDER BEING MORE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE TOWN MM-HMM
AND INSTEAD OF HAVING TO CHASE SOMEWHERE OUT, I THINK IT GIVES US A LOT MORE CONTROL OF THE QUALITY, MORE OF THE ADDISON WAY BY FAR.
I DO WANT TO COME BACK TO THE PRICE AGAIN, BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET TO GO BACK ON THE CON COMMENT ON THAT.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, AND THIS IS AGAIN, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL, THE OVERALL MEET, UH, TO SEE, UH, AT LEAST SOME SORT OF ANALYSIS FROM STAFF ON THE PRICING AND THE VALUE.
I DON'T WANNA SACRIFICE THE VALUE FOR SURE.
UH, BUT I, I DO THINK IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD BE WISE TO CHECK AND PRICING VALUE WITH, ALONG WITH, AND THAT'S AGAIN, IF THE REST OF THE COUNCIL AGREES WITH ME ON THAT DIRECTION.
WELL, I, I MISSED THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.
IF WE, IF WE TAKE THE FIVE YEAR EXTENSION, IS THERE AN INCREASE IN THAT CONTRACT OR DOES THE PRICE STAY THE SAME? SO ANNUALLY, UM, IT COMES FORWARD WITH YOU THROUGH YOUR CPI AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT FINANCE JUST BROUGHT TO YOU BACK IN NOVEMBER OR BACK IN OCTOBER FOR NOVEMBER 1ST.
I BELIEVE, STEVEN, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, FROM LIKE $14 AND 20 SOMETHING CENTS, 22 CENTS TO $14 AND 83 CENTS.
SO THAT'S AN ANNUAL, SO IT WORKS THE SAME WAY, JUST ANNUAL.
BUT I WOULD ALSO ANTICIPATE THAT IF WE'RE ADDING IN A SERVICE LIKE COMMERCIAL, WE WILL REEVALUATE ALL OF OUR RATES.
THAT'S WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THAT COMMENT, IS IF WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND AND GROW THE BUSINESS WITH THEM, I MEAN, THAT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM BECAUSE WE'RE MORE COMMERCIAL THAN RESIDENTIAL.
I FEEL LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE A CONVERSATION HAD ON PRICING.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT TIES INTO WHAT DARREN SAID TOO.
I THINK IT COULD BE P ACT ON THAT FOR SURE.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE, THE, UH, ANALYSIS DONE, NOT A FULL RFP NECESSARILY.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN ANALYSIS ALSO, UM, AND MAYBE WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT.
UM, BUT I'M, I'M IN FAVOR OF, OF THIS THOUGHT ABOUT, UH, BASICALLY ONE PERMIT, RIGHT? AND, AND HAVING THEM, UH, HAVING THAT ONE PROVIDER, WHOEVER THAT PROVIDER IS, DO, DO RECYCLE AND REFUSE, REFUSE.
I, AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO KINDA SEE THIS RECYCLE THING THAT THEY'VE GOT GOING ON.
UM, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THAT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO SET UP.
UM, SO I'M, I'M, I'M OPEN TO MOVING FORWARD IN THIS DIRECTION.
I STILL HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION.
YOU BROUGHT UP THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE UNDER CURRENT CONTRACTS WITH THESE NINE OTHER PROVIDERS, IF WE GO WITH ONE PROVIDER, THEY WOULD ALL SWITCH THOSE CONTRACTS THAT THEY'RE UNDER.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THOSE? WILL THOSE BUSINESSES BE PENALIZED TO BREAK THOSE CONTRACTS? OR DO THOSE CONTRACTORS HAVE TO BREAK THEM BECAUSE THE CITY CHOSE ONE VENDOR? THAT'S CORRECT.
THERE IS NOT PENALTIES THAT I'M AWARE OF.
UM, AND THEY WOULD GO ALL TO THE SINGLE NEW PROVIDER AND WE WOULD WORK THROUGH THAT TRANSITION WITH THE PROPERTY OWNERS OR THE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS.
'CAUSE I WOULD, I WOULD
[01:10:01]
GOT SOME GOOD DIRECTION FROM US.SO YOU'LL BRING US SOMETHING FOR CONSIDERATION DURING BUDGET, IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR.
AND WE'LL WORK ON THE PRICING AND VALUE, UH, SCENARIOS THAT WERE ASKED ANALYSIS.
ALRIGHT, ITEM FOUR C, UH, WE HAVE PRESENTED
[c. Present and discuss an update from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). ]
DISCUSS AN UPDATE FROM THE DALLAS AREA, RAPID TRANSIT START.I HAVE WITH ME, UH, NADINE LEE, OUR CEO AND MARK ENOCH, WHO'S A BOARD MEMBER, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF OUR BOARD, AND, UH, FORMER MAYOR OF ETTE AS WELL.
SO HE'S A LONG-TERM DAR BOARD MEMBER, AND I ALWAYS WANNA HAVE HIM WITH ME BECAUSE HE KNOWS MORE THAN I DO, AND HE CAN REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, HE CAN VOUCH FOR WHAT I SAY I HEARD.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE A SORT OF ALL, ALL A PART OF HIS PRESENTATION.
UH, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY, AND I DON'T WANNA GET INTO THIS VERY MUCH, BUT WE'RE HERE BECAUSE, UM, NOW, AND MAYBE I'LL GO TO THE SOURCE, WHICH IS FOUR A, FOUR B CITIES ARE MAKING IT HARD TO COMPETE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND YOUR AND THE CITY'S REVENUES HAVE BEEN CAPPED BY THE STATE IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH YOU CAN GROW EACH YEAR.
SO IT PUTS A PRESSURE ON YOUR, ON YOUR BUDGET.
SO FOUR YEARS AGO, UH, THE CITY OF PLANO, UH, WANTED TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING IN EACH OF THE CITIES AND THEN HOW MUCH, UH, SALES TAX WE'RE GETTING.
SO DART DID A COUPLE OF STUDIES FOR THEM ON THAT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THE, A COUPLE OF LEGISLATIVE STATIONS.
AND, AND, UH, NONE OF THOSE WERE REALLY ACCEPTABLE BY THE PEOPLE WE PRESENTED THEM TO.
SOME OF THE CITIES THOUGHT MAYBE WE LEFT THINGS OUT OR WHATEVER.
SO WE ENDED UP HIRING ERNST AND YOUNG.
WE PAID FOR A STUDY THAT THEY DID, AND THEN WE, IT'S THEIR, IT'S THE CITY STUDY THAT YOU FOLKS WERE A PART OF THAT.
AND, AND, UH, THE MAYOR WAS IN MANY OF THOSE MEETINGS AFTER THAT CAME OUT, OR ABOUT THE TIME THAT CAME OUT, UH, SOME OF THE CITIES PUT RESOLUTIONS TOGETHER TO TRY TO REMOVE A QUARTER OF DESCENT FROM DARK, UH, SO THAT, UH, THEY COULD THEN USE THAT SALES TAX IF THE VOTERS WOULD APPROVE IT, USE THAT SALES TAX TO HELP WITH THE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUNDS WITHIN THE CITY, PRIMARILY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO, UH, AS A RESULT OF THAT, UH, THERE, THERE IS, THERE'S, WE HAVEN'T SEEN A BILL YET, WE JUST KNOW THAT THERE'S WORK GOING ON DOWN IN AUSTIN.
BUT THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL, WHICH MAYOR AUSTIN'S ON REPRESENTING RICHARDSON AND ADDISON, AND I'M ON THE REPRESENTING DARK.
AND IN OCTOBER, UH, THE, THE, UH, RTC HAD BEEN DOING FOR THE PA LAST NINE, 12 MONTHS, A PROBABLY LONGER THAN THAT, A TRANSIT 2.0 STUDY, WHICH SORT OF CORRESPONDS WITH ALL THIS, WHAT SHOULD TRANSIT LOOK LIKE ACROSS THE REGION.
AND OF COURSE, WHEN YOU TRY TO LOOK AT IT ACROSS THE REGION, THE AMOUNT OF DOLLARS THAT NEEDED TO BE REQUIRED TO REALLY DO THAT INCREASES QUITE DRAMATICALLY.
SO THE CONSULTANT'S RECOMMENDATION EARLY ON WAS THAT WE SHOULDN'T REDUCE ANY SALES TAX, WE NEED TO FIND MORE REVENUE.
SO THAT'S WHAT MICHAEL MORRIS AND HIS TEAM WERE TRYING TO DO.
UM, BUT IN OCTOBER, UM, A COUPLE OF THE CITIES PUT FORTH AN IDEA THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD REDUCE SALES TAX, UH, FOR DART AND FILL IN.
SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT ISSUES.
HOW DO I FILL IN MY CITY BUDGET AND HOW DO WE GROW TRANSIT ACROSS THE REGION? SO THERE THEY CONFLICT A LITTLE BIT, AS YOU MIGHT KNOW.
SO THE THREE OF US, MARK, MYSELF AND NADINE, UH, WENT OUT AND STARTED TALKING TO THE CITIES AND, AND THE MANAGERS AND THE MAYORS AND, AND, UH, AND ON NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, WE TALKED TO ALL 13 CITIES.
THERE WERE SIX OF THEM THAT DID RESOLUTIONS, UH, THAT REDUCED THIS DO REDUCED SALES TAX.
SEVEN THAT DID NOT DO RESOLUTIONS.
WE TALKED ALL TO TRY TO GET A SENSE FOR WHAT ARE THE ISSUES.
AND WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE REALLY TWO ISSUES AT LEAST, THAT ALL THE, THAT THE CITIES COULD AGREE ON.
ONE OF 'EM WAS A QUESTION ABOUT REVENUE.
WHAT, WHAT, WHAT CAN I DO? WHAT CAN DART DO WITH, UH, REVENUE OR GIVING ME OR PROVIDING MORE SERVICE OR SOLVING SOME PROBLEMS THAT WE MAY HAVE? BUT BASICALLY THOSE ARE VERY POSITIVE DISCUSSIONS AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME JUST TRYING TO GET A SENSE FOR WHERE WE WERE.
THERE WERE A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, THAT CAME UP.
[01:15:01]
SHORTAGE FOR THE CITIES, BUT THE, BUT THE OTHER ONE WAS, THERE WAS SOME CONCERN ABOUT REPRESENTATION AND GOVERNANCE AND HOW, UH, DART WAS PUT TOGETHER.AND SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND BOTH OF THOSE AND COME AND TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO BOTH.
SO AT THE END OF DECEMBER, WE, UH, ASKED THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IS, LET'S ATTACK THE FIRST ONE FIRST.
DO YOU THINK OUR DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE SHOULD GO BACK TO THE CITIES? OR DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD PROVIDE MORE SERVICE AND BROADEN WHAT WE HAVE, BROADEN OUR, UH, SERVICE TO THE CITIES AND THE BOARD, UH, THE CONSENSUS FROM THE BOARD AS, AND I CAN START THROUGH THE PRESENTATION NOW.
I DON'T, I MIGHT HAVE A CLICKER HERE TO ADVANCE THAT PROBABLY IF WE'LL TRY TO GO FORWARD.
SO, UM, SO WHERE WE ARE, UM, IS WHEN WE PREVENT PRESENTED THAT QUESTION TO THE CITY, WHAT DO YOU THINK OR TO THE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT THE CITIES AND WHO ARE APPOINTED BY THE CITIES, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO? AND THE ANSWER CAME BACK IN, IN THOSE A COUPLE OF MEETINGS WE HAD IN DECEMBER THAT, UH, WE SHOULD NOT PUT MONEY INTO.
WE SHOULD NOT RETURN MONEY TO THE CITY.
SAN PLANO ASKED FOR QUITE A BIT OF MONEY.
IF YOU START TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS THAT IT WOULD TAKE, UH, TO, TO SATISFY CITY NEEDS IN TERMS OF DOLLARS BASED ON THAT 25%, IT BECAME QUITE LARGE.
AND SO THE, THE BOARD CONCLUDED, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE, WE, WE HAVE A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA WHICH SAYS RETAIN OUR FULL SALE OR FULL, UH, ONE PENNY SALES TAX.
AND, AND SO SINCE WE, WE'VE DONE THAT RESOLUTION, WE SHOULD PROVIDE BETTER SERVICE, MORE SERVICE, UH, MORE EFFECTIVE SERVICE, WHATEVER IT MAY BE IN EACH OF THESE CITIES.
SO WE WENT BACK OUT TO THE CITIES TO GET IN ANOTHER ROUND IN, IN JANUARY AND, UM, AND, AND REALLY SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING TO EACH OF THE CITIES ABOUT WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE.
AND, AND IN YOUR CASE, THERE WERE SOME, UH, IN THIS CASE OF ADDISON, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT CIRCULATOR SERVICE.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT EXPEND GOALING SERVICE TALK.
AND THAT BECAME A POPULAR THEME AMONG ALL THE CITIES, WHETHER THEY WERE A RESOLUTION, UH, CITY THAT PASSED A RESOLUTION OR ONE THAT SAID, WE LIKE IT JUST THE WAY IT IS.
AND SO WE, WE, WE PUT TOGETHER A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT LIST OF WHAT ALL THAT LOOKED LIKE.
AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, TODAY AT A BOARD MEETING, WE GOT AN ASSESSMENT OF THAT FROM OUR STAFF IN TERMS OF THE COST OF DOING THE KIND OF THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING.
SO NADINE WILL REPORT ON SOME OF THAT HERE IN A MOMENT.
THE OTHER THING IS, UH, WE CONCLUDED THAT WE, AND LISTENING TO THE CITIES, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH THE CITIES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE HAVE PROPERTY THAT CAN BE USED FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE HAVE, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS OFFERED UP, OR, OR WAS, WAS REQUESTED FROM IRVING, UH, WAS WHY DON'T WE DO A, UH, CREATE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY BASED ON SALES TAX GROWTH.
SO IF THERE'S A PROJECT THAT'S, SAY, A TURS OR A TIFF, AND THAT PROJECT, UH, WE, WE JOIN THAT AND CONTRIBUTE SALES TAX BASED ON THE, ON THE GROWTH FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME.
SO LET'S SAY HALF SENT SALES TAX OUT OF THE CENT, WE COLLECT OUT OF THAT PROJECT FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME, FIVE OR 10 YEARS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, THAT SEEMS TO BE VERY POSITIVE.
ALL THE CITIES WE TALK TO LIKE THAT IDEA AND, UH, NADINE AND THE CITY MANAGERS AND YOUR CITY MANAGER IS PART OF A COMMITTEE THAT'S PUTTING THAT AGREEMENT TOGETHER IN TERMS OF HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
SO THAT SALES TAX PIECE IS IMPORTANT.
I MENTIONED THE DARTS REAL ESTATE.
WE HAVE D DIFFERENT CITIES THAT HAVE PARKING LOTS THAT ARE PARTIALLY FULL.
UM, AND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW THAT WHEN WE BUILT DART, WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WE NEEDED TO PROVIDE PARKING FOR.
AND SO WE DO HAVE EXCESS PROPERTY THAT WE CAN USE TO DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND YOU'RE, WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT RIGHT DOWN WITH ADDISON TO DO SOME OF THAT.
AND, AND, AND THEN THE OTHER LAST PART OF THIS IS WE JUST NEED TO COLLABORATE WITH THE CITIES ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BE A BIGGER PART OF THAT APPROACH AS YOU'D LIKE US TO BE.
WE ALSO HAD, I'LL GO TO THE GOVERNANCE NOW.
WE ALSO HAD SOME CITIES THAT WERE EITHER WORRIED ABOUT NOT BEING REPRESENTED WELL OR THAT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT.
DALLAS HAS SEVEN VOTES ON THE BOARD, SUBURBS HAVE SIX.
[01:20:01]
COULD CONTROL WHAT'S BEING BUILT.HISTORICALLY, WE'VE REALLY NOT SEEN THAT.
I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR 13, 13 YEARS REPRESENTING YOU AND RICHARDSON, UH, MARK'S BEEN THERE LONGER THAN I HAVE, AND, UH, IN FACT WE'VE NOT SEEN THAT HAPPEN.
