* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [2021 District 1 Update with Council Member Jeff Bass] [00:00:10] HELLO, AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER CITY COUNCIL UPDATE TODAY. WE'RE IN DISTRICT ONE WITH JEFF BASS. SO JEFF LET'S GET STARTED. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A FAST AND FURIOUS, UH, FIRST YEAR FOR YOU. HI, DOROTHY. THANK YOU. YES. UM, SO I WAS ELECTED EARLIER THIS YEAR IN MAY, UH, TO FILL AN UNEXPIRED TERM. AND SO MY FIRST ELECT TO TURN WILL LAST THROUGH MAY OF 2022. UH, WHEN, OF COURSE I WILL RUN AGAIN, UM, IN MY FIRST YEAR OF TERM IS TO FILL WITH A TERM VACATED BY THE HONORABLE DAVID GIVENS, UH, WHEN HE BECAME THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GARLAND HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, UM, WHICH THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF BENEFITS TO DAVID BEING IN THAT POSITION, WHICH IF ANYBODY WANTS TO DISCUSS, UH, JUST GIVE ME A CALL AND I'LL TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT. UM, BUT MY OBLIGATION IS TO REPRESENT THE CITIZENS OF DISTRICT ONE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY OF GARLAND. MY GOAL IS TO MAKE GARLAND A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE AND WORK IN PLAY. AND I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO BRING MY GOALS TO FRUITION. AND WE'RE STARTING WITH THE CELEBRATION WE JUST HAD AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS FOR US. THAT'S RIGHT. DO I THINK WE JUST CELEBRATED A GARLAND CHRISTMAS AT FIRE WHEEL? OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS TEMPORARILY MOVED BECAUSE WE HAVE BEGUN CONSTRUCTION ON OUR NEW DOWNTOWN SQUARE. UH, NOW, UM, THAT'S GOING TO BE SOME WAY ME INTO THE NEXT THING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE AND WHAT OTHER THINGS WERE RELATED TO THAT UM, WE ARE REMODELING REDEVELOPING OUR DOWNTOWN SQUARE TO MAKE IT AN AMENITY THAT ALL OF THE CITY OF GARLAND CAN BE PROUD OF. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT DURING CONSTRUCTION, THE BUSINESSES AROUND THE SQUARE WILL BE OPEN AND ROADS, NOT EVERY ROAD, BUT SOME ROADS WILL BE OPEN TO TRAFFIC AND THERE'S PARKING THERE'S EVEN A GARAGE PARKING NEAR DOWNTOWN. SO PLEASE COME OUT AND SEE OUR PROGRESS AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. LET'S START THOUGH, WHEN WE START GETTING INTO OTHER THINGS, UM, LET'S LOOK BACK AT, UM, ALMOST A YEAR AGO, A YEAR AGO, LAST FEBRUARY, THIS PAST FEBRUARY. UH, CAN I KIND OF HAD A ROUGH TIME FOR ALL OF US FOR ALL OF TEXAS, NOT JUST US. YES, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE WINTER STORM IN FEBRUARY, UM, REALLY DID EXPOSE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR ERCOT AND FOR GPL. AND, UM, SO ERCOT HAS MADE SOME CHANGES AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, NOBODY'S IN THERE FIT. SO IT'S, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THE BEST SYSTEM POSSIBLE, BUT WE ARE, WE ARE WORKING AT GPL IS WORKING IN OUR CARD, IS WORKING TOWARDS MAINLY, UH, BETTER COMMUNICATION AND TRYING TO DO WHAT WE CAN IN ERC, WHAT OUR KIDS ARE CAUGHT CAN TO KEEP THE THINGS LIKE THE FEBRUARY WINTER STOLEN FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. SO SOME THINGS ARE CAUGHT HAS DONE IS THEIR COMMUNICATION. THE COMMUNICATION NOW IS GOING TO BE MARKET PARTICIPANT FOCUSED AND MARKET PARTICIPANTS TO SOMEBODY WHO GETS ELECTRICITY FROM OUR COSTS, SUCH AS G P AND L. SO ERCOT HAS PROMISED NOT ONLY ARE THEIR COMMUNICATIONS GOING TO BE FOCUSED TOWARDS GP AND L AND OTHERS LIKE THAT, BUT ALSO THAT, UM, THEIR GP NOW WILL BE NOTIFIED BEFORE OR CAUGHT. IT MAKES BRIEFINGS AND GPL WILL BE INVITED TO THOSE BRIEFINGS, WHICH BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THOSE THINGS DID NOT HAPPEN BEFORE. CRAZY AS THAT MAY SEEM. SO THOSE ARE SOME CHANGES THAT ARE COST DONE. UM, ALSO THE COMMUNICATION IS GOING TO BE IN LAYMAN'S TERMS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU AND ME TO UNDERSTAND SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A DICTIONARY EXCELLENT. WHEN READING THESE COMMUNICATIONS. AND THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT GPL HAS PROMISED IS THAT THE COMMUNICATION IS GOING TO BE IN, IN