Nov 03, 2020 City Council Regular Meeting

[INVOCATION]

[00:00:13]

AND REALIZING THAT AND KNOWING THAT WE PRAY FOR DECISIONS THAT WILL BE MADE HERE TODAY AND DEAR LORD, WE PRAY FOR THE LIVES OF EACH OF THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS AS THEY MOVE FORWARD, AND THEN THE THINGS THAT THEY DO FOR OUR CITY.

ALL THESE THINGS WE ASK AND PRAY IN YOUR BLESSED NAME.

AMEN AND ALMIGHTY AND EVERLASTING GOD, I COME BEFORE YOU NOW ON BEHALF OF MY CITY AND ALL THE LEADERS THAT ARE REPRESENTED HERE IN THIS MEETING, AND I PRAY FOR YOUR BLESSING AND FOR YOUR MERCY TO BE UPON US ON THIS DAY.

AND WE PRAY FOR OUR CITY.

WE PRAY FOR OUR NATION.

WE PRAY FOR OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW.

IT IS A CHAOTIC AGE, IT SEEMS LIKE, AND WHAT I PRAY THAT YOU WOULD GIVE US THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE, TO BE ABLE TO LOVE WHAT YOU LOVE, AND THAT YOU WOULD BEND THE HEARTS AN THE MINDS OF ALL THE LEADERS HERE TOWARDS WISDOM, TOWARDS JUSTICE, TOWARDS GRACE AND TOWARDS TRUTH.

AND I PRAY THAT YOUR WILL, WILL BE DONE AND THAT YOUR KINGDOM WOULD BE THE ONE THAT COMES AND THAT YOUR GRACE WOULD SHINE THROUGHOUT ALL.

AND SO I PRAY THAT EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TODAY AND EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DECIDED TODAY WOULD BE ABLE TO BE DECIDED WITH YOUR PEACE AND WITH YOUR BLESSING AND THAT YOU WOULD JUST LEAD US IN YOUR MERCY TO BE ABLE TO BE THOSE THAT EXHIBIT THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN A SEASON WHERE IT WOULD BE VERY TEMPTING TO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE WORLD.

AND SO MAY YOUR BLESSING BE UPON ALL OF OUR CITY LEADERS, OUR MAYOR, OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, PROTECT THEM, STRENGTHEN THEM, ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME OF JUST A LOT OF DEMAND AND ENERGY. MAY YOUR GRACE, BE UPON THEM IN JESUS' NAME.

AMEN. AMEN.

WHAT A BLESSING THOSE WORDS ARE I THANK BOTH OF YOU VERY MUCH FOR STARTING OUR MEETING OFF WITH THAT. APPRECIATE IT.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL. THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS ITEM 1A A CORONAVIRUS UPDATE.

[1.A. Coronavirus Update]

THANK YOU MAYOR, WE GOT CASIE STOUGHTON, OUR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH, TO GIVE US THE LATEST ON HOW CORONAVIRUS IS AFFECTING US AND HOW WE'RE REACTING AND THINGS WE'RE DOING TO PREVENT ITS SPREAD IN AMARILLO. AND I'M ALSO GOING TO SHARE SOME COMMENTS AFTER SHE'S DONE WITH REGARD TO THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN CITY FACILITIES.

SO, CASIE, TAKE IT AWAY. THANK YOU, JARED.

AS OF TODAY, THERE ARE FOURTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY EIGHT CASES OF COVID-19 IN POTTER AND RANDALL COUNTY, EIGHT THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX CASES IN POTTER COUNTY, AND SIX THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND TWELVE CASES IN RANDALL COUNTY.

WE HAVE A TOTAL OF TEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SEVEN RECOVERIES AND WE'RE UP TO ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX DEATHS REPORTED IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE'RE HEARTBROKEN AT EACH AND EVERY DEATH.

THAT LEAVES US WITH FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE ACTIVE CASES HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY, EACH OF THE CASES DO REPRESENT A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL.

THE TOTAL ROLLING SEVEN DAY POSITIVITY AVERAGE FOR POTTER AND RANDALL COUNTIES IS TWENTY FOUR PERCENT AND THE POSITIVITY RATE AT THE DRIVE THRU TESTING SITE IS FORTY EIGHT PERCENT. THE FIVE DAY POSITIVE CASE AVERAGE IS THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE NEW CASES PER DAY. SO WE'RE SEEING LOTS AND LOTS OF COMMUNITY SPREAD RIGHT NOW.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH DRIVE THROUGH TESTING SITE DOES REMAIN OPERATIONAL.

INDIVIDUALS CAN CALL 378-6300 TO BE SCREENED AND DIRECTED TO THE TEST SITE.

AND YESTERDAY, OUR TEAM TESTED A RECORD TWO HUNDRED PATIENTS FROM EIGHT A.M.

TO THREE P.M..

SO I WANT TO JUST CONTINUE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE GOOD WORK THAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF ARE DOING. OUR COMMUNITY REMAINS AT LEVEL RED CONDITIONS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH LEVEL RED AS ALL INDICATORS REMAIN BEING OVER THAT THRESHOLD TO BE AT LEVEL RED.

WE WILL EVALUATE AGAIN NEXT WEEK AND REISSUE ANOTHER LEVEL RED IF MEASURES REMAIN CONSISTENT OR MOVE DOWN TO LEVEL ORANGE IF OUR MEASURES ARE CONSISTENT WITH LEVEL ORANGE.

HOWEVER, WITH THE CURRENT TREND, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE WILL BE MOVING DOWN TO LEVEL ORANGE. GA 32'S HOSPITALIZATION RATE FOR THE TWENTY FIVE COUNTY PANHANDLE RAC REGION HAS BEEN OVER 15 PERCENT FOR 17 CONSECUTIVE DAYS NOW.

YESTERDAY, THE RAC REGION THE RAC'S HOSPITALIZATION PERCENTAGE WAS AT 28.05 PERCENT,

[00:05:03]

LOCAL HOSPITAL CAPACITY REMAINS CRITICALLY STRESSED.

WE HAVE TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN COVID POSITIVE PATIENTS IN OUR TWO AREA HOSPITALS.

FIVE POINT SEVEN EIGHT PERCENT OF OUR ACTIVE COVID PATIENTS ARE REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION LOCALLY. ADULT BED UTILIZATION IS AT 92 PERCENT, ICU UTILIZATION IS AT EIGHTY SIX PERCENT AND VENTILATOR UTILIZATION IS AT SEVENTY FIVE POINT FIVE PERCENT.

WEARING A MASK, STAYING SIX FEET AWAY FROM OTHERS, STAYING HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK AND STAYING HOME IF YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO SOMEONE WITH COVID-19 REMAIN CRITICAL IN SLOWING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN OUR COMMUNITY AND EASING THAT HOSPITAL CAPACITY.

WE MUST HELP OUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS HELP US.

WITH THE HOLIDAYS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER WE'VE GOT TO PULL TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO COMBAT THE SPREAD OF THIS DISEASE.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TODAY.

AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.

MAYOR, I WANTED TO CASIE MENTIONED OUR STATE FORMULA, HOSPITALIZATION RATE, WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF OUR TWENTY FIVE COUNTY TRAUMA SERVICE AREA.

WE ARE THE SECOND HIGHEST HOSPITALIZATION RATE AMONG ALL OF THE TRAUMA SERVICE AREAS IN THE STATE BEHIND ONLY THE EL PASO AREA.

I'VE RECENTLY NOT WELL WITHIN THE LAST FEW WEEKS TRAVELED TO SOME OF OUR MORE POPULATED AREAS, AUSTIN, THE DFW AREA, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THAT MASKS ARE TAKEN MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY IN THOSE AREAS THAN THEY ARE HERE.

AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THEIR NUMBERS, AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, HOUSTON, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO TOP OVER 30 PERCENT TODAY.

TODAY, THE NUMBERS TODAY ARE TWENTY EIGHT.

BUT AT FOUR O'CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON, WE'LL GO TO OVER THIRTY ONE PERCENT.

WE'RE RIGHT AT THIRTY ONE PERCENT, WHICH IS A STAGGERINGLY HIGH NUMBER WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT SOME OF THE MOST POPULOUS CITIES IN THE STATE ARE AT FOUR PERCENT, THEY'RE RANGING AROUND THREE TO FOUR PERCENT.

THOSE CITIES RIGHT NOW, IT REALLY ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BIGGEST VARIABLE THAT DETERMINES AND HAS THE HIGHEST CORRELATION BETWEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE, AND THAT IS WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE WEARING OUR MASKS WHEN WE'RE OUT AND ABOUT.

WEARING THE FACE COVERING HAS A DIRECT CORRELATION TO A LOWER EXPERIENCE OF HOSPITALIZATION RATES.

SO THAT'S NOT AN ANECDOTAL INFORMATION THAT'S EMPIRICAL AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE.

WE MAY I DON'T LIKE WEARING A MASK NOBODY LIKES WEARING A MASK.

SOME PEOPLE FEEL IT'S AN INFRINGEMENT ON FREEDOMS AND OTHER THINGS, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT.

AND WHETHER IT IS OR ISN'T IT ABSOLUTELY DOES A BETTER JOB OF PROTECTING YOUR NEIGHBORS AND SAFEGUARDING OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY SO THAT WHEN WE DO HAVE AN EMERGENCY, WE HAVE A PLACE TO GO, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE BEING DIVERTED TO OTHER LOCATIONS WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE CAPACITY. SOME DENVER, SOME DALLAS, YOU KNOW, OTHER PLACES.

SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE GET THIS MESSAGE OUT ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN WE'VE ALREADY BEEN TRYING THAT WE GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND.

AND I'M NOT SAYING YOU NEED TO DO THIS.

I'M JUST SAYING IT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE TAKING VERY SERIOUSLY.

