[PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING]
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I NOW DECLARE THE PLANO CITY COUNCIL'S CONVENED AN OPEN SESSION THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TIM MARIA.
THE COUNCIL WILL NOW RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION IN TRAINING.
MARIE MAY TO HOLD A CLOSED EXECUTIVE MEETING PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF VERNONS TEXAS CODE'S ANNOTATED GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 5 51.
THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUTHORITY CONTAINED IN SECTION 5 51 0 71 TO CONSULT WITH THE ATTORNEY TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE AND DISCUSS LITIGATION SECTION 5 51 0 87 TO DISCUSS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MATTERS.
AN DECLARE THE PLAINTIFF, CITY COUNCIL PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING IS RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE HOMER, UH, IS NOT HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT SHE IS IN THE BUILDING.
OUR FIRST ITEM IS, UH, PRELIMINARY AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION IN HIS ACTION RESULTING FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS PRESENTATION AND POSSIBLE DIRECTION REGARDING LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, ANDREW FORTUNE.
WELL, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
ALRIGHT, WELL, I WANTED TO COME BEFORE Y'ALL AS WE ARE NOW, A LITTLE OVER A QUARTER OF THE WAY THROUGH OUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
UM, IF YOU RECALL, WE DID, UH, BRING A LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM TO YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW AND APPROVAL, AND WE HAVE BEEN OPERATING FROM THAT DOCUMENT.
UM, I WANTED TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT, WE HAVE HEARINGS, UH, THAT WILL BEGIN SOON ON BILLS.
UM, THE BILL FILING DEADLINE IS COMING UP PRETTY SOON.
UM, HOWEVER, THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A RECORD NUMBER OF BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, LEFT WITH, UH, THE DRAFTERS AT THIS POINT.
UM, WE HAVE A RECORD BREAKING SURPLUS OF ALMOST 33 BILLION.
UM, THIS BIUM FOR THE STATE, BIG ISSUES THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO UNDERTAKE WOULD INCLUDE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, THE POWER GRID, ORDER, SECURITY, EDUCATION, AND ELECTION INTEGRITY.
I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE GOVERNOR'S PRIORITIES THAT HE RELEASED RECENTLY.
UM, MOST NOTABLY, PROPERTY TAX RELIEF.
UH, I THINK IT'S AT THE FRONT OF EVERYONE'S MIND.
HE AND OTHER LEADERSHIP, UH, IN THE STATE HAVE COMMITTED 15 BILLION TO HELP BUY DOWN, UM, PROPERTY TAX RELIEF.
NOW, THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS THAT HE IS, UH, PROPOSED TO DO THIS.
UM, UH, THERE'S AN INITIATIVE OVER IN THE SENATE TO REALLY ADDRESS THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
UH, THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL, HOWEVER, IS TO BUY DOWN THE, UH, SCHOOL PORTION OF THE PROPERTY TAX RATE, WHICH WOULD HELP COMPRESS THOSE RATES.
UM, I WOULD NOTE THAT THAT IS REALLY A ONE-TIME FIX.
UM, AND SO WE WOULD BE LOOKING TO FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, DOWN THE ROAD TO CONTINUE THAT KIND OF RELIEF.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE OTHER ITEMS HERE.
UH, REALLY, AGAIN, WE LOOK TO OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA BEFORE WE DIVE INTO ANY OF THESE PRIORITIES.
AND AS THESE BILLS ARE FILED, AND, AND WE LOOK AT THESE, WE'RE LOOKING THROUGH THE SCOPE OF WHAT'S GONNA BE BEST FOR PLANO.
UM, AND WE MAY COME BACK TO COUNSEL ON, ON A VARIETY OF ITEMS. UH, I WANTED TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS, UH, BILLS ALL GO THROUGH, UM, A GROUP CALLED OUR LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
THIS IS A NONPARTISAN AGENCY, A GROUP OF ATTORNEYS REALLY, WHO, UM, DO THE IMPARTIAL RESEARCH AND DRAFTING OF OUR LEGISLATION.
AND SO, UH, THIS IS MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS, UM, UP TO PAR.
UM, I WILL NOTE THAT THEY WERE SO OVERWHELMED, UH, THIS GO AROUND THAT THEY ACTUALLY, UM, BROUGHT THEIR DEADLINE.
UH, FURTHER UP TO FEBRUARY 17TH, WE'VE HAD A 20% INCREASE IN THESE DRAFTING REQUESTS.
SO NORMALLY ON AN AVERAGE SESSION, WE COULD EXPECT TO SEE 7,000, 7,500 BILLS.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING QUITE A FEW MORE.
THIS GO AROUND, UH, FROM A BILL TRACKING PERSPECTIVE, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, MARCH 10TH IS THE DEADLINE.
WE ARE, UH, JUST UNDER 5,000 BILLS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED THUS FAR.
AND WE ARE TRACKING 845 BILLS, UM, THAT DIRECTLY PERTAIN, UH, TO SOMETHING WITHIN OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT OUR DELEGATION.
AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, WE HAD, UH, REDISTRICTING.
AND SO WE'VE, UH, PICKED UP A FEW MEMBERS.
UM, I'VE ALSO INCLUDED EACH OF THEIR, UM, UH, COMMITTEE SHIPS.
AND REALLY WE HAVE A NICE SPREAD, UM, ACROSS, UH, REALLY ALL THE COMMITTEES.
UM, WE ARE, UH, WE DO HAVE ONE CHAIRMAN ON OUR HOUSE SIDE, UH, CHAIRMAN JEFF LECH.
BUT WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH EACH ONE OF OUR MEMBERS ON ALL THEIR, THESE ISSUES.
BUT WHERE IT PERTAINS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMITTEE, WE'LL OF COURSE APPROACH THEM FIRST.
ALSO WANT TO PROVIDE A MAP, UH, SO YOU CAN SEE HOW SOME OF THE LINES AND DISTRICTS HAVE CHANGED.
UM, YOU CAN SEE CERTAINLY DISTRICT 66 AND 70 COMPRISE THE MAJORITY OF, UM, PLANO FROM A LAND MASS PERSPECTIVE.
BUT WE WORK TO HAVE GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH ONE OF OUR MEMBERS.
ON THE SENATE SIDE, AGAIN, UM, THE MAJORITY OF OUR CITY IS REPRESENTED BY SENATOR PAXTON.
UH, SHE IS VICE CHAIR OF STATE AFFAIRS.
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WE ALSO HAVE, UH, PORTIONS OF PLANO THAT ARE REPRESENTED BY SENATOR SPRINGER.AND AGAIN, THERE'S THE UPDATED MAP, SO YOU HAVE THAT FOR REFERENCE.
NOW, TO DIVE A LITTLE BIT INTO, UM, WHAT WE ARE LOOKING TO WORK ON THIS SESSION, UM, WE HAVE ENGAGED REPRESENTATIVE NOBLE, UM, TO TACKLE THE ISSUE OF PUBLIC FACILITY CORPORATIONS.
IF YOU REMEMBER, UM, THIS PARTICULAR TOOL HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE PAST, AND THERE WAS CONCERN RAISED OVER, UH, THE GUARDRAILS THAT EXIST IN STATUTE RIGHT NOW.
AND, AND AS A REFRESHER, THIS TOOL EXISTS CURRENTLY WHERE A, UM, A HOUSING AUTHORITY OR AN ENTITY CAN COME, UH, TOGETHER WITH A DEVELOPER AND OFFER 51% OF THEIR UNITS AND A MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTY AS AFFORDABLE.
THE OTHER 49%, OF COURSE, COULD BE RENTED AT MARKET RATE, UM, AND THE ENTIRE PROPERTY FALLS OFF THE TAX RATE.
AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING TO PURSUE, AND IN FACT, UM, THEY HAVE SUBMITTED BILLS FOR US.
UM, REPRESENTATIVE NOBLES AND HER OFFICE HAVE SUBMITTED BILLS TO TACKLE, UM, THE ISSUE OF LOCAL APPROVAL.
UH, THESE PROJECTS SHOULD, UM, AND DO NOT CURRENTLY COME BEFORE ANY OF THE TAXING ENTITY BODIES.
SO IF IT'S GONNA FALL OFF OF THE TAX RULES FOR THE CITY, WE BELIEVE THIS BODY SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO AT LEAST REVIEW THOSE PROJECTS AS THEY COME UP.
UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO RAISE THAT PERCENTAGE THRESHOLD FROM 51% OF AFFORDABLE UNITS TO 75% AFTER VISITING WITH PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
WE DO BELIEVE THAT IF WE'RE GONNA OFFER THAT BIG OF A A BREAK, WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A JUSTIFIABLE OFFERING IN TERMS OF AFFORDABLE UNITS.
IT ALSO ADDS AN ANNUAL AUDIT REQUIREMENT, WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS IMPORTANT ALONG WITH THE PENALTY.
IF WE HAVE PROPERTIES THAT ARE FOUND OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITHIN THAT YEAR, THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.
SO, UM, THESE WILL BE IN THE FORM OF TWO DIFFERENT BILLS.
WE'VE HAD A FEW OTHER BILLS FILED ON THIS ISSUE, THIS SESSION.
UH, SENATOR BETTENCOURT MOST NOTABLY HAS A BILL THAT WOULD REPEAL THE ENTIRE STATUTE.
UM, AS A WHOLE, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT MOVING FORWARD IN ITS CURRENT FORM, BUT, UM, CERTAINLY, UH, GENERATING A LOT OF DISCUSSION.
UM, OTHER LEGISLATION OF NOTE, UH, ONE OF THE BIGGEST RIGHT NOW WOULD BE, UH, HOUSE BILL 2127 IN ST.
BILL, EIGHT 14, IT'S COMPANION.
WE'RE CALLING THIS OUR, OUR SUPER PREEMPTION BILL.
AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS PREEMPTS UM, THIS BODY'S ABILITY TO REGULATE ANYTHING WITHIN THESE CODES THAT ARE LISTED, UM, WITH VERY FEW NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS.
WE ARE OPPOSED REALLY PHILOSOPHICALLY, UM, FOR A LOT OF REASONS, REASONS ON THIS BILL.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE IDEA OF LOCAL CONTROL, AGAIN, Y'ALL HEARD THAT I'M SURE BEFORE, BUT WHAT'S GOOD FOR AUSTIN MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR PLANO.
WHAT'S GOOD FOR CORPUS CHRISTI MAY NOT WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'D LIKE TO MAINTAIN THE ABILITY TO STILL MAKE THOSE DECISIONS WITH THIS BODY THAT BASED ON WHAT WE HEAR FROM CONSTITUENTS.
UH, THAT BEING SAID, UH, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, UH, THE MAYOR AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH HIM, UH, LAST WEEK.
HE HAS REQUESTED SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY ACCOMPANY BILLS LIKE THESE.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE DEALING WITH, IS WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE HAVE A, A PREEMPTION BILL INTRODUCED THAT WE, WE DRILL DOWN TO WHAT THE ROOT ISSUE IS.
AND IF THERE IS A, A CITY THAT HAS GONE ROGUE OR THERE'S A, A SPECIFIC ISSUE, WE'D LIKE LANGUAGE THAT WOULD ADDRESS THAT ISSUE AS OPPOSED TO THESE BLANKET, UH, LANGUAGE INTRODUCTIONS THROUGH THESE BILLS.
SO, UM, ONE OTHER BILL THAT HAS MADE A LOT OF HEADLINES RECENTLY, SENATE BILL 1 47, UH, SOUGHT TO BAN CITIZENS, GOVERNMENTS AND ENTITIES FROM CHINA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA, AND RUSSIA FROM PURCHASING LAND.
UM, THAT HAS GENERALLY A LOT OF DISCUSSION AND HAS, UH, AS SUCH, ROSEN TO THE LEVEL OF US, UH, MANAGING AND AND TRACKING THAT CLOSELY.
UM, OUR GOAL IS TO REMAIN PLANO FOCUSED AND BUSINESS FRIENDLY.
AND SO AS WE WATCH THIS LEGISLATION AND SUBSEQUENT OTHER BILLS THAT ARE BEING FILED, UH, WE'LL BE TRACKING THAT VERY CLOSELY.
AND FINALLY, I WANTED TO BRING FORWARD, UH, THE ISSUE OF, UH, DART AND THE VALUE OF TRANSIT STUDY.
AS MANY OF YOU MAY REMEMBER, UM, WE HAD, ALONG WITH OTHER CITIES, ASKED FOR A VALUE OF TRANSIT STUDY FROM, UM, OUR PARTNERS WITH DART.
UM, AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE WE HAVE, UH, THE CEO, UH, NA LEE AND THE CFO F UM, AS WELL AS VICE PRESIDENT OF, UH, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE WITH US.
UM, BUT WE HAD ASKED A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, UM, FOR A VALUE OF TRANSIT STUDY.
UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED TO DATE HAS REALLY BEEN MORE QUALITATIVE IN NATURE.
UM, AND WE REALLY ARE LOOKING TO SEEK TO ASK THE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, IF THE CITY OF PLANO PUTS IN 106 MILLION INTO DART, WHAT DOES THAT TRANSLATE BACK TO US IN TERMS OF SERVICES? WE REALIZED THERE'LL BE OTHER COSTS, UM, PROGRAMS, SYSTEMIC COSTS THAT WE, WE OF COURSE, UM, HELP PAY FOR.
BUT OUR, OUR HOPE IS TO FIND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND SO, UM, IN TERMS OF THE TIMELINE, AGAIN, WE ASKED FOR THIS, UH, WELL OVER A YEAR AGO.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE ANSWERS WE'VE GOTTEN TO DATE HAVE NOT BEEN SATISFACTORY.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS HAS BEEN CHAMPIONING, UM, THE REINTRODUCTION OF A BILL, UM, FROM LAST SESSION WITH REPRESENTATIVE SHAHEEN.
AND THAT REALLY COVERS THE IDEA OF AN ANNUAL AUDIT AND A DISAGGREGATION OF EXPENDITURES, MAKING THOSE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, WHERE WE ARE COMING TO YOU TONIGHT ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM IS PERMISSION TO, UH, BRING ABOUT OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AND ADD, UM, WORKING WITH DART, UM, AND LOOKING AT VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF DART WHEN WE'RE GOING DOWN TO AUSTIN.
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UM, ELEMENT NOT ON THE SLIDE.SO I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, WE ARE ENGAGING RIGHT NOW ON, UH, THE UTILITIES AND UTILITY RELOCATES AND KNOWING THAT THEY'RE VERY EXPENSIVE AND THAT WE CONTINUE TO RUN INTO ISSUES WITH THAT, WE'RE LOOKING FOR LEGISLATIVE SOLUTION.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF SPEAKERS, SO LET'S DO THAT FIRST AND THEN WE'LL ABSOLUTELY.
WE'LL HAVE YOU COME BACK AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS WE HAVE.
THE FIRST SPEAKER IS NADINE LEE.
I'M NADINE LEE, AND I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF DART.
AND BY THE WAY, I, I HAVE SOME PEOPLE COMING IN BEHIND ME JUST IN CASE I HAD FALLEN DOWN THE STAIRS TODAY.
SO, UM, SO I'M REALLY PLEASED TO BE HERE.
