* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] SPECIAL MEETING ON THE CITY [Special Commission Meeting on February 28, 2023.] COMMISSION, FEBRUARY 28TH, 2023 AT, UH, 5:30 PM I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYBODY. UH, CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. THE TIME IS, UH, 5 31. WE HAVE A FORUM, AND NUMBER TWO IS A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE US FLAG AND THE FLAG. AND NUMBER THREE IS ALSO IMPLICATION BY MR. AMERICA NATION UNDER FLAG, TEXAS. ONE STATE UNDER GOD. ONE. LET US PRAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT LOVE AND BLESSING ON OUR LIVES. THANK YOU THAT YOUR FAVOR HAS NO END, BUT IT LASTS FOR OUR ENTIRE LIFETIME. WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE SO THAT WAY WE MIGHT FULLY WALK IN YOUR BLESSINGS AND GOODNESS. WE ASK THAT YOUR FACE SHINE ON US, THAT YOU WOULD OPEN THE RIGHT DOORS FOR OUR LIVES AND PROTECT US. AS ALWAYS, IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. OKAY, ITEM NUMBER FOUR. AND ALSO, UM, WE HAVE, UH, NUMBER ONE IS A FOOD BANK OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. WE HAVE A DRIVE THROUGH DISTRIBUTION OF, UH, FREE FOOD, UH, PRODUCE, PRODUCE THIS COMING THURSDAY, MARCH THE SECOND AT FAIRGROUNDS 5 5 1 GONZALEZ PARKWAY. TIME ARE FROM, UH, 9:00 AM TO 11:00 AM WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE CITY WEBPAGE OR THE FACEBOOK, UH, UH, PAGE ALSO. AND NUMBER TWO IS THE, UH, SEMIAL CULTURE, HERITAGE MUSEUM. WILL THE OPENING SUBJECT FOR A NEW, EVEN ALONG THE BORDER EXHIBITION ON THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND FROM FIVE 30 TO 8:30 PM AND THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ON THIS ONES. ANY, ANY OTHER THING WANT THERE, ADD TO? YES. I JUST WANT TO THANK MR. BELL FOR, UH, ORGANIZING THE FOOD, RV FOOD BANK EVENTS, SETTING UP SOME DATES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND, UH, THE SAN NOODLE ROTARY CLUB FOR PROVIDING VOLUNTEERS FOR MAKING THE EVENT SUCCESSFUL. BECAUSE WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS, THE EVENT CANNOT HAPPEN BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE AN ARMY. AND IF YOU GO OUT THERE, YOU'LL SEE A MILE LONG OF PEOPLE WAITING VERY EARLY FOR THAT FOOD. SO IT HELPS THE COMMUNITIES AROUND US AND IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE COMMISSION AND MR. BELL FOR ORGANIZING THAT AND STAFF, WE APPRECIATE IT. TAKE YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER WORDS, COMMISSIONERS? NO. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER FIVE, PUBLIC COMMENT. RUTH, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? NO, MA'AM. NONE. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER SIX, PRESENTATION OF, UH, LINEBERGER, UH, GOGGIN BLAIR AND SYMP SYMPTOM SIM, UH, LLP DELINQUENT TYPES, UH, COLLECTION OF, UH, REPORT FOR THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1ST, UH, UH, 2022 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2022. AND, UH, MS. MONICA SOLIS. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COMMISSIONER STONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY. I ALSO WANTED TO PRESENT MR. MARK MOODY, WHO'S WITH ME. UM, I THINK Y'ALL ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH HIM, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO INTRODUCE MS. ANA CO, WHO'S ALSO ONE OF OUR ASSOCIATE ATTORNEYS. I'M NOT SURE THAT Y'ALL HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HER. I'M ALWAYS VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO COME TO THE CITY OF SANTO MEETINGS BECAUSE I'M FROM SANTO AND I ONLY LIVE BLOCKS AWAY. BUT I WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE ARIANA BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN WITH OUR FIRM FOR NOW THREE YEARS, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH HER. SO, UH, THIS IS MS. , AND I THINK SHE'S INTRODUCED HERSELF TO ALL OF Y'ALL. RIGHT. UM, MOVING FORWARD TONIGHT, WE DO HAVE THE, UH, REPORT, DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTION REPORT, UH, FOR THE COLLECTIONS FOR THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1ST, 2022 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2022. UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT AT LINEBERGER OUR, UM, OUR PRIMARY FOCUS IS USUALLY TO WORK WITH AN INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYER, UM, WHEN WE SEE THAT AN ACCOUNT IS DELINQUENT, AND WE USUALLY DO THIS THROUGH DIFFERENT AVENUES PRIOR TO ACTUALLY FILING A LAWSUIT, BECAUSE A LAWSUIT IS ACTUALLY THE LAST THING WE WANT TO FILE. ONCE A LAWSUIT IS FILED, UM, WE KNOW WHAT THAT, UM, ACTUALLY MEANS FOR THE PROPERTY OWNER. THERE'S ADDITIONAL, UH, COSTS THAT GET ADDED ONTO THAT SUIT. SO WE TRY TO UTILIZE [00:05:01] DIFFERENT METHODS OF COLLECTIONS PRIOR TO ACTUALLY FILING A SUIT. UM, AND ON BEHALF OF SANTO, LET ME SEE, YOU'LL HAVE TO HELP ME OUT HERE. HOW TO TURN THIS BUTTON ON. OH, HERE, IT'S, THANK YOU. THERE WE GO. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE CONDUCT 10 MAIL LIENS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR THE CITY OF SAN MANTO. USUALLY ANY ACCOUNT THAT IS DELINQUENT OVER $25 WILL RECEIVE A MAILING FROM US. AND, UM, 10 MAILINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR GO OUT FOR THE CITY OF SANTO. I CAN ALSO TELL YOU THAT LAST YEAR WE CONDUCTED ONE ADDITIONAL MAILING FOR THE CITY OF SAN MANTO TO ADVISE THE PROPERTY OWNERS OF A NEW PROGRAM, UM, THROUGH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING. UM, AND THIS WAS A GRANT THAT WAS AVAILABLE TO PROPERTY OWNERS, WHETHER THEY BE EITHER DELINQUENT IN THEIR TAXES, THEIR, UM, MORTGAGE INSURANCE, OR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION FEES. UM, WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF OF HOUSING TO GET INFORMATION OUT TO PROPERTY OWNERS. UH, THEY KNOW THAT WE ARE THE LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY AS FAR AS DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTIONS, AND THEY REACHED OUT TO US TO SEE IF WE COULDN'T START A PILOT PROGRAM TO ADVISE PROPERTY OWNERS OF THIS GRANT PROGRAM. SINCE THEN, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF SUCCESS. UM, AND THAT WAS ONE ADDITIONAL MAILING THAT WE, WE DID ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SANTO LAST YEAR. UM, WE ALSO CONDUCT, UH, PHONE CALLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, EITHER, UM, BY PHONE BANKING THROUGH A, UH, WHEN WE PULL THE DELINQUENT TAX ROLL AND TARGETING INDIVIDUALS OR GOING OUT TO A PROPERTY OWNERS HOW, AND DOING WHAT WE CALL A KNOCK AND TALK AND ADVISING THEM THAT THEY ARE DELINQUENT AND ALSO, UM, LEAVING THEIR STATEMENTS AND GIVE THEM, GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTACT OUR OFFICE AND HOPEFULLY ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT. UM, WE ARE A LAW FIRM, SO UNFORTUNATELY WHAT HAPPENS IS WE DO HAVE TO FILE SUIT AT SOME POINT. AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE ACTUALLY DID FILE WITHIN THIS TIME PERIOD OF OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH DECEMBER, WE FILED 17 LAWSUITS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SAN BENITO FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 22,000 THAT WAS OWED. WE HAVE ABOUT 118 CASES THAT ARE PENDING STILL IN COURT THAT WE WILL SEE THROUGH. AND WE CONDUCTED FOUR TAX WARRANTS FOR A TOTAL COLLECTIONS OF $1,251. NOW, MOVING ON, YOU CAN SEE THE LAST GRAPH HERE SHOWS WHAT WE HAVE COLLECTED SIMPLY FOR THE THREE MONTH PERIOD, UM, FOR A TOTAL OF, UH, $85,149 OF DELINQUENT TAX, UH, BASE TAX PENALTIES AND INTEREST. UM, PREVIOUS YEAR WE HAD A COLLECTION OF $288,283. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE, WE'VE REMAINED PRETTY CONSISTENT IN OUR COLLECTIONS. WE'VE ADDED ONE ADDITIONAL GRAPH THERE, UM, FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR. UH, THAT GREEN LITTLE CHART THERE SHOWS, UM, WHAT WAS DISTRIBUTED IN THE REFUNDS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SAN BENITO. NOW, USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF, UM, PROPERTY VALUE, UM, CHALLENGES. PEOPLE WHO COME FORWARD WITH THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT CHALLENGE THE VALUE OF THEIR PROPERTY. NOW, USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IT TO INITIATE SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES THROUGH THE DISTRICT COURT LEVEL, PEOPLE ARE REQUIRED AS PART OF THE STATUTE TO MAKE PAYMENT OF THE TAXES. AT THAT POINT, IF THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR CHALLENGE, THEY USUALLY WILL RECEIVE A REFUND OF THE INITIAL TAX PAYMENT THAT THEY MADE. NOW, THE CITY, RATHER THAN, OR I'M SORRY, THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR, RATHER THAN TAKE FROM THE CITY'S COFFERS, WHAT THEY DO IS THEY TAKE THE MONEY FROM THE REFUNDS, FROM THE DELINQUENT TAXES THAT ARE COLLECTED. SO REALLY WHAT WE COLLECTED WAS THAT 288,000 PLUS THAT $25,000 THAT YOU SEE. THE CITY JUST DID NOT ACTUALLY RECEIVE THAT MONEY BECAUSE IT WAS TAKEN FROM REFUNDS, BUT IT WAS NOT TAKEN FROM THE INITIAL CITY'S COFFERS. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED, UM, ADDITIONAL GRAPHS OUTLINING DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTIONS, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE PREVIOUS YEARS AS WELL. I'M NOT SURE IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THESE COLLECTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION. UH, GOING, UH, THROUGH THE LITIGATION ACTIVITY YOU MENTIONED, UH, PENDING LITIGATION 118 CASES. MM-HMM, . SO, UH, THAT'S PENDING RIGHT NOW. WHERE DOES THAT NORMALLY GO? OR WHAT'S THE, UM, SO WHAT HAP BREAKDOWN, WHAT HAP SO, SO WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT IT'S STILL WITHIN THE COURT SYSTEM. IT'S GOTTA GET MOVED. UM, AND, AND [00:10:01] I SHOULDN'T SAY MOVED, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS PEOPLE HAVE TO BE GIVEN NOTICE, DEFENDANTS HAVE HAVE TO BE SERVED GIVEN NOTICE OF THE LAWSUIT. UM, THEY HAVE TO HAD GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO LITIGATE THIS WITHIN THE COURT, IF THEY HAVE ANY CHALLENGES. UM, WE ARE ALLOWED TO PRESENT ANY EVIDENCE AT SOME POINT. SO WE'RE STILL MOVING THESE CASES ALONG. UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE THAT THERE ARE FIVE OR SIX PROPERTY OWNERS THAT NEED TO BE GIVEN NOTICE AND ALL ARE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHALLENGE THIS WITHIN THE COURT SYSTEM. SO, SO SOMETIMES, SO OUTTA THE 118, THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. WHAT PERCENTAGE WOULD BE A RESOLUTION TO WHERE THE, UH, HOMEOWNER DIDN'T LOSE THEIR PROPERTY, OR, WELL, THEY COULD LOSE THOSE PROPERTY IF THEY WOULDN'T NECESSARILY MAKE A CHECK OR IF THEY WOULDN'T MAKE A PAYMENT OF ANY KIND. SO I WILL TELL YOU, FOR THE MOST PART, WE DON'T REALLY SEE ANYONE WHO COMES FORWARD AND CHALLENGES AND SAYS, I'VE ALREADY PAID MY PROPERTY TAXES OR I'M NOT THE OWNER. UM, FOR THE MOST PART, WE GET PROPERTY OWNERS WHO COME FORWARD AND SAY, YES, I RECOGNIZE THIS IS MY PROPERTY. YES, I RECOGNIZE THAT TAXES ARE DUE. I'D LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PAY. I'D LIKE SOME TIME. AND THAT AT THAT POINT WE BEGIN DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM. OKAY. UM, USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS WE HAVE TO MOVE THE CASE ALONG SO THAT WE CAN BASICALLY PUT A FIRE UNDER SOMEONE TO MOVE FORWARD AND GET THESE TAXES PAID. AND THE WAY WE DO THAT IS BY TAKING A JUDGMENT, ALLOWING THE, THE COURT RECOGNIZES THE PROPERTY OWNER HAS IS THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, HE'S DELINQUENT IN HIS TAXES. ONCE A JUDGMENT IS GRANTED ON BEHALF OF THE TAXING ENTITIES, WE CAN TAKE THAT JUDGMENT REQUEST AN ORDER OF SALE, AND TRY TO PUSH IT THROUGH TO TRY TO, TO, UM, SELL IT AT THE COURTHOUSE STEPS. WE MAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY WITH TAXPAYERS TO COME FORWARD AND ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH US. LIKE WE SAID, THESE TAXPAYERS WOULD'VE GOTTEN 10 MAILINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IF A LAWSUIT HAD BEEN FILED. THEY CONTINUE TO GET THOSE MAILINGS. THEY'VE NOW BEEN GIVEN NOTICE OF THE LAWSUIT. THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME FORWARD IN COURT. ALL THIS TIME HAS PASSED. THEY'RE GIVEN THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME TALK TO US. I GUESS MY QUESTION WAS, UH, MORE OF A, OUT OF THIS, UH, 118 CASES, UM, UH, YOU SEE RESOLUTION AND WHAT PERCENTAGE? UH, BECAUSE THE WAY YOU'RE DESCRIBING, WHAT BE 90% MAYBE? I, I WOULD SEE RESOLUTION PROBABLY, AND ALMOST ABOUT A HUNDRED PERCENT. A HUNDRED PERCENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. YEAH. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF IT MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM. OKAY. NOW, WHEN YOU MENTIONED, UM, THE CITY'S COFFER OF, UM, WELL, WE, UM, THE 288,000, UH, 283, YOU MENTIONED CITY COFFERS. WE, YOU DON'T GO INTO THE CITY COFFERS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? THAT, NO, WHAT, WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE $25,000 THAT WAS, UM, REFUNDED, THAT WAS NOT PUT IN, THAT WAS NOT GIVEN TO THE CITY. OH. NOW REFUNDS COME OUT OF THE DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTIONS. SO RATHER THAN THE TAX ACCESSOR COLLECTOR TELL THE CITY, I NEED $25,000 FROM YOU TO ISSUE THESE REFUNDS, AS HE RECEIVES THE DELINQUENT TAX COLLECTIONS, HE TAKES IT FROM THERE. HE JUST TAKES IT FROM THERE. RIGHT. OKAY. YEAH. THAT'S WHERE REFUNDS ARE GENERATED FROM, OR THAT'S WHERE REFUND MONEY IS GENERATED FROM. YEAH. SO, SO ALTHOUGH YOU SAW $288,000 IN ACTUAL MONEY THAT MADE IT INTO THE CITY'S COFFERS, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY, WE'D LIKE TO SAY ACCOUNT FOR, WE ALSO DID ANOTHER ADDITIONAL $25,000 IN COLLECTIONS. BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE CITY IS NOT GOING TO SEE THAT BECAUSE IT WAS TAKEN, TAKEN THROUGH THE REFUND PROCESS. THANK YOU. YES. OKAY. OKAY. SO MOVING ON, WE'VE GOT ALSO SOME TAX SALE ACTIVITY. WE CONDUCTED NINE, UM, I'M SORRY. WE CONDUCTED THREE TAX SALES DURING THIS REPORTING PERIOD FOR A TOTAL OF NINE PROPERTIES THAT WERE SOLD. I CAN TELL YOU NONE OF THESE PROPERTIES WERE ACTUAL HOMESTEADS. UM, WE CON, UH, CONTINUE TO MONITOR BANKRUPTCY CLAIMS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SAN BENITO. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 12 ACCOUNTS REPRESENTING A TOTAL OF $5,500. MR. BARCO, I'M SORRY, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? NO. OH, I'M SORRY. UM, AND THEN WE CONTINUE TO STILL MONITOR PAYMENT AGREEMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SAN MANTO. AS I SAID EARLIER, WE, UM, CONSISTENTLY WE TRY TO WORK WITH TAXPAYERS THROUGH EITHER DOING KNOCK AND TALKS, UM, PHONE BANKING, THE NOTICES THAT THEY RECEIVE FROM US, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE CITY WANTS TO RECEIVE THEIR MONIES AND WE WANNA WORK WITH THE TAXPAYERS IN COLLECTING THIS MONEY. UM, OUR MAILING PROGRAM STILL CONSISTS OF THREE, UH, MORE MAILINGS FOR THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH WOULD [00:15:01] BE FEBRUARY, MARCH, AND APRIL. AND WE ARE ALSO CONDUCTING, I THINK, TWO PROPERTY TAX SALES, UM, WITHIN THIS TIMEFRAME. ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS REPORT? NO. I KNOW SOMEONE SAID THIS WAS GONNA BE A SHORT MEETING SO I CAN READ IT LINE FOR LINE AND EVERYBODY WANTS A LONG MEETING. , WELL, FROM, FROM THE TIME THAT THE, UH, LIKE, UH, IT'S FILED, HOW LONG DO, DO THEY HAVE WHEN THE LAWSUIT IS FILED? YES. SO IT'S, THAT'S KIND OF HARD TO TELL MAYOR BECAUSE IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH, HOW MANY PROPERTY. THERE'S DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT COME INTO PLAY. HOW MANY PROPERTY OWNERS NEED TO BE GIVEN NOTICE, UM, WHEN THE COURT ACTUALLY SETS IT. UM, ONCE YOU'RE SERVED, IF IT'S ONLY ONE INDIVIDUAL, ONCE THAT INDIVIDUAL IS SERVED, THEY'RE GIVEN, UM, STATUTORY TIMEFRAME TO ANSWER. THEN THE COURT CAN SET THAT, GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME FORWARD IN COURT AND, AND TRY TO CHALLENGE IT. IF THEY DECIDE TO CHALLENGE IT. I CAN TELL YOU WE SEE VERY FEW CHALLENGES. UM, USUALLY IF SOMEONE COMES FORWARD AND TRIES TO, TRIES TO CHALLENGE IT IN SOME WAY, UM, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S GOING ON. UM, SOME OTHER KIND OF ISSUE. AND WE, WE, WE USUALLY SEEK A RESOLUTION AND ALTERNATIVE. IT'S, IT USUALLY GOES BACK TO PROPERTY DESCRIPTIONS OR PROPERTY VALUES, SOME OTHER AVENUE THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT RATHER THAN THE, UM, WHAT IS OWED OR, OR THE PROPERTY OWNER. SO IT GOES FAIRLY QUICK. IT, UM, IT ALL DEPENDS. I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT GOES FAIRLY QUICKLY BECAUSE NOT NECESSARILY THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT COME INTO PLAY ONCE IT GETS TO THE COURT SYSTEMS. OKAY. I GOTCHA. OKAY. MONICA, I HAVE ONE QUESTION. MM-HMM. , UM, IS THE, IS THE CITY OR THE EDC HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUY THESE PROPERTIES WHEN THEY GO THROUGH TAX SALE OR TAKE THEM BEFORE THEY GO THROUGH TAX SALE? SO I WOULD SAY THAT THE CITY OR THE EDC WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO CONDUCT, HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ONLINE TAX SALES THAT WE CONDUCT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PULL IT BEFOREHAND. NO, BECAUSE AT THAT POINT IT DOESN'T BELONG TO THE CITY OR THE TAXING ENTITIES. IT, UH, IT, IT CANNOT, IT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE LEGAL PROCESS. YEAH, CORRECT. YEAH. OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY, BUT RIGHT. AND THAT THE PART, BUT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE AUCTION. YES. BECAUSE YOU SAID, YOU MENTIONED NONE OF THE HOMES ARE HOMESTEAD, SO SOME OF IT WAS PROBABLY LAND, AND I JUST SEE THAT MAYBE IT'S, THERE MIGHT BE IN PRIME LOCATIONS FOR THE EDC OR THE CITY TO CAPITALIZE ON. AND, AND SO I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT WITHIN THE PAST TWO YEARS WE STARTED CONDUCTING ONLINE TAX SALES. RIGHT. AND WE'VE SEEN AN INFLUX IN, IN BIDDERS. UM, WE ARE SEEING PROPERTIES, WE USED TO, I THINK Y'ALL REMEMBER, WE USED TO COME HERE AND ASK FOR, UM, WE'D BRING RESALE PROPERTIES AND WHAT A RESALE PROPERTY IS. WE'D GO TO A TAX SALE PROPERTY DIDN'T SELL. SO WE WOULD TRY TO GET THIS PROPERTY BACK ONTO THE TAX ROLL AND WE WOULD CONDUCT WHAT'S CALLED A RESALE. UM, AND WE COULD, UNDER THE TAX CODE, WE'RE ALLOWED TO TAKE A LESSER AMOUNT. BUT WE'VE GOTTA COME TO THE TAXING ENTITIES TO SAY, TO ASK WHETHER THEY WILL ACCEPT THIS AMOUNT IN LIEU OF WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY OWED. WELL, WE HAVEN'T COME IN A WHILE. I THINK Y'ALL WILL KNOW BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY RESELL PROPERTIES, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE GOING TO JUST ABOUT EVERY TAX SALE AND EVERY PROPERTY IS BEING SOLD. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN PROPERTY TAX SALES SINCE WE INITIATED THIS ONLINE TAX SALES. 'CAUSE ANYBODY CAN BE BIDDING FROM ANYWHERE. UM, AND SO, YEAH, IT'S A GOOD THING BECAUSE THE, THE CITY, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE COUNTY, THEY ALL RECEIVE THE MONEY THAT IS INITIALLY OWED TO THEM. UM, BUT WE HAVE SEEN WHERE SOME OF THE LOCAL BIDDERS ARE GETTING FRUSTRATED BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY GETTING OUTBID AND THE AMOUNTS THAT THESE PROPERTIES ARE GOING FOR ARE GOING PRETTY HIGH. YEAH. BUT IT'S, I MEAN, THERE'S TRANSPARENCY. IT'S AN ONLINE BIDDING SYSTEM. IT'S, IT'S OPEN TO ALL, THERE'S A DEPOSIT THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE. YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE, WWW LBS.COM, AND WE'VE GOT THE, UH, PROPERTY TAX SALE THERE THAT YOU CAN GO TO. WE ALSO CONDUCT TAX SALES THROUGHOUT THE STATE, UH, UH, FOR OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT WE REPRESENT. AND THESE ARE REQUIRED TO BE ON THE NEWSPAPER AS WELL? YES. AND ONLINE. SO YES, THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. THAT'S CORRECT. SO STATUTORILY, ALTHOUGH WE, WE CONDUCT AN ONLINE SALE, WE STILL HAVE TO ST FOLLOW THE STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS. WE'VE GOTTA GIVE NOTICE IN THE NEWSPAPER THREE, THE THREE SUNDAYS LEADING UP TO THE TAX SALE THAT THE PROPERTY WILL BE SOLD, THE ORDER OF SALE NEEDS TO BE REQUESTED. [00:20:01] UM, IT'S JUST THE ONLINE TAX SALE JUST DOES AWAY WITH US, THE SHERIFF ACTUALLY OFFERING THE PROPERTY AT THE COURTHOUSE STEPS. I THINK THAT MAKES IT BETTER FOR US TO REALIZE SOME MORE, UH, SOME OF OUR LOSSES. BUT WHAT, HOW WOULD, HOW MANY SPECIAL CASES WOULD YOU SEE THAT YOU LOSE SOME OF THOSE TAXES THROUGH A WASH SYSTEM WHERE THEY KIND OF WAIT FOR THE NEXT BUYER TO COME IN? IT'S A COMPLICATED PROCESS WHERE THEY CAN BUY A PROPERTY, HOLD IT FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD, AND TO SET THE TAXES THAT WERE ON THE PROPERTY KIND OF GET WASHED. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A TAX, IT'S A WAY TO WASH THE TAXES. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THAT OR HEARD OF IT? NO. OKAY. UM, I'M JUST WONDERING HOW MUCH LEAKAGE WE LOSE THERE. I'M NOT SURE THAT WE, THERE, THERE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A LAW THAT ALLOWS IT, BUT IT HAPPENS. UH, MAYBE ONLY REALTORS KNOW ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. WELL, I, I, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN THAT. ONLY, THE ONLY TIME I'VE EVER SEEN A SITUATION LIKE THAT IS THROUGH RESALES, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO COME AND GET APPROVAL FROM THE CITY, BUT, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS AN INITIAL TAX SALE. I MEAN, THERE'S SOME HISTORY BEHIND THAT PROPERTY. AND THE CITY WOULD THEN, EVERY TAXING ENTITY WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, WELL, THIS IS WHAT THE OFFER IS THROUGH A STATUTORY TAX RESELL THAT WAS CONDUCTED. UM, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT I, I DON'T MIND TAKING A LOOK AT IT AND SEE IF I CAN, CAN'T GET YOU AN ANSWER. IT'S PROBABLY A RESELL. IT MAY BE A REELL, BUT, BUT LIKE I SAID, WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT MANY MORE RESELLS. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHEN THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE TO, TO TRY TO GET, YOU KNOW, UH, RESELL INFORM, UH, UH, A RESELL OFFER APPROVED. OKAY. YEAH, ABOUT TWO YEARS. IT, IT'S BEEN SOME TIME. I KNOW. YES. OKAY. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. NO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. OKAY, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION OF SOME EDC DEVELOPMENT, UH, CORPORATION BUDGET AMENDMENT, UH, MR. UH, RAM, EDC, UH, DIRECTOR PRESENT. ADAM HONORABLE MAYOR CITY COMMISSION. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU GUYS TONIGHT. MS. RUTH, ALWAYS A PLEASURE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP WITH THIS. UM, SO TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS SOME, SOME BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR THE EDC. WELL, AGAIN, MY NAME IS RAM LAMAN WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE EDC. SO, UM, TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS SOME BUDGET AMENDMENTS. ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO HERE IS WHAT, WHAT THE BOARD HAS DECIDED TO DO IS ESSENTIALLY CLEAN UP THE, CLEAN UP THE BUDGET. THIS BUDGET WAS CREATED BEFORE I WAS ON BOARD. AND SO NOW THAT I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON HERE, UM, I SEE THAT WE NEED TO CLEAN UP IN SOME PLACES. SO WE WANTED TO JUST KIND OF TAKE CARE OF THAT NOW AND THEN BE READY WHEN WE ARE, WHEN WE START THE, THE NEXT BUDGET PROCESS CYCLE. BUT, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GO KIND OF LINE ITEM BY LINE ITEM. AND SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WITH EACH ONE OF THESE SLIDES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO TO ASK ME. SO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, WE WON'T HAVE TO BE GOING BACK AND FORTH. BUT ESSENTIALLY THE FIRST ONE IS, UM, IS ON THE, TO, TO UPDATE WITH THE NEW EMPLOYEES. RIGHT? SO THE, THE, THE FIRST BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WE ARE PROPOSING REFLECTS THE UPDATED SALARIES FOR THE NEW EMPLOYEES. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE, THE, THEY'RE DIFFERENT FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM. AND, UM, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT I SAW THERE IS, UH, THERE'S A, THERE'S A $5,000 I LINE ITEM FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. BUT THERE'S NOTHING FOR STAFF, THERE'S NOTHING FOR STAFF INCENTIVE PERFORMANCE. SO WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO IS ADD A LITTLE SOMETHING THERE, 3000, AND IT DOESN'T SAY THAT IT'S GONNA BE EXPENDED OR ANYTHING, BUT WE'D LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW APPRECIATION TO OUR EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE WHILE THERE'S NO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. AND HAVE, HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF GETTING ME UP TO SPEED. ESSENTIALLY, THIS WOULD BE AN INCREASE OF ABOUT $28,000. OKAY. WHEN YOU SAY FOR STAFF, UH, PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES, UM, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE CURRENTLY? SO CURRENTLY IT'S MYSELF, FULL-TIME. I HAVE ONE PART-TIMER. AND TOMORROW I'LL, UH, OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING MANAGER WILL START. SO IT'LL BE, TOMORROW WILL BE AT TWO AND A HALF, BUT ALL THIS TIME IS ONE AND A, IT'S BEEN ONE AND A HALF. IT'S BEEN ONE AND A PART-TIMER? CORRECT. AND THAT'S YOU AND A PART-TIMER? CORRECT. OKAY. HOW DID WE GET TO THE 28,000? I HEARD THE FIVE, THE THREE, AND THEN WE JUMPED TO 28. I, I MISSED SOMETHING. RIGHT. SO, SO THE, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE, THE, UH, SALARIES ON TOP IS, IS, UH, DIFFERENT FROM THE SALARIES ON THE BOTTOM. SO 78 AS OPPOSED TO A HUNDRED, AND THEN 42 TO 45, AND THEN THE 3000. OKAY. SO IT'S A INCREASE OF 20. RIGHT. SO WE'RE UPDATING THE, THE NEW EMPLOYEE SALARIES. OH, OKAY. OKAY. I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN COME BACK TO IT. UM, SO WITH THE NEW, UH, [00:25:01] SALARIES COMES THE NEW, YOU KNOW, RETIREMENT AND THE HEALTH BENEFITS AND ALL THAT, ALL ALL THAT STUFF THAT COMES WITH THAT. SO WE WITH REFLECTS THE UPDATED SALARIES, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY 3% MATCHING. SO FOR THE BOTH EMPLOYEES, IT'LL BE A TOTAL OF $520 FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. IT'S ESSENTIALLY 3%. THAT'S KIND OF STANDARD. OKAY. MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE. UH, BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER, UM, ON THERE, THE DESCRIPTION SHOWS, UH, DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR. IS THAT ALSO YOUR MARKETING? THAT'S THE MARKETING PR. RIGHT, RIGHT. OH, OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. SAME, SAME HERE. UM, SO BENEFITS, RIGHT? WE, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD, THERE WERE NO BENEFITS TO BE OFFERED FOR, FOR THE EDC BECAUSE WITHOUT AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ON BOARD FOR SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, THE BENEFITS COMPANY CUT US OFF. RIGHT? WE HADN'T PAID ANYTHING. AND SO WE, WE, WHEN I TRIED TO ENROLL, THEY SAID, NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN. SO WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE BROKER AND WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS. AND THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY WOULDN'T PROVIDE ME A, A PLAN QUOTE BECAUSE, UM, ONE PERSON, RIGHT? IT'S NOT A PLAN. IT'S NOT A GROUP PLAN. SO THEN, UM, SO THEN WE HAD TO REDO THE WHOLE PROCESS NOW WITH THE, THE NEW, UH, MANAGER ON BOARD. AND SO ESSENTIALLY THE BEST OPTION WE'VE GOT THERE REFLECTED RIGHT HERE IS, UH, WOULD BE AN INCREASE OF, UH, 1,630. UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE DESCRIPTIONS, ON THE SHORT TERM, UH, LIFE, UH, ON THE LIFE AT SHORT TERM DISABILITY, YOU KNOW, $51 FOR A YEAR, I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE, UH, ON PREVIOUS BUDGET. UM, BECAUSE I, ALL THE FOLKS I TALKED TO DIDN'T THOUGHT THAT WAS WRONG. YOU KNOW, $51 A YEAR FOR, FOR THAT BENEFIT IS, IS NOT RIGHT. SO THAT, THAT'S WHY WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF CLEANING IT UP. OKAY. GOTCHA. NEXT ONE IS THE HEALTH AND, AND, UH, DENTAL INSURANCE. AGAIN, SAME THING. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING. WE HAD TO GO BACK AND, AND REDO THE WHOLE PROCESS. AND, UH, ESSENTIALLY WITH ALL THESE BENEFITS, ANCILLARY BENEFITS, WHAT THEY CALL IT, IT WOULD BE AN INCREASE OF $381, 52 CENTS FOR TWO PEOPLE FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. OKAY. SO THAT'S THE IMPACT ON THAT BUDGET. NEXT IS THE, UH, LEGAL SERVICES. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE PREVIOUS OKAY, GO AHEAD. ON THE UPDATED INSURANCE FIGURES, IS THIS A HUNDRED PERCENT OF COSTS ON THE EDC? YES. OKAY. NO CONTRIBUTION FROM THE EMPLOYER AT THIS POINT. I MEAN THE EMPLOYEE, RIGHT. AND THAT, THAT'S WHAT THE, THE BUDGET'S FOR A HUNDRED PERCENT COST ON THE EMPLOYER, WHICH IS THE EDC. RIGHT. FOR HEALTH, DENTAL VISION. OKAY. AND WHAT, WHAT BROKER WAS THIS? THIS WAS SIM SEMI SEMI TRUCKS OUT OF A, OUT OF A BROWSER. HIS NAME'S ROBERT SWER. DID WE BID IT OUT OR IN QUOTES? YES. WELL, WE, WE, UH, YEAH, THESE ARE, WE'VE GOT SEVERAL DIFFERENT QUOTES AND THIS ONE WAS THE BEST OPTION. AND, AND IT'S BASED OFF OF TWO, IT'S ONLY THE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, OR CORRECT. TWO FULL TIMES. THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES ALLOWED BENEFITS PER, NOT NECESSARILY. NOT NECESSARILY. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SPOKE TO THE, TO THE EMPLOYEE AND, UM, HE WAS FINED WITH, WITH NOT BENEFITS BECAUSE HE'S, HE'S STILL ELIGIBLE TO BE UNDER HIS, HIS GUARDIANS. RIGHT. SO HE WAS, HE WAS GOOD WITHOUT THAT. I THINK FOR THE CITY, WE COVER EMPLOYEES, NOT EVEN THE EMPLOYEE GETS COVERED COMPLETELY. THEY GET A PERCENTAGE THAT'S COVERED, I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT. AND, BUT THEY DON'T GET ANY, THEY HAVE TO PAY ADDITIONALLY FOR DENTAL AND VISION. THE ONLY THING THEY GET, UH, FREE IS THE ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISABILITY AND D AND THAT WAS RECENTLY RAISED FROM 10 TO $25,000, WHICH WAS GOOD. BUT IF THEY WANNA ADD A SPOUSE AND CHILDREN, THAT'S WHAT A COST THAT'S GONNA BE. ON WHO? ON THE EMPLOYEE. ON THE EMPLOYEE. YES. A HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT. THAT'S THE WAY IT IS SET UP FOR, FOR THE CITY AS WELL RIGHT NOW. WHICH I, I COULD THINK COULD BE CHANGED. DO THEY NOT QUALIFY FOR THE CITY'S PLAN? UNDER THE CITY'S PLAN? WE'VE ASKED THAT BEFORE AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO IT. CITY EMPLOYEES IS THEY CAN'T DO IT. THAT'S RIGHT. UM, WHAT ABOUT AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, A CA, UM, GETTING A PLAN FROM THE A CAI, WE HADN'T, WE HADN'T GONE INTO, WE HADN'T LOOKED INTO THAT, UM, OPTION. YOU KNOW, I SEE SOME GOOD, I SEE SOME PRETTY GOOD STUFF COMING OUTTA THAT UHHUH. UM, DOESN'T HURT TO TRY. THIS GOES BASED OFF OF INCOME. YEAH, WE, WE COULD DO THAT, UH, WHEN THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE COMES UP, THAT I'LL BE, I'LL TALK TO YOU AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE SO YOU CAN GIVE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, I JUST REACHED OUT TO BROKERS AND THEN THIS IS WHAT THEY PROVIDED TO ME. [00:30:01] IT'S JUST HEALTHCARE.GOV AND JUST SIGN UP. JUST LOOK AT IT. YEAH, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE. OKAY. UM, IT'S JUST GONNA ASK BASED OFF YOUR INCOME AND THEN FAMILY SIZE AND WHATNOT. MM-HMM. . RIGHT. IT JUST, IT'S JUST, IT'S HARD BECAUSE EMPLOYEES DON'T GET DENTAL AND VISION AND ALL THAT. RIGHT. I THINK ONLY ONE DOES. ONE EMPLOYEE RIGHT OUT OF 200 DOES. MM-HMM. . AND THEN TO GIVE TO ONE AND THE EDC, IT COULD UPSET SOME PEOPLE. OKAY. YEAH. WELL, UM, YOU KNOW, I TOTALLY BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, TAKING CARE OF THE EMPLOYEES IS, IS, YOU KNOW, UH, I AGREE. SO, SO THAT'S WHY WE PUT IT ON HERE AND IT, AND THEN IT'S, UH, IMPACT OF $381 FOR TWO PEOPLE FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. SO WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, UH, YOU KNOW, BENEFICIAL FOR THE EMPLOYEE. WHAT ABOUT A COST? WELL, I MEAN, WHAT ABOUT A COST SHARING? WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT. YEAH. LIKE IF YOU LOOK, I'M OKAY WITH DENTAL, BUT IF YOU WANT VISION, WHICH IN MOST CASES IF YOU WANT VISION AND DENTAL, THAT'S CALLED LIKE A, LIKE A PREMIUM. YOU OH, YOU WANT GLASSES? THESE ARE NOT EVEN PRESCRIBED. NO, I'M JUST JOKING. THEY ARE. BUT PEOPLE DO THAT. RIGHT. OR THEY WANT DENTAL OR SOME PEOPLE JUST PREFER TO GO TO MEXICO. UM, 'CAUSE IT'S CHEAPER, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S NOT WORTH BUYING THE DENTAL IN THE US JUST BECAUSE IT DOESN'T COVER VERY MUCH ANYWAYS. THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S TRUE. UM, SO IT MIGHT BE UNNECESSARY COSTS. I COMPLETE, I AGREE WITH THE, WITH THE MEDICAL, BUT THE VISION AND DENTAL MIGHT BE AN OVERSTRETCH UNLESS THAT'S AN AGREEMENT THEY HAVE IN YOUR CONTRACT, BUT, AND I'M NOT SURE IT'S, IT IS NOT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M, I'M TRYING TO GET FOR THE EMPLOYEES. RIGHT. FOR YOURSELF. FOR, FOR, FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE A DC OR THE TWO OF THEM? YEAH. EMPLOYEE. OKAY. I LOOK AT IT BECAUSE I THINK I REMEMBER THAT THE, UH, IF THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, UH, NOT A FULL-TIMER, THEN THE, THE A DC WOULD COST, YOU KNOW, WITH THE PICK UP EVERYTHING ON THERE. BUT IF THERE WERE FULL-TIMERS, THEN IT WOULD, UH, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE PAST, UH, EMPLOYEES, THEY WOULD PAY LIKE HALF AND HALF. OKAY. YEAH. THAT, THAT DOESN'T, UM, IT DOESN'T ADDRESS THAT IN THE BYLAWS THAT I'VE SEEN. OKAY. BUT I CAN DEFINITELY GO IN AND LOOK INTO THAT. UM, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS IS AN IMPACT OF THREE $81 TOTAL FOR TWO EMPLOYEES. YOU KNOW, JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'D BE BETTER FOR THEM TO, TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING TAKEN CARE OF. I THINK WE'RE MORE, THEY'RE MORE PRODUCTIVE IF THEY DO FEEL THAT WAY. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE WE AGREED TO PUT IT ON HERE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, SIR. I'LL MOVE FORWARD. OKAY. THE COUNT CONSULTATION WITH, UH, WITH LEGAL, I THINK, UM, THIS WAS KIND OF A, ONE OF THOSE THAT JUST MOVED FORWARD FROM THE PREVIOUS BUDGET TO THE, THE, TO THE NEXT AFTER CONSULTATION WITH OUR LEGAL, UH, COUNSEL. WE AGREED THAT ABOUT 3000 A MONTH WOULD BE, WOULD BE A GOOD NUMBER. UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'LL ALL BE EXPENDITURE EXPENDED ON THE MONTH. IT'S JUST A GOOD PLACEHOLDER FOR IT. RIGHT. AND SO WE AGREED THAT A GOOD NUMBER OF INCREASE WOULD BE ABOUT $12,000 FOR, FOR LEGAL COUNSEL. OKAY. THIS WAS, THIS WAS ANOTHER ITEM THAT WAS, THAT'S NOT A, SORRY, THAT'S NOT A RETAINER. THAT'S JUST BASED ON IF THEY DO MEET. 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU CAN GO HOME TWO MONTHS AND NOT MEET, BECAUSE IT'S SO HARD TO GET THESE SEVEN RIGHT. INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER SPEND IT ALL. IT'S JUST HOURLY RATES. RIGHT. ALRIGHT. UM, LET'S SEE. OKAY. THE MANAGERIAL SERVICE. THIS, THIS WAS ANOTHER, UM, MISTAKE THAT WE FOUND. IT, IT, IT SOUNDS, IT LOOKED LIKE THE, WE, UH, WE CONTRACT WITH THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT FOR OUR FINANCIAL MANAGERIAL SERVICES. JUST THE REGULAR, YOU KNOW, REGULAR COST OF DOING BUSINESS. RIGHT. BUT WE ALSO PARTNER WITH THEM ON A-U-S-D-A LOAN MANAGERIAL SERVICES. RIGHT. SO WE HAVE A, AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM THAT THEY ALSO HANDLE FOR US. AND THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS. 14,016, EIGHT. WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, ONE OF 'EM WAS AN ACCOUNTED FOR. AND ON OUR BUDGET WE WERE, IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE OVER BY 16 EIGHT, BUT WE REALLY WEREN'T. IT JUST WASN'T ACCOUNTED FOR. NOW, THE REASON FOR THE CONFUSION IS THAT BOTH OF THOSE FINANCIAL MANAGERIAL SERVICES AND USDA LOAN MANAGEMENT WERE GETTING TAKEN OUT OF THE SAME LINE ITEM. YOU KNOW, SO OUR, OUR PROPOSAL IS TO SEPARATE THOSE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST SEPARATE 'EM AND, UH, AND UH, THAT WAY THE CONFUSION WON'T BE THERE ANYMORE. SO ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE AN INCREASE OF 16,800, IT REALLY IS NOT, BECAUSE AS YOU SEE, IT WASN'T ACCOUNTED FOR. AND SO, SO THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO REQUEST TO SEPARATE THAT. SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS. THE, UM, USDA LOAN PROGRAM PAYS FOR THE MANAGERIAL SERVICES OUT OF THAT GRANT? OR WHY ARE YOU SEPARATING THEM? IS IT SOMETHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU'RE GETTING, UH, USDA, UH, TO PAY FOR THAT FINANCIAL SERVICE OR NO? NO. SO THE, THE, IT'S A US D IT'S A REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM. RIGHT. I UNDERSTAND. SO, SO WE HAVE A, AN INCENTIVE FOR YOU SAID, WHY, WHY ARE YOU SEPARATING THEM? BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S [00:35:01] DIFFERENT FROM THE JUST REGULAR DAY-TO-DAY FINANCIAL SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE. WHERE'S THE MONEY COMING FROM? FROM THE, FROM THE, FROM THE BUDGET? WHERE DO YOU, SO IT'S THE SAME MONEY. IT'S NOT, YOU'RE SEPARATING THEM, BUT THERE'S NOT REALLY A REASON TO SEPARATE 'EM. UM, MS. ROSAS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT, IT'S FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES, JUST TO DETAIL THEM. BUT THE USDA DOESN'T, UH, AFFORD YOU THE MANAGERIAL SERVICES THROUGH THE LOAN PROGRAM? NO, NO, NO, NO. IT'S, IT'S, THEY'RE FUNDS THAT WE LEND OUT AND THEN THEY REPAY IT WITH INTEREST AND THAT'S WHAT THEY HANDLE FOR US. YES. IT'S A LOAN COMPANY. SO I'M, I'M, UH, LENDING YOU MONEY AND THEN YOU'RE PAYING ME BACK. BUT WE'RE KEEPING ACCOUNT OF THAT. THAT'S ALL YOU DO. SO I'M DETAILING, CORRECT. I'M PUTTING USDA, BUT I'M KEEPING THAT AS A TRACK. OKAY. SO IT'S MORE LIKE A TRACKING TOOL. CORRECT. RATHER THAN, OKAY. I WAS THINKING MAYBE IS IT BECAUSE YOU GET THAT MONEY THROUGH USDA? NO. NO. OKAY. NO. ALRIGHT. THANKS. RIGHT. SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, RATHER, TWO DIFFERENT ITEMS. SO WE WANTED TO SEPARATE 'EM TO AVOID . YEAH. THE UNDERSTANDING WITH THE CITY O OF COURSE. UH, WE KNOW THAT. BUT, UH, USDA WELL, YEAH, I GUESS, UH, FOR AND MAYBE, UM, NOT NECESSARILY WHAT WE SAID IT WAS FOR, BUT, UH, YOU'RE SEPARATING THEM FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES. WELL, YEAH. OKAY. OVERALL, THE THE MANAGER MANAGER SERVICES IS TO OVERSEE THAT EVERYTHING'S GETTING DONE PROPERLY INCORRECTLY. CORRECT. WITH THE HELP OR FINANCE DEPARTMENT. RIGHT. OKAY. RIGHT. AND WE PAY 14,000 A YEAR FOR THAT SERVICE. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS THERE THE HIGHEST DEPARTMENT, IS THERE AN AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT'S TRACKED THAT THE FINANCE IS HELPING WITH THIS OR REVIEWING THIS? IT'S JUST FINANCE LOOKS AT EVERYTHING THAT IN AND OUT RIGHT. FOR EDC, RIGHT? YES. AND WE HAVE TWO OR THREE EMPLOYEES OR, YEAH. YES. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT, UH, STAFF MEMBERS THAT DO DIFFERENT THINGS TO CLOSE OUT THE FINANCIAL. OKAY. WAS THERE A, I KNOW THAT THERE'S, UH, OTHER LINE ITEMS FROM THE CITY. THERE'S MANAGERIAL SERVICES, WHICH IS LIKE MANNY OVERSIGHT OF THE EDC. RIGHT. AND THEN THERE'S DATA AND THEN FINANCE THAT GETS PAID OUT OF THE EDC TO THE CITY. RIGHT. IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM THIS? NO, THE, IT'S ONE OF THE ITEMS, WHICH IS THE FINANCE FINANCIAL. SO RIGHT. AND IT'S ONLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS MORE, IT'S ONLY 31,200 IS THE PROPOSED, IS IT 31,200 FOR FINANCE SERVICES? IT'S RIGHT. IT'S TWO, WELL, IT'S TWO DIFFERENT, RIGHT. SO IT'S 14,000 FOR FINANCE SERVICES AND THEN 16 EIGHT FOR THE USDA LOAN MANAGERIAL SERVICES 31 2. AND THEN THE, AND THEN THE DATA IS IS THERE RIGHT. THE DATA IS ANOTHER LINE ITEM. RIGHT. WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T WHAT IS THAT CHANGE THAT MUCH? THAT'S DATA ENTRY. LIKE 60 GRAND? NO, IT'S LIKE 3000 AROUND THERE. IT'S NOT MUCH. IT'S NOT MUCH. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT LIKE THIS NUMBER. WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T CHANGE THAT, WHICH IS WHY IT'S NOT ON HERE. SO THIS IS THE REPORTING THAT WE DO EVERY TIME THAT WE GO EVERY MONTH TO CLOSE THEIR BOOKS. YES. OKAY. THERE'S JUST A'S A LOT OF FEES THAT COME OUT FROM THE EDC TO PAY THE CITY TO HELP WITH MANAGEMENT OF IT, OF THE EDC. RIGHT. . RIGHT. AND THIS IS, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING TO CHANGE THAT. WE'RE JUST ASKING TO SEPARATE THESE TWO ITEMS. RIGHT. TO AVOID THE CONFUSION THAT WE SEE UP THERE, UH, WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE OVER BUDGET 16.8, BUT WE'RE REALLY NOT. YEAH. I THINK WE SHOULD DO IT FOR FREE. YOU PUT THE MONEY, YOU CAN USE THAT MONEY FOR BRINGING MORE BUSINESS. NO. NO, JUST, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER. THE BOSS. HE'S GONNA PAY THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. WE I'M PREACHING IN THE CHOIR. NO, I'M JUST KIDDING. NO, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU. THEY'RE REALLY, THEY'RE REALLY HELPFUL WITH US. THEY ANSWER OUR CALLS ALL THE TIME. AND SO, UH, YEAH. I THINK THIS IS TO, TO, UH, THIS IS A GREAT DEAL TO ME. MR. VCO HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. SORRY IF WE GO OKAY. HE DOESN'T CARE. SORRY. UM, OKAY. YES. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY. SO, UM, SO NOW THE, THE BOARD ALSO WANTED TO, UH, PUT ADDITIONAL LINE ITEM ON HERE FOR OF, OF 30,000 FOR THE CITY OF SAN SPECIAL EVENTS. SO WE WOULD DO WAS WE WOULD TAKE 30,000 FROM OUR PARTNERSHIP GRANT EVENTS AND THEN ADD AN ADDITIONAL 30,000 AND CREATE A NEW ITEM LINE ITEM CALLED CITY OF SAN DIEGO SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORSHIPS SUCH AS THE HOG WA DE AKA FEST, THE, UH, SOUTH TEXAS MUSIC FESTIVAL. OKAY. NOW, UM, JUST A QUESTION, HOW ARE WE GONNA GO AHEAD? THERE'S A PERCENTAGE THAT THE EDC IS ALLOWED TO USE FOR THESE TYPE OF EVENTS, RIGHT? YES. WE'RE NOT EXCEEDING THAT THRESHOLD. NO, WE'RE NOT. WE'RE NOT. YES. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. [00:40:01] SO, UM, SO ESSENTIALLY JUST A QUICK SUMMARY. THE, THE TOTAL IS JUST UNDER 90,000 AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE WE GONNA GET THIS, THESE FUNDS FROM? OKAY. SO THE BEAUTY OF THIS IS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO, UM, DIP INTO OUR RESERVES GENERAL FUND, OR WE'RE NOT GONNA TOUCH ANY OTHER LINE ITEMS THAT WERE MENTIONED ON HERE. IT, THE, WHERE WE'RE GONNA GET THE FUNDS IS THAT THE, THE EDC ACCUMULATES APPROXIMATELY 15,000 IN INTEREST EVERY, EVERY MONTH FROM THE, FROM OUR NEW BANK ACCOUNT. AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT NOW, YEAR TO DATE, AS OF, UH, AS OF DECEMBER, WE'RE ALREADY AT 75,000. OKAY. SO, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA STILL CONTINUE TO ACCUMULATE MORE EVERY MONTH. SO ESSENTIALLY THESE AMENDMENTS WILL BE PAID FOR BY THE INTEREST. OKAY. WHAT BANK IS THIS? THIS IS TEXAS REGIONAL BANK. DO WE HAVE, WE HAVE SIMILAR RATES, RIGHT? , THEY'RE GETTING BETTER. YES. YEAH. WHICH IS OUR, UH, POSITORY BANK, RIGHT? YES. AND SO, JUST IN SUMMARY, THE, UH, THE EDC BOARD APPROVED, UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THIS ON THEIR FEBRUARY 16TH MEETING. AND OF COURSE, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, SIR. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MAKE A MOTION FURTHER. OKAY. SO, SO THE MONEY'S GONNA, THE MONEY IF IT GETS APPROVED, I THINK IS FINE, RIGHT? BUT WE HAVE TO REEVALUATE THE MEDICAL COSTS. IF THERE'S CHEAPER OPTIONS LIKE GOING THROUGH THE ACA. A IF IT'S CHEAPER, WHICH I'M SURE IT IS FOR YOUR PART-TIME EMPLOYEES MAY NOT, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH FOR THE HIGH INCOME EARN EARNERS, OR DEPENDS ON THEIR GROSS INCOME FOR WHOEVER. BUT I WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT OPTION JUST TO SAVE YOU SOME MONEY, BECAUSE YOU NEED THAT MONEY TO GROW THE TOWN. I, I'M ALL FOR GETTING THE EMPLOYEES THE BEST BENEFITS POSSIBLE, BUT WE CAN'T GIVE ONE DEPARTMENT THE BEST BENEFITS POSSIBLE. 'CAUSE WE HAVE FINANCE HERE. WE HAVE PLANNING ZONING, WE HAVE THE COURTS . MR. SHAY'S GONNA START ASKING FOR BETTER BENEFITS. NO, HE MIGHT, BUT, BUT THAT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY CONCERN. I WANNA TAKE CARE OF EVERYBODY. BUT VISION AND DENTAL IS A PREMIUM DEAL. YEAH. OKAY. AND YOU PAY EXTRA FOR THAT. OKAY. SO MOTION ON THE FLOOR. I GOT A MOTION I KNOW BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. NOW, ARE WE GOING TO, UH, IS HE GONNA COME BACK WITH THE, UH, THE DENTAL AND DIVISION SEPARATE? OR WE GONNA PROVE IT NEXT TIME? MAYBE FOR THE NEXT, FOR THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE? I, OKAY. I GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER POLITAN VIA FRANCO. ALL IN FAVOR? A ANY MEETINGS? MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. AUGUST 2ND, 2022. REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NOTHING. NONE. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MOTION? GET A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. SECOND. SECOND BY MAYOR, BE IN FRANK. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAMES? MOTION PASSES. ITEM NINE, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE. EXCUSE ME. TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION. UH, 2023 DASH 2020. OKAY. I, UH, THE LAST NUMBER 'CAUSE IT'S, I THINK 0 2 2 8. OKAY. 8 0 0 1 RA JOINT RESOLUTION BETWEEN THE CITY OF SANTO AND CITY CONSULATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT REGARDING THE HOLDING OF THE JOINT ELECTION ON MAY 6TH, 2023. AND MS. UH, RUTH MCNI, ESAN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR COMMISSIONERS. RUTH MCGINNIS, CITY SECRETARY FOR THE RECORD. UH, THIS RESOLUTION IS TO DOCUMENT THAT, UH, THE CITY OF SANTO AND THE SAN BENITO CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HOLD A JOINT ELECTION FOR THE MAY 6TH, 2023, GENERAL ELECTION. WE'LL SHARE THE COST OF THE EXPENSES INCURRED, MINIMIZING ELECTION COSTS FOR THE CITY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, CITY STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. UM, ALL THE VOTING BALLOTS, UH, THEY GO TO BRA. YES, LEWIS. OKAY. OKAY. UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? NOTHING? NO. DO I HAVE A MOTION? A MOTION? YOU GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY MAYOR . ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAYS? MOTION PASSES. ITEM NUMBER 10, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE, POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION. 2023 DASH 0 0 2. EXCUSE ME. 0 2 2 8 DASH ZERO TWO R. AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO SUBMIT AND GRANT THE APPLICATION FOR THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION UNDER THE, UH, 2023, UH, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE [00:45:01] INVESTMENT, REBUILT AMERICA INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SUSTAINABILITY AND, UH, EQUITY RAISE IN THE AMOUNT OF, UH, 12,475,000 FOR STING ROAD RECONSTRUCTION, PEDESTRIAN AND, UH, DRAINAGE, UH, PROJECT AND, UH, MS. JOAN PROCEED. SO, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS JOHNO. I'M THE PLANNING MANAGER. THIS RESOLUTION WILL AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION UNDER THE 2023 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS RAISE GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF 12,475,000 FOR THE STRINGER ROAD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THE CITY'S LOCAL COST SHARE MATCH IS PROJECTED TO BE 3,772,000, UH, WITH $75 TO MEET THE THRESHOLD OF 20% LOCAL MATCH. DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I ASKED A QUESTION BEFORE, BUT I I MAYBE I DIDN'T GET A CLEAR ANSWER. UM, THE AMOUNT THAT, THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IS, UH, 12 MILLION 4 75 AND OUR SHARE WOULD BE THREE 3,000,772. SO THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT WOULD THEN BE, UH, A COMBINED AMOUNT. UH, IS THAT WHAT YES, SO, OKAY. WE ONLY HAVE TO PAY 20% OF THE 12 MILLION. OF THE 12 MILLION. SO IT'S A $12 MILLION PROJECT THEN? YES. OKAY. SO, UM, ON HERE, UH, I THINK WE, WHEN WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, FANON TO BUSINESS 77 ALL THE WAY CLEAR OUT PAST FIVE 10, RIGHT? YES, SIR. OKAY. AND WHAT ABOUT THE AREA FROM BUSINESS 77, UH, WEST TO FANIN? WOULD THAT BE PART OF THIS? UH, THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF STINGER FROM BUSINESS 77 AT STINGER, UH, NEAR THE, UH, FIRST COMMUNITY BANK AND HEB EASTWARD ALL THE WAY UNTIL IT REACHES FM FIVE 10, IT'S INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT. OH, OKAY. SO IT IS TO FIVE 10. AND WHAT ABOUT, UH, BUSINESS 77 TO FIVE DIFFERENT FIVE 10. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE STINGER THAT GOES ALL THE WAY UP BEYOND THAT AREA? NO, THIS TAKES IT RIGHT UP TO THAT ROADWAY. SO IT IS THE ONE THAT IT WAS IDENTIFIED, THEY WOULD BE MOST ELIGIBLE, UH, BASED ON, YOU KNOW, THE DENSITY, THE PEOPLE THEY'RE LOOKING AT ALL SORTS OF, SINCE IT'S TRACKS THAT'S COMMERCIAL. ONCE YOU GET PAST BEYOND THERE, THAT'S GONNA THROW. RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING, THAT THAT WOULD BE INCLUDED ALSO. ALL OF THOSE ISSUES WERE CONCERNED. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MAXIMUM YOU COULD APPLY FOR WAS 25 MILLION. IT HAS TO FIT WITHIN CERTAIN PARAMETERS WAS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THAT PARAMETER THAT THESE WERE THE BEST CHANCES TO GET THAT. AND AGAIN, THE BUT NOT THE PIECE FROM FIVE 10 ALL THE WAY OUT TO FIVE 10 TO, UH, THIS 7, 7 7. NO, SIR. NO, THAT'S NOT CONSIDERED. OKAY. WELL, I GUESS WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT WE'LL ADDRESS THAT PIECE. YES, SIR. NO, IT'S A DIFFERENT FORM. AND, AND I LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS LONG OVERDUE. I THINK WE'D ALL AGREE UP HERE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, BEEN WAITING FOR A WHILE, WE'VE ALL LOOKED FORWARD TO, BUT I WISH WE'D GET IT ALL DONE. WE CAN ALWAYS LOOK INTO IT. UM, SO, OKAY, SO THIS IS GONNA BRING IN, UM, LIGHTING ALSO, UH, STREET LIGHTING, PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY, SIDEWALK, UH, TRY TO RESOLVE SOME OF THE FLOODING ISSUES SO WIDE, WHETHER WE GET ALL OF IT OR NOT WILL DEPEND ON WHAT SECTIONS WE MAY BE ABLE TO BREAK IT DOWN. WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK FOR OTHER FUNDING. UH, THIS IS ALL THIS ONE GRANT. WE MAY BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR SOME OF THE, UH, MAYOR YOU HEARD THE, THE, THE, RECENTLY THE MPO, THERE'S CATEGORY SEVEN MONIES AND CATEGORY NINE MONIES. THIS MAY QUALIFY FOR THE CATEGORY NINE. SO THERE MAY BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES. CORRECT. THAT'S WHY WE'VE SELECTED AN ENGINEERING FIRM THAT KNOWS THEY, THEY, THIS, THIS IS THE SAME ENGINEERING FIRM THAT DOES THE, THAT IS DOING THE, UH, OSCAR NORTH AND OSCAR SOUTH, OSCAR WILLIAMS, UH, UH, AND, AND THEY ARE CONTRACTED WITH THE CAMERON COUNTY REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY. CORRECT. SO WE VERY SPECIFICALLY SOUGHT OUT THESE ENGINEERS BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY TO BILL, TO HANDLE THESE TYPE OF GRANTS, UH, OUT OF THE FEDERAL FUNDINGS AND MEET THAT CRITERIA AND GIVE US THE BEST SCORES POSSIBLE. CORRECT. WE HAD ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS TREE WITH THAT MPO, ISN'T IT SOMEWHERE OUT THERE WHERE WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS IT, ISSUE IT'S OFF SYSTEM. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A TEXT OUT ROADWAY ONE TIME, JUST LIKE CON'S WAS FROM FRED DEFENDER OUT TO, UH, THE EXPRESSWAY. MM-HMM. . BUT IT, YOU KNOW, THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS, THAT'S WHY ONE TIME THEY WERE TEXT OUTS. IT WAS SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY MANY, MANY DECADES AGO. THE CITY ACCEPTED IT, TEXTILE HANDED IT OVER. THEY DO HELP US WITH SOME OF THE STREET LIGHTS IF THEY GOT [00:50:01] CERTAIN PARTS. BUT IT IS NOT YOUR ROAD. BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN CERTAIN CONDITIONS OF THE MPO. AND AGAIN, EVEN IF IT IS, AND IT MAY IN THE FUTURE, SOME CATEGORY, YOU'VE GOTTA GET A SHOVEL READY, WHICH MEANS YOU'VE GOTTA DO ACQUISITION OF RIGHT. OF WAYS. YOU GOTTA DO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENT. YOU GOTTA DO THE DESIGN AND COMMISSIONER, YOU HEARD THE SAME THING FROM REPRESENTATIVE JENNY LOPEZ THE OTHER DAY. YOU HAVE SHOVEL READY PROJECTS, RIGHT? MM-HMM. , IF IT'S NOT SHOVEL READY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET FUNDING. CORRECT. SO IT'S A LOT OF EXPENSE THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH JUST TO STUDY ALONE. THE GRANT IS, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 13, 13, UH, 12.5 MILLION. UNDERSTOOD. IN YOUR PORTIONS, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY IT WILL BE READY. YEAH. IT, IT, IT'S GOING TO BENEFIT THE CITY. AND IT'S SOMETHING THE, JUST THE FLOODING ALONE AT OOKY AND STINGER MAKES THIS IMPORTANT. BUT THE WHOLE ROADWAY NEEDS ATTENTION, CORRECT? YEAH, IT DOES. OKAY. I, I KNOW WE DISCUSSED ONE TIME THAT WE MIGHT BE, UH, TO AN IMPOVERISHED AREA AND PAID A LOWER AMOUNT. DID THAT, DID WE NOT MEET THAT CRITERIA? OR THIS IS A CAP? YEAH, THIS IS A FEDERAL GRANT. SO THERE'S THIS CAP. SO DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T APPLY FOR THE FUNDING AND TRY TO BRING IT DOWN. SO THE TDOT PROJECTS LIKE YOU HAVE CURRENTLY, UH, OSCAR WILLIAMS NORTH IS A TDOT. OSCAR WILLIAMS SOUTH FROM, UH, THE EXPRESSWAY TO THE NEW SOUTH LOOP IS NOT A TDOT. SO THERE ARE, BECAUSE WE ARE A DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY IN CAMERON COUNTY, INSTEAD OF THE 20%, IT'S DOWN TO LIKE 14 OR 16%. I CAN'T RECALL. IT'S ONE OF THOSE TWO NUMBERS. SO THERE ARE, THE FEDS AREN'T LOOKING AT IT THAT WAY. SO WE'LL SEE HOW WE COME UP WITH THAT FUNDING. AND THERE'S ANY OTHER FUNDING AVAILABLE TO GET THE OTHER STUFF YOU CAN APPLY FOR OTHER, OTHER GRANTS. I THINK IT'S A START TO ADD ANOTHER PARALLEL CORRIDOR TO, TO THE CITY. SO FROM BROWNSVILLE TO ARLINGTON AND JUST ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT CONGESTION ON BUSINESS 77 AND THE HIGHWAY ALSO. SO TO IMPROVE STANGER. OH YEAH. YES, SIR. YEAH. SO I, I LIKE IT. UM, I MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SECOND. OKAY. I MOTION BY COMMISSIONER, UH, GALVAN. SECOND BY MAYOR VIA PHONE CALL. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAYES? MOTION PASSES. MAYOR. COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'VE ALREADY APPROVED THE, THE APPLICATION, THE RESOLUTION IS PART OF THAT. THAT RESOLUTION NEEDS TO BE, UH, SUBMITTED BEFORE 10:00 PM TONIGHT BECAUSE THAT IS THE DEADLINE. WE ARE UNDER THE WIRE AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD FOR THE LAST ALMOST FIVE, SIX WEEKS ON THIS. BRING IT UP. I'LL SIGN IT. GET RID OF IT. MOTION TO APPROVE IT THEN. YEAH. YOU NEED A MOTION FROM THAT? YEAH. YES. DO A MOTION. THAT ONE? YEAH. WELL, IT'S A RESOLUTION. IT'S AN ACTION ITEM IS, UH, OKAY. POSSIBLE MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. I'LL SECOND A MOTION. OKAY. SO I GOT A MOTION BY, UH, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. SECOND BY VIA, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, UH, VIA FRANCO. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY WINGS? MOTION PASSES. OKAY. I SIGNED THAT ONE ALREADY, RIGHT? YOU HAVE NOT, I NEED TO THERE TO SIGN IT. I NOW YOU HAVE IT ALREADY. I HAVE IT ALREADY. SHE'S GONNA BE EXCUSED. SET OFF. YES. YOU DIDN'T GO WITH THE FIRST. IT WAS A, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE MOTION ITEM NUMBER 10. RESOLUTION. I I DON'T NEED TWO MOTIONS. THAT'S THE ONLY THING. THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE, THE FIRST MOTION. OKAY. NO, WE TOOK THE, YEAH. OKAY. WELL YOU SAID THOUGHT IT WAS A DIFFERENT ONE THAT YOU NEEDED RIGHT AWAY. YOU SAID GET ANOTHER ONE. THERE YOU GO. I'M SORRY. YEAH. OKAY. SO WE GOT IT. SO IF SHE'S GOT IT. SO I HAVE, I HAVE EVERYTHING READY TO GO. YOU READY? OH, YOU GOT IT. OKAY. FIVE. YES. OKAY. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? NO NUMBER. OKAY. OKAY. SO ITEM 10 IS DONE. OKAY. PASS. OKAY. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER DONE. UH, FIRST RULE OF ORANGE NUMBER, UH, 2252 DASH A AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2252. AND ANY OTHER AMENDING ORDINANCES AND COURTED IN A CODE OF, UH, OR ORDINANCES IN CHAPTER FIVE, SECTION 5.06 D AND E PERTAINING TO THE BUILDING YARD SETBACKS AND REPEATING ALL OTHER, UH, ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT THEREWITH, UH, TO PROVIDE, UH, BY THE CITY, PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF SUBMITTED AND PROVIDED FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. AND MS. UH, MAL, THE PURPOSE OF THIS ORDINANCE IS TO UPDATE THE FRONT SETBACK FOR THE ZONING DISTRICTS OF OP NSC ONE, C TWO, LI, AND HI. THIS WILL AFFECT MULTIFAMILY, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL. UH, THE REASON WE'RE CHANGING THIS IS 'CAUSE CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL LOTS THAT ARE NOT VERY DEEP. UM, THERE MAY BE 125 FEET AND THEN YOU ADD A FRONT SETBACK. 'CAUSE OUR CURRENT FRONT SETBACK IS 65 FEET. UM, THAT DOESN'T LEAVE YOU WITH VERY MUCH BUILDABLE AREA. [00:55:01] UM, MULTIFAMILY, COMMERCIAL, UH, INDUSTRIAL. THAT'S A VERY LARGE SETBACK. WE'VE KIND OF GONE WITH, UM, MORE OR LESS WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS USING, WHICH IS ABOUT 25 FEET. OKAY. UM, THAT'S HOW WE CAME, CAME UP WITH THAT NUMBER. OKAY. IS THAT GONNA PERTAIN ALSO TO, UH, BUSINESS SEVEN. SEVEN. SO ANYTHING THAT IS ZONED COMMERCIAL, ANYTHING COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL? NOT, NOT RESIDENTIAL, JUST COMMERCIAL. INDUSTRIAL AND MULTIFAMILY. MULTIFAMILY. I THINK WHERE, I THINK WHERE THE MAYOR'S GOING WITH THIS IS THAT IF YOU EVER SEE TDOT LOOKING FOR SOME IMPROVEMENTS, IS THAT ENOUGH ROOM FOR, FOR THEM TO WORK WITH? I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE KIND OF GOING WITH, RIGHT? ? I WAS ASKING, WELL, THERE'S A, THERE'S A GENTLEMAN THAT HAS BEEN AT THE, HE IS BEEN HOLD HELD BACK BECAUSE HE'S BEEN TRYING TO PUT, UH, LIKE AN O UH, CHANGE, UM, YOU KNOW, SITE. AND, UH, SO THAT GENTLEMAN WENT BEFORE THE DBA PROBABLY, UH, LAST MONTH. AT THE END OF LAST MONTH, UHHUH . AND HE DID GET APPROVED FOR REDUCED SETBACK OF 25 FEET. UM, WE TOOK HIM BEFORE THE DBA, JUST SO THAT HE COULD MOVE ALONG THROUGH THE PROCESS. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS ALSO THAT WE'RE DOING THIS IS BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO BE TAKING, UM, EVERY CUSTOMER THAT, YOU KNOW, YES, WE FEEL THAT THE LOT IS VERY SMALL OR RIGHT, YOU KNOW, UM, ODD SHAPED FOR THIS EXEMPTION BECAUSE THERE ARE SEVERAL IN THE CITY THAT HAVE SMALLER LOTS. UH, SO WE'D HAVE TO BE DOING THIS, UH, FREQUENTLY. GREAT. BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR DOING IT. CUT YOUR WORK TIME DOWN. AND YOU IMPROVED THE PROCESS FOR ALL THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE TRYING TO COME IN. YES. THANK YOU JOANNA. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. STANDING OVATION. YEAH, STAND UP. I WOULD. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? FINALLY, I WON'T YELL AT YOU GUYS ANYMORE. THANK YOU. UH, OKAY. NOW THAT'S THE FIRST MEETING. OKAY. UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMERS? NONE. UM, OKAY, GOOD. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU MA'AM. OKAY. AT NUMBER 12, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE CONTACT, UH, CONTRACT WITH HEARTS OF AMERICA SHOW TO HOST A COMMONWEALTH AT THE SIMILAR FAIRGROUNDS. AND, UH, MS. NIKKI. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS. NIKKI SERRANO, PARKS AND RECREATION SPECIAL PROJECT PLANNER FOR THE RECORD. STAFF RECENTLY WORKED TOGETHER TO CREATE THE BROCHURES THAT ARE IN FRONT OF YOU. THE BROCHURES WERE DESIGNED TO CREATE AWARENESS OF OUR EVENTS AND TO REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE. STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING TO ELEVATE EVENTS AND ADD ATTRACTIONS TO THEM. THIS YEAR WE HOPE TO ADD THE HEART OF AMERICA CARNIVAL TO OUR HOG WADDLE CONCERT. HEART OF AMERICA SHOWS IS A FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED COMPANY THAT HAS PROVIDED ENTERTAINMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR YEARS. THEIR SHOWS INCLUDES RIDE, THEIR SHOWS, INCLUDE RIDES, FAIR FOODS AND GAMES. THEY'RE A GREAT ATTRACTION AND OFFER ACTIVITIES FOR ALL TO ENJOY. APPROVAL OF THIS CONTRACT WOULD ALLOW THE CARNIVAL TO OPERATE DURING THE HOG WADDLE CONCERT, AS WELL AS THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE EVENT, FRIDAY AND THE SUNDAY AFTER THE EVENT, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. OKAY. COMMISSIONER, ANY QUESTIONS? NO, SIR. NONE. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND AGAIN, COLE NIKKI. THANK YOU. THIS WAS JUST YOUR STAFF. UH, I WAS PARKED, UM, ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. AND MR. BELL, WE COLLABORATED TOGETHER. THIS IS REALLY COOL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. OKAY. I GOT A MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEAM OF FRANCO. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAS MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER 13, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A CLIENT THAT AGREE WITH A TOP BOX ENTERTAINMENT FOR TICKET TICKETING, SERVICE FOR THE HOT WATER CONCERT. AND MS. UH, SERRANO ON? YES, SIR. NIKKI SERRANO PARKS AND RECREATION SPECIAL PROJECTS PLANNER FOR THE RECORD. THIS ITEM IS TO SECURE THE PROFESSIONAL TICKETING SERVICES BY TOP BOX ENTERTAINMENT. TOP BOX WILL MANAGE ONLINE SALES AND SALES THE DAY OF THE DAY OF THE EVENT BY SETTING UP A BOX OFFICE AND COLLECTING TICKETS AT THE EVENT. REPORTS WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED AS NEEDED. STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? WHAT IS THE COST OF TOP BOX, UH, ADDED TO THE TICKET? DO YOU KNOW? THEY COLLECT A DOLLAR FOR ONLINE. EACH LINE, EACH TICKET. TOTAL A DOLLAR PLUS. UM, THE ONLINE CHARGES, LIKE THE CREDIT CARD FEES, THAT'S AN ADDITIONAL THREE POINT SOMETHING PERCENT. MM-HMM. . SO I THINK, UM, LIKE, COMES OUT TO LESS THAN $10 A TICKET. OKAY. [01:00:01] ONLINE? ONLINE? YES. THE, AT THE GATE, AT THE GATE IS $5 AT THE MM-HMM. . AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE DIFFERENT RETAIL OUTLETS. UM, LAST YEAR WE DID HAVE SOME AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO THAT AGAIN, TO ALLOW THE COMMUNITY TO NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL OUT OF TOWN TO PURCHASE TICKETS IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A PHYSICAL TICKET. UM, ALSO THEY HAVE LOCATIONS AT THE BOOT JACK AND THE BULL RIDER WHERE YOU CAN PURCHASE A PHYSICAL TICKET FOR $5. IT USED TO BE, WE USED TO HAVE, IT WAS $6. RIGHT? SO THAT THE PROCESSING WAS A DOLLAR AND THE CITY TOOK FIVE. ALL THAT KIND, WE CHANGED IT. UM, WHY DID WE CHANGE IT? WAS IT TOO MUCH? TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE WAS $6. IT'S NOT EVEN, WHY DID WE GO, WHY DID WE GO TO FIVE WHERE IT'S NOW $5? WE DID SELL IT FOR $5 WITH THE ADDITIONAL FEES. IT WOULD COME OUT TO THE SIX AND CHANGE SIX. SIX AND CHANGE. AND WE DIDN'T WE DO IT, UH, THE COST OF THE TICKET. $6. SO THAT THEY WOULD TAKE A DOLLAR AND WE KEEP FIVE, BUT NOW WE'RE ONLY GONNA TAKE FOUR. NO, NO. OUR TICKET IS STILL FIVE. YES. OKAY. OUR TICKETS IS FIVE. THEY TAKE A DOLLAR PLUS THE PERCENTAGE ON, ON THE RIGHT. THE, THE FEE GETS PASSED ONTO THE CONSUMER. NOW, I THINK IF THEY PAY WITH A CREDIT CARD ON SITE, THEY CAN, RIGHT. WE STILL USE OUR CREDIT CARD MACHINES, RIGHT? NO, NO, NO. I'M SORRY. THEY HAVE THEIR CREDIT CARD MACHINES. OKAY. SO ON SITE, IF THEY DON'T HAVE CASH, MM-HMM. . SO ON SITE IT WON'T BE $5. IT'S GONNA BE $5. THEY'RE GONNA TAKE THEIR $1. THEY'RE JUST NOT GONNA HIT YOU WITH THE CREDIT CARD FEES AT 3.99 OR WHATEVER IT IS. SO, SO BOTTOM LINE CASH IS $5 AT THE DOOR. OTHER THAN THAT, NO. STILL SIX. THEY'RE ALWAYS GONNA GET THEIR DOLLAR. THAT'S THE AGREEMENT. IF YOU USE A CREDIT CARD, THERE'S, THEY PASS ON. NOW THE, THE SERVICE CHARGE TO YOU? NO. $5. UM, COVERS IT ALL. THERE'S NO SERVICE CHARGE. MM-HMM. IF YOU PAY IN PERSON. OKAY, SO YOU PAY, YOU PAY IN PERSON. I'M SORRY. IF YOU PAY IN PERSON, IT'S $5 REGARDLESS. CASH. IF YOU BRING CASH IT BRING A CREDIT CARD. WELL, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE NOWADAYS EVERYWHERE YOU GO, EVEN A LOCAL RESTAURANT IS 3.9, CORRECT? UH, YEAH, WE'RE GOING BACK TO CASH. I GUESS , I DON'T KNOW, BUT, UH, OKAY. SO LIKE, COMMISSIONER GARRAN WAS ASKING THE PRICE, THE COST IS $5, UM, THAT THE CITY KEEPS. AND THAT $1 IS THE ADDITIONAL FOR THE, UM, TOP RIGHT. WHEN THEY DO, UM, ONLINE. GOTCHA. FOR ONLINE. BUT AT THE GATE IT'S $5. RIGHT? IF CASH. OKAY. ALRIGHT, THANKS. DO, DID, DID YOU SEE AN IMPROVEMENT IN TICKET SALES GOING WITH THIS COMPANY? IS IT NECESSARY? I BELIEVE WAS THERE A PERCENTAGE INCREASE? MM-HMM. I DO BELIEVE SO. IT DOES ALSO ALLEVIATE A LOT OF, UM, RESOURCES FROM THE STAFF. OKAY. BUT THEY DO HANDLE EVERYTHING WE DO. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DO GET TO PURCHASE THEIR TICKETS BEFOREHAND. MM-HMM. . SO IT ALSO ALLEVIATES LONG WAIT TIMES AT THE GATE. UM, SO THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, A, A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PERKS LIKE THAT. OKAY. THEY ALSO HANDLE ANY KIND OF CONCERNS. YOU KNOW, IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, THEY TAKE CARE OF THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S NOT SCANNING OR I DIDN'T GET AN EMAIL. UM, THEY WILL HANDLE ALL OF THAT. BUT I'VE SEEN THAT THE, UH, HIGH SCHOOL GAMES IS THEY DO ALL ONLINE TICKETS NOW. YOU CAN'T EVEN BUY A TICKET CASH, YOU HAVE TO DO IT ON YOUR PHONE. UM, I'M NOT SURE WHO THEY USE. MAYBE IT'S AN, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK INTO. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN SHARE WHAT THE COST IS. I GUESS IT'S JUST TRYING TO PREVENT THE HANDLING OF CASH. MM-HMM. EVERY SCHOOL USES A DIFFERENT, UM, VENDOR. UH, TICKET. TICKET IS ONE OF 'EM. I DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER ONES, BUT THEY ALL TAKE THEIR PERCENTAGE TOO, SO. RIGHT, RIGHT. WE GET TO APPROVE. OKAY. NO QUESTIONS. OKAY. I GOT A MOTION BY . SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY NAS MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, NIKKI. THANK YOU. OKAY. ITEM 14, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE MANAGE TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR AND AN AN ASSISTANT EMERGENCY COORDINATOR. AND MR. FRED BELL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MAYOR PROTE AND COMMISSIONERS FOR THE RECORD. FRED BELL, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR. AS YOU KNOW, MY DEPARTURE DATE IS QUICKLY CLOSING. SO IT IS AT THAT TIME, POINT IN TIME WHERE Y'ALL HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHO YOU WANNA RECOMMEND AS YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR. THE CITY MANAGER AND I HAVE, UH, HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT, AND WE ARE PROUDLY RECOMMENDING 70 TO CHIEF OF POLICE MARIO PER, FOR THIS POSITION. UH, WE BELIEVE THAT HE'S GOT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY THE, THE EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH THE EMERGENCY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. OUR EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE USED, UH, [01:05:01] INSTEAD OF JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL, AND MAYOR, YOU'VE PARTICIPATED IN SOME OF OUR PLANNING EVENTS WHERE WE HAVE BUILT THE DEPTH THAT THE CITY MANAGER HAS PUSHED FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. UH, WE HAVE, UH, THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE IN, IN CHIEF POE'S ABILITY TO TAKE ON THIS ROLE. UH, PART OF THE OTHER AGENDA ITEM IS TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, UH, REAPPOINTMENT CONTINUED APPOINTMENT OF MS. CHRISTINA SANCHEZ, THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR AS THE ASSISTANT EMERGING COORDINATOR. UH, IT, IT'S NO SECRET THAT SHE'S THE, UH, THE, THE, THE BRAINS BEHIND THE OPERATIONS. SHE MAKES SURE ALL THE PAPERWORK AND EVERYTHING IS TAKEN CARE OF. SO IT, UH, WE, WE GLADLY ARE RECOMMENDING THAT, UH, YOU APPOINT CHIEF POEO AS THE EMC AND, UH, CONTINUE THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. SANCHEZ AS THE ASSISTANT MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR. GOOD. ARE THEY GONNA GET FREE VISION AND DENTAL? UH, NOT AT THIS TIME. ALRIGHT. JUST A THOUGHT. JUST A THOUGHT. JUST A THOUGHT. OKAY. SECOND, YOU GONNA GET THE, THE FIRST FRANCO SECOND BY, UH, UH, COMMISSIONER GARVAN. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAS MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. WELL, IF FORGET TO ASK, UH, DO THEY HAVE A CHOICE? ? THEY ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE. MAYOR. CORRECT. OKAY. GOOD. OKAY. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE TOO. OKAY. TOLD ITEM 15, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CITY REPRESENTATIVE REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH TEXAS EMERGENCY HEALTH, UH, CARE FOUNDATION STICK F, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MR. PRESENTING CENTER, YOU MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, UH, AND NOT TO, UH, OUTDO CHIEF PAD. THE CITY HAS AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE BYLAWS OF THE, UH, E, UH, FOUNDATION AS A BOARD OF DIRECTORS I CURRENTLY SERVE IN THAT ROLE. SO, UH, NOT TO OUTDO CHIEF PO THE STAFF IS RECOMMENDING, OR CITY MANAGEMENT IS RECOMMENDING THAT SAN BETO FIRE CHIEF RAI BATISTA SERVING IN THIS ROLE. WE, UH, CHIEF BATISTA AND I MET WITH, UH, BILL ASTON. WE WENT OVER THERE AND, AND HAD THAT DISCUSSION. WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS ALSO KIND OF MORE IN HIS, UH, SINCE IT DEALS WITH THE EMERGENCY, WITH THE AMBULANCE SERVICES. UM, SO, UH, I CAN TELL YOU, I CAN SPEAK ON HIS BEHALF. HE IS ECSTATIC ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY. UM, I DID CAUTION HIM FROM DOING CARTWHEELS THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE, THE HALL, BUT NO, HE DOES, UH, HE'S, HE'S WILLINGLY AND BOTH CHIEFS, I, I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH FOR BOTH YOUR CHIEFS. THEY, THEY, WITHOUT QUESTION, THEY SAY WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO TO, TO CARRY ON THE ROLE. SO IT IS WITH UTMOST RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT. THE CAR WILL ONLY CAN DO THAT . SLIGHT. OKAY. OKAY. MOTION TO APPROVE. I GOT A MOTION BY, UH, . SECOND BY COMMISSIONER LAVAN. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAYS? MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. ITEM NUMBER 16, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO REQUEST A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FOR THE MEDICAL BENEFITS. UH, UH, AGENT OF RECORD. AND MR. MADRID. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR COMMISSIONERS. MOISE MADRID, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR. THE CITY OF SAN MANTO PROVIDES EMPLOYEES WITH MEDICAL BENEFITS AND, UH, RX OR THE MEDICINE. THIS PROGRAM IS ADMINISTERED BY OUR AGENT RECORD, WHICH IS LONE STAR INSURANCE, AN INSURANCE BROKER. I HAVE WORKED IN THE OTHER, UM, COUNT COUNTIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND I'M PART OF THE HR, UH, CONSORTIUM. I'VE NOTICED THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST DEALS AS FAR AS OUR, UM, MEDICAL BENEFITS REGARDING THE, THE COST TO THE CITY. OUR AGENT RECORD IS THE ONE THAT REPRESENTS US. SO THEY GO AND, UH, GET QUOTES YEARLY TO SEE WHAT THE BEST DEAL IS. AND FOR IT, THEY, THEY RECEIVE A COMMISSION. WE DON'T KNOW THE AMOUNTS OF WHAT THAT IS, AND WE DON'T PAY 'EM SEPARATELY, SUCH AS A CONSULTANT. MANY CONSULTANTS CAN CHARGE YOU ANYWHERE, LIKE $50,000 TO REVIEW THE PACKAGE WHEN YOU GO OUT FOR QUOTES ON A YEARLY BASIS. AND THEN YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF ADMINISTERING THE BENEFITS, THE ENROLLMENT, ANY HEALTH FAIRS THAT YOU HAVE, OR, UM, OPEN ENROLLMENT. NOW, OUR ORIGINAL RECORD HAS BEEN WITH US FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS NOW, AND THEY HELP US ON A YEARLY BASIS WITH THIS. IT'S A SMOOTH TRANSITION, A SMOOTH PROCESS. I STARTED AUGUST 1ST OF LAST YEAR, AND BEFORE BY, BY THE END OF, UM, OF THAT MONTH, WE HAD GONE THROUGH OPEN ENROLLMENT. UH, MOST OF OUR STAFF WAS NEW, UH, DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHERE, WHERE THINGS WERE YET. THE AGENT OF RECORD, UH, MADE IT A SMOOTH TRANSITION FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD. AND ALL OUR EMPLOYEES HAD INSURANCE COVERAGE. UM, [01:10:02] ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HEARD IN THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH EDC ABOUT MEDICAL, THE CITY PAYS MOST OF THE MEDICAL COVERAGE AND THE EMPLOYEES PAY A PORTION, WHICH IS ABOUT $84 OVER THE FIRST TWO PAYROLLS ON A MONTHLY BASIS. THAT'S JUST FOR THE MEDICAL. OUR DENTAL AND OUR VISION IS AT AN ADDITIONAL COST. STAFF RECOMMENDS THAT WE CONTINUE WITH OUR AGENT RECORD, WHICH IS LONE STAR INSURANCE FOR THE NEXT COMING FISCAL YEAR. IF NOT, WE WOULD NEED A RECOMMENDATION TO GO OUT FOR RFP AND BEGIN THAT PROCESS. OKAY, MAYOR, COMMISSIONER, I PLACED THIS ON THE AGENDA. UH, ONE IS, UH, COMMISSIONER GBA MADE A REQUEST FOR SOME INFORMATION ON HOW WE, UH, CAME TO UTILIZE LONE STAR INSURANCES, UH, AS BROKERAGE SERVICES. UH, THAT STARTED ACTUALLY WHEN I STARTED IN JANUARY OF 2016. DISCUSSIONS WERE ALREADY UNDERWAY. UH, I BELIEVE TWO MONTHS LATER, THEY MADE A PRESENTATION. THEY, THEY WERE SELECTED AT THE TIME. MAYOR CELESTE SANCHO WAS THE MAYOR. UH, THEY WERE THE SUPPLE. THEY PROVIDED SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE THAT FIRST YEAR. THE 20 16, 20 17. YES. 2017 YEAR. THE, SO IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE 20 17, 20 18, UH, LONE STAR WAS THE AGENT OF RECORD FOR HEALTHCARE AND SUPPLEMENTAL, UH, BENEFITS. SO THEY HAVE BEEN WITH US SINCE, SINCE THAT TIME. SO, UH, BUT AGAIN AND AGAIN, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYOR THAT, AND AGAIN, I COPIED EVERY ONE OF YOU WHEN I PROVIDED YOU THE, THE HISTORICAL, UH, UM, THE HISTORY ON HOW WE, THIS COMPANY CAME TO BE OUR BROKERAGE SERVICES, UH, MR. UH EZ. CORRECT. WE DON'T GET TO SEE WHAT THAT IS. JUST LIKE YOU, YOU HEARD MR. ARMAND, THEY CALLS, UH, AN INSURANCE. HE KIND OF, UH, SOMEBODY THAT PROVIDES THOSE SERVICES. THOSE ARE CON THOSE ARE BROKERS GOING OUT TO COMPANIES THAT GAVE HIM A QUOTE FOR THOSE SERVICES. HE'S ALREADY GETTING THOSE FEES FROM THOSE COMP FROM THOSE COMPANIES. SAME THING HERE. YOU GET TO SEE IT BECAUSE COMMISSIONER GOT BOND REQUESTED IT, AND THEY'RE, THEY'LL SHOW IT TO YOU. THEY'RE DEALING WITH PUBLIC FUNDS. BUT THOSE ARE CONTRACTED SERVICES BETWEEN A, A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND A, A VENDOR, A CONTRACTOR THAT MEETS CERTAIN CRITERIA. THEY BID OUT THE SERVICES. A BA HAS BEEN OUR ADMINISTRATOR, WHICH IS, UH, ASSURED, UH, BEN, UH, ASSURED BENEFITS, UH, ALLIANCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. ABAS THE ACRONYM. UH, BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN THE ADMINISTRATOR. THEY'VE BEEN THE ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. UH, THE SERVICES HAVE GOT IMPROVED. I THINK WHEN WE COMMISSIONER, DO YOU RECALL? DEDUCTIBLES WERE LIKE 3,500 FOR INDIVIDUALS. THEY WERE CRAZY OUTSTANDING. THEY WERE CRAZY. NOW THEY'RE, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE DEDUCTIBLES