IT'S EXECUTIVE SESSION TIME IS NOW IS 3:09 P.M.. [00:00:05] OK, WE'RE BACK IN SESSION. THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING US TAKE THAT BREAK. WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE WITH REGARD TO AND IT'S BEEN SECONDED WITH REGARD TO APPROVING THE PROPOSED TAX RATE. WHAT DISCUSSION DO WE HAVE REGARDING THAT MOTION? COMMENTS. HOWARD. I CALL FOR THE QUESTION. WILL YOU DO IT IN THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE? I CALL FOR THE QUESTION. OK. I WANT TO SAY, CAN I PAUSE THAT? I WANT TO SAY WE'VE WORKED VERY HARD AS A TEAM. THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST CHALLENGING BUDGET WORKSHOP SEASON THAT THIS IS OUR FIFTH TIME THROUGH THIS AT THE FOUR OF US INCUMBENTS, COLE'S FIRST TIME. BUT WE'VE WORKED VERY, VERY HARD AND I THINK WE'VE DONE GREAT AS A TEAM. WE'VE DONE REALLY GOOD WORK LISTENING TO CITIZENS, HAVING SOME INTENSE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT TO PRIORITIZE IN THE BUDGET. AND I THINK WE'VE WORKED VERY, VERY HARD FOR EVERY SINGLE VOICE SITTING AROUND THIS TABLE TO BE HEARD AND FOR THIS BUDGET TO REFLECT THE CONSENSUS OF WHAT WE AS A TEAM DISCUSSED AND PREPARED. AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE IN THAT TO OUR CITY. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE IN US WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND BUILDING A CONSENSUS AND BRINGING IT TO A POINT WHERE THE CITY SEES US WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE HOURS AND HOURS YOU HAVE PUT INTO THIS BUDGET PROCESS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR IDEAS AND NOT HOLDING BACK WHEN YOU DISAGREED. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING OUT ON THE TABLE YOUR DISAGREEING OPINIONS. WE SAW THOSE. AND I WOULD SAY THAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US HAS COMPROMISED ON SOMETHING TO BE AT THE POINT WE'RE AT, READY TO PROPOSE THIS TAX RATE. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING COALITION BUILDERS, FOR BEING BRIDGE BUILDERS, FOR STANDING UP, FOR THE THINGS YOU HEARD CITIZENS SAYING WERE A PRIORITY. WE'RE A NEW TEAM, WE'RE 90 DAYS OLD, AND I THINK WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER WELL, SO THOSE WERE MY THOUGHTS. ANY FINAL THOUGHTS BEFORE HOWARD CALLS THE QUESTION? OK, YOU'RE CALLING IT OK, ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED. NAY. OK, THAT MOTION PASSES WITH THE FOUR ONE VOTE, AND BECAUSE I VALUE OUR TEAM AND I VALUE THE PROCESS, I WANT TO SAY THIS TODAY IS THE FIRST THAT THIS TEAM HAS HEARD ANY OF THIS CONCERN. AND I KNOW YOU'RE SEEING IT AS A NEW ISSUE AND I SAY. YOU WERE, BUT YOU WERE ABLE TO VOTE NO BECAUSE YOU KNEW THE FOUR OF US WITH EXPERIENCE WOULD VOTE YES. AND THAT FEELS LIKE A POLITICAL MOVE AND IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A GOOD TEAMMANSHIP TO ME. AND I DON'T WANT TO WALK OUT OF HERE AND NOT SAY THAT DIRECTLY TO YOU, THAT WE'VE SPENT HOURS AT THE TABLE AND THAT YOU WERE IN FAVOR OF THE THINGS IN THE COLUMN UNDER THE GRAY ARROW. AND WE DID NOT HEAR YOU BACKING OFF OF THAT AT ALL. YOU WERE IN FAVOR OF IT. AND TODAY YOU CAME AND YOU VOTED AGAINST IT ON WHAT TO ME FEELS LIKE A HANGNAIL, AND SO YOU MAYBE YOU CAN VERBALIZE THAT, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO WALK OUT OF HERE AND NOT FIGHT FOR THIS TEAM, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD A CONSENSUS AND YOU'VE COME TODAY AND CHANGED YOUR MIND. YEAH. AND, MAYOR, I RESPECT YOU. I LOVE THE WAY YOU YOU ARE LOOKING ME IN THE FACE AND YOU'RE CALLING ME OUT. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I ALSO APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT. ALONG THE WAY, IN THE PROCESS, YOU'RE CORRECT, I HAVE HEARD EVERYTHING YOU'VE SAID, I'VE LOOKED AT THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. ORIGINALLY, THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION CAME OUT AT 46 CENTS AND ENDED UP GOING UP TO 48 AND A HALF CENTS. I AM IN NO WAY OPPOSING WHAT THIS MONEY IS TO BE USED FOR. I AM FULLY SUPPORTING PARKS AND REC. THE MONIES THAT ARE NEEDED THERE ARE OBVIOUS. I'M FULLY SUPPORTING POLICE AND FIRE. I AM FULLY ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING MY INEXPERIENCE AND INABILITY TO GRASP THESE CONCEPTS. THREE WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS PRESENTED WITH AN EIGHT HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR PAGE BUDGET AND I'M ALSO LOOKING AT I VOTED NO ON A MAXIMUM RATE. [00:05:01] I DIDN'T VOTE NO YET ON THE BUDGET OR ON THE ACTUAL RATE THAT YOU WILL CALL FOR AN ELECTION ON. AND I AM IN FAVOR OF TAKING AS MUCH TIME AS I CAN TO GET THERE. AND I AM STILL WILLING TO LOOK AT GETTING THERE. BUT WHERE I'M AT TODAY IS THE ONLY REASON THAT I WOULD HAVE VOTED YES IN THINKING THROUGH THIS IS NOT BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THIS PROCESS IS CORRECT WITH SB 2 AND THAT IT WOULDN'T HANG SOMEBODY OUT THERE WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE A LEGITIMATE COMPLAINT TO SAY, COLE, YOU RAISED MY TAXES AGAINST MY VOTE. AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. AND I KNOW WE DON'T GET TO MAKE THE RULES, BUT THE RULES ARE THE RULES AND THE RULES SAY THAT I GET TO VOTE AND I CAN VOTE HOWEVER I WANT BASED ON WHATEVER I SEE IS THE BEST VOTE POSSIBLE AT THAT TIME. AND AT THIS TIME, THE ONLY REASON THAT I WOULD VOTE YES FOR THIS OUTSIDE OF WANTING TO SUPPORT FIRE, POLICE AND PARKS AND REC, IS TO TO BE A GOOD TEAM MEMBER TO YOU. AND TO ME THAT'S THE POLITICAL THING. TO ME, THAT'S ME BEING POLITICAL, THAT THAT'S ME PUTTING WHAT I LOOK LIKE IN FRONT OF WHAT I BELIEVE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, MY I HATE SAYING IN MY HEART, BUT LIKE, I WANT TO BE ON THE TEAM. I WANT TO BE A GOOD I WANT TO BE A GOOD ASSET. YOU KNOW, I CAME HERE TO HELP. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I APOLOGIZE TO YOU IF I'VE STEPPED OUT OF THE WAY OF THE BUS HERE AND I WILL GLADLY TELL EVERYONE I WILL STAND IN FRONT OF THIS BUS AND THE BUS MAY BE COMING TO HIT ME ALONE. YOU FOUR MAY BE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE BUS AND IT MAY BE ALL ON ME BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HERE TODAY THAT THE FIRE AND THE POLICE AND THE PARKS AND REC AND MY STAFF, THAT WORKS REALLY HARD. AND I SAY MINE NOT BECAUSE I GOT ELECTED, BUT BECAUSE I LIVE HERE, ARE GOING TO SAY, MAN COLE, YOU SOLD US OUT. YOU KNOW, YOU BAILED OUT ON US. YOU KNOW, BOTTOM LINE, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO DO SOME