UH, REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT THE I L A, UH, BETWEEN DART AND THE CITY OF PLANO IS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING, WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE CITY WITH MORE THAN 28 MILLION FOR PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT YOUR STRATEGIC VISION FOR EXCELLENT MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION HERE IN PLANO.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH YOU CLOSELY ON ALL OF THESE INVESTMENTS.
AND, AND YOU, I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA, UH, CONSIDER THAT ITEM TONIGHT.
UH, WE, YOU WILL BE THE FIFTH, UM, OF THE CITIES TO, UH, TO EXECUTE THIS I L A IF YOU DO SO.
UM, SO WE'VE HAD FOUR OTHER CITIES WHO HAVE ALREADY SIGNED.
UM, WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED WITH THE CITY OF PLANO, MANY PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS PRIOR TO MY TENURE, AND MORE RECENTLY, LIKE WITH THIS I L A OR THE NEW PLANO PILOT ZONE FOR OUR ON ON-DEMAND GOLINK SERVICE.
AND WE REGULARLY UPDATE YOUR CITY MANAGEMENT AND YOU THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON, ON THESE EFFORTS.
UM, I'M REALLY PLEASED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE CITY OF PLANO IS IN GOOD STANDING AND WE EXPECT, UH, THAT THAT WILL REMAIN THE CASE.
UM, THE PLANO STAFF HAS REALLY BEEN TERRIFIC FOR OUR STAFF TO WORK WITH.
SO I WANNA THANK, UH, MR. ISRAEL'S SON FOR ALL OF HIS HARD WORK AND AND HIS GREAT STAFF.
UM, IN REGARD TO YOUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
MORE RECENTLY OR MORE, MOST RECENTLY, AS YOU MAY KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS AND THE DART BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHO REPRESENT PLANO, PAUL WAGE MAN, AND NATHAN BARA TO ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF DART SPENDING ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE CITY OF PLANO.
AND AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, THIS IS A VERY COMPLICATED QUESTION AND ONE THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY SPEAK TO THE FULL VALUE DART BRINGS TO ITS MEMBER CITIES.
SO, TO TRY TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, HOWEVER, OUR CFO, F ELIZABETH RA, WHO'S HERE WITH ME TODAY, UM, HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER THE CFOS AND FINANCE STAFF FROM ALL 13 OF OUR MEMBER CITIES TO DISCUSS A CONSISTENT METHODOLOGY FOR ALLOCATING EXPENSES TO EACH CITY.
EACH CITY, OF COURSE, HAS SPECIFIC NEEDS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN DART.
AND WE ALL NEED TO AGREE ON A FRAMEWORK FOR MOVING BEFORE MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY PARTICULAR APPROACH.
THESE CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN PRODUCTIVE SO FAR, AND ELIZABETH HAS ANOTHER MEETING WITH THE GROUP THIS THURSDAY, UH, TO DISCUSS PROPOSED SCENARIOS IN MORE DETAIL.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS AND OTHERS AS WE FINALIZE OUR RESPONSE, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS VERY DIFFICULT ANALYSIS.
WE'RE ALSO NEARING, UH, COMPLETION OF OUR VALUE OF TRANSIT REPORT, WHICH AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, THAT WILL INCLUDE, ULTIMATELY INCLUDE A FACT SHEET THAT'S UNIQUE TO THE SEA OF PLANO.
UM, AND, UH, I BELIEVE THE CITY MANAGER ALSO HAS A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT REPORT, UM, IN HIS BOX TO REVIEW, AND I'M SURE HE'S VERY BUSY AND PROBABLY HASN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW YET.
UH, SO WE'RE REALLY EAGER TO SHARE THE MANY BENEFITS THAT DART BRINGS TO EACH OF OUR MEMBER CITIES OR RESIDENTS AND, AND THE REGION AS A WHOLE.
WE'VE MET SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE CITY MANAGERS OF ALL THE MEMBER CITIES, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH THEM AND WITH YOU AS WE DEVELOP A MORE RESPONSIVE SERVICE-DRIVEN TRANSIT SYSTEM.
SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU AS WE IMPROVE MOBILITY FOR THIS REGION.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS ELIZABETH REISH.
THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING, ELIZABETH RAACH.
I'M THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT, SIMPLY HERE THIS EVENING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS SHOULD YOU HAVE THEM, BUT WANTED TO MAKE SURE I SIGNED UP SO THAT, UM, I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK IF YOU HAD QUESTIONS.
OKAY, ANDREW, YOU CAN COME BACK UP.
YOU WANT TO START WITH THAT? SURE.
SORRY, ANDREW, I HAVE A QUESTION.
SORRY,
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MENTIONED THAT PLANO IS IN GOOD STANDING, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT YOUR DEFINITION OF GOOD STANDING IS AND HOW YOU'RE DEFINING THAT.WE ARE IN GOOD STANDING AND WOULD REMAIN IN GOOD STANDING IN THE FUTURE.
SO I'M GONNA TAKE A CRACK AT THIS.
UM, AND OF COURSE ELIZABETH WILL CORRECT ME IF I GET ANYTHING WRONG, BUT GOOD STANDING IS REALLY JUST BEING A GOOD PARTNER TO DART, UM, HELPING US ADVANCE OUR DESIGN APPROVALS AND GETTING OUR CONSTRUCTION PERMITS TIMELY.
UM, UH, THE CITY OF PLANO HAS BEEN REALLY TERRIFIC AT DOING THAT.
WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES, UM, IN ADDITION, IF, IF YOU HAD ANY OUTSTANDING PAYMENTS TO DART, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WERE PAYING US TO DO SOME SERVICE FOR YOU.
UM, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE EXPECT THOSE REVENUES TO COME INTO DART.
UM, JUST MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PAYMENTS ARE MADE TIMELY ALSO.
BUT WE, WE DO NOT HAVE THAT SITUATION WITH THE CITY OF PLANO.
TO ME, IT SEEMS A LITTLE BIT OBJECTIVE ON, ON YOUR PART TO DEFINE IF, BASED ON WHAT YOU SAID.
SO I THINK I'D BE MORE COMFORTABLE IF IT WAS LINED OUT EXACTLY WHAT IS CONSIDERED, CUZ WE MIGHT THINK WE'RE IN GOOD STANDING.
AND ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU SAID, IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE YOU DON'T THINK THAT WE ARE IN THE FUTURE.
SO, UM, THAT MAKES ME A LITTLE BIT UNCOMFORTABLE.
BUT I WOULD LIKE, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT LINED OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU'RE QUALIFYING THAT SOMEBODY'S IN GOOD STANDING AND I THINK IT COULD GET A LITTLE BIT UNCOMFORTABLE IF YOU'RE DEFINING THAT BY HOW QUICKLY YOU GET A BUILDING PERMIT.
AND, UM, WHAT I WILL SAY ALSO IS, UM, IF THERE'S ANY DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY IS A GOOD STANDING, IT WOULD BE UP TO ME AND YOUR CITY MANAGER TO, UH, TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
BUT AGAIN, THE CITY OF PLANO IS IN GOOD STANDING.
WE HAVE ISSUED A LETTER TO THE CITY MANAGER TO SAY SO AND SO, UM, AS OF RIGHT NOW, YOU ALL ARE IN GOOD STANDING.
UM, I ALSO APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND, UH, AND, AND WANNA SPEAK TO THE IMPORTANCE OF TACKLING TRANSPORTATION AS A REGIONAL ISSUE, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO ON THAT FOR PLANO AND THE OTHER MEMBER CITIES OF DART, UM, I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, THE BACK AND FORTH REGARDING, UH, A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE VALUE OF DART SERVICES THAT ARE DELIVERED IN PLANO.
