[00:00:01]
          ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED THIS MORNING. 
          WE WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU. 
          THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING THOSE THAT ARE HERE PRESENT AS WELL,
AND CERTAINLY OUR STAFF AND OUR CITY COUNCIL. 
          AND GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE HERE FOR THIS ANNUAL BUDGET WORKSHOP THAT WE DO IN THE SUMMER. 
          RIGHT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I DO WANT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE THAT WE GO AHEAD AND
HAVE AN INVOCATION, PRAY OVER THIS MEETING, ASK FOR GOD'S GUIDANCE,
DIRECTION, WISDOM AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT NUMBERS. 
          BUT ALSO, YOU ALL HEARD EARLIER THIS WEEK DOWN IN THE HILL COUNTRY A LOT,
A LOT MORE FLOODING AND CASUALTIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED DOWN THERE. 
          NOW, MY LATEST REPORT THAT I'VE HEARD IS TWO LIVES THAT WERE LOST AND YOU KNOW WE JUST
SAY, THANK GOD IT WASN'T MORE, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED. WE NEED
TO PRAY FOR THEM. 
          SO KENNY, WHY DON'T YOU LEAD US IN THIS PRAYER? SURE. ON THAT NOTE, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW,
CURRENTLY, WE DO HAVE FIRE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES DOWN IN FREDERICKSBURG OUT IN THE FLOOD AREA THAT ARE HELPING OUT TO KEEP. OUR EMPLOYEES ARE DOWN THERE HELPING WITH THAT CLEANUP
AS WELL. 
          GOTCHA. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. LET'S BOW OUR HEADS AND GO TO THE LORD IN PRAYER. 
          FATHER GOD, THANK YOU FOR LETTING US ALL BE HERE TODAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL DAY THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALL OF US BEING HEALTHY AND AWAKE,
HOPEFULLY. 
          AND JUST ASK THAT YOU WATCH OVER THIS MEETING AND THAT YOU MAKE SURE IT'S PRODUCTIVE AND
THAT WE ALWAYS KEEP YOUR, YOUR WORD AND OUR THOUGHTS AS WE MAKE THESE DECISIONS. 
          THEY'RE GOING TO AFFECT PEOPLE. WE ASK THAT YOU WRAP YOUR HANDS AND PROTECTION AROUND
THOSE THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE FLOODING DOWN NEAR FREDERICKSBURG AND IN THE HILL COUNTRY. WATCH OVER EVERYONE IMPACTED BY THAT,
WHETHER IT'S PEOPLE THAT HAD PROPERTY LOST OR LIVES LOST, OR JUST THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOWN THERE HELPING WITH THE RECOVERY AND CLEANUP EFFORTS. WE
ASK THAT YOU WATCH OVER THEM AS WELL AND YOU PROTECT THEM. FATHER GOD, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU AND WE ASK THAT YOU JUST LOOK OVER US TODAY AND JUST BE WITH US. 
          IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. AND I DO WANT TO SHARE A FEW BRIEF REMARKS AS AN
INTRODUCTION FOR OUR GETTING STARTED. 
          BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT AS WELL, JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COUPLE OF RECOGNITIONS. 
          ONE FOR JUANITA MARTINEZ, AND SHE'S GOING TO BE LEAVING PRETTY SOON AND GOING TO CONTINUE
TO WORK IN MUNICIPALITY AND WHICH IS GREAT, BUT SHE'S DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB AND SHE'S SHE'LL BE LEAVING. 
          AND THEN I'M I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE HEARD ABOUT BEVERLY ABEL ALSO. 
          THAT'S GOING TO BE RETIRING. AND THOSE TWO FOLKS HAVE DONE TREMENDOUS WORK AND WE
APPRECIATE THEM SO MUCH. 
          AND WAYNE IS GOING TO KERRVILLE. SO SHE'S GOING DOWN THERE TO THAT AREA. 
          BUT WHY DON'T WE GIVE THEM A HAND OF APPRECIATION? I DIDN'T HAVE YOU STAND UP OR ANYTHING, YOU KNOW,
SO ANYWAY, SO TODAY, TODAY FOR OUR CITY OF MESQUITE. 
          AND WE'RE OUT RIGHT AT ABOUT 150 000. WE HAVE 1400 EMPLOYEES AND 16 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THE BUDGET. AGAIN. WE CONTINUE THE PROCESS OF OUR CITY OF MESQUITE
BUDGET SEASON WITH OUR ANNUAL BUDGET WORKSHOP. 
          AND AS WE LISTEN TO MORE PRESENTATIONS GIVEN BY VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS,
INCLUDING OUR POLICE AND FIRE, PUBLIC WORKS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS, THIS BUDGET WORKSHOP IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE
PROCESS. 
          AS WE CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BUDGET FOR THE 2026 2027 YEAR,
AND AS WE CONSIDER OUR RECENT CITIZEN SURVEY, THE CONTINUED CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE OF BOTH OF OUR CONTINUED GEOGRAPHICAL GROWTH AND
POPULATION GROWTH, AND, OF COURSE, OUR AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR CITY THAT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE WITH DIFFERENT
NEEDS. 
          AND WE, WE, WE TAKE SERIOUSLY OUR CITIZENS INPUT. 
          I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR CITY STAFF,
DEPARTMENT HEADS AND OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR THOUGHTFUL PREPARATIONS THAT YOU'VE MADE FOR TODAY'S PREPARATION,
TODAY'S DISCUSSION. 
          AND JUST TO MAKE A BRIEF COMMENT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN HERE RECENTLY. 
          THIS YEAR, WE'VE SEEN THE COMPLETION OF OUR FIRE STATION NUMBER TWO ON OATES DRIVE ON THE
NORTH SIDE OF THE CITY. 
          AND YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE HOW THE THE ROAD ON OATES HAS BEEN RESURFACED. 
          ALSO, I KNOW THAT OUR NEW STATION, FIRE STATION NUMBER EIGHT. 
          WE'RE GETTING READY TO OPEN THAT ONE UP ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT OPENING. AND ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TRINITY POINT,
NEXT TO THE TALIA RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND IT WILL BE SERVING OUR MESQUITE POPULATION GROWTH ALONG I-20 AREAS,
REACHING NOW INTO KAUFMAN COUNTY. 
          AND WE'VE ALSO SEEN SOME MAJOR ROADWAY WORK WITH THE LONG ANTICIPATED,
GREATLY NEEDED LUCAS BOULEVARD BETWEEN CARTWRIGHT AND MILUM ROAD, WITH A ROUNDABOUT INCLUDED AT THE HALFWAY POINT ALONG THE SOLTERRA DEVELOPMENT. 
          NOW I KNOW MYSELF AND ALSO COUNCILMAN MURTON. 
          [00:05:02]
WE DRIVE OUT IN THAT AREA A LOT. I LIVE OUT IN THAT AREA,
SO YOU'LL NOTICE THAT DIFFERENCE, AND IT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE FROM THE COUNTRY ROAD THAT IT USED TO BE. 
          AND NOW WE GOT THAT THOROUGHFARE THAT'S GOING ALONG SALTAIRE. 
          IT'S A GREAT CHANGE. IT'S A NEEDED ROAD. NO LONGER A TWO LANE COUNTRY ROAD BUT NOW MAJOR,
MAJOR THOROUGHFARE. 
          AND JUST YESTERDAY I SAW THE PROGRESS OUT THAT'S BEING MADE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CITY, LA PRADA DRIVE. THERE'S A GREAT EXIT NOW GOING INTO LA PRADA OFF OF 635. 
          BUT AS YOU'RE GOING UP ALONG LA PRADA, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF MAJOR ROAD
CONSTRUCTION THAT'S TAKING PLACE. 
          AND SO THAT'S THAT'S BEING WORKED ON. SOLTERRA ALSO CONTINUES TO EXPAND WITH ITS GROWTH,
AND IT IS NOW BUILDING HOMES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CARTWRIGHT, AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT CONNECTING TO MESQUITE VALLEY NEAR THE CANTERA COVE. 
          AND IT'S EXCITING TO SEE ALL THESE CHALLENGES ALONG THE MAJOR CHANGES THAT ARE NOW COMING
TO OUR TOWN EAST MALL AS WELL. 
          AND WE'VE SEEN THOSE CHANGES TAKING PLACE AS WE MOVE INTO THE WORKSHOP TODAY. 
          WE DO WE DO MEET A MEDIA CHALLENGES AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE. 
          I KNOW ONE WORD THAT'S CONTINUED TO BE BROUGHT UP AND I THINK IT'S GOOD. 
          IT'S THE WORD CONSOLIDATE AND CONSOLIDATION. I LIKE THAT WORD BECAUSE IT SPEAKS OF
BRINGING THINGS TOGETHER TO BE FRUGAL, TO SAVE MONEY, AND TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON DOING WHAT WE CAN. 
          SAVING FOR THE CITIZENS OF MESQUITE. AT OUR LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING,
WE HAD OUR FIRST PUBLIC HEARING FOR OUR 2627 BUDGET. 
          LAST TUESDAY NIGHT. WE HAD OUR TOWN HALL TUESDAY,
THE BUDGET THAT INCLUDED TIME ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOR CITIZENS AND. 
          WE WILL HAVE TWO MORE ADDITIONAL HEARINGS AT OUR NEXT TWO COUNCIL MEETINGS ON JULY 20TH
AND AUGUST 3RD, AND WE ENCOURAGE THE INPUT OF OUR CITIZENS. AND I WANT TO REMIND ALL OF US THAT THIS IS
MORE THAN JUST NUMBERS ON PAPER THAT WE LOOK AT. 
          IT'S OUR PLANNING RESPONSIBILITY AND IT'S RESPONDING WISELY,
AND IT'S WORKING TOGETHER AND JOINING EFFORTS AND ENSURING THAT OUR CITY CONTINUES TO REMAIN SAFE AND STRONG AND PREPARED FOR OUR FUTURE. 
          AND AS WE LISTEN TO PRESENTATIONS AND ENTER INTO DISCUSSIONS,
WE CONSIDER THE CHALLENGES BEFORE US. 
          AND WE WORK TO BE THE BEST STEWARDS WITH THE TAX DOLLARS OF OUR CITIZENS. 
          AND I ENCOURAGE OPEN AND RESPECTFUL DISCUSSION,
CONVERSATIONS, CREATIVE THINKING THROUGHOUT THE DAY. 
          AND LET'S KEEP OUR FOCUS ON WHAT'S BEST FOR THE CITIZENS WE SERVE. 
          AND TO ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. WE WANT TO SAY, THIS IS YOUR MONEY AND THESE ARE YOUR TAX
DOLLARS, AND WE DO WELCOME YOUR INPUT. AND I NEED TO GO THROUGH THE CITIZENS COMMENTS PROCESS HERE. 
          AND THEN WE'LL HAND IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER. 
          SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY CITIZENS COMMENTS AT THIS TIME. 
          ANY INDIVIDUAL WISHING TO DISCUSS ANY MATTER ON THE AGENDA SHALL BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK FOR A
LENGTH OF TIME, NOT EXCEEDING THREE MINUTES ON A FIRST COME,
FIRST SERVE BASIS. 
          CITIZENS ADDRESSING THE COUNCIL THROUGH A TRANSLATOR WILL BE ALLOWED SIX MINUTES. 
          SO IS THERE ANY INDIVIDUAL THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME FOR CITIZENS? COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO OUR 
          [C. Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Overview]
BUDGET OVERVIEW. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU,
COUNCIL, FOR GATHERING TODAY. 
          WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO PROVIDE A LOT OF INFORMATION TODAY IN A TIMELY MANNER AND
MAKE SURE WE WE'RE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYBODY'S WEEKENDS. SO BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          TODAY WE BEGIN THE PROCESS TO FINALIZE OUR ANNUAL BUDGET. 
          THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF NEARLY SEVEN MONTHS OF WORK FROM THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS,
THE FINANCE STAFF, AND EACH OF YOU. AND SO WE AGAIN, WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. 
          AS YOU WILL SEE, WE HAVE A VERY BUSY SCHEDULE TODAY. 
          WE ARE FLEXIBLE ON SOME TIME. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,
NO FINAL DECISIONS HAVE TO BE MADE TODAY. 
          THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE DIRECTION ON TO
FINALIZE THE BUDGET. 
          BUT FOLLOWING TODAY, WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO DISCUSS BUDGET ITEMS AT
UPCOMING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. 
          JUST AS A REMINDER FOR THOSE THAT MAY BE WATCHING ONLINE THAT WE FOLLOW A PROCESS THAT WE
CALL OUR MODEL OF SUCCESS. 
          THE BUDGET PROCESS BEGINS WITH POLICY AND GOAL ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT. 
          WE MOVE TO POLICY AND GOAL PRIORITIZATION IN APRIL AND THEN PAST FEW COUNCIL MEETINGS,
WE'VE SEEN STRATEGY PRESENTATIONS FROM DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS. AND THEN WE WILL HAVE SOME OF THE THOSE STRATEGIES TODAY AND THEN
AGAIN ON MONDAY AS WELL. 
          [00:10:02]
AND THEN TODAY IS ABOUT BUDGET ALLOCATION. TODAY'S THE DAY WHERE WE START NARROWING OUR
FOCUS AND NARROWING OUR EFFORTS TO PUT FUNDS TO PROGRAMS. AND WE WILL LOOK AT AVAILABLE REVENUES. WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS EXPENDITURES AND THEN MOVE
TOWARDS PREPARING A FINAL BUDGET. 
          OUR HOPE IS TO HAVE A BUDGET THAT'S PRETTY MUCH TOGETHER BY AUGUST 3RD. 
          CITY COUNCIL MEETING. BUT THERE IS NO PRESSURE TO APPROVE ONE UNTIL WE'RE READY. 
          AND SEPTEMBER IS OUR, OUR, OUR DEADLINE ON BUDGET ADOPTION. 
          AND THE FINAL STEP IN THIS PROCESS IS PROGRAM EXECUTION. 
          THAT'S TYPICALLY FOR PEOPLE IN THE ROOM. THAT'S OCTOBER 1ST WHEN WE START AGAIN,
AND THEN WE START BACK UP IN JANUARY AND START THE PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN. SO ANOTHER REMINDER TO OUR ONLINE VIEWERS IS THAT WE HAVE SEVERAL
OPPORTUNITIES STILL TO HEAR FROM RESIDENTS IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS. WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AT MONDAY'S,
THE JULY 20TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING, AND THEN WE HAVE A FINAL PUBLIC HEARING ON AUGUST 17TH. AND WE WE WELCOME ALL INPUT FROM RESIDENTS ON THE DIRECTION THE CITY NEEDS TO TAKE. 
          AND AS A REMINDER TO COUNCIL, ALL OF OUR GOALS AND PRIORITIES ARE BASED ON FEEDBACK WE
RECEIVE FROM CITIZENS THROUGH SURVEYS, TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND OTHER ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. 
          THE COUNCIL HAS IDENTIFIED GOALS BASED ON THIS INPUT,
AND WE LOOK AT THESE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT CITIZENS WANT. 
          WE KNOW THAT CITIZENS WANT A SAFE COMMUNITY. THEY WANT ATTRACTIVE NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          THEY WANT TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY. THEY WANT A VIBRANT ECONOMY,
THEY WANT A TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT, AND THEY WANT QUALITY RECREATION AND CULTURE. 
          AND AS WE HAVE DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS,
WHILE OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION IS STRONG, WE CONTINUE TO BE IMPACTED BY THE LIMITS PLACED ON CITIES BY THE LEGISLATURE. WHILE MOSQUITOES ARE GROWING AND WE ARE ADDING TO OUR TAX
BASE, CAPS ON REVENUE PLACE A SIGNIFICANT STRAIN ON OUR ABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH THAT GROWTH. 
          OUR COMMUNITY AND AND THE GROWTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THE MAINTENANCE OF THE OLDER PARTS
OF MESQUITE. 
          IN ORDER TO MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY,
WE WILL NEED TO ADD PEOPLE AND FUND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. 
          WE WILL NEED TO LOOK AT NEW TECHNOLOGY AND NEW SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS THAT WILL MAKE
BETTER USE OF OUR STAFF AND EQUIPMENT. 
          THIS BUDGET WILL INCLUDE MANY OF OUR EFFORTS TO BEGIN THE FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT THE CITY NEEDS
TO MAKE. 
          WE WILL ADD PEOPLE WHERE NECESSARY, BUT WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO USE TECHNOLOGY AND WHERE
POSSIBLE, MAKE STAFF CONSOLIDATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE OPERATING MORE EFFICIENTLY IN THE
COMING YEAR. 
          DEPARTMENTS WILL COMPLETE EVALUATIONS OF PROCESSES THROUGHOUT EVERY DEPARTMENT AND EVERY
DIVISION IN THE CITY. 
          WE WILL LOOK AT STAFFING PROGRAMS AND TECHNOLOGY TO FIND EFFICIENCIES AND ELIMINATE
REDUNDANCIES. 
          WE ARE WORKING CAREFULLY WITH STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE READY TO MAKE SERVICE SHIFTS
AS OUR BUDGETS BECOME TIGHTER AND TIGHTER. 
          TO BE CLEAR, THERE IS NO URGENCY TO CUT PROGRAMS OR PEOPLE,
BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO EXPAND SERVICES OR ADD PROGRAMS, IT IS IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO FIND EFFICIENCIES TODAY THAT WILL ABSORB NECESSARY INCREASES
IN THE YEARS TO COME. 
          WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS TODAY THAT MIGHT NOT BE EASY. 
          AND MY BUT MY OVERALL CONCERN IS THAT IF WE DO NOT ADDRESS CHANGE TODAY IN A STRATEGIC AND
THOUGHTFUL MANNER, FUTURE COUNCILS WILL BE LEFT WITH LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO CUT SERVICES AND FIND FUNDING FOR
OTHER, MORE ESSENTIAL SERVICES. AS YOU WILL SEE IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES,
THE BUDGET OUTLINED IN YOUR PACKETS ALLOWS FOR THE CITY TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICES AT THE SAME LEVEL AS WE DID THIS PAST YEAR. 
          LATER ON TODAY, WE WILL LOOK AT OPTIONS TO EXPAND PROGRAMS AND ADDRESS OTHER NEEDS. 
          MY REQUEST OF COUNCIL IS THAT WE DON'T LOOK TO TRY TO CUT FUNDING TO ADD PROGRAMS. INSTEAD, WE JUST NEED DIRECTION. YOU HAVE TALENTED FINANCE STAFF AND DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS
WHO CAN LOOK AT OTHER FUNDING MEASURES AND OTHER WAYS OF DOING THINGS. 
          SO TODAY WE WANT YOU TO LOOK AT WHAT WHAT YOU WANT. 
          AND THEN IF WE NEED TO MAKE CUTS, WE WILL BRING THOSE IN THE FUTURE. BUT TODAY IS ABOUT
PROVIDING DIRECTION TO THE STAFF. 
          AND SO AND LIKE I SAID, AND I'LL KEEP SAYING WE HAVE TIME TO DEVELOP THIS BUDGET. 
          SO BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR DISCUSSIONS TODAY, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND COUNCIL OF THE IMPACT OF
YOUR WORK. 
          WE SPEND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME DEVELOPING PROGRAMS DELIBERATING ABOUT NEW
DEVELOPMENTS. 
          OFTEN WE DO NOT SEE THE IMPACT OF THESE DISCUSSIONS FOR MANY YEARS. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, FIVE YEARS AGO, THE COUNCIL APPROVED FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR A COMMUNITY CARE
TEAM. 
          TODAY, THIS PROGRAM IS RECOGNIZED STATEWIDE AS A MODEL OF SERVICES FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING
MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES. 
          AT ABOUT THAT SAME TIME, THE COUNCIL APPROVED ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR OUR RENTAL
INSPECTION PROGRAM. 
          WHILE IT'S NOT FAVORED BY SOME OF OUR INSTITUTIONAL RENTAL PROPERTY INVESTORS,
THIS PROGRAM ENSURES THAT THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT RENT SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ARE 
          [00:15:04]
MOVING INTO PLACES THAT ARE SAFE FOR THEIR FAMILIES. 
          HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN ARE ENJOYING A SPLASH PAD AND MAKING MEMORIES AT EVANS PARK THAT THE
COUNCIL JUST APPROVED A FEW YEARS AGO. 
          GOING BACK FURTHER, THE COUNCIL SUPPORTED A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN ANIMAL SERVICES AND HAVE
CONTINUED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR A SHELTER THAT CONSISTENTLY REMAINS, WITH A LIVE OUTCOME RATE WELL ABOVE THE 90% GOAL. 
          YES, THE IDEA OF A ZONING INSPECTOR WAS BROUGHT UP AT A WORKSHOP LIKE THIS. 
          TODAY WE HAVE INSPECTORS ENSURING OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY REMAINS IN COMPLIANCE WITH SIGN
AND ZONING ORDINANCES. 
          AND THIS PREVENTS OUR COMMUNITY FROM EXPERIENCING DECLINE. 
          AND THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF HIRING A MANAGER AND SUBSEQUENTLY ADDITIONAL STAFF,
OUR DOWNTOWN PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY OUR DOWNTOWN,
BUT ALSO HELPING ENTREPRENEURS ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS. WITH COUNCIL'S SUPPORT, WE HAVE SLOWLY BUT EFFECTIVELY INCREASED PAY AND THE BENEFITS FOR
OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          COUNCIL HAS SUPPORTED SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN EQUIPMENT,
PEOPLE AND FACILITIES TO BRING COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE TO THE CITY OPERATION, ESSENTIALLY PROVIDING A HIGHER QUALITY SERVICE FOR A LOWER PRICE FOR THE BUSINESSES ACROSS
OUR CITY. 
          AND THE COUNCIL HAS PROVIDED FUNDING AND EQUIPMENT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STREET AND
ALLEY REPAIRS WE MAKE EACH YEAR. 
          YOU WILL SEE HOW IMPACTFUL YOUR SUPPORT IS LATER TODAY. 
          SO WHY ARE WE HERE? WE ARE HERE TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF MESQUITE. 
          MY FINAL EXAMPLE OF THE IMPACT WE ARE HAVING COMES WITH A HANDOUT. 
          THAT'S YOUR CUE WITH EMMA. SO. WHAT WE'RE HANDING OUT TODAY IS IS SOMETHING WE PUT
TOGETHER LOOKING AT HOME VALUES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS THAT WE HAVE SPENT A
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT TO ATTRACT NEW, HIGHER QUALITY DEVELOPMENT. AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS THE DCAD VALUES FOR DIFFERENT
AREAS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          THE PRINT ON THE MAP IS SMALL. SO I BLEW IT UP ON THE SECOND PAGE. 
          AND SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT SOME OF THE VALUES ARE IN DIFFERENT AREAS AND DIFFERENT
NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT IT SHOWS THAT OUR EFFORTS TO TO ATTRACT THESE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ARE MAKING A
DIFFERENCE IN THE HOUSING STOCK AS WE DIVERSIFY. 
          SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE VALUES, YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR OUR HOUSING VALUES ARE NOT ONLY
AFFORDABLE, BUT THEY ARE ASPIRATIONAL WITH OUR HOPE THAT PEOPLE AS THEY CAN MOVE UP INTO HOUSING,
THEY HAVE A PLACE TO, TO KEEP LIVING IN MESQUITE. AND YOU MAY NOT HEAR IT REGULARLY. 
          AND PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK DEFINITELY DON'T POST ABOUT IT. 
          BUT AS THE MAYOR LIKES TO SAY, THERE ARE SOME GREAT THINGS HAPPENING IN MESQUITE AND THEY
START AT WORKSHOPS LIKE THIS. 
          WE HAVE MANY CHALLENGES AHEAD OF US AND MANY WILL TAKE TIME,
MONTHS, EVEN YEARS TO ADDRESS. 
          BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WHERE WE WANT TO BE. 
          THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE TODAY ARE PART OF THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND WITH THAT COUNCIL, I'M GOING TO TURN THE PRESENTATION OVER TO TED CHEN,
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE. 
          [D. Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Discussion and Review
o General Fund Revenues & Expenditures 
o Water & Sewer Fund Revenues & Expenditures 
o Proposed Fee Changes 
o Debt Capacity]
TED, YOU'LL NEED THIS. 
          THANK YOU, MR. KELLY. TED CHAN, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE. 
          GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. I'M GOING TO GO OVER A BRIEF FINANCIAL
OVERVIEW OF OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION. 
          I'M GOING TO COVER JUST A COUPLE OPERATING FUNDS,
GENERAL FUND AND THE WATER AND SEWER OPERATING FUND, AS WELL AS RAYMOND REAVIS WILL COME UP AND GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF SOME PROPOSED SOLID WASTE
CHANGES. 
          SOLID WASTE RATE CHANGES ALSO, WE'LL COVER OTHER FEES,
BUT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND MORE TIME, I THINK, ON DEBT FINANCING. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE WAY WE ISSUE DEBT
AND HOW WE MANAGE THAT DEBT. 
          AND THEN WE'LL WRAP UP WITH MR. JASON HUGHES,
WHO IS THE SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR HILLTOP SECURITIES. 
          AND HE WILL BASICALLY GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GENERAL OBLIGATION
DEBT AND ALSO REVENUE DEBT AND KIND OF GIVE US A LITTLE SNAPSHOT ON WHAT OUR FINANCIAL HEALTH LOOKS LIKE AND,
AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ON THE VARIOUS METHODS OF FINANCING OUR 
          [00:20:06]
LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE. SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE THE GENERAL FUND AND YOU RECEIVED YOUR UPDATED
FINANCIAL SCHEDULES IN FRIDAY'S PACKET, BUT WE WILL PASS THOSE OUT FOR YOU FOR YOUR BINDERS AT THE NEXT BREAK,
ALONG WITH SOME OTHER HANDOUTS THAT GO INTO YOUR BINDER THERE. WITH THE GENERAL FUND, YOU CAN SEE THAT AS FAR AS REVENUES,
PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX MAKE UP THE BULK OF OF THAT REVENUE. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S CURRENTLY 81% OF THE BUDGET IS SALES IS SALES
TAX AND PROPERTY TAX. AND FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY. 
          OUR CERTIFIED TAXABLE VALUE HISTORY IS SHOWN HERE. 
          YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A MARKED INCREASE AFTER THE COVID ERA. 
          THE 16.8 BILLION ASSESSED VALUATION I WOULD GUARD AND JUST SAY THAT'S PRELIMINARY. 
          WE WON'T RECEIVE OUR CERTIFIED APPRAISAL UNTIL NEXT WEEK,
JULY 25TH, IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE CHIEF APPRAISER TO DELIVER THAT TO TAXING ENTITIES. BUT CERTAINLY THOSE BLUE BARS REPRESENT ACTUAL GROWTH IN OUR ASSESSED
VALUATION OR WHAT YOU ALL WOULD REFER TO AS OUR TAX BASE. OF THAT TAX BASE, GROWTH IN NEW CONSTRUCTION MAKES UP A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE NEW REVENUES THAT WE HAVE FOR THE COMING YEAR. 
          ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT BEEN AS GREAT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS,
WE DO EXPECT IT TO BE AROUND 400 MILLION ADDED TO THE TAX ROLL IN NEW CONSTRUCTION. 
          AND IT'S ABOUT A 5050 SPLIT BETWEEN RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL,
ACTUALLY. 
          SO IT'S NOT ALL INDUSTRIAL. SOME OF IT'S HOME HOME RESIDENTIAL GROWTH IN THE SUBDIVISIONS
THAT YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH SOLTERRA AND TALIA, TO NAME A FEW. THAT'S THE NEW CONSTRUCTION. 
          OUR TAX RATE HISTORY. YOU KNOW THERE'S TWO COMPONENTS TO TAX BILL. 
          ONE IS THE RATE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SETS. AND THE OTHER ONE IS THE HOME VALUES,
WHICH IS APPRAISED BY THE CHIEF APPRAISER OF THE DALLAS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT. SO THAT MATHEMATICAL EQUATION COMES OUT TO HOW FOLKS
PAY THEIR BILLS. 
          BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR TAX RATE HISTORY HAD A COUPLE OF SPIKES THERE IN 2017 AND 2019. 
          THOSE WERE PLANNED. THE VOTERS WE TOOK THE REAL TEXAS ROAD BOND REFERENDUM TO THE VOTERS. 
          IF YOU RECALL, THAT WAS 125 MILLION THAT WE TOOK THE VOTERS BACK IN 20 1516 AND THEY
APPROVED IT BELIEVE BY 84% MARGIN. AND THAT FULL DISCLOSURE, THEY KNEW THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT A 9.4 CENT
INCREASE ON THE TAX RATE TO PAY FOR THE DEBT SERVICE ON THOSE BONDS. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE SPIKES THERE. SO WE STARTED OUT $0.64 PER $100 VALUATION AND GOT UP
AS HIGH AS 73.4. AND THEN BY THE SAME TIME, COINCIDENTALLY,
WE HAD THE STATE LEGISLATURE THAT ENACTED SENATE BILL TWO, WHICH FURTHER LIMITED OUR WHAT USED TO BE CALLED THE ROLLBACK RATE,
8% TO THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE LEVEL OF 3.5%. SO AS VALUE STILL INCREASED, IT PUSHED THE TAX RATE DOWN JUST BY THAT FORMULA AGAIN, 2027. WE ANTICIPATED IT WILL BE BELOW OUR CURRENT TAX RATE,
BUT JUST WHERE WE WON'T REALLY KNOW UNTIL AFTER THE CERTIFIED ROLL COMES OUT. 
          AND THE CHIEF I'M SORRY, THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR FOR DALLAS COUNTY. 
          HE'S OUR ASSESSOR COLLECTOR. SINCE WE TURNED OVER OUR COLLECTION EFFORTS TO THE COUNTY. 
          THEY DO THE CALCULATIONS FOR WHAT'S CALLED THE TRUTH AND TAXATION WORKSHEET,
WHICH WILL PRODUCE THE WHAT'S CALLED THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE OR WHAT USED TO BE CALLED THE EFFECTIVE RATE AND THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE OR ROLLBACK RATE. 
          AND OF COURSE THERE IS NO ROLLBACK PETITION. IT IS AUTOMATIC. 
          IF YOU EXCEED THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, IT TRIGGERS AN AUTOMATIC ELECTION. 
          HERE'S OUR SEVEN CITY COMPARISON ON TAX RATES. 
          AND YOU'LL SEE THAT BY THAT ONE FACTOR, A RATE APPLIED TO THE ASSESSED VALUES,
WE ARE THE HIGHEST AT 
          [00:25:01]
70.4 CENTS PER 100 VALUATION. HOWEVER, YOU MUST KNOW THAT WHAT THE EFFECT IS ON THE CITY'S BUDGET AND THE TAX FACTOR IN THE TAX BASE AND ASSESSED VALUATION. 
          WE REALLY ARE IN THE MIDDLE BY OUR COMPARISON CITIES AS FAR AS HOW MUCH REVENUE THAT RATE
GENERATES. 
          AND IT'S A FUNCTION AGAIN OF OUR TAX BASE AND THE TAX RATE ITSELF. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WE'RE PRETTY MUCH IN LINE WITH GRAND PRAIRIE. 
          CARROLLTON RICHARDSON GARLAND HAS THE LOWEST. 
          BUT I WILL POINT OUT THAT THEY HAVE AN ELECTRIC UTILITY. 
          OUR SALES TAX REVENUE HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF SINCE COVID. 
          IN FACT, THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE FOR SALES TAX SINCE THEN HAS BEEN 7.5% A YEAR. 
          THAT'S 7.5% A YEAR IN ADDED SALES TAX EACH YEAR WHEN WE HISTORICALLY HAVE WELL,
YOU CAN SEE FROM 17 TO 20. WE TYPICALLY BUDGET A 1% GROWTH. SO IT'S BEEN PHENOMENAL. 
          AND IN FACT, THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, THIS FISCAL YEAR 2026,
WE EXPECT TO END UP WITH 53.5 MILLION IN SALES TAX COLLECTIONS. THAT'S OCTOBER TO SEPTEMBER. 
          AND THAT WILL BE A RECORD. A LOT OF THAT IS ATTRIBUTED. 
          WELL, I'D SAY HALF OF THAT GROWTH IS ATTRIBUTED TO ONE TIME INCREASES DUE TO SOME
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. 
          I'LL JUST SAY THAT I CAN'T DIVULGE WHICH BUSINESSES IT RELATES TO,
BUT JUST KNOW THAT WE FACTORED THAT INTO OUR PROJECTIONS GOING FORWARD. AND WE WILL BE, AND YOU SEE IN YOUR BINDERS,
WHEN YOU GET THE REVISED BUDGET THAT WE'RE BUDGETING FOR 52 MILLION IN SALES TAX NEXT YEAR, STILL A HEALTHY INCREASE OVER THE CURRENT OR ACTUALLY LAST YEAR'S
ACTUAL OF 47.8 MILLION. 
          OUR EXPENDITURES AGAIN? YES, SIR. YES, SIR. FOR THE TRUTH AND TAXATION CALCULATION,
WHEN SALES TAX HAS A GOOD YEAR, DO WE REALIZE IT? IT REALLY DOESN'T AFFECT REVENUE. 
          HOW MUCH REVENUE WE GET. BUT IT DOES AFFECT HOW MUCH PROPERTY TAX REVENUE WE GET BECAUSE
WE'VE IN 1992, THE CITY OF MESQUITE, WE'RE ONE OF A FEW THAT PASSED A HALF CENT SALES TAX TO REDUCE THE
AD VALOREM RATE. 
          SO WHEN STAFF WORKS ON THE TRUTH AND TAXATION CALCULATIONS AND MR. AMES, WHEN HE DOES HIS CALCULATIONS, YOU FACTOR THAT IN. 
          AND IT DOES PUSH DOWN THAT RATE BECAUSE THEY ASSUME THAT,
YOU KNOW, YOUR EFFECTIVE RATE OR YOUR NO NEW REVENUE RATE SHOULD BE BASED ON HOW MUCH REVENUE YOU RECEIVE TO RECEIVED TO OPERATE THE CITY. 
          IT'S NOT JUST PROPERTY TAX REVENUE, BUT ALL REVENUE. 
          AND BECAUSE WE'VE DESIGNATED THAT SALES TAX TO REDUCE PROPERTY TAX,
IT DOES COME INTO PLAY IN THAT WORKSHEET. 
          SO THE CITY MAY NOT REALIZE ANY REVENUE, BUT IT PUSHES THE PROPERTY TAX RATE DOWN FOR THE
RESIDENT. 
          YES IT AFFECTS THE RATE BUT NOT NECESSARILY REVENUE. 
          SO IT'S GOOD FOR THE RESIDENTS BUT IT DOESN'T HELP OUR ORGANIZATION. 
          OH SURE. FIX MORE STREETS NEXT YEAR. YES. THE MORE THE TAX BURDEN THAT CAN BE SHIFTED TO
BUSINESSES PER SE FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER RESIDENT IS A GOOD THING. AND, AND HISTORICALLY THAT'S BEEN ONE OF THE. 
          WEAKNESSES, IF YOU WILL, FROM WHY WE'RE NOT A TRIPLE A CITY AS FAR AS STANDARD AND POOR'S
AND MOODY'S THE WAY THEY RATE OUR CREDIT. 
          WE'RE DOUBLE A WE'RE CERTAINLY RIGHT THERE. BUT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A TRIPLE A,
YOU REALLY NEED THOSE HOUSEHOLD INCOMES TO BE HIGHER. 
          YOU NEED A MORE DIVERSIFIED TAX BASE. YEAH. SO WE ARE HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY A BEDROOM
COMMUNITY, LARGELY RESIDENTIAL. BUT THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF MISS BERTRAM AND HER TEAM. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SALES TAX GROWTH THAT ALL THE INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY
THAT HAS BEEN PUT ON THE GROUND HAS, HAS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE TAX BASE. 
          AND NATURALLY, IT SHIFTS THE BURDEN FROM THE RESIDENT TO THE BUSINESS. 
          GOOD. GOOD POINT. YOU CAN SEE WHERE OUR MONEY GOES. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 56% NOW GOES TO FIRE POLICE. 
          AND AGAIN, THAT IS TIES IN WITH THE COMMUNITY SURVEYS THAT WE PRODUCE THAT ARE ACCURATE TO
A DEGREE OF 3% PLUS OR MINUS MARGIN OF ERROR. THEY ALWAYS SAY THAT PUBLIC SAFETY IS NUMBER ONE AND SECOND,
FOLLOWED BY STREETS AND AND QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES. 
          [00:30:05]
SO WE'RE PUTTING THE MONEY WHERE THE PEOPLE WANT IT. 
          AND I WILL POINT OUT THAT DEBT SERVICE IS AT 15%. 
          AND I'LL GO OVER THAT A LITTLE LATER. BUT THAT IS CERTAINLY A VERY MANAGEABLE PORTION OF
OUR OF OUR EXPENDITURES. 
          IF YOU THINK ABOUT A HOME, IF SOMEBODY BUYS A HOME THAT'S A LARGE INVESTMENT,
THEY'LL TAKE OUT A MORTGAGE. 
          WELL, WE DO THE SAME WHEN WE'RE GOING TO BUILD A STREET LIKE LA PRADA OR LAWSON ROAD. 
          WE'LL TAKE OUT A A MORTGAGE IN THE FORM OF MUNICIPAL BONDS. 
          AND MR. HUGHES WILL GO INTO THAT A LITTLE LATER. 
          BUT IT'S THE SAME CONCEPT. YOU'RE PAYING DEBT. 
          YES. YOU'RE GOING TO BE PAYING INTEREST ON THAT. 
          AND WE BUDGET BOTH THE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST,
JUST LIKE YOU BUDGET FOR YOUR HOUSEHOLD MORTGAGE PAYMENT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AT 15%. WE'RE MOST HOME BUYERS ARE LEVERAGING THEIR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET
25 OR EVEN 30% INTO A HOME. 
          SO I THINK WE'RE DOING A VERY GOOD JOB IN MANAGING OUR DEBT. 
          AND IT'S NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE TO THIS POINT, AND I DON'T FORESEE IT ANYTIME SOON. 
          WATER AND SEWER FUND IS THE NEXT FUND I WANT TO JUST TOUCH ON BRIEFLY. 
          AGAIN, THIS IS THE FUND. WE'RE NOT WE DON'T PRODUCE THE WATER. 
          WE DISTRIBUTE IT. IT'S TREATED AND PROVIDED TO US FROM THE NORTH TEXAS MUNICIPAL WATER
DISTRICT. 
          AS YOU KNOW OUR REVENUES ARE THROUGH OUR CUSTOMER CHARGES,
AND WE PASS THROUGH OUR RATE INCREASES ON WHOLESALE WATER AND SEWER TREATMENT AND PRETREATMENT COSTS TO OUR OWN CUSTOMERS, OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE OUR REVENUE COMES FROM. AND THIS IS JUST SHOWING YOU THE BREAKDOWN OF
WHERE THAT WATER OR WHERE THAT REVENUE IS RELATED TO. 
          ALMOST 60% IS WATER AND 35% WASTE WATER. THE NORTH TEXAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT,
LOWER EAST FORK INTERCEPTOR SEWER LINE IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN PAYING FOR FOR ALMOST ABOUT 11,
12 YEARS NOW, AND THAT'S A DEBT SERVICE ON A LINE THAT SERVES SOME OTHER CITIES. 
          BUT BEING A MEMBER CITY, WE WERE THE ONE WHO WERE ABLE TO EXECUTE THE CONTRACT. 
          AND IT'S BASICALLY A PASS THROUGH. IT'S A IT'S A WASH ON THE BUDGET. 
          AS FAR AS THE LOWER EAST FORK, WE GET REVENUES AND THEN EXPENDITURES FOR THE SAME AMOUNT
AND OF COURSE, INTEREST EARNINGS ON OUR IDLE FUNDS, 4.1%. IT'LL PROBABLY BE A LITTLE LESS NEXT YEAR. 
          THIS IS A BREAKDOWN ON THOSE EXPENDITURES JUST BY OPERATIONS. 
          WATER BILLING OFFICE FINANCE SENDS OUT BILLS FOR THE WATER BILLS AND GARBAGE COLLECTION,
AND THAT'S 2% OF THE EFFORT THERE. SO NOT A BAD RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT AS FAR AS
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS THERE. 
          AND AGAIN, JUST LIKE THE GENERAL FUND, THE WATER AND SEWER FUND,
WE ISSUED DEBT THROUGH THE ENTERPRISE. 
          AND AND IT'S A HARD TIME FINDING IT. IT'S 15% AS WELL,
15.2% OR 16 MILLION. AND ALSO ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS,
AND THERE'S SEVERAL OTHERS, BUT THEY DO PROVIDE COST ALLOCATION REIMBURSEMENTS OR TRANSFERS TO THE GENERAL FUND TO
OFFSET THOSE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE ALLOWED AND RECOGNIZED BY BEST PRACTICES. AND THOSE INCLUDE A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES IF THEY WERE
OPERATING AS A BUSINESS. 
          THE INDIRECT COSTS FOR. OTHER DEPARTMENTS, SUCH AS HUMAN RESOURCES AND ACCOUNTING AND IT
THINGS OF THAT NATURE. I WANTED TO I JUST PUT THIS GRAPH IN HERE BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS
HUMOROUS. 
          NOT FROM THE SAKE OF THE IMPACT, BUT THE WAY YOU SCALE A GRAPH. 
          IT DOESN'T SEEM INNOCUOUS, DOESN'T IT? IT LOOKS RELATIVELY FLAT. 
          AT LEAST IT DOES TO ME. BUT IT'S THE NORTH TEXAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT'S PROJECTION ON
THE COST OF WHOLESALE WATER. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE RIGHT NOW, THIS FISCAL YEAR,
WE'RE PAYING $4.14 PER 1000 GALLONS, AND IT'S PROJECTED TO GO UP 94% TO $8.05 IN TEN YEARS. THAT'S ALMOST DOUBLE. 
          AND I WILL TELL YOU, IT DID LOOK BACK. AND TEN YEARS AGO,
THE NORTH TEXAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT, WE WERE AT $2.30 PER 1000 GALLONS OF WHOLESALE WATER,
AND THEY PROJECTED IN 2027 THAT WE WOULD BE AT 
          [00:35:04]
$4.08. SO LIKE IT OR NOT, THEY'RE PRETTY ACCURATE IN THEIR FORECASTING BECAUSE THEY'RE
PLANNING HORIZON IS A LOT LONGER THAN DOUBLE TRIPLE OURS. I MEAN THEY'RE PLANNING ON THE NEXT LAKE TO BUILD AND THESE THINGS
COST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. 
          WELL THOSE COSTS ARE PASSED ON TO THE MEMBER CITIES. 
          OF COURSE, I DON'T LIKE THE SCALE OF THAT BECAUSE IT KIND OF MAKES IT LOOK LIKE
EVERYTHING'S HUNKY DORY, BUT THIS IS WHAT IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE. IT'S A MORE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OVER TIME. 
          IT'S DOUBLE. AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS THE INITIAL PROJECTIONS THAT THEY HAD. 
          OF COURSE, IN 2022, THEY THOUGHT THAT OUR RATE BY NOW WOULD BE MORE LIKE $3.50 INSTEAD OF THE $4.14. BUT AS THEY REFINE THEIR BUDGETS AND THEY COMPLETE MAJOR
INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THE PIPELINE FROM LAKE TEXOMA, THE LAKE WHICH WAS JUST RECENTLY COMPLETED,
YOU SEE THAT THEIR PROJECTIONS ARE REVISED, AND THEY SEEM TO BE COALESCING INTO MORE OF A PICTURE OF THAT. 
          SO WATER COSTS, I JUST WANT TO MENTION WATER COSTS WILL BE DOUBLE IN TEN YEARS. 
          THAT'S JUST A FOREGONE FACT. SO IF THAT WAS TRUE TEN YEARS AGO AND IT'S TRUE TODAY,
AND IT'S JUST A NATURE OF BEING IN THE METROPLEX, A HIGH GROWTH METROPLEX LIKE DALLAS FORT WORTH. 
          IT'S A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD. YEAH. WE ENJOY THE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE MSA,
THE METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA, BUT IT COMES WITH SOME PAIN. AND THAT'S THE GROWTH AND THE THE INCREASED POPULATION AND
THE USE OF OUR LIMITED RESOURCES. 
          HEY, TED, QUICK QUESTION. THE WATER IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS WE
GET FROM THE RESIDENTS BECAUSE THE COST IS IF SOMEBODY MOVED FROM DALLAS TO MESQUITE,
THEY SEE THE BIGGEST PART OF THEIR LIFE CHANGE IS THE COST OF WATER. 
          SO WE ALREADY HAVE WATER ISSUES WITH HOW MUCH IT COSTS. 
          THEN I'M THINKING TEN YEARS FROM NOW IT DOUBLES. I DOUBT SOMEBODY'S SALARY DOUBLES IN TEN
YEARS. IT'D BE NICE IF IT DID. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY IS THE WATER SO MUCH CHEAPER IN DALLAS? AND I KNOW THE ANSWER. 
          BUT FOR THE AUDIENCE, WHY IS IT SO MUCH CHEAPER IN DALLAS THAN IT IS FOR US IN MESQUITE? WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT ANSWER. I WOULDN'T SPECULATE THAT IT IS. 
          THE NORTH TEXAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT IS A VERY EFFECTIVE IN TREATING WATER AND FINDING
WATER RESOURCES IN. 
          I WOULD ARGUE THAT THEY. THEIR WATER RATES ARE COMPETITIVE AND CERTAINLY YOU GO TO OTHER
STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE MAJOR DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE. THE COST OF WATER CAN BE EVEN MORE. 
          BUT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. I DON'T COMPARE OURSELVES TO DALLAS. 
          TED, I'LL JUST JUMP IN. MR.. FIRST DALLAS WATER UTILITIES IS A IS A LARGER SYSTEM AND THEY
HAVE A NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS THAT THEY PUSH RATES UP TO OFFSET THEIR COST FOR THEIR,
THEIR USERS. 
          SO AS THE CONTROLLER OF THE UTILITY, THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE A,
YOU KNOW, A CITY OF LEWISVILLE RESIDENTS PAY A PREMIUM TO USE DALLAS WATER. SO THAT, THAT IS WHY IN DALLAS,
YOU'LL SEE THAT THE RATE IS LOWER, THEY'RE ABLE TO FUND SOME OF THEIR UTILITY OFF OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. WHEREAS WE ARE MEMBERS OF A LARGE CONSORTIUM OF CITIES,
AND WE ALL SHARE THE ACTUAL COST, AND WE DON'T HAVE CUSTOMERS THAT WE CAN PUSH HIGHER RATES TO,
TO OFFSET OUR OPERATION. 
          AND AGAIN, WE PASS THOSE COSTS ON TO OUR CUSTOMERS,
OUR OWN CUSTOMERS. 
          YOU CAN SEE FOR NEXT YEAR, THE WATER DISTRICT HAS ALREADY GIVEN US PRELIMINARY RATE
INCREASES OF 8.7 INCREASE ON WATER AND 11.8% ON WASTEWATER. WE, THE CITY OF MESQUITE IS JUST PLANNING ON RAISING OUR RATES 3%, AND THAT IS STILL SUFFICIENT TO RAISE SUFFICIENT REVENUE TO COVER OUR COSTS. 
          BUT WE WE TRY TO BLEND IN THEIR RATE INCREASES. 
          WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE HUGE UPS AND DOWNS AND SWINGS IN OUR RATES JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT THE
WATER DISTRICT IS DOING. 
          WE WE PROJECT OUR OWN RATES ON THE SAME TRAJECTORY AS THEY DO. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN 2021 AND 2022, THERE'S ACTUALLY NO GROWTH IN BOTH THE RATE
INCREASES. 
          [00:40:05]
AND BEFORE WE GO TOO FAR, THE, THE CUSTOMERS THAT WERE SELLING WATER TO IN OUR SYSTEM,
WE'RE PUSHING THESE RATES THAT WE CAN'T HAVE TWO TIERS RATE SYSTEM, WE CAN'T DO 11% FOR THE PROJECTED CUSTOMERS. 
          I GUESS THE CURRENT CUSTOMERS WITH PROJECTED INCREASE AND THEN OUR RESIDENTS HAVING A
STABILIZED RATE. 
          WE HAVE A MODEL THAT WE UPDATE EVERY FIVE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FACTOR IN ALL THE
GROWTH, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS, AND AS WELL AS WHAT THE WATER DISTRICT IS PASSING ON. 
          AND WE TRY TO LEVEL THOSE AS BEST AS WE CAN. IN OUR MOTTO,
WE TREAT EVERYBODY THE SAME. 
          WELL, WE AS I'M GOING TO GET TO THAT NEXT SLIDE TO SHOW YOU. 
          IT'S BASED ON CONSUMPTION. AND CERTAINLY MINIMUM CHARGES VARY FROM METER SIZE IF YOU WILL. 
          BUT WE DO SELL WATER WHOLESALE TO OTHER CUSTOMERS. 
          AND IN YOUR BUDGET, YOU'LL SEE IT AS IN THE FORM OF SALE OF BULK WATER. 
          IT'S $8 MILLION IN REVENUE THAT WE BRING IN,
AND IT'S A MARKUP ON WHAT WE SELL TO KAUFMAN MUDS OUT THERE AND OTHER ENTITIES THAT USE OUR WATER THAT WE'RE DISTRIBUTING TO HERE'S,
HERE'S THAT SLIDE THAT SHOWS A DIFFERENT MINIMUM BILL AND VOLUMETRIC RATES OR CONSUMPTION, IF YOU WILL,
BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT YOU CONSUME, YOU'LL BE PAYING MORE BASED ON THE METER SIZE AND THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT YOU CONSUME. 
          BUT THESE RATES ARE ACROSS THE BOARD 3% INCREASE,
NO MATTER WHICH SIZE OF METER THAT YOU HAVE, WHETHER IT'S A RESIDENTIAL 6.25IN METER OR A OR A BUSINESS,
A COMMERCIAL WITH AN EIGHT INCH METER. 
          WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE OF THOSE NOW. AGAIN, 3% ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASES WHAT'S BEING
PROPOSED. 
          AND I WOULD NOTE THAT ON RESIDENTIAL ACCOUNTS,
I THINK EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH KNOWS THAT YOUR SEWER CHARGE IS CAPPED AT 8000 GALLONS. 
          WE ASSUME THAT YOU'RE WATERING YOUR LAWN AND NOT TAKING LONG SHOWERS. 
          IT'S NOT IMPACTING THE SEWER TREATMENT PLANT. 
          OKAY, A QUICK QUESTION. DOES THAT WATER I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE ROLLING THREE YEAR
AVERAGE, DOES IT HAVE ANY BEARING OR IMPACT ON WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING? I BELIEVE IT WILL. IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS,
WE'LL START TO SEE THE RATES FROM NORTH TEXAS AND HOW MUCH WE'RE PAYING. 
          WE'LL START TO SEE THE BENEFITS OF THAT NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT,
IF YOU WILL. 
          ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THE MONTHLY BILL IMPACT WOULD BE TO
OUR RESIDENTS AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS BASED ON HOW MUCH WATER THEY CONSUME. 
          A FAMILY OF FIVE, 9200 GALLONS RIGHT NOW, PAYING ON AVERAGE,
ON AVERAGE, $205 WOULD GO UP $6 A MONTH OR 211. SO IT IS STILL SIGNIFICANT. IT HITS THE POCKETBOOK,
NO DOUBT. 
          BUT AGAIN WE'RE DOING ALL THAT WE CAN, WE WILL BE REVISING OUR RATE MODEL THIS YEAR JUST
BECAUSE IT WAS DONE PRIOR TO OUR AUTOMATED METER IMPLEMENTATION. 
          IMPLEMENTATION. SO WE NEED TO REVISIT WITH THAT. 
          PLUS, WE'LL WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT IN RELATION TO THE $4 MILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS THAT
WE'RE DOING TO REDUCE OUR WATER LOSS AS WELL THAT YOU'VE BEEN BRIEFED ON BEFORE. CAN I HAVE A QUESTION? I'M GOING TO STOP YOU. 
          GOING BACK TO THE WATER RATES AND KIND OF JUST CIRCLING BACK TO THIS,
COULD WE NOT CHARGE THE BIGGER METERS MORE? WE WE DO. WE DO ALREADY CHARGE THEM MORE. YES THEY ARE THAT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND,
THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONSUMING THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF WATER. 
          SO NATURALLY THEIR BILL IS GOING TO BE HIGHER. 
          SO IT IS, IT IS HIGHER EVEN THOUGH THE RATES DON'T SEEM THAT LARGE WHEN YOU FACTOR IN HOW
MUCH THEY'RE CONSUMING, THEIR BILLS ARE UP THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. 
          AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE THE CONSULTANT WHO DOES THE WATER RATE MODEL. 
          THEY'LL FACTOR THAT IN TO MAKE SURE THAT JUST LIKE PROPERTY TAX,
OUR BURDEN IS NOT SO MUCH ON THE RESIDENTS THAT THE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL IN PARTICULAR, ARE REALLY SHOULDERING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THE FINANCIAL BURDEN,
IF YOU WILL. 
          SO NOW MR. RAYMOND RIVAS, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER,
WILL COME UP AND TALK ABOUT SOME PROPOSED CHANGES IN OUR SOLID WASTE RATES. 
          [00:45:08]
BUT BEFORE I DO, THERE WAS A QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT AVERAGE HOME VALUES AND SUCH,
AND MR. KELLY PROVIDED THAT LIST THERE. BUT JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU'LL SEE DIFFERENT
TERMINOLOGIES OUT THERE. 
          IN FACT, COMING INTO THIS MEETING, A NEW STATUTORY REQUIREMENT IS THAT WE POST WHAT'S
CALLED A TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT ON THE MEETING AGENDA. AND IN THERE WE HAVE TO COMPARE WHAT'S CALLED A MEDIAN. 
          MEDIAN HOMESTEAD VALUE. AND JUST FOR THAT CONTEXT,
IT'S PRELIMINARY. 
          BUT THE PRELIMINARY MEDIAN VALUE HOMESTEAD IS $251,320. 
          THAT'S THE MEDIAN HOMESTEAD TAXABLE VALUE OF A HOME IN IN MESQUITE. 
          AND THAT FACTORS IN THE OTHER PROPERTIES THAT ARE IN KAUFMAN COUNTY AS WELL. 
          AND IN FACT, THIS CURRENT YEAR, THAT MEDIAN VALUE HOMESTEAD VALUE IS 238,623. 
          SO IT'S ON THE AGENDA. IT'S A NEW REQUIREMENTS. 
          THAT'S ALL PART OF THAT WHOLE TRUTH AND TAXATION TRANSPARENCY,
TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE THAT THE LEGISLATURE WANTS THE TAXPAYERS TO KNOW WHERE THEIR MONEY GOES. SO THE QUESTION WAS RAISED. SO I JUST WANT TO BRING THAT OUT. 
          IT'S GOING TO DIFFER FROM THE AVERAGE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENT. 
          FIRST, THANK YOU, MR. CHIN, FOR LEAVING IT ON SUCH A HIGH NOTE FOR ME. 
          RAYMOND RIVAS, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER I'M GOING TO BE DISCUSSING OUR RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE
RATES FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          I WILL PREFACE WHILE THIS IS FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL AS YOU WILL SEE,
I DID PUT WHAT OUR COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE INCREASE WOULD LOOK LIKE TO OUR USERS. SO AS YOU CAN SEE THE COST THAT WE PAY FOR EACH TON OF GARBAGE
CONTINUES TO GO UP. IT'S, IT'S A MODEST INCREASE EVERY YEAR,
KIND OF AVERAGES BETWEEN 3 AND 4%. 
          WE DON'T SEE THE DRASTIC KIND OF EBBS AND FLOWS,
IF YOU WILL, THAT WE DO WITH OUR OUR WATER SOMETIMES. 
          SO WE, WE DO HAVE TO BUDGET TO KEEP UP WITH THESE INCREASES. 
          I WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT WE ALSO DO SEE AN INCREASE IN OUR OVERALL OPERATIONAL COST WHEN IT
COMES TO THE COST OF FUEL. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S A PRETTY, PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL JUMP FROM OUR ESTIMATED USE FROM THIS
YEAR TO TO, TO NEXT YEAR, WHICH WOULD BE $741,000. SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOW JUST A COUPLE OF
HIGHLIGHTS ON WHAT ARE THE MAJOR COST DRIVERS WHEN IT COMES TO OUR, OUR TRASH RATES? I WILL SAY THAT UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE PROPOSING A $1 RESIDENTIAL INCREASE. 
          AND THIS IS PRIMARILY DUE TO OUR SOLID WASTE EXPENDITURES THAT ARE BUDGETED FOR NEXT YEAR
ARE CLOSE TO $1.1 MILLION. OUT OF THAT OUR OVERALL LANDFILL CHARGES,
I DIDN'T PUT IT ON HERE, BUT THEY WILL BE INCREASING FROM $5,227,000, $853, WHICH IS ALMOST A HALF $1 MILLION INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR. AND THAT'S TOTAL. OUR RESIDENTIAL PORTION OF THAT INCREASE IS ROUGHLY
ABOUT $100,000. 
          SO AS YOU SEE, THE COST RECOVERY, EVEN WITH DOLLAR INCREASE,
IT'S ABOUT 47% THAT WE WOULD BE RECAPTURING FOR THE COST OF OUR OVERALL RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE. 
          NOW COUNCIL DID APPROVE A COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE PROGRAM,
WHICH HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL. 
          HOWEVER, WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO AND WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IS SMOOTH OUT THE
OVERALL COST TO OUR RESIDENTS. 
          OUR LAST INCREASE FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL RATES WAS IN 2023. 
          SO WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SMOOTH ANY INCREASES AND HAVE OUR COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE HELP
SMOOTH THOSE COSTS. 
          WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO AS FAR AS BEST PRACTICES,
YOU DO NOT WANT TO TRANSFER ALL OF THE BURDEN TO COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE TO RESIDENTIAL DOES NEED TO OFFSET ITS INCREASES AT A PROPORTIONAL RATE. 
          SO A DOLLAR INCREASE IS WHAT WE WOULD BE RECOMMENDING. 
          [00:50:03]
WITH THAT, OUR COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE PROPOSED FEE WOULD INCREASE 4% WHICH WOULD GARNER
ABOUT $800,000 ADDITIONAL REVENUE. THAT WOULD MAINLY THAT'S A PASS THROUGH FOR OUR LANDFILL OUR
LANDFILL CHARGES. 
          WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK INTO A SENIOR DISCOUNT PROGRAM. 
          AND SO MR. KAHELE, ALONG WITH MR. CARSON, OUR DIRECTOR OF SOLID WASTE AND EQUIPMENT
SERVICES WE KIND OF PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER ON WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE AND WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT THAT? AND SO WHAT WE CAME UP WITH IS UTILIZING PROPERTIES THAT HAVE FILED FOR A SENIOR EXEMPTION
WITH THE COUNTY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE, AND THAT'S EITHER WITH DALLAS COUNTY OR KAUFMAN COUNTY. 
          AND THE REASON WHY WE DID THIS IS THERE'S THIS,
THERE'S, THERE'S A VERY DIFFICULT TO MANAGE A PROGRAM ON ON VALIDATING WHETHER SOMEBODY IS ELIGIBLE FOR A SENIOR DISCOUNT. SO WE WANTED TO GO WITH SOMETHING THAT WE
COULD ACTUALLY TIE THE DISCOUNT TO. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING THE SENIOR EXEMPTION. 
          SO, AS YOU SEE, THE TOTAL OF SENIOR EXEMPTIONS IN DALLAS AND KAUFMAN COUNTY IS 8679
PROPERTIES. 
          SO $2 DISCOUNT, THAT'S $24 A MONTH OR A YEAR. 
          I'M SORRY. AND SO THE OVERALL IMPACT, IF YOU LOOK ON THAT,
THAT BOX BELOW AND A $1 INCREASE SCENARIO WE WOULD INCREASE OUR REVENUE OVERALL OVER HALF $1 MILLION. 
          THE SENIOR EXEMPTION WOULD BE MINUS APPROXIMATELY $208,296. 
          AND SO THE NET REVENUE AFTER THAT DISCOUNT PROGRAM WOULD BE JUST SHY OF 300,000. 
          YES, SIR. I JUST WANT TO SAY, JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE STAFF LOOKING TO THIS ANY
BREAK. 
          WE CAN GIVE OUR OUR SENIORS IS IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. 
          I KNOW WHEN YOU LOOK UP THERE, $24 A YEAR DON'T SOUND LIKE MUCH MONEY,
BUT IT'S SOMETHING THE CITY IS TRYING TO GIVE BACK AND MAKE CUTS WHERE WE CAN FOR THE CITIZENS. THIS IS ONE AREA THAT I'M PROUD OF THE CITY WHICH I'VE DONE. 
          SO THANK YOU. SURE. JUST A QUICK COMMENT. ALSO,
I'LL TAG ON TO THAT. 
          THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE ASKED FOR FOR SEVERAL YEARS. 
          ANYTHING FOR SENIORS IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT IS. 
          SO THIS IS A GOOD STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR UNDERSTANDING. 
          THE SENIORS DO STRUGGLE A LITTLE MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE,
AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY AS A SENIOR, I WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS CUT. SO THANK YOU. SENIORS ARE ON A FIXED INCOME AND THAT'S
REALLY DIFFICULT. 
          BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND SAY THAT WE HAVE 52 MISD CAMPUSES IN OUR CITY SOON TO
BE, I GUESS, 51. EVERY ONE OF THEM ARE A TITLE ONE SCHOOL,
WHICH MEANS 70% OF THEIR STUDENT POPULATION OR MORE FALL BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE, WHICH IS NOT AN ACTUAL POVERTY LINE. IT'S DESTITUTE. 
          AND SO I GUESS MY MY FEEDBACK WOULD BE WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG FAMILIES THAT ARE STRUGGLING
INCREDIBLY TO MAKE BILLS MEET. 
          AND ARE WE NOT SHIFTING MORE OF THE BURDEN TO YOUNG FAMILIES? TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I MEAN, THE PROGRAM WOULD TRANSFER SOME OF THAT TO THOSE THAT ARE
BELOW THE 65 LIMIT. CAN YOU TOUCH ON I KNOW IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT IN TERMS OF THE ADMINISTRATION,
BUT THE EXCLUSION OF RENTAL PROPERTIES TO ME, FOLKS THAT ARE RENTING HAVE LESS DISPOSABLE INCOME,
ARE ALREADY PAYING A RENT TAX ON THE COST OF LIVING. 
          IS THERE A MODEL IN WHICH THEY COULD BE INCLUDED? UNFORTUNATELY NOT WITHOUT ADDING STAFF AS WELL AS SOME,
AND MAINLY THAT ADDED STAFF WOULD NEED TO VERIFY ANNUALLY WHETHER A PROPERTY WOULD QUALIFY FOR THAT. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO SEE ON OCCASION SOME MISUSE OF SOME OF THESE DISCOUNT PROGRAMS. SO WE WOULD NEED TO VALIDATE. AND THAT'S A DIFFICULTY IS THERE'S REALLY NO GOOD WAY TO DO
IT WITHOUT ADDING. 
          AND I'M JUST ESTIMATING HERE WITHOUT ADDING 2 OR 3 STAFF MEMBERS THAT WOULD JUST BE
RESEARCHING AND ENSURING THAT WE HAVE SOME TYPE OF DOCUMENTATION. 
          YEAH. AND SO I JUST WANT TO RAISE THAT CONCERN. 
          MINIMUM WAGE IS 725 HASN'T GONE UP SINCE THE EARLY 2000. 
          LOTS OF OUR YOUNG WORKING FAMILIES, ENTRY LEVEL EMPLOYEES ARE SEEING A BIGGER SQUEEZE NOW
THAN EVER BEFORE. 
          [00:55:06]
AND I UNDERSTAND SENIORS ARE ON A FIXED INCOME. 
          THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE QUALIFYING IT WITH THE SENIOR EXEMPTION THAT'S ALREADY WITH THE
COUNTY A TAX ASSESSOR'S OFFICE. 
          BUT I HAVE CONCERNS. SURE. AND THOSE ARE THOSE ARE NOTED. 
          AND THOSE ARE CONCERNS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT INTERNALLY AS WELL. 
          BUT THE PROPOSAL IS WE WANT TO TO HAVE A BALANCE. 
          RIGHT. AND SO THIS WOULD BE OUR FIRST STEP IN KIND OF ADDRESSING THOSE THAT ARE
STRUGGLING. 
          YOU KNOW, IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY. I WILL NOTE THAT THE NET REVENUE IS JUST BELOW $300,000. 
          IT MOVES THAT THAT COST RECOVERY FROM ABOUT 47% DOWN TO ABOUT 27%. 
          WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. 
          THIS WOULD JUST BE A COUNCIL DECISION. AGAIN,
WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK INTO SOMETHING AND THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT WE COULD COME UP WITH, WITH OUR RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TODAY. I HAD A COMMENT AS WELL. 
          SO HERE'S, HERE'S THE RUB. ROOM IF WE CONTINUE TO GIVE DISCOUNTS OR. 
          THE $2 A MONTH PER SENIOR. I MEAN, THAT'S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          THE PROBLEM IS SOMEBODY HAS TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF CARRYING THE LOAD. 
          AND AS A SOCIETY WE'VE DONE THIS FOR A LONG TIME. 
          AND I GET COUNCILMAN KASPER'S COMMENTS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
I SEE THAT IF WE COULD ALL GET A CUT, THAT'D BE GREAT. BUT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MONEY AND NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FUND ALL THE
PROGRAMS THAT WE WANT TO DO. SO THANK YOU. 
          THIS IS A GREAT STEP IN SOME DIRECTION THAT WE THINK WE CAN GIVE SOME RELIEF TO SOME
CITIZENS. 
          IF WE CAN DO MORE IN THE FUTURE, THAT'D BE GREAT AS WELL. BUT WE CAN'T CONTINUALLY FORCE
THE BURDEN ON OTHERS. 
          RIGHT? AND I WILL NOTE THAT JUST DEMOGRAPHICS IN GENERAL,
MESQUITE HAS TRADITIONALLY HAD A HIGHER MEDIAN AGE. 
          OVER TIME WE ARE BECOMING A YOUNGER COMMUNITY. 
          SO THAT NUMBER WILL FLUCTUATE. AND I WOULD ANTICIPATE IT WOULD BE LESS OF AN IMPACT OVER
TIME. 
          BUT THAT'S WHAT THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT, THAT I HAVE TO PRESENT. 
          IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? I'M SORRY,
MISS ROSS. 
          YES, I KIND OF HAVE SOME PUSHBACK TO ON THIS DISCOUNT FOR THE SENIORS. 
          I MEAN, WE OFFER A LOT FOR SENIORS ALREADY. AND,
YOU KNOW, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN CASPER. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT ARE STRUGGLING THAT THIS IS GOING TO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE
FAIR FOR THEM. 
          I MEAN, I THINK ANYBODY LISTENING RIGHT NOW IS SAYING,
HEY, THIS IS NOT FAIR. 
          THE MAJORITY OF OUR COMMUNITY IS A YOUNGER COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE
BENEFITING FROM THIS. 
          AND I MEAN, I THINK OUR SENIORS GET DON'T THEY GET FREE ACCESS TO THE REC CENTER? I MEAN, I THINK THEY GET A PASS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR. 
          CORRECT. I MEAN, THAT'S A BENEFIT THAT THEY RECEIVE THAT THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T
RECEIVE. THEY RECEIVE A DISCOUNT TO GET INTO ANY AT THE POOLS, THEY GET A DISCOUNT. I MEAN, I THINK IN ANY EVENT,
THEY GET A DISCOUNT AS A SENIOR. 
          THEIR PROPERTY TAX RATES ARE CAPPED. SO THEY'RE NOT CONTRIBUTING MUCH MORE THAN,
YOU KNOW, THE BARE MINIMUM ON THEIR PROPERTY TAX RATE. I MEAN,
I'M, I'M ALL FOR SENIORS. 
          I MEAN I DON'T MEAN TO BE AGAINST THEM, BUT YEAH,
I, I ALSO HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT PUTTING AN UNFAIR BURDEN ON THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY WHEN THE COST OF SERVICE IS THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY. 
          I MEAN, EVERYBODY'S SAME COST OF SERVICE, WHETHER IT'S A SINGLE SENIOR OR WHETHER IT'S A
FAMILY OF FIVE, IT'S THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY. AND THAT'S HOW I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUR RATES. 
          IF WE'RE GOING TO GIVE A DISCOUNT, IT NEEDS TO BE FOR EVERYBODY AND NOT JUST FOR ONE
DEMOGRAPHIC BECAUSE THAT'S I MEAN, THAT'S NOT FAIR. SO THAT WOULD BE MY FEEDBACK ABOUT THAT. 
          MR. GREEN? YEAH, I WAS GOING TO SAY, I MEAN,
IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOME YOU'VE HEARD FROM TWO PEOPLE FOR IT TOO THAT SOUND LIKE THEY HAVE RESERVATIONS. SO IS THERE A THIRD OPTION? MAYBE SPLIT THE MIDDLE AND JUST FREEZE THE INCREASE FOR THE SENIORS THIS YEAR? SO THAT WOULD JUST BASICALLY BE A, YOU KNOW,
HALF OF WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, FOUR BUCKS A YEAR. 