AS A WAY TO SAFEGUARD THEIR NEIGHBORS AND TO PROTECT PEOPLE, WHICH WE ALL CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT, EVERYBODY WANTS TO PROTECT PEOPLE MORE SO THAN THEY WANT TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, THAT WE GET THE MESSAGE OUT AND GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE OF WEARING THEIR MASK WHEN THEY'RE OUT AND ABOUT, WHEN THEY'RE WITHIN SIX FEET OF PEOPLE. AND ALL THE THINGS THAT CDC, PUBLIC HEALTH PRESIDENT AND OTHERS SAY, THAT'S REALLY MORE OF A COMMENTARY THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

BUT I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE SO VERY MUCH HIGHER IN OUR EXPERIENCE OF HOSPITALIZATION RATES THAN ANY OTHER AREA IN THE STATE, EXCEPT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE. AND THERE IS A VERY EASY WAY THAT WE CAN BRING THAT DOWN.

THANK YOU JARED.

CASIE, YOU REFERENCED ONE OF THE STATISTICS ABOUT THE RIGHT NOW AS FAR AS JUST OUR LOCAL NUMBERS AND THE HOSPITALIZATION IS AROUND THAT SIX PERCENT, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE ROUGHLY NINETY FOUR PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE THAT ARE STAYING AT HOME AND RECOVERING. DO YOU HAVE ANY UPDATES, RECOMMENDATIONS ON PEOPLE WHO ARE RECOVERING AT HOME, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL SUGGESTIONS, INSIGHT ON THINGS TO LOOK FOR OF WHEN TO KNOW WHEN YOU NEED TO GO TO THE E.R.

JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SUPPORT INFORMATION ON HOME CARE.

[00:10:09]

[INAUDIBLE] VIRUS, THERE'S NOT A MEDICINE THAT CAN BE PRESCRIBED OUTSIDE OF THE HOSPITAL SETTING. SO CARE WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE.

SO YOU WOULD HAVE TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMS. SO LOTS AND LOTS OF FLUID, GOOD REST, TYLENOL OR ADVIL FOR THOSE ACHES AND PAINS.

JUST REALLY GOOD SUPPORTIVE CARE.

I THINK PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION ON WHEN IT'S AN EMERGENCY FOR THEMSELVES.

AND SO IF THEY ARE HAVING AN EMERGENCY, THEN THEY NEED TO REACH OUT TO THEIR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, URGENT CARE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.

WE HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ACCESSING CARE.

AND SO DON'T WAIT TILL IT'S AN EMERGENCY.

BE IN CONTACT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN OR IN CONTACT WITH URGENT CARE BEFORE IT GETS TO THAT EMERGENCY LEVEL.

BUT IF YOU ARE HAVING AN EMERGENCY, NINE ONE ONE IS AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE.

IF YOU'RE HAVING AN EMERGENCY OR TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.

AND I THINK FOR PEOPLE WHO IS IN EMERGENCIES, THEY KNOW WHAT IT'S AN EMERGENCY.

AND SO I WOULD CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE BEFORE YOU REACH OUT FOR CARE.

BUT AT HOME, IT'S THAT SUPPORTIVE CARE.

SO LOTS OF FLUIDS, LOTS OF REST, AND CERTAINLY WE DON'T WANT TO SPREAD IT TO OTHERS.

AND SO YOU'VE GOT TO TRY TO DO THOSE THINGS WITHOUT SPREADING IT TO OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.

CASIE, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING THERE THAT KIND OF CONFIRMS SOMETHING ELSE I HAD RECENTLY HEARD TO OUR HOSPITAL IS THAT WE ARE USING NOW ADVIL AND TYLENOL.

I KNOW AT THE BEGINNING, KIND OF BACK IN MARCH, THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS THAT ADVIL MIGHT CAUSE COMPLICATIONS IN TREATING COVID-19.

AND SO THAT WAS NEW INFORMATION TO ME THIS LAST WEEK.

SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO TOUCH ON THAT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT IT IS AN ACCEPTABLE USE FOR MANAGING FEVER. YES, YOU CAN USE TYLENOL OR ADVIL, WHATEVER YOU TYPICALLY USE TO TO TREAT YOUR FEVER OR MUSCLE ACHES, JOINT PAIN, THOSE TYPES OF PAIN.

SO, CASIE, CAN I MAKE A COMMENT REAL QUICK, I WANT TO SUPPORT BOTH YOU AND WHAT THE CITY MANAGER HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE WEARING MASKS.

I THINK IT WAS WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, AND UNITED AIRLINES RELEASED A STUDY THAT THEY HAD DONE WHERE THEY USED A 767 AND A 737, AND THEY TOOK IT THROUGH A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND TRIALS.

AND IF YOU ARE SEATED SIX ACROSS IN THOSE PLANES, WHICH IS THE WAY THEY ARE SET UP, THAT IF YOU WORE A MASK AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN DICTATE SPECIFICALLY WHAT KIND OF MASK, BUT IF YOU WORE A MASK, THAT THE CHANCE OF TRANSMISSION WAS, I BELIEVE, POINT SIX PERCENT.

AND SO IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE REALLY WHAT YOU'RE WEARING, JUST AS LONG AS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OUT THERE TO BLUNT TRANSMISSION IS TO WEAR A MASK.

AND WHAT COULD BE A WORSE PLACE THAN TO BE SITTING ON AN AIRPLANE WITH HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WITHIN A SIX FOOT RADIUS, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE BIGGEST ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES, SIX FEET, 15 MINUTES, AND NOW THEN, BY THE WAY, THE TIME IS NOT CONSECUTIVE.

IT'S CUMULATIVE DURING A 24 HOUR PERIOD.

DOES THAT HELP PROVE THAT THE MASK IS EFFICIENT AND HELPING BLUNT TRANSMISSION.

AND I THINK IT'S REAL IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THAT OUT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID, REGARDLESS OF HOW.

WE'RE IN A PANDEMIC.

SO WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN SAID IN MARCH MAY NOT HOLD TRUE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THINGS CHANGE AND WHAT WE LEARN AND ALL THE DIFFERENT STUDIES AND THE THINGS THAT WE GET.

IT'S NOW BECOME VERY APPARENT THAT IF YOU'RE WEARING A MASK, YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOU PROTECT OTHERS AND YOU CAN GREATLY BLUNT.

AND WE'VE GOT TO GET TO THAT POINT WHERE WE UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW CRITICAL THIS IS.

IT'S SAD, ACTUALLY, IT'S ALMOST EMBARRASSING THAT WE HAVE THAT KIND OF SITUATION HERE IN AMARILLO AND WE'RE THE NUMBER TWO IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

SO I COMPLETELY SUPPORT YOU GUYS, WE HAVE TO BE WEARING MASKS.

I DON'T LIKE THEM.

I HATE WEARING MASKS.

I'VE BEEN WEARING A MASK EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST 30 SOMETHING YEARS.

[00:15:01]

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THERE'S TOO MANY THINGS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

AVERAGE STAY AT A HOSPITAL IF YOU HAVE FLU IS FOUR DAYS.

AVERAGE STAY IN THE HOSPITAL IF YOU HAVE COVID I BELIEVE THE AVERAGE NOW IS 12 TO 15 DAYS.

I ALWAYS JUST TRY TO THINK ABOUT I LIKE MY KIDS MORE THAN I DON'T LIKE WEARING A MASK.

EXACTLY. SO I JUST PUT IT ON.

OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, THANK YOU, EDDY.

MAYOR, I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE IF NOBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS FOR.

I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR CASIE, ACTUALLY, JARED, IF YOU DON'T MIND.

YES MA'AM. CASIE, HOW DO YOU THINK OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY IS AFFECTING THE AVERAGE PERSON.

EVERYBODY WHO HAS A FAMILY MEMBER IN THE HOSPITAL KNOWS HOW IT'S AFFECTING THAT FAMILY MEMBER. BUT HOW IS IT AFFECTING US, JUST AVERAGE PEOPLE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IF WE DON'T NEED TO BE IN THE HOSPITAL IS IT REALLY AFFECTING US? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

SO WITH THE HOSPITALS, WITH US MOVING INTO THAT AREA OF HIGH HOSPITALIZATIONS, THE HOSPITALS HAVE HAD TO POSTPONE ELECTIVE SURGERIES.

AND SO IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN PLANNING TO HAVE THEIR GALLBLADDER OUT OR A KNEE REPLACED OR DIFFERENT SURGERIES, THOSE HAVE HAD TO BE POSTPONED.

AND SO AND MANY TIMES THOSE ARE QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES AND NOT NECESSARILY EMERGENCIES, BUT CERTAINLY QUALITY OF LIFE.

AND SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE ELECTIVE SURGERIES AND MANY TIMES THEY'RE NOT JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY WANTS TO HAVE SURGERY, BUT BECAUSE SOMEBODY TRULY DOES NEED TO HAVE SURGERY, BUT IT CAN BE POSTPONED AND NOT CHANGE THE COURSE OF THEIR LIFE.

BUT THEY DO NEED TO HAVE THAT SURGERY.

AND SO THOSE SURGERIES HAD TO BE POSTPONED.

IF YOU HAVE A CAR ACCIDENT OR YOU'RE PAINTING YOUR HOUSE AND YOU FALL OFF A LADDER, IT NOW HAS PUSHED THOSE E.R.

WAITS TO HOURS AND HOURS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEVER KNOW WHEN WE MIGHT HAVE AN ACCIDENT.

AND SO THAT HAS CERTAINLY CHANGED FOR US.

SO THERE'S JUST A NUMBER OF WAYS THAT IT CAN AFFECT EVEN THOSE OF US WHO AREN'T NECESSARILY NEEDING HOSPITAL CARE RIGHT THIS MINUTE.

THAT HOSPITAL CAPACITY DOES CERTAINLY AFFECT US.

AND CASIE, I JUST WONDERED IF YOU KNOW OF PEOPLE, STORIES WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING OR SOME OF THE MOST SURPRISING STORIES.

I KNOW, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE STORIES JUST IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE CHALLENGES THAT WE AS CITIZENS DON'T KNOW THOSE STORIES.