AND, UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU, UH, UH, RIGHTLY HIGHLIGHTED THE LEADERSHIP THAT COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS HAS EXERCISED ON THIS ISSUE.
BUT I WANTED TO UNDERSCORE CERTAINLY NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS. I, I I I'M CERTAINLY WATCHING THAT.
UM, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, LAST SESSION, REPRESENTATIVE SHAHEEN FILED A BILL, UH, THAT BILL WAS WITHDRAWN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT DART WOULD BE VOLUNTARILY PROVIDING INFORMATION.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE, UH, TWO YEARS LATER AT THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND WELL, WE HAVE RECEIVED SOME DOCUMENTS AND KIND OF A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF, UH, DART SERVICES THAT ARE DELIVERED IN PLANO.
UH, WE'VE NOT RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, HARD NUMBERS REGARDING, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE, THE FINANCIAL VALUE OF DART SERVICES THAT ARE DELIVERED, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY OF PLANO.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, IF THERE IS A, A DIFFICULTY IN TRACKING THAT INFORMATION OR PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION, OR JUST UNDERSTAND THE, THE TIMELINE OF THAT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS BETTER.
SO THA THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN ADVANCE FOR THAT INFORMATION.
AND I'M GONNA ASK ELIZABETH, BECAUSE SHE'S THE C F O AND SHE WILL GO THROUGH THE EXCRUCIATING DETAILS OF WHY IT'S CHALLENGING
WELL, I, I APPRECIATE THAT MS. LEE AND MS. RAJ, I APPRECIATE THAT YOUR INFORMATION.
PART OF THE DIFFICULTY WITH TRACKING, UM, COSTS BY CITI IS THAT OUR ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM DOES NOT TRACK COSTS BY CITI.
SO, UM, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS, WE'VE DISCUSSED THAT ANYTHING THAT WE DO IS GOING TO BE A BROAD ESTIMATION.
AND AS LONG AS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL UNDERSTANDING OF THAT, I THINK THEN IT CAN BE SOME USEFUL INFORMATION.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT MAKING SOME ASSUMPTIONS, UM, BROAD ASSUMPTIONS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOT TO GET THE CITIES TO AGREE TO.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, AND YOU KNOW, PLEASE DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS E EXAMPLE, BUT IT CERTAINLY IS A STARTING POINT.
THE FIRST THING YOU COULD DO WOULD BE TO DIVIDE DART'S EXPENSES BY 13.
THERE ARE 13 CITIES THAT PARTICIPATE IN DART, AND I THINK WE WOULD ALL AGREE THAT THAT'S NOT A REASONABLE WAY TO DO IT.
SO THEN WE LOOK AT ANOTHER POSSIBILITY.
DO WE DIVIDE DART'S COSTS BY POPULATION OF EACH CITY, BY SQUARE MILES OF EACH CITY? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING IS COMING TO AN AGREEMENT OF METHODOLOGY WITH THE CITIES THAT, UH, DIVIDES THOSE COSTS AND EXAMINES AND LOOKS AT THE FACT THAT WE ARE A SYSTEM THAT IT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TRACK THINGS THAT WHEN YOU CROSS A CITY LINE, WE KNOW THAT THE COST HAS NOW SHIFTED.
AND SO HOW DO WE PARSE THOSE OUT? AND SO WHAT LEVEL OF OUR COST IS DIVIDED AMONG THE 13 CITIES IN A CERTAIN WAY, MAYBE BY POPULATION, AND WHAT LEVEL OF OUR COST IS MORE SPECIFIC TO THE NUMBER OF BUS STOPS YOU HAVE OR THE NUMBER OF STATIONS YOU HAVE, OR THE NUMBER OF GOLINK ZONES YOU HAVE, OR
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MAYBE THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS THAT HAVE ACCESS WITHIN HALF A MILE.SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT THOSE POSSIBILITIES COULD BE.
UM, AND IT'S VERY COMPLEX, UM, UH, IN TERMS OF WORKING WITH THE CITIES AND TRYING TO FIGURE ALL OF THAT OUT, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
WELL, AND, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT, THAT EXPLANATION.
I DO THINK, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL TO HAVE INFORMATION THAT THAT GOES, THAT, THAT, AS YOU ALLUDED TO, GOES BEYOND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE POPULATION OR SQUARE MILEAGE METHODOLOGY TO REALLY LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW MANY MILES OF RAIL, HOW MANY BUS LINES, HOW, HOW MANY BUS, YOU KNOW, HOW FREQUENT, UH, ARE THE STOPS ON ON THOSE LINES AND, AND HOW MANY BUSES OPERATING ON THEM, YOU KNOW, UH, HOW MANY GOLINK ZONES AND, AND, AND WHAT'S THE UTILIZATION THERE? AND, YOU KNOW, A A LOT, LOT OF OTHER, UH, FACTORS, YOU KNOW, RELATING TO, UM, A ACTUAL SERVICES DELIVERED IN THE CITY, WHILE RECOGNIZING, OF COURSE, THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF DART IS, IS TO TO BE REGIONAL AND TO CROSS CITY LINES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE CERTAINLY RIDDEN THE RED LINE, YOU KNOW, TO TO DOWNTOWN DALLAS AND, AND, AND BACK.
AND, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, A PLANO RESIDENT USING IT, EVEN IF I CROSS A CITY BOUNDARY.
BUT, UM, BUT I THINK JUST UNDERSTANDING, UM, I GUESS THE, AT LEAST FOR ME, WHAT WOULD BE USEFUL IS THE COST OF, OF PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES IN THE CITY OF PLANO.
THAT IS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IF IF DART SUDDENLY STOPPED PROVIDING ALL SERVICES IN THE CITY OF PLANO, HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD DART BE SAVING AS A RESULT OF, OF DOING THAT? YOU KNOW, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, IF THE RED LINE WENT AWAY, IF THE SILVER LINE WASN'T, WASN'T BEING BUILT, YOU KNOW, IF OTHER, UH, OTHER, YOU KNOW, ALL THE BUSES STOPPED RUNNING AND, AND, AND, AND EVERYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES, YOU KNOW, CHANGED, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE FINANCIAL DIFFERENCE? AND I UNDERSTAND THEN YOU'VE GOT OTHER THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, OVERHEAD AND, AND MANAGEMENT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT ARE BROADLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE THAT PERHAPS EVERYONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PRO RATA, YOU KNOW, AS, AS YOU ALLUDED TO.
BUT I JUST THINK REALLY DRILLING DOWN ON, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY IS BEING SPENT IN EACH CITY WOULD W WOULD BE REALLY, UH, USEFUL INFORMATION.
SO I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL'S OPENNESS TO CONDUCTING THAT STUDY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE INFORMATION.
SO A COUPLE OF OTHER PIECES, IF I MAY.
UH, OF COURSE, WE HAVE DEBT, SO, UM, AND WE HAVE CAPITAL AND THERE IS A STATUTORY METHODOLOGY FOR DIVIDING OUR DEBT AND CAPITAL.
SO WE'RE FOLLOWING THAT STATUTORY METHODOLOGY.
SO THAT WILL BE PART OF WHAT WE DELIVER, IS HOW MUCH OF THOSE ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO PLANO.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE SOME SYSTEM-WIDE COSTS THAT ARE NOT IN PLANO, BUT ARE CONNECTED TOO.
SO THE TRE, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS A STATION IN IRVING, A STATION IN DALLAS, UH, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT EVERY CITY CAN BENEFIT FROM BECAUSE IT'S CONNECTED TO THE DART SYSTEM.
AND SO IT DOES BECOME QUITE INTERESTING.