LAYMAN'S TERMS. UM, OTHER THINGS GPL HAS DONE, AND THIS IS WHERE P AND L IS SUCH A BENEFIT TO THE, TO THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND. IT IS, IT IS A MINISTRY OF SOMETHING THAT WE ALL OWN. WE'RE ALL A PART OF IT. WE ARE THE CUSTOMERS, WE ARE THE OWNERS. UM, THEY DON'T ANSWER TO SHAREHOLDERS. THEY ANSWER TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. I MEAN, THE, AND THAT, THAT IS WHAT CREATES SUCH A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH G P AND L. THAT IS WHY, AND GPL CAN OFFER LOWER RATES. THAT'S WHY P AND L HAS THE BEST RECORD OF, UH, ANSWERING TO OUTAGES AND, AND NOT HAVING OUTAGES IN THE STATE. I MEAN, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT GPL IS HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE OTHER COMPANIES ON HIM SOMETHING'S CHEAP. AND I WAS DOING TO IMPROVE, UM, THINGS THAT WE LEARNED DURING THE FEBRUARY STORM IS, UM, LIKE I MENTIONED, UH, COMMUNICATION IS GONNA BE MADE IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, BUT ALSO COORDINATION BETWEEN GP AND L AND THE CITY'S PUBLIC, UH, PUBLIC MEDIA RELATIONS STAFF, UM, COORDINATING THOSE TWO TOGETHER IS GOING TO HELP COMMUNICATION GET OUT BETTER TO YOU. ALSO, UM, ONE THING GP NOW IS DOING IS THE [00:05:01] FEEDERS, WHICH IS BASICALLY HOW THE POWER IS DIVIDED UP AND WHERE IT GOES TO THEY'RE BALANCING THOSE BETTER. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, AS THE CITY GROWS, IT DOESN'T GROW EVENLY. IT GROWS IN SPURTS AND FITS. SO GP NOW IS GOING BACK IN AND LOOKING AT ALL OF THE THEATERS, ALL OF THE LINES AND TRYING TO BALANCE THE LOAD ON THOSE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE SITUATIONS WHERE ONE AREA IS GETTING OVERWHELMED AND ANOTHER AREA IS NOT. AND ALSO GPS IS GOING TO, UM, BASICALLY CHANGE THE WAY THOSE ARE CONTROLLED, UH, TO HAVE BE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE ROLLING BLACKOUTS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE IT MORE FAIR FOR EVERYBODY, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO HAVE. UM, ALSO AS FAR AS COMMUNICATION GOES, A GP AND I WAS LOOKING AT HAVING A CERTAIN PARTY CALL CENTER HEALTH WHEN THEIR CALL CENTERS OVERWHELMED. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT HAVING, UM, THE CALL CENTER STAFF BE ABLE TO WORK REMOTELY AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN'T GET OUT, THEY CAN'T GET OUT, BUT IF THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO WORK REMOTELY GOING TO BETTER HELP WITH COMMUNICATION FOR YOU AND, UH, NORTH ELENA LETS YOU HINT A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO AND WHERE THEY SHOULD GO TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE BEST COMMUNICATION THEY CAN FROM. YEAH. I WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THE INFORMATION WE'RE PUSHING OUT, WE ALWAYS PUSH OUT OUR INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA. UM, AND, AND WE ARE, WE HAVE ALWAYS WORKED WELL WITH G P AND L, BUT WE'RE DOING THINGS MORE PRECISELY WITH, UM, MORE, MORE INTENTIONAL AS FAR AS WHERE THINGS ARE PUSHED OUT AND HOW THEY'RE PUSHED OUT. AND OUR INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BUT THE FIRST PLACE WE POST THINGS IS TO THE WEBSITE. SO I WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT IF SOMETHING'S GOING ON TO CHECK THE CITIES OR G P AND L'S WEBSITE OR BOTH, UM, IN A SIGNIFICANT SITUATION, SUCH AS WE HAD BACK IN FEBRUARY, IT WILL BE ON BOTH IN MORE LOCALIZED SHORT-TERM SITUATIONS. YOUR POWER INFORMATION WILL BE ON GARLAND POWER IN LIGHTS WEBSITE. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY WANT TO PUSH IS HAVING PEOPLE SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS FROM THE CITY THERE'S ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE, GARLAND, TX.GOV. THERE ARE TWO BUTTONS I WANT YOU TO LOOK FOR. THERE'S A GREEN ONE THAT SAYS, NOTIFY ME. IF YOU CLICK ON THAT, YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEWS RELEASES, E-NEWSLETTERS ALERT NOTIFICATIONS. AND SO ON THAT COME PRIMARILY BY EMAIL. UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO A RED BUTTON THAT'S CALLED ALERTS. AND THAT IS OUR GARLAND ALERT SYSTEM. SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE RECALLED