OF THESE THINGS AS IS. WE HAVE EXCESS REVENUES THAT WE WILL ALLOCATE FOR THINGS TO GO TO IN THE FUTURE. AND IT'S VERY UNFAIR, IT'S VERY UNFAIR TO THE STAFF TO PUT TOGETHER THIS BUDGET AND DO ALL THIS STUFF AND THEN HANG IT ON A FAILED ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, THAT'S GOING TO PUSH BACK TO AN UNFAIR RATE, IN MY OPINION. AND SO. I RESPECT YOU AND, YOU KNOW, I GET IF I'M NOT ON THE TEAM, YOU KNOW, AND AND I GET THAT I STEPPED OUT LATE, AND IF I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY FOR ANYTHING MAYOR, IT'S NOT FOR VOTING NO AND IT'S NOT FOR HAVING A DIFFERENT OPINION. IT'S FOR NOT KNOWING EARLIER IN THE PROCESS THAT THAT WOULD BE MY VOTE TODAY. AND SO I'LL DO A BETTER JOB IN THE FUTURE OF TRYING TO KNOW MORE IN ADVANCE. BUT AS IT IS TODAY, THIS IS MY FIRST MEETING TO COME INTO, YOU KNOW, CITY HALL, THE CO AS AN EASY NO. I KNEW ON FRIDAY, ON TUESDAY I WAS GOING TO VOTE AGAINST IT. AND WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS. AND YOU NEVER SAID. I'M THINKING ABOUT DEPARTING FROM THE CONSENSUS THAT I HAVE SHOWN YOU I WAS A PART OF. AND SO I WANT THAT TO BE I WANT TO BE VERY DIRECT IN TELLING YOU YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED A POLITICAL LEDGE TO STAND ON, THAT YOU AS A ONE VOTE CAN STAND ON SO THE DEAL WE'VE NEGOTIATED WITH APOA CAN MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE THE FOUR OF US APPROVED THIS PROPOSED TAX RATE TODAY. AND YOU SPOKE IN FAVOR OF IT IN ALL THOSE WORKSHOPS. AND TODAY YOU WERE VOTING AGAINST IT SO THAT YOU CAN STAND SINGLY ON THIS VERY NARROW POLITICAL LEDGE THAT NONE OF US DISAGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. WE ALL AGREE THAT VOTERS SHOULD HAVE THE SAY AND WE WANT VOTERS TO HAVE THE SAY. BUT BECAUSE, YOU KNEW, THE FOUR OF US, WE'RE GOING TO VOTE FOR THIS, YOU WERE ABLE TO CARVE OUT A NARROW LANE THAT WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE CONSENSUS SIGNALS YOU HAVE BEEN GIVING US FOR MULTIPLE MEETINGS. AND THAT IS FRUSTRATING. AND SO I RESPECT THAT YOU ARE TAKING THIS POSITION, BUT I RESPECT YOU ENOUGH TO SAY IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE WORLD, YOU'VE BACKED UP ON US AND IT DAMAGES OUR ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM. I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND THE ONLY THING I WOULD CORRECT IS THE LEDGE TO STAND ON FOR ME WAS KNOWING THAT MY CITIZENS AND VOTERS CAN VOTE NO AND I COULD PRESERVE HALF OF THAT TAX INCREASE. AND KNOWING THAT THAT'S REALLY A POLITICAL LEDGE FOR ME TO STAND ON, I'VE CHOSEN TO STAND ON AN ISLAND AND TO TAKE A STEP BACK, NOT TO GET ON THAT LEDGE. [00:10:04] I'M NOT STEPPING BACK TO STAND ON THE LEDGE OF LIKE, OH, JUST BECAUSE THE FOUR OF YOU ARE GOING TO PUSH IT, I CAN BACK OFF. IF I HAD KNOWN THIS THING WAS GOING TO GO A ZERO FIVE VOTE AND WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO START OVER, I'M FINE WITH STAYING LATE AND DOING MORE WORK. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. SO, LIKE, LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK THROUGH THIS. AND I DON'T LIKE MY HANDS TIED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE. AND THEY ARE AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE SAYING THAT THEY ARE, BUT I AM WILLING TO TAKE A STEP BACK, NOT ON THE LEDGE. I'LL STAND ON THE ISLAND. AND I RESPECT YOU FOR PUTTING ME THERE AND BEING UP FRONT, BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE YOU DO A GOOD JOB OF LEADING AND RUNNING THE CITY. AND AND THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING. YOU'RE LOOKING YOU'RE LOOKING OUT FOR THE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN THAT SEAT. AND THAT'S A VERY TOUGH SEAT. AND IF. IT'S GREAT TO SAY, WELL, WE SHOULD JUST TAKE MORE TIME, START MEETING AGAIN, GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE AND REBUILD A CONSENSUS AGAIN BECAUSE OF THIS NEW INFORMATION THAT YOU HAD A ACCEPTANCE OR AWARENESS OF ON TUESDAY, WE DON'T HAVE THAT LUXURY. AUGUST 16TH IS OUR DEADLINE TO CALL THE ELECTION. AND WE HAVE TO HAVE TWO MEETINGS AND VOTE BEFORE THEN. AND WE HAVE TO GIVE PROPER SIGNALS TO THE POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION SO THAT THEY CAN VOTE. WE'RE NOT LIVING IN THE LUXURY OF TIME. SO, AGAIN, PART OF ME IS SAYING THIS IS OUR FIFTH TIME THROUGH THIS. AND SO MAYBE OUR FEET ARE GROUNDED AND WE BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE USED OUR TIME BUILDING A CONSENSUS AND WE THOUGHT WE HAD THAT. AND TODAY WE ARE NOW DISCOVERING WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT. AND SO THE FOUR OF US ARE GOING TO STAND ON OUR EXPERIENCE OF OUR FIFTH BUDGET PROCESS AND NEGOTIATING WITH THE POLICE OFFICERS AND RECOGNIZING THAT THE VERY REAL AND LEGAL TIME CONSTRAINTS WE HAVE ON THE COUNCIL, WE CAN'T GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE AND BUILD A CONSENSUS TOGETHER. WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR WEEKS AND NOW HERE WE ARE. IT'S TIME TO VOTE. SO I UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURE OF IT NOT BEING EXACTLY THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE. THE WHOLE MEASURE TWICE AND CUT ONCE THING. I WISH WE HAD TIME TO MEASURE AGAIN. WE'RE OUT OF TIME AND THE TEAM HAS TO MOVE FORWARD OR ELSE THE CITY IS HELD BACK. LET ME SAY ONE FINAL THING AND I'LL QUIT TALKING. ANY STRENGTH LEFT UNCHECKED CAN BECOME A WEAKNESS. SO YOU SAID EARLIER, ONE OF MY STRENGTHS IS MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE. THE REASON WE'RE ON A TEAM IS BECAUSE I'M NOT LIKE YOU GUYS. I'M DIFFERENT. THE REASON I'M A GOOD TEAMMATE IS BECAUSE I MAY COME IN HERE AT THE 12TH HOUR AND AND BE LIKE, I CAN'T GET ON BOARD. I TRIED. AND IF YOU THINK THAT FOR THE. EXCEPT YOU'VE BEEN ON BOARD AND I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT AT. AM I WRONG? DID WE HAVE CONSENSUS WHEN WE LEFT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP? SO. SO, YOU'VE BEEN ON BOARD. IS I CAN BE AND UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS. AND TUESDAY I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE IN THE ROOM THAT WAS SAYING, THIS CAN'T BE RIGHT. THIS DOESN'T SOUND RIGHT. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT AN OPTION OUT. AND I ASKED FOR THE OPTION OF I WOULD LIKE THE OPTION TO GROUP EVERYTHING TOGETHER, FIRE, POLICE, PARKS AND REC FOR THE EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS OR I'M SORRY FOR THE EIGHT CENTS, ALMOST EIGHT CENTS AND TO GO IN. AND IF IT PASSES, EVERYTHING PASSES. AND IF IT FAILS, WE GO TO 41 CENTS. THAT'S WHEN BRIAN SAID IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. THAT'S WHEN LAURA SAID IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. NO ONE ELSE EXCEPT EDDY WASN'T IN THE ROOM. SO I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT YOU YOU DID OR DIDN'T KNOW, BUT NOBODY ELSE KNEW ANY MORE THAN I DID AS FAR AS I KNEW AT THAT TIME. AND ONCE AGAIN, MY APOLOGY IS VERY SINCERE TO YOU IN THE WAY OF I WISH I HAD KNOWN THIS TWO WEEKS AGO AND I COULD HAVE VOCALIZED MORE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE SHOULD BE? I THINK THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE SHOULD BE FORTY EIGHT POINT FOUR CENTS OR, YOU KNOW, BASED ON A PAST ELECTION, AND IF IT FAILS, THEN IT FAILS. AND I BELIEVE THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE SHOULD BE WHAT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN VOTED ON. SO THE MAXIMUM CURRENT TAX RATE RIGHT NOW, AS APPROVED BY THE CITIZENS, IS 41 CENTS. THAT'S WHAT IT'LL GO TO. THE CITIZENS DIDN'T VOTE ON. THAT IS THE ONE THAT HAS PASSED MOST RECENTLY, CORRECT? BUT BASED ON YOUR VOTE TODAY, THE CITIZENS WON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT. BUT IT WAS BASED ON BELOW. SO THAT'S AN INACCURATE STATEMENT THOUGH COLE BECAUSE IT WAS BASED UPON WE WERE GIVEN T HIS LEEWAY THAT THIS IS WHAT WE CAN PROPOSE, THIS BUDGET AND THE BUDGET WAS INCREASED AND IT WAS NOT FLAT FROM THE YEAR BEFORE, BUT IT DID NOT EXCEED WHAT THE POTENTIAL ROLLBACK AT THAT POINT IN TIME COULD BE. [00:15:01] AND SO THERE OR AT THAT POINT IN TIME NO SB 2 TO PUT IN PLACE AT THE LAST BUDGET. SO IT WAS BELOW THE EIGHT PERCENT. AND SO THEREFORE, IT DID NOT GO BACK TO THE VOTERS, IT WAS BASED UPON THE FIVE OF US VOTING AND THEN WE VOTED AND IT PASSED. SO AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN IN OFFICE, THE BUDGET HAS NEVER GONE IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE CITIZENSHIP OF THE CITY OF AMARILLO FOR APPROVAL. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN EIGHT PERCENT LEEWAY, EIGHT PERCENT INCREASE LEEWAY EVERY YEAR UP UNTIL THIS YEAR. THIS YEAR, IT BECOMES A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT LEEWAY AND WE ARE EXCEEDING IT, AND THIS YEAR WE'RE MORE THAN EXCEEDING IT BASED UPON THE NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO US. IT'S AT A TWENTY TWO PERCENT INCREASE. WHICH WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH THE EIGHT PERCENT INCREASE ALSO SO. THE ACCURATE STATEMENT IS WE'RE VOTING ON WHAT WE WHAT WE FEEL LIKE, WE BELIEVE THAT THE CITY HAS SAID THAT THE CITIZENS HAVE SAID THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT. AND NOW THEN IT GOES TO THE CITIZENS, AND IF IT DOES NOT PASS FROM THE CITIZENS, THEN IT STILL GOES. WE GET TO GIVE THE CITIZENS PART OF WHAT WAS WAS REALLY REQUESTED. WE JUST DON'T GET TO GIVE THEM ALL OF WHAT WAS REQUESTED. ACTUALLY WE DIDN'T GO INTO TALKING ABOUT THIS, JUST TRYING TO KEEP IT FROM BEING SO COMPLEX, BUT HERE WE ARE BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS, THERE WAS AN OPTION GIVEN TO CITIES TO STICK WITH THE EIGHT PERCENT. YES. AND AND STAFF MADE THE DECISION TO COME TO US WITH A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT, LOWERING THE