AND I I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM CONNECTED.

HOW CAN OUR CITIZENS KNOW SOME OF THE STORIES THAT YOU'RE HEARING AT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OUR HOSPITAL IS FULL.

HOW DO WE TELL THOSE STORIES? YEAH, SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE HEARD OF PEOPLE WHO THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM THE REGION INTO AMARILLO FOR THAT THOSE TYPE OF SURGERIES WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LOTS OF TRANSMISSION AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS.

AND SO HOSPITALIZED CURRENTLY ARE PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

WE'VE HAD HUSBANDS AND WIVES PASS AWAY JUST WITHIN DAYS OR HOURS OF ONE ANOTHER.

WE HAVE YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD MOTHERS WHO HAVE TRIED TO RESUSCITATE THEIR CHILDREN.

WE'VE HAD JUST JUST VERY TRAGIC STORIES.

JUST RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY.

AND THINGS THAT WE WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT WE WOULD [INAUDIBLE] OUR OWN NEIGHBORS WOULD HAVE TO DO. AND SO.

IF ALL WE HAVE TO DO ARE WEAR A MASK AND JUST NOT GO TO GET TOGETHERS LIKE THOSE THINGS ARE JUST SO SIMPLE.

SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THOSE THOSE SITUATIONS THAT OUR NEIGHBORS AND LOVED ONES DON'T HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THOSE THINGS.

THANK YOU.

THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS JARED.

THANK YOU, MA'AM. SORRY TO JUMP IN THERE A LITTLE TOO QUICK.

I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL.

I HAVE BRIEFED EVERYONE INDIVIDUALLY ON SOME STEPS WE'RE TAKING WITH THE ORGANIZATION IN LIGHT OF OUR HOSPITAL CAPACITY AND THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT WE'RE PUTTING ON

[00:20:04]

SO I WANTED TO KIND OF GO OVER THAT AT VERY HIGH LEVEL AND THEN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL MIGHT HAVE REGARDING STEPS WE'RE TAKING TO ADJUST OUR SERVICE DELIVERY PLAN TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE FACE TO FACE CONTACT FOR OUR CITIZENS AND ALSO FOR OUR STAFF.

SO THE WHOLE TAKEAWAY IS THAT WE ARE TAKING AGGRESSIVE STEPS TO REDUCE FACE TO FACE CONTACTS. THE WHOLE PURPOSE IS TO, ONE, REDUCE OUR RELIANCE, UPON HOSPITALS, HOPEFULLY TO REDUCE THE CONTRIBUTION TO PEOPLE IN HOSPITALS AS A RESULT OF CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS, BUT ALSO TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR ANY OTHER BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY AND JURISDICTIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT MIGHT WANT TO FILE SUIT, TO TAKE STEPS TO REDUCE FACE TO FACE [INAUDIBLE], THEREBY REDUCING THE DEMAND THAT WE HAVE ON THE HOSPITALS.

TO THAT END, WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING STEPS AT ALL OF OUR CITY FACILITIES, THIS IS NOT A CITY SHUTDOWN. THIS IS NOT A SHUTDOWN OF ANY KIND.

CITY IS STILL GOING TO PROVIDE ALL OF OUR SERVICES.

WE'RE JUST GOING TO DO THEM EITHER REMOTELY THROUGH CURBSIDE SERVICE OR THROUGH ZOOM OR OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEETINGS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO BEGINNING TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 4TH AND SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED, BUT BEGINNING TOMORROW AND NOVEMBER 4TH FOR MANY DEPARTMENTS, ALSO ON NOVEMBER 9TH, NEXT MONDAY FOR SOME DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE IMPLEMENTATION OF REDUCED FACE TO FACE CONTACT PROTOCOLS DOES TAKE SOME TIME IN SOME DEPARTMENTS.

SO WE'RE GOING TO PHASE IT IN DIFFERENT PHASES.

SOME DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING TO GO EFFECTIVE TOMORROW.

SOME DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING TO GO EFFECTIVE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH.

AND THEN FOR A COUPLE OF DEPARTMENTS LIKE PARKS AND CONVENTION CENTER AND OTHERS, WE'RE GOING TO GO EFFECTIVE ONE WEEK AFTER NOVEMBER 9TH.

THAT'LL GIVE US TIME TO GET THROUGH SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY APPROVED AND ALLOW US MORE FLEXIBILITY, TO RESTRICT ACCESS AND AND REDUCE FACE TO FACE CONTACT IN CERTAIN FACILITIES. THE EFFECT THAT ALL DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING TO TAKE STEPS TO REDUCE FACE TO FACE CONTACT, BOTH INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS, INTERNAL SERVICES DEPARTMENTS THAT ONLY DEAL WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OUTWARD FACING DEPARTMENTS THAT WORK WITH CITIZENS.

THE MOST OBVIOUS PLACES THAT CITIZENS ARE GOING TO FEEL AN IMPACT IS GOING TO BE OUR LIBRARIES, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE CURBSIDE SERVICE AT OUR SIMS BUILDING, WHERE WE DO MOST OF OUR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO CURBSIDE SERVICE.

IN CERTAIN INSTANCES, WE WILL SET UP A FACE TO FACE MEETING WHERE WE WILL COME OUTSIDE, PICK UP THE PERSON THAT'S WAITING, BRING THEM IN FOR THE MEETING AND THEN ESCORT THEM OUT. WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE ONLINE SERVICES, TELEPHONE SERVICES.

AND IN THE INSTANCE OF CITY HALL WHERE UTILITY BILLING IS LOCATED, WE'LL ALSO HAVE CURBSIDE SERVICE AND AN OUTDOOR PAYMENT KIOSK WHERE PEOPLE CAN DRIVE AND MAKE PAYMENTS OR RECEIVE SERVICES OUTSIDE.

WE WILL PUT OUT THROUGH OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT WHEN THESE ARE TAKING EFFECT.

WE'LL BE DOING THAT THIS AFTERNOON.

AND I WANTED TO WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE BECAUSE SOME OF OUR MOST CHALLENGING AREAS ARE OUTDOOR SPORTING EVENTS WHERE COMPLIANCE WITH THE GOVERNOR'S ORDERS ARE VERY HIT OR MISS WE'LL BE TURNING OFF THOSE SERVICES AS SOON AS WE CAN GET AGREEMENTS WITH OUR CURRENT USERS.

THAT WILL IMPACT THINGS LIKE OUTDOOR SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL, INDOOR BASKETBALL AT PLACES LIKE IN THE NORTH HEIGHTS AND OTHER AREAS.

SO I WANTED TO SEE IF COUNCIL HAD ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.

WE'RE GOING TO COMMUNICATE THAT LIKE I SAID, THIS AFTERNOON, IN A MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD WAY. BUT THE TAKEAWAY THE MAIN TAKEAWAY IS THIS IS NOT A SHUT DOWN.

IT DOESN'T AFFECT ANY OTHER BUSINESSES OR BUILDINGS OTHER THAN CITY BUILDINGS.

EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING IS COMPLIANT WITH THE GOVERNOR'S ORDERS AND REALLY ONLY EFFECTS REDUCED FACE TO FACE CONTACT AT CITY FACILITIES.

AND WE WILL STILL BRING ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE, LIKE RENTING, CHECKING OUT LIBRARY BOOKS, PAYING UTILITY BILLS, GETTING PERMITS AND PASSES AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT THROUGH OUR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENTS.

WHAT QUESTIONS CAN I ANSWER? I DON'T HAVE ANY. I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR CITY TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING IN EVERY WAY OBSERVANT OF THE GOVERNOR'S GUIDANCE REGARDING MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING WHILE WE'RE AT WORK.

AND ALSO WHILE WE'RE NOT AT WORK, I KNOW THAT WHEN WE'RE OUT AND ABOUT WHEN OUR POLICE OFFICERS, WHEN OUR UTILITY BUILDING WORKERS, WHEN OUR UTILITY WORKERS, WHEN THEY'RE OUT

[00:25:05]

AND I'VE ASKED THEM TO NOT ONLY WEAR THE MASK AND THE FACE COVERINGS WHEN THEY'RE AT WORK, WHICH THEY'RE EXPECTED TO DO AND ARE REQUIRED TO DO, BUT ALSO TO SET THAT EXAMPLE WHEN THEY'RE OUT AND ABOUT IN PUBLIC.

IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

I THINK IF WE ARE RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO SET AN EXAMPLE AND TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY THE GUIDANCE THAT THE GOVERNORS PUT OUT THAT THE CDC HAS PUT UP, THAT THE PRESIDENTS' PUT OUT ON WEARING THE FACE COVERINGS AND DOING THE THINGS NECESSARY TO REDUCE THE SPREAD. SO IT'S NOT JUST WHILE WE ARE AT WORK, BUT IT'S ALSO WHEN WE'RE NOT AT WORK.

JARED I HEAR YOU SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT A SHUTDOWN, BUT I THINK WHAT I'M ALSO HEARING YOU SAY IS THAT THE CITY IS ASKING PEOPLE, BUSINESS OWNERS, LEADERS OF ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE SIMILAR CHANGES.

SO WE DON'T BELIEVE A SHUTDOWN IS NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE TIDE HERE.

WHAT WE NEED IS FOR PEOPLE TO NOT MEET IN FACE TO FACE MEETINGS UNLESS IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR OUR KIDS TO GO TO SCHOOL.

SO THEY'RE DOING THAT. BUT IS IT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR YOUR LUNCH BUNCH TO MEET EVERY WEEK? IS IT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR YOU TO HAVE A FAMILY BIRTHDAY PARTY? CONSIDER THESE THINGS, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY, IS THAT THE CITY IS REALLY LOOKING AT HOW THEY CAN CUT DOWN ON FACE TO FACE MEETINGS AND HOW THEY CAN INCREASE THE TIMES THEY'RE WEARING MASKS.