BUT THERE'S A PERCEPTION OF THAT.
AND SO WE ALSO NEEDED TO ATTACK THAT.
SO WE, WE ALSO, UH, PUT TOGETHER A SOLUTION FOR GOVERNANCE.
I DON'T NEED TO GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL, BUT BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS BOARD SEATS.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR POPULATION FOR THE DART SERVICE AREA, WE HAVE 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE.
YOU DIVIDE THAT BY 15, WHICH ARE 15 BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE.
NOW, EACH BOARD MEMBER REPRESENTS 167,000 PEOPLE.
AND SO PLANO, FOR INSTANCE, HAS ONE BOARD MEMBER AND A FRACTION.
RICHARDSON HAS A FRACTION OF A BOARD SEAT.
AND WE COMBINE WITH ADDISON TO GET AS CLOSE AS WE COULD TO THAT 167,000 PEOPLE.
SO THE SMALLER CITIES THAT, THAT I REPRESENT, FOR INSTANCE, UH, ADDISON IS NOT A SMALL CITY PARTICULARLY, BUT ADDISON AND FARMERS' RANCH OR ADDISON AND, UH, UNIVERSITY PARK AND HIGHLAND PARK PLUS RICHARDSON MAKE UP THAT 167,000 PEOPLE.
AND SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT? DO WE ROTATE BOARD MEMBERS? HOW, HOW CAN WE HAVE THE, THE SMALLER CITIES FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE? WE ROTATE THE RTC MEMBER BETWEEN ADDISON AND RICHARDSON.
SO MAYBE WE SHOULD DO THINGS LIKE THAT ON THE DAR BOARD.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS IN 2015 OR 2025 RATHER, UH, IS, IS TIME FOR THAT READJUSTMENT.
EVERY 10 OR EVERY 10 YEAR OR EVERY FIVE YEARS, WE HAVE TO REASSESS WHERE WE ARE AS A BOARD AND THE BOARD MAKEUP TO MAKE SURE WE'RE REPRESENTING OUR POPULATION.
WHAT WHAT WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN IS DALLAS HAS, IN, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE 7.8, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AND SUBURBS HAVE 7.2.
SO, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, THAT'S GONNA CHANGE PROBABLY THIS YEAR OR MAYBE IN FIVE YEARS.
BUT HAVING THAT SAID, WE HAVE TTI, WHICH IS DOWN AT TEXAS A AND M DOING AN ANALYSIS TO RESET WHAT THE GROUPINGS COULD BE.
AND THEY'LL GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT THOSE CITY GROUPINGS.
AND WHAT WE'LL WANNA DO IS HAVE THE CITIES BE INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS.
BECAUSE YOU, YOU FOLKS, FOR INSTANCE, HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH METRO CRES, METRO CREST, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHICH WE SAW EARLIER WHEN WE CAME IN.
AND, AND PERHAPS YOU WOULD LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AND SAY, MAYBE I'D BE BETTER OFF TO TEAM WITH SOMEBODY ELSE.
AND IT, TO ME, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
YOU NEED TO CHOOSE THE, UH, CITY RELATIONSHIPS YOU FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE WITH.
AND THEN THE CITIES WILL PICK A BOARD MEMBER AND THE CITIES WILL DECIDE ON HOW THEY, DO THEY WANNA ROTATE? DO THEY WANNA SET TERM LIMITS? WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO, YOU CAN DO.
NONE OF THAT IS OUTSIDE OF 4 52, WHICH IS WHAT SETS US UP AS A, AS AN ORGANIZATION.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF FREEDOM HERE.
SO THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
AND I, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.
THE LAST ONE ON THIS, AND THEN I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO NADINE, IS THE END OF LAST MONTH.
THE BOARD APPROVED A SUPER MAJORITY FOR ADDING SERVICE.
AND WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT IS IT GETS THAT PAST THAT ONE ISSUE THAT PEOPLE HAVE, WHICH SAYS, WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT REPRESENTED VERY WELL.
UH, AND THAT DART IS RUN BY THE CITY OF DALLAS.
I SAY THAT REALLY HADN'T BEEN THE CASE, BUT THERE IS THAT PERCEPTION.
SO A SUPER MAJORITY ON ADDING SERVICE WOULD SAY THAT WE WOULD, YOU, WE WOULD NEED 10 VOTES TO BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE SOME SITUATIONS ALREADY WHERE WE REQUIRE SUPER MAJORITY.
OUR FINANCIAL PLAN REQUIRES THAT REDUCING SERVICE REQUIRES THAT.
SO IT'S AN ADDITIONAL ELEMENT THAT WILL HELP WITH THAT, UH, WITH THAT INITIATIVE.
SO WITH THAT, THAT GIVES YOU SORT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE.
WHAT I, WHAT I WANNA DO IS TURN THIS OVER TO NADINE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING SPECIFICALLY FOR ADDISON.
AND THEN I, I'LL ASK MARK ENOCH TO COME UP AND SORT OF CLOSE THIS OUT.
UM, AND AS, UH, CHAIR SLAGEL SAID, I WANNA KIND OF COVER THE THINGS THAT ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO THE TOWN OF ADDISON.
UH, THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH MAYOR ARSON AND, AND, UH, CITY MANAGER GAINES ON.
UM, AND I'LL JUST START WITH SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS.
AND AS YOU HEARD FROM CHAIR SLAGEL, THERE WAS A BIG DESIRE ON THE BOARD THAT INSTEAD OF, UH, PROVIDING DIRECT PAYMENTS TO OUR CITIES, THERE WAS A BIGGER DESIRE TO PROVIDE SERVICES THAT WOULD IMPROVE MOBILITY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND SO I WANNA DISTINGUISH BETWEEN, UM, WHAT WE REFER TO AS
[01:25:01]
OUR REGIONAL SERVICES, OUR REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY THAT WE PROVIDE THROUGH OUR RAIL SERVICES AND THROUGH SOME OF OUR REGIONAL BUS SERVICES.AND THEN, UM, THE TYPE OF MOBILITY THAT YOU ALL ARE LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC TO YOUR FOURSQUARE MILE AREA IN THE TOWN OF ADDISON.
BECAUSE EVERY, EVERY CITY IN OUR SERVICE AREA HAS DIFFERENT NEEDS IN TERMS OF LOCAL MOBILITY.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DART HAS NOT DONE IN THE PAST IS REALLY GONE TO THE CITIES AND SAID, HEY, WHAT DO YOU ALL NEED WITHIN YOUR CITY BOUNDARIES? AND HOW CAN WE ENHANCE THE SERVICES IN YOUR, IN YOUR CITY? SO, UM, SO THE FIRST THING THAT WE REALLY TALKED ABOUT WITH THE TOWN OF ADDISON WITH YOUR STAFF IS THAT, UM, THERE, THERE ARE A FEW BUS ROUTES THAT ARE ACTUALLY REGIONAL ROUTES THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL SERVICES, LIKE IN INCREASED FREQUENCY ON THOSE ARE THE ROUTE 2229, WHICH CONNECTS IRVING, LAS SALINAS AND CARROLLTON TO ADDISON.
UM, AND THEN ALSO THE ROUTE 2 39 THAT CONNECTS, UM, ADDISON BOTH TO THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH TO PLANO AS WELL AS DALLAS.
UM, BOTH OF THOSE ROUTES ARE ACTUALLY TARGETED FOR IMPROVEMENTS GOING FROM A 30 MINUTE PEAK AND A 40 MINUTE OFF PEAK SERVICE TO A 15 MINUTE PEAK AND A 20 MINUTE OFF PEAK SERVICE AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE FUNDS FOR THAT.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, THERE WAS A REQUEST TO MOVE SOME OF THE BUS ROUTES OFF OF QUORUM DRIVE, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT, UM, WHEN WE, UH, GET TO WHAT ACTIONS WE'VE TAKEN, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD ON THOSE THINGS.
THERE'S ALSO, UM, A REQUEST FROM YOUR STAFF TO LOOK AT A CIRCULATOR THAT CONNECTS OFFICE SPACE ON QUORUM DRIVE, UM, TO BOTH ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER AS WELL AS ONTO, UH, VILLAGE ON THE PARKWAY.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND SO THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING ON THAT, WE ACTUALLY, ON THE ON ROUTE, UH, THE ROUTES THAT WERE, UM, REQUESTED TO BE MOVED AWAY FROM PURIM DRIVE ROUTE 2 36 WAS AL ALREADY PART OF A SERIES OF BUS AND GOING CHANGES THAT WE, UH, ACTUALLY STARTED ON JANUARY 20TH.
SO THOSE BUSES WERE RELOCATED TO NOLL TRAIL.
UM, AND THEN THE SERVICE PLANNING STAFF IS CURRENTLY LOOKING AT ROUTES 2 35 AND 2 39, AGAIN, SERVICE ON QUORUM DRIVE.
UM, WE'RE DOING SOME INITIAL ANALYSIS OF THE RIDERSHIP AND SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED ABOUT THAT SERVICE, UM, FROM, FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALSO FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY RIDING THE SERVICE.
AND WE'RE FINISHING THAT ANALYSIS BY THE END OF THIS MONTH.
AND SO WE'LL HAVE MORE NEWS ON THAT.
UM, FORTHCOMING TODAY, AS, AS SHERIFF SLAGEL MENTIONED, WE BRIEF THE BOARD, UM, ON THE STATUS OF THE OTHER SERVICE REQUESTS RELATED TO THE FIXED DROP CIRCULATOR SERVICE.
UH, THE ONE THAT I MENTIONED CONNECTS, UM, THE BUSINESSES ON QUORUM, UH, DOWN TO VILLAGE ON THE PARKWAY.
UM, AND SO WE, WE DID TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT JUST AS A BRIEFING.
WE'RE GONNA BE BRINGING SOME ITEMS TO THE BOARD IN THE FUTURE TO START TAKING ACTION ON THOSE THINGS.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT WE DID TALK ABOUT THAT I HAVEN'T MENTIONED YET IS THAT THERE WAS ALSO A, A REQUEST TO INCLUDE THE ENTIRE TOWN OF ADDISON AS PART OF A GOLINK, UM, GOLINK ZONE.
AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THE ENTIRE TOWN HAS ACCESS TO GOLINK SERVICE BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO FIXED ROUTE SERVICE.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, WE ARE AL ALSO WORKING ON SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER, WHICH YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF.
WE'RE DOING SOME MODEST RENOVATIONS.
UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE CURRENTLY OPERATING, UM, WE, WE CURRENTLY NEED ABOUT 12 BAYS FOR BUSES TO DO ALL THE TRANSFERS AND ALL THE ACTIVITY, UM, THAT ARE, THAT'S HAPPENING AT AN ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER.
UM, WE ONLY HAVE SPACE FOR EIGHT RIGHT NOW.
AND SO THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING ARE HOPEFULLY GOING TO IMPROVE THE CAPACITY AND THE FLOW THROUGH THE ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER IN THE FUTURE.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY TIMING YET ON WHAT THOSE IMPROVEMENTS ARE GONNA LOOK LIKE, UM, BUT WE'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND THEN ON THE TOD FRONT, WE HAVE MET WITH YOUR SELECTED DEVELOPER QUADRANT.
UM, WE STARTED MEETING WITH THEM IN DECEMBER TO TALK ABOUT, UM, COLLABORATING, UM, ON HOW WE CAN REDEVELOP DART'S PROPERTY AT, AT THE LOCATION, UM, NEAR THE, UM, THE TRANSIT STATION, THE SILVER LINE STATION, AS WELL AS THE ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER.
UM, SO I KNOW IT'S REALLY EARLY YET BECAUSE DART'S PROPERTY IS GONNA BE THE LAST TO BE DEVELOPED, BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES THERE AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH YOUR STAFF, UM, AT THE CITY SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE DO SOMETHING THAT THAT ACTUALLY FITS INTO THE VISION THAT YOU HAVE FOR THAT AREA.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON, UM, UH, WE HAVE A, A BUILDING THAT DART OWNS, UM, THAT BOWMAN HAS ACTUALLY VACATED, UH, RIGHT AT THE TRANSIT CENTER.
UM, WE'RE DOING SOME ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE TESTING RIGHT NOW, UM, FOR ASBESTOS.
AND THEN OUR REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY GETTING IT CLEANED UP AND READY FOR A NEW TENANT THAT WE HOPE WILL BE OCCUPYING IN THAT BUILDING, UM, AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS UNTIL THE TOD HAS REALLY ADVANCED.
UM, I DO WANNA TOUCH ON, I KNOW THIS WASN'T PART OF THE ASKS NECESSARILY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO IGNORE, UM, THE SILVER LINE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT'S GOING ON IN
[01:30:01]
THE TOWN OF ADDISON.UM, WE HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS GOING ON THERE.
YOU CAN SEE THE CONSTRUCTION, ALL THE, ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE TAKING FORM THERE.
UM, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT WE HAVE OUR 2025 IN-PERSON BIANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
UM, THE ONE IN ADDISON IS ACTUALLY TOMORROW NIGHT, UM, AT SIX 30 AT THE RADISON, UH, RADISON HOTEL DALLAS, NORTH ADDISON.
UM, AND SO HOPEFULLY IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, YOU CAN COME OUT AND, AND TALK TO US ABOUT THAT.
I DO ALSO WANNA ADDRESS, UM, HEAD ON THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONCERNS, EX CONCERNS EXPRESSED ABOUT SECURITY WIND SILVER LINE OPENS.
AND SO OUR DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, LARRY HENDERSON, HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE ADDISON POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, TO DISCUSS, UM, OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAMS, WHICH IS, UH, THE TEAMS THAT ARE ACTUALLY OUT ON THE SYSTEM TRYING TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION ON OUR SYSTEM.
UM, WE WANNA KIND OF GET ALL OF OUR CONVERSATIONS, UM, PROACTIVELY, UH, UH, BEING ADDRESSED AND, AND HAVING THAT COLLABORATION AHEAD OF WHEN THE SILVER LINE OPENS, WHICH I DIDN'T MENTION BY THE WAY THAT THE SILVER LINE WILL BE OPENING BEFORE THE END OF 2025.
PROBABLY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS OR SO, WE'LL HAVE A, AN ACTUAL FIRM REVENUE SERVICE DATE.
AND SO AS SOON AS, AS SOON AS WE ANNOUNCE THAT, WE'LL MAKE SURE IT GETS ON YOUR CALENDAR SO YOU CAN ALL BE THERE FOR OPENING DAY.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THE SILVER LINE IS THAT I KNOW THAT EVERY COMMUNITY ALONG THE SILVER LINE CORRIDOR IS VERY INTERESTED IN QUIET ZONES.
AND SO I UNDERSTAND THAT ADDISON HAS INITIATED THAT FRA PROCESS TO GET THE QUIET ZONES APPROVED.
UM, FOR THE SILVER LINE COSTINGS, I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY ISSUES WITH THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT OUR STAFF AND OUR CONSULTANTS HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE TOWN, UH, UH, TOWN STAFF.
AND SO, UM, SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING THOSE THINGS APPROVED THROUGH THE FRA.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S MY UPDATE FOR, UM, FOR THE TOWN OF ADDISON IN TERMS OF SERVICE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE CITY.
SO, UM, I THINK I'M SUPPOSED TO TURN THINGS OVER TO MR. ENOCH.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO GET OUT AND FORGET JUST THE TRACKS, BUT THE TRAIN ITSELF AND THE A EQUIPMENTS AND THE THINGS ON THE TRAIN, Y'ALL ARE GONNA LOVE THE TRAIN.
AND I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD LONG ENOUGH TO REALIZE THAT, UH, I WAS ON IT FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE THIS WAS APPROVED, AND I FOUGHT VERY HARD TO GET IT.
AND I'M PLEASED THAT IT'S GONNA COME ABOUT.
MY NAME'S MARKING, AND I'VE BEEN ON THE DART BOARD FOR 27 YEARS.
AND, UH, I WAS THE MAYOR IN ETTE AND I, UH, WAS TERM LIMITED.
AND THE NEW MAYOR IN ROULETTE, UH, THERE WAS A, A VACANCY THAT CAME UP ON THE DART BOARD THAT WE SHARED AT THE TIME WITH GARLAND BRANCH.