AND, UM, SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH IT AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, UM, AND, UM, TRYING TO GET SOMETHING FORWARD THAT THE CITIES WILL ACCEPT AND THAT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE TO PLANO.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT.
I, I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THE INFORMATION.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU BOTH FOR, FOR BEING HERE AND FOR THAT INFORMATION.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANDREW? YEAH, ANDREW? UM, YES MA'AM, AT THE END, YOU, ME MENTIONED OUR FOCUS ON UTILITIES.
I WOULD LOVE IT IF WE COULD HIGHLIGHT A LITTLE BIT, DIG IN A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE UTILITIES YEAH.
IN OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA IF POSSIBLE.
AND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE'VE HAD SPECIFICALLY IN PLANO WITH THE SERVICE OUTAGES.
AND, AND FOR THE, THE BENEFIT OF THE REST OF THE COUNCIL, WE CONTINUE TO RUN INTO ISSUES WHEN WE LOOK AT, UH, THINGS LIKE, UH, PROJECTS WHERE WE WIDEN A STREET, YOU MIGHT OFTEN SEE WHERE A STREET WORK IS STARTING TO HAPPEN AND CONES ARE UP, AND THEN WORK SEEMS TO STOP.
AND THAT IS LARGELY ATTRIBUTED TO THE RELOCATION OF THESE UTILITIES.
UM, CHIEFLY ELECTRIC IS WHERE WE SEEM TO CONSTANTLY RUN INTO ISSUES.
AND SO, UM, WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME BROAD AUTHORITY IN OUR AGENDA, UH, WHAT I WOULD SEEK TONIGHT FROM THIS BODY WOULD BE DIRECTION ON COULD WE INCLUDE, UM, A MORE BROAD, UM, LOOK AT DART AND DART RELATED LEGISLATION IN PURSUING SOME OF THE PRIORITIES OF THIS COUNCIL, UM, HOLISTICALLY, BUT AS WELL LOOK AT OUR UTILITIES AND LOOK AT PURSUING SOME ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, WITHIN STATUTE.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UH, REMEDIES IN STATUTE TO COMPEL THEM TO START WORK, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S NO DEFINITION AS TO WHEN THAT WORK NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED.
SO, UM, IN REGARDS TO DIRECTION, UH, AS FAR AS OUR LEGISLATIVE A AGENDA GOES, ADDING THOSE TWO LAST AREAS THAT, THAT WE WERE JUST LISTENING TO, UM, IS THE, UH, IS THE COUNCIL IN AGREEMENT TO ADDING THOSE, YOU KNOW? YES.
I DID ALSO, UH, HAVE A QUESTION FOR ANDREW JUST REGARDING THE, THE PFC.
[00:25:01]
DIDN'T WANT TO INTERRUPT THE DIRECTION WE WERE GIVING, BUT I, I JUST WANTED TO ASK ON REPRESENTATIVE NOBLE'S BILL REGARDING THE PUBLIC FACILITIES, CORPORATIONS, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S A, A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE TO THE CITY, UM, GIVEN THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE TAX BASE AND, YOU KNOW, THE DESIRE THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING BE FURTHERED IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT DOES NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERMINE OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE CITY SERVICES THROUGH OUR TAX BASE.UM, UH, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A MOVE ON THE, UH, THE, THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT ARE RESERVED AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FROM 51 TO 75%.
IF THERE IS GOING TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, A TAX CONSEQUENCE FOR THE CITY, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THAT BUILD THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD PROVIDE AT LEAST SOME UNITS AT 60% OR 50% OF, OF AMI? SO WE DID DISCUSS THAT WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE.
UM, SHE DID HAVE A, A CLEAR, UM, KIND OF DIRECTION IN MIND THAT WAS NOT ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WAS, UH, SOMETHING SHE WANTED TO UNDERTAKE.
IN THIS PARTICULAR SET OF LEGISLATION, IT IS SPLIT INTO TWO BILLS.
UH, ONE IS, IS A LOT, UH, WHAT I WOULD CALL CLEANER, AND THAT IT'S MM-HMM.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, THERE IS OTHER LEGISLATION RELATED TO FCS THAT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED, AND WE'VE HEARD OTHER BILLS BETWEEN NOW AND MARCH 10TH MAY ALSO BE FILED TO TACKLE THAT ISSUE OF WHAT IS AFFORDABLE.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT DISCUSSIONS OVER THAT.
UM, AND THAT WAS PROBABLY GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT REALLY IS, IS BORN OUT BETWEEN THE MEMBERS ON SETTING THAT WE, WE STICK WITH 80% AMI BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF THE HUD STANDARD.
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT MOST WITHIN THE INDUSTRY ARE, ARE ACCUSTOMED TO.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, IT, IT LOOKS LIKE THE, THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF STATUTE NEEDS SOME CLEANING UP, SO IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING I CAN BRING UP WITH HER AGAIN, AND, AND MAYBE IN THE FORM OF, OF AN AMENDMENT, UM, IF SHE IS THE AUTHOR IS ACCEPTABLE, WE CAN WELL, WELL, THANK YOU.
AND, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK, SO IN EITHER VERSION, THAT LOCAL APPROVAL PIECE IS THERE, WHICH I, I, I THINK THAT IS THE, THE KEY PORTION, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR LOCAL TAX BASE.
SO, UH, I GUESS THE LE YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT INCLUDES THAT I'D BE THRILLED TO CPASS.
AND, AND DO YOU KNOW IF ANY OF THAT IS MOVING? DOES IT SEEM TO, TO, TO BE MOVING FORWARD? YEAH, I, I MEAN, WE'RE A LITTLE EARLY TO, TO SPECULATE ON, ON MOVEMENT.
I WILL SAY, UM, WHEN WE HAVE PULLED OUR OTHER CITIES, THAT IS ONE OF THE, THE CHIEF CONCERNS.
UH, YOU MAY HAVE DISAGREEMENT OVER PERCENTAGE LEVELS OR THRESHOLDS, BUT THE FACT THAT THESE PROJECTS CAN MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT THE TAXING BODY'S INPUT IS, IS A PRETTY RESOUNDING CONSENSUS FROM EVERYONE.
AND, AND REALLY FROM THE REPRESENTATIVES, I THINK IT GOES BACK TO JUST BASIC REPRESENTATIVE, UH, GOVERNMENT.
THEY, THEY WANT TO HAVE ELECTED OFFICIALS HANDS ON ON THESE PROJECTS.
WELL, I, I DO AGREE THAT LOCAL APPROVAL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT.
UH, ANDREW, ANDREA, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WITH COUNSEL'S AGREEMENT A MINUTE AGO, YOU FEEL YOU HAVE ENOUGH LATITUDE, UH, TO PURSUE ANYTHING RELATED TO, UH, DART ON THE LEGISLATOR PROGRAM? THAT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, YES, SIR.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO PROVIDE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, CONT A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL IN THIS REQUEST.
SO, AS COUNCILMAN RICK ELLI POINTED OUT, UH, REPRESENTATIVE SHAHEEN DID FILE THIS BILL TWO YEARS AGO, UH, SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ACTUALLY SPENT WITHIN EACH OF DART'S MEMBER CITIES.
UH, AND NOT JUST, UM, NECESSARILY THEN, UM, UH, RELATED TO, UH, DART, BUT THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE FOCUS OF IT.
UM, BUT THAT CAME AFTER ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OF WORTH OF REQUEST TO GET SOME OF THESE NUMBERS AND NOT RECEIVING ANYTHING.
AND AS WAS POINTED OUT, IT WAS AFTER, UM, DART AGREED TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION THAT THE BILL WAS THEN WITHDRAWN TO ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.
