[Call to Order]
          [00:00:04]
          GOOD AFTERNOON. RIGHT NOW, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND RECOGNIZE A QUORUM, CALL OURSELVES INTO SESSION, ASK FOR, UM, 
          [Executive Session]
CITY ATTORNEY TO READ US INTO EXEC. 
          MAYOR, COUNCIL, GOOD AFTERNOON. PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, A CLOSED SESSION OF THE AMARILLO CITY COUNCIL WAS ANNOUNCED ON SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2026 AT 1:02 PM UNDER THE FOLLOWING AUTHORITY. 
          SECTION 551074 DISCUSSED THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT, DUTIES, DISCIPLINE, DISMISSAL, OR HEAR A COMPLAINT AGAINST A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE OR OFFICER. 
          WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR PARTICIPATING IN YOUR MEETING HERE TODAY. 
          UM, AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND RECOGNIZE A QUORUM. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE BACK INTO OPEN SESSION HERE IN THE CHAMBER. WE'RE GOING TO START 
          [2. Ceremonial Items]
WITH SOME CEREMONIAL ITEMS, IF YOU GUYS DON'T MIND. WE HAVE MISS MARGIE GONZALEZ COMING UP AS OUR INVOCATOR. WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND FOR THE PRAYER AND THE PLEDGE? IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE DOING SO, YOU CAN BOW YOUR HEADS AND CLOSE YOUR EYES. LORD, TODAY WE'RE JUST THANKFUL FOR ANOTHER DAY OF LIFE. WE'RE THANKFUL, LORD, FOR OUR WONDERFUL CITY, LORD, AND THOSE WHO SERVE, UM, SO WILLINGLY AND SO FAITHFULLY, LORD. WE THANK YOU, LORD, FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING IN OUR CITY. TODAY, LORD, WE JUST OFFER UP, WE ASK YOU, LORD, TO JUST BLESS THE PROCEEDINGS THAT ARE ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE, LORD. EVERY DISCUSSION, EVERY DEBATE, LORD, UM, EVERY PRESENTATION, LORD, EVERY VOTE THAT TAKES PLACE, LORD. WOULD YOU REIGN AS LORD IN THIS FACILITY, LORD? WOULD YOU REIGN AS LORD OVER OUR CITY? WE BLESS OUR LEADERS, LORD, AND ASK YOU TO STRENGTHEN THEM AND GIVE THEM WISDOM AND GIVE THEM THE HEART OF GOD. WE ASK IT ALL TODAY IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN. 
          PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. 
          I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE, TEXAS, ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE. 
          ALL RIGHT, PLEASE BE SEATED. 
          UM, GENTLEMEN, WE ARE GONNA GO DOWNSTAIRS. WE HAVE 2 PROCLAMATIONS TO READ, SO IF I COULD HAVE ZACH WILSON GO AHEAD AND COME UP. WE'RE GONNA DO HUNGER ACTION MONTH FIRST, AND ANYBODY THAT'S WITH YOU, SIR. OKAY. WHEREAS HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY REMAIN SERIOUS CONCERNS IN AMARILLO AND POTTER COUNTY, WHERE APPROXIMATELY 1 IN 4 INDIVIDUALS AND 1 IN 3 CHILDREN EXPERIENCE FOOD INSECURITY, AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AMARILLO IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING EFFORTS THAT HELP ENSURE RESIDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD AND ESSENTIAL RESOURCES. AND WHEREAS HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK SERVES AS A VITAL COMMUNITY PARTNER, WORKING THROUGH FOOD PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS, SHELTERS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE FOOD ASSISTANCE TO RESIDENTS IN NEED. AND WHEREAS MORE THAN 25,970 INDIVIDUALS IN POTTER COUNTY RELY ON FOOD ASSISTANCE PROVIDED THROUGH THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK NETWORK EACH YEAR. AND WHEREAS IN 2025, HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 7.8 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD TO PROC- TO APPROXIMATELY 13,904 FAMILIES EACH MONTH THROUGH ITS NETWORK OF PARTNER AGENCIES, AND WHEREAS IN 2025, THE MEMBERS OF THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 7.8 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD TO THE 13,904 FAMILIES MONTHLY THROUGH ITS NETWORK OF FOOD PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS, SHELTERS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. AND NOW, THEREFORE, WE, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE, OF THE CITY OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2026 AS HUNGER ACTION MONTH IN AMARILLO AND ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS TO JOIN IN THE EFFORT TO END HUNGER BY VOLUNTEERING, RAISING AWARENESS, AND SUPPORTING LOCAL FOOD ASSISTANCE PRO- ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH DONATIONS SO THAT EVERY MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS TO THE FOOD NEEDED TO THRIVE. 
          YEAH, I JUST WANT TO SAY, UM, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE RECOGNITION. YOU KNOW, JUST AS... THIS IS JUST SO PREVALENT IN OUR, UM, SOCIETY 
          [00:05:02]
TODAY, AND, UM, UH, THIS MONTH IS JUST, UH, THE TIME THAT WE TRY TO CALL ACTION TO IT, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE FEEDING MORE HOUSEHOLDS NOW THAN WE EVER HAVE BEFORE IN OUR, IN OUR 44-YEAR HISTORY ALL ACROSS, UH, THE CITY OF AMARILLO AND ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. 
          SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR HELPING US, UH, CALL ATTENTION TO THAT, AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. WE'LL HAVE THE SLIDE. I'LL TAKE A PHOTO. 1, 02, 3. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. ANTHONY, YOU'RE GONNA BRING THE ANTHONY, YOU CAN BRING THE CRUDE IN. ALL RIGHT. WHEREAS THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, AND ITS RESIDENTS DEPEND ON THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY, AND SAFEGUARDING OUR AIR, WATER, FOOD, AND COMMUNITIES IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAINING A HEALTHY AND THRIVING CITY. AND WHEREAS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, GROUNDED IN SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND THE APPLICATION OF PROVEN PRACTICES TO IDENTIFY, ASSESS, PREVENT, AND REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS THAT CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH. AND WHEREAS SCIENCE PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR PROTECTING COMMUNITIES FROM FOODBORNE AND WATERBORNE ILLNESSES, VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES, UNSAFE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, SANITARY NUISANCES, AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH HAZARDS, ALLOWING INFORMED DECISIONS TO BE MADE IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. 
          AND WHEREAS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SERVE AS A CRITICAL BRIDGE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND IMPLEMENTATION BY TRANSLATING RESEARCH, DATA, REGULATIONS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICABLE, INTO PRACTICAL ACTIONS THROUGH INSPECTIONS, EDUCATION, SURVEILLANCE, PREVENTION, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. 
          AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AMARILLO RECOGNIZES THAT THE DEDICATED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK EACH DAY TO PROTECT RESIDENCES, BUSINESSES, AND VISITORS BY APPLYING EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICES AND WORKING COLLABORATIVELY, COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE COMMUNITY TO PREVENT ILLNESS, REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS, AND PROMOTE SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS. NOW FOR- NOW, THEREFORE, WE, THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 26, 2026 AS WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DAY IN AMARILLO, TEXAS, AND EXTEND OUR GRATITUDE TO THE CITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH STAFF FOR THEIR SERVICE, DEDICATION, AND COMMITMENT TO MAKING AMARILLO SAFE, HEALTHY, AND A VIBRANT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY. ON BEHALF ON BEHALF OF ENVI- OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, WE WANT TO THANK MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, UH, FOR RECOGNIZING US WITH THIS PROCLAMATION. AND, UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WANT TO THANK, UH, THE CITIZENS OF POTTER AND RANDALL COUNTY FOR ALLOWING US TO SERVE YOU, UH, AND PROTECT YOU FROM VECTOR-BORNE, WATER-BORNE, AND FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES. SO, THANK YOU. HOW MUCH DO Y'ALL LIKE EACH OTHER? OKAY, 1, 2, 
          [00:10:13]
3. THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR LETTING US DO THAT, AND GREATLY APPRECIATE THOSE BOOTS ON THE GROUND OUT THERE THAT KEEP AMARILLO MOVING AND FED. SO, UM, WE ARE GONNA MOVE INTO ITEM NUMBER 4, WELL, SORRY, NUMBER 3, UM, WE WILL SEE IF WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
          NO, SIR. 
          MR. FREEMAN, NO? OKAY. UH, 
          [4.1. Presentation of the Amarillo City Transit Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan and Section 5310 Program Management Plan]
MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER 4, WE'VE GOT, UH, SOME DISCUSSION ITEMS. SO WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND OPEN UP WITH CHRIS QUIGLEY. UH, IF MR. QUIGLEY CAN COME UP HERE. 
          CHRIS, ARE YOU IT'S, UH, ACTUALLY GOING TO BE MR. JIM HILLWIG OKAY. 
          WITH THE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT COMING UP. 
          ALL RIGHT, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO A DISCUSSION UPDATE ON SOME TRANSIT ITEMS. AFTERNOON, SIR. 
          MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. 
          UM, I'M JIM HILLWIG WITH THE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT. I'M THE PLANNER. CAME TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE 5310, UH, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PLAN. UM, WE RECENTLY APPLIED FOR A 5310 FUND FROM THE FTA, AND, UH, WE WERE APPROVED. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT. SO ONE BRIEF SECOND, WE GOT A LITTLE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY AS WE GET THAT BACK UP. OKAY, SO PURPOSE OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS JUST TO PROVIDE Y'ALL WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACT, UH, COORDINATED PUBLIC TRANSIT HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION PLAN, UH, SECTION 5310 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PLAN. UH, I'LL SUMMARIZE THE COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IDENTIFIED THROUGH OUR PLANNING PROCESS, UH, HIGHLIGHT STRATEGIES DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS IDENTIFY- IDENTIFIED NEEDS, UH, AND EXPLAIN HOW ACT WILL ADMINISTRATE- ADMINISTER THE SECTION 5310 PROGRAM. UH, NO COUNCIL ACTION IS NEEDED ON THIS OR REQUESTED. UM, WHAT IS THE COORDINATED PLAN? SO THE PLAN IDENTIFIES THE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. UH, IT IDENTIFIES GAPS AND BARRIERS IN EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, COORDINATES PUBLIC, PRIVATE, NONPROFIT, AND HUMAN SERVICE TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES, ESTABLISHES STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS IDENTIFIED TRANSPORTATION NEEDS. UH, IT ALSO PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND INVESTMENT. NOTICE I SAID INVESTMENTS BECAUSE, UH, ONE OF THESE DAYS WE'RE GOING TO BE ASKING FOR SOME, OKAY? STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS. 
          SO WHAT WE DID IS WE CONDUCTED A MULTI-LAYER, UH, OUTREACH PROCESS THAT INCLUDED STRUCTURED STAKEHOLDER MEETING SESSIONS, PUBLIC MEETINGS, SURVEYS, UH, CONTINUOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES. 
          UH, SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED DURING THE INITIAL, UH, MEETINGS, UH, WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLIC DURING THE SECOND PHASE OF INPUT, UH, ON THE DRAFT COORDINATION PLAN, WORKSHEETS WERE USED TO GATHER FEEDBACK. UM, THIS IS JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF, UH, THE NUMBERS WE HAVE FOR ATTENDEES, THE MEETINGS WE HAD. UM, WE DID, UH, BASICALLY ABOUT 3 ROUNDS OF MEETINGS. WE CLOSED THAT ON SEPTEMBER 30TH, OF THIS YEAR. EXCUSE ME THE DATE'S WRONG. WE ACTUALLY, THAT WAS THIS YEAR, NOT THE 25TH. 
          GOTCHA. SO WE DID, UH, IDENTIFY TOP, UH, ELIGIBLE PRIORITIES, AND, UM, THEY WERE TO IMPROVE TRANSIT STOP ACCESSIBILITY. UH, PEOPLE WANTED MORE SHELTERS AND BENCHES, UH, ADA ACCESSIBLE PATHWAYS, IMPROVED STOP INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          UM, THEY WANTED TO IMPROVE SHOPPING TRANSPORTATION, SO THAT WOULD JUST BE TRANSPORTATION FOR TO GROCERY STORES AND ESSENTIAL RETAIL. 
          UH, ALSO REDUCE TRANSPORTATION COST BARRIERS, SO SOME FARE ASSISTANCE FOR RIDERS RESIDING OR TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE THREE-QUARTER MILE ADA COMPLIMENTARY PARATRANSIT SERVICE. UH, THEY ALSO WANTED TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO PARATRANSIT WHERE APPROPRIATE. 
          OUR STRATEGIES, UM, WE IDENTIFIED LIMITED SHOPPING TRANSPORTATION, UH, THAT WAS, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO CREATE A SHOPPING TRANSPORTATION SERVICE. UH, ANOTHER IDENTIFIED NEED WAS TRANSPORTATION COST BARRIERS FOR THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE ADA SERVICE AREA. UH, WE'D LIKE TO, HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE, IMPLEMENT A FARE SUBSIDY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
          UM, WE ALSO IDENTIFIED A NEED AS INACCESSIBLE BUS STOPS. 
          UH, WE HAVE SOME AGING INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'D LIKE TO CONDUCT, UM, CONSTRUCT ADA PATHWAYS AND BOARDING IMPROVEMENTS. UH, ANOTHER NEED WAS LIMITED PASSENGER AMENITIES. UH, WE WANT TO INSTALL MORE SHELTERS, BENCHES, SIGNS, AND RELATED AMENITIES FOR THE PUBLIC. UM, WHAT IS THE 5310 PROGRAM? UM, IT'S FTA SECTION 5310, ENHANCED MOBILITY OF SENIORS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. THE PROGRAM IS 
          [00:15:01]
DESIGNED TO IMPROVE MOBILITY FOR SPECIFICALLY OLDER ADULTS AND THOSE WITH INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. FUNDING CAN SUPPORT, UH, ELIGIBLE OPERATING PROJECTS OR CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          UM, WITH THAT, WE, UH, ESTABLISH A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PLAN, UM, THAT WILL HELP, UH, MONITOR AND ESTABLISH PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION, PROJECT ELIGIBILITY, PROJECT SELECTION, PROJECT FUNDING ALLOCATION, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, GRANT MANAGEMENT, REPORTING, MONITORING, RECORD KEEPING, AND COMPLIANCE WITH FTA AND TXDOT REQUIREMENTS. HOW THE PLAN, THE TWO PLANS WORK TOGETHER, UM, WE HAVE A COMMUNITY NEED. 
          NEEDS AND STRATEGIES ARE IDENTIFIED. PROJECTS ADDRESS IDENTIFIED NEEDS, UH, ESTABLISHES HOW WE, ACT, ADMINISTERS AND MANAGES THE PROGRAM. UH, INFORMATION, IMPLEMENTATION OF FUND, FUNDED ELIGIBLE PROJECTS. 
          LOOKING AHEAD, UM, OVER THE PLANNED PERIOD, ACT WILL CONTINUE COORDINATING WITH TRANSPORTATION AND HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDERS, EVALUATE TRANSPORTATION GAPS AND EMERGING NEEDS, EVALUATE AND PRIORITIZE PASSENGER AMENITIES AND ACCESSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS, MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE IMPLEMENTED STRATEGIES. 
          WE'LL ALSO CONTINUE SEEKING FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, UPDATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS AS NECESSARY. 
          IMPROVING MOBILITY THROUGH COORDINATION. THE, THE GOAL OF THE PLAN IS BASICALLY TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION ACCESS, INDEPENDENCE, SAFETY, AND MOBILITY FOR OLDER ADULTS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITY IN THE AMARILLO COMMUNITY. 
          WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? THANK YOU, JIM. QUESTIONS, COUNCIL? ALL RIGHT, WELL, WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING OVER THERE AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING A FEW OF THOSE IDEAS COME TO FRUITION. SO JUST KEEP US UPDATED, AND AND I KNOW A LOT OF THAT'S ALL GRANT FUNDED, OR IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WOULDN'T BE GRANT FUNDED? UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT'S 80/20, SO THERE IS SOME STUFF THAT, UH, BUT WE DO HAVE, UH, PLANS TO HAVE THAT MATCHED IN VARIOUS WAYS, HOPEFULLY NOT FROM THE CITY, BUT... 
          OKAY. WELL, UM, I KNOW THAT PREVIOUSLY WE GOT CLASSIFIED LARGER COMMUNITY, SO YES, SIR. 
          RIDERSHIP HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THINGS, AND THEN THE WAY THAT THE, I'D SAY THAT THE BUDGET WAS, WAS CONSEQUENCED THROUGH THAT. 
          I GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU AND MR. QUIGLEY AND YOUR TEAM FOR CONTINUING TO GROW, UM, IN THOSE DIRECTION HIGHER AND PUT US BACK IN, IN A BETTER LOOK. 
          SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING YOU GUYS. 
          WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, SIR. 
          THANK YOU, JIM. OKAY, MOVING 
          [4.2. Wrecker Contract Update and Staff Recommendation]
ON TO ITEM 4.2. MR. DUNLAP, IS THAT YOU? WE'RE GOING TO BRING UP MAX DUNLAP FOR A RIDER CONTRACT, I'M SORRY, A WRECKER CONTRACT UPDATE. HOW YOU DOING, SIR? WELL, MAYOR, MYSELF. 
          DOING GOOD, THANK YOU. 
          GOOD. I KNOW WE HAVE A, A PRETTY FULL AGENDA TODAY, AND I WILL TRY NOT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF ANYONE'S TIME, BUT I DO HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT. SO TO START OFF WITH, WHY REVIEW OUR TOW CONTRACT WITH OUR CONTRACTOR OR THE PROGRAM IN ITSELF? SO AT A GLANCE, THE TOW PROGRAM THAT THE CITY IS PARTNERING WITH IS JUST THAT, SIMPLY PICKING CARS AND DRAGGING THEM. 
          THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, TOWING IN THE CITY HAS A MUCH DEEPER ROOT TIED TO PUBLIC SAFETY. WHEN POLICE AND FIRE REQUEST RECORDS, THAT REQUEST HAS OFTEN OCCURRED WHILE THE INCIDENT IS STILL ONGOING. OFFICERS MAY BE STANDING IN OR BESIDE TRAFFIC, FIRE APPARATUS MAY STILL BE BLOCKING LANES, AND TRAFFIC CONTROL RESOURCES MAY BE COMMITTED. THE ROADWAY STILL MAY BE PARTIALLY OR FULLY COMPLETELY OBSTRUCTED. THAT MEANS TOWING RESPONSE IS DIRECTLY TIED AND INFLUENCES TO OUR PERSONNEL OUT IN THE FIELD, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, AND HOW LONG THOSE PERSONNEL REMAIN EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS AND SAFETY CONCERNS WHILE ON SCENE. THERE'S ALSO A DISPATCH COMPONENT TO THIS. 
          OUR DISPATCHERS NEED A PROCESS THAT IS PREDICTABLE AND EASY TO EX- TO EXECUTE WHILE THEY ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY HANDLING EMERGENCY CALLS AND RADIO TRAFFIC. THE MORE DECISION POINTS WE BUILD INTO THE TOWING PROCESS, THE MORE ATTENTION THAT PROCESS REQUIRES. THERE IS ALSO AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMPONENT TO THIS. WHATEVER MODEL THE CITY CHOOSES MOVING FORWARD, IT WILL REQUIRE SUCH. BUT THE PRIMARY AND PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANT IS WE OWE IT TO OUR CITIZENS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWING, REVIEWING OUR PROCESSES, PROCEDURES, AND PROGRAMS. SO TO ENSURE WE STARTED THIS CORRECTLY, WE VERY MUCH WANTED TO DIVE IN AND TO GET FEEDBACK FROM CURRENT TOW COMPANIES HERE IN THE AREA. FIRST, WE HAD A 
          [00:20:03]
ROUND TABLE WITH, UH, SURROUNDING, UH, COMMUNITY OR SURROUNDING COMPANIES, SUCH AS, UH, WE HEARD FROM RICKY'S, SIERRA TOWING, AND D. KING TRUCKING. 
          THEY ALL GREATLY FAVORED A QUALIFIED ROTATIONAL MODEL IN WHICH MULTIPLY OR MULTIPLE COMPANIES COULD PARTICIPATE IN. 
          WE ALSO SEPARATELY HEARD FROM T. MILLER AND OUR S- OUR CITY'S CURRENT CONTRACT PROVIDER, WHICH ALSO GENERALLY FAVORED THE SINGLE-SOURCE STRUCTURE. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT FOR COUNCIL TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DIDN'T USE THIS INFORMATION DIRECTLY AT WHAT IT IS. WE DID NOT E- ASK EITHER GROUP TO SELECT THE CITY'S FINAL MODEL, AND THE THREE OPTIONS THAT YOU WILL LATER SEE ARE SIMPLY PROPOSALS HANDED TO US, WERE NOT SIMPLE PROPOSALS HANDED TO US BY THOSE STAKEHOLDERS, BUT IN FACT, THE COMMITTEE LISTENED TO THE OPERATIONAL ARGUMENTS ON BOTH SIDES, IDENTIFIED AREAS OF AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT, AND THEN DEVELOPED THREE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE BELIEVE REPRESENTED THE REALISTIC CHOICES AVAILABLE TO THE CITY. WE THEN EVALUATED THE ALTERNATIVES AGAINST THE CITY'S NEEDS RATHER THAN JUST THE PREFERENCES OF ANY PARTICULAR VENDOR. SO WHAT WE ACTUALLY HEARD. THE COMPANY SUPPORTING ROTATIONAL MO- MADE SEVERAL LEGITIMATE POINTS THAT THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERED. NOW THIS COMMITTEE IS MADE UP NOT JUST OF MYSELF, BUT ALSO POLICE CHIEF HOVER AND FIRE CHIEF JASON MAYS. THEIR STRONGEST ARGUMENT WAS CAPACITY. IF SEVERAL QUALIFIED TOWING COMPANIES ARE PARTICIPATING, THAT COMBINED NUMBER OF AVAILABLE TRUCKS AND RECOVERY RESOURCES CAN BE GREATER THAN ONE PROVIDER MAINTAINS. THAT CAN BE PARTICULARLY VALUABLE DURING WINTER WEATHER, MAJOR CRASHES, SIMULTANEOUS INCIDENTS, OR OTHER PERIODS THAT ARE USUALLY, UNUSUALLY OF HIGH DEMAND. THEY ALSO ARGUED THAT MULTIPLE COMPANIES CREATE REDUNDANCY. IF ONE COMPANY IS ALREADY COMMITTED, ANOTHER QUALIFIED PROVIDER MAY BE AVAILABLE. THEY SAW THIS AS A WAY TO INCREASE RESILIENCY AND INCREASE LOCAL INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION. IMPORTANTLY, THESE PARTICIPANTS DID NOT SIMPLY ADVOCATE RETURNING TO AN OLD STYLE ROTATION WITHOUT CONTROLS. THEY RECOGNIZED THAT ROTATION REQUIRES STRONG RULES TO BE SUCCESSFUL. THEY SUPPORTED QUALIFICATION STANDARDS, EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS, INSPECTIONS, MEASURABLE RESPONSE EX- UH, EXPECTATIONS, CONSEQUENCES FOR NON-PERFORMANCE, AND THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS TOWBOOK. THAT POINT MATTERS. 
          THAT WAS A SIGNIFICANT AGREEMENT THAT REGARDLESS OF THE MODEL, THE CITY NEEDS STRONGER STANDARDS AND AND BETTER INFORMATION MOVING FORWARD. SO FROM OUR CURRENT PROVIDER, WHAT WE ALSO HEARD, AGAIN, T MILLER EMPHASIZED A DIFFERENT OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE THAT IS, THAT HAS CENTRAL ACCOUNTABILITY. 
          UNDER A SINGLE-SOURCE MODEL, DISPATCH KNOWS WHO TO CALL, THE CONTRACTOR KNOWS THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT CALL, AND THE CITY KNOWS EXACTLY, EXACTLY WHICH ORGANIZATION IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR MEETING SUCH CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS. THE CURRENT PROVIDER ALSO EMPHASIZED THE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A FULL SERVICE OPERATION, INCLUDING STORAGE, SECURITY, EVIDENCE HANDLING, AND HEAVY RECOVERY CAPABILITIES. THE CONCERNS RAISED ABOUT ROTATIONAL FOCUS HEAVILY ON WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A MULTI-PROVIDER SYSTEM HAS TO BE ADMINISTERED DAY TO DAY. THOSE CONCERNS INCLUDED DECLINED OR UNDESIRABLE CALLS, DISPUTES ABOUT ROTATION ORDER, DIFFERENCES IN CAPACITY BETWEEN COMPANIES, AND THE AMOUNT OF CITY INVOLVEMENT NECESSARY TO ENFORCE STANDARDS CONSISTENTLY. WE DID NOT ACCEPT ANY STAKEHOLDERS' CLAIMS AS THE COMMITTEE'S CONCLUSION, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WERE PRESENTED TO US. WE USED THESE POINTS AS OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS AND THEN EVALUATED AGAINST THEM, THEM AGAINST THE CITY'S OWN OBJECTIVES. SO WHAT THEY ALL AGREED ON? ONE OF THE MOST USEFUL OUTCOMES OF THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS WAS THAT TWO PERSPECTIVES WERE NOT AS DIVIDED AS INITIALLY THOUGHT. THERE WAS A BROAD AGREEMENT THAT ROADWAY CLEARANCE AND RESPONDER SAFETY MATTERED. THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT AND THE RESPONSE EXPECTATIONS SHOULD BE CLEAR. 
          THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT THAT PARTICIPATING COMPANIES SHOULD MEET DEFINED EQUIPMENT, LICENSING, STORAGE, AND OPERATIONAL STANDARDS. 
          THERE IS AN AGREEMENT THAT ACCOUNTABILITY HAS TO MEAN MORE THAN JUST LANGUAGE IN A CONTRACT. IT HAS TO BE MEASURABLE AND ENFORCEABLE. 
          TECHNOLOGY WAS ANOTHER AREA OF COMMON GROUND. BETTER ELECTRONIC TRACKING CAN GIVE THE CITY VISIBILITY INTO RESPONSE ACTIVITY, AND VEHICLE LOCATION CAN IMPROVE THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO OUR CITIZENS. SO WHEN WE MOVED INTO THE COMMITTEE EVALUATION, THE QUESTION WAS NOT WHETHER THE WHAT THE PROGRAM OR WHAT THE PROGRAM SHOULD HAVE STANDARDS, ACCOUNTABILITY, OR TECHNOLOGY. THE QUESTION WAS 
          [00:25:01]
WHICH SERVICE DELIVERY STRUCTURE ALLOWED US TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS MORE EFFECTIVELY. SO AS WE MOVE INTO WHAT THE CITY NEEDS, THE COMMITTEE BASED ITS FRAMEWORK AND DECISION AROUND 3 MAIN PILLARS. OUR FIRST PILLAR THAT WE ESTABLISHED WAS FIRST RESPONDER SAFETY. WE WANT TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIME OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTERS, EMS PERSONNEL, AND OTHER RESPONDERS REMAIN EXPOSED IN THE ROADWAY. THAT MEANS RESPONSE TIME, CORRECT EQUIPMENT, RELIABILITY, AND SCENE CLEARANCE CAPABILITY MATTERS. OUR SECOND PILLAR IS OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY. THE TOW SYSTEM HAS TO WORK FOR ALL THE DEPARTMENTS USING AND ADMINISTERING IT. WE LOOKED AT DISPATCH COMPLEXITY, CITY OVERSIGHT, CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION, AND THE ABILITY TO HOLD A PROVIDER ACCOUNTABLE. 
          THE THIRD PILLAR IS TRANSPARENCY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. WE WANT STANDARDIZED TECHNOLOGY AND VEHICLE TRACKING SO THE CITY PERSONNEL AND CITIZENS CAN OBTAIN ACCURATE INFORMATION WITHOUT CALLING MULTIPLE COMPANIES OR CREATING UNNECESSARILY INVESTIGATIVE WORK. THESE PILLARS ARE, ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY KEEP AN, THE ANALYST FOCUSED ON THE CITY, THE ANALYSIS FOCUSED ON THE CITY. WE ARE NOT DECIDING WHICH BUSINESS MODEL WAS BENEFICIAL TO THE TOW INDUSTRY. WE ARE DECIDING WHICH MODEL BEST SERVES AMARILLO'S PUBLIC SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS. DIVING INTO OUR FIRST PILLAR, FIRST RESPONSE, OUR FIRST RESPONDER SAFETY. IT WAS OUR FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION. WHEN RES- WHEN RESPONDERS ARE OPERATING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS OR ARTERIALS OR ANY OTHER ACTIVE TRAFFIC ENVIRONMENT, EVERY ADDITIONAL MINUTE ON SCENE REPRESENTS ADDITIONAL EXPOSURE. THAT DOES NOT, THAT DOES NOT MEAN EVERY DELAY RESULTS IN AN ACCIDENT, BUT IT DOES MEAN OUR OBJECTIVE SHOULD BE TO REMOVE UNNECESSARY, UNNECESSARY DELAY WHEREVER WE REASONABLY CAN. THE TOWING PROVIDER NEEDS TO RECEIVE THE REQUEST, SEND THE CORRECT EQUIPMENT, ARRIVE WITHIN THE REQUIRED TIME, AND BE CAPABLE OF CLEARING THE INCIDENT SAFELY. 
          ADDITIONALLY, THESE RESOURCES ARE BEING PROVIDED IN THE CITY, MUST RESIDE IN THE CITY TO ENSURE THOSE RESPONSE TIMES CAN BE MET. 
          THIS IS WHY WE DID NOT EVALUATE TOLLING SOLELY BY COUNTING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TRUCKS THAT MAY EX- EXCUSE ME, THAT MAY EXIST IN THE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY CAPACITY MA- ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, CAPACITY MATTERS. 
          BUT WHAT MATTERS AT THE INDIVIDUAL INCIDENT IS WHETHER THE CORRECT RESOURCE IS ACTUALLY RESPONDING, AND WHETHER THE CITY HAS A CLEAR MECHANISM TO HOLD SOMEONE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT RESPONSE. SOME OF OUR FRONTLINE PERSPECTIVES. 
          SO BOTH CHIEFS ARE HERE TODAY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AFTER, AFTER THE PRESENTATION. I DIDN'T WANT TO NECESSARILY BOTHER THEM RIGHT OFF THE BAT WITH, WITH THIS, UH, PRESENTATION, BUT I DID ASK IF THEY WERE WILLING TO GIVE ALSO THEIR IN- INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVES ON THIS AS WELL. IF YOU'RE AN OFFICER PROTECTING A CRASH SCENE OR A FIREFIGHTER OPERATING APPARATUS AS A BLOCKER, YOU'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT CONTRACT THEORY. YOU ARE AWAITING THE RESOURCE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO FINISH THE INCIDENT SAFELY. 