AND I WAS ASKED TO TAKE OVER THAT POSITION.
I DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.
I DIDN'T, I I WASN'T THE COM I WASN'T PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
I JUST WAS ASKED BY MY MAYOR TO DO SOMETHING.
BECAUSE YOU DO THAT WHEN YOUR MAYOR ASKS YOU TO DO THINGS.
UH, IN THE 27 YEARS SINCE THEN, I'VE LEARNED A LOT, OBVIOUSLY AND BECOME VERY, VERY PASSIONATE.
THE SITUATION WE NOW FIND OURSELVES IN IS, AND THEN LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE STORY.
WHEN I WAS TALKING WITH THE GARLAND MAYOR, UH, UH, INTERVIEWING WITH HIM, HE SAID, WHEN YOU GET DOWN THERE, WATCH OUT FOR DALLAS.
AND THAT'S WHAT HIS IMPRESSION WAS.
I THINK THE IMPRESSION REMAINS THAT WAY AND FRANKLY IS ONE OF THE IMPETUSES RIGHT NOW FOR THE RESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, HAVE BEEN DRAFTED BY THE SALES TAX.
AND IN MY 27 YEARS, AND I TOLD THIS TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IN THE LAST MEETING, I'VE SEEN FIVE TIMES WHERE THE CITY OF DALLAS LINED UP AND THE SUBURBS WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE FIVE TIMES OUT OF THOUSANDS OF VOTES.
JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, LET ME, LET ME TELL YOU, I AM NOT A, AN APOLOGIST FOR DALLAS.
I REPRESENT THREE OF THE SUBURBS, BUT THE LAST 10 YEARS OF BUDGET VOTES OUT OF 150 POSSIBLE VOTES, 15 BOARD MEMBERS FOR 10 YEARS, 150.
THERE HAVE BEEN EXACTLY 10 VOTES AGAINST ADOPTING THE BUDGET.
SO THERE'S NOT BEEN CONSTERNATION, THERE'S NOT BEEN DEBATE, THERE'S NOT BEEN CONFLICT BETWEEN DALLAS AND THE SUBURBS WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO ALLOCATING THE DOLLARS NECESSARY TO RUN THE AGENCY.
NOW, RIGHT NOW WHERE WE STAND IS THE FOUR A FOUR B CITIES HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OVER THE TRANSIT CITIES BECAUSE THEY'RE ABLE TO BRING IN THE, THE OTHER DEVELOPMENTS OBVIOUSLY AND ENTICE THEM WITH THAT.
WE'RE TRYING TO CORRECT THAT WITH SOME OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, DOLLARS THAT GARY JUST MENTIONED TO YOU.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE'RE GOING TO AUSTIN AND WE HAVE RESOLUTIONS RIGHT NOW FROM SIX CITIES.
WE'RE HOPING TO GET, UH, A COUPLE OF THOSE, UH, UH, WITHDRAWN.
I THINK WE WILL, ASKING FOR REDUCTION OF 25% OF OUR SALES TAXES.
AND I IMAGINE IF I CAME TO YOU AND SAID, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE, THE, THE COUNCIL, WE NEED YOU TO, TO CUT 25% OF YOUR REVENUES AND 25% OF YOUR EXPENSES NEXT YEAR, IT WOULD BE A RATHER DIFFICULT THING FOR YOU TO DO BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ONLY REPAIRING THE POTHOLES TODAY, YOU'RE PLANNING FOR THE STREETS AND THE DEVELOPMENTS FOR TOMORROW FOR YOUR GRANDKIDS.
WE HAVE BEEN VERY ATTENTIVE, I BELIEVE, TO THE CITY'S REQUEST FOR THE, THE, UH, CIRCULATOR SERVICES AND OTHER INFOR OTHER THINGS.
AND WE'VE TALKED OF COURSE TO YOUR CITY ABOUT THAT.
[01:35:01]
A REPORT ON THAT.I TOLD THE MAYOR WHEN WE GOT OUT HERE TWO, TWO MONTHS AGO, I WOULD COME BACK AND WITH SOME AUDACITY, IF WE DESERVED TO HAVE IT, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO RECON TO CONSIDER DRAFTING A RESOLUTION AND ADOPTING A RESOLUTION TO HELP US IN AUSTIN CONSISTENT WITH WHAT I THINK THE RTC WILL DO, WHICH IS SUPPORT THE CURRENT FUNDING OF THE F THE FULL PUN.
PENNY FOR DART, THE CITIZENS OF ADDISON TWICE VOTED FOR DART 1983 IS THE ONE WE ALL KNOW ABOUT TO JOIN DART, BUT IN 2000 THERE WAS A VOTE TO, TO ALLOW US TO USE SALES TAX AS TO, UH, BACK UP THE BONDS TO BUILD THE RAIL SYSTEM.
WE THINK WE'VE GOT THE BEST SOLUTIONS FOR REGIONAL AS WELL AS INTRA CITY TRANSPORTATION.
WE THINK WE'RE ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE METROPLEX HAS SO SUCCESSFULLY GROWN AND WILL SUCCESSFULLY GROW IN THE FUTURE.
WE THINK ADDISON IS A CRITICAL PART OF THAT, AND WE'D VERY MUCH LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER DRAFTING AN ORDINANCE TO HELP US IN AUSTIN.
WE WANT TO MAINTAIN OUR, THAT OUR INFLATION PROTECTED REVENUE SOURCE SO WE CAN CONTINUE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE.
AND I'LL, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE ASK, PLEASE.
UH, WHO HAS QUESTIONS FOR ANY OF THE THREE? SO YOU ALREADY ANSWERED ONE QUESTION THAT I RUMOR THAT I HEARD ABOUT THE BRAILLE OPENING IN 25.
GLAD TO HEAR THAT LONG TIME COMING.
SO YOU SAID THAT THAT IS, UM, BEING DISCUSSED.
HOW LIKELY IS THAT, UH, TO HAPPEN? SO, UM, I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OF US BEING ABLE TO DO SOMETHING THERE.
LUCKILY FOR YOU, ADDISON IS QUITE SMALL AND SO IT'S NOT A HUGE LIFT TO ADD, UH, THE WHOLE TOWN OF ADDISON INTO A GOLINK ZONE.
UM, THE NEXT STEPS FOR THAT, SO WE HAD OUR BRIEFING TODAY WITH THE BOARD, AND THE NEXT STEPS ARE FOR THE BOARD TO DISCUSS, UM, SORT OF THE PRIORITIZATION OF THE VARIOUS ASKS.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ASKS FROM 12 OF THE CITIES, UM, THE 13TH CITY, MEANING DALLAS.
UH, I'M CERTAIN THAT THEY WILL HAVE A LIST OF ASKS AS WELL.
AND SO BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE MIGHT HAVE AVAILABLE, WE'LL, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THE SERVICES.
SO IT IT'S REALLY A MATTER OF PRIORITIES.
UM, I AM CERTAIN THAT EVERY CITY WILL GET SOME INVESTMENTS IN SERVICE AND THE CIRCULATOR.
I GUESS THAT'S THE SAME CONVERSATION.
I KNOW THAT, UM, AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO YOUR STAFF, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THE KIND OF THE CIRCULATOR IS ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES.
CERTAINLY THE FULL, UH, CITY GO LINK ZONE IS, IS ANOTHER PRIORITY.
UM, WE'LL LOOK AT THE COSTS OF THAT.
IF WE HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE TWO, WE'LL BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR STAFF ABOUT THAT.
I THINK GO LINK'S A LITTLE EASIER TO TO DIGEST AND IT'S THE COOLER NAMES, BUT I THINK THE CIRCULATOR IS, IS PROBABLY A HIGHER PRIORITY FOR US.
THAT'S IN MY OPINION, YEAH, IF WE, YOU HAVE IN STRATEGIC, UH, DESTINATIONS AND, UH, ALONG THE ROUTES.
UM, WHAT ABOUT SMALLER BUSES? I MEAN, WHAT'S THE RIDERSHIP IN ADDISON? I ON THESE BUSES? I OUT, EVERYBODY SAYS THERE ALWAYS EMPTY, BUT, UH, WHAT IS THE ACTUAL WE DO, WE HAVE RIDERSHIP.
SO I DID NOT BRING RIDERSHIP FOR ADDISON TODAY, BUT I'D BE HAPPY TO SEND THAT TO YOU.
UM, THE, THE I, THE THE, UH, ROUTES THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ONES THAT SERVE FROM ADDISON TO IRVING AS WELL AS TO DALLAS AND PLANO, UM, THOSE ROUTES ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE MORE RIDERSHIP AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT WE'VE BEEN TARGETING FOR INCREASING FREQUENCIES ON.
SO, SO YES, THOSE WOULD REQUIRE THE BIGGER BUSES, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CIRCULATORS, UM, SHUTTLE SERVICES, MAYBE GO LINK.
UM, THOSE ARE ALREADY SMALLER VEHICLES.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, YOU RUN INTO THIS PROBLEM WHERE YOU'RE TRYING TO BALANCE CAPACITY WITH DEMAND AND IT'S REALLY HARD.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND I, I KIND OF JOKE WITH PEOPLE, I'M LIKE, OKAY, EVERYBODY'S WORRIED ABOUT EMPTY BUSES.
WHAT ABOUT EMPTY CARS? EMPTY CARS? YOU KNOW, WITH ONE DRIVER THAT'S LIKE 20% OF THE CAPACITY OF YOUR CAR, RIGHT? OR FOR A VAN, IT'S LIKE EVEN LESS THAN THAT.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS WHOLE DEBATE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BUSES BEING EMPTY, BUT WE GOT A LOT OF EMPTY CARS TOO AS YES, NO, NO CAN, SO THE CIRCULATOR SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD TAKE SOME OF THE BUS RIDERSHIP ALSO IN, IN THE, WITHIN THE CITY, UH, ROUTES DOES THAT? UM, IT MAY NOT.
UM, AND I WOULD ARGUE, I'M NOT REALLY ARGUING, BUT I WOULD, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MARKET IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UM, THE DEMAND FOR THE CIRCULATOR SERVICE WOULD BE MUCH MORE FOR TRYING TO ACCESS, YOU KNOW, VILLAGE ON THE PARKWAY OR SOME OF THE BUSINESSES ALONG THAT ROUTE RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE A TWO 30, I THINK IT WAS 2 39.
UM, THE, THE ROUTES THAT SERVE IRVING AND PLANO AND, AND DALLAS, THOSE ARE PROBABLY MORE REGIONAL TRAVELERS WHO MAY NOT BE GOING DIRECTLY TO VILLAGE ON THE PARKWAY OR TO QUORUM DRIVE.
I, I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE'S A CONNECTION FROM THE CIRCULATOR DESTINATION HERE TO
[01:40:01]
THE AS AND TRANSIT CENTER AS IT'S GOING ALONG, UM, THE REST OF THE ROUTE.BUT YOU, WE HAVE, WE'VE TO TALK ABOUT, I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, WITH THE STAFF PRIORITIES AS FAR AS WHAT'S THE HIGHEST PRIORITY RELIEVING THE, THE BUS, THE BUSES OR, UH, HAVING MORE DESTINATION FOR OFFICE PEOPLE OR, OR CONVENTION PEOPLE OR, UH, TRAFFIC TO VOP.
SO YEAH, IT'S, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS WITH DIFFERENT MODES AND DIFFERENT OPTIONS, THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAVEL THAT PEOPLE WANT.
UM, THE DIFFERENT MARKETS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE GO LINK PROBABLY SERVES THE MORE RESIDENTIAL MARKET WITHIN THE TOWN OF ADDISON, PEOPLE WHO ARE OCCASIONALLY USERS.
UM, WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, THE CIRCULATOR WOULD PROBABLY SERVE, YOU KNOW, THE VISITORS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, RESIDING IN THE HOTELS LONG FORM DRIVE WHO JUST NEED, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T HAVE A VEHICLE, SO THEY JUST NEED A WAY TO GET AROUND AND GET SOMETHING TO EAT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S A DIFFERENT MARKET, BUT, UM, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO EXPERIMENT WITH, IS TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE BEST ADDRESS YOUR LOCAL MOBILITY NEEDS.
UNDERSTANDING YOU HAVE PARKING ISSUES AT VILLAGE ON THE PARKWAY, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANNA INCREASE, UM, CONGESTION ALONG YOUR STREETS.
SO, UH, WE'RE KIND OF TRYING DIFFERENT THINGS TO SEE IF WE CAN SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS. I KNOW STAFF IS WORKING WITH ME ON PRIORITIES AND THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.
AND I'M, I'M ALSO REALLY PLEASED TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE LISTENING AND THAT YOU ARE CHANGING, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE DARK CHANGES AT THE SPEED OF AN OIL TANKER, SO AT LEAST YOU'RE GETTING A LITTLE FASTER, LIKE A SMALL CRUISE SHIP MAYBE.
SO ALL OF THAT SOUNDS FASTER THAN GLACIAL, SO
BUT THE, UH, THE LISTENING AND THE CHANGING AND AND ADAPTING IS, IS IMPORTANT TO US.
MY THOUGHTS IS, AS THE CIRCULATOR IS, IS A BIG LAST MILE PART FOR US TO HELP WITH THE WALKABILITY AND ACCESS AROUND THAT.
I HAVE A QUESTION OF, OF CLARITY.
UM, COULD, YOU CAN CLARIFY, YOU BROUGHT UP, YOU WORKED WITH TOWN AS POLICE AND CHIEF AND TOWN STAFF ABOUT SECURITY.
CAN YOU PUT MORE PERSPECTIVE ON THE OTHER, I MISSED ONE OF THE SUBJECTS MENTAL HEALTH AND OH, THE UN UNSHELTERED POPULATION? YES.
SO WE HAD, UH, A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WE REFERRED TO AS OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAMS. AND WHAT THAT WAS IS PAIRING, UM, A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL OR SOMEBODY WITH SOCIAL SERVICE, UH, FROM SOCIAL SERVICES, UM, TO, TO DO INTERVENTIONS AND HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE IN COGNITIVE CRISIS ON OUR SYSTEM.
UM, AND SO THE WHOLE IDEA WAS IF WE HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL AND ALSO SOMEBODY FROM SOCIAL SERVICES THAT MAYBE WE COULD HELP GET PEOPLE TO SERVICES AND NOT LIVING ON OUR SYSTEM.
AND SO WE TRIED THAT IN THE CITY OF DALLAS MOSTLY, AND I'LL SAY IT WAS UP IN THE CITY OF DALLAS BECAUSE THEY WERE PROVIDING PARAMEDICS, UM, TO SUPPORT THESE TEAMS. THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE, WHICH ACTUALLY OPENS UP THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UM, PUT THESE SERVICES ELSEWHERE ON THE SYSTEM, NOT JUST IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, BUT NOW WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, UH, TALKING TO ALL THE CITIES TO START THESE PROGRAMS, UM, IN THE OTHER CITIES ANYWHERE ALONG OUR SYSTEM THAT WE FIND, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WHO NEEDS, NEEDS OUR HELP.
AND SO THE IDEA IS JUST TO CREATE, YOU KNOW, A BETTER SENSE OF SECURITY ON THE SYSTEM BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYBODY, UH, NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO CONFRONT OR DEAL WITH, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE IN COGNITIVE CRISIS.
I, I THINK THE, IS THAT PART OF THE STIGMA THEN TO GETTING RIDERSHIP INCREASING IS THAT THERE'S MORE TRANSPARENCY.
WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION LAST TIME VISIT US YEAH.
ABOUT YOUR OWN STAFFS THAT ARE RIDING, OR EXCUSE ME, WORKING ON THE SYSTEM, HAVING A SENSE OF TRANSPARENCY AT THAT LIVING MOMENT, RIGHT.
SOME SORT OF A LIVE LINK THAT I CAN SAY, HEY, I WANNA HOP ON.
BUT WHAT'S IT LOOKING LIKE RIGHT NOW? YEAH.
IS THAT, YEAH, I MEAN, WE'RE TRYING POSSIBLE, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO INCREASE, UM, THE GENERAL SENSE OF SECURITY ON THE SYSTEM.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE USING.
