[00:00:13] GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 6TH 2022 WORK SESSION FOR THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL. AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A VERY BUSY EVENING AHEAD OF US WITH MULTIPLE TYPES OF MEETINGS , SO WE WILL HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE WORK SESSION AND THE EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM BEFORE BEGINNING THE REGULAR SESSION. WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES TIME WISE AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A FOUNDATION MEETING AFTER THE REGULAR SESSION, SO WE'RE GOING TO BE KIND OF IN AND OUT. [1. Public Comments on Work Session Items] ALL RIGHT. ALL THAT BEING SAID, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA ITEM. ONE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON WORK SESSION ITEMS MOST SECRETARY DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKER SIGNED UP FOR THIS EVENING? IS MR GARCIA PRESENT. I CAN'T. I'M SORRY. I JUST CAN'T SEE HIM PAST ALL THE CHAIRS. OKAY MR. GARCIA, IF YOU COME FORWARD, PLEASE. AND YOU CAN GIVE THE SPEAKER CARD TO SEE SECRETARY. AND IF YOU CAN GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, AND YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES MR GARCIA. THANKS. TRY THE OTHER MIKE. THERE COULD THERE WE GO. TRY IT AGAIN. WE'RE ON. GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS JOSH GARCIA 40 29 MAYFLOWER DR GARLAND, TEXAS. UM I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE BUDGET. UM I JUST WANT TO THANK THE BUDGET DIRECTORS FOR, UM THROUGH THEIR HARD WORK FOR THE BUDGET SEASON. THAT'S ONE OF MY UM, FAVORITE TOPICS OF, UM EVERY EVERY YEAR, SO I'VE BEEN LEARNING A LOT FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AND MR BRADFORD ALWAYS ENCOURAGED ME TO WATCH THIS BECAUSE I THINK ONE DAY I'M GONNA TAKE A SPOT AND YOU KNOW, I WANT TO I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO USE MY MONEY CORRECTLY ON THAT SO BUT I APPRECIATE YOU AND I KNOW IT'S ADOPTION ADOPTION NIGHT TONIGHT, SO I'M READY FOR THAT. ALRIGHT. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. AND I BELIEVE THAT WAS OUR ONLY SPEAKER. CORRECT. THANK YOU. AH IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL SINCE WE'RE [2. Consider the Consent Agenda] HERE? ON THE WORK SESSION ITEMS, ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO ITEM TO CONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR LATER THIS EVENING. JUST NOTE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HEDRICK WILL BE RECUSING HIMSELF FROM ITEM TWO D. TWO D. ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON TO ITEM. THREE WRITTEN BRIEFINGS. ITEM THREE A COVID 19 [3. Written Briefings:] BRIEFING. ITEM THREE B HELP. OOPS. OKAY ITEM. THREE B HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT. ADAM THREE C. NEW PROPOSED HOURS OF OPERA. COUNCILOR HEDRICK JUST HAD A QUESTION ON THE ANIMAL SHELTER HOURS, OKAY? ASK YOUR QUESTION. I THINK WE'VE GOT SOMEBODY HERE. THIS WOULD BE A ON ITEM. THREE C. YES, SIR. MY QUESTION IS, UH ARE YOU GET UP HERE, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU HAD ANY THOUGHT ABOUT ADDING HOURS MUCH LIKE THE LIBRARY DOES EXTENDING HOURS LATER IN ONE OF THE EVENINGS. I KNOW LIBRARIES. COUPLE OF OUR LIBRARY EXTENDED LIKE 8, 30 OR SO A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK ON WEEKDAYS TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO GET OFF WORK AND PICK UP AN ANIMAL AFTER OUR YEP . UM NO, WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. THE WAY OUR SHIFTS WORK. SIX PM IS THE CUT OFF TIME AND THEN AFTER THAT, OBVIOUSLY IS EMERGENCY CALLS FOR THE FIELD OFFICERS. UM BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION LOOKING AT THOSE HOURS. I'M ALL FOR CHANGES TO THE WEEKEND OPENING UPSET SUNDAY BECAUSE AND JUST ADOPTED A CAT MYSELF AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO I'M GONNA BE WORK BETTER FOR OUR FAMILY, AND I'M SURE MANY OTHER FAMILIES TO HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL WEEKEND DAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR SPEAKER. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM ITEM. EXCUSE ME, ITEM THREE D CLUB CREEK PARKING RESTRICTIONS. ITEM THREE E HOFER GROWED SEGMENT B AND BOTTLENECK IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IMMINENT [00:05:04] DOMAIN. ADAM THREE F 2022. EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANT GRANT. ADAM THREE G UTILITY, CUSTOMER INFORMATION SYSTEM AND WEB PORTAL. GO LIVE. BECAUSE THEY'RE WILLIAMS EFFECT TAKING WHERE I JUST EXCUSE ME A QUICK QUESTION, UH, SLAYER. OR TERRY. IT'S MUCH HERE TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT WHEN WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO GO LIVE WITH THIS. CAN SOMEBODY KIND OF BELIEVE WE HAD MR. SLAY GIVE US KIND OF A AND THE PUBLIC QUICKSTEP SHOT OF. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING AND A NEW EXCITED STAFF HAS BEEN ABOUT THIS, CAN YOU SO CAN YOU TELL US? WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO LUNCHTIME? SO LUNCH? NOT L U L A OKAY, SO CAN YOU JUST TELL US KIND OF WHEN THE WHEN WE GO INTO THE OUTER SPACE ON THIS WILLIAMS , THE EXCITEMENT STARTS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. WE'LL BEGIN THE TRANSITION LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. WE HAVE. WE'LL HAVE THE CONSULTANT IN TOWN. AH OUR PROJECT MANAGER IN TOWN, AND IT'LL BE ALL HANDS ON DECK. UH SO WE'LL START THAT EXTRACT AND THAT TRANSITION ON A THURSDAY NIGHT. OUR CURRENCY. I S SYSTEM WILL BE IN A READ ONLY MODE AND WE WILL BE OPEN FRIDAY FOR BUSINESS. WE HAVE WORK AROUND AND MANUAL PROCESSES THAT FROM TIME TO TIME WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT WHEN OUR SYSTEMS GO DOWN. SO, UH, FRIDAY WILL BE IN A READ ONLY MODE AND THEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THE NEW SYSTEM SHOULD BE IN PLACE WHERE WE CAN TEST IT AND CHECK IT AND VERIFIED, VALIDATE AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING MOVED OVER PROPERLY AND THEN HOPEFULLY THE PLAN IS COME MONDAY MORNING. WE WILL HAVE THE NEW SYSTEM STANDING AND IN PLACE UP AND OPERATIONAL. FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. NOW FOR THAT FIRST WEEK, IT MAY BE A LITTLE SLOW BECAUSE WE'VE GOT 93 EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ARE GONNA BE WORKING IN A NEW SYSTEM A NEW ENVIRONMENT, BUT WE'VE BEEN TRAINING ON THIS AND TALKING ABOUT IT FOR A VERY LONG TIME. AND I THINK WE'RE MORE THAN PREPARED TO KIND OF MEET THE CHALLENGES MONDAY MAY BRING BUT I DON'T EXPECT THE CUSTOMERS TO REALLY UH, YOU KNOW, NOTICE MUCH OF A CHANGE OUTSIDE OF OUR NEW WEB PORTAL AND OUR OUR WEB PORTAL. THE EXISTING WEB PORTAL THAT CUSTOMERS SIGN INTO THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SIGN INTO THAT AND MANAGE THEIR ACCOUNT THROUGH FRIDAY, BUT AT SOME POINT IN TIME THAT WEB PORTAL GOES AWAY. HMM AND THERE MAY BE THIS TRANSITION PERIOD THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WITH ANY LUCK, YOU KNOW. SUNDAY AFTERNOON, THE NEW WEB PORTAL COMES UP. AND WHEN A CUSTOMER GOES TO OUR WEBSITE, THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE A MESSAGE THAT WELCOME TO THE NEW WEB PORTAL. YOU'LL HAVE TO SET YOUR ACCOUNT UP. ONCE AGAIN. YOU'LL NEED YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER. YOU WILL NEED A PET, YOU KNOW TO PROCESS YOUR PASSWORD AND YOU KNOW THAT TRANSITION WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 11 WEB PORTAL TO THE NEXT. BUT ALL THAT IS GOING TO BE GOING ON THIS COMING WEEKEND AND WE WILL HAVE STAFF WORKING. ESSENTIALLY AROUND THE CLOCK ALL WEEKEND LONG TO ENSURE EVERYTHING GOES SMOOTHLY. SO DOES THAT KIND OF ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES EXCUSE ME. YES, SIR. YOU'RE RIGHT ON INSPIRED. AND SHOULD WE HAVE CONSTITUENTS WHO HAVE ONCE THEY GO IN THERE AND THE PORTAL AND TO SET UP THE ACCOUNTS AGAIN AND THINK ABOUT QUESTIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WILL THERE BE A NUMBER? CONTACT NUMBER FOR THE NICOLE TO GET SOMEBODY TO HELP THEM. WALK THROUGH THAT PROCESS. ABSOLUTELY WERE. YES ABSOLUTELY. WE'RE PREPARING FOR THAT. WE'RE TRYING TO PUT ENOUGH COMMUNICATION ON THAT LANDING PAGE THAT WILL WALK WALKING INDIVIDUAL THROUGH IT. IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY IT'S A VERY SIMPLE PROCESS. IF YOU KNOW YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER AND THE ADDRESS THAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE SERVICE AH, YOU'LL JUST BE ASKED TO SET UP A NEW PASSWORD AND CERTAIN SECURITY FEATURES. I MEAN, IT'S VERY BASIC STUFF TO SET UP IN THEIR OWN LINE ACCOUNT, SO YEAH, AND WE'LL PROVIDE A PHONE NUMBER. THANKS, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ADAM THREE H PROJECT SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH DALLAS COUNTY FOR NAMING SCHOOL ROAD FROM BRAND ROAD TO STATE HIGHWAY 78. AND THE LAST ITEM INTO THAT SECTION. I. DEPUTY OKAY, ADAM ITEM THREE. I LEASE AGREEMENT FOR CONCRETE RECYCLING [00:10:08] FACILITY. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM SMITH. YES SIR. JUST REAL QUICK . WE HAD A FEW INCIDENTS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE WE ENDED UP WITH CRUSHED ROCK ON THE ROADS RELATIVE REACHED OUT TO US ABOUT IT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AS PART OF THE PART OF THE LEASE RENEWAL, BUT I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE RENEWAL AS PRESENTED. THANK YOU, SIR. VERY GOOD, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT . THAT WAS THE LAST ITEM UNDER THAT SECTION. WE'LL MOVE ON TO [4a. DART Update] ADAM. FOUR VERBAL BRIEFINGS. FIRST ITEM ITEM. FOUR. A DART UPDATE. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL , AND, UH, IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN , FOR SOME BRIEFINGS FROM DARK WILL GIVE YOU SOME UPDATES A LOT OF MATERIAL. HOPEFULLY YOU HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE DECK AHEAD OF TIME. UM WITH ME TONIGHT HAVE ROB SMITH, WHO'S THE VP OF SERVICE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING FOR DART, OF COURSE, ALSO HAVE OUR CEO MS NADINE LEE. AND, UH, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT MIX IT UP A LITTLE BIT THIS TIME. I KNOW IN THE PAST, I'VE BEEN DOING THE BULK OF THE BRIEFING, AND I WANT TO TURN OVER TO SOME DARK SPECIALIST TO REALLY GO THROUGH THE DECK. I'LL ADD COLOR WHERE APPROPRIATE, AND AS ALWAYS ANSWERED QUESTIONS AT THE END, SO I'LL TURN OVER. WRAP OKAY. THANK YOU. AND GOOD EVENING TO EVERYONE AND I'M GOING TO RUN THROUGH A WHOLE SERIES OF ISSUES REALLY RANGING FROM RIDERSHIP TO THE SERVICE CHANGES THAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR TO FUNDING TO SOME OF OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE, SO RUN THROUGH A LOT OF DIFFERENT TOPICS DURING THE COURSE OF THIS PRESENTATION. AND I'M GOING TO START WITH RIDERSHIP. AND THIS IS A BAR CHART OF GARLAND RIDERSHIP MONTH BY MONTH FOR THE LAST 15 MONTHS OR SO, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE BARS ON THE RIDER A LITTLE BIGGER. STARTING IN MARCH, WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN RIDERSHIP IN GARLAND AND IN THE REST OF THE SYSTEM. THE BLUE BALL. PART OF THE BAR IS BASS. THE ORANGE PART IS LIGHT RAIL. THE GRAY PART IS PARA TRANSIT AND THE YELLOW PART IS GO LINK, WHICH IS SOMETHING RELATIVELY NEW FOR MANY PARTS OF THE SERVICE AREA. WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE DONE, WE ATTRIBUTE THE BIG CHANGES TO PEOPLE BEGINNING TO COMMUTE AND GO BACK TO WORK. ALTHOUGH NOT NECESSARILY FIVE DAYS A WEEK, AND ALSO THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE IN THE SERVICE SUGGEST MINTS THAT WE DID IN JANUARY THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT MORE IN A MOMENT. FEBRUARY WAS AFTER THE CHANGES, BUT IT WAS A REALLY BAD MONTH BECAUSE OF WEATHER AND WE HAD A LOT OF DISRUPTED SERVICE, AND THAT'S WHY THAT PARTICULAR NUMBER DROPPED OFF. AND WE'VE SEEN MUCH MORE STEADY GROWTH IN RIDERSHIP MOVING FORWARD. TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE RELATIVE TO BEFORE THE PANDEMIC BUS RIDERSHIP IS ABOUT 60% OF WHERE WE WERE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC RAIL RIDERSHIP ABOUT 65% GO LINK RIDERSHIP IS ABOUT 85% ABOVE WHERE WE WERE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, AND THAT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO. WITH THE SERVICE REDESIGN THAT WE DID IN JANUARY. THIS MAP PROBABLY LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE MAP THAT WE'VE PRESENTED IN PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS BECAUSE IT REFLECTS THE PRESENCE OF THE NEW BUS NETWORK AND ALL OF THE CHANGES THAT WE DID IN JANUARY. I WOULD NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT GARLAND HAD PROBABLY FEWER CHANGES IN BUS SERVICE THAN ANY CITY IN THE DARK SERVICE AREA, ALTHOUGH LIKE THE REST OF THE SERVICE AREA, THE ROUTE NUMBERS ARE DIFFERENT. THERE ARE CHANGES TO ROUTES WE HAVE ADDED OR EXPANDED. GO LINK SERVICE ON THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN PARTS OF GARLAND. BUT SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT MAP, AND EVERYONE IS PRETTY MUCH ADJUSTED TO THE CHANGES IN ROUTE NUMBERS AND SOME OF THE OTHER BASIC CHANGES WE MADE. WHAT WE HAVE ENDED UP WITH WITH THE CHANGES IS A COURSE THE BLUE LINE THE ONE LIGHT RAIL LINE, WE RESTORED PRE PANDEMIC SERVICE LEVELS ON LIGHT RAIL THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THAT IN OPERATION AND THAT COMMENT WILL BE MAKES SENSE. IN A MOMENT WHEN I TALK ABOUT BOSS AH, WE HAVE THE TWO STATIONS, OF COURSE, AND WE HAVE THE TWO TRANSIT CENTER SOUTH GARLAND AND LAKE RAY HUBBARD AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THOSE TOWARDS THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. WE NOW HAVE 19 BUS ROUTES SERVING ALL OR PARTS OF GARLAND. FIVE OF THOSE ROUTES [00:15:03] ARE FREQUENT SERVICE ROUTES. THAT MEANS THEY WOULD NORMALLY HAVE FREQUENCIES THAT MATCH WHAT WE PROVIDE ON RAIL AND THEY ALSO RUN WIDER HOURS. FOUR A.M. TO ONE A.M. WE HAVE 12 OTHER ROUTES IN GARLAND. THOSE ROUTES ARE RUNNING SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT SCHEDULE. AND ONE BIG CHANGE IN JANUARY, IS THAT EVERY LOCAL BUS ROUTE RUNS AT LEAST FIVE AM TO MIDNIGHT, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER ROUTES THAT DO NOT HAVE WEEKEND SERVICE OR DON'T OPERATE ON SUNDAYS. ALL THE LOCAL ROUTES RUN ON SUNDAY AND OR SATURDAY NOW WE ALSO HAVE TO GO LENGTH ZONES THE SOUTHEAST GARLAND ZONE ON THE SOUTHERN END OF GARLAND AND THE EAST TELECOMS OWN PORTIONS OF WHICH RUN IN THE NORTHERN EDGE OF GARLAND. ONE NOTE ABOUT GOLD LINK IS PENDING APPROVAL OF THE NEW FISCAL 23 BUDGET. WE WILL BE LOOKING EARLY NEXT YEAR TO EXPAND THE HOURS OF GOLAN COOPERATION TO FIVE A.M. TO MIDNIGHT, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK ON ALL 30 OF THE GOLD LINK ZONES, INCLUDING THE TWO THAT ARE RUNNING IN GARLAND. NOW SOME UPDATES SINCE WE DID THAT IMPLEMENTATION IN JANUARY. OF COURSE, IT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BUS NETWORK. WE GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM GARLAND FROM THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE CHANGES, AND IT WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE EASILY THAT WE'VE DONE IN DARTS HISTORY. ALONG WITH THAT WE TRIED TO RESTORE SERVICE TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS. WE HAD STARTED THIS WORK BEFORE THE PANDEMIC CONTINUED DURING THE PANDEMIC AND WENT AHEAD AND DID THE IMPLEMENTATION IN JANUARY. AH TWO THINGS THAT WE WERE REALLY TRYING TO DO WITH THE CHANGES IS IMPROVED ACCESS. AND IMPROVED COVERAGE, ALTHOUGH AT A DIFFERENT WAY THAN WE'VE TRADITIONALLY DONE. IN TERMS OF ACCESS. IT'S GETTING PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY WANT TO GO FASTER AND TO INCREASE THE RANGE OF PLACES THAT PEOPLE CAN GET TO WITHIN AN HOUR. AND ONE OF THE KEY METRICS WE USED TO LOOK AT THE CHANGES WITH HOW MANY MORE JOBS CAN WE GET THE AVERAGE PERSON TO WITHIN AN HOUR ON TRANSIT THAN THE OLD NETWORK? THE INCREASE OVERALL WAS 34% ON AVERAGE FOR THE SERVICE AREA, AND THAT WAS GENERALLY THE SAME FOR ALL. ASSOCIATED ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT. WE TRIED TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE BENEFITS WERE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE NETWORK. AS FAR AS COVERAGE, GARLAND HAS HAD RELATIVELY DECENT BUS COVERAGE. WE DID ADD SERVICE AND A COUPLE OF PLACES. BUT WHAT WE REALLY TRIED TO MAKE SURE IS EITHER THROUGH REGULAR BUS OR GO LINK THAT ALMOST ALL LOCATIONS WOULD BE WALKING DISTANCE OF SOME SORT OF SERVICE . WE ENDED UP WITH 98% OF THE PRE PANDEMIC BOARDINGS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE AND ACTUALLY, THROUGH THE EXPANSION OF THE GO LINK. WE'VE IMPROVED OVERALL SERVICE COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE AREA. BUT WHAT WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE WAS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH OUR LABOR SITUATION, AND THAT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO TRANSIT AGENCIES TO A LOT OF PRIVATE EMPLOYERS, AND WHEN WE DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED THE NETWORK AND WENT BACK TO REGULAR SERVICE. WE DID NOT EXPECT THE KIND OF IMPACTS THAT WE ENDED UP SEEING BECAUSE ATTRITION CONTINUED AND IN SOME CASES ACCELERATED. THE RESULT WAS PRETTY QUICKLY. WE ENDED UP SHORT ON BUS OPERATORS. WE ENDED UP MISSING TRIPS THAT WERE SCHEDULED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SYSTEM. AND BECAUSE OF THAT MISSED SERVICE. WE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS STARTING IN JUNE TEMPORARILY TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE LABOR SHORTAGES THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING. THE GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE CONNECTIONS THAT WE GET PEOPLE TO WORK ON TIME, AND WE RESPOND TO THE FEEDBACK THAT WE WERE GETTING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS THAT WERE BEING CREATED BY THE MS TRIPS. AND SO 31 BUS ROUTES HAD THESE TEMPORARY ADJUSTMENTS. THAT'S ABOUT A THIRD OF THE SYSTEM. WE GENERALLY MOVED 15 MINUTES SERVICE TO 20 MINUTES SERVICE. DURING SOMETIMES OFF PEAK. WE MOVED 20 MINUTES SERVICE TO 30 MINUTES SERVICE. FIVE OF THE 19 GARLAND BUS ROUTES WERE AFFECTED BY THESE ADJUSTMENTS. FOUR OF THOSE ARE ROUTES THAT SERVE THE SOUTH GARLAND TRANSIT CENTER INTO DALLAS. THERE'S NOT MUCH SERVICE IN GARLAND ON THOSE FOUR ROUTES. BUT ROUTE 22, WHICH RUNS RIGHT INTO DOWNTOWN GARLAND WAS [00:20:01] AFFECTED BY THE ADJUSTMENTS. NO OTHER GARLAND ROUTES HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED. THE LARGE MAJORITY OF ROUTES ARE RUNNING ON THEIR REGULAR SCHEDULES RIGHT NOW OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THAT SERVICE MORE RELIABLE AND WE HAVE FOUND SINCE WE HAVE MADE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE ARE SEEING FEWER AND FEWER MISS TRIPS. OUR GOAL IS TO STOP THE ADJUSTMENTS AND GO BACK TO REGULAR SERVICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND NO LATER THAN JANUARY IS WHAT WE ARE STRIVING FOR MOVING FORWARD ON THAT. WHAT WE INTRODUCED IN TERMS OF THE CHANGES IN JANUARY WAS THE FIRST PHASE OF THE LOOK AT BUS AND OTHER SERVICE FOR DART AND REALLY, THAT NETWORK BECOMES THE BASELINE OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING. BUT WE'RE NOW STARTING WORK TO LOOK BEYOND. WHAT WE DID IN JANUARY OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO OTHER IMPROVEMENTS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN DOWN THE ROAD. THESE COULD BE CHANGES IN FREQUENCY IN MORE LOCATIONS, SPEEDING UP BUS OPERATIONS. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WILL BE LOOKING AT. WE'RE STARTING THAT PROCESS . NOW OUR GOAL IS TO FINISH THIS WORK BY NEXT SUMMER. AND UNLIKE FOR THE FIRST PHASE, WE WILL BE HAVING IN PERSON PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND MEETING PEOPLE FACE TO FACE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PHASE OF THE WORK, SOMETHING WE WERE NOT ABLE TO DO. DURING PHASE ONE, SO STAY TUNED TO HEAR A LOT MORE FROM US ABOUT THOSE ADDITIONAL PLANNING EFFORTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD, ONE FINAL THING WE ARE AGGRESSIVELY WORKING ON THE HIRING EFFORTS TO GET MORE BUS OPERATORS IN PARTICULAR. WE'VE INCREASED STARTING WAGES. WE ARE OFFERING INCENTIVES TO PROMOTE GETTING PEOPLE IN THE DOOR. WE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY RAMPING UP OUR COMMUNICATION OF THE OPENINGS THAT WE HAVE AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE AND ARE AGGRESSIVELY DOING THAT THROUGH HIRING EVENTS THROUGH TELEVISION EXPOSURE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO SPEED UP OUR PROCESS FOR INTERVIEWING AND BRINGING PEOPLE ON BOARD AND THAT IS HELPING US RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF REDUCING THE MS TRIPS AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO AGGRESSIVELY MOVED FORWARD TO FILL IN THE STAFF VACANCIES. I WANTED TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT ANOTHER ASPECT OF OUR SERVICE, WHICH IS PASSENGER AMENITIES. NOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AMENITIES , WE MEAN BENCHES, SHELTERS LIGHTING THAT WE INSTALL IN SOME STOPS. GARLAND RIGHT NOW HAS ABOUT 700 BUS STOPS. THAT'S ABOUT 10% OF THE STOPS IN THE SERVICE AREA, BY THE WAY. 42 HAVE SHELTERS AND 100 AND SEVEN HAVE BENCHES INSTALLED AT THIS TIME. LAST LATE LAST YEAR, THE BOARD ADOPTED CHANGES TO OUR STANDARDS FOR HOW WE PLACE SHELTERS AND BENCHES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE NUMBER OF STOPS THAT QUALIFY. THERE ARE 100 AND EIGHT ADDITIONAL STOPS IN GARLAND AND QUALIFY FOR BENCHES. THERE ARE AT LEAST SEVEN LOCATIONS THAT QUALIFY FOR ADDITIONAL SHELTERS. AND WE ARE CURRENTLY GETTING READY OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO TRY AND DEPLOYED THROUGHOUT THE SERVICE AREA. THOSE NEW AMENITIES SO THAT WE CATCH UP ON EVERYTHING THAT IS CURRENTLY WARRANTED UNDER OUR SERVICE STANDARDS WE EXPECT THAT WILL BE ABOUT A TWO YEAR PROCESS AND WE EXPECT THERE MAY BE FURTHER ADJUSTMENTS IN THE STANDARDS DOWN THE ROAD, AND THAT WILL BE DOING MORE DEPLOYMENTS IN THE FUTURE. SO THIS IS REALLY JUST CONTINUING EFFORTS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THE DESIGN OF OUR SHELTERS. WE'VE HAD THE SAME BASIC BLUE SHELTERS FOR YEARS. AND THEY HAVE WORKED, BUT THEY WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE BOTH IN TERMS OF WHAT WRITERS WANT TO SEE US MOVE FORWARD WITH AND ALSO THE ADVANCEMENTS IN MATERIALS AND DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DECADES. AND SO WE'RE KICKING OFF. THIS FALL , A DESIGN EFFORT WORKING WITH U T. ARLINGTON TO DESIGN A PROTOTYPE SHELTER OF THE FUTURE , AND OUR GOAL IS TO FINISH THAT WORK OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS WORK THROUGH 2013 TO WORK THROUGH THE DETAILS OF GETTING IT DESIGNED AND READY TO MANUFACTURE AND THEN LOOKING AHEAD IN 2014, OR 2024. BEYOND. UH SORRY ABOUT THAT, UH, DEPLOY THAT NEW SHELTER OF THE FUTURE AS WE CONTINUE TO RAMP UP WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THE AMENITIES FRONT. NOW MOVING AWAY FROM [00:25:03] SERVICE TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF ISSUES AND ONE VERY BIG TOPIC RIGHT NOW INVOLVES FUNDING. WE'RE IN BUDGET SEASON, THE BOARD HAS PUBLISHED THE BUDGET FOR REVIEW FOR GARLAND AND THE OTHER DARK CITIES AND WE ARE MOVING FORWARD AND ONE OF THE ISSUES. THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS DISTRIBUTION OF EXTRA FUNDING TO THE DARK CITIES WE PROVIDE RECEIVED DURING THE PANDEMIC FUNDS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP SUPPORT OPERATIONS. WE ALSO RECEIVE SALES TAX DOLLARS AND DID NOT SEE THE DROP OFF IN SALES TAXES THAT OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY MIGHT HAVE SEEN. AND AS A RESULT WE HAVE NOT SPENT ALL OF THE SALES TAX DOLLARS THAT WE'VE ENDED UP COLLECTING. SO ON AUGUST 23RD. THE BOARD DIRECTED THAT HALF OF THE EXTRA DOLLARS THAT WE RECEIVED IN FISCAL 21 FISCAL 20 TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE DARK CITIES. THAT'S A TOTAL OF $214 MILLION. THE BOARD ALSO DIRECTED THAT THE BALANCE 110 MILLION IN DARTS MOBILITY ASSISTANCE IN INNOVATION FUND. BE USED TO PROVIDE ON AN EQUITABLE BASIS THROUGHOUT THE SERVICE AREA, ENHANCED SECURITY , CLEANLINESS AND RELIABILITY OF THE DARK SYSTEM, AND THOSE ARE HIGH PRIORITIES FOR THE DARK CITIES, THEIR HIGH PRIORITIES FOR DARK AND SO WE'RE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT AS WELL. NOW HOW CAN THE DARK CITIES USED THOSE FUNDS? AH IT'LL BE DEFINED INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT THAT WE PUT TOGETHER AND WORK WITH THE CITIES TO IMPLEMENT IN THE COMING MONTHS. UH THEY CAN BE USED FOR THE PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM OR COMPLIMENTARY TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. THAT COULD INCLUDE SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR ELDERLY OR WRITERS WITH DISABILITIES. IT COULD BE MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION COULD BE ASSISTANCE IN ST MODIFICATIONS AS NEEDED TO ACCOMMODATE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OR ANY OTHER SERVICE THAT COMPLEMENTS THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, INCLUDING PARKING GARAGES. IN ADDITION, CITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO WORK WITH DART AND N C T COG ABOUT POTENTIALLY LEVERAGING THOSE FUNDS FOR ADDITIONAL FEDERAL GRANTS TO THE EXTENT THERE AVAILABLE TO INCREASE THE IMPACT OF THOSE DOLLARS EVEN MORE NOW, HERE'S THE TIMELINE ON HOW WE EXPECT TO MOVE FORWARD. ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH. WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING WITH STAFF FROM THE SERVICE AREA CITIES TO REVIEW THE BUDGET AND THE FINANCIAL PLAN AND TO BEGIN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE PARAMETERS FOR HOW THOSE FUNDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE CITY'S. THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT HAS NOT BEEN WORKED OUT YET AND IS UNDER DISCUSSION. ON SEPTEMBER 27TH. WE EXPECT THE BOARD WILL DO THE FINAL APPROVAL ON THE FISCAL 23 BUDGET AND OR FINANCIAL PLAN TO GO ALONG WITH IT BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER. OUR GOAL IS TO DRAFT A TEMPLATE I OWE A ESTABLISHING THE PARAMETERS FOR HOW THE FUNDS GET DISTRIBUTED. AND WE WILL BE BRIEFING THE DARK CITIES AND EVERYONE INVOLVED THIS FALL AS WE WORK THROUGH GETTING THE INTER LOCAL AGREEMENTS PUT TOGETHER. AND FINALIZING AND IMPLEMENTING THEM FOR GARLAND AND THE OTHER CITIES IN THE DARK SERVICE AREAS, SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT. I'M GONNA LET YOU TAKE A BREATH THERE FOR A MINUTE, AND I'M GONNA ADD SOME COLOR HERE, SO I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SPECTATORS WHO HAVE WATCHED SOME OF THE VOTES AND I JUST WANT TO ADD SOME COLOR AROUND THE DECISIONS THAT ARE GOING ON HERE AND WHAT'S COMING BEFORE THE BOARD RIGHT NOW, SO WE'RE USING A REBATE OF THE FUNDS GOING BACK TO THE CITY. THAT'S THE OBVIOUS PIECE, BUT AT THE CORE OF THAT IS HOW THOSE FUNDS ARE DISTRIBUTED. THE CITY OF GARLAND IS A BENEFICIARY OF THE SERVICES OF DART. AND THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT WE SUBMIT AND TAXPAYER DOLLARS. WE GET MORE OF A BENEFIT BACK FROM DARK THAN WHAT WE ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE. SO WHEN IT COMES TO REBATING FUNDS MY OPINION IF YOU WATCHED THE VOTES HAS BEEN THESE FUNDS ARE REALLY AT THE CORE COMING FROM FEDERAL FUNDING DURING COVID THOSE DOLLARS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BACK AND SO THE WAY I SEE IT IS MOST OF THE ARGUMENTS FOR DART AROUND HOW THE BOARD IS ALLOCATED. UM, AND SOME OTHER FEATURES ARE BASED ON POPULATION OF THE MEMBER CITIES. SO THE BOARD THE NUMBER OF BOARD SEATS THAT THE CITY OF GARLAND GETS HIS IS ABOUT 1.5 PEOPLE. AND SO I FULFILLED THE ONE PERSON. MARTINIQUE IS THE HALF AND THEN HE ALSO REPRESENTS REALITY. AND, [00:30:03] UH, GLENN HEIGHTS. AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS REBATE WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE DOLLARS THAT WOULD GO BACK THE ORIGINAL NUMBER THAT THE BOARD WAS LOOKING AT WITH REBATING THE DOLLARS WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN ABOUT $12 MILLION. WHEN I GO THROUGH AND I USE THE SAME NUMBERS AND INSTEAD OF AND THAT'S BASED ON A PERCENTAGE OF SALES TAX REVENUE THAT GARLAND CONTRIBUTES. WHEN I LOOK AT POPULATION, THE CITY OF GARLAND WOULD GET ABOUT 26. A HALF MILLION SO THAT'S WHY MY INITIAL VOTE WAS AGAINST THIS PLAN BECAUSE WE WANT TO GETTING LESS OF A BENEFIT. WHEN THOSE DOLLARS COME BACK TO THE CITY, WE GET MORE OUT OF SERVICES FROM DART. UM SO THAT MADE IT THROUGH THE ORIGINAL VOTE THAT WAS AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. I VOTED AGAINST THIS PLAN. UM WE CAME BACK. THEY MADE SOME CHANGES, AND THEY TOOK THE STIPULATION OUT BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO FIGHT FOR IT. BUT UM, THAT WE WOULD NOT DETERMINE HOW THESE DOLLARS WOULD BE ALLOCATED BACK TO THE CITY. I'VE FEEL STRONGLY THAT I CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT AND THAT I CAN GET SOME OTHER. MEMBERS TO GO IN FAVOR OF POPULATION. IF I NEED TO, MY THEORY IS WILL PROBABLY WIND UP SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, UM AND WE'LL PROBABLY WIND UP WITH A SPLIT SOMEWHERE IN THERE, SO HOPEFULLY IT'S MORE THAN 12, BUT LESS THAN 26. IF IT ALL WORKS OUT AND BE HIGHER, BUT WE'LL SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT. RIGHT NOW. MOST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD ARE THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE A SKIN IN THE GAME. THEY'RE GOING TO GET ABOUT THE SAME POPULATION VERSUS REVENUE. THE CITY OF GARLAND GETS A HUGE BENEFIT IF WE DO IT BASED ON POPULATION, AND THERE ARE SOME MEMBER CITIES I THINK I CAN PULL IN, INCLUDING THE CITY OF DALLAS THAT DO GET A HIGHER ALLOCATION. NOT BY MUCH, BUT THEY WOULD GET MORE. SO THAT'S WHY YOU'VE SEEN THE VOTES GO THE WAY THEY HAVE JUST WANT TO GIVE SOME ADDED COLOR IN CASE YOU'RE WATCHING THE PLAY BY PLAY, AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES. I'M TRYING TO GET EVERY DOLLAR WE CAN FOR OUR CITY. SO THANKS. GO AHEAD, ROB. OKAY AND LOOKING AHEAD TO SOME OTHER PLANNING WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. AH IN JANUARY, IN ADDITION TO THE REDESIGNED BUS NETWORK DARTS BOARD ADOPTED A 2045 TRANSIT SYSTEM PLAN, WHICH IS REALLY A VISION FOR FUTURE TRANSIT. LOOKING OUT OVER MANY YEARS, AND NOT JUST THE NEXT FEW YEARS. IT'S A STRATEGIC GUIDE FOR US TO LOOK AT IMPROVING BUS RAIL. AND OTHER DARK SERVICES TO SERVE RIDERS AND ACCOMMODATE THE GROWTH THAT WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN . MOVING FORWARD. THE PLAN THAT DART ADOPTED THIS TIME IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES THAT WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY ADOPTED, WHICH HAVE FOCUSED ON THE BUILD OUT OF THE RAIL SYSTEM QUITE HONESTLY. THIS ONE IS REALLY DESIGNED AROUND IMPROVING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. THE BUS NETWORK RAIL NETWORK, ALL OF IT WITH A FOCUS LESS ON BUILDING AND MORE ON WRITER EXPERIENCE, MOBILITY, INNOVATION, SERVICE AND EXPANSION, LAND USE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND COLLABORATION WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR MOVING FORWARD, SO IT'S VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE TRADITIONALLY LOOKED AT. I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THOSE THINGS I JUST MENTIONED, BUT I'LL HIGHLIGHT IT TWO OR THREE. WRITER EXPERIENCE. UH EXPANDED FUNDING FOR BUS STOP AMENITIES, THE REDESIGN THAT I MENTIONED AT THE BUS SHELTERS. OTHER ELEMENTS OF THAT ARE BEING WORKED THROUGH AND WE WILL BE ACTING ON TO REALLY IMPROVE THE BUS COMMUTE. FROM WHEN PEOPLE GET TO THEIR STOP TO USE THE SERVICE TO THE SERVICE. THEY'RE RIDING TO THE STOP THAT THEY GET OFF ON WHEN THEY GET TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION AND IMPROVING ALL ASPECTS OF THE WRITER EXPERIENCE . AS FAR AS SERVICE AND EXPANSION. I MENTIONED THAT WE'VE GOT A PLAN COMING UP ON SERVICE. BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE DOING A BUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IN MAJOR QUARTERS. AROUND THE BUS NETWORK FOCUSED ON THE FREQUENT SERVICE QUARTERS LIKE ROUTE 22 SERVING GARLAND. AND HERE WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY FOCUS ON WAYS WE CAN IMPROVE SPEED. AND RELIABILITY OF SERVICE. IT COULD BE A PRECURSOR IN SOME CASES TO BUS RAPID TRANSIT IN SOME OF THE CORRIDORS , AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE INVESTED ON IN A PHASED WAY OVER TIME. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT NECESSARILY HAPPENS IMMEDIATELY, LIKE REDOING THE ENTIRE BUS NETWORK THAT WE DID IN JANUARY. AND IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRAND MANY OF THESE CORRIDORS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITIES THAT THOSE QUARTERS ARE SERVING, AND SO THAT WORK IS GOING TO GET UNDERWAY AND FISCAL 23. WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT DOWN THE ROAD. BUT THE FINAL ONE I WANTED TO MENTION LAND USE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THERE ARE MANY [00:35:08] TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE FOUR DARK FACILITIES IN GARLAND WITH BIG SURFACE PARKING LOTS, TWO OF THEM BUST FACILITIES, TWO OF THEM RAIL STATIONS. AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE. THEY'RE LARGELY EMPTY RIGHT NOW , AND SOME OF THEM WERE EMPTY, LARGELY EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC , OR WE HAD MORE PARKING SPACES THAN WE'VE HAD CARS OCCUPYING THEM. SO WE WANT TO WORK WITH GARLAND TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO RETHINK SOME OF THOSE BIG GIANT PARKING LOTS AND LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO DO DEVELOPMENT IN MANY OF THOSE LOCATIONS, AND THAT GETS TO A COUPLE OF VERY SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND A FUNDING AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THE CITY. AH RELATED TO THAT THERE WAS A NONBINDING MOU MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING LAST YEAR THAT WAS AGREED TO JOINTLY WORK BETWEEN DARK AND GARLAND FOR A COHESIVE, SUSTAINABLE, VIBRANT, TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT AT DARK TRANSIT STATIONS AND TRANSIT CENTERS, INCLUDING THE SOUTH GARLAND TRANSIT CENTER, AND ALSO INCLUDING THE LAKE RAY HUBBARD PARK AND RIDE FACILITY. THE EMU ENVISION MAJOR MIXED USE TRANSIT ORDINATED DEVELOPMENT TIED TO THE ENVISIONED GARLAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN, LAND ACQUISITION, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND PUBLIC AMENITIES AND THE TARGET AREAS, INCLUDING THOSE CENTERS. ONE OF THE LOCATIONS IS LAKE RAY HUBBARD. WE'VE GOT THE EXISTING DARK FACILITY THERE. EVEN IN THE BEST OF TIMES, WE WERE USING ROUGHLY HALF THE PARKING SPACES AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH GARLAND IS GARLAND MOVES FORWARD WITH AN EFFORT TO RELOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR PARKING LOT AND SOME OF THE AREAS ADJACENT TO IT, WHERE THERE'S UNDER DEVELOPED PROPERTY IN TERMS OF REDOING THE TRANSIT CENTER AS A MORE INTEGRATED PROJECT INTO A LARGER DEVELOPMENT. INCLUDING RESIDENTIAL AND POTENTIALLY OTHER ELEMENTS. THAT WORK HAS BEEN UNDERWAY FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK IN TERMS OF INTEGRATING THE TRANSIT PARTS AS GARLAND MOVES FORWARD WITH THAT PROJECT. THE SECOND ONE REALLY INVOLVES THE SOUTH. GARLAND TRANSIT CENTER. AND. LAST YEAR, AND IN THE RECENT YEARS, GARLAND AND THE RTC COLLABORATED ON THE DESIGN FOR THE NEW 6 35 INTERCHANGE ADJACENT TO GARLAND, A ROAD AND ENDED UP SAVING OVER $30 MILLION ON THE HIGHWAY PROJECT THROUGH THAT EFFORT. IN RETURN FOR GARLANDS COOPERATION, THE RTC AGREED TO PROVIDE $15 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO ASSIST GARLAND FOR THE BODY AND ENVISION GARLAND PLAN WORK AND THAT INCLUDES THE SOUTH GARLAND TRANSIT CENTER AND SOME OF THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY. NOW THE CHALLENGE WAS THAT THE RTC COMMITMENT INVOLVED FEDERAL HIGHWAY FUNDS. WHICH CAN'T BE USED FOR TODT AND SO UNDER THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN DART AND GARLAND. THE RTC IS COMMITTING $15 MILLION TO DART FOR USE ON THE SILVER LINE. THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE LOCAL FUNDS THAT DART WOULD BE PROVIDING TO SUPPORT THAT PROJECT AND, IN TURN DARK WILL BE PROVIDING $15 MILLION TO GARLAND DIRECTLY. TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE T. O D AND THE RELATED ACTIVITIES FOR THE SOUTH GARLAND TRANSIT CENTER . THAT AGREEMENTS ALREADY BEEN IMPROVED. WE ARE SOON GOING TO BE AT THE POINT WHERE WE'LL BE PROVIDING GARLAND WITH THOSE FUNDS UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE AGREEMENT, AND THAT HOPEFULLY WILL PROVIDE SOME FLEXIBILITY AND HELPING TO IMPLEMENT THE TYPES OF ITEMS THAT ARE BEING DONE. THE DESIGN WORK FOR CHANGES AT SOUTH GARLAND OR UNDER WAY ALREADY, I SAW SOME OF THE BUS ASPECTS OF THAT REDESIGN AND AT LEAST SOME EARLY DRAFTS LAST WEEK AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH GARLAND AS WE MOVE THAT FORWARD. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS RELATED TO THIS. WE'VE GOT A FEW FOR YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM MORRIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY EXCITING STUFF GOING ON AND REALLY BRIGHT FUTURE AND, UM, WE'RE EXCITED [00:40:04] ABOUT A WHOLE LOT OF THIS. SO, UM. ONE QUESTION I HAD, AND COURSE YOU KNOW, MY DISTRICT INCLUDES THE DOWNTOWN GARLAND STATION. AND A LOT OF MY CONSTITUENTS ARE HEAVY, DARK USERS. SO I HEAR I HEAR A LOT MORE FEEDBACK IN THAT LOOP. UM THEN WE MIGHT GET IN SOME OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY. UM I SAW IT WITH $110.3 MILLION. THE MOBILITY ASSISTANCE AND INNOVATION FUND THAT ONE OF THE ITEMS LISTED THERE WAS ENHANCED SECURITY. AND THAT IS A QUESTION. I'M GETTING A LOT FROM CITIZENS AND I DIDN'T HEAR ADDRESS ANYWHERE ELSE HERE. SO CAN YOU SHARE AT LEAST IN A GENERAL SENSE? WHAT PLANS YOU MIGHT HAVE FOR ENHANCED SECURITY. THROUGHOUT THE DARK SYSTEM, AND I WILL SAY SPECIFICALLY AT THE DOWNTOWN GARLAND STATION WHERE WE HAVE HAD SOME UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS. SURE, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. AND TO YOUR POINT, I THINK WHAT THE BOARD HAS RECOGNIZED AS AS WELL AS STAFF HAS RECOGNIZES THAT THE TOP THREE ISSUES FOR ALL OF OUR WRITERS RIGHT NOW, OUR SECURITY , CLEANLINESS AND RELIABILITY. THAT IS THE REASON WHY IT WAS SPECIFICALLY CITED FOR THE $110 MILLION MAY FUNDS WE CALL THEM MAY FUNDS. SO, UM SO UM, THE STAFF IS ACTUALLY GETTING READY TO MAKE A PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD ON A SECURITY STRATEGY, NOT THE FULL IDEAS BEHIND THE SECURITY STRATEGY, BUT TO PROVIDE SOME FRAMEWORK AND TIMELINE FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP OUR APPROACH TO SECURE IMPROVING SECURITY ON THE SYSTEM , AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, SOMETIMES CLEANLINESS, SECURITY AND RELIABILITY OVERLAP WITH EACH OTHER. UM BUT WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS HELP THE BOARD UNDERSTAND WHAT TOOLS WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US TO HELP IMPROVE SECURITY AND THEN THE TIMELINE BY WHICH WE COULD SORT OF DEPLOY THOSE DIFFERENT TOOLS BECAUSE SOME THINGS ARE A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO DEPLOY. AND THEN OTHERS TAKE A LITTLE BIT. I HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE LEAD TIME. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, STAFFING ALONE RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOWN ABOUT 50 OFFICERS, AND WE JUST RECENTLY INCREASED THE ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES FOR OUR POLICE OFFICERS , AND WE SEEM SEEN SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY FLYING TO WORK AT DART AS A POLICE OFFICER, SO THAT'S VERY POSITIVE. OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM THROUGH TRAINING, WHICH IS A CHALLENGE, SO THAT TAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME. BUT WE ALSO HAVE CONTRACTED SECURITY. WE HAVE THE OPTION OF POTENTIAL, POTENTIALLY EXECUTING ANOTHER CONTRACT FOR, UH, CONTRACTED SECURITY TO IMPROVE THE NUMBERS ON OUR SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE VISIBILITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UM OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US ARE THINGS LIKE CODE OF CONDUCT, WHICH MIGHT TAKE A LITTLE MORE TIME ALSO, BUT JUST THE EXPECTATIONS AROUND OUR CODE OF CONDUCT. WE HAVE MESSAGING AND JUST COMMUNICATIONS WITH OUR WRITERS . WE HAVE THINGS LIKE ART. WE HAVE A HOMELESS AND MENTAL HEALTH. UH ISSUES SORT OF PILOT PROGRAM APPROACH THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO RIGHT NOW. WHICH WOULD LIKE TO PARTNER WITH ALL THE CITIES ON. THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT IN PILOT FORM WE COULD PROBABLY DEPLOY MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN IF WE WERE DOING A FULL BLOWN FULLY SCALED EXPERIMENT. AND THEN THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO DISCLOSE OR SHARE WITH THE BOARD . JUST YOU KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO APPROACH YOU KNOW? ADDRESSING SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT EVERYBODY HAS IN THE NEAR TERM, AND WHEN I SAY NEAR TERM, I'M THINKING LIKE, YOU KNOW, 1 TO 2 YEARS AND THEN ALSO HOW WE'RE GOING TO SORT OF GROW AND MORPH OUR APPROACH IN LEVERAGING THE DIFFERENT TOOLS AND RESOURCES. WE HAVE TO IMPROVE SECURITY AND OVER THE LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. THAT SOUNDS VERY AMORPHOUS. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT A PANACEA AS YOU ALL KNOW, YOU ALL DEAL WITH THE SAME ISSUES THAT WE DO, AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ATTACK THESE ISSUES FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. AND THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS SHARE WITH EVERYBODY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AND THEN EXECUTE ON THOSE PLANTS. SO UM, WHEN WE BRING THIS TO THE BOARD, WHICH WILL BE AT COMMITTEE THE WHOLE IN LATE SEPTEMBER, UM YOU KNOW, WE'LL PROBABLY MAKE SOME CHANGES TO IT . AFTER WE HEAR FROM THE BOARD. WE'D BE HAPPY TO BRIEF YOU ON WHAT OUR APPROACH IS GOING TO BE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S OF INTEREST TO ALL OF OUR CITIES. AND CERTAINLY WE'RE TRYING TO MEET WITH THE CITY MANAGERS ON A MORE REGULAR BASIS NOW, AND SO WE'LL BE SHARING THAT INFORMATION WITH THE CITY MANAGERS AS WELL. COUNCILOR MORRIS. I JUST WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT TOO FROM ABOARD STANDPOINT, THIS IS A CONSTANT TOPIC THAT WERE REGULARLY ADDRESSING AND IT'S BROADER THAN JUST SECURITY . BUT IT'S ALSO CLEANLINESS. YOU HEARD MISS LEE MENTIONED AND THAT'S ONE OF MY BIG PIECES THAT I GO AFTER IS I DON'T LIKE THE SEA, BROKEN GLASS OR OTHER ISSUES LIKE THAT. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CAMERAS THAT AREN'T WORKING. SO IT'S A BROAD ASPECT OF HOW DO WE COVER SECURITY, SAFETY CLEANLINESS ALL OF THAT, SO IT IS A TOPIC BEFORE THE BOARD AND IT'S GOING TO BE A REGULAR TOPIC. CONGO WHEN I'M I'M THE SAME AS YOU. THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE TOPIC. THAT I GET FEEDBACK ON IS THE SAFETY OR CONCERNS AROUND SAFETY AROUND DARK, BOTH THE TRAINS AND BUSSES [00:45:04] I'LL ALSO ADD THAT WE ARE GIVING THE BOARD A CLEANLINESS BRIEFING IN SEPTEMBER AS WELL, SO EVERYTHING'S GOING TO GO TOGETHER. UM AND TO DIRECTOR KELLY'S POINT, I THINK IT'S UM YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY RELATED TO THE CAMERAS. THE CLEANLINESS PIECE CAN ALSO BE SOMETHING RELATED MORE TO NOT SCHEDULED CLEANINGS ON THE SYSTEM, BUT ALSO HOW QUICKLY CAN WE DEPLOY SOMEBODY TO ACTUALLY CLEAN SOMETHING UP? ONCE WE ARE NOTIFIED THAT YOU KNOW SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT. SO IF SOMEBODY DISPUTES TRASH ALL OVER THE PLATFORM IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD RESOURCES AVAILABLE THAT WE COULD HAVE THAT CLEANED UP WITHIN AN HOUR OR WHATEVER THAT TIME FRAME MIGHT BE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX A LITTLE BIT ON HOW WE EXECUTE SOME OF THESE CONTRACTS, AND I'LL ECHO THAT BECAUSE I DO GET FILLED YOUR CALLS AS WELL AS CONSTITUENTS COULD CONSTITUENT CALLS. AND I HAVE TO SAY IT. DART HAS BEEN EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE WHENEVER I HAVE ESCALATED ISSUES. IF IT'S YOU KNOW, TRUCKS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT OVERNIGHT OR IF IT'S TRASH AT A DIFFERENT STOP. UM, THEY USUALLY GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF IMMEDIATELY. UM, SO IT'S BEING ADDRESSED. IT'S JUST IT'S A CONSTANT BATTLE. OKAY AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF COUNSEL. I WOULD APPRECIATE A BRIEFING. SO EITHER TO THE FULL COUNT, OKAY? I'M SEEING KIDS. YES SO I THINK WE WOULD APPRECIATE A BRIEFING ABOUT THE SECURITY ISSUES AND TO ME SECURITY IS FIRST. CLEANLINESS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. RELIABILITY IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT IF PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SECURE UM AND SAFE. THAT'S NUMBER ONE. UM THAT'S TOP PRIORITY TO ME, AND I THINK TO A LOT OF OUR PEOPLE. UM ANOTHER QUESTION ROUTE. 22 I KNOW WE'VE GOT THESE TEMPORARY ADJUSTMENTS AND THAT THAT ONE IS PAINFUL FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. UM AND I KNOW YOU'RE SAYING HOPE AIMING TOWARDS JANUARY, EASING THOSE TEMPORARY ADJUSTMENTS. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT COULD BE PHASED IN SO THAT 22 COULD GO BACK UP TO FULL SPEED EARLIER THAN JANUARY? BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NEEDING IT? YEAH, THAT IS DEFINITELY OUR TARGET TO TRY TO GET EVERYTHING BACK TO NORMAL SERVICE BEFORE JANUARY. I KNOW THE BOARD HAS BEEN REALLY PUSHING US TO DO THAT. REALLY THAT IS GOING TO BE A FUNCTION OF HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET OPERATORS ONBOARD AND TRAINED. WE'RE DEPLOYING ALL KINDS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, TEAMS OUT TO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TRYING TO LEVERAGE EVERYBODY'S RESOURCES TO TRY TO REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO ADVERTISE THAT WE HAVE JOBS AVAILABLE. SO IF YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT AND YOU'RE WILLING TO SHARE INFORMATION, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEND YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT THAT WE'RE DOING FOR ALL OF OUR POSITIONS AT DART, AND SO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVISION TO TRY TO REACH THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO, UM, YOU KNOW ANY IDEAS YOU HAVE THROUGH CHURCHES, COMMUNITY GROUPS OR WHATEVER. JUST LET US KNOW WE'D BE HAPPY TO SEND TEAMS OUT THERE . IF THERE ARE JOB FAIRS OR WHATEVER ANY EVENTS THAT YOU HAVE, BECAUSE WE'RE REALLY JUST TRYING TO FIND AS MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING FOR DATA AS POSSIBLE. RIGHT ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YES, SIR. MORE. THANK YOU, MR MAYOR OF THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING. VERY COMPREHENSIVE, INNOVATIVE, CREATIVE. AH SERVING ON THE RTC . IT'S KIND OF LISTENING TO YOU TODAY IS REALLY HELPED ME TO SEE THE CONNECTIVITY THAT RELATES TO THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE. I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY DURING THE TIME OF BUDGETING. WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDS. AND WHAT I SAID ON THAT COMMISSION AT TIMES OR LISTENING TO MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING ALLOCATED TO DIFFERENT PLACES, AND AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SOFT BORLAND TRANSIT SYSTEM, THERE ARE TRANSIT AREA AND SOME OF THE CREATIVITY THAT YOU TALK ABOUT HAPPENING THERE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED WITH OUR TUC WITH THAT SMART SITUATION. WHEREAS ANYMORE EXPANDING BECAUSE WE ARE NOT. WE DON'T HAVE THE LAND IN ORDER TO DO THE EXPANSION THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING UP AND DOWN WITH THAT, AND I'M JUST WONDERING. I THINK IT MAY BE IMPORTANT IF YOU COULD TALK TO HOW WE ARE GETTING SOME OF THOSE FUNDS. WHAT TYPE OF PARTNERSHIPS YOU'RE DOING, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT KIND OF MONEY, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. IF I'M SITTING ON THAT BOARD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BRING BACK SOME OF THOSE FUNDS TO THE CITY IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WITH SOME OF THE PROJECTS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING HERE. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? SO I'LL TRY. I THINK MICHAEL MORRIS IS THE GENIUS BEHIND THEM. HE IS HE IS HE IS TO GIVE HIM A SHOUT OUT BECAUSE HE'S BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE AND HELPFUL. AND WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDING FOR ANYTHING RELATED TO DART, AND I KNOW FOR THE CITIES AS WELL. HE TRIES TO HELP US FIND WAYS TO FLEX THOSE FUNDS AND LEVERAGE THE DOLLARS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. SO THE MONEY THAT WE, UM THE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING BACK TO THE CITIES, I THINK COULD BE LEVERAGED FOR MATCHING FEDERAL GRANTS. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THOSE FEDERAL GRANTS LOOK LIKE JUST YET. A LOT OF IT DEPENDS ON US COLLABORATING WITH [00:50:04] THE CITY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU GUYS WANT TO DO HOW YOU WANT TO USE THOSE FUNDS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE WAYS FOR US IF WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE SOME COMPLEMENTARY SERVICES OR INVESTMENTS THAT SPEED UP THE BUSSES, FOR EXAMPLE, OR MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE WAITING EXPERIENCE FOR A BUS RIDERS. I AM CERTAIN THAT WE CAN WORK WITH N C T COG TO FIND SOME GRANT FUNDS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY , YOU KNOW, CREATE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FOR US TO USE AND PERHAPS EXPAND THE BENEFIT TO THE CITY OF GARLAND. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THOSE MATCHES WILL BE. BUT UM, YOU KNOW, MICHAEL HAS BEEN VERY, VERY, UM I MEAN, JUST VERY, VERY LIKE HELPFUL IN TERMS OF TRYING TO HELP US FIND THOSE THOSE DOLLARS THAT COULD BE USED FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT AGAIN, I THINK IT GOES BACK TO YOU KNOW, HOW WOULD THE CITY ENVISION USING THOSE FUNDS TO ADVANCE MOBILITY AND ADVANCE RATHER THAN COMPETE WITH TRANSIT SERVICES? UM I'D ALSO SUGGEST THAT YOU COULD LOOK AT I'M SURE THEY CITY OF GARLAND, LIKE EVERY OTHER CITY IN THE WHOLE REGION, PROBABLY NEEDS SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS. SO ANYTHING THAT INCREASES ACCESS TO BUS STOPS OR THE RAIL STATIONS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I THINK THAT COULD BE A WONDERFUL INVESTMENT FOR THE CITY AND SEE SOME DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE CITIZENS OR RESIDENTS OF YOUR OF YOUR CITY, SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY AVAILABLE. WE JUST HAVE TO FIND THE RIGHT POT TO DRAW FROM ITS JUST AND YOU KNOW AGAIN, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF DEFINING THE SCOPE AND THE PROJECT FIRST. NORMALLY, WE WOULD NEVER RELATE. MIXED USE COMMUNITIES ARE NEW RETAIL. WE WOULD NEVER MIX THAT WITH WHAT THE DARK SYSTEM IS DOING. BUT WHEN YOU CAN BRING A SYSTEM OR PROJECT ON LIKE THAT, AND THEN UTILIZE THE FUNDS THAT MAKES THAT PROJECT ALL THE MORE READILY AVAILABLE AND AFFORDABLE , I SAY AND LIKE TO SAY TO YOU THAT YES, YOU'RE RIGHT THAT WHEN YOU VOTE AGAINST SOMETHING, NO MATTER WHAT, WHAT YOU DID. YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE ALL OF THE NUANCES ALL THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE. BUT WHEN YOU COME IN HERE AND THE EXPLAINED THE MANNER BY WHICH YOU DID, IT MAKES US A LOT MORE READILY AVAILABLE TO OKAY. NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD ABOUT DOING THAT. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY TO YOU. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. THANK YOU, SIR. YES, SIR WILLIAMS. UM, THANK THANK YOU, MARY. UH, MOST OF MY QUESTIONS WERE MET. BEEN ASKING. I'VE GOT TWO QUICK ONES ONE. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE JONATHAN ABOUT THE MECHANICS OF THE L A. HOW THAT'S GOING TO HURT SOMEBODY WITH THAT. AND SECONDLY, I'VE BEEN ASKED BY SOME STUDENTS. WORST DART. I KNOW IT'S STILL OUT THERE ON I DON'T, UM, FREE RIDERSHIP FOR STUDENTS WAS ASKED BY SOME PEOPLE IN THE STREETS AND SOME STUDENTS, SO YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT, BUT I WAS ASKED SO I SAID, I WOULD ASK THAT I SORT OF THE AGENDA. SO CAN ANYBODY SPEAK TO THOSE TWO THINGS? I'LL SPEAK TO HIS PROBABLY BEST FOR ME, UM THE FREE RIDES FOR K THROUGH 12 IS STILL SOMETHING THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED. IT HAS NOT COME TO A VOTE. UM YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPINIONS THAT THEY'RE OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. ME PERSONALLY. I LIKE TO SEE IT FUNDED BY AH, SOMEONE OTHER THAN TAXPAYERS. I THINK THERE ARE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE IT PRESENTED THAT WAY. BUT IT'S A BOARD SITUATION WHERE IT'S NOT COME TO A VOTE. IT'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT IT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEING CONSIDERED. SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE OPINIONS ON IT, AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I HEAR IT YOU PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK AND WHERE YOU ARE, AND I'LL I'LL TAKE THAT TO HOW I HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BOARD. BUT I KNOW I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU AND SOME OTHERS. UM I LIKE THE IDEA OF IT BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS AROUND YOU KNOW IF STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE THEM BEYOND UM, THE SCHOOL HOURS OF BUSSING THAN IT DOES GIVE THEM AWAY TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION AND NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. SO, UM I ALSO LIKED THE IDEA IF IT WERE ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE SCHOOLS RATHER THAN THROUGH DARK. I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF DART BEING THE ADMINISTRATOR DECIDING WHO IS ENTITLED TO A FREE PASS AND WHO IS NOT. I THINK THAT THE STUDENTS NEED TO BE ENROLLED IN SCHOOL. IT NEEDS TO BE A AH REWARD SYSTEM THROUGH THAT AS WELL, UM, ANYWAY, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK PROBABLY OFFLINE UNTIL IT GETS CLOSER TO ACTUALLY BEING CONSIDERED BEFORE THE BOARD AND HOW WE MIGHT ADOPT SUCH A POLICY IS A LOT OF INTRICACIES OF ALSO SPOKE TO SOME GARLAND I S T SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES, AND THERE MAY BE SOME CHALLENGES WITH GARLANDS. UM GARWIN HAS CHOICE OF SCHOOL. SO BECAUSE OF THAT THERE IS SOME SPECIAL LIMITATIONS THAT COULD COME INTO PLAY THAT IF YOU'RE PROVIDING FREE BUS SERVICES OUTSIDE, AND IF THIS IF THIS IF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS ADMINISTERING THAT, THEN IT COULD BE PROBLEMATIC. SO, UM TO YOUR SECOND QUESTION. ARE YOU THE FIRST QUESTION? ACTUALLY AROUND THE DETAILS OF [00:55:02] THE ISLAND AND HOW THAT WOULD GO ABOUT WITH THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS, I THINK AS FAR AS WHAT YOU CAN USE THE FUNDS FOR IS PRETTY WELL SET. THERE'S ALSO GOING TO BE A MEETING THIS THURSDAY. IS THAT THE DATE THIS THURSDAY? THERE'S GOING TO BE, UM, LEADERSHIP FROM THE DIFFERENT MEMBER CITIES WHO ARE GOING TO COME TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT HOW THAT MAY WORK. UM MY ARGUMENT WAS OKAY. WHAT CITY IS GOING TO SAY? WELL, WE SHOULD DECIDE AMONGST OURSELVES TO GIVE HOW MUCH TO EACH CITY. I THINK EVERY CITY IS GOING TO WANT AS MUCH AS THEY CAN GET. UM SO THAT'S WHERE I'VE KIND OF PUSHED BACK ON THAT PROPOSAL, BUT FOR WHOEVER IS ATTENDING FROM THE CITY OF GARLAND FEEL FREE TO CALL ME AND I CAN I CAN GIVE YOU MY INPUT. UM SO THERE WAS SOME DIFFERENT AREAS. IT'S IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DEBATED AMONGST THE BOARD OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT BACK, AND IT'S IT SEEMED TO HAVE MOMENTUM JUST TO GO ON THROUGH. AND THEN ALL OF SUDDEN, THERE WAS SOME DEBATE AMONGST THE BOARD MEMBERS AND AT THE LAST MINUTE THERE WAS THE LANGUAGE OF HOW IT WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED WAS PULLED OUT SO THAT WE COULD GET THE AGREEMENT TO GO AHEAD AND DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDS BACK AND DETERMINE AT A LATER TIME HOW WE WOULD GO ABOUT DOING IT SO IS A THANKS. THANKS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. CASPER HEDRICK. THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT MORE SHELTERS AND BENCHES ARE BEING PROPOSED FOR GARLAND AND I JUST WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE CRITERIA YOU GUYS USE FOR SAYING WHAT SITES GET ADDITIONAL BENCH OR A SHELTER. IT IS A POINT SYSTEM. RIDERSHIP AT THE STOP IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR. BUT WE ALSO LOOK AT, UH, CRIME RATES AREAS WITH HIGH CRIME OR MORE LIKELY TO QUALIFY. AH SITUATIONS WHERE IT'S VERY DARK MAY QUALIFY FOR LIGHTING PLACES THAT ARE ADJACENT TO A SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY, A SENIOR HOME THOSE KINDS OF THINGS GET EXTRA POINTS. AND THE ONE OF THE BIG CHANGES THAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR WAS WE ADDED MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE NUMBER OF SHELTERS YOU HAVE ALONG EACH ROUTE, SO EACH ROUTE QUALIFIES FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF SHELTERS. IF THERE ARE FREQUENT ROUTE, SAY AT LEAST ONE EVERY MILE. AND SIMILARLY LOWER FREQUENCY ROUTES QUALIFY FOR A BENCH EVERY MILE. UH, AND THAT'S A LOT OF THE ADDED ONES IN GARLAND THIS TIME AROUND COMING FROM THAT LAST PROVISION. UM AND WILL THE EXISTING SHELTERS AND BENCHES GETTING UPGRADED WITH A NEW DESIGN ONCE THAT GOES FORWARD AS SOME OF THEM GET OLDER, AND WE NEED TO REPLACE THEM? YES WE GENERALLY THE SHELTERS HAVE A LIFE OF AROUND 15 YEARS OR SO WE'VE GOT MANY THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT HAVE BEEN OUT THERE NEARLY THAT LONG . AND SO WE'VE ALSO GOT TO START CYCLING THOSE OUT AND EVENTUALLY WILL BE WORKING THROUGH THE SYSTEM WITH THE NEW DESIGN. AND I WANT TO THANK MR KELLY FOR HELPING GET A SHELTER REINSTALLED THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN DOWN IN MY DISTRICT DO THE UTILITY CONSTRUCTION AND HE WAS VERY RESPONSIVE AND GETTING THAT ONE PUT UP QUITE SOON. SO THANK YOU, MR HANLEY. YOU'RE WELCOME. AND THANK YOU TO THE DART STAFF. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO TURNED IT AROUND QUICKLY FOR ME AS WELL. SO YOU GUYS ALWAYS ESCALATE THAT TO ME. I WILL ALSO ADD AROUND THE REQUISITES AS FAR AS GETTING A DIFFERENT ENHANCEMENT FOR EACH ONE OF THESE BUS STOPS, SO ON BOARDINGS IS THE BIGGEST PIECE. SO WHEN I GET QUESTIONS FROM DIFFERENT COUNCIL MEMBERS OR CONSTITUENTS, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A SHELTER AT THIS LOCATION OR THAT LOCATION? I MEAN, THERE ARE WAYS IF YOU ENCOURAGE WRITERS TO CONSOLIDATE AND EVERYBODY GET ON AND OFF AT THE SAME START, IT WILL DRASTICALLY IMPROVE THE NUMBERS AND MAKE IT A QUICK FIX TO BRING IN AND PUT A SHELTER AT THOSE STOPS WHERE WE GET A LOT MORE BOARDING SO NOT TO GAME THE SYSTEM, BUT NO IF I COULD ALSO ADD THAT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE WAITING EXPERIENCE, GIVEN THE HEAT THAT WE JUST EXPERIENCED IN THE RECENT PAST. UM YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT US TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE IS, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS THERE ARE DIFFERENT WARRANTS OR ADDITIONAL POINTS THAT WE COULD TALK ABOUT. IF THE ROUTE COMES ONLY ONCE EVERY HALF HOUR OR ONCE EVERY HOUR. BECAUSE IF YOU'RE WAITING OUT THERE FOR A LONG TIME, PERHAPS THOSE ARE THE STOPS THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO HAVE MORE SHADE FOR. UM AND MORE LIGHTING , SO IT'S I THINK WE HAVE TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPREHENSIVELY. UM AND I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE TALKED TO THE STAFF ABOUT A LOT IS THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR BUS SYSTEM, WE DON'T OFTEN INVEST IN THE BUS SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, WHEREAS WE DO WITH RAIL. IT'S A TURNKEY OPERATION WHEN YOU INVEST IN A RAIL SYSTEM, BUT THE BUS SYSTEM HAS BEEN PIECED TOGETHER AND THE PATCHWORK THAT WE HAVE TODAY IS A RESULT OF MANY YEARS OF INVESTMENT. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO THROW SOME MONEY AT THE BUS SYSTEM. AND WHENEVER WE HAVE IT SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT UPGRADES OR DIFFERENT CHANGES TO THE BUS SYSTEM OR JUST TO LOOK AT IT MORE COMPREHENSIVELY, SO THAT WE CAN GO AFTER LARGER, LARGER BUCKETS OF MONEY SO THAT THEY SO WE CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE MORE [01:00:01] REPLACEMENTS FOR BUS SHELTERS ALL THE SAME TIME, AS OPPOSED TO DOING IT ONE AT A TIME WHEN THINGS BREAK DOWN OR WHEN THEY BECOME OBSOLETE, SO I MEAN, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE AND MORE UNIFIED LOOK TO OUR BUS SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, SO THAT'S MORE RECOGNIZABLE AND HAS MORE BRANDING TO IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. I SEE NONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU APPRECIATE IT. COUNCIL WE ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND FOR ITEM FOUR B. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PULL THAT FOR THIS EVENING, AND WE WILL TAKE IT AT OUR SEPTEMBER 19TH WORK [4c. FY 2022-23 Budget Discussions - Final Direction from Council] SESSION JUST IN THE ESSENCE OF TIME TONIGHT THAT WILL MOVE US TO ITEM FOUR C F Y 22 23 BUDGET DISCUSSIONS FINAL DIRECTION. AT OUR LAST. AND OUR LAST MEETING, WE PRETTY MUCH HAD FINAL DIRECTIONS. UM I THINK WE JUST NEED TO CONFIRM THAT SO THAT IN ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR, WE KNOW THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD. IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONS? ON THE BUDGET. I THINK WE ARE ALL IN A GOOD PLACE. YES, VERY GOOD. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU, ALISON. THAT MOVES US TO OH, OKAY. YEAH SHE'S DOING GOOD COULD MOVE THAT FAST. MAN KNOWS THE LONGER YOU SIT THERE, [5. Discuss Appointments to Boards and Commissions] THE MORE LIKELIHOOD SOMEBODY WILL ASK YOU A QUESTION. MOVING ON TO ITEM FIVE DISCUSSION, DISCUSS APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. WE HAVE MAYOR PRO TIM MORRIS. COUNCIL MEMBER. LUCK AND VERA HAVE APPOINTMENTS THIS EVENING. WE WILL TAKE THOSE AS A BLOCK. HERE SHORTLY. MOVING [6. Announce Future Agenda Items] ON TO ITEM SIX ANNOUNCED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS PRO TIM MORRIS UM SORRY, MAYOR. I THOUGHT THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WAS GOING TO BRIEF US BRIEFLY ON, UM OUR CODE OF ORDINANCES RELATED TO DUAL APPOINTMENT SINCE THAT'S ONE OF MINE, AND THAT'S ON THE AGENDA. ARE YOU DOING THAT? OKAY OKAY. THAT WE'RE BACKING UP. AH TO ITEM FIVE WASN'T QUICK ENOUGH ON THE BUTTON, RIGHT? THE QUESTION CAME UP RECENTLY AS TO WHAT ARE THE RULES ON DUAL APPOINTMENTS? THAT IS WHAT WHAT CAN CURRENT OR NOT EVEN CURRENT? WHAT CAN INDIVIDUALS WHO SIT ON ONE BORDER COMMISSION ARE THEY ABLE TO SERVE ON THE OTHER IN THE AND THE CURRENT POLICY WHERE THE CURRENT ORDINANCE ACTUALLY USES THE TERM PERMANENT BOARD OR COMMISSION AND SO THE IN IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS ISSUE? THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE THAT CAME UP IS THE QUESTION WAS CAN ONE PERSON WHO SERVES ON FOR EXAM? THE PROPERTY STANDARDS BOARD. ALSO SERVE ON ONE OF THE TIFF BOARDS AND, UM, THE TIFF BOARDS HOW WE'VE INTERPRETED THAT OVER THE YEARS, THE TIFF BOARD IS NOT CONSIDERED A PERMANENT BOARD BECAUSE THE TIFFS HAVE EXPIRATION DATES, AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE ISSUE AT HAND TO PUT IT IN A VERY SYSTEM DISTINCT WAY. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY? ALRIGHT, OKAY. NO, WE'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT BACK TO ITEM . SIX ANNOUNCED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. CANCER. WILLIAMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MARY LIKE TO PLACE ON THE AGENDA. UM DISCUSSION OF INSPECTION FEES FOR INSPECTIONS, AND I LIKE TO REFER THAT TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE FOR FURTHER REVIEW, MAYOR AND COUNCILMAN VERA IS THE SECOND ON THAT. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS. ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOU KNOW THAT'S IT TERRITORY. GUESS WE'RE BASS. THANK YOU VERY I'D LIKE TO REVIEW REVIEW AUTO USES IN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ZONING DISTRICTS. AND I'D LIKE FOR THAT TO BE REFERRED TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR DISCUSSION. OKAY? AND COUNCILMAN VERA WILL BE A SECOND ON THAT ONE AS WELL. ANYTHING ELSE. THANK YOU. NO THANK YOU. THAT'S THAT'S MY THAT'S WHAT I SAY. IT'S NO THANK YOU. OKAY ANY ADDITIONAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? SORRY. HE JUST MESSING WITH ME. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TIM SMITH. IT'S WORKING NOW LIKE AN AFTER ACTION REPORT FROM G P AND L REGARDING THIS WEEKEND STORM, LET'S LOOK AT THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY AND TALK ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE. AGAIN. I SECOND THAT ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. AND NEXT ITEM IS AND I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PREEMPTIVELY. IF YOU'RE NOT HERE [7. Council will move into Executive Session] [01:05:03] FOR THE EXECUTIVE SESSION IF YOU CAN ALREADY START TO MOVE OUT OF HERE BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE ON SOME PRETTY TIGHT TIMELINE COUNCIL WILL MOVE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL ADJOURN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 551.87 AND 551.71 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. TO DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MATTERS RELATED TO COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION THAT THE CITY HAS RECEIVED FROM ONE OR MORE BUSINESS PROSPECTS THAT THE CITY SEEKS TO HAVE LOCATE, STAY OR EXPAND IN OR NEAR THE TERRITORY OF THE CITY WITH WHICH THE CITY IS CONDUCTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS OR TO DELIBERATE THE OFFER OF FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVES TO BUSINESS PROSPECT. RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY, LOCATED IN THE PERCENTAGE OF DOWNTOWN GARLAND AND ATTORNEY CLIENT MATTERS CONCERNING PRIVILEGED AND UNPRIVILEGED CLIENT INFORMATION RELATED TO SAY. MY GOODNESS. AND AT THIS TIME WE WILL RELEASE THIS WORK SESSION * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.