UM, AND SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WE RECEIVED A REPORT FROM DART ABOUT 14, 16, SOME ODD PAGES, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF DART, UM, WHICH WAS OSTENSIBLY THE, UM, THE YEARLONG PRODUCT OF THAT REQUEST AFTER THE BILL WAS WITHDRAWN.
SO THE VALUE OF TRANSIT STUDY THAT WAS REFERENCED EARLIER, UH, ALSO OSTENSIBLY THE PURPOSE OF THE VALUE OF TRANSIT STUDY TO BEGIN WITH, WAS TO CONVENE THE DART MEMBER CITIES AND GET A METHODOLOGY, WHICH EVERYONE AGREED ON TO PRODUCE A QUANTITATIVE, UH, VALUE THAT EACH MEMBER CITY COULD BE CONFIDENT IN.
UM, THAT'S WHAT HAS FAILED TO MATERIALIZE THROUGH THE VALUE OF TRANSIT STUDY.
SO I DO APPRECIATE ELIZABETH'S AND CANADIAN'S EFFORTS, UM, TO CONVENE THE CFOS TO START DISCUSSING THIS VERY RECENTLY.
BUT IN TERMS OF, UH, THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, IT WAS WITH ABOUT SIX SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY, WHY WE ARE, UM, ASKING FOR AUTHORITY TO ADD, UH, THESE MATTERS TO THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM AS WE HEAD TO THE CAPITOL.
I'M GOING TO, UH, SKIP, UH, THE NEXT TWO AND GO TO ITEM SEVEN, DISCUSSION,
[00:30:02]
UH, DIRECTION, UH, REGARDING THE PROCESS TO SELECT ASSOCIATE, UH, MUNICIPAL JUDGES.SO, UH, JUDGE MCNULTY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UH, I HAVE NO PARTICULAR PRESENTATION TO MAKE.
I'M HERE TO RESPOND TO ANY KIND OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE.
AND, AND THIS WAS YOUR QUESTION? UH, YES.
THANK, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, DEPUTY MAYOR PROTE, I SHOULD SAY TO, AND I, UH, UH, REQUESTED TO PUT THIS ON THE AGENDA.
AND, AND CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
UM, AS, UH, UH, I THINK WE, WE ALL, UH, THROUGH THE, THE PROCESS OF, UH, UH, HIRING, UH, CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY AS OUR CHIEF, UH, MUNICIPAL JUDGE, AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, HE HAS BEEN EXCELLENT, OBVIOUSLY SO FAR IN THAT ROLE.
UH, I THINK WE ALL LEARNED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UH, WHAT THE CHARTER SAYS ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE COUNCIL WITH RESPECT TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MUNICIPAL JUDGES, INCLUDING ASSOCIATE MUNICIPAL JUDGES.
AND, UH, SECTION 13 DASH THREE A SAYS THAT ALL MUNICIPAL JUDGES ARE APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
UM, SO I JUST WANT, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WORK WITH CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY ON DESIGNING A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS WHERE WE MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT THAT IS A COUNCIL, WE'RE DOING WHAT I THINK IS OUR, OUR, OUR DUTY UNDER THE CHARTER TO, TO PERFORM A MEANINGFUL, UH, REVIEW OF THIS PROCESS, TO PARTICIPATE, UH, IN A MEANINGFUL WAY WHILE STILL RECOGNIZING THAT OBVIOUSLY, UH, CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY'S RECOMMENDATION IS GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST DATA POINT BECAUSE, UH, HE BEST KNOWS THE, THE SKILLSET, UH, THAT'S NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN THIS POSITION, UH, AND, AND, AND THE FIT OF INDIVIDUALS, UH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE COURT AND, AND OBVIOUSLY ULTIMATELY WILL BE, UH, THIS INDIVIDUAL'S BOSS ONCE THEY ARE, UH, ONCE THEY'RE APPOINTED BY THE COUNCIL.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST DATA POINT, BUT, UH, UNDER THE CHARTER, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE THIS ROLE, UH, WE'RE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DECISION THAT WE MAKE.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A PROCESS WHERE WE'VE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND FULFILL OUR RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE CHARTER.
AND SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CAN PARTNER ON A, A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS THAT RESPECTS THE FACT THAT CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY OBVIOUSLY HAS INSIGHT INTO THIS, THAT, THAT, THAT WE DON'T HAVE.
UM, BUT THAT STILL PERFORMS THE, THE ROLE DELEGATED TO THE COUNCIL BY THE CHARTER IN A MEANINGFUL WAY.
DEPUTY MEYER, UM, CHIEF JUDGE, SO, I, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND THE HISTORICAL WITH REGARD TO THE, UM, TO THE CHARTER.
SO I BELIEVE IT IS BECAUSE WE BECAME A COURT OF RECORD THAT NOW WE HAVE ADDITIONAL, UM, RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE TEXAS CODE, UM, THAT SORT OF GET TRANSFERRED INTO OUR, OUR CHARTER.
IS THAT, AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.
IT'S A TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, IS WHAT GUIDES OUR, OUR COURT.
AND, UH, IT, IT ALSO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO WHAT HAS BEEN MELDED INTO THE, UH, THE CITY CHARTER.
SO BASICALLY, PRIOR TO BEING A COURT OF RECORD, WE DID NOT HAVE, UM, THE COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT, BUT NOW WE DO, BECAUSE WE ARE NOW A COURT OF RECORDS.
I, I, I'M TRYING TO READ THAT.
IS THAT FAIRLY, I WANNA SAY SOMETIME IN 2013 IS WHEN WE BECAME A COURT OF RECORD.
AND PRIOR TO THAT, JUDGES WERE APPOINTED MM-HMM.
SO EVEN BEFORE WE WERE, UM, A COURT OF RECORDS, WE WERE PRETTY MUCH IN COMPLIANCE BECAUSE, UM, IN ESSENCE, THE WAY OUR COUNCIL REALLY, UM, APPOINT OUR JUDGES REALLY IS TO, UH, APPOINT OUR CHIEF JUDGE MM-HMM.
BUT IT'S ALL SUBJECT TO COUNSEL'S APPROVAL, OBVIOUSLY.
AND SO I GUESS MY, UM, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, UM, IN, IN A WAY THAT WILL NOT, UM, INTERFERE AND INTERJECT THE, UM, THE PERSONAL AND POLITICAL OPINION OF THE COUNCIL, BUT YET STILL BE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH OUR DUTY TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, COMPLYING WITH ORDINANCES.
WHAT DO YOU AS CHIEF JUDGE SUGGEST HOW WE GO ABOUT IN THE FUTURE APPOINTMENTS OR SELECTION OF ASSOCIATE JUDGES? WELL, THAT'S A, THAT'S KIND OF A, A DIFFICULT
[00:35:01]
QUESTION, AND I'M SORRY, BECAUSE I'M PUTTING IT TO YOU.I CAN GIVE YOU A VERY SELF-SERVING ANSWER
WHEN, WHEN, WHEN I WAS APPOINTED, I TOLD YOU ALL THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ABSOLUTE TRANSPARENCY WITH THIS COURT.
UH, ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO CALL.
I RETURNED CALLS, I, I SUBMIT MY REPORTS AND I RESPOND TO PHONE CALLS, RESPOND TO EMAILS, AND I ENCOURAGE THAT.
I ENCOURAGE ALL THAT INPUT FROM COUNCIL AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM.
UH, WE CAN'T, WE WILL NEVER BE A PERFECT COURT, AND WE CAN'T BE A BETTER COURT WITHOUT INPUT FROM EVERYONE ELSE.
FULLY COGNIZANT OF SEPARATION OF POWERS, WE ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO INPUT FROM OTHER PEOPLE, FROM LITIGANTS, FROM ATTORNEYS, FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, FROM PEOPLE WITHIN THE CITY.