UM, ONE IS THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAM.
ANOTHER IS HAVING OUR FAIR ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS GOING UP AND DOWN THE TRAINS MORE OFTEN.
UM, THE OTHER IS HAVING OUR CLEAN TEAMS, WHICH ARE CLEANING UP WHILE THE TRAINS ARE IN SERVICE.
SO OUR, OUR PASSENGERS ACTUALLY SEE PEOPLE CLEANING WHILE WE'RE THERE.
AND, AND ACTUALLY, I THINK I MIGHT HAVE MENTIONED THIS THIS LAST TIME, UM, JUST SEEING SOMEONE IN A UNIFORM, EVEN IF IT'S NOT AN OFFICER, UM, MAKES PEOPLE FEEL MORE SECURE.
SO THE CLEAN TEAMS HAVE HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR RIDERSHIP.
THE OTHER THING THAT UM, I KNOW SEEMS KIND OF CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, UM, JUST HAVING MORE PEOPLE RIDING
'CAUSE MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE UNSHELTERED OR HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES DON'T REALLY WANNA BE AROUND A LOT OF PEOPLE.
SO THE MORE PEOPLE RIDE, THE BETTER WE HAVE TO DO OUR PART TO MAKE IT FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE FOR EVERYBODY.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY WORKING ON THAT, BUT WE ARE SEEING AN UPTICK IN RIDERSHIP THESE DAYS.
ON LAST COUPLE OF, UH, MONTHS, I'VE STARTED RIDING THE RED LINE QUITE FREQUENTLY FROM RICHARDSON DOWNTOWN TO DARK BOARD MEETINGS
[01:45:01]
AND MEETING'S.I MEAN, OUR PARKING LOT IS STARTING TO FILL UP AGAIN.
AND THERE ARE WRITERS THAT LOOK LIKE REGULAR PEOPLE.
NOT THAT I SHOULD SAY ANYTHING, ANYONE DOESN'T, I'M NOT TRYING TO PUT THOSE PEOPLE DOWN THAT ARE, ARE, ARE, LET'S SAY UNSHELTERED, BUT THERE THAT IS LESS FREQUENT BECAUSE THERE'S, THERE MUST BE A DISCOMFORT, I GUESS.
I MEAN, YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE ARE KEEPING THE, THE SYSTEM LOOKING LIKE YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO LOOK.
WELL, I THINK IT HELPS WITH THE TRANSPARENCY.
SORRY, YOU USE THE POINT OF AN EMPTY BUS OR AN EMPTY CAR, BUT NO ONE, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYONE IN THE CITY OF ADDISON, BUT IF WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN OUR OWN VEHICLE, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN HAVING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ON A BUS OR ON A TRAIN.
'CAUSE YOU'RE GETTING INTO THE CAR WITH THAT PERSON.
VERSUS THIS TOTAL STRANGER WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR THAT'S RIGHT.
AS YOU USE THE TERM LIVING ON THE SYSTEM, THAT'S, AND THE, UM, THE FAIR ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE ALSO BECAUSE THEY'RE, WE HAD A BRIEFING FROM OUR CHIEF TODAY WITH THE RESOURCES THAT HE'S ADDING TO THE SYSTEM.
AND YOU AND I'VE SEEN THAT VISIBLE CHANGE, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE ON THERE, THEY'RE ASKING, YOU KNOW, IF THEY, IF THEY, FIRST OF ALL, IF SOMEBODY DOESN'T HAVE A TICKET, AS SOON AS THEY SEE A PARA OFFICER, THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW
BUT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FEWER AND FEWER THAT IS, IS HAPPENING NOW, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD.
I'M THRILLED TO BE, BECOME A PARTICIPANT IN THE SILVER LINE BECAUSE I TRAVELED SO MUCH IN THE AIRPORT.
I'VE GOT A COUPLE THOUGHTS I'D LOVE TO SHARE.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, I ATTENDED THE SILVER LINE GROUNDBREAKING, UM, BOTH HERE IN ADDISON AND THEN THE, THE LUNCHEON.
AND, UH, IT WAS REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
WE HAD A LOT OF, UH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, A LOT OF SPEAKERS.
UM, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS WAS, UH, PAUL VOLCKER MM-HMM.
WHO WAS PAST MAYOR FOR RICHARDSON.
AND I, I'LL JUST NEVER FORGET IT.
HE SAID, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M SO HAPPY WE ARE, WE ARE REALIZING MORE THAN OUR PENNIES WORTH.
AND HE WAS SO, HE WAS THE OPPOSITE OF PLAINTIFFS.
AND I REMEMBER, I JUST COULD NOT FORGET THIS.
SO, SO I, I GRABBED A COUPLE BUDDIES AND WE WENT OUT TO RICHARDSON TO KIND OF WRAP OUR BRAIN AROUND WHERE HE WAS.
AND, UM, AND AFTER THAT, THAT LITTLE TOURS, UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS MENTALLY IN A PLACE WHERE HE WAS, AND I GOT IT.
UM, I, I'M NOT THERE RIGHT NOW IN ADDISON, I'M NOT, BUT, BUT I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE TIMELINE, RIGHT? WE HAVEN'T, UH, SILVER LINE IS RIGHT UPON US.
UM, AND, AND I THINK WHERE I'M AT KIND OF, UH, MATCHES UP WITH T ERNST YOUNG REPORT.
BUT AGAIN, I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE TIMELINE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M SUPER PUMPED ABOUT GETTING THIS SILVER LINE GOING THIS YEAR.
UM, AND I'M ALSO SUPER PUMPED ABOUT THIS, THIS LAST BULLET ITEM, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER.
I WOULD CHANGE THE BULLET POINT TO REDEVELOP REDEVELOPMENT OF THE ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER.
I LOVE THE NAME AND, AND I LOVE THE THOUGHT OF OF, OF THE IMPACT OF THAT NAME.
IN THE FUTURE WHEN WE HAVE ALL THESE MOBILITY OPTIONS AND THEY'RE CONNECTED.
UM, AND SO, UM, THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE THE THOUGHTS I, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH EVERYBODY AND, UM, IF POSSIBLE I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE IT IF WE COULD GET A COPY OF THIS PRESENTATION.
I FOR SURE OBJECT YOU SHARED WITH US.
UM, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT BECAUSE, UM, YOU MAY HAVE, I THINK I TALKED ABOUT THIS THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE.
WE HAVE A GOAL IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN TALK TALK THAT TALKS ABOUT FANTASTIC SPACES.
AND THE ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, HOW WE COULD ACTUALLY LEVERAGE, UH, THE PARKING AREA, THE, THE TRANSIT CENTER TO INCORPORATE NOT ONLY THE TRANSIT FUNCTION IN A REDEVELOPMENT, BUT DO SOMETHING THAT THE CITY THAT FITS IN THE CITY'S VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
AND WE'RE OPEN TO TALKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS.
I KNOW THAT, UM, CITY MANAGER GAINES ALREADY HAS A HUGE VISION FOR SOME OF THE REDEVELOPMENT OVER, UM, NEAR THAT AREA.
AND, AND WE'RE, AS I SAID BEFORE, WE'RE KIND OF THE LAST PIECE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA KIND OF SEE WHERE YOU ALL GO AND THEN, UM, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU TO REALIZE THAT VISION.
SO, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO ASK THIS QUESTION, BUT THERE'S BEEN A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE I'VE TALKED TO THAT LIVE IN THE ADDISON CIRCLE AREA.
THE ONES WHO DON'T RIDE THE BUSES WOULD LIKE 'EM TO BE ON ADDISON ROAD.
THE ONES WHO RIDE THE BUSES WOULD LIKE 'EM TO STAY ON QUO.
[01:50:01]
YOU SAID SOME ARE MOVING TO ADD BACK ADDISON, BUT ARE SOME STAYING ON QUORUM? SO THE ONE THAT WE'VE MOVED IS ACTUALLY ON NOLL TRAIL.AND THE OTHER TWO WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT.
SO WE HAVEN'T MADE ANY DECISIONS, BUT WE'D BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH YOU AND, WELL, I HAVE A QUESTION BECAUSE THEN THE OTHER PLAN, WE'RE PUTTING IN BICYCLE LANES MM-HMM
AND THE BICYCLE LANES ARE GONNA REQUIRE FORM DRIVE TO BE CUT DOWN FROM TWO LANES TO ONE LANE EACH WAY.
AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE CAR TRAFFIC, IF THERE'S BUSES ON SINGLE LANES AND THEY STOP FOR PICKING UP OR DROPPING.
I MEAN, DO YOU SEE THAT AS A PROBLEM? AND YOU HAVE BUSES ON JUST SINGLE LANES.
SO THERE, THERE'S ALWAYS CHALLENGES TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF USERS ON ANY STREET.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE JUST WANNA HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR STAFF TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE BEST, BEST WAY TO ADDRESS THOSE THINGS ARE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF TREATMENTS THAT YOU CAN DO TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO LIMIT THE, UM, THE POTENTIAL CONFLICT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S, YOU CAN GO VERY RADICAL AND JUST LEAVE THE CARS OUT AND JUST HAVE BUSES AND BIKES.
I'M BEING VERY FACETIOUS HERE, BUT, UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO OTHER WAYS THAT YOU CAN ADDRESS, UM, THAT POTENTIAL ISSUE FOR ADDITIONAL CONGESTION.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE JUST WANNA EXPLORE WITH STAFF.
WELL, I JUST, THE REASON I BRING IT UP IS 'CAUSE THOSE RESIDENTS WHO RIDE THE BUSES WANT 'EM TO STAY ON QUORUM.
IF THEY STAY ON QUORUM, WE NARROW THE LANES.
I JUST THINK IT'S A, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT EITHER.
YOU KNOW, THE, THE IMPORTANT THING I THINK IS THAT YOU'RE RAISING THE ISSUE SO THAT WE'RE ALERTED TO IT, AND THEN WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO ADDRESS THE, THE CONCERNS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SOLUTION WILL LOOK LIKE, BUT, WE'LL, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH EVERYBODY.
I JUST VERY BRIEFLY, COUNCILMAN YOU MENTIONED YOU JUST WEREN'T THERE WHERE RICHARDSON MAYOR WAS YET.
AND BECAUSE THE TIMING AND THE EY REPORT DON'T WANT TO GO SPECIFICALLY THROUGH THE EY REPORT, BUT THE EY REPORT, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IT HAS IS IT COUNTS DEPRECIATION AS AN EXPENSE.
SO THE, THE MONEY SPENT IN A CITY IS, IS EQUAL TO THE DEPRECIATION OF THE TRACK IN THE CITY.
AND THAT TRACK IS STILL GOING TO BE AN ASSET AFTER IT'S DEPRECIATED OFF THE BOOKS.
SO THE EY REPORT IS, IT IS DONE BY A REPUTABLE FIRM, BUT IT'S ONLY AS INSTRUCTED.
AND A REPORT MADE IS INSTRUCTED.
SOMETIMES THERE'S MISSING INFORMATION.
DARK DID NOT HAVE A SAY IN HOW IT WAS REPORTED.
WE SIMPLY PAID FOR IT BECAUSE THE CITY'S REQUESTED.
BUT MORE PARTICULARLY TO YOUR POINT, UH, LET ME AGAIN, PLEASE ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THE RESOLUTION.
WE WILL BE IN AUSTIN IN ONE MONTH AND THERE WILL BE A, A, A, I THINK I FEEL COMFORTABLE, COMFORTABLE.
THERE WILL BE A BILL OUT THERE FLOATING AROUND.
AND THERE WILL BE FOUR OR FIVE, MAYBE SIX, BUT FOUR OR FIVE AT LEAST RESOLUTIONS SAYING WE WANT TO PAY 25% LESS IN SALES TAXES.
WE WANT DART TO LIVE ON 75 CENTS, NOT A DOLLAR.
AND THE LEGISLATOR I'M TALKING TO AND THE CHAIR'S TALKING TO, WHERE DOES ADDISON STAND? NOW WE CAN GO DOWN AND WE CAN SAY, WE HAD A VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL.
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS WITH 75 CENTS.
WE'RE JUST NOT, THAT SILVER LINE WAS A, A, A BIG ACHIEVEMENT TO GET.
AND, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF IT.
AND IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL SERVICE.
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN THAT WITH ALL THE STATIONS.
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THE OTHER THINGS WITH 75 CENTS.
SO I WOULD SUGGEST IT IS IN ADDISON'S INTEREST TO JOIN US IN PROTECTING THE PENNY SO WE CAN CONTINUE DOING THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SHOWN WE HAVE DONE.
AND TO YOUR POINT, COUNCILMAN, THE THINGS THAT WE SHOW WE CAN DO AND ARE INCENTIVIZED TO DO.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME RESPOND TO THAT.
NOT A BIG ASK
SO THAT'S NOT THE REASON WE'RE HERE, BUT THAT IS ONE OF THE OUTCOMES WE'D LOVE TO SEE.
ARE THERE OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE DONE THAT? RICHARDSON, WHO ELSE? UH, GLEN HEIGHTS, UH,
WE'RE GONNA DO IT THE SECOND, UH, MEETING IN FEBRUARY.
BUT BECAUSE OF, UH, I COULDN'T GO THERE.
THEY'RE GONNA, THE FIRST WEEKEND IN MARCH, THEY'RE GONNA CONSIDER RESOLUTION NOT ONLY ADOPTING, UH, AND SUPPORTING US, BUT I'M UNDOING THE RESOLUTION THEY ALREADY DID FOR THE 25 CENTS.
UH, I, I CAN'T G I'M, I'M NOT ON THE COUNCIL ANYMORE.
OBVIOUSLY, I CAN'T GUARANTEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA DO.
I CAN TELL YOU WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO DESERVE IT.
AND, AND WE'VE BEEN ASKING, WE NEED HELP.
'CAUSE UH, I, I THINK THIS IS IN MY 27 YEARS, THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST VULNERABLE GUARD HAS BEEN.
AND WHEN WE'VE BEEN TO WASHINGTON AND WE'VE GOTTEN GRANTS, OR WE'VE GOTTEN MATCHING FUNDS TO BUILD THE ORANGE LINE, THE RED LINE, WHATEVER IT WAS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE TOLD CONSIST
[01:55:01]
CONSISTENTLY IS WE HAD THAT INFLATION PROTECTED PENNY THAT ALLOWED US TO MATCH PROPERLY AND OBTAIN THE FUNDS.THAT OVERMATCH, THAT THAT ONE PENNY INFLATION ADJUSTED FOR, FOR SALES TAX OBVIOUSLY HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY REASON THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL FUNDING WE HAVE FROM THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE.
AND THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS COME OUT OF SUPPORTING THE FULL PENNY AS WELL.
AND GARLAND MAYOR DID THE SAME THING.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET THAT CONVERTED THROUGH A RESOLUTION, BUT HE HAS SENT A LETTER ALSO SUPPORTING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPLANATION.
THAT'S, THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL.
IT KIND OF CLICKED WITH A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAD BEEN ON MY MIND.
SO, WELL, UH, MY TELEPHONE NUMBER IS TWO ONE FOUR FOUR EIGHT SIX ONE ONE.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE REASON.
OKAY, SO I'VE GOT, I'VE GOT A FEW THINGS, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR Y'ALL BEING HERE.
AND, UH, AND MARK, I AGREE WITH YOUR POINT A HUNDRED PERCENT ABOUT THE, UH, YOU TAKING 25% OUT OF ANYBODY'S BUDGET, IT'S A DISASTER.
I'M TOTALLY ON BOARD WITH ALL THAT AND, AND CUTTING THE QUARTER 25% OF THAT PENNY.
IT JUST, NOTHING ABOUT THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME.
AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT THAT ALL ALONG.
UH, AND WE CAN STILL HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE, UH, THE RED SOLUTION.
UH, GOT A FEW QUESTIONS THOUGH.
UM, SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING FOR A WHILE, UM, ABOUT THE CIRCULATOR SLASH GOLINK.