AND I THINK WE'RE ASKING BUSINESSES ACROSS THE CITY TO DO THE EXACT SAME THING.

CORRECT, CORRECT. WE WANT TO PARTNER WITH ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES TO DO THE SAME THING.

IT'S VERY EASY TO WEAR A MASK, TO EXPECT TO CLEARLY ARTICULATE, THE EXPECTATION TO OUR STAFF MEMBERS, TO OUR TEAM MEMBERS, THE EXPECTATION TO BE COMPLIANT WITH THE GOVERNOR'S ORDERS AND WEAR THE FACE COVERINGS WHEN WE'RE AT WORK, WHEN WE'RE WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE OF PEOPLE, WHEN WE'RE OUT AND ABOUT.

THE GUIDELINES ARE PRETTY CLEAR.

AND I THINK THE PROOF IS IN THE RESULTS.

THERE'S A LOT OF CITIES ACROSS THE STATE.

THEY'RE ALL JUST AS OPEN AS WE ARE.

BUT THEIR RESIDENTS AND THEIR BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE THAT ARE INSIDE THOSE CITIES ARE PAYING MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION TO ADHERING TO THE GOVERNOR'S GUIDELINES ON THE FACE COVERINGS. WE CAN EXPERIENCE THAT SAME POSITIVE EFFECT JUST BY UTILIZING OUR FACE COVERINGS.

IN THE ABSENCE OF THAT, WE CAN TAKE CERTAIN STEPS TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE RISKS THAT WE HAVE IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO WEAR THE FACE COVERINGS THEN WE ALSO NEED TO BE REDUCING OUR FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS.

WE HAVE A CHALLENGE WITH THAT.

AS THE NUMBERS WOULD INDICATE IN THIS TRAUMA SERVICE AREA.

WE CAN TAKE STEPS AND OUR BUSINESSES CAN TAKE STEPS BY REDUCING OUR FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS, ALLOWING PEOPLE TO WORK FROM HOME IF THEY CAN REMAIN FULLY PRODUCTIVE FROM HOME. AND THAT'S NOT EVERY POSITION.

YOU CAN'T REPAIR A WATER LEAK FROM HOME.

BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF POSITIONS THAT CAN BE FULLY PRODUCTIVE FROM HOME OR REMOTELY THROUGH TELEWORK. SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.

WE'RE GOING TO RETASK OTHER PEOPLE THAT WHOSE JOBS CANNOT BE PERFORMED UNDER THIS POSTURE. WE'RE GOING TO RETASK THEM OVER TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE THEY CAN DO CONTACT TRACING AND OTHER THINGS THAT WILL FACILITATE OR BENEFIT THIS EFFORT.

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO REDUCE THE TRANSMISSION AND WE'RE LOOKING WE'RE FOCUSING ON MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE DOING THAT IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE HERE AT THE CITY OF AMARILLO, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE WILL BE IN A FULL REDUCED FACE TO FACE CONTACT POSTURE WITHIN TWO WEEKS.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IN JUST OVER TWO WEEKS, WE HAVE GONE FROM 15 PERCENT HOSPITALIZATION RATE, AS CALCULATED BY THE GOVERNOR UNDER GA 32 TO THIRTY ONE PERCENT.

WHERE WILL WE BE IN ANOTHER TWO WEEKS IF THIS CONTINUES AT THIS TREND? WE COULD BE STARING AT 60 PERCENT AT OUR HOSPITALS, AND WE CAN PUT OUR HEAD IN THE SAND AND SAY, WELL, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT THE TREND THAT WE'RE ON WITHOUT CHANGING WHAT WE'RE DOING IS GOING TO CONTINUE AND IT'S GOING TO MUSHROOM.

IT'S NOT GOING TO JUST ADD 20 EVERY WEEK OR ADD 10 EVERY WEEK.

IT'S GOING TO MUSHROOM.

WE'RE SEEING THAT HAPPEN.

SO WE MUST, AS A CITY, DECIDE TO CHANGE WHAT WE'RE DOING IF WE WANT TO SEE ANY CHANGE IN OUR RESULTS. THE RATE OF GROWTH WOULD INDICATE WHAT YOU SAID IS ACCURATE MAYOR.

[00:30:07]

I DON'T HAVE THAT [INAUDIBLE] I KNOW THAT IN TALKING TO STAFF, THE MAJORITY OF OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE FROM OUR TWO COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT AREA.

CASIE, CAN YOU EXPAND UPON THAT? YES. THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT TRANSFERS BECAUSE THEY'RE SO FULL RIGHT NOW.

[INAUDIBLE] SO MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THOSE PATIENTS ARE FROM POTTER RANDALL COUNTY.

PATIENTS FROM THE REGION ARE BEING TRANSFERRED ELSEWHERE RIGHT NOW.

I KNOW OF ONE PERSONAL STORY, WHO IS A AMARILLO RESIDENT, THERE WASN'T ROOM AT OUR HOSPITAL. THEY AIRLIFTED HIM TO SAN ANTONIO.

SO IT'S I MEAN, IT'S NOT JUST OUR PANHANDLE PATIENTS THAT CAN'T COME TO OUR HOSPITAL, IT'S OUR OWN AMARILLO PEOPLE, ALTHOUGH WE THINK OF THOSE PANHANDLE PEOPLE, WE'RE ONE BIG COMMUNITY AND WE ARE NOW SHIPPING OUR PATIENTS DOWN TO COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB OF MANAGING THEIR HOSPITAL CAPACITY.

WE'RE PUSHING OUR PROBLEMS INTO THEIR HOSPITALS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, THEN, COUNCIL ON COVID.

ELAINE GO FIRST.

OK. I WANTED TO BE SURE WE KEEP ON THE RADAR A TOPIC WE BROUGHT UP A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND I KNOW IN THE INTERVIEW THAT THE DOCTORS DID LAST MONDAY, THIS TOPIC CAME UP AGAIN AND OF JUST OF WEIGHT COMPLICATIONS AND DIABETES BEING SOME OF THE COMPLICATIONS THAT MAKE CONTRACTING COVID EVEN MORE DANGEROUS.

AND I WANTED TO JUST FOLLOW BACK UP ON THAT.

AFTER WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION, I READ A STUDY ON THAT EVEN IN A SHORT TIME PERIOD.

I THINK THIS REPORT WAS SAYING EVEN LIKE A TWO WEEK TIME PERIOD, THERE WERE SOME HEALTH CHANGES THAT PEOPLE COULD MAKE THAT I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE THINK IT WOULD TAKE WEEKS OR MONTHS LONG TERM TO SEE ANY BENEFIT.

AND THERE WERE MAJOR BENEFITS OF STRENGTHENING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND JUST A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF RECOVERIES WHEN DEALING WITH THOSE TWO ISSUES.

AND SO JUST WANT TO BE SURE IT'S STILL KIND OF ON OUR RADAR AND JUST GETTING SOME INFORMATION OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT AS WELL LIKE WE HAVE A CRISIS AT HAND RIGHT NOW THAT WE'RE NEEDING TO DEAL WITH.

WE HAVE GOT TO GET THE PRESSURE ON OUR HOSPITALS DOWN TO BE ABLE TO TREAT PEOPLE.

RIGHT NOW OUR FATALITY RATE IS STILL TRACKING NATIONALLY.

IT'S ONE POINT ONE PERCENT.

BUT A LOT OF THAT DEPENDS UPON GETTING GOOD HEALTH CARE, AND BEING ABLE TO [INAUDIBLE] THOSE SERIOUS CASES THAT WE DO HAVE HOSPITALIZATION CAPACITY.

AND SO THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER.

WE ARE, LIKE I CAN SAY WITH OUR CASES AND THE NUMBER OF DEATHS, WE'RE JUST RIGHT OVER THAT ONE PERCENT, WHICH HAS NOT CHANGED THAT MUCH OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS.

BUT WE DON'T WANT IT TO GET WORSE.

THAT'S ALREADY MORE THAN WE WANT IT TO BE.

BUT THAT'S THE SHORT TERM IMMEDIATE.

BUT ALSO TRYING TO AT THE SAME TIME, DEALING WITH THAT FIRE, LOOK DOWN THE ROAD OF MANAGING. WE CAN'T MITIGATE RISK WITH THIS, BUT WE CAN MANAGE AND MINIMIZE SOME RISKS.

AND THOSE ARE SOME HEALTH ISSUES THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY ADDRESS AS A COMMUNITY AND IMPROVE OUR RECOVERIES. HOWARD, DID YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? WELL, MORE OF A STATEMENT.

CASIE STAY ON HERE FOR A MINUTE.

AS I GO TO CITY HALL, I WANT TO COMPLIMENT THE STAFF.

I THINK I SEE THEM ALL WEARING MASKS ALL THE TIME.

AND WHEN PEOPLE ARE ON ZOOM THEY DON'T ORDINARILY WEAR A MASK, BUT I WANT TO COMPLIMENT CASIE FOR SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR US.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC WATCH THIS, BUT THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE WHERE I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO DO IT WHEN YOU'RE ON ZOOM.

SO THANK YOU, CASIE.

AND SHE'S BEEN SAYING SINCE MARCH, EVERY MEETING I WATCHED MOST OF THEM.

[00:35:02]

AS A FAMILY, MY WIFE AND I, WE HAVE TWO SONS, ONE IN WACO, ONE IN PLANO, WE ATTENDED A BIRTHDAY PARTY BY ZOOM THE OTHER DAY.

WE HAD A DINNER. WE HAD A ZOOM MEETING, THEY WERE ON ZOOM, AND WE COULD TALK TO OUR SON AND HIS WIFE AND THREE GRANDKIDS, SO IT'S BEEN CHRISTMAS SINCE WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THEM.

AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE JUST TO DO ZOOM MEETINGS WHEN NEEDED.

SO. I'M JUST REITERATING WE'RE A MASK LIKE CASIE'S DOING.

THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, HOWARD.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM ANYBODY.

CASIE, WE APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR TEAM VERY MUCH.