          UNTIL THE VEHICLE AND ALL DEBRIS IS REMOVED FROM THE ROADWAY, HAZARD, THE HAZARD IS NOT RESOLVED. AN OFFICER MAY, MAY REMAIN OUT OF SERVICE, OR AN APPARATUS MAY REMAIN COMMITTED TO THAT SCENE UNTIL THAT IS DONE. 
          THEREFORE, OTHER RESPONDERS MAY BE NEEDED TO SIMPLY PROVIDE PROTECTION. 
          THIS WAS A MAJOR PART OF OUR COMMITTEE DISCUSSION. 
          WE ASKED WHAT CREATES THE FEWEST UNNECESSARY VARIABLES FOR THE RESPONDER, THE DISPATCHER, AND THE INCIDENT COMMANDER. 
          OUR CONCLUSION WAS THAT THE TOWING SYSTEM SHOULD BE DESIGNED AROUND THE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OUR FRONTLINE PERSONNEL ACTUALLY WORK IN, NOT AROUND ADMINISTRATIVE CONVENIENCE FOR THE VENDOR. 
          OUR SECOND PILLAR, OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY. THIS PILLAR LOOKS AT THE SYSTEM BEHIND THE SCENES. 
          FOR DISPATCH, WE WANT A TOWING REQUEST TO BE STRAIGHTFORWARD. 
          DISPATCH THE REQUEST, CONFIRM THAT THE RESOURCE IS RESPONDING, TRACK THE RESPONSE, AND COMMUNICATE AS NECESSARY. 
          FOR POLICE AND FIRE, WE WANT PREDICTABLE SERVICE AND CLEAR EXACLA- ESCALATION PATH WHEN A REQUIREMENT'S NOT BEING MET. 
          FOR CITY ADMINISTRATION, WE WANT MEASURABLE STANDARDS AND A MANAGEABLE OVERSIGHT STRUCTURE. 
          IF WE ESTABLISH A RULE, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO VERIFY. 
          IF THERE IS A PERFORMANCE ISSUE, WE NEED A CLEAR PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRECTING IT. EFFICIENCY DOES NOT MEAN AVOIDING OVERSIGHT. A STRONG SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT STILL REQUIRES ACTIVE OVERSIGHT OF THE PROGRAM. THE QUESTION IS HOW MUCH ADMINISTRATION COMPLEXITY IS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED OUTCOMES. 
          [00:30:05]
OUR THIRD AND FINAL PILLAR WAS TRANSPARENCY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. IT ADDRESSES ISSUES THAT AFFECTS BOTH OPERATIONS AND THE PUBLIC NEED. WHEN A CITIZEN CANNOT FIND A VEHICLE, THEY MIGHT THEY, WHETHER IT'S THEY FEEL IT'S STOLEN, TOWED AFTER A CRASH, IMPOUNDED FOR WHATEVER REASON, OR JUST SIMPLY REMOVED FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY, THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE, WHY, AND HOW, WHAT HAPPENED, WHERE DID IT GO? WITHOUT STANDARDIZED INFORMATION, THIS CAN LEAD TO CALLS UNNECESSARILY TO DISPATCH, CALLS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, CALLS TO MULTIPLE TOWING COMPANIES, OR EVEN A STOLEN CAR, A STOLEN VEHICLE REPORT BEING FILED. 
          THE COMMITTEE BELIEVES TECHNOLOGY SHOULD HELP SOLVE PRO- THAT PROBLEM. A STANDARDIZED SYSTEM SHOULD ALLOW AUTHORIZED CITY PERSONNEL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A VEHICLE WAS TOWED, BY WHOM, WHEN, WHY, AND WHERE IT WENT. THAT IS WHY TOWBOOK RECOM- THE TOWBOOK RECOMMENDATION ULTIMATELY EXTENDS BEYOND WHICHEVER COMPANY HOLDS THE CITY CONTRACT. UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY TO ENSURE OUR EFFICIENCY IN OUR PROGRAMS. SO BASED ON THE FEEDBACK, THE INFORMATION, THE PILLARS, THE THREE OPTIONS THAT THE COMMITTEE FOUND MOVING FORWARD WERE AS FOLLOWS. FIRST, WE IDENTIFIED WE HAD LEARNED FROM BOTH DISCUSSIONS. 
          SECOND, WE TRANSLATED THAT FEEDBACK INTO WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR THE CITY. AND THIRD, WE DEVELOPED THREE SERVICE DELIVERY ALTERNATIVES THAT COULD REASONABLY ADDRESS THOSE REQUIREMENTS. OUR FIRST OPTION IS AN ENHANCED AND HIGHLY REGULATED ROTATION, NOT SIMPLY A RETURN TO THE INFORMAL ROTATION, BUT SOMETHING MORE ENHANCED. 
          OPTION B IS AN ENHANCED SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT, AGAIN, NOT SIMPLY CONTINUATION OF THE CURRENT CONTRACT, ADDING TO IT. OUR FINAL OPTION IS A HYBRID MODEL OF THE, OF THE TWO FORMERS, WITH A PRIMER, WITH A PRIMARY CONTRACTOR, AND THEN CLEARED AND SUPPLEMENTAL PROVIDERS AFTER THAT. UPON OUTLINING AND IDENTIFYING THESE THREE OPTIONS, WE THEN COMPARED ALL THREE AGAINST THE SAME SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, AND TRANSPARENCY FRAMEWORKS. 
          OUR OPTION A, EXCUSE ME, WOULD CREATE THAT FORMAL ROTATION AMONG PRE-QUALIFIED TOWING COMPANIES. FOR THIS MODEL TO BE VIABLE, THE CITY WOULD NEED MUCH STRONGER CONTROLS THAN SIMPLY MAINTAINING A LIST OF COMPANIES THAT ARE PRE-QUALIFIED. WE NEED QUALIFICATION CRITERIA, COMMON RESPONSE STANDARDS, EQUIPMENT AND STAFFING REQUIREMENTS, STORAGE STANDARDS, INSURANCE AND LICENSING VER- VERIFICATION, TOWBOOK PARTICIPATION, INSPECTIONS, PERFORMANCE MONITORING, DISCIPLINE, APPEALS, AND CLEAR ROTATIONAL MANAGEMENT PROCESSES. THE ADVANTAGE IS SUBSTANTIAL COM- IS SUBSTANTIAL COMBINED CAP- UH, CAPACITY. 
          MULTIPLE COMPANIES CAN PROVIDE REDUNDANCY, ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT, AND POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SURGE CAPABILITY. 
          THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THE CITY BECOMES A MANAGER OF A MULTI-PROVIDER OPERATING SYSTEM. THAT IS THE, THAT IS THE ISSUE EXPLORED IN THE NEXT SEVERAL SLIDES. SO SOME OF THE AC- THE ACTUAL CHALLENGES OF, OF THE ROTATIONAL ASPECT IS NOT THE COMPANIES AND THE ROTATION ITSELF IS INHERENTLY UNSAFE. 
          THE CHALLENGE IS THE NUMBER OF OPERATION VARIABLES THAT CAN ARISE BETWEEN THE REQUEST AND THE REVIVAL AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE CORRECT RESOURCE. 
          DISPATCH MAY NEED TO IDENTIFY THE NEXT COMPANY, MAKE THE REQUEST, DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S ACCEPTED, WHETHER THE COMPANY HAS APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE, AND MOVE TO OR MOVE TO ANOTHER, UH, PROVIDER IF NECESSARY. IF ALL WORKS PERFECTLY, ROTATION CAN WORK VERY WELL. 
          THE COMMITTEE'S CONCERN IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT DOES NOT. 
          BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WAITING DURING THAT PROCESS ARE OUR RESPONDERS SERVING OUR COMMUNITY. A LARGER COMBINED FLEET IS A MEANINGFUL BENEFIT, BUT A TRUCK BEING OWNED SOMEWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT FROM THE CORRECT TRUCK BEING FROM OUR COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO THAT SPECIFIC INCIDENT. 
          THAT IS WHY THE COMMUNITY, THE COMMITTEE PLACED MORE WEIGHT ON PREDICTABLE RESPONSE AND CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CALL. SO WHY IS IT CHALLENGING FOR DISPATCH? FROM THE COMMUNICATION CENTER PERSPECTIVE, A ROTATION CREATES ADDITIONAL SYSTEM THAT HAS TO BE ADMINISTERED BY OUR TEAM IN REAL TIME. THE ADDITION AND ENHANCEMENT OF OUR CURRENT TOWBOOK SOFTWARE CAN HELP TO MITIGATE THAT SLIGHTLY, BUT THIS DOES REQUIRE A HEAVY LIFT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT FROM DISPATCH CENTER. THE DISPATCHER MAY NEED TO KNOW WHOSE TURN IT IS, WHETHER A COMPANY ACCEPTED OR DECLINED, WHETHER A SKIPPED IS, WHETHER A SKIP IS JUSTIFIED, WHETHER THE PROVIDER HAS THE REQUIRED CAPABILITY, AND WHETHER THE CALL NEEDS TO BE REASSIGNED. THOSE ACTIVITIES OCCUR WHILE SAME EMPLOYEE IS ALSO HANDLING 911 
          [00:35:01]
CALLS, RADIO TRAFFIC, OFFICER REQUESTS, FIRE COMMUNICATIONS, AND OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES. NO INDIVIDUAL STEP IS NECESSARILY OVERWHELMING, BUT THE CONCERN IS CUMULATIVELY COMPLEX WHEN YOU SPAN IT ACROSS 24-HOUR OPERATION. THE COMMITTEE, THEREFORE, FAVORED A MODEL IN WHICH THE OPERATIONAL TOWING WORKFLOW IS AS SIMPLE AND PREDICTABLE AS POSSIBLE, WHILE THE CONTRACT ITSELF CARRIES THE COMPLEXITY NEEDED TO ENFORCE, ENFORCE THE PERFORMANCE. WHY IS IT CHALLENGING FOR CITY OVERSIGHT? AND I PROMISE YOU WE'RE GETTING THROUGH THIS. I APOLOGIZE. 
          IT'S JUST A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT I HAVE FOR YOU. ROTATION ALSO CREATES A LARGER COMPLIANCE UNIVERSE FOR THE CITY. EVERY PARTICIPATING COMPANY MUST, WOULD HAVE TO RE- REMAIN QUALIFIED. 
          THEREFORE, THE CITY WOULD NEED TO VERIFY THEIR LICENSES, INSURANCE, PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS, EQUIPMENT STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, AND USE OF OTHER EQUIPMENT AND RESOURCES, AND THAT'S ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ANY AND ALL COMPANIES PARTICIPATING. 
          THEN WE WOULD NEED A FAIR PROCESS FOR MISSED CALLS, RESPONSE FAILURES, COMPLAINTS, DISCIPLINE, SUSPENSION, AND APPEALS. A ROTATION PROGRAM CAN OBVIOUSLY BE BUILT, BUT IT REQUIRES RESOURCES TO ADMINISTER IT. IF THE CITY IS NOT PREPARED TO CONSISTENTLY MANAGE AND ENFORCE IT, THE SYSTEM CAN LOSE THE VERY ACCOUNTABILITY THAT WE ARE TRYING TO CREATE. THE COMMITTEE THEREFORE CONSIDERED NOT JUST WHETHER THE ROTATION IS POSSIBLE, BUT WHETHER IT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT USE OF CITY OPERATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES. WHY IS THE ROTATION CHALLENGING FOR OUR TRANSPARENCY? TRANSPARENCY IS CHALLENGING DUE TO FRAGMENTATION. IF SEVERAL COMPANIES ARE TOWING VEHICLES TO DIFFERENT FACILITIES, THE CITY NEEDS A COMMON INFORMATION LAYER ACROSS THEM ALL. 
          OTHERWISE, DISPATCH OR A CITIZEN WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT MULTIPLE COMPANIES TO DETERMINE WHERE THAT WENT. 
          AND AGAIN, TOWBOOK CAN HELP MITIGATE THAT TO AN EXTENT. 
          BUT UNDER A ROTATIONAL MODEL, THE CITY WOULD ALSO HAVE TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PARTICIPANT BEEN USING THE SYSTEM IS USING IT EFFECTIVELY, APPROPRIATELY, CORRECTLY, AND ENSURING ALL INFORMATION THAT WE NEED IS BEING INPUTTED, ALSO TAKING AN ADMINISTRATIVE WEIGHT. SO TECHNOLOGY MAKES ROTATION MORE MANAGEABLE, BUT IT DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE MULTI-PROVIDER GOVERNANCE REQUIRED AS FAR AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT. 
          SO GENERALLY SPEAKING, ROTATION ADVANTAGES VERSUS OPERATIONAL REALITY. ROTATION CLEARLY HAS ITS STRENGTHS. IT OFFERS THE HIGHEST COMBINED SURGE CAPACITY. IT CAN BE BROADENED LOCAL. IT CAN BROADEN LOCAL PARTICIPATION AND REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON ONE COMPANY, AND IT CAN CREATE, UH, COMPETITIVE PRESSURE. THE COMMITTEE SIMPLY FOUND THAT EACH OF THOSE ADVANTAGES CARRIES AN OPERATIONAL TRADE-OFF. MORE PROVIDER MEANS MORE TO ADMINISTER. MORE DISTRIBUTED CAPACITY MEANS MORE DISTRIBUTED ACCOUNTABILITY. 
          COMPETITION MEANS THE CITY MUST ACTIVELY MEASURE AND ENFORCE PERFORMANCE ACROSS MULTIPLE PARTICIPANTS. 
          OUR CONCLUSION IS NOT THAT ROTATION CANNOT WORK, IT IS THAT WHEN WE APPLY IT TO AMARILLO'S THREE DECISION PILLARS TO ROUTINELY DATE TO OUR, TO ROUTINE DAILY OPERATIONS, THE COMMITTEE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT IS THE BEST ALL OVERALL STRUCTURE FOR THE CITY AT THIS TIME. I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS REVIEW OF THIS CONTRACT AND THIS PROCESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PERFORMANCE OF OUR CURRENT VENDOR. WE'RE APPROACHING FUTURE CONTRACT, AND WE ARE ASKING, WHAT STRUCTURE DO WE NEED THE CITY TO UTILIZE? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR US AS WE GROW AS A CITY, GROW AS A COMMUNITY, AND GROW AS A PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES? LIKEWISE, RECOMMENDING A SINGLE-SOURCE MODEL DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE RECOMMEND SIMPLY CARRYING THE CURRENT CONTRACT FORWARD UNCHANGED. WE REC- WE ARE RECOMMENDING A NEW COMPETITIVE PRO- UM, PROCURED CONTRACT WITH STRONGER RESPONSE STANDARDS, STRONGER EQUIPMENT AND STORAGE REQUIREMENTS, IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY, MEASURABLE PERFORMANCES, AND BETTER EMERGENCY CONTINGENCY PROVISIONS. THIS PROGRAM DESIGN DECISION, NOT A DISCIPLINARY OR A VENDOR PERFORMANCE ACTION. 
          SO AS WE GET INTO OUR SECOND OPTION, THE ENHANCED SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT. OPTION B REMAINS, UH, RETAINS A ONE PRIMARY CONTRACTOR FOR ROUTINE CITY AUTHORIZED TOWING. SORRY, AM I TOUCHING BUTTONS UNDERNEATH HER? AND STRENGTHENS WHAT THE CONTRACTOR MUST PROVIDE THROUGH OUR CONTRACT REVISE. 
          THE PRINCIPAL OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE IS CLARITY. DISPATCH HAS ONE POINT OF CONTACT. THE CONTRACTOR HAS CLEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERY COVERED CALL. THE CITY HAS ONE ENTITY TO MEASURE AGAINST RESPONSE, EQUIPMENT STORAGE, 
          [00:40:01]
AND PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. 
          THIS MODEL ALSO PROVIDES THE LOWEST ROUTINE ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLEXITY OF ALL THREE OPTIONS. ITS PRINCIPAL WEAKNESS, HOWEVER, IS ALSO CLEAR, THE ACTUAL DEPENDENCE ON A SOLE PROVIDER. THE COMMITTEE DOES NOT IGNORE THAT ISSUE. INSTEAD, WE RECOMMEND ADDRESSING IT DIRECTLY IN THE CONTRACT THROUGH MINIMAL EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY, SEVERE WEATHER PLANNING, HEAVY RECOVERY REQUIREMENTS, EMERGENCY CONTINGENCY RESOURCES, AND MUTUAL AID OR SUBCONTRACT PROVISIONS. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, WE BELIEVE WE CAN PRE- WE CAN PRESERVE THE DAILY SIMPLICITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF SINGLE SOURCE WHILE CONTRACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE SURGE CAPACITY CONCERN. AND FINALLY, OUR HYBRID MODEL. IT ATTEMPTS TO COMBINE THE STRENGTHS OF THE FORMER TWO. A PRIMARY CONTRACTOR WOULD HANDLE ROUTINE CALLS, WHILE SUPPLEMENTAL PRE-QUALIFIED PROVIDERS WOULD BE ACTIVATED DURING MAJOR INCIDENTS, EMERGENCIES, SEVERE WEATHER, OR WHEN THE PRIMARY PROVIDER'S RESOURCES ARE EXHAUSTED. THE BENEFIT IS ADDITIONAL SURGE CAPACITY WITHOUT OPERATING A FULL ROTATION EVERY DAY. 
          HOWEVER, THE CHALLENGE THAT THE CITY STILL HAS TO MAINTAIN THE SECONDARY SYSTEM AGREEMENTS, QUALIFICATION STANDARDS, ACTIVATION RULES, DISPATCH PROCEDURES, INSPECTIONS, POTENTIAL DISTRICT DIS- ISSUES OVER SUPPLEMENTAL PROVIDERS, LICENSING, AND ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES. THE COMMITTEE CONCLUDED THAT MANY OF THOSE EMERGENCY BENEFITS CAN INSTEAD BE WRITTEN INTO A SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT THROUGH CONTINGENCY AND SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS. SO OUR COMPARISON OF ALL THREE. REALLY, SO THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES OUR QUALITATIVE COMPARISON. IT'S NOT INTENDED AS A MATHEMATICAL SCORING SYSTEM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, JUST SIMPLY COMPARATIVE APPLES TO APPLES UP ON THE SCREEN. 
          ROTATIONAL'S STRONGEST CATEGORY IS SURGE CAPACITY. THE HYBRID MODEL ALSO PERFORMS WELL THERE. 
          SINGLE SOURCE PROVIDES THE CLEAREST ACCOUNTABIL- ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE SIMPLE, SIMPLEST ROUTINE OPERATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE. 
          FOR TRANSPARENCY, ALL THREE MODELS CAN PERFORM WELL IF THIS CITY ESTABLISHES A STANDARDIZED TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT. 
          TECHNOLOGY IS THEREFORE NOT EXCLUSIVE TO ANY ONE SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL. THE DECIDING ISSUE FOR THE COMMITTEE WAS AN OVERALL BALANCE. WHICH STRUCTURE GIVES US THE STRONG SAFETY ALIGNMENT, THE CLEAREST OPERATIONAL WORKFLOW, THE CLEAREST ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE MANAGEABLE LEVEL OF CITY OVERSIGHT, WHILE STILL ALLOWING US TO CONTRACTUALLY ADDRESS SURGE CAPACITIES. SO OUR FINAL COMMITTEE DECISION WAS OPTION B, AN ENHANCED SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT. THE REASON IS NOT THAT SINGLE SOURCE IS PERFECT. 
          NO OPTION ELIMINATES RISK. THE COMMITTEE SELECTED IT BECAUSE IT BALANCED THE THREE PILLARS THE BEST. IT PROVIDES A PREDICTABLE OPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP FOR FRONTLINE RESPONDERS AND DISPATCH. IT GIVES THE CITY ONE POINT OF ACCOUNTABILITY. IT REDUCES THE ROUTINE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH MANAGING MULTIPLE PROVIDERS. 
          AT THE SAME TIME, WE BELIEVE THE NEXT CONTRACT CAN BE WRITTEN TO ADDRESS THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH SINGLE SOURCE BY REQUIRING THE ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT, EMERGENCY PLANS, SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES, AND ENFORCEABLE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION IS THEREFORE TO PRESERVE THE STRUCTURAL ADVANTAGES OF A SINGLE-SOURCE, UH, CONTRACTOR WHILE MATERNALLY STRENGTHENING, OR INTERNALLY, EXCUSE ME, STRENGTHENING THE CITY'S CONTRACTUAL PROTECTIONS. 
          AS I STATED, IT SIMPLY DOES NOT MEAN STATUS QUO. WE ARE RECOMMENDING AN OVERHAUL TO OUR CURRENT CONTRACT. 
          FIRST, WE RECOMMEND A U- A UNIVERSAL RESPONSE TIME STANDARD FOR THE CONTRACTOR. 
          THE FINAL PROCUREMENT PROCESS SHOULD ESTABLISH A CLEAR, MEASURABLE EXPECTATION SO THE CITY CAN DETERMINE WHETHER THE CONTRACTOR IS MEETING ITS OBLIGATION. SECOND, COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED. THAT INCLUDES LICENSING, INSURANCE, P- PERSONNEL QUALIFICATION, SAFETY PRACTICES, INSPECTIONS, REPORTING, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUIREMENTS. THIRD, EQUIPMENT STANDARDS NEED TO BE EXPLICIT. THE CITY SHOULD DEFINE THE CA- CAPABILITIES NECESSARY TO SUPPORT LIGHT, MEDIUM, AND HEAVY DUTY TOWING AND SPECIALIZED RECOVERY, RATHER THAN RELYING ON GENERAL LANGUAGE. FOURTH, STORAGE STANDARDS SHOULD BE MODERNIZED. SECURITY, SURVEILLANCE, EVIDENCE PROTECTION, CONTROLLED ACCESS, INVENTORY, INVESTIGATOR ACCESS, AND CUSTOMER-FACING REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE CLEARLY DEFINED. THE IMPORTANT CONCEPT IS THAT THE NEW CONTRACT SHOULD E- SHOULD MAKE EXPECTATIONS OBJECTIVE AND ENFORCEABLE. SO WHEN IT COMES TO THE PERFORMANCE AND OUR EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS, THE CONTRACT IS ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS THE PERFORMANCE SYSTEM BEHIND IT. 
          WE RECOMMEND IDENTIFYING KEY MEASURES SUCH AS RESPONSE TIME COMPLIANCE, EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY, COMPLAINTS, INSPECTION RESULTS, 
          [00:45:01]
AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. THOSE MEASURES SHOULD BE REVIEWED ON A REGULAR BASIS RATHER THAN ONLY WHEN A PROBLEM OCCURS. 
          CITY SHOULD ALSO DEFINE HOW REPEATED NON-COMPLIANCE IS HANDLED SO THAT THE ENFORCEMENT IS PREDICTABLE AND FAIR. 
          PROPERLY INCENTIVIZING RAPID AND CORRECT RESPONSES IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. EMERGENCY CAPABILITIES DESERVE ITS OWN ATTENTION. WE EXPERIENCE OUR OWN WEATHER, MAJOR TRAFFIC INCIDENTS, SEVERE STORMS, DISASTERS, AND OTHER PERIODS WHEN ROUTINE CAP- CAPACITY MAY BE NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO RESPOND TO THAT. SO THE CONTRACTOR THERE SHOULD MAINTAIN CONTINGENCY PLANS AND A MECHANISM TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL QUALIFIED RESOURCES. 
          THIS IS HOW WE ADDRESSED ONE OF THE STRONGEST ARGUMENTS FOR ROTATION, SURGE CAPACITY, WITHOUT BUILDING THE ENTIRE ROUTINE AROUND AN ENT- ENTIRE AND AROUND A NEW ROTATION. 
          OVERSIGHT OF THE CONTRACT ITSELF. 
          CURRENTLY, OUR CONTRACT HAS LITTLE OVERSIGHT. AS I SAID EARLIER, ALL THREE OF THESE OPTIONS REQUIRE OVERSIGHT, SOME MUCH MORE THAN OTHERS. 
          HOWEVER, WITH OPTION B WAS THE LEAST OF THE THREE IMPACTS, BUT IT DOES HIT THE ASPECT OF WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A STRONG CONTRACT THAT HAS CONSISTENCY AND BEING MONITORED CONSISTENTLY THROUGH IT AND ENFORCED THROUGH IT. IF WE ESTABLISH HIGHER STANDARDS FOR RESPONSE TIMES, EQUIPMENT STORAGE, TECHNOLOGY, AND PERFORMANCES, SOMEONE NEEDS TO HAVE CLEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENSURING THOSE EXPECTATIONS ARE BEING MET. IT IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT POLICE AND FIRE HAVE IN SOME OF THEIR OPERATIONS NOW. 
          FOR THAT REASON, WE RECOMMEND AN ADMINISTRATIVE, UH, LEVEL POSITION HOUSED IN DISPATCH AND AECC WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT DAY-TO-DAY CONTRACT OVERSIGHT. AECC IS A LOGICAL LOCATION AS IT SITS IN THE EPICENTER OF ALL OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATION TO RESPONSE TO THESE ASPECTS. 
          THIS POSITION WOULD MONITOR RESPONSE TIME PERFORMANCE, IDENTIFY TRENDS AND EXPECTATIONS, VERIFY REQUIRED EQUIPMENT AND CAPABILITIES, AND ENSURE CONTINUED COMPLIANCE WITH THE CITY'S STORAGE AND FACILITY REQUIREMENTS. JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, THIS POSITION WOULD ESTABLISH A FORMAL FEEDBACK PROCESS WITH OUR FRONTLINE RESPONDERS. 
          POLICE AND FIRE PERSONNEL SEE THE CONTRACTOR'S PERFORMANCE AT THE SCENE. THEIR FEEDBACK REGARDS REGARDING RESPONSE EQUIPMENT, RECOVERY OPERATIONS, ROADWAY CLEANUP, AND OTHER ISSUES SHOULD BE DOCUMENTED AND INCORPORATED INTO THE CONTRACT PERFORMANCE REVIEWS. THE POSITION WOULD ALSO CENTRALIZE COMPLAINTS, INSPECTIONS, COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION, CORRECTIVE ACTIONS, AND TOWBOOK DATA. THIS WOULD GIVE THE CITY A DOCUMENTED PERFORMANCE HISTORY RATHER THAN RELYING ON INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS OR ANECDOTAL INFORMATION. THE INFORMATION WOULD SUPPORT THE QUARTERLY CONTRACT REVIEWS WE ARE RECOMMENDING AND ALLOW THE CITY TO IDENTIFY PROBLEMS AND TRENDS EARLY INSTEAD OF AFTER THE FACT. EXCUSE ME. IF WE ARE GOING TO INCREASE THE EXPECTATIONS PLACED ON THAT CONTRACTOR, WE SHOULD ALSO INCREASE THE CITY. IT MUST INCREASE ITS ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY TO VERIFY THOSE EXPECTATIONS. 
          THEY HAVE TO BE ENSURED THAT WE'RE BEING MET. SOME OF THE CORE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS INDIVIDUAL ARE THERE ON THE SCREEN, BUT THE STANDARD THAT THIS CONTRACT IS ESTABLISHING, THAT DEDICATED OVERSIGHT ENSURES THAT STANDARD BECOMES ACTUAL PERFORMANCE METRICS, AND IT ACTUALLY IS BEING PERFORMED. OUR NEXT RECOMMENDATION IS A CITYWIDE TOWBOOK RECOMMENDATION. THIS GOES BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE CONTRACTORS OUTLINED IN THIS CONTRACT, BUT FOR ANY AND ALL TOW COMPANIES IN THE CITY. THIS ALLOWS ACCOUNTABILITY AND A CENTRALIZED VIEW IN DISPATCH FOR ALL TOWS BEING MADE IN THE CITY. THIS MITIGATES ISSUES SUCH AS A TOW TURNING INTO A STOLEN VEHICLE REPORT, TURNING INTO A UNMITIGATED TRAFFIC STOP THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED WITH THE PROPERLY CENTRALIZED INFORMATION. SO AS WE PUSH FORWARD, THAT TIME FRAME OF USING TECHNOLOGY TO OUR ADVANTAGE, AND THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS NEW TO TO A LOT OF OUR CONTRACTORS HERE IN TOWN. THAT WAS PART OF OUR FEEDBACK FROM THEM. 
          THEY ARE USING IT. WE ARE USING IT. WE JUST NEED TO ALL GET ON THE SAME SHEET OF MUSIC HERE. IT IS THAT SIMPLE. UTILIZING TOWBOOK, THE EQUIPMENT TO OFFSET OVERSIGHT, MITIGATE THESE ISSUES, TO MITIGATE THE MISUSE OF RESOURCES, THE TYING UP OF RESOURCES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THAT CAN BE RESPONDING TO OTHER ASPECTS, SUCH AS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR FIRES. SO OUR FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS. PROCEED WITH OPTION B, OUR ENHANCED SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT. 
          SECOND, COMPREHENSIVELY MODERNIZE THE NEXT CONTRACT. 
          THE RESPONSE, COMPLIANCE, 
          [00:50:01]
EQUIPMENT, STORAGE PERFORMANCE, AND AND EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE. THIRD, DEVELOP A CITYWIDE STANDARDIZED TOW TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS SO THE INFORMATION BENEFIT IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST THE CITY'S CONTRACTOR. 
          FOURTH, CREATE AN ONGOING GOVERNANCE PROCESS. WE SHOULD NOT WAIT UNTIL CONTRACT REVIEWS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SYSTEM IS WORKING OR NOT. RESPONSE TIMES, COMPLIANCE, COMPLAINTS, EQUIPMENT, TECHNOLOGY USE, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION SHOULD BE REVIEWED REGULARLY. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INTENDED TO CREATE A SYSTEM THAT IS OPERATIONALLY SIMPLE, BUT CONTRACTUALLY STRONG. SO THIS IS WHAT I DO ASK OF YOU, COUNCIL AND MAYOR. FIRST, THE DIRECTION OF IS WHETHER STAFF SHOULD PROCEED WITH DEVELOPING A COMPETITIVELY PROCURED AND ENHANCED SINGLE-SOURCE TOWING CONTRACT BASED ON THE COMMITTEE'S FINDINGS. 