THAT BEING CALLED CODE RED IN THE PAST, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU GET THOSE URGENT TIME SENSITIVE EMERGENCY TYPE NOTIFICATIONS. UM, AND YOU CAN RECEIVE THOSE BF VIA PHONE, TEXT AND OR EMAIL. UM, AND SO THOSE ARE THE THAT'S WHERE WE WILL PUSH THINGS OUT. LIKE WE KNOW WE'RE ABOUT TO GET INTO A CONSERVATION SITUATION FOR POWER OR OTHER EMERGENCY AND URGENT TYPE MESSAGES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH THOSE ALERTS, UH, IN THE, IN THE FUTURE AS WELL IS IF WE KNOW WE'VE GOT SEVERE WEATHER COMING, INCLUDING ICE AND SNOW STORMS OR DURING, YOU KNOW, THE SPRING THINGS THAT WE'VE GOT COMING. IF WE KNOW WE'VE GOT THAT COMING AND IT'S LOOKING LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANT, WE'LL BE PUSHING OUT PREPARATION TYPE MESSAGING ON THE GARLAND ALERT SYSTEM, AS WELL AS ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SUBSCRIBE THE GREEN NOTIFIED ME BUTTON, THE RED ALERTS BUTTON. THOSE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT PLACES FOR YOU TO SIGN UP, TO RECEIVE THOSE NOTIFICATIONS. THOSE WILL GET TO YOU FIRST ON SOCIAL MEDIA YOU'RE DEPENDING ON THOSE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND THEIR ALGORITHMS, WE CAN'T CONTROL THAT THE OTHER PLATFORMS OR PLATFORMS SO WE CAN PROACTIVELY PUSH ON AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THOSE NOTIFICATIONS. AWESOME. THANK YOU, DOROTHY. WELL, THE NEXT THING I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IS OUR STREETS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY, REALLY WANT GARLANDS TO MOVE TOWARD THE FUTURE AND THE, YOUR CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF HAS REALIZED THAT AND SO MUCH SO THAT OUR STREET REPAIR BUDGET EIGHT YEARS AGO WAS $10 MILLION. NOW IT'S $30 MILLION. SO WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE GARLAND A PLACE WHERE YOU WANT TO DRIVE YOUR CAR. AND, YOU KNOW, CAUSE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DRIVE YOUR CAR HERE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO LIVE HERE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO WORK HERE. AND YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO DRIVE HERE FROM ANOTHER CITY TO SPEND YOUR SUSPEND YOUR TAX DOLLARS IN OUR CITY. SO WE ARE DEDICATED TO MAKING OUR STREETS, UH, SAFER TO DRIVE IN MORE HOSPITABLE TO DRIVE ON. UM, WE HAVE ALSO WE'VE AMENDED OUR SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM. WE STARTED A SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM, UM, WHERE THE CITY WILL PAY HALF OF WHAT IT COSTS TO REPLACE THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF YOUR HOUSE. AND THAT REALLY WASN'T UTILIZED AS MUCH IT WAS AS WAS ANTICIPATED. SO WE'VE ADDED SOME OTHER LAYERS ONTO THAT TO HELP DISCOUNT THAT EVEN FURTHER. AND YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION ABOUT [00:10:01] THAT JUST AGAIN, ON THE GARLAND CITY WEBSITES AND AMAZING WEBSITE, JUST GO THERE AND TYPE IN SIDEWALK REPAIR. IT'LL PULL IT UP FOR YOU AND YOU'LL SEE THE DIFFERENT DISCOUNTS WE OFFER FOR THAT. UM, IT'S ALSO ONE THING WE'RE DOING IS WE ARE RECONSTRUCTING RAILROAD CROSSINGS, AND ONE THAT'S BEEN DONE. IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AS A BUCKINGHAM ROAD AND LAVONNE, AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE WAY THE RAILROAD CROSSING IS THE WAY THE ROAD MEETS. THE RAILROAD CROSSING IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE HAD BEFORE AND IT'S DESIGNED SO THAT WHEN IT DOES WEAR OUT, IT'S EASIER TO REPLACE. UM, I CAN'T REALLY GO INTO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THAT'S INVOLVED IN IT, BUT IT'S DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND IT'S DESIGNED SO THAT WHEN IT DOES NEED TO BE REPLACED, IT'S EASIER TO REPLACE COSTS, LESS MONEY TAKES LESS TIME, THAT KIND OF THING. SO GO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND BUCKINGHAM AND 78, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S COMING TO THEM. MANY OF OUR, UH, HIGHLY USED RAILROAD CROSSES, UM, ALSO RELATED TO THE STREETS WE ARE, UM, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, OUR $423 MILLION BOND PROGRAM, WHICH THE CITIZENS PASSED IN 2019. THOSE PROJECTS ARE STARTING TO COME TO FRUITION. AND