UM, WHEN OUR, WHEN DID WE MEET LAST, LAST MONTH? DO WE MAYBE JANUARY? YEAH.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DECEMBER COLD RECENTLY.
SO, UH, AND WHEN I FELT LIKE THAT DISCUSSION WENT, WENT REALLY PRETTY WELL, AND I, I FELT LIKE, YOU KNOW, REALLY IT WAS PRETTY IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WE WOULD SEE SOME OF THAT MICRO TRANSIT IN ADDISON.
UM, WHAT I HEARD TONIGHT, TRYING TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES A LITTLE BIT.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT THE BOARD'S POSITION IS ON THESE KIND OF SERVICE ADDITIONS, BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE, UH, UH, SUPER MAJORITY FOR, FOR ADDING SERVICE.
LET ME JUST GIVE YOU THE NEWS FROM TONIGHT.
UH, WE HAD THIS, THE, THE OUTLINE OF THE COST OF THE CITIES, AND IT'S ABOUT AN $18.1 MILLION AD IN THE BUDGET.
UH, THERE WAS NO DISAGREEMENT IN ANY OF ANYBODY IN THE ROOM.
AND IT WAS, THAT WAS ACCENTUATED BY A DALLAS BOARD MEMBER WHO SAID, I THINK WE OUGHT TO SAY THAT NOBODY IN THIS ROOM DISAGREED WITH THAT.
SO THE QUESTION IS WHETHER WE TAKE IT FROM A SEPARATE FUND CALLED THE MAY FUND RIGHT NOW, OR WHETHER WE INCORPORATE IT INTO THE 26TH BUDGET, BUT THOSE BUDGET TALKS BEGIN AT THE END OF THIS MONTH FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY'RE GONNA START THIS EARLY.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, EVERYONE AROUND THE TABLE, DID THEY VOTE TONIGHT? BUT I'LL CALL IT A HEAD NOD.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT HEAD NODS ARE.
SO THE MAYOR RUNNING THESE MEETINGS, EVERYBODY WAS IN FAVOR OF THAT NUMBER AND ADDISON'S WAS IN THAT NIGHT.
AND SO WHAT DOES THAT TIMELINE LOOK LIKE IT TO GET, TO GET IMPLEMENTATION FROM THAT? SO IS ONCE YOU'RE GIVEN THE GO AHEAD, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? OH, ONCE WE'VE GIVEN, GIVEN THE GO AHEAD, WE HAVE SOME CONTRACTS THAT WE NEED TO, UM, TO MODIFY.
AND SO HOPEFULLY THAT WON'T TAKE TOO LONG.
UM, THE BIG QUESTION REALLY IS, UM, WHEN ARE WE GONNA FUND THIS AND THROUGH WHAT SOURCE? UM, AND AS, AS, UM, MARK MENTIONED THERE IS WHAT WE CALL THE MAY FUND.
IT CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT $20 MILLION IN IT.
AND SO THERE'S ENOUGH MONEY IN THERE TO FUND ALL THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, UM, WITH THE BOARD AS, AS IT RELATES TO SERVICE.
SO IF THE BOARD WERE TO DECIDE, AND THIS IS TOTALLY, UM, HYPOTHETICAL, BUT I MEAN, IF THE BOARD WAS TO DECIDE TODAY OR TOMORROW THAT WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE CIRCULATORS THEN AND GO AHEAD AND EXECUTE, USE THE MAKE MONEY, UH, WE COULD MOVE AT SPEED TO GET THOSE CONTRACTS MODIFIED TO START UP THOSE SERVICES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WOULD GIVE IT MAYBE A COUPLE OF MONTHS JUST TO GET THE CONTRACTS MODIFIED IF WE'RE GONNA GONNA RERA BUSES THOUGH, THAT REQUIRES PUBLIC HEARINGS AND THAT DELAYS ANYTHING FURTHER.
ADDING SERVICE DOES NOT REQUIRE THE PUBLIC PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, AND SO WITH THAT, SO I UNDERSTAND ALL THE, ALL ALL THE CITIES, ALL 13 CITIES ARE ASKING FOR DIFFERENT THINGS, RIGHT.
BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SIMILARITIES WITH MICRO SIMILARITIES.
THERE, THERE'S A FEW CITIES THAT HAVE NOT ASKED FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS, BUT ARE MORE INTERESTED IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THEM.
UM, THAT'S JUST THEIR FOCUS RIGHT NOW.
BUT, UM, BUT A NUMBER OF THE CITIES HAVE ASKED FOR CIRCULATOR OR SHUTTLE TYPE SERVICES, AND SO THEY'RE FAIRLY, FAIRLY SMALL.
UM, THE BIGGEST ONE PROBABLY IS, UM, AN ASK FROM PLANO TO DO A CITYWIDE GO LINK SERVICE.
AND THAT IS REALLY THE MORE EXPENSIVE PIECE.
IT'S THE BULK OF THE 18 MILLION.
[02:00:01]
I DON'T, I DON'T RECALL THAT THE DEPTH OF THE, UH, THE EY STUDY AND THE DETAILS OF IT, UM, BUT I THINK PRETTY MUCH ALL THE CITIES EXCEPT FOR ONE ARE KIND OF NET NEGATIVE ON SERVICES PROVIDED.IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? NO, I THINK IT WAS SIX CITIES.
THE WAY THAT WORKED WAS, UM, RICHARDSON, PALINO, ADDISON AND CARLTON WERE NEGATIVE ACROSS THAT TOP OF THE METROPLEX.
GOT, UH, THE SMALLER CITY, HIGHLAND PARK, UNIVERSITY PARKWAY NEGATIVE.
BUT WHEN YOU PUT IN THE, SO THE SILVER LINE, EVERYBODY BUT DALLAS OR EVERYBODY, BUT PLANO GETS FIXED A HURRY BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE OF THAT WHOLE THING.
SO IT TURNS UPSIDE DOWN AND SOLVES A PROBLEM.
PLANO WILL BE, WILL STILL HAVE A GAP.
WE CAN, WE CAN DEAL WITH THAT WITH SERVICE.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING NOT TO DO IS START SENDING MONEY BECAUSE EVERY CITY, EVERY CITY WE TALK TO SAID IF YOU SEND MONEY TO PLANO, YOU GOTTA SEND MONEY TO US.
AND I THINK YOU FOLKS PROBABLY SAID THE SAME THING.
YES, WE ALL WANNA BE TREATED SEPARATELY.
FINAL'S APPROACH WAS, WE'RE DIFFERENT, IT'S OUR REQUEST, BUT IT IT, THAT'S JUST NOT GONNA WORK.
AND SO WE TOLD HIM, NO, WE CAN'T DO THAT.
AND THEN WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON PROVIDING, WE PUT TOGETHER, AS NADINE SAID, THE COST OF DOING THE SERVICE FROM PLANO.
AND I THINK WE CAN DO THAT WITH A LOT OF OTHER THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO FOR GENERALLY, WE STILL HAVE TO, WE STILL HAVE TO ADDRESS DALLAS, BUT WE DO THAT ON THE 18TH, SO IT'S COMING RIGHT UP.
SO, SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? I MEAN, IF, IF DALLAS IS A NET POSITIVE ALREADY THAT THEY, THEY'RE RECEIVING MORE SERVICES THAN THEY'RE PAYING FOR AND THEY'RE GOING TO ASK FOR MORE, THEN THAT MAKES THEM A EVEN A GREAT, THAT, THAT PLAYS A PART OF THIS DEPRECIATION THEN MARK'S TALKING ABOUT, I, I, I, I WOULD, UH, THE EY REPORT IS AT BEST OF SNAPSHOT IN TIME WITH LIMITED INFORMATION.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, YES.
THE QUESTION IS, IF THERE'RE RIGHT NOW, I THINK THE EY REPORT SAYS THEY'RE POSITIVE BY A HUNDRED OR 200 MILLION.
I MEAN, IT'S A LOT OF MONEY ACCORDING THAT OF COURSE, WE REALIZE THAT THE REASON THAT THE RED LINE HAS VALUE IS NOT THAT IT GOES BETWEEN PLAIN HILL RICHARDSON, BUT THAT IT GOES FROM DALLAS AWAY AND DOWNTOWN DALLAS.
AND THEN BEYOND THAT, SO THE, THE REGIONAL ASPECT IS IMPORTANT, BUT REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYOR, IS, UH, AND I THINK COUNCILMAN, YOU MENTIONED THIS, WE THINK THERE'S A SHIFT AND WE DON'T KNOW, IT'S IF IT'S JUST AFTER COVID OR NOT.
I MEAN, WE'RE WATCHING THE BIG BUILDINGS FILL UP AGAIN DOWNTOWN, THE CENTRAL, THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY MOVE AROUND NOW.
AND THE DATA THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET FROM MICRO TRANSIT WILL SHOW US EXACTLY WHERE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE AND WHERE THEY NEED TO GET TO AND HELP US BE MUCH MORE EFFICIENT.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, I'M NOT SURE IT'S GONNA BE AN AD SO MUCH AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, I DON'T KNOW, I WON'T SPEAK FOR THE BOARD, BUT WE HAVE LOTS OF BUSES RUNNING IN DALLAS.
THE QUESTION IS, DO WE NEED ALL THOSE BUSES RUNNING IN DALLAS OR CAN WE SUBSTITUTE MICRO TRANSIT OR DO OTHER THINGS FOR, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO IT, BUT IT COULD BE AN AD IT COULD BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR.
AND UM, AND, AND I AGREE WITH THE, WITH WITH DARREN AS FAR AS THE, THE, THE VEHICLE SIZES, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE.
UH, YEAH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE ONE, ONE DRIVER IN A CAR STILL 25% OCCUPIED.
I DON'T SEE REVENUE BUSES 25% OCCUPIED, NOT AROUND HERE ANYWAY.
MAYBE WHEN TO GET FURTHER INTO DALLAS OR SOMETHING, BUT, UM, BUT, BUT IT JUST, IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO ME THAT YOU WOULD FIGURE OUT A WAY TO RIGHT SIZE YOUR, YOUR VEHICLES RIGHT.
INSTEAD OF, I DON'T KNOW, WELL AS 40 PASSENGER BUSES, 30 FOOT, UH, I THINK WE CAN FIT, UM, ABOUT 40 OR 50 PROBABLY, WELL, 30, 40 FOOT, 30 FOOT BUSES.
BUT THEN TODAY WE JUST TALKED ABOUT 12 PASSENGER VEHICLES, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO, SO WE HAVE 40 FOOT BUSES THAT CARRY WELL, THE BUSES THEMSELVES ARE YEAH.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE FOR THE PEOPLE.
THEY'RE FOR THOSE LINES THAT GO FROM PLAIN OAK TO THROUGH ADDISON TO DALLAS KIND OF THING.
BUT, BUT THE EXPRESS BUSES, YEAH.
BUT THE CIRCULATOR BUSES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, THOSE ARE SMALLER.
THERE'S, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO NOT HAVE LARGE BUSES DOING, BUT ALL BUT ALL THE FIX ROUTE BUSES, THERE'S 2 35 AND 39, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALL THE BIG BUSES THAT ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY LIGHTLY USED FOR THE MOST PART.
UH, IT JUST, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVING A MORE NIMBLE VEHICLE OUT THERE WOULD WORK, WOULD BENEFIT IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
UH, NOT JUST FOR THE EVERYBODY ELSE OUTSIDE ON THE ROAD, BUT FOR THE DRIVERS OF THE VEHICLES THEMSELVES DRIVING THOSE BIG MAMMOTH VEHICLES AROUND.
SO, UM, LEMME SEE IF I HAVE ANYTHING ELSE HERE.
OH, YOU AND YOU'RE, CAN YOU GO BACK TO, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE INCREASING THE RATE FREQUENCY ON, ON SOME OF THOSE ROUTES? YES.
[02:05:01]
I THINK GOING FROM A 30 TO 40 DOWN TO A 15.SO, UM, IT'S, LET ME JUST GET YOU THE ROUTE NUMBERS.
UM, SO ROUTE 2 29, THAT'S THE ONE THAT KIND OF GOES EAST WEST OVER TO IRVING.
UM, AND THEN THE ROUTE 2 39, WHICH IS THE NORTH SOUTH CONNECTING ADDISON TO PLANO AND DALLAS.
THOSE ARE THE TWO ROUTES THAT, UM, WHEN WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO, TO DO IT, WE'LL BE INCREASING THE FREQUENCIES.
'CAUSE THEY'RE AT CLOSE TO THE TOP OF THE LIST, IF NOT RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
WHEN YOU SAID WE HAVE THE MONEY TO DO, WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS YOU NEED TO TELL THE BOARD
BECAUSE IT IS, I MEAN, THAT SOUNDS TOO DISTANT.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT STOOD OUT IN MY MIND WAS WHEN WILL YOU HAVE MONEY? WELL, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA HAVE THE MONEY.
THAT PERSON SAYING, MR. MAYOR, AS SOON AS YOU AUTHORIZE ME TO DO IT, I CAN DO IT.
I MEAN, I MEAN, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BEST ROUTES FOR US TO GO TO WHAT WE CALL OUR FREQUENT ROUTES, WHICH IS THE ROUTE, ARE THE ROUTES THAT ARE DOING 15 MINUTE SERVICE DURING THE PEAK, UM, IS WE'RE LIKE, SOME OF OUR ROUTES ARE REALLY GROWING AND RIDERSHIP.
AND SO WE SEE A LOT OF VALUE IN INCREASING THE HEADWAYS SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE BETTER SERVICE TO PEOPLE.
SO I WILL PUT THAT IN MY ASK FOR THE 2026 BUDGET
UM, AND ON MY LAST QUESTION FOR YOU THEN, DID YOU SAY THAT YOU HAVE A TENANT THAT'S GONNA MOVE INTO THE BALANCE BUILDING? NOT YET.
WE'RE WORKING, WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING THAT BUILDING CLEANED UP SO THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE.
SO, SO I, I GUESS, I DON'T KNOW WHY I HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THAT BUILDING WAS GOING TO NOT BE THERE ANYMORE.
IT WAS GONNA BE SOMETHING TO REDEVELOP INTO SOMETHING ELSE.
SO, UH, UM, THAT MAY BE THE CASE.
BUT WHAT WE WERE SAYING IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, GETTING A TENANT IN THERE FOR THE THREE TO FIVE YEAR TIME PERIOD UNTIL WE HAVE ANOTHER PLAN FOR THE AREA.
SO, BUT IF YOU GUYS HAVE MOVING IT FASTER, WE DON'T NEED TO PUT A TENANT IN THERE.
I HAVE NOT HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH MY STAFF, BUT
APPARENTLY, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN I DO.
I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD FOR YOU.
UM, ANY THOUGHTS FROM THE COUNCIL AS FAR AS THE, THE IDEA OF THE, OF THE RESOLUTION IN SUPPORTING, UH, KEEPING THE FULL PENNY? I'M IN FAVOR OF IT.
I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN INCREASE SECURITY AND INCREASE SERVICE AND INCREASE VEHICLES AND CUT THE RATE.
I THINK IF THERE WAS EVER A CITY WHO, YOU KNOW, SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A REFUND, IT, IT WOULD BE US
WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT'S TO THE REGION.
LET ME, IF I COULD JUST
RON WHITEHEAD, MAYOR MEYER, FOR YEARS AND YEARS, THE CITY OF ADDISON STOOD THAT WHILE EVERYBODY ELSE GOT THEIR THEIR RAIL, IT WAS AN AMAZING FACT OF PATIENCE.
AND I WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE VERY CRITICAL IN GETTING THE, THE SILVER LINE BUILT AND COMING THROUGH HERE.
NO, I'M, I'M WHERE EVERYBODY ELSE IS AND YOU KNOW, I'M EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE AT.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO AS OUR TIMELINE.
UM, I, I WOULD, IN FIVE YEARS TIME, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO BE WHERE PAUL VOLKER WAS A FEW YEARS BACK.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M, THAT'S MY VISION.
AND, AND, AND, UH, SO IF WE CAN GET THE SILVER LINE IN PLAY AND WE CAN GET THIS, UH, THIS, THIS BALMAN BUILDING SCRAPED AND, AND DO SOME REDEVELOPMENT AND, AND, UH, FALLS IN LINE WITH THE ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER IMPROVEMENTS AND SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS.