          THE SECOND IS WHETHER STAFF SHOULD BUILD THE STRONGER OPERATIONAL STANDARDS DESCRIBED IN THIS PRESENTATION INTO A PROCUREMENT AND FUTURE CONTRACT. AND THIRD IS WHETHER STAFF SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH DEVELOPING A CITYWIDE TOWING TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE FOR LATER COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. IF SUPPORTED THAT DIRECTION, STAFF CAN RETURN WITH THE APPROPRIATE PROCUREMENT DOCUMENTS, CONTRACT PROVISIONS, AND ORDINANCE LANGUAGE THROUGH THE NORMAL REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESSES. THE OBJECTIVE IS STRAIGHTFORWARD. BUILD A TOWING PROGRAM THAT IS BETTER SUPPORTS FIRST RESPONDER SAFETY, WORKS EFFICIENT- EFFICIENTLY FOR DISPATCH AND CITY DEPARTMENTS, CREATES CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY, AND GIVES CITIZENS BETTER ACCESS TO VEHICLE INFORMATION. 
          AT THIS POINT, I'VE TAKEN A LOT OF TIME, BUT I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT, BUT I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. 
          YOU KNOW, I HATE TO ASK A QUESTION, MAX, BUT I'M GONNA. 
          UM, ON TOWBOOK, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HAVE TOWBOOK IN-HOUSE AND HAVE THE TOWING COMPANY SUBSCRIBE TO THAT OR, UH, GIVE THEM THE LOGIN INFORMATION? YES. 
          ONE FLAW I SEE WITH TOWBOOK IS YOU CAN MANIPULATE THAT DATA. 
          NOT THAT I DON'T TRUST THE TOWING COMPANIES. I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, UM, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE, I DON'T THINK, WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR OWN TOWBOOK AND THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, HEY, HERE'S ALL OUR DATA. 
          LIKE, I, I GUESS IT'S TRUE, BUT WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO DO IT IN-HOUSE AND LET THEM SUBSCRIBE? ABSOLUTELY, YES. 
          AND THAT IS ONE OF YOUR, THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THAT IS, THAT IS THE ORDINANCE, IS OUR TOWBOOK IS THE TOWBOOK. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEREFORE THAT, THAT INFORMATION CANNOT BE, UH, MANI- MANIPULATED IN ANY WAY, BUT THAT IS THE ONE CENTRALIZED PANE OF GLASS FOR ALL INFORMATION. 
          OKAY, AND SO THE CURRENT CONTRACT, UM, IT HAS, WHAT, 03, 3 1-YEAR OPTIONS PERIODS ON IT, IS THAT CORRECT? WE'RE GOING TO BE ENTERING INTO OPTION, OR THE FIFTH YEAR OF THAT. I THINK IT WAS. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO IF WE RENEW THAT, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WE CAN'T REALLY GO IN AND REVISE AND HAVE A STRONGER CONTRACT TO EVERYTHING THAT YOU JUST PROPOSED, IS THAT CORRECT? EXACTLY. SO OUR CURRENT CONTRACT, I WOULD SAY, IS CONTRACTUALLY WEAK FOR BOTH THE CITY AND THE CONTRACTOR THEMSELVES. 
          BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO PUT TOGETHER A NEW CONTRACT BEFORE YOU PUT THIS OUT FOR BID, IS THAT THE, THE GOAL IS BEFORE THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, SO DECEMBER, BEFORE I LIE TO YOU, LET ME LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DATE. SO DECEMBER IS THE TIME FRAME. 
          SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT WOULD BE THE BENEFIT TO PUT IT OUT FOR BID. IF NOT, YOU JUST RENEW THE, ONE OF THE OPTIONS. IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. 
          BUT IT WOULD BE UNDER THE WEAKER CONTRACT. 
          CORRECT. 
          IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO GET, DEVELOP A NEW CONTRACT TO HIT ALL THESE, GET IT BEFORE US, APPROVE IT, ALL THE THINGS, AND STILL GO OUT FOR BID, OR NO? I BELIEVE IT'S REALISTIC. 
          IT'S, IT'S A PUSH, BUT IT'S A REALISTIC PUSH. 
          IS IT REALISTIC FOR US TO GET TOWBOOK IN-HOUSE? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          I, I CURRENTLY ALREADY HAVE A TOWBOOK ACCOUNT, BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS NOW. UM, THEY ARE VERY EAGER TO WORK WITH US AND EXPAND OUR CAPABILITIES. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. MM-HMM. 
          WHAT, UH, SO ON THE, ON THE KEY ISSUES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE SAFETY PART, WHAT, WHAT OBJECTIVE DATA DO WE HAVE THAT SHOWS A SINGLE SOURCE PROVIDER IS SAFER THAN MULTIPLE PROVIDERS OPERATING UNDER THE SAME STANDARDS? OBJECTIVE DATA STATING THAT THE SINGLE SOURCE IS SAFER THAN MULTIPLE? YES, UH-HUH. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'M SEEING HERE, IS THAT THE FIRST RESPONDER S- UH, SAFETY SAYS SINGLE SOURCE IS STRONGEST, AND I'M JUST TRYING TO GET, GET A GAUGE FOR HOW DO WE DETERMINE WHAT DATA SHOWS THAT, THAT IS THE STRONGEST. 
          SO DATA, DATA IS HOW MUCH TIME ON SCENE, AND I'M BY ALL MEANS ONE OF THE CHIEFS, IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY IN THIS. SO IT, IT COMES TO TIME ON SCENE, HOLDING ACCOUNTABLE FOR RESPONSE TIMES AND TIME ON SCENE. ANY MO- EVERY MOMENT STILL ON THE CITY OR ON THE, ON THE STREET IS THE POSSIBILITY OF A RISK INHERENT TO IT, OF EITHER BEING HIT BY A CAR, SECONDARY INJURIES, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THAT IS WHERE I WOULD SAY IT'S TIED TO THAT. 
          SO WE HAVE DATA THAT SAYS IT, IT SHOWS THAT SINGLE PROVIDERS GET THE JOB DONE FASTER? I WOULD SAY THE SINGLE PROVIDER IS EASILY HA- MORE HELD 
          [00:55:02]
ACCOUNTABLE, IS WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT. 
          SO WE DON'T, BUT WE DON'T HAVE DATA THAT, DO WE HAVE DATA THAT QUANTIFIES THAT? I MEAN, AND AND COULD, COULD A ROTATION ACTUALLY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GET PEOPLE TO THE SCENE QUICKER THAN A SINGLE SOURCE? IF THE RESOURCE IS NOT IN TOWN, NO. 
          UH, THE POTENTIAL. I MEAN, ALL RESOURCES ARE NOT IN TOWN, BUT THERE'S SOME, THERE'S, IT COULD, IT COULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GET THERE QUICKER IN SOME CASES. MAYBE SINGLE SOURCE WOULD BE SOME. 
          THERE'S SOME CHALLENGES ROADSIDE. UH, SO WHILE THE RESPONSE TIME MIGHT BE GREAT, YOU HAVE CHALLENGES WHEN AN OFFICER HAS TO DETERMINE, WELL, THERE'S 3 CARS HERE. WHO'S GOING TO TAKE WHAT? WELL, THE FIRST TRUCKER WENT AHEAD AND PICKED UP, AND HE'S GOT 2 OF THEM ALREADY ON. NOW YOU'RE, NOW YOU'RE DEBATING, WELL, YOU GOT TO DROP THAT OTHER ONE BECAUSE WE GOT TO WAIT FOR THIS THIRD PERSON TO GET HERE. UH, THERE'S CHALLENGES ON ROADSIDE, UH, WITH THE OFFICERS HAVING TO WORK THROUGH THAT. UM, I'VE WORKED UNDER BOTH SYSTEMS. UH, ONE AS A YOUNG OFFICER, UH, WE HAD 3 ROTATIONS, UH, IN CEDAR PARK, AND THEN, UH, IN IRVING, I'VE WORKED UNDER A SINGLE SOURCE. IT'S JUST CHALLENGING ROADSIDE TO SIT THERE AND TRY TO HAVE A DEBATE WHEN THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT THE OFFICER HAS TO DO AND GET DONE. UH, WHO'S GONNA TAKE WHAT, WHEN, AND WHERE, UH, NOT KNOWING WHO GOT THERE FIRST AND WHO WHO'S GONNA TAKE WHICH VEHICLE, AND WHICH ONE'S BIGGER, WHICH ONE'S, WE'LL CALL IT, UH, IN BETTER SHAPE, UH, WHICH ONE CAN BE TOWED FASTER. 
          THERE'S JUST A LOT OF UNPREDICTABILITIES AS YOU CAN'T COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, I GUESS IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, MM. 
          UNLESS THEY'RE BOTH AT THIS OPERATING A SYSTEM AT THE SAME TIME, UH, DOING THE SAME THING, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. 
          MM. 
          UM, SO WHILE YOU MIGHT HAVE SOMEBODY THAT GETS THERE FASTER, THERE'S MORE THINGS THE OFFICERS NOW D- DIVIDED ATTENTION ABOUT TRYING TO GET THINGS DONE TO GET THAT CAR OFF THE ROADWAY. AND MANY TIMES OUR GUYS DON'T CARE, RIGHT? THEY JUST WANT THE ROAD CLEAR. 
          BUT YOU START GETTING INTO A DEBATE OF WHAT HAPPENS AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BACK END IF YOU SKIP SOMEBODY, OR MAYBE THEY CAN'T TAKE THOSE 2 CARS, OR MAYBE THE CARS, 2 CARS ARE GOING IN THE SAME SPOT. UM, THERE'S ALL THESE CHALLENGES THAT HAPPEN ROADSIDE THAT MAKE IT, WELL, A CONFLICT THAT JUST DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN. 
          MM-HMM. GOT IT. AND SO, UH, YOU, YOU MENTIONED KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, COULD WE ACH- ACHIEVE THE SAME ACCOUNTABILITY WITH SEVERAL QUALIFIED COMPANIES? AB- ABSOLUTELY. SO IT, ALL 3 OF THESE OPTIONS ARE VIABLE. 
          IT'S JUST HOW MUCH ADMINISTRATIVE INPUT DO YOU NEED, AND HOW MUCH EFFORT FROM THAT ONE POSITION THAT IS REQUIRED MOVING FORWARD REGARDLESS DO WE WANT TO PUT INTO IT? YEAH. WELL, I WOULD JUST THINK, I MEAN, AND I'M NOT SAYING THE POTENTIAL, I MEAN, TO ME, COMPETITION IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING TO HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE. 
          THAT IS, IF THERE'S COMPETITION FOR THE BUSINESS AND THEY'RE NOT DOING IT, THEN THEY DON'T GET THE BUSINESS ANYMORE. WHEREAS IF IT'S ONE PERSON, I MEAN, THERE IS A LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT THEY'RE NOT REALLY, IN THIS INSTANCE, THEY'RE COMPETING FOR THE CONTRACT, BUT ONCE THEY GET IT, THEY GET IT. 
          SO ACCOUNTABILITY IS IS GREAT IN THEORY UNTIL THERE'S NO TEETH BEHIND IT, AND CURRENTLY THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THAT'S, SO THAT'S WHERE I'M I'M GETTING, AND I AGREE WITH YOU, SIR, 100%. IT'S ALL ALL THREE OF THESE OPTIONS ARE VIABLE. 
          THERE THERE REALLY ISN'T ONE THAT IS THE BEST OR NOT. IT IS HOW MUCH EFFORT BEHIND THE SCENES, WHAT ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT, HOW MUCH, UH, TO COUNCILMAN TIPPS POINT, HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE TO CREATE A EXTREMELY IN-DEPTH SYSTEM, UH, NOT NECESSARILY FROM SCRATCH, BUT REALLY TAKING WHAT THE CITY NEEDS, PUTTING STANDARDIZED WHAT IS OUR, UH, YOU KNOW, I WOULD PROBABLY BE IN THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR AT LEAST A WEEK OF THAT, UH, TRYING TO INCOME ALL OF THOSE ANSWERS OF WHAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO THIS CONTRACT. 
          YOU, YOU MEAN HOW MUCH TIME IS LIKE, YOU MEAN BECAUSE WE'RE UNDER A DEADLINE? NO, IT'S IN GENERAL DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          THE REASON THE OPTION B WAS CHOSEN, THAT HAS THE LEAST OF THE AMOUNT OF ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT, EVEN THOUGH IT DOES REQUIRE ADMINISTRATIVE ENHANCEMENT. 
          THE ROTATIONAL REQUIRES AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT. THEREFORE, IT'S WE, AND AND USING THE CONCEPT OF TOWOOKS IS OUR PANE OF GLASS, WELL, WE ARE THE PER- WE ARE THE CITY. THE CONTRACTOR IS IS SERVING AS AN AGENT OF THE CITY. THEREFORE, WE HAVE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE ON EVERY ONE OF US, EVERY ONE OF THOSE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE WORKING FOR US IN THAT ROTATION. THEREFORE, WE HAVE TO GO AND MAKE SITE VISITS, DO ALL THEIR COMPLIANCE CHECKS, GOING THROUGH THEIR BOOKS, GOING THROUGH THEIR THEIR PHYSICAL LOCATIONS, GOING THROUGH THEIR TRUCKS, TALKING TO THEIR INDIVIDUALS. THAT IS WEEKS AND WEEKS AND WEEKS OF, OF PERSONNEL TIME. THAT IS, THAT'S JUST GOING IN COMPLIANCE. THAT'S NOT WRITING CONTRACT OR METRIC TRACKING. THAT IS JUST STRAIGHT COMPLIANCE. SO IT IS, IT CAN BE DONE, BUT IT'S EXTREMELY ADMINISTRATIVE HEAVY. 
          BUT, AND HAVE WE BEEN DOING THAT? NO. 
          SO HOW MUCH, I MEAN, ARE WE TALKING 10 MORE PEOPLE, 5 MORE PEOPLE, 2 MORE PEOPLE? AT LEAST ONE PERSON RIGHT OFF THE BAT TO START EITHER WAY MOVING FORWARD. 
          AND IT, AND IT HAS TO BE THAT COMPLEX? I MEAN, WELL, IS THERE WAYS OP- OPTION B IS THE NON COM- NON COMPLEX. 
          RIGHT. 
          IT IS, IT IS THE EASIEST OF THE 3 AT THIS POINT. 
          MM-HMM. 
          BUT LIKE I SAID, ALL 3 ARE OPTIONS TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE SAME ENDS, 
          [01:00:02]
BUT THE EASIEST MEANS IS OPTION YEAH. NOW, WHAT IS, WHAT IS A TOWBOOK? TOWBOOK IS A DIGITAL SOFTWARE THAT TRACKS ALL THE INFORMATION FROM TOWS. SO TOW COMPANIES WILL PUT IN THE VEHICLE INFORMATION, PICTURES CAN BE ADDED IN THERE. THERE'S EVEN AN ASPECT WHERE IF THERE'S DOING A INVENTORY INSPECTION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO A CAPABILITY AND AN INVENTORY, UH, INSPECTION WITH PICTURES AND EVIDENCE COLLECTION FROM THAT IN THAT SYSTEM, AND THEREFORE THAT IS A ONE PLACE FOR ALL THAT INFORMATION, ONE PLACE FOR PD TO COME GET IT. IT CAN TIE TO, UH, IT CAN TIE TO, UH, INCIDENT REPORTS, IT CAN TIE TO A LINK ON THE CITY'S WEB PAGE FOR CITIZENS TO FIND WHERE THEIR CAR IS AND IF IT WAS TOWED. UH, ALL OF IT IS ONE PLACE, BUT IT IS A SOFTWARE THAT JUST MAKES THE OPERATIONAL, UH, ASPECT OF TOWING INTO ONE DIGITAL SOFTWARE. 
          AND HAVE WE BEEN USING TOWBOOK IN OUR OPERATIONS? SO, AND I CAN LET YOU SPEAK ON THAT, CHIEF, BUT YES, WE ABSOLUTELY, HOW WE ACTUALLY REQUEST TOWS NOW IS THROUGH TOWBOOK, AND WE DO IT MULTIPLE WAYS. WE CAN EITHER DO IT FROM AN OFFICER ON SCENE CELL PHONE, OR WE CAN DO IT THROUGH DISPATCH. 
          BUT YOU SAID, HOW LONG HAVE WE HAD THAT? WE- WE'VE HAD THAT FOR A WHILE. 
          NOT VERY LONG. 
          SO THE, THE TOWING COMPANY ITSELF HAS HAD IT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHILE WE'VE BEEN UNDER CONTRACT WITH THEM, BUT THEY'VE RUN IT. WE COULD JUST ACCESS IT AND SUBMIT REQUESTS THROUGH THE APP. 
          MM-HMM. YES. 
          BUT WE HAVE, BUT THEY'VE BEEN RUNNING IT FOR US. WE CAN JUST MONITOR IT. BUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT WE WOULD... 
          WE WOULD RUN IT. 
          HAVE OUR OWN, AND EVERYONE WOULD COME THROUGH US. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO, UH, I MEAN, HAS THAT GOT THE POTENTIAL TO, TO, I MEAN, DOES TOWBOOK HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO HELP IN A LOT OF THESE EFFICIENCIES THAT YOU'RE A LOT OF IT, YES. 
          TALKING ABOUT? YES. 
          BECAUSE AS, AS I WAS JUST TRYING TO DO SOME RESEARCH, IT HAS, UH, IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS POLICE ROTATION, ELECTRONIC DISPATCHING. I MEAN, UH, HAVE, HAS TOBA KIND OF DEMONSTRATED HOW A MANAGED, UM, ROTATION MIGHT WORK IN OUR, OUR CASE? YES, ABSOLUTELY. SO IT'S, IT CAN DO A ROTATION FOR US, BUT THEN THERE'S THE, THE HUMAN ASPECT OF IT. SO THOSE DISPUTES ON WHO WAS IN, WHY IS IT SET UP THAT WAY, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO YOUR POINT, THE ACTUAL COMPETITION BETWEEN CO- CO- TOW COMPANIES AND AND WHAT CHIEF WAS, THE POINT HE WAS MAKING IS, ON SCENE, DID THEY TAKE IT? WHY DIDN'T THEY TAKE IT? IF THEY DON'T TAKE IT, WHAT ARE THE RAMIFICATIONS? AGAIN, IF IT'S A VERY UNDESIRABLE TOW THAT MAY OR MAY NOT COST THEM MONEY, THAT'S STILL A NEED OF THE CITY. 
          MM-HMM. 
          SO WHAT DO WE DO IF IF THERE IS A AN ISSUE THERE? SO IT CAN MANAGE A ROTATION, JUST A ROTATION IN GENERAL, BUT THEN THE HUMAN SIDE OF IT IS STILL SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO ADMINISTER AND OVERSEE. 
          OKAY. AND THEN, UM, HOW, HOW LONG WOULD THIS EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT LAST? UH, THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE OUTLINED IN THE, IN THE CURRENT CONTRACT. SO I, I WOULD PROBABLY MIMIC WHAT THE CURRENT CONTRACT SAYS, THE YEAR WITH ADDITIONAL ADD-ONS A- AFTER THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT THAT'S UP TO INTER- INTERPRETATION. 
          AND SO WHEN, WHEN DID THE, UH, THE CHECKPOINT BE ON WHETHER THAT ONE IS, IS MEETING OUR STANDARDS? IT WOULD BE QUARTERLY COMPLIANCE CHECKS. 
          SO, AND THEN SO, AND THEN IF THEY'RE NOT MEETING THE STANDARDS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, THEN WE GO BACK THROUGH THIS PROCESS AGAIN? YEP, WE WOULD PUT LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT GIVES THE CITY AN OUT, THE ABILITY TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD, SO TO SPEAK, PUT IT BACK OUT FOR AN RFP. 
          MM-HMM. BUT IF WE HAD MULTIPLE PROVIDERS AND SOMEBODY'S NOT MEETING THE PERFORMANCE, WE JUST BOOT THEM OUT AND WE KEEP ON TOWING. 
          THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO PUT EXTENSIVE WORDING IN THERE AND THE HIERARCHY OF DISCIPLINE TO OUR CONTRACTORS. BUT YES, THEORETICALLY, WE COULD DO THAT, BUT IT WOULD TAKE AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE THAT'S BEING DONE. 
          I- I MEAN, OKAY, I MEAN, I JUST, I'M JUST NOT UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S THAT COMPLICATED, BUT IF, I'LL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT. UH, WHAT, WHAT IS, SO IF WHEN WE GET A LARGE EVENT, WHETHER IT'S FLOODING OR SNOW, WHICH DOESN'T COME UP, UH, THAT OFTEN, I MEAN, WHEN, WHEN WE GOT A DEMAND THAT OUR PRIMARY CAN'T WORK, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE HANDLE THAT, UH, IN ESSENCE OF SAFETY AND TRANSPARENCY FOR THE CITIZENS? SO CURRENT CONTRACT IS THE CONTRACTOR HAS TO PROCURE SECONDARY, UH, HELP FOR HIMSELF, FOR THEMSELVES. 
          SO IN THE NEW CONTRACT, IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, WORDED DIFFERENTLY TO ENSURE THAT, YES, THE CONTRACTOR WOULD HAVE TO PROCURE THOSE THEMSELVES AND PARTNER AND DO THOSE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS INTERNALLY THEMSELVES, BUT THAT'S ON THEM, NOT US. SO IF WE WERE TO DO THAT, THEN THAT'S MORE ADMINISTRATIVE, UH, WORK FOR US TO DO, IS TO PRE-QUALIFY, PRE-CLEAR ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS AROUND THE PANHANDLE OR THE CITY ITSELF. 
          MM-HMM. AND, UH, WHAT DO WE CURRENTLY HAVE STANDARDS IN THE CONTRACT? LIMITED, BUT YES. 
          AND HAVE THEY BEEN MET? YES. THE- THIS IS NOT BASED ON PERFORMANCE OF CURRENT CONTRACT. 
          SO THE- THE CURRENT CONTRACTOR HAS MET ALL THE STANDARDS THAT WE- WE HAVE IN THERE? YES. 
          OKAY. UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL 
          [01:05:02]
I'VE GOT. THANK YOU. 
          QUESTIONS, COUNCILMAN? YEAH. UH, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, WORDS MEAN SOMETHING, AND SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN YOU DID YOUR, UH, COMPARISON OF THE 3 OPTIONS FOR THE TOP 2 OF FIRST RESPONDER SAFETY AND ACC CITY EFFICIENCY, ALL OF A SUDDEN IN THE MIDDLE ONE, THE LANGUAGE CHANGED TO STRONGEST ALIGNMENT RATHER THAN HIGHEST OR LOWEST OR MODERATE. 
          BECAUSE NORMALLY YOU, YOU FOLLOW A SEQUENCE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          WHEN YOU'RE MAKING COMPARISONS, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS, WE HAVE THE STRONGEST ALIGNMENT. IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT? HONESTLY, IT'S PROBABLY A TYPO, TO BE HONEST, THAT THERE WAS, THERE WAS NO REASONING OR, OR COYNESS IN THAT CHANGE, SIR. 
          OKAY. THANKS. 
          ALL RIGHT. UM, HOW MANY, UH, TOW COMPANIES DO WE HAVE INSIDE THE CITY? OFF TOP OF MY HEAD, INSIDE THE CITY, I COULDN'T TELL YOU. I KNOW THERE'S MORE THAN A HANDFUL. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE TOW COMPANIES THAT ARE OUT JUST IN THE COUNTIES, IN POTTER AND RANDALL COUNTY. 
          SO SOME OF THOSE SERVE POTTER, RANDALL COUNTY, SOME OF THOSE ARE ACTUALLY IN, WITHIN CITY LIMITS, SOME SERVE RIGHT. 
          THE REST OF THE PANHANDLE REGION BASED ON JUST BUSINESS NEEDS. 
          OKAY, BUT WHEN, WHEN YOU WERE DOING THIS ANALYSIS, WE DIDN'T COME UP WITH ANY NUMBERS OF, OF HOW MANY CONTRACTORS THAT WE WOULD HAVE THAT WOULD BE VIABLE, UH, IN, IN BIDDING FOR THE CONTRACT. 
          SO WHEN, WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR OUR OUR KIND OF ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS, I I JUST PUT A GOOGLE SEARCH IN. I'LL TELL YOU, THERE'S VERY FEW THAT I FOUND THAT ACTUALLY HAD A WEBSITE. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, THERE'S A HANDFUL OUTSIDE THE THE ONES THAT I MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT THOSE DIDN'T HAVE VIABLE WEBSITES THAT I COULD I- THAT I COULD IDENTIFY, TO BE HONEST. 
          UM, SO REALLY THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IS, AS A CITY, WE OUR STANDARD JUST HASN'T BEEN THERE. AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO IS CREATE A STANDARD THAT WE HAVE SOME EFFICIENCIES BUILT IN AND O- MORE OVERSIGHT IN HOW, UH, THE CONTRACTORS ARE HANDLED. 
          CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I'M TRYING TO PUT THE WEIGHT OF THE OVERSIGHT IN THE CONTRACT VERBIAGE VERSUS AN INDIVIDUAL, EVEN THOUGH AN INDIVIDUAL WILL HAVE TO HAVE ITS HAND, THEIR HAND IN IT, BUT I'M TRYING TO OUTLINE THAT MORE CLEAR. 
          THAT WAS PART OF OUR FEEDBACK FROM ALL PARTIES, IS THE EXPECTATIONS ARE STILL LIMITED ON OUR CURRENT CONTRACT, AND WE JUST NEED TO ENHANCE THAT CURRENTLY. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND SO WITH THE GROWTH OF THE CITY, UM, THAT WE SEE, AND IT, AND, AND ON A YEARLY BASIS, IT'S ABOUT 2%. THAT'S OUR PROBABLY OUR AVERAGE. THE GROWTH OF THE CITY, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ISSUES, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT A SMALL CITY ANYMORE, AND I MEAN, YOUR RECOMMENDATION, YOU SAY THAT ALL THREE ARE VIABLE, BUT THE, THE BEST RECOMMENDATION IS TO GO WITH ONE SOURCE, UM, EVEN WITH THE GROWTH OF THE CITY. 
          ABSOLUTELY. SO AGAIN, IT'S HAVING THOSE STANDARDS IN THE CONTRACT, AND AGAIN, AS WE PUSH FORWARD, THE, THE CHOICE OF THE COMMITTEE WAS BASED ON COMPARISON TO THOSE THREE PILLARS, UH, THE SAFETY, THE OPERATIONAL TRANSPARENCY, ALSO THE EASE OF ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT OF IT. LIKE, THAT'S, THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A VERY LARGE PART OF IT AS WELL, OF THAT SINGLE SOURCE, AS LONG AS OUR CONTRACTUAL VERBIAGE IS STRONG, OUTLINING OUR EXPECTATIONS. I'M NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF PUTTING MONEY INTO POCKETS OF BUSINESS OWNERS. I'M IN THE BUSINESS OF SERVING PUBLIC SERVANTS. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND THAT IS, THAT IS, I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. I, I REPRESENT POLICE, FIRE, DISPATCH. THAT'S WHO WE REPRESENT. THAT'S WHO I WANT TO SERVE. SO I WANT TO ASSURE THAT I GIVE THEM THE BEST OF WHAT I CAN PROVIDE FOR THEM, AND I CAN PROVIDE THAT WITH THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE PROPER USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS. THAT IS, THAT IS KIND OF WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM ON THIS. 
          THANKS, MAX. 
          YES, SIR. 
          MAX, IN THE CONTRACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO LET, OR IN PREVIOUS CONTRACTS, IS THERE A RECOVERY MECHANISM FOR THE FTE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE? DOES THE CITY RECEIVE FUNDS FROM THE, UH, AWARDEE PER TOW? SO IN THE NEW CONTRACT, IT WOULD OUTLINE, SO CURRENTLY WE'RE, WE'RE CHARGING 1750 PER TOW, CURRENT IN OUR CURRENT CONTRACT. 
          IS THAT INDUSTRY STANDARD, OR IS THAT LOW? THAT I WOULD, I WOULD HAVE TO TRIPLE CHECK THAT, TO BE HONEST. I WOULD, I WOULD TELL YOU THE, THE VISION MOVING FORWARD IS THAT, THAT NUMBER WOULD COVER THE FTE MOVING FORWARD. NOW, CURRENTLY, BASED ON CURRENT NUMBERS OF THE FISCAL YEAR TOS, THAT'S A NOT FULLY BURDENED COST OF WHAT THIS POSITION WE'RE ASKING FOR NOW. OUR PROPOSAL, AND AGAIN, THIS WOULD BE IN NEW CONTRACTUAL LANGUAGE, IS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE INCENTIVIZING THE PROPER RESPONSE, PROMPT RESPONSE. WE WOULD PUT A DOLLAR SIGN TO NUMBERS AND DOLLAR SIGN TO TIMES, AND AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH A UNIVERSAL RESPONSE TIME ACROSS THE BOARD, NOT A DAY OR NIGHT TIME, BECAUSE PUBLIC SAFETY DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY, WE WOULD ADD NUMBERS TO THAT, AND THEREFORE, IF A RESPONSE TIME IS NOT MET, THERE IS A DOLLAR FIGURE 
          [01:10:02]
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, AND THROUGH DOING THAT, WE COULD ENCUMBER A FULLY BURDENED, I BELIEVE FULLY BURDENED NUMBER FOR THAT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT POSITION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL, I BELIEVE THE REQUEST HERE TODAY WAS DIRECTION ON THIS AS TO HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, MR. DUNLAP, I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU HAVE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL. I THINK YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, RIGHT? UM, SO I THINK IF WE WALKED OUT OF HERE TODAY, YOU WOULD JUST PROCEED WITH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION. 
          YES, SIR. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. COUNCIL, DO YOU CARE TO REDIRECT THAT, OR ARE YOU GUYS GONNA LET THIS MOVE FORWARD ON THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION? I- I WOULDN'T MIND SEEING JUST A- A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON EXACTLY THIS ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN, UH, ASPECT. I MEAN, WITH TECHNOLOGY AND THE WAY THINGS CAN RE- YOU KNOW, YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH THINGS, I- I WOULD JUST THINK IT WOULD BE EASIER THAN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAYING IS WE WOULDN'T BE PAYING FOR IT. 
          CORRECT. 
          OKAY. AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WOULD JUST SAY, AND COUNSEL MAY NOT GO INTO, I- I- I JUST, TO ME, COMPETITION ALWAYS BEATS A MONOPOLY, AND I WOULD THINK THE ABILITY TO HAVE COMPETITION IN THIS SPACE WOULD BE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF- OF ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT ESPECIALLY WITH WHAT YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT. SO, I MEAN, IF- IF THE REST OF COUNCIL WANTS TO GO WITH THE SINGLE SOURCE, UH, THEN, THEN SO BE IT. BUT, BUT I LIKE THE IDEA OF, OF COMPETITION, AND I'M JUST WONDERING, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE, WHAT WE MAY BE GIVING UP HERE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE COMPETITION. 
          COULD I- I GUESS I'M, YEAH. 