ONE OF THEM IS, UM, TECHNICALLY DISTRICT EIGHT, BUT IT'S RIGHT ON THE BORDER OF DISTRICT ONE HERE. SO I KNOW YOU GUYS CARE ABOUT IT AND THAT IS NAME AND SCHOOL ROAD RECONSTRUCTION FROM BRAND TO LAVONNE. YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S A CUTE, QUAINT LITTLE ROAD THE WAY IT IS, BUT WE DON'T LIVE OUT IN THE COUNTRY AND THAT ROAD NEEDS A LOT OF WORK. SO IT'S GOING TO BE EXPANDED TO TWO LANE DIVIDED ROAD AND IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE THE CONSTRUCTION'S GOING ON, OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF A HEADACHE, BUT ONCE IT'S COMPLETED, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SO PLEASED WITH THAT. UM, AND ALSO ON THE CONTINUING ONTO BOND PROGRAM PROJECTS, WE HAVE ANOTHER STREET. ONE IS GOING TO BE THE EXPANSION OF HOLFORD ROAD, GOING ALL THE WAY FROM CAMPBELL TO ARAPAHO. AND THAT'S SUCH A BIG PROJECT IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE DONE IN THREE PHASES. AND THAT IS, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH A ROAD COSTS, IT'S $22 MILLION PROJECT. UM, AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S SUCH A BIG PROJECT. IT'S GOING TO BE DONE IN THREE PHASES. AND NOW THAT ONE HASN'T STARTED YET, BUT IT'S ON THE BOOKS AND IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND, YOU KNOW, AND PART OF BEING ON COUNCIL, IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE APPROVED DO COME TO FRUITION AND THEY DO HAPPEN. WE DO GET THEM DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR TO BE YOUR VOICE, TO MAKE SURE THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. UM, ALSO OTHER BOND PROGRAM UPDATES, WE HAVE OUR ANIMAL SHELTER. UH, OUR, OUR CURRENT ANIMAL SHELTER IS ONLY ABOUT 70 YEARS OLD. SO, YOU KNOW, ANIMAL SHELTERS REALLY SERVE A DIFFERENT PURPOSE TODAY THAN THEY DID, YOU KNOW, IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES. SO WE HAVE A, A BRAND NEW, AMAZING ANIMAL SHELTER OPENING ON HIGHWAY 66, JUST WEST OF CENTER AT ALL. AND THAT SHOULD BE OPENING VERY SOON. AND, UH, SO IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I WILL BE POSTING ABOUT THAT. WE WILL BE POSTING MORE ABOUT THAT AS WE GET CLOSER TO THAT HAPPEN. AND OF COURSE YOU CAN ALSO CHECK ON THE UPDATES SO THAT YOU CAN CHECK OUT, UM, UPDATES OF ANY OF OUR BOND PROJECTS@BUILDGARLAND.COM. ANOTHER THING WE HAVE WITH OUR MONITOR, UH, PROGRAM THAT'S BENEFICIAL IN THE ENTIRE CITY, THERE'S A NEW POLICE EVIDENCE BUILDING. I MEAN, THE ROOM THEY HAVE NOW IS REALLY PRETTY, PRETTY MUCH LIKE A CLOSET, NOT EVEN NECESSARILY ONE, YOU'D BE PROUD TO HAVE YOUR HALF. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LONG TIME COMING AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LAWS INVOLVED IN POLICE EVIDENCE AND HOLDING ONTO IT AND SUCH, AND WE DIDN'T, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE STAYING AGGRESSIVE, UH, YOU KNOW, CURRENT POLICIES AND GUIDELINES. SO OUR POLICE EVIDENCE BUILDING IS, UH, WAS ACTUALLY THE PROJECT THAT PROMPTED THAT $423 MILLION, UH, 2019 BOND. SO, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S GOING TO BE STARTING PRETTY SOON. UM, ALSO ANOTHER BIG THING RELATED TO OUR BOND, UH, PROJECT IS GOING TO BE THE RELOCATION OF THREE FIRE STATIONS. UH, CURRENTLY IN DISTRICT ONE, WE HAVE STATION SEVEN STATION 10. AND IF YOU'VE SEEN STATION 10 AT SIX UPON THE HILL THERE ABOUT FIREWALL GOLF COURSE, AND THEY JUST, THE MOST AMAZING VIEWS THEY HAVE THERE. UM, AT STATION SEVEN IS A LITTLE BIT OLDER. UM, IT'S GOING TO BE MOVING, IT'S GOING TO STAY IN DISTRICT ONE. AND THEN ALSO STATION SIX, WHICH IS CURRENTLY ON HOLFORD ROAD IN DISTRICT SEVEN. IT WILL BE MOVING TO DISTRICT ONE AS WELL. AND THERE'S ALREADY A SIGN UP, UM, FOR WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE, UH, GEORGE BUSH AND CAMPBELL. SO IT'S NOT THERE YET. HAVEN'T HAD A GROUNDBREAKING YET, BUT THERE WAS A SONG THERE. SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT THIS. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE LOCATIONS OF THESE FIRE STATIONS ARE NOT GUIDED BY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, THEY'RE GUIDED BY BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN, UH, EXCELLENT RESPONSE AT TIMES TO VARIOUS PARTS OF TOWN. THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH, THAT'S GREAT. SO OUR, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT GARLIN FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS, THERE'S A RATING SERVICE CALLED UH, IF I MISQUOTED, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED ISO, BUT OUR RATING IS THE TOP 0.7% OF 1% OF ALL FIRE STATIONS IN THE NATION. THAT'S HOW GOOD OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT [00:15:01] IS. AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS RESPONSE TIME. SO YEAH, THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FIRE STATION, RELOCATIONS AREN'T AMBIGUOUS, THEY ARE VERY WELL PLANNED OUT SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR GREAT RESPONSE TIMES AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND. UM, I JUST DIDN'T WANT ANYBODY TO THINK THAT SOMEHOW DISTRICT ONE WAS GETTING SPECIAL TREATMENT. UM, IT'S JUST, THEY'RE GOING, YOU KNOW, THE FIRE STATIONS ARE GOING WHERE THE, WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE AND WHERE THEY HAVE TO MAINTAIN THOSE SAME RESPONSE TIMES. SO, YEAH, WE'RE JUST GETTING LUCKY THAT WHEN I WAS MOVING DOWN THE STREET AND THAT HAPPENS TO BE CROSSING THE BORDER. YEAH. OKAY. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT, THERE WAS SOME EXTRA FUNDING THAT CAME, UH, TO US THIS YEAR. UM, THE ARPA FUNDS AND I'M FOREVER GET THAT, BUT WHAT ARE THE STAINS FOR ME? UM, IT'S A RICO IT'S RECOVERY FUNDS, IT'S THE AMERICAN RECOVERY, THE AMERICAN RECOVERY SOMETHING ACT. UM, BASICALLY. SO, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS DISTRIBUTED FUNDS AND THE GARLAND HAD THE DISTINCT BLESSING OF GETTING $53.5 MILLION. UM, AND WE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF PROJECTS. WE LOOKED THROUGH, UM, PROJECTS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY ON THE 2019 BOND, UH, THAT DIDN'T QUITE MAKE THE CUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE HONORABLE MENTION PROJECTS. WE LOOKED AT NEW PROJECTS COMING ON BOARD. AND, UM, WE ALSO A BIG THING WE LOOKED AT, UM, CAUSE OF COURSE, I MEAN, WE ALL, WE'VE ALL FELT INFLATION OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF OR SO. AND YOU KNOW, THOSE BOND PROJECTS THAT WERE APPROVED IN 2019, THEY'VE ALSO FELT THE EFFECTS OF INFLATION. SO, UM, ACTUALLY $22 MILLION OF THAT 53 MILLION, WE HAVE SET ASIDE FOR, UM, IT WAS CALLED THE SCOPE ADDITION BASICALLY IN TO TAKE CARE OF INFLATION FOR OUR BOND PROJECTS. BECAUSE ONE THING WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE CITIZENS APPROVED SOMETHING IN 2019 AND WE SAY, IT'S GOING TO COST WHATEVER 12 MILLION. WELL, THEN WE START ON THAT PROJECT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS LATER, ALL OF A SUDDEN IT COST 15 MILLION. WE DON'T WANT TO GO IN AND CUT DOWN QUALITY OF THAT PROJECT. WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GIVE THE CITIZENS WHAT THEY VOTED FOR. SO WE HAVE SET ASIDE A LITTLE LESS THAN HALF OF THOSE ARPA FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THE CITIZENS WHAT THEY VOTED FOR. AND YOU DON'T END THE DOWNTOWN, UH, GARLAND PROJECT TO ACTUALLY REBUILDING THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE WITH THE SAME THING. WE HAD TO PROVE AN ADDITIONAL I'VE TOLD ME THAT I DON'T REMEMBER IT WAS A HUGE NUMBER. I MEAN, IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE A 40% INCREASE IN COST. UM, AND YOU KNOW, AND WE, WE VOTED ON IT. WE DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GIVE THE CITIZENS WHAT THEY WANT. WE WANT TO GIVE THE CITIZENS WHAT THEY APPROVE. WE WILL, WE DON'T WANT THEM DISAPPOINTED. SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO DO IT. UM, AND YOU KNOW, AND THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE THE, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THE PHONES AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THE BACKING, THE CITIZENS, UM, WE DON'T, WE DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY. YOU KNOW, W WE WANT TO BE A GOOD STEWARD OF, OF WHAT'S GIVEN TO US. WE WENT TO BE A GOOD STEWARD OF OUR MONEY AND, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY ON SOME OF THESE BOND PROJECTS, WE LOOK AT WHAT THE FUTURE COSTS