LET'S, LET'S WORK TOGETHER, BUT YES, BUT LET'S, LET'S GET ON THE SAME, THE SAME TIMELINE BECAUSE THERE'S A COUPLE LITTLE THINGS.
UM, WE'RE YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE FIVE YEARS OUT AND WE'RE, WE'RE READY TO GO.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE WE NEED TO KIND OF GET ON THE SAME PAGE, GET ON THE SAME TRACK.
I THINK THE ONLY POINTS THAT I MADE CLEAR EARLIER IS SAFETY TO HOWARD POINT SAY SAFETY, IT'S GOTTA BE PARAMOUNT.
IT'S GOTTA BE LIKE A HUNDRED PERCENT BOUGHT IN ON THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT JUST HOPING FOR SECURITY TO BE ADDRESSED.
HEAD ON THAT IT'S FULLY ADDRESSED.
DAVID, THOUGHTS? QUESTIONS? I'M GOOD.
WE'LL PUT IT ON THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING.
APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
I'M GONNA COME BACK AND EXPECT YOU TO BE EXACTLY.
I'M GONNA WORK TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE EXACTLY WHERE I'LL BE HERE.
FRIDAY, FRIDAY FOUR D WE'RE GOING TO PUSH THAT TO THE END OF OUR REGULAR MEETING.
SO WE'LL GO TAKE A BREAK NOW FOR 10 MINUTES AND WE'LL
[02:10:01]
SEE Y'ALL NEXT ROOM.IT IS 7 51 AND WE WILL RECONVENE THE COUNCIL.
AND WE DO STILL HAVE A, A QUORUM OF THE COUNCIL PRESENT WITH ALL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE THIS EVENING.
AND AS ALWAYS, WE LIKE TO START OUR MEETINGS WITH A PLEDGE TO BOTH OF OUR FLAGS.
IF YOU WOULD PLEASE RISE AS YOU'RE ABLE.
I PLEDGE TOGI TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC STANDS NATION, ONE NATION, UNDERGRAD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE WITH JUSTICE ON THE TEXAS FLAG.
TEXAS STATE UNDERGRAD ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
SORRY WE'RE RUNNING A LITTLE LATE.
FOR THIS PORTION OF OUR MEETING, WE HAD A VERY BUSY WORK SESSION.
[b. Employee Recognition]
INTO ITEM NUMBER TWO, PROCLAMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS TWO A AS CITY MANAGER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TWO B'S EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION.AND WE'LL LET DAVID GAINES TAKE THAT.
I'M GONNA ASK, UH, STEVEN GLICKMAN TO COME MAKE OUR EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UH, SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO INTRODUCE MARILYN ROJAS AS ONE OF OUR NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
UH, SHE JOINED US ON DECEMBER 30TH, RIGHT BEFORE NEW YEAR'S, UH, AS OUR PAYROLL AND RISK MANAGER, AND WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE HER ON OUR TEAM.
UH, MARILYN WAS BORN IN VENEZUELA AND LATER RELOCATED TO PUEBLO, COLORADO.
AND SHE BEGAN HER EDUCATION AT UNIVERSITY OF TECH QUAI IN VENEZUELA, UH, EARNING HER BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN HUMAN RESOURCES.
UH, SHE ALSO ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, TEXAS AT ARLINGTON, UH, WHERE SHE OBTAINED AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IN HEALTH AND SAFETY.
UH, SHE IS A, A DEDICATED MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN.
UH, JONATHAN, WHO'S 21 AND 19-YEAR-OLD ALYSSA.
UH, JONATHAN IS CURRENTLY PURSUING A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN BUSINESS AT TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY IN SAN MARCOS.
UH, WHILE ALYSSA IS STUDYING AEROSPACE ENGINEERING AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY IN STILLWATER, UH, ONE OF HER GREATEST PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS IS RAISING HER CHILDREN TO REACH THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL.
UH, WHILE SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM, SHE ENJOYS CHEERING FOR ALL OF THEM, UH, AN ATHLETE AT HEART.
UH, SHE IS A COMPETITIVE AGE GROUP TRIATHLETE, UH, AND SHE'S COMPLETED 11 HALF MAN RACES AND AROUND 110 SPRINT AND OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLONS.
UM, WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH HER EXPERTISE IN THIS ROLE.
UH, ONE OF HER NOTABLE PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS IS EARNING HER SHEP CREDENTIALS, THAT SAFETY HEALTH, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS.
UH, AFTER YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE RISK MANAGEMENT FIELD, UH, SHE WAS DRAWN TO ADDISON DUE TO ITS GROWING COMMUNITY AND ITS CONVENIENT LOCATION.
AND WHEN WE ASKED, UH, MARILYN ABOUT WHAT THE ADDISON WAY MEANS TO HER, UH, SHE EMPHASIZED BEING EXCEPTIONAL AND ACCOUNTABLE IN EVERY ASPECT OF SERVICE.
UH, SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOME, WELCOMING MARILYN TO OUR TEAM.
[a. City Manager Announcements]
WE JUST HAVE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT, MAYOR AS WELL.UH, JOIN US AT CHICK-FIL-A AT 3 7 9 0 BELTLINE ROAD TO GRAB A COFFEE WITH THE ADDISON POLICE DEPARTMENT ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 10:00 AM GET TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL OFFICERS IN A PD LEADERSHIP.
THANK YOU, DAVID, AND WELCOME TO MARYLAND.
GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE IN ADDISON.
[3. Public Comment. The City Council invites citizens to address the City Council on any matter, including items on the agenda, except public hearings that are included on the agenda. Comments related to Public Hearings will be heard when the specific hearing starts. Citizen comments are limited to three (3) minutes, unless otherwise required by law. To address the Council, please fill out a City Council Appearance Card and submit it to a staff member prior to the Public Comment item on the agenda. The Council is not permitted to take any action or discuss any item not listed on the agenda. The Council may choose to place the item on a future agenda.]
GO TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, PUBLIC COMMENT.THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS IN THE PUBLIC TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL ON ITEMS, EITHER ON OR NOT ON THE AGENDA FOR UP TO THREE MINUTES.
AND I DON'T HAVE ANY APPEARANCE CARDS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL, PLEASE COME FORWARD AT THIS TIME.
SEEING NONE, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION AND WE'LL MOVE
[4. Consent Agenda. All items listed under the Consent Agenda are considered routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion with no individual consideration. If individual consideration of an item is requested, it will be pulled from the Consent Agenda and discussed separately.]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS THE CONSENT AGENDA.AND THAT INCLUDES ITEMS NUMBER FOUR A AND FOUR B.
IS THERE A MOTION? MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, BOTH FOUR A AND FOUR B.
I'M SECOND, SECOND, SECOND FROM CHRIS.
AND IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.
THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED.
[a. Present, discuss, and consider acceptance of the FY 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).]
ITEM FIVE A IS PRESENT, DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACCEPTANCE OF THE FY 2024 ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT, STEVEN.UH, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
STEVEN GLICKMAN, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
UH, THIS EVENING WE HAVE BEFORE YOU, UH, THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR YOUR ACCEPTANCE, UH, AND WITH THE COMPLETION OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 2024 AUDIT.
UM, BEFORE I HAND IT OVER TO RACHEL ORMSBY, OUR AUDITOR, UM, I ALWAYS
[02:15:01]
SAY THIS IS REALLY THE RESULTS OF YOUR BUDGETING, SO YOU CAN REALLY SEE, YOU KNOW, WE GO THROUGH ALL THE PROCESS WITH, WITH THE ENTIRE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, REALLY DRILLING DOWN INTO, INTO A LOT OF DETAILS.AND THIS IS REALLY THE FINAL FAN FINANCIAL RESULTS OF ALL OF THAT WORK THAT WE DO ON THE BUDGET SIDE.
UM, SO I THINK THAT YOU'LL BE PLEASED WITH THE PERFORMANCE, UH, FINANCIALLY, UH, OF THE TOWN OVER THE COURSE OF THAT FISCAL YEAR.
UM, I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO AMANDA TURNER, OUR ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR AND HER ACCOUNTING TEAM.
UH, THESE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS GET, SEEM TO GET MORE COMPLEX EVERY YEAR.
THERE'S MORE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'RE MANDATED TO COMPLETE.
AND, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR AIRPORT, THIS HAS GOTTEN TO BE A VERY COMPLEX, UH, SET OF, UH, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THAT WE PRODUCE.
UM, SO, SO SHE AND HER TEAM DO A, DO A REALLY GOOD JOB.
UM, THE DOCUMENT, UH, THAT'S IN YOUR PACKET, UM, IS PREPARED BY TOWN STAFF.
UM, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PREPARATION OF THAT DOCUMENT.
AND THEN THE AUDITOR'S ISSUE THEIR OPINION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE, UH, STATED THE TOWN'S FINANCIAL, UM, POSITION FAIRLY.
UH, SO YOU'LL SEE THEIR OPINION IN, IN THE, UH, UH, DOCUMENT THERE.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME OR AMANDA, WE'LL BE, UH, OVER HERE READY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO RACHEL.
COUNCIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
AS STEVEN MENTIONED, I AM RACHEL ERMBY AND I SERVE AS YOUR AUDIT PARTNER, UH, FOR THE TOWN'S AUDIT ENGAGEMENT.
AND HERE WITH ME IN THE AUDIENCE IS TAYLOR ZACHARY.
UM, AND SHE IS THE AUDIT IN CHARGE.
SO SHE'S REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR WORKING WITH AMANDA AND STEVEN AND THE ACCOUNTING TEAM, UH, DAY-TO-DAY DURING THE AUDIT PROCESS.
SO I SEE A FEW FAMILIAR FACES, UM, BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO MEET, NICE TO MEET YOU.
UM, THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE I THINK I WAS HERE LAST YEAR.
SO, UM, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE WERE BKD, THEN WE WERE FOUR OF US AT ONE POINT, AND NOW WE ARE FOUR US MAZARS, UH, WHICH HAPPENED BACK IN JUNE OF 2024.
BUT LIKE I TELL EVERYBODY, IT'S STILL, UH, RACHEL AND HER TEAM, RIGHT, DOING THE AUDIT, YOU KNOW, IN THE PROFESSION THERE ARE A LOT OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, IN THE MARKETPLACE.
BUT FOR YOU ALL, WHAT THIS MEANS IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL A TOP 10 ACCOUNTING FIRM AND WE'RE REALLY BACKED BY A NATIONAL OFFICE FULL OF RESOURCES SO THAT IF THERE IS A COMPLEX, UH, ACCOUNTING QUESTION THAT MAYBE I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO, I HAVE A TEAM OF RESOURCES THAT WE CAN TAP INTO.
AND WE'RE RIGHT HERE DOWN THE ROAD.
SO I WAS TELLING THEM EARLIER, NO, NO WORRIES, THAT Y'ALL WERE A LITTLE BEHIND.
'CAUSE OUR OFFICE IS ONE MINUTE DOWN THE ROAD, UM, JUST RIGHT DOWN HERE.
SO VERY, VERY CLOSE TO YOU ALL.
ALRIGHT? AND THEN AGAIN, THIS IS JUST MORE ABOUT, UH, THE FIRM, BUT WE REALLY PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR UNMATCHED CON EXPERIENCE, AND I THINK THIS TEAM CAN HOPEFULLY ATTEST TO THAT, THAT WE REALLY PRIDE OURSELVES ON, UM, BEING YOUR TRUSTED ADVISOR.
SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE AUDIT SCOPE AND THE RESULTS.
WELL, IT'S NOT AN ACCOUNTING PRESENTATION IF WE DON'T TALK ABOUT WHERE GAS B'S HEADED, WHICH IS THE STANDARD SETTING BOARD THAT YOU ALL FOLLOW.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF FINANCIAL METRICS THAT I WANNA GO OVER, AND THEN WE'LL ROUND IT OUT WITH ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY ALL HAVE.
SO AS STEVEN ALLUDED TO, IN THE PACKET IN FRONT OF YOU IS ABOUT A 200 PAGE REPORT THAT IS PREPARED BY TOWN STAFF, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I DID READ IT COVER TO COVER, UH, AND IT WAS VERY WELL WRITTEN.
UM, SO ONE THING THAT I WANNA POINT OUT IS THAT THE TOWN DID RECEIVE CLEAN UNMODIFIED OPINIONS.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, A, A REPORT CARD, IF YOU WILL, THAT IS AN A PLUS ON YOUR REPORT CARD.
I HAVE A 7-YEAR-OLD, SO I LIKE TO EQUATE IT TO THAT.
UM, SO VERY, VERY GOOD, UH, REPORT THERE.
WE ALSO DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY MATERIAL WEAKNESSES, SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES OR, UH, DEFICIENCIES IN INTERNAL CONTROL.
SO AS PART OF THE AUDIT, WE DO COME IN AND WE LOOK FOR, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S GOOD CONTROLS, PROCESSES, WORKFLOWS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, NOT ONE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE TOWN HAS, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE ACCESS, RECORDING AND MONITORING, UH, CAPABILITIES THERE.
AND THEN THERE'S VERY ONE NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT THAT I HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT I POINTED OUT.
SO IN, UH, THE REPORT THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU, THE TOWN DOES SUBMIT TO GFOA FOR THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT AND EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING.
UH, THE TOWN HAS RECEIVED THAT PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR 48 CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
SO I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE.
AND, UH, THIS IS ONE OF THE LONGEST STANDING CONSECUTIVE YEARS THAT I HAVE SEEN, UM, FOR SURE ACROSS THE METROPLEX.
SO DEFINITELY WANNA COMMEND YOU ALL FOR THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT.
AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERY SET OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU AND IN YOUR PACKET DO CONTAIN, CONTAIN ESTIMATES.
AND SO, UM, HERE ARE JUST A COUPLE THAT WE BELIEVE ARE ESTIMATES RELATED TO THE
[02:20:01]
TOWN.SO ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND THE RELATED ALLOWANCE FOR THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE DO FROM AN AUDIT PROCEDURE STANDPOINT, LOOKING AT HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT ALLOWANCE IS REASONABLE.
UH, STEVEN MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, GASB HAS BEEN VERY BUSY OVER THE YEARS, ISSUING COMPLEX STANDARDS WITH YOUR PENSIONS, WITH YOUR OTHER POST EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS LEASES, SUBSCRIPTION BASED IT ARRANGEMENTS.
THOSE ARE ALL ESTIMATES, UH, WHETHER THEY ARE PREPARED AND RELIED ON BY ACTUARIES OR WHETHER YOU ALL USE LEASE AGREEMENTS OR INTEREST RATES OR DISCOUNT RATES TO DETERMINE THESE CALCULATIONS.
SO THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF ESTIMATES THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT.
AGAIN, NO ISSUES, NO AUDIT ADJUSTMENTS, UH, BUT THOSE ARE A BIG PART OF OUR AUDIT PROCESS.
AGAIN, WITH THOSE ESTIMATES, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT, UH, FINANCIAL STATEMENT DISCLOSURES RELATED TO THOSE, UM, WITHIN THE FINANCIALS.
AND THEN ONE OTHER THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT IS THAT WE DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY AUDIT ADJUSTMENTS.
SO WHEN WE CAME IN AND WE, UH, STARTED OUR AUDIT, THE YEAR END WAS CLOSED, WE RECEIVED A FINAL TRIAL BALANCE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL GET QUARTERLY REPORTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND SO THIS IS JUST A TESTAMENT THAT AT YEAR END WE DIDN'T HAVE ADJUSTMENTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN RELY ON THE DATA THAT YOU'RE RECEIVING BASED ON HAVING AN AUDIT WITH NO AUDIT ADJUSTMENTS AND NO PROPOSED, UM, AUDIT ADJUSTMENTS AS WELL.
ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT WHERE GAS B'S HEADED? I'M JUST, I'M INTRIGUED.
SO WHEN YOU REPORT THAT KIND OF FINDING, IS IT, 'CAUSE I'M NOT AN ACCOUNTANT.