          COULD I JUMP IN REAL QUICK? YEAH. 
          UM, CAN WE ENTERTAIN A, UM, A SELF-REPORTING SUBJECT TO AUDIT COMPLIANCE? YEAH. 
          SO LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE INDUSTRY, THEY'VE GOT LOTS OF OVERSIGHT. 
          I'M SURE THERE'S ALL SORTS OF FINES THAT COME FROM THE STATE IF THEY HAVEN'T DONE THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR EQUIPMENT'S SAFE. AND SO I, I DON'T WANT TO WALK DOWN A ROAD OF WE'RE THE REGULATORY AGENCY. I, I THINK THERE ARE MULTIPLE THAT THEY HAVE TO STAY IN COMPLIANCE WITH. SO I'M CURIOUS IF WE COULDN'T ALLOW FOR A SELF-REPORTING SUBJECT TO AUDIT, AND THEN YOU'D TAKE THIS FULL-TIME FTE TO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE JUST A FEW HOURS OF, WELL, WE HAVE A CONCERN HERE, LET'S GO LOOK, EITHER EQUIPMENT OR WHATEVER. I'M ALSO CURIOUS IF WE COULD LOOK AT THE HYBRID MODEL. UM, SO MAYBE YOU DO HAVE A SINGLE SOURCE, YOU KNOW, UH, PRI- PRIMARY, AND THEN YOU ALLOW FOR OTHER ONES ON, BUT THEN THE RIGIDITY OF THAT COULD BE PRETTY STRINGENT, BECAUSE I, I GUESS IF, IF YOU HAVE A SINGLE SOURCE PROVIDER, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO PASS ON THE CALL, RIGHT? THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE SERVICE. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO THAT'S A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY. SO IF YOU GET THE JOB FOR THE YEAR, YOU DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ANSWER THE CALL. WELL, WHY, WHY COULD WE NOT DO THAT, UM, WITH A ROTATION AS WELL? SO, LIKE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE OUT OF THE ROTATION IF YOU, IF YOU DIP THE CALL. 
          SO WE WOULD HAVE TO PUT A HIERARCHY VERY MUCH LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE CITY. THERE HAS TO BE A, A HIERARCHY OF DISCIPLINE, AND THAT DOES TAKE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT. 
          THAT DOES TAKE A PERSON OF DOING LETTERS OF INTENT OR LETTERS OF, OF, HEY, YOU MISSED THIS, I NEED AN EXPLANATION FOR THIS, OR HEY, YOU MISSED THIS, YOU'RE OUT OF THE ROTATION FOR XYZ. SO IT DOES TAKE SOME BUILDING OF THOSE PROCESSES. THEY ARE DOABLE, BUT IT DOES TAKE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT TO ENHANCE. 
          AND THEN YOUR, YOUR RECOMMENDATION, THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION IS TO PUT THIS UP FOR BID SO YOU'D ALLOW ANY QUALIFIED BIDDER TO BID FOR THE SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT WITH THE ADDITIONAL CRITERIA? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. WHAT DID YOU HAVE, COUNCILMAN? I JUST WANTED TO HAVE VERIFICATION THAT OPTION OR OBJECTIVE B, SINGLE SOURCE, WAS SUPPORTED, UH, 100% BY POLICE AND FIRE. IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? YES. 
          YEAH. OKAY. 
          I THINK A UNIQUE SOME MAX BROUGHT UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT WHEN THERE'S MULTIPLE CARS, EVEN IF THERE'S NOT MULTIPLE CARS AND YOU'RE ON A ROTATION, A UNIQUE POINT OF ACCOUNTABILITY IS IF IT'S A VEHICLE THAT'S AN OLDER MODEL VEHICLE, MAYBE UNINSURED, UH, THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO PICK IT UP. SO IF YOU HAVE THE MULTIPLE, AND I AGREE WITH YOU. 
          YOU, MAYOR, IF THERE'S A ZERO TOLERANCE, BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM. AND THEN THAT CREATES GOING TO THE NEXT PERSON, GOING TO THE NEXT PERSON, ALL THE WHILE WE'VE GOT AN OFFICER, YOU KNOW, IN THE ROADWAY, WE'VE GOT A VEHICLE IN THE ROADWAY. AGAIN, TIMING IS A PROBLEM. AND AGAIN, THE, THE, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE PART OF IT OF GOING WHO'S NEXT, WHO'S NEXT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE ON THE SCENE, IT'S NOT, IT'S NO GOOD. UM, THE QUARTERLY, I LIKE YOUR, UH, RECOMMENDATION OF THE QUARTERLY LOOK, UM, JUST A TIGHTER CONTRACT, A QUARTERLY LOOK. IF IT DOESN'T WORK, THEN WE SKIP AND WE GO TO THE OTHER PERSON. SO THE COMPETITION THING, I GUESS, IS, IS THE RFP. I MEAN, THAT'S WHERE THE COMPETITION COMES IN. 
          UM, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE LOSING COMPETITION. 
          WE'RE NOT. THEY'RE GETTING COMPETE, AND IT'S NOT LIKE A LIFETIME CONTRACT. 
          [01:15:01]
IT'S, IT'S A ONE YEAR WITH, YOU KNOW, OPTIONS TO UP IT, BUT THEN ALSO IF YOU BUILD IN THE NEW CONTRACT WITH QUARTERLY LOOK ATS, IT MAY ONLY BE, YOU KNOW, 3 MONTHS. I MEAN, SO. 
          IF THE CONTRACTOR ISN'T MEETING MUSTER, WE'RE FINDING A NEW CONTRACTOR. 
          YEAH. 
          THESE ARE, AS AS YOU HAVE ALL SAID MANY TIMES, THESE ARE THESE ARE TAXPAYER FUNDS THAT I'M CHARGED WITH, AND I WOULDN'T BE DOING MYSELF ANY FAVORS IF I WAS NEGLECTING THEM. 
          YEAH. 
          SO HAVING THAT QUARTERLY LOOK BACK, HAVING TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S COMPLIANCE, A- AGAIN, ISSUES HAVE HAVE ARISEN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS OF COMPLIANCE, ENSURING THOSE COMPLIANCE CHECKS. I USED TO DO THAT IN ANOTHER LIFE, UH, MANY, MANY TIMES. I WOULD DO COMPLIANCE CHECKS. 
          YEAH. 
          SO IT'S, IT IS, IT IS NOT HARD TO DO, BUT IT DOES TAKE TIME, AND IT DOES TAKE SOMEONE. 
          YEAH. WELL, I WOULD SAY MY MY OPINION IS YOU GUYS ARE THE EXPERTS IN THIS. WE ARE NOT. 
          WE CAN SIT UP HERE AND ASK YOU QUESTIONS FOR ANOTHER 2 HOURS. 
          WE'RE NOT GOING TO BECOME EXPERTS. I TRUST YOU AND YOUR COMMITTEE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE TALKED TO THE CHIEFS AND THEY'RE IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT. I I I, I WOULD, MY OPINION IS I'D GO WITH YOUR RECOMMENDATION. 
          OKAY, SO, UM, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO BELABOR IT AND HAVE IT BACK FOR ANOTHER DISCUSSION. I THINK, UM, I'D LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER DIRECTION, UNLESS WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GET BACK, UM, THAT'S GONNA, THAT'S GONNA GIVE US A, AN ADDITIONAL, UM, THOUGHT PROCESS, RIGHT? SOMETHING WE HAVE TO CONSIDER. SO LET'S GO TO YOUR TECHNOLOGY REQUEST. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY UP HERE IS NOT SUPPORTIVE OF THE ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES. 
          UM, TO GO TO THE OTHER REQUESTS, REALLY, I THINK IT COMES BACK TO, IT'S PRETTY CENTRAL. DO WE WANT TO SUPPORT A SINGLE SOURCE, OR DO WE WANT TO SUPPORT A POSSIBLE ROTATION OR A HYBRID? UM, EVERYTHING COMES WITH PROS AND CONS. SO IF THE SINGLE SOURCE PROVIDER'S COMING BACK FOR A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR CONTRACT STANDARDS AND, AND TECHNOLOGY. I DON'T... 
          LET'S GO BACK TO STANDARDS. DO YOU NEED DIRECTION ON THAT? I, I WOULD SAY YES. IF THE STANDARDS KIND OF WE'VE OUTLINED TODAY, IF THOSE MEET WHAT YOU'RE KIND OF THINKING, OR IF YOU HAD A DIFFERENT, UH, DIFFERENT VIEW, THAT WOULD BE KIND OF THE STANDARD DIRECTION THAT I WOULD NEED. DO WE WANT TO GREATLY ENHANCE THOSE STANDARDS IN THIS NEW CONTRACT IS REALLY WHAT THAT, THAT REQUEST WOULD BE. 
          I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD GET WORKED OUT WHEN YOU PUT IT UP FOR CONTRACT. IF YOU PUT SOME STANDARDS IN THERE, UM, THAT THEY'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH, THEN I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET, UM, THAT BACK IN THE RFP OR RFQ, I GUESS, HOWEVER YOU GO OUT. BUT, UH, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS LET'S NOT GROW, UH, POSITIONAL EMPLOYMENT TO, TO KIND OF EXPAND THE, THE ROLE. LET'S LOOK AT A SELF-REPORTING COMPLIANCE, PROOF OF COMPLIANCE WITH A, AN AUDIBILITY, AND, AND BE ABLE TO GO AND AUDIT THOSE AT ANY TIME. WOULD THAT HELP YOU? IF THAT IS THE DIRECTION YOU NEED, WE CAN DO THAT. 
          COUNCIL, ARE Y'ALL GOOD WITH THAT, OR, OR DO YOU GUYS WANT THIS TO BE SOMETHING THAT'S FACILITATED, UM, MORE RIGIDLY ON A ON AN HOURLY BASIS? I SUPPORT THEIR RECOMMENDATION. 
          OKAY. 
          SO. 
          I SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDATION. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I SUPPORT IT TOO. 
          OKAY. WELL, THEN I THINK WE CAN WRAP THAT UP. SO I I I APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE, UH, SHOWN SOME DUE DILIGENCE ON. 
          SO I THINK YOU'VE GOT THE DIRECTION YOU NEED ON, ON EVERYTHING THERE. 
          AWESOME. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          APPRECIATE IT, GENTLEMEN. 
          APPRECIATE YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GONNA PUSH THROUGH, LET'S DO ONE MORE, UM, AND THEN WE MAY HAVE TO RECESS. IT'S... SO OUR 
          [4.3. Sex Offender Residency Ordinance]
DISTINGUISHED CHIEF HOVER IS COMING UP HERE TO, TO GIVE US AN UPDATE. 
          SO THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF WHY WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AN ORDINANCE, UH, IT'S ABOUT SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION AND THE RESIDENCY AND WHERE THEY CAN LIVE. THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PROTECT THE VULNERABLE FROM HARM. 
          IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, THE MOST VULNERABLE HARM ARE CHILDREN. THE ORDINANCE, THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND IT IS CREATES RESIDENCY RESTRICTIONS ABOUT WHERE THEY CAN LIVE, UH, HELPS REDUCE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTACT BETWEEN THOSE OFFENDERS, UH, SPECIFICALLY AND WITH CHILDREN, AND ESTABLISHES CLEAR LINES OF ENFORCEMENT. IT'S VERY SIMPLE. UH, IT'S BASICALLY CREATING CHILD SAFETY ZONES IN THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS FOR A 1,000 FEET BUFFER FROM DISTANCE FROM PROPERTY LINE TO PROPERTY LINE. SO PLACES WHERE KIDS COMMONLY GATHER, PARKS, LIBRARIES, PRIVATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC, UH, SECONDARY SCHOOLS, YOUTH CENTERS, UH, AND DAYCARES. THE ENFORCE- THE ENFORCEMENT PIECE IS, THERE'S NO CULPABILITY SIDE OF IT. THERE'S, IT'S CREATING A STANDARD, UH, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN, I'LL GO INTO IN JUST A LITTLE BIT, UH, BEEN AROUND IN THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS. NOW, IT'S 
          [01:20:01]
NOT SOMETHING THAT GOES BACKWARDS, IT'S ONLY MOVING FORWARD. SO THE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE IS, AGAIN, IT'S SOMEBODY WHO REGISTERS AT THIS POINT AFTER THE, UH, THE ORDINANCE HAPPENS. UH, IT'S NOT WHEN THE JUVENILE OFFENDER, UH, WAS CONVICTED, UH, SO ONLY IF THERE IS ADULT, UM, NOT REGISTERED MINORS, UH, AND THEN SITUATIONS THAT PROTECT LOCATIONS. SO IF A NEW LOCATION OPENS UP AFTER THE PERSON LIVES WHERE THEY'RE AT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO BACK AND AND RETROACTIVELY MAKE THEM MOVE. AND IT'S ON PERMANENT RESIDENCE, NOT ON TEMPORARY RESIDENCE. THE VIOLATION IS VERY SIMPLE. IT'S A CLASS C BECAUSE IT'S CITY ORDINANCE. AND THEN FINALLY, THIS IS A COMPLICATED MAP, AND I'LL GO THROUGH SOME OF IT A LITTLE BIT. I GOT SOME BLOWN UP PICTURES IF YOU WANT TO SEE THOSE, BUT WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW HERE IS THE, UH, THE RED COVERED AREAS THERE. 
          THAT'S A THOUSAND FEET BUFFER. 
          NOW, IF WE MOVED FORWARD WITH THE ORDINANCE, WE'D HAVE TO GO INTO A LOT MORE DETAIL OF ACTUALLY USING GIS TO DRAW THE OUTLINE OF EACH ONE OF THE PROPERTY LINES, BUT THOSE ARE YOUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, PRIMARY SCHOOLS, DAYCARES, PARKS. UH, THAT'S WHAT THE RED COVERS. UH, AND THEN WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS A LITTLE PICTURE OF THE HOMES, THE DIFFERENT COLORS OF THE HOMES. UH, WHAT THAT, WHAT I WANT TO TRY TO SHOW THERE IS THE AVAILABILITY OF OTHER HOUSING, UH, OTHER HOME P- UH, PERMANENT HOMES, SUCH AS APARTMENTS, DUPLEXES, TRIPLEXES, QUADPLEXES, TO SHOW YOU THAT EVEN OUTSIDE OF THOSE AREAS THAT ARE COVERED, THERE'S STILL OTHER RESIDENCIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. 
          I DIDN'T GO INTO THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL RESIDENT HOMES, BUT I WANTED TO GO IN TO LOOK AT, WELL, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING, HOW MUCH IS THERE AVAILABLE? AND THEN THE SOS, WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS THE ACTUAL LOCATION OF THE REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS. 
          UH, BUT THE, THE CAVEAT THAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND, I JUST PUT ALL OF THEM UP THERE. UH, THOSE SEX OFFENDERS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE A CHILD VICTIM IS ABOUT 12, 10 TO 12% OF OUR TOTAL NUMBER. 
          SO, AGAIN, I DIDN'T DIVE GREATLY INTO IT. I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN IMAGE OF WHAT, WHAT IT COULD BE, UH, AND THEN WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES. UH, AMARILLO GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND WHEN WE DO OUR SEX OFFENDER COMPLIANCE. IN FACT, WE JUST WRAPPED IT UP, UH, MAYBE 2 WEEKS AGO. UH, IT'S A 3-DAY EVENT, UM, AND WHAT WE DO IS WE GO FIND EVERY, UH, SEX OFFENDER THAT'S REGISTERED IN, IN THE CITY OF AMARILLO. 
          WE MAKE SURE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WHERE THEY'RE AT. UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, UH, WE HAD 631 HOMES WE VISITED, 335 FIELD CONTACTS. UH, WE MADE 7 ARRESTS, AND THERE'S 9 INVESTIGATIONS. SO EVERY YEAR THAT WE DO THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE IN COMPLIANCE. UH, BUT I GO BACK IN SAYING THAT THERE'S OVER 25 CITIES. UM, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO FIGURE OUT THERE'S OTHERS, BUT THE RESEARCH THAT I FOUND, THERE'S AT LEAST 25 CITIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, THAT HAVE THIS ALREADY IN PLACE. UH, PLACES LIKE BELTON, BURLESON, FORT WORTH, GARLAND, UH, HALTOM CITY, HEREFORD, IRVING, KELLER, LAMPASAS, LEAGUE CITY, UH, MIDLAND, NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, SAGINAW, TEXAS CITY, VICTORIA, WEATHERFORD. SO IT'S ALL OVER THE STATE OF TEXAS. 
          UH, THE BIGGEST BUFFER, MOST OF THE BUFFERS ARE 1000 FEET, BUT THE BIGGEST IS 2500, UH, FEET. AND THAT IS ALL BASED UPON THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 341.906 THAT ESSENTIALLY ALLOWS CITIES TO ENACT ORDINANCES LIKE THAT. AND THERE'S OTHER ONE, ONE SPECIFIC THING TOO THAT NEEDS TO BE MENTIONED. 
          UM, THIS ORDINANCE DOES NOT AFFECT CHURCHES. UH, SO PLAYGROUNDS WOULD, WOULD BE, UM, WE'D HAVE TO GO MORE SPECIFIC, BUT THE CHURCHES ARE NOT S- NOT LISTED IN THERE AS A PROTECTED PLACE. 
          DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES, SIR. QUESTIONS, COUNSEL? WHEN YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE W- WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING, AND YOU VISIT THESE 600 HOMES, AND THEY'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WITH PROBATION? YEAH, SO THEY'RE REQUIRED TO REGISTER, MOST OF THE TIME IT'S THEIR ADDRESSES, THEY'RE AT THE WRONG ADDRESS. THEY THEY REGISTER ONE ADDRESS, AND WE FIND THEM AT A D- DIFFERENT ADDRESS. 
          OKAY. AND WITH THE CITIES, WITH AN ORDINANCE LIKE THIS, IS 500 DOLLARS, IS THAT A NORMAL, IS THAT ABOUT AVERAGE, OR? THAT'S ALL AS A CITY ORDINANCE THAT WE CAN ENFORCE. 
          OKAY, THANKS. 
          WHAT'S THE STATE, UH, LINEAR FOOTAGE? WHAT'S THE SETBACK PER THE STATE CODE? IS THERE ONE? 1000 FEET IS WHAT THEY RECOMMEND. 
          OH, IT IS. SO THE STATE IS 1000. 
          YEAH, YOU CAN GO INTO, AND I HAVE TO, UM, DEFER TO MY, UH, TO LEGAL, THE LEGAL SIDE ON THIS ONE, BUT, UH, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOME RULE, UH, CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES, AND WITH A HOME RULE, I BELIEVE YOU CAN GET, UH, A GREATER DISTANCE. 
          RIGHT, OKAY. SO, UM, I THOUGHT WE WERE, TH- THIS PROPOSAL WAS TO INCREASE THE DISTANCE. THIS PROPOSAL IS TO, UM, ENACT. 
          MIRROR AND ENACT WHAT IS ALREADY, I GUESS, CONSEQUENCED AT THE STATE? NO. 
          OR WITHOUT THE LOCAL ORDINANCE, IT'S, IT'S NOT ENFORCED. 
          IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO CREATE AN ORDINANCE TO DO THAT. SO FAR RIGHT NOW, WE DO NOT HAVE AN ORDINANCE. 
          OKAY. QUESTIONS? NO, I, I COMMEND YOU ON, ON DOING THIS. UH, ONE OF OUR, ONE OF OUR JOBS, YOU AS A PUBLIC SERVANT, BUT OURS, I THINK, 
          [01:25:01]
ON THIS COUNCIL IS TO ENSURE THAT THE, OUR, OUR WEAKEST AMONG US ARE, ARE PROTECTED. AND SO I, I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE DONE ON THIS, AND I THINK YOU'RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          THANKS, SIR. 
          UM, CHIEF, I, I APPRECIATE YOU, YOUR TIME, AND THEN, UM, THE PRESENTATION. I THINK WE'RE IN FULL SUPPORT. WE'LL ASK YOU TO GET THAT ORDINANCE GOING. 
          WHAT WOULD YOU ANTICIPATE, A COUPLE MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD? WE'RE ALREADY WELL ON OUR WAY, SIR. 
          YOU'RE ALREADY UNDERWAY. 
          I'VE ALREADY GOT LEGAL'S, UH, LEGAL SIDE OF IT. UH, IT'S REALLY JUST WHENEVER WE CAN PUT IT ON THE AGENDA. 
          OKAY. WELL, IF WE HAVE ANYONE HERE THAT'S IN SUPPORT OF THAT, THEN WE WANT YOU TO HEAR THAT, UH, YOUR CHIEF OF POLICE HAS INITIATED THIS AND WORKING IT FORWARD ON YOUR BEHALF. 
          CAN WE FAST TRACK THAT ON THE AGENDA? UM, I'LL PUT IT ON THE AGENDA AS SOON AS IT'S READY, AND IF YOU GUYS WANTED TO FAST TRACK IT, WE WOULD DO IT WITH A WAIVER OF 2 READINGS. THAT WAY IT WOULD BE ENACTED ON THE FIRST READING. 
          I WOULD SUPPORT THAT. 
          OKAY. REAL GOOD. THANK YOU, CHIEF. APPRECIATE YOU. 
          SMALL POINT REAL QUICK. IT'S, IF IT'S AN ORDINANCE, IT WILL REQUIRE 2 READINGS. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S OUR CHARTER. 
          THEN WE, WE CAN'T WAIVE THE SECOND READING ON THE ORDINANCE, ONLY CAN WAIVE THAT ON THE RESOLUTION? THAT'S CORRECT. 
          HMM. WELL, THAT'S MY ERROR, SO, LIKE, I APPRECIATE YOU CATCHING THAT. 
          UM, SO IT'LL BE FAST-TRACKED, UH, AS FAST AS THE CHARTER ALLOWS IT TO GO FORWARD. SO, UM, ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO ONE MORE SINCE THAT WAS A, A QUICK PRESENTATION. UM, ITEM 
          [4.4. Utility Billing Customer Service & Water Usage Update]
4.4, MISS GONZALEZ, WOULD YOU MIND COMING UP, AND, AND WE'LL JUMP INTO SOME UTILITY BILLING UPDATES. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL. UM, I'LL KEEP THIS BRIEF. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT REGARDING A COUPLE OF AREAS WHERE WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS, ONE, UH, BEING OUR WAIT TIMES, AND THE OTHER, WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH OUR AUGUST WATER USAGE. SO, CUSTOMER SERVICE CAPACITY AUGUST COMPARISON, AS YOU CAN SEE, AUGUST OF 2025, WE HAD A HIGHER CALL VOLUME THAN WE DID THIS YEAR, 21,000 COMPARED TO 18,000 THIS YEAR. UH, OUR AVERAGE HANDLE TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY THE SAME, 5 MINUTES. WHERE WE SAW A DECLINE WAS IN OUR AVERAGE AGENTS PRESENT. 
          SO LAST YEAR WE WERE LOOKING AT 18.2 AGENTS PRESENT PER DAY VERSUS THIS YEAR AT 9.6 PER DAY. UM, THAT WAS A CONTRIBUTION TO OUR AVERAGE WAIT TIME INCREASE OF 38 MINUTES THIS YEAR. THIS JUST GIVES A, A BETTER LOOK AT A WEEKLY STATUS FOR OUR CALL. UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, FOR AUGUST OF 2026, IT SLOWLY INCREASED. THAT LAST WEEK WE HAD, UH, WE SURPASSED WHAT WE, WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. SO CUSTOMER SERVICE, THESE ARE, THESE ARE NUMBERS, UH, WEEKLY NUMBERS FOR BEYOND THE PHONES. WE ALSO ASSIST IN CUSTOMER SERVICE WALK-INS, CASHIERING PAYMENTS, EMAIL PROCESSES, WEB REQUESTS, PAYMENT PLANS, MAIL-IN PAYMENTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. SO LET'S SWITCH GEARS, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT UNDERSTANDING OUR AUGUST WATER USAGE. TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT REGARDING AUGUST UTILITY BILLS, UTILITY BILLING REVIEWED SEVERAL DIFFERENT LAYERS, UH, ONE BEING CUSTOMER BILLED WATER CONSUMPTION, SYSTEM WATER PRODUCTION AND DEMAND, WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND OUR HISTORICAL USAGE TRENDS. 
          AND I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT NO SINGLE DATA, UH, POINT INDEPENDENTLY EXPLAINS AN INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMER BILL. SO LOOKING AT THE AUGUST WEATHER CONDITIONS YEAR OVER YEAR, WE SEE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FROM AUGUST OF LAST YEAR COMPARED TO THIS YEAR. EVERY DAY THIS YEAR WE WERE 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE. UM, OUT OF THOSE 31 DAYS, 18 DAYS WAS 100 DEGREES OR HIGHER, COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, 5 DAYS, UM, IN 100 DEGREES OR HIGHER. SO THE WHAT THAT TELLS US IS THAT 2026, UH, WAS DEFINED BY SUSTAINED HEAT, AND IT WASN'T JUST ONE DAY OF HIGHER TEMPERATURES. WE ALSO SAW A TREND WITHIN OUR WATER DEMAND AND OUR BILLING CONSUMPTION. THERE WAS AN INCREASE, UH, YEAR TO YEAR OF 24.8% IN OUR WATER PRODUCTION, AND WITHIN OUR BILLED CONSUMPTION, WE HAD AN INCREASE OF 28.2% INCREASE. SO THESE NEXT 3 SLIDES THAT I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU, UM, JUST SHOWS MORE OF A DAY-TO-DAY OF WHAT I'VE ALREADY PRESENTED. 
          UM, WE ACTIVATED STAGE 1 OF OUR, UH, DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN AUGUST 17TH BECAUSE WE SAW A, 
          [01:30:02]
A DECLINE IN OUR RESERVOIR STORAGE. THIS IS SHOWING YOU WHAT THE COMPARISON IS FROM 2025 IN THE ORANGE VERSUS THE BLUE, WHICH IS 2026, OF OUR TEMPERATURES DAY TO DAY. ALL OF THOSE IN RED ARE SHOWING ANYTHING THAT'S ABOVE 100 DEGREES. THIS IS ALSO SHOWING A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE WATER DEMAND, UH, OR THE WATER PRODUCTION FROM YEAR TO YEAR, 2025 TO 2026. SO PUTTING THIS INTO CONTEXT, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE INDEPENDENT DATA POINTS TOGETHER, THEY SHOW A BROADER PATTERN. 
          AUGUST OF 2026 SHOWS SUSTAINED HEAT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MONTH. UM, OUR SYSTEM DEMAND INCREASED FROM 20 TO 24.8%. 
          UH, CUSTOMER CONSUMPTION ALSO INCREASED 28.2%. AND THEN AGAIN, OUR DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN, UH, PHASE ONE OR STAGE ONE TRIGGER WAS ACTIVATED ON AUGUST 17TH DUE TO A DECLINE IN OUR, UH, RESERVOIR STORAGE. 
          OPERATIONALLY, WE ARE STILL FOCUSING ON CUSTOMER SERVICE ACT- ACCESS, AS WELL AS, UH, OUR SERVICE LEVELS. WE'RE MONITORING THESE DAILY, UM, ON STAFFING AND WHAT THE DAILY DEMAND IS. UM, WE ARE ALSO WORKING THROUGH INDIVIDUAL BILL CONCERNS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. 
          UM, WE'RE UTILIZING OUR BILLING SOFTWARE AS WELL AS OUR AMI DATA USAGE, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH NEW DEN- NEWGEN TO SUPPORT THEIR INDEPENDENT DATA REVIEW. 
          SO WITH THAT, IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER. 
          MISS JENNIFER, I THINK WE MIGHT. SO, YOU WANT TO GO FIRST, SIR? I JUST HAVE, I MEAN, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS CUSTOMER SERVICE, RIGHT? I KNOW Y'ALL BEEN DEALT LIKE JUST, IT'S BEEN RIDICULOUS, ABSOLUTELY. 
          YOU KNOW, WITH THE SWITCHOVER AND THAT KIND OF THING. MY QUESTION IS, WHY WOULD WE HAVE HALF THE AGENTS MANNING THE PHONES W- THAN WE DID LAST YEAR? SO THAT, UH, IS DUE TO A LOT OF TURNOVER. RIGHT BEFORE OUR GO LIVE, DURING OUR IMPLEMENTATION, WE, UM, WE SAW A LOT OF TURNOVER EVEN POST GO LIVE, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE TURNOVER. RIGHT NOW, WE DO HAVE, UH, 5 OFFERS FOR POSITIONS TO GET THOSE SERVICE LEVELS UP, BUT AGAIN, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE RECRUITED, UM, PASS THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, AND THEN WE GET- NEED TO GET THEM TRAINED UP FOR THOSE, THOSE CUSTOMER SERVICE POSITIONS. 
          SO YOU'RE SHORT. WHAT YOU'VE GOT, THE POSITIONS ARE THERE. 
          RIGHT. 
          YOU'RE JUST, YOU'RE JUST SHORT IS YES. 
          IS THE REASON. 
          EVERY TIME WE GET A NEW EMPLOYEE, WE'VE HIRED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS. 
          ANYTIME WE GET A NEW EMPLOYEE, WE HAVE AN EXISTING EMPLOYEE THAT MAY BE LEAVING INTERNALLY OR EXTERNALLY TO ANOTHER BUSINESS. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S TRYING TO FILL THOSE GAPS AND MAINTAIN. 
          OKAY. DO YOU, DOES YOUR STAFF NOW, I MEAN, THE ONES THAT ANSWER THE PHONE, DO THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UM, MOVE A CUSTOMER TO AUTO DRAFT IF THEY CALL IN? CAN THEY DO THAT? YES, YES, WE CAN DO THAT. 
          OKAY, OKAY, JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. 
          YES. 
          THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. 
          YEAH. 
          COUNCIL. 
          I JUST HAD A QUESTION ON THE USAGE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR IN 2025. UM, I'M LOOKING FOR THE, THE GRAPH THAT THAT WAS ON. 
          UM. 
          WE'LL PULL IT BACK UP ON THE BOARD. 
          YEAH. 
          YOU'RE LOOKING AT, IS IT THIS ONE? I BELIEVE SO. SO THE, THE TOTAL WATER PRODUCTION YES. 