          IT'S LIKE, JUST KEEP THE RATE THE SAME AND NOT INCREASE THE SENIORS THIS YEAR,
THAT KIND OF SPLITS THE MIDDLE. 
          IT'S NOT GOING TO SHIFT AS MUCH OF A BURDEN ON TO THE OTHER YOU KNOW,
PAYING ENTITIES IN THIS SITUATION. 
          SO IS THAT EVEN AN OPTION? WE COULD DO THAT OR WE JUST SAY WE'RE NOT GOING TO INCREASE IT
FOR SENIORS THIS YEAR, BUT FOR EVERYONE ELSE THAT'S GOING TO GO UP A BUCK. SURE,
ABSOLUTELY. 
          THAT'S AN OPTION THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE A COUNCIL DECISION ON WHATEVER THAT RATE IS GOING
TO BE. 
          WE DID DISCUSS THAT INTERNALLY AS WELL. WHAT WE WERE SHOOTING FOR WAS SOMETHING THAT THAT
MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A BENEFIT TO THE SENIORS. SO THAT'S WHY WE WENT $2. BUT ULTIMATELY,
AS CITY COUNCIL, YOU HAVE THE DECISION TO SET THAT RATE TO WHATEVER YOUR DESIRE IS, THEN WE ARE ALSO SEEING, YOU KNOW, MORE AND MORE RENTAL PEOPLE IN OUR CITY. 
          LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ADDING MORE APARTMENTS,
WE'RE ADDING MORE STUFF BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE NOWADAYS, THE YOUNGER FAMILY IS THE ONES 
          [01:00:05]
THAT ARE STRUGGLING SO BAD THEY PROBABLY AREN'T OWNING A HOME. 
          THEY'RE PROBABLY RENTING A HOUSE OR RENTING AN APARTMENT OR WHATEVER. AND SO HERE,
REGARDLESS, THEY WOULDN'T SEE ANY BENEFIT, EVEN REWARD A DISCOUNT EVERYONE. 
          BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE A WAY TO QUANTIFY IT. 
          AND WITH IT BEING A RENTER, IT WOULD BE NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO VERIFY THAT YOU WOULD TAKE
WHO KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'D ACTUALLY NEED TO DO THAT. 
          SO I GUESS WHEN YOU GUYS BRING THE FINAL STUFF TO US,
MAYBE THAT'S AN OPTION YOU CAN PUT OUT THERE AS WELL AND JUST SHOW THE COST RECOVERY ON THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S A 20% COST RECOVERY DROP IS A LOT. 
          SURE. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE WE'RE DEBATING ON GIVING SOMEBODY A DISCOUNT OF $2 A MONTH. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND EVERYBODY'S CONCERNS ABOUT WHY CAN'T WE GIVE THE OTHER CITIZENS. 
          BUT WE'RE TALKING A BOTTLE OF WATER IS PROBABLY $2. 
          IF I GO TO EVENT A BOTTLE OF WATER, $6. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $2 A MONTH FOR A HOUSEHOLD
THAT QUALIFIES FOR THIS EXEMPTION OR THIS CREDIT. $24 A YEAR. AND WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT WHY ISN'T EVERYBODY ELSE GETTING THIS? IT'S GOT TO START SOMEWHERE IF WE CAN GIVE BACK SOME LITTLE BIT. 
          I MEAN, SOMEBODY WILL SAY, MAKE IT $0.50. I MEAN,
AT SOME POINT IT'S NOT VIABLE EVEN DO IT. 
          I MEAN, IT'S THE MANPOWER THAT GOES BEHIND IT. 
          IT'S GOT TO BE WORTH IT. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THIS,
I APPRECIATE IT. 
          IT'S A GOOD STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I BELIEVE THAT. SO CONTINUE ON. 
          SURE NOT TO YOU KNOW, MY MY JOB IS TO PRESENT THE FACTS AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          BUT I WILL PRESENT ANOTHER FACT IS, IN MOST CASES,
OUR SENIOR HOUSEHOLDS, THEY DO GENERATE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER AMOUNTS OF TRASH WHEN IT COMES TO OUR OVERALL SYSTEM. SO I, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTION THAT FACT. 
          DOES IT COST ANY LESS EVEN IF THEY GENERATE. NO. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. DO YOU NEED FEEDBACK TODAY? I THINK WE WILL. 
          THIS WILL COME BACK WHEN WE DO THE FINAL BUDGET. 
          AND WE CAN ALWAYS DO A LINE ITEM. EITHER ADD OR SUBTRACT. 
          I'M HAPPY TO. I JUST DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING FOR TWO MINUTES INSTEAD
OF TEN MINUTES. 
          I'M GOING OFF TRACK. I THINK I THINK WE WANTED TO PRESENT IT. 
          IT'S OUT THERE. AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK SEE IF THERE'S ANOTHER SCENARIO THAT MIGHT WORK
AND PROVIDE SOME OPTIONS. 
          YEAH. WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT MR. GREEN'S AND PRESENT THAT SCENARIO ON ESSENTIALLY FREEZING
THE RATE WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT A DOLLAR IMPACT FOR SENIORS. SO WE CAN BRING THAT OPTION AS WELL AND SHOW YOU THOSE NUMBERS. 
          COUNCIL WE'RE HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF A TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY WITH THE SOUND SYSTEM. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A VERY BRIEF, BRIEF BREAK TO REBOOT THE SYSTEM. 
          AND THEN SO WE'LL COME BACK IN JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES. 
          ALL RIGHT. WE'LL RESUME WITH SOME OTHER PROPOSED FEE INCREASES. 
          AS YOU KNOW, THESE ARE CODIFIED IN THE MUNICIPAL CODE UNDER WHAT WE CALL APPENDIX D STAFF
REVIEWS THESE FEES. 
          THEY DO BENCHMARK SURVEYS OF OTHER CITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN THE SAME PLAYING FIELD, IF YOU WILL, ON WHAT WE'RE CHARGING. 
          NOT THAT THAT MATTERS, BUT WE ALSO LOOK AT OUR COST RECOVERY AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
TRYING TO RECOUP AS MUCH OF THE STAFF COSTS THAT IT TAKES TO PUT ON THESE PROGRAMS. THEY WILL THEN BRING THESE TO THE COUNCIL,
AS WE'RE DOING NOW AT BUDGET TIME, AND IF APPROVED, THEY'LL BE IMPLEMENTED. NOT MANY GOING ON OTHER THAN PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IS PRETTY MUCH LOOKING AT THEIR ENTIRE PERMIT FEES, INSPECTION FEES, P AND Z FEES AND PERMIT INCREASES. 
          PARKS AND REC, VARIOUS FEE CHANGES ON FACILITY USES RENT RENTALS,
PROGRAMS AND POOLS, LIBRARIES. 
          GOT THE NEW YOTO MINI AND TONY'S FEE VERY, VERY SMALL AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION'S UPDATING
THEIR RESERVATION FEES AND RENTAL INCREASES AT THE HISTORIC PARK AND THE FLORENCE RANCH HOMESTEAD. 
          AGAIN, AS MR. KELLY MENTIONED, THERE'S AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO FURTHER DISCUSS THE BUDGET. 
          AUGUST 3RD. AUGUST 17TH. SEPTEMBER 8TH. SEPTEMBER 8TH IS WHEN WE ANTICIPATE BRINGING THE
FEE SCHEDULE FOR YOUR APPROVAL BY ORDINANCE AT THAT MEETING. AND SO THAT WE HAVE AMPLE TIME TO GET THE WORD OUT TO AFFECTED CUSTOMERS SO
THAT THEY KNOW THAT THESE INCREASES ARE COMING. 
          [01:05:02]
WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO JUMP INTO THE SECTION I WANTED TO SPEND MORE TIME ON,
WHICH IS DEBT OR DEBT FINANCING. 
          THIS IN YOUR PACKETS, YOU'VE GOT A PROPOSED BOND SALE FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          AND THIS IS A BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WOULD BE FUNDED THROUGH
CERTIFICATES. 
          I'M SORRY, WATER AND SEWER REVENUE BONDS. BUT I JUST WANT TO PUT THIS OUT THERE THAT WE DO
PLAN AHEAD AND, AND COME UP WITH A TYPE OF CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE WILL FUND VIA BONDS,
WHETHER THOSE ARE REVENUE BONDS OR CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION OR TAX SUPPORTED GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT LATER. 
          AND THIS CERTAINLY ISN'T THE ENTIRE CAPITAL LIST. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE DO PAY ON A CASH BASIS,
OR PAY WITH CASH OR SOME OTHER FINANCING MECHANISM. 
          THIS IS WATER AGAIN, WATER AND SEWER, THE ENTERPRISE AND THE OUTSTANDING REVENUE BONDED
DEBT. 
          RIGHT NOW THIS IS JUST THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNTS,
IF YOU WILL. 
          THERE ARE CURRENTLY OUTSTANDING FROM PRIOR ISSUES 193 MILLION. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT SINCE ABOUT 2021, WE'VE MADE AN EXTENSIVE INTENTIONAL EFFORT TO BE
MORE AGGRESSIVE IN OUR OUR CAPITAL, OUR CITY CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM WHEN IT COMES TO
WATER AND SEWER REPLACING ALL THE AGED INFRASTRUCTURE IN THERE. SO IT'S, IT'S BY DESIGN. 
          AND HERE LATELY, YOU SEE IN YOUR BUDGET, WE ALSO ARE CARVING OUT SHIFTING A LITTLE BIT
MORE OF THAT TO CASH. 
          WE ARE PROGRAMING 7.5 MILLION A YEAR IN CASH FOR THESE LARGE TICKET ITEMS. NOW, WHEN WE ISSUE WATER AND SEWER REVENUE DEBT,
WE DO HAVE CERTAIN THINGS THAT GOVERN HOW MUCH WE CAN GO OUT. 
          ONE OF THE LEVERS IS CALLED A BOND COVENANT. OR WE PLEDGE TO THE BONDHOLDERS THAT WE WILL
MAINTAIN A CERTAIN MINIMUM OF REVENUE NECESSARY TO PAY OFF THE BOND PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST IF WE NEEDED TO TAP INTO
THOSE RESERVES. 
          THAT NET COVERAGE RATIO, THE MINIMUM IS 1.5%. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE WELL ABOVE THAT AND HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN ABOVE THAT COVERAGE
RATIO. 
          IN ADDITION, THE CITY HAS ITS OWN POLICIES THAT LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF DEBT THAT WE TAKE ON. 
          AND THAT POLICY IS ACTUALLY IN YOUR BINDERS OR WILL BE PASSED OUT TO YOU IF IT WASN'T
ALREADY IN THE BREAK. 
          IT'S DONE BY ORDINANCE ON ALL THESE OTHER FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT ARE ADOPTED BY
RESOLUTION, BUT THE DEBT MANAGEMENT POLICY IS BY ORDINANCE AND DESIGNED FOR PARTICULAR REASON AND BY
CITY POLICY. 
          ALL DEBT IS LIMITED TO 25% OF THE REVENUES FOR THAT PARTICULAR FUND. 
          IN THIS CASE, IT'S THE WATER AND SEWER OPERATING FUND. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE WE'RE HISTORICALLY WE'VE BEEN BELOW THAT 25% THRESHOLD. 
          INDEED. WE'RE BELOW THE 15% RANGE, IF YOU WILL,
FOR WATER AND SEWER AND KIND OF SEE IN 2022, WHAT I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF DEBT TAKEN OFF,
WE WERE ISSUING ABOUT 8 TO 9 MILLION A YEAR UP UNTIL THAT POINT WHEN STAFF MADE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO TRY TO GET A MORE AGGRESSIVE ON OUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE
AND REPLACE THESE AGED INFRASTRUCTURE THAT YOU DON'T SEE. IT'S UNDER THE GROUND. DRAINAGE UTILITY DISTRICT. 
          WE'RE NOT YOU KNOW, WE IF YOU RECALL, IN 1989,
THE STATE PASSED A LAW THAT ALLOWED US TO RAISE A FEE JUST FOR ANY ADDRESS,
ANY FLOODING OR EROSION ISSUES. 
          AND, AND WE PASSED THAT IN 92, I BELIEVE. AND YOU SAW THE CONCRETE CHANNELS AND ALL THE
INFRASTRUCTURE IN NORTH MESQUITE AND SOUTH MESQUITE THAT TOOK ALL THE WATER OUT OF THE HOMES. 
          AND RIGHT NOW, PRETTY MUCH OUR DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ARE LIMITED TO MAJOR STREET
RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, BUT ONE OF THEM IN PARTICULAR IS STREAM TWO B BE FIVE. 
          IT'S A CHANNEL THAT WILL HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE STREET FLOODING FOR MAJOR STREETS THAT
WE'RE PLANNING IN THE FUTURE. 
          BUT WE ARE LOOKING TO ISSUE 7.4 MILLION FOR CONSTRUCTION FUNDS NEXT YEAR FOR THE DUD BOND. 
          [01:10:04]
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT UP UNTIL 2019, WE NEVER ISSUED. 
          SORRY. SORRY, TED REAL QUICK. SO THE STREAM TWO B FIVE. 
          SO WHERE IS THIS STREAM. I BELIEVE I BELIEVE IT'S THE ONE RIGHT BEHIND US. 
          UNLESS THAT'S TWO BEFORE. THERE'S TWO BEFORE AND TWO B FIVE BUT IT RUNS FROM PASCO PARK UP
TO EBRIGHT UP TO GALLOWAY. 
          IT SERVES BASICALLY US 80 AREA ALL THE WAY DOWN TO PASCO PARK. 
          YEAH. AND BASICALLY THE PURPOSE OF THE DESIGN IS TO ALLOW US IT'S SUCH A LONG STRETCH. 
          WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT OVER MANY YEARS. SO WE WANT TO GET THE THE DESIGN IN AND WHEN
WE BASICALLY WHEN WE BUILD GALLOWAY IN A FEW YEARS, WE NEED TO HAVE THE DRAINAGE IN PLACE TO TO BE READY FOR IT. 
          OKAY. SO BUT IT'S EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS IS NOT LIKE OUT IN TRINITY POINT OR
SOMEPLACE WHERE IT'S PUTTING IN THE LIKE MR. KAHELE SAID. IT'S MAKING IMPROVEMENTS, WHETHER IT'S LINING A CHANNEL OR DIFFERENT TYPES OF
TECHNIQUES OF INCREASING THE CAPACITY SO THAT WHEN IMPROVEMENTS ARE DONE WITH GALLOWAY OR ANY OTHER STREET,
THAT THAT RUNOFF IS ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED AND DOESN'T FLOOD OR BACK UP ANYWHERE. 
          IT'S IT'S A IT'S A PRELIMINARY STEP TO A MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ARTERIAL. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WE ISSUED BONDS IN 2019 AND 2022 AND 2025. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THAT DOES TO THE OUTSTANDING REVENUE BONDED DEBT. 
          AND CURRENTLY WE HAVE ABOUT 12.5 MILLION IN OUTSTANDING BONDS. 
          AGAIN, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER FUND, WE MANAGE OUR DEBT BY PAYING THE ANNUAL PRINCIPAL AND
INTEREST FROM OPERATING REVENUES. 
          AND THIS IS A PERCENTAGE OF THE OPERATING FUND. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WE'VE BEEN WELL, ONE TIME WE PEAKED JUST ABOVE THE 15% THRESHOLD,
BUT THAT NET COVERAGE RATIO IS A LITTLE MORE STRINGENT FOR DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, UTILITIES. 
          AND IT'S 1.25% OF NET REVENUES. AND WE'VE BEEN WELL ABOVE THAT CRITERION AS WELL. 
          AND DEBT SERVICE FOR NEXT YEAR IS $682,075. AND THAT'S THE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST FOR
THOSE OUTSTANDING BONDS, THAT PARTICULAR ANNUAL PAYMENT,
AGAIN, WELL BELOW THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED POLICY. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION THAT WE'RE PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          LAWSON ROAD RECONSTRUCTION 15 MILLION. AND YOU KNOW,
WE PHASE IT OUT SOMETIMES WE'LL ISSUE HALF ONE YEAR AND THEN HALF THE OTHER BECAUSE ENGINEERING CERTAINLY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, GET IT ALL DONE IN ONE YEAR. 
          WE PHASE IT OUT OVER SEVERAL YEARS. GENERALLY WE TRY TO EXPEND THE BOND FUNDS WITHIN THREE
YEARS OF ISSUE. 
          WE GOT ALLEY RECONSTRUCTION. YOU CAN SEE LA PRADA THAT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER. 
          AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING FACILITY GUN RANGE AND,
AND ALSO THE ONGOING REPLACEMENT OF COMPUTERS AND ROLLING STOCK, WHICH HAS A SHORTER TERM. 
          MR. HUGHES MAY GO INTO THAT LATER, BUT THE BONDS. 
          THE CERTIFICATES ARE STRUCTURED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE THE MATURITY MATCHES THE LIFE OF
THE ASSET. 
          SO IT'S NOT A LONG TERM DEBT. WE'RE NOT PAYING INTEREST ON A VEHICLE 20 YEARS DOWN THE
ROAD. 
          CAN I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE SAM HOUSTON ROAD AND PEACHTREE INTERSECTION RECONSTRUCTION IN
THE APARTMENT COMPLEX, PAYING FOR THAT REHAB. THEY'VE ALREADY GIVEN THE CITY $2 MILLION TOWARDS THAT,
AND WE'VE BEEN USING IT TO PAY FOR DESIGN. 
          WE'LL CHIP IN THREE. SO THAT'S 5 MILLION SO FAR. 
          BUT ONCE THE DESIGN IS COMPLETE, THEN WE'LL KNOW EXACTLY PRETTY MUCH WHAT THE PROJECT
SCOPE WILL BE. 
          OKAY. BUT I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO DO THAT WHOLE INTERSECTION. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE
SCOPE IS. 
          THEY WERE NOT CONSTRUCTING IT. THEY PROVIDED FUNDING TO THE CITY TO OFFSET THE THE COST OF
THE PROJECT. 
          SO THEY WEREN'T. THEY WEREN'T GOING TO DO THE WORK BECAUSE IT WAS INVOLVED A LOT OF
DRAINAGE AND ALL OF THAT. 
          RIGHT. SO AND THE THEIR AGREEMENT WAS THAT THEY CONTRIBUTED $3 MILLION TOWARDS THAT
PROJECT AND PART OF BRUTON ROAD AS WELL. 
          THEY MADE EXTENSIVE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ON THEIR DIME,
FOR SURE. 
          BUT THIS IS THE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, THE ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS. 
          [01:15:01]
ALL RIGHT. FOLLOW UP QUESTION. SO THAT INTERSECTION THAT'S JUST FOR THE INTERSECTION IS
THAT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF BRUTON ROAD AS WELL FROM BRUTON. 
          NOT THE NOT THE RECONSTRUCTION. BRUTON. NO, IT'S JUST THAT AREA OF THE INTERSECTION. 
          SO FIVE POINT INTERSECTION THERE. LET'S CALL IT FIVE POINTS. 
          IT USED TO BE CALLED PROBABLY STILL IS. ESTIMATED COST IS $6 MILLION FOR THE INTERSECTION. 
          IF WE'RE SAYING 3 MILLION, THEY PUT IN 2 TO 3 MILLION. 
          THAT'S $6 MILLION FOR THAT COULD BE THE DESIGN IS NOT COMPLETE. 
          ONCE THE ENGINEERING DESIGN IS COMPLETED, THEN WE'LL KNOW BASICALLY WHAT THE SCOPE IS,
AND THEN STAFF WILL TAKE IT FROM THERE. 
          AND THE 3 MILLION MAY BE ADJUSTED LATER, MIGHT GO DOWN,
IT MIGHT GO UP. 
          BUT ONCE THE CONSTRUCTION PLANS ARE ADVERTISED AND RECEIVED BIDS,
THEN WE HAVE A BETTER KNOWN KNOWING OF WHEN THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS. 
          SO FOLLOW UP QUESTION. THE ALLEY RECONSTRUCTION IS THAT 3 MILLION,
IN ADDITION TO WHAT'S ALREADY THERE, OR IS THAT 3 MILLION TOTAL? THAT'S 3 MILLION NEW MONEY FOR ALLEYS. 
          DOESN'T DISCOUNT ANYTHING WE'VE ALREADY PLANNED TO DATE AND ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. 
          THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW. IT'S NEW ALLEYS. NEW ALLEYS. 
          I GOT A QUICK QUESTION BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO ASK THAT SAME THING. CAN WE REVISIT THAT? BECAUSE I COULD HAVE SWORN THE SAME THING THAT WE'RE QUESTIONING THAT THAT WAS PART OF THE
TRADE OFF, THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO THE RECONSTRUCTION WITH THE PARKLAND AND ALL THAT TRADE OFF. 
          SO THEY THE $3 MILLION THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE CITY WAS TO OFFSET THE COST OF THE
INTERSECTION. 
          AND AT THE TIME THAT THAT WAS BASICALLY JUST TO REPAVE AND DO DO SOME THINGS. 
          WE ARE EXPANDING THE SCOPE A LITTLE BIT TO MAKE IT WORK. 
          THERE ARE THE DESIGN SCOPE IS LOOKING AT CHANGING IT FROM A FIVE LEGGED INTERSECTION TO A
FOUR LEGGED INTERSECTION AND DOING SOME OTHER DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL HELP THE AREA. SO IT'S NOT DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE TRAFFIC IMPACT THAT
THEY ARE IMPACTING. 
          WE ARE PROPOSING WE HAVEN'T MADE ANY DECISIONS,
BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT OPTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THAT INTERSECTION FUNCTIONS. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE THE POTENTIAL INCREASE IS COMING. 
          SO WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF DESIGN. NO SCOPE HAS BEEN AGREED UPON. 
          AND IF WE WANT TO COME BACK AND LOOK. BUT YES,
THE ORIGINAL INTENT WAS THEY WERE GOING TO PAY FOR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS. 
          BUT AS WE GOT INTO IT AND LOOKED AT IT, WE FELT WE COULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          AND IF THE CITY ADDS ON TO THAT, WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB THAN JUST GOING OUT THERE AND
ADDING A FEW LANES AND A COUPLE SIGNAL HEADS. 
          SO, SO ANOTHER FOLLOW UP TO THAT. IS THERE ANY OTHER CITIES IN THAT FIVE POINT AREA OR IS
THAT JUST MESQUITE INTERSECTION? THAT IS PART OF THE ASSUMPTION AS WELL IS THAT THERE IS A BALCH SPRINGS HAS A HAS A LEG IN
THAT INTERSECTION. 
          AND WE WERE WOULD LOOK TO DALLAS COUNTY TO HELP US PARTICIPATE IN THAT AS WELL. 
          BUT WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL WE FINALIZE THE DESIGN STAFF'S JUST PROPOSING TO HAVE MONEY
IN THE BOND SALE AND BE READY TO GO. 
          BECAUSE THAT APARTMENT COMPLEX IS GETTING READY TO OPEN,
AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT KICKING THIS FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. 
          THE LENGTH OF TIME TO DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT PUTS US FURTHER OUT. 
          SO WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE THE FUNDS READY. IF FOR SOME REASON WE DON'T NEED THE ADDITIONAL
FUNDS, THEN WE WON'T USE THEM. WE'RE JUST I THINK STAFF IS ANTICIPATING A LITTLE BIT HIGHER COST
THAN THE 3 MILLION. 
          I'M NOT SURE, TED, IF YOU CAN ANSWER THIS OR NOT,
BUT SO WE GET THE NEW INTERSECTION. 
          WILL THAT BE ABOUT THE SAME TIME WE REDO BRUTON ROAD FROM THAT INTERSECTION TO 635? NO, SIR. SO THAT'LL BE DONE AT SEPARATE TIMES BECAUSE,
I MEAN, IF I'M GOT AN INTERSECTION, BUT I'M DRIVING TO THE HIGHWAY AND THE POTHOLES ARE HORRIFIC,
WE WILL REDO WE WILL DO A OVERLAY ON BRUTON THAT WAS THE INTENT WAS WHEN WE DO THE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, WE WILL DO AN OVERLAY. 
          WE DON'T HAVE THE $10 MILLION PLUS HALF OF BRUTON IS BALCH SPRINGS AND. 
          OH, GOOD, GOOD. SO THERE THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLEXITIES TO THIS,
BUT AT NO TIME WHEN WE APPROVED THAT DEVELOPMENT DID WE COMMIT TO REBUILDING ALL OF BRUTON ALL THE WAY TO. 
          635. WE APPROVED AN INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT AND AN OVERLAY OF BRUTON TO,
TO BRING IT UP. 
          BUT AGAIN, WORKING WITH ANOTHER ENTITY LIKE BALCH SPRINGS AND TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH
DALLAS COUNTY, 
          [01:20:04]
THOSE TAKE A FEW YEARS, BUT WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL WE HAVE A FINAL DESIGN. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE I HAVE A QUESTION AS WELL. WHAT CAN WE GET DALLAS COUNTY IN ON ANY OF
THAT INTERSECTION FUNDING? I MEAN, WE ARE GOING TO APPROACH DALLAS COUNTY,
BUT I CANNOT APPROACH DALLAS COUNTY WITHOUT A FULLY SET OF DESIGN PLANS. 
          OKAY. MY APOLOGIES. CAPITAL PROJECTS COMES LATER IN THE PROCESS. 
          I WAS ONLY ILLUSTRATING THE FACT THAT WE ARE GOING OUT FOR DEBT. 
          GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT. HERE'S A SNAPSHOT OF OUR CURRENT OUTSTANDING GENERAL OBLIGATION
DEBT. 
          331 MILLION. THAT'S JUST THE PRINCIPAL. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE MAJOR SPIKES THERE ARE
RELATED TO THE REAL TEXAS ROAD BOND REFERENDUM. WHEN WE TOOK IT TO THE VOTERS FOR THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS,
THE VOTER APPROVED BONDS 33.6 MILLION. 
          THAT WAS AFTER 45 MILLION THAT WAS ISSUED IN 2016. 
          16.5, 16.5, 16.5. AND WE JUST ISSUED THE LAST AUTHORIZATION OF 16.85 MILLION. THIS IS WHERE THE FOCUS OF WHAT I WANT TO DISCUSS ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE GUARDRAILS ON THE AMOUNT OF DEBT THAT WE ISSUE. 
          AGAIN, THE CITY POLICY IS 25%. WE BUDGET ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. 
          WE ISSUE BONDS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. WE ARE AN ANNUAL ISSUER OF,
OF DEBT, WHICH MEANS NEW OLD DEBT ROLLS OFF, NEW DEBT ROLLS ON. BUT WE MANAGE THOSE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST PAYMENTS IN THE ANNUAL
BUDGET PROCESS. 
          AND FOR NEXT YEAR, WE'RE PROJECTING 29.1 MILLION IN IN TAX RELATED DEBT TO BE PAID BY THE
GENERAL FUND. WE ALSO HAVE OTHER SUPPORTING FUNDS TO PAY FOR GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT SERVICE. 
          YOU'LL SEE THAT IN YOUR SCHEDULES AS WELL. ABOUT 9 MILLION OF THE DEBT SERVICE IS PAID BY
OTHER FUNDS FOR THEIR PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF WHATEVER PROJECT WAS FINANCED IN THE PAST. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WE ALSO HAVE A LIMITATION ON OUR DEBT RATE. 
          OUR TAX RATE, IF YOU RECALL, OUR TAX RATE, $0.70 IS MADE UP OF TWO COMPONENTS. 
          ONE IS FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS PAY FOR THE ONGOING DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS OF THE
CITY, AND THE OTHER IS REQUIRED TO GO INTO AN INTEREST AND SINKING FUND TO PAY FOR DEBT SERVICE. 
          AND THAT DEBT RATE IS CURRENTLY 20.11 $0.08 OF THAT 70.4692 CENT TAX RATE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. IT'S PROJECTED TO GO DOWN MAINLY DUE TO SALES TAX. 
          BUT ALSO WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA ON AUGUST 6TH IS WHEN THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR WILL
HAVE OUR NO NEW REVENUE RATE AND OUR VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR PERCENTAGE IS ACTUALLY COME DOWN OVER THE
YEARS. 
          WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR THAT LIMITATION OF 40% OF THE TOTAL TAX RATE,
28% 29% IN RECENT YEARS. 
          AND AS FAR AS THE PERCENT OF THE GENERAL FUND REVENUES PER POLICY,
IT'S WELL BELOW 15%. 
          WE'RE RIGHT IN THAT AREA WHERE THAT IS AFFORDABLE. 
          SO EACH YEAR WE PROJECT REVENUE INCREASE OR ASSESSED VALUATION INCREASE. 
          SO YOU HAVE MORE REVENUE, YOU CAN AFFORD MORE DEBT SERVICE. 
          SO WE DON'T ALWAYS GO OUT AND RAISE THE TAX RATE FOR TO PAY FOR DEBT. 
          THAT'S ONLY WHEN IT COMES TO LARGE TICKET ITEMS SUCH AS THE REAL TEXAS ROAD BOND PROGRAM. 
          AND POSSIBLY IF THE COUNCIL GIVES DIRECTION AND VOTERS WOULD VOTE ON THE REGIONAL
RECREATION CENTER CONCEPT. 
          THAT TYPE OF FACILITY IS SUCH A HUGE INCREASE OF DEBT THAT WE DO NEED TO STRUCTURE IN A
TAX RATE INCREASE TO TO, TO, TO MANAGE THAT DEBT BECAUSE WE CAN'T FIT IT IN THE,
IN THE BUDGET YEAR AFTER YEAR. 
          I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUESTION OF THE DEBT THAT WE'RE PAYING. 
          DO YOU KNOW WHAT INTEREST RATE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PAYING? IT VARIES EVERY TIME WE GO OUT TO ISSUE. LIKE I SAID,
WE'RE AN ANNUAL ISSUER. 
          TYPICALLY WE ISSUE IN THE SUMMER AND IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE MUNICIPAL BOND MARKET AND OF. 
          [01:25:02]
LATELY. MR. HUGHES COULD PROBABLY HE'S GOT A BETTER FEEL FOR IT THAN I DO,
BUT GENERALLY AROUND 4% IS WHAT THE INTEREST TRUE INTEREST COSTS HAVE BEEN LATELY. JUST LIKE SOMETIMES PEOPLE REFINANCE THEIR HOMES BECAUSE INTEREST
RATES GO DOWN. 
          DO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AT ANY TIME TO REFINANCE OUR DEBT TO A LOWER INTEREST? AND HAVE WE DONE THAT? WE DO, WE DO AND WE DID. 
          WE DID THIS PAST BOND. WE WE REFINANCED A LOT OF THAT 2016 DEBT. 
          1514. WE ROLLED IN. WE HAVE A POLICY THAT IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE 3% SAVINGS, THEN WE'LL REFINANCE THAT. OF COURSE, THAT JUST GETS BUNDLED INTO ANOTHER AMORTIZATION
SCHEDULE 20 YEARS OUT. 
          BUT THE TRUE SAVINGS, IF IT'S 3% OR MORE MR. HUGHES CAN SPEAK ON THAT. 
          AND BY DOING THAT, WE DO REDUCE OUR, OUR DEBT OBLIGATION. 
          WE REDUCE OUR LONG TERM INTEREST COSTS. OKAY. 
          BUT WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT REDUCING THE PRINCIPAL. 
          WE'RE PAYING OFF THE PRINCIPAL THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED TO THAT POINT,
BUT THEN WE RESTRUCTURE IT INTO A LOWER INTEREST GOING FORWARD. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. TO OVER HERE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND JUST BECAUSE, AGAIN, I'M NEW HERE, BUT THE 2017 NUMBERS,
IF I'M LOOKING AT THEM, THEY WERE 13% OF THE GROSS REVENUE AND AT A MUCH HIGHER RATE. 
          WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE THERE? LIKE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW WOULD THAT HAVE
AFFECTED THE CITY BACK THEN AS OPPOSED TO NOW? BECAUSE THOSE SEEM LIKE REALLY HIGH, HIGH NUMBERS. 
          SO I'M JUST TRYING TO SMALLER TAX BASE, SMALLER,
SMALLER GENERAL FUND. 
          IT'S PROPORTIONATE TO THE AMOUNT OF REVENUES. 
          OKAY. SO THAT'S WHAT THAT IS. THAT'S WHY IT'S PROBABLY DOUBLE WHAT IT WAS TEN YEARS AGO. 
          YEAH. OKAY. SO THAT'S WHAT THAT DISPARITY IS WHY IT LOOKS THIS WAY. 
          YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND SO AS FAR AS HOW WE COMPARE WITH OTHER CITIES, AGAIN, WE DON'T COMPARE OURSELVES TO DALLAS,
BUT OUR PEER CITIES THAT WE BENCHMARK AGAINST. 
          YOU CAN SEE THAT MESQUITE HAS THE SECOND LOWEST DEBT PER CAPITA. 
          THIS IS MORE OF A COMPARISON. APPLES TO APPLES ON THE DEBT LOAD OR DEBT BURDEN TO A
MESQUITE RESIDENT VERSUS A RESIDENT IN SOME OTHER CITY, POSSIBLY A MORE AFFLUENT CITY SUCH AS PLANO. 
          BUT YOU CAN SEE WE ALSO HAVE THE LOWEST TAX BASE,
THE LOWEST TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUATION. 
          AND AND YES, WE HAVE A HEALTHY, OUTSTANDING DEBT BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO AGGRESSIVELY
REBUILD THOSE ROADS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS REBUILT. IT COSTS MONEY. 
          SO WE HAVE 331 MILLION IN OUTSTANDING DEBT. AND WE'LL TAKE ON NEW DEBT EACH YEAR GOING
FORWARD. 
          BUT AGAIN, WITHIN OUR BUDGET. AND YET WE STILL HAVE THE LOWEST PER CAPITA. 
          THAT'S BASED ON POPULATION. WE HAVE THE LOWEST PER CAPITA. 
          BURDEN OF DEBT AMONG THOSE COMPARISON CITIES. 
          AND ALSO THERE'S ONE OTHER POLICY LIMITATION THAT'S IN YOUR DEBT MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE. 
          AND THAT'S THAT THE TOTAL OUTSTANDING GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT,
THE TAX SUPPORTED DEBT CANNOT BE MORE THAN 5% OF THAT TAX BASE THAT ASSESSED VALUATION. AND RIGHT NOW IT'S AT 2.1. 
          AND WE WOULD HAVE TO ISSUE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF NEW DEBT TO EVEN APPROACH
THAT 5% THRESHOLD. 
          I JUST WANT TO. MR.. YES, SIR. HEY, TED, HOW DID WE COME UP? I'M LIKE COUNCILMAN COUNCILWOMAN ROSS. HOW DO WE COME UP WITH THE SEVEN CITIES OF THE
COMPARABLE TO COMPARISONS TO IT? THIS IS TED CHEN SPEAKING. IN THE, IN THE EARLY 90S WE WERE AN INNER FIRST TIER SUBURBAN
CITY, JUST LIKE PLANO RICHARDSON GARLAND, FIRST TIER. 
          THE, THE IDEA OF A FRISCO ALLEN WASN'T EVEN ON ANYBODY'S RADAR. 
          I MEAN, UNLESS YOU'RE A PLANNER OVER AT THE COG. 
          BUT ALL THESE FIRST TIER CITIES COMPETE WITH ONE ANOTHER FOR TALENT RESOURCES. 
          AND SO WE BENCHMARKED AGAINST THESE CITIES TO RECRUIT TALENT,
NAMELY FIRE AND POLICE PERSONNEL. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHY THAT SURVEY CITY HAS STAYED WITH US ALL THIS TIME. 
          NOW WE CAN CERTAINLY, FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES,
EXPAND THAT NUMBER OF CITIES THAT YOU BENCHMARK AGAINST. 
          [01:30:01]
BUT THAT'S WHERE IT BEGAN. IT BEGAN WITH PUBLIC SAFETY COMPENSATION. 
          AND WHAT YEAR WAS THAT AGAIN? IT WAS IN THE EARLY 90S. 
          I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT. SO 30 PLUS YEARS AGO. 
          OH YEAH. 1991. AND IT WAS NOT WASN'T ADOPTED BY RESOLUTION TO MY KNOWLEDGE. 
          IT WAS JUST A SOMETHING COUNCIL DECIDED IN A,
IN A MEETING. 
          AND AT THAT TIME, AT THAT TIME WE BENCHMARK AGAINST THE OTHER CITIES AND WE HAD A POLICY
TO COMPENSATE FIRE AND POLICE AT 5% ABOVE THAT MIDPOINT AVERAGE OF WHATEVER THE PAY SCALE WAS AT THE TIME. 
          SO JUST CLARIFY THAT. THAT'S FOR BOTH FIRE AND POLICE. 
          CORRECT. EQUALLY FIRE AND POLICE EQUALLY. AND I DON'T KNOW WHEN PARITY STARTED EITHER. 
          BUT BUT THAT'S WHY WE BENCHMARKED AGAINST THESE CITIES IS BECAUSE IT WAS BACK IN THE 90S
FIRST TIER SUBURBS. 
          THAT'S WHO THAT'S WHO WE'RE BENCHMARKING AGAINST FOR TALENT,
RESOURCES, THAT KIND OF THING. 
          MR. CASPER. MR. CASPER, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE LINE GRAPH? TWO SLIDES PREVIOUSLY. THE OUTSTANDING GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND DEBT. 
          THE BIG DRIVER OBVIOUSLY RURAL TEXAS ROAD PROJECT VOTER APPROVED BACK IN 2015. 
          WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE OTHER HIGH TICKET ITEMS THAT HAVE MAYBE IN THE OFF YEARS,
DRIVEN SOME OF THE BOND BEING ISSUED? GOOD. GOOD POINT. BECAUSE THAT THOSE YEARS JUST CONTAIN THE REAL TEXAS ROADS. 
          NOT NOT SINGLED OUT. HERE'S ALL THE ROADS THAT WE ISSUE DEBT FOR SINCE 2017. 
          GOSH, MOTLEY DRIVE COMES TO MIND. CERTAINLY MORE RECENTLY LUCAS BOULEVARD THAT WAS 40
MILLION TOWN EAST BOULEVARD. 
          YEAH. GUS THOMASSON TOWN EAST. I MEAN, THERE'S JUST A WHOLE HOST OF ROADS THAT I. 
          MAJOR PROJECTS. MAJOR PROJECT. YES. MAJOR PROJECTS. 
          FIRE STATIONS? YEAH. WHAT ABOUT FOR ANY OF THE NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS? HAS THERE BEEN ANY SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT HAD TO GO INTO BOND DEBT? IF. NO. IF IT WAS, IT WOULD BE THE DEVELOPER PUTTING IN THAT ON THEIR DIME. 
          WE DO HAVE SOME CONDUIT DEBT, WHICH IS NOT BACKED BY THE TAX PAYER IN THE FORM OF BONDS OR
SPECIAL REVENUE BONDS. 
          SPEAKING OF SOLTERRA, POLO RIDGE, HEARTLAND TRAIL,
WIND AND IRONHORSE. 
          YEAH. OKAY. BUT MAJOR THOROUGHFARE REDOS. THAT. 
          OH, YEAH. THAT'S THAT WAS THAT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST PROPORTIONATE. 
          THE REASON I'M BRINGING UP IS THERE HAVE BEEN SOME RESIDENTS THAT ARE,
I GUESS, CONCERNED THAT THEIR, THE CITY'S OVERALL DEBT IS BEING DRIVEN BY NEW DEVELOPMENT,
PARTICULARLY IN THE SOUTH. 
          I WOULD SAY, WELL, ROADS WERE ALL USING ITS FIRE COVERAGE THAT WE'RE ALL ENJOYING. 
          WELL, THE RESIDENTS NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT AS WE GREW,
WE BACK IN THE DAY, WE COULD ANNEX INVOLUNTARY ANNEX. 
          AND IN THE 80S, A LOT OF THE ROADS THAT WE HAVE. 
          LAWSON, LUCAS, THOSE WERE COUNTY ROADS, EVEN MESQUITE VALLEY,
THOSE WERE COUNTY ROADS THAT WE JUST ANNEXED IN. 
          AND OF COURSE, THE DEVELOPERS PUT IN THE ROADWAYS WITHIN THE SUBDIVISIONS. 
          BUT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, BUT NOW WITH ALL THE RESIDENTS AND MORE TRAFFIC,
MORE CARS, THE COUNTY ROADS JUST CAN'T SUPPORT ALL THAT AND THEY'RE DETERIORATING. 
          WE KEPT IT UP AS BEST WE CAN UNTIL WE COULD GET TO HIM. 
          AND NOW WE'RE GOT LUCAS DONE. NOW WE'RE GETTING TO LAWSON. 
          SO IT'S JUST A A DYNAMIC, BUT IT'S A FUNCTION OF HOW WE ANNEXED AREA OVER TIME. 
          THANK YOU, MISTER, AND I JUST WANTED TO JUST FOLLOW UP ON THAT AS WELL,
BECAUSE I THINK BACK TO THE STREET BOND AND WHEN THAT GOT STARTED, 2015, 2016, BEFORE THEN, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE IMPROVEMENTS ON ANY ROADS ANYWHERE
AROUND THE CITY OF MESQUITE. 
          AND OF COURSE, WE SEE THIS GRAPH STARTING TO GO UP. 
          AND WE HAVE TO THINK, WHERE ARE THESE FUNDS GOING TO COME FROM? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO $40 MILLION FOR THIS AND THAT. 
          AND, AND THERE WE SEE THAT GRAPH GOING UP BECAUSE OF THE DEBT SERVICE. 
          BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'RE THE PROBABLY THE FIRST SUBURB OUT OF IN OUR CITY OF
DALLAS AREA. 
          AND OUR, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS OUR TOP PRIORITY ARE ROADS OR STREETS. 
          AND PEOPLE ARE SAYING WE NEED TO GET THESE STREETS DONE,
EXPENSE, THE EXPENSIVE COST OF THE CEMENT AND ALL THAT. 
          AND SO THERE'S THAT GRAPH AND IT GOES BACK TO 2015 2016. 
          SO, MR. GREEN, GO AHEAD. BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT COMMENT BECAUSE I APPRECIATE YOU
SHARING THAT. THIS THIS JUST SHOWS THE OUTSTANDING DEBT THAT'S BEEN ISSUED NOW. 
          [01:35:07]
AND WE'VE PROGRAMED IN HOW WE'RE GOING TO PAY FOR IT GOING FORWARD. 
          THAT'S IN OUR BUDGET. AND AS FAR AS THE RURAL TEXAS ROADS,
THAT'S FOR TWO LANE RESIDENTIAL STREETS ONLY, MAINLY A FUNCTION OF THE OLDER SUBDIVISIONS THAT WERE BUILT IN THE 50S,
60S THAT DIDN'T HAVE ADEQUATE DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE TIME. 
          THAT WAS THE MODEL OF HOW YOU BUILT A SUBDIVISION. 
          AND OF COURSE, WATER IS AN ENEMY OF ROADS. AND SO IT GETS IN THERE AND BREAKS UP THE BASE
OF THE ROADWAY. 
          SO THAT'S WHY RESIDENTIAL STREETS WERE SUCH A PROBLEM. 
          AND WE'VE ADDRESSED THAT. WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE PROGRAM. 
          WE'VE STILL GOT 13.1 MILLION IN THESE BONDS THAT ARE LOOKING TO BE SPENT. 
          SO IT'LL BE PROBABLY ANOTHER 3 OR 4 YEARS BEFORE WE ACTUALLY FINISH SPENDING MONEY ON THE
REAL TEXAS ROADS. 
          MR. GREEN, THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO I WANT TO GO BACK TO COUNCILMAN COMMENTS. 
          LOOKING AT THE SAME CHART 30 PLUS YEARS AGO,
AND WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT ADDRESSING THE COMPARABLE CITIES. 
          SOME OF THESE CITIES MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE FOR US TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO. 
          WHY ARE WE COMPARING OURSELVES TO PLATO? GEOGRAPHICALLY,
DON'T MAKE SENSE. 
          IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FROM A LOT OF PERSPECTIVES. 
          IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU'RE BENCHMARKING. YEAH,
I THINK I THINK THERE'S A LONGER DISCUSSION THERE IF COUNCIL WANTS TO GET INTO IT. 
          WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME OTHER OPTIONS OVER THE YEARS. 
          AND THIS IS JUST TRADITIONALLY WITH FINANCIAL PRESENTATIONS,
JUST SO WE CAN KIND OF STAY CONSISTENT OVER THE YEARS AND, AND TRACK WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BENCHMARKED AGAINST THESE CITIES. 
          BUT IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO TAKE A LOOK, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY MOVE
FORWARD WITH. 
          YEAH. SO BECAUSE LIKE WHEN YOU HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT STUFF,
THE DISCUSSIONS YOU ALWAYS GET IS, OH, WELL, FOR ME IS GETTING THIS OR THE CITY'S GETTING THAT. 
          LIKE THEY'RE EITHER PEOPLE EITHER LOOKING AT GEOGRAPHIC BECAUSE THEY'RE LOOKING AT
NEIGHBORING CITIES, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THEY ALSO GO AND SPEND MONEY AND STUFF TOO. 
          SO IT NEEDS TO BE GEOGRAPHIC IN NATURE OR IT NEEDS TO BE COMPARABLE TO LIKE THE TAX BASE
AND LIKE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. 
          LIKE, SO I DON'T KNOW NECESSARILY THAT OUR COMPARABLE CITIES WOULD BE THE SAME WHEN WE'RE
LOOKING AT EVERY CATEGORY. 
          ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPARABLES MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN TAX BASE. 
          LIKE IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. 
          I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US, YOU KNOW, HAVE,
YOU KNOW, 30 PLUS YEARS AGO, YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY WE HAVE NOW TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A REALLY GOOD COMPARISON WITH SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT ARE OUT THERE NOWADAYS. 
          WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRULY COMPARE, YOU KNOW,
MORE APPLES TO APPLES AND NOT PUT US IN THE SAME CATEGORY. 
          WITH AN ARLINGTON, WE'LL NEVER HAVE THE SAME TAX BASE AS ARLINGTON. 
          THEY'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE MAJOR SPORTS FRANCHISES. 
          PLANO IS ABOUT THAT ONE OVER THERE. LIKE IT'S JUST NOT A FAIR COMPARISON TO EXPECT US TO
EVER GET ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THAT OR TO, YOU COMPETE IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THAT IS JUST UNREALISTIC. 
          SO, WELL, WE DID AN EXERCISE JUST RECENTLY LOOKING AT HOW TO DO SOME COMPARISONS. 
          AND WE'LL BRING THAT BACK TO COUNCIL. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE NEED TO DO THAT NOW. WE CAN
KIND OF SHOW THE PEOPLE OUT THERE SAY, LOOK, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE AT. BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK AT THIS CHART, IT KIND OF IT MAKES IT TURNS MY STOMACH A LITTLE BIT TO SEE HOW LOW WE ARE. 
          WITH AS MUCH PROGRESS AS KIM AND HER TEAM HAVE MADE TO BRING IN INDUSTRY AND EVERYTHING IN
OUR CITY, AND IT'S GONE UP A LOT, BUT WE'RE STILL NOWHERE CLOSE TO THESE CITIES. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF A SAD THING. LIKE, I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD REPRESENTATION FOR THE
HARD WORK THAT OUR STAFF HAS PUT IN. 
          I THINK WE'VE DONE A LOT MORE AS A CITY THAN WHAT THIS CHART SHOWS. 
          SO OKAY. WENT OVER A LITTLE BIT. IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES,
BUT HERE'S THE TIMELINE FOR COUNCIL ACTION. OF COURSE, I MENTIONED THE CERTIFIED TAX ROLL COMES OUT JULY 25TH. 
          WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING ON AUGUST 3RD. PERHAPS WE CAN SHOW THE RESULTS OF THE CERTIFIED
ROLL HOW THAT IMPACTS OUR BUDGET. 
          PROPOSED BUDGET? THE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR IS SUPPOSED TO DELIVER OUR NO NEW REVENUE AND,
AND VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE CALCULATIONS. 
          CITY ON AUGUST 7TH. HOWEVER, IF THERE IS A DESIRE TO GO FOR VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE
ELECTION THAT NEEDS TO BE KNOWN NEXT WEEK AT THE LATEST, BECAUSE AUGUST 3RD WOULD HAVE TO BE THE THE VOTE,
THE RECORD VOTE TO SET THE TAX RATE. AND EVERYTHING'S ACCELERATED AT THAT POINT. 
          HOWEVER, WITHOUT A TAX RATE, WE'VE GOT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 20 ON THE 17TH OF AUGUST. 
          COUNCIL HAS TO TAKE ACTION, VOTE FOR IT THEN,
OR POSTPONE TO THE SEPTEMBER 8TH. 
          BUT SEPTEMBER 8TH IS WHEN WE PLAN ON ADOPTING THE TAX RATE. 
          AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE IS AND WHAT THE
ADOPTED TAX RATE WILL BE. 
          WITH THAT, WE HAVE JASON HUGHES, SENIOR. I JUST WANTED TO PUT A RECAP. 
          I KNOW HILLTOP'S COMING UP BECAUSE I THINK WE GOT 4 OR 5 MONTHS OF KIND OF PEACE AND
GOVERNING, 
          [01:40:04]
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF CANDIDATES,
YOU KNOW, GOING OUT AND MIS EDUCATING. 
          MY TAKEAWAY FROM THIS SUBSTANTIAL DEBT FINANCING CONVERSATION IS THAT OUR WATER SEWER
DEBT, OUR DRAINAGE DEBT, AND THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT DEBT ARE ALL WELL BELOW THE CITY POLICY
LIMITATION LEVELS WE SET. 
          AND ALSO THEY'RE ALL RATED EITHER DOUBLE A OR TRIPLE A WITH DRAINAGE OR DRAINAGE. 
          UTILITY BOND CREDIT IS TRIPLE A FOR STANDARD POOR'S AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS DOUBLE A BY
BOTH AGENCIES. 
          AND EVEN WITH THE OTHER CITIES IN THAT CONVERSATION TO THE SIDE,
MESQUITE HAS THE SECOND LOWEST DEBT PER CAPITA OF THOSE COMPARISON CITIES. 
          THAT IS CORRECT. AND THAT THAT SOURCE WAS THE MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COUNCIL OF TEXAS AS OF
JUNE 29TH. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. AND WITH THAT, BRING UP JASON. 
          YOU ALL KNOW MR. HUGHES. HE'LL JUST TOUCH ON BASICALLY THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF DEBT AND WHY
WE IN PARTICULAR CHOOSE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION WHEN WE CAN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,
MAYOR AND COUNCIL. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. 
          YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE THIS. 
          THE SAME PRESENTATION IS GOING TO BE ON THE SCREEN BEHIND ME. 
          SO ONE THING I COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK WHENEVER COUNCIL MEMBER GREEN WAS GIVEN THE PRAYER, HE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BEING AWAKE. I REALLY FEEL LIKE HE WAS FOCUSED ON THIS PART
OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION. 
          SO I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST TO GO THROUGH. YEAH,
EXACTLY. 
          EXACTLY. SO I TAKE NO OFFENSE TO THAT. SO TYPICALLY WHENEVER I'M IN FRONT OF YOU,
USUALLY IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TO START A BOND ISSUANCE PROCESS. FOR INSTANCE, MAYBE YOU'RE DOING THE NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE COS,
OR MAYBE WE'RE AT THE BACK PART OF THAT AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE HAD THE BOND ISSUANCE OR BOND SALE SUBJECT TO YOUR APPROVAL. SO A COUPLE OF THINGS I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH TODAY. 
          I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR DEBT. THAT'S OUTSTANDING. I'LL TALK ABOUT THE
TYPES OF DEBT THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE AVAILABLE. 
          I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PEER CITIES. 
          I WON'T GET TOO FAR INTO THE WEEDS ON THAT. AND THEN I'LL WRAP UP AND TALK ABOUT THE
CREDIT RATINGS. 
          LET'S SEE HERE. SO LET ME FIRST START FIRST TYPE OF DEBT THAT WE HAVE GENERAL OBLIGATION
BONDS. 
          AND MR. CHEN TALKED ABOUT THIS NOVEMBER 2015,
YOU HAD $125 MILLION BOND ELECTION. 
          JUST TO GIVE SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT TO THAT,
THE INFORMATION THAT I HAD, THE BOND ELECTION PRIOR TO THAT WAS IN 1990 FOR 9.9 MILLION FOR PARKS. BEFORE THAT, 1980 FOR $50 MILLION FOR STREET. 
          SO IT HAD BEEN SOME TIME BEFORE THAT 2015 BOND ELECTION FOR 1.25 MILLION GEO BONDS,
AGAIN SUBJECT TO A BOND ELECTION. 
          AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, THAT'S A SIMPLE MAJORITY TO PASS THAT ONCE YOU OR ONCE YOUR
CITIZENS PASS THAT BOND ELECTION, THAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT BUT NOT THE OBLIGATION TO ISSUE GEO BONDS. 
          AND YOU CAN ISSUE THOSE, GENERALLY SPEAKING,
AT ANY TIME OF YOUR CHOOSING. 
          TYPICAL PROJECTS. AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, YOUR LARGE SCALE CITY HALL RELATED TYPE ITEMS,
QUALITY OF LIFE PARKS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE AS WELL AS STREETS. AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS TEXAS STATUTE
PROVIDES WITHIN GEO BONDS THE ABILITY TO REFINANCE EXISTING DEBT AND COUNCIL MEMBER YOU ASK ABOUT THAT, AGAIN,
THIS WOULD BE AKIN TO REFINANCING YOUR HOME MORTGAGE, WHERE WE'RE TAKING HIGHER INTEREST RATE DEBT,
TRADING IT OUT FOR LOWER INTEREST RATE DEBT. 
          QUITE OFTEN TOO, WE ARE ACTUALLY REDUCING THE PRINCIPAL AND OR PAYING OFF PRINCIPAL
QUICKER. 
          AND SO THAT'S NICE. AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I WOULD ADD IS WHENEVER WE GO OUT AND WE
REFUND DEBT, WE KEEP THE SAME FINAL TERM ON THAT DEBT. SO WE'RE NOT EXTENDING IT AT ALL. 
          AND IN FACT, SOMETIMES WE'RE EVEN SHORTENING THAT. 
          SO THAT'S THE REFUNDING AGAIN HAPPEN WITHIN THE GEO. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE SEVEN ISSUES THAT ARE OUTSTANDING. 
          SOME OF THOSE WE DID SOLELY FOR REFUNDING. AS YOU CAN SEE IN 2017 WHERE WE REFUNDED
EXISTING DEBT 2018, WE ACTUALLY ISSUED SOME OF THE BOND ELECTION AUTHORITY AND REFINANCED. 
          AND THEN IN SOME YEARS, IF INTEREST RATES WERE MAYBE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER OR THERE SIMPLY
WEREN'T ANY BONDS THAT WE COULD REFUND, WE DIDN'T. AND WE JUST ISSUED NEW MONEY BONDS. 
          SO SO THAT'S THE GEO BONDS. AND AGAIN, 114 JUST ALMOST 115 MILLION OUTSTANDING THERE. 
          SO CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION THESE ARE ALLOWED UNDER TEXAS STATUTE. 
          COUNCIL APPROVES A NOTICE OF INTENT. AND THERE'S THREE MAIN ITEMS IN THERE AND NOT TO
EXCEED AMOUNT. 
          THE DAY ON WHICH YOU WILL CONSIDER THE SALE OF THOSE CEOS,
AND THEN A GENERAL LIST OF THE PROJECTS TO BE FINANCED WITH CEOS. 
          SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO POINT OUT HERE,
YOU SEE THERE AS FAR AS THE SECURITY AND PLEDGE, THAT'S TEXAS STATUTE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN AD VALOREM PLEDGE. 
          YOU HAVE TO HAVE A UTILITY REVENUE PLEDGE. IN YOUR CASE,
HOWEVER, YOU CAN USE ANY LEGALLY AVAILABLE REVENUES TO REPAY THAT DEBT SERVICE. 
          [01:45:05]
AND SO THE CITY OF MESQUITE HAS PROJECTS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY FOUR REVENUES TERS OR TAX
INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE REVENUES, HOT OR HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAX REVENUES, SOLID WASTE,
AIRPORT REVENUES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          I SAY THAT WITHIN THE CONTEXT, JUST TO SAY THAT YOUR CEOS ARE NOT 100% SUPPORTED BY INS
REVENUES. 
          THERE ARE OTHER REVENUES THAT PAY A PORTION OF THOSE AS WELL. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT MESQUITE TYPICALLY DOES IS EVERY YEAR,
WHENEVER WE GET READY, AS MR. CHEN TALKED ABOUT, WE HAVE THE PROJECT LIST. AND WHENEVER WE ARE GOING TO ISSUE CEOS,
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT ARE THE SHORT TERM ASSETS, EQUIPMENT, VEHICLES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SOMETIMES TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND WE TYPICALLY WILL REPAY THOSE OVER TEN YEARS OR LESS. 
          AND IN MANY CASES IT'S ACTUALLY LESS. SO THOSE ARE ALWAYS TEN YEARS OR LESS FOR THE SHORT
TERM. 
          THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE LONGER TERM ASSETS, WHICH WE TYPICALLY HAVE A MAXIMUM MATURITY OF 20
YEARS. 
          SO THOSE ARE ALWAYS REPAID. OR HISTORICALLY WE'VE ALWAYS REPAID THOSE IN TOTAL WITHIN THAT
20 YEAR WINDOW. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE,
ABOUT $216 MILLION OF OUTSTANDING CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION. 
          ONE THING THAT I WOULD SAY, JUST TO UNDERSCORE WHAT MR. CHEN TALKED ABOUT, HE TALKED ABOUT THE VALUE OF ONE PENNY. 
          HE ALSO SHOWED THAT GRAPH WHERE IT DID SHOW THE DEBT GOING UP. 
          I WENT BACK AND LOOKED 2026. SO WE JUST ISSUED DEBT. 
          DEBT TO TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUATION WAS RIGHT AT 2.1%. 
          AND SO RIGHT NOW, YOUR INS TAX RATE OR THE INTEREST AND SINKING FUND TAX RATE,
WHICH IS USED SOLELY TO REPAY DEBT, IS 20.1 CENTS AND YOUR TAX BASE IS JUST UNDER 16 BILLION. 
          IF YOU GO BACK TO 2017. SO AGAIN, RIGHT NOW,
2.1% DEBT TO T AVE AND 2017. 
          WITH THE LOWER DEBT THAT YOU HAD OUTSTANDING,
IT WAS STILL 2.3% OF YOUR DEBT TO T AVE. 
          SO HIGHER AMOUNT THERE 23.1 CENTS ROUNDED IS WHAT YOUR INS TAX RATE WAS $0.03 HIGHER THAN
IT IS NOW. 
          AND YOUR TAX BASE WAS 6.5 BILLION. SO AS YOU CAN SEE,
THAT TAX BASE IS MORE THAN DOUBLED IN THAT TEN YEAR SPAN. 
          SO I THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT CONTEXT OF YES,
MORE DEBT HAS BEEN ISSUED, BUT THERE'S BEEN GROWTH. 
          THERE'S BEEN THINGS OF THAT NATURE WHICH HAVE REQUIRED THAT. 
          SO THOSE ARE, AGAIN, THE CEOS. YOU HAVE A UTILITY OR ENTERPRISE SYSTEM. 
          REVENUE BONDS. AND ONE THING I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT AT THE. 
          ON THE TOP RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE WATERWORKS AND SEWER SYSTEM 193,
JUST OVER 193 MILLION FOR THAT. 
          THOSE HAVE REFUNDING. SOME OF THEM HAVE REFUNDING COMPONENTS AS WELL. 
          SO THIS ISN'T SIMPLY NEW MONEY. SOME OF THOSE WERE USED AGAIN TO REFINANCE EXISTING DEBT. 
          SAME THING WITH THE DRAINAGE UTILITY SYSTEM. THEY'RE ABOUT 12.5 MILLION OUTSTANDING. 
          A LOT OF TIMES IF YOU GO TO THE RATINGS IN THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER,
A LOT OF TIMES WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THE ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS OR ACTUALLY 1 TO 2 NOTCHES LOWER. 
          YOURS IS ON PAR. YOURS IS A DOUBLE A, WHICH IS SAME RATING. 
          YOU CARRY ON YOUR TAX BACKED SECURITIES AS WELL AS A DOUBLE A TWO FROM MOODY'S. 
          SO THIS PORTION GOES THROUGH THE TYPES OF DEBT THAT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE. 
          AGAIN I TALKED ABOUT THE GEO BONDS, THE CEOS THE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM TAX NOTES ARE SIMPLY
SHORT TERM DEBT. 
          IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK DURING THE EARLY 2000,
THE CITY WOULD ISSUE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEBT THAT WAS SIMILAR TO TAX NOTES. 
          WE ULTIMATELY LOOKED AT THAT AND SAID, OKAY,
IF WE'RE ALREADY ISSUING COS IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO GO AHEAD AND COMBINE THOSE TOGETHER, WE'LL GET GREATER ECONOMIES OF SCALE. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE STARTED DOING THAT. 
          MR. CHEN DID TALK ABOUT THOSE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT REVENUE BONDS. 
          THE ONE THING I WOULD POINT OUT IS AGAIN, THOSE ARE MEANT TO BE SELF CONTAINED FINANCING
VEHICLES. 
          AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS ONLY THE PEOPLE LIVING WITHIN THAT PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
ARE SUBJECT TO THE ASSESSMENTS WHICH ARE GOING TO REPAY THE DEBT SERVICE. 
          AND THOSE REVENUE BONDS CAN ONLY BE USED FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TYPE EXPENSES. 
          ON THE FAR RIGHT HAND SIDE, THE SALES TAX REVENUE BONDS IN LIGHT BLUE. 
          I DID HIGHLIGHT THOSE. YOU DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ISSUE SALES TAX REVENUE BONDS AND
SPECIFICALLY YOUR SALES TAX CORPORATION. 
          THEY ARE THE ACTUAL ISSUER. SO YOU TYPICALLY SEE A FOUR A,
A FOUR B, A MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT THAT HAS THOSE REVENUES CAN ISSUE THOSE TYPE OF REVENUE BONDS IF DESIRED, AND THOSE CAN GO TO FINANCE,
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS OR OTHER PROJECTS AS ALLOWED IN THE CREATION DOCUMENTS. 
          SO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I WOULD GO THROUGH HERE. 
          SO THESE GO THROUGH SOME OF THE CONSIDERATIONS. 
          AND REALLY WHAT I WOULD SAY ARE THE FOUR MAIN TYPES OF DEBT. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT GEO BONDS IN PARTICULAR, I WOULD HIGHLIGHT THAT LAST ONE BECAUSE THAT'S THE
BIG THING THAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST ROUGHLY THREE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS IS THE 
          [01:50:08]
LEGISLATURE HAS COME IN, AS MR. KAHELE TALKED ABOUT,
ONE OF THE THINGS THEY'VE DONE ON YOUR SIDE IS THEY HAVE LOWERED THAT RATE WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A TON OF INDIVIDUAL ABILITY TO AFFECT THAT RATE,
RIGHT? THE INS SIDE, YOU HAVE MORE ABILITY TO CONTROL THAT NOW. 
          AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT WITHIN THE M AND O TAX RATE
COMPONENT, THERE'S TWO ENTITIES. THERE'S YOU, THE CITY THAT LEVIES THE TAX RATE AND THERE'S THE TAX
PAYER. 
          IF YOU THINK ABOUT ON THE INS SIDE OR THE INTEREST AND SINKING FUND,
WHICH AGAIN IS USED TO PAY THE DEBT, THERE'S THREE ENTITIES THERE CITY TAXPAYER BONDHOLDER. 
          SO WHENEVER YOU GO OUT AND YOU ISSUE BONDS AND YOU PROVIDE THAT SECURITY PLEDGE,
YOU TELL YOUR BONDHOLDERS THAT YOU WILL LEVY A TAX SUFFICIENT TO MAKE YOUR DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT OR HAVE OTHER LEGALLY AVAILABLE REVENUES TO MAKE THAT PAYMENT. 
          INVESTORS DON'T CARE WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM. THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR
BOND PAYMENT IS MADE. 
          SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS. AGAIN, GENERALLY WITHIN THE LAST THREE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS
THAT YOU SEE A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND SIDE, AS I SAID, AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN HAVE A GEO BOND ELECTION ON ANY UNIFORM
ELECTION DATE THAT'S MAY IN NOVEMBER. 
          SO TWO TIMES A YEAR AND IT'S A SIMPLE MAJORITY,
50.1% IS PASSAGE OF THE GEO BOND PROPOSITIONS. 
          THERE HAS BEEN DISCUSSION TO LIMIT THE BOND ELECTION TO JUST ONE TIME A YEAR,
WHETHER IT'S MAY OR NOVEMBER. 
          THERE WAS EVEN A DISCUSSION LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION ABOUT DOING IT EVERY OTHER NOVEMBER. 
          THERE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSIONS ON REQUIRING 60% APPROVAL RATE OR EVEN A SUPERMAJORITY OF 66%, TWO THIRDS. THERE WAS ONE DISCUSSION AS WELL THAT YOU WOULD HAVE,
AND I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THE NUMBER WAS 20 OR 25%. 
          YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR REGISTERED VOTERS VOTE FOR IT TO BE A VALID
ELECTION. 
          AND SO IF THAT EVER HAPPENS, WE'LL HAVE ABOUT TWO BOND ISSUES THAT PASS A YEAR OR BOND
ELECTION. 
          SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE BEING DISCUSSED OR HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED,
I SHOULD SAY, OVER AGAIN, ROUGHLY THE LAST 2 TO 3 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS ON THE CEO SIDE,
THAT IS ONE AREA TO OF FOCUS AS WELL, WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN LIMITATIONS AS FAR AS WHAT CEOS COULD BE ISSUED FOR. 
          AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT THAT WILL CONTINUE ON. 
          AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THOSE WHERE, AS I SHOWED ON A COUPLE PRIOR PAGES,
YOU HISTORICALLY HAVE USED THOSE CEOS TO FINANCE, AGAIN, PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, CRITICAL ASSETS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR DAY TO DAY MOVEMENT AND
OPERATION OF THE CITY. 
          SO IF THOSE ARE TAKEN AWAY, WE'LL HAVE TO COME BACK AT THAT POINT AND DECIDE WHAT OUR NEXT
COURSE OF ACTION IS. 
          BUT THAT'S WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW WITH THOSE. 
          SO IN THE COMPARATIVE CITIES, I WON'T SPEND A TON OF TIME HERE. 
          I'LL JUST HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE THERE. THIS AGAIN,
GOES BACK TO THE CITIES THAT MR. CHEN HAD TALKED ABOUT. ARLINGTON. ONE THING YOU SEE THERE,
PERMANENT IMPROVEMENT BONDS, THAT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT SOMEWHAT ANTIQUATED NAME FOR GEO BONDS. SO THERE'S NO REAL DIFFERENCE THERE. GARLAND. 
          AGAIN, I THINK MR. CHEN SAID HAS AN ELECTRIC UTILITY,
SO THEY ISSUE ELECTRIC UTILITY BONDS, CITY OF IRVING, THEY ISSUE TAX NOTES, WHICH ARE THE SHORT TERM DEBT THAT I TALKED ABOUT. 
          THEY ALSO HAVE ISSUED PIT BONDS, PLANO ISSUES,
HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX REVENUE BONDS. 
          AGAIN, YOU HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. HOWEVER,
YOU'VE ISSUED THOSE CEOS, BUT HAVE THE HOT TAX REVENUES THERE TO SUPPORT IT AND IT'D BE SELF-SUPPORTING DEBT. SO LET ME PAUSE THERE BECAUSE THAT IS THE DEBT PORTION. 
          SO BEFORE I GET INTO CREDIT RATINGS, ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. ON THE CREDIT RATING. SO YOU DO HAVE AGAIN CREDIT RATINGS WITH STANDARD AND POOR'S
AND MOODY'S INVESTOR SERVICES. 
          THEY BOTH TAKE A SCORECARD APPROACH. AND SO WHAT YOU SEE IS THEY HAVE 4 TO 5 MAJOR
CATEGORIES. 
          IN THE EVENT OF S&P IT'S THE ECONOMY FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE RESERVES AND LIQUIDITY
MANAGEMENT GOVERNANCE AND THEN DEBT AND LIABILITIES. 
          THEY ASSIGN A WEIGHTING TO EACH OF THOSE TO ULTIMATELY COME UP WITH THEIR CREDIT RATING. 
          AND SO A COUPLE OF THINGS I WOULD POINT OUT HERE. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT S&P SPECIFICALLY, AND AGAIN, THIS IS THE LEFT HAND SIDE FINANCIAL
PERFORMANCE RESERVES AND LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE. 
          THOSE ARE ITEMS THAT YOU THE CITY GENERALLY HAVE ROUGHLY 100% DIRECT CONTROL OVER WHAT
HAPPENS, RIGHT. WITH THOSE. YOU CAN INSTITUTE THOSE POLICIES. 
          YES. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME THINGS THAT YOU KNOW ARE GOING TO BE
OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. 
          BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU CAN PLAN WITH THE BUDGET AND ABSENT MAJOR TYPE ITEMS LIKE
THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITHIN REASON. 
          DEBT AND LIABILITY. YOU DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CONTROL THERE. 