I KNOW THE NUMBERS THAT INCREASE AT THE HOSPITAL, THE NUMBERS OF POSITIVITY AND THE CASES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

ONCE THOSE GO UP, Y'ALLS WORKLOAD GOES UP, TOO.

SO THANK YOU.

I'LL PASS THAT ALONG, THANK YOU.

ANYTHING ELSE JARED ON CORONAVIRUS UPDATE? NO, MA'AM, THAT'S IT. OK, THEN ITEM 1 B IS A PRESENTATION ON CUSTOMER SERVICE SLOGAN AND

[1.B. Presentation on Customer Service Slogan and Branding]

WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON A CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM FOR SOME TIME.

TO PRESENT AN UPDATE ON THAT IS LAURA STORRS OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

I'M GOING TO SHARE A VERY SHORT PRESENTATION WITH YOU ALL ON THIS IMPORTANT INITIATIVE WE HAVE GOING HERE AT THE CITY OF AMARILLO.

SO AS COUNCIL, YOU ARE AWARE, IN THE BLUEPRINT FOR AMARILLO, ONE OF THE PILLARS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND WE KNOW THAT IT IS A PRIORITY OF EACH OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, OUR MAYOR AND OUR STAFF HERE IN THE CITY OF AMARILLO TO PROVIDE QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE IN ALL OF OUR INTERACTIONS WITH THE PUBLIC AND INTERNALLY AMONG OURSELVES.

SO WE KIND OF SET OUT ON A MISSION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DEFINES GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND WE SERVE IN A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT CAPACITIES FROM ONE CITY DEPARTMENT TO ANOTHER ONE.

SO WE HAD A GOAL OF FINDING ONE SLOGAN THAT WOULD CAPTURE ALL OF THE WAYS THAT WE SERVE OUR CITIZENS HERE IN THE CITY OF AMARILLO.

SO WHAT WE DID IS WE STARTED OFF WITH A KIND OF A CHALLENGE WITH OUR EMPLOYEES, WE ASKED OUR EMPLOYEES TO SUBMIT IDEAS ON A CUSTOMER SERVICE SLOGAN.

AND SO IT WAS SO FASCINATING TO SEE THE SUBMISSIONS THAT WE GOT ACROSS OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS. AND EACH DEPARTMENT WAS THEN TASKED WITH PICKING ONE IDEA FROM THEIR DEPARTMENT AND SUBMITTING IT IN FOR FURTHER REVIEW.

SO AFTER WE GOT IN, WE HAD OVER TWENTY ONE SLOGANS THAT WERE SUBMITTED FOR THE FINAL REVIEW. WE NARROWED IT DOWN TO THREE FINALISTS.

WITH THOSE THREE FINALISTS WE THEN ASKED ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE CITY TO VOTE ON THEIR FAVORITE SLOGAN.

SO WE HEARD OUR EMPLOYEES AND IT WAS PRETTY OVERWHELMING, THE NUMBER THAT CHOSE IT.

AND WE WANT TO ANNOUNCE TODAY OUR WINNING CUSTOMER SERVICE SLOGAN SO THAT THE SLOGAN IS NEIGHBORS SERVING NEIGHBORS THE AMARILLO WAY.

AND WE JUST THINK IT IS SO FITTING AND IT FITS RIGHT IN.

I THINK WITH THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING TODAY, AS CHALLENGING AS THE TIMES ARE RIGHT NOW, WE ARE NEIGHBORS IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WE ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE'RE SERVING OUR NEIGHBORS.

IT'S GOING TO LOOK AND FEEL DIFFERENTLY.

AND IT'S LOOKED AND FELT DIFFERENTLY FOR A WHILE NOW.

I ALMOST WANTED TO PUT A GIANT MASK OVER THIS SLOGAN TO KIND OF PUT A POINT OUT THERE.

BUT EVEN THOUGH THINGS HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT AND THEY ARE GOING TO CHANGE A LITTLE BIT MORE, WE ARE STILL HERE TO SERVE OUR FELLOW NEIGHBORS, WHICH IS THE AMARILLO WAY.

SO THE NEXT STEPS.

JUST REAL BRIEFLY TO GO OVER WITH AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE OUR AMARILLO FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY WERE THE ONES THAT SUBMITTED THE WINNING SLOGAN OF NEIGHBORS SERVING NEIGHBORS THE AMARILLO WAY.

WE ARE GOING TO CELEBRATE WITH THAT GROUP, BUT WE'VE GOT TO GET A LITTLE CREATIVE ON HOW TO DO THAT, BECAUSE COVID HAS CERTAINLY CHANGED A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.

SO WE'LL BE WORKING THROUGH THAT.

WE ANNOUNCED TO OUR EMPLOYEES EARLIER THIS I'M SORRY, IT WAS LATE LAST WEEK AND THE ICE STORM, EVEN PUT A LITTLE DAMPER ON THAT.

BUT WE SENT OUT AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES THAT THIS WAS THE WINNING SLOGAN.

[00:40:06]

AND THEN YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING SIGNAGE AND SWAG ITEMS, WHETHER THAT'S ON A PIN OR MAYBE ON A MASK, TRYING TO PUSH OUT THIS SLOGAN, WE WANT TO BE UNITED ACROSS ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS IN OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE EFFORTS.

AND SO WE FEEL THIS SLOGAN WILL BE A GREAT WAY TO HELP UNITE ALL OF THOSE EFFORTS.

WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE ROLLING OUT LATER THIS CALENDAR YEAR. FIRST ONE IS CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAMPIONS.

I WON'T GO INTO DETAILS, BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE LOOKING FOR A CHAMPION IN EACH ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT'S REALLY GOING TO STEP UP AND LEAD THE CUSTOMER SERVICE EFFORTS IN THEIR DEPARTMENT.

SO WE'LL BE WORKING THROUGH THAT PROGRAM AND THEN THE NEXT ONE THAT'S COMING OUT AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS, WE ARE GOING TO ROLL OUT AN EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM LATER THIS YEAR.

WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ALL THE LOGISTICS ON IT BECAUSE WE WANT ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES THAT ARE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND TO SERVE CUSTOMERS TO BE RECOGNIZED.

AND SO WE WILL BE BRINGING COUNCIL SOME MORE DETAILS ON THAT BECAUSE WE HOPE TO CELEBRATE THOSE EMPLOYEES WITH YOU GUYS IN THE FUTURE AS WE RECOGNIZE THOSE EMPLOYEES GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND ON A CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDPOINT.

SO WITH THAT, WE'VE GOT LOTS TO COME AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW SLOGAN AND WE WILL BE PUSHING IT OUT AND YOU'LL BE SEEING THIS A LOT MORE IN THE FUTURE.

SO ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL ON THIS? I DON'T SEE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY COMMENTS.

LOVE IT, LOVE IT.

I LOVE IT. GREAT.

I HAVE A FEW PEOPLE TO SUBMIT THAT HAVE ALREADY DONE A GREAT JOB, AND THAT'S IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS. SO I'M EXCITED.

EXCELLENT. WELL, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL AS WELL.

IF YOU CATCH AN EMPLOYEE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT. WE WANT TO CELEBRATE WITH THEM.

RUN INTO SOMEONE DOING SOMETHING GREAT, YOU THINK, WOW, I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT PERSON.

WE DO GET CALLS WHEN WE DON'T DO IT RIGHT.

AND EVERY TIME I GET ONE OF THOSE, WE TAKE THEM VERY SERIOUSLY.

WE IDENTIFY WHERE THE CHALLENGES WERE AND WE WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THEM.

SO WE DON'T SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IT PERFECT.

WE DO SAY THAT WHEN WE HAVE A CHALLENGE, WE'RE GOING TO WORK TO LEARN FROM A MISTAKE IF THERE WAS ONE THAT HAPPENED.

AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET BETTER AS A RESULT OF IT.

THIS WHOLE INITIATIVE COMES OUT OF THAT DESIRE TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY, OUR ORGANIZATION, DO AS GOOD A JOB AS POSSIBLE.

A GREAT JOB AT SERVING OUR COMMUNITY AND SERVING OUR CITIZENS AND ALSO AT SERVING EACH OTHER. BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TWO OTHER EMPLOYEES.

SO IT'S BOTH AN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACING INITIATIVE THAT'S GOING TO HAVE I THINK WE LEAD FROM THE BEST IDEAS.

AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES.

WE GROW FROM THE BEST IDEAS.

AND COUNCIL, IF I CAN ADD ONE MORE THING REAL QUICK, I FORGOT ABOUT THIS.

WE HAVE A TEAM IT FLUCTUATED A LITTLE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT ABOUT FIVE TO 10 PEOPLE THAT ARE VERY BUSY IN THEIR DAY TO DAY TASKS AND HAVE ADDED ONE ADDITIONAL THING TO BECOME PART OF WHAT WE'RE REFERRING TO AS OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE PILLAR TEAM THAT WE MEET ON A MONTHLY BASIS AND WE WORK THROUGH IDEAS TO FURTHER THESE EFFORTS.

AND THEY ARE PHENOMENAL EMPLOYEES WITH SOME GREAT IDEAS.

AND SO THEY PUT A LOT OF EFFORT AND A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS.

YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE AN EASY THING TO HAVE EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE CITY VOTE ON SOMETHING, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF BARRIERS ON IT.

AND WE DON'T ALL HAVE COMPUTER ACCESS.

WE DON'T ALL HAVE EMAIL ACCOUNTS.

SO THERE'S PAPER INVOLVED AT TIMES.

THERE'S RAISING HANDS INVOLVED AT TIMES.

AND SO WE'VE GOT A GREAT TEAM THAT'S BEEN WORKING THROUGH THIS AND WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AND THE NEXT FEW YEARS ARE GOING TO BRING AS WE REALLY HAVE THIS AT THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON HERE AT THE CITY.

MAYOR, I WOULD ALSO ADD LAURA TOUCHED ON SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE ENTIRE START OF THE GENESIS OF THIS WHOLE INITIATIVE.