          THAT WE PRODUCED, IT WAS 1.798, I GUESS, BILLION GALLONS, AND THEN WE HAD, WHAT, 2.24 IS WHAT WE PRODUCED, AND THAT WATER PRODUCTION IS THE, IS THE CLEAN WATER THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO THE SYSTEM, RIGHT? SO THAT WAS A 24.8% INCREASE. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          NOW IS HOW D- WERE THE NEW METERS, DID THEY GIVE US, UH, A HIGHER ACCURACY ON HOW MUCH WATER, LIKE IF WE PUT A, JUST HYPOTHETICALLY, IF WE PUT A THOUSAND GALLONS INTO THE SYSTEM, I'VE HEARD THAT WE MIGHT HAVE AT ONE POINT BEEN ONLY CHARGING SEVEN FOR 700 GALLONS, SO 70% OF OF THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT WAS GOING IN, AND NOW WITH THE NEW METERS, WE ARE SEEING, WE'RE WE'RE CAPTURING A THOUSAND GALLONS. 
          EVERYTHING. 
          EVERYTHING. IS THERE, IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THAT? SO THE THING WITH THE METERS IS, IS THAT A LOT OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE BEFOREHAND WAS WHERE THEY WERE OLDER METERS THAT WERE SITTING IN, IN THE GROUND. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO YOU COULD HAVE HAD SOME, SOME METERS THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, 10 TO 15 YEARS OLD, AND SO THEY WEREN'T REGISTERING THE WAY THAT THEY NEEDED TO AT A HUNDRED, 100%. NOW YOU HAVE SOME OF THESE NEW METERS THAT ARE REGISTERING 
          [01:35:01]
EVERYTHING. SO THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE SOME OF THAT DIFFERENCE IN USAGE. 
          AND SO COULD THAT BE PART OF THE, THE, THE CONCERN THAT CITIZENS ARE SEEING ON THEIR BILLS THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY CAPTURING, IF WE'RE PUTTING 100 UNITS IN AND WE USED TO ONLY CAPTURE 70 UNITS, NOW WE'RE PUTTING 100 UNITS IN AND WE'RE CAPTURING 98 UNITS. COULD THAT BE SOME? YES, THAT COULD, THAT COULD BE A FACTOR IN ALL OF THAT AS WELL, YES. 
          AND, AND HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THAT IS OCCURRING? HOW MUCH OF THOSE OLD METERS WERE OUT THERE, AND NOW THAT WE HAVE THE NEW METERS, HOW COULD THAT EXPLAIN SOME OF THESE DISCREPANCIES THAT HAVE OUR CITIZENS SO CONCERNED? UM, WELL, LET ME LOOK AT THAT FOR YOU, AND I CAN GET SOME MORE DETAIL ON THAT, AND THEN, AND THEN BRING THAT BACK TO YOU IF YOU'D LIKE. 
          PLEASE. 
          YEAH. 
          COUNCILMAN. 
          UH, YEAH, JUST ONE QUESTION, UM, I GUESS IT'S PAGE 70, WELL, PAGE 39 IN HERE, 79 ON OUR PRESENTATIONS. UM, SO WHEN WE ANNOUNCED STAGE ONE, MM-HMM. 
          USAGE WENT UP FOR THE CITY. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO DOING STAGE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT DOESN'T DO A ANYTHING WITH PEOPLE CONSERVING WATER. 
          WELL, FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT THERE WAS AN INCREASE, THERE WAS A DECLINE IN THE RESERVOIR, BUT THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN USAGE, YES. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO, WHEN WE FIRST WENT OVER TO UTILITY BILLING, UH, BACK IN APRIL OR MAY, WHENEVER IT WAS, MHM. 
          WE HAD, WE HAD PEOPLE THAT WERE REPORTING AN AB- WHAT THEY FELT WAS ABNORMAL FOR THAT MONTH. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, IT WOULD, THEY WOULD GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE ENTIRE LAST YEAR, AND SOMETIMES IT WAS DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THAT. 
          MHM. 
          I- I- I MEAN, DID YOU SEE SOME OF THAT AS WELL? BECAUSE I WAS HEARING FROM PEOPLE AT THE TIME. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, EVERY CUSTOMER ACCOUNT IS DIFFERENT, SO WE WOULD, WE WOULD INVESTIGATE EACH OF THOSE. SO WE DID SEE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS. I CAN'T SAY THAT IT WAS JUST THAT, BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS THAT, A LOT OF FACTORS THAT WE WENT THROUGH DURING THAT IMPLEMENTATION. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT. AND THEN I GUESS, ANDREW, THIS IS PART OF WHAT CHRIS. 
          OUR 85,000 DOLLAR AUDIT IS GOING TO COME BACK AND TELL US HOW THIS WAS HAPPENING. 
          YES, SIR, AND THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 27TH FOR CHRIS ECKERT TO COME PRESENT HIS FINDINGS. 
          OKAY. AND THEN HERE'S WHAT I'M HEARING NOW. I'M HEARING PEOPLE WITH THE SAME SCENARIO, AND SOMETIMES DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVEN'T CHANGED MY WATER SETTINGS. YOU KNOW, I HAVE A SPRINKLER SYSTEM. I KNOW THERE WAS MORE WATER USED, BUT THEY'RE SEEING A DOUBLE OR SOMETIMES HIGHER IN AUGUST WHERE THE LAST 3 MONTHS OR THE- ARE THE SAME. ARE WE SEEING SOME OF THOSE AGAIN? UM, AGAIN, I THINK THAT WE WOULD NEED TO LOOK AT THAT ON AN INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT LEVEL. 
          MM-HMM. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE SOME OF THOSE, I CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THOSE FOR YOU. 
          YEAH, WELL, I- I- AND I CAN PASS THEM ALONG. I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU'RE SEEING THE SAME THING OF THIS, YOU KNOW. I ASKED AT ONE POINT, CAN WE RUN A REPORT, LIKE WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT, OF HOW MANY PEOPLE SAW RECORD 12-MONTH HIGHS IN APRIL. I DON'T KNOW IF WE EVER WERE ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, BUT IT JUST IT, WHAT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, THIS IS ABNORMAL WHEN EVEN DURING THE SUMMER, AND I'VE NOT CHANGED MY SPRINKLER SYSTEM, I'M DOING OTHER THINGS, AND FOR SOME REASON IT'S IT'S I GO FROM USING 20, 25,000 TO 60,000 GALLONS A MONTH, AND THERE'S NO EXPLANATION TO IT, I THINK IS THE FRUSTRATING PART, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW CITIZENS CAN GO ABOUT PROVING THEY DIDN'T USE THE WATER. I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE IF, IF WE SAY YOU DID, YOU DID, BUT PEOPLE ARE MAKING SOME GOOD CASES. I'M JUST WONDERING, HOPEFULLY OUR AUDITOR WILL PROVIDE SOME RESOLUTION ON THIS OR SAY, I HOPE HE JUST DOESN'T COME BACK AND SAY, WELL, I LOOKED AT IT AND IT ALL SEEMS FINE, BUT I MEAN, MAYBE HE WILL, BUT IT JUST, YOU KNOW, ANECDOTALLY, I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT IT'S IT JUST SEEMS THAT THIS ISSUE SEEMED TO APPEAR AGAIN IN THE MONTH OF OF AUGUST, AND MAYBE IT IS ALL THE USAGE, BUT I THINK PEOPLE ARE REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO IT NOW SINCE IT'S COME OUT AND PAYING ATTENTION TO THEIR, YOU KNOW, TO THEIR WATER SYSTEMS AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THEY SAY, I JUST DON'T SEE HOW I COULD BE USING THE MOST I'VE USED IN THE LAST YEAR AND DOUBLE THE LAST 2 MONTHS. 
          I WILL DOUBLE CHECK WITH CHRIS, BUT BASED ON HIS LAST TIMELINE, IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS STILL GETTING DATA FROM AUGUST 11TH THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1ST, SO IT SHOULD HOPEFULLY CAPTURE THAT IN THE STUDY SAMPLE THAT HE'S PULLING. 
          YEAH, I'LL, I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. 
          YES, SIR. 
          UM, THANK YOU, MISS JENNIFER. I GOT A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU, SURE. 
          BUT UM, JUST WANT TO START BY APPRECIATE UM, YOU CONTINUING TO KIND OF PULL THE TEAM TOGETHER, SHOW UP THE, THE DUE DILIGENCE THROUGH, I THINK, WHAT WAS A REALLY, REALLY TURBULENT ROLLOUT. UM, AND SO LOOKING BACK ON IT, UM, THANKFUL THAT YOU GUYS ARE STILL DOING YOUR BEST, BUT THEN ALSO REGRETFUL THAT WE'VE HAD TO OFFER SO MANY APOLOGIES, I THINK, TO OUR CUSTOMER BASE, AND SEEING THE, 
          [01:40:02]
THE NUMEROUS AMOUNTS OF, OF ISSUES THAT CAME UP ON THIS ROLLOUT AND TRANSITION. 
          THE HARDEST THING IS, IS WE CAN'T REALLY POINT TO, LIKE, EITHER THE VERY BOTTOM OF IT OR THE ACTUAL, LIKE, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. SO WE ARE STILL, UM, THIS HAPPENED OVER HERE, WE COULD TELL THAT METER, WE REPLACED IT, OR, UM, THERE WAS A LEAK. SOMETIMES WE, WE FOUND THAT. SO I, I WANT TO JUST FOCUS IN ON MAYBE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ASPECT ON, LIKE, 311. UH, SO I'M NOT SURE THAT 311 IS WORKING ACCURATELY OR, OR EFFICIENT. AND SO, LIKE, HOW ARE YOU GETTING MOST OF YOUR CALLS? DO- ARE THEY CALLING 378 3000 AND BEING DIRECTED TO YOU, OR, OR ON THE CALL VOLUMES? YEAH, SO THERE, THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO DIFFERENT CALL CENTER PLATFORMS. WE HAVE A UTILITY BILLING CALL CENTER AND A 311 CALL CENTER. WHAT 311 IS, IS DESIGNED TO TAKE, UH, JUST INFORMATIONAL SERVICES, SO GENERAL FAQS. UH, WHAT UTILITY BILLING IS DOING IS DOING THE, THE INTENSE REVIEW INVESTIGATION OF CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SETTING UP PAYMENT PLANS OR WE'RE, YOU KNOW, SETTING UP SERVICES THE WAY THAT WE NEED TO AND, AND GETTING EVERYTHING ADJUSTED ON THOSE ACCOUNTS. 
          SO DO YOU, DO YOU KNOW, OR WOULD WE THINK MAYBE PEOPLE ARE CALLING 311 THINKING THAT'S GOING TO GET ME TO WATER BILLING, I NEED TO DISPUTE MY BILL. 
          MM. 
          THEY'RE WAITING ON HOLD, OR THEY'RE GETTING A CALL BACK, AND IT'S, IT'S NOT HELPFUL BECAUSE THEY REALLY STILL NEED TO GET REDIRECTED. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? THAT'S EXACTLY CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITHIN THE CALL VOLUMES IS THAT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF CUSTOMERS WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO GET THROUGH. WE DO HAVE A UTILITY BILLING, UM, PROMPT WITHIN 311, AND SO THOSE CALLS ARE THEN DIRECTED TO THE UTILITY BILLING CALL CENTER. 
          BUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT STAFFING LEVELS HAVE BEEN LOWER, MM-HMM. 
          UM, SO IT'S JUST TAKING A LITTLE BIT LONGER FOR US TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THOSE CALLS. 
          WHAT'S A GOOD EXPECTATION? IF I CALL 378 3000, MM-HMM. 
          UH, IT'S GONNA GET AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE NOW, RIGHT? MM-HMM. 
          UM, AND THEN IT'S GONNA ASK ME WHAT I WANT, IT'S GONNA ASK ME IF I CARE TO LEAVE MY NUMBER. IT'LL PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW MY NUMBER, MM-HMM. 
          RIGHT? WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S AN EXPECTED CALLBACK TIME THAT YOU FEEL LIKE'S A GOOD GOAL? CURRENTLY, UH, WHAT OUR, WHAT OUR SERVICE GOAL IS, IS BETWEEN 3 TO 5 MINUTES, IS THAT WE RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS. CURRENTLY, BECAUSE OF THE STAFFING SHORTAGES, UM, LIKE I SAID IN THE PRESENTATION, WE'RE RANGING ABOUT 38, 38 MINUTES. 
          OKAY, SO 30 TO 45 MINUTES. 
          CORRECT. 
          IT WOULD, SO IF WE, IF WE MODIFY THE EXPECTATION FOR A MINUTE MM-HMM. 
          WITH THE ASK OF PATIENCE, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO CALL YOU BACK. I DO LIKE THAT FEATURE. IF I'M JUST SITTING ON HOLD, SHOULD I EXPECT TO WAIT 30 TO 45 MINUTES MM-HMM. 
          AS I'M ON HOLD BECAUSE THOSE INTAKE CALLS ARE RESPONDING TO THE CALLER THAT WAS ALREADY AHEAD IN LINE? YEP, SO AS IF YOU ARE, ARE REQUESTING A CALLBACK, IT'LL KEEP YOU IN YOUR PLACE IN LINE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UM, AS AS YOU COME UP AS THE NEXT AVAILABLE CALLER, THEN, UM, IT'LL CALL YOU BACK. 
          DO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SET A FEATURE ON THERE SO THAT MY EXPECTATIONS GET SET BASED ON WHEN I CALLED? SO IF, IF IT SAID, HEY, WE'RE EXPERIENCING HIGH CALL VOLUMES MHM. 
          AND WE ARE PROJECTING 35, 40 MINUTES BEFORE WE GET TO CALL YOU BACK. LIKE, I LIKE THAT, THAT'S HELPFUL. 
          YEAH. 
          AND IF I'M SITTING ON HOLD, I, I MIGHT DECIDE I CAN REALLY DO SOMETHING WITH MY TIME BETTER OVER THE NEXT 30. I'D RATHER GET A CALL BACK. I THINK THE COMPLAINTS THAT I'M RECEIVING PROBABLY ARE THE ONES THAT WAITED ON HOLD THAT LONG MHM. 
          TO FIND OUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT DEPARTMENT. AND, AND I THINK THAT IS BEING DIRECTED THROUGH 311, AND I'M NOT SAYING IT'S 311 THAT'S THE PROBLEM. I THINK IT MIGHT BE THE USER NOT UNDERSTANDING, MHM. 
          YOU KNOW, THAT THAT THAT WASN'T THE RIGHT PLACE THEY WANTED TO GO. SO, DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS ON THAT? I THINK THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION. I THINK WE CAN GET WITH OUR SOFTWARE VENDOR AND SEE IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ADDED ON OR INCORPORATED WITHIN OUR CALL, OUR CALL CENTER SOFTWARE. 
          OKAY. 
          TO SEE IF WE CAN MAYBE ADD THAT ON, ON HOW MANY OR WHAT WHAT'S THE LONGEST WAIT TIME, OR HOW LONG ARE THEY EXPECTED TO WAIT? I THINK IF YOU GUYS COULD TAKE ON THE TASK OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE AS A PILLAR, HAS A LOT TO DO WITH MANAGING EXPECTATIONS. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND I THINK IF YOU GUYS ARE NOT MANAGING THOSE EXPECTATIONS, THEN YOU'RE SPENDING MORE TIME. 
          YOU MAY EVEN HAVE MORE TURNOVER BECAUSE OF UNMET EXPECTATIONS BEING RECIPROCATED TO YOU AND, AND BOTH THE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OVER THERE THAT, UM, ARE TAKING NOW COMPLAINTS, RIGHT, OR, OR WHATNOT. SO L- LET ME TRANSITION JUST A LITTLE BIT TO, IS SCADA ONLY ON WASTEWATER, OR IS SCADA WHAT WE USE ON WATER PRODUCTION AS WELL? 
          [01:45:01]
IT'S, IT'S BOTH. 
          OKAY. SO SCADA'S PRETTY, PRETTY GOOD TECHNOLOGY, RIGHT? HAS A LOT OF CAPABILITIES. DO WE TRACK... 
          I LOVE THIS, LIKE WE PUT, WHAT, 2.2 BILLION GALLONS IN IN AUGUST. WE BILLED 2.0. SO THAT, THAT DIFFERENTIAL, IS THAT GOING TO PARKS, GOLF COURSES, PLACES WE'RE NOT BILLING? WOULD WE KNOW? I THINK WE WOULD HAVE TO DO AN INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMER REVIEW ON THAT JUST TO SEE WHAT THOSE USAGES ARE. 
          THIS IS ACROSS A CUST- THE ENTIRE CUSTOMER BASE. THESE ARE THESE NUMBERS THAT I'M PRESENTING. 
          OKAY. TO GO TO COUNCILMAN PRESCOTT'S CONCERN, MM-HMM. 
          AND I, I DO THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE OUR CUSTOMER A DIRECT ANSWER DEFINITIVELY THAT WE'RE NOT OVERBILLING YOU. UM, SO IF IT IS AN ACCURACY, AND, AND I THINK IF PEOPLE CAN HEAR THIS, YOU, YOU HAD AN OLD WATER METER, AND IT HAD SAT THERE FOR, SAY, 20 PLUS YEARS, AND IT'S GOT A LITTLE WINDMILL IN IT THAT, AS THE WATER GOES BY, IT TURNS IT. AND SO IF YOU JUST TURN ON THE WATER HOSE AND TURN IT RIGHT BACK OFF, MAYBE THE WINDMILL NEVER GOT GOING ENOUGH TO TRACK THAT. AND SO Y- YOU PROBABLY WEREN'T GETTING BILLED ACCURATELY. NOW IT'S A DIGITAL METER, AND SO THERE'S A DIFFERENT, UH, MEASURING MECHANISM AS THAT WATER TRANSPORTS THROUGH THAT. IT MAY BE ELECTRONIC, I GUESS IT'S MEASURING THAT. 
          SO, UM, THERE MIGHT BE MORE ACCURACY, BUT AS A PUBLIC UTILITY, LIKE, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT POTENTIAL WATER RATE INCREASES AND HIGHER BILLING VOLUMES, RIGHT? SO THOSE NEED TO BALANCE OUT. SO IF WE NOW HAVE A HIGHER BILLING VOLUME, THEN MAYBE OUR WATER RATE DOESN'T NEED TO INCREASE OR COULD EVEN POTENTIALLY GO DOWN. WE CAN ONLY GET TO SO MANY WATER MAIN REPAIRS AND SO MANY IMPROVEMENTS, AND AND WE NEED TO BE BILLING ENOUGH TO RUN THAT SYSTEM WELL AND KEEP UP AS MUCH AS WE CAN ON CAPABILITY. 
          SO I JUST WANT COUNCIL TO HEAR THAT WE ARE TAKING ACTION ON ON A BUDGET ITEM. WE MAY BE ALL IN FAVOR OF CHARGING WHAT WE GOT TO CHARGE TO DO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AND TO TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO, AND I'M NOT MISPRIORITIZING THAT AT ALL. 
          BUT IF WE GET DATA BACK FROM MR. ECKROOT, THAT WOULDN'T BE YOUR SPECIALTY, MM-HMM. 
          THAT SHOWS, HEY, THERE'S A 10% INCREASE IN SALES THAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT EVERY YEAR, THEN, THEN LET'S MANAGE THAT IN WHAT OUR PERCENTAGE INCREASE LOOKS LIKE IN, IN WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ON A RATE ADJUSTMENT. 
          YES, AND HE IS GOING TO FACTOR THAT INTO HIS, THE OTHER STUDY HE'S DOING EVALUATING OUR RATES. THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WE DELAYED IT, SO HE COULD CONTINUE TO GATHER MORE ACCURATE DATA. 
          BEFORE HE GETS HERE, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. 
          BEFORE HE GETS HERE, CAN WE JUST LOOK AT HOW MANY GALLONS WE USE? LET'S SAY WE USE 5 MGDS TO WATER ALL THE PARKS AND GOLF COURSES ON AVERAGE, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ARE WE BILLING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THAT? SO, SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW, IS THERE A RECONCILIATION THAT GOES AND LOOKS AT THE TOTAL AMOUNT PRODUCED FOR A MONTH VERSUS THE TOTAL AMOUNT BILLED, AND THEN THE, WE NEED TO BE TRACKING THE WATER USAGE, OF COURSE, BUT NOT BILLED. AND THEN IF THOSE ALL NET OUT TO ZERO, I'M REAL COMFORTABLE. IF THEY DON'T, THEN I'M CURIOUS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF HE COULD GIVE US SOME EXPERTISE ON LEAKAGE, HOW MUCH WE'RE LOSING IN THE SYSTEM, AND AND IMPROVEMENTS THERE. 
          BUT THEN WHAT I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR IS A DEFINITIVE WAY TO TELL OUR CUSTOMERS, YOU'RE NOT BEING OVERBILLED. 
          YOU MAY BE MORE ACCURATELY BILLED NOW, BUT I, I, I WANT TO TRACK THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 
          YES, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. UM, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT, GENTLEMEN? I, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION. 
          WOULD, WOULD THOSE FUNDS NOT GO TO HELP US WITH CRIMAW TOO? I MEAN, I, I GET THAT WE'RE, WE, WE'VE GOT SOME SIGNIFICANT, NOT ONLY WITH THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, SURE. 
          WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT COSTS WITH THE PIPELINE. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT. THAT'S BUILT INTO THE RATE INCREASE AS FAR AS ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION TO, TO CRIMOL. 
          OKAY, SO WE ARE, I MEAN, IF WE, IF WE ARE, AGAIN, JUST GOING BACK TO EASY MATH, IF WE HAVE 100 GALLONS AND HISTORICALLY WE'VE ONLY BEEN BILLING FOR 70 GALLONS, MHM. 
          AND WE GO UP, YES, THAT'S GOING TO PRODUCE MORE REVENUE, BUT WE'VE ALL BEEN LIVING ON A 30% DISCOUNT THAT WE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT'S CORRECT. 
          WHAT WE WERE PAYING. SO SHOULD WE NOT PAY THE FULL AMOUNT AND WELL. 
          GET AHEAD? UH, POTENTIALLY, BUT AS A GOOD CUSTOMER RELATION, IF I FIND THAT OUT AND YOU'RE MY CUSTOMER, SHOULD I NOT WALK YOU INTO THAT SLOWLY? I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE. 
          I MEAN, MAYBE I COULD HAVE SAID, HEY, WE WE SEE THIS, SO LET ME LET ME BUILD THIS IN OVER 3 YEARS. THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO SUFFER THAT UNKNOWN. AND AND SO AS IT IS MORE ACCURATE, THEN I JUST WANT TO CONSIDER WHAT THE RATE IS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT INCREASING A RATE BASED ON OLD DATA THAT THEN DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE ADDITIONAL SALES. 
          I'M JUST GLAD I HAD A 30% DISCOUNT FOR ALL THESE YEARS. 
          WE'RE NOT SURE THAT YOU DID. 
          I THINK I DID. 
          YOU PROBABLY DID. 
          I THINK I DID. 
          UM, OKAY, WELL, UH, I THINK 
          [01:50:02]
THAT'S A GOOD DISCUSSION. I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T SEE OTHER GREEN LIGHTS. 
          MISS JENNIFER, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I KNOW IT'S BEEN A ROUGH ROAD, BUT WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP OVER THERE, AND UH, HOPE YOU CAN CONTINUE YOUR HIRING, GET EVERYBODY IN THERE, AND THAT THOSE CALL VOLUMES, UH, GET REDUCED, SO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. UM, LET'S TAKE A 15-MINUTE RECESS. WE'LL BE BACK IN HERE AROUND 5:10 FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THEN WE'LL WALK THROUGH THE REST OF THE LONG AGENDA. WE'VE GOT EVERYBODY BACK HOME HERE. 
          LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL OURSELVES BACK INTO SESSION. 
          UM, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE INTO PUBLIC COMMENT. MISS CITY SECRETARY, IF I CAN HAND THIS ONE OVER TO YOU, WE WILL HEAR FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS. 
          DO YOU WANT TO COVER 4.5 FIRST? MM. 
          FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I PROBABLY BETTER. THANK YOU. 
          THAT ONE, UH, REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, ITEM 4.5. THANK YOU, MISS CITY SECRETARY. I HEAR NONE. OKAY, 
          [5. Public Comment - The public will be permitted to offer public comment on agenda items and items related to City business. Citizens interested in commenting may sign up online at https://www.amarillo.gov/city-secretary/public-comment-registration-form/, by calling the City Secretary’s office at (806) 378-3014, or in person in Room 3500 of City Hall, 623 S. Johnson. Citizens should sign up at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled meeting start time.]
WE'LL MOVE FORWARD. 
          EXCELLENT. 
          WE WILL NOW MOVE INTO SECTION 05, PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU, MA'AM. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN TODAY'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING. WE VALUE YOUR INPUT AND APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS. EACH SPEAKER TODAY WILL HAVE 3 MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          AT 2 AND A HALF MINUTES, A SINGLE BEEP WILL SIGNAL 30 SECONDS REMAINING. 
          WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP, THE TIMER WILL BEEP CONTINUOUSLY, AND WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE STAY WITHIN YOUR ALLOTTED TIME. WE WILL BE USING BOTH PODIUMS TODAY. WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE OPEN PODIUM. WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, WHETHER OR NOT YOU LIVE WITHIN THE AMARILLO CITY LIMITS, AND THEN YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR COMMENTS TO COUNCIL. 
          FOR TOPICS NOT ON TODAY'S AGENDA, THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT LIMITS HOW COUNCIL MAY RESPOND. COUNCIL MAY PROVIDE A FACTUAL STATEMENT, ASK FOR YOUR ISSUE TO BE ADDED TO A FUTURE AGENDA, OR REFER YOU TO THE CITY MANAGER SO THAT STAFF CAN VISIT WITH YOU ABOUT YOUR CONCERN. 
          IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK BUT HAVEN'T SIGNED UP YET, PLEASE COME SEE ME AT THIS FRONT TABLE NOW TO FILL OUT A FORM SO WE CAN GET YOU ADDED TO OUR LIST. 
          AT THIS TIME, WE WILL BEGIN WITH ANISHA FRANCO, AND ON DECK WILL BE MILTON GUERRERO. AND I DON'T SEE EITHER OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HERE. HOW ABOUT AARON KING? CHRIS PITTMAN. MEGAN FARRELL. 
          MICHAEL FORD. I KNOW HE'S HERE. 
          ON DECK AFTER MICHAEL WILL BE REBECCA ARAGON. SO, REBECCA, YOU MAY COME TO THE EMPTY PODIUM. 
          LET'S MOVE TO THE FRONT. MR. MAYOR, COULD I HAVE THE, BEFORE WE START THE, THE, THE CLOCK, COULD I HAVE A COURTESY INDULGEMENT FOR ABOUT 15 OR 30 SECONDS, IF I CAN GET THROUGH IT? SO. 
          IT'S, I WANT TO, I WANT TO TALK TO A CH- UH, COUNCILMEMBER PRESCOTT, ACTUALLY APOLOGIZE BEFORE MY TIME STARTS. 
          GO RIGHT AHEAD. WE'LL HOLD THE CLOCK JUST FOR THIS BRIEF I APPRECIATE ENCOUNTER. 
          YES. MR. PRESCOTT, UM... I PUBLICLY ACCOSTED YOU SEVERAL MONTHS AGO HERE IN THIS CHAMBER, AND IT WAS WRONG, AND I WAS WRONG, AND UH, I JUST ASK FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS. 
          100%. 100%. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. FORD. 
          OKAY. GET MY BREATH. ALL RIGHT. 
          MAYOR STANLEY, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, I'M TALKING ABOUT ITEM 642. IT'S THE LAST ITEM ON YOUR CONSENT AGENDA. THAT ITEM ASKS YOU TO ACCEPT THE CITY MANAGER'S RESIGNATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 9A- 9AD OF HIS CONTRACT. 9AD IS THE CLAUSE THAT TURNS A RESIGNATION INTO A TERMINATION. A TERMINATION PLAY- PAYS 12 MONTHS SALARY IN LUMP SUM, ABOUT 291,000 DOLLARS, PLUS DEFERRED COMPENSATION CONTRIBUTION AND A YEAR OF HEALTH INSURANCE PAYMENTS. 
          SECTION 11, THE VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION CLAUSE, PAYS ACCRUED LEAVE AND NOTHING ELSE. 
          SO THE SECTION YOU NAME IN YOUR MOTION, UH, AGENDA ITEM DAY THIS AFTERNOON IS WORTH ROUGH- ROUGHLY 300,000 DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC MONEY. SECTION 9A D APPLIES ONLY IF THE CITY MANAGER RESIGNED AFTER THIS COUNCIL, QUOTE, AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MAJORITY, OFFERED OR SUGGESTED THAT HE RESIGN. ON THURSDAY, THE MAYOR TOLD US, UH, THAT MR. PASS SUBMITTED HIS LETTER AND THAT, THAT THE COUNCIL COLLECTIVELY DELIBERATED ON IT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          UNDER THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, SECTION 551-102, A DECISION, A FINAL DECISION ON ANYTHING DELIBERATED IN CLOSED SESSION MAY ONLY BE MADE IN AN OPEN SESSION, IN AN OPEN MEETING ON A POSTED AGENDA. THERE IS NO OPEN SESSION ITEM ON ANY DATE AT WHICH THIS COUNCIL VOTED TO REQUEST, SUGGEST, OR TO OFFER, OR OFFER TO ACCEPT 
          [01:55:01]
THE CITY MANAGER'S RESIGNATION. 
          INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS CANNOT ACT FOR THE CITY. AS A MATTER OF LAW, THIS COUNCIL NEVER MADE A 9AD OFFER. THAT LEAVES 2 POSSIBILITIES. EITHER, UH, NO OFFER WAS EVER MADE AND 9AD DOES NOT APPLY, OR AN OFFER WAS REACHED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ON SEPTEMBER 16TH, WHICH VIOLATES SECTION 551102 OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT AND IS VOIDABLE UNDER SECTION 551141. EITHER WAY, THE SEVERANCE IS NOT OWED, AND PAYING MONEY THE CONTRACT DOES NOT REQUIRE IS A EXTRA COMPENSATION AFTER SERVICE RENDERED, WHICH ARTICLE 3, SECTION 53 OF TEXAS CONSTITUTION PROHIBITS. I HAVE DELIVERED A LETTER TO THE CITY SECRETARY AND TO EACH OF YOU ASKING YOU TO SIGN CONSENT AND ADOPT FIVE FINDINGS. THE CENTRAL ONE IS THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS TAKEN NO OPEN SESSION ACTION TO REQUEST HIS RESIGNATION, AND THAT UNDER SECTION 551102, IT COULD NOT HAVE DONE SO IN CLOSED SESSION. ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION UNDER SECTION 11, PAY AS ACCRUED LEAVE, PAY NOTHING UNDER SECTION 10. 