          I WOULD ALSO ARGUE, THOUGH, THAT THAT'S SOMEWHERE A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THOSE THREE THAT
I JUST MENTIONED, 
          [01:55:06]
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T STOP REPAIRING ROADS, YOU CAN'T STOP BUILDING WATER LINES,
SEWER LINES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. NO CITY CAN, PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE IN A LARGER AREA,
METROPLEX AREA. 
          HIGH GROWTH AREA. THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO. AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS ECONOMY. 
          AND YOU. GENERALLY SPEAKING, DON'T HAVE A TON OF CONTROL. 
          THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS YOU CAN DO, WHETHER THAT'S INCENTIVIZING BUSINESSES TO COME TO
MESQUITE, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. BUT OTHER THAN OTHER THAN THAT,
OUTSIDE OF THAT, IT'S GENERALLY MORE. 
          THIS IS THE ECONOMY, AND THE ECONOMY WORKS AND YOU'RE SOMEWHAT SUBJECT TO HOW IT WORKS. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. MOODY'S AS YOU CAN SEE,
THEIR ECONOMY, FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE, LEVERAGE, INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK IS SIMPLY YOU BEING A CITY WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS. 
          TEXAS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, ON THE INS SIDE ALLOWS EASE OF ACCESS AS FAR AS PAYING YOUR
DEBT. 
          IMINO SIDE, AGAIN, WE ARE SEEING THAT KIND OF BEING RATCHETED DOWN,
BUT YOU GET CREDIT FOR BEING IN TEXAS. 
          SO IF YOU TURN OR FLIP TO THE FOLLOWING PAGE,
THIS ONE JUST GOES THROUGH THE UTILITY CREDITS S&P AS YOU CAN SEE, REALLY KIND OF CUTS IT IN HALF. SAYS OKAY, HALF OF ITS ENTERPRISE,
HALF OF ITS FINANCIAL. 
          MOODY'S HAS KIND OF THEIR SYSTEM FINANCIAL STRENGTH MANAGEMENT,
LEGAL PROVISIONS. 
          SO THAT'S HOW THEY COME UP WITH THOSE. AND THEN THE LAST THING THAT I WOULD POINT OUT IS
JUST THE SUMMARY OF THE GENERAL CREDIT RATINGS, WHICH WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT. SO GEO WATER AND SEWER DOUBLE A BY S AND PAA2 BY MOODY'S
DRAINAGE. 
          AND I APOLOGIZE I HAD THAT SHOULD BE TRIPLE A ON S&P FOR THE DRAINAGE. 
          THOSE CREDIT RATINGS ARE PAST PRESENT AND FORWARD LOOKING. 
          SO IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT WHAT YOU AS A COUNCIL HAVE DONE IN THE PAST. 
          THE ACTIONS THAT YOU'VE TAKEN, THE POLICIES THAT YOU'VE PUT IN PLACE,
IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. 
          THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT BOTH RATING AGENCIES LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT,
THAT YOU'RE MEETING YOUR BUDGET, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. IT ALSO TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE FUTURE. 
          THEY DO LOOK AT YOUR FUTURE DEBT, THINGS OF THAT NATURE WHEN COMING UP WITH THAT CREDIT
RATING. 
          SO I THINK YOU'RE IN A VERY POSITIVE POSITION. 
          I THINK THAT HAS BEEN BORNE OUT BY THE CREDIT RATINGS THAT YOU'VE HAD FOR A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF TIME. 
          IT IS THE THIRD HIGHEST OVERALL RATINGS. AGAIN,
THE DRAINAGE IS A TRIPLE A, WHICH IS AS HIGH AS YOU CAN GO. 
          AND THE NICE THING ABOUT THAT IS THE HIGHER THOSE CREDIT RATINGS GO,
THE LOWER THE INTEREST RATE, RIGHT. AND SO IT'S LOWER COST TO YOUR CITIZENS,
TO YOUR RATEPAYERS FOR THAT. 
          SO WITH THAT, I'D CERTAINLY BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE OR GO INTO MORE
DETAIL ON THE CREDIT RATING ASPECTS. 
          COUNCIL. ANY QUESTIONS, MR. BURTON? YEAH. JASON,
ON SLIDE TWO, CAN YOU GO BACK OVER THE HISTORY OF THE PERCENTAGES? I JUST WANT THE, THE PERCENTAGES THAT YOU WERE LAYING OUT. 
          I KNOW IT'S LIKE I CALL IT 2.1%. OH YES SIR. SO IN 2026,
SO ONCE WE FINISH THE BOND ISSUANCE THIS SUMMER, THE DEBT TO TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUATION WAS JUST UNDER 2.1%. 
          YOUR CURRENT TAX RATE IS 20.1 CENTS, AND THE TAX BASE,
THE TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUATION IS ABOUT 15.9 BILLION. 
          IF YOU GO BACK APPROXIMATELY TEN YEARS AGO AND LOOK AT 2017,
THOSE SAME NUMBERS WERE 2.32%. 
          AND AGAIN THAT'S DEBT TO TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUATION. 
          YOUR TAX RATE WAS ROUNDED 23.1 CENTS AND THE TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUATION WAS 6.5 BILLION. 
          ALL RIGHT. AND AGAIN, IN REGARDS TO DEBT SERVICE AND FOR THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING AND
LISTENING AT HOME, THIS IS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR OTHER CITIES. 
          OTHER CITIES DO THE VERY SAME THING. IT'S LIKE YOU SAY,
THEY'RE ONGOING PROJECTS THAT DON'T STOP AND THEY CONTINUE. 
          BUT FOR THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING AT HOME, ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO ADD IN REGARDS TO
DEBT SERVICE AND UNDERSTANDING DEBT SERVICE AND HOW IT WORKS FOR THE CITY? MAYOR. THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD SAY IS TO YOUR POINT,
YES, THESE ARE THE EXACT SAME THINGS THAT ARE BEING FACED, WHETHER IT'S THE PEER CITIES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER OR ANY OTHER CITIES,
GENERALLY SPEAKING, THROUGHOUT TEXAS AND IN PARTICULAR IN THE LARGER DFW METROPLEX AREA,
HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO, AS WE'VE SEEN GROWTH, IT HAS NECESSITATED STREETS,
WATER, SEWER, DRAINAGE, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS TO KEEP UP WITH THAT. 
          SO YOU SEE THAT CERTAINLY, AGAIN, WITH VIRTUALLY ANY TEXAS CITY. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT SIR, THANK YOU. JASON. THANK YOU. 
          [02:00:02]
YOUR PRESENTATION. APPRECIATE YOU COMING UP. AND AND ALSO TO MR. CHEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AS WELL. 
          APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE DID TAKE OUR BREAK. 
          SO NEXT WE HAVE SCHEDULED HEAR LIBBY CRAVEN. 
          [E. Employee Pay & Benefits Discussion 
o Health Benefits 
o Compensation]
GOOD MORNING LIBBY. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. 
          GOOD MORNING. LIBBY CRAVEN, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES. 
          TODAY I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION. 
          GETTING INTO THE FIRST SLIDE OR SLIDE NUMBER THREE,
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK BACK AT THE LAST FIVE YEARS ON OUR CLAIMS COSTS. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT HAS WE HAD SOME LULLS IN 21 AND 22,
23 AND THEN WE DID SEE OUR CLAIMS COSTS GO UP IN 2024. WE MADE SOME CHANGES TO OUR MEDICAL PLAN TO ADJUST FOR THOSE INCREASES. 
          AND THEN, AND FOR 2025, WE HAD A LOT OF CLAIMANTS REACH OVER 150,000,
WHICH IS UNUSUAL FOR A PLAN YEAR FOR US. SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THAT SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN YEAR 2025. 
          TO DATE WE ARE AT 7.3 MILLION. AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A COMPARISON TO WHERE WE WERE
LAST YEAR. 
          AT THIS SAME EXACT TIME, WE WERE AT 9.3 MILLION. 
          SO WE'RE ALMOST 2 MILLION LESS THAN WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR. 
          SO WE'RE DOING PRETTY GOOD AS WE SPEAK TODAY. 
          AND THIS IS MORE OF A VISUAL ON THAT CHANGE IN IN THE MEDICAL INCREASE MEDICAL CLAIMS COST
INCREASE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. 
          WHILE I DO WANT TO SAY YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR 2025,
WE DID HAVE THAT SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. 
          WE DO HAVE A STOP LOSS IN PLACE AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET ALMOST $1 MILLION BACK IN STOP
LOSS FROM LAST YEAR. 
          THIS YEAR FOR 2026, OUR ACTIVE BENEFITS, WE HAVE TWO MEDICAL PLANS. 
          WE HAVE AN HDHP THAT OFFERS A $3,500 DEDUCTIBLE. 
          WE HAVE 1098 HEARTBEATS ON THAT PLAN. SO AS I SAY,
NORMALLY THE TOTAL CITY MEDICAL COVERAGE HAS 26 2641 HEARTBEATS. WELL, 1098 ARE ENROLLED IN THAT HDHP MEDICAL PLAN. 
          AND THOSE YEAR TO DATE CLAIMS COST FOR THAT PLAN ARE JUST OVER 4 MILLION. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE A SECOND, SECOND INSURANCE,
WHICH IS OUR HSA MEDICAL PLAN. 
          IT HAS A A $55,500 DEDUCTIBLE WITH 1300 ENROLLED,
AND THEIR CLAIMS COST YEAR TO DATE HAVE RUN ABOUT 2.5 MILLION. 
          CURRENTLY, OUR RATES ARE. AS YOU SEE, WE DO OFFER A $0 RATE FOR EMPLOYEE ONLY COVERAGE. 
          THAT IS A RECRUITING TOOL FOR THE CITY. WE ALSO HAVE A $0 DENTAL AND A $0 VISION. 
          SO AN EMPLOYEE CAN COVER THEMSELVES ON INSURANCE FOR $0. 
          BUT WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW HERE IS THAT THE PERCENTAGE IN WHICH THE CITY PAYS,
RELATED TO WHAT EMPLOYEES PAY FOR THEIR MEDICAL COVERAGE. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE, AND ON MY NEXT SLIDE, I HAVE A CITY COMPARISON OF WHERE,
WHERE WE MESQUITE CITY WIDE PAY FOR CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS BENEFITS AND THEN OTHER CITIES AS WELL. 
          SO WE ARE ONE OF THE, WE ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT OFFERS A,
A $0, 100% PAID BY THE CITY. 
          MEDICAL OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYEES. I KNOW ULTIMATELY,
OUR GOAL IN THE FUTURE IS TO WORK TOWARDS WHERE WE'RE AT 25, 75 SPLIT, BUT THAT IS GOING TO TAKE HAVE TO TAKE TIME OVER A FEW YEARS BECAUSE IT WOULD
BECOME COSTLY FOR EMPLOYEES. 
          ONE THING I WANTED TO MENTION ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE IS DURING LAST YEAR'S BUDGET MEETING,
WE RECOMMENDED SOME CHANGES THAT WE IMPLEMENTED THIS PAST YEAR, AND SOME OF THOSE CHANGES ARE INCREASE THE BIWEEKLY PREMIUMS BY $15. 
          WE REMOVED A TIER AN EMPLOYEE AND CHILD TIER. 
          WE DID INCREASE DEDUCTIBLES BY $500. WE TOOK AWAY TWO MEDICAL PLANS THAT WERE NOT HEAVILY
UTILIZED BY OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR STAFFS. 
          WE INCREASED SURCHARGES AND WE INCREASED PRESCRIPTION CO-PAYS. 
          NOW, LAST YEAR WE DID A LOT OF CHANGES. SO WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO WORK ON SAVINGS. 
          AND AS I SAID, WE'RE ALMOST 2 MILLION DIFFERENT WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR. 
          [02:05:05]
WE DO ALSO OFFER RETIREE BENEFITS. WE HAVE AN UNDER 65 PLAN THAT IS ON OUR CITY MEDICAL
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD PLANS. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE AN OVER 65 RETIREE PLAN ON THAT UNDER 65 RETIREE PLAN. 
          IT'S A $500 $5,000 DEDUCTIBLE. THEY DO UTILIZE A DIFFERENT NETWORK. 
          THEY UTILIZE AN HMO NETWORK. I GIVE YOU A RADON THERE THAT SHOWS EMPLOYEE ONLY COVERAGE
FOR 25 OR MORE YEARS OF SERVICE IS ONLY $137 A MONTH. AND THEN THE RETIREE AND SPOUSE,
THAT IS, IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF SERVICE FOR RETIREE AND SPOUSE ON THE PLAN. 
          NOW, I WILL SAY THAT STARTS AT 1137. SO WE HAVE RETIREES THAT PAY ANYWHERE FROM 137. 
          WE HAVE ONE RETIREE THAT PAYS $1,500 FOR THEM TO HAVE THAT FAMILY COVERAGE. 
          SO IT'S ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN THAT 137 TO 1500 THAT THESE RETIREES PAY. 
          WE HAVE 214 HEARTBEATS ON THAT PLANE AND THAT INCLUDES THEIR DEPENDENTS. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST THE RETIREES, IT'S THE RETIREES AND THEIR DEPENDENTS. 
          AND THEIR YEAR TO DATE COSTS HAVE RUN 670 000. 
          NOW I WILL SAY WE DO CONTRIBUTE. THE CITY DOES CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE RETIREE COVERAGE. 
          AND I HAVE ON THE RIGHT, THE UNDER 65 RETIREE COVERAGE THAT WE PAY MONTHLY FOR RETIREES IS
63000 YEARLY. 
          WE PAY UP TO 760 000 TOWARDS THAT RETIREE COVERAGE FOR THE OVER 65 RETIREE COVERAGE,
IT IS A FULLY INSURED PLAN. SO THOSE RETIREES WHO ARE OVER 65, THEY GET A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN,
THEY PAY THAT MONTHLY COST, AND THEN THEY ARE FULLY COVERED AS LONG AS MEDICARE COVERS THEIR THEIR CLAIMS. AND WHAT WE SEE ON HERE IS THEIR COVERAGE OF $410 FOR RETIREE ONLY. 
          AND THEN IF YOU INCLUDE YOUR SPOUSE, IT'S $873. 
          NOW WITH THE OVER 65 PLAN, WE PAY A FLAT FEE. 
          IT'S LIKE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 65 AND $84 IS THE MAX THAT WE PAY PER RETIREE ON THAT PLAN. 
          CURRENTLY WE HAVE 282 ENROLLED IN THAT. SOME OF THE PROPOSED THINGS WE'RE WE'RE RECOMMENDING FOR CHANGES FOR NEXT YEAR TO HELP OFFSET THAT
COST. 
          THE, THE DEFICIT THAT WE HAVE IN THE, THE MEDICAL FUND INCREASE THE EMPLOYEE RATES,
THE EMPLOYEE ONLY COVERAGE BY $10 A PAYCHECK. SO THE EMPLOYEE ONLY WOULD GO UP $10 PER PAYCHECK. 
          BUT THOSE THAT ARE COVERING DEPENDENTS INCREASE THEIRS BY $20 A PAYCHECK. 
          WE RECOMMEND SWITCHING TO THE BLUE ESSENTIALS HMO NETWORK,
WHICH COULD SAVE US UP TO 8% ON OUR MEDICAL PLAN, WHICH IS 1.4 MILLION. AND THEN WE RECOMMEND UTILIZING QUANTIFIED FOR INFUSION RELATED
EXPENSES THAT CAN RESULT IN ALMOST A HALF A MILLION IN SAVINGS IN COSTS. AND LAST TIME I SPOKE,
MR. GREEN, I THINK YOU ASKED HOW MANY LIVES WERE IMPACTED BY THAT. 
          14, 14 INDIVIDUALS WOULD, WOULD, WOULD, IF WE USE THIS SERVICE WOULD GIVE US THAT HALF $1
MILLION SAVINGS. 
          NOW, MOVING ON TO COMPENSATION. GENERAL GOVERNMENT FOR 2025 2026. 
          WE DID PHASE TWO OF THE COMP STUDY AND THIS COMP STUDY. 
          I MENTIONED IT IN MY PREVIOUS PRESENTATION. WE IMPACTED THE POSITIONS OF TECHNICIANS,
CLERKS, AND INSPECTORS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE IMPACTED THE MAJORITY OF THE ANIMAL SERVICES
POSITIONS THIS PAST THIS PAST APRIL, ALONG WITH DETENTION OFFICERS AND DISPATCHERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CODE POSITIONS. 
          SO WE, IN ESSENCE, WE HAD, I THINK ABOUT 180 EMPLOYEES. 
          WE IMPACTED THEIR SALARIES WITH THAT PHASE TWO OF THE COMP STUDY. 
          WE ALSO DID UP TO 5% OF A MERIT INCREASE BASED UPON EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE. 
          AND WE ARE IN TALKS WITH DEPARTMENTS ON CERTIFICATION PACE. 
          AND WE DID INCREASE OUR PAY RANGES BY 5% THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR. 
          SO WITH WITH THE UPDATE OF THE PAY PLAN. SO WE DID INSTITUTE THE MAJORITY OF THAT MARKET
STUDY, 500 000 WITH, WITH OUR PHASE TWO AND OUR IN OUR MARKET ADJUSTMENT ON POSITIONS. 
          SO I HAD A COUPLE FOLLOW UP ITEMS FROM MY LAST PRESENTATION. 
          ONE QUESTION WAS FOR MR. GREEN ABOUT THE TURNOVER RATE FOR OTHER CITIES,
BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU. 
          THIS IS WHAT I PRESENTED IN JUNE ON OUR CURRENT AND PROJECTED TURNOVER RATES. 
          AND THEN YOU ASKED MR. GREEN FOR A COMPARISON OF OUR OUR,
OUR CITIES. 
          [02:10:02]
SO THIS WILL SHOW YOU THAT WHERE WE ARE HIGH IN THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT,
WE ARE GETTING BETTER. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, WE ARE IMPROVING. 
          AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS FOR OUR POLICE AND FIRE COMPARED TO THE OTHER SEVEN
CITIES. 
          LIBBY, CAN YOU GO BACK ONE SLIDE. YES, SIR. OF THE TURNOVER RATE. 
          CAN YOU TELL ME HOW MANY OF THAT TURNOVER PERCENTAGE WISE,
WOULD BE FROM RETIREMENTS IN EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES FOR FOR POLICE, FIRE AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT? YES. I WOULD SAY THIS IS A COMPLETE GUESSTIMATION FOR I WOULD
SAY FOR THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WOULD NOT BE RETIREMENTS. THE RETIREMENTS. THE
MAJORITY OF THOSE WOULD BE RESIGNATIONS OR SEPARATIONS. SO FOR POLICE AND FIRE, I CAN SAY ALMOST ALL ARE RETIREMENTS FOR FIRE. 
          AND THEN I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY FOR POLICE ARE RETIREMENTS. 
          THE MAJORITY. NOT ALL, NOT ALL. MR. BOCEK WE CAN GET THAT SPECIFIC NUMBERS FOR EACH OF
THOSE CATEGORIES. 
          ALL RIGHT. YOU CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE. I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THAT AS WELL. 
          YES SIR. SO WE DON'T WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OTHER CITIES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER,
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR AVERAGE AGE FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS OR POLICE ARE AT THAT FACILITY. 
          CORRECT. THAT'S CORRECT. SO IS IT A FAIR ASSUMPTION TO MAKE THAT IF I HAVE A YOUNGER
POLICE FORCE, THAT THE TURNOVER RATE WOULD BE LESS BECAUSE OF THE RETIREMENT WOULDN'T BE AS HIGH? REPEAT
THAT. 
          REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID. SO IF I HAD A YOUNGER POLICE OR FIRE FORCE. 
          YES, SIR. WOULDN'T IT GO TO EQUATE THAT THE TURNOVER WOULD BE LESS IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS,
AS WE THINK A MAJORITY OF THOSE WOULD BE FROM RETIREMENTS. 
          I WOULD SAY YES. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT I'LL TELL YOU,
I'M LOOKING FOR A LITTLE ONE. 
          LET'S TAKE GRAND PRAIRIE NOW. LET'S DO IRVING AT 3.36 AND THEN 3.23 FOR POLICE. 
          AND WE'RE HIGHER THAN BOTH OF THOSE IN THOSE CATEGORIES FOR THOSE BETWEEN MESQUITE AND
IRVING. 
          WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A FAIR COMPARISON BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THE AVERAGE AGE OF THOSE
DEPARTMENTS. 
          CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. WHEN WE GET THAT DATA,
WE DON'T GET THAT THAT INFORMATION. 
          YES, SIR. THANK YOU. AND THEN I HAD ONE MORE FOLLOW UP ITEM FOR MISS RODRIGUEZ. ROSS, YOU ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT ARE CONSIDERED HARD TO FILL
POSITIONS. 
          THESE ARE THE LISTS THAT STAFF PRESENTED ON WHAT IS CONSIDERED A HARD TO FILL POSITIONS. 
          I WANT TO PREFACE BY SAYING THESE ARE SOME OF THE LOWER PAID POSITIONS,
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO FILL. 
          AND OUR METRIC FOR THAT HARD TO FILL IS FROM WHEN THEY SUBMIT THEIR REQUISITION FOR
POSTING TO WHEN THEY ACTUALLY GET A HEARTBEAT IN THE POSITION. 
          SO THAT'S WHY WE CONSIDER THOSE HARDER TO FILL POSITIONS. 
          AND THEN FOR OUR HIGH TURNOVER, OUR METRIC FOR DETERMINING THAT WAS HOW MANY REQUISITIONS
DID THEY SUBMIT IN A CALENDAR YEAR. 
          AND A GOOD PORTION OF THAT IS PART TIME POSITIONS WHICH ARE GOING TO BE A CONSTANT LIKE A
TURNOVER, CONSTANT HIRING AND LETTING GO OF THOSE POSITIONS. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE THAT TO, TO STAFF. 
          THAT IS ALL I HAVE. ANY QUESTIONS. COUNCIL QUESTIONS MISS RODRIGUEZ ROSS. 
          THANKS. LIBBY. I DON'T REALLY HAVE A QUESTION,
PER SE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE INSURANCE ISSUES. 
          I SEE A LOT OF INCREASE, INCREASE, INCREASE THERE,
AND I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO LOOK AT WAYS TO DECREASE. 
          OKAY. I ESPECIALLY THE $10 FOR THE, I THINK IT'S THE EMPLOYEE AND THE DEPENDENTS,
YOU KNOW, I THINK I STATED THIS LAST TIME THAT UNFAIRLY IMPACTS SINGLE MOTHERS,
YOU KNOW, SINGLE PARENTS THAT WORK HERE. 
          FOR THE CITY OF MESQUITE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE DIRECTLY HITTING THEIR POCKETS. 
          AND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, GIVES ME SOME HEARTBURN. 
          AND IF THAT MEANS THAT WE CHANGE NETWORKS, YOU KNOW,
I HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH CLIFF AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT'S COMING UP SOON. 
          WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, OTHER OPTIONS. 
          AND SO IF THERE'S A WAY TO, YOU KNOW, KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING OR TRY AND HELP OUT
EVERYONE, THEN THAT'S SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO EXPLORE. BUT YOU KNOW,
ALL THESE INCREASES THEY DEFINITELY, THEY HURT, THEY HURT OUR EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW,
WE'RE ALREADY HEARING WE UNDERPAY THEM AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THEM PAY MORE IN THEIR DEDUCTIBLES AND MORE FOR THEIR MEDS AND MORE FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          AND SO I THINK IT'S WORTH INVESTING IN THE HEALTH OF OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD SUPPORT ALL THOSE INCREASES,
BUT THAT'S MY FEEDBACK AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE US DO IN THE FUTURE. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. MR. RODRIGUEZ ROSS, I'LL JUST SAY THAT THE CLAIMS ESTIMATES THAT WE HAVE
ARE ESTIMATES AND THAT IT VARIES THROUGHOUT THE 
          [02:15:04]
YEAR, JUST DEPENDING ON THE CLAIMS. BUT THE THAT ESTIMATE IS BASED AND THE COST TO THE
EMPLOYEES AND FROM THE CITY ARE BASED ON COVERING ALL OF THOSE COSTS. 
          SO IF THERE IS ANY MOVEMENT OTHER THAN LOOKING AT PLAN CHANGES,
WHICH WOULD BASICALLY BE A REDUCTION IN BENEFITS. 
          THEN THE BUDGETARY DECISION FOR COUNCIL IS IF YOU WANT TO NOT DO A $10 INCREASE PER
PAYCHECK, THEN THE CITY GENERAL FUND WILL HAVE TO BE INCREASED OUR PROPORTION. 
          SO I JUST WANT THE COUNCIL TO KNOW IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION. 
          I KNOW WHEN WE HAVE TALKED IN OUR PRE MEETINGS THE YOU KNOW THAT THAT WOULD BE ONE OF
THOSE THINGS THAT COMES OUT OF THAT AVAILABLE GENERAL FUND DOLLARS. SO THAT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL BUDGETARY OFFER THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE. 
          SO JUST MAKING SURE YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THE, THE DECISION POINTS THERE. 
          COUNCILMAN BIRD. YEAH. THANK YOU. MAYOR LIBBY,
I GOT A QUESTION OR YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE IT. 
          I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE TREND. AND MINE IS KIND OF ALLUDING TO COUNCILWOMAN ROSS'S
POINT. 
          DO YOU KNOW OFFHAND THE ENROLLMENT OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES? AND I KNOW YOU PROBABLY DON'T, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE IF IT TAPERED OFF WHEN WE
INCREASE, BECAUSE I'M LOOKING AT THESE CLAIM HISTORIES AND THAT DROP IS SIGNIFICANT. 
          SO I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE DID WE HAVE, I BELIEVE,
THE MAYOR 1400 SOME EMPLOYEES. 
          HOW MANY SAME ENROLLEES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR PROGRAM. 
          SO WE HAVE BENEFIT ELIGIBLE. WE'RE JUST AT ABOUT 1350. 
          WE HAVE 1167 ENROLLED, BUT WE DO OFFER A DECLINE OPTION FOR THOSE THAT HAVE BENEFITS
ELSEWHERE. 
          SO DO YOU SEE THAT DIFFERENCE IS BECAUSE THEY CHOSE TO BE ON OUR DECLINE. 
          SO THEY GET DECLINE PAY IN THAT CAPACITY. SO THAT'S WHY I WOULD SAY NO,
WE DON'T SEE IT. 
          WE'RE TRENDING THE SAME NUMBER OF HEARTBEATS ON OUR PLAN EVERY MONTH BECAUSE WE GET THOSE
NUMBERS. 
          I DON'T SEE A DECREASE IN THAT. OTHER THAN WHEN YOU HIRE AND,
AND, AND LET PEOPLE GO, BUT IT'S, IT'S STILL LIKE A ROLLER COASTER. IT DOESN'T TREND DOWN. 
          MR. YOU PART OF YOUR QUESTION WAS THAT YOU WERE SEEING THE CLAIMS GOING DOWN. 
          YEAH. SO I THINK A LOT OF THAT LIBBY CAN SPEAK TO,
WE'VE HAD A FEW HIGH CLAIM YEARS REALLY BAD. 
          THERE WERE LIKE FOUR CLAIMS THAT PUSHED US UP SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND. 
          SO FOR 2025, WE HAD A VERY BAD CLAIM YEAR. WE HAD 22 CLAIMANTS THAT HAD MORE THAN $150,000
WORTH OF CLAIMS. NOW OUR STOP LOSS DEDUCTIBLE IS SET AT $400,000. 
          SO THEY HIT IN BETWEEN THAT 150 AND 400,000. SO WE NEVER GOT REIMBURSED BY OUR STOP LOSS
BECAUSE OF THAT. 
          ON A NORMAL YEAR, WE HAVE MAYBE THREE AS A MAX. 
          LAST YEAR WE HAD 22. SO WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A CLAIMANT THAT HAD OVER $1 MILLION IN THEIR CLAIMS. SO THAT IS UNUSUAL AS WELL. SO YES, THE LAST TWO YEARS WE'VE HAD VERY HEAVY CLAIM YEARS
AND WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO NOT HAVE SO MANY THIS YEAR. 
          BUT THE YEAR IS STILL GOING. SORRY, CLIFF, I KNOW HE'S LAUGHING AT ME. 
          THE YEAR IS STILL GOING. OKAY. I APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE I WAS DEFINITELY CONCERNED ABOUT
THE TRENDING JUST TO SEE IF WE SPOOKED ANYONE OFF, YOU KNOW, OFF OUR PLANS. I DON'T I DON'T SEE EMPLOYEES LEAVING OUR PLANS JUST JUST BECAUSE
OF THE COST. 
          I THINK THAT I THINK WE DO SEE A MAYBE A TREND TO THE $0 AS THE COST GO UP. 
          SO IT'S NOT AS IT DOESN'T HAVE AS MANY, THERE'S A HIGHER COST TO IT. 
          IF, IF YOU'RE HAVING, IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU'RE ILL HAVE SICKNESS AND THAT SORT OF THING. 
          SO THAT'S WHERE THE TREND WOULD BE IS IF WE START SEEING A MASS MOVEMENT TO THE $0 ONE. 
          I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, THE WAY IT'S SPLIT BETWEEN OUR TWO ACTIVE PLANS,
THEY'RE PRETTY EVEN 50, LIKE 49, 51 PERCENTAGE BECAUSE FOR OUR EMPLOYEE ONLY ON THE HDHP ZERO PLAN,
WE HAVE 338 EMPLOYEES. 
          FOR THE HSA PLAN, WE HAVE 248. BUT OVERALL, IT'S LITERALLY THEY'RE NECK AND NECK IN WHAT
THEY'RE ENROLLED IN. 
          SO NO, I HAVE NOT. MAYOR PRO TEM THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          YEAH. I'M LOOKING AT IT. YOU KNOW, I WISH WE COULD HOLD THE LINE AS FAR AS THE RATE,
BUT I KNOW IT'S NOT PRACTICAL. 
          WHEN I LOOK AT THE SLIDE SEVEN THAT YOU HAD WITH THE BENEFITS COST,
WE'RE THE ONLY CITY THAT OFFERS UP TO 100% COVERAGE AS FAR AS THE CITY PAYING FOR THE BENEFITS. AND WE STARTED 81%. MOST OF THESE OTHER CITIES STARTED LIKE 70%. 
          SO WE'VE HAD GREAT COVERAGES AND GREAT BENEFITS FOR A LONG TIME. 
          I THINK PROBABLY YOU'LL FIND ONCE THESE OTHER CITIES DO THEIR ANALYSIS,
THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO INCREASE THEIR COST TOO. SO I DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT 
          [02:20:01]
CHANGING ANY LIKE, HONESTLY, I THINK IT'LL PROBABLY STAY THE SAME EVEN WITH THE INCREASE
BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE IS DEALING WITH THE SAME STUFF. 
          YOU KNOW, WORKING IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS,
I SEE THE RISING COSTS FOR EVERYTHING. IT GOES UP. 
          IT JUST DOES. I MEAN, I KNOW EVEN IF WE'RE ASKING THEM TO PAY 10 OR $20 MORE,
THE CITY IS PAYING MORE THAN THAT PER PERSON OUT OF OUR INCREASES TOO. 
          SO IT'S JUST COST SHARING. THAT'S WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO. 
          YOU KNOW, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN WHEN THE WATER RATES GO UP. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO PASS ALONG THOSE ADDITIONAL COSTS. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN AFFORD TO EAT IT FOR EVERYBODY. I WISH WE COULD. 
          I'D BE GREAT IF WE COULD JUST SAY, OKAY, LOOK,
WE DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE IT, BUT WITH THE COST OF CLAIMS AND EVERYTHING ELSE GOING UP AND PRESCRIPTIONS, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE LIKE MY INSURANCE I KNOW WENT UP PERSONALLY AS WELL LAST
YEAR. 
          SO LIKE, I KNOW IT'S JUST THE INDUSTRY, YOU KNOW,
COST OF EVERYTHING IS GOING UP SADLY. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO DO FOR THE EMPLOYEE ONLY TO GO UP $10 AND THEN THOSE COVERING
DEPENDENTS. 
          20. BUT WE WOULD STILL MAINTAIN THAT $0 COVERAGE BECAUSE WE WANT TO. 
          THAT IS A RECRUITING TOOL THAT WE WE WE DO LIKE TO USE. 
          COUNCILMAN. HUBINGER. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON THE 0338 ARE ON THAT THREE $0 PLAN. 
          338 OF 1300. YES, SIR. AND ISN'T IT A FAIR ASSUMPTION TO MAKE THAT WHEN DEDUCTIBLES GO UP, CLAIM PAYMENTS GO DOWN. SO WE WOULD SEE THAT TREND. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT SIR. SO WHAT WAS THE WHAT WAS THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE? I'M SORRY. LAST YEAR. AND WHAT HAVE WE RECOMMENDED FOR DEDUCTIBLE. 
          THE FOLLOWING THIS YEAR. SO LAST YEAR IT WAS 3000 ON THE HDHP AND 5000 ON HSA. 
          AND WAS THERE ANY INCREASE. AND WE INCREASED THEM FOR 2026 BY 500. 
          SO THE HDHP IS NOW 3500 AND THE HSA IS 5500. SO AS FAR AS YOU CAN PROJECT THROUGH
UNDERWRITING, HOW MUCH WILL THAT DECREASE CLAIM PAYMENTS? HOW MUCH ARE WE EXPECTING THAT TO DECREASE
CLAIM PAYMENTS THROUGH UNDERWRITING WHEN WE CALCULATE GOING UP ON THE DEDUCTIBLES. 
          I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER, BUT I DO HAVE IT LIKE IN HISTORICAL DATA. 
          BUT I DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW. BUT I CAN GET THAT TO YOU. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. THANK YOU SIR. ANY OTHER COMMENT OR QUESTION? ALL RIGHT. OKAY. ANYTHING FURTHER ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION AS WELL? ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO FIRE STRATEGY PRESENTATION. 
          NO, SIR. I'M SORRY. WE STILL HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPENSATION. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. WE'RE WE WE SPLIT THEM UP. OKAY. 
          COUNCIL JUST WANTED TO I'M GOING TO TAKE THIS ONE BECAUSE WE'RE HEAVILY INVOLVED WITH IT
WHEN IT COMES TO JUST THE BUDGETARY ASPECTS OF THIS. SO SO SORRY, MY MOUSE ISN'T WORKING. THERE WE GO. SO AS YOU ALL KNOW THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSS
ON EVERY BUDGET SESSION. AND WE TAKE A GOOD DEEP DIVE INTO PUBLIC SAFETY PAY. 
          AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE. WE HAVE A POLICY. THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION ON FINANCE,
WE HAVE FLEXIBILITY. 
          WE CAN LOOK AT OTHER OTHER COMPARABLE CITIES,
BUT WE DO HAVE A POLICY OF THE COUNCIL THAT WE WILL LOOK AT PUBLIC SAFETY PAY FOR THESE SEVEN CITIES. AND SO AS MR. CHEN SAID, IT JUST KIND OF DRIFT,
WE DRIFTED TO THESE 30 YEARS AGO AND WE JUST NEVER MOVED OFF OF THEM FOR OTHER COMPARISONS. SO I DID WANT TO JUST SHOW WHAT WE'VE DONE SOME
RESEARCH ON AND JUST GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND ON HOW THE CITIES DIFFER. AND YOU CAN SEE THE FROM 413 000 POPULATION ALL THE WAY TO 122 POPULATION. YOU SEE THE ASSESSED VALUES OF IRVING OR PLANO AT 64 MILLION. 
          AND YOU KNOW CARROLLTON AT 10 MILLION OR 10 BILLION. 
          EXCUSE ME. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE TAX RATES IN THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES. 
          AND SO I FELT THESE WERE GOOD COMPARISONS WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO EVALUATE WHAT THOSE
CITIES ARE AND, AND HOW THEY ARE ABLE TO FUND A LOT OF THEIR OPERATIONS. 
          SO WHEN WE LOOK AT AND JUST AS A REMINDER IN JANUARY,
WE APPROVED A PAY PLAN FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          THAT WAS WHAT I FELT WAS AGGRESSIVE TO BRING US UP TO THE AVERAGE ON BASE PAY. 
          WE HAD HEARD SEVERAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE NEED FOR BASE PAY TO BE COMPETITIVE. 
          [02:25:06]
AND SO THAT'S WE, IT'S A RECRUITING TOOL AND WE DID NOT WANT TO FALL BEHIND. 
          SO WE COMBINED STEPS IN ORDER TO GET UP THERE AND YOU WILL SEE THE IMPACT OF THAT WHEN YOU
SEE THESE THESE COMPARISONS. 
          SO INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU'VE SEEN HISTORICALLY OF A LOW,
MEDIUM AND HIGH AS, AS YOU LOOK AT STEPS AND NOT NOT JUST YET, BUT WE'LL PASS OUT A A HANDOUT THAT'LL REALLY SHOW HOW THE STEPS
ARE. 
          BUT AS IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO IT MOST AGENCIES GIVE STEPS BELOW TEN YEARS. 
          SO YOU SEE YOUR TOP OUT PAY GENERALLY IN THE BEFORE THE TEN YEARS. 
          SO BASE PAY FIVE YEAR AND TEN YEAR IS IS WHAT WE'RE SHOWING THIS YEAR. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE BASE PAY FOR ALL OF THE AREA CITIES,
THE AVERAGE. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE WITH OUR OUR EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE BASE PAY,
WE LANDED JUST 1.5% BELOW THE AVERAGE. AND THEN WHEN YOU GET TO THE FIVE YEAR,
YOU SEE THE IMPACT OF LOSING THAT THIRD, THIRD STEP. AND SO THE PAY GOES UP SIGNIFICANTLY AMONGST OTHER CITIES. AND SO WE LAG IN THAT FIVE YEAR. AND THEN WITH ONCE THE REST OF OUR STEPS COME IN
ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SEVEN YEAR STEP, THEN OUR, WHAT PRETTY MUCH OUR TOP OUT PAY. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THAT IS COMPARED TO THE TEN
YEAR AVERAGE. 
          AND SO THAT'S FOR THE POLICE OFFICER RANK. AND WE HAVE NOT MET AS CITY MANAGERS TO SHARE WHAT WHAT OUR BUDGETS WILL BE LIKE AND WHAT WE'LL BE DOING. 
          BUT IN CASUAL CONVERSATIONS MOST CITIES ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT A 3% INCREASE. 
          THERE MAY BE A DRASTIC MOVE LIKE GRAND PRAIRIE DID SEVERAL,
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. 
          THEY DID VERY SIMILAR MOVE THAT WE DID BY ABSORBING STEPS. 
          AND AND I WILL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A STRATEGY THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT TO TRY TO
SIMILAR TO WHAT GRAND PRAIRIE DID TO TRY TO CATCH UP ON THOSE STEPS AND BRING OUR TOP OUT,
PAY UP. 
          SO AND THEN WE PROVIDE COMPARISON TO THE OTHER RANKS. 
          YOU CAN SEE WHERE SERGEANT POSITIONS AND THEY'LL STOP AT FIVE YEARS BECAUSE NO CITY GIVES
A STEP INCREASE FOR THE RANKS ABOVE FIVE YEARS. SO THAT GENERALLY YOUR BASE PAY AND YOUR TOP OUT PAY FOR THOSE RANKS. 
          YOU CAN SEE WE'RE PRETTY COMPETITIVE UP UNTIL THE TOP OUT PAY FOR LIEUTENANTS. 
          AND THEN FOR DEPUTY CHIEFS. YOU SEE THE WE WE FALL EVEN FURTHER BEHIND. 
          PART OF THIS IS BECAUSE THE WAY DIFFERENT. THERE'S PROBABLY ABOUT IN THIS RANKING,
THERE'S PROBABLY FOUR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF HOW THEY GET, HOW YOU GET TO DEPUTY CHIEF. SO THERE ARE A COUPLE,
ONE CITY HAS A POSITION BETWEEN LIEUTENANT AND DEPUTY CHIEF. 
          IT'S CALLED A CAPTAIN, BUT THEN THEY ALSO HAVE A DEPUTY CHIEF. SO IT GETS KIND OF
SQUIRRELY WHEN YOU TRY TO DO THOSE COMPARISONS. 
          AND SO BEING APPLES TO APPLES, WE TRIED TO BE JUST SHOW A DEPUTY CHIEF. 
          I THINK THERE'S A, A WAY TO, TO REALLY LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER. 
          I DON'T WANT EVERYONE GETTING CONCERNED WITH THE DEPUTY CHIEFS BEING UNDERPAID,
EXCEPT THE DEPUTY CHIEFS WILL BE. 
          AND SO IN ADDITION TO THE BASE PAYS AND THE STEP INCREASES,
I WANTED TO SHOW WHAT OUR POLICE OFFICERS HAVE ACCESS TO WHEN IT COMES TO ADDITIONAL PAY. 
          SO WE HAVE EDUCATION PAY. AND AND THAT'S WITH A DEGREE AND EDUCATION PAY WITHOUT A DEGREE. 
          SO IF OFFICERS CREATE AN ASSOCIATE OR COMPLETE AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE OR A BACHELOR'S
DEGREE AND ACHIEVE CERTAIN CERTIFICATIONS, THEY THEY ARE COMPENSATED ON A PER MONTH BASIS. 
          AND THEN SAME THING WITH OUT A DEGREE. IF THEY CREATE COURSE,
COMPLETE COURSEWORK AND ACHIEVE CERTAIN CERTIFICATIONS, THEY'RE COMPENSATED. AND THEN IF YOU THE ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE,
THERE'S $30 A MONTH FOR A MASTER 
          [02:30:04]
CERTIFICATION ON TOP OF ALL OF THOSE. SO IF YOU ACHIEVE THE MASTER POLICE CERTIFICATION ON
ALL OF THAT. 
          SO THE MAX THAT'S FOR THIS IS ABOUT $150 PER MONTH THAT A POLICE OFFICER CAN ACHIEVE IF
THEY ACHIEVE CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. ANY QUESTIONS ON POLICE AT THIS POINT? I'LL MOVE TO FIRE. I SORRY, I, I SHORTED MYSELF REAL QUICK. 
          THERE'S BILINGUAL PAY ALSO $150 FOR BEING ABLE TO READ,
WRITE AND SPEAK A NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 
          WE DON'T JUST FOCUS ON SPANISH. IT'S ANY NON ENGLISH LANGUAGE THAT'S USED IN THE AREA. 
          AND THEN ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES. OFFICERS RECEIVE THEIR UNIFORMS PAID BY THE CITY. 
          PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS ARE INVESTIGATORS RECEIVE A CLOTHING STIPEND OF $720. 
          WE PROVIDE FREE DRY CLEANING. AND THEN THE OTHER ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE IS IF YOU SERVE IN
THE FIELD TRAINING POSITION. 
          EVERY HOUR THAT YOU SERVE IN THAT POSITION, YOU GET A $2 PER HOUR ADDITIONAL PAY. 
          SO I'M SORRY, MR. HUBACEK. YEAH. SO DO WE KNOW IF THERE'S ANY EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN
ANY OF THE OTHER SEVEN COMPARABLE CITIES? WE ARE THIS THIS IS WHERE THE SPREADSHEETS GET REALLY DIFFERENT. 
          SO YES, OTHER CITIES DO THIS, AND WE ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH A COMPARISON. 
          SINCE WE DO BASE PAY ON AN AVERAGE, WE'D LIKE TO TRY TO COME UP WITH AN AVERAGE OF THESE
NUMBERS. 
          I FEEL IN JUST IN MY LIMITED LOOK AT THIS WE ARE A LITTLE LOW IN SOME OF THE EDUCATIONAL
EDUCATIONAL PAY, BUT WE HAVE MORE OPTIONS. SO SOME JUST DO AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE BACHELOR'S DEGREE AND THEN
THE CERTIFICATIONS. 
          OTHERS HAVE COURSEWORK AND ALL OF THAT AS WELL. 
          SO LET ME, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION,
BUT LET ME REPHRASE IT. 
          DO ANY OF THE OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE ANY EDUCATION BEFORE
EMPLOYMENT? I'M GOING TO BE WE'LL HAVE TO PULL THE THAT'S THAT'S ONE THAT WE HAVE NOT DONE ANY. 
          I WAS JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE IF I, IF I LET'S JUST TAKE PLAIN OLD DAY. 
          SO THEY REQUIRE A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. WELL, IF IN MESQUITE,
WE'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER $1,440 ON TOP OF YOUR BASE PAY. 
          IF YOU HAVE A BACHELOR'S DEGREE, WOULD THAT BE A CORRECT ASSUMPTION BASED OFF THIS? YES,
SIR. 
          OKAY. SO THAT'S GO AHEAD. I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE GOING. 
          SO I THINK YOU WANT TO SEE IF OUR BASE ENTRY LEVEL OFFICER REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO BECOME AN OFFICER IN THOSE CITIES, WHAT THOSE EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS ARE,
RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HAVE ALREADY INCLUDED THAT IN THEIR BASE PAY WHERE WE'RE NOT INCLUDING
THAT IN OUR BASE PAY, WE'RE ADDING THAT IN ADDITION TO BASE PAY. CORRECT. 
          I BELIEVE I, I COULD SAY YES, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT. 
          I CAN'T SAY THAT ANYBODY DOES THAT. SO WE HAVE BASE PAY. 
          WE KNOW WHAT THE BASE PAY IS. CAN YOU I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE TO STOP YOUR HEAD. 
          DO YOU KNOW THE AVERAGE. POLICE OFFICER SALARY WITH OVERTIME IS PER YEAR CURRENTLY. 
          NO, SIR. WE'VE WE'VE HAD THAT REQUEST AND WE ARE COMPILING THE DATA. 
          OUR PAYROLL SYSTEM IS NOT AS EASY TO WORK WITH WHEN IT COMES TO PULLING THAT INFORMATION. 
          IT GETS SPREAD OUT. SO WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT,
JUST NOT TODAY. 
          SO YOU MAY NOT BE THE PERSON TO ASK THIS, BUT I'LL ASK YOU ANYWAY. 
          SO IF I WORK FOR ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, LET'S JUST SAY I'LL PICK ONE ARLINGTON AND LET'S SAY
THERE ARE OVERTIME IS LIMITED AND HOW MUCH OVERTIME THEY CAN WORK. SO THEY OPT TO TAKE ON A PART TIME JOB DOING OTHER WORK. 
          THEY MIGHT HAVE THAT OPTION, BUT WE DON'T KNOW REALLY. 
          WHEN I LOOK AT BASE PAY BECAUSE I WANT TO CALCULATE MY OVERALL PAY WHEN I COME TO GET A
JOB. 
          I'M LOOKING AT WHAT THE BENEFITS INCLUDE, WHAT THE OVERALL PAY IS AND HOW MUCH OVERTIME IS
OFFERED. 
          AND SO WHEN I LOOK AT JUST THE BASE PAY, ARLINGTON MAY NOT HAVE ANY OVERTIME. 
          I'M JUST ASSUMING THEY DO, BUT I DON'T KNOW. AND WE DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS HERE. 
          BUT SO WHEN WE COMPARE BASE PAY, THERE'S REALLY A LOT MORE THAT GOES INTO THE BASE PAY
THAN JUST WHAT SOMEBODY POSTS ON THE JOB SEEKER OR WHATEVER IT IS. 
          WOULD YOU WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT? THERE'S OTHER THINGS. 
          I MEAN, I LOOK AT THE POLICE SPECIAL PAY THE POLICE,
SPECIAL PAY EDUCATION, PAY THE BILINGUAL. 
          I MEAN, A LOT OF THESE THINGS AREN'T INCLUDED IN THE BASE PAY THAT WE DON'T KNOW THAT
OTHER CITIES MIGHT ALREADY ASSUME THAT YOU ARE INCLUDED IN THAT. 
          I THINK ULTIMATELY WE CAN LOOK AT PAY FROM ABOUT A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          [02:35:01]
AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO FIND WHAT'S WHAT'S SIMILAR AMONGST ALL OF THE GROUP OF CITIES WE
LOOKED LOOK AT. 
          SO I WOULD SAY IF YOU GET INTO THE GRANULAR LEVEL OF ONE CITY HAVING A MAX OVER TIME OR
LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR OVERTIME, I THINK YOU'RE GETTING INTO A GRANULAR WHERE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET A LOT OF APPLES TO
APPLES COMPARISON. I COMPLETELY AGREE, BUT I KEEP HEARING THIS ABOUT PAY, PAY, PAY,
PAY OVER AND OVER. 
          AND HAS OUR PAY, OUR STARTING BASE PAY. HAS IT STOPPED US FROM GETTING RECRUITS? I MEAN, ARE WE FULLY ARE WE FULLY STAFFED? YOU'LL SEE IN THE CHIEF'S PRESENTATION,
I BELIEVE WE'RE WE'RE 11. 
          WE'RE 11 VACANCIES. WE'RE ACTUALLY TAKING A TEST THIS MORNING,
SO THE CHIEF CAN ALSO CAN TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THE TEST TODAY. 
          WE WON'T KNOW HOW MANY PASSED, BUT, SHOULD I RESERVE SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS FOR THE. 
          SO, SO. YES. BUT HIRING POLICE OFFICERS. NO,
WE ARE NOT. 
          WE ARE NOT HAVING A HARD TIME HIRING POLICE OFFICERS. 
          IT'S. BUT IT'S IT'S TAKING A LITTLE BIT LONGER AND I,
I DON'T NECESSARILY SAY THAT IT IS PAY. 
          I THINK IT'S ALSO JUST A, THE LIMITED APPLICANTS THROUGHOUT THE METROPLEX. 
          IT'S A, IT'S A DIFFICULT JOB. IT'S DEMANDING AND IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE. 
          SO IT TAKES A CERTAIN PERSON TO, TO WANT TO DO THAT POSITION THAT JOB,
JUST LIKE PRETTY MUCH ANY OTHER JOB WE HAVE. 
          IT'S THEY ARE SPECIALIZED AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT PERSON AND BUT AND IT'S A TESTED POSITION. SO THERE, THERE ARE WAYS TO TRIM PEOPLE OUT OF THE PROCESS. 
          AND I WANT TO CONTINUE MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT, SO I ASKED LIBBY ABOUT TURNOVER IN THOSE TWO
SPECIFIC DEPARTMENTS. 
          SO WE'RE NOT SEEING A LARGE INFLUX OF TURNOVER IN THE. 
          AND WE'RE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT POLICE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ON A TURNOVER,
A HIGH TURNOVER RATE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OUTSIDE OF RETIREMENTS. 
          NO, SIR, WE ARE NOT. SO IT IT LEADS ME TO THINK THAT WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT IN
THE CITY OF MESQUITE WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IF WE DON'T HAVE LARGE TURNOVERS OUTSIDE OF RETIREMENT, BECAUSE I'M THINKING IF I'M IN INDUSTRY AND I SAY,
HEY, MY TURNOVER RATES, I'M GOING TO BE GENEROUS. AND WE SAID IT WAS 5% AND LET'S JUST SAY 3% WAS FROM RETIREMENT
AND WE GOT 2% TURNOVER RATE. 
          I THINK ANY INDUSTRY WOULD BE ECSTATIC TO HAVE JUST A 2% TURNOVER RATE. 
          AND SO WHEN I SEE WE WE TALK ABOUT A LOT ABOUT PAY. 
          AND I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T SPEND ALL THAT WE CAN FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          THEY DESERVE IT. BUT I LOOK AT WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED AND I LOOK AT WHAT I HEAR. 
          OUR POLICE OFFICERS ARE TREATED FAIRLY. THEY'RE COMPENSATED FAIRLY. 
          THEY ARE. BECAUSE IF I IF THEY WEREN'T, I WOULD SEE NUMBERS THAT WOULD BE DRASTICALLY
DIFFERENT IN THE TURNOVER. 
          I WOULD SEE OTHER AREAS THAT WOULD BE INDICATORS OF THAT. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT POINT, NOT A QUESTION. 
          THANK YOU SIR. MR. CASPER. THANKS. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE NEXT FEW YEARS ARE GOING TO BRING? I THINK WITH PARTICULARLY AI, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF FOLKS LEAVING THE MARKET
FORCE FOR WHAT THEY WENT TO SCHOOL WITH AND LOOKING FOR JOBS THAT MIGHT PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE SECURITY IN THE HUMAN TOUCH. 
          AND SO I THINK SOME OF THESE HUMAN JOBS THAT CANNOT BE AI ARE GOING TO SEE MAYBE MORE
APPLICANTS OVER THE NEXT 3 TO 5 YEARS. 
          AND HOPEFULLY I'M WRONG. AND HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY'S ABLE TO WORK FOR WHAT THEY WENT TO
SCHOOL WITH. BUT WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE POLICE SPECIAL PAY AND I VISITED ON THIS LAST SUMMER UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE CIVIL SERVICE AND WE HAVE MEET AND CONFER AND
THAT'S OBVIOUSLY IN FLUX, BUT YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE A MOU GOING FORWARD WITH MEETING FOR DOWN THE ROAD. 
          WHAT ADDITIONAL SPECIAL PAY COULD WE MAKE THESE SLIDES LONGER? BECAUSE I GUESS WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN IS FOR GENERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES,
A LOT OF THE 3%, 5% IS CONDITIONAL UPON MERIT. AND OBVIOUSLY WITH CIVIL SERVICE THAT'S NOT POTENTIALLY
POSSIBLE. 
          BUT IN MY HEAD AND I'M NOT AN EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY,
BUT BASE PAY BEING ACROSS THE BOARD IS CHECKING A LOT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE BOX. 
          I GUESS I'D BE CURIOUS FOR ADDITIONAL SPECIAL PAY QUANTIFIERS THAT WE COULD REWARD
OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS OR THE CREAM OF THE CROP, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE WHEN YOU'RE GETTING A LIFE SAVING AWARD. 
          CAN THAT HAVE A CONDITIONAL SPECIAL PAY? SO I'M INTERESTED IN EXPLORING THAT ATTENDANCE. 
          [02:40:01]
IF YOU'RE NOT DRAWING DOWN AND YOU'RE ACCRUING A LOT OF YOUR WE'RE NOT HAVING TO FILL
OVERTIME BECAUSE YOU DON'T EVER TAKE OFF. 
          IS THERE AN ATTENDANCE SPECIAL PAY RETENTION FIVE YEAR TEN YEAR MARKS. 
          ARE THERE ADDITIONAL WAYS THAT WE CAN QUANTIFY THE CREAM OF THE CROP IN GETTING SPECIAL
PAY? AND THAT WOULD BE COMING OUT OF OUR BUDGET FOR WHAT MIGHT GO TO ACROSS THE BOARD,
DOWN THE ROAD PAY INCREASES. 
          BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS SLIDE GET LONGER WITH,
AND I KNOW THAT WOULD BE BURDENSOME. 
          AND I KNOW PARTICULARLY WITH OUR PAYMENT SYSTEM,
BUT, YOU KNOW, ASSIGNMENT BASED PAY, RIGHT. 
          AND I KNOW SOME OF THAT MIGHT BE PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT CIVIL SERVICE OR MOU
COMPLIANCE. 
          BUT I'D LIKE FOR US TO EXPLORE THAT AND MAYBE CRAFT A MEMO OF WHAT MIGHT GET ON THIS SLIDE
YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. 
          SO WE DO HAVE SOME ASSIGNMENT PAYS THAT ARE THAT ARE NOT ON HERE,
BUT THOSE ARE COMPENSATED WITH COMPENSATION TIME OR NOT. 
          YEAH. COMP TIME. AND SO IT DOESN'T EASILY TRANSLATE INTO A,
A DOLLAR AMOUNT BECAUSE IT VARIES BASED ON YOUR PAY. BUT SO, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS WE'RE HAVING IN THE MEETING IS HOW TO
QUANTIFY THAT BETTER. 
          AND SO I BELIEVE THERE ARE WAYS TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING THAT MIGHT BE
EFFECTIVE RECRUITING TOOLS AND TO, TO HELP TO SUPPLEMENT. I DON'T KNOW, BUT I THINK JUST TO HELP SUPPLEMENT THE BASE PAY,
I GUESS THE SIDE I WANT TO ADD JUST MY PERSPECTIVE IS NOT JUST RECRUITMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE REWARDING OUR TOP EMPLOYEES IN OUR CIVIL
SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITH THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO ENCOURAGE THEIR RETENTION SPECIFICALLY, INDIVIDUALLY,
AND THAT MIGHT BE A CLEAN RECORD FOR THE YEAR. 
          PAY NO DISCIPLINARY ACTION, THESE KIND OF SPECIAL PAYS AND PERHAPS THE ONE THAT MIGHT BE
MOST CONTROVERSIAL, AND I DON'T KNOW, THE LEGALITY ON IT, IS AN EVALUATION BASED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE. 
          AND NOW YOU'RE GETTING AWAY FROM BASE PAY. BUT THOSE ARE WHAT I'D LIKE FOR US TO EXPLORE
THE BOUNDARIES OF, BECAUSE I WANT US TO KEEP OUR VERY BEST EMPLOYEES ABOVE AND BEYOND. 
          THAT'S MY GOAL. WE DO HAVE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT A FITNESS INCENTIVE TO ENCOURAGE OFFICERS
TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. IT'S IT'S IN THE EARLY STAGES. 
          WE'VE GOT A PLAN. WE'VE GOT SOME TWEAKS TO IT,
BUT IT'S YOU MEET A CERTAIN PHYSICAL CONDITION BASED OFF OF A BASE. 
          YEAH. THEN YOU GET SOME PAY. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE THINGS. 
          SOUNDS GREAT. HEAR ME SAY, THOUGH, I KNOW, I KNOW YOU WANT IT TO BE A RECORD. 
          I KNOW. YEAH. I'M AVOIDING YOUR DIRECTION BECAUSE I THINK THOSE ARE COMPLICATED. 
          THE OTHER ONES ARE GREAT. I DON'T KNOW IF THOSE ARE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IN CIVIL SERVICE, BUT I THINK WE CAN LOOK AROUND. WE'RE NOT THE FIRST CITY TO BUY MEAT AND CONFER TO AND
WHETHER IT EXISTS OR NOT. 
          YES, SIR. AND SO I KNOW SOME OF THIS COULD BE A MOVING TARGET,
BUT. 
          OKAY. THANKS. THANK YOU SIR. COUNCILMAN SMITH. 
          THANK YOU. MAYOR. AND CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION,
SOMETIMES I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A WAY FOR OUR POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS TO MAKE MORE MONEY. AND I THINK LOOKING AT THIS,
I MAY HAVE FOUND A WAY FOR SOME OF OUR OFFICERS TO RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $90 A MONTH. AND I WANT TO EXPLAIN THIS. OKAY. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE PAYING $120 A MONTH FOR A
MASTER'S DEGREE. 
          HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK DOWN AT THE BOTTOM FOR THOSE POLICE OFFICERS WHO HOLD A MASTER
CERTIFICATION ARE ONLY GETTING $30 A MONTH. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT REQUIREMENT,
AND I'M LOOKING AT IT NOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEIR REQUIREMENTS FOR A POLICE OFFICER IN TEXAS TO HOLD A MASTER'S
CERTIFICATION, WHICH IS WHAT I HOLD, IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS SUCH AS NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING
THAT YOU HAVE TENDED WHETHER YOU HAVE AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE OR SOME OTHER DEGREE WHETHER AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BASIC INTERMEDIATE
AND ADVANCED CERTIFICATE TO GET A MASTER'S CERTIFICATION. SO MY POINT IS THIS, BASICALLY A MASTER'S CERTIFICATION IS EQUIVALENT TO
SOMEONE THAT HAS A MASTER'S DEGREE, BUT WE'RE PAYING $90 LESS. SO CAN WE LOOK AT THOSE POLICE OFFICERS WHO,
WHILE MAY NOT HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE, HOLD A MASTER'S CERTIFICATE BECAUSE ACCORDING TO T CLOSE,
IT'S BASICALLY THE SAME. 
          BUT WE'RE PAYING $90 A MONTH LESS. CAN WE LOOK AT A POSSIBILITY OF MAKING THAT EQUAL? IF YOU HOLD A MASTER'S DEGREE AND A MASTER'S CERTIFICATION,
YOU SHOULD BE RECEIVING THE SAME COMPENSATION. 
          [02:45:05]
I THINK WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO GO IS JUST TO HAVE THE MEASURABILITY. 
          AND AGAIN, WE CAN SET THESE. AND I BELIEVE IN MY OPINION,
SOME OF THEM ARE LOW. 
          AND I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THEM. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF COMPARISON THAT
WE JUST LIKE BASE PAY. 
          YOU MEASURE IT AS AN AVERAGE OF WHAT OTHER CITIES DO. 
          SO BUT IF WE BUT AS ALWAYS, IF WE VALUE SOMETHING MORE,
WE CAN ALWAYS ADD A HIGHER DOLLAR AMOUNT TO IT. 
          WELL, I DO WANT US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE OFFICERS WITH A MASTER'S CERTIFICATE AND LOOK TO
SEE WHAT THEY HAD TO HAVE TO GET THAT. 
          AND MOST OF THE TIME, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE THAN JUST A FOUR YEAR DEGREE FROM COLLEGE. 
          IT'S GOING TO BE A NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING,
A NUMBER OF YEARS IN SERVICE. 
          THEY'RE ALREADY GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A BASIC INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED. 
          SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE MORE REQUIREMENTS TO GET THAT THAN SOMEONE THAT GOT A FOUR YEAR
MASTER'S DEGREE. 
          SO I DO WANT US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF THAT'S AN AREA WHERE WE CAN COMPENSATE
THOSE OFFICERS FAIRLY WITH THE OFFICERS THAT HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. MOVE ON TO THE FIREFIGHTER SIDE. 
          AGAIN, THE BASE PAY FOR FIREFIGHTERS IS THE SAME AS A POLICE OFFICER IN MESQUITE. 
          IT'S NOT QUITE THE SAME IN IN OTHER CITIES. BUT YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE AVERAGES AND YOU CAN FLIP BACK AND SEE WHAT THE. THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN A BASE PAY OF AN AVERAGE
POLICE OFFICER AND AN AVERAGE FIREFIGHTER IN THE SEVEN CITIES. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE WHERE MESQUITE IS. 
          WE'RE A LITTLE BIT ABOVE THE AVERAGE AT 2.7% ABOVE. 
          AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE FIVE YEAR DOES DO THE SAME TYPE OF DROP BELOW THE AVERAGE. 
          AND THEN AT THE TEN YEAR, WE CATCH UP AND WE'RE 3% ABOVE FOR THE TEN YEAR TOP OUT. 
          AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, ARLINGTON HAS A SIMILAR TOP OUT,
I BELIEVE FOR FIRE. 
          AND SO THE HANDOUT THAT WE WILL HAND OUT IN A SECOND WILL SHOW YOU WHERE ALL OF THOSE
WHERE THE CITY'S TOP OUT AND WHERE ALL OF THOSE NUMBERS ARE. 
          FOR DRIVER ENGINEER. THEY'RE IN THE 2% ABOVE ON THE BASE PAY. 
          LIEUTENANTS ARE 3% ABOVE. CAPTAINS ARE 4% ABOVE THE AVERAGE,
AND THE BATTALION CHIEFS ARE 2% ABOVE THE BASE PAY. AND JUST UNDER 1% ON THE TOP OUT PAY. FIRE, SPECIAL PAYS AND EDUCATION PAYS. WE HAVE THE PARAMEDIC PAY TO INCENTIVIZE
FIREFIGHTERS TO ACHIEVE THE CERTIFICATION. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE WHAT'S CALLED RIDE OUT PAY,
AND THAT'S THAT $40 PER 24 HOUR SHIFT. 
          OR IF THEY $40 FOR 24 HOUR SHIFT AND $20 FOR A 12 HOUR SHIFT. 
          AND THEN SIMILAR TO POLICE, PROBABLY NOT AS COMPLICATED,
BUT THEY HAVE EDUCATION PAY FOR DIFFERENT CERTIFICATIONS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE AND A MASTER'S FIREFIGHTER
CERTIFICATION. 
          SO. THEY ALSO HAVE THE SAME BILINGUAL INCENTIVE. 
          AND THEN THE, SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES WE PROVIDE UNIFORMS THEY GET A,
THE FIRE PREVENTION PERSONNEL GET A $60 A MONTH, WHICH IS YOU DO THE MATH. IT'S THE SAME AS THE INVESTIGATOR PAY JUST ONE SIX MONTH,
ONE SAYS YEAR. 
          AND THEN THEY GET FREE DRY CLEANING FOR ONE UNIFORM PER SHIFT. 
          I HAVE A QUESTION. SO I'M LOOKING AT OUR FIRE SPECIAL EDUCATION PAY. 
          THEIR PAYS SO MUCH HIGHER THAN THE POLICE. LIKE EVEN THEIR BACHELOR'S,
YOU KNOW, MASTER FIREFIGHTER CERTIFICATION. 
          WELL, IT'S 96 AND OUR MASTER CERTIFICATION FOR THE POLICE OFFICERS IS 30,
I BELIEVE. 
          WHAT'S THE DISPARITY? AND NOW THIS IS OUT OF MY EXPERTISE. 
          SO CHIEF HOPKINS CAN ANSWER THAT LATER. THE JUST THE THE AMOUNT OF TIME OR EFFORT IT TAKES
TO GET TO THOSE CERTIFICATIONS MAY BE DIFFERENT. 
          AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY ABLE TO LOOK AT AND TRY TO AGAIN,
THE CERTIFICATIONS FOR FIRE AND CERTIFICATIONS, POLICE. THE REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFERENT. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE DIFFERENCES ARE. 
          OKAY. MR. HUBERT. I'M JUST MAKING SURE I'M READING THIS CORRECTLY. 
          [02:50:08]
THE BASE PAY FOR AN IRVING FIREFIGHTER SHOWS TO BE 87,156 FOR FIREFIGHTER. 
          THE BASE PAY AND IRVING FOR A POLICE OFFICER IS $83,808. 
          SO THE BASE PAY FOR FIREFIGHTER AND IRVING STARTS AT $4,000 MORE. 
          IS THAT. IS THOSE NUMBERS CORRECT THERE? YES,
WE HAVE DOUBLE CONFIRMED ALL NUMBERS AND IRVING HAS HISTORICALLY PAID FIRE MORE THAN POLICE. AND I KNOW THE TOP OUT IS DIFFERENT. DO WE KNOW WHY THEY MIGHT DO THAT? I'M JUST CURIOUS MORE THAN ANYTHING, BECAUSE IF IT HAS TO DO WITH RECRUITMENT,
CAN THEY NOT RECRUIT ENOUGH FIREFIGHTERS? BUT THEY CAN RECRUIT ENOUGH POLICE OFFICERS. I HAVE DIFFICULTY MANAGING ONE CITY COUNCIL. 
          I CAN'T I CAN'T LOOK INTO THE ACTIONS OF OTHER CITIES AND I,
AND I'M WITH ELIZABETH COUNCILMAN ROSS ON THIS ONE AS WELL ABOUT THE MASTER CERTIFICATION FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE. 
          WE HAVE NOT DONE A DEEP DIVE INTO THAT, BUT THAT'S BASED ON THE DISCUSSION WITH WITH THE
MEET AND CONFER. 
          THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, MR. GREEN. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE TWO CHARTS,
TRYING TO COMPARE IT HOLISTICALLY TO SEE WHERE OUR BIGGEST ISSUE AT THE MOMENT IS. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE THE FIVE YEAR STEP IS FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE. 
          WE'RE PRETTY FAR BEHIND THE AVERAGE IN BOTH. I MEAN,
WE'RE EIGHT, EIGHT, EIGHT, ALMOST NINE POINTS DOWN ON POLICE AND ALMOST SIX ON FIRE. SO I THINK LIKE, IF WE'RE GOING TO LOOK TO TRY AND ADDRESS SOMETHING,
THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE MOST IMMEDIATE NEED, JUST BASED ON THE NUMBERS IS WE NEED TO KIND OF CLOSE THAT GAP. 
          SO BECAUSE YOU SAY WE CATCH UP, BUT IT'S FIVE YEARS BEFORE WE CATCH UP,
THAT'S A LONG TIME. 
          SO SO AS YOU'LL SEE WITH THE SPREADSHEETS BEING PASSED OUT. 
          IT'S VERY COMPLICATED TO PUT IT ON TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF DATA ON THIS. AND THESE ARE BASICALLY WHAT WE CALL OUR STEP
COMPARISONS. 
          SO WE THIS IS HOW WE LOOK AT THOSE DIFFERENT AVERAGES. 
          YOU WILL SEE THAT MR. GREEN, TO YOUR POINT SOME CITIES GIVE HAVE 18 MONTH STEPS. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY DO A SIX MONTHS AND ALL THAT. 
          SO THAT'S WHY IT'S HARD TO DO APPLES TO APPLES. 
          THAT'S WHY WE JUST KIND OF LOOK AT THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE. 
          IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN IMPACTING THAT FIVE YEAR AND TEN YEAR NUMBER IT'S MY RECOMMENDATION
IS TO KEEP SHOOTING FOR THAT AVERAGE ON THE BASE PAY AND THEN TRYING TO GAIN BACK THAT STEP THAT WE TOOK AWAY IN
JANUARY OR NOT, WE ABSORBED IN JANUARY. AND SO WHEN WE GET INTO THE BUDGET OFFERS,
WE CAN LOOK AT IT'S ESTIMATED ANYWHERE BETWEEN 400 AND $500,000 IMPACT TO THE GENERAL FUND TO DO A 1% INCREASE FOR EVERYONE AT
THAT STEP AND ABOVE. AND SO THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD SLOWLY START GETTING THAT AVERAGE BACK TO
WHERE WE WOULD BE CLOSER TO THAT AVERAGE. AND SO THAT WOULD BE A IF THAT'S A DESIRE OF THE COUNCIL TO LOOK AT THOSE
TWO NUMBERS AND SEEING WHERE WE'RE AT WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT. AND THANKS FOR THAT, CLIFF. 