SO THE WAY WE DO IT NOW, I THINK, AND, AND, AND LET ME, LET ME STOP FOR JUST A SECOND, BECAUSE AT EACH STAGE OF THIS SELECTION PROCESS THAT WE HAVE STARTED IN THE LAST MONTH, I HAVE KEPT YOU ALL UP TO DATE ON EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE DOING.
AND THAT WAS MY INTENT FROM THE BEGINNING.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL ARE INVOLVED AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON, NOT TO GET INVOLVED IN IT, BUT JUST TO BE AWARE OF EACH STEP.
UH, TRADITIONALLY, THE CHIEF JUDGE WILL CONDUCT INTERVIEWS, AND I'VE WHITTLED IT DOWN FROM 42 PEOPLE TO FIVE AT THIS POINT, CONDUCTED ALL FIVE INTERVIEWS, AND NOW IT'S GOING TO BE A, A, A MATTER OF BREAKING IT DOWN TO THREE AND THEN ULTIMATELY TO ONE PERSON.
UH, AGAIN, THESE WILL BE THE ULTIMATE SELECTION IS SUBMITTED TO YOU ALL.
YOU HAVE THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO REJECT IT AND TELL ME, GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.
THIS PERSON IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO US.
I, I WANTED TO CLARIFY SOMETHING BECAUSE, UM, THE MATERIALS I GAVE YOU PRIOR TO THE MEETING, WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT WHAT THE LAW IS NOW.
UM, THE MUNICIPAL COURTS ARE GOVERNED BY CHAPTER 29 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE AND COURTS OF RECORD ARE CHAPTER 30 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE.
CHAPTER 29 SAYS YOU DEFER TO YOUR CITY CHARTER ON THE APPOINTMENTS OF THE JUDGES.
SO THE CHARTER LANGUAGE TOOK PRIORITY.
WHEN WE MOVED TO COURT OF RECORD, WE THEN HAD CLEAR DIRECTION FROM THE COURT OF RECORD PROVISIONS.
I DON'T, I DIDN'T LOOK AT WHAT THE CHARTER SAID BEFORE, AND I DON'T RECALL HOW WE DID IT BEFORE.
UM, SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT ANY OF THE, PRIOR TO BEING A COURT OF RECORD.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR.
SO WE, WE WERE, WE WERE APPOINTED ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CHIEF, CHIEF JUDGE, AND IT WAS FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, A LIFETIME APPOINTMENT.
YOU, YOU WERE TALKING, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AS AN ASSOCIATE JUDGE? THAT'S CORRECT.
THE CHIEF JUDGE OBVIOUSLY WAS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, UH, MY NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE, UM, NOW THAT, UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR RECOMMENDATION OR WITH RESPECT TO, UM, THE COURT, UM, AS PART OF OUR DUTIES TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BE PART OF THE SELECTION PROCESS ASSOCIATE JUDGE, YOU RECOMMEND TO US, HOW ARE WE TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHETHER OR NOT ONE PERSON'S BETTER AND THE OTHER PERSON? I MEAN, WHAT KNOWLEDGE DO WE HAVE? ARE YOU GONNA PROVIDE THAT TO US OR YOU GONNA PROVIDE THE BACKGROUNDS HOW YOU CAME TO THIS FIVE OR THIS THREE, OR THIS TWO? YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY EVERY RIGHT IN THE WORLD TO ASK ME HOW I ARRIVED AT MY DECISION.
YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY EVERY RIGHT IN THE WORLD TO SEE THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS CITY COUNCIL.
AND I AM ABSOLUTELY OPEN TO DOING THAT.
UH, IF YOU WANT TO GET TOGETHER AND MEET AT SOME POINT AND GO OVER THE FIVE APPLICATIONS, I CAN GO OVER MY NOTES AND THE CRITERIA THAT I'VE GONE THROUGH AND TELL YOU WHY I REACHED THE, UH, THE DECISION THAT I REACHED.
WELL, THE JUDGE, JUDGE, I, I'M NOT TRYING TO, UM, PUT A, YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF ROUTINE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW, BUT I WANT SOMETHING THAT COULD BE, UM, PUT IN PLACE SO THAT IF THERE'S CONSISTENCY FROM COUNCIL TO COUNCIL, SO WE DON'T, IN THIS COUNCIL, WE DO IT THIS WAY, AND THEN ANOTHER COUNCIL WOULD DO ANOTHER WAY.
AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF HOW, UH, THE CHARTER SHOULD BE,
[00:40:01]
UM, IMPLEMENTED OR ENFORCED.SO I KIND OF LIKE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF, UM, WAY THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S ANY CONSISTENT WAY THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE TO.
I, I THINK THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE WAY THAT THE, THAT, THAT THE CHARTER IS DRAFTED, IT'S VERY VAGUE.
IT'S VERY VAGUE AS TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE SELECTION PROCESS.
THAT IS A, THAT'S A DECISION THAT'S MADE AT A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL THAN ME.
IT'S A LEGISLATIVE ISSUE FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, MAYOR PROTO.
SO, UH, I'M PERSONALLY COMFORTABLE WITH THE CHIEF JUDGE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO US AND THEN US VOTING ON THEM.
UM, I THINK AS HE MENTIONED, HE GIVES US DIRECTION AND HE GIVES US NOTES ON WHY HE THINKS THIS IS THE BEST PERSON.
I THINK THAT THIS PERSON'S GONNA BE REPORTING DIRECTLY TO THE JUDGE, AND SO HE NEEDS TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO THINKS IS QUALIFIED, AND THAT PERSON NEEDS TO WORK WELL WITH THEM, NOT WITH US.
THEY'RE NOT A DIRECT APPOINTEE REPORTING UP TO US.
SO I'M MORE COMFORTABLE WITH HIM HAVING THAT, UM, REALLY CLOSE TOUCH POINT.
I ALSO THINK THAT, UM, TO THE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEMS POINT ABOUT PUTTING SOMETHING ON THE BOOK SO THAT IT STAYS, ANY COUNCIL CAN COME AFTER US AND CHANGE WHAT THE PROCESS IS.
SO, I, I DON'T PERSONALLY, THAT'S, I DON'T PERSONALLY THINK THAT THAT'S NECESSARY FOR ME.
I, I THINK THE PROCESS IS WORKING WELL.
NOW, IF WE WANT TO, UM, ADD SOME MORE DETAILS THAT YOU PROVIDE US, MAYBE THAT'S FINE, BUT I THINK IT'S WORKING FINE.
EVERYBODY OKAY WITH THAT? UH, I, I WAS, UH, MR. MAYOR, I WAS JUST GONNA MAKE A SUGGESTION.
I DIDN'T WANNA LEAD OFF WITH THIS BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO HEAR FROM JUDGE MCNULTY REGARDING, UM, SUGGESTIONS.
BUT AS I MENTIONED AT THE OUTSET, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CHARTER DOES SAY, AND, AND, AND WE'VE HEARD DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF THIS, BUT IT SAYS THE WORDS, ALL MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES SHALL BE APPOINTED BY CITY COUNCIL.
YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE DOING THE INTER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WHOLE 42 PERSON, YOU KNOW, PROCESS AND ALL OF THE INTERVIEWS NECESSARILY.
BUT ULTIMATELY IT DOES MEAN THAT WE, YOU KNOW, BEAR A HIGH LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR, FOR WHO IS APPOINTED.