THIS IS DRIVEN BY THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PILLAR, WHICH WAS CREATED IN 2017.

ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS THAT THIS COUNCIL, AS A GROUP DID IN MAY OF 2017 WAS HAVE A

[00:45:01]

SO IT'S TIME CONSUMING, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S COME OUT OF THAT.

WELL IT'S EXCITING TO US, I CAN TELL BY COUNCIL FACES, WE ALL LOVE IT AND WE WANT TO ACCELERATE EXECUTING ON THESE IDEAS.

IT'S THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY.

ELAINE DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SAY? I JUST I LOVE THE SLOGAN, LAURA, AND THAT I THINK IT CAPTURES SOMETHING THAT'S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, THAT IT IS NEIGHBORS SERVING NEIGHBOR.

IT IS THE MOST CLOSE CONTACT WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE SAME GROCERY STORES, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES. AND SO IT IS COMMUNITY SERVING COMMUNITY.

AND I THINK THAT THE SLOGAN REALLY CAPTURES THAT.

AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY VALUABLE IN THE COMMUNICATION OF THAT.

YES IT'S GOVERNMENT.

BUT IT'S REALLY JUST YOUR NEIGHBOR TRYING TO HELP DELIVER GOVERNMENT SERVICES TO THEIR NEIGHBORS. AND SO KUDOS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FOR EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING.

AND GOOD JOB.

THANK YOU. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD COME UP WITH A SLOGAN THAT DIDN'T INVOLVE ICE CREAM? I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL ABOUT ICE CREAM.

[LAUGHTER] MAYBE THAT'S HOW WE NEED TO CELEBRATE WITH THEM APPARENTLY, THEN.

MAYBE. WHEN I SEE THEM AT THE GROCERY STORE, THEIR CART IS ALWAYS FULL OF ICE CREAM.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT COUNCIL THAT'S VERY EXCITING, VERY EXCITING, JARED.

OK, IF NOT, LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM 1C AN UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN WAYFINDING SIGNS.

[1.C. Update on Downtown Wayfinding Signs]

LEADING THAT DISCUSSION IS GOING TO BE ANDREW FREEMAN, ALSO EMILY KOLLER.

I CAN SEE WE ALSO HAVE CLEVE TURNER OUR CONSULTANT ON THE LINE.

SO, ANDREW, GO AHEAD AND TAKE IT AWAY.

YES, SIR. SO WE'VE GOT A BRIEF UPDATE FOR COUNCIL AFTER WE HAD THE MOCK SIGN UP JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT WE WANT TO BRING Y'ALL UP TO SPEED ON.

I'VE GOT A FEW PICTURES TO SHARE HERE ON MY SCREEN.

SO IF YOU'D DRIVEN BY IT AFTER WE LET YOU KNOW THAT THE MOCK SIGN WAS UP, IT MIGHT HAVE LOOKED EVEN LARGER THAN WE ANTICIPATED TO BE.

SO WE DID HAVE TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS.

WHEN WE TOOK THESE PICTURES WE LOWERED IT DOWN ON THE FRAME SO YOU'D GET A MORE REALISTIC FEEL ON THE ACTUAL HEIGHT, IT'S ACTUALLY STILL JUST A LITTLE BIT TALLER.

BUT WE HAD TO ADJUST FOR THE WIND TO ALLOW THE WIND TO PASS THROUGH SO DIDN'T CARRY AWAY OUR PROTOTYPE.

AND I ALSO WANT TO MENTION A BIG SHOUT OUT TO DONNY HOOPER AND HIS TRAFFIC TEAM.

THEY WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND CONFIGURING THIS, GETTING IT INSTALLED, MAKING THE CHANGES SO WE CAN CREATE A GOOD FEEL FOR FOR HOW IT WOULD LOOK WITH THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

JUST TO PUT INTO SCALE THE LADIES STAYING TO THE RIGHT IS FIVE FOOT SEVEN SO YOU CAN GET AN IDEA OF HOW THE LOWER PORTION WORKS, WITH PEDESTRIANS STANDING AND LOOKING AT THE SIGN. YOU ALSO GET A GOOD LOOK AT THE SKYLINE AT THE BOTTOM THERE WITH THE LOGO.

WHEN THE COMMITTEE MET AFTER TO KIND OF REGROUP AND SEE IF THERE WERE ANY CHANGES THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE MADE ONE ITEM WAS A SMALL TWEAK TO THE SKYLINE TO NOT HAVE THE SUN BEAMS COMING OUT THE BACK. IT SEEMED TO BE A LITTLE DISTRACTING TO THE OVERALL VIEW.

SO I'VE GOT A NEW EXAMPLE TO SHOW YOU TOWARD THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.

HERE'S A VIEW FROM THE STREET, REALLY PUTS IT IN THE CONTEXT OF SEEING IT BEYOND THE VEHICLES, BECAUSE THE UPPER HALF IS REALLY FOR THE VEHICULAR CARS GOING DOWN THE STREET.

THE BOTTOM HALF IS FOR THE PEDESTRIANS ON THE SIDEWALK.

SO THESE VIEWS KIND OF GIVE YOU THAT FEEL THAT YOU'D BE ABLE TO SEE IT ACROSS THE LANES OF TRAFFIC. THE TOP PORTION THAT'S REALLY DIRECTING YOU FROM YOUR VEHICLE WHERE YOU'RE TRYING TO HEAD DOWN THE STREET.

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE WITH THE MOST UP TO DATE SKYLINE, THE LOGO HAS SHRUNK JUST A LITTLE BIT TO FIT IT IN BETTER WITH THE SKYLINE AND THE BEAMS WERE REMOVED AFTER THAT WAS REALLY THE MAIN FEEDBACK WE GOT AS A GROUP AS WE DISCUSSED ANY CHANGES.

OVERALL, WE FELT THE TEXT WAS A GOOD SIZE, BEING ABLE TO VIEW IT DOWN THE STREET AND CLEARLY KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING AT A GLANCE OF DIRECTIONS GOING DOWN THE STREET.

AND AS FAR AS THE NEXT STEPS.

OUR GOAL IS TO FINALIZE THE DESIGN DOCUMENTS THIS MONTH WE'RE DOING A FINAL REVIEW OF ALL THE CONTENT, MAKING SURE ALL THE WORDS ARE SPELLED CORRECTLY.

WE'RE IDENTIFYING ALL THE KEY LOCATIONS WE'RE WORKING WITH [INAUDIBLE] DUKE AND KASHION

[00:50:03]

THEY'RE HELPING US FINALIZE THAT DESIGN.

THEN ONCE WE GET EVERYTHING FINALIZED, WE WILL BE COORDINATING WITH PURCHASING THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF DECEMBER TO GET IT READ A BID OUT AND HELP TO BRING IT BACK TO TIERS NUMBER ONE CITY COUNCIL TO AWARD THAT BID IN LATE JANUARY AND THEN HOPEFULLY KICK OFF FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION OF SIGNS STARTING IN FEBRUARY.

THEN IT'LL BE ABOUT 180 DAY PROCESS BEFORE WE GET ALL THE SIGNS COMPLETELY INSTALLED AND IN PLACE. WITH THAT SAID, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? HAS THIS BEEN TESTED IN WINDS 50 MILES PER HOUR AND MORE LIKE WE HAVE SOME TIMES.

CLEVE CAN SPEAK TO THAT, BUT IT IS BEING DESIGNED TO HANDLE OUR WIND LOADS? YES SIR, HOWARD, WE HAVE A LOCAL STRUCTURAL ENGINEER WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH OUR WIND LOADING, TAKING A LOOK AT THAT SUPPORTS AND FOUNDATIONS FOR THE SIGNAGE.

SO THE OBJECTIVE IS FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO STAND UP TO SUBSTANTIAL WIND.

GOOD. GLAD YOU ARE PLANNING AHEAD.

YES, SIR. GOOD.

THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY CLEVE WE APPRECIATE YOU. YOU BET.

YOU BET. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COUNCIL.

OK, ANDREW, APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THIS, AND IT'LL BE GREAT TO HAVE IT DONE BEFORE THE END OF BASEBALL SEASON, THEY'LL BE UP.

YES MA'AM.

WHEN IS THE FINAL DESIGN? THIS IS SO.

YEAH, SO THIS IS THE FINAL DESIGN SO WE ARE DOING THE DOCUMENTS, SO TO BE ABLE TO BID IT OUT. SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE MEAN BY FINALIZING DESIGN DOCUMENTS.

BUT THIS IS REALLY THE FINAL VIEW OF IT ON YOUR SCREEN.

MY ONLY THOUGHT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WAITING TWENTY FOUR HOURS BEFORE A FINAL DESIGN THAT IF THE CIVIC CENTER DID PASS TO CONSIDER THAT SKYLINE, THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A CHANGE ON THAT AND WHERE THAT THE BIG LOGO IS OF SHIFTING IN WHERE IT'S LITERALLY JUST THE SKYLINE AND WHERE A NEW ARENA WOULD SIT ON THAT SKYLINE.

JUST A THOUGHT WHEN I'M LOOKING AT IT.

AND SO IT COULD BE ACCURATE OR IT COULD BE OUTDATED IN TWENTY FOUR HOURS.

THAT'S A GOOD POINT. NO ONE BRIGHT SIDE TO THIS DESIGN IS WE ARE GOING TO HAVE IT MODULAR SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO SLIDE IT IN AND OUT.

SO IF IT WERE TO CHANGE OR DEPENDING ON WHEN WE ACTUALLY FINALIZE A BID, MAYBE WE'D HAVE TIME TO CHANGE IT OR CHANGE IT IN THE FUTURE ONCE THE SKYLINE IS COMPLETE IN A FEW YEARS, EVERYTHING'S BUILT.

EACH ONE OF THESE LOCATIONS IS A MODULAR PANEL THAT SLIDES IN AND OUT AND THEN IS SECURED WITH CONCEALED FASTENERS SO THAT THEY CAN'T BE EASILY STOLEN.