I'M SITTING IN BETWEEN TWO THAT ARE VERY FISCALLY SOUND.
IS THIS, IS THIS A RARITY OR THE NORM WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH TOWNS OF OUR SIZE? UH, I WAS JUST COMMENDING THEM.
UM, THIS IS THE FIRST PRESENTATION THAT I'M DOING THIS AUDIT SEASON, SO I WOULD SAY THAT YOU ARE ABOVE THE NORM.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS THE METROPLEX AND IT'S, IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT, UM, THE, THE TALENT PIPELINE IS SHORT RIGHT NOW.
A LOT OF, UH, GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE METROPLEX ARE SEEING, YOU KNOW, JUST, UM, DECREASES AND STAFF PEOPLE ARE KIND OF TURNING OVER RETIRING.
AND SO A LOT OF CITIES RIGHT NOW ARE BEHIND IN ACCOUNTING.
THEY'RE BEHIND ON THEIR AUDITS.
AND SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF NEED TO HAVE CONSULTANTS COME IN, GET PEOPLE CAUGHT UP ON THEIR BOOKS.
SO I WOULD SAY YOU'RE ABOVE THE NORM RIGHT NOW, UH, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY BE PROUD OF YOU.
YOU REALLY DO HAVE A GREAT ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE TEAM ON STAFF.
UM, AND I'LL ALSO SAY THAT IT IS NOT THE NORM FOR YOU TO PREPARE YOUR ACT FOR, WHICH IS THAT 200 PAGE BOOK.
A LOT OF OUR CLIENTS DO OUTSOURCE THAT TO US.
UM, AND SO YOU'VE GOT A TEAM ON STAFF THAT'S QUALIFIED, THAT KNOWS THE INS AND OUTS OF GS B ACCOUNTING AND, YOU KNOW, CAN, CAN REITERATE THAT IN THE FER.
SO I HAVE A QUESTION AND THAT I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY KIND OF GO ALONG WITH THAT, UM, A LITTLE BIT.
CAN, CAN YOU, UM, CAN YOU GIVE ME AN IDEA OF THE TIMEFRAME FROM ENGAGEMENT TO WHEN YOU, UH, ISSUE THE REPORT? YEAH, SO IT'S PROBABLY, LET'S SEE.
WE TYPICALLY GET THE ENGAGEMENT LETTER GOING IN JULY.
WE LIKE TO COME OUT IN AUGUST BEFORE YEAR END GETS HERE TO REALLY KIND OF START AN INTERIM PROCESS.
SO IN AUGUST WE'RE COMING OUT, WE'RE DOING INTERNAL CONTROL WALKTHROUGHS, WE'RE MEETING WITH DEPARTMENTS, WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THE HR PAYROLL RELATED THINGS.
UM, AND THEN WE GO AWAY FOR A LITTLE BIT, RIGHT? AND LET TOWN STAFF, UH, SPEND PROBABLY THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, UH, CLOSING OUT THE YEAR END.
SO FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE MAYBE NEW TO, UM, GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING, THERE'S REALLY A 60 DAY PERIOD AFTER YEAR END WHERE YOU'RE WAITING ON SALES TAX, YOU'RE WAITING ON PROPERTY TAX, YOU'RE WAITING ON DATA FROM OTHER SORT THIRD PARTIES, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, THOSE 60 DAYS GO BY, THEN IT'S THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEK, AND THEN WE ARE USUALLY STARTING THE AUDITS, UH, THE FIRST WEEK IN DECEMBER.
AND SO THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WE'RE, YOU KNOW, HEAVY IN THE AUDIT PROCESS GOING THROUGH ALL OF OUR TESTING.
AND THEN RIGHT WHEN THE NEW YEAR GETS HERE IS WHEN AMANDA, UH, GIVES US A DRAFT OF THE ER.
AND SO AT THAT POINT, MOST OF JANUARY, IT'S REALLY, I'M READING THE REPORT, UH, WORKING WITH HER ON ANY QUESTIONS I HAVE, AND THEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH OUR FINAL QUALITY CONTROL PROCESS.
SO, UH, IT'S A VERY, IT, IT, IT SEEMS LENGTHY, BUT IT'S ALL CALCULATED AND WE HAVE CERTAIN MILESTONES THAT WE HIT, UM, SO THAT WE CAN BE HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY, RIGHT.
AND TO BE HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY, WE WERE ISSUING, YOU KNOW, UM, AND FINALIZING A FEW WEEKS AGO, OR I GUESS LAST WEEK.
UM, BUT YEAH, SO REALLY IT'S, IT'S, UM, YOU GET DOWN TO STARTING, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, THE LARGER PART OF IT, THE BIGGER PICTURE YES.
UH, THE DETAILS AND EVERYTHING IN
[02:25:01]
DECEMBER.AND THAT IS PROBABLY THE EARLIEST THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY START JUST DUE TO WAITING ON, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY, THE STATE FOR ALL THOSE, UM, REPORTS AND DATA TO COME IN.
THERE'S THE 60 DAY TIME PERIOD.
WELL, I MEAN, FROM MY VANTAGE POINT, FROM HAVING WORKED THROUGH AUDITS AND ALL FOR YEARS AND YEARS, THAT'S A, THAT'S A VERY GOOD TIME TIMEFRAME.
UH, IT DOES SAY A LOT TO A, A REPORT OF THIS SIZE THAT, UM, YOU DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO, UH, EVEN GO BACK AND REWRITE, YOU KNOW, SECTIONS OF THE REPORT, LET ALONE HAVE AUDIT ADJUSTMENTS.
SO, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD AGREE, UH, OUR STAFF NEEDS TO BE, AND I THINK WE ALL VALUE THEM, UM, BUT, UH, THEY DO NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR A, AN EXEMPLARY JOB HERE.
AND THEY'RE DEFINITELY WAY AHEAD OF THE DEADLINE.
SO THE DEADLINE IS MARCH 31ST, UM, FOR THE CITY TO FILE WITH EMMA FOR THE CITY TO FILE WITH, UM, GFOA.
AND SO WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR THAT DEADLINE.
RIGHT? THERE'S ENOUGH CUSHION.
UM, SO IT'S NOT RUSHED, IT'S, UH, PLENTY OF TIME.
OKAY, SO THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT GASB, NOT TO BORE YOU ALL, UM, THAT'S JUST THE, THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT WE LIVE IN.
SO, UM, A COUPLE OF STANDARDS COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE.
THERE IS ONE FOR THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, THE YEAR THAT WE'RE IN, FISCAL YEAR 2025 RELATED TO COMPENSATED ABSENCES.
YOU KNOW, THE TOWN HAS ALREADY BEEN, UM, CALCULATING AND ACCRUING FOR THAT COMPENSATED ABSENCES LIABILITY.
I DON'T SEE THIS HAVING TOO BIG OF AN IMPACT, BUT IT'S STILL KIND OF EARLY AND WE'RE WORKING THROUGH.
BUT, UM, I THINK THIS ONE'S NOT GONNA HAVE TOO BIG OF AN IMPACT AS MAYBE FUTURE OR PREVIOUS YEARS HAD.
UM, CERTAIN RISK DISCLOSURES, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THIS IS GONNA REALLY IMPACT THE TOWN.
THIS IS APPLICABLE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 THAT WE'RE IN.
UM, AND THIS IS REALLY JUST A DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT, SO AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ADDING, YOU KNOW, ANY NEW LIABILITIES OR ASSETS TO THE TOWN'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
AND THEN GASB 1 0 3 IS THE FINANCIAL REPORTING MODEL.
THIS IS, UH, A YEAR OR SO OUT.
IT'S GONNA BE APPLICABLE FOR FI FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026.
UM, THIS STANDARD HAS JUST BEEN ISSUED TO IMPROVE SOME FINANCIAL REPORTING AND HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE GOVERNMENTS.
UM, AGAIN, I DON'T THINK RIGHT NOW THIS ONE'S GONNA HAVE TOO BIG OF AN IMPACT.
UM, THE MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS, WHICH I MEANT TO POINT OUT EARLIER, SO I'M GLAD I SEE THIS ON THE SLIDE THAT IS 10 TO 15 PAGES IN YOUR BOOKLET, UH, WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY BY TOWN STAFF AND MANAGEMENT ON HOW THE FISCAL YEAR, UH, WENT, YOU KNOW, TRENDS UPWARDS, DOWNWARDS.
AND SO THAT'S SOME REALLY GOOD INFORMATION.
IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT, HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THAT.
AND THE TRANSMITTAL LETTER, UM, BOTH VERY WELL WRITTEN, BUT AGAIN, I DON'T THINK THIS ONE'S GONNA HAVE TOO MUCH OF AN IMPACT.
WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO ANALYZE, BUT JUST WANNA KEEP EVERYBODY, UH, KEEP IT ON YOUR RADAR.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS ALSO ANOTHER DISCLOSURE RELATED TO, UM, CAPITAL ASSETS.
AND AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE THE TOWN'S ALREADY GOT THEIR ARMS AROUND CAPITAL VERSUS LEASES VERSUS SUBSCRIPTION BASED.
UM, BUT THIS ONE SHOULDN'T HAVE TOO MUCH OF AN IMPACT AS WELL EITHER.
SO A COUPLE OF OTHER FINANCIAL METRICS I WANNA TALK ABOUT.
SO, UM, THE TOWN HAS ADOPTED A FINANCIAL STANDARD TO MAINTAIN A GENERAL FUND, MINIMUM FUND BALANCE OF 30% OF YOUR BUDGETED EXPENDITURES.
AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR MOST CITIES AND TOWNS, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD FINANCIAL METRIC, A GOOD BENCHMARK.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN AT 9 30 24, UH, GENERAL FUND UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
UH, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AFTER THERE'S BEEN RESTRICTIONS OR NONS SPENDABLE OR COMMITTED OR ASSIGNED IS ABOUT 20.7 MILLION.
AND THEN IF YOU PROJECT THAT TO A PERCENTAGE OF FISCAL YEAR 20 FIVE'S BUDGET FOR TOTAL EXPENSES OF 50.2 MILLION, YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU WELL EXCEED YOUR, UM, POLICY AS A TOWN AT 41.3%, SO WELL ABOVE THE 30%.
UM, GFOA WHO'S KIND OF A, A INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICE, THEY RECOMMEND 17%.
AND SO YOU AS A CITY OBVIOUSLY HAVE A, A CONSERVATIVE, UH, HIGHER CONSERVATIVE PERCENTAGE, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU GREATLY EXCEED BOTH YOUR POLICY AND GFOA INDUSTRY STANDARD BEST PRACTICE.
PENSION FUNDED STATUS, THIS IS ALWAYS A FUN ONE.
UM, AND SO, AND AGAIN, YOU CAN'T CONTROL TOO MUCH OF THIS, RIGHT? THAT THE TOWN DOES EVERY YEAR, PUT IN THE ANNUAL REQUIRED CONTRIBUTIONS.
AND REMEMBER THIS IS, UM, YOU'RE PART OF TMRS, AND THIS IS MEASURED AS OF DECEMBER 31ST,
[02:30:01]
23.UM, BUT AT THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 23, THE TOWN WAS 88% FUNDED, WHICH IS, I BELIEVE, VERY, VERY GOOD.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE FROM, I DON'T KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
I THINK ANYWHERE FROM 80 TO NINE PER 90% IS REALLY GOOD.
UM, SO SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD ALSO BE PROUD OF.
AND THEN, SO FOR THOSE THAT MAYBE DON'T RECALL OR REMEMBER THE TOWN AND FISCAL YEAR, UH, OR CALENDAR YEAR 23, DECIDED TO FUND AND CREATE AN OPE TRUST FUND TO FUND, UH, THESE FUTURE BENEFITS FOR RETIREE HEALTHCARE.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT, UM, AT DECEMBER 31ST, 2023, UH, THE OPEP LIABILITY WAS ABOUT 2.1 MILLION, BUT YOU HAD, YOU HAD IN, UH, RESERVES OR FIDUCIARY NET POSITION, ALMOST 700,000.
SO, UH, THIS RETIREE HEALTH PLAN IS ABOUT 32% FUNDED.
UM, AND I'M SURE, YOU KNOW, AS YEARS GO ON, YOU WILL DECIDE HOW YOU WANNA CONTINUE TO, UM, FUND THAT WITH FUTURE SUBSEQUENT CONTRIBUTIONS.
BUT THIS IS ANOTHER GOOD METRIC, UM, AND SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.
YOU'RE TAKING THE NE NECESSARY, UH, MEASURES AND STEPS TO KIND OF KEEP AN, AN EYE OUT ON THIS LIABILITY AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE PROPER FUNDS SET ASIDE FOR THAT.
SO I THINK WITH THAT, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYBODY MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME.
QUESTIONS CHRIS, I'M A BANKER, SO I HAVE TO ASK THIS QUESTION.
UM, I, I, I HEARD YOU AND I SAW THAT THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, NO MATERIAL WEAKNESSES AND I KNOW YOU, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSED CONTROLS.
HOW DEEP OF A DIVE DO YOU GO INTO CONTROLS? UM, I MEAN, HAVE YOU GOT INTO, YOU KNOW, UM, EMPLOYEES THAT MIGHT HAVE LEFT? DO THEY HAVE LOGINS OR YOU MISSING ANY FOBS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? UH, ARE WE USING DUAL CONTROL? JUST WANT TO SEE HOW DEEP OF A DIVE YOU DID.
I CAN TELL YOU NOT AS MUCH AS YOU'RE PROBABLY USED TO ON THE BANKING SIDE, RIGHT? SO WE DON'T GIVE IN THE GOVERNMENT SPACE, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GIVING AN OPINION ON INTERNAL CONTROLS.
WE'RE NOT DOING LIKE SOX COMPLIANCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WHAT WE DO IS EVERY YEAR AS PART OF THE AUDIT, UH, WE WORK WITH THE TOWN TO GET, UM, AN OVERVIEW AND INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER CASH RECEIPTS, CASH DISBURSEMENTS, OF COURSE, IT, BUT IT'S MORE GENERAL ACCESS CONTROLS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO MAKING SURE THAT RIGHT, THE SERVER ROOM IS LOCKED AND SECURED, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A DISASTER, UH, RECOVERY PLAN THAT BACKUPS ARE HAPPENING AS THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE WE DO TEST AS PART OF THE PAYROLL HR SIDE, WE'LL GET A SAMPLE OF EMPLOYEES THAT HAD TERMINATED OR MAYBE LEFT AND WE WOULD PICK TO SAY, OKAY, WE, IT'S NOT A FULL BLOWN SAMPLE, IT'S PROBABLY A COUPLE.
AND MAKING SURE, OKAY, IF THEY WERE TERMINATED, WHERE THE PROPER STEPS FOLLOW TO DISABLED THEIR ACCESS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, WITH PASSWORDS, MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT SHARED PASSWORDS, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN UNIQUE LOGIN.
UM, SO WE DO REALLY PROBABLY FOCUS MORE ON THE CASH RECEIPTS, CASH DISBURSEMENTS, AND PAYROLL SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD TOO MANY CONCERNS FROM AN IT STANDPOINT.
YOU KNOW, MANY YEARS AGO THE TOWN IMPLEMENTED, UM, A NEW ERP SYSTEM.
SO OF COURSE WHEN THAT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, WE HAD AN IT AUDITOR REALLY KIND OF HELP US GET OUR ARMS AROUND THINGS MM-HMM
BUT WE DON'T HAVE, BACK TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT IT AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WE DON'T HAVE AN IT AUDITOR COME AND DO A LOT ON CHANGE MANAGEMENT OR DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT'S MORE JUST OUR TEAM DOING GENERAL ACCESS CONTROLS AND TESTING.
ANYBODY ELSE? NANCY? I HAVE A QUESTION AND, AND MAYBE SOMEBODY FROM STAFF, BUT, UM, ON, ON, UM, COLLECTIONS, WHATEVER, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, UM, UTILITY OR WHATEVER.
UM, DO WE HAVE, DO WE HAVE MUCH OF A, OF A RECEIVABLE PAST DUE ISSUE AT ALL EVER? WE DO DO, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT TYPE OF RECEIVABLE.
