[00:00:10] GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE NOVEMBER 16, 2020 WORK SESSION FOR THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL. WE ARE OBVIOUSLY MEETING VIRTUALLY STILL AND WE DO HAVE THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON WORK SESSION ITEMS. [1. Public Comments on Work Session Items] I DO HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP TO SPEAK THIS EVENING ON ITEM FOUR D. THAT IS ROBERT SMITH. MR. SMITH, I'VE OPENED THE LINE UP ON OUR END, IF YOU COULD UNMUTE YOURSELF AND IF YOU CAN GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AND YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME OK? YES, SIR. IT'S ROBERT SMITH, 115 NORTH NINTH STREET IN GARLAND, TEXAS OR IN DOWNTOWN 75040. I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE PARKLETS JUST FOR A MOMENT. I HAVE THREE MINUTES, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. OK, WHAT I WANTED TO SAY IS THE PARKLETS ARE A TEMPORARY ECONOMIC TOOL DURING THIS CRISIS FOR RESTAURANTS. THE TREND IS MOVING FOR MORE OUTSIDE INTERACTION SUCH AS THIS. AND THE PARKLETS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES AND CITIES WITH HUGE SUCCESSES. I WANT TO DRAW THE LISTENERS AND COUNCIL TO THREE WEBSITES THAT COVER THESE ISSUES OF STREET SENSE, BETTER BLOCK, REVITALIZE OR DIE WEBSITES COVER THE DYNAMICS OF THESE PARKLETS AND DISPEL THE FALSE NARRATIVES SUCH AS LACK OF PARKING AND OUR OWN DOWNTOWN IS AN EXAMPLE OF SUCH A FALSE NARRATIVE. OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEARS, I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH DOWNTOWN ISSUES. PARKING STUDIES AFTER PARKING STUDIES HAVE REFUTED THE NOTION THAT DOWNTOWN HAS A PROBLEM. I MEAN, FOR GOODNESS SAKES, WE HAVE A PARKING GARAGE THAT IS UNDERUTILIZED RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE SQUARE AND [INAUDIBLE]. THE PARKLETS DO NOT TAKE AWAY FROM SOMEONE PARKING. THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PARK DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE DOOR LIKE THEY USED TO, BUT IF YOU HAVE TO PARK HALF A BLOCK AWAY, THEN SO BE IT. PARKING, ALONE, IS NOT WHAT DRIVES BUSINESS. THE PRODUCT THE BUSINESS OFFERS IS WHAT DRIVES THE COMMERCE. AND FOR A SMALLER FOOTPRINT RESTAURANTS, THESE PARKLETS CAN SERVE AS A LIFELINE. THIS IS A TOOL. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO REMOVE OR ADVOCATE FOR THE TERMINATION OF AN ECONOMIC TOOL WHEN WE WILL PROBABLY COME UNDER MORE DRACONIAN MEASURES OF ECONOMIC SHUTDOWN OR AT LEAST THE THREAT IS OUT THERE THAT I'VE BEEN SEEING. AND SO I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO REMOVE A TOOL THAT WOULD HELP OUR LOCAL RESTAURANTS. IF ANYTHING, DURING THESE TRYING TIMES, WE ALL NEED TO EMPATHIZE WITH THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND RESIDENTS WHO NEED OUTDOOR SEATING RIGHT NOW AND INTO THE NEAR FUTURE. I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE CONTINUATION OF THE PARKLETS CITYWIDE. AND IN THE CASE OF OUR DOWNTOWN, PERHAPS [INAUDIBLE], OUR COORDINATOR COULD REACH OUT AND SURVEY THE RESTAURANTS. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, SIR. YES, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THAT ITEM A LITTLE BIT LATER ON DOWN OUR AGENDA, BUT THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. YOU BET. THANKS. AND ALL RIGHT, LET ME STOP THIS TIMER BEFORE IT GOES OFF. TOO LATE. MR. SMITH ACTUALLY HAD 20 SECONDS LEFT. I DIDN'T TELL HIM THAT. SO DON'T TELL HIM BUT HE HAD 20 MORE SECONDS LEFT TO SPEAK. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, AND THAT IS CONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA. [2. Consider the Consent Agenda] THIS WILL BE FOR TOMORROW NIGHT. I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANY ITEMS TO BE PULLED AND CONSIDERED SEPARATELY, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT TOMORROW NIGHT. AND JUST JUST TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW, AS FAR AS TOMORROW NIGHT, THE AGENDA WILL BE CONSIDERED OLD BUSINESS. WE WILL HAVE THE SWEARING IN AND THEN THE ZONING CASES AFTER THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED NEW BUSINESS. SO THAT'S SORT OF WHERE THE TRANSITION POINT WILL BE TOMORROW NIGHT. [3. Written Briefings] [00:05:05] NEXT, MOVING US ON TWO OUT OF THREE WRITTEN BRIEFINGS, ITEM THREE A, BOND REFUNDING ELECTRIC UTILITY SYSTEM, COMMERCIAL PAPER NOTES IN REVENUE BONDS. ITEM THREE B BOND REFUNDING WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM REVENUE, REFUNDING BONDS AND COMMERCIAL PAPER NOTES. AND ITEM THREE C AMENDMENT TO DOWNTOWN FOREST-JUPITER TIF, NUMBER ONE, BOUNDARIES AND PROJECT PLAN. AND ITEM THREE D FUTURE TENNIS FACILITY PLANNING STATUS UPDATE. WE WILL MOVE ON NOW TO ITEM FOUR UNDER VERBAL BRIEFINGS. [4A. COVID-19 Response Update and Further Actions] FOUR A, COVID-19 RESPONSE UPDATE AND FURTHER ACTIONS. AND THERE'S MR. CHESSHER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. IT'S PROBABLY NO SURPRISE TO ANY OF YOU AND AND PROBABLY NO SURPRISE TO ANY OF THE VIEWING PUBLIC THAT OUR CASE COUNTS IN GARLAND HAVE RISEN SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, AS WELL AS THE COUNTY AND THE REGION AND OUR STATE AND REALLY NATIONAL LEVEL AS WELL, ACROSS THE BOARD CASES ARE GOING UP. OUR OUR DAILY COUNTS HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM TWO WEEKS AGO. SO CERTAINLY NOT THE DIRECTION THAT WE NEED TO BE HEADED IN. AND I'LL ASK MISTIE TO SHARE HER SCREEN TO DETAIL WHERE WE ARE AS OF TODAY. WE ADDED EIGHTY FIVE CASES TODAY. AND AS I SAID, THE NUMBER OF CASE COUNTS HAVE GONE UP CONSIDERABLY OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS. THERE HAVE BEEN TWO DAYS THAT WE'VE ADDED OVER TWO HUNDRED CASES ON THOSE DAYS. SO THIS THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE WE STAND AS OF TODAY, WITH A GRAND TOTAL OF TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FIVE CASES FROM MARCH UP UNTIL TODAY. THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE CASES, UNFORTUNATELY, RISES AS THE DAILY COUNT INCREASES. SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE JUST UNDER TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED ACTIVE CASES. YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER DOWN THERE IN WHITE. THAT REPRESENTS ABOUT TWENTY FOUR PERCENT OF THE TOTAL CASELOAD. AND CERTAINLY WE DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS GO DOWN AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES THAT FOLKS CAN TAKE IN JUST A SECOND. THE RECOVERED CASES STILL ACCOUNT FOR THE BULK OF OUR TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES, SEVEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED THIRTY SIX. THAT REPRESENTS OVER JUST OVER SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL CASELOAD. WE HAVE REPORTED SEVERAL DEATHS IN THE LAST WEEK, ACTUALLY THE LAST TWO WEEKS, MANY OF WHICH WERE ASSOCIATED WITH LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES. WE'VE HAD A FEW LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES IN GARLAND THAT HAVE BEEN SEVERELY IMPACTED WITH COVID-19. AND I WILL SAY THAT THAT TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FIVE TOTAL CASE COUNT REPRESENTS ABOUT FOUR POINT THREE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION. SO THAT THAT'S ABOUT ONE IN EVERY TWENTY THREE GARLAND RESIDENTS HAS BEEN DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY COVID-19. THEY'VE BEEN INFECTED. AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO SCRATCH THE SURFACE AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED THROUGH THE ILLNESS OF RELATIVES OR CERTAINLY, UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEATH OF RESIDENTS. SO THANK YOU, MISTIE, YOU CAN SHARE THE SCREEN. I WANT TO GO OVER THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASE PRECAUTIONS. AND THEN I WANT TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT SOME VACCINE USE THAT MOST OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY SEEN. SO QUICKLY FOR THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASE PRECAUTIONS, THESE HAVEN'T CHANGED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. THEY REMAIN OUR BEST TOOL OR TOOLS TO COMBAT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. AND THESE PRECAUTIONS ALL NEED TO BE PRACTICED AT THE PERSONAL LEVEL. NOT ONLY DO THEY PROTECT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL, BUT THEY PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY, YOUR FAMILY AND OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT PRACTICE THESE CONSISTENTLY, THE LESS COVID-19 IS GOING TO SPREAD IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO VERY QUICKLY, PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN WITH SOAP AND WATER. YOU WANT TO AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH, PARTICULARLY WITH UNWASHED HANDS. YOU WANT TO PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING IN EVERY SETTING, MAINTAIN THAT SIX FEET OF SOCIAL DISTANCE, BECAUSE AS WE'VE SAID AND IT HAS BEEN REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC [00:10:06] CARRIERS. SO THEY APPEAR HEALTHY, THEY FEEL HEALTHY, THEY HAVE NO IDEA THAT THEY'RE SICK, YET THEY SPREAD THE DISEASE. SO YOU WANT TO MAINTAIN THAT SOCIAL DISTANCE ANY TIME YOU HAVE TO VENTURE OUT OF YOUR HOUSE. YOU WANT TO STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK, IF YOU FEEL BAD, DON'T ATTRIBUTE IT TO ALLERGIES, COLD, THE FLU, YOU WANT TO BE ULTRA CAUTIOUS AND STAY HOME ANY TIME YOU'RE HAVING THOSE COVID LIKE SYMPTOMS, WHICH ARE THE SAME SYMPTOMS THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE FLU OR A COLD OR ALLERGIES, THAT'S WHY IT'S DIFFICULT TO DIFFERENTIATE. THE BEST, SAFEST METHOD IS JUST TO STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK, BE COURTEOUS, COVER COUGHS AND SNEEZES, FREQUENTLY, CLEAN AND DISINFECT THOSE COMMONLY TOUCH SURFACES. SO AGAIN, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE THE DOORKNOBS AND THE HANDRAILS. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE WEAR A MASK ANY TIME YOU VENTURE OUT IN PUBLIC. THERE WAS AN ARTICLE POSTED ON THE CDC WEB PAGE, I BELIEVE IT WAS MIDWEEK LAST WEEK REGARDING THE EFFICIENCY IN CLOTH MASKS IN PREVENTING VIRUS SPREAD, PREVENTING DROPLETS FROM BEING EXHALED BY A PERSON WEARING CLOTH MASK AS WELL AS PREVENTING DROPLETS FROM BEING INHALED BY PERSON WEARING A CLOTH MASK, SO THOSE MASKS, I THINK WE SAID THIS ALL ALONG, BUT MASKS PROTECT BOTH YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND THEY PROTECT THE FOLKS AROUND YOU. SO PLEASE, PLEASE WEAR A MASK ANY TIME WE'RE OUT IN PUBLIC. FINALLY, THERE'S BEEN I GUESS PERHAPS THE ONLY GOOD NEWS I HAD TO SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT IS THE NEWS ON AT LEAST TWO VACCINES THAT ARE VERY PRELIMINARY REPORTS INDICATE THAT THEY HAVE A VERY HIGH EFFICACY OF 90 PERCENT FOR ONE AND PERHAPS AS HIGH AS NINETY FIVE PERCENT FOR ANOTHER. THOSE VACCINES, WE AS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ARE PLUGGED IN AT THE STATE LEVEL. WE ARE AN ENROLLED PROVIDER FOR COVID-19 VACCINES WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE GARLAND HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST RECIPIENTS OF VACCINES WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. NOW, THOSE VACCINES, THERE'S A VERY REGIMENTED LIST OF PRIORITY GROUPS THAT WILL RECEIVE THOSE VACCINES. WE DON'T ANTICIPATE VACCINES BEING WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS YET, BUT PERHAPS BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE'RE NOW BEING TOLD THAT VACCINES WILL BE AVAILABLE ON A VERY LIMITED BASIS FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, SUCH AS LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES AND FRONTLINE HEALTH CARE WORKERS, HOSPITAL WORKERS, THE FOLKS THAT INTERACT ON A DAILY BASIS WITH INFECTED INDIVIDUALS. SO, AS A DEPARTMENT, WE'RE GOING TO REMAIN VIGILANT AND UP TO DATE ON VACCINE DISTRIBUTION. AND WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WITHIN OUR POWER TO BE PREPARED TO RAPIDLY DISTRIBUTE VACCINES AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO US. MAYOR, I BELIEVE THAT THAT IS EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT, UNLESS THERE ARE QUESTIONS AND YOU GUYS HAVE ALREADY DID A SIMULATION WITH A MASS VACCINATION AS WELL. SO I KNOW YOU'RE ALREADY PREPARING FOR THAT. SO VERY GOOD, COUNCIL MEMBER MORRIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. JASON, I JUST WANT TO ASK ABOUT SOMETHING, IN READING ABOUT THE, I GUESS, TWO MOST LIKELY VACCINES HEADING OUR WAY THE MOST QUICKLY, I SAW THAT WITH THE PFIZER VACCINE THAT'S GOT A NINETY PERCENT EFFECTIVE RATE SO FAR THAT THE TEMPERATURE THAT IT'S STORED AT IS PROBLEMATIC AND THAT THE TEMPERATURE TO KEEP IT EFFECTIVE IS LIKE MINUS ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DEGREES AND THAT OUR STATE LABS DO NOT HAVE REFRIGERATION CAPABLE OF KEEPING IT AND MAINTAINING IT AT THAT TEMPERATURE. SO FIRST OF ALL, IS THAT ACCURATE? IS THAT WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND? AND IF SO, DO WE HAVE SORT OF EMERGENCY PLANS IN PLACE TO GET MORE ROBUST FREEZERS GOING? WELL, THE PFIZER VACCINE, CERTAINLY PROVIDES SOME TOUGH LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME. YOU'RE CORRECT, IT REQUIRES ULTRA COLD STORAGE. SO THAT'S NEGATIVE 70 DEGREES CELSIUS. NOW, THERE IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN TERMS OF DISTRIBUTING THAT VACCINE WITH, THEY [00:15:04] CALL THEM, INFORMALLY, PIZZA BOXES. BUT THEY'RE CUSTOMIZED COOLERS THAT THAT VACCINE WILL BE SHIPPED IN AND THAT IT CAN BE STORED IN FOR A NUMBER OF DAYS, PERHAPS AS MUCH AS A WEEK WITH THE REPLENISHMENT OF DRY ICE. BUT EVEN WITH THOSE SPECIALIZED CONTAINERS THERE, THERE ARE REALLY A LOT OF LOGISTICAL ISSUES TO OVERCOME. AND PRIMARILY IT'S DUE TO THE INSTABILITY OF THE VACCINE. FROM A MOLECULAR STANDPOINT, THAT VACCINE IS VERY UNSTABLE. THAT'S WHY IT REQUIRES ULTRA COLD STORAGE TO KEEP IT FROM DENATURING. YOU KNOW, ROOM TEMPERATURE, IT JUST WON'T LAST VERY LONG. SO THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN THINK OF TO OVERCOME THOSE LOGISTICS IS TO BE PREPARED TO DISTRIBUTE IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IN A MATTER OF A FEW DAYS WHEN WE RECEIVE THAT VACCINE, BECAUSE WE DON'T OWN AN ULTRA COLD FREEZER. WE'VE NEVER HAD THE NEED FOR ONE OF THOSE. WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING INTO RENTING ONE. WE'RE LOOKING AT PERHAPS TAKING DIRECT DELIVERIES OF DRY ICE. WE'RE GOING TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT IF AND WHEN WE GET THAT VACCINE, NOT ONLY CAN WE STORE FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO--WELL SO THAT WE CAN STORE IT, I SHOULD SAY, AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO DISTRIBUTE. VERY GOOD QUESTION, THOUGH. ALL RIGHT, AND THE--I'M TOTALLY BLANKING RIGHT NOW--THE OTHER MANUFACTURER OF THE--. MODERNA. THANK YOU. YES. DOES IT HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF CHALLENGES AND INSTABILITY WHERE IT NEEDS SUCH AN EXTREME LOW TEMPERATURE? THANKFULLY, NO. THE MODERNA VACCINE CAN REMAIN FROZEN FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. IT CAN BE REFRIGERATED FOR UP TO SEVEN DAYS. IT CAN LAST AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR I BELIEVE I'M GOING OFF MEMORY HERE, BUT I BELIEVE THAT'S UP TO SIX TO EIGHT HOURS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. SO IT IS VERY, VERY SIMILAR TO MANY OF THE OTHER VACCINES THAT WE DEAL WITH ON A DAY IN, DAY OUT BASIS. SO, YOU KNOW, AND I WILL ADD THAT. BUT FIVE OUT OF THE SIX VACCINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE FINAL PHASE OF TRIALS, FIVE OUT OF SIX REQUIRE TWO DOSES AT VARYING INTERVALS. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF OUR FIRST SHIPMENT OF VACCINE IS PFIZER'S VACCINE, THEN IN TWENTY ONE DAYS, THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT GOT THAT PFIZER VACCINE, THEY HAVE TO GET ANOTHER DOSE OF PFIZER VACCINE. THEY'RE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE. SO THAT ADDS TO THE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE. BUT I WILL SAY THAT REALLY AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, CERTAINLY AT THE STATE LEVEL AND LOCAL LEVEL, THERE IS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF EFFORT IN PLANNING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN NOT ONLY RECEIVE AND STORE THESE VACCINES APPROPRIATELY, BUT PROVIDE THEM QUICKLY. OK, AND ARE WE STILL THINKING THAT, AS HAD BEEN SAID EARLIER, THAT WE MAY HAVE THE FIRST OF THESE VACCINES ACTUALLY IN HAND BY THE END OF THIS MONTH? IS THAT STILL FEASIBLE? I THINK THE EXPECTATION, OF COURSE, THAT'S A MOVING TIMELINE JUST ABOUT EVERY TIME WE HAVE A CALL WITH THE STATE, THAT TIMELINE IS PUSHED BACK. BUT PFIZER HAS ADVISED THAT THEY WILL HAVE NATIONALLY 20 TO 50 MILLION DOSES AVAILABLE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. MODERNA HAS ADVISED UP TO 20 MILLION DOSES. NOW, I WILL SAY THAT THE INITIAL PRIORITY GROUPS FOR THOSE VACCINES, LIKE I SAID, ARE GOING TO BE THE LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES AND HOSPITALS. AND CURRENTLY THE PLAN IS FOR VACCINES TO BE SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS. SO THOSE WOULD BYPASS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. IN OUR CASE, WE WOULDN'T RECEIVE THOSE VACCINES. THEY WOULD GO DIRECTLY TO THOSE HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS. WE WOULD EXPECT TO RECEIVE VACCINES IN WHAT'S CONSIDERED PHASE TWO, WHICH STARTS WITH NOT ONLY FRONT LINE EMERGENCY SERVICE WORKERS, PARAMEDICS, BUT THE OTHER HIGH RISK POPULATIONS, FOLKS OVERSEAS [INAUDIBLE] WITH THE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS. AND THEN THERE'S A LONG LAUNDRY OF PRIORITIZATION FOR THE REST OF THE POPULATION. THE GENERAL POPULATION PROBABLY SHOULDN'T EXPECT TO HAVE VACCINES AVAILABLE TO THEM, AT LEAST WHAT WE'RE BEING TOLD, THE VACCINES WON'T BE AVAILABLE FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION UNTIL WELL INTO SPRING, MAYBE AS LATE AS JUNE, AS LATE AS EARLY SUMMER. ALL RIGHT. APPRECIATE IT. THAT WAS ALL I HAD. THANK YOU. ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR JASON? [00:20:03] IF NOT, MISTIE, YOU'RE UP. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. I'LL SHARE MY SCREEN AND WE'LL GO OVER THE REST OF THE STATISTICS. THERE IT GOES. OK, SO WE'LL START OFF LIKE WE DO EACH TIME, AND THAT'S WHAT THE STATE OF TEXAS NUMBERS. FIRST OF ALL, WE HAD SIX THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT NEW CASES REPORTED TODAY FOR THE STATE, WHICH BRINGS US TO A TOTAL OF ONE MILLION TWENTY SEVEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE CONFIRMED CASES FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS. 20 NEWLY REPORTED FATALITIES FOR A TOTAL OF NINETEEN THOUSAND FIVE SEVENTY NINE. THAT'S AN INCREASE OF EIGHT HUNDRED AND TEN FROM LAST WEEK, WITH AN ESTIMATED ONE HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED THIRTY ONE ACTIVE CASES. AND AGAIN, COMPARED TO LAST WEEK, THE REPORT LAST WEEK WAS ONE HUNDRED TWENTY SIX THOUSAND. SO, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY NINE THOUSAND ADDITIONAL ACTIVE CASES THIS WEEK. POSITIVITY, WE SAW INCREASES IN ALL THREE OF THE POSITIVITY RATES, THE SPECIMEN COLLECTION THIS WEEK WAS ELEVEN POINT SIX NINE PERCENT. LAB TEST REPORTED DATE POSITIVITY WAS TWELVE POINT SEVEN FOUR. AND THEN FINALLY, THE CASE REPORTED DATE POSITIVITY BEING NINE POINT EIGHT EIGHT. THE TEXAS HOSPITALIZATION, SO TOTAL STAFF BEDS, SIXTY THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY WITH ELEVEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT BEDS AVAILABLE FOR A TOTAL OCCUPANCY FOR TODAY OF FIFTY ONE THOUSAND FIVE FORTY TWO COMPARED TO LAST REPORT, THAT'S AN INCREASE OF FOURTEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN PATIENTS. AND THEN OUT OF THE FIFTY ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO PATIENTS, THERE ARE SEVEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY EIGHT THAT ARE CONFIRMED COVID-19 PATIENTS, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF THIRTEEN SIXTY FIVE. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE RATE OF OCCUPANCY, IF YOU COMPARE THE NUMBER OF COVID PATIENTS TO THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL OCCUPIED BEDS, IT'S FOURTEEN POINT FOUR, NINE PERCENT. AND THEN AGAIN, JUST AS A REMINDER, THE HOSPITALIZATION RATE THAT SHOWN IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, IT ACTUALLY COMPARES TOTAL COVID-19 PATIENTS TO BED AVAILABILITY. SO TOTAL BEDS INSTEAD OF JUST OCCUPIED. SO THAT PERCENTAGE IS A LITTLE BIT LOWER AT ELEVEN POINT SEVEN EIGHT. COMPARING TO THE COUNTY NUMBERS, TODAY'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE POSITIVE CASES WAS ONE THOUSAND I'M SORRY, ONE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTEEN WITH EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE NEW CASES TODAY. AND THEN THE CONFIRMED DEATH TOTAL AS OF TODAY WAS ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THREE, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF ELEVEN FROM LAST WEEK. BRINGING US TO THE HOSPITALIZATION NUMBERS. SO LOOKING AT TODAY'S HOSPITALIZATION NUMBERS, THE NUMBER OF LICENSED BEDS REPORTED WAS SIX THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR WITH HOSPITAL CENSUS FOR DALLAS COUNTY BEING FIVE THOUSAND TWENTY SIX. SIX HUNDRED AND NINETY ONE OF THOSE ARE COVID-19 CONFIRMED PATIENTS FOR ELEVEN POINT SEVENTY SIX PERCENT. WHEN WE LOOK AT VENTILATOR AVAILABILITY AND USAGE, THEY BREAK THIS UP INTO CLASSIC VENTILATORS AND THE MECHANICAL VENTILATORS, WE HAVE SIX HUNDRED AND FIVE CLASSIC VENTILATORS AVAILABLE FOR A USAGE RATE OF THIRTY NINE POINT SEVEN FOUR PERCENT. AND THEN MECHANICAL VENTILATORS. WE HAVE A THOUSAND EIGHTY EIGHT, WHICH IS RIGHT AT THIRTY SIX PERCENT USAGE. YOU HAVE SIXTEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE TOTAL IF YOU ADD BOTH TOGETHER. WE ALSO LOOK AT NUMBER OF COVID PATIENTS THAT ARE BEING VENTILATED, TODAY'S TOTAL IS ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN, AND AS FAR AS A PERCENT OF ALL VENTILATED PATIENTS, IT'S ABOUT 20 PERCENT. THIS IS THE SLIDE THAT JASON RAN OVER ALREADY FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND. AND THEN OUR CARES ACT FUNDED GARLAND TESTING, SO TOTAL TESTS TO DATE, NINE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED FIFTY TWO WITH CONFIRMED POSITIVE BEING ELEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE AND THEN SHOWING THE CONFIRMED NEGATIVES OF EIGHT THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE. SO POSITIVITY FOR THE OPEN SITE IS ELEVEN POINT THREE EIGHT CUMULATIVE AND THEN FOR BOTH SITES TOGETHER IS TWELVE POINT THREE THREE. I'M SORRY, THIS IS HARD TO READ A LITTLE BIT, BUT SO THIS IS LOOKING AT OUR STAFF IMPACTS SO FAR WE HAVE NINETY SEVEN THAT ARE RECOVERING OR HAVE RECOVERED SORRY, FROM COVID AND RETURNED TO WORK. WE HAVE STAFF IMPACTS, FOR SEVENTY TWO EMPLOYEES THAT ARE EXCLUDED FROM WORK, THAT SEVENTY TWO IS MADE UP OF TWENTY THREE THAT HAVE TESTED POSITIVE TWO THAT ARE PENDING TESTING RESULTS AND FORTY SEVEN THAT ARE EXCLUDED DUE TO RISK EXPOSURES. JASON'S TEAM PUT TOGETHER A TABLE THAT SHOWS THIS SO THE RED IS THE EXCLUDED POSITIVE [00:25:01] CASES. THE BLUE IS EXCLUDED RISK CASES ON THE THE DATES. IT'S EVERY FRIDAY SINCE JUNE, WHICH IS WHEN HIS TEAM STARTED ACTUALLY TRACKING THIS. AND THEN THERE'S JUST A COUPLE OF NOTES HERE ON THE NOVEMBER 20TH. IT ACTUALLY DENOTES TODAY'S NUMBERS FOR THE DISCUSSION WITH COUNCIL, BUT IT'LL BE UPDATED WITH FINAL NUMBERS ON NOVEMBER 20TH. SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR MISTIE? I SEE NONE. MISTIE, JASON, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO KEEP US INFORMED. NEXT UP ON THIS, MR. BRADFORD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT THE NUMBERS ARE HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. AND WE HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN AN UPTICK FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS. WE'RE NOW BACK AT LEVELS THAT WE WERE SEEING DURING THE WORST PART OF THE SUMMER MONTHS. AND THAT IS DOUBLY CONCERNING WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT WE'RE HEADED INTO A HOLIDAY SEASON IN WHICH FAMILIES WILL BE TOGETHER. AND AS MANY EXPERTS ARE PREDICTING, ANOTHER SPIKE AS A RESULT OF THAT. OUR OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE ACTUALLY FARED BETTER THAN THE POPULATION AS A WHOLE. BUT WE ARE CONTINUING HERE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE INSTANCES, AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED FROM WORK BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN EXPOSED. IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, COUNCIL, THAT WE BROUGHT EMPLOYEES BACK WHO HAD BEEN WORKING FROM HOME AROUND MID-SEPTEMBER WHEN WE SAW THE NUMBERS BOTTOMING OUT, WE BROUGHT EMPLOYEES BACK AND REINVESTIGATED A NUMBER OF OUR SERVICES, CERTAINLY NOT ALL OF THOSE AT FULL CAPACITY. BUT TO THE EXTENT WE WERE ABLE TO, WE TRIED TO GET BACK TO NORMAL. WE DID THAT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OR WITH THE COMMITMENT I MADE TO EMPLOYEES THAT IF WE SAW THE NUMBERS INCREASE AGAIN, THAT WE WOULD WOULD ACT APPROPRIATELY. AND IT IS MY RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL THAT WE WILL TAKE SOME MEASURES TO STEP BACK AND PUT SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE TO PROTECT OUR CITIZENS AS WELL AS OUR EMPLOYEES. IN PARTICULAR WHAT I'VE BEEN DISCUSSING WITH MY STAFF TODAY IS GOING BACK TO AN IN OFFICE STAFFING LEVEL OF TWENTY FIVE PERCENT. IN OTHER WORDS, NOT HAVING MORE THAN TWENTY FIVE PERCENT OF A DEPARTMENT STAFFING FOR THOSE OPERATIONS THAT ARE OFFICE BASED AND THEN OTHER EMPLOYEES WOULD BE WORKING FROM HOME. AND OF COURSE THOSE TWENTY FIVE PERCENT WOULD BE ON A ROTATION TYPE BASIS. FOR FIELD OPERATIONS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT WORKED VERY WELL FOR US DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, WHICH WE WOULD RETURN TO, IS STAGGERED STARTS AND STOPS. THIS ALLOWS US TO HAVE FIELD OPERATIONS WITHOUT HAVING ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES IN A LOCKER ROOMS AND IN THE CONGREGATING AREAS ALL AT THE SAME TIME. WHAT HAS BEEN INTERESTING FOR US OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AS WE'VE LOOKED AT OUR OPERATION AND AS WE WATCH THESE NUMBERS, IS THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS CHANGED THE WAY THAT THEY INTERFACE WITH US A GREAT DEAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WE REOPENED THE DUCKWORTH BUILDING FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME IN AND TAKE CARE OF A CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUE, WHETHER THAT'S PAYMENT OR SOME OTHER ISSUE WITH A UTILITY ACCOUNT, VERY FEW PEOPLE NOW DO THAT. AND THOSE PEOPLE WILL EITHER CONTINUE TO USE TO DRIVE THROUGH OR THEY'RE USING THE TELEPHONE. AS A RESULT, WE BELIEVE WE CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE THE DUCKWORTH BUILDING WITH PROPER CONTROLS AND PROPER DISTANCING. THE LIBRARY HAS CONTINUED TO OPERATE UNDER EXPANDED CAPACITY. HOWEVER, THE PUBLIC IS NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT. AGAIN, THE PUBLIC IS ACCESSING A LOT OF THE LIBRARY MATERIALS ONLINE. [00:30:02] AND SO WHAT WE WOULD BE RECOMMENDING THERE IS RETURNING TO THE TWENTY FIVE PERCENT CAPACITY AND REDUCING EVENING HOURS, WHICH WOULD ALLOW US TO TO ROTATE EMPLOYEES IN AND OUT SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE AS MUCH EXPOSURE. WITH GOING BACK TO CURBSIDE BOOK COLLECTION AS WELL AS DISTRIBUTION IF IF THOSE MEASURES ARE WARRANTED HERE IN THE FUTURE. WE'VE BEEN TALKING TODAY TO PARKS ABOUT ADJUSTING PROGRAMS AT REC CENTERS AGAIN, A LOT OF THOSE ARE ALREADY BEING OPERATED WITH APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS, BUT SOME WOULD HAVE TO BE CANCELED FOR EXAMPLE, FITNESS ROOMS, BASKETBALL GAMES, WHICH WAS NEVER BROUGHT BACK, WOULD CONTINUE TO BE EXCLUDED. AND SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WOULD NEED TO BE CURTAILED. IT DOES NOT LOOK AT THIS POINT THAT WE NEED TO STOP CODE ENFORCEMENT INSPECTIONS IN THE FIELD OR PARKING ENFORCEMENT. THOSE, AGAIN, WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE IN THE FIELD WITH WITH MINIMAL EXPOSURE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND TO FELLOW EMPLOYEES. I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THESE MEASURES WOULD BE IN PLACE AT LEAST THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS. I CAN'T IMAGINE AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO TO SEE. I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE A DRAMATIC TURN OR ARE ALL OF A SUDDEN FIND OURSELVES COMFORTABLE TO TAKE STEPS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS ARE BEHIND US AND AND MAYBE WELL INTO JANUARY. THERE'S NO COVID DOESN'T DISAPPEAR MAGICALLY ON DECEMBER 31ST. SO WE WOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT AND TAKE APPROPRIATE STEPS AGAIN, IF WE CONTINUE TO SEE SHARP INCREASES, IF WE SEE EMPLOYEES BECOMING CONTAMINATED, WE WOULD CERTAINLY IMPLEMENT MORE DRACONIAN MEASURES, SO TO SPEAK. BUT MAYOR, THAT IS AS YOUR CITY MANAGER THAT IS MY RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL TONIGHT. WE WOULD BEGIN IMPLEMENTING THESE AS SOON AS TOMORROW IF THE COUNCIL CONCURS. AND MR. BRADFORD WHEN YOU AND I SPOKE EARLIER, YOU HAD MENTIONED WANTING TO HEAR FROM JUDGE SHOLDEN AND I BELIEVE HE'S ON HERE WITH US. SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO. I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE, BUT IF WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND HEAR FROM JUDGE SHOLDEN FIRST AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO COUNCIL QUESTIONS IF EVERYBODY'S OK WITH THAT. OK, JUDGE SHOLDEN. YOU'RE MUTED. SOMETIMES I'M BETTER MUTED. [LAUGHTER] GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL THE FACTS AND LET YOU ALL DECIDE I WORK FOR Y'ALL. SO THEREFORE, WHATEVER YOU ALL TELL ME TO DO, I WILL FOLLOW WHATEVER YOU TELL ME TO DO. THE MUNICIPAL COURT IS A LOT LIKE A TRAIN, THOUGH, THAT ONCE IT STOPS, IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO START IT BACK UP TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE. WE ACTUALLY STOPPED HAVING MUNICIPAL COURT COURT IN MARCH IN THE MONTH OF APRIL. WE ONLY HAD TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT CITATIONS WRITTEN. RIGHT NOW, SINCE JANUARY THE 1ST, FORWARD TO THE END OF SEPTEMBER, WE'RE DOWN TWENTY THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE CITATIONS. SO KIND OF WHAT THE COURT IS GOING TO DEAL ALSO WITH ARE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT GOING TO BE WRITING TICKETS DURING THE TIME IF WE DON'T DO IT? I DON'T REALLY HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE'RE DOWN A LOT OF FINANCES. SO THIS IS ALSO A FINANCIAL DECISION AND A HEALTH DECISION. IT'S EVERYTHING COMBINED INTO ONE. FROM JANUARY THE 1ST, THROUGH THE END OF SEPTEMBER, AT LEAST REVENUES WERE DOWN TWO MILLION, TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT DOLLARS. MOST OF THAT DEALT WITH THE TIME IN WHICH WE WERE NOT DOING COURT, WHICH WAS THE MIDDLE OF MARCH THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF JUNE WHEN WE HAD REALLY NO COURT. SINCE WE HAD PICKED UP WE HAVE STARTED DOING VERY WELL. WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE NUMBERS BACK. I CAN TELL YOU AS FAR AS ATTENDANCE IN COURT, IT'S BETTER THAN IT WAS PRE COVID. PEOPLE ARE SHOWING UP FOR COURT. IT IS LIKE I MAY HAVE THIRTY FIVE CASES SET FOR A PRETRIAL DOCKET. [00:35:04] THIRTY FOUR PEOPLE ARE SHOWING UP. I, YOU KNOW, LIKE ON A THURSDAY DOCKET, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF THEIR CASE WITHIN THE FIRST 12 DAYS. SO WE SENT OUT NOTICES TO THEM PRIOR TO COVID I'D GET MAYBE 40 PEOPLE SHOWING UP. LAST THURSDAY WE HAD SEVENTY ONE PEOPLE SHOW UP. SO WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF PEOPLE SHOWING UP. IF YOU DECIDE THAT YOU DO WANT TO CLOSE AND GO WITH THE REST OF THE CITY, I WOULD BEG THAT IT NOT OCCUR UNTIL AT LEAST DECEMBER THE FIRST. THE REASON BEING TO GET THE NOTICE OUT TO PEOPLE, TO BE ABLE TO TELL THEM DON'T SHOW UP FOR COURT, I THINK COULD EMBARRASS THE CITY TO SUCH A POINT THAT PEOPLE SHOW UP. THEY GO, HEY, I'M HERE. I WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THIS. OH WE'RE NOT HAVING COURT RIGHT NOW, AT LEAST IN THAT TWO WEEK PERIOD OF TIME. WE COULD STOP. I HAD ALREADY MADE THE DECISION BASED UPON MY LISTENING TO THE FACTS OF THE WEEK OF CHRISTMAS, THE WEEK OF NEW YEAR'S. WE WEREN'T GOING TO HOLD COURT TO BEGIN WITH BECAUSE I DID FIGURE THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH. WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE RESETTING AND IT WAS JUST A SAFER MOVE TO DO NO MATTER WHAT. SO WE'D BE TALKING ABOUT CLOSING DOWN TWO WEEKS IN DECEMBER WE HAVE NO COURT AND TWO AND A HALF WEEKS SORRY OF DECEMBER. AND THEN WHATEVER WE DECIDE TO DO IN JANUARY, I DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE. JUST I WOULD BEG NOT TO START THIS AT LEAST UNTIL DECEMBER 1ST IF YOU DECIDE TO CLOSE IT DOWN. BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE RUNNING COURT. WE ARE DOING EXTREMELY WELL. PEOPLE ARE SHOWING UP, FINES ARE STARTING TO BE PAID. BUT I DO REALIZE THAT THIS IS ALSO A HEALTH CONCERN AND I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU ALL TELL ME TO DO. I'M OPEN UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SIR. FIRST IN THE QUEUE, I HAVE COUNCILMAN AUBIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. FIRST OFF, MR. BRADFORD, I COMPLETELY SUPPORT YOUR PROPOSAL AND KEEP PEOPLE HOME, REDUCING WHATEVER CAPACITIES WE NEED TO REDUCE. HAVE WE LOOKED AT REDUCING? WHERE ARE WE WITH RESPECT TO THE ATRIUM? THE ATRIUM RIGHT NOW IN THE THEATER SECTION, WE ARE USING EVERY OTHER SEAT AND THEN WE SKIPPED SEVERAL SEATS BETWEEN OCCUPIED SEATS. AND SO BY THE TIME THAT WORKS OUT, YOU END UP WITH ABOUT THIRTY FIVE PERCENT OCCUPANCY. AS FAR AS THE ATRIUM IS CONCERNED, WHAT WE ARE CONTEMPLATING IS GOING TO TWENTY FIVE PERCENT IN ANY EVENTS IN THE ATRIUM. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A NUMBER OF EVENTS THAT ARE BOOKED FOR THE HOLIDAYS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THOSE TODAY TO SEE THE EXTENT OF THOSE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING EARLIER TODAY WAS ALLOWING THOSE TO GO FORWARD, BUT NOT BOOKING ANY FURTHER EVENTS. THOSE WERE ITEMS THAT WERE STILL IN DISCUSSION AT THE END OF THE DAY. OK, I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT WE'RE BACK AND NOW, I MEAN, IT'S REALLY AS A COUNTRY, WE'RE BACK TO THESE THESE VERY, VERY HIGH NUMBERS, WORSE IN THE COLDER CLIMATES RIGHT NOW. I'M PARTICULARLY CONCERNED AS IT GETS COLDER HERE AND PEOPLE ARE INSIDE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST REGARDING THE ATRIUM, BUT I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT LARGE GATHERINGS. [INAUDIBLE] ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO. AND TO KIND OF BLUNT THIS RISE, I THINK WE HAVE TO DO, PARTICULARLY IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY NATIONAL OR STATE LEADERSHIP ON THE ISSUE. JUDGE SHOLDEN, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO WHERE THAT SEVENTY ONE PEOPLE SOUNDS LIKE KIND OF A LOT. IT WAS A LOT. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO? I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE MISSED YOUR DATE, KIND OF HAVE THIS WALK IN. BUT DO WE NEED TO ELIMINATE THAT OR MAKE IT LIKE A MAKE A CALL IN AND MAKE A RESERVATION . IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE SURE YOU. I JUST WORRY ABOUT YOU ALL AND YOUR STAFF TAKING THAT KIND OF RISK. THERE IS A WAY TO HANDLE IT. THE WAY IT'S NOT ACTUALLY A WALK IN. WHAT IT IS, IS THIS WILL ACTUALLY SHOCK YOU. BUT FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T SHOW UP IN THEIR FIRST 12 DAYS, WE'LL SEND OUT FOUR HUNDRED AND [00:40:05] FIFTY INVITATIONS TO SHOW UP FOR COURT AND USUALLY 40 WE'RE SHOWING UP NOW 70 ARE SHOWING UP. SO WHAT I SAID IS WE'RE GOING TO CUT THE NUMBER AND WE'RE GOING TO ADD ANOTHER DAY. SINCE WE CAN'T DO JURY TRIALS UNTIL FEBRUARY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THE DAYS THAT WE USED TO DO JURY TRIALS, WHICH IS MONDAY MORNING. WE'RE GOING TO ADD THAT TO WHAT WE CALL A SECOND NOTICE HEARING. AND WE'RE GOING TO START HAVING HALF OF THAT DOCKET SHOW UP THERE AND THE OTHER HALF WHERE WE TRY TO REDUCE THE NUMBERS DOWN, BECAUSE FOR THE MARSHALS, FOR THE CLERKS, FOR THE COURT STAFF, I THOUGHT IT WAS RIDICULOUS THAT WE HAD THAT MUCH. SO WE HAD ALREADY DECIDED THAT BEFORE I GET CALLED TODAY THAT, HEY, WE MAY BE THINKING ABOUT CLOSING DOWN IS USING THOSE DAYS TO CATCH UP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN TAKE CARE OF IT. SO WE ARE GOING TO DO THAT NO MATTER WHAT. OK, THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU SIR. NEXT UP IS COUNCIL MEMBER BOOKHOUT. BRYAN, YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAYING, FUNCTIONING, DOING RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S FIRST PRIORITY WILL BE DEALING WITH COVID TO THE EXTENT THEY'RE ABLE, THEY WILL DO RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS, WE ARE TAKING SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES THAT WOULD BE FREED UP BY THE REDUCED CAPACITY IN OFFICE WHO WISH TO WHO VOLUNTEER TO, TO USE THEM TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDENS IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO HOPEFULLY FREE UP SOME TIME. BUT WE ARE CONTINUING TO CONTACT TRACE TO THE EXTENT WE CAN. BUT WE ARE DEALING WITH VERY HIGH NUMBERS RIGHT NOW. OK, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT CLOSING IT DOWN JUST BECAUSE. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAD A LOT OF CITIZENS WHO WANT IT TO CONTINUE. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF RESTAURANTS OUT HERE THAT ARE HAVING ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PEOPLE PARTIES. AND THERE'S NOBODY CHECKING IT OUT, NOBODY DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT, AND A NUMBER OF PEOPLE GET UPSET BY IT, SO THAT'S WHY I'M MAKING MENTION OF IT. AS FAR AS THE COURT'S CONCERNED, I STRONGLY OPPOSE CLOSING THE COURT. I THINK WE LET JOHN DO WHAT HE KNOWS HE NEEDS TO DO. AND LET'S GO FROM THERE. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU SIR. AND NEXT UP IS COUNCIL MEMBER HEDRICK. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JUDGE SHOLDEN BACK WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT RE-OPENING YOUR COURT BACK IN JUNE, YOU SAID YOU WERE CONFIDENT WITH THE MEASURES THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE. ARE YOU STILL CONFIDENT WITH ALL THE MEASURES THAT YOU CAN OPERATE SAFELY WITH? I ASSUME YOU MADE ADDITIONAL CHANGES AS WELL TO THE INITIAL PLAN. ABSOLUTELY. OK, THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL THE QUESTION I HAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU. AND JUST TO TAG ONTO THAT, I KNOW MR. [INAUDIBLE] IS ON HERE, MR. [INAUDIBLE]. THERE YOU ARE, SIR. AS FAR AS THE COURTS ARE CONCERNED, OBVIOUSLY ARE WE GOOD AS FAR AS OPERATIONS WITH OUR MARSHALS AND IN CROWD CONTROL AND ALL OF THAT YOU KNOW TRYING TO GET EVERYBODY THROUGH. IS THE PROCESSES WE'VE HAD SET UP, ARE THOSE STILL WORKING? YES, SIR. THE PLAN THAT THE COURT CAME UP WITH TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC, I THINK HAS WORKED VERY WELL. JUDGE SHOLDEN IDENTIFIED ALREADY THE ONE HICCUP WE EVER HAD WAS FAR MORE PEOPLE SHOWING UP FOR A SECOND NOTICE DOCKET THAN WE EXPECTED WHEN SEVENTY ONE SHOWED UP. AND I THINK JUDGE SHOLDEN'S ALREADY ADDRESSED THAT. THAT DAY WAS A LITTLE BIT OF IT WAS A LITTLE BIT CONGESTED. AND THE MARSHALS HAD CONCERNS BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THERE. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY EXPECTED THEM TO SHOW UP. AND I THINK THE JUDGE'S QUICK RESPONSE AND SAYING, OK, WE'RE GOING TO CHOP THOSE DOCKETS IN HALF. THE REST OF THE DOCKETS ARE DONE IN A WAY THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE SHOW UP. AND SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD HANDLE ON IT AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE TO WORK SAFELY THERE FOR THE PUBLIC. AND MY STAFF I ASKED THEM TODAY ABOUT IT AND WITH THE ONE DAY, WITH ONE EXCEPTION BEING THE DAY THAT JUDGE SHOLDEN ALREADY POINTED OUT, WHERE SEVENTY ONE PEOPLE SHOWED UP. THE REST OF THE DOCKETS ARE COMPLETELY MANAGEABLE AND I EXPECT IT TO BE THAT WAY. THANK YOU, SIR. AND I GUESS WE CAN JUST SAY LEAVE IT TO 2020 TO HAVE A SITUATION WHERE TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE SHOW UP FOR COURT AS NORMALLY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S JUST YET [00:45:01] ANOTHER ANOMALY FOR THIS YEAR. OK, I THINK WE'VE CLEARED THE QUEUE AT THIS POINT. COUNCIL YOU'VE HEARD MR. BRADFORD'S RECOMMENDATIONS AS FAR AS CITY STAFF AND OPERATIONS. I HAVEN'T SEEN I'VE BEEN WATCHING ALL YOUR FACES. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY DISAGREEMENT WITH THAT PLAN. AND THEN ALSO TO ADDRESS MUNICIPAL COURTS, TO LEAVE THEM IN OPERATION AT THIS POINT, BUT UNDER THE MODIFIED DIRECTION OF JUDGE SHOLDEN. IS THAT IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT AT THIS POINT? OBVIOUSLY, THIS GOING INTO EFFECT FIRST THING TOMORROW. SO UNLESS THERE'S ANY OPPOSITION TO THAT, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PLAN. YES. ALL RIGHT. I SEE A FEW YES, AND SOME THUMBS UP, [INAUDIBLE] IN THERE. SO ALL RIGHT, MR. BRADFORD, JUDGE SHOLDEN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. AND WE CERTAINLY YOU KNOW, WE'VE TAKEN ALL THESE MEASURES OVER TIME TO TRY TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS AND OUR STAFF AS BEST WE CERTAINLY CAN. AND I KNOW WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. SO THANK YOU. NEXT, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH ITEM 4B 2021 TEXAS [4B. 2021 Texas Legislative Season Briefing] LEGISLATIVE SEASON BRIEFING. I THINK WE HAVE MR. NEIGHBOR UP ON THAT. AND JUST READING THE WORDS LEGISLATIVE SEASON KIND OF MAKES ME A LITTLE UNEASY, BUT YOU KNOW A CHILL DOWN THE SPINE KIND OF KIND OF THING. BUT, MR. NEIGHBOR. AND SO IT BEGINS. WE HAVE ONLINE WITH US TONIGHT MR. TY EMBREY. TY IS AN ATTORNEY WITH THE LAW FIRM OF LLOYD GOSSELINK IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. THAT FIRM HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED, DONE WORK FOR THE CITY FOR ALL OF MY CAREER, PROBABLY NOW PUSHING ON TOWARDS THIRTY EIGHT, THIRTY NINE YEARS. THEY HANDLE A LOT OF OUR REGULATORY AFFAIRS WITH THE AGENCIES AND THE POLITICS DOWN IN AUSTIN. TY IS THEIR LEGISLATORS SPECIALIST. HE'S GOING TO GIVE US A BIT OF AN UPDATE ON WHAT HE SEES COMING UP IN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. VERY BRIEFLY, FROM MY VIEWPOINT, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF THE SAME SORT OF BILLS THAT WE EXPERIENCED IN TWENTY NINETEEN. IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT SESSION FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT. I THINK THE SUBSTANCE WILL NOT CHANGE GREATLY IN 2021. THE PROCEDURE, HOW WE GO ABOUT THIS SESSION, I HAVE NO IDEA. AND PERHAPS TY CAN SHARE WHAT HE'S HEARD IN THAT RESPECT, THAT WE STILL HAVE A TRAVEL BAN, FOR EXAMPLE. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GO DOWN TO AUSTIN INTERACT. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE ZOOM AVAILABLE. ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT I'M GLAD TO HAVE TY ON HAND, TO HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND ON THE CITY'S BEHALF DOWN IN AUSTIN. AND SO WITH THAT, LET ME TURN IT OVER TO TY AND TY I APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US TONIGHT. YES, SIR. GOOD EVENING. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. IT'S GOOD TO SEE A LOT OF FAMILIAR FACES. AND GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU THROUGH ANOTHER LEGISLATIVE SESSION. YEAH, I THINK BRAD SUMMARIZED IT PRETTY WELL IN THAT I THINK IT'S IN LIGHT OF THE ELECTION RESULTS THAT ON NOVEMBER 3RD AT THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AND I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE, I THINK IT'S WE'RE GOING TO SEE A SIMILAR FEEL FROM THE LEGISLATURE LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST. JUST BECAUSE THE MAKEUP IS THIS ALMOST EXACTLY IDENTICAL AS FAR AS POLITICAL PARTY MAKEUP . AS FAR AS THE GARLAND DELEGATION, ALL FOUR OF YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES THAT WERE REPRESENTING THE CITY OF GARLAND LAST SESSION IN 2018, THEY ALL WERE REELECTED. ANA-MARIA RAMOS, VICTORIA NEAVE, [INAUDIBLE], ANGIE CHEN BUTTON ALL WON REELECTION. SO WE'LL HAVE THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE BUILT UP WITH THOSE [00:50:01] FOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND THEN THE TWO STATE SENATORS THAT REPRESENT THE CITY OF GARLAND, NATHAN JOHNSON AND BOB HALL. THEY WERE NOT UP FOR REELECTION SO THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE THEIR TERMS AS STATE SENATORS. THEY HAVE LONGER. THE TEXAS HOUSE HAS TWO YEAR TERMS. THE SENATE HAS FOUR, SIX YEARS DEPENDING ON WHEN THEY DRAW STRAWS. AND SO AND AS FAR AS THE MAKEUP OF THE OVERALL TEXAS HOUSE AND TEXAS SENATE, THERE WAS A BIG THOUGHT. THERE WAS A THOUGHT THAT WITH LOT OF THE BIG AMOUNTS OF MONEY THAT WERE COMING IN AND BEING SPENT ON TEXAS HOUSE RACES, THAT THE TEXAS HOUSE MIGHT CHANGE AS FAR AS IF THE DEMOCRATS COULD FLIP SEATS AND GET CONTROL OF THE TEXAS HOUSE, BUT THAT THE RESULTS DID NOT BEAR THAT OUT. IT'S STILL GOING TO BE EIGHTY THREE REPUBLICANS. SIXTY SEVEN DEMOCRATS, WHICH IS THE EXACT NUMBER FROM LAST TIME THE DEMOCRATS FLIPPED A SEAT AND THE REPUBLICANS FLIPPED A SEAT SO THEY KIND OF EVENED EACH OTHER OUT. AND THEN IN THE SENATE, IT'S GOING TO BE 18 REPUBLICANS, 13 DEMOCRATS. AND SO THE MAKEUP OF THE EVEN WITH THE SIGNIFICANT TURNOUT AND THE PROJECTIONS THAT SOME PEOPLE HAD, THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE IS GOING TO REMAIN RELATIVELY THE SAME AS LAST SESSION. BRAD HIT ON SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT FACTOR THIS TIME THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST. AS FAR AS LOGISTICS OF HOW WILL THE CAPITAL OPERATE, HOW WILL THE LEGISLATURE OPERATE DURING COVID? THAT'S THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION EVERY TIME YOU TALK TO A STATE LEGISLATOR OR LEGISLATIVE STAFFER, THEY JUST SAID WE'RE STILL FIGURING THAT OUT, WE DON'T KNOW. THE PRESUMPTIVE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, DADE PHELAN OF BEAUMONT WHO GOT THE PLEDGES OF SUPPORT AFTER THE ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 3RD. HE IS GOING TO VERY LIKELY BE THE SPEAKER. THE HOUSE WILL OFFICIALLY ELECT THEIR SPEAKER ON THE FIRST DAY OF SESSION, JANUARY 12TH. BUT HE'S GOT THE PLEDGES FROM ENOUGH MEMBERS THAT HE'S GOING TO BE THE SPEAKER. HE APPOINTED A WORKING COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT LOGISTICS OF TRYING TO WORK OUT HOW WILL A REGULAR SESSION BE HELD DURING COVID. ONE OF THE RUMORS YOU KEEP HEARING OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS THEY'RE GOING TO COME IN ON JANUARY 12TH, ELECT A SPEAKER IN THE HOUSE, ADOPT RULES IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND THEY'LL GAVEL OUT FOR 30 DAYS. THEY'LL WORK REMOTELY FOR 30 DAYS AND COME BACK TO THE HOUSE FLOOR 30 DAYS LATER. SO I THINK YOU'RE HEARING A LOT OF THAT TALK AS FAR AS PARTICULARLY IN THE FIRST 60 DAYS. THEY CAN'T PASS LEGISLATION OTHER THAN IF THE GOVERNOR DECLARES AN EMERGENCY. AND WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF THE GOVERNOR WILL DO THAT. BUT THE FIRST 60 DAYS, PARTICULARLY WITH COVID, I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF INTERACTION, KNOWING THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK, PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT IN THE LAST 80 DAYS OF SESSION. SESSIONS, LAST FORTY, ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY DAYS. AND SINE DIE THE LAST DAY OF SESSION WILL BE MAY 31ST MEMORIAL DAY. AND THE JOKE IS I'VE PROBABLY TOLD YOU ALL BEFORE, BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, BECAUSE THE JOKE IN TEXAS IS THE LEGISLATURE MEETS ONCE FOR ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY DAYS EVERY TWO YEARS. AND THE JOKE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WISH THEY WOULD MEET FOR TWO DAYS EVERY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY YEARS. AND SO BUT YEAH, THEY LOGISTICALLY, AS FAR AS PEOPLE I KNOW ONE THING THAT NO MATTER WHAT THEY DECIDE AND LIKE I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY WHAT SESSION WILL LOOK LIKE IN JANUARY, IT COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN MAY BASED ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE VACCINES THAT WERE DISCUSSED EARLIER. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT THE ABILITY TO GO OFFICE TO OFFICE TO OFFICE AND MAKE THE ROUNDS AND WALK ALL OVER THE CAPITOL, THAT'S JUST I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN DURING THIS REGULAR SESSION JUST BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF PEOPLE SPREADING THE DISEASE TO THE DIFFERENT OFFICES AND SO ON. AND SO THERE STILL WORKING OUT SOME OF THE THINGS. BUT I THINK CERTAIN THINGS LIKE GOING OFFICE TO OFFICE, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. AS FAR AS THE BIG PICTURE ISSUES THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH THE STATE BUDGET, THAT THE STATE TOOK A BIG HIT THIS YEAR, NOT ONLY FROM COVID AND THE SALES TAX HITS AND JUST THE ECONOMY AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT RECEIVES A LOT OF TAX MONEY FROM SALE OF OIL AND GAS AND SEVERANCE TAXES. BUT ALSO THE PRICE OF OIL AND GAS DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE SPRING, DEALING WITH INTERNATIONAL OIL, OIL AND GAS POLITICS. SO IT WAS IT'S GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT STATE BUDGET PROCESS THIS TIME THAN IT'S BEEN IN THE LAST FEW TIMES, LAST FEW SESSIONS LAST ARGUABLY THE LAST 10 YEARS BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMY AND THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY HAVE GROWN SO STRONG IN TEXAS. SO THEY'RE GOING TO SPEND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME ON STATE BUDGET TRYING TO MAKE UP THE STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL THAT THEY ANTICIPATE. [00:55:06] THEY WILL SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON REDISTRICTING. THIS IS WITH A TWENTY TWENTY ONE. IT'S THE TIME THEY NEED TO DEAL WITH REDISTRICTING ISSUES? BECAUSE THE CENSUS HAS JUST OCCURRED AND THEY WILL THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH REDISTRICTING UNDER THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION DURING A REGULAR SESSION. AND SO THERE WAS SOME QUESTION WITH THE WAY COVID WAS GOING AND THE US CENSUS BUREAU, IF THEY WOULD HAVE NUMBERS TO STATES, THE CENSUS NUMBERS BY THE END OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN TEXAS IN MAY. BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY WILL THE CENSUS BUREAU WILL GET NUMBERS TO TEXAS. SO THEY'LL AT LEAST START THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS DURING THE REGULAR SESSION AND LIKELY GO INTO SPECIAL SESSIONS TO DEAL WITH THAT. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SAID THEY THINK THAT THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE SPECIAL SESSIONS THROUGHOUT 2021 TO DEAL WITH STATE BUDGET TO DEAL WITH REDISTRICTING. SO A LOT OF MEMBERS ARE TELLING THEIR FAMILIES, ONCE I LEAVE IN JANUARY, YOU MIGHT NOT SEE ME BACK VERY OFTEN UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. AND THEN THE STATE'S RESPONSE TO COVID HOW WE HANDLED THIS THIS PANDEMIC AND HOW WILL WE ADDRESS FUTURE PANDEMICS. I THINK THAT WILL GET A LOT OF ATTENTION. POLICE REFORM, YOU COULD START FILING BILLS FOR THE REGULAR SESSION ON MONDAY, JANUARY 9TH OR NOVEMBER 9TH, EXCUSE ME. AND YOU CAN ALREADY SEE THE NUMBER OF BILLS BEING FILED THAT DEAL WITH POLICE REFORM, POLICE ISSUES IN RESPONSE TO WHAT OUR COUNTRY HAS GONE THROUGH THIS YEAR. THERE'S A LOT OF BILLS HAVE BEEN FILED IN RESPONSE TO THAT, SO THAT WILL RECEIVE A LOT OF ATTENTION. ELECTION ISSUES WE'VE ALL SEEN THE ELECTION PROCESS DOES HAVE A SPOTLIGHT ON IT DURING THE NOVEMBER 3RD GENERAL ELECTION AND THE EARLY VOTING. AND SO YOU SEE A LOT OF BILLS FILED THAT DEAL WITH THE ELECTION PROCESS? I THINK THERE'LL BE A PROPERTY TAX CLEANUP BILL OR TYPICALLY, WHEN YOU HAVE A BIG BILL THAT DEALS WITH ANY KIND OF ISSUE, YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CLEAN UP BILL TWO YEARS LATER TO TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE COME UP AS YOU TRY TO IMPLEMENT THAT BILL. SO I THINK WE'LL HAVE A CLEAN UP BILL TO DEAL WITH THE FOLLOW UP FROM SENATE BILL TWO THE BIG PROPERTY TAX REFORM BILL AND FROM 2018. AND THEN ONE THING THAT I THINK IS GOING TO AFFECT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MORE SO THAN MANY OTHER AREAS, AND THIS COULD BE A POSITIVE, IS I THINK THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IS GOING TO BE UPDATED, REVISED, AMENDED TO INCORPORATE MORE VIDEO CONFERENCING AND MORE VIRTUAL ALLOWING GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES TO HOLD MEETINGS, VIRTUALLY IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT TECHNOLOGY AND IN PANDEMIC TYPE SITUATIONS, THAT TYPE OF MEETING IS NECESSARY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH REASONS. SO I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A BIG UPDATE TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT TO TRY TO INCORPORATE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE ALL USING THESE DAYS IN LIGHT OF COVID. SO THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF TOPICS I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT, PARTICULARLY STATE BUDGET AND REDISTRICTING. BUT WE'RE READY TO REPRESENT GARLAND AND PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS AT THE CAPITOL. AND YOU'VE GOT A DELEGATION THAT IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR CITY, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS, WITH ONE EXCEPTION IN PARTICULAR. BUT BUT, YEAH, I THINK THE CITY IS POSITIONED ITSELF AS WELL AS IT COULD. AND WE JUST NEED TO WORK WITH OTHER CITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN WORK WITH OUR DELEGATIONS, WORK WITH OUR LEGISLATORS TO TRY TO PROTECT THE CITY'S INTERESTS. AND I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS ANYBODY MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU MR. EMBREY. WE DO HAVE A FEW PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE. FIRST UP IS COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. TY, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE REPRESENTATION AS ALWAYS. MY UNDERSTANDING WITH THE 18 OUT OF 31 ON THE SENATE DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO HAVE ANY MATERIAL CHANGE WITH THE LOSS OF THE SUPERMAJORITY? YES, I WOULD ANTICIPATE AND THERE'S BEEN RUMORS GOING AROUND AUSTIN SINCE THE ELECTION THAT WE HAD THE TWO THIRDS RULE, IS WHAT THEY CALLED IT IN THE SENATE, THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE TWO THIRDS OF THE SENATORS HAD TO AGREE TO SOMETHING BEFORE IT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE FLOOR. THEN UNDER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATRICK, THAT WAS LOWERED TO 60 PERCENT. AND THE RUMOR IS THAT HE WILL PUSH THROUGH AN EFFORT TO LOWER THAT TO 50 PERCENT. JUST A MAJORITY IS NEEDED TO BRING BILLS TO THE SENATE FLOOR. AND SO I I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF WE SEE A MOVEMENT THE FIRST WEEK OF THE SESSION BY THE SENATE TO ADJUST THAT THRESHOLD TO BRING BILLS TO THE SENATE FLOOR. OK, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DISCOURAGING TO HEAR. IT IS, BUT IT'S YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTEN USED TO, AS YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER JUST DEALING [01:00:03] WITH THE POLITICAL REALITY AS BEST WE CAN. RIGHT. MOVING THE GOAL POSTS. ON THE REDISTRICTING, ANY SENSE AT ALL OF WHERE THAT'S GOING TO GO OR HOW THAT'S GOING TO SHIFT OR WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN FOR GARLAND. WHICH I KNOW IS A VERY BROAD QUESTION I'M ASKING YOU. I GUESS I'M ASKING YOU FOR COMPLETE SPECULATION AS TO THE IMPACT ON US. I MEAN, ARE WE GOING TO END UP WITH FEWER REPRESENTATIVES, MORE? DO YOU EXPECT ANY ALLIANCE TO GET CHANGED? YEAH, I WOULD NOT EXPECT YOU TO LOSE ANY REPRESENTATION. AND JUST BECAUSE Y'ALL ARE IN AN URBAN AREA, I THINK THE URBAN AREAS WILL CONTINUE AND SUBURBAN AREAS, WILL CONTINUE TO GATHER MORE GAIN, MORE REPRESENTATION, MORE POSITIONS, MORE SEATS AT THE LEGISLATURE IN THE RURAL AREAS ARE GOING TO LOSE. I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE ALL BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR YEARS, THAT THE MUNICIPAL AND SUBURBAN AREAS IN TEXAS WILL JUST CONTINUE TO GROW AND GATHER STRENGTH POLITICALLY AT THE LEGISLATURE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE RURAL AREAS. AND SO I THINK GARLAND, I THINK Y'ALL ARE ABOUT IN AS GOOD A POSITION AS YOU CAN BE. AND I COULD SEE YOU POTENTIALLY I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY'LL CHOP THINGS UP FOR POLITICAL REASONS, BUT I JUST CAN'T SEE Y'ALL GOIN LESS THAN FOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND THE CITIES, THE DFW AREA, HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO, AUSTIN, FORT WORTH, Y'ALL ARE GOING TO GAIN SEATS. BUT AND I THINK THE HOUSE AND IS THE RURAL COMMUNITIES, AREAS OF OUR STATE WILL LOSE SEATS IN THE HOUSE. AND SO THAT'S THE ONE PREDICTION I THINK WE'LL DEFINITELY SEE. AS FAR AS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT GARLAND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD SESSION TO HAVE VETERAN LEADERSHIP. THERE'S BEEN I'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS THAT IF YOU'RE A FRESHMAN IN THE 2021 SESSION, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE YOUR DISTRICT RIPPED UP THAN SOMEBODY THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR AWHILE AND HAS BUILT UP SOME CREDIBILITY. SO IT'S A GOOD SESSION FOR IN THAT RESPECT FOR GARLAND AND ALL YOUR DELEGATION HAS BEEN THERE AT LEAST ONE SESSION. GREAT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU MAYOR AND THANK YOU TY. NEXT UP IS MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. TY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK IN THE PAST, AND I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A TOUGH SESSION FOR ALL OF US. JUST GOING OFF OF THE LAST SESSION, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WHEN THE STATE RUN SHORT ON CASH, THEY PUSH A LOT OF UNFUNDED MANDATES TO US AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND THEN THEY DEMONIZE US FOR RAISING THE CASH AND DOING WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'VE INSTRUCTED US TO DO. AND I TOOK QUITE A BIT OF THE COUNCIL'S TIME UP THIS PAST YEAR RANTING ABOUT THAT. [LAUGHTER] BUT DO WE DO WE HAVE AN OVERALL STRATEGY TO POINT OUT WHERE THESE UNFUNDED MANDATES GET INTRODUCED DURING THINGS LIKE COMMITTEE HEARINGS AND REALLY START HOLDING THE LEGISLATORS PUBLICLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR PUTTING THAT BURDEN ON US. BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S AS MUCH A LEGISLATIVE OR IS A PR WAR WHERE THEY'RE MAKING US DO THE DIRTY WORK FOR THEM AND THEN, YOU KNOW, POINTING AT US AND CALLING US THE ENEMY. YES, I MEAN, I THINK THAT THE KEY IS COMMUNICATION. I THINK Y'ALL HAVE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER, STAFF, CITY ATTORNEY. YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB ON DOWN OF COMMUNICATING TO YOUR DELEGATION AND THE LEGISLATURE, THE UNFUNDED MANDATES AND ALL THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THAT BETTER THAN ANY GROUP I'VE SEEN. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK BECAUSE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS Y'ALL HAVE HAD WITH YOUR DELEGATION, YOU ALL CAN BE VERY HONEST. AND I'VE SEEN THAT HONESTY IN THE PAST, AND Y'ALL HAVE REALLY LAID IT OUT ON THE TABLE. THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR CITY IF YOU CONTINUE TO DO THESE UNFUNDED MANDATES. MY HOPE COUNCIL MEMBER IS THERE'S A LOT OF TENSION THAT WAS BUILT UP LAST SESSION OVER A SENATE BILL TWO THE BIG PROPERTY TAX REFORM BILL. AND MY HOPE IS NOW THAT THAT'S BEEN PASSED, THAT BATTLE'S BEEN FOUGHT, THAT WILL RELEASE SOME OF THE TENSION, BECAUSE I THINK OTHER NEGATIVE RAMIFICATIONS FOR THE CITIES OCCURRED, SUCH AS ADDITIONAL UNFUNDED MANDATES AND UNDOING CITY REGULATIONS AND AUTHORITY WAS DONE, AS TO PUT LEVERAGE ON CITIES AND GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES TO MAKE SURE SENATE BILL TWO PASSED. AND SO I THINK I'M HOPEFUL THAT WITH THAT SENATE BILL TWO IN THE PAST, THAT THERE WILL BE NOT AS MUCH FERVOR. [01:05:03] AND I THINK NOT TO BRING BACK ANOTHER BAD MEMORY. BUT IF ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LISTEN TO THE TAPE OF SPEAKER BONNEN AND TALKING TO MICHAEL QUINN SULLIVAN, AND YOU JUST HEARD HOW STRONGLY HE FELT ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES. AND I THINK THAT HAD BEEN BUILT UP OVER HIS TIME AS CHAIRMAN OF THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE IN 2017. AND THEN BECOMING SPEAKER. [INAUDIBLE] 2018 AND THEN SPEAKER IN 2020 WHEN HE REALLY WANTED TO GET A SENATE BILL TWO PASS IN SOME FORM. AND SO IT'S A LONG WINDED WAY BUT TO GO BACK. YES, I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE. YOU JUST CAN'T EVER GIVE UP IN COMMUNICATING THAT MESSAGE ABOUT UNFUNDED MANDATES AND I THINK THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS DO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT THAT HAS ON THE CITY OF GARLAND AND WHAT THE JOB YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. SO ALL WE CAN DO AND BRAD AND BRYAN AND I AND [INAUDIBLE] WE ALL TALK ON A CONTINUAL BASIS ABOUT IDENTIFYING HERE'S YOU KNOW, IF YOU PASS THIS BILL IN THIS AREA, THIS IS WHAT THIS WILL DO. IF YOU PASS THE BILL IN THIS AREA, ALL WE'RE JUST MAKING THEM BECAUSE OF THE EXPERIENCE YOUR TEAM AND STAFF HAVE WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB EDUCATING THE MEMBERS ON HERE'S HOW NEGATIVELY IMPACTED THE CITY OF GARLAND WILL BE IF YOU DO THIS, IF YOU PASS THIS BILL. AND SOMETIMES THOSE DECISIONS LIKE WHAT THE SPEAKER HOW HE FELT LAST SESSION IT WAS A BIT OF A HIGHER LEVEL THAN ANYBODY COULD DO. BUT ALL WE ALL WE NEED TO DO IS KEEP COMMUNICATING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS SO THE MEMBERS YOUR DELEGATION CAN'T SAY I DIDN'T KNOW. THE CITY DIDN'T TELL ME. SO WE JUST NEED TO KEEP DOING THAT. SO I AGREE WITH YOU. UNFUNDED MANDATES IS A HUGE ISSUE. AND WE JUST NEED TO KEEP POINTING THAT OUT TO YOUR DELEGATION. ALL RIGHT. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I'LL BRING TO THE COUNCIL LATER IS THE FISCAL NOTE THAT'S ATTACHED TO EACH BILL USUALLY ONLY TALKS ABOUT WHAT IT COSTS THE STATE AND WHAT IT COSTS THE STATE BUDGET, BUT THEY DON'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT IT MIGHT COST SOME OTHER ENTITY. AND SO THAT'S BEEN A WAY THAT THEY'VE HIDDEN THESE INHERENT COSTS AND GOTTEN LEGISLATION PUSHED THROUGH. SO I'D BE INTERESTED TO TACKLE THAT AS WELL AND SEE EXACTLY WHAT THE FISCAL NOTE REQUIREMENTS ARE, YOU KNOW, REALLY START PUSHING BACK ON THAT KIND OF THING. SO I APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. PART OF THE PROBLEM, IF I COULD WEIGH IN THERE, PART OF THE PROBLEM IS AS FAR AS, SAY, FISCAL NOTE, IT'S OFTEN A FATAL MARK, ON A BILL IF IT'S GOING TO MAKE STATE COSTS GO UP. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE THAT SAME KIND OF RECOGNITION. BUT WE DON'T HAVE A LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD TO PUT THAT KIND OF INFORMATION TOGETHER AND PROVIDE IT IN SUCH AN IMMEDIATE FASHION. AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE OFTENTIMES GIVEN VERY LITTLE HEADS UP AS TO WHETHER OUT OF THE TEN THOUSAND BILLS THAT FLOAT AROUND ANY GIVEN SECTION, IF ONE OF THEM IS SUDDENLY GOING TO BREATHE SOME REAL LIFE AND START MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS MUCH AS WE MONITOR THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, WE JUST DON'T KNOW. AND SO CONSEQUENTLY, CITIES TEND TO NOT FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION ON BILLS THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO GO ANYWHERE. AND WHEN THEY DO PICK UP TRACTION WE'RE KIND OF BEHIND THINGS BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T PROVIDED THE INFORMATION TO DO A SIGNIFICANT LOCAL FISCAL NOTE ON THERE, IT'S POSSIBLE. BUT EVEN ON THINGS WHERE THEY'RE ON BILL, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITY OR COMMUNAL INTEREST ON THE PART OF CITIES IS OFTENTIMES HARD TO GET THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER QUICKLY ENOUGH TO GIVE THE LEGISLATURE A SENSE OF WHAT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING AT. WHAT WE'VE BEEN CARRYING AS FAR AS THE MESSAGE IS WE DON'T HAVE ANY ROOM TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE. AND EVEN COSTS THAT LOOK INSIGNIFICANT, THEY REALLY START COUNTING WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT REVENUE CAP. THANK YOU. SHORT OF A, I'M SORRY TO KEEP WANDERING ON HERE SHORT OF A CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE I THINK WE'RE GOING TO KEEP RUNNING INTO THE UNFUNDED MANDATE PROBLEMS. OTHER STATES HAVE ADDRESSED THAT AND THEY'VE DONE IT THROUGH THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S EVER GOING TO HAPPEN ANY TIME SOON IN TEXAS SO. [01:10:01] I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT IF WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO PREDICT THE COST BEFORE THE BILL IS PASSED I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO ADD A PAGE NEAR THE FRONT OF OUR BUDGET THAT GOES AND REPORTS ON WHAT THOSE COSTS WILL BE AFTER THE LEGISLATURES THROUGH MEETING. SO WE CAN JUSTIFY IT TO OUR CITIZENS. THANKS. VERY GOOD. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR MR. EMBREY OR MR. BRAD NEIGHBOR? GENTLEMEN, WE APPEAR TO HAVE CLEARED THE QUEUE, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE'RE ALL LOADING INTO THE ROLLER COASTER NOW. WE'RE NOT EVEN GOING UP THE HILL YET. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND OUR SEATS. SO WE'LL ALL NEED TO BUCKLE IN AND BUCKLE DOWN. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. AND COUNCIL WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PUSH FORWARD ON ONE MORE ITEM HERE, WE'LL GO TO ITEM 4C ZONING NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES UPDATE. [4C. Zoning Notification Procedures Update] MR. GUERIN. I CAN GO AND KICK US OFF IF YOU WANT. OK GO AHEAD. ALRIGHT THANK YOU MAYOR. OUR AD HOC COMMITTEE MET ON SEPTEMBER 22ND AND AGAIN ON OCTOBER 27TH, REVIEWED OUR CURRENT PLANNING AND ZONING NOTIFICATION STRATEGIES. THE PRIMARY GOAL HERE WAS TO IMPROVE CITIZEN ACCESS TO THE PROCESS. I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN FOR REQUESTING A POLICY REVIEW. SIR, WE APPRECIATE YOU CHAMPIONING THE ISSUE AND BRINGING IT FORWARD TO THIS FOR CONSIDERATION. I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN COUNCILWOMAN MORRIS, COUNCIL MEMBER HEDRICK PLANNING AND ZONING CHAIRMAN SCOTT ROBERTS AND PLANNING AND ZONING VICE CHAIRMAN CHRIS OTT. WILL IS HERE TONIGHT TO PRESENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. MR. GUERIN. THANK YOU, SIR. I'LL GO AHEAD AND SHARE A SCREEN. OK. SO I WALK THROUGH THE DETAILS OF WHAT THE AD HOC COMMITTEE HAS RECOMMENDED. JUST AS A BRIEF REMINDER, CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSED THIS BACK ON JULY 20TH AND THERE WAS AN AD HOC COMMITTEE APPOINTED. MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH WENT THROUGH THE MAKEUP OF THAT COMMITTEE LISTED HERE, AND THE AD HOC COMMITTEE MET TWICE. THERE ARE TWO VERY EFFICIENT MEETINGS. ONE WAS ON SEPTEMBER TWENTY SECOND AND THE OTHER WAS ON OCTOBER TWENTY SEVENTH. AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE FOLLOWED THE RESULTS OF THOSE MEETINGS. GOAL, AN OUTCOME IS, OF COURSE, THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ZONING NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES OF THE CITY OF GARLAND, AND THIS METHOD PROVIDES A CLEARER, MORE INFORMATIVE AND TRANSPARENT INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING TO NON ENGLISH SPEAKERS. AND I WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE, AND I'LL KIND OF BREAK THIS OUT BY LETTERS MAP AND SIGNS, ET CETERA. SO STARTING WITH THE NOTIFICATION, LETTERS I WILL JUST START FROM THE TOP AND WORK MY WAY DOWN. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL LETTERS SHOULD BE CONSISTENT. THE TEMPLATE SHOULD BE CONSISTENT. COUNCIL LETTERS SHOULD INCLUDE A MAP AND THOSE SHOULD ALL BE CONSISTENT AS WELL. THE LETTERS HAVE BEEN REORGANIZED TO PUT PLAIN ENGLISH ELEMENTS FURTHER UP. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF YOU'VE NOTICED IN OUR NOTIFICATION LETTERS, WE TYPICALLY HAVE A SECTION. YOU SCROLL DOWN A TAD, YOU WILL SEE IT ON THE FIRST PAGE WHERE IT WILL SAY NOTE IT WILL BE IN BOLD AND IT WILL BASICALLY SUMMARIZE THE REQUEST FROM THE LAYPERSON'S STANDPOINT RATHER THAN THE TECHNICALITIES OF THE GDC TYPE LANGUAGE. SO THE COMMITTEE HAS RECOMMENDED BASICALLY MOVING THAT UP, MAKING THAT MORE VISIBLE RATHER THAN TECHNICAL AGENDA LANGUAGE. FRONT SIDE ENGLISH WITH SOME SPANISH. THE COMMITTEE DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED HAVING SOME SPANISH ON THE FRONT PAGE, BUT THE BACKSIDE IN THE COMMENT FORM INCLUDE LANGUAGE IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE. COMMENT FORM IS CONTAINED WITHIN ONE PAGE, COMMENT FORM AGAIN INCLUDES MULTILINGUAL HEADINGS, A PHONE NUMBER FOR STAFF, FOR A READER OR CITIZEN TO ASK QUESTIONS IS MORE VISIBLE. A QR CODE AND LINK TO TECHNOLOGY IS INCLUDED ON THE LETTERS WE'LL GET MORE INTO THAT IN A LITTLE BIT. AND ADDING THE WHY THE RECIPIENT IS RECEIVING A LETTER. [INAUDIBLE] IS A GREAT RECOMMENDATION. WE DO SOMETIMES GET THAT QUESTION CALL AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVE NO OPINION WHATSOEVER ON THE ZONING CASE THEY JUST ARE CALLING US TO ASK WHY DID I GET THIS LETTER AND CAN I [01:15:02] RECYCLE IT OR WHAT DO I NEED TO DO WITH IT SO BASICALLY SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WITHIN THE FOUR HUNDRED FOOT NOTIFICATION AREA. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE RECEIVING THIS LETTER. USE THE MOST READABLE FONT AVAILABLE. MOVING ON TO THE MAP THAT WE INCLUDE WITH THE LETTERS THE COMMITTEE, FOR THE MOST PART WAS FINE WITH KEEPING THE MAP AS IS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ADDING THE ACTUAL NOTIFICATION AREA BUFFER AND SHOWING WHERE THAT 400 FEET MEASURED OUT TO AND ADDING THE ADDRESS FOR THE SUBJECT SITE. AND IF AN ADDRESS HAS NOT BEEN ASSIGNED, THEN PROVIDING SOME SORT OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECT SITE. MOVING ON TO THE ZONING SIGN THAT WE PLACE OUT ON THE SUBJECT SITES THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED AN EASILY MEMORIZED LINK FOR THOSE DRIVING BY. WE'LL LOOK AT EXAMPLES, BY THE WAY, OF THE LETTERS AND SIGNS HERE SHORTLY. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THE SIGN SIZE STAY THE SAME AND THERE'S A COLOR CHANGE. WE'LL LOOK AT YOUR SHORTLY TO NEON GREEN COLOR WITH A BLACK FONT. COMMITTEE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THESE SIGNS STICK OUT AND YOU CAN'T MISS THEM. AND THEY ALSO PREFERRED HAVING TWO SIGNS PER FRONTAGE JUST TO MAKE IT A BIT MORE HARDER TO MISS BASICALLY. AND FOR LARGER SITES, THAT BECOMES MORE OF AN ISSUE. AND SO THE TECHNOLOGY PIECE THE COMMITTEE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOLLOWING A SIMILAR INTERACTIVE ZONING SITE THAT THE CITY OF PLANO HAS, WE WILL ALSO LOOK AT THAT HERE SHORTLY. AND WITH THAT OR WITH SOMEHOW ADDING ON THE INTERACTIVE SITE, ADDING A GLOSSARY OF COMMON ZONING AND GDC TERMS ONLINE AND WHAT SOME OF THOSE TERMS MEAN AND MAKING THE SIGN-UP AVAILABLE FOR [INAUDIBLE] NOTIFICATIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT, PLANNING COMMISSION AND COUNCIL MORE AVAILABLE SO MORE FOLKS HAVE ACCESS TO THAT AND YOU CAN STAY IN THE LOOP. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED KEEPING THE NOTIFICATION DISTANCE THE SAME AT FOUR HUNDRED FEET AND STAYING FIRMLY WITH THAT POLICY. THE COMMITTEE ALSO RECOMMENDED INCLUDING PHYSICAL ADDRESSES, TOO. SO OFTENTIMES A PHYSICAL ADDRESS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER ADDRESS. SO WHAT THIS DOES IS IT WOULD START TO NOTIFY RENTERS AND BUSINESSES, NOT JUST THE PROPERTY OWNERS. STATE LAW AND THE GDC DO SIMPLY REQUIRE NOTIFYING PROPERTY OWNERS. BUT THIS WOULD EXPAND THE NOTIFICATIONS TO RENTERS AND BUSINESSES ALIKE. AND AS FAR AS NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH IN HOA'S, THE COMMITTEE ASKED STAFF TO WORK WITH ONV NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY TO SEND OUT SOME LETTERS DETAILING SIGN UP INSTRUCTIONS SO THEY CAN STAY IN THE LOOP ON ZONING CASES AS WELL. SO WITH THAT, AND I MIGHT THIS SHOWS THE LETTER, BUT IT MIGHT MAKE MORE SENSE TO. I'M SORRY, I HAD IT PULLED UP, I WAS GOING TO WELL. NEVER MIND, I KIND OF LOST IT AND IT MAY TAKE TAKE TOO LONG, I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THIS. BUT THIS ISN'T THE ACTUAL SPACING. THE SPACING IS NOT THAT WIDE, SO THE SPACING LOOKS A LOT BETTER. I'VE GOT TO REALLY CREDIT CHAIRMAN SCOTT ROBERTS FOR REALLY ROLLING UP HIS SLEEVES AND REDOING THE WAY THESE ARE ORGANIZED. HE DID A GREAT JOB. SO LOTS OF CREDIT GOES TO HIM FOR THE WAY THIS IS LAID OUT. THIS IS REALLY JUST TO SHOW THE NAMELY THE ORGANIZATION OF THE LETTERS. SOME OF THE DETAILS IN THIS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. OF COURSE, THERE MAY EVEN BE A TYPO OR TWO IN THERE THAT WE MAY HAVE HAD SO DISREGARD THAT THIS AT LEAST SHOWS HOW IT'D BE ORGANIZED AND SOME OF THE KEY AND PERTINENT INFORMATION, HOW IT POPS OUT AND THAT SORT OF THING FOR THE READER. SO JUST KIND OF START FROM THE TOP, OF COURSE, ADDRESS LOGO AT THE TOP RIGHT THAT'S OUR QR CODE THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED. AND THAT WOULD TAKE THE READER TO THE INTERACTIVE SITE ONLINE THAT WE'LL LOOK AT HERE A LITTLE BIT. VERY LARGE WRITING NOTICE AND PUBLIC HEARING OF THE GARLAND PLANNING COMMISSION. THE COUNCIL LETTER WOULD LOOK VERY SIMILAR AND SAY THE SAME THING OF THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL. HERE'S SOME CODE INFORMATION UNDERNEATH THIS, OF COURSE, WOULD BE REMOVED ONCE WE GO BACK TO THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. DEAR GARLAND, RESIDENT PROPERTY OWNER, BUSINESS OWNER, THAT LANGUAGE IS NEW SINCE WE'D BE DOING OUTREACH TO MORE THAN JUST PROPERTY OWNERS. AND HERE'S THE WHY STATEMENT. YOU'RE RECEIVING THIS LETTER BECAUSE YOUR ADDRESS IS WITHIN 400 FEET OF THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE AND GOING DOWN ON THE CASE INFORMATION. AGAIN, THIS IS THE SUMMARY LANGUAGE RATHER THAN THE TECHNICAL LANGUAGE. [01:20:01] SO IT SAYS APPLICANT YOU KNOW APPLICANT'S NAME IS REQUESTING APPROVAL OF AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAMABLE SIGN ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT FORTY FOUR WEST INTERSTATE THIRTY GARLAND, TEXAS, SEE INCLUDED MAP. APOLOGIZE ABOUT THAT. AND SO RATHER THAN SAYING REQUESTING APPROVAL OF ONE, A PLANNED DEVELOPMENT, NUMBER SUCH AND SUCH, AND [INAUDIBLE] A DETAILED PLAN OF AND ALL THAT, IT LISTS THE MEETING DATE AND MEETING LOCATION. RIGHT NOW, IT JUST KIND OF TENTATIVELY SINCE COVID A VIRTUAL MEETING, BUT THAT WILL OF COURSE CHANGE EVENTUALLY ONCE WE GO BACK TO COUNCIL CHAMBERS, ADDING A STATEMENT HERE, THIS CAME FROM THE COMMITTEE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS GREAT. AGENDAS ARE POSTED AT LEAST 72 HOURS BEFORE THE MEETING. THE INTENT HERE IS TO TRY TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE READER THAT FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION TO REALLY LOOK AT THE DETAILS OF THE SITE PLAN AND ELEVATIONS IN THE STAFF REPORT THAT'LL BE PUBLISHED AT THIS LINK HERE. SO THEY AT THAT TIME, THEY CAN REALLY DIG INTO THE DETAILS OF EACH CASE. AND SO GOING DOWN THIS IS ALL STILL ON THE FIRST PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION, THIS LINK IS INTENDED TO BE THE INTERACTIVE SITE SO THAT LINK IS NOT AND I HAVEN'T TRIED IT YET, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT LINK IS ACTIVE AS FAR AS I KNOW. BUT THAT'S THE INTENT THERE. THAT WOULD BE OUR NEW INTERACTIVE SITE THAT WILL CREATE IT MENTIONS THE QR CODE. THIS IS JUST ORGANIZED A LITTLE BETTER. WE ALREADY HAVE THESE SENTENCES IN OUR CURRENT LETTERS, BUT THESE ARE JUST BROKEN OUT, SORT OF MORE VISIBLE, MAKING SURE THEY HAVE A STAFF CONTACT, BOTH THE PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS. ACTUALLY, THE EMAIL ADDRESS IS NEW I DON'T KNOW WHY WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT ON THERE PREVIOUSLY, BUT BY ADDING THE EMAIL ADDRESS TO THE STAFF MEMBERS, HAVING IT CLEARLY, IF THEY WISH TO SPEAK WITH A STAFF MEMBER IN SPANISH, HERE'S THEIR INFORMATION. SO MOVING ON TO THE COMMENT FORM, AND AGAIN, THE COMMITTEE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED HAVING A COMMENT FORM BE REALLY ITS OWN FORM. SO IT'S NOT GETTING MIXED AND MINGLED WITH THE REST OF THE LETTER, BUT WE REPEAT THE CASE INFORMATION AT THE TOP AND CASE NUMBER, AND THAT'S HELPFUL FOR STAFF AS WELL. SO WE DON'T MIX UP RESPONSES. WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT CASE THIS IS FOR. WE'VE GOT IT IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE AND VERY LARGE WRITING FOR AGAINST THAT'S ALSO WRITTEN IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE. AND THEN THE SAME INFORMATION, NAME, ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE SIGNATURE, ALL THE ITEMS WE CURRENTLY ASKED FOR AND WE PROVIDED MORE LINES. THAT WAS ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE ADDING A LITTLE MORE WRITING SPACE FOR THE RECIPIENT OF THE LETTER. AND THE MAP, AGAIN, THIS IS FOR THE MOST PART, THE SAME MAP, BUT THIS GOES THIS ACTUALLY DRAWS THE NOTIFICATION BUFFER WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, THE FOUR HUNDRED FEET, THAT IS. THE SORT OF TRICK TO KNOW WHO ALL WAS NOTIFIED IF YOU SEE THE ADDRESS ON THE PROPERTY, THAT MEANS THEY GOT A LETTER, BUT NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. SO THIS MAKES IT MUCH MORE CLEAR TO THE CITIZEN READER OF THAT. AND, OF COURSE, THE ADDRESS BEING ADDED AS WELL TO THE SUBJECT PROPERTY. AND MOVING ON TO THE SIGN, THIS IS WHAT OUR CURRENT SIGN LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN AROUND TOWN. THE ZONING CHANGE PROPOSED WE REALLY JUST PUT OUR PHONE NUMBER ON THERE, THAT'S THE PHONE NUMBER, THE GENERAL PHONE NUMBER TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THIS IS WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAS RECOMMENDED, KIND OF A NEON GREEN WITH BLACK LETTERING, ZONING CHANGE PROPOSED FOR MORE INFORMATION GIVES THE WEBLINK TO THE GARLAND CITY OF GARLAND WEBSITE. WE KEEP THE PHONE NUMBER THE SAME, BUT THE COMMITTEE DID RECOMMEND THAT THE QR CODE BE ADDED TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT. NO SIGNS ARE PLACED ALONG A ROADWAY, BUT OCCASIONALLY WE'LL HAVE SOME. SOME FOLKS MAY CHOOSE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND SNAP A PICTURE, BUT IN SOME CASES, LIKE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, FOR INSTANCE, WE MAY HAVE A ZONING CASE THAT A PARTICULAR TENANT SPACE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHERE FOLKS ARE WALKING BY. AND NOW I'LL TAKE YOU TO PLANO'S INTERACTIVE SITE, YOU CLICK ON THAT LINK, I JUST HAD IT PULLED UP HERE JUST IN CASE I HAD ANY TROUBLE. BUT THIS IS PLANO'S INTERACTIVE ZONING SITE. THEY'VE GOT ZONING CASES LISTED HERE. THIS IS WHERE WE CAN POST SOME OF THAT INFORMATION, LIKE THE GLOSSARY OF TERMS COMMON TERMS OF THE GDC AND WHATNOT. WHEN YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK HERE THIS IS REALLY WHAT THE COMMITTEE ENJOYED QUITE A BIT WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE. IT'S TAKING A WHILE TO LOAD. [01:25:03] I'VE GOT IT LOADED UP HERE JUST FOR THAT REASON. SO THEY HAVE ALL THE ZONING CASES LISTED TO THE RIGHT. OF COURSE, HERE IS A MAP, AN INTERACTIVE MAP, KIND OF OUTLINING SOME OF THE ZONING CASES IN THEIR CITY LIMITS. SO IF WE CLICK ON ONE ZOOMS IN AERIAL. HIGHLIGHTS THE SUBJECT PROPERTY ON THE RIGHT, IT GOES THROUGH THE LIST, THE HEARING DATE OF THE ZONING CASE, NAME OF THE PLANNER THAT THEY CAN CALL FOR QUESTIONS. AND THIS IS A BIG FEATURE HERE THAT ACTUALLY ALLOWS AN ONLINE RESPONSE FORM IN ADDITION TO BEING ABLE TO MAIL THE LETTERS BACK TO US OR EMAIL THEM OR FAX IT TO US. ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW US THE SITE RIGHT NOW? BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING THE DO YOU NOT. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW? I'M SEEING THE POWERPOINT WITH THE LINK ON IT. OH, NO, I'M SORRY. I APOLOGIZE ABOUT THAT. PERHAPS I NEED TO STOP SHARE AND. YEAH, LET ME TRY THAT, I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. OK. I WENT TO THE LINK TODAY AND I WAS TEMPTED TO ADD SOME COMMENTARY TO OUR FRIENDS IN PLANO ABOUT SOME OF THEIR [INAUDIBLE] ZONING CASES, BUT I DIDN'T. LET'S TRY THIS, SO CAN YOU ALL SEE THAT? YES, OK, GREAT, GREAT. YEAH, WELL, THIS IS KIND OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU FIRST CLICK ON IT. YOU CAN SEE THAT AS WELL. YES. OK, GREAT. THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU CLICK INTO THE WELL, THIS IS THE FIRST THAT LINK FROM THE PAGE AND THIS IS WHERE WE'D BE ABLE TO POST SOME OF THE INFORMATION, LIKE THE GLOSSARY TERMS THAT LIST THE ACTIVE ZONING CASES. WHEN YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK HERE, PULLS UP THIS PAGE. SO IT SHOWS THE CITY LIMITS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE ZONING CASES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED, ACTIVE ZONING CASES. AND SO IF WE CLICK ON ONE HERE. THIS IS WHERE IT ZOOMS IN, IT SHOWS THE SUBJECT PROPERTY OUTLINED HERE. IT'S AN AERIAL SITE, AND ON THE RIGHT IT GIVES A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CASE AND THE HEARING DATE, THE PLANNER THAT THEY CAN CONTACT. AND THIS WAS A BIG RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT THEY REALLY LIKE. THIS IS ANOTHER RESPONSE OPTION. YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO AHEAD AND RESPOND TO THE CASE HERE AND STATE YOUR OPINION. SO IF YOU CLICK ON THIS FEATURE HERE, YOU CAN CHOOSE THEY'VE ACTUALLY GOT NEUTRAL AS AN OPTION. THAT WAS INTERESTING. BUT YOU CAN CHOOSE OPPOSE OR IN FAVOR, SO LET'S SAY OPPOSED AND YOU CAN WRITE SOME COMMENTS HERE, NAME STREET NUMBER STREET NAME, ALL THAT GOOD STUFF, AND THEN CLICK SUBMIT. AND SO YOU'VE GOT ONE RIGHT THERE. THEY DIDN'T OFFER ANY COMMENTS, BUT THIS PERSON HERE COMMENTED THAT THEY'RE IN FAVOR OF THEIR REQUEST. SO IT OFFERS YET ANOTHER OPTION TO RESPOND AND KIND OF MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR CITIZENS. AGAIN, THE QR CODE WOULD REALLY TAKE YOU TO THIS SITE. AND SO, AGAIN, THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION WAS ESSENTIALLY REPLICATE THIS SITE AND THIS FEATURE. IT IS DOABLE. WE'VE HAD GREAT CONVERSATIONS WITH THE GIS DEPARTMENT AND MY STAFF AND I, AND IT'S ALL TECHNOLOGY WE HAVE AVAILABLE WITH THE SOFTWARE WE HAVE AVAILABLE. AND WE'VE ALREADY EVEN MADE SOME HEADWAY ON A TEST SITE AND LOOKS VERY SIMILAR, INCLUDING THE CONTENT FEATURE. SO WE'RE ON OUR WAY. THE ONLY HANG UP THAT WE FOUND IS AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE IT HERE, MAYBE I'LL HAVE TO CLICK ON A DIFFERENT CASE. BUT PLANO, WELL, IN ANY CASE, PLANO HAS A SOMEWHERE ON THIS FEATURE, IF YOU CLICK IN FAVOR IT AND YOU LIST YOUR ADDRESS, IT PUTS A GREEN DOT, OR IF YOU ARE OPPOSED IT PUTS A RED DOT OVER YOUR ADDRESS. IT LISTS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. WILL ABOUT THE FOURTH CASE DOWN FOURTH OR FIFTH CASE DOWN HAD A LOT OF COMMENTS TO IT. ONE PARTICULAR CASE THAT HAD SEVEN, EIGHT COMMENTS. AND YOU COULD SEE WHEN YOU BACK OUT, YOU CAN SEE WHERE ALL THE RED, GREEN, BLUE DOTS WHERE IT WAS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN INTERESTING FEATURE. SURE. [INAUDIBLE] ONE IT WAS. BUT I KNOW THERE WAS ONE CASE THEY HAD COMING UP WHERE THEY ALREADY HAD LOTS OF COMMENTS. YES. YEAH THERE YOU GO RIGHT THERE. SO, YEAH. LISTS A RED DOT OVER YOUR ADDRESS IF YOU ARE OPPOSED. A GREEN DOT, IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR, I'M NOT SURE WHAT COLOR IT IS IF YOU'RE NEUTRAL, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY HANG-UP. APPARENTLY THAT FEATURE IS NOT DONE THROUGH THIS APPLICATION. [01:30:01] IT'S SOME SORT OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE THAT THE CITY OF PLANO HAS THAT WORKS SORT OF INDEPENDENTLY BUT COMMUNICATES WITH THIS. SO THAT'S A SOFTWARE WE DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE, AT LEAST NOT YET. BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT, THIS IT STILL WOULD BE AVAILABLE. PEOPLE WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO GET THEIR COMMENTS AND THAT'S STILL RECORDED. AND STAFF, WE WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO COLLECT THOSE AND REPORT THOSE TO THE COUNCIL DURING THE HEARING. AND WE I GUESS WE ALREADY KIND OF DO MAP THAT WE DO IT MANUALLY. AND YOU SEE THE X'S AND O'S ON THE MAPS THAT WE PROVIDE YOU ALL ON YOUR AGENDA PACKETS. BUT REALLY, OTHER THAN THAT, THIS IS ALL VERY DOABLE. IT'S THE TECHNOLOGY PIECE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY MONETARY COST. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF STAFF TIME SETTING IT UP AND TESTING IT AND GOING LIVE WITH IT. AND I THINK MAYOR PRO TEM CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK THE INTENT HERE WOULD BE TO HAVE EVERYTHING SINCE IT'S ALL CONNECTED. QR CODES AND LETTERS, THE MAPS, THE TECHNOLOGY PIECE ON THAT ROLL ALL THIS OUT IN ONE PIECE AND GO LIVE WITH IT TOGETHER. SO REALLY, WITH THAT, THIS IS ALL DOABLE. AND IN SOME OF THIS IS SOME ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND FEATURES WE PROVIDE. AND IT'S JUST REALLY A MATTER OF TIME LETTING US SET THIS UP. BUT I THINK GENERALLY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE GET THROUGH THE NEW YEAR WITH THE HOLIDAYS AROUND THE CORNER. SOME STAFF ARE OUT HERE AND THERE, BUT WE THINK WE CAN DO THIS IN A PRETTY TIMELY MANNER. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO. HAPPY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS THE COUNCIL HAS. I'LL KIND OF GO BACK TO THE PRESENTATION OR I CAN STOP SHARE MAYOR. JUST GO AHEAD A STOP SHARE FOR THE MOMENT. THAT WAY I CAN SEE EVERYBODY'S FACES. JUST TO ADDRESS. SO AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR, I MEAN, DO WE NEED TO PUT A DATE ON A CALENDAR OF WE GO LIVE JANUARY 15TH. IS THERE. JUST THE ANTICIPATION OF. RIGHT, SO LOOKING AT THE CALENDAR, IT LOOKS LIKE ON JANUARY 13TH, WHICH IS A WEDNESDAY, WE TYPICALLY SEND OUR LETTERS OUT ON A WEDNESDAY FOR PLANNING COMMISSION AND COUNCIL, LOOKS LIKE THE 13TH WILL BE A NOTIFICATION LETTER DAY. SO I'M KIND OF TENTATIVELY MARKING THAT, TALKING WITH THE GIS DEPARTMENT THAT'S HANDLING THIS AND THEY'RE COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE CITY OF PLANO FOLKS THAT MANAGE THEIR SITE. IT SEEMS THAT THAT'S DOABLE. I KIND OF TOSSED OUT THE OTHER DAY IN OUR INTERNAL STAFF MEETING WITH MY STAFF, AND GIS IS A 30 TO 60 DAY TIME FRAME. IS THAT REALISTIC FOR EVERYONE? AND I GOT HEAD NODS. BUT I ALSO WANTED TO CONSIDER THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING UP. AND LIKE I SAID, PEOPLE ARE OUT AND THINGS MOVE VERY QUICKLY. SO I WANT TO KIND OF BE REALISTIC WITH THE TWO AND MAYBE GET THROUGH THE NEW YEAR. BUT IF JANUARY WORKS FOR THE COUNCIL, WE CAN SHOOT FOR THAT. OKAY. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS LINED UP FOR YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, WILL. AND TO THE COMMITTEE FOR THE WORK ON THIS. APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. THE DIGITAL PIECES ON IT SO FAR LOOK GREAT. I FOUND THE PLANO SITE A LITTLE BIT HARD TO NAVIGATE, SO I HOPE WE WOULD MAKE IT CLEAR. IS THE PLAN FOR THE SIGNS TO GO DIRECT CAUSE RIGHT NOW, AND I KNOW THAT'S PROBABLY JUST A PROTOTYPE, BUT RIGHT NOW THE SIGNS JUST SEND PEOPLE TO GARLAND'S MAIN PAGE. IS THE PLAN TO HAVE A SEPARATE WEB ADDRESS OR SOMETHING GARLANDPLANNING.ORG OR SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY CAN GO DIRECT TO THE PAGE. RIGHT. YES, SIR. THAT'S A GREAT POINT. YEAH. THE QR CODE AND THE LINK I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT SCOTT ROBERTS JUST KIND OF PUT IN THERE. THE IDEA IS IT WOULD TAKE YOU DIRECTLY THAT INTERACTIVE SITE. ON THE SIGN. YOU'RE RIGHT. WE JUST HAD GARLANDTX.GOV JUST AS A PROTOTYPE OF SOMETHING THE SIGN SHOP KIND OF PUT TOGETHER AND SENT BACK TO US. BUT I THINK OUR GOAL WOULD BE TO HAVE A LINK THAT'S SIMPLE, SOMETHING LIKE LIKE YOU SAID, GARLAND PLANNING OR IF IT'S GARLANDTX.GOV SLASH ZONING, JUST SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE WITH THAT QR CODE. IT'S THE SAME AS THE QR CODE, IN OTHER WORDS. SO YES SIR THAT WOULD BE THE GOAL. OK, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE. JUST SOMETHING SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER SOME LONG THING. AND I KNOW SOME OF THE STUFF WE HAD IN THERE HAD LIKE A SLASH, 801 SLASH, WHATEVER. AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT AS SIMPLE FOR PEOPLE TO GET THERE AS THEY CAN. ON THE NOTICES, YOU SAID THAT THE BACK AND I GUESS WE DIDN'T SEE THE BACK, BUT SO THE BACK [01:35:01] WILL BE IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE. AND WILL THAT FULLY REPLICATE WHAT'S ON THE FRONT OF THE NOTICE? SO THE TEMPLATE WAS REALLY JUST WHAT YOU LOOKED AT, THE PAGES THAT WE LOOKED AT, WHERE THE SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE IS REALLY FOCUSED TOWARDS THE COMMENT FORM, SO IT WOULDN'T REPLICATE, AT LEAST FROM THE COMMITTEE, MY UNDERSTANDING WASN'T TO REPLICATE THE FIRST PAGE IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE. IT WOULD JUST BE KIND OF FUNNELED TOWARDS THE COMMENT FORM FOR THE READER. IS THE WEBSITE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE? I DON'T RECALL REAL SPECIFIC DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THAT. I THINK WE'RE OPEN FOR DISCUSSION ON THAT. IF WE NEED TO HAVE SOME SPANISH OR VIETNAMESE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE. I KNOW THAT SOME WEBSITES HAVE YOU CLICK A BUTTON UP IN THE CORNER AND IT MAGICALLY CHANGES IT ALL TO SPANISH OR VIETNAMESE. MY CONCERN IS THAT WE HAVE THE WORDS ABOUT COMMENTING, BUT THEY'VE GOT TO KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO COMMENT ABOUT. AND SO IF WE CAN EASILY PUT THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT AND TO NOTE THAT AS WELL, THAT IF WE CAN'T FOR SOME REASON, IF THE NOTICES ARE JUST TOO LONG TO PRINT, YOU KNOW, TAKE THE FRONT OF THE NOTICE AND PRINT THE BACK IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE, THEN AT LEAST HAVE SOMETHING, PREFERABLY ON THE FRONT, THAT SAYS THAT IF ENGLISH IS NOT YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE, YOU CAN GO HERE. HERE'S A LINK FOR YOU TO GO TO. I WOULD BE CONCERNED. I WOULD WANT TO DO THAT ON THE COMMENT FORM. I THINK THE COMMENT FORM IS GREAT, BUT. IF WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW ONLINE COMMENTS, WHICH I THINK WE SHOULD, THEN I THINK THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY REFERENCE THAT. IF YOU HAVE ON THE COMMENT FORM, YOU CAN COMMENT BY WRITING AND MAIL THIS BACK IN OR YOU CAN GO TO SOME YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE AND HERE'S A LINK DIRECT TO THE FORM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT ANYTHING THAT REDUCES FRICTION TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH US ON THESE THINGS I AM ALL IN FAVOR OF. THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS ABOUT THE MINIMUM DISTANCE, AND IF I CAN GET SOME BACKGROUND ON WHY YOU ALL DECIDED TO KEEP IT AT FOUR HUNDRED FEET FOR EVERYTHING, BECAUSE I'VE GOT SOME REAL CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. AND LET ME AND MAYBE MAYOR PRO TEM CAN ADDRESS THEM. BUT BASICALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS IF WE LOOK AT WHAT THE GENESIS OF THIS WAS, I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS FULLY SOLVES THAT PROBLEM. IT SOLVES SEVERAL OF THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. AND I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. BUT THE PROBLEM SPECIFICALLY HERE IS THAT WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT HAVE A BROADER IMPACT AND THAT [INAUDIBLE] PARTICULARLY OUR INDUSTRIAL ZONING CASES, CASES THAT INVOLVE US APPROVING HIGH RISK USES, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT I'M CONCERNED THAT FOUR HUNDRED FEET IS NOT REALLY ENOUGH. AND SO I'D LIKE TO GET A LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE WE CAME DOWN ON KEEPING THE 400. AND SO I'LL THROW THAT OVER TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM OR WHOEVER WANTS IT ANSWER THAT FROM THE COMMITTEE. THE OTHER THING I HAVE IS I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PLAIN ENGLISH. I THINK WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE PLAIN ENGLISH IS PROBABLY NOT WHAT A LOT OF OUR RESIDENTS CONSIDER IT TO BE PLAIN ENGLISH. I KNOW WE HAD ONE EXAMPLE THERE WITH MR. SWISHERS ELECTRONIC SIGN. THAT ONE'S A LOT MORE CLEAR THAN SOME OF THESE OTHER ONES. AND SO MY QUESTION IS, WHAT WOULD THE PLAIN ENGLISH HAVE BEEN FOR THE YOU KNOW, FOR THE ZONING CHANGE AT THE HYPERMART SITE AND FOR THE APPROVAL OF CONCRETE BATCH PLANT SO THAT PEOPLE WILL HAVE AT LEAST SOME MORE FULL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS. AND I WENT BACK, FOR EXAMPLE. I LOOKED AT WHAT STAFF PROVIDED TO US ON THE REQUEST FOR THE SIGN DOWN AT THE PAWNSHOP. AND TO US, IT HAD MORE DETAIL EVEN IN THE ONE THAT ONE SENTENCE THAT STAFF PUTS TOGETHER THAT SAYS YOU KNOW RATHER THAN JUST A REQUEST FOR A PROGRAMABLE ELECTRONICS SIGN, IT SAID, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE EXACT WORDING WAS ABOUT A SENTENCE AND IT SAID THAT THE APP CAN LOOK TO REPLACE A CURRENT SIGN, CURRENT NONCONFORMING SIGN PYLON SIGN WITH, YOU KNOW, [01:40:05] A PROGRAMMABLE ELECTRONIC SIGN. SO HAVING SOME KIND OF ASSURANCE OF CLARITY FOR FOLKS IS A REAL CONCERN OF MINE, BECAUSE SOME OF THIS STUFF THAT ONE IS A LITTLE EASIER BUT SOME OF THE STUFF COMES OUT PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY IN LEGALIZE. ANYWAY. SO I DON'T KNOW IF MAYOR IF YOU WANT TO LET MR. SMITH OR MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH. SORRY GO AHEAD. ALL RIGHT, LET ME HIT YOUR QUESTIONS FIRST AND THEN I'VE GOT ONE OF MY OWN. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE 400 FOOT DISTANCE AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE REVISITED A FEW TIMES. WE LOOKED AT EACH EXTREME TO TEST THE 400 FOOT RULE AND WE LOOKED AT WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A GAS STATION? WELL, FOUR HUNDRED FOOT'S FINE. TWO HUNDRED FOOT MIGHT BE FINE. WHAT'S THE IMPACT OF A FOOTBALL STADIUM? WELL 400 FOOT IS NOWHERE NEAR FINE. BUT WE KNOW THAT THE LARGER THAT A PROJECT GETS, WE KNOW THE MORE ATTENTION IS GOING TO BE PAID TO IT. AND WE KNOW THE LESS IMPORTANT PERHAPS THAT THE LETTER IS. AND SO WE KNOW AS PROJECT SCALE UP, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THAT CONCERN. WHEN WE COME TO THE HIGH RISK USES, WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE, OK, WELL, WHAT IS THE REAL IMPACT? SO IF I'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A HAND SANITIZER OPERATION, WELL, I KNOW THAT IF EVERYTHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A CERTAIN DISTANCE THAT IS AFFECTED. IF EVERYTHING GOES RIGHT, THERE'S A DIFFERENT DISTANCE THAT IS AFFECTED. IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT EXISTS UPSTREAM ON A WATERWAY THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER DISTANCE THAT IS AFFECTED. AND SO I PITCHED THE IDEA OF, WELL, DO WE GIVE STAFF SOME WIGGLE ROOM ON, YOU KNOW, HERE'S OUR MINIMUM NOTIFICATION AREA AND THEN WE COULD ALLOW THEM TO GO UP TO A MAXIMUM AREA. AND THEN THE QUESTION CAME UP WITH, WELL, IF WE CHOSE NOT TO DO IT IN ONE PARTICULAR WAY, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET SECOND GUESSED ALL THE WAY, THAT WE HAVE NOT ALWAYS GONE TO THIS MAXIMUM AMOUNT. AND IT JUST GOT INTO THE WEEDS SO QUICKLY THAT THE ONLY REAL ANSWER WAS PICK A DISTANCE NOTIFY AT THAT DISTANCE. AND WE FELT THAT AS A WHOLE, WE FELT THAT THAT 400 FEET WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO MEET THE GOALS OF WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. I WILL SAY THAT THAT WAS NOT A COMPLETELY UNANIMOUS POSITION, BUT THAT IS WHERE THE COMMITTEE ENDED UP. WE WERE HOPING AT LEAST I WAS HOPING THAT BY BRINGING THIS BACK TO COUNCIL AND ALSO RUNNING IT THROUGH OUR PLANNING COMMISSION THAT WE WOULD GET SOME MORE HEADS THINKING ABOUT THAT ONE AND MAYBE GET SOME GOOD SOME OTHER IDEAS. BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE CAME DOWN ON THAT. AND, MAYOR, IF I COULD. LET ME STOP FOR A SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN HAD ANOTHER QUESTION. I'VE COMPLETELY SPACED ON WHAT IT WAS. YOU MIND IF WE GO AHEAD AND JUST. YES, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH. ON THAT FIRST PIECE OF IT, I WOULD RATHER SEE YOU KNOW I THINK YOU CAN THERE'S A RELATIVELY RATHER THAN JUST SAY, WELL, IT'S UP TO STAFF DISCRETION, YOU CAN BASICALLY PUT IT RIGHT INTO THE PLANNING MATRIX. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE NOTIFICATION AREA FOR [INAUDIBLE] FOR EACH OF THESE OR YOU CAN EVEN BREAK IT DOWN AND JUST SAY FOR INDUSTRIAL FOR EVERY COMMERCIAL. OR YOU CAN BREAK IT OUT AND SAY HIGH RISK, HIGH RISK USE IS GOING TO GET, YOU KNOW, FIVE THOUSAND FEET OR WHATEVER, INDUSTRIAL IS GOING TO GET TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED FEET, EVERY COMMERCIAL IS GOING TO GET A THOUSAND SOMETHING, I THINK YOU COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND THEN, BAM, IT JUST APPLIES ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT IT ENSURES THAT THERE'S A GREATER NOTIFICATION AREA. SO THAT PEOPLE BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE INSTANCE OF WHAT PROMPTED THIS, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO THE FOLKS WHO CAME FORWARD WITH IT WHO FELT THAT EVEN THOUGH, YES, IT WAS A BIGGER PROJECT THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE, THEY DIDN'T FEEL THAT THEY HAD NOTICED ANY TRANSPARENCY ON THE HIGH ON THE FORMER HYPERMART SITE, SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT DRIVES ME ON THAT. YOU KNOW. WOULD SOMETHING THERE HAVE SOLVED THAT IF WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S AN SUP. [01:45:02] FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMETHING IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR US TO SAY, IT MUST HAVE AN SUP USE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT SUSPECT THEN WHY WOULDN'T WE EXPAND THE NOTIFICATION AREA? THAT'S MY THOUGHT WITH RESPECT TO THAT. AND SO I WOULD SUPPORT DOING SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. MY OTHER QUESTION WAS REGARDING THE PLAIN ENGLISH APPROACH AND WHETHER WE COULD JUST TAKE THE WHATEVER THE STAFF SUMMARY IS OR WHATEVER A ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY IS, AS OPPOSED TO A MORE LEGALISTIC TYPE TERM. WHATEVER THE ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY IS THAT I MEAN, EVEN WHAT THE THE APPLICANT YOU KNOW WRITE IT WITH APPROVAL BY STAFF TO MAKE SURE IT ACCURATELY DESCRIBES THE PROJECT SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T FEEL THAT THEY'RE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY IT. BUT GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THINGS A LITTLE MORE PLAIN ENGLISH, I THINK MIGHT BE HELPFUL. UNDERSTOOD, AND, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T REALLY DIG INTO THE WORDING ON THE PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY TOO DEEP. WE FELT THAT WE DEFER TO STAFF ON THAT, BUT YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CRAM SO MUCH INFORMATION IN ON THAT FRONT PAGE AND WE REALLY WANTED TO CAST AS WIDE NET AS WE POSSIBLY COULD. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAD DISCUSSED WAS, YOU KNOW, IF WE PUT THE THE DETAILS OF THE CASE FURTHER BACK, SO IF YOU REALLY WERE INTERESTED, YOU COULD KEEP READING. SO WE PUT THAT ON THE BACK PAGE. DO WE PUT THAT AS A DEEPER DESCRIPTION ON THE WEBSITE LINK. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO REALLY DO A LOT OF DIGITAL GOVERNMENT. SO WE KNOW THE FUTURE IS YOU'RE GOING TO BE MESSING WITH THE CELL PHONE AND DO MOST OF THE THINGS ON YOUR CELL PHONE. AND SO DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO TO LET YOU DIVE AS DEEP AS YOU WANT ON THE WEBSITE AS OPPOSED TO IN THE LETTER? WE TRIED TO STRIKE A BALANCE ON THAT. AND SO MAN I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU, IT'S DO WE ERR ON THE SIDE OF BEING TOO GENERIC SO WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON OR DO WE ERR ON THE SIDE OF BEING TOO SPECIFIC AND GIVE THEM BETTER DATA BUT POTENTIALLY TURN PEOPLE OFF WITH THE LETTER? AND IT'S SUCH AN ART FORM. WE OPTED FOR GENERIC. AND I DO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM IN THAT REGARD. AND I GUESS I'M TRYING TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT I RECEIVED THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, THE NOTICE I GOT SAID THIS, IF IT HAD SAID THIS PLUS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAID WHETHER I LOOKED AT IT REAL QUICK AND I SAW, YOU KNOW, ZONING CHANGE FOR HEADQUARTERS, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT CONCRETE BATCH PLANT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF FEEL THAT PEOPLE NEED THE HOOK TO KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY READ ONE SENTENCE AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS ONLY TO FIND OUT LATER THAT THEY DID CARE ABOUT IT VERY MUCH. [INAUDIBLE] DO WE TAKE THE APPROACH OF PLAIN ENGLISH, INSOMUCH AS IT COVERS THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF THE CASE. YOU KNOW, IS THAT THE TERMINOLOGY WE COULD USE FROM THIS POLICY TO INSTRUCT STAFF? YEAH, AND A LOT OF THAT, I THINK DOES COME DOWN TO A STAFF DISCRETION THING. IT'S LIKE THIS BECAUSE SOMETIMES I THINK THE REQUIRED LEGAL STATEMENTS HAVE THE EFFECT OF BURYING THE LEAD, SO TO SPEAK, AND SO IT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE CASE NUMBER, I MEAN, MAYBE YOU END UP REDUCING THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE IN THERE. SO THAT YOU HAVE THE CASE NUMBER. DO YOU NEED THE APPLICANT NAME? I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. OR DO YOU JUST SAY AN APPLICANT'S REQUESTING TO BUILD, YOU KNOW, ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY APARTMENT UNITS OR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I JUST THINK OF IT KNOW, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WEREN'T INVOLVED IN THE KIND OF THINGS THAT YOU ARE WHEN YOU'RE ON COUNCIL OR PLANNING COMMISSION AND YOU GET SOMETHING THAT SAYS. REQUESTING APPROVAL OF A ZONING CHANGE FROM SF SEVEN TO PD [INAUDIBLE] ARE PEOPLE REALLY GOING TO I MEAN AT THAT POINT IT'S JUST A BUNCH OF NUMBERS? MAYBE THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE JUST GIVE STAFF THAT IT'S LIKE SORRY IF IT DOESN'T HAVE THE TECHNICAL DETAIL OR IT HAS THE TECHNICAL DETAIL SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT IT NEEDS TO HAVE A PLAIN ENGLISH STATEMENT OF THE LOOKING TO GET THE PROPERTY REZONED TO BUILD MULTIFAMILY OR WHATEVER IT IS OR TO REZONE IT TO ALLOW MORE HOUSES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. [01:50:08] MAYOR MY LAST TWO ITEMS, JUST REAL QUICK, LOCALIZATION, AS FAR AS LANGUAGE, I THINK WE COULD VERY EASILY WORK IN THE SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE THAT WE'RE USING ON THE COMMENTS FORM AND MAKE SURE THAT EXISTS ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL, SINCE WE'RE ALREADY DOING THAT TRANSLATION. AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME BROWSER TRANSLATORS. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW GOOD THEY'RE GOING TO BE ON ZONING LANGUAGE, BUT IT'D BE INTERESTING TO FIND OUT. [LAUGHTER] I AGREE, WE WE PUSHED PRETTY HARD TO GET A DIRECT, SIMPLE LINK LIKE PLANNING.GARLANDTX.GOV OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD TAKE US STRAIGHT TO THE PAGE. AND AS WILL SAID. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THESE ARE JUST SAMPLES THAT THE SIGN SHOP PUT TOGETHER FOR NOW. BUT WE DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE SOMETHING EASY, SOMETHING MEMORABLE AND SOMETHING THAT'S REUSABLE FROM CASE TO CASE. THAT WAY, AS PEOPLE LEARN WHAT THOSE YELLOW SIGNS MEAN THAT THEY MAY ALREADY KNOW, OH, OK. I CAN GO TO THIS SITE TO GET THE INFORMATION. I THINK THAT'S ABOUT IT. THE ONLY OTHER THING AS FAR AS THE IMPLEMENTATION TIME, WE DID WANT TO GIVE THE FULL PLANNING COMMISSION TIME TO LOOK AT THIS BECAUSE IT WAS A COUNCIL AD HOC COMMITTEE. WE BROUGHT IT BACK TO WORK SESSION FIRST. SO I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE THE PLANNING COMMISSION GET TO TAKE A CRACK AT THIS AND JUST HAVE US HARNESS THEIR COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE AND SEE IF THEY'VE GOT SOME IDEAS TO BRING BACK TO OUR WORK SESSION. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. VERY GOOD AND GREAT QUESTIONS COUNCILMAN AUBIN. AS WE WHITTLE THIS DOWN. COUNCILMAN HEDRICK. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AND I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS ALSO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH ZONING DISTANCE NOTIFICATION. REASONS WHY WE CONSIDERED KEEPING THAT 400 DISTANCE REALLY IS BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY TWICE THE STATE MANDATE. IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER CITIES, WE'RE MORE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST AS FAR AS OUR PEERS. PLANO ONLY REQUIRES A TWO HUNDRED FOOT RICHARDSON AS WELL, I BELIEVE. SO WE'RE ALREADY DOUBLING THAT DISTANCE AND WITH THE OTHER MEASURES THAT WE'RE DOING TO INCREASE THE VISIBILITY WITH THAT NEON SIGN AND ALSO MORE ACCESS THROUGH THE ONLINE PORTAL, WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE FEEDBACK MORE EASILY. AND ANOTHER MINOR CONSIDERATION IS THAT THE FURTHER DISTANCE WE GO OUT THERE IS A COST ASSOCIATED WITH SENDING OUT THOSE NOTICES. AND THAT ALL COMES FROM WILL'S PLANNING DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. SO IF WE KEEP ON EXPANDING, EXPANDING OUT, ESPECIALLY IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS, THERE IS A COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. AND THAT IS NOT PICKED UP BY THE APPLICANT. IT'S PICKED UP BY OUR DEPARTMENT. SO THAT WAS A MINOR CONSIDERATION. BUT WE FEEL THAT WE'RE ALREADY TWICE THE STATE MANDATORY DISTANCE THAT WE FELT KEEPING THAT FOUR HUNDRED FOOT WAS SUFFICIENT. AND RATHER THAN GETTING INTO VARIOUS CASES WHERE MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH ADDRESSED THAT, IF YOU START HERE, WHERE DOES IT END. AND KEEPS ON GOING WITH ALL THESE SPECIFIC CASES. SO WE FELT THAT THE STANDARD 400 DOUBLING THE DISTANCE WAS A GOOD THING TO KEEP. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU SIR. OK, WE HAVE CLEARED THE QUEUE. SO WILL TO YOU. WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET THIS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION? WELL, IF THE IDEA IS TO ESSENTIALLY PRESENT SOMETHING SIMILAR AS WE PRESENTED TONIGHT, IF WE'RE NOT EXPECTING TO HAVE THE GARLAND INTERACTIVE SITE LIVE JUST YET, I THINK WE CAN WORK AT THAT IN THE TIME FRAME. AND THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM FOR CONFIRMING THAT THE JANUARY TIME FRAME I GAVE DIDN'T QUITE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE PLANNING COMMISSION. BUT AGAIN, IF WE'RE REALLY ESSENTIALLY PRESENTING SIMILAR INFORMATION, THEN I KNOW THEY MEET ON THE TWENTY THIRD, BUT THEY ALSO MEET ONE TIME IN DECEMBER. [INAUDIBLE] EXCUSE ME, NOVEMBER TWENTY THIRD IS LOOKING NOT TOO BUSY. SO WE COULD MAYBE BE ABLE TO SHOOT FOR THAT. [LAUGHTER] SHOOT FOR NOT TOO BUSY. SORT OF BUSY AND SEMI BUSY. OK, VERY GOOD. THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION TO RUN IT BY THE COMMISSIONERS AS WELL. MANY OF THEM HAD BEEN DOING THIS FOR AWHILE, SO THEY CERTAINLY HAVE SOME BACKGROUND. I MEAN, AS FAR AS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE THIS IS GOING TO BRING US TO I SHOULD SAY, AS FAR AS THE, YOU KNOW, CLEANING UP THE NOTIFICATIONS AND THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF NOTIFICATION, IF YOU WILL. [01:55:02] YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IS A HUGE JUMP FOR US. YOU KNOW, THE TECHNOLOGY'S PROBABLY BEEN THERE AND WE JUST NEEDED TO TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK. SO THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN. AND I THINK THAT THIS WILL JUMP US WELL AHEAD OF WHERE WE ARE NOW WITH THE NOTIFICATIONS AND HOW WE TRACKED THEM. AND SO I HAVE ONE QUESTION. OK, SO IN PLANO, WHEN SOMEONE MAKES AN ONLINE COMMENT, IS THERE A WAY THAT THEIR STAFF EXTRACTS THOSE COMMENTS TO PUT INTO THE COUNCIL OR COMMISSION REPORTS? YOU KNOW, NOW WE BASICALLY GET A PHOTOCOPY OF THE RESPONSE LETTERS. IS THERE A WAY TO EXTRACT OUT THOSE ONLINE COMMENTS AND PUT THOSE IN THE REPORT THAT WOULD GO OUT? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. MAYOR I'LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT. I KNOW PLANO HAS HAS IT TO WHERE THAT SOMEHOW COMMUNICATES WITH SOME SORT OF SOFTWARE THEY'VE GOT. BUT AS FAR AS EXTRACTING THE WAY THEY READ AND APPEAR TO THE PACKETS, I'M NOT SURE I'LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT. I KIND OF JUST ASSUMED NO. AND THAT WE WOULD JUST NEED TO EITHER MAYBE PRINT OR DO A SCREENSHOT OF THOSE OR PERHAPS TO PROVIDE A LINK WHERE COUNCIL. THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT. BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, HAVE A YEAH, I MEAN, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET AND I'M SURE PLANO THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GET A COMBINATION OF YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME MAILED IN RESPONSE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME ELECTRONIC RESPONSE. BUT WHEN WE OR THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS REVIEWING THE INFORMATION ON A CASE, WE NEED TO SEE THE YESES THE NO'S AND WHAT THEIR COMMENTS ARE. WHY THEY AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THIS PROJECT. SO, YEAH, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME WAY FOR US TO TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THOSE ONLINE COMMENTS AND PUT THOSE INTO OUR INFORMATION. OK. LET'S SEE I HAD A COUPLE OF NOTES HERE. THE DISTANCE NOTIFICATION, I MEAN, I CAN TELL YOU OVERALL, I'M HAPPY WITH THE FOUR HUNDRED FEET. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IT'S TWICE THE REQUIREMENT, BUT YOU KNOW THAT AND I THINK THE FOUR HUNDRED FEET IS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF CASES. BUT THERE'S ARE AND WE'VE SEEN A STRING OF THEM OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. THERE ARE SOME ANOMALIES THAT COME THROUGH THE HIGH RISK USAGE. OR THE HIGH IMPACT TYPE CHANGES, YOU KNOW,THAT WOULD BE THE OLD HYPERMART SITE. THOSE ARE CHANGES THAT THEY DO HAVE SORT OF A LARGER PICTURE IMPACT WHERE BUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE LAST BIT OF OUR AGENDAS FOR ZONING CASES. YOU KNOW, CONVENIENCE STORE WITH GAS PUMPS, YOU KNOW, I THINK FOUR HUNDRED FEET MOST OF THE TIME IS WELL WITHIN REASON. BUT THERE COULD BE THESE CASES, YOU KNOW, THE HIGH RISK USAGE OR THE HIGH IMPACT USAGE WHERE WE PROBABLY NEED TO HAVE THE OPTION TO EXPAND THAT FOUR HUNDRED TO FIVE HUNDRED, FOUR HUNDRED TO SIX HUNDRED, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, GIVEN I THINK WE NEED THAT OPTION BUT AND AT THE SAME TIME, I'M NOT NECESSARILY OPPOSED TO HAVING THAT INCLUDED IN THE MATRIX OF, YOU KNOW, THIS CASE, THESE TYPE USES FALL INTO THIS NOTIFICATION. NOW, THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS I THINK MAYOR PRO TEM MENTIONED THAT IS SOMEBODY IS NOT GOING TO LIKE THAT AT SOME POINT THEY'RE GOING TO SAY WELL YOU NOTIFIED EVERYBODY WITHIN 400 FEET FOR THIS, BUT YOU ONLY [INAUDIBLE] THOSE SITUATIONS ARE CERTAINLY GOING TO COME UP. BUT I DO THINK WE NEED THE OPTION FOR SOME OF THESE AND WE MIGHT ONLY HAVE TWO OF THEM A YEAR, THREE OF THEM A YEAR THAT SORT OF FALL OUTSIDE OF THAT THAT NORMAL FOUR HUNDRED FEET. SO I WOULD CERTAINLY BE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THAT. YOU KNOW, AND WE'VE ALREADY CHANGED HOW WE'VE STARTED POSTING ZONING CASES. [02:00:01] I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU ALL HAVE NOTICED THIS HAPPENED ABOUT THREE AGENDAS AGO WHERE THE TECHNICAL AND THE SUMMARY GOT FLIPPED IN THE POSTING. AND THE FUNNY THING IS, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT UNTIL I READ A COUPLE OF THEM. HAVING READ THESE THINGS FOR YEARS, I WAS LIKE, THAT DOESN'T SOUND QUITE LIKE WHAT I USED TO READ. AND I ACTUALLY HAD TO CONTACT STAFF AND THEY SAID, OH YEAH, WE ARE GOING AHEAD AND TRYING THIS. I'M LIKE, WELL, IT WORKED. SO REVERSING HOW THOSE ITEMS ARE POSTED HAS ALREADY I THINK IT'S PROBABLY BEEN GOING ON FOR AT LEAST TWO OR THREE AGENDAS THAT I CAN REMEMBER. SO BUT OVERALL, YES, I'M VERY PLEASED WITH WHERE WE ARE ON THIS. AND AND I THINK IT WILL CERTAINLY OPEN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY, I THINK, FOR FOR PEOPLE TO COMMUNICATE BACK WITH US ON THESE CASES. AND SO WILL LET'S TRY TO GET IT. YOU KNOW, LET'S TRY TO GET TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AS SOON AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. IF THAT FALLS TO THEIR DECEMBER MEETING, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S CERTAINLY ACCEPTABLE. AND THEN LET'S GATHER ANY COMMENTS FROM THEM. AND MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE THOSE COMMENTS BACK TO THE COMMITTEE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY CONSENSUS FROM THAT AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO COUNCIL. AND PROBABLY, I WOULD IMAGINE OUR SECOND WORK SESSION IN JANUARY WOULD PROBABLY BE A REASONABLE TIME FRAME. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT IT NECESSARILY NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THE COMMITTEE. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I SEE SOMEBODY SHAKING THEIR HEAD. SO, YES, AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE TO SAY YOU HAVE TO SEND IT BACK TO THE COMMITTEE, I WOULD BE HAPPY IF YOU WOULD JUST BRING THEIR COMMENTS BACK TO US AGAIN BY OUR SECOND MEETING IN JANUARY, AND THEN WE COULD MOVE FORWARD. AND HOPEFULLY IN THAT TIME WE CAN WORK THROUGH THE TECHNICAL ISSUES ON THE WEBSITES AND THE LINKS AND NOTIFICATIONS AND ALL THAT. SO THAT SHOULD GIVE US PLENTY OF TIME. SO YOU THINK THAT'S DOABLE? OKAY MAYOR WHAT I'M HEARING IS GET THIS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT THE SOONEST MEETING AVAILABLE, REALISTIC WHETHER, THAT'S NEXT WEEK OR THEIR FIRST MEETING IN DECEMBER, AND THEN AFTER THAT, BRING IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL, THE SECOND WORK SESSION IN JANUARY. I THINK THAT'S A REASONABLE TIME FRAME. OK, YEP. THANK YOU, WILL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL, WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR A BIT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A RECESS. LET'S HAVE EVERYBODY BACK AT 8:15, PLEASE. 8:15. GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME BACK TO THE NOVEMBER 16, 2020 WORK SESSION FOR THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL. WE'VE BEEN ON A QUICK RECESS. AND COUNCIL I JUST NEED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBER BOOKHOUT WILL NOT BE JOINING US FOR THE REST OF THIS MEETING. AND I FAILED TO MENTION EARLIER THAT COUNCILMAN NICKERSON IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING AS WELL. SO I FORGOT. SORRY ABOUT THAT. SO WE WILL PICK UP AT ITEM 4D TEMPORARY PARKLET PROGRAM DISCUSSION. [4D. Temporary Parklet Program Discussion] MR. DE LA VEGA I BELIEVE YOU'RE OR IS IT MR. GUERIN, I'M NOT SURE WHO'S UP FIRST ON THIS ONE. [LAUGHTER] IT IS MR. DE LA VEGA, HE'S, SHOULD BE THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WILL BEGIN SHARING MY SCREEN. OK, SO I'M GOING TO START WITH THIS IMAGE. THIS IS A PARKLET IN BISHOP ARTS IN DALLAS. HERE WE BEGIN TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT PARKLETS ARE AND WHERE THEY ARE INSTALLED. HERE WE HAVE A BUSINESS THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PARKLET AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BUSINESS, WE HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY WHERE WE HAVE THE SIDEWALK IN THE STREET WE DEDICATED ON STREET PARKING, WHICH IS WHERE THE PARKLET IS INSTALLED. [02:05:04] SO WHAT IS THE PARKLET? PARKLETS ARE PUBLIC SEATING SPACES THAT ARE TEMPORARY IN CHARACTER, AND THEY ARE TYPICALLY CREATED BY BUILDING A PLATFORM OVER ON STREET PARKING SPACES AND FURNISHED WITH AMENITIES LIKE TABLES, CHAIRS, UMBRELLAS, BENCHES AND PLANTERS. SO HERE ARE SOME IMAGES OF PARKLET INSTALLATIONS. THIS ONE IS ALSO BISHOP ARTS. IT IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PARK THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU, HOWEVER, THIS ONE DOESN'T HAVE A PLATFORM. THE AMENITIES LIKE THE TABLES, CHAIRS AND UMBRELLAS ARE ON THE PAVEMENT. BUT IT HAS THE ENCLOSURE THAT SEPARATES THE PARKLET FROM THE REST OF THE STREET. THIS ONE DOES HAVE A PLATFORM OF PORTABLE CHAIRS AND TABLES ARE THE AMENITIES AND PLANTERS ARE USED TO CREATE THAT ENCLOSURE. THIS ONE IS SIMILAR TO THAT LAST PARKLET, THEY USED PLANTERS AND TEMPORARY RAILING TO CREATE ENCLOSURE AND WITH MY ARROW, I'M KIND OF HOVERING OVER THIS AREA. HERE YOU CAN SEE THIS CONCRETE WHEEL STOP WHICH PROVIDES SOME BUFFER TO THE PARKLET FROM CARS PARKING NEXT TO IT. THIS ONE INCLUDES A BICYCLE RACK AS ONE OF THE AMENITIES. NOW, BASED ON THE DEFINITION AND THESE PICTURES, WE CAN ALSO TELL WHAT'S THE RIGHT URBAN ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PLACEMENT OF THESE PARKLET IN THE RIGHT OF WAY, THE COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS NEED TO BE THERE. THE FOOT TRAFFIC IS A PLUS. AND, OF COURSE, THAT DEDICATED ON STREET PARKING, WHICH THE PARKLETS ARE INSTALLED IS NECESSARY. SO WHY ARE WE DRAFTING THIS TEMPORARY PARKLET PROGRAM? CITY COUNCIL REQUESTED STAFF TO DRAFT A PROGRAM CONSISTING OF A PERMITTING PROCESS AND STANDARDS THAT WOULD GIVE BUSINESSES THE OPTION TO EMPLOY THE CONCEPT OF THE PARKLET AS A TOOL TO MITIGATE THE COVID-19 SITTING CAPACITY LIMITS. THESE DRAFT WOULD ULTIMATELY BE CONSIDERED FOR ADOPTION BY THIS COUNCIL. SO WHAT'S ALL THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARKLET, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SEATING AREA? WELL, SOME OF THIS PARKLET CAN HAVE UNIQUE DESIGNS AND ACTUALLY ADD TO THE AESTHETICS OF THE STREETSCAPE, WHICH COULD ATTRACT PEOPLE INTO THE AREA, PEOPLE THAT WANT TO COME AND EXPERIENCE THE PARKLET. SO THIS INCREASE IN FOOT TRAFFIC COULD POTENTIALLY BENEFIT THE BUSINESSES. THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS, WHICH BEGINS WITH THE APPLICANT COMPETING IN SOME MEETING, AN ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST. THE INTENT HERE IS FOR STAFF TO OBTAIN ENOUGH INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED INSTALLATION SITE TO DETERMINE IF A PARKLET AT THAT LOCATION WILL NOT CONFLICT WITH UTILITIES, WITH CITY SERVICES LIKE STREET MAINTENANCE STREET CONSTRUCTION FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES. AND THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO CONFLICT WITH TRAFFIC. THIS STEP IS NOT ONLY BENEFICIAL TO THE CITY, BUT ALSO TO THE APPLICANT, AS THEY WILL KNOW IF THEIR SITE QUALIFIES BEFORE TAKING ANY ADDITIONAL STEPS. ONCE STAFF HAS DETERMINED THAT A SITE IS ELIGIBLE, THE APPLICANT WILL SUBMIT A PARKLET APPLICATION WITH DRAWINGS OF THE DESIGN OF THE PROPOSED PARKLET AND OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS WHICH STAFF WILL REVIEW. ONCE THE DESIGN OF THE PROPOSED PARKLET IS APPROVED, THE APPLICANT WILL EXECUTE A PARKLET LICENSE AGREEMENT. AND FINALLY, ONCE THAT LICENSE AGREEMENT IS EXECUTED, THE APPLICANT WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR PERMIT ISSUED AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE FIELD INSPECTIONS. SO WE FORMULATED THE ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDED STANDARDS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS STATEWIDE AND NATIONWIDE, NATIONWIDE BEST PRACTICES AND OF COURSE, THE SUGGESTIONS AND STANDARDS OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. BY THE WAY, NACTO IS THE GO TO SOURCE FOR CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY LOOKING FOR [02:10:02] RECOMMENDED, PARKLET STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES. OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO TWEAK SOME OF THESE [INAUDIBLE] RECOMMENDED STANDARDS TO MAKE THEM WORK IN OUR UNIQUE URBAN ENVIRONMENT AS SEVERAL CITIES IS DIFFERENT. SO THIS IS STEP NUMBER ONE ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST. THESE ARE THE MINIMUM STANDARDS AND THE CHECKLIST, THEY ARE MEANT TO PROMOTE SAFETY. BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE ALSO MEANT TO HELP STAFF DETERMINE THAT THE PARKLET WILL NOT CONFLICT WITH UTILITIES, CITY SERVICES, THE OPERATION OF OTHER BUSINESSES OR TRAFFIC. THE APPLICANT WILL CHECK MARK EACH STANDARD THE SITE COMPLIES WITH AND SUBMIT AN AERIAL MAP IDENTIFYING THE PARKING SPACES THAT WOULD BE USED FOR THE PARKLET INSTALLATION. WE WILL RIDE ALL THIS INFORMATION FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS FOR ANY RED FLAGS AND WOULD MAKE A VISIT TO THE SITE. AFTER THE ELIGIBILITY OF THE SITE HAS BEEN DETERMINED, THEN THE APPLICANT WILL BE ABLE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION ALONG WITH THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. WITH THE APPLICATION THE APPLICANT WILL BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THE DESIGN STANDARDS FOR THE PARKLET AND ALSO A LIST OF RESPONSIBILITIES THAT THE PARKLET SPONSOR WILL HAVE. ONCE AGAIN, WE WENT TO NACTO AS WELL AS STATE AND NATIONWIDE BEST PRACTICES AND THE SUGGESTIONS FROM THE CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE TO FORMULATE THE STANDARDS AND THESE RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL. THE REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS INCLUDE PROOF OF LIABILITY INSURANCE, CONSENT FROM THE ACTUAL PROPERTY OWNER. PROOF OF NOTIFICATION TO THE ADJACENT BUSINESSES, DRAWINGS, A STATEMENT OF PURPOSE, WHY THEY'RE INSTALLING THE PARKLET. AND A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS, AND PROPOSED PARKLET AMENITIES. SO THESE ARE THE DESIGN STANDARDS LIKE I SAID THESE ARE MINIMUM STANDARDS AND THEY ARE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THOSE IN AND AROUND THE PARKLETS. NUMBER ONE, THIS STANDARD IS INTENDED TO MINIMIZE ANY IMPACT. THE PLATFORM WHICH IS OPTIONAL. THE PLATFORM MAY HAVE STORM WATER DRAINAGE. STANDARDS TWO THROUGH FIVE ARE REALLY INTENDED TO REGULATE THE ENCLOSURE THAT IS REQUIRED TO SEPARATE THE PARKLET AREA FROM THE REST OF THE STREET. AND NUMBER SIX TALKS ABOUT SIGNAGE WITHIN THE AREA WITHIN THE PARKLET AREA, THE DURABILITY OF THE MATERIALS, ACCESSIBILITY, AS WELL AS CONNECTION TO POWER AND WATER SOURCES. SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT THE APPLICANT OR THE PARKLET SPONSOR WILL HAVE TO MEET. THEY WILL NEED TO MAINTAIN INSURANCE, OF TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OF BODILY INJURY LIABILITY COVERAGE PER PERSON, HALF A MILLION DOLLARS PER ACCIDENT AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE FULL TERM OF THE TEMPORARY PARKLET PERMIT. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARKLET PERMIT, REGULAR MAINTENANCE OF THE PARKLET. SOUND AMPLIFICATION SYSTEMS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN THE PARKLET AREA. EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES THAT WERE NOT SPECIFIED IN THE APPLICATION WILL NOT BE PERMITTED WITHIN THE PARKLET AREA, REMOVAL OF ALL OF THE PARKLET PORTABLE AMENITIES AT THE END OF THE DAY, CHAIRS, TABLES, UMBRELLAS. THE REMOVAL OF ALL PARKLET ELEMENTS PRIOR TO STREET CONSTRUCTION WORK, UTILITY REPAIRS OR CITY EVENTS. AND FINALLY, THE REMOVAL OF ALL THE PARKLET ELEMENTS ONCE THE PERMIT EXPIRES. [02:15:06] ONCE THE DESIGN OF THE PARKLET IS APPROVED, THE APPLICANT WILL BE ABLE TO EXECUTE [INAUDIBLE] IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY, A LICENSE AGREEMENT. AND WHEN THAT'S EXECUTED, THE APPLICANT WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR PERMIT ISSUED AND THE INSPECTIONS SCHEDULE. SO WE DEFINITELY NEED SOME DIRECTION FROM THIS COUNCIL REGARDING, THE TERM OF THE PROGRAM, HOW LONG THIS PROGRAM WILL RUN FOR, HOW LONG THIS PROGRAM WILL RUN, AND ALSO THE TERM OF THE PERMITS. PARKLETS ARE MEANT TO BE TEMPORARY. THEY'RE NOT REALLY MEANT TO BE PERMANENT STRUCTURES THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS BUSINESS OWNERS DON'T REALLY TAKE OVER RIGHT OF WAY INDEFINITELY. SO FOR THE MOST PART, MOST CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY OPT FOR ONE OF THESE TWO OPTIONS REGARDING THE LENGTH OF THE PROGRAM. NUMBER ONE, A ONE TIME PROGRAM THAT ENDS AFTER A CERTAIN DATE. THAT COULD BE AND THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. THE PROGRAM BEGINS IN APRIL AND IT ENDS IN SEPTEMBER. AND IT'S JUST A ONE TIME PROGRAM OR IT'S A SEASONAL PROGRAM. TYPICALLY, WHEN THAT'S THE FORMAT THAT TYPICALLY HAPPENS DURING THE MONTHS WITH THE BEST OUTDOOR WEATHER. SO THAT'S ONE ISSUE. THE SECOND ISSUE IS THE TERM OF THE PERMITS FOR HOW LONG THESE PERMITS WILL BE VALID AND NUMBER ONE [INAUDIBLE] REPRESENTING THREE OPTIONS HERE. NUMBER ONE LIMITS EACH SITE TO ONE 90 DAY PERMIT AND ONE 30 DAY EXTENSION NUMBER TWO LIMITS EACH SITE TO ONE 90 DAY PERMIT WITH NO EXTENSION. AND NUMBER THREE, WE JUST ALLOWED THE PERMITS TO RUN THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE PROGRAM EXPIRING ONCE THE PROGRAM ENDS. THIS WORKS WITH EITHER A ONE TIME PROGRAM OR A SEASONAL PROGRAM. IF THIS IS A SEASONAL PROGRAM PARKLET SPONSORS CAN REAPPLY EACH SEASON. WITH THAT, I CONCLUDE THIS PRESENTATION, I CAN CONTINUE SHARING THE SCREEN OR I CAN STOP IF YOU PREFER MAYOR. LET'S GO AHEAD AND UNSHARE FOR ME, PLEASE. THANK YOU. OK, SO LOOKS LIKE WE DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS IN THE QUEUE MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH. THANK YOU MAYOR. JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK ONES. THIS IS COMING FROM A POSITION OF SUPPORT FOR THE GENERAL IDEA STILL. BUT DO Y'ALL MAKE ANY DISTINCTION, AT LEAST DO OTHER CITIES MAKE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN ANGLED PARKING AND CURBSIDE FLUSH PARKING, BECAUSE I KNOW IF WE PUT A PARKLET IN AN AREA WITH ANGLED SPACES, WE'LL PROBABLY END UP TAKING UP 2 SPACES AS OPPOSED TO THE ONE. AND I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T OVERDUE A PARKLET AND THEN TAKE AWAY TOO MUCH PARKING, EVEN KEEPING IN MIND MR. SMITH'S COMMENTS EARLIER. YES, CITIES DO MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN ANGLED PARKING AND PARALLEL PARKING. WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS A MINIMUM OF TWO PARKING SPACES AND A MAXIMUM OF THREE. THAT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING THAT ALLOWS FOR A PARKLET THAT IS LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE SOME OF THESE ELEMENTS AND ALSO TO ALLOW FOR SOME OF THE SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT IS REQUIRED. AND THE MAXIMUM OF THREE PARKING SPACES ALSO, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY HELPS WITH LIMITING HOW MUCH PARKING IS USED FOR THESE PARKLETS. OK, BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO THINK OF BOTH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SOME STREET SIDE PARKING IN [02:20:01] DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY. I KNOW DOWNTOWNS ITS OWN SPECIAL CONSIDERATION AND I'M NOT TOUCHING THAT ONE. Y'ALL HAVE FUN. BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T OVERUSE IN AREAS WITH VERY SMALL DENSE SHOPS WITH LIMITED PARKING. AND I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE FIND THAT FINE LINE. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS HAVE THOUGHT IT THROUGH. SO I APPRECIATE YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL LADY MORRIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO THIS IS A CITY WIDE PROPOSED PROGRAM, BUT MY PART OF THE CITY AND WHERE MOST OF MY DINE IN TYPE RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE THE MOST USE FOR THIS DURING COVID, AND THIS IS A COVID RESPONSE, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN SEEING THIS BEING SOME LONG TERM RESPONSE, AT LEAST IN THE DOWNTOWN, OTHER PLACES IN THE CITY IT MIGHT BE AN INTERESTING SEASONAL THING. I CAN'T SEE THIS WORKING SEASONALLY FOR US IN THE DOWNTOWN, BUT I HAVE SPOKEN TO A NUMBER OF OUR BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE DOWNTOWN JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE COMFORTABLE WITH. AND I WILL JUST TELL YOU QUICKLY CARRIE AT INTRINSIC SAID, I DON'T SEE ANY NEGATIVE EFFECTS. THE TAVERN IS USING A PARKLET SUCCESSFULLY. THE PROCESS DOES NEED TO BE QUICK AND EASY AS WELL, KRISTY, AT ROSALIND SAID I LOVE THE IDEA. MY OWNER HAS BEEN WANTING TO DO THAT FOR A WHILE. WE JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO IT YET. DOS BANDERAS SAID I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT ANY OPPOSITION WOULD BE. IT'S AN OPTION. OF COURSE THE TAVERN ON THE SQUARE ALREADY HAS A PARKLET THAT HAS KIND OF SAVED THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SMALL INDOOR DINING AREA AND THIS HAS ENABLED THEM TO SURVIVE FINANCIALLY DURING THIS TIME WHEN WE'VE GOT DINING RESTRICTIONS. SO I AM IN FAVOR OF IT. I THINK THAT STAFF DID A GREAT JOB DRAWING FROM A LOT OF THE THINGS. I MEAN, I'M LOOKING HERE IN TEXAS, PARKLETS PROGRAMS HAVE ALREADY BEEN PASSED IN DALLAS, FORT WORTH, AUSTIN, DENNISON, SAN MARCUS, MANSFIELD, ROUND ROCK, AND I JUST STOPPED AFTER THAT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS POPPING UP NATIONWIDE IN MANY CITIES, IN MANY STATES. SO WE'RE NOT KIND OF RUNNING OUT IN FRONT OF THIS. WE'RE KIND OF TAGGING ALONG AT THE END. BUT I THINK IT'S A COVID RESPONSE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE VERY HELPFUL. I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR STAFF. THE REQUIREMENT IN THERE ABOUT THE REMOVAL OF TABLES AND CHAIRS EVERY DAY WHEN THE BUSINESS CLOSES, THAT ISN'T SOMETHING I'VE SEEN THAT WE REQUIRED AT THE TAVERN ON THE SQUARE, AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE COMMONALITY WITH THESE OTHER PARKLETS THAT YOU HAVE STUDIED FROM OTHER CITIES. I WOULD SAY THAT MOST OF THE CITIES THAT HAVE THESE PROGRAMS, THEY HAVE SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THAT REGARDING THE REMOVAL OF PORTABLE AMENITIES, AS WELL AS NOT ALLOWING THEM TO BE STORED IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. BUT, YES, IT IS A COMMON ELEMENT IN MOST PROGRAMS. OK, BECAUSE I KNOW THE PARKLETS IN DALLAS, THEY DON'T TAKE DOWN THE TABLES AND CHAIRS EVERY NIGHT. THEY JUST DON'T. SO AND I KNOW WE HAVEN'T REQUIRED THAT, AT LEAST SO FAR OF TAVERN ON THE SQUARE. AND I'M KIND OF HESITANT TO MAKE THAT ONE OF OUR REQUIREMENTS AND IF THE SPACES ARE GOING TO BE BLOCKED OFF. AS A PARKLET RIGHT NOW, AT LEAST, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT, UNLESS THE WHOLE PARKLET IS DESIGNED TO BREAK DOWN AND YOU PUT IT UP EVERY MORNING AND TAKE IT DOWN INCLUDING ALL THE BARRIERS AND EVERYTHING, I'M NOT SEEING THAT HAPPENING IN OTHER CITIES WHERE THIS HAS PASSED. SO THAT'S IN MY MIND, A QUESTION MARK AT THE POINT THAT WE START REVIVING FROM COVID ENOUGH WHERE WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE PARKING ISSUES DOWNTOWN AGAIN, EXCEPT DURING AN EVENT, THEN THAT'S PROBABLY THE TIME TO END THE PARKLETS PROGRAM PERIOD. SO MOVING ON FROM THAT, THE TERM, BECAUSE FOR US AT LEAST, THIS IS A COVID RESPONSE. I KIND OF DIDN'T FIND ANY ONE OF THESE PARTICULAR OPTIONS KIND OF BEING FLEXIBLE ENOUGH FOR US DURING COVID, SO IF WE SAY A 90 DAY PERIOD AND THEN WE ONLY GIVE [02:25:01] THEM ONE MORE 30 DAY PERIOD, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THIS STUFF IS GOING TO END TO THE POINT THAT OUTDOOR DINING IS NOT GOING TO BE SAFER AND PREFERABLE. SO I GUESS I WOULD PROBABLY PREFER TO MAKE IT 90 DAY RENEWABLE, EITHER 90 DAY RENEWABLE OPTIONS UNTIL WE SAY WE'RE DONE AND THAT COVID HAS RECEDED ENOUGH WHERE THIS PROGRAM IS NO LONGER NEEDED. OR JUST TO SAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN PUT AN END DATE ON THIS PROGRAM RIGHT NOW, IS WHAT I'M SAYING. I DON'T KNOW THE FUTURE. I DON'T THINK ANY OF US DO. BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO END IT PREMATURELY JUST BECAUSE WE WROTE DOWN AN END TIME. SO I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW THAT WOULD WORK EXCEPT TO HAVE IT BE RENEWABLE OR SHORTER, MAYBE THREE MONTH INTERVALS. AND THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE. SO I GUESS THE OTHER THING, I DON'T HAVE ANY OPPOSITION FROM ANYONE DOWNTOWN, INCLUDING AND THIS WAS ONE OF MY CONCERNS, SOME OF THE NON-FOOD BUSINESSES THERE. AND IN FACT, ONE OF THEM JUST SAID, AS A NON FOOD RELATED BUSINESS, I WELCOME THE PARKLETS. WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE OUR GUESTS TO PARK, EAT, WALK ABOUT, SHOP AND EXPLORE. WE NEED TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN TO GET DOWN HERE AND DO SOMETHING COOL OR DIFFERENT, SOMETHING SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS WORTHY. SO TODATE I HAD ONE ONE BRIEF PERSON WHO INITIALLY SPOKE AND SAID NO AND THEN SAID, WAIT, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WAS. I MISUNDERSTOOD IT AND RETRACTED. SO SPEAKING ONLY FOR THE DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ALL THE RESTAURANTS IN ALL YOUR DISTRICTS. THIS HAS BEEN HELPFUL IN THIS TIME OF COVID. AND I DO SUPPORT IT I WOULD PROBABLY RIGHT NOW RATHER NOT SEE US MAKE THEM REMOVE ALL THE TABLES AND CHAIRS EVERY NIGHT, AND I WOULD RATHER THIS BE RENEWABLE EVERY 90 DAYS UNTIL WE'RE DONE. SO I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT THE REST OF COUNCIL THINKS. THANK YOU. AND JUST A QUICK QUESTION, COUNCIL LADY MORRIS YOU TALKED TO THE DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS AND DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES AS WELL, THAT THE RESTAURANTS WERE NOT OPPOSED TO IT, BUT ARE ANY OF THEM INTERESTED IN DOING IT? DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF THAT? ROSALIND IS INTERESTED IN DOING THAT. AND RIGHT NOW I'M NOT HAVING ANYBODY ELSE SAYING THAT THEY NEED TO DO THAT. WE HAVE SOME BUSINESSES THAT ARE SO LARGE INSIDE THAT UNTIL AND UNLESS THE GOVERNOR SHUTS DOWN ALL THE INSIDE DINING, THEY'RE GOING TO BE OK BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT TONS OF SPACE. ROSALIND IS THE ONLY ONE THAT'S SPOKEN UP AND SAID THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN DOING THAT. OKAY ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. LET'S SEE. COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR STAFF, I GUESS MS. MCNATT, IF YOU HAVE TALKED WITH IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS, IF YOU'VE HAD ANY INPUT FROM THE DOWNTOWN FOLKS. AND ALSO WE DID PUT TABLES AND CHAIRS AND UMBRELLAS AND WHATNOT IN THE SQUARE AND TO WHAT DEGREE THOSE ARE BEING UTILIZED. HERE SHE COMES. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. YES, MA'AM. AS FAR AS A FORMAL SURVEY OF THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS AND RETAIL INCLUDED, WE HAVE NOT GONE THAT ROUTE. I HAVE HEARD SUPPORT FOR THE IDEA BY MAJORITY JUST IN GENERAL CONVERSATION. AND REGARDING THE UMBRELLAS AND THE CHAIRS IN THE SQUARE, THEY'RE BEING HEAVILY UTILIZED. WE HAVE PARKS TEAM DEDICATED TO CLEANING THOSE TWICE A DAY. OK, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THEY'RE BEING HEAVILY UTILIZED. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT THEN MEANS THAT WE NEED TO ADD MORE CAPACITY WITH [INAUDIBLE] OR NOT. I STILL HAVE SOME CONCERN, SOME OF WHICH ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ESOTERIC, JUST IN THE SENSE OF WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY DON'T OWN THE PARKING SPACES OR THE ROADWAY IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE OR THEIR BUSINESS. I THINK THIS GOES AGAINST THAT. AND I HAVE CONCERNS THEN, AND I GUESS THIS PARTICULARLY GOES TO DOWNTOWN BECAUSE IT'S A PARKING CONSTRAINED AREA, REALLY, OF OUR CITY. [02:30:02] I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT ALLOWING THESE IN PARKING CONSTRAINED AREAS, AND SPECIFICALLY I'M SURE MANY OF THE RESTAURANTS MAY WANT IT, MAYBE NOT, BUT MY CONCERN IS THE IMPACT ON THE NON RESTAURANT BUSINESSES. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FLORISTS, THE FURNITURE SHOP? WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT RECENTLY ABOUT PARKING DOWNTOWN AVAILABILITY PARKING. I'VE BEEN THROUGH DOWNTOWN RECENTLY. AND IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY CROWDED DURING THE DAY THESE DAYS. SO I HAVE SOME REAL CONCERN ABOUT TAKING OUT UP TO THREE PARKING SPACES PER BUSINESS AND SO YOU COULD BE LOOKING AT AND LOSING QUITE A FEW PARKING SPACES. AND THEN HOW THAT WOULD IMPACT THESE OTHER BUSINESSES, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY TO AMELIORATE OR ADDRESS THAT WITH. FOR EXAMPLE, WITH SPEED BUMPS WE ASKED FOR SOME PERCENTAGE OF OWNERS AND A PARTICULAR AMOUNT PARTICULAR AREA TO AGREE TO THAT I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THAT BECAUSE THIS PROGRAM IS EFFECTIVELY GIVING OWNERSHIP, GIVING LAND TO A PARTICULAR USER, AND THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THESE OTHER FOLKS. SO I HAVE SOME REAL CONCERN WHERE ARE THE CUSTOMERS OF THE TATTOO PARLOR GOING TO PARK WHERE ARE THE CUSTOMERS OF SOME OF OUR OTHER BUSINESSES ARE GOING TO PARK? THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU SIR. WE HAVE CLEARED THE QUEUE ON THIS ITEM, JUST MY GENERAL THOUGHTS. I MEAN, YES, THIS IS A COVID RESPONSE ITEM IS WHAT BROUGHT IT ABOUT. AND ONE DAY AND HOPEFULLY IN THE NOT SO DISTANT FUTURE, WHEN WE MOVE BEYOND THIS, THIS IDEA WILL BE NULL AND VOID. IT WON'T YOU KNOW PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO BE NEEDING IT. AND, YOU KNOW, THE SEASONALITY OF IT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE NEVER KNOW WHAT SEASON WE'RE GOING TO HAVE HERE ON ANY GIVEN DAY. YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE EIGHTY FIVE DEGREES IN JANUARY VERY EASILY SOMETIMES. SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THERE'S THE ONE MAKING THE PROGRAM SEASONAL SPRING OR FALL. WELL. YOU KNOW, HONESTLY, THERE'S PROBABLY MORE OPPORTUNITY TO USE IT IN THE FALL AND WINTER HERE THAN THERE IS IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER JUST BECAUSE OF THE CLIMATE. YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF AGAIN AS COUNCIL LADY MORRIS POINTED OUT, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE'RE IN THIS OR WHAT RESTRICTIONS ARE GOING TO BE. WHAT RESTRICTIONS MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN PLACE ON RESTAURANTS IN THE COMING WEEKS, MONTHS, WHATEVER? YOU KNOW, AND TO BE HONEST, THE INTEREST IN THIS HAS NEVER BEEN HUGE AND I DON'T SEE IT EVER BEING HUGE. SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO AN ISSUE WHERE ALL THE PARKING IS GOING TO BE TAKEN UP BY PICNIC TABLES. I JUST YOU KNOW, MOST RESTAURANT OWNERS, AS COUNCIL LADY MORRIS POINTED OUT, HAVE THE INDOOR CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, SO I DON'T SEE THIS BEING WIDESPREAD. BECAUSE HONESTLY, MOST OF THEM PROBABLY ARE JUST NOT GOING TO WANT TO MESS WITH IT. NO MATTER HOW EASY WE MAKE THE PROCESS, THEY'RE JUST NOT GOING TO WANT TO. THEY'VE GOT BIGGER FISH TO FRY ON A GIVEN DAY. SO I WOULD NOT BE OPPOSED TO MAKING THE PROGRAM, JUST SETTING IT ON A 90 DAY RENEWABLE SCHEDULE. I THINK THAT'S VERY REASONABLE, GIVEN THE THE UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCE. AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, THE REMOVAL OF THE TABLES AND CHAIRS AT THE CLOSE OF THE BUSINESS EVERY DAY, I THINK IS BURDENSOME ON THE RESTAURANTS, I MEAN, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE AN AREA DESIGNATED BLOCKED OFF, YOU KNOW, AND, DRAGGING THOSE TABLES AND, YOU KNOW, THE TABLES AND CHAIRS THAT ARE USED AT THE TAVERN WOULD BE FAIRLY EASY TO MOVE AROUND. I MEAN, THEY'RE FAIRLY SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT. BUT SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES THAT WE SAW IN THOSE PICTURES, THAT WOULD TAKE SOME CONSIDERABLE EFFORT TO MOVE THAT STUFF AROUND TWICE A DAY. SO I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF LETTING THAT PART OF THIS GO. BUT COUNCILMAN AUBIN YOU JUMPED IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ACTUALLY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU MENTIONED DID RAISE A QUESTION FOR ME, WHICH IS, ARE FOLKS PERMITTED TO PUT HEATERS OR OTHER THINGS ON THE PARKLET OR ARE [02:35:07] THOSE BANNED OR HOW'S THAT GOING TO WORK? SAY, I'M JUST THINKING SAFETY WISE, IF PEOPLE HAVE PATIO HEATERS OUT OF THE PARKLET, I MEAN, RIGHT AROUND THIS TIME GETS A LITTLE COLD. MR. DE LA VEGA, CAN YOU ADDRESS THAT, PLEASE? AT THIS POINT, WE'RE NOT EXPLICITLY PROHIBITING THOSE TYPE OF ITEMS LIKE THE HEATERS AND FANS. OK, ARE THERE ANY SAFETY CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT THAT WE NEED TO RUN THROUGH, WHETHER IT BE ENGINEERING OR BUILDING OR HEALTH OR WHATEVER ALONG THOSE LINES. AND ARE THERE ANY RULES REGARDING ANIMALS, DOGS, ET CETERA? AND I ASSUME THERE WILL BE NO SMOKING ON THESE. [LAUGHTER] I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK OF ALL THE ISSUES WE'VE DISCUSSED RECENTLY ABOUT DOGS ON PATIOS AND, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE LAST FEW YEARS SMOKING, THINGS LIKE THAT, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'VE COVERED ALL OF THESE IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD ON IT. YOU KNOW, I WOULD THINK THE HEATER AND THE HEATERS, THE FANS LIGHTS. I MEAN, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN JUST TRYING TO RUN THROUGH THE PLACES HERE IN MY HEAD, I'M NOT SURE ANY OF THEM WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT FROM A FACILITY STANDPOINT. THEY WOULD HAVE TO RUN THE POWER OUT TO THEM. SO IF SOMEBODY DID RUN AN EXTENSION CORD, IF YOU WILL, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT WOULD FALL, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THE PUBLIC ACCESS THAT THEY WOULD BE CROSSING WITH THAT CORD. SO I DON'T KNOW. SO IT'S A REASONABLE QUESTION AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT. I'M NOT SURE WHO ANSWERS THAT QUESTION. WELL MAYOR MAYBE I CAN TAKE A STAB AT IT. [LAUGHTER] JOSUE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK THE INTENT HERE IS ON THE PROCESS. WE WOULD TREAT IT NOT TOO UNLIKE A DEVELOPMENT CASE WHERE WE ROUTE IT OUT TO THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, THE PROPOSAL THAT IS, AND THEY COMMENT ON IT AND THEY REVIEW IT. AND IF THERE ARE ANY CONCERNS, THEY COMMENT THAT TO THE APPLICANT. THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, WILL KIND OF FACILITATE THAT PROCESS AND GATHERING THOSE COMMENTS AND WHATNOT. BUT I BELIEVE FIRE, YOU KNOW, IF FIRE IS NOT PART OF THE PROCESS YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE FIRE BUILDING INSPECTION REVIEW THAT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, EXTENSION CORDS AND HEATERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO. OK, YES, ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, THAT IN THAT SORT OF MULTI DEPARTMENTAL REVIEW, ENGINEERING, TRANSPORTATION, POLICE, FIRE, MAYBE NOT POLICE, BUT FIRE AND BUILDING INSPECTION WOULD CERTAINLY BE A GOOD IDEA. MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH. MAYOR JUST TWO QUICK QUESTIONS, I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT PARKLETS IN PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY AND NOT IN PRIVATE PARKING LOTS, IS THAT CORRECT? ANYBODY, THAT IS CORRECT. THAT IS CORRECT. [LAUGHTER] VERY GOOD MAKING SURE I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A VAST, VASTLY LARGER NUMBER OF RESTAURANTS WITH PRIVATE LOTS THAN WE DO FOR THIS SMALL SUBSET. THE OTHER THING THAT GOT BROUGHT UP ORIGINALLY WHEN WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION WAS WHEN TO END THE PROGRAM. AND WE HAD DISCUSSED AT ONE POINT ENDING IT AT SOME FIXED TIME AFTER THE STATES DISASTER DECLARATION HAD ENDED. AND I'M STILL VERY COMFORTABLE TYING IT TO, YOU KNOW, 14, 30 DAYS. WHATEVER WE WANT TO SAY AFTER THE STATE OF DISASTER HAS ENDED, THEN WE CAN LET THIS PROGRAM SUNSET AS WELL. THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S ANOTHER VERY GOOD POINT, SIR. YOU KNOW, ONCE THE GOVERNOR'S ORDERS EXPIRE, OR STATES ORDERS EXPIRE. OK, COUNCIL, WE HAVE CLEARED THE QUEUE SO FAR AS WE'VE DISCUSSED, AS FAR AS WE WERE GIVEN SOME OPTIONS AS FAR AS THE TERM AND ETC. COUNCIL LADY MORRIS HAS MENTIONED THE 90 DAY RENEWABLE, WHICH, AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH AND TO NOT HAVE THE ISSUE OF OR THE RULE, IF YOU WILL, OF REMOVAL OF TABLES AND CHAIRS, THAT SEEMS UNNECESSARY. AND THEN TO END THE PROGRAM 30 DAYS AFTER THE STATE'S ORDERS EXPIRED. [02:40:01] IS THAT MR DE LA VEGA AND MR. GUERIN DOES THAT GET YOU IF WE GO THIS ROUTE, DOES THAT GET YOU THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO PULL THIS TOGETHER TO MAKE THE FINAL. I BELIEVE SO, MAYOR. JOSUE, FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU'RE AWARE OF, BUT IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING THE WORD OUT, WORKING WITH LETECIA AND DORTHY'S GROUP AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE INFORMATION ONLINE. BECAUSE I CAN KEEP ASKING THEM QUESTIONS BUT IF YOU'VE GOT WHAT YOU NEED, MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO TAKE IT AND RUN. [LAUGHTER] SO AT THAT POINT COUNCIL WE WILL JUST GET A QUICK CONSENSUS THAT YOU'VE HEARD WHAT I'VE SAID OUT THERE, IF THERE'S ANY OPPOSITION. AND THERE IS STILL SIX OF US HERE, SO AND COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN, I CAN'T SEE YOUR SIGN. IT'S FADING INTO YOUR BACKGROUND. IT LOOKS LIKE A YES AND DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM VÉRA. I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES AS WELL. ALL RIGHT, SO WITH THE SIX COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT, THAT IS UNANIMOUS SIR. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. THAT WILL MOVE US ON TO ITEM 4 E HOME IMPROVEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM UPDATE. [4E. Home Improvement Incentive Program Update] MR. BOLLINGER, THANK YOU FOR STICKING IT OUT WITH US HERE. MR. MAYOR, CAN YOU HEAR ME? ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S EXCELLENT. MR. MAYOR, CAN YOU SEE MY SCREEN? I CAN. WONDERS NEVER CEASE. OK, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL. LAST UPDATED YOU ON THIS ISSUE ON JULY 6TH. THIS REPORT HAS BEEN SEEN BY THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE ON OCTOBER 19TH. AND HERE WE ARE TO TALK ABOUT THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM. I'M SCOTT BOLLINGER, NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES MANAGER AND AWAY WE GO. AS YOU KNOW, THE PURPOSE OF THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM IS TO ENCOURAGE HOMEOWNERS TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXTERIOR OF THEIR HOMES TO PREVENT BLIGHT, IMPROVE PROPERTY VALUES, INSPIRE SURROUNDING HOMEOWNERS TO REINVEST IN THEIR PROPERTIES, AND INCREASE THE COMPETITIVE DRAW OF GARLAND NEIGHBORHOODS. YOU FUNDED THIS IN FISCAL YEAR 20 WITH A TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR ONE TIME ALLOCATION. IT WAS AVAILABLE CITYWIDE, BUT WE DIDN'T PROMOTE IT WIDELY AT FIRST. WE WANTED TO KIND OF DO A SOFT LAUNCH. SO WE DID THAT WHERE THE [INAUDIBLE] AREA, IT WAS SUCCESSFUL. SO WE DECIDED TO START PROMOTING IT CITYWIDE IN MID-JUNE AND APPLICATIONS SKYROCKETED AFTER THAT. WE SUBSTANTIALLY COMMITTED OUR FUNDING BY JULY 7TH. YOU ALSO APPROVED AN ADDITIONAL TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND ONE TIME FUNDING IN THE CURRENT YEAR FISCAL BUDGET. IT'S A CASH REBATE PROGRAM FOR UP TO 50 PERCENT OF THE COST OF QUALIFIED IMPROVEMENTS WITH A MINIMUM INVESTMENT OF TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS, YOU UPDATED THAT ON JULY SIX TO A MINIMUM INVESTMENT OF ONE THOUSAND. PROPERTY MUST BE AT LEAST 30 YEARS OLD AND CANNOT EXCEED A TOTAL DCAD VALUE OF ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND. RENTAL PROPERTIES ARE ELIGIBLE. THERE'S A MATERIALS UPGRADE BONUS FOR SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS. I REPORTED THE LEFT COLUMN ON JULY 6TH, AND THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS A COMPARISON OF HOW THE PROGRAM IS AS OF NOVEMBER SIX. YOU CAN SEE APPLICATIONS GOING UP TO FORTY FIVE 22 OF THOSE ARE COMPLETED AND MONEY OUT THE DOOR, SEVEN REJECTED APPLICATIONS, 19 WAITLISTED. WE HAVE ONE HUNDRED AND TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS DISTRIBUTED WITH ONE HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND AND CHANGE COMMITTED. THAT TOGETHER ALL ADD UP TO TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND AND KEEPING A LITTLE BIT FOR CUSHION FOR CERTAIN PROJECT OVERAGES THAT COULD HAPPEN DURING THE COURSE OF THE IMPROVEMENTS. SO FAR THAT'S ONLY HAPPENED ONCE AND IT WAS A TRIFLING AMOUNT. I THINK IT WAS JUST TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. BUT OF COURSE THAT CUSHION WILL BE REALLOCATED BACK INTO THE PROGRAM. MOST COMMON IMPROVEMENT IS THE WINDOW REPLACEMENT FOR AN AVERAGE REBATE OF FIVE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT DOLLARS. OF NOTE, ONLY FOUR APPLICATIONS HAVE AN INVESTMENT OF UNDER FOUR THOUSAND. THAT'S A TOTAL INVESTMENT AND NONE OF THEM ARE UNDER TWO THOUSAND. THIS IS A MAP OF THE APPROVED APPLICATIONS, THE FORTY FIVE APPROVED APPLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES, THIS IS A COUPLE THAT MOVED INTO CHANDLER HEIGHTS ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, LOVED THEIR HOUSE LOVED THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, SO THEY WANTED TO REINVEST IN IT TO THE TUNE OF TWENTY ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE DOLLARS. THEY QUALIFIED FOR THE TOTAL TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR REBATE. THEY HAVE THE LIST THERE OF ALL THE THINGS THEY DID WITH IT AND WITH THAT TEN THOUSAND [02:45:02] THEY TOLD ME THAT NEXT ON THE LIST IS THEIR DRIVEWAY. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT IMPROVEMENT AS WELL. THIS ONE'S ON 2701 FAIRFAX TOTAL, WORK OF SIXTEEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY ONE. HE REPLACED HIS FENCE, REPLACED DRIVEWAY, REPAINTED THE HOUSE. HE SAID HE LOVES IT. IT'S LIKE LIVING IN A BRAND NEW HOUSE AND THAT HIS NEIGHBORS ON BOTH SIDES HAVE ASKED HIM ABOUT IT AND HOW THEY CAN PARTICIPATE. SO THESE ARE THE REPAIR TYPES OF THE APPROVED PROJECTS RANKED BY THEIR POPULARITY, AS YOU CAN SEE, REPLACE WINDOWS FENCE AND HOUSE ARE THE TOP THREE. THIS WON'T ADD UP TO FORTY FIVE EITHER. FORTY FIVE APPLICATIONS BECAUSE SOME OF THE APPLICATIONS HAVE MULTIPLE IMPROVEMENTS AS PART OF THEM I COUNTER ALL THOSE INDIVIDUALLY. BUT THOSE ARE MOST POPULAR REPAIR TYPES. THE PROGRAM COMPLAINTS FAR AND AWAY, THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT I GET IS THE MAXIMUM APPRAISED VALUE BEING AT ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND. COUNCIL MEMBER HEDRICK ASKED ME ABOUT HOW MANY PROPERTIES WOULD BE ELIGIBLE AT THAT ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS CAP USING TWENTY NINETEEN VALUES. IT'S RIGHT AT 40 PERCENT USING TWENTY TWENTY. I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER, BUT YOU CAN EXPECT THAT TO COME DOWN A LITTLE BIT AS PROPERTY VALUES ARE GOING UP. AND IF THEY CONTINUE TO GO UP, THEY'LL CONTINUE TO GO DOWN. BUT I WAS LISTENING IN ON YOUR CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FOUR HUNDRED FOOT NOTIFICATION ZONE. I THINK THERE'S A SIMILAR LESSON THERE, I CAN'T RECALL IF COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN OR COUNCIL MEMBER SMITH THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU DRAW THE LINE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THAT LINE. AND THAT'S THE SAME. UNLESS YOU HAVE NO MAXIMUM APPRAISED VALUE HERE, THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE TO WHEREVER YOU DRAW THE LINE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE LEFT OUT. BUT THAT'S BEEN MY CASE. THAT'S IN THESE COMPLAINTS, IT REGISTERS FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST A COUPLE OF THOUSAND OVER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE TO SOMEONE THAT WAS FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ON THEIR HOME. SO IT'S WHERE YOU DRAW THE LINE. THERE COULD BE, IT WON'T NECESSARILY ALLEVIATE THE COMPLAINT PROBLEM. WE'VE GOT SEVERAL COMPLIMENTS ON THE PROGRAM, A GOOD THING FOR GARLAND, GOOD, TIMELY COMMUNICATION WITH THE PROGRAM MANAGER. I WON'T READ THESE QUOTES, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO I THINK THEY ENCAPSULATE THE FEELINGS ABOUT THE PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT. SO SOME CONSIDERATIONS TONIGHT, WHAT TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS PROVIDE THE MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK MINIMUM INVESTMENT THAT REFERS TO NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT PROGRAM PARTICIPATION ISN'T AN ISSUE, HOW THE CURRENT PARAMETERS WERE SET UP, YOU MAY CONSIDER INCREASING THE MINIMUM INVESTMENT, BEING ABLE TO GET MORE IMPACTFUL PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE. THAT'S ONE CONSIDERATION. MATERIALS UPGRADE BONUS. THAT'S NOT DOING WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD THE NUMBER ISN'T REALLY ENOUGH TO MAKE PEOPLE CHANGE THE MATERIALS THEY'RE USING FOR THEIR IMPROVEMENTS AND IN MOST CASES, THEY EVEN FORGOT IT WAS A PART OF IT. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S A TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR BONUS FOR UPGRADING TO ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS. IN EVERY CASE, ALL 20 APPLICATIONS, THEY WERE GOING TO UPGRADE TO ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS ANYWAY. SO WE EITHER NEED TO ELIMINATE THAT OR LOOK AT LOOK AT DIFFERENT WAYS OF USING IT. THE CHAINED SLASH GRADUATED INVESTMENT THAT IDEA CAME FROM TWO DIFFERENT RESIDENTS. THEIR THOUGHT WAS, AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS, IF I WANT TO DO TWO PROJECTS, I APPLY FOR THOSE TWO PROJECTS I GET ALL THAT APPROVED, I PAY FOR THOSE TWO PROJECTS AND I GET 50 PERCENT BACK. THIS IDEA IS I APPLY FOR THE TWO PROJECTS. I DO ONE OF THEM. I GET A REBATE ON THE FIRST ONE SO THAT I CAN USE THAT TOWARDS THE SECOND ONE. IF YOU COMBINE THAT WITH INCREASING THE MINIMUM INVESTMENT, THAT MAY ALLEVIATE CONCERNS ABOUT PROGRAM PARTICIPATION, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE AND THEN ROLL OUT STRATEGY AND WAIT LIST. THE IF THERE'S NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM, IT'S READY TO GO, SOON AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK, OR WHENEVER MAYBE, YOU THINK THE TIMING IS BETTER TO WAIT TILL THE FIRST OF THE YEAR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I CAN GET STARTED ON THE WAIT LIST RIGHT AWAY. FOR THE IMPROVEMENT TYPES, JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES FROM THE COMMITTEE. THERE'S FENCE REPLACEMENT ON THE LEFT, REBATE VALUE FOR THAT WAS SEVENTY SEVEN HUNDRED. THIS IS THE FENCE WENT ALL THE WAY AROUND, IT'S THE WOOD ON BOARD CEDAR WITH THE [02:50:05] INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC SLIDING GATE IN THE BACK VERSUS THE 2701 FAIRFAX, WHICH I SHOWED YOU EARLIER, WAS A REBATE OF EIGHTY FOUR HUNDRED. AND ANOTHER COMPARISON, THE PROPERTY ON THE LEFT HAD A REBATE OF FORTY SEVEN HUNDRED, THEY HAD THEIR FOUNDATION REPAIRED AND THE REMOVAL AND ACCESSORY BUILDING VERSUS THE REBATE ON THE RIGHT OF NINETY SIX HUNDRED HAD FOUNDATION REPAIR, REPLACE WINDOWS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, SOFTEN FASCIA. THERE'S ALSO A RENTAL PROPERTY ON THE RIGHT. SO I HAVE THESE THESE FIVE ITEMS, ALSO A MEMBER OF THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE, I BELIEVE, WANTED TO TALK ABOUT RENTAL PROPERTIES, ALSO SHOULD HAVE ADDED THAT TO THE LIST. SO WITH THAT, MY PRESENTATION IS DONE IF THE COUNCIL HAS ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. BOLLINGER. I WAS JUST, CHECKING MY APPRAISAL NUMBER. I WAS LIKE HMM. [LAUGHTER] I'M STILL OUTSIDE THE LINE AND I'M NOT NECESSARILY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. BUT I UNDERSTAND. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MR. BOLLINGER, GREAT PRESENTATION THAT'S SOME GREAT NEWS AND SOME GREAT UPGRADES AROUND THE CITY, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. PERHAPS SOME MORE THAN OTHERS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PROGRAM START UP AGAIN AND MY PARTICULAR CONCERN IS MAKING SURE THAT THE WAIT LIST FOLKS GET TAKEN CARE OF FIRST, THEY DON'T HAVE TO REAPPLY OR DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IS THAT THE PLAN TO START WORKING THROUGH THE WAIT LIST? AND HOW MUCH OF THAT 250 WOULD THAT EAT UP? WELL, DO SOME QUICK MATH HERE, I WOULD ESTIMATE ON CURRENT TRENDS THAT THAT WOULD BE ABOUT NINETY FIVE THOUSAND SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE, WOULD GO TO THE WAITLIST, YEAH, THE IDEA WOULD BE I WOULD CONTACT THE WAITLIST FIRST THING, VERIFY THAT THEIR APPLICATIONS ARE STILL GOOD AND THEY STILL WANT TO PARTICIPATE AND ALL THAT. I THINK I HAVE ALREADY SORT OF PRE AUTHORIZED ALL OF THE WAITLIST ONES. THEY SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO, BUT I'LL PROBABLY CONTACT THEM ANYWAY JUST TO BE CERTAIN THEY'RE READY TO PARTICIPATE. AND THEN I WOULD PROMOTE IT CITYWIDE ONCE I TAKE CARE OF THE WAIT LIST. OK, GIVEN THE I MEAN, GIVEN THE POPULARITY OF THE PROGRAM, I GUESS IT ONLY TOOK A MONTH FOR IT. SO I DON'T REALLY FEEL THE NEED TO RAISE THE ELIGIBILITY NUMBER ABOVE ONE SEVENTY FIVE, I'M SORRY, MR. MAYOR. AND SO I THINK I'D BE INCLINED TO KEEP IT THERE OR EVEN MOVE IT DOWN OR POSSIBLY MOVE TO MAYBE MOVE TO A SYSTEM WHERE APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR SIXTY DAYS OR SOMETHING, AND THEN WE DO A LOTTERY OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT COUNCIL'S TEMPERATURE IS ON THAT BECAUSE WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO GET MORE APPLICATIONS THAN WE HAVE FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM. SO JUST A THOUGHT THERE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. COUNCIL LADY MORRIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YEAH, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN AUBIN, AND I THINK IT'S QUITE CLEAR THAT WE HAVE WAY MORE PEOPLE WANTING THIS THAN I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO LOOSEN ANYTHING OR MAKE IT MORE GENEROUS. WE'LL BE SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE FOOT WITH GETTING EVEN A BIGGER FLOOD. AND I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. I STILL HAVE CONCERNS THAT WELL, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. HOW MANY OF THE APPROVED PROJECTS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY DEALT WITH AND ONES ON THE WAIT LIST THAT YOU'VE TENTATIVELY APPROVED. HOW MANY OF THEM ARE RENTAL HOMES? OF THE APPROVED, THERE ARE FOUR. WELL, FOUR PLUS ONE, IT'S A LITTLE STRANGE, IT IS CURRENTLY A RENTAL PROPERTY, BUT THE OWNER IS GOING TO MOVE INTO IT. SO THAT'S IT'S KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAITLIST THERE'S ONLY ONE. OK. WELL, THEN I WILL MODERATE MY OBJECTIONS, I JUST BEING AN INVESTOR, BEING A LANDLORD, I JUST [INAUDIBLE] US, BASICALLY DISPLACING HOMEOWNERS FROM THIS PROGRAM [02:55:08] WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE RECEIVING AND AN INCOME FROM THESE HOMES. THAT BOTHERS ME. AND I WOULD PERSONALLY RATHER SEE HOMEOWNERS MAXING THIS OUT RATHER THAN INVESTORS, SINCE IT IS A TOTAL OF FIVE. I GUESS I'M LESS RABID ABOUT THAT. BUT DEPENDING ON HOW COUNCIL FEELS ABOUT THAT, I KNOW THE CONCEPT IS WE WANT TO MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK BETTER. AND THAT'S GREAT, BUT I STILL THINK WE SHOULD, AS A PROGRAM, SHOW A PREFERENCE FOR OWNER OCCUPIED PROPERTIES. I JUST FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE MORE PROPER. BUT WELL DONE. YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH THIS. AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO TO THIS BEING BROADCAST. I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO MY DISTRICT ABOUT IT, ALTHOUGH THERE ISN'T ANYTHING THEY CAN DO WITH IT RIGHT NOW. BUT I AM EXCITED ABOUT IT AND WORD WILL SPREAD, AS YOU SAID, ONCE ONE HOUSE DOES IT. THEY TELL THEIR FRIENDS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS IT'S NOT GOING TO SLOW DOWN. IT'S ONLY GOING TO SPEED UP. SO THANK YOU FOR THE JOB YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU MA'AM. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM VERA. WELL, I GUESS COUNCIL MEMBER MORRIS TOOK MY LITTLE WHOO HOO! WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY. BUT NEVERTHELESS, I DO LIKE TO HAVE HOMEOWNERS PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM, NOT RENTERS, NOT PEOPLE THAT ARE RENTING HOUSES, GETTING MONEY TO FIX THEIR HOUSES. AND I'M IN FAVOR OF THAT FOR ONLY HOME OWNERS THAT PAY IN TAXES AND HAVE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR AWHILE. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO SAY MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. OK, COUNCIL LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE CLEARED THE QUEUE ON THIS ITEM. I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, I AM EXCEPTIONALLY PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS OF THIS PROGRAM AND HOW IT HAS BEEN ADMINISTERED SO FAR. YOU KNOW, IT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT AND TALKED ABOUT AND TALKED ABOUT. AND MY FEAR WAS THAT AFTER ALL THAT TIME AND EFFORT, THAT IT WOULD DIE ON THE VINE. AND THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE, NOR DO I EVER SEE IT BEING THE CASE. SO, YOU KNOW WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE ANY NEED FOR, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY. TO GO BACK ONE STEP AS RENTAL VERSUS OWNER OCCUPIED, I KNOW WE'VE DISCUSSED THAT. AND YES, OBVIOUSLY THE PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO HOMEOWNERS. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER I ACTUALLY LOOK AT IS I'M HAPPY THAT FIVE RENTAL PROPERTY OWNERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE PROGRAM AND FIXING UP THEIR PROPERTIES, BECAUSE IN THE END, THAT IMPROVES THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT PUTS A BETTER HOUSE ON THE MARKET FOR SOMEBODY TO LIVE IN. SO I'M WILLING TO LET THAT GO AT THIS POINT. BUT AS FAR AS THE CONSIDERATIONS YOU'VE PUT FORWARD MR. BOLLINGER, I THINK OBVIOUSLY THE PROGRAM WORKS AND IS WORKING. SO I'M NOT REALLY INCLINED TO ADJUST ANY OF THE KNOBS AT THIS POINT. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE RENTAL THING BUT THAT'S SORT OF A DIFFERENT ISSUE. BUT I THINK COUNCIL, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OBJECTION, I SAY WE LET THIS THING GO THE WAY IT'S GOING AND REALLY TRY TO STAY OUT OF IT'S WAY MORE THAN ANYTHING, YOU KNOW. SO, MR. BOLLINGER, COUNCIL UNLESS THERE'S ANY OPPOSITION WE'LL SEND MR. BOLLINGER ON HIS WAY TO KEEP MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE SIR. YEAH, YEAH, THERE WE GO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU TO THE VERY TASTEFULLY NAMED SCOTT LEMAY. AW MR. BOLLINGER I CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON YOU TO PROVIDE THE ENTERTAINMENT. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, SIR, APPRECIATE IT. AND WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM FOUR F DOWNTOWN FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, PILOT [4F. Downtown Facade Improvement Program - Pilot Year Review and Proposed Amendments] YEAR REVIEW AND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. [03:00:02] SEEMS LIKE EVERY AGENDA TOPIC TONIGHT IS LIKE THREE SENTENCES LONG, IT TAKES, YOU KNOW. LETICIA HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? LONG TIME NO SEE. I KNOW THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YOU GUYS IN PERSON VIRTUALLY. SO GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL. AND TONIGHT, I'D LIKE TO REQUEST DIRECTION ON THE NEXT PHASE OF THE FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IN DOWNTOWN AND BEING THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA. I WILL TRY TO MAKE THIS AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE. SO JUST A BIT OF BACKGROUND [INAUDIBLE] IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. COUNCIL ESTABLISHED THIS POLICY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2018 AND CHARGED STAFF TO DEVELOP A COST SHARING PROGRAM WITH OWNERS OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT, PROJECTS RECEIVE UP TO 50 PERCENT OF ELIGIBLE COSTS FOR IMPROVING FACADES FACING PUBLIC STREETS IN THE PROGRAM AREA. AND JUST AS A REFRESHER, THAT ELIGIBLE AREA, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, IS BOUND BY WALNUT ON THE NORTH, THE SANTA FE LINE ON THE EAST, AVENUE A. ON THE SOUTH AND GLENBROOK ON THE WEST. AFTER ESTABLISHING THE PROGRAM GUIDELINES AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES, WE LAUNCHED THE PROGRAM IN JULY OF 2019 AND COMMITTED TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH A REPORT ON THE PILOT YEAR AND ANY PROPOSED CHANGES FOR THE PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO NOW FOR JUST A BIT OF SHOW AND TELL AND PRETTY PICTURES, I'D LIKE TO SHARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR FIRST TWO PROJECTS. OUR FIRST GRANT RECIPIENT TRANSFORMED ONE OF THE OLDEST BUILDINGS ON THE SQUARE THROUGH A DELICATE BALANCE OF OLD AND NEW, THE REHABILITATION OF THE IFF BUILDING KNOWN FOR OVER TWENTY FIVE YEARS AS MCGILLICUDDY'S ANTIQUES. BUT NOW THE SHIRLEY MAY WAS ACTUALLY NOMINATED AS A FINALIST IN THE TEXAS DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL AWARDS FOR BEST REHABILITATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OUR SECOND RECIPIENT UTILIZED THE GRANT TO ENHANCE FLOW AND SAFETY OF THEIR OUTDOOR PATIO SPACE, AND THEY ALSO CONTRIBUTED A VIBRANT INSTALLATION TO THE ART SCENE OF DOWNTOWN, WHICH IS SHOWCASED BOTH DAY AND NIGHT. SO WITH THESE TWO PROJECTS REIMBURSEMENTS UNDER THE PILOT, YEAR PROGRAM TOTAL EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN ENHANCING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO NOW I'D LIKE TO WALK THROUGH THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE POLICY GUIDING THE FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT. SO THESE PROPOSALS ARE LISTED IN ORDER BY WHICH THEY ARE ADDRESSED IN THE RESOLUTION. SO FIRST UP, STAFF RECOMMENDS THE TENANT OF A BUILDING SO A BUSINESS OWNER BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM. THIS MEANS THE PROPERTY OWNER WOULD CONSENT IN WRITING A WORK TO BE PERFORMED AND IN BENCHMARKING OUR PROGRAM AGAINST OTHERS THIS IS A COMMON PRACTICE. NEXT, AS THE PROGRAM STANDS TODAY, ELIGIBLE IMPROVEMENTS ARE LIMITED TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING, STAFF WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND EXPANDING THE PROGRAM TO INCLUDE GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT BRING A PROPERTY TO MARKETABLE STANDARDS. SO THIS RECOMMENDATION COMES FROM RESEARCH REQUESTED BY THE TIF BOARD OVER THE LAST YEAR. ELIGIBLE PROJECTS WOULD INCLUDE IMPROVING STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BUILDING THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO MARKET, SUCH AS SUBDIVIDING THE SPACE TO ACHIEVE MARKET DRIVEN SQUARE FOOTAGE AND ADDRESSING ADA ACCESSIBILITY, FOR EXAMPLE. ADDITIONALLY, WORK TO INTERIORS OR THE COST OF IMPROVEMENTS TO SATISFY CURRENT BUILDING FIRE OR OTHER CODE REQUIREMENTS WOULD ALSO BE ELIGIBLE. BUT PLEASE DO KEEP IN MIND ANY OF THESE EXPANDED ELIGIBLE IMPROVEMENTS DO HAVE TO REMAIN WITH THE BUILDING. NEXT, IN REGARDS TO WHICH FACADE IS ELIGIBLE FOR IMPROVEMENTS, STAFF WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT EACH SIDE OF THE BUILDING BE ELIGIBLE. SO PRIORITY WILL MAINTAIN FOCUS ON THAT FRONT FAÇADE WE DO HAVE AT LEAST THREE ALLEYS IN DOWNTOWN THAT DOUBLE AS PEDESTRIAN ALLEYS. AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE REALLY DOES CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONCEPT OF A THRIVING AND ACTIVE DISTRICT. AND LASTLY, THE POLICY CURRENTLY SUPPORTS SIGN AND AWNING ENHANCEMENTS ONLY WHEN THEY ARE PART OF A LARGER FAÇADE PROJECT. STAFF WOULD RECOMMEND CONSIDERING SIGN AND AWNING IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL AS REPLACEMENTS AS AN ELIGIBLE STANDALONE IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROGRAM. AT FIRST SIGN AN AWNING CAN HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON A BUSINESS STOREFRONT. AND OVER THE LAST YEAR WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD QUITE A BIT OF INTEREST REGARDING THIS TYPE OF WORK TIED TO THE PROGRAM. WE WOULD PROPOSE, THOUGH, THAT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT FUNDING FOR THOSE LARGER [03:05:04] SCALE PROJECTS THAT THESE STANDALONE PROJECTS BE LIMITED TO OR CAPPED AT A FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR REIMBURSEMENT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO I'D LIKE TO BRING UP JUST A FEW POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION WHEN EVALUATING THESE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, THE DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE REALLY HAS ESTABLISHED A VERY BALANCED APPROACH TO EVALUATING AND SCORING APPLICATIONS BASED ON THEIR ECONOMIC IMPACT AND HOW THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF THE DISTRICT. THE DDRC ALSO CONSIDERS THE HISTORIC INTEGRITY OF THE BUILDING VISUAL INTEREST EDITIONS OF PUBLIC ARTS AND STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS, SUCH AS A PROJECT THAT IS A TARGET BUSINESS. SO THIS WOULD BE YOUR LOCAL RETAIL OR RESTAURANT OR ENTERTAINMENT. ALSO, ANY WORK COMPLETED THROUGH PARTNERSHIP IN THIS PROGRAM MUST BE MAINTAINED FOR A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS. SO THIS WOULD STILL APPLY TO THOSE GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE PROPOSED AS WELL AS SIGN AN AWNING REPLACEMENTS. AND IN REGARDS TO FUNDING THESE RECOMMENDED CHANGES OR EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, IF YOU WILL, WOULD NOT REQUEST ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM IN LINE WITH THE TIF PROJECT AND FINANCING PLAN. THE FAÇADE PROGRAM HAS ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS DESIGNATED ANNUALLY THROUGH FY 23. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND COUNCIL WITH THAT, I AM HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, CARMEN IF YOU COULD UNSHARE THAT, ALTHOUGH THAT'S A MUCH BETTER THING TO LOOK AT AND THAN ALL OF US. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T SEE EVERYBODY WHEN WE'RE DOING THAT, SO. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? I DON'T SEE ANYBODY IN THE QUEUE. COUNCIL. YOU'VE SEEN THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND AS OPPOSED TO OUR LAST CASE WHERE I DIDN'T THINK WE NEEDED TO MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS. I THINK IN THIS ONE, I THINK THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS CERTAINLY ARE REASONABLE TO TRY TO EXPAND THIS PROGRAM, TO TRY TO GET THIS PROGRAM OUT TO INCREASE THE ELIGIBILITY TO IT. SO WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT WE DID THE FIRST TIME WE REVIEWED THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM. SO I KIND OF SEE US SORT OF IN THAT SAME SPOT. COUNCIL IS THERE ANY UNLESS THERE'S ANY OPPOSITION AND I DON'T SEE IT IN ANYBODY'S FACE, AS I WOULD SAY, COUNCIL WE WOULD MOVE FORWARD, STAFF MOVE FORWARD WITH MAKING THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU. AND WITH THAT, BRINGING US TO ITEM FIVE ANNOUNCE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. [5. Announce Future Agenda Items] IS THERE ANYONE WHO HAS A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS TO BRING FORWARD TONIGHT. I DON'T SEE ANYBODY JUMPING UP. THERE WE GO. COUNCIL MEMBER AUBIN. MUTE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE STAFF BRING FORWARD A I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS THE FORMER DAY LABOR CENTER AND WHAT OUGHT TO OCCUR WITH THAT, WHETHER WE OUGHT TO HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT TO DO WITH THAT BUILDING. AND I SEE A SECOND FROM MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH ON THAT. SO, YES. ANY IS THAT ALL, SIR? YES. THAT'S IT THANK YOU, MAYOR. ANY ONE ELSE WITH A FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, IF SOMETHING COMES UP AFTER TONIGHT, YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS FOR MOVING THOSE ITEMS. SO UNLESS THERE IS ANY MORE. IT IS 9:20 AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.