          I MEAN, BECAUSE MY CONCERN IS I MEAN, THAT'S 5 TO 7 ISH YEARS IS PROBABLY THE REAL SWEET
SPOT FOR BOTH PROFESSIONS AS FAR AS LIKE LEVEL OF COMPETENCY AND TRAINING AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. THOSE ARE DEFINITELY IF WE'RE GOING TO LOSE ANYONE FROM THE DEPARTMENT,
THOSE ARE DEFINITELY THE PEOPLE YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE. THEY WEREN'T LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THEY PROBABLY HAVE CERTIFICATIONS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO THEY'RE
NOT ROOKIES ANYMORE AT THAT POINT. 
          SO. JUST TO WALK. MR. CASPER DID ON THAT SAME LINE OF QUESTIONING, DO WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ANY NUMBER OR A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF INNER
CITY TRANSFERS FROM POLICE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT? WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RETIREMENT. YEAH. ARE WE SEEING ANYONE
KIND OF DEPARTMENT HOP. 
          I HAVE NOT DONE THE ANALYSIS THIS YEAR, BUT LAST YEAR WHEN WHEN WE LOOKED AT IT,
WE DID NOT FIND ANY OFFICERS MOVING FROM MESQUITE TO ANY OF THE SEVEN COMPARISON CITIES. 
          THERE ARE SOME TRANSFERS TO SOME AGENCIES. I BELIEVE HEATH WAS THE ONE THAT WE HAD SEVERAL
AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT PEOPLE WERE MOVING TO THAT HAD NOT REACHED A 15 OR 20 YEAR
TIME FRAME. 
          AND WHAT ABOUT TRANSFERS IN. BECAUSE WE, WE'VE TRIED TO RECRUIT FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          [02:55:01]
WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD A FEW LATERALS IN THE PAST YEAR OR TWO. 
          I, THE CHIEF WILL, HE RETAINS THAT DATA. OKAY. 
          AND WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK ARE YOU HOPING TO GET FROM THE COUNCIL IN THESE CONVERSATIONS? ONE, I JUST WANTED TO UPDATE YOU AND I THINK THE PROPOSED PAY INCREASE WILL AFFECT THE
WILL AFFECT THIS BASE PAY. RIGHT NOW BASED ON THE NUMBERS AVAILABLE TO US,
WE CAN AFFORD A 3% ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          LIKE I SAID, I THINK MOST OTHER CITIES ARE GOING TO BE DOING A SIMILAR INCREASE UNLESS
SOMEBODY DOES SOMETHING UNUSUAL WITH BASE PAY, WE WILL BE IN THAT AVERAGE. AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AT A JUNE 1ST PAY SCALE OR PAY PLAN
STUDY. 
          AND SO WE WON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE EVERYBODY LANDS UNTIL,
UNTIL THE NEXT YEAR. 
          SO IT'S MY GOAL IS TO STAY CLOSE TO THAT. BUT YOU KNOW,
I'LL KEEP GOING BACK TO LIMITED REVENUES, NOT HAVING THE ADDITIONAL REVENUES FROM THE PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION DID SET US,
SET US BACK. 
          AND SO WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO THINGS IN THE FUTURE TO STAY WITHIN THAT AVERAGE OF THESE
SEVEN CITIES. 
          THE 3% ACROSS THE BOARD. FIRE AND POLICE. A POSSIBLE STEP INCREASE. 
          A MINOR ONE, NOT A FULL 5% STEP. IT WOULD BE A 1%. 
          YEAH. OKAY. GRAND PRAIRIE IS DOING IT BY A DOLLAR AMOUNT. 
          THEY THEIR FIRST STEP OVER BASE IS $1,000 MORE. 
          SECOND STEP IS 2000 OR ANOTHER THOUSAND. SO THAT'S HOW THEIR IS THAT RIGHT AFTER BASE PAY? YES, SIR. THEY GET OUT OF THE ACADEMY. YEAH. AND WE DON'T HAVE KNOW RIGHT FROM THE START. 
          ONCE YOU GET OUT OF ACADEMY YOU'RE YOU HAVE TWO YEARS. 
          YEAH. OKAY. THE AND I KNOW IT'S ALL APPLES TO ORANGES,
BUT THE. 
          THE RANK COMPARISON. IN THE PAST WE'VE TOYED WITH THE WITH IDEA ON THE POLICE SIDE,
HAVING ALL THE LEVEL OF RANK INCREASES COMPARABLE TO OUR FIRE SIDE. AND SO I THINK THERE'S BEEN A CONVERSATION IN
THE PAST ABOUT A CORPORAL POSITION OR SOMETHING TO THAT. 
          IS CAN YOU GIVE US MORE CONTEXT AND FEEDBACK ON ADDING A RANK SIMILAR TO AND I FORGET WHAT
THE FIRE EQUIVALENT THAT WOULD BE THE DRIVER ENGINEER WOULD BE. YEAH. SO YOU KNOW,
THOSE IT'S A TESTED POSITION FOR THE FIRE RANK. 
          AND SO WHEN WE'VE HAD THE DISCUSSIONS IN THE PAST,
IF, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOR AN OFFICER TO MOVE UP, MAYBE NOT TO SOONER, IT CREATES MORE ADVANCEMENT NUMBERS. 
          AND THEN THAT WOULD BASICALLY IT WOULD CREATE A NEW CATEGORY,
BUT IT WOULD HELP WITH THAT TOP OUT. 
          AND SO YOU WOULD ASSUME THAT THE CORPORAL RANK YOU KNOW,
IF THERE'S 20 OR 30 ADDITIONAL POSITIONS TO PROVIDE THAT LEADERSHIP WHEN THERE'S NOT A SERGEANT OR A LIEUTENANT AVAILABLE. IT WOULD BE A WOULD BE A BENEFIT TO THE,
TO THE DEPARTMENT. 
          WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY REQUESTS TO DO THAT RECENTLY. 
          AND SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THE COUNCIL WANTS TO LOOK AT,
I'M, I'M WILLING TO, TO EXPLORE WHAT THAT COST WOULD BE. 
          I THINK THE, THE CHALLENGE IS THAT IT IT DOES CHANGE SOME OF THE WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT
IT DOES TO THE UPPER RANK PAY. 
          YEAH. AND I LOVE MEETING CONFER TO WORK OUT AND CONTINUE ON,
BUT THERE IS AN EXPIRATION DATE. 
          AND AT SOME POINT, IF IT DOES NOT GET RENEWED,
THEN THE COUNCIL IS JUST GOING TO BE MAKING DECISIONS LIKE WHETHER WE ADD THIS OR NOT. 
          ABSOLUTELY. MOST OF THE YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT AND MEET AND CONFER,
I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STILL DOING THE THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF
OUR OFFICERS. 
          AND AND TO BE CLEAR, THAT IS A GOAL. I THINK THIS COUNCIL AND EVERY COUNCIL HAVE HAD TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PAYING AS WELL AS WE CAN. 
          THEN THE SCARCITY OF OUR BUDGET. WE'RE GIVING ALL THE EQUIPMENT,
TOOLS, TRAINING, ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS. 
          I AM CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THE COST OF ADDING 25 POSITIONS FOR CORPORAL RANK MIGHT BE JUST
DOWN THE ROAD, AND WHETHER IT'S THIS YEAR OR NOT. AND THEN MAYOR,
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S APPETITE, BUT WE'VE HAD THE POLICE ASSOCIATION PASS COUNCIL MEETING COME AND KIND OF INITIATE OUR BUDGET CONVERSATION THAT WE SEEM TO HAVE HAD
ANNUALLY OVER THE LAST 2 OR 3 YEARS REGARDING OUR PARITY POLICY. 
          AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS COUNCIL IS INTERESTED IN CLEARING UP WHAT EACH PERSON'S
INDIVIDUAL POSITION IS AND KIND OF LAYING IT TO REST, 
          [03:00:07]
OR IF WE'RE JUST GOING TO KIND OF NOT HAVE THAT CONVERSATION FOR ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO,
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN DOING THAT. 
          I'D BE CURIOUS AND AND I WOULD BE OPEN TO HAVING THAT CONVERSATION. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF RIGHT NOW OR IF WE WAIT TO HEAR FROM THE CHIEFS AND THEM GIVING THEIR
PRESENTATIONS AS WELL, SO WE CAN HEAR FROM THEM AND THEN BEGIN A DISCUSSION. 
          BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN DO THAT. THANKS. I WOULD LIKE TO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT ALSO,
MISS RODRIGUEZ. 
          ROSS. YES, MA'AM. I HAVE A QUESTION. SO I ALREADY HEARD FROM AT LEAST TWO COUNCILMEN ON
HERE, AND I SAW SOME NODS AROUND HERE. IF WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT OUR COMP CITIES,
DOES THAT NOT CHANGE THESE NUMBERS? IF WE'RE GOING TO REASSESS OUR COMP CITY LIST,
THE BY POLICY, THESE ARE THE CITIES THAT WE LOOK AT FOR POLICE AND FIRE PAY. THAT IS THE POLICY FOR THE FINANCE. 
          IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO LOOK AT OTHER CITIES,
WE CAN DO THAT. THERE'S NO THERE'S NO POLICY DIRECTING THAT. 
          IT'S JUST A PRACTICE THAT WE'VE HAD. JUST KEEP IT THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE ALL OF THE
PRESENTATIONS. 
          OKAY. SO THAT'S JUST MY QUESTION. AND I THINK THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND THAT
IF WE WANT TO LOOK AT COMP CITIES, I MEAN, EVERYTHING WE DO IS BASED ON THESE COMP CITIES,
INCLUDING THIS PUBLIC SAFETY PAY. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THAT IN MIND, IF WE LOOK AT,
YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE ON POPULATION, AND WE WANT TO USE RICHARDSON AND CARROLLTON BECAUSE THEY'RE CLOSER THAN US,
THAN BOTH OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY'S BLOW THEM OUT OF THE WATER, YOU KNOW, AND IF WE WANT TO LOOK AT THIS, WHICH WE GOT AND WE WANT TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO
IRVING, WHICH IS THE ONLY OTHER CITY THAT HAS ALL THE STEPS THAT WE HAVE. 
          EITHER WAY, WE STILL BLOWING THEM OUT OF THE WATER. SO I JUST WANTED YOU GUYS TO KEEP THAT
IN MIND THAT IF WE'RE LOOKING AT COMP CITIES AND WE'RE GOING TO REASSESS THAT I REALLY DON'T KNOW YOU KNOW, IF IT'S WORTH HAVING ALL THE CONVERSATIONS AND DUKING IT OUT BECAUSE
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO FIND THAT IF WE CHANGE THEM, MESQUITE'S GOING TO BE BLOWING EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER. SO I'M NOT OPPOSED TO LOOKING
AT THE COMP CITIES, BUT THAT'S BEEN CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD HERE TODAY. AND SO AGAIN,
JUST KEEPING IN MIND ALL THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE IN HERE AND THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING PUBLIC SAFETY PAY. I THINK IF YOU GO THROUGH HERE AND LOOK AND LOOK AT,
AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, IRVING WHO MATCHES ALL OF OUR STEPS. 
          SO IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT CARROLLTON AND RICHARDSON WHO ARE CLOSER IN POPULATION NOBODY'S
REALLY THAT CLOSE TO US AS FAR AS ASSESSED VALUE EXCEPT FOR GRAND PRAIRIE. 
          BUT AT ANY LEVEL, WE'RE OUTPERFORMING THEM. AND SO MAYBE WE CHANGE ALL THE COMP CITIES AND
THE POLICE ARE YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN THE RANGE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE AND FIRE IS GROSSLY OVERPAID,
YOU KNOW, AND THEN EVERYBODY'S UNHAPPY. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TAKE THIS FIGHT DOWN THE ROAD. 
          BUT I JUST AGAIN, I WANT TO BRING THAT TO THE CONVERSATION IS THAT IF YOU GUYS ARE TALKING
ABOUT CHANGING THE COMP CITIES, THEN THAT CHANGES ALL THESE NUMBERS. SO THAT'S JUST WHAT I HAVE IN MY MIND AGAIN,
BECAUSE I'VE HEARD SO MANY VOICES TODAY SAY THAT THEY WANT TO LOOK AT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND,
ESPECIALLY WITH THIS PAY. 
          AS FAR AS PARITY, I THINK I'VE SAID IT SEVERAL TIMES. 
          TO ME, IT'S NOT A FIRE VERSUS POLICE THING. IT'S REALLY A FINANCIAL DISCUSSION SINCE WE
ARE HAVING SOME REALLY TOUGH FINANCIAL DISCUSSIONS, SINCE WE'VE HAD PUSHBACK ON YOU KNOW, KEEPING AMENITIES OPEN LIKE THE LIBRARY,
I DEFINITELY THINK THAT IT'S WORTH A CONVERSATION TO HAVE. 
          NOW, THAT'S NOT SAYING THAT I WOULD CHOOSE ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. 
          THAT'S NOT SAYING IF WE GET RID OF THE POLICY,
THAT WE DON'T FAIRLY COMPENSATE THEM EQUALLY. 
          BUT I DO THINK THAT IT'S WORTH HAVING THE CONVERSATION. 
          AND AGAIN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE THE COMP CITIES,
THEN I THINK YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW THAT AFFECTS THESE. 
          AND IF WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE COMP CITIES. 
          AND THAT'S SOMETHING FOR US TO THINK ABOUT AS A COUNCIL,
IS THAT WHAT YOU KNOW? CRITERIA. ARE WE GOING TO USE POPULATION ASSESSED VALUE? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO THERE? SO HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS,
THAT'S WHAT I HAVE ON MY MIND. 
          MR. GREEN. YEAH, THANK YOU. MAYOR. I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS TO THE POINT OF COMP
CITIES, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IS I DON'T CARE WHAT THE POPULATION IS, THAT'S IRRELEVANT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS. 
          IT COMES DOWN TO HOW MUCH MONEY IS COMING IN THE BANK,
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S HOW WE HAVE TO PAY FOR STUFF, IS WE GOT TO LOOK AT CITIES THAT HAVE ABOUT THE SAME TYPE OF REVENUE WE HAVE,
AND WHAT PERCENTAGE ARE THEY DEDICATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY? ARE WE GIVING A HIGHER PERCENTAGE THAN MOST OF THE OTHER CITIES? I THINK WE ARE. AND SO
THAT'S TO ME, THAT'S HOW YOU WOULD COMPARE IT IS WHO HAS SIMILAR REVENUE STREAM,
LIKE SIMILAR REVENUE IN THE BANK? WHAT PERCENTAGE OF MONEY ARE THEY PUTTING TOWARD PUBLIC SAFETY? SO I THINK YOU REALLY HAVE
TO USE LIKE A FORMULA AND FACTOR IT OUT. 
          BECAUSE IF WE'RE DEDICATING ALMOST 60% OF OUR BUDGET TO PUBLIC SAFETY,
ANOTHER CITY WITH THE SAME REVENUE IS ONLY DEDICATING 40. 
          [03:05:03]
WELL, OF COURSE OUR PAY IS GOING TO BE LIKE HIGHER,
YOU KNOW, LIKE, SO I THINK IT'S KIND OF ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT'S NOT JUST A SIMPLE ANSWER OF APPLE TO APPLE. I THINK IT'S REALLY,
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY AND SAY, OKAY, HERE ARE SOME CITIES THAT HAVE A SIMILAR TAX BASE TO US BECAUSE I MEAN,
TO ME, PLANO IS AN ABSURD COMPARISON. 
          LIKE ALL LIKE, NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT,
IT JUST IS BASED ON POPULATION, BASED ON THE REVENUE, BASED ON EVERYTHING. LIKE THERE'S, THERE'S NO REAL DIRECT CORRELATION. 
          THEY'RE NOT IN THE SAME COUNTY. LIKE TO ME, THERE'S NOT REALLY A RATIONALE ANYMORE TO
COMPARE US TO THEM. 
          AND SO THAT'S THE ONE CITY, WHEN I PULLED IT UP AND TOOK THEM OUT OF THE NUMBERS,
IT SHIFTS POLICE ABOUT 1% TOWARD THE AVERAGE FIRE. 
          DOESN'T REALLY MOVE THEM MUCH AT ALL, LIKE IF YOU TOOK PLANO OUT. 
          SO, I MEAN, AGAIN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE YOU LOOK AT IT AND SAY,
ALL RIGHT, SO WHAT WOULD THE IMPACT BE? BUT I THINK IF WE DO IT, WE LOOK AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND WE MAKE A DECISION BASED
ON WHAT WE CURRENTLY ARE AT. 
          WE DON'T JUST DO SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO COMPLETELY SHIFT THINGS FROM ONE EXTREME TO THE
OTHER. 
          BECAUSE THAT WOULDN'T BE FAIR EITHER. SO COUNCILMAN CASPER THE SEVEN CITY SURVEY TO ME IS
ASPIRATIONAL TO GET OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TO THAT MIDPOINT. AND KEEP THEM,
YOU KNOW, 3% ABOVE IT. 
          AND SO HAVING OTHER CITIES THAT ARE ABOVE OUR MEDIAN HOME VALUE AND COMPARING THAT'S
HELPFUL. 
          IT'S ASPIRATIONAL. IT'S A GOOD GOAL. I THINK WHETHER WE HAVE PARITY OR NO PARITY,
IF WE CHANGE IT, WE COULD EACH ONE OF US CRAFT A CITY SURVEY LIST THAT WOULD PUT THEM AT THE TOP OF IT,
AND WE COULD FIND ANOTHER SURVEY LIST THAT PUT THEM AT THE BOTTOM OF IT. 
          AND SO REALLY, WE'RE JUST MAKING DATA, SAY WHAT WE WANT OUR ARGUMENT TO BE AT THAT POINT. 
          TO ME, THE DATA POINTS THAT WE CAN GET FROM HR ABOUT HOW MANY FOLKS ARE SITTING FOR A
TEST, HOW MANY ARE TRANSFERRING IN OR OUT, HOW MANY ARE RETIRING WITH YEARS OF SERVICE,
POSSIBLY. 
          ALL OF THAT IS MUCH MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER OUR COMPENSATION IS DOING WHAT
IT NEEDS TO TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN THE BEST THAT WE CAN. 
          THE REST OF THIS IS ALL GREAT. WE CAN THROW LOTS OF CHARTS UP,
BUT TO ME, THAT'S KIND OF THE BIG INFORMATION POINT. 
          ARE FOLKS LEAVING? ARE WE ABLE TO REPLACE WITH QUALITY? ARE WE ABLE TO RETAIN THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE MOST WANT TO RETAIN? AND THAT FEEDBACK ALL SEEMS TO BE AT A PRETTY HEALTHY CONVERSATION. 
          AND SO FROM THERE, YOU KNOW WHAT COMPENSATION WE THINK WE CAN DO WITHIN THE SCARCITY OF
THE BUDGET IS ALL REASONABLE POSITIONS TO TAKE. 
          AND I THINK WE'RE THE CITY SEVEN CITY SURVEY. 
          I DON'T WANT TO SAY I DON'T PAY A WHOLE LOT OF ATTENTION TO IT. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT. IT'S ASPIRATIONAL, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S THE END ALL,
BE ALL. I WAS JUST TAKING THE POSITION. 
          IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR PERSPECTIVES ALSO FROM THE CHIEF,
BUT I'M CERTAINLY READY. 
          WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GO INTO DISCUSSION. RIGHT. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT, MR. GREEN. I WAS GOING TO ADD TO THAT. 
          THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT, JEFF, IS I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU THAT IT'S NOT THE END ALL
BE ALL. BUT OUR CURRENT PACE SCHEDULE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IS BASED SPECIFICALLY ON THIS. 
          SO THAT'S THE CONCERN I HAVE IS IF WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT OTHER FACTORS,
THEN MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES THIS WE SHOULD CONSIDER AND MAKE THAT PART OF THE POLICY. WE DID A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. WE JUST JUST TO EDUCATE ON WHAT THE REST OF THE
CITIES WERE DOING. 
          AND SO, AS I SAID BEFORE, WE WE'VE DONE SOME EVALUATIONS ON WHAT OTHER CITIES WOULD LOOK
LIKE. 
          SO WE CAN PRESENT THOSE TO YOU ALL DOWN THE ROAD. 
          BUT I WOULD SAY THAT JUST AND I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION. 
          AND BEFORE WE MOVE ON, JUST THAT WE KEEP IN MIND THAT THAT 3% ACROSS THE BOARD IS WHAT
THAT'S THE FLOOR WHEN IT COMES TO THE PERCENT INCREASE. AND IT'S ABOUT ALL WE CAN DO IF WE WANT TO DO SOME OTHER THINGS. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHERE THAT CHALLENGE COMES IN. AND SO MAYOR THE LUNCH IS READY TO BE SERVED. 
          IF WE WANT TO TAKE A BREAK, DO LUNCH QUICKLY,
GRAB FOOD, AND THEN COME BACK AND WE'LL MOVE THROUGH THE PUBLIC SAFETY PRESENTATIONS. JASON. WELL, LET'S TAKE A LUNCH BREAK. 
          ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE WITH OUR WORKSHOP. 
          AND WE NEED TO GET WHAT ON. 
          ALRIGHT. WE'RE READY. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH OUR WORKSHOP. 
          [F. Department Strategy Presentations 
o Fire 
o Police ]
AND I WANTED TO BE CLEAR ON SOMETHING. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FIRST CHIEF HOPKINS GOING TO
PRESENT AND THEN ALSO CHIEF GILL. 
          BUT WHATEVER QUESTIONS THAT WE MAY HAVE AS A COUNCIL,
I JUST WANTED TO I IF WHEN I MADE THE COMMENT, 
          [03:10:04]
I JUST WANTED TO HEAR FROM THEM BEFORE WE ENTERED INTO OUR DISCUSSION,
I'M NOT I'M NOT ASKING THEM OR SAYING TO THEM TO ENTER INTO DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS, ABOUT PARITY OR THEIR THOUGHTS OR ANYTHING JUST FOR THEM TO PRESENT. 
          WE CAN LISTEN. AND THEN WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE FOR THEM ASIDE FROM THAT,
AND THEN WE'LL ENTER INTO OUR DISCUSSION TOGETHER. 
          ALL RIGHT, CHIEF, GREAT TO HAVE YOU. GREAT TO BE HERE. 
          THANK YOU. MAYOR COUNCIL, KEITH HOPKINS WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND ODD TO FOLLOW THE
LAST DISCUSSION BECAUSE I GOT A LOT OF BRAGGING ON OUR PEOPLE IN HERE, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU ALL JUST TALKED ABOUT,
BUT JUST BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE HERE. AND I THINK YOU YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO I DO WANT TO TELL YOU,
WE DID MAKE A CHANGE TO OUR MISSION STATEMENT. 
          WHEN I TOOK OVER AND OUR MISSION STATEMENT IS TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE IN EVERYTHING WE DO
AND TREAT EVERYONE WE ENCOUNTER LIKE FAMILY. 
          EVERY DECISION THAT WE MAKE FALLS UNDER THE MISSION STATEMENT,
AND I WANT TO TELL YOU, IT HAS PERMEATED THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT IN SUCH A WAY THAT EVEN WHEN I GET APPLICANTS THAT COME IN THEY WILL TELL US OUR MISSION STATEMENT WHILE THEY'RE
INTERVIEWING FOR US IN THE ORGANIZATION. 
          SO IT HAS BEEN IT'S BEEN A BATTLE CRY. WE HAVE A SIGN UP IN EVERY STATION OVER EVERY DOOR
THAT SAYS EXCELLENCE AND FAMILY. 
          IT'S ON OUR NEW EQUIPMENT THAT'S COMING IN. AND AND SO EVERY DECISION WE MAKE,
IT DOESN'T MAKE US BETTER. 
          AND IF IT DOESN'T TREAT PEOPLE LIKE FAMILY THEN WE DON'T DO IT. 
          AND SO WE HAVE THESE POSTERS. I'LL SHOW YOU ANOTHER ONE THAT AT THE END THAT WE HAVE UP IN
OUR STATIONS AND OUR WORKOUT ROOMS. AND SO IT IS JUST A, IT IS, IT IS PERMEATED THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          AND I THINK WE ARE ACTIVELY MEETING THAT. SO GO THROUGH THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART WITH YOU
GUYS AGAIN. 
          THE RED BOXES ARE OPERATIONS PEOPLE. IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR
DEPARTMENT. 
          IT'S 90% OF OUR PERSONNEL ARE OUT IN THE FIELD RIDING EQUIPMENT AND TAKING CARE OF
CITIZENS. 
          THEY THEY DO THE YEOMAN'S WORK AND ALL THOSE IN GREEN ARE,
AND PURPLE ARE SUPPORTING THEM AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR THEM AND THE CITIZENS AS WELL. I WANTED TO BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU. 
          WE DID MAKE A RECENT CHANGE NOT IN THIS SLIDE,
BUT WE HAVE AN APPOINTED ASSISTANT CHIEF AND A PROMOTED ASSISTANT CHIEF, AND SO THEY CAN WORK IN EITHER SPOT. IN MAY WE SWITCHED THOSE. 
          AND SO NOW OUR ASSISTANT CHIEF OF SPECIAL SERVICES IS NOW BILLY MASSEY. 
          HE'S OVER OUR FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, OUR EMS DIVISION,
ALL OF OUR FACILITIES, ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT, AND OUR SPECIAL PROJECTS PIECES. HE'S BEEN VERY BUSY,
AS YOU GUYS KNOW, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, TRYING TO GET THESE TWO FIRE STATIONS DONE. AND I THINK HE'S VERY READY TO BE OUT OF THE
CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT ANYWAY. 
          CHIEF TOMMY GREENE HAS MOVED TO OUR ASSISTANT CHIEF OF OPERATIONS. 
          IT'S BEEN A GREAT TIME FOR HIS SWITCH. AS WE ADDED THE SECOND BATTALION CHIEF,
WE'VE ENTERED INTO A NEW PROGRAM ON HOW WE MANAGE FIRES, AND CHIEF GREENE'S TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT. HE STILL ALSO RETAINS THE TRAINING DIVISION. 
          THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE FOR US, BUT THAT'S KIND OF AN INDUSTRY STANDARD THAT THE
OPERATIONS CHIEF TAKES OVER THAT AS WELL. 
          SO YOU'VE SEEN THIS SLIDE FOR YEARS AND ADAPTED. 
          BUT I DO WANT TO POINT OUT TO YOU, WE HAVE CURRENTLY 107 FIREFIGHTERS WITH LESS THAN FIVE
YEARS EXPERIENCE OUT OF OUR 254. 
          IF YOU LOOK BACK AT 2017, THAT FIVE YEAR PIECE WAS ABOUT 17%. 
          TODAY IT'S 42%. SO 42% OF OUR DEPARTMENT HAS THAT. 
          SO I WILL TELL YOU, AND YOU ASKED THE QUESTION,
I THINK, MR. RYBARCZYK, THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT TURNOVER WITH US. 
          IN MY TWO YEARS IN THIS ROLE, WE HAVE LOST ONE PERSON BY THEIR OWN CHOICE. 
          EVERYBODY ELSE HAS BEEN BY OUR CHOICE THAT'S LEFT. 
          AND SO WE DON'T LOSE A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND FOR US AS WELL,
IF ONCE YOU HIT 35, YOU CAN'T MOVE ANYWAY. 
          SO WHEN THEY REACH A CERTAIN AGE, YOU CAN'T GO GET ANOTHER CIVIL SERVICE JOB AS A
FIREFIGHTER SOMEWHERE ELSE. 
          AND SO OUR GOAL AND WE SEE THIS, I SEE THIS AS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY EXCITING FOR US. 
          I THINK WE'RE HIRING REALLY, REALLY WELL. WE'RE HIRING REALLY QUALITY YOUNG PEOPLE TO COME
IN AND DO THIS JOB, AND THEY'RE PROVING THAT. BUT IT ALLOWS US TO MAKE THIS CULTURE WHATEVER WE WANT TO MAKE
IT. 
          AND AND I'LL BRAG, I'M GOING TO BRAG A LOT, BUT ON THE 5TH OF SEPTEMBER WILL BE THE 25
YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NINE OVER 11 WILL BE OUR STAIR CLIMB FOR THAT ANNIVERSARY. AND EVERY YEAR, MESQUITE FIRE HAS MORE PEOPLE IN THAT CLIMB
THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE METROPLEX. 
          AND THAT IS THE SAME THIS YEAR. SO WE HAVE 29 FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE CLIMBING. 
          IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG DAY BECAUSE I'M CLIMBING. 
          SORRY. THAT WAS THAT WAS MY THIRD GOAL AFTER TRANSPLANT WAS TO CLIMB. 
          AND SO Y'ALL PRAY THAT I DON'T DIE. I THINK THEY'RE ALL GOING TO CLIMB WITH ME TO MAKE
SURE I DON'T STROKE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT. 
          SO, SO YEAH, I'LL BE, HEY, I, I'VE REALIZED IN THIS JOB,
THERE'S ENOUGH CAMERAS ALL THE TIME THAT SOMEBODY WILL BE VIDEOING 
          [03:15:03]
ALL THAT. YEAH. YOU'LL JUST HEAR HEAVY BREATHING THE WHOLE TIME IF IT'S ME. SO,
CHIEF, BEFORE YOU MOVE ON. 
          YES, SIR. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHEN WE HAVE AN OPENING AND WE'RE GIVEN A TEST,
CAN YOU PROVIDE CONTEXT OF HOW WE MIGHT COMPARE TO OTHER CITIES OR JUST, YOU KNOW, HOW FRUITFUL IS IT TO FIND QUALITY APPLICANTS FOR A GIVEN POSITION? YEAH WE DO REALLY WELL IN THAT CATEGORY. I THINK THE FIRE SERVICE IN GENERAL DOES REALLY
WELL WITH THAT. 
          WE HAD 297 SHOW UP FOR OUR TEST THIS YEAR FOR EIGHT SPOTS THAT WE'RE FILLING. 
          AND SOME OF THE DRAW FOR US IS BECAUSE WE PAY FOR THEIR TRAINING. 
          SO IF A YOUNG PERSON WANTS TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER AND THEY HAVEN'T GONE TO SCHOOL YET. 
          WE SEND THEM THROUGH FIRE SCHOOL, EMT SCHOOL AND PARAMEDIC SCHOOL. 
          SOME OTHER CITIES WILL REQUIRE YOU TO ALREADY HAVE ONE OR SEVERAL OF THOSE CERTIFICATIONS. 
          GARLAND HAS MORE THAT SHOWS UP FOR THEIR TEST BECAUSE THEY DON'T REQUIRE ANYTHING. 
          AND YOU CAN BE 18 YEARS OLD. WE HAVE A COLLEGE REQUIREMENT AND AN AGE REQUIREMENT OF 21,
SO IT SHRINKS OURS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. 
          BUT I'M REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH GETTING EIGHT OUT OF 297 PEOPLE. 
          SO IT'S BEEN GOOD. PLANO HAS HAD TO REDUCE THEIRS. 
          AGAIN, THEY'RE TRYING TO HIRE SO MANY, BUT THEY REQUIRE YOU TO BE FULLY CERTIFIED TO COME
UP THERE. WHAT THEY BASICALLY DO IS JUST TAKE FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND AND THAT'S, THAT'S JUST THE REALITY OF IT. THAT'S WHAT THEY HIRE PEOPLE THAT GET TRAINED SOMEWHERE
ELSE. 
          WE HAD A SPELL A FEW YEARS AGO THAT WE LOST FIVE TO PLANO,
MAINLY BECAUSE WE HAD A SET OF TWINS. 
          THEIR DAD WORKED THERE. THEY WANTED TO GO WORK WITH THEIR DAD. THEY PULLED HIM OVER ALL OF
THEM. 
          BUT BUT ONE REQUESTED TO COME BACK. THEY WANTED TO COME BACK TO MESQUITE. 
          AND THAT'S A CULTURE THING, I THINK. IT'S NOT A PAY THING WITH US. 
          IT'S JUST NOT. YOU DON'T MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY FOR PAY. 
          YOU MOVE BECAUSE SOME OF OUR GUYS LIVE SO FAR OFF,
THEY TRY TO GET ON WITH THE DEPARTMENT THAT'S CLOSER TO THEM AND THAT KIND OF THING. 
          SO WE DON'T LOSE MANY PEOPLE AT ALL. I THINK IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD FIRE
DEPARTMENT, AND I THINK THEY KNOW IT'S GOOD HERE. WE'RE STILL AGGRESSIVE. 
          WE STILL FIGHT SOME FIRE COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES THAT THAT DON'T AS MUCH. 
          AND SO RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IS NOT REALLY AN ISSUE FOR US,
JUST TO BE HONEST. 
          SO CHIEF, WHILE WE'RE ON THE SAME SLIDE, YOU WERE DESCRIBING SOME OTHER CITY REQUIREMENTS
THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE CITY OF MESQUITE'S REQUIREMENTS, CORRECT? CORRECT. WHAT WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR A FIREFIGHTER? SO IT WAS REDUCED JUST A FEW YEARS AGO. YOU BASICALLY HAD TO HAVE AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE. 
          A FEW YEARS AGO WE REDUCED THAT TO 15 HOURS,
15 HOURS IF YOU HAVE MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND 30 HOURS IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MILITARY EXPERIENCE. SO HAVING YOU AGAIN, YOU MENTIONED DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A DAUGHTER IN LAW THAT'S A FIREFIGHTER AS WELL. 
          SO I UNDERSTAND THEIR REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN OUR REQUIREMENTS. WHAT GOOD IS THIS? WHAT GOOD IS THE COMPARABLE CITIES IF THEY'RE NOT COMPARABLE CITIES BECAUSE THE
REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFERENT? YEAH. I THINK IT'S STILL FOR US. YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR CHIEF GIL,
BUT I THINK I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SIMILARITIES IN WHAT WE DO. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S THE IT'S THE FACT THAT WE STILL ALL DO THE SAME JOB. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BE FIREFIGHTERS OR POLICE OFFICERS,
THAT'S JUST WHAT THEY WANT TO BE. 
          AND THEY'LL TAKE EVERY TEST, ANY TEST THEY CAN QUALIFY FOR,
THEY'LL TAKE IT. 
          AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BE A PART OF MESQUITE,
BUT TO BE HONEST, A LOT OF THEM WILL TAKE A TEST WHEREVER THEY CAN TAKE IT. 
          AND WHOEVER HIRES THEM FIRST, THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE THEY'RE GOING TO GO. SO I THINK I THINK
IT IS STILL COMPARABLE ONCE THEY GET HERE. 
          MY OPINION AND I DIDN'T REALLY CARE FOR US LOWERING AND LOWERING THE EDUCATION
REQUIREMENTS. 
          I LIKED THEM BEING A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BUT IN MY OPINION,
I DON'T THINK YOU'RE READY TO DO WHAT WE DO AT 18 YEARS OLD. 
          I THINK YOU NEED SOME EXPERIENCE AND YOU NEED A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE
THINGS THAT THESE GUYS SEE ON A DAY IN AND DAY OUT BASIS. 
          AND SO I LIKE HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF THE HIGHER REQUIREMENTS. 
          I DO HONESTLY, I LIKE TRAINING THEM OURSELVES AS WELL BECAUSE WE TEACH THEM THE WAY WE
WANT TO BE TAUGHT, AND THEY'RE NOT BUILDING BAD HABITS. AND WE'RE STARTING OUT WELL. SURE. 
          OKAY. SO AGAIN, REAL QUICK, SOME OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
YOU GUYS KNOW WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS FOR A LITTLE BIT. 
          AND THAT'S GREAT. STATION TWO HAS OPENED AND STILL HAVE A FEW CHALLENGES WITH STATION TWO. 
          WE'VE GOT A FEW THINGS THAT WE'VE GOT TO FINISH UP. STATION EIGHT IS BASICALLY READY TO
GO. 
          WE'VE GOT A MOCK ALERT SYSTEM THAT STILL HAS TO BE PUT IN SO THAT WE CAN TAKE CALLS THAT
ACTUALLY IS BEING INSTALLED ON THE DAY OF THE GRAND OPENING. 
          SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE OPENING UP RIGHT AFTER THAT BECAUSE THAT THE STATION'S READY FOR THE
MOST PART. 
          OTHER THAN THAT, AND THEN THE TRAINING FACILITY LOOKS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THAT
PICTURE DOES IN THE TOP, RIGHT? IT IS FULLY THE HEIGHT IS FULLY DONE. THE TRAINING BUILDING IS CLOSE TO BEING DONE. 
          AND CHIEF STAPLES SAID HE FEELS LIKE THE MIDDLE TO END OF NEXT MONTH,
IT'LL BE READY TO. 
          IT'LL BE READY TO GO AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU IN MY CAREER,
I THINK I'VE SAID IT TO YOU BEFORE, 
          [03:20:04]
THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT WILL HAPPEN TO US,
IS HAVING A REALLY NICE TRAINING FACILITY THAT WE CAN USE AS A REGIONAL ASSET. 
          WE'VE ALREADY HAD OTHER CITIES REACH OUT TO US AND,
AND ASK IF THEY CAN USE IT. 
          WE'VE ALREADY HAD PEOPLE REACH OUT ABOUT DOING OUR PHYSICAL AGILITY TEST. 
          AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT ASSET FOR US AND JUST A PLACE FOR OUR PEOPLE TO GO TRAIN. 
          AND WE DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT OF SERVICE AND GO TO GARLAND. 
          WE CAN DO IT. HERE IS IS I MEAN, I KNOW YOU CAN'T REALLY GRASP IT,
BUT IT IS A HUGE, HUGE WIN. 
          SO THAT'S A HUGE THANK YOU FROM US THAT THAT'S A POSSIBILITY FOR US. 
          CHEAP REAL QUICK. YES, MA'AM. COULD IT BE ANY KIND OF INCOME GENERATOR OR ARE WE LOANING
IT OUT FOR FREE? WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE NOT MAKING MONEY. 
          WE'RE. BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO BRING IN SOME MONEY OFF OF THAT. I'LL SHOW YOU. THERE'S A
SLIDE FOR WHAT THE FEES ARE FOR THAT. OKAY. SO I DO THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A PLACE THAT WE CAN PULL IN SOME, SOME MONEY, EVEN IF WITH OUR PAT,
WE'VE ALREADY HAD CITIES ASK FOR OUR GUYS TO TO ASSESS THE T, WE'LL CHARGE THEM FOR THAT AS WELL. SO YEAH,
IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME AGAIN. 
          NOW, NO ONE IN KAUFMAN COUNTY HAS A TRAINING FACILITY. 
          SO MOST OF KAUFMAN COUNTY HAS ALREADY REACHED OUT TO US ABOUT USING IT. 
          IF THEY BUILD ONE THERE, THAT'LL CHANGE. BUT THEY'RE NOT CHEAP. 
          Y'ALL KNOW THEY'RE NOT CHEAP TO BUILD. AND SO IT'S IF WE CAN MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE TO THEM,
I THINK THAT'S A WIN FOR US. 
          SO SOME OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AGAIN, THE PROJECTS ARE ALMOST DONE. 
          I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU A SLIDE IN A FEW MINUTES ABOUT OUR DEPLOYMENTS. 
          WE DO HAVE A TEAM OUT RIGHT NOW FOR FIREFIGHTERS,
AND OUR TOP THREE ENGINE IS DOWN IN SOUTH TEXAS WORKING DOWN THERE. 
          TIFMAS HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD PROGRAM FOR US. WE'VE TRANSITIONED TO A NEW RECORDS MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM, WHICH IS BOTH OUR OUR EMS RECORDS KEEPING AND OUR FIRE RECORDS KEEPING. 
          VERY BIG UNDERTAKING. AND DEBBIE RANDALL AND CAPTAIN KINGERY LED THAT. 
          AND THEY DID AN AMAZING JOB TO GET US THERE. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH ACADIAN HAS BEEN VERY
GOOD FOR US. 
          WE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TWEAK IT A LITTLE BIT TO MAKE IT BETTER FOR THEM. 
          BUT THEY'RE WORKING WITH US AND WE WANT THIS TO BE REALLY SUCCESSFUL,
BUT IT'S BEEN A GREAT PROGRAM FOR US SO FAR. 
          THEY TAKE ABOUT 90 CALLS A MONTH FOR US RIGHT NOW BETWEEN 85 AND 90 CALLS OF LOW ACUITY
CALLS THAT REALLY DON'T NEED WHAT OUR GUYS DO. THEY JUST NEED A TRANSPORT. 
          THEY JUST NEED TO GO FROM POINT A TO POINT B,
AND SO THAT KEEPS OUR SERVICES FREE FOR THE HIGHER ACUITY CALLS. 
          WE DID GET RE-ACCREDITED AS BEST PRACTICES. CHIEF GREEN LED THAT LONG PROCESS,
BUT PASSED RIGHT AWAY. 
          THEY HAD NO CONCERNS. WHEN THEY CAME BACK. EVERYTHING THAT WAS SUBMITTED WAS WAS THERE.
AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE THAT GET THAT. OUR SECOND BATTALION CHIEF HAS PROVEN TO BE INCREDIBLY ADVANTAGEOUS TO US ON STRUCTURE FIRES. 
          EVERY CITY AROUND HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE WATCHED IT,
BUT WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FIRES THIS MONTH. 
          I THINK WE'VE PROBABLY HAD A DOZEN GOOD WORKING STRUCTURE FIRES JUST THIS MONTH. 
          BUT DALLAS HAS SEEN THE SAME THING. PLANO HAS SEEN THE SAME THING. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THE WATER RIGHT NOW THAT'S CAUSING IT. BUT
HAVING THAT SECOND BATTALION CHIEF AND THE WAY THAT'S WORKING HAS BEEN A BEEN A HUGE ASSET FOR US. AND THEN OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT HAS CREATED AND EXPANDED THIS HEALTH
CARE COALITION WHERE THEY WORK WITH LOCAL HOSPITALS, TALKING ABOUT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. WHAT HAPPENS IF WE HAVE A MAJOR EVENT SO THAT
THEY'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE? SO HOPEFULLY THAT THING NEVER COMES. BUT IF IT DOES THEY'LL BE READY FOR IT. 
          I WANT TO POINT THIS OUT. CHIEF HASTING IN THE FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION HAS DONE A GREAT
JOB OF LOWERING OUR FALSE ALARM CALLS. 
          I THINK YOU'LL SEE THIS YEAR WILL BE DRASTICALLY LOWER EVEN THAN THE 1384 THAT WE HAVE. 
          THIS IS NOT JUST WEAR AND TEAR ON OUR EQUIPMENT AND TIME THAT WE'RE PULLING PEOPLE OUT OF
SERVICE, BUT THIS IS A THIS IS A COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT TO BE ABLE TO DROP THESE DOWN. 
          MOST OF THESE COME FROM APARTMENT COMPLEXES. WHEN THESE ALARMS GO OFF,
THESE FOLKS. 
          AND FOR SOME REASON THEY ALL HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. BUT THESE FOLKS ARE
DISPLACED. WE HAVE TO PULL THEM OUT. THEY HAVE TO SIT IN THEIR CARS, THEIR BABIES ARE AWAKE, AND THEY SIT OUT UNTIL WE CAN GET THAT RESET. 
          SOMETIMES IT TAKES MAINTENANCE AN HOUR TO GET THERE,
TO BE ABLE TO RESET IT. 
          SO THESE PLACES ARE THEY'RE DISPLACED FROM THEIR HOMES FOR THAT HOUR. 
          SO THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OF GETTING IN, WORKING WITH THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES,
MAKING SURE THEY'RE UP TO SPEED. 
          AND THEY'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF DROPPING,
DROPPING THOSE NUMBERS DOWN. 
          AND AGAIN, I'LL BRING THEM BACK TO YOU THIS NEXT YEAR. I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE
CONSIDERABLY LOWER THIS NEXT YEAR. SO SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES GOING FORWARD, WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE SOME ISSUES GETTING RESPONSE TIMES OUT TO AIDS DISTRICT OUT IN
THE KAUFMAN COUNTY AREA. 
          WE'VE PREPARED FOR THAT. THE ENGINE THAT'S GOING OUT THERE HAS A THOUSAND GALLONS OF WATER
VERSUS 500 GALLONS OF WATER. 
          WE'VE MADE SURE THE CREWS ARE A GOOD MIX OF SENIORITY AND YOUNG PEOPLE THAT CAN SUSTAIN A
STRUCTURE FIRE ON THEIR OWN FOR QUITE A WHILE. 
          BUT GETTING THERE. THE SECOND PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IS STILL A LONG WAY AWAY,
STILL 20 MINUTES AWAY. SO THEY'RE OUT THERE BY THEMSELVES FOR A WHILE. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE WORKING WITH THE KAUFMAN COUNTY DEPARTMENTS. 
          [03:25:03]
WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE WORKING ON AGREEMENTS TO PROVIDE MUTUAL AID,
POSSIBLY AUTOMATIC AID TO SOME, AND VICE VERSA, THAT THEY COULD COME AND HELP US IN RETURN. 
          SO WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING WITH THEM NOW AS TO HOW THAT WILL LOOK. 
          MOST OF THAT WILL BE FIRE RELATED. IT WON'T BE EMS RELATED. 
          SO OUR AMBULANCE WILL STAY JUST FOR OUR CITY EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE WILL BE ON THERE
FOREVER. 
          IT WILL ALWAYS BE A CHALLENGE. WE HAVE BIG, HEAVY PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT RUMBLE DOWN THE
ROAD AND THEY JUST GET BEAT UP. 
          BUT I'LL SHOW YOU. YOU AGREE TO A A REQUEST THIS PAST YEAR THAT YOU REALLY SERVED US WELL. 
          AND I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MISS PRATT TO TRY TO GET
BETTER AT GRANT APPLICATIONS. 
          TO BE HONEST, THAT WAS A HUGE WEAKNESS FOR ME. 
          I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS, BUT SHE'S HELPED ME START TO APPLY FOR MORE. 
          WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN GET ANY MONEY FROM IT,
BUT WE'VE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO GETTING THERE. 
          OUR STAFFING FOR TRUCK EIGHT, TRUCK EIGHT WILL BE HERE IN THE PROBABLY EARLY SUMMER OF
THIS NEXT YEAR. 
          SO OUR STAFFING RATIO IS IS A LITTLE BIT LOW. 
          AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AND LET ME JUST REAL QUICK,
LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW OUR OVERTIME WORKS FOR US. 
          WE DON'T REALLY GET VOLUNTARY OVERTIME AS FAR AS THERE'S NOT THERE'S A FEW SMALL THINGS
WHERE IF THERE'S A THING AND WE'RE REQUESTED, YOU KNOW, MISS HAROLD REQUEST TWO MEDICS TO BE AT AN EVENT THAT'S VOLUNTARY OVERTIME. 
          MOST OF OUR OVERTIME JUST COMES FROM MINIMUM STAFFING. 
          SO I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THIS YEAR OUR OVERTIME IS GOING TO BE
LOWER THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO BE SO HAPPY. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. 
          JUST TO BE HONEST. IT IS IT IS PURELY THAT WE HAVE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS THAT
WE HAVE TO HAVE HERE EVERY DAY. 
          IF WE DROP BELOW THAT MINIMUM, WE HAVE TO PAY OVERTIME TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THAT MINIMUM. 
          THAT'S JUST THE REQUIREMENT. SO WE DON'T GO OVER THAT. 
          IF WE HAVE EXTRA, THEN THEY JUST WRITE EXTRA,
BUT WE DON'T PAY OVERTIME FOR OVER THAT. 
          SO WHEN WE PUT TRUCK EIGHT IN, THAT WILL BE THREE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE EACH SHIFT. 
          WE'RE NOT REALLY STAFFED NUMBERS WISE TO BE ABLE TO COVER THAT. 
          SO OUR OVERTIME IS GOING TO GO UP. SO THE FOLLOWING YEAR YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THAT OUR
NUMBERS WILL BUMP BACK UP ON OVERTIME. 
          IT'S NOT DISCRETIONARY. WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE UNLESS WE WANT TO TAKE EQUIPMENT OUT
OF SERVICE. 
          BUT WITH THAT MINIMUM STAFFING, THAT'S JUST,
THAT'S JUST, IT'S BLACK AND WHITE ON WHAT WE DO ON OVERTIME FUTURE PROJECTS. 
          WE, WE, THE NEXT PROJECT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS,
IS STATION FIVE TRYING TO GET THAT REDONE? AS YOU GUYS KNOW, IT'S IT IS STILL OUR OLDEST STATION AND IT IS IT'S NOT THE PRETTIEST
STATION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF TOWN WHERE EVERYBODY DRIVES BY. 
          SO THAT'S NEXT. WE DO HAVE TO LOOK AT STATION SIX. 
          IT'S IT'S NOT REALLY A MODERN FIRE STATION TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE WHAT WE NEED. 
          WE HAVE NO ROOM TO GROW IN THAT STATION. AGAIN,
WITH THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT OF THE FIRE SERVICE AND NOT HAVING AN OPEN BUNKER ROOM JUST DOESN'T WORK FOR US ANYMORE. SO WE HAVE TO GET CREATIVE WITH HOW WE HOW WE CLOSE THAT UP. 
          AND WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE. AND THEN STATION NINE HAS GOT TO BE IN THE FUTURE AT
SOME POINT. 
          AGAIN, THAT'S GOING TO ASSIST STATION EIGHT. BUT THAT AREA IS GROWING AS WELL. 
          SO THAT'S DOWN THE ROAD. WE'LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH STATION NINE. 
          SHOW YOU THE RESPONSE TIMES. AGAIN SECONDS MATTER FOR US. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THIS YEAR VERSUS LAST YEAR, EVERY AREA OF RESPONSE HAS IMPROVED ON RESPONSE
TIMES, WHICH IS AN IMPRESSIVE FEAT. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU. 
          BECAUSE IF ANYBODY REMEMBERS OLD STATION FOUR ANYWHERE IN THAT STATION,
YOU'RE ABOUT 20FT FROM A FIRE ENGINE OR AN AMBULANCE. 
          WELL, THESE NEW STATIONS, YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THEM. YOU'RE WAY FURTHER THAN 20FT TO BE
ABLE TO GET OUT TO THAT EQUIPMENT, TO BE ABLE TO DO IT. SO SECONDS MATTER WITH US SO THAT WE'RE IMPROVING AND BUILDING BIGGER
FIRE STATIONS IS A REAL WIN FOR US. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S A CREDIT TO THE OFFICERS AND THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT
ARE GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE QUICKER TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF FOLKS. 
          I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS. YES. GO BACK TO THE RESPONSE TIMES. 
          THAT'S I'M ASSUMING THAT'S MINUTES. THAT'S MINUTES. 
          FOUR MINUTES, 48 SECONDS. FIVE MINUTES. 22 SECONDS. 
          YES. GOTCHA. IS THAT FROM THE TIME THEY CALL 911 OR WHEN IS THAT TIME? IT'S THE TIME. FROM THE TIME THE TONES GO OFF IN THE STATION TILL THE TIME WE GET THERE. 
          OKAY. SO HOW LONG COULD THAT TAKE FROM A 911 CALL TO A TONE CALL? I THINK IT PROBABLY MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT BETTER,
BUT I THINK IT DEPENDS ON THEIR STAFFING AND DISPATCH AND. 
          BUT IT'S PRETTY I THINK THEY'RE A PRETTY QUICK TURNAROUND. OUR DISPATCHERS DO A REALLY
GOOD JOB AS WELL TO GET THAT TURNED AROUND. AND AS. 
          THAT HELPED WITH HAVING THE. OTHER PARAMEDIC SERVICES,
AMBULANCE SERVICES, OR IS THAT INCLUDED IN THIS. NO, THEY DO NOT COUNT INTO THESE RESPONSE TIMES. 
          SO BECAUSE THEY RESPOND CODE ONE. SO THEY'RE NEVER GOING. 
          LOTS OF TIMES WE'LL CALL. SO AS ON ON THAT PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE HAS THAT COST OF
SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF MESQUITE. 
          HAS IT COSTED US ANY SERVICE? NO, NO, NO, NO COST TO THE CITY AT ALL. 
          AND HOW DO WE GAUGE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE INTERACTION BETWEEN THEM AND THE CITIZENS? YEAH. SO WE MEET WITH THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS AND THEY GIVE US FEEDBACK. 
          [03:30:01]
TO THIS POINT, WE'VE NOT RECEIVED A SINGLE COMPLAINT ABOUT ANY OF THE SERVICE. 
          NOBODY'S CALLED IN. NOBODY'S SENT ANYTHING TO ASK THE CHIEF AND THEIR TIMES HAVE BEEN
APPROPRIATE. 
          IT WAS ONE OF OUR STRUGGLES IN THE BEGINNING. THEY WERE,
WE JUST SAID THEY WERE DOING FINE DINING AND WE NEEDED MEXICAN FOOD. 
          IT WAS, WE NEEDED IT TO MOVE TURNTABLES BECAUSE IN THE MEXICAN RESTAURANT,
YOU TURN TABLES. THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE YOUR PROFIT. AND SO WE NEEDED THEM TO BE ABLE TO TURN THAT QUICKER. AND THEY'VE DONE MUCH BETTER TO START TURNING THAT OVER. 
          SO JUST IF I CALL IN FOR A PARAMEDIC AND THIS THIRD PARTY COMES OUT,
BUT I'M EXPECTING MESQUITE TO COME OUT, WHAT, WHAT, HOW DO WE MAKE THAT TRANSITION TO THE CITIZENS? THAT'S A GOOD I DON'T KNOW HOW WE MAKE THE I THINK THE DISPATCHERS ARE TELLING THEM WHO IS
COMING THEIR WAY. 
          THEIR TRANSPORT RATE IS STILL VERY, VERY HIGH. 
          I'D SAY ABOUT 70% OF THEIR CALLS ARE STILL TRANSPORTED,
BUT THEY ARE A FOR PROFIT COMPANY. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, THEY NEED A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TRANSPORTS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS
SUCCESSFUL. 
          WE'RE STILL A LITTLE SHY OF WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE AT FOR THAT,
BUT WE'VE GOT SOME PLANS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT BETTER AS FAR AS THE CITIZENS I'VE NOT AGAIN. WE'VE NOT HAD ANYBODY THAT HAS RAISED A CONCERN THAT'S COME IN THERE. 
          MOST OF THE TIME. THEY'RE GOING TO THE NURSING HOMES. 
          THE NURSING HOMES USE PRIVATE AMBULANCES QUITE A BIT. 
          AND PART OF THE REASON WE WENT WITH THIS IS WE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY CALL A PRIVATE
AMBULANCE AND THE AMBULANCE SAYS, HEY, IT'S GOING TO BE AN HOUR BEFORE WE GET THERE. 
          THEY JUST HANG UP AND THEY CALL 911. AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A 911 CALL,
THAT'S THERE BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE'LL GET THERE IN FIVE MINUTES AND WE WE TRANSPORT EVERYBODY. SO FOR THEM WE'VE CREATED, HEY, WE'VE GOT A PRIVATE AMBULANCE RIGHT HERE IN THE
CITY. 
          IT WORKS GOOD FOR ACADIAN. WORKS GOOD FOR US BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST DOING BASICALLY A
HOSPITAL, A HOSPITAL TRANSFER. SURE. ALL RIGHT. I DID WANT TO. 
          THIS IS JUST TO SHOW YOU THE CALL VOLUMES FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS. 
          25. MAINLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ABOUT WHEN I STARTED HERE. 
          BROKE IT UP BETWEEN EMS AND FIRE. SO OUR EMS RUNS OBVIOUSLY CONTINUE TO GO UP IN 2025 AT
THAT 19,005, 39 ONCE WE HIT COVID. AGAIN, I THINK IT CHANGED THE MINDSET OF A LOT OF PEOPLE OF WHAT THE
911 SERVICE WAS. 
          THAT NUMBER JUMPED UP DRASTICALLY ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH COVID AND IT'S NOT COME DOWN,
IT JUST CONTINUES TO GO UP. 
          WE DO STILL FIGHT QUITE A FEW STRUCTURE FIRES. 
          AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, OUR PREVENTION DIVISION WORKS REALLY HARD ON OUR COMMERCIAL
BUSINESSES AND OUR APARTMENT COMPLEXES. 
          BUT RESIDENTIAL HOMES, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST EDUCATION. 
          AND OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER DOES AS GOOD A JOB AS I'VE SEEN TRYING TO GET THAT
INFORMATION OUT TO THEM. 
          AND I'LL TELL YOU THIS, THIS GOES BACK, AND I DON'T KNOW,
I SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY BOUNDARIES ARE, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SEVEN CITY SURVEYS,
AND I THINK I BROUGHT THIS UP THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO YOU. 
          IF YOU COMPARE OUR NUMBERS AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN SPEAK FOR CHIEF GIL,
THEIR NUMBERS AND THE CALL VOLUME THAT WE MAKE WE'RE HIGHER THAN ALMOST EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY BY OFFICER AND BY FIREFIGHTER. WE MAKE A LOT OF CALLS HERE AND IT'S A. 
          IT'S. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, THINK ABOUT THAT AS WELL,
THAT IT'S THE IT'S THE SERVICE THAT'S BEING PROVIDED AND THE AMOUNT THAT'S BEING PROVIDED THAT HAS A LOT OF VALUE IN IT AS WELL. SO MY BUDGET IS ACTUALLY FAIRLY EASY. 
          WE DO HAVE A BUMP. AND I KNOW WHEN YOU'RE TALKING NUMBERS THIS BIG WHEN YOU SAY IT'S A
SMALL BUMP, IT'S NEVER A SMALL BUMP, BUT WE DO HAVE A BUMP IN OUR OUR PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          PART OF THAT PERSONNEL SERVICES IS WE ARE GOING TO START SEEING SOME OVERTIME THAT'S GOING
TO KICK UP JUST BECAUSE OF OUR STAFFING. 
          OUR SUPPLIES ARE AS EVERYBODY ELSE IS, THEY'RE ALWAYS GOING UP. 
          OUR MS SUPPLIES IN PARTICULAR ARE GOING UP AND OUR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES STAY RELATIVELY
FLAT. 
          WE'RE NOT SEEING A LOT OF JUMP IN WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT. 
          SO WE MANAGE THIS REALLY WELL. I THINK WE PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE BUDGET. 
          ALL OF OUR BATTALION CHIEFS DO. WE TALK ABOUT IT REGULARLY AND,
AND, AND WE TRY REALLY HARD TO STAY IN THE PARAMETERS OF WHAT WE WHAT WE'RE GIVEN. 
          SORRY, CHIEF. YES. FOR YOU. IT'S ALL RIGHT. SO,
ON THE PERSONNEL SERVICES, YOU SAY A MAJORITY. 
          SO YOU'RE AROUND 42 MILLION NOW. PROPOSED IS 43.3 MILLION. 
          SO A MILLION AND CHANGE. YES. HOW MANY EMPLOYEES WOULD THAT EQUATE TO IF WE HAD EMPLOYEES
THERE VERSUS OVERTIME? WE HAVE 254 SWORN MEMBERS AND SEVEN CIVILIANS. 
          HOW MANY EMPLOYEES WOULD YOU PAY AT $1.5 MILLION? THEY'RE PAYING OVER TIME. HOW MANY CAN WE HIRE FOR THAT TOTAL COMPENSATION? I THINK OUR ESTIMATE IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT TEN. 
          YEAH, THAT'S PROBABLY FAIR. I THINK 1.2 COVERS TEN EMPLOYEES. 
          BUT I'M I, I, I'M SMART TO KNOW THAT THE OVERTIME WILL STILL BE THERE EVEN IF YOU HIRE TEN
EMPLOYEES. 
          [03:35:01]
CORRECT. SO IF YOU HAD MORE STAFFING, LET'S SAY YOU HAD THE EIGHT THAT YOU HAD SAID
EARLIER THAT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED EVENTUALLY, CORRECT? WAS THAT THE RIGHT NUMBER? YES. STAFFING FOR TRUCK. 
          YEAH. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK OVER TIME WOULD BE REDUCED BY ADDING MORE EMPLOYEES? SO IT'S A SO HERE'S THE HARD PART. AS WE GET BIGGER,
AS WE GET UP IN THE 260 RANGE. 
          AND THAT RATIO, OBVIOUSLY IT TAKES MORE PEOPLE TO BUILD THAT RATIO UP. 
          SO NFPA SAYS THAT OUR STAFFING RATIO SHOULD BE 1.33. 
          OUR AGREEMENT. I THINK IT'S FAIR. IF WE COULD BE AT 1.25,
I THINK WE WOULD BE FAIRLY FLAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE THE TO THE OVERTIME PIECE OF THAT. 
          BUT WE'RE WE'RE BELOW THAT CONSIDERABLY RIGHT NOW. 
          WE'RE ABOUT 1.17. AND WE NEED PROBABLY 10 TO 12 PEOPLE TO GET UP TO THAT,
THAT THAT LEVEL. 
          BUT IT'S A, IT'S A TRADE OFF. AND REALLY IT'S JUST A DECISION FOR Y'ALL. 
          DO WE PAY THE PEOPLE AND THE SALARIES AND THE BENEFITS OR DO WE PAY THE OVERTIME? AND I'LL TELL YOU, THE CHALLENGE IS WITH OUR NEW GENERATION. 
          THEY DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE OVERTIME. THEIR TIME IS WORTH MORE TO THEM THAN THE MONEY
IS. 
          AND SO OUR OLDER GENERATION WANTS THE OVERTIME AND. 
          BUT OUR YOUNGER GENERATION DOES NOT. SO THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE A LONG TERM CHALLENGE FOR
US IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE TIME MEANS A LOT TO THESE YOUNGER PEOPLE. MR. RYBARCZYK, I'LL JUST SAY, WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE THIS DIP WHEN IT CAME TO OPENING
STATION EIGHT. 
          WE BUILT UP TO TRY TO BE AT THAT STAFFING RATIO. 
          AND CHIEF THAT REALLY WE DROP WHEN TRUCK EIGHT COMES IN. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. IT'S NOT WHERE WE'RE AT NOW. THAT'S CORRECT. 
          A YEAR AWAY FROM TRUCK EIGHT. SO IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD TO. 
          SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HIT IT. 
          TAKE A DIP. AND THEN IT'S NOTHING THAT WE NEED TO GET BACK TO TOMORROW. 
          BUT WE DO NEED TO PLAN ON IT OVER TIME. SO AND WE DID SUBMIT FOR A SAFER GRANT WHICH WOULD
GET US EIGHT ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS. 
          AND BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'LL GET THAT. THOSE A LOT OF TIMES GO TO VOLUNTEER
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE MOVING TO FULL TIME PAID PERSONNEL, BUT I THINK WE WROTE A REALLY GOOD GRANT, SO WE'LL SEE IF WE GOT IT. 
          SO YOU RECENTLY HAD A SHIFT CHANGE, CORRECT? CORRECT. 
          AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU WERE BEFORE TO WHAT YOU ARE NOW? SURE. SO WE WERE A 2448 SO WE WORKED 24 ON, 48 OFF. 
          STILL 56 HOURS A WEEK WHEN WE SWITCHED TO 48,
96. 
          AND SO AND THAT OUR ONE VOLUNTARY LOSS WAS BECAUSE OF THAT SWITCH. 
          THEY DID NOT WANT TO MOVE TO THAT NEW SCHEDULE. 
          BUT IT'S BEEN VERY PRODUCTIVE FOR US. I THINK IT'S OVERWHELMINGLY ENJOYED,
WE'VE NOT SEEN ANY DROP IN SERVICE BECAUSE OF IT. 
          AND SO IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A GOOD MOVE FOR US. 
          DID IT ALSO ASSIST WITH CUTTING DOWN OVERTIME OR DID IT HAVE ANY IMPACT AT ALL. 
          NO NOT REALLY. IT'S IT MADE IT UNIQUE BECAUSE WE HAVE A SECOND DAY THAT SOMEBODY HAS TO
COME IN. 
          BUT NO, IT REALLY DOES NOT AFFECT OUR OVERTIME AT ALL. 
          SO AGAIN, I HATE TO KEEP HASHING THIS SO YOU COULD REDUCE YOUR OVERTIME BY ADDING
EMPLOYEES. 
          SO FISCALLY SPEAKING, IF I ADDED A BODY, I'D DECREASE OVER TIME BY A SET AMOUNT. 
          CORRECT. CORRECT. THANK YOU. YEAH. OKAY. SO THIS IS OUR PROPOSED FACILITY CHANGES. 
          AND MISS ROSS, I THINK YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT THAT. 
          SO THIS IS WHAT WE WE MIRRORED THIS OFF OF WHAT GARLAND CHARGES. 
          GARLAND'S BEEN RUNNING THEIR FACILITY FOR FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS NOW. 
          WE'LL WE'LL TWEAK THIS AND MASSAGE IT AS WE GET A LITTLE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
WE'RE HAVING AND WHAT WE'RE MAKING. 
          BUT THIS GIVES US AN ABILITY TO BRING IN SOME INCOME THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE. 
          AND OUR, OUR TRAINING STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT. 
          WE HOPE WITH, WITH WHAT WE'RE GOING TO ASK FOR,
WE HAVE ONE BUDGET OFFER AND THAT'S TO HELP THIS AND BUILD THIS UP A LITTLE BIT BETTER. 
          BUT THIS IS A PRETTY NORMAL FEE FOR BRINGING IN A FACILITY. 
          AND OBVIOUSLY IF WE HAD SOMEBODY WITHIN THE THE CITY,
UNLESS IT WAS CHIEF GILLIAM HIMSELF, WE'RE NOT GOING TO CHARGE ANYBODY TO COME IN. 
          BUT WE'LL CHARGE CHIEF GIL DOUBLE IF HE WANTS TO COME IN. 
          SO. ALL RIGHT. OUR REIMBURSEMENT AND I WANT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU ABOUT THIS. 
          THIS IS A REALLY HARD THING TO VALIDATE WITH YOU GUYS,
BECAUSE WE WE DO HAVE SOME EXPENSES THAT COME OUT OF THIS FUND. 
          SO, BUT THIS HAS BEEN THE LOT FOR THE LIFE OF TIFMAS THAT WE'VE BEEN A PART OF. 
          THE NUMBERS IN THE MIDDLE HAVE GIVEN US A TOTAL OF $3.7 MILLION IN REIMBURSEMENTS. 
          BUT WE TRIED TO REALLY EXPAND THIS. AND THIS PAST YEAR,
YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT. 
          THE MAJORITY OF WHAT WE'VE GOTTEN HAS COME FROM THIS PAST YEAR. 
          HERE'S, HERE'S THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT TIFMAS. 
          THEY LIKE OUR PEOPLE AND THEY LIKE OUR EQUIPMENT. 
          AND SO WE GET A CALL FIRST EVERY TIME BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOOD. 
          AND WHEN THEY SHOW UP, THEY WORK HARD. DOESN'T MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE OR WHAT RANK THEY
ARE. 
          WHEN THEY SHOW UP ON THESE, THEY'RE FIREFIGHTERS AND THEY GO TO WORK AND WE DO A REALLY
GOOD JOB. 
          [03:40:02]
SO THEY CALL US REGULARLY WHEN SOMETHING COMES OUT. 
          SO WE GET REIMBURSED FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING OUT,
WE GET REIMBURSED THEIR SALARY, THEIR OVERTIME, AND THEIR BENEFITS FOR THE TIME THAT THEY'RE GONE. 
          THE PERSON THAT BACKFILLS FOR THEM, WE GET REIMBURSED THEIR SALARY,
THEIR OVERTIME, AND THEIR BENEFITS WHILE THEY'RE FILLING IN THAT SPOT. 
          PLUS WE GET THE REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE EQUIPMENT,
WHICH AGAIN, WE HAVE SOME EXPENSES. 
          SO THIS IS NOT A FAIR NET. THIS IS NOT A NET GAIN FOR US. 
          BUT IT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT COMES THROUGH. 
          BUT WE'VE ALREADY BROUGHT IN ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THAT TOP THREE ENGINE THAT WAS BOUGHT FOR
US. 
          AND SO NOW WE'RE WORKING IN THE BLACK TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN USE. 
          AND THEN THAT DIRECT ADMINISTRATIVE COST REIMBURSEMENT IS SOMETHING THEY GIVE US JUST FOR
THE ADMIN WORK THAT GOES IN, IN THE BACK END OF THAT. AND SO THAT'S 100% PROFIT EVERY TIME BECAUSE THOSE FOLKS ARE
WORKING ANYWAY. 
          SO IT IS A, IT IS A WIN. AND WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND THIS BECAUSE THIS IS MONEY THAT WE
DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE. 
          AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR YEARS IN THE PAST, OUR OVERTIME BUDGET,
OUR OVERTIME EXPENDITURES LAST YEAR WERE 1.9 MILLION. 
          IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THE OVERTIME THAT OR THE LABOR WE GOT REIMBURSED FROM LAST YEAR,
IT'S NOT APPLES TO APPLES, BUT WE BROUGHT IN ALMOST WHAT OUR OVERTIME BUDGET WAS. 
          SO IT'S A WIN. AND PLUS, JUST TO BE HONEST, WE AGAIN,
WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT OF SILOS. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT OF JUST WE'RE JUST IN MESQUITE. 