ARE, WHAT THOSE MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE ON THOSE THINGS. UM, YOU KNOW, AND SO, BUT UNDER A LITTLE BIT, SO WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, SORRY, I GET OFF ON A TANGENT THAT I CAN JUST GO. UM, SO OUR, OUR FUNDS, UM, ACTUALLY I SAID 22 LANES, 32 MILLION OF OUR FUNDS SET ASIDE FOR THE BOND SCOPES, A BOND PROJECT SCOPES, UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN DISTRICT ONE, THOUGH, WE HAVE, UH, NORTH GARLAND LIBRARY RENOVATIONS AND, UM, THE TENNIS WAS TENNIS FACILITY AT TUCKER BELL PARK. THAT'S JUST GOING TO BE AMAZING. UM, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT WHAT AN AMENITY THAT'S GOING TO BE, UH, ONCE IT'S COMPLETED AND THE WAY IT'S BEING DESIGNED, WE CAN, IT'S BEING DESIGNED FOR EXPANSION AS WELL. SO AS TIME PROGRESSES, WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW, UH, YOU KNOW, GROW, UH, MORE TENNIS COURTS THERE, CRICKET COURTS, PICKLEBALL COURTS, OR WHATEVER THE FUTURE MAY HOLD. UM, THAT'S BEING DESIGNED WITH THE FUTURE IN MIND, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE JUST ONE HECK OF AN ASSET. UM, HAVING THAT, UH, TENNIS FACILITY. I TALKED TO HER, I KNOW SOME OTHER, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT GROWTH, YOU KNOW, GARLAND'S ALMOST BUILT OUT YET. WE'RE STILL GETTING ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH AS WELL, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT. YES, WE ARE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DO LOOK, IF WE LOOK AT GARLAND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE GREENSPACE INDUSTRY WON. I MEAN, JUST LIKE OTHER CITIES THAT GROWS OUT IN DISTRICT ONE IS ON THE OUTSIDE, WE'RE ON THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN BOUNDARIES APARTMENT. SO THAT IS WHERE THE GREEN SPACE IS. UM, AND WE HAVE THE AMENITY OF HAVING A FIRE WHEEL TOWN CENTER, WHICH OF COURSE IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PRIVATE MALL THERE, BUT THAT IS A FOCAL POINT FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND. AND, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF LAND AROUND THAT THAT'S BEING CURRENTLY DEVELOPED MULTIFAMILY, SINGLE FAMILY, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO THE EAST OF FIRE WHEEL. THERE ARE, UM, MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL IS GOING IN, APARTMENT COMPLEX IS GOING IN AND THAT'S GOING TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO FIREWALL TALENT CENTER. SO THOSE PEOPLE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO GET IN THE CAR TO DRIVE, [00:20:01] TO GO WHATEVER, HAVE DINNER, OR, YOU KNOW, GET A SNACK OR SOMETHING OR GO SHOPPING. SO THAT'S REALLY NICE. AND THEN JUST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF FIRE, WE'LL GO INTO THE GARLANDS ACTUALLY BORDER. WE HAVE BUNKER HILL AND THE BUNKER HILL DEVELOPMENT IS IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING. UM, THERE ARE, THERE'S ONE SUBDIVISION THERE NOW OF SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES. AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE THAT'S JUST ABOUT TO START GOING DOWN AND WE'VE ALREADY APPROVED IT ON COUNCIL. AND THEN THE REST OF THE AREA IS, UM, THE LAND OWNERS ARE, ARE COMING TOGETHER IN WORKING THE DEVELOPMENT OF IT ALONGSIDE THE CITY SO THAT IT CAN BE ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL, COHESIVE COMMUNITY. IT'S GOING TO HAVE AMENITIES. IT'S GOING TO HAVE PARKS AND TRAIL SYSTEMS THAT TIE INTO OUR REGIONAL TRAIL SYSTEM. IT'S GOING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T EVEN KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING TO HAVE IN IT. UM, IT'S, IT'S IN THE FUTURE. THE DEVELOPER HAS A DESIGNERS THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH AND THEY'RE SHOWING PROJECTS TO US AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE FEEDBACK AND THE CITY CITY STAFF GIVES FEEDBACK. AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, THERE'S GOING TO BE EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING UP THERE AND WHAT, WHATEVER DEVELOPS IS GOING TO BE VERY IMPRESSIVE. AND YOU'RE GONNA BE HAPPY TO HAVE THAT AS AN AMENITY HERE IN GARLAND. UM, YOU KNOW, JUST AS FAR AS THE BUNKER HILL DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S THE ONLY THING REALLY SET IN STONE RIGHT NOW IS THAT ALL OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE WORKING WITH THE SAME DEVELOPER AND THEY'VE GOT A DESIGNER DESIGNING SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR US. SO, AND THEN AS SOON AS IT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN PRESENT AND SHOW THAT, OF COURSE I WILL. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. NOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT GREEN SPACE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING GREEN SPACE TO DEVELOP, BUT ALSO HAVING GREEN SPACE TO ENJOY. AND I KNOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THOSE DEVELOPERS, CREATING PARKS AND TRAILS THAT WOULD TIE INTO OUR TRAIL SYSTEM. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, OF IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS TO OUR OWN PARKS AND TRAIL SYSTEMS. CAUSE THAT OUTDOOR ACTIVITY, THAT GREEN SPACE IS IMPORTANT FOR US FOR QUALITY OF LIFE. ABSOLUTELY. YES. AND YOU KNOW, AND THAT, AND THAT'S PART OF WHERE, YOU KNOW, GARLIN AND ONE GIRL, AND TO BE A PLACE TO PLAY AND, YOU KNOW, PARKS AND TRAILS ARE AMAZING BECAUSE COMPARED TO OTHER AMENITIES THEY'RE LESS EXPENSIVE TO BUILD AND THEY'RE LESS EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN. SO FROM THE CITY BUDGET STANDPOINT, THEY'RE GREAT. AND FROM THE CITIZENS' STANDPOINT, THEY'RE GREAT TOO, BECAUSE THEY'RE FREE TO GO TO YOUR INKY. YOU GET TO BE OUTSIDE, YOU GET TO LET THE KIDS RUN AROUND AND EXHAUST THEMSELVES, GET TO TAKE A TRIP, TAKE A HIKE IN NATURE. I MEAN, IT'S JUST PARKS AND TRAILS ARE THE BIGGEST WIN-WIN SITUATION THERE IS. AND SOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED RECENTLY, UM, WE HAVE THE, UM, WINTER'S PARK, UH, SPRING CREEK GREENBELT TRAIL, WHICH HAS A VERY WIDE TRAIL. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL TRAIL SYSTEM. UM, IN DISTRICT ONE, THE ONE 11 RANCH PLAYGROUND. UM, IT'S GOT, UH, REPAIRS TO THE BRIDGE THERE. WE, UH, AND IT'S GOT A LITTLE, SOME WORK DONE ON THE PLAYGROUND AREA. UM, WE HAVE A NEW PARK, UM, BOB HALL PARK, UM, IN, UH, NORTH LAKE SUBDIVISION. THAT'S A REAL PARK AND THERE'S IN DISTRICT ONE. THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL AREA. UM, COMING SOON, WE HAVE THE, UM, GARLAND AVENUE UNDERPASS TRAIL. SO THIS IS OVER THERE, UH, JUST NORTH OF HAWAIIAN FALLS. CAN I GET MY DIRECTIONS STRAIGHT HERE BETWEEN THE ONE IN ACADEMY? THERE THERE'S A BRIDGE RIGHT THERE. RIGHT? WELL, THERE'S A TRAIL SYSTEM DOWN THERE, BUT IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT CONNECTED TO THE FRONT OF THE BRIDGE. AND, UM, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THAT'S MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT JUST TO GET THEM THROUGH THERE. SO THIS STUFF'S NOT CHEAP. AND SO IT'S NOT DONE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOTTA BE PLANNED, IT'S GOTTA BE DONE APPROPRIATELY. UM, BUT THAT'S IN THE, UM, THAT'S IN THE STAGES NOW WHERE WORK IS SET TO BEGIN IN JANUARY, 2022. SO THAT'S RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. AND THEN EVEN UPCOMING, SHORTLY AFTER THAT, WE HAVE THE NAME OF FOREST TRAIL CONNECTION. THAT'S A DALLAS COUNTY SUPPORTED PROJECT AND THAT'S A WEIGHTING OF PROJECT SPECIFIC AGREEMENT AND THAT'S ANTICIPATED THE DESIGN WAS GOING TO START IN FEBRUARY, 2022 ON THAT ONE. SO WE'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF GOOD PARKS AND TRAIL SYSTEMS COMING UP TOO. UM, AND, UH, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, RELATED TO AMENITIES IN THE CITY, UM, WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING WHICH IS NOT TECHNICALLY PART OF THE CITY OF GIS D OKAY. SO WE HAVE, I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN THE GIS D NATATORIUM, WHICH OPENED A YEAR AGO OFFICIALLY HAD ITS GRAND OPENING IN OCTOBER OF 2021. UM, BUT THE GIS DEAN EDITORIAL, YOU KNOW, IT IS, UM, IT'S MAINTAINED A MANAGER RUN BY, GISP NOT BY THE CITY. AND OF COURSE I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT. THE CITY HAS NO CONTROL GROUP, BUT IT IS AN AMENITY. AND IT'S THERE FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SWIM TEAMS FOR THIS, FOR THE SCHOOLS