AND I THINK IN ORDER TO TAKE ON THAT RESPONSIBILITY, AND I, I, I'D LOVE THE COUNCIL'S THOUGHTS, UH, CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY'S THOUGHTS, BUT I THINK IF WE HAD THE RESUMES, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL OF THE FINALISTS, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, THE RECOMMENDATION, YOU KNOW, THE ONE RECOMMENDATION AS WE'VE TRADITIONALLY HAD, IF WE INTERVIEWED, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST THE, THE PERSON WHO WE'RE ACTUALLY APPOINTING, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON WHO'S RECOMMENDED, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY, UH, ON THE EVENING WHERE THAT'S ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, JUST SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, HAVE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE WHERE WE'VE AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, TALKED TO THE PERSON WHO WE'RE VOTING TO APPOINT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AND THEN HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM CHIEF JUDGE MCNULTY AND THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, WITH ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU SAID, JUDGE, YOU KNOW, THE, GOING THROUGH YOUR NOTES, EXPLAINING WHAT WAS IMPORTANT AND, AND WHY YOU'VE REACHED THE RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU'VE REACHED.
UM, AND, AND, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW HAVE, UH, UH, A PROCESS FOR, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED APPOINTMENT.
I THINK, UM, I, I THINK WITH, WITH THOSE FOR INGREDIENTS, WE, WE'D HAVE A, A REALLY SUCCESSFUL PROCESS THAT WOULD STILL, UM, YOU KNOW, RESPECT THE, THE FACT THAT ULTIMATELY THIS ASSOCIATE MUNICIPAL JUDGE IS GOING TO APPOINT OR IS GOING TO REPORT TO THE CHIEF MUNICIPAL JUDGE, BUT ALSO, UH, FULFILL, WELL, OUR ROLE WHERE THE CHARTER SAYS THAT, THAT ULTIMATELY THIS IS AN APPOINTMENT BY THE CITY COUNCIL, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE AS MANY STEPS AS POSSIBLE NOT TO CREATE A POLITICAL POSITION IN THIS.
AND THAT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THAT'S, WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THAT.
I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO TRY TO, YEAH.
IF I MAY SAY I BELIEVE US MAGISTRATE JUDGES AND BANKRUPTCY JUDGES, I BELIEVE THERE'S, THERE'S PUBLIC COMMENT ON THAT.
AND, AND I, AND I, I, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A POLITICAL POSITION, AND I'M CERTAINLY NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO MAKE THIS A, A, YOU KNOW, A POLITICAL POSITION.
COUNCIL MEMBER SMITH, UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, ALL GOOD, GOOD IDEAS, POSITIONS.
WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST, I THINK WE ALL, AS A BODY HIRED THIS MAN STANDING BEFORE US, AS WE, AS THE EXCOS SOMETIME DOWN THE ROAD FROM THIS YOUNG FELLA GETS OLD ENOUGH AND HE SAYS NOT TO DO IT ANYMORE.
UH, BUT, UM, I THINK WITH THAT IN MIND, I WOULD BE FINE SENDING THE PRESIDENT FOR COUNSEL THAT THE CHIEF JUDGE DOES WHAT HE, EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID, HE GOES THROUGH, HE WEEDS OUT.
AND, UH, I THINK, THINK COUNCILMAN RICK, THAT HIS RESUMES IS GREAT.
UH, BUT YOU, YOU CAN'T REALLY JUDGE SOMEBODY FROM ANOTHER PIECE OF PAPER, THE PERSON WHO'S GONNA BE WORKING WITH THEM EVERY DAY.
IN THIS CASE, CHIEF JUDGE KNOWS WHAT THEY WANT, WHAT THEY WANT FOR THE COHERENCE AND, AND EVERYTHING OF THE, UH, OF THE, UH, UH, OFFICE.
SO I WOULD SAY, LET'S DO THAT.
LET HIM WEED IT OUT, MAKE HIS RECOMMENDATION AS WE DID.
WE INTERVIEW, MARK SETS IT UP, CITY MANAGER SETS IT UP.
[00:45:01]
DONE.IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT JUST DOESN'T QUITE SEEM RIGHT TO ANY OF US, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN SAY NO.
LET'S, LET'S LOOK AT NUMBER TWO OR GO BACK TO THE JUDGE AND SAY, LET'S, LET'S TRY IT AGAIN.
BUT, BUT I'M, I'M FINE IF HE, YOU KNOW, AS THE CHIEF JUDGE SAYS, THIS IS THE PERSON I WANT, LET'S TALK TO HIM.
AND IF WE, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE HIM, WE AGREE, BOOM, IT'S DONE.
AND THEN COUNSELS CAN FOLLOW UP.
LET'S, LET'S, WE'LL, DO WE NEED TO BRING THAT FORWARD OR JUDGE, OR ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS, UH,
ALL RIGHT, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I, I THINK WE'RE FINE WITH GENERAL DIRECTION ON THIS ONE, SO, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL GO FORWARD WITH THAT AND, UM, WE'LL ADVISE THE COUNSEL ON THE PROCESS.
THE JUDGE AND I WILL WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL ARE INFORMED AS LONG AS WE CAN HAVE SOME KIND OF A BACK AND FORTH SO THAT WE DO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GENERAL DIRECTION IS GOING TO BE.
I, I HAVE, AND JUST A COMMENT I HAVE, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, JUDGE, YOU'VE BEEN VERY OPEN AND VERY TRANSPARENT WITH US RIGHT FROM THE TIME OF YOUR APPOINTMENT.
SO I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE.
HOWEVER, JUST LIKE, UM, ANOTHER COUNCIL MEMBER I POINTED OUT, WE WE'RE, WE MAY NOT HAVE TWO ATTORNEYS ON COUNCIL EVERY SINGLE SESSION
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A CONSISTENCY THAT'S PUT IN PLACE SO THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, UM, IT WILL ALWAYS, THIS WILL BECOME A ROUTINE AND IT WON'T GET CHANGED, YOU KNOW, HALFWAY DOWN THE ROAD.
AND, AND HONESTLY, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PRESENCE OF ANY ATTORNEYS IN HERE.
TO ME, IT, I THINK YOU KNOW ME WELL ENOUGH.
ARE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, THANKS.
WE'RE GOING TO, UH, MOVE ITEM THREE AND FOUR TO A FUTURE PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING, UH, DUE TO TIME RESTRAINTS.
SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO, UH, UH, CONSENT AND REGULAR AGENDAS.
WE HAD A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REQUEST, UM, THAT ITEM I, OKAY.
UH, NEXT ITEM, UH, ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS AND DISCUSSION.
COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS. UH, MAYOR FOR, UM, THE FIRST MEETING IN APRIL, I'D LIKE TO, UM, PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR US TO LOOK AT, UH, AN ACTUAL ORDINANCE, UH, RESTRICTING SHORT TERM RENTALS.
UM, THAT SHOULD GIVE US ENOUGH LEAD TIME TO LOOK AT HOW IT NEEDS TO BE CRAFTED.
BUT THE SHORT TERM RENTAL CONCERNS WERE FIRST, FIRST PUT ON MY RADAR IN 2019 WITH A MURDER AT A SHORT-TERM RENTAL.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT IT AND GATHERING DATA, RESEARCHING FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS SINCE.
AND WE'VE JUST HAD ANOTHER SHOOTING, WHICH I SUSPECT MANY OF THE FOLKS HERE COME HERE TO SPEAK ON.
AND, UH, I, I'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME ACTUAL CONSIDERATION.
COUNSEL, UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, UM, CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC ON WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ON DO THAT TOMORROW? OKAY.
CAN YOU DO THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING? YEAH, WE CAN HAVE TO PUT IT ON THE NEXT MEETING TO PRELIMINARY FOR PRELIMINARY TO GIVE A DIRECTION.
RECESS FROM RETURN AT SEVEN O'CLOCK.