          THIS GETS US OUT. PEOPLE KNOW US. PEOPLE KNOW WHAT KIND OF WORK OUR PEOPLE DO. 
          WE GET TO SEE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. AND I'M GOING TO BRAG BECAUSE ONE OF MY THINGS IS,
LET'S GET OUT OF MESQUITE. 
          WE'VE HAD WE HAD A SPEAKER AT THE THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE. 
          WE HAD OUR BOMB TEAM WENT AND PRESENTED AT THE BOMB TEAM. 
          WE'VE HAD FIREFIGHTERS THAT HAVE SPOKEN, SAVANNAH AND AUSTIN AND WACO AND SAN MARCOS AND
TULSA. 
          SO WE'RE GETTING OUT AND PEOPLE ARE HEARING WHAT WE'RE DOING IN MESQUITE,
AND WE WANT THEM TO KNOW THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE. 
          AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING THE FRUIT OF A LOT OF THAT. 
          SO LAST YEAR, YOU GUYS APPROVED THE MECHANIC ONE THANKS TO MR. CARSON. AND THAT MECHANIC IS ACTUALLY WORKING FOR HIM. 
          BUT SERVICING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, HE AND CALEB HAS BEEN A HUGE ASSET FOR US TO BE ABLE TO
TAKE CARE OF OUR FLEET CARS AND OUR AMBULANCES. 
          THAT'S WHERE HE'S MAINLY FOCUSING ON IS TAKING CARE OF THAT. 
          IT ALLOWS US RATHER THAN TAKING AN AMBULANCE OUT OF SERVICE FOR A FEW HOURS TO TAKE IT
DOWN, HE BRINGS AN AMBULANCE. THEY SWAP IT OUT AT THE STATION. 
          THEY'RE STILL IN SERVICE THE WHOLE TIME. HE TAKES IT DOWN,
DOES THE WORK ON IT, BRINGS IT BACK. 
          THEY SWAP BACK IN. IT'S BEEN A REAL ASSET TO US. 
          SO WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT OF WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS PAST YEAR AND SO GRATEFUL
FOR WHERE THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO. 
          AND WE HAVE ONE BUDGET OFFER, AND REALLY IT'S FOR THE NEW TRAINING FACILITY. 
          WE WOULD LIKE TO HIRE AN ADMIN FOR THE TRAINING FACILITY. 
          OUR CURRENTLY OUR BATTALION CHIEF, OUR OUR TRAINING CAPTAIN AND OUR MC NURSE DO ALL OF
THEIR OWN ADMIN WORK. 
          THEY'RE GOING TO BE SEPARATED FROM US. AND SO WE'RE ASKING FOR AN ADMIN FOR THERE ALSO TO
BE ABLE TO FACILITATE ALL OF THE INCOMING PEOPLE THAT WILL BE WORKING THERE. 
          WE STRUGGLE. WE'VE HAD SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HIRED. 
          OUR TWO LIEUTENANTS BASICALLY SPENT ALL OF THEIR TIME TRAINING THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE WE'VE
STRUGGLED DOING IN INSIDE TRAINING. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF GUYS THAT ARE VERY WELL EQUIPPED TO BE ABLE TO TEACH,
AND THIS WOULD ALLOW THAT TO FREE UP THE ADMINISTRATIVE STUFF THAT THEY'RE HAVING TO DO. 
          THAT TAKES UP A LOT OF THEIR TIME TO BE ABLE TO TEACH. 
          AND OUR THING IS LEARN IT, PRACTICE IT, DO IT,
TEACH IT. 
          AND SO WE, WE WANT TO TEACH OUR PEOPLE HOW TO DO IT. 
          WE WANT THEM TO PRACTICE IT. AND THEN WE WANT THEM TO GET OUT AND TEACH IT TO SOMEBODY
ELSE. AND SO I WON'T GO THROUGH THIS NEXT ONE, BUT THIS IS THE, IT'S JUST THE, THE ROLE OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IN THAT,
IN THAT ADMIN TO BE OVER THERE AND THE TOTAL COST AT 72,000. 
          ALL RIGHT. I'LL STOP TALKING. ANY QUESTIONS? ANYTHING I DIDN'T COVER FOR YOU. 
          COUNCIL ANY QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO HIS PRESENTATION? YES. MISS RODRIGUEZ. ROSS. THANK YOU. MAYOR. CHIEF. 
          SO MAYBE NOT INITIALLY, SINCE WE'RE JUST STARTING UP. 
          BUT DO YOU THINK AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR STAFF THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR
THIS ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY OUT OF THOSE FEES THAT WE GET FOR THE TRAINING FACILITY? LIKE I SAID, I KNOW WHEN WE'RE STARTING, WE DON'T HAVE ANY FEES,
BUT ONCE WE GET ESTABLISHED, DO YOU THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ABSORBED BY THAT? A WISE MAN ONCE ASKED ME THE SAME QUESTION, AND I DON'T I DON'T KNOW YET. 
          WE'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA THIS NEXT YEAR. I THINK WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF USE OF IT. 
          I THINK WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WE ARE GOING TO. AND AGAIN,
BY DIRECTION, WE'RE GOING TO WAIT A LITTLE BIT TO KIND OF GET OUR FEET UNDER US, MAKE SURE WE KNOW HOW EVERYTHING WORKS, MAKE SURE WE CAN DO EVERYTHING SAFELY. SO WE'RE
GONNA WAIT A FEW MONTHS BEFORE WE OPEN THAT UP. BUT I THINK WE COULD, WE COULD COME PRETTY CLOSE WITH IT, SO. OKAY. 
          ALSO, I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT THESE FEES, I KNOW THIS YOU SAID THIS IS WHAT GARLAND CHARGES, 
          [03:45:02]
BUT WE HAVE A BRAND NEW STATE OF THE ART FACILITY,
SO MAYBE WE NEED TO BUMP THESE UP A LITTLE BIT. WELL, AND THAT'S THAT'S WHERE WE'RE OKAY WITH THAT, TO BE HONEST. BUT WE WE WANT TO I TOLD MR. HEALY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE A MUCH BETTER IDEA A YEAR FROM NOW OF KIND OF WHAT WE NEED TO
DO AND HOW WE NEED TO MASSAGE THOSE NUMBERS, BUT. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT. CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR THANK YOU GUYS. NEXT WE HAVE CHIEF GIL MPD. 
          ARE YOU ON HERE? GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. 
          WELCOME, CHIEF. THANK YOU. MAYOR. COUNCIL. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. 
          I DO HAVE THE PRESENTATION TO GO THROUGH. I'LL BE HAPPY TO STOP AND ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          JUST LET ME KNOW WHERE WE'RE AT. AND WE'LL START OFF WITH OUR MISSION STATEMENT. 
          I, I REALLY, I'M, I HATE TO, I'M GLAD. I WAS HOPING CHIEF HOPKINS WOULD BE OUT OF THE
ROOM. 
          I REALLY LIKE THEIR MISSION STATEMENT A LOT BETTER THAN OURS. IT'S JUST OURS IS TOO WORDY. 
          IT JUST TAKES TOO MUCH, I REALLY. SO WE, YEAH,
WE GOT A NEXT NEXT YEAR, EXPECT A BETTER MISSION STATEMENT. 
          I FEEL LIKE A FIRE DEPARTMENT BEAT US ON THE FIRST SLIDE AND I HATE TO I HATE TO START
DOWN ONE, BUT I'M GOING TO GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THAT ONE. SO THIS IS THE MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE
MESQUITE POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          BUT LOOK FOR AN UPDATE NEXT TIME. THE COUNCIL GOALS,
OBVIOUSLY WE'RE, WE'RE MOSTLY IN ONE SAFE COMMUNITY AND, AND ALL OF MY BUDGET OFFICERS WILL TIE INTO Y'ALL'S COUNCIL GOALS,
THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART. 
          SO WE WE ARE VERY LIGHT ON SUPERVISION. WE HAVE 15% OF OUR DEPARTMENT OR A LITTLE BIT LESS
THAN 15% ARE SUPERVISORS. 
          IT'S OBVIOUSLY ME AND MY TWO ASSISTANT CHIEFS. 
          CHIEF YATES HAS OPERATIONS AND TECHNICAL SERVICES,
EACH OF WHICH ARE BY A RAN BY A DEPUTY CHIEF. 
          AND THEN BIGGS HAS THE INVESTIGATIONS AND STAFF SUPPORT PRIMARILY OUR OPERATIONS AND CID
ARE THE, THE, THE BIG WORKHORSES, YOU KNOW, OPERATIONS BEING PATROL AND TRAFFIC,
SPECIAL OPERATIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND INVESTIGATIONS HANDLES THE THE FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATIONS,
TECHNICAL SERVICES IS YOUR DISPATCH OR JAIL. 
          MOST OF OUR CIVILIAN STAFF AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS IS UNDER TECHNICAL SERVICES. 
          AND THEN STAFF SUPPORT IS CRIME PREVENTION, SCHOOL RESOURCE LISTS PERSONNEL TRAINING,
THAT TYPE OF THING. 
          SO OUR STAFFING BY BUREAU ADMIN OF COURSE IS VERY SMALL OPERATIONS IS VERY LARGE. 
          THAT'S JUST THE WAY WE OPERATE. MOST OF OUR PEOPLE ARE IN OPERATIONS,
MOST OF THEM ARE IN PATROL. 
          CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS IS THE ALSO PRETTY LARGE STAFF SUPPORTS A LITTLE BIT BIGGER. 
          OBVIOUSLY THAT'S BECAUSE THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS ARE THERE. AND THEN TECHNICAL
SERVICES IS WHERE, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, MOST OF OUR CIVILIAN STAFF, WHICH IS DISPATCH IN THE JAIL, I HAVE SEVERAL BUDGET OFFERS. 
          TALK ABOUT. THERE'S A VERY BIG NUMBER ON THERE. 
          I DO WANT TO QUALIFY THE SECOND ONE, THE AXON CONTRACT. 
          THE $1.6 MILLION. WE HAVE A CURRENT AXON CONTRACT RIGHT NOW,
WHICH IS $1.1 MILLION. 
          SO IT'S AN INCREASE OF $480,000. AND WHEN I GET TO THAT ONE,
I'LL KIND OF TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. BUT THAT NUMBER, THE, THE, THE 1.1 IS GOING TO HAVE TO GO UP IF WE'RE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO CARRY TASERS. 
          AND AGAIN, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THEM EACH INDIVIDUALLY. 
          THE FIRST ONE IS JUST A BUDGET OFFER FOR MORE POLICE OFFICERS. 
          WE ASK FOR THIS PRETTY MUCH EVERY YEAR. WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO CIVILIANIZED WHERE WE CAN. 
          AND I THINK NEXT YEAR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO GET SOME PEOPLE
OUT. 
          WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON IT. WE GENERALLY HAVE 15 TO 20 OFFICERS THAT ARE IN SOME FORM
OF TRAINING OR IN THE HIRING PROCESS. 
          AND SO WE HAVE TO KIND OF BE A LITTLE BIT PROACTIVE. 
          OUR OUR A CHARTER AMENDMENT REQUIRES 1.6 OFFICERS PER THOUSAND. 
          WE'RE ABOVE THAT RIGHT NOW. SO WE'RE 150 OR 251 IS WHAT WE'RE REQUIRED. 
          WE HAVE 264 IS, IS OUR AUTHORIZED STRENGTH. BUT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO,
TO SEE SHORTAGES. 
          [03:50:01]
AND OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE SPENDING OVERTIME TO, TO MAINTAIN MINIMUM STAFFING LEVELS RIGHT NOW. 
          SO ADDING OFFICERS WILL ASSIST WITH THAT. THIS IS THE AXON CONTRACT I WAS TALKING ABOUT
EARLIER. 
          SO WE HAVE A $1.1 MILLION CONTRACT THAT IS FOR BODY CAMERAS,
THAT IS FOR THE IN-CAR CAMERAS, AND THAT IS FOR THE TASERS THAT WE CARRY. THE TASER SEVEN,
TASER SEVEN IS FINISHED ITS OPERATIONAL LIFE AND WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. 
          AND SO TASER TEN IS NOW WHAT THEY HAVE. AND IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE
TASER SEVEN. 
          AND SO THAT IS GOING TO BE AN INCREASE OF $275,000 OF THE $481,000 WE'RE ASKING FOR. 
          IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE THE BUNDLE, WE GET A BETTER PRICING IF WE GET A BUNCH MORE STUFF. 
          AND THIS SLIDE KIND OF TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT WE HAVE AND WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO BE GETTING. 
          SO THE BODY CAMERA IN-CAR CAMERA STAYS THE SAME. 
          IT JUST REFRESHES. THEY DO REFRESH THOSE. SO IF WE COME OUT WITH A NEW BODY CAMERA,
WE'LL GET THE NEW BODY CAMERA IN THREE YEARS OR WHATEVER. 
          IF WE'RE STILL UNDER THIS CONTRACT, TASER SEVEN GOES TO TASER TEN. 
          THE VR BASED SCENARIO TRAINING IS BASED ON THE TASER TEN. 
          SO THAT IS HOW WE WOULD QUALIFY WITH THE TASER TEN RIGHT NOW WITH THE TASER SEVEN,
WE GO OUT TO THE RANGE AND SHOOT THE TASER, AND THEN WE JUST HAVE TO BUY MORE CARTRIDGES. 
          THE VR TRAINING WILL TAKE OVER, SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO VR TRAINING AND AND QUALIFICATIONS
WITH THE TASER TEN, WHICH WILL SAVE US A LOT OF OUR USAGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JUST ROUTINE
TRAINING OR GETTING PEOPLE UP TO SPEED ON HOW TO USE THEM. 
          I'D LIKE TO SEE THE, THE VR TRAINING. AND I THINK ULTIMATELY THE VR TRAINING IS GOING TO
BE MORE ROBUST, ROBUST AND ALLOW US TO DO MORE TRAINING. BUT RIGHT NOW IT JUST ISN'T WHERE WE WANT IT TO
BE. 
          AND SO THE HOPE IS THAT EVENTUALLY WE COULD GET RID OF THE,
THE TRAINING SIMULATOR THAT WE HAVE THAT I THINK EVERYBODY IN HERE HAS BEEN OUT TO SEE AND GO TO JUST A VR TRAINING, BUT IT'S JUST NOT READY TO DO THAT. 
          THE NEXT WOULD BE A DFR. IT COMES WITH DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER SYSTEM COMES WITH FIVE
DRONES. 
          THEY WOULD BE HOUSED IN TWO SEPARATE B TWO DRONES IN TWO SEPARATE LOCATIONS. 
          SO AS AN EXAMPLE FIRE STATION FIVE FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE. 
          THE DRONES WOULD SIT ON TOP OF THE BUILDING AND ONE DRONE WOULD DEPLOY AUTOMATICALLY AT A
FOR SET CALLS FOR CALLS THAT WE DEEM THAT THEY WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR ONE DRONE WOULD FLY OUT THERE IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT
TOOK A LONG TIME, LIKE A STRUCTURE FIRE, WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE ON STATION FOR HOURS WHILE THEY OPERATE IT. 
          IT WOULD STAY ON STATION AS LONG AS IT COULD. 
          WHEN THE BATTERY STARTS DEPLETING, THE DRONES WOULD SWAP SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN A DRONE
OVER THE THE TARGET LOCATION. 
          THEY CHARGE ABOUT AS FAST AS THEY DEPLETE, SO IT WOULD JUST CONTINUE TO SWAP BACK AND
FORTH IF IT WAS A 4 OR 5 HOUR EVENT. 
          THE SAME TWO DRONES WOULD WOULD COVER THAT EVENT. 
          THE DRONE WOULD JUST BE ONE THAT IS KIND OF MAN PORTABLE. 
          WE DO, WE DID SEE A, WE HAD A STRUCTURE FIRE AT AN OFFICER'S HOUSE NOT LONG AGO. 
          I KNOW Y'ALL WERE ALL MADE AWARE OF THAT WHEN,
WHEN WE HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT MANDATES A RESPONSE FROM BOTH THE FIRE CHIEF AND THE POLICE CHIEF. AND OUR DRONE UNIT DID RESPOND ALSO OUT THERE AND PUT THE DRONE UP. 
          AND IT WAS A VERY VALUABLE TOOL, I'M TOLD, FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          IT LOOKED COOL TO ME. AS FOR ME, IT'S JUST A DRONE FLYING OVER THE BUILDING. 
          BUT I KNOW CHIEF HOPKINS WAS IN THE COMMAND CENTER LOOKING AT THE THE. 
          THERMAL IMAGES OF THE STRUCTURE AND COULD SEE WHERE THE FIRE WAS IN THE HOUSE OR IN THE
ROOF TO, TO MAINTAIN OFFICER SAFETY OR FIREFIGHTER SAFETY IN THAT CASE. 
          AND SO I DO THINK DRONES ARE A VALUABLE TOOL FOR US BOTH FOR,
FOR BOTH OF US. 
          AND IT'S A, IT'S A PRETTY GOOD SYSTEM. IT'LL BE ULTIMATELY A VERY USEFUL SYSTEM IF WE
COULD GET IT AND ALLOW JUST AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER FOR US THE REAL TIME CRIME CENTER SOFTWARE STOP YOU RIGHT THERE BECAUSE I HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE DRONES. SO THESE ARE DRONES THAT WOULDN'T BE USED IN LINE OF LIKE CRIME FIGHTING, WHICH IS WHAT THE POLICE, I THINK,
TYPICALLY DO WHEN I THINK OF POLICE. 
          SO YES, IT WOULD IT. SO OUR WE HAVE A CITY DRONE PROGRAM. 
          SO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DRONES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S DRONES ARE THE SAME. 
          AND THAT WAY, IF IF WE DON'T HAVE A DRONE PILOT AND THEY DO,
THEY CAN OPERATE. 
          IF THEY DON'T HAVE A DRONE PILOT. AND WE DO LIKE IN THE INSTANCE OF A STRUCTURE FIRE,
THEIR GUYS NEED TO BE FIGHTING A FIRE. 
          SO IT'S EASIER FOR ONE OF MY PERIMETER PEOPLE TO FLY THE DRONE FOR THEM AND MAINTAIN IT ON
TARGET WHILE THEY'RE BUSY FIGHTING THE FIRE. 
          AND SO WE OPERATE TOGETHER. SO MANY DRONES DO. 
          WE CURRENTLY HAVE. THREE. 12. OKAY. A LOT OF THEM ARE TRAINING DRONES SO THEY DON'T DEPLOY FOR ACTUAL USAGES. 12 FOR THE WHOLE CITY. 
          [03:55:06]
OKAY. CORRECT. YEAH. AND SO I, I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE,
YOU KNOW, LIKE I HEAR YOU TALKING ABOUT FIRE, BUT IT'S NOT THEIR BUDGET. ALL FOR. SO I'M JUST WONDERING,
SHOULD IT BE AN OFFER OR SHOULD THEY BE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO TAKE SOME OUT OF THERE SHARING THE LOAD OR. 
          I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S ONE POT OF MONEY THAT'S A DECISION FOR YOU ALL. 
          IT WOULD BE A BENEFIT TO BOTH OF US, BUT SOMEBODY HAS TO PUT IT IN THERE IN THEIR BUDGET. 
          SO THEN MY MY OTHER, I GUESS, REQUEST WOULD BE IS THAT I THINK I HEARD LAST TIME WHEN WE
WERE TALKING ABOUT DRONES BECAUSE I THINK WE APPROVED ONE FOR YOU GUYS NOT THAT LONG AGO, SOME KIND OF DRONE. 
          THESE DRONES WILL NOT BE ADDRESSING GUNSHOTS. 
          THEY WON'T BE ADDRESSING FIREWORKS. THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO KIND OF GO TO A SCENE LIKE THAT. 
          RIGHT. BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG COMPLAINT I GET IN DISTRICT THREE IS GUNSHOTS,
GUNSHOTS, GUNSHOTS, GUNSHOTS. AND WE HAVE DRONES THAT WILL RESPOND TO THAT. 
          BUT THESE ARE NOT THE KIND OF DRONES THAT WE WOULD BE INVESTING IN. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING? THESE DRONES COULD RESPOND TO ANY CALL. 
          WE DETERMINE THAT THEY WOULD RESPOND TO. THE FIREWORKS ARE A TOUGH ONE. 
          YES, WE COULD FLY DRONES FOR FIREWORKS. YOU GET INTO ISSUES OF PRIVACY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING
OVER PEOPLE'S FENCES TO LOOK IN THEIR BACKYARDS. I DON'T KNOW, BUT GUNSHOTS,
CERTAINLY WE COULD DEPLOY THESE DRONES. 
          A LOT OF IT IS JUST WE HAVE TO HAVE A DRONE PILOT THAT CAN MANAGE THAT FLIGHT. 
          AND SO HOW MANY TAKES TIME TO. I'M SORRY, HOW MANY DRONE PILOTS DO WE HAVE? 11. 11 HE'S OVER OUR DRONE PROGRAM. SO YES. OKAY. 
          SO I GUESS, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE ADDING ALMOST 20 DRONES. 
          I MEAN, I DON'T I DON'T EVER SEE THESE DRONES OUT AT ANY,
YOU KNOW, CRIME SCENES OR THEY MAY BE AT FIRE. 
          BUT AGAIN, I'M, I NEED DRONES WHEN I HEAR GUNSHOTS,
YOU KNOW, I NEED DRONES TO RESPOND TO MY RESIDENTS THAT HAVE GUNSHOTS. 
          AND I, I KNOW YOU'RE SITTING THERE, YOU KNOW,
KIND OF LOOKING AT ME LIKE, THOSE ARE TRIVIAL, BUT THAT'S WHAT CITIZENS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT. THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT GUNSHOTS. THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT FIREWORKS. AND IF WE'RE
GOING TO INVEST IN DRONES AND YOU WANT ME TO VOTE FOR DRONES AND SUPPORT DRONES, THEN I NEED THOSE DRONES TO BE USED FOR THE THINGS THAT MY CITIZENS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT,
WHICH IS GUNSHOTS IN THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES, GUNSHOTS COMING FROM THE HIGHWAY. AND I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. 
          OKAY. SO THAT'S WHY I HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT INVESTING IN A DRONE SYSTEM AND GIVING YOU
GUYS A 3% RAISE AND INVESTING IN A GUN RANGE FOR $15 MILLION AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS. AND I'M NOT GETTING THE RESPONSES FOR MY RESIDENTS THAT I NEED. 
          OKAY. SO OUR CURRENT DRONES ARE ILL SUITED TO RESPOND TO AN INDIVIDUAL CALL OF GUNFIRE
THAT HAPPENED 15 MINUTES AGO. 
          THEY'RE THEY'RE IN A CAR BEING DRIVEN AROUND. 
          THEY HAVE TO BE DEPLOYED. THE ADVANTAGE OF THE BFR IS THEY ARE DEPLOYABLE IMMEDIATELY. 
          THEY'RE SITTING ON TOP OF A STRUCTURE. AND AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON,
THEY TAKE OFF AND RESPOND TO THE CALL. 
          WHEREAS ON THE FIRE, THE OFFICER HAS TO DRIVE THERE AND GET IT OUT OF THE TRUNK,
SET IT UP AND PUT IT IN THE AIR AND THEN MANAGE IT FROM THE GROUND. 
          AND SO IT'S A THIS IS A MUCH EASIER SYSTEM TO DEPLOY AND CAN RESPOND QUICKLY. 
          THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER,
BECAUSE IT WILL BE THE FIRST THING ON THE SCENE. 
          OUR DRONE RIGHT NOW HAS TO BE BY NATURE. THE PILOT HAS TO GO TO THE SCENE TO DEPLOY IT. 
          SO IT IS NEVER FASTER THAN MY OFFICERS BECAUSE THE OFFICER HAS TO BRING IT THERE. 
          AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD THEY BE USING THIS DRONE? IF THERE'S ALREADY AN OFFICER
ON SCENE, WHY WOULD THEY THEN NECESSITATE A DRONE TO COME OUT? OR WHY WOULD THEY NEED A DRONE TO, TO HELP THEM OUT RIGHT NOW? YEAH. SO TO FIND THINGS YOU KNOW, AT NIGHT, THERMAL CAMERAS ARE A LOT MORE EFFECTIVE AT
FINDING PEOPLE THAT ARE HIDING THAN WALKING AROUND WITH A FLASHLIGHT LOOKING AROUND. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT IS THE. OH, I'M SORRY. SAME THING. 
          SO WILL THE NEW DRONES IF WE IT GETS APPROVED. 
          WILL THEY REPLACE THE OLD DRONES? SINCE WE WON'T. 
          SINCE THIS WILL BE AUTOMATED, IT WON'T BE A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. 
          WE'LL STILL HAVE THE OTHER DRONES. SO WE HAVE,
YOU KNOW, A TACTICAL DRONE THAT ONLY DOES TACTICAL EVENTS. 
          THE THE DEPLOYABLE DRONE WILL STILL BE USEFUL,
PARTICULARLY WHEN WE GET TO REALLY FAR OUT. 
          YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT, WE HAVE THE SAME ISSUES IN WHERE FIRE STATION EIGHT IS THAT THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS WITH RESPONSE. 
          AND IF WE PUT A DRONE OUT THERE, THEN IT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO RESPOND UP HERE AND DRONE UP
HERE WON'T BE ABLE TO RESPOND OUT THERE. 
          IT'S JUST THE SHEER DISTANCE OF OF GOING THAT FAR. 
          IT'S A 30 MINUTE DRIVE TO GET OUT THERE. SO EXPLAIN. 
          SO MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN THIS TO ME BETTER. SO LIKE THE DRONES THAT DO ZIP LINING THERE,
MAN, 
          [04:00:01]
SOMEWHERE ELSE. I DON'T NEED TO BE OUT THERE. THE DRONE THAT THE DRONES THAT Y'ALL
CURRENTLY USE ARE LIKE, IF I WENT AND BOUGHT ONE OFF THE STREET AND I'M GOING TO TAKE IT OUT OF MY HOUSE OR TAKE
IT TO A PARK, PUT IT THERE, THEN HAVE THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL USE CURRENTLY,
RIGHT? RIGHT. AND THE NEW ONES LIKE THIS WILL BE LIKE THE ONES THAT ARE HOUSED AT WALMART PARKING
LOT WHERE YOU DISPATCH THEM AND THEY'RE IN A BASE AND THEY GO SOMEWHERE. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. GOT IT. THANK YOU. 
          THE NEXT STEP IS REAL TIME CRIME CENTER SOFTWARE,
WHICH THE, THE IDEA BEHIND THAT IS IT JUST TIES IN A LOT OF CAMERAS AND ALLOWS US TO ACCESS SO WITH AGREEMENTS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE CAMERAS THEY WOULD GET A,
A BOX BASICALLY THAT CONNECTS TO OUR REAL TIME CRIME CENTER. AND SO DIFFERENT PLACES LIKE THE,
THE ISD COULD GIVE US A, OR WE COULD GIVE THEM A BOX THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO ACCESS THEIR CRIME OR THEIR CAMERAS IN REAL TIME SETTING. IT CAN BE DONE SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          SO LIKE WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE PRIVACY IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT CONCERN,
THEY WOULD WANT AN AGREEMENT THAT THEY WOULD ONLY SHARE THE VIDEO IN AN EMERGENCY. 
          AND THE SYSTEM MANAGES WHETHER WE CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW,
COMPLETE ACCESS, MAYBE HOME DEPOT JUST GIVES US ACCESS TO THEIR CAMERAS 24 OVER SEVEN, AND WE CAN JUST PULL IT UP AND DISPATCH JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON IN THAT
AREA. 
          OR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY SAY ONLY IN THE EVENT OF A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY. 
          AND THEN AT THAT POINT WE COULD ACCESS THE CAMERAS AND GET ACCESS. 
          IT IS STILL A LITTLE BIT ON US. SO IF IF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SAID,
WELL, ONLY IN A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, LIKE OBVIOUSLY ONE OF MY EMPLOYEES COULD LOG IN TO IT,
BUT IT WOULD TRACK WHEN THAT PERSON IS LOGGED IN AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO SAY WHY. 
          AND IF IT ISN'T A VALID REASON, THEN THEN WE COULD DEAL WITH THAT. 
          THE AI LANGUAGE TRANSLATION IS SOMETHING WE'RE USING RIGHT NOW. 
          AXON HAS BEEN GREAT TO US WITH WITH THE WORLD CUP GOING ON. 
          THEY HAVE ALLOWED US TO HAVE THE AI LANGUAGE TRANSLATION. 
          I TALKED ABOUT IT ONCE BEFORE BECAUSE WE PREVIOUSLY EVALUATED IT USES THE CAMERA AND AI
TO, TO TRANSLATE. AND SO DURING WORLD CUP, AXON TURNED IT ON FOR US JUST SO WE COULD USE IT. 
          SO I DON'T HAVE ANY REAL DATA OTHER THAN THE ANECDOTAL DATA. 
          I DRIVE AROUND IN THE CITY OF MESQUITE A LOT,
AND A MESQUITE POLICE CAR, AND PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY I WOULD HEAR SOMEBODY CALLING FOR SOMEBODY FOR TRANSLATION PURPOSES. AND I HAVE HEARD ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THAT OVER THE LAST
SEVERAL WEEKS. 
          AND IT'S REALLY BEEN NICE NOT HEARING THAT. SO RIGHT NOW WHAT HAPPENS IS SOMEBODY DOESN'T
SPEAK ENGLISH. 
          YOU PUSH A BUTTON ON THE, THE CAMERA AND IT TRANSLATES THE CONVERSATION BACK AND FORTH SO
IT AUTO DETECTS THE LANGUAGE. 
          IF THE LANGUAGE IS SPANISH, IT TRANSLATES WHAT THE PERSON IS SAYING TO ME IN ENGLISH. 
          AND MY RESPONSE IS TRANSLATED BACK TO THAT PERSON IN SPANISH. 
          AND SO IT MAKES IT MUCH FASTER. NOW WE DO HAVE OTHER WE HAVE A LANGUAGE LINE. 
          SO WE CAN CURRENTLY TALK TO PEOPLE. IT JUST,
IT TAKES TIME. 
          YOU KNOW, WHEN I GET TO A SCENE, SOMEBODY'S SPEAKING A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE. I HAVE TO CALL
A NUMBER, HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY. TELL THEM WHAT LANGUAGE I'M LOOKING FOR. ANSWER A COUPLE QUESTIONS SO THEY CAN VERIFY THAT I HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THEM. 
          AND THEN THEY PUT A TRANSLATOR ON THE PHONE AND I HAVE MY PHONE ON SPEAKER AND WE TALK. 
          BUT IT TAKES, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE MINUTES TO GET THAT SET UP AS OPPOSED TO A COUPLE SECONDS
OF JUST PUSHING A BUTTON. 
          AND SO WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN THE VICTIM OF A CRIME AND IS
TRYING TO GIVE YOU A SUSPECT DESCRIPTION SO YOU CAN BROADCAST IT TO OTHER OFFICERS, SO YOU CAN STOP THIS PERSON, YOU'RE GIVING THEM A TWO MINUTE HEAD START IF YOU'RE HAVING
TO USE THE LANGUAGE LINE. 
          AND SO HAVING THAT TRANSLATION AVAILABLE INSTANTLY IS HUGE. 
          IT IS COMING TO AN END WITH THE END OF WORLD CUP. 
          BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GOING TO BE ASKING FOR IT. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN SAY THIS RIGHT. YES. SO SO CAN ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS BE PIECEMEALED
SO THEY CAN BUT THE COST GOES UP IF YOU BREAK IT OUT. SO VERSUS THE BUNDLE PACKAGE. 
          SO DO WE EVER HAVE TO CALL IN BACKUPS IF SOMEBODY SPEAKS LET'S SAY. 
          SPANISH AND THE OFFICER SHOWS UP, DOESN'T SPEAK SPANISH. 
          AND SO THEY USE THE LANGUAGE LINE. IS THERE DO WE EVER HAVE A NEED WHERE WE CALL IN
ANOTHER OFFICER THAT IS BILINGUAL? OH, WE WE OFTEN DO THAT RATHER THAN USING. SO HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD THIS SAVE AND HOW MUCH
MANPOWER WOULD THAT FREE UP BY HAVING THIS TYPE OF SERVICE? YEAH. I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD SAVE MONEY OR MANPOWER PER SE,
BUT IT WOULD SAVE A LOT OF OFFICERS TIME. 
          YOU KNOW, THE MORE SERIOUS THE CRIME IS, THE LESS I WANT TO RELY ON LANGUAGE LINE OR THE
LONGER I'M GOING TO BE OUT THERE. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD A HOMICIDE WHERE EVERYBODY SPOKE SPANISH,
YOU'D WANT SPANISH SPEAKING OFFICERS THERE. 
          AND SO YOU WOULD BE DEPLOYING OFFICERS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY TO RESPOND JUST FOR
TRANSLATION PURPOSES. 
          [04:05:01]
RIGHT. BUT THAT OFFICER THAT THE OTHER OFFICER THAT SHOWS UP TO,
JUST TO TRANSLATE, THEY COULD BE UTILIZED SOMEWHERE ELSE DOING THEIR OWN WORK, CORRECT? RIGHT. YES. AND DOES THAT HAPPEN? DOES THAT HAPPEN QUITE OFTEN? ALL THE TIME. YES, SIR. MR. GREENE, I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE. 
          I SAW IT SOMEWHERE ON YOUTUBE. I SAW A VIDEO OF THEM SHOWING OFF. 
          SOME OF THE GLASSES HAVE IT, TOO. SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH HOW IT WORKS AND THE SITUATION THAT
HAPPENED IN THIS VIDEO. 
          IT WAS FROM A BODY CAM WAS THEY CAME UP ON THE SCENE. 
          THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE THAT WAS BROKEN INTO A HOUSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          AND THE OFFICER ARRIVED AND THE PERSON ONLY SPOKE SPANISH AND THEY WERE TRYING TO TELL HIM
THEY SAW THE PERSON, AND THEY WERE TRYING TO TELL THEM AND DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE WEARING, WHERE THEY WERE HIDING AT. WELL, WITH THE TRANSLATION,
YOU CAN GET THAT INFO. THE FIRST OFFICER CAN FIND THAT AND START LOOKING FOR THE PERSON. 
          WHEREAS IF YOU'RE HAVING TO WAIT FOR A TRANSLATOR,
NOW THEY'RE GONE. 
          AND SO THAT'S AN AREA ALONE. IF WE EVEN WERE TO CATCH ONE PERSON THAT WAY,
TO ME, IT COVERS THE COST OF IT. 
          SO WE'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. RIGHT. AND WHEN YOU WHEN YOU LOOK AT PIECEMEALING IT LIKE
REALLY THE. 
          THE BODY CAMERA, THE FLEET AND THE TASER AND THE AI LANGUAGE TRANSLATION IS RIGHT AROUND
THE $1.63 MILLION. SO IT. THE. IF THE BODY CAMERAS AND IN-CAR CAMERAS AND THEN TASER TEN,
WHICH WE REALLY NEED TO GO TO BECAUSE OUR TASER SEVENS ARE END OF SERVICE LIFE. AND THE ASSUMPTION IS WE. 
          WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THE ABILITY TO NOT USE DEADLY FORCE WHEREVER WE CAN. 
          IF WE HAVE THOSE THREE THINGS AND THEN ADD THE LANGUAGE TRANSLATION SERVICES WHERE LIKE AT
1.58, LIKE IT'S, IT'S ALMOST THE TOTAL COST OF THE BUNDLE AT THAT POINT JUST WITH THOSE THINGS. 
          SO REALLY KIND OF LOOK AT EVERYTHING ELSE THAT YOU GET IS PRETTY MUCH FREE. 
          THE NEXT PART, I DON'T KNOW, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY. 
          YOU'RE, YOU'RE CATCHING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THIS CHART. 
          I'M HEARING THAT THERE'S MINIMAL COST SAVINGS BY JUST DOING THE ORIGINAL COMPONENTS,
PLUS AN AI TRANSLATION SERVICE. 
          BUT I DID WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST SHARE,
I GUESS THE CONSTITUENT CONCERNS I HEAR. 
          I THINK FOLKS ARE REALLY SATISFIED WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY RESPONSES THEY GET. 
          BUT WHEN I GET AN EMAIL OR CALL, THEY HAVE AN ISSUE,
RIGHT? AND THE CONCERN THAT THEY TYPICALLY ARE CONVEYING IS ONE IN WHICH MAYBE THEY DON'T
UNDERSTAND HOW CALLS ARE PRIORITIZED, RIGHT? THEY'RE EXPECTED LIGHTS AND SIRENS ON A CAR BREAK IN THAT WE'RE GOING TO EVENTUALLY
GET TO, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY LIFE AND DEATH AT THAT MOMENT. 
          BUT SO THERE'S A MAYBE AN UNCLEAR EXPECTATION ON WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE POLICE
INTERACTION AND THEN WHEN THEY GET THERE MAYBE SOME OF THIS IS ON LIKE WRECKS AND STUFF. THEY HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF A SERVICE LEVEL THAT
THEY'RE NOT GETTING IN REALITY. 
          SO THERE'S SOME OF THAT CONCERN AND I GUESS I DO WANT TO JUST COMMUNICATE THAT BUDGET. 
          ONE OFFER IS FIVE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS. BECAUSE WE WANT TO INCREASE PREVENTATIVE PATROLS
AND RESPONSE TIMES. 
          AND THEN THERE'S A COMPONENT OF BUDGET. TWO OF THIS DRONE IS FIRST RESPONDER. 
          THAT TO ME, I WOULD LIKE AN OFFICER RESPONDING RIGHT WITH A HUMAN EYE CONTACT AND
ADDRESSING AND TAKING A REPORT AND GATHERING HUMAN INTELLIGENCE. AND IF THERE ARE COMPONENTS OF A DRONE,
LIKE THERMAL IMAGING FOR A BARRICADED SUSPECT OR ONE THAT'S HIDING IN A FIELD. 
          I THINK THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. I GUESS I WANT TO CONVEY CONCERN BECAUSE MAYBE I DON'T
UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY WELL ENOUGH YET OF THE DRONE BEING THE FIRST RESPONDER VERSUS THE FIRST RESPONDER BEING THE FIRST RESPONDER,
RIGHT. 
          AND SO I HAVE SOME CONCERNS WITH, WITH THAT. RIGHT. 
          OKAY. SO I WOULD LIKEN IT TO THE FIRST GULF WAR. 
          YOU KNOW, SADDAM HUSSEIN INVADED KUWAIT. IT WAS THE AIR FORCE THAT KNOCKED THEM BACK,
BUT THE WASN'T TAKEN BACK OVER UNTIL THE ARMY OR THE MARINE CORPS SET BOOTS ON THE GROUND. 
          SO YES, THE THE DRONE IS THE FIRST RESPONDER. 
          THE OFFICERS STILL HAVE TO RESPOND. THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME CALLS THAT WOULD NOT HESITATE
A POLICE RESPONSE. 
          A GOOD EXAMPLE, AND WE SEE THIS A LOT IS WE'LL GET A CALL OF A SPEEDING CAR. 
          SOMEBODY WILL CALL IN AND SAY, HEY, THERE'S A A CAR SPEEDING. 
          IT'S GOING OVER 100MPH. IT WAS NORTHBOUND ON 635 FROM 30. 
          YOU KNOW, HE TOOK THE THE EXIT TO GO NORTHBOUND. 
          I CONTINUED ON 30. BY THE TIME THEY GOT DONE TALKING THAT THAT CAR HAS REACHED THE NORTH
CITY LIMITS AT 100MPH AND IS NOW IN THE CITY OF GARLAND. BUT WE ARE GOING TO SEND AN OFFICER TO DRIVE THAT LOCATION AND JUST MAKE SURE
THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CAR ACCIDENT OR THEY SOMETHING ELSE DIDN'T HAPPEN. 
          IN THAT CASE, IT WOULD BE VERY EFFICIENT TO JUST SEND A DRONE THAT COULD GO UP,
LOOK AND SAY, OKAY, YEAH, THAT CAR IS COMPLETELY GONE AND,
AND RETURN. 
          BUT IF YOU HAD LIKE A FIGHT. YEAH, THE DRONE COULD TELL US. 
          [04:10:02]
OH, WOW. THIS IS A BIG FIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO NEED MORE OFFICERS. OR WE COULD GET UP AND
SEE. 
          WELL, IT'S NOT AS BIG AS IT LOOKED LIKE OR WAS CONVEYED TO US. 
          WE WERE TOLD IT WAS GOING TO BE ALL THESE PEOPLE. AND WE'VE GOT SIX OFFICERS GOING DOWN
THERE. WE CAN DISREGARD HALF OF THEM. 
          IT'S IT'S MUCH SMALLER THAN IT. SO IT IT WOULD GIVE US ADDITIONAL INTELLIGENCE,
BUT WE WOULD STILL HAVE TO RESPOND TO A LOT OF THOSE CALLS. 
          I GUESS I'D BE INTERESTED IN GETTING. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE RIGHT NOW,
BUT MAYBE IT'S A MEMO LATER. 
          MORE INFORMATION ON KIND OF THAT GRAY ZONE. SAY THERE'S A SUSPICIOUS PERSON CALL AT 3 A.M. 
          YOU KNOW, USING THE DRONE TO FLY AROUND AND TRY TO SEE IF THERE'S A SUSPICIOUS PERSON. 
          AND THEN WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING. LET'S CLEAR THAT CALL VERSUS A FIRST RESPONDER RESPONDING
AND TALKING WITH SOMEBODY WHO CALLED IT IN THAT KIND OF GRAY ZONE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THE EXAMPLES YOU GIVE ARE PRETTY CLEAR. 
          DRONES MIGHT BE APPLICABLE TO THOSE SITUATIONS. 
          I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE EXPECTING,
ESPECIALLY AS WE INCREASE OFFICERS ARE HAVING CONTACT WITH OFFICERS. 
          RIGHT. AND JUST LIKE MISS RODRIGUEZ, ROSS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE THE GUNFIRE. 
          I MAY BE ABLE TO SEE WHO'S SHOOTING THE GUN FROM A DRONE,
BUT I STILL HAVE TO HAVE AN OFFICER THAT GOES THERE AND CONTACTS THAT PERSON OR FIREWORKS OR WHATEVER IT IS. BUT CERTAINLY WE WOULD NEVER I WOULD NEVER WANT TO YOU KNOW,
I WAS AT THE POLICE TEST JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO. 
          I TOLD THE OFFICERS THAT WERE PROSPECTIVE OFFICERS THAT ARE TESTING LIKE WE ARE A SERVICE
ORIENTED DEPARTMENT. 
          OUR OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS. 
          AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE HERE TO DO. WE HAVE GREAT CITIZENS THAT SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY AND, AND I WANT OFFICERS THAT ARE GOING TO MAINTAIN THAT RELATIONSHIP. 
          AND PART OF THAT IS RESPONDING AND ANSWERING THEIR CALLS,
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES AND, AND WE GOT TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHERE THE DISCONNECT IS. 
          SO A LOT OF TIMES WITH THE CALLS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE DON'T GET CONTACTED. 
          WHEN DISPATCH ASKS THEM, THEY SAY, NO, I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO AN OFFICER. AND THEN THEY
ASK, WELL, WHY DID AN OFFICER COME BY? WELL, YOU YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T WANT AN OFFICER TO COME TO
YOUR DOOR. 
          YOU DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO SOMEBODY. AND SO I DON'T KNOW. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT DISCONNECT COMES IN BECAUSE I,
I WOULD SAY IN THE LAST MONTH, WE'VE HAD FOUR OF THOSE THAT THEY CLEARLY SAID, NO, I DON'T WANT AN OFFICER TO RESPOND TO MY HOUSE. 
          AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY CALLED IN UPSET THAT WE DIDN'T RESPOND TO THEIR HOUSE. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW. BUT CERTAINLY THE THE DRONE IS FIRST RESPONDER. 
          IT'S JUST THE FIRST RESPONDER TO THE SCENE. IT'S NOT THE ONLY ONE. 
          YEAH. I THINK THEY NEED TO WORK ON THE NAME. YEAH. 
          CHIEF MR., MAYBE THERE'S SOME TIME THAT YOU CAN PRIOR TO THE BUDGET BEING APPROVED,
YOU CAN SHOW AN INFOMERCIAL, MAYBE WHAT THOSE DRONES ACTUALLY DO JUST TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. MAYBE WE'RE JUST
TRYING TO GET A VISUAL OFF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT WE DON'T. IT'S HARD TO COMPREHEND. SO INFOMERCIAL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. OKAY. THE NEXT I'M NOT SURE I'M SAYING
THIS RIGHT IS THE AURA RETAIL THEFT SYSTEM. 
          SO ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR CRIME IS RETAIL THEFT. 
          AND SO THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT DRIVER OF OUR, OUR OVERALL CRIME,
THE AURA. 
          AND I'M NOT SURE I'M SAYING THAT. RIGHT. SO SORRY TO ORDER. 
          IF I'M NOT THE RETAIL THEFT SYSTEM IS A, IT'S A PLATFORM THAT CONNECTS SAY LIKE ACADEMY
AND POLICE. SO WHAT WE SEE WITH ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT,
WHICH IS WHAT THIS SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO, TO COMBAT IS ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT PEOPLE, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THEIR SHRINKAGE
COULD BE UPWARDS OF 80% FOR SOME BOX STORES WHEN PEOPLE, WHEN, WHEN CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS DISCOVER A WAY TO
COMMIT THEFT. SO AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE ACADEMY, RIGHT? ACADEMY HAS A VERY NORMAL STRUCTURE TO THEIR STORE. 
          THEY'VE GOT ABOUT 2 OR 3 DIFFERENT LAYOUTS. BUT OVERALL YOU GO TO ONE ACADEMY,
YOU GO TO ANOTHER ONE UNLESS IT'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE DIFFERENT SETUPS AND MAYBE THEY HAVE HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS NEXT TO A
FIRE EXIT OR HUMMINGBIRD. 
          THE FISH FINDERS, THERE ARE A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS FISH FINDERS AND THEY'RE LOCATED
NEXT TO A FIRE EXIT. 
          WHEN, WHEN THESE CREWS DISCOVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
THEN THEY'LL GO IN, THEY'LL COMMIT A THEFT. 
          THEY'LL HAVE A CAR WAITING RIGHT OUTSIDE, THEY'LL JUMP IN THE CAR AND TAKE OFF. 
          AND SO THEY'LL EXPLOIT THAT WEAKNESS AT THAT ONE STORE HAS AT EVERY STORE THAT MATCHES
THAT DESCRIPTION. 
          SO WE'LL SEE CREWS FROM HOUSTON THAT WILL COME UP AND THEY'LL COMMIT 12 THEFTS AT VARIOUS, YOU KNOW, THE SAME BOX RETAILER USING EXPLOITING THE SAME WEAKNESS BEFORE THEY GO BACK
WITH A WHOLE TRUCKLOAD FULL OF STOLEN PROPERTY. 
          AND SO OUR IS A WAY OF IT'S KIND OF A REAL TIME CRIME CENTER FOR RETAIL AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES. 
          [04:15:03]
SO WHEN ACADEMY STARTS SEEING A TREND WHERE THEY'RE BEING HIT IN ONE PARTICULAR WAY,
THEY CAN PUSH THAT INFORMATION OUT NOT ONLY TO ALL THEIR STORES, BUT ALL OF THE AGENCIES THAT HAVE STORES. AND THAT WAY WE CAN COMMUNICATE QUICKER AND
HOPEFULLY PREVENT SOME OF THESE THEFTS THAT BE RUN BY OUR OUR INTELLIGENCE SECTION. OBVIOUSLY,
MY 90 IS A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM. 
          THAT IS A WAY FOR US TO JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING GOOD SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF
MESQUITE. 
          SO IT IS A, IT WORKS WITH OUR CAD SYSTEM AND WE WOULD GENERATE IT BASED ON THE TYPE OF
CALL. 
          SO IF YOU KNOW, YOUR CAR GOT BROKE INTO, YOU WOULD GET A TEXT MESSAGE LATER WITH A
MINORITY LINK. 
          AND PLEASE TAKE THE SURVEY AND TELL US HOW WE DID. 
          DID WE PROVIDE ADEQUATE CUSTOMER SERVICE? WAS THE OFFICER FRIENDLY AND YOU KNOW,
THAT TYPE OF THING. 
          AND WE COULD SET IT UP BASED ON THE TYPE OF. CALL. 
          SO SOME CALLS, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT SEND A SURVEY IF YOU KNOW,
IT WAS A SOMEBODY A CHILD WAS KILLED IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT. 
          WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T WANT TO SEND THEM A SURVEY AND ASK THEM ABOUT IT. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD JUST GET BETTER FEEDBACK FROM CITIZENS ON HOW WE'RE DOING. 
          AND THEN OUTPOST LPR CAMERAS, IT COMES WITH TEN OUTPOST CAMERAS THAT WE COULD PLACE THERE, MUCH LIKE THE FLOCK OR VIGILANT CAMERAS. JUST CAMERAS. 
          ADDITIONAL CAMERAS THAT WE COULD PLACE OUT THERE AND KEEP TABS ON WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          CHIEF ANY OF THESE ASKS, SINCE THEY'RE ALL FROM THE THE SAME PERSON OR WHATEVER. 
          AXON I GUESS. IS IT GOING TO REQUIRE LICENSING,
EXTRA LICENSING, EXTRA SOFTWARE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, OR WE ALREADY HAVE ALL THAT. WE ARE CURRENTLY CUSTOMERS OF AXON AND THAT'S WHY THE BUNDLE
IS WHAT THE BUNDLE IS BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY GETTING THE OTHER, THE BODY CAMERA, THE FLEET AND THEN THE TASER SEVEN. 
          WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO CONTRACTS WITH THEM. SO THIS IS TO ROLL EVERYTHING INTO ONE CONTRACT. 
          OKAY. SO THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY ONGOING LICENSING FEES. 
          SEPARATE THAT WE DON'T SEPARATE FROM THIS CONTRACT. 
          NO, MA'AM. OKAY. THANK YOU CHIEF. SORRY. SO SAME TO COUNCILMAN ROSS. 
          SO NEXT YEAR THE IT'LL BE SIX $1.6 MILLION APPROXIMATELY TO RUN IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. 
          IS THERE ANY WAY TO LOCK IN A RATE SO UNLIKE SOME OTHER PROVIDERS THAT EVERY YEAR HAVE A
DRAFT. 
          SO THIS WOULD BE A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT. SO IT WOULD STAY THAT FOR FIVE YEARS. 
          THE 1.6 MILLION. YES. BUDGET ALL FOR THREE IS CRASH DATA RECOVERY UPGRADE. SO WE WE CURRENTLY HAVE A CRASH DATA RECOVERY SYSTEM. 
          IT IS OUTDATED AND IT ONLY WORKS ABOUT HALF OF THE TIME. 
          SO WE WE USE IT PRIMARILY RIGHT NOW ON FATALITY ACCIDENTS ONLY BECAUSE ABOUT 12 TIMES A
YEAR WE HAVE TO CALL OTHER AGENCIES TO CONDUCT OUR CRASH DATA RECOVERY FOR US. 
          THAT REQUIRES SOMEBODY FROM THAT AGENCY TO BRING A MORE ADVANCED SYSTEM HERE AND PLUG INTO
THE CAR AND DOWNLOAD THE, THE CRASH DATA FOR OUR WRECKED VEHICLE AND THEN DOWNLOAD IT AT OUR STATION AND THEN LEAVE. 
          THE PRIMARY PERSON THAT HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR US WORKS FOR DALLAS COUNTY IS ABOUT TO
RETIRE. 
          SO WE'RE ABOUT TO LOSE THAT ASSET. AND SO IT WILL BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR US TO GET
THAT DATA IN THE FUTURE. 
          IT'S ALSO IT'S HARD. IT'S A TOUGH ASK WHEN YOU'RE ASKING OTHER AGENCIES TO,
TO HELP YOU WITH CRASH DATA RECOVERY, BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF THESE, BECAUSE THEIR FATALITY ACCIDENTS RESULTS IN A LAWSUIT. 
          AND SO THEY'RE NOT ONLY COMMITTING TO COME HERE AND DOWNLOAD THE DATA FOR US TO ASSIST US, THEY'RE ALSO COMMITTING TO GO TO COURT AT SOME POINT IN A CIVIL TRIAL AND MAYBE GET TIED
UP FOR 3 TO 5 DAYS TESTIFYING AND BEING AVAILABLE. SO THE, THE OFFER WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY TO,
TO DO THESE SYSTEMS OURSELVES. 
          IT DOES COME WITH A $5,000 ANNUAL ADJUST ADJUSTMENT FOR FOR THE SERVICE CONTRACT. 
          BUDGET OFFER FOR, IS FOR COMPUTER SOFTWARE LICENSES. 
          IT'S $35,000. THIS IS FOR OUR COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB. 
          WE CONTINUE TO SEE MORE AND MORE DEVICES THAT ARE COMING IN AS MORE AND MORE DEVICES OCCUR
AND ARE CAPTURING EVIDENCE. 
          EVERYBODY HAS A PHONE. IF THEY'VE SEEMS LIKE ONCE THEY HIT KINDERGARTEN,
PARENTS ARE BUYING THEM DEVICES THAT THEY'RE CARRYING AROUND. 
          SO WE SEE MORE AND MORE, WE'RE ALSO SEEING, FORTUNATELY,
MORE AND MORE PEOPLE RECORDING THEMSELVES, 
          [04:20:05]
COMMITTING CRIMES USING THEIR, THEIR PHONES. AND SO AS,
AS THAT CONTAINS EVIDENCE, WE HAVE TO DO MORE AND MORE TO, TO GET THAT EVIDENCE. AND THERE'S ALSO A IN COURT,
THERE'S MORE AND MORE AN EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL HAVE VIDEO EVIDENCE OR WE WILL PROCESS THE, THE, THE EQUIPMENT. SO $35,000 IS JUST TO,
TO GIVE US ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES WITH OUR COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB. 
          AND IT'S JUST TO KEEP PACE WITH THE CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY THAT WE SEE. 
          CRIMINAL CASE SPECIALIST POSITIONS. INTERESTING. 
          WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE CRIME RATE. WE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT IT NOT LONG AGO AND HOW
MUCH IT IS DECLINING. 
          AND THE CRIME RATE ITSELF IS DECLINING. BUT THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT WE ARE FILING
CONTINUES TO INCREASE. 
          A LOT OF CASES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CRIME RATE,
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PART ONE CRIMES. 
          AND SO WHILE THOSE ARE DECLINING, WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN,
IN OVERALL CRIME AND SOME CATEGORIES, DWI BEING ONE OF THEM WERE OVER 1000 DWI A YEAR NOW FOR THE MESQUITE POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THAT NUMBER JUST CONTINUES TO CLIMB EVERY YEAR. 
          THE MORE CASES WE FILE AND THE, THE GREATER DEMANDS THAT ARE PLACED ON IT JUST PUTS US IN
A POSITION IT'S HARD TO. 
          FOR THE TWO CRIMINAL CASE SPECIALISTS TO FILE THE 7000 CASES A YEAR WITH DALLAS COUNTY,
AND WE NEED A THIRD PERSON. 
          WE HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF TIMES IN IN JUST RECENT WEEKS WHERE WE'VE BEEN VERY CLOSE ON
TIMING THE THE COUNTY PUTS DEMANDS ON US IN TERMS OF THE TIME THAT WE HAVE TO FILE CASES. 
          THE STATE PUTS DEMANDS ON US AND WHAT HAS TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT. 
          AND IT'S JUST A LOT OF WORK FOR TWO PEOPLE TO MANAGE. 
          AND WE, WE NEED A THIRD PERSON IN THAT, THAT POSITION DOING THAT. 
          SO BUDGET ALL FOR FIVE IS JUST TO, TO, TO DO THAT,
TO GIVE US THAT EXTRA ABILITY TO GET OUR CASES. 
          WHAT WE'RE HAVING TO DO NOW IS THEY WILL THE TWO WILL WORK UNTIL THEY START FALLING
BEHIND. 
          THEN WE HAVE TO GET ADDITIONAL HELP, OTHER SECRETARIES TO COME IN AND HELP,
AND SOMETIMES EVEN OVERTIME HELP TO GET THEM CAUGHT UP. 
          OR WE HAVE TO TAKE OFFICERS OFF OF INVESTIGATIONS TO DO SOME OF THAT THEMSELVES. 
          AND OBVIOUSLY, WE WE WANT TO KEEP INVESTIGATORS DOING THE INVESTIGATING AND HAVE CIVILIANS
DOING THE THE PAPERWORK THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A BADGE AND A GUN TO DO. YES, SIR. TELL US REAL QUICK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON'T FILE A CASE. 
          YOU'RE UNDER A TIMELINE WITH THE DA'S OFFICE. 
          WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT CASE WHEN YOU DON'T GET IT FILED IN THEIR TIMELINE? THEY'RE REALLY THE. THE BAD GUY IS RELEASED. IF THEY WERE ARRESTED,
THE CASE JUST GOES AWAY. 
          SO. AND THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON OUR MANY VICTIMS WE MAY HAVE OUT THERE. 
          RIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. BUDGET ALL FOR SIX IS FOR TRAINING. 
          OFFICER, WE'VE TALKED IN HERE ABOUT THE STATE MANDATES FOR TRAINING AND A LOT OF OUR OR
NOT A LOT OF OUR OVERTIME, BUT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OUR OVERTIME GOES TO TRAINING OUR OFFICERS. 
          THE STATE CONTINUES TO INCREASE TRAINING DEMANDS ON US AND WE HAVE TO HAVE TRAINERS. 
          SO IN THE POLICE ACADEMY, A LOT OF TIMES WE WILL CALL WILL BRING OFFICERS IN OFF THE
STREETS. 
          THIS TRAINING OFFICER POSITION WON'T COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THAT. 
          THERE ARE STILL SOME CLASSES THAT WE WOULD WANT,
TRAINED BY AN EXPERT ON DRIVER TRAINING WOULD BE TRAINED BY A TRAFFIC OFFICER BECAUSE THAT THEY ARE THE EXPERTS. BUT A LOT OF THE TRAINING COULD BE CONDUCTED BY ANYBODY. 
          USE OF FORCE TRAINING, STUFF LIKE THAT. AND THIS IS TO TO HAVE SOMEBODY THAT IS DEDICATED
TO DOING THAT SO THAT WE'RE NOT PULLING SOMEBODY OFF OF PATROL TO GO CONDUCT TRAINING OR PULLING SOMEBODY OFF OF INVESTIGATIONS TO CONDUCT TRAINING. 
          WE WE CONTINUE TO SEE NEW GROWTH. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS DONE A GREAT JOB. 
          WE'VE GOT A LOT OF HOUSES GOING IN. I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT 251 IS WHERE WE'RE AT BASED ON
157,000 POPULATION. 
          WE'RE AT 264 RIGHT NOW AS THE THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE THE HOUSES,
RESIDENCES CONTINUE TO GET BUILT. WE WILL LIKELY NEED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER THAT WE'RE AT. 
          WE'RE NOT CRITICAL NOW, BUT WE HAVE 20% OF OUR DEPARTMENT IS ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE,
AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT VACANCIES AND HOW MANY ARE IN TRAINING HERE IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. BUT IT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR TO YEAR AND A HALF TO GET AN OFFICER FROM THE TEST TO
ACTUALLY ABLE TO RESPOND TO CALLS ON THEIR OWN. 
          AND SO WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE AS WE WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          WE CURRENTLY HAVE 11 OFFICER VACANCIES. IT'S A LITTLE MISLEADING BECAUSE THERE'S A FEW
THAT ARE HIRED THAT HAVEN'T ACTUALLY STARTED YET. 
          [04:25:08]
BUT THEY'VE COMPLETED THE ENTIRE HIRING PROCESS. 
          THEY'RE JUST WAITING FOR THE ACADEMY TO START. 
          SO 11 VACANCIES, NOBODY IS IN THEM. 16 IN TRAINING. 
          AND THAT INCLUDES THE THREE THAT ARE WAITING FOR THE POLICE ACADEMY TO START. 
          AND THEN EIGHT IN THE HIRING PROCESS IS WHEN I SAY IN THE HIRING PROCESS,
I MEAN AT THE VERY END STAGES OF THE HIRING PROCESS, THAT IS, THEIR BACKGROUND IS COMPLETED. I'VE GOT A COUPLE INTERVIEWS WITH THE CHIEF. 
          MAYBE THEY'RE WAITING ON THEIR PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL OR WAITING ON THOSE RESULTS,
BUT THEY'RE VERY CLOSE TO THE END, NOT WE'RE ABOUT TO GET STARTED ON THEM. WE WE DO HAVE SOME FROM THE LAST TEST. 
          WE DID HAVE EIGHT SHOW UP FOR THE TEST THIS MORNING. 
          THAT IS ALL WE HAD. THERE WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING. 
          ONE FAILED THE WRITTEN TEST AND ONE FAILED THE ROAD TEST. SO THERE ARE SIX IN THE PROCESS
FOR THIS MONTH'S TEST. 
          FOR THE TEST THAT WE GAVE THIS MORNING. IT'S DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE WE HAD MORE STAFF THERE
THAN WE HAD APPLICANTS, BUT THAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE EIGHT IN THE HIRING PROCESS. 
          THEY WON'T THEY WON'T BE CONSIDERED IN THE HIRING PROCESS UNTIL THEY GET MUCH FURTHER IN
THE PROCESS. 
          IT'S A CONSTANTLY CHANGING NUMBER, BUT 15 IN PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCH,
THAT CHANGED THIS WEEK FROM. 
          14. WE HAD A DISPATCHER THAT FAILED HER STATE LICENSING TEST. 
          AND SO I THINK IT IS LIKELY A TEST ANXIETY ISSUE. 
          SHE'S REALLY CAPABLE BUT JUST NOT ABLE TO PASS THE T TEST. 
          I HAVEN'T SEEN WHAT THE T COLE TEST FOR PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCH IS. 
          I HAVE SEEN FOR THE POLICE, AND IT'S A VERY POORLY WORDED,
HARD TO UNDERSTAND TEST AT TIMES. 
          AND SO I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THE THE PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER TEST IS THE SAME. 
          SHE HAS TAKEN ANOTHER POSITION WITHIN THE CITY,
AN ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY POSITION WITHIN CID. 
          I'VE ALREADY TALKED WITH THE DEPUTY CHIEF THERE,
AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO. SHE SHE WANTS TO GO BACK TO DISPATCH. SHE HAS TO WAIT A YEAR BY STATE LAW. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRAIN HER AND WORK WITH HER ON WHAT
IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO PASS HER LICENSING TEST AND DISPATCH WHILE SHE WORKS IN HER NEW ASSIGNMENT. SHE JUST STARTED THAT ON FRIDAY,
AND THEN WE'LL HOPEFULLY A YEAR FROM NOW BE TALKING ABOUT HER BEING A SUCCESS STORY, GOING BACK TO DISPATCH, BUT RIGHT NOW, 15 PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER POSITIONS. 
          TWO PROPERTY ROOM CLERKS. WE. YOU AUTHORIZED A NEW PROPERTY ROOM CLERK LAST YEAR BECAUSE
WE ONLY HAD ONE. 
          AND THEN WE LOST THAT ONE. SO WE'RE STRUGGLING TO FILL THAT POSITION. 
          PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONAL. WE HAD A IN THE DETENTION OFFICER POSITION,
OUR PEOPLE WHO ARE PROMOTING UP TO THE POLICE OFFICER. 
          SO THEY ARE TWO OF THE THREE THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT ARE HIRED. 
          WAITING FOR THE NEXT ACADEMY. SO THEY'RE STILL TECHNICALLY WORKING IN THAT THAT POSITION
UNTIL THE ACADEMY STARTS. 
          BUT WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A VACANCY AS SOON AS THE ACADEMY STARTS. SO WE'RE STARTING
THE HIRING PROCESS FOR THOSE POSITIONS. 
          CHIEF, BEFORE WE LEAVE THAT SLOT, ARE THOSE 11 POLICE OFFICERS? ARE THOSE ADDITIONS OR REPLACEMENT POSITIONS? THOSE ARE JUST PART OF THE 264 SO SO IS THAT IT'S I WANT TO BE REAL CLEAR. 
          IS THAT ADDITIONAL OFFICERS OR IS THAT REPLACEMENT OFFICERS WAS THERE,
11 OFFICERS THAT LEFT RETIRED AND WERE REPLACING THOSE OR WE JUST THESE ARE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS. SO WE'VE ONLY ADDED ONE POSITION IN THE LAST YEAR. 
          BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE WE CERTAINLY HAVE NOT BEEN FULL SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE. 
          SO I THINK YEAH, SORRY. THE REASON WHY I ASK IS I SAW A SLIDE A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT WE
HAD A 5% TURNOVER RATE. 
          IF I'M DOING QUICK MATH AT 250 POLICE OFFICERS,
THAT'S THAT THAT'S 5% WOULD BE 11 OFFICERS. 
          SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS IS A REPLACEABLE 5% THAT LEFT OR RETIRED LAST YEAR THAT WE'RE
REPLACING NOW, OR THIS IS IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. 
          SO WE CONTINUE TO HIRE. I THINK MOST OF OUR LOSSES ARE ATTRITION IN THE ACADEMY OR IN
TRAINING OFFICERS THAT FAIL TO MAKE IT THROUGH TRAINING. I WOULD HAVE TO REALLY? DOES THE QUESTION MAKE SENSE? SO BECAUSE IF I'M A CITIZEN OUT THERE LISTENING TO OUR CONVERSATIONS AND I'M SAYING,
OH, WE'RE SHORT 11 OFFICERS, PLUS WE GOT 16 IN TRAINING, WE GOT EIGHT IN OUR PROCESS. 
          THAT'S 24 PLUS 11. THAT'S 35 OFFICERS. AM I IS THE MATH WRONG THERE? SO IT'S SO THE EIGHT IN THE HIRING PROCESS IS TO TAKE OVER THE 11 POLICE VACANCIES. 
          IN THEORY, THAT WOULD BRING US TO. THREE IF IF ALL OF THOSE MADE IT THROUGH ENTIRELY
THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          SO THAT MAKES MORE SENSE. IF I'M SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE,
I'M THINKING, WE NEED 35 OFFICERS AND ONLY EIGHT ARE IN THE HIRING PROCESS. 
          [04:30:01]
NO, WE NEED 11 OFFICERS. 16. THE 16 IN TRAINING ARE ALREADY COMMITTED. 
          SOME OF THEM AREN'T REALLY WORKING, BUT THEY CLAIM THEY'RE GOING TO BE WORKING FOR US. 
          SO THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OR THEY'RE SOME OF THEM ARE IN FIELD TRAINING. 
          THEY'RE ABOUT TO BE RELEASED FROM TRAINING. THEY'RE,
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME IN THE ACADEMY, SOME IN FIELD TRAINING, SOME THAT ARE WAITING FOR THE NEXT ACADEMY. 
          THAT IS THE 168 IS DEEP IN THE HIRING PROCESS. 
          OKAY. SO OUR CITY CHARTER BY OUR CITY CHARTER,
HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS SHOULD WE HAVE CURRENTLY. 
          251. AND HOW MANY DO WE HAVE? SO WE HAVE 264 POSITIONS AND 11 VACANCIES. 
          SO 253. OKAY. SO WE'RE ABOVE CITY CHARTER CURRENTLY AND HIRING MORE. 
          YEAH. I BELIEVE CITY CHARTER REALLY IS THE 264 AUTHORIZED. 
          I DON'T I THINK AND I DON'T KNOW IS THAT CORRECT? YES. SO THAT IS OUR AUTHORIZED STRENGTH WOULD BE WE'RE BUDGETED AND AUTHORIZED BY THE CITY
COUNCIL TO HAVE 264 POLICE OFFICERS. THE CHIEF HAS THE ABILITY TO HIRE. 
          TO 69 TO ACCOUNT FOR ANY OF THE ATTRITION THAT WE GO THROUGH THROUGH THE ACADEMY AND
RETIREMENTS AND ALL OF THAT. 
          BUT BUT WE DON'T VIOLATE THE CHARTER IF WE FALL BELOW. 
          251 RIGHT. BUT SO SO IF YOU HAVE AUTHORITY TO HIRE FIVE MORE,
IS THAT INCLUDED IN THAT NUMBER UP THERE? WE'RE SEEING NOW THE YOU MEAN THE BUDGET ALL FOR 69. 
          OH NO, THAT'S THE. 11 DOES NOT COUNT THOSE. WE THAT'S IT'S A IT'S IT'S AN ARBITRARY
NUMBER. 
          JUST SO THEY'RE NOT. WE GOT INTO THE PRACTICE OF GETTING 264 INTO THE ACADEMY AND TOOK. 
          AND TAKING OUR FOOT OFF THE GAS, KNOWING THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE 5 TO 10 VACANCIES
WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. 
          THAT WAS OUR COMMITMENT TO, SAY, POLICE AND FIRE HIGHER ABOVE KNOWING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO
HAVE PEOPLE LEAVING, HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET PEOPLE ON THE STREET. 
          SO BUT HE IS AUTHORIZED TO HAVE 264 POLICE OFFICERS ON THE STREET,
AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE BUDGET FOR TWO. 
          64. YES. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. SO YOU DID A PRESENTATION A WHILE BACK SHOWING HOW GREAT OUR
POLICE DEPARTMENT IS DOING WITH REDUCING CRIME IN AREAS WITH THE STAFFING THAT WE CURRENTLY THAT WE HAD AT THAT TIME,
THOSE NUMBERS WERE PRODUCED. 