IN GIS NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, UM, IT PROVIDES AN ECONOMIC BOOST [00:25:01] TO THE CITY BECAUSE IT HOSTS, SWIM MEETS AND WATER POLO MATCHES AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THESE PEOPLE COME, THEY NEED TO STAY IN HOTELS. THEY NEED TO EAT OUT. THEY WANT TO GO SHOPPING. SO PROVIDES A GREAT ECONOMIC BOOST. AND ALSO FOR, UM, FOR OUR KIDS, IT PROVIDES A SAFETY FACTOR AS WELL. WE HAVE IN THE JSD HAS IN THE CURRICULUM FOR SECOND GRADERS. PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM IS POOL SAFETY. AND THE KIDS ACTUALLY GO TO THE MANDATORY AND PRACTICE POOL SAFETY THEY'RE HANDS-ON. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, A GUARANTEE IT'S GOING TO SAVE A LIFE, YOU KNOW? AND SO JUST TO HAVE THE, HAVE THE FORESIGHT AND THE THOUGHT FOR THEM TO COME UP WITH THAT AND MAKE THAT A PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM IS JUST, IT'S AMAZING. AND IT'S, IT'S LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT. AND MY GARLAND'S SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO BE WELL. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO TOUCH BASE ON TOO, BEFORE WE WRAP UP IS, UH, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT THE, THE, THE CHANGING BALANCE OF POPULATION AND GARLAND AND THE COUNCIL JUST RECENTLY REDREW SOME OF OUR COUNCIL DISTRICT LINES TO MAINTAIN THAT BALANCE. TALK ABOUT THAT. YES. SO, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, GARLAND AND DISTRICT ONE IS WHERE A LOT OF GROWTH IS HAPPENING. SO WHEN WE DO REDISTRICTING, UM, WHEN WE DID REDISTRICTING IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THAT BALANCE WITH EACH DISTRICT POPULATION, DISTRICT ONE WILL BE SHRINKING GEOGRAPH. SO, UM, THAT'S GOING TO BE THE AREA THAT'S SOUTH OF CASTLE, NORTH OF HIGHWAY 66 AND EAST OF COUNTRY CLUB IN WEST OF CENTERVILLE. SO THAT SMALL AREA THERE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE GOING TO DISTRICT TWO. AND SO RIGHT NOW THAT'S A REPRESENTATIVE BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER D UH, REMORSE. AND SO THEY'LL HAVE A REALLY GOOD REPRESENTATION. UM, BUT OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, AS COUNCIL, WE ALL WORK TOGETHER AND IF ANYBODY THERE HAS A QUESTION OR A NEED OR A CONCERN OR WHATEVER, THEY'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO CONTACT ME AS WELL. BUT YES, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR VOTING PURPOSES, THAT AREA, WE'LL BE MOVING TO DISTRICT TWO FROM DISTRICT ONE. OKAY. WELL, AND I KNOW THAT ALL YOUR, YOUR RIDE, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS DO ALL WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITIZENS GET THE INFORMATION AND THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO ACCESS, YOU KNOW? UM, SO THAT'S ALWAYS A GOOD THING. Y'ALL ARE NOT A TERRITORIAL BUNCH. NO. WELL, UM, COUNCILMAN BASS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TODAY'S UPDATE. IS THERE ANY LAST WORDS YOU WANT TO LEAVE EVERYBODY WITH? YES. DOROTHY, THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE THE TRUST OF THE CITIZENS OF DISTRICT ONE IN GARLAND. WE'RE BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH OUTSTANDING CITY STAFF AND COLLEAGUES ON COUNCIL WHO ARE GOOD STEWARDS TO OUR TAXPAYERS. I PROMISE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE FUTURE AND AN EYE ON, WE MUST CAPITALIZE ON OUR ASSETS AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS FOR OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE. OUR GREENSPACE TRAILS PARTS AND THE ACCESS TO AMENITIES. I'M ALWAYS HERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR INPUT AND CONCERNS, AND I CANNOT PROMISE TO ALWAYS MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY, BUT I WILL ALWAYS ANSWER EMAILS AND RETURNING PHONE CALLS OR LISTEN WITH A CONCERN TO HEAR AND DO MY BEST TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS. AND ANYONE CAN REACH ME BY PHONE OR TEXT AT (469) 831-5620. AND I'M ALWAYS AVAILABLE BY EMAIL AT J BASS AT GARLAND, TX.GOV. ALRIGHTY, THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU ALL FOR WATCHING AND WE'LL SEE YOU FOR ANOTHER COUNCIL UPDATE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.