IN THE 2000 RANGE? UM, HERE, WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR, IT'S $25. AND IF YOU, UM, THAT'S JUST TO SEE A DOCTOR. BUT THEN IF YOU HAVE A SURGERY, THEN THAT WOULD BE A, A BIGGER OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE. RIGHT. BEING HERE THE LONGEST WE'VE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH PREVIOUSLY, WE'VE GONE THROUGH MANY BROKERS TO FINALLY GET THE BEST ONE THAT WE HAVE SO FAR. AND I'VE NOTICED THAT EVERYBODY IS HAPPY WHAT THEY HAVE. AND, AND WE'VE GOTTEN THE BEST PRICES THUS FAR. SO WE'VE INCREASED THE, UH, COMMISSIONER MENTIONS THE, THE, THE DEATH BENEFIT WAS INCREASED AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO US. IT WAS USED TO BE AS LITTLE AS $10,000. IT'S THE EXCESS OF END OF DEBT NOW. IT'S 20, 25,000. BUT EVEN, UH, THE, THE, UH, THE HEALTH, UH, THE VISION AND DENTAL, UH, INSTEAD OF GOING ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS, NOW YOU CAN GO EVERY 12 MONTHS AND GET DENTAL WORK OR, OR GET, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEW EYEWEAR. SO EVERY TIME WE GO, WE GO BACK AND WE SEE THAT WE'RE DOING WELL. AND IT'S YOUR, REMEMBER YOU'RE SELF-INSURED. YOU'VE GOT POLICIES. NOW, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, ONE POLICY HANDLES THE FIRST 50,000. WE HAVE PEOPLE WITH, WITH, UH, UH, HEART ATTACKS, STROKES, DIABETES, YOU KNOW, ALL SORTS OF ELEMENT, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE THAT TAKE FOLKS OUT OF THE WORKFORCE. SO WHENEVER IT, IT EXCEEDS THAT 50,000, THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER, A GAP INSURANCE THAT KICKS IN FOR THAT ADDITIONAL, AND THEN IT REIMBURSES IF SAY IT'S 80,000 WHILE IT GOES BACK AND IT REIMBURSES. AND SO IT PICKS UP. SO WE HAVE THAT, THAT HAS BEEN A WELL-MANAGED PLAN. AND, AND FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THE HEALTH BENEFIT THAT'S COMING UP ON MARCH 10TH WHERE WE'VE INVITED THE EMPLOYEES, THERE'S, UH, SOME SCREENING FOR DIABETES, PSA CERTAIN THINGS THAT IF, IF AN EMPLOYEE GETS THOSE LAB WORKS DONE, THE CITY PAYS FOR IT AT $20 AN EMPLOYEE. ANY, IT'S ALL VOLUNTARY. SO ANY EMPLOYEE THAT WANTS TO GET THAT LAB WORK DONE, THEY BILL IT FOR 20,000. WE KNOW, I MEAN, FOR $20 A PERSON. AND WE KNOW THAT NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WE'VE GOT, THEY SEND US A BILL BECAUSE IT COMES OUT OF THE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GIVE BACK. ALSO, WE WANT THIS, THESE WELLNESS PROGRAMS, WE WANT PEOPLE TO, TO TRY TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. THEY, THEY MAY NOT ALWAYS, BUT AT LEAST WE MAKE IT AVAILABLE [01:15:01] TO THEM. AND IT'S MUCH MORE, EVEN 2000, IT'S MUCH BETTER THAN WAS WHEN IT WAS MUCH, MUCH HIGHER. SO, UM, WHAT, WHAT IS THE, THERE'S A STOP-LOSS INSURANCE. WHAT'S THE COST PER EMPLOYEE? THAT, THAT'S PROBABLY THE MAJORITY OF THE PRICE OF THIS. THE, THE STOP-LOSS ISN'T PASSED ON TO THE EMPLOYEES. IT'S, IT'S POLICIES WE PAY AS WE PAY AN ADDITIONAL PREMIUM FOR IT TO GIVE US THAT COVERAGE. YES, SIR. AND INSURANCE ON EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT THEY DON'T EXCEED A 50 GRAND. IS THAT WHAT IT IS? YES, SIR. BUT THAT'S A, WHAT DOES THAT COST PER MONTH? DO YOU HAVE THAT? I THINK IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, YOU'D BE SURPRISED. YEAH. AND WE, EVERY MONTH, WE, EVERY MONTH, UH, YOU KNOW, MS. ROSAS BRINGS ME ALL THE, THE COST FOR THE MEDICAL MS. ROSA, DO YOU KNOW, I DUNNO. TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND JUST REFLECT ON IT AND SEE IF WE CAN DO BETTER. 'CAUSE UM, I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO TML MEDICAL BENEFITS, THEY'LL PROVIDE A FREE QUOTE. THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID. AND THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH. UM, AND RFQ AND I, I KNOW THAT THEY'RE A BUSINESS JUST LIKE ANY MEDICAL INSURANCE PROVIDER IS. BUT I WAS RECENTLY DOING SOME WORK AT EAST RIO HONDA WATER SUPPLY COMPANY, AND THEY ONLY HAD ABOUT 50 EMPLOYEES. AND THEIR BENEFITS WERE INSANE. 'CAUSE I GOT TO, I GOT TO SEE THEIR BROCHURE AND THEY PAID A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR THE EMPLOYEE AND HALF THE PRICE FOR THE SPOUSE, WHICH ARE OURS. YOU HAVE TO PAY ALMOST TO COVER. YOUR SPOUSE IS CRAZY. YOUR CHILDREN. AND WE HAVE TML HERE. WHEN I FIRST CAME IN 2016, I ALSO HAD IT 35 YEARS AGO WHEN I STARTED CITY GOVERNMENT. I DIDN'T LIKE IT THEN. AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT IN 2016. AND THERE'S A REASON WE'RE NOT WITH TML HERE. AND THAT DECISION WAS MADE THERE. IT IS ALSO VERY MUCH TIERED. THEY ARE NOT TML. AND I'VE SAID THIS, TML IS THAT COMPANY. IT'S AN INSURANCE COMPANY. THEY ARE NOT JUST IN TEXAS ANYMORE. THEY'RE IN TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, FLORIDA. THEY HANDLE RISK MANAGEMENT. WE PAY INSURANCE. WE CAN'T GET, UH, WINDSTORM INSURANCE FROM THEM BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GO TO THE OUTSIDE MARKET. BUT A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DO PROVIDE, BUT HEALTHCARE, IN MY 35, 36 YEARS OF CITY GOVERNMENT, THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN VERY GOOD. SMALLER CITIES DO IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS. YOU'VE GOT OPTIONS BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT 220 EMPLOYEES THAT YOU CAN PUT ON A ROSTER AND THAT BUYS. AND HERE'S THE THING, THE RATES TODAY, THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAD SEVEN YEARS AGO, UNFORTUNATELY MANY OF THEM ARE NOT HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO IT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EARLY COMMISSION SAID, LET'S MAKE IT MORE AFFORDABLE TO THEM GETTING BETTER SERVICES. AND IF, IF SOMEBODY'S NOT EVEN ON THE NETWORK, THEY'RE THEIR, UH, LONE STAR FOR WORK WITH A BA TO GET THAT DOCTOR ON OUR NETWORK. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE. AND, UH, AND WE STILL GET, THERE ARE STILL SOME FOLKS THAT ARE IN TML BECAUSE I GET THE MONTHLY SUMMARIES BECAUSE SOME EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE LONG GONE CAN'T GET ON AND THEY'RE STILL PAYING. SO I SEE THOSE, THOSE ARE NOT SOME OF THE BEST THINGS. SO WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AND WE SEE IT BECAUSE, UH, WITHOUT GETTING INTO A LOT OF INFORMATION BECAUSE OF HIPAA ABOUT LAWS, UH, BUT WE SEE THOSE, THOSE PROGRAMS, AND THIS ONE JUST HAPPENS TO BE IN MY CAREER. UH, UH, I'VE WORKED FOR ANOTHER PLACE THAT HAD, WE HAD BROKERS AND BROKERS WENT OUT TO BLUE CROSS, BLUE SHIELD, UNITED HEALTH, AND EVERY COUPLE YEARS WE WOULD CHANGE. WE, WE JUST HAVEN'T SEEN THAT. WHERE EVERY YEAR WHEN THEY COME BACK TO SAY, HEY, YOUR PLAN'S DOING SO WELL, DO YOU WANT TO ENHANCE THE BENEFITS? AND WE'VE ENHANCED THE BENEFITS EVERY YEAR SINCE, SINCE WE'VE BEEN WITH LONE STAR A BA AND THEM GOING OUT AND SELECTING, UH, EVEN THE SUPPLEMENTAL CARRIERS FOR US. BUT AGAIN, IT'S YOUR DECISION, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME. IF WE'RE GONNA NOT STAY WITH THESE, WE NEED TO START FIGURING OUT, OUT LOOKING FOR BROKERS. BUT THE BROKERS, WHEN YOU GO SOLICIT FOR BROKERS, YOU CAN'T SET THEIR FREE STRUCTURE. THEY'RE, YOU'RE HIRING THE BROKER. THEY'RE GONNA BRING YOU AND THEY'RE GONNA WORK OUT THEIR AGREEMENTS WITH WHOMEVER AND THAT, YOU KNOW, SO WE NEED TO GET TO THOSE DISCUSSIONS. MY MY SUGGESTION IS WE HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH LEGAL COUNSEL, BUT I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE THINKING THAT YOU CAN NEGOTIATE WITH THE BROKER WHAT, WHAT FEES HE CAN COLLECT . AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA WORK VERY WELL. I THINK THE CITY HAS WORKED HARD TO GET WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THESE SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING FOR, UH, OUR EMPLOYEES. AND WELL, THAT SAID, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO SAY WHERE OR WE'RE, UH, OUR CURRENT AGENT OF RECORD L STAR INSURANCE. WHAT, WHAT, YEAH, WHAT'S YOUR, DOES THAT HAVE TO BE, WHEN'S THE DEADLINE TO CHOOSE THE AGENT OF RECORD? WELL, IT IS, IT'S A SOLICITATION. SO I MEAN, THERE'S JUST, AND IT, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE, UH, I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S A REQUEST PROPOSAL, BE A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS. WE HAVE TO SET THE PARAMETERS, GOD FORBIDDING, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, SET IT OUT DUE. SO YOU'RE PROBABLY 60 TO 90 DAYS. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE GONNA START NOW, MARCH, APRIL, MAY. THAT MEANS AS SOON AS YOU BRING 'EM ON BOARD, THEY WORK THROUGH THE SUMMER BECAUSE OCTOBER ONE OF NEXT YEAR, THEY [01:20:01] GOTTA BE ON BOARD. I MEAN, IT IS A VERY TIGHT, AND UNLIKE A BA AND LONE STAR THAT ALREADY HAS THE, THE DATA WITH ALL THE INFORMATION, SO REMEMBER, THIS IS PROPRIETARY A, B, A AND LONE STAR INPUTTED ALL 200 EMPLOYEES, AND THEY'RE GOING EXPORT IT. THEY'RE GONNA EXPORT ALL THE INFORMATION. IT'S GOTTA BE REFORMATTED, WHOEVER THE NEW PROVIDER'S GONNA BE. AND IT'S GOTTA GET ALL THE EMPLOYEES BACK INTO A SYSTEM. IT'S TIME CONSUMING. SO THAT'S WHY THE SOONER WE GET STARTED, IF THAT IS YOUR DESIRE, WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT IS. SO WE, WE DON'T LOSE ANY TIME. HOW MANY TIMES HAS THAT STOP LOSS SAVED US? SINCE 2017, I GUESS YOU SAID? YEAH, I LET HER, UH, LET MS. ROSAS, UH, OR MS UH, UH, , SORRY. UH, BRING THAT INFORMATION AT THE NEXT MEETING. UH, IT'S A LOT. WE PUT A LOT OF MONEY FOR IT. UH, WE'RE BASICALLY, ESSENTIALLY PAYING INSURANCE ON AN INSURANCE. THAT SOUNDS FUNNY, RIGHT? WELL, NO, BUT YOU , IF YOU SEE THE, THE COST THAT WE SEE FOR, FOR HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES THAT WE'RE SEEING, IT PAYS FOR ITSELF. OH, YEAH. YEAH. WELL, I MEAN, AND WE GOT 200 EMPLOYEES AND YOU'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT ALL FIREMEN. THEY'RE NOT ALL POLICE AND THEY HAVE TO BE PRETTY FIT. BUT THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT, OUR BIGGEST WORKFORCE, OUR LABORS, WHICH IS THE BACKBONE OF OUR ORGANIZATION, THAT THEY ARE, THEY'RE NOT IN THAT CATEGORY. RIGHT. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE BIG GENTLEMEN. THEY WORK HARD. BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, THOSE, THOSE AILMENTS THAT WE'RE SEEING ARE IN ONE OR TWO DEPARTMENTS, AND IT'S USUALLY OUR, THOSE THAT ARE THE OUTSIDE WORKERS THAT ARE LABORS. OKAY. I THINK THAT SETTING, THAT MA, MR. ROSE, CAN, CAN YOU COME THIS BECAUSE IT, IT NEEDS TO BE RECORDED AND IT'S HARD TO, UM, I'M JUST JUMPING IN. UM, MR. MADRID SET UP A WELLNESS CLINIC, AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE GREAT BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY'S GONNA BE HAVING LIKE A HEALTH ISSUE, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T GO TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE THEY SAY I DON'T HAVE TIME. AND SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING GREAT THAT MR. MOES, UH, MADRID. JUST MY 2 CENTS. LET ME ASK YOU, UH, MR. MOIS, UM, OF COURSE, YOU, YOU'VE BEEN WITH US FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. AND, UM, USUALLY WHEN YOU GO OUT, LOOK FOR INSURANCE, UM, UH, FOR INSTANCE, ME, I, I'VE HAD MY SAME HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS ALMOST. MM-HMM. . AND I THINK ONE TIME I, I THOUGHT, THOUGHT I COULD DO SOMETHING FOR A BETTER PRICE AND, BUT NO, IT WASN'T, UH, WHAT I EXPECTED. MM-HMM. . AND LATELY IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, CAR INSURANCE FOR SOME REASON, UH, EVERYBODY WANTS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THE OTHER GUY. YES. NOT A LITTLE BIT LESS. A LITTLE BIT MORE. SO DO YOU ALL FIND YOURSELF IN A SITUATION RIGHT NOW WHERE IF, UM, UH, I WANNA SAY IF YOU DON'T STAY WITH THE, UH, AGENT THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND OR THE BROKER RATHER, AND YOU START LOOKING AROUND, DO YOU FEEL IT MAY BE YOU'RE TRYING TO FIX SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T NEED FIXING? OR, UH, TELL ME MORE ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS. 'CAUSE YOU GUYS ARE THE PROFESSIONALS. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT I SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME AND MY FAMILIES, BUT, UH, I CAN'T, I WOULD LIKE TO, I WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER TO THAT. UH, I WOULD SEE IT AS TRYING TO FIX SOMETHING THAT IS NOT BROKEN. I HAVE DONE A SURVEY OF OTHER CITIES AND THEY'RE PAYING A SLIGHTLY MORE THAN WHAT WE ARE PAYING. SO THE COST EFFICIENT, IT WOULDN'T BE COST EFFICIENT TO, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, GO OUT AND TRY TO GET BIDS FOR A NEW PROGRAM OR GO OUTSIDE. UH, THE STOP LOSS THERE IS A CHARGE FOR IT. YET THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS AVAILABLE BECAUSE WE ARE SELF-FUNDED, SO WE DON'T WANT TO USE ALL OUR MONEY TO PAY OUT. UH, SOMEBODY HAS, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY EXPENSIVE MEDICINE. THE NEW CANCER MEDICINES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AS WELL AS ANY SURGERIES. THEREFORE, STOP LOSS IS A BENEFIT. IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A VEHICLE, YOU GET A BRAND NEW VEHICLE, YOU PAY YOUR INSURANCE, YET YOU, THEY ARE, THEY'RE GONNA OFFER YOU GAP INSURANCE BECAUSE IT'S NEEDED. THE VEHICLE DEPRECIATES VALUE, YOU HAVE A GAP. AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOR. SO THE STOP LOSS IS ESSENTIALLY A GAP INSURANCE. IT'S FOR OUR, IT IS BEING WISE, A WISE STEWARD SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE BEING SELF-FUNDED SO THAT WE TELL THEM WHAT WE WANT AS FAR AS INSURANCE, AS FAR AS WHAT WE'RE PAYING, WILLING TO PAY THE BROKERS. WE DON'T WANT AN ORGANIZATION LIKE TML TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL US AND TELL US WHAT PREMIUMS WE NEED TO PAY THEM. UH, SO THE OVERALL PICTURE, THIS IS THE HEALTHIEST, UH, UM, I USED TO BE IN FINANCE AS WELL, SO I, I LOOK INTO THAT AS WELL. AND, UM, THIS, THAT IS WHY WE ARE RECOMMENDING TO STAY WITH THE AGENT OF RECORD. I, I THINK SINCE WE HAVE A MEETING COMING UP ON THE SEVENTH, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THE COST OF THE STOP LOSS OR MAYBE DON'T WANNA DISCLOSE. BUT MAYBE YOU GUYS CAN GET TOGETHER, REVIEW THE STOP-LOSS, AND THEN REEVALUATE, REFLECT ON YOUR THOUGHTS. SO I WOULD MOTION TO TABLE UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING SO [01:25:01] YOU GUYS CAN AT LEAST REVIEW THAT BECAUSE YOU JUST TOLD ME YOU DIDN'T KNOW THE NUMBER. I HAVE AN ANSWER TO THAT, AND YES, I DO NOT HAVE THE AMOUNT. OKAY. BUT YOU FOR THE YEAR. OKAY. TOTAL OF THAT, UH, PREMIUM. OKAY. SO WE CAN, I WOULD, I WOULD MOTION TO TABLE UNTIL YOU GUYS REVIEW IT AND ARE CERTAIN. 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME UNCERTAINTY THERE. SURE. THAT'S MY MOTION TO TABLE. SO THAT WAS THE NEXT MEETING. SO I HAVE A MOTION, FIRST US TO STAY WITH AN AGENT AS, AS RECORDED AND TAKE, UM, THE MR. MAD'S RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. I GET A MOTION FIRST. UH, THE FIRST MO MOTION BY, UH, MAYOR FRANCO. SECOND, I JUST WANNA SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH THESE THINGS WHEN WE START MOVING THINGS. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, IF IT'S NOT BROKEN, WHY ARE YOU GONNA FIX SOMETHING? SO I SECOND THAT MOTION. OKAY. I GOTTA SECOND BY OCCASION. GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. NAY. ANY NAYS? OKAY, I GOT TWO NAYS AND, UH, I, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME. I GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, UH, FRANCO, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. AND THE NAY IS GONNA BE BY COMMISSIONER GARVAN. AND I'LL A VOTE ALSO A NAY ON THIS. OKAY. SO NOW THE SECOND ONE IS A MOTION TO TABLE. I GOT A, UM, BY COMMISSIONER GALVAN. I'LL SECOND IT. AND, UH, MOTION TO TABLE. ANY, ANY WITH THE, ANYBODY APPROVE IT AND PUT NAY ON IT. NAY. OKAY. I GOT ONE A BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. COMMISSIONER. IT'S AN A FOR ME. NAY. OKAY, SO THAT'S DEAD LUCK, RIGHT? OKAY. SO NEITHER MOTION PASSES. YOU MOTION PASS. OKAY. SO YOU GONNA BRING IT BACK? HE DIES. HE BOTH MOTIONS DIED. SO, UH, TECHNICALLY RIGHT NOW, TODAY, THE WAY IT IS, UH, LONE STAR INSURANCE SERVICE CONTINUES TO BE OUR AGENT OF RECORD. CORRECT? OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE'LL SEE YOU TUESDAY. I'M THEN NUMBER 17, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE QUESTION TO APPROVE, UH, PAYMENT FOR HANSON PROVISIONAL SERVICE INC. UH, PERTAINING TO THE, UH, ENGINEERING DESIGN AND BIDDING PHASE OF THE LAND, UH, LANDRUM LIFT STATION LOCATED, UH, 400 LANDRUM STREET FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $26,050. AND MR. GARCIA, MAYOR COMMISSIONERS EVA GARCIA, ASSISTANT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR FOR THE RECORD ITEM UP FOR DISCUSSION IS PAYMENT TO HANDSOME PROFESSIONALS PERTAINING TO ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND BIDDING PHASES. $20,000 OUT OF THE 26 WILL, UH, BE GOING TOWARDS THE ENGINEERING DI UH, AND DESIGN PHASE, WHICH WILL PUT THE CITY APPROXIMATELY 70% COMPLETION FOR THAT PHASE. THE REMAINING $6,000 WILL GO TO THE BIDDING PHASE, WHICH THAT WOULD BE THE FINAL PAYMENT ON THAT PHASE. I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? NO. OKAY. I GOT A MOTION BY CALL. SECOND. THANK YOU. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAYS? MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. ITEM NUMBER 18, CONSIDERATION OF POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF A PREFABRICATE FABRICATED STRUCTURE FOR MUELLER, INC. FOR THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $13,284 AND 72 CENTS, UH, TO BEGIN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PAVILION AT THE GAN PARK. AND MR. RODRIGUEZ. SO, GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, FOR THE RECORD, RAM RODRIGUEZ, PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR, MAYOR COMMISSIONERS, THIS IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE, WE'VE BEEN AFTER FOR QUITE A WHILE. UH, TO FINALLY BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON THE FCON PAVILION, UH, MUELLER, UH, CAME IN AT THE LOWEST AND, UH, UH, WITH THE BEST WARRANTIES. UH, SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. AND YOU DID HAVE OTHER BIDDERS, RIGHT? MM-HMM. YEAH. OKAY. JUST A, A LOCAL VENDOR WAS, UH, ROUGHLY $12,000 MORE. OKAY. AND IT WOULD TAKE THEM FOUR MONTHS TO DELIVER. OKAY. MILLER CAN DELIVER WITHIN FOUR WEEKS. OKAY. JUST SO THAT THE PEOPLE CAN HEAR. OKAY. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? COME SOURCE. I WANT, UH, WANTED SOME CLARIFICATION. IT IS THE STEEL STRUCTURE WE WERE LOOKING FOR. STEEL STRUCTURE. YES, SIR. MM-HMM. WHAT? THE STEEL CANOPY AS WELL? YES, SIR. MM-HMM. . YEAH. AND EVEN THE, THE COLOR OF THE, OF THE ROOF IS GONNA BE THE SAME AS THE, UH, VETERANS PARK AND, UH, THE FIRST RESPONDERS PARK. IT'S BEEN PROVEN TO LAST A LOT LONGER THAN THE, THAN THE OTHER POWDERED COATINGS. UH, IT'S A COPPER FINISH. BRIGHT COPPER LOOKS BEAUTIFUL, AND IT STATE THAT LAST A LOT LONGER. OKAY. MOTION TO APPROVE. WE [01:30:01] GOT A MOTION BY MAYOR. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER . ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAS? MOTION PASSES. MOTION. OKAY. ITEM 19, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE PROPOSAL FOR TIPS. UH, APPROVE VENDOR AA, UH, GENERAL CONSTRUCTION, LLC IN A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 37,000 TO REPAIR AND INSTALL RATINGS THAT THE PIER FOR SAN UH, WETLANDS. AND MR. RODRIGUEZ, UH, ONCE AGAIN, RAM RODRIGUEZ, PARK AND RECREATION DIRECTOR, UH, FOR THE CITY OF SONITO MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS DECIDE ITEM. THIS, UH, FOR REPAIR AND COMPLETION OF THE RAILING FOR THE PERIOD AT THE THIRD LARGE POND OF SUMMITVILLE WETLANDS. COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BRING US INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE GRANT REQUIREMENTS, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL AND I'M NOT AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS IN THE QUESTIONS? NONE. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MOVE? MOTION BY MAYOR . SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR. A. ANY NAS MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY. YOUR HONOR, YOUR ATTORNEY CONSIDERATION OF POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP, UH, PAYMENT TO THE SEMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF 10,000. AND, UH, MS. WEAVER PRESENT. HI, GOOD EVENING. UM, SO I AM THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE EXECUTIVE, DIRECTOR OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. UM, MY NAME IS KATHY WEAVER. UM, SO WE ARE PROPOSING THAT WE WOULD LIKE OUR CONTINUED MEMBERSHIP OF 10,000. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, I STARTED IN LATE SEPTEMBER AND WE ARE REBUILDING THE CHAMBER. UM, WE HAVE LOTS OF GREAT THINGS COMING OUT. UM, I KNOW THAT OUR CITY BUSINESSES ENJOY, UM, HAVING OUR COMMISSIONERS AND OUR MAYORS AND OUR, AND ALL OF OUR, UM, PEOPLE COME OUT THERE. SO, UM, WE ARE REALLY DOING GREAT THINGS. OKAY. WELL, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO YOU JOINING THE CHAMBER. UH, I'M REALLY PROUD OF YOU AND I COMMEND YOU ON THE PROGRAM, UH, THAT YOU PROVIDED TO THE, UH, JUNTO. THANK YOU. UM, MUSEUM OPENING. THAT WAS EXCELLENT. YOU KNOW, THANK YOU. AND, AND I ASKED WHO, WHO, WHO PUT THIS TOGETHER AND THEY SAID THE CHAMBER DID. YES. EXCELLENT. YES. AND WE WANNA CONTINUE WORKING WITH NOT ONLY THE CITY OF SANTO, BUT WE WANNA CONTINUE WORKING WITH OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, RIGHT? YES. YES. AND WE, UM, USUALLY HAVE ABOUT TWO OR THREE NEW BUSINESSES A MONTH THAT ARE JOINING THE CHAMBER AND WE ARE DOING RIBBON CUTTINGS. UM, THIS MORNING WE HAD, THAT WAS VERY NICE. UH, COFFEE WITH THE CHAMBER, UM, WHICH WAS AT . UM, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR COMING, BUT I KNOW THAT Y'ALL PROBABLY GET MY EMAILS 'CAUSE I PUT Y'ALL ALL ON OUR EMAIL LIST. UM, SO WE INVITE Y'ALL TO COME OUT THERE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. I WOULD, BUT , I UNDERSTAND SOME OF YOUR WORK, SO I KNOW, I UNDERSTAND. 25 MILES AWAY. I UNDERSTAND. YEAH. BUT NO, THAT PROGRAM WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, I USUALLY, WHEN WHEN I SEE SOMETHING, I'M REALLY IMPRESSED BY WHO PUT THIS TOGETHER AND THEY SAID YOU DID. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT WORK. VERY GOOD. GOOD JOB. AND OF COURSE, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU MORE PARTICIPATION, LIKE YOU SAID, BUSINESSES AS WELL. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND KNOW, AND MS. CRANE, EVERYBODY UP THERE IN THE CHAMBER, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING EVERYTHING GOING FOR AND THE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BUSINESS AND THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW. SO, UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? NONE. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO, MOVE. I GOT A MOTION BY COMM, UH, MAYOR FRANCO. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER . ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY MOTION PASSES? THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, ITEM NUMBER 21, CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE. UH, PAYMENT NUMBER FIVE TO KE COUNTY REGIONAL MOBILITY, UH, AUTHORITY PERTAINING TO THE CITY OF SANTO. COMMIT TO FOUR NORTH WILLIAMS ROAD FOR H ONE PROJECT PER AGREEMENT. NUMBER 22 22 5 4 A IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $11,359 AND 64 CENTS. AND MS. ROSA, GOOD EVENING. ELISA ROSAS, FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS PAYMENT NUMBER FIVE. THIS IS FOR THE COUNTY REGIONAL MOBILITY, UM, AUTHORITY, C-C-R-M-A, NORTH WILLIAMS ROAD, PHASE ONE. AND, UM, WE ARE FOR, THE PAYMENT IS FOR 11,000 359 60. WE ARE LYING FOUR. AND IF YOU CAN SEE THE COMPLETION PERCENTAGE IS AT 26.1%. OKAY. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS? MOTION TO APPROVE AS PRESENT? NO. OKAY. I GOT A MOTION BY, UH, MAYOR FRANCO. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? A. ANY NAMES? MOTION PASSES? MAY. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER 22, [01:35:01] CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE PAYMENT NUMBER SIX TO, UH, COUNTY REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY PERTAINING TO THE CITY OF SANTO COMMITMENT FOR SOUTH WILLIAMS ROAD, PHASE TWO PROJECT PER AGREEMENT NUMBER 2 0 2 2 DASH 0 5 3 IN TOTAL AMOUNT OF 19,937 AND 45 CENTS. AND MS. ROSA, THIS IS PAYMENT NUMBER SIX. AGAIN, IT'S FOR COUNTY REGIONAL MOBIL MOBILITY AUTHORITY. THIS IS FOR THE SOUTH WILLIAMS ROAD, PHASE TWO AND THE AMOUNT OF 19,000 937 45. AND THE PERCENTAGE COMPLETION IS 31.6%. OKAY. THEY'RE MOVING. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? NO. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MOTION? I GOT A MOTION BY COMM, UH, COMMISSIONER ALVAN. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY NAYS? YES. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU MA'AM. OKAY. ITEM 23. ADJOURNMENT. UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA SECOND. I'LL SECOND IT. OKAY, LET'S GO. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? ANY, ANY NAYS? OKAY. MOTION TO ADJOURN. AND THE TIME IS, UH, 7 0 7. THE AWAY. ADJOURN PASS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.