          IF INSTEAD YOU VOTE UNDER 9AD AND AUTHORIZE ANY SECTION 10 PAYMENT, I REGRET TO SAY I'LL FILE AN ACTION UNDER SECTION 551142 IN POTTER COUNTY DISTRICT COURT FOR MANDAMUS AND INJUNCTION TO REVERSE THAT VOTE AND STOP THE DISBURSEMENT, AND I WILL ASK THE COURT TO EXAMINE THE CERTIFIED AGENDA OF YOUR SEPTEMBER 16 CLOSED SESSION UNDER SECTION 551041104B. UH, THAT'S NOT A THREAT, IT'S JUST A NOTICE. 
          I'VE ALSO ASKED THE CITY TO PRESERVE THAT RECORD. UH, LAST SENTENCE, THE PUBLIC WILL NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 16TH UNLESS YOU TELL US. THE RECORD ALREADY SHOWS WHAT DID NOT HAPPEN, AND VOTE ACCORDINGLY. THANK YOU. 
          REBECCA ARAGON. ROBERT RUNEQUIST. IS ROBERT HERE? ROBBIE CARTER. CHAZ SPEARS. 
          TIFFANY RILES. AND AFTER TIFFANY WILL BE MIKE FISHER. 
          TIFFANY RILES, RESIDENT OF AMARILLO. THE QUESTIONS I HAVE POSED DIRECTLY TO THIS COUNCIL REGARDING THE USE OF FLOCK CAMERAS INSIDE OF OUR LOCAL PARKS WHERE THERE ARE NO VEHICLES ARE STILL REMAIN UNANSWERED. I'VE NOW LEARNED ABOUT EVERY OTHER KIND OF CAMERAS, ONES I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT, THE BODY CAMERAS, THE DASH CAMS, BUT NOTHING ABOUT WHY THESE CAMERAS ARE IN THE PARKS, WHAT THEY'RE RECORDING. ARE THEY USING AI FACIAL RECOGNITION? ARE WE FEEDING INTO A LARGER AI MODEL? HOW IS OUR DATA STAYING LOCAL AND PRIVATE? IS THIS DATA ALSO BEING DELETED AFTER 7 DAYS? HOW EXACTLY IS THIS DATA BEING USED? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET ANSWERS? I KNOW AS A CITIZEN I CAN FILL OUT A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST, BUT WHAT OTHERS IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE TRIED, YOU FORWARDED THEIR REQUEST TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AS IF, UM, POSING, WE'RE, WE'RE POSING SOME SORT OF THREAT BY ASKING OUR GOVERNMENT FOR TRANSPARENCY. Y'ALL, I'M A LIBRARIAN. THE ONLY THREAT I POSE TO THIS COUNTRY IS TO ITS LITERACY CRISIS. I'M GOING TO ASK TODAY THAT YOU REINSTATE THE DIGITAL RIGHTS ADVISE- ADVISORY BOARD, BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE A COMMITTEE TO PLACATE IT, DO IT RIGHT. 
          THE ONE AND ONLY MEETING THAT HA- THAT WA- THAT WAS OCCURRED, UM, WAS ON A FRIDAY AT 11 A.M., WHICH IS SIMPLY NOT ACCESSIBLE. 
          UM, AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BECOME A WEEKLY OR BIWEEKLY THING SO THAT TO ALLOW OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL CITIZENS TO COME AND HAVE THEIR CONCERNS VOICED AND THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED. AND I DON'T WANT ANOTHER SUIT ANS- RUNNING THIS THAT CAN'T ANSWER ANY OF MY QUESTIONS. UH, THE CHIEF OF POLICE IS THE ONE WRITING THE GRANTS. HE'S THE ONE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC. HE'S ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT NOT MINE. HE IS THE ONE I WANT SITTING AT THAT TABLE. 
          THE INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE HAS AN ONLINE DATABASE OF FLOCK CAMERA OR ANY ALPR MISUSE, AND THERE'S OVER 200 INSTANCES, INCLUDING ROMANTIC STALKING, WRONGFUL STOPS IN DETENTION, NON-LAW, NON-LAW ENFORCEMENT USE, AND OTHER TYPES OF MIN- MISCONDUCT. 14 OF THESE INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED IN TEXAS, ONE, OF COURSE, BEING OUR VERY OWN APD OFFICER. 
          AMARILLO HAS MADE THE MAP. WE ALL KNOW THIS IS A HUGE TOPIC, AND SOON I DO HOPE IT WILL HIT THE TEXAS HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES, UH, AND I'LL SHOW UP THERE TOO, AND I'LL PROVIDE PUBLIC TESTIMONY THERE. I'M THANKFUL FOR THE RIGHTS GRANTED TO ME BY THE CONSTITUTION, THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH, THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE, RE- FREEDOM OF RELIGION TO PROTEST, EVEN TO SPEAK HERE TODAY. TO QUOTE LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS FROM 1863, THIS NATION UNDER GOD SHALL HAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM, AND THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH. THESE ARE SOME OF THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF OUR NATION, AND I STAND BEHIND THEM. SO I WILL NOT, UH, I REFUSE TO SIT IDLY BY AND WATCH OUR PRIVACY RIGHTS BE PLUCKED AWAY ONE BY ONE. I WON'T SIT STILL OR QUIET WHEN I WATCH YOU SIGN OVER OUR WATER RIGHTS TO FERMI, UH, THE DATA CENTER THAT WILL TAKE OUR WATER, POLLUTE OUR AIR, AND EVENTUALLY DECIMATE OUR PROPERTY VALUES, BECAUSE WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WANTS TO LIVE 14 MILES FROM THE WORLD'S LARGEST DATA CENTER? 
          [02:00:02]
SO YOU CAN HIRE OR FIRE WHATEVER SUITS YOU DESIRE, BUT IT DOESN'T RECUSE YOU FROM THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE DECISIONS YOU'VE MADE AND THE VOTES YOU'VE TAKEN. I WILL S- CONTINUE TO SHOW UP AND STAND UP. I WILL SAY IT, I WILL SHOUT IT, I WILL SCREAM IT, I WILL PUT IT ON A SIGN. I WILL NOT LET YOU FORGET. 
          UM, MA'AM, IF YOU WOULDN'T, UH, PLEASE LEAVE. I'D LOVE TO DIRECT YOU TO OUR CHIEF OVER HERE. WE- THERE'S NO REASON TO WAIT ON YOUR ANSWERS. WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH, UH, ALL THE TRANSPARENCY, ACCURACY, AND ANSWERS THAT YOU'D LIKE RIGHT HERE TODAY. SO, UH, CHIEF HOVER RIGHT OVER THERE. 
          THANK YOU, MA'AM. MR. FISHER, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. NAME'S MIKE FISHER. I LIVE IN THE CITY LIMITS OF AMARILLO. ITEM 6.42 ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. I'D REALLY LIKE FOR YOU GUYS TO AT LEAST TALK ABOUT IT. THAT'S KIND OF THE, IT'S THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA KIND OF GLOSS OVER IT. AND I'M NOT ASKING FOR YOU TO DIVULGE, LIKE, EXECUTIVE SESSION THINGS THAT, THAT AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE TALKED ABOUT FOR PERSONNEL MATTERS, BUT I THINK YOU SHOULD, LIKE, DISCUSS, UM, HOW THIS HAPPENED AND WHAT YOU'RE, AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DECIDING, UH, WITH THE ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF THE CITY MANAGER. I THINK THAT WE, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THIS, AND I THINK THE ATTORNEY WILL, UH, AGREE THAT A CONTRACT CANNOT OVERRIDE THE, UH, CITY CHARTER. LIKE, IT CAN'T OVERRIDE THE RULES OF THAT. I THINK WE, WE ALL KNOW THAT. UM, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE CITY CHARTER AND, UH, NUMBER 20, IT'S LIKE SECTION 05, I THINK, ARTICLE 5, SECTION 20, THE CITY MANAGER SERVES AT THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL. 
          NUMBER 22 SAID THE CITY CANNOT MAKE A CONTRACT BINDING ITSELF TO PAY FOR PERSONAL SERVICES FOR A STATED PERIOD. AND ALSO IN 22, IT SAYS APPOINTIVE OFFICES AND EMPLOYEES REMAINED, UH, SUBJECT TO PEREMPTOR- PEREMPTORY DISCHARGE, MEANING AT WILL, LIKE THE, LIKE WE CAN JUST FIRE AND HIRE FOR ANY REASON. WE DON'T HAVE TO, IF WE'RE NOT VIOLATING YOUR, YOUR RIGHTS, YOUR CIVIL RIGHTS, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, UH, WE CAN FIRE YOU FOR ANY OTHER REASON OTHER THAN THAT. 
          UM, SO IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S SAYING WE CAN'T BE OBLIGATED, WE CAN'T BE OBLIGATED TO, UH, A CONTRACT FOR PERSONAL SERVICES. SO ESPECIALLY IN THIS SITUATION WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMEBODY THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE HERE. LIKE, SO HE'S NOT GOING TO BE EMPLOYED HERE, AND THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, THAT WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO PAY HIM, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE 3 OR 400 THOUSAND DOLLARS. AND I THINK WE SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO THAT, AND I THINK IT, I MEAN, MAYBE HE DESERVES SOMETHING, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I THINK IT SHOULD BE NEGOTIATED, AND IT SHOULDN'T BE A HARD SET NUMBER. I THINK IT SHOULD BE BASED ON WHAT HE'S ACCOMPLISHED HERE. I MEAN, I THINK IT SHOULD BE A FAIR THING, OR OR LET IT BE DECIDED IN COURT, AND THEN WE CAN ARGUE THE CHARTER. UM, THE CHARTER THING, UH, IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING. I MEAN, KIND OF TRANSITIONING INTO THAT. IF WE CAN'T ABIDE BY THE CHARTER, IF WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GOING BY IT, WE SHOULD GET RID OF IT. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW, THAT WE ONLY HAVE, YOU GUYS ONLY HAVE, UH, A SAY SO OVER THE CITY MANAGERS. YOU CAN ADOPT POLICY, AND YOU CAN ADOPT A BUDGET, BUT WE'VE SEEN THAT YOU GUYS AREN'T, ARE REALLY HAVING A HARD TIME OVER ALL OF THAT. I MEAN, THE POLICY PART, BUT YOU'RE HAVING A HARD TIME OVER BUDGET AND MANAGING THE CITY MANAGER, AND I THINK WE SHOULD RECONSIDER THE CITY MANAGER SYSTEM, AND I THINK YOU GUYS COULD BE THE FIRST ONES TO START THAT CONVERSATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          MAYOR, THAT CONCLUDES EVERYONE THAT SIGNED UP. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU, MISS CITY SECRETARY. DO I HAVE ANYBODY HERE WHO HASN'T SIGNED UP THAT WOULD LIKE TO OFFER PUB- UH, PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          [6. Consent Agenda - It is recommended that the following items be approved and that the City Manager be authorized to execute all documents necessary for each transaction. The following items may be acted upon by one motion. No separate discussion or action on any of the items is necessary unless desired by a Councilmember, in which event the item shall be considered in its normal sequence, after the items not requiring separate discussion have been acted upon by a single motion.]
UM, WE'LL MOVE INTO THE CONSENT AGENDA. UM, BEFORE WE WALK INTO THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, GIVE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS I CAN AND, AND ALLOW FOR COMMENT OR DISCUSSION FROM COUNCIL. SO WE DO HAVE ON THE AGENDA AN ITEM PLACED, UM, THAT WAS PLACED BASED ON THE FACT THAT A RESIGNATION WAS OFFERED. SO, UH, A RE- A RESIGNATION DOESN'T HAVE TO BE REQUIRED. IT CAN BE BY A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL, BUT THEN THE OTHER PARTY INVOLVED, UM, CAN OFFER THAT. IT WAS OFFERED IN THE WAY OF, UH, A MUTUAL, A AN AGREEMENT OF MUTUAL SEPARATION. AND SO THE CONTRACT SPEAKS REAL SPECIFICALLY, AND YOU GUYS CAN READ IT. SOME OF YOU GUYS ARE, HAVE FAR MORE EXPERTISE IN THOSE CONTRACTUAL, UH, KNOWLEDGE AND AND THAN THAN WE DO, BUT THEN IT SAYS WHAT IT SAYS. 
          AND SO THIS WAS NOT A TERMINATION, UH, 
          [02:05:02]
IT WAS NOT A TERMINATION FOR CAUSE. AND SO IN A MUTUAL AGREED SEPARATION, UM, IT CAN BE LISTED IN A WAY WHERE, UH, COUNSEL CAN CONSIDER WHAT THE CONTRACT ALREADY WAS AGREED TO. SO WHEN WE ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT TO HIRE THAT EMPLOYEE, AND EVEN PRIOR TO THAT, THAT CONTRACT EMPLOYEE, WHEN IT WENT OUT FOR A PROPOSAL TO TAKE AS MANY APPLICATIONS AS IT COULD, IT CONSIDERED ALL OF THESE THINGS IN A SEPARATION, AND IT DOES COME AT A, AT A DOLLAR COST. UM, AND THEN, UH, ON BOTH SIDES, THERE ARE COSTS INVOLVED, UM, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SEE THAT THAT CHOOSES TO WALK WITH WITH, UM, I'D SAY ZERO COMPENSATION. SO THE THE POINT IN THAT STATEMENT IS THAT THIS COUNCIL AND THE CITY OF AMARILLO, UH, FULFILLS ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER ALL ITS CONTRACTS, AND THE CONTRACT SPEAKS TO IT. 
          I'M GONNA LET THE CONTRACT SPEAK IN THE WAY THAT IT NEEDS TO TO DEFINE WHAT HAS HAPPENED, BUT I'M GOING TO SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT WE AS A, A BODY, UM, WILL CONTINUE TO, TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ORGANIZATION MOVES FORWARD, IS AS HEALTHY AS IT POSSIBLY CAN BE, AND THAT ALL THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO THE STAFF MEMBERS ARE PROVIDED, UH, BOTH HUMAN RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES, SO THAT OUR TEAM CAN PROVIDE EVERY SERVICE THAT WE CAN GET TO, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THOSE SERVICES. UM, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT THAT, THAT REMAINS, AND IN MAKING CHANGES AND MOVING THE SHIP FORWARD, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PUT PEOPLE IN PLACE. THAT BEING SAID, UM, WE HAVE A PLAN. EVERYTHING'S OKAY. UH, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A DISRUPTION IN SERVICE. YOUR TOILET WILL FLUSH IN THE MORNING, THE WATER WILL COME ON. UM, IF YOU CALL FOR HELP, OUR LOCAL HEROES WILL RESPOND. 
          WE HAVE A, A CONTINUITY IN OUR GOVERNANCE HERE. WE HAVE, WE SIT ON A STRONG TEAM UP HERE ON THIS DAIS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE STRONG DIRECTORS AND EMPLOYEES AND STAFF MEMBERS OUT THERE THAT LOVE AND CARE FOR THE CITY. UH, THE PLAN THAT IS IN PLACE, UM, COUNCIL DELIBERATED SPECIFICALLY IN EXEC OVER WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS A STRATEGY THAT WE IMPLEMENT, NOT NECESSARILY THE RESIGNATION OR, UM, THAT, THAT PARTICULAR, UH, EMPLOYEE CONTRACT, BUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN FORWARD. 
          AND SO HERE'S THE STRATEGIC PLAN. I FEEL LIKE IN WALKING THIS OUT ONE TIME BEFORE, UM, IT WAS NOT DONE AS WELL AS IT COULD BE BECAUSE WHAT WE KNEW TO DO WAS TO GO TO, UH, ANOTHER EMPLOYEE AND SAY, YOU BE THE INTERIM, AND THEN WE'LL OPEN UP FOR, AT LARGE, ALL APPLICANTS TO LOOK FOR A PERMANENT CITY MANAGER. 
          THIS COUNCIL, I THINK, HAS SEEN HOW THAT CAN WORK, UM, AGAINST THAT PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL THAT MAY WANT TO APPLY FOR THAT POSITION. 
          SO, IN WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO WAS WE NEEDED TO HAVE AN ACTING, UM, CITY MANAGER, NOT, NOT AN INTERIM CITY MANAGER IN PLACE TODAY. SO I WANT TO DEFINE FOR YOU THE DIFFERENCE. AN ACTING CITY MANAGER IS WHAT TAKES PLACE ANYTIME OUR CITY MANAGER'S NOT IN THE OFFICE. 
          SO IF HE'S OUT OF TOWN FOR A REASON, HE'LL APPOINT THE DEPUTY ACTING CITY MANAGER. WE AS COUNCIL HAVE DIRECTED THE SAME THING. SO MR. FREEMAN IS YOUR ACTING CITY MANAGER HERE, UM, FOR AN EXPECTED, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE 7 DAYS, MAYBE 37 DAYS. WE WE DON'T KNOW, BUT WE WOULD SAY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 30 TO 60 DAYS, MR. FREEMAN WILL, UH, KEEP EVERYTHING MOVING FORWARD AND TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING THAT HE'S ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF, PLUS THESE ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES. AS THE ACTING CITY MANAGER, HE IS NOT THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER. IT DOESN'T COME WITH A CONTRACT, IT DOESN'T COME WITH A PAY INCREASE, IT DOESN'T CHANGE MUCH, UH, IN THAT FORM. WHAT IT DOES IS IT SPEAKS TO THIS, THE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT'S IN PLACE. WE AS A BODY BELIEVE, AND I'M GOING TO ASK IF COUNCIL HAS ANY ADDITIONAL REMARKS HERE SO THEY CAN ALL SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT BY HIRING A CONSULTING FIRM THAT HAS A POOL OF APPLICANTS, WE CAN GO OUT AND WE CAN GET AN INTERIM CITY MANAGER, UH, ON BOARD RATHER QUICKLY. THAT INTERIM CITY MANAGER COMES INTO, UH, A MUCH MORE DIRECT ROLE OF LET'S EVALUATE THE ORGANIZATION, LET'S DIAGNOSE IF WHERE WE'RE HEALTHY, WHERE WE MAY BE UNHEALTHY, WHERE WE HAVE ISSUES, LET'S SEE WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED UPON, AND THEN WHILE THAT IS TAKING PLACE, WE ARE ABLE TO SIGN, I'D SAY, NO MORE THAN A 12-MONTH AGREEMENT WITH THAT INTERIM CITY MANAGER THAT WILL ALLOW FOR A SEARCH TO TAKE PLACE FOR THE PERMANENT CITY MANAGER. 
          WE WOULD BE LOOKING FOR AN INTERIM THAT WOULD NOT BE APPLYING FOR THAT PERMANENT ROLE. THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS TO STILL APPLY, AND THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR A- UH, EXTERNAL APPLICANTS TO APPLY. WE BELIEVE THAT AS A BODY, THAT IS THE BEST DIRECTION FORWARD, UM, WITH SOME OF THE CONDITIONS THAT THAT WE HAVE. 
          [02:10:02]
SO, COUNCIL, I I WOULD SAY... I DON'T KNOW THAT I- I'M SURE I CAN OFFER MORE DETAIL, BUT BUT I DO- I HATE TO OFFER ANYTHING WITHOUT LETTING YOU GUYS SPEAK TO MAYBE WHAT WE'VE COME THROUGH AND WHAT YOUR DIRECTION IS. UM, SO I'LL I'LL JUST OPEN IT UP FOR ADDITIONAL REMARKS AT THIS TIME. ALL RIGHT, WELL, UM, I'M GOOD WITH, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW COUNSEL TO SPEAK. 
          IT'S IT'S HARD TO SPEAK AS ONE VOICE, UM, BUT WE HAVE TODAY, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS WE'RE, WE'RE VERY STRONG IN THE, IN THE MOVE FORWARD. 
          UM, WE ARE TARGETED. WE, WE HAVE SOME GUIDANCE AND, AND GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO MR. FREEMAN. UM, HE KNOWS EXACTLY, UH, WHAT HE NEEDS TO CARRY OUT OVER HERE. UH, WE HAVE A BUDGET IN PLACE, YOU KNOW, WITHIN A WEEK. IT'S GOING TO BE SUPER STRONG. UM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME GOOD RESOURCES, AND THEN THE CITIZENS NEED TO HEAR THAT THAT'S OUR INTENTION. 
          AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, GETTING AN INTERIM CITY MANAGER IN FRONT OF YOU GUYS BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. WE'LL MAKE THAT DECISION, AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE TO WALK OUT THE STEPS, UH, NEEDED WITH CHANGE. SO, GENTLEMEN, ITEM 6, OUR CONSENT AGENDA IS BEFORE YOU, INCLUDING ITEM 6.42, AND I WOULD JUST ASK IF YOU GUYS ARE READY, I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION. 
          SO MOVED. 
          SECOND. 
          I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? I JUST WANT TO STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT WITH THE APPROVAL OF TODAY'S 6.42 AGENDA ITEM, THE CITY WILL HAVE SPENT MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION DOLLARS ON SEPARATION COSTS FOR SU- TWO CITY MANAGERS IN 3 YEARS. 891,731 DOLLARS FOR JARED MILLER, UH, 342,265 FOR GRAYSON PATH. UH, I VOTE NO. 
          OKAY, SO MOTION PASSES WITH A 4 TO 1 VOTE. MR. SIMPSON, I KNOW YOU REMAINED QUIET THERE WHEN I ASKED IF ANYBODY HAD ANYTHING THEY'D LIKE TO COMMENT. SO, UM, I- I'LL ASK NOW, DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? I'VE MADE MY COMMENT. 
          GOT IT ALL OUT THERE. OKAY, 
          [7.1. Consideration of Ordinance No. 8269. This item is the second and final reading of an ordinance considering the rezoning of 5.712 acres of land, being the east 153.1 feet of Lot 26 and the west 395.6 feet of Lot 27, Block 2, Coulter Acres, a subdivision of the north one-half of Section 38, Block 9, B.S.& F. Survey, Randall County, Texas, plus one-half of all bounding streets, alleys, and public ways, to change from Office District 2 to Planned Development District 412 for a Tiny Home Village. (VICINITY: Coulter St. & S.W. 77th Ave.; APPLICANT/S: OJD Engineering, LLC for Fairly Four A Texas General Partnership) (Brady Kendrick, Senior Planner)]
THEN WE'LL MOVE FORWARD. UH, ITEM 7.1. I SEE HIM BACK THERE. 
          MR. KENDRICK. HOW YOU DOING TODAY, SIR? I'M DOING GOOD. 
          ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE UP. 
          ALL RIGHT, UM. 
          JUST A REMINDER, THIS IS A SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE THAT YOU MAY NEED TO STEP OUT ON. 
          THAT IS CORRECT. SO, UM, 7.1 I'M GONNA ABSTAIN ON. UH, ITEM 7.2 I'M GONNA ABSTAIN ON. SO I'VE SIGNED AN AFFIDAVIT ON 7.1. CAN I GET THE AFFIDAVIT TO DECLARE THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST? AND SO EVERYBODY HEARS IT, UH, I AM THE DEVELOPER, UH, ON 7.1, AND I AM A CONTRACTOR THAT IS BIDDING ON THE PROJECT FOR ITEM 7.2. 
          SO, UM, I WILL NOT BE IN THE ROOM, BUT ASK YOU GUYS COME GET ME. 
          MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, IT'S OVER TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. YOU CAN PRESENT WHAT YOU NEED TO ON THIS ORDINANCE. 
          SURE. UM, SO YEAH, THIS IS, UH, AS STEPHANIE MENTIONED, THIS IS THE SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE 8269. UM, IT HAS TO BE HEARD ON THE NON-CONSENTED AGENDA SINCE THE, UH, MAYOR HAD TO ABSTAIN FROM IT, AND IT WAS NOT A UNANIMOUS VOTE. SO NOTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE THE LAST MEETING, AND THERE HAS BEEN NO ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENTS. SO, UH, WITH THAT, UM, I'LL TAKE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS OR ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP ON THIS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. 
          OKAY, THIS BEING THE SECOND READING, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE, I'LL CALL THIS FOR A VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? UH, LET'S VOTE. 
          WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          I'M SORRY, MO- I'M SORRY, A MOTION. 
          I MOVE TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NUMBER 8269 AS PRESENTED. 
          SECOND. 
          OKAY, HEARING A MOTION AND A SECOND, UH, LET'S TAKE A VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          THOSE OPPOSED? NONE. ORDINANCE PASSES. OKAY, FOR 7, UH, 7.2, 
          [7.2. Consider Approval - Amendment to Lease with Amarillo Botanical Gardens. This item considers approval of an amendment to the existing lease agreement with the Amarillo Botanical Gardens to expand the lease boundaries. (Michael Kashuba, Director of Parks and Recreation)]
ITEM 7.2, UH, CONSIDERING THE AMENDMENT TO A LEASE WITH THE AMER- AMARILLO BOTANICAL GARDENS, AND I BELIEVE MR. KACHUBA WILL BE UP PRESENTING. 
          COUNCIL, THE ITEM BEFORE YOU TODAY IS JUST AN AMENDMENT TO, UH, THE AMENDED AND RESTATED LEASE, UH, WITH THE AMARILLO BOTANICAL GARDEN. UH, ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ADDING 0.43 ACRES TO, UH, THE LEASE WITH ANOTHER LEASE OPTION FOR AN ADDITIONAL 1.04 ACRES. 
          UH, THE TERM EXPIRES THE SAME AS IT DID BEFORE, SEPTEMBER 
          [02:15:02]
30TH OF 2033. BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OF MR. KACHUGA? AND NO CHANGES. 
          NO, WE'RE JUST EXPANDING THE LEASE, THE CURRENT LEASE FOOTPRINT, AND THEN GIVING THEM AN OPTION TO ADD ANOTHER 1.04 ACRES. 
          SO, UH, THEY JUST HAVE SOME EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES AND, UH, JUST EXPANDING THE LEASE FOR THAT. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          I MOVE TO ACCEPT, UH, ITEM 7.2 AS PRESENTED. 
          SECOND. 
          HAVING A MOTION AND A SECOND, LET'S TAKE A VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? PASSES WITH A 4-0 VOTE. UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU FOR RUNNING THOSE TWO ITEMS. MAN, RIGHT NOW I THINK I SHOULD CON- CONSULT WITH THE CITY SECRETARY AND MAKE SURE I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. 7.3. UM, I, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TODAY. I'VE MISSED A COUPLE OF THESE CUES, SO, UH, 
          [7.3. Consideration of Ordinance No. 8270. This item is the first reading of an ordinance adopting the City of Amarillo budget for the 2026/2027 fiscal year. This budget allows for the City to continue providing effective public services, programs and assistance to Amarillo residents in the upcoming year.]
IT'S A BIG AGENDA TODAY. SO 7.3, UM, THIS IS OUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR ORDINANCE, AND SO DO WE HAVE ANY PRESENTATION ON THIS? I'M SURE WE DO. 
          YES, SIR. 
          NO. 
          ON THE 7.3? YEAH, WE DO HAVE PRESENTATION, CORRECT? YES. 
          OKAY. UH, IT JUST DIDN'T LIST WHO WAS GIVEN IT, SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO YOU, SIR. 
          YES, SIR. UH, SO I'LL RUN YOU THROUGH THE, THE SLIDES FOR TODAY. UM, WE PRESENTED IT BASED ON THE, THE MOST RECENT COUNCIL DIRECTION TO GIVE YOU A, A LOOK AT WHAT A FLAT KEEP THE RATE THE SAME FROM 25-26, SO IT'S A 43.07, UH, TAX RATE. UH, THE HIGHLIGHTS HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH. UM, ALL YOU'LL SEE THAT'S DIFFERENT ON THIS SLIDE IS WITH THE AVAILABLE REVENUE, WE WERE ABLE TO ADD A FEW MORE, UH, KEY STAFF POSITIONS IN CORE AREAS, BUT OTHERWISE IT'S STILL, UM, POTENTIAL RAISES FOR, UH, FOR STAFF, ADDITIONAL SERVICES, UH, CONTINUED FUNDING FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, INCLUDING STREET MAINTENANCE, THE TWDB LOAN, FLEET PURCHASES, AND FIRE APPARATUS, AND THEN ADDRESSING, UH, RISING COSTS IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT AREAS. 
          ON, UH, SEPTEMBER 14TH, OF COURSE, COUNCIL SET THE TAX CEILING AT THE 4307 RATE, UH, SO THIS IS A REDUCED, UH, EXAMPLE OF THE DIFFERENT RATES AND THE, UH, ASSOCIATED ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX THAT EACH WOULD PRODUCE. UM, THESE DO LOOK A LITTLE HIGHER. THIS IS THE FULL, UH, IMPACT. UH, IT DOESN'T REFLECT WHAT WE PREVIOUSLY BUILT IN THE BUDGET IN, IN AUGUST. 
          UH, SO THE 4307 RATE IS 2.3 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL TAXES, AND THEN AS YOU GO DOWN TO THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE OF 42170, UH, THAT'S THE 843,000, UH, 437 DOLLARS. UH, A PORTION OF, UH, THE TAX BASE GROWTH, WE DO HAVE NEW TAXABLE VALUE THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE, UH, THE RATE HERE. WE ADDED OVER 300 MILLION IN TAX BASE AT THE 4307 RATE. 
          THAT EQUATES TO ABOUT 1.2 MILLION OF THE 2.3 MILLION, UM, JUST FOR CONTEXT ON THAT. AS FAR AS PROPOSED FEE CHANGES, UH, JUST A REMINDER OF THE FEES WE ARE LOOKING TO, TO ADD. UH, WE'VE GOT THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTION ADJUSTMENTS. WE ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS THAT PROPOSE COST RECOVERY RELATED FEES, AND THEN I'VE HIGHLIGHTED IN BOLD THERE THE SOLID WASTE LANDFILL TIPPING FEE. UH, IN THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS, THIS WAS AT 24.08%, OR 1.2, UH, MILLION. UH, WE DO HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, UH, BASED ON SOME ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION WITH STAFF TO INCREASE THAT TO 29.76, WHICH WILL ADD AN ADDITIONAL 250,000 DOLLARS THAT WOULD OFFSET, UH, A PROPOSAL BASICALLY TO REMOVE THE SOLID WASTE COLLECTORS PERMIT, UH, REQUIREMENT AND JUST ADJUSTING THE TIPPING FEES TO COVER THE, UH, THE MISSED REVENUE FROM THAT PROGRAM. UH, IF WE DID PROCEED WITH THAT, IF COUNCIL WAS GOOD WITH THAT CHANGE, IT WOULD REQUIRE AN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO GET RID OF THAT PERMIT, UH, REQUIREMENT OFFICIALLY, UH, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET FOR, FOR POTENTIAL CONSIDERATION. 
          UH, WE OF COURSE HAVE STAFF IF YOU WANT TO DIG INTO THAT ONE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AS TO HOW THAT CHANGE WOULD IMPACT, UH, OPERATIONS. THEN WE'VE GOT ON THE SECOND SLIDE ADDITIONAL COST RECOVERY IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO GOT OUR WATER, SEWER, AND DRAINAGE, UH, IMPACTS TO RATES. WE HAVE SOME ON THE OPERATIONAL SIDE AND THEN SOME PROPOSED FOR THE DEBT SERVICE SIDE. 