OK, THAT'S GREAT.

EVEN CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX MIGHT NEED TO CHANGE IF THE NAME CHANGES.

SO WE'LL HAVE TO FACTOR THAT IN.

SO GOOD INPUT GOOD THOUGHTS.

ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT? THANK YOU. NO MA'AM. OK, MOVING ONTO 1D UNDERAGE DRINKING

[1.D. Underage Drinking Initiative]

MAYOR, THIS ONE I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE NEEDED FOR A LONG TIME.

AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, WE DO HAVE AN ISSUE WITH UNDERAGE DRINKING IN THE CITY OF AMARILLO.

TO TALK ABOUT, AN INITIATIVE THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS SPEARHEADING IN CONCERT WITH SOME PRIVATE GROUPS WE HAVE POLICE CHIEF MARTIN BIRKENFELD.

CHIEF. THANK YOU, MR. MILLER, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, BACK IN THE SPRING, WE DISCUSSED UNDERAGE DRINKING IN TERMS OF THE SOCIAL HOST LIABILITY ORDINANCE, WHICH WAS PASSED DURING THAT TIME. SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY AND WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS ARE.

AND PART OF THAT HAD TO DO WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION.

PART OF IT HAD TO DO WITH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.

RECENTLY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, THOUGH, I TALKED WITH SOME MEMBERS AND GOT SOME VOLUNTEERS TO HELP MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO SUMMARIZE TODAY.

OUR UNDERAGE DRINKING INITIATIVE.

THE PROBLEM IS UNDERAGE DRINKING CONTRIBUTES TO FIGHTS AND ASSAULTS, ALCOHOL POISONINGS, ALCOHOL RELATED VEHICLE CRASHES AND ALCOHOL RELATED VEHICLE FATALITIES.

THIS IS SOME OF THE SAME INFORMATION WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, BUT IT'S NOT CHANGED.

OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE'VE HAD LAST YEAR 16 IN 2018 TEN AND IN 2017

[00:55:01]

AND SO FAR THIS YEAR, WE'VE ONLY HAD ONE MINOR WHO'S DIED IN A CRASH INVOLVING DRINKING AND DRIVING.

EACH YEAR FOR THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS.

IT'S TWO OR THREE KIDS PER YEAR AND THAT'S TOO MANY IN OUR OPINION.

AND SO WE FEEL LIKE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND NOT JUST SIT BACK AND ACCEPT THAT THESE ARE GOING TO BE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EVERY YEAR.

ALL OVERDOSES LAST YEAR, SEVEN KIDS THAT REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION.

AND THIS IS JUST THE ONES WE KNOW ABOUT.

AND THERE'S LIKELY MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

BUT THESE ARE ONES WHERE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS INVOLVED.

I THINK WE CAN DO BETTER.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING ON OUR PART.

OUR PROJECT INVOLVES A DEDICATED TEAM OF POLICE OFFICERS.

THIS DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM ANY OF THE SERVICES THAT WE ALREADY PROVIDE.

THIS IS IN ADDITION TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.

I ASKED FOR VOLUNTEERS AND I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAT I GOT SEVERAL VOLUNTEERS WHO WANTED TO SPEARHEAD THIS PROJECT.

AND THOSE FOLKS CAME FROM OUR JUVENILE DIVISION AND FROM OUR SCHOOL LIAISON, BOTH SUPERVISORS AND OFFICERS THAT JUMPED FORWARD AND SAID, HEY, I'D LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROJECT SO WE CAN CUT DOWN ON UNDERAGE DRINKING.

AND SO THIS IS REALLY GOOD BECAUSE WHEN SOMEBODY'S VOLUNTEERING FOR SOMETHING, THAT MEANS THEIR HEARTS IN IT AND I THINK OUR OFFICERS WE'RE USING AN INTELLIGENCE LED RESPONSE, THAT'S THE FANCY WAY OF SAYING THAT WE ARE CONDUCTING SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH.

WE'RE CONDUCTING A POLL OF INFORMATION FROM OUR SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR DISPATCH AND JUST GENERALLY IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE STUDENT CRIME STOPPERS AND ADULT CRIME STOPPERS TIPS THAT COME IN.

SO WE'RE BASING ALL OF OUR RESPONSE ON THIS.

WE'RE NOT JUST DRIVING AROUND LOOKING FOR PARTIES.

WE ALREADY KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT ONCE WE'RE HEADED THAT WAY.

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION.

THIS IS OUR WARNING PERIOD IS OVER.

WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR MONTHS AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING.

I'VE TALKED TO THE MEDIA. I TALKED TO COUNCIL.

I'VE TALKED WITH OUR DEPARTMENT AND I'VE TALKED WITH INDIVIDUAL GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND WE SAID, WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS, WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.

AND IT'S NOT THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN WRITING TICKETS OR MAKING ARRESTS FOR THIS IS JUST THAT WE'RE HAVING TO BALANCE THAT WITH ALL OF OUR OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES.

SO THAT'S WHY I ASKED FOR A DEDICATED TEAM OF OFFICERS JUST TO HANDLE THIS INCIDENT, BECAUSE ONE PARTY, IF YOU'VE GOT 100 PEOPLE AT A PARTY, IT'S GOING TO TAKE TWO OR THREE HOURS TO GET THAT RESOLVED.

AND SO THIS WON'T TAKE AWAY FROM OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO DO THAT.

PART OF THIS PROGRAM IS EDUCATION.

OUR SCHOOL LIAISON OFFICERS ALREADY DO PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF EDUCATION THEY'RE DOING ON ALCOHOL AWARENESS AND AVOIDANCE.

OUR CRIME PREVENTION OFFICE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS, ABOUT ALCOHOL, ABOUT UNDERAGE DRINKING, PREVENTION OR ANY OTHER TOPICS FROM THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE SO THAT WILL BE OUR FIRST PART.

OUR GOAL BEING THAT EDUCATION DOES THE MOST GOOD.

BUT IF NOT, THEN WE HAVE OUR DETERRENCE PART.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE POLICE OFFICERS WHO WILL ACTIVELY BE SEEKING OUT UNDERAGE DRINKING EVENTS. OUR FIRST ITERATION OF THIS OCCURRED ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT, AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD TO WRITE 33 CITATIONS TO MINORS WHO HAD BEEN DRINKING OR WERE IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL.

AND THAT WAS JUST ONE EVENT.

IT INVOLVED SEVERAL POLICE OFFICERS.

AND WE ARE GLAD THAT THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE WE KNOW WHERE WE NEED TO HEAD FROM HERE.

AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING THE GOOD NEWS IS WHEN WE WROTE THOSE CITATIONS, WE CALLED PARENTS, WE MADE SURE THAT THOSE KIDS GOT A RIDE AWAY FROM THE PARTY SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO DRIVE WHILE THEY WERE INTOXICATED. WE'RE GOING TO ISSUE CITATIONS, WE'RE GOING TO NOTIFY TO PARENTS, AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE ARREST ON THOSE WHO PROVIDE THE ALCOHOL, AND THAT'S GENERALLY ADULTS WHO BUY ALCOHOL FOR MINORS, THAT'S A MISDEMEANOR OFFENSE THAT A PERSON CAN GO TO JAIL FOR.

AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THOSE ARREST.

CITATIONS FOR MINORS ARE NOT GOING TO RUIN ANYBODY'S LIFE.

I'VE HEARD SOME COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WORRYING ABOUT GETTING KIDS INTO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

AND IT'S SIMILAR TO A TRAFFIC TICKET.

YEAH THERE'S A RECORD OF IT.

IT WILL, HOWEVER, CAUSE YOU TO HAVE TO PAY A FINE OR THE PARENTS PERHAPS TO PAY A FINE THAT SIGNIFICANTLY DETER THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.

THE FINANCIAL PENALTY FOR HOSTS IS SIGNIFICANT IN ADDITION TO A THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR FINE FOR THE FIRST OFFENSE AND THE HOST OF THIS PARTY COULD ESSENTIALLY PAY FOR THE SERVICES OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO WE'VE ALREADY TALKED WITH OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT THE MUNICIPAL COURT AND WE HAVE A FORMULA FOR DETERMINING HOW MUCH THOSE SERVICES COST.

IF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS TO RESPOND FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAS OVERDOSED, FOR EXAMPLE, THEN THAT COST IS ADDED ON THERE SO EASILY A PERSON COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS OF POLICE RESPONSE IF THEY HOST A PARTY AND ALLOW MINORS TO DRINK AT THAT PARTY.

AND THE LAST PART OF THIS IS PREVENTION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE WITH OUR ACTIONS AND WITH PUBLIC INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE THAT WE PARTNER WITH

[01:00:03]

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET AS MUCH OUT THERE AS POSSIBLE.

A COMMUNITY MEMBER ASKED ME THE OTHER DAY, WHAT CAN THEY DO? AND MY ANSWER TO THEM WAS, LET'S WORK ON PREVENTION.

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN HANDLE THE THE CITATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT AS A COMMUNITY, WE'VE GOT TO WORK ON PREVENTION AND WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE THE WAY WE APPROACH THIS ISSUE. I'M GOING TO SAY MY OPINION ON THIS IS DRINKING AS A JUVENILE IS NOT A RITE OF PASSAGE OR IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO SHRUG OUR SHOULDERS AT I THINK WE CAN DO BETTER. WE CAN TAKE POSITIVE ACTIONS AS PARENTS AND AS LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE KIDS ARE NOT PUT IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEIR LIVES ARE IN DANGER.

AND THAT'S OUR MISSION. OUR MISSION AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS TO MAKE AMARILLO A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE, AND PLAY.

OUR GOAL FOR THIS PROJECT IS TO SAVE THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR AREA AND PREVENT SOME OF THE OTHER TRAGEDIES THAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN UNDERAGE DRINKING OCCURS.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON. IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS.

