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CONVENED AN OPEN SESSION THAT ALL
[PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING]
COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COUNCIL MEMBER HOMER.THE COUNCIL WILL NOW RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION IN TRAINING ROOM A TO HOLD A CLOSED EXECUTIVE MEETING PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF VERNON'S TEXAS CODES 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.
AND OUT DECLARE THAT PLAINTIFF CITY COUNCIL PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING IS RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS AND COUNCIL MEMBER HOMER.
OUR FIRST ITEM IS, UH, PRELIMINARY AGENDAS CONSIDERATION ACTION RESULTING FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT, SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD.
INTERIM MEMBER COUNCIL MEMBER SMITH.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ER AND I HAVE, UH, CONSULTED AND WE WOULD LIKE TO APPOINT, UH, AU TO FILL THE, UH, INTERIM APPOINTMENT, UH, EXPIRING IN, UH, OCTOBER 24.
ALL IN FAVOR? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
UH, NEXT ITEM, ITEM THREE, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP UPDATE AND DIRECTION.
WELL, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
ANDREW FORTUNE, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS.
SO I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, UM, AN INITIATIVE THAT'S BROUGHT TO THE CITY MANAGER AND MYSELF, UH, FROM MICHAEL THOMAS.
MANY OF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HIS WORK, WITH MY POSSIBILITIES AND HIS CONTINUED WORK THROUGH THE COMMUNITY.
UM, THERE IS A NEW GROUP CALLED CONNECT, UH, IDG AND A UNIFIED CITIES.
UH, NOW A UNIFIED CITY IS, UM, WHAT THEY'RE NOW DEFINING AS A CITY THAT DEMONSTRATES A COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ITS CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT AREAS INCLUDING COMMUNITY, HOUSING, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
UM, SOME OF THE BENEFITS THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED, UM, WHEN FOCUSING IN THOSE AREAS WOULD BE SUPPORTING OUR FAMILIES, UH, THE REPUTATION OF A CITY THAT, UH, TAKES ON THIS ENDEAVOR.
UH, THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT COMMUNITY BUILDING, TALENT DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS DATA THAT CAN BE HELPFUL AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE NEED OF THOSE, UM, WITH, UH, INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, UH, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU ON THE SCREEN THERE, UH, THE NEEDS SHOWN IN PLANO.
UH, THIS IS GENERALLY TAKEN OUT OF THE AVERAGES, UH, REFLECTED FROM A NATIONAL LEVEL BROUGHT DOWN TO OUR COMMUNITY.
SO ESTIMATES INDICATE OVER 11,000 RESIDENTS ARE MEMBERS OF THAT COMMUNITY.
AND DESPITE MANY ADVANCEMENTS IN INCLUSIVITY, UM, SADLY ONLY 5% OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN THE US ARE ACTUALLY EMPLOYED TODAY.
AND SO WHILE THERE ARE MANY EFFORTS TO ADVANCE THOSE, UM, IN THAT COMMUNITY, THERE ARE NO UNIFIED APPROACHES, UM, LIKE THE ONES THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED TO COUNCIL THIS EVENING.
AND REALLY, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A UNIFIED APPROACH, WE WANT THAT DRIVEN BY NOT JUST ONE OR TWO MEMBERS, BUT EXPERTS THAT REACH ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS, OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, OUR PUBLIC SERVICE AREAS, AS WELL AS FAMILIES IMPACTED.
SO THIS PROGRAM, UH, THAT'S BEING BROUGHT BEFORE YOU FOR CONSIDERATION TONIGHT, REALLY LOOKS AT, UM, GOING THROUGH A MULTIPLE PHASE APPROACH.
UM, THOSE PHASES ARE REFLECTED THERE ON YOUR SCREEN FOR YOU.
PHASE ONE IS AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CITY.
SO IF YOU WANTED TO THINK ABOUT SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS, UM, AN ACCREDITATION PROCESS THAT, UH, OTHER DEPARTMENTS MIGHT GO THROUGH, UH, WOULD BE FOLLOW A SIMILAR MODEL, BUT THAT ASSESSMENT, UH, THIS, UH, GROUP WOULD WORK WITH OUR CITY ON, UH, CLIENT ENGAGEMENT, UM, OUR NEEDS ASSESSMENT STAKEHOLDER AND GUEST ENGAGEMENT.
WE'D MOVE ON TO THE PLANNING PROCESS ON BEST PRACTICES AND RESEARCH.
ONE UNIQUE, UH, ELEMENT ABOUT THIS GROUP IS THEY'VE ASSEMBLED, UH, A STELLAR TEAM FROM ACROSS THE NATION, UH, WITH SPECIFIC FOCUS AREAS.
UH, PHASE THREE WOULD BE AN IMPLEMENTATION, UH, THAT'S SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING, UM, AND MOVING FORWARD WITH WHATEVER RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN, UH, OUTLINED.
AND FINALLY, THE EVALUATION CERTIFICATION.
UH, THE CITY WOULD WALK AWAY CERTIFIED AS A UNIFIED CITY, UH, REFLECTING TO NOT JUST OUR COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THE STATE AND THE NATION THAT, UH, SERVING THOSE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IS A PRIORITY FOR OUR CITY.
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HERE'S REFLECTED JUST SOME OF THE PROPOSED TIMELINES AND DATES OF THOSE DIFFERENT PHASES I'VE OUTLINED.SO YOU GET AN IDEA OF THE SCOPE OF THE PROGRAM.
IT REALLY LASTS, UH, FOR THREE YEARS.
SO WE'D BE LOOKING AT A THREE-YEAR COMMITMENT, UH, SHOULD COUNCIL DECIDE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.
NOW, THE COST BREAKDOWN, UH, IS SHOWN HERE, THE COHORT SIZE.