          UH, WATER AND SEWER IN PARTICULAR IS FOR THE 60 MILLION, UH, TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, UH, LOW INTEREST LOAN FOR THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROJECT, AND THEN THE DRAINAGE WOULD BE IN RELATION TO THE, UH, STREET PROJECTS FOR TWO ARTERIALS, COLTER AND OSAGE, AND THE ASSOCIATED DRAINAGE AS FAR AS THOSE PROJECTS ARE CONCERNED. UH, THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF THE LATEST OVERALL, UH, 
          [02:20:03]
ALL FUNDS TOTAL BUDGET. UH, IT'D GO FROM 557 MILLION TO 614 MILLION, OR 10% INCREASE. 
          UH, A LARGE PART OF THAT AMOUNT IS THE CIP PROJECTS, UH, WHICH INCREASED 58.7 MILLION. 
          THAT'S MAINLY BEST BASED ON, UH, DEBT ISSUANCE BEING PROPOSED, ASSUMING COUNCIL SUPPORTS THOSE WHEN THE TIME COMES TO ISSUE A DE- ISSUE THE DEBT. 
          UH, THOSE ARE BUILT INTO THE S- SCHEDULE OF, UM, CIP YEAR ONE IN YOUR BUDGET BOOK. AS FAR AS GENERAL FUND, IT DOES GROW, UH, 7.3%, UH, APPROXIMATELY 20 MILLION DOLLARS. UH, THAT'S MADE UP IN, IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES. IT'S 3 MILLION IN FEE ADJUSTMENTS, 2.3 MILLION IN PROPERTY TAX AT THE 43 CENT RATE, 11.1 MILLION IN SALES TAX, UH, 1 MILLION IN HOT TAX BECAUSE IT IS COLLECTED IN THE GENERAL FUND BUT CAN ONLY BE USED ON HOT TAX PURPOSES. UM, AND THEN ANOTHER, UH, LARGE ONE IS THE 1.8 MILLION IN RECALCULATING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES TO OUR ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENT, SO THAT TOTALS ABOUT 19 MILLION OF THE 20 THAT YOU'RE SEEING AS FAR AS NEW GROWTH IN THAT GENERAL FUND OPERATING NUMBER. 
          AS FAR AS THE GENERAL FUND PERSONNEL INCREASES AT THE 43 CENT RATE, UH, THIS LOOKS VERY SIMILAR, BUT IT HAS INCREASED, UH, 2 MILLION DOLLARS BASED ON THE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO LOOK AT A FEW DIFFERENT AREAS. IT'S INCREASED THE CIVILIAN COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT TO 3%. 
          IT'S INCREASED POLICE SWORN SALARY INCREASES TO 4%. IT DOES ADD POLICE 5 ADDITIONAL STEPS ADD TO THE OFFICER RANK, AND THEN IT ADDS 4% FOR FIRE SWORN, UM, WHEN THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY 3%. 
          AS FAR AS SUPPLEMENTAL ADJUSTMENTS, THIS INCREASED FROM, UH, 2 MILLION UP TO 2.4 MILLION, UH, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 13, 13% OF THE 19 MILLION ORIGINALLY REQUESTED, UM, JUST TO PUT THAT IN, IN CONTEXT, WHAT THE ORIGINAL ASKS WERE, UM, OVERALL, UH, 27% OF IT WAS ALLOCATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY. WE'VE GOT 24% COVERING SOME SOFTWARE, UM, SUBSCRIPTION COSTS WITH OUR ERP WORKDAY SOFTWARE, UH, 20% GOES TO PARKS, AND THEN ON DOWN THE, ON DOWN THE LIST OF THE PIE CHART THERE. UM, THIS DOES, WITH THE CAPACITY OF THE 43 CENT FLAT TAX RATE, WE ARE ABLE TO ADD AN AFD MECHANIC ONE, UH, WHICH WAS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THIS DOES INCLUDE THE LEASE, UH, THAT WE DISCUSSED, THE LEASE PAYMENT FOR THE COMING HOME VEHICLES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. IT'S GOT THE 5% CENTER CITY MAIN STREET CONTRACT ADJUSTMENT, 100,000, UH, ASSIGNED TO SENIOR CITIZENS, UH, PROGRAM, UH, 16,000 FOR A PART-TIME RECORD SPECIALIST FOR THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE, 2 PARKS TECHNICIAN 1S, AND THEN A UPDATE TO THE BUILDING SAFETY CERTIFICATE PAY. UH, THOSE ARE TOUGH POSITIONS WHEN COMPARING TO THE TRADES AND THE MARKET THAT THEY CAN WORK IN. THIS ALLOWS FOR ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE TO ENCOURAGE CERTIFICATES AND CONTINUE EDUCATION FOR ALL THOSE, UM, INSPECTORS AND STAFF THAT WE HAVE IN THE BUILDING SAFETY DEPARTMENT. AS FAR AS A RECAP ON OTHER FUNDS, UH, THESE LOOK VERY SIMILAR. THE ONLY ADJUSTMENT WAS TO INCREASE THE PERSONNEL TO ACCOMMODATE THE 3% COLA VERSUS THE 2% COLA, UH, ARE THE CHANGES THERE. 
          OTHERWISE, VERY SIMILAR NUMBERS TO WHAT YOU'VE SEEN PREVIOUSLY. 
          AND THEN WE'VE GOT THE ONE-TIME CASH CIP GENERAL FUND, UM, IN FRONT OF YOU HERE. THIS IS A TOTAL OF 14, UH, 0.4 MILLION. 
          UH, THE INCREASE IS THE 536,000 FROM THE REVISED ESTIMATES FOR SALES TAX, NOW THAT WE HAVE THE FULL SALES TAX COLLECTIONS FOR THE YEAR, UH, WE HAVE A MORE ACCURATE NUMBER. 
          UH, WE PLUG THAT IN FOR WORKDAY PROGRAMMING HOURS. 
          UH, WE'RE, WE'RE 2 YEARS INTO THE WORKDAY SOFTWARE. WE ARE STILL CONTINUING TO DEVELOP REPORTS AND CUSTOMIZATION TO PULL AND EXTRACT THE DATA FROM THAT SYSTEM. UH, SO THIS WAS A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE FINANCE STAFF TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THAT PROGRAM. AS FAR AS BREAKDOWN, JUST YOUR MAIN CATEGORIES, YOU'VE GOT 36% GOING TOWARD PUBLIC SAFETY INITIATIVES, 17% FOR STREETS, 15% FOR PARKS, AND 10% FOR TRAFFIC, WHICH ARE NEW SIGNALS, UM, LIGHTING, AND THOSE KIND OF CRITERIA THAT ARE, ARE VERY EXPENSIVE JUST TO LIGHT UP ONE INTERSECTION. 
          AS FAR AS THE OTHER FUNDS, UH, UTILITIES AND DRAINAGE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE SEEN AN ADJUSTMENT, UM, FROM PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS. 
          UTILITIES WENT FROM 13 MILLION TO 14.9. UH, WE HAD PREVIOUSLY BUILT IN THE BUDGET, UM, THE TWB LOAN, P- MAKING OUR FIRST PAYMENT IN THIS UPCOMING YEAR. THAT'S NOT REQUIRED TILL THE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE WE'LL BE ISSUING IN SEPTEMBER. UH, SO THAT DOES ALLOW FOR SOME ONE-TIME CIP DOLLARS IN UTILITIES, UH, GROWING THAT. AND THEN DRAINAGE, SIMILAR AS AS THAT CONCEPT GOES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THE DEBT FOR OSAGE OR COULTER ON THAT FIRST YEAR. SO THAT ADDED 86,000 TO THEIR, UH, CIP. AND THEN LASTLY, JUST THE PROPOSED DEBT. UM, THIS IS WHAT'S CURRENTLY BUILT INTO THE CIP, AS RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, WOULD COME LATER WHEN IT COMES TIME TO ACTUALLY ISSUE THE DEBT. 
          WE'VE GOT THE 6.2 MILLION 
          [02:25:01]
FOR THE FIRE APPARATUS. UH, THIS IS THE PROGRAM THAT'S BUILT INTO THE I&S RATE WITH MINIMAL ADJUSTMENTS TO ACCOMMODATE THE, THE ANNUAL PURCHASES. WE HAVE 42.5 MILLION FOR SUMMER MAINTENANCE AND 2 ARTERIAL RECONSTRUCTIONS VERSUS 1 THAT WE'VE PREVIOUSLY DONE, UH, IN PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          THE PLAN WOULD BE TO ISSUE THAT OVER 2 YEARS, AND BUT WHEN WE COME TO COUNCIL IN THE SPRING, WE WOULD ANALYZE WHAT OUR TAX RATE LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT OUR EXCESS DEBT RESERVES TO TRY AND BUY DOWN THAT RATE, BASICALLY TO TRY AND KEEP IT AS FLAT AS POSSIBLE MOVING INTO FUTURE, UH, BUDGET YEARS. THE UTILITY FUND, UH, FEE, OF COURSE, IS TO PAY FOR THAT 60 MILLION TWDB LOAN THAT WE'VE BEEN APPROVED FOR. DRAINAGE FUND IS 9 AND A HALF MILLION SPLIT BETWEEN THE TWO ARTERIAL RECONSTRUCTIONS ISSUED OVER 2 YEARS AS WELL. 
          AND THEN THE FLEET FUND, UH, COVERED BY OPERATIONAL CHARGES IS AN 8 AND A HALF MILLION, UH, ISSUANCE FOR THAT PROGRAM. AND THAT IS THE, THE LATEST ON THE PROPOSAL. UH, OF COURSE, TONIGHT IS THE FIRST READING OF THE ORDINANCE, UM, SETTING THE BUDGET. WE WOULD HAVE A SECOND READING AND PUBLIC HEARING ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, SO ANY DIRECTION AS FAR AS THE VOTE GOES TONIGHT, WE WOULD MAKE THOSE FINAL ADJUSTMENTS AND BRING FORWARD A FINAL PRODUCT, UH, NEXT WEEK. 
          HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. 
          WE MAY HAVE A FEW, SO CAN YOU ROLL BACK TO THE TOTAL DEBT AMOUNT, UM, KEEP GOING. 
          AS FAR AS, OH, THE OVERALL BUDGET, THAT ONE? YEAH, THAT ONE RIGHT THERE. 
          SO, DEBT SERVICE, 67.4 MILLION. 
          SO LET ME, LET ME ASK YOU TO CONFIRM THAT WHEN WE COME BACK BY THE 29TH. HERE, HERE'S WHAT I NEED TO CONFIRM. 
          YES, SIR. 
          THE, THAT NUMBER RIGHT THERE WOULD ONLY INCLUDE THE AMOUNT OF DEBT THAT'S ALREADY ISSUED PRIOR TO TODAY. 
          THAT IS CORRECT. 
          YEAH. 
          YES, SIR. 
          SO THE NUMBER THAT I'VE RECEIVED BACK FROM BOND COUNSEL WAS NOT THAT NUMBER, AND SO I'D LIKE TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT JUST FOR ACCURACY. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND PUTTING THAT FORWARD. UM, AND THEN THE ADDITIONAL MONIES THAT YOU PUT FORWARD, THE 42 MILLION IN POTENTIAL STREETS, THE 9 MILLION IN POTENTIAL DRAINAGE, ALL THE GOOD THAT WE CAN DO. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND WE DO HAVE SOME OF THAT ROLLING OFF IN 27 AND 28. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO COUNCIL IS CONSIDERING POTENTIAL DEBT, YOU KNOW, INCREASE THAT'S ALREADY BUILT INTO SOME OF THAT RATE. SO YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT RATE, UH, SO WE'RE PROPOSING A FLAT TAX RATE, AND WITHIN THAT FLAT TAX RATE, WE'RE ALSO CONSIDERING, UM, TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF ADDITIONAL, UH, BORROWED MONEY THAT WE CAN GO OUT AND GET TO ALL THESE VERY MUCH NEEDED HIGH PRIORITY PROJECTS, BUT NOT IN, IN TOTAL CONSIDERATION OF HAVING TO RAISE THAT RATE NEXT YEAR AND, AND, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. SOME OF THAT WILL BE COVERED. AND THEN I WOULD HOPE THAT IF THAT TOTAL DEBT SERVICE IS LESS THAN THAT AMOUNT, WE MAY ACTUALLY HAVE SOME CAPACITY IN THAT DEBT SERVICE IF THIS BUDGET IS BUILT THAT WAY. AND SO I, I DON'T HAVE ANY CONCERNS HERE TODAY, BUT I WOULD JUST DOUBLE CHECK THE ACCURACY OF THAT BEFORE WE, WE GIVE OUR SECOND AND FINAL READING. 
          YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM. 
          WE TALKED ABOUT RESERVES. HAVE WE, HAVE WE GONE BACK ON THAT? YES. 
          YES, SIR. SO WE EMAILED OUT, UM, LAST WEEK AN UPDATE ON THE RESERVES. WE CAN HAVE STEPHANIE PULL THAT UP ON THE SCREEN. 
          SO WE'VE GOT GENERAL FUND IS A TARGET RESERVE OF 55 MILLION. 
          WE ARE PROJECTED TO HIT THAT AT THE END OF, UH, NEXT, UM, FISCAL YEAR BUDGET, UH, 55.7 MILLION. WATER AND SEWER FUND HAS A TARGET RESERVE OF 24 MILLION, UH, WHICH IS 3 MONTHS OPERATING RESERVE PLUS 5 MILLION CAPITAL. UM, WE'RE TARGETED TO ACTUALLY END APPROXIMATELY 27 MILLION IN THE RESERVE. 
          AIRPORT FUND IS 3 MONTHS OPERATING RESERVE PLUS 2 MILLION CAPITAL RESERVES. UM, THEY'RE SITTING AT TARGET OF 5.9. IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'LL COME IN AROUND 5.6 MILLION, JUST UNDER. 
          DRAINAGE UTILITY FUND, 3 MONTHS OPERATING RESERVE PLUS 500,000 CAPITAL. UH, THEY'RE SITTING AT 1.8, WOULD DIP DOWN TO, IS THEIR TARGET RESERVE. 
          THEY'D BE DIPPING DOWN TO ABOUT 913,000. FLEET SERVICES, 3 MONTHS OPERATING RESERVE PLUS 500,000 CAPITAL SITTING AT 5.3. THEY'D BE COMING IN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION. IT IS A 3 MONTHS OPERATING RESERVE, TARGET OF 2.7. UH, THEY WOULD END THE YEAR AT APPROXIMATELY 2.4. RISK MANAGEMENT FUND, TARGET RESERVE IS 5 TO 6 MILLION TO COVER, UM, POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC CLAIMS, TARGET RESERVE 5.5. IT LOOKS LIKE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2027, COMING IN JUST OVER 5 MILLION. AND THEN THE HEALTH INSURANCE FUND IS A TARGET RESERVE PER HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS IS 3 MONTHS AVERAGE CLAIMS PAID, OR 6 MILLION DOLLARS. UM, SO THE CURRENT TARGET RESERVE IS 6 MILLION, 
          [02:30:01]
AND THEY'D BE COMING IN JUST SHY OF THAT AT THE END OF THE, THE FISCAL YEAR. 
          OKAY, WELL, I, I, UH, I'LL HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. I, I MISSED THAT ON PAGE 17 OF THE, THE EMAIL, SO I'LL GO BACK AND LOOK AT IT AND AND SPEAKING WITH LOLA, SHE'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THAT. WE DID TAKE THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, IT WAS AROUND A MILLION THAT WE ADDED TO THE CLAIMS, UH, CATEGORY OF THE BUDGET VERSUS INCREASING RATES TO THE EMPLOYEES. UH, THAT IS SOMETHING WE COULD POTENTIALLY JUST SHOW IN RESERVES, AND THEN DEPENDING ON HOW CLAIMS COME OUT, IT CAN JUST BE AVAILABLE IN RESERVES IN CASE IT'S NEEDED. THAT WOULD INCREASE OUR RESERVES TO APPROXIMATELY 7 MILLION, UM, IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE FUND, BUT YES, SIR. 
          CAN WE GO BACK, UH, IS STEPHANIE STILL OVER THERE? YES. 
          CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE PAGE THAT SHOWED THE ENTIRE BUDGET, AND AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT PAGE WE HAD THOSE INTERFUND TRANSFERS? I NOTICED THAT WENT UP. IT WAS EITHER 136. 
          OH, TO THE SLIDESHOW, STEPHANIE. 
          YEAH, I'M SORRY. IF YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDES. 
          RIGHT THERE. THE 154. 
          IT WAS EITHER 136 OR IT WAS 139, I DON'T REMEMBER, UH, IN THE PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          IT'S GONE UP TO, I THINK, 154 RIGHT THERE, AND I WOULDN'T EXPECT THAT INCREASE SINCE, SINCE I DON'T KNOW THAT THOSE INTERNAL TRANSFERS INCLUDE CAPEX OR, OR CIP. DO THEY INCLUDE CIP MONEY? I WOULD HAVE TO ASK LOLA OR OTHERS TO WEIGH IN ON THE INTERFUND TRANSFER CATEGORY. 
          AND THE... THE WAY THAT I WOULD SEE THOSE INTERFUND TRANSFERS COULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE ORGANIZATION IF, UM, WE'RE TRANSFERRING MONIES THERE THAT, THAT MAYBE AREN'T GOING TO BE EXPENDED, BECAUSE THAT IS THE NET BALANCE AT THE END OF THAT BUDGET. 
          SO... 
          BRING BACK EXACTLY WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THAT NUMBER. 
          DEBT SERVICE, AND THEN, WELL, I DID GET SOME BREAKDOWN, SO I, I DO WANT TO THANK MISS LOLA FOR GIVING ME ADDITIONAL BREAKDOWN, OR FOR YOU, MR. FREEMAN, ON THOSE TRANSFERS, BUT THEN THAT WAS PREVIOUS. 
          AND SO NOW THAT WE'VE UPDATED THAT NUMBER, I DON'T HAVE THOSE. AND SO IF I CAN GET THOSE ALONG WITH COUNCIL, THEN WE CAN SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE A, NOT AN ERROR, BUT DO WE HAVE A DISCREPANCY IN OUR FAVOR? YES, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. COUNCIL, I KNOW WE'VE GONE THROUGH SEVERAL BUDGET, UH, SESSIONS. I DON'T WANT TO STIFLE DISCUSSION, BUT, UM, UH, I DO HAVE A RATE IN FRONT OF YOU THAT, THAT, UH, HAS A CEILING, BUT, BUT STILL HAS LATITUDE. DO WE HAVE ANY DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL ON THIS OR COMMENTS TO MAKE JUST ON THE RATE? I MEAN, JUST TO GO OVER SOME FACTS, BECAUSE SOME THINGS HAVE BEEN SAID, I THINK I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY. SO THE COST OF GROCERIES, GAS, AND INSURANCE, WHICH I HATE TO ADMIT, HAVE GONE UP, UH, THAT EVERY CITIZEN FEELS. UH, THE ME- MEDIAN CITY EMPLOYEE SALARY IS 57,716 DOLLARS. THE MEDIAN AMARILLO CITIZEN SALARY IS 65,912, SO PRETTY GOOD, PRETTY GOOD GAP BETWEEN THAT. 
          UH, THE MEDIAN HOUSE VALUE IN RANDALL COUNTY IS 249,956 DOLLARS. THE MEDIAN HOUSE VALUE IN, UH, POTTER COUNTY IS 155,852. SO A STATEMENT WAS MADE ABOUT STANDING FOR MEANINGFUL TAX RELIEF FOR OUR CITIZENS. THE SAVINGS AT THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE FOR A 250,000 DOLLAR HOUSE IS A DOLLAR 50 A MONTH. OKAY, SO IF WE TAKE THE LOWEST RATE THAT WE CAN, IT'S IT IT SAVES THE AVERAGE TAXPAYER AT 200, IF THEY HAVE A 250,000 DOLLAR HOUSE, SAVES THEM A DOLLAR 50 A MONTH. OKAY. STATEMENT WAS ALSO MADE THAT NOT EVERY EMPLOYEE IN AMARILLO RECEIVES A A RAISE EVERY YEAR. SO KEEPING OUR TAX RATE FLAT, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, UM, GENERATES ENOUGH REVENUE FOR A 4% RAISE TO OUR LOCAL HEROES SERVING IN OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND FOR OUR CITY STAFF. SO THIS EQUATES TO 2,308 DOLLARS A YEAR FOR THE MEDIAN WAGE EARNER IN THE CITY. WELL, THAT'S SUBSTANTIAL. TO ME, THAT'S MEANINGFUL. SO IT'S ALMOST 200 DOLLARS A MONTH. SO IN MY, MY OPINION, WE OWE A DUTY NOT ONLY TO REPRESENT OUR CITIZENS, BUT ALSO MAKE OUR, MAKE SURE OUR ORGANIZATION IS HEALTHY AND CAN PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICES TO STAFF, WITH STAFF THAT ARE PROPERLY APPRECIATED. EVERY DEPARTMENT HAS ITS HARDSHIPS. 
          WE HEARD ABOUT THE, THE WATER BILL, YOU KNOW, ISSUE. THOSE GUYS HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN EXTRA HOURS, TAKING, UH, CALLS. UH, OUR, OUR CREWS THAT, UM, ARE FIXING MAIN LINE WATER BREAKS IN SUB-FREEZING, UH, WEATHER AT NIGHT, WHENEVER IT TAKES. SO, SO WE'VE GOT OUR OWN, I MEAN, WE'VE GOT OUR SWORN PERSONNEL HEROES, WE'VE GOT SOME HEROES INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION THAT I THINK NEED TO BE TREATED AS WELL. SO, UM, IT MAY BE TRUE THAT NOT EVERY EMPLOYEE IN AMARILLO RECEIVES A RAISE EACH YEAR, BUT I BELIEVE THE ONES UNDER OUR PURVIEW DO. I BELIEVE OUR STAFF DOES BEL- UH, DESERVE A RAISE. SO WE HAD OVER 19 MILLION DOLLARS IN REQUESTS FROM DEPARTMENTS OVER THE ORGANIZATION. WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO MEET ABOUT 3 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF THOSE REQUESTS. WE'VE RUN A VERY TIGHT BUDGET. SO, IN MY OPINION, IT'S NOT OUR DUTY TO HOLD, UH, 
          [02:35:01]
PROPERTY TAX PAYMENTS FLAT. 
          IN FACT, WHEN OUR CITY GROWS, THE NUMBER I DON'T HAVE THOSE ASPHALT IS EX- IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. PIPE IS EXPENSIVE, STEEL IS EXPENSIVE. IT'S ALL GONE, GONE UP. SO, AS WE HAVE TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR A GROWING CITY, WE'VE ALSO GOT TO INCREASE THAT. BUT IF WE CAN DO THAT WHILE KEEPING YOUR TAX RATE FLAT, I THINK THAT'S A WIN-WIN. SO TO THINK THAT WE CAN GROW WHILE REDUCING OUR TAX RATE MAKES NO SENSE WHEN COSTS TO THE CITY HAVE INCREASED AS WELL. 
          IN A HEALTHY, GROWING CITY, PROPERTY VALUES WILL INCREASE. 
          MAYOR AND COUNCIL HAVE NO AUTHORITY OR INVOLVEMENT IN THE ASPECT OF PROPERTY VALUATION. SO WHEN YOU SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY, YOUR PROPERTY BILL MAY GO UP, YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL MAY GO UP, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US. HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US. SO I THINK THAT WE'RE MAINTAINING A, A GOOD HEADING, YOU KNOW, MAINTAIN THE TAX RATE, KEEP IT FLAT. SO I'M JUST GOING TO STATE I'M IN FAVOR OF KEEPING OUR TAX RATE FLAT AND BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROJECTS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OR COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? COUNCIL. 
          I THINK IT'S CLEAR BECAUSE WE, WE USE LANGUAGE, AND LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT. A FLAT TAX RATE DOES NOT MEAN YOUR TAXES ARE FLAT. YOUR TAXES ARE GOING TO GO UP, AND THEY'VE GONE UP QUITE A BIT. AND WHAT I FIND INTERESTING IS, YOU KNOW, 2 WEEKS AGO, 3 WEEKS AGO, WE WERE HERE AND WE AGREED ON A BUDGET BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THAT THAT'S HOW MANY 250,000. AND THEN, AND BY THE WAY, I THINK, YEAH, THE, THE, THE, THE PAY INCREASE STAFF, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THEY GO UP, THE OTHERS MAY. UM, AND, AND WE'VE GIVEN GOOD RAISES TO EVERYBODY IN THE PAST. I MEAN, IT WAS 2 YEARS AGO, WE, WE GAVE, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIAL RAISES TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE, AND I THINK WE HAVE. UH, BUT, UH, BUT TO ME, TAXES DON'T HAVE TO GO UP. 
          THEY'VE GONE UP A LOT. I WENT OVER THE NUMBERS BEFORE, I CAN GO OVER THEM AGAIN. UM, BUT I THINK THAT IT, IT'S NOT ONLY WHAT THE RATE IS, BUT IF WE DON'T GET OUT OF THIS MINDSET THAT SOMEHOW WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO SOLVE OUR, WE'RE, WE'RE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME GOING OVER THE BUDGET, TALKING ABOUT THE TAX RATE, PROPERTY TAXES WILL NOT GET US TO WHERE WE WANT TO GO. IT WILL NOT. THERE IS NO WAY WE CAN CATCH UP WITH ALL THAT. SO WE CAN FIND THE CITIZENS AND PUT IN A BUDGET THAT'S TAX AND SPEND, TAX AND SPEND, AND, UH, BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO GET US TO WHERE WE WANT TO GO. AND, AND GREAT, WE CAN HAVE THE DISCUSSION, EACH OF US FALL WHERE WE MAY, BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE SOME SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT OTHER WAYS WE CAN FUND THE GOVERNMENT, WHAT WHAT'S OUT THERE, YOU SEE THE THINGS ON THE HORIZON, WE'RE GOING TO BE EVEN FURTHER BEHIND THAN WE ARE RIGHT NOW. 
          I, UH, I THINK TO, I'D SAY, I GUESS, COMMENT IN ON THAT, THE MINDSET IS IMPORTANT, SO I DON'T WANT TO SKIP OVER THE FACT THAT THE MINDSET HERE IS... SO, UH, I CHECKED ON, UH, WE ORDERED SOME FIRE ENGINES. 
          UH, I THINK THEY'RE LADDER TRUCKS. THEY WERE 1.7, 1.8 MILLION, UH, PER TRUCK. UH, WHEN I GOT ELECTED, MAYBE A YEAR BEFORE I GOT ELECTED, I THINK YOU COULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE FOR 7, 800,000 DOLLARS BACK THEN. THAT'S, THAT'S 6 YEARS AGO, RIGHT? I CALLED TO CHECK AND SEE IF WE MAKE THAT ORDER NOW, GOING INTO THIS NEXT YEAR, LET'S SAY WE, WE HAVE A COUPLE MONTHS AND WE LOOK AT 27. WHAT'S MY ORDER COST? IT'S OVER 2 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THAT EXACT SAME FIRE TRUCK. 
          MORE THAN DOUBLE IN PRICE. 
          UM, SO WHAT HAS THIS COUNCIL DONE? WELL, I MEAN, WE DIDN'T DOUBLE THE TAX RATE, DID WE? UH, WHAT WE DID WAS, WE DID INCREASE THAT DEBT SERVICE. 
          IT WAS PROBABLY A LITTLE OVER 7 PENNIES, MAYBE CLOSER TO 8 PENNIES, BUT 7 AND A HALF PENNIES OF THAT. NOW WE'VE GOT IT UP TO 10 PENNIES, RIGHT? SO 2 AND A HALF CENTS, LET'S SAY. YOU CAN, YOU CAN CHECK THE NUMBERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WANT TO, BUT THAT AMOUNT OF WORKING WITHIN THE MINDSET OF WE DON'T HAVE A 2 MILLION DOLLAR CASH ABILITY TO GO AND BUY FIRE TRUCKS WHEN THEY DON'T ROLL, AND THE DEMAND IS THERE. AND SO IF YOU CONTINUE TO RUN YOUR EQUIPMENT PAST ITS END OF LIFE, YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON MAINTENANCE THAN YOU WOULD ON DEBT SERVICE, SO IT'S A MECHANISM THAT, UM, IS GOOD DEBT, AND IT'S GOOD FUNDING. AND SO, YES, WE'VE GROWN THAT DEBT BALANCE EVERY YEAR THAT I'VE BEEN HERE. I THINK THE TAX RATE ACTUALLY HAS COME DOWN, UH, ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM MAYBE 44 CENTS DOWN TO LIKE 39 CENTS WHEN- SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, AND NOW WE'RE BACK UP TO 43 CENTS. I MEAN, PHENOMENAL JOB, COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, AND YES, WE'RE CONTINUING TO BRING IN LARGE REVENUES, AND MOST OF THOSE REVENUES ARE IN GOOD BUSINESS A- AS WELL AS SALES TAX. SO, UH, FOR ANYBODY WHO THINKS YOU'RE GOING TO RUN A CITY OR A MUNICIPALITY ON PROPERTY TAX ALONE, LIKE AS WE CONTINUE TO WALK INTO THE FUTURE, UM, THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT WORKS ANYMORE, AND AND THE COST OF THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. AND SO THE STATE OF TEXAS IS ENGAGING WITH REPRESENTATIVES LIKE MYSELF AND OTHERS. HOW DO WE DO THIS? BECAUSE WE HAVE SMALL COUNTIES THAT DON'T HAVE HIGH SALES TAX, AND SO THE STATE OF TEXAS IS LOOKING AT HOW DO THEY CONTINUE THIS. 
          WE ARE 40 PLUS MILLION DOLLAR 
          [02:40:01]
SALES TAX REVENUE, AND THE WAY WE'VE DONE THAT IS WE'VE, WE'VE STARTED RUNNING THE CITY LIKE A BUSINESS, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THOSE CUSTOMER SERVICE PILLARS. 
          WE'RE WORKING ON AN ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT. 