SO SOMETHING LIKE AN AMBULANCE CHARGE IS MUCH LESS LIKELY TO GET COLLECTED THAN, SAY, A UTILITY BILL BECAUSE WE HAVE CONTROL OVER SHUTTING SOMEONE'S WATER SERVICE OFF.
RIGHT? UM, SO, SO THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE IT MAY BE JUST SOMEONE DRIVING THROUGH TOWN AND THEY HAVE AN ACCIDENT, THEY'RE TRANSPORTED, THEY GET A BILL.
UM, THERE'S NOT A, I MEAN, WE DO COLLECTIONS ON THAT, BUT THERE'S NOT A LOT THAT WE CAN DO BEYOND THE COLLECTION PROCESS THAT WE CAN WITH SAY, A UTILITY BILL.
UM, SIMILAR THING WITH, WITH COURTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, PROPERTY TAXES, VERY HIGH COLLECTION RATE.
UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH HAS TO PAY THEIR PROPERTY TAXES.
[02:35:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ENTITIES STEP IN AND, YOU KNOW, CAN, CAN TAKE THE PROPERTY AND THAT KIND OF THING.SO IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT TYPE OF RECEIVABLE IT IS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AMBULANCES AT ONE END OF THE SPECTRUM, PROPERTY TAXES AT THE, THE VERY, UH, FAR OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM.
WHAT DO WE HAVE? WHAT, WHAT'S OUR, WHAT'S OUR POLICY FOR, FOR THOSE THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY YOU MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, BALANCES OVER OVER TIME.
WHAT'S OUR POLICY ON WRITE-OFFS? SO WE, THE, THE COUNCIL ACTUALLY DOES HAVE AN ADOPTED POLICY.
UM, SO EVERY YEAR WE LOOK AT WHAT OUR, UM, GENERAL RECEIVABLE BALANCE IS AND THEN OUR, OUR UTILITY RECEIVABLE BALANCE.
SO THE POLICY OR THE ORDINANCE AUTHORIZES THE CFO TO WRITE OFF UP TO 5,000 IN EACH CATEGORY.
UM, OR GET CITY MANAGER OF APPROVAL FOR UP TO 25,000 IN EACH CATEGORY, UH, WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.
UM, I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE UNCOMMON POLICY BECAUSE I THINK MOST CITIES DO IT BASED ON THE LENGTH OF THE RECEIVABLE AND NOT NECESSARILY THE DOLLAR AMOUNT.
'CAUSE WE HAVE SOME STUFF THAT MAY BE REALLY OLD FROM A PREVIOUS SYSTEM THAT IS STILL ON OUR BOOKS A LITTLE BIT.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT, IT'S A NET ZERO, BUT IT COULD STILL BE A RECEIVABLE AND ALSO AN ALLOWANCE FOR THAT ACCOUNT.
BUT, UM, WE ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT AND I THINK THE WAY THAT WE HANDLE THOSE THINGS.
I JUST MAKE ONE POINT TO YOUR QUESTION EARLIER, CHRIS.
SO HAMID DOESN'T RUN UP HERE AND, AND, AND BE MAD AT ME.
WE DO, WE DO A NUMBER OF CONTROLS AUDIT ON THE IT SIDE.
WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH A CONTROLS AUDIT RIGHT NOW, I BELIEVE, AND PENETRATION TEST.
SO WE DO A NUMBER OF AUDITS ON THE IT SIDE, IN LINE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, MORE IN DEPTH THAN WHAT THE AUDIT DOES.
SO RACHEL, I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU.
UH, ON THE TMRS, I THINK YOU SAID, I THINK YOU SHOWED IT 87, 80 8% FUNDED.
UM, FROM WHAT I RECALL, IF MY MEMORY SERVES WHEN I WAS ON THE COUNCIL BEFORE WAS EIGHT PLUS YEARS AGO, IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE NORTH OF 90% DURING THAT TIME.
IS THERE, IS THERE A TREND LINE OR ANYTHING THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT? OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT LOOK? SO IT'S REALLY BASED ON THE MARKET.
SO THE MARKET REALLY DRIVES QUITE A BIT OF THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND STEVEN
SO THE, UH, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THE COUNCIL, UM, I THINK IN 20 23, 20 22 ADOPTED A COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT.
UM, SO THAT, UH, IS BASICALLY AMORTIZED OVER A 20 YEAR PERIOD.
SO IT DOES DROP THE, OR IT DOES INCREASE THAT LIABILITY QUITE A BIT BECAUSE WE'RE NOW PAYING AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN SETTING, SETTING ASIDE MONEY FOR.
SO WE WERE ACTUALLY, I THINK IN 2022, ACTUALLY OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, 2022 MADE THAT CHANGE AS WELL AS THE MARKET WAS NOT GREAT IN 2022.
UM, SO I THINK IT WENT DOWN TO, UM, 83% AND NOW IT'S GONE BACK UP TO, TO 88 BECAUSE WE, BECAUSE WE WERE DOING THE COAL AT ONE TIME, THEN WE STOPPED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND THEN THAT'S WHAT, THEN WE BROUGHT IT BACK.
SO WE WERE UP UNTIL, UH, I THINK 2013, THEY HAD DONE AN AD HOC FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO WE HAD A GAP OF, UH, EIGHT YEARS, I BELIEVE, WHERE, WHERE WE WEREN'T DOING A COLA MM-HMM
SO, SO NOW WE ARE CATCHING UP AND BASICALLY PAYING, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT OFF OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU GOT FOR US, RACHEL? NO, I MEAN THE, WE GREATLY ENJOY WORKING WITH YOU ALL AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
OKAY, SO LET'S GO ON AND WE'LL GO AHEAD
[6. Items of Community Interest. The City Council will have this opportunity to address items of community interest, including: expressions of thanks, congratulations, or condolence; information regarding holiday schedules; an honorary or salutary recognition; a reminder about an upcoming event organized or sponsored by the Town of Addison; information regarding a social, ceremonial, or community event that was or will be attended by an Addison City Council member or an official; and, announcements involving an eminent threat to public health and safety in Addison that has arisen since posting this agenda.]
AND DO OUR ITEM SIX AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO OUR WORK SESSION ITEM AFTER THAT.SO ITEM SIX IS THE, UH, ITEMS OF COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY INTEREST, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO, UH, EXPRESS.
UH, THANKS, CONGRATULATIONS, CONDOLENCES AND SO FORTH.
MAYOR, I'VE GOT A REAL QUICK QUESTION.
UM, IS STAFF LOOKING FOR US TO VOTE ON, ON FIVE A? IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ACCEPTANCE.
CAN WE GO BACK TO FIVE A AND I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION IF I COULD, ON FIVE A.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.
ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? UH, THANKS.
CONGRATULATIONS, CONDOLENCES AND SO FORTH, NANCY.
WELL, UNLESS YOU WERE GONNA MENTION IT, I WAS GONNA MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THE, UH, UH, EMPLOYEE LUNCHEON AND, UH, RECOGNITION.
UM, JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK MOST OF US KNOW HERE,
[02:40:01]
BUT MAYBE NOT IN THE, IN THE VIEWING AUDIENCE, THAT, UH, WE HAD A ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL, UM, EMPLOYEE LUNCHEON, UH, LAST WEEK.THE PLACE WAS FULL AND EVERYBODY, THERE WAS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT IN THE ROOM AND, UH, THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE THERE HAVING A, HAVING A GOOD TIME.
AND, UH, IT WAS SUCH A GOOD FEELING AND I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE EVERYONE THAT WAS THERE, BUT PARTICULARLY THOSE PEOPLE THAT WERE, UM, UM, SPECIFICALLY RECOGNIZED FOR, UH, WHAT THEY GIVE TO THE TOWN AND THEIR DEDICATION, WHETHER IT BE IN A PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT, UH, PARTICULAR PERSONALITY FEATURE FOR THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE, JUST, UM, EVERYTHING, I, I WENT AWAY.
I THINK ALL OF US PROBABLY DID GO AWAY, UM, FEELING, YOU KNOW, A, A A VERY WONDERFUL AND VERY PLEASED, AND WE'RE REMINDED ONCE AGAIN HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE AS RESIDENTS, AS AND, UM, TO HAVE SUCH WONDERFUL EMPLOYEES, VERY CARING EMPLOYEES, UH, VERY PROFESSIONAL, UH, EMPLOYEES AND STAFF IN OUR TOWN.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MENTION IT AGAIN, THANK YOU, NANCY.
AND, AND I WILL, I AGREE WITH THAT.
THAT WAS, IT WAS A, IT WAS A GREAT EVENT, UH, WONDERFUL ENERGY AMONG ALL THE EMPLOYEES AND, UH, AND JUST, SO ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO THAT, THAT GO TO THAT QUARTERLY, UM, UH, EMPLOYEE MERIT LUNCHEON AND SEE THE AWARDS GIVEN OUT AND, AND FEEL THE ENERGY OF THE PEOPLE.
AND IT'S JUST A, IT'S A REFLECTION ON THE LEADERSHIP OF THE TOWN TOO.
SO WE APPRECIATE YOU, DAVID, FOR ALL YOU DO FOR THAT AND YOUR TEAM THAT, YOUR AMAZING TEAM OF, UH, UH, OF LEADERS IN THE TOWN.
SO, UH, BUT THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP, NANCY.
THE ONE THING I WANTED TO COMMENT ON WAS THE, UM, UH, I WANTED, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UH, THESE GUYS, UH, THEY WORK REALLY HARD.
WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, WAYNE EMERSON AND DAVID CHAVEZ AND EMILIO VO.
AND, UH, THEY, THEY WORK HARD.
THEY'RE WORKING OUT, OUT THERE WORKING TO SELL ADDISON EVERY DAY.
AND NOW THEY'RE, THEY'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB OF GETTING, GETTING US INTO OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
AND SO WE'RE LEARNING, LEARNING ABOUT WHO'S HERE IN ADDISON AND, AND, UH, MEETING SOME REALLY, UH, AMAZING PEOPLE AND, AND SEEING THEIR, THEY'RE VERY IMPRESSIVE BUSINESSES.
WE WERE JUST YESTERDAY WE WERE AT, UH, UM, BEAR ROBOTICS, WHICH IS A, THEY DID, THEY BUILD ROBOTS FOR THAT, DO YOUR RESTAURANT SERVICE, AND NOW THEY HAVE A WAREHOUSE FUNCTION.
AND SO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT IT WAS A REALLY COOL STOP AND, AND WE ENJOYED THE TIME WITH THEM AND THEY WERE GLAD FOR US TO BE THERE.
AND SO IT'S, UH, IT'S FUN FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND, AND, UH, AND DAVID CHAVEZ HAS REALLY BEEN KIND OF SPEARHEADING, YOU KNOW, SEEKING OUT THOSE COMPANIES AND MAKING THOSE APPOINTMENTS AND KNOCKING ON THE DOORS, LITERAL, LITERALLY GOING AND JUST LETTING THEMSELF INTO A BUSINESS AND INTRODUCING THEMSELVES.
SO, UH, THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, SO APPRECIATE THEM FOR THAT.
ANYBODY ELSE? I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO CALL IN ON THE EMPLOYEE, UM, UH, ANNUAL LUNCHEON.
AND, UH, IT'S REALLY NEAT TO SEE THE, UH, THE SPIRIT, RIGHT, AND THE ENTHUSIASM FROM THE DEPARTMENTS, AND I'M A RECOVERING IT GUY MYSELF AND FOR THE IT DEPARTMENT TO, UH, TO HAVE THAT MUCH SPIRIT, AND THAT'S REALLY GREAT FOR A BUNCH OF LEFT BRAINS.
SO YOU GUYS ARE DOING GREAT
FINANCE HAS GOT THE SPIRIT AS WELL AND, AND HR.
IT'S JUST, IT'S REALLY, REALLY, UH, SO, UH, ENCOURAGING TO SEE THAT.
AND YOU, YOU CAN FEEL, YOU CAN FEEL THE CULTURE AND, UH, BRAVE THE CORE VALUE ACRONYM, UM, OR WHATEVER THE WORD IS, I, UH, THAT DEFINES IT OR, UH, EMBODIES IT, UM, AS PART OF THE CULTURE.
AND YOU, YOU CAN FEEL THE ENERGY IN THE ROOM AND, AND PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE AND THEY WORK HARD AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT.
SO I, I'M REALLY IMPRESSED WITH, WITH THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION, DAVID, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB LEADING IT.
ALL THE LEADERS, ALL THE MANAGERS, ALL THE PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINES.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST, IT'S REALLY A REALLY A, A, A TREAT, UH, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY YEAR AS WELL.
SO, BUT YOU KNOW, THE FINANCE AND IT, THE SPIRIT, JUST KEEP IT UP, MAN.
ANY OTHERS? OKAY, WITH THAT WE'LL CONCLUDE THIS PORTION OF
[d. Present and discuss the Town of Addison FY 2025 First Quarter Financial Report.]
OUR MEETING AND WE'LL GO BACK TO OUR LAST WORK SESSION ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM FOUR D, PRESENT AND DISCUSS THE TOWN OF ADDISON FY 2025, FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT.UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL, STEVEN GLICKMAN, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO GO OVER THE ENTIRE REPORT IF YOU WOULD WISH, BUT I WAS TOLD TO JUST ASK IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS OVER THE REPORT.
UH, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR GO OVER THE, THE ENTIRE REPORT, WHATEVER YOU WISH.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A DESIRE FOR HIM TO GO OVER THE HERE? I HAVE NO QUESTIONS.
YOU HAVE NO QUESTIONS? I HAVE.
[02:45:01]
THAT'S EXCELLENT.CHRIS, I, I, I JUST HAVE ONE REALLY QUICK QUESTION, UM, UH, ON THE REPORT, ON THE REVENUE SIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, I I, I LOVE HOW IT'S A DASHBOARD, BUT THERE ARE A FEW ITEMS, SPECIFICALLY THE BEVERAGE TAX, HOTEL PERMITTING, LICENSING, WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE SHOWING IS GREEN, AND THEY'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, OFF BY, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN 6%, WHICH I THINK WOULD'VE TAKEN IT TO YELLOW OR RED.
AND I JUST, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M USING THIS REPORT, RIGHT, WE'RE USING THE REPORT, RIGHT.
SO CAN YOU TALK ME THROUGH HOW YOU'RE DOING THAT? SURE.
SO, SO WE REALLY LOOK AT IT AS NOT JUST WE'RE, WE'RE THROUGH 25% OF THE YEAR, SO IT SHOULD BE AT 25%.
WE LOOK AT IT AS, AS HOW DOES IT TREND COMPARED TO, TO PREVIOUS FISCAL YEARS.
SO IF WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE PERMITTING REVENUE, A LOT OF THAT COMES DURING THE SPRING AND THE SUMMER, AND NOT NECESSARILY DURING THE WINTER AND THE FALL.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT, UM, WHAT WAS THE OTHER ONE? HOTEL TAX, UM, HOTEL TAX, UM, THE FIRST QUARTER OF EACH FISCAL YEAR IS OUR WORST QUARTER.
UM, WE GENERALLY DO THE BEST IN SPRING AND SUMMER.
UM, THE, THE WINTER MONTHS, THERE'S LESS BUSINESS TRAVEL.
THAT'S OUR MAIN SOURCE OF HOTEL TAX.
UM, PROBABLY THE SAME FOR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE TAX.
IT'S THAT, THAT ONE, UH, I THINK WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE TO 25% ON, ON MIXED BEVERAGE TAX.
UM, SO IT'S MORE SEASONAL STUFF.
IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SEASONAL.
SO THERE, THERE IS MORE OF THAT ONE AS WELL DURING SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS.
ANYBODY ELSE? ANYTHING ELSE YOU HAVE FOR US ON THIS, STEVEN? UH, I DO NOT.
JUST LIKE US TO TAKE IN THE REPORT ON OUR OWN.
THANK YOU FOR THE CONCISE REPORT.
ALRIGHT, ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYBODY? ALL RIGHT.
IT IS 8 28 AND WE WILL ADJOURN FOR THE NIGHT.