OUR DETECTIVES THAT WENT OUT THE OTHER NIGHT, WORKED ON THIS, GAVE ME SOME GOOD FEEDBACK AND THEY LEARNED A LOT. AND THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS LIKELY EVERY WEEKEND FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. ANY QUESTIONS? DEFINE A MINOR FOR ME IS THAT UNDER 18 OR 17 OR WHAT.

FOR THE POSSESSION OR CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, IT'S UNDER THE AGE OF 21.

THE ONLY EXCEPTIONS WOULD BE IF A PERSON IS WITH THEIR LEGAL GUARDIAN OR PARENT, OTHERWISE UNTIL YOU'RE 21, YOU CANNOT LEGALLY POSSESS OR DRINK ALCOHOL.

AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE IN YOUR OWN HOME YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE COMPANY OF YOUR PARENT OR YOUR GUARDIAN.

OTHERWISE IT'S ILLEGAL.

THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE CHIEF, COUNCIL? CHIEF, I THINK IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, BUT I'LL SAY IT, YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE COUNCIL AND ALL 33 OF THOSE CITATIONS YOU ISSUED ON SATURDAY NIGHT, IN MY MIND, ARE A DIRECT PROTECTION ON EVERY ONE OF THEIR LIVES, THEY'RE AN ATTENTION GETTER.

THEY'RE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO TAP THE BRAKES AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.

AND ULTIMATELY, THOSE ARE THREE FAMILIES THAT AREN'T ATTENDING FUNERALS THIS WEEK BECAUSE YOU GUYS WERE THERE TO INTERRUPT WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN CONTINUED POOR DECISIONS.

AND SO YOU HAVE OUR SUPPORT.

WE WANT TO SEE YOU GUYS ACCELERATING THIS PROGRAM.

AND ENFORCEMENT IS SOMETIMES WHAT IT TAKES FOR US TO GET THE ATTENTION IN THE BEHAVIOR CHOICES. SO THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE TEENAGER LIVES ARE ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT.

I THINK THE CALCULATION OF THE COST TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS FANTASTIC, I MEAN, WE'RE DOING THAT ACROSS EVERY DEPARTMENT OF TRYING TO COST RECOVERY AND TO HAVE THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT USE DIFFERENT SERVICES.

AND IT COSTS.

IT COSTS TIME AND MONEY, OFFICER, TIME TO TO BE OUT AND FOLLOWING UP ON THOSE.

AND SO I THINK THE MORE WE COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL, I THINK THAT ON TOP OF THE FINES, THAT'S AN ATTENTION GETTER BECAUSE THOSE CAN ADD UP.

WE ABSOLUTELY AND THAT'S WHY TO ME, IT'S FAIR THAT A PERSON'S SHOULDERS THAT COST OF SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN PREVENT, IT'S OK TO IT'S NOT OK TO SERVE ALCOHOL TO MINORS.

CHIEF, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, WE APPRECIATE YOU.

THANK YOU, MA'AM. ITEM 1E ON THE AGENDA IS REGION ONE REPORT ON THE CANADIAN UPPER RED

[1.E. Region 1 – Canadian/Upper Red River Flood Plan Management Update;]

ONE OF THE THINGS WE TRY TO DO IS TAKE LEADERSHIP ROLES IN OUR REGION IN AREAS OF INFLUENCE, IN AREAS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US, AND ONE OF THOSE IS IS WATER FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT, FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT.

AND WE HAVE SOME GREAT EXPERTS IN OUR ORGANIZATION WHO HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO LEADERSHIP ROLES. SO I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND THROW IT TO ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FLOYD HARTMAN.

WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE KYLE SCHNEIDERJAN THE DIRECTOR OF CPD AND E TO SPEAK VERY BRIEFLY TO US ABOUT SOME OF THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD AND LEADERSHIP ROLES THAT WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED WITH.

[01:05:01]

THIS TOPIC IS THE CANADIAN UPPER RED RIVER FLOOD PLANNING GROUP.

THERE'S 15 REGIONS CREATED BY THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD BASED OFF LEGISLATION FROM THE LAST SESSION TO DEVELOP THE FIRST STATE FLOOD PLAN BY 2023.

AND THAT WILL BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS AFTERWARDS.

THAT MODEL IS AFTER THE WATER PLANNING GROUP.

JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHAT THIS IS, THIS IS THE IDENTIFICATION OF THOSE NEEDS WITHIN EVERY COMMUNITY AND GIVE THEM ACCESS TO STATE FUNDING MECHANISMS FOR THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS RELATED TO THIS, SUCH AS WE USED IN THE WATER PLAN FOR THE METER PROGRAM AND THE OTHER WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD PROGRAMS. STEPHANIE IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO BRIEFLY, THAT IS THERE ARE 15 REGIONS CREATED BY THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD OUT THAT LEGISLATION.

YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT WE'RE IN THE CANADIAN UPPER RED RIVER THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARIES AND THE OTHER BOUNDARIES OF THE DISTRICTS YOU CAN SEE GO BY THE FLOOD PLAIN OF THE RIVERS, NOT BY COUNTIES.

BUT WITHIN THE REGION THEN WE WILL WORK WITH CONSULTANTS, THE TEAM YOU CAN SEE THE LIST OF TEAM MEMBERS THAT WERE APPOINTED BY THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD TO THE ORIGINAL.

THIS IS THE CREATION OF THIS PROGRAM.

SO THIS IS THE FIRST REGION ONE.

I'M EXCITED FOR KYLE SCHNEIDERJAN AND HIS ROLE OF BEING APPOINTED TO THIS.

AND I'M JUST GOING TO LET HIM BRIEFLY DESCRIBE HIS ROLE WITH THIS.

THANK YOU, FLOYD.

I'M EXCITED TO BE PART OF THIS AS WELL.

BASICALLY, MY ROLE IS THE MUNICIPAL LIAISON FOR REGION ONE.

AND SO THAT IS A ROLE THAT I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH IN REPRESENTING AMARILLO AND THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OF THE TOP TWENTY SIX COUNTIES WAS MY PREVIOUS POSITION.

AND SO SO I'M EXCITED TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT I WOULD ASK OF YOU COUNCIL IS TO REMEMBER THAT IN YOUR INTERACTION WITH YOUR COUNTERPARTS AT SAY TML OR MAYBE THE MAYORS CONFERENCE OR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO INTERACT WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS OUR REGION.

AND REMIND THEM THAT I'M THERE TO SERVE THEM AND THEIR INTERESTS AND FEEL FREE TO VOLUNTEER ME FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO REPRESENT MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THAT REGION.

THANK YOU, KYLE. AND ALSO I WANTED TO COVER THAT I AM A REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED FOR WATER UTILITIES.

SO MY EXPERIENCE CAME INTO PLAY IN [INAUDIBLE] RECEIVING TWO NOMINATIONS ON THIS COMMITTEE. BUT THE NOMINATIONS CAME THROUGHOUT THE REGION AND IT'S WELL DIVIDED AND WELL REPRESENTED THROUGHOUT THE REGION.

BUT THE OTHER BIG NEWS THAT CAME OUT OF WE HAD THE FIRST MEETING JUST OVER A WEEK AGO AND I WAS ELECTED CHAIRMAN, FIRST CHAIRMAN OF THE CANADIAN UPPER RIVER REGION ONE FOR THE INITIAL FORMATION OF THE GROUP.

SO I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THOSE UPDATES.

AND I'M EXCITED TO SERVE THE ENTIRE REGION AS WELL.

THAT'S THE UPDATE AND I'M GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, FLOYD.

JARED, ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? NO, MA'AM. NO, MA'AM.

IT'S JUST A BIG DEAL TO HAVE THESE TWO APPOINTMENTS AND ALSO FOR FLOYD TO BE RECOGNIZED AS THE CHAIR. IT DOES, I BELIEVE I RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE ON THIS BOARD, THEY ARE ONE VERY INVOLVED IN WATER ISSUES IN OUR AREA.

BUT THEY ALSO RECOGNIZE THE EXPERIENCE THAT FLOYD AND KYLE, ESPECIALLY FLOYD, AS THE CHAIR, BRING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER.

WE HAVE GREAT RESOURCES INSIDE OUR ORGANIZATION.

AND I JUST WANTED TO REALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH HERE RECENTLY.

CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS.

YES, IT'S PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

WE'RE VERY PROUD OF Y'ALL.

THANK YOU. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU GUYS AND JARED WE DO WE DO VALUE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO SERVE ON THOSE OUTSIDE COMMITTEES.

I DO THINK THAT IS PART OF SERVING INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION AND ALSO SERVING OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION, NEIGHBORS SERVING NEIGHBORS.

THERE YOU GO. SO I WOULD ALSO ADD THEIR EXPERIENCE IS NOT A AMARILLO ONLY BENEFIT, IT'S A REGIONAL BENEFIT. EVERYONE IN THIS PLANNING GROUP IS GOING TO BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERIENCE THAT FLOYD AND KYLE BRING TO THIS GROUP.

THEY ABSOLUTELY ARE GOING TO REPRESENT THE ENTIRE AREA.

IT'S JUST AN ADDED ICING THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO LIVE AND WORK HERE.

[01:10:05]

[1.F. Request future agenda items and reports from City Manager.]

OK AT THIS TIME, THEN WE WILL MOVE INTO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION PORTION OF OUR AGENDA.

[2. EXECUTIVE SESSION]

UNDER THE FOLLOWING AUTHORITY, SECTION 551.087 DISCUSS COMMERCIAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM EXISTING BUSINESS OR BUSINESS PROSPECT, WHICH THE CITY IS NEGOTIATING FOR THE LOCATION OR RETENTION OF A FACILITY, OR FOR INCENTIVES THE CITY IS WILLING TO EXTEND OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY THE SAME.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AT THIS TIME, WE ARE ADJOURNED TO THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION.

THANK YOU ALL.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.