          YOU'VE GOT SOME STUFF THAT'S COMING UP HERE SOON, AND SO WE'RE SEEING IT. THE PLAN'S WORKING, AND IT'S A GOOD PLAN, UM, AND IT'S BALANCED. THIS IS A VERY BALANCED BUDGET, AND AND I STILL PERSONALLY FEEL LIKE IN THE CIPS, THERE'S TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THERE THAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND IN SOME EFFICIENCIES, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO REDIRECT THOSE. SO I'M I'M THANKFUL FOR THE LEADERSHIP ON THIS TEAM, AND I'M THANKFUL THAT WE'VE GOT A GOOD, HEALTHY, UH, REVENUE RIGHT THERE IN THAT FLAT TAX RATE. SO, OBVIOUSLY, 4307 IS GOOD FOR ME. UM, I'M, I'M STILL GOOD WITH DISCUSSION IF WE WANT TO BELABOR IT, OR I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. 
          AND IF YOU ARE MAKING A MOTION, THERE IS SPECIFIC LANGUAGE THAT STEPHANIE HAS PROVIDED. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WHERE IS THAT LANGUAGE? THERE IS A ONE-PAGER IN THE FRONT OF YOUR FOLDERS, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE LANGUAGE FOR 7.3 RIGHT NOW. 
          I MOVE FOR ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NUMBER 8270, ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR OCTOBER 01, 2026 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2027 FOR THE CITY OF AMARILLO. 
          SECOND. 
          I HAVE A MOTION, AND I HAVE A SECOND FROM PLACE ONE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, I NEED YOU TO RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND SAY NAY. 
          NAY. 
          OKAY, MOTION PASSES WITH A 4 TO 1 VOTE. SO, COUNCILMAN SIMPSON, I DON'T WANT TO JUST SKIP PAST THIS. DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE ANY JUSTIFICATION FOR VOTING AGAINST THIS BUDGET AND AGAINST ALL THE GOOD THAT IT CAN DO FOR THE CITY? I, I VOTE. I'LL LET THE VOTE SPEAK FOR ITSELF. THANK YOU, THOUGH, MAYOR. APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          OKAY, WE'LL MOVE ON. 7.4. 
          SO YOUR NEXT ITEM IS JUST TO CONSIDER THE, UH, TAX RATE ITSELF, UH, LEVYING A TAX ON ALL PROPERTY AND THEN, UM, 
          [7.4. Consideration of Ordinance No. 8271 Approving the City of Amarillo Tax Roll, Setting an Ad Valorem Property Tax Rate and Levying a Tax on all Property Subject to Taxation within the City for the 2026 Tax Year. This is the first reading of an ordinance approving the City of Amarillo tax roll, setting an ad valorem property tax rate and levying a tax on all property subject to taxation within the City for the 2026 tax year. This ordinance establishes an ad valorem tax rate of $0.32412 per $100.00 property valuation for City maintenance and operations expenses and $0.10658 per $100.00 property valuation for existing debt expenses resulting in a total ad valorem rate of $0.43070 per $100.00 property valuation.]
SETTING THE RATE FOR THE 2026 TAX YEAR. THIS ONE ALSO HAS VERY SPECIFIC MOTION LANGUAGE TO USE, UH, TO SET THAT TAX RATE OF 4307. 
          QUESTIONS ON 7.4, GENTLEMEN. 
          YOU SEE SOME LANGUAGE IN THERE. YOU ALSO SEE A PERCENTAGE AS WELL AS A DOLLAR AMOUNT. SECOND READING, PUBLIC HEARINGS WILL TAKE PLACE ON SEPTEMBER 29TH. 
          THANK YOU. OKAY, WITH NO DISCUSSION, WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON ITEM 7.4. 
          I MOVE THAT THE PROPERTY TAX RATE BE INCREASED BY THE ADOPTION OF A TAX RATE OF 0.43070, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY A 2.3% INCREASE IN THE TAX RATE. 
          OKAY, I HAVE A MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. 
          MOTION AND A SECOND FROM PLACE 2. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE AND RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND WITH A NAY. 
          NAY. 
          MOTION PASSES WITH A 4 TO 1 VOTE. ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN, MAKING GOOD PROGRESS HERE. 
          UM, ITEM 7.5, MRS. O. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR 
          [7.5. Consideration of Resolution No. 09-22-26-2. This item considers a resolution approving the proposed operating budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027 for South Gateway Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3. (Lola Ogunremi, Chief Financial Officer)]
COUNCIL. THIS ITEM, RESOLUTION NUMBER 09-22-26-2 IS A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 FOR SOUTH GATEWAY TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE, ALSO KNOWN AS TIRZ NO. 3. I WILL PROCEED WITH THE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS. 
          THE TOTAL REVENUE FOR FY 2026-2027 FOR TIRZ NO. 
          3 SUMMED UP TO 240,542 THOUSAND DOLLARS, ALL OF WHICH IS TAX AND ENTITY PARTICIPATION. AND THE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE CITY OF AMARILLO AT 98,251 DOLLARS. 
          WE HAVE RANDALL COUNTY PROVIDING 92,119 DOLLARS IN REVENUES, AS WELL AS AMARILLO COLLEGE AT $50,172. 
          TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR TIRZ NO. 3 FOR FY 26-27 SUM UP TO $199,547, OUT OF WHICH WE HAVE $192,432 IN REIMBURSEMENTS TO THE DEVELOPER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WE ALSO HAVE 6,615 DOLLARS IN AUDIT FEES. THIS BUDGET WAS APPROVED BY THE TIRZ NO. 3 BOARD ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2026. 
          AND TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW 
          [02:45:02]
OF THE VALUES FOR TIRZ NO. 3, IN 2022 WE HAD THE BASE YEAR VALUES AT 20- 28.8 MILLION DOLLARS, AND AS OF 2026, CERTIFIED VALUES CAME UP TO 51.6 MILLION DOLLARS, AND WE HAVE 2.8 MILLION DOLLARS OF NEW IMPROVEMENTS. I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY, MISS LOLA. UH, THANK YOU, MA'AM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON 7.5. 
          I MOVE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 092226-2. 
          I GOT A MOTION. 
          SECOND. 
          SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES WITH A 4-0 VOTE. LET THE RECORD SHOW COUNCILMAN PRESCOTT HAD STEPPED OUT. ITEM 7-6. 
          OKAY. 
          MISS O. 
          THANK YOU. THIS IS CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 
          [7.6. Consideration of Resolution No. 09-22-26-3. This item considers a resolution approving the proposed operating budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027 for Amarillo-Potter Events Venue District. (Lola Ogunremi, Chief Financial Officer)]
NUMBER 09-22-26-3, WHICH IS THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 FOR THE AMARILLO PORTER EVENTS VENUE DISTRICT. I'LL PROCEED WITH THE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS. 
          FOR FY 2026-2027, TOTAL REVENUE FOR THE AMARILLO PORTER VENUE EVENTS DISTRICT SUMMED UP TO 5.1 MILLION DOLLARS, AND MAJOR REVENUE SOURCES INCLUDE THE VEHICLE RENTAL TAX AT 1.38 MILLION DOLLARS, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX AT 3 MILLION DOLLARS. TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR FY 26-27 WE'RE PROJECTING AT 4.8 MILLION DOLLARS, AND THE MAJOR EXPENDITURE CATEGORIES INCLUDE THE TRI-STATE LEASE IMPROVEMENTS AT 1.6 MILLION DOLLARS. WE ALSO HAVE 75,000 DOLLARS IN ATTORNEY FEES COMING UP. WE HAVE EXPENDITURES TO THE TRI-STATE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT, WHICH ALSO INCLUDE THE ANC PROPERTY INSURANCE AT 750,000 DOLLARS. ANC SUM UP TO 458,490 DOLLARS. WE ALSO HAVE THE CIVIC CENTER MANAGEMENT CONTRACT AT 398,000 DOLLARS, AND WE HAVE CIVIC CENTER IMPROVEMENTS AT 710,000 DOLLARS. DEBT SERVICE COSTS FOR THE YEAR SUM UP TO 785,000 DOLLARS. THIS BUDGET WAS APPROVED BY THE VENUE DISTRICT BOARD ON AUGUST 24, 2026, AND IT WAS APPROVED BY THE PORTER COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2026. THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          ANYTHING, COUNSEL? 7-6, YES, SIR. 
          JUST A QUICK QUESTION. ON THE 75,000 FLAT ATTORNEY FEES, WHAT IS YES, SIR. 
          THAT SEEMS, UH, WHAT, CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN THAT TO ME? IS THERE ANY DETAIL ON THAT? SO THERE IS A, I BELIEVE THERE'S A NEW AGREEMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE DRAFTED BY THE ATTORNEY THIS YEAR FOR A LEASE, SO... 
          THAT IS TO REVISIT THE LEASE WITH THE CIVIC CENTER. SO THAT'S LEGAL FEES TO LOOK AT THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHY THE BOARD PICKED 75,000, BUT THEY'VE GOT THAT IN THERE JUST A- AS A SAFEGUARD, PROBABLY WILL COME IN LESS THAN THAT. 
          THAT SEEMS EXCESSIVE FOR A LEASE, JUST MY THOUGHTS. 
          RIGHT. 
          IS IT A NOT TO EXCEED? I MEAN, IT WILL BE IF IT'S BUDGETED AT 75,000. THEY WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK FOR, FOR BOARD APPROVAL AND COUNCIL APPROVAL TO SPEND OVER THAT. 
          IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? READY FOR A MOTION ON 7-6. 
          I MOVE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NUMBER 0922-26-1. 
          SECOND. 
          MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. 
          SAY AGAIN, I'M SORRY. 
          YOU SAID 1. 
          7 6. 
          YEAH, 7 6. 
          OH, YOU'RE CORRECT. 
          MISS CITY SECRETARY, HOW DID HE LIST THAT RESOLUTION NUMBER? YEAH, I SAID 1, NEEDS TO BE I MISSED THAT ONE ON THAT, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THE RECORD REFLECTS DASH 3. 
          UH, COUNCILMAN, WILL YOU AMEND THAT MOTION? I WILL. 
          OKAY. 
          I AMEND MY MOTION, UH, TO REFLECT RESOLUTION NUMBER 0922-26-3. 
          SECOND. 
          MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE AMENDMENT. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. 
          [02:50:02]
GOOD CATCH, SIR. ITEM 7.7. ALL RIGHT, ITEM 7.7. AFTERNOON, 
          [7.7. Consideration of Resolution No. 09-22-26-1. This item is the first reading to consider a resolution authorizing the acceptance of federal and state grants and transportation development credits for the Amarillo City Transit. (Brianna Mills, Grant/Compliance Coordinator)]
MA'AM. 
          GOOD EVENING. WELL, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. UM, THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING IN CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NUMBER 922261. 
          SO THE SUMMARY IS THAT THE PUBLIC HEARING IS ON THE PROPOSED PROGRAM OR PROJECTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 26. UM, CONSIDERATION OF THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION FUNDS, TEXTILE FUNDS AS WELL. 
          SO THE PROGRAM OF PROPOSED PROGRAM OF PROJECTS IDENTIFIES, UM, FUNDING UNDER FTA 5307 AND 5339 APPORTIONMENTS. SO HERE'S A SUMMARY OF OUR 5307 FY26 FUNDING. WE HAVE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AS ACTIVITY, TRAINING, OPERATING ASSISTANCE, FOR A TOTAL PROJECT COST OF A LITTLE OVER 5 MILLION. 
          AND FOR OUR NEXT ONE IS FISCAL YEAR, UH, 26 AS WELL FOR SECTION 5339 GRANTS, WHICH WE WILL BE, UM, LOOKING AT PURCHASING PASSENGER AMENITIES AND REHABILITATING OUR VEHICLES THAT NEED TO HAVE MIDLIFE OVERHAULS FOR ABOUT A LITTLE LESS THAN 300,000 DOLLARS FOR TOTAL PROJECT COSTS. ANY QUESTIONS? MISS MILLS, WE APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ANY QUESTIONS, GENTLEMEN? THANK YOU, MA'AM. 
          MAYOR, COUNCIL, IF I MAY, UH, WE'RE CHECKING ON A POINT OF CLARIFICATION FOR YOU BRIEFLY. 
          SO THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE BUDGET. IT DOES REQUIRE A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO TO ACCOMMODATE THAT IS WE'LL HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING DURING THE SECOND READING. 
          WE'LL LEAVE IT ON NON-CONSENT FOR ANOTHER, ANOTHER ROUND, BUT THERE ARE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS REQUIRED TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. 
          CORRECT. 
          YES. 
          SO IN THE NOTICE, SO, UH, I'M A LITTLE LOST, SO IT'S A RESOLUTION. 
          IT'S A RESOLUTION. WE JUST DIDN'T LIST ON THE AGENDA FACE THAT IT WAS A PUBLIC HEARING. 
          YEAH. SO YOUR AGENDA ITEM 7.7 WAS NOT LISTED AS A PUBLIC HEARING. 
          GOTCHA. 
          AND CONSIDERATION. SO TO BE CONSERVATIVE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC KNOWS THEY CAN COME TALK. 
          DO WE, DO WE HAVE ANY DEADLINES ON ANY OF THIS, OR WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TAKING NO ACTION? BECAUSE WHAT I HEARD WAS YOU WOULD HOLD THE PUBLIC HEARING. 
          I THINK YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE ACTION ON FIRST READING, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR SECOND READING. 
          YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          TO KEEP US SAFE. 
          OKAY. GENTLEMEN, I THINK WE'RE SAFE TO MOVE ON 7-7. 
          OKAY, MOVE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NUMBER 092226-1. 
          SECOND. 
          MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? AYE. 
          MOTION PASSES. UM, ALL RIGHT, ON TO ITEM 7-8. DR. ECKSTEIN. 
          HOW YOU DOING, ANDREAS? WONDERFUL, MAYOR. 
          [7.8. Discuss, consider, and take appropriate action on a Purchase Sale Agreement between Amarillo EDC and Cooper Crouse-Hinds, LLC for 51.45 acres, neighboring AEDC South Georgia Business Park, located in the Southwest quadrant of Amarillo. (Andreas Eckstein, Amarillo Economic Develolpment Corporation)]
WELCOME, WELCOME BACK, SIR. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. YEAH, TONIGHT WE ARE ASKING YOU FOR, UH, FOR YOUR PERMISSION OR FOR YOUR APPROVAL TO BUY LAND FROM THE COOPER-CROUSE-HINES. 
          WE WANT TO BUY 54.45 ACRES FOR 1,800,000 DOLLARS. UH, WE'VE GOT A PHASE 2 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY IN OUR PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT, WHICH IS NOT TO EXCEED 70,000 DOLLARS. AND WHY ARE WE BUYING THIS LAND? WE, WE WANT TO HAVE MORE SHOVEL-READY SITES. WE'VE GOT SO MANY COMPANIES COMING TO TOWN, AND YEAH, WE WANT TO SHOW THEM THAT WE'VE GOT SOMETHING TO OFFER, AND IT'S A GOOD LAND FOR, IN OUR VIEW. I'M VERY HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. 
          COUNCIL, ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY? COUNCILMAN PRESCOTT, YOU HAVE ANYTHING, SIR? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. 
          DR. ECKSTEIN, THANK YOU. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. DR. ECKSTEIN, YOU MIGHT COME BACK UP. 
          SORRY. 
          WHERE IS THE PHASE TWO? IS IT DONE, OR IS IT, IS IT IN PROCESS, OR IT'S IN PROCESS. 
          AH, OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT YOU SAID. 
          WE GOT IT STARTED, BUT NO, IT'S AND WE HAVE A, AND IF WE GIVE THE AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE THIS AND SOMETHING COMES BACK NEGATIVE ON THAT, WE WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY IN, WE HAVE TIME THAT WE COULD PULL OUT OF THE AGREEMENT. 
          YES, WE'VE GOT 90 DAYS TO PULL OUT. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          I MOVE THAT WE, UH, TAKE ACTION ON THE PURCHASE OF, UH, ITEM 7.8. 
          SECOND. 
          MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL 
          [02:55:02]
IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. 
          ITEM 7.9. THANK YOU, SIR. 
          THANK YOU, MISS MAYOR. 
          ALL RIGHT. CHIEF HOVER. 
          [7.9. Consider Approval - Police Department Capital Project Budget Transfer. This item considers approval for the transfer of budget funds from Capital Project No. 411901 (Patrol Vehicle Make Ready) to provide necessary financial support for a new capital project to upfit three additional units for three more patrol K9s. (Thomas Hover, Police Chief)]
SO THIS WAS THE CLEANUP OF A PREVIOUS CIP THAT WAS, I BELIEVE, IN 2024, UH, AND THAT WAS FOR A VEHICLE MAKE READY. UH, AND THE WAY WE DO AND WHY WE PURCHASE VEHICLES NOW IS WE LEASE THEM, AND MOST OF THE ITEMS COME IN, IN IT. 
          UH, SO THE CIP IS NO LONGER NEEDED FOR THIS PARTICULAR REASON. 
          UH, SO MY HOPE AND GOAL IS TO, UH, PERSUADE YOU THAT, UH, UH, HOPEFULLY PURCHASE THE 3 MORE DOGS. UM, THIS AREA, SPECIFICALLY AMARILLO, BUT ALSO THE REGION ITSELF, IS VERY LOW ON PATROL, UH, CANINES, AND IT'S A DUAL PURPOSE TYPE DOG. WHAT THIS WOULD ALLOW ME TO DO IS PURCHASE 3, UH, 3 VEHICLES. ALL, ALL THE MONEY IS INCLUDED AS FAR AS THE WHOLE ENTIRE PROGRAM. SO IT'S THE 3 VEHICLES WITH THE K-9 EQUIPMENT, IT'S THE TRAINING OF THE 3 OFFICERS TO GET THEM CERTIFIED, AS WELL AS THE DOG TO GET CERTIFIED. IT'S THE PURCHASE OF THE DOG AND THE 3 KENNELS, UH, THAT RESIDE AT THE HOUSE. THE MAIN THING I WANT TO MENTION IS, YES, THERE ARE SOME OTHER DOGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS AREA, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY SMALL. 
          UH, RANDALL COUNTY HAS 1 PATROL, UH, DUAL PURPOSE DOG. 
          UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 4. I CALL IT 3 AND A HALF BECAUSE ONE OF THOSE DOGS PROMOTED, THE, THE HANDLER PROMOTED. UM, AND SO THE USE OF THAT DOG IS, IS VERY LIMITED. WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT A YEAR, UH, LEFT, AND SO WE'RE REALLY ONLY DOWN TO 3. IN AMARILLO, THERE'S SOME CHALLENGING, WELL, LOCATIONS THAT WE GO TO, AND WHEN I SAY THAT IS RECENTLY I WATCHED A CALL FOR SERVICE HAPPEN, UH, WHERE IT WAS A BURGLARY SUSPECT. A BURGLAR, BURGLAR JUST HAPPENED, RIGHT? THEY BROKE INTO A RESIDENCE FOR ATTEMPTING TO STEAL THINGS, UM, AND WE GOT THERE IN A TIMELY MANNER TO GET A GOOD PERIMETER. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, WITH WHERE WE FOUND THE PERSON, THERE'S A TON OF STUFF IN THE YARD. THERE'S TEMPORARY BUILDINGS, THERE'S CARS, AND OUR OFFICERS ARE ALL FACING ONE LOCATION WHERE THEY THOUGHT HE WAS, WHEN IN REALITY HE WAS ACTUALLY WITHIN ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF RIGHT BEHIND THE OFFICER. HAD WE NOT HAD A DOG, UH, WHICH WE FINALLY CALLED THE DOG TO GET THERE, UH, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. 
          THAT'S WHAT THESE KINDS OF DOGS CAN HELP US WITH, IDENTIFY SUSPECTS VERY QUICKLY, UH, AS WELL AS SENDING THE DOG INTO A PLACE WHERE WE WOULDN'T SEND A PERSON. UH, IT PROVIDES US THAT OPPORTUNITY. AND RIGHT NOW, WITH ONLY 3, UH, OUR GUYS DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT ON A REGULAR BASIS. 
          SO EVEN CALLS FOR SERVICE WHEN WE DO HAVE A DOG AVAILABLE, THEY'RE JUST SO USED TO NOT HAVING ONE. 
          BY DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE, WE'D ACTUALLY BE CLOSE TO DOUBLING, UH, THE COVERAGE, SHIFT COVERAGE. SO THEY'D BE AVAILABLE AT NIGHTS AND DAYS, UM, JUST SOMETHING, AN ASSET AND A RESOURCE THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD. THE OVERALL COST IS ABOUT 369,000. THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING. THAT'S 294,000 FOR THE VEHICLES THEMSELVES, AND IT'S 75,000 FOR ALL THREE OF THE DOGS. SO ESSENTIALLY EACH DOG WITH THE KENNEL, UH, AND THE TRAINING COME OUT TO ABOUT 25,000 DOLLARS PER ONE. 
          SO I'D ADD IT TO 2 OFFICERS, AND THEN I'D ALSO ADD A SUPERVISOR FOR A TOTAL OF 3. 
          QUESTIONS, COUNSEL? OKAY, SO, UM, JUST A FEW STATEMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COVERING IT. 
          SO MAKE READY. SO PREVIOUS COUNCILS, UH, APPROPRIATED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY TO GO AND TAKE VEHICLES THAT NEEDED MODIFICATIONS IN ORDER TO BE SERVICED. AND SO, UM, WITH THE, THE MINDSET THAT WE HAVE NOW, AND WE'RE ABLE TO UTILIZE SOME OF THOSE FLEET SERVICES WHERE WE'RE BUYING VEHICLES AND TURNING THEM OVER, UM, MAYBE ON A LEASE OR A LEASE PURCHASE, OR, OR EVEN IF IT'S DEBT, WE NOW HAVE ALLEVIATED ALMOST A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF THE CIP MONEY. AND SO THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR CHIEF GOING BACK THROUGH THOSE BUDGET NUMBERS, BRINGING THEM BACK TO COUNCIL SO HE CAN PUT THAT MONEY TO WORK. SO, UM, WE, WE REALLY LIKE SEEING THAT. I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD STEWARDSHIP AND CONTINUES TO, TO SHOW EVERY DOLLAR MATTERS, RIGHT? AND YOU'RE MAKING GREAT DECISIONS WITH IT. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE CATCH HOW THIS IS FUNCTIONING, UM, IN BRINGING THOSE DOLLARS FORWARD. 
          SO IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, WE'LL TAKE ONE. OTHERWISE, I THINK WE'RE GOOD TO MOVE FORWARD. COUNCIL, MOTION ON 7-9. 
          I WOULD, I WOULD MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE TRANSFER OF BUDGET FUNDS AS PRESENTED BY THE CHIEF. 
          SECOND. 
          MOTION AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. 
          MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. ITEM 7-10. 
          GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. ALAN HARDER, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR. I'M REQUESTING COUNCIL APPROVAL TO TRANSFER 1.35 MILLION DOLLARS, UH, FROM CIP PROJECT 2023 
          [7.10. Consider Approval - Drainage Utility Capital Project Budget Transfer. This item considers approval for the transfer of $1,350,000.00 from Capital Project No. PRJ-0000104 2023 Drainage Bond Funds to provide necessary financial support to Capital Project No. PRJ-560208 Lamar Street at 45th Avenue, which currently requires additional funding. Drainage improvements in the vicinity of Lamar Street and 45th Avenue was one of the projects identified in the FY 23/24 CIP which was funded by the 2023 Drainage Bond issuance. PRJ-0000104 2023 Drainage Bond Funds was set up as a placeholder for those funds until the actual cost of construction was known. (Alan Harder, Director of Public Works)]
DRAINAGE BOND FUNDS TO CIP PROJECT, UH, LAMAR STREET AT 45TH AVENUE. SO THE LAST 
          [03:00:01]
ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA IS ACTUALLY AWARD OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS AT SOUTHWEST 45TH AVENUE AND LAMAR STREET. UH, MR. DANFORTH WILL PRESENT THAT LATER, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE FY23-20. CP AND DE HAS, UH, WORKED WITH A CONSULTANT FOR DESIGN OF THAT, ARE NOW AT A POINT WHERE THEY'RE READY TO AWARD THAT CONSTRUCTION. SO 2023 DRAINAGE BOND FUNDS, THAT WAS THE HOLDING PLACE FOR THE FUNDS THAT WERE GENERATED, UH, FROM THE BOND AS PART OF THAT, UH, FY 23-24 CIP, AND WE'RE NOW JUST MOVING THOSE INTO THE SPECIFIC PROJECT, UM, LAMAR STREET AT 45TH AVENUE, SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH CONSTRUCTION. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROJECT, UH, BEFORE YOU APPROVE THIS, I KNOW JERRY CAN COME UP AND TALK ABOUT IT, BUT HE ALSO HAS A PRESENTATION WHEN WE GET TO THE, THE POINT TO AWARD THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT. 
          QUESTIONS FOR MR. HARDER ON THE TRANSFER OF FUNDS, GENTLEMEN? ITEM 710 IS BEFORE YOU. 
          I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM 7.10 AS PRESENTED. 
          SECOND. 
          MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES WITH A 5-0 VOTE. MR. JOHNSON, HOW YOU DOING OUT THERE? ITEM 7.11. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL. TODAY I'D LIKE TO, UH, TALK ABOUT, UH, THE SETTLING BASIN PHASE 2. 
          THIS IS THE SECOND PHASE 
          [7.11. Consider Award - Settling Basin Repairs Phase II. This item considers the award of a construction contract for repairs on Osage Water Treatment Plant Settling Basin - Phase II. Award to: MH Civil Constructors Amount: $3,071,000.00 Funding Source: Water and sewer fund revenues (CIP #PRJ-523952) Is the item budgeted? Yes (William Johnson, Director of Utilities - Operations)]
OF REHABILITATION WORK ON THE SETTLING BASINS AT OSAGE WATER TREATMENT PLANT. 
          THE SETTLING BASINS SLOW WATER DOWN SO THAT HEAVIER PARTICLES CAN SETTLE OUT OF WATER, UH, BEFORE IT MOVES THROUGH THE REST OF THE TREATMENT PROCESS. 
          THESE BASINS WERE ORIGINALLY INSTALLED IN THE 1960S. PHASE 1 WAS COMPLETED IN 2025 AND ADDRESSED THE EAST BASIN. YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THAT SATELLITE FI- PICTURE SHOWS WHILE THAT WORK WAS GETTING DONE. PHASE 2 WILL REHABILITATE THE WEST BASIN BY REPAIRING AGING CONCRETE, SEALING LEAKS, AND RESTORING EQUIPMENT THAT REMOVES SETTLED MATERIAL. THE GOAL IS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THIS ASSET BY ANOTHER 15 TO 20 YEARS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS ONE? MAYBE JUST A COMMENT. SO, MR. JOHNSON, I KNOW YOU, UH, AND YOUR TEAM CONTINUE TO SHOW UP AND WORK HARD. ONCE AGAIN, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, NOT ONLY YOU WORKING TO GO AND FIX SOME STUFF AND MACGYVER SOME THINGS THAT YOU HAD TO GRAB PARTS FROM ALL OVER TOWN AND SAVE THE DAY ON A SATURDAY NIGHT, BUT THIS IS A DISPLAY OF WORKING AHEAD OF THOSE EMERGENCY, UH, PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY ARISE. 
          SO, LIKE, WE APPRECIATE THE LEADERSHIP AND, UH, THE STRONG TEAM YOU GOT OVER THERE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. ITEM 7.11, GENTLEMEN. 
          I MOVE TO, UH, AWARD THE SETTLING BASIN REPAIRS PHASE 2 FOR 3,071,000 DOLLARS. 
          SECOND. 
          I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY OPPOSED? IT PASSES. THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT, WE GOT MR. DANFORTH COMING IN HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF WE ALWAYS PUT HIM LAST BECAUSE WE JUST LIKE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER, OR IF WE JUST WANT TO PUT YOU LAST. 
          [7.12. Consider Award - Construction Service Contract for Storm Drain Improvements at SW 45th Ave & S Lamar St. This item considers the award of approximately 1,360 LF of storm drain improvements and 8,500 SY of seal coat near the SW 45th Avenue and S. Lamar Street intersection. Award to: Amarillo Utility Contractors, Inc. Amount: $3,296,580.00 Funding Source: Bond proceeds (CIP #560208) Is the item budgeted? Yes (Omar Pecina, Civil Engineer II, Jackson Zaharia, City Engineer, Jerry Danforth, Managing Director of Capital Projects, Development & Engineering)]
I THINK IT'S THE LAST. 
          EVENING, JERRY. 
          MAYOR, COUNCIL, UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO BRING THIS ONE TO YOU, ACTUALLY. UH, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE, UH, DRAINAGE BONDS THAT YOU PUT OUT, THIS IS ACTUALLY THE THIRD PROJECT THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO YOU ON THAT. UH, THIS IS THE 45TH AND LAMAR. THIS WAS NUMBER THREE ON THE PRIORITY LIST, SO WE'VE CHECKED, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON, AS MR. TIPPS IS ABUNDANTLY AWARE OF, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON PROJECT ONE. PROJECT TWO IS IN THE DESIGN PHASE, CURRENTLY WORKING WITH TXDOT ON THAT, AND THIS IS PROJECT NUMBER THREE THAT WILL END UP ULTIMATELY SATISFYING THAT ENTIRE DRAINAGE BOND. 45TH AND LAMAR IS A RATHER, UH, UNIQUE PROJECT BECAUSE OF THE DRAINAGE, BECAUSE OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE THERE. 
          UH, IT'S, IT'S A RATHER LARGE SCOPE OF WORK. SO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE'S BY THE SITE MAP, WE'RE INSTALLING A BUNCH OF ADDITIONAL PIPE DRAINAGE SLOUGHS AND REPAIRING ROADWAYS. 
          AS MR. HARDER POINTED OUT, OBVIOUSLY, UH, ONCE WE WENT OUT TO BID, THE CONTRACTOR BEST VALUE BID COMING IN, UH, VERY COMPETITIVE BID FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT IS BEING PERFORMED ON THIS. SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UH, QUITE A BIT OF, UH, DEMOLITION, UH, REHABILITATION, NEW INSTALLATION, AND ROAD WORK TO, UH, PUT THE ROAD BACK IN BETTER CONDITION THAN IT CURRENTLY IS. 
          AND WITH THAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON THE PROJECT. QUESTIONS, GENTLEMEN? ITEM 712 IS 
          [03:05:04]
BEFORE YOU. I MOVE TO AWARD, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION SERVICE CONTRACT FOR STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS AS PRESENTED. 
          SECOND. SECOND. MOTION AND A SECOND FROM PLACE TWO. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. 
          AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. MR. DANFORTH, THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL AND SHORT PRESENTATION, SIR. UM, IF I CAN GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN, WE'LL GET OUT OF HERE EARLIER THAN WE EXPECTED. SO MOVED. 
          ADJOURN. YOU'RE ADJOURNED. 
          THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. 
          APPRECIATE Y'ALL.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.