UH, THE IDEA BEHIND THIS IS THAT THEY'RE NOT REACHING JUST ONE CITY, BUT THAT THIS ENTITY WOULD ENGAGE MULTIPLE CITIES, PREFERABLY ACROSS THE NATION THAT WOULD BE TAKING ON THIS ENDEAVOR.
AND SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT COST SCALES DOWNWARD AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, WITH MORE CITIES IN THIS EFFORT.
AND SO TONIGHT WE'RE SEEKING DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL, UH, IF YOU'D LIKE MORE INFORMATION, IF YOU'D LIKE STAFF TO PURSUE THIS.
UM, I WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT, UH, MICHAEL THOMAS HAS BEEN ENGAGING OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, UH, AND JP MORGAN CHASE HAS, UH, MOVED FORWARD WITH ALLOWING US TO INDICATE THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS PROGRAM.
SO ONE OF OUR MAJOR PARTNERS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HERE.
AND I WOULD BE, UM, CONFIDENT THAT A LOT OF OUR OTHER BUSINESS PARTNERS WILL MOVE FORWARD.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
UH, MICHAEL THOMAS IS ALSO HERE IN THE AUDIENCE, SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN EXPOUND ON, WE'D BE HAPPY TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UH, REAL QUICK, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UM, WHEN MICHAEL THOMAS AND I BEGAN DISCUSSING THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS A CERTIFICATION THAT REALLY IS A, IS GOES ALONG WITH A, A LOT OF WHAT THE CITY OF PLANO STANDS FOR, WHICH IS MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR CITIZENS HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO FULLY ENGAGE IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND THIS IS A, AN EVALUATION PROCESS, A CERTIFICATION, UH, PROCESS AND ACCREDITATION PROCESS, IF YOU WILL.
THAT IS ONE OF THOSE THAT IS THE, THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS ACROSS THE NATION.
BUT MY RECOMMENDATION IS, UH, IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO GO WITH FRIENDS.
I WOULD LOVE US, THE, THE CITY OF PLANO TO, TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE FIRST CITY TO SIGN ON.
BUT I DEFINITELY THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THERE HAVE THE CAVEAT THAT THERE'S OTHER CITIES, UH, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT IF THE COUNCIL CHOOSES TO MOVE FORWARD, THAT WE, UH, WE AUTHORIZE PARTICIPATION ONCE FIVE CITIES OR FOUR OTHER CITIES HAVE SIGNED ON, SO THAT WE HA UH, HAVE A KNOWN, UH, COST ASPECT FOR THE CITY OF PLANO.
BUT WE ALSO ENSURE THAT THIS PROGRAM HAS THE CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL NATIONWIDE.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANDREW? OR, UH, IS EVERYBODY OKAY WITH PURSUING, UH, THIS OPPORTUNITY? OKAY.
SO ANDREW, I, I WANNA KNOW WHEN, WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COHORT CITIES, UM, ARE WE AT, ARE WE TRYING TO FIND CITIES THAT ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE THAN US? OR ARE WE JUST TRYING TO FIND NEIGHBORING CITIES THAT ARE, THAT ARE ADJACENT TO US? NO, UH, REALLY THE, THE DREAM AND, AND THE DISCUSSIONS HAVE REALLY CENTERED AROUND GETTING ACROSS SECTION OF CITIES FROM ACROSS THE NATION.
SO, UH, WHILE PLANO, WE WERE THE CITY OF EXCELLENCE AND, AND WE'RE HAPPY THAT WE HAVE MICHAEL THOMAS HERE AND THAT WE'VE BEEN APPROACHED, UH, THE, THE GOAL WOULD BE NOT JUST TO REACH REGIONALLY, BUT TO REACH FURTHER THAN THAT.
AND, AND WE MAY START LOOKING, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TEXAS, SAN ANTONIO'S BEEN DISCUSSED, SOME OF THOSE OTHER CITIES.
UH, BUT, AND, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UH, MARK, IF I, I MISUNDERSTOOD, BUT I BELIEVE THE, THE SIZE, UM, WHAT, THE BIGGER THE CITY, THE BETTER.
I THINK IN, IN A LOT OF WAYS, I, I THINK THIS REALLY BECOMES A GOAL THAT YOU, YOU WANT HIGH PERFORMING CITIES THAT ACTUALLY HAVE PROGRAMS THAT MIRROR, UH, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON.
BECAUSE IN MANY CITIES, THEY DON'T HAVE MY POSSIBILITIES.
THEY DON'T HAVE SOME OF THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO THIS GIVES THE, THE FAMILIES, THE, THE INSTITUTIONS AND THE INDIVIDUALS KNOWLEDGE FOR, UM, WHICH CITIES ARE ACTUALLY STEPPING UP AND ACTUALLY HAVING MEANINGFUL PROGRAMS THAT ACTUALLY HELP THE, THE, UM, DISABILITY COMMUNITY.
AND, AND TO US, THAT'S, THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
SO IT WILL BE A NATIONAL PROGRAM AND THERE WILL BE OTHER CITIES THAT, THAT WE LOOK AT AND WE COMPARE TO ON OTHER MA UH, ON OTHER MEASURES, UM, THAT WILL LIKELY WANNA BE A PART OF THIS IN THE FUTURE.
NEXT ITEM, ITEM FOUR IS, UM, CONSENT AND REGULAR AGENDAS.
ANY ITEM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE MAYOR AND COUNSEL, I NEED TO WITHDRAW.
ITEM I, WE WILL BRING THAT BACK AT, AT THE DECEMBER 11TH MEETING.
AND ITEM FIVE, COUNCIL ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS.
ALRIGHT, WE WILL TAKE A RECESS AND RETURN AT SEVEN O'CLOCK.