          WILL THESE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS WELL BRING US UP TO STAFF? DO YOU SEE THAT NUMBER CONTINUALLY DROP THE THE CRIME NUMBERS. 
          I DO SEE THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUING TO DROP. NOW,
TO BE FAIR, THEY ARE DROPPING ACROSS THE NATION. 
          SO IT IS NOT LOCALIZED. BUT I DO EXPECT THOSE NUMBERS TO CONTINUE TO DROP. 
          YES, SIR. SO WOULD YOU HIRING UP TO THE 269 VERSUS THE 265,
WOULD THAT HELP THE DEPARTMENT? SO WHERE IT WOULD PRIMARILY HELP THE THE, THE ADDITIONAL POLICE POSITIONS THAT I'M
REQUESTING ARE ALL PATROL POSITIONS. 
          AND SO IT IS ALL PREVENTATIVE PATROL POSITIONS. 
          IT WILL HELP ME WITH HAVING MORE OFFICERS OUT ON THE STREETS. 
          IT'LL ALSO HELP WITH REDUCTION OF OVERTIME. THE THE 264 THAT ARE AUTHORIZED,
AND THEN THE BUDGET OFFER NUMBER ONE OF FIVE ADDITIONAL. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE DISCRETION TO GO. 
          FIVE BEYOND THE 264 AUTHORIZED. SO ARE WE ADDING. 
          TEN POSSIBLY. HELP ME UNDERSTAND BUDGET WISE,
WE ACCOUNT FOR SALARY SAVINGS AND ALL OF THAT TO HELP US GET THROUGH THAT EXTRA FIVE. YEAH. SO I AGAIN, WE'RE A BUREAUCRACY AND EVERYBODY FOLLOWS THE RULES FOR THE MOST
PART. 
          AND SO WHEN HR SAYS, NO, YOU CAN'T HIRE NUMBER 265,
THIS ALLOWS US TO SAY HR. 
          YES, THEY CAN GO HIRE MORE. SO THAT'S WHAT THAT. 
          265 SO THERE'S NOT A BUDGET NUMBER FOR. 269 IF THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          WELL, I GUESS MY CONCERN WAS WE'RE AUTHORIZED FOR. 
          264. HE HAS DISCRETION TO GO FIVE ON HIS OWN. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL BUDGET OFFER,
ONE THAT HAS FIVE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS. 
          SO THAT SEEMS LIKE. SO THE NUMBER WOULD GO UP TO TWO. 
          74 NOW. OKAY. AND SO AT SOME POINT I'D LIKE OUR ORGANIZATION,
AT LEAST OUR COUNCIL TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OF. 
          I THINK WHEN I FIRST CAME ON THE COUNCIL, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE FINANCE PART OF THE
BUDGET, POLICE AND FIRE USED TO BE SOMEWHERE AROUND 48%,
50%. 
          THEN A COUPLE YEARS AGO, 51%. THIS YEAR IT'S 56%. 
          RIGHT. AND SO I JUST WANT TO THINK ABOUT AS THOSE PIE SLICES GET BIGGER,
WHAT ELSE IS BEING IMPACTED? AND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S SALARY SAVINGS,
ESPECIALLY IF POSITIONS ARE UNFILLED, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THE BACK AND FORTH HERE. THERE'S 11 VACANCIES AND THERE ARE EIGHT PEOPLE
THAT ARE HIRING TO FILL THOSE 
          [04:35:04]
VACANCIES. AND THEN YOU ARE USING A NUMBER OF THREE THAT HAVE BEEN HIRED BUT WAITING FOR
THE CLASS TO START. 
          SO THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE 16. IN TRAINING. SO THAT'S THAT'S THE THAT'S ALREADY TAKEN OUT
OF THE. 
          SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN 14 BUT DROPPED TO 11 BECAUSE THEY'RE HIRED ON HR TODAY. 
          WE HAVE THREE POSITIONS THAT WE WOULD STILL WANT TO MAKE AN OFFER FOR SOMEBODY TO FILL
BECAUSE. 
          EIGHT HAVE BEEN OFFERED AND THEY'RE WAITING TO START THE ACADEMY. 
          AND WE HAVE 11 VACANCIES. NO. SO WE HAVE 14 VACANCIES,
AND WE'VE GIVEN THREE POSITIONS TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT WORKING HERE YET. 
          OKAY. SO THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE ACADEMY TO START. 
          IT'S A IT'S THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE AT THIS,
THIS, THIS ONE MAKES MY HEAD HURT TOO. 
          AND SO I THINK IF I CAN JUST ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT MURKIER,
MAYBE NOT. 
          YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ASK THE CHIEF TODAY HOW MANY PEOPLE HE EXPECTS TO
RETIRE IN NEXT YEAR, YOU'VE GOT A LARGE NUMBER OF OFFICERS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE. 
          SO WE KIND OF ANTICIPATE FIVE, FOUR, FIVE, 4 OR 5 A YEAR ARE GOING TO RETIRE ON US. 
          SO WE KNOW THAT THOSE ARE THE KNOWN ONES. SO THAT'S WHY THAT EXTRA FIVE IS THERE. 
          AND SO I THINK I WOULD TRY TO TURN THE DISCUSSION IS HOW MANY OFFICERS DO WE NEED TO
ENSURE THAT WE'VE GOT ADEQUATE PATROL COVERAGE AND TO COVER ALL OF THESE OTHER THINGS THAT WE ASK OUR POLICE OFFICERS TO DO. 
          AND SO RIGHT NOW THE CHARTER SAYS HAS A NUMBER. 
          AND THEN WE AS AN ORGANIZATION HAVE SAID, NO,
WE WANT TO BE HIGHER THAN THAT. 
          SO IT'S HOW MUCH HIGHER? AND SO, AND I'LL JUST SAY,
WHILE THE CHIEF IS REQUESTING FIVE POSITIONS JUST TO BE IN THE BE AHEAD OF THE GAME AS WE GROW. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT ON A REGULAR BASIS. 
          SO WE'RE IN A GOOD SPOT THAT IF THERE'S ANOTHER PRIORITY IN THE ORGANIZATION THAT WE WANT
TO PUT FUNDING TO, WE DON'T NEED, WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE FIVE BUDGET OFFERS TODAY. 
          AND WE CAN DO 1 OR 2. IT'S NOT EVEN JUST A DIFFERENT PRIORITY. 
          IT MAY BE PAYING OUR EXISTING OFFICERS WHAT WE CAN PAY THEM. 
          RIGHT. AT SOME POINT THERE'S A THAT IS ANOTHER BUDGET OFFER THAT WE COULD DO THE CATCH UP. 
          RIGHT. INSTEAD OF DOING TWO OFFICERS, IT'S ABOUT THE SAME. 
          YOU COULD PUT MONEY TOWARDS. THAT'S A CONCERN. 
          I HAVE THE. YOU DID MAKE IT MURKIER. THE THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT MAY RETIRE. 
          I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU YOU GET MY LINE OF QUESTIONING WAS MORE DIRECTED AT THE BASE PAY
CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING EARLIER AND HOW WELL THAT WAS DOING WITH RECRUITMENT AND PEOPLE SITTING FOR A TEST. 
          HOW WELL ARE WE FEELING? OPEN SEATS. RIGHT. AND THAT WAS KIND OF OKAY. 
          I'M TRYING TO GET FEEDBACK ON US AS WE MOVE INTO OUR NEXT CONVERSATION HERE IN A BIT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS DOING PRETTY GOOD UNTIL WE THREW A NUMBER 14 THAT WASN'T EVEN ON THE
SLIDE OUT. 
          BUT WHERE, WHAT BUCKET ARE YOU PUTTING THE 16 IN TRAINING. 
          THEY'VE BEEN OFFERED THEIR FEELING OF CURRENT VACANCY. 
          SO 1616 IN TRAINING ARE SOME OF THEM ARE IN THE ACADEMY. 
          EIGHT OF THEM ARE IN THE ACADEMY. THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN HIRED AND ARE GOING TO GO TO THE
ACADEMY IN OCTOBER. 
          SO THEY'RE THEY'RE NOT POLICE OFFICERS YET, BUT THEY KIND OF ARE THEY'RE FILLING THAT
POSITION FOR HR RIGHT NOW, AND THE REST ARE IN FIELD TRAINING. SO THEY'RE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF TRAINING WITH THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          OKAY. SO THEY'RE ALREADY HIRED. YEAH. AND THEN THE EIGHT IN THE HIRING PROCESS THERE. 
          THEY HAVEN'T BEEN OFFERED A JOB YET. SURE. SO THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN. 
          AND WE HAVE 11 JOB OFFERS TO GIVE OUT. 11 JOB OFFERS TO GIVE OUT. 
          YES. NOT COUNTING THE ONE VACANCY THAT I EXPECT TO GET IN THE NEXT WEEK. 
          SO. YES, THIS IS REAL CONFUSING. WE CURRENTLY ARE DOWN 27 OFFICERS. 16 ARE IN TRAINING THAT AREN'T IN THE FIELD,
OR SOME OF THEM ARE IN THE FIELD IN TRAINING. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE 11 THAT WE NEED TO GET HIRED. 
          I'M I WOULD SAY 27 POSITIONS ARE NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL POLICE OFFICERS. 
          YES. SO 11 OF THEM HAVE NOT BEEN HIRED. 16 OF THEM ARE IN TRAINING,
BUT THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO TO BE COPS ON THEIR OWN RIGHT NOW. 
          SO THEY'RE NOT AFFECTING MANPOWER. RIGHT. I'M JUST I'M STILL I'LL FIGURE IT OUT MY HEAD,
PROBABLY, BUT PROBABLY NOT, BECAUSE I'M STILL THE 5% TURNOVER RATE. 
          [04:40:04]
THE NUMBERS DON'T MATCH UP WITH WHAT WE'VE HIRED,
AND THAT'S THE PART I'M TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND. 
          SO THANKS, CHIEF AND CHIEF. I DO WANT TO GIVE YOU AND YOUR TEAM PROPS. 
          I FEEL LIKE WHEN I FIRST CAME ON IN 2015, THE NUMBER OF OPENINGS VACANCIES WAS 20 TO 25. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAD PEOPLE THAT WERE IN TRAINING OR ON DESK DUTY,
AND THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS THAT WERE NOT PATROL READY WAS CLOSER TO 40 TO 45. 
          AND THAT WAS WITH A SMALLER NUMBER OF SWORN OFFICER POSITIONS. 
          I THINK WE WERE AT SOMETHING LIKE 220 AND 264 NOW. 
          YES, WE'VE ADDED A LOT OF OFFICERS AND WE FILLED UP A LOT OF VACANCIES. 
          I WANT TO TOUCH ON WAS THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH WE'RE GIVING EXAMS. HOW OFTEN ARE YOU HAVING TO DO THAT? HOW OFTEN ARE YOU CLEARING A LIST OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE
PASSED IT SATISFACTORILY? CAN YOU GIVE SOME CONVERSATION THERE? SO WE TEST 9 TO 10 TIMES A YEAR. 
          SO WE WE TALK ABOUT MONTHLY, BUT IT'S NOT EXACTLY MONTHLY. 
          WE'RE, WE I DON'T KNOW, IS LIBBY HERE? DO WE HAVE A TEST NEXT MONTH OR. 
          NEXT MONTH IN NO. SEPTEMBER. RIGHT. AND SO WE BASE OUR TEST BASED ON WHEN THE ACADEMY
STARTS. 
          SO WE WILL EXPIRE THE, THE SIX PEOPLE THAT REMAIN ON THE TEST TO,
FROM TODAY'S TEST PLUS THE NEXT TEST, THE SEPTEMBER TEST BEFORE THE OCTOBER ACADEMY STARTS. 
          SO EVERYBODY THAT TAKES THOSE TESTS OR THE AUGUST TEST WILL EXPIRE THAT IN SEPTEMBER SO
THAT THEY'RE READY TO TAKE THE TEST. 
          WE WON'T GIVE A SEPTEMBER TEST BECAUSE IT THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT IN TIME. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO FINISH UP AUGUST TO GET THEM INTO THE ACADEMY,
AND THEN WE'LL START TESTING AGAIN ONCE THE NEXT ACADEMY STARTS FOR OUR FEBRUARY MARCH TEST AND IS EIGHT STUDENTS THAT ARE TAKING THAT TEST THAT DAY. 
          APPLICANTS ARE IS THAT NORMAL? IS IT LOW? THAT IS A VERY LOW NUMBER FOR US. 
          WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU AVERAGE. I'M GOING TO GUESS SITTING FOR A TEST. 
          PROBABLY CLOSER TO 20. OKAY. AND THEN THIS QUESTION MAY NOT BE SOMETHING,
YOU KNOW, BUT MAYBE CLIFF OR LIBBY OR CHIEF HOPKINS. 
          WE HAD 200 PLUS SIT FOR A FIRE EXAM. WE'RE NOT GIVEN THAT NINE TIMES A YEAR,
I ASSUME. 
          NO, JUST ONCE A YEAR. ONCE A YEAR. OKAY. AND SO IF YOU PUT THOSE TOGETHER,
300 ARE SITTING FOR ONCE A YEAR, 20 SITTING NINE TIMES. OKAY. SO BUT YOU KNOW,
I WOULD SAY THAT OUR RECENT EXPERIENCE, THE PERCENTAGE THAT ARE PASSING THE TEST AND MOVING THROUGH MOST OF THE PROCESS,
THEY MAY NOT MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ACADEMY IS A IS A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER. 
          SO I THINK WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO PASS THE TEST. 
          TAKING THE TEST INSTEAD OF IN THE PAST WHERE WE HAD PEOPLE JUST TRYING IT OUT. 
          SO I THINK THAT THAT'S THAT'S A GOOD NUMBER TO LOOK AT. 
          AND AGAIN, IT'S APPLES AND ORANGES WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE TESTS. 
          AND CHIEF, WHEN WE'RE WHEN WE'RE ADDING MORE OFFICERS,
IS THAT ADDING TO OUR OVERTIME HOURS OR DOES THAT BEGIN TO DECREASE OUR OVERTIME? SO OUR OVERTIME, MUCH LIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT,
IS BASED ON MINIMUM MANPOWER. 
          SO IT IS IF I ADD FIVE OFFICERS TO PATROL, MY MINIMUM MANPOWER DOESN'T GO UP BY FIVE. 
          IT JUST GETS ME FIVE PEOPLE CLOSER TO THOSE MINIMUMS. SO THE MINIMUM IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT WE TAKE AND JUST HOW BUSY IT IS. 
          SO IT VARIES BY THE DAY AND BY THE TIME OF DAY. 
          AND WE JUST HIRE UP TO REACH THAT MINIMUM. SO FIVE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS JUST GETS US CLOSER
TO THAT MINIMUM. 
          SO IT'S THE SAME WITH THAT 4896 SCHEDULE. YES. 
          DISPATCH WE HAVE SOME VACANCIES IN DISPATCH. WE'RE,
WE'RE TRYING TO BE A LITTLE PROACTIVE ABOUT HOW WE ADDRESS THOSE. 
          WE'RE GOING TO WORKING WITH HR TO CONVERT FIVE POSITIONS TO A CALL TAKER ONLY ASSIGNMENT. 
          IT'LL PAY A LOT LESS BECAUSE IT'LL HAVE A LOT LESS RESPONSIBILITY,
BUT IT'LL BE FASTER TO TRAIN AND PROBABLY AN EASIER STARTING POSITION FOR SOME APPLICANTS, PARTICULARLY YOUNGER APPLICANTS. SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS MAYBE SOME OF THOSE
APPLICANTS THAT ARE FAILING THE BOARD BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT READY TO MAYBE BE A DISPATCHER. MAYBE WE COULD GET THEM IN A CALL TAKER ONLY POSITION. 
          THEY COULD START THERE. AGAIN, A REDUCED RATE,
BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO MOVE THEM OVER TO THE RADIO CONSOLES UNTIL WE CAN DETERMINE THAT THEY HAVE THE MATURITY TO TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT. 
          AND SO RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE BEING REJECTED BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT READY TO BE A DISPATCHER. 
          THIS IS KIND OF A FALLBACK FOR US. AND CHIEF,
TO GO BACK ONE ON THE SAME IDEA OF NOT MAKING IT THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          [04:45:07]
CAN YOU GIVE SOME NUMBERS ABOUT HOW YOUR APPLICANTS AND HIREES ARE DOING ONCE THEY GET
INTO THE ACADEMY AND THE FTO STAGES? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF IF WE'RE HIRING QUALITY PEOPLE? WE HEARD THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE PASSING THE EXAM AT A PERCENTAGE. 
          ARE YOU SEEING ANY CHANGES IN HOW MANY OF THESE FOLKS ARE MAKING IT THROUGH OUR PROCESSES? I WOULD HAVE TO PULL UP LIKE I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA. 
          I WOULD SAY PROBABLY WE ARE HIRING MORE PEOPLE. 
          WE'RE PROBABLY ALSO WE'RE WE'RE PROBABLY LOSING MORE IN THE ACADEMY AND FIELD TRAINING
THAN WE LOST. 
          BUT I THINK WE'RE GIVING MORE PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY OR MORE PEOPLE A CHANCE,
TAKING A CHANCE ON PEOPLE MORE THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEFORE. 
          SOMETIMES IT PAYS OFF AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. 
          BUT I WOULD HAVE TO DO A DEEPER DIVE AND I COULD GET YOU THAT EXACT NUMBER. 
          BUT IS IT A PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE SEEING A LOT OF FOLKS NOT MAKING IT THROUGH THOSE TWO
STAGES? I THINK VERSUS ANECDOTAL, IS IT 30%, 50%? IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THE EXACT NUMBER. 
          BUT YEAH, I, I THINK WE SHOULD SEE ATTRITION AT EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS,
RIGHT? IT'S AND IF WE'RE NOT, THEN WE'RE PROBABLY MAKING THINGS TOO HARD ON ONE SIDE AND WE'RE
WEEDING EVERYBODY OUT. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT WE DID PREVIOUSLY. 
          PREVIOUSLY, YES. SO I DO EXPECT TO SEE ATTRITION ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          I DON'T RIGHT NOW, I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE HAVE AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT AT ANY ONE STAGE. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE,
RIGHT? SOME PEOPLE CAN'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE POLICE ACADEMY. 
          JUST THE ACADEMIC ASPECT OF IT IS TOO MUCH FOR THEM. 
          SOME MAY GET INTO FIELD TRAINING AND THEN THEY CAN'T DO IT THERE. 
          THE TRANSITION TO WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE IS JUST DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE IN ON
TV OR IN THE ACADEMY. 
          AND SO I EXPECT TO SEE ATTRITION THROUGHOUT THE HIRING PROCESS. 
          RIGHT. MR.. MR.. YEAH. CHIEF, A QUESTION FOR YOU AND CLIFF,
I KNOW THAT WE I WAS LOOKING AT SLIDE 16 ABOUT THE CALL TAKER. 
          ARE WE. ONE ARE WE STILL INVOLVED WITH THE ILA WITH SUNNYVALE? YES. I KNOW IT'S AN ANNUAL THING THAT WE RENEW. 
          I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING. YES, SIR. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT,
BUT LAST CONVERSATION I HAD WITH HER PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER THAT WAS LOOKING LIKE THEY WERE WITHIN FIVE YEARS OF OPENING THEIR OWN DISPATCH CENTER AND,
AND POSSIBLY A JAIL, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS NOW. 
          THINGS HAVE CHANGED. THEY'VE GOT A NEW CITY MANAGER,
A NEW DIRECTION. 
          OKAY. BUT WE'RE STILL SERVICING THEM AND STILL RECEIVING. 
          YES, YES. SEVEN OF THOSE VACANCIES WERE VACANCIES ADDED WITH THE SUNNYVALE,
ILA. 
          OKAY. BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR CALL VOLUME OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          IT'S VERY NEGLIGIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO IT. OKAY. 
          MR. HUBACEK. SORRY, CHIEF. YOU PROBABLY GET THE MAJORITY OF THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE YOU'RE
THE MAJORITY OF THE BUDGET. 
          YOUR DEPARTMENT'S THE BIGGEST. SO HAVE WE LESSENED OUR HIRING REQUIREMENTS FOR POLICE
OFFICERS? SO WE HAVE REDUCED EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. SLIGHTLY. 
          BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT. WOULD YOU SAY THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS TO BE TRUE,
THAT WE HAVE THE BEST POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE NATION AND WE HAVE THE BEST EMPLOYEES, POLICE OFFICERS IN THE NATION, WOULD YOU. 
          I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT. I THINK WHAT WE THE STRENGTH THAT WE HAVE AT THE MESQUITE POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS WE HAVE A GREAT CULTURE. 
          WE HAVE A GREAT CITY. I, I LOVE LIVING HERE. AND I WAS JUST TELLING THE PEOPLE AT THE
TEST, YOU KNOW, I GO TO KROGER MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK BECAUSE IT'S VERY CONVENIENT FROM WHERE MY
OFFICE IS, AND IT'S ON MY WAY HOME. AND I CAN'T GO THROUGH KROGER WITHOUT SOMEBODY STOPPING AND
THANKING ME FOR MY SERVICE BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS STRESSED, JUST LIKE I AM NOW WHEN I'M OVER THERE, I CAN'T GO ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF MESQUITE
WITHOUT BEING RECOGNIZED AND WITHOUT PEOPLE THANKING ME FOR WHAT MY OFFICERS DO. 
          SO I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT CITY AND WE HAVE A GREAT CULTURE WITHIN THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND SO AND YES, THAT COMES WITH GREAT EMPLOYEES. 
          SO YOU WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND HIRING SOMEBODY THAT YOU FELT THAT COULDN'T PROVIDE 100%
SUPERIOR SERVICE IN THEIR POSITION. 
          NO, I AND EVERYBODY THAT I'VE, I HAVE HIRED HAS HEARD THIS. 
          I WOULD RATHER HAVE AN EMPTY POLICE CAR THAN EVER PUT SOMEBODY IN THE POLICE CAR THAT'S
GOING TO DISHONOR THIS BADGE. AND I'M GUESSING MOST OF YOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY. THEY WOULD WANT SOMEBODY THAT WAS THERE THAT WAS EQUALLY,
EQUALLY TRAINED AND READY TO GO. 
          YES, SIR. AND WE HAVE. AND YOU MADE A COMMENT ABOUT GOING TO KROGER'S AND AND CITIZENS
TELL YOU THANKS FOR THE WORK YOU DO. 
          I TELL YOU ALL THE TIME. AND YOUR OFFICERS AS WELL. 
          I WOULD SAY WE HAVE A PRETTY PRO FRIENDLY CITY. 
          YES. COMPARED TO SOME OTHER CITIES THAT MAY NOT BE SO FRIENDLY TO FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE CITIZENS OF MESQUITE,
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE AN OUTSTANDING POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          [04:50:05]
FIRE DEPARTMENT, Y'ALL DO GREAT WORK. I KNOW Y'ALL HIRE GREAT EMPLOYEES. SO THANK YOU,
THANK YOU. 
          DEPLOYMENT UNIT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT RECENTLY AND THAT WE
TURNED INTO A FULL TIME UNIT LAST YEAR. 
          AND I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH ALL THE STATISTICS THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN. 
          BUT 106 FELONY ARRESTS AND 105 MISDEMEANOR ARRESTS,
16 STOLEN VEHICLES, RECOVERED, 16 FIREARMS. THESE ARE OFFICERS THAT ARE DEPLOYED TO HOT SPOTS AROUND THE CITY,
AND YOU'LL AUTHORIZED THE MAKE UP OF THIS UNIT. 
          THEY'RE MANAGED BY THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIT AND WORK WITH OUR CRIME ANALYSTS AND
INTELLIGENCE TO TO BE WHERE WE NEED THEM TO BE, TO ADD ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN PLACES WHERE THERE ARE PROBLEMS. CREEK CROSSING HAS BEEN ONE OF THOSE LOCATIONS RECENTLY. 
          WE'VE HAD SOME SOME ISSUES WITH A FEW ADDRESSES OR CRIME ANALYSIS UNIT IDENTIFIED A
HANDFUL OF PROBLEM HOUSES THAT ARE AFFECTING NEIGHBORHOODS. AND THEN WE TURN THE DEPLOYMENT OFFICERS LOOSE. 
          THEY CONDUCTED ABOUT 30 DEPLOYMENTS SO FAR. THE FIRST,
WELL, LAST FIVE MONTHS OR SO TARGETING THESE SPECIFIC ADDRESSES. 
          ONE OF THEM IS NOW AFTER THE WORK OF THE INTELLIGENCE UNIT,
MARIA'S PEOPLE, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WORKING TOGETHER, GOING TO BE EVICTED EFFECTIVE AUGUST 10TH. PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THE NOT GETTING A BUNCH OF
CALLS FROM THAT LOCKWOOD AREA ANYMORE. 
          AND THEN ANOTHER PROBLEM. PROBLEM RESIDENTS WHERE THE RESIDENTS THEMSELVES REALLY WEREN'T
THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY WERE LETTING ADULT GRANDCHILDREN. AND WHEN I SAY ADULT,
I REALLY MEAN LIKE ADULT, LIKE THEY'RE OVER 18, BUT THEY'RE NOT REAL ADULTS YET. 
          THEY WERE CAUSING PROBLEMS AT THEIR GRANDPARENTS HOUSE,
AND THEIR GRANDPARENTS HAVE DECIDED TO EVICT THEM AND MOVE THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE SO THAT THEY ARE NOT CAUSING PROBLEMS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          AND THEN ONE OTHER HOUSE WE ARE STILL WORKING ON. 
          SO THOSE, THOSE DEPLOYMENT GUYS WILL STILL BE WORKING OUT THERE,
CONTINUING TO, TO SOLVE PROBLEMS OUT THERE. 
          LAST YEAR, YOU AUTHORIZED THE PURCHASE OF LENCO BEARCAT. 
          WE WE GOT OUR PRIOR 1 IN 2011. SO IT'S, IT'S JUST REALLY KIND OF NEEDING SOME,
SOMETHING NEWER AND MORE EFFECTIVE. AND SO WE HAVE STARTED THAT PROCESS. 
          IT IS A LONG PROCESS TO GET IT BUILT. THE WHEN YOU ORDER IT,
THEY START BUILDING IT. 
          THEY KIND OF PUT YOUR ORDER. THEY'VE GOT ABOUT A SIX MONTH WAIT BEFORE THEY START. 
          AND THAT IS JUST, IT'S A NEAT PROCESS THE WAY THEY BUILD THEM,
BUT THEY BUILD THEM ONE AT A TIME TO SPEC. 
          AND SO IT RIDES IN THEY BUY THE, THE CHASSIS,
TAKE IT ALL APART AND THE PERSON DRIVES IT INTO THE WAREHOUSE ON A BUCKET. 
          SO IT'S JUST A STEERING WHEEL AND THE DASH IS ALL REMOVED,
EVERYTHING IS REMOVED. 
          AND THEN THEY BUILD IT FROM THE GROUND UP. IT JUST TRAVELS THROUGHOUT THE WAREHOUSE BEING
BUILT. 
          AND SO IT SHOULD BE BUILT AROUND DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR WHEN WE'RE EXPECTING IT TO BE READY
SOMETIME TOWARDS THE END OF THIS, THIS CALENDAR YEAR. CHALLENGES, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION CONTINUE TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR
US. 
          RETAIL THEFT. AGAIN, THAT DRIVES OUR, OUR CRIME RATE TECHNOLOGY WITH THE,
THE ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO DO AND JUST OUR ABILITY TO KEEP PACE WITH THE CHANGING TECHNOLOGY AND A
LOT OF CASES THAT MAKES OUR JOB EASIER, BUT IT'S EXPENSIVE. IT'S ONE OF THE COUNCIL OBJECTIVES,
OBVIOUSLY, BUT IT'S STILL IT'S GOING TO BE AS BUDGET BECOMES TIGHTER, HARDER AND HARDER. AND IN PUBLIC PERCEPTION,
AGAIN, I SEE THAT AS A POTENTIAL CHALLENGE. 
          I DON'T SEE IT AS A CHALLENGE DIRECTLY HERE IN THE CITY OF MESQUITE. 
          I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT COMMUNITY THAT IS VERY PRO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE NATIONAL NARRATIVE,
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF POLICE IS NOT GREAT. 
          AND AS WE HAVE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE MOVING HERE,
THEY'RE GOING TO BE BRINGING KIND OF THAT OUTSIDE INFLUENCE IN. 
          OKAY, BEFORE YOU MOVE ALONG, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU ON ONE THING YOU SAID. 
          OKAY. YES, SIR. ON THE RETENTION PART, WE HAVE THE DOCUMENTS HERE THAT SHOW,
I THINK, FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO, THAT OUR RETENTION RATE IS ONLY AROUND 5%. AND A LOT OF THOSE ARE RETIREES. 
          SO HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU'RE HAVING A RETENTION PROBLEM WITH THE NUMBERS? JUST DON'T SHOW THAT. YEAH. SO I'M NOT I'M NOT SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT POLICE. 
          I'M TALKING ABOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN GENERAL,
LIKE OUR PROPERTY ROOM. WE'RE TOO SHORT IN THE PROPERTY ROOM. 
          WE'RE 15 SHORT IN DISPATCH LIKE SO OVERALL, WE NEED TO RETAIN THE EMPLOYEES WE HAVE AND WE
NEED TO HIRE AND, 
          [04:55:07]
AND TRAIN, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD, NOT JUST THE THE POLICE OFFICERS. 
          SO TO CLARIFY THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO NON SWORN POLICE. 
          IT'S WHERE YOU'RE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH RETENTION. THAT IS A MUCH GREATER PROBLEM OF
RETENTION. 
          YES SIR. I JUST WANTED TO CLEAR THAT UP. THANK YOU. 
          THIS IS THE BUDGET KIND OF BROKEN DOWN AND OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT GOING TO READ ALL THREE OF
THOSE. 
          I'LL JUST SKIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CHART AND WE CAN KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT. 
          THE FIVE 58.8 MILLION 2458.4 FOR AMENDED PROPOSED NEXT YEAR IS 59.7. 
          AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE THE CREDITS PRIMARILY THAT IS THE THE CREDITS FROM THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT FOR THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS. 
          THERE'S SOME OTHER CREDITS THAT ARE IN THERE,
BUT THAT IS PRIMARILY IT. 
          AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE NUMBERS ON THAT CHART. 
          BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE BORING AND READ ALL OF THEM. 
          SO I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. BUT IT IS. I THINK I TALKED TO CLIFF ABOUT THIS WHEN IT COMES
TO THE SCHOOL RESOURCE MATTER, AND I KNOW WHATEVER OUR MOU IS WITH MISD, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A 5050 SPLIT. 
          YES, SIR. AND DO WE ACTUALLY KNOW? AND I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT,
CLIFF. 
          LIKE WHAT ACTUALLY WORK IS COVERING MISD COMPARED TO THE CITY FROM A PERCENTAGE
STANDPOINT. 
          SO WE SPLIT THE COST 5050. WE'RE DOING SOME ANALYSIS THAT SHOWS THAT JUST DUE TO THE
NATURE OF THE WORK AND THE SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR AND ALL OF THAT,
THAT IT SEEMS TO BE AT A HIGHER PERCENTAGE. 
          I DON'T WANT TO QUOTE PUBLICLY, BUT IT'S IT'S ABOVE 70% THAT GOES TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          AND THIS IS A CONVERSATION I'VE HAD WITH DOCTOR RIVERA THAT WE'RE,
WE'RE DOING SOME ANALYSIS WE REALLY NEED, HE WOULD PREFER THAT WE COME WITH A, A FACTUAL NUMBER. 
          THAT WOULD ALSO INCLUDE SOME MAYBE STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN HOW THE SRO PROGRAM IS OPERATED
WHEN IT COMES TO OVERTIME THE COMMITMENT OF OFFICERS TO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND THE SCHOOL CALENDAR AND THAT SORT OF THING. 
          SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER OF A PROBLEM. AND WE WANT TO TAKE OUR TIME AND GET IT RIGHT. 
          I ALSO DON'T WANT TO POP THE CLUTCH ON AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S JUST COMING OFF OF A PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT BUDGET IMPACT LAST YEAR. 
          I THINK WE CAN GROW INTO IT AND HAVE A HAVE A CHANGE OVER TIME,
BUT I THINK DEFINITELY BOTH OF US, SCHOOL AND CITY, AGREE THAT THAT THE AMOUNT OF REIMBURSEMENT NEEDS TO CHANGE. 
          AND THE REASON WHY I BRING THAT UP, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT MISD HAVING THEIR OWN POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND WHAT THAT WOULD MORPH INTO IT LOOK LIKE TO, BUT I, I JUST WANT TO POSE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER LONG RANGE PLANNING WHAT THAT LOOKS
LIKE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. AND I'LL DEFER TO THE CHIEF. I THINK HE'S GOT A GOOD ANSWER ON WHY WE WANT
MESQUITE POLICE OFFICERS IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS. 
          YEAH, I THINK WHAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO WELL IS EDUCATE CHILDREN. 
          AND WHAT THEY DO NOT DO WELL IS RUN POLICE DEPARTMENTS. AND I THINK,
YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT ACTIVE SHOOTER EVENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED ACROSS THE COUNTRY OR, YOU KNOW, RIGHT HERE IN THE STATE WHEN IT HAS BEEN HANDLED BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICE
DEPARTMENT, IT HAS BEEN A TRAIN WRECK. AND WHEN IT HAS BEEN HANDLED BY A MUNICIPAL AGENCY. 
          IT HAS BEEN FAR MORE EFFECTIVE AND FAR LESS LOSS OF LIFE. 
          AND SO I THINK A LOT OF THAT IS THEIR, THEIR FOCUS,
RIGHT? THEIR FOCUS IS ON TEACHING KIDS, NOT TRAINING COPS AND NOT MANAGING COPS AND NOT
UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS, WHAT EQUIPMENT NEEDS COPS HAVE. AND SO THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICTS MAKE POLICE DEPARTMENTS AN
AFTERTHOUGHT. 
          AND THAT IS OUR PRIMARY THOUGHT HERE. AND SO I THINK WE JUST HIRE BETTER QUALITY PEOPLE
AND WE TRAIN THEM FAR BETTER THAN ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE CERTAINLY TRAINS PEOPLE. 
          YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT MESQUITE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OUR SRO PROGRAM,
SOME OF OUR ACTIVE SHOOTER INSTRUCTORS ARE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS. 
          SO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TRAINING OTHER OFFICERS ON HOW TO DO IT ARE ULTIMATELY TAKING
POSITIONS WHERE THEY'RE OPERATING IN THE SCHOOL. 
          AND THEY WOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON, THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IN A IN AN ACTIVE SHOOTER
TYPE SITUATION. 
          AND SO, I MEAN, MY KID DOESN'T GO TO M ISD SCHOOLS,
BUT I STILL VALUE THE, THE, THE FACULTY AND STAFF THAT I'VE WORKED WITH OVER THE YEARS WHILE MY KIDS WERE GOING TO SCHOOL AND A LOT OF MY KIDS FRIENDS STILL GO THERE. I PREFER
TO HAVE OUR OFFICERS IN THERE PROTECTING THOSE KIDS. 
          JUST TO AND JUST TO ADD TO THAT, I LIKE THE FACT THAT OUR SROS,
MESQUITE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SROS, THEY GET TO KNOW THOSE KIDS VERY WELL. ALL OF THEM. 
          AND THEY HAVE A LOT, A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE, RIGHT? AS WE YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE, THE DEPLOYMENT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DEPLOYMENTS
AND THE ISSUES WE WERE HAVING IN CREEK CROSSING, 
          [05:00:04]
A LOT OF THE INTELLIGENCE THAT WE GOT FOR THE DEPLOYMENT UNIT CAME FROM THE SCHOOL
RESOURCE OFFICERS WHO WORK WITH THOSE KIDS AND KNOW WHO THE PROBLEM KIDS ARE AND WHO THE PROBLEM KIDS HANG OUT WITH. AND THEREFORE IT WAS ABLE,
IT MADE IT A LOT EASIER FOR US WHEN WE'RE SEEING A PROBLEM IN A NEIGHBORHOOD TO IDENTIFY WHO THE BAD ACTORS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD ARE. YOU KNOW,
WE DON'T HAVE A WE DON'T HAVE A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD OUT IN CREEK CROSSING. 
          WE HAVE ONE BAD HOUSE ON THE THE STREET THAT IS MAKING EVERYBODY ON THE STREET MISERABLE. 
          AND WE JUST NEED TO TARGET THAT ONE HOUSE. WE WANT TO BE VERY SURGICAL WHEN WE'RE USING
THE DEPLOYMENT UNIT TO DEAL WITH THE BAD ACTORS, NOT OVERREACT OR CAUSE PROBLEMS TO, TO DECENT PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING THERE. 
          AND A LOT OF THAT INTELLIGENCE CAME FROM THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS. 
          MR. HUBERT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND FILLING OUR QUESTIONS. 
          CLIFF, THIS IS FOR YOU. THEN I'LL BE BACK TO THE CHIEF. 
          WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PERCENTAGE OF THE PROPERTY TAX IN MESQUITE GOES TO MISD? AND WHAT PERCENTAGE GOES TO THE CITY OF MESQUITE? YOU PRESENTED THAT AT THE TOWN HALL MEETING. DO YOU REMEMBER OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD WHAT
PERCENTAGE THAT IS? 30% IS THE CITY. 
          I THINK 40% WAS A SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THEN THE REST WAS COUNTY. 
          SO I KNOW THEY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS COMING OFF A BAD YEAR,
BUT DIDN'T THE CITY OF MESQUITE ALSO HAVE A BAD YEAR LAST YEAR WITH THE CUTS OR PROPERTY TAXES BEING LOWER? NO, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT WE HAD. 
          LET ME REPHRASE IT. LET ME REPHRASE THE QUESTION. 
          WERE WE. DID WE LOSE PROPERTY VALUES THAT THEY GO DOWN LAST YEAR,
WHICH DECREASED HOW MUCH REVENUE WE TOOK IN FROM PROPERTY TAXES? I CAN'T SAY THAT, BUT I THINK WHERE YOU'RE GOING IS WE DID NOT. 
          WE WERE IT'S A TIGHT BUDGET AS IT IS ALWAYS. SO WE DID NOT HAVE A LOT OF EXCESS BUDGET. 
          SO ALL I'M I DON'T MIND IF I LIKE THE THE POLICE,
MESQUITE POLICE OFFICERS BEING IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DO WANT THEM TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE PERCENTAGE OF USAGE OF THOSE
OFFICERS AND EQUIPMENT. 
          SO I APPRECIATE YOU LOOKING INTO THAT FOR US. 
          AND CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. AND THANK YOU TO YOUR STAFF FOR ALL THEY DO FOR
MAKING US HAVE A GREAT CITY. 
          SO THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO KIND OF CONCLUDE WITH OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS. 
          THESE ARE OUR CLASS ONE OR OUR PART ONE CRIMES AND THEY CONTINUE TO DROP. 
          AND AGAIN, I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT SOMEWHERE AROUND FEBRUARY OR MARCH,
I'LL BE IN FOR IN FRONT OF YOU ALL WITH SHOWING THAT LINE CONTINUING TO GO DOWN AND, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL HAVE? I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. 
          COUNCIL, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE CHIEF AND HIS PRESENTATION,
MR. CASPER? JUST ON THAT LAST CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING,
PARTICULARLY ON THE SRO PROGRAM DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW THE SRO PROGRAM MIGHT BE TINKERED WITH TO GET MORE USE FOR MESQUITE RESIDENTS TO SEE A BIGGER IMPACT,
MORE INTELLIGENCE GATHERED, MORE ACTIONABLE ITEMS, MORE POINTS OF CONTACT WITH KIDS. 
          JUST MY ANECDOTAL INFORMATION AS AN ADMINISTRATOR IS,
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF HIGH FIVES. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF I KNOW EVERY NAME, BUT I GUESS I DON'T SEE THE BACKSIDE OF IT WITH WHAT
INFORMATION ARE WE CAPTURING? AND THEN GIVEN THE KID TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE DEPLOYMENT UNIT GO TO A PROBLEM HOUSE,
HOW DO THOSE PIECES FIT TOGETHER AND IS IT AS TAILORED IN AS IT CAN BE? I WOULD LOSE IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS RUNNING THEIR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          YOU GET WHAT I'M SAYING? YES. SO THE COMMUNICATION IS TWO WAY. 
          SO A THE SRO GATHERS INTELLIGENCE AND PASSES IT ON TO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS PRIMARILY. 
          OR OUR INTELLIGENCE UNIT WHO PASSES IT OUT. THAT IS THEIR NUMBERS OF REPORTS. 
          IS IT A FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS? LIKE WHAT DATA POINT CAN YOU POINT TO TO SAY OUR SRO
PROGRAM IS SUCCESSFUL, WE SHOULD NOW OUTSOURCE IT. I WOULD HAVE TO DO RESEARCH ON ON EXACTLY HOW MANY TIMES THEY
COMMUNICATE. 
          I DO KNOW, LIKE OUR DETECTIVES ARE VERY QUICK TO,
TO, TO REACH OUT TO SROS WHEN WE HAVE A CRIME OR WE HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS LIKE THEY'LL BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE SRO PROGRAM. 
          YOU KNOW, IF WE GET A PICTURE OF A KID THAT HAS COMMITTED A CRIME OR SOMEBODY WHO LOOKS
YOUNG AND THAT WILL BE SENT OUT TO THE TO THE GUYS, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE OUT THERE COMMITTING A CRIME,
THEY WERE PROBABLY COMMITTING OTHER ISSUES WITHIN THE SCHOOL. 
          COULD THAT STILL FUNCTION IF THE ISD HAD THEIR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE WORKED WITH THE,
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THE ENTIRE TIME THAT I HAVE WORKED HERE. 
          [05:05:01]
AND I SUSPECT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK HERE,
WORK TOGETHER. 
          AND IT'S JUST GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH DALLAS COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT ON THEIR CAMPUS. 
          RIGHT? BUT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HOW OUR ORGANIZATION CAN QUANTIFY THAT. 
          THE SRO PROGRAM IS USEFUL, AND THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN IT AS BEING AN OPERATOR OF IT. 
          AND IF THERE'S NOT THAT INFORMATION. OKAY. BUT I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS
LIKE. 
          I DON'T I THINK IF WE DON'T HAVE IT, I THINK THEN THAT'S PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT
I'VE HAD WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT IS TO DEVELOP A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT THOSE NUMBERS, WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONVERSATIONS,
AT LEAST BETWEEN THE SROS AND THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION AND THE INVOLVEMENT IN DIFFERENT ISSUES IN THE SCHOOL. AND THEN I THINK, YOU KNOW,
WE CAN ALWAYS EXTRAPOLATE ON THAT IS HOW OFTEN ARE INVESTIGATORS. 
          WE CAN MAYBE QUANTIFY THOSE AS WELL AS FOR THE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING. 
          AND IT JUST REALLY DEPENDS ON IF SOMETHING'S HAPPENING IN THAT AREA. 
          IT'S NOT HAPPENING DAILY. BUT I THINK WE CAN TRY TO COME UP WITH A NUMBER TO SAY,
HEY, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF CRIMES THAT WERE INVOLVED, AN SRO. AND JUST TO PLAY IT, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TOO LONG ON THIS. 
          I KNOW WE'RE OVERDUE, BUT IF THERE WAS A MESQUITE ISD PD,
THAT'S A LONG ACRONYM. 
          BUT IF THERE WAS AND A NARCOTIC ARREST OR AN ARREST WAS MADE ON A CAMPUS,
WHAT WOULD BE THE LOGISTICAL AFTERMATH? WHEN WOULD MESQUITE PD GET INVOLVED? WOULD WE TRANSFER? WOULD THEY TAKE THEM TO OUR JAIL? SO IF THEY FORMED THEIR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT,
THEY WOULD HAVE TO CONTRACT WITH WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO WITH THEIR PRISONERS IF THEY MADE ARRESTS. THAT'S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT COMPLICATION. 
          AND THOSE TWO ENTITIES ARE BOTH ANSWERING TO THE MESQUITE TAXPAYER. 
          YES. AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A REDUNDANCY OR AT LEAST AN INEFFICIENCY THAT'D BE
INTERESTED IN QUANTIFYING AS YOU ALL ARE HAVING YOUR CONVERSATIONS, IT IS NOT A NET BENEFIT TO THE TAXPAYER THAT WE ALL SERVE. 
          IF IT IS, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. THAT'S WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A CONTRACT FOR
THE JAIL. 
          SO THEY WOULD BE BASICALLY REIMBURSING US IF WE WERE THE CONTRACT T. 
          THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THEIR OWN TRAINING COSTS AND ALL OF THAT. 
          WE'RE HERE, WE SHARE IT, AND WE ALL BENEFIT FROM THOSE SAME OFFICERS HAVING THAT SAME
TRAINING. 
          WHEN YOU'RE SAYING THEY. I JUST WANT TO. I'M SORRY. 
          MR.. NO, I'M WITH YOU. I JUST WANT TO TAKE IT ONE MORE LEVEL UP. 
          IT'D BE THE MESQUITE TAXPAYER THAT IS CONTRACTING WITH THE MESQUITE TAXPAYER TO PAY FOR A
REDUNDANCY. 
          I GUESS THAT'S THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE HERE. YES,
THAT'S A GOOD COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENT, MR. SMITH. WE CONTRACT WITH SUNNYVALE RIGHT NOW. THE JAIL,
CORRECT? YES, SIR. WE CONTRACT WITH THEM AS MUCH AS THEY USE THE JAIL. 
          CONCEIVABLY, WE COULD CONTRACT CONTRACT WITH ANY OTHER ENTITY. 
          CORRECT? CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. NOW, OF THE STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE IN MISD. 
          WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE ONES THAT CAUSE TROUBLE BREAKING THE LAW COME FROM
HIGH SCHOOL AND NOT SO MUCH JUNIOR HIGH? I WOULD SAY MOST OF THEM ARE HIGH SCHOOL. YES. 
          SO IF THE DECISION WAS EVER WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION LATER,
THEN CONCEIVABLY WE COULD REMOVE THE SROS FROM THE JUNIOR HIGHS SCHOOLS, WHILE WE MIGHT LEAVE THE SROS IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS. 
          CORRECT. WE COULD DO THAT, YES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR THE CHIEF? AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE ON CREEK CROSSING. 
          AND I WAS JUST NODDING MY HEAD. YEAH. AND YOU WERE NODDING YOUR HEAD. 
          YEAH. BECAUSE I LIVE OUT THERE, YOU KNOW. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UPDATE. AND GRANDPARENTS IN EVICTING THEIR GRANDKIDS. 
          ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. BUT THERE'S SOME SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES THERE THAT ARE CAUSING A LOT
OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          AND SO, YEAH, THEY WERE TRYING TO HELP THEIR GRANDKIDS,
BUT THEIR GRANDKIDS WERE RUNNING ALL OVER THEM AND WERE FEELING A LITTLE SLIGHT DECLINE WITH NEWCOMERS COMING IN AS FAR AS SUPPORT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          NO, I'M JUST SAYING THAT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO BE. 
          THAT IS A POTENTIAL FUTURE. LIKE WE. OKAY. EVERYBODY ELSE DOESN'T HAVE IT AS GOOD AS WE
DO. 
          AND AS WE'RE GETTING MORE AND MORE HOUSES MOVING IN,
THEY'RE POTENTIALLY COMING FROM PLACES THAT DON'T SUPPORT LIKE WE DO. 
          BECAUSE LIKE WHAT YOU WERE DESCRIBING EARLIER,
GOING TO KROGER'S GOING SOMEWHERE AND THEY'RE COMING TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU. AND IT'S GREAT TO HEAR ABOUT THAT KIND OF SUPPORT IN OUR CITY. 
          AND SO THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. I BELIEVE THERE WAS I BELIEVE THERE WAS A DESIRE
TO HAVE A. 
          THAT IS CORRECT. ANOTHER DISCUSSION. SO BEFORE WE TAKE A BREAK,
THAT WOULD BE THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME. 
          [05:10:04]
LET'S DO IT. LET'S DO IT. AND MR. CASPER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KICK US OFF ON THAT? AND THEN WHOEVER WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW HIM AND WE'LL CONTINUE. 
          BUT NOW WE'RE GOING TO ENTER A DISCUSSION ABOUT PARITY MAYOR. AND IT MAY JUST BE MY MY
IMPRESSION, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR OUR STAFF TO GET MORE FEEDBACK FROM EACH COUNCIL
MEMBER IF THEY'RE WILLING ON THE PARITY CONVERSATION. IT, IT KIND OF, IN MY OPINION,
THIS IS JUST JEFF TALKING HERE. 
          IT DOMINATED THE INSIDER CIRCLE OF MESQUITE POLITICS OVER THE PAST 16 MONTHS. 
          YOU KNOW, I SAW IT QUITE A BIT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          I THINK WE HAD A TAX RATE ELECTION THAT FELT DOMINATED BY A PRETTY COMPLICATED POLICY OF
OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PAY AND PARITY AND NOT A WHOLE MUCH ABOUT WHETHER THE TAX RATE ELECTION
ITSELF ON ITS MERITS WOULD BE IN THE PUBLIC'S BEST INTEREST. 
          IT FELT LIKE A DISTRACTION. SO MY MY OPINION IS THAT WE SHOULD JUST KIND OF ADDRESS IT
HEAD ON, PUT IT TO REST, AT LEAST FOR SOME NUMBER OF YEARS WHILE THIS COUNCIL IS TOGETHER VERSUS,
YOU KNOW, FUTURE COUNCILS. AND JUST MY FEELING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WITH PARITY,
I'VE BEEN ON, I THINK BOTH SIDES. I THINK WHEN MAYOR PICKETT WAS HERE,
I SAT HERE ON A ON A SATURDAY SAYING, WHAT IS PARITY? WHY DO WE HAVE IT? I'M NOT SURE IT MAKES SENSE,
BUT I'LL SAY FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS THE INFORMATION I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME,
I THINK THAT WE COULD DO EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DO FOR POLICE IN TERMS OF RAISE ADDITIONAL STEP, LOOKING AT CORPORAL PAY WITHOUT PITTING POLICE VERSUS FIRE. 
          AND SO JUST FOR ME AT THIS TIME, I WOULD NOT BE INTERESTED IN CHANGING THE PARITY POLICY
BEYOND HAVING A CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SPECIAL PAY THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. 
          I THINK THAT WE COULD REWARD INDIVIDUAL, SPECIALIZED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE DOING CERTAIN
QUALIFIED WORK TO GET BEYOND THE BASE PAY. 
          BUT FOR ME, I'D LIKE TO KEEP IT FOR BASE PAY FOR THE TIME BEING. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. MR. SMITH. THANK YOU MAYOR. SO FOR YEARS WE HAVE SET UP THE DICE AND WE'VE LISTENED TO A VARIETY OF PEOPLE SPEAK ON PARITY AND WE LISTENED TO THEM,
BUT WE HAVE NO ABILITY TO RESPOND. SO TODAY, GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, I'M GOING TO SPEAK MY MIND A LITTLE BIT. 
          OKAY. AND I'M VERY GLAD THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ISSUE OF PARITY TODAY,
BECAUSE I THINK IT MAKES IT CLEAR FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WANT TO SPEAK ON IT. IT MAKES IT CLEAR WHERE WE STAND ON THE TOPIC OF PARITY AND CERTAINLY
CREATES TRANSPARENCY ON THE SUBJECT. SO HAVING SAID THAT,
I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE ON THE COUNCIL HAS A GREATER PERSPECTIVE OF THE DANGERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT THAN I DO. 
          I SERVED FOR 45 YEARS IN SIX MONTHS. I STILL BEAR THE MARKS AND THE SCARS OF THOSE WHO
RESISTED. 
          AND I STILL HAVE A TOOTH MISSING. THAT GOT KNOCKED. 
          BRUCE, YOU GOT ALL YOUR TEETH? YEAH, WELL, I STILL HAVE ONE VACANCY THERE THAT GOT KNOCKED
OUT IN ONE BRAWL. 
          I'VE HAD MANY. BUT NONETHELESS, WE'VE HAD OUR SHARE OF SCRAPES. 
          I STILL HAVE THE MEMORIES OF THE SMELL OF DECOMPOSING FLESH,
THE CRY OF VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. 
          SEEING THE PAIN AND SUFFERING OF THE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND EMBRACING CHILDREN
WHO WERE VICTIMS THEMSELVES IN MANY WAYS. 
          THEN DECEMBER 30TH COMES AROUND EVERY YEAR AND EVERY DECEMBER 30TH,
I REMEMBER OF A YOUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOY STANDING ON THE CORNER OF JIM MILLER AND LOOP 12, WHO WAS KILLED INSTANTLY BY A CAR THAT I WAS
CHASING IN A FELONY PURSUIT. 
          I GET TO REMEMBER THAT EVERY YEAR. I HAVE 45 YEARS OF MEMORY. 
          SOME ARE GOOD, BUT MOST ARE BAD. AND I'LL ONLY TELL YOU THIS TO VALIDATE WHAT I HAVE TO
SAY IN CONCLUSION ABOUT PARITY. ALL THAT I HAVE SEEN, HEARD, AND SMELLED IN 45 YEARS. 
          NOT ONE TIME EVER DID I FEEL MY JOB, EVEN THOUGH MORE DANGEROUS THAN FIREFIGHTERS AND
PARAMEDICS MORE LIKELY TO BE INJURED OR KILLED. NOT ONE TIME DID I EVER THINK I SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN THEM. 
          [05:15:07]
WE ARE. WE WERE A TEAM EQUAL AS ONE. AND AS I SEE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES,
OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, I SEE THEM AS ONE PARITY. 
          NO, I AM NOT FOR BREAKING PARITY. IT IS TIME FOR BOTH DEPARTMENTS TO PUT ALL THIS BEHIND
THEM, KNOWING THAT THIS CITY COUNCIL WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE BEST TRAINING AND
THE BEST EQUIPMENT MONEY CAN BUY. 
          WE WILL INCREASE SALARIES AS OUR BUDGET WILL ALLOW AND BE ASSURED WE BACK YOU ALL. 
          THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL I'VE GOT TO SAY. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SIR. ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT IN REGARDS TO PARITY? YES, SIR. YEAH. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SMITH. 
          YOU YOU SAID A LOT OF WISE WORDS THERE, ALTHOUGH I CAN'T RELATE NOT BEING IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT, BUT I BELIEVE THE CONSTITUENTS DESERVE THE BEST FROM BOTH DEPARTMENTS. 
          AND I THINK PARITY PROVIDES US THAT I THINK THAT BOTH DEPARTMENTS,
WHILE THEIR JOBS ARE DIFFERENT, THEY'RE BOTH CONSIDERED AND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO OUR CITY. 
          WHEN WE NEED SOMEBODY, WHETHER IT BE A FIRE,
A CRIME, WE NEED BOTH DEPARTMENTS EQUALLY THE SAME, WHETHER THAT BE A FIRE THAT MIGHT AFFECT A POLICE OFFICER'S HOME. 
          THEY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IF A FIRE OFF A FIREFIGHTER HAD AN ISSUE THEY NEEDED
POLICE, THEY WOULD CALL THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BOTH SERVE A MAJOR FUNCTION IN OUR CITY. 
          I WOULD NEVER WANT THE TWO DEPARTMENTS TO BE AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER OVER PAY PARITY IS THE
RIGHT WAY TO GO AT THIS TIME, AND I WILL NOT BREAK PARITY OR VOTE FOR THAT. 
          THANK YOU SIR. MISS RODRIGUEZ. ROSS. THANK YOU MAYOR. 
          SO, COUNCILMAN, I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR BOTH OF YOU,
BUT BOTH OF YOU HAVE EXPRESSED EARLIER IN THIS SESSION GIVING A A BREAK TO SENIORS, RIGHT? YOU WANT TO YOU WANT TO TAKE SOME OF OUR REVENUE TO GIVE A BREAK TO OUR
SENIORS. 
          THAT'S FINE. YOU CAN HAVE THAT POSITION, YOU CAN HAVE THAT OPINION AND YOU CAN ADVOCATE
FOR THOSE THINGS, BUT YOU'RE DOING A DISSERVICE TO YOUR RESIDENTS IF YOU'RE UNWILLING TO LOOK AT AN OUTDATED
POLICY THAT COULD HELP US, AGAIN, ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU GUYS WANT AND YOU'RE
UNWILLING TO LOOK AT PARITY AS A POLICY, I MEAN, YOU'RE YOU'RE REALLY DOING A DISSERVICE BECAUSE YOU'RE WANTING US TO CUT OUR
REVENUE, GIVE A TAX BREAK TO A SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHIC, BUT YOU'RE UNWILLING TO LOOK AT A POLICY THAT COULD,
IF WE WERE TO REEXAMINE IT, WHICH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'D HAVE TO AGREE. BUT IF WE DID REEXAMINE IT,
IT COULD HELP US ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE SHORTFALLS. 
          AND I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY ON ANY COUNCIL WOULD,
YOU KNOW, ADVOCATE THAT ONE GROUP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANOTHER. 
          I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, NOT APPROVE ANYTHING FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO, I MEAN, AGAIN, I JUST WANT YOU TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AND KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR YOUR
RESIDENTS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ADVOCATING FOR CUTS IN CERTAIN AREAS FOR ONE DEMOGRAPHIC,
BUT THEN YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO LOOK AT POLICIES, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT MAY HELP US GET THERE TO THAT GOAL. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE MY THOUGHTS ON PARITY AND MY THOUGHTS ON,
YOU KNOW, FUTURE PROPOSALS ON CUTS FOR CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHICS OR FUTURE PROPOSALS ON CUTS FOR THINGS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS,
BUT THEY NEED TO BE HAD. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE MY THOUGHTS. ANYONE ELSE? YEAH. 
          MR.. COUNCILMAN. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ASK, WHAT CUTS DO YOU THINK WOULD BE MADE IF WE DID
AWAY WITH PARITY? WE'VE LISTENED TO THE POLICE. WE LISTENED TO THE FIRE. 
          I DON'T SEE WHERE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS MISSING OUT ON ANY OPPORTUNITIES IN HIRING,
RECRUITING, OR RETAINING. I THINK THE OVERALL ORGANIZATION OF ANY DEPARTMENT IS THE TURNOVER. 
          IS IT POSITIVE ATTRITION OR IS IT NEGATIVE ATTRITION? AND IF I WAS TO OWN A COMPANY, THAT'S THE FIRST THING I LOOK AT IS WHAT'S DRIVING PEOPLE
AWAY OR DRIVING PEOPLE TO US. 
          I DON'T SEE A DISPARITY WITH THE POLICE AND FIRE WHEN IT COMES TO RECRUITING OR RETAINING
THOSE THOSE OFFICERS. 
          I THINK THE PAY SHOULD BE EQUAL STARTING IN DIFFERENT BASE PAYS. 
          AND I DON'T SEE THAT ME OFFERING A $24 A YEAR DISCOUNT TO OUR SENIORS HAS ANYTHING TO DO
WITH FIRST RESPONDERS IN ANY WAY HAVE TO DO WITH PARITY. 
          BUT THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. ANYONE ELSE? MR. GREEN? YEAH. I'LL SAY THIS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE DISCUSSION EARLIER ABOUT THE COMPARABLE
CITIES AND LOOKING AT IT. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR REVENUE AS A CITY COMPARED TO WHAT THESE OTHER CITIES TAKE IN,
THEY WERE COMPARING SALARIES TO, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT'S A I DON'T THINK IT'S A FAIR WAY TO LOOK AT IT. 
          [05:20:03]
I THINK, HONESTLY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO OPEN THE IDEA OF POTENTIALLY CHANGING THE PARITY
DISCUSSION, YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT HOW YOU QUANTIFY IT, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK CARRYING US AND THE
CITIES THAT HAVE A LOT MORE TAX REVENUE OR A LOT OF OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT, WE DON'T HAVE LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE ARLINGTON HAS SEVERAL MAJOR SPORTS FRANCHISES. 
          SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S MORE STRESS PUT ON THEIR FIRST RESPONDERS FOR THE VARIOUS BIG EVENTS
THAT GO ON. 
          SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT,
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY. 
          IT CAN'T COME DOWN TO JUST, HEY, WE HAVE A LIST OF CITIES AND THIS ONE'S MAKING MORE OR,
HEY, THIS IS, THIS AGENCY IS MAKING MORE THAN WE ARE. 
          SO WHY AREN'T WE? I THINK THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT. I THINK THERE'S BENEFIT FACTORS
THAT GO INTO IT. 
          THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW,
PAY FOR DIFFERENT THINGS FOR CERTIFICATIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT SOME OTHER CITIES DON'T DO. I THINK THERE'S ALSO SOME THINGS TO LOOK
AT AS FAR AS HOW MANY HOURS, LIKE WHAT KIND OF HOURS ARE, ARE THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WORKING THAT WE'RE COMPARING HOURS
TO, YOU KNOW, OR SOME OR SOME DEPARTMENTS WORKING TEN HOUR SHIFTS OR 12 HOURS OR MAYBE THEY'RE
WORKING MORE, WHO KNOWS? LIKE I THINK ALL THOSE FACTORS COME INTO PLAY. 
          SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO MORE THAN JUST SEVEN CITIES. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I KEEP HEARING FOR THE LAST SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL,
THAT'S ALWAYS A DISCUSSION. 
          IT'S ALWAYS THE SEVEN CITIES, THE SEVEN CITIES. 
          BUT THE REALITY IS I DON'T BELIEVE THOSE CITIES ARE A FAIR COMPARISON ANYMORE. 
          YOU KNOW, THE COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT PARITY BEING AN OUTDATED CONCEPT. 
          IF IT IS, WELL, THEN THE CITIES ARE DEFINITELY AN OUTDATED CONCEPT BECAUSE IT'S BEEN MORE
THAN 30 YEARS, AS MR. CHEN SAID, THAT THOSE CITIES WERE PUT INTO PLACE. 
          SO HOW CAN YOU BASE IF YOU DON'T CHANGE THAT AS WELL? HOW CAN YOU EVEN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION? SO IF SOMEONE WANTS TO BRING A LIST OF,
I GUESS, STATEWIDE PAY, AND LET'S COMPARE IT AND SEE WHERE WE STACK UP AND LET'S SEE WHERE WE FALL. 
          ARE WE IN THE TOP QUARTILE? BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT IN THE TOP QUARTILE,
THEN I DO THINK WE HAVE A PROBLEM IF WE'RE NOT IN THE TOP QUARTER OF THE STATEWIDE. 
          BUT I THINK WE DO NEED TO HAVE A BETTER LIST. 
          WE NEED TO HAVE BETTER DATA AND MORE INFORMATION. 
          I THINK HAVING ANY DISCUSSION WITHOUT HAVING ALL THE INFORMATION TO MAKE A,
YOU KNOW, A LOGICAL DECISION ISN'T FAIR JUST TO BASE IT ON THE FACT THAT WE'VE HAD SEVEN CITIES WE COMPARE IT TO FOR THE LAST 30 PLUS YEARS. 
          TO ME, THAT'S NOT A FAIR THING EITHER. SO, YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE JUST CHANGING SOMETHING THAT HAS WORKED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES. 
          AND THAT'S ALL IT'S GOING TO DO IS IRRITATE ONE DEPARTMENT OR THE OTHER,
AND IT'S GOING TO PIT POLICE VERSUS FIRE EVEN MORE SO THAN IT ALREADY HAS. I'M NOT FOR DOING ANYTHING THAT'S GOING TO IRRITATE OUR EMPLOYEES WITHOUT HAVING ALL THE DATA TO BACK
IT UP. 
          SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I STAND UNTIL SOMEONE CAN BRING ME ALL THE DATA AND POINT IT OUT
THAT WE WERE DOING A BAD JOB OF PAYING OUR PEOPLE. 
          I'M NOT FOR CHANGING IT EITHER. THANK YOU SIR. 
          ANYONE ELSE? WELL, I'LL SAY FOR MYSELF ALSO,
JUST LIKE MR. CASPER MENTIONED, I'VE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL NOW SINCE STAN PICKETT WAS THE MAYOR. 
          AND AND THAT'S TEN YEARS. AND WE TALK ABOUT GOING BACK 30 YEARS. 
          AND I HAVE I HAVE BEEN ALL ALONG FOR KEEPING PARITY,
KEEPING IT IN PLACE, SEEING BOTH THE DEPARTMENTS EQUALLY, BUT ALSO SEEING EVERY YEAR HOW WE STRUGGLE THROUGH A CONVERSATION GOING THROUGH THIS. 
          AND IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT WHEN IT'S BEING INCREASINGLY POLITICAL. 
          AND I, WE ALWAYS WANT TO KEEP THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AT THE TOP. 
          I KNOW WITH THE SEVEN CITIES, IT'S LIKE MR. CASPER HAD MENTIONED EARLIER,
AND I SAY THIS TOO, BUT HE TALKED ABOUT AT LEAST THERE'S THAT ASPIRATION OR THERE'S THAT POTENTIAL OF KEEPING
THE STANDARD HIGH BECAUSE IT'S LIKE THERE'S NO CAP. 
          THE SALARIES CONTINUE TO GO UP HIGHER AND HIGHER FOR ALL THE CITIES. 
          AND SO WHAT DO WE DO? WE WANT TO STRIVE TO AT LEAST KEEP THEM IN THE MIDDLE AS WE CAN. 
          SO THAT WORKS ON POTENTIALLY TRYING TO KEEP THE POLICE IN THE MIDDLE. 
          BUT THE FIRE IS INCREASINGLY AND ALWAYS CLOSER TO THE TOP,
AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR BOTH TO SEE EACH OTHER THAT WAY. 
          BUT THAT'S THAT'S WHY I KNOW I APPRECIATE YOUR ASKING FOR I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE THE
ACTUAL PAY IS WITH OVERTIME, WITH COMP PAY, WITH ALL THE HOURS, EVERYTHING THAT'S DONE TO SEE A TOTAL TAKE HOME PAY OF
WHAT THAT IS, AND THEN TO BE ABLE TO THINK, WELL, IS THAT FAIR? IS THAT FAIR? WHAT THEY'RE RECEIVING? NOT TO MENTION THE BENEFITS,
BECAUSE I'VE HEARD OF ONE OFFICER THAT THAT HE LEFT. 
          HE HE WASN'T GOING TO YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T WANT TO STAY ANYMORE,
BUT THEN HE CAME BACK. 
          THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES TO ME. HE DIDN'T HAVE TO STAY. 
          HE LEFT, BUT HE CAME BACK. AND SO WHEN I WHEN I WAS ON THE COUNCIL TEN YEARS AGO AGAIN,
I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. 
          IT WAS ABOUT TWO 2220 WAS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF OFFICERS. 
          AND WE WERE CONSTANTLY MORE THAN 20 DOWN 25,
23, 27. 
          AND, AND THEN SOMETHING CHANGED AND WE SAW THE INCREASE OF OFFICERS. 
          [05:25:03]
BUT WE ALSO SAW THE INCREASE OF RETENTION AND THE INCREASE OF FILLING IN THOSE POSITIONS
WHERE NOW WE SAW THE NUMBERS EARLIER AND BEING EXPLAINED TO US, WE'RE NOT DOWN AT THAT PLACE WHERE WE WERE BEFORE. 
          SO FACTORS THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO GET TOGETHER. 
          I, I KNOW THE MAIN THING FIRE CONTINUALLY, CONTINUALLY CLOSER TO THE TOP. 
          AND THEN THE POLICE TRYING TO STAY AT LEAST UP TO THE MIDDLE,
BUT WE'RE WORKING AS A COUNCIL, WANTING TO KEEP THEM IN THE MIDDLE. WE WANT TO KEEP THEM IN THE MIDDLE AND GET THEM THE
BEST PAY THAT WE CAN. 
          SO I FOR THAT REASON AND JUST WANTED TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT OR GET MORE INFORMATION, BUT I GET THE FRUSTRATION JUST TO PUT IT TO REST AND,
AND TO SAY, LET'S JUST SAY WHERE WE'RE AT AND LET'S JUST CONTINUE TO WORK, WORK WITH IT. BUT THAT'S WHERE I STAND AT THIS POINT. 
          I'M NOT, I'M NOT FOR BREAKING PARITY. I AM FOR SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO TO CONTINUE TO
INCREASE AND GET THE POLICE ALL THAT THEY CAN, THAT WE CAN HELP THEM TO GET. AND I SUPPORT THEM GREATLY. 
          I'M THANKFUL FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO. AND I KNOW OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTS THEM. 
          THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER COMMUNITIES. AND JUST LIKE THE CHIEF WAS MENTIONING,
HEY, THEY DON'T SEE THAT KIND OF SUPPORT FOR THEIR POLICE OFFICERS. 
          BUT WE'VE GOT IT HERE IN OUR CITY OF MESQUITE,
AND WE ARE GOING TO KEEP IT, WITH ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER TO CONTINUE TO PUSH TOWARDS THAT SUPPORT. IT'S A COMPLICATED, COMPLICATED ISSUE,
BUT I SEE YOU REACHING FOR YOUR BUTTON. 
          DO YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? ADDITIONALLY OR BUT BUT THAT'S MY POSITION AND THAT'S WHERE
I'M AT. 