THRESHOLD, GIVING MORE POWER TO THE VOTERS. THAT'S THE KIND OF CITY THAT WE LIVE IN. THOSE ARE THE VOTERS THAT WE REPRESENT. SO THERE WAS EVEN AN OPTION FOR US TO STAY AT EIGHT PERCENT. AND WE DIDN'T PICK THAT OPTION THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE WANT TO GIVE VOTERS A VOICE. SO JUST BACK TO THE POINT. THE POINT IS I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH HOW YOU'VE HANDLED THIS HERE AT THE END, AND I THINK YOU'VE BLINDSIDED US WITH IT AND I WANT TO SAY THAT PUBLICLY AND I I DON'T WANT THERE TO BE ANY BACKROOM TALK ABOUT IT, THIS IS OUR TEAM AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK TOGETHER AND WE NEED TO DO BETTER ON THIS. WELL, I APPRECIATE IT NOT BEING BACKROOM, AND I'M FINE WITH IT BEING PUBLIC. AND I RESPECT YOU FOR THAT. EVEN WHEN WE DISAGREE IT'S NOT PERSONAL. AND AND I AM TRYING TO DO MY BEST. YOU'RE TRYING TO DO YOUR BEST. WE WILL WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BEST OUTCOMES WHEN WE DO PULL AND TUG AGAINST EACH OTHER LIKE THIS. AND JUST LIKE YOU KNEW THAT THERE WAS AN EIGHT PERCENT MAXIMUM BECAUSE OF COVID THAT YOU COULD HAVE IMPLEMENTED THAT. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT UNTIL ABOUT 30 SECONDS AGO. IT WAS TALKED ABOUT AT OUR BUDGET WORKSHOP. OK, SO BUT I KNOW YOU'RE GRASPING A LOT OF INFORMATION. ALL I'M SAYING IS, IS THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS FOR BOTH OF US TO SAY YOU KNOW, COLE, YOU SHOULD KNOW EVERYTHING AND YOU SHOULD GIVE US MORE HEADS UP AND YOU BAILED OUT. THERE'S PLENTY OF WAYS FOR ME TO SAY, HEY, EVERYONE SHOULD TEACH ME EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE SHOULD MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING OR ELSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S ON YOU. IT'S NOT. IT'S A TEAM EFFORT. Y'ALL ARE TRYING TO EDUCATE ME AND I'M TRYING TO LEARN. BUT IN THE EVENT THAT I DON'T KNOW AND I AM STILL TRYING TO GET CONFIRMATION ON SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS THIS, THE LARGEST TAX INCREASE THAT WE WOULD SEE. PERHAPS WITH A YOU KNOW, THAT WOULDN'T BE THE LARGEST, BUT. IF IT FAILS, WE STILL HAVE A TAX INCREASE. I'M JUST TELLING YOU, THAT'S MY STANCE. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. AND THAT MAY BE IDEALISTIC AND PERHAPS I NEED TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD. BUT I AM 90 DAYS INTO THIS DEAL. I'M DOING MY BEST. AND I DON'T MIND APOLOGIZING TO YOU THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THIS STANCE TWO WEEKS AGO, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY MORE PAGES AND HOW MANY MORE FACTS I'VE GATHERED IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. AND I'M STILL GATHERING. I TALKED TO YOU YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE THIS STANCE. NO, I HAD A DIFFERENT STANCE. I WANTED THE 41 CENTS AS THE AMOUNT THAT IT WOULD GO BACK TO. AND MY STANCE IS LET'S GO OUT AND LET'S FIGURE OUT IF THIS IS REAL, IF THIS REALLY IS THE LEGISLATION. WELL, WE DON'T HAVE AN OPTION TO DO THAT IN THE CALENDAR OF WHAT THE BUDGET NEEDS TO BE APPROVED, SO WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER. WE GOT TO DO BETTER. ANY FINAL COMMENTS? OK, THANK YOU ALL. WE'RE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.