          AND I SEE YOUR MICROPHONE GETTING READY TO GET POINTED TO YOU. 
          SO I'LL. MR. GREEN AND THEN I WAS GOING TO ADD REAL QUICK,
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAR TO YOU BECAUSE NO ONE SET IT UP HERE. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY WILL TOWARD EITHER FIRE OR POLICE ASSOCIATION. 
          I THINK THEY BOTH DO A GREAT JOB OF ADVOCATING FOR THEIR PEOPLE. 
          I ACTUALLY RESPECT THE FACT THAT THEY'VE BEEN AS DILIGENT AS THEY HAVE BEEN ON THE ISSUE,
BECAUSE HONESTLY, THAT'S THEIR JOB AS AN ASSOCIATION. THEIR JOB IS TO TRY TO GET THEIR THEIR MEMBERS AS MUCH
AS THEY CAN TO GET THEM, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THEY POSSIBLY CAN TO MAKE THEM THEIR ASSOCIATION MEMBERS LIVES BETTER,
SO NO ILL WILL TOWARDS THEM WHATSOEVER. 
          I ACTUALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SO VOCAL ABOUT IT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT TO THEM. 
          AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM. THEY'RE DOING THEIR JOB. SO I'M LIKE YOU,
MAYOR. 
          I'LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO FIGHT FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS,
TO GET AS MUCH AS WE POSSIBLY CAN AFFORD TO GIVE THEM. 
          NO MATTER WHAT WE PAY THEM, WE'LL NEVER PAY THEM ENOUGH FOR THE JOB THEY DO. SO THAT'S ALL
I GOT. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. MR. MAYOR. YEAH, MAN. I AGREE WITH BOTH YOU AND KENNY AS FAR AS THE AND
COUNCILWOMAN ROSS. 
          BUT HAVE WE US COLLECTIVELY, DO WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE GIVEN BOTH SIDES A FAIR CHANCE TO HEAR
THEM OUT OR FORCE THEIR HANDS TO COME UP WITH SOME TYPE OF HYBRID MODEL, MEANING,
YOU KNOW, TRYING TO APPEASE BOTH SIDES. 
          HAVE WE DO WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE REALLY DONE OUR JOB AND GIVEN BOTH SIDES THE OPPORTUNITY
WHILE STILL KEEPING THE WORD PARITY OR WHATEVER, OR THAT WHOLE MECHANISM? BUT DO WE FEEL LIKE WE. 
          AND THAT'S WHY I WANT US TO ASK OURSELVES, DO WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE GIVEN BOTH SIDES A FAIR
CHANCE? POLITICS ASIDE, AND WHO HAS MORE MONEY THAT'S GOING TO FUND CAMPAIGNS OR POLITICAL SUICIDE? DO WE REALLY FEEL LIKE WE'VE GIVEN BOTH SIDES? AND LIKE I SAID, I'M I'M WITH BOTH OF YOU GUYS. 
          IS IT IS IT A DATED POLICY? WHATEVER IT WAS GOING ON,
EARLY 90S. 
          ABSOLUTELY. AND THESE SEVEN CITY COMPARISONS,
I'M QUESTIONING THAT AS WELL. 
          BUT I DO FEEL LIKE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOME MORE CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO BE HAD,
YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS KEEPING IT, BUT ALSO THINKING ABOUT A HYBRID MODEL TO APPEASE BOTH SIDES AND
FORCING BOTH ASSOCIATIONS OR ENTITIES, SOME, SOME TYPE OF DISCUSSION IN THAT, IN THAT ARENA OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. 
          AND I APPRECIATE THAT. I JUST, I KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN MESQUITE AND I KNOW OUR SUBJECT
ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND WE ARE WHERE WE'RE AT AND ALSO HEARING ABOUT OUR MEDIAN PROPERTY VALUE HOMESTEAD AT
251,000. 
          AND IT'S CONTINUING TO INCREASE AND GREAT. AND THEN YOU ALSO KNOW ABOUT PLANO. 
          THAT'S EVEN MORE THAN PROBABLY ABOUT DOUBLE THAT,
YOU KNOW, AND AND THE OTHERS. 
          SO I KNOW, I KNOW ONE THING OUR CITIZENS RIGHT NOW ARE DOING. 
          AND AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THE BUDGET AS WELL,
TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO AT LEAST WORK ON KEEPING THEM TOWARDS THE MIDDLE IN DOING THAT. 
          I, AND I STILL WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION. 
          I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE FIGURES. THE AVERAGE FIGURE OF WHAT OUR AVERAGE OFFICER,
THE AVERAGE SALARY, INCLUDING OVERTIME, COMP PAY, EVERYTHING INCLUDED WITH THE THE THE BENEFITS,
OF COURSE. 
          OF COURSE WE KNOW THE BENEFITS, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE,
BUT IT IS. 
          I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT EVEN WHEN ONE LEAVES BECAUSE HE FEELS LIKE HE NEEDS TO GO,
BUT THEN WANTS TO COME BACK. 
          [05:30:06]
THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES TO ME. YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO BE FAIR TO ALL OF THEM,
THAT THAT'S FAIR. 
          AND WE WANT TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN DO FOR BOTH SIDES EQUALLY. 
          IT JUST SO HAPPENS SOME OTHER CITIES DON'T PAY THEIR FIREFIGHTERS AS MUCH AS AS THEY DO
THEIR POLICE OR THAT HERE WE ARE. YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEING THAT THAT RANKING CLIMB ON THAT SIDE. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS TO CONSIDER HERE. SO BUT YEAH,
TO, TO HEAR THEM OUT AND WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. 
          MR.. YEAH, I JUST WANT TO HONOR THE FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          TAKE ABOUT 56% OF OUR CITY'S BUDGET. IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT,
CLIFF ROUNDABOUT. 
          YES, SIR. THE BUDGETS FOR THE OPERATIONS ARE ABOUT ABOUT THAT PERCENT. 
          SO THAT LEAVES US 44% FOR THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES IN THE CITY OF MESQUITE. 
          THAT'D BE CORRECT TOO, RIGHT? MY MATH IS GOOD THERE. 
          AND SO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, GOT TO RESPOND. I'M ASSUMING THAT'S CORRECT. 
          I WANT TO SAY TO THE 44%, WE'RE FIGHTING JUST AS HARD FOR YOU AS WELL TO GET MORE MONEY,
AND YOU'RE NOT BEHIND THE FIRST RESPONDERS. YOU SERVE A FUNCTION TO OUR CITY THAT WE TRULY APPRECIATE. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THE CITIZEN SURVEY, IT'S ALWAYS STREETS,
FIRST RESPONDERS, PARKS. 
          WE HAVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO FUND. WITH 44% OF THE BUDGET LEFT OVER FROM THE
FIRST RESPONDERS. 
          SO WE HAVE TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WHAT WE PAY ALL THE DEPARTMENTS,
BUT WE WANT TO BE FAIR AS WE CAN TO EVERYONE. 
          AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WHETHER YOU WORK IN THE SOLID WASTE,
TO THE FIRE, TO THE POLICE. 
          WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE CAN GET YOU FOR A RAISE. WE'RE LIMITED BY OUR TAX
AND MONEY COMING IN, AND I'M CONFIDENT THE REST OF THE COUNCIL FEELS THE SAME WAY. 
          WE WANT TO GET YOU ALL THAT WE CAN, BUT WE DO HAVE TO RUN A BUSINESS. 
          THE GOVERNMENT IS A BUSINESS. WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH MONEY. WE'VE GOT TO SPEND IT IN THE
WAYS THAT WE THINK WILL BRING THE MOST REVENUE BACK TO THE CITY, OR PROTECT OUR CITY, OR MAKE OUR CITY MORE BEAUTIFUL,
THOSE AREAS. 
          BUT THANK YOU TO THE 44% FOR LISTENING TO US TALK ABOUT THE 56% OF YOUR BUDGET. 
          MR. GREEN. YEAH. KIND OF PUT A NICE BOW ON THIS DISCUSSION. 
          IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE ALL THE MAJORITY OF US ARE PRETTY MUCH COMFORTABLE WITH STICKING WITH
THE CURRENT PARITY POLICY, IF THAT'S THE CASE. AND I THINK OUR FOCUS IN MY DIRECTION TO THE CITY MANAGER WOULD BE,
IF THAT'S THE CASE, LET'S FIND A WAY AND GIVE US A SOLUTION, A STRATEGY TO GET TO GET OUR POLICE AND FIRE BOTH
EITHER AT OR ABOVE THE AVERAGE PAY LIKE FIND US A STRATEGY FOR HOW WE COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO GET THEM THERE AND TO MAINTAIN THAT,
BECAUSE THAT'S THE REALITY SITUATION IS THEY DO DESERVE TO BOTH BE PAID, YOU KNOW, COMPENSATED FAIRLY. SO I GUESS THAT WOULD BE THE NEXT TASK FOR US TO LOOK AT IS
HOW CAN WE GET BOTH POLICE AND FIRE MORE MONEY SO THAT BOTH DEPARTMENTS ARE EITHER AT OR ABOVE THE AVERAGE PAY. AND THAT'S KIND OF MY THOUGHT PROCESS AS FAR AS IT GOES. 
          SO I'M JUST GOING TO JUMP IN. I NEED MORE DIRECTION THAN THAT. 
          MR. GREEN, A STRATEGY IS BASICALLY ASSIGNING BUDGET DOLLARS. 
          YEAH. WHAT'S IT WHAT'S IT GOING TO COST. IS THERE A WAY TO PHASE IT IN? LIKE TO GET THEM THERE. LIKE GIVE US I GUESS,
KIND OF A PLAN FOR ITS 4.5% TO GET THEM DIRECTLY TO THE CURRENT AVERAGE. 
          AND IF YOU WANT TO TRY TO STAY ABOVE AND CAPTURE ITS 7%,
SO YOU NEED $7 MILLION IN YOUR BUDGET. 
          SO I AND COUNCIL, I'VE HEARD THE CONVERSATION AND I AND AGAIN,
THIS IS A POLITICAL AREA, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO THIS DISCUSSION, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL HAVING THIS AND AIRING IT
OUT. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO TODAY'S WORKSHOP,
WE NEED DIRECTION. 
          AND SO OUR BUDGET TRIES TO PAY EVERYONE AS MUCH AS WE CAN. 
          AND WE, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR STRATEGIES TO DO THAT. 
          BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE'S A FINITE NUMBER OF REVENUE DOLLARS THAT WE CAN PUT
TOWARDS PAY. 
          AND IF SO, IF THE STRATEGY IS YOU WANT TO. YOU TELL ME TO GET FIRE AND POLICE TO A CERTAIN
NUMBER. 
          THEN I WILL COME UP WITH A STRATEGY TO GET THERE,
WHICH WILL PROBABLY BE CUTTING OTHER PROGRAMS, WHICH I WILL COME BACK TO YOU ALL AND ASK YOU ALL TO DECIDE WHICH PROGRAMS WE CUT TO DO
THOSE THAT, THAT PAY. SO I DON'T MEAN TO INJECT MYSELF, BUT I'VE HEARD A LOT OF LET'S DO THINGS AND I
NEED SOLID DIRECTION. LET'S GET THEM CLOSER TO THE AVERAGE,
LIKE FIND A WAY TO HELP. 
          WHAT'S THE AVERAGE THERE? 1% POLICE IS 1% TO THE BELOW AND FIRES 1% ABOVE. 
          AND SO WHAT'S THE TARGET AT POLICE, AT THE BUDGET,
AT THE TARGET, AT THE AVERAGE, IF WE CAN AT LEAST GET AN AVERAGE, 
          [05:35:05]
I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE THEM A LOT HAPPIER. I'LL COME UP WITH A STRATEGY. 
          I JUST SEE HOW MUCH IT COSTS AND SHOW US WHAT THE BUDGET IMPLICATIONS ARE. MR.. 
          I'M GOING TO GO AGAINST THE GRAIN HERE. I THINK BOTH DEPARTMENTS ARE PLAY ARE PAID FAIRLY
BASED OFF THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE. 
          I MEAN, I IF WE GIVE A 3% INCREASE TO BOTH DEPARTMENTS THIS YEAR,
I THINK THAT'S MORE THAN FAIR FOR PAY. 
          I SEE OTHER PAY FOR OTHER JOBS THAT WERE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THAT MARK OF BEING AVERAGE FOR
OTHER CITIES EITHER. 
          I MEAN, I THINK BASED OFF THE INFORMATION, A 3% RAISE FOR BOTH DEPARTMENTS IS REASONABLE
AND FAIR, BASED OFF OUR BUDGET, BASED OFF WHATEVER STATS YOU WANT TO GO BY. 
          I THINK IT'S FAIR. I THINK THEY'RE GETTING PAID ADEQUATELY. 
          AND LIKE THE MAYOR HAD SAID EARLIER, THAT'S NOT INCLUDING OVERTIME. 
          THE OTHER THINGS THEY THEY MIGHT RECEIVE AS COMPENSATION. 
          SO THE TOTAL PACKAGE, JUST BECAUSE I START AT 84,000,
THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT'S WHAT I'M TAKING HOME AT THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          I WOULD I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS, SO I CAN'T EVEN SAY WHAT THEY PROBABLY WOULD MAKE ON AN
AVERAGE. 
          BUT I THINK THEIR PAY IS FAIR. THE 3% IS FAIR WITH ME. 
          ANYONE ELSE? YES, MR. CASPER, I AGREE WITH ANDREW. 
          AND I WOULD JUST ADD FROM FROM MY PERSPECTIVE,
IT IS MOST EFFECTIVE, WHETHER IT'S AN INTEREST GROUP, AN ASSOCIATION, ANY SORT OF SPECIALIZED LOBBYING THAT MIGHT HAPPEN,
THAT THEY IDENTIFY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. 
          AND THEN WE AS A COUNCIL AND STAFF CAN GO AND FIND THE SOLUTION. 
          I GUESS OVER THE LAST 16 MONTHS, MY SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION HAS BEEN WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE
UNDERPAID, REAL PROBLEM. AND LET ME TELL YOU THE EXACT SPOT FROM THE BUDGET THAT IT NEEDS TO COME
FROM. 
          AND THAT PART I WOULD SAY LEAVE TO THE COUNCIL AND TO THE STAFF. 
          IF YOU FEEL LIKE AN ORGANIZATION OR DEPARTMENT IS UNDERPAID,
THAT'S THE PROBLEM. 
          LET US COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS TO FIX THAT. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN THE NEXT 16 MONTHS IS JUST IDENTIFY. 
          WE FEEL LIKE OUR BASE PAY IS STARTING TOO LOW. 
          THEN THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN WORK ON. IT MAY NOT BE A ONE YEAR SWITCH THAT WE CAN FLIP FOR
OUR CITY MANAGER. 
          IT MAY BE INCREMENTAL PROGRESS THAT WE TAKE IN SMALL BITES. 
          BUT I AGREE. I THINK FOR THIS YEAR, THE BASELINE BUDGET THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING INITIAL
CONVERSATIONS WITH 3% TALKING ABOUT WHETHER A STEP PAY INCREASE CAN HAPPEN, WHETHER ADDITIONAL RATE CAN HAPPEN. AND SOME OF THIS IS ALSO CONTINGENT UPON MEET
AND CONFER AND HOW THOSE THINGS GO FORWARD. 
          BUT I JUST WANTED OUR ORGANIZATION TO HEAR THAT,
AT LEAST FROM THIS ITERATION OF THE COUNCIL, THERE IS NOT AT THIS MOMENT FOR VOTES TO TO CHANGE BASE PAY PARITY OR MIDPOINT PARITY. 
          AND I DON'T HEAR A CONSENSUS THAT THERE ARE FOUR VOTES FOR THAT. 
          SO WE CAN PUT IT TO REST FOR SOME NUMBER OF MONTHS. 
          WE CAN PUT IT TO REST UNTIL THERE'S NEW PEOPLE AT THIS TABLE. 
          MISS RODRIGUEZ ROSS. THANK YOU. MAYOR. I WAS JUST WANTING TO SAY I DO SUPPORT THE 3%. 
          I WOULD LIKE US TO LOOK AT THE FIVE YEAR STEP PLAN. 
          THAT SEEMS TO BE WHERE WE'RE THE, YOU KNOW, LACKING FURTHEST BEHIND. 
          I DO SUPPORT THE CHIEF'S ASS. I DO SUPPORT CHIEF HOPKINS ASS. 
          I DO SUPPORT MOST OF HIS ASS. I, CHIEF GIL YOU KNOW,
I HAVE A LOT OF HEARTBURN WITH THOSE DRONES. 
          SO I SUPPORT MOST OF YOUR ASS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ALL OF THEM. 
          BUT THAT'S WHERE I STAND NOW. ANYONE ELSE? AND I SEE THE FIGURES HERE AS WELL. 
          AND THE PROPOSAL FOR 3%. AND I'M GOOD WITH THAT AS WELL. 
          I KNOW YOUR QUESTION EARLIER, MR. MERTON. I HAD I MENTIONED ABOUT JUST GOING TO EACH
COUNCIL MEMBER AND FINDING OUT SPECIFICALLY FROM EACH ONE WHERE THEY'RE AT AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION
WITH THEM. 
          BUT I KNOW WE HAD THAT TO HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW,
OR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH COUNCIL MEMBER TO BE ABLE TO HEAR. 
          BUT ALSO, WE KNOW WE ALL WENT THROUGH QUITE A FEW COUNCIL MEETINGS WHERE WE HEARD PUBLICLY
DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT ONES. EVEN, YOU KNOW POLICE EMPLOYEES COMING UP AND AIRING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT
THE PARITY SUBJECT. 
          SO BOTH WAYS WE WERE ALL HEARING QUITE A BIT. 
          AND AND WE'RE STILL AT THIS CONCLUSION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          SO I, I'M GOOD AT THE 3%. AND I'M, I'M STILL,
I'D LIKE TO GET THOSE FIGURES AND TAKE A LOOK AT THEM AS WELL. 
          AND OF WHAT THAT IS. AND BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M AT. 
          SO ANYONE ELSE. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND RETURN TO OUR SEATS,
IF YOU WILL, SO WE CAN GET BACK STARTED AGAIN. 
          [05:40:26]
RIGHT BEFORE. BEFORE ELIZABETH HAROLD COMES UP TO GIVE HER PRESENTATION. 
          CITY MANAGER HAS A COUPLE OF COMMENTS HERE. HE WANTS TO SHARE. 
          ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I KNOW WE'RE GETTING LONG IN THE DAY,
BUT THERE ARE SOME SOME THINGS THAT WE DO NEED TO GET DONE AS PART OF OUR WORKSHOP SO STAFF CAN MOVE FORWARD AND KEEP THE BUDGET PROCESS GOING. 
          SO BUT AS WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, AS PART OF OUR EFFORTS TO PLAN FOR OUR FUTURE
AND EVALUATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EFFICIENCIES WHILE IMPROVING PROGRAMS FOR OUR CITIZENS TODAY WE WILL PRESENT TWO STRATEGIES FOR CONSIDERATION. 
          I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE VERY CLEAR BEFORE WE BEGIN. 
          THESE PROPOSALS YOU WILL SEE TODAY ARE NOT ABOUT CUTTING PROGRAMS TO SAVE FUNDS. 
          THESE PROPOSALS ARE ESSENTIALLY A REDISTRIBUTION OF STAFFING THAT WILL INCREASE THE LEVEL
OF SERVICE, BUT IN A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT WAY THAN THE WAY WE ARE PRESENTING PRESENTLY,
PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES. 
          WE DO NOT ENTERTAIN THIS LIGHTLY, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE ADJUSTMENTS FOR OUR
COMMUNITY. 
          WE ARE NOT RUSHING TO MAKE CHANGES EITHER. YOU WILL SEE THAT IMPLEMENTATION WILL OCCUR
OVER SEVERAL MONTHS. 
          AS I SAID EARLIER THIS MORNING, IF WE DO NOT START EVALUATING AND ALTERING OUR SERVICE
DELIVERY, WE WILL EVENTUALLY REACH A POINT WHERE FUNDING IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THESE
PROGRAMS. COUNCIL IS, IN THE FUTURE, WILL BE FORCED TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE SERVICES FOR THE SAKE OF
PRESERVING OTHER PROGRAMS. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO AVOID. I WILL ASK YOU TO LISTEN TO ALL OF THE PROPOSALS
COMPLETELY, AND THEN DISCUSS AND ASK QUESTIONS SO WE CAN MOVE THROUGH THESE EXPEDITIOUSLY. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH ELIZABETH HARRELL,
PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR. 
          [G. Department Strategy Presentations 
o Public Works 
o Capital Projects ]
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. ELIZABETH HARRELL,
PARKS RECREATION. 
          I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS PLAN. 
          I KIND OF LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR YOU BACK IN APRIL AT OUR WORKSHOP,
THEN WHERE I SHOWED YOU ALL KINDS OF NUMBERS, AND WE LOOKED AT THE OPERATIONS AND THE EFFICIENCIES OF THE RECREATION CENTERS. 
          BASED ON THAT CONVERSATION, STAFF WENT TO WORK AND WE ACTUALLY EVALUATED THE ENTIRE
OPERATION. 
          AND SO I'M HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS WITH YOU WHAT OUR FINDINGS ARE. 
          SO AS I SAID, WE COMPLETED THESE EVALUATIONS AND WE ALSO REVIEWED THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM
OUR PARKS MASTER PLAN AND OUR RECREATION CENTER FEASIBILITY STUDY. 
          WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A GOOD PATH FORWARD, AND I'M EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT WHAT WE
THINK A GOOD OPTION WOULD BE. 
          SO AS I SAID, THE PARKS MASTER PLAN AND THE RECREATION CENTER FEASIBILITY STUDY HAVE KIND
OF GUIDED OUR OBJECTIVE HERE AND OUR MISSION. 
          BOTH OF THOSE PLANS IDENTIFIED THAT THESE CENTERS NEED TO TRANSITION TO MULTI-GENERATIONAL
USAGE, AND THAT BUILDINGS SHOULD BE ACCOMMODATING TO ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES,
NOT JUST STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED FOR ONE DEMOGRAPHIC AT A CERTAIN TIME OF DAY. SO THAT WAS KIND OF OUR FOCUS AS WE MOVED FORWARD AND LOOKED AT
THIS. 
          WE WANT TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO PART OF THE RECREATION CENTER FEASIBILITY STUDY HAS IDENTIFIED THAT WE COULD USE A NEW
RECREATION CENTER IN THE SOUTH. 
          AND THIS IS PART OF THAT PLAN AND MOVING FORWARD AND CREATING A SUSTAINABLE MODEL AS WE
TRANSITION AND LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF RECREATION IN MESQUITE. 
          SO HERE'S THE VISION. AND ONE THING THAT WE DO REALLY WELL RIGHT NOW IS WE SERVE SPECIFIC
SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION AT SPECIFIC TIMES OF DAY. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE THE SENIOR CENTERS AND IT'S JUST THE SENIOR CENTERS IN THAT SENIOR
SPACE. 
          SO WHEN LOOKING AT HOW WE COULD BETTER POSITION OURSELVES AND SERVE A BROADER SEGMENT OF
THE COMMUNITY, IT WOULD BE REMOVING KIND OF THOSE LABELS AND CREATING JUST SPACE THAT PEOPLE CAN COME IN
AND USE. 
          SO INSTEAD OF IT JUST BEING FOR THE SENIORS,
WE COULD PROGRAM DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES. 
          WE COULD EXPAND OUR OFFERINGS AND WE COULD ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF THE
COMMUNITY, LIKE THE LIBRARY OR COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT WOULD LIKE TO USE OUR SPACE. 
          WE DON'T DO THAT VERY WELL RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE ARE SO SEGMENTED AND SILOED IN OUR
OPERATION. 
          SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS THE VISION OF CREATING THESE BUSTLING,
BUSY BUILDINGS THAT HAVE ALL KINDS OF ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. 
          AND IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHO'S USING IT. WE JUST HAVE PEOPLE THERE IN THE BUILDING
USING IT. 
          [05:45:06]
SO WE HAVE IDENTIFIED EVANS, FLORENCE AND RUTHERFORD AS OUR ANCHOR BUILDINGS. 
          AND THAT HELPS US BECAUSE IT GEOGRAPHICALLY SPREADS OUT OUR SERVICES. 
          SO NORTH, CENTRAL, SOUTH, WE WOULD EXPAND OUR HOURS OF OPERATION. 
          RIGHT NOW. ONLY EVANS IS OPEN THESE HOURS. AND SO THIS WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO EXPAND
OUR HOURS AT BOTH FLORENCE AND RUTHERFORD. 
          THOSE BUILDINGS, INSTEAD OF OPENING AT 2 P.M.,
WOULD NOW OPEN AT 9 A.M.. 
          SO THAT CREATES SOME CONSISTENCY ACROSS ALL OF THE FACILITIES. 
          EVERYBODY'S OPEN AT THE SAME TIME. THERE'S NO WONDERING WHEN ONE BUILDING IS OPEN OR NOT. 
          ALL OF THESE FACILITIES WITH THEIR SIZE CAN ACCOMMODATE THESE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE TRYING
TO HOUSE IN THEM. 
          WE WOULD GAIN SEVERAL EFFICIENCIES BY CONSOLIDATING STAFF AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE
PROGRAMS THAT MEET DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND LIKE I SAID, WE COULD ACCOMMODATE THESE OUTSIDE PARTNERS. 
          AND THEN ALSO IT CREATES THIS FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF RECREATION IN OUR
COMMUNITY. 
          WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? ACCORDING TO THE FEASIBILITY STUDY,
IT'S CONSOLIDATED SERVICES ADDING ANOTHER BUILDING. 
          AND SO THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP IN THAT PHASE. 
          WE WOULD HAVE A NEW STAFFING STRUCTURE. SO THE DUNFORD AND GOODBAR STAFF RIGHT NOW WE'RE
SPREAD REALLY THIN WITH THE FIVE BUILDINGS. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH. SO THE DUNFORD AND THE GOODBAR STAFF WOULD BE REASSIGNED TO
THESE ANCHOR CENTERS. 
          ONE GREAT BENEFIT OF THAT WOULD BE THAT WITH THESE EXPANDED HOURS,
NOW WE HAVE FULL TIME STAFF IN THE BUILDING THAT CAN SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY. 
          SO WE WOULD ALWAYS HAVE A FULL TIME STAFF PERSON IN THE BUILDING. 
          WE RELY REALLY HEAVILY ON OUR PART TIME STAFF AND SOMETIMES THAT CAN CREATE SOME SOME
PROBLEMS. SO THIS GIVES US THAT STRENGTHENING POSITION OF HAVING THE FULL TIME STAFF IN THE
BUILDINGS ALL THE TIME. 
          WE ALSO WOULD HAVE MORE PART TIME STAFF TO SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RUNNING THESE
PROGRAMS AND THE OPERATION. 
          SO AGAIN, THAT CONSOLIDATION IS WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT. 
          AND THEN COORDINATED SCHEDULES ACROSS ALL OF THE BUILDINGS. 
          THE COMMUNITY COULD LOOK AT AN ACTIVITY THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO TAKE,
AND THE BUILDING WOULD BE OPEN AND THEY COULD GO IN. 
          WE WOULD SHARE THE SPACE WITH EVERYBODY. SO AGAIN,
IT'S JUST UTILIZING OUR RESOURCES TO, TO THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY BY CREATING KIND OF TAKING SERVICES BACK DOWN TO THESE THREE MAIN CENTERS. 
          THE INITIAL PROGRAM IMPACT AT GOODBAR, I DON'T REALLY SEE IT AS A,
A NEGATIVE IMPACT OTHER THAN A LOCATION CHANGE, BECAUSE REALISTICALLY, THEY ARE VERY LIMITED RIGHT NOW BEING TIED TO THE SCHOOL MISD THEY
LOVE TO WALK OVER THERE, BUT THEY CAN ONLY WALK FROM 12 TO 1230 BECAUSE THAT'S THE TIME THAT WE HAVE TO GET INTO
THE GYM. 
          MOVING THAT PROGRAM TO FLORENCE RIGHT AWAY OPENS UP THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO EXPAND
THEIR FITNESS OPPORTUNITIES, NOT ONLY WITH GYM USAGE, BUT ALSO THAT'S PROBABLY OUR BEST FITNESS ROOM THAT WE HAVE. 
          SO NOW THAT GROUP THAT'S NOT REALLY ACCUSTOMED TO INCORPORATING FITNESS INTO THEIR
LIFESTYLE, NOW WE'RE GIVING THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY BY RELOCATING THAT PROGRAM TO FLORENCE. 
          WE VERIFIED THAT THE LUNCH PROGRAM CAN TRANSITION OVER. 
          THERE'S NO INTERRUPTION THERE. WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT. 
          THEY HAVE MORE CLASSROOMS, MORE SPACE. SO REALISTICALLY,
IF YOU LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE, IT'S JUST A BETTER MOVE FOR THAT PROGRAM OVERALL. 
          OUR AFTER SCHOOL ADVENTURES PROGRAM WOULD CONTINUE AS PLANNED,
AND WE WOULD STILL OPERATE SIMILAR TO WHAT THE ARRANGEMENT THAT WE ALREADY HAVE WITH THE THOMPSON, THE SHAH, THE AUGSBURGER. WE WOULD WORK WITH EM ISD TO UTILIZE THAT SPACE AFTER
SCHOOL AND FOR RESERVATIONS. 
          SO NO IMPACT THERE TO THOSE TWO PROGRAMS. LOOKING AT DUNFORD,
WE DID ESTABLISH THAT AS KIND OF OUR TEEN HUB WITH A TEEN ROOM AND WHATNOT. BUT NOW UTILIZING THESE ANCHOR PROGRAMS,
WE CAN TAKE THOSE TEEN PROGRAMS AND SPREAD THEM OUT TO THESE THREE CENTERS, WHICH ACTUALLY IS A BENEFIT. SO INSTEAD OF IDENTIFYING DUNFORD AS KIND OF THE TEEN HOME,
NOW WE CAN PUT TEEN PROGRAMING IN ALL THREE OF THE CENTERS AND SPREAD THAT SERVICE OUT ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. AGAIN, AFTER SCHOOL ADVENTURES WOULD NOT CHANGE. 
          RESERVATIONS WOULD NOT CHANGE. WE USE DUNFORD HEAVILY FOR OUR ATHLETIC PROGRAMING,
BUT AGAIN, WE WOULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS AND STILL UTILIZE THAT SPACE FOR OUR ATHLETICS AND RESERVATION
PROGRAMS. HERE'S OUR EXPECTED OUTCOMES. SO AGAIN, CONSOLIDATING AND PROVIDING A CONSISTENT LEVEL OF
SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE RECREATION SYSTEM. 
          WE WOULD HAVE MORE STAFF. WE WOULD HAVE MORE PROGRAMING. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE THIS IS JUST KIND OF A RANDOM EXAMPLE,
BUT WE HAVE KILNS AT SOME OF THE LOCATIONS. 
          I THINK I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, THE CERAMICS THING,
CERAMICS HAS ONLY BEEN OFFERED FOR SENIORS JUST BECAUSE. 
          AND NOW I CAN MAKE THOSE LITTLE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS FOR THE KIDS,
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S JUST A SERVICE THAT WE COULD PROVIDE. 
          [05:50:06]
AND WE'RE NOT JUST FOCUSING AGAIN ON THIS. THIS IS JUST FOR THE SENIORS. 
          THESE BUILDINGS AND THESE SERVICES WOULD BE OPEN TO EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THEM. 
          THERE WOULD BE NO IMPACT TO THE BUDGET. WE'RE SIMPLY JUST SHIFTING RESOURCES. 
          WE MAY SEE SOME OPERATIONAL GAINS WITH THE DECREASE IN THE USAGE OF GOODBAR AND DUNFORD,
BUT REALLY IT'S IT'S BUDGET NEUTRAL ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED A PHASED TIMELINE APPROACH. 
          SO WITH A DIRECTION TO MOVE FORWARD, WE WOULD START OUR PLANNING PROCESS. 
          NOW THE PHASE TWO WOULD IMPACT THE ADULT 50 PLUS PROGRAM. 
          WE THINK JANUARY WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO TRANSITION THEM OVER TO THE NEW BUILDING,
GIVE THEM SOME TIME TO ACCLIMATE BEFORE WE ADDED KIDS IN THE SUMMER WITH THE SUMMER PROGRAM. AND THEN AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR,
THEN WE WOULD TRANSITION THE KIDS SEGMENT INTO THE BUILDING AND EVERYONE COULD SHARE SPACE THERE AT THE AT THE FACILITY. AND WE HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE AT EVANS,
WHEN WE USED TO HOLD SUMMER CAMP AT EVANS, WE WOULD HAVE BOTH SENIORS AND KIDS IN THE BUILDING. 
          AND THERE WERE SOME ACTUALLY SOME BENEFITS TO THAT BECAUSE THE KIDS WOULD GO PLAY BINGO OR
SENIORS COULD READ BOOKS WITH THEM AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO THEN YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT MULTIGENERATIONAL CROSSOVER. 
          SO I'M SEEKING CITY COUNCIL DIRECTION TODAY,
OR AT LEAST STARTING THE CONVERSATION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. 
          AND YOU THINK THIS IS A DIRECTION THAT WE COULD CONSIDER. 
          ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL, THAT OPENS IT UP FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE OUR INPUT. 
          SO, MR. HUBACEK, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START WITH YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS,
AND IT'S EXPANDING THE PROGRAMS TO THOSE OTHER FACILITIES. 
          SOUND GREAT? I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT SOME THINGS THAT THE SENIORS COULD DO I WISH MAYBE
THE YOUNGER PEOPLE COULD DO. 
          I'M GLAD WE CAN KIND OF MERGE THOSE TOGETHER WHERE WE CAN GET A BIGGER BANG FOR OUR BUCK. 
          BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR, I JUST WANT TO JUST GO BACK TO THE SLIDE. 
          SLIDE SEVEN. WE CAN JUST START THERE ON THE RESERVATIONS. 
          AND NUMBER TWO AND NUMBER THREE BULLET POINTS. 
          THOSE ARE STILL GOING TO BE WILL. THEY'LL STILL BE HELD AT GOOD BAR. 
          YES. OKAY. SO JUST SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE MOVING,
BUT SEVERAL OF THE KEY THINGS AFTER SCHOOL ADVENTURE AND THE RESERVATIONS FOR THE GYM AND WHATNOT, THAT TYPE WOULD STILL BE IN PLAY THERE. 
          THE FACILITY WOULD STILL BE OPEN FOR THOSE. YES. 
          UNTIL WE ASSESS THE OPERATION AND FIGURE OUT,
DO WE STILL NEED TO OPERATE WITH FIVE CENTERS? IF IF WE DO BUILD A NEW RECREATION CENTER IN THE SOUTH,
DO WE STILL NEED TO HAVE THE FACILITIES THAT ARE TIED TO THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS? I LIKE THE IDEA OF THREE CENTRALIZED LOCATIONS FOR THE RESIDENTS. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT,
MR. GREEN. YEAH, I DO AGREE WITH THE THREE ANCHOR LOCATIONS. 
          I THINK THE DATA IS SOLID BEHIND THAT. I THINK IT MAKES SENSE. 
          IT ALLOWS US TO DO MORE WITH THE THREE BUILDINGS. 
          YOU DID MENTION PARTNERS. I DO HAVE A CARD FOR YOU. YOU CAN HAVE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. 
          THE VICE PRESIDENT GAVE ME HIS CARD. THEY WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER WITH US ON THE PROGRAMING
AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THANK YOU. I'D BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME VACANT GYM SPACE, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          IT MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IN SOME OF THEIR PROGRAMING AND MAYBE WORK WITH THEM. 
          IF THEY HAVE STAFF AND THEY HAVE RESOURCES AND THEY HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOME VERY
FINANCIALLY HEALTHY ORGANIZATIONS THAT TEND TO DONATE TO THEM AND DO THINGS. SO IF OUR KIDS CAN ALL BENEFIT, YOU KNOW,
I'M ALL FOR IT. 
          SO. THANK YOU, SIR. MR. CASPER, GREAT WORK. I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DITTO. DITTO TO EVERYTHING. 
          THANK YOU. SOUNDS GREAT TO ME. OKAY, MISS RODRIGUEZ. 
          ROSS. YES, MA'AM. I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THE THREE REC CENTER MODEL THERE. 
          THANK YOU. AND FOR ANY OF THE SENIORS THAT MAY BE TRANSPORTATION BECOMING A LITTLE BIT OF
AN ISSUE WITH A CHANGE LIKE THIS, WE PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION AS WELL, RIGHT? YES,
SIR. 
          STAR TRANSIT DOES. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. YES. ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. 
          NEXT WE HAVE ON THE LIST LIBRARY LAURIE LEE. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          IS IT STILL UP HERE OR DO I NEED TO GO TO THE FOLDER FIRST? JUST GO TO THE FILE. AND THEN D DRIVE THE STORE IN AND THEN IT'S RIGHT THERE. 
          [05:55:09]
THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. LAURIE LEE,
DIRECTOR OF LIBRARY SERVICES, WHICH REPRESENTS A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION OF WHERE WE'RE AT NOW AND A COUPLE
OF DIFFERENT ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION BY COUNCIL, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PATHS FORWARD ON HOW WE CAN
CREATE SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE LIBRARY SYSTEM OVER THE COMING YEARS. 
          LET'S START A LITTLE BIT WITH SOME COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. I KNOW THAT THAT WAS A QUESTION AND
SOME PAST PRESENTATIONS OF WHAT DO THE CUSTOMERS WANT? SO SHARING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FEEDBACK, WE HAD A STRATEGIC PLAN FEEDBACK. 
          WE'VE HAD CUSTOMER SURVEYS THAT WE DO YEARLY. 
          AND THEN I ALSO INCLUDED SOME OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN LIBRARIES OVERALL. 
          BUT BASICALLY AMONG ALL OF THIS, OUR CUSTOMERS WANT MORE SERVICES. 
          THEY WANT EXPANDED SERVICES, THEY WANT EXPANDED HOURS. 
          SO THEY WANT IT ALL, THEY WANT EVERYTHING. THAT INCLUDES PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDES SPACE THAT
INCLUDES MORE TIME. 
          SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE FACE IS WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF
STAFFING, BUT HAVE TWO LOCATIONS AND AN INCREASED REQUESTS FOR OUTREACH. 
          PEOPLE WANT US IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE FACED WITH AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AT BOTH OF OUR
LOCATIONS, AND THE LIBRARY IS NOT IMMUNE TO INFLATION AND COSTS GOING UP. 
          ALL OF OUR MATERIALS, IT GOES UP REGULARLY, 5 TO 6%. 
          SO WE FACE THE SAME ISSUES KNOWING WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS WANT AND THE CHALLENGES WE FACE. 
          SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO SEE, OR AS OUR VISION OF LIBRARY SERVICES IN THE
FUTURE, ARE EXTENDING OUR LIBRARY SERVICES BEYOND OUR FACILITIES,
BEYOND FACILITIES HOURS. 
          AND THAT MEANS OUTREACH. THAT MEANS PARTNERSHIPS. 
          THAT MEANS TAKING US OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY,
BEING FLEXIBLE, GOING INTO THE RECREATION CENTERS, GOING INTO NEIGHBORHOODS, INTO SCHOOLS. IT MEANS EXPANDING HOURS AND OFFERING MORE WEEKEND
HOURS. 
          IT MEANS EXPANDING ACCESS TO RESOURCES FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS,
BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO VISIT DURING OPERATING HOURS. 
          EACH PERSON'S JOB HAS A DIFFERENT HOUR. IT MAY NOT ALIGN WITH WHAT THE LIBRARY IS OPEN,
BUT THE ULTIMATE GOAL HERE IS TO STRENGTHEN OUR COLLECTIVE ABILITY TO SERVE OUR RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. 
          WE DO THAT BY WORKING TOGETHER. SO KEEPING THIS IN MIND,
WE HAVE TWO PATHS FORWARD AND A REALISTIC LOOK AT WHAT THOSE TWO PATHS WILL MEAN FOR THE LIBRARY SERVICES GOING FORWARD. 
          SO THE FIRST ONE IS THE BRANCH MODEL. THAT'S CURRENTLY WHAT WE OPERATE IN MAKING SOME OF
WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW. 
          AS I MENTIONED, AGING INFRASTRUCTURE. OUR MAIN LOCATION WAS OPENED IN 64,
HAS HAD TWO MAJOR RENOVATIONS, BUT NOT SINCE 87, WE'VE HAD A MINOR RENOVATIONS. 
          WE HAD STUDY ROOMS ADDED IN 2223 SOMEWHERE RIGHT IN THERE. 
          IT'S ABOUT FOUR, THREE, FOUR YEARS AGO. THEY'VE BEEN GREAT SUCCESS,
BUT NO MAJOR RENOVATIONS OF THAT SPACE. 
          NORTH OPENED IN 1981 AND HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY MAJOR RENOVATIONS THEN,
SO BOTH OF OUR LOCATIONS ARE EITHER OVER 40 YEARS OR APPROACHING 40 YEARS BASICALLY IN THEIR MODEL LIFE. WE HAVE, AS I'VE MENTIONED,
INCREASED OUTREACH REQUEST. 
          THAT MEANS SERVICES BEYOND OUR WALLS GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO NOT IN THE TWO LOCATIONS, BUT IN SITES THROUGHOUT THE THE CITY. 
          IT IS DOUBLED. WE HAVE ACTUALLY SURPASSED AND,
AND GONE BEYOND DOUBLE WITH OUR LAST MONTH'S TOTALS. 
          WE WERE AT 80 IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. IT WAS 38 AND 39. 
          SO WE HAVE ALREADY SURPASSED AND WE STILL HAVE TWO MONTHS LEFT IN OUR CALENDAR YEAR. 
          SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL NEED TO DO SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THINGS ACHIEVABLE IS REDUCE
HOURS. 
          SO MY NEXT PROPOSAL HERE WOULD BE REDUCING HOURS AT BOTH LOCATIONS,
REDUCING SERVICE POINTS. 
          THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL NOT HAVE STAFF. THAT JUST MEANS WE WON'T HAVE AS MANY POSITIONS
SPACED OUT THROUGHOUT THE LIBRARY FACILITY. 
          AND WE WILL HAVE MODEST OUTREACH HOURS IN A BRANCH MODEL. 
          SO YOU'LL SEE THERE TWO CHARTS. THE FIRST ONES ARE CURRENT HOURS. 
          THE PROPOSED WOULD MEAN CHANGING HOURS AT BOTH LOCATIONS WITH THE AIM OF REDUCING EVENING
DUPLICATION. 
          [06:00:05]
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 
          THERE'S ONE OR THE OTHER ARE OPEN, BUT NOT BOTH. 
          SO TRYING TO FOCUS ON THAT. BUT YOU'LL SEE THERE WITH MODIFYING THAT AND I'LL GET TO IT
INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          CURRENTLY WE DO ABOUT FIVE HOURS A WEEK IN OUTREACH. 
          WE COULD DO FAR MORE WITH THAT. AND CHANGE IN HOURS. 
          WE COULD INCREASE COMMUNITY TO EIGHT HOURS A WEEK. 
          AND THEN, AS YOU COULD SEE, WE COULD HAVE A STRONGER PRESENCE IN OUR RECREATION CENTERS. 
          SO WE CURRENTLY VISIT RECREATION CENTERS ONCE A MONTH AND DO VARIOUS PROGRAMS,
WHETHER THAT'S AFTER SCHOOL ADVENTURES OR TEEN TURNOUT AND HELPING WITH BOTH OF THOSE. 
          WE COULD HELP IN THOSE FACILITIES BRINGING OUR SERVICES. 
          AND THERE'S A LIST THERE OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIBRARY BASED SERVICES THAT WE CAN TAKE
OUT TO THOSE RESIDENTS WHERE THEY'RE AT. 
          LORI, CAN I STOP YOU? WHEN YOU SAY OUTREACH,
WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY ENTAIL? I KNOW YOU SAID GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY,
BUT WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? LIKE YOU GO TO A SCHOOL AND YOU READ FOR AN HOUR OR WHAT IS,
WHAT DOES AN OUTREACH TOUCH LOOK LIKE? SO IT'S ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT I LIST HERE. 
          SO IT DEPENDS ON THE FACILITY. MANY PLACES WANT US TO GO AND DO CARDS. 
          WE ARE STARTING TO DO THAT AND OFFER CARD CREATION WHEN WE GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. 
          BUT FOR SCHOOLS IT WOULD BE A STORYTIME OR SOME OF THE OLDER STUDENTS. 
          IT WOULD BE SHOWING THEM HOW TO USE OUR ONLINE RESOURCES,
OUR VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR THE REC CENTERS WE CURRENTLY DO SUPPORT, AND WE DO PROGRAMS FOR AFTER SCHOOL ADVENTURES THAT WE COULD EXPAND THAT FOR A PLACE LIKE
EVANS, WE COULD GO AND DO A BOOK LIBRARIAN WHERE WE CAN HELP SOMEONE WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY. 
          SO ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT WE CURRENTLY OFFER IN OUR SPACE,
WE TAKE OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO BEYOND OUR LIBRARY WALLS. OKAY. THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. SOME OF THE THINGS TO LOOK AT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS ARE BEING ABLE TO
PROVIDE RESOURCES OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND EXPAND THAT ALSO BEING ABLE TO REALLOCATE STAFF OR HAVE NEW STAFF
MEMBERS THAT CAN BETTER SERVE US. ONE EXAMPLE IS THE MARKETING SPECIALIST THAT WE HAVE ASKED FOR. 
          WE'VE HAD OUR FACEBOOK SINCE MARCH AND IT'S DOING WELL. 
          BUT PROMOTION COULD BE STRONGER. WE COULD HAVE A BIT MORE DEDICATION AND HELP SUPPORT. 
          THE KEY TAKEAWAY I WOULD SAY FOR THIS ONE IS,
IS THAT ALL OF THOSE ITEMS WITH THE ASTERISKS IN A BRANCH MODEL, THEY WILL BE BUDGET ASK AS WE CONTINUE OR CONTINUING IN A BRANCH MODEL,
WE WILL HAVE TO COME FORWARD WITH BUDGET REQUESTS FOR ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO DO BEYOND WHAT WE CURRENTLY DO,
OR ANY SORT OF CHANGES IN STAFFING. 
          WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO ASK FOR CAPITAL REQUESTS FOR ANY RENOVATIONS AND BUILDINGS GOING
FORWARD. 
          AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL WOULD BE TO CONSOLIDATE TO ONE LOCATION,
SO ONE MAIN LIBRARY HUB WITH DEDICATED SPACES. 
          THOSE DEDICATED SPACES WOULD BE IN OUR REC CENTERS AND AND THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WITH THAT, WE OF COURSE, WOULD HAVE ONE SPACE WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE THEY CAN GO FOR
LIBRARY. 
          BUT THEN WE COULD ALSO, THROUGH REALLOCATION,
WE COULD GET AN ATTRITION, WE COULD GET THE POSITIONS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE IT FEASIBLE FOR THE LIBRARY TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND GET MORE PEOPLE USING US. 
          ALL OF OUR STAFF WOULD BE IN ONE SPACE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO COLLABORATE MORE,
AND OF COURSE, THERE WOULD BE SOME FINANCIAL SUPPORT THROUGH NOT HAVING TWO FACILITIES TO MAINTAIN AND
UPGRADE. 
          THIS IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HOURS, AGAIN REMINDING YOU THE CURRENT HOURS,
BUT ALSO IN THE CONSOLIDATED MODEL, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO STREAMLINE OUR HOURS, MAKE IT EASIER FOR CUSTOMERS MONDAY THROUGH
THURSDAY, 9 TO 8, FRIDAY, SATURDAY 9 TO 6. AND WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ADD SUNDAY HOURS. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE ALLOWING OUR CUSTOMERS TO COME INTO OUR SPACE. 
          WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE SUNDAY HOURS AT EITHER LOCATION,
SO WE'D BE ABLE TO OPEN MORE FOR FAMILIES TO COME AND SPEND THEIR AFTERNOON AT THE LIBRARY. DELVING A LITTLE MORE INTO THOSE NUMBERS. 
          WITH THAT CONSOLIDATION MODEL, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO INCREASE OUR OUTREACH. 
          SO THAT'S AGAIN GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY,
TAKING OUR LIBRARY PROGRAMS TO THE SPACES SO WE COULD DO COMMUNITY, MORE COMMUNITY EVENTS, THINGS LIKE DE LOS MUERTOS,
WE DO 4TH OF JULY, OTHER EVENTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO. 
          GOING INTO SCHOOLS. YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT WE WOULD INCREASE HOURS AT BOTH RUTHERFORD AND
FLORENCE. 
          THAT ALLOWS US TO BE THERE EVEN MORE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. 
          [06:05:02]
SO AT THAT POINT, WE COULD BE THERE ALMOST DAILY AND HAVE LIBRARY PROGRAMS IN THE SPACE. 
          SO WE'RE UTILIZING THE SPACES WE ALREADY HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY,
BUT BEING ABLE TO TAKE THOSE PROGRAMS THERE. 
          SOMETHING TO NOTE HERE. SO ALL OF THE SAME ITEMS THERE. 
          BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ON THIS IS WITH A CONSOLIDATION MODEL,
ALL OF THOSE ITEMS THAT WE WERE SAYING WE WOULD HAVE TO REQUEST, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NEW FACILITIES OR RENOVATIONS,
WE WOULD HAVE TO ASK FOR THAT AS CAPITAL. 
          BUT ALL OF THOSE MATERIALS SUPPORT AND THOSE STAFFING POSITIONS WOULD BE COVERED IN
REALLOCATING THE BUDGET THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE WITH THE LIBRARY. 
          SO WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO INCREASE ANY BUDGET AND IT WOULD HAVE A BUDGET NEUTRAL. 
          IMPACT BY CONSOLIDATING. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TIMELINE. 
          SO I WON'T GO INTO ALL OF THE DETAILS, BUT ESSENTIALLY IN THE CONSOLIDATION MODEL WE NEED
3 TO 4 MONTHS, A GOOD STRONG FOUR MONTHS TO MAKE ANYTHING HAPPEN. 
          WHICHEVER DIRECTION WE GO, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PLAN. 
          WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT IS GOING INTO THE REC CENTERS EXPANDING OUR HOURS LOOK LIKE HAVE AN ACTUAL PLAN
FORWARD. 
          ALSO PROMOTION, DOING THINGS LIKE GETTING PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR CARDS THROUGHOUT THE
COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY CAN ACCESS RESOURCES. 
          AND THEN OF COURSE, THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS FROM START,
MIDDLE TO END, NOTIFYING PEOPLE SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF THE CHANGE THAT'S COMING. 
          LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER LIBRARIES IN OUR AREA. 
          AND I DID A FEW MORE THAN THE SEVEN JUST BECAUSE I HAD INFORMATION AND THEY'RE SIMILAR
SIZE THERE, BUT WE'VE GOT SEVERAL LIBRARIES. THE THING I WOULD NOTE HERE IS THAT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
GRAND PRAIRIE, WE'RE THE ONLY LOCAL AREA LIBRARY THAT DOESN'T HAVE SUNDAY HOURS RIGHT NOW. 
          SO THAT'S THE, THE BIG ONE. AND THEN I WOULD SAY IN ANY MODEL THAT,
THAT WE CHOOSE TO GO FORWARD, YOU CAN SEE IN TOTAL HOURS IT'S GOING TO BE SIMILAR. 
          LIKE WE'RE NOT CHANGING DRASTICALLY. THERE'S GOING TO BE OTHER LIBRARIES THAT HAVE SIMILAR
HOURS. 
          SO IT'S NOT LIKE I'M SKEWING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON HOW MANY HOURS WE'D BE OPEN NOW VERSUS
IN THE FUTURE. 
          THERE'S SOMEONE AND THEN JUST A LITTLE BIT OF VISUAL REPRESENTATION. 
          SO WE ACTUALLY MAPPED OUT ALL OF THE LOCAL LIBRARIES IN OUR AREA. 
          AND THIS IS REALLY WHY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT,
WE NEED TO PLAN GOING FORWARD. 
          AS YOU NOTICE, THE ONE THAT I REALLY WANT TO POINT OUT HERE IS THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT
HERE IN THE SOUTH. 
          THAT'S WHY THERE IS DISCUSSION LIKE HOW DO WE GET SERVICES? WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING,
HOW WE'RE GOING TO HELP SUPPORT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY. 
          AND WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A HARD DECISION. SO A LITTLE BIT OF RECAP HERE. 
          BUT THIS GIVES YOU A GLANCE OF EVERYTHING TOGETHER. 
          THE BRANCH MODEL VERSUS A CONSOLIDATION MODEL. 
          SO WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT CHANGING HOURS IN THAT OBVIOUSLY FROM 59 AT MAIN AND 33 AT NORTH
TO 69 TOTAL OPEN HOURS. 
          OUR OUTREACH HOURS COULD ALMOST DOUBLE IN THIS SCENARIO,
WHICH MEANS WE'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE ARE AT TAKING OUR PROGRAMS TO THEM. AGAIN, SOME OF THE THINGS I MENTIONED EARLIER AND THE BRANCH MODEL WE WOULD HAVE
TO DO BUDGET ASK EVERY YEAR OR FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN A ROW TO GET THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO GROW AND A CONSOLIDATION MODEL,
WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO, BECAUSE WE COULD REALLOCATE SEVERAL OF THOSE ITEMS WITHIN THE CURRENT BUDGET. 
          AND THEN JUST A FURTHER PLANNING THERE. WE REALLY DO NEED TO CONSIDER SERVICES AND THE
FUTURE FOR BOTH NORTH END AND SOUTH SO THAT WE'RE SERVING EVERYONE. SO IT'S GOT A LITTLE BIT OF THE INFORMATION ON SOUTH
AND NORTH AS WELL. 
          WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. MR.. YOU MAKE YOU MAKE SOME GREAT POINTS ON BOTH
ASPECTS OF YOUR OF YOUR PLAN. 
          SO WHAT IS YOUR VISION OF, OF THE LIBRARY IN GENERAL? LIKE IF YOU HAD TO HAVE A MANTRA, WHAT WHEN I HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT ALL THE PROGRAMS WE
OFFER. 
          TO ME, THAT'S NOT A TRADITIONAL LIBRARY AS OUR VISION IN MY HEAD. 
          SO WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE LIBRARY? MY VISION IS SORT OF A HYBRID. 
          WE NEED A SPACE THAT THAT DOES STILL HAVE SOME TRADITIONAL LIBRARY BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE A
STRONG USAGE THERE, BUT THE MAIN FOCUS IS ON BEING IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          [06:10:03]
WE NEED TO BE COMMUNITY CENTERED. OUR COMMUNITY WANTS US OUT THERE AND WE NEED TO GET OUR
STAFF OUT IN THAT COMMUNITY. 
          WE CANNOT DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT OUR STAFF, BUT WE CAN DO IT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY BEYOND
OUR CURRENT SPACE. 
          SO YOU I'M ASSUMING WE'VE HAD A SHIFT IN HOW PEOPLE UTILIZE THE LIBRARY SERVICES,
CORRECT? YES. WHERE WE DON'T NEED BRICK AND MORTAR AS MUCH AS WE DID BEFORE. 
          CORRECT. SO YOUR SECOND MODEL IS THE CONSOLIDATION MODEL. 
          AND YOU I LIKE THE EXPANDED HOURS A LOT THAT WE'RE OPEN ON A SUNDAY IF SOMEONE WANTS TO
GO. 
          BUT YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT SERVICES IN THE NORTH END AND THE SOUTH END OF
MOSQUITO. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. BECAUSE YOU. IT'D BE CENTRALIZED TO THE MAIN ONE IN DOWNTOWN MESQUITE,
DISTRICT FOUR. YES. 
          SO IF WE DON'T NEED BRICK AND MORTAR IN THOSE LOCATIONS,
WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? AND BEFORE I GET THERE, I KNOW FROM YOUR PAST PRESENTATION,
YOU SAID THE PHYSICAL BOOK RENTAL OR CHECKOUT IS WAY DOWN. 
          IS THAT IS THAT CORRECT? I WOULD NOT SAY WAY,
BUT IT'S NOT GROWING. 
          IT'S STATIC. IF NOT DRIP DIP. IT'S DIPPING STEADILY BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH
DIGITAL BOOKS AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. 
          THE CHECKOUTS OF THOSE ARE HIGHER. CORRECT. SO COULD WE NOT USE IF WE USE A THREE
RECREATION CENTER? RECREATION CENTER MODELS, COULD WE NOT USE THOSE AS A BOOK DEPOSITORY INSTEAD OF HAVING A
KIOSK WHERE, HEY, I CAN STILL INTERACT WITH AN INDIVIDUAL AND GO GET MY BOOKS AT THE DUNFORD OR
WHEREVER WHERE I GO PICK THEM UP. 
          COULDN'T THAT TAKE THE PLACE OF A KIOSK AND STILL SERVE THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH? YES, WE COULD EXPLORE DIFFERENT MODELS. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A KIOSK MODEL. 
          WE CURRENTLY DO HAVE BOOK LENDING THAT WE DO DO TO THREE RECREATION CENTERS. 
          RUTHERFORD IS THE ONLY RECREATION CENTER THAT HAS CONSISTENTLY AND ACTUALLY FOR THE LIFE
OF THE PROGRAM SINCE THE EARLY. 
          WELL, I WANT TO SAY 2122 IS WHEN WE LAUNCHED IT. 
          RUTHERFORD'S BEEN THE ONLY RECREATION CENTER THAT HAS ACTUALLY BORROWED. 
          AND THEY CONTINUE TO THIS DAY TO BORROW MATERIALS FROM THE LIBRARY. 
          IF YOU WERE TO SHRINK THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY DOWN INTO ITS SMALLEST CAPACITY,
WHERE IT COULD STILL BE FUNCTIONAL, COULD YOU MOVE THAT INTO A ROOM AT FLORENCE? YES. 
          SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH DEDICATED SPACES. 
          WE HAVE SMALLER SPACES, BUT SPREAD OUT, AND WE'RE USING FACILITIES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN
THE CITY. 
          RATHER THAN HAVING INDEPENDENT BRICK AND MORTAR LIBRARIES,
WE'RE PARTNERING. 
          SO WE HAVE THAT'S WHERE THE CONSOLIDATION VISION IS,
IS YOU HAVE ONE LIBRARY THAT'S STANDALONE, AND THEN YOU HAVE SMALL DEDICATED SPACES IN ALL OF THE REC CENTERS. 
          SO PEOPLE THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE MESQUITE. HOW FAR IS THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY FROM
THE FLORENCE RECREATION CENTER? IT IS ACROSS THE FIELD. YOU CAN LITERALLY WALK TO IT. 
          SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT I GOTTA DRIVE ENDLESS TIME OR FIGHT TRAFFIC. 
          IT'S IN THE SAME IT'S ON THE SAME BLOCK. OKAY,
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE DOWNSIDE OF DOING THAT? MOVING THAT STUFF TO FLORENCE? TELL ME WHAT THE NEGATIVES WOULD BE FROM THAT IF WE COULD
EXPAND THE HOURS SOMEWHERE ELSE. 
          THE. OKAY. SO YOU'RE SAYING THE DOWNSIDE OF MOVING NORTH INTO FLORENCE RECREATION CENTER? CORRECT. IF I MOVE THOSE SERVICES TO THAT AREA,
WHAT WOULD BE THE DOWNSIDE? BESIDES, IT DOESN'T SAY NORTH BRANCH PUBLIC LIBRARY. 
          IT JUST SAYS FLORENCE. AND THEN I CAN EVEN PUT A SIGN THAT SAYS FLORENCE NORTH BRANCH
PUBLIC LIBRARY. I SHARE THE SIGN OR MARQUEE OR WHATEVER IT IS. 
          TELL ME WHAT THE DOWNSIDE OF THAT IS. IN MY VISION,
THERE'S NOT BECAUSE IT'S IN THE SAME AREA, IT WOULD BE A SMALLER FOOTPRINT. SO THAT WOULD BE WHAT SOME PEOPLE WOULD POTENTIALLY COUNT
AS A NEGATIVE. 
          BUT REALLY THE RECREATION CENTER STILL OFFERS THE SPACE. 
          AND THEN IF, IF WE WERE TO CONSOLIDATE, WE WOULD STILL DO OUR PROGRAMING THERE. 
          WE COULD OFFER MATERIALS THERE. SO WE COULD STILL OFFER ALL OF THE SAME SERVICES. 
          WE JUST DON'T HAVE TWO INDEPENDENT FACILITIES. 
          WE ARE SHARING A SPACE AND WORKING TOGETHER AS PARTNERS. 
          SO FROM, FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, I MEAN I'M THINKING I WON'T HAVE TO RUN THE LIGHTS, I WON'T HAVE TO RUN ELECTRICITY. I COULD JUST CONSOLIDATE THAT. 
          SO IT WOULD SAVE IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL AND SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT,
HELP POTENTIALLY SAVE SOME THINGS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT. 
          CORRECT. YES, YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. MISS RODRIGUEZ ROSS. 
          THANK YOU MAYOR. I JUST GOTTA SAY, I CANNOT SUPPORT CLOSING THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY. 
          I CAN'T DO IT. I UNDERSTAND. I SUPPORT CUTTING HOURS. 
          I WOULD SUPPORT IF WE WANTED TO DOWNSIZE THE BOOKS THERE. 
          [06:15:02]
I THINK THAT WE COULD DEFINITELY DO A REMODEL TO THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY. 
          I THINK WE COULD DOWNSIZE THE FOOTPRINT THAT WE HAVE FOR THE BOOKS,
AND THEN YOU COULD IMPLEMENT MORE CLASSROOMS THAT WOULD HAVE SPACE FOR THESE SMALL BUSINESSES OR YOU KNOW, SEWING CLASSES OR WHATEVER. 
          YOU KNOW, I DO ADMIT THAT THE BOOKS, YOU KNOW,
THEY TAKE UP MOST OF THE ROOM, RIGHT. 
          SO WOULDN'T YOU AGREE THAT IF WE GOT RID OF SOME OF THOSE BOOKS,
WE COULD HAVE WE COULD ADD SOME CLASSROOMS TO THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY. 
          SO WE'RE ALREADY IN THE PROCESS OF COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT. 
          WE DO THAT EVERY YEAR. IT'S A CURRENT PRACTICE. 
          AND THROUGH THE SULTAN'S RECOMMENDATIONS ARE REDUCING COLLECTION SIZE TO MAKE MORE SPACE
FOR OUR RESIDENTS. 
          THEY CURRENTLY USE NORTH AS A SPACE. RIGHT. SO,
SO AGAIN, THAT I CAN'T BE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING IT. 
          UNTIL I SEE SOME KIND OF SIGNIFICANT LIBRARY BLUEPRINT INCORPORATED INTO THE FLORENCE
RECREATION CENTER. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S A GOOD ARGUMENT. COUNCILMAN,
YOU SAID WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEGATIVES FOR CLOSING THE LIBRARY? I CAN'T REALLY ATTEST TO THOSE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT SOME OF THOSE POSITIVES ARE FOR
THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT LIVE WITHIN A DISTANCE OF A LIBRARY. 
          SOME OF THE POSITIVES FOR NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE WITHIN A MILE OF THE LIBRARY
STATISTICALLY, THE PEOPLE IN THOSE AREAS GO ON TO EARN HIGHER EDUCATION LEVELS. 
          STATISTICALLY, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE WITHIN A MILE OF A LIBRARY GO ON TO BE HIGHER EARNERS. 
          STATISTICALLY, WHEN YOU CLOSE LIBRARIES, THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA,
THE SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN IN THERE, THEIR MATH AND READING SCORES SUFFER. STATISTICALLY,
THE HOMES WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS OF A LIBRARY ARE VALUED AT MORE. 
          SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A VALUE TO THE LIBRARY. 
          AS I SAID, I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY A GOOD SUMMARY OF WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON
GOING AT THE LIBRARY. 
          I MEAN, I'M NOT A FOOL. I KNOW EXACTLY WHO'S TELLING YOU TO TRY AND CONSOLIDATE INTO ONE
SPACE. 
          AND I JUST DON'T AGREE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN BE TRYING TO BUILD A LIBRARY OR A
LIBRARY COMPONENT OUT IN DISTRICT SIX AT THE COST OF CLOSING ONE IN DISTRICT ONE. YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. 
          SO I CAN'T SUPPORT THAT. YOU KNOW, I, I, AGAIN,
I BELIEVE IN RENOVATING IT. 
          I BELIEVE IN USING THE SPACE. THE OTHER THING IS,
IS THAT I WORRY WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT BUILDING WHEN IT'S NOT A LIBRARY ANYMORE. 
          YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN ALL OF OUR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS,
LIKE OUR COURT GO TO POLICE AND FIRE. 
          YOU KNOW, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN USED FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN USED FOR THE REST OF
THE, THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE GONE TO POLICE AND FIRE WHO ALREADY GET 50%, 56% OF OUR BUDGET. SO YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT CORNER WHEN IT'S NOT A LIBRARY
ANYMORE BECOMES A SERVICE STATION. 
          HOW MANY SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR SPACES CAN WE HAVE? WE ALREADY HAVE ONE IN HERITAGE PLAZA. YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING ONE AT TOWN EAST
MALL NOW? OH, WELL, WE COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE ONE THERE AT THE LIBRARY. I MEAN,
HOW MANY SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR SPACES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? YOU KNOW, SO I DON'T REALLY KNOW THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO KEEP TWO LIBRARIES OPEN. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD, BECAUSE AGAIN, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO ADD ONE OVER
THERE IN DISTRICT SIX, YOU'RE TRYING TO DO IT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY,
AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO START ANY MEDIA CAMPAIGN AUGUST 15TH BECAUSE I'M GOING TO START ONE AS SOON AS WE LEAVE HERE. BECAUSE I THINK THAT YOU GUYS WILL FIND THAT A LOT OF YOUR
VOTERS WOULD BE AGAINST CLOSING THE LIBRARY. 
          AS THE MAYOR SAID, IT'S A VERY HEAVILY USED BY FAMILIES. 
          AND I THINK THAT THOSE FAMILIES WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT IT. AND
AGAIN, I JUST CAN'T GET WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS,
BUT WE'RE NOT THERE YET. 
          AND I THINK IT'S VERY DISINGENUOUS FOR COUNCILMAN TO SAY THAT THEY WANT TO LOOK AT
BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE BUDGET AND BEING MORE EFFICIENT. 
          WHEN YOU GUYS DON'T WANT TO EXAMINE POLICIES THAT COULD HELP US OUT HERE. LET'S LET ME LET
ME JUST SAY SOMETHING RIGHT NOW BEFORE WE CONTINUE AS WE EXPRESS OUR OPINIONS OR OUR COMMENTS, LET'S, LET'S KEEP A HIGH LEVEL OF DECORUM AND NOT MAKING
ACCUSATIONS AROUND THE TABLE. 
          WE GET A LOT FURTHER AND WE CAN JUST GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE WITH OUR OPINIONS,
WITH OUR COMMENTS, BUT NOT ACCUSATIONS. LET'S STAY AWAY FROM THAT. 
          I, I DON'T BUT YOU MADE YOUR COMMENT, YOU GAVE YOUR OPINION. 
          BUT AS WE CONTINUE, LET'S JUST STAY AWAY FROM THAT. 
          I'M GOING TO GO NEXT TO MR. SMITH. MY COMMENT IS A LITTLE SOFTER ON YOUR CUSTOMER SURVEY. 
          THEY THEY ASKED FOR ADULT PROGRAMS. YES. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT ADULT PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY
THEY ASK FOR? YES. SO THERE WAS A VARIETY OF ADULT PROGRAMS THAT CAME THROUGH IN OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS
FROM THE SURVEY. 
          SOME OF THE MOST REQUESTED ONES. ONE SEWING WAS OFF THE CHARTS. 
          THIS LAST ONE, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE OFFERING SEWING MACHINES,
BUT THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PARTNERING WITH PARKS AND REC WHO CAN OFFER SEWING CLASSES SO THAT WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING EFFORTS. SO WE PROVIDE MACHINES THAT THEY CAN CHECK OUT. 
          [06:20:04]
THEY PROVIDE CLASSES AND THE SPACE SOME OF THE OTHER ONES,
THEY ASKED FOR HEALTH INFORMATION, GENERAL HEALTH INFORMATION FINANCIAL LITERACY AS WELL AS SAFETY AND LIKE SCAMS,
NOT HOW TO NOT GET SCAMMED. SO THERE'S A VARIETY OF TOPICS. AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY WHAT SPURRED US TO START
THE BOOKED ON LEARNING SERIES. 
          THAT'S MONTHLY AND IT FOCUSES ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC EACH MONTH AND IT BRINGS IN PARTNERS
INTO THE LIBRARY TO HELP SUPPORT AND GIVE INFORMATION. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. COUNCILMAN. CASPER. 
          THANKS, MAYOR. AND THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS. 
          THE, THE, THE TWO QUESTIONS CONCERNS I HAVE WITH MY YOUNG KIDS,
ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LIKE TO DO IS WHEN WE GET DOWN TO EITHER LIBRARY, JUST KIND OF WINDOW SHOPPING AND SEEING WHAT'S FUN AND WHAT PIQUES THEIR INTEREST. 
          HOW CAN YOU INCLUDE A COMPONENT LIKE THAT IN THE,
I'M THINKING OF LIKE SEPHORA AND TARGET, RIGHT? LIKE THESE LITTLE MINI EXPERIENCES INSIDE ANOTHER EXISTING POCKET LIBRARIES INSIDE
THE PARKS AND REC BUILDING. 
          HOW WOULD WE BE ABLE TO INCLUDE WINDOW SHOPPING FOR A BOOK OR THE LIBRARY OF THINGS? HOW DO YOU SEE THAT? OKAY, SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT ROUTES WE CAN GO. 
          AND THIS IS PART OF THE REASON FOR THE TIMELINE. 
          WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S MOST FEASIBLE AND WE NEED TIME TO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT IT. 
          SO ONE IS THE KIOSK MODEL. AND THERE ARE BROWSING OPTIONS IN THE KIOSK MODEL WHERE YOU CAN
PROVIDE A SMALLER LIMITED COLLECTION THAT THEY CAN CHECK OUT ON THE SPOT. AND IT EVEN HAS WINDOWS WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE MATERIAL AT THE TIME. 
          WE CAN ALSO CONTINUE WITH OUR CURRENT MODEL THAT WE DO HAVE,
WHERE PEOPLE CAN LOOK ON OUR CATALOG. 
          AND I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE IT IN PERSON, BUT IT'S ALREADY IN PLACE AND THEY CAN BORROW. 
          AND WE TAKE MATERIALS DIRECTLY TO THE REC CENTER. 
          ANOTHER OPTION IS, IS TO HAVE 1 TO 2 SMALL LIBRARY STACKS. 
          SO YOU'RE REALLY TARGETING WHAT THEY CHECK OUT. 
          AND THEN THOSE HIGH INTEREST BESTSELLERS FOR COMMUNITIES THAT WANT FAMILY MATERIALS,
FAMILY MATERIALS ON A FEW BOOKSHELVES, RATHER THAN HAVING A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ONES IN ONE SPACE. 
          SO YOU'RE REALLY NARROWING IT DOWN TO THE INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY. 
          SURE. AND I THINK WITH THE MARKETING SPECIALIST,
I THINK MORE PEOPLE MIGHT GET AN IDEA OF WHAT PROGRAMING AND SERVICES EXIST OUT THERE THAN WE'RE CURRENTLY ABLE TO REACH. JUST THE WAY WE'RE CURRENTLY OPERATING. 
          SO THE OTHER CONCERN I HAD WAS ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DIGITIZE THAT WOULD
MAYBE MAKE THE ACCESS OF THE MATERIAL MORE DEMOCRATIC OR DISPERSED IN OUR CITY? I'M THINKING SPECIFICALLY OF LIKE GENEALOGY. I'VE NEVER DONE IT,
BUT I'VE HEARD WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT DEPARTMENT. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF THAT MATERIAL IS IN PRINT VERSUS DIGITIZED,
BUT IS THERE ANY GOING TO BE ANY LOSS FROM GOING TO ONE OF THE SITES IN PERSON AND LEARNING A SKILL THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT ONLINE? SO I'M GOING TO ANSWER THAT IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS WITH WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. SO
OUR GENEALOGY COLLECTION THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IS ONLY AT MAIN, OKAY. IT'S A VERY SIZABLE COLLECTION OF MATERIALS. 
          BUT WE HAVE ALREADY DONE SOME OF THE WORK AND WE'RE EXPLORING WHAT WE COULD DO FUTURE. 
          SO WE WERE PART OF THE TEXAS PORTAL TO HISTORY,
WHICH DID EXACTLY THAT. 
          THERE IS A PAUSE RIGHT NOW FROM IT WAS ALL GRANT FUNDED. 
          BUT WE ARE EXPLORING WITH DIFFERENT PARTNERS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY HOW WE COULD CONTINUE
THAT WORK TO DIGITIZE MUCH, MUCH OF THAT HISTORY. ARE THERE ANY MATERIAL THAT IS PHYSICAL AT THE NORTH BRANCH THAT,
YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE LOSING ACCESS TO? YOU KNOW,
I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE STILL GO AND SOLVE, YOU KNOW, MURDERS ON THE NEWSPAPER SCROLLS AT ONE OF THE MACHINES OR NOT. 
          ARE THERE ANY PHYSICAL MATERIALS THAT WERE WE'D POSSIBLY LOSE ACCESS TO? SO THERE'S NONE OF THOSE TYPES OF MATERIALS AT NORTH CURRENTLY IT IS ALL AT OUR MAIN
LOCATION WHERE WE HAVE LIBRARY STAFF THAT SUPPORT THAT AND ALL THE MACHINES THAT WOULD HELP US WITH LIKE THE MICROFILM. 
          YEAH. THE WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE SUGGESTING TO ME IS NOT A REDUCTION. 
          WE'RE NOT LOSING NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY TO ME,
THE WAY I SEE IT, AND I THINK WE'RE ALL ENTITLED TO OUR OWN OPINION. 
          BUT THE WAY I SEE IT IS WE'RE DOING NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY AT FLORENCE REC CENTER,
AND IT IS MORE ACCESSIBLE. 
          IT'S MORE EFFICIENT. WE'RE ADDING SUNDAY HOURS. 
          WE'RE, I THINK JUST PROGNOSTICATING HERE WITH NO INFORMATION,
WHICH IS DANGEROUS. 
          BUT IF I'M TAKING MY MY KID TO GO PLAY PICK UP BASKETBALL OR TOURNAMENT BASKETBALL ON A
SATURDAY AND I WALK BY AN INTERESTING BESTSELLER, 
          [06:25:01]
I'M MORE LIKELY TO CHECK IT OUT THAN IF I HAD TO STOP AT MAIN LIBRARY ON THE WAY THERE. 
          IT IS CONVENIENT. IT'S IMPLANTING AN IDEA. SO I THINK OUR COMMUNITY IS KIND OF TALKING
ABOUT TRADING TWO LIBRARIES FOR FOUR LIBRARIES DOWN THE ROAD THAT ARE MORE GEOGRAPHICALLY ACCESSIBLE TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND MORE CONVENIENT HOURS,
INCLUDING SUNDAY HOURS. 
          SO I'M GROWING MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS CONCEPT,
AND I'D BE INTERESTED IN GETTING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOW WE COULD ADD A TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT TO THE POCKET LIBRARIES AND A WINDOW SHOPPING COMPONENT. 
          BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU SIR. 
          MAYOR PRO TEM THANK YOU MAYOR. SO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THIS. 
          RIGHT. SO THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY WOULD BE LOSING BY MOVING IT TO FLORENCE WOULD BE
HAVING THE BIG COLLECTION OF BOOKS THERE, CORRECT? PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE YOU GUYS DO,
YOU'D BE OPERATING IN FLORENCE. THE THE COMPUTERS, ALL THAT TYPE OF STUFF WE WOULD HAVE AVAILABLE AT FLORENCE. 
          CORRECT? WE COULD HAVE A SUBSET. WE WOULDN'T HAVE AS MANY COMPUTERS. 
          WE WOULDN'T HAVE AS MANY. IT WOULD BE A SMALLER. 
          BUT WE COULD HAVE ALL OF THE SAME SERVICES IN FLORENCE. 
          BUT YOU WOULD ALSO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. SO SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE WOULD BE ABLE TO BE
IMPACTED BY IT, LIKE OUT WHERE THEY ACTUALLY ARE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO COME TO FLORENCE TO DO IT. 
          CORRECT, CORRECT. OKAY. SO THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS I'M AGREEING WITH COUNCILMAN CASPER. 
          WE'RE NOT REALLY ALL WE'RE DOING IS CLOSING A BUILDING. WE'RE LITERALLY LIKE MOVING IT TO
FLORENCE, WHICH IS RIGHT THERE. THE OTHER OPTION, IF WE KEEP IT OPEN,
WE NEED TO PUT $2 MILLION IN RENOVATION ON IT, AND EVENTUALLY WE NEED TO PUT 20 MILLION INTO BUILDING A NEW ONE. 
          WE BUILD A NEW ONE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD IT THERE. IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO
MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE WHERE IT HAS BEEN FOR DECADES, LIKE WHERE PEOPLE ARE USED TO GOING TO. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THERE. LAWRENCE IS LITERALLY, I MEAN, VERY SHORT WALKING DISTANCE FROM WHERE THIS CURRENTLY IS. 
          IF WE WERE TO RELOCATE IT TO FLORENCE, IT ALLOWS US TO DO MORE WITHIN THE SYSTEM. 
          IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO POTENTIALLY I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PLANS ARE FOR THAT BUILDING,
BUT EVENTUALLY MAYBE SELL THAT BUILDING OFF AND MAYBE THAT PAYS FOR SOME OF THE RENOVATIONS AT THE MAIN LIBRARY. OR MAYBE THAT HELPS GO TOWARD BUILDING THE NEW MAIN
LIBRARY, THAT KIND OF THING. SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I ATTENDED LSC A FEW YEARS BACK,
ONE OF THE SPEAKERS MADE A REALLY GOOD POINT. 
          HE SAID, CITIES THAT FAIL TO EVOLVE, PERISH. AND I THINK THAT'S THE THING. 
          LIKE, IF WE DON'T LOOK AT WHAT THE FUTURE IS AND HOW WE CAN BETTER SERVE EVERYBODY,
I MEAN, THERE'S NOTHING IN THE SOUTH END, AS YOU SHOWED. 
          I THINK AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND ALL THE
GEOGRAPHY AND TO GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT IF THE RECREATION CENTERS, THEY TAUGHT US NOTHING ELSE. IT TAUGHT US THAT THE PEOPLE WANT MULTIPLE SERVICES,
MULTIPLE AGES. 
          THEY WANT THAT KIND OF STUFF. WHEN THEY GO TO A BUILDING IN OUR CITY,
THEY DON'T WANT JUST ONE THING. 
          AND SO IF YOU'RE ABLE TO PARTNER UP WITH THE REC CENTERS,
SHARE SOME PATRONS, THAT KIND OF STUFF, I THINK IT'S BENEFICIAL FOR EVERYBODY. LIKE YOU MENTIONED,
THE SEWING CLASSES THAT THEY'RE DOING, THE CLASSES. DO YOU GUYS HAVE THE EQUIPMENT? WELL, GUESS WHAT? YOU GUYS CAN KEEP UP WITH THE MAINTENANCE AND KEEP TRACK OF WHO HAS THE
EQUIPMENT AND THEY'RE RUNNING THE CLASSES. 
          LIKE TO ME, THAT'S REALLY WHAT ALL OUR DEPARTMENTS SHOULD BE DOING,
IS THAT INTER COOPERATION AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD STRATEGY TO ME. YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT POTENTIALLY WITH THE REC CENTER WHEN
EVANS HOPEFULLY GETS IF THAT MOVES FORWARD AND WE END UP MOVING EVANS AND REBUILDING IT, ADDING A LIBRARY COMPONENT TO THAT. AND MAYBE THAT IS THE NEW BRANCH BECAUSE IT'S MORE
STRATEGICALLY LOCATED. SO I THINK THE SYNERGY OF HAVING THE TWO KIND OF TOGETHER, IT MAKES SENSE TO ME. SO I DO BELIEVE THE CONSOLIDATION PLAN AT THIS STAGE FOR OUR CITY IS
PROBABLY THE SMARTEST WAY TO GO. 
          I THINK IT GIVES THE RESIDENTS THE MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK AND ALLOWS US TO SERVE THE MOST
RESIDENTS. 
          THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVENTUALLY,
AND MAYBE EVEN INSTEAD OF THE KIOSK, IS SOME TYPE OF LIKE BOOK, BUS OR BOOKMOBILE. IF YOU'RE GOING TO THESE DIFFERENT DIFFERENT EVENTS,
THINGS LIKE THAT HAVE SOMETHING THAT DRAWS YOUR ATTENTION. 
          SO YOU KNOW THEY'RE THERE. AND IF YOU HAD LIKE AN OLD BUS RENOVATED OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, MAYBE YOU DO HAVE ACTUAL PHYSICAL BOOKS ON IT THAT PEOPLE CAN CHECK, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT JUST GIVES YOU THAT OPPORTUNITY. SO THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHTS ON IT. 
          ANYONE ELSE? YES, MAYOR. SO I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF A MODEL THAT WOULD BE INCORPORATED IN
FLORENCE RECREATION CENTER IF I KNEW WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE. 
          RIGHT NOW I DON'T HAVE THAT. ALL I HAVE IS THE TIMELINE FOR JANUARY 27TH,
ABOUT WHEN WE WOULD BE CLOSING THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY, AND I'M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. SO UNTIL WE HAVE SOME KIND OF YOU KNOW,
CONCRETE OUTLOOK ABOUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING A LIBRARY COMPONENT IN FLORENCE RECREATION CENTER WOULD LOOK LIKE,
I'M UNWILLING TO TO BUDGE ON THIS. 
          AND THE OTHER ISSUE IS, IS THAT, I MEAN, HOW SIGNIFICANTLY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT INVESTING
IN FLORENCE IN THE RECREATION CENTER? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN THERE RECENTLY,
BUT IT'S NOT THAT BIG. 
          I MEAN, IT'S A DECENT SIZED SPACE, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT THAT BIG IF YOU'RE TRYING TO HAVE
WORKSHOPS AND A COMPUTER ROOM AND YOU KNOW, 
          [06:30:01]
THEN SOME KIND OF SMALL BOOK DEPOSITORY AREA,
THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT INTO THE FLORENCE RECREATION CENTER, AND IT WOULD HAVE TO EXPAND WELL BEYOND WHAT IT'S CAPABLE OF NOW. 
          AND FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE RECREATION SIDE,
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY PUTTING AN INDOOR WATER, YOU KNOW, FEATURE THERE FOR EXERCISE AND SOME OTHER THINGS. 
          SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A NEW BUILD AT FLORENCE AND IT HAS ALL THESE FEATURES AND
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A GOOD SOLID, DEDICATED SPACE FOR LIBRARY SERVICES. 
          AND THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. BUT JUST SLAPPING A FEW BOOKS IN WHAT WE HAVE NOW AT FLORENCE
AND SOME COMPUTERS IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO THE LIBRARY. 
          AND ONCE AGAIN, IF WE ARE GOING TO CONSIDER CLOSING THE BRANCH LIBRARY,
THEN I HAVE SOME SERIOUS RESERVATIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT BUILDING COULD BE. 
          I MEAN, WE JUST HEARD ONE COUNCILMAN AGAIN SAY THAT WE WOULD SELL IT OFF. 
          SO, I MEAN, IF YOU GUYS KNOW TO THE NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY,
THIS IS A PILLAR IN THIS COMMUNITY. 
          IT SITS RIGHT THERE ON THE CORNER AND IT'S BUILT INTO A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY. 
          SO WHERE WOULD WE SELL IT OFF TO? YOU KNOW, WHAT? WOULD IT BECOME A SERVICE STATION. IT'S NOT GOING TO BECOME A RETAIL CENTER. 
          SO I AGAIN, UNTIL WE HAVE SOME KIND OF CONCRETE MODEL ABOUT WHAT FLORENCE WOULD LOOK LIKE
WITH THE LIBRARY COMPONENT, I CAN'T SUPPORT IT. I'D JUST LIKE TO JUST SAY THAT THE THE CONCEPT OF JUST PICKING UP THE FLORENCE OR THE NORTH BRANCH OPERATION AND HAVING. 
          STAFFING. LIBRARY DEDICATED. STAFFING. JUST MOVING THEM ACROSS THE FIELD INTO FLORENCE IS
NOT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING. 
          AND SO, AS THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION SHOWED,
IS THAT IF WE ARE OPEN EXTENDED HOURS, WE CAN PUT LIBRARY STAFF IN THERE AS PART OF THE TAPESTRY OF PROGRAMS THAT WILL GO ON IN THE REC
CENTERS. 
          THE REC CENTERS WILL BE THE CONGREGATION FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          SO WE WON'T KNOW THE FUTURE OF FLORENCE EXPANSION UNTIL WE MAKE A DECISION ON GOING FOR A
NEW THE RECREATION CENTER BOND, WHICH CURRENTLY WE WOULD PROPOSE AS A FUNDING FOR RENOVATIONS
TO FLORENCE AND A NEW RECREATION CENTER IN THE SOUTH. WITH THOSE REMODELS,
WE CAN REIMAGINE THE SPACE THAT WE HAVE, AND SOME OF THE EXPANSIONS COULD TAKE CARE OF ADDITIONAL SPACE AND MAYBE A FEW MORE
MEETING ROOMS AND THOSE SORT OF THINGS THAT CAN BE MANAGED BY THE RECREATION STAFF. AND THEN THE LIBRARY STAFF JUST COMES IN AND HOLDS PROGRAMS WHEN IT
COMES TO THE CURRENT NORTH BRANCH BUILDING. 
          WE HAVEN'T MADE TOO MANY INQUIRIES INTO WHAT THAT CAN BE. 
          WE DO KNOW THAT IT IS A ABOUT TO BE A 50 YEAR OLD FACILITY,
WHICH HAS SIGNIFICANT ISSUES AND IT'S GOING TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT COST TO IT. SO WE WOULD DO AN EVALUATION OF WHETHER IT COULD BE RENOVATED AND USED FOR ANOTHER
CITY SERVICE. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD BE. WE'RE WE'RE KIND OF GOOD ON SPACE NOW WITH THE
ACQUISITION OF THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 
          AND WE'RE ABLE TO FLEX SOME SOME THINGS AS WE GROW. 
          I'VE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF NONPROFITS WHO ARE PAYING VERY HIGH RENTS AND A LOT OF THEIR
FUNDRAISING IS GOING TO OPERATING BUILDINGS. AND SO THEY WOULD BE DEFINITELY BE INTERESTED IN COMING IN AND OPERATING OUT OF
THOSE. 
          AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPACE AND HERITAGE PLAZA IS TEMPORARY SPACE. 
          IT'S PROGRAMABLE SPACE. THERE IS NO SET PROGRAM THERE. 
          COULD CREATE, WE COULD UTILIZE KIM'S GROUP TO HAVE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMING AND ALL OF
THOSE TYPES OF THINGS IN THOSE BUILDINGS. 
          SO THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. BUT UNTIL WE HAVE DIRECTION FROM YOU ALL,
WE WON'T KNOW THE CONDITION OF THE BUILDING. 
          WHAT NECESSARILY NEEDS TO BE DONE? LORI'S RIGHT. 
          IT NEEDS ABOUT $2 MILLION IN RENOVATIONS JUST TO KEEP IT OPERATING AT A LEVEL IT SHOULD
HAVE HAD FIVE YEARS AGO. 
          AND WE'LL GET TO YOU. THEN WE'LL GET TO YOU. BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY I LIKE THE IDEA VERY
MUCH. 
          I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION. AND I REALLY THIS MAP THAT YOU HAVE HERE ABOUT THE MAP OF
AREA LIBRARIES. 
          YEAH, OUR SOUTH SIDE OVER THERE. I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE REALLY PUTTING OUT SOME EMPHASIS ON
OUTREACHES AND BEING ABLE TO MOBILIZE. 
          AND WITH THE KIOSK AND WITH THE LOCKERS AND ALL THAT. 
          WE'RE MOVING INTO A TIME RIGHT NOW THAT WE CAN BE VERY MOBILIZED AND REACH MORE KIDS,
MORE YOUTH, MORE, MORE ADULTS AND ENCOURAGING THEM ABOUT READING AS WELL. 
          [06:35:01]
SO THAT SAYS A LOT. OF COURSE, THAT NORTH LIBRARY IS SURROUNDED BY SO MANY LIBRARIES. 
          AND THEN DOWN THERE TO THE SOUTH, THERE'S THERE'S JUST NOTHING EXCEPT THE SEAGOVILLE. 
          AND SO I WOULD BE VERY MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO HEAR MORE OF ALL THAT WE CAN DO OUTREACHES,
DEDICATED SPACES. 
          AND YOU DID A GREAT JOB ON THAT PRESENTATION. 
          WE'LL GO TO MR. CASPER AND THEN WE'LL GO TO MR. KENNY GREEN. AND THIS MAY BE TOO EARLY IN THE PROCESS,
BUT WOULD THERE BE CROSS TRAINING THAT WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN BETWEEN PARKS AND REC STAFF AND WHETHER A LIBRARY STAFF IS PRESENT AT THE,
THE POCKET LIBRARY OR NOT. 
          BUT I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT IF I'D NEVER GOTTEN A LIBRARY CARD OR I DON'T KNOW IF THE TECH
COMPONENT IS A CHROMEBOOK STYLE CHECKOUT, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THAT SPACE OR NOT, THAT SEEMS LIKE IT'D BE COST AFFORDABLE. 
          BUT WOULD OUR PARKS AND REC FRONT DESK RECEPTIONIST KIND OF HAVE TO BE CROSS TRAINED ON
HOW TO HANDLE THOSE MATERIALS? YES. SO DEPENDING ON WHICH PATH WE CHOOSE. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR DIRECTION BECAUSE THEN WE
HAVE TO EXAMINE WHAT ALL NEEDS TO BE DONE. 
          SURE. BUT YES, HAVING A DEDICATED SPACE AND MAKING IT REALLY UTILIZABLE BY OUR RESIDENTS
WOULD REQUIRE US TO DO SOME CROSS TRAINING. 
          I WOULD ALSO REQUIRE A LOT OF PROMOTION TO GET LIBRARY CARD SIGNUPS. 
          SO THEN WE'RE REALLY SETTING OUR RESIDENTS UP TO BE ABLE TO USE THE THE RESOURCE,
WHETHER IT'S DROPPING OFF BOOKS, A KIOSK OR ANYWHERE IN THE SPACE. WE'RE GOING TO NEED THAT. 
          WE'RE GOING TO NEED PROMOTION AND GETTING STAFF OUT THERE. 
          ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. GREEN. YEAH. THANK YOU. 
          SO WHEN CLIFF WAS TALKING, IT KIND OF MADE ME LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS AND THINK ABOUT IT. 
          SO WE WOULD NEED $2 MILLION IN 2028 TO CONTINUE OPERATING THE LIBRARY AS IT IS JUST TO DO
THE RENOVATIONS THAT ARE NEEDED TO KEEP IT FUNCTIONAL. 
          YOU NEED $20 MILLION IF YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP A NORTH BRANCH,
AND THAT'S $22 MILLION, AND THAT WOULDN'T BE OPEN UNTIL 2045. 
          SO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT. AND NOW WE HAVE THE RECREATION COMPONENT OF IT TO WHERE WE NEED
MONEY TO EXPAND. 
          FLORENCE. RIGHT. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT TO OUR VOTERS AND ASK THEM FOR MORE MONEY,
POTENTIALLY FOR A BOND FOR THIS STUFF. 
          SO IF YOU'RE A VOTER IN OUR CITY AND I TELL YOU,
YOU CAN GIVE US $22 MILLION AND WE'LL GIVE YOU AN EXPANDED RECREATION CENTER WITH A BRAND NEW LIBRARY COMPONENT IN IT. OR I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE YOU A REC CENTER,
AND WE'RE GOING TO STILL NEED THE $22 MILLION. 
          LIKE WHAT WOULD YOU DO? LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, IT SEEMS LIKE IT STRENGTHENS OUR POSITION. 
          IT'S SMARTER USE OF TAX DOLLARS BECAUSE WE KNOW THE BUILDING'S GOT TO BE REPLACED
EVENTUALLY ANYWAY. 
          THIS DATA HERE IS ALREADY TELLING YOU THAT THE BUILDING IS NOT GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE AS
IT IS BY 2045, EVEN WITH THE RENOVATIONS. SO LOOKING AHEAD,
LOOKING BIG PICTURE, I THINK IF WE ARE ABLE TO GET A GOOD, A GOOD BLUEPRINT THAT WOULD SATISFY THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE LAYOUT,
IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET KIND OF A CONCEPTUAL PLAN OF WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE WITH THE EXPANSION, I THINK THAT MIGHT HELP US A LOT TO KNOW,
LIKE, HEY, IF WE ARE ABLE TO, IF WE DO DECIDE TO EXPAND FLORENCE, WHAT WOULD THE LIBRARY LOOK LIKE? WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE AT THE EXPANDED LOCATION? SO LIKE IF THE VOTERS ARE WILLING TO GIVE THE MONEY FOR THAT,
WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE THAT HELPS US SELL THE CONCEPT TO THE VOTERS AS WELL. 
          I THINK THAT'S BIG PICTURE WISE. I THINK WHETHER WE DO THIS THIS YEAR,
WE WAIT AND SAY, OKAY, CAN WE WAIT A YEAR AND DO IT LIKE WHATEVER WE END UP DOING WITH IT? I THINK EVENTUALLY IT'S GOING TO MAKE SENSE TO MOVE IT ANYWAY,
JUST BECAUSE OF THE COST, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD A NEW LIBRARY AT SOME POINT. SO, AND IN 2045, WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE TRENDING,
I HONESTLY DON'T THINK BOOKS ARE GOING TO BE AS HEAVILY CHECKED OUT AS THEY ARE BECAUSE THEY'RE TRENDING DOWN OR LIKE, SO, I MEAN, I JUST DON'T SEE IT BY 2045. 
          WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY. HECK, YOU MAY,
YOU KNOW, THINGS MAY GET PIPED INTO YOUR GLASSES OR SOMETHING LIKE WHO KNOWS? WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, BUT WE DO KNOW THERE'S A $22 MILLION EXPENSE FOR JUST
A LIBRARY ON HERE, OR YOU CAN SPEND 20 TO 30 MILLION. WHATEVER IT IS I'M BEING TO EXPAND FLORENCE. 
          AND YOU HAVE BOTH. SO. ANYONE ELSE? ACTUALLY,
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION, LORI? DO YOU KNOW IF WE HAVE ANY LIBRARY STORES, LIKE AT BOOK STORES HERE IN MESQUITE? SO WE CURRENTLY DO NOT. BUT I'VE HEARD THERE'S A POTENTIAL FOR ONE REOPENING IN DOWNTOWN
AREA. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TIMELINE IS BECAUSE I'M WITH THE LIBRARY,
NOT THE BOOKSTORE, BUT I'VE HEARD THAT THERE IS ONE COMING. 
          KIM AND HER TEAM MIGHT BE BETTER SUITED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. 
          IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR. I THINK THEY'RE FINALIZING SOME THINGS WITH BUILDING
INSPECTION TO GET THEIR CEO. 
          BUT CURRENTLY WE DON'T HAVE ANY PLACE YOU CAN GO AND BUY BOOKS OR BOOKS OTHER THAN
LIBRARIES. 
          CORRECT. THANK YOU. YES. MR. HUBACEK, I SPOKE WITH THAT OWNER OF THE POTENTIAL BOOKSTORE,
AND IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT SOONER THAN LATER. 
          SO HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WE'LL HAVE SOMETHING. 
          BUT LET'S CROSS OUR FINGERS. HOPE THAT HAPPENS. 
          ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR TIME AND THE LIVELY
DISCUSSIONS ON BOTH WAYS. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          [06:40:03]
LORI MAYOR. WE ARE AT 330 AND WE WITH ERIC AND A COUPLE OF OTHER PRESENTATIONS. I'M, I'M, I'M SEEING 5:00 IN OUR FUTURE. 
          SO IF YOU ALL ARE OKAY, I'D LIKE TO JUST GAUGE YOUR TIME FRAME AND TRY AND Y'ALL PROBABLY
WANT TO BE CLOSER TO FOUR THAN FIVE I BELIEVE SO WE'RE GOING TO PUSH PUBLIC WORKS AND CAPITAL PRESENTATIONS AND MOVE RIGHT
INTO BUDGET OFFERS AND THEN WE CAN TRY TO CLOSE OUT UNLESS Y'ALL WANT TO STAY LATE. 
          I'M HERE AS LONG AS Y'ALL ARE HERE. DON'T DON'T SPEAK UP AT ONCE. 
          SO. Y'ALL GOOD WITH THAT? ALRIGHT. 
          SO WITH THE BUDGET OFFER DISCUSSION THESE, THESE ARE IN YOUR BINDERS,
AND I'M SURE I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING. 
          OF WHAT THEY ARE. SOME OF THEM YOU'VE SEEN PRESENTATIONS ON. 
          SOME OF THEM YOU'LL SEE IN. FUTURE PRESENTATIONS. 
          MAIN THING WE NEED IS SOME DIRECTION. IF WE'RE GOING. 
          JUST SO WE CAN. TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO COUNCIL. 
          AND SO I'LL RUN THROUGH THESE IF ANYTHING STANDS OUT AS A MUST DO,
IF Y'ALL VERBALIZE THAT. 
          AND THEN IF IT'S WE DON'T NEED TO DO THAT NOW OR FIND,
PUT IT OFF FOR A YEAR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          WE CAN, WE CAN GO. SO FOR THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPORT NEEDS TWO PIECES OF EQUIPMENT AIRCRAFT
TUG. 
          WE HAVE WE'RE SEEING A LOT MORE INCREASE IN LARGER AIRCRAFT. 
          AND SO THIS THIS EQUIPMENT WOULD HELP US MANEUVER SOME OF THE CORPORATE JETS THAT WE'RE
SEEING. 
          THE GROUND POWER UNIT ALSO HELPS US WITH OUR VOLUME. 
          RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE TO COME TO A CERTAIN LOCATION TO GET POWER. 
          THIS WOULD ALLOW THE POWER TO BE TAKEN TO THE PLANE,
MUCH MORE EFFICIENT AND BETTER FOR TRAFFIC ON THE THE JETWAY. 
          AND THEN THERE'S A FURNITURE REPLACEMENT FOR THE AIRPORT. 
          AND IT'S VERY SMALL. IT'S JUST REPLACING THE LOBBY FURNITURE. 
          IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO 20 YEARS OLD AND IT'S WORN OUT. 
          ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. I'VE LISTED THIS HERE AS A TARGET AREA STUDY. 
          WE HAVE FOUR POTENTIAL AREAS THAT WERE PART OF THE STUDY THAT WAS PRESENTED EARLIER IN THE
YEAR. 
          I'VE LISTED WHAT ONE STUDY WOULD DO IF YOU WANT TO DO 1 OR 2 WE COULD DO THAT. 
          IF YOU WANT TO DO ALL FOUR, WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL. 
          BUT WHAT I WOULD WANT THERE IS JUST Y'ALL TELL ME HOW FAR AND HOW MUCH? KIM IS REQUESTING AN ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBER AND WITH AN ANALYST TO HELP WITH THE VOLUME
OF INQUIRIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PROPOSALS AND TO DO SOME OF THE DATA RESEARCH THAT WE'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO DO WITH OUR CURRENT STAFF. 
          YOU SAW CHIEF HOPKINS REQUESTING AN ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY FOR FIRE TRAINING. 
          I WILL PUT IN MY COMMENTS HERE. I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE CENTER FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS
AND REALLY SEE WHAT WE NEED BEFORE WE HIRE A FULL TIME ASSISTANT. AND THEN WE CAN WORK TO SEE WHAT,
WHAT WE, WHAT'S NEEDED AND WE BRING THAT AT AMENDED BUDGET IF IT'S, IF IT'S NECESSARY. I'VE LISTED WHAT A, AN ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER WOULD COST. 
          I DIDN'T PUT A NUMBER. I'M LOOKING FOR INPUT FROM Y'ALL ON THE NUMBER HOUSING AND
COMMUNITY SERVICES NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY GRANTS. THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOODS TO DO SPECIAL PROJECTS IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD. 
          SIGN TOPPERS, ENTRYWAY FEATURES, THOSE SORT OF THINGS. 
          JUST BE AN OPPORTUNITY. IF A NEIGHBORHOOD CAN ORGANIZE AND FUNDRAISE,
WE COULD DO SOME MATCHING FUNDS FOR THOSE THINGS. 
          IT IS NEEDING A PROJECT MANAGER TO HELP WITH SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION. 
          LORI JUST MENTIONED HER MARKETING SPECIALIST. 
          THE SELF-CHECKOUT UPGRADE AND THE LOCKERS. I,
AND I APOLOGIZE, THERE'S A COMMA BREAK THERE ON THE LOCKERS. 
          THOSE ARE 90,000 FOR TWO, I BELIEVE THEY'RE 45,000 APIECE. 
          SO MOST OF THOSE WITH THE CONSOLIDATION PLAN CAN BE ABSORBED. 
          SO THOSE WOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE A GENERAL FUND HIT. 
          BUT I KNOW THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ON LOCKERS AND MAYBE WE NEED TO JUSTIFY THE USE IN A
WAY. 
          AND WE'LL HOLD OFF ON PUTTING THOSE INTO THE PLAN. 
          [06:45:03]
CITY DETECT THE AI CAMERAS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND CODE ENFORCEMENT. 
          I'VE MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES. I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL SAVE US THE ADDITION OF THREE CODE
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. 
          PLANNING AND ZONING NEEDS TO DO AN A ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE. 
          SO WE CAN'T DO THAT IN-HOUSE. WE'RE GOING TO NEED SOME OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE TO,
TO HELP US WITH THAT. 
          PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO PROPOSING SOME SOFTWARE TO HELP WITH PLAN REVIEW. 
          THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGY OF THINGS THAT WE'RE,
WE'RE PROPOSING. 
          THIS WOULD SAVE US THE NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL PLAN REVIEW STAFF POLICE CHIEF TRAINING
OFFICER COMPUTER SOFTWARE LICENSES. I PUT THE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICER. 
          THIS IS THE COST OF A NEW POLICE OFFICER AND EQUIPMENT. 
          IT'S NOT AN ONGOING COST OF $200,000, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO ADD ONE WITH THE CAR. 
          AXON EDITION. MY NUMBER'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THEIRS. 
          I ROUNDED UP AND KNOWING HOW THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT THEY MISS IN THE PROPOSAL,
NOT JUST POLICE. 
          ALL ALL SOFTWARE PEOPLE. THE CRASH DATA RECORDER. 
          I BELIEVE WE CAN THIS IS A NECESSARY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. 
          AND JUST YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S A PRIORITY AND SAVES OUR STAFF TIME. 
          AND THEN THE CRIMINAL CASE SPECIALIST POSITION STREETS IS ASKING FOR THREE PIECES OF
EQUIPMENT, A CONCRETE PUMP A PORTABLE THAT WILL HELP WITH OUR SPEED UP OUR ALLEY,
RECONSTRUCTION, OUR AND RENOVATIONS. 
          THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT FLATBED TRUCK WILL HELP HAUL SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT THAT'S NOT EASILY
TAILORED AS WE CARRY OTHER BIGGER EQUIPMENT AND THEN THE REMOTE CONTROL TRENCHERS. I THINK I PUT THEM AS COMPACTORS PREVIOUSLY,
BUT THEY ARE TRENCHERS. 
          AND AGAIN, THESE ARE NEW TECHNOLOGY. THESE ARE STAFF HAS SEEN THESE IN OPERATION IN OTHER
PROGRAMS AND HAVE MADE A CASE FOR THIS WILL HELP US WITH OUR PANEL REPLACEMENTS AND SMALL AREA REPAIRS. 
          THE MOBILE TRAFFIC CAMERA WILL HELP TRAFFIC ENGINEERING DO TRAFFIC STUDIES IN
NEIGHBORHOODS AND ON THOROUGHFARES AND AT INTERSECTIONS. 
          IT'S A NEW TECHNOLOGY, MUCH MORE ADVANCED THAN THE COUNTERS WE CURRENTLY USE. 
          UTILITY IS NEEDING UTILITIES, IS NEEDING LAPTOP COMPUTERS,
AND ALSO A NEW PORTABLE SEWER CAMERA. 
          SOLID WASTE IS ASKING FOR A NEW, AN ADDITIONAL FRONT LOAD TRUCK. 
          YOU'LL THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE LOAD TRUCK, WHICH WILL HELP US OUT IN THE TRINITY POINT AREA
WITH THE COLLECTIONS OUT THERE, THEY HAVE THE LARGER CANS IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          WE'RE NEEDING A OPERATOR OUT AT THE COMPOST SITE. 
          THE VOLUME OF BUSINESS OUT THERE IS GROWING. AND GET A LOT OF REVENUE FROM LANDSCAPERS WHO
BRING ITEMS AND PICK UP MULCH. AND THEN WE WOULD NEED TO ADD A NEW RESIDENTIAL CREW AND TRUCK
INTO THE, INTO THE SOLID WASTE FUND JUST TO HELP WITH GROWTH. 
          WE'RE SERVING MORE HOUSES. PARKS IS ASKING FOR A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT,
A PHRASE MOWER. 
          THIS WILL HELP US WITH OUR ATHLETIC FIELD RENOVATIONS AND MAINTENANCE DUE TO THOSE IN
HOUSE PART TIME STAFFING SOFTWARE. 
          I KNOW IT'S A SMALL NUMBER UP THERE, BUT IT GOES ALONG WITH OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF
TECHNOLOGY TO SAVE TIME AND MAKE US MORE EFFICIENT. 
          AND THEN THE GOLF COURSE IS NEEDING NEW KITCHEN EQUIPMENT AND A NEW RANGE PICKER. 
          AND THEN THE CITY WIDE. WE ARE HOPING TO IMPLEMENT GPS LOCATOR SYSTEMS ON ALL OF OUR
VEHICLES. 
          THIS IS FOR SAFETY AND FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. SO COUNCIL,
THAT WAS THE FAST VERSION. 
          GIVE US YOUR IDEAS ON I WILL TELL YOU THAT ALL OF THIS STUFF IS NEEDED,
BUT WE ONLY HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OR A LIMITED AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          AND SO WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE. SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING ON THERE THAT'S A HIGH PRIORITY TO
YOU THAT WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT, LET ME KNOW. AND VICE VERSA. IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK WE CAN TRY TO FIND ANOTHER
WAY. 
          I WILL SAY THIS IS NOT ALL GENERAL FUND. AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE ON THERE THAT ARE
GENERAL FUND THAT WE CAN MAYBE TRY TO IT MAY INVOLVE A TERSE FUNDING, IT MAY INVOLVE ANOTHER FUND. 
          WE CAN TRY TO FIGURE THOSE THINGS OUT AS WELL. 
          SO JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT. MR. HUBACEK. IS THERE ANY WAY TO MOVE THE AXON EQUIPMENT ADDITION TO A DIFFERENT FUND OR DIFFERENT AVENUE FOR REVENUE FOR THAT? 
          [06:50:06]
I BELIEVE IT'S A HIGH PRIORITY. AND WE CAN LOOK AT THINGS. 
          THE THE ISSUE IS IT'S AN ONGOING EXPENSE. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE PURCHASING SOMETHING AND
WE COULD USE SEIZURE FUNDS. 
          BUT THERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS WE COULD POSSIBLY MOVE AROUND. 
          I THINK THE STRATEGY IS IF, IF IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE NEED A HALF $1 MILLION FOR
THIS PROGRAM WE WOULD, IF WE CAN'T MOVE THAT TO A CERTAIN FUND, WE CAN MAYBE FIND SOMETHING ELSE THAT MIGHT MOVE
OVER. 
          AND I THINK A LOT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS LOOK. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I THINK I'D MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE LIBRARY LOCKERS,
IF WE COULD UTILIZE RECREATION CENTERS TO FILL THAT GAP DURING THE MEANTIME, TO BE THAT POINT OF CONTACT, FOR BOOKS TO BE EXCHANGED,
OR WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE. 
          YES, SIR. MR. MERTON? YES, CLIFF. THE QUESTION FOR YOU AND KIM. 
          I WANT TO EXPOUND ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REQUEST. 
          ONE, THE TARGET AREA OF STUDIES. I KNOW WE HAVE A FEW STUDIES IN PLAY RIGHT NOW. 
          WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR THAT ONE? AND THEN DEFINE THIS DEVELOPMENT ANALYST ROLE? IS THAT THE URBAN PLANNING. ARE WE GOING IN THAT ROUTE OR SOMETHING? SO THE STUDY IS THE STUDY DID A LOOKED AT FOUR AREAS FOR VIABILITY FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND GAVE US SOME SOME IDEAS ON WHAT COULD HAPPEN OUT THERE. 
          AND SO THIS STUDY WOULD TAKE US TO THE NEXT STEP OF PUTTING IN PLACE PLANS. 
          SO THINK OF IT AS A MARKETING STUDY SAYING THIS IS WHAT COULD BE. 
          AND THEN NOW IT'S THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IN THE COUNCIL. 
          AND THE CONSULTANT WOULD SAY USING THOSE STUDIES TO SAY,
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT IN THIS AREA. 
          IT WOULD INCLUDE SOME LAND PLANNING AND SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND PUTTING PACKAGES
TOGETHER THAT KIM CAN TAKE OUT TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. SO I DON'T HAVE A BETTER EXAMPLE THAN THE
TOWNEE SMALL AREA. 
          THAT AREA IS IN TRANSITION. AND WE CAN EITHER WAIT FOR THE MARKET TO COME TO US AND WE
DEAL WITH WHATEVER IS GETTING THROWN AT US, OR WE SAY, THIS IS OUR VISION FOR THE TOWN EAST AREA. 
          WE WANT TO SEE SOME MULTIFAMILY. WE WANT TO SEE SOME REDEVELOPMENT. 
          WE WANT TO SEE GREEN SPACE AND WALKING TRAILS AND WALKABILITY AND THOSE SORT OF THINGS. 
          THAT STUDY WOULD GET US TO A PLAN IN WHICH WE CAN TAKE THAT TO A DEVELOPER AND SAY,
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT. 
          AND THAT WOULD BE THE SAME FOR, I BELIEVE, CREEK CROSSING,
TRINITY POINT AND DOWNTOWN, WHERE THE OTHER TWO AREAS. 
          AM I RIGHT? OR SIX AREAS? OKAY, WE'RE PROPOSING FOUR,
SO DON'T GET GREEDY, KIM. 
          SO DOWNTOWN CREEK CROSSING, TRINITY POINT, I THINK THOSE JUST SHOUT IT OUT. 
          DOWNTOWN TRINITY POINT TOWNEES MOTLEY TOWNEES MOTLEY AREA. 
          YES, THE TOWN EAST END EMPORIUM. THERE'S IRON HORSE. 
          IRON HORSE IS ONE OF THEM. AND THEN THERE IS A. 
          HORSE. SO SIX, SEVEN OH, CREEK CROSSING. CREEK CROSSING. 
          SO WE CAN DO ONE. WE CAN DO SIX ONE BY ONE BY ONE. 
          YES. THERE ARE 180,000 APIECE, GIVE OR TAKE. PLANNING AND ESTIMATED COSTS THE TYPE ARPA
FUNDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT. 
          SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IF YOU WANT TO DO A FEW 1 OR 2 OF THOSE,
LET'S PUT THE MONEY IN DOWN THE ROAD. 
          WE WILL DECIDE WHICH AREAS WE DON'T HAVE TO DECIDE THAT TODAY. 
          RODRIGUEZ. ROSS. I THOUGHT THE DOWNTOWN AREA WAS INCLUDED IN THAT IN THAT AREA. 
          IT WAS. OKAY. SO I THINK I WOULD SUPPORT DOWNTOWN AND THE TOWNEE SMALL AREA. 
          MY OTHER QUESTION ABOUT THE TOWNEE SMALL AREA,
DOES THAT INCLUDE THE EMPORIUM AREA? BECAUSE YEAH, THAT'S IT'S TOWN EAST AREA, BUT IT WOULD INCLUDE MARKET EAST TOWNEE SMALL. 
          IT LOOKED AT THE WHOLE AREA, THE MARKET. SO YOU KNOW,
WHEN WE WENT TO THAT CONFERENCE NOT THAT LONG AGO, I MEAN, I THOUGHT I UNDERSTOOD THAT EMPORIUM KIND OF HAS THEIR OWN LITTLE BUSINESSY HOA
KIND OF ORGANIZATION THAT LIES WITHIN IT. I MEAN, COULD THEY NOT HELP WITH SOME OF THAT 180 STUDY? WE COULD APPROACH. WE HAVE NOT HAD MUCH INTEREST FROM THE MALL GROUP TO PARTICIPATE IN
THESE TYPES OF THINGS. 
          SO I ABSOLUTELY, WE WOULD GO TO ANY PARTNER THAT WANTS TO JOIN US,
BUT FOR BUDGETARY SAKE, WE WOULD SAY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT IT FULLY COVERED FOR THE BUDGET. 
          [06:55:03]
IF WE CAN REDUCE THE MONEY, WE WILL. OKAY. AND THEN I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS ZONING
ORDINANCE UPDATE. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S ALMOST A QUARTER OF $1 MILLION. 
          PAUSE. I WANT TO MAKE SURE HE HAD TWO. SO SECOND PART. 
          YEAH. THE RATIONALE FOR THE ANALYST. OKAY. AND THAT ROLE LOOKS LIKE AGAIN,
IT'S JUST THE THE VOLUME OF WORK COMING THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          IT CONTINUES TO INCREASE. I THINK KIM'S GOT 14 EXECUTIVE SEARCH PROPOSALS ON HER DESK. 
          ALBERTO'S DESK AND MELISSA'S DESK. AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF DATA RESEARCH THAT GOES BEHIND
THOSE. 
          THERE'S ALSO THE INFORMATION THAT WE GET FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND ALL THOSE SORT OF
THINGS. 
          SO THIS ANALYST IS MORE OF DOING THE BACKGROUND RESEARCH THAT FLOWS UP INTO THE THE
MANAGER AND KIM'S DESK ON THE PROPOSALS THAT GO OUT. 
          SO I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEEDED, BUT IT'S,
IT'S NOT MY HIGHEST PRIORITY WHEN IT COMES TO STAFFING. 
          SO I'M SORRY, MR. ROSS. NO. SO THAT'S FINE. THE ANALYSIS,
I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A VERY SMALL WORKFORCE, KIM. SO I'M REALLY NOT OPPOSED TO THAT. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF WE COULD GET THAT
EMPORIUM GROUP TO TRY AND HELP US OUT. 
          WITH WHAT? THEIR STUDY, AT LEAST IN THEIR NECK OF THE WOODS. 
          AND THEN AGAIN, I'M JUST QUESTIONING THE ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE. 
          ALMOST A QUARTER OF $1 MILLION. IS THIS BECAUSE WE NEED TO SOURCE IT OUT,
OR IS THIS BECAUSE WE NEED TO BRING IN STAFF OR I MEAN, IT WOULD BE AN OUTSOURCED CONSULTANT WHO HAS AN EXPERTISE IN DOING THESE. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF GROUPS OUT THERE THAT DO THIS. 
          WE HAVE A 1980S ZONING ORDINANCE, AND IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT TO US BY THE DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNITY THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH. 
          IT REQUIRES A LOT OF TIME FOR US TO GO TO YOU WITH PLAN DEVELOPMENTS AND TRYING TO PIECE
THINGS TOGETHER. 
          AND IF IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE STREAMLINED WITH A FEW TWEAKS PROBABLY BE JUST AN EASIER
PROCESS. 
          AND ADAM'S GROUP IS GREAT. HE'S GOT SOME GREAT PLANNERS,
BUT THEY'RE JUST, THEY'VE GOT A VOLUME OF WORK DEALING WITH ALL OF THE DEVELOPMENT. 
          WE JUST, WE'VE BEEN TRYING FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS TO DO THIS. 
          WE'VE TAKEN A FEW BITES AT IT AND WE'VE JUST NOT MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS. 
          SO I THINK IT'S IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A GOOD ZONING ORDINANCE TO HELP US IF WE'RE
GOING TO, AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. SO THIS WOULD BE A ONE TIME EXPENSE. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE AN ONGOING. CONTINUING EXPENSE. 
          OKAY. AND THEN I THINK AGAIN, WITH THE KIND OF MURKINESS THAT EXISTED WHEN WE WERE TRYING
TO ASK ABOUT IT, MAYBE THE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICER FOR POLICE,
YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT'S NOT MY HIGHEST PRIORITY AT THIS TIME. 
          I WOULD, I WOULD SAY WHEN IT COMES TO FIRE AND POLICE,
WHAT YOU WERE DOING, EXCEPT FOR THE TRAINING OFFICER YOU'RE BASICALLY JUST CONTRIBUTING OFF STAFFING FOR THE LONG TERM. A FEW YEARS AGO,
WE WERE TRYING TO ADD 3 OR 4 OFFICERS AT A TIME WHEN, WHEN WE COULD JUST TO GET AHEAD OF GROWTH. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT IS. 
          SO IF YOU WANT TO ADD 1 OR 2 CHIEFS TALKED ABOUT HIS COVERAGE RATIO ON FIRE. 
          THAT'S WHAT THE TRUCK EIGHT COMING ON. WE PROBABLY NEED TO BUILD THAT UP. 
          THINK IN TERMS OF THE TWO FIREFIGHTERS WE APPROVE. 
          IF WE PROVE TO THEM TODAY THEY'RE NOT IN OPERATIONS FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS. 
          IT TAKES TWO YEARS TO TRAIN THEM, SO WE HAVE TO. 
          IT'S AN ATTEMPT TO STAY AHEAD. IF. IF YOU ASK ME FOR A PRIORITY,
WHICH I WILL BRING TO YOU ALL ON AUGUST 3RD, I WILL SAY WE NEED TWO FIREFIGHTERS IN THE BUDGET AND THE TRAINING OFFICER. 
          I THINK THAT TRAINING OFFICER DOES. WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DO IS WE'RE PULLING OFFICERS
OFF THE STREET TO TRAIN, AND IF WE HAVE ONE DEDICATED TO TRAINING, WE'RE NOT PULLING PEOPLE OFF THE STREET. 
          MR.. CLIFF ON THE PORTABLE CONCRETE PUMP FOR SERVICE IN AREAS THAT MIGHT BE LESS
ACCESSIBLE WITH TRUCKS. 
          WILL THIS EXPEDITE THE JOBS? AND IF IT EXPEDITES THE JOBS,
DOES IT ALLOW US TO DO MORE OF THEM IN A CALENDAR YEAR? YES, SIR. YEAH. SO THIS IS THE ONE FOR THE $78,000. 
          IT'S A WIN. WE CAN GET MORE WORK DONE AT. WE WILL GET MORE WORK DONE. 
          AND THE SAME THING FOR THE PORTABLE SEWER CAMERA AT $152,000. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE THAT CAN IS SPECTACULAR,
AND WE PROBABLY GOT THE OLD EQUIPMENT THAT'S BULKY. 
          WILL THIS HELP US BE MORE EFFICIENT AND CATCHING THOSE ISSUES? RIGHT NOW WE HAVE TO TAKE THE SPECIALIZED TRUCK THAT CARRIES THE LARGE CAMERA OUT TO
CERTAIN SITES TO DO THE CAMERA WORK. 
          THIS NEW EQUIPMENT NOW FITS IN A BACK OF A PICKUP TRUCK,
SO WE WON'T HAVE TO TAKE IT CAN BE PUT ON THE TRUCK WITH THE SEWER CREW INSTEAD OF SENDING 
          [07:00:05]
ANOTHER TRUCK. NOW I KNOW THE CITIZENS WANT MORE STREET WORK DONE,
WORK DONE. 
          SO ANYTHING THEY CAN EXPEDITE OR HELP US WITH THAT,
STREET REQUESTS ARE ON HERE BECAUSE THEY WILL MAKE US MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE COVERAGE. YES, SIR. AWESOME. THANK YOU, MR. CASPER. 
          THE I MEAN PARTICULARLY ON THE AXON. THERE, THERE ISN'T ANOTHER OFFER FOR A TASER PRODUCT. 
          THERE'S NOT, YOU KNOW, THEIR END OF LIFE. SO I,
I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IF THERE'S TRUE DISCRETION HERE OR NOT. 
          WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT BUYING THE BUNDLE? WE SAVE 80,000 OVER THE NEXT EACH YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS. 
          WELL, IT'S 500,000 A YEAR. SO IF WE DON'T GET THE BUNDLE,
IF WE IF YOU JUST BUY TASERS, WE JUST GO OUT THERE. 
          YEAH. YOU'RE YOU'RE SAVING ABOUT 125, 150,000 ANNUALLY. 
          YES. YEAH. AND SO YOU KNOW, I THINK WE PUT THIS BUDGET OFFER AS THE OFFER THAT AXON HAS
GIVEN US TO SAY IT'S A, IT'S A LOT OF STUFF. ARE THEY A MONOPOLY? THERE'S NOT A COMPETITOR FOR TASER LIKE PRODUCT. 
          THERE ARE THERE, THE OPTIONS ARE DWINDLING BECAUSE THESE LARGE GROUPS ARE BUYING UP ALL OF
THESE OTHER COMPANIES, AND THAT'S HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE. EXXON DIDN'T DEVELOP DRONES. 
          THEY PURCHASED A DRONE COMPANY. AND SO I THINK I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY THIS, I DON'T KNOW, THE TIMING ON THE, THE NEED TO GET THE TASERS,
BUT I THINK IF I WOULD SAY WE NEED, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE TASERS, WE CAN BUDGET THE 500,000 AND THEN GO DO SOME ADDITIONAL
RESEARCH AND MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT JUST CLUING INTO THE, THE EASY OFFER THAT WAS GIVEN TO US AND SEE WHAT AND THEN COME BACK TO
YOU AND SAY, OKAY, IF WE WERE GOING TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY NEED,
HOW MUCH DOES THAT REALLY COST? I'D BE INTERESTED IN THAT. THE THREE PRODUCTS THAT WE'RE OBVIOUSLY NEEDING MAKE TOTAL
SENSE. 
          I DON'T THINK I HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MUCH MORE EFFICIENT WE'RE GOING TO
INCREASE OUR POLICE CONTACT WITH THE DRONE AS A FIRST RESPONDER OR WITH THE. 
          I FORGET WHAT THE COMMAND CENTER CAMERA SYSTEM IS. 
          BUT IN MY HEAD AND MAYBE I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION,
BUT WE HAVE ACCESS TO A LOT OF CAMERA SYSTEMS NOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE NOT HAVING A BOX PLACED IN DIFFERENT ENTITIES,
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF DISCRETION ON THAT PARTICULAR ITEM. 
          IF THERE IS A CHEAPER VERSION AND WE CAN STILL OFFER THE SAME TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT ARE
GETTING THE JOB DONE TODAY, HIGHLY EFFICIENT. I'D BE INTERESTED IN THAT. AND THEN,
YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, BUT AND I'M LOOKING AT THIS CHART THE WHOLE TIME,
BUT THE OTHER FUND CONSIDERATIONS, THE ARE THOSE IN THE REVENUE OVER EXPENDITURE, 3.8 MILLION OR THOSE WOULD INCREASE THE 3.8 MILLION. 
          THOSE OTHER FUNDS DO NOT IMPACT THE AVAILABLE REVENUE THAT IT DOES NOT. 
          THOSE COME FROM OTHER FUNDS. SO WATER AND SEWER AND SOME EXPENDITURES COULD,
MIGHT, COULD COME OUT. 
          YES. AND SOME OF THE BUDGET OFFERS CAN BE SHIFTED TO OTHER FUNDS. 
          OKAY. FOR, FOR ME, I'D LIKE TO GET THE MOWER COMBO. 
          IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE WOULD BE SOME COST SAVING THERE IN ADDITION TO WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
BRINGING THAT IN-HOUSE SEEMED LIKE IT WAS PRODUCTIVE. 
          I DON'T KNOW, WITH ALL THE NEED IF WE CAN PULL TWO TARGET AREA STUDIES. 
          YOU KNOW, OR ANY WE MIGHT WAIT, BUT I WOULD AT LEAST LIKE TO GET HIM THE ANALYSTS THAT CAN
MAKE THAT DEPARTMENT MORE EFFICIENT. 
          AND IF WE CAN DO ONE, YOU KNOW, I THINK TOWN EAST NEEDS QUITE A BIT OF VISIONING. 
          THE MARKET SPECIALIST IS A, I THINK, A PRIORITY FOR THE LIBRARY. 
          AND THERE'S ONE OTHER I WOULD LIKE TO HOLD OFF FOR ONE YEAR ON FIREFIGHTERS OR POLICE AND
CATCH UP ON COMPENSATION IF WE CAN. 
          I KEEP SAYING THAT EVERY YEAR, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY YEAR WE NEED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER
AND THE PAY. 
          AND THAT IS A WHAMMY. AT THE VERY LEAST THE TRAINING OFFICER WITH EQUIPMENT. 
          I AM CURIOUS HOW IS THE TRAINING OFFICER WITH EQUIPMENT POSITION 180 AND A NEW POLICE
OFFICER WAS 200. 
          ARE THESE JUST ROUNDED? YES. I TEND TO ROUND UP BECAUSE THINGS USUALLY CROSS MY DESK
HIGHER THAN WHAT THEY TELL ME. 
          YEAH. SO. OKAY. AND YOU KNOW, I'M NOT KEEPING A GOOD TAB OF HOW MUCH I'M SPENDING IS I'M
CHECKING THESE OR NOT OR IF I NEED TO, BUT NO, PLEASE DON'T. OKAY. THE, THE OTHER THING I'LL SAY IS THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE LOAD
TRUCK OR THE COMMERCIAL FRONT LOAD TRUCK. 
          HOW WOULD YOU IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE? IT SOUNDS LIKE THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE LOAD TRUCK IS
SAVING OUR STAFF A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR IN THOSE AREAS WITH VERY LARGE 
          [07:05:05]
CONTAINERS. AND THEN THE COMMERCIAL FRONT LOAD WOULD ALLOW US MORE CAPACITY. 
          I THINK RIGHT NOW, THE WAY WE'RE OPERATING AGAIN,
WE, WE STARTED THIS UP AS A, AS A PROGRAM AND TOOK OUR BEST ANALYSIS OF HOW WE WERE GOING TO SERVE IT THIS WE'RE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF OVERTIME. 
          AND SO YEAH, ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE. AND SO WHAT THIS DOES IS JUST GIVES US A LITTLE BIT
MORE CAPACITY. 
          AND I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT HURTS EVERY FEW YEARS TO START REPLACING. 
          SO WE'RE NOT REPLACING ALL OF THE TRUCKS AT ONE TIME. 
          SO WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BETTER ROTATION ON VEHICLES. 
          YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU,
MR. GREEN. THANK YOU MAYOR. SO THE ONES THAT AREN'T GENERAL FUND,
I'M OKAY. 
          LIKE THEY CAN FUND IT OUT OF THOSE FUNDS. DO IT LIKE,
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY NEED, LIKE THE AIRPORT, THEY KNOW WHAT'S NEEDED. THEY GOT TO DO IT. 
          GENERAL FUND. I THINK WE NEED TO GIVE THEM ANOTHER PERSON. THAT DEPARTMENT'S BEEN KIND OF
LEAN FOR YEARS ANYWAY. SO I THINK THAT THAT'S A GOOD THING FOR US TO DO. 
          IF WE CAN WAIT ON THE SECRETARY TO MID-YEAR FOR THE FIRE WITH THAT,
WE CAN WAIT LIKE AT LEAST A YEAR ON FIREFIGHTERS AND SEE WHERE WE'RE AT TO ACTUALLY SEE HOW MANY WE NEED, THAT KIND OF STUFF. I THINK THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO WAIT ON THE
GRANT MATCH THING. 
          I THINK WE NEED TO PUSH THAT OFF UNLESS WE JUST HAVE EXTRA FUNDS OR WHATEVER REASON. 
          ELABORATE STUFF. I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHICH DIRECTION WE'RE HEADED
ON THE CONSOLIDATION. I DO THINK THEY'RE GOING TO NEED AT LEAST A PART TIME MARKETING SPECIALIST, IF NOT A FULL TIME. MAYBE SOME HELP OVER THERE. MARKET STUFF. 
          THE POLICE STUFF. YEAH. THEY NEED THE STUFF,
THE ACS. 
          AND THE NICE THING ABOUT ACS, SINCE THEY HAVE OUR BODY CAMERAS AND THEY HAVE THE DASH CAMS
SYSTEM ALL TIES TOGETHER. 
          SO LIKE THE DRONES, THEY DO RECORD FOOTAGE AS WELL. 
          SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GET, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF SOMEONE WAS TO SAY THERE WAS A THEFT AT A
BUSINESS AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, LET'S SAY IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN, WE CAN GET A DRONE OVER THERE QUICKER THAN AN
OFFICER. WELL, THEY CAN START VIDEOING AND FOLLOWING WHERE THE PERSON'S GOING AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND YOU HAVE VIDEO OF THE WHOLE THING SO THEY CAN SAY,
OH, THAT WASN'T ME. WE GOT YOU ON VIDEO. SO IT ALL TIES TOGETHER. 
          THAT'S THE NICE THING ABOUT USING THE AXON. THEY'VE KIND OF CHALLENGE MOTOROLA,
AND THEY'VE KIND OF TAKEN OVER A LOT OF THE INDUSTRY. 
          A LOT OF MOST I WANT TO SAY MOST, IF NOT THE MAJORITY OF THE AGENCIES NOW ARE USING THEM
BECAUSE THEIR SYSTEM IS JUST MORE CONVENIENT. 
          THEY GIVE YOU BIGGER STORAGE CAPACITY AND LESS ISSUES. 
          SO I'M OKAY WITH THAT. I DON'T HAVE HEARTBURN OVER,
YOU KNOW, SPEND THE EXTRA 107,000 IF WE'RE GETTING THAT EXTRA BENEFIT TO IT BECAUSE THOSE DRONES ARE EXPENSIVE. THE OTHER STUFF ON THERE COST MUCH MORE. 
          IF YOU WERE TO BUY IT INDIVIDUALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY A LOT MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE
OFFERING IT FOR. PUBLIC WORKS. 
          SAME THING WITH THEM. I MEAN, OUR STREETS, ANYTHING THAT'S GOING TO IMPROVE OUR STREET
REPAIRS AND MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT, WE HAVE TO DO THAT. I MEAN, OUR RESIDENTS ARE TELLING US THEY WANT STREETS AND ALLEYS FIXED. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO GIVE ERIC AND HIS TEAM,
YOU KNOW, AN ADVANTAGE TO GET MORE WORK DONE QUICKER? I'M ALL FOR THAT. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT. YEAH. BECAUSE I'VE COVERED EVERYTHING ELSE. THE OTHER FUNDS,
GOLF, THEY'VE GOT THE MONEY FOR IT AND THEY THINK THEY NEED IT. 
          YOU THINK THEY NEED IT. GO FOR IT. MR. MERTON CLIFF WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL TRENCHER. 
          IS THAT AN IMMEDIATE NEED, OR CAN WE? BECAUSE I SEE WE HAVE THREE HERE. 
          AND THE REASON WHY I'M PUSHING BACK. I HAD TO FALL ON THE SWORD FOR US WITH OUR REMOTE
MOWERS. 
          I THINK SOMEONE PUT OUT A VIDEO. IT WAS GIVING US THE BLUES ABOUT US SPENDING MONEY ON
REMOTE CONTROL MOWERS MORE IN THE FIELD. 
          SO I HAD TO JUSTIFY THE WHY BEHIND THAT. OKAY. 
          YEAH. BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS ON THE IMMEDIATE NEED. 
          SO I DON'T THINK THE REMOTE CONTROL TRENCHERS PROVIDE US THE EFFICIENCY THAT A REMOTE
CONTROL MOWER DOES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT ONE GUY CAN MOW AND TRIM AT THE SAME TIME THERE. 
          WITH THESE, I THINK IT'S MORE OF JUST THE LIMITED SPACE THAT WE'RE WORKING IN THAT THEY
PUT THESE IN AND CAN CONTROL THEM WITHOUT HAVING AN OPERATOR ON TOP OF THEM. 
          IT'S A SMALLER, SMALLER FOOTPRINT. SO I TRUST THE GUYS OUT DOING THE STREET WORK AND THEY
ARE THEY KNOW HOW MUCH I DISLIKE THE TOYS IDEA. AND SO I REALLY DON'T WANT US GOING OUT AND JUST
BUYING STUFF JUST BECAUSE CITY COUNCIL'S JUST GOING TO GIVE US THAT ARE GOING TO,
THEY HAVE TO PROVE IT UP. 
          AND SO I FEEL THEY'VE, THEY'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF PROVING IT UP. 
          IF Y'ALL ARE MORE COMFORTABLE BUYING ONE, LETTING US GET USED TO IT IN THE FIELD AND
REALLY SEE WHAT IT DOES. 
          ERIC, HAVE WE RENTED THESE BEFORE? DO WE HAVE WE USED ANYTHING LIKE THIS? ONE BEFORE? OKAY. AND AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT IT'S WE REALLY USE THESE MORE ON OUR SUBSURFACE. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT ADDS TO THE QUALITY OF THE OVERALL PAVEMENT. 
          IF YOU GET A REALLY GOOD SUBSURFACE AND COMPACTION OF SUBSURFACE,
IT MAKES FOR A BETTER SURFACE. 
          [07:10:03]
SO THAT'S WHERE WE USE THOSE A LOT MORE. IT'S NOT SO MUCH THAT THE REMOTE CONTROL,
IT'S JUST THEY'RE ARE ACTUALLY COST EFFICIENT BECAUSE THEY'RE SMALLER UNITS. 
          IT COST US AS MUCH TO GET ONE SIT ON IS TO GET ALL THREE OF THESE,
SO WE CAN JUST DO MORE AND BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH IT. 
          YES. SORRY. I'D LIKE TO HAVE ERIC'S PRESENTATION BEFORE WE GOT HERE,
BUT. 
          NOW HE ONLY HAS TO SPEAK FOR TEN MINUTES. SO. 
          SO COUNCIL. I THINK THE THE MAYOR. I'M SORRY,
I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT. 
          NO. THAT'S OKAY. GO AHEAD. DID YOU HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES? JUST WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS STREETS? DEFINITELY. 
          JUST TO STAY ON WITH THAT. AND YEAH, I KNOW THESE ARE SMALL ITEMS,
BUT WE THAT WE CONTINUE WITH THE GOLF COURSE EQUIPMENT, KITCHEN EQUIPMENT UPGRADES THE AIRPORT THESE THREE PARTICULAR ITEMS THAT KEEPS US ON TRACK
FOR MOVING IT FORWARD WELL FOR THE FUTURE. SO THOSE ARE INVESTMENTS IN THE GROWTH OF THE AIRPORT. 
          YEAH. YEAH. I'M GOOD WITH THAT AS WELL. AND NOT TOTALLY THE FOUR ITEM OR THE SIX ITEMS,
BUT THE TARGET AREA STUDY. I WOULD GO, I WOULD GO FOR THE DOWNTOWN,
CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE DOWNTOWN AND THEN ALSO TRINITY POINT. 
          SO ARE YOU SAYING DO TWO STUDIES? YEAH. OKAY. 
          YEAH. THEN WE'LL COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT WHICH ONES,
BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY'S MENTIONED ALL OF THEM, BUT ONE. YEAH. SO OKAY. SO COUNCIL, WE'LL WE'LL GO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME FUNDING OPTIONS. 
          TRY TO GET AS MANY OF THESE AS WE CAN INTO THE BUDGET. 
          AND ALONG WITH THE 3% PROPOSED INCREASE, THAT WAS THE OTHER DIRECTION. 
          WE'RE PROBABLY, WE'RE GOING TO GO. WE WILL LOOK AT IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR
PUBLIC SAFETY PAY TO HELP WITH THE TOP OUT PAY NUMBER. WE'LL WE'LL PUT THAT BEFORE YOU AS A CONSIDERATION ON AUGUST 3RD. 
          SO WITH THAT MAYOR BASICALLY MY CLOSING REMARKS ARE THANKS TO THE STAFF BUDGET AND FINANCE
STAFF, IF Y'ALL WILL RAISE YOUR HANDS. JACOB AND SANDER,
THIS IS THEIR FIRST FIRST GO AROUND WITH BUDGET, AND THEY'VE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB. AND SO AND TO THE,
TO THE REST OF THE DIRECTORS. 
          THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR TIME. THEY GET A LOT OF LAST MINUTE PANICKY CALLS. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THEN FOR THE STAFF THAT PUT ALL THE FOOD AND STUFF TOGETHER AS
WELL. 
          THANK YOU FOR THEM AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. 
          AND I WON'T, I WON'T PROLONG IT. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY,
BUT I IF Y'ALL CAN JUST KEEP IT JUST TO A ONE MINUTE COMMENT ALL THE WAY AROUND. 
          [H. Council Discussion ]
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING? HOW ABOUT YOU, MR. MERTON? OKAY. I ECHO THE COMMENTS ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL. 
          THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR BEING HERE TODAY. WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO. 
          WE KNOW SOMETIMES WE DO THINGS. IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU HAPPY,
AND WE'RE SORRY IN ADVANCE. 
          WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION WE CAN. THANK YOU,
CLIFF, FOR ORGANIZING THIS. 
          AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO STAY ON TOP OF THINGS WHEN WE NEED YOU TO. 
          APPRECIATE YOU. AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES. THANK YOU,
MR. LAMACCHIA. ALL RIGHT, MISS RODRIGUEZ, ROSS, AND I'LL ADD MY. 
          THANKS AGAIN. I KNOW IT'S BEEN QUITE A LONG DAY,
BUT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE, FOR YOUR WORK STAFF. AND THEN ALSO TO OUR CITY MANAGER LEADING THE WAY IN ALL THIS. 
          THANK YOU TO EACH ONE OF Y'ALL. Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT REMAINDER OF YOUR WEEKEND. 
          WE'LL SEE YOU MONDAY NIGHT. WE'LL BE READY FOR THAT NEXT PUBLIC HEARING. 
          COMING UP IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET, WE HAVE TWO MORE LEFT,
SO. 
          ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.